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[ "The Great and Powerful Trixie stood proudly upon a cliff high above a mass of mindless pony followers, her perfectly trimmed tail and billowing cape flowing in the wind. A small tinge of pity for the hoard below was quickly snuffed out by the realization that no creature could possibly match her excellence, it wasn’t their fault that she was just...superior. Flawless genetics and years of tireless practice had honed the ultimate conduit of pure unicorn power. “BEHOLD!” she shouted, causing everypony below to look up in awe, “The Great and Powerful TRIXIE in all of her electrifying majesty has ARRIVED!” An eruption of dazzling fireworks and lightning bolts lit up the night sky, followed by the thunderous sound of thousands of stamping hooves and cheering equines. Trixie illuminated the entire cliff face with a soft purple glow. The magical light accented her impeccable coat. “Simpletons of Equestria!” She exclaimed, with her most powerful vocal enhancement spell, “The Great and Powerful Trixie is about to ROCK YOUR WORLD!”  Unknown to Trixie, the ground below her was weakening from the constant vibrations of the excited crowd below. Completely absorbed in her magic, she failed to notice the small splinter of broken earth creeping up the side of her earthen platform. Right as she was about to reach the climax of her epic Ursa Major VS Dragon light show in the sky above, a massive shift jarred her out of concentration. Before she could even register what was happening, the entire cliff face gave way, cascading freely toward the valley far below. Flashes of her past flickered through her mind, as the ground rushed toward her.. *** She woke up, tangled in sheets on the floor next to the bed. “Ugghh... Dammit Trixie!”, the purple mare glared down at her blue counterpart on the floor “This is the third time this week! Can’t we have just ONE night of uninterrupted sleep?”" ]

[ "Your heart is my piñata. Chuck Palahniuk Asking for help was not something the Great and Powerful Trixie was used to doing. Well, that and brushing her mane in the morning. It was always in perfect condition, of course, but nopony believed her when she tried to tell them that. It had been fun cavorting around Equestria for a few months, surely. She had had her fair share of fun, her fair share of adventure, and her fair share of pretty fillies claiming that they had never been so attracted to another mare in their life. She had performed for all manner of audiences; large and small, crowds of few and throngs of many. She had entertained entire cities and crowded bars, swarming parks and huge stadiums. She had done her dazzling magic for every type, from the most humble earth pony to powerful government officials and the greatest unicorn magicians- though, clearly, they were not as great as herself. She had truly seen it all in the eventful months since her failed show at Ponyville. And, yet, during her travels, something always nagged her from the back of her mind. Something that wouldn’t go away, no matter how many other mares she slept with or tricks she performed. It was something that she had never experienced in her life, and thought she never would. The problem was purple, had a star for a cutie mark, and had simply delicious lavender eyes. Trixie blinked at the stray thought. They were most certainly not delicious. How ridiculous. Nevertheless, her encounter with Twilight had most definitely irked her. In her one, rare moment of weakness, she had been shown up. Unthinkable. At first, she had been depressed about the whole affair. After that, she had tried to ignore it. When that didn’t work, she tried to distract herself with her performances. She put on the most impressive shows she had ever come up with since she had become a performer- shows that would have impressed the god queen rulers of Equestria themselves- and yet despite her brilliance, there still remained that nagging doubt that refused to leave her alone. She had even, after a few too many drinks one particular night, though about having a child with the preposterously pretty pony. She still wasn’t sure where that idea had come from, nor if it was even physically possible. It was her insatiable desire to rid herself of this nuisance that had led Trixie to the very doors of the Canterlot Royal Castle. Everypony had heard about Nightmare Moon’s defeat at the hooves of Twilight and the five ponies in her company. Trixie had been surprised that none of them had drawn the obvious conclusion about the encounter- that perhaps Luna wasn’t so thrilled to have been brought down so easily. She couldn’t prove it, but it was all she had to go on. Getting past the perimeter guards to her castle hadn’t been easy, nor had the trip up to Canterlot been trivial, but she knew that there was at least one pony that could help her, and that she lay inside these walls. She was her only hope- and Trixie hoped she could convince her to help. Taking a deep, dramatic breath, she knocked on the massive doors with a hoof. *** Luna tossed aside another crumpled piece of parchment into the growing pile next to her. Who would have thought getting revenge on your enemies could be so much work? And it was, of course, revenge that she wanted. Strangely, it had not occurred to her to begin planning such a thing during her imprisonment on the moon. It was only after she had returned to Equestria that she had begun to consider such things, and it was turning out to be far more difficult than she had anticipated. Perhaps, she thought, looking past her mountain of ill-formed plans at the moon outside, I shouldn’t have spent all that time dancing. To tell the truth, the whole Nightmare Moon thing had been a last-minute effort. It had almost worked, too, except for that insufferable purple unicorn and her little gaggle ruining everything with their magic tricks. Just thinking about her made Luna’s blood boil. That whole escapade had just been embarrassing. Only her quick thinking and fake tears when her sister had shown up had salvaged the situation and made her look like a victim instead of a laughingstock. Luna looked at the paper in front of her, entitled The Celestia-pult. She lidded her eyes. This was hopeless. Maybe it was time to turn her attention to getting rid of Celestia’s prized student instead of her- go for a psychological blow instead of a physical one. Surely that would make things easier. And yet, still, nothing came to mind. For all Luna’s taunting and all her posturing during her attempted takeover, the small unicorn she had fell to was indeed very powerful- and she had been tutored by her sister, no less. Even taking that into account, if it were discovered that Luna had been the one responsible for the unicorn’s untimely death, she wouldn’t just be banished to the moon this time. At the very least, she would end up with egg on her face again, and she couldn’t afford that. Not again. She would clearly need help to pull this off. The trouble was there was no one she could trust. A thousand years away from home tends to leave ones former acquaintances quite dead. That meant she would have to get social and buddy-buddy with somepony, and that was something she loathed to do- but she knew it would be a necessary chore. At the very least, they could end up slightly useful and absorb some magic before it hit her. The only problem was who to choose to embark with her on this epic adventure. At that moment, there came a small knock at the front door to her throne room. Luna looked up at the guards in front of the massive slabs of wood, nodding to them to indicate they should let whoever had knocked through. The guards silently complied, pulling the doors open. Standing in the moonlight of the garden outside was a small blue mare, wearing a purple cloak and hat studded with colorful star and moon patterns. Without waiting to be invited in, the mare entered the throne room with a purpose to her stride. The guards looked on at her warily, but did not stop her. As the stranger approached Luna, the god queen could see a fire and a drive in her eyes. The mare did not bow or prostrate herself before her when she was close enough, as Luna was used to. These things alone made Luna very interested in what she had to say before she had even begun to speak. And speak she did. “Princess Luna,” the mare said loudly, her voice echoing in the nearly empty throne room. “I require your assistance and partnership in ridding Equestria of a thorn in her side.” Luna had an inkling as to the mare’s identity, but her response was almost automatic. She lifted her head regally. “One does not ask for a princesses’ assistance in such a manner.” The blue mare sighed. “For the love of- do you even know who I am?” Luna did her best to sound annoyed, though in truth she was delightfully amused at her frankness. “You will address me properly, or I will have the guards escort you away.” The pegasus guards moved a step closer to the stranger at Luna’s words. The mare continued unperturbed in the same confident voice. “That would be unwise, your majesty. I seek to help bring you the sweet taste of victory you have sought for so long.” Luna blinked. Could it be? “What do you speak of? Who are you?” The blue mare donned a wide, manic grin, as if she had been waiting for that question. Her purple eyes glistened in the moonlight. “I am the Great and Powerful Trixie, and I want what you want- revenge on Twilight Sparkle.” Luna smiled the tiniest of smiles. Her prayers had been answered. *** The two unicorns retreated into the nearby library. Luna instructed all of the guards that had followed them to vacate the area, lest her sister become suspicious about a set of guards guarding a supposedly empty room. With the doors to the massive hall closed and securely locked, Luna could finally breathe easy. Her plan was going to come to fruition at last. She had feigned ignorance before, but she had recognized the small blue mare immediately. It was difficult not to hear of her escapades throughout Equestria, and she had been impressed more than once by a recounted tale of her performances. She had also heard of her show in Ponyville- and why this magician shared her hatred for Twilight. She glanced at the mare, who was poking around the books. She could not have found a more perfect partner to help her enact her revenge. “You have an impressive collection,” Trixie said to her from across the room. Her voice once again echoed in the empty chamber. Luna took one last look around to make sure they were alone, and then approached the small unicorn. “You said you needed my help. So, start asking,” Luna said. Trixie’s eyes shifted from side to side, as if she were embarrassed about something. “You have to keep this a secret,” the smaller mare whispered. Luna brought a hoof to her face. “Cross my heart, hope to f-“ “Yeah, yeah,” Trixie interrupted. “The truth is…” she trailed off for a moment, her face scrunching in disgust, seemingly at her own words. She swallowed and continued. “The truth is that stupid unicorn is more… technically proficient at magic than I am.” Luna nodded sagely at her pained admission. “That doesn’t surprise me. She is the personal protégé of my sister, after all.” “I don’t know what that word means, but I don’t want to hear about any hot-for-teacher stuff,” Trixie said, giving Luna an odd look. “All I know is her connection to your sister makes her very powerful. More powerful than myself. And it irks me greatly.” Trixie turned to look back at the shelves of books. “I’m sure you know the feeling.” Luna thought for a moment. “No, can’t say that I do.” “How was the moon?” Trixie asked, still facing the books. “Cold?” Luna narrowed her eyes at the mare’s back. “Point taken.” “Exactly,” Trixie said, levitating out a large book from the stacks and turning back around to face Luna. “So, you’re going to teach me.” “Teach you what, exactly?” Luna asked. Trixie turned the cover of the book so it faced Luna. The gold embossed title read Really Advanced Magic: Part I of XXIV. “You’re going to teach me everything I need to know to get rid of Twilight Sparkle, of course.” Luna blinked. “That’s all you need? Magic lessons?” Trixie cringed as if in pain from Luna’s wording. “Right. You teach me everything she knows, and a little more, and I remove a pesky problem from your life. Sounds like a pretty good deal, doesn’t it?” Luna pondered this idea for a moment. It did sound like a pretty good deal. She decided to make sure Trixie had the same plan she did, though, just in case. She started with an obvious question. “So, if I’m teaching you, what’s to stop me from just going and taking care of her myself?” Trixie just laughed. “Yes, the Great and Powerful Princess Luna strolling casually down the streets of Ponyville. That’s real subtle. There’s absolutely no chance that’ll backfire. Might as well stop by the sweets shop while you’re down there, and pick up a case of you’re stupid and so is that idea.” She finished the last part of her sentence with a completely deadpan expression. Luna furrowed her brow and pretended to look offended. “You’re not exactly low-key yourself.” “I don’t have both a horn and the wingspan of a dragon,” Trixie countered. “So unless you plan to kill her in her sleep- which isn’t very sporting, if we’re both honest- everypony will know it was you who killed the princesses’ prized student.” Luna completed the conversational thread with the obvious bullet point. “And that would not bode well for my life expectancy.” Trixie gave the princess a practiced, showboating grin. “Duh. Guess who’s got four hooves and can solve that problem for you?” Good, Luna thought. Trixie was on the same page she was- and even better, she thought she had come up with the idea entirely on her own. Her heart was racing with excitement. This had literally dropped into her lap, and it just might actually work. She couldn’t possibly screw this up. Once Twilight was out of the way, she could focus on her real goal: Celestia. For the rest of the night, Luna shared a few choice things with the smaller mare, planning out Trixie’s sleeping arrangements at the castle and her schedule of lessons over the next few days. When the sun was due to peak over the horizon, Luna led Trixie off to an unused room for her to get some sleep. What neither Trixie nor Luna had noticed was a white-furred alicorn, watching from one of the library balconies. *** It was breakfast as usual in the royal castle. Fine dishes from all over Equestria were on the menu, dressed up with the most ornate of place settings and fine china. Steaming piles of bacon and freshly-baked bread covered the table, all freshly prepared that morning. Luna honestly just preferred toast. As she arrived in the dining hall, Celestia was at the table already, cutting up a poached egg with a knife. As Luna sat down next to her sister, levitating her own knife to butter her simple breakfast fare, she discretely looked in the direction of her sibling. Celestia had the tiniest of smiles on her face as she chewed her food. Luna’s fear got to her- she was instantly a little worried. Had she discovered anything? Luna wasn’t going to be the one to give anything away, though. She looked in the opposite direction and took a bite out of her toast, ignoring her sister. After a minute or so of silence, though, her resolve broke down, and she looked back. Celestia had stopped eating and was watching her little sister with the same tiny smile. Luna frowned. “What?” she asked. “Nothing,” Celestia said in a sing-song voice. The two sisters simply stared at each other, each daring the other to speak- Luna with a glare, and Celestia with her maddening smile. The only noise in the dining hall was the chirping of birds in the garden outside. It wasn’t so much a menacing silence than a continuation of the rivalry that any two immortal siblings would have, if one were secretly trying to dethrone the other. As it turns out, Celestia spoke first. “She’s cute,” she said in a whisper. Luna nearly choked. “Excuse me?” “Your friend; she’s simply adorable,” Celestia elaborated, letting her mischievous grin spread a little further. Luna was thoroughly confused. Was her sister playing a game with her? Did she actually know anything? Had she heard what happened last night? She swallowed. “What are you talking about?” Celestia propped her head up with a hoof, putting her elbow on the table, smiling all the while. “Don’t be so shy about it, Luna- I approve. Don’t worry about it!” Luna’s jaw dropped slightly. She couldn’t possibly be… and yet, she looked completely serious. Luna was silent for several seconds, trying to process this. Celestia took it as her cue to continue, her voice taking on that familiar motherly tone that Luna hated. “Luna, you’re my sister,” she started, reaching across the table to ruffle her mane. Luna sat completely still, her face still a mask of disbelief. Celestia kept going. “I just want you to be happy- you know that, right? You don’t have to hide anything from me, and I’m not going to judge you. If that’s the path that you want to take, I fully support you.” Under any other circumstances, Luna would have been on the floor with hysterics. Now, though, she was at a complete loss for words. Celestia kept her genuine, happy smile as she waited for her sister to say something. Luna’s response was to quietly stand up, push in her chair, and walk out of the dining room to her quarters. *** Luna spent the day asleep, as usual. When she awoke, she avoided her sister at the dining hall for dinner, instead requesting that her food be sent up to her quarters. She didn’t want a repeat of that awkward conversation. Once Celestia had retired to her own room, Luna emerged, delving deep into the castle corridors to gather Trixie from her room, grabbing a tray of pastries from the kitchen on her way over. When Luna reached the unmarked door, she knocked quietly with her hoof. There was a sudden rustling from inside and a smattering of muffled swearing. Luna felt a little guilty- she hoped she hadn’t interrupted anything embarrassing. After a minute, Trixie mumbled, “enter!” Luna opened the door. Trixie was sitting up on the bed, the covers mostly over her, her face slightly flushed. Luna took a cursory glance around the room, but only found one alteration: a poster of one of the Wonderbolts on the wall. The name ‘Spitfire’ was written under the uniformed mare. Luna looked back at Trixie with a blank look. “Where did you get that?” Luna asked. Trixie shifted her eyes. “I brought it with me,” she said quickly. She looked at the pastries. “Are those raspberry?” she asked, changing the subject. Luna nodded. “The Great and Powerful Trixie loves raspberries,” she said, almost sheepishly, grabbing one of the puffs off the plate. After a quick snack for the both of them, Luna led Trixie through the complicated castle corridors towards the library. Her paranoia guided her around the longest way around that she could find, though she doubted Trixie noticed. Once they reached the doors, Luna once again dismissed the guards and led her accomplice inside, instructing her to secure the door behind them. Trixie turned around and was about to comply when Luna’s eyes met the sight she had been secretly dreading. Inside the library, on a far table, nestled between stacks of books and what looked like tiny pillows, was a large plate of sandwiches and a smattering of small chocolates. On top of the platter was a tiny sign stuck into the top sandwich that clearly bore the words, “Have fun, you two!” Underneath the words was a small red heart. Luna immediately turned around and started to walk out of the library. Trixie stared after her. “Where are you going? !” Trixie asked in a loud whisper. “Somewhere else,” Luna replied in a flat voice. *** The two ended up practicing in Trixie’s borrowed room that night. Three productive nights passed there without incident, but far from comforting Luna, this only served to fuel her latent paranoia. She still wasn’t sure what Celestia knew- if she were actually concerned about whatever she was concerned about, or if she were merely toying with her while she warmed up the straight-to-the-moon spell. Or both. She hadn’t been able to tell the difference a thousand years ago and she sure hadn’t gotten any better at it in the meantime. She didn’t let that stop her, though. There was work to be done. “Okay, so you know how to summon simple objects pretty well,” Luna said, beginning their third lesson for that night. Trixie, as if to prove a point, lit her horn and procured a perfectly smooth glass sphere into the air between them. It fell to the soft carpet. “Yep,” she said. “And we’ve covered how to materialize more complex objects,” Luna continued, prompting her this time. Trixie shut her eyes, her horn glowed once again, and after a few seconds, a brilliantly detailed gemstone came into existence. The light from her horn and the candles around them shined through the facets of the jewel, covering the room with radiance. Trixie opened her eyes and grinned devilishly. Luna let a tiny smile cross her face. “All very good. Now, we’re going to do something more difficult.” Using her own magic, she brought forth from the air a simple box. She levitated it in front of Trixie. “You’re going to teleport out the item in this box.” Trixie scoffed. “That’s it?” Luna cocked an eyebrow. “What must one do to teleport an object?” Trixie thought for a moment, and then her face fell, her grin disappearing. “You have to know what the object is.” Luna nodded sagely. “Precisely.” Trixie frowned. “How is this supposed to help me?” “You never know what skill might come in handy during a fight,” Luna said off-handedly. Trixie looked like she was about to say something in response, but gave up, shutting her eyes and focusing her magic. Luna placed the box on the floor, watching Trixie with anticipation. This spell was tricky, but not overly complicated. The object she had put in the box wasn’t hard to manipulate either, but the mare would need to master this spell before… Before Luna could finish that thought, there appeared with a flash of light a book between the two unicorns- a book far larger than would have fit in the box. Trixie opened her eyes in confusion at the same time Luna read the title. It was Colts and Fillies, a book infamous for its… racy content. It was often colloquially called, along with other reading materials like it, clop fiction. Trixie blinked in confusion and her jaw hung open. “Uh…” she stammered. Luna simply turned and silently beat her head against the wall beside her. *** The night of practicing was long and tedious, but fruitful. Trixie wasn’t used to the powerful magic Luna was teaching her, but she was learning fast, which was exactly what Luna had been expecting. The two magicians stopped working around the time when Trixie’s horn started to glow a weird color. Luna once again avoided Celestia at the breakfast table and had her food sent up to her room. When it arrived, though, it was the exact same plate of sandwiches and chocolates that she had seen in the library. Suddenly not hungry in the slightest, she frowned and pushed the plate away, crawling into bed. She was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. She vaguely remembered dreaming of the moon. As she was accustomed to doing, she awoke at almost exactly dusk. She blinked a few times to get the sleep out of her eyes, and rolled over in her bed to get ready to raise Equestria’s nocturnal satellite and her accompanying stars. To her surprise, she rolled over onto something warm and pony-shaped. Yelping with surprise, Luna bolted upright and threw off the covers. Lying next to her in bed was a disrobed Trixie, who was looking back up at her with about as much surprise on her face as Luna felt. Neither said anything for a heartbeat, both of their jaws quite agape. Luna recovered first. “What are you doing in my bed? !” she squeaked. “What are you doing in my-“ Trixie started, but stopped suddenly when she looked around the room and realized that she wasn’t in her assigned quarters. Both ponies looked at each other again with a disbelieving silence. Trixie was blushing a deep red now that she realized what was going on. “You didn’t come here on your own?” Luna asked. Trixie took another look around the room, then down at herself, then back at Luna. “No! Where are my robes? What’s going on?” Luna still wasn’t quite awake, but she had a pretty good idea of what was going on. “So you don’t know how you got here?” she prodded. “NO!” Trixie repeated, quite forcefully. Another moment of awkward silence. Trixie uncomfortably grabbed a hooffull of the sheets and covered herself up a bit. “Let’s pretend this didn’t happen,” Luna said, blinking. “Agreed,” Trixie mumbled. Eager to put the morning- technically evening- behind them, the two quickly left Luna’s quarters.", "Another moment of awkward silence. Trixie uncomfortably grabbed a hooffull of the sheets and covered herself up a bit. “Let’s pretend this didn’t happen,” Luna said, blinking. “Agreed,” Trixie mumbled. Eager to put the morning- technically evening- behind them, the two quickly left Luna’s quarters. Now that Luna knew that Celestia knew where Trixie had been living in the castle, she made a mental note to find her a new room. In the meantime, though, they two would need a new practice space, and Luna thought she knew just the place. There was a balcony loft that she knew for a fact was unoccupied. It was a special room, usually reserved for when Celestia wanted to address her subjects in the most public manner possible, which wasn’t often nowadays. Before Luna had been banished, she remembered it seeing frequent use. Times had indeed changed. Stopping only to gather their spell books, the two made their way up the winding flights of stairs. Upon reaching the top, Luna opened the door to find the room exactly the way she had remembered it. Nice, quiet, and private. The two unicorns got settled, as they were now used to doing. Luna levitated one of the books and flipped to a dog-eared page. “So, we left off on barrier spells…” she began. “When she’s gone, what will you do?” Trixie interrupted. “Come again?” Luna asked. “That ridiculous unicorn,” Trixie clarified. “Once she’s out of the picture, what’s your plan?” Luna looked at the mare thoughtfully. At one point she might have hesitated in telling her this, but she had grown to trust her during her admittedly short visit. Plus, she was helping her- what harm could it do? “Celestia,” she said. “Celestia is next. This kingdom will be mine again.” “Sounds pretty vengeful,” Trixie noted lightly. “Says the mare that’s still focusing on one failed show,” Luna pointed out. “Says the princess who’s focusing on something that happened a thousand years ago,” Trixie countered. Luna was about to respond in kind when she realized Trixie had a point. They were both after something rather shallow and vain, weren’t they? And yet neither of them had really stopped and considered the consequences of the actions they were about to take. Luna looked into the younger mare’s eyes with a fresh understanding that she hadn’t expected. Perhaps there was more they could both learn from the other. Luna’s deep thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door. Luna swore quietly and lightly hit her head on the wall beside her. “Girls?” a sing-song voice came from the other side of the door. “Are you in there?” “Celestia, I swear to-“ Luna said, but the door opened before she could finish. Celestia popped her head into the room with a huge smile on her face. “Oh, hello!” she said cheerily. “Don’t mean to interrupt! Just wanted to see if I could get you girls anything,” she said, still smiling broadly. Luna gave her her best glare. “Celestia…” Luna mumbled. “Now, don’t be rude, Luna,” Celestia responded. “Ask your friend if she wants anything.” “Celestia,” Luna said, more forcefully. “Whatcha studying?” Celestia asked, peeking her head around to look at the books. “Celly!” Luna shouted, shoving her sister back through the doorway with her head. Once she was outside the doorframe, Luna shut and locked the door. She took a few deep breaths and then turned back to Trixie with a deadpan look on her face. “Point taken,” Trixie said quietly. *** Luna, exhausted from the night’s work, once again prepared to bed down for the duration of the day. She opened the large window that dominated one side of her quarters to let the fresh dawn air fill the room. She took a deep breath and savored it- the balcony loft had gotten quite stuffy after so many diligent hours. Trixie was absorbing her lessons almost as fast as she could think of them. They had perhaps one more night of studies before Luna felt the unicorn was ready to perform her mission. One more night, she thought, turning away from the window and approaching her bed. She could surely keep her sister out of the way for one more night. Seemingly in response to that thought, Luna heard a rustling behind her, on the other side of her room. It sounded almost as if somepony had come through her window. Luna sighed and closed her eyes as she felt a headache coming on. “What, Celestia?” she asked, turning around. Celestia was indeed perched on her open windowsill. “Now, now, Luna,” Celestia cooed. “No need to be grumpy with me.” “Why are you doing this?” Luna asked, narrowing her eyes. “I’m just looking out for my little sister!” Celestia said, climbing down from the windowsill. “Is that such a crime?” Luna gave Celestia her best glare, but said nothing. The white alicorn trotted cheerily to Luna’s bed, flopping down on it with a soft flump. She looked back up at Luna. “There’s something to be said about being a good host, you know,” she said, playing with the sheets with a hoof. “Though, it was nice of you to give her her own room and all. Shows respect for her privacy.” Luna continued her silent glare. Celestia continued, oblivious. “You could certainly have asked me to procure a better room, certainly- but I understand! You’re taking this gently. Slowly. I can appreciate that. Give her the old razzle dazzle. It works, sometimes. Sometimes it doesn’t- who knows with these performer types?” Luna thought she knew where her sister was going with this, but kept her glare up. Celestia took a tiny pause in her diatribe and levitated a sandwich from the tray that Luna had left untouched near her bedside. She took a bite and spoke around the food. “Though, dear, you might not want to leave her waiting too long. That’s rude.” Luna’s glare dropped to a flat expression. “Celly, we’re not-“ “Oh, don’t give me that,” the alicorn countered lightly. “You can’t hide anything from me, dear.” Luna resisted the urge to sigh. There was no way she was getting out of the conversation. She decided to take the easy way out. “Obviously not,” the alicorn grumbled. Celestia gave her sister a beaming grin, her point made. “That’s the spirit,” she said, getting up off the bed and magically opening the door out of the bedroom. Just as she was about to leave, she turned and looked back at Luna. “Be gentle with her. She’s kind of temperamental,” she said slyly. With that, Celestia walked past the threshold, the door closing behind her . Luna hit her head on the closest wall. *** This was it- the final night. Luna had picked a room as far away from her previous choices as she possibly could, to hopefully throw Celestia off. Luna looked on expectantly at Trixie as she closed her eyes and tried to perform the last spell for the night. If the performer could do it, then she had learned all that Luna could teach her- all that she needed to know to kill Twilight. It had been over a week of nonstop practicing and drilling and planning, and it was all coming to fruition right before Luna’s eyes. Trixie started to take on a peculiar glow as she focused her magic. Her horn positively lit up the room, it was becoming so bright. The blue unicorn mumbled something under her breath that Luna didn’t hear. Without warning, the mare disappeared in a flash of light. Luna smiled at the space that she had previously occupied, now covered in wisps of smoke. She- they- had done it. “I did it!” Trixie shouted from where she had successfully teleported - the other side of the room, near the balcony window. Luna turned around to see Trixie on her hooves, looking around in awe at her achievement. With the moonlight highlighting her form against the blackened sky, Trixie almost looked the same as she had the night she had broken into the castle grounds- but much happier. “And thus endeth the lesson for tonight,” Luna said contentedly. Trixie stamped a hoof on the ground in approval and whinnied. “Damn straight! There’s nothing that little unicorn can do to stop me now!” Luna gave the blue mare a wide smile. “There’s one last thing we need to discuss,” she said. All that remained now was to fill Trixie in on the exact details of how she would carry out her assignment. Luna had been obscuring the details of this intentionally up until now, just in case, despite Trixie’s protests. Now that their lessons were over… Luna’s heart skipped a beat when Trixie moved away from the window. Past the balcony railing, she saw the unmistakable silhouette of a horned, winged figure with a long, flowing mane, just out of sight. Celestia was here, watching them. Luna tried to keep her face impassive, but inside she was panicking. Not now. Not now, when she was so close. Her mind raced. She needed to get her sister away from that window for ten minutes. Ten minutes was all she needed. She knew her sibling, and she wasn’t going to be able to chase her off again; she’d just come back. Celestia needed to leave on her own. Luna swallowed, and her heart fell into her stomach. She knew exactly what her sister was waiting for the two of them to do. She looked at Trixie’s advancing form, hoping against hope that her hastily-constructed idea would be enough. Trixie was not going to like this. Here goes nothing. As Trixie walked the final steps towards Luna, the elder mare indicated silently that she should sit, which she did. Once Trixie was close enough, Luna put her snout gently against the blue unicorn’s ear and gently nuzzled it. “Celestia is in the window,” Luna whispered softly. Trixie, taken aback by both the unexpected gesture and the news, almost pulled away from Luna, but the alicorn lightly grabbed her ear with her teeth to stop her. Trixie took only a second to absorb the news, and then pulled her head back, seemingly understanding the gravity of the situation. “What do we do, then?” Trixie whispered back nervously. “We need to get her to leave,” Luna replied softly. Trixie paused, unsure of what to do. “Just pretend I’m Spitfire for a minute,” Luna elaborated. To Trixie’s credit, as corny as Luna’s encouragement had seemed to her, the blue mare took the hint without much hesitation and relaxed her posture. Her face had taken on a slight shade of red. Luna faltered, though. She was so out of practice that she wasn’t sure she could make this look convincing. Plus, Trixie was a mare. Luna would have to fake this like she’d never faked before. Just take it slow, she encouraged herself. Luna continued her nuzzling motion under and around Trixie’s ear, massaging the side of her head with her snout. She alternated between rubbing that spot and kneading the underside of Trixie’s neck. Every few moments she would nip a little at Trixie’s ear, which, after a few rounds, began to elicit soft moans from the blue mare. To her surprise, Luna could feel Trixie’s face getting redder and redder. She hadn’t expected that. She felt a little guilty for doing this to her, but she was sure the unicorn understood what was at stake. Though Luna wouldn’t admit it, her guilt was alleviated slightly by the sheer virtue of the fact that she was either apparently doing a decent job or that Trixie was a remarkably good faker. Luna stole a quick glance towards the window. She still saw the shadow of her sister watching them. It dawned on her that this would get awkward quickly if Celestia had no plans to leave, but Luna liked to think her sister had some sense of dignity. Time to continue. “I’m going to kiss you,” Luna whispered quietly, mostly as a forewarning. Trixie’s eyebrows shot up even as her eyes remained closed, as if she had been awoken from a trance. All Luna got in response was a soft hum and a nod from the blue mare. The alicorn stopped her nuzzling and brought her lips experimentally to Trixie’s. Their height difference made the movement a little awkward at first, which Luna solved by backing up a bit from her student. The heat coming from the performer’s face was very apparent now. She hadn’t been sure what to expect Trixie to taste like, but Luna thought she tasted a tiny hint of blueberries. Trixie didn’t reciprocate the kiss at first, but slowly, gradually began to push back on Luna’s lips with her own. The princess had no idea if she was doing her part correctly, but Trixie seemed to be enjoying it just fine. Luna kept it up for the better part of a minute before Trixie offered her tongue. Luna was surprised by the gesture, but accepted it. Their makeout session intensified. After another minute, Luna broke the kiss. “What was that about?” she asked quietly, taking another glance at the window. Celestia was still there. “Authenticity,” Trixie cooed, nuzzling Luna’s neck as the alicorn had done previously. Luna resisted the urge to shrug. Her sister was being very persistent- it was probably time to look a little more serious about what they were doing. She looked down at her student. Her face was now bright red. She looked further up, and eyed Trixie’s horn warily. This she did have some experience in, but it had been so long since she had practiced it that, in this case, she was even more unsure of how to proceed. Here goes some more nothing. Luna gently brushed Trixie’s horn with her snout, which caused the mare to tense her body slightly. Luna repeated the action a few times until Trixie seemed used to it, then gave the appendage a light lick. Trixie sighed with pleasure, and involuntarily ducked her head a little. Luna took that as her signal to proceed. She gave the shaft another lick, stronger this time. Trixie almost shivered. Luna looked up for just a moment to the window, and saw the sight she had been hoping for- the figure was turning away from the balcony! Just a few more seconds… “Wait,” Trixie said suddenly, forcefully. “Wait a second.” Luna’s heart skipped a beat as the figure in the window paused, and turned back to the castle. No! Not now! I’m so close! “What?” Luna hissed. The blue mare had already stood up before Luna could stop her. Her eyes were focused oddly, her breathing was irregular, and she looked angry. Her blush had spread across her entire face. “I see what’s going on here!” “Trixie, sit down!” Luna whispered loudly, hoping to salvage the situation, but already instinctively knew that her plan had just fallen through the floor. At the very last second. Amazing. The mare narrowed her gaze dangerously, her tone absolutely furious as she unsuccessfully tried to wipe her horn clean with a hoof. “You’ve been planning this all along! You and your sister have set this all up so you can get me into bed!” Luna’s face dropped into utter disbelief. “What-“ “Do you think the Great and Powerful Trixie is stupid? !” Trixie continued. “You don’t care about getting revenge on Twilight! You don’t care about teaching me magic! All you wanted was Trixie’s Great and Powerful bits!” Luna blinked in confusion. “Why would I want your mone-“ “I’m…” Trixie started, but her face scrunched up with anger before she could finish. “Insulted!” she managed. “It was a mistake coming here!” With that, the blue magician turned away from Luna and lit her still-moist horn with magic. “I expect my things to be mailed by morning!” she screeched. With that, Trixie disappeared in the flash of magical light that Luna had just taught her, leaving small contrails of smoke where she had stood just a moment ago. Luna was left staring blankly at the spot, wondering how her until-then perfect plan had fallen apart in thirty seconds. She blinked. Yep, Trixie was gone. That had just happened. She was too surprised to be angry. She was too surprised to be upset. She was just confused. From behind her, Luna heard soft hoofbeats as Celestia approached. Luna didn’t turn to face her. “I’m so sorry, Luna,” Celestia said in a voice that contained no sorrow whatsoever. “Sometimes things happen. She really wasn’t your type, anyway.” Luna let her head hit the floor." ]

[ "The 63rd Rune By: Alexstrazsa Chapter 1: How Could You Be So Wrong, Twilight? Books and scrolls littered the floor of Ponyville’s library, leaving only a small path for Twilight to walk through. At the epicenter of the organized chaos was the unicorn herself, glancing between a large, old book and a partially finished chalk drawing on the ground. Occasionally she moved to a large stack of books detailing old languages and flipped through them, mumbling to herself as she cross-referenced symbols and details to a piece of parchment. After several more walks between her references and the near crumbling book she was so focused on, she grinned and took a piece of chalk with her magic. “Now... I need to draw these runes just right...” Twilight said to herself, tracing an intricate pattern into the floor of the library. Beads of sweat were starting to form on her brow, from the concentration she was putting into the small piece of chalk scraping along the floor. Just a little more... she thought, finishing a sixth circle with a complex rune in the center. She brought the chalk back to the beginning of the main circle, and as it connected, she took a deep breath and stopped focusing. “Finally, it’s done.” The purple mare stepped out of her home and took a breath. It had been a while since she got some fresh air, and it was a nice change from the musky basement. As she closed the door behind her, the town’s grey-coated and blonde-maned mailpony paid her a visit. “Greetings, Twilight!” Derpy chirped. She opened her satchel and brought out the usual mail. Bills, advertisements, and the monthly check from Princess Celestia arrived. “On time as usual,” Twilight replied with a smile. She took the letters in her mouth and set them next to her door. “I haven’t missed a day yet!” Twilight thought for a moment, then asked “Derpy, could you do me a favor?” “Sure thing, Twilight!” “While you’re making your rounds today, could you tell Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack, and Fluttershy to meet at the library around three?” “Not a problem,” Derpy said, turning to leave. “Thank you!” Twilight yelled out as the mail pony flew off to her next destination. She then picked up her mail and went back inside. It was time to give the library a good cleaning. - - - Three o’clock arrived faster than Twilight had anticipated - she was still picking up books when she heard the first knock at her door. She opened the door to find Fluttershy - a light yellow pegasus with a long, pink mane - standing there. “Hello Twilight,” Fluttershy said, in a soft voice. “Is there something you needed?” “It’s more of an announcement,” Twilight replied, letting Fluttershy in. “You’ll know when everypony gets here.” The pegasus gave a warm smile as she walked in. “Oh, how exciting.” One by one, the other ponies arrived. Applejack tipped her hat as she walked in, followed several minutes later by Rarity. Pinkie Pie bounced through the door, licking the remains of some dessert off her face. Lastly, when everypony was settled, Rainbow Dash arrived. “Sorry about that, everypony!” Dash said as she rushed into the library. “My uh... alarm didn’t go off.” Applejack looked to Dash with a less than convinced expression. “So what ya meant ta say is that ya overslept.” “Eh... I guess you could say that,” The rainbow-maned pegasus replied, her cheeks growing red. “Well, that’s okay,” Twilight said, stepping before the rest of her friends. “Now that you’re all here, I have a very important announcement to make!” She motioned behind herself. “If you’ll notice, there are six circles written on the floor behind me. They are all contained in a larger circle. This is called a ‘rune circle’, and I’ve been working very hard on it.” “Well what’s it do, Twi?” Applejack asked. “You see, it’s all part of a complicated spell which I put together. It uses ancient, shape shifting magic and runes to alter a ponies physical composition and body structure. Every single rune serves a purpose and acts as a different component in the-” “Equestrian, please,” Rainbow Dash interrupted, with visible irritation on her face. “It changes the type of pony you are,” Twilight replied, deadpan. At this, Pinkie Pie’s face lit up. “Ooh, so you mean that Fluttershy could be an earth pony, or Applejack could be a unicorn, or I could be pegasus pony? !” Rainbow Dash’s face turned to dread at the thought of Pinkie Pie with wings. She had to say something. “Are you sure that’s safe, Twilight?” “I’m absolutely sure it’s safe. I’ve double and triple checked everything about this spell. Besides, it should only be temporary. At most it’ll last one or two hours.” Dash sighed with relief. She didn’t have to worry about a certain pink pony with wings for too long. “Well, I suppose we could all use a change, could we not?” Rarity asked the group. “I mean, I’ve always fancied being able to fly, especially since the competition in Cloudsdale.” “And all that fancy unicorn magic would really help out with my apple buckin’. I s’pose I could try it for an hour or two,” Applejack added. “So, what would everypony like to be? You can choose whatever you like!” Twilight asked, grinning to each of her friends. This would be a great chance to test her strength, and how much she’d learned. “Um, if it’s okay Twilight, I’d like to be an earth pony. Maybe I can be closer to my animals friends that way,” Fluttershy explained. “Ah’d like to be a unicorn then, Twilight. We’ll see if Ah can wrangle that magic,” Applejack said. “I want to be a pegasus pony! Then I can hang decorations and streamers really easily, and deliver treats and sweets really fast!” Pinkie Pie added, bouncing up and down. “If you could be so kind as to make me a pegasus as well, I would be appreciative? It’s been so long since I’ve flapped a pair of gorgeous wings!” Rarity sighed, her eyes looking to the distance. “I’m just gonna stick with being a pegasus,” Dash said, flapping her wings a few times. “I like flying way too much to give up these bad boys.” “Okay, that settles it then! Everypony, except Dash, stand in one of the outside circles. I’ll go into the middle and begin the spell,” Twilight announced. The others complied, and stood in one of the outer rings. Twilight stepped into the middle. Her horn began to glow, soft at first, but then increasing in brightness. The spirals shone as bright pink magic coursed the horn. She gritted her teeth and shut her eyes, recalling how to proceed with the spell. Below her, the rune began to glow a bright purple. Its energy flowed into the outer rim, then began to seep into the rest of the complicated inscription. Luminescent purple light filled every bit of chalk on the ground, drenching the room in a lavender glow. Rainbow Dash did nothing but watch as Twilight strained with the spell. The magical energy built up in Twilight’s horn made it glow bright white, and it began to hum with energy. The runes and circles on the ground sparked and hissed, overflowing with power. Just then, Twilight’s knees began to shake, threatening to buckle under exertion. No, I can’t give up! I need to finish this! Her thoughts began to get panicked, as she felt the magic slipping with every passing second. It’s too strong! I can’t control it! The magic began to surge out of control, violent bolts shooting out and hitting bookcases and walls alike. Just a little longer... It was over. She couldn’t maintain it any longer. With nothing restraining it anymore, the raw magic exploded with power, sending a rippling shock wave throughout the library. With her magic drained and on the brink of exhaustion, Twilight slipped into unconsciousness. - - - Twilight felt different... somehow. She opened her eyes partway and found her vision to be blurry. She looked around for her friends, and found them lying in their respective circles, with Rainbow Dash behind a couch. At least, she could see the colors of their coats and manes. Twilight made an attempt to stand up, but found her legs feeling like jelly. After a brief fight with gravity, she managed to steady herself, then cautiously went up the stairs and into her room. She needed to find her book, and find out why she couldn’t pull that spell off. By all means, it shouldn’t have taken that much energy and magic to successfully cast, so what had gone wrong? “Ugh, where is it?” she groaned. It was at this point that she noticed something was very out of the ordinary. “Hello.” she said, listening. It was deeper, and had a more masculine tone. Oh no... oh no... she panicked, her mind already going through the possibilities. She had to see herself. Twilight rushed over to her dresser and looked into the mirror. “What have I done?” Her once long mane was now shortened on the top of her head and the back of her neck, and it was styled in different length locks. Her pink and light purple highlights stuck out slightly farther than the rest, making them more noticeable. She looked towards her flank and noticed her legs had grown longer and bulkier; her tail shorter. She took notice of her larger snout as well. He was now a stallion, and all of his friends were as well. Moments after this realization hit him, he heard loud hoofsteps and muffled shouting from below. The others had awoken by now, and they didn’t sound happy. He rushed downstairs to find the rest of the group looking over themselves, some angry and some confused. “What in the hay is this, Twilight? !” Applejack shouted, walking to Twilight. The accent was there, but it was more gruff now. His hair was still long and in a ponytail, but that was the only thing the same about Applejack. “I don’t know what went wrong, Applejack, and I’m really sorry about this!” Twilight said, trying to calm the farmpony down. He looked to the others. Rainbow Dash was missing, Fluttershy was sitting in a corner, Pinkie Pie was unsurprisingly as happy as ever, and Rarity was coming close to a panic attack. “Is anyone hurt?” “I’m just fine Twilight, except my voice, which sounds really funny now! I’m like a stallion!” Pinkie Pie said, jumping around the library. Fluttershy only looked at Twilight and shook his head. “Fluttershy? How’s your voice?” Twilight asked. What came from Fluttershy wasn’t deep like she expected, but very gentle and sweet. “I feel okay, Twilight... nothing hurts. I’m just... like this,” he answered. “That’s a relief. Rarity, how about you?” Twilight asked, looking at Rarity. “How about me? How about me? !” Rarity said, storming over to Twilight. “Just look at this mess! My fabulous mane, although still stunningly beautiful, is far too short now! And just listen to me! I sound like... like... him.” “Who?” Twilight inquired, trying to recognize the voice. “...Blueblood,” Rarity hissed. “This simply will not do at all! Not only do I need to completely change how to get ready for outings, but now I need to design an entirely new wardrobe! I can’t be walking around in dresses like this!” “So... you aren’t hurt?” Twilight asked. “My pride maybe, but I’m not. I am quite alright. Oh, it’s going to take forever to sew suits...” With everypony in the library accounted for, only one needed to be checked on - Rainbow Dash. “Did anyone see Dash?” Twilight asked, looking at his friends. “I think she mentioned something about flying,” Pinkie said, pointing a hoof at the door. With this, Twilight poked his head outside to see Rainbow Dash high in the sky. He was flying down with incredible speed. Twilight could make out a thin barrier of resistance pushing against Dash, and as expected, he couldn’t push through it and it snapped back, hurtling Dash through the sky. “Dash! Come back down! We need to talk!” Twilight yelled. Rainbow Dash heard this and soared to the entrance of the library, landing on his hooves with a resounding thud. His brows were creased with anger and his teeth were clenched. “Rainbow, what’s wrong?” “I can’t fly fast enough!” Rainbow Dash yelled. Twilight could make out small tears forming in his eyes. “I’m too big now! I can’t go fast enough to do a Sonic Rainboom.” “I’m sorry Rainbow Dash, but-” “That was all I had, Twilight! Speed! I was the greatest flier in Equestria! Now... now I can’t even pull off my best stunt!” Rainbow yelled. He pushed past Twilight and into the library. It makes sense... Twilight thought, recalling what he knew of physics. He went back intro the library. Now that everypony was healthy and here, he could figure out what went wrong. He levitated the ancient book over and looked through it, desperately trying to pinpoint the issue. Looking over the chalk, he scrutinized the the details of the circle for a moment before exclaiming “Ah ha! Here’s our problem.” “What’s up, Twi?” Applejack asked. “Come look at this.” The unicorn motioned for everypony to join him, then turned the book so they had a better view of it. “If you’ll notice, there are one hundred runes that need to be written precisely in order for the spell to work.” He waved a hoof in a circular pattern around the diagram, then continued. “However, this particular rune was damaged at some point before I started the spell.” Twilight pointed at a rune in the book, then lowered it and pointed at the corresponding one on the floor. Where it should have been inscribed and untouched, it remained smudged and nearly indistinguishable. “I went and counted. That one is the sixty third rune, and I highly suspect it’s the reason we’ve changed.” Twilight then closed the book, levitating it to the stand it had been on earlier. “I’m not sure how it happened, as it could have been error on my part or an accident from one of you. Either way, what’s done is done. Fortunately, we should just be able to wait it out. Then, we can all get on with our lives, okay?” Numerous murmurs of agreement came from the rest of them. All they could do now was wait. One hour passed. Pinkie tried to get them all to play a game, but only Rarity would bite. A second hour came. Dash was flipping through some Daring Do books that he had already read, deciding to get to the exciting parts. Rarity and Pinkie Pie’s game of checkers had long since ended, with Pinkie coming out with 33 wins to two losses, and the party pony opted to go into the kitchen for a snack. Then, the third hour came around. Twilight looked at the time and began to worry. The spell should have worn off an hour ago, so why were they still stallions? “What’s the deal, Twilight? I thought we’d be back to normal by now,” Dash said, also looking at the time. The others were frequently shifting in place and tapping their hooves against the floor, along with the occasional groan. “I don’t know Dash, this should have worn off. Maybe I should recheck the rune circle to see if something else-” “Um, I don’t mean to interrupt Twilight, but, uh... Pinkie Pie isn’t here anymore,” Fluttershy said. “What! ?” Twilight exclaimed, eyes growing wide. Somehow, nopony noticed when the party pony left the building, and he could have been anywhere by now. Twilight knew that none of them would want to leave the library though, for fear of what the town would think of them. It was then that Dash answered Twilight’s silent prayer. “I’ll look for her. Him. Whatever.” With that, Dash opened the door and cautiously walked outside. He looked around, making sure that nopony was in the near vicinity. Taking a few steps and checking again for good measure, the pegasus fully left the library. “Now, if I were Pinkie Pie, where would I go? Oh, duh. Sugarcube Corner!” he said to himself. He began trotting towards the sweet shop in search of Pinkie. The town square was approaching, and Dash gulped. It was now or never. As he walked into the town, ponies began to happily look at him. One called out from the crowd. “Good afternoon, Rainbow Blitz!” she greeted. Rainbow recognized this as Bon-Bon, but they had never really talked before. “Uh... Hi, Bon-Bon,” Rainbow said, with a forced smile. “Oh gosh, he talked to me!” Bon-Bon exclaimed to Lyra, who was standing next to her. “You are so lucky, Bon-Bon,” Lyra replied, waving to Dash. As Dash walked through town, he continued being greeted and talked to by other ponies, some of which she had never met before. “What in Equestria is going on here?” he mumbled. Finally, he had made it to Sugarcube Corner. When he opened the door, he was warmly greeted by Mrs. Cake. “Oh, hello dear! Are you here for Bubble Berry? He’s upstairs right now,” she said, while ringing up a customer. “Uh, yeah. I’m here to pick up... Bubble Berry,” Dash replied. “Go right ahead and get him,” Mrs. Cake said. Dash walked up the stairs and opened the door to Pinkie’s room, and found him looking in a mirror. “Pinkie, why did you leave?” he asked. “Oh, I was getting bored of that stuffy old library, so I decided to go outside and try out this funny voice! In fact it’s so different that everypony is calling me Bubble Berry! Don’t those silly fillies know that it’s me?” Pinkie said, smiling the whole time. “That was happening to me too. Random girls kept talking to me and calling me ‘Rainbow Blitz’.” “Ooh, Blitz. That sounds neat! It kinda suits you when you look like that, doesn’t it? I mean stallions aren’t really types to ‘dash’, they’d do something cooler like ‘blitz’, and lucky for you you’re a stallion now, so everything works out right?” “Not really Pinkie... it doesn’t work out. I don’t exactly want to be a stallion. Now come on, we need to go back to Twilight’s and see what we can do about this.” “Aww, if you say so Dashie. I really like how I look like now. I’m all bigger and taller and my mane isn’t as long, but that’s okay because it fits me this way!” It was going to be a long walk to the library for Dash, filled with Pinkie ranting about his new look. The two of them finally arrived, which took longer than Dash had hoped, due to more of his ‘fans’ popping up. “Thank goodness you got back okay. What happened out there?” Twilight said, closing the door as they walked in. “Just the usual. A lot of ponies coming up to me and calling me awesome, asking for autographs, needing pictures with the incredible Rainbow Dash... normal stuff. Well... except for the part where they called me Rainbow Blitz... and a lot of them were... uh... I think they were hitting on me,” Dash explained, his cheeks growing slightly red. “And they called me Bubble Berry!” Pinkie chimed in, with a little hop. “It was really weird at first, but I got used to it.” “Wait, what? Everypony acted completely normal?” He then looked to Dash. “Mostly normal, at least. No one wondered why you two were stallions?” Twilight asked, puzzled. “Exactly. It was like we’ve always been this way,” Dash said. Always been this way... Twilight thought. A situation suddenly occurred to her. “What if this isn’t all the spell did?” he said, motioning to their bodies. “What if it changed memories too?” “Can a spell be that powerful?” Applejack questioned. “I don’t see why not,” Twilight replied. “That would explain why I couldn’t control it - it took too much magic to use.” “So, this spell backfired so badly that it turned us into stallions, changed the memories of Ponyville and who knows how much farther, and it doesn’t reverse either?” Dash said, eyeing Twilight with disappointment. “You could say that...” Twilight sheepishly said. “How could you be so wrong, Twilight?” a voice came from upstairs. A very feminine voice. “Who is that?” Twilight called out. It was then that Spike appeared, wrapped up from head to toe in his blanket. “It’s me,” Spike answered, his voice higher pitched. Through the blanket, one would notice eyelashes and down facing green tufts on her cheeks. “Spike... are you...?” Twilight started. “Yes, I am. And yes, it’s your fault. You better fix this, Twilight,” Spike threatened, pointing a claw at Twilight. The six ponies downstairs weren’t the only ones affected by the gender change, apparently. “Okay, I can figure this out. Spike, take a message for the Princess.” Dear Princess Celestia I’m in need of your help. Over the past few days I’ve been experimenting with an ancient magic that I found in the library. I needed to learn old Equestrian to understand it, and I overestimated my magical abilities when attempting to cast it. The spell was merely supposed to change what type of pony somepony was, but something went terribly wrong. After failing to cast the spell, I awoke to find myself... as a stallion. My friends have all become stallions as well, and poor Spike has become female. It also seems that the ponies of Ponyville have had their memories changed, and they all recognize us this way. I don’t know how to reverse this, and I’m requesting your assistance. Please reply as soon as you can! Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle “That should do for now. Thank you, Spike.” Twilight said. In what seemed like an impossibly short amount of time, Spike produced a scroll from Princess Celestia in a puff of green fire. Sparing his companion the embarrassment of speaking any more, Twilight levitated the scroll to himself and read it. To My Faithful Student, The spell you had casted was indeed of ancient origins, and I’m afraid the only way to help you is to meet you in person and assess your situation. Please travel to Canterlot as soon as you can. You and your friends will be admitted entrance into the castle with no problem. I will do everything I can to assist you. Don’t forget to bring the book that you took the spell from as well. I hope to see you soon. Princess Celestia “Well, everypony, it seems we have no choice. We need to travel to Canterlot.” Twilight said, levitating his satchel over. “You mean, we need to go out like this? Out in public?” Rarity asked. “Nuts, Twilight. There ain’t anything else we can do?” Applejack chimed in. “I’m afraid not. We have to go to Canterlot and get help from the Princess herself,” Twilight responded. “If we need to... then I’ll go,” Fluttershy said, standing up. “Whee, an adventure! And since Canterlot is far I can use my funny voice as much as I want!” Pinkie Pie said, hopping around. “I suppose... showing off my ‘new’ look couldn’t hurt. I mean, I am still Rarity after all,” the white unicorn said, rubbing a hoof through his curled purple hair. “Ah s’pose I can work with this for the time bein’,” Applejack added, tipping his hat up. “As long as we can fix this, I’m ready,” Dash said, with a slight smile. “Then it’s settled. Let’s pack our things and head to Canterlot!” Twilight exclaimed." ]

[ "Chapter 2: Why Are You Calling Me Dusk? The sky blue stallion touched down on a cloud ledge floating above Ponyville. In front of him was a large fluffy mansion. To some, it was a large structure in the sky, far more architecturally detailed than most buildings. To Rainbow Blitz, it was just a place to crash - sometimes literally. On this day, however, he wasn’t there to lounge around or sleep - he needed to pack his things and leave. The trip to Canterlot would be long, difficult, and not have nearly enough nap time. It would all be worth it in the end, since as much as he was enjoying the attention because of his new masculine body, Blitz wanted to be Dash again. He entered the sky manor, surveying his surroundings. Even now, he noticed changes with his house. The living room was slightly messier than he was comfortable with. Empty food packaging littered the coffee table, while magazines laid casually on the floor. Blitz picked one up, looked at the page it was on, then promptly put it down and felt his cheeks grow hot. The house wasn’t a proud sight, and Blitz was a little ashamed that this is how he lived. There wasn’t enough time to dwell on his altered home life, however, so he disregarded the mess and walked up the stairs to the second floor. As luck would have it, Blitz’s room was right where he left it. He gently pushed open the cloud door and walked in, noticing that it was just as unkempt as the living room. The bed sheets were tossed every which way, assorted books and clothes were on the floor, and somehow, parts of the cloud floor had gotten stained. With a disappointed sigh, he walked to the closet and pulled out two saddle bags. Now, what do I need? Something in case it’s cold out, something to sleep in, and food. That should be good! he thought. Blitz walked to his dresser and started to open the drawer when he noticed several pictures in frames resting on top. In each one, he was standing next to several ponies, smiling brightly. Were they fans of his? He had gotten a lot of those in the past several hours. Blitz decided to keep it a mystery as he bagged a sweater. He then found a sleeping bag in the closet to use, and after storing it, he walked back downstairs. From the kitchen he took some food - a bag of chips, a likely flat bottle of soda, and as a last resort, some oats - snacking on a hooffull before leaving the residence. After a final glance at the household, Rainbow Blitz dived off the edge of the cloud. He unfolded his wings and flew gracefully through the air, heading to Twilight’s library. - - - Elsewhere, a certain white unicorn was arriving home. The purple maned fashion pony stepped into the Carousel Boutique, with the intent of simply gathering a few things and leaving. What he found, though, caused him to lose his train of thought and stand dumbfounded at the entrance. Beautiful dresses had been replaced by gorgeous suits in all shapes and styles. Rarity walked to the closest one and scrutinized the design. It was a dark, pinstriped suit with glossy buttons on the front. There was a matching, patterned tie to go along with it. Hmm... the stitching could do with some improvement, and the buttons seem a tad too high... He circled around with a critical eye, looking for any imperfection or tailoring error. “I’m fairly impressed with myself,” he finally said, with a smile. A small voice suddenly called from upstairs. “Elusive? Is that you?” Sweetie Belle poked her head out of the upstairs railing and looked down at Rarity. “Oh, it is you! I’ve been waiting for you to come ba-” she started, but was interrupted by a very agitated sounding Opalescence diving at her hair. “Ow, get off!” The frustrated feline caused Sweetie Belle to lose her balance and tumble down the stairway. “Oh my goodness, Sweetie Belle!” Rarity said,watching in fear as his sister roll down the stairs. As Sweetie Belle came to a stop at the foot of the steps, Opal walked over to Elusive and rubbed his front leg, purring. “Dear, are you alright?” Rarity asked. “Yeah, Elusive, I’m fine...” Sweetie Bell wearily got up, and shook herself off. Elusive? Is that what I’m called now? Rarity thought. Sweetie Belle’s next sentence solidified this fact. “Elusive, is it okay if Scootaloo and Apple Bloom stay over tonight? We have crusading to do!” she asked, trying to look as adorable as she could. “Well, I certainly can’t decline a request to a face like that,” Elusive replied, lightly rubbing his hoof through Sweetie Belle’s mane. “Oh yes! Thank you, thank you!” Sweetie Belle cheered, hopping in place. “I just need you to do one thing for me, okay?” “Anything for you, big brother.” “I have very important business in Canterlot that I need to attend to, and while I’m gone, I need somepony to take care of the Boutique while I’m away. Do you feel responsible enough for that?” Elusive asked, walking around Sweetie Belle. “I think I can. Do I have to... sell anything?” “No!” Elusive said, slightly louder than he had intended. It was just that he had remembered the last time Sweetie Belle tried to ‘help’ with anything in the shop, leading to one of the largest messes he had the displeasure of dealing with. “No, no. You just need to stay here and watch over everything. I’ll leave a sign saying that the shop is currently closed. How does that sound?” “I can do that!” Sweetie Belle replied, happily. She then trotted back up the stairway, disappearing into the second floor of the boutique. Now that the shop is taken care of, I can properly pack. Elusive thought, retrieving saddlebags from the store room. How would he ever choose the proper suit for this occasion? - - - Meanwhile, at the local apple orchard, another pony was facing a much more important issue. Applejack trotted down the path that led into Sweet Apple Acres, passing the small vine-laden archway and the water well. As he walked, it occurred to him just how long he had been gone. Ah should probably check on Apple Bloom and Big Mac. he thought, passing the old barn. All he needed to do was tell Macintosh that he needed to go to Canterlot with Twilight and settle an... issue with the princess. It wouldn’t take long. “Howdy Applejack!” Apple Bloom called, exiting the house. She was wearing her cutie mark crusader cape and had a saddlebag on. “Well hey there, Apple Bloom. Watcha up to?” Applejack replied, silently thanking Celestia that his name was unchanged. “I was gonna go to Sweetie Belle’s and do some crusadin’!” the filly replied, showing off her cape. “Is it okay If I go, bro?” “O’ course it’s okay. Just don’t go gettin’ into trouble, ya hear?” “I promise! Thanks Applejack!” Apple Bloom trotted off down the dirt road, leaving her brother behind. “Rainbow was right, they do think we’re normal.” Applejack said to himself, watching his sister disappear at the outskirts of the farm. “What ain’t normal ‘bout ya?” a deep voice came. Applejack looked back to the house and saw Big Macintosh standing in the entrance. His signature sprig of wheat hung from his mouth. “Ah’m jus’ fine. It was nothin’,” Applejack said, nervously. “You sure?” the crimson stallion replied, his eyebrow rising slightly in question. “You were gone awfully long.” “Well, Mac, somethin’ came up with princess Celestia.” This piqued Big Mac’s interest. “Ya see, I have t’go to Cantelot an’ talk to her. Ah’m goin’ with Twilight.” “Twilight? Twilight who?” “Y’know, Twilight Sparkle. Does all that fancy magic an’ likes books?” Big Mac cocked his head to the side, clearly confused. “Ya mean Dusk Shine? He’s th’ only pony I know ‘round these parts like that.” Aw shoot, they all got new names? This’ll be tricky. Applejack was trying to think of an explanation for this. “Well uh, yes, ah’m goin’ with him too. Twilight is jus’ a new pony in town is all.” He faked a smile. “Eeyup. Makes sense.” His face was unreadable, so Applejack could only assume that Mac believed him. “If ya’ll need t’go, you best get your stuff packed.” “Yep, ah better,” Applejack said, entering the house. - - - For the animal friendly pegasus, things weren’t going quite as easily. On the outskirts of Ponyville, just past a short patch of woods, sat an earthly cottage. The roof was covered with grass, and if not for the windows and door it would’ve resembled a large boulder. Many birdhouse hung in the nearby trees, and burrows yawned in the ground. It was a natural paradise for wildlife. A small stone bridge allowed passage over the local stream, and this is where Fluttershy stood, quizzically observing a small signpost planted at the bridge. In light pink cursive text, it read 'Welcome to Butterscotch’s Cottage.' He didn’t know who Butterscotch was, but he knew this was where his home had to be. Walking past the sign and over the bridge, he called out to the animals. “Hello friends, I’m back.” Silence. Well that’s strange. Normally they all come out to greet me. Fluttershy pondered the absence of her companions as he approached the door of her cottage. He pushed the door and found that it wouldn’t budge. It appeared to be locked from the inside. Oh no, did I forget to leave the door open? Fluttershy pushed again, but to no avail. Suddenly, he heard a knock on the nearby window. Looking over, he spied Angel, his most trustful animal friend. The white rabbit had a stern expression, and shook his head as to say “No.” Fluttershy let out a gasp. “Oh, Angel Bunny, would you please open the door for me?” he asked. Angel declined. The rabbit left the window perch for a moment, and hastily returned with a picture frame. He pressed it to the window, revealing a photo of Fluttershy as a mare, surrounded by a group of animals, with Angel sitting on her head. Shock hit Fluttershy as she realized Angel didn’t recognize her. “Angel, it’s me, Fluttershy. Don’t you see?” Angel kept his stern expression. “Please, let me in. Don’t you remember me?” The rabbit’s attitude was nearly set in stone. Desperately needing a way in, Fluttershy began to recall events that she shared with the bunny. “Do you remember winter wrap up, when we helped the animals come out of hibernation? What about when I was helping Philomena, and Twilight came and tried to help too?” Angel’s expression lightened as the pony went through their recent history together. “Angel, do you remember when I found you? When you were hurt on the side of the road and I took care of you?” This had a deep effect on the snowy rabbit. Almost immediately after hearing this, he rushed over to the door and unlocked it. Fluttershy happily entered the house and pet Angel’s head. “I knew you would remember.” he said, gently. Angel then took the photo again and held it up, motioning at Fluttershy, then the picture, and finally shrugging as to say “What happened?” Fluttershy had a bit of explaining to do. As Fluttershy was telling the story, her animals slowly began to come out and recognize him. “...and that’s when I came here,” he finished, surrounded by all different types of creatures. “So Angel, when I’m gone, could you please take care of the house?” Angel nodded. “That’s a good bunny,” Fluttershy said with a smile. He stood up, and prepared to get ready for the impending journey. While gathering the few supplies he needed and heading to leave, he thought to himself Butterscotch... is a nice name. - - - Bubble Berry hopped down the street, humming to himself. He was on the way to Sugarcube Corner, to both get ready for the big upcoming adventure and to tell the Cakes that he would be gone for a few days. Bubble bounced to the sweet shop’s door and opened it, sending a bell chime throughout the store. Mrs. Cake peered from the kitchen door and spotted Bubble Berry. “Oh, hello dear!” she greeted. “Hiya Mrs. Cake!” Bubble Berry replied. “So, what did you have to do with Rainbow?” “We found out that we’re going on a super duper important but fun trip to Canterlot to talk to the princess!” he chimed. “Is it anything serious?” Mrs. Cake replied, a hint of worry on her face. “Oh no, we just need to talk about magic!” “Well, have fun, and be careful!” “I will! Now where’s Gummy...” Bubble said, going up the stairs. It was time for adventure! Ponyville’s clock tower chimed seven times as the six stallions entered the town’s library. Dusk Shine was eagerly awaiting them, his own saddlebags neatly packed and equipped. “Welcome back, everypony,” Dusk said. “We have a lot of ground to cover, so we’ll be leaving as soon as I map out our route.” His horn lit up and a map levitated from the bookshelf and neatly unfurled itself in front of him. He brought it to a desk and laid the map flat, inspecting Equestria’s geography. It was a fairly straight path, passing a lake, several large hills, and eventually ending off at the mountain range Canterlot was located in. Overall, they would be in Canterlot by noon the next day. “That ain’t too bad,” Applejack said, looking over the map. “The trip t’Manehatten was a lot longer than that, an’ I was jus’ a lil’ filly when ah took that journey.” “It’ll be over before we know it,” Dusk replied, tracing over the path in dark ink. He marked a rest area along the route, then rolled the map up and tucked it into his saddlebag. “Is everyone ready?” “Sure are,” Applejack said, tipping his hat. “As am I,” Elusive replied, lightly shaking his purple mane. “Ready as I’ll ever be,” Blitz said, flicking his tail. “Let’s go!” Bubble Berry excitedly said, Gummy clinging to his mane. “Eeep...” Butterscotch squeaked. “Alright then!” Dusk Shine picked up his bags and threw them on his back, then opened the door for his friends. As they filed out, he called to the top floor. “Spike! We’ll be back in a few days! Just watch the house, okay!” “...Okay,” a high pitched voice came from the balcony. Poor Spike... we’ll get you, and the rest of us, back to normal. Dusk Shine exited the library, and closing the door behind him, trotted off to catch up to his friends. - - - It wasn’t long before they had passed the ‘Welcome to Ponyville!’ sign and were on the long road to Canterlot. The grand city of royals was visible on the distant mountain range, its expansive waterfalls cascading down the cliffs and into nothingness. It was a beautiful view, witnessed by mostly everyone in Equestria. The group watched the city in awe as they walked, making small conversation as they traveled. It was then that Elusive brought up their new bodies and names. They shared their stories of how they figured out their names, then discussed the bodies. “I’m beginning to grow quite fond of it, to be honest,” Elusive said, looking over himself. “I never dreamed that a stallion could be so fashionable.” “Well, I didn’t want to admit this in town, but I’m kind of liking the attention I’m getting,” Blitz stated, looking down in partial embarrassment. “I guess I’m just really awesome. Well, more awesome then usual.” He then extended his wings and gave them a flap. “But I still can’t do a Sonic Rainboom like this, so I’m going to need to go back to normal.” “Suit yourself,” Applejack responded. “I’m mighty strong as a stallion. Earlier I tried buckin’ and apple tree, and I jus’ about broke the poor things trunk.” “Oh you guys, I just like the way I sound!” Bubble Berry cheerily exclaimed. “I mean my mare voice was all high pitched and squeaky, but now I sound like this and it’s deeper you know?” He brought a hoof to his mane and bounced it up and down. “And my mane is just as poofy as ever, even though it’s shorter! It’s so fun.” “Yes, well, that’s nice for you guys... but, I think I’d like to go back to being a mare...” Butterscotch quietly said. “I mean, this is different and all, but none of my animal friends know who I am anymore, and I just can’t let them go without care...” “I agree,” Dusk said. Suddenly, his eyes widened as a realization kicked in. “Wait, did you say your animals didn’t recognize you?” “Um, yes. That’s right...” “But the sign in front of your cottage was changed?” “Yes, it was.” “Then that must mean... the spell only affected up to Butterscotch’s cottage. Wait, why am I calling you Butterscotch?” “Um... because that’s my stallion name... and we should call each other by the right names... if you want to.” Dusk rolled his eyes as he levitated the map out of his bag, along with a quill. “So, if the spell started here...” he placed a dot on the library. “And ended here...” another dot was jotted down right before the cottage. “Then this must be the range.” He drew all the way around, creating a circle that covered all of Ponyville and some of the outer boundaries as well. “Wow, that’s huge!” Blitz said, eyeing the circle. “Indeed, it is. I had no idea it would be this powerful...” Dusk’s tone was downcast. He was responsible for all of this, and he felt terribly guilty about it. “But it’s okay, this will all be fixed soon.” The sky began to turn dark as Celestia’s day came to an end. Looking toward the horizon, Dusk Shine suggested that they set up camp for the night. They had only been travelling for several hours, but it was dangerous at night and the group was growing weary. Five of the ponies began to unpack their sleeping bags and arrange them in a circle while Applejack gathered firewood from some nearby trees. Within a couple minutes, and some magical assistance, a cozy fire was crackling in the center of the six stallions. While attempting to sleep, Blitz raised a question that Dusk really didn’t want to think about. “Guys, what do we do if this... doesn’t go away?” “You mean ‘sides never lettin’ Dusk use magic on us again?” Applejack retorted. “Why are you calling me Dusk?” “Dunno. Jus’ seems natural. I’m kinda used to it already.” “Well that’s not my name, and these other names aren’t ours either!” Dusk was beginning to get bothered by the others acceptance of their ‘names.’ “But I’m liking Rainbow Blitz. It sounds even faster than Dash.” “And Elusive just sounds so classy. It fits me perfectly, if I do say so myself.” “Butterscotch sounds nice, and it fits my color.” “Me too!” Bubble said. “And it’s like my mood. I’m always so happy and bubbly, and I’m berry colored. Bubble Berry!” “Yes, those things all may be true, but we’re still us, aren’t we?” Dusk asked. “Dusk- I mean, Twi, have you looked at us recently? We ain’t the same.” “Maybe not on the outside, but on the inside we are.” “I don’t know Dusk, it just seems so natural to me,” Blitz said, looking into the night sky. “For some reason it feels weird to call you Twilight.” Hearing this, a thought began to brew in Dusk’s mind. Surely the spell couldn’t have done THAT, right? He pondered, slowly starting to think that this was much more serious than he had originally thought. It can’t be... it’s not changing... OUR thoughts, is it? Dusk could feel his heart rate speeding up as he thought more and more. Just calm down, Dusk. No! Twilight! I am Twilight Sparkle. Not... Dusk Shine. “Look, everypony, I know we’ve changed, but we’re going to be back to normal. If anypony in Equestria knows what to do, it’s the Princess. As soon as we get to Canterlot, we’ll have our answers. I promise. For now, get some rest. We need to start moving early tomorrow.” His friends muttered to themselves as they curled in their sleeping bags. With a bit of magic, Dusk extinguished the fire, and was left with nothing but darkness and his frantic thoughts to aid his slumber." ]

[ "Chapter 3: Thank You For The Gift, Princess Dusk Shine was backed into a corner, surrounded by five ponies who used to be his friends. Their faces were contorted in anger as they shouted at him. “I’ll never forgive you for this!” One yelled, nearly striking Dusk with his hoof. He tried to apologize, but they just wouldn’t listen! They were closing in on him now, preparing to wreak vengeance on the frightened unicorn. Before they struck, the pink one spoke. “Dusk! Breakfast is ready!” Dusk Shine awoke with a jolt. He opened his eyes, wincing as they adjusted to the sunlight, and let out a breath of relief - only a nightmare. “I’ll get it in a moment...” he groggily said, standing up. Dusk shook his mane out and walked to where Bubble Berry was serving breakfast. He had prepared a decent spread of berries, hay, and oats for the group to enjoy, and was happily handing it out to them. “Thanks a bunch, sugarcube,” Applejack said, grabbing a bowl full of food. “Don’t mention it!” Bubble replied. “What made you want to make breakfast?” Dusk asked, also grabbing a bowl. “Well, since I was up already, I said to myself ‘Hey! Everypony will be hungry when they get up!’, and since I make food all the time, it just made sense to make food for you guys too. Now, we won’t all be starvy warvy when we get to Canterlot.” Dusk chuckled at the pink ponies explanation. “Thank you, Bubble.” It didn’t cross Dusk’s mind that Bubble’s real name was Pinkie. After they all had finished their breakfast, the group packed up and left. All that was left behind was some charred ashes where their fire had once been. Coming ever closer to them was the grand mountain that Canterlot perched on, and it loomed over the small group as they approached the path that led to the regal city. Even though it was just a walkway, it was still inviting and elegant. Flattened light grey dirt led the way; a nice contrast to the jutting and rocky mountain. Not taking a moment to wait, the group began to climb. Within the hour, the group was standing in front of the drawbridge into the city. As usual, it was opening and inviting, and two guards stood at either side of it. Their golden armor shone in the sunlight, and they stood still like statues, not wavering in the slightest. It was almost surreal. “Welp, ain’t no sense standin’ here lookin’ at it.” The orange stallion proceeded to walk over the drawbridge, the rest of the ponies following him. The city was bustling with aristocrats, upper class, and merchants alike. Hundreds of conversations went on at once, whether they be about taxes, who bought what recently, or whether the monarchy had made an acceptable choice. The scents of various high end perfumes and colognes wafted through the air, accented by the ornate and luxurious suits and dresses that their owners proudly displayed. All of the occupants strode with a deliberate and florid gait, as if they would be judged and criticized for not walking correctly. It was not what Dusk Shine was used to. After a short while of walking, the group was at Canterlot castle. It was much larger up close, and it’s large towers seemed to reach the heavens. The echos of higher gusts twirling through the tall peaks reverberated and reached the gate. In front of them was a large, ornate door, with another set of guards in front of it. As the six approached them, the guards spoke up. “Are you Twilight Sparkle?” the dark one asked. “Twilight... yes, I’m Twilight Sparkle,” Dusk replied. “The princess will see you and your companions immediately.” He stomped his hoof on the ground, and with a deep creaking, the door began to open. Dusk and the rest filed through into the entry hall. The ceiling was high and vaulted, with decorative chandeliers lighting the way. A crimson, lavish carpet was spread throughout. Even though they had been here for the Grand Galloping Gala, it remained an astonishing sight, but not to Dusk Shine. He was used to travelling these hallways frequently, and practically knew how to get to the royal chamber by heart. He led the way, passing the occasional guard, all of which stood silently. Soon, they had reached the entrance to the royal chamber. Large tapestries hung from the walls, with one side depicting symbols of the moon while the other showed the sun. Old sets of display armor stood valiantly at either end of the door, armed with decorative spears. On the large door was a picture of a sun, but half of it was a blue moon. The symbol was common, and everyone knew it represented the two royal sisters. The guards positioned at the door nodded, then pushed the doors open for the group. Inside, Celestia waited on her throne. Excitedly, Dusk quickly entered the room. He walked towards the princess, who quizzically looked at him and his friends. “My, what a change!” she said, her face turning to a smile. She light nuzzled Dusk as he approached her. “It’s nice to see you, Twilight, although I wish the circumstances had been better.” “Me too, Princess,” Dusk replied. Without another word, he pulled the spell book out of his bag. “I’ve brought the book, like you asked.” “Thank you. Now, let’s see what you’ve gotten yourself into.” The princess levitated the book in front of her and turned through the pages, quickly finding the right spell. Her eyes narrowed as she began to read. “My, this is a very ancient book. In fact, the spell you attempted wasn’t even complete.” Dusk’s heart sank. “What do you mean?” “Well, it happens to be an experimental magic, that many powerful unicorns had been constructing together. Unfortunately, it proved to be too difficult to successfully cast, and so it was lost in time. Until, that is, you discovered it under your library!” The princess closed the book and stood up. “I’m afraid we’ll need something a bit more than just a reversal spell to undo your problem. Please, follow me.” “Where are we going, princess?” Dusk asked, standing at Celestia’s side. “I’m going to show you something most ponies don’t know about. Something that I’ve kept to myself, Luna, and a hoofful of select scholars. You’ll see in a moment.” Celestia led them through a nearby door and down a long spiral staircase. The air began to grow cold and damp as they descended, despite the many torches leading down. Eventually, they reached a single bookcase at the bottom. “We walked all that way for this?” Blitz blurted. Applejack quickly smacked him in the back of the head, causing Blitz to groan in pain and rub where he was struck. Celestia simply smiled as her horn lit up. “Is this what we came here... for...” Dusk began, but trailed off as the books were levitated out and rearranged in such a way that the spines created a large ‘L’. Shortly after, the bookcase shifted to the left, revealing a door in the wall. The word ‘Library’ was engraved on it, in simple writing. “So that’s what the ‘L’ stands for! I’m so good at guessing games,” Bubble said, beaming. “Precisely. As of late, however, it could stand for ‘Luna.’” The princess gave a short sigh. “She spends all of her time cooped up in here reading. In fact, she reminds me of you, Twilight.” Dusk blushed with embarrassment for a moment, before following the princess into the library. The room was very vast, with tall bookcases reaching to the ceiling. They were arranged like the spokes on a wagon wheel, meeting at the middle and expanding outwards. On the ceiling was a very expansive mural, depicting the creation of Equestria, the raising and lowering of the sun and moon, and Luna’s banishment. It was extremely intricate and detailed, and Dusk couldn’t help but admire it. They walked to the center of the room, where Dusk noticed several tables and chairs were positioned. He also saw a large stack of books on one of the tables, and could hear a pony busily flipping through pages. Straining his ears, he heard the clacking of... something together. It sounded like wood against wood. Celestia cleared her throat. “Ahem. Luna?” She asked. The clacking and flipping of pages stopped, and a cobalt pony poked her snout over a stack of books. Dusk had a nervous twitch at the sight of the princess and immediately turned his head and mouthed to his friends ‘Don’t act up.’ “Yes, Celestia?” the moon princess asked. Then she noticed the others. “Oh! Ah... who came with you?” “You might not recognize them, but these are the Elements of Harmony.” Luna cringed slightly at the words. Celestia continued. “They’re here because of an unfortunate incident involving a spell. You’ll notice that they’re stallions now.” Luna narrowed her eyes and confirmed the fact. “Oh my. That looks serious.” “Indeed it is. I’ve come here to find a particularly ancient spell. Would you care to help?” The moon princess stepped out from behind her stack of books, revealing her full wings and jeweled necklace. “I... suppose I could help. What are you looking for?” “Well...” Celestia started, circling around the center area. “Something along the lines of gender reversal.” Luna closed her eyes for a moment, in deep concentration. She tried to recall any book that might have a spell that strong. She opened her eyes as one came to mind. “You could try the... Forbidden Scroll.” Dusk became uneasy at the word ‘forbidden.’ He looked from princess to princess, waiting for Celestia’s response. The room was terribly silent for an agonizing amount of time. Finally, Celestia spoke up. “We could attempt to. However, it is called forbidden for a reason, sister.” “Yes, I know, I read all about it. It started as a collection of the most powerful spells created, but through corruption and dark intentions it became full of sinister and dangerous magic, which caused it to be seized and forbidden to be recreated by our glorious and benevolent ruler, Princess Celestia.” Upon finishing, a smile crept upon Luna’s face. Celestia seemed pleased at her sister’s knowledge, and returned the kind look. “That’s exactly correct. However, not all of the spells within the scroll were dangerous. We shall take a look at it.” “Thank you, Princess,” Dusk said, looking up to her. “Yes, thank you very much,” Butterscotch added. The rest of them took turns thanking the princess, who rolled her eyes. “Please, there’s no need to be so formal with me. Now, let’s find that scroll. Luna, if you will.” She nodded to Luna, who was leaning over to read a book. She perked up at the mention of her name. “Oh, yes, of course,” she said, turning. “I believe that scroll is this way...” She led Celestia and the six ponies down one of the many hallways. They continued until they had reached the very end of the room, where an old, dusty display case stood. It had an old wooden frame, and the foggy glass was just translucent enough to reveal an aged scroll, lightly hovering on a small pedestal. Celestia’s horn lit up as she began to mouth several words. The case was surrounded in blue light for a moment, which then seemed to shatter and dissipate. “Ah, even after all these years, I still remember that anti-shield spell,” Celestia said, in a whimsical tone. She levitated the scroll in front of herself and unfurled it. Dusk looked at the spell as Celestia did, and noticed it was in a language he didn’t recognize, even after all of his research. He also noticed that the text had a faint glow to it. Clearly, this was some powerful magic. For the next few moments, Celestia pored over the scroll, scrutinizing it’s every detail. The rest sat in silence, waiting for her to announce what to do. After many minutes, and with a look of concern on her face, the Princess of the Sun finally spoke. “This spell is indeed very old. So old, in fact, that it was made during the times when physical objects were still used for incantations.” Being versed in magic, Dusk spoke up. “What do you mean, princess? Do we need to include artifacts of some sort?” “Precisely, Twilight. They appear to be very rare ingredients, however. I can only hope they still exist.” “Well, what do we need?” Blitz asked anxiously. “Patience, Rainbow Dash,” Celestia replied, looking over the scroll once more. “The answer is written in a riddle.” “Ooh! Riddles! I love riddles!” Bubble Berry suddenly chimed. He had been uncharacteristically quiet the whole time. “What is it, what is it?” Celestia couldn’t help but grin at the young stallion’s enthusiasm. “You’re quite eager! Let us begin.” She began to read from the text: Up in the heavens The master contains the key Down is the answer Bubble sat down and rubbed his chin with a hoof. “Boy oh boy, this is a real stumper! What could be in the heavens?” “Perhaps it doesn’t literally mean the heavens?” Elusive said, looking at Bubble and giving a shrug. “It must mean something in the sky then,” Dusk announced. Suddenly, Blitz spoke. “Cloudsdale! It’s up in the sky, and somepony probably thought it was like a heaven.” “Very good reasoning, Rainbow Dash.” Celestia spoke. Dusk recalled the second line. “So, the master is in Cloudsdale, and it has the key. But... Cloudsdale doesn’t have a master, does it?” “Well, it used to.” Rainbow Blitz said, turning his head to Dusk. “It’s taught in all Pegasus schools. Long ago, there was a Pegasus king, who sorta ruled Cloudsdale like Celestia did. Eventually he got old, and after he was gone, they wanted to honor him by making him the last King of the Pegasi.” “Ah yes, I remember him quite fondly,” The sun princess spoke. “He went by ‘King Archimedes Darkbillow III’, and was a very prestigious leader. He cared much for the Pegasus race, and his passing was mourned by many. Even today, I miss the stories he used to tell when we met. However, what’s past is past. I can’t be reminiscing when my dear pupil is in need, can I?” She looked down to Dusk and smiled. “Ah don’t get tha’ last line. ‘Down is tha answer’? Tha last two lines said it was in Cloudsdale!” Applejack said, starting to pace around. “What other kinda ‘down’ is there, anyhoo?” “One could feel ‘down’, as in sad,” Elusive said. “You can be down for the count!” Blitz excitedly added. “Um, it could be a feather...” Butterscotch quietly said. “What was that?” Dusk asked, approaching Butterscotch. “Well, when I take care of birds, sometimes they leave feathers. It’s really called feather down... oh, but that’s silly...” “No, no, no, it makes sense, Butter... Fluttershy!” Dusk looked towards the princess. “I think I know what the first ingredient is.” “And that would be?” Celestia asked, waiting for her disciples answer. “It’s a feather from the Pegasus king!” the purple stallion triumphantly said. “Very good, all of you.” Celestia said, with satisfaction. “Even I wasn’t entirely sure what the answer was. Now, for the next ingredient.” “There’s another?” Blitz dejectedly said. “This spell requires three material ingredients in total. One representing time, one representing memory, and one representing gender. Due to to it’s owner and age, the feather would appear to be time.” The princess looked over the scroll and read the second riddle: Golden and sacred The binds of the two beings It hides in the throne Upon hearing this, Luna spoke for the first time in a while. “I... I think I know the answer to this one, sister.” “As do I. What were you thinking?” Celestia asked. “Well, the ‘throne’ mentioned in the riddle refers to our old throne, when we still inhabited the temple in the Everfree Forest. ‘Golden and sacred’ is an artifact that was placed there long ago - a gift from the Gryphon kingdom. Finally, the ‘two beings’ represent...” “...us.” Celestia finished. “Or, in this particular case, two opposing forces - sun and moon.” “Exactly.” Luna said, confidently. Blitz looked between Celestia and Luna quizzically. “Wait, what does that have to do with this spell?” “Think of it as a parallel, Rainbow Dash.” Luna answered, looking to the pegasus. “It is not obvious at first, but consider your problem. You are attempting to go from male to female, correct? Opposites. Sun and moon? Also opposites.” “Oh. I guess that kinda makes sense when you put it like that...” “Then we have to tread into that dreadful forest, don’t we?” Elusive said, with visible disgust on his face. “Yes, it seems we’ll be taking another trip to the castle of the solar sisters,” Dusk announced, looking towards his friends. They all nervously shifted at this, knowing full well the dangers that lurked in that forest. “Excellent work, young ponies.” Celestia pleasingly said. “You’ve now figured out what two of the items are. It is now time to figure out the final piece of the puzzle.” The princess cleared her throat and announced the final riddle: Darkness and despair All that remain in this place Hide the mystic flow The ponies pondered this riddle again and again in their heads, but couldn’t seem to find an answer. “Only place ah can think of fer ‘darkness an’ despair’ is th’ Everfree Fores’. One a’ the parts is already in there, though.” Applejack didn’t have any idea where it could be, let alone what the ‘mystic flow’ could be. “Applejack is right,” Dusk said. “Princess, do you know what this could mean?” Celestia thought for a moment. She opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by Bubble Berry. “Ooh! I think I know the answer to this one! Maybe the dark and spooky place is Old Canterlot! Am I right? Am I, am I?” Hearing the words ‘Old Canterlot’ caused Celestia’s eyes to widen. “How do you know of that place, Pinkie Pie?” “Well, I used to hear stories from Grandpa Pie, who’s great, great, great, great, great, great grandpa was in the royal guard. He told me all about Canterlot, but not our Canterlot! This Canterlot was inside the mountain back when it was dangerous and scary outside. Eventually they built New Canterlot on the side of a mountain, then they sealed up Old Canterlot so people wouldn’t get confused! So our Canterlot is Canterlot, but Old Canterlot was their Canterlot, and it’s old to us because we’re here now when New Canterlot is Canterlot. See?” Bubble Berry grinned after his long winded explanation, leaving the other five terribly confused. Celestia and Luna, however, exchanged concerned looks. “It’s quite a benefit to your group then, if you know of Old Canterlot. It may indeed have the final ingredient,” Luna spoke. “What exactly is the last ingredient then?” Dusk asked. “What could ‘mystic flow’ refer to?” “I believe the answer you’re looking for is liquid magic.” “Liquid... magic?” A quizzical expression crossed Dusk’s face. “Precisely. Before magic was properly harnessed by Unicorns, it was kept in a liquid state for ingestion and simple use.” The influx of new information about the past was beginning to overwhelm Dusk Shine. He attempted to stay focused on the issue at hand, rather than the mysteries of the past. “So, the last part of the spell is liquid magic?” “That is what it appears to be,” Celestia confirmed. “So, you’ll need to travel to Old Canterlot, Cloudsdale, and the Everfree Forest to gather the reagents for this spell.” “I have but one question about all of this,” Elusive gathered the attention of the group. “Just where might we find all of these ingredients? Surely, Old Canterlot, Cloudsdale, and the old castle are rather large places. We can’t hope to spend all of our time searching.” Luna answered one of the questions. “If I remember correctly, the throne room in the old castle will be past the third tower, in the middle of a large complex of buildings.” At this point, Dusk had taken out a pencil and piece of paper and began writing down information. “The room is large and circular, with two thrones in the center. The artifact will be in the center of the thrones, and there should be a method of retrieving it.” “Thank you, your majesty,” Elusive bowed while speaking, but quickly stood back up. “This still leaves the other two pieces.” “I kinda know where king’s grave site is,” Rainbow Blitz said, looking to Elusive. “That’s where they put the king’s stuff when he kicked the bucket.” “Simply wonderful. This is proving to be much easier than we thought, is it not?” “We still don’ know jus’ where this magic water is s’posed to be,” Applejack said, slightly darkening the mood. “I can assist you with that problem.” The sun princess closed the scroll and placed it back into the display case. The glass door shut, and a blue light encased the container, but it’s glow disappeared as quickly as it was formed. A light hum filled the air, then trailed off. “If there is any liquid magic left in Old Canterlot, you will find it in the Enchantment Wing of the old royal library. There was a small pool for research purposes left there, which may still exist today.” “I can’t thank you enough for all of your help, princess,” Dusk Shine said, approaching her. “It is my pleasure, Twilight. I pray that this information is correct, and helps to reverse the spell.” Celestia leaned down and nuzzled Dusk’s neck. He quickly returned the gesture and they parted. Dusk then looked towards Luna, who was standing a bit behind her sister. “I must thank you as well, Princess Luna.” “Oh. Well, you are very welcome,” Luna replied, sheepishly. “One day, we should meet for a better reason.” “Yes. I agree.” The moon princess cracked a smile before looking back down to the floor. One day... she thought. The remaining six thanked the princesses, and the group, save for Luna, traveled back to the throne room of Canterlot. Celestia personally escorted them to the entrance of the castle, and before they left, spoke to Dusk. “Twilight, I want you to take this.” The princess produced a small, transparent orb which had a faint yellow glow to it. “If you touch it with your horn, you’ll be able to speak with me no matter where you are. Should you need help, simply ask, and I will do what I can.” Dusk Shine humbly knelt down. “Thank you for the gift, princess. I will be sure to use it wisely.” The princess smiled before telling Dusk to catch up with his friends, who were over the drawbridge already. Dusk gave one last goodbye before turning his back on the castle and meeting with his friends. “My, it’s getting rather late, don’t you think?” Elusive said, looking at the sky. Time had passed by very quickly in the castle, and they didn’t realize just how long they had been there until now. “Perhaps we should find a place to stay? We don’t want to go out at night.” “I’m gonna hafta agree with Elusive here,” Applejack said. “It’s mighty dark out, and there ain’t gonna be anythin’ done at night.” “If you insist, we’ll find an inn,” Dusk said, leading the group. Being a large city, Canterlot had several places to stay, and the group decided to stay in the first one they saw. It happened to be a tavern by the name of ‘The Prime Pegasus.” Inside, there were few patrons. Several sat at tables, and nopony was sitting at the bar. The bartender looked up as they entered, and gave them a warm welcome. “Greetings, lads. Are ya here ta’ stay the night?” “Yes, sir,” Dusk answered. “Always good ta see new faces. It’ll be fifty bits per night, but that includes dinner and breakfast! Hows ‘at sound?” “That there’s a deal if I ever did see one.” Applejack said, taking a seat. The bartender gave a hearty laugh. “I’m likin’ you fellas already! It’ll be three hundred bits total, and I’ll put yer names down.” The six stallions each brought out their money and passed it to the bartender, who quickly scribbled their names in the large registry.", "It’ll be fifty bits per night, but that includes dinner and breakfast! Hows ‘at sound?” “That there’s a deal if I ever did see one.” Applejack said, taking a seat. The bartender gave a hearty laugh. “I’m likin’ you fellas already! It’ll be three hundred bits total, and I’ll put yer names down.” The six stallions each brought out their money and passed it to the bartender, who quickly scribbled their names in the large registry. When he was done, he looked back to the group. “Now, what’ll it be fer dinner? Menu’s right behind me, so take yer time.” He walked to the side of the bar and started to clean a collection of mugs. “So, how long do you think this’ll take?” Blitz asked Dusk. “Well, several days at the very minimum. We have a lot of travelling to do, and Everfree Forest will take the longest.” Blitz frowned slightly. “Do you really think this will work?” “I trust the princess completely, Dash.” “Blitz.” “Wait, your name is Dash.” “Yeah, I know that, but Blitz sounds cooler. You know how cool I need to be, Dusk.” “Fine, I’ll play along and call you ‘Blitz’, but you have to call me Twilight.” “Deal,” Blitz replied, with a grin. “I certainly hope I’ve packed warm enough.” Elusive said, looking over his bags. “A place like Old Canterlot seems terribly cold and damp. “Oh no, I hope it’s not too dark,” Butterscotch added, his face changing to worry. “It’ll be fine, Butterscotch,” Dusk said. “Elusive and I can use magic to light the way.” “I suppose that’s okay...” “Alls ah’m worried ‘bout is gettin’ back on the farm,” Applejack gruffly said. “Applejack, do you worry about anything other than your apple trees?” Elusive asked, looking over to Applejack. “O’ course. There’s mah family, and mah finances, and mah friends.” “Oh good, we’re on that list,” Elusive flatly replied. “Hey, don’t start anything funny,” Blitz said, looking between the two. “That’s my job, remember?” “Fair enough,” Applejack said, still looking at Elusive. Just then, the bartender came back and asked about their orders. They ordered something filling off the menu, and continued to lightly chat about their upcoming journey. As they ate, a light grey mare with a pink treble clef cutie mark entered the tavern. She had dark hair, amethyst eyes, and had a large instrument case with her. The pony practically dragged it to the bar, and sat down next to Blitz, looking a bit downcast. “Bartender,” she said, half-heartedly lifting a hoof. “Get me the usual.” “In here again, Octavia?” The bartender asked, preparing a drink for her. “Same stuff, different night,” She dully replied. “We get a performance, no one appreciates the music, and we end up leaving with empty hooves.” “I’m sorry ta hear that.” He pushed the drink to her, which she immediately started to drink. Blitz was listening to the conversation and looked over to her, then at the large case at bottom of the bar stool. He didn’t realize how long he was observing her, as she put her drink down and looked over to him. “Can I help you?” she asked, clearly irritated. “Oh, uh, sorry, I didn’t mean to stare.” “Then don’t.” “I just uh... overheard you.” “Great.” She took another sip of her drink. “What do you play?” “Double bass. Why?” “I was just curious.” Blitz wasn’t sure where to take the conversation. Octavia looked at him from head to toe, then finished the rest of her beverage. “Is anyone else in your ba-” “Are you trying to hit on me?” she interrupted. “What? No,” Blitz said, starting to get red in the face. “Are you sure about that?” Octavia pressed the issue, her face inching closer in his direction. “I’m, uh, positive.” She gave him another once over. At this point, the conversation between the other five had ceased, and they were listening in on Blitz, eagerly waiting to see what would happen between him and this aggravated musician. “That’s good. Most stallions don’t care about what I do. They just care about what I might do. You seem a bit more honest, though.” She looked at Blitz, and her expression lightened up. The bartender delivered another drink, which she took some of. “I might want to get to know you more.” Rainbow Blitz wasn’t sure what to say, but he could feel his cheeks burning up. Was this going to happen everywhere he went? From behind him, he could hear his friends suppressing their giggling. “That sounds... great. Yeah, I’d like that.” Blitz replied, trying to keep his cool. Octavia turned away and looked straight ahead of her. “How long are you going to be here?” she asked. “Just for tonight, then I have to leave... for a long time.” “That’s a shame.” “Yeah, I wish I could stay longer, y’know?” Octavia finished the remainder of her second drink, then looked back to Blitz. “I might think about paying you a visit tonight. We can talk more then.” “Sure, sure.” He gulped. “That sounds cool.” Octavia went back to her third drink, and Blitz turned back to his friends, all of which were quietly giggling to themselves. “Very funny, guys...” Blitz said, sarcastically. “You bet it is,” Applejack said, a huge grin on his face. “It is always amusing to see you like this, darling,” Elusive added. With the occasional chuckle, the group finished their dinner and headed to their rooms upstairs. They all said their ‘good nights’, and the humorous ‘good luck!’ to Blitz, and retired for the night." ]

[ "Chapter 4: Oh Heavens, Did You Say Dirt? Groomed and all packed up, Dusk Shine made his way down to the bar just as the clock behind it struck eight. Looking around, he noticed he was the first to awaken out of the group. The barkeeper flashed Dusk a smile as he sat down at the bar. “Mornin’, son. Sleep well?” “As well as I usually do.” “Good ta’ hear!” he cheerily replied, while pushing a menu in front of Dusk. The violet stallion opened his mouth to speak, but the barkeeper interrupted. “If you’ll recall, ya got yerself a free breakfast here. So, lad, what’s it gonna be?” A free breakfast! Dusk had forgotten about that detail in his slumber, and he had been prepared to leave without a meal. The rumbling in his stomach declared just how dreadful of an idea that would have been. With little hesitation, he scanned over the menu, looking for something light. Oatmeal, hay pancakes, fruit salad and... apple jacks? “Yep! Somethin’ new from one o’ the Apple families. Some sorta cereal and little bits a’ apple.” Dusk hadn’t realized he said the last part out loud. The food’s uncanny resemblance to his farmer friend had caught him off guard, especially this early in the morning. After looking at the choices one more time, he decided to order the cereal. The bartender grabbed a jar of what appeared to be apple and hay, opened it, and dumped a bit of the mixture into a bowl. He then poured milk over it, and set the dish in front of Dusk. “Enjoy!” he said, turning to take another patrons order. Dusk looked into the pool of milk, hay and apples sitting in front of him, pondering for a moment if it was the right way to use his free breakfast. Levitating a spoon, he brought part of the mixture to his mouth, and with a nervous gulp, ingested it. Not bad. Applejack made his way down the stairs, shortly after Dusk had finished breakfast. After greeting the bartender, he took a seat next to Dusk. “Mornin’, partner.” “Good morning, Applejack. Did you know one of your family members has a line of cereal?” “Shoot, do they? What’s it called?” A friendly smile crept across Dusk’s face as he said “Apple Jacks.” The orange earth pony’s brows furrowed into a look of concern. “...any good?” “Oh, absolutely. You should try some!” Applejack’s expression quickly turned from concern to pleasure with the news. It wasn’t long at all before he had a bowl for himself, and was digging in. While he was focused on his food, he didn’t notice Butterscotch take a seat next to him. “Good morning, everypony.” The unexpected voice next to him caused Applejack to jump and drop and his spoon on the counter. After recovering from the slight shock, he looked over to Butterscotch, who was huddled over in his seat, looking a bit fearful. “I-I’m... I’m sorry, was I too l-loud?” Applejack sighed, looking over the yellow pegasus. “Nah, you weren’t. You jus’ startled me is all. It’s alright.” “Sorry about that...” Butterscotch replied, beginning to sit up. By nine o’clock, Bubble Berry and Elusive had come downstairs and gotten their meals. Elusive explained that he had come down so late because he’d ‘simply needed to style his mane just so’, and Bubble had been very busy testing the bounciness of his bed. The group had a chuckle at the pink ponies silly explanation before returning to their meals and having idle chit chat. Finally, Rainbow Blitz walked down the stairs. He knew exactly what was coming, and braced himself for the surge of questions about his late night ‘guest’. The mare in question followed him down the stairs, and more than one high pitched whistle was heard as they entered the room. Ignoring the jeers, he and Octavia sat down next to the rest of Blitz’s friends. “Well, good mornin’ there, loverboy!” Applejack hollered over, a grin on his face. “Have a good rest?” Blitz could almost feel the implications in his words, and he knew that a good explanation would be required. “Yeah, I did have a good night,” Blitz replied. “And how was it for yer friend?” “He was very charming.” Octavia’s smooth voice came, looking past Blitz and over to Applejack. “My, is that how they put it these days?” Elusive retorted, lightheartedly. Everypony but Blitz and Octavia gave a light chuckle. “Well, actually...” Blitz started, but was cut off by Octavia. “For your information, gentlecolts, we didn’t do anything... vulgar. We simply talked.” Dusk leaned over and looked to Blitz. Out of all of his friends, he assumed Blitz to be the first pony to leap at an opportunity like this one. Dusk needed to hear that again, because Octavia couldn’t possibly have said what he thought she said. “I’m sorry, but... you two... talked?” Blitz was the one to speak this time. “Well, yeah. She was practically crying when she came to my door. I decided to do the cool thing and listen to her.” “So, lemme get this straight, sugarcube. A pretty mare like her comes to your bedroom, cryin’ her eyes out, drunk outta’ her mind and lookin’ fer attention... and ya talk to her?” The cyan pegasus nodded. “Yep. Pretty much.” “I’m surprised, Rainbow,” Elusive spoke, continuing in a dramatic tone. “That was a very sweet thing for you to do! Taking to a distressed mare like her and calming her in a time of need! Oh, such a romantic gesture.” Blitz’s cheeks began to brighten at the words. Elusive was right, it was a pretty sweet thing for him to do. “See? All Blitzy had to do was be nice!” Bubble chimed in. “And nice he was,” Octavia said, getting up from the bar stool. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have an ensemble to meet. Oh, and Blitz... thanks again.” She turned to the blue stallion and unexpectedly gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, before turning and leaving the tavern. Dusk and the others watched her leave before looking to Blitz, who was blushing a bright crimson. “Hoo boy, she sure had a thing for you!” Applejack said, relishing every moment of Rainbow’s embarrassment. He was never going to let the pegasus live this one down. After a brief chuckle from everypony, Dusk spoke up. “Now that we’ve had our breakfast, and some laughs,” he looked at Blitz with a grin. “We should be heading out to the castle now. The princess will be waiting for us.” The group moved out of their seats and double checked their belongings. The barkeeper gave them a smile as they began to leave. “Thanks fer stayin’, and ‘ave a good day!” With that, he watched the six colorful stallions leave, and went to clean a collection of mugs. It wasn’t every day that such a peculiar group walked out of the bar. - - - The morning sun hung brightly in the eastern sky as the group approached Canterlot Castle. As they reached the drawbridge, Dusk stopped for a moment and levitated the mystic orb out of his saddlebags. Recalling it’s instructions, he moved it to the tip of his horn and lightly tapped it, causing a magic spark to jump between the two. The orb took on a life of it’s own as it hummed and floated a few feet in front of Dusk. It then appeared to shatter, but upon further inspection had divided into numerous smaller orbs, which now floated about in a spherical shape, just big enough to encompass an alicorn. Seconds later, the faded shape of Celestia appeared in the middle, smiling and looking to Dusk. The holographic magic brought several ‘ooh’s and ‘aah’s from everypony, who quickly silenced as the sun princess spoke. “Ah, it’s good to see you, Twilight. It looks as though you’ve activated the mystic orb with little trouble.” “Yes, Princess, and it’s very helpful. This magic is quite advanced!” Celestia gave a brief chuckle before continuing. “I’ll be sure to teach you about it when you’re done with your quest. So tell me, what is it you would like?” “Well, we needed instructions on how to enter Old Canterlot.” “Of course, of course. Twilight, I trust you know the layout of most of the castle, correct?” “I studied the floor plans quite a bit, so yes.” “Excellent. Then, if you go to the lower levels of the castle, from the basement, you’ll find a large, sealed door at the end. This is the original entrance to Canterlot. I will send Princess Luna to assist you in opening it.” From elsewhere in Celestia’s area, Luna’s voice rang out. “Celly, I’m busy studying!” “She’ll be there, don’t worry,” Celestia added, with a wink and smile. “Thank you so much, princess. We’ll be sure to go there as fast as possible.” “Good luck with your search!” After this, the image of Celestia disappeared, and the orb returned to it’s small, glass-like state. Dusk returned it to his bag and marched forward, leading the way. “Dusk, do you think we’ll be okay?” Butterscotch asked, saying the first words in a long while. “We’ll be fine!” Blitz barged in, interrupting whatever Dusk was about to say. “Old Canterlot is just going to be filled with old books and dirt, anyway.” “Oh heavens, did you say dirt?” Elusive nearly stopped in his tracks at the mention of that icky, grimy, filthy substance that was so bothersome to fully wash out of a coat! “It’ll be fine, ya’ll. Ain’t nothin’ we have to do but go in, get some fancy, magicky water and leave. Easy as bakin’ an apple pie.” “I could really go for some pie!” Bubble Berry excitedly said, hopping around the group. “Tell ya what, if we can fix this spell and get ta’ how we used ta’ be, Ah’ll make pie for all o’ ya!” Applejack brightfully announced. Bubble and the others gave a light cheer and laugh as they entered the doors of the castle, looking forward to finishing their journey. - - - Princess Luna paced back and forth in front of the large stone door to Old Canterlot. It had been over a millennium ago that she had last been to this entryway, and memories of much less peaceful days resurfaced. Fortunately, her pained reminiscence was halted by the soft clopping of hooves in the distance. The alicorn looked at the far end of the room to see Dusk Shine and the rest of his friends entering. “Greetings, Princess,” Dusk said, bowing when he approached her. The others followed his respectful lead. “Hello, Twilight, and friends. I trust you are all prepared?” “Absolutely.” “Good. I’ll open the door for you six, but be cautious to tell either myself or Celestia when you return, so it may be closed again. “Of course, your majesty, and thank you.” Luna’s horn began to glow a bright white, and rumbling could be felt throughout the room. With the loud grinding of stone, the large door moved sideways, revealing a foreboding passageway that descended into darkness. Bits of dust and loose stone fell to the ground as the door stopped and Luna’s horn lost it’s magic glow. With an affirmative nod, the princess teleported out the room, leaving the group to themselves. The passage leading deeper into the mountain was little taller than an alicorn, which left Dusk and his friends feeling a bit claustrophobic as they descended into the darkness. Not only was it small, but the blackness was so suffocating that the light from Dusk’s horn could barely penetrate it. Had it not been for the dropping temperature, they wouldn’t have known how close they were. The first clue that they had arrived, other than the cold, was that Dusk noticed the light wasn’t reflecting off the walls anymore, and that the tunnel had actually opened into a large cavern. “Guys... I think we might have made it,” Dusk said. His horn flashed brighter, and a large flare shot out and arced in front of them. Six jaws collectively dropped at what they saw in the new found light. The cavern they were in was gargantuan in scale, and far ahead in front of them, an old stone castle lay, surrounded by small residential buildings. It was nearly as big as present day Canterlot, but tucked away in this mountain. Massive columns stretched between the floor and ceiling, some so wide that if Dusk and the others were to stand around it, they wouldn’t be within a hoof’s length of one another. The simple reality of what was lying in the mountain caused Dusk to lose all train of thought for a moment. “It’s... it’s real big,” Applejack said, eyes darting from one thing to another. Even Bubble Berry was at a loss of words, but not for long. “Grandpa never told me how BIG this place was!” “Yes... it is quite extravagant, isn’t it...?” was all Elusive could say. Rainbow Blitz was knocked out of his amazement a bit quicker, thinking of all the flying he could do. He spread his wings and took off, cheering. “Blitz! Get back here!’ Dusk called, starting to run after him. This was everypony else’s cue to start moving, and they trailed shortly behind the purple unicorn. “Just look at all this room!” Blitz shouted, circling one of the large columns and diving down into a spin. “I never thought I’d be able to say I flew in a mountain!” He did several corkscrews and flips midair, but failed to notice his proximity to the column. “Oh, shoot,” He managed to say, before colliding with the stone. Moments after hitting it, he slid down to the bottom and groaned, rubbing his head. Standing up, he shook himself off and waited for the others to catch up, all while being thankful none of them had witnessed his blunder. Crack. “Finally!” Dusk said between breaths, catching up to where Blitz was. “You should really warn us before you do that.” “Yeah, maybe I should, but hey, we’re in front of the castle now.” Dusk blinked, then looked up. There were indeed in front of the castle. It’s large structures reflected off of the flare. “It’s so much bigger up close,” Butterscotch said, looking over the building. “You should have seen it from the sky! Also, Dusk, we might want to hurry up with this.” “Why’s that?” “Well, it might just be me, but I don’t think all those important looking columns should have big cracks in them.” “Wait, what?” Dusk looked to the nearest column, and upon examining it, immediately noticed what Blitz was talking about. Large, jutting cracks were shooting through it, splitting off into hundreds of smaller ones. It was clearly from the many years of endurance this column had to put up with, and Dusk wasn’t sure how long it was going to last. “Blitz, you’re right. We should get this over with. Follow me, everypony.” Dusk proudly lead the group, walking right to the massive stone gates of the castle... before realizing they were closed, and he couldn’t open them. “Well that’s a might inconvenient.” Applejack looked over the closed gate, which hadn’t been opened in hundreds of years. He then thought of his apple bucking experience. A grin crept across his face as he walked forward. “Step aside, ya’ll. Ah’ll get this here gate open.” They all nodded silently and backed up, giving Applejack some room. He galloped towards the gate, then quickly turned and slammed his hind hooves into it as hard as he could, sending a thundering crack throughout the entire cavern. “See, nothin’ to i-” “AJ, look out!” Blitz cried, spreading his wings and lunging forward. The blue pegasus tackled Applejack to the side, moments before the stone gate crumbled and fell, right where the orange pony had been. The destruction of the stone kicked up quite a bit of dust, obscuring the vision between Blitz, Applejack, and the others. To their relief, Blitz spoke up. “We’re good!” The other four sighed and ran over to them. “Oh my, are you okay?” Butterscotch said, worriedly looking over Applejack. With a brief cough, Applejack stood up and shook himself off. “Ah’m better than I woulda been if Blitz hadn’t been quick on his hooves.” “Yep, that’s me. Always saving everypony’s flank.” Blitz grinned. “Don’t go gettin’ used to it. I’m sure ya’ll are gonna get in trouble with somethin’.” “Usually do!” the pegasus flared his wings out and gave a light flap. Dusk coughed, getting the attention of the others. “Now that the gate is... open, we should probably get to that liquid magic.” “Dusk is quite right. I’d rather not stay in this... dusty place for longer than we need to.” Elusive walked forward to start and lead the group inside, but allowed Dusk to pass him so they knew where to go. They made their way through the dark and foreboding halls, watching their every step. The crumbling building’s structure threatened to cave in at a moments notice, causing each of them to be on guard - ready to avoid falling stone or a collapsing floor.. Any windows the castle once had were now shattered and broken, and old tapestries had long been consumed by insects, leaving only the faded gold bars used to support them. The light seeping in from the outside flare made Dusk’s magic lighting slightly more effective, but the room was still fairly dark. He almost didn’t see the sign above them that said “Library”. “We’re here!” Bubble Berry exclaimed, taking notice. “So we are...” Dusk slowly opened the large wooden door in front of them into an expansive, circular room lined by bookcases. The room had two floors, with a banister traveling around all the top level. The roof of the building had a mostly broken stain glass picture, and from what Dusk could make out, at one point it was a picture of Celestia. Immediately garnering his attention, however, was the soft blue glow coming from the middle of the room. There sat a a small fountain, with glowing blue liquid sitting in it. There wasn’t a single ripple going through the solution, and as the ponies approached, they could perfectly see their reflections in it. “My goodness, the magic here is so strong I can feel it. Tell me you feel the same, Dusk?” Elusive spoke, admiring his reflection in the water. Dusk, however, was gritting his teeth and seemed to be in pain. “Duskie, are you okay? You don’t look so good!” the pink pony inspected him with a worrisome look. “It’s... I’ll be fine. It’s just a lot of magic... I think... this is a defense mechanism...” Dusk said through his teeth. He backed away from the fountain, feeling the pain lessen. “It seems that the more powerful a unicorn is, the worse the pain will become.” “Shoot, Ah’ll get it then, Dusk.” Applejack went to Dusk’s bag and opened it, retrieving a small vial from inside. He held in it in his mouth and dipped it into the pool, filling the vial to the mouth. Using a hoof, he popped the cap on the end and slipped the now glowing container back into Dusk’s bag. “Well, that wasn’t so hard, was it?” “Thank you, Applejack. Now we can get out of here!” Dusk said, securing his bags. “Finally! Now we can go on to the cool part.” “Whatever do you mean by that, Blitz?” Elusive gave him a questioning glance. “I mean going to Cloudsdale of course! That place is so much more awesome than this stuffy place.” “Not to mention it’s brighter,” Butterscotch added. “Oh boy, should I throw a party to celebrate our magic water? !” “Sugarcube, just hold off on the parties ‘til we’re mares again, will ya?” “If you say so, but means I’ll have to throw an extra big, super duper funtacular one!” “Hehe, we’ll be looking forward to it, Bubble,” Dusk added with a smile. The group retraced their steps, following Dusk’s lead. In a short time, they had navigated to the entrance of the castle, which was clearly noticeable by the destroyed gate. As they were talking, Butterscotch heard a faint crack in the distance. “Guys...” The others continued, going back to the subject of Blitz and Octavia. Crack. “Guys.” “Now, Ah’m just sayin’, Rainbow, if it was me, Ah woulda-” “Guys!” The group turned to look at the flustered yellow pony, who was staring at them with a furrowed brow. Crack. “What’s up, ‘scotch?” Blitz asked. C-c-c-crack. “Don’t you hear that cracking noise? !” The five of them perked their ears up and look around, searching for a sound. Crack. “There it is!” Dusk said, looking in the direction of... “THE COLUMN!” they cried, bursting into a full gallop. With a thunderous shattering, large stone shards shot out of the stone, finally giving way to the ages of weight it had to support. The destruction of the first column began a deadly chain reaction, with each successive column falling to the overabundance of weight. Chunks of the ceiling plowed into the floor, destroying buildings and laying waste to the castle. The six ponies pumped their legs furiously, avoiding the falling rocks and debris that was rapidly spreading. Dusk looked back for a moment, but instantly regretted doing so, as all he saw was a hailstorm of dust and stone flying at them. “We’re almos’ there!” Applejack cried out above the sound of crashing rock. On the spot, Dusk shot out another flare above the entrance, leading them to their salvation. Just then, a large chunk of earth fell right in front of them, shattering the ground and spraying debris around, which they narrowly avoided. However, the sudden obstacle threw Elusive off, and he was now falling behind the rest of the group. “Somepony, help!” he cried, taking notice of the rapidly approaching wave of mountain careening towards him. With lightning speed, Blitz pulled a backflip and barrel rolled to Elusive. He quickly went next to him, flying low to the ground. “Jump on!” he yelled, nudging Elusive with a hoof. “I... but...” “Just do it!” With no more hesitation, Elusive jumped on Blitz’s back and the two took off. The others had reached the entrance of the cavern already and were frantically calling for them to hurry. With a grunt and final flurry of wingbeats, Blitz flew into the small passageway and crashed into the ground, throwing Elusive off and rolling several feet before dully hitting the bottom of the stairway. Behind him, the mountain finished caving in, and left a mass of rubble and dust where the chamber once lay. “Is... everypony alright?” the rainbow maned pegasus slowly got up, coughing a few times. He gave his mane a quick shake and surveyed the area. In front of him were Applejack, Bubble Berry and Dusk Shine, whose hoof was being nursed by Butterscotch. He looked behind him and saw Elusive wearily getting up. His white coat was tarnished and covered in dirt, and his normally shiny and prim mane was dull and unkempt. Despite this, though, he still managed to give Blitz a smile. “Thank you, Blitz. I suppose that this is... the second time you’ve saved my life.” Blitz recalled back to the Best Young Fliers competition. “I guess you’re right, Rarity. Err... Elusive.” “It’s fine, it’s fine. Blitz... Dash... you saved me either way.” “Heh... don’t worry about it. As long as you’re safe.” With a dignified grin, he turned back to the others. “How is everypony holding up?” Applejack stretched his neck a bit. “Ah’m good here.” “I’m doing great!” “Oh, I’m fine, but Dusk sprained a hoof...” the yellow pegasus finished wrapping Dusk’s hoof in bandaging. “He’ll need some help getting back.” “I’m sorry everypony,” Dusk said, with a sad sigh. “I went and hurt myself on the last stretch.” “Oh, it’s fine, dear.” Elusive walked over, helping to pick Dusk up. The lavendar unicorn’s eyes widened as he noticed the state Elusive was in. “Gosh, Elusive... your...” he trailed off, not knowing what to say. “Yes, yes, I know... Sometimes you just can’t avoid a mess. Enough about me! Let’s help you up these stairs.” After a particularly long climb up the dark stairway, they finally saw the familiar light of Canterlot’s basement. The group was lively when they reached the top, glad to finally be in fresher air.", "“Yes, yes, I know... Sometimes you just can’t avoid a mess. Enough about me! Let’s help you up these stairs.” After a particularly long climb up the dark stairway, they finally saw the familiar light of Canterlot’s basement. The group was lively when they reached the top, glad to finally be in fresher air. The liveliness quickly changed to surprise however, as they noticed both Luna and Celestia waiting for them. - - - “Oh my goodness, I’m so thankful you’re okay!” The sun princess said, kneeling down and nuzzling Dusk. “I had no idea how damaged the city had become. I’m very sorry for putting you in such a life threatening situation, Twilight.” “It’s okay, princess,” Dusk said, merrily. “Oh, and look what we found!” His horn adopted a faint purple glow as his saddlebags opened and the vial of blue liquid was brought out, glowing brightly. The princess had to stifle a gasp as she saw the container. “Liquid magic...” Celestia said, eying the glowing flask. “Excellent job, all of you. You’ve probably found the most difficult ingredient.” She looked down the hallway to Old Canterlot. “And now, the most rare.” “Oh yeah... we have the last bit of liquid magic EVER!” Bubble said, looking at vial. “Indeed you do,” Luna spoke up. “So we should keep it safe until the time is right.” “Luna is correct. I’ll take this off your hooves, Twilight,” the princess said, taking the vial in her own magic grip. “Thank you, princess.” “Now, I believe the next thing on your list is from... Cloudsdale, right?” Dusk thought for a moment, then agreed. “I shall lend you a royal balloon for you and your friends to use.” “Yay, I love balloons!” “That’s very generous of you, princess.” “I only want the best for my faithful student.” Celestia gave Dusk a warm smile. “Now, if you’ll all come with me...” --- On a high landing in Canterlot, a large balloon sat, tied down and holding several occupants. Applejack sat fidgeting in the balloon, next to Bubble Berry and Butterscotch. Blitz hovered in the air next to it, forelegs hanging limp at his sides. Celestia and Luna were speaking to Dusk Shine in front, discussing their plans. “I’ll contact you when we arrive, princess.” “Then I shall be waiting to hear from you. How is your memory holding up?” “My memory...” Dusk thought back to the past, and faint visions of his friends and their adventures remained. “I’ll be honest, princess. My memories are very distant, as if they’re fading.” A look of concern swept across Celestia’s face, and she closed her eyes in thought. “You will have to hurry then, Twilight. I fear that in few days time, your memories may completely change.” The reality of the situation was starting to hit Dusk, who began to hyperventilate. Suddenly, he was overcome by a soothing warmth, and snapped back to reality to find the princess embracing him. “Be safe, my student. Please stay in contact.” “Before you go, Twilight, take this.” Luna brought for a pendent from her bags. “It has a simple enchantment which should be able to jog your memories by looking at it.” “I’m honored, princess Luna,” Dusk said, placing the necklace over his head. He took a glance at the midnight blue orb in the center, and several memories flooded back into his mind. Running through a forest... giant ring of color... anvil to the head... “Whoa.” He blinked several times. “That’s a bit strong.” Luna giggled a bit. “Yes, it’ll do that the first time. Be careful, though, because the effect will get weaker with every additional use.” Dusk nodded. “I’ll make a note of that.” He looked back to the balloon. “I think we’re just about ready.” “Take care, Twilight,” Celestia said, with a soft smile. “Yes, do be safe,” Luna added, waving a hoof. Dusk hopped in the balloon and untied the rope with his teeth. Slowly but surely, the balloon started to lift off. Using some magic, Dusk sparked a flame and created some wind to push them towards Cloudsdale." ]

[ "Chapter 5: Are You Sure We’re Going the Right Way? The rush of wind blew through Dusk Shine’s ears as the large purple balloon sailed through the sky. His horn held a steady glow as he pushed the vehicle with a magical gust of air in the general direction of Cloudsdale. Behind him, Canterlot was fading to nothing but a black speck on the horizon. He stood firm in the basket of the balloon, looking forward and not saying much, focused only on channeling his magic. Suddenly, he cringed, accidentally stepping on his injured hoof. Picking it up, he leaned against the basket of the balloon and regained his concentration. “Ugh, this is so slow!” Blitz complained, flying next to the balloon, forelegs crossed and mouth in a pout. Dusk shifted his eyes to the sky blue pegasus and shook his head. “Not all of us have wings, Blitz.” “Yeah, I know that. If you guys could fly, this would be so much quicker.” As if to prove his point, he made several fast laps around the basket of the balloon. “I mean, come on!” “Blitz, darling, do be patient. Besides, this gives me enough time to fix my mane,” Elusive said, stroking his mane with a hoof while levitating a mirror in front of him. The unicorn didn’t have much time to  clean himself off after his tumble in Old Canterlot, and even after hours of adjusting and preening, he still pouted at his reflection. The whole ride had been spent brushing and styling his tail and mane. “Yeah, but you have something to do,” Blitz snapped back. “Jus’ calm yourself, Blitz. We’ll be in Cloudsdale ‘fore you know it.” Applejack reassured, leaning on the edge of the of the basket. Every so often, he brought a hoof to his hat to keep it from flying away in the breeze. “Ooh, Blitzy! Wanna play a game?” Bubble asked, bouncing in place and beaming towards Blitz. The pegasus rolled his eyes before hovering closer to the balloon. “Why not?” Bubble was near ecstatic as he got closer to Blitz, fidgeting with anticipation. “Okay, okay, okay! Are you ready?” “Sure,” Blitz flatly replied. “I spy something... blue!” Blitz’s eyelids were half shut, partially in boredom, partially because he knew exactly what Bubble was thinking of, and he couldn’t believe he would pick this game, of all things. With a sigh and a roll of the eyes, he replied, “...the sky.” “That’s right!” Bubble exclaimed, throwing his hooves in the air. “Alright, your turn!” Blitz sighed. He brought a hoof to his forehead and shut his eyes, giving a soft frown. “You know, I just...” It was at this moment that Blitz gave up on trying to find something to do, and went with Bubble’s craziness. Removing his hoof and letting his forelegs hang limp at his sides, he looked around, then noticed Butterscotch in the corner, quiet as a mouse. “I spy something yellow.” The pink pony shifted his eyes, scanning everything around him. He then spun, getting an idea, and his vision darted towards Butterscotch. “Ooh, ooh! I know. It’s Butterscotch!” “You got it,” Blitz replied, sarcasm lacing his voice. Just then, as Bubble was about to call out his next object, he noticed how glum Butterscotch looked. He hopped to where the butter colored pegasus was sitting and took a seat next to him. “Hey, Scotchy. What’s wrong?” Butterscotch blinked a few times, then turned to Bubble Berry. He seemed to be disconnected from everyone else, and had to shake his head to focus. “Oh, um, I was just thinking.” Bubble cocked his head to the side and frowned. “Thinking about what? Whatever is was, it was making you all saddy waddy.” The pegasus turned his head to the side, a section of hair covering his eye. “I wasn’t sad, Bubble. I was just... concerned.” He said that last word at little more than a whisper. “Concerned about what? Is it about the balloon?” he looked up, as if in inspecting the dirigible for any problems. “The balloon is fine, because Dusk has it all under control!” Bubble said, returning to his cheery self. “No, it’s nothing like that.” “Then what’s wrong?” Butterscotch nervously shuffled his hooves in place, avoiding eye contact with Bubble Berry. “Well, um... I was... thinking about the past...” Bubble cocked his head to the side, an expression of bewilderment mixed with puzzlement crossing his face. “What about it?” The yellow pegasus looked to Berry, his light teal eyes beginning to water up. “...’Scotch?” Berry said in a soft voice, his usual smile drooping into a frown. “I... I can’t remember things...” Butterscotch admitted, closing his eyes and looking downwards. The soft hum of magic floating in the air stopped as Dusk Shine’s concentration broke, causing the balloon to hang in the empty sky. The purple unicorn looked down at Butterscotch with wide eyes. “Butterscotch...” he slowly started, trying to remain calm. “What do you mean, ‘you can’t remember things’?” “How I got my cutie mark... I... I can’t remember it... no matter how hard I try.” “Everypony,” Dusk announced. “Try to remember important parts of your past.” The unicorn scanned over the faces of his friends, only to find their thoughtful expressions turning to those of sadness and fear. His heart sank in his chest as he too wasn’t able to remember key moments of his life as a mare. “Jus’... what does this mean, Dusk?” Applejack asked, his eyes begging for an answer. Dusk could only close his eyes and shake his head. “AJ... it means we need to hurry up,” Dusk replied, his horn beginning to glow again. Once more, the balloon was sailing through the sky, although a bit quicker this time. The mood of the balloon’s passengers had dropped, with neither of the friends talking to one another. They each stayed in their places, motionless and silent, too busy thinking about their dire situation to do anything else. Even Bubble Berry, who was normally happy and bright in even the most frightening of situations, remained mute - he couldn’t laugh at something like this. Rainbow Blitz was the first to speak, and that was because he had spotted Clousdale in the distance. “Keep going, Dusk!’ he said, from his flying area around the balloon. “Cloudsdale is real close now!” Dusk’s horn grew just a bit brighter as the balloon proceeded to the city in the sky, it’s large rainbows and Roman styled columns visible even from a distance. Dusk could even see the top edges of the coliseum. Now that the city of clouds was within reach, he thought this would be a prime opportunity to tell his friends about the necklace. “Everypony, listen up,” he said, in a commanding tone. The rest of the group turned and looked at him, their eyes filled with concern. “You might have noticed the necklace I’m wearing.” Dusk said, touching the amulet with his bandaged hoof. The others let out murmurs of agreement and nodded their heads. “Princess Luna gave this to me,” Dusk continued. “It has a special enchantment on it, which will replenish your memories by looking into it.” Applejack let out a sigh of relief. “Well, shoot, Dusk. You shoulda’ just said somethin’ before. That’ll save us a heap of trouble, won’t it?” “I wish it was that easy, Applejack,” Dusk said, looking downwards. “But the effect becomes weaker with each use.” his vision shifted back up, his eyes moving between each of his friends, their attention locked onto him. “We need to use them very carefully, is that clear?” The group shook their heads in affirmation. Dusk nodded as well, his mouth curling into a smile for the first time in a while. “I’ve already used it once, so you’ll each get a look when we arrive in Cloudsdale.” “That sounds fair to me,” Elusive chimed in, flipping a lock of his purple mane. “And it’s such a lovely hue...” he added, admiring the blue gem around Dusk Shine’s neck. “Yes, it is quite nice, but don’t look to deep into it. The spell might accidentally trigger,” Dusk warned, covering part of the gem. “Then I’ll be sure to be careful around it.” Elusive then brought a hoof to his chin and looked around in thought. “Do you think the Princess would part with it?” Dusk chuckled and shook his head. “Most likely not, but you can always ask.” Moments later, the balloon shook as it bumped into something soft. Dusk blinked, then realized what had happened. “Oh, we’re here!” he announced, the wind pushing against the balloon settling as his magic faded into the air. “Finally!” Blitz cheered, doing several stunts around the balloon. “Now, let me just cast the cloud-walking spell,” Dusk said, casting it on those who needed it. Bubble leaped out of the balloon, landing face first into the clouds they had docked at. “Boy, I am so glad to be out of that balloon! I was going loco in there!” The pink pony rolled around in the fluff, tiny bits of cloud pulling off the main bits and clinging to his puffy hair. Dusk rolled his eyes and smiled as he hopped out of balloon as well, the clouds catching him. “So, Blitz,” Dusk started, following the flying blue pegasus with his eyes. “How do we get to the tomb of King Aurelius?” Blitz hovered in the air for a moment. “Oh, that’s easy! It’s this way!” He said, before bolting off in the direction of Cloudsdale’s main district. Dusk sighed, tapping his hoof against the ground. “How long you think it’ll take for him ta realize?” Applejack asked, adjusting his hat as he stood next to Dusk. “I’ll give him another ten seconds,” Elusive replied, looking in the direction he had flown off. Sure enough, after several moments, Blitz flew back, with his characteristic rainbow trail behind him. His cheeks were red as he touched down. “Yeah... right... no wings,” he said, averting his gaze and giving a sheepish laugh. “Just uh... follow me.” He turned, and started to walk in the direction he came from. - - - After the lengthy trip through Cloudsdale’s residential district, the group found themselves in front of the tomb of King Archimedes Darkbillow III. The building was of decent size, and despite being made of cloud, seemed aged and faded. It was almost as if the building were made of storm clouds, rather than regular ones. Large, intricate columns stood, holding the front of the roof, in classic Cloudsdale fashion. Various text from an older language was engraved throughout the architecture, representing Darkbillow in some way. There was even a statue of the pony himself, standing tall and upright in front of the entryway. Dusk admired the statue, taking notice that it was made out of the same thick construction cloud that much of the other core structures of Cloudsdale were made of. It reminded him of the arena that the Best Young Fliers competition had taken place in. “From what our books said, he was a cool pony,” Blitz said, flying near the statue. It was very modest in size, only slightly bigger than Blitz was. “Oh, yes, he was one of the first pegasi to push for trade routes and traffic between Cloudsdale and other towns,” Butterscotch spoke up. Everypony looked to him in curiosity, and he sank a bit in his spot. “I... um... read a lot about him...” “Celestia made him seem like a very kind pony,” Dusk added, looking up to the statue. Although he had an intimidating name, the statue told a very different tale. It wore a soft smile, and old, bagged eyes. The mane was slicked back, and a crown - very similar to the one from the Best Young Flier competition - adorned it’s head. It’s face had a mid-length beard, which was styled into that of a lightning bolt, and similar could be said of the eyebrows. “This guy sure had some style, huh?” Blitz said, motioning to the eyebrows and flashing a cheesy grin. Elusive rolled his eyes. “If ‘style’ is the word you would like to use...” “Enough admiring this old stallion, we have some feathers to get!” Bubble Berry said, with a wide grin on his face. He bounced happily past the statue, humming to himself. That was when he noticed his tail twitch. “This should be a piece of ca-” he started, before being cut off by the feeling of his body slip through the clouds and plummet downwards. Everypony gasped as they watched their pink friend disappear through the white fluff, his screams of fear fading by the second. After realizing what had happened, Blitz kicked a hole in the clouds and flared his wings. “I’m coming for ya, Bubble!” he yelled, darting through the layer of cloud. He sped through the air, leaving his rainbow trail floating behind him. Similar to when Rarity had fallen, he had no goggles on, so the wind stung at his eyes as he pushed himself downwards. Berry looked around in a frenzy, waving his hooves in every which way. His mind was spinning as he plummeted, still unsure of how he ended up like this. Looking upwards, he saw Blitz flying towards him and yelled “Blitz, help me!” “I’m almost there!” Blitz screamed over the sound of the air rushing past him. It was then that he felt the all too familiar sensation of the air resistance building as he approached sonic speed. Panic began to overcome him, as he recalled his failed attempts at a Sonic Rainboom when he had first become a stallion. He gritted his teeth, pumping his wings faster, as Bubble was only feet away from him. The air resistance was building up. “Come on...” The distance between the two was closing. “Blitz!” The soft crackling of electricity could be heard, building up. “And... got you!” Blitz held out his forelegs and pulled upward, catching Bubble Berry and stopping their descent. The pegasus looked up, noticing how far he had traveled. “No Rainboom today... but I guess I didn’t need one,” he said to himself. “Whew... thanks Blitz!” Bubble said, shaking a little. Although he was smiling, there was still a great deal of fear in his eyes. “You’re really saving everypony, aren’t you?” Blitz grinned, flying upwards and back to Cloudsdale. “Looks like it. I’ve gotten AJ, Elusive, and now you. I’m on a roll with this adventure!” Bubble let out a nervous laugh, looking at Blitz and clutching him a little tighter. “Let’s just get to Cloudsdale... then we can celebrate.” “Oh... right. Yeah,” Blitz said, his cheeks reddening a bit. - - - “This is really bad. This is really, really bad!” Dusk said, pacing around. “They aren’t here yet. Why aren’t they here yet? !” The unicorn looked around to everypony around him, as if they would give him an answer. “Jus’ calm down, Dusk. I’m sure Blitz an’ Berry are jus’ fine,” Applejack replied, trying to calm his unicorn friend down. However, Applejack could feel the nervous sweat forming on his brow. “Calm down? How can we be calm!? Bubble just fell off of Cloudsdale!” “Hey guys!” Dusk spun around at the voice, finding Blitz carrying Bubble. Blitz hovered closer to the cloud, allowing the pink earth pony to jump off and land on the solid cloud. He fell to his knees, kissing the whiteness. “I never thought I’d ever want to be on a cloud this much!” he said, hugging the soft material. “Thank goodness you’re alright!” Elusive said, trotting over to Bubble Berry and Rainbow Blitz. “We were all terribly worried when you fell!” Bubblle gingerly rubbed his face into the clouds. “I was worried when I fell, too!” “I’m glad you’re alright...” Butterscotch said in a soft voice, joining Elusive. “We’re all glad you two are okay.” Dusk said, joining everypony else. He breathed easy now, knowing his friends were fine. However, he was still frowning. “But I don’t know why you fell. That spell should have worked...” he pondered for a moment before his eyes widened. “Oh no, I forgot to contact Celestia!” “What’s the big deal?” Blitz said, dropping out of the air and landing next to Dusk. “She told me to contact her when we got here!” he said, using his magic to dig the orb out of his saddlebag. “And we’ve been here a while!” He tapped the orb to his horn and it began the same separation process it went through the previous time. Before long, many orbs were hovering in a spherical pattern, and the transparent image of the sun goddess appeared. “Greetings, Twilight. I see that you are in Cloudsdale.” she said, smiling. Dusk bowed down, looking to ground with hot cheeks. “Yes. I’m sorry for not contacting you sooner, princess.” Celestia only chuckled. “It is no concern, Twilight. Now, have you located King Darkbillow’s tomb?” The unicorn stood up, looking into the eyes of his mentor. “We have, princess. In fact, we’re right in front of it.” He used his hoof to motion to the thick cloud building. “That is excellent to hear.” Dusk shifted his weight and bit his lip. “There’s just... one problem, princess.” Celestia raised her eyebrow, her lips moving into a soft frown. “Oh? What might that be?” “Well... I gave all of my non-pegasi friends the cloud walking spell, but when Bubble Berry stepped near the entrance, he fell through. I’m... not sure what went wrong.” The princess closed her eyes in thought. “It would appear that there is a protective spell all around the building.” She opened her eyes again, looking straight at Dusk. “I’m afraid only your pegasus friends will be able to enter.” “What? !” Butterscotch and Rainbow Blitz said, in tandem. They stopped what they were doing, shocked by this new information, and all they could do was stare at the princess in disbelief. “Normally, this spell cancels out all magic except natural cloud walking; this way, nopony would be able to damage or steal anything in the building. That includes your imitation cloud walking spell, Twilight.” She frowned, looking to Dusk with sadness in her eyes. “So... that means... only Butterscotch and Blitz can go in,” Dusk said, slowly turning his head to look back at the two pegasi. “This is correct, Twilight,” Celestia confirmed. “Please, have them go as quickly as possible. I do not know how much time you’ll have left before the gender altering spell finalizes.” Dusk turned back to Celestia, nodding. “Of course, Princess. I’ll contact you when we have the feather.” “I will be looking forward to news of your progress, my faithful student. Farewell, and good luck.” With that, the smiling image of Celestia disappeared, the small orb reforming and falling in front of Dusk. He levitated it back into his saddlebag before turning to his pegasus friends. “Well, you heard the Princess,” Dusk said, sighing. “You two will have to go in by yourselves.” he moved his gaze to Rainbow Blitz, who was being rather quiet. “Blitz, you know about this place, so you’d know where the feather is, right?” A wide smile spread across the cyan pegasus’s face as he averted his gaze and shifted his weight. “Yeah... uh... about that...” “Oh, please, tell me you don’t know,” Elusive said, rolling his eyes and flipping his mane. “Um... Well...” Blitz stammered, looking at everything and everypony except Dusk Shine. The unicorn snorted, his eyes half lidded and mouth tucked in a frown. “You don’t know, do you?” “...Not exactly.” Blitz replied, his facing getting red tiny as he looked to Dusk and cracked a weak smile. The group sighed, with looks ranging from rolling eyes to disappointed frowns being cast in the rainbow maned pegasi’s direction. “Hey, I never told you I knew where it was!” he said, in an attempt to defend himself. Dusk shook his head, sighing. “Either way, you and Butterscotch have to go in and find it, because you two are the only pegasi here.” “Yeah, I know...” Blitz said. He turned to look at Butterscotch, who was looking at the ground and remaining very silent. “Yo, ‘Scotch, are you ready?” Butterscotch looked up to Blitz. “I suppose so.” he said, shifting his forelegs in place. “Alright, let’s get it over with, then.” The cyan pegasus walked past the statue and into the building, Butterscotch following close behind. “Good luck!” Dusk called, as the two disappeared into the building. A small frown moved across his face as he lost sight of his friends. I hope they find it... - - - “Does it have to be so dark in here?” Blitz asked, straining his eyes against the darkness. For a building that was supposed to be a monument to the greatest leader Cloudsdale ever had, the architects certainly slacked with the lighting. He look around, noticing the mass of hallways and turns available, then sighed. “Oh, come on. A maze? They really added a maze?” “I guess it makes sense.” Butterscotch said, also looking around. “This place has many artifacts from King Darkbillow’s personal collections, and it would be terrible if-” he caught sight of Blitz’s curious staring. “...if they got stolen.” Blitz turned a corner, only to find three more paths available to him. “Seriously? Ugh, I don’t care about any of that junk, we just need this dumb feather.” He looked to the three different routes and motioned his hoof between the three, mouthing the words to ‘eeni meeni mini mo’. He finally landed on the middle route and smiled, beginning to walk in that direction. “Are you sure we’re going the right way?” Butterscotch asked, looking around to get a sense of direction. “Nope!” the blue pegasus replied, continuing his determined strut. “Oh...” Butterscotch trailed off, lowering his head and looking down. He sighed and continued walking straight ahead. Several moments passed in silence, before he asked “What do you think the feather looks like?” Silence. “Um, Blitz?” he asked, looking upwards only to find a cloud wall, shaded in the darkness of the building. The yellow pegasus looked to his sides, then turned to check behind him, finding only an empty hallway. “Blitz?” he said, in a louder voice. Butterscotch shifted his eyes from side to side, his mouth turning into a more and more worried frown. “Blitz!” he yelled out, running back the way he came and looking down the corridors. Not finding his friend, he let out a frightened squeak, then began to run down the hallways wildly, trying desperately to find his friend. Meanwhile, Blitz was casually walking down a hallway, eyes half lidded out of boredom. He stretched his wings out, flapping them a few times before ruffling them up. “We’ve passed like three rooms so far with nothing but crud in them!” He heard no response, but figured it normal - Butterscotch was always quiet. Blitz made several more turns, and not finding anything useful, turned to talk to his friend. “Hey, Butterscotch, do you think...” he paused, noticing the empty space behind. He stared at the place where his fellow pegasus should have been, blinking several times to make sure he wasn’t imagining things. “You have got to be kidding me.” Blitz backtracked, looking down the halls he had passed in vain. His buttery friend was nowhere to be found. He walked down several more corridors, only to find himself now getting more and more lost with every turn. With a frustrated groan, Blitz spread his wings and took to the air. “Now there’s two things I have to find!” he said, beginning to fly through the narrow halls. Elsewhere, deep in the cloud maze, Butterscotch was running down whichever hallway was closest. He pumped his legs, catching fleeting glances down other corridors as he passed them, looking for any hint of a blue pony. He was so caught up in his desperate searching that he nearly ran past a small pedestal, illuminated by a single beam of light coming through the ceiling. Noticing the peculiar object, he stopped his running and moved closer to examine it. It was a rather small pedestal, made out of cloud and crafted into an old styled column. On top of it rested a glass case, circular and rounded at the top. Butterscotch could barely see the light glare off of it because of how polished and clean the glass was.", "He was so caught up in his desperate searching that he nearly ran past a small pedestal, illuminated by a single beam of light coming through the ceiling. Noticing the peculiar object, he stopped his running and moved closer to examine it. It was a rather small pedestal, made out of cloud and crafted into an old styled column. On top of it rested a glass case, circular and rounded at the top. Butterscotch could barely see the light glare off of it because of how polished and clean the glass was. What caught his attention, however, was the object resting within the glass, hovering just inches above the pedestal. A tuft of charcoal grey feathers floated within, fluttering from the magic keeping them aloft. They were faded and dull, clear victims of time’s grasp. Butterscotch stifled a gasp as he looked upon the feathers, fearing they would crumble if gazed upon the wrong way. “These must be... Darkbillow’s...” he said, looking through the glass. His thoughts were confirmed as his vision shifted downwards and he saw a dusty plaque below. It read: Here lie the last living remnants of our King. King Archimedes Darkbillow III May he live eternal in the Summerlands. After several moments of stillness, Butterscotch removed the glass case with care. Pausing for just a moment, he plucked one of the feathers from it’s resting spot and cringed on instinct, expecting a trap or some other terrible device to spring. When nothing happened, he opened his eyes and sighed with relief. He then placed the feather into his saddlebags, making sure to do it with the utmost delicacy. When he had secured his bags, he put the glass back on the pedestal and smiled, for it looked like nothing had been changed. This was when Rainbow Blitz careened into the room, slamming into Butterscotch and knocking both of them to the ground. “Oh, Ouch!” Butterscotch whimpered, hitting the floor with the thud and sliding a few inches. Blitz jumped up, wide eyed and filled with confusion. “Oh my gosh, sorry ‘Scotch!” he exclaimed. He reached out a hoof. “Are you okay? !” “I’m... fine...” the yellow pegasus replied, his voice wavering. Blitz stuck a hoof out and became red in the face from embarrassment. “Let me help you out.” Butterscotch, with his head spinning, took the hoof and was pulled to his hooves, wobbling as he stood fully up. “Hey... Blitz...” he said, shaking his head to get rid of the dizziness. The cyan pegasus was about to say something, but then he noticed the room they were in. Upon seeing the glass case, he asked “Are those Darkbillow’s feathers?” “Yes, they are,” Butterscotch replied, able to hold his train of thought now. “I already took one.” motioning to his saddlebag. “Oh, awesome,” Blitz replied, with a cheeky smile. He then looked as his surroundings again, with a puzzling look on his face. “We should, uh... try to get out of here.” Butterscotch nodded. “They’re probably worried about us. We shouldn’t keep them waiting.” “Alright, let’s... try to find our way out,” Blitz said, making his way to the nearest corridor. He then paused, looking back to Butterscotch. “And this time, stay close to me.” He smiled as he brushed away part of his pink mane from his eyes and looked to Blitz. “Of course.” - - - Dusk Shine paced around in front of the building, occasionally looking in the direction of the entrance. Upon seeing nothing changed, he went right back to his idle trotting, an imprinted circle starting to form in the area he was walking. “What do you think is taking so long?” he asked, looking to his friends who were still outside. Applejack tipped his hat up, looking under the brim to Dusk. He was sitting against a piece of architecture and crossing his forelegs. “Ah’d say they’re probably jus’ lost or somethin’. Ah wouldn’t worry too much ‘bout it, Dusk.” “But what if something bad happened? What if they need our help? !” The unicorn began to pace faster. “Dusk, darling, do be calm. What’s the worst that could happen in some musty old crypt?” Elusive asked, running a filer across one of his hooves. He inspected it carefully and smiled, moving to the next hoof. “A lot can happen! Who knows what kind of ancient traps could be in there? I bet I have a book about this at the library...” Dusk thought, tapping a hoof to his chin. Bubble Berry bounced over to Dusk, smiling and cheery as ever. “Applejack and Elusive are right, Dusky. It’s just a boring old building!” He hummed a tune and skipped around Dusk, who didn’t look amused in the slightest. “And besides, Blitz is the toughest pony around. If anything bad came along, he’d kick it right in the flank!” “Ah can vouch for that.” Applejack chuckled, tipping his hat back down and closing his eyes. “But what if something really bad happens to them? !” Dusk almost frantically asked, his mane beginning to become distraught. “It wasn’t so bad,” the pegasi’s voice said from nowhere. Dusk almost jumped out of his skin, reeling around to find Blitz and Butterscotch approaching them. His imaginative fears dissipated, and out of habit, he ran and hugged Blitz. Blitz’s eyes went wide with surprise for a moment, caught off guard by the hug. “Whoa, Dusk, buddy, I’m fine.” The unicorn broke away, blushing. “Sorry, I just got worried about you two.” “It was only a maze,” Butterscotch said, with a light smile. “But how did you get out? !” the unicorn asked, looking between the two of them. Blitz laughed. “It turns out all we had to do was keep going left.” “Well, that’s a relief,” Dusk said, his bewildered expression turning to a smile. His gaze then shifted to the pegasus’s saddlebags. “Did you get the feather?” Butterscotch nodded, opening his saddlebag and shifting through it. Very carefully, he pulled it out of the bag, clutching it between his teeth. Dusk stared at the ancient down, inspecting it curiously. He reached out a hoof to touch it, but decided against it, drawing back afterwards. “It’s incredible,” he replied, in a hushed tone. “Yay, another ingredient!” Bubble Berry exclaimed, bouncing over to Dusk and Butterscotch. Butterscotch managed to tuck the feather away right before Berry hugged him. “I think we all need a group hug!” he said, motioning for the others to come over. “Shoot, why not,” Applejack said, getting up and walking to Berry. He wrapped a foreleg around Butterscotch and grinned. The earth pony then felt a leg touch his neck, and looking over, he was surprised to find Elusive next to him. “We’re all together in this, Applejack.” he smiled. “And I won’t let our personal differences change that.” “Shucks, Elusive. Ah guess Ah can respect that.” “I would certainly hope so,” Elusive replied, in a singsong voice. The six of them gathered in for a large hug, laughing together. After the fun had died down, they stood in a circle, talking amongst themselves. “Okay, okay everypony,” Dusk started, smiling. “We’re almost done, but there’s one more leg of our trip. I’ll contact Solaris and tell him the-” he stopped himself. “Who the heck is Solaris?” he thought, questioning the name his mind had brought up. “Who?” Butterscotch asked, cocking his head to the side. Dusk Shine shook his head. “Um... nothing. I meant to say, I’m going to speak with Celestia and tell her we have it.” In a moment’s notice, Dusk had brought the orb out, and it was dividing and spreading into a sphere in front of him. The others spread out, giving the magical object room to expand. Celestia’s image flickered, sitting at a table and chewing some food with her expected grace. “Oh! Sorry to interrupt you, princess,” Dusk said, shying away from the image. She swallowed, then smiled. “It is quite alright, Twilight.” The princess levitated a fork full of salad to her mouth, and right before biting it, asked “Have you found the feather?” Dusk nodded. “We have. The last thing we need is the artifact, right?” Celestia finished another bite of her food. “That is correct. Do you recall where you defeated Nightmare Moon?” “Yes, princess. Your old castle in the Everfree Forest.” “You will find it there, my student.” She set her fork down, finished with her meal. “Now, answer me something, Twilight.” “What would you like to know?” “Tell me the story of your cutie mark.” Dusk Shine blinked, taken aback by the question. “Oh, um...” he pondered for a moment, trying to look back into his memories for when he received. However, all that came to mind was darkness and mystery. “I...” he stuttered, trying to remember anything about that fateful day. Celestia frowned. “You do not know, do you?” she asked, her mood sinking by the second. “No... I don’t,” Dusk said, looking into the eyes of his mentor. “Sometimes... I think you’re too talented for your own good, Twilight,” Celestia said, pushing her plate away from her. “The spell is quickly catching up to you, and I am beginning to fear for the worst.” “What do we need to do, princess?” Dusk asked, looking around and fidgeting. “First, calm yourself, Twilight,” Celestia said, becoming serious. “Second, you must leave Cloudsdale and head to the Everfree Forest immediately. Not even I know how much more time you have before the spell becomes irreversible.” “Of course, princess. We’ll leave as soon as possible,” Dusk replied, still looking distraught. “I will leave you now, my faithful student. Please, hurry.” Without another word, the image of Celestia disappeared, with a fizzle. The orb reformed itself and fell to the ground with a tink. Dusk levitated it into his saddlebag and looked up to his friends, which were staring at him with varying expressions of fear and worry. “You heard the princess. We can’t just stand here. Let’s move!” Dusk said, looking over their faces. “He’s right, ya’ll. We best get a move on!” Applejack added, moving in the direction of the balloon. The rest expressed their agreement and followed, transitioning into a full gallop as they raced against time itself. - - - “Quickly, get on!” Dusk yelled, jumping into the basket. In his haste, he tripped over his injured hoof, but the edge of the basket saved him from an embarrassing fall. Applejack followed, leaping next to Dusk - Butterscotch and Elusive close behind. Blitz wrestled with the rope to tie it down, and after snapping it with his teeth, also got into the balloon. “Punch it, Dusk,” Blitz said, leaning over the edge. The purple unicorn looked at him with confusion, which turned to a sigh. Concentrating, his horn lit up an the balloon began to it’s journey to the Everfree Forest. Glancing down at the pendent around his neck, a thought occurred. Should I use it now? He pondered the question, thinking hard about the choice he was about to make. No... I can’t waste it." ]

[ "Chapter 6: Dusk Shine, Get Ready! With a loud thud, and the sound of wicker forcing dirt and rock out of the way, Dusk Shine’s balloon landed at the outskirts of the Everfree Forest. The balloon was close to the gnarled, sharp and unkempt treetops, but none of the six ponies were concerned with its safety. In a hurry, Rainbow Blitz flew out of the basket and landed on the ground, beginning to tap his hoof as soon as he touched the soil. “Come on, hurry it up. We don’t have all day!” he snapped, looking to his friends. “We’re goin’ as fast as we can, Blitz,” Applejack replied, hopping over the edge and landing near Blitz. He took a brief moment to shift his hat out of his vision. He opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by the sound of grunting and hushed curses coming from the balloon. Both he and Blitz looked over to find Dusk angrily kicking the door to the balloon out, and in his short outburst, he tripped over the edge of the basket and fell forward. Dusk let out a yelp as his front hoof came in contact with the ground, and he groaned while attempted to stand. “Shoot, Dusk! Lemme help ya out!” the orange stallion cried, rushing to help the unicorn off the ground. “Ya gotta be careful when your hoof ain’t in shape, sugarcube.” “Ugh, I’m sick of this!” Dusk exclaimed, regaining his footing. “I’m not going to screw up the rest of this journey because I was careless and hurt myself.” Suddenly, he felt a tap on his shoulder and looked over to see Butterscotch standing next to him, looking at him with concern. “How are you going to fix it?” the pegasus asked, inspecting the bandaging with curiosity. Dusk leaned down and bit the edge of the gauze with his teeth, pulling on it and tightening the knot. “We’re going to Zecora,” he said, after snapping off the excess bandage. “Are you certain she’ll still recognize us?” Elusive’s regal voice sounded. The light colored unicorn was just getting out of the basket, and in a smooth motion, closed the door behind him. “I can only hope so, Elusive,” Dusk said, looking to his fellow unicorn. “If not…” “Oh, come on, she has to remember me,” Blitz said, arrogance lacing his tone. “What other rainbow-maned ponies do you know around here?” “Blitz’ got a point there, Dusk,” Applejack added, looking over the light blue pegasus. “I haven’t seen anypony else quite like him in all my years livin’ in Equestria.” “And even if she doesn’t remember us, I can just sing my evil enchantress song!” Bubble Berry suddenly chimed in, hopping in the middle of the group. “She’s sure to remember that!” “Ah…” Dusk started, with a nervous chuckle. “We’ll see what happens, Berry… hopefully you won’t have to sing.” “Aww…” The pink pony pouted, his hopes of being able to burst into song stamped out. In no time at all, however, the thought drifted from his mind. Dusk turned to the entrance of the forest, peering down the dirt path that he was so familiar with. The dim rays of the setting sun crept over the tree tops, scattering faded orange light throughout the entryway. “Come on, everypony… let’s find this last piece.” He announced, not averting his gaze from the road. The others said nothing and nodded, following their unicorn friend into the depths of the forest. Behind them, the upper half of Luna’s moon began to creep over the horizon, replacing the darkening orange with luminous white. - - - Dusk Shine threaded through the forest, avoiding the rocks and gnarled branches in his way. Finding the encroaching darkness to be troublesome, he closed his eyes and,  with a flash of his horn, created light for everypony to follow. “Thank ya kindly, Dusk,” Applejack said in a quiet voice, trailing several feet behind the unicorn. “No problem…” Dusk replied, looking farther down the path for any sign of Zecora’s hut. After a few minutes, he spotted a light in the distance. “I think we’re almost there!” he exclaimed, quickening his pace. “Take it easy there, champ.” Blitz said with a light chuckle, while hovering alongside Dusk. He was ready to catch Dusk at a moment’s notice, should the unicorn lose his footing again. Dusk glared at Blitz, but took his advice and relented. After several minutes of walking at Dusk’s limping speed, the light in the distance had become the soft glow permeating through the windows of Zecora’s hut. The small building looked as it always did, with jars hanging from tree branches and staves, carved heads, and masks gracing the outside. The pungent smell of some mixture or another wafted through the air around the cottage. Dusk Shine’s nose scrunched up slightly at the scent as he approached the door, and taking a breath, he leaned against the frame and knocked with his working hoof. “I shall be right there - do not fret. My brew is done, and just needs to set,” Zecora’s voice came          through the windows on either side of the door. The noise of tools being shuffled around a pot followed, then the soft sound of hoofsteps on the dirt floor. The door of the hut opened, revealing the zebra. She was smiling at first, but the expression changed to that of confusion as she looked over the six ponies in front of her. “I know of a pony with similar hair, but you are a stallion and she is a mare.” “That’s because I’m Twilight, Zecora,” Dusk said, with a soft frown. Zecora stepped back in shock, her eyes moving from stallion to stallion, observing each one in full. “That is impossible, how can this be? Is this magic or some other trickery?” “Here we go!” Blitz said, crossing his forelegs and rolling his eyes. “It’s a bit of a story…” Dusk Shine added, scuffing his hoof against the dirt. Zecora raised an eyebrow in a mix of curiosity and skepticism, which was unusual for the zebra. “Come inside and tell your tale. How did you change on such a scale?” she said, stepping aside for Dusk Shine and the others. The violet stallion nodded and thanked her, walking into the building with care. The others repeated the motion, and before long the six of them were in the main room and circled around the simmering cauldron. Zecora stepped up to the pot and looked upon the stallions. She paused for a moment before asking “Twilight my dear, you are in quite a mess. I have not seen this before, I must confess.” Dusk Shine sighed, shaking his head and staring into the bubbling green liquid of the cauldron, struggling to make out his reflection. What he did see, however, was much different than what he was used to. “It’s all because of an old spell I found in my library and tried to cast. Needless to say, it... didn’t turn out how I wanted it to.” He looked to each of his friends, all of them silent and looking into the cauldron as he was. “You know of my skills, voodoo and remedies. I can cure sickness, and most terrible disease. A problem like yours, though, I am quite unsure. With magic this strong, I have not a cure,” Zecora replied, looking at Dusk over the cauldron and frowning. “That’s what I thought...” he replied. “Which is why I’m here about this.” He lifted his hoof, revealing the bandaging to the zebra. “Do you have anything to cure a sprain?” Zecora nodded her head and smiled, turning around and ruffling through various ingredients on a nearby table. “For a problem so small, a potion can be mixed. Within mere moments, your injury will be fixed.” Dusk, along with the other five, let out a sigh of relief and looked to the busy zebra, who had plucked several berries and cut a few sprigs of herbs, and was now crushing them in a bowl. She took a sample of the liquid in the cauldron and mixed it with the other ingredients, and before long, brought a small cup of liquid over to Dusk. “A drink from this cup is all that you need, and your injury will be healed at alarming speed,” Zecora said, with a caring smile. Levitating the cup to his mouth, Dusk tipped it back and drank the now faded green liquid. He closed his eyes as his face contorted in disgust, the bitter drink passing into his body. Once he was finished, he set the cup down and stuck his tongue out. “Ugh...” he groaned, smacking his lips together. It was then that a peculiar sensation of warmth encompassed his hoof. Looking down, he felt the heat rise in intensity, and the pain began to dull. After several moments of this, the warmth faded, leaving Dusk’s hoof feeling normal. Gritting his teeth and shifting his eyes away, he pushed it down on the floor, but felt nothing. He applied a bit more pressure, and upon feeling no pain, started to grin. “I can’t thank you enough, Zecora!” he said, looking to the zebra. Zecora only nodded and smiled, taking the cup from Dusk and setting it aside. “I knew that potion would do the trick, as long as it stays in your stomach. And although it’s not the best of taste, it performs its task with great haste.” “Is your hoof... really fixed, Dusk?” Butterscotch asked, inspecting the lavender stallion’s previously injured hoof. He went so far as to lift it up and shake it around, as if testing its stability. Dusk chuckled, letting the pegasus look at his hoof in awe. “Yes, it’s really fixed. I have to say I’m impressed, Zecora.” “Yeah, it’s pretty awesome, but shouldn’t we, uh, get moving?” Blitz said, raising an eyebrow. He flicked his tail to get his point across. “Dash is right, you should not linger. In fixing your problem, she is quite eager,” Zecora chimed in, organizing several jars of herbs. “Hey, who you callin’ a girl?” Blitz said, shooting a glare to Zecora. His outburst was met with stares from the six others in the room. “What? She called me a ‘she’! Do I look like a mare to you?” He met their concerned gazes with a heated one of his own. “What are you all staring at me like that for?” Dusk gulped, then circled around the cauldron to be in front of Blitz. “I didn’t think I’d have to do this so soon, but...” “What? Do what? What do you think you’re- Ah!” The pegasus was cut off as he closed his eyes and reeled back slightly. He stumbled and fell to the ground, the gasps of the others the only thing he heard as he hit the floor. When he came to and opened his eyes, he noticed Dusk lowering the sapphire amulet. “Blitz, you okay?” Applejack said, hurrying to the cerulean stallion and offering a hoof. Blitz shook his head and brought a hoof to his temple, rubbing it. He reached out, and after missing a few times, got a hold of Applejack, who pulled him up. “Yeah... I’m good,” he replied, still rubbing his head. “You gotta warn me before doing that, dude.” He added, looking to Dusk Shine. “Those memories really bucked me in the head...” Applejack let out a light laugh. “Bet it ain’t nothin’ next ta me. Now, can you stay on yer hooves or do Ah gotta carry ya?” Rainbow Blitz shook his head. “Nah, I’ll be okay. I just need to stay grounded for a bit...” A cough from Dusk regained their attention as the unicorn’s brows knit together. “I think that’s our cue to leave, everypony. I... really don’t want to have to do that again.” He looked to the ground, scuffing his hoof against the floor. “Yer right, Dusk. Let’s get on outta here and find that fancy artifact,” Applejack said, walking to the door and opening it. He motioned outside, and the other five stallions nodded and started to file out of the hut, save for Dusk. The purple unicorn looked to Zecora, who was watching them leave. “Again, thank you for the help, Zecora. I don’t know where I’d be without you.” The zebra simply gave a knowing smile and replied \"Do not worry about being a nuisance. You can always come to me if you need assistance.\" Dusk Shine opened his mouth as if to say something, but no words came out. He then closed it and approached Zecora, and taking a breath, put his right foreleg around her in a hug. “Thanks.” Before she could say anything, Dusk Shine backed away and smiled. “I’ll be sure to visit when I’m back to normal.” - - - It wasn’t long before the group had managed to find the castle of the royal pony sisters, still standing and full of overgrowth from its years of solitude. It looked just as it did when they first discovered it - and the bridge was still intact. “That’s quite the relief,” Elusive said, looking over the rope bridge as they begin to file across it. “...are you certain this is still safe?” “It’s holdin’ up, ain’t it?” Applejack replied, moving across without a second thought. The unicorn studied the old bridge again and shrugged. “Yes, I suppose it is. Just be quick about crossing... I don’t trust this shoddy wood.” He stepped across with caution, but picked up his pace after confirming the bridge wouldn’t snap like a twig at the slightest touch. After all six had crossed the bridge, Dusk led them into the main chamber of the castle. It was just the same, though this time it was lacking the Elements of Harmony on their large pedestal. With a flash of his horn, he brought out a piece of paper from his saddlebag, which had the Princess’s directions to the throne room on it. He skimmed over the text, taking everything to memory, then just as quick, stuffed it back. “Stay close to me, okay? We don’t want to get lost in here.” They nodded to Dusk, following him through the halls and old chambers of the castle without a word. It was much bigger than they had thought, with multiple rooms descending into the ground at points, or even climbing into towers they hadn’t seen from ground level. More than once had the five trailing behind glanced at one another, unsure if they had taken a wrong turn at some point, or if they had been given wrong instructions. Just as Rainbow Blitz was about to speak up and question their path, they turned into a large room that was at the end of an ascending staircase with two distinct looking chairs at the far end. “We’re here!” Dusk exclaimed, trotting into the chamber. “Oh wow... It’s everything I thought it would be. Can you believe the princesses used to rule from here?” He turned to his friends with a wide grin, his eyes almost glistening in joy from all of the historical presence he was taking in. “I can believe it!” Bubble Berry said, hopping farther into the room. “Look at how big it is. Ooh, and look at those big windows behind the throne!” Dusk hadn’t noticed the windows when he first entered, opting to focus on the old architecture and design instead. A circular section of the right window was just the right size to perfectly encompass the moon, flooding the room with brilliant white light. The glow lit up the surrounding artwork, projecting a full scene onto the floor in front of them. Dusk simply stood in awe of the precision that was necessary for such a design to work. It wasn’t until Blitz tapped him on the shoulder that he snapped out of his trance. “Yeah, it’s cool and all, but we have some super old doohickey to find,” The pegasus said, glancing around the room. Dusk could feel his cheeks go hot in embarrassment. “Oh, yeah... right. Artifact.” He looked around the room, remembering that the object was supposed to be gold - but nothing like that caught his eye. “Everypony, start looking in an area of the throne room. Try to find anything that might help us get the relic.” The six of them split into different sections of the chamber, searching for anything at all that might help them. Dusk inspected near the windows, checking for any loose bricks in the floor or wall. Elusive sifted through a bookshelf with care, shoving a foreleg into his snout to sneeze every so often from the dust build up. Blitz and Butterscotch took to the air, looking through the remains of old tapestries and around the large columns that supported the room. Berry slid across the floor with one ear glued to the stone, as if he was listening for something in the ground. Applejack rolled his eyes and sighed at Berry’s antics, looking over the entryway for anything out of the ordinary. Their searching, however, ended up being fruitless. “Ain’t nothin’ around around here... sorry Dusk.” Applejack said, sighing and walking to the middle of the room. “Nothing’s up here either!” Blitz called, scanning around the top of the chamber once again. Still not finding anything, he glided down next to Applejack, his hooves making a light screech as his slid to a halt. “I’m sorry, Dusk.” Butterscotch added, landing with a soft thud next to Blitz. “I tried really hard, too.” With a cough, and another sneeze, Elusive joined the rest of them. “Try as I might, I couldn’t find anything of the sort. My apologies, Dusk.” In front of the growing group, Bubble Berry slid across the ground and stopped. He looked to the floor in concentration as he listened to the stone, even sticking his tongue out in focus. After a few moments, however, he sighed and stood up. He snorted and walked next to Blitz, then said “Nothing. And I was so sure the rocks would tell me their secrets.” “Well, guess we’re outta options, then ain’t we? Unless Dusk found somethin’ over there...” Applejack said, looking to Dusk Shine. The unicorn was standing still, looking to the ground. His mane, even with its short length, still managed to obscure his eyes. “Dusk? You okay?” Applejack took several steps forward, approaching his friend. He opened his mouth to say something, but closed it when his ears perked up and he noticed the faint sound of liquid hitting stone. It didn’t take him long to find the origin of the noise: a patch of dark spots on the floor below Dusk. “It’s all my fault...” the lavender stallion said, at an almost inaudible whisper. “Dusk, you don’t have ta-” Applejack was interrupted by Dusk slamming his hoof on the ground, sending a hollow echo throughout the room. “It’s all because of me!” he yelled, looking up to farm pony. His violet eyes were reddened, and glistened with tears that slowly slid down his face, while his brows were creased in anger. “I’m the reason we’re all stuck like this!” The four ponies grouped up said nothing, not even sure what they could say. Bubble glanced to Elusive, and vice versa, both questioning the other with what to do. Butterscotch did the same to Blitz, but the sky blue pony only looked to Dusk, his mouth in a frown and his eyes in a determined gaze. “It’s... It’s okay, Dusk. We’ll figure somethin’ out,” Applejack said, in an attempt to calm Dusk down. Unfortunately, this only brought a choked sob from the unicorn. “That’s just the thing... we won’t. You heard Celestia, there’s only one spell to fix this... and we can’t finish it!” The outburst caused Applejack to take a step back. Now, even he wasn’t sure how to get Dusk to relax. “I never should have tried that spell!” Dusk said, rubbing his eyes with a foreleg and looking down. “I was so... so... so stupid!” He slammed his other hoof down, sending another loud echo through the chamber. “And I got all of you involved... my closest friends... the only ones who cared about me... And I completely abused your trust!” Elusive opened his mouth to say something, but to his surprise, Blitz put a hoof on the unicorn’s shoulder and shook his head. Elusive raised his eyebrow in question, but Blitz returned to looking at Dusk. “Our lives... our lives will never be the same...” Dusk said, his voice wavering. The unicorn’s body shook, part out of fear, and part because of the multitude of emotions going through his head. I’m a failure... They’ll never trust me again... Celestia will get a new student... “I really... failed all of you...” he conceded, looking to the ground. The room went quiet, save for Dusk’s occasional sniffle or cough as he continued to weep. “Dusk...” Elusive began, searching for the words to continue his sentence. “You mustn't be so hard on yo-” “No, Elusive. I should. This is entirely because of me...” He wiped his eyes again, which didn’t do much to stop the tears. “I’ve ruined all of our lives, all because I couldn’t cast a spell right... I don’t deserve to be the Element of Magic!” he yelled, breaking down into more audible sobs. “Dusk, don’t go sayin’ that... you can do magic better than anypony I know,” Applejack replied. “It doesn’t matter how good I am! I... I screwed up when it mattered most, and you were all caught in the aftermath. I don’t even... I don’t even deserve you as friends!” Dusk cried, looking back to the ground and shaking. “Dusk Shine, get ready!” Blitz’s voice rang out, startling everypony in the room. Dusk looked up, just in time to see Blitz flying at him, a hoof extended outward. With a sickening thud, the pegasi’s hoof impacted with Dusk’s jaw, with enough force to send the unicorn flying backwards and his saddlebags hurtling to the far wall. Blitz skidded to a halt on the floor just as Dusk collided with the left throne and fell to the ground, coughing. “Pull yourself together!” The other four ponies stood with their mouths hanging open in shock. They were too stunned to say anything, giving Blitz the time to continue. “You’ve done nothing but bring us together as friends, and without you, we probably wouldn’t even know each other. You definitely deserve us, and you definitely deserve to be the element of magic. Being stallions for the rest of our lives isn’t gonna change that.” It took a moment before Dusk Shine stirred, adjusting his legs to push himself up. With some struggle, he rose, revealing a reddened and swollen area on his muzzle, along with a small trail of blood running from his mouth. Butterscotch turned his head away, while Elusive could only put a hoof to his mouth and gasp. Looking to Blitz, Dusk raised a hoof and wiped the blood away, glancing at the red smear on his foreleg as he did. Then he smiled. “I appreciate it, Blitz.” “Whu... What?” Applejack suddenly said, looking between Blitz and Dusk. “He jus’ punched you dead in the face, and you’re thankin’ him for it?” Dusk Shine’s gaze switched to Applejack. “Sometimes, AJ... I guess words can’t solve a problem.” He looked back to Blitz gave a toothy smile. “It takes action.” “Yeah, that’s what I’m talking about,” Blitz replied, returning the grin. It was then that Elusive spoke up. “Ahem, if I may interject on this little moment of bonding, I think you’ll find that Blitz’s little action was just what we needed.” He motioned to the throne, which had slid back at a slight angle from Dusk’s impact. “Huh. Look at that!” Blitz said, flapping his wings just enough to push him next to the throne. Looking down, he noticed a small gap in the floor, indicating a compartment in the stone. “AJ, wanna help me push this?” “Sure thing!” the earth pony said, hurrying over to Blitz. The two of them leaned against the seat and pushed. With some strained effort, it slid across the ground, revealing the whole of the chamber. Butterscotch and Bubble Berry hurried over to the hole, and the six stallions peered inside. “Is... is that it?” Butterscotch asked, noticing the faintest glint of metal at the bottom.", "“AJ, wanna help me push this?” “Sure thing!” the earth pony said, hurrying over to Blitz. The two of them leaned against the seat and pushed. With some strained effort, it slid across the ground, revealing the whole of the chamber. Butterscotch and Bubble Berry hurried over to the hole, and the six stallions peered inside. “Is... is that it?” Butterscotch asked, noticing the faintest glint of metal at the bottom. Dusk’s horn then lit up, and the faint glow surrounded the object. “Only one way to find out.” He lifted the object from the hole, revealing a gleaming, golden statue. Images of the two alicorn sisters were engraved on it, rearing on their hind legs and their backs facing one another. The relic gave off a faint, curious glow itself. “This has to be it. It’s just as Celestia described...” “So we’re almost done!” Bubble Berry exclaimed, hopping in place and beaming widely. “We’ll finally be back to normal and I can throw a super humongous party for us all and...” he trailed off, bouncing about the group. “We are almost done... in fact, we just need to get back to Celestia,” Dusk said, a smile crawling onto his face. “Come on, everypony, let’s get to Canterlot as fast as we can!” “Finally! Ah was wonderin’ when we’d get ta this point.” Applejack replied, turning around and making his way to the door. Turning around, Dusk levitated his bags over to himself and put them back on, then secured the artifact to his back with some spare rope. “...and we can invite everypony, and I mean everypony in Ponyville to come, and they’ll be so super excited and...” Dusk chuckled, then said “Come on Berry, let’s go.” The pink pony nodded and hopped to the rest of the group, who were waiting at the door patiently. “Now, before we go, all of you, take a look.” Dusk said, holding the necklace up. “Oh, and like you saw before with Blitz... brace yourself.” The five ponies nodded and stared into the necklace. One by the one, they stumbled a few steps back and shook their heads. Dusk himself was the last to look, but by this point, it barely had any effect on him. Guess I’m out... he thought, frowning as he let the necklace drop. “Goodness... does it have to be so strong?” Elusive asked, rubbing his temple. “Eh, it’s not so bad the second time around.” Blitz said, giving a cheeky grin. Applejack then kicked at the door, opening it. The sound was enough to get the others to look in his direction. “Enough talkin’,” he began, with a smile. “We got a spell to cast.” - - - Outside the Everfree Forest, the six stallions galloped towards the balloon, which was still sitting where they left it. The balloon had deflated a bit, but Dusk began taking care of it with his magic as he hopped into the balloon. Elusive, Bubble Berry and Applejack followed, closing the door behind them. “Blitz, Butterscotch, you two help get this thing back in the air,” Dusk said, concentrating on the heating element for the balloon. “Got it, boss,” Blitz said, sticking his front two hooves under the basket and flapping his wings. Butterscotch did the same to the opposite side and the balloon began to rise. “Just a bit longer, guys,” Dusk said, his horn ceasing it’s glow. He looked over the edge of the basket and watched the ground start to leave them, followed by the treeline. “Thanks!” he called out of basket. Butterscotch flew in with the others, immediately closing his wings and staying near the middle of the group. “It’s the final stretch, everypony,” Dusk said, with a smile. “It’ll all be over soon...” Looking to the distance, he saw the edges of Canterlot on the mountainside. “It’ll all be over soon.”" ]

[ "Chapter 7: You Know What This Calls For!? Before the basket had even touched the landing platform, the six stallions were leaping from the gondola and galloping into the castle. Their thunderous travel reverberated  throughout the halls as they made their way to Celestia’s chambers. Without a second thought, they careened through the door, sending it bursting open and hitting the walls with a resounding crash. “We have the artifact!” Dusk Shine called, panting heavily. He undid the ropes tying the object down and levitated it up to Celestia’s field of view, flashing Celestia a weak smile. Seeing Celestia’s shocked expression, he cast a look behind him, taking in the dented door and terrified courtiers. Realizing what they had done, he immediately said “Oh, goodness! I’m so sorry, we should have knocked first!” The Princess shook herself and gave a light chuckle as she stood up from her desk. “It’s quite alright, Twi-” Her tone changed from bemusement to worry as she noticed the large bruise upon Dusk’s face, and Celestia started forward with a concerned expression.“By the stars, how did you get so hurt?” Dusk looked back to Blitz, who was doing his best to avoid eye contact with Celestia. “It’s... uh... a long story,” The lavender stallion replied, with a mischievous grin. The princess raised an eyebrow and started to say something before thinking better of it. “Perhaps you can share it later. For now though, I’m sure that there’s a counter spell to be made that all of you have been waiting for.” Taking control of the artifact with her magic, she floated it to her desk, not bothering to even move the papers resting upon it. “Whew... I’ll be glad ta be mah old self again...” Applejack said, letting out a sigh of relief. “However...” Celestia continued, opening one of the drawers. She sifted through it and brought out several pages of parchment full of writing and diagrams. “It will take quite some time before the spell is ready to be cast.” The group of stallions sighed collectively. “How long, princess?” Dusk asked, frowning softly. “I’m not entirely certain, Twilight. My apologies,” Celestia replied, putting the papers down and turning back to the group. “I will, however, contact you as soon as it’s done.” She then closed her eyes, and her horn began to glow. Can you hear me, Twilight? went through Dusk Shine’s head, startling the unicorn. It didn’t take him long to realize what happened, though, and he answered. “Yes, I can hear you.” Celestia opened one of her eyes and looked to Dusk, saying “Don’t speak... think.” Dusk nodded, then thought I can hear you... can you hear me? The Princess smiled, replying with Indeed, I can. Before you leave, I would advise you to not stray far from Canterlot. Even with my magical ability, the spell will only go so far. “I understand,” Dusk Shine said, looking up to Celestia and smiling. “Hey, hey. What’s that all about?” Blitz asked, his eyes shifting between Celestia and Dusk Shine. “Oh, the princess can speak to me magically,” the unicorn answered, with a smile. “And we can’t leave the city, or the magic link will break. Is that okay with everypony?” Various murmurs and nods of agreement sounded from the other stallions. “Excellent. Now, if you’ll all excuse me, I must start working,” she replied, giving a polite nod. The six of them bowed, then turned around and left the room, leaving Celestia to prepare. The princess approached the artifact and began to look through her notes. - - - “What should we do now?” Butterscotch asked, walking alongside the rest of the group. They were just now passing through the large entrance gate to the castle. Their hooves lightly clopped against the wooden bridge underneath them, leaving behind the faintest of echos. “I’m not sure.” Dusk hesitated, his mind going through a list of potential problems. “But I’d rather we don’t go too far from the castle.” Just then, they reached the residential district of Canterlot. “Well, Celestia did say she she needed rather a lot of time, did she not?” Elusive asked, looking to the other unicorn. Dusk nodded, at the same time giving Elusive an inquisitive look. “Yes, she did... why?” “I was just thinking that we could do a bit of light window shopping is all,” he replied, giving Dusk an innocent smile. All the unicorn could do was sigh. “I would really prefer if you didn’t - you can go shopping at any other time.” “But we’re in Canterlot! It’s not every day that I have the luxury of being around the glamor and fashion in royalty!” Elusive protested, pouting. “Celestia probably won’t be-” “Please?” Elusive interrupted, inching closer to Dusk Shine. “I won’t be long, I promise! It’ll just be a quick browse!” “We should stay to-” “Please? !” The white unicorn interrupted again, getting even closer. His pout had turned into a full frown and his eyes were glistening, as if he were on the verge of tears. Dusk let out a sigh and rolled his eyes, and looking away from Elusive, said “Fine... but don’t be gone too long...” “Yes!” he cheered, his purple mane bouncing just as he did. “Oh, I can’t wait to see all of the new fashions! Perhaps I can even get some ideas for a new line, and maybe-” “Nah ah. Not so fast.” Dusk was the one to interrupt this time. He turned his head to look at Blitz, who was absently looking to the sky. “Blitz is going with you.” “I’m doing what?” “He’s doing what?” Bubble Berry put a hoof to his mouth and giggled. “You guys sound funny when you talk at the same time!” Ignoring the pink pony, Blitz and Elusive shared a smiliar look of bewilderment. “You’ve seen what’s been happening with our memories. I don’t want one of you to wander off and forget who you are in the middle of Canterlot, okay?” Dusk said, his expression softening. “It’s only to keep you safe.” “I guess I’ll stay with Elusive,” Blitz groaned, glancing over to the fashion pony. “But I can’t promise I won’t fall asleep out of boredom.” Dusk laughed and gave a warm smile to both of them. “I’m sure you’ll be fine. Now, don’t take too long. Meet us at The Prime Pegasus when you’re finished, okay?” “Certainly. We won’t take long, I swear it,” Elusive replied, returning the grin. He then looked to Blitz. “Come along then, Blitz. We have new fashions to peruse!” “You have no idea how excited I am,” Blitz said, sarcasm lacing his voice. Elusive didn’t seem to notice, so Blitz kept his thoughts to himself. The two then proceeded into the business district of Canterlot. - - - The two stallions made their way through the bustling streets of the city, taking in the sights and sounds. Elusive was particularly enjoying the trip, looking into each clothing outlet and high end shop as a young foal would look into a toy store. After browsing the main displays of several places, they came upon a store by the name of The Distinguished Gentlcolt. In the window was a single suit, adorned with numerous small gems and intricate layers of fabric that formed complex patterns on the piece. Several lights focused on the design, and Elusive found his vision only focused on the expertly crafted article of clothing, as if he were entranced. “Oh, we must go inside!” The unicorn exclaimed, admiring the finer details of the suit. He brought a hoof to the glass in a vain attempt to touch the delicate fabric. “But you aren’t even buying anything.” Blitz sighed, looking to the clothing like it was any other piece of fabric. “Besides, it doesn’t even look that great, and it’s not like you can wear it when this is over.” Elusive turned his head, staring at Blitz in open shock. “Excusez-moi?! I’ll have you know that this... masterpiece...” he briefly looked back at the suit, then returned his gaze to Blitz. “Is some of the finest tailoring I have ever seen! Clearly, you have no sense of style, or else you would see the genius put into this design.” Blitz snorted, then said “Ya think? When have I ever been into fashion?” The unicorn brought a hoof up as if to start making a point, but then lowered it and creased his brows. “Never, I suppose. A shame, too. You’d look wonderful in a custom tailored ensemble.” “Pft, good luck getting me into one of those,” The pegasus snapped, rolling his eyes. “You’d sooner find me in one of your lame coffee shops.” “They are not ‘lame’!” Elusive huffed, frowning. “They are refined. Though I wouldn’t expect you to know anything about that.” “Whatever...” Blitz retorted, looking away and giving his wings an agitated flap. “I’ll wait out here. You can go look at your fancy clothes.” Elusive’s only reply was a quick “Hmph,” and he disappeared into the store. Blitz stood outside of the door for a moment, contemplating what he would do next, but his thought process was interrupted by a familiar sounding voice. “Rainbow Blitz? Is that you?” Blitz turned around to come face to face with the same mare from the bar - Octavia. She was without her instrument or bow tie, and this time had a soft smile on her face. Her purple eyes and dark mane shone in the daylight, and her presence caught Blitz off guard. He remained awestruck for several moments before she waved a hoof in front of his eyes and asked “Anypony there?” He blinked several times and shook his head, then said “Oh, yeah. Sorry about that. I didn’t think I’d see you again.” “I wasn’t sure I’d see you again either, so it’s nice to find you in the city. Speaking of... what are you doing here?” She asked, looking around like the city was foreign. “I’m here with a friend.” Blitz turned his head to look back into the shop. He could barely make out Elusive’s purple mane through the display window. “I’m waiting for him to finish looking around this place.” Octavia nodded, looking in the same general direction as Blitz. After a moment, the two looked back to each other, and the grey mare asked “So, I was off to get lunch before I found you. Would your friend mind if you joined me?” “Uh... I don’t think so. Just gimme a sec,” Blitz replied, walking into the store. Within the minute, he was back out, smiling to Octavia as he approached her. She returned the smile and asked “Well?” “It’s cool. I just need to be back here in an hour or so. We’ve got time.” “Wonderful. I know a lovely place that isn’t too far from here,” The mare said, leading Blitz further into the district. A wide grin plastered across his face, the pegasus followed alongside her, confident that his unicorn friend heard him through the changing room door. - - - Dusk Shine rested his head on his hoof as he watched the seconds tick by at an agonizing pace. He continuously glanced to the door of the inn, then back to the clock, anticipating Blitz and Elusive to return at any moment, for it had been far longer than the ‘quick browse’ that had been promised. “Yer bein’ awfully quiet, Dusk,” Applejack said,  taking another gulp of cider. “It ain’t like you to stay so hush. What’s on yer mind?” “They still aren’t back yet,” the unicorn replied, looking back to the door. He tapped his hoof against the tabletop rapidly. “If you’re worried, we can look for them, can’t we?” Butterscotch asked, turning his head to Dusk. Brows furrowed in thought, the unicorn brought a hoof up to his chin. “That would be a good idea,” Dusk mumbled. After several more moments of thinking, he stood up, and after brushing a stray lock of hair out of his eyes, said “Okay, here’s the plan. Butterscotch and Bubble Berry, you two go to the castle and tell the princess the situation. I would tell her myself, but it would be better to have you two already at the castle. We don’t want four lost stallions, do we?” “Oh, that would be bad...” the pegasus said, with a soft frown. Dusk Shine turned his head to Applejack and continued, “AJ, you and I will search the town. Hopefully, they haven’t gone too far, so we should still be able to find them in the business district.” All three nodded in agreement. Applejack stood up, followed soon after by Bubble Berry and Butterscotch. The unicorn then looked to Butterscotch and Bubble Berry and said “When you reach the princess, ask her to contact me, okay?” The pink pony brought a hoof to his brow in a salute. “Yes, sir! Operation ‘Get Celestia’ is a go!” He stood on all fours, beaming towards Dusk Shine. “We’ll find that princess is no time!” Dusk nodded. “Great! Do whatever it takes to find her. Now, let’s go!” The four hastily left the inn and split ways, briefly nodding to each other as they separated. Bubble Berry and Butterscotch disappeared into the gates leading to the castle while Applejack and Dusk Shine went into the crowded streets of the business district. Before they got much further, Dusk stopped Applejack with a hoof on his shoulder. “Applejack... take the necklace. I can’t use it anymore, so it’s better off with you.” The amulet was encased in his distinct magic aura and levitated off his shoulders, quickly changing ownership to the orange earth pony. “So... I jus’ show it to ‘em, right? And it’ll work?” Applejack asked, glancing down at the new accessory. Dusk Shine nodded and began walking again. “It’s as simple as that. Just be careful that you don’t accidentally look in it, alright?” “Sure thing, Dusk,” Applejack replied. The two made their way through the district, keeping an eye out for any signs of Elusive or Rainbow Blitz. After the fifth store, Applejack came out looking less than satisfied. “This ain’t goin’ anywhere,” he said, looking to the unicorn with agitation. “He could be in any one of these stores... and there are quite a lot!” he replied, craning his neck to look down the long road. The stores and ponies surrounding them stretched on for as far as he could see. “Should we start askin’ ponies if they’ve seen ‘em?” Applejack asked, raising an eyebrow and briefly scanning over the crowd. “It’s either that or we keep checking every store,” Dusk replied, gulping. “Yeah... Nah.” The orange stallion walked off and approached the first pony he found - an average dressed mare with several accessories and wearing a generous amount of makeup. “‘Let’s see if Ah still got it...” he mumbled to himself. Then, he cleared his throat and spoke, in a upper class Manehatten accent, “Pardon me, ma’am, but could you answer a question of mine?” The pony in question raised an eyebrow, looking at Applejack like he had sprouted an extra head. It took a moment for her to regain her composure and respond, and she was still apprehensive about it. “And... what might that be?” “I’m looking for two young stallions. One is an off white unicorn with a styled purple mane and the other is a brilliant light blue with a bright, spiky rainbow mane. They stand out quite a bit.” Applejack replied, with a light chuckle. “Oh. I believe I saw those two earlier,” the mare replied, causing a smile to grow on Applejack’s face. “Thought it was only in passing. If I’m not mistaken, they went... that way.” She waved a hoof and motioned farther down the road - the only way they could have gone. The stallion’s grin lessened slightly. He tipped his hat forward and replied with “Thank you very much for your time.” The mare nodded and continued on her way and Applejack walked back to Dusk, who had his mouth hung open in shock. “Ah thought you knew Ah could speak jus’ like these fancy folks,” he said, with a wink. “Too bad we didn’t learn anythin’ useful...” Dusk Shine shook his head, then said “Let’s just keep going. Maybe somepony farther down will know something.” “Maybe...” Applejack replied, starting to move down the street. The two stallions continued the pattern of looking through several shops, then asking a passerby if they had seen the ponies in question. Eventually, their search led them to an extravagant looking clothing store. The words “The Distinguished Gentlecolt” were emblazoned above the shop in gold, cursive lettering. “If he ain’t in here, I don’t think we’re gonna find him anywhere else,” Applejack said, cocking his head to the side and looking over the lavish storefront. “It’s certainly... shiny enough.” “Well, there’s only one way to find out...” Dusk replied, walking towards the door. He opened it and stepped in, hearing a small bell ring from the top of the door as he did so. The unicorn was greeted by an array of mannequins, all displaying some new type of clothing style. They were each embellished with complex patterns, small gems, and various accessories such as bow ties and decorative flowers. Dusk did his best to ignore the florid designs and moved farther into the shop, and sure enough, he found who he was looking for. The white unicorn was chatting with the owner, motioning to one of the suits every so often. The shop owner looked very pleased, and nodded his head in agreement occasionally. “Elusive, thank goodness you’re in here,” Dusk said, letting out a relieved sigh and beginning to walk towards the purple maned pony. Applejack silently followed him, glancing around with a constant look of discomfort. Elusive glanced to Dusk Shine, then back to the owner. It took a moment, but his head snapped back to the lavender unicorn, and he looked at Dusk with great curiosity. “Dusk Shine? Applejack? Whatever are you doing here in Canterlot?” Dusk felt his heart sink in his chest upon hearing the words. He gulped, then said “Elusive... we’ve been here the whole time, remember?” Elusive rose one of his eyebrows. “Whatever are you talking about, Dusk? I’ve been in Canterlot since... since...” he trailed off, looking past Dusk. He then blinked a few times, then said “You know... for the life of me, I can’t remember why I’m here. Isn’t that curious?” “Do you remember anything, Elusive? Anything at all?” Dusk said, inching closer to the unicorn. He wore a frown, and could feel beads of sweat starting to form on his brow. “Please tell me you remember something.” The white unicorn looked down in thought, then responded with “I’m terribly sorry, Dusk, but I’ve really no idea why I’m here... or even how I got here.” “So you don’t remember being with Blitz? Or traveling with us the past few days?” Elusive shook his head, with a look of concern on his face. “Nothing of the sort.” He then looked to Dusk, studying the unicorn for a moment. “Are you feeling okay, Dusk? You seem a tad pale... and as though you could use a bit of sleep. Perhaps you should see the prince and get some rest.” A single word stood out. Prince. “What do you mean... ‘prince’?” Dusk Shine asked, warily. “Prince Solaris, of course. Who else would I be talking about? Then again, it could refer to Prince Artemis as well...” Dusk turned to Applejack and said “This is bad, AJ... this is really bad.” “Well, Ah’m hopin’ this works like you said it does.” Applejack replied, not moving his gaze off of Elusive. “Hey, ‘lusive. Check out this here gem.” He took the amulet in his hoof and lifted it up for the unicorn to see. “My, Applejack, that looks lovely. Wherever did you-” He was cut off by a rush of memory, which stunned him briefly. After closing his eyes tightly and wobbling in place, he slowly opened them and looked to Dusk and Applejack. Elusive blinked several times, then his eyes grew wide in terror. “Oh my goodness, Dusk Shine, I’m terribly sorry about all of this! One moment I was browsing the store, the next I had no idea why I was even here... I cannot apologize enough for taking so long!” “It’s fine, Elusive. Really,” Dusk Shine said, a smile appearing on his face. It didn’t last long, though, and his expression quickly turned to a more serious one. “What we need to know is where Blitz went.” “Rainbow Blitz? He came in earlier and said that he was... going to lunch. He mentioned some mare as well. The same one from the inn, I believe. Octavia, was it?” Dusk brought a hoof to his face, letting it slide down slowly. As it did, he let out a groan of frustration. “We need to find him, now,” Dusk said, motioning to the door. “We don’t have much time.” Elusive nodded and replied with “I understand.” He then turned to the owner, who was looking to the group in a mix of confusion and awe. “I’m terribly sorry, sir, but our business venture will have to continue at a later date. Farewell!” The three stallions then galloped out of the boutique, leaving a speechless tailor in their wake. “Okay, they went to eat, so that rules out everywhere but restaurants!” Dusk exclaimed, galloping through the streets. Elusive and Applejack followed right beside him, keeping up the brisk pace. “We need to look in every place we can get food, and quickly. Let’s move!” “Got it, Dusk!” Applejack called, glancing around for the nearest eatery. A building adorned with a large, crossed fork and knife caught his attention. “Over there!” he said, motioning in to it. Dusk and Elusive nodded, following him to the building. The orange stallion wasted no time poking his head into the building and looking around, only to find no sign of his rainbow maned friend. As quickly as he entered, he left, shaking his head as he made eye contact with Dusk and Elusive. “Nothin’, but there can’t be that many food places around here. And if he’s with that Octavia girl, I’m bettin’ they went to someplace fancy.” Dusk nodded, starting to head down the street. “Good thinking, Applejack. Let’s keep going.” As he began thinking about what sort of place Blitz would be in, Princess Celestia’s voice flowed through his mind. Your friends have arrived at the castle, Twilight, and are safe with me. I am nearly done preparing, so attempt to find the Element of Loyalty as quickly as you can. I’ll do my best, princess. Dusk thought back, closing his eyes briefly in concentration. Their search landed them in front of a small cafe, on a small side street in the district. Above the door was the depiction of a coffee cup, with a small tendril of steam wafting from it. The three of them looked over the building, then shared a glance. “Ya... really think he’s in here, Dusk?” Applejack asked, cocking his head slightly. “It’s a bit... uh... cushy.” “It’s as much of a guess as anywhere else, but we have to try,” Dusk replied, opening the door. “Please be in here, please be in here...” he whispered to himself, closing his eyes and taking a breath as he entered the building. He exhaled as his eyelids fluttered opened and he looked around the interior of the cafe. His vision darted from patron to patron, and he was almost about to turn around and leave before noticing the top of a red and orange mane poking out from one of the booths. In the opposing seat was Octavia, holding a cup and having a conversation. Dusk sighed with relief, then walked out and told his other two friends to come inside. Octavia noticed the three approaching and gave a warm smile, then waved them over. “Fancy meeting you three here.” The pegasus turned his head, giving a surprised look when he saw the three stallions. “What are you guys doing here?” he asked. “The better question is, what are you doin’ here?” Applejack asked, giving Blitz a look of confusion. “I do recall you saying something about coffee shops being ‘lame’ earlier, Rainbow,” Elusive chimed in, with a sly grin. Blitz scratched the back of his head, then looked around the cafe.", "“Fancy meeting you three here.” The pegasus turned his head, giving a surprised look when he saw the three stallions. “What are you guys doing here?” he asked. “The better question is, what are you doin’ here?” Applejack asked, giving Blitz a look of confusion. “I do recall you saying something about coffee shops being ‘lame’ earlier, Rainbow,” Elusive chimed in, with a sly grin. Blitz scratched the back of his head, then looked around the cafe. “Octavia caught up with me earlier and we went to this place... but now that you mention it, I don’t really remember why I’m in Canterlot.” “Well, we’re here to take you back to the castle, Blitz,” Dusk added, moving between Elusive and Applejack, “The princess is waiting for us.” Octavia gasped, putting a hoof to her mouth and glancing between Blitz and the other three. “My goodness. I didn’t know you had an audience with Celestia herself, Blitz. You should’ve told me you had important plans, or else I wouldn’t have kept you so long!” “Celestia...?” Blitz mouthed out, as if it were a foreign word that he had never heard before. “Ya know what? We don’t have time for this,” Applejack groaned. He pulled up the amulet and put it in front of Blitz’s face. “Lookie here, Rainbow. It’s nice an’ shiny.” The pegasus went wide eyed and fell back in his seat, provoking a concerned look from Octavia. “What in Equestria was that?” she asked, leaning over the table. She glanced nervously between Applejack and Blitz, who was just getting up. Applejack let the amulet go, allowing it to fall and hit his chest. He then looked to Octavia and gave a smug grin. “That, missy, is a bit of alicorn magic for ya.” “Ugh, again? I told you to warn me before doing that...” Blitz moaned, rubbing the side of his head. He then blinked and looked around the cafe, finally looking to Octavia. He frowned, then said “This looks kinda bad, doesn’t it?” The dark mare nodded slowly, keeping her mouth closed. “Uh... hmm...” The rainbow maned pegasus tapped forehooves against the table top. Glancing to his friends, he said “I’m sorry about this... but I kinda need to leave.” He gave Octavia a sympathetic look, then slowly started to inch out from the table. “Can I at least get an explanation of what you’re doing?” she asked, with a light frown. Blitz halted his movement, then glanced to his friends with a look that said ‘help’. Elusive brought a hoof to his neck and cleared his throat, then said “Allow me to tell her, Rainbow.” He looked around, then walked next to Octavia and began to whisper in her ear. She at first had a look of curiosity, which shifted to one of mild disgust. Finally, her eyes widened to give her a look of shock. As Elusive finished and stepped back, she opened her mouth a few times, and only on the third attempt did any words come out. “I see.” She flatly replied. “So... yeah...” Blitz mumbled, looking to the ground as his cheeks began to grow crimson. “That’s how it is.” The five of them remained silent, with the four stallions glancing to each other, waiting for one of the others to say or do something. Octavia stared at the table, blinking occasionally, but otherwise not moving a muscle. After the long and uncomfortable silence, she finally spoke. “Blitz... you should go and have that spell cast.” She then looked up to him with a stern gaze. “And you shouldn’t try and be somepony you aren’t.” Rainbow Blitz gulped, watching her violet gaze pierce through him. “Octavia, I... I didn’t mean to-” “Hush. You don’t have much time left, do you?” “No... I don’t.” He answered, with a sigh. Moving from the table, he stood up and briefly shook out his mane and tail. He then looked to his friends and nodded. “I’m ready.” The other three returned the nod and began to walk towards the door. As Blitz turned to follow them, he felt a hoof touch his shoulder. He looked over to find the grey mare standing next to him, with the faintest smile on her face. “When you change back, Rainbow... come and find me in Canterlot.” Blitz blinked a few times, surprised at her request, but after the gears in his head had sufficient time to turn, he smiled as well. “I will.” He said, giving her a cheeky grin. “You can count on that. ‘Til then...” he continued, turning back to the front of the cafe. “...gotta dash.” - - - The four stallions galloped into Celestia’s chambers with more care than before, but with the same haste and determination. Bubble Berry was sitting next to Butterscotch in front of the princess’s bed, and the two waved as the others made their way inside. “And that’s... 36 minutes and ten seconds on the dot! Looks like you won the bet, ‘Scotchy! I thought they would be way slower than that.” Bubble chirped, looking to his bare hoof. “I’m just confident is all,” the yellow pegasus replied, with a soft smile. Dusk Shine broke away from the group and walked towards Celestia. “I’m sorry for the delay, princess. It took us a lot longer than I hoped to find Blitz, and we tried to get-” He was interrupted by Celestia’s armor clad hoof touching his chin. As he stopped talking, he noticed a large vial hanging by a strap around Celestia’s neck. It was capped with a foam cork, and contained a gold, dust like substance that seemed to give off a faint glow. A light prod of the princess’s hoof brought his attention upwards to her face. She smiled and said “You don’t have to apologize so much, my student.” She then let go and looked over Dusk to the rest of the group. “Is everypony ready?” She was met by nods and murmurs of agreement. Nodding herself, she said “Excellent. I’m going to bring us all to Ponyville, so please stand around me. The other five stallions quickly made their way to Celestia and circled around her. She closed her eyes and her horn began to glow a brilliant white. Shortly after, a bright flash emanated from the alicorn’s horn, bathing the room in light. When it faded, the seven ponies were nowhere to be found. In Ponyville, however, they had reappeared with a similar bright flash. It garnered the attention of several passerby, who stood and stared at the new arrivals. Celestia looked over the stallions, who were shaking their heads and doing their best to stay upright. “Goodness... I suppose I should have warned you that it might be a bit severe,” she said, frowning slightly. “It mighta been nice,” Applejack shakily replied, falling back onto his haunches. Celestia watched the farmpony for a few moments before turning her head to Dusk Shine, who had recovered already. “Now, before I begin, is this everypony?” “Not quite,” Dusk replied, looking to his library in the distance. “I still have to get Spike.” “Very well,” The princess replied. “I’ll begin preparing the spell circle while you fetch your dragon companion.” Dusk Shine nodded, then galloped off in the direction of his home. The unicorn reached the library door at a speed even Rainbow Blitz would be proud of, and opened the door with the same urgency. “Spike! I’m back! Where are you? !” He yelled into the library, looking around. The library looked clean and well kept - evidence that Spike had been doing his job even when Dusk wasn’t around - yet there was no answer. “Come on, Spike! Are you sleeping this late in the day?” He then heard a crash from upstairs, followed by a rustling of something. “That might be a yes...” Dusk mumbled to himself, walking up the stairs. He reached the door and turned the handle, but as he pushed the door forward he heard a yelp, followed by “Wait, Twilight, don’t come in!” “What could be so wro-” Dusk started, opening the door all the way. He then trailed off as he noticed what Spike was doing. The feminine dragon was surrounded by an assortment of clothes, and upon further inspection, they turned out to be dresses. Spike herself was halfway through removing one, still gripping the edge of the skirt. The two stared at each other, unsure of where to even begin. Spike broke the silence first. “Twilight, I can explain! I just don’t know what came over me! There were a bunch of dresses, and some makeup, and-” “We don’t have time for this, Spike. Just...” he paused, looking over the dragon in a mix of confusion and disgust. “Just get ready and come downstairs. We’re going to fix this.” With that, he turned around and groaned, then left the room. Spike shrugged, then pulled the remains of the dress off. She took one last look in the mirror before wiping the poorly applied makeup of her face, then broke into a jog downstairs to meet with Dusk. The pile of dresses would wait until later. - - - Celestia was handling the golden powder with the utmost care as she sprinkled it across the ground in an intricate pattern of circles and lines. As the flakes touch the ground, they seemed to absorb into the ground like ink to parchment, and stay there even if touched. She was just connecting the circle together as Bubble Berry spotted Dusk and Spike running towards them. “They’re here, they’re here!” he excitedly said, bouncing in place. Celestia looked up as she finished and smiled in the direction of Dusk. “Take a circle, everypony,” she calmly said, turning to her student, who was still galloping towards them. The five stallions stepped in a circle and waited for their next instruction. Dusk got closer to them, but began to slow down to a canter. Spike passed him, looking back with a bit of surprise. “Hm?” Celestia quietly hummed, raising an eyebrow curiously at Dusk’s change in pace. He then slowed to a walk, and the princess noticed a growing look of confusion on his face. Mere feet away from the group, he stopped entirely. “What are you all doing?” He said, looking to each of them. “And... who is that?” He motioned to Celestia. Applejack gulped as he felt his heart sink. He looked down at the amulet, knowing that Dusk had already used his three chances to get his memory. “Tell me this ain’t happenin’ now...” The farmpony whispered, looking back up to Dusk. “Why, we’re here to change back. It’s what we’ve been striving for this entire time.” Elusive said, looking to the lavender unicorn with concern. “Change back? Change back to what?” Dusk quickly asked, his eyes darting from pony to pony. His gaze ended on Celestia, and he furrowed his brow. “What’s wrong with them? What have you done?” “She hasn’t done anythin’ to us, Dusk! This here’s Celestia. Your teacher? The one ya’ll look up to every day?” Applejack added, cracking a faint smile as he waved a hoof at the princess. Dusk Shine took a step back, looking at Applejack as if he’d just been insulted. “Her? That isn’t Prince Solaris!” He looked back to Celestia with fire in his eyes and grit his teeth. “What did you do to them?” Celestia frowned, looking to her student with a forlorn gaze. “Twilight, I’ve done nothing to your friends. I know you don’t remember, but please trust me when I say I am only trying to help you.” “She’s right, Dusk. You need to change back to normal too.” Butterscotch added, moving more into view so he could give Dusk Shine a compassionate look. “You gotta step in the circle, Dusk!” Blitz snapped, tapping his hoof impatiently. Elusive threw him a stern look, which he simply snorted at and continued looking at Dusk. “I need to get back to weather patrol.” Dusk Shine took another step back, and he began to frown. His face turned to a look of fear as he looked at his friends in disbelief. “I... I don’t believe you! She’s changed you somehow!” he yelled, taking a third step back. Celestia shifted her eyes to look at Applejack, who was standing next to her. “Applejack... I don’t know how much more time you all have. It’s imperative that you get Twilight into her rune circle,” she whispered. “Ah’ll get him...” the orange stallion whispered back, opening his saddlebag slowly. “Ah never go on a trip without mah rope.” He then looked to Blitz, who was looking back at him. The two briefly nodded at each other, then turned their gaze back to Dusk. “Dusk, ya gotta come here. As the Element of Honesty, Ah’m tellin’ ya the truth. There ain’t nothin to be afraid of!” he called, as genuinely as he could. Dusk Shine shook his head, then shakily yelled “N-no! I don’t believe you! Somethings wrong with all of you!” As he finished, he turned to run away. “Blitz, now!” Applejack yelled, pulling the rope out of his saddlebag. Blitz flared his wings and gave them a powerful flap, shooting forward towards Dusk Shine. The unicorn looked behind him, his horn lighting up as he did so. A magic barrier shot up in front of Blitz, which the pegasus narrowly avoid by diving to the side. “Get back here, Dusk!” Blitz yelled, flapping his wings to avoid another glowing wall which had shot up in front of him. He briefly looked behind him to find Applejack hot on their trail, swinging the rope above his head. The pegasus continued forward, his tail starting to leave a rainbow streak behind him. He was rapidly gaining on the unicorn, even with all of the obstacles being put in his place, and after several more wing beats, he could almost touch the unicorn’s tail. “Stay away!” Dusk yelled, looking behind him and shooting a purple bolt of magic at Blitz, who spun to the side to avoid the blast. “Whoa!” he cried, feeling the heat of the blast pass by his body. Dusk had gotten ahead with the distraction, but Blitz was quicker than that, catching up to him almost instantly. He anticipated the next magic blast, and as it passed him, he used the opportunity to make one more strong push forward, tackling Dusk Shine to the ground. The two twisted and spun around each other, kicking up dirt as they flailed. “Watch yerself, Blitz!” Applejack yelled, throwing the lasso ahead of him. The cyan pegasus rolled out of the way in time to watch the loop catch around Dusk’s legs, and with a strong pull, it tightened up and restricted him. “Now let’s bring him back before he can use any magic!” Applejack then tugged on the rope, running back to the group. Dusk struggled against the binds, desperately trying to free his legs and escape. His horn lit up as he attempted to cast a spell. “Oh no you don’t!” Blitz intervened, pushing the unicorn around and breaking his concentration. He then pushed against Dusk’s back and flapped his wings, trying to move the unicorn across the ground faster. Celestia only watched with a pained grimace as her pupil was pushed around and dragged across the dirt like a wild animal, but it had to be done. She turned away, only hearing his struggling and angered swears as Applejack and Blitz brought him closer to the group. As the neared, her horn began to glow, and Dusk was encased in a soft yellow glow. “I can handle things from here. I’ll bind her and dampen her magic enough so that I can perform the ritual.” “Yes, ma’am!” Applejack said, galloping into his circle. He then looked to Dusk, who was covered in dirt and being held down on the circle, and frowned. “I’m really sorry, partner...” “We did what we had to do, AJ,” Blitz said, flying to his rune circle as well. “He’ll forgive us after this is all over.” “Are you all ready?” Celestia asked, one last time. They each responded affirmatively, except for Dusk, who was struggling even against the princess’s magic binds. “My apologies, Twilight.” Her horn then began to glow, and the markings below them started to light up and shine. Magic energy arced between the different symbols and letters, causing a soft hum to fill the air surrounding them. Celestia closed her eyes, brightening her horns glow, and the runes began to shine with power. Several of them put a foreleg to their eyes to shield them from the intense light. Then, an extraordinary flash originated from Celestia’s horn, and a massive wave of yellow, crackling white energy erupted through the entire town. - - - Pain. Pain seared through her mind and her eyes flashed open, yet promptly closed when the equally painful light of the sun filled her vision. It took her a moment to finally open her eyes, and when the harsh brightness became more bearable, she saw the clear blue sky above her. Several more throbs of pain washed over her head before she realized she was on her back, and lying in some grass. She put a hoof on the ground to steady herself, and with a weak push, Twilight Sparkle sat up. The unicorn’s vision was blurry at first, but the first thing she noticed was that her mane was in her eyes. Brushing it away, her sight began to clear up, and she saw the quickly sharpening images of her friends around her. Then, she heard their pained groans as they started to get up - most likely with the same symptoms she was experiencing. In the middle of it all was Celestia, resting on the ground and seeming very tired, but with a clear smile on her face. “Princess...?” Twilight groaned, rubbing her head as she looked to her mentor. “Yes, it is I, Twilight,” the princess warmly responded. She had a very faint yet noticeable increase in her breath rate. “Did it work?” the purple maned unicorn asked, beginning to stand up and survey the area. “Indeed, it has. You, your friends and Spike are all back to your original forms,” Celestia replied, getting on all fours as well. A particularly loud groan took their attention, which belonged to Rainbow Dash. One of her wings twitched as she rolled upright and rubbed her forehead. “Jeeze... not even crashing into mountain has given me a headache like this.” “Ah can’t say I’ve had worse than this either...” Applejack grumbled, getting to her hooves. She picked up her nearby hat and placed it on her head, not bothering to fix it’s positioning. “Anypony else feel like they ate too much candy?” a high pitched voice said, belonging to Pinkie Pie. She stood up and shook out her bouncy mane, wobbling in place slightly. The final groan came from the white coated Rarity, who stood up on her third attempt. She kept her eyes closed as she massaged her temple and said “Goodness, I hope we never have to go through something like that again...” “Me neither,” Spike added, pushing himself so he was sitting upright. He kept his balanced with one arm before fully standing and shaking off. “Feels like I fell down the library stairs... again.” Everypony, even the princess, gave a light chuckle at the dragon’s comment. “So... we made it,” Fluttershy said, smiling to the rest of the group. “Yes... yes we did,” Twilight declared, giving the rest of the group a grin. A loud gasp from Pinkie caught her attention. “You know what this calls for! ?” She excitedly asked, beaming. Before anypony could answer, she grabbed all of them in a large embrace and pulled them together. “A big hug!” The eight of them laughed as they shared the victory together, holding each other closely and warmly. They continued for as long as they thought necessary, and when the laughter died down and they separated, Pinkie piped up again. “Oh, hey! You know what this really calls for? !” Applejack chuckled and said “Ah bet I can guess.” “A PARTY!” - - - The whole of Ponyville had gathered in Sugarcube Corner, all packed together and surrounded by snacks and party goods. Applejack had spent all day baking with Pinkie, while Twilight and Dash had been inviting ponies to come. Rarity and Fluttershy worked together on decorations and custom party hats for the six of them. When everything had been finished and the moon began to rise over the horizon, everypony prepared for what would be one of Ponyville’s biggest celebrations. Celestia herself attended the party, and after much convincing, finally got Twilight to settle down and enjoy herself. They partied long into the night, and savored every second of it. - Fin -" ]

[ "Antipodes Chapter 1 by PK Pony legends spoke of a time when the moon and the sun moved across the sky at the behest of two great goddesses, but those times had long since passed. One day, they simply went... missing. No trace or hint of their whereabouts were ever found, and worse, the sun and moon froze in place above the planet. At first it hadn't been too bad- ponies on the daylit side frolicked and enjoyed the constant sunshine, while the ponies on the night side enjoyed the cool calm of the world at night. Then, things began to take a turn for the worse... 10,000 Years Later Jigsaw's horn shone a blue light on the dark walls of the cave. A creamy yellow pegasus trotted along behind him. Both shot glances over their shoulders every few minutes. \"Are you sure we're going the right way, Jigsaw?\" said the pegasus. To be perfectly honest with himself, Jigsaw was just as scared as his new apprentice. He'd been put in charge of the tribe's water management system several years ago. The cave had a massive system of pipes, valves, and tubes linking the general populace to the only source of water for hundreds of miles: a vast, underground lake. At one time, the lake had been a safe and even pleasant place to visit, but those days were long gone. Horrible creatures had moved into the lake, and any visit there risked a fight with one of them. Jigsaw's job wasn't easy, even if he didn't have to worry about things lurking in the dark. He had to adjust and reroute the water depending on broken pipes or areas that had fallen to the monsters- and there were more of those every year. The very survival of his civilization depended on it. This year, however, the Tribunal had seen fit to give him an assistant to train. Jigsaw found it strange that her special talent was stealth. How could that help him? He tried not to think about it that much, though. He was glad he was no longer alone. The blue light cast by Jigsaw's horn made sharp shadows appear on the rocks ahead of him. Tiptoe ruffled her wings. She never thought she'd be going into the lower sections of the cave. Nopony did- except for water maintenance and some \"daring\" adventurers. The Tribunal had been attempting to put a stop to it for years- their numbers had already been reduced dangerously. There had been a time where thousands of ponies lived down there- you could still find the empty, carved-out caverns if you walked far enough. But ever since the Grand Cataclysm so long ago, they had sealed themselves off from the outside world of sun and desolation and attempted to make a life in the caves. They numbered only in the hundreds now. Suddenly, the claustrophobic tunnels opened up to a narrow walkway that spanned the length of the cavern, ending with a spiral staircase that led up into a smooth rock sphere cut into the ceiling. Metal pipes ran out in all directions and down into the lake. Mercifully, the water was still and nothing stirred in the darkness. Jigsaw trotted out first and slowly made his way towards the staircase. The top of it stretched off towards the cavern’s ceiling. Tiptoe spread her wings wide. How she wished she could take off! She'd never seen a room so large. She could do more than just hover- she could really soar! Unfortunately, she knew that that was a bad idea. Something could be lurking up there. Back with the tribe, the largest room they had was the main chamber, and that was no more than the height of twenty ponies. Pegasi were ground-ridden most of the time. Sometimes, in excavating caverns, there were drop-offs that required pegasi to fly over to help to build a bridge, but those were few and far between. Pegasi were still treated well- the Tribunal was made of two delegates from each type of pony, but the pegasi as a race were declining. Less and less were born, and more and more earth ponies were taking their place. Some pegasi never even got their cutie marks at all. Tiptoe was one of the lucky ones- her feather cutie mark represented her light weight and ability to sneak, which had proven very useful when attempting to clear out monster infestations. That’s how she came to be assigned to work with Jigsaw. She was supposed to find ways around creatures instead of confronting them. \"C’mon, Tip!\" Jigsaw yelled at the pegasus. She was simply standing there at the tunnel mouth, her wings spread wide, her jaw agape. \"Silly pony,\" he said to himself, \"she wouldn't last a second on her own. \" He knew the feeling, though. The cavern was the largest room in the entire cave complex- so large that nopony had ever walked the circumference around the lake, or at least, nopony that tried ever made it back. The ceiling was several hundred feet up and shrouded in darkness. She trotted up to the staircase and clambered up the wide stone steps towards the stone sphere that served as the control panel for all the water systems throughout the cave. Even the sphere, which seemed tiny in this enormous cavern, was wide enough inside for about thirty ponies to stand abreast. Jigsaw was waiting for her at the top. \"Okay, this is how it works. First step is to turn on the working lights.\" He flipped a switch and the room hummed to life. Various dials and gauges on the walls began moving and from somewhere up above a ticker began printing readouts on paper that had yellowed with age. A deep rumble shook the room, a splash could be heard below, and a huge reptilian head shot out of the water and raced up towards the shining orb on the ceiling. It was triangular and had milky white eyes that appeared to glow yellow in the harsh light from the viewing port that wrapped around the orb. \"What IS that thing?\" Jigsaw yelled, jumping behind Tiptoe and putting his horn out hastily. \"I've never seen anything like it!\" Amazingly, seeing the two ponies in the room, the serpent appeared to recoil and slink back into the water. The two ponies looked at each other and shared a nervous giggle. A bright light shot out from where the dragon had been, metal pipes groaned and snapped, and the sphere broke free and plunged into the water below." ]

[ "Antipodes Chapter Two By PK The sphere crashed into the water below. Water poured into the room through the wrap-around viewport, buffeting Tiptoe and Jigsaw. The creature outside was flitting around the sphere, slamming into the walls, attempting to get at the prey inside. The blows shook and deformed the sphere, causing objects to fly off the walls and into the rapidly rising water below. A jet of water shot out of the viewport, slamming into the two ponies and knocking them off their hooves. Tiptoe hurtled hear over heels in the water. Struggling against the current, she extended her wings out flat, and her tumble stopped. She flapped furiously and managed to prevent herself from slamming into the wall on other side. She swam up to the level of the water and broke the surface. “Jigsaw!” She yelled. “Jigsaw, where are you?” The only response came in the form of the roar of the sea serpent outside, which had now managed to wedge it’s head into the viewport and was glaring down at Tiptoe with it’s milky white eyes. Tiptoe took a deep breath and dived under. She saw Jigsaw down near the bottom of the sphere, floating near the main control console. He looked unconscious. She paddled down to him and grabbed his neck in her mouth, then began pumping her wings. The beat of the pony’s wings shot them upwards until they broke the surface of the water. Tiptoe gasped. The sea serpent had managed to pry the veiwport open long enough for it to slink it’s head inside. The triangular nostrils flared as it caught the scent of the ponies, and its head turned in their direction. It shot down towards the two ponies, its jaw open wide. Tiptoe dropped under the water and the serpent slammed into the wall behind them. The serpent’s body went limp, and Tiptoe began flapping her wings to attempt to fly up and over the water- but her poor wings were soaking wet, and the extra weight of Jigsaw was simply too much. Tiptoe instead beat her wings under the water and began forcing her way up the torrent of water towards the viewport. The sea serpent stirred. It reared its head up at the pegasus that was swimming up the current and opened its mouth wide. Tiptoe saw the serpent’s mouth open and braced herself, expecting it to strike. It didn’t. Instead, she saw a white pinprick of light appear in the depths of the serpent’s throat. She stopped beating her wings and tumbled backwards, just in time to miss getting hit by a beam of intense white light that shot out of the serpent’s mouth and punched a hole in the side of the sphere. There was a strong gush of water, then everything was still. The sphere was now filled to the top with water, and Tiptoe could escape! Unconscious Jigsaw still in mouth, she shot out of the sphere and upward. She looked down to see something that she hadn’t expected- the serpent was trapped! It couldn’t pull it’s neck out of the opening it had made in the viewport! As she swam up, she watched with a certain satisfaction as the sphere sank deeper and the tail of the serpent whipped past her and out of sight. The satisfaction was short lived, however, as she looked up and realized there was a rock wall above her. The sphere had been pulled and tossed around underwater by the serpent’s attacks and had slipped under a stone overhang. Tiptoe began to panic. She hadn’t exactly had time to take a deep breath before swimming out, and she didn’t know if Jigsaw was breathing. The terror and chaos in the sphere had kept her from realizing the true gravity of the situation. Their lives were in danger! She stopped flapping her wings and desperately looked around for any way through or around the overhang. Her wings were aching from the exertion of flapping underwater. She saw a small crack in the rock ceiling and made for it, her wings screaming in pain with every flap. She was getting desperate for a breath, and the swimming wasn’t helping matters. They broke the surface in a small room directly above the crack in the stone. Tiptoe flew out of the water and tumbled onto the ground, coughing and gasping for air. The only light in the room came from fluorescent mushrooms that grew along the walls. She dropped Jigsaw and began checking if he was breathing. He wasn’t. Tiptoe had no idea what to do. She hadn’t been trained in this before; how could she have been? The only liquid water that wasn’t in pipes was in the reservoir, and nopony would ever be crazy enough to try to swim in that. She did the only thing she could think of: She took a deep breath, leaned over him, and began blowing air into his lungs. Immediately, Jigsaw convulsed and rolled onto his side. He spit up water and began coughing. Tiptoe let out a sigh of relief and collapsed on the cave floor, exhausted. Several hours later, Tiptoe awoke to find Jigsaw was awake and sitting up, his horn lit, staring intensely at the pool of water. “What are you doing?” she asked. Jigsaw jumped. “Oh! You’re awake.” he pawed at the ground. “I’m making sure that thing doesn’t come back.” “It won’t. I saw it go down with the control room.” Tiptoe said. “Oh. Well... thank you. For saving me.” Tiptoe blushed. “What else could I do?” Tiptoe began examining the room. It was very small- maybe 2 ponies high.There was a group of bioluminescent fungi in the corner, though their light was drowned out by the blue light from Jigsaw’s horn. There was a tunnel that led off into the darkness in the wall behind her. “What’s going to happen to the tribe?” Tiptoe asked. “What will the control station going down do to the water?” “Without the controls, it will just keep flowing as it always did. We just won’t be able to control it.” “But... but what happens if there’s a leak in an area we can’t fix? What happens if the pressure drops?” “Then... then we can’t do anything about it here, can we?” Jigsaw looked up at Tiptoe and sighed. “There’s nothing we can do about it here. Can you walk?” “Of course I can walk.” Tiptoe said. She began to stand up and a sharp pain shot through her flank. Her wings felt as though somepony had tried to pull them off. She attempted to spread them out. She let out a cry of pain and retracted the wing back to her side. “Don’t move.” Jigsaw said. “Let me take a look at it.” He walked over to Tiptoe and his horn suddenly flared with a blue light. He touched it to the spot where the wing connected to the flank. Tiptoe felt a tingle spread out and into her wings. It helped to take the pain away. “How did you do that?” Tiptoe said, her eyes wide. “My special talent is finding out how things work. That includes biology.” He turned his flank to show her his cutie mark- two gears meshed together. “It’s sprained, by the way.” Jigsaw said. “You pushed yourself way too hard back there. How did you even hurt your wings, anyway? Weren’t we underwater?” Tiptoe quickly recounted what happened in the sphere. “You managed to move quickly enough to escape the serpent while carrying me?” Jigsaw said, an eyebrow raised. “I’m impressed.” Tiptoe smiled sadly. “But now I can’t use my wings at all. That’s pretty much all I have.” Jigsaw shot her a skeptical glance. “You took charge back there. Better than I ever have. You saved my life. You’re more than the sum of your parts.” He began to walk towards the entrance to the tunnel. Tiptoe’s face flushed with color. Nopony had ever complimented her like that- she was a pegasus! Mostly ponies just looked down on her with pity. Some even disliked her just because of her wings. She’d never even flown before, not really. The most she had ever flown was hovering in the main chamber- and that was only so she didn’t forget how. She still remembered the moment she stood in the cavern for the first time, seeing so much empty space above her. She couldn’t see how she’d ever get back there. She didn’t see how she would ever get to fly. But Jigsaw’s words had stimulated something deep inside her. She imagined this was how it would feel to soar. She trotted gingerly over to the mouth of the tunnel. Jigsaw glanced over his should to see the pegasus standing behind him. “We should follow this. I don’t know that we have any other options.” He paused and added “I’m scared, Tiptoe.” Tiptoe cantered up and stood beside Jigsaw. “What else can we do?” she said. Together, they trotted off into the unknown." ]

[ "Antipodes Chapter 3 By PK Tiptoe fell into place behind Jigsaw as they pushed forwards through the darkness. The glowing fungus that grew near the entrance didn’t extend into the tunnel, so the only light came from Jigsaw’s horn. Tiptoe tried to glance over her shoulder but winced at the pain in her wings. Jigsaw stopped and turn to face her. “Are you alright?” He asked. “Yeah, I’m okay. Let’s just keep going.” The tunnel curved upwards as the ponies walked on. As they moved on, the walls slowly became more and more smooth. The rough surface of the floor became more and more regular. “Are these stairs?” Asked Tiptoe. “I don’t know. How could there be? Nopony could ever have been here before.” Jigsaw replied. However, as they walked further, it became clear that they were stairs. The walls were tiled, too. The air also got warmer the farther they climbed. It was no longer the cold, damp air they had been used to breathing for the last few hours- it was hot and dry. “Jigsaw? I think we might be getting close to the surface.” Tiptoe said, her hair bristling at the thought. Nopony ever went to the surface- not ever. “We can’t be that close. If we were, we’d be dead by now, wouldn’t we? And besides, our tribe must have been here at some point. How else do you explain the stairs?” Jigsaw said. He wasn’t entirely convinced, though. His job involved going through some of the oldest areas in the entire complex, and none of the places he’d ever been to ever went this far out. Suddenly, the stairs ended with a large slab of metal blocking the entrance to what seemed to be a stone room cut into the wall. There was a small circle of silvery metal near the iron slab of the doorway. “Jigsaw, have you ever seen anything like this before?” Tiptoe asked, inching away from the imposing slab of metal. “No, not out this far. Tiptoe... I think these might be ruins of the old world.” Tiptoe reared back in alarm. “Ruins of the old world? That’s forbidden, Jigsaw! Ruins of the old world are insanely dangerous! They always lead to the surface!” Jigsaw gulped and said, “I’m not exactly thrilled about the prospect, but look. We’re at the same level as whatever is behind this door, and we’re not dead, are we? If the sun could shine through up here, it would be just as hot on this side of the door.” Tiptoe backed down. “Alright. I’ll trust you. But if we open the door and we’re outside, I totally told you so.” Jigsaw rolled is eyes and turned to look intensely at the locking mechanism next to the door. The plate of metal was surrounded by intricate etchings in the metal that didn’t seem to have faded with time. Jigsaw looked intently at the marks but couldn’t seem to make sense of them. He focused and touched the tip of his horn to the metal. Instantly, he could sense the inner workings of the mechanism. The etchings on the lock were magical- and the method of opening relatively easy. Jigsaw inserted his horn into the lock and the room lit up. Locking mechanisms that hadn’t budged for thousands of years began grinding out of place. Bolts slid and came undone. The door slowly creaked open, making a horrible grinding noise. Blue light shot through the etchings on the door and up channels in the wall into reservoirs in the ceiling, lighting up the underground space. Tiptoe looked in with a mixture of fear and wonder. Children in their tribe were raised on stories of the outside world before the Great Cataclysm. They say that ponies could walk the surface freely and that plants even grew up there. Of course, any pony now knew that would be a death sentence. Nothing could survive exposure to the sun, not even for a second. It had been like that for as long as anyone could remember. However, the ruins of the old world still existed, here and there- but almost always it was far too dangerous to explore. The buildings were usually very close to the surface, or filled with monsters. Ponies had since learned to stay keep their distance, no matter the treasures that may lay within. “Jigsaw, what is this place?” Tiptoe asked walking forward in awe behind Jigsaw. The room was enormous, though many parts of it seemed to have fallen in on themselves. To their right lay a large rectangular device that rested on tracks. “I haven’t the slightest idea, but look up there. I think there’s writing. Can you read any of the old language?” “Only what they taught me in training. Shouldn’t you know more than I do? You are the head of the water department.” Jigsaw chuckled. “Doesn’t mean I paid attention in class. Do you think you could try to read it?” Tiptoe smiled. Jigsaw rarely laughed, and when he did, it was usually a good sign. It helped to put her at ease. “I can try.” She stared at the faded sign hanging on the opposite wall for several minutes and muttered to herself. Eventually she said “I can’t be sure, but it says something to effect of ‘Fillydelphia Public Transportation’... something. I can’t figure out the last word.” “Network.” Jigsaw said. “That one I can recognize. So, this place was some kind of transportation network for the old world? But... The door...” Jigsaw paused, apparently lost in thought. Tiptoe imagined she could see the gears on his flank turning. Then, he looked up at her and smiled. “Do you realize what this means? This is working old world technology! And more than that, it’s safe! Do you realize what this could mean if we could get it back to the tribe? The scientific value of this facility is... I don’t even know! Priceless!” Jigsaw’s entire body appeared to shift. Most of the time in the tunnel and the cave, he has simply walked along in silence, his head down, but now, he held his head high. He was in his element. He had been fascinated by technology ever since he was just a foal. Unfortunately for him, the pickings were slim in the tribe- the only technology available was either old world tech that had been salvaged and heavily modified or improvised from materials on hand centuries ago. Jigsaw didn’t mind, however. He simply invented. Before he had even reached adulthood, he had built a water-clock that also purified sediment- something invaluable in the caves. This had caught the attention of the tribunal, which had put him in the water management department- quite prestigious for such a young pony. He quickly climbed through the ranks due to his brilliant sense of machinery- he simply seemed to understand subtleties that other ponies didn’t. It wasn’t all fun and games, though. He had had several run-ins with terrible creatures, and sometimes all the people under his command didn’t make it out with him. Over time, he turned from a happy, upbeat young unicorn to a cold and sarcastic head of water management. “Jigsaw...” Tiptoe said, walking along side him. “This is great, and everything, but if we can’t get back to the tribe, it doesn’t really matter, does it?” Jigsaw turned to Tiptoe and stared at her quizzically, as if he had forgotten that she was there. Then his eyes seemed to get wide and he broke out in the largest smile she had ever seen. He pointed over her shoulder with his horn. “How about we take that?” He was pointing at the subway car. “Jigsaw, you’re insane! That... thing... must have been here since the cataclysm! There’s no way it works, and even if it did, we have no idea where it would take us! Not back to the tribe, that’s for sure!” Jigsaw seemed to find the younger pony’s incredulity amusing. He raised an eyelash and gave Tiptoe a playful smile. “You doubt the mighty Jigsaw?” Tiptoe just stared back, her face unchanged. The smile fell of Jigsaw’s face. “Okay, look. It’s the same choice that we had at the door. We can either keep going, or stay here and starve to death. And I can get the car going. I know I can.” Tiptoe sighed. “If my wings weren’t so sore, I’d slap you right now.” She smiled in spite of herself. Jigsaw chuckled and said “Oh, Tiptoe, what would I do without you?” “You would have drowned. Or been eaten by a sea serpent,” Tiptoe thought. She followed Jigsaw anyway. Jigsaw pried the door open and walked inside the ancient compartment. Faded advertisements lined the ceiling of the car. Jigsaw felt like a foal in a sugarcube store- the wealth of knowledge in this room was almost unthinkable! He trotted into the driver’s area and looked at the console. It seemed to be mostly intact- a couple of the buttons had fallen off, but mostly alright otherwise. He touched his horn to the console. Instantly, the layout of the car appeared apparent to him- and there were a lot of problems. Rusted over gears, unconnected wires, bolts having been disintegrated over the march of the interregnum since the Great Cataclysm. “Looks like I’ve got my work cut out for me here.” Jigsaw muttered to himself. Tiptoe gasped in wonder as the entire car appeared to be encased in a swirling ball of blue light. She looked in to see Jigsaw’s horn was spewing off a brighter blue light than she had ever seen. Inside the car, time itself seemed to be moving backwards. Tears in the fabric on the chairs restitched itself, the metal seemed to regain its luster, the cracks in the glass healed. Metal objects from around the station flew up and appeared to bend themselves into complicated shapes, then fly under the carriage to attach themselves to some unknown mechanism. The blue light faded from Jigsaw’s horn, and he collapsed and slumped forwards on to the control panel. Tiptoe ran up to him. “Jigsaw! Jigsaw are you okay?” His eyes fluttered open. “I’m fine, I just did a rather large spell there. I might be out of it for a while.” Tiptoe looked around the compartment. Lights were flicking on and some large mechanism was whirring into life. With a jerk and a screech, the car began to move forwards. “You can do all that, but you can’t fix my sprained wing?” She said, laughing. “Machines are easier than ponies. Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to rest for a while.” Tiptoe led him over to one of the rows of seats, which he promptly climbed upon and fell asleep. Tiptoe climbed onto the row next to him and closed her eyes, too." ]

[ "Antipodes Chapter 4 By PK Jigsaw lay on his back in the subway car, his head hanging upside down off the edge of the row of seats. Tiptoe sat opposite from him, staring out the window at the aged stone tunnel rushing past. “See anything yet?” Jigsaw said. “Nope. Nothing but rocks, puddles, and sand.” Tiptoe replied dully, smooshing her face against the glass. “It’s been 3 days!” Jigsaw said, rolling over and sitting up on his haunches. “You’d think this a subway system would lead SOMEWHERE interesting, but all we’ve found are empty stations.” “At least my wings are better. And at the speed we’re going, I’m just amazed this thing hasn’t broken down or reached the end of the tracks.” Tiptoe said. Jigsaw’s voice adopted a tone of mock indignation. “Why, I never! You have so little faith in the mighty Jigsaw?” Tiptoe rolled her eyes. Jigsaw had been in such high spirits lately. It seemed he was still ecstatic be in a piece of working old-world tech. Tiptoe wasn’t quite as happy about it. The machine creaked and shook, and occasionally it would break down, requiring Jigsaw to go out and scavenge for materials to fix it. They couldn’t keep it going forever- Jigsaw’s powers might have been prodigious, but this WAS a piece of 10,000-year-old tech. “I’m getting pretty thirsty,” Tiptoe said, “can we stop for water?” “Sure thing, I was getting pretty thirsty too.” Jigsaw said. He jumped off the seats and trotted into the driver’s cabin. His horn glowed blue as he pulled down on a lever and pushed several buttons. The whole car bucked and screeched as the wheels locked in place. Blue sparks could be seen flying from under them. Eventually, the car shuddered to a halt. “I really, really hate that.” Tiptoe said, extracting herself from the window and hopping out the door into the tunnel. Jigsaw jumped out shortly after. “I think it’s kinda fun!” He said. Tiptoe rolled her eyes and they started off together up the tunnel, looking for water. The lamps on the front of the car lit the tunnel for several hundred feet ahead, and they quickly came upon a pool of fresh water and began to drink. When they had drunk their fill, Tiptoe said, “I’ve been wondering for a while now, what exactly powers that thing? I noticed the lights turning on in the station when you put your horn into that door.” “I’m glad you asked!” Jigsaw said, his ears perking up. “You’re familiar with electricity, right?” “Yeah, we learned about it in school. They use it to electroplate metal, right?” “Right. But that’s not all it can do. In the old world, they had ways of generating massive amounts of electricity. Electricity was used to replace magic so non-unicorns could operate some of the more advanced technology. That subway car back there was one of them, but now I’ve jury-rigged it to use magic. The lights at the station were magical, too. Magic and electricity have rather strange interactions. In fact, in this one book, I read about this time a unicorn tried to enchant a certain piece of old-world tech, and he ended up...” Jigsaw kept talking, but Tiptoe had long since stopped paying attention. All these technical details really didn’t interest her, and magic was just a mystery to her. She was more worried about the food situation. They hadn't eaten more than the occasional mushroom for 3 days now, and her mood was starting to show it. Jigsaw seemed unaffected, which bothered her even more. “... of course, that being said, I still enjoy magic and magic powered things, obviously, I just think they both have their place. Not that it really matters since we can’t even generate an- Hey, what’s the matter with you?” Jigsaw said, seeing her ears pressed down against her head. “Will you just stop talking!” Tiptoe yelled. She spread her wings out. “All you’ve done for the last three days is talk about the stupid subway car! What makes you think I care? I asked one question, I didn’t want your whole life story!” She stood there, wings outspread, fuming. Jigsaw stared at her, his eyes flicking back and forth between hers. Then he seemed to shrink. “I’m sorry.” he said. “Let’s head back to the car.” He began to walk towards the subway car, his head held low. Tiptoe followed far behind him. Before long, they were back in the car, and with a spark from Jigsaw’s horn, they were hurtling down the track again. Several hours later, Tiptoe sat on the bench in the very back end of the subway car. Jigsaw lay curled up in the front-most. Tiptoe glanced his direction and squirmed in her seat. She wasn’t happy about what she’d said earlier. She got up and slowly walked towards Jigsaw. “Jigsaw...?” She said tentatively. “What do you want?” Jigsaw replied, without looking at her. “I wanted to apologize for... my outburst earlier. I think I’m just stressed from... everything that’s happened in the last few days.” Jigsaw sat up and stared out the window for several seconds. Then he turned, and Tiptoe was shocked to see his eyes were glistening with tears. “Listen. I want to tell you something.” he said. He patted the seat next to him with is hoof, and Tiptoe jumped onto the seat and settled in. “You’re not the first apprentice I’ve taken on, you know.” he began. “There was another before you. A young earth pony by the name of Antimony. As brilliant a geologist as I’d ever seen. We were supposed to travel together into one of the old world ruins. We... well, we didn’t make it far. We ran into a cave ogre along the way, and I’m ashamed to say that I ran for it. Antimony tried to stand her ground and... she didn’t make it out. She died because I was too cowardly to stay and help. Since then, I’ve traveled on my own, until the tribunal forced me to take you on.” Jigsaw looked up at Tiptoe. “You saved my life twice back there in the water. I won’t ever leave you to fend for yourself, Tiptoe.” “But... why are you telling me this?” “Because... because I wanted to tell somepony. And... I wanted you to know. What you mean to me.” Jigsaw met Tiptoe’s eyes, and they held each other's gaze for a long moment. Then, Tiptoe broke away and jumped down. “I’m getting pretty tired. I think I’m going to go to sleep.” “Yeah, okay.” Jigsaw said, looking slightly disappointed. He lay his head back down on the seat cushion. The train rocked. He was surprised and pleased to find out a moment later that tiptoe had curled up on the seat next to him. He smiled and closed his eyes. It was then that the subway train ran out of track. Tiptoe and Jigsaw were launched from the seats and went hurtling around the inside of the subway car until it finally came to a stop. Jigsaw sat up and looked around the mangled car. “Tiptoe! Tiptoe, are you okay?” He yelled. A wing appeared from under a pile of seat cushions. “I’m fine, Jigsaw! What happened?” “I don’t know,” Jigsaw replied, “But I’m guessing it had something to do with that.” He gestured out the back window at the track behind them, where no track could be seen for as far as they could see. “We probably ran out of track and skidded to... wherever we are.” Jigsaw said. “Does this mean we have to walk?” Tiptoe asked, her ears drooping. A bolt of blue light appeared to shoot from Jigsaw’s horn and into the metal floor of the car. “It’s broken even beyond my ability to repair it” said Jigsaw. “Maybe if I had a few years and intimate knowledge of the mechanics of this thing I could, but as it stands, yes. We’re going to have to walk.” Tiptoe grumbled and she and Jigsaw climbed out of a broken window on the side of the car. Jigsaw lit his horn and they began down the tunnel. “It always seems to come down to this, doesn’t it?” Jigsaw thought.“walking down a tunnel, with only the light of my horn to guide us, no idea where we’re going.” Farther down, Tiptoe thought she could see something. A small pinprick of light. “Jigsaw! Put out your horn for a second!” she said. Jigsaw complied and put out his horn. Sure enough, there was light farther down the tunnel. “C’mon!” Jigsaw yelled, and began galloping. Tiptoe followed as fast as she could. The rapidly approached the source of the light- another station. However, once they broke into the station proper, the two of them recoiled in horror. “Sunlight!” they shouted in unison. They instinctively put a hoof over their eyes and braced for immolation. However, it didn’t come. Jigsaw lowered his hoof cautiously. “Tiptoe? I don’t think... I don’t think it can hurt us.” Jigsaw slowly walked forwards into the beam of light. It felt pleasantly warm on his skin. “I think.... I think we rode farther than we thought. I think... I think we’re in the temperate zone.” Tiptoe’s brain seized. The temperate zone was just an old pony’s tale told to little fillies to make them sleep better! It couldn’t possibly exist! But there Jigsaw was, standing full into the sunlight, his face up and his eyes closed. Of course, they both remembered the story well. The great goddesses Celestia and Luna ruled the night and day in harmony, and the world was in perfect balance. Day and night came to all areas of the world, and only a few were too hostile to support life. The great sun and mighty moon traversed the sky equally. But then, the Great Cataclysm occurred- the goddesses had simply vanished. The sun and moon stayed frozen where they were, and the world fell to chaos. The tribunal’s records told of a group of ponies on the daylit side descending into a massive cave complex when the weather began to get too hot and sealing the entrance with a massive metal door. They were who Tiptoe and Jigsaw had descended from. The great metal door had only been opened twice afterwards- once at 1,000 years after the Great Cataclysm, and another after 5,000 years. Both times the sun had proven to be as harsh as ever- in instantly killed any living thing exposed to its rays. Tiptoe walked forward hesitantly into the sunlight and something seemed to shift inside her. She looked up and saw the sky- the real, blue sky- for the first time in her life. She spread her wings and beat them downwards. “Tiptoe, wait!” Jigsaw yelled, but it was too late. Tiptoe took off and flew up to the hole in the ceiling and out. She felt lighter than she ever had. She soared upwards, flapping her wings as hard as she could. She dove. She flipped. She raced through the open air and breathed deeply. The air had a peculiar smell that she assumed must have been the foliage present all over the ground beneath her. She had never been happier in her life. How did she ever live underground before this? The sky was where she belonged. She dove back into the small hole in the ground and saw Jigsaw standing there, his mouth agape. “I saw you outside. That was... incredible!” Jigsaw said. “But... can you get me out of here?” “I can try.” Said Tiptoe. She flew above Jigsaw and grabbed him with her front hooves and beat her wings. Slowly, they made progress up to the hole in the ceiling. When they made it out, Tiptoe dumped Jigsaw onto the grass and landed, panting. “I really need to work on my wing strength if I’m going to be carrying you!” She said, laughing. Jigsaw simply stared up at the sky. “I’ve never seen anywhere so big... The sky is immense! And the grass! There’s so much of it! I've only ever seen grass in the botanical gardens! I mean, I’d heard the stories, but nothing can actually prepare you for...” He trailed off, still looking straight up. “Look at... look at the sun and the moon.” The sun hung low and red in the western sky, casting a low, warm light over the grass. The moon hung in the east, dominating the skyline. It looked pockmarked and dull gray. “That... that isn’t how they look in illustrations.” Jigsaw said. “They look almost as if they’re... dying.” Tiptoe looked at the two celestial bodies on either side of them. “That’s true, but we’re here, now, and we’re very much alive, and I’m exhausted.” “Agreed.” said Jigsaw, yawning. “It’s been a pretty crazy week.” Together, they curled up on the ground and fell asleep. The strange, perpetual twilight cast long, spindly shadows onto the nearby trees." ]

[ "Antipodes Chapter 5 by PK Jigsaw and Tiptoe woke up to find the sun and the moon were still frozen in the sky. They had no way to tell how much time had passed, but they both felt as though they’d gotten a good night’s sleep for the first time in a long time. “I think the next thing we should do is focus on finding some food.” Jigsaw said, his stomach rumbling. “We haven’t really eaten much of anything for the last few days.” Tiptoe nodded and took off. “I’ll look for food from up here!” she said, flapping her wings and rising higher into the sky. Jigsaw just sighed to himself and trotted off towards the western edge of the clearing, where a small grove of trees was growing. The smell of all the green plants were almost too much for Jigsaw to take, but he knew better than to eat strange plants. Most of the food in the caves were grown in the arboretum, and very few ponies were allowed into it. It was the second largest of the caverns and by far the most heavily guarded. Jigsaw had been in several times to manage the enormous water distribution system that supplied water to all the plants. The trees and grass weren’t too much of a shock to his system because of that- he just wasn’t used to quite so much of it. Tiptoe, on the other hand, had only been in the arboretum once, when she first became Jigsaw’s apprentice. She had eaten the food from it, of course. She’d seen pictures. The first time she entered it, however, she was completely taken aback. She could feel the magic emanating from the lights on the high ceiling, a strange and rather uncomfortable sensation on her back. The sun was completely different, though. Far-off and weak though it may have been, it felt natural and comfortable to her. She soared over the green carpet beneath her, getting up as much height as she could. As she climbed, she began to notice something far-off to the east. It appeared to be a castle built into one side of a small mountain range. It appeared to be in a miraculously well preserved state- she thought she even saw a banner waving from the top of a spire. She flew down to inform Jigsaw. Jigsaw was walking out of the copse, a few dozen apples floating in a hazy blue field above Jigsaw’s head. “Tiptoe!” He said as he saw her land rather clumsily in front of him. “There were apple trees back there! Try some, they’re delicious!” Tiptoe and Jigsaw sat down together on the grass and began to eat the apples. When they had eaten their fill, Tiptoe stood up and began to tell Jigsaw about the strange ruin in the eastern mountains. Jigsaw listened intently as she described the castle’s appearance. When she was done, he stood up. “Do you realize what this means? We may not be the only ones! There may be other ponies out here- we might get home yet!” Jigsaw said. “Yeah...” Tiptoe said, ruffling her wings. Truth was, she wasn’t sure she wanted to go home. Back there, she’d just be another member of a dying race, and she couldn’t use her wings. Now that she was under the open sky, she couldn’t conceive going back underground. Not for life, anyway. “Oh! Can you do me a quick favor?” Jigsaw said to Tiptoe. “I want to try and salvage some stuff from the wreck of the subway car down in the cavern. I have an idea.” “Uh, okay, I suppose,” Tiptoe said, “but I don’t want to stay down there too long.” She and Jigsaw trotted over to the jagged tear in the earth that led down to the cave entrance. Tiptoe grabbed Jigsaw and they began the slow decent into the cave. They touched down lightly in the gloomy half-darkness of the cave. Jigsaw walked over to the wreckage of the subway car and looked at Tiptoe. “I’d hold to something if I were you.” Jigsaw said, a sly smiling crossing his face. Blue light shot out of his horn. It hit Tiptoe like a wall and she flew back into a stone pillar at the other side of the chamber. She opened her eyes to see that Jigsaw was encased in a swirling vortex of what appeared to be blue plasma and salvaged parts from the old car. All she heard was a roar of energy as the parts began to fly together or break apart in the tide of energy. Then, as suddenly as it started, the blue light streamed back into Jigsaw’s horn and he collapsed onto the ground. At his hooves was a small metal platform with a sleek metallic box on the underside and two small lights on the front end. Oversized wheels were positioned on the front and back ends of the platform. Tiptoe flew over to Jigsaw just as Jigsaw stood up unsteadily. Tiptoe stabilized him and said “That was the most powerful magic I’ve ever seen! How are you on your feet?” “The subway car was more than this took. At least I had a general idea of what I wanted to do this time around.” Jigsaw replied. “This thing will make the trip to the castle much faster. It runs on magic, though, and I think I'm beat for a little while.” Tiptoe lifted Jigsaw outside and they lay down on the grass. “Jigsaw?” Tiptoe asked, “What do you think is going on at home? Do you think the water’s alright?” “Do you want me to be honest or kind?” Jigsaw said. Not the answer Tiptoe was hoping for. “Honest.” “Well, first off, we’ve definitely been reported dead by now. The water pressure will have been steadily falling since the massive leak caused by the control sphere falling out of the ceiling. The arboretum will probably take priority, and water will get shut down for most citizens.” His voice got quiet. “I’d give them a week until the water runs out entirely.” Tiptoe’s eyes got wide. “The whole cave? There’s nothing we can do?” “The only thing we can do is try to find something out here that will allow us to make it back. All we can really do is go forward. I don’t really see any other options.” Jigsaw looked up at the strange sky. Streaks of light traveled across the eastern sky. “I... I’m kinda glad we made it here, you know.” Tiptoe said slowly. “I... like it out here.” Jigsaw sighed. “I know. I just wish it didn’t have to come at the expense of the entire tribe.” “At least we’re not alone,” Tiptoe offered tentatively, “we still have each other.” Jigsaw looked over at the little yellow pegasus lying on the grass next to him. “Yeah, we do.” he said. “At least there’s that.” Tiptoe blushed and turned her head away from Jigsaw. Jigsaw stood up. “I think I’m feeling better now. Good enough for the trip, anyway.” He trotted over to the hole in the ground and his horn glowed blue. Slowly, the cart lifted out of the hole, settling itself on the grass outside neatly. Jigsaw jumped on the platform, and Tiptoe promptly followed. Jigsaw’s horn glowed blue yet again, and there was a click and a hum from beneath the platform. The wheels began to move, gathering speed. Soon, Jigsaw and Tiptoe were speeding along on a nearly silent, surprisingly stable platform. “How do you keep it from shaking?” Tiptoe said over the sound of rushing wind. Jigsaw created a bright blue flash from his horn for an answer. “Magic. Right.” Said Tiptoe. “You’d think I’d be used to it by now.” Several hours of riding later, the temperature had dropped noticeably. The mountain range loomed overhead, with the castle high above. It appeared much larger up close- it took up almost one entire half of the mountainside. The decay was more apparent, too- despite the large banner waving from the highest tower, many bricks were missing from the stone walls, and more windows were gone than present. “Should we go inside?” Tiptoe said, looking up at the imposing front doors. They appeared to have once been intricately carved, but the carvings had all worn off long ago. “I’m not entirely sure how we would go about that.” Jigsaw said. “I don’t see any doorknobs. Maybe we could just...” He walked into the door and pushed on it with his head. The door swung open surprisingly easily. Inside, the light seemed to die only a few feet from the door, leading off into darkness. Jigsaw hesitantly took a step inside. As soon as he did so, he knew he had made a mistake. That air around the two ponies seemed to thicken and taste of metal. Then, a roar and a wave of heat emanated from deep inside the castle, and the two ponies were swept inside. The heavy stone door to the castle slammed shut behind them." ]

[ "Antipodes Chapter 6 by PK The heat pulling the two ponies into the ancient castle dissipated as the stone door slammed shut behind them. Jigsaw didn’t waste any time. As soon as he could move again, he ran over to the door and touched it with his horn. To his surprise, the door not only wouldn’t move, it seemed to actively resist his attempts to open it. “Tiptoe! Where are you?” Jigsaw called through the darkness. The light of his horn didn’t seem to carry more than a pony length in front of him here, and the air didn’t taste quite right. He got the distinct impression that this was a very bad place to get stuck. A muffled reply came from his right. “Jigsaw! Over here!” Tiptoe yelled. Suddenly, all along the walls, green fire burst into life in torch brackets aligned at either side of the entrance corridor. The green light seemed to cut through the gloom far better than Jigsaw’s horn had been able to- but as soon as the torches lit, Jigsaw doubled over in pain. His horn felt like it was going to split open. It felt as though the magic inside him was writing and screaming inside his head. They had obviously entered a place of almost unthinkably powerful dark magic. Even Tiptoe could sense it. Her hair stood up and she shuddered from head to toe. Then, as quickly as it happened, it relented. Jigsaw stood up and looked around to see Tiptoe standing a few feet away from him, he back still arched. He walked over to her. “Tiptoe, could you feel that?” He said as she straightened out. “Yeah, I could. What was that? Was that... magic?” she whispered, casting nervous glances at the green torches burning slowly above them. “Yeah, it was. Very, very powerful magic. We need to be on our toes here.” Jigsaw said. Tiptoe let out a smile in spite of her fear. “Good thing you have me around, then.” Jigsaw chuckled. “Come along, then. I think we should follow where the torches lead. It’s that or wandering around in the darkness. At least this way we can find the source of this magical field.” Jigsaw and Tiptoe set off down the stone hallway of the castle. The ceilings were high and vaulted, though large portions of it had fallen in or simply crumbled away. There were the tattered remains of tapestries on the wall and what was once a rich crimson carpet lay shredded at their feet. As they walked, they encountered several doors and branching passageways, though none of them had lit torches. The green light cast an eerie glow over everything- it seemed to drown out colors and made Jigsaw’s eyes constantly struggle to focus. Tiptoe wasn’t much better off. Though she was much less sensitive to the magic in the air, she still felt the effects. The lights unnerved her and made her feel nauseous. The castle floor angled downwards. Jigsaw started down the slope, but Tiptoe paused at the precipice. Jigsaw looked back over his shoulder. “What’s wrong?” he said. “I... I don’t want to go back underground!” Tiptoe blurted out. “I only just got out on the surface, and I don’t ever want to go anywhere where I can’t fly again!” She stamped her hooves on the stone tile. Jigsaw was taken aback. Tiptoe had only raised her voice at him once before, and it still came as a shock to him. He shook off his surprise and spoke to the agitated pony in a quiet, calm voice. “Listen. I know I can’t hope to understand how you feel. You must have felt so cooped up all those years back down in the caves- but listen. We won’t be down here forever, and we need to go down there or we’ll never get out of here. I’ll be right here the whole time. And besides, you can handle yourself! You fought of a sea serpent singlehandedly while carrying me at the same time! Then, you managed to revive me when I had stopped breathing. You’ve saved my life a lot more than I’ve saved yours. You’re the bravest, most kindhearted pony I’ve ever met.” He walked up to Tiptoe and nuzzled her neck. She froze for a moment, then relaxed. Nobody had ever shown her affection like this, and she certainly hadn’t been expecting it in the current circumstances. The green glow from the torches seemed less harsh and bright. Then, a loud crashing sound came from down the passageway and Jigsaw snapped his neck upwards. The green glow of the torches seemed back in full effect. Tiptoe and Jigsaw shared one glance full of meaning, then they began the descent into the bowels of the castle. As they walked down, the material that made up the walls seemed to change. The smooth tiles of the areas above were soon replaced with large, sloppily cut slabs of stone. The pain in Jigsaw’s horn returned, though not as intense as it was up at the top of the castle. It was more like a throb of energy that got stronger the farther they walked. Then, without warning, they entered a very large cave. On the left was what appeared to be a swirling force field of magical energy, through which blue sky could be seen. The cavern seemed to have been cut into the mountain. Old-world writing on the walls proclaimed this to be a pegasus take-off area. However, the most conspicuous area in the room lay to the left, where an extremely large selection of gold, gemstones, and skeletons lay. At the very back of the cave, on what appeared to be a giant platform cut into the rock, sat a dragon. Its hide was midnight blue, with areas of creamy white around the base of his horns and fingers. Deep red veins seemed to course across his skin, glowing brightly with every heartbeat. His eyes were little more than bright green slits under his eyelids. Jigsaw and Tiptoe screamed out loud at the sight of him. The corners of the dragon’s mouth twitched at the sight of the two ponies. It opened it’s mouth and blew out a blast of green fire. It surrounded the two ponies and swirled like a vortex, immobilizing them. Jigsaw and Tiptoe struggled against the binding green flame, to no effect. Jigsaw attempted to use magic, but the pain in his horn swelled to such a great magnitude that he cried out and nearly lost consciousness. The dragon flew over to the two ponies and examined them closely. When he saw the two ponies he had ensnared, however, his eyes grew wide and he retracted a few steps. He raised one hand and brought it slicing down through the air, and the bonds on the two ponies lifted. “Speak, then, if you are able” the dragon’s voice boomed. Every syllable felt heavy, as though with each word, a massive rockslide was tumbling down a mountaintop. Jigsaw spoke up first. “My name is Jigsaw, and this is my...” he cast a glance at Tiptoe. “... friend, Tiptoe. We’re from the caves to the west, and we’re looking for a way to get back home.” The dragon’s eyes narrowed. “The west? It is nothing but barren wastelands overland, and the underground ways are far too dangerous for your kind. I know of one way, however; you must complete a task if you expect my aid.” Jigsaw was shocked at the dragon’s eloquence and quick answers, though his body language had betrayed a moment’s hesitation. “What is your name?” “My name? I have had many names. Before the fall, I was known by one name. Now I am known by Tantalus.” The dragon said, his voice reverberating throughout the room. “Before the fall?” Jigsaw said, his mouth agape. “You were around before the Great Cataclysm? Do you know what happened?” Tiptoe couldn’t help but notice that even when a giant dragon was bearing down on them, Jigsaw couldn’t pass up an opportunity to learn. “I was. I am the last in the world, I believe, that can provide a firsthand account.” “Princess Celestia and Luna vanished because of one foolhardy young pony. I do not know his name. He was fooling about with powers far beyond his comprehension. He had come across a tome of ancient and unspeakable evil, and he spoke its words. Celestia, Luna, and a young ward named Twilight Sparkle both vanished by this dark power. The young pony who had used the spell fled into hiding, using the book to grow his power. He began feeding off of other ponies to make his own power grow. He hides there in the east, even now. He is a demon, my sworn enemy, and he is who you seek. Find him, and kill him, and you will find your way home.” Jigsaw blinked with indignation. “That’s it? We meet a creature that was around before Celestia and Luna vanished and before the Great Cataclysm, and he barely tells us anything? I could have found out more in the library back at the Tribunal!” He didn’t voice his feelings, however. The dragon still looked angry. “Very well. We will do this for you, if it will grant us safe passage.” Jigsaw said through gritted teeth. The dragon smiled, a rather disturbing gesture, as it revealed rows of blackened teeth. He turned his head and blew a green mist at the side of the cave, which crumbled away. “Go. Hunt the demon. Return when you have finished. I will find your way home.” Jigsaw and Tiptoe walked out of the cave. As the passed the pedestal where the dragon had been sitting, Tiptoe noticed something strange: Far back, away from the rest of the treasure, lay a large, cracked blue gem. Underneath it, in what looked like a crude carving done with a claw, was the word: Rarity Tiptoe hadn’t the slightest inkling of what that could mean. They walked out onto the snowy mountainside, and the cave wall seemed to repair itself behind them. Tiptoe then looked at Jigsaw and said, “That... that was incredible, what you did back there. Talking to a dragon like that.” “I get the feeling that he was hiding things from us. A lot of things.” said Jigsaw. “His explanation seemed way to simple, and he was far too quick to give us this task and get us out of there. I’m not sure I trust him.” Then, without warning, Tiptoe walked up to Jigsaw and kissed him full on the mouth. Jigsaw stood there for a moment, his eyes wide open in shock, then he closed them and enjoyed the moment. After several seconds that felt much to fast to Jigsaw, they broke apart. Tiptoe blushed, but stayed in eye contact with Jigsaw. “What was that for?” he stammered. “For saving me.” she said. “C’mon, we have a long ways to go if we’re going east.” Tiptoe took off and began flying down the slope of the hill that formed the mountainside. Jigsaw stood there stunned for a moment longer. Then, he set off down the snowy curve, following the yellow pegasus, who was now flying loops through the air." ]

[ "Antipodes Chapter 7 By PK The wind howled past Jigsaw and Tiptoe as they trudged through the snow. A series of mountain ranges could be seen looming behind them, though they had left it far behind. They had been walking for the better part of a day, and the temperature was dropping all the while. The sun remained frozen in the west as ever- though it had now been eclipsed by the mountain. The dull gray moon loomed larger and larger. The green fields at the base of the mountain had slowly become more sparse until the grass was almost entirely covered in snow. A few stunted trees somehow managed to survive here, though Jigsaw had no idea how they managed to grow when all the water was frozen, at least as far as he could see. Jigsaw peered through the low light and saw a larger-than-average tree with low, overhanging branches. He called over the wind to Tiptoe and they two ponies galloped towards the shelter. Jigsaw shook the snow off of his hooves and turned to Tiptoe, who was resting against the side of the tree. “I think we should talk about what happened back there.” “You mean the kiss?” Tiptoe asked quietly, blushing and turning her head away from Jigsaw slightly. Jigsaw’s heart did a funny sort of flip on hearing Tiptoe mention the kiss, but he tried not to show it on his face. “I meant the dragon, Tantalus. Specifically, what he asked us to do.” The smile dropped off Tiptoe’s face. “Oh. That. What exactly is it we’re supposed to be doing? It’s not like he gave us very specific directions besides ‘east’. As far as we know, it could be a million miles east! And besides...” her voice dropped in volume. “I don’t think I could kill anypony, no matter how evil they might be.” Jigsaw nodded. He appeared deep in thought. Jigsaw looked up at the moon, huge in the sky, and let out a sigh. “Remember back in the subway car? When I told you about Antimony, my first apprentice? Well, I wasn’t entirely truthful. She was... she was my mate.” Tiptoe let out a little gasp. “Your mate died? That’s... that’s awful. I’m so sorry. But... why are you telling me this now? What does this have to do with anything?” “I lied when I said I wanted to talk about the dragon.” Jigsaw said. He looked up at Tiptoe. “We can’t be together. It’s just too dangerous. I can’t lose another pony because I can’t handle the situation! I just... I can’t deal with it. And who knows what we’re about to walk into?” Jigsaw looked intensely at Tiptoe, then dropped his gaze to the snowy ground below. Tiptoe looked taken aback. “Jigsaw... I didn’t mean to put this kind of pressure on you. I really do like you, but I understand that now isn’t the best time to form a relationship!” she said. The sides of Jigsaw’s mouth twitched, but the smile didn’t last very long. “Thank you for understanding. Now, I think we should get some sleep. We have quite an adventure ahead of us.” He stood up and walked over to Tiptoe. He hesitated for a moment, then walked over and nuzzled Tiptoe. “I really do like you, you know.” Tiptoe blushed. Jigsaw lit his horn and lifted away a patch of snow , exposing the ground below. He lied down in it, and Tiptoe joined him. The two ponies closed their eyes. Tiptoe opened them several hours later find Jigsaw already awake. He had a small pile of twigs and rocks in front of him. As she watched, Jigsaw’s horn glowed blue and the twigs lifted off the ground and bent themselves into an elaborate structure. “That’s amazing!” Tiptoe exclaimed. Jigsaw let out a yelp and the structure sprang apart. He looked over to see Tiptoe sitting up in the clearing, giggling. “Oh, you’re up.” Jigsaw said, looking a little annoyed. “What are you doing?” Tiptoe said, standing up and stretching her wings. “I’m just tinkering. It helps me relax.” he said. As Tiptoe watched, the twigs formed elaborate geometric patterns in mid-air. “I wish I could do something like that,” Tiptoe said, “I haven’t even gotten to use my special talent.” She shot a glance over her shoulder at the feather emblazoned on her flank. “Haven’t really had to sneak anywhere.” “Well, you never know. We’re heading out into a frozen wasteland to find some unicorn that’s apparently powerful enough to kill goddesses. Not to mention, who knows what’s left over from the Great Cataclysm? There could easily still be traps left unsprung the farther in we walk. You may soon have more work on your hooves than you bargained for.” Jigsaw winked, then stood up and walked out of the protective branches. Tiptoe followed, a little confused by how Jigsaw’s mood had changed since last night. They walked out into the semidarkness of the plain. The moon hung low in the sky, casting a sullen gray light over the snow. The sun in the west had shrunk to a mere sliver of red light shining over the mountain range behind them. Tiptoe flapped her wings and took off, spiraling upward. Jigsaw set off at a canter. After only a few minutes of flying, Tiptoe was rushing back towards Jigsaw. “You won’t believe what I just saw!” She cried, obviously excited. “What? What is it?” Jigsaw said. “At first, I thought it was just a pile of rubble, but as I flew closer, I saw lights come on!” “Tiptoe, the last place we walked into that looked inhabited, we got trapped and recruited by a dragon.” “Well, do you have any better ideas?” asked Tiptoe. “Well, I suppose not. And I am pretty hungry...” “Then follow me!” Tiptoe said, taking off and flying away. Jigsaw rolled his eyes and set off after her. Tiptoe arrived at the ruined building several minutes ahead of Jigsaw and began to look around. The wall that was still standing was maybe a floor high, though it looked as though the building was one much larger. Old world writing was etched over the ornate metal door that led inside, though most of the writing had been worn off by time, so that the only letters remaining were “AMY F CLSTA”. Tiptoe hadn’t the slightest idea what it could mean. From above, the building just looked like a jumble of steel beams and rotting wood. The lights that had shined through the window from a distance hadn’t reappeared since the approach, but Tiptoe was confident that something was alive inside, because when she opened the door, the air from inside was surprisingly warm. Jigsaw galloped up to Tiptoe, who was waiting near the door. “This is the place you saw? It doesn’t look very inviting.” “We’ll never know unless we go inside, now, will we?” She nudged the door open with her nose, and a buffet of warm air hit the two ponies. “Well, that’s encouraging,” said Jigsaw, his eyes widening a bit. Jigsaw lit his horn again and closed the door behind him. Inside was a narrow hallway that extended about 30 feet to a relatively featureless metal desk. The real eye-catcher in the room, however, was the large, golden sun emblazoned on the wall behind the desk. As they two ponies walked forwards, the sun suddenly blazed golden, flooding the room with light and heat. Jigsaw’s horn glowed even brighter in response to the magic in the air. Then, as suddenly as it began, the lights shut off and the warmth vanished. Jigsaw and Tiptoe stood frozen in mid-stride, stunned. Jigsaw put his hoof down. “Well, that explains the lig-” His words were cut off by a sudden horrible buzzing. A sharp crack and a flash of blue light came from the end of the hallway, and white lights flickered to life along the length of the hallway. Jigsaw walked up to one and examined it with wonder. He touched his horn to the metal casing and a spark jumped between his horn and the metal casing on the light. He stepped back and nodded appreciatively, apparently impressed. Tiptoe just looked on quizzically. Jigsaw turned around to face her. “The old world technology was apparently built to last. There’s an elevator down at the end of the hallway that goes... very far down. I don’t know how far.” “You can tell all that just by looking at a light?” Tiptoe said in awe. “This cutie mark isn’t just for show, you know!” Jigsaw said, a wide smile parting his face. “Now come on! Who knows what we’ll find down there?” Tiptoe let out a heavy sigh at the prospect of having to go underground yet again, then followed Jigsaw down the hallway. They had to climb over a few broken steel beams, but before too long, they came to a small door in the rubble. Jigsaw touched his horn to the door, and after a few minutes of effort, the door slid open haltingly. Inside was a rather strange sight from the metal hallways- interior walls appeared to panelled with wood. On the side opposite of the door, the sun symbol was once again repeated on the wall, only this one was a half sun instead of a whole. It still gave off a slight heat. “Well, I suppose we should head down.” Jigsaw said, walking into the elevator compartment. Tiptoe followed him apprehensively. Jigsaw’s horn glowed bright blue, and the elevator hummed to life, moving smoothly down the shaft. Arriving at the first floor, the two ponies stepped off the elevator to see a very strange sight. Banners emblazoned with the sun symbol were strewn all around the room, though most appeared to have been burned. Many strange and spindly-looking devices lined the walls. A loud, low tone like someone striking a large bell rang out as the two ponies walked into the room. Tiptoe’s hair stood on end and her feathers ruffled. Jigsaw’s horn glowed blue for just an instant, then the blue light seemed to expand out from his horn in rings and then vanished. Jigsaw gulped. “There is some serious magical protection around this room. And I mean serious. If we hadn’t have passed whatever criteria it checks, we would have been dead already.” “If this room is so well protected, what did that?” Tiptoe said, gesturing towards the pile of burned banners with her hoof. “That’s what worries me.” Jigsaw said, looking uneasy. Nonetheless, he trotted off towards a large archway to their left that has ornate old world letting over the entrance. It read “Celestial Observatory”. “Wait up!” Tiptoe shouted, cantering after Jigsaw. They entered into the dark room simultaneously, taking in the strange model of the sky that lay above them. Lined along the walls were dark monitors. On the floor was a dual insignia- A rising sun side by side with a crescent moon. Jigsaw walked to the center of the room, turned in a full circle, and lowered his head. Tiptoe was confused for a moment, but then Jigsaw’s horn erupted in a brilliant blue light. Pieces of metal, glass, what looked like cut crystal, and a few scattered electronic components flew through the air in swirl of activity, fastening themselves to unknown mechanisms behind the domed surface of the observatory. The sun and moon logo on the floor seemed to glow with a golden light, and there was a loud bang. The lights kicked on Jigsaw lifted his head, a sly smile on his face. Suddenly, the screens along the wall burst into life. On them were an image of an earth pony outfitted in full armor, a look of terror on his face. An explosion shook the screen and the earth pony began talking rapidly, though no sound could be heard. “Hold on just a second,” Jigsaw said. His horn lit up with only the faintest corona of blue light, in contrast to the rod of whirling blue plasma it had appeared to be just minutes ago. A blast of sound filled the room. “-ow on supplies! I don’t know how much longer we can hold out like this. I thought the war with the west was bad enough, but this... thing... has managed to breach all our defences! It’s already killed almost everypony else in the whole facility! We’ve managed to hold out here for now, but I don’t know how long our defences will hold. Listen, if anypony finds this video, there’s still hope! Go east to the Night Palace. Our researchers found something to do with Princess Luna’s disappearance. Go! No-” the recording was cut off by what appeared a torrent of emerald flames, a flash of golden light, and a roar. Then the tape ended and the screen went blank. The sun and moon on the ceiling hadn’t moved. “What was all that about?” Tiptoe said. “Was that recorded... during the Grand Cataclysm?” “I think it must have been. War with the west? What else could it have been?” Jigsaw replied. “I’m more interested with this Night Palace and whatever broke in here. What do you think happened to it? I’m going to dig through the system to see if there are any records after that.” Jigsaw’s horn glowed blue yet again as he touched it to the wall. It was then that a loud alternating tone rang out from the speakers in the room. The lights switched to a dark red color and heavy bulkheads fell all around the room. The two ponies were trapped. Jigsaw looked nervously at Tiptoe. “Oops.”" ]

[ "Antipodes Chapter 8 By PK Alarms blared all around the Jigsaw and Tiptoe, so loud they had to shout to be heard. The formerly dark room was illuminated by harsh red lighting. The screens around the room were lit up, flashing a word in the old language that neither of the two ponies recognized. “What have you done? !” shouted Tiptoe. “I don’t know! I must have set off an alarm!” Jigsaw shouted back. “No, really?” “Look, there’s a chance I can still fix this! Not all of the systems have been locked down! If I can just... get...” Jigsaw closed his eyes in concentration. Tendrils of blue light burst from his horn and seemed to spread across the wall like vines, taking the edge off the red light that shone through the room. The tendrils of energy seemed to wiggle their way into the various cracks and gaps in the surface of the wall. Some of the monitors stopped flashing and instead displayed lines of text that flew by far too fast to be read. A swirling cloud of blue light appeared around the unicorn and soon he was obscured from view. Tiptoe stood back from him, staring in awe at the bright blue ball of swirling light. One by one, the monitors stopped flashing and the lines of text appeared. Eventually, all the monitors were displaying the rapidly moving text. Then, without warning, all the monitors went dark, and the red light was extinguished. The room was illuminated by the swirling blue light coming from Jigsaw, but even as she watched, the light spun slower and slower until it faded away. The blue tendrils shot back into Jigsaw’s horn and he collapsed to the ground. The room went dark. Tiptoe ran over to Jigsaw’s collapsed form, barely visible in the darkness. He was breathing, but unresponsive. Suddenly, the room was flooded with light. The monitors all around the room had flared to light, each one showing the same image. The symbol on the floor began glowing, as well, and with a loud slamming noise, the metal doors on one side of the room receded into the walls. The air suddenly grew warm, and the metal sun and moon moved into the center of the domed ceiling. They met, the sun fitting perfectly inside the stylized crescent moon. Tiptoe stared in awe at the open doors. Floodlights lit the passage beyond, which stretched downwards. She sighed to herself. “Do they really have to make opening doors that dramatic?” Jigsaw’s eyes fluttered open. “Did it work?” “Oh! You’re awake. It kind of worked. Half of the door opened, and this half leads downwards.” “Lovely. What does this symbol mean? It’s everywhere.” “Who knows? It obviously has something to do with the sun and moon. Maybe it used to be a government institution.” “I think it’s more than that. The magic here is some of the strongest I've ever encountered- except maybe for that dragon. This facility is way higher up than a simple government institution.” “If it’s so powerfully protected, then how did you manage to get in so easily?” A smile crossed Jigsaw’s face. “Because I’m good at what I do.” Tiptoe nudged him playfully. She couldn’t quite forget, however, that every time he did magic, it seemed to be more impressive than the time before it. She wondered how she could ever compare to his level of ability. Jigsaw stood up shakily and approached the passageway. “There’s nothing more I can do from here. Our only option is to go through that door, I suppose.” He passed under the metal archway, Tiptoe following next to him. The passageway turned into a staircase as they walked on. The passageway ahead was only illuminated for a few feet in front of them- more lights came on as they walked forward, and the lights behind them switched off. Before long, they came to a platform. The hallway ahead of them was forked. On the left, the sun-and-moon insignia was engraved on the ground . Tattered scraps of fabric were littered along the ground. On the right, the passage was barren. “I think we should follow the symbol. It seems like it’s led to good places so far.” Tiptoe said. Jigsaw shrugged. “I don’t really see why not.” As they entered the hallway, the sun-and-moon insignias on the floor began to glow softly. It provided the only light in the hallway, as this particular passage way conspicuously devoid of lights along the wall. Eventually they entered a much larger, round room. It was obvious this room had once been lavishly decorated: Empty flower vases, tattered banners, and torn-up chairs and seats littered the space. The most interesting feature of the room, however, lay directly opposite the door. Two ornate thrones sat against the wall. One looked as though it was once bright white, though it had been faded and dirtied with time. The other throne looked black as night. Behind the thrones was a giant, solid-gold sun-and-moon insignia. Jigsaw and Tiptoe stared at it in awe. After a few seconds of slack-jawed staring, Jigsaw spoke. “I think... I think this was once a royal chamber. Celestia and Luna themselves once sat here! This explains all the heavy-duty magic- they must have enchanted this place themselves!” “It’s incredible you managed to break through the enchantments, then.” “Well, they’ve gotten much, much weaker over time. Before the Great Cataclysm, this place was as good as impregnable.” “Then... then what was that attacking on the video screen back in the room with all the monitors?” “That’s what worries me. If something powerful enough to get through those enchantments exists... I don’t even want to think about what it could do.” They walked up to the thrones and noticed a small stone platform in-between the two seats, this one strangely uncarved. Tiptoe walked onto it. A low buzzing sound could be heard emanating from the platform, but other than that, the room remained unchanged. Jigsaw walked on to the platform to join her. “What do you suppose this could be for? It doesn’t seem to do anything.” Jigsaw said, prodding the stone surface with his hoof. The room was filled with a brilliant golden light. The stone surface of the platform appeared to turn to clear crystal, beyond which stars could be seen. Then, the crystal opened up, and the two ponies were sucked inside." ]

[ "Antipodes Chapter 9 by PK Jigsaw and Tiptoe plummeted through the crystal tube. Through the transparent walls of the tunnel, pinpricks of light could be seen—like stars, but shining much brighter, with a golden light. The transparent crystal was coarse and jagged, but a warm cushion of air seemed to push the two ponies away whenever they came too close to the edges. Tiptoe flapped her wings furiously in a futile attempt to stop her descent. No matter how hard she flapped, she didn’t seem to slow at all. Jigsaw fell below her, tumbling head over heels through the tunnel. Below them, approaching rapidly, a large, black plane stretched out in every direction. After a few minutes of terrified free fall, the termination of the tunnel reached the two ponies. Jigsaw and Tiptoe suddenly found themselves standing on another platform in another throne room. The platform was glowing with the same bright, golden light as the other had, but within moments it had faded back to gray stone. They were not alone. Seated on a strange throne was a deep red unicorn, his jaw slack in amazement. Then, Jigsaw and Tiptoe lost consciousness. ~~~ Jigsaw blinked his eyes open. His whole body ached as though he’d just been thoroughly beaten. He was lying on a comfortable mattress in a small but lavishly decorated bedroom. There was a large red curtain that had an ornate black “R” sewn into it. Jigsaw got shakily to his feet and approached the curtain. He tugged on the tassel hanging down on the side of the curtain with his mouth and the curtains were drawn open. He couldn’t believe what he saw. Spread out below him was a massive city. He was in a tower that appeared to grow out of the center of the mass of buildings, with stripes of alternating buildings and farmland spreading out from it like the spokes of a wheel. Far off, at the border where the buildings stopped, a massive, shimmering blue barrier rose up from the ground. It seemed to encase the entire city in a shimmering blue globe, through which the sun and moon could still be seen on either sides of the sky. Jigsaw stared out the window in awe at the city spread out beneath him. He simply couldn’t believe what he saw. He couldn’t comprehend how a city like this could even exist so long after pony civilization had collapsed. He staggered away from the window and sat on the bed. He stared out the window and tried to understand how he had gotten here and how this place could even exist. Luckily, he didn’t have to wonder for long. The door to his room hummed quietly and slid into the wall. A very small shockingly blue pegasus walked in, and upon seeing Jigsaw sitting up on his bed, smiled. “Who are you?” Jigsaw said, a sharp edge of suspicion in his voice. “My name is Cerulean. I’m glad you’re finally awake,” she replied. Her voice was very reassuring. “How did I get here? Where is here? How does this place even exist? Where is Tiptoe? !” His voice rose as he spoke, eventually ending in a shout. Cerulean didn’t falter. “There’s no need to shout! Trust me, you’re safe here. Your pegasus friend is just across the hallway. She hasn’t woken up, yet, though. Tiptoe, you said her name is? And what might yours be?” “Jigsaw.” He said, narrowing his eyes at Cerulean. “I want to see her.” Cerulean nodded. “Of course. Follow me.” She got up and walked over to the door. It appeared nothing more than a slab of green metal—however, it had the sun-and-moon symbol emblazoned on it. Cerulean touched it with her snout. It glowed for a moment, and the door slid into the wall with the soft hum he had heard earlier. It led out into a plain hallway of gray stone. Directly across from Jigsaw’s room there was an identical door, though this one appeared to be slightly newer. The door opened and they cantered inside. Tiptoe lay on a bed in the center of the room. It appeared identical to the room they had just come from, only mirrored. The shimmering blue globe outside the window swirled and twisted like air currents, casting a strange blue light into the window. “See? I told you that she’s just fine. She’s still suffering the aftereffects from using the portal. Speaking of which, we have some questions to ask you. Please accompany me to the royal chambers.” Cerulean said, her smile as wide as ever. Jigsaw still felt rather uneasy with this pony, but the chance to finally get some answers was too lucrative for him to pass up. He followed Cerulean out the door and into the hallway. The hallway had a rich red carpet stretching down its length. The gray stone walls had small orbs every few feet that were illuminated. Cerulean cantered along this hallway, Jigsaw close behind her. Soon they reached a spiral staircase which rose out of the ground in a large domed room. Strung along the sides of this room were ruby red banners bearing a black hoofmark and a single word underneath that Jigsaw didn’t recognize. “What does that say?” He asked Cerulean. “Why, it says Stalliongrad, of course!” The two ponies reached the top of the spiral staircase. They trotted a short distance under a metal archway before coming back into the throne room Jigsaw and Tiptoe had originally appeared in before passing out. Now, Jigsaw could get a proper look at it. It appeared to have had a much different layout originally—parts of the room seemed to have been slapped on the extend the room. Red was everywhere. A rich red carpet covered the floor, and red tapestries hung from almost every window. The hoof motif was also omnipresent, from the shape of table in the room to the right, to the archway they had just passed under, to the logos on the tapestries. At the far end of the room was the deep red unicorn he had seen before. His cutie mark was some sort of red ribbon. He was seated in a throne that was split down the middle, half deep alabaster black, the other a bright white. It looked as if somepony had cut the original two thrones in half and stuck them together. Cerulean bowed and walked out of the room. The red pony jumped off the throne and cantered over to Jigsaw. “I’m pleased you’ve finally woken up! Please, come and sit with me. I imagine you must have many questions. I know I do.” He let out a genial laugh and winked at Jigsaw. He then began walking over to a doorway in the northwest corner of the room, which led into what appeared to be some sort of meeting room. A large number of chairs were arranged in a circle around a central table. The red pony took a seat and Jigsaw sat down directly across from him. “Now, I believe some introductions are in order. My name is Rubidium and I am the governor of the glorious city of Stalliongrad! Who are you?” “My name is Jigsaw.” “Jigsaw? What an interesting name.” Several unicorns entered through a small door in the far wall, plates of food hovering in front of them. They placed them on the table before giving a short bow and exiting the room. Jigsaw eyed the food warily for an instant before his hunger got the better of him. As he began eating, Rubidium began to speak. “I was quite surprised to see you appear in the throne room, particularly out of that portal. It hasn’t worked in… well, I don't think it ever has! How did you get here? And from where?” Jigsaw stopped eating and regarded the deep ruby colored pony across the table from him. Despite all the things he had done for him and Tiptoe, Jigsaw couldn’t help but be unnerved by him. However, he didn’t want to make enemies of the first group of ponies he came across. He decided to tell the truth. He began to recount the story from the beginning, though he tried to omit any details that weren’t crucial to the story. Rubidium sat across the table listening intently. His expression was inscrutable. When Jigsaw had finished, Rubidium hopped off the chair and began to pace back and forth. “So… you really know nothing?” he said, his eyes narrowing. “I don’t know any more than what I told you.” “I need to show you something. Follow me.” Rubidium trotted over to a wall and touched a panel with his snout. The table in the center of the room began to sink slowly into the floor. When it had lowered completely, a sheet of metal slid out to cover the hole. Then, to Jigsaw’s amazement, an enormous replica of the tower they were currently in appeared, taking up most of the space in the room. His eyes went wide. Jigsaw walked over to the tower and swept his hoof into it. It passed through as if there were nothing there. “It’s a hologram!” he said with amazement. “How is this possible?” Rubidium walked out into the center of the room and the image of the tower shrunk down until it was only the size of a pony, then the spokes of land and buildings that surrounded the tower shimmered to life at it’s base. “Before the fall, Stalliongrad was Equestria’s main military base. As such, some of the most brilliant scientists and advanced technology in the entire world was present here, including some of the most powerful protection the goddesses could bestow. After the fall, we were the only city in the middle ring that survived the war between the dark side and the light side. They simply couldn’t penetrate our protection. We waited out the war, and once it was over, we began to rebuild. The technology you see here is the result of ten thousand years of progress while the rest of the world stood still.” “The middle ring?” “The habitable zone in the middle of the planet. Where plants still grow.” “And how did you stay safe from the Grand Cataclysm? What defences could you possibly have strong enough to repel all of Equestria?” Rubidium smiled, though it didn’t show in his eyes. He did a sweeping gesture with one of his legs and the image rotated to show the city from above. Clearly visible, like channels of liquid silver and gold running under the entire city, was the sun-and-moon insignia. “This is the symbol of Celestia and Luna. I take it you know who they were?” “Well, yes, of course.” “They are not totally gone. You said you encountered a dragon named Tantalus on your journey?” Jigsaw nodded. “The story he spun you was only partially true. There was no unicorn- he was the one meddling with power beyond his own control. I do not know why, or how, but he was corrupted by dark powers beyond comprehension. He attempted to destroy the goddesses, and most believed he was successful.” Rubidium gestured towards the main chamber. “Follow me.” Rubidium led Jigsaw into the room and towards a small staircase behind the throne. At the top was nothing more than a white disc in the floor. They stood on it, and much to Jigsaw’s surprise, it slid smoothly downward. They appeared to be descending down a glass tube, through which the entire city could be seen laid out beneath them. The sense of scale was almost overwhelming to Jigsaw. The tower was many hundred, perhaps even thousands, of feet high. As they descended, smaller towers began flying past the two ponies. Inside, Jigsaw saw glimpses of the lavishly decorated interior. However, the small, run-down shacks at the border of the shell that surrounded the city could still be seen in the distance. Soon the disc reached the bottom of the tower and continued on underground. The tube appeared to have been built into the facility much later than the rooms it intersected. They all appeared to be original to the military base and abandoned. Eventually, the platform began to slow and glided to a halt. They entered into a stone room that appeared to have been carved in a rush. The walls were craggy and uneven. Jigsaw could sense the room had a very strong magical field surrounding it. The lights in the ceiling had been replaced with the more familiar globes of magical energy. Rubidium noticed Jigsaw staring up at the lights and said, “We can’t have anything that runs on electricity down here. It won’t work.” “Why not?” Jigsaw replied, his curiosity piqued. “You’ll find out.” Rubidium said before turning and walking down the passageway at the end of the room. Jigsaw followed, and they soon came to an intricately carved stone door. It appeared as though this door was given far more attention to detail than the rest of the rest of the room. Numerous carvings of ponies in various poses resided at each corner, while circles of old-world text Jigsaw didn’t recognize surrounded the central symbol of a brightly glowing sun-and-moon symbol. “Would you care to do the honors?” Rubidium said. “I would love to!” Jigsaw said. He walked up to the door and pressed against it. The sun and moon flashed brighter than ever, and the words on the door rotated around it, lining up to form words Jigsaw didn’t understand. Rubidium, however, had understood. And he wasn’t pleased." ]

[ "Antipodes Chapter 10 By PK Tiptoe’s eyes fluttered open. She was surprised to find herself lying on a comfortable mattress in a lavishly decorated room. The red hoofprint and R motif was ever-present on the walls. A strange, shimmering blue light shone in through a window on the left of the room. Tiptoe approached it and gasped. The city spread out beneath her. Rows upon rows on smooth, elegant-looking white towers rose from the ground below her. As she looked farther out, however, the buildings became more blocky, less clean, and less well-kept. At the edge of the line of buildings were little more than run-down shacks. On either side of the strip of buildings was green farmland, with buildings sparsely placed in rows. A shimmering blue shell of energy surrounded the entire city. Tiptoe stared out at it, taking it all in. A quiet ding and a hum emanated from the door at the front of the room, and a very small, bright blue pegasus walked in, a wide smile on her face. Tiptoe reacted instantly, jumping away from the door and extending her wings as menacingly as she could muster. The blue pegasus didn’t drop her smile. “Who are you?” Tiptoe demanded, a slight waver in her voice. “My name is Cerulean. Don’t worry, you’re perfectly safe. Your friend Jigsaw, too.” she said evenly. “Jigsaw was here? Where is he now?” Tiptoe said, retracting her wings. “He’s off with our governor. He’s perfectly safe, I assure you. He was in here earlier, in fact.” Cerulean said. Her voice was so bubbly that Tiptoe found it a little sickening. “Can I go see him?” Tiptoe asked. “Of course not! He’s very busy right now, but don’t worry! I’ve been tasked to show you around. Come with me!” Cerulean walked backwards, her smile still wide, and beckoned out the door into the plain gray hallway beyond. Slowly, Tiptoe and Cerulean left the room, the door sliding with a soft hum into the wall behind them. They began their descent down a richly carved stone staircase. ~~~ The door swung open and the hallway was flooded with a brilliant white light. Jigsaw had to avert his eyes for a moment, and Rubidium took a few steps back. After a few seconds, the light faded to a level that allowed Jigsaw to look at the item producing it. Right in the middle of a large crystalline apparatus was what looked like a miniature sun. It was a deep yellowish red color and appeared to rotate and swirl in place. Surrounding it were two long crystal arms that extended into the ceiling. White light was flowing out of the sphere and into the crystal arms and travelled into the walls. Jigsaw hesitantly walked forward into the room. “What... what is this? What is it doing?” Jigsaw asked, examining the sphere closely. It gave off a warm light. “What you’re looking at, Jigsaw, is a fragment of Celestia herself.” Rubidium said softly. He stood at the threshold of the door. Jigsaw stared at Rubidium in shock. “You’re joking, right? There’s no way this is possible.” “But it is. When the dragon split the goddesses, not every fragment was lost. This one fell here. When Tantalus attacked, we built this to harness the power of the sphere and create the shield that still protects us. We’re not entirely sure, but we think there are six in total- three for Celestia, and three for Luna. Nopony knows where the others are. Even if we did, we have no way of getting there. You’re the first that’s ever managed to get in from outside.” Jigsaw stared at the sphere and attempted to absorb all the new information. It was almost too much to take in at once. “Who exactly is ‘we’?” Jigsaw asked. “The ancient Stalliongradians. They recorded everything. I could show you to the historical libraries if you’d like.” Rubidium stood leaning against the doorway, watching Jigsaw meander around the room. “I’d like to see that, I think.” Jigsaw said. “First, though, I’d like to finish examining this.” He gingerly touched the tip of his horn to the crystal arms that jutted out from the walls. As his horn began to glow, the white light inside the crystal responded by bending towards it. Suddenly, a high-pitched whine came from the walls of the chamber and the floor began to rumble. The crystal arms suddenly began to rotate around the sphere. Then, as quickly as it began, it was over. Jigsaw looked up in fright at Rubidium, who had a small smile on his face. “What was that?” Jigsaw said. “The attenuation rods need to realign themselves periodically. Now follow me. It’s not safe to be in here for much longer. There’s going to be a powerful blast of magical energy. Which, coincidentally, is why we don’t have electronics down here.” Jigsaw took one last look around the room before heading out behind Rubidium. Together they walked into the pod-like elevator and began the ride back up. Jigsaw simply stood and watched as the scenery flashed by his eyes. They were about halfway up the tower when it slid to a halt. The doors on the front whooshed open to reveal a brightly lit library. The room was rectangular, with what looked like polished wooden walls. Jigsaw cantered out of the door. “You wait here and read anything you like. I have to tend to some business.” With that, Rubidium’s horn glowed red, and the elevator’s door shut silently. It then began its descent down the tube and out of sight. Jigsaw had only taken a few steps towards a bookshelf when a portion of the wall slid open to his left. Behind it were Cerulean and Tiptoe. “Tiptoe?” Jigsaw said, surprised. “Jigsaw! You’re all right!” Tiptoe said, running into the room. The two embraced as the door slid shut behind them. “Where have you been?” Tiptoe said after they had separated. Jigsaw then began to recount the tale of what had happened to him while Tiptoe was asleep. At the revelation of the fact that Celestia and Luna were broken up into fragments, she gave an audible gasp. Eventually, Jigsaw finished, and silence fell as she digested the information. Finally, she spoke. “Jigsaw, do you entirely trust these ponies?” ~~~ Rubidium rode the elevator down to the second lowest level. He stepped out into the stone hallway, squinting through the dim, greenish light. Only the emergency lights were left on this low. He began to trot down the hallway. About halfway down, a sudden flash of rainbow light flashed behind him. He didn’t need to look back. He knew Cerulean was behind him. “I led the pegasus to the holding area, just liked you asked. I assume the plan is going to proceed as we discussed?” Rubidium shot a glance in Cerulean’s direction that made her freeze in place. “He opened the door. He walked right up to the fragment of Celestia as if there was nothing there. He’s far too valuable to dispose of now. The pegasus can go, though. Is the subject ready?” Cerulean breathed out a sigh of relief and replied, “Of course. Right this way.” They continued walking on in silence. Eventually, they came to an unassuming mahogany door to the right of the hallway. Cerulean pushed it open and Rubidium entered. The room looked as if it had once been a war room, though it was now heavily altered. The far wall appeared to have been carved out and extended several dozen yards into solid rock. Several pieces of equipment and magical apparatuses lined the walls. At the far end the wall, surrounded by all kinds of machinery, was a table. Strapped onto it was a purple female earth pony. As Rubidium approached, she began to struggle, but the metal clamps around her hooves kept her latched on tightly. Cerulean looked away. Rubidium approached and a small apparatus on a metal rod extended out from some device on the wall. At the tip was a series of concentric circles. Rubidium inserted his horn into the device and it began to glow ruby red. The earth pony shuddered and whimpered as a beam of red light issued from her chest and was funneled into Rubidium’s horn. His coat became smoother, he stood taller, and his muscles became better defined. In a few moments, it was over. Rubidium stepped away from the device and it retraced into the wall. The earth pony in the shackles was dead. It looked as though it had aged a lifetime. The floor in front of the table slid open and the shackles unlocked. The body fell into the open pit and the floor slid shut again. Rubidium stood up and breathed a sigh of relief. He turned to Cerulean, who was still looking away. “I think it’s time you retrieve our young intruders. I’ll be in my quarters. Don’t take too long.” Cerulean nodded and pressed her wings against the small disk hidden under them. She began to glow before a flash of rainbow light filled the room and she was gone. She appeared in the hallway directly outside the library. She took a moment to compose herself and assume her signature smile before swiping a hoof across the door controls. They slid open in front of her, and she let out an audible gasp. The room was empty." ]

[ "Antipodes Chapter 11 by PK Several minutes earlier… “Jigsaw, do you entirely trust these ponies?” “What do you mean?” Jigsaw said, taken aback. “I haven’t really seen any reason not to trust them. I was wary at first, but why would they show me something as precious as the fragment of Celestia if they were hiding things from us?” “I don’t know, Jigsaw,” she said uneasily. “I noticed pretty much as soon as they let me in here. Look around. Do you see any controls for the doors?” Jigsaw glanced around the room. The elevator shaft at the far end of the room didn’t have any visible controls on the smooth glass surface. The door that had slid open to permit Tiptoe’s entrance was now flush with the wall. “Okay, you have my attention,” Jigsaw said. “Was there anything else?” Tiptoe lowered her voice. “Have you actually seen any other ponies besides the blue and red ones? I walked through several floors of this place and the only ponies I saw were outside the tower. I think we’re being held prisoner.” Jigsaw opened his mouth to reply, then closed it again. He retraced the path they had taken to the library in his mind, and it slowly dawned on him that Tiptoe was right. He hadn’t seen a single other pony during his whole trip through the tower. He supposed he had been too taken in by the wonder of the city. “What do you propose we do about it?” Jigsaw whispered. A large grin began to creep its way across Tiptoe’s face. “Just follow my lead.” Before long, the two ponies were standing on opposite sides of the sliding wooden wall panel that served as the only apparent entrance to the room. They heard a quiet mechanical hum come from somewhere inside the wall, and the doorway slid up smoothly. Cerulean stood in the doorway in confusion for only a moment before Tiptoe shouted, “NOW!” A blue glow surrounded Jigsaw’s horn as he lifted a heavy book off a nearby bookshelf. It went sailing through the air and hit a surprised Cerulean right in the head, stunning her. Tiptoe and Jigsaw used the moment to run out the door. Tiptoe then ran around to the backside of Cerulean and kicked her with her back legs—hard. Cerulean went tumbling into the library. Just as she shook her head to regain her focus and began speaking, Jigsaw waved a hoof in front of the door controls. The door slid shut with the familiar humming noise. “We did it!” said Jigsaw, breathing hard. “We actually made it!” Tiptoe shushed Jigsaw. “We can’t be heard! Just because we didn’t see anypony earlier doesn’t mean there couldn’t be guards. If we’re going to sneak out of here, you’re going to have to follow my lead.” Jigsaw was somewhat surprised at Tiptoe’s take-charge attitude, though he understood why it had taken hold. Stealth was her special talent, and this was the first time she had ever gotten to utilize it. He remembered the boost of confidence he had gotten when he was trapped in the subway station and figured it must have been similar to how she was feeling now. He just hoped he could keep up. “Just follow my lead, and stay as quiet as you can.” Tiptoe whispered, walking over to the wall on the right of the hallway. She lowered her head and stood on the very tips of her hooves. Jigsaw was amazed as she began to move forward along the wall—her hooffalls, once loud against the stone, seemed to have faded into silence. Jigsaw stood unsteadily on his hooves—he felt that he might fall over at any moment. However, after a few steps forward, he began to learn how to step lightly and make as little sound as possible. However, if he attempted to go Tiptoe’s speed, he ending up making a very loud noise, so Tiptoe was constantly forced to stop and wait for him to catch up. They set off down the hallway, Tiptoe stopping at every corner to look ahead and make sure the coast was clear. Jigsaw was mesmerized—her body seemed to flow from place to place, showing an elegance and conservation in movement he had never seen in a pony before. She even used her wings. Every now and then, in a larger room, she would take off from the ground, flapping her wings in a slow, stiff motion that was almost totally silent, exploring the upper levels of the multistory rooms. The tower had been completely deserted so far, although it looked as though it had been built to accompany a huge amount of ponies. Several times, Jigsaw spoke up to question the necessity of sneaking, but Tiptoe quickly silenced him. Tiptoe peeked her head around a corner of a brightly lit, white-tiled hallway, then signaled for Jigsaw to follow her. After Tiptoe’s tail had vanished out of sight around the corner, Jigsaw slowly made his way around to follow her. They entered into what looked like a lobby. It appeared unpowered—there were no lights on anywhere. The ceiling stretched at least six stories above them, and rows of balconies jutted out from small rooms arranged around three of the walls, like an office complex. The entire western wall, however, was taken up by a single pane of glass. Through it, taking up almost the entire area of the window, was the moon. The silvery light that filtered in through the window cast an eerie light over the entire scene. Jigsaw and Tiptoe’s shadows climbed halfway up the wall as they approached the window in awe. The city could be seen spread out beneath them, lights twinkling in windows. Jigsaw approached the window, nearly mesmerized, when Tiptoe prodded him from the side and pointed towards a door to their left. Muffled voices could be heard coming from the other side. Jigsaw and Tiptoe remained rooted to the spot. Soon, however, the voices moved past the door and out of earshot. After a few moments, Tiptoe spoke up. “Jigsaw, we’re going to need to get through that door.” “What? Are you crazy?” Jigsaw hissed back. “We can’t go out there! There are other ponies out there!” “Exactly,” Tiptoe said. “Which means that there has to be a way out down there. Think about it. So far, we haven’t even been able to go down a level. We also haven’t seen any other ponies. If there are some out there, it stands to reason they must have come from somewhere, yeah? I vote we go exploring.” “But what if we get caught?” Jigsaw said, glancing out the window at the glistening city below them. Tiptoe chuckled quietly. “We won’t. Now I get to pay you back for all the times you showed off your magic. Try and open the door while I’m gone.” She winked at Jigsaw before leaping into the air and soaring up to one of the balconies above the door. She walked inside the small room behind the balcony and vanished from sight. Jigsaw couldn’t help but smile at Tiptoe’s high spirits. They had been in such a constant state of rush and terror since this whole adventure began that he had learned to appreciate the little moments when he could. He took one final look out at the moon before cantering over to the door. First he attempted to open it by means of the control panel fastened to the wall. It appeared to be much older than the sleek, motion activated control panels on the library door—this one had a control panel covered in strange and unfamiliar characters that extended from the wall at a slight angle. A small screen was directly above it. To either side of the keyboard was a large, round button—one green, and one red. Jigsaw decided to hit the green one on instinct. The screen winked to life, showing an image of a black hoofprint. Then, with a mechanical screech, the door slid open…to reveal a thick sheet of plaster on the other side. At the same time, Jigsaw heard Tiptoe yell down from the balcony. He galloped out to the center of the room. Tiptoe stood braced against the balcony railing, her front hooves resting against the top rung. “Did you manage to get the door open?” she called down. “Yeah, but it was blocked off!” Jigsaw replied. “I don’t see any way through unless you think we can kick a hole in it, in which case there would probably be armed guards right outside.” “I figured as much! The room in here is empty, but the door is locked from the inside. It leads to a hallway directly above this floor, and there’s a stairwell at the end of the hall!” “That’s great, but how am I supposed to get up there?” Jigsaw called back. “Hold on!” Tiptoe shouted. She put her hooves back on the ground and took a few steps back before galloping forward and leaping over the railing. She spread her wings out wide and soared down in a series of wide spirals before finally landing in front of Jigsaw with a single flap of her wings. “Okay, now you’re just showing off,” Jigsaw said. “Oh, don’t pretend you don’t like it,” Tiptoe said with a playful wink. Jigsaw was surprised, though not entirely displeased at Tiptoe’s attitude. Before he could speak, however, she took off again, looping around Jigsaw before coming to a stop hovering over him. “I’m going to grab you and pull you up to the balcony. It’s probably not going to be comfortable. Are you ready?” she said. “Ready as I’ll ever be, I suppose,” Jigsaw responded. Tiptoe wrapped her hooves around Jigsaw’s midriff and began to beat her wings. Jigsaw was buffeted by several strong gusts of wind before they began to rise off the ground. He hung limp in Tiptoe’s arms as they slowly rose towards the balcony. Tiptoe beat her wings as hard as she could. The extra weight of Jigsaw made the flight excruciatingly slow. She had gotten stronger in the week or so they had been on the surface, thought the weight of a full-grown pony still posed a significant challenge to her. After a few agonizing minutes of flying, Tiptoe finally reached the level of the balcony. She dropped Jigsaw off before landing on the ground and collapsing onto her back, panting heavily. Jigsaw gingerly arched his spine back down into its normal position, acutely aware of the imprint Tiptoe’s hooves had left on his stomach. Nonetheless, he turned to her and said, “That was incredible back there. I don’t know that I’ve ever even heard of a pony being carried up that far!” Tiptoe stood up, having caught her breath. Her feathers were ruffled from the exertion she had just put them through. She began fluttering them in an attempt to flatten them down when Jigsaw interrupted her. “Let me do that. I can actually reach them, after all.” He flattened down the stray feathers with one hoof. When he was done, Tiptoe turned to face him. “Thanks,” she said, a note of fatigue still present in her voice. They locked eyes for a brief moment. Both of them remembered the conversation they’d had under the snowy pine tree what seemed like ages ago, and they could read it on each other’s faces. Tiptoe, however, decided to take action. In one quick motion, she leaned forwards and gave Jigsaw a quick peck on the cheek. “I know what we talked about, but you never said flirting was off the table,” she then turned around with a flourish and trotted into the dark room beyond. Jigsaw stood stunned at the entrance to the room for a few moments before stating “I like her. I really like her,” to nopony in particular. He then entered the dark room. Inside was just as empty as Tiptoe had described. To Jigsaw, it looked to have once been a residential area. There were several small rooms branching off of the main one, all just as empty. The only light in the room came from the light that filtered in from the doorway. Tiptoe stood at the opposite side of the room, where a simple wooden door was located. This one seemed to be about as old as the one in the lobby—it had a similar control panel in the wall off to one side. Tiptoe pressed the green button with her nose and the door slid open. Beyond was a brightly lit hallway. So brightly lit, in fact, that it temporarily stunned Jigsaw. When his eyes had adjusted, he saw a small red carpet that extended to either direction. To the left, the hallways simply turned and vanished from sight. To the right, however, a stairwell was clearly visible. Rich, warm lights in the shape of a sun lined the hallway every few dozen feet. “C’mon,” Tiptoe whispered, “We have to get going before someone else shows up.” They had only made it halfway to the stairwell when the sound of voices came up from below. Tiptoe froze in her tracks for just a moment before she turned on the spot, jammed the open button on one of the nearby doors, and jumped inside. Jigsaw followed her lead and jumped in after her. She pressed the red button on the control panel and the door slid shut just as two ponies came walking up the stairwell. Jigsaw and Tiptoe placed their ears against the seam of the door in an attempt to overhear the conversation going on outside. “…is that he’s finally found a replacement for the Attenuator, but he escaped with the other pony that came through the portal! They’re running around in the old residential areas right now! That’s what the lockdown earlier was about, I think. I don’t even think most of these old doors are even hooked up to the network any more, though. Doesn’t really matter, the bottom level’s sealed off anyway. Poor guy, though, I sure don’t envy him,” said a deep, gruff male voice. “Have you ever seen the Attenuator in person?” The reply came from a much more subdued and younger-sounding male voice. “No. But I’ve heard the screaming.” Several seconds of silence followed this statement. “Haven’t you ever wanted to just let her go?” the soft-spoken male voice said. Suddenly the sound of a flurry of motion came from outside and a loud bang and sharp shake of the door caused Jigsaw and Tiptoe to jump back. It appeared as though one of the ponies outside had been pinned against the door they were currently hiding in. “Listen up, kid. I know you’re new here, but if they hear you talking like that, they will not hesitate to kill you. What you just said has gotten ponies…good ponies…drained. So you’d do best to forget you ever thought that.” The door shook slightly and they heard sounds of gasping coming from outside. “Now, come on. We need to get back to quarters before we’re caught after lockdown.” Tiptoe and Jigsaw shared a look. After a few moments, the footsteps outside the doorway faded away. Tiptoe asked Jigsaw to light his horn, and he complied. “What’s the Attenuator? And why do they want me for it?” Jigsaw asked, his voice shaking with fear. “I don’t know, but it doesn’t sound like anything you want to be a part of. And what do you think they meant by ‘drained’? What’s going on in this place?” Her voice shook at the last sentence, giving away her nervousness. When she looked at the fear etched on Jigsaw’s face, however, she mustered up every last fragment of courage she had. “It doesn’t matter. We’re going to get out of here. All you have to do is trust me.” She took a step back and extended her wings just a little. “Do you trust me?” Jigsaw looked up at her. “With my life.” “Good, because this won’t be the first time I’ve saved you,” she said with a wink, heading towards the door to the room. Jigsaw knew she was putting on a brave face for his benefit, but it didn’t really matter to him. The fact that she was willing to try at all meant a great deal to him. Still, though, he couldn’t shake the line about screaming out of his head. The door to the room slid open and Tiptoe poked her head out and looked up and down the hallway. She turned and nodded silently to Jigsaw to indicate the hall was clear. They headed out together, approaching the stairwell uninterrupted. Soon, they were descending down a flight of small, red-carpeted steps, ears perked up to listen for footsteps coming up the stairwell. What they found at the bottom was not what they had been expecting. There was no hallway at the bottom of the stairway—instead, a round platform, similar to the one in the throne room, though not identical, was located in the center of a small room. This one, however, appeared to be made out of a dark black, reflective stone instead of the course and dull gray stone from above. A thick cord extended from the back of the platform and off into a wall. A rather melodious humming was coming from the platform. The most striking feature, however, was the holographic message displayed at head level over the platform—“Lockdown protocols in place. All intergate travel is disabled. Return to your quarters until further notice.” Tiptoe and Jigsaw cursed in unison at the turn of events. “Well, I suppose that explains the lack of ponies. What do we do now?” Jigsaw said as Tiptoe walked onto the platform. The holographic image floating above fragmented and distorted as she passed through it. “Can you do anything with your magic?” Tiptoe asked. She stepped off the platform and Jigsaw took her place. His horn began to glow as tendrils of blue light made their way down to the platform. Suddenly, the melodious hum issuing from the platform became harsh and discordant, and Jigsaw flew off and slammed into the wall behind it. Tiptoe let out a gasp and galloped over to him. Jigsaw groaned. “Are you okay?” she implored. Slowly, Jigsaw moved up to sit on his haunches. “It’s going to leave a nasty bruise, but nothing’s broken. The security here is just too tight. I can’t break in.” “How is that possible?” Tiptoe said, a little exasperated. “I’ve seen you work a thousand bits of way more impressive magic!” “Yeah, on systems that were thousands of years old or had no protection in the first place. Those computers in that compound back there were over ten thousand years old—the magical protection on them was nearly gone. These are fresh. Maybe if I had a few weeks I could break them, but for now we’re out of luck.” Tiptoe glared at him for a moment, then shook her head. “At least we’re safe here, for now. Nopony’s going to come through the portal while it’s on loc—” Before she could finish the sentence, the hologram above the platform vanished and the tinkling melody coming from it grew in volume. Just when Tiptoe was getting worried about the noise level, it suddenly cut back to near-silence and two large blue words appeared above the platform: “Good luck”. Both Jigsaw and Tiptoe’s faces broke out in huge grins. They looked at each other, and without another word, jumped on to the portal. A sudden flash of light came from underneath them, and they both felt as if gravity had been reversed. The world melted away into a blur of colors and shapes, constantly shifting and changing direction. They had the sensation of great speed, though it was hard to tell. Suddenly, with a rather jarring slam, the world became solid again, and they found themselves standing on a portal in a room with smooth, white walls. They didn’t pay too much attention to the architecture, however. Their attention was taken up by the door. The ornately decorated entrance was visually striking. White designs reminiscent of creeping vines criss-crossed their way across a window made of glass that refracted the light from the glowing blue shield into beautiful patterns of color that played along the back wall. But what they noticed most wasn’t the door itself—it was what was outside it. Beyond the double doors was the city of Stalliongrad. The portal had taken them right to ground level. Jigsaw began to laugh. He couldn’t believe they were actually going to make it out of this alive! Outside the doors could be seen the slick, high-tech buildings he had been glimpsing in the elevators for so long. Ponies outside were going about their lives, eating at restaurants, laughing among themselves, and even operating slick-looking vehicles on narrow streets. Together, they pushed open the double doors of the tower and walked out into the bustle of Stalliongrad. Minutes earlier… The elevator entrance in the library whooshed open. Cerulean cowered behind a bookshelf. She didn’t need to look. She could already see the dancing red light casting the shadow of a unicorn on the wall. Rubidium came around the corner and faced Cerulean. His horn looked as though it was on fire—a huge corona of red energy emanated from his horn, making him difficult to look at directly. When he spoke, the volume nearly shook books off the shelves. “You let them escape?” he said. “How can you be so incompetent! Do you understand what this means?” Cerulean didn’t respond. Rubidium let out a roar of rage and a torrent of red energy flew from the tip of his horn and hit Cerulean. She began to scream and writhe. Her coat began to lose its elasticity and vibrant blue color. After a few moments of this, Rubidium stepped back, breaking the connection. “Be thankful I didn’t take it all.” Cerulean, who now had the appearance of a pony 40 years her elder, didn’t respond. Instead, she simply lay curled into a ball and sobbed. Rubidium trotted over to her and lifted her face in his hoof. “Tell me you’re thankful,” he hissed, “or I take it all.” Cerulean looked up, a look of anguish and anger etched on to her face. “Thank you.” Rubidium dropped her head and walked back to the elevator, riding it back up. Cerulean made a decision. She adjusted the device under her wing until it glowed a deep red color and pressed down on it. She flashed out of the library and reappeared an instant later in the hallway leading to the Attenuator’s chambers. The screams that usually filled the hall were quieter today. Cerulean guessed that the facility’s lockdown meant it was pulling less power, thus reducing the pull of the Attenuator. She opened the door at the far end of the hallway with her override password and entered. In the center of the room was a decrepit, white, female unicorn, strapped on to a table. Two crystalline rods extended from the ceiling, stopping about three feet from her horn. From each rod, an extremely bright plume of magical energy billowed into her horn, to be converted into usable power. The power was drawn away by a large, metallic ring-like device clamped around the base of her horn. Upon hearing Cerulean’s entrance, the Attenuator opened her eyes. Cerulean caught her glance and began walking over to her. The Attenuator braced herself for what she though was going to be some fresh punishment, but instead Cerulean simply whispered, “I’m sorry.” Cerulean then slowly made her way over to the main control panel for the facility, located on the far side of the Attenuator's chamber. She opened the lockdown protocol and entered the code for the override. The computer prompted her with a text box asking “Lockdown deactivation message?” In the box, she typed two words. “Good luck.” The red lights on the control panel all turned green as the portals came back on line. The screams of the Attenuator started fresh and clear and the power requirements for the facility shot up. The sweet, tinkly music that accompanied attenuation also grew in volume. Cerulean walked up to face the Attenuator, who did her best to suppress the screams. Cerulean began to speak. “I may have lost years of my life, but I can stop it from ever happening again.” She then turned back to the console and entered her emergency keycode.", "The screams of the Attenuator started fresh and clear and the power requirements for the facility shot up. The sweet, tinkly music that accompanied attenuation also grew in volume. Cerulean walked up to face the Attenuator, who did her best to suppress the screams. Cerulean began to speak. “I may have lost years of my life, but I can stop it from ever happening again.” She then turned back to the console and entered her emergency keycode. Power to the entire facility was cut, leaving only the shield intact. For the first time in her memory, the Attenuator felt the pain ebb away. Cerulean turned to leave. Before she did, however, the Attenuator spoke in a voice that sounded every bit as sweet as the music accompanying attenuation. “Thank you. For the first time in a long time, I have hope.” Cerulean had never heard the Attenuator speak before. She smiled to herself, turned the teleportation plate under her wing to its green setting, and pressed it. She vanished in a flash of light." ]

[ "Antipodes Chapter 12 By PK Jigsaw stood on the pavement, staring up at the towering buildings overhead. He was about to speak when he received a jab in the side from one of Tiptoe’s wings. “Ow! What was that fo-” he stopped short, interrupted by Tiptoe’s glare. Slowly, he began to take notice of his surroundings. His attention slipped from the architecture to his immediate surroundings to the general attitude of the ponies surrounding him. They were all walking with their heads lowered, eyes set resolutely forward. Jigsaw, with his head up and mouth open, looked very out of place. He quickly lowered his head and walked side by side with Tiptoe. He still couldn’t help the occasional glance up, though. The hyaline spires of the city extended hundreds of feet skyward—but, they were all dwarfed by the tower they had just left. It extended several times higher than even the highest building near it, thousands of feet high, piercing the sky like a needle. It appeared even more piecemeal than the rooms inside it had led him to believe- it appeared as though it had once been a much smaller tower that had been continually built upon. The base was rectangular and dark, though as the tower ascended, the exterior changed many times, from orbicular walls to the final, sleek, antennae-like point at the very top. The exact center of the shimmering protective dome around the city radiated out of this central point, encasing the city in its constantly billowing blue light. The effect was something like the bottom of a pool, though the warm, white lights of the city helped to lessen the effect. The city itself was immaculately clean. Ponies were filing in and out of several nearby buildings. They quickly assumed the same head-down posture that everypony had, quickly making their way away from the tower. The sidewalks were made of a white material that felt something like rubber. The roads were made out of what looked like black volcanic glass, though Jigsaw knew that would be an exceptionally bad material to build a road out of. As they walked along, some ponies shot them strange looks, but they weren’t bothered. After a few hundred feet of walking, Tiptoe and Jigsaw came to a crossroads. The road curved off to the right in one direction and continued straight on in the other. This far from the tower, the ponies were beginning to raise their heads and talk to each other. Tiptoe nudged Jigsaw and gestured with her nose towards a space in between two buildings right where the roads diverged, and they slipped inside. Tiptoe was the first to speak. “Jigsaw, where are we going to go?” Her voice quavered, as if she was unsure of herself. Jigsaw still hadn’t quite recovered from the shock of the city. He had a wide-eyed, stunned expression on his face. “What are you talking about?” “Yeah, we escaped,” Tiptoe said, “But we’re still in danger. We have nowhere to go!” However, before Jigsaw could respond, a bright flash of red light and a sharp crack came from the entrance to the alleyway. When the light had faded, a small band of ponies was blocking the exit. Around their midriffs, they all had a red jumpsuit encircled by a black stripe. At the head of a the pack was a gargantuan, forest-green earth pony. Embedded in his shoulder was a small, round disc that was currently flashing red. When he spoke, his voice was harsh and raspy. “Did you think you could escape from Rubidium that easily?” he hissed, walking forward slowly. “W-who are you?” Tiptoe said. She began edging backward, and Jigsaw quickly followed her. “We’re who Rubidium sends when he wants something dealt with,” said a small blue pegasus who emerged from behind the burly green pony. Her voice was dripping with malice. She looked directly at Tiptoe when she said “dealt with”. Jigsaw’s horn flared to life and he stepped forward. “Stay away from her!” he shouted. The group of ponies looked at each other briefly before breaking into derisive laughter. The green pony moved out of the center to allow a gray unicorn to take the center stage. His horn began to glow with a dim white light and Jigsaw was thrown against the concrete wall of the building next to him. Tiptoe gasped, but Jigsaw stood up and shook off the shock. He didn’t try to take the offensive again, however. “What do you want?” he demanded. “Our orders are to capture you,” the gray unicorn replied. “The girl is disposable.” At this, Jigsaw bristled in anger. Tiptoe’s back was against the wall now. Jigsaw was directly in front of her. Rubidium’s hit squad moved in slowly. The gray unicorn’s horn was glowing brighter. Jigsaw looked over his shoulder at Tiptoe, and in that instant, they both understood what the other was thinking. Jigsaw crouched down, and the group of ponies advancing towards them were momentarily taken aback. Then, Tiptoe leapt up, grabbing Jigsaw’s midriff and pumping her wings furiously. They sailed over the stunned ponies and landed back near the mouth of the alleyway. “Run!” Tiptoe screamed, and they took off. Rubidium’s hit squad wasn’t stunned for long, though. They raced after them. The chase was on. Jigsaw and Tiptoe galloped down the roads, blowing past crowds of highly confused-looking ponies. The strange vehicles driving down the roads slammed to a halt when they saw the strange pursuit. Jigsaw glanced over his shoulder to see the blue pegasus rapidly gaining on them, her wings flapping furiously. Jigsaw directed Tiptoe around a corner. They were now running parallel to the edge of the shimmering shield. Jigsaw glanced back again and saw, to his relief, that there didn’t appear to be anyone following them. He was just about to slow down when Tiptoe yelled, “Stop!” Jigsaw whipped his head back around to find that the group of red-banded ponies had somehow managed to beat them to the end of the street and were now running towards them. Jigsaw dug his hooves into the sidewalk and skidded to a stop, then quickly turned direction and galloped away. Tiptoe had taken off and was now flying slightly ahead of Jigsaw. “Tiptoe!” Jigsaw yelled. Tiptoe slowed down slightly so as to be next to Jigsaw. “What?” she called. “We have to get inside somewhere and fight them off! We can’t just run forever!” Jigsaw said. “You’re right!” Tiptoe shouted back. “But how can we ever hope to fight off these ponies?” They didn’t have to wait long to find out. They barrelled around a corner and down an alley only to find that their path was blocked by the rather imposing front doors to one of the many giant towers. They turned around only to find that the group of ponies standing at the mouth of the alley again. The green earth pony stepped forward. “Really, you two? All that running to end up in exactly the same situation?” The blue pegasus swooped up into the air. “And don’t think you can try that fancy flying trick again. This time, I’m ready.” Jigsaw noticed a faint metallic scent in the air. Suddenly, a bolt of what appeared to be lightning shot from one side of the alleyway to the other, stopping the progression of the hitponies. Tiptoe stared at Jigsaw. “Did you do that?” “No!” Jigsaw said, stunned. “I can’t do anything like tha-” He was interrupted by a sudden blast of light and heat. He and Tiptoe were pushed back into the wall by the force of the blast. When the light faded, a single female, inky black unicorn was standing between Tiptoe and Jigsaw and the hitsquad. Her shoulder appeared to have a somewhat large, glowing rectangle set in it, reminiscent of the green pony’s, only much more bulky looking. Her cutie mark showed a stylized orange-and-yellow wisp. The burly green pony stood there in shock for a moment. The pegasus quickly landed, and the unicorn lowered his head. “So, Rubidium actually decided to send you after these new arrivals? Why is that?” the black pony said. Her posture was strangely laid-back, in stark comparison to the hitsquad, who looked as though they might snap at any moment. Tiptoe silently wondered why this simple unicorn inspired such fear in this elite squad. “None of your business, Incendia. What are you doing here?” The burly green pony said, his voice even lower and raspier than usual. Every muscle in his body was tense. Incendia, to Jigsaw and Tiptoe’s shock, actually sat down and began to exam the alleyway. “I don’t think I’ve ever been to his particular district before. Lovely outdoor gardens.” “You didn’t answer my question,” the green earth pony snarled. “Oh, fine then, if you insist. I’m here to do what I always do! Save people and ruin your day.” She turned her head and winked at Jigsaw and Tiptoe, though they couldn’t help by notice that she was beginning to tense up too. Then, with a shout and a flash of white light, bedlam broke out. The gray unicorn had lifted what seemed to be an entire car and hurled it at Incendia, while the blue pegasus followed not far behind. Incendia responded in a split second. She hit the button on her shoulder, and she vanished in a blast of heat and light. She reappeared a few seconds later directly behind the group. The car hit the ground and skidded to a stop only a few feet from where Jigsaw and Tiptoe were standing. Incendia’s horn began to glow deep orange, and she began to chuckle. Then, without warning, her whole body erupted into flames. From her horn spouted what looked like a gigantic whip of fire, which she swung around a few times before lashing out and the burly green pony. He quickly jumped aside and galloped out of the alleyway, shouting instructions to his cohorts. The two other ponies quickly galloped out into the street to join him. Jigsaw and Tiptoe cautiously approached the mouth of the alleyway to get a view of the action. Incendia was now engulfed in flames. The blue pegasus struggled to dodge the flaming tip of the whip as it flew through the air. She wasn’t fast enough, though. The flaming whip caught her in the side, ripping apart her red banner, and creating a deep cut down her flank, bisecting her cutie mark, a soaring bird of prey. She went spiraling to the ground. The unicorn levitated a large table from a nearby house and hurled towards the flaming unicorn. Incendia reacted instantly. The fiery whip zig-zagged through the air, wrapping around the table like a lasso. She spun around on the spot and swung the table through the air. She released it and sent it flying towards the gray unicorn. It soared through the air, smoldering slightly from where it had been in contact with the length of fire. The gray unicorn’s horn began to glow, but it was too late. The table collided with him with a loud, dull thump and he fell backwards. His head slammed against the strange material of the sidewalk and he stopped moving. The green earth pony glanced to his fallen comrades and then turned his head and began to manipulate the device in his shoulder. Incendia’s eyes widened and she shot out a tongue of flame, but too late. With a press of the disc, a strange shimmering effect surrounded the green earth pony. The flaming strand deflected off it, causing the field to ripple. The green pony charged at Incendia. She attempted to jump out of the way, but the green pony was surprisingly quick for his size. He collided into her and she tumbled backwards off of the road and onto a small stone bench on the sidewalk. Her flames went out. She sat up slowly. The green pony galloped over to her, then turned his back. He raised his back legs as if preparing to kick her. Jigsaw and Tiptoe looked away- nopony could possibly survive a buck to the head from such a large pony. Fortunately, Incendia had her wits about her enough to duck down. The green pony’s hooves hit the stone of the bench harmlessly. With what looked like a great effort, Incendia ignited herself again. She rolled out from under the green pony and bent her head down. A small bright white light began glowing at the tip of her horn. The green pony opened his mouth in shock, but it was too late. From the white point, a concussive blast of flame leapt out. Jigsaw and Tiptoe ducked to the side of the alleyway to avoid the intense heat radiating out from the wave of fire. The green pony’s shield remained intact, but the blast knocked him off his hooves. He hit the ground hard and skidded several feet. He didn’t get back up. Incendia gave one final look around before extinguishing her flames. She suddenly swayed on her feet and had to brace herself to stop from falling over. She was panting heavily. Jigsaw and Tiptoe ran out to see her. “That was incredible!” Jigsaw said. “Who are you? Why did you save us?” Tiptoe shot a disapproving glance at Jigsaw. “More importantly, are you okay?” Incendia straightened up a little, though she was still panting hard. “My name is Incendia. I’ve come to rescue you.” “But who are you?” Jigsaw insisted. “Why are you trying to rescue us? How did you find us?” “I’m from the resistance movement,” Incendia said, “and as for ‘why’ and ‘how’, I think it would be best if I showed you. Come with me. I promise you, we’re the good guys.” Tiptoe and Jigsaw shared a look. “We don’t really have any choice, way I see it.” Tiptoe said. “Good.” Incendia let out a weak smile. Many things happened at once. Incendia’s eyes suddenly focused on a point directly behind Jigsaw and Tiptoe. They turned their heads to follow her line of sight and saw the gray unicorn was back on his hooves, a small chunk of concrete levitating over his head. He let out a shriek and launched it towards them. Incendia jumped forward, forcing Tiptoe and Jigsaw out of the way. The spinning chunk of concrete struck her on the right front leg, and she screamed in agony. With a sickeningly loud crack, the leg bent backwards- far more than a leg ever should. She collapsed to the ground, whimpering. Her leg was splayed out at an impossible angle. Jigsaw and Tiptoe ran in front of her, blocking the gray unicorn’s path. Before they could get a chance to retaliate, however, a loud clicking sound came from behind them. Incendia had pressed the rectangular device embedded into her shoulder. Instantly, Jigsaw and Tiptoe felt as though they were being torn apart. They were being alternately pulled on at all sides and then compressed. Breathing was nearly impossible. Then, when they thought they couldn’t take it anymore, the suddenly slammed to the ground. Jigsaw felt as though he had just been run over by a large boulder- his whole body ached. Judging from Tiptoe’s shocked expression, he figured she did too. They were in a small, unassuming room that appeared to have been quickly and shoddily made out of wood. There was no furniture, only a single electric light hung from a ceiling. Then, with a fresh blast of light and heat, Incendia appeared before them. She crumpled to the ground. Immediately, two other ponies- a female unicorn and a male pegaus- rushed into the room. When they saw Jigsaw and Tiptoe, their faces lit up with joy. It was short-lived, however, because they soon noticed Incendia lying in a heap on the ground, her right leg splayed out at an unnatural angle. The next entrant into the room surprised Jigsaw more than anything else. Cerulean stepped through the doorway, her trademark smile replaced with one that appeared genuine." ]

[ "Antipodes Chapter 13 By PK Jigsaw simply stared in shock and horror at Cerulean. It was undoubtedly the same pony, though she appeared to have aged twenty years since their escape from the library—her fur had lost its lustrous blue sheen, her wings had become ruffled and flat. Her walk, however, was upright and proud, a distinct change from her simpering disposition she exhibited in Rubidium’s tower. Tiptoe recovered from the shock first. She flared her wings outward and marched towards Cerulean. “What are you doing here?” she seethed. Before Cerulean could respond, Incendia spoke. She was standing propped between the two ponies that had entered earlier, her leg still splayed out painfully. When she spoke, her voice was clearly strained. “We know she used to work with Rubidium. She defected to our side and gave us some very valuable intel.” “Oh?” Tiptoe shot back. “What intel did she give you that was so important?” “Well, she told us how to find you, among other things.” Tiptoe opened her mouth as if to respond, then closed it again. Cerulean smiled weakly. The two ponies holding up Incendia led her over to a small cot that folded out of the wall at the far corner of the room. They began bandaging her injured leg. “I know you don’t trust me,” Cerulean said, “and I know I have no reason to expect you to. That being said, will you allow me to explain my motivations?” Tiptoe had a sour expression on her face, but she walked over to commune with Jigsaw. “We might as well hear what she has to say. If what Incendia says is true, Cerulean saved our lives.” “No, Incendia saved our lives,” Tiptoe muttered, though it was more to herself than anypony else. She nodded, and Cerulean began to speak. “Rubidium, as you are no doubt aware by now, is a tyrant. However, you have been shielded from the worst of what he can do. I was his assistant. I’ve found out more than most anyone else in Stalliongrad ever has, and it goes far deeper than anyone can imagine.” “And just why did you suddenly have this change of heart?” Tiptoe asked with more than a touch of venom. “I’m getting to that,” Cerulean assured, “just hold on.” She began again. When she spoke, her voice was hesitant and her words were carefully chosen. “I didn’t become Rubidium’s assistant of my own free will to begin with. My family…they couldn’t afford to keep me. We lived near the barrier, you see.” “Why should that affect anything?” Tiptoe queried. “The more affluent ponies live closer to the center of the city. No one that can afford it lives near the barrier. It may keep the worst of Tantalus’ onslaught off, but…it doesn’t keep everything out. My family…they lived right on the border.” At this point, she fell silent, staring at the ground. After a few moments, she spoke again. “As I said, they gave me up. Most ponies given up to the government just get drained, but–” This time, it was Jigsaw that interrupted. “What exactly does that mean, ‘drained’? We heard some security guards mention it.” Cerulean looked at Jigsaw with sadness in her eyes. “Draining is how Rubidium keeps order. How he instills fear in the populace. And…and how he stays alive.” “What?” Jigsaw and Tiptoe said in unison. Behind them, Incendia shifted uncomfortably on the cot, her leg fully bandaged in a reflective, silvery fabric. “Rubidium’s reign of terror didn’t just start recently,” Cerulean said. “He’s been ruling for the past ten thousand years.” Jigsaw and Tiptoe’s eyes grew wide with shock. Neither of them spoke for a few moments, but soon Jigsaw managed to squeak out “How?” “Draining. Draining is the process by which Rubidium steals a pony’s life. He’s the cause of my…” she faltered. “…my current condition. It’s also why nopony has overthrown him throughout his entire reign. Well…” she glanced at Incendia. “At least not successfully, anyway.” Incendia chose this moment to attempt to get off the cot. She stood unsteadily on her three good legs, holding her bandaged leg just above the ground. She limped forward, and the two other ponies followed her closely, ready to catch her if her balance wavered. She approached the small group near the doorway. “We can’t stay here too long. This is only supposed to be an intermediary safe spot, and we’ve already left far too much evidence behind.” She glanced behind her at the charred spot on the ground where they had teleported in. She began to fiddle with the settings on the pad embedded in her shoulder. It was changing colors rapidly, before it settled a glowing orange hue. “Don’t you think I should do it?” Cerulean offered. “After all, you are injured, and we carrying six ponies, and—” she stopped after an icy look from Incendia. Tiptoe was surprised a fire pony could look so cold. She hit the button on her shoulder. The familiar disorientation and discomfort that accompanied their earlier trip through the teleporter returned, magnified what felt like five times. The whirling colors whizzed past them at incredible speeds, and they felt as though forces from all sides were alternately pulling and compressing them. Eventually, when they felt they couldn’t take anymore, they tumbled out of the light and pressure in a heap and into a small, brilliantly white room. There was a moment of panic as Jigsaw struggled for breath, but after a few seconds his lungs opened up. He gasped for air, and the others soon followed. The all stood up, and Incendia hobbled over to the door and pressed a small button on a panel next to the door. Immediately, a blue beam of light swept down over the ponies in the room, and the light on the panel flashed twice before turning green. The door swung open. “It’s safe to come in. Sorry about the rough teleport. Hopefully we can fix that soon.” Incendia said. “How exactly do those work?” asked Jigsaw. “Jigsaw,” Cerulean began, “I understand you have a lot of questions, but I can’t answer them all at once. It’s best that we focus on what’s pertinent.” “Oh, alright,” Jigsaw conceded. Together, the group filed into the room, with Incendia leading the group and Cerulean trailing in the back. They were lead through several narrow, metallic corridors, each one with branching hallways. Incendia lead them through an extremely complex, labyrinthine pathway, and Jigsaw couldn’t help but feel that it was intentionally designed that way. “Why is it always underground?” Tiptoe muttered to herself. “Why can’t the resistance have a nice, open-air office?” Jigsaw chuckled and glanced over his shoulder at the pegasus, who blushed when she realized she had been overheard. Before too long, they arrived at a small, domed underground area. Jigsaw was struck by how similar the room looked to the much larger area that they had used to teleport into Stalliongrad in the first place. Fortunately, this room did not lock down upon entry. The two unknown ponies gave a bow to Incendia and backed out of the room. “Welcome, everypony, to the headquarters of the resistance!” As she spoke, the room came to life. A large holographic image of the city, complete with shimmering magical shield, was projected in the center of the room. The glittering light from the image of the shield cast a cool, blue light around the room, illuminating it with much more clarity than the small, white lights inlaid in the wall. The room was less similar to the underground bunker than Jigsaw initially thought. Three rows of seats surrounded them, and a central table lay directly beneath the hologram. Incendia cantered over to the table. “Well, Cerulean,” Incendia said, “you may continue.” Cerulean nodded and turned towards the two ponies sitting together on the other side of the table. “Where was I? Draining? Yes. Most ponies given up to the government are used for Rubidium to feed on. Families that give up their children get a monetary benefit, but it’s barely enough to survive on. Still, ponies are desperate.” “So how were you not drained?” Tiptoe inquired. “I…I still don’t know. Rubidium simply picked me out of a lineup and made me his assistant. I always just assumed there was an opening. Naturally, I was terrified. At first, I wasn’t told much of anything. I was sent out on mysterious errands with no explanation as to why or what I was accomplishing. Over time, however, I began to earn a reputation for my…results. I always accomplished my goal, because I was so frightened of what would happen if I didn’t. Eventually, I qualified for one of these.” She turned her head to point towards the gently pulsating disc on her shoulder. “They’re formally called Personal Transportation Devices, but most everypony just calls them teleporters. All higher-up government ponies get them implanted so they can travel around the city unimpeded.” Incendia spoke up at this point. “Not the resistance, though. We had to make our own. As you’ve experienced, it’s…rougher than the official version. We don’t exactly have the best materials or information to work with. Rubidium runs a very tight ship. That is, until Cerulean here came along. She brought such a wealth of knowledge with her that we couldn’t turn her away.” “But do you entirely trust her?” Tiptoe asked. Incendia and Cerulean’s eyes met for a brief moment. An understanding seemed to pass between them. “No. But the resistance is struggling. The two ponies you saw in here earlier? That’s it. That’s all that’s left. We’ve been getting worn down for months and we haven’t had any new recruits. I was worried that we were going to get wiped out…until Cerulean showed up. So no, I don’t entirely trust her, but we’re at the end of our rope and I have to take opportunities as they come.” Tiptoe looked down at the table and nodded slowly. “I understand.” A small smile appeared on Cerulean’s face as she looked at Tiptoe. “Thank you. I won’t let you down.” Her gaze moved from Tiptoe to Jigsaw, and her smile fell. “Unfortunately, there is one other matter of importance we have to discuss. And the concerns—” “The Attenuator.” Jigsaw interrupted. “They said I was her replacement. Who is she, and why am I due to replace her?” Cerulean took a deep breath before she began speaking. “The Attenuator is the backbone of the city. The fragment of Celestia in the city’s underbelly is the power source, but the power is raw and unrefined. That’s where the Attenuator comes in. The power from the fragment is funnelled up from the fragment and into a special room in the tower where the Attenuator is kept. We’re not entirely sure what it is—some quality of the unicorn’s special talent, natural ability, or possibly just personality allows them to convert the raw power from the fragment into pure, clean power. The process is…extremely painful. Rubidium takes every unicorn given up to him down to the fragment’s chamber. Most of the time, the door guarding the fragment won’t open under any circumstances. I don’t know why. Rubidium does, but he would never tell. Anyways, whenever a unicorn capable of attenuation approaches the door, it will open. They can even approach—and in some cases, touch—the fragment.” Jigsaw sat upright on his chair, staring intently at Cerulean. Tiptoe glanced back and forth between the two. The look of intensity on Jigsaw’s face was almost frightening. “Attenuators are exceedingly rare. Attenuation shortens the lifespan of the pony in question, and as they age, the power output drops. It can be…unpleasant when they need to be replaced. Sometimes we have been forced to…to artificially extend the life of the Attenuator. The current one has been around for over one hundred and thirty years. Your arrival was so fortuitous because Rubidium had begun to believe that whatever quality that lead to successful attenuation had gone extinct. The power output had been dropping dramatically for decades, and soon we wouldn’t have been able to maintain city infrastructure. He was becoming desperate. When I let you two escape he was furious. Angry enough to take it out on me. He drained years off my life, after all I did for him, all the years I had already sacrificed in his service! It was the final straw. I couldn’t take it anymore. I couldn’t watch one more pony undergo the draining process. So, I gathered up all the information on the tower as I could, released the lockdown, and defected.” “That’s what Rubidium wants me for?” Jigsaw said, his voice shaking. “He wants to torture me for my entire life just to generate power?” “That’s the long and short of it, yes,” Cerulean confirmed. Tiptoe spoke up before Jigsaw could respond. “He has to be stopped!” Jigsaw nodded emphatically. “He can’t be allowed to do this. Not just to me. To every pony in the city.” Incendia smiled. “So. Jigsaw, Tiptoe. Would you like to join the resistance?” Jigsaw and Tiptoe looked at each other for a brief moment, then turned to Incendia. “Yes,” Jigsaw said, “we would.” “Excellent! Follow me.” Incendia said. The entire group stood up, and Incendia lead them out the door they had come from. They continued down a metal passageway to a small room on the left. It was very plain and undecorated. Two cots folded down from the wall on the far side and a computer terminal glowed on the right wall. On the left, a small door lead to what was ostensibly a bathroom. “This is where you’ll be staying. Sorry it isn’t fancier, but it’s all we have.” Incendia said. One of the ponies that had helped prop her up earlier appeared at her side, a saddlebag draped over his back. Incendia’s horn glowed orange, and a small, rectangular device similar to the one in her shoulder floated out of the bag. “Don’t worry,” she said with a smile, “we’re not going to implant this one. This is just for emergencies. If the base comes under attack, stand near the device and simply press down on the button. You’ll be transported somewhere safe. Jigsaw caught the floating disc in his mouth and carried it over to one of the cots on the wall. He bent down and set it under the cot. “Well, I’ll leave you two alone, I think. You’ve had quite the day.” “I’d appreciate that. The only sleep I’ve gotten was when I was unconscious in the tower, and that wasn’t exactly restful.” Tiptoe said. Jigsaw nodded in agreement, and Incendia stepped back out of the room. Jigsaw turned and began trotting towards the cot, when he suddenly turned around. “Incendia!” he yelled. “Wait a second!” Incendia look back. “Yes?” “Can you send the details from Cerulean’s files to the terminal in the room?” “Of course, I’ll send them right over. Just remember to get some sleep. We have a big day tomorrow.” On that note, the door to the room slid shut, and Tiptoe and Jigsaw were alone. Jigsaw turned back to the cot and climbed upon it. Tiptoe climbed onto the one next to him. They turned to face each other, and Jigsaw let out a sigh. “I’m scared, Tiptoe. Really scared. It was almost better when I didn’t know what the Attenuator was…it’s worse than anything I could have imagined.” Tiptoe looked at Jigsaw sadly. “I know. I can’t imagine what it must be like for you.” There was a moment of silence as Jigsaw stared at the glowing computer on the wall. “Do you ever think about home?” he said quietly. “I haven’t had much time, honestly,” Tiptoe replied. “But yeah, I have.” “I wonder how it’s holding up,” he said. “It’s been, what, a week? Two? I can’t even keep track anymore. Either way, the water pressure will have stared falling significantly by now. The arboretum will have had to cut back on water dramatically if not altogether.” “Is there no chance they could have fixed the pipes by now?” Tiptoe asked. “I know that you were the head of the water department, but you had ponies working under you, right?” “Of course I did. But this wasn’t something simple like a burst pipe or even an invasion by monsters. The entire main command module for the entire network was blown out of the ceiling! That couldn’t be rebuilt in a decade, let alone a few weeks. I suppose it’s possible that with some good luck they could have patched some of the leaks and salvaged a little more pressure out of the system, but I doubt anypony would have figured out what had happened in time.” Tiptoe nodded slowly. “So, it’s hopeless?” “Not entirely, but I just don’t know how they could have…let’s not dwell on it. We have a new society to save.” Tiptoe chuckled despite herself. “How did we ever get involved in all this? Saving civilizations? Wandering around the surface of Equestria? It all seems like something out of a story.” “Yeah, it does.” Jigsaw mused. “But the stakes are very real. The fate of this entire city is apparently resting on me. Why me? What did I ever do to deserve this? What makes me suitable to be an Attenuator?” “I don’t know,” Tiptoe said, “but we can’t let them get you. We have to fight back. All we can do is hope that Incendia has a decent plan.” Jigsaw nodded. “Tiptoe?” “Yes?” “I don’t know what I would do if you weren’t here.” Tiptoe blushed. “I don’t know what I would do without you either.” Jigsaw jumped off the bed and did something that shocked Tiptoe—he kissed her. Tiptoe blinked in surprise. “Wha—but I thought you said you didn’t want to get into a relationship? I thought you said it was too dangerous?” “Tiptoe, there’s a psychotic, practically immortal, immensely powerful unicorn that wants to strap me into a torture chair for hundreds of years and turn me into a magical transformer. At this point, I’ve been forced to realize my priorities. And first and foremost is you.” Without another word, Jigsaw trotted away from the cot and to the computer terminal, where an image of the teleportation pad appeared onscreen. Tiptoe laid down and smiled to herself. She closed her eyes and dozed off, the light from the terminal and Jigsaw’s horn casting long, spindly shadows on the wall behind her." ]

[ "Antipodes Chapter 14 By PK Jigsaw’s eyes opened. He blinked almost at once at the harsh, fluorescent light that was illuminating the room. He rolled off the cot and stood up, blinking the sleep out of his eyes. The door to the bathroom opened and Tiptoe cantered out. Upon seeing Jigsaw standing at the foot of his cot, she smiled. “Oh, you’re finally awake!” she said.” You stayed up so late with the terminal that I thought it would be better to let you sleep. I’ve been up for a few hours already. I left you your breakfast on my cot.” She gestured towards the cot with her head where a small meal was sitting on a metal tray. “Oh, thank Celestia,” Jigsaw said, “I’m starving.” He walked over to the tray and sat on the bed. His horn began to glow with a faint blue aura as the food floated to his mouth. Tiptoe trotted over and sat next to him. “So,” Jigsaw asked in between bites of salad, “what’s on the agenda for today? Did you get any news from Incendia?” “Yeah, she told me to bring you back to the main chamber once you’d woken up and finished eating.” “Did she say what for?” Jigsaw asked. “No,” Tiptoe said, “she said we should both be there.” Jigsaw finished off the salad and stood up. “Well, I suppose we ought to go, then.” Together, they set off down the hallway. Jigsaw wondered for a moment how they would find their way to the main chamber after all the twists and turns it had taken to get to their room, but at the first fork in the hallway Jigsaw noticed a small strip of lights along the ceiling had been illuminated. He assumed that they lead to the main chamber and followed them. He was right. After several minutes of following the twisting corridor, they entered back into the large, domed chamber. Incendia was seated at one side of a large table in the center of the room. Above her, a large holographic image of the familiar sun-and-moon insignia blazed, illuminating the room with a warm glow. Incendia looked up as they crossed the threshold and smiled. “I’m glad you’re up. We have a lot of work to do.” she said. She got up from the table and walked around it. Jigsaw was shocked to see that her leg was unbandaged and appeared to support her weight. Incendia noticed Jigsaw’s stare. “Medical technology has come pretty far in the last few thousand years. A broken leg won’t put you out of commission for long, if you have the supplies.” Jigsaw nodded appreciatively. “That’s good to know.” Incendia smiled and said “Now, we do have some business to attend to. We have to use the teleporter, so brace yourselves. We’re going to take a little tour of the city near the outskirts so you can see just how bad things are.” Jigsaw and Tiptoe nodded in acknowledgement. They gritted their teeth as Incendia hit the button on the teleporter. They began the now-familiar process of being tossed from side to side, though it seemed less intense than it had before. With a jarring jolt, the world solidified, and they were standing in a very small, very rundown shack that seemed to be made out of plastic sheets. It was barely large enough for the three of them to fit in. “Just follow me and don’t say anything,” Incendia instructed. She led them out of the shack and onto a rough dirt street. Jigsaw and Tiptoe almost gasped in shock at what they saw. Stretching out before them were row after row of the same shabby buildings they had just come out of. Extremely downtrodden and emaciated ponies wandered around on the narrow dirt street. None of the sleek, shiny vehicles could be seen here. Tall smokestacks in the distance belched black smoke, most of which blew mercifully out of the shimmering dome, but what didn’t settled near ground level and made the air smell sooty and thick. Far off, Rubidium’s tower could be seen rising ominously out of the center of the city, surrounded by the much smaller peaks of the other towers. Incendia began walking directly away from the tower. They reluctantly followed her. Tiptoe couldn’t help but notice the other ponies’ reactions to Incendia. They would glance up and see the teleporter embedded in her shoulder and their eyes would grow wide. Some wore expressions of joy, others of fear, on most it was a mix of both. They would retreat into shacks or side streets on her approach. Within moments, the entire street was clear. Incendia didn’t walk like the other ponies, either. She held her head high and walked quickly. She didn’t show any signs of the limp from the previous day. They were rapidly approaching the edge of the city. After only a few minutes of walking, they reached it. The shimmering blue barrier terminated just ahead of them. The blue light that shone off of it seemed to drown out all the other colors of the city. Even Incendia’s fiery mane seemed to lose its luster under the blue light. Incendia’s horn glowed a bright reddish-orange hue and a small rock lifted off the ground. She tossed it through the shield. As soon as it made contact, there was a flash of light and a concussive burst of air that nearly destabilized Tiptoe. On the other side of the glittering wall of light was a small pile of ash. Incendia began to speak. “You’ve already seen the inner city, where those with the money live. The rest of the ponies are forced out here, to the slums. The barrier protects, yes, but anything that comes into contact with it will be instantly destroyed. They ponies living here have to deal with the constant possibility of death because of something as simple as a misstep. Not to mention this is Rubidium’s prime feeding grounds. Nopony will notice if a pony goes missing in the dead of night from here. It’s awful and it’s wrong, and it’s what we’re sworn to fight for.” As she spoke, smoke began to coil off of her coat and into the air around her. Jigsaw and Tiptoe subconsciously backed away from both her and the barrier a few feet. When Incendia finished, Tiptoe spoke up. “That is awful. I can’t imagine having to live like that.” she said quietly. The smoke rising from Incendia’s coat stopped and she seemed to slacken a little. “Come on. I have something else to show you.” It was then that the lights of the city flickered out and the glittering shield disappeared. ~ Rubidium wiped the blood off his horn, leaving trails of red on the white walls of the Attenuator’s chamber. The attenuator’s body lay slumped on the table, still strapped onto it. The wound in her chest was still fresh. There was a flash of green lightning on the horizon and the ground rumbled and shook. Rubidium smiled. “Won’t be long now.” ~ Incendia’s eyes grew wide. For the first time, Jigsaw saw actual fear in them. When the green light flashed, she turned to Jigsaw and Tiptoe and smashed the button on the teleporter on her shoulder. After another jarring transition, they were back in the underground atrium with the holographic projector, though it was now only projecting a single, weakly lit red bar. Cerulean was already present, but the two unidentified ponies were gone. Incendia glanced at Cerulean who said, “Gone. No idea where they could have gone.” Incendia nodded. “What are we going to do?” she said. Panic was seeping into her voice, and it was clear to Jigsaw and Tiptoe that she had no idea what to do next. Cerulean didn’t answer. She didn’t look as frightened, but she was extremely tense. Suddenly, as image burst into being above the table. Rubidium’s head was floating above the table, as large as a small building. Tiptoe gasped and Jigsaw let out a shout. Incendia cantered up to the table and stood in front the projection. Rubidium chuckled. “Incendia! Glad to see you’re still kicking, so to speak! I heard about your leg. I suppose you’ve notice our little situation with the shield,” he said. “What have you done?” Incendia demanded. Rubidium let out a cold, humorless laugh and his head moved out of the image. Behind it could be seen the Attenuator’s body with what appeared to be a stab wound in her chest. Incdendia stared in shocked disbelief until Rubidium stepped back into the image. She took a deep breath, and spoke in a voice that sounded uncharacteristically weak and shaky. “You’ve signed your own death warrant.” “Have I?” said Rubidium. “If only there were some replacement for the Attenuator handy!” His eyes turned to Jigsaw. “I’m not going to mince words. You have about fifteen minutes before Tantalus gets here. You can either get here before that happens and restart the shield, or you can die along with the rest of the city. I’ll be waiting.” His horn began to glow red, and he let out another cruel laugh. The image went dark. Jigsaw spoke first. “I have to go. I don’t have any other choice. Staying means that this entire city would die, and I can’t allow that.” Tiptoe spoke next. “You can’t go! You’d be stuck there for hundreds of years or more, just like that other pony! It would be a fate worse than death! And all the other ponies would still be living in fear and oppression! I say we focus on fighting Tantalus.” “Impossible,” Incendia interjected, “He’s much too powerful. There’s a reason we needed the power of a goddess to stop him from attacking.” “I think I might have a plan,” Cerulean said, “but it’s dangerous, and might not end well for eve-” They never got to find out the rest of Cerulean’s plan, because at that moment, the entire room shook. The metal groaned and creaked.”Oh... oh no. He miscalculated.” “What do you mean?” Jigsaw said in alarm. “Miscalculated what?” “Tantalus,” Incendia said quietly. “He’s already here.” This time, Cerulean pressed her teleporter button. The world melted away, only to reform itself a moment later. They were standing in another slum, though in a completely different position. The sun was eclipsed behind the tower, and as such, the light from the moon was the only thing that illuminated the buildings. They stood still in the street in silence for a few moments until a massive roar shook the buildings. “Run!” shouted Incendia. The group took off towards the edge of the city, along with what seemed like most of the ponies in the city. Soon, a huge crowd was galloping towards the border. But after only a few minutes of this, Jigsaw stopped and let out a cry of anguish. A splitting pain had suddenly begun in his horn- pain so intense it froze him in his tracks. “What is it? What’s wrong?” Tiptoe said. Her answer came in the form of green flames that suddenly burst into life around the border of the city. Several ponies that had been galloping towards the border couldn’t stop in time and ran right into the flames. The flames flashed in intensity for a brief moment before returning to their jade green color, leaving no trace of the ponies behind. The group stared in horror at the scene unfolding before them. Ponies began running in every direction, and before long, the streets were mostly clear. “What do we do now?” Tiptoe said. “I still have one idea,” Cerulean said. “The portal in Rubidium’s throne room might be able to get us out of here. I have no idea where it would send us, but you two managed to make it work before, so who knows?” Jigsaw and Tiptoe weren’t afforded the opportunity to think it over. An enormously loud roar echoed out from somewhere on their left, and a glance revealed that Tantalus had taken off and was now flying toward the tower. A green corona surrounded him as he flew, leaving swirls and whorls of green mist in his wake. Underneath him, the scene was grisly. The green fire that was blazing at the city edges seemed to follow in his wake, setting alight the shabby shacks and buildings beneath it. As he flew on, the fire lost its green lighting and became orange. Screaming could be heard coming from the burning sections of the city. “We have to help them!” shouted Incendia. She began galloping towards the blazing fires to the east. “Wait! Don’t run towards him!” Jigsaw shouted. Incendia didn’t stop to respond. Jigsaw and Tiptoe shared a glance and made a snap decision—they took after her, Cerulean hot on their heels. They ran through the rubble of what had once been row after row of shabby huts, now reduced to flaming wreckage. As they were running, Tiptoe dodged around a metal beam and lost her footing. She tumbled to the ground. She recovered quickly, though, sitting up and shaking her head. She looked back to see what she had tripped over and screamed in horror. The body of a bright green earth pony was strewn over a small sheet of plastic. Hearing the scream, Jigsaw looked back at Tiptoe only to see her staring in horror at the body of the earth pony. “Stop!” he shouted. His voice held such authority that even Incendia stopped. When she turned to see the scene behind her, her face fell. Jigsaw galloped over to the now sobbing Tiptoe. “Tiptoe,” he began, “I know it’s awful. I know it’s sad. I’ve seen my fair share of dead ponies in the caves back home, but we can’t stop now.” He lifted Tiptoe’s up from the ground and towards him. “Look around. If we don’t move now, we’ll end up just like that. We may still have a chance to save them if we leave now.” Tiptoe looked up and nodded slowly. She got to her feet and joined the main group. “Are you alright, Tiptoe?” Incendia asked. “I think so. I’ve just... I’ve never seen a dead pony before. Not in real life, and not like that. Seeing the Attenuator run through was awful, but this... this is something else.” Her expression slowly hardened, and she looked up into Incendia’s face. “They’re going to pay for this. Both of them.” “That’s the spirit,” Incendia said, though she didn’t look entirely sure of herself. “Now, we have work to do.” They galloped for a few more minutes through the rubble until they had reached the spot where Tantalus had taken off. The destruction was almost unimaginable. Ponies were running madly through the streets, many on fire. The sound of explosions and screaming drowned out the crackling of the fires that still raged all around them. Incendia’s horn began to glow, and suddenly Jigsaw understood why she had taken off towards the fire- she was extinguishing it! As her horn glowed more intensely, the flames around her grew smaller until they went out completely. It was costing her a great effort, however, as she could only extinguish a small area at once. Jigsaw glanced nervously at Tantalus, who by this point was nearly at the tower. “Uh, Incendia?” he said, “Noble as this is, if we don’t leave now, he’s going to destroy the tower.” “I know,” Incendia replied through gritted teeth. “That’s why you have to go on without me. Cerulean, you know what to do.” “We’re not leaving you!” Jigsaw shouted over the roar of sound. “We’re all getting out o–” He didn’t get a chance to finish his sentence. Cerulean had pressed on her shoulder teleporter, and the three ponies had vanished, leaving Incendia behind. The familiar lights and colors surrounded Jigsaw for a moment, but just before the normal moment of departure came, Jigsaw felt the familiar splitting pain in his horn, and the colored lights began to fly past with increasing speed and ferocity. The pressure on all sides of Jigsaw increased, far past the point of Incendia’s teleporter. Jigsaw was gasping for breath and unable to fill his lungs. The colors flying past began to slowly turn into the same bright green shade as Tantalus’ fires. Then, with one final, nearly unbearable compression, the world righted itself. Jigsaw has just enough time to see Cerulean and Tiptoe fall to the ground before he too slumped over, unconscious. ~ Rubidium paced around the Attenuator’s room. He was fuming with rage—the leftover protection from the fragment should have slowed Tantalus more than it had! His only option now was to fight. His horn glowed blood red as the latches on the Attenuator’s table undid themselves. The Attenuator’s body slid off the table and fell to the floor in a heap. Rubidium stood on the platform and his horn glowed even brighter. The attenuation rods in the ceiling rotated in their sockets and once again the white beams of energy shot from them. Rubidium was flung backwards by the force of the energy flowing into him. He tumbled off the table and was forced into the far wall, the attenuation rods faithfully adjusting their angle to continue their stream uninterrupted. Rubidium writhed in pain on the ground of the chamber. Then, as quickly as it had began, the flow of energy ceased. Rubidium lay on the floor of a chamber, curled into a ball for a few moments, smoke rising off his horn. Then, with a moan of pain, he stood up and opened his eyes. His horn began to glow, and his eyes soon followed suit. He bellowed out a laugh, and a ring of red energy rippled out from his horn, shattering the windows of the chamber. ~ Jigsaw woke to Tiptoe’s shouts. He opened his eyes to see her standing above him, saying “Thank Celestia you’re awake! We have to run!” The scene around them was hellish. They were clearly in the upper areas of the city, with its tall, sleek buildings, but it looked as though they had been hit just as hard as the outer areas. The spires were almost all missing their points. Fires raged out of control. Buildings were crumbling from all sides, raining flaming wreckage down on the street, which now had massive cracks and leaked a prismatic fluid that shone with all the colors of the rainbow. “How long was I out? What happened?” Jigsaw asked. “Tantalus interfered with the teleportation,” Cerulean said. “We’re very close to the tower, however. When we get inside, we should be able to take the teleporters up. Those will be much harder to interfere with.” “He knows we’re here?” Jigsaw asked, aghast. “It would appear so, but I think he’s more worried about Rubidium at the moment.” Cerulean responded. “What do you mean, ‘worried’? What does he have to be worried about?” Jigsaw asked. His answer came in the form of a sudden blast of heat and light. The pain in his horn returned in full strength and it took everything he had to keep standing. “What in Equestria was that?” he asked. “Look behind you.” Tiptoe said. Jigsaw whipped his head around in time to see Tantalus bring down his massive fist on a ball of red light that was standing on a street less than 300 yards away. With the strike, another blast of light and heat hit, refreshing the pain in his horn. He didn’t need any further convincing. Without another word, the three ponies took off in the opposite direction of the battling forces, towards the tower. The tower was in bad shape. Large chunks of it were missing, and small waves of energy were pulsing from cords hanging from the severed rooms, causing them to twitch unsettlingly like tentacles. The wind began to pick up behind them, and Tiptoe looked over her shoulder at the battle between Rubidium and Tantalus. Behind Tantalus, one of the taller buildings had been uprooted and was floating in a hazy green field over Rubidium. Tantalus raised his claws upward, then brought them down in a sweeping motion. The tower plowed into the ball of red light surrounding Rubidium and the familiar blast of energy was released, though it seemed to be magnified tenfold with the force of the impact. “Get behind a building!” Tiptoe shouted in horror as a wave of fiery debris flew through the air towards them. Jigsaw and Tiptoe dived into a side alley, but Cerulean wasn’t as fast on her hooves. A flying shard of metal struck her in the side as she turned to jump into the alleyway, and she landed inside in a heap and let out a cry of pain. Tiptoe gasped and ran over to her. The shard of metal was embedded so deep in her midsection that it was protruding from the other side. Blood was gouting from both sides of the wound, and Cerulean was giving horrific gasping sobs. The color was rapidly draining away from her blue coat. The battlefield seemed to have grown calm, for the time being. The only sounds that could be heard were the crumbling of far-off buildings and the crackling of burning fires. “Don’t worry about this!” Tiptoe said through her tears. “It’s all going to be alright. We can make it through this! Just don’t die! For the love of Luna, don’t die!” Tiptoe was crying now too. Blood was beginning to pool under Cerulean, matting her fur. Cerulean looked up at Tiptoe and took a deep, wheezing breath to control her gasping. “At the lobby teleporter... enter ‘six two four four two’ and select the green setting. It will take you where you need to go.” She coughed, and bright crimson blood spattered out of her mouth and onto the wall next to her. With what was supreme effort on her part, she looked up and whispered two words to Tiptoe. “Good... luck.” With that, her head fell to the ground. The blood stopped spurting out of the wound and slowed to a trickle. Tiptoe’s sobbing grew more intense and she threw her front legs around Cerulean’s body. Jigsaw approached and placed his head on Tiptoe’s. His horn glowed with a soft blue light, and Cerulean’s eyelids slid shut. “We have to go now, or her sacrifice will have been in vain.” Jigsaw said, barely audible over the sounds of collapsing rubble outside. Tiptoe stood up and nodded, though her eyes didn’t dry. Jigsaw peered around the corner of the alleyway and, seeing it was clear, signed for Tiptoe to keep following him. Together, they galloped out into the street and headed towards the tower. However, the calm didn’t last long. They were only a few yards out form the entrance when the sharp pain in Jigsaw’s horn returned and a beam of red light shot out from behind them. Jigsaw chose to ignore it. They were rapidly approaching the doors to the tower now. With one final sprint, they barrelled through the remains of the ornate doors and into the lobby. Once inside, Jigsaw didn’t waste any time. His horn began to glow with a blue light and the holographic display burst into life above the teleporter. He entered in the code Cerulean had said and soon a green light was blazing above the platform. “Get on!” Jigsaw called, stepping onto the platform. Tiptoe complied, and the two vanished with a flash of light. A moment later, they appeared in a dark, stone hallway that was shaking as though it was in an earthquake. Dust was crumbling from the walls with every tremor. “Where are we?” Tiptoe shouted over the muffled sounds of explosions and the rumbling of the walls. Jigsaw looked around and saw something familiar- A large, ornately carved stone doorway, symbols glowing almost blindingly white. “It’s the doorway to the fragment of Celestia!” Jigsaw shouted to Tiptoe. “Why would Cerulean send us here?” “She said it would take us where we needed to be... What if we’re supposed to take the fragment with us? To stop Tantalus from getting his claws on it?” “Are you insane?” Tiptoe shouted. “How would we even take it with us?” “I don’t know!” replied Jigsaw. “But we have to try something! Why else would she have sent us here?” Jigsaw approached the door, and the symbols on it began to flow and transform themselves into new orientations.", "“Why would Cerulean send us here?” “She said it would take us where we needed to be... What if we’re supposed to take the fragment with us? To stop Tantalus from getting his claws on it?” “Are you insane?” Tiptoe shouted. “How would we even take it with us?” “I don’t know!” replied Jigsaw. “But we have to try something! Why else would she have sent us here?” Jigsaw approached the door, and the symbols on it began to flow and transform themselves into new orientations. The sun and moon insignia on the door blazed golden, and the door slid open. Jigsaw entered cautiously, his eyes trained on the object in the center of the room. The fragment of Celestia in the center of the room seemed to have swollen to twice the size it was when Jigsaw had seen it before. It still had the appearance of a miniature sun, but it was now cycling through colors. The golden-yellow glow it normally had was being interrupted by flashes of green and red. Jigsaw’s horn began to buzz with the raw power of the fragment. He approached it slowly and cautiously, trying to think how he could transport it off the platform it was on. He attempted to lift it with magic, but the buzzing in his horn simply got more intense, and the miniature sun got more agitated, flashing red and green at an even greater speed. Experimentally, Jigsaw reached out a hoof and lightly tapped the surface of the sphere. To his surprise, there was no pain. It felt soft and pleasantly warm. Jigsaw then lowered his horn and touched the point of it to the sphere. A high-pitched whining began to to emanate from the center of the room and the buzzing in Jigsaw’s horn grew in intensity until he could barely stand it. He attempted to wrench his horn away from the sphere, but it was impossible. “Jigsaw!” Tiptoe shouted. She ran towards him, but when she got to the doorway, some invisible barrier stopped her from entering. The air in front of her seemed to ripple like the surface of a pool. She threw herself into it nonetheless, attempting to break through to Jigsaw, who was now screaming. The sphere was growing brighter and brighter. Then, with a sudden whoosh of air and final flash of golden light, the fragment disappeared. The barrier in front of the door vanished and Tiptoe tumbled in. Jigsaw, miraculously, was still standing. His horn had taken on the appearance of the sphere- swirling pools of golden light flowed along it’s length. “Jigsaw! Are you okay? What happened to the fragment?” Tiptoe said. “I’m... I’m fine, Tiptoe. I’m not sure what happened. I think... I think the fragment’s entered into me, somehow.” “What?” Tiptoe said in shock. “How do you know?” “I can feel it. I don’t really know how to describe it. It’s like a buzzing sensation in my horn.” As he spoke, the golden light faded from his horn, and darkness returned to the room. Jigsaw instinctively lit his horn, flooding the room with cool, blue light. “Does this mean you have the powers of the sphere now?” Tiptoe said. “Can you use them to beat Tantalus?” Jigsaw cocked his head to one side. “No, Tiptoe, it’s not like that. It’s not something I can draw upon. It’s just... there. I think this is what the ability to Attenuate is for. I think it’s for transporting the fragments... to bring them back together.” The end of his sentence was punctuated with a massive blast that nearly shook them off their hooves. “We need to get out of here, at any rate,” Jigsaw said. “Get to the elevator!” They quickly galloped through the hallway to the glass elevator. The platform was resting slightly off-level at the bottom of the tube. Jigsaw stepped on and pressed one of the smooth buttons on the side of the platform. Nothing happened. “Okay, hold on,” Jigsaw said as he lit his horn. The platform was surrounded by a blue aura and began to shoot up the tube. Fortunately, the tube appeared to be intact, and after a few minutes of rising rapidly, they reached the throne room. The view from the windows were obscured by the smoke that was billowing up from the ruins of the city below. Jigsaw and Tiptoe quickly crossed the room and stood on the platform where their Stalliongrad journey had begun. With the familiar golden light, the grey rock melted into crystal and opened like a gaping mouth and swallowed up the two ponies. ~ The red glow had almost completely vacated Rubidium and Tantalus raised his claw and brought it smashing down on top of him again. His coat was turning darker and lines and creases had begun appearing on his face. It was only a matter of time now. Tantalus gathered as much energy as he could and let out a torrent of green flames from his reptillian snout. He felt the protection of the shield give way and in a final burst of red light, it was over. Tantalus looked down at the smoldering pile of ashes on the ground in front of him and spoke in a voice that shook the rubble at his feet. “That was for Rarity.”" ]

[ "Antipodes Chapter 15 By PK Tantalus surveyed the burning wreckage of the city. He had finally achieved his goal, his revenge on Rubidium, but it still didn’t help the rage. He could still feel it boiling away inside him, barely controlled by the sheer effort of his will. Then, he doubled over in pain. It was unlike anything he had ever felt before, as though part of him was being ripped out from the inside. He knew what it was. The fragment of Celestia had been absorbed, and it had left the city. The rage was uncontrollable. He opened his mouth wide, and green light seemed to grow from deep inside his throat. For just an instant, Tantalus tried to suppress it, but he knew it was hopeless. The light erupted out in a funnel of magical energy of nearly inconceivable power. It expanded in all directions, burrowing deep into the earth, up into the sky, and out in every direction, obliterating all in its path. ~~~ Jigsaw and Tiptoe tumbled through the chaotic funnel of light and sound. The crystalline walls of the tunnel flew past the two ponies, coming close to collision but never actually touching them. After several minutes of being tossed through twists, turns, and bends in the tunnel, they were spit out of another platform in an unfamiliar room. The rotting wooden walls had begun to buckle under the strain of an unknown load above them, making the room’s age clear. In one corner of the room, a steady trickle of water flowed from a large crack in the ceiling. The room was poorly lit by several small, blue lights hanging haphazardly on the walls. They sparked feebly in an attempt at greater brilliance as Tiptoe and Jigsaw picked themselves off the ground and began to take their bearings. The pad was located in the back left corner of the room. It had a low ceiling- perhaps only a yard above Jigsaw’s head. What was once a table lay in the center of the room. One leg had broken in two, causing one corner of the table to rest on the wooden floor. Scraps of green fabric could still be seen clinging to the surface of the table, though it was almost entirely bare. The teleportation platform itself was also in abysmal condition. Large cracks and seams ran through it, occasionally sending out sparks of blue light. Jigsaw was surprised they had even managed to come through it. In general, the room appeared to be in far worse condition than even most ruins they had seen. “Are you alright?” Jigsaw asked. He could only just see the outline of Tiptoe on his left through the dim light. “I’m okay,” she replied, though her voice was shaky. “Where are we? What is this place?” “I don’t know,” Jigsaw replied. They looked around the room, their eyes beginning to adjust to the gloom. At the opposite end of the room was a door with what were once small glass windows, though the glass had long since fallen away. “Jigsaw, can you light your horn?” Tiptoe inquired. Jigsaw obliged, his horn igniting with a brilliant blue light, brightly illuminating the rather small room. The lights on the wall flicked again in response to the magical energy, though now they were barely visible. “I think we should get out of here,” Jigsaw said nervously, looking towards the cracks in the ancient wood above them. Tiptoe nodded and they began to canter towards the door. The floor creaked with every step they took, bending and buckling under their weight. Tiptoe began to flutter her wings slightly in an attempt to keep her weight off the floorboards. Fortunately, they reached the other side of the room without incident. When they reached the door, Jigsaw pushed against it to open it for a moment, then stepped back. “Hold on,” he said, “there’s some kind of protection around this door.” “What kind?” asked Tiptoe. “I’m not sure. It was very faint, but it’s there. Hold on.” The light from his horn faded to a small blue pinprick as he touched it to the seam where the door met the wall. He began to run it along the edges of the door, repeating this several times. When he was done, he stepped away and relit his horn. “I can’t tell what it’s supposed to be. It’s very, very weak. I think it was placed here before the fall, and hasn’t held up well since then. Like most of this place,” he added as an afterthought. “So, it’s safe to go through?” Tiptoe asked. “It’s safe,” Jigsaw confirmed, “but it might not be pleasant. I have a feeling it was meant to keep people out.” “... or in,” Tiptoe added. Jigsaw pushed the door open. Beyond the door was another very dismal-looking hallway. It was pitch black, and the wood had buckled and bent so much from water damage that it seemed to meander around corners. Sections of the wall had fallen in altogether, and a pile of debris lined up along the wall where wood paneling had once been. Jigsaw began to walk through the doorway. Immediately, he felt a strange buzzing in his horn and a pressure trying to force him back the way he came. He struggled forward as the feeling became more intense. It was as if somepony had stretched a sheet of clear plastic over the doorway, and he had to force his way through. The air around him began to grow hot. Then, just when he thought he wouldn’t be able to get through, the pressure released and he tumbled forward, hitting the wall at the opposite end of the hallway. He stood up and shook himself. “You can come through, but it can be pretty uncomfortable,” he said. Tiptoe nodded and pushed against the invisible barrier in the doorway. From this angle Jigsaw could just barely make out a golden yellow sheen that seemed to be pressing against the pegasus. But after a few moments of struggling, it broke and Tiptoe began to fall forward. Jigsaw’s horn flared, and a blue nimbus appeared around Tiptoe, providing enough support for her to recover from her fall and stand upright. “Thanks,” she said. Jigsaw nodded, and they began their slow trot into the gloom of the hallway. After a few minutes of winding darkness, they came across a heavy metal door that seemed quite at odds with the purely wooden aesthetic they had seen so far. They pushed it open with an ear-splitting screech and entered into the room beyond. The room was in a similar state of disrepair, though it seemed to be made of more modern materials. Crumbling plaster sloughed off the walls, revealing an iron framework beneath, and the same faint, blue lights from the portal room lined the walls. It was small and square, with a still relatively intact desk in the center. Jigsaw took a step towards it when Tiptoe spoke behind him. “Look at the door.” Jigsaw turned to look at it, and his confusion grew. On the metallic surface of the door was a very large scorch mark- as if something had been burned off the door. Inspecting it closer, Jigsaw found that the edges were jagged and rough and that the mark was actually a crater. It was as if a section of the door had been melted off. “What happened here?” Jigsaw asked, more to himself than Tiptoe. There was nothing at the base of the door, as one would expect if the metal had been melted off. It was simply gone. Jigsaw looked around the room again. On the two walls on either side were smaller, wooden doors, also with scorched gouges cut out of them. One was missing its entire bottom half. “I don’t like it here,” Tiptoe said nervously, looking up at the heavily cracked ceiling. “Wherever we are, I don’t think it’s safe.” “I think you’re right,” Jigsaw said, “but how are we supposed to find our way out of here?” “I have no idea. Maybe there’s something in the desk that can help,” Tiptoe replied. Together, they made their way over to the desk. Jigsaw’s horn flared with light and the desk drawers pulled themselves out and floated above the desk in a haze of blue light. In unison, they all upturned themselves and dumped their contents on to the desk. Jigsaw was disappointed in the results. Almost everything in the desk had crumbled to dust, with only a few scraps of paper remaining. But, just when he was about to drop the drawers in dismay, a lone, intact sheet of paper floated down to land upon the pile of scraps. Jigsaw carelessly tossed the floating drawers aside and picked up the sheet. “What does it say?” Tiptoe asked, taking off to hover above Jigsaw so as to get a better look at the document. Emblazoned in the upper left corner was the sun-and-moon insignia, next to strings of Old World writing. “I think it says... ‘instructions’, or possibly ‘protocols’. It’s a set of directions for what to do in an emergency. I think... I think this is some kind of emergency bunker or war room.” “War room?” Tiptoe said. “You mean, from the Grand Cataclysm?” “I don’t know, it doesn’t say anything about what emergency... but I think I can use it to find our way back. It says ‘corridor three has surface access and should be blocked during lockdown’.” “Which one is corridor three?” Tiptoe asked. The room shook violently. Jigsaw and Tiptoe lost their balance and slammed into the ground. The iron bars began to buckle and snap, groaning like an ancient beast waking from a long slumber. Dirt began to pour in from the cracks in the walls, and the ceiling slipped a few inches lower. The blue lights flickered out. “Run!” shouted Jigsaw, and began galloping towards the door to his right. Tiptoe quickly followed, and they blasted through the aging door and flew down the hallway. With a jerk that nearly knocked Jigsaw off his feet, the room they had just left collapsed. A wave of dust blew past him, obscuring his vision. Tiptoe took off and flew ahead of him, flapping her wings hard. The dust began to clear, and Jigsaw saw something that almost made him laugh with relief- a stone stairwell that ascended into darkness above them. As they began running up the stairs, however, Jigsaw noticed something was off- his horn was positively humming with magical energy. Then, a few steps farther up, a sharp pain shot from his horn and through his left side, causing him to collapse in pain. Tiptoe turned quickly in midair and alighted next to Jigsaw, who was now lying on the steps, convulsing, as though he was having some kind of fit. Then, his horn erupted with light, but not the familiar blue light. Golden light streamed out of the tip of his horn, thick and warm, floating in the air above them. An ear-splitting bang sounded from somewhere above them, and a rock about twice the size of Tiptoe came tumbling down from farther up the staircase. Tiptoe shoved Jigsaw to the side of the wall and pressed herself against it. The boulder tumbled past them, missing by only a few feet. Then, with another ground-shaking rumble, a sound like an explosion came from overhead. Tiptoe squinted up the staircase in the light cast by the strange swirling magical tendrils, which now seemed to be swirling even faster. What she saw caused her to scream in terror. Rapidly tumbling down the stairs was a jumbled mash of metal beams, stone, and wood. Tiptoe threw herself over Jigsaw’s body in an attempt to shield him from the worst of the onslaught and braced herself. Then, just before impact, the swirling tendril of light suddenly coalesced. Tiptoe looked up in awe to see what looked like a gigantic sun blazing over her head before it’s brilliance forced her to look away. The rumbling of the rocks had ceased, and they appeared to be frozen mere inches away from her face. Then, with another blinding flash, the sun sent out a burst of heat. It was unlike anything Tiptoe had ever experienced. She let out another cry of pain and tightened her hold against Jigsaw. Then, just when she thought she might sear, the heat and light faded to darkness. She opened her eyes. They were huddled over in the center of a ring of scorched earth about thirty feet in diameter. Tiptoe didn’t have time to consider the strangeness of the scenario, however. With one final shudder, she released Jigsaw and drifted into unconsciousness." ]

[ "Antipodes Chapter 16 by PK The first thing Jigsaw noticed was the pounding in his head. The pain radiated out from the base of his horn, causing him to raise a hoof to his head and massage it gingerly. As soon as he touched his head, however, the pain spiked. He let out a yelp and opened his eyes. He was lying in what appeared to be a circle of scorched ground. He slowly pushed himself up on his haunches, blinking his eyes to clear his vision. Even the smallest movement caused him to wince with pain. A light layer of snow coated the ground just outside the circle, with a grove of evergreen trees growing not far beyond. On the horizon, barely visible over the glare of the sun, was a flickering green light. Jigsaw’s horn hummed for a moment, then the glow was gone. Jigsaw squinted at the spot where the glow had been when he heard a rustle behind him. He whipped around in alarm, but was relieved to see that it was only Tiptoe. She was lying on her side, facing away from him. Jigsaw got up and trotted over to her in concern. Her mane seemed to be singed, but she appeared otherwise uninjured. Jigsaw then turned his attention to the charred ring around them. It appeared to be about twenty feet in diameter. Jigsaw scuffed at the ground with his hoof, revealing bare earth under the layer of soot. He tried to think back to the last thing he remembered- doubling over in pain on the staircase. How had he gotten here? And why did his head hurt so bad? He decided the only thing for him to do was to try and wake Tiptoe up. Tiptoe opened her eyes slowly, not quite understanding what she was seeing. Then, as understanding rushed back to her, she jumped back on to her feet and looked around wildly. She was relieved to see a rather startled looking Jigsaw standing next to her. She threw her hooves around him and hugged him tightly. Jigsaw bit his lip to stop from yelling out in pain. “I’m glad to see you too,” Jigsaw said, obviously bemused, “but what exactly is going on?” Tiptoe let go of Jigsaw and said, “You don’t remember?” “The last thing I remember, we were climbing up a staircase when I got this horrible pain in my horn. Next thing I knew, I woke up here.” Tiptoe nodded. “I suppose that makes sense. You had some kind of fit on the stairs, and the roof caved in up ahead. I tried to get you out but I couldn’t move you nearly fast enough. Then this strange light came out of your horn. It looked like that sun symbol we’ve seen before.” “Sun symbol?” Jigsaw said. “Do you think it could have anything to do with the fragment of Celestia?” “It must,” replied Tiptoe. “What else could it have been?” “I think- I think it was trying to protect me, since I’m carrying it. I can’t quite tell, but I get certain feelings from it. They’re really vague and unclear, but I think that was a sort of last resort to keep me safe and you just got taken along for the ride.” Tiptoe thought this over for a moment before breaking out in a smile. “So does this mean we can’t be killed? It’s going to keep us safe!” Jigsaw shook his head gravely. “No. It’s going to try. I don’t know that it will always succeed, and even if it can, I don’t think my body can handle it. Whatever it did back in that staircase nearly took me out for good. Tiptoe’s smile gradually vanished as she remembered Jigsaw convulsing on the stairs, his eyes rolling back into his head. They sat in silence for a time after that, mulling over the information. A chill wind picked up, slowly beginning to blow away the soot and re-cover the area in snow. The two ponies began to shiver. “Come on,” Jigsaw said, “we should go into the trees. At least we’d be sheltered from the wind.” Tiptoe nodded, but still sat on the ground, staring out at the moon, large, dull, and silvery-gray in the sky. Tears began welling up in her eyes. Jigsaw made his way over to her. “Are you alright?” he asked. Tiptoe blinked, tears running silently down her face. “Doesn’t it ever overwhelm you?” she asked quietly. “Don’t you ever just want to give up?” Jigsaw didn’t really know how to react. “What do you mean?” “I mean we just saw an entire city full of innocent ponies die. Ponies we knew! Because of us!” The tears were coming faster now. “We don’t know that it was because of us,” Jigsaw responded, trying to sound reassuring. “Oh, really?” Tiptoe’s voice became harsher. “You think it was just chance that Tantalus showed up when he did? That he managed to get into the city after ten thousand years of being held back?” “Tiptoe, I don-” Jigsaw began, but Tiptoe cut him off. “I don’t want to hear what you don’t know! I want to hear some answers for once! What are these fragments for? Why are we trying to find them? Why aren’t we trying to find home? Don’t you care about anyone back there?” She began sobbing, her tears falling onto the mixture of soot and snow at her feet. Jigsaw was stung by Tiptoe’s remarks, but he stayed calm. “Tiptoe, you know that isn’t fair. Of course I care. Do you think I wanted this... this thing to embed itself inside me and nearly kill me? No, I didn’t. I don’t have any more choice in this than you do. The only thing I can think to do is keep looking for these fragments. Maybe we can use them to get revenge on Tantalus for killing all those ponies. I don’t have all the answers. But I do know that we can’t give up. Incendia wouldn’t have wanted that.” Tiptoe took a deep, shuddering breath to steady herself. The tears stopped. “You’re right. I’m sorry. It’s just... what happened back there was so terrible, and we’re just expected to keep going, and we don’t even know where we’re supposed to go! It’s all so insane!” “You’re telling me. The most exciting part of my day used to be going to fix a leaky pipe.” Jigsaw said, a small smile beginning to tug at the sides of his mouth. Tiptoe didn’t smile, but instead flung herself around Jigsaw again. This time, Jigsaw reciprocated by nuzzling Tiptoe’s neck. “We’ll make it through this. We managed to escape everything thrown at us so far, right?” Tiptoe didn’t respond, but dug her face into Jigsaw’s mane. Jigsaw exhaled sharply from the pain of the added weight. “Is something wrong?” Tiptoe asked concernedly. “I’m still pretty sore from the whole ordeal.” Tiptoe released Jigsaw and smiled despite herself. “What do we do next?” she asked, turning on the spot to examine her surroundings. “I have no idea where we are. Which direction should we go?” Jigsaw opened his mouth to answer when suddenly, he froze. Tiptoe saw his eyes gloss over as if he had somehow fallen asleep while standing upright. Just when she was about to say something, he snapped out of it, his eyes becoming sharp and alert. “Northeast,” he said. “We need to go northeast.” Tiptoe looked at Jigsaw quizzically. “What was that about?” “What was what about?” “You froze for a bit when I asked you.” “What are you talking about? I didn’t freeze,” Jigsaw replied, obviously confused. “You did!” Tiptoe insisted. “You stopped talking and your eyes glossed over, then you sort of snapped out of it and said we should go northeast.” “Strange,” Jigsaw said. “I feel fine. I just definitely think we should go northeast.” “Well, I suppose we don’t have any other leads.” Tiptoe sounded uneasy. Jigsaw nodded and stretched, attempting fruitlessly to work out some of the soreness that still pervaded his muscles. Together, they set off on hoof into the grove of trees. The tall evergreens provided shelter from the chilly wind, at the cost of blocking out what little light the far-off sun and dull moon provided. Jigsaw lit his horn, though it took rather more effort then he was used to. The small light given off caused strange, spindly shadows to be cast from the tree branches, causing the two ponies to occasionally jump at what they perceived as something stalking right next to them. Invariably, they would let out a nervous chuckle, then continue down the path, eyes still flitting from side to side. Mercifully, though, they made it through the copse without encountering anything worse than low branches. However, when they emerged from the thick group of trees, the wind was stronger and more bitter than ever, and the snow was several inches deeper. The gale blew so hard that Jigsaw almost had to yell to be heard over it. “I think we should camp out in the forest until the wind dies down! I don’t think we could last very long out here!” Tiptoe shouted a word of agreement and they quickly turned back into the dense grove of trees. Though they were now protected from the wind, they still shivered bitterly, having lost any body heat that the hike through the copse had given them. They walked a small ways farther into the trees, coming across a small area that was large enough for a fire. Jigsaw began gathering fallen twigs and other refuse from the forest floor, piling it in the center of the clearing. When he felt that the firepit was satisfactory, he leaned his head down and held the tip of his horn an inch away of some of the bark he had stripped from branches to use as kindling. A small spark shot from his horn and struck the bark, igniting it. he blew gently on the smoldering chunk of wood, until flames sprang up and began to consume the pile of twigs. The two ponies huddled around the fire, soaking up the heat and the light. Finally comfortable, they let the exhaustion of their ordeal wash over them, and they curled up on the ground and fell asleep." ]

[ "Antipodes Chapter 17 by PK The sun beat down on the rough, featureless stone, as it had for the last ten thousand years. Once, it had been covered in a thick layer of soil, but over time, it had dried and turned to dust. The spot hadn’t seen activity since. Until today, that is. The air seemed to shimmer with a light even brighter than the pervading sunshine, and with a sharp crack, a pony stumbled seemingly out of nowhere and collapsed onto the parched rock. ~~~ By the time Jigsaw woke up, Tiptoe had already been up for quite some time. The fire was burning weakly in the fire pit—Tiptoe obviously didn’t know much about building a fire. Jigsaw stood up and stretched, shaking off bits of forest debris. Tiptoe turned her head and smiled. She was sitting on her haunches near the fire, attempting to take the edge off the cold. Jigsaw trotted over to her and sat down beside her. “How long have you been up?” Jigsaw asked, blinking the sleep out of his eyes. “A few hours, I suppose. I didn’t sleep very well. Too cold,” she said. “Did you find anything to eat?” “No. The only thing in this forest, as far as I can tell, are trees. No fruit anywhere.” “That’s too bad. I’m starving,” Jigsaw said. He cast his gaze around the small clearing. It appeared completely unchanged from the night before, save the multiple pairs of hoofprints that now covered the ground. Jigsaw sighed and stood up. “I suppose we should keep going. Maybe we’ll find something to eat along the way.” Tiptoe remained sitting, staring into the weakly sputtering fire for a few moments. Then, with a resigned sigh, she stood up. She stretched out her wings out to their full length. Jigsaw almost gasped. He had forgotten just how large Tiptoe seemed to be when she wanted to. “I’m going to fly up and see if there’s anything interesting from above.” “Alright,” Jigsaw conceded. Tiptoe flapped her powerful wings down once. The resulting blast of air blew burning embers from the fire out in all directions and nearly knocked Jigsaw over. The embers, fortunately, landed in the clearing, which was devoid of flammable material. Jigsaw chuckled to himself as he turned to put out the smoldering bits of wood that were littered around the fire pit. Tiptoe had come so far from the scared little pony in the caves. Eventually, the fire was out; the only light that streamed through was the eerie moonlight from above and the weak sunlight. Jigsaw looked up. Tiptoe was high overhead, flying in a wide figure eight. Jigsaw turned his head back towards the treeline. He stepped out into the weak ray of sunlight that was eking its way through the trees. Jigsaw was surprised to find that even though the sun was only barely visible over the horizon, the ray of light warmed him more completely than the fire had. Tiptoe swooped down and alighted next to Jigsaw. She looked somewhat concerned. “What’s wrong?” Jigsaw asked. “There’s a mountain. A very large one, directly in our way,” Tiptoe said, flatly. Jigsaw looked stunned. “We didn’t see a mountain yesterday! How could one just have appeared?” “I have no idea, but how are we going to get around it?” Tiptoe asked. “Could you carry me?” Jigsaw asked. “Over a mountain?” Tiptoe said incredulously. “No, I don’t think I could do that. I doubt I could even get over it by myself.” “How wide is the base?” asked Jigsaw. “Could we just wa–” he froze mid-sentence. His eyes glazed over again, though this time, Tiptoe could almost see a dull, white light emanating from inside them. As before, it only lasted a moment, before Jigsaw blinked and continued talking. “–lk around it? Actually…on second thought, I don’t think we should go around it. Something tells me that what we need is on top. We should climb-.” He saw Tiptoe’s frightened expression and cut himself off. “What’s wrong?” he asked. “You froze again, but this time seemed different. Your eyes glowed,” Tiptoe said, visibly concerned. “My eyes glowed?” asked Jigsaw, though he sounded more interested than frightened. “Just a little,” said Tiptoe, “and only for a second.” “What do you think it could mean?” Jigsaw asked. “Do you think it has anything to do with yesterday?” “It must,” agreed Tiptoe. “What else could it be?” “Should we do anything about it?” Tiptoe said. “I…I don’t think so. Something tells me it’s okay; that it’s a good thing. Call it intuition I suppose.” “Or I could call it the fragment of Celestia living in your horn.” Tiptoe said, a smile beginning to creep across her face. “What, you don’t trust me? When have I ever led you astray before?” Jigsaw said, in a theatrically exaggerated voice. They began to laugh. “I’d forgotten how good it feels to laugh,” Tiptoe said, the good mood fading as quickly as it came. Jigsaw nodded somberly. “Shall we make our way out?” Tiptoe asked. “I suppose so. Climbing that mountain won’t be easy.” Jigsaw said. ~~~ The pony that had collapsed on the sun-scorched earth twitched and opened her eyes. Immediately, she knew she was in danger. She sprang to her feet, surprisingly energetic for somepony who had been unconscious just a few moments before. The sun was about a quarter of the way up the sky in the west- she knew that if the teleporter had taken her even a few miles farther, she wouldn’t have lasted as long as she had. Even now, her throat was dry, and she could tell she had stopped sweating. She had to get out of there, now. She glanced over to her shoulder, at the teleporter. It was flashing red. Red meant danger. After the teleporter was used, it required a certain amount of recharging before it could be used again. However, it did have an emergency backup supply for an emergency situation, and this definitely qualified. The only problem was the location was impossible to specifiy. Before, she hadn’t cared where she ended up, so long as it wasn’t there. But at least she had been able to specify that she wanted to be somewhere survivable—at least for a little while. If she teleported now, she’d have no control. She decided. She turned her head to her shoulder and pressed the flashing red button. With a sound like a small explosion, she disappeared from the desert. She reappeared an instant later on a steep cliff-side, and promptly lost her balance. She tumbled head-over-hoof down the steep incline until she came to rest on something hard. Her head was pounding- she had hit it on a rock on the way down. She weakly lifted her head to look at her shoulder. The screen of the teleporter had been smashed. She attempted to stand up, only to fall back down. The ground was slippery. For a moment, she was confused. Then, she connected the pieces. She was lying on ice. She almost let out a cry of joy. She stood up, more carefully this time, ignoring the pounding in her head, and slowly made her way over to the shoreline. Once there, her horn began to grow a deep orange, and she bent down to touch it to the ice. A puddle of water began to form, from which she drank greedily. She drank for several minutes before she stopped herself and sat by the side of the frozen river. She was going to be alright. It was then that Incendia looked up. What she saw almost made her pass out again. ~~~ Tiptoe flew above the snow, keeping pace with Jigsaw’s slow progress through the heavy drifts. She couldn’t help but feel sorry for him, but the feeling of the air beneath her wings was too great for her to pass up. It helped take her mind off the horrible events that had happened in the last few days. Jigsaw, on the other hand, was trying to analyze everything that had happened. It was how he had always dealt with tragedy in the past—logically, coldly, and detached. It was the only way he knew. Antimony had been the worst. His thoughts always strayed to her when he thought of the tragedies of the last few days. He had been so innocent back then. He was fresh out of school, and together, they were considered some of the most promising engineers of their time. The accident had been such a shock to him. He didn’t know how to handle it—it was as though his entire life had crumbled out from beneath him. He had buried himself in his work, avoiding the pain. It had had its uses, he found. He accomplished many great things—a new pumping system that was over twice as effective as the old one had been chief among them. He never quite recovered emotionally, however. He improved with time, true. But he never quite regained that easygoing, carefree personality he had had before the accident. Not until Tiptoe, anyway. When he was with her, Jigsaw finally began to come out of his shell. He began making jokes again. The day-to-day minutia of daily life in a cave had become far less tedious. He was becoming like he had been when Antimony was still alive. At first, this terrified Jigsaw. He didn’t want to open himself up to any other ponies ever again; not at that level, anyway. It wasn’t until that night in the bunker that he decided to take the chance and open up to Tiptoe. Jigsaw looked up at her silhouette far above and a thousand thoughts shot through his mind. “Did I make the right choice? Am I setting myself up for another loss? Is this fair to her?” He looked towards the mountain that loomed ever closer. He couldn’t allow himself to think like that, not now, not when so much was resting on their shoulders. He had made his choice. So had she. Still, the fear was there. ~~~ Several hours later, Incendia sat at the base of a large, frozen waterfall. It appeared to have been frozen instantly—the ice appeared as if it cascaded over the rock and crashed into the river below. Far ahead, jutting out over a narrow precipice, the spire of a tower was visible. She simply stared up at it. She had never seen anything so impressive. She had seen towers back in Stalliongrad, but those had mostly been built for functionality. Or for the wealthy to lord over the less well-off ponies. This caused Incendia to look back down. The thoughts of Stalliongrad filled her mind with conflicting emotions. Technically, what she had fought for her whole life was complete. Rubidium was dead. It wasn’t at all how she wanted it, though. Her thoughts turned towards her last moments in Stalliongrad. She had split up from the group in the rubble of the outer city and turned her attention to the injured ponies that littered the streets. Her efforts to help were almost always stymied, however, by the sheer insanity around her. Ponies galloped through the streets at random, not caring who or what they ran down. Eventually, she realized it was futile. Her only hope was to meet up with Tiptoe, Jigsaw, and Cerulean. She set her teleporter to take her to the nearest safehouse to the tower, then slammed the button. She just hoped the building was still standing. It wasn’t. Luckily, it had been almost totally leveled, so she only fell a few feet onto a flat piece of stone. That was the least of her problems. Clearly visible, only about a quarter mile away, were Tantalus and Rubidium. They were locked in vicious combat, flashes of red and green light radiating out with every blow. She could feel the magic in the air. It made her sick to her stomach. Then it happened. With one mighty blast, Tantalus managed to knock Rubidium to the pavement. With one final, crushing blow, Rubidium was extinguished. Incendia felt it. It was like her very bones wanted to escape the magic in the air. It wasn’t right. Tantalus let out a mighty roar, and green fire began to fly out in all directions. Incendia barely had time to react. She set her teleporter to random and smashed it, hoping it would take her somewhere far away. Looking up at the dark, icy castle, it certainly had. Something flitted by at the corner of her vision. Incendia whipped her head around to see what had caused it, but saw nothing. Then the pain came. Her head still pounded from her tumble down the mountainside. She lowered her head and closed her eyes until the pain subsided. When she opened them again, she caught sight of her reflection in the ice. What she saw frightened her. She looked on the verge of death. Her normally sleek, almost mirror-shined black coat was ruffled and unkempt. Her flank had several deep lacerations, each with a mixture of dry and fresh blood on them. What frightened her most, though, was her mane. It was singed. That should be impossible. She was entirely immune to fire. “But not the green fire,” she realized. Again, the motion in the corner of her eye. This time, she moved her head more slowly to avoid the shooting pain. A wisp of some silvery substance disappeared beyond a rocky outcropping on the other side of the frozen river. Slowly, cautiously, Incendia got up and began to make her way towards the other side, when she heard a faint sound coming from her left. She turned to look, and to her delight, she saw two ponies galloping towards her across the frozen river. ~~~ Tiptoe spotted her before Jigsaw did. A small black dot at the foot of the waterfall. They had found the frozen river relatively quickly—for whatever reason, it was almost devoid of snow, and despite the slippery surface, progress across it was much faster than through the heavy snow. Tiptoe swooped down to the surface of the ice and slid into place next to Jigsaw. “You’re not going to believe who I saw!” Tiptoe said, the words tumbling over each other in her excitement. “What? You saw someone out here?” asked Jigsaw. “Who?” “I think it was Incendia!” Tiptoe said. “Where?” Jigsaw said, hardly believing his ears. “The base of the waterfall!” Jigsaw didn’t need to hear any more. He took off galloping in the direction of the icy wall, Tiptoe hot on his heels." ]

[ "Antipodes Chapter 18 By PK Incendia took a few lumbering steps towards the two rapidly approaching shapes, but she stumbled and stopped only a few feet from her starting place. Tiptoe, in contrast, flew as fast as her wings could carry her, nearly crashing into the ground in front of her. \"Incendia!\" Tiptoe shouted. \"I can't believe it's you! You're alright! We never tho-\" she stopped halfway through her sentence as she began to process Incendia's appearance. She looked to be on death's doorstep. Her formerly black, shiny coat was ruffled and browned. A disturbingly large gash on her flank was surrounded by dried blood. A fresh cut above her eye sent scarlet down the side of her face. Despite all this, however, she stood tall, and a broad smile played across her face. When she spoke, her voice was strong and clear. \"It's good to see you too, Tiptoe.\" It was at this moment that Jigsaw came scrambling up to join them, his footing precarious on the icy soil. \"It's really you,\" he said, his eyes wide. \"How did you escape? And... and what happened to you?\" Incendia swayed on her feet for a moment and sat down. \"I'll tell you everything, but can we rest for a while? I've had quite the ordeal.\" \"Apparently,\" Jigsaw said. \"Rest sounds like a good idea. We've been walking for hours.\" Jigsaw took a step closer to Incendia. \"Are you sure you're alright? You look...\" Jigsaw didn't finish the sentence. Incendia understood. \"I feel like it,\" she said, letting weariness creep into her voice. \"May I take a closer look?\" Jigsaw asked. Incendia nodded, and Jigsaw's horn lit up with its familiar blue glow. He knelt down next to Incendia, slowly moving his horn back and forth along the length of her body, the tip hovering just above her skin. He paused a few times over the most heavily injured areas- the gash on her flank, the cut on her head, but he also paused over areas with no apparent injury- several times over her stomach and the base of her head. Every now and then, blue sparks seemed to shoot out out of his horn and dance along Incendia's fur until they suddenly stopped and sank down, seeming to vanish. Tiptoe watched with great interest. Incendia had her eyes shut and her teeth gritted, as though the sensation was painful. When Jigsaw was finished he stood up, his face blank. \"How is it?\" asked Tiptoe nervously. \"It's bad,\" Jigsaw said, \"but I think she'll live. I managed to fix up some of the smaller things, but she has some serious blood loss and a concussion.\" Incendia reached a hoof up to massage one side of her head. \"That would explain the pounding headache.\" \"I might be able to help with that,\" Jigsaw offered, his horn once again erupting into brilliance. Incendia shook her head. \"I've had far worse injuries back in Stalliongrad. Right now, I'd just like to sleep.\" Jigsaw nodded. \"I suppose me and Tiptoe can get to work building camp. I... I hate to ask, but could you make a fire? Just for tonight?\" In response, Incendia's horn began to glow orange, and a small, brilliantly bright sphere of fire appeared in the center of the group. Jigsaw thanked her, and he and Tiptoe set off to find supplies. As soon as they were out of sight, Incendia gasped at the effort of the spell and nearly lost consciousness. \"Stupid\", she thought. \"Overextended myself. Take it easy.\" She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She looked over at the swirling ball of fire in the center of the clearing. The ice on the ground below had already melted into a glassy black puddle, and the heat emanating from it was coming off in waves, warm and comforting. She smiled to herself. At least one thing had gone right. Tiptoe and Jigsaw spent several minutes searching the surrounding area for supplies for beds, but quickly gave it up when they realized the ground was completely barren. When they made their way back to the glowing sphere, they found Incendia was already deep asleep, nestled far closer to the burning sphere than either of them could have bared. Jigsaw and Tiptoe curled down together near the edge of the sphere's influence, where the heat was at its mildest and most comfortable. Jigsaw lay on his back, staring up into the sky. \"It's actually kind of pretty,\" Jigsaw said. \"What is?\" Tiptoe asked groggily. \"The sky. The moon.\" Tiptoe rolled over to look up. \"It is,\" she said. \"I haven't really had much time to look. Not since we first came out of the underground.\" \"First came out of the underground,\" Jigsaw repeated quietly, smiling a little. \"That's what we did, isn't it? It seems like it was so long ago. Did you ever think we would see the sky?\" Tiptoe didn't answer. She didn't have to. Instead, she studied the sky. The sun was now fully out of view, blocked by the mountains, but a sliver of the moon was visible over the castle, perched majestically at the spot where the waterfall once cascaded over the mountain. The waterfall itself remained the same as it always had been- frozen, cold, and beautiful. The sky was not totally dark. The sun, however low and faint it may have been, still sent streaks of color through the clouds. The dull, silvery-gray light of the decaying moon was not bright enough to blot out the stars. They marked the sky like uncountable millions of pinpricks. \"It really is beautiful,\" she said quietly. \"Just imagine what it looked like when the goddesses were still around,\" Jigsaw said. A long silence followed this. So long, Jigsaw thought that Tiptoe had fallen asleep. When she spoke, Jigsaw gave a small start. \"I love you, Jigsaw,\" Tiptoe said. Jigsaw closed his eyes. He stood at a junction, a choice before him. His relationship with Tiptoe needed to be cemented here and now- or it never would be at all. He made his choice. \"I love you too, Tiptoe.\" With that, Tiptoe rolled over and closed her eyes, drifting off almost instantly. Jigsaw's rest didn't come nearly as fast. He remained awake for quite a long time, staring up into the strange and alien sky, until he too nodded off, bathed in the light and warmth of the strange magical light, so stark in contrast to the icy, frozen wasteland that surrounded them. ~~~ Many hours later, after each of them had slept their fill, they sat together, attempting to gather the last bit of warmth from the rapidly failing spell. The small ball of fire was slowly rotating in the air, and with each revolution, it seemed to get smaller and become more insubstantial. \"It'll be gone in another hour,\" Incendia said. \"How do you feel?\" Tiptoe asked, looking concernedly at the gash on her flank. \"I've had worse before. Don't worry, I'll be alright,\" Incendia said with a smile. \"I won't slow you down.\" \"I wouldn't speak so soon if I were you,\" Jigsaw said, looking out at the frozen waterfall. \"we need to go up to the castle.\" \"I figured as much,\" Incendia admitted. \"How are we supposed to get up there?\" Jigsaw tore his eyes away from the silhouette of the castle, tall and majestic against the dull gray of the moon, and began to search the face of the mountain. However, after only a few minutes of this, Tiptoe spoke up. \"When we were on our way here, I noticed something strange on the mountain. There's a dark line that runs out from behind the castle all the way down to the base of the mountain... uh...\" she gestured with her hoof somewhere off to the left. \"Over there. I know it's not much to go on, but it's better than nothing.\" Incendia shrugged. \"If that's all my have, we might as well check it out. Come on.\" She stood up quickly and began to walk off towards the direction Tiptoe had indicated, but she could only take a few steps before the pounding in her head and the dizziness forced her to stop. Tiptoe walked over to her side. \"Are you alright?\" \"Yeah, I'm fine, really. Just got up too fast, that's all,\" Incendia said, still smiling weakly. Tiptoe nodded and began walking, though she kept glancing back at Incendia to make sure she was following. Jigsaw soon caught up with them, having broken camp. They made their way slowly across the frozen river. Though they tried their best to keep their eyes on the ice before them, they couldn't help but be drawn up to the castle. It seemed almost as if it was pulling them towards it. Eventually, they reached the other bank of the frozen river and continued on. Tiptoe walked in the front of the group, occasionally taking to the air to search for the dark line she had seen from the sky. Jigsaw hung back, walking alongside Incendia, who, despite a noticeable limp, was keeping pace admirably. They didn't have to search long. The path started just beyond the waterfall, around a small, rocky outcropping. The path itself was in remarkably good condition considering its age. There were steps carved into the mountain, out of what appeared to be white marble. The only sign that time had affected them at all were the cracks that were omnipresent on every step. They continued up and out of sight, twisting around to follow a natural mountain ridge. Jigsaw stared up at them in awe. \"This is unbelievable. How long must it have taken them to build these? This mountain isn't marble; they would have had to bring blocks all the way here, cut them into shape, then carve out the mountain! It must have taken decades, maybe even centuries! This is truly a marvel of the wo-\" he stopped in mid-sentence, noticing Incendia's look of incredulity and Tiptoe's expression with clearly betrayed her desire to burst into laughter. \"Are you done yet?\" Tiptoe said, smiling. Jigsaw lowered his head, murmured something that might have been \"yes\", and began to climb the stairway, followed closely by Tiptoe, who was helping support Incendia up the stairs. Progress from that point on was quite slow going. The stairs were icy in many places, forcing them to be extremely cautious. As they climbed higher, the cold became stronger and more penetrating, necessitating small breaks where Incendia would conjure a miniature and much smaller version of the ball of fire she had made at the camp. It was at the third one of these breaks that she spoke up. \"What exactly is it you hope to find in that castle?\" she asked. They were a few hundred feet up the mountain by now, giving them a clearer view of the castle. Jigsaw was confused for a moment before he remembered. He let out a laugh and said, \"Have we really not told you?\" Incendia looked confused. \"No, you just showed up out of nowhere and invited me to come with you. I didn't ask for an explanation because I thought one would be coming, but it looks like that's not the case.\" Jigsaw then began the long explanation of what had transpired since their separation in the rubble of Stalliongrad, with Tiptoe interjecting to fill the details when Jigsaw had passed out. After several minutes of explanation, they fell silent. Incendia didn't respond at first. Instead, she stared up at the dull gray moon, which appeared to have grown to over twice its original size in the sky since they became climbing. \"So... that's what we're after? The fragments?\" she said after several seconds of contemplation. Jigsaw and Tiptoe nodded in response. \"Are you so sure that's a good idea?\" Incendia asked. Jigsaw looked shocked. \"Of course it is! They must be brought together!\" \"Think about it,\" Incendia continued. \"The fragment in Stalliongrad was exploited for ten thousand yeas and used for unspeakable evil. You think the Attenuator was the worst of it? Or the draining? There were much more horrible things. I don't think we should be collecting the fragments. I think we should be locking them away, making sure that nopony can use them to commit such atrocities ever again!\" She shouted the last line, fires sparking to life in her mane, though she couldn't hide her reflexive wince of pain at the sudden outburst. Jigsaw and Tiptoe took a step back in fear and alarm. Incendia stared at them intensely for a moment before her eyes went wide and she extinguished the flames. \"I'm sorry,\" she said hastily. \"It's just... I spent my whole life in that place. You were there, what, a few days? You didn't get the full brunt of the horror of the place. You didn't...\" she swallowed. \"You didn't have to live in it. If you'd seen what I have, you wouldn't want to collect them either.\" She sat down and turned her head away from the group, staring into the fiery ball she had conjured. Tiptoe approached her slowly and sat down next to her. When she spoke, it was in a calm, kind voice. \"I can't imagine what it must have been like to grow up there. I'm sorry. But what we're doing here... we're not going to use the fragments for evil. We can't even use them for anything if we want to.\" \"That's not true!\" Incendia interjected. \"You teleported from that staircase!\" Jigsaw entered the conversation. \"That was out of my control, and it nearly killed me.\" \"Jigsaw's right,\" Tiptoe said soothingly. \"We're going to try to use the fragments to undo all of the wrong. We're trying to help. Maybe we can use their powers for good instead!\" Incendia stared at Tiptoe's face for several moments, then turned her eyes upwards towards the moon. \"I've never seen it this big before,\" she said, under her breath. \"It's beautiful.\" They stayed like that for what seemed like hours, the three ponies staring up at the moon, a single pinprick of flame burning brightly in a world of darkness and cold." ]

[ "Antipodes Chapter 19 By PK Incendia put out the tiny flare after they had warmed up as much as they could and they began to climb the winding staircase once more. The increasingly bitter cold coupled with the dim light and physical exertion felt like a heavy weight pressing down on them, making them sluggish and irritable. The staircase itself must have been marvelous when it was new- it wound along the mountainside, occasionally winding inside passageways of what were clearly once exquisitely carved friezes, but had long since been worn away to near illegibility. At one point, the path led them through an enormous rocky overhang that cast them all into pitch black darkness. After about an hour of grueling climbing, they climbed over the crest of a small ridge to find that they had reached the castle at last. The building was even more majestic up close- it was in nearly pristine condition. The cold, however, was more biting than ever. The three ponies stared up at it in awe. Incendia was the first to speak. “An actual old-world ruin,” she said, her eyes wide. “ I never thought I would actually get to see one.” This caused Jigsaw to tear his eyes away from the castle to look quizzically at Incendia. “You basically lived in an old world city! What do you mean, ‘never thought you’d get to see one’?” Incendia turned to stare at Jigsaw, then a small smile crossed her face. Jigsaw was relieved to see it. This little bit of lightheartedness was such a refreshing change from the dour and silent walk up the mountainside. Suddenly, the cold didn’t seem as bitter. “Jigsaw, there wasn’t an original building in that whole city, save maybe the tower. You probably know more about the old world than I do!” Jigsaw chuckled at this. “I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty tired. I think we should camp here tonight and go in when we’re well rested.” “Oh, I thought you’d never say so,” Tiptoe said, falling to the ground in a theatrical faint. They all laughed. Reaching the top of the mountain, seeing the castle spread out above them, seemed to drain their stress away. They were still hungry and exhausted, but the general mood was jovial. With a spark and a wave of heat and light, Incendia conjured the familiar sphere of warmth. Jigsaw noted idly that it bore a resemblance to the fragment of Celestia he had collected. He felt a strange tingling in his forehead. “Why don’t you tell me about your home?” Incendia asked. “If we’re going to be traveling together, we might as well get to know each other better.” Jigsaw and Tiptoe began to tell Incendia about their lives before the adventure. Incendia was an excellent audience. She listened intently when they described the caves and how they had come to be populated, she gasped when they discussed the creature that had attacked them in the water control sphere, and the whole group became paralyzed with laughter when Jigsaw shared the story of the time he had opened the wrong valve and flooded the Tribunal chamber. “I was on lavatory duty for a month!” Jigsaw choked, his eyes streaming with laughter. “Oh, by the goddesses!” Tiptoe said, breathing heavily. “I remember when that happened! It was weeks before the water pressure got back to normal! I didn’t know that was you!” “If there’s one thing that taught me, it was to always make sure the valve I’m opening isn’t-” “-isn’t the alpha valve?” Tiptoe completed. They burst out into fresh bouts of uncontrollable hilarity. Incendia looked back and forth bemusedly between them for a moment before she understood. It wasn’t the joke that was making them laugh. It was the relief. She’d been there herself, at times, after particularly narrow escapes from Rubidium’s security forces or magical protection. It was the only way to release the tension. She smiled, but she also felt an acute pang of loneliness. She couldn’t join in on the laughter. Jigsaw caught Incendia’s eye, and slowly, his laughter stopped. He was looking at her with a measure of concern. “Incendia? Are you feeling alright?” She blinked and refocused on Jigsaw. “Yeah, sorry.” “How are your injuries?” asked Tiptoe. “Actually, I feel okay, all things considered,” Incendia responded. “I think it looks worse than it actually is. My head is what’s really hurting.” Tiptoe glanced at the enormous dried gash on Incendia’s flank. “You’re a tougher pony than me,” she said. Incendia giggled in response. “Trust me. Getting injured is nothing new to me.” Jigsaw raised an eyebrow but didn’t retort. Instead he said, “That was a nasty concussion. Do you want me to try to do something for the pain?” Incendia shook her head. “No, it’s alright, really. I don’t like ponies fussing over me. I never have.” “Then would you mind if I took a look at the device on your shoulder?” Incendia’s eyebrows raised in a look of surprise, then she said, “Okay, but it’s broken. I don’t know how much you could hope to learn from it.” “I was up almost the whole night we spent in your bunker reading through your databases. I want to see if I can repair it.” Incendia shrugged. “Be my guest.” The device on her shoulder glowed orange in tandem with her horn. There was a metallic clank noise, then a deep, low note sounded. Jigsaw was reminded unpleasantly of the sound of Attenuation. Then, with an unceremonious squelching pop, the metallic disk fell out of Incendia’s shoulder, leaving a hole about an inch deep. Jigsaw magicked it over to himself and began examining it. Tiptoe, however, was staring at the circular hole in Incendia’s shoulder. “Does it hurt?” she asked, rather timidly. “No, not at all!” Incendia said. “I’ve had it for so long that having it not be there feels a lot stranger.” Conversation was light after that. Jigsaw was too involved in slowly disassembling the device to talk much. Incendia was too tired from her injuries and the hike to engage in much conversation, and fell asleep quickly as a result. The flare seemed to gravitate towards her in her sleep, stopping when it was almost directly above her. Tiptoe wondered idly how she could resist the heat before she, too, drifted comfortably off to sleep. Jigsaw followed not long afterwards, curled on the ground, the partially disassembled mechanism in between himself and Tiptoe. ~~~ Far away, in his mountain lair, Tantalus paced. Things had not gone according to his plan, not at all. All the two ponies were supposed to do was break the protection around Stalliongrad- he had no idea they could actually escape with a fragment of Celestia! He glanced over at the cracked, worn sapphire resting on its pedestal and felt a stabbing pain in his head. The anger seemed to ebb. Maybe it was for the best? Maybe he should let them be brought together...? “No,” he thought. “I’ve worked too hard for too long to let it come to this.” He straightened up and turned away from the pedestal. He had work to do. He walked over to the mouth of the cave and spread his wings to their fullest extent. At their widest, his wings were almost sixty feet across. All along the edge, green flames erupted into life, casting a strange, flicking light on the cave walls. Then, something distracted him. A wailing alarm from somewhere deep in the cave caught his attention. He stormed back into the depths, breaking his own protective enchantments as he went, resetting them behind him with hastily blown bursts of fire, which formed into wriggling symbols of angry red flame before they spun apart, forming a shimmering barrier in the air. He reached the spot he was looking for. The blue gem on its stand of honor. Rarity’s last gift to him. A whining, hissing, and buzzing was coming from the stone. Golden light shone out of the spiderweb cracks in the surface. Tantalus recoiled in shock and anger. He had enchanted the stone long ago, of course- he knew what it meant. He inflated with anger. How dare they attempt to take what was rightfully his? Those ponies- those disgusting creatures that crawled unbidden on the surface of the world, his world! The fury began welling up inside him once more, but he was too focused to let it take over. Instead, he channeled it. With one mighty breath, he blew out a whirling torrent of green flames. They spun like a tornado, whirling around him until in an instant, he shot off out of the mouth of the cave, little more than a pillar of green fire. ~~~ When Jigsaw and Tiptoe woke the next day, Incendia was already awake. Her normally coal-black body was engulfed in bright orange and red flames, and a thin line of fire extended from where her horn normally was. She was waving it over her head, bringing it down with a sharp crack on to the ground before her, leaving deep gouges and smoldering embers. She was magnificent to behold. She appeared to radiate not only heat, but also a focused intensity, a feeling of strength and power that the other ponies felt they could draw upon. Incendia caught sight of them as she twirled on the spot, and the flames began to recede. Soon, her coal-black coat returned, though her mane made it look as if she was still burning. With a slight tinge of unease, Tiptoe noted the last place where the flames receded was her eyes. The black pupils took a long time to reemerge from the swirling orange, yellow, and red surface her eyes became when she was on fire. “You’re up!” she said excitedly. “Finally! I’ve been up for hours already, practicing.” She glanced up at the massive door at the foot of the castle. “Are we going in?” Jigsaw looked to Incendia, then to Tiptoe, then up at the castle. He let out a sigh and said, “I suppose so, but don’t treat this lightly. Who knows what we’ll find in there.” Incendia’s smile weakened, but she didn’t drop it. “I know, I’m not. I’m just itching for some action!” Tiptoe raised an eyebrow incredulously. “It’s been three days since your home city was destroyed by a dragon and you’re injured. You’re itching for action?” Incendia winked at Tiptoe and said, “What can I say? I’ve always been a...” She paused and snickered. “... fiery one.” Tiptoe groaned loudly at this. “I swear by the goddesses themselves, if you start making fire puns, I will smother you in your sleep.” Jigsaw, however, was staring disapprovingly between the two. Incendia ignored him and, turning on the spot with an exaggerated flick of her tail, began walking towards the door. Jigsaw started forward, yelling over his shoulder at Tiptoe as he galloped, “I think I should go ahead! We don’t want her accidentally tripping any protective enchantments!” Tiptoe rolled her eyes and took off, moving quickly to catch up with the two ponies approaching the door. It was massive. Like most things of the old world, it must once have been beautiful. Ancient, faded carvings covered the surface, and it was at least twice the size it needed to be to be functional. Over the doorway, in intricately carved Old Language script, were words that Jigsaw immediately understood. “Canterlot Castle!” He said with a start. “This is Canterlot!” Tiptoe whipped her head around to Jigsaw and let out a disbelieving “What? !”, but Incendia simply stared at him quizzically. “I’ve never heard of that,” she said slowly. “Should I have?” Now it was Jigsaw and Tiptoe’s turn to look puzzled. “Well, yes! Canterlot was the seat of power in the old world. It was where the goddesses reigned,” Jigsaw said. Then, with a furtive glance up at the spires, he added, “It was also also where they were said to have met their ends.” They all turned their gaze back up at the door. It was much too large for them to move on their own. “Do you want to try magic?” Incendia said, studying the small seam that ran down the center of the door. “I suppose,” Jigsaw answered. “Tiptoe, if you could push too, that probably wouldn’t hurt.” Tiptoe nodded and stepped up to the door, extending her wings wide, and braced herself against it. Incendia and Jigsaw’s horns both began to glow, and the door was surrounded by a strange mottled green-and-orange outline. They each took a step forward, straining against the resistance of the door. “Push!” Incendia grunted through gritted teeth. Beads of sweat were beginning to form on her coat. Tiptoe flapped her wings down once. It kicked up an enormous spray of dirt and rocks, but the door lurched open a fraction of an inch. “Again!” said Incendia. Tiptoe flapped down again, and again, and again, the door moving a little bit more every time, until finally the door had opened wide enough for them to squeeze through. Jigsaw and Incendia put out their horns and panted. Tiptoe turned to face them and said, “That wasn’t so bad!” “We were doing most of the work!” Jigsaw said, though not unkindly. “You were fantastic, Tiptoe,” Incendia said, smiling, though she was still breathing hard. With a private smile, Tiptoe stepped aside to allow Jigsaw and Incendia to enter before her. She had the hardest time squeezing into the small space in the door. Her wings were pressed so hard into her flank that they left an imprint, but she managed to make it through. What she saw didn’t surprise her in the slightest. The inside of the castle was pitch black. The only light was coming from the small crack of the door and Incendia and Jigsaw’s horns. The one thing that did surprise her, however, was the temperature. The inside of the castle was warm. It felt perfectly comfortable, and she was immensely grateful after the cold she had been forced to endure for the last several days. “Is there anything we can do about the darkness?” said Incendia, her horn beginning to brighten. In response, Jigsaw closed his eyes and pointed his horn downwards. At first, Tiptoe couldn’t understand what he was doing, but as she watched, he began moving his horn along the ground, over to the wall on the left, and up until it was about level with his head. Then a single brick slid smoothly out of the wall and clattered to the floor beneath them. A small tangle of wires and other wiring Tiptoe didn’t recognize. Then, without warning, a brilliant bright blue flash issued from Jigsaw’s horn, temporarily blinding the two other ponies. When Tiptoe had blinked away the bright spots on her retinas, what she saw made her breath catch. A startlingly bright, twinkling aqua-blue light was shining out of Jigsaw’s horn. It was pulsating gently, but rapidly, and with each pulsation, the blue light snaked through the wire and out into the walls, growing brighter in intensity every pulsation. Tiptoe glanced over to Incendia and was amused to see that she was staring at Jigsaw with her jaw slack. Then, with another blinding flash of light and the sound like an a dozen pots and pans falling to the ground, the lights that lined the room kicked into life. Jigsaw took a stumbling step backwards, steadied himself, and took a deep breath in and out. He smiled when he saw the looks on Tiptoe’s and Incendia’s faces. “That felt good.” “How in Equestria did you do that?” Incendia said, staring from the tangle of wires to Jigsaw to the lights and back again. “That was some of the most- I don’t- not even Gizmo could have done-” She sat down on her haunches, staring at Jigsaw in disbelief. Jigsaw shrunk away, obviously embarrassed. “Years of practice,” he said sheepishly. “Really, I’m not that good. It’s just my special talent. The spell was pretty easy when you know what you have to do. All I had to do was give the system a little jolt, all the wiring and stuff was still there.” Incendia didn’t look convinced, however; she got up and began trotting down the corridor without another word. Jigsaw and Tiptoe followed close behind. The hallway came to an abrupt end at what appeared to have once been part of a much larger chamber. The walls sloped around them sharply, forming a dome about twenty feet tall that appeared to have been made quickly and carelessly out of concrete. A single, bare old-world bulb hung above them by a black wire which went straight up into the concrete. Directly ahead, at the opposite side of the dome, there were three openings in the concrete, each leading- as far as they could tell- into darkness. “What do we do?” asked Tiptoe. “I think we should split up,” said Incendia. Tiptoe giggled nervously and said, “That’s not how we do things around here. Right, Jigsaw?” Jigsaw didn’t respond, however. He was staring down one of the tunnels. “...No, no, Tiptoe, I think she’s right,” he said finally. “Don’t ask me how I know, but I think we’re each supposed to go down one of these. Alone. It’s the only way we can progress.” Tiptoe held her mouth open, aghast, then shook her head violently. “No! We can’t split up! How can I protect myself? I don’t have your magic!” Jigsaw tried and failed to contain his smile. Tiptoe’s fear quickly turned to anger. “What’s so funny? Is it pick on the pegasus day again?” She said, her eyes beginning to water. “Because I got enough of that at school!” Jigsaw was taken aback by her reaction. He cantered over to her and spoke softly. “No, no, that’s not why we’re smiling. We’re smiling at the fact that you think you’re helpless.” “What do you mean?” Tiptoe said with a small sniff. “I mean that you managed to escape from a sea serpent while carrying me unconscious on your back without breathing. And that you managed to carry me out of that subway station when you had never flown more that a few dozen feet before. And that you managed to sneak me out of Rubidium’s compound. You’re not defenseless, Tiptoe. You’re probably the most capable pony here.” “Tiptoe, you are a badass. Trust me, I have experience with these things. Don’t ever let anypony tell you otherwise.” Incendia added with a wink. Tiptoe looked back and forth between the two unicorns then stared down the dark tunnel. “Alright,” she said, “I’ll go. But how am I going to see?” In response, Incendia’s horn flashed orange and a tiny ball of light appeared and floated over to hover just above Tiptoe’s head. “That’s one of the first spells I learned how to do. It will follow you around and light your way.” Tiptoe smiled. “Thanks, Incendia.” Incendia nodded. Jigsaw moved back to the middle tunnel, with Tiptoe on his left and Incendia on his right. He stared down his tunnel for a moment more, then looked to his left and caught Tiptoe’s eyes. As sure as he was that this was the right thing to do, he was still nervous. He thought Tiptoe could sense it. He tried to put a lot of unsaid emotions into that gaze. Then he glanced to his right, at Incendia. She looked tall, proud, and powerful- but the look in her eyes was unmistakable. She didn’t want to split up either. He gathered all his courage and gave her a steady nod, then he began to make his way into the tunnel. ~~~ Tiptoe, trailed closely by the small ball of light, made her way into the tunnel once Jigsaw and Incendia had vanished out of sight. The walls were craggy and looked to be made out of the same hastily poured concrete as the dome. Tiptoe wondered what reason anypony could have had to build this. The tunnels seemed to slope upwards at a gentle angle, and also gently curved to the left. She figured she must be walking in enormous loops, going slowly but steadily upwards. To what, she didn’t know. She took the time to reflect back on the day so far. Incendia seemed much more lighthearted than she would have guessed. She wondered if it was a coping mechanism. Either way, she seemed to be a welcome addition to the team. She also had to admit it was nice having another girl on the team. These thoughts gave her pause. When had she started thinking of them as a team? Life had changed so much so quickly. “And not all for the worst,” she thought. Her thoughts turned to the night she and Jigsaw had spent in the forest and she smiled. Eventually, she came upon a square doorway carved into the rock. When she cantered through it, she was surprised to find that she had entered an entirely new space. It was at least two stories tall and had wide glass windows on the far side that overlooked the frozen landscape beneath. What she was more concerned with was how she had entered the room. The doorway she had come through- which she would have sworn was a concrete square- looked like an ordinary door from this side. She pulled it open only to find that there was nothing but a solid concrete wall behind it. She felt the fear well up in her again. She looked frantically around the room and found what she was looking for- another door, red-and-gold trimmed. She galloped over to it and pulled it open. She was incredibly relieved to see another room behind it. She galloped in, slamming the door behind her with her mouth. She breathed a sigh of relief and began to take in her new surroundings. Then the horror hit again. It was the same room. She wheeled around. The door she had just come out of was the one she had originally entered the room with. She pulled it open again to find herself faced with the same wall of concrete that had blocked her way before. She began to hyperventilate. This had to be some kind of magical thing. Jigsaw would know what to do. “Tiptoe.” The voice had come from somewhere behind her. She spun once again and saw a sight that nearly made her cry with delight. Standing there, looking just as frightened as she was, was Jigsaw. She galloped over to him and threw her hooves around him. She began to cry. “Oh, Jigsaw, I’m so glad you’re here! The room wouldn’t let me go, and I was afraid I would be stuck in here forever, and I wouldn’t ever see you again, and-” “Get off of me, you filthy pegasus.” Tiptoe froze. She couldn’t believe what she had just heard. She immediately let go of Jigsaw and stepped back, tears still streaming down her face, though for entirely different reasons. “Jigsaw, how could you sa-” she began, but she stopped when she saw his eyes. They weren’t Jigsaw’s deep, watery blue eyes. No, these were featureless silver discs. “You’re not Jigsaw!” she gasped. “And what makes you so sure?” said the thing that was in Jigsaw’s form. It grinned, but this did nothing to help its appearance. Its mouth went far too wide, and each tooth was filed to a point. Tiptoe also noticed, with a cold shiver, that it didn’t move its mouth when it spoke. “I’m what he’s too afraid to say,” sneered the voice. “That’s what this place does. It lays bare one’s heart.” The thing began to walk in circles around the petrified pony. Tiptoe was too afraid to move. With every passing second, the thing was appearing less and less like a pony- its hooves growing longer, mouth wider, eyes larger. “What’s the matter?” asked the thing. “Afraid of the truth?” “You’re not telling the truth,” Tiptoe squeaked. The thing stopped pacing. “And what would you know of the truth? You, barely out of school, never at the top of your class! I hated that you were assigned to me. I couldn’t stomach the idea of working with a pegasus.” It nearly spat the last word. Though it looked like a warped and stretched Jigsaw, its voice was a perfect imitation. “What good could you have been to me? I didn’t need and assistant. I didn’t want one!", "I couldn’t stomach the idea of working with a pegasus.” It nearly spat the last word. Though it looked like a warped and stretched Jigsaw, its voice was a perfect imitation. “What good could you have been to me? I didn’t need and assistant. I didn’t want one! All you ever could do was get in my way. And just look at the consequences!” The thing made an expansive gesture with his hooves. “You’ve led us here. And my, my, what a trail of destruction you’ve left in your wake!” The thing cantered closer to Tiptoe, eyeing her intently. “It was your fault, you know. The creature that attacked us could sense your fear. It knew you were weaker. I knew it would happen. You killed them, pegasus. You killed everyone back home. They could never repair the water system with their star unicorn taken from them.” Tiptoe was shaking with suppressed sobs now. The creature continued. “Not to mention Stalliongrad. Thousands died, pegasus. Perhaps millions. The last city in all of Equestria, wiped out because of your foolishness.” Tiptoe couldn’t stand any more. “You’re lying!” She shrieked, tears running hot and wet down her face. “The real Jigsaw loves me! He knows none of those things are my fault!” The thing cackled at this. “Love? What does a mere foal like you know about love?! All you ever were to me was a replacement for Antimony. A last resort when I thought I couldn’t have any other, more desirable mates. But now...” The thing cantered up to Tiptoe and put its horrible mouth right next to her ear. When it spoke, it was in a raspy whisper. “Now I’ve found another unicorn. A pony who can actually take care of herself. Somepony who won’t hold me back. Why would I ever want you? A useless pegasus, who’s only contribution to the group so far has been to ruin even our best laid plans?” Somewhere deep in Tiptoe’s mind, a small part of herself that had not been consumed with despair spoke up. “I can’t just lie back and take this. Whatever this thing is, it isn’t Jigsaw, regardless of how much it knows. Fight back! It’s what they would want!” “Stop calling me ‘pegasus’,” she said quietly. The thing’s smile dropped off its face. It quickly moved away from her and stared at her for several seconds. “What did you say?” it said after several seconds of tense silence. “I said, stop calling me ‘pegasus’!” Tiptoe said, her resolve strengthened by the creature’s reaction. “Then give me a reason not to!” hissed the creature. “Prove your worth! Prove that you can be anything other than a useless burden to ou-” Its last words were lost in the clatter of hooves against stone. Tiptoe was charging towards it, and the creatures was too stunned to move out of the way. As she approached it, she threw her hooves up in the air- and with an impact that made Tiptoe’s sides ache, she embraced the creature. “No! No, get off me! What are you-” it spluttered, twisting back and forth in an attempt to break her grip. It was no use. Tiptoe hung on as tightly as she could, her eyes screwed shut. After about 15 seconds, the creature stopped abruptly. It spoke once more, but this time, its voice was soft, almost feminine. “You pass, Tiptoe.” Then, with a rush of wind, the thing Tiptoe was holding was gone. She flopped face-first onto the ground in front of her, and she didn’t get up right away. She rolled onto her side and began to cry, harder, deeper, and more desperately than she ever had in her life. She remained like that until the door at the other side of the room was blasted off its hinges. ~~~ Incendia, guided by the light of her horn, made her way into the rightmost cave entrance. She trotted quickly and confidently through the winding cement passageway, stopping only to examine some small cracks in the concrete, through which a dull, silvery light was shining. Eventually, she had made her way up to a large, ornately carved wooden door. The surface was covered in carvings of ponies in all sorts of activities. Incendia stared interestedly at the Old Language letters that were carved all around the door, though it was completely incomprehensible to her. She hadn’t seen many authentic examples before. When she had seen her fill, she magicked the door open and stepped inside. Incendia blinked. The room was pitch black. After a moment, when her eyes had not adjusted, she increased the intensity of her horn. This didn’t help anything. Incendia was puzzled until she looked down. It wasn’t that she still couldn’t see: the floor of the room was a smooth, featureless black surface. She squinted through the dark for something to see, but as far as she could tell, the room was just featureless. Disappointed, she turned to make her way back through the door and smacked the side of her head against a strange object. She stumbled back and waited for the fresh pain in her head to subside. Finally, when she could open her eyes, she looked up at what she had hit. She screamed. It wasn’t the door. Standing before her was a very small hut constructed shoddily out of old, rotting wood and paper. She turned and galloped as fast as she could in the opposite direction. The hut was familiar to her. It was her childhood home. She glanced over her shoulder in terror and screamed again. Though she was galloping at full-tilt, she wasn’t getting any farther from the hut. She could hear the sounds coming from inside, now. The shouts of anger and fear. She tried to ignore it, but it was impossible. She stopped attempting to gallop away and flung herself to the ground, clamping her hooves over her ears to try and block it out. It didn’t work. The sound seemed to just grow louder and more horrible. With a cold shock, Incendia recognized the voice of her mother. “No! You can’t have her! You can’t, I won’t let you!” “You’ve had your fun,” said another voice, which Incendia instantly recognized as Rubidium’s. “You’ve managed to evade me for an impressively long time, but your time has come. Hand over the girl and I will leave peacefully.” “Never!” her mother cried. “I’ll fight you!” came a deeper, male voice that Incendia recognized as her father’s. She heard Rubidium give a horrible chuckle. “Two unicorns? What ever will I do?” A horrible flash of red light burned its way into Incendia’s eyes, even through her closed eyelids. She heard a strangled scream. Though she couldn’t see it, the image of her father, gouting blood from a gash across his face, came unbidden into her mind. Then, she heard her own voice, though it was higher, shriller. “Mom! Dad! No!” She knew what was coming next, and despite every cell in her body screaming not to, screaming to run away and never look back, she lifted her head and turned to look at the small hut. “My, my, just who I was looking for!” came Rubidium’s voice, dripping with sarcastic joy. A white flash of light came from inside the hut, and for just a moment, Incendia could see her own silhouette. She heard a grunt of pain come from Rubidium. “You’ve made a grave mistake!” he roared. She saw a bolt of red light streak across the doorway, and her own face, alive with terror, was thrown into sharp relief. With that sight, the memories she had tried so hard to repress came flooding back, their clarity and accuracy confirmed by the events playing out before her eyes. She remembered her mother aging, wrinkles appearing on her skin, until she was nothing more than a dessicated corpse. She remembered Rubidium’s cold chuckle, how his wounds had closed as new ones opened on her mother. And she remembered when she had reached her breaking point. Rubidium turned his eyes on her, and she lost control. Her horn exploded with orange light, and the small candle on the table in the corner flared into an enormous fireball. Rubidium’s look of smug success changed to one of shock. He opened his mouth and said something Incendia never heard, then turned to run out of the hut. She remembered her younger self’s short-lived feeling of success. She had won. He was gone. Then, with a horrible realization, she remembered her father. She looked to her left to see a dark shape, lying on the floor next to the table, twitching, completely engulfed in flames. She recoiled in horror. Her horn was still glowing, still feeding the fire, and only now did she realize she didn’t know how to control it. She mustered up all her courage and determination and focused on turning the flames down. The older Incendia lowered her head again and grasped it with her hooves as the hut exploded. When the debris had stopped falling, she turned her head back towards the ruin of the hut. Lying in the middle of the flaming wreckage was a small, black filly, her horn weakly flickering orange. With a happy musical tinkle and flash of white light that was most unfitting for the circumstances, a stylistic rendition of a flame appeared on her flank. The adult Incendia was breathing hard, as though she had just run a marathon. Her mind had gone blank. She had been trying for years to forget this- and then, in one fell swoop, the entire even had come flooding back in agonizing detail. Then, she saw something that brought her out of her stupor. The filly version of herself stood up and looked directly at her. Incendia blinked twice. She didn’t remember this. The pony standing in the center of the burning debris began walking towards her. With each step she took, the filly Incendia appeared to age. She grew taller, sleeker, and stronger, until she was roughly the same age as the real Incendia. This version of Incendia, however, was at once more beautiful and more horrible than the real Incendia. Her mane, instead of the coppery orange-red hair of the real Incendia, was nothing more than a layer of red flames burning on her neck. “Wh-what are you?” Incendia stammered. “What am I? Oh, I think you ask the wrong questions,” said the Incendia-thing, with a smile that lacked an ounce of kindness. “I believe the better question is, ‘who are you?’” Incendia couldn’t find any words. She opened and closed her mouth silently. The Incendia-thing chuckled a cold, mirthless chuckle. “At a loss for words? That’s a rarity. I know you, Incendia. I am you.” “What’s going on?” Incendia managed to say. “Why are you showing me these things?” “Because that’s what this place does,” it said. “It shows you the truth you don’t want to see.” Incendia just whimpered, still cowering on the ground. The Incendia-thing frowned at this. It stalked closer to Incendia and roughly jabbed a hoof in her side, causing her to grunt in pain and roll onto her back. She was now looking directly into the thing’s eyes, which she now realized were a blank, silvery-white. “Look at you!” it shouted, so loudly that Incendia’s ears rang. “Look at the so-called ‘Terror of Stalliongrad’, the ‘Voice of the Ponies’! Look what she has been reduced to. Crying and huddling on the ground like an animal. I’m disgusted. I expected better.” These words stirred something in Incendia. Something of her rebellious spirit still remained, and, with the greatest effort it had ever cost her, the orange/red flames sprung to life, covering her from head to hoof. The Incendia-thing retracted a hoof, and quickly widened the gap between them. “That’s more like it,” it hissed. Incendia let out a crazed shriek and lashed out a tongue of flame at the thing. It hit dead-on, slicing across its face. Its head jerked sharply to the left, and a deep gash was clearly visible on its face, oozing out a thick, silvery substance that faded into nothingness before it could hit the ground. “Oh, Incendia,” cooed the thing, “violence won’t get you anywhere.” “Let me go,” growled the real Incendia. She was already putting herself back together, preparing to fight her way out. “Not until you’ve seen the truth. We’ve already seen your past. Why don’t we take a look at your present and future?” Its eyes began to glow, and images shimmered into being between them. Incendia dimmed her flames unconsciously. Floating in the space between them was an image of their camp the night before. Incendia was sitting on one side of the floating orb of light, her legs curled up beneath her, while Tiptoe and Jigsaw sat on the other side, nearly falling over each other in laughter. As they watched, the background faded away, until soon the only images left were Jigsaw and Tiptoe’s laughing faces. “You’ll never be happy like they are,” the thing hissed. “You lost that when you allowed Stalliongrad to be destroyed.” “I didn’t allow it to be destroyed,” Incendia said. “That was Tantalus and Rubidium.” “Either way,” sneered the thing, “my point still stands.” “How can you possibly know that?” Incendia shot back. “You can’t see the future.” “No, but I can see the truth,” it said smugly. “What exactly are you hoping will happen? That you’ll stumble across some other town? That you’ll find a mare willing to throw her life away to join you on this suicide mission?” Incendia winced. “Or are you, perhaps, hoping for some dissent within the group? For Tiptoe to coming running and declare her love for you?” The thing let out a derisive laugh. “Of course not,” Incendia said, though she sounded shaken. “I barely know her.” “Indeed,” said the Incendia thing, somewhat cryptically. “You see, I am right. Can you stand it? Will you be able to sit back and watch their love bloom while you wither on the vine?” “I’m not doing this for myself!” Incendia shouted. Something had snapped inside her. She didn’t know what she was saying now. It wasn’t coming from her mind. She was speaking directly from her emotions. Dimly, she registered the thing that was imitating her had raised a foreleg as if to step backwards. “I’m doing this because I have nothing left! I made a mistake! I was careless, and Stalliongrad was destroyed because of me! I didn’t know how important those two ponies were. I let down everypony I had ever known! Everypony I had ever loved!” For just a moment, the thing’s eyes flicked orange, and an image of a beautiful chocolate brown earth pony replaced Jigsaw and Tiptoe’s. Her bright yellow eyes seemed to cut through the gloom. In a blink of an eye, it disappeared. Incendia didn’t even have time to register it. “I escaped Stalliongrad, but I shouldn’t have!” She was getting hysterical now, shouting at the top of her lungs. “I didn’t know why at first, but I do now! I need to help them! They showed me kindness, healed me! I know I haven’t known them for very long, but this feels right! More right than anything I’ve ever done! I’ve done so much wrong by so many ponies, but now I have the opportunity to do something good, my own happiness be damned! And you...” She ignited again, though this time, the flames licking up around her body were bright blue. “You will not stop me!” She took a defiant step forward with each word, breaking through the illusion of Tiptoe and Jigsaw’s smiling faces on the last one. “Understand?” Incendia said. She noticed, dimly, that the thing imitating her was now the one cowering. She didn’t look beautiful anymore. It looked weak and feeble, almost insubstantial, illuminated by Incendia’s blue flames. It still spoke, though it was almost without any emotion whatsoever. “Would you die for them?” “Of course I would,” Incendia snarled. “I wasn’t sure until right now, but now I am. I learned everything I needed to know at that campfire. These are good ponies. They have loved ones, hopes, dreams, and ambitions! And despite everything they’ve been through, they’re still fighting the good fight, and they don’t even know why! But I do. Love.” With that final word, she finished, waiting for a response. Instead, the thing simply stood up. It suddenly no longer looked menacing. It was staring at Incendia with what she could only describe as the proud look a parent might give to a child. All traces of malice were gone. “Don’t be so quick to give up on your own happiness,” it said. “And...” It paused, eyes darting back and forth between Incendia’s own, as if trying to make up its mind. Then, it continued: “Your father’s final thoughts were... that he was happy his daughter had the strength to stand up for what was right.” With that, a sound like rushing wind filled Incendia’s ears, and the thing vanished. Suddenly, bright moonlight flooded into the room, replacing the black, featureless walls with color and texture. Incendia didn’t notice, however. The thing’s final words rang in her ears. She was overwhelmed, tears sizzling against her still-hot coat, a strange mixture of joy and sadness filling her heart. Her sobbing continued uninterrupted until the fountain crashed through the ceiling. ~~~ Jigsaw entered the dark passageway at a trot, and was delighted at what he found. A small crack in the wall, just large enough to squeeze through, led to what he assumed must once have been a guard outpost. Swords and shields lined the wall, but Jigsaw only had eyes for one item. A set of saddlebags sat, dusty and unused, in one corner of the room, and Jigsaw immediately picked it up and flipped it onto his back. Then, as though the act of lifting the bag had jogged his memory, he remembered he had left the parts for the teleporter back at their campsite. Hoping against hope they weren’t out of range, Jigsaw lit his horn. Several minutes later, he let out a sigh of relief as the parts came flying in through the crack, landing snugly in his bag. He squeezed his way back through the crack, a difficult task now that he was wearing saddlebags, and continued up the dark passageway. It was grueling work, though not as strenuous as the climb up the mountain had been. The tunnel constantly switched back on itself, with a series of platforms that Jigsaw was forced to climb up. It was almost as though it was a staircase built for giants, but that wouldn’t explain the low ceiling. Still, he climbed, and finally, the last ledge led to a beautiful room- something like an indoor garden, though all the plants had long since withered away. An ornate gem-encrusted silver fountain was in the center of the room, surrounded by comfortable-looking padded benches. Jigsaw gladly lay down upon one of them and began examining the fountain. It was covered in a thick layer of dust, making it clear that it hadn’t been used in a very long time. On a whim, Jigsaw focused his attention on the fountain, and attempted to see if he could get the water flowing again. The fountain glowed faintly with blue light, and sure enough, Jigsaw could sense a a collapsed section of pipe a few feet under the statue. He smiled. It had been quite a while since he had repaired a pipe system. He closed his eyes and the glowing around his horn intensified. He could feel the pipe swelling, repairing itself as ordered by his magic. Finally, when he was done, he opened his eyes, expecting to see a cascade of water flowing from the fountain. Instead, the ground rumbled and lurched, nearly throwing him off the bench, and a feeble trickle of water spurted from the mouth of one of the silver ponies before it stopped. From somewhere in the distance, Jigsaw heard a shriek. “Who’s there?” he shouted, jumping down from the bench. “Jigsaw? Is that you?” came a voice Jigsaw recognized instantly. It was Antimony’s. From behind the fountain came a silvery-gray unicorn, her cutie mark of a beaker stark in the light from Jigsaw’s horn. Jigsaw stared for several seconds, jaw slack. Then he spoke in a disbelieving monotone. “I must be dreaming. I fell asleep on this bench and now I’m dreaming. It’s the only logical explanation.” “Jigsaw, it’s not a dream!” chuckled Antimony. “I’m standing right he-” She never got to finish her sentence. From the darkness behind her, a gigantic shape began to emerge. Jigsaw recognized it immediately. “Look out!” he cried. Antimony whirled around just in time to see an enormous snake-like creature slide out of the darkness. It was at least eight times the size of Jigsaw, and its body was covered in sores, which appeared to be oozing a silvery substance. “Oh, Goddesses, Jigsaw, help me!” shrieked Antimony. Jigsaw couldn’t move. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. He had relived this moment over and over again in his dreams and while awake, thinking what he could have done differently, but now that it was happening again, he was too afraid to act. “I don’t understand!” he called, tears beginning to stream down his face. “Why is this happening? What-” His words were cut off by the roar of the snake creature, which struck its rotten head down onto the silvery gray pony, sinking it’s horrible yellow-and-black fangs deep into her side. Antimony let out a cry of pain and terror. Jigsaw let out a strangled scream as the creature whipped its head from side to side, tearing a bloody chunk out of Antimony. The horrible fangs slid out of her side with a sickening squelch. The force of the snake’s violent undulations tossed Antimony’s lifeless body to the floor, and she skidded to a halt at his feet. The snake began to eat the chunk of Antimony it had torn out with horrible crunches and slurps. Jigsaw stared down at her, gasping for breath, not understanding what had just happened. The snake creature stared at him with piercing green eyes for just a moment before it faded away. Jigsaw lowered his head to Antimony’s and began to sob into the safe fur of her mane.. Then, with an odd, jerking twitch, Antimony’s body moved. Jigsaw backed away quickly. Something was wrong. Antimony stood up, leaning slightly to her left, opposite where the chunk of flesh had been torn out. When she opened her eyes, Jigsaw was shocked to discover they were featureless, silver discs. “The first of many,” it said, in an alarmingly casual tone. “Y-you’re not Antimony!” Jigsaw said, taking another step back. “Of course not,” it hissed. “I am the truth.” “What do you mean?” Jigsaw said. Tears were still streaming down his face. “I am what you’re too afraid to face,” said the thing. “I am representative of all those who have died for you.” Jigsaw didn’t respond. He felt as though his throat had swollen shut. “What’s the matter?” the thing said mockingly. Without warning, it was directly in front of him, shouting into his face. “Afraid to act? !” It took a step back and began to pace back and forth in a horrible parody of Antimony’s gait. “Poor, little Jigsaw. So detached, so intellectual. Always top of your class! Poor, pitiful Jigsaw, who suffered a loss so early in life. One wonders if you feel anything at all.” “Of course I do,” Jigsaw said, exerting a massive effort to keep his voice from cracking. He attempted to blink away his tears with no success. “And yet you stood there and watched her die, again!” it retorted. “Tiptoe wonders sometimes, you know. She wonders if you really do love her. If you even can love anymore. And who could blame her? Not I, certainly.” “What do you want?” Jigsaw asked, emotion creeping back into his voice, causing it to quaver. He couldn’t keep up the facade any longer. The thing appeared to stop for a moment, as if to think of how to respond. Then it said, “To illuminate that which is too often left in the dark.” With that, the thing’s form abruptly changed to that of Tiptoe’s.", "And who could blame her? Not I, certainly.” “What do you want?” Jigsaw asked, emotion creeping back into his voice, causing it to quaver. He couldn’t keep up the facade any longer. The thing appeared to stop for a moment, as if to think of how to respond. Then it said, “To illuminate that which is too often left in the dark.” With that, the thing’s form abruptly changed to that of Tiptoe’s. “Stalliongrad died to save you,” it said in a perfect imitation of Tiptoe’s voice, though without any trace of her signature kindness. “You let an entire city perish rather than simply sacrifice yourself. You were too afraid to act!” It began stalking steadily closer as it spoke. “Your quest is futile, you know. What exactly is it you hope to achieve? To reassemble the broken goddesses? They are a relic of an age long since forgotten. It’s only a matter of time until I end up like her.” With that, the thing’s neck jerked sharply to the side, and with a sickening crunching sound, it collapsed to the ground, legs and wings splayed at impossible angles. “All that you will accomplish is to kill the world that much faster.” “You’re wrong!” Jigsaw shouted, his voice sounding hoarse and unfamiliar to him. “You’ve been saying that I sit back and let others die for me, then you tell me I should give up? That doesn’t make any sense!” As he spoke, his crying intensified, though he had no idea why. The thing stood up and stared at Jigsaw, as if inviting him to continue. “You don’t know the truth. You only know how to tell convincing lies. I’m doing this right now so nopony ever has to die for me again!” His sadness and confusion were beginning to turn into anger. His horn began glowing so brilliantly blue that he felt as though he could almost see through the Tiptoe-thing, which bore a look of terror on its face. “And don’t you ever tell me I don’t love Tiptoe. I’m done with taking things lying down. Never again am I going to sit back wile things like you terrorize what I love!” Jigsaw finished the sentence shouting, the cords in his neck taut with anger. The thing sighed, almost as if it had been waiting a very long time for this, then stared at Jigsaw intently. “It will do,” said the thing, with a finality that did not invite a response from Jigsaw. It began to walk backwards, away from Jigsaw, and he heard the sound of rushing wind begin. Then, suddenly, the wind died down, and Jigsaw recognized the expression on the thing’s face: despair. It stood, staring at him for a long time before it finally spoke. “Antimony wants you to be happy.” it said, so softly Jigsaw almost didn’t catch it. The expression on it’s face showed the same despair, though it seemed now to be tinged with a touch of regret. Then, with that, the rushing wind picked up again, and the thing was gone. Jigsaw collapsed onto the bench, fresh tremors of fright and sadness shooting through his body. When he finally dried his eyes, he had made a decision his mind. He would find Incendia and Tiptoe. They had been apart far too long. He didn’t have the chance to get up, however, because at that moment, the fountain erupted. ~~~ Without warning, water began gushing through the fountain at such high speeds it sprayed the walls and floors. Jigsaw was so taken aback that he was washed off his bench by a jet of water from an ornate golden pegasus. Spluttering, he ignited his horn and ran to the base of the fountain, touching his horn to it. He understood what was about to happen only moments before it did. The floor around the fountain cracked, and with one final jet of water, the fountain crashed down, pulling Jigsaw with it. He jumped into the fountain, acting purely on instinct, which proved life-saving when they collided with the floor below with a sound like a small explosion. The water softened the impact enough that Jigsaw avoided collision with the hard, metal walls of the fountain. He climbed out of the basin, gasping for air, and was surprised to see a very shocked Incendia gawking at him. “What just happened?” she asked, her eyes wide. “Never mind the fountain,” Jigsaw said, his voice hard with determination. “We have to find Tiptoe.” The authority in his voice kicked Incendia into action. “Right,” she said. “Any ideas of where to look?” Jigsaw glanced around the room. “Where did you come in?” Incendia gestured to the door directly behind her with her horn. “Then we should probably check that door,” Jigsaw said, gesturing to a door in the back-left corner of the room, opposite where Incendia had come out. They cantered over to it without another word. Jigsaw’s horn began to glow, but the door wouldn’t budge. “It’s locked,” he said, peering at the keyhole. “I think I can figure it out, just give me a few minutes...” “Oh, just let me do it,” Incendia said, sounding somewhat exasperated, as she stepped between Jigsaw and the door. Her horn cast its familiar orange light, and the door blew apart in a flash of fire. They heard a scream come from the other side, and Jigsaw rushed inside. “Tiptoe! Tiptoe, is that you?” Jigsaw shouted in alarm. His head whipped back and forth frantically until he saw her, standing up about twenty feet away. He took off towards her at a gallop at the same time as she did. They met in the middle, throwing hooves around each other, sharing a passionate kiss. “I’m so sorry!” Jigsaw exlcaimed as they broke apart. “I should never have said that we should split up. I’ll never leave you alone again!” Once more, tears were flowing, but these were tears of joy; tears of relief. “I don’t ever want to be apart from you again! There was this creature, and it said the most horrible things, and-” “I know.” Jigsaw said, soothingly. “I know.” “I love you, Jigsaw!” Tiptoe said. The note of pleading in her voice was unmistakable. “I love you too, Tiptoe,” Jigsaw said resolutely, staring steadily into Tiptoe eyes. “Don’t ever doubt that.” And with that, they kissed again. Incendia turned away when she saw this, feeling flustered. This wasn’t a moment meant for her. Another pang of loneliness shot through her. At least until a pair of hooves closed around her neck, taking her completely by surprise. She looked up to find that Tiptoe had rushed over and embraced her. It was too much for Incendia to take. She began to cry again, for the life that she had lost, for long-lost loves, for the future, and for the overwhelming feeling of affection she felt for the creamy yellow pegasus. She didn’t think she could ever express how much this simple hug meant to her. After several moments of hesitation, Jigsaw also placed a hoof around Incendia’s neck. They stood together like that for longer than any of them knew. They weren’t concerned with the passage of time just then. When they broke apart, Jigsaw was not entirely shocked to see a silvery-white orb, just like a miniature moon, floating in the center of the room. It had been the most emotionally trying experience of their lives, but they had found what they were looking for." ]

[ "Antipodes Chapter 20 By PK The silvery orb hung, silent and mysterious, in the center of the room. It’s surface was perfectly smooth and glassy, and it rotated slowly, sending off wisps of shadowy mist. “So... what happens now?” Incendia asked, her voice low and hushed. In response, Jigsaw began to walk slowly towards where the sphere hung, his head bowed low as if in reverence. He felt a strange, pulsating buzz begin in his horn, as though it were anxious to make contact. Cautiously, he raised his head until the very tip of his horn broke the silvery surface of the sphere. For a moment, a single ripple issued across its surface, causing the silvery light to shimmer. Then, Jigsaw was enveloped in a sheet of whirling silver mist. Incendia started forward towards him, but Tiptoe extended a hoof, catching her in the chest. “I don’t think we should interfere,” she said in a near-whisper. Shimmering intensely, the mist whirled faster and faster around the unicorn, until with a brilliant flash of white light, the mist zoomed up and into Jigsaw’s horn. The flash was so bright that it momentarily blinded Tiptoe and Incendia. When they blinked away the bright afterimage, they were surprised to see Jigsaw, standing where the sphere had been, his horn glowing sliver, tendrils of light seemed to reach up from the floor and flow into his horn. “Jigsaw, what’s going on?” asked Incendia, more than a little alarm in her voice. “I don’t know!” Jigsaw shouted in response, shaking his head violently to try and draw the tendrils away from his horn. Where the silvery substance left the smooth marble floor, large cracks began to appear. The surface lost its sheen, dulled, and became brittle. Jigsaw galloped towards the other two ponies, away from the rapidly growing spiderweb of cracks. The tendrils were now licking up the walls, drawing some shimmering energy out from the walls and windows. it was as though whatever protection that had kept the place intact was being stripped away, and the ten thousand intervening years were beginning to take their toll. The moan and rumble of slipping stone was so loud that they couldn’t even hear themselves shouting. Soon, the three were forced into the only untouched corner left in the room, pressed as close together as possible to stay away from the advancing wave of cracks and decay. Chunks of rock were beginning to rain down from above, some large enough to crash through the floor and beyond. Finally, the floor beneath them cracked and sagged, and the last of the silver light began to flow into Jigsaw’s horn. Several moments of tense silence followed the end of the strange light show. None of them dared to speak for fear that the sound of their voice might somehow cause the floor to give way. Gaping holes were present from where pieces of the ceiling had caved in and smashed through the floor, causing the room to resemble the pock-marked and crumbling surface of the moon above. “Is everypony okay?” Incendia asked in a low whisper. Still, the sudden sound nearly caused Tiptoe to jump in surprise. “I... I think so,” Jigsaw answered shakily. He was panting heavily, and his horn still glowed silver, though it was fading in brilliance and intensity. “I’m okay,” Tiptoe murmured absentmindedly. She was starting at Jigsaw with concern. Jigsaw, however, was staring at the floor. His eyes were darting quickly around the area, taking in every little detail. Eventually, he turned his eyes to Incendia. “How good is your levitation?” Incendia looked taken aback. “Same as any other unicorn, I suppose. I mean it’s not my special talent, but I practice all the basic mag-” she cut herself off mid-sentence, her eyes widening with comprehension. “Jigsaw, you’re not seriously considering...” “I am,” he said, simply. “What is he considering?” Tiptoe said, looking back and forth between the two unicorns. Jigsaw turned to face face her. “We’re going to carry ourselves down the mountain,” he said, a faint gleam deep in his eyes. ~~~ Tantalus touched down at the base of the castle, tongues of green fire licking at the barren earth for a few moments before spinning away into nothingness. He clenched his enormous reptilian fists. He knew he was too late. They had already collected the fragment, and the castle was beginning to crumble. Somehow they had managed to break through his wards and discover the mountain, but more pressingly, the fragment had already entered the vessel, and the castle had finally decayed. Despite all this, he found himself grinning. He knew he was at an advantage. He was familiar with this particular castle. He had come here back before the Grand Cataclysm many times. he knew that he had them cornered. He took in a great breath. He could feel the spell he was about to cast burning within him, wriggling and squirming, begging for release. With a mighty exhale, the spell left him in a torrent of green fire, whirling around the base of the castle, enveloping it, and burrowing into the faults and fissures of the foundation. The mountain gave a mighty shake, and the already unstable castle began to crumble. ~~~ Jigsaw, Tiptoe, and Incendia screamed as huge chucks of marble, the heads of statues, and even- once or twice- the skeletons of some long dead ponies rained down from the ceiling above them. “Now!” shouted Jigsaw, looking at Incendia. “We have to do it now!” Incendia’s horn glowed in response, enveloping the chuck of marble they stood on in a bright orange glow. Jigsaw joined in soon afterwards, the blue glow of his own magic mixing with the orange. With a lurching, jerking movement, the rock lifted from the floor and began to float to the remains of the large window that overlooked the waterfall. They were constantly forced to split their attention between keeping the chunk of marble floating and deflecting the chunks of debris that were raining down from above. Tiptoe hovered just above the rock, keeping her weight off it. Suddenly, with a thunderous blast, an enormous and horribly tarnished bronze alicorn statue came crashing down from above, heading directly towards him. Incendia’s head snapped up and she braced herself against the surface of the floating marble. “Jigsaw, get ready!” she shouted. Then, with a flash of orange light, she let go of the marble and focused on the statue. Pain exploded in Jigsaw’s head, and his feet slid several inches over the surface of the stone, coming dangerously close to the ragged, fractured edge. His horn shone intensely, magic radiating from it so intensely that even Tiptoe could feel it- like sort of a warm buzz heading down from the center of her forehead all the way to the tip of her tail. The marble dipped and bobbed dangerously, but stayed airborne. The bronze statue was floating in the air directly above them. Incendia looked much the same as Jigsaw did- fluid magic flowed off her horn, the energy radiating away from her so powerfully that it was almost visible. “I don’t have the strength to move it!” Incendia said through gritted teeth. Tiptoe didn’t know what to do. The statue was so large that she didn’t stand a chance of moving it on her own, and she didn’t want it hanging over them all the way down the mountain. She didn’t seem to have much of a choice, however. Moments later they zoomed out the window and left the crumbling ruins of Canterlot Castle behind. They hovered in the air for a moment more before, with an earsplitting crack followed by a series of the loudest booms Jigsaw or Tiptoe had ever heard, the castle snapped off its foundations and began tumbling down the mountain. The waterfall shattered under the pressure of thousands of tons of rock and metal, and and in several more minutes, the mammoth avalanche was over. A thousand feet below them lay a gargantuan pile of twisted wreckage. Tiptoe nearly laughed in relief, until she remembered they still had to make it down to the ground below. Jigsaw and Incendia began to sweat under the punishing weight of keeping the marble aloft. Abruptly, a huge burst of green fire licked at their backs, breaking their concentration. “Tantalus!” shouted Incendia. The sheen of magic around both objects vanished. With that, Jigsaw, Incendia, the statue, and the platform all plummeted. Tiptoe just barely managed to dart out of the way of the alicorn statue’s outstretched wings, only half an inch away from hitting her. She folded her own wings dove down, towards where Jigsaw and Incendia where clinging to the platform, horns lit in a desperate attempt to slow their plummet. As she dove, she saw a vast dark figure shoot past her, green flames trailing behind it. Tantalus would be waiting for them. Finally, with one monumental effort, Jigsaw and Incendia managed to coordinate their efforts enough to slow both themselves and the statue. When they hit the ground with a jarring, though mercifully non-fatal impact. They didn’t get a moment of rest, however. Incendia hadn’t been able to stop the statue’s decent entirely, and they had to roll off the platform to avoid getting impaled by the ancient horn. The statue cleaved the marble platform cleanly in half and clattered to the ground, seemingly undamaged. Jigsaw had the fleeting thought that it must be enchanted. Tiptoe alighted next to them a moment later. “Oh, thank Luna’s grace you’re alright! We have to run! Tantalus beat us down here, he’s waiting for us!” Incendia and Jigsaw were breathing raggedly, but they still looked around in alarm. However, the moonlight was so dim that they couldn’t see more than a few yards in any direction. They didn’t detect any motion, however, and the only sounds were the clatter of small rocks as they came careening down the hillside to join the ruin of the castle, which was only a short distance to their left. They allowed themselves a sigh of relief. “I don’t know why but I think he’s gone. Maybe he thought there would be no way we could stop the platform in time,” Jigsaw said, his breathing slowing. “Incendia, do you think you could cast one of those flaming balls to follow us around?” “Allow me,” said a horrible, growling voice from somewhere directly ahead of the group, back towards the forest. A huge shape shrouded in green fire was illuminated some three hundred feet ahead and covered the distance in mere seconds. Jigsaw’s horn began to glow anew, and orange flames erupted all along the length of Incendia’s body. Tantalus stood over them, staring down at the flaming unicorn in mild surprise. The veins on his face pulsed unpleasantly, almost seeming to glow with an internal light. “Two has become three, I see,” he said, sounding mildly amused. His voice was horrible, resonating with such a terrible power that actually made Tiptoe lower her head and retch. Fortunately, she hadn’t eaten anything for almost three days and had nothing to throw up. Tantalus’ very presence was noxious. Tantalus ignored this, though his smile grew a hair wider. He stared intently at Incendia. “Where did you come from? A survivor of Stalliongrad? No matter, I-” His words were cut off by Incendia’s flaming whip, which lashed at his exposed stomach. As far as any of them could tell it had not had any measurable effect on him, but his smile dropped. “You dare to interrupt me?” Tantalus snarled at her. “You will pay dearly for that.” “Why are you doing this? Jigsaw asked, desperate to stall for time. Tiptoe stood behind him, wings outstretched, but her quivering was unmistakable. She was petrified. Tantalus turned his attention instead to Jigsaw. “You foal. You do not know what powers you interfere with.” “Then why don’t you tell me!” Jigsaw shouted. Tantalus sneered and, to Jigsaw’s utter astonishment, said “Very well. You do deserve an explanation. You have gotten significantly farther than any before you, at any rate.” “Why did you let us go from the cave?” Jigsaw asked. “Because I thought you might be able to get me into Stalliongrad. The story I told you then was essentially the truth, as you may have guessed. Rubidium was a royal guard that lusted after the power of the goddesses. He unleashed power beyond his control.” “What power?” Jigsaw asked. With a growing horror, Tiptoe noticed that the edge in Jigsaw’s voice was beginning to fade, being replaces by his familiar inquiring tone. Incendia was still blazing, eyes locked on Tantalus as if waiting for him to act. “It is... difficult to put into words. The sort-of antithesis to the goddesses. Evil itself, ones such as you might call it,” he said. His tone was like that of a teacher speaking down to a foal it considered inferior. Tiptoe knew that tone all too well. “But where did it come from? How did it get trapped in the book, and what does it have to do with you?” Jigsaw said. “Where? Is it honestly relevant?” Tantalus said drolly. “Dredging up ancient history will not help you. Suffice it to say that the goddesses had it sealed away very near the beginning. Something about... ideological conflicts.” “As for what it has to do with me, I am amazed you have not guessed yet, Jigsaw. For all intents and purposes, it is me.” Jigsaw took a step back reflexively. “What? How is that possible?” “It is difficult to speak of different parts of one’s self. I was once two entities, before the fall. A dragon named Spike and the being which Rubidium had unleashed. Spike had hidden away in the chaos following the fall, and the being approached him, brokering a deal. Spike had... his own reasons for accepting. Such power the being had! For several years, we remained separate. Spike was weak. He fought the inevitable for so long. Eventually, however, he succumbed to my influence. Very little of him remains, now. For all intents and purposes, I am the being. I have had free reign over the world for the for the last ten millenia.” To Jigsaw’s utter astonishment, Tiptoe spoke up. “That’s not true! Back in your cave, I saw a gem on a pedestal. Who was Rarity?” Tantalus froze. The smug smile dropped off his face. “Do not speak of things you don’t understand,” he muttered, his voice deathly quiet. The terrible power behind his voice seemed a little less overwhelming. Jigsaw had a sneaking suspicion that more of this “Spike” remained than Tantalus cared to admit. “What would she think of what you have done?” Tiptoe said. It was a total shot in the dark, but she hoped it might have some effect. It did. Tantalus let out a mighty roar and brought one claw slashing through the air, slamming into Jigsaw and knocking him away. Tiptoe was exposed now, and Tantalus wasted no time in extending his other claw, lifting Tiptoe right off the ground. With another roar, he brought her slamming down onto her side, pinned to the ground by one massive, black claw on her cutie mark. Incendia let out a cry of horror, and her flames grew in size and intensity until they once again became blue. She braced herself against one of the chunks of rubble and her horn began to glow even more brilliantly. The air near Tantalus’ head shimmered for a moment before a huge, fiery explosion erupted into life near his hear. When the fire had cleared, Tantalus’ head was smoking, but he didn’t appear to have even noticed. “Do not speak of things you don’t understand!” he repeated with a mighty bellow. Jigsaw watched in horror as he began to slowly drive his claw into Tiptoe’s cutie mark. She let out a horrible scream of pain, a sound unlike Jigsaw had ever heard her make. He stood there paralyzed for a moment, but only for a moment. Images of Antimony came flooding back into his mind. He couldn’t let this happen. He wouldn’t. He took off at a gallop towards where she lay screaming. With a sickening crunch, Jigsaw heard what must have been her hip being crushed under Tantalus’ cruel talon. Then, to his own astonishment, his horn burst into life. Jigsaw could feel magic flowing from it, magic that was unfamiliar to him. With a shriek of anger and surprise, Tantalus withdrew his bloody claw from Tiptoe. A shimmering shield of silver light enveloped the three ponies. Jigsaw didn’t care about where the shield had come from at that moment, however. He leaned over Tiptoe, who was shaking on the ground in a pool of her own blood. Tantalus had severed an artery, and with each frantic pump of her heart, another spurt of blood flowed out of her flank. Incendia stood staring, wide-eyed, at the scene before her. Jigsaw looked up at her, tears in his eyes. “Incendia, please, help me, I’ve never been good at healing magic! There’s blood everywhere, what do I do?” Incendia didn’t speak. Instead, she shot a glance at Tantalus, who was now slamming his fists furiously against the magical barrier, then over her shoulder. She took a few slow steps backward, then turned tail and ran out of the protective shield, which flashed brightly to allow her passage. Jigsaw was shocked, but he shouted after her, “Fine! Run! Abandon us like you did in Stalliongrad!” Tantalus stopped slamming onto the shield to watch her jump over a pile of rubble opposite where the platform had landed and out of sight. “She has some sense,” Tantalus said. “Perhaps she will make a valuable ally. Do you see how futile your quest is, now? You cannot trust your allies. All that awaits you is death. Give up and join me. I can heal her. Together we can rule this world.” Jigsaw looked up at Tantalus for a moment. He opened his mouth to speak, but another voice, speaking from somewhere behind him, caught his attention. “Hey, Tantalus!” He whirled around to try and find the source of the voice, but it still took him several moments. Clambering, slowly and unsteadily, horn blazing so brilliantly it looked to be more plasma than solid, over the rubble was Incendia. Tantalus smirked. “What new tactic is this? Have you not yet learned that fire cannot hurt me?” Incendia was trembling, biting her lip so hard it was bleeding. Blood was flowing, fresh, from the cut on her flank. Her eyes darted above Tantalus’ head in response. Jigsaw and Tantalus both looked up at the same moment. Hovering directly over Tantalus’ head was the bronze Alicorn statue, horn pointed down, encased in an orange shimmer of magic. Incendia spoke, her voice quavering, as though each word cost her a monumental effort. “Nobody fucks with my friends.” There was a flash of orange light and Incendia collapsed onto the pile of rubble, tumbling down to rest on the ground. The bronze alicorn statue fell, the point of the horn driving itself directly into Tantalus’ eye, so deeply it protruded out the back of his head. Some part of Jigsaw’s mind realized that he must have been right about the enchantment on the statue, for when it met Tantalus’ head, white sparks shot out like a firework. Dark bile began to bubble out from the wounds in Tantalus’ eye. He swayed on the spot, then, with a flash of green fire and a deafening bang, the statue exploded and Tantalus was gone. The shield shimmered out of existence as suddenly as it had come. Tiptoe let out a weak moan of pain, bringing Jigsaw’s attention back to her. His horn ignited, and he held it close to the gaping wound in Tiptoe’s side. He could feel the injuries- each one sharp and clear to his sense, but he felt the familiar sense of fuzziness- like there was some kind of obstacle in his way that prevented him from figuring out how to fix it. He focused all his energies, perhaps more than he ever had before. Silently, in desperation, he even said a prayer to the goddesses, willing them to lend their strength to him if they could. Then it happened. The barrier was gone. Deep inside Tiptoe’s flank, Jigsaw could see flesh knitting back together. Blood vessels snaked along muscle and sinew to rejoin. Her shattered hip shifted and cracked, fusing back together. Jigsaw’s entire body had gone numb and cold. He was shaking uncontrollably. He knew he had gone too far, this time- this magic could very well kill him. But he didn’t care. It just strengthened his resolve. Finally, after what felt like hours to Jigsaw, but could only have been a few minutes, the wound in Tiptoe’s flank was sealed. With a happy musical tinkle and a flash, her cutie mark once again reasserted its rightful place. Jigsaw lost consciousness just as Tiptoe regained hers. ~~~ Far away, in Tantalus’ gloomy castle, the blue gem on a pedestal began to vibrate and shake. Yellow light shot out of the fissures on its surface. With a loud snapping sound, another crack snaked across the surface of the gem. Green smoke billowed out of the crack until the floor was covered in the thick fog several feet deep. The smoke began to float together, and with a flash of green light, Tantalus was lying on the cave floor, his scaly skin looking raw, red, and undeveloped. His eyes opened, whole and intact. ~~~ Incendia woke up first, to the gentle nuzzling of Tiptoe. She blushed intensely and stood shakily to her feet, attempting to hide her face from Tiptoe. She wasn’t sure how successful she had been, but Tiptoe made no comment. Jigsaw was still lying where he had fallen, horn fizzling weakly. His breathing was shallow and rapid. Tiptoe trotted over to him and Incendia followed. “What happened?” Incendia asked. “I don’t know. The last thing I remember was blacking out from pain, and then... I think he healed me,” Tiptoe said, staring at Jigsaw with a mixture of affection and concern. As they spoke, Jigsaw stirred. His eyes fluttered open. Initially, they were unfocused, but as he stared at them, they sharpened. Tiptoe galloped over and put her head very close to Jigsaw, whispering as though she were afraid that her voice could injure him. “Are you okay?” Jigsaw smiled weakly and said, in an oddly raspy voice, “I’m just glad you are.” With that, he passed out again, but Tiptoe wasn’t quite as worried. His breathing had steadied some. “Come on,” Incendia said, her horn glowing. She turned towards the forest. “We should find shelter”." ]

[ "Antipodes Chapter 21 By PK Arduously, they began their trek back towards the distant treeline. Incendia led the way, Jigsaw floating gently behind her in an orange halo. Tiptoe stumbled after them both. Her hip felt stiff and awkward, and her condition was exacerbated by the frozen river’s slippery surface. She was lightheaded and dizzy, too, and her stomach was growling loudly. Incendia wasn’t doing much better. She was making very slow progress along the river; the effort of keeping Jigsaw’s unconscious body aloft was straining her already spent energy. Her horn felt uncomfortably hot, a sensation which was almost entirely unfamiliar to her. She had used too much magic, and she knew it, but they were so close... Finally, after many more determined hoofsteps, they found themselves on the cold dirt of the river bank. The rubble from the castle extended all the way out to the timberline, though only the tips of the highest spires actually touched the stunted forest. They made their way into the woods, and the moon’s gray, lonely light was quickly lost in the branches and needles of the canopy. Incendia’s red-orange glow flared brightly in response to the growing shadows. The crack of foliage and twigs under her hooves heartened her, and before long, they had found an area sufficient to make camp. Incendia gingerly lowered Jigsaw to the underbrush and collapsed onto her haunches, breathing heavily. “Are you alright?” Tiptoe asked, trotting over to Incendia’s side and looking down at her with concern. “I’m fine,” Incendia replied. “I just need some rest. And some food,” she added, her gut twisting uncomfortably. “Oh, Goddesses, me too,” Tiptoe sighed, her head drooping. “I don’t suppose we can eat these.” She prodded absently at the pine needle carpet. Incendia shrugged and leaned her head down, snatching the greenest needle she could find with her mouth and began to chew. Her face contorted in disgust and she spat the needle back out. “Ugh, I’m not that hungry.” Tiptoe turned her head away from the green patches on the ground in disappointment. She felt even hungrier now that food had been denied. To distract herself, she set about to gathering firewood, because Incendia looked as though she was about to collapse. Jigsaw lay, breathing shallowly but steadily, at her side. Before long, Tiptoe had collected a stack of twigs and dried branches into the center of the clearing. Incendia watched bemused as Tiptoe attempted to set up a fire pit with little success. The feeble pile of kindling and branches kept collapsing no matter how the pegasus arranged them. Tiptoe swung herself around to attack the pile from a different angle, her backside facing Incendia. Incendia’s eyes initially widened in surprise at the new view, accompanied by a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. She couldn’t help but notice the curvature of Tiptoe’s body. She found herself leaning forward, brightening the light from her horn ever so slightly to get a clearer view. With a twitch, Jigsaw stirred. Incendia tore her eyes away from the creamy yellow pegasus, who had now taken to attempting to club the tinder into place, and refocused on Jigsaw. Suddenly, she felt a stab of guilt and shame. She squirmed and padded at the ground. The words of the thing that was guarding the fragment of Luna came back to her. “You’ll never be happy, you know.” She swallowed hard. What if there really wasn’t anypony out there for her? Her gaze turned back to Jigsaw. This wasn’t fair to him, either. Tiptoe wasn’t hers to ogle. What right did she have? If he hadn’t been there, she felt sure she would have been doomed to a life of wandering aimlessly through the desolate wastes, assuming she could even have survived her injuries without his healing magic. And this was how she was repaying him? But, in spite of herself, she found her gaze wandering back to Tiptoe... She shook her head and looked away. She sat there, her eyes trained resolutely on a spot to her left where she could see neither Jigsaw nor Tiptoe, her fluttering heart at odds with the horrible clenching and knotting of her stomach, until a thump from her right brought her head whipping around. It took her several seconds to process that the sound came from Tiptoe. She had sat herself down next to Incendia and was staring at her expectantly. “Fire!” Incendia blurted out after several seconds of silence. She blushed intensely. “You want me to light the fire!” “Yeah, that was kind of what I expected,” Tiptoe said, giggling. Incendia bolted up and made her way over to the pile of tinder and branches in the center of the clearing, her ears flat against her head, silently thanking Celestia that Tiptoe couldn’t read minds. She gathered up her strength- what remained of it- and a feeble ember sparked to life at the tip of her horn, leaping from it to smolder in the pile of twigs and branches. Incendia blew on it gently, and in moments, orange flames were blazing in the heart of the fire pit. It wasn’t as warm or as bright as Incendia’s magical flares had been, but it was all she could do. Tiptoe watched Incendia curiously. She had never seen her blush like that. Had she done something to embarrass the unicorn? What thoughts could she have interrupted? Then, with a weak cough and a groan, Jigsaw drove all thoughts of Incendia from her mind. His eyes fluttered open. He was exhausted, but alert. “Jigsaw!” Tiptoe shouted in delight. Incendia hobbled over to them as fast as her tired legs would allow her. Jigsaw blinked several times, then made to sit on his haunches, but Tiptoe pushed him back down. He didn’t try to get up again. Instead he opened his mouth and croaked, in a barely audible whisper, “What happened?” “We could be asking you the same thing,” Tiptoe said, with a glance at Incendia. “The last thing I remember, I was pinned under Tantalus’ talon. Then, next thing I know, Tantalus is gone, I can barely move my leg, and everypony but me is unconscious!” The words tumbled out of her mouth, and her eyes were wide and bright with relief. Jigsaw’s breathing was slow and steady now, and when he spoke, his voice was noticeably louder and stronger. “It was Incendia. She lifted the alicorn statue and dropped it right onto Tantalus’ head.” Tiptoe gaped at Incendia. “You lifted that?” Incendia blushed yet again, staring into Tiptoe’s wide, green eyes. “I had to. Tantalus was going to kill you if I didn’t do something, and that was the only thing I could think of doing.” Tiptoe didn’t look any less impressed, however, and she didn’t look away until a cough from Jigsaw forced her to. “How are you feeling?” asked Incendia. “Like I got stung by a cave-manticore,” groaned Jigsaw. “Oh!” Tiptoe exclaimed with a start, as though the thought had only just occurred to her. “Why aren’t I hurt?” “I was wondering about that, too,” Incendia said. “I thought Tiptoe was... I didn’t think she would make it.” “You didn’t?” Tiptoe asked, her previous glee giving way to fear. “How bad was it?” Jigsaw tried once more to sit up, and this time, Tiptoe let him. He swayed a little, but after several deep breaths, he sat up. He then began to tell the side of the story that only he was awake to see. The gaping hole in Tiptoe’s side, the healing magic, Tantalus’ vanishing in green flames. When he was done, Tiptoe looked at her flank, amazed, stretching out the restored foreleg in appreciation. “It feels just fine, though it is a bit stiff. How did you do it? I thought you weren’t good with ponies.” “I’m not,” Jigsaw replied. “Or, at least I wasn’t. There was always a barrier there. Like the feeling you get when you try to do magic that falls outside your specialization.” He glanced to Incendia as he spoke, and she nodded in understanding. “I’m not familiar with that feeling,” Tiptoe interjected, a noticeable edge of irritation in her voice. Incendia tilted her head in thought. “It’s... difficult to describe,” she said thoughtfully, “but I suppose the best metaphor would be a wall of glass. It’s solid, you can’t go through it, but you can see that there’s a whole world outside it. Only, everything outside is fuzzy and out-of-focus, and...” She stomped her hoof on the forest floor. “I’m not explaining it right!” she snapped. “It’s really hard to put into words. It’s more of a feeling.” “It’s okay, Incendia,” Jigsaw said. “I don’t think it’s something non-unicorns can understand.” Tiptoe bristled, and was about to make an indignant remark until Jigsaw continued coolly, “Just like I don’t think we could ever understand what flying is like.” Tiptoe deflated, the tension leaving her muscles. She was being petty, she knew. She couldn’t help her inability to do magic any more than the others could help that they couldn’t fly. The silence stretched out after that. All three of them turned towards the fire, attempting to soak in as much warmth as they could from the dancing light. “I’m really tired,” Jigsaw eventually said. “I think we should turn in for the night. Unconsciousness doesn’t count as sleep. Tomorrow our agenda is food.” Incendia and Tiptoe both chuckled at this and agreed. Incendia got up and trudged over to the other side of the fire, leaving Jigsaw and Tiptoe essentially in private. Tiptoe nuzzled against Jigsaw. “I’m really glad you’re okay,” she said softly, over the sound of the crackling fire. “I was afraid I would lose you.” Jigsaw returned the nuzzle before rolling over onto his back to look up at the sky. “I wasn’t sure if I was going to make it either,” he said, his blue eyes alight with the reflection of the stars. “When I saw you lying there... there was so much blood. I couldn’t let it happen. I dug deeper into myself than I ever had before. I knew right away that I had gone too far, but I didn’t care. So long as you were alright, I didn’t really care what happened to me.” “I care,” Tiptoe said. She rolled over onto her back too and nestled herself against Jigsaw. He was warm- warmer than he should have been- but she didn’t mind. It helped take the edge of the cold. They stared up into the star-mottled sky together, the moon hidden behind dense tree limbs. “Did you ever think you would see it in person?” Jigsaw asked. “The sky, I mean. The stars.” Tiptoe stared up at them, twinkling down on the two ponies. Great swaths of color painted the sky, much more intense with the light of the moon blocked. “No,” Tiptoe began, “I didn’t. I...” She paused, hesitating for a moment, then continued on. “I used to dream about the sky. The bulkhead would swing open, and outside, it would be just like the pictures in the old books. The sky would stretch out as far as I could see, and I would take off, and I would fly higher and higher, never having to go back again. I wouldn’t be just another useless pegasus up there. There would be others, and they would... I would have a purpose.” She stopped, swallowing hard. Her throat seemed to have swollen shut. “You have a purpose, Tiptoe,” Jigsaw said quietly. “You saved my life. I wouldn’t be here without you.” He turned and kissed Tiptoe on the top of her head. “And you’re probably the only thing that’s kept me from going insane.” “What do you mean?” Tiptoe asked, face still slightly red. “I mean that you’ve been the one thing that’s kept me from cracking. This whole thing... it’s crazy. Last month, my biggest worry was making the trek to recast the spell on the purifier battery. And now...” He raised a hoof and hovered it near his horn. “I can feel them. It’s like a pressure, pushing against the edges of my horn, trying to get out. It wasn’t very bad when all it was was the first fragment of Celestia, but now... Tiptoe, I’m carrying pieces of the goddesses. That’s enough to drive anypony insane. You’ve been my lifeline, my one tie to my old life that I’ve had to cling to. I don’t know what I would have done without you. I suppose it’s a moot point, because I would have drowned a long time ago.” His hoof was shaking now with the effort of holding it aloft, and beads of sweat were forming on his brow. Tiptoe reached up and moved it down, and Jigsaw let out a breath. “It’s just...” he sighed. “I don’t show it, but I’m scared. I don’t know why I’m the one that got saddled with this. I don’t know anything about the world out here! Surely there were more capable ponies than me. Incendia! She could do this so much better than I could. She knows how to fight! I just don’t know if I can do this!” He rolled over and wrapped his hooves tightly around Tiptoe’s neck and squeezed. Tiptoe felt the warmth of Jigsaw against her again. The feeling seemed to travel through her entire body, leeching the chill out of her bones. The cold night air felt artificial in comparison. “So, that’s your purpose,” he whispered into her ear. “You give me something to fight for.” ~~~ Incendia lay on the other side of the fire, curled into a tight ball in a futile attempt to conserve heat. The light breeze that was blowing through the trees occasionally wafted the heat from the fire towards her, but that also came with snippets of Jigsaw and Tiptoe’s conversation. Every word was like a spike being driven into her heart. She tried to focus on the crackling of the fire. Eventually, she managed to fall asleep. She awoke to find something resting on her neck. She froze. Her instincts told her to catch fire and burn whatever was holding her down- her time in the resistance had taught her that waking up with something placed against her neck was not good. Then, it moved back and forth, and she realized what it was. It was a pony, and it was nuzzling her. She let out her tension with a breath. “Are you awake?” came Jigsaw’s voice, strangely loud in the silence of the forest. Incendia sat up to look at him. “What are you doing?” Jigsaw was barely visible in the fading light from the dying fire. Clearly, nopony had bothered to get up and add new twigs. Incendia was just able to make out half his face in the light from the embers. It was for this reason that it took her several moments to indentify the expression on his face- shame. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry for what I said when you went to get the statue during the fight with Tantalus. You’ve proven yourself to be one of the kindest, most loyal ponies I have ever known, and you deserve better.” He bowed his head low to the ground. “Jigsaw, I...” she wasn’t sure how to respond. She had forgotten about his words, written them off as exactly what they were- meaningless words shouted in the heat of an emotional moment, while she was doing something that looked mightily suspicious. She had no idea he felt so strongly about them. “I forgive you. It’s fine, honestly, I understand,” she stammered. Jigsaw raised his head slowly. Even this small action seemed to have exhausted him. “Thank you. I needed to hear that.” With that he turned and made his way back around the dying fire pit and carefully laid himself down next to the still-sleeping pegasus. Incendia turned away from the fire, her mind racing. In his state, it must have cost Jigsaw an immense amount of willpower to do that. Her mind went back to her time in the resistance- the endless parade of ponies that would come and go, inevitably getting captured or killed in combat operations. None stayed for long, nothing was constant. She had only ever gotten close to one, but she had gone just as quickly as the others. This was an old pain, though. Hardened by years of fighting and struggle, of issues so much larger than just herself. She hadn’t ever put herself first, why should she start to now, when others still depended on her? Still, she couldn’t help but feel the warm tingle of joy. Jigsaw obviously cared about her more than she knew. The words of the thing guarding the fragment of Luna came back to her once more. “Don’t be so quick to give up on your own happiness.” Incendia focused all her energy on the pile of embers and ash, and a small flame flickered to life in the center of the pit. She didn’t even notice the cold as she curled up near it and went back to sleep. ~~~ Tiptoe woke first, tiny tongues of flame still burning in the fire pit, in spite of the fact that the fire had long since burned out. The stars were every bit as bright as they had ever been. In a few minutes, everypony had been awoken. Their goal was immediately apparent- food. Their hunger had grown so severe over the night that they could hardly focus on anything else. They barely even exchanged words of greeting. Instead, with a wave of her horn, Incendia extinguished the few remaining tongues of flame in the fire pit and the group made their way westward- away from the baleful light of the moon and towards the warmth of the sun. The walk was even more tedious than the climb up the mountainside staircase had been. Their stomachs seemed to protest with every step, screaming for them to eat something, but there was no food in sight. The forest blocked out what pitiful light from the sun that managed to reach this far, and the ground was utterly bare. Finally, they made it through the copse of trees and out onto the snowy ground beyond. Their hearts sank. There was no green outside the forest. To their left, a hill sloped gently up and curved away out of sight. The light from the sliver of sun peeking over the horizon was reflecting off the snow, causing them to squint, but this was only a mild irritation. They were appreciative for what little warmth it provided. The breeze was also blowing from the west, the warm air causing the snow to become a slushy slurry under their hooves. Jigsaw realized dimly this had to be how the trees got their water. Suddenly, he paused. “Wait!” he shouted to the others, who had began to walk away from the hill. They paused and turned to face him. “What is it, Jigsaw?” Tiptoe asked, a note of concern in her voice. “Are you feeling okay?” “Yeah, I’m fine!” Jigsaw said excitedly. “I think I just figured out where we can find food! Tiptoe, fly around and check the other side of the hill!” Tiptoe opened her mouth to ask why, but Jigsaw’s eyes were so alight with excitement that she instead flapped her wings and flew into the sky. She saw the Jigsaw was right almost immediately after takeoff. When she was only a few dozen feet off the ground, green began to peek its way over the crest of the hill. “Grass!” Tiptoe shouted in delight to the other ponies back on the ground. “There’s grass on the other side of the hill!” Incendia and Jigsaw didn’t need to hear anything else. They took off towards the hill, galloping as fast as they could towards the promise of food. Tiptoe noticed, with a stab of worry, that Jigsaw was noticeably slower than Incendia and was panting heavily. With an awful pang of hunger, however, her eyes were drawn back to the sloping green hill. ~~~ An hour later, the hill had been almost entirely stripped of grass. Jigsaw, Tiptoe, and Incendia sat at the top of the hill, trying to let their meal settle. They had eaten far more than they were used to. Not because the grass had been particularly tasty- it wasn’t. It was short and chewy, tainted with the unpleasant taste of dirt and- Jigsaw thought- magic. Either way, they were full, and finally were able to think clearly. “Oh, by Luna’s horn, let’s not ever go that long without food again,” Incendia said. “Agreed,” Tiptoe added, giggling. Incendia smiled, then turned her gaze toward Jigsaw. “So, where’s the next fragment?” Jigsaw looked conflicted, as though he wasn’t sure what to say. He bit his lower lip. “It’s... far away. But I think there’s something I should show you first.” The other two ponies watched curiously as Jigsaw pulled the saddlebags off his back and upturned them. The only thing that fell out was the pile of parts for the teleporter. “I think I can fix it,” Jigsaw began, “but only partially. The problem is the power source is dead, and we don’t exactly have a supply of refined goddess energy to recharge this one. We need to find a new power source.” “Jigsaw, where are we going to find something capable of outputting that kind of magical energy?” Incendia chimed in incredulously. “They were hard enough to find back in Stalliongrad.” Jigsaw smiled at this and looked slyly at the two ponies. “That’s why I’m going to make one.”" ]

[ "Antipodes Chapter 22 By PK Incendia stared at Jigsaw, eyes wide, her mouth moving soundlessly as she struggled to find words strong enough to express her disbelief. Finally, she found her voice. “Are you crazy?” she shouted. “Do you understand how long it took the Resistance to find one of those? We didn’t make it! The only one who ever did was Rubidium himself and the top scientific minds of the city! It took us months to steal one, and even longer to reverse-engineer it to work in the teleporter! That was the only device we ever managed to make, and even then it never worked quite right. Ours was always rougher than the real thing.” Tiptoe reflected uncomfortably on the sensation of Incendia’s shoulder-mounted teleporter. It felt as though they were being peeled apart every time they had used it. “I don’t actually intend on fixing the teleporter,” Jigsaw said, “I intend on modifying it to operate under a new spell.” Incendia’s incredulity shifted to curiosity. “What kind of spell? I didn’t even know you could put other spells in there.” “We may not have advanced as far as you Stalliongrad ponies did, but we did make some new discoveries. We got pretty good at enchanting things and wringing every last bit of power out of what we had on hoof.” “The next fragment is located halfway around the world. On the sunny side. We’re going to need a vehicle to get there.” ~~~ “Foolish!” Tantalus’ roar shook the piles of gems loose, sending them cascading down to the stone floor, many of them smashing into pieces on impact. The cracked blue gem stayed firmly on the pedestal, however. It was still issuing beams of golden light and vibrating slightly. Tantalus bent down to examine it, though he was careful not to let any of that light strike his face. The gem was covered in a spiderweb of cracks, several of which ran almost to its center. Tantalus took a deep breath and blew out softly. A noxious green cloud seeped out from between his lips and squirmed into the cracks on the shiny blue surface. The golden light slowly diminished in brilliance, until after an agonizing few seconds, a dull emerald glimmer began to shine from deep within the gem. Tantalus let out a sigh of relief and put his face into the beams of green light. His skin started to sizzle and burn under the baleful radiance but he didn’t move. He was lost in thought. Worry gripped him- genuine worry, the likes of which he had not experienced in ten millenia. The meddlesome ponies now had two fragments, one from each goddess. But even worse than that... He had been tricked! Forced to retreat, and by a denizen of Stalliongrad, no less! He could barely stand the insult. He turned his face away from the gem and looked out towards the mouth of the cave, a small smile begin to tug at the ends of his reptilian lips. He had, at least, managed to kill one of them, even if it had allowed for that wretched unicorn to pull her trick. He also knew their location. If he acted quickly, he could strike while they were weakened. He made his way back, deeper into the cave, kicking aside the loose gemstones, sending them skittering across the stone floor. Soon, he came to a small alcove. The room was lined with tall, cluttered bookshelves, most of their contents moldy or damaged beyond recognition. Nevertheless, many were still standing proudly. In the center of the room was a small desk- one far too small for him to use- but it was stacked high with parchment. It was time to write a letter. ~~~ A warm wind was blowing from the west, helping to take the edge off the chill. They had been walking steadily westward for the better part of the day, and the terrain had begun to reflect their efforts. A green carpet was laid out under their hooves and small shrubs with bright red berries were becoming increasingly common, along with rolling hills. Tiptoe was regularly forced to fly up to the tops of them to scout ahead. “Jigsaw, what exactly are you hoping to find?” Incendia said. She was limping again, the gash on her flank still obviously painful. “We’re bound to run into something if we keep this up long enough, I’m sure. Besides, we needed to get to somewhere with food. I didn’t really expect us to find ruins and build it in a day,” Jigsaw replied, rolling his eyes. “Shhh!” came a hiss from the top of the nearest hill. Tiptoe had flown ahead and was now staring at something out of sight, her ears flat against her head. She began to make her way back down the face of the hill slowly and silently, not turning her back to the hill till she had reached Jigsaw and Incendia. “There are three other ponies just over that hill collecting berries from one of the bushes,” Tiptoe said in a whisper, her voice tense with apprehension. “What should we do?” Jigsaw’s eyes widened with excitement. “Other ponies? They might lead us back to civilization! We have to talk to them!” “Are you sure about this?” Tiptoe said, her ears still flat against her head. “Don’t worry, Tiptoe,” Incendia said, a note of pride evident in her voice, “if they start trouble, they’ll have to go through me first. I killed a dragon, remember?” Tiptoe chuckled, and an uneasy smile replaced her worried frown. “Alright, I suppose. They can’t be any worse than Tantalus, anyway.” Jigsaw nodded and began to climb up the hill, followed closely behind by Incendia. At the foot of the hill were three earth ponies, picking berries out of the bushes with their mouths and putting them into small baskets around their necks. “Hello!” Jigsaw called out. The three ponies looked up in alarm, dropping their mouth-fulls of berries onto the ground. “We don’t mean you any harm!” Jigsaw shouted down at them. “We’re... peaceful explorers. May we come down?” The three earth ponies shared a glance, then one of them stepped forward. His fur was emerald green, with a cutie mark that resembled a sapling, and his face was creased with concern. When he spoke, the words tumbled out of his mouth, as though he was reciting something from memory. “Halt in the name of mighty Luna! We are citizens of Totemhoof, endowed with all the rights and privileges that come with that post. If you show any signs of aggression, we will be forced to react accordingly.” Jigsaw glanced over his shoulder at Incendia and Tiptoe before repeating his previous statement. The three unknown ponies took a step backwards, their eyes darting wildly back and forth, clearly unsure of what to do. The same one with the sapling cutie mark advanced again and continued, his voice sounding marginally more firm, though his brow was glistening with nervous sweat. “Follow us. The elder must be informed of new visitors.” “But we just want to talk,” Jigsaw insisted. “We can’t. Y-you have to follow us.” Jigsaw couldn’t understand why the mysterious group of ponies looked so nervous to be leading them, but he quickly shrugged it off and signaled for the other two to follow him. They crested the hill and fell into line behind the green earth pony. He kept glancing back at them and whispering things to the other two earth ponies, whose eyes were locked resolutely forward. “Are you sure we should be following them?” Tiptoe whispered from beside Jigsaw. The sudden sound made him jump. Fortunately, the three mysterious earth ponies did not seem to have noticed. “I’m not very happy about it either, but I don’t think we really have much of a choice. They said they were citizens of somewhere! That means they may have vehicles!” “If they have vehicles, why are these ponies on hoof? We can’t count on this place being as advanced as Stalliongrad, and if you remember, Stalliongrad had certain trade-offs too!” Tiptoe hissed. “I know, I know. But, honestly, what could we find there that would be worse than Stalliongrad?” “I’m not really anxious to find out,” Tiptoe grumbled. They walked for about an hour in silence after that. As they moved deeper west, the hills became steeper and more numerous, but they didn’t have to climb them. The earth ponies led them on a winding track through the valleys formed in between the hills, their baskets rattling around their necks, until finally, the leading earth pony stopped and turned to face them. “We’re about to enter the village. If you speak the truth about your intentions, you will have nothing to fear.” Jigsaw was surprised- his voice sounded much stronger and more confident. He brushed aside a branch from one of the ubiquitous bushes to reveal a small horn, seemingly carved out of bone. The earth pony took it in his mouth and gave two short blasts, the sound echoing off the steep hills. Two much higher-pitched blasts came a moment later, and the earth pony nodded resolutely and jerked his head towards the bend in the path. “Through here.” Rounding the bend, Totemhoof was clearly visible. Nestled between two great hills, the village was almost entirely isolated from the surrounding countryside. What looked like the remnants of a radio tower was sticking out of one of the hills, the top of which was obscured by a thick blanket of cloud, which extended over the rest of the village. The buildings themselves were small and looked as though they had been assembled out of scrap metal, wood, and bits of other buildings. Though there were small silver light posts every few dozen yards, Jigsaw’s heart sank- there were clearly no advanced technology here. The village was certainly no metropolis- Jigsaw couldn’t imagine more than five hundred or so ponies living in it. What drew his eye most, however, was a building that was easily twice the size of any other in the village. It was located about halfway up the steep hill to the radio tower and appeared to have been constructed with much more care than any other in the village. It was a massive cathedral, with a giant sun-and-moon in front of it, easily the largest they had seen thus far. This one, however, was subtly different- the crescent moon was glowing intensely, while the sun seemed dull and unlit. Something about it made Jigsaw’s stomach squirm, but he couldn’t dwell on it, because a group of menacing-looking unicorns and pegasi were coming up the path towards them. They were dressed very peculiarly- each one wore robes of dark blue or purple and hoods which shrouded their faces, though the bladed staffs held in the mouths of the pegasi couldn’t be mistaken. One unicorn stepped forward. Jigsaw assumed he must be the leader due to his fine robes- intricately inlaid with stars and moons, and the purple fabric seemed to shimmer with an internal silvery light. He stood there for a moment before his horn began to shimmer a deep purple- the same color as his robes- and his hood fell. His face was weathered and aged and his dark coat mottled with grey, but his eyes were bright and alert. When he spoke, his voice was strong and clear. “I am the high priest of the Church of the Moon. Who are you?” “My name is Jigsaw, and this is Tiptoe-” he gestured his head to his left, “-and Incendia.” “Where did you come from, and why?” Jigsaw hesitated for a moment, unsure of how truthful he should be.“From the west. We’re sort of... wandering. We ran into your group of berry pickers outside, and they led us here.” “Ah. Are you from Stalliongrad?” The priest asked casually. Jigsaw opened his mouth to respond, but Incendia cut him off. “You know about Stalliongrad?” she asked. “Oh, my, yes. We’ve had several refugee groups trickle in over the last day or so, ever since Tantalus’ latest attack. Are you refugees, too?” the priest asked. With a flash of white light, a scroll of parchment and a narrow, brilliant cobalt-blue quill materialized out of the air near the elderly pony. “Well, yes,” Incendia responded, not entirely untruthfully. “But we can’t stay long, we have to-” “Nonsense!” the priest said. “Our doors are open to any Stalliongrad refugees. Any enemy of Tantalus’ are friends of ours.” The elderly pony smiled at them, and the guards that flanked either side of the narrow passageway began to disperse. Jigsaw couldn’t help but notice that the priest’s smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. The priest began to walk down the winding path that led to the village, leaving it empty of ponies. Jigsaw took that as his cue to begin making his way down the passage. He glanced over his shoulder and was surprised to see that the group that had led them into the village was nowhere in sight. He could have sworn that they hadn’t walked ahead of them. Perhaps they had turned back? It wasn’t worth dwelling on. He set off down the path, Tiptoe and Incendia on either side. The pathway widened considerably as they cantered into the village, and it wasn’t long before the heavily trodden earth was replaced with a wide cobblestone street. Buildings were carved directly into the side of the hill, windows lit up from within. A creamy yellow stallion with a quill and inkwell cutie mark met them a small ways into the village, introducing himself as Quill Dipper, and led them away from the group of guards down a winding road which led deeper into the center of the village. The streets were packed with ponies of all kinds, and many of them nodded or called greetings as they passed. Before too long, however, their guide led them down a a relatively empty and narrow footpath. Quill Dipper began to talk as the noise of the streets died down. “Welcome to Totemhoof! I hope you’ll forgive our general state of disorganization, we’re really not used to getting new ponies, let alone hundreds.” “Hundreds of other ponies survived Stalliongrad?” Incendia asked, her ears darting up in surprise. “Yeah, we’re about a day’s journey west of Stalliongrad, as the pegasus flies. We’ve been having groups of those refugees showing up since yesterday, and we’ve been settling them in some of the empty buildings,” he said. He repeated the next line so softly that Jigsaw could barely hear him. “We have a lot of those.” “Why is the cloud cover so heavy here? It was pretty clear before we got into the valley,” Tiptoe said. “Ah, that’s due to our team of expert weather pegasi! Unlike the rest of modern Equestria, we keep a firm control of the weather. We believe the only way to the future is to recapture the ways of the past and to give glory to the great moon goddess. That’s one of the most important things you should know about life here- we are almost all members of the Church of the Moon, dedicated to the worship of Luna. The moon has provided for all our needs and we lend it our devotion in thanks.” The passed by a small garden. A small, blue earth pony filly and her mother were digging in the dirt, dropping seeds into the holes and pouring water on the mounds of dirt behind them. Jigsaw took a deep breath through his nose, the sent of the fruit growing on the vines filling his lungs. Vividly, memories of his limited time in the Arboretum came flooding back to him. With the heavy layer of cloud above, he could almost pretend the valley had a ceiling. It felt more like home than anything else had. He looked over his shoulder at Tiptoe, and she smiled back at him. The continued to make their way up the path until they arrived at a small metal building with a pointed roof. “Sorry, but this is the only building we had available for you. It’s a little small for three of you, and we haven’t hooked up electric lights yet, but you won’t have to share it with anypony else.” “Thank you for doing this, honestly, but I can’t imagine we’ll stay long. We can’t afford to linger too much.” Quill Dipper smiled wryly. “That’s what they all say. Don’t worry, you’re safe from Tantalus here. We have our defenses.” Jigsaw suppressed a doubtful snicker. Quill Dipper led them into the house, showing them around the four-room interior. He wasn’t exaggerating when he said it was small- they barely had enough room for them to walk around without bumping into each other. There was only one bedroom, but after only a few minutes inside the house, two pegasi came swooping down from the clouds, clutching a mattress with a pillow on it in between their teeth. “It’s just temporary, until we get more supplies,” Quill Dipper assured them. “Until then, two of you are going to have to share a bed. I hope that won’t be an issue.” “I don’t think it will be,” Jigsaw said, glancing at Tiptoe, who was standing behind Quill Dipper. She blushed intensely and mouthed “Jigsaw!” indignantly, though her small smile betrayed her true feelings. Incendia simply swallowed hard and looked at the bare mattress lying unceremoniously on the floor of the small building. Quill Dipper did a sweeping survey of the room. “Well, I suppose that will just about do it for you tonight. You’ll hear the morning announcement when the work day officially starts, and from then on, the turn of the hour will be announced until the night cycle. It’s how we keep time here. Right now it’s early night. I’ll be back at noon tomorrow to show you ponies around more.” He paused for a moment, and when he resumed, his voice was soft. “I can’t imagine what it must have been like for you, having your home destroyed like that. If I ever lost Totemhoof, I don’t think I would have the strength to carry on. I just hope we can help heal your wounds. Welcome to Totemhoof. You really are welcome here.” Jigsaw nodded respectfully, a knot forming in his stomach over the lies of omission he had made to get here. Quill Dipper turned to leave, and almost made it outside the door before Incendia blurted out “Wait!” Quill Dipper turned, “Yes?” “Why are you doing this? Helping the refugees, I mean? What do you get out of it?” Quill Dipper smiled. “I told you, we worship Luna and the night. We would be remiss if we didn’t offer a place to rest.” He left and closed the door behind him. The torches on the wall flickered, their smoke drawn towards small triangular vents cut into the ceiling. Jigsaw yawned. “This was certainly an unexpected development, but the concept of sleeping on an actual bed is too attractive for me to dwell on it now. We’ll regroup in the morning.” “Sounds good to me,” Incendia said, curling up on her mattress near the doorway. Jigsaw and Tiptoe went into the bedroom, closing the simple wooden door behind them. Incendia’s mind raced. She was ecstatic that some of Stalliongrad’s inhabitants had survived. She couldn’t imagine how they escaped, but it didn’t matter to her. She was so relieved, in fact, that she was almost unaffected by the giggling and creaking sounds coming from behind the closed door at the other end of the room. Almost. Incendia lit her horn and snuffed out the flames of the torch and pulled her pillow up over her ears." ]

[ "Antipodes Chapter 23 by PK Jigsaw found himself standing in a verdant field. Flowers of all shapes and sizes bloomed around him and the air was fresh and clean. The sun was almost directly overhead, but it wasn’t harsh or burning. It felt pleasant against his skin, warm, life-affirming. Now that he had felt it, the light of the midday sun, he wondered how he had lasted so long without it, and how he could ever go back to the pale imitation of the sun that resided on the surface now, or the heartless light of arcane fire or electric filaments. There were ponies, too. To the right, and a short distance ahead, a small town was visible. A majestic clock tower grew from the center of town, the hands having just recently struck noon. The skies above were criss-crossed with pegasi, flitting to and fro among the clouds. Jigsaw took a deep breath, allowing the cool air to fill his lungs, filling him with energy. Then, as he watched, a green shockwave emanated from somewhere beyond sight and began to spread, inching unrelentingly towards the town and the field and all the frolicking ponies in it. Just before it reached him, Jigsaw closed his eyes. His coat stood on end, and he heard the sound of distant screaming. He took a breath in and nearly choked. The air was smothering and dank. He opened his eyes. He was underground, back in the caves of his youth. The musty, humid air suddenly invaded his lungs, bringing with it, a wave of panic that slowly subsided. After taking a few moments to compose himself, he set off at a trot, passing by the flickering lights, placed at uneven intervals throughout the tunnel. He came into a large atrium. On either side of him, carefully carved stone staircases led up the ledges in the yellowish rock of the cavern. He was back in the main chamber. Ponies bustled around, pipes clutched in their mouths, notepads levitated in front of them. In the center of the chamber was the council chambers, jutting up towards the ceiling like some thorn in the earth, wide at the base and narrowing as it went up before ending in a flared tip. Jigsaw made his way inside the doors. The carvings on its surface seemed to writhe and squirm at him as he passed- images of ponies cowering from the sun, the large metal door slamming shut, the bolts sealing them both inside and out. He walked into the lobby and made his way down the stairs into his office: a small room, deep underground the main chamber, decorated with blazing arcane torches and bisected by a network of pipes, gauges, and a small bronze fountain, which he had made himself and which depicted a beautiful pegasus pouring water out of a large jug and into a small pipe which led down into the floor of the office. Jigsaw shut the door and the lights immediately shut themselves off, plunging him into near-total darkness. He attempted to light his horn, but to his horror, he found it was gone. The magic welled up inside him and dissipated. Before the terror of his situation set in fully, the scene before him was suddenly illuminated. He was standing on a floor made of a strange, slippery, metallic substance, and before him a mountain of the stuff grew. At its crest was the council building, larger than life, and next to it, a giant replica of the fountain stood. He was drawn to it inexorably, but as he moved, the metallic material of the mountain began to collapse and slough away, crumbling and cracking under his feet. The tower fell, crushing the fountain, and the ground under Jigsaw gave way. He was falling now, chunks of metal raining down around him. There was no floor, no ceiling, and no walls, only black nothingness as far as he could see. Black and chunks of metal, and that was all there was. Then, from one of the chunks, a figure burst forth. Tiptoe flew towards him, a yellow streak in the featureless black of the landscape and the mirror-like surface of the metal. Tiptoe scooped him up and began to fly up, towards a bright light directly above, the disk of the sun, but her flight was erratic and jerking. Jigsaw turned his head and was shocked to discover she only had one wing. She was flapping it for all she was worth, but it wasn’t enough to support his weight. With one final effort, she gave a mighty flap, bringing them tantalizingly close to their goal, before they fell back, falling down into the black gloom, faster and faster, towards that field near the town of death and darkness... Jigsaw awoke with a start, shivering from the cold. It seemed he had kicked all the blankets off his body in his sleep. Tiptoe slumbered next to him, so entangled in the covers that only her head was visible.There was light outside the window of the small room, causing long stripes to be projected out of the slats covering the windows. Totemhoof was awake. ~~~ Half an hour later, Jigsaw, Incendia, and Tiptoe were gathered in the small kitchen. Incendia was chopping a long, slender green root into slices and magicking them onto rectangular plates. Jigsaw had never seen it before, but Incendia swore up and down they were delicious. Hesitantly, Jigsaw lifted a slice up to his mouth and took a bite. “Oh, Goddesses!” he gagged. “That’s disgusting!” The root tasted bitter, like spoiled fruit, but he was the only one that seemed to mind. “You’re crazy,” Incendia said, dropping several slices into her mouth and chewing greedily. “These are delicious.” Before Jigsaw could respond, however, he heard the front door to the house creak open. Through the doorframe and the dim light from the torches, Jigsaw could make out the shape of Quill Dipper entering the house. “Jigsaw? Is anypony home?” he called. He had two weighty saddlebags draped over his back, and he looked exhausted. Jigsaw walked out to the living room and called for the others to follow. Quill Dipper greeted them and shrugged the saddlebags off his back. They hit the ground with a dull thump. “Good morning, everypony!” he said, panting slightly from the exertion of carrying the bags. “I trust you all slept well?” “Best night’s sleep I’ve had in a long time,” Jigsaw said. “I’m glad to hear that,” replied Quill Dipper. “Today is going to be a busy day for you all!” Without further ado, he opened up the heavy burlap saddlebagsm which Jigsaw could tell was full of clutter, and pulled out three pairs of much smaller saddlebags, and three scrolls of rolled-up parchment. “These are yours! You’re lucky you came when you did. We had some extras! Now, we’re stretched a little thin today because of the-” he stopped for a moment, then shook his head and continued. “We’re stretched a little thin, so we can’t give you the usual tour. All I can really do is give you these.” He unrolled one the tubes of parchment to reveal a beautifully illustrated map of Totemhoof. “This ought to direct you to anywhere you might need to go. I don’t have a map of the skies for your pegasi companion there, but I’m sure she can handle herself well enough on her own in the air, right?” he said with an absentminded smile. “Thank you,” Jigsaw said, “this is very generous.” “Don’t mention it,” Quill Dipper said. “Now, I’m sorry, but I really must go now. I’m already late!” “Really, we do appreciate it-” Jigsaw began, but Quill Dipper threw his saddlebags back over his shoulder and began to make his way out. “I’ll talk to you all later!” he called, hurrying out the door. “That was odd,” Jigsaw said. One of the maps flew into the air in a hazy cloud of blue light, unfurling at hoof’s distance from Jigsaw. The calligraphy was beautiful, and the lines on the map were crisp and clear. At the bottom lefthand corner of the map was a stylized image of a quill and the name “Quill Dipper”. Jigsaw cracked a smile and curled the map back up and stuck it in one of the saddlebags. “So what are we supposed to do?” Incendia said. Jigsaw turned to find them looking at him expectantly. “Well, don’t look at me! I don’t know any more than you do. I suppose we’ll just do what Quill Dipper said. Wander around the town, see the sights.” “I’m not convinced that’s such a good idea,” Incendia said, shuffling her front hooves. “I really don’t think the townsfolk mean us any harm. If they did, they would have done something when we were asleep, wouldn’t they? Or have poisoned the food in the kitchen, or something,” Jigsaw said dismissively. “I still don’t know,” Incendia said. Jigsaw sighed and focused all his attention on Incendia. Her ears were pressed flat against her head, and her pupils were wide. “I understand why you’re nervous,” Jigsaw said, “but this isn’t Stalliongrad. I don’t know why, but this place- it feels better. I think we’re okay here.” “I know, I know,” Incendia said, “it’s just that this place brings back memories. I thought I was away from Stalliongrad, then this place came right out of nowhere and- and I wasn’t ready, is all. I’ll be fine.” “You did get away from Stalliongrad,” Jigsaw said. Incendia nodded, and began to make her way towards the door. Jigsaw and Tiptoe grabbed their saddlebags and maps and followed. ~~~ The door opened, and the intensity of the light made Tiptoe blink and squint. When her eyes got the chance to adjust to the harsh light, she was shocked at what she saw. The sky above was still blocked off with clouds, which seemed to glow with an internal light. The strange, ominous radio tower protruded out from the hilltop, but something was noticeably different about it. Near the top of the tower, searing through the clouds, was an enormous glowing orb, bright enough to illuminate the streets of the town below. It wasn’t quite daylight, but everything was easily visible. Curling up the sides of the tower, like vines, were heavy cables pulsing with light, like giant fiber optic cables. Near the center of the sky was a brightly illuminated patch of cloud. Black specs- Tiptoe thought they must be pegasi. When she turned back to point this out to the others, she found they had disappeared while she was staring at the clouds. From all over the town, pegasi were flying up, wings flapping furiously as they shot up into the sky. Tiptoe wasn’t sure if she should join them or not. She set off down the narrow sidewalk. Their house was built rather high on one of the hills that encircled the town, and most of the buildings near it were unoccupied, so Tiptoe had to walk for several minutes before she came across anypony else. An elderly electric blue earth pony was walking around her garden, a bag of feed clutched in her mouth. Every few seconds she would shake the bag, sending a spray of feed to the ground below. In the corner of the yard was a chicken coop, full of loudly squawking chickens, just waiting to be let out. Tiptoe cleared her throat nervously. The earth pony looked up at her and dropped her bag of feed. “Was there something you needed, dear?” she said, cocking her head to one side. “Yeah, I was just wondering... I’m, uh, a refugee of Stalliongrad, and I’m not sure where I’m supposed to go,” she said, stumbling over her words. The earth pony smiled. “The immigrant pegasi usually report for concealment duty, just like the natives. They’ll teach you up.” “Concealment duty?” Tiptoe asked. “Where is that?” “The sky, of course!” she said, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. “Goodness, you are new, aren’t you? Where’s your guide?” “M-my guide?” Tiptoe said, taking a step back unconiously. “Your guide!” the elder pony exclaimed. “They sent out a notice to every household the day before yesterday, giving procedures on how the immigrants are to be handled. You are to be shown around with a guide. Luna wills it!” “I... took a wrong turn. Got separated. Please, can you just tell me where to go?” “The hole in the clouds. Be careful, her will obscures.” The elderly pony said, he eyes focusing on the bright area in the sky. “Thank you,” Tiptoe said awkwardly, backing away from the earth pony and her garden. She made her feel uncomfortable. Deciding she really didn’t have any other option, she extended her wings. She paused for a moment, savoring the anticipation that came before flight, then flapped her wings down. With a buffet of air and a gentle swirling of dust, she left the ground. When she was only a few dozen yards, it suddenly hit her that she had never flown up to cloud level before. In fact, she had never really flown much higher than a hundred feet or so. She hovered in mid air for a moment, watching the few remaining straggler pegasi take off into the sky. For a moment, panic gripped. What if she fell? Did she have the skills to catch herself? But then she felt the wind, the warm breeze blowing from the west. The weightless sensation flying gave. The freedom, and the promise of something new to explore directly above. She soared upwards, feeling the changes in the air currents, the updrafts and downdrafts, the give-and-take of flying, until she burst through the cloud layer. What she saw nearly made her fall right out of the sky. All around her, sculpted out of cloud, was an entire second town. The moon, bright and silvery, was visible in the east, and most of the buildings were turned to face it. Pegasi were bustling around, trotting right on the surface of the cloud, going to and fro between the buildings in the clouds. Some, in uniform, were marching out to the west, while others, dressed in yellow, were flitting about in the air, catching stray bits of cloud and redirecting them to where they were needed. The most striking aspect of the city in the clouds, however, was the sculptures. Larger than life, they were molded out of cloud in the shape of ponies of every sort, though pegasi were by far the most common. They appeared to be leaping and bounding up the center of the cloud city, faces turned towards the moon, each sculpture spaced a few dozen yards apart, flanking the main street. As they got closer to the eastern edge of the city, towards the moon, they began to take on more and more desperate appearances. They were crawling, hooves outstretched. At the edge of the cloud city, the barrier where the cloud floor ended and the sky began, stood an enormous sculpture of an alicorn- Luna herself, molded out of dark storm clouds, wings outstretched to encircle the moon. It made Tiptoe decidedly uncomfortable. To the west, the top of the radio tower poked through the clouds, providing illumination to the entire cloud city. Tiptoe couldn’t help but notice that not only were there no buildings anywhere near it, but there were no ponies- not within three hundred yards, at least. She began to make her way east, towards the strange statue of Luna. It took her longer than she thought- the statue never seemed to get any closer as she walked forward, though the tower behind got farther and farther away, until she suddenly found her self at the edge of the layer of cloud, directly under the torso of the gargantuan sculpture. It looked so much larger close up. Her thoughts wandered back to the thing that had been protecting the fragment- and she shuddered. The clouds did something odd when they reached the end of the city limits. Instead of dissipating and spreading like natural clouds, they billowed and poured over the edge, creeping all the way down to the edge of the hills and sliding over, forming a thick fog that covered most of the land below. It was like watching a cloud waterfall in slow motion, tumbling over the precipice. “You really shouldn’t stand that close to the edge, you know.” Tiptoe spun around to find that a grey pegasus was standing directly behind her, a scowl on his face. “We can’t do anything if you fall here. Your wings won’t help you, either.” “Who are you?” Tiptoe spluttered. “Probably who you’re supposed to be with. Stalliongrad refugee, right? It’s not hard to tell. You look like you’ve never stepped hoof on a cloud in all your days until just now. Bet you never even made so much as a drizzle.” “Uh, yeah, I am,” Tiptoe said. “My name’s Thunderclap and I’m supposed to teach you foals about weatherworking. What are you doing over here? Nopony’s suppose to come this far east unless they have business over here, and you most assuredly don’t.” “I got separated from my group,” Tiptoe said defensively, “and if nopony’s supposed to be over here, what are you doing here?” The peagsus narrowed his eyes. “I live here,” he said, gesturing to a small building near one of the front hooves of the sculpture. “Oh.” The grey pegasus stared at Tiptoe for a moment longer, then rolled his eyes and turned away. “Follow me.” Tiptoe hesitated for a moment, then began cantering off behind Thunderclap. She couldn’t help glancing over her shoulder at the massive sculpture of Luna, and the dull, crumbing orb framed by its wings. She felt a stab of sadness- a longing for something she had never known. An hour later, Tiptoe was seated on a small translucent stool with a group of about thirty other pegasi of all shapes and sizes. Most looked to be in significantly worse condition than she was. Many were missing large patches of feathers. One had such a large gash across his face he could barely open his left eye. Thunderclap paced back and forth on the cloud surface, looking the group over, the perpetual scowl clearly etched on his face. Without warning, he pounded his front hooves down on the ground and flapped his wings. He soared up in the air, taking a large column of cloud with him. With a few deft wing flaps and a single buck from his back legs, the cloud began to condense and rain- directly onto Tiptoe and the group. “This is quite possibly the most important job in the entire city. Weatherworking allows us to stay hidden from those that would do us harm and gives us the water to provide crops. Luna’s grace may be great, but even She cannot summon clouds from nothing. They are drawn here from farther west, but they’re hard to come by, understand? Do not ever let me catch you wasting a cloud, understand?” “Now then. Let me ask you all a question. Did any of you stumble across this place by accident? Did you just waltz into the city limits?” A few ponies shook their heads, and a few weak “no”s rose from the group, but Thunderclap pounded down on the clouds. A huge flash of light and a monstrous book echoed out from under him. “No, sir!” he shouted. “If you expect to be doing this job, I expect proper discipline!” “Yes, sir!” the group called. “Excellent. Now, how many of you have worked the weather before?” One hoof raised uneasily into the air. “Step forward.” Tiptoe watched as a very small brown pegasus made her way off her stool and stood in front of Thunderclap. “What did you work?” he asked. “I moved a cloud that managed to get inside the city shield,” she said. “Just once.” Thunderclap was silent for a moment. “That’s it? You moved one cloud?” “Yes, I was a servant in one of Rubidiu-” “I didn’t ask for your life story,” Thunderclap said quietly. “Go sit back down.” The brown pegasus hurried quickly back to her seat. “Now, here’s what’s going to happen. I’m going to give you all areas of the town. Your job is to make sure that the rain that’s scheduled to happen today happens. If it doesn’t, it’s on your throat. Luna be with you, you’ll need it!” Thunderclap said. Before long, Tiptoe had been assigned to some nondescript patch of grey cloud. The area was apparently over a farm and was scheduled for heavy rainfall, so there were three other pegasi in the area, all flapping their wings and bucking the cloud to try and squeeze water out of it. The clouds swirled and shifted, but nothing more than a few drops got squeezed out. Tiptoe fared no better. The clouds seemed to obey her even less than the other ponies. She kicked and bucked, flapped and flew, but the cloud just billowed and drifted away, forcing her to corral it back into the blanket of cloud. Even the other pegasi were giggling. She just couldn’t understand why she couldn’t get it to rain. It was just water, after all... Suddenly, an idea hit her. This was just water, right? She knew about how water worked. She’d been groomed to operate a huge network of water, after all. What was this but slightly more primitive water management? She turned her head and looked at the feather on her flank. This may not have been her special talent, but she knew she could do this. She had to. She dived through the clouds, barreling through a blanket of grey until she burst out the other side. She hovered just underneath the clouds and flapped her wings- once, twice, three times. The clouds billowed and swirled under the buffets of air, rising up into the sky. When she was satisfied with the result, she flew upward again, punching through the clouds. The other pegasi had stopped to stare at the huge wall of clouds which was now advancing steadily upwards. Then, she begin flying around the clouds, closing the distance around the cloud with each revolution, until she had compacted the clouds into a narrow pillar of quickly rotating cloud. From that point, all she could do was wait and mutter a prayer to Luna. The pillar began to sink under its own weight and turn grey. She dove down through the cloud layer again, and began to push up on the grey pillar of cloud now trying to poke it’s way out of the sky. She pumped her wings as hard as she could until- Rain. The water poured out, a nearly solid sheet that almost caused Tiptoe to fall out of the air. Before she could lose control, however, the water broke apart into narrow droplets and began falling down towards the green carpet below. She hovered, letting the water soak into her coat, looking up at the circle of cloud she had made. ~~~ She didn’t listen to Thunderclap’s admonishment of her “unorthodox” style, or that she had sent way too much rain over a far too small area, or that she could have hurt herself flying below the clouds. She didn’t listen to the adulation of the two ponies who had been working near her, who insisted that Thunderclap himself probably couldn’t have made so much rain out of such a small cloud. Her mind was still down there, in the weird light of the tower, with the rain spattering on her face. When she headed back down to the ground at the end of the day, she was freezing cold, exhausted, and happier than she had been in a very long time. She arrived at the house at roughly the same time as Incendia, who was smoldering slightly. She could feel the heat coming off of her from a few feet away and kept her distance. “Tough day?” Tiptoe asked. “You could say that,” replied Incendia. She smiled weakly and they went into the brightly lit house together." ]

[ "Antipodes Chapter 24 By PK Hey, guys. It’s me. I just wanted to personally apologize for the truly ridiculous wait between the last chapter and this one. I don’t really know what I can do except apologize profusely and give you this chapter. It’s my second longest, if that helps! Incendia made her way down a cobblestone pathway which weaved in between the many short buildings built into the side of the hill. She was reminded vividly of Stalliongrad- the buildings here seemed to have been pieced together out of plates of metal from some long-demolished structure, just as they had been in the slums of Stalliongrad. This place was different, however- most of the metal surfaces were glossy and reflected the bright light from the streetlamps and the veiled luminescence of the distant radio tower. The buildings stood strong and sturdy, and almost all of them had lights gleaming out of the windows. Up and down the road, ponies were leaving their homes, some pulling wagons filled with tools or green food. Incendia’s stomach gave a sudden grumble. Whatever she had eaten that morning hadn’t filled her up very much. She approached a rather bland-looking elderly brown earth pony who was pulling a small cart stacked high with shining tubes, which appeared to be made out of some kind of crystalline glass. She asked him if he knew where she could find food. The earth pony opened his mouth to answer, but caught himself when he saw the circular indent in Incendia’s shoulder. “Yer one of them Stalliongrad refugees, ain’t ya?” he said after several seconds of silence. “Yes, I am,” Incendia said. “Is that a problem?” “Ain’t no problem,” the earth pony said, “just might be difficult fer ya to get yer hands on some food without any money. Try old Cloverhoof’s market over yonder, he’s always been kind to charity cases.” “Charity cases?” Incendia huffed. “It’s hardly my fault that I don’t have any money!” “Woah now, don’t split yer bit,” the elderly pony said quickly, “ah just meant that not a lot a’ folks around here would be willing to hoof a bill like that, refugee or not. Y’all got one of them maps they hand out to you folk, right?” Incendia rolled her eyes, but her horn began to glow and the map that Quill Dipper had left her flew out of the bag slung over her back and unfurled in mid-air. “Well, we’re here, an’ yer gonna want to head in that direction,” the earth pony said, jabbing a hoof at a large green area next to a small fountain. “Can yer see how to get there from here?” “I think I can,” Incendia replied, studying the map. “Well, alright then. Ah gotta git back to mah work, but it was a right pleasure talkin’ with you,” the elderly pony said, starting forwards with his cart. Incendia rolled up the map and walked away, feeling disgruntled. “Charity case? Who does he think I am? What does he think Stalliongrad is? We don’t need handouts from anyone.” She shook her head and continued her journey through the curving streets of Totemhoof. As she made her way further into the city, the buildings grew taller and closer together. More and more of these buildings seemed to be made of wood rather than scrap metal. She passed an enormous building which appeared to be made of some strange silvery stone. At the top of the curving ceiling was a crescent moon carved out of a brilliant crystal, which was refracting and shining the light from the radio tower down upon the street in a glittering pattern. Incendia was so taken by the sight that she collided with a scarlet unicorn, who was meandering in the opposite direction. “Oh, sorry!” Incendia sputtered. “I wasn’t paying attention!” “Don’t worry about it,” the scarlet unicorn replied. “I wasn’t watching where I was going eith-“ She stopped mid-sentence, staring at the small crater in Incendia’s shoulder where the teleporter had been. “What happened to your arm?” “Oh, that? I’m a Stalliongrad refugee. I used to wear a device in my shoulder there, but it got damaged and had to be removed.” The scarlet unicorn looked appalled. “Why did it have to be embedded in your shoulder? That’s barbaric! What did it do?” Incendia was surprised at her reaction. “It was a teleporter, and it had to be embedded in the shoulder because otherwise there was a chance it could get lost or stolen.” “Your protection against theft was to bury things inside your own body?” the unicorn asked, a look of disgust still evident on her face. “Perhaps it’s a blessing to the world that that place was finally wiped off the map. Luna knows we’re happy to not have it looming over us anymore. I think we should have let you… ponies… wither and be done with it.” Anger began to bubble up inside Incendia, but before she could do anything about it, the scarlet unicorn huffed and turned, proceeding into the cathedral. Incendia stood there for several seconds more, debating whether following the unicorn inside would be worth it. Before she could make the decision, however, a stream of earth ponies filed out from the side streets and the cathedral and marched past her. The unicorn’s words momentarily forgotten, Incendia watched them march past in wonder. They seemed to be an equal mix male and female, and they all wore deep midnight blue cloaks, but the fabric was unlike anything Incendia had ever seen before. The material seemed to shimmer gently with a light of its own. The reflected glow from the cathedral roof seemed to be dampened and absorbed by the cloaks, almost as if they were bending the light inwards on themselves. Incendia figured it must be magical. The cloaks were not what she was devoted the majority of her attention to, however. She was more concerned with the heavy, spiked balls attached to their tails and the lances gripped at sharp angles in their mouths. As unfamiliar as Incendia was with her surroundings, she knew a military movement when she saw one. These ponies were gearing up to fight. Then, as quickly as they had appeared, they had gone, marching down another street and out of sight. The street was now deserted but for Incendia and the crystalline moon’s peculiar sheen. Incendia continued down the path the map had indicated, and it didn’t take long for her thoughts to wander back to that infuriating scarlet unicorn. Totemhoof’s wonder was wearing off quickly. She had spent her whole life fighting for the good of the people of Stalliongrad, and is this what her efforts had led to? The destruction of their homes and the corralling of whatever paltry survivors that remained into a city that at best merely tolerated them, or thought of them as “charity cases?” After generations of oppression and fighting, this was the ultimate fate of her people? Incendia could hardly stand it. She could feel her temperature rising. Small fires crept up into her brilliant copper mane only to abruptly extinguish themselves. She had to maintain control. She didn’t think the population of Totemhoof would be any more understanding if she burst into flames. As far as she knew, that wasn’t a very common ability. She took a deep breath and forced herself to concentrate. After several seconds she had cooled down enough to continue on, though her mood hadn’t really improved. The streets widened as she made her way forward. She figured she must have passed into some kind of commercial district, as nearly every building she passed was brandishing a sign above its door. Advertisements behind clouded glass windows depicted smiling fillies clutching dolls in their mouths or burly earth pony colts swinging hammers down upon some molten metal on a black anvil. There was even an advertisement showing a midnight blue mare in a lacy saddle. Incendia lingered in front of that window perhaps a bit longer than she should have. Eventually, she found the spot the map had indicated. A fountain depicting a majestic alicorn- Incendia assumed it to be Luna- surrounded by kneeling ponies stood in the center of a small cluster of carts loaded to the brim with all sorts of ingredients. A lime green unicorn with a four-leaf clover cutie mark stood behind a counter and a very rusty cash register. Several ponies milled about among the carts, idly filling bags with various goods. Incendia approached the unicorn behind the cash register. “Can I help you?” he asked, smiling. “I hope so. My name’s Incendia, and I’m a refu-“ “A refugee from Stalliongrad?” the unicorn finished. “I assumed as much. Well, you’ve come to the right place. The name’s Cloverhoof. Pleasure to meet you, Incendia. That’s an interesting name. How did you get it?” Incendia dropped her eyes to the cobblestone ground. “I don’t know.” Cloverhoof evidently sensed that he’d trodden on a sensitive subject, for he cleared his throat and continued, “Well, help yourself to anything in the square. Stalliongrad refugees get one free pass.” “One free pass?” Incendia asked. “I couldn’t stay in business if all the refugees just came and took what the wanted all the time. As much as I want to help you out, I have mouths to feed too,” Cloverhoof said. “And I want to drum up business. Trust me, once you taste my food, you won’t want to shop anywhere else!” “Thank you,” Incendia replied. “I think I’m going to take a look around now.” She turned on the spot and rolled her eyes, cantering off towards a promising pile of bright red flower petals. A steely grey pegasus stallion with an anvil cutie mark was standing near the cart, reading a label on the bottom. He looked up when he saw Incendia, but quickly lost interest and went back to examining the label. Incendia sniffed at the petals and, glancing around, snagged one off the side of the pile with her mouth and chewed. It was sweet and watery and reminded Incendia of the berries they had eaten on the hillsides. She wondered if they came from the same plants. She made her way around the cart to the label that the grey stallion had been examining earlier. It read: BLOODBERRY PETALS Freshly picked by one of our highly-trained scavenger teams, these are the most pristine bloodberry petals this side of the Divide! Get them while you can- supplies are highly limited. Incendia regarded the label idly before lifting a small bundle of petals off the pile and floating them towards her pack. Before they had made it even halfway, however, a deep voice sounded from her left. “Excuse me, miss, but are you-“ Incendia jumped and turned to face the sound. Her old battle reflexes kicked in- every muscle in her body tensing. The crimson petals suspended in the air were incinerated in a flare of light and heat. Standing before Incendia was the grey pegasus she had seen earlier, a very shocked expression on his face. Incendia exhaled sharply and relaxed. She glanced back at the remains of the petals- a pile of ashes on the ground- and cursed under her breath. “I’m sorry, miss, I only wanted to know if you were a Stalliongrad refugee.” Incendia stared blankly at the stallion for a few seconds before she understood what he was asking. “Oh! Yes. I’m sorry about the petals- I was just startled is all. I’m a refugee.” The grey pegasus smiled uneasily. “That was some powerful magic you just did,” he said. “I could feel the heat from here.” He chuckled nervously, and his eyes flicked down at the crater in Incendia’s shoulder before darting back up to meet her gaze. “It was damaged in the escape attempt,” Incendia said. “I had to remove it.” “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to stare,” the pegasus said. “If you don’t mind me asking, what’s your name? Incendia wondered if she should be truthful with him for a moment. She had learned early on in Stalliongrad not to give out her name to just anyone- she might be recognized as the leader of the resistance. But, after a moment, she remembered that she had already told her name to Cloverhoof. Besides, Stalliongrad had gone, and Rubidium’s followers with it. Probably. She figured she could take him anyway even if he did start a fight. “Incendia,” she said curtly. “Good to meet you, Incendia. My name is Ironmane,” the grey pegasus replied, “and I have a favor to ask you. I was in one of the first immigration waves to arrive and I’ve already used up my one free pass here. I get enough food at home-“ he stopped mid-sentence and glanced away from Incendia. “At where I’m staying, but I love these little red petals, and I can’t afford them. I don’t suppose you’d be willing to get me a bag?” Incendia didn’t even have to consider it. “Of course I will. We refugees have to stick together, don’t we?” Ironmane’s eyes lit up. “Thank you, miss!” Incendia loaded up her bag with the petals and brought them over to Cloverhoof, who marked an inventory list then told her she was free to go. Incendia dropped the bag at Ironmane’s hooves, and he grabbed the strap in his mouth and slung the bag over his back. “Sorry about scaring you earlier,” Incendia said apologetically, “I’m just still a little on edge. Things have been a bit… harrowing since Stalliongrad.” “I know what you mean,” Ironmane said. “Sometimes I wonder if we’re even better off here. Did you see that march a while back? Something big is going on and nopony is willing to tell us anything. That, and..” he dropped his voice and looked around. “All this Luna worshipping business creeps me out, frankly. The goddesses never did me any good, and they sure don’t look like they’re doing this place any good either.” Incendia nodded absently. She had never really stopped to consider what she thought of the goddesses- she knew that a piece of Celestia had been powering Stalliongrad, but it had never occurred to her that people might still worship the goddesses. She had assumed the fragment had been just that- a fragment, some tiny part of the powers that once were that still lingered. Nopony in Stalliongrad had really worshipped it- they respected it’s power, but the goddesses were mere bedtime stories at best. Then Jigsaw and Tiptoe had come along and changed everything she had thought she’d known about the state of the world. Tantalus had always been a far-off threat, something that was probably terrible on the outside but also something the city’s shield had always been able to keep out. Sometimes, before Jigsaw came along, she used to wonder about whether Tantalus could possibly be worse than being trapped in a fishbowl with Rubidium like that. At least Tantalus only killed ponies, he didn’t suck them dry to add to his own power. And the Attenuators were nothing more than a genetic anomaly- ponies capable of withstanding the power of Celestia flowing through them. But then Jigsaw had absorbed the fragment and escaped the city. She had seen a piece of Luna personally- the thought of the creature animated by it still made her shudder- and she had seen Tantalus up close- and driven a statue through his eye, no less. She must have gone silent for a long time because Ironmane scuffed his hooves against the cobblestone road and said, “I didn’t mean no offense if you hold with the old goddesses, miss.” “No, no, it’s alright,” Incendia said, coming out of her introspective reverie. “I was just… thinking about things. I didn’t take offense.” Ironmane nodded and said, “You know, I really appreciate what you did back there, getting me these petals and all. Why don’t you come and meet my group? Like you said, us refugees have to stick together, right?” Incendia shrugged. “It was no problem. And sure, I suppose.” Ironmane led her through a few blocks of winding sidewalks and tall, industrial-looking buildings, before he came to a quaint cottage nestled between two much larger buildings. Incendia guessed this had originally been a residential district, but all the houses had slowly been replaced with factories and shops. “Home sweet home, I suppose,” Ironmane said. “Come on in, I’ll introduce you to Aurora.” Incendia followed him inside. Though it looked like wood from the outside, Incendia was surprised- and a little relieved- to discover that it was actually sheets of metal painted to look like wood. She didn’t do too well in wooden buildings. The inside was warmly lit by wall-mounted light fixtures in the shape of torches. There was very little furniture, just a table with a few chairs. The kitchen appeared to be built into the far corner of the room, though it was separated by a long countertop. There were three doors on the left, each of them closed. “Aurora!” Ironmane called. “I’m back from the market. I got the petals and I brought a guest!” “You got the petals?” came a female voice from behind one of the doors. Incendia heard paper rustling and the sound of a quill clattering against a desk, then a dark blue unicorn came out of the farthest door. Her tail was a light purplish-blue, and her cutie mark was a ribbon made up of all the colors of the rainbow. Incendia had to concentrate to stop her jaw from going slack- this unicorn was gorgeous. But Aurora ran up and embraced Ironmane, and Incendia’s hopes fell. “Just my luck,” she thought, “all the pretty ones are taken.” “And who is this?” Aurora said, turning towards Incendia. Incendia noticed with a start that she had a teleportation device embedded in her shoulder- a proper one, smooth, round, and flush against the skin. The display flickered weakly between green, red, and blue. “This is Incendia,” Ironmane said. “She gave up her one free purchase to get us the bloodberry petals.” \"How nice of you!\" Aurora said with a smile. \"I don't know of many ponies who would do that. You're welcome to stay for dinner if you like, but we don't have much in the way of food. It would help so much if this place only had an oven,\" Aurora said, pouting. \"Oh well.\" \"And oven?\" Incendia said with a wry smile. \"I think I may be able to help you with that.\" ~~~ Fifteen minutes later, Incendia was standing in the kitchen, all of the ingredients laid out before her, as well as a menagerie of pots and pans. She didn't recognize most of the food- strange, lumpy brown roots, green stalks of what looked like celery but had no rigidity, strange fruits of all shapes and sizes. Some foods were familiar, however- ruby red apples, carrots, and grass clippings were present. \"Now, the locals tell me these-\" she indicated the bulbous brown root- \"are delicious baked. Do you think you could do that?\" \"I can do you one better,\" Incendia said, grinning. \"You might want to step out of the kitchen.\" Aurora did as prompted, though she looked a little bemused. Incendia closed her eyes and concentrated on the food on the counter. Her horn shone with a brilliant orange light, and the food on the counter was soon enveloped in a haze of magical energy. It all lifted off the counter and began to sort itself into pots and pans of various shapes and sizes. Next, she lifted the pots off the counter and ran them under the tap, allowing them to fill with water. She gritted her teeth- levitating so many objects simultaneously was difficult, and now that they were full of water, they were heavy to boot. She wasn't done yet, however. The main event had yet to begin. She closed her eyes again and focused harder on the heat radiating from her horn and burst into brilliant golden flames. She heard Aurora and Ironmane gasp in the other room. \"Don't worry!\" she called, her voice wavering with the strain of the magic. \"I'm okay! Just keep back!\" Incendia could hardly see through ferocious inferno whipping around her. She could feel all of the pots and pans floating in the air nearby- the water already beginning to boil, the roots baking. She braced herself harder against the metal floor of the cottage as energy continued to pour out of her horn. From the outside, all Ironmane and Aurora could see was a swirling ball of fire, brighter and more intense than anything they had ever seen before. The heat was immense- when Incendia had first ignited, Aurora thought for a moment that her eyebrows must have been seared off. As they watched, however, the fireball began to swirl less and less rapidly. The individual pots and pans could be seen flying through the air, orbiting Incendia like planets to a sun, each encased in another deep red fireball of their own. Soon, the fireball diminished until it was so small that Incendia's outline could be seen, an intensely blazing golden form standing on a red-hot metal floor. Eventually, the flames ceased licking up her coat, and it cooled gradually from white hot to dull red to black. Her mane seemed to burn longer, like a wildfire streaming out from her head and flank, until the wisps of flame coalesced into strands of coppery orange-red hair. For a long time her eyes lingered as pools of molten metal, but before long, they too cooled from blazing white to their normal orange. With a grunt of effort, Incendia set the pots and pans down on the stone countertop, all filled with perfectly cooked steaming fruits and vegetables. \"That was more difficult than I expected,\" Incendia said, panting slightly. Sweat trickled down her flank, not from heat, but from exertion. Ironmane and Aurora stared at her for a long moment, long enough for Incendia to think that she had done something wrong. Then they began to whoop and holler, clopping their front hooves down on the metal floor. \"That was incredible!\" Aurora said. \"I wish I could do magic like that!\" \"In all my years of working the forges, I've never seen a pony that could work heat like that!\" Ironmane said. \"That was amazing!\" Incendia smiled. \"Thank you. I've had... plenty of opportunities to hone my skills.\" \"Well, I think this counts as a special occasion,\" Aurora said. Her horn began to glow pale silver and a small green saddlebag came zooming out of the farthest door on the left and landed in front of her feet. She opened the top and began rooting about inside it. \"This was in my bag when I escaped from Stalliongrad... ah, here it is!\" She pulled out a ruby red bottle with an ornate silver-topped cork firmly fastened at the top. \"This is my great-grandmother's famous fermented dandelion juice. Must be at least a hundred and fifty years old. Probably the last bottle in existence.\" \"You saved some of your dandelion juice?\" Ironmane asked, a huge grin splitting his face. \"Maybe Luna is watching over us!\" \"I've never had any,\" Incendia said. \"Oh, just you wait,\" Aurora said. Her horn sparked, and the cork shot out. ~~~ Incendia, Aurora, and Ironmane all sat around the small table. Empty plates of food were stacked in the kitchen, but the bottle of dandelion juice was still being passed around. Incendia had made a small fire in the center of the table, and it's light and warmth warded off the cold of the outside air. \"That was delicious, Incendia,\" Aurora said. \"Thank you.\" \"It was my treat,\" Incendia replied. \"I haven't gotten the chance to do any magic for a few days anyway and I was getting antsy.\" They chuckled. \"So, what did you two used to do back in the city?\" Incendia asked, taking a swig from her glass. \"I worked in the forges, if that wasn't obvious,\" Ironmane said, glancing towards his anvil cutie mark. \"A pegasus working in the forges?\" Incendia mused. \"Unorthodox.\" Ironmane shrugged. \"It's not like I had much of a choice. I wasn't born into doing what I wanted like my beautiful wife here,\" he said with a smirk. Aurora giggled and bumped against Ironmane with her shoulder.", "\"Unorthodox.\" Ironmane shrugged. \"It's not like I had much of a choice. I wasn't born into doing what I wanted like my beautiful wife here,\" he said with a smirk. Aurora giggled and bumped against Ironmane with her shoulder. Then she turned to Incendia and said, \"My father was a scientist working directly for Rubidium, assigned to the personal teleporter project back in the day. We were... lucky. That's why I got this,\" she said, jerking her head towards her shoulder, \"and why I was allowed to be an artist.\" \"An artist,\" Incendia said, placing her glass down on the table. \"Didn't meet too many of those in Stalliongrad. Who did you work for?\" \"Another scientist. Working on the Attenuators. He wanted sculptures for his home.\" Aurora's eyes fell. \"I didn't like what they did to those poor unicorns. I'm not proud.\" \"Now, honey, don't pout. What's done is done, and it's all over now,\" Ironmane said, nuzzling Aurora. \"I suppose,\" she said. \"I never felt like I was doing anything with my life back there, though. I'm not sure I even miss it,\" she said, taking another sip of dandelion juice. \"How did you two meet?\" Incendia asked. \"She needed metal for a sculpture, and I was the one they sent to deliver it,\" Ironmane said. \"One look and I knew she was the mare for me.\" \"Oh, stop it, you,\" Aurora said. \"But, yes, that is the bare bones of it. How about you, Incendia? You haven't told us much about yourself. Any special stallions in your life?\" Incendia sighed and picked up the glass of dandelion juice and took a swig. \"No... no stallions.\" \"Aaah,\" Ironmane said. \"I'm not one to judge.\" \"Why don't you tell us about her?\" Aurora said. Incendia hesitated for a moment, then took another drink of dandelion juice. \"Her name's Tiptoe. I didn't meet her until just recently- only a few days before Stalliongrad's destruction, in fact. I didn't think too much of her then. The last few days were... ah, hectic for me. Once I got out and got to know her... I don't know. I don't usually go for the quiet types, but she just... she has this, pardon the pun, flame. She's been through more than I even want to think about and she's still so... innocent. I never really... I don't think most of us knew innocence back in Stalliongrad.\" There was a moment of silence, where they all stared at the magical flames in the center of the table. \"That, and she's pretty damn attractive,\" Incendia said, swirling her glass in mid-air. Ironmane snickered. \"I'll drink to that,\" he said enthusiastically. Aurora just shook her head, but she still clinked her glass with the others and drained the remaining dandelion juice. \"So, are you two together, then?\" Aurora asked. Incendia's smiled faded away. \"No.\" \"I recognize that tone,\" Ironmane said. \"That's girl trouble, right there. What's wrong?\" Incendia sighed again and prodded the flames with her horn absently. \"She's taken.\" \"Oh, you poor dear,\" Aurora said. \"I'm so sorry.\" \"So am I,\" Incendia thought. \"Can we change the subject, please?\" Incendia asked. \"Of course, dear. I'm sorry I even brought it up,\" Aurora said. \"It's no problem. So, how did you guys escape?\" Incendia asked. \"Same way as most, I suspect. As soon as the shield fell, it was obvious the worst had finally happened. I knew that horrible dragon would be arriving any moment, so I gathered up as many ponies as I could and teleported out of there.\" \"How did you know the teleporter would work?\" Incendia asked. \"You couldn't teleport out while the shield was up. How did you know where to point the coordinates?\" \"My father helped build these,\" Aurora said. \"I can do more than make pretty sculptures, you know. Besides, I could ask you the same thing,\" She winked playfully. \"As soon as the shield was down, I just dialed it as far as I could from where I was. What I didn't know was how many ponies I could take with me.\" \"How many can you take?\" Incendia said. \"I've never taken more than three or four.\" \"I managed to get about forty,\" Aurora said. \"I might have been able to get more if not for all the chaos right before the end.\" \"Forty?\" Incendia said incredulously. \"That's insane!\" \"I didn't think it would work,\" Aurora said, \"and it almost didn't. That's why it's been just flashing colors since, I expect. I don't know anypony who has a working one anymore, though you're the first I've met who had one taken out.\" \"How many ponies do you think escaped?\" Incendia asked, not sure if she wanted to know the answer. \"Oh, probably in the hundreds,\" Aurora said. \"The government workers and their families- really anypony with a teleporter- was rounding up as many ponies as they could and getting them out of harm's way. Some even risked going into the outer edges to get some of the less fortunate. Didn't... you do the same?\" \"I only brought two others,\" Incendia said. She felt bad lying to her, but it was a small lie, after all. Besides, she was too happy about the survivors. The upper class had actually put themselves in harm's way to save the \"lower\" ponies, in defiance of what Rubidium would have wanted. Perhaps it was the dandelion juice, but just thinking about it made her feel warm inside. \"Well, I don't blame you,\" Aurora said. \"It was so chaotic. Riots in the streets. If I didn't know in advance I could take ponies with me, I probably wouldn't have tried.\" \"Except for me,\" Ironmane cut in. \"Yes, except for my dear husband,\" Aurora corrected. \"So, what about you, Incendia?\" Ironmane inquired. \"You haven't told us much about yourself yet.\" Incendia had a cover story prepared, of course. She had to have some way to explain her appearance. \"Firefighter,\" she said. \"As you saw before, I've always been good at controlling fire. I teleport in, get the survivors out, then put out the fires.\" \"Were you a noble's daughter, then?\" Aurora asked. \"Middle class,\" Incendia said. \"My special talent caught the attention of Rubidium's administration.\" \"Admirable occupation,\" Ironmane said. \"Spent a lot of time in the outer rings, didn't you?\" \"Naturally,\" Incendia said. \"Might have saved my life once or twice. You should have seen the conditions of the forge I had to work in when I was young. They actually used paper in the walls. Paper!\" \"Smart,\" Incendia said, giggling. Ironmane shook his head. \"It's no wonder we had about three fires a day.\" They sat in silence, watching the fire flicker on the tabletop. The mood in the room seemed to shift, becoming more solemn. \"I do miss my workshop,\" Aurora said quietly. \"All my best pieces were there.\" \"I know what you mean,\" Ironmane said. \"All they have me doing here is forging maces and swords. They won't even tell me what it's for. I appreciate the hospitality, but I'm not sure I like the secrecy. They're gearing up for something big, I’m sure of it.\" Incendia's ears pricked up at this, but she said nothing. Outside, from one of the many street-posts, nine loud buzzes announced the time. \"I'm getting kind of sleepy, dear,\" Aurora said to Ironmane. \"I am too,\" he said. \"It was wonderful meeting you, Incendia, but I'm afraid we're going to have to close up shop for the day.\" \"That's okay,\" Incendia said. \"It's probably time for me to get going too. It was nice meeting you, too.\" Ironmane and Incendia stood up at the same time. Ironmane gave her a respectful nod and walked to the closest door on the left and entered it. Incendia's horn ignited and the fire on the table was sucked into her horn. \"Are you coming to bed, Aurora?\" Ironmane called from the other room. \"In just a minute. I want to say goodbye to our guest,\" Aurora called back. She got rather unsteadily to her hooves. \"Thank you for having me,\" Incendia said, smiling. \"It was a very nice evening.\" \"Incendia,\" Aurora said with a sweet smile, \"I may not look it, but I've been around a while. I can tell when somepony isn't being entirely truthful.\" Incendia's guard went up immediately. \"What do you mean?\" \"Now, now, it's not my place to pry,\" Aurora said. \"You've done right by me as far as I'm concerned, and everypony's entitled to their secrets. But I can tell that you're hurting inside, and I'm going to guess the source was that mare you mentioned earlier. If that was a lie, I'll eat my hooves.\" Incendia didn't make eye contact with Aurora, but she blushed intensely. \"Now, I know it's not my place to give relationship advice, but if you truly love somepony, I think it will work out no matter what the situation. I mean, look at me. I fell in love with a pegasus from the poorest parts of the city. Do you really think I even thought it had a chance of working? Of course I didn't. But just look at us now- maybe it's not exactly how we imagined it, but we have a roof over our heads, we're together, and we're safe.\" She walked over to Incendia and placed her head gently on her neck. \"Just remember you're not alone.\" With that, Aurora turned and trotted towards the bedroom, the door closing behind her with a gentle click. Tears fell down Incendia's face, turning to steam before they reached the end of her snout. ~~~ The trip home was uneventful. It was lightly drizzling. The mysterious light from the radio tower had diminished significantly in brightness, but spindly, trident-shaped streetlights had flared to life along the roads, casting the city streets in a somewhat eerie blue. She arrived home at roughly the same time as Tiptoe, and her smile at the sight of Incendia made the water coating her flank curl off her in trails of steam. Incendia hoped she didn't notice. \"Rough day?\" Tiptoe asked. \"You could say that,\" Incendia responded. They opened the door and walked in together. Incendia was surprised to find Jigsaw already in the house, sitting at the table, a grim look on his face. \"We need to talk.\"" ]

[ "Antipodes Chapter 25 by PK Jigsaw stepped out into the cold, wintry breeze and surveyed the city below him. Hundreds of pinpricks of light shimmered from the streets below, a mixture of dim yellow bulbs and bright blue magical flames. He noticed something he hadn't the night he arrived- there was a distinct distribution of magical lights versus mundane. Their cabin was on the south slope of the valley that Totemhoof sat in, giving Jigsaw a good view of the whole city. The farther east he looked, the more common the arcane lights became, culminating in the giant, decrepit radio tower on the west hill, complete with the mysterious glowing silver orb and shimmering cables snaking up it’s side. As he looked west, the blue lights became less and less common until they were almost totally replaced by electric lights. The building architecture changed noticeably as well. On the east side, huge, sweeping structures of wood or metal were common, while smaller, more practical designs were more common in the west. What captured Jigsaw's attention most, however, was the radio tower on the top of the east hill. Jigsaw could feel something emanating from it- some strange, attractive power. He figured there must be a fragment of Luna here- the Luna worship and the mysterious shielding from the outside world was a dead giveaway. What troubled him was why he couldn't sense it until just now, and why the sensation was so faint. Were these ponies abusing the power of the goddess as well? All these thoughts rushed through his head in the few moments he spent walking down the lane. He wanted to go west, but hesitated. The prospect of exploring without Tiptoe and Incendia was not appealing to him. If ever a situation called for stealth, this was it, and he still wasn't sure if he could pull off any defensive magic after his healing spell on Tiptoe. It didn't take him long before his natural curiosity overcame him. He figured that he didn't need to sneak in to anywhere- not yet, at least. He had no reason to suspect these ponies of wrongdoing, and besides, it wouldn't hurt to get a closer look. He set off towards the radio tower. As he made his way down the streets of Totemhoof, he couldn't help but take mental notes about the city. He had no way of telling how old the city was- it was clearly scavenged from old world materials, but they were pristine and expertly assembled- sheets of metal riveted together rather professionally. It wasn't anything like Stalliongrad, with its thrown-together ramshackle huts. These were proper buildings. By far, the most ornate buildings he saw were the temples. There was one almost on every street corner. Though some were small and unimposing, most were decorated with gigantic statues of the moon or of ponies groveling at Luna's hooves. Jigsaw shifted uncomfortably. Something about the temples didn't sit right with him. He didn't want this town to have any dark secrets. Stalliongrad had been bad enough. Were all the cities in the world like this? Squirreled away in hidden valleys or hiding behind walls, protected only through by whatever small power of the goddesses were left? He didn't know why he cared so much. This whole thing had brought him nothing but trouble. He didn't even know that the goddesses still existed at all until he had left the caves. When he was a colt, he read everything he could get his hooves on- old world technical manuals, contemporary cave fungus growing techniques, fictional novels of great cities existing deep under the caves. The books had always painted a beautiful image of the surface world before the fall and the Grand Cataclysm. His favorite thing in the library, though, even more than the books, was the mural that was painted across the cave roof, which had been carefully smoothed and flattened by the cave's original inhabitants- the first generation of survivors. It showed a group of ponies of all different types standing on a lush, green hill as the rose crested over it in the background. In the far left corner of the mural, the huge, steel door that blocked the cave off from the conditions of surface life was swung wide open. Buildings could be seen in the background, black against the rising sun. Written underneath it, in old world text, was the phrase \"To the Future.\" Jigsaw scoffed spitefully at the thought. He wasn't even sure there was a future to be had, here. Sure, the buildings here seemed to be ornate and civilized, but they were still living in the past instead of looking to the future. Ten thousand years had passed, but you wouldn't think more than a few decades if you looked at it. And where did Tantalus fit into all of this? Jigsaw still didn't understand what role he played in all this. What could he possibly stand to gain from all this? Why didn't he take the fragments for himself, when he clearly knew where they were and knew Jigsaw was looking for them? And, perhaps most pressingly, what in Equestria was he, really? He had been hopeful that, after Incendia had dropped the statue on his eye, that he was gone for good, but the more he thought about it, the less sure he was. Tantalus hadn't left a corpse- he had vanished, disappeared in a puff of green smoke. Plus, Jigsaw was sure he would know if he had really been killed. Whatever strange effects hosting the goddesses had on him had always made his head pound and his stomach twist when Tantalus was nearby, and he felt sure he would have felt in some way if he was gone forever. Jigsaw shook his head and tried to focus on the matter at hand. He didn't like to let his mind wander too much. It never helped anything. He passed through a street that was lined with carts, each with a loud, fast-talking pony trying to hawk his or her wares. They sold everything from shovels and shears to silver moon necklaces. Jigsaw was tempted to stop at a cart that was selling healing potions, but quickly realized he had no money. He made a mental note to come back if he ever got his hooves on any, however- he was almost certain another trick like healing Tiptoe would kill him. He couldn't count on being able to pull off another feat like that. He wasn't even sure how he did it the first time, but he had a feeling the freshly absorbed Luna fragment had helped. He wished there was a book on the whole thing that could explain it. As he pushed his way west, he couldn't help but notice that the crowds in the streets began to get thinner and thinner. Fewer shops were open, and most of the windows were dark. Eevn some of the temples looked as though they had been empty for a long time. One even had a broken window. It wasn't long before Jigsaw was standing alone at the foot of a huge stone archway build into the side of the hill, directly under the radio tower. Jigsaw hadn't even seen another pony for almost five blocks. He began to get uneasy. Had he broken some kind of unspoken rule by coming here? He began to turn and walk away when the wooden door to the temple creaked open, causing Jigsaw to nearly jump out of his skin. It was the old priest that had greeted them when they first came to Totemhoof. \"What are you doing here?\" he asked. \"I- I was just wandering around,\" Jigsaw said. \"I'm sorry if I'm not supposed to be here, I just-\" \"You aren't supposed to be over here,\" the elderly pony said, but his eyes were soft. \"But, I suppose I can let it go this once, since you are so new. Interested in the church, eh?\" he said, smiling. \"Yes,\" Jigsaw lied. He was relieved he hadn't gotten in trouble on his first day in the new city. \"Come inside, then,\" the priest said. Jigsaw followed him inside, and the massive wooden door slung shut behind him. The interior was a rounded tunnel, lit by glowing crystals, which jutted out of the walls at irregular intervals. \"Are those magical?\" Jigsaw asked, nodding his head towards one of the formations. \"Oh, yes,\" the priest said. \"Before the fall, this was one of Equestria's largest crystal mines. That's what created this whole valley, you know- the mines.\" Jigsaw's interest was piqued. \"What kinds of crystals were down here? Spell-fixing or focusing?\" The priest looked at him and smiled again. \"Ah, a scholar of the arcane sciences, are you?\" Jigsaw nodded. \"I used to study magic myself in my youth, though I understand you Stalliongrad folk had a much deeper knowledge than I ever did. Both kinds of crystals were found here, and still are. It's how we keep much of the city powered, and why we were so slow to adopt electricity.\" The old pony studied Jigsaw for a moment before saying \"Come with me. I have something that I think might interest you. I'll tell you more about Luna along the way.\" Jigsaw followed the unicorn down the tunnel, which sloped downwards at a gentle angle. The priest began to inform Jigsaw of the history of Totemhoof. \"We're not very old; at least, not compared to Stalliongrad. Totemhoof was established 1,750 years ago, roughly.” \"It wasn't occupied after the fall? Why?\" Jigsaw asked. \"I do not know. I wasn't there. Our records only go far as back as that. The valley has always had a natural cloud cover, but it was only the great Silverwind- my ancestor- that uncovered how to work the weather to keep us hidden from Tantalus.\" \"The weather keeps you hidden?\" Jigsaw asked, intrigued. \"Indeed. The secrets have long since been lost to us, but so long as we keep enough cloud above us, we remain hidden from the outside world. Tantalus only knows our general location, and if he wanted to, he could dive headfirst into the fog and never find us.\" \"I've never heard of anything like that,\" Jigsaw said. He hesitated for a moment, then asked, “How does it work?” \"We have no idea.,\" the old priest sighed. A few yards ahead, the tunnel ended in a small door cut into a stone wall. The priest paused when he reached it and turned to stare at Jigsaw. \"You... you remind me of myself, when I was younger. I'm about to show you something, but I need to know if I can trust you. Can I trust you?\" \"Yes,\" Jigsaw answered warily. The priest's horn ignited and the stone door swung inward, bathing the tunnel in light. He signaled for Jigsaw to walk in, and he complied. Jigsaw blinked. For a moment, he thought he was back in the main chamber of his home. The cavern was immense and clearly not natural. Cement pillars rose from the ground and up into the darkness of the ceiling. The walls looked to have been hastily excavated, as they were rife with craters and pits, but as Jigsaw looked up, the wall became smooth. Up near the top, metal plates were bolted on the smooth, sandy colored stone. Crystals jutted out of the excavated pits, providing light to the room. But, the most notable aspect of the space, by far, was what lay in the center. A huge pit, at least a hundred feet in diameter, was dug into the ground. This pit wasn’t rough like the ones on the walls, however- the walls had been smoothed and a firm-looking wooden staircase spiraled down along the rim. From the center rose an enormous crystal sculpture of an alicorn, the largest Jigsaw had ever seen. It had clearly been hewn from an even larger crystal- every facet of the sculpture glistened and gleamed. Unlike the formations jutting from the walls, this one didn’t shine with blue light; instead, it pulsed gently with a soft, silvery glow. “What is it?” Jigsaw asked. “Our most sacred treasure,” the priest said. “Legend holds that, when this area was first settled, our ancestors found the tunnel to this place. Most of the metal buildings you see out there were salvaged from here. Our best guess was this once was an industrial warehouse, but that was so long ago all reliable records are lost. When somepony was prying up a floorboard, they found the tip of a crystal poking out. They began to dig. Many other crystal deposits were discovered, but most of them were scarcely larger than a pony. But this crystal in particular never seemed to end. The deeper they dug, the more crystal there was. Finally, after months of effort, they had unearthed the whole thing. Legend holds it was twice as large as it is now.” Jigsaw tried to imagine that- a crystal almost the size of a dragon. “Our ancestors began to cut up the crystal to use in various mechanisms. It’s a spell-fixing crystal, you see, but it has the unusual attribute of being able to hold a spell almost indefinently. That’s what made me join the church as a youth, incidentally- the chance to study this magnificent natural phenomena up close.” “So this isn’t a secret?” Jigsaw asked. “Yes and no. It was a secret from you. You must understand, Jigsaw, Luna commands us to help those in need, but if we gave away all our secrets so freely… We can’t afford to trust so implicitly.” “Then why trust me?” Jigsaw asked. The priest regarded him for a moment. “I’ve lived a long life, you know. I know how to take the measure of a pony. I don’t think you mean us any harm.” “Then why is the part of town above us closed off?” The priest didn’t meet Jigsaw’s gaze. “Some secrets you would be happier not knowing.” This sent up red flags in Jigsaw’s mind immediately, but on some level, he agreed. Jigsaw turned back towards the crystal. “Is there more to your story?” “Yes,” the priest confirmed. “This is where it gets confusing. Legend states that after so much of the crystal had been cut up, the elders decided to carve the rest into a sculpture dedicated to the mighty Luna, our protector. Then… then the legend states that the ‘essence of the gods’ was introduced into the crystal and ‘locked away beneath key and spell, awaiting the Uniter.’” “What does that mean?” Jigsaw asked. “There is a door at the far end of the cavern. Many have tried, but it cannot be breached by any means. Still, once a year, many pilgrimage down here and try to open it in an attempt to find the Uniter.” Jigsaw had a sinking feeling he knew exactly what that was, but he knew better than to speak up. Instead, he asked, “Can I get closer?” “Of course. You’re welcome to touch, too, if you so desire.” Jigsaw made his way closer to the sculpture. His mind was working overtime. On one hoof, he was relieved- the town actually did seem to be more or less what it had presented itself. But why were parts of the town closed off? What exactly did this crystal mean, and what was behind the door? The light from within the sculpture seemed to pulse faster, as if responding to Jigsaw’s agitated mental state. Jigsaw’s horn began to tingle as though it had pins and needles. He made his way down the spiraling staircase until he stood at the bottom of the structure. It was even more impressive than before, standing almost three stories high. Upon close inspection, Jigsaw was able to see that the crystal was tinged blue, though the color was almost entirely drowned out by the white light. Tentatively, Jigsaw reached out a hoof and laid it against the surface of the crystal. He wasn’t sure what he was expecting- a great surge of power, the revelation of the location of the fragment, or something equally as impressive. Instead, all that happened was his hoof begun to tingle as well, like it had fallen asleep. “Can you feel anything?” the priest called. “Just a sort of tingling,” Jigsaw called back. “Some of us can feel it. Most of us can’t. It’s good to know you ponies from Stalliongrad are not dead to the goddesses.\" Jigsaw made his way back up the staircase, and soon stood next to the priest again. “I have two more questions,” he asked. “Oh?” the priest said, an eyebrow raising. “Why Luna? What about Celestia?” The priest smiled. “You will forgive an old unicorn for forgetting to explain. We respect Celestia also, but she is not our patron. We do not find protection under the sun, nor do we find peace. Luna represents the ability to overcome our own worst nature. She encourages us to face our fears head-on and not to doubt ourselves. Celestia is far more passionate and quick to action. Luna recommends cautious action. Do you know the legend of Nightmare Moon?” “Of course,” Jigsaw said. “Every foal in the-“ he caught himself just in time. He had about to say “the caves.” “-place I grew up knew the old stories.” “Good,” the priest said. “That’s an example of what I mean. That story illustrates that, sometimes, even the best of us fall from grace, but that nopony is lost for good.” Jigsaw nodded. “I understand. I do have one more question.” “Yes?” “What is the radio tower?” The priest frowned. “That is a mystery even to us. The old legends make no mention of it other than as a marker of the east, and none can approach it. It seems to be masked with the same magic that protects this city. If somepony attempts to approach it from the ground or the air, they will appear to be walking directly towards it- until they suddenly come out the other side, or worse, stumble off the clouds up above. Strange as it is, Totemhoof could not exist without it. It’s first and most obvious use it regulating our day and night cycle. It turns off and on on a strict 12-hour schedule. What’s less obvious is that we grow our crops by it’s light. Indirect and filtered by cloud though it may be, any crop it touches grows hardy and strong. I believe it to be a gift from Luna herself.” Jigsaw nodded silently and turned to look at the crystal again. “Can I have some time alone here?” Jigsaw asked. The priest hesitated for a moment, then smiled. “Certainly. I will be outside if you need anything.” As soon as the priest disappeared in the darkness of the exit, Jigsaw’s horn began to glow, and his saddlebags undid themselves. Jigsaw felt awful, having had to lie to the kindly priest so often, but Jigsaw had no idea how he would react if he knew the truth. It was better not to tell him. The pieces of the teleporter came floating lazily out and arranged themselves in front of Jigsaw. He found what he was looking for, and with a small amount of effort, a small ball of metal came floating out. He placed the other components on the ground and began to focus on the small ball. The top of it lifted off, revealing the tiny sphere of crystals within. Each one was held in place by a thin metal rod. Jigsaw had found it when he was tinkering with the device by fireside, but he hadn’t thought much of it until now. An array of focusing crystals was aligned all around the spell-fixing matrix- the gem that held the teleportation spell. With great care, Jigsaw pried it from the inside of the sphere and levitated it to himself. It was a deep red, almost mahogany colored, and opaque. A very large crack ran down the length of the gem along with several smaller cracks to either side. Any magical properties it once had had long since been leeched out of it. Jigsaw grasped it in his mouth and led it over to the statue in the center of the room and gingerly touched the point of it to the surface of the statue, saying a silent prayer to Luna to fix the gem. He knew it was a long shot, but stranger things had happened to him. Nothing happened for a few seconds, then the gem suddenly got very hot, so hot that Jigsaw had to spit it out and back away. To his surprise, however, the gem did not fall to the ground. Instead, it stuck to the statue, quivering, as though the point had been driven into the surface like a knife into the earth. Then it burst into flames, burning brightly for several moments, before it was consumed. It didn’t even leave ashes. Jigsaw was stunned. He hadn’t expected that to happen. He had hardly expected anything at all to happen. Now he had no way of repairing the teleporter. He cursed under his breath before gathering up all the parts and stuffing them back into his saddlebag. He still had one thing he wanted to try before he left. After almost five minutes of walking through what he know realized was a truly gigantic underground space, he arrived at the far side. He almost snorted with laughter when he found what he was looking for. The legendary locked door that nopony had been able to open for almost two thousand years was nothing more than a simple maintenance door, identical to the one he had encountered immediately after escaping the caves. The writing on the door was in the old language and almost entirely unrecognizable. In the center of the door, like a bull’s-eye, was a small hole, intended for a unicorn horn. Jigsaw took a deep breath. Did he really want to do this alone? This might be his only chance to enter without arousing suspicion, but he still wasn’t up to his full strength. Eventually, his curiosity won out, and he lowered his horn into the receptacle. He nearly passed out from the shock. There were powerful enchantments on this door, dozens if not hundreds of wards to keep out all but the authorized user. The protective magic weighed down on Jigsaw as though a boulder had been suddenly dropped on his back. He wanted to shout out, but he thought better of it. Then after a few moments, he felt the spells snap. There was a blinding flash of light, and a retort like a firecracker, and the door swung open. Jigsaw stood there, panting. If he hadn’t been completely sure there was a fragment somewhere in this town, he was now. Nothing could possess a pony to cast a spell that powerful unless they had something valuable to hide. He stepped inside, and the door swung shut behind him. There was a rush of air and a feeling of intense heat, and Jigsaw knew that the spell had set itself again. At least he didn’t have to worry about being followed. He was in a simple, unadorned metal hallway. Rusty and corroded pipes ran along the roof and flecks of paint could be seen peeling off the walls. Jigsaw set off at a trot, taking note of all the rooms he passed. This seemed to once be a barracks of some kind. Metal frames that must have once held mattresses were lined up against walls in almost uniform distribution. Something about the place felt familiar, but he couldn’t quite place what. Soon, he reached the end of the hallway. A thick, rectangular ventilation shaft seemed to have fallen from the ceiling to his left, all but blocking the path, so he set down the right passageway. Then, like he had walked straight into a pole, it hit him. He knew this place because he had been somewhere almost identical before. Before they got to Stalliongrad- the strange building with all the Celestia symbols that they had almost trapped themselves in- this place was almost exactly the same. Jigsaw tested his theory the next spot he found where there had clearly once been paint. He took a deep breath and blew the dust off the wall, and there it was. The outline was faint, but there had clearly once been a moon insignia on the wall.", "He knew this place because he had been somewhere almost identical before. Before they got to Stalliongrad- the strange building with all the Celestia symbols that they had almost trapped themselves in- this place was almost exactly the same. Jigsaw tested his theory the next spot he found where there had clearly once been paint. He took a deep breath and blew the dust off the wall, and there it was. The outline was faint, but there had clearly once been a moon insignia on the wall. Totemhoof was built on the former site of an underground bunker belonging to the Luna side of the Grand Cataclysm. It didn’t take Jigsaw long to find the bank of computers where he had nearly trapped himself before. He knew better than to turn them on this time around, though the temptation was strong. Instead, he headed off through one of the doorways and down a staircase. The rest of his trip was uneventful. The place had clearly been picked clean eons ago- probably by whoever had enchanted the door. Jigsaw was on the verge of giving up and going home before he found something extremely out of place. He had just finished climbing down another flight of stairs. By this point, he was so deep his ears had popped. The hallway that stretched out before him was only a few yards long, and it ended with another door. This door, however, was clearly not original to the facility. It was made of wood and engraved with the cycles of the moon. Jigsaw’s heart leapt when he saw it- it was obvious what was behind this door! When he opened it, he could hardly believe his eyes. He was standing on a catwalk near the top of another immense room, though not quite as large as the room with the statue. What drew his eye immediately was what was in the center. Docked to a large tower was a Lunar Battleship. He had seen diagrams and pictures in books in the library where he grew up, of course, but he never thought I had seen one in real life. It looked as though the years had taken a toll on it, though. In the pictures, it looked huge and majestic, soaring through the air over crowds of cheering ponies. Flown by Luna herself, it was supposed to be a huge armored balloon, impenetrable even by dragonfire, the perfect melding of magic and machine, the ultimate in pre-fall war technology, able to staff a crew of almost thirty ponies. The mast at the front of the ship depicted a pegasus soaring towards the skies. This one did not look nearly so good. The floor beneath it was scattered with tiny pieces of metal, indicating parts had fallen off of it. The balloons still looked inflated, amazingly, but the mast had corroded to a near-unrecognizable state. Jigsaw’s first thoughts were that their vehicle problems were solved- with this, they could sail around the entire world in a matter of weeks, and even stand a fighting chance of beating off Tantalus’s attacks. Soon, though, reality set in. If this thing could even fly- which he doubted more and more as he looked at it- there was no way it’s more advanced offensive and defensive systems were operational. Then an even more bizarre thought hit him. Why had they docked an airship hundreds of feet underground? More pressingly, how? Eventually, he tore his eyes away from the ship and began to inspect the rest of the room. The ceiling seemed to be made of strange glass- Jigsaw had no idea why that was. Then he found what he had been looking for. In one far corner of the room the panels had been torn off the wall and a small recess had been dug into the wall, revealing more crystals. In the center of all these, floating serenely, was the fragment of Luna. The crystals all around it were pulsing with the same soft white light as the statue above had, and strange, heavy wires were attached to the crystals and ran up into the ceiling. Jigsaw realized with a jolt that these were the same cables he had seen distantly running up the side of the decrepit radio tower. “That’s one mystery solved, at least,” Jigsaw said to himself. He made his way down a narrow industrial-looking spiral staircase to where the fragment lay. He was almost upon it before he screeched to a halt. If he absorbed this fragment, what would that mean to Totemhoof? It seemed as though this was their source of life. At the very least, it was the thing that allowed them to grow food. They weren’t stealing its power like Stalliongrad was. No, they had been resourceful and found out how to use the power of the fragment to their advantage without committing terrible crimes. Jigsaw had no idea how they managed to discover the fragment’s effects on crystals, but he had no doubt they would disappear if he took the fragment away. He couldn’t do that to the town that had taken him- and many Stalliongrad refugees- in and kept them safe. He needed to talk to Tiptoe and Incendia. He retraced his steps back up through the facility, which wasn’t difficult, as he’d cut a wide swath through the dust on his way down. He unlocked the door leading to the chamber with the statue, and closed it carefully behind him. He made his way swiftly towards the door at the other end. He had no idea how long he had been down there, but he doubted the priest wasn’t suspicious by now. Much to his surprise and relief, however, the priest wasn’t waiting for him outside the door. Instead, he found him near the exit, standing in the waning light from the radio tower above. “You spent a while down there,” he observed. “I don’t blame you. It strikes each of us differently.” “It was… an experience,” Jigsaw said with a nervous chuckle. “It was nice to meet you, Jigsaw,” the priest said. “You, too,” Jigsaw said, setting off towards home. But after only a few steps something made him pause. He turned to face the old priest. “Who are you? What’s your name?” The old priest smiled. “The important thing is that you know yours. You’ve been through a lot, I can tell. Seen things nopony should have to see. But it’s important you never lose track of your own identity. You’re very troubled, Jigsaw, but I know you have a good heart.” Jigsaw said. “Thank you again,” he said, and began to canter away. “Moonbow,” the priest called when Jigsaw was nearly out of the church courtyard. “My name is Moonbow.” Jigsaw arrived at the house to find it empty. He was concerned that something had happened to the other two, but after only a few moments, he heard hoofsteps outside the front door. Incendia and Tiptoe entered, the smiles on their faces dropping as they saw Jigsaw’s face. “We need to talk.” Jigsaw gave them a detailed account of everything he had done that day. When he finished, nopony said a word. “We can’t take the fragment away from these ponies,” Incendia said. “They don’t deserve that. And… and this is the only place my people have left.” “Absolutely not,” Tiptoe agreed. “I don’t think so either, but we’re going to have to eventually. We can’t just leave it here.” “Maybe there’s some way around it!” Tiptoe said eagerly. “Some way to take the fragment and still keep the city functioning.” “If you know it, feel free to tell me,” Jigsaw said. “I’m open to ideas.” Tiptoe went silent, blushing slightly. “Thought not. Now, I think we should focus on the two things we can do something about- the airship and whatever is causing the whole east side of the city to be effectively off limits. Do you know anything about that?” Tiptoe shook her head, but Incendia spoke up. “I saw a huge squadron of armed ponies filing out of one of those churches. I know a military action when I see it, and that was one on a massive scale.” “They’re fighting something?” Tiptoe said. “What could it possibly be?” “I want to say Tantalus,” Jigsaw said, “but I doubt he would attack so overtly. I don’t think he has any way to know our location, anyway. I don’t sense him nearby.” “Those goddess-powers are kinda scary, Jigsaw,” Incendia said, smiling slightly. “Scary, but useful,” he said. “Can we discuss this in the morning?” Tiptoe said, yawning. “I’m exhausted.” “Agreed,” said Incendia. “I’m completely burnt-out.” Jigsaw groaned, but he couldn’t help but smile. It didn’t hurt that Tiptoe’s yawn had been just about the most adorable thing he had ever seen. “Alright, we’ll call it a day for today and reconvene in the morning. Goodnight, everypony.” As if on cue, the light from the radio tower snuffed out, signaling the start of night. Jigsaw and Tiptoe made their way into the bedroom and the brunt of Jigsaw’s exhaustion finally hit him. Climbing all those stairs had taken more out of him than he had thought. He flopped onto the soft mattress, thankful he had something more comfortable to sleep on that dirt and twigs. Tiptoe snuggled in alongside him, and they fell into deep, if not entirely untroubled, sleep." ]

[ "Antipodes Chapter 26 by PK Tiptoe awoke with a start. Something had stuck her- hard- in the back. She attempted to roll over, but was hit again, this time just below her ribcage. With a flap of her wings, she propelled herself out of the bed and spun to look at what was hitting her. Unsurprisingly, it was Jigsaw. He was tossing and turning violently in his sleep. The sheets lay in a heap at the foot of the bed, presumably kicked off. Tiptoe didn't know how she hadn't been woken up before, Jigsaw was trashing so violently. She approached the bed to try and wake him when she noticed something odd: even though the lights of the city had only just begun to glow, the interior of the room was bathed with a golden light. She glanced around to the braziers mounted on the walls and saw that they were cold. The light seemed to be emanating from Jigsaw himself. Tiptoe froze, suddenly unsure if waking Jigsaw was the best choice of action. However, after a moment of consideration, she began to inch closer and closer to him. \"Jigsaw?\" she whispered. \"Jigsaw, are you okay?\" Jigsaw didn't respond. He was still thrashing about, threatening to tumble out of bed. \"Jigsaw?\" she called a little louder, unease creeping into her voice. This time, however, Jigsaw seemed to respond. The thrashing became less violent, and the tension seemed to leave his muscles. Tiptoe let out a sigh. Her relief was short-lived. A moment later, Jigsaw began to twitch and writhe uncontrollably. Tiptoe's eyes widened with fright. \"Incendia!\" she shouted, her voice cracking, \"Incendia, get in here, I think Jigsaw's having some kind of a seizure!\" She heard a muffled clatter and a sizzling sound, but at that moment, the light atop the massive radio tower burst to life, signaling the start of morning. Jigsaw stopped twitching, going truly limp this time. The golden light slowly receded until the room was illuminated only by the light filtering in through the window. Tiptoe approached Jigsaw slowly once more, and tentatively nuzzled him. \"Jigsaw? Are you alright?\" Jigsaw's eye's flung open, and his horn began to glow with a blue light. This was unlike the light that normally shone from his horn, however. It was a significantly darker shade of blue. Tiptoe tried to step back, but was horrified to find that Jigsaw's magic was holding her in place. Jigsaw's eyes began to glow, shining with a deep blue light in much the same way that Incendia's eyes glowed when she ignited. \"Jigsaw, what are you doing?\" Tiptoe pleaded. \"Let me down!\" Jigsaw turned to look at her, his eyes unfocused and glossy, iridescent in the light from the window and shining from within. When he opened his mouth, the voice that issued out bore little resemblance to his own. It was deeper, more forceful, and dreadfully raspy. It said, each word booming through the bedroom, \"You have not yet seen the shape of things to come.\" It was then that Incendia burst into the room, a frying pan containing three sizzling eggs floating in an orange haze just behind her. Her mouth fell agape with horror at the scene in the bedroom that was playing out before her— Tiptoe struggling in mid air, suspended in a tight band of light projecting from Jigsaw's horn. She dropped the eggs and focused her energies towards the spot in between Jigsaw and Tiptoe. With a sound like a firecracker, they flew apart. Tiptoe caught herself in mid-air with a flap of her wings, but Jigsaw flew out of bed and smacked into the far wall. The glow instantly disappeared from both his eyes and his horn and, a moment later, he got shakily to his feet. \"What... oh goddesses, my head... What just happened?\" he asked. Tiptoe galloped up to him and flung herself over his shoulders. The sudden shock nearly threw Jigsaw back onto the floor, but he stumbled and managed to maintain his footing. \"I'm so glad you're okay!\" Tiptoe cried, pulling away from him. \"I thought something awful was happening to you!\" \"I feel like I just had a statue dropped on me,\" he said, with a shaky smile at Incendia, who was still eyeing him suspiciously. \"I'm okay now.\" \"You weren't okay when I came in,\" she observed, making her way closer to the spot on the bed where Jigsaw had just been and examining it, as if she expected to find some kind of residue. \"What happened?\" she asked, turning to Tiptoe. \"Jigsaw kicked me awake,\" Tiptoe said, \"and it looked like he was having some kind of seizure. He was also... well, he seemed to be glowing. Then, right when morning started, he picked me up and he said 'you have not yet seen the shape of things to come,' then... well, you came in and did the rest.\" \"I'm so sorry, Tiptoe,\" Jigsaw said. \"I didn't do those things. I don't know what came over me.\" \"Well, at any rate, I couldn't sleep well last night,\" Incendia said, \"so I got up early and made breakfast. We might as well eat. Big day ahead of us.\" They all made their way into the main room. As they exited, Jigsaw shot a dark look out the window at the radio tower and muttered, \"I may have some idea of what came over me.\" In short order, Incendia had them all settled down at the table. Luckily, she had been able to salvage the eggs that had dropped on the floor of the bedroom. After breakfast, they all felt a little calmer and more levelheaded, and some semblance of normalcy had returned. \"Where did you learn to cook so well, Incendia?\" Jigsaw asked. \"It wasn't always a life of excitement, Stalliongrad,\" Incendia said. \"I had time to experiment with my powers here and there, and being a natural stove means I was often the one that had to cook. Eventually, I started just doing it to relax.\" Jigsaw nodded, then let out a deep sigh. \"We should probably talk about what happened this morning.\" He felt the mood in the room change instantly. Whatever calm mood had pervaded before was gone. Undeterred, he pressed on. \"I don't know, but I think it was a warning. Something is going to happen today, and I don’t think we have a lot of time to act.\" \"How can you possibly know that, Jigsaw?\" Incendia asked. \"Because whatever it was, it was inside me. I can't really explain it. I just… I really think this place is in danger.\" \"Well, what's our plan of action?\" Tiptoe said, with a sharp look at Incendia, who was still eyeing Jigsaw suspiciously. \"We need to sneak into the church and get a closer look at the airship,\" Jigsaw said, though he didn't sound entirely sure of himself. \"What about the fragment?\" Incendia asked. \"Shouldn't we collect that while we're at it?\" Jigsaw sighed again, got to his feet, and began pacing around the table. \"I've been thinking about that, and I just don't know. The fragment is the only thing keeping this place safe. Who knows what would happen to it if it was taken away?\" \"But we can't just sit here and do nothing,\" Incendia countered. \"After what happened this morning, do you really think that you'll be able to just walk away?\" \"Probably not,\" Jigsaw conceded, \"but let's just get going. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it.\" Jigsaw threw on his saddlebags and they left their cozy home and began to retrace the winding route Jigsaw had taken the previous day. The streets were sparser and and more bare than they had ever seen before. Here and there, ponies were erecting shops or watering flowers, but they seemed lethargic and listless. In fact, the only ponies who seemed to not be diminished were the pegasi. Their forms were still clearly visible, silhouetted against the gray of the sky. Eventually, they came to a section of street that had a small wooden barrier erected in it, which stated simply \"Closed for repairs.\" They took a detour around a large grassy field and ended up walking on a colorfully tiled path that was within touching distance of the magical cloud barrier. \"Have you noticed that every day there seem to be fewer and fewer ponies about on the streets?\" Incendia asked. \"It's bizarre. I wonder what's going-\" Her words were cut off but a sudden blast of sound and hot air. The concussive wave broke over them, blowing clouds at them like a heavy fog and obscuring their vision. Before any of them could react beyond a gasp, however, the clouds suddenly rushed back into the cloud wall as if pulled by a powerful vacuum. As if pulled away, Jigsaw began to make out shapes on the path that had not been there before. Several ponies were lying splayed on the path ahead of them, as if they had been suddenly deposited there. They were all dressed in the dark blue capes of the temple guards, though most looked as though they had been torn to shreds. Several of the ponies had bright scarlet burns on their coats, and one was lying in a pool of rapidly increasing blood. \"By the goddesses, what was that?\" Incendia said. \"My ears are still ringing. It sounded like something exploded!\" Jigsaw opened his mouth to reply, but closed it suddenly when he noticed that one of the ponies- the one lying in a pool of blood- had a quill and inkwell as a cutie mark. Tiptoe and Jigsaw spoke at the same time, having evidently noticed the same thing. \"Is… is that Quill Dipper?\" They rushed over to the unicorn and tried to get a closer look at his face. Jigsaw's stomach clenched. It was Quill Dipper, and the blood was coming from a gash on the side of his face, running from his right ear, across his eye, and through to the tip of his nose. Blood gushed out in pulses. \"Is he breathing?\" Tiptoe asked in hushed tones. Jigsaw leaned down and put his face near Quill Dipper's. \"Yes, but it's very shallow. I'm going to do what I can.\" Jigsaw's horn ignited, and he waved the tip over the cut. The wound glowed for a moment, and the blood lessened from a torrent to a trickle. \"That's all I can do, I'm afraid,\" Jigsaw said. \"I still haven't recovered fully from last time.\" One of the ponies who wasn't bleeding began to stir, groaning and grunting with pain. Jigsaw and Incendia rushed over to help him up. \"Are you injured?\" Jigsaw asked, eyeing the large burn on the earth pony's flank. \"Nothing I can't deal with,\" the pony replied. \"Then, do you mind if we ask a few questions?\" Jigsaw said, his tone shifting from one of care to cold determination. \"You're refugees, right?\" the injured pony asked. \"We're… not supposed to tell refugees about it, it's…\" he trailed off upon seeing the look in Jigsaw's eyes. \"That pony on the ground over there is a friend, and I think we deserve to not be kept in the dark. You can either tell us, or we're going to find out for ourselves.\" The earth pony looked for a moment as if he was going to resist, but his resolve faded. \"Follow me,\" he said, taking a few shaky steps towards the cloud barrier. \"Wait!\" Tiptoe called, \"What about Quill Dipper and the others?\" The earth pony blinked, as if surprised to find that there were other ponies there, then slowly backed into the barrier. Without warning, it surged forward, engulfing them once more. When it contracted, the other ponies were gone. Even the blood had vanished. The tile looked as though it had been scoured clean. \"Where did they go?\" Tiptoe inquired. \"Somewhere safe,\" replied the earth pony. Soon, Jigsaw, Tiptoe, and Incendia were making their way through the layer of cloud. It felt strangely different than when they had entered Totemhoof- the fog seemed like steam in a sauna, hot almost to the point of being uncomfortable. It seemed to try to buffet them, too, pulling them to one side or pushing them the other. As they walked, Jigsaw had to fight the urge to veer off to the left or right and continue following the burned pony. After several minutes, however, they emerged from the cloud barrier. What they saw was something far worse than any of them ever anticipated. They were standing at the foot of the huge hill that surrounded the valley that contained Totemhoof, and before them stretched out a battlefield. The sound was nearly deafening. Explosions could be seen off in the distance every few seconds, rocking ground with each blast. Pegasi swooped back and forth through the air, piling cloud on to the cloud barrier. Jigsaw couldn't help but notice they were all dressed in the blue robes of the temple guards. The ground directly in front of them was filled with tents and camps. Earth ponies and unicorns rushed around, moving equipment or soldiers. \"What's going on?\" asked Incendia, her eyes wide. \"What is this place?\" \"We're fighting a war. Let's get into a tent, then I can explain everything to you. We're not safe out here.\" A moment later, the four of them were huddled inside a pure white tent which had been erected directly in front of the cloud barrier. The earth pony stumbled over to a wooden cabinet in the corner of the tent, opened the doors with his teeth, and grabbed a tube of salve, which he squeezed onto the burn on his flank. \"We've been fighting a war. That's why so many houses are deserted and why we've been so willing to take in refugees,\" he said. He spoke quickly, pausing only to take breath, as though he'd been waiting a long time to say these words. \"It all started just a few days ago. We've always been prepared, of course, just in case somepony tried to invade, but they came so suddenly. Followers of Tantalus, you know.\" \"What?\" Jigsaw spluttered. The earth pony ignored him and continued. \"They just came and came and came and didn't stop. At first we just let the cloud barrier do its thing, but after a while it started to get thinner and thinner. We realized that they were degrading it somehow! So we launched a counterattack, but they're crazy. They're not even ponies, some of them! I didn't even know griffons were still around until they started attacking. But they just keep throwing themselves at us! I don't know how they do it, but they never seem to get smaller in number, even though they're dying by the hundreds. Well, it worked, I suppose, because they managed to diminish our numbers so much that we were worried about sustaining our population. Almost all the pegasi have been assigned to keeping the cloud barrier functional, and the rest of us are out fighting on the front lines. After we figured out the refugees didn't like Tantalus any more than we do, we decided to let them in, but Moonbow himself stepped in at the last minute and barred anyone from telling them about the war until they were ready. It makes sense when you think about it, I suppose. They came from a city that was destroyed into one that was about to be if we didn't win. How's that for unlucky?\" The trio simply sat for several moments, not sure how to react to the information so unceremoniously dumped into their laps. It was Incendia who spoke first. \"You lied to them?\" she demanded, advancing towards the earth pony, who suddenly looked as though he regretted telling her that bit of news. \"You lied to my people? Made them think they had finally found a safe home?\" \"Incendia…\" Tiptoe said softly. \"It wasn't his fault.\" Incendia wasn't listening. The earth pony was now at the edge of the tent, unable to back up farther, and Incendia was still advancing. \"Do you have any idea what we've been through? What most of our lives were in Stalliongrad?\" As she spoke, her horn began to glow, and flames began to form on her coat. She was within inches of the earth pony, who now looked abjectly horrified. Tiptoe lunged forward as if to make a motion to stop her, but Incendia merely stamped her hoof and turned away from the earth pony. The flames on her coat slowly ebbed and died. \"I'm sorry about that,\" Tiptoe said to the earth pony, who was still eyeing Incendia wearily. \"I understand,\" he said. \"But please remember, I'm just a hoof soldier. I didn't choose to do this, and I haven't been able to talk about it with anyone since.\" \"I'll wait near the mouth of the tent,\" Incendia said. \"I need some air.\" She tromped off looking disgruntled. \"I'm sorry about that,\" Jigsaw said apologetically as the earth pony stepped away from the canvas wall of the tent, still looking unnerved. \"I'd like to ask you a few questions.\" \"Like what?\" the soldier replied. \"Like what exactly does the cloud barrier do?\" \"It keeps the city safe. Anything that enters the clouds that isn't a resident of Totemhoof or possessing the permission of a citizen to enter won't be able to. They'll just get turned around and come out the other side of the valley, or right back out where they entered. Sometimes they even come out at the top of the clouds. We don't know how it was made, but it's the only thing that's kept us safe from marauders since the founding of the city. Radio tower is kinda like that too, same principle,\" The earth pony stammered. \"What about what you did with the cloud and Quill Dipper?\" \"That's another thing citizens can do, if we need to. It's a defense mechanism— we can use the clouds to transport injured ponies to a healer. Anypony can do it, if they can get in the clouds.\" \"What did you mean by followers of Tantalus? Who are they?\" \"You never heard of them back in Stalliongrad?\" \"Uh, no,\" Jigsaw said quickly. \"They didn't freely release information about that back there.\" \"Ah, okay. Well, they're nasty characters. You should consider yourself lucky for having not heard about them. We don't know much about them, other than they follow Tantalus. They don't seem to have any kind of organization and they don't stop coming, ever. They just throw themselves at us. Never dispose of their dead. Near as we can tell, they don’t even treat their wounded. They just let them rot where they fall. And the unicorns use some of the worst magic I've ever seen. Huge fireballs, ponies turned inside out, the works. They don't look quite right either. Like the walking dead, they are. Not dead, though. Die as easy as anything else. More like they just went crazy and don't care about anything anymore.\" \"How did you end up getting blasted through the cloud layer?\" Jigsaw asked. \"Some kind of explosive they lobbed at us. We were standing near the clouds at the time and the blast knocked us through them.\" \"I need to see the battle for myself,\" Jigsaw said. \"Don't know why'd you want to see that,\" the earth pony replied, \"but okay, there's some binoculars in the cabinet.\" Jigsaw levitated the binoculars out of the cabinet and all three of them left the tent. Incendia was standing just outside, staring out at the distant battlefield. Jigsaw listed the binoculars and looked out at the spot where Incendia appeared to be looking. The battle was too hectic and fast paced for him to make out much of anything, but he saw a few strange dark shapes— griffons, perhaps— darting to and fro in the air, and strange green fires that charred the earth beneath. A mass of blue, presumably the temple guards, stood facing away from Totemhoof, forming a defensive wall which was hurling what looked like spears at the disorganized mass behind it. Jigsaw passed the binoculars to Incendia and Tiptoe in turn, each surveying the battle playing out so far away. When they had looked their fill, Incendia turned to the earth pony. \"How long did you say this battle has been going on for?” “This is the fourth day of fighting, I think,” the earth pony replied plaintively. “It’s hard to tell when you don’t have the lights of the city to tell the days apart.” “You set all this up in four days?” Incendia said incredulously. “Like I said, we’re always prepared for invasions. They just... usually aren’t of this magnitude. We’ve never lost so many before.” “What do we do now?” Tiptoe whispered to Jigsaw. “The plan isn’t changed. We still need to get to the fragment. There’s nothing we can do about this.” “But Jigsaw,” Tiptoe whispered back insistently, “if we take the fragment, then the clouds will probably dissipate! We can’t risk that knowing what we do now!” “We’ll discuss it when we get there. Either way, we still need to get down there to check out the airship. It looked like we might be able to get it working again or at the very least get some useful things to scavenge,” Jigsaw spoke, his words sounding hollow and monotonous. “Are you okay?” Tiptoe said, her throat constricting slightly with worry. Jigsaw blinked. “Yeah, I’m okay. It’s just... that’s a lot to take in at once. My mind is reeling.” “I understand what you mean,” Incendia said, joining the whispered conversation. “This is exactly what I was hoping wouldn’t happen.” “Should we get going?” Tiptoe asked the group. “I don’t see much point in sticking around.” “Agreed,” Jigsaw and Incendia said in unison. “Uh, excuse me,” Jigsaw called to the earth pony soldier, who was so intent on watching the far-off battle that he had apparently not noticed they had stopped. “Can we get back through the cloud layer since we’re not technically citizens?” “Hm?” the earth pony mumbled, still intent on watching the battle. Then, he seemed to process that somepony had spoken to him. “Oh, yes, you should be fine. Giving you a house was implicit permission, I should think.” “Could you give us permission, just in case?” Jigsaw asked. “I don’t want to stumble out above the clouds. Only one of us has wings.” “Yeah, sure. I, Spring Seed, give you permission to enter and leave Totemhoof as you see fit,” he said, though he still hadn’t taken his eyes off the battlefield. “Well, we should be good to go, then,” Jigsaw said, turning back towards the group. “Goodbye,” said the earth pony dreamily, “and good luck, whatever it is you’re trying to do.” “I think he got a blow to the head in the blast,” Jigsaw hissed to Tiptoe, who had to repress a snort of laughter. They made their way through the cloud layer, once again fighting the compulsion to drift one way or the other, before finally emerging back onto the tiled pathway. ~~~ Jigsaw, Tiptoe, and Incendia stood before the mighty facade of the church. Jigsaw felt that the huge stone building seemed significantly more imposing now that he was faced with the prospect of sneaking inside. “Remind me again why we can’t just walk in?” Tiptoe said nervously, her eyes wide and neck craned upwards to take in as much of the building as possible. “Because I don’t think I have free reign to just walk in there any time I feel like,” Jigsaw said, “much less with two other ponies in tow. Plus, even if they don’t mind that, I highly doubt we’ll be left alone long enough to get inside the door at the back. Apparently, regular citizens aren’t even allowed in most of the time. So we’re gonna need you to work your magic, Tiptoe.” She gulped and nodded. “You two are going to have to do exactly as I do, though. I can’t guarantee we’ll all be safe.” “Hey, look at me,” Jigsaw said gently. Tiptoe tore her eyes away from the church and focusing on Jigsaw. Before she realized what he had in mind, he leaned forward, and their lips met. Incendia glanced towards the ground, suddenly flushed. They broke apart. “You’ll be fine, Tiptoe,” Jigsaw said.", "Tiptoe tore her eyes away from the church and focusing on Jigsaw. Before she realized what he had in mind, he leaned forward, and their lips met. Incendia glanced towards the ground, suddenly flushed. They broke apart. “You’ll be fine, Tiptoe,” Jigsaw said. “I believe in you.” Looking bolstered, if a bit flustered, Tiptoe nodded and began to make her way up the steps. After a brief struggle with the heavy door, all three of them managed to slip inside the ancient, weathered stone building. The hallway was rather chillier than outside had been. In place of torches, those strange crystals jutted out of the walls at seemingly random intervals. The intermittent lighting was a blessing for Tiptoe, however. She slunk alongside the walls like a cat, holding herself lower to the ground than normal. Her bones suddenly seemed to stop factoring in to her movements. It was as if her whole body had gone fluid, flowing along the wall and around corners as if she were made of water. Incendia could hardly believe what she was seeing. Tiptoe seemed to have undergone a complete transformation. While she and Jigsaw had to struggle to keep their hooves from clopping loudly against the stone of the tunnel, but Tiptoe seemed to be able to turn off sound around her. For Incendia, it added a whole other layer of attraction to Tiptoe. Several times, ponies emerged from branching passageways, talking quickly in hushed tones. Tiptoe whipped back against the wall, Incendia and Jigsaw following her lead, pressing themselves tightly into the crevices and imperfections in the rock wall and hoping they didn’t look directly at them. They also had to pause occasionally for Jigsaw to try and remember which branching passageway would lead them to the correct chamber. Finally, however, after what seemed like hours of tension, they approached the small, roughly cut stone door. Jigsaw shimmied open the door, and the trio slipped inside. The giant crystal sculpture glimmered from the recessed pit in the center of the cavern, but the rest of the cave was utterly unremarkable. “I think we can stop sneaking now,” Tiptoe said, straightening up. “What is that?” she asked, tilting her head in the direction of the statue, which was pulsing rapidly. “It’s not important,” Jigsaw said. “What’s important is what’s over there.” They made their way through the room, the rapidly pulsing light from the statue creating a nearly blinding strobe effect, making their motions look oddly robotic and unnatural. They approached the door at the far side of the cave, and Jigsaw inserted his horn. The pulsing light from the statue suddenly ceased, becoming placid and calm. Incendia’s hair bristled as she felt a sudden wave of heat emanate from the door, then, with another loud snap and a flash of light, the door swung open. Jigsaw took charge, leading them down the labyrinthine and decrepit network of stairs and corridors. “We always seem to come back to this, don’t we?” Jigsaw said, glancing over his shoulder at Tiptoe. “The two of us, walking through narrow, underground passageways, in the dark.” “And there’s usually mortal peril involved,” Tiptoe added, giggling. “Hey! I’m here too!” Incendia chided. “Well, Incendia, welcome to the club,” Jigsaw said, laughing. They turned a corner and their mirth died instantly. “This is the door,” Jigsaw said. “The airship is in here.” “And the fragment?” Incendia asked. “What are we going to do about that?” Jigsaw didn’t answer. Instead, he opened up the door with a push of his head, bathing the dark hallway in brilliant light. The airship sat there, looking exactly as it had when Jigsaw has been there previously. In the carved out section of the room, the fragment floated serenely, looking as though it was suspended in a brightly glowing thunder-egg. “It’s beautiful,” Tiptoe said, staring at the airship. “Has it really been here for all this time?” “Well, obviously, somepony came in here at some point to deposit the fragment.” Jigsaw replied evenly. “But it hasn’t flown in all that time?” Tiptoe said, her voice low. “I doubt it.” “Why is the ceiling black?” Incendia asked, staring up. “That’s a very good question,” Jigsaw said. “I haven’t the slightest idea.” “It kinda looks like the sky on the night side of Stalliongrad, when clouds would block out the moon and the stars,” Incendia said absently. “Fitting,” said Jigsaw. “But now I think we’re going to have to decide what to do with the fragment.” “We can’t take it,” Incendia said without delay. “My people are surviving here. If we take that fragment, it might make the clouds dissipate. We can’t afford to take it.” “I don’t know,” Tiptoe said hesitantly. Both Jigsaw and Incendia looked at her in surprise. She gulped. “Well, we don’t really know what made those clouds, do we? We don’t have any proof it’s the fragment. For all we know, it’s just been sitting here. Plus, what do you think the consequences of not taking it would be? Maybe it would protect the city in the short term, but can we really afford to just sit around and let Tantalus run rampant? He’s not going to stop looking for us just because we stopped fighting.” “What are you saying?” Incendia said waspishly. “Are you saying we should just finish the job you two started back in Stalliongrad? And what do you think those cables are for if the crystal is just sitting here?” Tiptoe’s eyes grew wide. She looked hurt. “Incendia,” Jigsaw said, stepping forward into Incendia’s field of vision, “you know we didn’t mean what happened in Stalliongrad. We didn’t want it to happen.” “But you want it to finish!” Incendia shouted, her horn sparking to life in spite of herself. “You’re willing to risk the destruction of my people— for what?” “To stop the destruction of everything else!” Tiptoe shouted back. She was getting angry, too. “Now, you two,” Jigsaw said. “Let’s calm down and discuss this like adult—” BOOM! The room suddenly jerked and shook, as though an earthquake had struck. The three of them stumbled, and hundreds of years of dust trickled down from the ceiling. \"What was that?\" Incendia shouted. \"The room is collapsing!\" Jigsaw cried. \"Things must have taken a turn for the worse in the battle up above.” “What do we do?” asked Tiptoe, her eyes darting around the room frantically. “We can’t go back!” Jigsaw shouted. “Those tunnels will have already collapsed! Quick, into the airship!” Incendia and Tiptoe rushed to the base of the airship, and Tiptoe took off, flying up ten feet and snatching the door handle in her teeth. It swung down, a staircase unfolding out of it. The staircase seemed to be made of brilliantly cut crystal. “Jigsaw! Get in here!” Tiptoe called, gesturing towards the airship door. “Hold on! I have an idea!” He turned around to the fragment, which was still floating serenely amid the numerous glowing crystals. The room gave another great rumble, nearly throwing Jigsaw off balance, but before long he came to it. “I hope you’re happy,” he whispered under his breath. “I hope you know what you’re doing. Because from here I’m not seeing too much difference between you and him.” He leaned down low and touched the tip of his horn to the silvery orb. Instantly, light and sound exploded around him. He was surrounded by a whirlwind of silver mist, swirling around him faster and faster. His horn burned, his head felt as though it was about to burst, and then- It was over. He stumbled for a moment, then blinked. He knew what he had to do. ~~~ Tiptoe rushed inside the airship, joining Incendia in the dark interior. The space they were in had clearly once been grand. It was tall enough for Tiptoe to do a loop-de-loop, and the walls still contained stripes of dark blue paint. BOOM! Another tremor, stronger than the first, shook the airship. Tiptoe was thrown face first onto the cold, metal tiles of the floor. This time, the room did not settle. It kept shaking, throwing them to and fro. Bits of railing crumbled down from a walkway above, slamming into the ground like giant bullets. Incendia and Tiptoe crowded together under a rotting wooden desk in a weak attempt to protect themselves from the heavy debris slamming down around them. “What do we do?” Tiptoe asked again. “Jigsaw had collected the fragment, and then...” Some ancient piece of heavy machinery smashed down mere feet from their hiding spot, prompted both of the trapped ponies to scream with shock. Incendia made a snap decision. There was no way they could get out of here, they must have been thousands of feet underground. If she was going to die in this pit, she had to say something first. “Tiptoe, there’s something I need you to know,” Incendia shouted over the sound of metal slamming into metal. “What?” replied Tiptoe. “I love you!” Suddenly, it was as all the sound had been sucked out of the room. Tiptoe started at Incendia, wide-eyed in shock. She opened her mouth to respond, when Jigsaw’s voice interrupted her. “Where are you two? I think I know how to get out of here!” Tiptoe and Incendia bounced up from under the desk to see Jigsaw standing there, a shining crystal floating in mid air to his left and the disassembled bits of Incendia’s shoulder teleporter to his right. “We need to get to the engine rooms! This way! We don’t have any time to waste!” He took off running down a hallway to the left, the other two hot on his hooves. Before too long, they came to a room that was full of all sorts of strange-looking metallic objects. Tubes and pipes were everywhere, and three tanks of softly glowing liquid lined the walls to their left Jigsaw didn’t have any time to look around, however. Time was of the essence. With reckless force, he tore a large, dark black crystal out of a small chamber in a huge machine in the center of the room and stuck the brightly glowing crystal in its place. Then, he turned on the spot and galloped out, yelling at the others to follow. They turned a corner and came to the narrow coil of a spiral staircase, which they climbed as quick as they could. The top of it was the underside of a trapdoor, which Jigsaw threw open with wild abandon. The room beyond was lined with screens on three of the four walls; some were larger than a pony, yet others seemed so small that they looked as though they could never have shown anything useful. Jigsaw shot around the room, tearing our bundles of cable— with his teeth, no less— and hastily splicing in bits and pieces from the teleporter. “That’s all I can do,” Jigsaw said, rushing up to the back of the room, where a large, padded chair stood facing the fourth wall, which wasn’t so much a wall as a lack thereof. Where it should have been, there was simply a large, open space, through which they could see out onto the room. “We’re at the top of the ship?” Tiptoe said with confusion. “How did we get up here so fast?” Jigsaw wasn’t listening. He settled himself into the chair and his horn began to glow. A small dashboard rose out of the ground at his hooves, complete with yet another screen and a bright red lever. “They really built this for show, didn’t they?” Jigsaw said, more to himself than anyone else. He threw the lever down. The noise was deafening. A huge, high pitched hiss sounded, a deep rumbling, louder than any coming from the room outside began deep in the bowels of the ship, and extremely high screeching sounds emanated from all around them. Then, all sound died, save for a small hum. A bright light glimmered around the fourth wall for a moment, and an instant later the catwalk collapsed. One of the thick metal supports came swinging down directly towards the hole in the wall. Tiptoe and Incendia flinched instinctively, but when the column slammed into the hole, there was a flash of light and a sizzle, and the support ceased to exist. “What was that?” Tiptoe asked, her eyes wide. “I have no idea,” Jigsaw responded, “but we have to get out of here. Hold on tight!” Tiptoe and Incendia both bit on the nearby railing as the airship gave an almighty jerk and, to their utter shock, they began to rise up. Jigsaw’s horn was glowing a brilliant blue, and the screens around the room were coming to life one by one, displaying hundreds of lines of old world text. The pure-black ceiling had begun to flicker, glowing a brilliant white. As they rose, they seemed to pass right through it, the view of the crumbling underground chamber slowly wiping away to alabaster. Then they were out, floating out of the clouds, a few hundred yards away from the radio tower. Jigsaw started out at the tower in disbelief, then all three of them let out a hesitant laugh that quickly grew hysterical with relief. When they glanced out of the wall again, the laughter stopped abruptly. The clouds were pulling away from the city, swirling away as though repelled by a magnet. From their vantage point in the skies, they could clearly see the legions of Tantalus’ worshippers pouring up and over the hills protecting the city. The trio stared down at the city, watching the orange flicker of fires begin to spring up. “No,” Jigsaw said quietly. “No.” “What are you-” Tiptoe began, but Jigsaw’s horn had begun to glow brilliantly again. “We’re in the most powerful battleship from before the fall. I intend to use it. Press any and everything at that panel,” Jigsaw said, pointing to a number of screens displaying red, rapidly flashing old world text. “I’ve set it to only target Tantalus’ supports.” “You can do that?” Incendia asked. “I don’t know how it works, but they show up green on the targeting system,” he answered. “Citizens show up blue. Press it.” Incendia pressed the largest button she could find, and the room shook yet again. The high-pitched screeching sound began yet again, and Incendia stared up at the display. It was flashing scarlet, and text was flying by so quickly she could barely even tell letters apart. The screeching was deafening and then... A blue wave emanated from the bottom of the ship, speeding almost lazily towards the town, rippling and shimmering as it went. It washed over the town with what seemed, from their vantage point so far above, to be extreme sluggishness, but cover the town it did. “Press it again!” Jigsaw shouted, his expression intensely focused on the scene playing out below them. Incendia jammed the button again, and the airship gave another mighty shake. The alarms got even louder, and from far off, several small explosions could be heard. but down below, the blue light grew and grew, until it reached such an intensity that it was nearly blinding, then faded away. Down below, the mob of the invading army began doing something astonishing. “What’s going on?” Tiptoe asked as she peered over the side of the ship. The mass of green and red that was Tantalus’ forces seemed to have frozen in place, surrounded by a soft, blue glow, as though that strange wave had suddenly replaced all the ponies with ice sculptures. Jigsaw got up from the command chair and walked over to the console Incendia was operating, which was still spitting text faster than he could read. “What was that?” Incendia asked quietly. “What did I do?” “I used to read all about these as a colt,” Jigsaw said, staring at the console. “They were supposed to be the grandest vessels of their time, as well as the most powerful. It was said just one could win a war.” “Is it supposed to be making all these noises?” Incendia inquired, turning to look at the screens. “No,” Jigsaw said, pressing a button just below the one Incendia had pushed. Instantly, Jigsaw felt as though he was half as heavy as he should have been. They had begun to descend, and quickly. The alarms reached a fever pitch, nearly deafening them with their insistent whines. A bright white beam shot from the bottom of the ship, just visible out of the fourth wall, and slammed directly into the ground, moving perpendicular to the ship, which was floating lazily towards Totemhoof. Jigsaw galloped back up to the command chair and tried desperately to get the ship to rise, but nothing seemed to be responding. The controls were very simple- the magical engines made up for any intricacies of motion that could not be controlled by a joystick, but no matter how hard he pulled, the ship didn’t rise. The light from below passed over the now dark radio tower. The light seemed to get siphoned inside, flowing down the heavy cables and into the earth. All over the streetlights began to ignite, growing brighter until... Another blast rang out from below, the sound of thousands of streetlamps exploding, a dismal cacophony that caused the white light to spill out and rush through the streets as though the streetlights had become spigots. Wherever white light met the blue glow that still surrounded the frozen forces of Tantalus, there was a small flash, and they seemed to vanished. The ship moved away from the radio tower, and the white light died. The white light stopped flowing from the lampposts instantly, but the damage had been done. Over three quarters of the invading force had been hit by the light, and the quarter that was left was shrugging off the paralyzing blue wave and retreating. The damage to the city wasn’t negligible, however. The explosions of the streetlights appeared to pockmarked the surface of the city with craters, and the invading army had started several fires that were raging out of control. Jigsaw yanked on the joystick, and, mercifully, it responded. The entire airship jerked to one side, careening over the hills that surrounded Totemhoof, and then... The screens died, and the ship began to plunge out of the sky. ~~~ Jigsaw’s eyes fluttered open. For an instant, he thought he was back in the caves, waking up in his office after falling asleep at the desk. Then he remembered. The ship, the strange weapons, the crash... “Tiptoe!” he yelled, making a motion to jump out of bed, but a searing pain in his side stopped him. He looked down to see a white bandage wrapped around his midsection, a streak of scarlet seeping through. He was in a hospital! “Jigsaw?” Came a reply from somewhere out of sight. Lights flipped on, and Tiptoe and Incendia came running from the left. “Your’e okay!” Tiptoe said, tears in her eyes. “What happened?” Jigsaw asked, standing up very gingerly. “How long have I been out?” “About six hours,” Incendia said. “You got the worst of it when we hit the ground. You had a pretty bad cut on your stomach, but the doctors say you should be okay if you take it easily for a few days. “We’re in Totemhoof?” Jigsaw asked. Incendia and Tiptoe shared a knowing look. “You were incredible back there,” Tiptoe said. “I don’t know how you knew what to do, but you saved the city.” “I just drew off of what I’d read,” Jigsaw said. Then, with a smile, he added, “I’m good at figuring out how things work.” “Well, after the crash, the residents of Totemhoof came rushing out to see what was happening,” Incendia began. “Neither of us were injured very badly, and the airship didn’t seem to even have been scratched. We followed the route back down through the engine rooms and met the Totemhoof residents outside. We explained to them what had happened, and they took us in for medical care.” “What about the clouds? Isn’t the city exposed now?” “Apparently,” Tiptoe said with a smile, “they had some old prophecy that warned them of this. Moonbow thought it was you from the moment he met you. He says they mourn the loss of the essence of Luna, but that the city should no longer be a target to Tantalus now that nothing of value to him remains there. And, because we decimated the forces so completely, they should be able to fight off and straggles that might come.” “So... we did it?” Jigsaw asked tentatively. “Yeah,” Tiptoe replied, “we did it.” “The question is,” Incendia said seriously, “What do we do now? The engine room looked shot. It was pouring smoke and fluids were leaking everywhere.” “We pushed it too far,” Jigsaw said. “It was in no condition to be doing what it did, and my repairs were very haphazard. I think we have to try to at least get it flying, though.” “Why?” Incendia asked. “I mean, I know you wanted a vehicle, but do you really trust that thing?” “No,” Jigsaw said, “but we need a vehicle. The next fragment is west- very far west. Far enough that we won’t make it if we don’t have some kind of protection. We at least have to try salvaging from it.” He let out a yawn and paused. “I know I’ve been out for six hours, but I feel like I could sleep for another six. We’ll go at it tomorrow.” Tiptoe nodded. “We haven’t slept since the crash. We were too busy worrying about you and having to talk to Totemhoof officials. Sleep sounds good. We have temporary rooms in other hospital wing.” “Sleep well,” Incendia said, exiting the room at a trot. “Goodnight,” Tiptoe said, leaning in close to Jigsaw. “You were amazing out there. I love you.” She planted a quick kiss on his lips, then left the room as well. Jigsaw fell asleep more quickly and feeling more satisfied than he had in a long time." ]

[ "Antipodes Chapter 27 By PK Took long enough, eh? Sorry about the wait. Again. So much school. Should be better now. Happy Antipodes 1-year anniversary! Thank you so much for sticking with me for this long. I never expected the story to gain the traction that it has and it's thrilling. Have some bonus art by the fabulous madmax: http://i39.tinypic.com/2wo9bau.png ~~~ Boom! The explosion shook the ground under Spike's feet, causing him to stumble and as he scrambled over the rubble of a ruined building. All around him, flashes of light from mortars and mines drowned out the harsh light of the sun. The heat was unbearable. He knew he couldn't pay attention to the war going on around him. It wouldn't let him. It had sought him out, explained its plight. It said it could help him if he helped it. All he had to do was let it, and he had. He ripped aside a pair of sun-bleached drapes and leapt through the shattered window frame. The building he was in now had an intact roof, and he couldn't help but take a moment to enjoy the relief from the sun. The goddesses had fallen almost twenty years ago, and the light and dark sides of the planet had been fighting each other over the narrow strip of comfortable land ever since. The bearers of the Elements of Harmony had tried to intercede, of course, but without Twilight, and with what happened to Rarity… \"Not yet,\" hissed a voice from inside Spike's head. \"We have to hide the fragments first. You can't let one of them find them.\" \"Here?\" Spike whispered. \"We have the entire planet to choose from. Why here? Fluttershy is here, you know. Right here in this town. If we can't let her find it, why not hide it on the other side of the planet?\" Spike's head began to pound. It was angry. Spike had to work to stop it from using his voice. \"It has to be where they are. Places they hold dear, or spent a great deal of time. It is the only way they can hidden.\" \"I don't understand.\" \"I don't expect you to understand. I expect you to act. Every second you waste here is another Rarity suffers. Go.\" Spike shuffled into motion, spurred into action not entirely by his own will. It was just as well, he thought. He did need to get moving. He ran out of the ruined house and down a side alley full of sun-baked storefronts. \"Where?\" he asked as yet another blast rattled debris loose from the rooftops. The Lunar Armada was close to taking Fillydelphia by now. \"Too far,\" it hissed. \"You must get closer. She did not spend much time here. Toward the caves.\" \"Isn't that dang— ah!\" Spike's words were cut off by a sudden, splitting pain in his temples. \"Go!\" it shouted, its voice louder than any other thoughts. Several minutes later, Spike saw the pit, surrounded by heavy equipment. Before the fall, the caves had been used as a tourist attraction for Fillydelphia. It was the largest natural cave system in all of Equestria. However, once it became apparent that Fillydelphia wasn't going to habitable for much longer, and that the cataclysmic war wasn't going to end in victory for either side, Fluttershy had begun to spearhead an initiative to move as many ponies as possible into the caves, which scientists had assured her would be sheltered from the heat of the sun. And there she was, a yellow blur skittering back and forth over a panicked mass of ponies, trying to usher them past the old tour building and into the enormous steel Stable-Tec doors. The ground rumbled softly under Spike's feet, the shock waves carrying from the city out to the caves. Instinctively, Spike glanced back over his shoulder. A silvery-white battleship hung in the air over the city, bright bolts of light arcing down in to the city. A loud, metallic crunching sound drew Spike's attention back toward the pit that lead to the caves. Fluttershy was on the ground now, making sure the last few ponies— an elderly couple— managed to get past the doors, which had begun to slowly edge forward. When they had gotten inside, Fluttershy paused and turned, looking up from the bottom of the pit. Suddenly, Spike was stricken with an urge to run down and join her. It had been so long since he'd spoken to any of them, it had been so chaotic. Maybe he should— \"Aaargh!\" A sharp pain shot through Spike's head, as if a nail was being driven into it. The pain brought him back to his senses. Rarity was still out there, trapped by that horrible Rubidium that had started all this. He couldn't turn his back on her. Fluttershy turned again and ran into the dark mouth of the cave, and a few moments later, the massive steel door slammed shut. The sound of the locks and seals engaging were loud enough to be heard from Spike's location. \"Where do I go now?\" he asked. \"The building by the edge of the pit,\" it said. \"That is close enough.\" \"There?\" Spike said incredulously. \"That's where they used to give tours of the caves. Shouldn't it be… I dunno, grander?\" \"You must.\" \"Fine.\" Spike darted over the yellowed grass and past mechanized drills, over to the neglected tour building. Compared to most of the buildings in the city, it was nearly pristine. Several inches of dust were visible on the countertops through the window, but the windows were intact and there were no holes in the ceiling. In fact, when Spike pulled open the door, he was hit with a blast of cool air. The building still had electricity. He wanted to stay and cool off, but he knew he didn't have time for that. He had to hide the fragment. He felt the alien presence in his mind stir, filling him with power. He closed his eyes and concentrated on it. he could feel it swirling and billowing within him, a nearly limitless well of power and energy. Tendrils of green light began to emanate from his body. The air around him crackled, and he thought he could smell the distinct scent of ozone. Then, seeming to ooze out of his chest, a ball of fire like a miniature sun presented itself, swirling furiously and crackling with bolts of green light. \"Woah,\" came a soft voice from his right. Spike whipped around to see a pink unicorn standing up from behind the main desk. \"What is that?\" she asked, stepping closer. \"No!\" the voice shouted. \"There must be no witnesses! She could tell one of the others!\" \"Shut up,\" Spike snapped in defiance. The pink unicorn's smile faltered. \"Who are you talking to?\" \"There's only one thing you can do now,\" the voice said. \"You have to kill her.\" \"What?!\" Spike shouted. \"I can't do that! What did she do?\" \"She's seen. She could tell one of the others. She's a liability.\" \"You don't know that!\" Spike shouted. The pink unicorn was clearly unnerved by this point, and she began to inch her way towards the door. \"Now!” the voice shouted, and without his consent, Spike lurched forward and grabbed on to the pony's tail. He was shocked at his own strength- the pony was struggling with all her might to run, but Spike barely felt a tug. He opened his mouth to protest at this unordered use of his body, but the voice spoke, cutting off his own words of protest. \"Do you think you can rescue your Rarity without causing death? It is impossible. Does Rubidium deserve life? Does anyone who's helped him? Do you know what he's doing to her right now?\" \"I know, I know!\" Spike said, shaking with anger at the idea. The pink pony stopped trying to run, and sobbed to herself. \"Then you must kill her. If even one thing goes wrong, it all does. We must have no witnesses!\" \"I…\" Spike stared at the pink pony and the last decade of constant strife and warfare burned brightly in his mind. \"Now!\" it shouted. Spike felt the sound leave his mouth, and his claws flashed across the pony's neck. ~~~ Boom! \"What was that?\" Tiptoe shouted. \"Are you okay?\" \"I'm fine!\" Jigsaw shouted from the next level up. \"Well, I'm sure it will grow back, anyway.\" \"Oh, ha, ha. Very funny,\" Tiptoe replied. As soon as Jigsaw had woken up, he had dragged Tiptoe over to the wreck of the airship to assess the damage. They hadn't been able to find Incendia, but a resident of Totemhoof had assured them they had seen her in the center of town, looking for food. Once they got to the airship, Jigsaw had spent roughly a half hour spouting off technical jargon before he realized Tiptoe didn't understand it at all and sent her downstairs to attempt to clear some of the rubble out from the ground floor. Jigsaw coughed and attempted to wave away the smoke from the blast. He cursed under his breath and pulled the small lever down. \"What is wrong with you?\" Jigsaw said to the ship. \"What's wrong?\" The ship was in bad shape. They had managed to completely burn out the main batteries when they had fired the weapon, and the crash had caused significant damage to most systems not damaged by the massive power surge caused by the weapon. Jigsaw knew it wasn't all bad, however. The engines were mercifully undamaged, as were the navigation and targeting systems- not that the latter would do much good without weapons. What interested Jigsaw most was a strange device he had come across while exploring the ship's engineering level. It resembled a huge orb on a stand with several heavy cables hanging from it. When Jigsaw had found it, the cables had been hanging loose. After he had plugged them in, the ship's power draw jumped considerably, nearly overloading the power source, before suddenly dropping back to zero again. He had examined it for almost an hour and had no idea how it worked. Still, though, his examination of the ship gave him hope that he could at least get it off the ground again. The citizens of Totemhoof, as a token of their gratitude, had been swarming over the exterior of the ship, fixing tears in the fabric and welding holes in the metallic exterior. Jigsaw touched his horn to a panel, sending a pulse of energy through the system. After a few seconds, he felt a sharp shock in his horn— the energy pulse had been interrupted. He focused his energy on the break and felt the broken wires knit themselves back together. With some apprehension, he flipped the lever again. A high pitched whine emanated from the panel for a few moments, and then, with a horrible electronic cracking, the power died, leaving Jigsaw in the dark. \"Well, it's an improvement, I suppose,\" he grumbled to himself. ~~~ The ground floor of the airship was littered with the broken planks of wood, twisted metal, and circuitry, mostly knocked loose from the walls and crumbling trappings by the crash. Tiptoe flew around the area, throwing pieces of rubble into a cart she lugged behind her. After flinging a twisted metal chair into the cart, it began to get uncomfortable to keep the cart aloft. She landed unsteadily and began to trudge out of the door and dump the garbage. The ground around the airship looked like an alien landscape— the airship had left a wide swath of upturned earth, scarring the mostly uniform landscape of wiry, coarse grass. Fragments of still-glowing crystal made the crash site glisten in the moonlight like a reflection of the night sky. Tiptoe had unloaded half of the cart when she heard the sound of a falling plank of wood and a muttered oath. When she walked around the pile, she spotted Incendia, attempting to scramble over a small pile of lumber, a pair of saddlebags hanging heavily over her shoulders. When she saw Tiptoe, she froze. \"I got food!\" She blurted out. \"Food! For us. For the two of you, I mean. Because you've been working so hard, I mean.\" Tiptoe was unimpressed. \"You've been avoiding me, Incendia. We need to talk about what you said yesterday.\" Incendia swallowed. When she next spoke, she sounded stiff and formal. \"I'm sorry. We were in a tense situation and I didn't think. I promise I won't let it interfere with our task, I—\" \"Incendia,\" Tiptoe said, cutting her off, \"you don't need to make excuses. It's okay. I mean…\" Tiptoe's stomach felt like it was full of lead. \"I… I can't reciprocate. I just… Jigsaw is too important for me. I mean I'm flattered, but…\" Incendia was trying her best to stop herself from shaking. She had no idea where this emotion was coming from, but it felt as though a dam had been opened. \"… don't ever think I don't love you.\" Incendia’s gaze shot upwards. \"Incendia, you're one of the strongest, most capable ponies I've ever met. You've saved my life before and I can't imagine how we could do this without you. I do love you, Incendia. Don't doubt that.\" Incendia took a few moments to collect herself before she spoke again. \"You don't know how much that means to me. I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't feel like this, but I just can't help it. I feel like I've betrayed Jigsaw. And you.\" \"Don't,\" Tiptoe said, smiling warmly. \"Honestly, it feels kind of obvious in retrospect. I've caught you looking more than once.\" Incendia blushed so hard that what little grass remained on ground at her feet was incinerated. \"So… you're really not upset?\" Incendia asked. \"No. I'm not. Honestly, it's okay,\" Tiptoe responded, \"but this is really something Jigsaw should know about. It wouldn't be fair to him to keep it hidden.\" \"I'll tell him,\" Incendia said. \"I owe it to him.\" \"He's in the engine room. Just follow the posted signs.\" \"I can't read the old language well,\" Incendia reminded Tiptoe. \"Oh, right,\" Tiptoe said with a giggle. She drew some symbols in the dirt. \"This is what you need to look out for.\" Incendia thanked Tiptoe and made her way into the ship. The stairs leading up into the second floor of the airship were in disarray. Incendia nearly cut herself several times on jagged bits of metal just trying to maneuver through the stairwell. She had doubts that the ship would ever be in the air again if even the stairs were trying to kill her. Once she got up into the engine room, however, her doubts were assuaged somewhat. Giant pistons, quiescent now, protruded from the walls like fingers of some giant hand. Huge machinery was crowded around the walls. Incendia couldn't even begin to speculate on their functions. In the center of the space was a clear vat of dull grey fluid, rotating lazily. Jigsaw was balanced precariously on the narrow rim of the tank, his horn glowing vibrantly. With a loud zap and a strong smell of ozone, a bolt of light shot from his horn and down through the liquid. The liquid began to swirl much more quickly in its tank and radiated with bright blue light. Jigsaw nodded as though he was satisfied and hopped down from the lip of the vat. He jammed a hoof on to a green panel at the base of the vat, and a massive pipe lowered haltingly onto the vat and began to suction off the glowing liquid. The liquid spread through the overhanging network of pipes, suddenly turning the ceiling into a glowing spider web of light. While following the flow of the liquid, Jigsaw spotted Incendia, standing entranced in the doorway. \"Incendia!\" Jigsaw said, with a smile. \"I'd been worried you weren't going to join us today! Did you want to help out up here? Celestia knows I could use the help.\" \"Sure, but I need to talk to you first,\" Incendia said. Jigsaw's smile faded. \"I always have time. What's on your mind?\" \"Here, I brought food. Think you could take a few minutes off to eat?\" Jigsaw glanced at the pipes overhead. \"No leaks. Sure, now's as good a time as any.\" Soon, Incendia and Jigsaw had laid out a meal of fresh produce from the farms of Totemhoof. \"So, what was it you wanted to talk about?\" Jigsaw said apprehensively. Incendia sighed deeply. It marveled her how she had handled years of living as a rebel and nothing had made her stomach as uneasy as talking to Jigsaw. \"I… have something to confess. Something that's been bothering me for a while now.\" \"Oh?\" \"I… I'm attracted to Tiptoe.\" Jigsaw blinked. Incendia rushed onwards. \"I've always liked mares, ever since I was a little filly. And, well, when Tiptoe showed up, she was just so different than all the other mares I'd seen in Stalliongrad, something just drew me too her. It probably doesn't help that my last relationship was an utter disaster and I'd been having a dry spell for quite a while by the time she showed up, but—\" Incendia's face flushed when she realized what she'd said. \"—feel free to stop me at any second, because I'm feeling like I'm a filly all over again.\" Jigsaw stood there for a few moments, his face unreadable except for shock. Incendia's throat constricted. Just when she thought she might turn and bolt because of nerves, Jigsaw spoke. \"Incendia, I… I don't really know what to say. I'm shocked.\" Incendia didn't respond, but the butterflies in her stomach felt like they had been turned to lead. Jigsaw apparently noticed the change of mood. \"I didn't say I was upset,\" he said quickly. \"Just… surprised. I didn't really expect that. I'm not… offended, or anything.\" Jigsaw took a bite of his salad. The situation was so awkward, Jigsaw imagined he could feel the tension as he moved his hoof through the air. \"She is pretty great, though,\" Jigsaw said. \"I can't say I disapprove of your taste.\" Incendia laughed. Jigsaw saw the tension leave her body. \"I… I'm sorry, again. I won't let it distract me from what we have to do. I just… it's been hanging over my head for so long now I had to get it out there. It wasn't fair to any of us.\" \"It took a lot of guts to talk to me like this, Incendia.\" \"It shouldn't have. I've had to tell the families of resistance members about their deaths. That's what should fill me with nerves, not this. It feels so… immature. I should be better than this.\" Steam began to curl up from the corners of Incendia's eyes. \"Incendia…\" Jigsaw scooted closer to her. \"This is nothing to be ashamed of. I've lost ponies before, too. I was married once, remember? I had a mate. I expected to spend the rest of my life with her. We even got a place, together. Right on the outskirts of the inhabited areas. Huge plot of land just given to us. Nobody wanted it because the water system out there had been broken for ages. But when you get the two brightest engineers in one spot, there's not much we couldn't overcome. We were going to have plants growing in our backyard. Maybe even some trees. Something beautiful for our foals to grow up in.\" \"What happened to it?\" asked Incendia. \"After Antimony died, I went back a few times and gathered my things. Mostly moved into my office. That old place… too many memories. Gave it to Antimony's family. Don't think they ever did anything with it.\" \"I'm so sorry, Jigsaw. But what exactly does this have to do with—\" \"Because just because I'd dealt with that trauma, it didn't make life any easier. Not with Tiptoe. When she got assigned to me, I was drawn to her immediately. It scared me so much, Incendia. I didn't ever want to go through what I'd been through with Antimony again. So I just ignored it. Pushed it down. Drove her hard. She was good at what she did. Useful to have a pegasus with you… hard to reach places, and all. “I… was kind of relieved, in a way, when we got cut off from the caves. Now, don't get me wrong, my first thoughts were of everyone left behind, but… it felt like a new beginning. The caves hadn't felt like home for a long time. I didn't know what I would find out here, but I thought anything had to be better than what I was leaving behind.\" Incendia whinnied softly. \"Was it? Better, I mean?\" Jigsaw stared at the phosphorescent pipes, the fluid within them coursing through them like the blood of a giant. \"What do you think?\" \"I still don't feel like I belong completely,\" Incendia said. \"especially with the issue with Tiptoe. I feel like at best I'm just tagging along for the ride and at worst getting in your way.\" \"You aren't, Incendia,\" Jigsaw said. \"Not at all. And you need to stop beating yourself up about things.\" \"I can't help it,\" Incendia said. \"All my life I've been in charge of ponies and responsible for what happened. I was in control, and now I'm not, and I don't know if I can-\" \"Incendia, none of us wanted any of this. We're all in way over our heads. I never thought I'd even get to see the surface. Hell, up until we got out there, I didn't even know there was any surface to be seen. I certainly didn't expect to have the future of the world riding on my shoulders.\" \"How do you keep from going crazy?\" Incendia wondered. Jigsaw took a while to respond. \"The two of you. Knowing I'm not in it alone. The thought, however remote, that maybe my children will grow up in the sunlight. Real sunlight, not the magical kind. The thought that maybe I'll be able to grow those crops after all. The thought that maybe not everything I used to read in the old books is lost. There has to be more to it than this, right? All the suffering, the ponies just struggling to get by day to day.\" \"I never had much access to the records of the past,\" Incendia confessed, \"but there were always rumors. They said being near Celestia was like standing in front of the sun itself. Apparently, she glowed so brightly that you couldn’t look directly at her, and she could rain fiery death upon her opponents, and—\" \"I think the legends got twisted over the years,\" Jigsaw said with a smile. \"We had the original manuscripts laid down by the founders. One of them actually knew Celestia and Luna personally, apparently.\" \"What were they really like then?\" Incendia asked. \"Really tall, with pegasus wings and unicorn horns.\" \"That's not a very satisfying answer.\" \"This isn't a very satisfying salad, either.\" Incendia laughed. \"I wasn't really focused on gathering great ingredients. I was just trying to kill time with plausible deniability.\" \"It's fine,\" Jigsaw said. \"I'm glad you made it. And I'm glad you came up for this talk. I don't feel like we've had one… well, ever.\" \"I'm glad we did too. I'm still trying to wrap my head around everything that's been going on. But… if our last, best hope had to rest on anypony, I'm glad it's with you. You're a great stallion, Jigsaw. I'm proud to know you.\" \"Likewise, Incendia. I couldn't make it without you.\" Incendia stood up. \"Before I go, I just wanted to make sure… You're not upset? About me and Tiptoe? Er, I mean, about me?\" Jigsaw laughed. \"Not at all. I'm flattered, if anything. Plus, now I know I can come talk to you about mares if I want to. No offense, but when you're the only stallion around two mares, sometimes it can get a little stifling.\" Incendia snorted. \"Oh, and I'm not a mare anymore?\" Jigsaw's eyes widened. \"Oh, no, that's not what I meant, I just meant that , you know, I thought you liked stallions, and I realize now I shouldn't have assumed, I just—\" \"Relax, Jigsaw. It was a joke.\" \"… Oh. You didn't have to let me go on that long.\" \"Yes I did.\" Incendia turned to walk away.", "It was a joke.\" \"… Oh. You didn't have to let me go on that long.\" \"Yes I did.\" Incendia turned to walk away. \"And… Jigsaw, I'd like that. Being your confidant.\" ~~~ The next day, the ground floor of the airship had been nearly cleaned out. Jigsaw stood on the staircase that lead up to the engine room, Tiptoe and Incendia sitting on the cracked and discolored tiling. \"Is there any reason you got us up for this?\" Incendia asked groggily. \"In fact, did you even come back to the house last night?\" \"He didn't,\" Tiptoe confirmed. \"I'm just as confused as you are.\" Jigsaw smiled. \"You guys are gonna like this. I think I got the engines working again.\" \"What?\" Incendia exclaimed. \"Already?\" Jigsaw nodded. \"It took me all night, but I managed to cobble something together. I haven't tested it yet because I wanted you all to be here, but I think I got the engines, shields, climate control, and main computer up and running, which are all we really need to fly this bucket of bolts around. It won't be doing any more light shows like it did a few days ago, but it will get us where we need to go.\" \"We need to go west, right? Towards the sun?\" Tiptoe inquired. \"Right,\" Jigsaw said. \"The shields we have now won't do much in the way of protecting us from attack, but it should at least keep the cool air in and protect us from the solar radiation.\" \"I'm not sure I trust this thing to keep us safe,\" Incendia said, glancing around nervously at the remains of the ornate lobby. \"What if the shields fail and we're all incinerated? When I first teleported out of Stalliongrad, my teleporter malfunctioned and sent me somewhere way west. If not for my special abilities with heat, I probably would have died. I don't want to relive that again.\" \"Incendia, would I be presenting this if I didn't think we were absolutely safe? Even if the shields fail, we can seal off whatever section of the ship we're in and the climate control devices should be able to handle it. And, interestingly, I don't think we even had the computer up and running the first time we flew this thing. It might make things significantly easier.\" \"Okay,\" Incendia said. \"I'm still not sure, but I trust you. When are we going to leave?\" \"As soon as possible,\" Jigsaw said. \"We can't let Tantalus get ahead of us.\" \"I'm kind of sad to leave Totemhoof,\" Tiptoe said wistfully. \"The ponies here have been so kind to us.\" \"What say you we test the new engines out?\" Jigsaw said. \"Might take your mind off it.\" \"I'd like to see that,\" Incendia chimed in. Jigsaw led them up the rickety staircase to the engine room. The walls were almost covered in transparent tubing now, and a low hum could he heard as the glowing liquid was pumped through them. Jigsaw's horn began to glow, and a console on the far side of the room sprang to life. Old world text danced across the screen. Jigsaw's horn sparked, and the screen flashed green. The room sprang to life. The gentle hum of the pump rose to a deafening bellow. The huge pistons that lined the walls began to fire, adding their booming voices to the cacophony of machinery that now resounded around the room. Flashing lights and alarms blared from many parts of the engine room, but they felt the airship give a distinct jerk and the uncomfortable sensation of being in a very fast elevator. \"It works!\" Jigsaw shouted over the noise. \"We're floating a few yards off the ground! I'm going to shut the engines down now, they're a bit loud.\" Jigsaw's horn sparked again, and the noise slowly died down. The airship lowered itself to the ground. \"Well, all things considered, I think that went pretty well,\" Jigsaw said. \"Now, we need to go gather our things. We have a fragment to get.\"" ]

[ "Antipodes Chapter 28 By PK (After yet another arduous month, another chapter full of Antipodes-y goodness! Enjoy! Also I just recently remembered that the Antipodes TVtropes page exists, and it's horribly skinny. if you guys add to it, I'd be forever grateful~ http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/FanFic/Antipodes ) The crowd that had gathered around the airship was impressive. Ponies of all shapes, sizes, and races, had turned out to wish the trio of refugees a happy goodbye. Young pegasi hopped up and down on the top of the airship, shrieking with laughter. Moonbow stood in front of the trio, dressed in the heavy blue robes they had seen around the city so often. As he turned to address the crowd, they quickly grew silent. \"Citizens of Totemhoof!\" he bellowed, his voice strong and clear. \"We have assembled today to bid farewell to the team that single-hoofedly saved our city. For thousands of years, Totemhoof has been protected by the graces of our goddess, Luna. It was foretold that one day, the Uniter would arrive and deliver us all from an unfathomable evil. That day has finally arrived!\" The crowd hollered in approval and stamped their hooves. Moonbow watched for a few moments before clearing his throat. \"Please, settle down and be respectful,\" he chastised. \"Long have we waited for this day, and though we have suffered heavy casualties, the city of Totemhoof shall endure as it always has done. Luna's divine essence now dwells within Jigsaw.\" Moonbow gestured at Jigsaw, and Jigsaw bowed politely to the crowd. \"And though our city is no longer protected by the shroud of clouds, we shall stay strong as we always have.\" Moonbow turned to the trio assembled behind him. \"We want you all to know that our prayers will be with you on your journey. We have delivered several week's worth of provisions to the airship with the hopes that it will serve you well.\" \"Thank you so much,\" Jigsaw said. \"Thank all of you.\" Moonbow stepped aside, and Jigsaw took his place to address the crowd. \"Your generosity is truly moving. However, I feel it prudent that I reveal something that many of you have already guessed. Tiptoe and I are not, in fact, refugees from Stalliongrad. We came from another… village, underground and far to the west. Totemhoof is the first place we've come across that has treated us with genuine kindness and respect. I will always remember that.\" Jigsaw bowed and stepped back. The crowd began to stamp their hooves excitedly, cheering and hollering. After several minutes, Moonbow dispersed the crowd, gave one final, respectful bow to the trio, and left. \"Well, I guess this is it, isn't it?\" Tiptoe said quietly. \"We're leaving again.\" \"Maybe the next fragment will be in a lush jungle. And there will be apples growing from every tree, a big lake of fresh water, and all the berries we could eat,\" Incendia said wistfully. \"Somehow, I doubt it,\" Jigsaw said cynically. \"Follow me. There's something I want to try.\" The trio entered the airship and Jigsaw led them through the labyrinthine network of catwalks and stairwells until they reached the engine room. The claw-like pistons lining the walls seemed oddly menacing in the narrow chamber. Jigsaw stopped in front of mysterious sphere in the center of the engine room. The thick cables and tubes had previously been hanging loose were now connected and humming with power. \"What is that?\" Tiptoe asked. \"You'll see,\" Jigsaw said. \"It was unplugged when I first came down. I think it was unplugged because it drew too much power, but with all the weapons systems offline, it should be okay.\" “What, they designed it so not every part of the engine could be on at once?” Tiptoe asked incredulously. “That’s just stupid!” “I don’t think that was it,” said Jigsaw. “This particular warship was old even before the fall. Probably lots of little bits of wear and tear made the ship extremely inefficient. It would certainly explain why I’ve had so much difficulty fixing it. I think the only reason it’s held up as well as it has is because it was so close to the fragment for so long. Either way, though, it should be safe to plug in now. Probably.” \"Are you sure that's a good idea?\" Incendia asked warily. \"Incendia,\" Jigsaw said, his horn beginning to glow, \"this is what I do.\" A blast of blue light emanated from his horn and the engine room roared to life. The pistons along the wall began to fire, the magical explosions momentarily bathing the room in ethereal blue light before slamming back up to repeat the process. The sphere, in contrast was almost anticlimactic. It began to hum loudly, and after several moments, a green light in the floor that wrapped around the base of the pillar began to flash. Jigsaw backed away from the sphere. \"You're gonna want to stand back. I have a feeling it might—\" The sphere made a screeching sound and let loose a wave of pale blue energy, throwing the three of them to the ground. \"What in Equestria was that?\" Tiptoe asked, leaping to her feet. The sphere was still humming as though nothing had happened. \"It's a shield system!\" Jigsaw replied. \"Now we can walk around on the outside decks without having to worry about the sun frying us. It should keep the temperature inside the shield consistent, assuming the climate control stays functional and nothing pierces the shield.\" \"What happens if we meet Tantalus along the way?\" Tiptoe asked. \"I'm sure we can find another alicorn statue somewhere on this ship. Incendia, that's your job, from now in.\" Incendia chuckled. \"Very funny. But, really, Jigsaw, do you have any plan for that?\" \"We could try ramming him, but I don’t know how much good that would do,\" Jigsaw admitted. \"I do still have the weird goddess powers. If anything, I'd expect them to be stronger now. It could kill me, yes, but in a worst case scenario, it could save you.\" \"Not acceptable,\" Incendia retorted. \"We can't stand to lose you, Jigsaw.\" \"Well,\" Jigsaw said, \"I'm going to try and repair the weapons systems on the way. It's possible I might have them fixed before we get there. Even if I don't, it's a big airship. I doubt he could survive if we just steer it into him.\" \"I dunno,\" Tiptoe said. \"Apparently he survived that statue to the face.\" \"I've been wondering about that,\" Jigsaw said somberly. \"I figured he wasn't gone forever when his body vanished at the castle, but how does anything survive that? What is he, anyways? I mean, he said he was some entity possessing a dragon, but why did he even let us go when we stumbled right into his lair? Why would he care about taking down Rubidium? And why hasn't he just gone out and destroyed the fragments, or moved them, at least? He was powerful enough to wipe them out, but it almost seems like he's doing nothing to stop us now.\" \"There's no way we can know, Jigsaw,\" Tiptoe consoled. \"We just have to do what we've been doing.\" \"But are we doing the right thing? What if we're somehow playing right into his hands?\" \"Can't be,\" Incendia said. \"He sure tried to kill you back at the castle where you got the first Luna fragment.\" \"He didn't, though!\" Jigsaw said. \"Sure, he tried to kill Tiptoe, but if he really wanted me just dead and done with, I have to think it would have been easy for him to do it. He actually gave me valuable information! I think there's some kind of ulterior motive at play here.\" \"That's actually been bothering me too,\" Incendia piped up. \"What does he get out of destroying the world?\" Jigsaw shook his head. \"We can debate this all day, but I don't think it will really make any difference. Let's head up to the cockpit and plot a course.\" ~~~ Tantalus stood, examining the cracked blue crystal. Tentatively, he reached out a finger towards the gem. However, before he made contact, the crystal began to quiver violently. Golden light poured out from the cracks, and Tantalus’s finger recoiled. The pulsing light inside the stone repulsed him. His reliance on it disgusted him even more. The gem was his physical anchor to the world, yes, but it was also painful; corrosive to his very spirit. A flash of green light behind him caught his attention. Lying on the cavern floor was a tattered strip of parchment, on which a letter was scrawled in barley legible old world text. According to it, Jigsaw had not only managed to defeat his small army of followers, but he also had managed to commandeer a Lunar battleship. Tantalus swept up from the cave and out into the mild air. It was clear that his usual methods of action weren't working— perhaps some insidious mechanism of the hated Goddesses was at work. It was time to try another route— a much more dangerous route. Tantalus reached the hole in the ground where the Fillydelphia subway was exposed to the sky and dissolved into green mist, swirling into the caverns below. ~~~ Jigsaw swiveled idly in his chair in the control room, staring out at the almost painfully bright, sun-bleached landscape that stretched out seemingly forever in every direction. A bright red light on the wall suddenly shone brilliantly for a few moments before a loud clunk and a low hum issued from the air vent over his head, blowing refreshingly cool air down into the room. They had been travelling for the better part of the week, and it had proven to be a dull experience. Watching the corpse of Equestria glide by below them had been interesting at first- watching the landscape change from sparse grassland to lush, fertile fields. Here and there, ruins in various states of repair were visible: towering pillars, small houses, and, in one instance, what appeared to be the skeleton of a dragon. All too soon, however, the interesting landscapes gave way to sunbaked blades of yellow grass and soon nothing but a featureless expanse of yellow and brown. Jigsaw tried to pass the time by attempting to repair the weapons systems, but the damage was too extensive to make any headway. To try and alleviate their boredom, the trio had taken to exploring the ship. To their dismay, this proved to be no more entertaining than watching the landscape below. The airship appeared to have never been flown after the Grand Cataclysm- until Jigsaw took it up — so most of the rooms were shaken up as a result of the crash, none of them contained anything more than overturned furniture or silent computer consoles. Jigsaw hopped out of his chair and set off towards the metal stairs that led down into the lobby. When he arrived, he found Incendia and Tiptoe giggling about some private joke. \"What are you laughing about?\" Jigsaw asked. \"Oh, hey, Jigsaw! Incendia was just telling me some stories from her days in Stalliongrad.\" Tiptoe replied. \"I could use some stories, there's pretty much nothing to do up there. Computer takes care of most of the work. I think we're getting close now, though, I can—\" The floor jerked below Jigsaw's feet, sending him careening into Incendia. \"Ow!\" Incendia exclaimed, getting back to her feet. \"What was that?\" \"I think the airship stopped,\" Jigsaw said. \"We're here.\" \"Finally!\" Tiptoe exclaimed. \"But how are we going to get the fragment? It has to be over a thousand degrees out there. And where is it? Where could it be hidden?\" \"I could maybe last a few minutes out there if I lit myself on fire, but I don't think that would be very useful.\" Jigsaw nodded. \"I say we just land. The shield will extend a few hundred feet in all directions. We wait for the ground to cool off and then we look around for anything that seems out of place.\" \"Sounds good to me,\" Incendia replied. They turned on the spot and began to make their way back up towards the control room When the trio reached to top of the staircase, they stopped dead in their tracks. Stretched out before them, just in view outside of the magical viewport that took up the far wall of the control room was a huge pit in the earth. The walls appeared to have once been smooth and uniform, but time had clearly taken its toll. Whole sides of the pit had sloughed off and were lying in heaps at the bottom. Fragments of metal— possibly the remains of a walkway— clung to the intact sections of wall. Jigsaw's eyes grew wide. Without a word to the others, his horn ignited. Blue tendrils of light erupted out of his horn, burying themselves in the terminals around the room. Old world text began flashing by on the terminals and the view outside the magical wall began to flicker. Suddenly, a map of Equestria flickered to life on the screen. Tiptoe gasped softly. The map was illustrated with dozens and dozens of huge cities, all labeled in old world text. One city, in the far west, had a flashing red light above it. She recognized it instantly. \"Fillydelphia,\" she read. \"Jigsaw, this isn't… We're not…\" \"We are,\" Jigsaw said. \"We're above the ruins of Fillydelphia. The caves. Our home.\" ~~~ The tip of the airship jutted out over the edge of the pit, casting a shadow the land hadn't seen for thousands of years. Incendia was standing at the bottom of the pit, watching as Tiptoe laboriously lowered Jigsaw down the deep chasm. They gently touched down on the still-steaming ground and looked out into the mouth of the cavern beneath it. Looming ahead of them, protected from the heat of the sun by an overhang of rock, was the huge, metal door that lead to the upper levels of the caves \"How can there be a fragment in there? Wouldn't you have noticed it if you'd been living on top of it for your whole life?\" Incendia asked. \"It doesn't work like that,\" Jigsaw said. \"I didn't start sensing the fragments until after I got the first one. I still find it a little hard to believe, though, even for me.\" \"What are we going to find inside?\" Tiptoe asked nervously. \"You don't think they could all be dead, do you?\" \"It's a very real possibility,\" Jigsaw said solemnly. \"But I have to believe they could have figured something out. I wasn't the only one that knew how the water system worked after all.\" \"How are we going to get inside that huge door?\" Incendia asked, staring up at its pockmarked face. \"It's over twelve feet of solid steel, reinforced with magical crystals to keep us safe from the elements,\" Jigsaw explained. \"The history books said it was built to be difficult to open from the inside, but easy to open from the outside. The founders wanted it to be opened easily if the world ever became habitable again and wanderers came across the entrance to the cave.\" \"So, the caves were natural? They were here before the fall, and your ancestors just moved into them?\" Incendia asked. Jigsaw began tapping various spots on the cavern wall with his horn. As he wandered slowly around the space, he spoke: \"Yes. It's the largest natural cave system in the world, or so they say. Used to be a tourist attraction, but during the Grand Cataclysm, the founders had the idea that we could hide away from the sun underground. It took quite a while to get the water system working well enough to support the population, but obviously, it worked well enough. Ah, here we go!\" Jigsaw's horn began to glow and a small pile of rubble near the door levitated away, revealing an ancient, battered looking control panel. Jigsaw stared at the control panel for several seconds. \"I don't know if I can do this,\" he said, softly. Tiptoe trotted up to stand by his side. \"What do you mean?\" she asked. \"Whatever we find in there— whatever happened to everyone we knew is my fault. If we open this door, there's going to be even more blood on my hooves. Even more ponies that died because I couldn't do my job right, and I don't—\" Jigsaw's words were cut off mid-sentence as Tiptoe pressed her lips to his. Incendia blushed intensely and averted her gaze. \"Jigsaw, whatever happened in there was not your fault,\" she said when they pulled apart. \"You were trying to do your job. Nopony could have foreseen that sea serpent attack, and nopony could have done anything about it. There was no way to go back once we were in the subway.\" \"Thank you, Tiptoe. Let's… just get the door open.\" \"Together,\" Tiptoe replied. They each grabbed part of the corroded lever in their mouths and pulled. The ground instantly began to shake. From somewhere far off, alarm sirens blared. Then, with a deafening screech, the massive steel door began to retract into the dark, empty space behind it. A rush of air whirled past them, mixing with the dank, musty air inside the caves. Inside, massive gears could be seen whirring under the stress of moving the massive steel door. It was over in moments. The door stood wide open, and the entryway to the caves was spread before them. \"Have you ever been this far up?\" Tiptoe asked Jigsaw. \"No, I never went above the main chamber. Never had any reason to. No water got up here, not enough pressure. Let's just get going.\" ~~~ The glasslike surface of the underwater lake began to roil and bubble. An amorphous blob of green smoke suddenly broke the surface and darted to the edge of the water. With a flash of green, Tantalus was standing on the shore, smiling down at the gently rippling water. He raised his claws and gestured at the water's surface. A green light began to shine up from somewhere deep in the lake before him, with a screech so loud it shook loose stones from the walls, a sea serpent rose out of the water, swirling, coiling, and struggling against the bands of green light that were constricting its midsection. \"My, you did cause a lot of trouble, didn't you?\" Tantalus said with a grin. In response, the sea serpent opened its mouth and screeched. A bright white light began to build within its throat, but Tantalus waved his claw, causing the serpent's neck to arch away from him and the beam of energy to impact harmlessly with the water of the underground lake. \"Now, now, behave yourself. You may yet be of some use to me.\" The sea serpent screeched and writhed as Tantalus dissolved again into green smoke. This time, however, it floated towards the sea serpent, funneling into its mouth and nose until there was none left. The serpent's eyes began to glow green and, with a loud snap, the bonds holding it broke and it plunged into the lake below. ~~~ Jigsaw's horn sparked as he placed it against one of the hundreds of pipes that snaked along the walls. They were several floors underground now, and they had not seen a single sign of life so far. \"Nothing,\" Jigsaw confirmed, stepping back. \"The pipe is bone dry. We're deep enough that if the water was working even intermittently, there should have been at least some moisture in the pipe, but—\" \"Jigsaw?\" Incendia yelled from the darkness further down the stairwell. \"Tiptoe? Can you come down here?\" \"Yeah, sure,\" Tiptoe said, fluttering down the stairs with Jigsaw on her heels. \"What's going—\" Tiptoe’s words were cut short by the scene before her. Three earth ponies were directly in front of and to either side of Incendia, pointing what appeared to be sharpened stone rods at her neck. \"What's going on? Jigsaw asked. One of the earth ponies glanced at him, did a double take, and lowered his makeshift spear slightly. \"Jigsaw? Is that actually you?\" he asked, almost in awe. Jigsaw squinted to try and get a better look at the pony in the dim light of the magical torches on the walls. He was light brown, similar to Jigsaw, and his cutie mark was a miner's pickaxe. Jigsaw had vague memories of passing by him in the market. \"It's me. Now, let's just put the spears down, okay? We don't mean you any harm. We came to help.\" The brown pony glanced at his compatriots, and a silent understanding passed between them. In a fluid motion, they lifted their spears from Incendia and pointed them directly at Jigsaw. Instantly, flames erupted all over Incendia's body. The three ponies holding Jigsaw hostage stared at her wide-eyed. \"How about you drop the spears right this second and I don't burn you alive?\" Incendia threatened menacingly. The three earth ponies complied and quickly stepped back. \"What are you?!\" one of them asked, staring at the bright white orbs that had replaced her eyes. \"I'm a unicorn with an especially special special talent. Now, you're going to answer my friend's questions, and you're not going to try anything cute.\" They all nodded eagerly. \"Thanks, Incendia,\" Jigsaw said, rubbing the spots where the spears had made contact on his neck with one hoof. \"What's going on? Why did you attack me?\" \"As if you don't know,\" spat the third earth pony, a burly, dark purple stallion. \"You caused all this!\" Jigsaw glanced and Tiptoe and swallowed. \"What do you mean?\" \"You were supposed to fix the water! Both of you! You were supposed to make it better!\" he yelled. \"Instead, you vanished, and the water stopped altogether!\" \"It wasn't my fault!\" Jigsaw started, then caught himself. \"Tell me what happened.\" \"If you'll let us, I can show you,\" the brown earth pony cut in. \"Incendia, stay close behind them,\" Jigsaw said. \"I want to see what they have to show us.\" \"Me too,\" Tiptoe chimed in. The flames covering Incendia's body dimmed until a single jet of flame danced at the tip of her horn. \"Let's get walking.\" The three earth ponies led Jigsaw down a highly familiar route- they were approaching the arboretum. \"You're not taking me to the main chamber to speak with the Tribunal?\" Jigsaw inquired. \"The Tribunal doesn't have any power anymore,\" one of the ponies responded from up ahead. \"You're going to see.\" They approached the doors that lead to the arboretum. The purple pony that had snapped at Jigsaw earlier gave the door an unceremonious kick and it swung open. \"There. See what you did now?\" A horrible stench came rolling out of the arboretum, and Tiptoe yelled in horror as Incendia recoiled in disgust. Jigsaw blinked in disbelief, dumbfounded by what he saw— and what he smelled. Inside the formerly lush and verdant space were hundreds of bodies. Ponies had been tossed haphazardly onto the shriveled, browned remains of the food crops. Splayed limbs and limp bodies lay haphazardly across the decaying fields of grain and wheat. Ponies of all shapes and sizes, from the youngest foals the the most elderly in the village were strewn with little regard for their dignity. \"Oh— oh, Celestia,\" Jigsaw uttered. \"What happened here?\" \"What do you think?\" the purple pony snapped. \"There was no water. Those that didn't die of thirst killed each other to get what water was left or got torn apart by monsters trying to get to the lake. \" \"That’s awful,\" Incendia gasped. \"You just piled them here?\" \"We normally cremate our dead,\" Jigsaw said. \"We didn't have the resources to keep operating the furnaces,\" the brown pony said. \"Everything happened so quickly. Every now and then, a trickle of water comes through the pipes, but it's not enough to keep the plants— or us— alive.\" \"Close the door,\" Tiptoe whispered, turning her back to the horrible sight before her. \"I don't want to look anymore.\" The brown pony gently nudged the door with the top of his head, and the door creaked closed. \"How many? How many are left?\" Jigsaw asked hollowly. \"About a quarter of us, holed up in the main chamber,\" the purple pony responded. \"The three of us were part of a team checking the pipes for any moisture.\" \"We have to fix this,\" Jigsaw said emphatically. \"We can get the fragment later. I can't allow this.\"", "\"About a quarter of us, holed up in the main chamber,\" the purple pony responded. \"The three of us were part of a team checking the pipes for any moisture.\" \"We have to fix this,\" Jigsaw said emphatically. \"We can get the fragment later. I can't allow this.\" \"You?\" the purple pony sneered. \"You caused this whole disaster! Everypony blames you for it!\" \"It wasn't his fault!\" Tiptoe objected. \"There was nothing we could have done! We were attacked and forced into some kind of underwater cave! We were both hurt, and you know nopony here knows how to swim!\" \"Then you should have died trying!\" the purple pony spat back. \"Instead of trying to save any of us, you ran away from it all! Then, you come waltzing back in here, all healthy and happy, looking to scavenge whatever you can off the dead?! We don't want your help. I'd rather die with my dignity.\" \"Don't listen to him,\" the brown pony said. \"We've sent some of our own to try and fix the pump station, or at least get some water from the lake, but none of them have come back. He's just… we're all in shock. It all happened so quickly. We never realized how much we depended on the water supply until it was gone.\" \"Then we're going,\" Jigsaw said. \"I know the caves down there better than anypony else. We're going to make this right. Incendia, are you with us?\" \"Of course!\" Incendia said. \"It sounds like you're going to need some protection.\" Jigsaw turned to face the earth pony trio. \"I don't know who you are. I don't think we ever met while I was living here, but let me tell you this: I spent my every waking hour here trying to keep everypony safe and happy. I loved it here. When I left, it wasn't by choice. I'm going to make things right.\" ~~~ \"Are you sure we're going the right way, Jigsaw?\" Incendia asked. \"Relax, Incendia,\" Jigsaw said, carefully sidestepping an unstable patch of ground. \"I've made this trip five times now.\" Before long, they emerged into the cavern that held the underground lake. \"Oh, Celestia,\" Incendia muttered. \"It's enormous. You could fit twelve of the airships we flew in on in here without running out of room.\" \"Like I said, largest natural cave system in the world,\" Jigsaw replied. \"Now, come on. We have a job to do.\" The stone pathway that once led to the center of the lake was littered with the remains of the pump station. Shattered glass and twisted metal was strewn over the sand-colored stone. Far above them, in the ceiling of the cavern, twisted metal and pipes jutted out of the wall at odd angles. A constant cascade of water— the water that should have been going to the dying ponies above— was pouring out of the pipes and splattering against the stone below. \"How are you going to fix that?\" Tiptoe asked. \"We could barely keep the pressure up when the pump station was intact, now look at it!\" \"I have an idea,\" Jigsaw said. \"All we need to do, really, is—\" The surface of the water broke with a blast of sound and a roar. The sea serpent rose up out of the water, eyes glowing green, a light already forming in its throat. Incendia gulped. “Shit.”" ]

[ "Antipodes Chapter 29 By PK The sea serpent undulated as it prepared to let loose a deadly blast of energy. “Move!” Tiptoe shouted as she darted up high into the air. Jigsaw and Incendia glanced at each other and each galloped off in opposite directions. The beam of light burst forth from the serpent’s throat, blasting a crater in the rock where they had been standing. Incendia flashed bright orange, igniting a whirlwind of flame. Digging her hooves into the ground, she slid to a stop, turning to face the serpent as she took aim. Tongues of flame sprouted from the ground at her feet and shot towards the sea serpent, wrapping it in white hot strands of flame. The serpent writhed and shrieked, smoke rising in oily, black coils as the fiery ropes constricting around the serpent burned into its flesh. However, with a mighty jerk of its serpentine back, the bonds around its body broke in a flash of light. The charred skin underneath the bonds oozed a pale green fluid. Incendia allowed herself a small smile upon seeing the damage her flaming ropes had inflicted, but it was quickly wiped off her face. The serpent hissed and the flesh seemed to knit itself closed, as though time were running in reverse. The flesh slowly uncharred and the green fluid retreated back into the creature’s torn veins. “Jigsaw!” she shouted, “It can regenerate! It can—” “I know!” Jigsaw called back. “Just give me a second. I have an idea!” New skin glistened on the monster’s side as it bared its terrible fangs, readying a strike against Jigsaw. As it reared back to strike, Tiptoe dove down from the top of the cavern, bringing the full force of her hooves squarely on the serpent’s triangular nose. Tiptoe felt the cartilage in the beast’s nose snap under her hind legs as she pounded her wings to propel herself downwards. The serpent roared in agony and withdrew back into the murky water of the cavern. “Is that it?” Tiptoe asked. “Is it over?” “I doubt it,” Incendia said. “That thing regrew muscle and skin like it was nothing. I don’t think we’re done.” “But how could it do that?” Tiptoe inquired. “I had to fight that same thing off when Jigsaw and I were here last time, and when I kicked it, it stayed hurt!” “I don’t know!” Incendia responded. “Jigsaw, what do we do?” “Just keep it off of me!” he shouted. His horn glowed a brilliant blue as pieces of pipe and mechanical components began to swirl in the air above his head. “What are you going to do?” Tiptoe asked. “Well, it can regenerate damage, right? So I was trying to think of ways to stop it, and I thought if we could just—” Suddenly, a massive eruption of water burst from directly underneath Tiptoe. The serpent’s trunk-like body shot out of the water like an arrow, mouth wide open, horrible fangs glistening in the pale light. Tiptoe fortunately jerked away from the spray of water, and the serpent’s deadly bite missed her by several feet. The serpent splashed down into the water momentarily before rising again and opening its jaw wide at Tiptoe, priming another burst of light from deep within its throat. Incendia took aim at the creature and gritted her teeth. In the pit of her stomach, she felt the arcane pressure of a powerful spell building. When it was finally too much for her to take, she forced the energy up her body and through her horn, where it manifested as a small sun that raced directly into the spine of the serpent. The ball released its magical payload on contact. It exploded in a sphere of white-hot flames, singing the end of Tiptoe’s tail and gouging a crater in the serpent, exposing a stark, white bone to the air. A sharp pain stabbed at Jigsaw’s forehead where his horn met skull, but he ignored it. He concentrated his energy on the contraption before him: an ever-narrowing series of pipes connected to the central water main jutting out of the cavern roof. The tattered flesh finally closed and the serpent turned its attention once again to Incendia. As it opened its mouth to strike at her, it froze. For a second, Incendia saw its eyes flash green, and a torrent of green flames emanated from the monster’s throat. Incendia froze in horror at the green flames hurtling towards her, remembering the only other time she had seen them: her skirmish with Tantalus outside Canterlot. Her hesitation cost her. Though she was able to gather her wits enough to leap to the side, the green flames caught her right flank, and an utterly alien but horribly sharp pain shot through her— the pain of a burn. “It’s Tantalus!” she shouted. “He’s controlling it or giving it power or something! Only his flames can burn me!” “That would explain why it can regenerate!” Tiptoe exclaimed. “He’s making it stronger!” “Jigsaw, do you still have a plan?” Incendia gasped, trying to block out the searing pain in her shoulder. “Get it over to me,” Jigsaw said through gritted teeth. “I think I’ve got it.” Incendia started at the contraption Jigsaw had designed: a bunch of broken and twisted pipe segments, held together with bonds of Jigsaw’s blue magic, quivering slightly with Jigsaw’s effort to keep it together. “What are you going to—” Incendia began. “Just get it over here!” Jigsaw shouted. “And watch the water!” Incendia gave up trying to argue and turned to face Tiptoe. “Tiptoe!” she shouted, “I’m going to try and rope it in! You fly behind it and pummel it with your hooves to stop it from bucking out of my binding!” Tiptoe nodded and, without further ado, Incendia focused her magical energies. From the tip of her horn sprouted a tube of fire bordered on the sides by a orange halo of telekinesis, shaping and focusing the flame into a lasso. Incendia whipped it around her head once before sending it sailing around the monster’s neck. The monster writhed again against the flaming rope that held it, and again, Incendia felt her control pushed almost to breaking point. This time, however, as the serpent began to push in the opposite direction, Tiptoe dove, hooves out, and ploughed directly into the serpent’s eye. The serpent, momentarily blinded by pain, ceased resistance to Incendia’s tugging. She gave one mighty jerk of her horn, bringing the serpent’s head crashing down to the stone pathway where it twitched and undulated. As the creature came crashing down, an enormous sphere of light erupted from Jigsaw’s horn and rose up into the ceiling. An immense rumbling and gurgling could be heard throughout the cavern, resonating off the uneven, craggy walls... Incendia glanced around, afraid the cavern was collapsing. “Look out!” Jigsaw warned as a jet of water began to hiss out of the end of the tube he was levitating in front of him. Incendia was utterly baffled. She had no idea how this tiny stream of water could possibly help them— until Jigsaw began to move it. As Jigsaw slowly brought the jet closer to the serpent, a visible, black groove appeared in the rock. Tiptoe chose that moment to speak up, confirming her suspicions. “Jigsaw forced the full pressure of the system into that jet! That beam could cut through solid steel! Jigsaw, are you insane? If you let go of any of those pipes for even a moment, we’d be flooded!” Jigsaw didn’t answer. As the jet made contact with the base of the serpent’s neck, its slit pupils dilated and flashed green. It began to struggle harder against Incendia’s fiery bonds, but with a renewed effort, she summoned another two wisps of flame and wrapped them tightly around the creature. With one final motion, Jigsaw sent the water jet sweeping up and across the neck of the sea serpent. For a moment, the serpent’s headless body began to flail sickeningly, finally snapping the fiery bonds that held it, and jerking from side to side on the stone platform. However, the head of the sea serpent lay still against the sand-colored stone, its wide eyes unseeing. Another flash of light burst from Jigsaw’s horn, and the jet of water slowly settled into a spray and then, finally, a trickle. The pipes dangling from the cavern ceiling shuddered and collapsed onto the platform behind him. For a moment, there was an eerie silence in the cavern as Tiptoe alighted next to Jigsaw and the trio stared down at the blood-soaked head of the beast in disbelief. Without warning, a sickly green cloud burst out of the mouth and ears of the serpent, billowing into the empty space of the cavern. Jigsaw collapsed as a wave of nausea and pain overtook him, stronger than it had ever been before. Something told him that that green mist had to be Tantalus— or whatever force he had sent into the serpent. It hung in the air for just a moment before it rushed into the dark surface of the lake, leaving a roiling greenish tint to the water for a few seconds before it dissipated. As the two mares watched the slowly fading green light, Jigsaw staggered to his feet, breathing slowly to try and calm his upset stomach. “Are you alright?” Tiptoe asked. “I’m fine,” Jigsaw said. He shook his head to clear it. “Is everypony else okay?” “I’m alright,” Tiptoe confirmed. “It got me,” Incendia said through gritted teeth. Her right flank looked like the gashes on the serpent’s neck. Almost all of the cutie mark had been burned away, leaving the muscle under the skin exposed to the air, a stream of blood spurting from the wound with each pounding beat of her heart. “Oh, Goddess,” Jigsaw said. “Let me try and do something about that. Hold still.” Jigsaw’s horn began to glow, although the halo of light surrounding it was flickering and sputtering. Incendia felt the pain in the wound ebb and the bleeding slow to a trickle. Jigsaw’s eyes were shut tight and his whole body was tensed. “Incendia,” Jigsaw said, “I don’t have the power to heal you fully right now. If I did, I wouldn’t be able to fix the water system.” “You think you can fix it?” Incendia asked, looking at the pile of twisted metal behind Jigsaw. “Not like it was, no,” he replied, “but I can at least make sure water gets up to the lower levels again. Just force the system to be perpetually on maximum. It’s an ugly solution and will wear out the purifiers about ten times faster, but it’s better.” Incendia shifted her weight to her right hind leg, testing it, and winced as a fresh jolt of pain shot through her body. As her mind turned back towards the mass grave in the arboretum, she knew there were things more important than her injured leg. “Okay, Jigsaw. The water system is more important right now. My leg feels better, anyway.” “Thank you Incendia,” Jigsaw said softly. “I’ll make it up to you somehow.” “Tiptoe,” he said as he turned back to Tiptoe, “I can’t do this all by myself. I’m going to need you to help me out. We need about forty yards of pipe at least a foot in diameter, and I need you to start placing them end to end. Try and gather up any bolts you see.” “Are you sure you’re okay?” Tiptoe asked. “I don’t want you to burn yourself out...” Jigsaw sighed and leaned forward to kiss Tiptoe on the tip of her nose. “I know my limits. I’m okay.” Jigsaw smiled. “Let’s get to work.” As Jigsaw and Tiptoe went to work fastening pipes together, Incendia craned her neck around to get a better look at her injury. The skin was no longer charred. Instead, it was an angry, glistening shade of red. Gingerly, she took a few steps forward. Though each step caused a fresh white-hot jab of pain, she was able to walk. “How’s your leg holding up?” Tiptoe asked as she lifted a thick iron pipe into the air. “It still hurts, but I can walk alright. As long as you’re sure there’s no more giant snake monsters down here, I think it’s going to be okay. I’ve taken worse back in Stalliongrad. Just... never burns.” “I’m pretty sure the water’s mostly safe now,” Jigsaw said. “Monsters like that tend not to crowd together. Try soaking in it. Might help the burn.” Incendia trotted over to the bank of the underground reservoir and cautiously dipped in a hoof. The icy cold water made Incendia shiver she and withdrew her hoof quickly. Surreptitiously, she glanced up at the two other ponies to ensure they weren’t watching. Once she had made sure they weren’t, she ignited her horn and aimed a small jet of blue flames at the surface of the water. After a few seconds, she dipped her hoof back in. The water had become refreshingly cool. Gingerly, she began to ease herself in, deeper and deeper, until the lukewarm water began to lap up against her burn. She bit her tongue to stop herself from crying out in pain. For a moment, the cool water intensified the pain of the burn so much she could barely stand it, but it soon ebbed, and even soothed the stabs of pain from the burn. She slowly lowered herself onto her haunches, making sure she kept the burned flesh exposed to the water. As the water flowed around her, she let out a relieved sigh. The water felt so good against her burned skin. Incendia glanced up to see Tiptoe hovering overhead, helping guide a pipe that Jigsaw was levitating into its correct position. Incendia’s gut tightened as Tiptoe glided overhead. She watched the pegasus soar back and forth through the air in graceful arcs, following Jigsaw’s instructions. She knew she had no logical reason to feel upset. Jigsaw hadn’t been unfair or unkind, and neither had Tiptoe. In fact, their reactions had been better than she expected. So why did she still get a twang of despair when her thoughts turned to Tiptoe? Suddenly, she found herself wishing another sea serpent would rise out of the lake. At least When she was fighting her mind was clear. At the moment, she felt as though her insides had been thoroughly torn up. She hadn’t done anything wrong, had she? Hadn’t she spent her whole life to helping other ponies? Didn’t she deserve some happiness too? A stabbing pain in her side distracted her and she noticed for the first time that the water around her was boiling. “Ah!” she yelled, scrambling backwards toward the shore. “Incendia?” Jigsaw called. “Is everything alright?” Incendia backed up onto the shore, panting heavily. “Everything’s okay!”Incendia shouted, a little hysterically. “It was just a little stab of pain in my side. I’m fine, don’t worry about me.” Jigsaw shrugged and went back to work bending a length of pipe. The pipe structure nearly reached to the far wall the far wall by this point. Incendia was impressed— clearly, Jigsaw and Tiptoe knew what they were doing. “Actually, Incendia, could you come over here?” Jigsaw called. “We can’t seem to get these pipes to fit together as snugly as we’d like.” Incendia slowly trotted over to the edge of the cavern, where a very broad pipe rose out of the ground. “What’s that?” Incendia asked. “That’s an auxiliary pipe to the water purifiers. Ordinarily, the water is pumped directly from the lake and down into the purifiers as needed, but since we have no way of getting down there, this will have to do,” Jigsaw explained. “Wait a minute. We’re not at the deepest level of the caves?” “Not quite,” Jigsaw replied. “The water purifiers were designed to last a lifetime before they need to be repaired, though. I’ve never gone down there. But with the pumps running on max all the time now, they’re probably going to burn out in ten years instead of a hundred.” “At least they had the foresight to build an auxiliary pipe,” Tiptoe said. “Our ancestors understood engineering pretty well.” “Maybe even as well as you two,” Incendia said with a wry smile. Her heart nearly skipped a beat when she saw how hard Tiptoe was blushing. “Anyway, what did you need me for?” Incendia inquired. Jigsaw levitated another, slightly smaller segment of pipe. “This pipe is just a little too small to fit onto the auxiliary pipe. Can you possibly melt the mouth of the pipe so it just forms a seal around it?” “Oh, sure. No problem,” Incendia replied. Incendia trotted over to the pipe, and with a burst of orange light, a beam of blue flame shot form from the tip of her horn. Slowly, she began to work her way around the mouth of the pipe, making sure the molten metal was spread evenly over the gaps between segments. After a few minutes, the two pipes were firmly fastened together by a small ring of steel. “That is the ugliest weld I’ve ever seen in my life,” Incendia said, giggling in spite of herself. Jigsaw gave the pipe a firm kick from his back legs. The pipes didn’t budge. “As long as it works, I don’t really care,” Jigsaw said. “Tiptoe, do you think we’re ready for a test run?” Tiptoe leapt into the air and flew over the length of the mishmashed series of pipes, surveying the construction. “Looks okay to me,” she said. “As long as the water can make it through without bursting the pipes, I don’t think it’s going anywhere.” Jigsaw nodded. “Okay. I’m going to turn on the pumps. We should probably stand back.” The trio backed up to the entrance of the cave and Jigsaw’s horn glimmered with blue light once more. The monolithic rumbling sound once again emanated from the ceiling of the cavern as the unseen pumps again resumed activity. The pipes suddenly began to groan and creak, moaning in protest as the massive torrent of water was forced through them for the first time since Jigsaw and Tiptoe had left. “Are you sure this is going to hold up?” Incendia said with a nervous laugh. “After all, that water was strong enough to cut through that snake...” “Only after I forced it through a tiny nozzle. These are tough old pipes” Jigsaw said with a grin, rapping a pipe protruding from the wall with a hoof. “These survived ten thousand years of this. I can’t imagine they’d break now.” Sure enough, after a minute or two of loud groaning and rumblings, the noise calmed down until only the rushing of water could be heard. “So... that’s it?” Incendia said. “It’s fixed?” “The upper levels should have water again,” Jigsaw confirmed. “But like I said, there’s no fine control here, and if anything goes wrong, they can’t just shut off water to one part of the caves like they used to. Still, though...” Jigsaw’s tone became somber and serious. “Hopefully it can undo some of the damage that’s been done.” “Come on, Jigsaw,” Tiptoe said sweetly. “We shouldn’t hang around down here too long.” Jigsaw nodded and together the trio began the long ascent to the upper levels. ~~~ Before they even entered the main chamber, Jigsaw could hear the splashing. As he pushed open the ornately carved stone door, he couldn’t help but smile. From every household, ponies were celebrating. Unicorns ran through the streets, some levitating huge buckets over their heads to catch the water pouring from every faucet, others forgoing even that and levitating amorphous blobs of water collected from nearby fountains. Earth ponies drank greedily from the water troughs lining some of the houses. What few pegasi were left did loops in air over the chamber, their water-soaked fur dripping onto the bystanders like rain. Foals frolicked in the fountains, playfully splashing water on each other. Tears of joy formed in Jigsaw’s eyes, and swallowed hard, trying to get rid of the lump in his throat. It didn’t last long. One of the earth ponies, a sky blue mare, caught sight of the three of them entering the chamber and the smile vanished from her face. She stumbled backwards, eyes locked on Jigsaw, before she whipped around and began galloping in the opposite direction, towards the central spire of rock that jutted up from the middle of the room. “What was that about?” Tiptoe said, cocking her head to one side. As if in answer to her question, a moment later, the blue mare came trotting back up towards the trio with an elderly pony in tow. “Starburst!” Jigsaw and Tiptoe gasped in unison. “Who’s Starburst?” Incendia whispered to Jigsaw. “One of the tribunal,” Jigsaw whispered back. “I thought they were all dead!” Starburst was dressed in a tattered red cloth that had clearly been regal and stately once . His dark grey skin was dried and cracked, but a sheen of water glistened on his lips. “Jigsaw, Tiptoe,” he said, his voice quavering, “Come with me.” “What about Incendia?” Tiptoe inquired. “We’re not going without her.” “She’s part of this too. Bring her,” Starburst replied. He turned and began to trot slowly back towards the pillar of shaped stone. The trickling of water and the lapping tongues of thirsty ponies continued, but gasps of shock and horror as well as hushed whispers replaced the sounds of celebration as the trio made their way down the main chamber. The three ponies reached the base of the tower and Starburst pushed the door open, bathing them in the light of the magical torches that burned on the walls. In spite of the strange situation he was in, Jigsaw was struck by the fact that his old office was only a few floors down from him right now. He wondered if it had been destroyed in the intervening time. “Come. To the tribunal chamber,” Starburst said. “There is a very important matter we must attend do.” The tribunal chamber was a circular room located in the dead center of the tower. Nine wooden seats, the only wooden constructs in the entire cave system to have survived the centuries, were arranged in a semicircle around the wall opposite the doorway. Ordinarily, the tribunal members sat there – three of each race – and made decisions that affected the lives of those living in the caves. Now, however, all that seemed to be left was Starburst, who took a weary seat in the central chair. “Jigsaw, do you remember me?” he asked. “Yes, of course,” Jigsaw said. “You were on the tribunal. Are... are there any more left?” “It’s just me, I’m afraid,” Starburst confirmed sadly. “Dehydration isn’t any less harsh on rulers, I’m afraid.” Jigsaw shifted uncomfortably. “Jigsaw, I brought you in here for one reason: punishment.” Jigsaw blinked, dumbfoundedly. “What do you mean, punishment? We just fixed the problem! The water’s flowing again!” “I know, I know,” Starburst said, “but do you think they’re just going to forget what happened? Every one of us lost loved ones. We saw our very society collapse around us, and... the public needed a scapegoat, someone to blame for it. To keep order.” “What are you saying?” Jigsaw asked, his voice strained with the effort of containing his anger. “We, The tribunal, decided to blame you. Can you blame us? You went missing that day. It was too convenient to pass up.” Jigsaw’s control broke. “So you decided to pin the blame on me? Let me become a monster in their eyes to stop them killing one another? What did you tell them? Did you say I deliberately sabotaged the water pumps?” This time, it was Starburst’s turn to look uncomfortable. “Well, did it work?” Jigsaw snapped. “Did it stop them?” “Of course not,” Starburst murmered. “I’m not saying it was right. I just want you to understand.” “Why didn’t you blame Tiptoe, then?” Jigsaw demanded. “Relations between the pegasi and the other two races were tense before the drought. If we blamed this on one, the other races might attack. The official story painted her as an unwitting accomplice.” “So what happens now?” Jigsaw asked harshly. “They’re going to want your blood in exchange for the lives that were lost during the drought,” Starburst said bluntly. Jigsaw was so stunned he couldn’t speak.", "“Relations between the pegasi and the other two races were tense before the drought. If we blamed this on one, the other races might attack. The official story painted her as an unwitting accomplice.” “So what happens now?” Jigsaw asked harshly. “They’re going to want your blood in exchange for the lives that were lost during the drought,” Starburst said bluntly. Jigsaw was so stunned he couldn’t speak. Tiptoe, however, managed to squeak out “E-execution?” “I’m not going to allow it,” Starburst said solemnly. “I don’t want any more innocent blood on my hooves.” “However, I can’t let you stay, either. The best I can do is exile you. I don’t know how you came to be here from the surface and, truth be told, I’d rather not know. Go back where you came from and leave us alone, or else my power will not be able to protect you again.” Jigsaw stared at the grey earth pony in stunned silence. “So this is the thanks I get?” he said quietly. “I just risked my own life and the life of my friends to correct a horrible accident and this is my repayment?” “It isn’t right,” Starburst said with a sigh. “I know. But it’s the only way to keep the peace.” “Fine!” Tiptoe shouted, so loudly and unexpectedly that both Jigsaw and Starburst jumped in surprise. “I suppose this what I should expect. Being a pegasus down here, I never got the same treatment as anypony else, and now I’m being exiled for saving the lives of everypony that’s left? Fine. I don’t want to stay.” A few seconds of stunned silence followed Tiptoe’s outburst, broken only by Starburst rising from his chair. “It has to be a public affair to have the effect it needs. Please, follow me. And...” Starburst sighed again. “I’m truly sorry.” The trio followed Starburst out in front of the pillar of stone, where a few dozen ponies had gathered to watch the announcement. “Jigsaw and his cohorts have committed the worst crime imaginable– the shirking of duty to his community. Due to his actions, hundreds lie dead. Crimes of this magnitude have only one sentence: death.” The crowd began stamping their hooves and cheering. “However,” Starburst called over the din, “due to their work on the water system, I have decided to spare them the death penalty.” The crowd grew silent and still as statues. “Instead, I have decided they are to be exiled, never allowed into our home again.” The crowd’s reaction was instant. Disapproving jeers and boos filled the room. “Kill them!” shouted a stallion. “An eye for an eye!” yelled a mare. “Silence!” Starburst shouted. “My word is final. They are to leave the way they came and never return. You are to allow them safe passage to the surface.” The crowd parted reluctantly and allowed the trio to make their way to the exit of the main chamber. As they passed through the ornate carved doors, Jigsaw glanced back over his shoulder to get one final glance at his home. What he saw was the face of every pony he had ever known staring back at him, hatred etched in their faces. ~~~ The sunlight blinded the trio as they stepped out of the cave. Thankfully, the protective shield of the airship was still operational, and the intense sunlight was relegated to a mere annoyance. As they reached the base of the airship, Jigsaw sunk to his haunches and began to shake. Tears fell from his eyes and on to the thirsty ground below, knocked loose by his ragged, shallow breathing. “Jigsaw, are you alright?” Incendia asked softly. “What do you think?” he snapped back. “That was my home back there, Incendia! Everyone I ever knew is dead or thinks I’m some kind of mass murderer!” “Not everyone,” Tiptoe said, sitting down next to him and gently nuzzling his neck. “You still have me. Though Jigsaw allowed her to gently rub her head against his neck, he made no effort to respond. After a few moments, he managed to stop the flow of tears and his breathing slowed. “Wasn’t there supposed to be a fragment here?” Jigsaw said. “Wasn’t that the whole reason we—” As if on cue, a blinding flash of light that outshone even the sun itself gleamed from the mouth of the pit, hundreds of feet up. Slowly, a swirling ball of pure white light, like a miniature sun, began to lower itself into the pit before finally coming to a rest at Jigsaw’s hooves. “Are you serious?” Jigsaw shouted at the sphere. “After all that, after all we just went through, you appear now? I just got kicked out of my home! Incendia nearly died! We all nearly died, and it was for nothing?” “It wasn’t for nothing,” Incendia assured him. “You saved the lives of everypony that was left.” “So what?” Jigsaw snapped back. “There can’t be more than fifty of them left! You can’t sustain a breeding population with that few specimens. They’ll all be dead in a few generations, anyway. All we did was delay the inevitable!” Neither Incendia nor Tiptoe conjured a response. “And what was it for?” Jigsaw was screaming at the sphere now, tears once again rolling down his face. “What do you want from me? What do I have to do? Tell me! You can help me heal Tiptoe, and you can teleport me halfway around the world, but you can’t just tell me why? What is Tantalus, really? Why is any of this happening to me?” Jigsaw backed away from the sphere a few steps and let out a sob. Then, without warning, he charged at the serene sphere, the tip of his horn impaling the swirling surface of the fragment. Instantly, Jigsaw was lifted off his feet as a tornado of light surrounded him. Yellow and white light from the sphere spiraled around Jigsaw, flowing into his horn, which glowed so brightly that Incendia and Tiptoe had to look away. Within moments, it was over. The white halo of light began to fade from Jigsaw’s horn as he gently floated to the ground. When his hooves finally touched earth again, Jigsaw turned to face the airship and let out one more strangled cry of defeat. Gingerly, Tiptoe approached him. “Are... are you going to be okay?” she asked, so softly that Jigsaw could barely hear her. “I... I don’t know, Tiptoe. I really don’t,” Jigsaw said dully. “Let’s get inside,” Tiptoe said. “There’s fresh food and water in there. It will help clear your head.” Robotically, Jigsaw nodded and shuffled up the small staircase into the lobby of the airship. Incendia and Tiptoe followed behind, glancing nervously between each other." ]

[ "Antipodes Chapter 30 By PK (Hey, guys, it sure has been a while! Sorry about that! By popular request, here’s a summary of the events of the last chapter to refresh your memory: Jigsaw, Tiptoe, and Incendia got back to the caves and fixed the water supply, but the populace wasn’t ready to forgive them and exiled them from their home. Jigsaw found a celestia fragment and suffered a bit of a nervous breakdown.) Tiptoe extended her wings, soaring over the emerald green carpet spread out below her, wind buffeting her back and forth through the air as she made an unsteady landing on the top of the airship. She trotted over to a small, round hatch on the top of the airship and flipped a lever with her hoof. The door sprung open. Tiptoe fluttered her wings as she descended into the control room. When she touched down, Incendia glanced up and gave her a curt nod. She sat on the ground in front of a monitor, which flashed blue and displayed a sentence in the language of the old world. A small quill floated in the air before Incendia, sketching the glyphs on a ragged sheet of paper. \"What's going on?\" Tiptoe asked, trotting closer. \"No idea,\" Incendia replied. \"The monitor just started flashing a minute ago. I don't know what it says so I thought I ought to write it down and bring it to... well, I thought I ought to write it down.\" Tiptoe could feel the name hanging in the air even though it hadn't been said. Her thoughts turned against her will towards the last week. ~~~ Ever since they left the caves, the atmosphere in the airship had been strained. Tiptoe was more shaken than she had thought by what she had seen in the caves. She'd had terrible nightmares the first night back in the airship, and she’d awoken that first night in a cold sweat, tears wet in her eyes. She realized she hadn't even asked what had become of her mother and father. To make matters worse, Jigsaw hadn't been there. After absorbing the fragment of Celestia, Jigsaw had tuned the ship eastward and locked himself in his cabin without a word to any of them. When Tiptoe came in for the night, she found him already lying in bed, breathing slowly. She gently squeezed in next to him and drifted off. When she awoke to find him missing, Tiptoe wandered around a corridor, only to find him scribbling idly in the old language at a small desk in a disused barrack. \"What are you writing?\" Tiptoe asked cautiously. \"I don't know!\" Jigsaw said, slamming the quill on the desk. The ink reservoir at the top shattered and black ink began to run over the words on the parchment. \"I don't know what I'm doing here. It's only gotten worse, Tiptoe. I could stand it before, but now it's like they're screaming in my head, only, I can't make out the words!\" Cold dread settled in Tiptoe’s stomach. \"You're talking about the fragments? Is that why you weren't in bed?\" \"I don't remember leaving bed, but I remember I never fell asleep. All I know is one second I'm trying to drift off, and the next second you’re standing here asking what I'm writing.\" Jigsaw's horn ingited and Tiptoe noticed that the magical aura no longer shone bright blue but was tinged with gold. The stained parchment lifted off the table. \"I can't even read this,\" Jigsaw exlaimed. \"I don't know any of these words. I don't know what they want, and I don't know why I'm even fighting it.\" All the anger drained out of his voice and his shoulders drooped. Tiptoe tentatively made her way over to him and gently nuzzled his neck. \"You're still you,\" she assured him, \"and I'm sure that they're only doing these things because they're important. We're the good guys, right?\" Jigsaw gave her an angry glare. \"Are we? We don't know anything more about Tantalus than we did at the start. We don't know his endgame. We don't even know our own!\" \"But the princesses are—\" \"But the princesses are good in the stories?” Jigsaw interrupted. “Those are thousands of years old, Tiptoe! We have no idea if the story changed at all over time. They also said the whole world was dead, but we saw the truth of that!” \"But Tantalus has done horrible things!\" Tiptoe said. \"You've seen him slaughter hundreds! He tried to kill us!\" \"And what if he had good reason for doing it?\" Jigsaw retorted. \"We don't know! We just don't! And we've done terrible things, too! You saw that grave, same as I. We did that.\" Tiptoe gasped in horror. \"T-that's not fair, we didn't mean to do that.\" \"We did it all the same!\" Jigsaw shouted. \"Maybe Tantalus is just trying to make a better world. Maybe the ends justify the means.\" \"They don't,\" Tiptoe replied, narrowing her eyes. \"They never do.\" \"And yet the princesses have no problem using me as their puppet!\" Jigsaw shouted, shoving the parchment covered in odd runes towards Tiptoe. \"They just take control of me and use me. I don't know what they want of me any more than you do. That fragment didn't appear until after we got exiled, Tiptoe. We turned the water back on and they exiled us and we didn't even have to go in there to get the fragment.\" Tiptoe was shocked. \"Of course we had to! They were dying! They're our family!\" \"Were,\" Jigsaw corrected. \"They exiled us, remember? And besides, what we did wasn't any kinder. They have no way to grow food with the arboretum... full. We just traded thirst for starvation. Besides, even if they could eat, they didn't have enough to sustain a viable breeding population. What we did was cruel, Tiptoe. They might last another generation or two, at best, before dying out. We're guilty of genocide just as much as Tantalus is, Tiptoe, and all for these stupid fragments.\" Tiptoe was about to bite back at him when their eyes met. His eyes betrayed him as they glistened with barely contained terror. \"Well?\" Jigsaw snapped. \"Say something!\" \"I love you,\" Tiptoe said, moving closer to him so that her coat brushed against his. \"I’d— what?\" Jigsaw sputtered, taken aback. \"I know you're afraid,\" Tiptoe said. \"I can't imagine what it's like for you, but I love you Jigsaw.\" Tiptoe pressed her lips against his, feeling the smooth, wet skin of his lips against her own. Jigsaw shuddered and, for an instant, tried to pull away. His resolve didn’t last and after a moment of resistence he gave in and pressed against her, unloading all of his pent-up emotion into one long, passionate kiss. After a long moment, they broke apart. \"I love you too, Tiptoe, I...\" Jigsaw swallowed hard, tears welling in the corners of his eyes. \"I'm so scared, I just...\" \"It's okay,\" Tiptoe said. \"It's...\" Jigsaw's pupils dilated, and Tiptoe thought she caught an unfamiliar glimpse of gold inside the eyes she knew so well. Jigsaw galloped out of the room without saying another word. ~~~ \"I'm sorry,\" Incendia said softly. \"I know things are rough between you two right now. I'll bring it to him later.\" Tiptoe nodded. \"Thank you.\" \"Did you see anything out scouting?\" Incendia asked quickly, changing the subject. \"There's nothing but a grove of trees to the northeast. We really need to resupply if we can.\" Incendia nodded and trotted over to the dusty chair in the center of the room. Her horn glowed orange and a small wheel and navigator’s compass rose out of the floor. She spun it with her mouth and a low hum came from deep within the airship. The world outside the window wall tilted and turned as the airship rotated until it faced a far-off patch of green that was the orchard. \"I think I'm going to take a nap,\" Tiptoe said. \"All that flying tired me out.\" \"Alright,\" Incendia said. \"You know where to find me.\" Tiptoe shuffled her hooves awkwardly, but she thanked the coal black unicorn and headed out of the room. Incendia felt her heart flutter as Tiptoe turned her back to her to leave, and then immediately felt a stab of shame. She knew she shouldn't be watching. She knew she shouldn't feel happy that Tiptoe and Jigsaw were having issues in their relationship, especially since Jigsaw's life—or his sanity, at the very least—was at stake. Incendia gave her head a quick shake to clear it and grabbed the paper she had been writing with. She doubled checked the symbols against the screen and then trotted out of the control room. She stopped at the third landing, and the metal door slid aside for her with a soft electric hum. As it opened Incendia found herself greeted by the clanging of pistons, the strange quavering hum of the ship’s power lines, and a keening high-pitched sound she knew as the whine of a crystal under strain. Jigsaw was standing over a bright console near the door with his mane frayed and unkempt, and the bags below his eyes quite startlingly pronounced, though he didn’t seem to notice her. “Jigsaw?” Incendia askedhesitantly. Much to her relief, his ears perked up at the sound of her voice and he turned away from the console. “Incendia,” he said, “Haven’t seen you in over a day. Is—” “She’s asleep,” Incendia said. “Oh,” Jigsaw said, the corners of his mouth falling slightly. “What did you want?” “A monitor in the control room started sounding an alarm and I didn’t recognize the words. Here’s what it said,” Incendia replied, floating the parchment slip towards the unicorn. “A power coupling came undone,” Jigsaw said. “They’re always coming loose. I must have missed this one,” Jigsaw said, leading Incendia along a series of tubes mounted on the wall. “Jigsaw, she’s worried about you,” Incendia said, “and so am I. Have you slept at all this last week?” Jigsaw stopped and turned to look at her., and though his eyes shone bright, the rest of his face was etched with weariness. “Not once, Incendia. I’ve tried. I’m so tired, I feel like I’m about to pass out on the spot, but they want something from me. They keep trying to take control, but they’re broken; not whole, so they can’t do it properly.” Incendia’s eyes widened with surprise. “You haven’t slept once? This whole week? And you never told us?” “I didn’t feel like it was important. So long as I can keep myself busy fixing the airship, I can think. But when I stop…” Jigsaw’s eyes were glowing. Incendia felt that they were look through her and into her soul. “Something’s gone wrong. Something they know but can’t tell us. We have to hurry!” Jigsaw shouted. Incendia took a step back. Jigsaw blinked, and suddenly, his eyes were back to normal: bloodshot, tired, and blue. “I’m sorry, Incendia, it’s the goddesses. They’re upset at our pace. I can’t control when they come out.” He smiled weakly. “At least they’re not trying to kill me. When Tiptoe and I escaped Stalliongrad, they teleported us out of a dangerous situation and I felt like I was being torn apart. I don’t think they’re going to let me die of sleep deprivation.” “Are you sure you’re okay?” Incendia asked. “I’m hardy sure of anything anymore, Incendia,” Jigsaw answered. Incendia opened her mouth to respond, but Jigsaw cut her off. “Why hasn’t Tiptoe come to visit me?” he asked. Incendia shuffled uncomfortably. “I think she’s afraid. You’ve been… so strange this last week.” Jigsaw snorted derisively. “Yeah, thanks for telling me. I wasn’t aware. I’ll just turn off the ancient goddesses in my head, then.” “Not funny,” Incendia replied. “I know,” Jigsaw said, his voice falling once more. “I don’t know what I would tell her. That night I ran out on her— I can’t imagine what that must have looked like to her. I don’t even know what they wanted me to do.\" He sighed. \"I'm so tired.\" Before Incendia could respond, the airship gave a shudder and the engines began to cycle down. \"What's going on?\" Jigsaw asked, turning to face the nearest console. \"Why are we descending?\" \"There's a huge forest nearby. We're running low on food and water. We're touching down to reload.\" Jigsaw nodded. \"That sounds nice. Maybe going outside for a while will help me calm down.\" ~~~ Tiptoe, Incendia, and Jigsaw stood side by side, saddlebags slung over their backs, as the stairs lowered from the base of the airship to the ground. Incendia glanced to her sides. Tiptoe hadn't spoken a word to Jigsaw since he had shown up in the lobby to disembark. The door to the airship began to sink into the floor, shining a narrow shaft of light directly into the eyes of the assembled ponies below. Incendia blinked and squinted, temporarily blinded as her eyes adjusted, and gasped when they had. The forest had looked so small from the sky, but now that she had landed, she could see that had just been an illusion. These were no ordinary trees: they towered towards the sky, thick branches laden with huge fruits in every color of the rainbow. The bark of the trees was a strange blue-green Incendia had never seen before. \"What are they?\" Tiptoe asked, her eyes wide with wonder. \"I don't know,\" Jigsaw responded. \"The fruits look like huge apples, almost. What could have caused them to get so large?\" Tiptoe's stomach twisted at the sound of Jigsaw's voice. She knew she shouldn't be upset— Jigsaw wasn't fully in control of his actions— but she still couldn't help it. Her gut twisted when she thought of him. Incendia glanced around the airship as the silence stretched on relentlessly. Realizing the stalemate her companions were in, she cleared her throat. \"Should we head out?” Tiptoe nodded curtly and set off down the stairs, Incendia and Jigsaw following closely behind. The air outside the airship was cool, moist, and wonderfully fresh. A few yards away from the edge of the stairs, the river rushed by, the water running white as it flowed around a row of upthrust rocks. \"How are we supposed to get over that?\" Incendia asked. \"I mean, Tiptoe can just fly, but…\" \"Those rocks in the river,\" Jigsaw responded. \"They're small but they're not that far apart. I think we can use them as stepping stones.\" Incendia eyed the rushing rapids wearily. \"If you say so. Tiptoe, you'll be there to catch us if we fall, right?\" \"Of course I'll catch you, Incendia,\" Tiptoe said. Jigsaw’s mouth hung open in shock. He took a breath to respond but thought better of it, stung. He wordlessly turned and trotted toward the rocks. It looked as they had once been smooth and flat, but time and the constant rush of water had dulled them down to rounded spikes, spaced a few feet apart and spanning the length of the river. He gingerly placed a hoof on the first one, but found to his relief that the rock was gritty and gripped his hoof well. He began to slowly move between the spire, making sure that each hoof was balanced before he reached out. After several tense minutes, his hooves found the soft, moist dirt of the opposite bank. Jigsaw turned to face the other side and saw Incendia standing at the edge of the river, staring intently at the first stone. To his relief, Tiptoe had taken off and was hovering downstream, ready to pull anypony who fell from the rushing water. \"It's okay!\" Jigsaw called over the roar of the water. \"The rocks aren't nearly as slippery as they look.\" Incendia reached out a hoof and pressed it carefully against the rock and began to make her way slowly across the series of stones. After several shaky moments, Incendia hopped off the final rock and landed next to Jigsaw, and with a soft flutter, Tiptoe landed beside her. \"I'm not looking forward to doing that again,\" Incendia said shakily. \"So what are we trying to get? Can we eat those fruits?\" \"I don't know, but I think I can find out. Come on,\" Jigsaw prompted. Together, the trio trotted towards the towering trees. As they walked, the grass around their feet slowly gave way to thick shrubbery. Tiptoe's wing brushed against one of the thick, thorned branches of a nearby bush and a feather yanked free, causing her to shout in surprise and pain. \"What happened?\" Jigsaw said, whipping around to face her. \"I'm fine,\" she said. \"I just got caught on a thorn from one these bushes.\" Jigsaw glanced towards the tree line. \"The woods look like they're full of them,\" Jigsaw said. \"Try and be careful— we don't want anyone getting caught in one of those.\" \"I could burn them, maybe,\" Incendia offered. \"No,\" Jigsaw said quickly. \"Too dangerous. We can't risk a forest fire.\" They soon reached the edge of the forest and got their first up-close look at the strange, twisted trees. From their base, each tree was so full of thick branches that the trio couldn't see the top. The thick, rainbow fruits hung heavily from each limb, dangling ominously over the assembled ponies. \"What are these trees?\" Incendia wondered aloud. \"I've never seen anything like this.\" \"Look at the ground,\" Jigsaw said, pawing at a small patch of dirt with a forehoof. The dirt was strangely colored— greenish-blue, like the bark of the trees, and it glowed with a faint luminescence. Incendia leaned in to get a closer look and recoiled when she felt a strange tingling in the tip of her horn. \"What is that?\" \"The ground here is saturated with magic. That explains why the trees are so large and strangely colored,\" Jigsaw explained. \"Does that mean it's safe to eat the fruits?\" Incendia asked. In answer, Jigsaw touched the tip of his horn against the tree. His horn began to glow with a soft blue light and the tree responded in kind, taking on the same dim luminescence as the dirt below them had. The limbs rustled as though in a breeze. After several seconds, Jigsaw pulled away. \"What just happened? Incendia asked. \"The fruits are safe,\" Jigsaw said. \"I don't know what they are, but they're not poisonous, I think. Be sure to rub them on your lips before eating one and if you feel a sting, or any sort of numbness, don't eat it.\" \"What happened to make them this way?\" Incendia inquired. \"I have no idea,\" Jigsaw responded, \"but we should probably be careful in there if we're going to gather these. I have no idea what this might have done to other forest life. Incendia, do you mind taking point? I need to stay behind for a moment.\" Incendia was about to protest when she saw Jigsaw glance towards Tiptoe. Silently, she nodded and trotted off into the forest. \"Should I harvest from up above, then?\" Tiptoe's eyes didn't meet Jigsaw's. \"Tiptoe, I know that you're mad at me. I know that I haven't come to see you after I ran off that night. Can I just—\" Jigsaw was cut off when he saw the tears forming in Tiptoe's eyes. \"Mad? Jigsaw, I'm not mad, I'm— I'm scared!\" Tiptoe stamped her hooves on the forest floor. \"Scared?\" asked Jigsaw, perplexed. \"Of course I'm scared!\" Tiptoe shouted back. \"I thought you were losing your mind! After you ran off like that…\" she trailed off. \"Then why didn't you come to see me?\" Jigsaw said. \"For the same reason you didn't come to see me!\" Tiptoe shot back. She stared at him intensely for a moment before sighing. \"Okay. Maybe I was angry, too. I don't think anypony can blame me for that.\" \"Tiptoe, I'm sorry. I never meant to do that. Can I just explain for a moment?\" Tiptoe wanted to scream at him, but she swallowed her anger and nodded stiffly. \"You remember after Tantalus attacked us outside that castle? When you… he almost killed you? And I called on the power of the goddesses to heal you?\" Tiptoe nodded. \"Well, I don't think they're fully under my control. Not like they were then. Or maybe they never were, and our goals just coincided.” Jigsaw paced as he spoke. “Either way, right now they're stronger than I am. They're each almost complete and they know that we're close to finishing. They want something out me but they can't communicate what, and they can't use most of their power because I couldn't handle it. That's what I've been putting up with for the last week. It's like having two feral animals in your head both fighting over the same piece of meat.\" \"I already knew that,\" Tiptoe said, her eyes resolutely aimed at the ground. \"I haven't ever just sat you down and explained what it feels like, have I? It's hard, Tiptoe. And confusing. I just… I didn't want to see you because I was afraid I might hurt you. I don't know what I'm capable of like this.\" Tiptoe tilted her head back, and her eyes met Jigsaw's. \"What about right now?\" she said. \"Aren't you worried now?\" Jigsaw smiled the saddest smile the pegasus had ever seen. \"Tiptoe, I haven't stopped worrying since the day they assigned you as my apprentice.\" Tiptoe stared into his eyes, waiting for the flash of gold that would signify an abrupt end to the conversation. Instead, all she saw were the same brilliantly blue eyes she'd known for so long. She took a hesitant step forward. Every muscle in her body is tense, screaming for her to turn away, but before she knew it, she found herself pressing her lips against Jigsaw's for the first time in a long time, and her anger seemed far away. The seconds stretched on as their kiss intensified. Jigsaw pressed his mouth tighter against hers, relishing the feel of her lips against his. For the first time in a long time, he wasn't afraid. After what felt like ages, they finally broke apart, breathing heavily. \"I love you,\" Tiptoe said breathlessly. \"I love you too,\" Jigsaw said breathily, smiling. A sudden scream and an orange glint from somewhere deeper in the forest broke them out of their reverie. \"Incendia!\" Jigsaw and Tiptoe shouted together. As one, they galloped off into the grove of trees, heading towards the dimming orange light. ~~~ Incendia leapt to the side, flames trailing behind her, as the strange creature lashed out at her again. Her glow intensified as she sent a shimmering strand of flame flying through the air at the strange, green mouth. Incendia slowly made her way through the thick undergrowth, trying not to focus on what Jigsaw and Tiptoe were engaging in behind her, when a plant unlike any growing around it caught her eye. It appeared to be a gaping blue-green maw on a stem, with shining dark brown teeth. As she approached, the plant had lashed out at her with that strange mouth, slicing a deep gash in her flank and causing her to cry out in pain and surprise. The flame whip struck the top of the creature's head and sizzled there, burning a deep gouge into its flesh, but it didn't even seem to feel it. The thing lashed out at her again and Incendia brought her flames roaring as high as she dared and the creature recoiled. A rustling sound behind her caused her to whip her head around. From out of a thick bramble, Tiptoe and Jigsaw came racing. Jigsaw's horn was lit. \"What's going on?\" Jigsaw shouted. \"That plant is attacking me!\" Incendia shouted back. \"I can't get away from it!\" Jigsaw glanced at the top of the plant and saw the deep gouges Incendia's flames had left in it. \"I have an idea!\" Jigsaw yelled. \"Tiptoe! Can you fly above it and create a distraction?\" \"Yeah!\" Tiptoe shouted back. She flapped her wings and took to the air, soaring in tight circles above the plant. It thrashed this way and that, striking at her, teeth bared like a snake. \"Okay, Incendia, wrap flames around the base of the plant and apply as much heat as you can!\" Jigsaw said, eyes trained on Tiptoe. Incendia wrapped another flaming rope around the base of the plant.", "She flapped her wings and took to the air, soaring in tight circles above the plant. It thrashed this way and that, striking at her, teeth bared like a snake. \"Okay, Incendia, wrap flames around the base of the plant and apply as much heat as you can!\" Jigsaw said, eyes trained on Tiptoe. Incendia wrapped another flaming rope around the base of the plant. She closed her eyes and concentrated on the fire. She could feel the flames licking up the side of her body, extending out through her horn into the fiery whip, and reached into her magic reserves. The flames grew hotter, the orange giving way to white, and then to blue only moments later. The plant's mouth stopped biting and shuddered as it turned to Incendia. It gave one last feeble attempt at a lunge before the flames cut through the stem, causing the carnivorous plant to collapse at her hooves. Incendia gasped for air and the flames covering her began to fade until her coat returned to a solid black. Tiptoe touched down gently, the flutter of her wings displacing a coating of dead leaves and moss that coated the forest floor. \"What in Celestia's name was that?\" she said. \"I have no idea,\" Jigsaw said, \"but I think we had better get out of here. Even the plants are trying to kill us.\" \"Good idea,\" Incendia said. \"But, uh… does anybody know which way we came?\"" ]

[ "Antipodes Chapter 31 By PK The bright blue juices from the strange fruit drizzled down Incendia's muzzle, the bitter, slightly electric, taste fresh in her mouth. \"Are you sure these are safe to eat?\" she asked, eyeing the half-eaten fruit floating a few inches in front of her. \"Pretty sure,\" Jigsaw said, his own fruit hovering next to him. \"When I examined the tree, I really didn't feel anything malignant. These definitely aren't natural, though, whatever they are.\" Incendia's stomach growled in hunger, but she put the fruit away. \"I think I'll save this for later,\" she said. The trees only grew thicker as they walked. A layer of thick gray clouds blocked out the sun, the blue green light illuminating the area coming from the thin layer of moss on the forest floor. A loud, clear whistle and a rustle of branches heralded Tiptoe's return. She slowly fluttered down from the canopy, the buffets of air disturbing the moss below and causing it to flare brighter and cast strange, spindly shadows on the trunks of the trees on the edges of the clearing. Tiptoe alighted on the bright patch of moss and she trotted up to Incendia and Jigsaw. \"Something's keeping me from breaking through,\" Tiptoe said. \"When I fly up, it’s like… like there’s something breathing down, a hot gust that keeps me from going up any farther.” “I was afraid of that,” Jigsaw said seriously. “I think we’re more than lost. Something wants us here.” “A fragment?” asked Tiptoe, ruffling her wings. Jigsaw sighed, his shoulders drooping as he stared at the ground. “It would explain a lot. These trees didn’t grow like this naturally. In fact, I think that might be why the goddesses have finally calmed down. Maybe we’re getting closer.” Incendia cleared her throat, and Jigsaw turned to look at her. “If there is a fragment here, wouldn’t that make three? As in one full goddess? What happens then?” Jigsaw’s face remained blank, but his voice was heavy with fatigue. “I guess we find out.” For a long while, nopony made a noise, preferring to sit in the gloomy light from the moss and eat the strange fruits. “I think we should probably camp here tonight,” Jigsaw finally said, breaking the silence. “Incendia, can you light us a campfire?” “There’s no firewood,” Incendia pointed out. “I’m a bit nervous about burning these branches, as full of magic as they are. Can you do that fireball, the one you did back at the castle?” “It will only last a few hours,” Incendia warned. “We can’t count on it to keep things away.” “It’s the best chance we have without being unsafe.” “Alright,” Incendia said. Her horn shimmered orange, and with a sudden flash of light and heat, a tiny ball of fire hung a foot above the ground in the center of the clearing, rotating like a miniature sun. The heat and light it gave off seemed to drive out some of the gloom. “Thank you,” Jigsaw said, promptly curling into a tight ball and closed his eyes. “I’ll be right back,” Incendia said. “Nature calls.” One of Jigsaw’s eyes fluttered open. “Don’t go far, and if anything happens, shout.” Incendia nodded and left the clearing. She trotted past the giant, thick trunks of the strange trees before stopping at the mouth of another, much smaller clear area. A warm breeze picked up, blowing through the clearing, and a clear beam of silvery light washed out the strange blue green illumination of the fungus. Incendia looked up to see the bushy limbs of the trees had been pushed aside, giving her a clear view of the sky. Incendia stared up in awe, for above her was not the colorful twilight she had grown accustomed to. The moon was directly above— not the crumbling, dull gray moon she was used to, but a whole, bright moon, shining brilliantly down into the clearing. However, even as she watched, the moon shifted and changed, seeming to flicker and grow transparent for a moment before snapping back into place, as though it was being projected. The sky didn’t seem right, either— instead of the pale blue tinted with the orange of the perpetually setting sun, the sky seemed tinged green— a sickeningly familiar green. Then, without warning, the tree limbs snapped back into place, cutting off the strange silvery beam of light. Where it had touched the clearing, the moss seemed to glow brighter, and brighter until a strangled shout from the distance broke Incendia out of her reverie. A moment later, Tiptoe burst out from between the trees, screaming, “Incendia, help! Something’s attacking the camp!” ~~~ Jigsaw’s dreams were turbulent. He was walking over a snowy landscape, the wind whipping around him and causing white frost to form at the edge of his mane. His voice rasped when he tried to speak, his throat as dry as sandpaper. As the wind picked up, however, it blew away the layer of snow, revealing a huge, elaborate tangle of water pipes, valves, gauges, and switches. Jigsaw bent down and touched his horn to the nearest valve and felt the blockages in the system. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, drawing magical power from his internal reserve and holding it for a moment, then he let the spell loose. Blue light pulsed from his horn and down through the pipes, forcing the blockages out and breaking them into pieces. Jigsaw smiled at a job well done and turned the nearest valve with his mouth. A small faucet and basin rose from the pipe and Jigsaw eagerly awaited the flood of water he expected. The faucet rumbled and, with a distant scream that was nearly drowned out by the wind, thick, steaming blood poured out. Jigsaw’s eyes whipped open just in time to feel a hot, wet gust of air blow through the clearing. As it met the glowing miniature sun in the center of the impromptu campsite, the sphere flickered and grew suddenly bright, sending off a wave of heat so intense Jigsaw had to scramble to his hooves and step back before it suddenly winked out. Jigsaw looked around wildly, but the only thing he saw was Tiptoe, standing at the edge of the clearing, wings outstretched in shock, staring back at him. “What in Celestia’s name was tha—” Her words were cut off by a pair of sudden, piercing electric blue lights that appeared from the darkness behind the edge of the clearing. The lights came forward into the gloom of the moss, and the creature’s featured became defined. A small, somewhat squashed face surrounded by a pale blue mane, leading back to a monstrously huge body terminating in a long, segmented tail with a sharp, hooked stinger on the end. “A manticore,” Tiptoe said, her voice barely more than a whisper in the gloom of the clearing. The manticore sniffed at the air, bright eyes flickering back and forth between the two ponies. “Tiptoe,” Jigsaw said, his voice oddly even and calm, “go get Incendia. Now.” “Jigsaw, I can’t leave, you—” “Go!” Jigsaw shouted, igniting his horn and slamming the manticore across the face with a magically bent tree limb. Tiptoe lept off and galloped into the darkness, and Jigsaw focused on the manticore, who stared at him angrily, baring its teeth. The creature roared at him and lowered its head for a charge. Jigsaw jumped to one side, skidding a bright track in the moss below. The manticore wasn’t able to turn tightly enough to hit Jigsaw, but his tail whipped around and the stinger caught him in his right flank above his cutie mark, leaving a bright red trail. Jigsaw let out a strangled cry as a white-hot pain shot through his whole right side. The manticore growled and lined itself up for another charge. Jigsaw attempted to stumble to the side, but his right side didn’t appear to move. With horror, Jigsaw saw that tendrils of electric blue were winding out from the spot where the stinger had pierced his flesh. The white-hot pain was rapidly fading, replaced by a horrible, tingling numbness. The manticore roared and lowered its head to charge again, when a bolt of bright orange came whizzing out of the trees and slammed into the muscle bound side of the creature. The beast roared and stumbled, crashing into the ground and cutting a gorge into the mossy ground and revealing the dark soil underneath. Not a moment later, Incendia and Tiptoe burst out of the undergrowth, panting heavily. Flames danced around Incendia’s horn and, as the manticore unsteadily rose to its feet, the flames immediately spread down and brought her coal-black fur. The manticore shook it’s head, seemingly unphased by the attack. Where the fireball had hit, blue sparks danced across the manticore’s skin, as though a bundle of electrical wires had been exposed. Before the manticore could fully recover from the shock of the sudden hit, Incendia blazed brightly and blasted it with another burst of fire. The creature staggered, but the fire seemed to roll off it with an electric crackle of power. “Incendia! Look out!” Jigsaw cried, and Incendia artfully dodged the sudden flash of black as the creature’s stinger embedded itself where she had been standing a moment before. The manticore yanked its stinger out of the ground, leaving a pool of blue venom behind. It raised the stinger in preparation for another strike, but before it could follow through, a flash of yellow darted in, twisting the stinger out of position and causing the beast to roar in pain. Tiptoe dived down again, hooves outstretched, driving the tip of the stinger deep into the wood of a nearby tree. The manticore roared in frustration and attempted to pull its stinger out of the unyielding wood. “Incendia! Now!” Tiptoe shouted. Incendia braced herself and felt a pressure building in her horn, drawing magic from her internal wellspring and focusing in her horn. The flames that billowed forth from the tip of her horn began to turn blue, flowing over the rest of her body. When Incendia couldn’t stand it anymore, she let the power issue from the tip of her horn and directed it towards the trapped creature snarling at her from across the clearing. The flames poured over the manticore, flames meeting the magical flesh with a sharp blue crackle. However, the crackling appeared to be diminishing even as Incendia watched- the blue flames seemed to be creeping under the crackling blue shield, scorching the flesh below. The manicore began to writhe, strangled cries of pain and agitation barely audible over the jet-like roar of Incendia’s onslaught. With one mighty yank and the sound of splintering wood, the manticore freed itself from the tree and retreated, smoking, out of the clearing and into the dark of the woods. With concentrated effort, Incendia cut off the flow of magic and felt the flames that cloak her die down and fade into darkness. She stood there, breathing hard, staring at the flaming trunk of the tree with the oozing stinger wound embedded within until a dry cough from her right caught her attention. “Jigsaw!” Tiptoe shouted, rushing over to where he laid on the ground, scarlet blood staining the blue-green moss below. Strange, curling electric blue tendrils spread out under his skin from the gaping puncture in his flank, pulsing eerily, like a perverse heartbeat. “I can’t feel my right side,” Jigsaw said, weakly. “I think that stinger was poisoned.” “Are you okay?” Incendia asked, trotting up beside Tiptoe. “I don’t know, but you saved my life,” Jigsaw said, lifting his head so as to better see the two. “Thank you. I need you both to step back, though. I’m going to try and heal it.” Incendia and Tiptoe obliged, and Jigsaw slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position. To Tiptoe’s disgust, a small amount of brilliantly blue liquid spurted from the wound as he sat up, mixing with the blood soaking into the moss below. Jigsaw’s horn began to glow, a much more comforting and familiar blue. He craned his head around, attempting to better aim at the hole in his flank. His horn began to glow brighter. Tiptoe’s ears suddenly perked up. A quiet, extremely high-pitched keening noise had begun in the clearing. As the glow in Jigsaw’s horn grew in intensity, the sharp noise grew louder. “What is that?” Incendia shouted over the ring that had risen to a deafening pitch. In answer, Jigsaw gave a shout of pain, and the keening noise grew louder still. His horn flashed several times, so brightly that Tiptoe was momentarily blinded, then, without warning the noise was cut off and Jigsaw slumped to the ground with a heavy thump. Tiptoe rushed forward, but Jigsaw allayed her fears by struggling again into a sitting position. “What happened?” Tiptoe asked, eyes wide with concern and surprise. “I have no idea,” Jigsaw responded, breathing heavily. “It’s like something is blocking me. A-and… and I feel so weak.” His eyelids fluttered and he swayed where he sat for a moment before he snapped back to consciousness. “Okay, listen. I’m almost certain there’s a fragment here. I don’t know what else could have affected the local flora and fauna so much, but I don’t think I have much time.” “But,” Tiptoe said desperately, “but the fragments of the goddesses will protect you, right?” “That’s the thing,” Jigsaw said. “I can’t feel them anymore. Or, I can, but it feels like they’re far away and being blocked in the same way I am. It has to be a fragment. We need to get to it quickly. You need to…” Jigsaw trailed off as his eyes rolled back into his head and he slumped, unconscious, onto the glowing ground. “Jigsaw?” Tiptoe said, quietly. Then, she shouted “Jigsaw!” “Look,” Incendia said, “he’s still breathing.” Tiptoe looked closer and, sure enough, Jigsaw’s chest was still rising and falling slowly and regularly. Gently, she lowered her ear to his chest, listening to his labored breathing for a moment. “Well,” she said anxiously, “what do we do?” “We’re going to have to find the fragment by ourselves,” Incendia said grimly. ~~~ Jigsaw felt as though he was floating weightlessly through a world devoid of substance or color. Jigsaw retched, and a moment later, he felt a sharp shock as he collided with the ground. Dimly, he heard a high-pitched, melodious voice say: “Jigsaw?” Slowly, his eyes focused, and Tiptoe’s face swam into focus. “Where are we?” Jigsaw said. His throat felt dry and hot, and his mouth tasted of bile. “Incendia carried you through the forest,” Tiptoe said. “Every now and then, that strange, warm breeze would blow from one direction or another, and we just followed it until we found this place. I don’t know what it used to be, but the walls are still standing and the door locks.” Jigsaw looked around, taking in the space they were in. The space was lit by a bright, floating orb, hovering in the center of the space, like a miniature sun. There was no moss on the ground, instead, lightly colored packed dirt formed a solid surface. The wooden walls were spotted and warped with age, and seemed to have taken on some of the strange blue color of the trees, but they were otherwise still intact. Incendia slept soundly under directly under the floating orb, her face distorted by the heat waves radiating off the sphere. The door at the far end had a heavy wooden beam across its berth, blocking entry from the outside. Jigsaw himself was lying on the ground underneath a small bench that was serving as an impromptu cot. With great effort, he managed to clamber onto the surface of the bench and lay down. “Do you have any water?” Jigsaw asked weakly. Tiptoe nodded, trotted out of Jigsaw’s vision, then came back a moment later with a small, curved flask in her mouth. Gingerly, she tilted a small amount of the liquid into Jigsaw’s waiting mouth, and he gulped it down eagerly. “We’re going to sleep here, for now,” Tiptoe said. “I’m sorry, Jigsaw but we just can’t keep going.” Jigsaw nodded. “It’s okay. I think I need some proper sleep too. Just… just hurry, okay?” Tiptoe nodded, and with that, Jigsaw laid his head down and drifted into sleep. Tiptoe gulped and her eyes went unbidden to the wound in Jigsaw’s side. The spiderweb of blue, pulsing veins spread had spread further out from the wound, which was oozing a semi-transparent, bluish liquid. Carefully, she bent down and softly kissed Jigsaw’s forehead, then turned towards the warmth of the sphere. She approached as to the burning sphere as she dared and whispered, “Incendia? Are you awake?” Incendia stirred and her eyes opened. “I am now,” she said, sleepily as she got to her feet and moved away from the ball of light. Tiptoe shuffled her feet uncomfortably and said, “I’m really scared, Incendia.” Incendia looked at the pegasus and sighed. “I know, Tiptoe. I’m scared too.” “What if we can’t find the fragment without him?” Tiptoe continued. “What if that breeze thing isn’t what we’re supposed to be following?” “It doesn’t do any good to speculate,” Incendia replied. Tiptoe sat down and turned her eyes to the fire, staring intently. “Back in Stalliongrad,” Incendia continued, “we saw a lot of injuries. Lost a lot of ponies. Living like that… I guess you sort of get used to death. I didn’t let ponies get close because you never knew who you might lose and when. “I had… when I first started out, when I first decided I needed to rebel, I had a girlfriend. Her name was Selene. She was the most beautiful shade of brown you could ever see, and she…” Incendia’s voice caught, and she had to swallow hard before continuing. “We fought back together, at first. Recruited a team, built a headquarters, built a life. Then, one day, she found out her sisters had been killed by Rubidium’s forces, and… I found her in the bathroom. She had... She followed them.” Tiptoe broke her gaze from the fire and stared at Incendia. Steam was rising from the corners of her eyes. “She left me all alone. After all we’d done, all we were planning to do, and she left like that. After that, I learned I couldn’t get too invested in any members of the team because I didn’t know what was going to happen next.” Incendia’s voice grew stronger and more confident as she spoke. “That’s not going to happen here, Tiptoe. I know what’s going to happen next. We’re going to find that fragment and Jigsaw is going to get better. He’s not going to leave you. I’m going to make sure of that. I swear.” “Thank you,” Tiptoe said. Then, she paused. “Incendia? Could I sleep with you tonight?” Incendia’s eyes widened in surprise, and she felt the heat of a blush rise to her cheeks. She hesitated for a moment, then came back into the world. “Of course you can,” she said with a smile. Tiptoe trotted over to Incendia and lay down, head resting gently against Incendia’s neck. Together, side by side in the warm, magical light, they fell asleep. ~~~ They awoke when the spell holding the magical ball of fire in mid-air unraveled and it blinked out of existence with a ear-splitting snap. Tiptoe anxiously trotted over to where Jigsaw lay shivering on the wooden cot. His wound hadn’t closed, and though it was no longer weeping bluish fluid, the electric blue tendrils radiating out of the wound had grown in both numbers and intensity, and were flashing much more rapidly. “How is he doing?” Incendia asked, slinging her saddlebags over her shoulder. “He looks a lot worse,” Tiptoe said. “ I don’t think we have much time.” Incendia nodded. “We’d better get going, then.” Tiptoe flew over to the wooden door and flung the bar over it upwards, letting the doors to slowly creak open and reveal the thick vegetation beyond. Incendia’s horn began to glow, and Jigsaw was gently lifted off the cot, hovering in mid-air behind her. As if on cue, the warm breeze began to blow in through the open barn doors. Strangely, though the air felt pleasantly warm on Incendia’s skin, the same gust felt as though her horn had been plunged into icy water. The glow in her horn diminished, and Jigsaw wobbled in the air for a moment before she refocused and her horn flared back into brilliance. Together, they set off into the gloomy half-lit world beyond. ~~~ The vegetation grew thicker the deeper they penetrated into the forest. Eventually it was so thick that Incendia had to lashing out with a flaming whip in order to cut the thick brambles apart and carve a path through the foliage. The warm breeze continued to blow out from random directions, growing in strength and frequency as they walked. Tiptoe and Incendia interpreted this as them getting closer to the source. “How large is this forest?” Incendia asked, carefully stepping over the smoldering remains of the brambles. “It didn’t look this large from the air.” “I guess it’s like the castle with the first Luna fragment,” Tiptoe said. “It’s probably been leading us around in circles or something.” “At least it isn’t throwing ghosts at us,” Incendia said, shuddering. “That was disturb— Ah!” Incendia stumbled into a river that rushed through a small canyon in the forest, quickly stepping back and checking that Jigsaw was still floating behind her. “Oh, Goddesses, I didn’t see that coming at all! My heart is pounding, how do you think we can—” Incendia noticed the slack-jawed expression on Tiptoe’s face and turned to follow her eyes. As she looked across the expanse of the canyon, her breath caught in her lungs. A huge, half-sunken ruin was visible across the canyon, ruined spires jutting up at forty-five degree angles to the trunks of the trees around them. But the most impressive vista was the countless tangle of spiderweb-thin strands of blue light that crept out from somewhere inside the ruins. “Wow,” Tiptoe said. “I’ll bet the fragment is in there.” “We have to get over there soon,” Incendia said, glancing back at Jigsaw’s sweat-soaked face. “I don’t see any way to get over.” “Look over there,” Tiptoe said, pointing at a spot on the far side of the canyon. “Do you see those posts?” Incendia squinted for a moment, then saw that there were indeed two brown posts sticking out of the ground at odd angles, frayed and yellowed rope still tied around one of them. “I think there used to be a bridge here,” Tiptoe said. “But I don’t see any way to get over it now.” “I’m going to try levitating Jigsaw over,” Incendia said. “You fly underneath him in case anything happens. Once he’s over, you can carry me.” Tiptoe grimaced at the thought of carrying Incendia, but nodded her assent. Incendia gritted her teeth and carefully floated Jigsaw to the mouth of the canyon. Tiptoe dived off the edge, wings outstretched, and shouted, “Ready!” Jigsaw’s unconscious body hovered out over the ledge, slowly and steadily advancing towards the opposite edge of the canyon. Without warning, a gust of scaldingly hot air blew out from the castle. Incendia once again felt the heat all over her body, except on her horn. Her horn felt as though it had been plunged into icy water, so cold and shocking that the orange glow surrounding it died instantly. Jigsaw dropped out of the air like a puppet whose strings have been cut. Tiptoe gasped and flew up to meet him, arresting his descent in a flurry of flapping wings. “Incendia!” she shouted. “What happened? Are you alright?” “Yeah!” came Incendia’s shaky voice. “I don’t know what happened. That air blast just… it was like it shut off my magic.” Tiptoe struggled to flap back up to the level of the canyon, then, as gently as she could, she deposited Jigsaw on the far side. With deep unease, she noticed that the blue tendrils on his flank were pulsing in time with the blue veins on the ground. “Can you still get me over the canyon?” Incendia called. “I hope so,” Tiptoe replied. Incendia gulped. After a very shaky and uneven flight, Incendia and Tiptoe plopped down on the other side of the canyon rim.", "With deep unease, she noticed that the blue tendrils on his flank were pulsing in time with the blue veins on the ground. “Can you still get me over the canyon?” Incendia called. “I hope so,” Tiptoe replied. Incendia gulped. After a very shaky and uneven flight, Incendia and Tiptoe plopped down on the other side of the canyon rim. “Is he alright?” Incendia inquired, looking at Jigsaw nervously. “He’s still breathing,” Tiptoe said, voice quavering, “but it’s shallow and irregular. We need to find that fragment as soon as possible.” Incendia nodded, and without another word, her horn ignited, and Jigsaw again floated up into the air. As they approached the sunken ruin, Incendia’s horn began to tingle, like a cold pressure forcing itself against her face, trying to quash the magic that emanated from her horn. With every step she took towards the castle, Jigsaw sunk a little more in the air. “Do you feel that?” Incendia asked through gritted teeth. “Yeah, I do,” Tiptoe said. “It’s like I’m wading through ice water. We must be close to the fragment now.” “Yeah, that, or we’re walking right into a trap,” Incendia said darkly. With great effort, Incendia made it across the threshold of the ruin and into the strange foyer. The floor, though tilted sharply, gripped her hooves and made walking only slightly more difficult. Plant life had invaded this space, too. Tree limbs trespassed into the hall through long-shattered windows and shrubs and bushes grew in abundance. At the far end, on a raised dais, a silvery-blue orb hovered silently in the air. Every few seconds, it let out a pulse of bright blue light, accompanied by a blast of hot air. Once again, the hot air turned suddenly icy on Incendia’s horn, and Jigsaw slumped to the ground again. “Incendia!” Tiptoe shouted. “I know, I know,” Incendia said, “I’ll pick him back up.” “No, Incendia! He’s stopped breathing!” Incendia whipped around and galloped to where Jigsaw lay. Sure enough, his chest had ceased its rise and fall, and his eyes were shut. The wound was pulsing violently now. “We need to get him to the fragment now!” Incendia said. “Just grab him!” Tiptoe took to the air and wrapped her forehooves around and under Jigsaw’s shoulders. She beat her wings hard, and she took off over the slanted floor and dove towards the floating orb. The hot air roared out yet again. Tiptoe beat her wings so strongly they felt as though they were going to tear out of their sockets. Even so, she could only barely manage to hover in place, a tantalizing few feet from the fragment. In one last, desperate action, Tiptoe hurled Jigsaw at the fragment, putting all her remaining strength into the motion before tumbling back in the onslaught. As the tip of Jigsaw’s horn met the surface of the pulsing orb, the roar of wind died abruptly. The electric blue streaks in the orb began to fade, and silvery light enveloped Jigsaw. As Incendia and Tiptoe watched, shockingly blue liquid began to trickle out of the wound in Jigsaw’s side, then, with a sudden flash of light, the fragment was gone, and Jigsaw was standing, unaided, on the dais. “Jigsaw!” Tiptoe and Incendia shouted, rushing toward him, but they came to a screeching halt when he turned to face them. His eyes were a solid silver, as shiny and reflective as a mirror. When he spoke, his regular voice was overlaid with a resonant, and unmistakably female voice. “Fear not. Jigsaw is recovering. You have the honor of being the first in these many millennia to address Princess Luna.”" ]

[ "Antipodes Chapter 32 By PK (In the last chapter, our intrepid trio ventured deep into the Everfree forest only to find it twisted by an unknown magic. Jigsaw fought with a manticore and was fatally poisoned. Working together, Incendia and Tiptoe brought Jigsaw to a mysterious ruined castle, where and unconscious Jigsaw collected the new fragment and Luna fully reformed, expunging the poison in the process.) “I— you’re— what?” Tiptoe spluttered. Jigsaw’s solid silver eyes flashed in Tiptoe’s direction. For a moment, a slight frown creased his face, but then recognition dawned. “Tiptoe,” Luna’s voice said, “I understand that you must be confused. Know that all shall be explained soon.” “But…” Tiptoe blinked took a deep breath. “What happened to Jigsaw? Are you… is he alright?” “His wounds were serious, but I believe I have expunged the poison. He is merely unconscious, in a healing sleep. I am using his body as a sort of mouthpiece.” “What gives you that right?” Tiptoe responded incredulously. Luna’s eyes narrowed for a moment, and Tiptoe’s stomach twisted with a sudden realization of whom she was speaking to. “Forgive us, Princess,” Incendia responded quickly, breaking the tense silence. “We’ve been through a lot today.” Luna sighed. “I am not without sympathy to your plight, or to his, but in times as dire as this, action must be taken. We shall have to share this body. I have no desire to take it as my own.” Tiptoe nodded begrudgingly. “Okay, but when he wakes up, you let me talk to him, alright?” “You said you don’t want to take that body as your own,” Incendia cut in. “Does that mean you can’t regain your former form?” “We should not discuss such matters here,” Luna said, glancing around the ruins. “This is not an auspicious place for such talks. It is fortunate that you found one of my battleships. I have power enough for this.” “For what?” Tiptoe asked, but a sudden swirl of air rushing around her cut her words off. Jigsaw’s horn began to glow with an eerie silvery light. “No!” Incendia cried. “You’ll burn him out! He can’t—“ A sharp snap echoed out through the forest as the trio vanished from the ruins. ~~~ Tantalus carefully wrapped the hide around his claw, making sure that the wriggling and squirming green symbols that slid across the surface were all present. When he was confident that they were, he reached out and gingerly grabbed the cracked and softly glowing crystal with one gloved claw. In response to the touch, the crystal began vibrating and shooting off shafts of brilliant, golden light. The symbols on the hide flared and burned against the crystal, though their brilliance diminished as the golden light slowly washed them out. Unbidden, images flooded into Tantalus’ mind. A purple unicorn smiling down on him. A bright, shining gemstone, begging to be eaten. A brilliantly red unicorn, his image rippling due to the magical field between them, laughing as Spike pounded his fists against the shield, desperately trying to penetrate it… Tantalus roared and forced the images back. This was his body now. And its work was nearly done. The pieces were falling into place. He had to get to Ponyville. He stood at the mouth of the cave, brightly shining gemstone in hand, and unfurled his wings. Neon green flames spurted from his snout as he exhaled. With a great pump of his wings, he took off into the twilit sky. ~~~ “—handle it!” Incendia blinked and glanced around. Jigsaw stood before her, horn rapidly dimming, and Tiptoe stood at her side, blinking and looking around as confusedly as she was. “What just happened?” “I brought you to the ship,” Luna replied. “It is fortunate you found one of my battleships. It was designed to be receptive to me.” “That was dangerous,” Tiptoe said. “You could have killed him!” Incendia winced, convinced she had angered Luna again, but she only smiled. “Now that I am whole, I am better able to focus and restrict my magic. Before, our minds were fractured, not thinking clearly, and we lacked restraint. Every time we were forced to tip our hooves, Jigsaw had to channel the raw force of a goddess. That is dangerous even for one with his blood.” “His blood?” Incendia asked. “What do you mean?” “I suggest you have a seat,” Luna said. “We have much to discuss.” Incendia and Tiptoe shared anxious looks, then plopped down on the chairs that lined the wall. “What do you first wish to know?” Luna said. “Can you make the sun and moon move?” Incendia asked. “The legends say Celestia did it while you were… well, imprisoned on the moon.” “I cannot.” Luna replied solemnly. “Celestia was always the stronger of us, and I am greatly weakened by the centuries I spent split. If I was at my peak, perhaps… but that is neither here nor there. The only hope for healing the world is for both of us to regain our bodies and combine our powers, as it should be.” “What happens to Jigsaw when we get the last fragment?” Tiptoe asked anxiously.” “Do not fear,” Luna said. “Given adequate time to regain our powers, we should be able to reform ourselves and vacate Jigsaw. He shall not be harmed.” “What happened when you were broken?” Incendia asked. “Why is any of this happening?” Luna hesitated, as if trying to find the correct words, then said, “What do you know of the beginning?” “The beginning of what?” Incendia and Tiptoe asked in unison. “Everything. The world,” Luna replied. “Not much,” Incendia admitted. “Where I came from, information on the goddesses was hard to find.” “Yes,” Luna agreed, “Stalliongrad. My sister has fragmented memories of it. If you do not know, then I suppose I must start from the beginning.” “Before the world, there was order and chaos, with the void separating them. Order and chaos waged constant battle, but the void intervened. From nothing came the world, barren and empty, a battleground. From order came my sister. In those days, she was a pure avatar of order. Where she strode, life sprung, spreading across the surface of the world. She created the sun in order to spread order’s light over the world.” “I came soon after. I was formed out of the void. Neither chaotic nor orderly, but capable of both, wanting only to be, I gave minds and thought to the creatures that roamed the world, allowing them to ponder their own existence and choose what path they wish to follow. I created the impartial moon, sharing the night sky with chaos’ realm but reflecting the light of order. Celestia embraced me as a sister, and I resolved to strive towards order and away from chaos.” “Then… came Tantalus. Though the youngest of us, he was by far the most powerful. Chaos wants only to destroy the works of my sister and me and remake it as it sees fit. Tantalus is not his original name, nor is his current form his original, but that is irrelevant. He used his power to cut my sister off from order and… corrupt my nature. We were greatly diminished. He created the night sky and stars, a mockery of both the blank canvas that is the void and the light that is order. For a time, Tantalus held sway over the world.” “However, we found a way to control him. It was one of your kind that found the way, in fact. They poured the best of themselves into six magical artifacts- the elements of harmony. They presented them to us, and combined with our powers, we bound Tantalus into a special vessel. Over time, we began to identify with the elements and with your kind more than our respective spheres. Really, we are only shadows of what we were at the beginning. Eventually, my sister gave the elements back to your kind.” Tiptoe looked as though she was going to be sick, but Incendia had enough composure to say, “This is fascinating, but the elements of harmony haven’t surface for thousands of years. What exactly is our plan going forward?” “Hush, child,” Luna said, “I must explain fully if we are to have any chance against Tantalus.” “We buried the vessel deeply and got back to the business of running the world. That was our mistake. Tantalus was too powerful to be fully contained. He bided his time, gaining strength, sending out parts of himself when he could. I… I understand him better than most. For a time, he managed to corrupt me. You know I was banished to the moon, correct? That… that is why. Once I knew the touch of chaos in the beginning, I was never truly free of it. Susceptible. I grew complacent. Only the elements of harmony freed me of Tantalus’ influence.” “Rubidium was a truly exceptional magic user, but much too hungry for power. He dabbled in powers that should have stayed dormant. Eventually, he found the book Tantalus had been imprisoned in and freed him. Tantalus had grown strong while bound, but we had managed one important goal- we had cut him off from chaos as he cut my sister off from order. He could not form a coherent physical body, so he had to posses the nearest available mind.” Luna opened her mouth as though she was going to continue, but hesitated. With sudden sympathy, Incendia saw her blink away a tear. “The nearest open mind was a young unicorn named Twilight Sparkle. She… she bore an element of harmony. Her mind was unprepared, and Tantalus used her raw power to unleash a vicious attack against us. She… did not survive.” “I knew this part,” Tiptoe finally said. “That was in our historical accounts.” Luna nodded. “I would hope so.” “I’m sorry,” Incendia said, not unkindly, “but I don’t understand how any of this is relevant to us.” “I shall be quick, then. Though we did not drain his power as intended, Tantalus was prevented from retaking his original form. He- like us- has become more mortal. We believe he is bound to his physical body now. If we destroy it, he will be eradicated with it.” “That’s not true,” Incendia said sadly. “I drove a statue through his head after we got your first fragment. He just came back angry.” Luna made a move as though to respond, but froze in place. After a moment, she said, “Jigsaw is awake.” She blinked, and when her eyes opened again, the silver glow was gone, replaced by the solid, familiar blue of Jigsaw’s. He staggered forwards for a moment, but Tiptoe rushed forward and allowed him to lean on her. “Thanks,” he said hoarsely. “I don’t know how she was keeping me upright. My leg aches.” “Are you going to be alright? I mean… you were so bad in the forest,” Tiptoe said weakly. “I actually feel okay, other than my leg,” Jigsaw said. “Now that Luna’s whole, she’s not pushing against my mind anymore.” “I don’t understand,” Tiptoe replied. “It’s hard to explain. It’s like I had a thorn in my head and now it’s been pulled out.” “I’m just glad you’re okay,” Tiptoe said, her voice quavering. “I thought I was going to lose you.” Before Jigsaw could respond, Tiptoe threw her hooves around him in a tight embrace, and after a moment, Jigsaw returned the gesture. A few moments later, the two broke apart, and Jigsaw began to hobble down to where Incendia stood. To her great surprise, Jigsaw wrapped his hooves around her, too. “You saved my life back there,” Jigsaw said quietly. “You didn’t even hesitate to go up against that manticore. Thank you.” Incendia relaxed and smiled. “What else could I do?” Jigsaw released her and Tiptoe trotted to his side. “I feel like I want to sleep for a year,” Jigsaw said. “I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep for a while,” Tiptoe said. “Luna gave us a lot to think about.” Jigsaw could feel the mood in the room change. The sense of levity was gone as quickly as it had appeared. “She’s not done,” Jigsaw said. “There’s still things she wants us to know.” “She thinks that Tantalus has taken the soul of the body and trapped it in something, binding the body and himself to the earth. She says if we can release the original spirit of the body, Tantalus will be vulnerable.” “’For Rarity,’” Tiptoe said. “The gemstone we saw when we first went to Tantalus’ castle. Remember how angry he got when I mentioned it?” “That’s brilliant!” Incendia said. Her mane began to shimmer and flicker, as though it was about to catch fire. “All we have to do is destroy that crystal and we have that bastard right where we want him! We have to get to that castle!” Jigsaw shook his head solemnly. “Destroying the crystal will only take away his immortality. Once he’s exposed, he won’t be so easy to destroy. And… there’s a caveat.” “What?” Incendia inquired. “It works both ways. Luna’s bound to me now. She’s possessing me the same way. If I die, Luna goes with me. She thinks that’s his plan- maybe it wasn’t at the beginning, but when he realized that I stand a chance of actually assembling all the fragments, I think he just decided to let me. He thinks that he’ll be able to take me out once I have all six and destroy the goddesses forever.” A stunned silence followed this pronouncement. Eventually, Tiptoe managed to squeak out, “But that doesn’t make any sense. Why didn’t he just kill you after the first fragment if that was the case?” “He tried,” Jigsaw replied dryly. “Several times. But I think that was an attempt to maintain the status quo, because this is a dangerous gambit. But if he killed me when I only had some of the fragments, it would just release them from my body because they still have a tether on the world. Tantalus would just snatch them up and hide them again.” “I don’t understand any of this cosmic stuff at all,” Incendia said. “I don’t either, really,” Jigsaw said. “Luna’s telling me all these things, and I’m not convinced even she understands it all. She’s trying so hard to be stoic and regal, but I can tell she’s scared and hurt and disoriented. And… truth be told, so am I.” “I’ll always be there for you,” Tiptoe said, planting a soft kiss on his cheek. “I will be too,” Incendia said, voice full of conviction, though her stomach churned at the sight of the kiss. “We and Tantalus are on a level playing field now. We can end this once and for all!” “Have I ever told you that I love you? Both of you,” Jigsaw said, with a genuine grin. “You’re my best friends. I wouldn’t want to do this with anypony else.” “I wouldn’t either,” Incendia replied. “So what’s our plan?” Tiptoe asked, bringing the party back down to the matter at hoof. “We need to go get the last fragment and avoid Tantalus enough for the goddesses to regain their bodies and get out of me,” Jigsaw said. “Once they’re out, the can help us steal the gem and defeat Tantalus.” “What about the sun and moon?” Tiptoe said. “can they really be restarted?” “Luna says yes, but not until they’re back to full strength. Having Celestia back will speed the process considerably. Right now, though, I feel as though I need to sleep.” “Agreed,” Incendia said. “I’m exhausted.” “I suppose I should try, too,” Tiptoe said. “Luna’s gone quiet,” Jigsaw observed. “I guess that was all she needed to tell us for now.” “She certainly told us a lot,” Tiptoe said wearily. With that, the trio set off down the stairs from the control room and towards their rooms. Jigsaw immediately dropped onto the bed and snuggled under the sheets. Tiptoe hesitated. “Jigsaw, will you be alright here by yourself? I have to go do something.” “I might be asleep when you get back,” Jigsaw mumbled. “Fair warning.” “You sure are in a good mood,” Tiptoe noticed. “All things considered, I would have thought you’d be…” “More upset, not less?” Jigsaw offered. “I thought so too, but… Almost dying tends to put things into perspective, as does seeing things from Luna’s point of view. For the first time, I feel like we have an actual, real plan. I don’t feel like I’m a pawn in some cosmic game of chess. Well, maybe I am, but at least they’re honest about it, you know? I’m just happy that I’m still breathing and that when things were at their worst, my girlfriend and my best friend did everything they could to help me.” Tiptoe swallowed in a futile attempt to clear away the lump in her throat and said, “I love you.” “I love you too,” Jigsaw muttered from somewhere deep in his pillow. “I’ll be right back,” Tiptoe said. “I just need to talk to Incendia for a bit.” “Mmkay,” Jigsaw responded sleepily. Tiptoe quietly slipped out of the room and into the hallway and made her way down the tight passageway to Incendia’s room. When she opened the door, Incendia was sitting on the bed, an old world instructional pamphlet folded open and hovering before her. “What are you reading?” Tiptoe asked. Incendia jumped in surprise. “Tiptoe!” she said, startled, “what are you doing here?” “Sorry,” Tiptoe apologized. “I should have knocked first.” Incendia relaxed. “It’s alright. I was just looking at these diagrams. I can’t read very many words of the old language, but the illustrations are interesting.” “I could help translate for you, if you’d like,” Tiptoe offered. “We had to learn to read the old language because so much of the old consoles were labeled with it.” “That’s alright,” Incendia said with a smile. “I think I might prefer not knowing what it says.” Tiptoe trotted over to Incendia and sat on the bed beside her. Incendia fought to keep the butterflies in her stomach from showing on her face. “You impressed me in the forest,” Tiptoe said. “You’ve proven over and over again that you’re willing to sacrifice yourself for others, and this time the other you saved was my boyfriend. Thank you.” Tiptoe leaned forward, closed her eyes, and planted a small kiss right on the tip of Incendia’s nose. It was very warm— on any other pony, it might have been feverish, but on Incendia, it just felt like the heat from a warm campfire. When she pulled away, Tiptoe said, “I’m sorry about how things had to be between us. I know it can’t be easy for you to watch me and Jigsaw, but through it all, you’ve never complained or let it interfere with your work. I just want you to know that I notice, and I want you to know that I do care about you, Incendia.” Incendia’s mouth flapped up and down wordlessly, and Tiptoe giggled. Without making a sound, she hopped off the bed and trotted out of the room. Incendia came back to her senses when the bedsheets under her ignited. She hastily put them out and stared back at the door where Tiptoe had been only a moment before. ~~~ The huge, gnarled tree grew ever larger as Tantalus flew towards it. He could feel the fragment inside it, calling desperately towards its greater whole, trying to draw it near. He touched down on the emerald carpet that covered the ground, and the grass immediately withered and died. Hastily, he dropped the gemstone and threw the enchanted animal hide off his claw. He would have to move it later- there was no rush now. Here was where he would wait. He smiled, bearing his razor-sharp teeth. The trap was set, and it was only a matter of time until they sprung it." ]

[ "Chapter 33 “Are you guys ready for this?” Jigsaw said. The trio stood in the control room. Lights flashed along the rows of corroded monitors, displaying information on the state of various parts of the airship. The magical fourth wall shimmered, displaying small river and verdant forest spread out below them. “I’ve been waiting for this,” Incendia said with conviction. “It’s time we end this. For Stalliongrad.” Jigsaw nodded. “Tiptoe?” “Ready as I’ll ever be,” she said. “I’m sticking with you no matter what.” Jigsaw smiled. “I guess this is really it, then. Once we cast off, there’s no going back. Once we get the final Celestia fragment, we can figure out how to steal that crystal from Tantalus with the help of the goddesses. Luna says with both of them combined, they should be able to shroud us from Tantalus long enough for them to regenerate.” “Is there anything you need us to do?” Incendia said. “Honestly, I don’t think there’s much for you to do on the ride over. Luna— you know, if it’s okay with you guys, I think I’ll just let her explain.” Incendia shrugged, and Tiptoe said, “If you’re okay with it.” Jigsaw closed his eyes, and a gentle, cool breeze blew through the room. When he opened his eyes again, they were solid silver disks. “Hello again,” Luna said curtly. “I do not require any assistance piloting this vessel. It was designed for me to fly, and I shall fly it once again. Let us waste no more time.” With that, Luna hopped onto the command chair and closed her eyes. Jigsaw’s horn began to quiver and a strand of silvery light billowed from the tip. It streamed down, flowing like water into the consoles at the base of the command chair. Lights on the console sprang to life. Rusted metal struts and peeling paint began to recede and reseal, and the whole airship began to shake. An extremely deep tone rumbled up from the engine room, and the forest outside the ship began to spin away. In no time, they were soaring over the treetops. “Where are we going?” Tiptoe asked, staring down at the forest below. “Ponyville,” responded Luna. “Where’s that?” Incendia asked. “A few hours east,” Luna replied. “It was where Fluttershy lived most of her life— as well as the other bearers of the elements of harmony.” “Is there anything we should know about it?” Tiptoe asked. “Is the fragment going to be defended?” “Almost certainly, though I have no way of knowing how,” Luna said. “So what do we do in the meantime?” Tiptoe asked. Luna blinked, and when her eyes opened again, the solid silver was replaced by Jigsaw’s blue. “We prepare. Follow me.” Jigsaw hopped off the command chair and led Incendia and Tiptoe out the door and down the flight of stairs. “What are we doing?” Tiptoe asked. “Luna doesn’t want to admit it, but she’s terrified. We’re going to give her a little peace of mind. I think we can get one of the weapons systems back online.” “Just out of curiosity,” Incendia said, “Is Luna just, like, talking to you? All the time?” “Not really. Sometimes she speaks up, but most of the time she’s just watching, or… sleeping, I guess? She comes and goes. I think most of her time is spent resting and stopping the Celestia fragments from messing with my mind, which I appreciate. Take a left down here; this should be the battery.” They entered into a small, cramped room, taken up from floor to ceiling by two strange, coiled cables. The cables were filled with a bluish-white fluid that was fluorescing weakly. “This is what powers the main weapon systems. It was pretty thoroughly burned out when we used it in Totemhoof, but I think I can get it up and running. We have some extra power now that we don’t need the climate control systems.” “This is the weapon? It’s so… tiny,” Tiptoe said. “Oh, no,” Jigsaw said. “The main body of the weapon is underneath us, all the way to the bottom of the ship. This is just what powers it. These pipes are filled with liquid spell-fixing crystal, and when we fired it in Totemhoof, we essentially drained them of their magic, as well as putting awful strain on the machinery. With all of your help, though, I think I can fix it. Incendia, you’re going to have to get this fluid heated up. Stand over there and shoot a jet of fire at that tube. Not that one, the one next to— yeah. Tiptoe, you need to watch that gauge on the wall there. If it gets into the red zone, pull that lever to release the pressure. Everypony ready?” Incendia nodded and her horn began to glow. She turned and pointed it at the pipe that spiraled from the ceiling and shot a jet of fire at it. In response, the liquid began to glow a little brighter. Jigsaw stood in front of the spot where the cables met the floor and his horn began to glow. There was a massive groan of metal bending and a cacophony of noise as far-off gears protested being forced into motion. The liquid in the pipes began to flow down into the machinery through the left tube and back up and out through the right. As Jigsaw concentrated, the liquid began to glow more intensely until with a sudden flash of light and a sound of rushing water, Jigsaw staggered back from the pipes. “Pull the lever, Tiptoe!” he shouted, and Tiptoe responded by grabbing the lever with her teeth and yanking down. A soft hiss echoed from somewhere in the ship, and the liquid’s flow slowed to a trickle. “You can stop now,” Jigsaw said to Incendia. The glow around her horn dissipated and she trotted up to Jigsaw and Tiptoe. “It didn’t work quite as well as I hoped it would,” Jigsaw said, panting. “I think we’re only going to squeeze one shot out of it before it goes down for good. If we do need to use it, we’re going to have to make it count.” “So… what do we do now?” Tiptoe asked apprehensively. “We wait,” Jigsaw said. “I’m heading back up to the control room.” ~~~ Tantalus saw the airship begin to rise over the horizon, headed towards Ponyville. Right on schedule. He reached one claw out and sunk his talons into the bark of the ancient, gnarled tree. He felt a resistance to his touch- the force inside pushing back against him, but it was trivial to push past it and sink his claws fully into the tree. The whole trunk seemed shudder as he began to pour power into it. The pressure against his claw grew fiercer, but his grip did not slip. A sickly green aura began to glow around Tantalus and spread out to the tree. The pressure grew stronger and stronger, until Tantalus had to grit his teeth and put his full strength into keeping his claw in, but eventually the resistance broke. The leaves on the treetop, far above his head, wilted and died. A simple, wooden door at the base of the tree swung open silently. Tantalus smiled, revealing rows of sharp, black teeth, but only for a moment. He began to dissolve, his physical body melting away into a cloud of loosely formed green smoke. The smoke hovered in the air for a moment before it seeped into the ground. ~~~ “That’s Ponyville,” Jigsaw said, staring out the window. “That’s where the last fragment is. Luna says we have to get in and out, fast— we Tantalus shouldn’t be able to detect us, but we’ll be far safer in the ship then on the ground.” “I’m scared,” Tiptoe said to the room. “I can’t believe we’re actually here.” “I’m scared, too,” Jigsaw said, walking to her side. “I’m terrified. I don’t know what’s going to happen after this. But there’s one thought that keeps me going.” “What’s that?” Tiptoe asked. “What else can we do?” Jigsaw said with a small, sad smile. The airship began to silently descend over the ruined town. Decaying, fallen-in thatched roof cottages lined streets that had once been pristine and clear, but were now overgrown with twisted trees and shrubs. “By the Goddesses,” Incendia said, “look at that tree!” The huge tree in the center of Ponyville seemed to be reaching towards the sky. The branches were twisted upwards, seeming to reach towards the sun. “I’ve never seen anything so large,” Incendia continued. “Not even Rubidium’s tower was that big. It must be a mile high!” “That’s gotta be where the last fragment is,” Jigsaw said. “I’m going to take the airship down.” Jigsaw hopped into the control chair and his horn began to glow. In response, the ship began to circle around the giant tree, gently gliding lower and lower until it touched down in a large clearing near the tree. A moment later, the trio stood assembled at the exit of the airship, staring down at the shattered stones and yellow grass. “Alright,” Jigsaw said, taking a deep breath. “Alright. We have to go in and get out as soon as possible. Are you guys ready for this?” “Let’s just go before I think about it too much,” Tiptoe said. “I’m okay,” Incendia said. “Let’s just get on with it.” Jigsaw nodded and took the first step down the ramp that led to the huge tree. The broken cobblestones forced them to make slow progress up the ancient road to the tree. Jigsaw, Incendia, and Tiptoe stood away from each other, watching every side for signs of trouble. Their caution was unwarranted, however. After several minutes of careful walking, they reached the base of the tree. “Let’s start walking around the base,” Jigsaw suggested. “There’s bound to be something here.” As they began to make their way around the massive tree, Jigsaw took the opportunity to examine it more closely. It was truly massive. The shadow it cast stretched cut a stripe of emptiness out of the forest, trees unable to grow in the area perpetually starved of sunlight. The tree itself had a noticeable curve to it- several hundred feet of overhang where it reached out towards the west and the sun. Suddenly, Jigsaw noticed something and shouted, “Stop!” “What? What is it?” Incendia said as her horn sprang to life and her coat melted into flames. “Up there, in the tree,” Jigsaw said. “About thirty feet up. Tiptoe, can you fly up and find out what that is?” Tiptoe squinted for a moment, then caught a glimpse of a small tube that appeared to protrude out of the side of the tree. She gave her wings a flap and ascended towards the tube. “I have no idea what it is,” Tiptoe said. “It looks like it’s embedded in the wood. There’s a lens covering the end.” “A lens? Incendia said. “Are there more lenses inside?” “I’m not sure,” Tiptoe said. “I think so.” “I think it’s a telescope,” Incendia said, bemusedly. “What’s a telescope?” Tiptoe said, fluttering to the ground. “You guys don’t know what a telescope is?” Incendia said. Jigsaw shrugged. “Never heard of it.” “They’re used to look at stars and planets and stuff. They magnify things thousands of times.” “Oh, well, that would be why I haven’t heard of it,” Jigsaw said. “Didn’t have many heavens to observe in the caves.” “True. Why is it embedded in the tree, though? That’s really odd,” Incendia sai. “Hold on,” Jigsaw said. “Luna thinks she knows where this is. She says the tree is hollow and grew around the telescope- the door should be just around the bend.” “This thing is hollow?” Tiptoe said, staring up towards the canopy, far, far above her head. “That’s incredible.” “I don’t know that the whole thing is hollow,” Jigsaw said. “But at least the bottom is.” It only took them a moment more to find the door. It was nothing more than a corroded hunk of wood on rusty hinges. Flakes of paint still clung here and there to the rough, wooden surface. “Together,” Jigsaw said solemnly. “We go through the threshold together.” The three ponies lined up, side by side, and faced the doorway. Beyond it was a curtain of darkness. They stepped through the doorway. Instantly, Jigsaw’s fur stood on end. It felt as though he had just walked through a strong electric field. A small, aching pressure began to build at the base of his horn. “Did you feel that?” he asked. Incendia and Tiptoe nodded. “Let’s make this quick,” Jigsaw said. His horn sprang to life, shedding blue light through the room. Rows and rows of ancient, rotted books lined the wooden walls on shelves. Old language words Jigsaw had never seen before were faintly visible on the scraps that remained. Directly ahead of him, the fallen-in remains of a loft were visible. “What do we do— ah!” Tiptoe shouted as a sudden flash of light blinded the trio. A small orb of light, about the size of Jigsaw’s head, flew out of the ground. Angry jets of flame were shooting off the sphere in thin strands, reaching out several inches from the surface of the orb before collapsing back to join them. The surface spun and churned like the surface of a stormy, fiery sea. “It looks… angry,” Tiptoe noted. “Almost like the one from Stalliongrad.” “That was too easy,” Incendia said, her ears perking up. “We just walked in and found it. It’s never been that simple before.” “You’re right,” Jigsaw said. His stomach sank. “I don’t like this. When I collect this fragment, we make a break for the ship.” “Agreed,” Tiptoe and Incendia said together. Jigsaw walked forward and touched the tip of his horn to the roiling surface of the orb. Instantly, wind began to whip up through the room, swirling around Jigsaw and lifting him off the ground. The orb began to shrink in size, seeming to flow into Jigsaw’s horn, which began to glow with an intense golden light. Moments later, Jigsaw stood firmly on the floor, panting. “Are you okay?” Tiptoe asked. Jigsaw turned to face her and opened his eyes. They were solid disks of gold. When he spoke, Jigsaw’s voice was overlaid with another— a more mature, feminine voice, full of urgency. “Run!” A huge blast knocked the trio off their feet. Green flames billowed in from the doorway, igniting the piles of yellow paper stacked around the walls. “Tantalus!” Incendia shouted. She could feel the unnatural heat emanating off the flames. Jigsaw blinked, and his eyes returned to normal. He quickly scrambled to his hooves and said, “He was lying in wait the whole time! He’s … he’s going to try and kill me while I’m vulnerable. We need to get out, now!” “Stand back!” Incendia shouted. Her dark fur melted into bright flames, and she pointed her horn at the nearest wall of bark. “Cover your ears!” she shouted. Jigsaw and Tiptoe complied, scrambling back and pushing their ears down as hard as they could against their heads. Boom! Incendia’s horn flashed and a blast of hot air hit Jigsaw and Tiptoe with such force that Jigsaw thought he had been punched in the chest. He gasped for breath for a moment before his lungs finally unlocked and he drew in a gasping breath of hot, dry air. A smoking, gaping hole had been blasted into the wall. To his right, Tiptoe stood shakily to her feet, breathing heavily. She saw the hole Incendia had blasted and glanced back at Jigsaw and the quickly spreading green inferno, and sprinted towards the hole. Jigsaw followed moments later. “What’s going on?” Incendia shouted once they got outside. “Where’s Tantalus? By the Goddesses, which way is the airship?” “Celestia’s complete,” Jigsaw said quickly, “and she knew Tantalus was here. He’s attacking while they’re not strong enough to reform entirely. He’s stronger than they thought— he can hide himself from magical detection. We have to get out of here before— Ah!” Jigsaw doubled over as his horn flared with light. In the space before him a, a form began to shimmer into existence. Silvery white light began to flow out and into the form solidifying it, giving it substance. “Luna,” Tiptoe whispered in awe. Luna stood before them, still slightly transparent. Her coat was dark blue, and her mane flowed and rippled, reflecting celestial objects and events. She was at least twice as tall as any of the others. Jigsaw struggled back to his feet. “I thought you said you weren’t strong enough to reform!” “I am not,” Luna confirmed. “This is merely a projection. It is autonomous, but if it is destroyed, will temporarily rob me of the greater part of my power. It is my aim to protect you. My sister should follow shortly.” As if on cue, Jigsaw’s horn flared with light, and golden fire began to stream out of it. The shape that emerged was even taller than Luna— and even more regal. Celestia’s outline seemed to glow with the brilliance of the sun itself. When the golden fire finished flowing out of Jigsaw’s horn, Tiptoe and Incendia were at a loss for words. “Greetings,” Celestia said. “I only wish we were meeting under better circumstances. As it stands, we have to—“ “Have to what, dear sister?” came a deep, rumbling voice from somewhere out of sight. “Do not call me that,” Celestia said, her mouth twisting into a snarl. “You are no brother of mine.” “Such hostility!” Tantalus said with a wheezing laugh. With a flash of green light, he was standing before them. His scales were mottled blues, and his skin appeared to be bulging and bloated. His rows of black teeth glistened in the light from the flaming tree behind them. “I’ve been waiting for this,” he said, his voice suddenly quiet. “You’ve played into my plans quite nicely.” Incendia’s horn began to glow, and flames again roared to life around her. “We know what you are now,” Jigsaw said. “You can’t hide anything from us!” Tantalus chuckled. “And how does that information help you? You cannot be so blind as to see how you have assisted me every step of your journey.” Jigsaw furrowed his eyebrows, and Tantalus’ smile widened. “I have been trying for millennia to wipe the earth clean of the work of my sisters,” Tantalus explained. “Some cities of your kind have managed to escape my grasp. You allowed me into Stalliongrad, just as I asked you. You finally revealed the location of Totemhoof to me. I shall attend to it later. Even your underground home was destroyed as a direct result of your actions. You’ve expedited the death of this world far more than even my wildest dreams.” Celestia’s partially transparent horn began to glow, and she stepped between Jigsaw and Tantalus. “Run,” she said, and a beam of golden light shot from her horn and struck Tantalus in the face. Tantalus staggered and roared. The sound cut right through Jigsaw, and a stabbing pain shot through his head. Tantalus’ form began to glow and shimmer with sickly green light. Jets of green flame began to shoot out of the ground all around the ponies. “Run!” Celestia repeated. This time, Jigsaw heeded her words. He set off in a gallop around the tree; Incendia and Tiptoe hot on his trail. Flashes of bright light and deep, echoing booms emanated from behind them, shaking the loose pebbles on the ground and making it difficult for Jigsaw to maintain his speed. “There’s the airship!” Tiptoe shouted. “Once we get there, we can—\" Another blast drowned out the rest of Tiptoe's sentence as the huge tree behind them splintered and cracked, green fire beginning to burst out of the bark. Jigsaw didn't look back. He kept his head down and charged towards the airship. From somewhere behind him, a high-pitched, animalistic wail echoed out, along with a wave of magical energy that caused his flesh to feel as though it was burning. His vision blurred as tears of pain streamed down his face. Above him, the dark shape of Tantalus drifted into view, swatting madly at two bright, shining shapes that flitted in the air around his head, blasting him with novas of golden and white light. Suddenly, Jigsaw heard an electronic hum and the sounds of the blasts outside were slightly muffled. “Stop!” he shouted, skidding to a halt at the base of the airship. “We’re inside the shield. Is everyone okay?” Tiptoe and Incendia, to Jigsaw’s great relief, were right behind him, breathing heavily. “I think my right wing got singed,” Tiptoe said, stretching it out. “but I’ll be alright.” “I’m fine,” Incendia said. “What-“ Suddenly, the scene was illuminated with harsh, green light, and Jigsaw instinctively turned to find its source. A huge wreath of roiling, churning green flames surrounded Tantalus, expanding out rapidly like a tiny green sun. Jigsaw could feel the sickening influence of Tantalus’ magic, even behind the shield. Even the air seemed to be responding to the raw power, warping and contorting the light that passed by the expanding ball of flames. Celestia and Luna were beating a hasty retreat from the attack, diving down through the air towards the airship, the green ball of flames hot on their tail. With only seconds to spare, they slammed into the ground. The green fire collided with the airship’s shield, and suddenly the airship was encased in a glowing blue dome. The green light was replaced with a soft, shimmering blue, like the bottom of a clear pool of water. Celestia and Luna appeared unharmed, though Jigsaw noted he could see through them much more clearly than their initial appearance. “How much of this can the shields withstand?” Incendia asked in awe. “Not much, if he keeps this up,” Jigsaw said. “I wasn’t sure it would work at all. We need to get inside.” The roar of the fire stopped abruptly as the door of the airship closed behind them, and Jigsaw noticed for the first time that Tiptoe’s breaths were coming in short, ragged gasps. She was crying. “Are you okay?” Jigsaw said urgently. “You didn’t get hurt, did you?” Tiptoe shook her head and took a deep breath. “No. I’m sorry. I’m just… I’m just scared.” To the surprise of everypony assembled, Jigsaw began to laugh. “What’s so funny?” Incendia said harshly. “Did you all forget?” Jigsaw said. “We primed the weapon before we came here. He’s right where we want him. Incendia’s intense look of focus gave way to a huge grin. “Jigsaw, I could kiss you right now!” “Ask Tiptoe,” Jigsaw said, “and let’s get up to the bridge. You too, princesses!” Jigsaw dashed up the stairs, passing the extremely bemused princesses before they could get a word in edgewise. Halfway up the flight of metal stairs that led to the control room, the airship rocked to one side, tossing the mass of ponies against the wall. “What was that?” Jigsaw asked. “Tantalus is trying to break through the shield,” Celestia replied. “Are you sure this weapon is strong enough to defeat him?” “What do you think, Luna? It’s your airship, after all.” “It was my army’s,” Luna corrected. “I did not design it. It was designed for me, true, but I only piloted it twice. And... that was a very long time ago. Without a full diagnostic, I have no way of saying for certain.” “So, not no, then?” Incendia said with an impish grin. “That was good enough back in Stalliongrad. Let’s give that son of a bitch what he deserves.” Celestia gave a begrudging smile. “Though I can’t say I approve of your language, young lady, I must say that I admire your spirit.” Incendia gave Celestia a once-over. “Your spirit is looking pretty good, too.” Celestia’s partially transparent face flushed red, which was rather impressive, considering. “Incendia,” Tiptoe said tersely, “you can flirt with the immortal goddesses later. For now, let’s take care of the problem at hoof.” The magical fourth wall of the control room displayed a scene of utter carnage. Tantalus appeared berserk— he darted around outside the barriers of the shield, huge, leathery wings flapping furiously as he beat upon the shield. The huge tree in the center of Ponyville had become a towering inferno, green flames reaching up its side and high into the sky.", "“Your spirit is looking pretty good, too.” Celestia’s partially transparent face flushed red, which was rather impressive, considering. “Incendia,” Tiptoe said tersely, “you can flirt with the immortal goddesses later. For now, let’s take care of the problem at hoof.” The magical fourth wall of the control room displayed a scene of utter carnage. Tantalus appeared berserk— he darted around outside the barriers of the shield, huge, leathery wings flapping furiously as he beat upon the shield. The huge tree in the center of Ponyville had become a towering inferno, green flames reaching up its side and high into the sky. The smoke was now beginning to choke out the weak light from the sun. His eyes were flaming pits of green fire that left trails behind them when he moved. The veins that covered his body pulsed grotesquely. Even through the magical wall he seemed to be projecting power, radiating off waves of corrosive energy. The green light hurt Jigsaw’s eyes. Don’t think about it, he told himself. Focus on getting the weapon online. It’s going to work. Jigsaw once again hopped into the familiar commander’s chair and closed his eyes. His head was buzzing with all that had happened, just in the last twenty minutes. He could feel the goddesses’ spirits, still residing within his mind, burning brightly. Tendrils of light sprung from Jigsaw’s horn as he began to bend the machinery to his will. One by one, the tendrils spilt and branched out, forming a web of light that stretched over the room. The tendrils terminated at the various computer monitors that lined the walls of the room. One by one, they sprang to life. Tiptoe recognized some of the old-world words that flashed by, including “danger,” “malfunction,” and “overpressure”. “Uh, Jigsaw…?” she said hesitantly. “It’s all or nothing here, Tiptoe,” Jigsaw said. “I have to push it.” The airship began to rumble, and not from Tantalus’ continued blows against the shield. Tiptoe recognized the familiar clamor of the engines beginning to fire. “Celestia, Luna, can you make a shield of your own? To protect us?” Jigsaw said, his voice oscillating due to the quaking of the ship. “Yes, but we could not last against Tantalus indefinitely. Why do you—” “Make it now,” Jigsaw interrupted. “This is going to get messy.” Celestia and Luna closed their eyes as Jigsaw hopped off the command chair. A tiny sphere of brightly shimmering white light surrounded them. The screens lining the walls of the command room stopped flashing, the text replaced by a simple red screen. ~~~ Tantalus realized too late what has happening. With a bright flash of light and a sound like someone sounding a huge gong, a ball of white light as large as Tantalus himself was fired out of one of the barrels and engulfed him. The light seemed to eat away at his very being. Tantalus shrieked with surprise and outrage as his flesh boiled away, dissolving into smoke. Down below, another white light was beginning to build up inside the airship’s barrel, but this one didn’t fire out. It fired up. ~~~ Even though he knew it could happen, the severity of the explosion rocked him. The calm control room burst suddenly into blinding light and deafening sound and they were hurled around inside the shield as they tumbled through space. Fortunately, the princesses’ shield functioned as advertised, protecting them from the damaging effects of the blast. After a few minutes of confused screaming and tumbling, they came to a stop. The airship was utterly decimated. The gigantic structure lay burning on the ground before them, a huge, gaping hole visible in the smoldering envelope. “Jigsaw,” Incendia said numbly, “You’re insane.” Tiptoe began to chuckle, then broke out laughing. Before too long, Jigsaw and Incendia joined in, the laughter growing in intensity until it reached near hysterical levels. Even Celestia allowed herself a smile, though she did say, “That was a foolishly dangerous move. If we’d suffered a direct hit, I don’t know that we would have survived.” Jigsaw took several deep breaths, tears of relief streaming down his face. “Yeah, but it worked, didn’t it?” Celestia did a slow 360, searching the skies. “I suppose it did,” Celestia said. “The shield around the airship would be down, and he would not hesitate to attack us now.” She smiled a warm, kind grin that reminded Jigsaw somewhat of his mother. “Congratulations, Jigsaw. That little stunt may well have saved the world.” ~~~ At the base of the burning tree, buried under an innocuous mound of dirt, a small, cracked blue gemstone started to vibrate. Golden light flared from its core as the mound collapsed, exposing the gem to the light of day. The golden light faded to darkness, and a green pulse began to beat softly. ~~~ “Can we just take a minute?” Tiptoe suggested, sitting down on the shattered cobblestone. “I need some time to just digest stuff.” “I’m just happy we’re alive,” Jigsaw said, smiling. “You know,” Incendia said, still giggling, “I thought I’d seen everything trying to undermine Rubidium’s government, but you’re crazier than I ever was.” “Payed off, though,” Jigsaw said. “We’re down one airship, but we’re up two goddesses and down one evil god. I’ll count that as a win.” Incendia and Jigsaw sat next to Tiptoe on the uneven cobblestone and stared at the burning wreckage of the airship and at the dying flames that still licked weakly up the side of the tree. “Celestia?” Tiptoe said. The projection of Celestia jumped and turned to face her. “Didn’t mean to startle you,” Tiptoe said. “I was just wondering… you know, how you’re doing. Luna had some time to adjust to being in Jigsaw’s body before she had to fight.” Celestia smiled. “I appreciate your concern. The part of my essence that was tapped for so long to power Rubidium’s shield… I’m glad my sister was here to help me recover. I may not have had the power to act as swiftly as I did otherwise.” “What’s our next move?” Incendia asked the group. “What can we do now that the airship is gone?” “I guess it’s the same as the old plan,” Jigsaw said. “We just wait for the princesses to recover their full power, manifest fully, then we all storm Tantalus’ lair and destroy his gem. How long do you think it will take you to recover?” He directed this last sentence towards the pair of alicorns standing awkwardly apart from the group. “I would guess several days,” Luna said. “We should recover quickly with a host as ideal as you.” “That’s… good to know, I guess,” Jigsaw said. “You can hide us from detection from Tantalus?” Luna’s head fell. “I apologize I did not sense him waiting for us here,” she said. “Without my sister, I was… weak. I overestimated myself and put us all in danger.” “Oh, Luna, you always were too hard on yourself. I’m just glad we’re back together again,” Celestia said, with a warm, motherly smile. For a moment, the five of them stared out over Ponyville, the three young ponies and the two ageless alicorns, and everything was at peace. “Wait,” Celestia said, breaking the peaceful silence. “Something’s not right.” “What is it?” Tiptoe said anxiously. “I sense it too,” Luna said slowly, “but it couldn’t be. He would not be so foolish.” “He had enough foresight to attack us here,” Celestia countered. “He may be arrogant enough to have brought it with him.” “Brought what?” Jigsaw said. In answer, a huge flare of green light burst from the base of the burned-out husk of the tree. “Oh no,” Tiptoe said, oh, Goddesses! He’s brought the crystal! He’s reforming right now!” “What do we do?” Incendia said, her normally calm voice quivering with fear. “Sister?” Luna said, her voice tinged with desperation. “We’re too weak to destroy the crystal.” “I know,” Celestia said. “So that’s it?” Incendia said belligerently. “We make it this far, but, ‘nope, the world is doomed because we didn’t think that maybe Tantalus might realize what we’re doing’? That’s bullshit!” “Incendia, calm down,” Celestia said cooly. “I will not calm down!” Incendia fumed. “Tantalus destroyed my city. He’s killed millions over the millennia! Probably billions! You’re telling me that once we actually bring the goddesses back from the dead, that’s when we’re doomed?” “Incendia!” Celestia snapped. “There is a way.” “Then what is it?” Incendia asked. “Jigsaw,” Celestia said, turning her gaze in his direction, “did Luna already warn you?” Jigsaw swallowed. The color seemed to drain from his face. “Y-yes,” he stammered, “but is that really necessary? I mean, what if I just run into the forest and you hold him off?” Celestia shook her head. “We would not be strong enough to keep your location secret. He’d find you soon enough.” “Warned him of what?” Tiptoe said. Her stomach felt as though it had suddenly become weightless. “I didn’t think it was important,” Jigsaw began, talking quickly. “I didn’t think it would become relevant, but… last night, Luna told me of… the emergency contingency plan. If everything seems like… like it’s going to end badly, there’s a way out. If I willingly sacrifice my life for the princesses, if I give up my life energy for them, they’ll be able to reform instead of fading away.” A moment of shocked silence followed this announcement, then Tiptoe spoke. “You— you’re kidding, right?” she said, forcing out a laugh. “You can’t be serious.” “I’m so, so sorry,” Celestia said, “If there was any other possibility, I would suggest that, but there isn’t. This is the only way I can foresee.” “I can’t believe this!” Tiptoe shouted, her fear giving way to anger. “You are just as bad as Tantalus! You’re just going to let him die now? After everything he did for you? You’ve been messing around in his head for weeks! We’ve put ourselves in harm’s way more times than I can count trying to save your sorry flanks! Sure, maybe the world is a little safer under your rule, but you’re just as willing to let ponies die to get what you want!” “Tiptoe,” Jigsaw began, but she continued right over him. “I’m not sure any of you are worth the trouble! If this is what we have to do to survive, maybe we don’t deserve to!” Celestia and Luna looked as though Tiptoe had physically hurt them. Jigsaw walked in between them. “Tiptoe, you know that’s not fair. They were forced into this, and if there was any other way, they’d take it. Trust me, they’re in my head. This wasn’t entirely unforeseen, and… I’ll do it.” Jigsaw’s stomach felt as though it was boiling. Every muscle in his body, ever fiber of his being was screaming at him to run, to get as far away as he possibly could, but he forced himself to remain still. “What… Jigsaw, no, you can’t!” Tiptoe screamed. Tears began to flow, hot and wet, down the side of her face. “I can and I have to,” Jigsaw said. Behind him, the green mist pouring out of the gem began to coalesce and was forming the outline of a reptilian skeleton. “I don’t want you to go,” Tiptoe whispered. Jigsaw leaned close and kissed her. For that moment, the rest of the world melted away, and it was just him, just him and Tiptoe, and he became painfully aware of the life he wasn’t going to live with her. “I love you,” he said. “Don’t ever forget that. Be happy. Goddesses, I love you.” Despite his best effort, tears began to well up in the corners of his eyes. His legs began to tremble as his fear began to show. “Incendia,” Jigsaw said, turning away from Tiptoe, “it’s been an honor travelling with you. Take care of Tiptoe for me.” Incendia nodded and swallowed hard. “You’re the bravest pony I’ve ever met, Jigsaw,” she said. “Godspeed.” “Celestia, Luna” Jigsaw said nodding to each of them. “You’ll never be forgotten,” Celestia said, voice full of conviction. “Not so long as I’m alive.” “Goodbye, everypony,” Jigsaw said. “It’s been an honor.” “No!” he heard Tiptoe’s voice shouted as he turned to walk towards the green mist that Tantalus’ still-forming body was encased in. He glanced back in time to see Incendia embracing Tiptoe as she struggled to get out and run to his side. He turned back towards the mist. He could feel his heart racing as he walked, pounding against his ribcage as if it wanted to escape from his body and avoid the fate he knew awaited him. Jigsaw’s eyes were drawn towards a small, green shoot of grass poking up between shattered cobblestone. He noted, with interest, the vines curing around the support structures of the ancient buildings. Distantly, he was aware that Tantalus' skin was closing up over his muscles. Tantalus stepped out from the swirling mist. His skin was slick and dark, as though he had just stepped out of water. His mouth was twisted into a grin, the rows of razor-sharp black teeth clearly visible. “I did not expect you to come to me,” Tantalus said. At such close range, his voice was painful in Jigsaw’s ears. “This is perhaps your first intelligent move. You cannot win against me.” Tantalus leaned in close to Jigsaw, bringing his massive, reptilian head close to Jigsaw. Jigsaw had to fight to keep himself in place. Tantalus’ breath felt searing against his skin and it smelled of burning plastic. His eyes were pits filled with green fire. “There’s only one thing I don’t understand,” Jigsaw said, fighting to keep the fear out of his voice. “And what is that?” “What’s the significance of Rarity?” Tantalus’ eyes narrowed and his mouth curled into a snarl. “Your death will be slow,” he hissed, his voice somehow more animalistic and unnatural. “Your friend’s deaths will be slower.” Jigsaw’s resolve almost broke as one of Tiptoe’s anguished sobs echoed through the ruins, and he reflexively took a step back from Tantalus and towards Tiptoe. Tantalus’ claw whipped through the air and grabbed Jigsaw around the neck, raising him high into the air. “I want you to see her face,” Tantalus hissed. Tiptoe was actively fighting Incendia now, flapping her wings furiously and screaming as Incendia braced herself against the shattered cobblestone, her hooves hooked resolutely under an overhang of rock, forcing Tiptoe to stay rooted to the earth. “Bear witness!” Tantalus bellowed. “My final victory is at hand!” Tantalus raised the claw that was not holding Jigsaw and raked a talon across Jigsaw’s chest. Jigsaw screamed in pain as his skin split. Scarlet blood began to flow, hot and fast, down over his chest, soaking his lower body. He struggled and squirmed in Tantalus’ grip, trying to slip out. Jigsaw froze as he saw Tiptoe’s eyes grew wide as blood began to flow from his body. Her wings stopped flapping, and Incendia closed her eyes, tears steaming against her coat. Jigsaw saw her mouth move, but the sound seemed to take a long time to reach him, as though it was being echoed down a long tunnel. His name. The last thing he was aware of was Tantalus’ claw closing over his head, a sharp shock, and darkness. ~~~ Tiptoe watched in silent horror as Tantalus grasped Jigsaw’s head and gave a twist. The snapping sound of Jigsaw’s neck seemed to reverberate through the space. Instantly, Celestia and Luna vanished, popping out of existence as if they’d never been there at all. Incendia let go of Tiptoe in shock and horror. Tiptoe didn’t attempt to move. They stood, rooted in place, as Tantalus let Jigsaw’s lifeless form slide out of his claw and onto the blood-soaked ground. “It didn’t work,” Incendia said, staring at Jigsaw’s corpse. “They just vanished. It didn’t work.” “Jigsaw,” Tiptoe said, her voice unusually small. “No.” Tantalus began to laugh, a low rumbling that soon built to a hysterical pitch. “Nothing can stop me now,” he gloated. “The self-proclaimed princesses are dead, and the world is left to me!” Incendia took a shuddering breath, and her horn flared into life. Her coat once more melted into twisting flames, first orange, then blue, then into a white so bright and hot Tiptoe had to avert her eyes. “How quaint,” Tantalus said. “Even after your last hope has been extinguished, you still hope to fight?” Incendia responded by letting out an inarticulate, primal scream and charging at Tantalus. She felt an incredible surge of power flowing through her, fueled by her anger and grief, and she directed it at Tantalus. The stone beneath her hooves began to give way, turning red and molten, as a huge burst of light and heat flew in Tantalus’ direction. The smug smile dropped off of Tantalus’ face as the fireball raced towards him. He raised one claw and testily sliced through it, diverting its flow around him. “You dare—” Tantalus began, but Incendia didn’t let up for a second. Tantalus was forced to beat his leathery wings and shoot upward into the air to avoid the barrage of flames. Incendia’s hooves began to protest— the puddle of molten rock was too hot even for her, but she didn’t notice. She was driven by one single, all-consuming desire: to cause Tantalus as much pain as possible. One of the bolts of fire caught Tantalus in his left shoulder, the force of the blast knocking him back to the ground. To Incendia’s satisfaction, he let out an exclamation of surprise and anger. “Incendia!” Tiptoe shouted. Incendia ignored her, taking the opportunity to blast the momentarily stunned Tantalus with a stream of white flames. Tantalus regained his wits quickly and stood up, the white flames seeming to do no more than push him back. He inhaled as though to breathe fire, but a sudden shock sent both Incendia and Tantalus tumbling to the ground. Incendia was thrown out of the puddle of molten rock and the white-hot fire sputtered out as her concentration was broken. “Incendia! Look!” Tiptoe shouted, pointing her hoof in the direction of the tree. Incendia glanced in the direction Tiptoe was pointing and the light in her horn extinguished itself. Even Tantalus appeared to be taken aback by what was occurring. A brilliant, swirling rainbow of colors was flowing from the tip of Jigsaw’s horn, forming a funnel of color that expanded outwards from his body. The ground gave another great heave as a shockwave rippled out from Jigsaw. “What is this? !” Tantalus roared. He let out a blast of green flames, but when they met the swirling torrent of rainbow light, they sparkled and flared brightly, the flames simply stopping at the border of the light. “It’s working,” Incendia said in awe. “It’s working!” The ground began to shake and rumble as the funnel grew in size and brilliance. Inexorably, it advanced upwards, climbing until it was higher than the monolithic tree. Tiptoe watched, mesmerized, as the sky itself seemed to react to the whirling column of light. Light and color flashed in streaks across the sky, seeming to race towards and into the funnel, until the entire sky was taken up with a patchwork of multicolored lights, snaking across the sky like a ribbon. Abruptly, the funnel of light flashed and began to race back towards the ground, and a roar so loud and deep Incendia and Tiptoe cringed echoed out through the air, as though the sky itself was being torn. The light slammed into the ground, leaving behind two balls of light so bright Incendia and Tiptoe had to squint to look directly at it. The lights began to quickly lose brilliance, fading until they resembled the familiar shapes of Celestia and Luna. “Impossible!” Tantalus wailed. “I killed the host! I saw you vanish! I cannot be beaten!” Celestia stepped forward, the last of the light fading from her form. “You always did underestimate them,” Celestia said. “The mortal ponies. You never saw their inherent power.” “How is this possible?” Tantalus growled. Luna stepped out of the light next. “The sacrifice,” Luna said, her voice uncharacteristically fierce. “Jigsaw gave his life to save his friends. To save us. To save everyone on this earth from you. That has power.” “Power,” Celestia said, extending her wings to their full span, “that we can use.” She flapped her wings and twisted back through the air, corkscrewing through the air towards the tree. Tantalus roared and shot another jet of green fire at her, but Luna interceded, her horn flashing and dispersing the blast, seemingly without effort. Celestia touched down at the base of the tree and her horn began to glow. A small cracked blue gem rose out of the soil, and Tantalus’ eyes grew wide. For the first time, Incendia saw fear in them. Celestia placed the gem on the ground before her and crushed it with a hoof, shattering the fragile crystal like glass. For a moment, nothing happened, and the group stood in tense silence. Then Tantalus began to scream. His voice grew in volume and pitch until it seemed to be the only sound in the world, a sound of pure agony and pain, and the green fire burning in the pits of his eyes faded. Tantalus’ body slumped to the ground, unmoving. Incendia barely had time to blink before a small orb of flickering green light rose out of Tantalus’ mouth. It appeared superficially similar to the fragments of Celestia and Luna they had encountered, but it seemed as though it was constantly bulging and snapping back to a sphere, as though it was fighting against some force that aimed to keep it in shape. Then, with a loud crack, the orb began to elongate and take on a new shape. Celestia and Luna watched the scene unfold grimly. The creature touched down on the parched earth. It resembled an alicorn— vaguely. Its neck and legs were hideously elongated. The wings were misshapen and malformed, and the horn bent sharply at the midsection. Its outline appeared fuzzy and shifted constantly. “It’s good to see you as you once were,” Celestia said, her voice dripping with venom. “Only now, you don’t have any tie to chaos or your host body.” Tantalus took a step back, small, green fires remaining where his ephemeral hooves touched the ground. “Do you have any final words?” Luna said, walking to his sisters side. “Luna,” Tantalus said. His voice seemed to crackle like lightning, but he seemed to has lost his former bass timbre. “We have shared power before. I gave you freedom when your sister sought to imprison you as she did me. Join me once more and we shall rule, together!” “I have made my choice,” Luna said coolly. “I side with order.” “Celestia,” Tantalus said, a note of desperation creeping into his voice. “You need me. The world needs me! Without me, there will be no balance!” “Balance,” scoffed Celestia. “You don’t care for balance. You just care for destruction. You don’t differentiate between what is good and what is evil. You exist to seek imbalance.” “Goodbye,” Luna said coldly, “and good riddance.” Their horns began to glow as Tantalus let out an agonized wail. Jets of light shot from their horns and wrapped around him, encasing Tantalus in a cocoon of light. The cocoon began to shrink, and Celestia and Luna began to chant something— something whose words gave Incendia and Tiptoe a splitting headache and blurred their vision. When the light had shrunk to a mere pinprick, Celestia and Luna’s head snapped in their direction, and a tiny, glowing sphere surrounded them. Seconds later, the pinprick of light exploded, and Incendia and Tiptoe lost consciousness. ~~~ Tiptoe’s eyes fluttered open to see Celestia leaning over her, horn glowing. Her skin felt warm, and she realized Celestia was healing her. With some effort, she raised her head, just in time to see skin close up over a wound in her side. “What happened?” she said weakly. “I’m glad you’re awake,” Celestia responded, smiling. “I’m sorry you had to see that. That was… I guess you could call it Tantalus’ death rattle. He’s… he’s not here anymore.” Tiptoe nodded and began to slip back into sleep, but a sudden thought jolted her upright. “Jigsaw!” she shouted. Celestia withdrew her head quickly. “Now, don’t get up so fast, you got pretty knocked around, even with the shield.", "That was… I guess you could call it Tantalus’ death rattle. He’s… he’s not here anymore.” Tiptoe nodded and began to slip back into sleep, but a sudden thought jolted her upright. “Jigsaw!” she shouted. Celestia withdrew her head quickly. “Now, don’t get up so fast, you got pretty knocked around, even with the shield. You need to-“ “Did you bring him back?” Tiptoe asked urgently. “I saw that light coming out of his horn, and you healed me. Surely you can-“ “I can’t,” Celestia interrupted, a sad smile on her face. “Nothing can bring the dead back. Not even my sister or I.” Tiptoe’s heart felt as though it had dropped into her stomach. Unbidden, tears welled up in her eyes and streamed down her cheeks. “I’m sorry,” Celestia said. “We all have lost loved ones. He died a hero.” Tiptoe didn’t say anything for a moment, then managed to choke out, “Is Incendia alive?” Celestia’s smile wasn’t tinged with sadness this time. “Incendia!” she called. “Tiptoe’s awake!” Incendia trotted into view a moment later, her mane tattered and walking with a pronounced limp, but visually no worse for wear. Her expression was a mixture of relief and grief. Tiptoe stood to her hooves unsteadily and, after a moment, embraced Incendia and began to sob audibly. “I know,” Incendia cooed, “I know.” Celestia and Luna glanced at each other. “Is it time?” Luna said. “I think it’s greatly overdue,” Celestia said. “Tiptoe, Incendia, you may want to look west.” Celestia and Luna’s horns began to glow once more. Celestia slowly lowered her horn to the ground as Luna flew upwards. Incendia gasped at the result. The sun, huge and red in the western sky, began to move. In fits and starts, like an old machine that needed oiled, the sun slipped lower in the sky, until finally, the sun set on Ponyville for the first time in a long time, the dying light casting red streaks over the clouds. The group sat there, Celestia and Luna staring solemnly at the horizon, Tiptoe weeping silently into Incendia’s shoulder, bearing witness to the end of what had been, after all, a very long day. The End Epilogue One Year Later The sirens still went off in the morning, even though they didn’t have to. The rising sun streamed in through the window onto Tiptoe’s face as her eyes opened slowly. She still had trouble getting used to seeing the sun move. As she did every morning, she debated just staying in bed. She had another royal function to attend— nothing to look forward to but a day of Celestia and Luna parading her around Totemhoof’s socialites. She wondered if that was better or worse than the tedium of her day job- managing the weather. She rolled out of bed and onto the soft cloud floor. She left her royal dress in the closet. Her breakfast was a simple meal— a selection of fruits and berries she scarfed down quickly. She had made her decision. She wasn’t going to go to the royal function or work. She left her home and flapped her wings, taking flying up and over the aerial section of Totemhoof. When she saw the hole in the clouds that allowed access to the terrestrial city, she folded her wings in close to her body and dove down. It was still early in the morning, so she didn’t have to fight against the flood of pegasi that would normally be commuting to the sky to work. Totemhoof glistened below her, nestled in the shadowed valley. The sun was just beginning to peak over the top of one of the huge hills that surrounded it. The buildings had been heavily modernized in the year since the Day of Rebirth, partially due to Celestia and Luna taking residence in the city, and partially because of the Stalliongrad scientists lending their expertise to the citizens. Tiptoe touched down in a small, green park, only dimly illuminated by the sun at the early hour. In the center of the park, a small, domed structure stood, a single black-clad pegasus standing guard at the door. At the tip of the dome, a beautiful, golden statue of a pony stood. Flowers and gifts surrounded the tomb. The floral scent in the space was almost overpowering. Tiptoe approached the tomb and towards the beautifully carved marble door. She didn’t need to speak to the guard. He extended a hoof and quickly entered a sequence of numbers into a keypad at the base of the door. The marble door slowly swung inward. A sarcophagus of solid gold sat in the center of the room, adorned with only a single word: “Jigsaw”. Tiptoe nodded at the guard and the door slowly swung shut behind her. “Sorry I didn’t bring any flowers,” Tiptoe said to the sarcophagus. “I didn’t think you’d want any, anyway.” As she spoke, her voice became more and more strained, but she didn’t cry. She’d learned how to hide the tears. “I miss you so much,” she said. “There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think about you. Sometimes I wonder if it was all worth it. Maybe we should have just stayed underground and made a life in that subway car or something. It would have been enough, if you were with me. Without you, I’m just… I’m lost.” Tiptoe jumped as the heavy marble door swung open again and Incendia walked in, a small bag of bright red berries floating in front of her. “Tiptoe!” she exclaimed. “I’m sorry, I’ll just—” “It’s okay,” Tiptoe interrupted. “You have just as much a right to be here as I do.” Incendia shuffled her hooves awkwardly and said, “Thanks. I brought some bloodberries. It’s not much, but… I remembered he liked them when I brought them that once.” “Seems so long ago,” Tiptoe said wistfully. “I haven’t gotten to see you in a while,” Incendia said tentatively. “I can’t seem to find you at the royal functions.” Tiptoe squirmed uncomfortably. She always tried to get out of the functions as quickly as possible— it hadn’t really dawned on her Incendia might be looking for her. “What have you been up to?” Incendia asked. “Managing the weather,” Tiptoe said. “Regulating the rainfall on crops and things. It’s an important job. What about you?” “Manufacturing, mostly. Smithing alloys and other metallurgy. Helping the Stalliongrad refugees integrate.” “That’s nice,” Tiptoe said, without much feeling. The silence between them stretched out uncomfortably until Tiptoe said, “How’s your personal life? Found a special somepony?” “No,” Incendia said quickly. “No, I haven’t. What about…?” “No,” Tiptoe murmured. “Tiptoe,” Incendia said, her voice soft, “Are you alright?” Suddenly, it was as if the year Tiptoe had spent hardening herself had never happened. She broke down, her breath coming in ragged gasps as sorrow overtook her. “I’m not!” she said, louder than she intended. “I don’t feel happy. That was one of the last things he told me and I’m not doing it! I don’t know how I’m supposed to go on without him! I’m failing him, I’m failing myself and Totemhoof, and I don’t know how much longer I can—” Incendia interrupted her by gently laying her head across Tiptoe’s neck and gently nuzzling. “I’m so sorry,” Incendia said. “I know how you feel. There’s not a day that goes by I don’t think about what happened last year. But… you should know I’m always there for you.” Tiptoe took a deep, shuddering breath, and said, “Thank you. I needed to hear that.” “Tell you what,” Incendia said, “How about we just skip the royal function altogether today? I’ll go the market, get a lot of tasty food, and we can go back to my place and I’ll cook it up, and we can talk over dinner. Anything you want to talk about. Just the two of us.” Tiptoe smiled, a real, genuine smile, for the first time in a long time. “I’d like that.” The sirens went off that night, even though they didn’t have to. Neither of them had any intention of sleeping." ]

[ "The Vinyl Scratch Tapes First Transcript: The Celestia Interview [In the year 1001 of the Celestian calendar, Equestrian scientists developed advanced magic making it possible to broadcast music over long distances. This innovation was called “radio,” and quickly became a sensation throughout Equestria. For a period of time, only one frequency playing classical music was available. This changed when a popular young disk jockey with the stage name DJ-P0n3 (born Vinyl Scratch) formally proposed the creation of an independent radio station called K-COLT. It was approved, with DJ-P0n3 as the host. In addition to playing rock-and-roll and other popular music, DJ-P0n3 also hosted the first Equestrian talk show known as “The Vinyl Scratch.” These broadcasts were recorded for historical significance. What follows is a transcript of the first morning broadcast of the Vinyl Scratch]. DJ-P0n3: Goooooood morning, Equestria! The sun is up and so are you! You’re listening to K-COLT and it’s time for THE VINYL SCRATCH. [Record is scratched repeatedly]. DJ-P0n3: Yes that’s right, the best show on the airwaves by virtue of being the only show on the airwaves. But even if it wasn’t, no other station would have me, the turntable temptress herself, DJ-P0n3! Droppin’ all the hits and rockin’ all of Equestria! [Indistinct mumble is heard away from mic]. DJ-P0n3: Oh, don’t be such a killjoy. We’re here to have fun! [Cough.] Forgive me, listeners. Apparently when I pitched the idea for this station, the Princess thought it necessary to assign me a co-host. Allow me to introduce my lovely assistant, Octavia. Octavia: Pleased to meet you all. [Long pause.] DJ-P0n3: What? Octavia: “Lovely” assistant? DJ-P0n3: It’s a compliment. Something wrong with that? Octavia: Well, no, it’s just a little ... odd. DJ-P0n3: Okay, so you don’t want me to call you lovely. I can deal with that. Octavia: Wait, I didn’t-- DJ-P0n3: My homely, train-wreck of an co-host will be here to give you all perspective on jazz and classical music, while I comment on music ponies actually listen to. Octavia: Lots of ponies love classical music! DJ-P0n3: Yes, usually the same ponies who play shuffleboard and no longer have any of their original teeth left. [Octavia mumbles angrily]. Octavia: Philistine. Let’s just get on with the show. DJ-P0n3: Alright then! Today we’ve got a very special treat for all you foals and fillies out there! We have an interview with the boss pony herself! That’s right, we have the one, the only Princess Celestia here in the studio! Not bad for our first show, eh?! [Sounds of objects hitting the floor] Octavia: W-will you sit back down? You’re going to break something! DJ-P0n3: Psh! Yeah right. This is all my equipment. It’s just like me: durable, made to last, and flexible! Not like your -- hmmm -- what instrument did you play again? Octavia: The cello but-- DJ-P0n3: Right! It’s not flimsy like your stupid cello. [Octavia sighs.] Octavia: [Muttering.] It’s too late to quit, isn’t it? DJ-P0n3: Yep. Anyway! It’s time to give the ponies what they want! Let’s bring Celestia on in here. Octavia: Right after a word from our sponsors. Vinyl, why don’t you go ahead with the ad? [Pause.] Octavia: Go ahead Vinyl. [Another pause.] DJ-P0n3: We ... have sponsors? Octavia: [Shouting.] Do you ever pay any attention to anything?! We had a meeting this morning about it! DJ-P0n3: Oh. Right. That. [Silence.] Why don’t you do the honors this week, Octy? Octavia: How can you possibly be my boss?! And don’t call me Octy! [Octavia instantly switches to a sweet tone of voice, as if nothing had happened.] Octavia: Today’s episode of the Vinyl Scratch is brought to Musky Mustang Hoof Polish, the only waterproof hoof polish on the market and 20% less expensive than the leading brand. Musky Mustang is a must-have! DJ-P0n3: [Giggle.] Sell-out. Octavia: What’d you say? DJ-P0n3: We’ll be right back with that interview! Until then, here are some of the latest tunes. [INTERMISSION] [After approximately fifteen minutes of songs, the show abruptly resumes. For several minutes, DJ-P0n3 and Octavia seem unaware they are on the air.] Octavia: [Whispering.] It’s just that you seemed to be egging me on. DJ-P0n3: [Whispering.] Yeah but-- Octavia: Do you enjoy messing with me or something? DJ-P0n3: Well, of course. Octavia: What? Why? What’s wrong with you? DJ-P0n3: Hey listen-- Octavia: I don’t believe yo-- DJ-P0n3: Listen. Listen to me. It’s what they want. Octavia: What are you talking about? DJ-P0n3: It’s what the audience wants. They want to be entertained. Octavia: Making fun of me is supposed to be entertaining? DJ-P0n3: Yes. Yes, that is exactly what I’m saying. Octavia: Maybe the punk outfit you associate with would enjoy that, but civilized ponies like myself wouldn’t like such drivel. It is base and vulgar! DJ-P0n3: Trust me, relax. Enjoy it. You just have to argue back. Octavia: I can’t do that. I have a reputation to uphold. DJ-P0n3: You were fighting with me fine a few minutes ago. Octavia: That wasn’t fighting. That was called being the voice of reason. I imagine you’ve never heard that before. DJ-P0n3: Whatever, just play along, okay? Now when we go back on, hit me with a really good one, see how it feels, and I’m sure you’ll start to like it. Know what I mean? Octavia: ... you’re a sociopath. That’s all there is to it. I’m working for a crazy pony. DJ-P0n3: You’re cute when you’re mad. Octavia: And another thing! Stop with ... um ... does that red light mean we’re on? DJ-P0n3: Wha? OH CRAP! [Sounds of loud thumping against the mike, followed by the broadcast cutting out for half a minute.] DJ-P0n3: And we’re back! Sorry about that, folks. We had some technical difficulties. Caused by, um, technical ... things. But we’re fine now! So we’re about to bring Princess Celestia into the studio now but first, I think Octavia had something to say. [Silence] Octavia: [Whispering.] Now? DJ-P0n3: [Whisper] Yes, dummy. Octavia: Um, yes. Well. Miss Vinyl, you are … DJ-P0n3: Yeah? Octavia: A ... horrible individual to know. Yes! And you should, um, learn some manners and act like a productive member of society! You... rascal. [Long pause.] Octavia: [Whisper.] Did, did I do it wrong? DJ-P0n3: [Barely keeping herself from laughing] No, no. Not at all. [Clears throat.] And now, listeners, we won’t keep you waiting a moment longer! It’s time to bring out Princess Celestia! [Sound of rickety door opening and shutting.] Octavia: Your Majesty! It is an honor for you to grace us with your prescience. Celestia: No, the pleasure is all mine. I am enjoying the show so far. DJ-P0n3: Oh reeeeeeaaally? Hm, Octavia, what was that you were just saying? Octavia: Vinyl... DJ-P0n3: Something about anypony who likes this being base and vulg- Octavia: Princess! Thank you for joining us. Why not start telling the listeners about yourself? Celestia: Hm. Well, my sister and I created Equestria. So there’s that. I’ve been princess ever since then. I like to think I do a pretty good job. I sincerely want to make every citizen in Equestria happy. DJ-P0n3: Still single? Celestia: Pardon? DJ-P0n3: Nevermind. Octavia: Any hobbies? Celestia: In my spare time, I enjoy teaching. I’ve actually been helping my sister a lot as of late. Octavia: Aww, isn’t that nice? DJ-P0n3: Ah. Since you brought it up, how is your sister doing? Celestia: Great. She’s just been having some ... difficulties adjusting to modern life. DJ-P0n3: And that would be because she was imprisoned on the moon? Celestia: Yes. DJ-P0n3: For a thousand years? Celestia: That’s right. DJ-P0n3: By you? Celestia: [Pause.] Yes. I-it’s not something I was terribly proud of. DJ-P0n3: I see. Well then, why don’t we talk about that a little, shall we? Octavia: Um, Vinyl? What are you doing? DJ-P0n3: Princess Celestia! Is it not true you and Luna were very close? Celestia: Yes, and-- DJ-P0n3: From what I recall, Princess Luna simply wanted to be appreciate more? Isn’t it true that’s what started the troubles? Octavia: Seriously, what are you doing? [Princess Celestia starts to say something, but is cut off] DJ-P0n3: Didn’t she want the night to be longer? Isn’t that all she’s guilty of? I’d say throwing her on the moon is a pretty steep punishment, wouldn’t you? Octavia: I-- I just want to say I’m not with her. Can we just make that clear? DJ-P0n3: Princess, do you really think that was the correct decision? Celestia: That ... my sister was very proud of her nights. They were beautiful. On a clear one, you could see every star that ever was. She wanted everypony in Equestria to enjoy it. B- but she became jealous and refused to raise the sun. I tried to reason with her. I truly did. But she wouldn’t listen. Her jealousy and bitterness transformed her into Nightmare Moon. Everypony was so frightened, they didn’t know what was happening. I had to do something. I had no choice but to-- DJ-P0n3: But to space her. Celestia: T-that’s a bit out of context. DJ-P0n3: Fair enough. Please explain the context of hurling your little sister into the dark reaches of space. Octavia: Please stop. Celestia: I tried to avoid that. I attempted diplomacy first, but she would not listen. I … I had to do it. DJ-P0n3: Okay, so you said you tried reasoning with her. That didn’t work. So your next logical plan was intergalactic exile? Celestia: I-- DJ-P0n3: I mean, I’m sure there were other options. I don’t want to seem like a backseat deity, but I would probably, you know, try a few other things before jumping to “ENJOY SPACE, LITTLE SIS!” Celestia: That’s not what happened at all! It tore my heart out to do that. I never wanted to do that to my dear sister! Octavia: [Muttering.] This can’t be real. I’m dreaming. I’m dreaming and we’re not actually tearing apart the princess live, destroying my entire career. We’re not. DJ-P0n3: Did you ever visit her on the moon? Celestia: Well. [Pause.] No. No, I … suppose I didn’t. DJ-P0n3: Not even once. For a thousand years? That doesn’t seem very kind to your “dear” sister? Celestia: That … she’s fine now! We hold no ill will towards each other! She understands what I had to do. DJ-P0n3: Fine? Oh I beg to differ. According to my sources, Princess Luna is afraid of microwaves and modern technology! That doesn’t seem so fine to me! Octavia: I’d just like to announce I have no idea how this pony got into the studio. I am not affiliated with her in any way, she just started rambling and wouldn’t leave. Never seen her before in my life. Celestia: She’s not afraid, she’s just ... curious. DJ-P0n3: Yeah, I think it’d be do. Anything would be curious after being on the moon for a millennia. We have microwaves, turn-tables, rollerblades, razors, restaurants, and rock-and-roll. The moon has, like, craters. And that’s it. Octavia: I- I’m sure the moon isn’t that bad. There must be other things there. DJ-P0n3: Okay, craters and dust. So yeah, two things. Must be a boring thousand years. Celestia: Well I ... I didn’t … Octavia: [Obvious forced laughter.] HAHAHAHA, Vinyl. You are such a kidder. Hahahaha, excuse us Princess... Octavia: [Whispering to DJ-P0n3.] Are you trying to get us killed?! DJ-P0n3: [Whisper.] Don’t worry. I’m going somewhere with this. Octavia: Yes, you are going somewhere. Prison. DJ-P0n3: [Raising her voice.] So Princess, I have one last question. You say Luna is fine now? Celestia: Certainly! That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you! DJ-P0n3: And she apologized for returning earlier this year and attempting to bring eternal night to Equestria? Celestia: Of course she did! DJ-P0n3: Well then, my question to you is this: if Princess Luna was classy enough to say sorry for the trouble she caused, did you ever apologize for sending her to the moon? [Silence.] Celestia: ...no. No, I never did. [Pause.] W- would you excuse me? I … have something urgent to attend to. [Rickety doors swing open, a flutter of wings is heard.] Octavia: ...unbelievable. DJ-P0n3: Told you. Octavia: You can’t possibly have planned any of that. You couldn’t have known that’d happen. DJ-P0n3: Haha. Octavia: You know what? I was wrong. You’re not a sociopath. You’re just very, very stupid. And the depressing part is that I agreed to this of my own free will. [Thumps head on desk.] It’s contagious. I’m dumber just by being near you. DJ-P0n3: All I know that this first show has been quite memorable. Octavia: What if Celestia hadn’t been as nice as she was? Did you stop to think of that? What if she actually put you on the moon? What would you have done then?! DJ-P0n3: Honestly? [Chuckle.] Then we’d be airing episode two in from space. Octavia: How can you be this reckless? DJ-P0n3: Because that’s what I’m here for, my lovely assistant! Octavia: I told you not-- DJ-P0n3: [Yelling.] That is the spirit of radio! There’s no limits! Octavia: Why are you standing up again?! Don’t get so-- DJ-P0n3: We’re here for truth, justice, and the power of rock and roll! It is our way! It is the only way! Even if we stop broadcasting, our signal will just travel across the universe forever! Stars fade away, comets burn out, black holes devour suns, but even out there in the black, ROCK will always live on! That means music will last longer than the heavens themselves! That is radio! That is K-COLT! And THAT. IS. THE VINYL SCRATCH! Octavia: ...you’re insane. DJ-P0n3: [Laugh.] Octy, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship. Octavia: You’re seriously going to call me that all the time, aren’t you? DJ-P0n3: Oh yeah. And that’s all the time we have for today! Tune in tomorrow! Octavia: If we’re not cancelled … DJ-P0n3: And until next time, remember: even if you’re spaced, the signal will always follow you! [End of tape.] [That was the end of the first historic broadcast of “the Vinyl Scratch,” but it was not the last. Despite Octavia’s fears, the show was not canceled and, in fact, became phenomenally popular. Despite Vinyl Scratch’s dismissive attitude towards her own advertisements, it managed to attract more sponsors and never had any shortage of funding. To this day, Octavia is not clear if Vinyl Scratch had planned this or if it was simply a side effect of her own psychosis. Princess Celestia chose not to end the show, even though it was within her full authority. She would later speak fondly of the interview, in spite of its inflammatory nature. She admitted that, after leaving the studio, she visited her sister and apologized. She would not go into further detail about the nature of their conversation, other than saying they spoke at great length. It may also be of interest that the following night was the longest one in recorded history. It was crisp, clear, and showed off the wonders of the universe. Meteors showered across the sky and galaxies seemed to dance in the distance. Many ponies still speak fondly of that night, where the sun stood still just long enough for everypony to enjoy the beautiful starry sky.]" ]

[ "The Vinyl Scratch Tapes Second Transcript: The Spitfire Interview [What follows is a transcript of broadcast 1F15 of the Vinyl Scratch, approximately two weeks after the infamous first episode interview with Princess Celestia]. DJ-P0n3: You’re about to enter another dimension, not of sight and sound but of ROCK! You’re listening to K-COLT! Next stop, THE VINYL SCRATCH! [Record scratch.] DJ-P0n3: You’re listening to the first talk show in Equestria. Accept no substitutes! I’m your host, the priestess of punk herself, DJ-P0n3! Octavia: And I’m her co-host Octavia ... still shocked we haven’t been sued yet. DJ-P0n3: Well, it’s still early in the day, so who knows?! Haha! Octavia: You don’t feel the least bit ashamed of what happened on yesterday’s show, do you? DJ-P0n3: DJ-P0n3 does not know the meaning of the word shame! Octavia: [Sigh.] Why am I not surprised? DJ-P0n3: Besides, yesterday’s show was fantastic! What is there to be ashamed of? Octavia: Well, let’s see. For one thing, you embarrassed our guest. Again. DJ-P0n3: What? Noooooo, I was a model host to Photo Finish. Octavia: At first. Then you made fun of her, just like you did the Princess! DJ-P0n3: Okay, first of all, I did not make fun of the Princess. I used my cunning wit and intelligence-- [Octavia lets out a “Ha!”] DJ-P0n3: To deliver the truth for the sake of justice! Even Celestia agreed I was right in the end. Octavia: That doesn’t excuse you badgering her on air! She’s the ruler of all Equestria! DJ-P0n3: Well I never voted for her. [Octavia slams head on console.] DJ-P0n3: And second, I didn’t embarrass Photo Finish. Not exactly. Octavia: You said her accent was fake! DJ-P0n3: No, no. That’s not what I said at all. I simply asked “What accent are we SUPPOSED to think that is?” There’s a difference. She didn’t seem that offended. She did give me that free camera. Octavia: She threw it at your head! DJ-P0n3: Yes. For free. Octavia: Whatever. The point is I ended up having to apologize for you. Again! DJ-P0n3: Oh, stop being such a stick in the mud. You know you love it. After all, you still come into work every day. Octavia: [Angry muttering.] That’s because I’m afraid if I take a day off, you’ll set the studio on fire. DJ-P0n3: Octy, when has that ever happened, except for that one time? Octavia: Let’s ... let’s just get on with the show before I get a migraine. DJ-P0n3: Right! Well, we have a great show for you today. Now, we were going to have an interview with Prince Blueblood, but for some reason he canceled at the last minute. Octavia: Probably because he actually listened to the show and realized you’d spend all morning mocking him. DJ-P0n3: [Fake sincerity.] Mock him? Me? Why Octavia, I am shocked you’d think such a thing! I ... I think I might cry. Octavia: Crying would imply you actually have emotions. DJ-P0n3: Well, forget all about the Prince, folks, because we’ve got a guest who’s even better. She’s one of the fastest flyers in Equestria and the definition of cool. That’s right, we’ve got Spitfire of the Wonderbolts here in the studio! Who needs some stuck-up snob when we’ve got her, right? Octavia: There you go insulting ponies you’ve never met again. DJ-P0n3: You’re just mad because he’d be the only guest we’ve had snootier than you. Octavia: He is not snootier than me! [DJ-P0n3 bursts out laughing.] Octavia: Wait, I mean I’m not snooty! I mean he’s not snooty! I mean, ugh, shut up! DJ-P0n3: You know, I don’t know how I had fun before I had you to pick on. Awww, now your face is all red. So cute… Octavia: Jerk! DJ-P0n3: And that’s not all, listeners! This interview will be extra special. You may not know this, but Spitfire and I also happen to be best friends! Octavia: Wait, really? DJ-P0n3: Yep. Since we were adorable babies! Thick as thieves! BFFs! All that junk. [Pause.] DJ-P0n3: What, you don’t believe me? Octavia: No, it’s just that ... Spitfire is a Wonderbolt. A respected person. And you’re ... well, you. You can understand why I’d be a little confused. [Door quietly opens and shuts.] DJ-P0n3: Ohhhh? You don’t believe it’s possible for me to have friends? Octavia: No, I just expected your friends to be more like … mental patients or criminal riff-raff. [Spitfire chuckles in the background.] Spitfire: Well, Vinyl does drive me crazy, but I’m not a mental patient just yet. [DJ-P0n3 giggles.] Octavia: [Yelps.] OH! Um ... Miss Spitfire. I- I’m so sorry. I didn’t hear you come in. I wasn’t... I didn’t mean to ... she made me say it! Spitfire: [Laughing.] Don’t sweat it. I’m just kidding around. DJ-P0n3: Uh oh, who let the ratty mule in the studio? Octavia: [Aghast.] Vinyl! How dare you-- Spitfire: Haha, still the same old Vinyl. Love the show. Nice to see someones paying you to run your mouth. DJ-P0n3: I know! Can you believe it? I get health insurance too, and all I have to do is play music I like and make fun of our sponsors. Spitfire: And all I do is fly around and look cool. DJ-P0n3: We are such thieves! Spitfire: I know! [Both laugh together.] DJ-P0n3: Ah, look at that. Too big to give a hug to your friend? You’re such a jerk! Spitfire: I learned from the best, didn’t I? Haha. [They hug.] Spitfire: Awww, it’s good to see you too, Vinyl. Octavia: Well ... that’s definitely something. DJ-P0n3: What? Octavia: Nothing, it’s just ... I never took you for the hugging type. It just seems so … nice of you. DJ-P0n3: Oh. Thanks! Octavia: Almost makes me forget you’re really a complete lunatic. DJ-P0n3: [Gasp.] I’ll have you know I can be very affectionate! Octavia: Hmph. I find that hard to believe. DJ-P0n3: [Slyly.] Say the word and I’ll show you just how “affectionate” I can get. Octavia: S-stop kidding around on the air! Spitfire: [Whispering.] You think she’s joking? Octavia: Huh? Spitfire: Oh nothing. DJ-P0n3: Thanks for joining us, Spitfire. It’s been too long. Spitfire: No problem. I love the show. [Chuckles.] You two are fun together. Octavia: [Wearily.] “Fun” isn’t exactly the first word that comes to mind. “Rock bottom” is more like it. DJ-P0n3: Haha, Octy’s such a kidder. Octavia: [Deadpan.] Someone help me. Please. DJ-P0n3: So, Spitfire! Why don’t you start by telling our listeners about the Wonderbolts? Spitfire: Well, we’re the best flyers in Equestria. We’ve done air shows everywhere from Cloudsdale to Manehatten. We have a pretty demanding schedule, but I’m not complaining. Best job in the world. Octavia: What’s the rest of the team like? Spitfire: Oh, they’re all really nice. We all love meeting fans. They’re all very cool. DJ-P0n3: Yes, very cool. Makes me wonder how they let you in, Spitshine. Spitfire: [Snort.] I ... almost forgot about that nickname. Octavia: Vinyl! Don’t disgrace the only guest who actually likes us! Don’t you know anything about showing respect?! DJ-P0n3: You’re right. That was disrespectful. Miss Spitshine, I meant to say. Octavia: Vinyl! Spitfire: [Giggles.] No really, it’s fine. Vinyl’s just being herself. Octavia: I know. And that’s precisely why it’s wrong. DJ-P0n3: Haha, that’s a great lesson, Octy. All you fillies listening, remember what Octavia says: never be yourself. Octavia: No, the lesson is to never be like Vinyl. Ever. Spitfire: Words to live by. [DJ-P0n3 laughs.] DJ-P0n3: Can’t really argue with that one. Spitfire: Trust me, Octavia, I already know. She’s always been like this. I could tell you some stories. DJ-P0n3: Ah yes, my favorite kinds of stories: the ones about me! Octavia: [Sighs.] Are there any where Vinyl gets hurt? Spitfire: Tons. Octavia: Tell me all of them. DJ-P0n3: Psh. Octy, if you’re fishing for something to make fun of me for, good luck. I’m an open book! I’ve never been ashamed of a single thing I’ve ever done! Spitfire: Oh? Then I guess that means you’ve told her about the concert? [Pause.] DJ-P0n3: The um ... [Cough.] The what? Spitfire: The concert? I know you haven’t forgotten. DJ-P0n3: I, er, don’t recall that. Spitfire: Oh really? Good thing I remember it then... DJ-P0n3: No! I mean ... [Nervous laugh.] Nobody needs to hear that-- Octavia: No, by all means Miss Spitfire, please continue! [Octavia scoots mike closer to Spitfire.] Spitfire: Well, back when we were fillies, you might not believe it, but Vinyl was a bit of a show-off. Octavia: ...really? I would have never guessed. Spitfire: She loved music back then and just knew that had something to do with her special talent, but didn’t know what her “thing” was. DJ-P0n3: Really, this ... this is nothing anypony needs to hear... Spitfire: She wanted to get her Cutie Mark so bad so she took every instrument in town, regardless of whether she had actually asked for them or not, and tried all of them. And guess what? She found one instrument she just loved. DJ-P0n3: Ooookay, well that was fun. Wasn’t that fun? Yep, fun, er, isn’t it time for the ad? Yeah, I think it’s time for the ad. Why don’t we run that right now?! [Muttering.] Where’s that button?! Spitfire: I mean, she LOVED playing it and she wanted everyone to see. So she invited everyone in town to have a concert. She even built a little stage out of sticks and everything, made a little sign with her name on it, and everything. She was certain that if she held a big concert, she’d definitely get her cutie mark. She was so proud of that instrument … Octavia: Well then, Miss Spitfire, I just have to ask … DJ-P0n3: [Nervous muttering.] Where’s the plug on this console? Octavia: What was the instrument? DJ-P0n3: Spitfire, don’t! Spitfire: Are you ready for this? DJ-P0n3: You can’t! Spitfire: An accordion. DJ-P0n3: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! [Octavia laughs uncontrollably.] DJ-P0n3: [Groans.] I can’t believe you told them. I was young and confused! Spitfire: What’s there to be ashamed about? [Stifled laughter.] It was beautiful, really. I mean, when you did that polka version of “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” ... tears were in my eyes. [Snort.] It was ... it was so moving. Octavia: Ahahahahaha-- [Bangs hoof on console.] DJ-P0n3: Yeah just ... get it out of your system, Octavia. Spitfire: The tragedy of it all was her concert was cut short because the accordion happened to belong to the sheriff. She didn’t really think of that when she invited him ... Octavia: AHAHAHAHAHA, oh god, I can’t breathe, Hahahahaha! Spitfire: So he dragged her off-stage. But she wouldn’t give back the accordion. I mean, she loved that thing. She was kicking and biting him. They had to practically pry it away from her! [Laughter continues loudly in the background.] DJ-P0n3: It’s fine. It’s fine, Spitfire. [Chuckles.] You know, I was gonna be nice. You wanna play that game? We’ll play that game. How would you like to tell our listeners who your first kiss was? [Octavia stops laughing.] Octavia: Vinyl, calm down. There’s no need to retaliate. It’s not that there’s anything wrong ... [Covers mouth to hide laughter.] With you. [Voice cracks with laughter]. Playing the accordion. DJ-P0n3: No, trust me, you’ll all love this. Tell them, Spitfire. Spitfire: Aw, don’t be like that, Vinyl. DJ-P0n3: Inquiring minds want to know! Octavia: Do you have any respect for anypony’s privacy? DJ-P0n3: No. Octavia, guess who it was. Octavia: I’m not going to join in such childish-- DJ-P0n3: Guess. Octavia: Wha-- How should I know? Some nerdy colt or something? DJ-P0n3: Not exactly... Spitfire: Heh, you’re seriously going to tell them, aren’t you? DJ-P0n3: No, Octy, it wasn’t a nerdy colt. I’ll give you three hints: it’s a different gender, it’s someone you already know, and the answer is me. Octavia: What?! DJ-P0n3: It’s true. Spitfire: [Chuckle.] I can’t believe you’d bring that up. It was just a practice kiss. DJ-P0n3: Hey, if I have to suffer, so do you. That’s what friends are for. [Pause.] Also, listeners, for the record? She uses tongue. Octavia: [Angry.] Vinyl, that is wildly inappropriate! DJ-P0n3: Why so mad? [Grins.] You jealous? Octavia: Oh, you wish! DJ-P0n3: Cause if you are, we can fix that right now. Your choice, open mouth or closed mouth? Octavia: Gross! DJ-P0n3: You have kissed before, right? Octavia: I-I don’t see what that has to do with anything! DJ-P0n3: So then you haven’t? Octavia: I didn’t say that! DJ-P0n3: But it’s true, isn’t it? [Octavia stammers.] Octavia: You- DJ-P0n3: I already told you. We can fix all this right now... Spitfire: [Chuckle.] This interview went in an odd direction. DJ-P0n3: That tends to happen here. [Octavia stammers some more, then thumps head on console.] Octavia: [Muttering.] I am ashamed to know you. You know that, right? DJ-P0n3: Wha? Oh yeah, whatever. Hmm ... you know, I just got a great idea. Octavia: No fires! DJ-P0n3: No, not this time. [Scoots chair.] I’ll be right back. Octavia, go to commercial. Octavia: What? Wait! [Sound of hooves clomping on the floor.] Octavia: I don’t know how to work-- [Door slam.] Octavia: ... the console. [Sigh.] It’s okay ... if that moron can do it, I should be able to. We’ll be right back after these messages, folks! [Long pause.] Um ... which button does she usually ... oh, here we go! [Hits button. “Boing!” sound effect plays.] Octavia: No wait, this one! [Hits button, followed by fart sound effect.] Octavia: Come on! [Hits button. Slightly different fart sound plays.] Spitfire: You okay there? Octavia: I’m fine! I can figure this out. Okay, now I know for sure. It’s this one! [Hits button. Volume lowers slightly. Octavia continues unaware she is still broadcasting.] Octavia: There we go. [Exhales.] Today is just one of those days. Miss Spitfire, I just want to say how sorry I am about everything. Spitfire: [Chuckles.] It’s fine. This is pretty fun. Octavia: Yeah, but that stuff Vinyl said-- Spitfire: It’s not a big deal. We were just fillies. I’m not embarrassed. After all, you know how Vinyl is … Octavia: I guess. [Pause.] Can I ask you something? Just between us? Spitfire: Yeah? Octavia: Well it’s just ... you seem relatively normal. Spitfire: I try, yeah. Octavia: And you say Vinyl’s always been this way, right? Spitfire: Pretty much. Octavia: Well ... why are you two friends? Spitfire: That’s a weird question. [Laughs.] I’d figure you’d know already. Octavia: What do you mean? Spitfire: Well, you’re her friend too, right? [Silence.] Octavia: Um, what? Spitfire: You’re not? Oh. Sorry, I just ... well, you guys sound close. Octavia: Were we listening to the same show?! You think that’s how friends treat each other? I don’t think so! We’re not close at all! All she does is make fun of me. We never actually talk. We’re not friends. We’re ... I don’t even know what we are. Spitfire: Hey, calm down. No reason to get upset. Octavia: I’m not upset! I’m just … [Sighs.] I don’t even really know why I’m here. Every morning I wake up afraid of what I’m going to have to put up with today. Am I going to watch someone else get torn down for no reason? Am I going to lose more of my dignity? I’ve only got so much left … Spitfire: ...are you okay? Octavia: I don’t know. [Glumly.] The thing is, I know that nopony who listens actually cares what I think. They just listen to see me suffer and laugh while Vinyl destroys somepony for shock value. It makes me feel ... dirty. And Vinyl doesn’t realize it. And even if she did, she wouldn’t care. She doesn’t seem to care about anything aside from getting attention. That’s really all I’m here for: to be a prop she uses to give herself more attention. I guess that doesn’t make me much better than her, when you think about it. Spitfire: … Octavia: That’s why I asked. [Sad mumbling.] Why would anyone want to be friends with somepony like her? Or me? [Long pause.] Spitfire: Heh, you sound just like me, you know? Octavia: Yeah. Sure. Spitfire: No really. I know how Vinyl can seem sometimes. [Pause.] Would you like to hear a story? Octavia: ...fine. Spitfire: Well, Vinyl and I were friends growing up, that’s true. But ... I wasn’t so much her best friend as I was her only friend. Octavia: She didn’t have any other friends? Spitfire: Pretty much everypony thought she was obnoxious. Or loud. Or annoying. Octavia: [Sarcasm.] Yeah, not sure where’d they’d that idea … Spitfire: So pretty much everypony ignored her. Vinyl hated that. Probably why she talks so loud all the time, so everyone has to pay attention. And even though we were friends, sometimes even I really hated her. Octavia: Really? Spitfire: She loved to pick on me. Called me Spitshine, Spittoon, Spit-swapper ... mostly spit puns. She wasn’t that original. I actually thought she didn’t like me for a long time, even though I hung out with her and everything. Octavia: So? Spitfire: Well, eventually I had to leave for Flight School. We were both still pretty young at the time. Neither one of us had our Cutie Marks. When I told Vinyl I was moving, she didn’t say anything. She acted like it didn’t bother her at all. Tried to play it cool, I guess. So I ended up going to Cloudsdale to learn to fly. After I was there for a couple months, I got a letter from my parents saying Vinyl was in the hospital. I immediately freaked out and flew home. Octavia: Why was she in the hospital? Spitfire: That’s exactly what I wanted to know. When I got there, I found out she’d broken her leg. I went right to her room and asked her what had happened. Apparently, she’d fallen out of a tree. She had climbed it, built some little “wings” for her hooves out of cardboard, and jumped out of it. She was trying to fly. Octavia: … Spitfire: So I said, “Vinyl, that is without a doubt the stupidest thing I have ever heard. Why would you do something like that?” She said, “I wanted to go to Flight School. You have to fly to go to Flight School.” As if it was just common sense or something. When I asked her why she wanted to go there, she was quiet for a minute. That was a first, by the way; seeing her quiet about anything. And she just looked up and said, “I wanted to see you again.” Octavia: She said that? Spitfire: Yep. Evidently, all she had done while I was gone was figure out ways to come see me. [Pause.] I didn’t know what to say to that. After that I always wrote to her and visited when I could, but with my job, we still hardly see each other. To be honest, I was kind of glad when I heard you two on the radio. I figured Vinyl had found someone else she could actually be herself around. Octavia: I ... I never knew any of that. Spitfire: I’m not surprised. Vinyl doesn’t talk about her feelings much, but she has them. She’ll act like nothing bothers her, laugh, and make fun of you ... but she’ll also never tell you a lie, she’ll never cross the line once it’s been drawn, and she’ll never, ever, let you down when you really need her. [Gives a nervous laugh.] Sorry. I’m rambling a lot today I guess. Did I at least answer your question? Octavia: ...yeah. Yes, I think it does. [Door slams open.] DJ-P0n3: Alright! I’m back! Sorry, it took me a few minutes to find this. Spitfire: A camera? DJ-P0n3: Yep. Just got it yesterday. For free, too! [Octavia coughs.] Octavia: Well, I guess we should go back on the air. Um, where’s that button? DJ-P0n3: Oh, you’re already on the air. Octavia: Huh? Wait, how did you-- Spitfire: What’s the camera for? DJ-P0n3: To take a picture! Duh! Just have to set it up right here ... [Sounds of tripod being set up.] There we go! Get up here Spitfire. Spitfire: What’s this for? DJ-P0n3: This is the best episode ever, so I always want to remember it with a picture of my best friends! [Pause.] Hey. Octavia: What? DJ-P0n3: Well, get up here! We’re friends, right? Octavia: ... yeah. Of course we are … [Sounds of footsteps.] DJ-P0n3: And let me just get her too. Alright, now everypony smile! [Shutter snaps.] DJ-P0n3: Awesome! Spitfire: Well, I suppose it’s time for me to get going. We should do this again though. DJ-P0n3: The studio door is always open for you. Spitfire: That’s good to know. [They hug.] Spitfire: Bye Scratch. DJ-P0n3: Till next time … [Door opens, then quietly shuts.] DJ-P0n3: Well, I thought that was a pretty good interview, don’t you think? [Octavia says nothing.] DJ-P0n3: Something wrong? Octavia: You knew we were on the air already … DJ-P0n3: Yeah ... turns out somepony actually left the radio on downstairs. Octavia: ... you heard everything, didn’t you? DJ-P0n3: Yeah. Guess I did. [Long silence.] Octavia: Listen, I-- DJ-P0n3: You’re wrong, you know. Octavia: Huh? DJ-P0n3: You said nopony cares what you have to say. That’s not true. It’s a pretty dumb thing to say. Cause I can tell you, at least one pony does ... [Uncomfortable silence.] Octavia: So ... what are you doing after the show? DJ-P0n3: I dunno. Octavia: You want to go get something to eat after this? DJ-P0n3: Yeah. I’d like that. [Pause.] Whoa! Sorry about that folks! Things got sappy there for a second! That’s no way to end a show! These things always have to go out on a big laugh ... um ... wait I know! [Clicks button. Fart noise. Dead silence for almost a minute.] Octavia: [Genuine laugh.] Way to kill the mood there, Vinyl. DJ-P0n3: It’s what I do best! That’s our show! See you next time folks! [End of tape.] [Spitfire remained a loyal friend of the show well into present day, returning to the show frequently enough to nearly be considered a regular character.] [After the airing of this episode, fan letters flooded K-COLT in droves. Almost all of them were addressed to Octavia, and almost all of them assured Octavia that they, in fact, also cared what she had to say. Octavia never threw these letters away and many of them still decorate the studio walls.] [Vinyl Scratch said in a later interview on “Late Night with Lyra and Bon-Bon” that she has only had one and only one picture she felt important enough to frame: the very same photograph she took on that memorable episode. She said she keeps it on her desk at the studio, so she can look at it everyday.]" ]

[ "The Vinyl Scratch Tapes Third Transcript: The Call-In Show [What follows is a transcript of broadcast 1F22 of the Vinyl Scratch, approximately one week following the Spitfire interview.] DJ-P0n3: Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy? Nope ... it’s just ROCK! You’re listening to K-COLT and there’s no escape from THE VINYL SCRATCH! [Record scratch.] DJ-P0n3: You’re listening to the number one radio show in Equestria! I’m your host, the devious disc diva herself, DJ-P0n3! Octavia: And I’m Octavia, the sane one. DJ-P0n3: So, Octy, want to tell the listeners about our date yesterday? Octavia: Stop calling it a date! It wasn’t a date! DJ-P0n3: Why? [Mock despair.] You’re ashamed of me, aren’t you? Octavia: Yes. Very. DJ-P0n3: [Gasp.] How could you say such a thing?! What happened to the proper lady I used to know?! Octavia: She met you. That’s what happened. DJ-P0n3: [Fake crying.] You never look me in the eye anymore! Octavia: Alright, stop acting silly and tell them if you’re gonna. DJ-P0n3: [Instantly stops crying.] So listeners! I actually went to Octavia’s concert last night at Blueblood Hall. Since apparently any no-showing stuck-up coward prince can own a theater now. Octavia: You’re still mad he didn’t show up so you could make fun of him, aren’t you? DJ-P0n3: Not at all. I can make fun of him whether he shows up or not. It’s just more entertaining to see the look on his face. Octavia: Heh. You’re horrible sometimes. You know that, right? DJ-P0n3: [Whispering into the mic.] Octavia doesn’t want to admit it, but she’s smirking right now. Octavia: [Stifled laugh.] No. I’m not. Don’t listen to her. DJ-P0n3: Liar. Anyway, Octavia’s band had a concert there the other night. Octavia: It’s an ensemble, not a band. DJ-P0n3: Whatever, same thing. For those who don’t know she plays the cello. Usually classical isn’t my thing … Octavia: Because, you know, it’s actual music and not just noise like you’re used to. DJ-P0n3: Buuuut Octavia was really good and so was the rest of her band. It was very nice, moving music and all of you should go listen. Octavia: ...oh. Well, thank you. That’s a very sweet thing to say. DJ-P0n3: Does that mean we can make out? Octavia: Oh, shut up. DJ-P0n3: Okay. Later then. Octavia: Whatever. So after the concert, we went out to eat. DJ-P0n3: As a date. Octavia: It wasn’t a date. DJ-P0n3: It was a date, and I can prove it to you with sheer logic! Octavia: [Groan.] Oh, this should be good … DJ-P0n3: We went to a classy restaurant, right? Octavia: Of course. As if I’d go anywhere else. DJ-P0n3: And our table had candles, right? Octavia: Yes, but what does that-- DJ-P0n3: So it was a candlelit dinner. Octavia: ... well, so to speak … DJ-P0n3: You had your hair done ... and you were wearing perfume. Octavia: I was in public, of course I was. Just because you don’t care about your appearance doesn’t mean-- DJ-P0n3: You asked me if I thought it smelt nice. Octavia: Well, it was new perfume ... I-I was curious. There’s nothing weird about that. DJ-P0n3: Uh huh. So it mattered to you what I think? Octavia: [Pause.] No I-- DJ-P0n3: You wanted to know if I was impressed or not. Octavia: [Forced laugh.] That’s ... now you’re just grasping at straws. DJ-P0n3: [Grins.] And that’s not even getting into the stuff you said after a few drinks … Octavia: What? DJ-P0n3: About how much you really loved working with me. Octavia: Okay, no drink is strong enough to make me say that. DJ-P0n3: And that it was nice that we were getting closer. It was quite adorable, really. Octavia: I’m positive you made that part up. DJ-P0n3: [Chuckles.] Clearly you’re still in denial of your undying love for me! Octavia: You’re the one who’s in denial here. Can we just drop the subject please? DJ-P0n3: Okay, fine ... but it was totally a dat- Octavia: SO! Listeners, if you’d like to see my ensemble and I play, we’re doing shows all this week, including one tomorrow night. From what I understand, tickets are going fast so you’d better hurry if you want to see us! DJ-P0n3: See? I am rubbing off on you. Octavia: What are you talking about? DJ-P0n3: You’re shamelessly promoting yourself. That’s definitely something I’d do. Octavia: I am-- wait. Wait. Jeez, you’re ... you’re actually right. DJ-P0n3: Yep. Octavia: [Deadpan.] Oh god. What have I become? DJ-P0n3: Well folks! Today’s show is going to be a little different. We don’t have a celebrity guest today, but today is special because you, listeners, can be on the show! I’m sure all you listeners at home have heard of the latest craze: the telephone! Well we happen to have one right here in the studio. [Drops heavy rotary phone on console.] DJ-P0n3: Neat, huh? Octavia: I still don’t see what the big fuss is about it. DJ-P0n3: You just don’t understand progress. Get with the times, granny. Octavia: What did you call me? DJ-P0n3: Anyway, this magical invention will let you talk directly to us from anywhere in the whole world ... provided that you’ve purchased a phone or can mooch one off your friends. Octavia: This thing has only been around for a week. How did you get one anyway? DJ-P0n3: We got one for free, thanks to our new sponsors! Speaking of which, this episode is brought to you by the Derpy Express, the most endearing delivery company in Equestria. Derpy Express: making sure your package gets sent in the general direction it’s supposed to go. Octavia: Since when do you actually care about doing the ads? DJ-P0n3: Since our sponsors started sending us cool stuff. Look, they sent muffins too! [DJ-P0n3 munches on muffin.] DJ-P0n3: So folks, if you’ve ever wanted to chat with us, now’s your chance. Just call and you’ll be on the air with us. Feel free to ask us any question you want, no matter how intimate or embarrassing! Octavia: You know, you really shouldn’t say that last part so cheerfully … DJ-P0n3: Just give us a call at ... um ... hang on I have the number written down here somewhere. [Sound of things being knocked over.] DJ-P0n3: No ... no … Octavia: Stop wrecking stuff. DJ-P0n3: Come on, I’ve got this perfectly under-- [Glass breaking.] DJ-P0n3: Oops. I’ll uh, I’ll clean that up later. Oh wait, here it is! [Paper rustling.] DJ-P0n3: Just give us a call at, let’s see here ... 4. Okay, give us a call at 4 and you’ll be on the show! Octavia: You couldn’t remember that?! DJ-P0n3: Well, when am I ever going to have to dial my own number? [Phone rings.] DJ-P0n3: Looks like we have our first caller! [Picks up receiver.] DJ-P0n3: Hello! You’re on the air with the Vinyl Scratch! [Caller speaks with a heavy, hissing accent found commonly in Diamond Dogs]. Diamond Dog Caller: Hello, radio DJ pony! DJ-P0n3: That’s quite a strange voice you got there. You’re a ... pony? Diamond Dog: Yesssss, sure. We are perfectly normal Earth horse-ponies. We was just wondering ... is your refrigerator running? [Snickering is heard in background of call]. DJ-P0n3: Sorry, we don’t have a refrigerator in the studio. Diamond Dog: Well then you-- huh? Um ... [Muttering.] What, what I say now? Background Dog: Hang up-- Diamond Dog: [Whispering.] But what is joke? Background Dog: Hang up, stupid! Diamond Dog: Um ... let us give you call back. [Hangs up, dial tone.] DJ-P0n3: Huh ... well, that was different. Octavia: [Groan.] Yeah, I can really see the usefulness of this invention. [Phone rings]. DJ-P0n3: Okay, now you answer it. Octavia: What? No, you answer it! DJ-P0n3: I answered last time, now it’s your go. Octavia: I... I don’t feel like it. DJ-P0n3: Why? [Laughs.] You scared? Octavia: [Shouting.] Like I’d be afraid of something so dumb! [Pause. Phone rings again.] Octavia: Okay, fine! [Click.] Hello? Caller: [High pitched.] HI! Octavia: Eep! [Receiver clatters to the floor, followed by muffled laughter from DJ-P0n3.] Octavia: Stop laughing! I just ... didn’t expect it to be so loud. I was ... startled that’s all. I-- DJ-P0n3: Ssh, ssh, don’t worry. [Snicker.] Don’t worry. I’m here now. I won’t let the phone hurt you. [Touches Octavia’s shoulder.] Everything is gonna be ooookay. Octavia: I hate you. DJ-P0n3: [Grins.] I love you too, honey. [Octavia sighs. DJ-P0n3 picks up phone.] DJ-P0n3: Sorry about that, caller. You’re on the air with the Vinyl Scratch! [Caller sounds like a filly with a southern accent.] Apple Bloom: Um, hi. I’m sorry if ah scared Miss Octavia. Is she alright? Octavia: No, sweetie, it’s fine. I’m alright. DJ-P0n3: Aww, you sound adorable, caller. Did you have a question for us? Apple Bloom: Well … [Other fillies speak in the background.] Sweetie Bell: [Whispering.] Go on, ask. Scootaloo: [Whispering.] Yeah, before Twilight finds out her phone’s gone. Apple Bloom: Well, me and ma friends were just wonderin’ ... how did ya’ll get your cutie marks? DJ-P0n3: Aha, now there’s a good question. You wanna go first Octy? Octavia: What? Oh um ... no, you go ahead. DJ-P0n3: No problem! Actually there’s a story in that. It all started after I tried to put on my innocent little concert, only to be cracked down by the establishment! Octavia: That tends to happen when you steal an accordion from a police chief. DJ-P0n3: So after that, our school had a dance. As part of my punishment, I was told I couldn’t go. I had to stay in class and write an essay about what I had done wrong. I begged them to reconsider, but my teachers said no. [Sniff.] It was ... very traumatic. Octavia: You were so guilty though. DJ-P0n3: I was a victim of circumstance! I wasn’t going to take that punishment lying down. I decided it was time for me to strike against the system. So I flipped my paper over, wrote “STICKIN’ IT TO THE MAN!” on the back and started to look for a way into the dance. Luckily, I knew my way around the ventilation system pretty well … Octavia: How could you possibly know that? DJ-P0n3: I um ... had to use it to sneak out of school all the other times I was a victim of circumstance... Octavia: You were one of those kids who never learned a lesson from anything, weren’t you? DJ-P0n3: Hey, I learned plenty of lessons. And one of them just happened to be how to sneak out of school. I got much more use out of that than I ever did geometry, let me tell you. Anyway, when I finally crawled into the gym, they just had the gym teacher at a turntable playing slow songs. Stuff with no beat! No rhythm! No soul! Every filly was just standing around, no one was having fun. Clearly it was my civic duty to do something! Octavia: Why is it that every time you say something is your civic duty, it involves criminal behavior? DJ-P0n3: So I quickly snuck back to my desk at school, retrieving some of my favorite records … Octavia: Wait, you kept records at school? Why? It’s not like you’d have anything to play them on. DJ-P0n3: I loved music, so I took records with me everywhere, even if I couldn’t play them. [Laughs.] You might not be able to believe this but I was a weird kid back then. Octavia: You’re a weird kid now! DJ-P0n3: Then I returned to the gym and used my cunning and stealth to disable the downer music. Luckily, the gym teacher thought the turntable was broken and left to find somepony to fix it. Guess he wasn’t smart enough to check if it was unplugged first. Once he left, I plugged it back in and heroically commandeered the turntable for great justice! Octavia: Nothing about that was even remotely heroic. DJ-P0n3: So I flooded the entire gym with the sounds of rock-and-roll! Everypony suddenly got in the mood and started dancing! They were so happy, everypony went from not having fun to having the time of their lives, all because of me! That’s when I realized the tremendous power of music and rock! It wasn’t just about having something nice to dance to; it was about speaking to your very soul! Hearing something that can make you feel like lightning is running through your veins and a wildfire is spreading in your heart! A sound that can shake the heavens and make the entire air electric! That’s what I felt every time I heard music and I wanted everypony to feel the same! All they needed was somepony to guide them, to show them the power of ROCK! AND IN THAT MOMENT I KNEW I WAS THE ONLY ONE WHO COULD DO IT! WHEREVER THERE WAS ROCK, YOU WOULD LOOK WHO WAS TOWERING OVER THE SPEAKERS, WHO WAS AT THE TURNTABLE, AND YOU WOULD KNOW IT WAS VINYL SCRATCH! HAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! [Long pause.] Apple Bloom: ... and uh ... and then ya got your cutie mark? DJ-P0n3: What? Oh yeah. Then that happened. And uh ... then I was put in detention for about a month and a half. Scootaloo: Wow! That was a cool story. Octavia: Um ... little fillies? I just want to tell you not to imitate anything Vinyl said. She’s not exactly a role model. She’s more like ... the perfect bad example. DJ-P0n3: Okay, well, why don’t you give them a better example? How’d you get yours? Octavia: Oh well ... it wasn’t exactly as fun as your story. I’m sure no one wants to hear it. Sweetie Bell: No, tell us. Octavia: Well. [Clears throat.] When I was a filly, I lived in Manehatten. I came from a very good family, but I didn’t exactly fit in. You wouldn’t know it now, but I used to be rather shy. Lots of ponies used to pick on me. I started taking music classes and I really liked the cello. [Laughs.] Actually, the only reason I picked that instrument at first was so I’d have something really heavy I could swing at the bullies. So I practiced really hard and then one day we had a concert at school. I had a solo and everything. I was so excited about it. DJ-P0n3: Ah, I see. So you killed and got your cutie mark right? And then everypony respected you? Octavia: [Nervous laugh.] Um, not exactly. When I got to my solo, I actually got really nervous and I ... I ended up hitting a few wrong notes. [Pause.] Well, more like a lot of wrong notes. [Pause.] I’m ... almost positive I hit the right note at least once. DJ-P0n3: ...oh. Octavia: It was so bad some ponies in the audience started laughing ... and a few parents too. I started crying. [Speaks glumly.] Everypony in band got really mad at me. They said I ruined the concert, teased me in band class. I ended up getting picked on even more than I did before. I got so depressed I didn’t want to play anything ever again. All I wanted to do was make music that ponies would enjoy. Kinda like you, Vinyl. I guess. DJ-P0n3: Um. Yeah, I guess. That ... wow. Octavia: Oh! Don’t worry. This story has a happy ending. Eventually I got so determined to prove how good I was, I practiced the cello more and more. I must have practiced more than any other pony in band class. Then I finally begged my music teacher for another solo in the next concert. She agreed, despite everypony saying I’d just mess up. So finally, when it was my turn, I played despite how nervous I was. I gave a beautiful solo that ended with everypony clapping. And that’s how I finally got my cutie mark. Apple Bloom: Whoa. Octavia: It was a lot of hard work, but in the end, everything was worth it. [Laugh.] Sorry if my story wasn’t as cool as Vinyl’s. DJ-P0n3: [Pause.] No. It wasn’t as cool as mine... it was way cooler. Octavia: ... thanks Vinyl. Apple Bloom: Well, um, thanks for answerin’ our quest- [A mare is heard in the background.] Twilight: So that’s where my phone went! Scootaloo: Uh oh. Apple Bloom: [Talking fast.] Uh oh! Gottagokaythanksbye! [Slams phone down, dial tone.] DJ-P0n3: Huh. Well, that was fun. Cute kids. Octavia: ... yeah ... DJ-P0n3: [Softer voice.] Hey, you alright? Octavia: What? Oh yeah, sorry. I don’t usually think about the past a whole lot. Drudged up a lot of memories, I guess. DJ-P0n3: Hey now, don’t get in a sad mood or anything. What’s past is past, right? Octavia: I guess ... DJ-P0n3: [Pause.] Wait! [Rustles through stuff.] Here, have a muffin! Octavia: O ... k. [Takes muffin.] Um ... why? DJ-P0n3: No one can be sad if they have a muffin. That’s a scientific fact. [There is a long pause, presumably consisting of Octavia giving DJ-P0n3 a blank stare.] Octavia: Heh, I guess that helps a little. DJ-P0n3: See! Told you. Science! Anyway, we’re gonna take a quick break. In the meantime, enjoy some of the latest hits! [INTERMISSION] [After several songs, the show resumes. Apparently DJ-P0n3 and Octavia have learned from past mistakes, as this time they seem aware that broadcast has resumed.] [Paper rustling, followed by quiet laughter.] Octavia: This ... this is officially the worst idea ever. DJ-P0n3: Welcome back, listeners! Sorry about that. Octavia and I were just having a discussion over the break. I was proposing a musical project we could work on together. Octavia seems to have doubts about it ... Octavia: Why don’t you let the audience decide? DJ-P0n3: I was writing a rock opera that I was hoping Octavia would collaborate with me on. I mean, she plays cello, her involvement could definitely class it up a bit ... Octavia: I don’t think I’m suited for that type of project. DJ-P0n3: Oh, come on, Octy. [Giggles.] We could make such sweet music together. Octavia: Remind me. Why haven’t I filed a restraining order against you yet? DJ-P0n3: Anyway, listeners, let me explain the plot ... Octavia: In a very fast-and-loose definition of the word “plot.” DJ-P0n3: I just had Octy read over some of it. It’s the story of Princess Luna and Celestia creating the world. I went to great effort to make sure it was historically accurate. Octavia: It has robots taking over the world! DJ-P0n3: Okay, so maybe I took a few liberties ... Octavia: Well, let’s see. According to what you have written here, Princess Celestia apparently starts a nuclear war- DJ-P0n3: Yes. Octavia: Creates a dystopian future where she rules over robot ponies-- DJ-P0n3: Uh huh. Octavia: And Princess Luna, who for some reason has the ability to shoot lasers, comes down from space on a, quote, “chariot of fire and vengeance and more fire”-- DJ-P0n3: Yep. Octavia: And proceeds to throw the entire moon at Celestia, which explodes on impact for some reason. And then Celestia turns into a dragon. DJ-P0n3: Serpent. It’s a serpent, not a dragon. Octavia: Whatever! Look, I will admit this is ... creative ... but you just can’t have an opera where nonsensical things happen for no reason! DJ-P0n3: Clearly you’ve never heard a rock opera before. Octavia: [Sigh.] Why don’t we get back to the call-ins now? DJ-P0n3: Alright listeners! We’ve still got some time left, so anyone out there, feel free to give us a call. [Phone rings. Click.] DJ-P0n3: Hello? Diamond Dog: Hi there. Perfectly normal Earth pony-thing again. So we was wondering if you had Prince Albert in-- [DJ-P0n3 hangs up the phone.] DJ-P0n3: Okay, so, anyone else out there, feel free to give us a call! [Phone rings again. DJ-P0n3 answers.] DJ-P0n3: Hi there, you are on the air with the Vinyl Scratch! [Caller is an older, disinterested sounding mare.] Caller: Hello, I’m with the Blueblood Theater. Is Octavia Ann there? DJ-P0n3: Um, yes she’s right here. Caller: May I speak to in private? Octavia: Oh. Um ... sure. [Octavia takes receiver. The phone is taken away from the console, magic no longer broadcasting it on the air. Octavia’s voice is low, but can still be heard in the background, on the phone.] Octavia: Hello? ... yes, this is she ... uh huh ... yeah ... [There’s a brief pause, after which Octavia sounds slightly alarmed.] What? But why? ... Yes but-- oh wait, he did. [Pause, followed by Octavia sounding more dejected.] He said that, did he? ... oh. Well, I see ... no, no, I understand ... thanks. [Phone is gently clicked on the receiver. Phone is thrown back on the console. The sound of Octavia scooting back in her chair is heard.] DJ-P0n3: Okay, sorry about the interruption there, folks! So, what was that about Octy? [Octavia says nothing, a quiet sniff is heard over the air.] DJ-P0n3: Hey wait. Are ... are you crying? Octavia: [Voice cracking.] No, of course I’m not. Don’t be ... don’t be ridiculous. [Voice cracks more.] I’m fine ... [Long pause.] DJ-P0n3: Octavia, what happened? Octavia: It’s nothing. It’s stupid. DJ-P0n3: Tell me. Octavia: ... my show was canceled. All of our shows at the theater were canceled. DJ-P0n3: What? Why? Octavia: They said due to lack of interest. DJ-P0n3: Lack of-- oh, lack of interest, my flank! The concert was packed last night! Octavia: [Deep breath.] Well, she mentioned something else. Apparently the Prince saw my show last night. She said that he ... well, that he thought it wasn’t very good. DJ-P0n3: ...what? Octavia: “Mediocre” was the word she used. DJ-P0n3: So he canceled the show? Octavia: [Voice cracking again.] Well, she didn’t exactly say that but yeah ... looks that way. [Long pause.] DJ-P0n3: [Seemingly calm.] ... huh. Well ... would you excuse me for just one second, sweetie? Octavia: [Gives humorless chuckle while still clearly crying.] I told you not to call me that... [DJ-P0n3 picks up phone, takes it away from the console. Even though the other side of the phone cannot be heard, DJ-P0n3 speaks loud enough for the mic to pick her up clearly.] DJ-P0n3: Hello, operator? Yes, could you connect me to Prince Blueblood. Octavia: Vinyl, don’t-- DJ-P0n3: Just a second, Octy. [Turns back to phone.] Yes, I would like to speak to him ... [Gives a very dark laugh.] Oh yes, he’s expecting this call ... yes, I’ll hold. [Brief pause.] DJ-P0n3: [Overly cheerful.] Hi there, Mr. Blueblood ... oh sorry, Prince Blueblood, of course. [Chuckles.] Of course. My name is Vinyl Scratch ... yep, the DJ ... [Hearty laugh.] Yes, that’s right, the crazy one ... no, no, this isn’t about that interview you canceled, not at all. Just wanted a little talk. A little chat, you know. [Another pause.] DJ-P0n3: [Disturbingly cheerful] How am I? Well, haha, that’s the funny part. I’m ... I’m really quite mad ... yes, at you ... well, I’ll tell you! [Sits back down at console.] You see, I hear you didn’t much care for my friend’s concert last night and had it cancelled ... no no, I’m quite certain it’s not a misunderstanding ... noooo, I think we should talk about this now! [Laughs.] See, it’s like this... Octavia: Vinyl... DJ-P0n3: [No longer laughing, her voice becomes bitter.] Look, Princy, it’s like this. I don’t know what kind of ivory tower upbringing you had, but clearly if you were listening to my friend’s show and you found it, um, “mediocre,” then you don’t understand taste well. Maybe you’ve just never listened to music played by somepony who wasn’t manufactured in whatever snob factory you get most of the musicians who play at your second-rate theater. Apparently you don’t know what it sounds like when somepony actually puts they’re whole heart and soul into their music, or you just don’t understand that I was at yesterday show and know that Octavia’s band killed. Standing ovation and everything. Maybe you have a difference of opinion and that’s fine. [Chuckle.] Everypony has a right to their own opinion. And since you so graciously gave my friend your opinion, I shall return the favor by expressing my opinion of you. [Inaudible stammering is heard on the other end of the phone.] DJ-P0n3: Now, now, you shouldn’t interrupt other ponies when they’re talking. But I can understand that urge. I do love to talk.", "And since you so graciously gave my friend your opinion, I shall return the favor by expressing my opinion of you. [Inaudible stammering is heard on the other end of the phone.] DJ-P0n3: Now, now, you shouldn’t interrupt other ponies when they’re talking. But I can understand that urge. I do love to talk. [Grim chuckle.] Now my opinion is that, I think, you cancelled my friends show because of what I have said on this show before about you. [Anger rising in her voice.] Namely, that I believe you are a bland, unintelligent, cowardly, prissy, stuck-up, laughable excuse for a stallion with a silver spoon shoved so, SO very far up his flank that you cannot possibly relate to anypony, anywhere, ever. Now, I have said that, not Octavia. It is fair for you to hate me. After all, that’s my job. I make fun of ponies. It’s entertaining. I mean, even Celestia understand that. She still lets me say what I like, even though she could easily ball me up and throw me into a black hole if she felt like it. Mistakes she’s made aside, that’s a classy move. She’s a class mare. You, however, are not classy. You are ... [Pause.] Well, the words I think of can’t really be said over the air. After all, fillies listen to us. Lots of ponies listen to us. [DJ-P0n3 raises her voice so it can be heard even clearer over the air.] DJ-P0n3: Lots of listeners who now, thanks to me, are now completely aware that you, Prince Blueblood, are the sole reason why Octavia is not having any more shows at your theater. My listeners like Octavia, Mr. Blueblood. They don’t like you. Nopony likes you. Heck, I have to wonder if Celestia even likes you. Or if your own mother does. Assuming, you know, you actually have a mother and didn’t just slither out of a pile of filth one day. But anyway! I have to go now. I just wanted to inform you that I’m sure my fans will have a very, very happy response to you depriving them of the chance to see my co-host play. [Thinks for a moment.] DJ-P0n3: Actually, now that I think of it, that won’t be the case. Because you know what? I’ve got the bits, I’ve got the resources, I can put on my own concert! And we’ll do it right outside your theater, for free, whether you like it or not! ... no, sir, I don’t really care if you threaten to arrest me or not. I’ll go straight to Celestia if it comes to that. Say whatever you like, I don’t answer to you or anyone. Now, Prince, I think I have thoroughly wasted enough of my time listening to you. You should be glad that you canceled our interview because, quite frankly, if I see you face-to-face, you will be picking your teeth up from the floor. Good day, sir! [DJ-P0n3 slams phone down, then picks up phone and hurls it through window. Sound of broken glass is heard in the background.] [DJ-P0n3 sits back in her chair. Octavia is silent, almost certainly in shock over what just happened. There is a long silence.] DJ-P0n3: [Takes a very deep breath.] Well, then, I think that about wraps up today’s show. Octavia: ... wow. DJ-P0n3: Do you ... feel any better? Octavia: I ... [Laughs.] Yes, I do feel a little better. You didn’t have to do that, you know? DJ-P0n3: No, actually, I’m pretty sure I did ... Octavia: ...you really thought my show was that good? DJ-P0n3: Octy ... do you even have to ask? Octavia: No, I guess I don’t. Vinyl? DJ-P0n3: Yeah? [Octavia hugs Vinyl.] Octavia: I’m glad I met you. You’re very sweet. [Nuzzles against Vinyl’s neck.] Even if you are completely crazy. DJ-P0n3: Um. Yes, well. Thank you. Um … Octavia: Wait are ... you’re blushing? Seriously? DJ-P0n3: No! [Coughs, makes voice sound deeper.] No, course not. I-I’m too cool for that. Octavia: Heh, sure you are, Vinyl. Sure you are. DJ-P0n3: Well listeners, that’s our show for today. Assuming I’m not thrown in jail or sent to the moon, we’ll be back tomorrow for a live broadcast from our concert. Octavia: Wait, what? You ... you were serious about that? DJ-P0n3: Of course I am! When am I ever not serious? Octavia: Um, like 100% of the time. DJ-P0n3: Yeah, well, I’m serious about this! Octavia: Well listen I’m ... I appreciate the gesture, Vinyl, but you can’t just set up a concert in the middle of Canterlot in one day, without a permit, without any kind of permission! DJ-P0n3: Oh? Just watch me, Octy. Just watch me. [Beat.] DJ-P0n3: Also ... I think I’ll have to go buy a new phone too... [End of tape.] [To be concluded ...]" ]

[ "The Vinyl Scratch Tapes Transcript Four: The Concert [What follows is a transcript of broadcast 1F23 of the Vinyl Scratch, the day after the call-in show.] DJ-P0n3: It is 7 PM and you’re listening to K-Colt! It’s a nice clear night and we are live onstage outside Blueblood Theater! And it looks like we’ve got a couple ponies out here already. ARE YOU READY TO ROCK?! [Yells of approval come from an obviously large crowd.] DJ-P0n3: You’re listening to a very special evening broadcast of the Vinyl Scratch! I’m the diabolical musical mastermind herself, DJ-P0n3. Octavia: And I’m Octavia, hoping I don’t get charged as an accessory before the night is over. DJ-P0n3: And we’d like to welcome you to Octaviastock! [Loud cheers and hoof claps.] Octavia: [Nervous laughter.] I’m ... still not sold on that name. DJ-P0n3: Come on, it’s memorable. Octavia: Why did you name it after me? DJ-P0n3: Cause you’re the star, of course! Octavia: No, no ... it’s more the whole ensemble-- DJ-P0n3: The what? Octavia: [Sigh.] The band. DJ-P0n3: Oh. Octavia: It’s more the whole band ponies are here to see. I’m just the cellist. I’m-- DJ-P0n3: [Over speakers.] Hey, everypony! Who thinks Octavia is being way too modest?! [Roars of approval from the audience. After it dies down, one pony far in the back of the crowd speaks up.] Heckler: I don’t. DJ-P0n3: No one asked you! [Turns back to Octavia.] See, they all agree with me, which is the next best thing to being right. Octavia: [Blushing.] Eheh, well ... I guess. DJ-P0n3: Don’t tell me you’re nervous. Octavia: Well, duh. Of course I’m nervous! We’re running a concert right next to a theater and we could be arrested! DJ-P0n3: Haha, don’t be silly. I’m sixty percent sure we won’t be arrested! Octavia: [Groan.] Oh, great. That sets my mind at ease. Sixty. That’s barely a passing grade. DJ-P0n3: Don’t worry your pretty little head! Vinyl’s got everything under control. Have I ever steered you wro-- Octavia: Yes. You have. Frequently. DJ-P0n3: Well, this time I won’t. Octavia: I have to admit I am a bit impressed that you threw this all together. DJ-P0n3: I know, right! Isn’t it perfect? Octavia: [Pause.] Well ... I am grateful and everything but... DJ-P0n3: But what? Octavia: You’ve never really organized a concert before, have you? DJ-P0n3: I’ve ... organized raves before. It’s almost the same thing. Octavia: Yeah see, no. No it isn’t ... although that would explain why so many ponies in the audience have glow sticks. DJ-P0n3: I thought it would be appropriate. Octavia: Most concert halls don’t hand out glow sticks. DJ-P0n3: Well maybe they should! They’re cool! Look I have one right here! [Pulls out glow stick, twirls it around with telekinesis.] See! Plus, science has shown glow sticks increase everypony’s ability to enjoy music! Octavia: Okay, first of all, you made that up. Second of all, even if you didn’t, what is the logic of that? What about glow sticks makes ponies more able to enjoy music? DJ-P0n3: Because um ... [Pause.] Because glowing. Octavia: Yeah. That’s real scientific. Also the stage looks a bit ... different. DJ-P0n3: What’s wrong with the stage? Octavia: It’s just that most concerts I’ve played at don’t have stages with quite so many speakers ... or with pyrotechnics, for that matter. DJ-P0n3: Come on, I got a good deal on those from some blue unicorn. Speaking of which, allow me to thank today’s sponsor! [Telekinetically pulls out small stack of note cards.] DJ-P0n3: Today’s pyrotechnics were provided by the Great and Powerful Trixie, most powerful magician in Equestria, Savior of Hoofington ... [Goes to next note card.] Slayer of the Ursa Major, Sorcerer Supreme, Wielder of the Flame of Anor... [Goes to next note card.] Masterful Performer, Snappy Dresser ... [Flips through note cards.] Single, Enjoys Long Walks on the Beach ... jeez, there’s like fifty more of these... [DJ-P0n3 throws note cards aside.] DJ-P0n3: Yeah, so, Trixie: she’s good at magic apparently! Moving on! Octavia: Wow Vinyl, her ego sounded almost as big as yours. DJ-P0n3: Psh, what are you talking about? I’ll have you know I’m quite modest. Octavia: Yeah, because all modest people take out giant billboards in Canterlot saying they’re the best DJ ever. DJ-P0n3: Hey, don’t knock the billboard. That is well worth the fifty bits a month. And that was to promote K-COLT. I can’t help it if the billboard says I’m the best. And that the artist just happened to make the billboard a picture of me standing on a radio tower dual-wielding electric guitars that shoot lightning, while you stand next to me waving your cello bow like a sword. Trust me, when you put it in context, that billboard is very, very modest. Octavia: I’m convinced you don’t even know what the word modest means now. [Sigh.] I suppose it’s almost time for my ensemble to take to the stage. The others should be nearly finished preparing. [Octavia rubs her hooves together nervously.] DJ-P0n3: Listen, don’t worry, you don’t have anything to worry about. You’ll do fine. Octavia: I know. I just always get a little performance anxiety before a show. DJ-P0n3: [Slyly.] You know, if you’re really feeling that stressed, I can think of one or two things we can do to relieve some ... tension. Octavia: [Blushing.] D-don’t be stupid. And don’t tease me, alright? It’s not helping. DJ-P0n3: But teasing each other is the entire basis of our relationship. Unless, you know, you wanted to change the basis of our relationship to making out and snuggling, because that’d work too. I’m open to that. [Octavia is clearly trying not to laugh.] DJ-P0n3: Ah! See? I am helping you feel better. Octavia: [Stifling laugh.] No, no. I’m ... I’m above being amused by such vulgar jokes. [Pause, followed by chuckle.] DJ-P0n3: Yeah right! [Giggles.] I knew I’d be a bad influence on you if I just kept at it. Octavia: That’s not something you should be proud of. DJ-P0n3: But I am anyway. [Both ponies giggle.] DJ-P0n3: Just enjoy yourself. You already know you’re going to do great, so what’s the point of getting worried about it? You and your band are awesome. Octavia: I keep telling you it’s called an ensemble. DJ-P0n3: Yeah. Your ensemble-band is awesome. Octavia: Well ... that is very sweet of you to say. [Looks out at the audience.] I was also worried about something else actually. How much money did you spend on all this? DJ-P0n3: Eh, I wouldn’t worry about that. It wasn’t a whole lot. Octavia: Don’t lie to me. This all seems rather expensive ... DJ-P0n3: Okay, so maybe I spent a little bit on the stage and glow sticks and security... Octavia: Security? What security? DJ-P0n3: Yeah, funny story. Remember those Diamond Dogs who called in the other day? Octavia: Yes? DJ-P0n3: Well ... [Door to booth opens. A Diamond Dog sticks his head in wearing a ragged white shirt with the word “SECURITY” printed on it.] Diamond Dog: Miss Sunglasses-Pony, someponies in the audience is getting restless. DJ-P0n3: Don’t worry, the show should start in a bit. Just keep it under control until Octavia can get onstage. Diamond Dog: Um, who? DJ-P0n3: You know, “Bowtie Pony.” [Nods head over to Octavia.] Diamond Dog: Oh! Yes, yesss. Right away, Miss ... [Diamond Dog exits. Octavia looks at DJ-P0n3 in disbelief.] Octavia: ... you hired them? Seriously? DJ-P0n3: Ah, they’re not so bad. Besides, they work cheap. I’m paying them in milk bones and costume jewelry. Octavia: Okay, but still, this whole concert seems like a lot of trouble for you. All the time and money and everything ... DJ-P0n3: I don’t care about that. It’s all worth it if it makes you happy. [Octavia says nothing for a moment.] Octavia: I ... I don’t know what to say. No one’s ever done anything like this for me. DJ-P0n3: Ah, it’s nothing really. Octavia: No. It’s not just nothing. Not to me. [Pause.] You know ... Vinyl? DJ-P0n3: Yeah? Octavia: [Smiles.] There’s ... actually something I’ve been meaning to tell you. [DJ-P0n3 coughs nervously. Her voice starts to crack.] DJ-P0n3: Really? [Clears throat, tries to remain cool.] I mean, yeah. That’s cool. Whatever. Octavia: Well ... I mean I just wanted to say that ever-- DJ-P0n3: Y-yeah? Octavia: Well, it’s just ... I wanted to-- [Frédéric, the dignified Piano player in Octavia’s ensemble, pops up from the backstage.] Frédéric: Pardon me, is this a bad time? DJ-P0n3: CRAP! [Frédéric raises an eyebrow.] Octavia: Um ... what is it Frédéric? Frédéric: I’m afraid we have a problem. We can’t go on yet. Beauty Brass still hasn’t arrived. Octavia: What?! What’s the hold up? Frédéric: We’re not sure. We cannot get in touch with her. She should have been here an hour ago. Octavia: Oh, that’s just great. Frédéric: I wouldn’t worry, she’s probably just running late. You know Brass. She always waits until the last minute, especially when she insists on lugging that sousaphone around by herself. Octavia: Yeah ... yeah, you’re probably right. Frédéric: In any case, we’re going to have to stall. Do you two have any ideas? DJ-P0n3: I can think of something. Frédéric: Very well. I will search around her, in case she simply got distracted by a shiny object or something. Octavia: [Nervous laugh.] R-right. Thank you, Fred. Frédéric: I apologize for the interruption. [Starts to walk backstage.] I shall allow you two to return to your intimacy. Octavia: WHAT?! [Frédéric gives a knowing smile, but says nothing as he leaves. The tape is audio only, but it can be inferred that Octavia’s face is beet red at this point.] DJ-P0n3: Well ... um ... [Smiles.] Octavia weren’t you saying something? Octavia: What? Oh. Yeah. Um, well, I ... n-nevermind. DJ-P0n3: [Muttering under her breath.] Horseapples. Octavia: Well, what are we going to do now? We can’t go on without our sousaphone player. [Slightly frantic.] And for all I know, Brass could have wandered into the Everfree Forest or something! And every second we don’t play, all those ponies will be more and more disappointed, assuming the Prince doesn’t arrest us first! I-- [DJ-P0n3 gets on hind legs and grabs Octavia by the shoulders, shaking her.] DJ-P0n3: Listen to me Octavia, calm down! Octavia: I -- okay, I’m calm. I think-- DJ-P0n3: [Still shaking her.] You have to calm down! Do you hear me?! Get it together! Octavia: I’m calm now! You can-- DJ-P0n3: Everything is gonna be ok-- Octavia: [Yelling.] Why are you still shaking me?! DJ-P0n3: Because it’s fun! [DJ-P0n3 finally stops. Octavia, now slightly dizzy, falls back down in her chair.] DJ-P0n3: Now don’t worry. I have a perfect plan to kill some time. Octavia: [Deadpan.] It isn’t about playing your rock opera, is it? DJ-P0n3: Well ... not anymore. But here’s a better idea. [Over the speakers.] Fillies and gentlecolts, due to some technical difficulties, there will be a short delay starting the show. In the meantime, I’m going to do a very special interview. Octavia: [Muttering.] Wait, what? DJ-P0n3: As a special treat to all of you, I, Vinyl Scratch, am going to interview Octavia! With no regard for how personal or intrusive my questions may be! Octavia: I don’t recall consenting to this. DJ-P0n3: [Whispering.] Do you have a better idea? Octavia: Good point. DJ-P0n3: [Over speakers.] So, what do you listeners think? Doesn’t that sound great?! [There is clapping and yells of approval from the audience, followed by silence. There’s a distant shout from the back.] Heckler: Actually, that sounds more like desperate filler. DJ-P0n3: Well, it’s a good thing I don’t care about that guy’s opinion! Heckler: I resent that! DJ-P0n3: So why don’t we get started? [Turns to Octavia.] Okay, so here’s how it’ll work. You be you, and I’ll be me. Octavia: Sounds difficult so far. DJ-P0n3: Except you’ll just act like a normal guest. Octavia: A normal guest on our show? DJ-P0n3: That’s right. Octavia: So I guess that means I’ll just sit back and be horrified at the insane questions you ask me? DJ-P0n3: Yep. Octavia: So ... basically I’ll be acting the same way I usually do on the show? DJ-P0n3: Pretty much. [Settles in chair.] So Octy, why don’t you start by telling our audience about yourself? Octavia: Well, I’ve been playing the cello since I was a little filly. I love music. I deeply enjoy my job at K-COLT ... [DJ-P0n3 grins.] Octavia: Though some mornings I’m not quite sure why. DJ-P0n3: I think everypony here already knew that. Octavia: You were the one who asked me that! What do you want me to say? DJ-P0n3: Well, tell us something we don’t already know like ... what about the other members of your band? Octavia: Well, my ensemble and I have been together for ... well, as long as I remember. I’ve actually known all of them since I was in high school. There’s Frédéric, who you’ve already met. There’s also Beauty Brass, our sousaphone player. She’s a bit of a scatterbrain, but she’s quite nice. We’ve been almost like sisters for as long as I can remember. Heh, I guess kind of like you and Spitfire. DJ-P0n3: Really? Did you kiss her then? Octavia: Shut up. And then there’s Harpo, who plays the harp. He’s sort of the quiet one. Everypony in our group is very nice. DJ-P0n3: And they’re all very talented. Trust me, I heard them the night before last. [Suddenly angry.] Before they were booted out by that no-good sack of-- Octavia: Now now, Vinyl. [Nervous chuckle.] No need to get into that again. Heckler: She almost said a naughty word. I’m offended! DJ-P0n3: [Yelling.] Kid, you are on thin ice! [Clears throat.] Anyway, Frédéric seemed very nice. Octavia: He’s very gentlecoltly when he wants to be, yes. DJ-P0n3: And you’ve known him since you were in school? Octavia: Yes. DJ-P0n3: So ... were you and he ever ... Octavia: Ever what? DJ-P0n3: Well I mean, he’s your childhood friend and everything. So it stands to reason that you two could have been ... Octavia: Oh! [Chuckles.] No, no. That’s ... he’s almost like my brother. That would be weird. Besides I-- [DJ-P0n3 instantly perks up.] DJ-P0n3: You what? Octavia: I’m not exactly into, er ... never mind. DJ-P0n3: No, go on, what were you gonna-- Octavia: [Suddenly overly cheerful.] Hey, let’s change the subject! Did you know I have a cat? I have a cat. Cats are great! Let’s talk about cats instead! DJ-P0n3: Oooookay. Say, Octavia, why don’t you tell us about your cat. Octavia: I actually just got her. It’s an orange little tabby cat. She’s a cute thing. Very affectionate. Sweet. DJ-P0n3: Sounds like she’s the exact opposite of you. Octavia: [Groans.] You know, at this point, I really should have seen that coming. [Smiles.] But she’s a very nice kitty. The only problem is she has a habit of jumping up and clinging to me. Which she does really well. She has very sharp claws. I know she’s just being affectionate, but it can be very painful. DJ-P0n3: Much like being in an actual relationship. [Chuckles.] She does sound cute. What’s her name? [There’s a short pause.] Octavia: What? DJ-P0n3: The name. Of the cat. Octavia: Oh ... well um, her name is ... [Mumbles something indistinct.] DJ-P0n3: What was that? Octavia: Well ... DJ-P0n3: Come on, what’s her name? Octavia: [Shrinking down in her chair.] Lil’ Scratch. [Brief pause, followed by DJ-P0n3 laughing uproariously. Octavia sighs.] DJ-P0n3: [Crying with laughter.] You’re serious? You named your cat after me? Octavia: Well, what else would you name a cat that scratches everything?! It seemed appropriate, I-- Stop laughing! [DJ-P0n3 covers her mouth with her hooves.] DJ-P0n3: Sorry it’s just ... wow. Octavia: [Sigh.] Never going to hear the end of this, am I? DJ-P0n3: Okay, okay, I’m just kidding around. That is honestly a very sweet gesture. Octavia: [Blushing.] It wasn’t for any specific reason! Like I said, it was just the only name I could think of. It has nothing to do with you. DJ-P0n3: Riiiight. But you know, because we’re such good friends, I am going to take the high road and not use the ... thousands and thousands of possible jokes I could fill up the next hour with. About you ... petting Scratch. [DJ-P0n3 tries to keep herself from laughing and fails.] [Octavia groans, hits her head on the table.] Octavia: Remind me, why are we friends again? DJ-P0n3: Come on, you know I’m just kidding. But honestly, that is pretty adorable and very nice. Heh, if I ever get a dog, I’ll name it Octy. [Thinks for a moment.] Come to think of it, that’s not a bad idea. [Calls over speakers.] SECURITY! [The sound of footsteps is heard on the tape. Diamond Dog opens door and sticks head in again.] Diamond Dog: Yes, Loud Crazy Pony? DJ-P0n3: Hi there. Just wanted to let you know I’m gonna call you Octy from now on. Diamond Dog: My names is Rover! DJ-P0n3: You can be both now. Rover: [Growls.] We finds that very demeaning. We is not common hounds. DJ-P0n3: [Grins.] Did I mention that in addition to what I was gonna pay you before, I’m gonna give you a big juicy steak for doing such a good job? Rover: ...Steak? [Tail wags.] DJ-P0n3: Mhmm. Now what were you saying? Rover: We is absolutely common hounds! We do whatever you say, Nice Steak-Giving Pony. DJ-P0n3: Hehe. No problem. Everypony give a big hand to head of security, Octy-slash-Rover! [There are polite claps in the audience.] Heckler: Is the show actually going to start soon? Or do you intend to bring every unnecessary staff member up for a bow? [DJ-P0n3 pauses for a moment, tapping her hoof on the desk. She wears a grimace on her face that makes it look like she’s going to yell, but instead she spoke far softer than normal.] DJ-P0n3: [Whispering.] Alright... I think I’ve been patient enough. Nopony talks that way about my crew. [Looks over at Rover.] Did you hear that, Octy? He called you unnecessary. Rover: [Aghast.] He did? [DJ-P0n3 nods.] Rover: [Glaring.] He did, didn’t he? DJ-P0n3: That’s right. Octavia: Vinyl, I really don’t think this is-- DJ-P0n3: You know what? I bet he doesn’t like dogs at all. Probably thinks they’re scruffy. Rover: Scruffy? DJ-P0n3: Yep, and dirty too! Rover: [Barely contained rage.] Dirty?! DJ-P0n3: Yeah! That’s not a very nice thing to say, is it? Rover: No, is not! Is terrible thing! Heckler: Wait, I never-- DJ-P0n3: Oh, now he’s talking back to you! Rover: What? DJ-P0n3: Are you gonna take that?! Rover: [Growls.] Grrr, of course not! DJ-P0n3: [Devious grin.] Well then ... Rover? [Thumps hoof on the table.] Go fetch. [Rover charges out into the audience. There is some hushed conversations the crowd. In the background of the tape, the heckler can be heard.] Heckler: Wha- hey! What are you doing? Unhand me, you ruffian! Octavia: Vinyl! I’m surprised at you! That wasn’t warranted. [DJ-P0n3 shakes her head.] DJ-P0n3: Yes it was. He can make fun of my show all he wants, but nopony insults my crew. Ever! Same as with that prick Blu-- [Falls silent.] Huh ... Octavia: What? DJ-P0n3: Now that I think about it ... that guy did sound kind of familiar ... [The heckler can be heard shouting louder.] Heckler: Get your hands off me! Do you have any idea who I am? ... what do you mean you don’t care?! You little mutt ... yes, I called you a mutt! What are you going to do about it? [Pause.] I-- oh no. NononononoNOOOOOOOOOOOO-- [Again, this tape is audio only. However, according to eyewitness reports, at this point in the recording, a colt was spun around and savagely hurled through the air, over the crowd.] Heckler: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! [The heckler soared in the air for several seconds before violently crashing into the stage not far from DJ-P0n3 and Octavia’s booth. A white unicorn covered in dirt and muck rose from the splintered wood, barely standing on his hoofs.] Octavia: Prince Blueblood?! [Everypony in the audience gasps.] DJ-P0n3: Ha! It was you all along! It all makes sense now! [Prince Blueblood, still dazed from being the fall, shook his head and glared at DJ-P0n3.] Blueblood: That’s right. I, Prince Blueblood, have come to finally put a end to your reign of terror! [DJ-P0n3 stares for a moment, then bursts out laughing.] DJ-P0n3: Hahaha, oh, this ought to be good! Blueblood: Oh, you won’t talk your way out of this one! It is time for you to face a true, dignified magnificent hero that will- [Octavia covers her nose with her hoof.] Octavia: I’m sorry but ... oh Celestia, what is that smell? DJ-P0n3: I think its Duke Jerkwad over there. Blueblood: ... a true, dignified hero that will bring an end to-- DJ-P0n3: [Gags.] Jeez, it smells like something crawled in your mane to die. What is that?! Blueblood: [Angry.] I am trying to deliver a dramatic boast to herald my heroic deeds! Are you going to let me fini-- DJ-P0n3: Trust me, whatever is causing that odor is way more interesting than anything you have to say. Right, audience?! [There are murmurs of approval from the audience.] Blueblood: I- It’s not even that bad an odor! DJ-P0n3: Compared to what? Road kill? Blueblood: [Grumbles.] It’s pond scum, alright ... and some rotten fruit ... [Telekinetically flicks some of the filth from his hair.] And I think there’s some skunk spray in there. [Shouting.] Look, that’s not the point here! Octavia: How did that happen? Blueblood: I’m glad you asked! [Points hoof at both the hosts accusingly.] It is all because of you two that I smell of commoners and algae! And for that reason, I have come to enact my cunning plan to put a stop to your anarchy once and for all! Octavia: Anarchy? Excuse me, sir, but all we’re doing is playing music and hosting a show. That’s hardly evil. Blueblood: You don’t understand, do you? [Sigh.] Very well. I will lower myself to your level and grant you an explanation, since you are clearly too embroiled in villainy to comprehend my motives yourself. Octavia: Listen, we’re having a concert here. We don’t have time for-- DJ-P0n3: No no, Octy. Let him talk. Octavia: What? Blueblood: Thank you. I see there is some sense left in you. DJ-P0n3: [Whispering over to Octavia.] Come on, play along. This’ll still buy us even more time. Besides, this is great! I don’t even have to make fun of him. He’s doing all the work for me! Octavia: [Whispering.] Are you crazy? He could still have us arrested! We should get out of here. DJ-P0n3: And deprive the ponies of a show? Trust me, we can make this work, just like we always have. Octavia: But what if-- DJ-P0n3: Okay, how about this? Look at Blueblood. Does he really look like he’s capable of pulling off anything dangerous? [Octavia looks over at Blueblood, who now has flies swarming around his dirty mane.] Octavia: ... Good point. DJ-P0n3: Right. [Clears throat, speaks up.] So, Prince Blueblood, thanks for coming to our very illegal concert. Please continue with your not-at-all delusional story about how we’re evil and you’re the moral paragon. Blueblood: [Smiling.] Why yes, thank you, I believe I shall. Octavia: [Whispering.] D-does he not understand you were being sarcastic? DJ-P0n3: [Quiet laugh.] I don’t think he gets the concept of sarcasm at all. Blueblood: [Clears throat.] Do you remember last month when you interviewed my Aunt Celestia? DJ-P0n3: [Rolls eyes.] No, I had completely forgotten interviewing the ruler of Equestria. Blueblood: Oh. [Pause, then continues without any irony.] Well, last month you interviewed my-- Octavia: We remember, okay?! What about it? Blueblood: I listened to that interview. I recall it quite clearly. Octavia: You actually listened to our show? Blueblood: I was doing so in an effort to relate to the common folk. Without having to interact with them directly. [Hastily adds.] Not that I have anything against the common folk. I dearly love all the mouth-breathing, inbred masses. It’s just ... I’d rather not touch them. DJ-P0n3: Of course. Blueblood: For health reasons! I don’t want to risk catching a disease like the plague or the consumption. Or poverty. Octavia: [Deadpan.] You’re so down to earth, you know that? Blueblood: [Without any irony.] Thank you.", "Or poverty. Octavia: [Deadpan.] You’re so down to earth, you know that? Blueblood: [Without any irony.] Thank you. [Points to DJ-P0n3.] Anyway, after listening to you insult my aunt on live radio, I was shocked! Mortified! Horrified! I could not believe such an anarchist radio show could exist, where royalty could be treated with such little respect! DJ-P0n3: Heh, yeah, it was pretty awesome, wasn’t it? Octavia: Vinyl, that’s not funny. You’re lucky Celestia was such a good sport about it. Blueblood: Yes, my aunty is very polite. She told me not to make a big deal of it, and I tried not to think of it. Then I receive an invite to be interviewed on your show. Now, I am no idiot-- DJ-P0n3: Really? Cause you could have fooled me. Blueblood: Quiet! I knew all you’d do is mock me for your own amusement. DJ-P0n3: Well, that wasn’t all I’d do. I had other things planned. [Laugh.] They were great, too. One of them involved bees. Lots and lots of bees. I was sad I couldn’t use that one. Octavia: Please tell me you’re joking. DJ-P0n3: Of course I’m kidding! [Pause.] Maybe! Blueblood: So, I turned down your invitation. I mean, mocking my aunt is one thing, but making fun of me? That is a line that the media should not cross! DJ-P0n3: There is a thing called “freedom of speech,” you know. Blueblood: I have nothing against freedom of speech as long ponies say exactly what I want them to say! But even though I didn’t come on your show, you mock me mercilessly for no reason! DJ-P0n3: [Angrily.] For no reason? Don’t act like the victim here! I have plenty of reasons to hate you! Almost everything you do is horrible and selfish! Blueblood: [Shocked.] What are you talking about? I am a selfless public servant! DJ-P0n3: Oh really? What about that time you had an ice skating rink bulldozed so you could build a swimming pool for yourself!? Blueblood: Hey, that swimming pool was not only for me! It’s a community swimming pool, open to everypony ... provided, of course, that you have a royal invitation, valid government issue ID, and forty bits. But children get in for half-price (as long as I don’t have to look at them), and that is true generosity! DJ-P0n3: Uh huh. [Over speakers.] What do you ponies in the audience think? [There are thunderous boos directed at Blueblood. Blueblood raises an eyebrow, honestly confused. A rotten tomato strikes Blueblood in the eye. Blueblood sighs.] DJ-P0n3: Huh. I guess that means they don’t agree with you. Blueblood: A true visionary is never appreciated in his time. Octavia: I hardly think canceling a show my ensemble and I poured our heart into counts as being a visionary! DJ-P0n3: I think it counts more as being a tool. Blueblood: [Scoffs.] Of course you would say that. After the way you treated me on the air, you expect me to give you audience in my theater?! Simply associating with that DJ has corrupted you. For all I knew, your next performance could have devolved into some undignified hootenanny of glorified rebellion that could spur riots among the carnies and circus folk that compose your show’s audience! [Pause, looks at the audience.] Er, no offense, by the way. [Someone throws a soda can at Blueblood, which is impaled on his horn.] Blueblood: Ugh. But it didn’t matter even then. You refused to listen even then! And on top of that, because of your rude words yesterday, everypony has hurled garbage upon me as if I were a common street urchin! I had a skunk thrown at me! Who does that?! And it’s all because you have turned me a laughingstock! DJ-P0n3: You turned yourself a laughingstock, Blueblood. Blueblood: And now, the time for talk has passed! Since both defy me even now, I had to take it upon myself to put an end to this chaos! DJ-P0n3: [Chuckles.] What chaos? Everypony’s having a good time except you. Everypony wanted to see Octavia’s show, except you. That’s why ponies got so mad at you! Don’t you get that maybe what you think is right might not be good for everyone else? Blueblood: [Raises eyebrow.] I ... don’t understand the question. DJ-P0n3: Okay, let me put it this way. Have you ever heard of empathy before? Blueblood: I don’t believe in voodoo. [DJ-P0n3 facehoofs.] Blueblood: But that doesn’t matter now. I’ve already put my plan into action, and I will bring ruin to this concert... er, in the name of justice. And love and stuff. DJ-P0n3: What plan? You sat in the back and said things that were kind of annoying for a half hour. That only counts as a clever plan if you’re a three year old! Octavia: [Deadpan.] If he was, I wouldn’t be surprised. Blueblood: Fools! That was only one phase of my plan! To increase agitation in the simpleminded crowd with heroic taunting! Octavia: Also, great idea insulting the crowd when they’re all listening right now. Blueblood: I wouldn’t worry about that. My research indicates the average lower-middle-class Earth pony has an attention span of about three minutes. Much like goldfish. [Boos from the audience. More garbage is hurled in Blueblood’s direction, but Blueblood actually dodges this time.] DJ-P0n3: Okay mastermind, what’s the rest of your plan? Have us arrested? Blueblood: Um ... no actually. Nothing would make me happier than to have you both jailed without trial and sent to the spice mines for a few decades! But aunty said I’m not allowed to do that. [Stomps hoof and whines.] Never get anything I want... DJ-P0n3: Hehe, good to see Celestia still has a good head on her shoulders. Blueblood: So instead, I did the next best thing! Made it impossible for your concert to go on at all! And on top of that, put an end to this experiment called radio! Octavia: What are you talking about? You haven’t done anything like that! Blueblood: Haven’t I? I guess it hasn’t occurred to you where your sousaphone player is right now! Octavia: [Eyes widening.] WHAT!? You know where Beauty Brass is? DJ-P0n3: Wha, you’re serious? You did that?! Blueblood: Ha, so now you’re interested in what I have to say? Perhaps I know where she is and perhaps not. You can refresh my memory ... if you play your cards correctly. Octavia: What did you do to her, Blueblood?! I’m not asking you again! DJ-P0n3: Yeah, this is not funny! [Blueblood gives a heartless chuckle and flashes a creepy grin.] Blueblood: No, it isn’t. Do you see the results of your actions now, Vinyl Scratch? Do you see what your insanity drives me to do for the sake of justice?! Hehe, do not worry, your marching band reject is safe. Just ... out of the way. [Octavia, no longer her calm usual self, is boiling with rage.] Octavia: Tell me where she is, Blueblood! Blueblood: I intend to. For a price. DJ-P0n3: You’re holding her ransom? In front of everypony?! [Brimming with disgust.] You really are vile. Blueblood: If a prince does it, it can’t possibly be a crime. But I’m not a bad guy. I just want things back to normal. So I have very simple terms. I’ll show you where she is, and in exchange, this concert is over. And the deed to K-COLT is signed over to me! DJ-P0n3: What?! Octavia: How dare you? Blueblood: Those are the terms. What will you do? [The entire audience boos, begins throwing pebbles and garbage at the stage. Blueblood doesn’t even bother moving.] Blueblood: Go ahead, throw more. I don’t care anymore! I’ll still get what I want. [Stares at Octavia.] So, Miss Octavia, Miss Vinyl Scratch, what will you do? [DJ-P0n3 says nothing for a long moment.] Blueblood: Tell me, Vinyl Scratch, how does it feel to be the one rendered speechless for once? Times up! What are you going to do?! [DJ-P0n3 looks down at the floor, biting her bottom lip. She opens her mouth to speak, but Octavia holds out her hoof to stop her.] [Octavia speaks in a voice not much higher than a whisper.] Octavia: I’ve got a better deal... Blueblood: Oh? And what would that-- [Octavia stands on her hind legs and smashes her right hoof into Blueblood’s face. Blueblood flies back, several of his teeth falling to the floor. Octavia stands over him without an ounce of pity on her face.] Octavia: Here’s the deal. Tell my where my friend is or I’ll keep hitting you until someone drags me away! [Blueblood looks up in horror. All confidence that was in his voice is now gone. He scoots away from Octavia as she approaches.] Blueblood: W-what are you doing? What about your friend? Octavia: Oh, you’ll tell me. [Glaring, gritting her teeth.] I’ll make you sing! [The color drains from Blueblood’s face as Octavia approaches him.] [DJ-P0n3 reaches out and grabs Octavia.] DJ-P0n3: No Octy! You can’t do this! Octavia: But he has Beauty Brass. She’s probably alone and scared somewhere, for no good reason! She ... [Voice cracking.] She’s my friend. DJ-P0n3: I know. But you can’t do this. You can’t lower yourself to his level. Octavia: But-- DJ-P0n3: Listen, I may be a jerk, but I don’t want you to be one. You’re a better pony than me in pretty much every way. I want you to stay that way. [DJ-P0n3, for the first time ever, lowers her shades from her face and peeks over at Octavia with her light red eyes. They are sincere, heavy with emotion.] DJ-P0n3: You get it? [For a moment, Octavia says nothing, before finally nodding.] Octavia: You’re right. I’m sorry it’s ... I was just so angry. Thank you, Vinyl. You’re right. DJ-P0n3: I usually am. Octavia: [Sigh.] As much as I hate to admit it ... I can’t go around beating any jerk up. DJ-P0n3: That’s right, Octy. [Places shades back over her eyes and flashing a devious grin.] That’s what we have security for! [As if on cue, Rover the Diamond Dog leaps onto the stage, right by Blueblood, who is still frozen in terror.] DJ-P0n3: Blueblood, I think you’ve met Octy, er, Rover. Whatever. Rover, are you rabid? Rover: [Grinning.] Dunno. DJ-P0n3: Not sure? [False surprise.] Wow, that sounds bad! Blueblood, I suppose you better tell us what we want to know. If not ... well, I don’t think I could stop Rover from making you his new chew toy. [Blueblood begins to stammer.] Blueblood: I don’t--she--she’s-- Frédéric: She’s completely fine. [Everypony looks to the side of the stage, where Frédéric has returned. Following him is Harpo, the purple harp player in Octavia’s ensemble. And behind him was--] Octavia: Beauty Brass! [A cyan pony carrying a sousaphone approached the stage. Octavia runs up and gives her a big hug.] Octavia: Brass, you had me so worried! Where were you? Frédéric: I appears she was locked in the fillies’ restroom the entire time. She didn’t see who it was, but it appears the culprit has already revealed himself here. Octavia: [Blinks.] Wait, it took this long for somepony to check for her in the bathroom? Frédéric: I don’t make a habit of barging into the ladies room. Luckily we were able to hear her from backstage. Beauty Brass: [Talks in a very loud voice.] I CAN SCREAM REALLY LOUD, YOU KNOW! POWERFUL LUNGS! COMES WITH PLAYING A SOUSAPHONE! [Takes a very deep breath, then speaks in almost a whisper.] Sorry ... been screaming so long it’s HARD TO ADJUST my voice... [Octavia chuckles.] Octavia: That’s okay, Brass. I’m just glad you’re okay. Frédéric: I suspect the Prince’s plan was to flee the second he got the deed, hoping we wouldn’t notice Brass was not that far away the whole time. Harpo: [Says nothing, nods significantly.] Beauty Brass: [Glares at Blueblood.] YOU LOCKED ME IN THE BATHROOM! THAT’S SO NOT COOL! DJ-P0n3: Well, now we just have to figure out what to do with ol’ Blueblood. Frédéric: [Scratching chin.] I propose we settle it like true gentlecolts. Octavia: You mean with words? Frédéric: No. With dueling pistols. Harpo: [Nods with a grin.] Blueblood: WHAT?! Octavia: Fred! Frédéric: [Deadpan.] That was a joke. DJ-P0n3: I think it’s best we just get him out of here. Octy-Rover? Would you kindly take out the trash? Rover: Of course, Miss DJ Pony! [Rover throws Blueblood over his shoulder, ready to carry him off.] DJ-P0n3: WAIT! [Rover stops. DJ-P0n3 telekinetically picks Blueblood’s teeth off the floor.] DJ-P0n3: For the tooth fairy. [DJ-P0n3 drops them in Blueblood’s hoof. Blueblood glares.] DJ-P0n3: Oh yeah! And here! [Telekinetically reaches under her seat and throws a glow stick towards him.] Free glow stick! [DJ-P0n3 chuckles, very pleased with herself.] Blueblood: ... I hate you. So. Much. [Rover carries Blueblood off-stage.] Blueblood: This isn’t over! I’ll be back! You haven’t heard the last of-- [Rover covers Blueblood’s mouth with its paw.] Rover: Shuts up! Jeez! [Blueblood is carried off, the entire audience erupts with applause, shouting “Whoo!” “Yeah!” “You go girl!” and the like.] Frédéric: Well, after that extremely stupid and convoluted interlude, I think it’s time we finally played. Harpo: [Closes eyes and nods.] DJ-P0n3: Your friend seems pretty chatty. Frédéric: Oh, he can be when he wants to be. Nonetheless, it’s time we all take the stage! Beauty Brass: YES! I’M SO EXCITED! YAAAAAAAY! [Takes breath, lowers voice.] I mean ... yaaaay~ Octavia: You guys go set up. I’ll be with you all in a minute. [Frédéric, Harpo, and Beauty Brass all go backstage. Octavia turns to DJ-P0n3.] DJ-P0n3: Well ... I sure know how to throw a concert, don’t I?! Fistfights, randsom, disappearances ... just need some rifles and dynamite and we’d be in business! Hahaha... Octavia: ... DJ-P0n3: What? Octavia: ...were you really going to agree to Blueblood’s deal? You know, back there. Just to save my friend? [DJ-P0n3 thinks for a minute, then shrugs.] DJ-P0n3: Doesn’t really matter now, does it? Octavia: But you would have, wouldn’t you? DJ-P0n3: [Brief pause.] Some things are more important than K-COLT. Or me. [Octavia stares for a moment, then shakes her head.] Octavia: [Smiling.] You really are a big softy, you know that? [Octavia and DJ-P0n3 both laugh.] Octavia: You know ... I never did say what I wanted to tell you, before all this. [DJ-P0n3 stiffens up.] DJ-P0n3: Oh yeah! I forgot all about that! Octavia: Well I ... I just wanted to say ... I don’t really get close to a lot of ponies, so I’m really glad I was able to meet you. I didn’t really like you at first, but you are a very good friend. You went to the trouble to do all this just for me and, well ... I just wanted to say ... you’re my best friend, Vinyl. DJ-P0n3: Wow ... I’m really touched. Thank you, Octy. I’m glad I met you too. You make me want to be a better pony. I really appreciate that ... you know, even if it means I am stuck in the friend zone. [DJ-P0n3 chuckles. Octavia thinks for a minute, then leans over and gives DJ-P0n3 a small kiss on the cheek.] Octavia: Well, I don’t know about that! [Octavia leans back and smiles. DJ-P0n3’s face turns a deep red.] DJ-P0n3: Um ... I ... I--oh boy--I don’t--wow-- Octavia: Quite a way with words you have there, Vinyl. DJ-P0n3: [Nervous giggle.] Why don’t you just go on stage now? I’m going to go drench my head in a bucket of water. [DJ-P0n3 goes off stage. Octavia goes back stage. Moments later, the curtain rises. Everypony is at their respective instruments. Octavia is in the center, her bow in her hooves. She smiles out at the crowd as the entire audience claps.] [Back at the table, DJ-P0n3 goes to the mic and shouts.] DJ-P0n3: Let’s kick it! [The concert, “Octaviastock,” was a resounding success, both critically and commercially. Octavia and her ensemble played their hearts out, and all members would later agree it was their most memorable performance. DJ-P0n3 made back all the bits she spent on the concert simply on sales of glow sticks alone. DJ-P0n3 said in an interview later, “that concert was the smartest bad idea I ever had.” Blueblood tried to sue K-COLT, but was unsuccessful on the grounds that, according to an Equestrian judge, “Nopony cares what he thinks.” In fact, Princess Celestia, in order to teach him a lesson, arranged for him to spend his weekends working in the spice mine in order to teach him about friendship and humility. When asked if he learned anything from all this, Blueblood said it was, quote, “complete bunk.” Shortly after the concert, DJ-P0n3 and Octavia became roommates. When asked for more details about this arrangement, DJ-P0n3 simply smiled and said, “Draw your own conclusions.” The Vinyl Scratch show continued for a long, long time, leaving many more episodes to be transcribed. We shall leave you now with the closing message read at the end of K-COLT’s broadcast each night. “This concludes our broadcast day. Good night and good luck.”] THE END ...but Vinyl Scratch and Octavia will return in “Vinyl Scratch Tapes: Season 2”" ]

[ "The Vinyl Scratch Tapes Season 2 First Transcript: The Second Call-In Show [In the year 1001 of the Celestian calendar, Equestrian scientists developed advanced magic making it possible to broadcast music over long distances. This innovation led to the creation of the first independent radio station, K-COLT, and the first talk show, “The Vinyl Scratch,” hosted by DJ-P0n3 (aka Vinyl Scratch), and her co-host Octavia.] [The Vinyl Scratch quickly became the most popular show in Equestria, despite (or perhaps because) of DJ-P0n3’s eccentric, boastful behavior, leading to some of the most interesting, memorable interviews with famous ponies in any media. Their show was also notable in that events of their show’s first season also contributed to mass public disapproval, hatred, and scorn of Prince Blueblood, nephew of Princess Celestia.] [After initially disliking DJ-P0n3, Octavia eventually warmed up to the strange pony and the two became close friends and eventually roommates, further fueling speculation of the nature of their relationship. Their show continued to be widely popular, Octavia and DJ-P0n3 themselves becoming famous celebrities.] [After a brief hiatus following the incident in front of Blueblood Theater, The Vinyl Scratch returned for a second season. These episodes were recorded and transcribed for historical significance.] DJ-P0n3: It’s that time again! All power to amps, fire up the pyrotechnics hotter than the sun, play until your hooves split apart, and blast the volume till it cracks the heavens and the earth! Hail to the good times, because ROCK has got the right of way! It’s time for THE VINYL SCRATCH! [A record is scratched.] DJ-P0n3: That’s right! We’re back and louder than ever! [Giggles.] Did you miss me, listeners? I missed you! But don’t worry, we’ve returned to give your lives meaning once more! This is the very first Equestrian talk show with me, the Mad Minstrel Mistress herself, DJ-P0n3! Octavia: Do you just... have a thing for alliteration or something? DJ-P0n3: And the pony who just used a word I don’t understand is my lovely co-host, Octavia. Octavia: [Sigh.] Did you ever pay attention in school for even a ... wait, why am I even asking? Of course you didn’t. DJ-P0n3: Nope. [Chuckles.] Seriously though, it’s good to be back. Isn’t it, Octy? Octavia: [Giggles.] Of course it is. As much as I enjoyed our trip, it does feel nice to be back. DJ-P0n3: For those of you who don’t know, we took a brief hiatus after the concert after we ran into some minor legal issues. Now, we’re all adults here, so I’m not going to name names ... but it’s entirely Prince Blueblood’s fault you were deprived of happiness! Octavia: Vinyl, calm down. Let’s discuss this rationally. DJ-P0n3: Yes ... Yes, rationally. [Cough.] What I meant to say is ... you should all go out and tar and feather that little-- Octavia: Vinyl ... DJ-P0n3: Alright, alright. [Cough.] Well, after that concert we held of ... questionable legality ... Octavia: Which is to say, no legality at all. DJ-P0n3: Basically. After that, ol’ Princy tried to have us sued. However, this was quickly thrown out of court due to the fact nopony cares about anything the Prince does or says at any given moment, from now until the end of time. And that’s not just my opinion, that’s what the judge put in the court record! Octavia: It was ... tiring. DJ-P0n3: After dealing with all that, we had a bit of a vacation. Me and Octy went to Manehatten for a show her and the ensemble put on. Which KILLED, by the way. Octavia: Aww, thank you, Vinyl. DJ-P0n3: It was just a ton of fun. I even helped a little bit organizing the whole thing and selling merchandise to support the band! Octavia: Ensemble. DJ-P0n3: Whatever. Octavia: I do ... appreciate the thought and enthusiasm Vinyl, but you really didn’t have to make all that merchandise. Part of being a cultured musician is to realize art and music are more important than material gain. In fact, the true meaning of being a musician is to play even in the face of-- DJ-P0n3: Incidentally, if any of you ponies at home would like to buy some stuff, please go to your local retailer and ask for them. If they do not have them, DEMAND them! 100% of the proceeds go to supporting Octavia and her ensemble. We got Beauty Brass brand glow sticks, Frédéric Horseshoepin cups and plates, a photo of Harpo signed by me PRETENDING to be him... you can even buy a t-shirt with Octavia’s face on it! Octavia: [Facehoof.] Oh Celestia... DJ-P0n3: Aww, come on, Octavia shirts are cool. Any shirts without your face are therefore lame, so I urge every filly at home to replace their entire wardrobe with these and burn all other clothes! Octavia: [Deadpan.] She’s joking. Don’t do that. We don’t need more lawsuits. DJ-P0n3: They’re so cool that I’d be wearing one right now if Octy didn’t ask me not to. Party-pooper. Octavia: I don’t think it counts as party-pooping. It’s more like ... thinking it’s monumentally creepy to see the pony you’re living with walking around in a shirt with your face on it. DJ-P0n3: [Gasp.] Oh, so you think I’m creepy now? Octavia: [Deadpan.] Very. DJ-P0n3: [Giggles.] Come on, it’s all in good fun. You should wear one! Octavia: That’s just narcissistic! DJ-P0n3: Come on, I’d do it! Octavia: Precisely! DJ-P0n3: [Giggles.] It’d be cool for you to wear it! That way it’d be like there’s two of you! [Flirtatious.] Which actually reminds me of that one dream I had where-- [Octavia loudly coughs.] Octavia: ANYWAY! Why don’t we actually start the show? DJ-P0n3: Right! Time to get back in action! We don’t have an interview today, but we’ve got some stuff in the works that will knock your socks off! Even if you don’t actually own socks, they will be knocked off! But today, we’re going back to an old favorite. We had so much fun with the first call-in show, we decided to give it another shot! Why didn’t we ever think of doing another one before? Octavia: Because you threw our last telephone out a window. DJ-P0n3: Ohhh, right... that did happen. [Pause.] Ah well, good thing we got another one. [Drops rotary phone on the console.] DJ-P0n3: So listeners, once again we will be taking your calls! More ponies have telephones than the last time we tried this, so I’m sure we’ll be getting lots of great calls from interesting ponies! Or maybe we’ll just get a bunch of telemarketers. Either way, it’s sure to be exciting! Octavia: Also, I should mention this phone was provided as a donation by this week’s sponsor, the Ponyville Library. For books of all size and shape and obscurity, just visit the current caretaker in residence, Twilig-- DJ-P0n3: Also, this library has a dragon! Octavia: Um ... I don’t see what that has to do with the library ... DJ-P0n3: Because he’s a dragon. And dragons are just ... metal! [Clicks button, guitar riff.] DJ-P0n3: So go to Ponyville Library, and see a great big, giant, humongous, terrifying-- Octavia: It’s a baby dragon. DJ-P0n3: --compact-sized dragon! Ah, well, still cool. Octavia: Um ... and the library? DJ-P0n3: Oh yeah. They have like one or two books there too, I guess. Octavia: Wow, Vinyl, you’re just so good at this advertising thing. DJ-P0n3: Anyway, time to hit the ground running! Start calling in now! We can’t wait to hear from you. It’s easy, just pick up that phone and dial ... [Pause.] Dial ... ummm … Octavia: [Deadpan.] It’s 4. DJ-P0n3: Oh yeah! Just give us a call at 4! [Phone rings.] DJ-P0n3: And that sounds like our first caller. [Picks up receiver.] Hello caller, you're on the air with Vinyl Scratch. [The pony on the other line is a mare who speaks in a very giddy yet heavily slurred speech.] Berry Punch: [Overly cheerful] Heeeyyyyyy there! :) Octavia: Oh dear... DJ-P0n3: Wow, you sure seem to be in a good mood, caller. Berry Punch: [Giggles loudly] S'cause I like ta have a good time all the time. 'Scuse me for a minute. [Takes sip of drink.] Ah! Theeeere we go. Mah name ish Berry Punch. I ... I run a bar in da town I’m in now... can’t ‘amember which one ... ya know... tha’ one town? With the ... thing? And the guy? Octavia: [Sarcastic.] Very descriptive. DJ-P0n3: Ah, a bar! Sounds like you enjoy working there. Octavia: [Whispering.] No kidding. Berry Punch: [Giggles.] Ahm I on the radio? Tha’s so cool. Hiiiiiiiii everypony! [Giggles some more.] So coooooool~ Octavia: Umm ... Did you have a question or anything, Miss Punch? Berry Punch: Huh? Oh! Yes. Yes! It is like ... So good of a question tha’ ... Hang on. [Takes long sip, followed by several gulps] Ah! Okay! I’m ready! [Pause] Wha' was I talkin' 'bout-- Octavia: [Frustrated.] The question! Berry Punch: Okay, wha' did ya wanna ask me? Octavia: Ugh! DJ-P0n3: I had a question! Where can I get some of ... whatever it is you’re on? Cause it sounds AWESOME. Octavia: Vinyl! Berry Punch: I... It’s actually it’s a new drink. My own cre... create... creat... my own thingy tha’ I made. It’s called Punch Berry? [Giggles.] Huh? Huh, ya get it? Octavia: Um... yeah. Berry Punch: Cause it’s like mah name. Octavia: [Deadpan.] I gathered that. Berry Punch: Tha’s the funny part. Octavia: Miss, did you actually have a questi- Berry Punch: Fun tah say too. Punch Berry ... Berry Punch. Punch Punch Punch Berry Berry Punch Punch! Octavia: Listen-- DJ-P0n3: ... Hey, that is fun to say. Berry Punch Berry-- Octavia: Don’t encourage the drunk! Berry Punch: Hey now! I take offense ta that. That is-- hang on a second. [Long sip.] Ah! Octavia: Now listen, this kind of subject matter is inappropriate. Fillies listen to this show, you know. We have to be good role models. We can’t glorify drinking. DJ-P0n3: Oh, you big hypocrite. You drink too! Octavia: Only after a show! Or sometimes before ... for ... nerves ... very occasionally! And er ... w-with breakfast that one time, look, I’m not on trial here! DJ-P0n3: [Low giggle.] It makes you get all ... affectionate. Octavia: [Irritated.] Vinyl! Berry Punch: [Giggles] Hey. Hey. Hey, Octavia. [Octavia sighs.] Berry Punch: Hey ... hey hey, Octavia, hey. Hey! Hey! Heeeey! Octavia: [Irritated] What?! Berry Punch: ... I forgot again. [Laughs] Octavia: Ugh! Next caller! [Hangs up, dial tone.] DJ-P0n3: Well, she was nice. Octavia: [Deadpan.] Nice and sauced. DJ-P0n3: Come on, I’ve seen drunker. Octavia: Like where? [Long pause.] Um ... Vinyl? Why are you staring at me like that? DJ-P0n3: [Fake innocence.] Oh, nothing~ Octavia: What I don’t ... I don’t get like that! DJ-P0n3: Do you remember much when you’ve been drinking? Octavia: Well ... not ... really. [Pause.] It’s ...I can’t possibly act like that. That’s just so undignified and-- stop smiling like that! DJ-P0n3: [Clearly grinning.] I’m not smiling. Octavia: I’m looking right at you. DJ-P0n3: You’re seeing things, Octy. [Chuckles.] Sure you haven’t been drinking? Octavia: You’re insufferable! DJ-P0n3: You know you love it. [Octavia pauses, then clearly tried not to chuckle.] [Phone rings.] Octavia: I’ll get it ... [Click.] Hello caller, you’re on the Vinyl Scratch. [Caller is a vaguely familiar mare with a cool and collected voice.] Caller: Hey Octavia. Just called to make sure Scratch hadn’t gotten you both evicted yet ... Octavia: Wha? Who? [Pause.] Wait... DJ-P0n3: [Excited.] Spitfire? Spitfire: Last time I checked. [Chuckles.] [DJ-P0n3 laughs.] DJ-P0n3: Oh, you old mule! I’ve missed you! I haven’t seen you since you helped us move. Octavia: Speaking of which, I wanted to thank you for the help, Miss Spitfire. I know you have such a busy schedule as it is. Spitfire: Hey, what are friends for? DJ-P0n3: Exploitation of cheap labor, of course! Spitfire: But seriously, I did have a question. Octavia: Oh! Wonderful. Finally, a proper caller. DJ-P0n3: Aww, I kind of liked the callers so drunk they can’t walk anymore! Octavia: [Deadpan.] Only because they’re the only ones who find your jokes funny. DJ-P0n3: Of course! Why do you think most raves serve alcohol? [Giggles.] Anyway, go on, Spitfire. Spitfire: Well I was just wondering … what is it like for you guys now? You know, living together now. [Octavia blushes and stammers for a moment.] Octavia: Um ... well, that’s ... kind of a ... personal question that I’m not sure I’m comfortable answering in a-- DJ-P0n3: It is sexy beyond your wildest imaginations! Octavia: VINYL! [Stammers.] T-That’s not appropriate for the radio. DJ-P0n3: Oh, everypony knows I’m just kidding around. [Giggles.] Besides, it’s not like I said anything embarrassing. Octavia: There’s nothing embarrassing to tell, really. [Vinyl is silent.] Octavia: What? DJ-P0n3: Oh, it’s nothing. Octavia: Oh, don’t try to say that! You’re smirking. You’re thinking of something. DJ-P0n3: [Trying not to laugh.] No really, it’s ... it’s nothing. I’m ... [Giggles.] I can’t think of anything embarrassing. Octavia: [Sigh.] Just go ahead and say it. DJ-P0n3: No no, it’s ... it’s too much. [Giggles.] Besides, you’ll be mad. Octavia: I’ll be mad if you don’t tell me! DJ-P0n3: Oh come on, that’s entrapment! Spitfire: Vinyl feeling bad about something? That’s not a good omen. Maybe we should just-- Octavia: Just. Say. It. DJ-P0n3: Ooookay, but remember, I warned you ... [Coughs.] So! Spitfire! When you were over, what did you think of Octavia’s cooking? Octavia: [Shocked.] What? Spitfire: [Off-guard.] What? Oh. Oh. It was... it was ... good. Really. DJ-P0n3: Notice the long pause. Octavia: [Astonished.] I ... there is nothing wrong with my cooking. You said you liked it. DJ-P0n3: It was ... well ... Octavia: Well what?! DJ-P0n3: I’m ... pretty sure most ponies don’t make apple pies ... with mushrooms in them. Octavia: I um ... might have misread the recipe ... a little ... DJ-P0n3: You don’t say? I would never have guessed. Octavia: It... it couldn’t have been that bad. Right, Spitfire? Spitfire: [Awkward.] Well, it wasn’t ... that bad. I mean ... it had an interesting ... er ... variety. It was certainly ... creative. DJ-P0n3: Yes. Literally no pony, anywhere else, ever would have thought to do that. I have to give you that. [DJ-P0n3 lets out a short giggle.] Octavia: ... [Sigh.] [Once hearing Octavia’s sigh, DJ-P0n3’s laugh falters.] DJ-P0n3: [Hesitant.] H-hey. Hey. Don’t take it so hard, Octy. It’s just a joke. We joke on each other all the time. Ha-ha-joke, you know! It’s ... [Softly.] It’s nothing to get upset about. Octavia: [Sadly.] ... yeah. I know... DJ-P0n3: Um ... you oka-- Octavia: [Slightly bitter.] Okay, you want to be like that. [Clears throat.] Everypony, let me tell you about some of the things Vinyl likes to do at home ... Spitfire: Um ... maybe we should just change the subject-- Octavia: Have you ever heard Vinyl sing in the shower? If you haven’t, let me paint a picture for you. Imagine everything good about music, then imagine it being trampled to death, before being drawn and quartered ... DJ-P0n3: Oh come on, don’t be like that. I’m not THAT bad. Octavia: It’s like a headache in audio form! DJ-P0n3: Oh. Oh! Is that what you think? Spitfire: Um ... guys? Just relax for a minute-- Octavia: If you ever sing in public, it’d be a crime against the state! DJ-P0n3: [Not paying attention to Spitfire] Now you’re just exaggerating! You said you liked my singing! Octavia: [Frustrated.] Well, you said you liked my cooking, but I suppose that was just a lie too! DJ-P0n3: It wasn’t a lie ... just ... enhancing the truth. Octavia: Yeah, enhancing the truth with lies! Spitfire: Um ... really, maybe you guys should stop and-- DJ-P0n3: I was trying not to hurt your feelings! Octavia: Yeah, until you thought it would be funny! DJ-P0n3: I warned you. And, come on, it was a little funny. Octavia: Well not to me! I’m not a bad cook! If you want to know the truth, it’s just that I spent half the night wracking my brain, trying to think of something, anything, to make that wouldn’t be completely plain or mediocre! And when I finally did, everything fell apart because I was so nervous, when all I really wanted to do was make something special for our first night in our new home! [Pause.] DJ-P0n3: [Sincere.] I’m ... sorry, Octy. Octavia: Yeah, sure you are. [Angry.] And if it was really that bad, why did you nearly eat the whole thing all by yourself?! DJ-P0n3: Because you made it for me! [Long pause.] Octavia: I... DJ-P0n3: [Sighs.] Spitfire, you asked that you wanted to know what it’s like living together with Octavia? For serious? Spitfire: Yeah... DJ-P0n3: [Softly.] All joking aside ... I get to wake up every day, living with the pony who makes me the happiest. I get to laugh together with her, joke with her, and just be there with her. Every second I’m with her makes me feel like I’m in front of a cheering crowd after the best set I’ve ever done. I’m ... [Chuckles.] I’m just grateful she somehow manages to put up with me every day without punching me in the face ... I really couldn’t be happier than I am, right now. [Long silence.] Octavia: Vinyl ... that’s ... that was so sweet. DJ-P0n3: Heh ... sorry to get all sappy on everypony. Spitfire: Awww ... Vinyl ... you big softy. [Laughs.] DJ-P0n3: You ... still mad, Octy? Octavia: No ... I suppose you did try to warn me. I guess if you, of all ponies on the planet, was afraid something you said might go a bit too far, I probably should have listened. DJ-P0n3: Nah ... I really should have known better. Heh, I think we should all just admit we’re mature adults ... and blame Spitshine for all of this. Octavia: [Deadpan.] Yes. Spitfire: Hey! [Octavia and DJ-P0n3 start snickering, and after a moment, Spitfire joins in.] Spitfire: Whew ... you guys are crazy. DJ-P0n3: Well, you’re the one who hangs around such bad company! [Snickers.] Spitfire: Bad? No ... you guys are the best. DJ-P0n3: Aww! Spitfire: I guess I better head out. DJ-P0n3: Keep in touch. Spitfire: Nothing could keep me from it ... bye you guys ... [Click, dial tone.] DJ-P0n3: Well, that was a surprise! It’s always fun to talk to ol’ Spitshine. Octavia: ... I ... really mean that much to you, Vinyl? DJ-P0n3: Octy ... [Pause, then a giggle.] It ... just wouldn’t be the same without you, you know? Octavia: I’m ... glad. [Phone rings.] DJ-P0n3: Oops, looks like my plan to snuggle with you in the studio will have to wait for a bit! Octavia: [Laughs.] Vinyl! [Click.] DJ-P0n3: Hello, you’re on the Vinyl Scratch. [There is a brief pause, followed by the slow clapping of hooves. Clap ... clap ... clap ... the voice that follows is one of a stallion, self-important, smug, and familiar...] Caller: [Sarcastic.] Bravo, Miss Vinyl Scratch. And you too, Miss Octavia. So ... touching. Sickeningly sweet even. [Sinister.] Or maybe just sick. Octavia: [Bitter.] That voice ... DJ-P0n3: Blueblood. Blueblood: Haha! I’m flattered you remember! Yes, it is I, Prince Blueblood. And this time, you will not be able to stop as I deliver the fell hoof of justice upon-- [DJ-P0n3 hangs up. Dial tone.] DJ-P0n3: Oops, well, would you look at that? We’ve been disconnected. By my hoof slamming the phone down. I guess we can’t-- [Phone rings.] [Click.] DJ-P0n3: Hello, you’re on the air with-- Blueblood: [Whiny.] Hey! I know you didn’t just hang up on me! DJ-P0n3: [Mock sincerity.] Why Prince, I’m shocked you would even think such a thing. Blueblood: Good, because-- [Hangs up, dial tone.] [Ring.] [Click.] DJ-P0n3: Y’ello? Blueblood: Listen-- [Slams phone down, then rings again almost immediately.] [Click.] Blueblood: You little-- [Hang up.] DJ-P0n3: [Snickers.] You know, life is pretty good to me sometimes... Octavia: Vinyl, this is getting absurd! Let me handle this! [Phone rings.] DJ-P0n3: Go right ahead. [Click.] Octavia: Is this the Prince again? Blueblood: [Sigh of relief.] Finally, somepony with a brain. Now then, could you kindly tell your insane friend to-- Octavia: Call again and I’ll knock out the rest of your teeth. [Slams phone down.] [DJ-P0n3 dies laughing.] Octavia: Oooooh, that felt good. DJ-P0n3: Haha! What was that you were saying before about being a good role model? Octavia: I blame you for corrupting me. DJ-P0n3: Oh, so suddenly I’m Discord or something? Octavia: That’s the working thesis, yes... [Phone rings.] Octavia: Oh for the love of ... [Click.] What did I just say?! Can’t you take a hint? Berry Punch: [Hiccup.] Aw, baby, why ya gotta be tha’ way? [Octavia’s head hits the desk as the phone is softly hung up.] [Phone rings.] [Click.] DJ-P0n3: Yeeeeesss? Blueblood: Yes. Hi. Don’t hang up. DJ-P0n3: [Dark chuckle.] Gotta say, I love it when you call. I can make fun of you all I want and never once feel guilty. Blueblood: In all honesty, I probably should have known better. I can’t presume your social graces would mature beyond fart jokes and vulgar grade-school level insults. DJ-P0n3: You say that like it’s a bad thing. Blueblood: Hmph! Enjoy your immaturity while you can. For you see, K-COLT has just entered it’s winter. Octavia: [Sarcasm.] Oh no, I’m so frightened. DJ-P0n3: Yes, we’re totally soiling ourselves in fear over here ... Blueblood: [Without irony.] And rightfully so! Octavia: [Sigh.] Still as good at detecting sarcasm as you ever were... Blueblood: Oh ... [Confused.] Well, thank you for the compliment. Octavia: No, I was being ... Ugh, you know what, nevermind. Blueblood: Anyway ... I’m sure you consider yourself clever for squirming through the legal system so well, and leaving me disgraced, humiliated, and forced to work in the spice mines to learn “humility” or some other such gibbersh ... DJ-P0n3: Haha, yeah, I am pretty awesome, huh? Blueblood: Well ... until I can become king and repeal such inconveniences as due process, fair trial, and manual labor ... I shall have to do the next best thing. I shall bring K-COLT to its knees with my most ingenious plan yet! Finally, I shall show all of Equestria that you are nothing more than a farce, nothing more than an agent of Discord and menace to all that is just and-- DJ-P0n3: [Ignoring Blueblood.] So Octavia, what were you thinking about for lunch? Octavia: Well, there is that lovely place on the Boardwalk where-- Blueblood: Hey! I’m still talking! DJ-P0n3: Your point being? Blueblood: D-don’t try to play it cool! I know you’re intimidated by the looming threat of my plan! DJ-P0n3: [Laughs.] Intimidated? You were like ... maybe a serious threat for all of, what, five minutes at the concert?! And then when you tried to pull your last plan, my co-host punched you in the face and you curled up in a little ball. Octavia: Ah yes ... good times ... Blueblood: I ... have no memory of any of that happening. DJ-P0n3: We had it recorded. Blueblood: Nothing but manipulative editing that I will not dignify with a response. And on an unrelated note, shut up! [Pause.] But that’s fine. Perhaps you won’t laugh when I reveal to you the specifics ... a plan so crafty and righteous that all of-- Octavia: [Bored.] Get on with it or we’re hanging up. Blueblood: NO WAIT! [Cough, then tries to play it cool.] Ahem. Very well. I will now take this time to announce that K-COLT has been rendered obsolete! For I would like to announce the creation of a new radio station starring somepony far more respected and entertaining ... ME! And once my show takes the air waves, the public will clearly see the show of superior quality and leave you penniless and unwatched! [Maniacal laugh.] What do you say to that, Miss Vinyl Scratch?! [There is a brief pause, followed by DJ-P0n3 and Octavia bursting out laughing uncontrollably.] Blueblood: [While laughing continues.] Er ... clearly you are in denial ... [Laughing continues.] I am sure right now the crushing weight of my inevitable victory is ... [Laughing gets louder.] STOP LAUGHING! DJ-P0n3: [Still chuckling.] Oh, Celestia, are you serious?! You really thought that was going to ... to be an earth shattering event?! Octavia: That’s just so ... cute. Blueblood: [Stammering.] C-Cute? CUTE! [Furious.]", "Octavia: That’s just so ... cute. Blueblood: [Stammering.] C-Cute? CUTE! [Furious.] You ... impudent pieces of gutter trash! Laugh all you want. I’ll show you ... this isn’t just a game to me, Miss Vinyl Scratch and Miss Octavia. Nopony treats me the way you have! I am going to go out of my way to completely ruin you. Even if it takes me a hundred thousand years, even if I have to CLAW my way up your radio tower just to do so, I will not rest until you are a footnote in the pages of history! I will come down upon you like a thief in the night and ... [On the end of the phone, a gruff stallion voice is heard in the background.] Gruff Pony: Blueblood! Your break ended a half hour ago! DJ-P0n3: Wait ... who’s that? Blueblood: [Embarrassed.] Oh ... I um ... suppose I’m still ... technically at work in the spice mines ... Gruff Pony: That phone bill is coming out of your pay check! Now get back to work! Blueblood: [Hopeful.] If I refuse, am I fired? Gruff Pony: No! Get your pickaxe! Blueblood: [Angry grumbling.] I have to go ... DJ-P0n3: Bye Princy! Good luck with your posh lifestyle of self-delusion and digging through dirt clods. Blueblood: [Pause.] I hate you. You listen to me, I’ll be back! My radio station is nearing completion, and when it does, I’ll-- DJ-P0n3: Yeah, yeah. Don’t call us, we’ll call you. [DJ-P0n3 hangs up, dial tone.] DJ-P0n3: Well now, that was fun. [Giggles.] Can’t believe he was actually serious. Can you believe that? Prince Bootlick with a radio show ... Octavia: Yeah ... [Sigh.] DJ-P0n3: What? ... oh, don’t tell me you’re actually worried. Octavia: Not really, it’s just ... well, he’s titanically stupid. DJ-P0n3: Uh huh, just discovering that now? Octavia: No I mean, he’s stupid enough to try something really ... I dunno drastic. And, idiot or no, he is still a prince. He has the resources to try something. And if he tries to attack my ensemble again, I just ... I dunno, it’s in my nature to worry. DJ-P0n3: Well, I know we have nothing to worry about. Octavia: Why? DJ-P0n3: It’s simple ... I have the utmost confidence! Octavia: What? In yourself? DJ-P0n3: No. In us. [Pause.] Octavia: [Softly.] Vinyl ... DJ-P0n3: Yes? Octavia: That is beyond corny. DJ-P0n3: [Chuckles.] Yeah, I guess that was pretty bad. Gosh, I’m sappy today. Octavia: Maybe so ... but you’re right. Thank you, I feel much better ... I think ... perhaps I should do something nice for you. DJ-P0n3: Yeah? Octavia: Perhaps ... when we get home ... DJ-P0n3: Y-yeah? Octavia: I’ll ... wear that ridiculous shirt with my face on it. DJ-P0n3: YES! SCORE! [Chuckles.] Well anyway, everypony, that’s all the time we have today. I didn’t have to throw the phone out the window this time, so we might do this again sometime! Until then, this has been ... THE VINYL SCRATCH! ENCLOSURE Document 1678: Partial transcript of phone conversation, recorded from Equestrian Telephone Switchboard 7-A [Several pages of this document are missing, but the remaining pages have been included in this transcript for historical significance. Use of this document into public record was approved by Royal Seal.] [FIRST TWO PAGES MISSING.] Caller A: So that’s the jist of it. I’ve never run a radio show before ... and I’m certain I could if that drooling moron could do it ... but as much as I hate to admit, I can’t do it alone. After all, what is a radio show without a co-host? [Sigh.] Look, I know this might be a bit of an ... odd request, especially considering you’ve sponsored that ... inane program before. But I’ve seen your performances. I know you can captivate a crowd, even despite some recent ... er ... shall we say ... mixed reviews? Caller B: Hmph! The GREAT and POWERFUL Trixie has evolved beyond the need to critics! Trixie is quite reserved and modest towards such pea-brained idiots who wouldn’t know a good show if it came back and bit them in the-- Caller A: As ... I was saying ... I’m willing to offer you a very, very, VERY generous paycheck in exchange for helping me run my own competing show. I believe with you on my side, nopony will be able to stop us. And all you have to do is put on a good show. I don’t think I have to ask if you’re capable of doing that. Besides, this might help you get back on your hooves after the recent unpleasantness. Caller B: Trixie doesn’t NEED anypony’s help ... but still ... Trixie must admit the idea is interesting ... Caller A: Think about it ... everypony in Equestria would KNOW your name. Caller B: Hmm... Princy? Caller A: Yes? Caller B: The GREAT and POWERFUL Trixie ... thinks this is beginning of a beautiful friendship ... mhahahahahaha MHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! MHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! MHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! [Pause.] Caller A: Was ... the laughing really quite necessary? Caller B: Shut up. [FINAL PAGE MISSING.] [END OF DOCUMENT.]" ]

[ "The Blueblood Tapes Transcript: First Broadcast [Crackling sound is heard over the transmission.] Trixie: No, no, you idiot! That wire connects here! Blueblood: How would you know? You lost the instructions! Trixie: All things bow before the magic of Trixie, machines included! Blueblood: Machines don’t bow. Trixie: Maybe to YOU they don’t. Now connect that wire! Blueblood: Why am I listening to you anyway? I’m the Prince and I say we should connect it here-- [Loud electrical shock.] Blueblood: GAH! Peasant technology! Trixie: See? Blueblood: Who invented this contraption?! I’ll have him deported for this! Trixie: For what? Inventing something that shocked you? Blueblood: Yes. Trixie: Ugh! Just let me do it! [Clattering is heard over transmission as wires and scraps of metal are being moved around.] Trixie: AHA! There! See, it’s easy if you’re the Great and Powerful Trixie. It’s a shame you don’t qualify ... Blueblood: Hmph! Such manual labor is far beneath my station! Trixie: We wouldn’t have had to do it if you just brought some servants over. Blueblood: I would have, but when I ask them to do things like this, they just start going on about things like “overtime pay” and “unionization” and “child labor laws,” it’s all very boring. It’s easier just to do it myself. Honestly, I’d much rather be doing this than mining spice ... [Sigh.] Which reminds me, I have to be at work in a few hours. Trixie: You know, if you hate working in the spice mines, why don’t you just ... quit? Blueblood: [Shocked.] And admit there was something I can’t do? Never! Besides ... Auntie Celestia told me to do it and ... I’d rather not make Auntie angry again. Trixie: Hmm ... Trixie is not sure whether to respect your determination ... or pity your cowardice. Blueblood: My Auntie once crushed chaos itself. Think about that before you call me a coward. Trixie: Psh! Such a feat is nothing to the Great and Powerful Trixie. Trixie can fight chaos, darkness, and any other abstract concepts with one hoof tied behind her back! [Pause.] Hmm ... I think we should be transmitting now. Blueblood: Oh, really? Hm ... perhaps we should test it ... [Clears throat.] Testing ... testing ... 1, 2, 3, obey ... Trixie: [Chuckle.] Amateur. Let me handle this ... [Clears throat, scoots mike to her.] Trixie: [Whisper.] Hello, Equestria. Do you know who this is? You should. [Slowly rising voice.] This is the voice of one who has learned the true name of a thousand beasts. This is the voice of the hero who tamed a dragon with but a stare, defeated the cockatrice of Everfree Forest, and felled a deadly manticore! This is the graceful, elegant champion who saved Ponyville from an Ursa Major! This is the rising star, the thunderbolt, the shout in the dark! Nothing like Trixie has ever graced your ears before and nothing will again! [Loud electrical shocks are heard as lightning dances off Trixie’s horn into the radio console.] Blueblood: GAH! Trixie: I am GREAT. [Loud crack of thunder.] Trixie: I am POWERFUL. [Thunderclap.] Trixie: I. AM. TRIXIE! AND NATIONAL PONY RADIO IS LIVE! [As loud electrical shocks are heard in the background.] Hahahahahahahaha AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! [Laughing falters, as does the sound of electricity. Trixie clears her throat.] Trixie: Test complete. Blueblood: ... whoa. Trixie: Whoa is right. Blueblood: That was ... that was impressive. [Cheery.] I don’t even mind the ... strong smoking smell that’s coming from the console after you did that. Trixie: Psh! This console is made of stronger stuff than that. [Trixie bangs hoof on the console.] [Loud clattering sound followed loud electrical sound.] Blueblood: Er ... is it supposed to make that sound? Trixie: Um ... sure, why not? [Nervous chuckle.] [More clattering, followed by loud whoomph as console is engulfed in flames.] Trixie: ... oh my. [Fire alarm goes off.] Blueblood: FIRE! [Flames crackling gets louder.] Trixie: Uh oh. [Oddly calm.] Perhaps we should ... reschedule this ... Blueblood: [Yelling in the background.] Quick! We need to smother the flames with something! Get me a blanket! Or an Earth pony! Trixie: Well um ... [Flames getting louder.] Trixie: We’re having some technical difficulties right now. We’ll be right back ... huh ... I wonder if this thing is still transmit- [Loud static.] [End transmission]. The Vinyl Scratch Tapes Season 2 Second Transcript: The Band Ensemble Interview [What follows is a transcript of broadcast 2F08 of the Vinyl Scratch, roughly one week after the second call-in show and several hours after the first transmission from the Prince Blueblood’s “National Pony Radio.”] DJ-P0n3: It’s that time again! Turn all the speakers up to 11, break out the drums and the electric guitars because we are the spark that lights up the morning! This is ... the Vinyl Scratch! [Record scratch.] DJ-P0n3: That’s right, the number one talk show in Equestria that DOESN’T accidentally set itself on fire! Octavia: Most of the time. DJ-P0n3: As always, I am your host, the Alluring Artist herself, DJ-P0n3! And with me is my co-host, the best cello player I’ve ever seen, Octavia. Octavia: I’m the only cello player you’ve ever seen, Vinyl. DJ-P0n3: Right. So it’s true. Octavia: Well ... yes, but-- DJ-P0n3: Anyway! We have some big news on today’s show, but first, I might as well talk about what everypony’s wondering about. I’m sure a few of you listeners heard that other garbled radio station earlier this morning ... turns out the Prince wasn’t just talking out of his rear when he said he was making a radio station. We’ll have more on that as it develops ... assuming, you know, their station isn’t still on fire. Octavia: His co-host reminds me of somepony ... DJ-P0n3: Hm? What do you mean? Octavia: Well, let’s see ... she’s obnoxious ... DJ-P0n3: Yeah? Octavia: She has an ego the size of the moon ... DJ-P0n3: Uh huh? Octavia: And she’s a gigantic hammy unicorn who seems to crave any attention from everypony? DJ-P0n3: Soooo? Octavia: This ... you don’t see any similarities between her and somepony else our listeners might be familiar with? [Pause.] DJ-P0n3: ... Harpo? Octavia: No it’s not Harp-- you’re just messing with me, aren’t you? DJ-P0n3: [Grinning.] When am I not? Octavia: Point taken. DJ-P0n3: But enough about that! I have much more important news! You might recall last week I helped manage Octavia and her ensemble’s most recent show. Well, it was a big hit! Octavia: It ... it was a good show, yes. DJ-P0n3: Octy’s just being modest. Now, not that I’m the type of pony to brag or anything ... Octavia: Oh, here we go ... DJ-P0n3: But they are bigger than Celestia now! Octavia: [Sigh.] I think that’s a bit much, but ... it was a good show. DJ-P0n3: Yep! In fact, it was so good they’ve been getting fan-mail pouring in non-stop! [Drops a heavy sack of papers by the console.] This one sack is just what came in this morning! [Cheery.] Hey Octy, is it okay if I go through your mail?! Octavia: Well-- DJ-P0n3: Okay, thanks! [Starts rooting around through papers.] As I was saying, Octavia’s been getting tons of fan mail! And not just the usual letters with ponies asking to marry her! Octavia: I’m positive most of those were written by you. DJ-P0n3: And you never replied back! [Mock despair.] How could you leave me out there, alone, in the cold?! Jilted! Shunned! How will I go on?! How?! Octavia: ... are you done? DJ-P0n3: That depends. Have I won an acting award yet? Octavia: No. DJ-P0n3: Then no. [Switching back to fake despair.] WHYYYYYY? [Octavia stifles her laughing.] Octavia: Seriously though, we should get to the point. DJ-P0n3: Well, a lot of the letters we’ve been getting are business related. Awesome stuff like billboards ... gigs ... record deals ... and at least one letter wanting to make a comic book where you and your ensemble drive in a van and solve mysteries. Octavia: What do solving mysteries have to do with music anyway? DJ-P0n3: What don’t they have to do with it? Octavia: ... that’s so stupid I don’t know how to respond. DJ-P0n3: Hurray, that means I win by default! But anyway, I figure since I’ve been helping the ensemble more, I figure it’s appropriate we have a proper interview with the other members of Octavia’s quartet. Trust me, with all of our powers combined, we’re gonna be big. Bigger than cheesy pizza crust! Let’s bring them in! [Door opens, hoofsteps into the studio.] DJ-P0n3: Alright! Let’s just introduce them one at a time. First, we have the piano player and lead composer. He’s been called one of the most talented piano players in Equestria, has won several Fancies for his solo work, and he’s an eligible bachelor. Please welcome, Frédéric Horseshoepin. Frédéric: Charmed. Though I’m not quite sure why it was necessary to mention I was a bachelor. DJ-P0n3: I’m just trying to help you out, Freddy! Trust me, I know a thing or two about what fillies are looking for. And you’ve got the whole package! You’re cultured, you’re sensitive, you’ve got ... white hair which makes you look distinguished even if you’re not. I mean, you could just sit in a chair and eat out of a can of beans with a spoon, and you’d still look dapper. You just got to put yourself on the market! Frédéric: You make it sound as if I’m a slab of meat to be put on display. DJ-P0n3: Yes, that’s exactly how it works! Octavia: How romantic. DJ-P0n3: Aww, don’t worry Octy. You’ll always be my slab of meat! Octavia: Um ... thanks. I ... think? DJ-P0n3: Next up, we have the sousaphone player and close personal friend of Octy. You may remember her from the concert we did where she was locked in the bathroom by a certain Prince Blueblood, who shall remain anonymous. She’s a lot of fun to be around! Please welcome, Beauty Brass. Beauty Brass: HI EVERYPONY! [Horribly loud electrical feedback.] DJ-P0n3: AHH! Octavia: Umm... Beauty? You don’t have to yell into the microphone. Beauty Brass: REALLY? [Loud feedback.] Um ... I mean ... really? Octavia: Um ... let’s just scoot the mic a bit farther away. Beauty Brass: THAT’S A GOOD IDEA! IT’S always hard to ADJUST AFTER PRACTICING! Octavia: Hehe ... sorry, Vinyl. You’ll get used to that eventually. Beauty Brass: I’M SORRY! DJ-P0n3: No, I like that! I like loud stuff! I mean, after all, I blast loud rock n’ roll and techno all the time. The loudest music is always the most popular, so, logically, being loud is just ... cool. Octavia: There was nothing resembling logic in-- Beauty Brass: [Big smile.] HOORAY, I’M POPULAR! DJ-P0n3: And then finally, we have the harp player of the ensemble who is also a talented composer in his own right. He played in his first concert hall when he was still in grade school, had a record released of his harp playing when he was only a few years old, and has won several Fancy music awards. He’s also quite the motormouth. Please welcome, Harpo Parish Nadermane. Say hi, Harpo. Harpo: [Says nothing. Nods.] DJ-P0n3: Riveting. Octavia: Hehe, well, Harpo’s never been much of a talker. Frédéric: It’s true. Always the quiet one. He’s been that way as far back as I can remember. Even I find it hard to figure out what he thinks sometimes ... Beauty Brass: BUT HE’S STILL A SWEETIE. [Harpo smiles.] DJ-P0n3: ...sweetie? [Octavia chuckles.] Beauty Brass: ... I DIDN’T ... ahem ... I didn’t say that out loud, did I? DJ-P0n3: You did. Loudly. Beauty Brass: Um ... Octavia: Perhaps we should change the subject. DJ-P0n3: Oh, alright. So ... how did you all get together? Octavia mentioned you all got together in high school, but that’s pretty much all I know. Octavia: Well, as I mentioned before, Beauty Brass and I have been friends since we were in grade school. We knew each other long before we both got into music and got our cutie marks. DJ-P0n3: Aww, that’s so cute. [Giggle.] I can just imagine you and Beauty Brass doing all kinds of girly-girl stuff when you were really little. Bet you did stuff like ... play tea party and stuff. Octavia: I ... heh, I was above such infantile things. Beauty Brass: YEAH, WE PLAYED PRINCESS INSTEAD! Octavia: Beauty! [DJ-P0n3 chuckles.] Octavia: Well, it’s better than being a criminal like you were as a filly. DJ-P0n3: Hey, it’s okay. We all played silly games like that as kids. I mean, I used to play doctor with Spitfire all the time. Octavia: WHAT?! DJ-P0n3: Yeah, I would pretend I was a surgeon, and Spitfire would pretend to have like persistent pegasus paralysis or something. Then I’d pretend to saw her leg off and I’d have to go before the medical board for malpractice. It was awesome. Octavia: Oh. [Pause.] Of course. I thought you meant ... nevermind. [Cough.] Anyway, I didn’t meet Frédéric and Harpo until high school, when we were all in band class. Frédéric and Harpo were very nice. They even tried to make friends with me even after I ran into some ... unpleasantness when I first started band. DJ-P0n3: Oh? What happened? Octavia: Well ... I really enjoyed everypony in band class ... but the instructor we had was a truly horrible old stallion. He was very rude ... on one of my first days, I missed a note playing cello and he just ... laid into me. Admonishing me for such mediocre cello playing. I was very ... sensitive about my music playing and I nearly started crying. Beauty Brass tried to comfort me, but I was still really upset. And then Frédéric, who I had never even spoken to before, stood up and said ... [Chuckles.] Do you want to say what you called him, Frédéric? Frédéric: I’m fairly certain you can’t say it on the radio. [Pause.] I think we actually had our first real conversation in detention afterwards. Octavia: Then after that we all hung out all the time and Frédéric actually suggested we join up with him and Harpo. DJ-P0n3: Oh, so he and Harpo had already teamed up before that? How did that happen? [Frédéric chuckles.] Frédéric: Well ... there’s a story there. Isn’t that right, Harpo? Harpo: [Says nothing, smiles.] Frédéric: Ah, you’re smiling. I know you remember too. DJ-P0n3: Well, out with it then! Frédéric: Well ... it began as most stories do, with a young colt’s dream being trampled upon. DJ-P0n3: ... so this story is going to be a feel-good comedy romp? Octavia: Clearly. Frédéric: I had always loved music, as long as I can remember. The first gift I remembered getting was a tiny piano. I loved playing it ... even if it took me quite a while to become competent at it. I had even tried to write my own compositions. Many were bad ... many, many, MANY of them were bad. Nothing but meaningless noise. Octavia: Not unlike the music Vinyl likes. Frédéric: Quite right. DJ-P0n3: Hey! Frédéric: But eventually I got better. Nothing exactly award winning, but good for a little foal. My parents moved to Canterlot when I was in the first grade and when I went to my new school, I was excited to see there was a music class. A music class that put on recitals! I had dreamed of playing one of my compositions before an audience for so long! So, my very first day, I took one of my better pieces--one of the ones that didn’t sound like a cat dying a sad, lonely death--and presented it to the music teacher. And I asked if I could play it at the next recital, making sure to turn on the ever-manipulative puppy dog eyes. DJ-P0n3: That’s an important skill. I try it on Octy all the time. It’d work if she wasn’t such an ice queen. Octavia: No, it’d work if you remember to take your sunglasses off before giving the stare. DJ-P0n3: I can’t just take these off anytime. They’re prescription! Octavia: Oh that’s just ... wait. Really? DJ-P0n3: Yeah, why else do you think I wear them at night? Octavia: Because you do a ton of weird things I don’t question! [Pause.] Wait, why don’t you just wear normal glasses instead? DJ-P0n3: Because I do a ton of weird things you shouldn’t question. Octavia: Touché. Beauty Brass: GESUNDHEIT. Frédéric: But, puppy dog eyes aside, it was to no avail. She said “I’m sorry, Freddy, but we already have a composer.” I asked who ... and it was at that point she pointed to the quiet colt in the corner with the harp. Harpo: [Says nothing, grins.] Frédéric: Now, I was only a child, not a fraction of the gentlecolt I would become, so I narrowed my eyes and said “So? What makes him so great?” And the teacher pointed at his flank. DJ-P0n3: What, he was great because he had a nice flank? Frédéric: What? No! Beauty Brass: WELL, MAYBE. Octavia: Beauty! Beauty Brass: [Blushing.] Oh dear ... I was TRYING to whisper that ... Octavia: You can’t whisper! Frédéric: As I was saying ... what she was truly pointing at was his cutie mark. I was stunned. We were in the first year of school! NOPONY had their cutie mark yet. It was impossible. I learned that Harpo was essentially a child prodigy. He had already played in concert halls, at such a young age, and everything he played was music he’d written himself. I couldn’t believe it. How could somepony be so ... so far ahead of me, after how hard I had slaved over that piano? It had to be wrong. I said, “I bet that cutie mark isn’t even real! It’s probably painted on!” So I ran right up to Harpo as he was playing his harp, and tried my best to wipe off the fake cutie mark. No matter how hard I tried, it stayed on. It was real, of course ... I was shocked. At this point I realized everypony was staring at me ... and that to the outside observer, it looked like I had just rubbed Harpo’s flank. DJ-P0n3: Pfft! Hey, I think Beauty Brass might be jealous of you now, Freddy. Beauty Brass: I-I AM NOT. REALLY ... SHUT UP! Frédéric: I looked up at Harpo. He said nothing, only raised his eyebrow. I laughed nervously and ran away. [Sigh.] So despite being horribly embarrassed, I kept going to music class. They of course let me play piano ... but I couldn’t play my own compositions. After all, Harpo was practically famous, so he was quite the draw at music recitals. And the worst part ... at least to me at the time, was that he was good. Not just good, magnificent. His music was beautiful and the way he played a harp ... I never much cared for the harp, but he made it sound ... angelic. I suppose I should have admired him ... but all I held back then was resentment. I wanted to topple a giant ... and I could hardly have a chance to even nip at its heels. Harpo: [Says nothing, blinks.] Frédéric: It was ... quite frustrating. All I wanted was a chance to prove myself, a chance to become great ... nopony is going to remember a piano player who only plays “Camptown Races.” DJ-P0n3: That’s ... a lot of pressure to put on yourself. I mean, you were just a kid. Frédéric: Perhaps ... but then, I was ... not the happiest child. [Sadly.] But that is what drives some musicians ... or at least me. The pressure to become great ... and the fear of being forgotten... DJ-P0n3: ...yeah. You’re right... [Pause.] Octavia: ...Vinyl? DJ-P0n3: [Perks up.] Hm? Oh! Sorry, lost my train of thought. Haha! Octavia: ... a-alright. Frédéric: But, regardless of that, I still persisted. I wrote music all the time, sometimes staying up all night to do so. Whenever I thought of quitting, I thought of Harpo. How long did he work on his? How many sleepless nights had he had? I wanted to think he slaved as hard as I did ... but my greatest fear was that it all came easy to him. What if it came easy to all those with talent? I didn’t know, I was just a child ... I was afraid that I was working so hard for something I could not achieve ... and that I was nothing but a fool. But I was more afraid of quitting. Harpo: [Says nothing, scoots chair closer to Frédéric. Pats him on the back with his hoof.] Frédéric: [Smiles.] Thank you. [Pause.] Frédéric: Where was I? Oh yes! [Chuckles.] Well, this went on for some time. Then one day, I showed the teacher more of my arrangements, some I was especially proud of. There was a big recital coming up very soon, so I begged her to just use one, just this once ... but I got the same dismissal I had before. It bothered me far more than usual. Instead of blaming the teacher, I blamed Harpo. He was in the corner, quiet as always, playing his harp. So I marched up to him, clutching the compositions in my hoof, and I shouted at him. I screamed at him like the idiot child I was, saying I was tired of his attitude, that he was stuck up and that the music he’d written was lazy and his harp playing was mediocre and that he had no talent. It was all lies ... unfair lies ... but I was so furious I did not care. He said nothing, as per usual for Harpo. I shouted “And don’t give me the silent treatment! I know you can talk! Don’t mock me! Say something! ANYTHING!” Harpo looked at me hard for a moment, then he just smirked ... and stuck out his tongue. And then I punched him. DJ-P0n3: You punched him? That’s ... a little violent for you. Octavia: I know. When I first heard this story, I couldn’t believe it either. Frédéric: Yes ... well, I wasn’t born a gentlecolt, after all. [Cough.] I realized this was a brash, idiotic idea a few seconds later, when Harpo glared at me and bit me in the shin. DJ-P0n3: Ouch. Frédéric: Yes, as I recall that was my reaction as well. [Chuckle.] It was the only fight I had ever been in. There was no style or grace, no concept of what was fair. We bit, kicked, head-butted, aimed for ungentlecolty anatomical targets, threw percussion instruments at the other’s head ... heh, I think we ended up destroying half that music room before they finally pulled us apart and sent us to the principal’s office. My snout was bleeding and there was an uncomfortable ringing in my ears, but I didn’t care. I was still mad. [Sigh.] Frédéric: We sat next to each other in the office, not acknowledging each other except through glares. Finally as I was waiting, my anger faded ... and I began to think of what I had done. After starting such a commotion, making a fool of myself in the music room ... there was surely no way they would play my work now. I looked at my work, music that I thought would never be heard outside of my own head ... and as much as it shamed me, my eyes began to well with tears. Harpo only stared at me, but I turned away ... and dropped all that I had written in the garbage. [Pause.] Frédéric: We both ended up suspended for several days. But then something very peculiar happened. On the day I returned from my suspension, Harpo did not. He had called out sick, but nopony worried. Surely he would be back soon! After all, the big recital was coming up ... then he was out the next day. And the next. And the next. And then everypony worried, especially the music teacher. Without Harpo to compose something, they had nothing. And it didn’t help that the school advertised prominently the child prodigy would be playing. What little confidence I had left stirred. I said I already had the perfect piece at home and could bring it in tomorrow. The teacher finally said yes!", "Without Harpo to compose something, they had nothing. And it didn’t help that the school advertised prominently the child prodigy would be playing. What little confidence I had left stirred. I said I already had the perfect piece at home and could bring it in tomorrow. The teacher finally said yes! And I was happy ... of course, by that point I had thrown away everything I had before, so I spent that whole night writing something new ... and I thought it was my best work. Harpo: [Says nothing, but there is a glimmer of nostalgia in his eyes.] Frédéric: Finally, it was the night of the recital, but still nopony had seen Harpo. I ... finally got to hear everypony play my music ... I got to play something on the piano that I had written myself ... and at the end, there was a standing ovation. I stood there, overwhelmed ... hardly even noticing that my cutie mark had appeared the moment I finished. Even after all the shows I’ve ever done, all the places I have ever played ... nothing compared to the feeling I had there, in that auditorium ... DJ-P0n3: That’s ... that’s really sweet. Octavia: Yeah ... it’s a great feeling. You never forget the first time. DJ-P0n3: [Stifled laughter.] Octavia: What? Did I say something funny? DJ-P0n3: [Sweetly.] Oh, nothing. Octavia: Oh, don’t play innocent. I’ve known you long enough to know there isn’t an innocent bone in your body! DJ-P0n3: Not true! My femur is plenty innocent! Octavia: I’m ... shocked you even know that word. DJ-P0n3: Learned it from playing doctor. Frédéric: Anyway ... as I was leaving the show, who should I see as I walked out but Harpo. He walked up to me and gave me a little bow. I was so surprised to see him I temporarily forgot how mad I had been before. I said, “I thought you were sick.” Then, to my complete and utter shock, he smiled up at me and said, “I lied.” DJ-P0n3: Wait, wait ... hang on ... he said that? Frédéric: Yes. DJ-P0n3: He said words? Like ... with his mouth? Octavia: That is the traditional way one does that, Vinyl. DJ-P0n3: Well ... I just kinda thought he was mute. Frédéric: So did our entire school. He can talk just fine. He just doesn’t. DJ-P0n3: And ... wait a minute. He faked being sick? Why? Frédéric: I wanted to know the same thing. So I asked. And he said-- Harpo: [Coughs, clears throat.] Beauty Brass: ...HARPO? Harpo: [Whisper.] Perhaps ... I should tell it ... Frédéric: ...heh. I guess that’d be appropriate. DJ-P0n3: Whoa! Um ... yeah, go ahead, Harpo. Do you still remember what you said? Harpo: [Whisper.] I cannot forget. I told Frédéric how I had seen him cry. I told him I had pulled what he had written from the garbage. I read them. I could hear the music in my head ... and it was good. I am a composer myself and I know the work that goes into it. I could feel the hard work and toil that went into it. I felt that the colt who had fought me was my equal, somepony who shared the same drive I did, and I could not hate him because we are the same. He deserved a chance. I faked sick so that he could have that chance. He took it. And he performed better than I ever could. Frédéric: I didn’t know what to say. For a moment, I was angry. In my pride, I felt like I was forced to take charity from Harpo. I opened my mouth to say something, but before I could, he laid something down at my hooves: the compositions I had tossed away. Do you remember what you said, Harpo? Harpo: [Smiling.] I do. I said, “And if you ever throw anything so beautiful away again, I will bite your shin off next time.” Frédéric: I looked at him, then I looked at the papers, then back at him. All of my anger was gone. I ... didn’t know what to feel. So eventually, all I could say was “Thank you.” And after that, we were inseparable. We played together, we composed together ... and the rest as they say is history. Harpo is, and always shall be, the best friend I’ve ever had. [Pause.] Beauty Brass: [Sniff.] THAT’S STILL SUCH A BEAUTIFUL STORY! DO YOU NEED A HUG? Frédéric: No I think I’m-- Beauty Brass: HUG! Frédéric: Oof! [Beauty Brass leaps over and hugs Frédéric and Harpo.] Beauty Brass: YOU ALL ARE MY BEST FRIENDS TOO! [Squeezes tighter.] Frédéric: [Trouble breathing.] Help ... me ... DJ-P0n3: [Grinning.] Oh ... I think we can help. Right, Octy? Octavia: I suppose we can. DJ-P0n3: GROUP HUG! Frédéric: [Strained laughter.] Not what I meant. [DJ-P0n3 and Octavia join in the hug.] Octavia: Aww ... this is nice ... Frédéric: [Strained.] So is breathing ... [Everypony stops hugging.] Frédéric: [Deep breath.] Alright then ... choking aside, that was very nice. Heh, I hope my story wasn’t too dull. DJ-P0n3: Not at all, Freddy. It was quite good! [Grins.] Not to mention this story is going to make you mad popular with the fillies. Frédéric: Really, I’m not too concerned about-- DJ-P0n3: Every filly out there, if you see Frédéric walking around, you should give him a big hug! Or whatever else feels appropriate! Frédéric: ... oh dear. DJ-P0n3: Don’t worry, Freddy. I’m gonna take you under my wing. I’ll get you the hook up. I know lots of fillies who aren’t picky and are eager to make bad decisions! Frédéric: ... is there a way to get out of this? Octavia: Well, it’s Vinyl, so ... no. Frédéric: I see. [Sigh.] Well, I suppose we should probably be going. I have to look over a few of those contracts we were sent. [Door opens.] This was ... quite fun. We should do this again. DJ-P0n3: Yeah ... we should. [Hoofsteps, door closes.] Beauty Brass: I SUPPOSE I SHOULD GO TOO! THIS IS SO MUCH FUN! I LOVE BEING ON THE RADIO! Octavia: Yes ... we’d love to have you back just ... try to work on that volume problem. Beauty Brass: OKAY! I SHOULD [Cough.] I mean ... yes ... I should work on that. We should go now though. [Door opens.] Beauty Brass: SO! [Cough.] I mean ... so ... Harpo? Harpo: [Perks up, interested.] [Hoofsteps.] Beauty Brass: Well, I was wondering ... well ... maybe if you weren’t ... doing anything later maybe you wanted to... [Door closes, Beauty Brass’s words become indistinct.] Octavia: Well ... I hope all of you listeners enjoyed hearing the rest of my ensemble. They are quite a bunch. Right, Vinyl? DJ-P0n3: [Pause.] Octavia: [Softly.] Vinyl? DJ-P0n3: Oh, sorry. Hehe ... sorry. It’s just ... [Voice becomes softer.] That story really made me think. Octavia: Really? DJ-P0n3: I mean ... Freddy was that sad as a kid and nopony ever knew ... and he was so afraid of being forgotten. He lashed out and ... heh, kind of acted like a jerk and ... and didn’t really feel whole until he found a friend. It just made me think about ... things. [Brief pause.] Octavia: Vinyl? DJ-P0n3: Yeah? Octavia: Nopony would ever be able to forget you. No matter how much they tried. [Smiles.] Especially not me. DJ-P0n3: ... heh. Octy? Octavia: Yeah? DJ-P0n3: I’m ... glad I picked you as my co-host. Octavia: So am I ... DJ-P0n3: Heh ... well, I suppose we should wrap things up. [Perks up.] Hang on! We can’t end the show without having a big laugh at the end! [Door pops open.] Beauty Brass: OCTAVIA! OCTAVIA, I HAVE A DATE! [Bounces up and down.] I HAVE A DATE, I HAVE A DATE, I HAVE A DATE, YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY! [Horrifying electric feedback, sound of a speaker blowing out.] Beauty Brass: Oops ... was that bad? That sounded bad. DJ-P0n3: [Smiling.] Yep, that’ll do nicely. That’s all the time we have for tonight! G’night everypony! The Blueblood Tapes Transcript: Second Transmission [Crackling sound is heard over transmission.] [Fire extinguisher is being blown with Blueblood’s telekinesis.] Blueblood: [Out of breath.] Ugh ... ugh ... okay ... I think that’s the last of it. Phew ... [Fire extinguisher is put on the floor with a clank. Blueblood sits down. Trixie sits next to him.] Blueblood: ... you alright? Trixie: [Curtly.] Yeah. Yeah, whatever. Blueblood: What’s your problem? Trixie: What do you mean “what’s my problem?” Everypony listening is going to think Trixie’s a complete fool for setting a fire! They’re probably still laughing right now! Blueblood: Well ... um ... well, yes, if I had to pick a problem with the broadcast, the fire would definitely be among them. Trixie: GRR! Just leave Trixie alone, okay? You’re not helping! [Bitter.] As if Trixie needed more ponies laughing behind her back. Blueblood: Pardon? Trixie: [Angry.] Nevermind! Just ... [Sigh.] Just forget it. [Pause.] Blueblood: Um ... [Clears throat.] You know ... all this hard work and attempted arson must have made you hungry. Would you ... I mean, perhaps it would be best if we got something to-- Trixie: Are you seriously asking Trixie out after making fun of her? Blueblood: [Genuinely shocked.] I ... I thought humor would lighten the mood a-- Trixie: How dare you? How dare you laugh at Trixie?! Have you any idea how long I prepared that speech?! The work I put into it? Do you know how much showstopping power I put into that only to have it blow up in my face? Do you have any sense of decency? Do you ever think?! Blueblood: [Stammering.] I’ve ... dabbled. Trixie: Grr! You’re impossible! [Gets up from chair.] Trixie is going home. She shall entertain more of your idiocy tomorrow ... if you’re lucky! [Hoofsteps.] Blueblood: But I was just trying to-- [Door opens, then slams.] Blueblood: ... FINE! [Bitterly.] Be that way! Go on! I don’t care! I ... [Voice falters, becomes a soft whisper.] I don’t care at all ... [At this point in the recording, Blueblood apparently notices the console is active.] Blueblood: Oh ... oh dear. Um ... [False pleasantry.] Tune in tomorrow for another installment of the Prince Blueblood Show on National Pony ... [Stops, and sighs.] Just ... forget it. [Clicks button.] [End transmission.]" ]

[ "The Vinyl Scratch Tapes Season 2 Third Transcript: The Luna Interview [What follows is a transcript of episode 2F07, one day following the interview with Octavia’s ensemble and the first broadcast of rival radio station, National Pony Radio.] Octavia: [Imitating Vinyl’s voice.] Good morning, Equestria! Time for me to say something over-the-top that makes no sense and use the word ROCK a lot because of my limited vocabulary! It’s time for ... THE VINYL SCRATCH! [Record scratch.] Octavia: That’s right, the Vinyl Scratch. A show that is the brainchild of me, the Elegant Elitist Egotist herself, DJ-P0n3! DJ-P0n3: [Imitating Octavia’s voice.] And I’m Octavia, the prissy assistant who likes to speak in an overly dignified manner to try to make myself seem mature, when I truly enjoy my cohort’s antics. Octavia: [Stops impression, chuckles.] That’s actually not a bad impression. DJ-P0n3: [Still imitating.] In fact, I enjoy everything about Vinyl, that charismatic filly. Her talented wordplay, her angelic voice-- Octavia: Uh huh, okay, joke’s over. DJ-P0n3: [Octy voice.] Sometimes when I see Vinyl, I indulge in certain ... thoughts. Octavia: Ha, okay Vinyl, that’s enough. DJ-P0n3: [Not stopping.] Those red eyes, that blue mane ... she just seems so virile-- Octavia: Vinyl! [DJ-P0n3 laughs.] DJ-P0n3: Oh, come on, I’m just kidding around. Octavia: Just because you think something is fun doesn’t mean everypony else does! DJ-P0n3: Yes it does. Octavia: [Sigh.] It’s like talking to a child. DJ-P0n3: [Teasing.] I know you are, but what am I? Octavia: A moron. DJ-P0n3: Yeah, but I mean besides that? [Octavia snickers.] Octavia: Let’s just get on with the show. DJ-P0n3: Alright! Well, first of all, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Octavia and her ensemble on their recent ascent to godhood! Octavia: Um ... I think you might be overstating it a bit. DJ-P0n3: Maybe a little. You see, her ensemble (under the management of yours truly) has signed a big deal with Stallion Stereophonics! It’s a big step for them and they should feel very proud! Octavia: [Nervous laugh.] Well, it is ... a big opportunity, to be sure. DJ-P0n3: What’s wrong? You still feeling iffy about this? Octavia: Well ... I dunno. I’ve never really been in it for the money. It’s about the music. DJ-P0n3: That’s very true... buuuut it’s nice to have both. Like ... one is good, but both, that’s awesome. Just saying. Besides, it’s not really about money! It’s more about getting your name out there! Octavia: [Dryly.] Yes, because being on the most popular show in Equestria isn’t enough exposure. DJ-P0n3: Oh ... yeah. But still! Octavia: Listen, I am very grateful for all your help, Vinyl. And I do realize this is a big step for us. It’s just ... it feels weird. Our ensemble has been playing for a while, yes, but ... we were never widely popular until the concert. I’ve always been used to ... struggling, I guess. I suppose it’s a bit weird to think of myself something other than, well, an underdog. DJ-P0n3: Hm ... I guess that could be a bit strange. But the thing about underdogs is that they always win in the end! Octavia: Well ... either that or fall into obscurity and depression. DJ-P0n3: Heh, gotta love your cheery outlook on life sometimes, Octy. Octavia: [Chuckle.] You have enough dumb optimism for the both of us, Vinyl. [Octavia pauses.] Octavia: [Quietly.] But ... I realize my ensemble and I wouldn’t be at this point if it wasn’t for you and this show. So I just ... I just wanted to say ... DJ-P0n3: Octy? Octavia: Yeah? DJ-P0n3: Just give me a hug, stupid. [Octavia chuckles.] Octavia: You’re impossible. DJ-P0n3: Heh ... guess I am. [They hug.] Octavia: Thanks. DJ-P0n3: Anytime. Octavia: [Pause.] Um ... didn’t we have a show? DJ-P0n3: [Wistfully.] Yeah ... Octavia: Then you should probably stop hugging me now. DJ-P0n3: Wha- OH. Oh right ... [Nervous cough]. Right then. The interview. Yeah. We should like ... do that thing. Octavia: [Chuckles.] Way to stay professional, Vinyl. DJ-P0n3: Anyway! All you listeners are in for a treat today! We have a show unlike any other! We have the one, the only, Princess of the Night! That’s right, we have Princess Luna here for an interview! Are you excited? I sure am! Octavia: Yes, because the last time we had a Princess here, that went so well. DJ-P0n3: [Nervous chuckle.] Heh, yeah ... well, that’s all in the past! This time will be different! Seriously, it’ll be awesome! She’ll be able to set the record straight, we’ll all laugh and make friends, I’ll show her my rock opera ... Octavia: Oh dear. No. No. Just ... no. DJ-P0n3: What? Why? Octavia: Because there are laws against cruel and unusual punishment. [DJ-P0n3 laughs.] DJ-P0n3: Well, we’ll just see what she thinks herself. Please welcome ... Princess Luna! [Silence.] DJ-P0n3: Ahem ... Princess Luna! [Nothing happens.] DJ-P0n3: Princess Luna? [Whisper.] Uh oh. Octavia: Um ... are you sure she’s here? DJ-P0n3: Of course she is! I mean, every guest before has always been on time! Octavia: So ... you didn’t actually check? DJ-P0n3: Well ... not as such, no. Octavia: You mean you don’t check if our guests are here before we go on the air. Ever? DJ-P0n3: Um ... heh, well it sounds bad when you say it like that. Octavia: So ... let me get this straight. You mean every single show, you’ve never checked to see if our guests actually showed up first? You just loudly said their name and they always walked in? Is that what you’re telling me? DJ-P0n3: Yes. That’s basically the jist of it. Octavia: How do you function like this?! DJ-P0n3: Pretty good, apparently. Octavia: GAH! [Head hits the desk.] DJ-P0n3: So um ... sorry for the technical difficulties, folks ... Octavia: [Muttering.] More like mental difficulties. DJ-P0n3: Heh ... well, we’re gonna put some music on while we sort of ... figure out what’s going on. Don’t touch that dial. You’re listening to THE VINYL SCRATCH! [Cuts to music.] The Blueblood Tapes Transcript: The Argument [Crackling sound heard over transmission.] [Door swings open.] Trixie: [Grumbling.] Not sure why I even bother showing up early. Probably isn’t even here yet, that miserable sack of-- Blueblood: Hello, Trixie. [Sound of cider being poured into glass.] Trixie: [Shocked.] Prince?! Oh ... [Clears throat.] Trixie didn’t expect to see you here so early. You’re lucky the GREAT and POWERFUL Trixie returned at all. Blueblood: [Dejected.] Lucky? Me? Heh ... you clearly don’t know me that well. [Takes sip of cider.] Trixie: Um ... [cough.] Are ... are you drinking? Blueblood: No, I’m knitting a quilt, yes I’m drinking. [Takes sip.] Was that good? I’ve been practicing my sarcasm. Was that funny? Trixie: [Uncomfortable.] Not ... not as such, no. [Tries to raise voice.] The GREAT and POWERFUL Trixie is ... [Voice falters.] Okay, seriously, are you alright? You’re drinking at like ... eight in the morning. Blueblood: It’s morning now? Oh ... Trixie: You’ve been drinking all night?! Blueblood: Not all night. Don’t be ridiculous. Trixie: Oh. Good. Blueblood: I mean, at some point I had to get up and go to the bathroom. Wasn’t drinking then. [Takes sip.] At least I don’t think I was. Trixie: Uh ... huh. [Pause.] Are ... are we on the air now? Blueblood: I dunno, probably. Trixie: Probably?! Blueblood: Well this thing seems to turn off and on when it wants to. Trixie: Ugh! You must be doing something wrong, then. Machines don’t just do that on their own. Blueblood: They might if they were set on fire. Trixie: Oh, oh, that’s real mature! What are you trying to do, make Trixie feel stupid? Blueblood: No... [Takes sip, slurs.] I’m just saying a stupid thing happened and you were the direct cause. Take from that what you will. Trixie: ... what ... did you just say to Trixie? Blueblood: [Slurs.] And another thing, why do you call yourself “Trixie” like that? Trixie this, Trixie that. Are you afraid you’ll forget your name if you don’t? Are you that dense? Trixie: [Eerily calm.] Say that again. Blueblood: I didn’t stutter. Let me put this in terms you’ll understand. Blueblood (that’s me) just asked Trixie (that’s you, in case you needed a reminder) if she really is that dense. Then Trixie (that’s you again) asked Blueblood (that’s me) to say that again. Evidently Trixie (you) didn’t hear it right the first time. [Takes sip.] Is that sufficient? [There is a pause, then Trixie grabs glass and shatters it against a wall.] Blueblood: Hey! That was only half-empty! Trixie: I DON’T CARE! [Slams hoof down on the table.] You know, Trixie took this job thinking that you could make her look good. And you know what, you did! Because ANYPONY would look like a saint next to YOU! I almost felt SORRY for you, because I thought I had hurt your feelings by turning you down, that that was the reason you got sauced! But you know what, if this is how you treat somepony, I don’t care! I don’t care because YOU don’t care. You don’t care about anything or ANYPONY but yourself. If you’re drinking yourself into a coma because you’re depressed, you know what, YOU PROBABLY DESERVE TO! Blueblood: [Shaking with rage.] Oh, and I suppose you think you know everything about me, huh?! And who are you to call me selfish? All you talk about is yourself! If you think I’m that horrible, I suppose that makes us two peas in a pod! Trixie: Psh! If Trixie was EVER as big a jerk as you, Trixie would throw herself out the window. Blueblood: Go right ahead, I’ll open it for you! Need a push? You’d probably be too chicken to go through with it otherwise, coward. Trixie: Oh! Oh, is that what you think? Keep talking. That fire yesterday is about HALF of what Trixie can do to you, you failure! Blueblood: Oh, really? I doubt that very seriously. You couldn’t even fight an Ursa Minor! Trixie: WHAT?! Blueblood: Yeah. Bet you didn’t know I knew that. I looked into it. I know all about what happened in Ponyville. You couldn’t defeat an Ursa Minor and my auntie’s apprentice had to bail you out. You’re all talk! You act like you’re the big hero, but I know that, underneath all that, you’re just ... small. You think I’m a failure? LOOK IN THE MIRROR! [Long pause.] Trixie: [Voice shaky.] You ... you ... Blueblood: [Softly.] Oh Celestia, are you crying? Trixie: [Voice cracks.] Just shut up! Blueblood: I ... oh dear. Listen, I was ... look, I didn’t mean ... here, let me-- Trixie: [Furious.] Get away from me! Forget this! Trixie QUITS! Trixie never wants to see you again! [Rises from chair, chair clatters to the floor.] Blueblood: But I ... I’m-- Trixie: Save it! Do the show yourself, oh gallant Prince! I’m-- [Door knocks loudly.] Trixie: Oh, for Celestia’s sake ... [Yelling.] Whoever it is, go away! We’re busy! Or not home! Or dead! Whatever Trixie has to say to make you go away! [A great, booming regal voice emerges beyond the door.] Voice: CLEARLY GREETING ETIQUETTE HAS GROSSLY CHANGED IN OUR ABSENCE! IT WAS ONCE CUSTOMARY TO OPEN THE DOOR FOR A GUEST! Trixie: Wait ... what? Blueblood: [Stiffens.] Uh oh. Voice: It is of little import. Tis our duty to adapt to modern customs. We shall gently allow ourselves in. [The sound of a horn glowing is heard, followed by the door being shot off its hinges and crashing to the floor.] Voice: Oh ... pardon. We are having difficulty practicing restraint. Trixie: [Stammering in shock.] You ... you’re ... Blueblood: ... auntie Luna? Luna: Yes, little Prince. But ‘auntie’ is not the only title we bear. Is this the speaking apparatus for this contraption? Trixie: You mean the microphone? Luna: Yes, what thou said. [Raises voice, room shakes. Speakers distort.] HEAR ME, CITIZENS OF EQUESTRIA. ALL WITHIN THE SOUND OF OUR VOICE, HEAR AND BEAR WITNESS TO THE TRUE PRINCESS OF THE NIGHT! [Speakers distort, loud pop is heard.] [Transmission disrupted.] The Vinyl Scratch Tapes Season 2 Third Transcript: The Luna Interview The No-Show Episode (Continued) [Music ends after several minutes.] Octavia: Hello, listeners. Just wanted to give an update on this um ... unconventional situation here. Vinyl is currently on the phone trying to contact the castle and see if we can locate Princess Luna’s whereabouts-- DJ-P0n3: [On telephone.] What do you mean you don’t know where she is?! Octavia: Which is going swimmingly, as you can tell. DJ-P0n3: She left already? Well, she sure isn’t here! [Pause.] Yes, I’m sure. [Pause.] Look, I don’t think I’d just overlook a Princess being there or not. [Pause.] Okay, look, can you put Princess Celestia on the phone? [Pause.] Yes, she knows who I am. I made fun of her publicly. We’re like best friends! [Pause.] No, I don’t have any shame, what does that have to do with-- hello? Hello? [Slams phone down.] DJ-P0n3: ... nice guy. Octavia: So ... basically we’re right back where we started. We have no idea where she is. Did we have a Plan B? DJ-P0n3: “Winging it” is Plan B. Octavia: Why do I have a feeling that was Plan A too? DJ-P0n3: Um ... I could ... I dunno ... pretend I’m Princess Luna and you could interview me. [Clears throat, speaks in deeper voice that sounds nothing like Princess Luna.] I AM PRINCESS LUNA. I USED TO LIVE ON THE MOON ... MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON. Octavia: ... DJ-P0n3: ... that’s all I got. Can we pad that out to a half hour? Octavia: [Sigh.] I just don’t understand. Nopony’s ever stood us up before. DJ-P0n3: Yeah. I mean, nopony but the Prince. [Pause.] Hey ... you don’t ... you don’t think ... [Pause.] Octavia: [Half-hearted chuckle.] No, no, that’s impossible. He couldn’t have anything to do with this. DJ-P0n3: Psh! Yeah, t-that’d just be ridiculous. Like he’d ever do anything competent. I mean, look who we’re talking about! Octavia: Right. DJ-P0n3: Right! Octavia: [Whisper.] Right. [Pause, followed by knocking at the door.] DJ-P0n3: Yeah! See, that’s probably the Princess right now. She’s probably just late because she’s on ... I dunno, lunar time or something. Octavia: There’s no such thing. DJ-P0n3: Well, why don’t we ask her? [Hoofsteps, door opens.] DJ-P0n3: [Cheerful.] Welcome to the studio, Princess Lu-- you’re not Princess Luna. [A pegasus with a ditzy voice and a cheerful attitude is at the door, holding a mailbag.] Derpy: [Confused.] Um ... am I supposed to be? DJ-P0n3: No, I guess not ... how can I help you? Derpy: Are you ... [Checks mail bag.] Ms. Vinyl Agatha Scratch? Octavia: [Yelling in background.] Agatha?! DJ-P0n3: [Yelling back.] Shut up! [Turns back to Derpy.] I mean ... yes ... yes, that’s me. Derpy: I have a letter for you. [Derpy hands DJ-P0n3 a letter held in her mouth.] Derpy: Thank you for choosing Derpy Express. Have a nice day. [Flaps wings.] DJ-P0n3: Watch the ceiling! [Thud.] Derpy: Ouch! Sorry ... [Wing flapping disappears in the distance, door closes. DJ-P0n3 sits back down.] Octavia: [Snicker.] Agatha ... DJ-P0n3: Yeah, yeah, I know! Enough about that. Should we open it? Octavia: Well ... it’s not like we have anything else planned right now. [DJ-P0n3 tears letter open.] DJ-P0n3: [Muttering.] Alright, let’s see here ... ah, it’s from Princess Luna! [Mutters to herself while reading.] “Apologize for such short notice,” yada yada, “with heavy regret,” blah blah, “we shall not be able to grant an audience with thee as previously scheduled ...” Wait, what?! Octavia: Does it say why? DJ-P0n3: Hang on, hang on! It’s hard to read with sunglasses! [Pause.] Wait ... [Sudden anger.] Oh, that arrogant little two-faced snake! Octavia: What?! DJ-P0n3: [Reading.] “Unfortunately, we have an urgent meeting of a most personal matter to attend to with our nephew, Prince Blueblood.” [Crumples letter.] That jerk! He probably snaked the interview right from under us by lying to the Princess! Octavia: That ... well, maybe there’s another explanation. DJ-P0n3: Oh, don’t be naïve! This ... [Frustrated grunt.] Well, I’m not going to take this lying down! [Vinyl stands up, chair falls over, followed by hoof steps.] Octavia: Vinyl! W-what are you doing? DJ-P0n3: Getting to the bottom of this! I’ll be back in a bit! Bail money is under the desk! [Door opens.] Octavia: Wait! What am I supposed to do about the show? DJ-P0n3: I dunno, do something cute. Octavia: Something cu-- DJ-P0n3: Be back in a bit. Later, sweetie! [Door closes.] Octavia: [Sigh.] Why do I have a feeling I’m going to end up in court again? [Nervously.] Um ... so ... listeners. Um ... how ‘bout them Wonderbolts? Heh heh ... [Groan.] I have a bad feeling about this. The Blueblood Tapes Transcript: The Luna Interview [Crackling sounds heard over transmission.] Trixie: ... I think it’s working now. Luna: Our apologies! We had no idea modern technology could not contain the Royal Canterlot voice. We are sincerely sorry for making thy speakers collapse. Blueblood: [Muttering.] Kind of day I’ve had, there was a fifty-fifty chance of that happening anyway. Luna: Pardon? Blueblood: Nothing. [Sigh.] [Trixie and Blueblood begin whispering to one another.] Trixie: [Whispering.] You could summon up a bit more enthusiasm, you dolt. Blueblood: [Whispering.] What do you care? Weren’t you in middle of storming out of here anyway? Trixie: Trixie is not staying for your sake, if that’s what you think. The Princess showing up is the only interesting thing that’s happened on this show. It would be a disservice to deprive her of a chance to meet with the GREAT and POWERFUL Trixie. Blueblood: [Sigh.] Should have known better ... Trixie: What? Blueblood: Nothing. Forget it. Luna: [Loudly.] Is this whispering normal? Should we be whispering now also? Trixie: [Raises voice, overly cheerful.] No, no, of course not. Blueblood: So auntie ... to what do I owe the pleasure? Luna: [Hesitates.] Oh. I ... [Cough.] We simply wished to drop in on our nephew. Is that not normal? Blueblood: Well ... no. I ... don’t get very many visitors. Ever, really. Not even on holidays. Trixie: [Pause.] Are ... are you being serious? Blueblood: [Bitter.] What do you care? [Silence.] Luna: [Clears throat.] Perhaps we should change the subject. Um ... oh! Perhaps, Prince, thou shouldst introduce me to thy ... companion? Trixie: [Off-guard.] Oh ... I- I’m Trixie. Blueblood: ... that it? You’re not going to give yourself a grandiose introduction? Trixie: Huh? Sorry, Trixie just has a lot on her mind right now. [Pause.] Like, seriously? You have no visitors at all? Blueblood: I really don’t feel like talking about-- Luna: [Overly cheerful interruption.] We are most honored to meet thee, Miss Trixie. We have heard thou art most talented at magic ... Trixie: How would you know that? Luna: Oh. Well ... we have listened to thy program. We recall thee speaking of thy magical prowess. Blueblood: [Perks up.] Wait, wait ... auntie you ... you listen to our show? Luna: Of course. Trixie: Yeah, what’s weird about that? Blueblood: Because the ratings from yesterday showed only two ponies actually heard our show ... Luna: ... oh. [Pause.] Trixie: Wait ... does this mean nopony heard Trixie’s grand speech yesterday? Luna: We did. We enjoyed it. Thou hast a flair for dramatic thunder. Trixie: Oh. Well. [Chuckles.] Thank you. Luna: We find it more effective in the outdoors though. Trixie: Yes. I gathered that much. Blueblood: But I ... I’m afraid I don’t understand. Why would you listen my show? I mean, honestly, the whole reason I’m doing this is to make my enemies angry ... disregarding the fact I muffed that up too. Why ... why would you, of all ponies, enjoy listening to me? Why are you really here? Luna: [Honestly confused.] Little prince ... isn’t it obvious? Blueblood: Well ... perhaps, but I’m notoriously dense. Luna: Tis not necessary to be so hard on thyself. Trixie: No ... no, he is kinda. Blueblood: Yes. Luna: We ... [Lowers voice.] I am your aunt. You are family. I have ... not always been a good at keeping family ties. I was a horrible sister ... a horrible ruler ... and I deserved far worse than the punishment I received. I have a second chance ... and I shall not squander it. I wish to be better family than I once was. I listened because thou art my nephew. And I came because I heard thee in pain ... I hear thy voice echo the same loneliness mine once did. What kind of aunt would I be if I ignored it? Blueblood: I ... [Whisper.] I’ve done nothing to deserve such kindness. Ask anypony. I’m horrible. [Bitter laugh.] I spent all night drinking and shouted at my only friend ... Trixie: [Pause.] You ... you consider me a friend? Blueblood: You’re the only pony who ... tolerates me. Perhaps that’s the most I can hope for. Luna: Prince ... why art thou so sad? Trixie: Yeah ... this isn’t all because I turned you down yesterday, is it? Blueblood: No ... that’s not it. It’s all of it ... [Sigh.] I ... know I’m not the best pony alive. I know I’ve even done selfish things ... but it is hard, knowing that every single pony in this kingdom thinks the world would be better off without me. I ... thought I was doing the right thing, something noble, by standing up to that DJ, doing something clever ... and all it lead to was make her mad enough to embarrass me publicly. I got angry and I tried to get back at her. I wanted justice, but that only made everypony hate me more. Heh ... you know, I checked my approval rating not long ago. It’s -1%. Which I’m not even sure is possible since that means less than zero ponies like me, but I’m inclined to believe it. I was never popular before ... after all, I’ve only had one bloody date my entire life and I managed to mess that up too ... but at least then, I had some respect. [Sadness vanish as anger slowly rises in Blueblood’s voice.] Blueblood: Now everypony outright hates me. I get shunned, have things thrown at me, get hateful phone calls all the time ... there’s even a foal who hurls a rock through my window every month. A foal doesn’t even like me. And even if I forced him to stop, everypony would just find some reason to hate me for THAT too. I could walk out of the studio now and hand puppies and kittens to every child in Canterlot, and it STILL wouldn’t be enough. My name is less than dirt now, my dignity gone, any self-respect I had ... destroyed. All because of her. Luna: Who? Blueblood: You mean you don’t know? Luna: No? Should we? We don’t believe thou hast mentioned this ... individual on thy show before. Blueblood: Oh ... I suppose you wouldn’t know if you only listen to my show. She is the one who ruined my life ... the one who time and time again goes out her way to humiliate me ... she is -- [Loud hoofsteps ascend the stairs.] DJ-P0n3: [In the distance.] BLUEBLOOD! Blueblood: [Shocked.] She’s here. Luna: Pardon? [The hoofsteps get louder until they suddenly stop as DJ-P0n3 stands in the doorway.] Blueblood: [Filled with venom.] Vinyl Scratch. Luna: [Surprised.] What? DJ-P0n3: Alright, Princey, you’ve got something to answer for this-- hey, who blew the door up? Luna: That ... that was us. DJ-P0n3: [Cheerful.] Oh, hello Princess Luna. It’s an honor. I feel bad we couldn’t have that interview. Luna: Wha- oh, we understand now! Thou must be that other radio show host. We apologize that we had to cancel. We-- DJ-P0n3: You don’t have to apologize, Princess. I’m just sorry you were tricked by this ... sorry excuse for a colt! Luna: ... what? DJ-P0n3: [To Blueblood.] Bet you thought it was really sneaky, trying to snake an interview out from under me! I don’t know how you did it. My working theory involves hypnosis and ... a room filled with mirrors or something. Blueblood: [Sigh.] Look, I don’t know what you’re talking about. I don’t need this right now.", "I don’t know how you did it. My working theory involves hypnosis and ... a room filled with mirrors or something. Blueblood: [Sigh.] Look, I don’t know what you’re talking about. I don’t need this right now. Do you think you can destroy my dignity some other time, I’ve had kind of a day-- DJ-P0n3: [Recoils.] Oh Celestia, your breath smells like a sewer! What did you do, drink garbage water and gargle skunk spray? Blueblood: Not that I know of. DJ-P0n3: Jeez! You smelt bad enough before! [Shakes head.] But anyway, you must have thought it was a pretty sweet plan, but you’ve got another thing coming if you think I was going to stand for you deceiving one of my guests. Luna: [Meekly.] Pardon us, but we believe this may be a misunderstanding-- [DJ-P0n3 gives no indication she hears the Princess.] DJ-P0n3: After all, it must have been a trick. Who would actually CHOOSE to be around you? Luna: [Raises voice.] Now, see here-- Blueblood: [Bitter.] I don’t suppose many would, after you humiliated me. DJ-P0n3: You messed with my friend! Blueblood: You started it when you insulted my auntie Celestia! Luna: [Anger rises.] Wait ... THOU art the one who interviewed our sister?! DJ-P0n3: [Seems to hear Luna for first time] Huh? Oh yeah. It was the first show. It was all in good fun. Luna: Fun? DJ-P0n3: Uh huh. [Turns back to Blueblood.] And don’t pretend like you’re doing this for Celestia! All you care about it yourself! That’s all you’ve EVER cared about. Blueblood: [Whispering.] And I suppose you just get everything about me, don’t you? DJ-P0n3: There’s not much to “get.” You’re just so ... simple. You’re just a mad, angry little colt who cries when he doesn’t get what he wants. [Luna gives a low growl, mutters something indistinct. In the background, the sky begins to get dark. Lightning can now be heard in the distance. Meanwhile, Trixie steps forward.] Trixie: What is your problem, you psycho?! Just lay off and go back to your own boring show. DJ-P0n3: [Mock joy.] Aww, Princey, you made a friend. Blueblood: Well ... we’re not really-- Trixie: You’re darn right Trixie’s his friend! Nopony insults him but TRIXIE! DJ-P0n3: [Sigh.] Look, Trixie ... you don’t seem all that bad and I’m sorry to be the one to tell you this, but ... you’re just wasting your time. He’s completely selfish and he’s just going to hurt you in the end. Trixie: But not before I hurt you. [The thunder gets louder. The sky outside gets darker.] DJ-P0n3: He made my friend cry and locked one of HER friends in the bathroom! This is the pony you’re defending! He can’t even stand up for himself, he has to hide behind you! Why are you defending such a loser?! Luna: SILENCE! [There is a loud thunderclap punctuating Luna’s command. Her eyes glow as the sky outside is covered in black clouds. Luna’s voice echoes with such power, each word seems to hit with concussive force.] DJ-P0n3: [Shaken.] Um ... i-is there a problem, Princess? Luna: IN ALL OUR YEARS ... IN ALL OUR MILLENIA OF LIVING ... WE HAVE NOT SEEN SUCH IMPUDENCE ... SUCH LACK OF RESPECT ... SUCH AN INSULT AS THIS! [Thunderclap.] Luna: THOU DAREST TO INSULT OUR FAMILY BEFORE OUR VERY EYES?! DJ-P0n3: I ... um ... A-am I missing something here? Trixie: [Grinning.] Oh, Trixie wish she had popcorn for this. DJ-P0n3: I ... [Stammers.] But this doesn’t make any sense. You ... Blueblood didn’t trick you into coming here? Luna: WE CAME OF OUR OWN VOLITION! WE CAME TO COMFORT OUR DEAR NEPHEW AFTER HEARING HOW DISTRAUGHT HE WAS OVER THE RADIO. A STATE FOR WHICH WE NOW KNOW THOU ART TO BLAME! DJ-P0n3: Hey now, that’s not the whole story-- Luna: QUIET! [There is a loud crack of thunder outside, as if the lightning had struck closer.] DJ-P0n3: Eep! Luna: WE HAD ... REGRETTED HAVING TO CANCEL OUR PRIOR ENGAGEMENT BEFORE ... AFTER ALL, THOU HADST ASKED US KINDLY TO APPEAR ON THY SHOW. WE HAD ASSUMED THOU HADST RESPECT FOR US. DJ-P0n3: I do have respect for-- Luna: BUT NOW WE FIND OUT THAT THOU HATH CAUSED OUR OWN BLOOD MUCH DISTRESS! THOU HAST LEFT RUIN IN THY WAKE WITH THY WORDS ... AND THOU DOST NOT CARE EVEN SLIGHTLY! DJ-P0n3: Hey, he started it. I was just-- Luna: THAT ALONE WOULD BE ENOUGH OF AN INSULT ... BUT NOW THOU SAYEST THOU ART THE SAME ONE WHO INTERVIEWED OUR SISTER MONTHS AGO! DJ-P0n3: Um ... yeah, but what does that have to-- [Thunder strikes outside, the sound of the wind gusting can be heard.] Luna: IT WAS THEE WHO HUMILIATED OUR SISTER ON THE AIR, CRITICIZING HER, ASSASSINATING HER CHARACTER IN REGARDS TO HER DECISION TO BANISH US! DJ-P0n3: Um ... well, yeah. That ... did sort of happen. [Confidently.] But so what? Celestia’s a class act, but it wasn’t right of her to do that. Why would you be mad about-- Luna: BECAUSE THOU WERT NOT THERE! WE HAD BEEN CORRUPTED BY THE JEALOUSY AND DISCORD IN OUR HEART. WE HAD BEEN PREPARED TO PLUNGE EQUESTRIA INTO DARKNESS. WE WERE WRONG, WE SPAT AT OUR SISTER’S EFFORTS FOR PEACE, WE WERE SELFISH, MALEVOLENT ... OUR SISTER HAD NO CHOICE! THOU HAST NO RIGHT TO CRITICIZE. SHE PUT THE SAFETY OF EQUESTRIA BEFORE HER OWN FEELINGS. SHE LET US LIVE WHEN WE DESERVED TO FALL! SHE ... [Luna lowers voice to a whisper. As her voice lowers, the storm outside becomes quiet and stops.] Luna: She did the same thing we would have. And she had nothing to apologize for ... as much as she may believe now. My sister ... thought she had wronged me, thought she was horrible, all because of that interview. [Quiet anger.] Had we known thou wert the same creature that interviewed our sister, we would never have agreed in the first place. [There is a pause. DJ-P0n3 struggles to find her words.] DJ-P0n3: This ... I ... listen, I’m sorry about that. I ... I just wanted to have a good show and I thought somepony, anypony, should say something, ANYTHING about how you were treated. I was ... [Whisper.] I was trying to do the right thing. Luna: You failed. DJ-P0n3: [Shaken.] I ... but I wasn’t ... I didn’t ... [Pause.] I ... I have to go ... [There are quick hoofsteps, as DJ-P0n3 disappears down the stairs.] Luna: [Takes deep breath.] Whew. We ... might have overdone it a bit. Trixie: No ... no, Trixie thinks that was just the right amount. Who did she think she is? Right, Princey?! Blueblood: [Oddly quiet.] Yes ... yes, I suppose. Trixie: Huh? Luna: [Sigh.] We must learn to control our temper. Justified or not, when we lose control it leads to ... consequences. Trixie: Like what? Luna: Nightmare Moon. Trixie: Oh ... oh, yeah. Luna: Now ... we must depart! Prince? Blueblood: Yes? Luna: We ... understand how hard it is when one feels shunned by Equestria. We felt lonely ... jealous ... and it led only to darkness ... just ... [Pause.] Remember you are not alone. Blueblood: [Shakily.] ... thank you, auntie Luna. Luna: Anytime. [Hoofsteps, followed by the flap of wings.] Trixie: Well ... that was interesting. Heh, you know, Trixie had no idea that DJ was such a loony. I mean, Trixie knew you said she was a jerk but jeez ... clearly she didn’t recognize she was speaking to the GREAT and POWERFUL Trixie! Guess she got what was coming, right Princey? [Silence.] Trixie: Prince? Blueblood: [Sadly.] Yes? Trixie: What’s wrong? Your arch-nemesis just got told off by a goddess; you should have a stronger reaction to this. Blueblood: [Weak smile.] Well, I suppose that was a bit cathartic ... but it doesn’t really change anything. Nopony even listens to this show ... as much as I’m touched my auntie actually cares, I’d be surprised if even one other pony actually heard that. [Sigh.] Tomorrow I’ll still be hated, Vinyl Scratch will still be considered the big hero, and foals will still throw things through my windows ... Trixie: [Softly.] Hey, you don’t know. Maybe things will get better. Blueblood: [Bitter laugh.] I sincerely doubt that ... I’ve given up thinking will ever get better for me ... [Darkly.] I just want things to get worse for her. [Pause.] Hey? Trixie: Yeah? Blueblood: Can I ask you something? You were all set to leave me here not long ago. You said I really was horrible ... but you still stood up for me against Vinyl. Why? Trixie: Oh. Oh! [Dismissively.] Heh, well, don’t get any funny ideas! It’s not as if Trixie cared or anything ... Trixie was just annoyed by her! Nothing more! Blueblood: Oh. Trixie: [Pause.] Besides ... you’re not the only pony who thinks nopony cares about them. [Brief pause.] Blueblood: [Slightly amused.] Heh ... this has been an interesting show. Trixie: Yes ... Trixie supposes. [Defensively.] Hey hey! Don’t smile at me like that! Trixie thinks you’re getting too familiar! Blueblood: My apologies! [Chuckle.] I suppose Luna was right ... I really am not alone ... I think ... that helps. [Sigh.] This would be a more touching moment if my head didn’t feel like a chariot ran me over, drug me for several feet, then left me in a ditch. Trixie: That tends to happen when you drink alone all night, you idiot! Blueblood: Tell you what, next time I’ll invite you. Trixie: [Playfully.] Hmph! Trixie’s sure she’ll have better things to do ... but she might on the slim-to-nonexistent chance she has nothing to do. Blueblood: Heh ... I’ll take what I can get. Anyway, I think I’ll leave a bit early today. Hopefully the hangover will go away soon ... or ultimately kill me, one of the two. Trixie: Later. [Hoofsteps, door swings open.] Blueblood: Oh, and Trixie? Trixie: Yeah? Blueblood: Thank you ... for being my friend. Trixie: [Mock groan.] Don’t be such a sap, Princey. Blueblood: [Chuckle.] Fair enough ... it’s just ... good to know Vinyl hasn’t made my life completely hopeless ... farewell. [Door shuts.] Trixie: [Whispering.] Oh don’t worry, Princey. Vinyl will get her just desserts. Just leave that to the Trixie the Great. [Sound becomes distorted.] [Transmission ends.] The Vinyl Scratch Tapes Season 2 Third Transcript: The No-Show Episode (Continued) [Due to the radio transmission being distorted by a mysterious storm that suddenly appeared and vanished in Canterlot the day of the recording, much of Octavia’s solo show was not recorded. This transcript resumes roughly fifteen minutes after Vinyl’s exit.] Octavia: [Resuming midsentence.] -- and then they made Beauty Brass and I clean up all the broken glass before they threw us out. So that’s why we no longer work in a department store. But I liked the bow-tie that came with the uniform, so I’ve always worn it since then. I think it suits me. [Pause.] Well, it appears Vinyl’s still not back yet ... I’m running out of ideas for stories now. I suppose I could call Spitfire, see if she has anything embarrassing about Vinyl to share with-- [Door opens slowly.] Octavia: Ah, there you are! You missed it, Vinyl. I was sharing embarrassing stories about myself. It wasn’t the same without you hear to appreciate it. DJ-P0n3: [Quietly.] Oh ... okay. Octavia: ... something wrong? DJ-P0n3: No, no, I’m ... I’m fine ... Octavia: So ... is Princess Luna with you? DJ-P0n3: No. No, she isn’t. I ... don’t think she’ll be coming back for an interview. Octavia: What? Are you sure? DJ-P0n3: Pretty sure, yeah. I’m sorry about that, listeners ... [Whispering.] I’m really sorry. Octavia: ... okay, what happened? You’re not acting like yourself. DJ-P0n3: What do you mean? Octavia: Well, you’re not all ... “ROCK AND ROLL, ELECTRIC GUITAR, PYROTECHNICS, YELLING RANDOM THINGS!” [Lowers voice.] It’s ... strange. DJ-P0n3: Yeah, it’s ... it’s a long story. I’ll tell you later. [Pause.] C-can I ask you something? Octavia: Um ... yeah. DJ-P0n3: And I want you to be honest with me. Octavia: Of course. What is it? [DJ-P0n3 pauses for a moment, then there is a clattering sound as she places her sunglasses on the desk. She speaks in a soft voice.] DJ-P0n3: Am ... am I a bad pony? Octavia: What? What are you ... why are you asking that? DJ-P0n3: I ... I don’t know. [Pause.] Do ... do you think you’d be comfortable running the show solo again tomorrow? I think maybe I want to take a day off. Octavia: But ... you never take a day off. Ever. DJ-P0n3: I know. But ... maybe I should. [Pause.] DJ-P0n3: [Quietly.] Well, I suppose we’ll just call it a day. Remember to tune in tomorrow for another episode of ... of the Vinyl Scratch. [Hoofsteps, followed by door opening.] Octavia: Wait, Vinyl! What’s going on? You forgot to turn off the console! I ... [Clears throat.] Sorry about this, listeners. Tune in tomorrow. Hopefully Vinyl will be feeling better. See you next time. [Yelling.] Hey Vinyl, wait up! What happened?! Vinyl?! [End transmission.]" ]

[ "The Vinyl Scratch Tapes Season 2 Fourth Transcript: A Very Special Episode [What follows is a transcript of episode 2F08, one day following the infamous episode where DJ-P0n3 abruptly left the radio station .] [Sound of a reel-to-reel tape player being played is heard.] Octavia: [Recorded message.] Hello, listeners. This is Octavia, here with a pre-recorded message, assuming I’ve figured out how to work this thing right. I know you’re probably expecting to hear Vinyl’s voice right now, saying something completely insane before she tells you this is the Vinyl Scratch. [A sound of a record being scratched is heard.] Octavia: [Sigh.] Somehow it’s just not the same ... [Cough.] Unfortunately, that isn’t the case right now. Vinyl is feeling a bit ... unwell. If you happened to listen to that other radio show yesterday, you probably have some idea why. I’d like to go into it right now, but I know Vinyl wouldn’t want to talk about it. She’s always been a bit stubborn, heh. [Pause.] Octavia: She asked me to do today’s show alone. I asked her what she wanted me to do ... and instead of making a joke like normal, she just said whatever I wanted to do would be fine. And then she just sat there, not saying anything. It took me a while to decide what I wanted to do, but I finally figured it out. I just need some more time to get it together, so today’s episode will be a bit delayed. For now, we’ll just be playing some music. [Pause.] Octavia: And to anypony who might be listening ... I know things might seem sad right now, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned, things never stay that way. There’s always hope. And if Vinyl were herself right now, I think she’d agree. Trust me. [Smile.] I’ll be seeing you all soon enough ... [Click.] [Music starts playing.] The Blueblood Tapes Transcript: Mail Call [Crackling sound heard over transmission.] [Clanking is heard against metal.] Blueblood: [Exhausted.] Okay then. Either that’s fixed the issue with this console or broken it more. So there’s a fifty-fifty chance I’m simply talking to myself now. Ah well. [Sound of wrench being thrown to the floor is heard.] Blueblood: Not too shabby, considering I had to do it all myself. I cannot believe every mechanic I tried to call in hung up on me. Well, all except for the one who had enough etiquette to verbally abuse me before hanging up. [Lowers voice.] Then again ... should I have expected anything different? [Pause.] Blueblood: [Takes deep breath.] Well ... nevermind that. I should take auntie Luna’s advice. Have to remember I’m not alone ... somewhat ironic to think about that now considering my co-host hasn’t shown up yet. Not sure why, but no matter. Have to remain productive. If I don’t, I’ll just do something stupid that will make everypony hate me more. Should be easy. After all, it’s not as if I’m consumed by thoughts of revenge and spite every waking moment that I know will end in an inevitable self-destructive spiral into darkness and loneliness. [Chuckles nervously.] Because that would be ridiculous. [Clears throat.] Blueblood: Well, anywho, I suppose I should attempt to run this radio show professionally. Hello, listeners ... that is to say, probably just Luna. Hi auntie. Now then ... I don’t have a guest today. Or a co-host. Or any kind of plan. [Pause.] I um ... well, there is this one joke I heard. So a griffin, a mule, and a seamstress walk into a bowling alley ... [There is a knocking at the door.] Blueblood: Oh, pardon me a moment. [Hoofsteps, door opens.] Derpy: Hello there! Are you Prince Blueblood? Blueblood: Um ... yes. Why? Derpy: I have a giant bag of fan mail for you. [Grunts.] [Drops heavy bag of mail on floor.] Blueblood: [Shocked.] B-but that’s impossible! I hardly ever get any mail! And I don’t have fans! Derpy: Well, apparently you do, cause they sent mail! [Giggles.] I’m glad you have mail now. Everypony likes mail! Mail makes every pony happy! Well, except bills ... but if ponies only get bills, I just give them muffins and then they’re happy too! Blueblood: I don’t ... but ... [Speaks softly.] I don’t know what to say. Derpy: Well, thank you for choosing Derpy Express. I hope you enjoy your mail. [Flaps wings, sound of head slamming into ceiling.] Derpy: OUCH! [Door is closed. The sound of flapping wings gets quieter as she disappears down the stairs.] Blueblood: Well ... [Chuckles.] How about that? This was a nice surprise. I can’t remember the time I’ve gotten so much mail. Usually I only get cards from Celestia for my birthday. She was the only one who ever bothered. This is ... wow. [Laughs.] This is such a nice surprise. You know, maybe things are turning around. I mean ... my auntie stood up to Vinyl for me, Trixie is my friend, I finally have some self-respect. Wow. I can’t remember the last time I’ve been in such a good mood. [Cheerfully.] I don’t want to set myself up for disappointment or anything, but nothing can ever go wrong for me from this moment forward. [Opens bag, tears open letter.] Blueblood: Let’s read one of these letters, shall we? [Paper rustling.] Ahem. “Dear Prince Blueblood, I listened to your show yesterday.” Yes, viewership is going up! [Continues reading.] “Your aunt made my favorite celebrity in the whole world, Vinyl Scratch, sad.” [Voice slowly becomes sadder.] “I think it was really mean of your aunt. And it was very mean of you to just let it happen. Vinyl isn’t bad at all, the fact it makes you happy to see her so upset just makes me sad for you. Please stop being so mean. Love, Rumble.” [Pause.] Blueblood: Hehe, that’s ... that’s probably just a vocal minority! After all, I can’t expect everypony to understand. It’s ... let’s read the next one. [Opens letter.] Blueblood: “Dear Prince, musicians have to stick together. If you think we should feel sorry for you when you made Vinyl and Octavia feel like crap, you have another thing coming. Love, Lyra. P.S. Stop hiding the existence of humans, I know you and Celestia are just covering it up.” [Crumples letter, tears another one open. His voice becomes slowly more angry and more unhinged.] Blueblood: “Dear Blueprick...” [Hurls letter aside, tears open another one.] “Where do you get off...” [Tears letter apart, rips next one open.] “Dear Blueblood, you are the biggest hypocrite the world has ever...” [Crumples it up, opens another one. He’s practically snarling.] “The only reason I listened to your show is because Vinyl said she was coming over to beat you up, I was sorely disappointed she didn’t...” [Opens letter, pulls out a card.] Blueblood: [Seething with anger.] This one’s just a card that says “Please die in a fire.” Who wrote this?! [Opens card.] “Hugs and kisses. Love, Mom.” [Dark laugh.] Thanks, mother. Really needed that now. [Rips card up with telekinesis.] Blueblood: You ... sickening little worms. You just can’t let me have anything, can you? You just can’t! You think I need you to care about me? Well, I don’t! I never needed any of you! You think that DJ is any better than me?! She’s rotten on the inside. Just like me. Just like all of you! [Knocks chair over.] If it’s the last thing I ever do, when I die and go to Tartarus like you all seem to want, I’ll bring you all down with me! I’ll drag you all down, kicking and screaming, so we can suffer together! [Blueblood hurls chair against the radio console, audio distortion can be heard. Sound of glass being broken, paper being torn, and things being wrecked and broken can be heard.] [Pause. Blueblood says nothing for a moment, as if taking it all in.] Blueblood: [Whispering.] Well, you know what? I don’t have to wait. I don’t have to wait at all. I don’t know why I ever held back, why I ever thought things might get better. No more. No. Now ... now I’m not afraid of getting a little dirty! [Picks up phone.] Blueblood: Hello, operator? Get me Stallion Stereophonics... [Crackling sound is heard over transmission.] [Transmission ends.] The Vinyl Scratch Tapes Season 2 Fourth Transcript: A Very Special Episode (Cont.) [Music plays for almost an hour and a half. After the end of one song, transmission resumed instead of transitioning to the next song. According to historical testimony, this was more than likely caused by the reel-to-reel tape player used by Octavia falling on the console.] [A few moments of silence are followed by the sound of hoof steps. The door is kicked open.] Trixie: [In a great booming voice.] VINYL SCRATCH! YOUR RECKONING IS HERE, AND HER NAME IS TRIXIE! TIME TO-- hey, where is everypony? [There is no answer. Trixie is alone, aside from the low sound of discs spinning on a turntable.] Trixie: Hello? Is any pony here? Somepony come out and appreciate my vengeance! [Silence.] Trixie: Oh come on! Why is no pony EVER around to see how dramatic Trixie is?! [Hoofsteps.] Trixie: Ah well, no matter. Trixie doesn’t need an audience to enact vigilante justice! Nopony makes fun of my friends but me! Now ... what to do ... [Muttering.] I suppose I could start by running up their phone bill or ... something. Hm, maybe I should have thought of a plan instead of spending all my time planning that entrance ... [In the distance, a door is slammed, followed by hoofsteps ascending stairs. Voices can be heard faintly in the distance.] Octavia: [In the distance.] Come on, it’s right up here. DJ-P0n3: [In the distance.] Octy, I really don’t want to be here. Octavia: [Getting closer.] It’ll only take a second. I just need your help with one little thing ... Trixie: Eep! Trixie can’t get caught in the act like this! Not without a plan or spectacular entrance to speak of! I have to hide until I figure out what to do ... and how to curb this sudden compulsion I have to talk to myself! [Door opens. The sound of Trixie’s horn glowing is heard and objects being moved around. She is presumably out of sight as the door opens and DJ-P0n3 and Octavia enter.] Octavia: There we go. See? That wasn’t so bad. DJ-P0n3: [Sadly.] Okay, what did you need my help with? Octavia: Oh ... I just found something lying around here. I was wondering if you could help me figure out what it is. DJ-P0n3: Octy ... can’t this wait? You have a show to do, after all. Do you even have a guest for today? Octavia: You could say that, yes. DJ-P0n3: Octy ... I’m not ... [DJ-P0n3 sighs.] DJ-P0n3: I’m not fit to stand behind a mic. I’m no good ... Octavia: Vinyl, don’t talk like that. DJ-P0n3: Please, can I just go? Octavia: [Gently.] Humor me, Vinyl. DJ-P0n3: Fine ... we aren’t on the air, right? Octavia: Um ... [There is a pause. Presumably, Octavia sees the red light on the console, indicating that they are on the air.] Octavia: [Hesitantly.] N-no, of course not. Let me just make sure. [Octavia clicks a button on the console. The volume is turned up.] Octavia: There we go. Now, let me just find that ... [Sound of papers rustling and items being moved around.] Octavia: Dear Celestia, your desk is such a mess, Vinyl. I’m surprised there isn’t something alive in there. DJ-P0n3: [Dejected.] There might be. I dunno. [Octavia sighs.] Octavia: [Perks up.] Ah, found it. [Octavia picks up something from the desk, brings it to Vinyl.] Octavia: Tell me, Vinyl, what is this? DJ-P0n3: ... Octy, what are you talking about? You know what this-- Octavia: Just tell me, what is it? DJ-P0n3: [Sigh.] A picture ... Octavia: Of what? DJ-P0n3: Me ... and you. And Spitfire. Octavia: Do you remember when it was taken? DJ-P0n3: Of course I do. It was when we had Spitfire on our show. Octavia: Do you remember when you heard Spitfire and I talking about you? DJ-P0n3: Yes. So? Octavia: [Gently.] I ... used to think so little of you. It’s hard for me to imagine now, but it’s true. Spitfire helped me see that there is good in you. And after we got to know each other more ... I realized that, for all your faults ... I have never met a pony more loyal, honest, and caring. DJ-P0n3: ... really? Octavia: Really. [Pause.] I know you’re upset because of all that stuff Luna said, but you aren’t a bad pony. You never were. DJ-P0n3: That’s sweet of you to say ... but she was right. The way I treated Celestia and my other guests ... that wasn’t a very nice thing to do. Octavia: You were entertaining. No pony takes it personally. DJ-P0n3: Blueblood did. Luna too ... back then, when I trashed Blueblood, I was so sure I was doing the right thing. Now I just ... [Quietly.] I don’t even know anymore. Octavia: He did plenty of horrible things to us first. DJ-P0n3: Only because you knew me. If it wasn’t for me, none of it would have happened. Octavia: It’s not your fault, Vinyl! DJ-P0n3: ... I’m not so sure about that anymore. [Sigh.] I know that you’ll be there for me no matter what, Octy. I’m just not sure I deserve it. I’m glad you think I’m a good pony ... but you might be the only one who actually thinks that. [Pause, followed by Octavia chuckling.] DJ-P0n3: What’s so funny? Octavia: I think our guests might make you feel better about that. DJ-P0n3: Guests? There’s more than one? Octavia: Heh, there are a few, yes. [Yells.] Alright everypony! Come in! [Door pops open, followed by numerous hoofsteps, one after another.] Frédéric: I must say, Vinyl, you know how to keep a captivated audience waiting. DJ-P0n3: Freddy? [Hoofsteps as two more ponies enter.] Beauty Brass: VINYL! WE HEARD YOU WERE UPSET! IS EVERYTHING OKAY?! DO YOU WANT A HUG? I’M GOOD AT HUGGING! JUST ASK HARPO! Harpo: [Nods, followed by a wink and a satisfied grin.] Frédéric: Harpo, how is it possible you can make innuendos without even speaking? DJ-P0n3: You ... you brought your ensemble just to cheer me up? Octavia: Not just them. [The sound of wings flapping is heard.] DJ-P0n3: Spitfire?! Spitfire: Come on, Vinyl, you didn’t think I’d forget my best friend when she needed me, did you? [Chuckles.] That’s pretty stupid of you. DJ-P0n3: [Laughs while sounding on the verge of tears.] Yeah ... I guess I should have known better. You’re ... you’re a good friend. Spitfire: And so are you, Vinyl. DJ-P0n3: Octy ... I don’t understand ... how did you get everypony to come here like this? Octavia: Simple. I asked. That’s all I had to do. DJ-P0n3: What? Octavia: I told them how upset you were and I asked if they could come to help cheer you up a bit. To show you that the ponies who have been on your show don’t hate you or think you’re horrible. To show you that ... well ... you’re really loved. And they all jumped on it without a second thought. DJ-P0n3: You all did that ... for me? Spitfire: Of course. Your show was the most fun I’ve had since we were foals. Frédéric: Yeah. Not to mention you helped us hold a concert after our show got cancelled. You didn’t have to do that. Beauty Brass: YEAH! IT WAS SWEET OF YOU! Harpo: [Nods.] DJ-P0n3: [Perking up.] Yeah ... yeah, I did do that, didn’t I? Octavia: Vinyl ... the truth is ... you’re the pony I’m closest to. You were there for me when nopony else was. You helped my band-- DJ-P0n3: Ensemble. Octavia: Whatever. You helped us ... you gave Blueblood a piece of your mind the second you found out what happened. You’ve been there for me this whole time. Did you really think I wouldn’t return the favor? DJ-P0n3: I ... I don’t even know what to say. I ... thank you, Octy. [Pause.] But still, that doesn’t mean Luna wasn’t right. I mean ... what I did to Celestia ... that was awful. She ... probably doesn’t think much of me right now. Octavia: I thought you might think that. [Shouting.] Come in, Your Highness! DJ-P0n3: WHAT?! [A door creak is heard, followed by the beating of heavy wings as Princess Celestia glided in.] Celestia: Hello, Vinyl. It’s been a long time. DJ-P0n3: [Stammering.] Celestia! I can explain! I’m sorry about everything! There’s no need to feed me to Cerberus! Celestia: [Chuckles.] Please, Vinyl. You have no reason to fear me. DJ-P0n3: Well ... I wouldn’t say fear. I am a bit apprehensive considering I did kind of make fun of you on the air after you had, you know, allowed me to have a radio show in the first place. And accused you of banishing your sister to the moon because you couldn’t think of anything else. And wrote a rock opera where you were an immortal serpent god Princess Luna fought and banished to Tartarus. And made fun of your nephew and assassinated his character to the point where Discord has a higher approval rating than him. Anddddd your sister kind of hates me. So yeah. Just a teeny bit nervous. Celestia: Vinyl, you should know I’m not petty. I try to be very understanding when it comes to my subjects. [Pause.] Immortal ... serpent god? DJ-P0n3: [Nervous laugh.] I might have exaggerated some details. Celestia: Well anyway, your friend Octavia asked if I could speak with you. [Chuckles.] You have a true friend there, Vinyl. DJ-P0n3: Yeah ... yeah, I know. Celestia: Well ... after hearing what happened, I wanted to assure you I hold no malice towards you. In fact ... well, I thought you had some pretty good points. DJ-P0n3: B-But Luna said it made you feel guilty and that I didn’t know what I was talking about. She said it was her fault! Celestia: [Sigh.] Yes, Luna has been a bit hard on herself. As have I. Trust me, Vinyl, you were not the cause of my guilt. I know logically I did what had to be done. But sometimes I would look up at the moon and wonder, maybe if I were able do it all over again ... [Celestia pauses.] Celestia: Well, best not to dwell on it. The point is ... I don’t blame you, Vinyl. DJ-P0n3: Your sister seems to. Celestia: Ah yes, I had heard just as much on my nephew’s show. Luna and I had quite a long discussion about that. [Calls in a sing-song voice.] Lunaaa~ [Door opens, there are hoofsteps as Princess Luna walks in.] DJ-P0n3: Okay, seriously, did you all just take the same train here or something? Is anypony else going to show up I should know about? [In the background, Trixie sneezes quietly.] Spitfire: ... did anypony just hear something just now? Frédéric: Sorry. I was paying more attention to the two immortal god-princesses standing in front of us. Vinyl certainly does having a way of making life anything but ordinary, doesn’t she? Spitfire: Trust me, you’ll get used to it. Octavia: Oh. Um ... Princess Luna. I didn’t know you’d be coming. Celestia: I just thought Luna might have something to say after I explained my thoughts on the matter. [Clears throat.] Don’t you have anything to say, Luna? Luna: [Grumbles.] Celestia: Luna ... Luna: [Sigh.] Very well. We ... [Cough.] I mean ... I apologize if I overreacted in regards to my sister. My sister explained the situation in more detail. I was not aware of the concept of ... what did thou call’st it, sister? Celestia: Political satire. Luna: Yes, I was unaware of this political satyr thou payest tribute to. She assures me no malice was intended. DJ-P0n3: Thanks. That ... actually means a lot. Luna: [Irritated.] However! We shall not apologize for defending our nephew. We still do not think we were wrong. DJ-P0n3: [Pause.] Yeah. Maybe ... maybe you were right ... Octavia: Vinyl ... DJ-P0n3: Well ... I dunno, it’s just I’ve been doing some thinking. You know ... maybe we aren’t so different after all. Octavia: You never locked somepony in a bathroom. DJ-P0n3: Well no. [Pause.] Not that I can remember, anyway. Spitfire: You did lock us in a closet together once. DJ-P0n3: Yes, but that was for science. Luna: I do not condone what he did. But we hath all done things we regret. [Quietly.] Some ... more than others. DJ-P0n3: Yeah, I can agree with you there. Celestia: I must admit, our nephew has much he must learn. He is obviously slightly ... troubled. Frédéric: If by that you mean he’s completely bonkers, then yes. Luna: [Irritated.] I would remind you that is my nephew thou refereth to. He is a Prince. Frédéric: He’s also a loony. He held our friend for ransom on stage. And he didn’t even have the decency to be competent at it. Sorry to say it, but our dear prince is a few strings short of a lute. Luna: [Confused.] I ... fail to see the significance of this lute thou speakest of. The Prince is no minstrel. Celestia: It’s a metaphor, Luna. Luna: Minotaur? Celestia: No, that’s ... [Chuckle.] We’ll just go over that later. The point is ... as much as our nephew has done, he is still my nephew. He has much to learn, and I cannot learn his lesson for him. There is good in everypony and I hope that, one day, he shall change for the better. Octavia: You really believe he will? Celestia: I have to, Octavia. He is family, after all. DJ-P0n3: Who knows? Maybe he would have changed ... if it wasn’t for me egging him on. Octavia: Vinyl, why do you keep beating yourself up like this? DJ-P0n3: Because ... I used to be so sure of myself. I always thought I knew the right thing to do. But now? I don’t know. I don’t know if my instincts are right, if I’m really all for, you know, “truth, justice, and rock and roll,” or if I’m just a jerk? I don’t ... [Sigh.] I don’t know if I trust myself. [Octavia says nothing for a moment, then puts her hoof on DJ-P0n3’s shoulder.] Octavia: [Gently.] Maybe you don’t trust yourself right now, but I do. DJ-P0n3: Octy-- Octavia: No, listen. The whole reason I did all this ... I didn’t just do it to cheer you up. I wanted to show you how much I believe in you, just like I know you believe in me. That’s why I worked so hard to bring this all together. Maybe you’ve made some mistakes, but that doesn’t make you horrible. I know you have a good heart and that you learn from your mistakes. And I have all the confidence in the world that you’ll always find a way to do what’s right in the end. DJ-P0n3: I ... I’m really touched, Octy. I’m not sure what I ever did to deserve somepony like you. Octavia: [Chuckle.] And you think I’m the one who’s sappy. [DJ-P0n3 laughs.] Octavia: [Smiles.] See? It’s working. I made you laugh. DJ-P0n3: [Pauses.] The radio console ... it’s not off, is it? Octavia: ... no. DJ-P0n3: We’re on the air right now, aren’t we? Octavia: [Nervous.] Yeah. DJ-P0n3: So ... you said all that stuff in front of everypony in Equestria. Octavia: Pretty much. [DJ-P0n3 blinks, then chuckles.] DJ-P0n3: [Softly.] You ... did that for me? Octavia: Of course. DJ-P0n3: Thank you, Octy. That was so evil of you ... and I’m glad you did it. Octavia: Clearly I’ve been hanging around you too long. [DJ-P0n3 laughs.] DJ-P0n3: Thank you so much. I’m ... I’m just sorry I made you go through all this trouble. Octavia: You put together a concert just for me in one day once, and you think I went to too much trouble. DJ-P0n3: Heh ... yeah. Yeah ... but the reason why I did that isn’t because I’m nice or anything. Octavia: Vinyl, stop saying that about-- DJ-P0n3: No ... I just mean ... [Quietly.] You just always bring out the best in me. I’m ... [Lightly chuckles.]", "Octavia: Vinyl, stop saying that about-- DJ-P0n3: No ... I just mean ... [Quietly.] You just always bring out the best in me. I’m ... [Lightly chuckles.] I’m not really sure what I’d be ... without you. [Pause.] Octavia: That’s ... I don’t know what to say. I’m not sure how I’d be without you either. DJ-P0n3: [Giggles.] You’d probably be a lot better off. Octavia: [Flatly.] No. DJ-P0n3: I’m just joking, Octy. Octavia: I know. But ... I wouldn’t be better off. I just need you to know that. We’ve ... always been a duet, you know. [Pause.] DJ-P0n3: Yeah. Yeah, I guess we have. Beauty Brass: D’AWWW! THAT’S SO ADORABLE. HARPO, ISN’T THAT ADORABLE? [Pause.] Harpo: [Deadpan.] Aw. Frédéric: I’m moved by your show of emotion, Harpo. You’re a real bleeding heart. Harpo: Yes. Spitfire: ... you all are a colorful bunch, aren’t you? Frédéric: I know. We should take up vaudeville. Octavia: So ... Vinyl, are you okay now? DJ-P0n3: I think I will be. I’m still not sure what to do, but I think I’ll be okay. Octavia: Well, I’m just glad you’re feeling better. At least now you know you have true friends who-- [Sound of tin smashing against a floor is heard, as if somepony burst out of their hiding place.] Trixie: OH COME ON, ARE YOU STILL GOING ON LIKE THIS?! SERIOUSLY?! Is that what it’s always like around you all? All this ... sugary sweet, lovey-dovey, self-congratulatory horseapples?! [Gags.] Trixie feels like she’s just going to puke listening to you all! Octavia: ... did you just jump out of our trash can? Trixie: Nevermind that! Beauty Brass: SOMEPONY SOUNDS GRUMPY TODAY. Trixie: [Sarcastic.] Thank you. Very astute, Whoever-You-Are. Getting back to opinions that actually matter ... Trixie had actually-- Spitfire: Wait, who’s Trixie? Trixie: What? Me! I’m Trixie! Spitfire: Oh. Why don’t you just say “I” then? Trixie: Because shut up! All you need to know is my name is Trixie! And you better not pronounce my name without a “Great and Powerful” in front of it! UGH! You are all so annoying! Now then, Vinyl. Trixie had actually come here to give you a piece of her mind! But you know what? Trixie isn’t even going to bother! DJ-P0n3: [Calmly.] Why? Trixie: [Quiet seething anger.] I’ll tell you why. Because it just won’t matter. You know what listening to all this ... drivel has taught Trixie?! You think it’s some lesson about love and friendship and all that hippie crap?! No. It’s that you’re all hypocrites. Trixie’s learned that you can do practically anything and everypony will break their backs to make you feel better. But when it comes to Blueblood, was there any second chance? Did anypony ever take his side? No. Because thanks to you, he’ll always be the villain and you’ll always be the hero, at least as far as the herded cattle that listens to your show is concerned. But it’s okay, because he’s “just a jerk,” right? But Vinyl-- [Sarcastic.] “Oh no! She’s so full of herself, but inside she’s a delicate flower! She hires known criminals as security guards to beat up aristocrats and insults ponies on the air all the time, but I’m sure she has good intentions. SOMEONE GET HER A FRUIT BASKET!” [Trixie blows a raspberry.] Trixie: Please. Sure, you may have felt bad about yourself for like, what, about twelve hours, but Blueblood is practically a basket case. Frédéric: Well, glad to see somepony agrees with my assessment-- Trixie: Shut up! [Turns to Vinyl.] You think you can have your minion put this show together, give everypony a warm and fuzzy feeling, and that suddenly makes everything okay? It doesn’t. Nothing’s different. Nothing’s changed, and neither have you. Everypony still hates Blueblood, and even though everypony despises him, it doesn’t hold a candle to how much he seems to hate himself. And that’s supposed to be okay. Because he’s the bad guy. [Scoff.] So much for the “magic of friendship.” So you know what? Forget this. Trixie’s out of here. [Hoofsteps.] Makes Trixie sick. [It is quiet as Trixie walks out. Door opens, then slams.] [Long pause.] Spitfire: Well ... she seemed ... interesting. Octavia: [Sigh.] Just forget what she said. It’s not even worth thinking about. Right, Vinyl? [Pause.] Octavia: Vinyl? [Worried.] Please don’t tell me that’s upset you again. DJ-P0n3: [Calm.] Hm? Oh ... oh don’t worry. I’m fine. Um ... Octy? Octavia: Yeah? DJ-P0n3: Could you close out the show for us solo again? There’s something I think I have to go do now. Octavia: But-- DJ-P0n3: [Chuckles.] Don’t worry, Octy. I know what I’m doing. Octavia: Are you sure? DJ-P0n3: Sure as I am about any of the stupid stuff I do. [Laughs.] I’ll be fine. But before I go ... [DJ-P0n3 clears throat.] DJ-P0n3: I just wanted to thank you all. You all came just for me ... even you, Luna. Even though I know you don’t like me very much, you still apologized for at least some of the things you said. Luna: Our sister said thou art a good pony. [Hesitating.] Perhaps ... perhaps she was not wrong. DJ-P0n3: But ... I just wanted to thank you all for being here. I’m not just saying that for the show or anything but really ... from the bottom of my heart ... thank you. Spitfire: Wow, Vinyl, I never thought I’d see the day when you’d be modest about something. DJ-P0n3: Heh, has to be a first time for everything. Frédéric: It’s always an honor to be here. Beauty Brass: WE’RE ALWAYS HERE FOR YOU, VINYL. DJ-P0n3: Yeah. I know. Celestia: I’m glad I could be of assistance as well. It’s always a pleasure to be on the show ... despite what some ponies may think. DJ-P0n3: But most of all ... Octy? Octavia: Yeah? DJ-P0n3: No pony has ever done anything like this for me before. I just wanted to-- Octavia: Vinyl ... just give me a hug, stupid. DJ-P0n3: [Laughs.] Hey! You can’t just go and turn my own words around on me like that. Octavia: I think I just did. [They hug.] DJ-P0n3: Well ... I’m off. I’ll be back in a little bit. [Door opens, and closes.] Octavia: Well, listeners, I think that about wraps it up for today. I’m glad everything was able to get back on track. Tune in tomorrow for ... something. I’m not quite sure. With Vinyl, it’s always unpredictable ... but then, I don’t think I’d have it any other way. See you all next time, everypony. This is Octavia, signing off for ... the VINYL SCRATCH! [Scratches record.] Octavia: [Muttering.] Have to admit, that is pretty fun to do. [Raises voice.] Bye everypony! [Clicks button. Voices start to fade out.] Octavia: [Whispering in a low voice.] I suppose we have some time to kill for a bit here ... any ideas? Spitfire: ... anypony have a deck of cards? Celestia: I do. Spitfire: Poker? Frédéric: I’m in. Octavia: Me too. Beauty Brass: ME THREE. Harpo: [Nods.] Luna: “Poke-ar?” Can somepony teach us that? Celestia: Just show me all your cards and I’ll tell you if you win. Luna: Wouldst that be cheating? Celestia: [Innocently.] Noooo, of course not. [Giggles.] I must warn you all, when I play, I play for souls. [Long pause, everypony has a look of sheer horror.] Celestia: [Chuckles.] I’m kidding! Octavia: [Nervously.] Oh. Heh, of course. W-we all knew that. Hehe ... let’s deal. [Voices fade out completely.] The Blueblood Tapes Transcript: “It’s Almost Funny, Isn’t It?” [Crackling sound heard over transmission.] [Door creaks open.] Trixie: [Yelling.] Princey? Hey, are you here? Sorry Trixie’s a little late. She was ... attending to some business. Blueblood: [Quietly.] Ah yes, Trixie. Please, come in. [Hoofsteps.] Trixie: Whoa, this place is a mess. Why is their broken glass and paper everywhere? Blueblood: I ... had a little trouble with the garbage. [Chuckles.] But that’s not important right now. Trixie ... I have big news! Trixie: Oh ... [Clears throat.] Um ... you okay? You kinda have that whole ... “crazy look in your eyes” thing going for you right now. Blueblood: [Cheery.] I’m great! Just perfect! You know why? Because it’s over. Forever. They lose. They all lose. I win. [Bursts out laughing.] I finally win! No more Vinyl Scratch! No more Octavia! No more sleepless nights! I’m so happy I could cry! It’s ... I didn’t think it would ever come, but now that it has ... it’s just so funny! It’s so funny, isn’t it?! [Cackles some more.] Trixie: Uh ... huh. Why don’t you take a step back and explain that to Trixie in a way that doesn’t make you seem like a mental patient? Blueblood: Haha ... very well. I’ll consider this practice for when I reveal the intricacies of my plan to Miss Vinyl Scratch herself! [Chuckles.] It all came to me in an instant. All my plans ... it was all insignificant to this! My one shining moment! [Clears throat.] You may recall that the DJ’s co-host, Octavia, recently signed her and her mediocre quartet to a record label called Stallion Stereophonics. Trixie: Trixie ... doesn’t recall that. Blueblood: Huh. I’m certain they mentioned it on their show before. You’ve never listened to them before? Trixie: Question: does their show have Trixie on it? Blueblood: Um ... no. Trixie: Then it clearly wasn’t worth listening to. [Muttering.] Bunch of mushy garbage. Blueblood: Huh? Trixie: Nevermind. So what does that have to do with anything? They have a record deal? So what? Blueblood: That means they’re under contract with Stallion Stereophonics. They have copyright of any songs they record, can control where they tour, essentially meddle in all of that quartet’s creative affairs. Which wouldn’t be a problem, since that company has a reputation for treating artists fairly ... that is, until now. Trixie: What? Blueblood: As of about an hour ago, thanks to several extremely generous payments made to certain key members of that company’s staff, I am now the owner and CEO of Stallion Stereophonics! That means Octavia and her quartet work for me! You know what that means? I can do whatever I want to them now! If I decided they all had to play kazoos now, I could do that! If I decided their new album must be a polka, I could do that too! I could make their next tour play exclusively in the Everfree Forest, manticores get in free! I can make every horrible, despicably uncreative idea I have a reality and there’s NOTHING they can do about it, because I’ll never in a million years let them out of their contract! Even if they fight me in court, by the time they’re out of it, I’ll have damaged their careers so much they won’t be able to get work playing elevator music in a nursing home! Trixie: [Shocked.] What? But ... but that doesn’t make any sense! Why attack them? What does any of this have to do with Vinyl? Blueblood: No, no, you see. That’s the best part. [Cackles like a mad pony.] That’s the best, best part! It doesn’t. I don’t attack her. Not directly. But that’s the beauty of it. She’ll just have to watch. I want her to watch all the hope and promise in her best friend’s eyes twinkle out as I crush her dreams into a fine powder and toss in the wind. I want her to beg me to do something to stop this. I want her to offer K-COLT on a silver platter. I want her to promise me all the world ... and I want to look down and say “Not good enough.” Trixie: [Genuinely appalled.] Princey ... are you insane?! This ... this isn’t like you. Trixie doesn’t like that DJ either, but don’t you think this is a bit far? Trixie knows you better than anypony. You’re not like this. You’re not THIS bad. Blueblood: [Dark chuckle.] Everypony thinks I am. Why should I bother arguing with them? Might as well go for broke. Trixie: This is only going to make everypony hate you even more! You do realize that, right? You’re not THAT stupid, are you? NOPONY is going to like you after this. [Pause. Blueblood is no longer laughing.] Blueblood: Nopony ever liked me to start with. I’m tired of caring. Trixie: [Furious.] I just spent this whole day defending you! To Vinyl! To everypony! And you do this?! Blueblood: You ... you did? Trixie: Yeah! Now Trixie wonders if that was the right thing to do after all. [Screaming.] For Celestia’s sake, do you think any of this is actually going to make you happy?! [Blueblood doesn’t answer. There is a knock at the door.] DJ-P0n3: [Behind the door.] Hello? Is anypony there? Trixie: [Whispering.] Go ahead ... if that’s the kind of pony you really want to be. [Pause. There are hoofsteps as Blueblood walks over and opens the door.] Blueblood: [Visibly shaken.] Miss Vinyl Scratch. I’m ... I’m glad you’re here. DJ-P0n3: Really? [Chuckles.] That’s a relief. I’d have thought you’d rather push me down the stairs, than see me. Trixie: [Bitterly sarcastic.] Yes, because that’d just be horrible. He’d never do that. Right, Princey? Blueblood: Y-yes. I ... [Clears throat.] What are you even doing here, Miss Vinyl Scratch? Are you here to make fun of me again? DJ-P0n3: Well ... Blueblood: [Angry.] Are you here to take away the last drops of dignity I have? Go ahead, you can do it. It doesn’t matter anymore. DJ-P0n3: Well, I appreciate the invitation, but that’s not-- Blueblood: Because you know what? I have something to tell you. All those times you laughed at me, you’ll see who’s laughing now! Because guess what? I am now the-- DJ-P0n3: I want to be on your show. Blueblood: --wait. What? DJ-P0n3: Your radio show. You know, the one you’ve got on now. Blueblood: [Confused.] Yes, yes I am aware. I um ... this is ... [Whispering.] I don’t understand. Trixie: Yeah, Trixie’s a little confused too. Did she miss something? DJ-P0n3: Well ... Trixie, I think you were right. Well, at least a little bit. Trixie: [Bitterly.] Wait a few minutes, you might think differently. DJ-P0n3: What? Trixie: Nothing. Blueblood: But ... but, this doesn’t make any sense. Why would you ... why in the world do you want to be a guest on my show? DJ-P0n3: [Sigh.] Look, Princey ... can I call you Princey? Blueblood: No. DJ-P0n3: Princey ... I’ll level with you. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about what Luna said. I wondered if I actually was the good pony I kept telling myself I was. And ... well, maybe I’m not horrible or mean but ... I think I may have made some mistakes. Let’s be real here ... you acted like a total jerk. But I wasn’t exactly a knight in shining armor either. Maybe we’re not as different as we think. It’s easy just to hate you, but ... [Laugh.] Is that really what the rest of our lives are going to be like? Us trying to hurt each other? Dragging everypony we ever cared about into this? Is that really worth it? Just for a grudge? Blueblood: [Softly.] I ... I don’t know. DJ-P0n3: The fact is ... we need to act like adults. You have a show, I want to be a guest on it. It’s on your home turf. You want to make fun of me, you can go ahead and do it. You can insult me, have me at your mercy, and, hey, maybe we can have a little fun. Maybe even move on a little. It’s worth a shot at least. But it’s your decision. [Pause.] DJ-P0n3: Heh, I’m sorry, I interrupted you a bit ago. What were you going to say? Trixie: Yeah, Prince ... what were you going to say? Blueblood: I ... [Long pause.] Is ... tomorrow fine for you? DJ-P0n3: Sounds good! Welp, see you all tomorrow. I’m gonna go back and have some fun with some friends. Gotta enjoy the little things, right? Blueblood: [Shaken.] Yeah. Sure. DJ-P0n3: Well see you. [Hoofsteps.] Also ... you should really get a cleaner in here. The floor here looks really bad. It’s starting to look like my desk at work. [Door opens, closes.] Trixie: Well ... [Blueblood sits down. He says nothing.] Trixie: You okay? Blueblood: [Stunned.] All this time ... all this time I wanted to find a way to get revenge and when I finally do ... [Sigh.] It’s almost funny, isn’t it? Trixie: Prince ... Blueblood: ... I have some thinking to do. I’ll see you tomorrow. I think it’ll be an interesting show ... [Crackling sound heard over transmission.] [End transmission.] [To Be Concluded...]" ]

[ "The Vinyl Scratch Tapes Season 2 Fifth Transcript: The Vinyl Scratch & Octavia Interview [What follows is a transcript of episode 2F09 of the Vinyl Scratch, one day following the episode where Octavia brought all of Vinyl’s friends to the studio and when Vinyl attempted to reconcile with Prince Blueblood.] [Sound of reel-to-reel tape player being played is heard.] DJ-P0n3: Goooooood morning, Equestria! The signal is strong! The frequency is just right! The turntable is ready, the records are spinning, the stars are right, the sexual tension is high-- Octavia: HEY! DJ-P0n3: AND IT IS GLORIOUS! It is time for ... the Vinyl Scratch! [Record scratch.] DJ-P0n3: That’s right, the original radio show on the original radio station. With the original jerk hosting, the one and only Ravishing Rocker, DJ-P0n3. Octavia: And I’m Octavia, the one without an alliterative title to speak of. DJ-P0n3: Well anyway, today’s show is going to be a little bit ... different. That is to say, there isn’t a show today. Octavia: Don’t worry though, this isn’t like yesterday’s show. Vinyl is feeling fine now ... even if her idea for what we’re doing today is quite outlandish. And by outlandish, I mean completely insane. DJ-P0n3: It’s not insane at all. I thought it was quite a good idea myself. Octavia: Yes, but you’re famous for having bad ideas and thinking they’re great. DJ-P0n3: Name one time that’s happened. Octavia: Stealing an accordion and having a concert. DJ-P0n3: ... crap. Octavia: See? DJ-P0n3: Well, anyway. [Clears throat.] Today Octavia and I will be guests on another show. Namely the one hosted by Prince Blueblood and Trixie. [Chuckles.] Now some of you may be wondering why I would want to do this. Octavia: Yeah, good question. I’m still wondering that myself. DJ-P0n3: Well, after everything that’s happened the last couple days, I thought maybe we should try to work out our differences. And the Prince agreed ... actually I was a bit surprised by that myself. Octavia: No kidding. I’m still not entirely sure if he’s being genuine or not. DJ-P0n3: I mean, it’s worth a shot. I’d much rather try to work things out than, you know, go on hurting each other and all our friends. Octavia: That’s ... actually quite mature of you. DJ-P0n3: Well ... [Speaking softly.] I’ve had a lot of time to think the past few days. Octavia: Well ... okay. I’m still leery about this, but if you think it’s going to be a good idea ... I’ll stand by you. Might as well. I mean, I’m in for the long haul. DJ-P0n3: Aw, thanks Octy. You’re always there for me. Octavia: And I always will be. DJ-P0n3: But anyway, we’re getting off track and this tape recorder only has so much time left on it! I’ve set up this station to just play music the entire morning. If for some reason the automated system fails like yesterday, I have Beauty Brass on standby to fill out the rest of the time by talking about her hopes and dreams or something. You know, filler. Beauty Brass: I’M HELPING! Octavia: Alright. So all of you who want to listen to our interview, tune over to frequency 101.2. It should be starting just a few minutes after you hear this recording. DJ-P0n3: We hope you enjoy it. Until next time, this is the Vinyl Scratch, signing out. [Tape clicks, music starts playing.] The Blueblood Tapes Transcript: The Interview [Crackling sound heard over transmission. The sound of a wrench clattering to the floor is heard.] Blueblood: Okay. Okay, I think we’re back on now. I’m getting pretty decent at this. Trixie: You can’t be that good if the console still keeps breaking. Blueblood: ... point taken. [Sighs.] Trixie: ... so? Blueblood: So what? Trixie: You’ve been quiet all morning. Blueblood: You worried? Trixie: [Scoffs.] Of course not! Trixie’s simply become ... accustomed to your inane yammering. Trixie doesn’t care. Blueblood: Except you do ... don’t you? Trixie: S-shut up! As if Trixie would care about anything! [Pause, then lowers her voice.] So ... what are you going to do? Blueblood: What do you mean? Trixie: What do you think I mean? You know, about that DJ and Stallion Stereophonics and ... and all of it! You’re not really going to go through with it, are you?! Not after agreeing to this interview, right? [Blueblood says nothing.] Trixie: You don’t even know what you’re going to do, do you? Blueblood: I ... [There’s a knock at the door.] DJ-P0n3: [Yelling from behind the door.] Hello?! Princey! We’re here for the thing! Octavia: [Muttering.] Way to be descriptive there, Vinyl. DJ-P0n3: Well, they know what I mean! [Blueblood takes a deep breath.] Blueblood: [To Trixie.] Let’s just worry about the interview now, alright? Trixie: [Angrily.] Just tell me you won’t do it, you idiot! Just tell me you’re not THAT messed up! [Blueblood says nothing. Trixie gives an annoyed grunt.] Trixie: [Curtly.] Fine. Don’t answer me. Blueblood: Just ... play nice, okay? Trixie: Oh, Trixie will play nice. Because THEY’RE not the ones I’m mad at right now. Blueblood: Look, Trixie, I-- Trixie: [Aggravated.] Just remember ... whatever you do ... you’re the one who has to live with it. Blueblood: I know. Trust me ... [Quietly.] I know. [There are hoofsteps, followed by the door being opened.] Blueblood: [Awkward.] Um ... hi. DJ-P0n3: Hey. What up? Can we come in? Blueblood: I suppose. [Door shuts, followed by hoofsteps.] Blueblood: Um ... nice to see you again, Miss Octavia. Um ... things going well with your ensemble? Octavia: [Bitter.] Yes. We even signed to a record label, despite a few cancelled shows. Blueblood: Um. Yeah. Yes, I heard. DJ-P0n3: [Nervous laughter.] Now now, let’s all try to be civil. We’re all adults here. Trixie: Yes. Trixie is the very epitome of emotional maturity! Octavia: You do realize you’re saying that while wearing a cape and wizard’s hat? Trixie: Yes. What’s your point? Blueblood: Well ... please, take a seat. [Hoofsteps, followed by the sound of chairs scooting against the floor.] DJ-P0n3: So, when do we get on the air? Blueblood: We’re on now. At least, I think so. DJ-P0n3: Wait ... you mean, you don’t know? Blueblood: Our console seems to have a mind of its own. I’ve tried everything to fix it and it still seems to work only when it wants to. I’m not even sure if anypony will even hear this entire interview. DJ-P0n3: Huh. Did you check the back of the console to make sure the plug was in all the way? Like it isn’t loose or anything? Blueblood: What? Do you think I’m stupid? Of course I’ve checked that! DJ-P0n3: Are you sure? Blueblood: Of course I’m sure! Look. [Scoots chair.] I’m looking at it right now and you can clearly see the plug is ... [Long pause.] Oh. Um ... [Sound crackles for a moment, then is heard in perfect clarity as the plug is secured in the port.] Octavia: [Amused.] You were saying? Trixie: [Aghast.] YOU HAVE GOT TO BE FREAKING KIDDING ME! THAT was the problem the whole time?! You never bothered to check and make sure the plug was connected all the way?! Blueblood: Well, you didn’t notice it either! Trixie: That’s beside the point, you giant idiot! Blueblood: Stop calling me an idiot all the time! Trixie: TRIXIE WILL WHEN YOU STOP BEING ONE! Blueblood: Well, how about YOU stop being a nag?! Octavia: Wow. Get a room, you two. Trixie & Blueblood: [Simultaneously.] What. [DJ-P0n3 starts snickering, then covers her mouth with her hooves.] DJ-P0n3: Okay let’s ... [Stifled laughter.] Let’s just do this. Blueblood: [Deadpan.] Yes. I agree. Let’s get this train wreck in motion. Allow me to fetch my interview equipment. [Blueblood plops a bottle of hard cider and shot glasses on the table.] DJ-P0n3: Um ... is alcohol really necessary for this inter-- Blueblood: Yes. Octavia: Huh... I’m okay with this. Blueblood: Good. DJ-P0n3: Well, I guess that’s not so bad. Just relax and have fun with it. That’s practically all I do, anyway! Octavia: Though your status as a positive role model is debatable. DJ-P0n3: Well ... yeah. But still! Blueblood: Well, I suppose we should get started. [Clears throat.] Hello listeners. Welcome to ... whatever this show is called, I’ve never really made that clear. Trixie: It’s called “The GREAT and POWERFUL Trixie Hour Featuring the GREAT and POWERFUL Trixie and Some Other Guy.” That’s you. You’re the other guy. Blueblood: Uh huh, and when did we decide that? Trixie: About a few seconds ago, when I just said it. After all, you have to give the star top billing. That’s called marketing. Octavia: [Sarcastic.] You know, Trixie, I’m just noticing this but ... I think you just might be a teeny bit egotistical. Trixie: Psh! You have no idea what you’re talking about. Trixie is modest. In fact, Trixie is the most modest. Ever. Blueblood: Okay, whatever. Welcome to ... this thing. Joining me today are two very special guests. We have with us today, noted cello player and member of a world renowned ensemble, Miss Octavia. [Pours a shot, takes it.] Also, she once knocked several of my teeth out. Octavia: Very true. May I have some of that? Blueblood: [Pours shot.] Whatever. [Shot glass is slid over to Octavia, Octavia takes a drink.] Octavia: [Happily.] Ooooooh, that’s good. DJ-P0n3: Yay! Octavia’s gonna get tipsy! This is gonna be a fun afternoon! Blueblood: Also joining us is noted DJ, radio host, and my worst enemy who is suddenly being nice to me for reasons I don’t entirely understand. Fillies and gentlecolts, Miss Vinyl Scratch. DJ-P0n3: Glad to be here, Princey. Blueblood: Well, I suppose I should ask questions. Um ... hm. How are you all? Trixie: Riveting interview questions there, Princey. Octavia: Yes, very professional. Trixie: [Angry.] Hey now! Trixie is the only one allowed to be sarcastic on this show! Octavia: [Sarcastic.] Really? That’s so reasonable of you. Trixie: Hey, what did Trixie just say?! Stop that. Octavia: I have no idea what you’re talking about. Trixie: Grr! [Slams hoof on the table.] Prince! Trixie demands liquor! Blueblood: Suit yourself. [Pours glass.] Sorta didn’t think you drank. Trixie: Shows what you know! Trixie shall drink you all under the table! [Picks up glass.] Give me that! [Trixie drinks the glass. There is a brief pause, followed by the sound of Trixie’s head hitting the desk.] Blueblood: [Worried.] Trixie! DJ-P0n3: Whoa! You okay?! [There is a brief pause, then Trixie raises her head.] Trixie: [Tipsy sounding.] I’m ... I mean, Trixie’s up. She’s here. She’s ... wow. [Hiccups.] That’s good. DJ-P0n3: Jeez. You sure you’re alright?! Blueblood: Perhaps you shouldn’t have anymore, Trixie. You might hurt yourself. Trixie: You might hurt yourself if you try to tell Trixie what to do! [Snatches bottle, pours another glass.] This is real magic, here. [Drinks.] DJ-P0n3: [Grabs bottle with telekinesis. Pours glass, takes a sip.]. Mmm. I have to admit, Princey, I didn’t think you’d know how to have fun. Blueblood: I don’t. But I appreciate the sentiment. [Pours drink.] So I suppose it is time, as the interviewer, for me to ask the intelligent, hard hitting questions. [Pause.] Trixie, ask some hard hitting questions. Trixie: [Takes sip, slurs.] Don’t ... don’t tell me what to do. I’ll have you know I’m the Great and ... Purpleful Trixie and I won’t be commanded to do ... things. Things OR stuff. Octavia: Dear Celestia, you only had two glasses. What a lightweight. Trixie: [Slurring.] Trixie would rather be a lightweight than a fatty like you. Octavia: [Leaps from chair.] What did you say? DJ-P0n3: Hey hey, wait a minute. Whoa! Let’s all calm down here. Come on, Octy. Clearly she’s not in her right mind right now. Octavia: I doubt she was ever in her right mind to begin with. DJ-P0n3: Aw, come on. There’s no need to start a fight or anything. Let’s just keep that bottle away from you, Trixie. [The sound of telekinesis is heard as Vinyl scoots the bottle away.] Octavia: Yes. I shall hold on to it. For safety reasons. [Pause, followed sound of a sip being taken.] Blueblood: [Deadpan.] Yes. How noble. [Cough.] Well, I suppose it’s up to me then. So ... Miss Octavia, Miss Vinyl Scratch ... DJ-P0n3: You know, you can just call me Vinyl. Blueblood: I could, but I won’t. [Takes another shot.] Anyway, Miss Vinyl Scratch, I do have a few questions. Though I must admit, they are of a most unconventional nature. DJ-P0n3: That’s not a problem! I have nothing to hide! Octavia: Yes. Being around Vinyl has a tendency to just sort of ... throw everything out in the open anyway. Blueblood: Heh. Funny you should say that ... that’s sort of what I wanted to ask about. DJ-P0n3: Hm? Blueblood: Let’s be honest here: pretty much nopony actually listens to my show normally. Everypony who is listening is only listening because you told them to. DJ-P0n3: I don’t really see where you’re going with-- Blueblood: So, pretty much anypony who’s listening already knows a lot about you both. Asking you questions about how you got your Cutie Marks or how you came to be in your current profession would simply be redundant, since almost everypony listening already knows the answers. DJ-P0n3: Huh. You know, I didn’t think about that. That’s actually a fairly smart observation. So what are you getting at? Blueblood: Heh. Well, as I recall, Miss Vinyl Scratch, you gave me free reign to embarrass you in this interview. DJ-P0n3: ... uh huh. Octavia: [Cheerfully.] Hey Prince. Remember that time I punched you really hard in the face? [Darkly.] Want to have a flashback to that? DJ-P0n3: [Unfazed.] No no, Octy. It’s fine. Octavia: What? DJ-P0n3: What did you want to ask, Prince? Blueblood: Well, I mean, since everypony listening already knows so much about you two, surely there must be something you haven’t told anypony. Some secrets that you’ve been hesitant to reveal on the air. Why not reveal something like that to our dedicated audience? What’s something you’ve never told anypony before? DJ-P0n3: Oh ... hey, that actually sounds like fun! Blueblood: [Confused.] Wait, what? Seriously? DJ-P0n3: Okay, I can do that. Octy, you want in on that. Octavia: I um ... well, I don’t know if I’m comfortable with that ... DJ-P0n3: Ah, come on. You’d only have to say stuff you’d want to say. It’s not like we’re asking to describe any of the sexy dreams you’ve had-- Octavia: Vinyl! DJ-P0n3: Oh come on! Everypony does that! Trixie: [Drunk. Starts giggling.] Any dream with the GREAT and ... PUMPERNICKEL Trixie inevitably becomes sexy by association. [Grabs bottle from Octavia, takes swig.] TRIXIE IS THE NATURAL EMBODIMENT OF THE SEXY! [Hiccups, head hits the table.] Octavia: ... huh. Well, that happened. Anyway ... [Sigh.] I suppose it couldn’t be that bad. Just let me slip further away from sobriety. [Drinks a sip of cider.] Blueblood: Alright. So, Miss Vinyl Scratch ... what it is, exactly, that somepony like you keeps secret? DJ-P0n3: Hmm ... [Thinks for a moment.] Oh, I know! [Fakes being serious and over-dramatic.] By day, I am but a simple DJ. But in the dead of night, I secretly become the masked vigilante known as Mare-Do-Well! Fighting a never-ending crusade against the criminal element... [Fakes crying.] All to avenge the untimely loss of my parents! Octavia: [Deadpan.] Your parents are still alive. Your mom even baked me cookies once. DJ-P0n3: No, I mean I literally lost them. When I was three, I couldn’t find where they were in a grocery store for a whole five minutes. [Fakes sobbing.] It was all very traumatic! I JUST HAD TO BE A SUPERHERO! Octavia: Yeah, superheroes tend to be smart and heroic. You don’t exactly meet the minimum requirements. DJ-P0n3: I’ll have you know I am very smart! As Mare-Do-Well, I am the most intelligent detective this world has ever-- pfft! [Laughs.] Okay, I’m sorry. I couldn’t say the rest of that with a straight face. Octavia: [Chuckles.] Ooh, ooh. I have one. [Clears throat.] Um ... well, I suppose I’m never going to hear the end of this but ... DJ-P0n3: But what? Octavia: I ... actually kind of like rock and roll. DJ-P0n3: [Loud gasp.] I don’t even know who you are anymore! Octavia: [Laughs.] Don’t suppose I’ll ever live that down. DJ-P0n3: [Softly.] Octy, how long have we known each other? You know me. [Chuckles.] Of course I’ll never let you live it down. Blueblood: Hey, enough clowning around, I was asking a serious question about-- Trixie: [Lifts head up, slurs.] Hey, hey. Everypony, hey. Trixie has a secret! Blueblood: Trixie, I was asking them. You don’t have to answer the quest-- Trixie: No no, shut up. This is ... [Hiccup.] This is super important... everypony lean in close. Octavia: Um ... why do we-- Trixie: Shhhhhh! [Whispering.] Everypony lean in closer... [Chairs creak.] Trixie: Closer. [Chairs creak more.] Trixie: I said closer. Blueblood: Okay, our foreheads are touching yours. It’s not POSSIBLE to get any closer. DJ-P0n3: [Slyly.] I can think of a way or two. Octavia: Vinyl! DJ-P0n3: I’m just kidding. So what’s up, Trixie? Trixie: [Whispering.] Okay ... so my terrible secret is ... my hat ... Octavia: Yeah? Trixie: It’s ... really pointy. [Hiccups, then giggles.] [Everypony leans back and groans angrily at Trixie as she giggles.] Octavia: Well, that was clearly profound. My worldview is indeed shattered. Blueblood: Ugh. I suppose I should have known better. I knew you all wouldn’t take this seriously. DJ-P0n3: Alright, alright. I did give you a free pass to embarrass me after all. [Sigh.] There is actually one secret I have. Blueblood: Really? Octavia: Really? W... what is it? [DJ-P0n3 lowers her voice. She suddenly becomes more serious.] DJ-P0n3: Octy? Octavia: Y-yeah? DJ-P0n3: You remember way back when we first met? When you first got the job? How I said on the air that Princess Celestia basically made me have a co-host, even though I didn’t want one? Octavia: Yeah. So? DJ-P0n3: Well ... that was a lie. Princess Celestia never made me do anything I didn’t want to. I asked her if she’d find one for me. Octavia: What? I don’t ... but why? I thought back then you acted like you didn’t really need any help. DJ-P0n3: I didn’t need help. Well, not really. I mean, I know how the console and everything works. I could have done it all myself. I just ... wanted a co-host. Octavia: But ... why? DJ-P0n3: Well ... [Sigh.] I was lonely. Blueblood: [Stunned silence.] Octavia: ... Vinyl. DJ-P0n3: Heh ... I never really had anypony to really talk to since Spitfire. I mean, I have fun. I party all the time. But ... still. [Whispering.] Still, sometimes I got kinda lonely. I guess I just couldn’t admit it ... so I never said anything till now. I did hope that I would get a friend out of it ... [Chuckles.] Or at least someone who would listen to me ramble on a bit. But ... I never really thought that it would ever turn out this well. Out of everypony ... I’m glad you were the one I met. Octavia: I’m ... I’m glad I was too. [There is a brief paused, followed by Trixie making a gagging sound.] Trixie: [Slurs.] Jeez, it’s just like a scene from a hokey kid’s book. DJ-P0n3: Heh, sorry. That kind of thing seems to happen a lot when we’re involved. Didn’t mean to get all sappy on you, Princey. [Pause.] Princey? Blueblood? Blueblood: Huh? What? DJ-P0n3: Um ... well ... I just got all sappy on you. I mean, isn’t this the part where you’re supposed to make fun of me? Like ... wasn’t that the whole point? Blueblood: Oh ... Yeah. I um ... [Unenthusiastically.] Haha, you have feelings, haha. And you’re ... you’re ... ugh. [Whispering.] Forget it. DJ-P0n3: What? Blueblood: I ... don’t think making fun of that would be fun anymore. Octavia: Really? Since when do you have a conscience? Blueblood: Don’t be ridiculous. I don’t have one. [Bitter chuckle.] Haven’t you been paying attention? I’m horrible. It’s just ... well, I can imagine what it’s like to feel alone. [Hastily adds.] Not that I’ve ever felt like that, mind you. After all, I’m a Prince! Princes ... [Quietly.] Princes never feel lonely. But I can imagine what it’s like ... waking up in the morning with no pony there, feeling like nopony would even notice if you didn’t get up. Maybe everypony would be happier if you didn’t ... feeling like you have no other purpose than to take up oxygen. And never being able to tell anypony, because there’s just no pony else there ... DJ-P0n3: ... yeah. [Trixie, in a moment of clarity, opens her mouth and acts like she is about to say something, but then remains quiet.] Blueblood: I mean, that’s just what I imagine it’s like. Not that I would know. Loneliness is a ... peasant emotion, after all. [Pauses.] DJ-P0n3: ... Princey? Blueblood: What? DJ-P0n3: [Nervous chuckle.] You’re just the warm and cheery sort today, aren’t you? [Blueblood bursts out laughing for a moment, then covers his mouth.] DJ-P0n3: [Shocked.] Whoa! Blueblood: [Clears throat.] What? DJ-P0n3: [Amused.] Aww, you liked my joke. I can see you’re starting to be drawn into my eccentric charm. Octavia: I didn’t even know you COULD laugh. I mean, not like that. Blueblood: [Scoffs.] D-don’t be ridiculous. Clearly you are delirious. [Trying not to snicker.] I didn’t laugh at all. DJ-P0n3: D’AWW! THAT’S SO CUTE! You’re starting to like us! [Sniffles.] It’s enough to give me the warm and fuzzies! Blueblood: You must be mentally ill! Simply because I felt somewhat sympathetic doesn’t change a thing. I still hold nothing but contempt for you! DJ-P0n3: Really? Blueblood: Yes, really! DJ-P0n3: Uh huh. And yet here we all are. You agreed to have us here after all. Blueblood: [Pause.] Yes, well-- DJ-P0n3: You could have just said no to all of this, but you didn’t. Blueblood: [Pause.] That’s true, but still-- DJ-P0n3: And you know what? I think I know why. We’re not so different, you know? I think underneath everything, all you’ve wanted, all you’ve ever really wanted, is not to be lonely. You can try to deny it all you want, but it’s obvious that’s how you really feel. You hurt a lot ... and you did a lot of horrible, stupid things. Heh, trust me. I’ve been there. But the whole reason why I wanted to do this, why I even BOTHERED suggesting it at all, was that I thought that, despite all that, you really do WANT to be good. And ... I think maybe you might have it in you. At least, that’s what I hope anyway. [Blueblood gives a long pause, then lowers his voice. It sounds filled with regret.] Blueblood: [Quietly.] You don’t know anything ... you don’t know anything at all. The way I’ve been before, I don’t deserve-- DJ-P0n3: Princey? Blueblood: Yeah? DJ-P0n3: I forgive you. Blueblood: ... what? DJ-P0n3: I forgive you. All the stuff that’s happened ... I forgive you. Octy? What do you think? Octavia: I ... [Sigh.] I’m not really sure if I can forgive you for all of this. You’ve done a lot to me. Blueblood: ... yes. Yes, I have. Octavia: But ... [Carefully.] But I suppose, if Vinyl thinks you’re decent enough ... I’m willing to try. [Long pause, followed by an abrupt interruption.] Trixie: [Starts laughing.] That’s ... that’s rich. All of that and you know what the best part is? You still don’t know what you’re going to do ... do you, Princey? Blueblood: [Shaken.] Trixie, clearly you’ve had too much to drink. Maybe it’d be best if you just sit down and be quiet! Trixie: Oh no. [Hiccups.] No, no no. Trixie knows exactly what she’s doing. Trixie wants to know exactly the kind of pony you really are. Why don’t you tell them your secret? DJ-P0n3: [Confused.] What is she talking about? Blueblood: [Sigh.] I suppose I could only run away from this for so long. [Pause.] Yesterday I purchased Stallion Stereophonics. Because of that ... Octavia and her ensemble’s recording contract, their entire career, is entirely within my creative control. Octavia: What?! DJ-P0n3: [Stunned.] You’re ... you’re joking, right?", "Yesterday I purchased Stallion Stereophonics. Because of that ... Octavia and her ensemble’s recording contract, their entire career, is entirely within my creative control. Octavia: What?! DJ-P0n3: [Stunned.] You’re ... you’re joking, right? Blueblood: You should know by now I don’t have a sense of humor. [Quietly.] I had done it before ... before all of this. Even when this started, I wasn’t sure exactly what I was going to do. But now I know. It’s about time ... time I gave you what you both always deserved. Octavia: [Afraid.] You ... you can’t-- Blueblood: Just shut up! Just this once, just this one time, you will all sit down and hear what I have to say! [Pause.] DJ-P0n3: [Carefully.] Alright, Prince? What are you going to say? Blueblood: Miss Octavia? Octavia: [Furious.] What? Blueblood: It’s time you heard what your ensemble is now obligated to do. You will ... you will play again at Blueblood Theater. Octavia: ... come again? Blueblood: As I recall, you had a few shows that ... never came to fruition. It’s about time that was rectified. And one hundred percent of the ticket price will go to you and your ensemble. There is to be no dispute on this. Octavia: Wait, but weren’t you-- Blueblood: As for your album, when it finally is finished, you will go on a highly publicized tour where no expense shall be spared. And I don’t want a single complaint about any of that. Got it? Octavia: Yes, but-- Blueblood: Good. Now, since clearly I don’t have time to spend dealing with every little thing involving your ensemble every day, we’ll find time later to revise the contract and ensure creative control is given to some idiot who has that kind of time to waste. Sounds like that fits your description pretty well, doesn’t it, Miss Vinyl Scratch? [DJ-P0n3 pauses for a minute, then laughs.] DJ-P0n3: You know, I think it does! Blueblood: All right then. I’m glad we could come to an understanding. [Pause.] What exactly are you all smiling about? Trixie: [Hiccups, then giggles.] I knew it. I knew it all along. Octavia: I ... still can’t believe any of that just happened. DJ-P0n3: Awww ... our little jerk is growing up right before our eyes! Blueblood: [Annoyed.] Oh, don’t read too much into this. I simply don’t have the time to invest in properly crushing you anymore. It ... bores me. There was nothing more to it than that. You understand? DJ-P0n3: Sure, Princey. Sure. Blueblood: I mean it! [Trixie laughs. She slurs, but not as much as before.] Trixie: Trixie always knew you’d do the right thing in the end. DJ-P0n3: Wait ... you thought that was the right thing? You mean you like us now too? Trixie: Psh! Of course Trixie doesn’t. You both make me sick. [Dismissively.] But Trixie must admit she derives a certain amount of amusement in watching the next stupid thing you two do. And if you’re ruined, I can’t very well laugh at your idiocy, can I? That’s all. After all, I keep Blueblood around for the same reason. Blueblood: Hey! Octavia: [Muttering.] Jeez, be a little bit more in denial, why don’t you? Trixie: What was that?! Octavia: Nothing. Trixie: Hey, you better watch your tone before the GREAT and POWERFUL Trixie-- hrrg! [Tries to keep herself from gagging.] Ugh ... please fetch the GREAT and POWERFUL Trixie something to vomit in so she can then continue insulting you! Blueblood: Well ... I suppose I don’t have much else planned for this interview. I suppose it’s time to wind the show down. [Pause.] Umm ... DJ-P0n3: What? Blueblood: Well ... that’s the thing. I’ve never really ended one of these shows properly before. I mean, I’m not really much of a DJ. I only did this whole thing to annoy you both. Trixie: Yes! Truly he does not have the showmanship and professionalism of the GREAT and-- hrg! [Sounds of vomiting.] Trixie: [Deep breath.] And POWERFUL Trixie ... Octavia: Ugh! It’s on my hooves! DJ-P0n3: Yeah, Trixie, we’re never letting you drink again. Just saying. Octavia: I agree. Blueblood: I’d have to agree too, yes. [Sigh.] I was never cut out for this job anyway. I was probably better suited for the spice mines. I don’t think I’ll be having another show after this. I think I’ll just settle down and enjoy a much simpler life of managing my media empire. [Quietly.] I suppose you won’t have much of a reason to hang around me anymore, Trixie. Trixie: [Scoffs.] Don’t be stupid! You’re gonna have to try a lot harder to get rid of Trixie! Blueblood: [Chuckling.] I suppose I should have known better ... thank you. DJ-P0n3: And don’t forget something, Prince ... Blueblood: What? DJ-P0n3: You never did show up for that interview on my show, did you? [Cheerfully.] You’ll have to return the favor someday, you know. Feel free to drop in anytime. That’d be alright ... right, Octy? Octavia: I ... suppose. I mean, it’s only right, if we’re able to play at Blueblood Theater again. Blueblood: Yes. Octavia: [Angrily.] And if you apologize to Beauty Brass. Blueblood: [Confused.] Who? Oh, her! Okay, sure. Yes. Fine. [Pauses.] Not that I’m sorry or anything. Or am past all that contempt or anything. DJ-P0n3: You know, you don’t have to be in denial all the time. Blueblood: It’s worked pretty well for me so far. Now then ... how should I end this? DJ-P0n3: What do you mean? You just, you know ... you just do. Octavia: [Sarcastic.] Wow, Vinyl, I’m impressed how well you can explain things. DJ-P0n3: Well, I’m a DJ. DJ’s aren’t well-known because they can explain things. They’re all about, you know, spectacle! That feeling you get when the music is running through you and you can’t help but shake with the sheer power of ROCK! Blueblood: Well, you two are more suited to this than I am. Why don’t you two end it? DJ-P0n3: Well ... okay! Why not? [Clears throat.] Well, everypony. I hope you’ve enjoyed this. This probably will be the last episode of ... whatever this show is named. Trixie: I told you it was the “The GREAT and POWERFUL Trixie Hour With--“ oh dear. Still queasy. Blueblood: Turn the other way if you’re going to puke! Octavia: Well, whatever it is, we’ve hope you enjoyed it. We certainly did ... in a very roundabout and unexpected way. DJ-P0n3: It was fun. And we even made some new friends. Blueblood: Hmph. I wouldn’t say “friends,” exactly. More accurately I’d say “ponies I’d rather not have assassinated anymore.” DJ-P0n3: We love you too, buddy! And you too, Trixie. Trixie: [Still sounding queasy.] Ugh ... Trixie feels sick. Somehow this is all somepony else’s fault! Octavia: [Chuckles.] I do admit, those two are amusing. Maybe having them around wouldn’t be so bad ... DJ-P0n3: Anyway, it’s time to say goodbye for a little while. But don’t worry. You can always find us on K-COLT, every morning, from now till the end of forever. So, this is DJ-P0n3 ... Octavia: And Octavia ... DJ-P0n3: Saying have a great morning and remember ... even when the signals out, the ROCK will always stay with you. Bye everypony! Octavia: Bye! [End transmission.] ================================================================ [That was the last broadcast of the very strange radio station, National Pony Radio. Ironically, this last broadcast was extremely high in ratings, largely due to DJ-P0n3’s influence. However, Blueblood declined to continue the show saying it’s, quote, “not for me.” Prince Blueblood, to the surprise of many, was better than his word. As promised, he apologized to Beauty Brass and, according to several interviews, she forgave him ... eventually. According to Octavia, “Beauty Brass yelled at him a bit ... you know, more so than usual. But after all that she forgave him. I think Blueblood’s ears were still ringing at the time, so I’m not exactly sure if he HEARD that part right away. I assume he did at some point, when his hearing came back.” In addition, he allowed Octavia’s ensemble to play at Blueblood Theater. It was by far the most popular show ever held at the Theater. And, despite the extremely large amount of money earned at the show, Blueblood kept his word and gave all of it to Octavia’s ensemble, as well as some to DJ-P0n3 for helping to manage it all. In addition to this, when Octavia and her ensemble’s album eventually did come out, he used all of his money and influence to promote it. It would eventually become the highest selling album in Equestrian history and Octavia’s ensemble, just as DJ-P0n3 once said, was considered “bigger than Celestia.” As a result of this, Blueblood’s reputation slowly began to improve. While he was still never exactly universally beloved, hatred for him died down as his actions become more generous and less of a jerk. He was often on “The Vinyl Scratch” and became a friend of the show. Despite this, he still claims that he, Vinyl, and Octavia are not friends and he harbors no affection towards them. Of course, nopony believed him. Trixie, never content to stay out of the spotlight long, was a frequent guest on “The Vinyl Scratch” as well ... regardless of whether they had actually invited her on or not. She also resumed her travelling show, putting on magic shows from town to town. The high ratings of National Pony Radio’s last show endeared her some popularity in the populous, which Trixie reveled in. However, Trixie’s true popularity would not come until much later, after the invention of a device known as “television.” This, however, is a story for another time. She and Prince Blueblood remained friends. Upon reviewing the historical transcripts, it becomes obvious Trixie cared about the Prince and was instrumental in his eventual development. Trixie dismissed all this and still claims that, quote, “The only reason why I’m still around him is because that idiot would probably DIE if he couldn’t bask in the radiance of the GREAT and POWERFUL Trixie.” Nopony believed her either. Octavia eventually warmed up to Blueblood after he followed through on all his promises. Eventually, she would say that her and her ensemble probably owe a fair amount of success to him. To quote, “If he had never cancelled our show in the beginning, the concert Vinyl threw would have never happened and we wouldn’t have become popular in the first place. At least not as quickly as we did. When he finally stopped acting like a jerk, it just made things even better. I guess I owe him ... in a weird way. Sometimes I kind of feel bad about punching him. Sometimes.” DJ-P0n3 and Octavia enjoyed a fair amount of financial success from this arrangement, more than enough to have retired from running K-COLT. However, DJ-P0n3 and Octavia did not. They continued to run K-COLT and continued the Vinyl Scratch. When asked why she continued to do this, DJ-P0n3 said “K-COLT will always be my real home. I’ve met friends there, I’ve grown up there, I’ve had fun there. Even if somepony offered me all the bits in Equestria, I’d never give it up.” The Vinyl Scratch did continue for a very long time, leaving many more episodes to be transcribed. And as for Blueblood’s abandoned radio tower, it was eventually sold to another very strange musician named Lyra Heartstrings, leading to the development of another historically significant show. But that too is a story for another time ...] ================================================================ THE END ... but Vinyl and Octavia will return in “The Vinyl Scratch Tapes Specials”" ]

[ "The school bell rang and all the young ponies filled out of the class room, excited for the long afternoon of adventures and playtime that awaited them. Saying her farewells to Scootaloo and Sweetie Bell, Apple Bloom began the long trot back to Sweet Apple Acres. While both the school and the farm were at the edge of town, they happened to be at opposite edges. Apple Bloom didn't mind the walk though; it made her feel proud and even a little grown up that she was able to make the journey home each day all by herself. Taking the scenic route home (as per the usual), Apple Bloom passed by Mr. and Ms. Cake's bakery for a free (well baked) cupcake from Pinky Pie and decided to head over to the library to do some personal research on Cutie Marks. The Crusaders were in full swing with their efforts to discover their potential, but Apple Bloom was the only one that seemed to take it seriously. Passing Rarity's boutique, the littlest member of the Apple family paused a moment to look in the window, hoping to see what fabulous new design the unicorn was working on. Unfortunately, Rarity didn't seem to be home at the moment. However... something was amiss. Squinting through the glass, Apple Bloom saw something rustling at the back of the shop. As stealthy as a snake, she slid the door open and crept inside to investigate. Making her way to the back of the shop, her eyes began to adjust and she was able to begin making out the details of the intruder. He was short and a bit tubby, with spines lining his head and down his back. This person certainly did NOT belong going through Rarity's dresser. Getting right up behind him, Apple Bloom took a deep breath and shouted as loud as she could, \"SPIKE!\" \"W-whoa!\" the young dragon wobbled and fell backwards into Apple Bloom, pulling a drawer loose and its contents spilling over the both of them. Struggling out of the tangle of fabrics and clothes, Spike glanced at Apple Bloom, who was also working to free herself. \"Apple Bloom! What are you doing here?\" Apple Bloom grunted as she kicked free a scarf that had gotten wrapped around a hind leg. \"Ah should be asking YOU that question, Spike! Just what are ya thinkin? A gentleman can't just rummage through a lady's drawers like that, them's private! Blushing, Spike hurriedly began gathering the fallen contents of the drawer and replacing them. \"I was just uh... um... I was looking for...\" Apple Bloom planted a hoof on the jacket Spike was reaching for. \"Spit it out!\" \"I was just uh... looking for stuff. You know, trying to figure out what Rarity likes so that I could...\" Spike blushed harder, \"get her something.\" Apple Bloom huffed and got right up in the dragon's face. \"What in tarnation are you going on about, Spike? You expect me to buy a bunch of hogswallop like that? You were gonna swipe one of her bridles, weren't you?\" \"W-WHAT?!\" \"You heard me! Mah sister warned me about your types, but I never thought YOU of all dragons would be a PERVERT\" Worry creased Spike's scales as he began to back away. \"How can you say that Apple Blo-\" \"It's true, isn't it?\" Apple Bloom pressed spike up against a pedestal and planted her hooves on Spike's shoulders. \"ISN'T IT?\" \"Be careful, Apple Bloom,\" Spike warned, \"you're gonna-\" But the warning came too late, as the vase sitting atop the pedestal fell, shattering as it hit the ground. The two culprits stood there, gazing in shock at the pieces of broken porcelain. Turning her head towards spike, Apple Bloom's eyes narrowed. \"This is all yer fault.\" \"My fault?!\" Spike exclaimed, throwing his arms into the air. \"You're the one who pushed me into the pedestal!\" \"Well if you hadn't been poking around Rarities drawers looking for a bridle, Ah wouldn't have had to confront ya, now would I?\" \"I wasn't looking for her bridles!\" Spike blushed. \"Well you WERE still snooping about her place without her permission!\" Apple Bloom shouted. \"So were you!\" Spike retorted. \"I...\" \"Ha! Got you there!\" Turning towards the vase, Spike frowned. \"I hope it wasn't important to her...\" Apple Bloom was about to come back with a witty remark, when the magnitude of the situation truly dawned on her. \"Oh horse feathers.\" \"What?\" \"If mah sis finds out about this, she's gonna tan my hide till I sing.\" \"Well it IS your fault.\" Apple Bloom rushed at spike, taking his hands in her hooves and kneeling in front of him. \"Oh please don't tell nobody Spike. Apple Jack is still mad from the whole apple selling thing day before yesterday. She'd give me a real whoopin if she found out we-\" Spike raised an eyebrow, \"-I broke Rarity's vase. Please, Ah'll do ANYTHING!\" Spike grinned. \"ANYthing?\" Apple Bloom blushed and looked down. \"Well... maybe not anything... but if you DO tell, Ah'll make sure everypony in Ponyville knows you was snooping though Rarity's clothes looking for bridles.\" \"But I WASN'T. LOOKING. FOR. BRIDLES!\" Apple Bloom grinned wickedly. \"Now it don't exactly matter what you were REALLY looking for, does it sugar cube?\" Spike opened his mouth to speak but, not finding anything to say, closed it and folded his arms. \"Fine.\" \"Deal?\" \"Deal, now can we get out of here before Rarity gets back?\" Spike glanced at the door nervously and began inching towards it. Bobbing her head in agreement Apple Bloom left the store with Spike, sneaking quietly down a nearby alley. \"So what were you REALLY doing in there?\" Apple Bloom asked, a sarcastic tone entering her voice. \"I already told you, didn't I? I was trying to figure out what Rarity is into so that I could get her something nice.\" \"Why?\" Apple Bloom leaned in, teasing. \"You got a cruuuuuush on her?\" Spike just blushed and looked away. \"You do!\" Apple Bloom rocked back on her haunches and laughed. \"It's not funny!\" Spike yelled in protest. \"I'm sure it ain't, but you are.\" Apple Bloom wiped a few tears from her eyes. \"If it's that important to you, why don't you just ASK her what she likes?\" \"Ask her? Oh no. No way. I can't POSSIBLY do that.\" Spike crossed his arms in front of him. \"Well why not?\" Spike blushed and looked down at his feet. \"It's embarrassing.\" Apple Bloom planted her hooves down on the ground and gave Spike a serious look. \"Now Spike,\" she began to lecture. It would have been more effective, had it not been for the sheer cuteness once she began pacing in front of him. \"You're a guy, so I don't expect you to know these things but here's the deal. Women don't like men who don't take chances. They don't like men who just hide their feelings away and search through their things to find clues or answers or whatever.\" She stopped her pacing. \"Women like honest men. If you can't be straight up with her, then you might as well not even enter the rodeo.\" Spike sighed. \"You really think so? I dunno...\" The tiny Pony reared back and slammed her hooves on the ground. \"OF COURSE I think so! I'm a girl too, ya know! I know how these things work! Why do all y'all men got to be so wool headed?\" Glancing up at the near-setting sun, she gave a short gasp. \"Aw fiddle sticks; I gotta get home before sis starts wondering what's keeping me.\" She glared back at Spike. \"You be straight up with her, y'hear?\" Spike sighed and nodded, apparently resigned to his fate. \"Good. See you later, ya dumb dragon!\" Apple Bloom ran off towards the setting sun and home. -To Be Continued-" ]

[ "“An’ just where the hay have you been?” Applejack eyed her little sister who had just walked in the door. \"Do you have any idea what time it is, Apple Bloom?\" Looking down at the ground, Apple Bloom began scuffing one of her front hooves on the floor. \"Sorry sis, ah had to stop by the library and do some research. Y'know, for the CMC.\" Rolling her eyes, Applejack trotted towards the dining room. \"Didn't I tell you not to rush these things?\" \"We ain't rushing anything, we're just doing a little bit of extra reading is all...\" Apple Bloom looked up and met her sister's gaze. \"Y'know, to help us know what to look for!\" \"You'll know it when you find it, now go wash up. It's time for dinner.\" Dinner at Sweet Apple Orchards was always a simple affair outside of family reunions, and tonight was no different. It was Big Macintosh's turn to cook today, and he had prepared a few loaves of applebread with a honey oat spread to go on top. It wasn't much, but it was always delicious. Besides, it wasn't the food that counted. It was the family. \"So what else have you been up to today, Apple Bloom?\" Big Macintosh asked around a mouthful of bread. \"You can't have been at the Library ALL afternoon.\" Apple Bloom looked up at her brother and smiled nervously. \"Well... ah ran into Spike today and we talked for a while.\" Applejack grinned, leaning in. \"Oh really? Spike, huh? I never thought you’d fall for a dragon. You kiss him yet?\" Apple Bloom blushed, turning from banana yellow to beat red. \"W-what are you getting at, sis?\" she stammered out. \"I ain't got a crush on him or anything. And besides, he's got that big ol' crush on Rarity, doesn't he? He'd never be interested in a little ol' Earth Pony like me.\" \"Oh? So what did you guys talk about?\" Apple Bloom rolled her eyes. \"He's trying to figure out what Rarity likes but is too afraid to ask her himself. I didn't have anything to tell him about that, but I sure gave him an earful for not having the guts to talk to the girl he likes. A real man should be able to admit his feelings!\" Applejack snorted and shot a teasing look at her little sister. \"Well look who's talking. You sure you ain't just the pot calling the kettle black?\" \"I.\" Apple Bloom shouted around a mouthful of applebread, spraying crumbs over the table \"DO. NOT. HAVE A CRUSH!\" \"Whatever you say, sugar Cube,\" Applejack laughed. \"Whenever you're ready to tell us who the lucky Stallion is, just give us a holler.\" Apple Bloom buried her face in the plate before her to hide her blushing as she picked up another piece of bread, ignoring the honey oat spread getting on her nose. Applejack could be such a tease some nights, especially when she felt bad after giving her a scolding. Finishing her dinner, Apple Bloom announced that she was tuckered out and heading off to bed. The next day dawned bright and early. There was no school that day, it being the week end, but that didn't excuse any pony on Sweet Apple Orchards from their morning chores. Apple Bloom had just finished up the last of her daily tasks when she heard voices coming from the barn. \"... broken into. She's all a tizzy over the entire thing, but then I guess she has a right to be. Haven't had anything like this happen in years! Everypony is gonna be suspicious of each other for a while.\" \"What was taken?\" \"Oh nothing, but all of her stuff was mussed up and there was a broken vase. You know how Rarity gets over these things.\" Apple Bloom gulped and tried to ignore the conversation as she walked past. \"And where are you going, little missy?\" Turning around, Apple Bloom looked up at her sister. \"Ah was just going into town to visit my friends. We were supposed to get together today!\" \"Oh no you don't, little sister. Not today. There's a criminal on the loose, and I ain't lettin you wander all around Ponyville all by yourself.\" \"So you mean ah can't go?\" Apple Bloom put on the look she had practiced so many times in the past. Lip out, eyes watering. It had never failed her... except with sis. \"I ain't saying you can't go, just that you can't go alone.\" Applejack stamped her hoof for emphasis. \"If you wanna go into town, either me or Big Macintosh has to go with you.\" \"But sis!\" \"Don't you 'but sis' me! One of us has to go with you and that's final!\" \"Fine...\" The atmosphere in town had grown tense. The best of neighbors glared out their windows at each other, eyes filled with suspicion. The pegasi patrolled the skies, keeping an eye out for any suspicious individuals. Nopony could quite believe that a break in had occurred in Ponyville of all places. And why break into Rarity's place? Chances are anything a pony wanted would just be given to them, such was her generosity. \"I'm sorry Apple Bloom, but my mom doesn't want me playing with anybody today,\" Scootaloo said, standing in her doorway. Sweetie Belle had much the same to say, neither ponies' parents wanted their kids out and about with a \"thief\" on the loose. \"I'm sorry, sugar cube. Everypony is all riled up by this thing, but they'll get over it. Ah'm sure you'll get to play with your friends once this all blows over.\" Applejack's words were little comfort though, as they began their way back to the farm. As they were walking, they came upon a commotion starting up outside Rarity's shop. \"Now what in tarnation is happening over there?\" Applejack wondered out loud and lead her sister towards it to see what was going on. \"Just admit it, Rainbow Dash! You were the one that broke my vase!\" \"What do you mean 'I did it,' Rarity? I never touched your stupid vase!\" Apple Bloom gave a slight cringe. Rarity stomped her hoof down and leaned forward, shouting. \"You wouldn't HAVE to touch it! You could have blown it over with your wings! And it is NOT stupid.\" Rainbow Dash sighed and began to fly off. \"I don't have to listen to this.\" \"Oh yes you do!\" Rarity's horn lit up, pulling Dash forcefully back down to the ground. \"Okay, that's it!\" Rainbow Dash spun around and lowered her head. \"It. Is. ON!\" \"Wait you guys! Stop fighting!\" Twilight Sparkle came dashing forward, breaking through the crowd that encircled the arguing ponies. \"Just what has gotten into you two?\" \"Why don't you ask her?\" Rainbow Dash scoffed, pointing her nose in Rarity's direction. \"ME?! YOU'RE the one that broke MY vase!\" Rarity accused. \"Girls, girls!\" Twilight put herself between the two ponies. \"Settle down! Rainbow Dash, did you touch Rarity's vase?\" \"Of course not! Why would I?\" Rarity snorted. \"Well obviously I must have offended her in some way. Maybe she took it the wrong way when I asked if I could trim those DREADFUL banes.\" \"You think so? Well maybe I aught to come over THERE and snip off YOUR hair\" \"You wouldn't DARE!\" \"Watch me!\" Finally, Apple Bloom couldn't take any more of it. \"Waaaaaaaaaaaaaait!\" she cried, galloping out into the middle of the circle. Applejack called for her to get back, but she didn't listen. \"Rainbow Dash ain't the one that broke your vase, Ms. Rarity.\" Rarity reigned herself in and sat back on her haunches, looking at Apple Bloom with surprise. \"Really? And how do you know?\" Apple Bloom looked down at her feet, ashamed. \"Because... because ah'm the one that done it.\" The crowd gave a collective gasp. \"Ah didn't mean to break it, ah swear! It was an accident. ah'm so sorry...\" Rarity sighed, settling down. \"That’s quite alright, my dear. But I DO expect you to work to pay it off, do I make myself clear?\" \"Yes ma'am.\" Rarity nodded. \"Very good.\" Turning towards Rainbow Dash, she smiled weakly. \"Um... I'm sorry about all the... you know... accusations and such.\" Dash shrugged. \"Don't worry about it. You were upset.\" Applejack came up behind Apple Bloom and placed a hoof on her shoulder. \"You. Home. Now.\" Apple Bloom nodded and turned to leave. On her way through the crowd, she saw Spike standing there, worry in her eyes. She smiled weakly at him and, resigned, walked towards her fate." ]

[ "Spike watched Apple Bloom leave, his heart sinking as he watched the little pony be lead away by her big sister. The crowd had parted for them and all eyes were focused on the one who had been the cause of the rampant suspicions that had swept through the town. Except that wasn't true. It WASN'T Apple Bloom who was the cause of this, and the baby dragon knew it. Guilt weighing heavily on his heart, Spike made his way back to the Library with Twilight. \"Hey Twilight?\" \"Yes, Spike?\" Spike scratched his head nervously. \"Hypothetically, what would you do if something you did ended up getting a friend in trouble?\" Twilight Sparkle turned her head and gave spike a flat stare. \"Hypothetically?\" \"Y-yeah, hypothetically!\" the dragon grinned sheepishly \"Spike, does this have anything to do with Rarity's vase?\" \"Well...\" Back at sweet Apple Acres, things were not looking up for little Apple Bloom. \"Just what the hay were you THINKING, Apple Bloom?\" Applejack nearly shouted. She had lead her sister into the barn to deliver her scolding. \"Breaking into Rarity's boutique? I thought you was smarter than that. Didn't we teach you better?\" \"Ah didn't break in!\" Apple Bloom insisted. \"Somebody else was in there before me!\" \"Oh really? And just who might that have been?\" \"It was...\" Apple Bloom looked down. \"Ah can't tell you.\" \"And why the hay not?\" Apple Bloom looked her older sister firmly in the eye. \"Cuz I made a promise, and there ain't no way Ah’m breaking it. Ah'm a big pony now and big ponies don't break their promises!\" Applejack sighed. \"Look Apple Bloom, ah appreciate what you’re doing. It'd be bad for a member of the Apple family to be caught breaking a promise, but this here's different. Whoever was in there first was up to no good in there, you know that.\" Apple Bloom shook her head. \"He weren't doing anything bad. He was acting mighty stupid, sure, but it was for a good reason!\" \"Apple Bloom, what good reason could somepony possibly have for breaking into another pony's place of business?\" \"Ah... ah can't tell you that neither.\" \"Fine. That's the way you want it, then that's the way yer gonna get it.\" Applejack snorted and trotted towards the barn door. \"Run out into that orchard over yonder and fetch me a switch. Don't you go skimping on the size now. I'm gonna get Big Macintosh.\" Sighing, Apple Bloom left the barn and went out into the orchard to pick an appropriately sized branch. She knew full well that her Sister would just go out and pick a bigger one if she disappointed. She wasn't going to back down though. The Apple family kept the promises they made to their friends. True, she no longer had to worry about Spike telling on her but... that was no excuse. Spike hadn't told anypony about her, and she wasn't going to tell anybody about him. It took Apple Bloom a while to find a branch that was long enough yet flexible enough to satisfy her sister’s standards. Dragging the stick in her mouth, she began marching back through the orchard. It was an awfully pretty sight this time of year, with all the blossoms in full bloom. It wasn't too uncommon for her or Applejack to find young couples out for a stroll. Hay, even a few weddings had been held under the colorful canopy. Coming back in view of the barn and farm house, Apple Bloom barely noticed somebody leaving the house. Coming up to the barn, Apple Bloom set the switch down and waited patiently for her siblings to arrive and discipline her. It wasn't long before Applejack stuck her head in the barn door. \"Go ahead and leave the switch there, sugar cube. We won't be needing it tonight.\" Confused, Apple Bloom got up and walked out of the barn, catching up to her sister. \"Ah'm not complaining or anything, but what changed your mind? I thought for sure ah was going get my hide tanned back there.\" Applejack sighed and shook her head. \"We just got a visit from Twilight Sparkle. And Spike. They explained the whole thing; you ain't got nothing to worry about anymore.\" \"Spike did WHAT?!\" \"Its okay, Apple Bloom.\" Applejack gave a small chuckle. \"You kept your promise.\" \"Ah gotta talk to him! Is he still here?\" Applejack shook her head. \"Naw, they just left a couple minutes ago, but you should be able to catch up with them if you hurry. I'm surprised you didn't see 'em leaving on your way back.\" Galloping as fast as her hooves could carry her, Apple Bloom raced down the path leading from Sweet Apple Acres to Ponyville. It wasn't long at all before the town came into view, as did Spike and Twilight. \"SPIIIIIIIIIIKE!\" Apple Bloom cried out. The older pony and the dragon turned back to see Apple Bloom racing towards them. Skidding to a halt, Apple Bloom took a few seconds to catch her breath. \"Spike... can I talk to you for a second?\" \"Uh...\" Spike looked back at Twilight Sparkle who nodded. \"Sure, Apple Bloom.\" He climbed down from Twilight's back and folded his hands behind his back nervously. \"Why'd you tell them, Spike? Ah wasn't gonna say nothing! Honest!\" \"Because it wasn't your fault, Apple Bloom. I'm the one that was going through Rarity's things to begin with; you were just trying to stop me.\" Apple Bloom looked at Spike confused. \"Well, have you told anypony else yet?\" Spike shook his head. \"No, but we're on our way to Rarity's to apologize. Somehow I think I'm even further away from my goal then I was before I started.\" Apple Bloom giggled. \"You know, instead of riffling through her stuff to get to know here, y'all could have just asked one of us.\" Seeing Spike's confused look, she continued. \"Ah may not know Rarity that well personally, but I hear a lot about her from mah sister. You could have asked me or any of her friends what she likes. Who knows, maybe you can even get her something to help with the apology!\" \"Like what?\" Apple Bloom smiled. \"Well... You’re a dragon right? You gotta have some jewels by now, and diamonds ARE a girl’s best friend.\" Spike scratched his head. \"Diamonds? Huh, I never thought of it that way. I guess when you spend your entire life thinking of something as a dessert; it's hard to think of it otherwise.\" \"Hey Spike?\" Apple Bloom scuffed a hoof on the ground nervously. \"Yeah?\" Walking up to the dragon, Apple Bloom leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. \"Thanks,\" she whispered before turning and galloping off back towards Sweet Apple Acres. Spike stood stunned and blushing until Twilight scooped him up onto her back. \"Come on, Casanova. We got another stop to make today.\" The End." ]

[ "The sun was setting in Equestria, Celestia’s duty coming to an end as Luna took up her nightly task. Ponies were headed home for the day, all their work and shopping done and their bellies ready to be filled with whatever delectable dishes awaited them at dinner. Down on Sweet Apple Acres, Apple Bloom trotted through the door and into her home, glancing about nervously. The scene just kept replaying itself in her mind. \"Hey Spike?\" she scuffed a hoof on the ground nervously, the sun setting behind her on the path between Ponyville and the farm. \"Yeah?\" Walking up to the dragon, Apple Bloom leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. \"Thanks,\" she whispered before turning and galloping back to Sweet Apple Acres. “Just what am ah doing?” the young pony muttered to herself, settling down on a couch. “Spike has a crush on Rarity. He doesn’t have time for little ol’ me…” “So did you manage to catch up to him?” Applejack walked into the room and smiled at her younger sister, who nodded. “Don’t think you’re completely off the hook just because he came forward. You’ll be doing some extra chores here to make up for all this trouble you helped cause.” Apple Bloom sighed dejectedly, although she had already figured as much. Just then, an idea occurred to her. “Hey sis?” “What is it, sugar cube?” “Umm...” “Well come on, spit it out.” “Do you have any good tips for, y’know, kissin an stuff?” Applejack stared dumbly at her sister for a moment as she tried to process what she had just been asked. “What in tarnation brought this on all of a sudden?” Applejack eyed her sister suspiciously and then got a big grin on her face. “I was right! You do have a crush on that little dragon!” A crimson blush blossomed on Apple Bloom’s cheeks. “No, well,” Apple Bloom stammerd, “not necessarily.” Taking a good moment to collect herself, she put on her best indignant face and stared up at her sister. “Ah just figured this is something every pony should know! And ah figured you’re a lot older than me and have more experience so I’d come and ask you! You’re practically an expert as far as ah’m concerned!” Applejack’s eyes narrowed. “And just what the hay is that supposed to mean? You calling me a-” “A-ah didn’t mean anything by it sis, honest!” Apple Bloom stammered out nervously. “It’s just that, well” she sighed “I figured you’d just know more than me is all. Can you teach me?” Applejack frowned and turned away, considering for a moment. A dangerous glint appeared in her eyes and she turned back to her sister, idea already formed in her head. “Sure thing, just sit on down and I’ll tell you everything you need to know.” --- “Applejack, are you pulling my leg?” “Farmer’s Honor, little sister. I can tell no lies.” “But…” “Uh-huh” “With a pickle?” “Yep.” “And the thing with the ears?” “All true” “But that’s disgusting!” Apple Bloom stomped out of the room, a mixture of shock, confusion and revulsion painting her face. “If that’s what kissin is all about then I want nothing to do with it!” “Ah dunno, sugar cube,” Applejack called after her. “You just might get a Kissin Cutie Mark, after all. Wouldn’t that be something?” “Ah’d rather die!” Apple Bloom growled as she trotted up the stairs to her room. But maybe Spike is worth it, she thought to herself as she settled down to sleep. Only tomorrow would tell. --- “APPLEJACK!” Apple Bloom came screaming onto the farm. “APPLJACK, YOU TWO-TIMING SNAKE OF A SISTER!” She found her quick enough, working out in the orchards and making sure the new saplings had enough support. They had just added a few new rows to the edge, vaing cleared away the brambles and the new trees needed all the care they could get. Applejack looked up from her work, her amusement concealed behind a mask of feigned innocence. “Why Apple Bloom, whatever has you in such a fuss?” “You know darn well what you done! What the hay was all that stuff you told me yesterday about kissn?” The little filly stood, coat slick with grease and hair drenched with brine. Bits of flower petals were still visible on her chin. Applejack could no longer help herself, she fell to the ground and began rolling in laughter. “Oh my word, you actually believed it! Ah never thought you’d fall for it!” “APPLEJACK!” Apple Bloom shouted at her chortling sister. “How could you! Ah’ve never been so embarrassed in my life! And now I’m going to smell like vinegar and tomatoes for weeks…” “Yeah, sorry about that, little sister,” Applejack managed to get out before snorting again, “but let’s face it. You’re just not ready for that kind of relationship yet.” “Like hay I ain’t!” “Just listen for a sec, Apple Bloom.” Apple Jack sat up next to her sister. “Kissin ain’t one of those things you can just do at the drop of a hoof, and nopony can tell you how to do it either. That kind of thing only comes with experience, trust and love. Not the fake kind a puppy love that is here one day and gone the next, but the real stuff that sees ponies spending the rest of their lives together. You make sure that when you give somepony your first kiss, not just a peck on the cheek but a real, full blown kiss, that the lucky gentlecolt that gets it deserves it and that you are sure he’s the right one.” Apple Bloom sighed and looked down at her hooves. “You’re right. Ah guess I have been acting a bit silly.” Applejack nodded and smiled. “At least we got that straight. On the bright side, I bet Spike doesn’t know quite what to think anymore. At the very least you probably confused him an awful lot.” Apple Bloom began walking with her sister through the trees and back towards the farm house. “Yeah,” she grimaced, “I suppose I should apologize before too long.” “What for?” “I never told you what I did with the pickle.”" ]

[ "Fly Away By ZAquanimus “Yee-Haaaw!” Scootaloo groaned and pulled her pillow over her head. “Yeeee-Haw!” Scootaloo let out a sigh and pushed her pillow aside, turning her head to look out her window. The sun had barely risen over the trees of Sweet Apple Acres. Dawn must’ve been within the last hour. “Every Morning... Confound those Apples.” She chuckled and rubbed at her eyes. She really shouldn’t be complaining. Apple Bloom and her family had taken her in and cared for her like she was kin over the years; they had even allowed her to build a cloud house over their property once she was old enough to want the privacy. Scootaloo rolled out of her bed, stretching her legs after she landed on the “floor” of her bedroom. The Apples were awesome ponies she thought to herself as she walked over to her shower room, and the closest thing she had to a family. Scootaloo walked into her wash room and pressed a small cloud that seemed out of place into the wall. Instantly it began to rain throughout the small room. She stepped forward into the middle of it, sighing as the water ran down her mane and dropped down to the floor where it would cycle back around to the ceiling again. A self-contained shower system that she had designed herself. Normally the water would just wash out of a pegasi’s home and it’d be as if it were raining; But Scootaloo had seen that as a mighty big waste of water and had figured out how to get the clouds to filter out the filth as the water ran through it, ensuring clean, efficient water. She just had to change out the cloud acting as the filter once a week. Scootaloo went back to the door and pushed another little cloud “button” into the wall, cutting of the flow of the water as she walked back into her bedroom. They called her the Atmospheric Artisan; she could do things with clouds that other pegasi had never even dreamed of. Her cutie mark confirmed that, a conductor’s wand over a cumulus cloud with little lines running along it representing the winds. She went to the back of her bedroom and began climbing up some stairs to the roof where she would dry off. Sure she could make herself a room for blow drying like she had in other cloud homes in Cloudsdale and elsewhere; but she preferred drip-drying in the sun. She laid down on her roof, Celestia’s sun higher in the sky than before. Giving her a better view of Sweet Apple Acres, seeing that the clouds were running as she left them the night before. Some were beginning to get plump with water and would rain tomorrow as scheduled. That was how she helped the Apples, she wasn’t very good at applebucking, maybe if there were some particularly stubborn apples she’d fly up and grab them. But mostly she was just Sweet Apple Acre’s personal sky-keeper. It was the least she could do for them. Shaking her mane back and forth, Scootaloo felt it was dry enough and went back downstairs. She wondered how she would be spending her day, she swept her eyes across her room, coming to rest on a weathered pair of goggles, her most prized possession. She walked over and picked them up, looking over them fondly, perhaps she would practice some of her tricks. She sighed as she looked up at her poster of the Wonderbolts hanging over the spot where the goggles went. “Maybe som...” Scootaloo cut off as she heard a shout from outside. “Scootaloooooooooo~ Scoootaloooooooooooooooooooooo~” Walking over to her window she looked out to see Apple Bloom and the frou frou of the trio, Sweetie Belle. “Scoooootalooooooooooo~” Applebloom called one last time before seeing Scootaloo’s head poking out from the window. “it’s about time you get up sleepy head! Hurry up and get down here, we got something to show you!” “It’s absolutely diiiivine~” Sweetie Belle chirped. “I’ll be down in a sec! Hold your horses!” Scootaloo groaned as she turned back inside, Sweetie Belle was starting to sound more and more like her sister everyday. She liked them and all, but that frou frou lingo of theirs wore on her nerves at times. She placed the goggles back on the shelf as she walked to her door, opening it to see the whole Apple Family and Sweetie Belle standing right below her. Scootaloo was a bit perplexed. “Hey watcha all doing over here anyway, it’s Applebucking season ain’t it?” Applejack chuckled “Well shucks sugah’cube, Ah figured it’d be okay to take a small break to see off our favorite little flyer on her big day, isn’t that right Big Macintosh?” “Eeeyup.” “Wait, what do you mean my big day?” “Applejack tilted her head a bit “Well isn’t to...” Apple Bloom cut her off. “Today’s the Wonderbolts Try outs!” “Eep..” Scootaloo felt her heart sink like a stone. She had completely forgotten. She rushed back in and grabbed her goggles before galloping back out the door. Throwing herself out of her cloud house and beating her wings as she turned into a spiralling corkscrew to gain altitude. She could just barely make out her friends and family yelling out their best wishes. Scootaloo somehow heard Sweetie Belle over all the others as she reached cruising altitude and angled off to Cloudsdale. “Do us proud honey.” **************************** Scootaloo arrived at Cloudsdale in record time. Rushing as she flew towards the Cloudsdale Arena where she knew the try outs were being held. She saw pegasi all around her, she knew they were probably making a raucous as they made their way to the arena to watch the try outs. But all she could hear was the beat of her heart, pounding in her ears. She should’ve felt tired from flying so far so fast, but all she felt was her heart in her throat and adrenaline coursing through her veins. She flew into the entryway meant for those trying out and everything faded. She might have started out a bit bumpy today. But now she was ready. Today she would become a Wonderbolt. **************************** Hours later she stood within the archway leading out to the arena. She had been late, but they still let her into the try outs. But she was the last one, and all the waiting had been wearing on her nerves. There was a roar of applause as the pegasus currently trying out pulled off their finisher. All try outs were allowed 3 minutes to strut their stuff so to speak. She wouldn’t need that much time. She had practiced her move for months, and she knew it wouldn’t disappoint. The colt, it had been a brown colt with an hourglass for a cuiemark, trotted back through the archway. Scootaloo tried to swallow, gulping air as she walked into the arena. The light blinding her for a second as she stood, waiting for her eyes to adjust. She didn’t need to wait long, her heart started pounding, hammering in her chest as she heard a voice over the roar of the crowd, her head snapping to look in the direction of the V.I.P. section where the Wonderbolts would be sitting. “Hey there Squirt, I was hoping you’d show up. To be honest I was beginning to worry that you chickened out.” Scootaloo saw them, Spitfire the previous Wonderbolts leader one side, Soarin who had been her second in command on the other, and sitting between them with the biggest smirk on her face was the first Wonderbolt out of Ponyville, the leader of the Wonderbolts, and her hero, Rainbow Dash. “Long time no see, ey Squirt? I see you still got my goggles. How’s Ponyville doing these days? No wait, tell me later. Right now, show us what you got.” Scootaloo felt the blood rushing to her face as she lowered her goggles over her eyes and flew out into the center of the arena, gaining speed for her routine. Rainbow Dash sat back with an expression that anyone who didn’t know her would’ve called smug. Turning to Spitfire she said, “Keep an eye on her, this kid has got the stuff.” Spitfire rolled her eyes and giggled before turning her attention back to the arena. “Whatever you say Dashie.” Rainbow Dash chuckled lightly and followed Spitfire’s gaze. Whispering to herself. “Come on, knock us out Squirt...” Scootaloo’s heart was racing, her breath coming out in short, quick gasps as she gathered up all the clouds within the arena, trying to make it look as smooth and graceful as possible. But she just needed the clouds, nothing more. She pushed the last cloud to the center of the arena, where a rather large round cumulus had developed from her efforts. Satisfied with the mass of the cloud Scootaloo began her climb. Beating her wings harder as she reached the top of her ascent she did a triple backflip into a dive, heading straight toward the clouds she had gathered. Preparing herself she corkscrewed, picking up speed as her flight through the air began to create static electricity from the friction. Rainbow Dash recognized it as a tweaked start to a maneuver that she had incorporated into the Wonderbolts’ routine when she had taken charge. But she was unsure of what Scootaloo was gonna do with it. Scootaloo kept picking up speed as she tore into the sphere of clouds, where she unleashed the Buccaneer Blaze. The static buildup threw itself into the clouds, charging them up into powerful thunderheads that immediately began to jostle each other, spitting out lightning in every direction. Scootaloo dove under a particularly close bolt and turned back around as she reached the other side of the sphere. Turning sharply she flew around the outside of the clouds, the mach cone that she had produced during her dive followed her, creating a wall of air around the clouds. Whereas other pegasi like Rainbow Dash could only fight to break the sound barrier, Scootaloo was capable of bending it to her will. The wall of air she was producing was crushing the clouds down into each other, making a smaller sphere before she felt the clouds begin to push back against her. She veered off away from the sphere as all the clouds within it let out a lightning bolt at the same time. With a booming roar of thunder the sphere ignited into a ball of electricity so bright that it was like a miniature sun. The lightning sphere kept booming, it would’ve drowned out the crowd if they hadn’t all been stunned into a silent stupor. Scootaloo looked on, watching over her creation. Her wings lazily flapping as she kept herself afloat in place. Her move, the one she had been working on in concept for months but never actually tried out had worked. The Scootsplosion was a success. **************************** Scootaloo was outside of the Wonderbolts’ locker rooms. Rainbow Dash had told her to wait there so that they could catch up. She was nervous, it wouldn’t be until tomorrow that the Wonderbolts publicized their decision, if there was even one. It would be nagging at her all day if she let it, the anxiousness, it would slowly driver her... There was the sound of clopping, there was someone coming out of the locker room. Scootaloo turned to see Rainbow Dash, her legs crossed, leaning against the door frame, as smug looking as ever. “Well looks like you did it Squirt, you’re in, you’re a Wonderbolt.” Scootaloo didn’t even hear the rest of what Rainbow Dash was saying. She felt like her heart had stopped, her mind was numb, a buzzing was in her ears, she could’ve sworn that she had forgotten how to even breath. She looked at Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo could see her lips moving, speaking. Then she could only see a rainbow of colors through a haze as she threw her legs around Rainbow Dash, hugging her tight as the tears of joy flowed freely from her eyes. “Whoa, whoa Squirt. Don’t start with the girly water works, emotions and all that hay.” Scootaloo chuckled and withdrew, blushing as she looked to the floor bashfully. “I’m sorry Dash, I’ve just missed yo... eep.” Scootaloo stood stunned as she found herself in Rainbow Dash’s legs, being the one hugged this time. Rainbow Dash blinked away a tear as she hugged Scootaloo tight “I missed yah too Squirt.” She let go and put her hoofs back on the ground, turning back into the locker room. “Now let’s get you suited up. We’re gonna pay Ponyville a visit. **************************** Scootaloo looked over towards Rainbow Dash, she was flying with her hero. Flying with her new flight leader. She felt another tear well up and get blown away by wind whipping past them. This was the greatest day in her life. “Hey Squirt,” Scootaloo turned her head again to see Rainbow Dash lowering her goggles. “It’s time to tell Ponyville that their Wonderbolts are back in town.” Scootaloo nodded as she lowered her own goggles. “Yeah, Let’s do this.” They both pulled into a climb, taking them higher even higher than Dragon Mountain. Scootaloo could see all of Ponyville sprawled out below them, even her house over Sweet Apple Acres and the Everfree Forest. Beyond that she could just barely make out Canterlot. “Now!” Scootaloo was brought back to the task at hand as Rainbow Dash began her dive towards the center of town. Scootaloo raced after her, they had discussed how they would make their entrance on the flight over from Cloudsdale. She angled a bit away from Rainbow Dash, waiting until she saw the mach cone appear before her. Scootaloo then angled back towards Rainbow Dash as she broke the sound barrier and created her Sonic Rainboom. Scootaloo flew around the ensuing rainboom ring, corralling as she had the storm clouds during her try out. She flew around the perimeter of the rainboom, cutting it off with the wall of air as Rainbow Dash circled back around for a loop. The rainboom began to push against her as she finished corralling it, Scootaloo flew away to match her dive with Rainbow Dash’s straight towards town square, where she saw all her and Rainbow Dash’s friends standing in front of Twilight’s office. A congratulations banner hanging over town hall. Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash slowed down for the landing, as an explosion of light flashed from behind them. Everypony looked stunned, their eyes wide and mouths agape as the duo landed beside them. Scootaloo turned to look back at their creation and was dumbfounded. Hanging over the center of Ponyville was a glowing, tumultuous, orb of color. Every color you could ever imagine, and even some that you couldn’t was pulsating within the orb, and the rainbow produced by Rainbow Dash’s contrail haloed the orb. It was the first of many miracles that would encompass her career as a Wonderbolt." ]

[ "“Sister, I understand where you're coming from, but the only way to satiate your wonder is by going to see it in person. No book can really give you the full picture.” Celestia spoke kindly to Luna, a tone of understanding in her voice. Her eyes softened as she looked upon her younger sister, with only the utmost care in her gaze. As shy as she was, deep down, Luna knew she was right. For the ten weeks she had been back to Equestria, most of her waking moments, aside from her duties raising and lowering the night sky, were spent in the royal library. Desperately wanting to catch up on everything she missed, it was a sub-conscious effort to relieve some of the remorse she felt for letting Nightmare Moon consume her physical being. Luna rarely left the castle grounds, but even there, she could tell much had changed during her millennia-long banishment to the moon. The goddess had her nose in every book, every scientific journal, every legal document she could get her hooves on. Soon, she could understand modern theology, history, politics and science. She even tried to modernize her room, adding a soft carpet and a crystal chandelier to the décor of her room. Well, almost everything, as her cherished abacus still remained always close by. The clacking of the beads, how smoothly they ran to and fro. Whenever she felt in despair, Luna could always turn to her abacus, softly toying with it and marveling at how something so simple could be used to do so much. The pale blue and silver color scheme reminded the alicorn of her own beloved night sky, it's stars twinkling in harmony with the moon and the streak of the milky way. Even through her relentless studying and analyzing of every text she could find, Luna still felt her curiosity unsatisfied, chewing away at her like a parasprite. Therefore, today she gathered up enough courage to ask the only pony she had ever talked to since her return, her older sister, Princess Celestia. Celestia bore no essence of surprise as Luna confessed her burning desire to find out what innovations the world experienced. Instead, she simply smiled, stating “In order to truly know, you have to find out for yourself.” -~- Those very words reverberated in her mind, as Luna hugged the cloud in front of her. Reluctantly, she had accepted her sister's advice, and was now going off on her small journey to see what the world was like. Celestia offered to have some guards to escort her where she pleased, but her reserved nature turned it down. Celestia never told her she had to meet other ponies, but simply see how the world changed, right? She could just slip in for a few days, watch from the safety of the shadows, and leave. Unfortunately, she didn't know where to go. She'd been in Canterlot her whole time back in Equestria, except for a few hours for a party in... in... 'Ponyville! That's it!' She had thought to herself, 'I'll just observe Ponyville for a bit, take a note or two, and then I can head straight for home.' And so, as quickly as she could, she flew out from Canterlot, and headed towards Ponyville. At first, her re-acquaintance with flight was euphoria of emotions. She had felt a fluttering feeling of freedom, as she nimbly dipped and dove among the clouds. Her mane rippled in the wind as Luna skimmed over a cloud, only to dive through it a second later. 'Luna, stop being such a silly filly.' She giggled as she thought to herself. Even though she didn't embrace her title as “Princess” as much as her sister did, she still felt bound to act somewhat on par with the nobility. As she was about to continue her controlled descent, two voices roared out around her. “Scootaloo, come on, are you racing or not?” a voice called out. It was feminine, but not by much. “You betcha!” replied another, this higher voice belonging to a younger pony. Luna squeaked in surprise, diving behind a nearby cloud. She hugged onto it tightly, not wanting to be seen. Her plan would be foiled if anypony saw her! Moments passed before she dared peek to check if the coast was clear. Luna let go a sigh of relief as she saw nopony around. All she could see was the blue sky, and a green field below. Squinting, she examined it closer. A vegetative area rimmed the heath, one section leading off into a forest. She could also make out a small creek flowing, and a cheery cottage behind it. But, besides that, it was a welcome contrast to the bustle of majority of Ponyville, which lay a little far off to her right. Luna brightened a little, feeling her luck had changed. 'All I need to do now is hop down a few clouds without getting seen, and I can land on the border of the field. No pony will see me, and I'll be okay', she reassured herself, as she flew down to the next cloud below her, bouncing a little as the fluffy mass absorbed her momentum. Gradually, she made her way down, as the warm breeze of late summer began to flow over her navy coat. It was a pleasant surprise from the chilly climate in Canterlot. Being situated half-way up a mountain was only a surefire way to ensure colder weather. Looking down below, Luna realized this was the lowest cloud before ground-level. Taking a deep breath, she let her eyes roll over the landscape, wanting to take it all in. She gasped, marveling at the beauty of something so simple. The green heath rolled into a dense thicket of shrubbery, which eventually morphed into an emerald forest. The same creek that flowed past the cottage, now cut through the trees, glimmering like a path of sapphires in front of her. Birds chirped and sang happily, as a rabbit grazed amongst the grass. Luna hadn't seen something so wonderful, yet basic, in over a thousand years. On one side of the cloud, and still entranced by the landscape in front of her, Luna barely heard the pegasus' arrival. A rainbow streaked through the cloud, it's wing clipping the princess. She gasped in shock more than pain, knocked off from her cloudy perch. Dazed from the swift impact, she began to fall towards the ground. Rainbow Dash grunted a bit as she flew through the cloud. Her wing snagged a little, but that was normal. Wind sometimes built up behind a cloud, and could provide some resistance if strong enough. Air flowed past her ears, muffling the sound of Luna's squeak. Rainbow Dash wondered for a second, doubting if she heard something or not. She took a quick glance over her shoulder a second later, but saw nothing. The alicorn had already fallen out of her line of sight. The pegasus was about to examine it further until she felt a hoof tap her head. “Tag!” Scootaloo screamed in delight, taking off up into the sky. “Oh, it's on!” Rainbow replied, soaring after her. Unbeknownst to her, Luna was plummeting towards the earth. She was still dazed, her vision fuzzy and ears ringing. It took her mind a few seconds come to and process what was happening. She tried to scream, but the wind rushing past her face prevented all vocal sounds. Beginning to force her body to work, Luna desperately tried to flap her wings, her legs flailing about. But, a millennia spent in the moon had weakened her muscles, and she could not fly as strong as she once could. Looking down, Luna saw the ground rapidly approaching. She put all her strength into stalling her descent, her wing muscles straining to fight the force of gravity. She attempted conjuring a spell to slow her down, but once again her years on the desolate satellite had taken a toll on her skills. A little blue spark erupted from her horn, only to peter out and vanish altogether However, another quick glance told the Princess that she would still impact the green field at a painful speed. The thought only lasted for a second, before she summoned the last of her strength, tapping into some reserves she herself never knew existed. Luna's shield flashed into being, the navy blue sphere enveloping around her. It wouldn't save her completely, but she could just possibly avoid anything to serious. Luna last heard the shield evaporate in a sizzle as she ran into the ground. The world went black. -~- “Hello?” A quiet voice rolled delicately on the wind. Luna felt a soft hoof prodding her shoulder. 'Where am I?' she asked herself, 'All I remember was sitting on that cloud until something hit me and I..' The fall. It all came back to her. The rushing of the air, the swirling view of blue and green. The vain attempt at screaming, the futility of her wings and magic, and eventually the casting of her shield before impinging into the ground below. Now, she was laying on her back, the faint rustle of grass rubbing up against her. The air was calm, but comfortably warm. Luna would have enjoyed the feeling more, if her head did not ache like a fury Celestia herself hadn't seen. “Are you okay?” The voice asked again. It was gentle, with no traces of negativity, only care to be found. Oddly enough, the she felt surprisingly calm. Even with her pains, she didn't worry as much as she expected she would. Luna attempted opening her eyes, the world coming in as a blur. The world around her was fuzzy, her sight becoming adjusted to the light. Blinking again, she looked up, staring into a set of reassuring blue eyes, almost the same shade of her own. The face surrounding them was of a young mare, her yellow coat matching nicely with her natural pink mane. For a second, she didn't mind, after all this pony seemed very nice. 'This pony!' The though ran through her mind. Luna screamed, instinctively scrambling back a few feet. The other mare screamed as well, a startled look in her expression. Without a second look, the new pony turned tail and began running away. The alicorn watched as the yellow pony charged towards the cottage. After a quick examination, Luna realized that she was a pegasus, small wings hugging her sides. The mare kept streaking away, the last of her pink tail visible before she entered the house and slammed the door behind her. Luna propped herself up, taking a deep breath. 'Odd,' she thought, beginning to calm down, 'Why did she decide to run and not fly?' Sighing, she rhetorically pondered whether more had changed than even she could imagine. As she got up, her thoughts evaporated to the sight around her. Everywhere, flora and fauna alike populated her view, reintroducing herself to the world she had left behind , as curiosity once again flared in her mind. She could barely remember her last encounter with nature this vivid. Her headache now no longer as harsh and too engrossed in her surroundings, the alicorn began to let herself wander. She smelled every flower she could spot, their scents only furthering her desire to explore. Although she preferred the allure of the night's sky, Luna couldn't help but agree with herself that this was truly marvelous to take it all in. Taking a deep breath to calm herself down, Luna reminded herself to stick to plan. Observe. She began walking throughout the forest, carefully scrutinizing anything that seemed different or new to her. As she continued her walk, a raging battle developed in her head, where emotions swung and fought each other. On one hoof, she would love to do nothing else but let out a squeak of joy and roll around in a flowerbed. She wanted to give in and let her inner child, one who had been locked up for so long because she wanted to be like her older sister, run free in the surrounding forest. On the other hoof, she still clung to the reasoning behind why her inner child was locked up, to be just like Celestia. She could almost see it that if her sister were in Luna's position, she would act with such wisdom and composure that Luna could only hope to achieve someday. The alicorn groaned as her head began to hurt, as she weighed the possibilities. The pain kept growing as her headache roared back to life, stimulated by Luna's concentration being withdrawn from the forest. Pain scorched through her horn, until she thought she could bear it no more. With a moan, Luna fainted onto the ground, her body landing softly along the comforting forest floor. -~- Fluttershy gasped in worry as she saw Luna collapse onto the ground. She had been following her for the past few minutes, after summoning the courage to go after the Princess. She had just been getting back from a day at the spa with Rarity when she saw the goddess fall from the sky. Just before she hit the ground, and brief flash shot through the air. The yellow pegasus could only think the worst. With her compassionate side taking over, all Fluttershy could do was gallop as hard as she could to check on Luna. Luckily, her fears dissipated as she neared the navy blue pony. All her bones were intact, and apart from a moderate concussion, the mare was in miraculously good condition. Only after tapping her a few times and calling to her, did the goddess awake. As her eyes blinked open, all Fluttershy was able to do was to bite back her involuntary urge to scream, a byproduct of her shy attitude towards new ponies. Especially such a highly renowned pony like Princess Luna. When the alicorn screamed first, the emotional dam broke and the pegasus screamed too, her anxiety coming out in a high-pitched yell. Without even really thinking, Fluttershy ran home, the wind swooshing by as she galloped straight to her doorstep, panting heavily as she slammed the door behind her. And now, watching the princess in another state of unconsciousness, Fluttershy knew she had to do something. “Oh dear...” She sighed to herself, apprehension building like a toxic cloud in her chest. With a grunt, she wrapped her forelegs around the mare, and used her wings to lift up. At first, she could go no further than getting Luna just above the ground. 'Oh no...' Fluttershy began, wondering if she could ever get the Princess to her house, 'Come on Fluttershy, be strong! She reassured herself, 'It's a bit like Pinkie Pie told you... Not a “Hop, Skip and a Jump”, “But a Flap, Heave and a Pull.”... I hope.’ -~- The fragrance of tea tickled Luna's nose as she awoke. A damp, cold cloth that was once over her face, had now flopped onto a soft blanket as she lifted her head up. She rubbed her hooves over her eyes and stifled a yawn. “Where am I?” Luna asked herself for the second time that day, only this time it was out loud. The room was a mix of a calming and somewhat pale color scheme. Brown and green were the dominant colors, but others could be found, such as a pale yellow shelf, or a few blue and red books that resided in a small bookcase to her left. Sounds of birds chirping flowed past her ears, the pattering of little feet scurrying around could be heard throughout. A small bunny hopped into her view, carrot in paw, directly across from her. Making eye contact, the little creature pointed it's remainder of a carrot straight at Luna, before scurrying off. Luna gasped a bit, not expecting such a level of intelligence from a forest animal. 'Did Equestria really change that much?' A small tray clattered quietly to her right, as it was placed on a nightstand. Luna looked over, to see that the same yellow mare from before was standing next to her. Her pink mane flowed to the ground as her eyes studied the small alicorn. “I'm very sorry, Princess Luna. I just saw you collapse, and I couldn't resist but to help you.” Her light blue eyes shifted from Luna to the ground, “If you want to leave.... I can understand that.” Her voice was the same as before, quiet and soft. “No no, thank you very much.” Luna replied quietly. She was overtaken by this pony's willingness to allow herself to stay in her home. Perhaps not all ponies were as self-centered as those in Canterlot. “Can you tell me...” Luna stopped. She almost could feel herself hitting the ground. The rush of the wind ending as she closed in closer the the earth. She bit her lip, not knowing if she could finish the sentence. Without the charm of the forest around her, the real weight of how close she was to becoming seriously hurt or injured, now hung upon her like a thousand pounds. Tears began to well up on the corners of her eyes. They sprung up with a vengeance, threatening to sweep her off her hooves and dump her in sniveling mess. How careless she had been! “Shhh... It's okay.” Fluttershy told her. “It wasn't too bad,” She continued, the calming effect in her voice amplified as she realized Luna's distress, “all you hurt was your head, and not nearly as bad as it should've been. You don't have to worry about it any more.” Fluttershy put a reassuring hoof on her shoulder. The blue mare looked up at her, giving her a half-hearted smile. Luna was still in a little bit of shock, but the smell of the nearly-forgotten tea wafted into her senses. A twinge of bergamot resided, giving the smell a more exotic touch. “Is that tea?” She asked, her voice shaking. There were two little cups, each steaming around a a flower-painted porcelain teapot in the center. “Oh yes.” Fluttershy replied, eying the tray. She looked back at Luna, trying to smile a bit, “Would you like some?” Luna nodded, and accepted the cup the mare gave to her. As she took it, Fluttershy realized this was a good time to change the subject. “So... Why are you here in Ponyville?” Fluttershy asked, trying her best to keep a casual tone, and get the Princess' mind off her terrifying ordeal. Admitting it to herself, Fluttershy knew she would never act so open to an unknown pony, unless it were under circumstances like this. Luna looked up at Fluttershy, and adjusted herself on the bed so she could face her better. Her light blue mane getting in her eyes as she did, before blowing it out of her face. “Well, you see...” Luna began, relaying her story, including her task from Celestia and even admitting her reclusive plans to studying Ponyville, up until getting knocked out of the sky. “And then I just started falling...” She concluded, her voice beginning to shake again. Fluttershy was growing a little frustrated. All her animal friends usually didn’t work themselves into more grief after being hurt. Instead, they usually listened to her and did as she said. ‘Why do other ponies have to be so difficult?’ She thought, arguing between her compassion for others, and her growing disappointment in herself. ‘But I have to help her! She’s hurt and...’ Fluttershy looked at Luna, seeing how badly shaken she was. ‘She looks just like I would after a tumble like that. I’ve got to help... Somehow.’ Determined to stop the younger goddess from worrying too much, Fluttershy asked her another question, “What do you plan on doing tomorrow? You're welcome to take a look around here at nearby the plants and animals.” Luna sniffed, still a little emotional still from talking earlier. “I honestly don't know. Even after observing all the nature around here before I passed out, a voice inside me is telling me that I still will be looking for answers... It was all very beautiful, but it still feels like something would be missing.” She zoned off towards the ground. As Luna began to sniffle some more, Fluttershy realized she was right, she would miss out on something. After going on a few adventures with Twilight and the other Elements of Harmony, she knew exactly what the Princess needed to help her understand the world. A friend." ]

[ "Fluttershy shut her front door, Luna waiting next to her. The goddess put a hoof on the clumsy, low-brimmed gardener's hat Fluttershy had given her, vainly trying to move it into a comfortable position. It was too big for her liking, but Luna didn't want to be noticed in the streets of Ponyville. Ahh, yes, where were they going? The... Spa, was it? Luna had only briefly heard the term mentioned in a few of her texts, but she didn't look into it. She hadn't really seen the importance in them, but Fluttershy sure did make them sound nice. She told Luna how she and her friend Rarity met there once a week, to talk and catch up. Fluttershy explained all the relaxing things they could do there, from mud baths, to massages, and even a new concept she didn't quite understand... A sauna? That was the one part she was wary of... Sitting in a very hot, humid room was relaxing? However, she reminded herself that she had already accepted her proposal. She surely couldn't turn back now. Fluttershy had been so kind to take her in and heal her, although Luna simply used a medical spell on her concussion when the yellow pegasus left the room, and the least she could do was take her word for it and try to enjoy it. “So Fluttershy”, Luna began as they walked down a dirt path, “How far is it to the spa?” She was curious, because she hadn't been in busier part of Ponyville yet. The mare looked over at her, a little smile on her face. “Oh, not too far, we won't have to go too deep into town.” She turned her focus down the path, a few buildings of Ponyville emerging into view. “After you told me your plan to observe the town, I understood how shy you were, so that's one of the reasons why I picked going there.” Fluttershy turned back to Luna, “Besides, I'm not the most outgoing pony myself.” Luna chuckled a little, glad that the other mare understood her fears. She was a princess after all, and without this hat in public, she'd surely be spotted. Almost all ponies in Ponyville knew what she looked like, because of the party there a few months earlier. As they entered the main part of Ponyville, it felt as if the gears in Luna's stomach churned like clockwork as she saw all the other ponies in the streets. Some were talking, others selling goods from small kiosks and stalls, looking through the windows of the various stores, even three fillies running wildly, yelling happily as they went. And Luna had to get through all of this, undetected. She began walking again, trying to keep her breathing regular, 'Just calm down...' She thought to herself, 'All I have to do is just act normal and stick by Fluttershy.' Exhaling deeply, she heard the pegasus whisper to her. “Luna... Are you okay?” She asked. Luna looked over to her, Fluttershy's eyes wide with concern, as they flickered towards her forelegs. She looked down, noticing they were wobbling uncontrollably. Luna blushed a little, “Ummm yeah... There's just...” She stopped, her voice tinged with concern. She glanced quickly at all the ponies in front of her. “There's just so many other ponies.” Luna concluded, her voice a little quieter. Fluttershy smiled at her, “It's not that bad.” She began her way up towards a yellow door in front of them, looking back up at it. “Besides, once we get inside, you can take your hat off and relax. The spa ponies working there are really nice.” As she approached the door, Luna couldn't help but feel better after talking with her. No wonder she was good with animals. She never seemed to get frustrated or angry with Luna's constant distress. Fluttershy opened the door, forcing Luna to take another deep breath and follow her in. As she entered, she had to admit that the spa looked exactly like the comfort it sought to provide. A warm purple color was painted on the walls, the room decorated with lush, leafy plants. A small, comfortable couch was in one corner, a plushy pillow on each end. Luna took her hat off, reluctantly, as Fluttershy walked up to the counter. A blue earth pony was on the other side, with a pink mane similar to Fluttershy's own. “Hello, Fluttershy!” The pony said, a smile on her face, “Weren't you just here yesterday?” Luna fumbled as she tried to place the clumsy hat on a hanger, now in a set of dismay over the new pony's observation. Trying to keep out of sight, she slowly began to creep back over to Fluttershy. She desperately hoped the pony at the counter wouldn't notice her. “Oh yes, I was here recently, Sunbreeze.” The yellow pegasus replied, “But me and my friend wanted to relax a little today. Surprisingly, I don't have much to do this afternoon, so why not spend it here?” “Well, I don't see Rarity here...” Sunbreeze said, her eyes searching for her. Luna groaned quietly to herself. She really didn't have any way out of this, so she gathered herself, and took a few brave steps towards the center of the room, trying her best to look as royal as she could. Although she attempted to keep her posture in check and walk balanced, she knew it looked feeble, at best. The spa pony's face lit up a bit, spotting Luna. “Ahh, so you brought Princess Luna with you!” Her tone was only slightly surprised, not nearly as giddy and shocked as the alicorn thought it'd be. Fluttershy turned around, looking at her. Her gaze softened, reassuringly, as she noticed the princess trying to show herself in public. The pegasus winced a little, her own thoughts switching to memories of the pressure she was under, when Rarity asked her to model for her. As her short-lived career into the modeling business took off, she was constantly annoyed by pushy fans and photographers. She could definitely sympathize with Luna. “Yes, I thought I'd show her the best spa in all of Equestria!” Fluttershy responded, without looking back at Sunbreeze. She signaled for Luna to come over to her, before turning back towards the counter. “Hehe, well, I don't know if I'd go that far.” The light blue pony told her. “But, I'm sure you two will enjoy it here. Feel free to head over to your tables when you're ready. We'll have somepony over soon for your facials and massages.” She turned around, grabbing a few things behind her. Placing them on the counter, she faced the two ponies again. “Here are your robes and your key. Your room is number 12, down the hall on your right.” Luna was glad that Sunbreeze referred to the both of them, not directing attention solely on her. “Thank you!” Fluttershy said, taking the two robes in her mouth. She left the key up there, which Luna grabbed precariously with her telekinetic magic. She followed the yellow mare, making their way down a white hallway. The floor was made out of a dark hardwood, and what were supposed to windows were little more than squares in the wall. A thin linen cover was draped over them, which swayed peacefully and allowed a breeze to enter through the hallway. In Luna's mind, perhaps Fluttershy really was right, this could be the best spa in Equestria. So far, the mare at the counter was pleasant and courteous enough, and the rooms were painted and designed to be as light and inviting as possible. With a breath, she finally felt the cool ecstasy of calmness entering her brain. Abruptly, her friend stopped at a glass-framed door to her right, with he blue mare almost running into her. She placed the robes down, looking over at Luna. “Key please,” She asked sincerely. Luna floated the thin metallic object over to her. Grasping it with her teeth, Fluttershy put the key into the bronze doorknob. With a turn and a click, the door opened. Passing the key back to her, Fluttershy picked up the robes and moved into the open room. It was colored in a pastel green, with similar open windows along one wall. Two small white beds were in the middle of the room, above a floor of polished wood. Luna let go a sigh of relief. “Nice, isn't it?” Fluttershy asked. She picked up one of the robes, turning it over to her. As the yellow pegasus pony went to close the door, Luna examined the clothing. It was a rectangle of a soft, white material Luna hadn't recognized before, but after feeling it, assumed it to be like the towels she'd used in Canterlot. It came attached with two sleeves, a fluffy collar, and a belt, all of the same material, wrapping around the middle of it. 'Surely this can't be too difficult.' Luna told herself. She slid her forehooves through the sleeves, and pulled the belt around herself, tying it with her telekinetic powers. It felt a little odd, the collar was a little bulky around her neck, and the odd stitching, or lack there of, was in such a manner that it was restricting her ability to move her forelegs together. But, since it was so soft and nice on her dark blue coat, she didn't mind. She turned around to face Fluttershy, who already had put hers on. The yellow pony's eyes widened a little, before she let out a soft giggle. Luna could tell she saw something wasn't right and frowned. “What's wrong?” She asked, the her voice turned a little frantic, “Is there something on my face?” Fluttershy allowed herself another giggle before replying, “No, you put your robe on upside-down, silly.” Luna stared at her for a second, before realizing that her robe was tied around her stomach, while she felt her belt was tied on her back. Luna squeaked in embarrassment, before she felt blood rushing to her face. She dreaded the thought of looking at herself in a mirror, because right now the amount of red on her expression would clash with her navy blue coat. “Haha, silly me.” Luna replied nervously. She looked up at the other pony to see the look on her face, but her eyes only held amusement in them, nothing else. Hastily untying her robe and putting it on correctly, like she saw it on Fluttershy, she began to feel better. The robe, when on properly as it was now, was immensely comfortable. It's plushy texture conformed to her, the collar acting like a pillow around her neck. “There ya go.” Fluttershy observed, noticing Luna now wearing the white robe in the correct fashion. “It should feel better now, huh?” Not waiting for an answer, she walked over to one of the padded tables, laying upon it. “Ooh, this does feel good.” Luna said, half to herself. She climbed on the vacant bed, just like Fluttershy was doing. “If you think the robe feels nice, then I think you'll love the rest of the stuff we'll be doing here.” Fluttershy told her. “You shouldn't be so afraid to see the world, Luna. If a shy pony like myself can do this once a week, along with openly walking around Ponyville, and even attending an occasional party hosted by my friend Pinkie Pie... I don't see why you can't either.” Luna's heart warmed with that comment, only being able to nod, before the door opened again, with two other mares entering. Neither of them stared at her, just simply smiled and walked over to a side of the room, where a small table was. One carried a bowl and a few brushes, the other holding a plate with slices of cucumber in it. The alicorn's curiosity peaked. “Why are we eating?” She asked Fluttershy. She never expected a spa to be somewhere to serve any food. Although, the cool, crisp taste of them certainly did match the spa's calming atmosphere. “Oh no,” Fluttershy replied, “Personally I usually don't use them, but someponies like to put them over their eyes. They're supposed to help against wrinkles.” Luna tilted her head to her response. It seemed a little strange to her, but all the other ponies in the room didn't look like they shared her thoughts. “And the bowl with the brushes?” Luna continued. “Oh, that's just an avocado facial mask. It's supposed to help keep your skin and coat from drying out.” She looked to Luna, reading her next question. “I get a few touches on my face.” Luna took a deep breath. Since even Fluttershy did it, it couldn't be too bad. “I'd like to try what you do, I guess.” “Great!” The pink-maned mare replied, a smile on her face. Within an instant, one of the spa ponies came over, and brushed a few strokes of the green-ish cream on her face. Luna gasped a little in surprise, the cool sensation of the paste on her cheeks was new to her. Over the next few seconds although, she began to enjoy the touch of the cream, feeling nice on her skin. Personal upkeep wasn't high on her priority list while in Canterlot. Aside from her daily bath, she hardly paid attention to herself between her studies. “And now for the massage. I assume you'd like the same as I?” Fluttershy said. Luna turned to her and nodded. One of the spa mares came over to her, placing her hooves on her back. As with the facial, it felt odd at first. But after a few minutes, she began to enjoy the rhythmic kneading along her spine. Luna placed her head down on the bed, exhaling deeply as she closed her eyes in comfort. -~- “Luna... Luna are you awake?” A quiet voice called to her. Luna ran a hoof over her eyes as she lifted her head. She yawned slightly, before realizing Fluttershy was staring at her. “What?” Luna asked, sounding a little drowsy. “You've been asleep for nearly the whole massage.” A little giggle mixed in with her voice. Luna blushed again in embarrassment. “Don't worry, I did the same thing my first few times.” She continued, getting off the bed. She stretched, arching her back a bit. “Come on, get up. I'm sure you're feeling great, and we still have lots more to do.” Luna picked herself up and off the bed, smiling warmly at how well she felt. Her neck usually had a permanent crook in it, after having it angled for so many books and tomes. Now, her whole spine and its surrounding muscles were in bliss. “Oh, by the stars, you're right!” Luna exclaimed, joining Fluttershy in a luxurious stretch. She felt now more than a little eager to continue on their way. “I knew you'd like it.” Fluttershy replied with one of her smiles. “Come on, let's go!” She said, oddly enthusiastic, as they exited through the door. The mud bath had been quite a challenge to Luna, at first only being able to stick a single hoof in the ill-reputed mixture. But, with Fluttershy consistently encouraging her, she managed to get in. She began to enjoy the calming bath as she talked and chatted with her friend. Unlike their previous conversations, these were friendly, both sides doing as much talking and listening as the other. Fluttershy told Luna about her friends, the other elements of Harmony, and of their many crazy adventures. She talked about the time she had persuaded a dragon to leave Equestria, and how she once had become a famous fashion model, even though she hated it. She also included what she did in Ponyville, keeping good care of the various animals that lived in Ponyville's limits, and also about her mischievous bunny Angel. Luna gasped, “So that's who pointed their carrot mockingly at me this morning!” Before Fluttershy was about to reply, Luna began to laugh. Fluttershy was at first stunned by her comment, but her laugh was so contagious that Fluttershy herself couldn't resist. Within moments, both of them were giggling and laughing like a pair of fillies. As they entered the hot tub, Luna told Fluttershy of the grandeur of the castle in Canterlot. The elegant tinted windows that seemed to litter across every wall. She talked of the majestic, floating chandelier in the dining hall, and more importantly to her companion, the charming gardens, telling her about all she’d seen there. Luna talked about the sublime melodies sung by the birds, as they flew from tree to tree. She even admitted that the only time she really stopped studying was to admire the blooming flowerbeds, going into detail how the gardeners planted them in such a way to make things such as rainbows and other pleasantries. Luna explained how she loved to read there, nestled under one of her favorite oak trees. -~- The two concluded their trip to the spa in the sauna, and unlike Luna’s previous predictions, it was indeed a nice invention. The warm, humid heat put her in an even calmer mood, and she almost drifted off to sleep before the yellow mare poked her. A sense of urgency was in her voice, “Oh my, it's time we should get going. I have to get home soon to feed my animal friends. It'll get dark in an hour or-” Fluttershy stopped and blushed a bit, realizing her mistake. Luna was the pony who brought upon the night to begin with. “Well, actually, no it won't, if we sit in the spa longer.” Luna shook herself, her bright blue mane sprinkling little droplets of water that had remained from the tub. “Oh yeah, I guess you're right.” She added in. The alicorn was a little sad to leave, but the other mare did have a point. If she forgot her duties as the night goddess, Celestia would surely be displeased. Luna began following behind Fluttershy, who had opened the sauna door. They both returned their robes and the key as the left, Luna even managing to say goodbye to Sunbreeze on their way out. The friendly earth pony just smiled, waving goodbye, thanking her for coming. As they left the spa, a thought popped up in the alicorn's mind. “Speaking of the night, what do you ponies do during the night?” Luna asked Fluttershy. She secretly hoped she'd say something better than just “sleep”. She may not be Nightmare Moon anymore, but she still felt a pang of jealousy because ponies were so active during the day, and seemingly dormant in the night. “Well, sometimes when she has one,” Fluttershy began, “My friend Pinkie Pie throws parties, and more often than not, they last long into the night.” She giggled, “Once, I didn't leave 'till after the sun had risen the next morning. Also... what else...” Fluttershy racked her brain, “I know I'm forgetting something.” The pegasus tilted her head a bit, pondering in the deep stretches of her memory. Then, her face brightened again, “Oh silly me! How could I have forgotten sleepovers?” Although Luna didn't sense it, hope was weaved into her voice. “What's a sleepover?” Luna asked questioningly. She gave Fluttershy a puzzled look. Realizing a chance to spend some more time with her new friend, Fluttershy offered suggestively, “Well, why don't you try it? Your sister Celestia did tell you to find things out yourself.” Luna smiled back at her. She didn't know what it was, but after her enlightening visit to the spa, Luna knew she could trust her, and she sensed that Fluttershy felt the same way. This new revelation hit her harder than the ground she landed on earlier that morning. 'Is this what having a true friend feels like?'" ]

[ "\"Oh! I think I get it now,\" Luna claimed. The setting sun was playing a dance of gold and orange on the sky, as the two mares walked over a bridge towards Fluttershy's house. The house cast a long shadow upon them in the waning sun. Fluttershy, on the inside, was about to explode with happiness. This slumber party, unlike her previous with the \"Cutie Mark Crusaders\", was surely looking up. It was the first one she'd ever hosted with another equine, at least personality-wise, of the same age as her. Her new friend certainly seemed to enjoy being around her, and the pegasus was sure they'd make this one a success. Also, on a more personal level, Fluttershy was proud of herself. This was the first friend she'd made on her own in a long time, not aided by the whole \"Elements of Harmony\" thing. Actually, on second thought, she hardly made any other friends in her whole life. Only a few ponies even tried to approach her in Cloudsdale, and only a slim fraction of those got to know her on any personal level. As she approached the dimly-lit red door, Luna turned to face her. \"Fluttershy, I'll be in the house in a second. I just have to go do my duty and raise the moon. It'll only take a few moments.\" Her blue mane rippled a bit in the breeze, her equally blue eyes gazing into the Fluttershy's own, filled with excitement and wonder. \"Oh... Oh sure, Luna!\" Fluttershy told her cheerily. Her hopes rising once more, as the alicorn's gaze had confirmed her hopes. \"I'll go inside and make some tea.\" She concluded, going inside. She exhaled in delight as soon as she closed the door behind her. This is going to be SO fun! She thought. Fluttershy continued onto her small kitchen, it's old, cast-iron stove and oven adding a rustic touch. Turning on the stove and setting a kettle over the flames, she heard a small cough coming from behind her. Whipping around, she saw it was her bunny, Angel. He gave her a huge smile, before repealing it and replace it with a quizzical look. She had to admit, that mischievous little rabbit knew her well. \"Oh Angel, I just made a new friend today.\" Fluttershy responded sweetly. Instantly, she felt compelled to share her feelings. \"We're going to have a sleepover, and it's going to be great!\" Her tone was brimming with expectation and delight. \"It'll be just the best. We're gonna tell stories, laugh, braid tails... Maybe we'll even play 'Shhh!'\" Giggling, she noticed that Angel had dropped into a sulky composure. His shoulders sagged, his ears flopped down. The bunny even dragged his carrot behind him by the stem. He started out of the room, eyes drooping. \"Aww...\" Fluttershy said, catching up to him, \"Angel, you know you're my favoritest bunny ever.\" He didn't even turn around, continuing on in his melancholy march. She flew over him, landing in front of Angel, blocking his path. Placing her head on the same level as his, Fluttershy stared at him, her pupils big as saucers. A small smile crept up on his face. Noticing a crack forming in his sullen attitude, Fluttershy scooped the rabbit up in her forehooves, nuzzling him gently. Angel tried his best to resist, but within seconds he couldn't help but hug the yellow mare, his tiny arms going halfway around her neck. \"Don't you worry.\" Fluttershy told him, as she put the white animal on the floor, \"Now, go get ready for bed. It's almost nighttime y'know.\" Not bothering to wait for a response, she headed back for the kitchen. The kettle was just beginning to whine, steam starting to show from the covered spout. Daintily gripping the covered handle, she set the kettle to the side, and turned the stove off. Just as she finished filling the teapot, Fluttershy heard the door open and close. \"Sorry I took so long, Fluttershy. I also wrote a letter to Celly so she wouldn't worry.\" Luna called out, unaware of her friend's exact location. Fluttershy took the tray in her mouth, rounding the corner towards the door. Luna spotted her instantly as she entered. \"There you are! For a second I thought you went upstairs or something.\" Realizing Fluttershy couldn't speak with the tray in her mouth, she chuckled, \"Her, let me take that for you.\" Her horn light up blue as her telekinesis took hold of the tray, as they both walked over to a green couch in the corner of the room. Luna placed the tray on the wooded coffee table in front of it, before sitting down on the simple, yet comforting furniture piece. Fluttershy joined her, her ears suddenly perking in excitement. \"So, what do you want to do first?\" She asked, her manners coming into play as Luna was, after all, the guest. \"I don't know, I've never done this before? You have, right?\" The blue mare looked at her. \"By the way you explained it, I think you must have had some great slumber parties in the past.\" \"Well... No.\" Fluttershy confessed, \"My last one was actually a disaster.\" \"Oh...\" Luna said, her eyes dropping to the floor in disappointment. Fluttershy giggled, \"Would you like to hear about it? My friends all loved hearing the story.\" \"Oh sure!\" Luna replied eagerly. \"You did say storytelling was a part of having a sleepover!\" Her eyes glaring at Fluttershy in curiosity. She took her tiara off, trying to get comfortable, letting her hair run loose. \"Well, it all began when I brought Opalescence back to Rarity's house...\" Fluttershy started, retelling a tale she had on numerous occasions. -~- \"Wait, wait!\" Luna gasped, trying to control her laughter, \"Are you telling me that the three little fillies broke your table, and then tried to fix it to find their cutie marks?\" Fluttershy giggled a bit, reminiscing in the image of Applebloom and her friends creating something that did not look like it's former self. \"Oh yes,\" she giggled once more, \"I had to get Applejack to fix it for me the next day.\" Luna burst out laughing, almost falling off the couch, \"That is so cute!\" she exclaimed. Her sides heaved before she could contain herself, \"So what happened next?\" \"I suggested that we play a game.\" Fluttershy responded. The alicorn's eyes lit up at the mention of it. \"Ooh! What game?\" She asked. A rare, playful glint appeared in the pegasus' eyes, unnoticed by her still-giggling friend. \"You want to play?\" \"Would I!?\" Luna gleamed. \"Okay... It's called 'Shhh'\" Fluttershy replied, trying her best to keep a level face. \"What's that?\" The alicorn asked, cocking her head to one side. Her expression was clueless. \"Well... It's a game about who can stay quiet the longest. Sound fun?\" Not waiting for an answer, she continued on as Luna's look went from clueless to utterly lost. \"I'm the world champ y'know. I bet ya can't beat me!\" Fluttershy stuck her face a little closer to Luna, before taking in a huge breath and slamming her mouth shut, her cheeks puffed out. For a second, the princess was mystified. Then, she squinted her eyes in competition, before following the mare's actions. For a few seconds, both of them sat there on the couch, facing each other. They looked like enormous squirrels, cheeks as if full. Soon enough, both of them started to shake. Luna's face twisted with effort, as Fluttershy's eyes widened. At nearly the same time, both exploded with laughter, giggling like fillies on a winter morning. \"Hehe, Fluttershy, you should have seen the look on your face!\" Luna exclaimed, falling on her back. \"Oh, haha, I couldn't!\" Fluttershy responded between laughs, \"I was too busy try to not laugh at yours!\" She collapsed, toppling off the couch with a thud. Luna scrambled over to the edge of the couch, where the until-recently quiet pegasus had been. \"Fluttershy, are you okay?\" She asked with concern in her voice. Fluttershy, who was sprawled on the run below, picked herself. She rubbed a hoof on her forehead, touching it gently. \"Oh yes, I think I'll be fine.\" Hey eyes scanned the scene, noticing the tray, which had not been touched. \"Care for some tea?\" \"Sure!\" Luna replied, as Fluttershy poured some of the steaming drink into her cup. She grasped the cup in her magic, bringing it to her face. She blew on it carefully, before taking a sip. \"Mmmm...\" She murmured, relishing the taste and comfort of the warm brew. \"I heard that some famous musician is coming to Ponyville next week.\" Fluttershy said, before taking a sip of her own. \"My friend Rainbow Dash can't stop talking about her. Actually, both Rainbow and Pinkie Pie are going to the performance. Ooh... What's her name!\" Fluttershy racked her brain for answers. \"DJ Pon four or something like that.\" \"Oh yeah?\" Luna responded. \"I wonder what music she plays. I don't know what DJ means, but I've heard the Canterlot Orchestra once when they played in the castle for Celestia. I liked it.\" She began to pretend to play a violin, the imaginary instrument being played slowly by a bow made of air. Fluttershy giggled, \"Oh no, it's not classical. Rainbow let me listen to some of her music. It had a catchy beat to it... and some sounds used were nice, but...\" The mare tried her best to compliment it, but she smirked as she realized it was futile, \"It's just very loud, very strong and really fast at times. I'd rather listen to my birds' melodies any day... Just don't tell either of them I said that.\" \"Well, I think I'll have to listen it sometime, can't hurt to try, right?\" The words came out of Luna's mouth before she knew what she was saying. 'What's this?' She thought, 'A day ago, I would have just disregarded it. Now, I've decided to listen to some music that sounds, well, not like something I'd prefer. Although, the openness feels... Nice.' \"I guess not,\" Fluttershy replied with a smile, \"Come on, let's go see if I can find my picture book of all the different baby animals I've met. They're really cute.\" \"Okay!\" Luna said, head picked up in interest, as she followed the pegasus. -~- Luna took a deep breath, watching the faint glow along the horizon begin to grow. She wished that the night would've never ended, being one of her favorites in her whole thousand-year-plus lifespan. She was a stranger to this harmless fun that she had with Fluttershy during their slumber party. Most of her life had been dictated by drawing up legal codes, planning economic budgets and deeming where the country's governmental power should be exercised. She was the mastermind behind all of the Equestria's basic foundations of government. Viewing the problems her subjects faced as a big puzzle, Luna did enjoy creating new solutions, but she left the presentation to the aristocracy to her older sister, Celestia. Celestia was charismatic and could woo any crowd if she so desired. She was like a real estate agent, selling a house that was built from Luna's blueprints. Before the navy blue alicorn thought to participate in politics, Equestria was a loose confederacy of feudal kingdoms. Constant strife between these princedoms were uncontrollable, Celestia's poorly drawn-up laws and regulations being easy to find loopholes in. Luna, distraught at the chaos, put her creative mind to work. Just like the night sky, she worked around problems like arranging her constellations. She wiped the slate clean, disregarding all progress her sister had made. Starting from scratch, she built the basic system of the aristocratic-dependent Oligarchy that had been in place until now. Although it was fun, Luna always knew the risks involved. One slip up, and certain ponies would be at each other's necks by the following morning. This is why the previous night had such an experience for her. Never before had she felt so carefree, like the binds of royalty had disintegrated into stardust. She never felt the urge to act overtly proper around Fluttershy, the understanding in her voice and eyes telling Luna that she wouldn't mind however the princess acted. Sighing, Luna dropped her leer at the rising sun. It wasn't worth trying to bring back the moon, because Celestia would send guards for her and probably search for her herself. Luna may as well accept it and enjoy the rest of the day with her friend. As the alicorn walked away from the clearing she was in, a faint breeze carried a melody through her ears. It moved it a range of ups and downs, the notes rising and falling like the waves on the ocean. It spoke of sadness, the dramatic lows basically spelling out \"regret\". Often, the sounds rose to a cheery high, speaking of joy. Just as the music were to reach it's highest potential, with the tempo rising, in a blink of an eye the notes dropped by octaves. Even Luna couldn't help but shed a tear. It were as if the most beautiful day appeared, only to have it ruined by the worst of storms. As the sounds began a succession of deep chords, it began to change once more. The tempo was slow, but began a steady rise in tone. But, unlike the sunny notes beforehand, the melody was drawn out, notes as long as eternity, even more depressing than the quick descent only played seconds before. Trying to triangulate the sound, Luna crept through the undergrowth, as the sound grew louder and louder. Little thorns pricked at her coat, but curiosity was an anesthetic to her menial pains. Although she couldn't pick out what instruments were played, this music was beautiful, even if it was sad. Like in nature, some of the most desolate, most melancholic locations held unfathomable emotion and grace. Soon, the ferns and bushes began to thin out, leading into a gray area between the forest. Small saplings grew, with long grasses and flowers along the ground. As Luna walked through the softer grass, it led to a rocky clearing, with a sole sapling growing on it's exterior. \"Fluttershy, what is this?\" All ranges of birds were sitting on the young tree, and glanced over to the alicorn as she entered. She had spoked quietly enough to not scare them, but got the pegasus' attention nonetheless. Fluttershy normally would have squeaked in surprise if an unknown pony had entered, but Luna's voice broke through her concentration while still keeping her calm. As she turned to face her, Luna could see the anxiety in her eyes. \"The Apple Harvest Celebration is only a few days away, and Applejack asked me to perform with the Aves, my ensemble of birds here in the forest.\" She fidgeted her hooves on the ground nervously, \"Umm... This is the only time they have available to practice, so... I'm sorry I had to leave the house, Luna.\" Luna chuckled, trying to lighten the mood, \"Don't worry, it's fine.\" Her voice turning more considerate, \"Besides, it was wonderful.\" A few of the birds puffed their chests out at the comments, proud for being commented on their musical abilities. \"Oh...\" Fluttershy was taken aback, \"Thank you.\" She was about to turn around, before stopping. \" I just can't get rid of the feeling that something is missing.\" A look of fretfullness was on her face. \"May I ask who wrote it? I'd love to hear the Canterlot Orchestra perform it. It was so emotional, like a spectrum of feelings.\" Luna replied, trying to change the subject slightly. \"It was sad, but nonetheless beautiful.\" Fluttershy lightly flipped a few strands of hair out of her eyes, the morning breeze gaining a little speed. \"Well, I did...\" Fluttershy peered into her eyes, as Luna felt the gaze reach into her soul, \"They say the best music comes from the heart.\" Both her heart and stomach did a flip, as Luna knew what she was talking about. \"I'm...\" She started, trying to sound as reassuring as possible, \"I'm so sorry.\" \"No no... It's okay. My fillyhood in Cloudsdale wasn't the brightest,\" Fluttershy said, zoning out, lost in memories. \"It got to a point where I just rejected other ponies in total, and that's sorta why I'm so...\" Tears began to form along the ridges of her eyelids. Luna could only take a few steps towards her, before placing a hoof on her shoulder. Fluttershy sniffed loudly, a single tear streaming down her cheek. Her face was a mix of sadness and depression, and a few touches of anger thrown in. She slammed her eyelids shut, her brow wrinkling as she tried to bite back her feelings. Unknown to seeing this strength of emotion in others, Luna tried to replicate what Celestia had done for her. \"Shhh...\" Luna replied, her own voice shaky. She wiped away the single tear still lingering on Fluttershy's face, but she could tell more were coming. Without warning, the pegasus wrapped her arms around Luna's neck with alarming speed. At first, Luna was shocked by how suddenly it happened. But, within a few seconds, she had her own hooves around Fluttershy's back. The princess rubbed her back in a slow, calming manner, trying to comfort her. By then, the yellow mare's single teardrop grew into a constant stream of moisture, most of it ending up on the princess' shoulder and mane. She let go a fury of sobs and sniffles, as she hugged Luna even tighter. As if by sheer coincidence, Fluttershy's rhythm of sobbing matched that of her custom-made melody. The teardrops were sprinkled in like high notes. To Luna, it seemed as if the mare had poured all her anguish and grief into her sole piece of work. Fluttershy buried her snout into Luna's mane, the sobs still coming out between gasps for air. The normally calm equine was now a raging torrent of despair. Luna said nothing, letting her friend cry on her shoulder. It pained her to watch, she never knew the pony had such pent up sorrow. Fluttershy always acted immune to any serious negative emotion; anger, frustration and dismay never lasting for more than a second. Now she knew why. All the room for containing her true feelings was taken up by her memories of her younger days. A simple mask is all she wore, a thin dam that was now bursting over Luna's shoulder. With the new epiphany rapidly making sense in her mind, Luna too felt the tears coming from her eyes. With so much she had seen in the world, and from the rocky satellite orbiting it, the alicorn knew exactly how she felt. After all, she had been locked up in the moon for a thousand years, regret and remorse eating at her soul like a virus since the second she became trapped in Nightmare Moon's grasp. Until now, she really hadn't known how badly she had been cut by her banishment to the moon. Nightmare Moon had plunged an invisible dagger into Luna, who only now had figured out how deep it went. The new-found feelings from within her heart were pouring out now, in the form of blue teardrops, containing emotion darker than the night itself. \"Shh...\" Luna whispered in Fluttershy's ear, her voice shaking. The pony in her arms was still shuddering tremulously, but it didn't matter. Luna had to help. If there was anypony to help the pegasus with her internal grief, the alicorn knew it was herself. \"Don't worry, shh...\" She continued on, as moisture rolled down both their faces. She nuzzled her quickly on the cheek, exchanging teardrops. Luna drew her mouth closer to Fluttershy's ear than previously before, taking a deep breath between her own sobs. Tears squeezed out of her eyes as she shut them closed. She began to move her lips, barely reaching a whisper. Although Fluttershy didn't know it, the words were meant for the both of them. \"It'll be okay.\"" ]

[ "“Thanks, Luna.” Fluttershy's voice had returned to normal, the tears dried on her face, “I haven't done something like that in front of another pony, except my mother.” “Don't worry,” Luna said, gazing into her eyes, “I needed that too.” The sun now rose above the treetops, its warm rays lacing the ground around them. “Let's go for a walk. Even though I don't say it much, it looks beautiful today.” -~- Fluttershy had begun to feel better, as they walked among the deciduous trees near her house. Her and Luna hadn't barely said a word, both admiring the scenery. “Hey Luna,” Fluttershy began, “Do you sleep through the day, or the night? Or do you even sleep at all?” She'd wondered why the goddess slept the previous night, when the night was her own creation. “Well, technically, I don't need sleep,” Luna told her, “But I do enjoy it... When I was helping Celestia create Equestria, or times when I got engrossed in painting the night, I wouldn't sleep for years.” She closed her eyes, memories running through her mind. “But, sleep is refreshing and it feels nice.” She concluded, opening her eyes. “That's not what I meant” Fluttershy said, then realizing she had come off too assertive for her liking, “Umm, but you don't have to say it... I mean.” Luna laughed, “I don't mind. But yes, onto the point,” She glanced up to the sky, as they continued walking on the forest floor. “I tend to sleep in the day, so I can enjoy the night... But, since it was a sleepover, I thought It'd be proper.” She looked back to Fluttershy, “Besides...” The alicorn took a deep breath, “Besides, I'd rather not sleep during the day, if I could spend it with my best friend.” She smiled weakly, not knowing what to expect for voicing her feelings. It felt so... foreign to her. Fluttershy was taken aback for half a second, not expecting such a touching response. Then, she moved a little closer to her, “Aww, that's sweet of you. M-Maybe I should stay up for the night more often, too.” She giggled, as they came out of the trees near the pegasus' house. “Now, come on. I have to do some shopping today in Ponyville... Want to tag along?” Luna let go a sigh of relief, “Sure, that sounds great!” She said ecstatically, never before going into the town's stores. A rush of excitement shocked through her body, from her hooves up to the tips of her wings. Fluttershy led her friend over to her house, both of them entering. She grabbed the big gardener's hat from a hanger and gave it to Luna. “Oh no,” Luna said, “I think I can manage today,” The quiet mare smiled, “That's the spirit! See, you're getting better.” She pointed out. Luna thought for a second, tilting her head. “I... I guess I am.” she claimed, a bit of confidence rising in her voice. She began to ponder on the new enlightenment now at her hooves. She began to act- well, weird around her pegasus companion. She spoke her mind freely, laughing with snort and all. The goddess felt welcome and accepted by her, not overtly trying to be nice or polite because of her royal status. Luna realized that around Fluttershy, she could be herself without fear or shame. Something... Something she even didn't do much around her sister. Before she could go any further in her thoughtful discovery, a voice broke through her musing, “Luna... Luna, are you okay? Oh dear.” Luna shook herself back into reality. “I'm fine.” She smiled, “Just a daydream.” “Oh good.” Fluttershy exhaled, “Well, I've made sure everything is okay while we're gone, so let's go on over to Ponyville.” Her saddlebags that she had on clumsily sat over her wings, restricting her movement. “Quickly...” She added in quietly, “Don't tell Rarity, but... um, these saddlebags aren't the most,” The twin bags sagged and slumped over to one side, “Comfortable...” She ended with a sigh, before adjusting them again. Luna giggled, opening the door as the pegasus followed her out. As the walked along the dirt path, she slowed down to let Fluttershy catch up to her. “Hey, you got to ask me a question earlier, so do you mind if I ask you one now?” Luna asked. Fluttershy turned her head to face Luna, her pink mane getting in her face before she moved in with a hoof. “Sure.” “Well, I've wondered why you treat me like a regular pony.” She started, “Most ponies in Canterlot are always bowing, calling me 'Princess' and doing me unnecessary favors. Meanwhile, you listen to me and respect me like any other pony.” Fluttershy frowned, thinking that she may have offended her. “Oh no!” Luna doubled back, “I really like it... a lot. Celestia is the only other pony who calls me by my name only, and it's nice to be able to talk with somepony else who doesn't grovel half the time.” Her friend's ears perked up, “Oh! Well... I mean, I don't like to talk about it much... But, I am the element of kindness.” She said, trying to sound as modest as possible. “When you were hurt, I sort of panicked and forgot my manners. As time went on, I thought you didn't mind. After hearing about your business here in Ponyville, and how scared you were, it was only in my nature to try to help you.” “I appreciate that,” Luna replied quietly. Her emotions taking over her, she bent over and quickly nuzzled Fluttershy. Her coat was so soft, even better than the robes she wore at the spa the other day. A sense of security once again flowed over her. The timid pegasus eeped in surprise, bringing Luna back to her senses. “Oh!” Luna squeaked in shock of her own compulsive action. She blushed hotly, the heat so intense, she could imagine her whole coat being red. She looked up the path, realizing Ponyville was at their hooves. “Err,” She started, looking at the yellow mare. Her cheeks were still blushing too, but she seemed to have calmed down. “S-Sorry... Well, I guess we're here.” The awkwardness in the air was as thick as fog. “Y-yes...” Fluttershy said quietly. “Well, come on. I'll show you some of the stores.” Luna followed farther behind, her tail drooping a little. 'Luna! What did you do there!' She screamed at herself, within the confines of her own mind, 'Will Fluttershy even like me anymore... I mean, it was just a quick nuzzle.' Guilt chewed at her, making her itch, 'Right, I better go apologize.' Now in town, Luna could feel the eyes of several ponies boring into her, even a few gasps and whispers. It made no difference though, her mind occupied on more pressing matters. As Fluttershy approached a small market stall, Luna trotted up to catch her. “Fluttershy,” she began. The pegasus turned to face her, her eyes revealing no secrets. “Yes?” She asked, in her usual, quiet tone. Luna rubbed a hoof on her neck. “I just wanted to say I'm sorry about before...” She trailed off, but blurted out again before the mare could answer, “Friends don't do that, do they?” “Luna, it's okay.” Understanding now began to show in her expression. Luna began to feel better, as Fluttershy continued on, “And no... Friends usually don't do that, but you've been gone so long, I couldn't blame you for not knowing. It's fine... I was just startled, that's all.” A faint blush formed on her cheeks. “Thank you.” Luna said, heaving a sigh of relief, as Fluttershy turned towards the stall and began browsing through it's products. The alicorn scanned the vendor in front of her, various burlap bags positioned on a red cart. “So...” She continued, trying to break the mood, “What are you buying here?” “Oh, just some seeds for my birds. The last Winter Wrap-up brought back more birds than usual, so I'm constantly running low.” Fluttershy replied, before picking up a small bag of seeds in her mouth and placed in her saddlebag, while simultaneously placed a few bits on a ledge of the cart. “What's the Winter Wrap up?” Luna asked, mystified. The two ponies walked up to a small store, a green door in front of them, with an image of a sewing machine on it. “Oh,” Fluttershy said, opening the door, “It's just an event in which the whole town clears the snow and ice to make way for spring. We have to plow the land, plant seeds, clear the sky, and fetch the birds that flew south.” She explained. The pegasus browsed through a shelf of spools of thread, before picking out a gray one. “Can you hold this?” She asked Luna. “I need to fix a blanket for Angel. I think he had a dream where he ate a carrot, and ended up biting his own bed,” she chuckled. “Sure,” Luna replied eagerly, “No problem.” She lifted the spool over her head with her telekinesis, as she followed Fluttershy around the store. The small shoppe was full of various clothing repair material, but it also had a small selection of saddles and dresses. Fluttershy had noticed it too, as she made her way over to them. She stopped at a mannequin, upon which rested a cyan dress, with white and light yellow curves added in as the skirt swept over the tail and onto the ground. It came with a set of light blue sapphire studs and a white gold-chained necklace with the same gemstone on it. On the feet of the mannequin were four cyan boots with white straps that wound up the leg. “Oh my,” she muttered. “Try it on,” Luna said, encouraging her. “I don't know much about fashion, actually hardly any at all... But I do know when something looks perfect for somepony.” Fluttershy took a second look at it, before turning to Luna, “Oh I don't know...” she sighed, “It is really gorgeous, but I think... I think it's too much for me.” Her voice was low, but the goddess could sense the underlying hope in her tone. “Now, Fluttershy,” Luna's voice became softer, “It can't hurt to try it on. We both know that you want to.” The pegasus' expression started to show a smile forming. “Pleeaaseee,” Luna added in with a smile of her own. Fluttershy pouted, playfulness glinting in her eyes, “Oh alright, I'll try it on.” “Yay!” Luna squeaked, telekinetically taking the dress and it's add-ons, while simultaneously pushing Fluttershy into the sole changing room before she could change her mind. The blue mare laughed as she closed the door behind her friend, “Now, don't come out until you have put it on.” After a few minutes, the door clicked open, as a single, cyan boot-clad hoof poked it's way out. The timid pegasus lowered her head a bit, feeling out of place in her elegant dress amongst ponies in their everyday self. Luna's eyes lit up, “Fluttershy! You look gorgeous in it!” She took a few steps closer to her, marveling at how well the blue jewelry accentuated her eyes. “I know...” Fluttershy said quietly. Turning around, she examined herself in the mirror hanging on the door. A smile crept up on her face. “Maybe I will buy it.” “That's the spirit!” Luna said, walking with the superiorly-clad mare over to the mannequin. Fluttershy lifted the price tag and gasped. “Oh no...” She murmured to herself, “That's much to much for me.” Her face drooped. “Let me see,” Luna butted in, determined to help her friend out. “Oh, this?” The mare giggled a bit. “It's only eight hundred bits.” “Exactly!” Squeaked Fluttershy, lowering her head as she realized she raised her voice above her normal level. “That's a lot of money, Luna.” “Well...” Luna began, “You have been such a help to me lately, and here's finally somewhere in which I can assist you.” Her horn glowed a bit, a dark light enveloping it. “Hold on, I've got to get a cheque paper from Canterlot.” With a poof, a small booklet and a quill appeared in front of Luna. Fluttershy eyed it curiously, “What's cheque paper?” “It's a new form of payment. It's a piece of paper which I sign and give to someone, and when they turn it into a bank, it's basically a note saying that I gave that pony a certain amount of bits from my own depository of money.” Luna was glad she remembered it from her studies. Teleporting a chest of 800 bits wouldn't be so easy. “But Luna... I can't accept this.” Fluttershy told her quietly. “Oh, I insist, Fluttershy.” The alicorn looked into her eyes. “You have been too kind to me... Kinder than anypony I could imagine, and you've been patient with my inaccuracies because I've been gone for so long,” Luna blushed a little at the memory of nuzzling the pegasus. “Come on, go take it off and we'll bring it up to the counter,” Luna told her, opening the dressing room's door. Fluttershy sighed, “Since I know you won't give up,\" Then her voice raised excitedly, \"Thanks so much, Luna!\" -~- The sun was setting once more as the two burdened mares approached the small cottage by the woods. Even though Fluttershy's saddlebags were bulging, and Luna's horn was glowing brightly as a trail of items followed her, both were laughing as they entered the rustic house. “Honestly,” Luna admitted, “I never knew walking around and looking in stores could be so fun!” “I usually shop alone, so it was nice to go with somepony else for a change.” Fluttershy placed her saddlebags on the floor, as Luna followed suit and dropped off her train of bags nearby. The goddess looked out the window, gazing at the approaching dusk. “Well, I have to go raise the night sky soon.” She felt her heart plummet as she said those words. She'd probably have to go home to Canterlot soon. “If you want, you can come watch.” Fluttershy muffled a yawn with one of her forehooves. “Sure... I'm a little tired, but I'd love to see it.” “Okay, come on,” Luna said, opening the door. The yellow mare followed her out, a little drowsy as she went. The alicorn led her out into the middle of the nearby clearing, which gave the best view of the darkening sky. Luna sat down on the grass and closed her eyes, a breeze ruffling her mane. Channeling her energy from deep within, she made a mental image of the night sky in her mind. Opening her eyes again, she focused on the thought that her mental image would appear in front of them both, in the sky. Over the course of a few minutes, the sky darkened, stars peeping out. Just above the horizon, a gibbous moon shone. The sweeping blanket of the Milky Way splashed along the dark void of space. Fluttershy gasped, overtaken in admiration. “I tend to think that the night is myself,” Luna explained to her, “When it was just me and Celestia, I spent years pouring work into the sky we see now...” She chuckled a bit, “I know it sounds cheesy, but I feel like I poured my soul into it.” “I've never seen a night so clear as this,” Fluttershy replied, her eyes huge. “Hold on...” Luna told her, the alicorn's horn now brightening once more with primal magic, “I think I can reveal the older stuff I created, stars so far forgotten that they've clustered together and almost vanished completely.” Luna gave a grunt of effort, before a shock of energy raced from her and shot up towards the sky. It kept going farther and farther out, until it was smaller than a star. “Watch,” Luna told Fluttershy, a little winded. As if on cue, the night lit up like it never had in a long time. Distant galaxies erupted into the seemingly black void, their colors of light orange, dusty blue and deep red adding a mix into the fray. The now endless, infinite number of stars twinkled like the finest jewelery, each a sparkling diamond. The black abyss the night was previously known for was now replaced by a beautiful display of colors and light. “Luna...” Fluttershy said in complete awe. “This is the most...” Her voice was searching for the correct words. “This is... I can't find what to say. 'The most beautiful thing I have ever seen' would be an understatement.” The goddess was shocked at her reply. She never knew ponies could take such delight in her creation. “Re-Really?” She sniffed, overtaken with emotion. “Yes.” Fluttershy told her firmly, before looking over into Luna's eyes. “Thank you so much for letting me watch this.” She said, giving Luna a hug. If a pony could ever melt into a pool of happiness, Luna was sure she could now. Waves of strong feelings overcame her... Ones she was unaccustomed to. Fluttershy's coat brushed on hers, her pink mane mingled with the Princess' own, the yellow mare's soft breathing tickling her neck. Then, much to Luna's internal dismay, Fluttershy let go of her, stifling another yawn. She laid down on the cool grass, resting her head on her forelegs as she still gazed at the sky. “I could almost... Fall asleep here.” Luna's eyes remained locked, still rigid in shock over her flood of emotions. She dared not to move, still trying to make sense of what she felt. Her analytical mind raced, trying to solve the gigantic mess of puzzle pieces laid out in front of her. However, her heart had already figured it out. As much as she tried to tell herself it wasn't true, she knew deep down it was. Taking a deep breath, a single thought floated into her mind. 'I've fallen in love with her.' Like opening a Pandora's box of joy, she felt like she could do anything. The single act of admitting it to herself caused her heart to flutter with bliss. All of her worries, her regret and pain had been erased by a morphine of pure affection for the other mare. She finally turned her gaze to her. Fluttershy was asleep, her body rising and falling slowly, her breathing barely audible. Luna's eyes softened at the adorable sight of the resting pegasus. “Oh Fluttershy...” She said in a whisper, “How can I ever tell you?” With her confession, Luna felt much more open with herself. But, even though she’d finally come to admit she loved the mare, her shy personality made it seem impossible to tell Fluttershy the truth. Realizing that she still needed to be taken home, Luna picked her up as daintily and gently as she could with her magic, making sure not a limb moved the slightest. A faint glow of blue enveloped around the yellow pony, as she began her trip back to the cottage." ]

[ "Fluttershy awoke with a start, her eyes agape. Frantically scanning her vision across the room, she tried to make sense where she was. 'This isn't where I fell asleep...' The memories of the previous night flooding back to her. Then the quiet mare facehoofed, coming to realize this was her own room, she was sleeping in her own bed. She figured Luna must have brought her back. 'Oh no! Luna may have left for Canterlot already,' She thought, literally flying out of her bed towards the stairs. 'I didn't get a chance to say goodbye!' As Fluttershy zoomed downstairs, she lost control of her speed and bumped her head into the slanted ceiling above. “Ow!” She squeaked out loud, rubbing her forehead as she landed at the base of the stairs. “Fluttershy, are you okay?” A voice called from another room, before showing itself. Luna stepped out from a doorway, trotting over to her. “Luna!” Fluttershy said in shock, her surprise numbing her pain, “I thought you'd left for Canterlot already...” She said, her voice lowering. “Hehe, no silly.” A new warmth was in her voice that the pegasus couldn't place, “I wouldn't dare leaving my best friend without saying goodbye.” Her eyes glistened as she looked at Fluttershy. She guessed her next question, “After you fell asleep, I brought you back to your bed...” Luna looked away towards the ground. “I thought about leaving a note... But it didn't feel right,” She confessed, looking back up, “So I stayed here for the night until I could properly thank you.” Fluttershy looked a little confused, “Thank me for what?” “For being so hospitable and nice, of course!” She said, before moving in and giving her a hug. Luna wrapped her arms so tightly around her, that Fluttershy had trouble breathing. “Oof... Lu-Luna... It w-was... Noth-Nothing.” The yellow mare managed to say, trying to breathe. The alicorn maintained her snake-like grip, “Aww, sure it was!” She said happily, smiling. Fluttershy tried to inhale, but all oxygen going into her lungs were repelled by Luna's bearhug. “Luna... I-I can... can't,” She attempted to speak, in between gasps for air. “Can't what?” Luna said, frowning. Her grip loosened a little. “Breathe...” Fluttershy finished. Instantly, Luna let go over her, as the other mare coughed and took a huge breath of air. “I'm so sorry!” Luna apologized, before adding, “I guess I got carried away.” She blushed. Fluttershy put a hoof up, trying to catch the breath. “No, it's okay,” She said after a few seconds, “I understand.” “Anyways...” Luna said, trying to break the mood, “I'll be back in a few days to see your performance. I'm sorry I couldn't stay longer, but Celestia needs my help for planning next year's budget.” “Really?” Fluttershy said, mild astonishment riddling her voice. The Apple Harvest Festival was a small thing, no royalty ever attended it, unlike the Running of the Leaves or Summer Sun Celebration. “Yeah, I wouldn't miss it for the world!” Luna said eagerly, the odd warmness coming back into her voice. Fluttershy just smiled, as she looked out the window. The sun was approaching it's zenith. “Luna, I'm not trying to rush you, but it looks like I overslept, and it'll be noon in a bit...” She hesitated. “I think you might worry Princess Celestia if you stay too long.” -~- Luna frowned, knowing she was right. “I guess you have a point.” She walked up next to Fluttershy, opening the door with her magic, her heart trying to give her confidence, 'This is your time to tell her.' The alicorn hesitated, looking over at her. 'Go on... She'll understand.' “Fluttershy, I... I” She couldn't muster the strength to finish the sentence. “What?” The other mare asked her, her soft blue eyes staring directly into Luna's. Fluttershy's gentle voice almost coaxed the words out of the goddess' heart. “I- I'll miss you.” Luna's frown deepened as she accepted defeat. Meanwhile, Fluttershy smiled warmly to her, “Stop worrying, I'll miss you too. But, you're going to be back in a few days, right?” Luna gave a half-hearted smile of her own. “Yeah, I guess.” She said, walking out the door. As she took off, she called back to the Fluttershy, “Bye!” “Bye!” The quiet mare said, her voice raising to an unusually strong level, as she waved goodbye. -~- “Luna! There you are!” Celestia said, as the dark blue mare entered the castle. “To be honest, I was a little worried. But you look fine, come on, you can tell me about what you learned back at your room. I managed to get you a small surprise while you were gone.” “Okay,” Luna responded, her tail sagging sullenly. Celestia didn't notice as she was already leading the way up the stairs. “So, I got your letter that you found somewhere to stay overnight?” Celestia said, trying to start the conversation as they walked down a windowed hallway. Adorned with marble, they sun bounced and reflected everywhere, even Luna's coat shined a little brighter. “Oh yes,” Luna replied, unfocused, “The pony was real nice about it.” She didn't feel like talking much. Celestia turned to her right, opening a door, which led to Luna's room. She walked inside, as Luna followed. Using a flick of magic, she opened a closet door, floating out an object as her younger sister sat down on her bed. “Surprise!” Celestia said, drawing out the object from behind her back. It was Luna's cherished abacus, it's fading colors now repainted, and the cracking frame was now replaced with new, polished wood. “Since you were finally away from your abacus so much.” The larger princess explained, “I managed to get the royal carpenters to fix it and refurbish it to it's former glory. Luna looked up, only the slightest warmth sparking in her eyes. “Oh...” She said quietly, “It's looks good, I guess.” Although she was one of the wisest ponies in Equestria, Celestia couldn't help but leave her mouth agape, utterly stumped and confused. She expected her younger sister to be giddy with delight, not so... Disinterested and melancholy as she was now. She frowned, “What's wrong Luna? Didn't you enjoy your stay? Didn't you learn a lot?” “Oh, I did really like it there,” Luna answered, trying to sound more appreciative of her experiences, “And I learned a lot too.” She counted back all she found out, “I went to the spa, I shopped at all the neat stores... I even got to enjoy a nice walk in the woods. I truly did learn more than I expected. If Celestia was confused before, now she sounded utterly lost. “Wait... You? MY Luna went to the spa, and did some shopping?” She tried to hold in a chuckle, to no avail. “You're joking, right?” Luna looked up at, giving her a glare that could freeze the sun. Celestia's chuckling died instantly, realizing she was serious, as her sister insisted, “I did. I did all of it, and you know, what the hay, I enjoyed it too. It's just...” Her voice trailed off, before setting her head down gloomily on her forehooves, sighing. “Luna, you know you can tell me what's wrong.” Celestia said, reassuringly. The smaller alicorn looked up the her, “Yes, I know...” She replied, before adding in, “And I will, someday. Although... Not yet.” Luna zoned off into space, before concluding, “Somepony else just needs to hear it first.” -~- The sun had set and risen twice, as Fluttershy found herself staring at Canterlot once again. Perched on cloud up in the sky, she usually enjoyed watching the whole town and it's surrounding forest from here. But now, only one place caught her eye, and that was the distant capital of Equestria. Growing accustomed to her newfound friend, Fluttershy felt partially empty with Luna now gone. Sure, she'd be back the next day to watch her performance, but the pegasus knew that they couldn't enjoy the same experiences they had only days before. The royal alicorn brought a sense of openness to the timid mare. Fluttershy didn't feel the need to always apologize for saying what she thought, and she felt she could trust Luna with her fears and dreams. Now, there was no release valve, nothing to keep emotions from building inside her. She had tried confiding with Angel, but it felt like it did no good. Luna was just something different completely, and it only made Fluttershy feel worse because she couldn't place it. Sighing, she took one last weary at the grand, white city on the mountain before turning around and fly down to earth. Tomorrow was going to be a big day, so the yellow pony decided to get home early to rest for her performance, anxiety already rooted in her bones. -~- Mayor Mare just started her speech as Fluttershy paced behind the curtain. Streaks of nervousness shot up through her hooves. Her stomach had passed away hours ago, flipping and flopping so much she barely noticed it now. Her mane had been styled nicely by Rarity that morning, who surprisingly, didn't make any suggestions when Fluttershy showed her the new dress she'd bought. Now, the earrings shone in the dim light, her necklace swaying a bit as she walked in circles. Her light blue dress was reaching all the way to the floor, making swishing noise as she traipsed on the dim stage. Her birds were all lined up on an elaborate lateral metal bar, which was connected to another, vertical bar that was firmly secured into the hardwood flooring. Luckily, the timid pony wouldn't have to face the audience as she conducted her ensemble, her back turned to them to monitor the music being played. But, the thought didn't comfort her much... She'd still be playing in front of all those ponies, a daunting variable that she hoped wouldn't wreck her performance. Fluttershy had been practicing the same melody for weeks now, sure her birds knew it by heart. Even she could hum it in perfect tune, and had the pitch of each bird memorized. She may not be as a perfectionist as Rarity, but she still wanted this to go as smoothly and as un-attention-attracting as possible. The only thought worse than performing in front of such a crowd, would be to mess up. Her coat began to turn hot with extreme worry, almost turning into temporary paranoia. This was much, much worse than she imagined. She began to breathe rapidly, coming close to hyperventilating. This was too much. “Fluttershy!” A voice called out, before a familiar blue mare stepped up onto the stage with her. Or, perhaps less than familiar. Fluttershy had never seen Luna in a dress before, a maroon and navy blue skirt going over her flanks. A maroon bow was tied cosmetically on the back, with two ruby earrings to match it. “L-Luna?” the pegasus said weakly, “Is that you?” She was still breathing hard, but the comfort of her friend being there had taken the edge off. “Of course it's me!” Luna replied, “I told you I wouldn't miss this for the world...” Fluttershy's ears ticked in remembrance. There was the odd warm tone again, and she was getting irritated that she couldn't place it. “Oh...” She replied, in between breaths, “Thanks so... Much for... Coming...” The alicorn walked straight up to her, placing a hoof on Fluttershy's shoulder. “Hey... Hey calm down. You're going to be just fine, okay?” Luna's reassuring tone further slowed her breathing, forcing the yellow pony to take a few deep breaths, albeit shaky. “There we go...” Luna said, “Think, Fluttershy, you've been practicing and rehearsing for weeks. The song is beautiful. You have nothing to worry about.” Her voice grew confidently towards the end. “But... But what if they don't like it?” Fluttershy asked, her breathing now lessening in speed. “What if I mess up?” Luna brought a hoof up to her chin, staring directly into her eyes. “Listen, no matter what you do, no matter what it sounds like... I'll always be there for you.” The blue mare said, before giving her a gentle, reassuring hug. Fluttershy was choking up a bit, those words lifting her spirits out of the dark hole they were previously in. She returned the hug, her friend's grip no longer like a constrictor, but now much more considerate of her. A sole tear of raw emotion dripped down her cheek. Luna let go of the pegasus, wiping away her tear, “Besides, you look gorgeous. We don't want you to wreck your makeup with crying, now do we?” Fluttershy could only nod, taking a deep breath, confidence rising within her chest. Her friend's calming words made her feel like she could do it. Like she could take on the crowd of ponies, and give them the best quasi-classical performance they've seen. Maybe she was over-exaggerating a bit, but she felt more confident than she had in a long time, perhaps ever. “If it makes you feel better.” Luna concluded, “I'll stay behind the wall here, and you can look to me if you have trouble... Okay?” Fluttershy could only nod, smiling as she turned to her birds. “Okay, let's get ready. Mayor Mare should be done any second now.” Her voice sounded as crisp as mountain air, even if it was her usual quiet level. As if on cue, Mayor Mare raised her voice a bit, to be heard well enough through the velvet curtain, “... And now, we have Fluttershy performing a musical treat for us, before we get this festival underway!” Luna retreated to a safe distance, as Fluttershy took a deep breath and pointed at her birds with a hoof. Shaking it in a steady beat, she counted off quietly, “And a one, a two, a three, and...” The pink-maned mare shone as the curtain's opened, the light meeting her dress. The soft sound of birdsong floated in the air, as the majority of the stage was now in view of the audience. Just as she had heard before, Luna listened as the melody rose steadily, happily. Fluttershy raised her forehooves at a section of her ensemble, a higher tone added in to the mix. The noted kept dancing higher and higher, skipping and jumping around. The bird's music radiated everywhere, even the night's crickets tuned out. The joyful sound was all around, and only two ponies knew what came next. Without warning, the happy timbre died with a few short notes, plummeting to deep octaves. The newer notes were stretched out, the birds holding sullen sounds for seconds at a time. The beat slowly rose, and so did the tone. The tunes were still long and drawn out, as their pitch finally reach it's starting point. Unlike the first time Luna heard them, however, they began morphing into the same cheery notes as the beginning. Then, after half a minute of a more happy melody, the song finally slowed to a stop. Fluttershy turned to face the crowd. After some initial clapping, a few ponies stood up and kept clapping. More and more ponies followed suit, until it blew up into a full standing ovation. The mare wanted to cower in her shyness, but a sideways glance at Luna changed her mind. The alicorn was beaming, her expression giving Fluttershy the strength the stand firm on the stage. After twenty seconds or so, the clapping died down, “Thank you.” Fluttershy said, before exiting behind the stage. A cheer broke out, as the other ponies began to gravitate towards the festival's numerous attractions. As soon as Fluttershy got behind the curtain, Luna began jumping up and down in excitement, “You did it!” She cried, “Yay!” Fluttershy looked around to check if no one was around, before unorthodoxly joining in on the hysteria, “I know, I know!” She exclaimed, “They even liked it! And I didn't hide or anything, but I stayed there! I did it!” The rush felt so... Liberating to her. “I'm so proud of you.” Luna told her, now quieter. She gave her a quick hug. “Aww, thanks.” Fluttershy said bashfully. A rush of emotion overcame her as she looked at the other mare, adding in, “I could have never done it if it weren't for you, Luna.” The pegasus' mind ticked again at the sound of that reemerging, excessively warm tone. Within that same second, she realized Luna hadn't said it. 'That was in my own voice.' She thought, shocked, '...By the stars, what is it? I know... I know I've heard it before.' Fluttershy browsed through her memories, trying to find it. She thought back to her recent times with her friends in Ponyville... But no, it wasn't there. Reluctantly, she pried into her darker memories of flight school. Again, no, it wasn't amongst the bullying, name-calling, and crying. Concentrating more, she forced into her days as a foal. There, she found it. She could only remember the voice of her father, although it was all she needed. “Fluttershy, you're the best thing that's ever came into my life.” It wasn't quite the same, but the realization hit her like a train. It all made sense now... The feelings of emptiness when she was gone, the tolerance for everything she did, the simple joy of just being around her. The warmth in her own voice, nearly an exact copy of her father's. It was unmistakably it. It, it was primal, unbreakable, undeniable, unsurpassed love. This love, this was not shared to any other organism for Fluttershy. She loved her animal and equine friends all the same, but this one for... For Luna, it was many times stronger than anything she'd ever felt. The warmth in her voice now enveloped and covered her whole body. It made her feel impervious to anything. Like a suit of armor, she could go through anything. Luna was all she needed. 'Luna... I love you.'" ]

[ "The moon was now steadily rising in the night sky. It's reflected light glittered in the trees around two lone ponies. A light wind rustled through the trees, quietly adding a sweet melody of swaying tree branches. The ponies were walking side by side, talking quietly as they both enjoyed the beautiful scene in the night sky. Luna had outdone herself again, bringing a wide spectrum of colors into the night, and calling upon the stars to glitter with a ferocity that hadn't been seen before. She wanted the night to go well, to be perfect, if she could make it so. Her friend Fluttershy had put on such a dazzling performance of musical prowess earlier, that the alicorn felt she had to return the gesture in her artwork. It'd also serve another purpose, to help encourage her to confess her feelings to the yellow mare... But for the hour and a half they'd been walking together, she had no such luck. Luna was a stranger to admitting her true feelings. Pre-Banishment era, she would confide her feelings deep within herself, which had a dangerous consequence. The brewery of grief and jealousy had spawned Nightmare Moon, a side of her that she lost control to. Never again would she place such a role on herself, to carry all her feelings inside. But, every time she looked at Fluttershy, Luna lost all her will to tell the mare what she felt. Fluttershy was so sensitive, that the goddess felt if she told her, the other pony would be intimidated or scared. She didn't want to lose her best friend, now of all times when she was still weak from her exile in the moon. “Luna, are you okay?” Fluttershy giggled, “You've been staring at that tree for some time now, hehe.” Luna blinked back into her reality, her love's quiet voice derailing her thoughts. She blushed, as she realized she had been zoning out at a tree during her revelations. How long had she been staring? “Haha...” Luna laughed embarrassedly, “No, I was just...” She sighed, before continuing on, “...Thinking.” “Oh I didn't mind.” Fluttershy replied, “Besides... You were kinda cute with your mouth open, looking like you were trying to chop down the tree with your mind.” Luna's mind was blown at the comment. Fluttershy thought she looked cute? She blushed even harder than before, not knowing what to say. “Uhhh, y-yeah, well I just had something on my mind.” She managed to reply. Fluttershy giggled again, her pink mane flowing in the breeze, “Well, come on. I know a great place around here where we can see the whole sky.” “Okay,” Luna replied, her coat returning to normal color. It still felt hot though, an unusual sensation to the blue pony. She hadn't been social with nearly anypony in a long time, excluding the previous few days, and in those days she had blushed more than ever before in her life. It felt... Good, knowing she was still capable of behaving like a normal pony. She followed Fluttershy out to the outskirts of the treeline, the dim white light showing around the silhouette of two deciduous trees. From here, both could see the night's sky, the awe of the lights produced by unknown cosmos. “Wow,” Luna said, “You're right, it looks really neat from here.” “I thought you'd like it,” Fluttershy said, “Besides...” Her voice broke off quietly, as she gulped, “I need to tell you something.” Luna tilted her head in curiosity, before butting in, “No, I have to tell you something first, Fluttershy. It's... Important. I have to leave for Canterlot in a few hours, and I really need to say this.” Luna's eyes turned pleadingly to her. The mare only nodded, gazing into her eyes. Luna took a deep breath, trying gather herself. “Fluttershy, I... I,” She stuttered, “I, I Lo-,” Her words clung to her throat, refusing to come out. Fluttershy gave Luna a puzzled look, as the princess chuckled nervously. “I mean, I looo...” Her lips were puckered out, a surprised expression on her face. Fluttershy tilted her head back and gave out a high pitched laugh. She almost fell over until she saw how down Luna now looked. “Oh, Luna, what is it?” She said, sitting back up and killing her laughter. “I'm sorry if I laughed, it's just the look on your face was hard to resist.” “I was trying to say something important!” Luna told her, frustration in her voice. She pouted, crossing her arms over her chest, turning away from her friend. “Aww...” Fluttershy cooed, bringing herself right up behind the blue mare, their coats narrowly brushing. The timid pony reached her snout up towards her face ever so slowly, so Luna wouldn't notice. Luna recoiled in surprise as she felt Fluttershy nuzzling up against the side of her face, rubbing against her as gently as possible. Then she shut her eyes, enjoying the heartwarming gesture. “You can tell me anything you like,” Fluttershy told her, bringing her head away. Luna opened her eyes, softening as she locked hers with Fluttershy's own. 'She's too beautiful.' Luna thought to herself. Those harmonious blue eyes, she could get lost in them forever. 'It's now or never...' “Fluttershy,” Luna said quietly, command now back in her voice, even if it was a whisper. She kept focus on those eyes, taking a deep breath. The pegasus kept her gaze on the alicorn, her pupils growing in earnest. “I love you.” -~- Fluttershy said nothing, her mouth silent. The same could not be said for her mind, however. It was a beehive of emotion and activity. Did she hear right? Did the one she love, Luna, really love her too? If hearts could grow wings and fly, hers would have then. No words, no concept could explain how she was feeling, knowing that her love, a royal pony who she thought she would never have had a chance to be with, loved her too. Fluttershy knew she wasn't a pony much for words. Gestures of kindness was her language, a reassuring hug, or a friendly smile were her dialogue. She knew there was only one way she could convey her feelings fully to Luna. Gestures of love were a different type of language for her, although somewhat similar to kindness. Fluttershy didn't know exactly how to do it, but she was sure the message would get across. Leaning in closer to Luna, Fluttershy slowly brought her lips to hers, translating those three iconic words perfectly, as she wrapped her forehooves around the blue mare. -~- Luna had fidgeted nervously, in the half second Fluttershy said nothing. She was almost compelled to apologize, before she felt soft lips upon her. Her eyes widened, in complete disarray as the yellow pony brought her hooves over her mane. She never expected this, admitting to herself that she'd be less surprised if Fluttershy fled in embarrassment. 'Take it for what it is, Luna. The most wonderful pony in Equestria loves you too, don't worry.' A small voice told her in her head. It was a long time since her conscience had visited her, well over a millennium. Following the advice, she closed her eyes, tilting her head to kiss her companion better. She too wrapped her arms around her, drawing herself closer in. Luna unclenched her teeth, letting her tongue gently coax out Fluttershy's own. With a little effort, the pegasus opened her mouth. Their tongues met, finishing a bond that had been building for almost a week now. This bond, unbreakable, was represented as the two ponies kissed in the night. Fluttershy let herself go headfirst into bliss, and immersed herself in the moment. Her heart slowed as she embraced Luna more passionately, pushing even closer to the mare off her hooves. Breathing in her scent, Fluttershy lost it and tried to bring herself as close as possible to Luna. However, the added push from her companion pushed Luna off balance, as she tumbled to the ground, Fluttershy falling on top of her. The mare was completely sprawled on Luna, their bodies merging flawlessly, as her back rested on the cool grass below. Their lips were still locked, but not for much longer. Fluttershy finally broke the intimate kiss, breathing heavily. A small strand of saliva was all that remained, but only for half a second as it disintegrated in the breeze. Luna was panting as well, but her eyes were calm as she stared up at the one she loved. It felt as if Euphoria itself could be crackling like lightning between them, the goddess enjoying the physical closeness she was sharing with the other pony, warmth radiating from all around her. She could stay like this forever, her arms wrapped around Fluttershy, their coats brushing. “Do you really have to go?” Fluttershy finally whispered in her ear, before burying her muzzle along Luna's neck and mane. Luna smiled, “No. I think Celestia will understand.” She kissed Fluttershy's neck, rubbing her back. Slowly, Fluttershy got up, much to Luna's dismay. She gently poked Luna's shoulder, “Come on, get up.” The pink-maned pony closed her eyes, smiling as she browsed the previous few moments in her memory. “That was amazing, Luna... But I- Uhh... we should be getting home soon.” She was still standing over Luna, and noticed she still hadn't gotten up. The yellow pony looked down, and saw that she was grinning up at her. Fluttershy replied more sternly, feeling something was wrong, “What is it?” “You're so beautiful.” Luna told her, then began to get up, as the other mare's serious expression dissipated. “Aww...” Fluttershy felt her heart melting. Being it told to her, the phrase sounded better than anything she'd read in her romantic novels. “I love you too.” She said passionately. Then the two began to walk off towards her cottage. -~- Luna pecked Fluttershy on the neck as the came over the small brick bridge, which led to the front door of the small house in front of them. Fluttershy giggled, playfully pushing her away, “Stop, hehe, that tickles!” Her companion laughed, enjoying the moment. Luna was about to do it again, when a light flashed in front of the pair. In the brief second, Celestia appeared. Fluttershy eeped in surprise, as the older goddess teleported in front of them. “I'm sorry to intrude, and I'll try to make it quick, but I have to ask Luna somethings.” Celestia explained, her words coming out in rapid succession. Confusion riddled her voice, as she continued on, “Is it really true, you two in love? I mean, I heard the news half an hour ago, but I had to make sure. Sorry if I was interrupting, but even I didn't expect this.” Luna looked over to Fluttershy, rubbing her back to calm her down, before turning back to her sister, “Yes, it is true, sister\" Celestia's eyes softened, gladdened by the news that her younger sibling had found someone she loved. “Well, then that would bring up my second question... Would you like me to raise and lower the moon for the next few days?” “That'd be great.” Luna told her, “Thank you, Celestia.” “I figured you'd rather like to sleep in and enjoy being with her for awhile. Don't worry Luna, I'll keep it in check.” The sun goddess replied. Her horn glowed, readying to teleport back to Canterlot. “Wait!” Fluttershy called out. Celestia stopped, casting her a puzzled glance. “Umm... I mean,” The mare's voice got quieter, “Who told you we were in love?” “Why, nature's own messengers, of course,” A small green bird flew down, perching on the Princess' shoulder. “They can do more than just music.” She winked at them both, and with another brief flash, was erased from view. “That's just like Celly,” Luna chuckled, “She's so nosy and it's no wonder she ends up ruining the mood.” Fluttershy raised an eyebrow curiously, “The mood was ruined?” She asked, before planting a kiss on Luna's cheek. “Besides, I couldn't care,” She yawned, “I'm too tired to care.” They approached the door, Luna opening it for them with her magic. The cottage was dark, but it lit up slightly from Luna's horn. She followed her upstairs, Fluttershy's hooves plodding along tiredly. Now, Luna herself was feeling a little weary. The pegasus climbed into the bed, pulling aside some blankets to make room for her companion. Luna gulped, before filling in the vacant side of the bed, lying on her back Fluttershy snuggled up to her, resting her head on Luna's shoulder and threw her forehooves around her neck. Her breath gently rolled over the princess' face, her sweet scent flooding Luna's senses. “You know what?” Luna said. She turned her head over, seeing Fluttershy had her eyes closed. The yellow mare simply replied with a drowsy, “Hmm?” before nestling her muzzle along Luna's neck. She hugged the alicorn tighter to her, the coats meshing like one. “This just feels so... Right.” Luna continued, staring up at the ceiling, “Lying here with you, with you so, so close to me. I feel, fulfilled.” “You know what I mean?” She asked Fluttershy, looking over at her. But, the mare was now asleep, her chest rising and falling peacefully, brushing up along Luna's side. Using her arm that wasn't wedged between herself and her love, she brushed a few strands of hair out of Fluttershy's face. Luna sighed, “You look too peaceful to answer right now...” She rested her head on the pillows, turning herself to be chest to chest with Fluttershy. She wrapped her free hoof over her, taking one last glance at the mare's pretty face. As Luna closed her eyes and drifted off into sleep, a single, poetic thought rose to her mind. 'Even if a ship sails too far, it can still end up somewhere beautiful. And that's right here... With Fluttershy.'" ]

[ "Luna stopped short of Sugarcube Corner, Fluttershy at her side, “Well, what if they don't like the me?” She asked. A worrisome tinge was in her voice, anxiety chewing at her insides. Fluttershy nuzzled her gently, “Don't worry... Just stay out here until I call you, okay?” She looked up, still seeing her partner casting fretful glances at the door in front of them. “Hey, they won't mind... I promise.” She added, reassuringly. Luna sighed, “I guess you're right. I trust you, and that's good enough for me.” The pegasus pecked her on the cheek, before walking up towards Ponyville's bakery. Inside, she could hear quick, bass pounding music playing. The party's host, Pinkie Pie, was still ecstatic after the DJ P0n-3 concert, and was now playing some of her music. Pinkie Pie was holding one of her signature parties, the day after she went to see DJ P0n-3. There, the energetic pony had got to talk with the famous musical artist, and even managed to get her hooves on some DJ equipment, after leaving such an impression on the celebrity. Apparently, her love for the party scene and tireless enthusiasm struck a chord with the DJ. Fluttershy gulped. It was over a week since she embarked on her romance with Luna, and so far, no ponies in Ponyville really knew about their intimate relationship. She'd gotten an invite to the party this morning, and decided it was the best time to tell her friends the news. However, it seemed easier said than done, as nervousness tingled at her hooves. Without bothering to knock, she opened the door. The floor was a mess of confetti, balloons everywhere. A few pink strobe lights revolved around, their rays filling the room. Refreshments lined a table along a wall, while an enormous, vinyl record-shaped cake was placed on the other side of the room. In the middle, a dance floor was positioned, lights illuminating it's borders. Behind that, a Pink mare was standing at a table, large headphones over her ears. She was concentrating on one of her turntables, adjusting the record with one hoof, while playing with mixer with her other hoof. Two ponies, her friends Rarity and Applejack, appeared in her view. “Hold up y'all! Fluttershy's here!” Called the orange earth pony. The music quieted down, Pinkie Pie placing down her headphones and bounced over to them. “Oh hi, Fluttershy!” She said enthusiastically to her, “Glad you could make it!” Two other ponies, Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash, joined the others. “Yeah, I haven't seen you around lately, Fluttershy,” Rainbow Dash said, eying her suspiciously, “Not in the air, or even transporting your animals. You look... Different.” She stared at her, “You didn't go into the Everfree Forest, did you?” “What?! No, of course not... I couldn't, I wouldn't!” Fluttershy recoiled in surprise. Her fellow pegasus' scrutinizing looks made her feel uncomfortable. “Now hold on,” Twilight butted in, “I'm sure Fluttershy didn't do that. However, I too have noticed your absence... Did something happen?” No other pony spoke, her five friends' eyes looking on questioningly. The nervousness in her hooves now shot up through her legs, causing them to wobble a little. Fluttershy took a deep breath. “Well, Yes. I mean, sort of... Ooh I don't know.” Her voice growing quieter, “I met somepony special to me.” Her friend's faces contorted with bewilderment, with the exception of Rainbow Dash, who asked, “Wait... What? Special? I don't even...” She trailed off, lost in thought. Then she gasped, “Oh! Y-You mean like... Dating?” Her voice sounded lost, unaccustomed to the thoughts of love. “Umm....” Fluttershy replied, lowering her head, “Yes?” Rainbow Dash's expression joined the ranks of the others, all of them staring in astonishment. They sat like that for a few seconds, before the timid pegasus broke the silence, “Oh dear...” Fluttershy said to herself, blushing hotly. “I-I guess I better go ask her to come in now.” As she turned around, Applejack and Rarity looked at each other. Rarity mouthed a single word, unable to speak, “Her?” The quiet mare opened the door, calling out, “Okay, you can come in now! They're just a little... Umm, surprised.” She held it open as Luna sheepishly entered the room, her shy expression deepening as she saw the other ponies' faces. She smiled awkwardly to them, as Fluttershy closed the door, coming up next to her. By now, the amazed equines had their mouths open, not knowing what to make of the spectacle in front of their eyes. The quietest pony of them all, first off, was in a serious relationship. That alone was something they never even considered. Second, and completely mind-blowing, was the fact that she was dating a princess, an immortal alicorn that seemed as distant as the stars she created. Fluttershy put her arm around Luna, trying to ease the awkward standstill, to no avail. “Hello,” Luna said, trying to help, “Fluttershy has told me so much about you girls, and I've always wanted to meet yo-” “Aww, ah'm so happy for ya, sugarcube.” Applejack randomly blurted out. Being the element of honesty, she was the first to tell that this indeed was real. “You two look perfect for each other, better than caramel an' apples, if ah do say so mahself.” Her gaze softened, her freckles rising in her cheeks as she smiled. Her words broke the spell, and an outburst of praise barraged the couple as the other ponies came back to life. “You two are soooo adorable together!” Pinkie Pie squealed, her hair bouncing up and down as she jumped with delight. “Yeah, I think you'll make a wonderful couple. I'm so happy for you!” Twilight said, before giving both her and Luna a quick hug. The latter mare was not expecting it, and tensed in surprise as the lavender pony hugged her. “Umm... Yeah, ditto.” Rainbow Dash said, scratching her mane, embarrassed. Emotions, especially the more caring ones, were not her strong suit. Rarity, the last pony to talk, stepped up to her, an expression of faux insult on her face. “Now, Fluttershy... We both know that I was the one whose always wanted to marry a noble pony... And now, you upstage me by falling in love with the top of Equestrian society!” Then her expression lightened, as she chuckled, her voice replaced with joy. “I'm so glad you found somepony special in your life. You both must join me at the spa sometime to tell me how you two met.” “Ok, Rarity.” Fluttershy replied, giggling. Rarity's sarcastic humor really helped her feel better. Pinkie Pie dashed in the middle of the group, “Hey, weren't we here to party? !” She cried. Not waiting for a response, she jumped over her DJ Setup, placing the headphones over her ears. Pushing up a slider, the volume of the music returned, it's hard, yet catchy beat reverberating throughout the room. The ponies, dispersed, except for the couple. Luna looked over to Fluttershy, unconsciously tapping her hoof to the beat, “Is this DJ P0n-3?” She asked. “Oh yes,” Fluttershy responded, “It's probably her most successful release. It's called 'Manticores n Stuff'.” She nuzzled her, quietly whispering in her ear, “Don't tell them, but I really like this song.” Luna experimentally moved her body to the beat, enjoying it. “I do too,” she announced, before padding over the illuminated floor tiles. “Wanna dance?” She asked, looking back at the pegasus. “Umm, yeah.” Fluttershy responded. She walked up to her side, slowly moving her shoulders and head to the song. “There you go...” Luna told her, steadily dancing with greater enthusiasm until her whole body flowed with the booming bass. “Come on!” She continued delightfully, “It's really fun once you get into it.” “Okay,” The yellow mare said, trying to match her partner's rhythm. After a few minutes, Fluttershy got the hang of it, dancing with joy. She giggled as she and Luna synced their movements, their coats continually brushing together. Until the early hours of morning, the two mares enjoyed themselves, dancing, talking, eating and drinking to their heart's content... Which of course, was each other. -~- The sun was cresting along the horizon as the pair left Sugarcube Corner. “Thanks for the party!” Luna called out behind her, towards Pinkie Pie, who was waving good bye at the door. The alicorn was leaning on Fluttershy's shoulder, her legs weak. “You know, I've never had that much fun, ever.” Fluttershy looked over at her as they kept walking, “I can tell, since you overdid yourself. You danced for so long, it looks like your hooves are going to fall off!” Luna giggled, “No they won't. Even if they did, It wouldn't stop me from dancing with you again.” She paused, smiling at her memories, “You know, you're quite the dancer once you get going.” “Really?” Fluttershy's voice squeaked, blushing. They kept walking towards the outskirts of town, the majority of it's inhabitants just beginning their day. “Oh yes.” Luna told her, “There's a lot more to you than meets the eye.” The two were rounding the corner of the path they were on, which soon changed from stone to dirt as they got closer to the cottage. “For instance.” She continued a moment later, “You seem very quiet and timid, but you've been the most inspiring, caring pony I've ever met.” “Aww, Luna, that was really sweet. But, I'm sure there are other ponies like me.” Fluttershy said modestly, as the sight of her cottage came into view. “No, I doubt it.” Luna dismissed, “That's what I was going to say next; You're always so focused on other ponies and animals, that rarely do you get a chance to see how wonderful you are.” She took a deep breath, reaching over to nuzzle her “And that's where I think I fit in. I'm here to remind you of how compassionate, funny, and undeniably beautiful you are, even if you don't always see it.” Fluttershy returned the nuzzle, “And I will always be there for you, whatever troubles you face. Your joys are my joys, your problems are mine aswell.” She stopped, now on top of the small brick bridge, “And I think... Since your problem is to remind the most beautiful pony in Equestria of how amazing she is, it's also my problem to remind you as well.” She leaned in closer to her, whispering a single sentence, “I know only one way to do it.” Then she embraced Luna, kissing her passionately. As their tongues met, Luna could once again feel electricity forming between them, symbolizing a bond that could last eons, if forever. With that, the alicorn could feel an older, darker part of her wither and vanish. It was like erasing all the shadows from a sunny day, or taking out the trash. Getting rid of the bad, keeping the good. She felt anew. Falling in love with Fluttershy was her most cherished accomplishment of her life, forcing her to look at the world differently, a rebirth of Luna herself. Old knowledge was flowing into her brain, ones she never learned a thousand years ago. It was like a Renaissance of the Moon. Fin. [For now...] Dear Dead Frontier's Brony Brigade I would like to thank you all for your unwavering support and constructive criticism throughout my first fanfic. The amount of time and effort you put into proofreading those 115 pages of drafts (Yes, I counted them) was undoubtedly stellar. You may not be the largest MLP-community. not by a long shot, but you're definitely the best. ~Smiggel Aka Habanc P.s. Note: Have the Orbital Friendship Cannon ready for when the trolls come back from their bans. Kthxbai :D" ]

[ "This is a short add-on to the storyline. It plays no real significant part within the actual story, set months after the Epilogue took place. This chapter wasn't designed for much more than the enjoyment of Luna x Fluttershy shipping (Because, to be honest, there isn't nearly as much as there should be). It was inspired, or more specifically made me depressed/angry enough to write, by this picture: So, yes. I saw this picture, got incredibly sad for a few moments, and then I thought to myself 'Well, why can't Luna have a happy Christmas? Or, for that matter, A happy Christmare? So, if you find this not as enjoyable as the others, here's an explanation. This part isn't going up on Equestria Daily. It's too much of a pain to get stuff on there. Luna felt a soft hoof rub her shoulder. “Come on, time to wake up Luna. It's almost morning.” Eyes not even opening, she used her magic to pull her blanket closer to her. She had no intentions of getting up yet, her body and mind still drowsy. “No! Five more minutes!” She pouted, nestling her face deeper into her pillow. She shuffled herself in a more comfortable position before letting out a elongated yawn. Fluttershy rolled her eyes, sighing humorously. Even though the lunar goddess didn't need sleep, she had since become dependent on it ever since meeting Fluttershy. Usually she would get the extra few minutes of rest, but today was different. Today required immediate action. Fluttershy gently flew over the bed and landed behind Luna. She rubbed up close to her companion, whispering in Luna's ear, “Loons, can you get up, if you don't mind?” She tried her best to sound as caring as possible. Luna's mouth began to twitch into a smile, the rhythm of her breathing changing slightly. Fluttershy kissed her on the cheek, realizing a crack was forming in Luna's stubborn attitude. “Besides, do you remember what today is?” The alicorn opened a single eye, peering at Fluttershy questioningly. “Oh, you don't, do you?” Fluttershy continued softly. “Because I do, and I remember how it was almost impossible for you to fall asleep last night. You were so excited because you knew today is-” “It's Christmare Day!” Luna squealed in delight, shooting up out of bed. The blanket was still wrapped around her, now covering her head due to her rapid movement. Fluttershy laughed at the sight of her beloved mare hovering in the air, a blue blanket draped over her head. Not even wanting to take the time to remove the blanket, Luna flapped her wings, carrying her in the direction of the stairwell. “Woo hoo! It's Christmare Day!” She yelled childishly as she flew. “It's Christmar- Oof!” Luna crashed into the wall, the stairwell mere inches to her left. She knew Fluttershy's cottage well, but not well enough to navigate it blinded. Bouncing to the ground, the blanket undid itself as Luna eventually came to. “Ouch...” She said, rubbing her horn gingerly. Fluttershy gasped in surprise as the darker pony slammed into the wall. She was worried that Luna could have been hurt, and scrambled off the bed to reach her. However, Luna was quicker, shaking her head briskly as she rose again to her feet. “Come on Fluttershy! It's Christmare Day!” She called back, scampering down the stairs. Fluttershy giggled as she trotted behind her. Despite her royal position and stature in society, she had discovered that Luna tended to act like a filly at times. Not that it was bad, quite the opposite, as Fluttershy couldn't help but find it adorable. Fluttershy found Luna waiting for her downstairs, sitting by the ornament-laden tree they had put up a few nights earlier. She was happily reaching under the tree, as if to find something. “Uh, Luna... Are you sure you're okay?” Luna looked up at her, smiling brightly. “Why wouldn't I be? This is my first ever real Christmare Day!” Fluttershy recoiled slightly in surprise. “It... It is? Don't you and Celestia celebrate it too?” “Oh, well... Yeah I guess.” Luna waved her hoof in dismissal, “But we were too busy doing parades and celebrations to really do anything like this.” She got up and trotted over the the yellow mare, “Besides, I have the best pony to share it with.” She quickly kissed the now-anxious Fluttershy. Fluttershy felt her heart drop at that comment. Fear pulsed through her veins, her mind fighting itself over a single fear. 'What if I ruin it?' “Anyways, can we open presents?” Luna took a step back, looking up at Fluttershy with pleading eyes. “Please?” Fluttershy sighed and nodded, as Luna gave a joyful whoop before charging back to the tree. Fluttershy settled herself on the couch as Luna came back, presents carried by her magic, perhaps ten in all. Setting them on the ground, Luna hopped onto the couch next to her. “Here you go!” She said cheerily, lifting a present to Fluttershy. The pegasus grabbed it, it's bulky, rectangular shape hard for her to figure out it's contents. Cautiously, she began tearing off the red and white polka-dotted wrapping paper. Underneath, revealed a white box. Prying it open, Fluttershy removed the translucent wax paper to reveal... “Socks?” Fluttershy said, picking one up questioningly. It was predominantly pink, with small blue butterflies on them. They were very soft and plush, undoubtedly made by some of Equestria's best tailors. “Yeah.” Luna said, “They're really comfortable and soft on your hooves. I know you don't like getting the high-end treatment all the time, but these ones are much better than what you'd find in an average boutique.” She stammered slightly, “I-I thought about getting you regular ones, but I felt it would be a dishonor to buy you something that may not have been comfortable as these.” Fluttershy couldn't find any spot to disagree, not speaking as she felt the expertly-crafted hoofwear. These socks were indeed the perfect things to wear around the house, especially in winter. They were light, yet incredibly cozy and warm. “I love them.” Fluttershy said, a smile forming on her face. She noticed that Luna withheld a doubtful expression. The nagging fear about ruining Luna's first Christmare Day raced back to the front of her mind. “I really do, in fact I think I'll put them on after we finish with the rest of the presents.” She looked down, grabbing a blue present in her hooves and tossed it to Luna. “Speaking of presents, here's one for you.” All remnants of her previous emotions dissipated as the alicorn squeaked in joy and began opening her present. Unlike Fluttershy's dainty procedure, this was more like a mad dash to discover what was inside. Wrapping paper flew as the eager pony charged onwards, landing on Fluttershy amongst other places. Pushing a piece of vibrantly-colored paper out of her eyes, Fluttershy saw Luna hugging a small blanket. It was dark blue, with a sole crescent moon in white. “How, how did you know about this?” Luna asked, looking up at her. “Oh, Celestia told me about it a month ago. You never told me you had a special blanket as a filly.” Luna blushed furiously and tried to respond, but Fluttershy cut her off, “She said you lost it a long time ago, so I decided to make you a new one.” Then she added in more quietly, “Do you like it?” “Of course I do!” Luna said loudly, only changing her voice after seeing Fluttershy cringe and massage her ears. “It's perfect... Just as I remember it.” She rubbed her face into the comfortable texture of the blanket one last time, nostalgia almost overpowering her before setting it down. “Time for another present!” -~- “Aww, this is perfect!” Luna said cheerfully, putting down a small card, “This spa pass is going to be a wonder for my back. Although, how'd you get it?” “Oh...” Fluttershy began quietly, “Y'know, I just asked Rarity to get a deal with them. It was nothing.” Luna looked around, the hill of wrapping paper almost half a pony high on the floor. There was a stack of boxes and gifts on the small coffee table, almost creating a short wall. No other present remained, and she smiled as she looked back to her love. “Anyways, this was perfect, Fluttershy. Thanks so much for making my first Christmare day so amazing, I'll remember it always.” She leaned in to give the pegasus a peck on the cheek, but was stopped by hooves along her chest. Luna looked down, and noticed that the hooves barring her way were yellow. She looked at Fluttershy, her quizzical looks rapidly forming into a confused frown. “It's still not over, Loons. I have one last present for you, the most important of them all.” Fluttershy said, withdrawing her hooves off Luna and retrieving something from behind the couch. Pulling out a small brown box , she passed it to the blue mare. “What is this?” Luna asked, mystified. She shook the box with her magic, pressing an ear to it. Fluttershy giggled, “I guess you won't ever know, since you aren't opening it.” Luna blushed quickly, before being replaced by a joyful expression as the opened the box. She poked her head inside, smiling in anticipation. When she looked back up at Fluttershy, a sullen look was on her face. Her bottom lip was trembling. “You got me a piece of string?” Fluttershy smiled warmly, shaking her head. “No. Try pulling it out of the box.” Luna sniffed slightly, before her horn lit up in a magical aura. Fluttershy could see as the string made it's way out of the box, until it stopped short with a twang. Not backing down from the challenge, Luna's face hardened and her horn grew a little brighter as she put more force into pulling the small tendril. The string flew out into air, Luna's magic tearing it out of the box. She hardly noticed it fly by, as a small compartment opened within. Carefully, she lifted the hidden objects out of the cardboard box. Two thick slips of paper were held in the air, suspended by Luna's telekinesis. She brought them close to her face, it's expression morphing rapidly back to joy. “Are these what I think they are?” Luna asked, giddiness rising in her voice. “I-I think so?” Fluttershy said, sounding uncertain, “I mean... I certainly hope they are. You've only been talking about going to the Haliflanks Convention for weeks now.” A playful glint appeared in her eyes, if only for a second. The Haliflanks Convention was a musical jamboree hosted within the city square on New Year's Eve, where performances were held unlike any in Equestria. Musicians and bands came from all across the spectrum of music to play there. What made the convention special, was the types of music that were played. More often than not, musicians of totally different genres would be paired together and given only a few days to come up with a song to perform. This year, the main attraction was a performance by two earth ponies. The first was the renowned Double bassist from Canterlot's royal ensemble, Octavia. Second, was a dance music composer, a pony from Germaney known on stage as “Moguine”. Luna admired both of them, and it was undoubtedly the only time the two musicians would perform together. Fluttershy was caught off guard as Luna wrapped her arms around the pegasus. A small “oof” could be heard as the air was expelled from her lungs. However, all sense of discomfort disappeared as she felt the alicorn nuzzling up against her. It was times like this that could cause a pony like her to just forget about the world. Fluttershy hugged her back, whispering, “I'll take that as a yes.” Then she added in a less humorous voice, \"I love you too, Luna.\" Luna said nothing, instead enjoying the pulses of emotions that soared body. Although it'd happened to her before, merely knowing that she was loved was a euphoria. It was indescribable by any words created by ponykind, impossible to create at any laboratory or scientific facility. This sense of belonging, of being deeply cared for... This was what truly made her Christmare Day one to remember." ]

[ "Luna wrapped her forehooves tighter around Fluttershy as she awoke. She let herself enjoy cuddling her mate for a moment longer. Burying her nose in the pegasus' mane, she inhaled deeply before opening her eyes. Fluttershy was still asleep, her chest rising and falling peacefully as sunlight dappled across the bed. It was early in the afternoon, on a gorgeous, sunny February day. The two had left early that morning from Ponyville, the moon still hanging in the sky. Even though Fluttershy fell asleep on Luna's shoulder on the chariot ride over, both were exhausted after arriving in Canterlot. So, after enjoying a late breakfast with Celestia, the two went up to the lunar mare's room and took a nap. This week, the two ponies had decided to take a vacation in Canterlot for a nice way to relax from the daily bustle at the cottage. Writing treatises and legislature was especially stressful when you had forest creatures running around everywhere. Luna had come around to love each and every one of them, but that still didn't make it any easier. Therefore, the alicorn decided to take her companion out for a breather and show the mare around her favorite spots in Canterlot. It took some convincing, but a promise to save one of the days for a quiet night in sealed the deal. “Fluttershy,” Luna whispered in her ear, before nuzzling her cheek softly. “Come on, it's time to wake up.” The yellow mare opened her eyes slowly. “Hmm? What time is it?” she asked. Luna smiled. “Time to out of bed and into your best dress.” “Why?” “Because tonight we have reservations at Le Chantehoof, remember?” Fluttershy got up with a start. “Oh my gosh! You're right!” She looked around frantically. “What time is it?! Are we late? Do you think we cou-” Luna reached in calmly and kissed her. Fluttershy's eyes widened for a second, before closing them as she kissed the princess back. Seconds later, they broke apart. Luna opened her eyes and smiled, announcing casually, “The reservation is hours away. You're fine.” Fluttershy sighed. “Oh, good, I was really getting worried for a second there.” Blushing slightly, she added, “Thanks for being so sweet, it's not everyday I get woken up with a nuzzle and a kiss.” Luna put a hoof to her chest, pretending to be hurt. “What?! I give you a peck on the cheek every morning!” “Yes, but also I'm the one who wakes you up and the only thing you can do is peck me on the cheek until you've had your tea.” Fluttershy giggled. “I meant a more romantic kiss like what you did back there... I liked that.” The alicorn grinned. “Maybe I should make a habit of it.” She reached in and quickly kissed Fluttershy again before hopping off the bed. “C'mon Flutters, we don't have all night to get ready!” -~- Fluttershy rubbed up closely to Luna as they walked side by side down a sidewalk in downtown Canterlot. The night was windy and chilly, but also as clear as could be. Ponies walked to and fro along the street, the busy lifestyle of the city not slowing down as the moon began to rise. Luna looked over at the pegasus, admiring her new outfit. A dazzling, crimson dress reached from her neck down to past her cutie marks and it sparkled in the moonlight brilliantly. She also wore a set of boots and a woven scarf of the same color to compliment it. Luna herself wore a sleek, luminous white dress, with ruffled edges that blew in the wind. But that was far from her mind as they neared closer to the restaurant. “Whew, it's chilly in only this dress.” Fluttershy shivered, pressing even closer against her. “Don't worry, we're just about there,” Luna reassured her. “Besides, have I told you that you look gorgeous in it?” The mare laughed. “Oh yes, numerous times.” She looked up at Luna, “So, what's this place like?” The alicorn shrugged, as they came up to a door being attended by a very official-looking pony. “Why don't we go in and see for ourselves?” The pony outside opened the door for them, bowing slightly. Luna thanked him as they entered. Fluttershy, meanwhile, was much more preoccupied with looking around the high-quality restaurant. An adorned chandelier hung from a high ceiling, presiding over a room filled with tables of the highest echelons of Canterlot. Serving ponies dressed in tuxedos scurried across the room, refilling refreshments and serving meals. Exquisite artwork adorned the walls, and a huge, luxurious carpet covered the floor. Luna came back over to her and smiled. “Do you like it?” “Well, yes... But don't you think that this is a bit too upscale?” Fluttershy glanced around nervously. “You know how I feel about being around so many upper class ponies.” A month ago, the two had to stay for a day in Canterlot so Luna could give an address to the nobility of Equestria on the new tax laws. Fluttershy tried to sit-in and watch her beloved mare in action, but she couldn't handle the scrutinizing eyes of all the dukes, duchesses, barons and counts as she entered to room. “I know,” Luna said as she nuzzled her comfortingly. “That's why I made reservations for a private room.” An usher promptly came up to the pair and bid them to follow her up a set of stairs that ended in an open hallway overlooking the main dining room. The usherpony led on, and quickly arrived at a door at the end of the hall. Opening it for them, she let Luna and Fluttershy in first. The room was furnished with similar adornments as in the main dining room, except the seating was a wide booth that faced a large window. From there, they could see all over Canterlot, including the many spires jutting out above normal-sized buildings. It all glimmered like a thousand candles, with the moon rising still above the horizon. “Wow...” Fluttershy managed to utter as she entered the room. “So, now do you like it?” Luna asked. She wrapped a foreleg around her shoulder. “Come on, let's go sit down.” Fluttershy smiled as she scooted into the booth. “This is simply amazing, Luna. How did you do it?” The princess waved a hoof dismissively as she slid next to Fluttershy. “Oh, it was nothing. I just wanted to make sure you could enjoy a great night out without feeling anxious.” Doubt flashed in the pegasus' eyes for a moment. “Thanks... But are you sure I look okay? Everypony in the main hall looked so proper and well-dressed.” Luna rolled her eyes. “This is our own room, so nopony out in the other room can see you.” She gently took the scarf off from around Fluttershy's neck. “Besides, you look absolutely stunning, so you don't have anything to worry about.” Fluttershy looked into her eyes, and planted a kiss on Luna's cheek. “Thanks.” She giggled a second afterwards. “And don't think I haven't been looking at you either.” “Ah- um... Thanks.” Luna opened up her menu and held it close to her face to hide her growing blush. -~- A waiter rolled a cart into the room, stopping just around the corner of the booth. “Your meals, Princess Luna and Miss Fluttershy,” he announced. Using his own magic, he placed two plates on the table, a serving of vegetable casserole for Fluttershy and truffles over pasta for Luna. “Mmm, this looks good,” Fluttershy muttered aloud as the waiter left. “Yes, well... I wish we were served a little more than this,” Luna replied, looking down disappointedly at her meal. “It's maybe only a little bigger than my hoof,” she pouted. “Oh, stop it.” Fluttershy giggled. “I have plenty here if you finish yours.” “But I don't like vegetable casserole...” Luna said, still pouting. She crossed her forelegs stubbornly. The pegasus rolled her eyes, and took a bite out of her meal. “The city looks beautiful tonight,” she said, changing the subject. “Winter nights in Canterlot usually are,” Luna responded, forgetting entirely about her portion dilemma. She stared out the large window in front of them. “I've kinda missed this place. It's not as clean or friendly as Ponyville, but it still has its charm.” “Yeah, I guess it does.” Fluttershy agreed, taking a sip from her glass of wine. She grimaced as she swallowed, and quickly took a large swig from a glass of water. “Ugh! Th-that tasted horrible!” Fluttershy remarked. “How do you drink that?” “What, you've never had wine before?” Luna raised an eyebrow. “Why did you order a glass then?” “I- I thought it would make the dinner feel more fancy...” Fluttershy admitted. The dark blue mare giggled, leaning over and hugging the other pony. “You don't have to order a certain way to impress me or make this date feel any more special. Besides,” she continued, “it took me two centuries of feasts and ceremonies to get used to the taste.” “Oh.” Luna took a bite of her own dish. “Wow, these truffles are great! I haven't had any in months!” Fluttershy gave her a quizzical look. “What's a truffle?” “Oh, it's just a rare, tasty mushroom that grows under the ground. Want to try a bit?” Luna asked. “Umm... Oh sure, why not,” the pegasus replied as she shrugged. Luna stabbed a small piece with her fork, and fed it carefully to Fluttershy. The pink-maned equine chewed it slowly, examining it's flavor. She swallowed, and tapped her chin with a hoof for a few seconds. “Hmm, it's actually not that bad. It's a little too rich and hearty for me, but I can tell why you'd love it.” Luna took a sip of her wine and winked at Fluttershy. “You know me too well.” “And I love every bit I know.” Fluttershy replied, leaning in and kissing her. -~- Princess Luna helped her marefriend up into a hoofdrawn carriage, before getting onboard herself. Going to the front of the cabin, she tossed a few bits to the driver, then turned back around. She sat down and wrapped a foreleg around Fluttershy, who was grinning at her. “What?” Luna asked promptly. “Is there something on my face?” Fluttershy shook her head, “Oh no, I was just admiring something about you.” Luna grinned back. “It's my good looks, right?” “Oh, something like that.” She giggled, before changing the subject, “Tonight was really nice.” “Thanks, I had fun too.” Fluttershy leaned against her shoulder, exhaling deeply. “So, what do you think about a foal?” Luna coughed and choked abruptly, “Ahh- um what?” She looked completely caught off-guard. Fluttershy laughed. “Oh, calm down! I'm kidding!” Then she added quietly, “...for now...” “Ha ha, very funny,” Luna said. “You've been quite the joker tonight.” The pegasus nuzzled her affectionately. “I'd be honored, if I were you. I'm only this open when I'm really comfortable with the other pony.” She settled back in the crook of Luna's shoulder. Luna kissed the top of her head. “I know.” The carriage rolled quietly down the streets of Canterlot, slowly heading for the royal castle as the moon reached its zenith. “Wait,” Luna began with a start, minutes later. Fluttershy looked up at her curiously. “So, what were you admiring about me earlier? Was it my mane or my eyes?” “Uhh, no.” Fluttershy replied, looking away. “Well, what was it?” Luna asked. “I know you always make that grin when you see something you like.” Fluttershy chuckled anxiously. “It's nothing, honestly. I just expected a pony as old as you would know.” She smiled. “But it's perfectly fine that you don't understand.” “Hmph,” Luna pouted, just as the carriage rolled to a stop outside the castle doors. The two ponies got out, and walked side-by-side into the castle. Inside, Celestia was waiting for them. She was sitting near the base of the stairs, looking over a stack of papers. Her eyes lit up as she noticed the two enter. “Celly!” Luna exclaimed, “What are you doing up so late?” “Oh, I just couldn't miss the opportunity to ask you two how it went.” She replied. “So?” “It was a lot of fun,” Fluttershy answered. “Your sister here was very considerate, courteous and funny.” “Wow, are you sure you're talking about my sister?” Celestia joked lightly. “I'm proud of you, Luna. Who knew you'd be like this six months ago?” Princess Luna blushed slightly. “Oh, I just did my best to have a great time. It was nothing, really.” “Nothing?” Celestia echoed her. “Luna, this is the first time I've seen you in a dress so...” She fought to find the right word. “So...” “Slimming?” Fluttershy offered. “Ahh, yes,” Celestia agreed. “Quite slimming.” She turned to the yellow pegasus. “You like it, don't you?” Fluttershy nodded, “Why yes, I do. I definitely wouldn't mind if she wore more like it more often.” The white alicorn nodded with understanding, a smile gracing her lips. “I can see why you would.” Luna yawned, not understanding the conversation completely. “Alright, well can we go to bed? I'm tired.” Celestia shook her head. “Fluttershy may, but I'd like you to stay down her for a second so I can tell you something in private.” Luna looked up in curiosity. Meanwhile, Fluttershy came over and kissed her on the cheek. “Don't worry, I'll keep the bed warm until you come up.” As the pegasus ascended the stairs, Celestia stepped in closer to her sister. “So, how was it? No offense to Fluttershy, but I wanted to hear from you about how it went.” Luna smiled. “It was really, really nice. We walked out to the restaurant, had a beautiful room to ourselves, and enjoyed an excellent dinner.” “Good, good,” Celestia said. “Did you do anything afterwards?” Luna shrugged. “Not really. We shared a small dessert and then we got a carriage to take us back here. It was a little weird in there, but overall it was a great night.” “Weird?” Her sister asked. “How?” “Oh,” Luna waved her hoof dismissively. “I went up the front of the cabin to pay the driver, and when I turned back around to go sit with her, Fluttershy had this weird grin on her face. I don't understand why and she wouldn't tell me.” Celestia had to hold a hoof up to her mouth to stop her from chuckling too loudly. “Alright, let's pretend I am you, and you are Fluttershy. Okay?” She took a few steps away from her. Luna gave her a confused look. “Okay, sure, but I have no clue where you're going with this.” Celestia was facing away from her. “So, you were like this when you paid the driver?” She asked without looking back at Luna. Luna scratched the back of her neck. “Yeah, just like that.” Celestia turned her head around to look back at her sister. “You don't notice anything?” Luna shook her head. The taller alicorn smirked, and walked back over to her. “Well, it appears she was admiring you.” “Yeah, she said that, but I still don't understand.” The lunar princess looked perplexed. “Well, take some time to think about it, dear sister. There's only so much one pony can see when another has their back to them.” When Luna still looked lost, she winked. “Just think about it.” Then, the solar princess walked out of the room towards her study. Luna tapped her chin with a hoof. ”Fluttershy was admiring me from behind... Hmm-” Suddenly, she blushed. But unlike before, she didn't feel self-conscious or too embarrassed. Rather, she felt more confident and esteemed. She pumped a hoof quietly, before bounding up the stairs with some newly-acquired energy. -~- Author's Note I hardly ever do these kind of notes at the end, but I'd just like to say thanks for all the support I've gotten for this fic. It was the first one I've ever written on the My Little Pony universe more than a year ago, and the awesome response I got from everyone on FIMFiction encouraged me to finish this story and go on to write many more (There are a ton of WIPs that aren't published here either). I've written these bonus chapters for you guys and gals here because you're all awesome and incredibly supportive. I could have easily put these up on EqD, but I feel it's better here for all of you to enjoy. Sorry if the editing is off, but I can't find enough time to edit it at the moment. Once I find an hour or two this week I'll look through it and give it a proper look-over. Until then, enjoy it as much as you can! It's been awhile since I've written such an innocent (although I may have just taken that down a few notches, sorry! ), heartwarming, up-close, emotionally-lifting and heavy shipping, but I tried my best to recreate what I was putting out a year ago!" ]

[ "Dot Dot Dot The mood at the Trough n' Trot was lively, as it always was. Two regulars were in the back at their usual spot. Every Thursday night for the last five months this duo had come in for a few drinks and a good time; they'd managed to build up a great friendship and a reputation as partiers. During a regular night, the two ponies would drink together, and run up quite a tab. They usually spent their time talking, nothing more. Normally they were relaxed, but something was different that night. The two stood in relative silence, and while that was quite normal for the stallion, the Pegasus' quietness raised a few concerns from her friend. Big Macintosh's neat whiskey sat on the table, untouched; while Rainbow Dash slammed her glass down after knocking back her third vodka. She wiped her mouth and signaled for another. \"Are you, uh, alright there, Dash?\" Big Mac looked across the table at the collection of empty glasses that was slowly growing in front of Dash. It didn't take long for the newest drink to join them. “Yeah, Yeah I'm just fine...\" Her eyes fixed on Big Macintosh’s face. The blue Pegasus quickly nodded and flagged down the bartender for yet another round. She could drink Applejack under the table, so these few shots did nothing to her system. It took a lot more than that to get her wasted. Besides, Dash wasn't drinking because she wanted to get drunk, she only wanted to calm her nerves for what she was going to say. The blue filly had no idea how Big Mac would respond. \"... just fine.\" An awkward silence followed, neither pony knew what to say. “So um, how’s life?” Big Mac struggled to start the conversation. He didn’t usually do much of the talking. “Same old, same old, managing the weather and stuff...” Dash didn’t seem to be all there, and she took another shot of vodka and looked off to the side. “Well I think somethin’s up, you’re hitting the stiff stuff a bit hard t’night.” He raised an eyebrow. Normally Dash had something fruitier for a drink. “Yeah, so? It won’t hurt me!” she responded, unwilling to admit that something was on her mind. Her glass landed on the table and she immediately reached for another. “Sure, but it’s hell on mah paycheck...” he muttered. “Wuzzat?” “Nutin...” “...” The blue pegasus paused and pressed her hoof to her head, how was she going to talk to him about this? Her friend noticed her expression, and mistook it for sickness. \"Am I gunna have to take ya home?\" he grinned, already knowing the answer to that question. He always walked her home. “Nah. I’m good.” \"Well A'hm just worried 'bout ya, that's all.\" The large stallion smiled and finally downed his drink. He didn't want anything bad to happen to his best friend because she was the only pony he felt comfortable talking to. Big Mac gave an honest grin and added, \"You know I gotta look out for ya.\" \"Why's that?\" Rainbow absently fiddled with the glass in front of her. \"Well, you mean a lot to me.\" \"Really?\" She perked up. If he felt for her what she felt for him, it might make her task a bit easier. \"Of course! Most ponies wanna be 'round me 'cause I do stuff for 'em, but yer the only one who I can actually talk to!” He tapped the table, looking down at his hooves. “Little sister’s don’t count. Applejack is too stubborn, and Applebloom is still a young’un. That's why I love...\" He stopped himself mid-sentence with another shot. This short pause seemed like an eternity to Dash; she leaned forward over the table, her muzzle hovered precariously over the fresh vodka. They'd talked about many things, but never the nature of their relationship. With a satisfied grunt, Big Mac slammed the glass back onto the table. He resumed his sentence, and his grin widened. \"... That's why I love being yer friend!\" Upon hearing the word “friend”, Dash sighed, grabbed the vodka and threw her head back, allowing the strong liquor to sting her throat. The glass landed in front of her, and she stared at Big Mac from across the table. Rainbow wouldn't let this get her down, she was certain that the red stallion was merely unsure of how to express his true feelings, hopefully she could coax them out with her upcoming speech. \" Ya sure there ‘aint something wrong?\" Mac still had a confident grin, and he stared right back at her. \"...\" She methodically traced the rim of the empty glass with her right hoof, trying to find the courage to say what she needed to. Dash felt another hoof gently grab hers. \"Dash, if there's something you gotta say, then say it, I'm all ears.\" She’d been staring at him the whole night, but it was then, that very moment when he was reaching out to her, that she looked at him in a different light. When Rainbow Dash gazed into those deep green eyes, her fears vanished, and without a second thought a steady stream of words poured out of her mouth. Those within earshot turned their attention to the blue filly, who was motioning with her left hoof to help emphasize her point. But as soon as they heard exactly what she was talking about, they quickly returned to their own affairs. Those at a greater distance, like the pink filly hustling the pool tables, had to rely on visual clues to determine exactly what was going on. They watched the gesticulating pegasus as her words created an expression of utter shock on the red stallion's face. For Rainbow Dash, her own voice seemed to fade away until the bar became silent, devoid of anything except for the horrified farmer in front of her. Big Macintosh's brain acted much differently, Dash's words grew in volume until they thundered in his head, effectively muting the the surrounding conversations and the din of the bar. He barely noticed when a new shot of whiskey was placed in front of him. She continued talking, and near the end of her speech she finally got to the point. Dash opened her heart and laid bare the contents, convinced that doing so would bring shy Big Mac out of his emotional shell. She was committed to finally saying what had been eating away at her for the last few months. After a deep breath, she summed up her speech with a simple confession. At this point, Big Macintosh straightened up and withdrew his hoof from hers. In a daze, the farmhand grabbed the new whiskey and gulped it down. Instead of placing the empty glass on the table, he simply let it fall out of his mouth where it landed on its side without breaking. \"So um, that's what I wanted to tell you...\" Rainbow Dash exhaled and waited apprehensively for the response. \"...\" The largest member of the Apple family was frozen in place, and his silence only served to worsen the already delicate situation. Big Mac's face clearly showed his confusion. He felt that the Trough n' Trot was slowly spinning, and every moment quickened its dizzying pace. \"Big Mac?\" The fastest flier in Equestria rounded the table and stood next to him; her head was facing down but her purple eyes gazed up at him yearningly. Rainbow Dash was trembling anxiously, unsure of how the red stallion would respond. In the back of her head, she slowly realized that maybe she was wrong about Big Mac's true feelings. \"...\" His mind raced, painful memories flooded his head and he felt a terrible sense of déjà vu. Mac was quiet, as usual; and while he was fully aware of how his silence would be interpreted, he didn't want to make it any more painful then it needed to be. \"Is, Is something wrong?\" The blue pegasus was worried, and her voice was barely audible as she waited for any sort of a reply. \"...\" Big Mac looked around, his eyes scanned the bar; looking at everything inside but the mare in front of him. He almost seemed scared. \"Say something....\" Dash was almost at tears. She took a tentative step forward, practically begging for some sort of response from the earth pony, but he only took a step back to maintain distance. She stopped in her tracks, why was he doing this to her? Dash’s vision blurred, and she cried out one last time. \"Say something!\" “...” He cringed, it pained him to do this, but he didn’t want to cause more pain than necessary. Big Macintosh bit his lip to keep anything from escaping his lips. “Just answer me!” she demanded. Her voice rose as she took another step forward. “...” “Please...” Rainbow Dash’s anger dissipated, and instead a bitter sorrow took its place. \"...\" Mac was steadfast in his silence. Rainbow Dash made it tough on him, her teary gaze and soft voice tore at his conscience; but he would not speak, he didn't want to go through this with her. Dash finally got the message, or lack thereof. \"Um, I...\" she was choking up. The blatant rejection felt like flying headfirst into a wall. Rainbow Dash took a deep breath and spoke slowly, futilely trying to mask the utter devastation she felt. A weak grin was betrayed by her shaky voice and trembling legs. \"I'm j-just glad I t-told y-y-you and I... and I...\" She couldn't finish her sentence. Dash took a final glance at him, her violet eyes filled with tears of humiliation and despair. Big Mac almost said something, but he stopped himself, an open mouth and a blank stare the only sort of reply Dash would receive. She whipped her head away from him and galloped off, almost knocking over the ecstatic pink pony who was counting that night's winnings. The blue filly reached the door and stopped, debating whether or not to turn around. Mac watched silently as she shook her head and took off flying. The noise of the bar slowly went back to normal and the stallion was left to his own thoughts. The only thing he was doing was more shots. The next few minutes were spent in total silence, and while his mind was racing, his expression was blank, so lost in his thoughts he didn't notice the filly bounding towards him. \"Nice one, Mackie!\" \"Not now, Pinkie Pie.\" His stern voice was unwelcoming, but it didn't stop the greatest partier in town. \" Oh, so you CAN talk!\" Pinkie giggled. \"I thought you went mute, 'cause that's the only explanation I could think of for you to do that! Unless a rabid ferret bit your tongue out, or maybe you burnt your tongue on coffee! OOH! Maybe you were trying to communicate telepathically! Or eve-\" \"What're you doin' here?\" Big Mac glared, waiting for her to leave. \"Just running the pool tables, apparently I'm some kinda shark! RAWR!\" She threw her front hooves in the air, the stallion was not amused. \"Well why don't ya jes go back to yer table and leave me be?\" Big Mac gulped another whiskey. Pinkie got right up in his face, and she imitated his voice to perfection. \"Well why don't ya jes go after Dashie and admit yer a big dummy for what ya did?\" \"Ah can't do that...\" \"Why not?\" The pink partier backed away, genuinely intrigued. Mac took yet another shot, contemplating his predicament. Pinkie Pie wouldn't understand. \"ah jes’ can't.\" She giggled and turned her head sideways. Pinkie Pie's bubbly attitude was wearing thin on Big Mac, who wasn't in the mood for anypony, much less this one. \"That's not a reason, silly! Besides, I thought she was your best friend!\" He recoiled at the word ‘friend’, that’s what he thought too! Big Mac grew defensive. \"Are ya here to lecture me?\" He was so occupied with Pinkie Pie he never noticed a group of four fillies entering the bar. \"Of course not! That's her job...\" \"What're yo-\" An orange hoof slammed into a table, sending the glasses flying and almost breaking the old hunk of wood. Big Mac almost jumped, and his ears flattened when he saw who it was. Applejack glared at her brother, frowning. \"You no good, low-down, yelleh bellied varmint...\" Big Mac gulped, but this time it was nothing but air. Silence. The entry of the five mares drew the attention of all the ponies in the bar. For a few tentative moments, all eyes were focused on the group, but after a while, the interest faded. Ponies returned to drinking, especially Big Macintosh. The mood returned to normal. Big Macintosh put his glass down and scanned the surroundings, looking for a way out; but the five mares in front of him made it clear that he wasn’t leaving anytime soon. Resigned to his fate, the draft horse nonchalantly took another drink; his eyes only half open. \"What're y'all doin' here?\" He grimaced, either from annoyance or pain. The timid pegasus tried to start the conversation off politely, but she didn't get far. She was interrupted by the more militant mare. \"You know darn well why we're here!\" His hotheaded sister snapped back. Applejack knew her friends would be mostly silent, so she picked up their slack. \"Ah don't s'pose y'all dropped by fer drinks?\" Twilight Sparkle opened her mouth to speak, but Applejack beat her to it. Big Mac watched the unicorn roll her eyes and step back and stand idly by. \"Cut the crud, Big Mac! We saw Dash flyin' away!\" \"You don't even know what happened, do you?\" The red Stallion scowled. \"You have no clue…\" \"That's why yer gunna tell us what happened!\" She demanded. \"Only if you want to, Big Ma-\"Once again, Fluttershy tried to keep things civil, but she was thwarted by the orange mare. Shaking her head, the kind pony stepped back beside Rarity. Applejack turned to the yellow pegasus and cut her off. \"He doesn't have a choice!\" She whirled back around towards her older brother. \"What happened?\" Any concern she had for Rainbow Dash was overshadowed, and her focus was on finding out what stupid thing her brother did. \"…\" Big Mac used a time tested fail safe, don't say anything. Instead of a fearful silence, it was a solemn one. He knew what he had done, wasn't that enough? \"Am I gunna have to ask you again?\" Applejack spoke through gritted teeth. The most honest pony in Ponyville was quickly losing whatever patience she had. The knowledge that her best friend was hurt only spurred her to be more aggressive. \"You never asked in the first place.\" Big Mac retorted, only realizing his mistake a split second later; about the same time his sister did. In a blur, an orange hoof swept the table, sending all of the glasses onto the floor with a clatter. Most of them didn't break, but the sound drew the attention of every patron in the bar. Once again an awkward silence filled the air. Most of the ponies there silently paid their tabs and shuffled out, hoping to avoid further drama. \"Do Ah have t' say 'Please'?\" Applejack yelled at her brother. She got right in his face, but he wasn't fazed. \"You hurt Rainbow Dash, and Ah need to know how!\" \"Ooh! Ooh! I can tell you what happened!\" Pinkie Pie threw a hoof into the air, trying to be called on. Big Mac wasn't concerned, but his sister wheeled her head around. \"You can?\" \"Yeah! I was here, I saw everything!\" \"Well, out with it!\" Applejack trotted over to the party prone pink pony. \"So, I was playing pool, which is hard, by the way; I mean, I have to hold the stick in my mouth, and then I have-\" \"Pinkie, please do stay on topic.\" Rarity interjected, cutting off Pinkie Pie politely but firmly, finally engaging herself in the conversation. Pinkie recounted the comedy of errors. She told how Big Mac burnt his mouth with coffee, only to be viciously mauled by a ferret. The ponies around Pinkie Pie gave her strange looks, but that didn't stop her from continuing on, finally ending with Big Macintosh's futile attempt to communicate telepathically. \"Ugh! This is getting us nowhere!\" Applejack curtly added. Her brother took a deep breath, and he stepped around the table. \"Ah'll tell ya.\" Applejack held her tongue, giving Big Macintosh a rare chance to speak for himself. She simply backed up a few paces to give him room. The draft horse took a deep breath, already anticipating the backlash. When he spoke, it was slow and deliberate, with a solemn tone. \"Ah could tell that something was up. She was havin' more drinks than usual. We were mostly quiet, an' then she started talking…\" \"''Bout what?\" Applejack couldn't resist, and she interrupted Big Mac with a vague question. \"'Bout us, 'bout our friendship, 'bout how she felt for me. She wanted to know if Ah felt the same way…\" Big Macintosh's mind was focused on two ponies, Rainbow Dash, and a different mare from his past. His eyes shifted downward as he tried to force the image out of his head. \"Well, how does she feel about ya?\" Big Mac responded without hesitation; almost as if he sounded surprised. \"She loves me.\" His sister stared blankly, and his answer made her jaw drop. A hush fell over the group; the empty bar now devoid of sound. Applejack snapped back to reality. \"So, um, what'd ya do?\" \"Nuthin'\" A simple answer for a complicated situation. Twilight Sparkle didn't quite understand, and she asked for clarification. \"Ah didn't do, or say anything.\" Big Mac regretfully answered. \"Ah just stood there.\" \"You what?\" Applejack responds, but her surprise quickly turned into anger. \"How did she take it?\" Fluttershy inquired. \"Well, Y'all saw her flyin' off.\" \"Ya let her leave, jes like that?\" \"Not quite!\" Pinkie chimed in. \"First, she yelled at him, then she galloped off, almost knocked me over, too! I could tell she was crying.\" \"Pinkie, you saw all that? Why didn't you say so earlier!\" \"I tried! But you wouldn't listen!\" Despite this revelation, Big Macintosh didn't seem concerned; he simply stared off into the distance, occupied with something else. His sister, however, focused on the here and now. \"What really happened?\" \"What most of Mackie said was true, he just left out some stuff.\" Pinkie enthusiastically listed all of the omitted details, Dash's tears, her shouting, and finally her hasty exit. \"I could see it, you know? I could see her heart break.\" She lowered her head and paused again, as if trying to find the right words, her sudden shift in tone caught everypony's attention. She summed it up in a strikingly depressing fashion, and while Rainbow’s friends were mostly disturbed by Pinkie's strange attitude change, AJ quickly understood her point. The middle child of the Apple family turned towards her brother, as did the others. She advanced on him slowly, seething. Noticing this, Big Macintosh said a few words in self-defense. \"Ah didn't see it coming, and Ah didn't know she felt like that...\" \"Big Macintosh…\" AJ had none of it, she was about ready to jump on him, but he continued on. \"Ah know it hurt, but it coulda been worse. Ah jes wanted to make sure it didn't hurt more than it needed to.\" He tried to continue, but painful memories returned, and he started to choke up, he muttered his next line. \"Ah couldn't let it happen again, not to her.\" Big Mac realized that nopony had heard that, so he continued. \"Ah jes tried not to hurt her.\" \"Well, ya didn't do a great job of that, didja?” she shouted. \"All ya had to do was say something, and ya couldn't even do that!\" Applejack stepped towards her brother. \"Now she's flown off to who knows where, all because yer a damn coward!\" \"Sis, Ah-\"Big Mac protested, stung by the word 'coward'. \"When ya find her, and ya will find her, ya'd better get down and beg forgiveness! Celestia knows it's more than you deserve.\" \"What?\" \"And don't ya go near her again after that, you've hurt her enough!\" \"Why should I lis-\" \"Because yer a damn fool fer what you did t' her!\" \"…\" Big Macintosh fell silent, he knew when to fight, but his sister was too stubborn to listen. He took a shot, trying to drown not only his sorrows but the memories that clouded his mind. What had happened pained him, but he couldn't talk about it. He had never told anypony about what had happened, and he wanted to keep it that way, even if it meant being seen as a bad stallion. The large draft horse wasn't able to mope for long, however, because his sister made sure to get his attention. \"Ah mean honestly, Big Macintosh, ya broke her heart! Ah never thought ya could be so stupid!\" Fluttershy wanted to intervene, but she found herself mumbling instead. \"That's not really helping anypony, Applejack.\" \"You've screwed up before, but this is the worst one yet!\" Big Mac did not like losing his cool, and he desperately tried not to do it. His heavy breathing and scowl displayed his contempt, but he held back a much greater tide of emotion. His disposition didn't go unnoticed and some ponies decided that their friend's brother was a lost cause. \"Such a brute! No wonder the night went as it did!\" Rarity trotted away, leaving the stallion to his fate. Once again silence took over the bar. Applejack glared at her brother while he just stood there waiting for more alcohol. Big Mac seemed apathetic on the outside, but his emotions were tearing away at him. His anger was mostly directed at himself, but his sister and her friends weren't helping. The pink party pony, cheerful, yet subdued, answered the questions from the pegasus at her side. Big Mac broke the silence by asking for everypony to leave him alone. Applejack was in no mood to leave, and she changed the subject. The collection of glasses that are now scattered on the floor intrigued her. \"Are ya gunna pay for all these?\" \"I always cover the tab...\" Big Mac answered, not realizing the effect his words had on the mares. Applejack smacked her hoof into her forehead, covering her face from view. \"Are ya serious, Big Mac?\" \"What?\" The red draft horse was seriously confused. Applejack needed clarification. \"I knew you were hangin' out with Dash; but let me get this straight. Ya set a time and place, ya open the door fer her, ya spend quality time together, ya pay for the drinks, and then ya walk her home? And ya did this on a regular basis?\" \"Eeyup.\" Big Mac didn't see where this was going. \"If you've been dating fer so long, ya should've seen this coming!\" \"We weren't dating!\" \"Then what was it?\" \"We we're just hangin' out!\" His sister scoffed. \"T' think, ya hurt Dash because ya couldn't see the obvious…\" she shook her head slowly, before glaring at Big Macintosh right in the eyes. Fluttershy sensed where the orange pony was going with this. \"Applejack don't-\" Before she could be stopped, Applejack let loose and started yelling at her brother. \"Honestly, Big Mac, you should just stick to buckin' apple trees, because you must be the dumbest sum'bitch in Ponyville! You just hurt mah best friend, jes what were you thinkin' when you stood there and didn't say a word?\" \"Oh, I'm sorry Ah don't got time to think 'bout this sorta stuff!\" he furrowed his brow as his voice steadily rose to match his sister’s. \"Obviously ya got much more free time than I do, because yer in here yellin' at me!\" Big Mac lifted one of his large hooves and pointed it accusingly at Applejack. \"Ya know, not all of us have the time fer slumber parties, Galas, and fashion shows! Some of us got actual work to do, so excuse me if Ah don't know too much about datin'!\" \"If ya do so much work, what're ya doin' here?\" \"This is mah one night off! Ah can't exactly get a drink any time ah want, but ah s'pose you got no problem with takin' a day or two off.\"", "\"Ya know, not all of us have the time fer slumber parties, Galas, and fashion shows! Some of us got actual work to do, so excuse me if Ah don't know too much about datin'!\" \"If ya do so much work, what're ya doin' here?\" \"This is mah one night off! Ah can't exactly get a drink any time ah want, but ah s'pose you got no problem with takin' a day or two off.\" Big Mac was tense as he waved the hoof around and continued to argue. \"Are ya sayin' ah don't work hard?\" \"Well yer obviously good at throwin' parties and chasin' zebras! Not exactly what I'd call strenuous work…\" \"Without me, Applebuck season would have been a disaster!\" \"Really? The one time Ah'm unable t' work, you need your friends t' pitch in; the first time in Apple family histr'y that we needed help!\" If Applejack wasn't going to pull any punches, he wasn't either. Only one pony found herself willing to try to intervene. \"That's not fair, Big Macin-\". Once again, Fluttershy found herself cut off. Big Mac saw her out of the corner of his eye; she seemed frustrated, but he focused on bigger things at that moment. The draft horse continued on. \"Damn it AJ, Ah bust mah flank out in those orchards all day, every day! So do me a favor and leave me be!\" \"Not if yer gunna hurt mah friends, Big Mac!\" \"If you care so much about Rainbow Dash, what are ya doin' here? Why ain't ya out lookin' for her? She could have left town by now!\" his words slipped out, and he grimaced after the last part. He needed to follow it up with something else. \"Ah-\" Applejack protested, but the tables were turned, she was now on the end of an anger fueled rant. \"Because you don't care! Ah may have messed up, ah know it, but instead of tryin' to make me look like a fool you should look fer her! Y'all say she's yer friends, but when it comes down to it, y'all don't give a rat's as-\". His face slowly faded into realization, and finally into resentment. \"Stop.\" \"Fluttershy?\" Big Mac turned his head towards the pony who had spoken. \"We do care, Big Macintosh, we just need your help.\" The large pony started to respond, but he pulled away when his attitude caused her to shrink back with a muttered \"Eep!\" \"Mah help?\" The red stallion stared blankly at the pony in front of him. Big Mac watched the pegasus take a deep breath and step towards him. \"I want to understand; I want to know what happened and why it happened. It's the only way we can help Dash.\" Her honest words hit home for Big Mac, who saw the sincerity in her eyes. \"How can Ah help? Ah've hurt her enough.\" \"Ya can help by fessing up t-\"Applejack jumped in, but the glare she got from the yellow pegasus stopped her in her tracks. With a discontented grunt she relented to the more gentle method of problem solving. \"Um, if it's ok, I'd like to ask some questions.\" Fluttershy tiphooved up to the imposing stallion in front of her. \"Nothin' doin', not with all them here.\" He motioned to the rest of the group. The kind pony took a few moments to think, with a gentle tone she politely asked the others, \"Would you ladies start looking for Rainbow Dash? If you don't mind, that is.\" \"Ah ain't going nowhere!\" \"Besides, she could be anywhere!\" Rarity voiced her discontent. \"We'd have to search every nook and cranny in Equestria!\" Twilight made her opinion clear as well. \"No, you won't.\" Big Mac instinctively replied upon hearing about nooks and crannies. \"What do you mean?\" Applejack looked at her brother suspiciously. He exhaled quickly, and spoke plainly. \"When Dash is stressed, she likes to fly it off. And she won't be in any nooks or crannies; on account a she's a bit scared of tight spaces…\" \"Ah still ain't leavin', what about you girls?\" The farm mare turned to her friends for their response. Twilight Sparkle and Rarity hesitated and looked towards Fluttershy for direction. The pegasus simply nodded, and without a word the two mares turned to leave, followed the entire way by Applejack. \"Y'all are traitors!\" Fluttershy used the distraction to address Big Macintosh. \"How do you know that Rainbow Dash is claustrophobic?\" He looked at her quizzically. \"Um, Afraid of tight spaces?\" \"She tol' me…\" He looked down at his hooves, lost in his memories. \"You talked about a lot of things with Dash, right?\" \"Eeyup.\" Big Mac traced the rim of his glass, deep in thought. He saw Applejack heading back towards him and he took a deep breath. \"You didn't mean to hurt her…\" Big Mac instinctively reacted with a loud rebuttal, \"Of course not!\" His outburst terrified the timid pony, who cowered back. He saw what he'd done, and he cursed himself under his breath. Hadn't he hurt enough ponies today? \"Why are ya yellin' at her!?\" Applejack rushed over. \"It's… it's ok Applejack.\" Fluttershy gulped and regained her composure. She was certain that Big Mac had something on his mind, and she wasn't going to give up, for his sake. \"If you didn't mean to hurt her, why didn't you say something?\" \"…\" He grimaced, unwilling to answer, the thoughts in his mind too painful to share. \"I just want to understand.\" She looked at him sincerely. \"Ah can't…\" He tried to speak, but he started to choke up. Big Mac reached for a bottle, but he stopped himself. The earth pony just exhaled and lowered his head. Applejack silently slid in next to Fluttershy. \"What's his problem?\" She muttered. \"Applejack, I don't think prodding him for answers will get us anywhere.\" \"Well, what else can we do?\" Fluttershy didn't answer, instead she slowly approached Big Mac. \"What're ya doin'?\" Applejack called after her; she noticed the shaky legs of the pegasus. \"Can…\" She took a deep breath. \"Can you tell me how it started?\" \"Hm?\" Big Mac snapped out of his stupor and faced the terrified pony. He didn't seem to understand. \"How you and Dash started these get-togethers, I mean…\" She was careful not to use the word 'date'. The draft horse didn't expect anypony to ask about that. At least that was something he was willing to share. \"Well, um…\" \"Fluttershy, what does that have to do with anything?\" \"Let him answer!\" Fluttershy responded; taken aback at her forcefulness, she added. \"Uh, if you'd be so kind…\" Big Macintosh nodded, grateful for the support. \"Well, it was a few months ago, right before Applebuck season. There was a big storm comin', so we needed to buck some of the trees early. AJ was supposed to help me, but she got caught out in the storm and went to some slumber party instead; so Ah decided to get the job done mahself.\" \"If you knew there was going to be a bad storm, why didn't you wait?\" \"Ah don't leave work unfinished, ever.\" He answered sternly. \"Oh…\" \"Get to the point!\" Applejack honestly had no clue where her brother was going with this. Big Mac glared at his sister and continued. \"Ah got a bit done, but ah was caught outside when the storm hit. Ah only had a few trees left, so ah toughed it out.\" Fluttershy was riveted by the story, and she watched him closely. \"What happened next?\" \"Well, a bolt of lightnin' hit the tree I was workin' on and the top of jes fell right on me.\" Big Mac patted his side. \"Broke three of mah ribs.\" \"Oh, that's terrible!\" \"Ah was pinned down, the rain was pourin' and the wind was howlin'; Ah thought the rest of the tree would fall right on top of me.\" This was the first time Big Mac told anypony about this, and he was glad there was somepony willing to listen. \"Were you scared?\" \"Ah bit…\" He admitted embarrassedly. \"Hmph.\" Applejack didn't care about any of this; she was upset that Big Mac had told her something different. In fact, he gave her a completely different explanation for that injury. \"How did you get out?\" \"Well, all of a sudden, the rain stopped. There was a tiny break in the clouds, directly above me. When Ah looked up, Ah saw her. Dash swooped in and helped get the tree offa me. Then she took me into the barn.\" \"She helped you.\" \"Eeyup. She tried t' leave, but ah couldn't let her act of kindness go unrewarded; so ah offered t' buy her a drink. I was bein' chivalrous.\" Big Mac was proud of using that word, he'd made it a point to be a gentlecolt at all times. \"So that's how it started.\" \"Eeyup.\" Applejack decided she'd had enough. \"If y'all we're just friends, why'd ya keep takin' her on dates? And why'd ya buy the drinks and walk her home?\" \"He just said why, he was being chivalrous.\" \"What?\" \"Paying for the evening, walking the mare home, that's what the stallion is supposed to do, no matter the relationship. It's something our generation seems to have forgotten. Big Mac was just doing the right thing in his mind. Dash just interpreted it differently. I don't blame her though, months of 'dates' would get me to start asking questions too.\" \"You gotta believe me, Ah always cared about Dash.\" \"Yes, Platonically.\" \"Huh?\" The two Apple siblings asked at once. \"As, um,…\" Fluttershy paused, trying to find the right word. \"'…buddies', not as colt-friend and mare-friend.\" Big Mac nodded, greatly appreciative; his sister simply stood there silently. Applejack shook her head and faced her brother. \"Nope , Ah ain't buyin' it.\" \"What?\" \"Ya said ya never meant to hurt Dash, and that ya really did care 'bout her feelin's.\" \"Eeyup, and i meant it!\" For once Applejack found herself unable to match his fervor, her confusion and frustration manifesting in a solemn frown. Her speech was slow and deliberate, a far cry from her passionate yells from earlier. She didn't even look at her brother as she spoke to him, the younger sibling merely stared off into the distance. \"Ya tol' us that ya really care about Dash, and that ya didn't mean t' hurt her...\" \"Eeyup, and Ah meant it, too!\" The red stallion shouted, scowling. He didn't need these ponies telling him that he screwed up, the look on Rainbow Dash's face was enough. When she turned to face him, Big Mac saw something in his sister's eyes that made him feel more sad than threatened. When she asked him her question, he listened intently. \"Then what were ya thinking?\" His little sister was clearly distraught. The large horse felt a whole mix of emotions swirl through him. And the confusion and anger culminated with a seemingly blank stare. \"She stood right there, and she poured out her heart t' ya!\" Applejack looked around, exasperated. \"Ah mean, all ya had t' do was say something! Anything!\" She rested her gaze on the draft horse in front of her. \"And yet ya didn't even give her the dignity of a response!\" She paused, waiting for her words to sink in before continuing. \"She was almost in tears, Big Macintosh.\" The red stallion opened his mouth to speak, but that was quickly prevented. Big Mac was unsure of what he would have said anyway, his mind clouded with memories he'd rather not share. How could his sister yell at him about things she didn't understand? The pain Big Mac felt tore away at him, and any anger he had was gone. \"So what were you thinkin'! How does doin' that t' her show that you care?\" Fluttershy intervened. \"Applejack, he didn't know she felt like that.\" \"Even if that is true...\" The orange mare turned to face the pegasus. \"...why not just say so? Why'd he stay quiet? He should've known how much it would hurt her!\" \"I don't know, Applejack.\" \"I'll tell ya why, It's because he doesn't care!\" \"That's not true.\" Out of everything said that day, that was the worst. The idea that he willingly hurt his friend wrenched his gut, and the blatant accusation hurt him more than any blow could. \"Then what is it? Tell us!\" Her anger returned. \"Ah can't...\" This wasn't a satisfactory response. His sister's temper boiled over, and she raised a hoof to strike him. Fortunately she restrained herself. \"Stop feelin' sorry for yerself!\" Applejack's voice rose to a yell, intended to strike fear into her half-witted brother. \"Yer not the one who got their heart broken! Yer actin' like yer the one in pain, and it's downright disgustin'!\" The orange mare continued yelling, spewing a stream of insults meant to show her brother how insensitive he was. Big Mac winced at her words. \"Applejack! This isn't helping anypony!\" Fluttershy intervened, and her shy disposition was nowhere to be found. \"He's your brother! Why can't you just try to help him?\" \"He hurt our friend! I'm supposed to coddle him cause of it?\" \"You don't have to be so mean!\" \"I want him to know that it's all his fault, that it never should have happened to Dash!\" Fluttershy was about to respond, but something clicked in her mind. Thinking out loud she muttered, \"It happened before...\" \"What?\" The pegasus quickly walked up to the large stallion. \"Big Macintosh, earlier you muttered something along the lines of 'I couldn't let it happen again'\" The gears in her mind picked up the pace and spun at a dizzying speed. \"Ya... Ya heard that?\" The draft horse regretted ever saying that. It seemed that they would find out after all. \"What're y'all talkin' about?\" \"What happened?\" Fluttershy asked. \"What happened before?\" \"...\"Big Mac shook his head, he would not speak. \"Was there somepony else?\" \"E-... Eeyup...\" He tried to turn away, but Fluttershy moved with him. \"She... She...\" He struggled to speak, his emotions getting the better of him. \"Did she share her feelings with you?\" \"...\" He nodded. \"Fluttershy! What're ya goin' on about?\" Applejack shouted frustratedly. \"Did you react the same way?\" The yellow pegasus ignored her friend's outburst. Her focus was entirely on the pony in front of her. \"...\" The draft horses muzzle swayed from side to side as his response. His silence only frustrated his sister more. \"Speak, Dammit!\" Applejack commanded, mostly because she felt out of the loop. \"Ah didn't see it comin'. We were jes getting dinner like usual...\" Big Mac's eyes were clouded with tears, and he looked around the bar, trying to see a way out \"What did you do?\" Big Mac relented. \"Ah tol' her the truth. Ah tol' her that ah didn't feel the same way. and that we should just be friends.\" He started to choke up, reliving the memory was obviously painful. With hushed tones the red stallion continued on. His solemn answer silenced his sister, who just watched the pitiful sight of a broken stallion. Big Mac's head drooped and his shoulders sagged as waves of pain and depression washed over him. \"How did she take it?\" Fluttershy asked, fully aware of the delicate situation. \"She just broke down, cryin' and yellin'. I dunno how long she cried, but when it was all over she just tol' me t' leave. The poor mare was in so much pain, and i knew it was all my fault.\" Big Mac spoke slowly and deliberately, emphasizing each word as he told his sad story. The pegasus listened, intent on understanding what happened, while the orange earth pony merely watched, amazed that she had never heard of this until now. Her brother continued, \"Ah looked for her the next day to try to fix things, but ah couldn't find her. It turns out she'd left town that morning. Nopony's heard from her since.\" \"Who was it?\" Applejack pressed, but Big Mac's look made it clear that he would never give up that name. Even now, he still tried to be chivalrous. Fluttershy stared at Big Mac, reflecting on what he had said. The poor stallion blamed himself; never quite able to recognize the fault of the mare or the extremity of the response. With Dash his actions weren't malicious, nor were they justified. They were simply misguided. His judgment was corrupted by memories of something so painful and extreme that it directed his actions. \"So when you didn't say...\" \"Ah knew that saying something would be the worst thing Ah could do.\" Big Macintosh was blunt. Now that the truth was out, there was no need to hide behind false ignorance. He managed to hold back tears, \"Ah didn't want to hurt Dash as much as Ah hurt her.\" Fluttershy wanted to tell him that it wasn't his fault. Just because one mare reacted that it didn't mean that Rainbow Dash would do the same. She sighed, knowing that no matter what she said he would still blame himself. Instead, she focused on a more prevalent matter. \"Big Macintosh, Rainbow Dash isn't just going to just leave town, you need to see her again. Right, Applejack?\" She turned to her friend, instantly regretting it the moment she noticed the look on Applejack's face. \"Ya never tol' me about that, Big Macintosh... Ya never tol' me about any of this stuff...\" She paused, exasperated, but her frustration slowly faded after a few tense moments. \"I'm yer sister...\" She looked at him and quietly asked, \"Don't... don't ya trust me?\" She seemed deflated, her anger simmering under fresh confusion. Big Mac quickly embraced his sister. \"You know Ah do, sis...\" He dried his tears and comforted her. \"Ah just didn't wanna think about it anymore.\" His sister opened her mouth to speak, but he pulled her in tighter to silence her. \"Ah'm sorry.\" Fluttershy could barely hear Applejack return the sentiment. The tender family moment touched Fluttershy's heart, but it didn't last long. A bright flash erupted in the bar, and Twilight Sparkle appeared next to them. The sudden appearance of the unicorn caused the pegasus to fold her wings and crouch down, while the Apple siblings broke their embrace and fell over. Their state of inebriation made the simple task of getting up near impossible. \"Um, Sorry to interrupt. We found Rainbow Dash.\" \"Where is she?\" Applejack asked, taking the initiative from the presently petrified pegasus. \"She's just flying around over the park. We told her to come down but she won't listen. Rarity is there, I can teleport us over to her.\" Fluttershy picked Applejack up. \"Big Macintosh, I think Dash needs to see you.\" \"Ah don't know.” He craned his neck to look at her from his position on the ground. “Ah'll jes end up hurtin' her more.\" The idea of making Rainbow Dash yell at him or worse made him cringe. \"Big Mac, ya might not know what to say, but avoidin' her will only make it worse. Either she's gunna hate you, or she's gunna hate herself. Do ya want either of those t' happen?\" \"No.\" \"Then ya gotta talk t' her, tell her the truth.\" Applejack tried to instill confidence in her brother. She felt her anger rising up again. “Stop being a coward!” \"We won't make you do anything, but you have to make up your mind.\" Fluttershy added. \"...\" Big Mac was quietly contemplating his options. His sister sighed, and decided to say one final thing. \"Big brother, ah know ya hurt her, and you know ya hurt her, and you know she's out there, in pain... she needs ya.” Applejack gritted her teeth and looked to the side. Why ya did it isn’t important anymore, and ah don't care if ya meant to do it. I just want to know, what are ya gunna do now?\" She asked, whipping her head around to watch her brother intently. “You’d better do something, or Ah’m gunna buck the hell outta you!” The anger had returned but the orange mare restrained herself. He stood there; Everything that had happened swirled through his mind. Big Mac struggled with his decision, and all he could do was keep thinking. He was silent, the minutes ticked by, but eventually he led the other ponies out of the bar. He didn’t know what was going to happen that night, but he knew what the first thing out of his mouth would be. “Ah’m Sorry.”" ]

[ "Gotta Put a Smile on Your Face By ZAquanimus Rainbow Dash flew through town at such speed that she was just a chromatic blur. Everypony looked up at the rainbow maned pegasus wondering what had her in such a hurry this time. Thankfully none of the ponies that saw her called her down, she just didn't have anytime to stop this morning. Dash looked back to make sure her saddlebags were still hanging on tight as she sped through the sky over Ponyville towards her home, a bowl with a wooden spoon held in her mouth. She touched down on the “patio” of her home without slowing down and sped through the door. Running over to her kitchen she dropped the bowl onto the counter and undid her saddlebags, letting them drop to the floor. “Aggh, what to do, what to do!” Dash rummaged through the contents of her saddlebags and brought out a thick pink book with a wooden spoon and eggbeater on the cover. She dropped it onto the counter and started rifling through the pages of the cook book she had borrowed earlier from Twilight, frantically searching for a cake recipe. “Yes, here's one!” Dash propped the book up against the wall of kitchen, so that she could see the recipe without having to stand directly over it and looking down. She then turned to rummage around in her bags again, bringing out two eggs she had gotten whilst at Fluttershy's and placed them on the counter, only to see them sink through the cloud. Dash stuck her head out of the kitchen window and looked on, aghast, as the eggs plummeted to the ground below. She groaned and turned back inside, piling everything back into her bags as she took off, out her door before she even heard the barely audible cracks of the eggs hitting the ground. “Augh, how could I be so stupid!? Of course the actual food wouldn't stay on the cloud, they aren't enchanted like Fluttershy's Bowl and Twilight's cookbook!” Dash conked herself in the head a few times as she flew back to Ponyville, working up the nerve to do what she now needed to. **************** Rainbow Dash knocked on the door and waited, grimacing as she heard a crash come from inside as somepony knocked something over on their way to opening the door. The door whipped open as the pony inside pushed it open, Dash barely jumped back in time, scowling as she turned back to face the pony. “Oh hey there Dashie!! Watcha doing knock, knock, knockin' on my door? Huh? Huh Huh?” Dash closed her eyes and groaned, hoping that she could get through the next few minutes before she forced herself to leave. “Hey there Pinkie Pie, I was wondering if I could borrow your kitchen fo..” “Oooh!!! Watcha making! ?” Pinkie asked as she suddenly had her nose pressed against Dash's. Dash took a step back and rubbed at the back of her head as she thought about what to tell Pinkie. “Well um.. It's um.. It's a secret.” Pinkie Pie gasped and hopped into the air. “A Secret!?!? No worries, your secret is safe with me! Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!” Going through the gestures that always accompany the Pinkie Pie promise whilst still hopping. “And of course you can use the kitchen!” Pinkie stopped hopping for a second as a thought crossed her mind. “Wait a second, you don't know how to cook Dashie. Ooh Ooh Ooh!! Do you want some help? Do yah!? Do yah!? Do yah? !” Bouncing with each of her last questions, emphasizing her excitement. Dash sighed a little and looked away as she answered. “Well you see Pinkie, I think I'd rather work on this on my own. It's... special.” “Oooooh! Okey Dokey Loki!” Pinkie Pie turned around and bounced back into the kitchen of Sugar Cube Corner, stopping long enough to see Dash walk up to the counter before she bounced away to the front of the store to see if anypony was waiting to buy treats. Rainbow Dash sighed as she turned her head to pull the bowl and spoon out of her bag and set them on the counter, then slipping off the saddlebags as she pulled everything else out and set it all on the counter, glad to see that none of it was falling through. Dash chuckled at the thought of the flour sinking through the solid counter top as she walked over to the fridge to grab a couple of eggs. Sure that they wouldn't be missed in a bakery, they probably had plenty more. Dash placed the eggs next to the bowl, then propped the cookbook up on some kind of stand that seemed like it was meant to hold books open. She looked over what ingredients the cake recipe called for and tossed everything in as she read, completely forgetting that the eggs had to be cracked and only the insides used. “Two eggs... a stick of butter... a cup of milk... a cup of flour... two cups of sugar... and... a teaspoon of vanilla, her favorite.” Satisfied with the concoction Dash grabbed the wooden spoon in her mouth and stirred everything in the bowl. Picking up the bowl she moved over to the oven, carefully opening it with a hoof before she placed the bowl on the middle rack. Closing the door Dash leaned forward to look at all the little knobs on the front. “Umm... how long... an hour..? At... 500 degrees? Oh wait, this works!” Dash smiled as she pressed her hoof on a small red button that was conveniently labeled as “Bake a Cake”. Satisfied, Dash turned back to her the countertop and began cleaning up, putting what wasn't completely used back into the fridge for the Cakes and Pinkie to use later. After cleaning up the kitchen Dash sighed, leaning against the counter, her ears perking as she herd a ding come from oven. Trotting over to it, grabbing a mouth mitt on the way, she pulled the oven door open and carefully pulled the cake out. Rainbow Dash groaned as she set it onto the counter, looking down to see that the cake was a muddy brown mess, pockmarked with eggshell fragments. Realizing her amateur mistake she threw the failed cake into the trash and washed the bowl before starting over. Making sure this time to remember to crack the eggs on the counter and opening them over the bowl so that their contents would fall into the bowl, hopefully without any eggshells. Dash continued the process, this time following the instructions of the cookbook,which she had overlooked entirely before. Finally putting it all into a caketin like she should have the first time around. Collapsing onto the counter she just waited, taking a breather from all the work she had done. Dash began imagining some new moves that she had been wanting to try out, disappearing into the land of her imagination. *************** Rainbow gasped as she looked at the clock tick-tocking away over the kitchen sink. Turning to the oven she threw it open and grabbed the cake with a mouth mitt and dashed out, telling herself that she'd come back to clean up her mess later. Flying as fast as her wings could take her with a hot cake tin held in her mouth she flew back to her house. Not bothering with the front door she just flew through the kitchen window and dropped the tin on the counter, too much in a rush to even sigh in relief as it stayed fast, clearly enchanted to sit on clouds. She searched through her cabinets in a hurry, looking for a plate that was big enough to hold the cake. Finding one she dropped it onto the counter and gasped in pain as she turned the tin over onto the plate. Having forgotten that it was probably still oven-hot even after the flight. Not paying the stabbing pain of the burn any heed she pulled the tin off the cake and tossed it into her sink as she turned to grab the finishing touches from her saddlebags. “Aw, Horse Apples!” She shouted as she realized she had left them back at Pinkie's. Scrambling back to the counter she rummaged through the drawers, looking, hoping that there would be at least one. “Ah-HAH!” Dash mumbled around the candle that was now gripped in her teeth. She turned and stuck the candle into the center of the cake, striking a match that she had found alongside the candle on her hoof she lit the candle. Letting out a relieved sigh as she dropped the match into the sink, watching it fizzle before sinking to the ground in exhaustion. “Rainbow Dash, I'm home! !” Dash's throat seized up in surprise as she flailed for a bit, getting herself back to her feet as she grabbed the plate and ran out to the foyer. Just barely able to see over the top of the cake she saw Scootaloo dropping her saddlebags in the corner by the door, and smiled as she saw Scootaloo turn around and gasp. “Happee Birfday Squerrt!” Rainbow Dash grunted as the smaller filly tackled her. Gasping as she saw the cake land on the floor, somehow landing with the plate down, surviving. “OhmygoshOhmygoshOhmygoshOhmygosh!! !” Scootaloo cried as she nuzzled Dash. Rainbow Dash chuckled and nuzzled Scootaloo in return, turning to look at the cake. “Well how about it kiddo? Blow out the candle and make a wish.” Scootaloo nodded and stepped over to the cake, leaning down to blow the candle out before taking a bite of it. Dash looked on expectantly and cringed when she saw a look of disgust play across Scootaloo's face. “Blargh!” Scootaloo shouted before spitting out a half chewed piece of cake. “There's eggshells in there!” Dash looked closely and indeed saw that there were the telltale white fragments of eggshell. Falling over Dash broke into laughter, her hooves holding her stomach as she laughed louder and louder. “Well of course there are eggshells! Who do you think I am? Pinkie Pie! ?” Scootaloo joined in the laughter, jumping back onto Dash as she started to tell her about her day." ]

[ "The hall had been quiet for all of half an hour when the door opened once more. The two Earth Pony Guards standing outside of Princess Celestia's room glanced at each other before looking at the creaking door as Princess Luna made her way in. Again. She walked towards them only to stand right in front of a blank wall. The two guards exchanged looks. When one was about to speak, the other one shook his head. Grumbling a bit, the first guard settled back to his post as they surreptitiously observed the Princess. Luna paced in the hall for the sixth time that night, having walked out of the hall in a huff only to return shortly after. The two guards followed her with their eyes, getting more and more nervous as she would stop and stare at a wall a few feet down from her sister's door, muttering to herself. They exchanged glances once again when she shook her head. “Hey... do you think she's going...” one of them started to whisper from the side of his muzzle. “Damn it!” Luna suddenly roared making the two guards jump in fright. The crash alerted Luna to what happened and she sheepishly watched a helmet roll past her. “Eh.. hehe... sorry.” The two looked at her bewildered until the door behind them opened slowly and Princess Celestia walked out of her room, eyes heavy with sleep. “Luna?” she shook her head and looked down at the two guards who were still holding on to each other and blushing so hard their whole heads were red. She arched an eyebrow and the two hastily separated to stand on their posts. Still looking a bit embarrassed, Luna placed the helmet on the top of the guard's head using her magic. “Sorry sister...” she sighed. “What happened?” Celestia asked, more awake now and trying to stifle a yawn. “It's pretty late at night.” Luna sighed. “I know, I know it's just... there is something strange here.” her hoof swept in the direction of the empty hall. “I know I haven't been here for a thousand years but... wasn't there a room right next to yours?” Celestia blinked. “What? I don't remember any rooms next to mine.” “But... I'm sure of it.” Luna said making her way to where she thought it should be. “Did you rebuild anything around here while I was gone?” “No...” Celestia said, walking up to her. “But, Luna, are you sure you're not confusing this hall with one in your old castle?” Luna shook her head. “No... I distinctly remember there being a room right here... I can almost see the door.” Celestia turned and stared at the wall. Her eyes narrowed. She peered closer. Her left eyebrow twitched and then curved inquisitively. “No... I don't think there was anything there, Luna.” Luna groaned. “I feel something here sis! Really!” Celestia blinked, looking at her sister's stern expression. “I can see that, Luna but there is nothing there.” Luna groaned then turned to look at the guards. “Hey, you two. Come over here.” The guards looked dubious but a Royal Order was, after all, a Royal Order. There was a reason the words were capitalized. “Yes, your majesty?” one asked. “Look over here and tell me what you see.” She pointed at the blank wall. The guard stared at it. “I see... a wall, your majesty.” “Me too.” the other added, then, as if suddenly inspired he smiled triumphantly. “I also see granite blocks, making the wall.” The Moon Goddess seriously considering punching the guard in the face so hard he would meet the celestial body itself, but gritting her teeth she held back. “Celestia...” “Luna, there is nothing there, really. You must be confused.” Celestia said kindly. “Maybe you're tired.” “Sister.” Luna snapped. “Look at them. Guards. Look at where I am pointing.” Celestia decided to humor her sister. After a moment, she frowned. “My loyal guards, please, look to where the princess is pointing.” Both of the guards looked confused. “We are, your majesty.” Celestia looked at Luna, who had a smug smile on her face. “I see. There is some sort of compulsion making them not look at the spot you are telling them about.” “Not only them.” Luna said after a moment. “You too, sis.” “What? !” Celestia reared up. “But... that can't be, the only other pony that could cast such a spell is you!” Luna nodded. “And I didn't. Well, I'm sure the door is there, so, if you'll excuse me...” she quickly turned around and using her considerable strength kicked with her hind legs. There was the sound of cracking wood, and for a moment, Celestia thought that she had seen something. She concentrated harder as her sister kicked again. There! Just as her sister's kick had connected with the invisible door there had been a mirror-like sheen splintering for a second. Concentrating her magic she waited for her sister's third kick and cast a strong dispelling spell. The magic and the damage to the door were too much for the illusion trying to protect it. With a crack that shook the hall the spell broke into ephemeral pieces that were visible to the naked eye for a split second before evaporating into nothing. The guards stared in surprise at the sudden appearance of the room where there used to be nothing, but to their credit they recovered quickly and began to approach it. “Wait.” Luna ordered. “My sister and I will go first, we don't know if there is any more magic in there that might affect you.” The guards looked slightly nervous at the prospect, and fell back after looking at Celestia for acknowledgment. Celestia and Luna slowly made their way to the door and carefully kicked in the last pieces of the strong wooden door before walking inside, their magic bringing with them a couple of torches. When they looked inside, they gasped. “W-what does this mean?” Luna asked, looking around in wonder and some measure of horror as she looked at her sister. Celestia for her part sank to her knees. Tears started flowing freely as she looked around the room. “I don't know sis... but... I... I can't stop crying...” her hoofs came to her eyes, she was confused and scared, but even worse, there was a horrible, sinking feeling inside of her. Luna watched as her sister's eyes betrayed a terrible hurt. She hadn't seen anything like that since she had turned into Nightmare Moon a thousand years ago. Back then she had been disgusted at what she know recognized as the pain you can only feel for someone you love with your soul. She walked slowly around the room avoiding the small bookshelf, the little table, the wooden blocks... until she stood in front of an empty crib standing next to a small cabinet with some tiny dresses and a couple of cute diadems . The room still had magic in it, and it had preserved everything just like it had been the night or day it had been closed and hidden. On the sheets of the crib she could see the wrinkles around an empty space. Next to a small pillow lay two small dolls, one of which, with a pang of sudden pain, she recognized as herself, before she turned. The other one was of course, was a doll in the likeness of Celestia. Luna noticed the guards approaching the room and quickly galloped to the entrance and blocked their view. “You cannot come in.” she stated. “One of you, stand guard and let no-one inside and don't look in yourself, the other is to get Lance here.” The two guards scrambled to follow orders. She looked back at her sister, who was looking at the room in desperation, searching for clues, tears still streaming out of her eyes. “There must be something!” her sister whispered. “Some clue, some sign... why was this hidden?” she looked at her sister. Luna cringed, there was so much pain in those eyes. She had to ask. She hated to ask. But she had to. “Sister... did you ever have a filly?” The Empty Room By Wanderer D Chapter 1 The Great and Powerful Trixie growled as she looked at the map for the umpteenth time. She had followed the directions on it perfectly! The Great and Powerful Trixie looked around her at the dense forest and finally admitted that she was lost. Very lost. Completely, utterly, absolutely, undeniably, definitely lost. She was so lost her compass was not even trying to point North anymore. It had given up on her. Just like all her also lost fans. The Great and Powerful Trixie also admitted that she had no idea what do do now, but promised herself that if she ever saw a certain purple unicorn or the Earth Pony that had sold her the useless map in her hooves, The Great and Powerful Trixie would make them pay! Oh yes. And they would pay soooo hard. Because nopony humiliated or scammed The Great and Powerful Trixie and lived to tell the tale unscathed. A treacherous voice inside Trixie's head however, reminded her that she was so lost that it would be pretty much impossible to meet those two ever again. The Great and Powerful Trixie, however quenched that thought with so much force she passed out. When The Great and Powerful Trixie woke up again, she had a splitting headache. It was also nighttime. Trixie cast a quick cantrip to tell the time. About two hours away from dawn. She then remembered that she also had a cantrip spell to know which direction she was facing. Her horn glowing with magic, she concentrated, only for her horn to shower her in sparks. “Yaaaah!” The Great and Powerful Trixie squeaked in surprise. “What the hell? WHAT THE HELL? !” she shouted at the top of her lungs. “A silly compass I can understand! But a spell!? A SPELL?! What the hell is going on here? !” A soft, rumbling growl quieted down The Great and Powerful Trixie, who looked around fearfully. “Who daressss” a hissing voice made its way towards Trixie. “Who daresss awaken the Guardian?” The Great and Powerful Trixie blinked then looked down at the map, where a circled red “X” marked a spot in the middle of no-where with the words “Temple of the Guardian” scribbled next to it. “Oh.” Who knew. The Earth Pony that sold her the map had actually given her what she wanted. The Great and Powerful Trixie mentally removed him from the list of ponies that would suffer her wrath. A slithering sound around her snapped her back to the present. “I await your ansssswear, little pony...” the voice hissed on her ear. Fearfully she turned around but there was nopony there. She tried to speak, but faltered. Taking a deep breath, she looked defiantly into the darkness between the trees. “I, The Great and Powerful Trixie have awakened you Guardian. I made my way here through challenges that would have made any other pony shrink in fear! Facing dangers that none but The Great and Powerful Trixie would have been able to overcome!” “And what doessss 'The Great and Powerful' Trixssssie, want with the Guardian?” Trixie frowned. The Guardian had said her name in a way that sounded... condescending. No, it couldn't be. The Great and Powerful Trixie would never be treated condescendingly. She was the only one that deserved to look down on others. “Guardian! I, The Great and Powerful Trixie, have come here to learn from you the ancient Magics of the Guardians!” A low rumble shook her and she looked around confused until she understood. The Guardian was laughing! At her! The Great and Powerful Trixie mentally added him to the list of ponies or whatever it was, that would suffer her wrath. “Little Pony...” the voice hissed, amused. “Little, little Pony.” it chuckled. “Do you know who it issss you have... awakened?” “Well, duh.” The Great and Powerful Trixie snorted. “The Guardian. You said so yourself.” Mist slowly started to gather around her hoofs. “Yesssss.” the voice said. “But did it ever... occur to you to wonder... the Guardian of what, exsssactly?” Trixie opened her mouth to answer, but then slowly closed it. The Great and Powerful Trixie had not, in fact, wondered what the Guardians she was looking for actually guarded. “Uh... I guess you guard great power?” she ventured. There was a pause. “Well... Yesss, I do.” the voice said eventually. “But! That is not all... I possssesss great power, true, but it isss not for poniessss to learn.” “Damn it.” The Great and Powerful Trixie swore adding the stupid Earth Pony to her mental list again. “Are you sure?” she asked hopefully. “I had heard that you had vast knowledge of Magic. Surely you can teach me something?” There was silence again. This time though, even the slithering and rustling around her had quieted down to nothing. The Great and Powerful Trixie shifted nervously, asking herself if this had been a good idea after all. Then the voice spoke. “Yessss. I ssssuposssse there issss ssssomething I could teach you, oh Great and Powerful Trixie.” the voice said. “Really? !” Trixie smiled genuinely, fears forgotten. “Please do! Anything I can do to make those that humiliated me pay!” The Great and Powerful Trixie debated whether or not to take the Earth Pony and the Guardian off of her list, but decided to wait until she learned the new magic. If it was cool and powerful, she would take them off, if not... Well... they didn't need to know anyway until she exacted her revenge. “Yesssss.” The voice said, once again whispering in her ear and sending shivers up her spine. “I will teach you now.” Slowly The Great and Powerful Trixie turned around and looked up. And up. Until she could see the face of the Guardian. For a moment she stared at... it. And then, with quick move giant jaws descended upon her. Her screams echoed in the jungle until they slowly died away... only to be followed by a very loud belch. o.0.o Twilight Sparkle jumped in her bed when Spike belched loudly. On the way down she completely missed the bed and crashed next to the still snoring baby dragon. “Oww...” she moaned, shooting the sleeping reptile a glare that slowly melted away when he grumbled in his sleep and turned. Really. Who could stay angry at such a cute- Her thoughts were interrupted when a scroll bumped her just behind her horn, making her go cross-eyed for a second. Shaking her head, she levitated the scroll with her magic, noticing that the seal was not Princess Celestia's, having a moon in it instead of the sun. “I've never received mail from Princess Luna...” she whispered as she opened the scroll. “Explains the hour, though.” she chuckled, noticing that it was still dark outside. As she was about to read the scroll, the door to her balcony was kicked in. “What the...” Twilight shot to her feet. With a flash of her horn the candles in the room were ignited. “Rainbow Dash?! What are you doing here at this time of night? !” Breathing heavy, Rainbow Dash looked at her and shook her head. “Twi... [gasp] this is... [cough] not... nighttime!” Twilight blinked. “Dash, you are clearly mistaken. Just look outside. The moon's still up.” “I know that!” Rainbow Dash snapped, having finally regained her breath. “But it should have been gone by now! Everypony's in a panic!” “What?” Twilight walked to a small water clock she had received as a present from Princess Celestia. She stared. It was eight AM. “But that's...” “Everyone is starting to think that Nightmare Moon has returned!” Rainbow Dash said, and in the distance, Twilight could hear confused shouting. Remembering the scroll at the mention of Luna's alter-ego, Twilight quickly returned to it and read as fast as she could. Rainbow Dash paced around as she observed her friend. “Twilight?” she asked as the unicorn's hold of the scroll ended abruptly. The piece of parchment fell to the floor next to the still snoring Spike. “Are you okay? You look pale.” “I... I need to go to Canterlot.” she said shaking her head, but obviously still in shock. “The Princessess need me. Immediately. They've already sent the chariot.” “What? !” Dash's eyes followed her friend as she started packing things with her magic, still obviously in a daze as she was trying to pack Spike, bed and all into her bag. “But... if the moon is out... it has to be Luna! You can't go there!” “Dash!” Twilight said, her magic twisting Spike upside down and trying to force him into the bag. “Princess Celestia can't bring the sun up! They need me there!” “Then you are not goin' alone, sugarcubes.” a voice said from the entrance to her room, and the pair turned around to see Applejack, flanked by Rarity and Fluttershy, with Pinkie Pie bouncing behind them, muffled “I can't see! I can't see!” making their way to them. Twilight felt her fears calm down a little bit, but she was still very worried about Princess Celestia. “I... thank you... please go get ready, I need to finish packing and write back to Princess Luna.” o.0.o End Chapter 1 o.0.o" ]

[ "The Empty Room By Wanderer D Chapter 2 “Hey!” The Guardian looked around, licking his fangs clean, but it would not look at her. “I said HEY! Look at ME you... you... reptile!” The Great and Powerful Trixie shouted at the oblivious creature. Trixie growled. NOPONY ignored the Great and Powerful Trixie! “Oh! You are going to pay! RIGHT NOW!” Her horn flared with magic which took the form of a big bucket of water. With a smug face, Trixie proceeded to dump it on top of the Guardian's head.... only for the spell to fizzle into nothingness the moment she ordered it to do something. Trixie blinked, confused. Then her eyes narrowed in anger. “You stupid Guardian! Stop affecting the magic of The Great and Powerful Trixie!” she stomped up to the huge creature and kicked it with her hind legs. However, her hooves met no resistance and she lost her balance. The Great and Powerful Trixie landed in a heap on the floor and turned around to glare at the creature as it moved away. “What the hell was that?! You were supposed to teach me something! And all you did was scare me half to death!” she paused. “N-not that The Great and Powerful Trixie was even scared to begin with! But it was a good attempt! I'll give you that!” the Guardian did not turn around. “HEY! STOP IGNORING THE GREAT AND POWERFUL TRIXIE!” “He's not ignoring you.” A small, almost nasal voice said from right next to her. “YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!! !” Trixie jumped several feet into the air and landed face first facing the cloaked pony that had startled her so. Her eyes followed the cloak up to the skull hidden under the hood. Two burning red dots fixed on her under a strangely shaped (and apparently very sharp) horn. Now, The Great and Powerful Trixie could be pretty dense at times, but she had not gotten far as a showmare by pure luck alone... “Who the hell are you and why are your skin and muscles missing?” … then again, she could be pretty dense at times. As the mysterious pony was about to answer, she interrupted him. “And what the hell do you mean that he wasn't ignoring me? I was shouting at him and even kicked him!” The pony seemed to sigh. “He wasn't ignoring you. Look around you.” For the first time The Great and Powerful Trixie looked around the small clearing. “Well, what do you want me to see? I mean there's a lot of red liquid around, and pieces of blue... mane...” in a panic she looked at herself and sighed in relief when she noticed her mane seemed to be in perfect condition. Then she noticed something that made her tremble to the core of her being. She slowly edged towards... it. “I-is that...” “Yes.” “But...” she motioned with her hoofs at her face, obviously still in place. And in one piece. “Let's just say that the Guardian did not just... 'try' to scare you.” “Oh.” The Great and Powerful Trixie grew confused as she started to float and glow softly, wisps of light floating out of her and disappearing into the night. “Wha-what's happening?” The skeletal pony seemed to shrug once more. It was hard to tell, with his body covered in that black cloak. “Nothing. You are going beyond. As your ties to this world are broken you will begin the next journey.” Trixie fell silent. Seeing that his charge was well on her way, Mort nodded to himself and turned to go to his next appointment. Maybe soon he would get another interesting pony. Like that drummer. Or maybe a lead singer? He could get more autographs that way. Trixie looked sadly at the world around her. From her vantage point, now that she was floating over the treetops, she could now make the lights of a distant city... a city she would never be able to perform at... all those ponies that would be deprived of her greatness... the revenge she wouldn’t be able to achieve... slowly the lights around her body died as she grew angry. “Oh, hell no. The Great and Powerful Trixie is NOT going quietly after becoming lunch for an overgrown snake!” Her form, almost ethereal by now, seemed to solidify as she slowly floated down to ground level. When her hoofs touched the jungle floor she grinned. She would get her revenge! o.0.o “Princess Luna!” Luna turned to stare at the guard, who shuffled uncomfortably in place. “I thought I ordered the whole hall to be out of bounds for everything but the most important of matters.” she said, calmly walking up to the terrified guard. “What could be so important as to make you burst into the hall without even knocking?” “Uh...” he took a deep breath. “Twilight Sparkle and her friends are here. You asked us to let you know immediately as soon as their chariot landed and uh... there is no other way to reach you than to walk into the hall.” “...” The Guard cast a glance at the exit, calculating how quickly he could get there. “Oh.” Luna said finally. “So I did. Well done, guard. Bring Twilight Sparkle here... alone, and have her friends tended to.” “At once your highness...” he hesitated. “Yes?” Luna asked. “Um... how is Princess Celestia feeling? We are all worried about her.” Luna sighed wearily. “She... she will recuperate... please tell everypony that the sun will return to its daily routine soon, its... just a personal matter.” The guard nodded sadly and left immediately, leaving Luna alone in the hall with her thoughts. o.0.o Twilight Sparkle walked slowly through Canterlot, her friends following her a few steps behind. Around them ponies of all types argued amongst themselves about the situation, and who was responsible. More than once a reference to Nightmare Moon reached her ears. She sighed. “I wish they would not speak of Princess Luna like that.” she said. “Well...” Dash said from where she hovered. “You have to admit it looks suspicious. The last time something like this happened it was her fault, you know?” Twilight nodded. “Guessing is not going to get us anywhere.” Applejack said after a moment. “Let's hurry up and meet with the Princess. Then we'll find out what's happening.” It was then that a group of guards approached them. “Lady Twilight.” one of them said “Princesses Luna and Celestia require your presence... in private.” “Hold on!” Applejack said, stepping up to the guard. “We are all here friends of Princess Luna, Twilight and loyal subjects of Princess Celestia, we should be able to go with her.” The guard sighed. “Princess Luna knows you are here as well. She needs to speak to Lady Twilight in private. I imagine you will find out what's happening after that... maybe even with the rest of us.” “So, none of you know what's happening?” Twilight asked the guards. “I'm afraid not, my Lady Twilight.” The guard said gruffly. “The only one that knows at this time is Captain Lance, and he hasn't left either Princesses' side since Princess Luna called for him.” Twilight Sparkle blinked. “I see...” she turned to look at the others. “This sounds very serious... please let me go first, I promise that if I can tell you anything, I will.” she looked pleadingly at the others, who smiled at her to a pony. “Aw, don't worry about it, Twilight!” Pinkie Pie giggled. “I'm sure we can find something to do in the meantime! It's not like we have been here in Canterlot that much!” Rarity nodded. “She's right my dear. Please go ahead. Maybe Spike could show us around?” “Come to think of it... where is Spike?” Twilight asked turning around. o.0.o In another part of the castle, in Twilight's old room, where the guards had carried her luggage, a powerful snore shook one of her saddle bags from the inside. o.0.o “He must have stayed in the Library, I guess.” Applejack said, while Rainbow Dash tried to stifle a giggle. “Don't worry,” the head guard spoke up. “Princess Luna asked that you were tended to for your stay, we have already assigned you rooms and some of the hoofmares will be along shortly to show you about the castle.” “Sounds good to me!” Applejack said. “Very well then,” Twilight Sparkle said, smiling at the head guard. “Please, take me to the princesses.” At once two of the guards escorted Twilight away, leaving the friends behind with a couple of other guards. “Hey, wasn't it funny how Twilight flinched every time they called her Lady Twilight?” Dash asked the others. “Yes... it was very strange... I think... maybe.” Fluttershy said, noticing that the guards had traded looks when Rainbow Dash had asked that. A fact that the others, except for Rarity, seemed not to have caught on to. “Yeah, since when has she been Lady Twilight?” Applejack chuckled. “Why, they make her sound like a noble!” One of the guards was about to speak up, but Rarity spoke first. “Oh dear.” The unicorn sighed, her hoof massaging her temple. “You really don't know, do you?” “Know what?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Well... I shouldn't be surprised...” Rarity said after a moment. “You don't think that Twilight Sparkle is a normal unicorn, right?” “Well duh!” Pinkie Pie pipped up. “Of course not, silly! She's the Element of Magic!” The guards traded glances again. This was new to them. “What I mean is... you didn't think she was a... common unicorn.” “Honey, I think Pinkie Pie already pointed out that there is nothing common about Twilight Sparkle.” Applejack said gently. “If anything she is unusual.” The unicorn whirled around to face away from the group. “Argh! How dense can...” Rarity grumbled and muttered incoherently to herself for a few seconds, then, taking a deep, calming breath and forcing a smile, she turned to face the others again. “Okay, let me spell it out for you... she is a N-o-b-l-e.” “Oh, we knew that.” Rainbow Dash said. Rarity and the guards blinked. “You did?” “Yes! We know she is a noble, honest, over-working, wise pony.” Dash listed. Rarity gritted her teeth. “Not noble that way! NOBLE capital 'N'!” “Ooooooooh...” the collective light of understanding in their eyes was at that moment as beautiful a gem as she had ever seen. “Wait... so... she's rich?” Rainbow Dash asked, then grew excited. “Wow! And she probably knows a lot of influential and famous ponies right? So she might actually know one of the Wonderbolts! That makes her like... 20% cooler!” “Is this true?” Applejack asked the guards, who nodded. “But how did you know?” Pinkie Pie asked Rarity, who blinked in surprise. “Well, she grew up in Canterlot, she could afford going to the most prestigious university in all of Equestria, she was selected to be Princess Celestia's personal student...” “Wait! But that was because she really impressed her when she applied to start!” Rainbow Dash interrupted. “She told us herself!” “Well, yes,” Rarity nodded. “But you cannot apply to Canterlot Magical University if you are a commoner.” “Oh my...” a new voice said. “Did you just hear that?” The group observed a pair of unicorns that strutted up to them. “I believe I saw these five walk through the hall in the company of Twilight Sparkle. Could they be her servants?” One of them said. The other peered at them closely. “They are not dressed as hoofmaids... and I have never seen them in Canterlot before.” “Hey! Who are you calling a servant? We are Twilight's friends!” Rainbow Dash asked, glaring at the unicorn. “And for your information we have been here before! We came to the Grand Galloping Gala.” “My, how... rash.” the unicorn sneered at the pegasus. “And the way you call her... ugh. I can't believe she associates with someone that does not know their proper place in society. Why don't you go back to whatever... place... you came from? Guards, please escort them out.” Dash was about to reply but one of the guards stepped in front of her. “I am afraid, Lady Glitter Horn that these ladies are guests of Princesses Celestia and Luna, as well as Lady Twilight.” The unicorn looked at them with scorn. “I don't know why the Princesses bother with this... rabble.” “Come now, dear.” the other unicorn said, sniffing rudely. “Let us be away from them.” The group watched them prance away with complete disgust. “If that is the kind of people that she has to deal with daily it’s no wonder Princess Celestia was so happy we crashed the Gala.” Applejack muttered. “Why, I should break her horn and shove it up her-” “Please ignore them, Rainbow Dash.” a new voice said, making the whole group turn around. “Glitter is just as her name suggests, pretty, but useless.” “Lyra?” Rarity blinked. “Why are you here?” Lyra smiled shyly. “Well... I have family here in Canterlot and I attended the University here along with Twilight Sparkle... and those two.” “I... I never knew...” Rarity stammered. Lyra smiled. “It's okay. If it is fine with the guards, I could take you on a tour of the palace.” The guards looked at each other, and one shrugged. “We have to keep you company, but we can give you some space as long as we don't lose you.” “Sound's good to me!” Applejack said with a smile. “Lead the way, Lyra! Or should I say, Lady Lyra?” “Lyra is fine.” the unicorn said as she started walking. “Did you and Twilight have to deal with those two idiots while you were studying?” Rainbow Dash asked. The guards followed the group out of the palace, sharing small smiles as their guests seemed to forget for the moment the attitude of certain Nobles. o.0.o Twilight followed the guard through the palace. Although she knew her way around it perfectly well, she had to maintain a certain protocol while she was here. She sighed. Things were so much easier in Ponyville. When they finally reached the hall, the guard stepped to the side of the door. “Please, go ahead Lady Twilight.” The unicorn nodded and walked in. The first person she saw there was Captain Lance. The old unicorn still looked as solid as he had as far as Twilight Sparkle could remember. Although she had not lived all her life in the palace, she had seen the guards plenty of times during parades in Canterlot, Lance had always been proudly at the front of the guard. “Twilight Sparkle!” he chuckled as she rushed up to him and nuzzled him. “It has been too long! How are things in Ponyville?” “They are great!” Twilight said, smiling. “I'm sure you've read the reports about the Ursa Minor and such, but I assure you, those are far and in between.” The old unicorn chuckled. “Well, you can tell me about that later, right now we have a more important matter at hand.” “What happened?” Twilight asked. “Everypony has been so secretive about it! Even Luna's letter was very vague.” “That is because only Captain Lance, Celly and I know what's going on.” Princess Luna said, as she walked out of a room that Twilight could have sworn was never there. “And we all trust you to use very careful judgment if you tell anypony about this.” Twilight Sparkle nodded soberly. “Follow me.” Luna said, as she started walking towards the strange new room. o.0.o “Princess!” Twilight ran to cuddle next to her depressed mentor. “What happened?” The Princess for her part nuzzled against her student's shoulder. The Alicorn visibly perked up, immediately feeling better, although not by much. “I'm sorry Twilight... I know I should be out there but I couldn’t... not... after seeing this.” Stirred by that comment, Twilight Sparkle finally turned around and looked at the room herself. The words that she could have said stuck in her throat as her mind quickly connected the dots. “B-but... how is this possible?” “We don't know.” Luna confessed. “Someone cast a spell so powerful that everyone in the palace forgot about this room, and if anyone even knew about my sisters' filly... they forgot about her too.” Twilight Sparkle looked at her mentor. She loved Princess Celestia with all her heart, she was in more than one way her mother, since she had spent more time with her than with her real parents. To see her like this, deprived of the happiness that a filly of her own would have brought her... and to make her forget even having had one... it was... horrible. A travesty. “Who would dare do this?” she asked quietly, but the other three in the room could feel the cold anger in her voice. “Who would take...” she couldn't say it. “Again, we don't know,” Luna said, her own voice angry. “but we intend to find out. Between the three of us we are three of the most knowledgeable ponies in magic. If we study the spells here we should be able to gain some clues.” “And I will conduct my own investigation.” Lance said from the side. “I only need a time-frame.” “Twenty years.” Twilight said, drawing the attention of the three ponies. “It should be around twenty years ago. Princess' Celestia's filly should be a young mare about my age by now.” “Not that I think you could be wrong...” Luna began. “But how can you be so sure?” Twilight Sparkle walked towards the small bookshelf containing Foal Books. “Here... this rhyme book was first published around twenty years ago. I have a copy myself at home.” Lance chuckled and Luna smiled. “I am glad I immediately thought of you, Twilight, to help us out.” “You couldn't have kept me away...” Twilight said with a sad smile of her own. “Not when my beloved mentor needs me.” Luna sighed. “And speaking of which.” she walked towards the other alicorn. “Celly. You have to get up. You have to bring the sun up today. My moon has been there far too long. Our subjects and friends need you to be strong. Concentrate... between us we can solve this and find your filly.” Slowly Princess Celestia looked up, first at her sister, standing regally next to her, a warm, comforting smile on her face. Her eyes strayed to the old unicorn, Lance, who nodded at her, his face tired, but understanding. And finally, her eyes sought out Twilight's. There she found strength, in the eyes of the one filly in her many years of life she had considered as close as possible to a daughter. Twilight was there for her too, and she would help her find out what had happened, and where her daughter was. Closing her eyes she took a deep breath as she deliberately stood up. She was tired from crying and lack of sleep, from the shock of finding out that she had had a daughter at some point in the last twenty years and that she had had her memory erased of the events. For her sister. For her loyal captain. For her faithful student. For her subjects. For... her daughter, wherever she was... she could not simply stay there and do nothing. When she opened her eyes, she was ready. “Let's bring out the sun, my dear sister.” Luna beamed a smile and nodded. “I will stay...” Twilight said, looking around. “I feel the magic in this room... I think I can start making sense of what happened here while you two do what you need to do... and rest.” Both Princesses nodded and walked out of the room, leaving Captain Lance and Twilight Sparkle behind. “I will leave some guards outside the hall.” Captain Lance said, the old unicorn looking around the room one last time. “Is there anything you need?” Twilight shook her head. “I think I have it covered for now, thank you Captain.” Lance chuckled, drawing her attention. “You have been hanging around the Princesses maybe too much, my dear Twilight. You almost sounded like them.” Twilight blushed. “I'm sorry Captain I...” The unicorn shook his head. “No. Don't be. I'm glad to have lived to see you become the self assured young mare you are today. I'll take my leave for now, my Lady.” o.0.o The lights of the city attracted the Guardian to its edge. From the protection of the trees he watched as the ponies in the city looked nervous, casting looks to the night sky. Why was that, he wondered? Suddenly a murmur drew his attention back to the sky as the night turned to dawn and then midday in mere minutes. What was happening? He hissed as the sunlight burned his sensitive eyes and withdrew deeper into the jungle. He would wait. As he turned around, he absently used a claw to remove something that was stuck in between his fangs. Finally getting the edge of it, he pulled out the offending item and glared at it, then snorted, throwing the hat of the formerly Great and Powerful Trixie to the jungle floor. He walked deeper still, ignoring Trixie who glared at his receding form. “I think I will need help.” she sighed. She hated asking for help. But there was little else she could do. Concentrating hard, her horn started to glow, and soon a small breeze pushed her hat towards the city. There was only one pony she could think of that would give her the time of day. And if she helped her, the Great and Powerful Trixie was willing to take her off the list of ponies (and creatures) she hated. o.0.o End Chapter 2 o.0.o" ]

[ "The Empty Room Chapter 3 By Wanderer D By the time Lyra had gone home and promised to see them the next day, the five ponies had a pretty good idea of the layout of the castle. As they sat down to eat a small lunch in the gardens, courtesy of the Princesses, the guards accompanying them took positions around them, trying not to be too obtrusive to their guests, but still curious about them. “It was awfully nice of Lyra to show us around.” Applejack said. “Yes! And did you see those amazing grounds? !” Pinkie Pie giggled. “I bet I could throw the bestest party ever for Princess Celestia! That would really make her happy!” The guards smiled at each other. Given how stressed they all had been a party sounded nice. “But it has to be big!” Pinkie Pie continued prancing around. “I have to get cupcakes and streamersanddanglersandcakeanddrinksandhotsauceand...” she stopped when she turned and came nuzzle to nuzzle with Fluttershy. “But... you would have to make sure that the party didn't disturb the animals.” The Pegaus said. Although they hadn't been as friendly as she had hoped before, she was not going to hold it against them. “Yeah yeah, parties are good, but I want to explore! Hey! You know what? This place is old!” Rainbow Dash said. “Yeah, we know.” Applejack deadpanned. Dash gave her a look. “It has been around from even before Nightmare Moon appeared! That's thousands of years!” she smiled. “I bet there are ghosts here!” Applejack suddenly grew nervous. “Oh, Dash, don't be silly.” Rarity laughed. “There are no such things as ghosts! Next thing you'll say is that humans are real.” “Hey!” Rainbow Dash glared at her. “I never said I believed in humans! I stopped believing in fairy tales like that when I was a little filly!” “But you believe in ghosts, dear.” “Hey now, I don't know about humans, but ghosts are as real as this table here.” Applejack broke in, tapping her hoof on the table. “No they aren't.” Rarity said. “But humans are.” Pinkie said with a giggle. “I met one just before the story started.” The other four ponies slowly turned to look at her, while the guards tried valiantly not to stare. “He was very strange! No hoofs, and they don't have wings!” Pinkie Pie continued, slightly confused. “I always thought they would have wings.” “Now, Pinkie Pie,” Applejack said after a moment. “Don't go making up stories, okay?” “But it happened!” Pinkie Pie declared, bouncing around. “When I said ‘hi’ he stared at me, then said something about 'self insertion was a low he was not going to hit' and then...” “And then?” Rainbow Dash asked, leaning in, interested in the story despite herself. “He imploded!” Pinkie Pie giggled. “Twice!” Applejack and Rarity smacked their hooves against their faces and groaned, there was a crash behind them and a helm rolled past them... Rainbow Dash smiled. “Really?! That's awesome! If I implode I want to do it twice! NO! Thrice!” the pegasus declared. “There's no way I'm losing to a human!” “Um...” Fluttershy drew their attention. “What is 'self-insertion'?” “Well... I don't know... but it sure sounds painful.” Applejack said, raising an eyebrow. “Why are we talking about this?” Rarity asked, giving the others a wary look. “Oh! Because of the ghosts!” Dash jumped and turned to one of the guards. “Are there any ghosts in the castle?” While the one that had face-hoofed so hard he had knocked his helm off sheepishly made his way past them to pick it up, the other guards exchanged nervous glances. “Uh... there used to be one in the library tower, but it disappeared a year ago.” one of them ventured. “It's gone? Aww.” Rainbow Dash sighed, but looked up hopefully. “So... what did that ghost do? Was it scary?” “Well...” the guard shuffled in place when everypony's attention focused on him. “It was usually late at night... when everything was calm, and even after Lady Twilight had gone to sleep... when we did our rounds... we would hear a voice, but whenever we investigated there was no-one there!” “I remember that the voice was that of a capable general, commanding his troops.” another guard said. “It freaked us out... we thought there really was a battle happening.” “Hm... that does sounds suspicious.” Rainbow Dash said. “I wonder what happened to it?” o.0.o *Snort! * “One does not simply walk into Mordor!” Spike bellowed as he rolled out of Twilight's bag. He whizzed when he hit the floor belly first. He stood up, shaking his head and rubbing the sleep off his eyes. “Uh? What? Where am I?” he looked around, spotting the calendar. It was the same day as when he and Twilight had gone looking for books about the Elements of Harmony. “Oh... Celestia... I'm in Twilight's room back in Canterlot... this... this can only mean one thing!” he fell heavily on his rump. “I... must have dreamt the whole thing! We never went to Ponyville!” He started to despair. “But then... I never met Rainbow Dash! Or Pinkie Pie! Or Fluttershy! Or even Applejack! But most importantly... I never met Rarity!” his little claws made fists as he shook them at the heavens. “Noooooooooooo! They were all figments of my imagination!” he sighed. “Although I must say that my imagination gave Rarity very, very, nice flanks.” Then he groaned. “Why does this always happen to me?” o.0.o Rarity shuddered. “Is it getting cold?” “Not really.” Applejack said, taking another lick of her apple-caramel ice-cream. Pinkie Pie giggled. “What?” Rainbow Dash asked, turning her attention to the pink pony. “Oh, nothing... I just think 'Mordor' is such a silly name!” “Uh... right. Anyway, aren't there any more haunted places here? This place is so old there should be at least a couple!” “Well...” one of the guards ventured, but hesitated when another shook his head violently. “... uh... never mind.” Applejack and Rainbow Dash shared a glance. o.0.o “Hmm...” Twilight Sparkle hummed as her horn shone in different shades. “Interesting.” next to her, a quill quickly took notes as she proceeded to cover the room inch by inch. She stopped when she reached the bookshelf. She felt tears flooding her eyes as she watched the shelves full of foal books, lovingly chosen by her mentor for her daughter, who never had the chance to lay next to her and listen to the kind alicorn read the wondrous stories within. She sighed. Before the Princesses left, she had felt anger and horror at what had happened. But now... now all she felt was sadness. She had stopped several times as she moved about the room, when her hoof had hit a toy in the floor, or the mobile made with little effigies of ponies, stars, the sun and the moon had chimed when a breeze had swept through the room. Whenever that happened a deep sorrow filled her, and she had caught herself crying more than once. She had tried to detach herself from it, a little, at least, to be able to do her job... but there was so much love in this one room... she looked in sorrow at the crib with the two dolls in it, a mental image forming of Princess Celestia's kind smile as she leaned in to wish her filly a good night. Or the wooden blocks in the corner, where she could almost hear childish laughter and the gentle and warm chuckles of an amused Princess Celestia. She took a deep breath and concentrated. She was not going to fail her mentor. Especially after the Princess had gone back to her duties after experiencing something that would have kept most ponies... indisposed... for a few days at least. She had to find out what had happened here. o.0.o Luna lay in her bed thinking. She should be asleep, especially if she wanted the night to come in time, but... she sighed. So many things had changed since she had arrived. She knew technology would be much different when she finally emerged from the Moon. Faces had changed, obviously, the forests had changed, even the continents had changed a little bit. Islands that had been there when she had controlled the night so many centuries ago were gone now... Like Celestia, she had had some temples built in her honor by her devoted subjects as a sign of love and appreciation... most of those were gone, except for a few that had mysteriously been kept clean, although she had been unnerved to find an effigy of Nightmare Moon rather than the Moon or Stars that were traditionally used to represent her. But none of that was as shocking and saddening as what she had found out today. She sighed. “Today” felt like it had been a whole week of stress. But... she hadn't really felt the loss of so many things as deeply as today, when she had found out that even her sister had changed. The thought of her sister... her sister, Princess Celestia, starting a family? A week ago she would have laughed if someone brought it up as a possibility. There had to be a limit to attachment, after all. They were immortal. Whoever they married, whichever fillies or colts they produced would pass away eventually, while they remained. That didn't mean they had to be aloof, or unkind, or even feel superior -hard lessons that she had to face after the Nightmare Moon debacle- but it meant that if they didn't draw a line, they would be miserable. But her sister had taken a bold step beyond that line and produced the first filly to be related to them by blood. And then she was taken away, Celestia deprived of even the memory of her filly. Luna felt bitter tears forming as she considered what it would have been like being an aunt? If she had had more family, someone to keep close and teach about the stars and the moon and those places invisible to normal pony eyes, would she had transformed into a monster? Even as Nightmare Moon, she knew, she would have been touched by the existence of more family. Someone that would not judge her, maybe even love her unconditionally. Why had this happened? And who had done it? She sighed and looked out the window at the busy streets, lost in thought. o.0.o A filly. She had a filly. She felt so much joy at the thought of that... and then a jolt of pain that she had been taken from her. And yet, somehow, for some reason she felt that she knew that filly. The sense of loss had been overwhelming, the years and happiness that she had been deprived from sharing with her daughter felt like stab wounds directly in her soul... but when Twilight Sparkle had walked in, she had remembered what if felt to care for a filly like it was her own daughter... She would find her, and she would apologize for not having been there for her, and more importantly, she would spend every second she could with her, making up for lost time. But for now... she had to hold court. As the latest petitioner started speaking, Celestia's mind drifted for a second to her faithful student, wondering what she had discovered so far. o.0.o A slightly chewed out blue magician's hat rolled down the street, pushed by a breeze that only seemed to affect it until it bumped to a stop next to the wheels of a blue stage wagon. The Great and Powerful Trixie panted as she stopped. It had taken considerable concentration to get the hat to her stage wagon, and now, proudly she looked up. “Finally! I would like to rest, but the sooner The Great and Powerful Trixie reaches Ponyville, the better.” With another burst of air, her hat fell into the driver's seat as she made her way to the front to slip inside the harness. Ducking her head in, she slid forward. When she didn't feel the harness resting on her back, she leaned forward even more, until she had to quickly get her hoofs into position to avoid falling face first onto the road. Growling she looked back, ready to start swearing when she realized that part of the harness was inside her body. She looked at it for a few seconds before she remembered. “Ah... I forgot. I'm a ghost.” she sighed. “Okay Trixie, there's no need to panic.” she said after a moment. “Deep breaths, deep breaths. Am I even breathing?” The Great and Powerful Trixie began to walk in circles around her stage wagon. “Okay, what do I know about ghosts?” she thought for a moment. “Well... ghosts are ethereal. That means they... we... cannot really touch normal objects, however, according to Magister Crowley, magical objects can be moved and touched by spirits... that is how fetishes are created. Ohhh... I hate magical theory.” Her eyes narrowed. “She was always better at it than I was, even if I could levitate stuff first.” she shook her head. “But now is not the time...” she looked at her stage wagon, considering. The old one, which she had left in Ponyville, had been enchanted to produce several magical effects on demand, something she hadn't gotten around to casting on this one for some stupid reason... ah, yes, she had needed ingredients and she hadn't been to keen on getting them herself. And her father had only sent enough for buying a new stage wagon. Sure, she had enchanted some items herself, but they were all inside. Sigh. It was then that she heard the clopping of somepony approaching her stage wagon. “Now dear, see? This... Great and Powerful Trixie is not in her stage wagon right now. I'm sure we will hear when she starts her show, and I promise you I will bring you over to watch.” It was two unicorns. A mare and her colt. Trixie grimaced and tried to concentrate on what to do, when... “But mom, why don't we ask her? She's right there.” the little colt asked, pointing with a hoof at her. Trixie blinked. “Huh?” “Now, Six, don't start this again... there's no-pony there. Really.” “But mooom.” Six? Who named their colt ‘Six’? “Look dear, if you promise not to touch anything, you can stay here and look at the stage wagon. Look. Not touch. I’m sure if the Great and Powerful Trixie were here she wouldn’t appreciate some mischievous colt touching her things, right? We have to take advantage of the sunlight, so I will go to the store over there and get the groceries if you are a good colt and wait for me here. How is that?” The colt looked at Trixie, doubt filling his eyes, but The Great and Powerful Trixie was already on her knees, hoofs clapped together and nodding desperately for him to agree. “I... guess...” he said. “Good. I'll be right back.” Six's mother went into the store, leaving him with Trixie, who was giving him a thankful smile. “Thank you! Thank you! You see, I really need your help, if you are willing to do something very, very simple for me?” Six nodded slowly. “Are you really the Great and Powerful Trixie?” “Yes, yes I am!” Trixie said, striking a pose. “And I guess you are a fan?” The colt nodded, shyly. “Well then, The Great and Powerful Trixie will sign you an autograph if you do that small favor I was talking about. Do you know how to perform the basic spell runes?” The colt nodded and Trixie had to hold herself from shouting in glee. “Well, I need you to scratch one of the magic runes onto my stage wagon...” “Uh... but my mom said not to touch it...” “Silly, that's my stage wagon, right?” The colt nodded. “And I’m giving you permission to touch it, right?” The colt nodded. “Then, its fine if I let you, right?” “I... guess.” He approached the stage wagon. “Where do you want it?” “Um... anywhere will be fine.” Trixie said, finally noticing the colt's cutie mark. An eye with a small number 6 in the middle. Huh. How odd. “So, Six...” she started as he carefully scratched the paint on her stage wagon with his glowing horn, drawing a basic magic rune for speed. “What did your mom mean when she said you shouldn't 'start this again'?” The colt didn't answer immediately, until he was done. The magic in his horn died, and for a moment nothing seemed to happen, then suddenly the stage wagon seemed to glow for the barest of seconds. Trixie nodded happily. “Well done, Six!” Six, for his part looked around, then motioned for Trixie to get closer. Curious, she leaned forward. “Well... I have a problem, and that's why my mom was saying that thing about not doing it again... it hasn't made me very popular with the other ponies.” he confided. Trixie blinked. “Well, what is this problem?” “I see dead ponies.” Six said, eyes very wide. “And they don’t know they’re dead!” Trixie snorted. “Well, it’s not like it feels much different, you know?” The colt blinked. “You mean you know? But... aren’t you going to stick around and see me through a journey of self-discovery and my purpose in life by helping those lost souls in desperate need to find peace and continue to the next world? Only to leave me sad, bitter and alone once you realize you too are dead?” Trixie laughed. “Oh, silly colt. The Great and Powerful Trixie has better things to do. Here...” her horn shining, she levitated a magic ink pen from within her stage wagon and proceeded to sign a piece of paper, which she then blew towards him with the same wind spell she had used on her hat. “There you go. Go find more dead ponies, now, ok?” She tried to pat him in the head, but her hoof went through it in a very disturbing way, so she chuckled nervously and jumped on top of her stage wagon. “Bye-bye now!” With a sudden lurch the stage wagon rolled forward, leaving a thoroughly confused colt behind. o.0.o In a dark room with six slightly glowing circles and one column of light in the middle, several ponies had gathered. Obscured by shadows, the only visible detail was that they were all wearing dark cloaks they nickered and shuffled in place, until one stepped into the light. From within the cloak a female voice emerged. “Brothers and sisters... both the Princesses are acting strange... they are weak.” There was a moment of animated whispering, but the pony in the middle stamped her hoof on the floor, drawing their attention. “I have seen signs that the Guardian has awoken. The time to strike approaches swiftly... be vigilant. We will find what makes them weak and we will bring night eternal again to Equestria.” “The Nightmare in the Moon will live again!” the others chanted. “Not only her, this time.” the mare said, the light allowing the others to see a small smile in her muzzle. “This time... both the Sun and Moon will forever bring the night.” o.0.o End Chapter 3 o.0.o" ]

[ "The Empty Room Chapter 4 By Wanderer D Spike walked morosely through the castle grounds. “Why me? Really? This happens to me all the time!” the baby dragon growled. “I mean, it's weird enough to dream that I am someone else altogether heading armies into battle, but to dream a whole year of experiences in Ponyville only to find out I never visited? That's harsh!” he blinked. “Although I guess that explains why sometimes it felt... episodic.” He waved absent-mindlessly at a couple of guards as he passed them, eyes on the floor. “And then to dream of perfection herself, the most beautiful pony to grace Equestria only to have her be a figment of my imagination? That is a cruel, cruel fate!” He sighed. “Well, at least I still have Twilight... I'd better go find her...” he looked around and hummed. “I wonder where she is? She usually wakes me up before leaving and its almost the end of the day!” he thought for a second. “I guess I’ll try the library.” o.0.o Princess Celestia glanced at one of the large windows of the court room. Twilight was approaching, and soon, she would be able to meet her aptly named student. She felt a measure of comfort, knowing that one of the most capable ponies she had ever known was trying her best to help her. Comforted... and blessed. Soon Luna would take over the court duties, which, under her, would last just a few hours before she would be free to join them. Now, more than ever, she was glad to have her sister back. Not to say that she hadn't been delighted to have her back in the first place but... under the circumstances, having her loving sister at her side gave her much more strength than she had had in centuries. As a noble rambled about something to do with the state of the Grand Theatre in Canterlot, she had to fight her instinct to hurry the sun down. She was unable to hide her nervousness completely though, as her front hoof scratched the marble floor impatiently. The noble stammered. “Ah, your highness if I have offended you...” Celestia took a deep breath and smiled her kindest of smiles at the pony who had no idea what she was going through at the moment and was taking her time to complain about a structure that was in perfect condition. Clearly it was more important than her filly. Clearly it was more important than her feelings and her life and... “Not at all, please continue... a thought, crossed my mind at the most inopportune moment.” The noble nodded slowly, reassured by the fake smile she had valiantly brought forth. She felt a pang of regret for a moment, for her selfish thoughts, but how could she simply pretend that nothing was wrong? It was then that the doors crashed open as Luna, followed by several guards, ran into the room. “Sister! Something horrible has happened!” o.0.o “Why did we let them talk us into this?” One guard asked. “It was because somepony decided to spill the story of the crypt.” another guard muttered venomously, glaring at the guard that walked at the front of the large group. Said guard did not look happy at all as he was flanked on both sides by Applejack and Rainbow Dash. “So this crypt has been here since before Canterlot was built?” Applejack whistled. “Why isn't it part of the tours?” The guard nodded miserably, stealing a glance back and wincing at the displeased looks his fellow guards were giving him. “The Crypt is mostly unknown to the citizens of Canterlot, and it has been closed for as long as anyone can remember.” he lowered his voice. “Nopony is allowed inside. It is said that those few ponies who went in saw the spirits of those that had passed away there... and that if you are not careful, they will drag your soul screaming into the abyss, leaving behind an empty shell... and sometimes you can still hear their voices whispering to you through the door.” “A-are you sure this is a good idea?” Rarity stammered, looking around nervously. “Aw, come on, Rarity!” Rainbow Dash smirked. “You know there is no such thing as ghosts, right? Why are you scared?” “I- I am not scared, Dash.” Rarity said. “I simply do not want to get my coat dirty in a stinky old crypt!” “W-we could go someplace else... you know... if you want to, that is... maybe.” Fluttershy suggested. “Nah.” Rainbow Dash smiled at her friend. “Don't worry, Fluttershy, I'll make sure nothing happens to you.” Fluttershy lowered her head, looking away as she followed the others. “I don't know if you can...” she whispered. “Hey! If there are ghosts in there can we invite them over to Ponyville?” Pinkie Pie asked. “Think about it! We could have a party that would never, ever die!” “Sometimes, Pinkie Pie, you really scare me.” Applejack said. “Just remember to laugh!” Pinkie Pie replied merrily bouncing around the group as they approached a large pair of copper doors embedded into the mountainside. “What's that supposed to mean?” one guard asked another, only to be elbowed into silence. The closer they got the more oppressive the air became until all ponies were walking with lowered heads and quietly, their hooves clopping on the hard stone had become the only sound around. As the colors of twilight filled the sky above, Pinkie Pie started humming to herself and singing under her breath. “In the land of twilight, under the moon...” Clip clop, clip clop. “We dance for the idiots...” Clip clop, clip clop. “Ring-around-the-roses, jump to the moon” Clip clop, clip clop. “We sing with the castanets...” Due to the silence, her whispered strange song carried on to the ears of everypony, and just as her voice was getting on their nerves, Rarity turned around to growl at Pinkie Pie, opening her mouth to tell her... “WHAT WAS THAT? !” “EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!! !” Rainbow Dash's shout was followed by a shrill scream that made everypony cringe until Applejack shoved a hoof on Rarity's mouth, shutting her up. Pushing the hoof out of her face, Rarity glared at the pegasus. “Don't EVER,” she gasped “do that again!” “But I saw somepony!” Dash said, cringing under the disgruntled visage of her friend. “Over there! By the rocks!” A couple of the guards trotted over to where Rainbow Dash was pointing and looked around, but shook their heads when they found nothing. “Listen... it's getting a bit late and I don't want to be here at night time.” Applejack said. “So, let's take a look, see if we can hear anything and then we can return to the castle.” “Aww... scaaaaared?” Rainbow Dash taunted her. “Yes.” Fluttershy said. “No.” Applejack declared. “I just know that Twilight is going to be looking for us, and we cannot talk to her while we are here.” “Sure.” Rainbow Dash said. “Well, anyway, let's... Pinkie Pie!” Said pink pony was already at the large gates, looking inside. “Hey everypony! The gates are open!” At that, the guards tensed and stood around the group protectively. Sensing the change, Applejack carefully looked towards Pinkie Pie. “Pinkie Pie... come over here.” “Aww... but I can hear a voice!” she said excitedly. “I'll take a look!” she turned words into action and jumped past the gates before anyone could stop her. “Darn it! Pinkie Pie!” Applejack shouted as the whole group trotted towards the doors. They were ajar, barely enough space for a pony to slide through. The guards immediately pushed the doors open and as the dimming light illuminated the large chamber, they immediately spotted Pinkie Pie, standing still, looking at something just beyond their sight. “Pinkie Pie?” Rarity asked. The pink pony slowly turned around. She was, for once, not smiling. In fact, small tears welled in her eyes as she stepped back, letting everyone see what she had found. Outside, unseen by the ponies as they recoiled in horror a shadowy figure observed, then melted into the mists. o.0.o The court had been adjourned immediately. When only the few guards that had ran into the room were left, Luna spoke. “Sister, Lance has disappeared. This young guard,” she motioned with her head to an extremely uncomfortable pony, “went to his quarters to find him, and found the whole place ransacked, whatever Lance was working on had been taken, as evidenced by the empty desk... but, it was clear there had been a fight and... he also found blood in the room. Apparently he had left instructions that if something strange happened we should be informed immediately.” Before Celestia could even speak, the door to the court room slammed open as a pegasus crashed through it and rolled on the floor. Several guards chased after her and as soon as she slid to a stop, surrounded her with their lances at her neck. “Rainbow Dash!” Celestia exclaimed, motioning for the guards to step back. “What's the meaning of this? !” “Princess!” Dash looked up in panic. “Princess! Where is Twilight? !” Princess Celestia felt her blood run cold ash she exchanged concerned looks with Luna, and as if to answer her sudden realization, the castle shook with an explosion. “Go.” Luna said. “I'll bring up the moon and join you shortly... there's no need to worry the rest of our subjects even more.” Celestia shot her sister a grateful look then flew out of the room. Rainbow Dash immediately went after her. Her parting words echoing in the hall. “Send paraponies to the Crypt!” o.0.o An old pony rocked in her chair watching end of the day pass her by. It had been odd, today. The sun had not come up until mid afternoon, but at least twilight seemed to be on time. She chuckled to herself. It had worried a lot of ponies when the lack of sun extended and extended, but for her, well, it was nice to see some random change for once in her old age. But some things never changed in the end. Like dawn gave birth to the day, twilight would die to make way for the night. She heard a squeak. Slowly, she stopped rocking. There it was again. Looking around she spotted a stage wagon on the road. But, it was empty, and nopony was strapped to it. She looked the other way and heard another squeak. Looking back she stared hard at the stage wagon. Was it closer than before? Her eyes opened wide when the stage wagon seemed to turn her way (giving her an unpleasant feeling that it was looking at her.) It started advancing towards her and she could feel her heart racing. The ponyless stage wagon finally ground to a stop just before the steps to her home. A small window to the side of the stage wagon opened and powder seemed to float out... before her eyes it ignited into a blaze of fire forming words in the air. WHICH WAY TO PONYVILLE? The fiery words spelled out. She felt pain above her left hoof... and everything went black. “Hey! Granny!” The old pony opened her eyes and groaned. “W-what...” “Are you okay? You passed out!” the voice asked. “I... I'm okay,” she assured the stranger that helped her up. Funny. Her legs didn't hurt so much now. “I just had this strange nightmare of a stage wagon that spoke in words made out of fire to me... I thought I was going to have a heart-attack!” “Y-you did? Ah... hehe.” The old pony looked at the young unicorn that was helping her up. She had a soft blue coat and a magic wand with pixie dust and a star as a cutie mark. “Yes.. I must have fallen out of my chair!” she chuckled. “Oh... well.” the unicorn cleared her throat. “I ah... I need to know how to get to Ponyville from here, if you don't mind?” “Not at all!” the old mare said. “It's west of here, a few hours on the road for a fit young mare like you. Just walk that way and you'll get there just after 8.” “Well, thank you!” The Great and Powerful Trixie said with a conflicted smile. “I... uh... I should get going... you know, beat the traffic and all...” “...” the old mare looked around. There was nopony in the area. “... sure.” “Thanks again!” the unicorn called as she jumped on top of a familiar-looking stage wagon. Her horn started glowing and soon the stage wagon lurched into a fast roll towards the West. “Young mares these days.” the old mare laughed. She turned around to take a seat again, but somehow her feet got stuck with a weird silvery line. She shouted in surprise as she stumbled and fell forward. Her eyes widened as she realized she was falling towards herself! “Uh...” the old mare took a gasping breath and shook her head as she opened her eyes. “That was strange...” she looked around the empty town. Everypony else would already be inside. She could smell the food her daughter was making. “Hm...” she carefully lifted herself up, bones hurting. She felt unusually happy to be alive. “Mom?” a voice called from within the house. “Dinner's ready!” “I'm coming dear!” she called back. o.0.o Twilight. She could see it from the windows in the room in all its glory. The purple colors that allowed daylight to transcend into nighttime. Although she would never consider herself to be as beautiful or as awe-inspiring as her eponym, she could allow herself a little vanity and ego-stroking when she thought about just what her name meant in the grand scope of things. She shook her head. She couldn't allow herself to be distracted. There was so much to do! And she had discovered so much already! She glanced at the neatly stacked set of papers. She had suspicions already as to what had happened that night, but still... no who and why or even a how. Even if she could re-construct the whole situation, without those key elements her information would prove interesting... but not that useful. “Gah. Writing a thesis was easier.” she grumbled. It also didn't help that the atmosphere in the room just got her down. “Well, I think I have done as much as I could here...” she sighed. She heard a thump out in the hall and frowned. She made her way through the room careful not to disturb anything and looked outside. There was nopony there. As she was about to walk back inside, a creaking sound made her look towards the entrance. When one of the guards walked in she sighed in relief... which turned to horror when the pony slumped forward and fell, unmoving, on the floor. He was kicked out of the way by a pony in a dark cloak, who dumped the other guard on top of him. From where she was she could not tell if the guards were alive or not, but what she could tell was that the cloaked figure had noticed her. “How convenient.” the hooded pony said in a disturbingly familiar voice, walking slowly towards Twilight Sparkle after closing the door behind him. “And here I thought we might have to look for you somewhere else.” His interest seemed piqued by the room she had just walked out of. “And what do we have here?” “None of your business!” Twilight said, shaking her fear away. “Her horn glowed and a magical barrier appeared at the entrance of the room. The magical shield darkened until nopony could look inside and know what was there. “That was not a smart move.” the pony said gravely. “I recognize that spell... and we both know that the only way to get that shield down is to have you remove it willingly... or by killing you.” Twilight sparkle gulped. “T-that's not true, there are other ways.” “True.” The pony said, stopping a few feet from her. “But I don't have the time to break through it when the easiest and most effective way is to kill you... and since I was going to do that anyway...” Twilight took two steps back, noticing for the first time the horn poking at the top of the hood. “Y-you are a unicorn!” “Why, yes. I am.” the unicorn chuckled. “You were always smart, Twilight.” A chill running down her spine, Twilight took a couple of steps back again, the cloaked pony following her. “Who are you? You sound familiar but... nopony I know would willingly hurt others like you did!” The pony seemed to falter for a second, but her hopes were dashed when he resumed walking. “I'm sorry, Twilight.” Twilight Sparkle felt tears forming in her eyes. Why? Who was this pony, this unicorn who sounded familiar? Had some part of her recognized him? Is that why she was crying? Or was it because she was scared? No... she knew this pony. That's why it hurt. She glanced at him, concentrated on his voice... “This has to be done... if there was a different way...” he was saying in a disgustingly soothing tone. Blinking away tears, she gritted her teeth and stopped where she was. The pony obligingly stopped in front of her. When her horn started flaring with magic, her opponent also activated his, illuminating his face. By then, she had realized who it was. By then, the sense of betrayal could reach no further... there were no words to describe what she felt. No words to justify what was happening and who was doing it. There was only one thing she could say before she could unleash her magic to protect not only herself, but her mentor's secret. “Daddy... why?” o.0.o End Chapter 4 o.0.o" ]

[ "The Empty Room Chapter 5 By Wanderer D Spike sighed as he left the royal library. No sign of Twilight. “This is what I am reduced to, an assistant without somepony to assist. What was she thinking going out without me? It's not like she has that many friends... well, unless we count imaginary friends that I dreamed up, that is.” he grumbled, earning a curious glance from a couple of students. He shook his head. “Really. That mare. I don't know what she would do without me.” he looked down. “Or what I would do without her!” he shook his head. “Come on, Spike. Stop thinking like that. Twilight is not going anywhere, she just forgot to wake you up and got caught studying something. It has happened before.” He grimaced. Despite everything he was saying he had a bad feeling. As if something was going to happen... and he wasn’t going to like it. “I wonder where she is?” he whispered as he looked out the window, observing the castle around him. It was then that one of the walls exploded and the complete side of the castle he was looking at fell upon itself, leaving several halls and rooms exposed. For a second he thought he saw a cloaked figure peering down at the collapsed wall, but it suddenly vanished. Worried, and feeling like he had eaten a chunk of ice, he rushed down the stairs. That section of the castle was where Princess Celestia's chambers were. o.0.o Luna's mind was reeling. As she concentrated in bringing up the moon, she feared the worst. She had already dispatched a group of medical ponies to the Crypt, as Rainbow Dash had asked. That, the explosion in the castle and the disappearance of Captain Lance all pointed towards an organized attack of some sort. But... why? And who was behind it? And why... why did this feel familiar? As if she had been through this before? Was this all related to her discovery of the sealed room? Luna felt cold. If this was all her fault... The moon rose in the horizon, a pale disk lacking its usual radiance, as it slowly started its trajectory, Luna's magic decorated the sky with most of the usual constellations... it was almost an afterthought... she did not want to be here doing this when her loved ones needed her. “Are you ready to begin the Night Court, your highness?” the night steward, a friendly mare called Merry Ward asked, unaware of the events that had transpired that night. Luna gritted her teeth. She had duties, true but... family came first. “I am sorry, Merry, but we have a family emergency right now... I cannot hold court tonight.” Her steward looked worried. “I see... I will make sure that all minor matters are attended to...” Luna nodded. “Thank you, Merry. I need to go now...” Merry stepped out of the way as Luna galloped out of the court room. She looked around and sighed. “Well, it's not like we have that many visitors anyway.” o.0.o The guardian grinned as nighttime finally arrived. Now he could leave. Now he would be able to bring back the Nightmare. Shifting in place, it started to uncoil slowly but stopped when a faint, ghostly light hovered at the entrance to his temple. Growling he slithered forward until he was glaring at the intruder... an image, sent by magic, of a pony under a cloak. “Greetings, Guardian.” the pony said, kneeling down. The Guardian did not speak, but smiled, rows and rows of sharp, pointy fangs glistening under the moonlight. “We are your servants, the Council of Nightmares.” the pony said. “We are the descendants of those that first served you. We have grown powerful in the shadows, hidden, awaiting your return. We have succeeded on weakening the two Princesses... by the time you arrive, their willpower will be gone and they will be ready to accept the Nightmare once again.” The Guardian laughed, pleased. “Both of them?” he asked. When the pony nodded, he could feel a shiver of anticipation run down from the base of his neck to the tip of his tail. “I will be there sssshortly.” the Guardian said. “We await your glorious return.” the pony said, still kneeling submissively. The vision started dissipating soon after, but the Guardian had already left. o.0.o The female pony stood up, a bit shaken. Facing the Guardian was a challenging experience. To think she was the first to do so in a thousand years! Turning around, she faced the other three members of the Council of Nightmares that were in the room with her. “We shall separate now. The others are doing their jobs and so should we. We will not reconvene until the Guardian arrives to lessen the risk of being recognized. We all know what we have to do. If we do our jobs right and get both princesses...” she shuddered with pleasure. The three nodded and slowly walked out of the room, leaving her alone. She looked up at the moon. Soon... very soon. o.0.o A little bit earlier o.0.o “Daddy... why?” The male unicorn grimaced. “I'm sorry Twilight, I wish there was another way.” His horn's magic suddenly flashed and flames enveloped his daughter. Or would have, if Twilight had been there. Blinking into existence just behind him, her horn arched down, sending a blade made of purple energy towards him. He managed to roll out of the way. “You raised me!” she shouted accusingly. “You said you loved me! I love you! Why? !” Her father slowly moved to the side and she followed him, mimicking his movements. “I did! And I do!” he growled. “But this is bigger than you! Bigger than me! If that... if Celestia hadn't taken you under her wing things would be different!” Twilight fought the tears in her eyes. She couldn't get distracted. “How would it be different?” Her father growled. “When you started studying magic... I saw it as a chance... I knew you were smart, brilliant even, although I never knew the sheer power you possessed. I took the chance... I enrolled you in the Canterlot School of Magic... I knew you would meet Celestia, but... I always hoped it would be casual... I was going to get you to help me!” “Against Celestia? !” Twilight asked, incredulity shining in her eyes. “Why would I do that? !” “Shut up!” her father shouted. His horn flaring was the only warning she had before she had to run out of the way as one of the columns collapsed where she had been. Why was nopony coming to help? “It's all her fault!” He shouted. “You would have been a part of the Council of Nightmares by now! But you had to fall in love with her! Not only did you betray me! You betrayed your lineage!” “My lineage? !” she exclaimed. “Celestia is the kindest and most loving pony I have ever known! And yes, I love my teacher like a second mother. What did you expect? The moment I became her protege you two cut all contact with me!” Her father seemed to deflate. “I... I'm sorry, Twilight.” he said. With his mouth he pulled on a chain until a medallion came out from under the cloak. It was made of silver or platinum, and it had several marks and diagrams etched into it. “This is your heritage. If it were not for Celestia, when you graduated you would have been inducted into the Council of Nightmares.” “Is that where you learned all this battle magic?” Twilight asked, trying to stall for time. Surely somepony would come investigate. “You think it will be enough to defeat me?” Her father dropped the chain and let the medallion hang around his neck. “That... and you're still young. Powerful, but young.” “What does being young have to do with anything?” Twilight asked, trying to take a step back, but realizing to her horror that her feet would not move. “Experience is a powerful tool, Twilight.” Her father said. “You have enough sheer power to defeat me, true, but you don't know how to use it.” a tear fell to the floor. “I'm sorry it has come to this.” She didn't have a chance to dodge the next spell. The shield protecting the hidden room sputtered and died, but the unicorn did not move. He stared, silent, at Twilight's body. Finally, after a few seconds he dropped the medallion next to her, and nuzzled her neck... he shook his head and looked at her, accusingly. “The day you were born... it was the happiest day of our lives!” he gritted his teeth as Twilight did not answer. “I'm so sorry.” he sighed. “Maybe, once the Nightmare has returned...”glanced at the room. “But for that, I need to find out what you were hiding.” He turned around, but a slight sound made him look back, eyes going wide and a barrier spell just beginning to spark into life when everything around him was enveloped in flames. “I won't let you!” Twilight shouted from her prostrate position, magic snaking out of her as the area shook. He dug his hoofs into the floor, trying to keep the shield up as the flames reached Twilight... how could she still be alive?! How could she have enough energy to continue when her own spell was eating at her? And then world exploded. o.0.o When Celestia, Rainbow Dash and the guards arrived, their eyes immediately fell on the cloaked pony that was staring down at where the wall and several stories of the castle had collapsed. “STOP THAT PONY!” Celestia shouted, her horn flaring with magic. Rainbow Dash was already on her way hoofs ready to make her opponent pay. However, her opponent was crafty. The moment that her hoofs would have connected, the pony disappeared. “Twilight!” Celestia shouted, running into the room. She found it empty, just like she had left it, save for the neat stack of notes her student had left behind. Celestia stood in the middle of the room, dumbfounded. She started stepping back, away from the notes. “No... no, no, no...” “Princess?” Rainbow Dash called from outside the room. Her voice was full of fear. Celestia turned around, eyes wide. “Did you see Twilight?” Rainbow Dash shook her head and stepped to the side, picking up something. Carefully she laid the cracked unicorn horn on the floor, singed and burnt. Celestia did not move. Rainbow Dash gulped, fighting tears in her eyes. “This... this isn't her horn is it?” Celestia did not answer. “This isn't... it isn't...” Dash's tone turned accusing. “It's not! It can't be! Twilight wouldn't lose to some random unicorn! She's the Element of Magic! She has almost as much magic as an alicorn, right?! You must know! You're a goddess! You knew her all her life!” “Rainbow Dash.” Luna's voice broke through her cries. “W-what? !” “Please... leave us for a few minutes... wait by the door to the hall... don't allow anypony in.” Luna said calmly. “B-but...” Dash's hoof almost touched the horn. Almost. “I know.” Luna said. “I will cast a spell to find out if it's her horn but... I need to talk to my sister... please.” Dash took a step back. Then two. “O-okay... I'll be... I'll wait outside...” “Guards, you should leave us two. We'll be fine.” When the last of the guards had left, Luna turned to her sister, who was staring at the horn, a lost and pained look in her eyes. Luna didn't dare touch the horn. But as magic enveloped it and it glowed as it spiraled up, Celestia's eyes followed it. “Sister...” Celestia's voice was nothing but a whisper. “Tell me it isn't so...” Luna closed her eyes. “I'm sorry, sister... I can only feel Twilight's magic alone in this horn.” Celestia felt as if someone had stabbed her on the shoulder and then proceeded to drag the dagger down her chest all the way down to her belly. “Leave me.” “Sister...” Luna did not like the tone of voice... the desperation she heard under it. “I. Said. LEAVE ME!” Celestia shouted. An aura of magic flashed around her creating a miniature storm inside the small room. Seeing Twilight's notes about to fly off, Luna's magic caught them and with a last, fearful look in her sister's direction, she teleported out of the room as the doors slammed shut. Alone in the room, Celestia picked up the broken horn with her magic, as well as the two dolls. Her aura flared and the room was enveloped in a rosy energy. Through a crack in the door a small fly made its way in, only to be instantly vaporized by Celestia's magic. The princess lay down on the floor and cried. o.0.o Luna appeared just outside the hall, the guards and Rainbow Dash all turned to face her. “Guards, nopony, absolutely nopony is allowed in there under ANY circumstances. Triple the guard here.” “Princess...” Rainbow Dash hesitantly walked towards her. “was that...” Luna gritted her teeth, closing her eyes. She couldn't look at Rainbow Dash's face. “The magic on the horn... it belonged to Twilight Sparkle.” she forced herself to look up to the horrified face of the pegasus. “I'm sorry... she's...” “Don't say it!” Rainbow Dash shouted stepping back. “She's gone, Rainbow Dash.” “No! Don't say that! Twilight Sparkle can't be dead!” Dash shouted. A gasp made them look to the small purple dragon that had just walked into the hall. “It's not true.” he said running to hold Luna's hoofs. “It's not true, right? Y-you're joking.” Luna couldn't even say anything to the baby dragon. She just shook her head and looked away. Without letting go of her, Spike turned to look over his shoulder towards Rainbow Dash. “Dash... it's not true, right? This is a dream, right? I'm dreaming... just like... like I dreamed about you and... and Rarity and... she's not gone...” Unable to hear any more, the pegasus took of and blasted out of a window, uncaring of the pieces of glass that cut her skin, flying as fast as she could into the night. o.0.o “Will he be okay?” Applejack asked the parapony that had finished up bandaging Captain Lance. “He will live... for now.” the pony said with a sigh. “His wounds were... extensive. It's a miracle he's still alive, much less able to talk to all of you before we arrived.” “I'm worried about Twilight.” Fluttershy said. “I know dear.” Rarity said, nodding worriedly. “If what the Captain said is true, she could be in real danger.” “Well, Rainbow Dash is the fastest flier around.” Applejack said. “And she went straight to the princesses. I'm sure they'll make sure our Twilight is fine.” Fluttershy looked down at the unconscious unicorn an shivered. “Whoever did this was certainly trying to kill him.” one of the medical ponies said. “As it is we'll have a hard time keeping him alive.” “We know you'll do your best.” Rarity said. “We should probably head back...” Applejack sighed, looking at the guards, who nodded in unison. “Come on, everypony, let's find Twilight.” o.0.o Big Macintosh silently considered the stage wagon that had just rolled up to him. Clearly, nopony was pulling it. In fact, had he not seen the stage wagon turn around and move towards him, he would have thought its owner had left it behind. He recognized the name, obviously. Applejack had had a lot of words to say about Trixie, none of them kind. He had wondered, silently, if she had been that bad. She hadn't seemed half bad at all to him. Now, facing fiery words floating in front of him, he was questioning whether to answer truthfully. Nothing good could come out of dealing with the dead. Or so one of their distant aunts was quoted to have said just before she kicked the bucket. HOW CLOSE AM I TO PONYVILLE? The words asked. “That you, Trixie?” YES. HOW DID YOU KNOW? CAN YOU SEE ME? HAVE WE MET? YOU’RE CUTE I THINK I WOULD REMEMBER YOU He coughed. “Your name is on the side of the stage wagon. And I remember you from your visit.” OH “Can I ask what your business is in Ponyville?” the draft pony asked. THE GREAT AND POWERFUL TRIXIE DOES NOT ANSWER TO ANYPONY “That's fair, I reckon. But then you cannot expect somepony to answer either.” The stage wagon was silent for a few seconds. I NEED TO SPEAK WITH TWILIGHT SPARKLE “Ah.” Big Mac considered again what to do. On the one hoof, he hadn't heard anypony say anything good about Trixie since the incident with the Ursa Minor. On the other hoof, he really didn't like leaving a pony in need without help. And since ghosts were out of his expertise... “I hate to break it to you, Trixie, but Twilight and the others are not around.” WHAT? “Eeyup. They left for Canterlot this morning. The princesses needed her.” WHY WOULD THEY CALL FOR HER? Big Mac blinked. “Twilight Sparkle is Celestia's personal apprentice?” … I WAS UNAWARE OF THAT FACT. He hadn't expected the ellipses. I SHALL GO TO CANTERLOT THEN, CAN YOU POINT ME IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION, HANDSOME? The red-furred stallion felt himself blush. From what he remembered of the one show he had seen, Trixie was not bad looking at all. “I-it's that way.” He stammered through his blush. THANK YOU He felt something cold brush against his muzzle and blushed even harder as the stage wagon turned around and left for Canterlot. Big Mac looked at the receding stage wagon and sighed as he started galloping after it. He just couldn't leave a ghost filly by herself against the unknown. o.0.o Rainbow Dash didn't care where she was flying. Luna's words kept echoing in her head. She tried gaining more speed, but she felt really tired. Gritting her teeth she looked up. “Holy-” she shouted as another pegasus suddenly appeared in front of her. The pegasus whirled to face her, surprise in her eyes. Both immediately broke off their trajectory, barely missing each other. “Hey! Watch where you're going! That was dangerous!” The other pegasus shouted. “Sorry! I... Spitfire? !” The feiry maned pegasus floated closer to her. “Rainbow Dash? I haven't seen you since the Gala!” The Wonderbolt suddenly noticed how haggard the other pegasus looked. “Are you... okay? Being in front of one of her heroes Rainbow Dash did the only thing she could think of. She hugged the surprised pony hard and cried on her shoulder. Spitfire looked terrified for a second, but then returned the hug, letting the blue pegasus cry. After a few minutes, Rainbow Dash stopped crying. “Do you feel better now?” Spitfire asked, kindly, while still holding her. She felt Rainbow Dash nod. “Good, now, where are you staying? Are you by yourself?” Rainbow Dash pulled back from the embrace. “No... I'm staying in Canterlot Castle... my friends are there... Oh... Celestia...” “What?” “Spitfire... I need to talk to them... they'll find out and...” “Say no more.” Spitfire said. “I don't know what happened, but I'm not letting a friend alone when she needs me.” “F-friend?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Sure! We didn't hang out much at the Gala, but I liked you! Now, let's go meet your friends. If whatever happened to you is going to affect them that badly as well, they'll you there.” Rainbow Dash nodded. “Yeah.” she sighed. “Let's go.” Together, the two pegasi flew back to the castle. One of them wondering how she was going to break the news to her friends. o.0.o End Chapter 5 o.0.o" ]

[ "The Empty Room Chapter 6 By Wanderer D It was a quiet and subdued group of ponies that sat around a circular table in one of Canterlot's many rooms. Spitfire placed a comforting hoof on Rainbow Dash's shoulder as Luna softly informed all of them that, in the process of investigating a secret and delicate matter for Princess Celestia, Twilight Sparkle had been attacked by an unknown pony and had died at his or her hoofs in the explosion that had wrecked the walls of the castle. Pinkie Pie's hair had deflated and her usually bright pink coat had somehow dulled as she looked miserably at the table. Applejack had closed her eyes tightly and was shaking, her hoofs around her, fighting tears and the bitter words of anger and resentment that she did not want to shout. Rarity had bowed down her head and tears were dropping unheeded onto the table. She made no attempt to compose herself. Fluttershy was sniffling, resting her face on her hoofs as her body shook, unlike Applejack, though, it shook out of the strength of her sobs rather than anger. Her hair covered her face from everypony, but it did nothing to hide how devastated she felt. Rainbow Dash... felt drained. Tired. She had already exploded in anger and had flown out as fast as she could, burning out most of her energy. Had Spitfire not stumbled into her flightpath after practice, she would be all the way to Fillydelphia by now. The Wonderbolt kept her thoughts to herself, but it was clear from the pitying looks she was giving the others that she had been affected by the story too. Luna sighed as she finished talking. She knew Dash felt guilty for missing her chance to capture the elusive cloaked pony, but she also felt guilty herself... she had been the one to suggest bringing Twilight Sparkle to the castle to help. She had been the one to find the damned room in the first place! If only she had been less curious! “What are we going to do about this then?” Applejack asked after a few minutes of silence. Luna blinked. “What do you mean?” “I mean what I just said!” the orange earth pony growled, smashing her hoof on the table. “I'm not just going to walk away and let whoever did that to Twilight go free! And Princess Celestia needs us too!” “We... we can't just sit here.” Fluttershy said, her timid voice gaining strength. “Twilight Sparkle wouldn't want that.” “We need to find out what is happening to Princess Celestia.” Rarity added. “And if we help solve that, we can find out who k- who did that to Twilight.” Rainbow Dash slowly looked up. “We'll find the pony who did this... and kill-” “No, sugarcube.” Applejack interrupted. “As much as I want to do exactly that... it is not the way that any of us should or would act. I'm sure that Twilight wouldn't want that either.” Dash fumed and looked away. “We'll see.” Luna had closed her eyes and nodded. Extending her senses, she could still feel her sister's field coating the filly room. “My sister... is still indisposed.” she said worriedly. “I... I've never seen her like this.” “Now wait an apple buckin' minute.” Applejack said, shooting a glare at Luna. “You never told us what the problem was.” Luna hesitated. These were Twilight Sparkle's closest friends, they were the Elements of Harmony, she owed them her life and her freedom. Although she didn't want anypony else to know about what was really happening... if she could trust anypony... it was them. She looked at Spitfire for a second, but Rainbow Dash caught her look. “I trust her. If Spitfire wants to help us... she can.” the pegasus said, looking over her shoulder at the Wonderbolt, who gave her a shaky smile and a nod, no doubt wondering what she was getting into. Luna sighed. Celestia had always had good things to say about the Wonderbolts... still this was getting out of hoof. “Fine. But what I am about to say does not leave this room. Nopony else will know of this, as much as I owe you five my life and my freedom, my sister's happiness is my priority. Our enemy is crafty, if they were able to defeat Twilight Sparkle... a feat that I assure you is not easy...” The six ponies in the room nodded, and with a long sigh, Luna started her story. o.0.o Trixie looked askance at the pony trotting next to her. YOU REALLY DON'T NEED TO TAG ALONG, BIG MACINTOSH she wrote, her magic forming words with flaming powder. The red-furred stallion nodded. THE GREAT AND POWERFUL TRIXIE DOESN'T NEED HELP FROM ANYPONY A shrug. “Well, I reckon that ponies shouldn't travel alone if they have someone willing to go with them.” Trixie smiled a bit. He had tactfully not pointed out that they were on their way for her to actually ask for help in the first place. She grimaced. Canterlot was just an hour away... and then her journey would be over. She would be able to start her quest for revenge. She sighed, looking at Big Mac silently trudging on besides her for no reason other than to help her. When she had been on her one-mare mission to reach Twilight Sparkle, she had been able to ignore feelings and thoughts that she had been trying to put down for a while now. But the slow and steady rhythm of Big Macintosh's walk gave her plenty of time to think. She had never had true friends. Sure, at Canterlot University she had peers... Twilight Sparkle being one of them, in fact. Although she hadn't known about the purple unicorn's relationship with Celestia, she had always admired her dedication to magic... if nothing else. She had also fancied herself a lot more powerful than Twilight Sparkle, but... well, life had a way of shoving empty boasts down pony throats. Ever since Twilight had shown her up that fateful night, Trixie had had a hard time getting back up to speed. Her confidence was shaken. Although she had known that her boasts were nothing more than bragging, she had never expected to find anypony who would be able to achieve what she could only imagine of doing. It had been humbling, but more importantly... she had lost her mojo that night. She sighed and looked at her traveling companion. He was cute. That's for sure. Maybe, maybe if she hadn't been so blinded by her own light show she might have seen him in the crowd... maybe.... YOU'RE A GOOD PONY, BIG MACINTOSH She wrote morosely. THANK YOU FOR HELPING A USELESS GHOST LIKE ME “Hey now.” Big Mac said, shaking his head. “Don't go saying that, Trixie. You are not useless. I don't think there are that many ponies out there that could manage half of what you have done just today.” YOU'RE TOO KIND The carried on in silence for a while, until Trixie felt something. BIG MAC DON'T ASK WHY JUST JUMP INTO THE WAGON! The flames were dying just as the wagon's doors closed behind him. Quietly he looked out through a crack. A slithering shadow flashed past them, then stopped, doubling back to hover around the wagon for a moment. He gulped when he heard a hissing sound. Then... it was gone. He could see the stars again through the crack. After a few moments, the doors opened and he stepped out. “What was that?” he asked, looking at the seat on the wagon, unknowingly looking straight at Trixie. THE GUARDIAN Anger seeped back into her. HE ATE ME! AND HE RIPPED MY FACE OFF! Big Mac blinked and started to look green. COME ON, HANDSOME! WE HAVE TO CATCH THAT OVERGROWN SNAKE! o.0.o Spike stared at the empty room. A cold breeze made him shudder as he looked around. Had he paid attention earlier he would have noticed the saddle bags and the latest friendship report which Twilight was going to give to Princess Celestia in person. If he had paid attention earlier he might have been able to be with Twilight and... and... “Damn it!” he hollered punching the side of the door with his fist. It stung, but he felt good about that. He wanted it to hurt. He looked up and turned around. There was nopony there. Was that an echo? He waited, but he didn't hear anything else. “Must be my imagination...” he muttered, turning to leave. “I don't have time for this! I'm going to find who killed Twilight and I am going to rip their throats out!” his nostrils let out a whiff of smoke. o.0.o Celestia lay alone in the center of the room. Before her were the remains of Twilight Sparkle's horn and the dolls belonging to her daughter. “In the search for my first child... I got my second daughter killed.” she said, looking tenderly at the horn. “I never told you, Twilight, how much you meant to me... how much of myself, and especially Luna I saw in you. You were such a beautiful filly, in mind and body... so innocent and brave!” She sighed. “And now you are gone... and I have to accept that... I will find the ponies behind this... and they will pay. But that will not bring you back. At least I know death is kind... even if he is a bit odd.” she chuckled. “But how can I go on right now, my faithful student, when you will not be at my side again? When your reports will not come to me and break the monotony of the court? When the actual joy of you being alive and part of my life... is gone?” Celestia lowered her head to her hoofs. “And yet, I must. For if not I, who? I only have this night to mourn you, and then, when the time for the sun to rise comes, I will have no choice but to return to my duty and raise it from its slumber. I cannot show this to anyone; I cannot be open, or honest or fragile... even dear Luna needs to see me to be strong for her... I fear I have become spoiled my student... for within the last two decades not only did I get my dear sister back... I had you.” “And you can have her again...” a voice whispered almost in her ear, making it twitch. “Who are you? !” Celestia asked, she stood and glared around. “Don't you mean... how?” the voice whispered back. Celestia clenched her mouth shut as she looked carefully around again. There was no way anypony could have crossed her field... so who... “Not 'who'” the voice whispered again. “How. How can I get her back? How can I get my daughter back too?” “Show yourself.” Celestia growled. “Turn around... yes... you can see me there, at the edge of your field.” the voice directed as she looked at one of the walls. There seemed to be somepony there... she approached carefully until she stood, staring. “That's not you.” “Yes... it is.” the voice said again. And she saw the pony in front of her mouth the words, just as she had mouthed the words she had said earlier. “You are not me.” Celestia insisted, staring hard at the mirror. “You are drifting from what really matters but if you must know...” Mirror-Celestia replied. “I am your inner voice, I am the power within yourself able to bring Twilight Sparkle back to life.” “That can't be done.” Celestia replied angrily. “If you were me you would know!” “I am... and that's how I know it to be possible.” The Princess shook her head... the voice was seductive... if there was a chance... “There is!” The voice insisted, her thoughts betraying her. “You know it... as well as you know how much you love that filly... it is not right for her life to be cut so short... not when trying to help you! Had it been under other circumstances... perhaps... but we know, don't we... that it was unfair... that it was uncalled for.” the broken horn, not even half the size of Celestia's own floated in front of the mirror now, spinning lazily. “Y-yes...” Celestia admitted. “She was so young...” she felt tears and was about to fight them but... “There is no need to hide your tears from yourself.” her mirror image said, Celestia's voice heavy with kindness. “Who is there to impress? Who is there to see you be a tiny bit sad... fragile? You are alone... not even our dear daughter is here to see help us... our sister has to hold the fort for now until we bring Twilight Sparkle back... she is strong, she can handle it...” “But...” “Twilight Sparkle needs us... she needs us to do what needs to be done... she needs us to use our magic and power to bring her back... for her... we should do it for her...” “But how?” Celestia finally asked. “How can I bring her back?” “Find me.” “What?” “I am within you... I am... a spark... within you... you have never needed me before, because you have not loved so much before.” “Within me?” Celestia closed her eyes and turned her attention into herself. She searched deep. Going deeper than she had ever gone before. Everything was light, like being under direct sunlight. “I can't find you!” “I am here! You know me! Look beyond!” Celestia looked. And she looked. And she searched... until she got to the edge of the light, where the shadows of her absolute subconscious were. She stopped. She should be careful, it was easy to forget she was not- “Princess!” a voice she easily recognized called from within. “Twilight? !” “Princess! I'm scared! I can't see anything! There's... something pulling me away!” “Don't worry, Twilight! I'll...” “Princess...” Twilight's voice seemed to fade into the distance. “TWILIGHT!” Celestia shouted, plunging into the darkness. “Where are you? !” “She's almost gone!” her mirror-voice shouted. “Release your inner power!” And Celestia felt it... a shell of some sort, floating in the darkness. Her horn started to glow as she charged towards it. “Twilight! I'm coming!” Her horn struck the shell. o.0.o “These are Twilight Sparkle's notes on what happened in that room roughly twenty years ago.” Luna said, spreading the pages on the table with her magic. Her tale had deeply affected the others, but to their credit, they had soldiered on despite everything. It gave her some hope that things might still turn out... okay. The other ponies leaned in to look. “Oh...” Fluttershy said. “Does this come with illustrations?” Rainbow Dash asked. “My... Twilight was really thorough...” Rarity said. “I barely understand a fifth of what this says.” Applejack stared at the pages. “I know the words mean something... but I have no idea what '...temporal dilatation of eldritch energies' means and what it has to do with... 'PK variations'?” “Silly, it's just a theory developed to calculate the dispersion of magical energies through time in direct relation to their original intent and purpose. Easy-peachy!” Luna spoke into the silence, looking curiously at the gathered ponies as they stared at Pinkie Pie. What was their deal? “Ahem.” she coudhed into her hoof, drawing their attention. “Pinkie Pie is right. But there's not much to learn from this first page. It just describes the methodology of her approach.” “She wrote fifteen pages based on that?” Applejack chuckled sadly. “That's our Twilight.” “Hm... but it just jumps here... that's weird...” Luna said, then turned the page around. “Oh, silly me. She wrote on both sides.” Fluttershy sniffed miserably. That was their Twilight indeed. They waited in tense silence as Luna read through the papers, but as soon as she finished, they could tell it was not what she had hoped for. “What is it?” Rainbow Dash asked. Luna sighed. “Well, it has a lot of information, but the bottom line is that Twilight found out that on that night there were 5 spells cast... the shield, illusion and disorientation spells were cast to hide the room, all three were completely broken by me and Celestia earlier today. Then... there was the memory spell... Twilight's notes indicate that it was massive... it affected several ponies, not just my sister... she found energy traces for a fifth spell though, although she could not identify it...” “Aaand that leaves us exactly where we were before.” Applejack sighed. “No offense, but Celestia's filly could be anypony! In this room, other than you Princess, there are six ponies that fall into the age category alone... and I know more than thirty others that live in or around Ponyville.” “Could Princess Celestia's daughter be a unicorn?” Spitfire asked. “No.” Luna shook her head. “The magic in the pony would be too much for a unicorn... the filly would obviously be an alicorn.” “Unless that unknown spell turned her into another type of pony?” Rarity ventured. “Perhaps a Unicorn to explain the magic?” “Or a pegasus to keep the wings?” Fluttershy asked. “Or even an earth pony to throw whoever force her into giving the filly away off her track?” Applejack added. Luna looked troubled. “Well... I... there are some spells like that, to be sure, but...” “Look everypony, this is getting us no-where.” Dash snapped. “Sure, it's interesting that there were five spells, and sure we have to find Princess Celestia's filly... but, that can wait. Somepony is taking advantage of this for some reason and not only almost killed Captain Lance, but really killed Twilight! To find the filly we need to stop them first!” Luna sighed. “This is true. As much as I want to find the filly... sorting this out takes precedence.” she groaned. “I haven't been so frustrated in a thousand years!” She stopped. The gathered ponies saw her face go into shocked realization and then horror. “In a thousand years...” she murmured and turned to look at the others, the fear in her eyes making them very nervous. “Lu-luna...” Applejack stammered, her nervousness making her completely skip the usual honorific. “But... a thousand years ago you...” “Oh... my.” Rarity whispered in horror. “You don't mean...” Luna nodded. “A thousand years ago... through several incidents that chipped away at my willpower and fed my fears... I released Nightmare Moon into this world.” “But... that was a thousand years ago!” Dash complained. “I can see you're stressed but no-where as much as...” her eyes went almost comically wide as the whole castle started to shake. “Celestia.” Spitfire whispered, her voice echoing in the now quiet room. o.0.o End Chapter 6 o.0.o" ]

[ "The Empty Room Chapter 7 By Wanderer D Luna and the others arrived to the hall where Celestia had been mourning the loss of her daughter and her student. The four guards left to guard the entrance, a pair of pegasi and a pair of earth ponies had not even known what hit them. One moment they were turning to face them, the next they were nothing but scorched skeletons crumbling onto the burning hall. Had Luna not sensed the magic buildup, her shield would have not come up in time to protect the remaining Elements of Harmony and the Wonderbolt from sharing the guards’ fate. From the smoldering hall two figures trotted out calmly, drawing gasps from the group. Celestia herself was imposing. Her coat wasn't a simple white... it seemed to be made out of white flames... depending on her movements traces of yellow or orange seemed to flash around her, making it look like the flames were constantly licking her body. Her wings shone with searing light, her mane was the blue-white of a new star, her horn was wickedly sharp... Her Regalia had changed into a platinum white, with an orange opal in the middle. Also made of platinum, her crown had morphed into a half helm, much like the one that Nightmare Moon had originally worn, increasingly larger spikes ran from the tip of her snout to just before her horn... but even then, although she looked mightier and harsher than before, it was her companion that drew the attention of the ponies accompanying Luna. “T-twilight?” Applejack asked, eyes wide. Their friend stood next to the Princess... changed. Her light purple coat was now darker by a few shades, her purple mane had darkened to almost black, and the lighter light on it had been replaced by a deep red. Her horn extended from a scar on her forehead, twice as long as before, and sharper. Her hoofs were pitch black, her cutie mark remained almost the same... except that it looked... malevolent. The normally straight edges of her mark had been replaced by wavy curves that reminded the ponies of blades, her irises were a swirl of red and lavender. She smiled, tiny fangs making her look even more feral. “That's me alright, Applejack.” “B-but it can't be you...” Rainbow Dash stammered. “You died!” “I got better.” Twilight answered, trotting up to the pegasus and whispering in her ear. “Much, better.” The pegasus shivered as her ear twitched from the feel of her friend's breath on it, as much as the feeling of Twilight's coat against hers. “Twilight Spark.” Celestia said to her, looking down just slightly. “Don't you have something to tell your friends?” “Spark?” Rarity asked. “But...” “Sparkle was okay,” Twilight interrupted. “for a filly... but I am a full grown mare now, as you can see. A better name seemed... appropriate.” Applejack shook her head slowly, tears welling up in her eyes as she stepped up and hugged her friend. “Sugarcube, you can call yourself Twilight Pastel for all I care... It's good to have you back.” She felt Twilight hug her back and she closed her eyes. Her friend was back. Changed, true, but back. It was then that she felt Twilight's tongue on her neck. Her eyes snapped open and she pulled away, staring in shock at her friend. “Twilight!” “What?” the librarian asked. “You know you've always wanted that, Applejack... I'm not afraid to go all the way now.” “Twilight.” Celestia's voice was laden with power. “Yes, Mistress.” Twilight said, her smile disappearing as she faced her friends. Her eyes sparkled with mischief when Applejack wouldn't meet her gaze. “I welcome you all to the new rule of Queen Nightmare Flare. As loyal subjects that you are, you are all welcome to take your rightful places at our side...” “Nightmare Flare? !” Luna growled. “What type of magic did you delve into sister?” her eyes, which had never drifted from the Princess-now-Queen, settled on Twilight. “Was your student really worth destroying all you have built?” A blast of energy slammed Luna against the far wall. Nightmare Flare calmly walked up to her. “Do you even have to ask?” her voice was cold. “I lost a filly once, I'm not losing another one!” “How many times, sister?” Luna asked, her voice barely a ragged whisper despite her shock at how much her sister had loved Twilight Sparkle. “How many times did we remind each other that death had to remain an absolute, despite our love for our friends and subjects? How many times during centuries... millennia even, did we swallow our tears and thought of those alive first, before our selfishness could corrupt us?” Nightmare Flare sniffed in contempt. “You are one to talk, sister. But, I am not corrupt. If I were, would I be offering you your rightful title as Queen of the Night?” Luna was taken aback. “What?” “I don't care for more power, I have all I need, but I do care about balance. Join me. Rule the Night Eternal as I rule the Endless Day. They can exist at the same time. We can be the Goddesses that we truly are and rule and care for our subjects personally without worrying about mindless celestial bodies.” “I...” Luna shook her head. “That is the purpose of our existence! To bring balance to each other, to limit our power to the benefit of those that...” “Please.” Nightmare Flare growled. “I fed you that crap long enough.” her eyes narrowed. “I see that I was mistaken... it is not you that I need. I need my real sister. The real Queen of the Night.” she took a menacing step towards Luna, who struggled to get up. “Y-you don't mean...” the black alicorn gasped. “Yes.” Nightmare Flare grinned. Her horn alight once more. “I need you, my sister... to be my equal! I need Nightmare Moon!” Nightmare Flare's eyes shone with an inner light as her horn's glow increased. Luna gasped as she felt familiar trails of energy course through her body. “B-but... that's impossible! The Elements of Harmony...” “Did nothing more than contain your true nature, as I foolishly expected them to, sister.” the former Celestia answered. “I see now the error of my ways, and that you were the wiser of the both of us.” “No!” Luna struggled, vaguely aware of the remaining Elements raising their voices and attempting to get past Twilight. “You did the right thing! You've been blinded by grief, sister! Don't do this!” She gasped as the energy tried to force its way through her towards her center. She closed her eyes and braced herself, her soul fighting the enchantment every inch as it made its way inevitably to that... core that she knew shouldn't be there anymore. She couldn't pay attention to the physical world as this battle continued. Her world became bathed in soft moonlight. An alicorn made of flames was diving down towards the edge of her subconscious and she charged it, batting it away. The flame-mare turned around, charging towards her, horn trailing energy behind it. They clashed, sending waves of energy flashing around them. Luna struggled with all her considerable might, but her sister's avatar slowly pushed her back into the dark subconscious... and once there... she shuddered. Inch by inch she was pushed back. For every flare of energy she mustered, her sister would imbue more power into her attack... and Luna was considerably out of shape for a battle like this. She had not recuperated completely from the Elements freeing her of Nightmare Moon. She had already crossed the threshold into the subconscious, pushed back farther still as the avatar pressed her back and further back in. She could feel the area where the dark 'core' had been so long ago, and to her horror found that it was not completely gone... diminished, yes, but not gone. “Don't give up!” a blue orb of light shouted with Rainbow Dash's voice. “You can win, Luna!” the blue orb settled over her right wing. “That's right! Don't let the flaming-baddie-Mcmeanniepants win!” Pinkie-Orb said, showering her in pink light. “Aren't you alicorns supposed to represent all of us? Then you're part Earth Pony too! No self-respecting Earth Pony will be pushed back by a unicorn!” An orange light, strong and vibrant said to her right, with a whispered “No offense, Rarity.” follow-up. “None taken dear.” A white light orb said to her left. “We unicorns do have more stylish ways of dealing with ruffians.” the white orb hovered around the avatar for a second before returning to Luna's side. “But she does have a point, Luna. You do represent us all! Even more so than your sister at this point!” “Um...” a yellow orb of light, at times as big as the others, at times smaller floated up to her left wing. “We are all here for you... if... if you want, that is, Luna.” “W-what happened to 'Princess'?” Luna half joked, almost buckling under the pressure. “What? !” Rainbow-orb bopped up and down. “After all we went through when we met we should have been speaking on first-name-basis since Everfree Forest!” “Although it wouldn't have been proper to do so in front of others...” Rarity-orb said. “So what?” Applejack-orb asked. “If we're her friends we can talk to her however we want!” “You... think of me as a friend?” Luna asked, touched and honestly flattered. “Of course we do, sugarcube.” Applejack-orb said. “Why do you think we're here right now?” “But weren't you outside?” “Um... I guess you could say our thoughts have always been with you? … maybe? I-if you like, that is... never mind...” “I'm more confused as to why we can talk this much in the middle of the fight!” Rarity-orb said. “It's not normal!” “Yes... that is strange.” Luna agreed. Despite the fact that she was still struggling to hold her sister's avatar back, there had been no sudden influx of power to push her back, in fact the avatar seemed to be staring at something. “That's because talking is a free action!” Pinkie-Orb giggled. Luna blinked, and for a moment the orbs around her seemed to do the same. “No... it's something else...” “It's me.” another voice said. Luna's eyes widened comically at the purple orb of light that floated between her and the avatar. “Twilight Sparkle? !” o.0.o The five ponies from Ponyville looked in horror as the twisted Princess Celestia battled Princess Luna. Both alicorns were covered in auras of energy that pressed against each other. Nightmare Flare had a fierce smile as her eyes blazed with energy, her form towering over the cringing Luna, who had closed her eyes and and was frowning in deep concentration. “This is not good.” Applejack muttered. “We have to stop them!” Rarity said. “But how? !” Spitfire asked. “We've done it before!” Rainbow Dash said, turning her eyes towards Twilight and drawing a startled gasp from Spitfire. “We stopped Nightmare Moon once, we can do it again!” “You stopped Nightmare Moon? !” the Wonderbolt looked incredulously at the other ponies in the room. “It was supposed to be a secret!” Applejack growled. “But we don't have much of a choice now.” she looked back towards the others. Rarity and Pinkie Pie nodded resolutely. Fluttershy also nodded, although a bit hesitantly. Applejack's eyes slowly turned towards the last Element. “Will you help us, Twilight?” The unicorn looked thoughtfully from one pony to the next. “No.” “What? !” Rainbow Dash shouted, flying to stand nose to nose with Twilight Spark. “What do you mean 'no'? You know perfectly well that-” “That I would still be dead if she hadn't awakened?” Twilight Spark's eyes were stone-cold. The pegasus, suddenly feeling very unsure wanted to look away from her, but she was held fast in place by that stare. “You want me to betray my teacher and mentor?” “I...” Rainbow Dash faltered. Suddenly she found herself shoved out of the way. She released a breath she didn't know she had been holding and looked up to see Fluttershy of all ponies returning a Stare at Twilight Spark. “Don't you DARE use the Stare on your friends! What are you thinking! You know this is wrong Twilight Sparkle! You and I talked once about the power of the Stare!” Twilight Spark was first surprised, then confused. “We did?” Fluttershy blinked as she looked deep into the unicorn's eyes. “We did. Don't you remember?” Twilight Spark stepped back. “I... I...” she looked really confused and for a second... scared. But then anger returned in full. “So what if we talked about it?! I don't care! I will not betray my Queen!” Her horn fired up and a wave of energy threw all ponies flying. “You will not stop Nightmare Moon from coming back! “We'll have to stop her too!” Applejack said, jumping to her hoofs quickly. “But... we won't have all six Elements of Harmony...” Rarity said, as her horn created a shield that blocked the skeleton Twilight had levitated and thrown their way. “We'll have to try! Maybe we can cleanse Twilight first! It's bound to be easier than cleansing Celestia without the Element of Magic!” the Earth Pony retorted, a golden choker decorated with an apple made out of ruby appearing around her neck. Similar chokers, each matching the cutie marks of the other ponies appeared as they all stood and faced Twilight Spark. Auras of their respective colors formed around them, their backlash dispersing every spell Twilight threw at them. The panicking unicorn starting to throw bigger objects at them to no avail. Their auras suddenly extended and enveloped the unicorn, who gasped in pain as the multicolored light destroyed her defenses. “We're doing it!” Fluttershy cheered as the light formed a familiar rainbow wall around the transformed unicorn. Suddenly a hoof hit her in the face, sending her sprawling and breaking her concentration. Before the others could react, a back kick almost dropped Rarity right then and there, Pinkie Pie was barely able to dodge a follow up. Their assailant then tackled Rainbow Dash to the floor. Their attack shattered and Twilight Spark wasted no time in casting a spell that had Applejack, Rarity and Pinkie Pie on their bellies, as if a huge weight had suddenly dropped on them. Fluttershy looked up from her prone position, head reeling to stare at their attacker. “S-Spitfire!” Rainbow Dash growled, trying unsuccessfully to raise her head more than enough to turn it towards the other pegasus. “What the hay are you doing!” The pegasus smiled. “I'm protecting my Queen, of course.” from within her wings she drew out a small silver chain with an amulet on it. “It is the sacred duty of the Council of Nightmares to bring both sisters to their full power.” “But... it doesn't make sense!” Rainbow Dash said, the hurt and betrayal in her voice obvious to all around. “Don't worry Dash.” Spitfire said leaning close to the angry pegasus' ear. “You'll understand soon enough.” Twilight Spark, horn glowing and enlarging her spell to cover Fluttershy, approached Spitfire. “You serve Queen Nightmare Flare then?” “And Queen Nightmare Moon.” the red-maned pegasus nodded. “With all my being.” Twilight Spark smiled. “Good. Then...” “At last!” Nightmare Flare's voice was victorious. The five ponies on the floor turned to look in horror as Luna was surrounded by a dark blue energy. The transformed Queen stepped back as her sister, seemingly unconscious, floated up to hover in front of her. Slowly the energy formed a familiar shape. Fluttershy closed her eyes and whimpered. Rarity and Pinkie Pie shared worried glances. “Oh no...” Applejack groaned, barely even able to see what was happening past Twilight's hooves. Rainbow Dash didn't say anything, bitter tears welling in her eyes. Nightmare Moon slowly stood up as Nightmare Flare stepped back to allow her some space. The dark alicorn opened her eyes and turned them towards the Elements of Harmony. o.0.o After an awkward discussion about what had happened to her at the Guardian's maws, Trixie had allowed Big Macintosh to pull her wagon. Although she could have carried on, it was starting to tax her magic, and she had noticed that she had started to lose opacity. “You rest,” the strong pony had said in a kind but firm tone. “I'm used to pulling, and you'll need your strength once we reach Canterlot.” Trixie had nodded with a grateful and shy smile, but upon remembering that he could not see her had sighed and used her flash powder to write: THANK YOU. I REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR HELP, BIG MACINTOSH. The stallion blushed, a pleased smile adorning his face as he simply nodded. The comfortable silence and steadfast companionship had calmed Trixie a bit and she had finally asked herself the question that she had avoided since she had been exposed as a liar by Twilight Sparkle and her friends. She had blamed the whole thing on her. Even the fact that the Ursa Minor had attacked the town, when it had really been the two colts fans she had egged on about her greatness. And really, what had she done the last few years with her life? She had gone from city to city, town to town antagonizing the locals if they questioned her. Her repertoire was impressive enough, but she had decided to... embellish it with added bravado and the stories became more extravagant as time went past. The fact that she could defend herself from and defeat multiple opponents by doing things 'better' than them gave credibility to her claims to more gullible ponies. But if she was truly honest with herself, she had not really done anything better than the other ponies. She had just taken advantage of their exploits which usually left them a bit winded, as would often happen when excitable ponies tried to make a show of their skills. Had she flown better than that blue pegasus with the ridiculous rainbow hair? No. She had just used her illusion skills to use the rainbow she had created with her skills against her. Perhaps she could claim that she had done better than the farmer mare with rope-tricks, but again, that would depend on what was being judged. Had she attempted to pull the same trick physically, well, she would have been as effective at that as the Earth Pony would have been at trying her hoof at magic. And what of the musician in Fillydelphia? Or that gunslinger in Appleloosa? She sighed. She had done so much to escape from the ghosts of her past. She had ran away from home and dropped out of school to forge her own way; find herself. She had wanted to prove to her father that she was perfectly capable of achieving much in her life, even surpass him, without the comforts of a life where everything was given to her. And in the end she had failed miserably, she had been pathetic enough to ask her father for help not expecting anything but scorn... and the bastard had actually bought her a new stage wagon. There had been a letter too, but it remained unopened. “Way to leave the ghosts of the past behind, Great and Powerful Trixie.” she muttered. She looked down at Big Mac, faithfully helping her despite her reputation in Ponyville. She wished she could walk next to him and talk without the impersonal and draining spells to create words of fire. She wished she could just forget about the whole thing and cuddle with him and tell him all of her secrets, good and bad... because she knew he wouldn't hate her or think less of her. Being a ghost sucked. Being a ghost looking back on her life and finding that it was less than adequate sucked a- she felt something. She tried to clear her mind. Underneath her the wagon creaked and the wheels crushed twigs, pebbles scraped under the weight of the wagon. Big Macintosh's steady pace echoed in the empty night. What had she felt? Her attention turned towards Canterlot. There... no. It wasn't Canterlot exactly... it was under it. BIG MACINTOSH... PLEASE TURN RIGHT HERE TOWARDS THE PATH. Big Mac looked at the small path that Trixie had pointed out. It seemed old. And it was clearly not the way to go to get to Canterlot, in fact, from what he could see under the moonlight, it went straight into the cliff under the castle. Without a word he started down the old path. Trixie probably knew something he didn't. Trixie smiled. Truly smiled and if the world could have seen her, she wouldn't have cared. Despite all her failings, her attitude problems, her current situation... Big Macintosh's company and -dare she say it?- friendship had made her realize what she had been missing all this time. It hadn't been staring at her in the face all this time, but it had popped up to pull at her hat and she had ignored it time and again. But she had found it. And she would never let go. o.0.o End Chapter 7 o.0.o" ]

[ "The Empty Room Chapter 8 By Wanderer D “Twilight... you're... helping me? How? Why?” Luna asked, her eyes wide. “Why wouldn't she?” Rainbow-orb asked. “After all you're-” “Secret!” Pinkie-orb shouted suddenly. “Secret! Remember! No telling! You pinkie-swore!” “But...” Rainbow-orb tried again, only to have Applejack-orb float in front of it. “No way sugarcube. That's not for us to tell.” “Fine.” Rainbow-orb sighed dejectedly. It even dulled a bit. “As much as I would like to know what you orbs are talking about,” Luna growled. “It still doesn't explain how she's here! In the outside world she's completely on the side of Nightmare Flare!” “Nightmare who?” Applejack-orb asked. Luna blinked. “Don't you know? Nightmare Flare. My corrupted sister!” “See! Told you we were always the last to find out stuff in the whole subconscious!” Rainbow-orb floated accusingly in front of Rarity-orb. “Well.” the white orb said after a moment. “Fine, you were right and I was wrong.” “Wait, what?” Luna shook her head. “How can you be here and not know? And what do you mean you are always the last to find out what's happening in my subconscious?” “Um... we... have been here since we healed you...” Flutter-orb offered. “We are parts of the souls of the ponies you know as Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Fluttershy and Twilight Sparkle.” the purple orb explained, still floating in front of Nightmare Flare's avatar. “We are the wishes of those ponies that you would be healed... we represent their purest feelings and we have been here since the Elements of Harmony defeated Nightmare Moon because they wanted us to be with you.” “With me? Why? They didn't know me back then. They barely know me now.” Luna sighed. “We know... it takes some time for all the information of your daily activities to reach us... but it does, eventually.” Twilight-orb said. “But, for my part... Twilight... she...” “We all saw who you were when we destroyed the shell that kept you trapped.” Applejack-orb interrupted. “Deep within each pony that night, was the honest wish that you would know true friendship and love from those around you, that you would be happy to be back with your sister and part of this world again.” Luna nodded, tears forming in her eyes, although Applejack-orb’s interruption seemed odd to her. She glanced at Twilight-orb, arching an eyebrow. The purple orb hovered silently, it seemed to be hesitating. Speaking slowly, as if choosing the words carefully it finally said: “I can tell you this... I am absolutely sure, beyond doubt, that Twilight Sparkle has been waiting for you to get in contact with her ever since she met you.” Luna sighed. “I'll never get the chance now...” she sighed “..unless... I fight and win.” she looked resolutely at the orbs hovering around her. “It’s the only way I’ll be able to talk to Twilight...” she glanced with a small smile at the other orbs “And also thank the rest of the Elements of Harmony for their help.” Nightmare Flare’s avatar resumed its push into Luna’s subconscious, but unlike its initial attack, it seemed to be carefully trying to push Twilight-orb out of the way without hurting it. Twilight-orb hovered in front of the avatar for a moment longer. “Do you trust me, Luna?” Luna looked at the orb deep in thought, remembering nights when she had stood apparently alone, wondering what to do and whether the world even needed her now... only for a tiny voice in her mind soothing her, telling her that it would be okay, urging her to talk to her sister when she thought things were too complicated. It had been Twilight-orb... or at least some of it had been there. She was sure of it. “Yes. I do.” Luna said. “Then...” Twilight-orb said, moving out of the avatar's way. “Let her win.” Luna felt tears well up again as she stood defiantly in front of the avatar, the other orbs hovering uncertainly behind her. “It will be alright.” Twilight's voice said. Closing her eyes shut, Luna stepped aside. o.0.o “Sister.” Nightmare Flare greeted the re-awakened Nightmare Moon. Her voice made the ponies cringe. It was harsh, and strong... aggressive. Completely unlike the calm and loving voice they had come to relate to Princess Celestia. It had a slight echo to it, as if there were two voices talking at the same time. “Thank you for bringing me back, sister.” the dark mare replied, not taking her eyes off the five subdued ponies. “We should see to our court.” the former Princess Celestia said. “We need to make everypony aware of the new changes.” “Yes... but first I want to take care of these ponies.” Nightmare Moon said, stepping up to the struggling group. Twilight and Spitfire lowered their heads at her. “I want to get rid of them now.” Nightmare Moon declared, her horn lighting up. Nightmare Flare stepped up next to her and sighed. “Very well sister, it is your revenge after all.” “Please, my Queen...” Twilight said. “Can I keep her?” she caressed Applejack's chin with her hoof, earning a glare from the Earth Pony. “And I would like Spitfire to keep Rainbow Dash... we have an... experiment... to perform.” The pegasus and the unicorn looked at the Queens expectantly. “Come now, sister, what harm could come from letting them keep two?” Nightmare Flare asked. “The Elements of Harmony are no more. They cannot act against us, and you still can exact your revenge on the others.” Nightmare Moon gritted her teeth, glaring down at the three remaining ponies. “Fine.” Her horn started glowing. “I will make you suffer for what you did to me.” The five ponies screamed in terror as dark energy surrounded Rarity, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie. “Girls! I just want to say... it was an honor knowing you!” Rarity gasped, then turned a teary eyed look towards Twilight who was watching with a manic smile. “Even you Twilight... before you became this.” If the unicorn reacted she never got to see it. Black lightning crisscrossed their writhing bodies and they cried out as pain seemed to overwhelm them. They struggled to run when Twilight released her spell, but Nightmare Moon's power was too much for them. With a sudden crack, all three were gone. Only little mounds of ash remained. “Rarity! Pinkie Pie!” Applejack shouted. “Fluttershy! No!” Rainbow Dash cried, smashing her hooves on the floor. All strength seemed to leave their bodies. They slumped there, just staring at the ash. Nightmare Flare gave Nightmare Moon a hard look but said nothing. “You can take them away now.” Nightmare Moon said. Twilight Spark nodded, looking down at the pair. She smirked. “Yeah, these two are not going anywhere on their own.” Her horn stopped glowing as she canceled her spell. The moment she felt the spell weaken Applejack jumped straight at Nightmare Moon. “You! Luna, how could you? !” She was suddenly grabbed from the air and flung against the wall. She landed with a thud on the stone floor. “Sorry! Sorry!” Twilight Spark said with an impish smile. “I didn't anticipate that.” Nightmare Flare sniffed. “Just take them away, Twilight. Spitfire.” After all four ponies were gone the sun goddess turned to glare at Nightmare Moon. “What did you really do with them?” Nightmare Moon seemed surprised for a second, but then she laughed. “You are very perceptive sister. I exiled them to my Moon Prison. I simply wanted to see their friends suffer when they thought they had died already.” Nightmare Flare whinnied. “You are devious sister. Come now, our subjects await.” o.0.o The silence of the night was broken by the crackling and scratching sounds of wooden wheels on hard rock as the blue wagon was pulled along the road that snaked around the cliffs under Canterlot Castle. Trixie shuddered. Whatever was calling her here was getting closer. She didn't know what her destination was... she had never been anywhere near the base of the mountain before. Ponies usually avoided the cliffs and just climbed the slope leading to Canterlot Castle. Under the moonlight she could see the rocks older than Canterlot itself jaggedly adorning the face of the mountains. If she looked up and strained her neck, she could make out lights coming from the castle far above, but down here... only the silvery moonlight chased the shadows away. Big Macintosh slowed down as they reached a cave. Another, smaller pass took off towards the castle above, but that was not what drew their attention. The cave's entrance had been blocked by large metallic doors... and Trixie could feel that whatever was calling her was behind them. WE NEED TO GO INSIDE she wrote. I CANNOT OPEN THE DOORS WITH MAGIC Big Mac nodded. “Don't worry, Trixie.” the stallion said, shaking loose from the harness. “I’ll take care of it.” With a screeching sound, the doors opened and Trixie's magic pushed the wagon into the cave. As soon as she was inside she jumped to the floor of the cave. It was huge. Torches lit once they were both inside, a nifty little spell she knew several variations of to use for her shows. The floor had a room wide circle of runes that contained smaller circles, each with their own runes inscribed on them. Trixie had seen symbols like those before, but she had never bothered to study the ancient languages. It was a shame, she now realized, as despite her usual lack of interest in the academical, she really wanted to know what it said. The chamber was vast, there were six columns all around, also decorated with runes. Entrances to smaller chambers could be seen behind each column. “Isn't this amazing, Big Macintosh?” she said excitedly running from one side of the room to the other. When he didn't answer she stopped and looked at him. He was just looking in her direction with a stoic expression on his face. “Oh...” Trixie sighed. “You can't hear me... I forgot... it might be for the best, I wouldn't want to bore you with my whining, and I value your company so much! If we had met when I could still speak to you I would...” she sighed again. Her horn started glowing and magic dust floated out of her wagon. The words started forming in the air. “Trixie... I can see you.” Big Macintosh said. “I... can hear you too.” Trixie stared at the stallion. The dust, forgotten, sprinkled onto the floor unheeded. “Really?” she asked, almost choking when she realized that the red stallion had heard everything she had just said. “Really.” Big Mac smiled at her. At her! He could see her! Tears falling freely, Trixie jumped forward arms open to hug him. Smiling, Big Macintosh also made a motion to embrace her... only for both of them to gasp as Trixie sailed right through him. Trixie's eyes twitched. “Oh...” Big Mac's eyes slowly widened at the tirade of insults and swearwords that followed. “...with a bucketful of nails!” Trixie finished. She stood there breathing hard for a few seconds before glancing at the flabbergasted stallion. She blushed and lowered her head. “I-I'm sorry, Big Macintosh. I just... I thought...” “It's okay.” the red-furred pony said after a moment. “We all get angry.” Trixie nodded gratefully at him and both smiled warmly at each other for a couple of minutes. When Trixie realized she had been staring, she immediately looked away, flushing once more. “Ah... yes, The Great and Powerful Trixie is really thankful for your kind help.” Big Mac chuckled. “My pleasure, Trixie.” They started looking at the other smaller caves. Each was also intricately engraved, but unlike the entrance cave, they had some sort of shrines made out of stone at the far end. “Trixie...” Big Mac whispered. “I think there's somepony there.” he said, motioning with his head at one of the smaller caves. Intrigued, she followed Big Mac to the cave he pointed and carefully looked inside. A unicorn with a blue coat, slightly darker than Trixie's stood gazing quietly at one of the stone shrines. Neither moved, but the unicorn tensed and turned around. His cutie mark was a waning crescent moon over a larger waxing crescent, his irises were an almost golden hue. His pose was aggressive and Trixie was surprised and immediately touched to see Big Mac step up next to her protectively. “Who are you two? !” The unicorn demanded. “Leave now.” “Now wait a minute!” Trixie said, stepping into the room and walking until she was snout to snout with the older unicorn. She pushed him back with her head, glaring. “You do not tell The Great and Powerful Trixie what to do! Who do you think you are?” The unicorn narrowed his eyes and pushed back, his horn glowing threateningly. “Wanna bet?” Trixie's own horn lit up. “You don't know who you are messing with!” “Um...” Big Macintosh's cough made them look his way. “What is it Big Mac? I'm about to teach this... miscreant... what he gets for threatening us.” “Well... I just wanted to point out that you are able to touch him.” the stallion said. “You... I...” Trixie stepped back. Then poked the surprised unicorn on the chest. “Hey! I can touch you!” “You can touch me? !” the unicorn asked, dropping to his haunches, eyes wide. “But how?” “Oh, Big Mac! I can touch ponies again!” she shouted with glee, sailing through him as she attempted to tackle him. “Huh?” “Ah...” the unknown unicorn sighed. “That explains it. You're dead aren't you?” “Well... you don't need to put it that way.” Trixie mumbled. “But, yes, I am a ghost.” she looked up, understanding dawning on her. “So that means that you...” The unicorn nodded. “Just earlier today.” he looked at a corner of the cavern and they both could see a bundle of dark cloth over something. “Eww...” Trixie stepped back, then looked at the unicorn “...sorry.” The unicorn shook his head. “It's okay.” he sighed. “It's... not how I ever pictured I would pass on, you know? I figured by now I would be with my wife but... I can't leave. Not yet.” “Why?” Trixie asked. He looked at her, then at Big Macintosh. “I think I recognize you. You sell apples at the farmer's market in Canterlot. You live near Ponyville?” Big Mac nodded. “I have sold you apples from time to time. I never learned your name.” “Call me Midnight.” the unicorn smiled sadly. “I'm sorry I threatened you, but I thought you were agents of the Guardian.” “Never!” Trixie shouted. “The Great and Powerful Trixie will rip his scaly hide from his bones!” The unicorn blinked. “You've met the guardian? I guess that explains why you're here.” “So... why are you here?” Big Mac asked, walking to stand next to Trixie. The unicorn looked uncomfortable for a moment then sighed in resignation “Well, I need help anyway.” he stepped out of the way and motioned for them to follow him up to the shrine. Both ponies gasped. “Is that...” Big Macintosh started to say. The unicorn nodded. “Yes. This has to remain a secret...” “But-” Trixie started to say, still staring. “No! Right now there's nothing we can do.” Midnight insisted. Big Mac looked at the direction of the unicorns body. “I could... help take care of that for you.” he offered. The unicorn lowered his head. “That... corrupted thing is more dangerous than you think. Leave it alone.” A little disturbed Trixie looked from the body to the unicorn. “Corrupted? I think you have a lot to explain, Midnight.” The unicorn nodded silently, looking down at the shrine. “Fine... it all began roughly ten years ago...” o.0.o Applejack was lying on the floor in the dark, staring silently at what she could see of the rug under her. How long had she been here? Hours at least... Her mind was blank. Every time she tried to think of what to do, the image of her three friends being reduced to ashes would replay in her mind and she would despair again. The door opened and Twilight Sparkle... no... Spark... walked in. Applejack didn't even bother to look up at her. “Aw, what's wrong with my apple pie?” Twilight asked, walking up to her. “Feeling down?” “Why do you do this, Twilight? I thought we were friends!” Applejack asked, without even looking up. “Oh, Applejack. Of course we are friends.” “Then why didn't you help us turn Princess Celestia back to normal?” the farmer pony asked, lifting her head to look at the purple unicorn. “You have to understand, Applejack. Princess Celestia has been like my mother since I met her.” Twilight said, jumping on to her bed. “My dad became really distant when I moved here and my mom passed away shortly after that...” Twilight was silent. “I didn't know that.” Applejack said. “But for the same reason, shouldn't we bring her back to normal? And you too for that matter?” “Me?” Twilight blinked. “Twilight!” Applejack finally stood up and held her friend by the shoulders. “You weren't always an evil vampire goth fillyfooler!” “An evil...” Twilight blinked and stepped up to the mirror. “Oh. Well, I guess I could see why you would call me a goth...” “And the fangs...” “Oh, I can't suck anything with them.” Twilight said. “I think they just look cute.” she smiled, fangs showing just slightly as she approached the earth pony. Applejack gulped as Twilight spark nuzzled her. “Unless you want me to bite?” the unicorn whispered. “No! No! No!” Applejack growled, pushing the amused unicorn away. “What is wrong with you? Our friends just died! They were killed by Nightmare Moon! She's evil! You've always known that! Why can't you tell the difference now?” “Oh, Applejack.” Twilight chuckled. “Nightmare Moon is not evil. She's just ruthless. Like all rulers should be. Besides, if Nightmare Flare is my mom, doesn't that make Nightmare Moon my aunt?” “So a twisted little family is worth the lives of Pinkie Pie, Rarity and Fluttershy?” the farmer countered. “I see you couldn't care less.” “You seem to be handling it pretty well yourself.” Twilight dryly pointed out. Applejack looked down. “I'm hurting, Twilight. I'm hurting more than you can imagine... earlier, when we thought we had lost you... Fluttershy just couldn't stop crying, Pinkie Pie wouldn't even smile... and Rarity... she just stared at the table... we were all heartbroken.” “Oh. Well, this is depressing.” Twilight sighed. Her horn started glowing. “H-hey!” Applejack shouted as she was levitated off the floor and then pressed against the wall where magical chains wrapped around each of her hooves holding her aloft once the unicorn had stopped using her magic. “Twilight! What the hell do you think you are doing! This is not funny!” Twilight Spark had a small smile as she approached, batting her eyelashes at Applejack. “Aww, let me make you feel better, Applejack.” she said. “N-no! I'm not into fillies!” the farmer shouted. “And even if I were, I would never like a crazy unicorn that does not care at all for her friends! The real Twilight would!” she looked deep into her friend’s eyes. “If you’re there, Twilight, fight! Come back to us!” The unicorn gasped and stepped back. Her horn started glowing and soon a purple aura formed around her, levitating her as she threw her head back and groaned loudly, her hooves going to her head as if she were in pain. Applejack watched in shock as Twilight twitched in mid air, then the aura blasted off and the unicorn collapsed on the floor, breathing heavily. “T-twilight?” “Oooh...” a whimpering voice came from the unicorn. “A-applejack? What happened? I... feel so... strange...” she stumbled as she tried to get up. Hope flared inside Applejack. “It's okay sugarcube! Just be strong! We'll get out of this mess.” “Mess?” Twilight looked up, confused. She looked around the room, then noticed Applejack tied to the wall. “Applejack! Who put you there? !” “Don't worry about that, Twi!” Applejack was almost crying with happiness. “Just get me down, we need to get Rainbow Dash back and stop Nightmare Moon and Nightmare Flare?” “Who?” Twilight asked as she made her way up to the farmer and stood unsteadily on her hind legs, leaning heavily against the wall, so that her face was close to Applejack's. “Get me down, I'll tell you all about it...” Applejack's words were almost a whisper as she stared into Twilight's eyes. “Applejack...” the unicorn said softly, leaning forward until their faces were almost touching. “Y-yes?” the farmer asked just as softly, cheeks blushing, she unintentionally leaned forward just a bit, so that their noses finally touched. Twilight stared at her for a moment before she had to stifle a laugh. She put her hoof on her mouth, but she snorted and fell back laughing. The farmer looked down at the unicorn rolling on the floor with laughter with confusion. “Twilight?” “I...” the revived unicorn snorted. “I'm sorry, I'm sorry, that was hilarious!” she laughed for a few more seconds, each of which made the farmer more and more annoyed. “It-it was amazing! Your face... you should have seen your face!” “Twilight!” Applejack snapped. “Just get me out of here!” The unicorn stopped for a second, then looked at her seriously before her cheeks puffed up with barely contained laughter. “Oh, Applejack! You... you really bought it! Priceless!” Comprehension finally dawned on the farmer pony. “Why you!” she started struggling against the chains. “When I get my hooves on you...” “Oh, don't worry, you will” Twilight Spark smirked. “I expect to have all of you on me at some point in the near future.” The apple farmer growled. “Now... about getting my hooves on somepony...” the unicorn said, still chuckling. “What do you say to getting started?” Applejack gulped again. Twilight Spark took a step towards her... Someone knocked on the door. The unicorn sighed. “Really? Don't ponies have better things to do than bother me right now?” Her horn glowed and the door opened, revealing two pegasi silhouettes. “Twilight, Nightmare Flare and Nightmare Moon are going to speak to their subjects.” a familiar voice said. Applejack stared, completely baffled at the pair of ponies. “And they request your presence there.” Spitfire added. “They can't start without their daughter, right?” “I suppose.” Twilight sighed. “I was hoping to get some studying done, you know?” The pegasus with the familiar voice walked into the room and stared at Applejack before turning to elbow Twilight Spark on the shoulder. “Yeah, right. What type of studying were you planning on doing?” “Oh, you know. Basic anatomy, pleasure/pain thresholds, Pavponian Conditioning.” the unicorn spared a glance at the earth pony. “Oh... do you think I broke her? But I haven't even started!” she said jokingly, eliciting a snort and a laugh from the pegasi. Applejack realized that her mouth was hanging open and closed it with a snap. But her eyes watered as she forced herself to speak. “Why... what...” she shook her head and looked pleadingly at the pegasus. “What’s up, Applejack? Dragon caught your tongue?” Rainbow Dash asked, her familiar cocky smile unwavering. o.0.o End Chapter 8 o.0.o" ]

[ "The Empty Room Chapter 9 By Wanderer D The familiar sound of the royal call woke the ponies that were not already up and about. Roused by the echo of the trumpets, the various citizens of Canterlot gathered under the Royal Balcony where Princess Celestia usually addressed them. Spike, red-eyed from crying, made his way to the crowd so he could see what was happening. Maybe they had found the bastard that had killed Twilight... he tried to ignore the comments and speculations of the ponies around him as he waited for the Princess to come out. When a weird-looking Celestia stepped into the balcony a hush fell on the whole gathering. Ponies stared in awe at the majesty and power embodied in her. She looked down at them with cold eyes, and Spike couldn't help but have a bad feeling about this. \"My loyal subjects.\" the Princess spoke into the quiet air, her voice reaching the whole assembly without problem. \"Yesterday was a trying day for me and my sister, but as the Goddesses we are, we emerged victorious. I stand before you, changed to reflect who I truly am.\" Mutters erupted in the crowd below. \"SILENCE!\" Her order was immediately followed. The ponies below cringed in fear as a sudden heat-wave hit them all - a physical manifestation of the goddess’ fury. Some cowered while other simply stared in awe. \"You shall all address me by my proper title now: Queen Nightmare Flare!\" her wings opened and Spike could fully appreciate the power she exuded as just about everypony bowed down in deference. The power... it was not her usual warm magic... it was corrupt and felt somewhat familiar to him. \"But I shall not rule alone.\" Nightmare Flare declared. She stepped lightly to the side as a very familiar figure stepped up next to her. Spike would never forget her from the first time he saw her. The blue mane, swaying in the wind deep as the night and glittering with stars; the dark coat, black as her heart; the purple regalia... \"I present to you my true sister... Nightmare Moon!\" Nightmare Flare announced. Immediately several things happened. The crowd screamed and the guards were forced to contain the confused ponies from stampeding away. One of the Guard Pegasi drew a sword and charged towards Nightmare Moon, while another pegasus, this one in Wonderbolt uniform, also burst out of the crowd and charged the balcony. Their flight was short lived however, as out of nowhere another Wonderbolt tackled the first, throwing him to the hard floor in front of the crowd, who gasped in horror. The guard was tackled by a flash of rainbow and landed painfully next to the Wonderbolt, a filly pegasus rising to stand over him. \"Rainbow Dash?\" Spike whispered in horror as the rainbow-maned pegasus shook her head at the guard. \"Nah-ah!\" the weather pony taunted. \"Who do you think you are, attacking our Queens?\" \"It's that monster!\" the guard spat. \"Nightmare Moon! She did something to Princess Celestia!\" \"Spitfire?!\" the gray furred and white maned Wonderbolt groaned, wincing as he got up, he looked back at his left wing. It hung useless on his side. \"Oof!\" He crumbled to the side as she kicked him from above, landing heavily on the floor gasping for breath. Spitfire on the other hoof, landed daintily in front of him. From the crowds Spike couldn't believe what was happening. \"I got to stop this!\" He took a couple of steps forward only to be stopped by a hoof. He followed the leg up to see another familiar pony, who was looking hard at the events transpiring in the courtyard. \"You dare attack your Queen?\" Nightmare Flare's voice was cold. It drew the attention of everyone back to the two Nightmares. \"It seems a demonstration is in order.\" Spike's heart skipped when a third pony walked in between the two self-declared Queens. He watched in trepidation as Twilight Sparkle looked down at the two pegasi. She looked a bit different, but there was no mistaking her. Even some of the noble ponies around him gasped and whispered her name. \"My student and heir.\" Nightmare Flare said coldly. \"Give these two...\" she spat out the word \"... rebels... a proper reward.\" \"Yes my Queen.\" Twilight said with a very slight bow which had the nobles muttering at how inappropriate it was. They shut up immediately though as Rainbow Dash and Spitfire quickly flew out of the way and Twilight's horn shone with a dark energy, her smile widening. With a laugh echoed by thunder, a lightning bolt struck the two downed pegasi. For a split-second everyone could see their skeletons. The two thrashed around as electricity circled their bodies for what seemed minutes but in reality was no more than a couple of seconds. They landed in a heap, smoke coming out of them, but apparently still alive. Another lightning bolt. And another. And another. Spike couldn't watch. He turned around and buried his tear-covered face on the leg of the pony that had stopped him. He heard two more. Then silence. After a few seconds Nightmare Flare spoke again. \"Let this be a warning. Whoever dares attempt to attack either me or my sister will suffer a worse fate than these two.\" The whole crowd was quiet. \"A new reign has begun. That of the Queen Sisters.\" Nightmare Moon declared after a moment. \"Night and Day will no longer be.\" Both of the alicorn horns glowed... slowly the sun started moving up its normal cycle, slowly, but still faster than normal. The gathered ponies stared in awe at the blatant display of power. Soon the sun had reached its midway point just above the castle. There was a murmur as the sun just stopped... and before the horrified looks of everypony, the moon slowly rose, its course taking it towards the sun until it finally covered it, creating an eclipse. \"Rejoice!\" Nightmare Flare called out. \"The Age of the Eternal Eclipse has begun!\" o.0.o “Hey, come on Big Mac!” Spike whispered angrily. The little dragon had reluctantly followed the draft pony after he had stopped him from charging into the open and confronting Twilight Sparkle. Since then, Big Mac had been quiet despite Spike's constant badgering. “Where are we going? I need to get to Twilight!” he shuddered. “Did you see what she did?! Something is wrong with her!” \"Eeyup.\" the draft pony said. \"But that don’t mean we should just rush in.\" The dragon growled. \"And what about Rainbow Dash? She was acting weird too! Since when does she take orders or defend Nightmare Moon? And don't forget that Applejack was with them too! What happened to her? Do you think she’s okay?\" The red pony stopped cold and looked down at the small dragon. Spike gulped, but Big Macintosh just sighed. \"We can't trust any of them.\" \"What?!\" the dragon could not believe his ears. \"But why!?\" \"I would like to know that too!\" another voice said from above. The pair jumped when a strong looking pegasus landed in front of them. His green eyes drilled into the pair, his wings opened to block their path. \"Hey!\" Spike said suddenly. \"I know you! You're Soarin'! Rainbow Dash has told me about you!\" The Wonderbolt nodded, his grim expression not leaving his face. \"I need to know why Spitfire did that to Blizzard.\" he growled. \"And why he had to die!\" Big Mac sighed and looked around. \"Did anypony follow you?\" The pegasus shook his head. The draft pony nodded and indicated that they should come with him. o.0.o Nightmare Flare, Nightmare Moon, Twilight Spark, Spitfire and Rainbow Dash walked away from the balcony, slowly making their way towards the court. \"Now that that has been dealt with, we will need to ensure we get loyal servants.\" Nightmare Flare said. \"Hey! There's no-one more loyal than me!\" Rainbow Dash said. \"And I'm your servant!\" Nightmare Flare glowered at the pegasus. \"That might be true, but you would do well to learn when and how to talk to your Queen.\" \"I have been thinking about that, sister.\" Nightmare Moon said. \"You have Rainbow Dash, Twilight and Spitfire. I would like to recruit a couple of assistants for myself.\" Nightmare Flare stopped, followed by the whole procession. \"Who do you have in mind?\" \"The Assassins Guild has always had utmost respect for me. For centuries they have prayed to the Moon for guidance and to the Night for protection. I say it is time I pay them a visit and exact payment for services rendered.\" Nightmare Flare laughed. \"Somepony in particular?\" \"Yes... a pony I have blessed from my distant prison on many an occasion, one of the best... if not the best.\" The dark alicorn smiled. \"Silent Jade.\" It took the other ponies a second to realize that Nightmare Flare's jaw was actually open as she stared at her sister. Realizing her state, the flame alicorn closed her mouth. \"Absolutely not.\" \"Why not?\" Twilight asked. \"Because, dear Twilight, Silent Jade once slipped into my sister's room, stole one of her jewels, and left a note detailing how many ways she had found to get into the room and how she could have killed my sister.\" Nightmare Moon said. The white alicorn growled. \"So it’s a she... I'd always wondered. In any case, she called it her 'civic duty' to let me know in writing how pathetic my security was back then.\" Nightmare Flare growled. \"Even if she couldn’t have killed me, it was... disturbing.\" \"But it is safer now, isn't it?\" Nightmare Moon countered. Her sister grudgingly nodded. \"How do you know she'll accept?\" The dark alicorn smiled. \"As I said... she owes me a lot of favors. I still have to visit the guild to inform the Guild Master that I am taking her under my service indefinitely.\" \"Go ahead.\" Nightmare Flare did not sound happy. \"At least I'll know where the little weasel is now and that she won't be trying anything...\" she glared at her sister with some trepidation. \"She won't be trying anything. Right?\" \"Not without Royal Orders, sister.\" \"Fine. Go.\" o.0.o Applejack had her own room in the castle. There was a bowl with fresh fruit, including apples from Sweet Apple Acres, bananas, strange little brown things the servant had identified as Kiwis, and oranges. The bed was the four times the size of her own, with white linen and fluffy pillows. Her hat lay on it, discarded. The three windows offered an amazing view of most of Canterlot (it was a corner suite). There was an adjacent room with a marble bath and other amenities. The stone floor was mostly covered by a circular carpet with the sun embroidered into it. The walls of the room had little nooks for scented candles, and a small lamp stood on top of the bedside table. While she had always dreamed of being able to afford a suite in an expensive hotel, she held no excitement for her being here. None at all. One of the windows faced the Plaza of the Sun, where Nightmare Flare had talked to her subjects. Although she hadn't been able to hear anything, Applejack had stared forlornly at the two Alicorns as they addressed the crowd. She had witnessed part of the attack. And she had seen what Twilight... sweet, bookish, nerdy, fretful, eager-to-help Twilight... had done. Her friend was gone. Completely gone. Hay, even Rainbow Dash had somehow succumbed to this... madness. What was happening to everypony? How long before the whole castle was corrupt? How long before she... how long before she turned? She closed her eyes. Would she be just as ruthless? It was wrong... so wrong. What had happened? It was not normal for Rainbow Dash to defend either Nightmare... or to stand by and allow something like what had happened to take place. She groaned. What would happen to everyone in Ponyville once word came out? What would Big Macintosh think of her sister's friends helping such monsters?! Would they believe she was on their side? What would Apple Bloom do? Her blood went cold. What would Sweetie Belle do without her sister? Applejack might be able to go back but... Rarity... and Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy... She gritted her teeth. How in the name of all apples was she going to explain what had happened to Rarity to Sweetie Belle? How could she face her? And Scootaloo, that filly's hopes would be destroyed if she ever found out her heroine, Rainbow Dash, was a Nightmare Moon follower! As she sank deeper into despair, she heard laughs outside her door. \"I really don't know what they were thinking.\" Twilight's voice reached her. \"Attacking the Queens?\" she could imagine the unicorn shaking her head sagely. \"Utter folly.\" \"But did you see us?!\" Rainbow Dash's voice asked. \"Spitfire was like, blam! And I was like whoosh, kick!\" \"It was very impressive, Dash.\" Twilight admitted. \"I would love to continue chatting, but this is my stop, and you know we have a lot to do later today.\" \"Yeah... hey, before you go, do you know anything about that pony Nightmare Moon mentioned?\" Rainbow Dash asked. Applejack growled at how easily the pegasus would talk about their enemy. \"Silent Jade?\" Twilight asked. \"No... I don't know anything about her, but if she's as good as the Queen makes her sound...\" \"Well, it will be interesting having her around, that's for sure.\" Spitfire said. \"Anyway, are you sure you don't want any help with Applejack? I might still-\" \"No.\" Twilight's voice was firm. \"She's to remain untouched by anypony but me.\" \"If you say so...\" Spitfire sounded doubtful. And she should, Applejack decided. There was no way that she was going to fall for Twilight's tricks again. She heard the ponies say their goodbyes and then the door started opening. The moment it was open enough, the earth pony charged through... or would have, had Twilight Spark not levitated her of the ground the moment she saw her. \"Trying to escape, my apple pie?\" the unicorn asked with a smile. \"Don't call me that! And put me down!\" \"Well, somepony's grumpy.\" Twilight said, depositing her on the floor after she had closed the door with magic. \"I just saw you kill two innocent ponies!\" Applejack shouted. \"Easy! You'll disturb the neighbors!\" Twilight hissed, but then looked serious. \"They attacked the Queen. That's punishable by death.\" \"And you had execute them yourself?\" Applejack countered walking away to look out of the window. \"How could you, Twilight?\" \"I'm sorry.\" The earth pony snorted. \"Sure you are.\" There was a rustling sound behind her and a sniff. Applejack gritted her teeth. She was not falling for it. Not again. \"I'm sorry, Applejack.\" The cowpony remained silent, looking out and listening to Twilight as she sniffed pitiably behind her, wanting, but not daring to turn. Twilight Spark had once deceived her. Fool her once... \"I had to!\" Twilight insisted, her hoof touching Applejack's shoulder. \"What do you want me to do?!\" \"Let me go!\" Applejack shouted. She turned around and was startled to see tears streaming down Twilight Spark's face, but she was still angry. \"Stop following those... murderers! How can you think I will believe you suddenly developed a conscience? I saw you! You could have stopped after the first lightning bolt! But you did it six times! SIX TIMES!\" Twilight had withdrawn into a small ball as she stared at Applejack. She looked so harmless the apple farmer almost forgot her anger. \"Twilight! There is no excuse for what you did! Snap back to reality!\" \"But... I love Nightmare Flare!\" Twilight shouted. \"She brought me back! She practically raised me before then! She's my family!\" \"Your real family is not them! Your real family was Rarity and Fluttershy! Your real family included Pinkie Pie and Princess Celestia! Not Nightmare Flare!\" Applejack closed her eyes as she threatened to cry, not wanting to show any weakness to the purple unicorn. \"You let them die! And you did something to Rainbow Dash and now she's crazy like you! I HATE YOU! You're heartless!\" She heard galloping and the door smashed closed before she opened her eyes. Twilight was gone. She stared at the door. \"What the hay just happened?\" Applejack stared slack-jawed at the door. Had Twilight Spark just ran out because of what she had said? Had she really hurt the unicorn’s feelings that bad? The door slowly opened and Twilight Spark peeked in with a smile. \"Am I forgiven?\" \"No! Are you bipolar or something?!\" Twilight frowned. \"Well... I am bi...\" \"Bipolar?\" Applejack squeaked as Twilight made her way into the room again, closing the door behind her and swaying sensually as she walked towards her. Twilight smirked. o.0.o Spitfire traced with her hoof gently on Rainbow Dash's back. The blue coated pegasus was lying on her stomach, apparently distracted. \"Are you okay, Dash?\" Spitfire asked as she lay next to the other pegasus, who was busy playing with something in her hooves. \"I don't know.\" Rainbow Dash sighed. \"I'm... just thinking.\" \"About what?\" \"My friends.\" \"Oh.\" \"I've always been loyal, you know?\" the blue pegasus sighed, glancing down at the Council of Nightmares amulet in her hooves. She kept turning it around and around. \"For as long as I have memory, I've had this, and I've known my duty... but I never knew it was going to be so hard!\" Spitfire looked away quickly, and Rainbow Dash's eyes followed her reaction, a frown crossing her face. Letting the amulet fall to hang from its chain, Dash stood up and walked towards the door. \"Where are you going?\" Spitfire asked. \"I just need some air... to think. And remember.\" the rainbow-maned pegasus said. \"Oh, are you sure I can't help?\" Spitfire dropped her hoof as she watched her open the door, Rainbow Dash looked back at her over her shoulder. \"Spitfire... don't you regret what happened to Blizzard?\" The Wonderbolt was silent for a few seconds. \"No... he betrayed our Queens.\" she said finally. Rainbow Dash looked away. \"I see. I'll be back in a little bit.\" The door closed behind her, leaving Spitfire to stare at it guiltily, her hoof going unconsciously to hold her own amulet. o.0.o Rainbow Dash walked silently through the halls of Canterlot Castle. Servants and guards all gave her a wide berth, averting their eyes and trying their best to not draw her attention. She wasn't used to this. Or was she? The pegasus shook her head. She had to be, right? The Council prepared everypony in it for this kind of reaction. It was normal that it would happen once their Queens stepped up and the Guardian ruled from the shadows. She stopped, confused. But wasn't her loyalty to the Nightmares and her friends? Dash groaned. She was developing a headache. Maybe she should go out to fly... maybe do a few practice loops like she had been doing ever since she was a filly. The Wonderbolts wouldn't just choose a simple... but... how had she found the time to practice when she was being taught in secret by the Council? She started walking again. Slowly. \"No!\" she stopped outside Applejack's room when she heard the earth pony's shout. \"Oh, come on, apple pie!\" Twilight's voice came out. \"You know you'll like it! It's just a feather!\" \"I don't care! You are not touching me with that! Especially there!\" There was a crash and the sound of galloping behind the door. \"Hey! Stop that! Look what you've done to my beautiful straps!\" \"Twilight! Listen to me, girl! You are not a fillyfooler!\" \"How would you know?\" \"I-I just know! It's... it's that evil thing that happened to you! You are not yourself!\" Twilight's voice turned slightly deeper. \"Is this more like my old self?\" \"N-no! I said stay away!\" Blushing Rainbow Dash stared straight ahead and turned slowly around. \"Yeah... I should take flight...\" she walked away not noticing the minute piece of metal that had fallen to the floor. o.0.o Nightmare Moon looked down at the unicorn sitting petulantly before her. \"... and that's how it is. Do you understand?\" The unicorn nodded. \"Will you join my cause then... Silent Jade?\" The unicorn in front of her started and stared at the alicorn. She hesitated. \"I do owe you...\" she looked behind her at something hidden in the shadows. \"Trust me.\" the dark alicorn said. \"Like you did so many times in the past when you prayed to the moon and the stars for inspiration and help in your endeavors.\" \"I did not know back then I was praying to you.\" the unicorn replied glancing at the alicorn with suspicion. The alicorn smiled. \"Did I ever fail you, though?\" A bitter smile in return. \"No.\" \"Then trust me again.\" Nightmare Moon said. The unicorn sighed shaking her mane. \"Fine. But I need to get some things first...\" The dark alicorn nodded. \"Just make sure you are not seen.\" The assassin barked a laugh. o.0.o End Chapter 9 o.0.o" ]

[ "The Empty Room Chapter 10 By Wanderer D “I see you brought friends.” Midnight said when Big Macintosh walked into the main cavern, followed by Spike and Soarin'. “Can they be trusted?” The draft pony nodded. Spike stared. “M-Midnight! Sir! What are you doing here? !” Midnight walked up to both of them and gave them a hard look, ignoring the small dragon for the moment and the bewildered look from Big Mac. “Yes... these two seem clean... what about her?” The three blinked. “Her?” Soarin' asked, blinking in confusion. They followed Midnight's eyes to the entrance of the cave, where a mint green unicorn with a viridian mane and a white streak on it meeped at the sudden attention. “Lyra? !” Big Mac and Spike shouted, looking surprised. The unicorn turned around to run, but Soarin' was already landing before her. “Sorry, but you are not going anywhere.” “But... but I...” Lyra stammered, tearing up a bit. “I'm sorry! I was just curious! I saw what happened today and... when I saw Big Mac and Spike, I wanted to ask them what was going on!” “Bring her in.” Midnight said. “She seems to be clean too. And Big Mac seems to know her.” “Whatever that means.” Soarin' muttered, then turned to the unicorn. “Well, you heard him.” She meekly went into the cavern with Soarin' while Big Mac took a look outside to ensure they were really alone, then closed the doors. “Well, she's not the only one who wants to know what’s happening.” The pegasus said gruffly. “I want an explanation for what happened out there.” “Did something happen?” a voice asked. The three recent arrivals turned to see another unicorn emerging from another room. “Trixie? !” Lyra and Spike shouted, looking surprised. “Do you guys do that a lot?” Midnight asked, eyebrow arched. The unicorn mare spared them a glance, but trotted up to Big Macintosh, hovering really close to him in an almost intimate manner, which had both the dragon and the musician trading confused glances. “The Great and Powerful Trixie would like to know how you fared, Big Macintosh.” Trixie said, reverting slightly to her stage persona when she recognized the small dragon. The draft pony blushed slightly. “I'm fine... but... something horrible has happened.” he looked up at Midnight. “Both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna have been turned into Nightmares... Twilight Sparkle was with them... as well as Spitfire of the Wonderbolts and Rainbow Dash.” The navy blue unicorn narrowed his eyes. “Then things are worse than I thought. I had hoped the Guardian would not be able to corrupt either sister... whatever happened to Princess Celestia must have taxed her willpower greatly.” “I don't know about the Princess... or even Rainbow Dash, but I want to know.” Soarin' said. “The Spitfire I know wouldn't have done what she did to Blizzard.” Midnight sighed. “Well then. Tell me exactly what happened.” o.0.o Rainbow Dash flew around Canterlot castle doing loops and twists in the air, barrel rolls, spins and everything short of the Sonic Rainboom. Each turn, each pull of gravity made her think again and again on what had happened that day. While performing and Immelpony turn she recalled leaving with Twilight to help Princess Celestia. Pulling up hard, she let herself go into a Tail Slide... the tour of Canterlot Castle... arguing with Rarity about ghosts... and that brought her too to Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy. She gritted her teeth at the pang of guilt over the loss of her friends. Why? Why didn't they give up and serve the Nightmare Goddesses as they should have? She hated having to pretend to fight... She pulled a Cobra maneuver her body shaking as she forced herself up so suddenly. Was that what happened? Was she pretending? When she had thought Twilight Sparkle was dead... she had wanted to kill those responsible, but... the cloak... hadn't it been a member of the Council of Nightmares that did it? She scissored through the clouds. She should have been calmer, it was all for the Council... right? Growling she dove into an inside loop, aiming for a standing eight, her eyes caught some sparkling around her and she dropped out of the loop, for a brief second her medallion floated up to her eyes. It was chipped on many places, the luster almost gone. Something else caught her attention. Raising from the castle, a chariot pulled by a couple guard pegasi had taken off. Curious, she forgot about her medallion and flew down to take a closer look. “Rainbow Dash.” Nightmare Moon said, once she had approached enough to see her. She was riding the chariot with another pony who was dressed in black. “What brings you here?” Easily keeping up with the pegasi, the rainbow-maned pegasus felt a bit weird about talking to her Queen. “I... I just needed time to think.” The Queen remained quiet for a few seconds of flight, observing the pegasus, who didn't pull away as she didn't want to offend her. “Join me here.” Nightmare Moon said, making space for the pegasus to land on the chariot. “Uh... I'd love to your majesty, but are you sure its a good idea? It could throw off the balance of the whole thing.” Nightmare Moon's horn lit up and an ephemeral aura surrounded the chariot. “There, if you land now it won't have any repercussions.” she glanced at the unicorn besides her. Rainbow Dash hesitated for a second, then flew in and landed as gently as she could. The chariot did not shake, even when Nightmare Moon let it go, although the aura surrounding them remained. The cyan pegasus looked at the aura curiously. “Nopony can hear us talk while that spell is in effect.” Nightmare Moon explained. Curiosity about the aura sated, Rainbow Dash looked at the other pony, a unicorn, who was looking away at the clouds and the land below. The black clothes she was wearing was made of a strange material that hung tight to her body, it had several pockets within easy reach of her hooves; two strange contraptions were tight around her front legs. A deep purple cloak covered most of her body, but she could make out that she had a white coat under all that black. Her mane was amazing though, it was a deep green and fell around her shoulders. She realized that she was looking at the legendary Silent Jade. The Queen had been observing the pegasus and noticed the medallion. “That's an interesting accessory.” she said softly. “Can you show it to me?” Rainbow Dash almost jumped. She had forgotten to hide her medallion! But... wasn't her Queen deserving of her loyalty? She struggled with the conflicting thoughts until, gritting her teeth, she slowly picked it up with a shaking hoof and showed it to the dark alicorn. “Interesting.” Nightmare Moon said, looking at it. “Very interesting.” Rainbow Dash looked at the medallion as a small crack appeared on it. “W-what's wrong with it? What's wrong with me?” Nightmare Moon smiled. “Nothing is wrong with you, Rainbow Dash.” The pegasus shook her head, trying to clear it. “Something's wrong!” she said in a whisper. “I can feel it! I...” “It's not you.” Another crack appeared. Dash looked at her Council medallion with tears in her eyes. “Then why...” “Remember.” the alicorn said. “How did you feel when Twilight died? Or Rarity, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie?” A pang. Like a knife being jabbed into her heart. “How did you feel when you saw Twilight Spark and Nightmare Flare?” A shiver ran down Rainbow Dash's back. She was sweating and breathing hard. “What was it like... when Spitfire betrayed you?” Nightmare Moon asked, ignoring the gasping pegasus. Her eyes narrowed. “How did you feel when Applejack realized... that you betrayed her?” Her world froze. She looked down as if she were moving in slow motion. The medallion around her neck crumbled into pieces as if crushed by an unseen force. In a flash she relieved her life... there had been no Council of Nightmares in it until Spitfire had put the medallion around her neck... she had betrayed all she stood for. All her friends stood for. She had been personally responsible for a guard and a Wonderbolt dying unnecessarily. She felt a large wing settle gently around her and she was carefully pulled towards Nightmare Moon. She feebly tried to pull away, but the alicorn was stronger. She finally gave in to the embrace and cried and cried on Nightmare Moon's shoulder. It was several minutes before the pegasus felt like herself again. She slowly pulled out of the embrace and stared at the alicorn in confusion. “But how... why?” The alicorn stared straight ahead. “It seems that somepony sought to control you with that medallion... it made you loyal to something to the point of betraying your true self.” Nightmare Moon's smile was cold. “However, the one responsible probably does not understand who you are at all... powerful as the magic of the medallion may have been, it was no match for the Element of Loyalty.” she chuckled. “They couldn't have chosen more poorly. You would have broken out of it without my help in a couple of hours more at the most.” “But... why?” the pegasus asked again. “Doesn't this benefit you?” The Queen looked up at the eclipse. “That travesty?” she shook her head. Rainbow Dash stared, completely baffled. Finally... “You... you're not Nightmare Moon... not the one we fought...” “No, I am not.” The alicorn confirmed. Anger and tears welled into Rainbow Dash. “Then why did you kill my friends? !” Nightmare Moon laughed. But it wasn't an evil laugh or a gloating laugh. It was real mirth. “Rainbow Dash... haven't you figured it out? They're alive!” The pegasus was struck silent. “They cannot be here, of course.” Nightmare Moon continued. “Nightmare Flare knows they live. But they are safe.” Once again Rainbow Dash cried while the Queen and the Assassin watched. “Rainbow Dash...” the alicorn said after a moment. The pegasus looked up. “I need to know. Do I have your loyalty? Will you swear it to me?” Rainbow Dash nodded. “Then I have something very hard to ask of you. But I promise... it will be worth it, in the end.” o.0.o “Hey! Scootaloo!” the little pegasus turned towards the voice and waved at Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom as the two fillies ran up to her. “What do you think happened? !” Apple Bloom asked. “I've never seen the sun do that!” “Did the pegasi do it?” Sweetie Belle asked. “No... everyone is completely going nuts over it!” Scootaloo said. They watched as a gray streak flew across the sky. “What was that?” Apple Bloom wondered. “Oh... it's just Ditzy... she's usually pretty good at delivering the mail before noon and now... well.” Scootaloo looked up. “It's... something, but it's definitely in the 'noon' location. It's got her all strung up about delivery times.” The three looked at the sky for a few moments. It was Sweetie Belle that noticed the chariot. “Hey!” she said pointing up with a hoof. “It's Princess Celestia's chariot! Maybe she'll tell us what's happening!” “Or it could be Applejack and the others!” Apple Bloom said excitedly. “It seems it's going straight to Ponyville! Let's go!” o.0.o By the time they arrived, word had already spread that the chariot was coming. Nervous ponies all around had gathered, waiting for it to land. The Mayor was trying to keep calm while several pegasus had passed the word that it was one of the royal sisters, as relayed by Rainbow Dash, who had flown ahead to let her pegasi friends know and to tell them to spread the word and that per the wishes of the royal sister no pony should be in the air until she left. Now the ponies watched in apprehension as the chariot did one more loop and descended. “There's Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo said excitedly, watching her idol fly down next to the chariot. “She's so cool she gets to fly with the princesses!” she gushed, turning to her friends, who were looking at the chariot in horror. She heard the gasps and turned around confused. It was not Princess Celestia walking out of the chariot. Suddenly the Eclipse made much more sense. She got a very sick feeling in her stomach as she watched the Nightmare step in front of the ponies, flanked on either side by Rainbow Dash and a strange-looking unicorn. Her mind flashed to that night when Nightmare Moon had first appeared, hiding under the curtains, trembling at the evil laugh as the alicorn sent Celestia's guards flying in all directions. The Mayor found herself staring up at the evil alicorn, mouth agape. Nightmare Moon looked down impassively. Rainbow Dash hesitated for a second before clearing her throat. “All bow in the presence of Queen Nightmare Moon!” she announced. The ponies of Ponyville turned to look at her in surprise, fear and resentment. But when the alicorn opened her wings majestically, they all bowed their heads. All but the three Cutie Mark Crusaders, who stared in shock at what was happening. “Rainbow Dash?” Scootaloo whispered. “Citizens of Ponyville.” Nightmare Moon spoke up, making everyone cringe. “You are now ruled by myself and my sister, Nightmare Flare. Your lives will not be affected... much. But as you can tell by now, the Eclipse is not going away. This is your new life, make the most of it.” The ponies were confused. Who was Nightmare Flare? While Nightmare Moon had been talking to the crowd, the two pegasi pulling her chariot had gotten loose and had drawn knives. Rainbow Dash never knew what exactly made her jump to the side and tackle the guard as he flew past her. It might have been the Mayor's eyes widening, or maybe the flutter of wings, but whatever it was, in an incredible display of skill, she had jumped back, dodging a knife strike, as the pegasus tried to skewer her. “You'll pay for the death of Swift Mantle!” the guard roared. Landing on his back, hard, she pushed him down on to the floor, but she didn't have enough momentum to make it count, and the guard was much stronger than her. He pushed her off and struck, again missing her by mere inches as she dove to the side. “Who? !” Rainbow Dash asked, dodging again. “My friend! The guard you and Twilight executed!” The ponies in the crowd shouted and reared back, horrified at what was happening, but unable or unwilling to move. More than a few gasped as they heard the resentful words of the guard. Flying up fast, with the guard in tow, Rainbow Dash turned left, stealing a glance down. She gasped. Several ponies had flown up behind the guard to follow her, anger in their eyes, and way below Silent Jade was already fighting several earth ponies. Nightmare Moon had erected a shield around her as unicorns threw objects of all sizes at her. It seemed there was no way out other than doing something she might regret. She pulled up faster until she had enough of a distance and then, with a graceful curve, she shot down towards them. Below her, the Cutie Mark Crusaders watched in horrified fascination as Rainbow Dash took off. There were angry mutters from the crowd and then several pegasi shot up after her. “Go away!” somepony shouted and an apple flew from the crowd only to splatter on a shield in front of Nightmare Moon. “We won't follow you or Flare!” somepony else shouted. “Go back to where you came from, monster!” Besides Nightmare Moon, Silent Jade had intercepted the guard that had attacked the Queen, while the other one attacked the alicorn. The guard was strong, but the unicorn was fast. She ducked under a swing then seemed to disappear. Sweetie Belle watched in horror as the guard collapsed with a groan, then stopped moving altogether as the assassin's hoof fell on the back of his head. “No... nonono...” Several earth ponies charged at the assassin, who looked at them in dismay then shot a quick dirty look at Nightmare Moon as she dove forward. The alicorn for her part seemed impassive as she watched the whole thing from within the protection of her forcefield. She moved to the side as somepony bucked at her, using the momentum of her turn to plant both front hooves on her attacker's ribs. There was a crack and a cry, the brown stallion falling to the floor in pain. She immediately kicked back catching a mare in the chin, dropping her immediately. “What are we going to do?” Apple Bloom asked, scared as the crowd became more restless. “I don't know!” a teary eyed Scootaloo answered, her eyes looking up at the aerial battle. On the one hand she was in awe of her idol taking on so many pegasi. She knew Dash could defeat them... but she was working for the enemy. She bit her lower lip, not knowing who she should be supporting. “They have to stop!” Sweetie Belle whispered staring at the assassin and the villagers attacking her. “She'll kill them!” When it seemed that everything was about to burst and the ponies would all attack, a huge explosion reverberated. The force of the air pressed the ponies on the ground down, the wind whipping their manes wildly. A rainbow colored blast wave expanded above them and as everypony stared upwards, they could see all of the pegasi that had flown after Rainbow Dash falling towards the ground, unconscious. The Sonic Rainboom had the effect of making the already excitable ponies panic. The gathering turned into a stampede and the three friends were caught in it. Scootaloo, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle screamed and hugged each other, closing their eyes as everypony around them ignored them in favor of running away. Something smacked against them, and they went rolling. They could hear all the noise around them as they kept tumbling without any control. They kept screaming knowing that they would be trampled to death. Eventually all quieted down and they realized that something was covering them. The three looked up in shock. “W-what...” Scootaloo pushed herself free and rolled on her back to stare at the green maned unicorn that had somehow managed to pick them up and roll with them all the way to the side. Her black clothes were covered in hoofmarks and she wasn't moving much. “Why did she do that?” Apple Bloom asked, also pulling her self from under the unconscious unicorn. Sweetie Belle stood up shakily and shook the unicorn with her hoof. “Jade! Wake up! It's not funny!” she had tears in her eyes. Scootaloo pulled her back. “What the hay are you doing! She's a bad guy!” “Shut up!” the filly shouted back, pushing her friend away. “You don't know what you're saying!” “She will be okay.” The three Cutie Mark Crusaders flinched and slowly turned around. Nightmare Moon stood behind them, horn alight with mystical energies. Around them, the pegasi that had charged after Rainbow Dash slowly floated to the ground, unconcious. The only remaining floating pony was the Mayor, who Nightmare Moon had somehow captured as everypony else ran, and could only stare in horror and amazement at what the two ponies under Nightmare Moon’s orders had been able to achieve by themselves. “Scootaloo! Sweetie Belle! Apple Bloom!” a rainbow suddenly smashed into them, and they found themselves hugged tightly by Rainbow Dash. “Are you okay?! Did anything happen to you?” “We're fine!” Apple Bloom shouted. “Can't breathe!” “Let go! I need to check on Jade!” Sweetie Belle said, pulling free of the pegasus. Scootaloo didn't say anything, but she wouldn't meet Rainbow Dash's eyes. She shook herself free and didn't look up. The rainbow-maned pegasus sighed and looked away. Nightmare Moon's horn sparkled with energy and a white aura surrounded the unconcious unicorn. “Ooh...” Silent Jade moaned. She shook her head carefully and opened her azure eyes. Suddenly she shot up to her feet, looking around in a panic until she saw the three fillies. She sighed in relief. Nightmare Moon growled. She levitated the trembling mayor towards them and dropped her on the floor. “Mayor. Be thankful that this... display took place when only I was around. My sister would have everypony involved in the attack made an example of.” The Mayor cringed, not daring to look up at the imposing alicorn. “You need to stand up to your position as leader of Ponyville... and make sure this never happens again.” “Y-yes...” the gray pony stuttered. “Take everypony to the hospital. Nopony is dead... this time.” Nightmare Moon looked down at Rainbow Dash and Silent Jade. “We are heading back now.” The two ponies nodded and followed the Queen as she made her way to the chariot. “Wait!” Apple Bloom shouted. “Rainbow Dash! What happened to the others?” The pegasus hesitated, looking back. “Applejack is fine, Apple Bloom. I hope she'll be able to come home soon.” “What about the others?” Scootaloo suddenly asked in a cold voice. “Why have we only seen you, Rainbow Dash? Applejack might be fine, but what about Fluttershy? Or Pinkie Pie?” her eyes narrowed. “Where are Rarity and Twilight? And why are you working for Nightmare Moon?” the last question had a hint of hurt and betrayal. Rainbow Dash looked away so they wouldn’t see the hurt in her own eyes. “Sorry girls. That's all I can say for now. You should head home.” they started walking again. “Wait!” Sweetie Belle said, running up to the assassin. “Why are you doing this, Jade?” The unicorn looked down at her, but shook her head, trotting to catch up with Nightmare Moon and Dash. Once the three were together, next to the chariot, the alicorn's horn flashed... and they were gone. o.0.o Applejack was breathing heavily, a sheen of sweat covered her whole body. After what had happened... the pillows and mattress were never going to be the same. “F-fine.” Twilight Spark panted. Applejack looked at her but didn't budge. “I... will admit I am impressed.” Twilight said between pants. “I have never seen... an earth pony... do anything like that.” Applejack's eyes narrowed. “I... will stop my advances for now.” Twilight said, sinking to the floor. She glared at Applejack's mattress fortress. “How you did it is beyond me. But it kept me away.” she sighed. “I'm not getting out of here until you're gone, Twilight.” The unicorn drooped a bit. “Why don't you care about me, Applejack?” The earth pony within the pillow and mattress fortress was silent. Twilight Spark groaned and stood up on shaky legs. Without a word she made for the door. “I do care, Twilight.” Applejack's voice emanated from within the pillows. “You're one of my best friends... but what you are doing is wrong. The way you are trying to do things is wrong. I don't know what happened to you... but you have to know that there's something very strange about you now. You are not the same Twilight I knew. And with everything that has happened... our friends, the pegasi in the balcony... Nightmare Moon, Nightmare Flare... Twilight... I can't understand how you can be like this. You never were! And suddenly you want to have a relationship with me?” “I... I was a bookworm!” Twilight said looking at the fortress. “I was too shy to say it before!” “No Twilight. There's more to it.” Applejack sighed audibly. “Please... go and think about it. You can't be all gone. Please.” Twilight took a deep breath and slowly walked out of the room, closing the door behind her. Applejack watched as a spell made the door glow for a bit. She waited but Twilight did not barge back in. The Earth Pony collapsed on the mattress, completely exhausted. She closed her eyes and fell asleep. o.0.o End Chapter 10 o.0.o" ]

[ "The Empty Room Chapter 11 By Wanderer D The torches around the cavern crackled as Midnight paced back and forth. The others watched him in restless silence. “This is the result of a plan created by the Guardian more than a thousand years ago.” Midnight began as all the guests in the cavern sat in a circle facing each other. “The Guardian is an entity old as the world.” He stopped for a moment, surprised as a shimmering light appeared in the middle of the circle. A creature, reptilian and long like a snake, with four red eyes, forearms and three rows of teeth on its open maw appeared on it. He turned to stare at Trixie, who's horn was glowing as she projected the image. Big Mac, Soarin', Lyra and Spike recoiled in horror from the image. “Ah.” he said, nodding to her. “I had forgotten you met it.” Trixie's smile was sad as she nodded while the others stared. Big Mac shuffled a bit closer to her and whispered something to her ear. The showmare's smile lost a bit of her sadness. Midnight cleared his throat. “Its nature is tied to that of our Princesses, although they are not truly aware that he exists. Legend has it that there were once more Princesses around... true, Luna and Celestia were the greatest, but there were more alicorns than we ever knew, each protecting and affecting Equestria with their power in a different way. Their influence is still felt through terms we still use, like the North Wind, or Spring.” As he described, the scene changed to include a caricature of the princesses, like the drawings you would find in a foal's book. Under them, several other alicorns flew around different colors, from green to rusty red flew around. “One by one they fell into a madness that empowered them, but made them hate each other. And one by one, they had to be destroyed, until the two sisters were left alone.” The alicorns in the projection darkened and burned, fading into ashes until only the ones representing Celestia and Luna remained. “The Guardian did not have much luck with them. It seemed that all the trials and fighting had made them stronger. There was no plague, no torment he could devise that would bring them down.” Images of towns burning, terrified animals stampeding out of the forests and battles with the background silhouette of a manically laughing Gaurdian flashed in front of the gathered ponies. “That... was a bit much with the Guardian laughing like that.” Midnight commented. “Hey, I’m a showmare and I’m improvising the whole story!” Trixie growled. “Be appropriately amazed and thankful that the skills of The Great and Powerful Trixie are making your otherwise inane storytelling resemble something remotely interesting!” Midnight coughed. “The Guardian decided to sleep. He would wake up when the Princesses were weak and he could turn them into his unwitting meals for eternity. He called on his most trusted servant, to whom he gave a set of medallions. Each bore his mark, and all had a special power... once worn, they would make themselves part of the victim's life, rearranging their past to convert them into followers of the Guardian. They would form a 'Council of Nightmares', who would go on to exploit the weaknesses of the Princesses and awaken the Guardian.” A black unicorn (looking suspiciously like Midnight) approached the Guardian and was given a box. It walked around meeting other ponies and giving them little medallions. The Guardian faded into the background until only its eyes remained visible. And slowly, they closed. “A thousand years ago, one of the council members discovered an advantage that had never occurred to them to exploit: the sisters' love for their ponies. Knowing that Luna felt a little left out because most ponies back then would not spend time looking at her nightscape, they found their way into the court, spreading rumors about how ponies wanted the nights to be shorter, or to disappear completely.” The scene played into a familiar set of drawings. The story they all knew played before their eyes. Luna looking down after her hard work at preparing the night, only to find the ponies sleeping. \"His agents struck her where she was the most vulnerable: her heart. Had the Guardian attacked her body or her mind, Luna would have remained strong.\" The little cloaked ponies appeared around Luna whispering presumably bad things to her, until she became angry. “And that's how Nightmare Moon came to be.” Spike said in awe. “Princess Celestia fought her and tried to reason with her, but couldn't. In the end she was forced to exile her to the Moon, where she remained for a thousand years.” “That is correct. It is well known that she escaped with the aid of the stars roughly a year ago, as the legend foretold, but how Luna freed herself from Nightmare Moon remains a mystery.” Midnight said as Trixie's exposition faded away. “It was Twilight and the others.” Spike said, drawing gasps from the group. “We were told not to share the story but...” the dragon sighed. “Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy are the Elements of Harmony. They fought Nightmare Moon in the old castle in the Everfree Forest and used the Elements to break her free.” “That explains much.” Midnight was the first to react. He sighed and looked at the others. “It is likely that both Spitfire and Rainbow Dash are being influenced by the Council medallions.” “But how do you know so much about them, Mr. Midnight?” Lyra asked. “And how do you and Spike know each other?” Trixie asked. “What? You don't know?” Spike spoke up before Midnight could say anything. “Midnight is Twilight Sparkle's dad!” o.0.o “Shadowbolts?” Spitfire asked Rainbow Dash as the latter nodded tiredly. “Yeah... I went with Nightmare Moon and Silent Jade to Ponyville, and we worked pretty well together.” the cyan pegasus smiled hesitantly at Spitfire who was looking slightly hurt. “Hey, it's not like we won't be together, right? I'll still be coming back here... it's just that she needs her own squadron and she had made the offer to me a year ago. When she asked again I couldn't refuse, right?” “Can't she just get some ponies from the guard to do it?” “They can't be trusted.” Rainbow Dash said slumping on to the bed. Spitfire's eyes narrowed. “What do you mean?” Rainbow Dash sighed. “Well, when I went with Nightmare Moon I was just flying with her, you know?” Spitfire nodded, her eyes urging her to continue. “But, when we arrived in Ponyville, they attacked me and Nightmare Moon. I had to take care of the guard and...” she hesitated. “And?” “... and Silent Jade took care of the one that attacked Nightmare Moon.” Rainbow Dash hastily added. “Anyway! This is the second time that the guards have attacked. We can't trust them...” she looked worriedly at Spitfire. “Don't trust them. They might hurt you.” she said softly. Spitfire nodded and flopped on the bed, next to Dash. “I haven't seen nor heard anything from the other Wonderbolts... but I doubt they're happy.” Rainbow Dash nodded tiredly. “Rainbow?” “Hmm-hm?” “Do you think I should have felt different about Blizzard dying?” Rainbow Dash could barely keep her eyes open and yawned. “I... dunno... tired. You felt... an' all...” another yawn. “... but duty... hard to...” her head slumped down and a loud snore shook her frame. Spitfire smiled at the pegasus next to her and carefully got out of bed, covering the rainbow-maned mare with the bedsheets. She stifled a yawn of her own. It had been a really long day. She stretched and walked out the door, closing it carefully behind her. She headed to her own room. o.0.o The room was very dark. Suddenly, she heard a switch and a light hit her in the face. Sweetie Belle blinked several times. “Hey!” “So...” Scootaloo walked around her. “You know one of Nightmare Moon's minions.” “Min-what?” Apple Bloom asked. “Huh... I heard my mom call Rainbow Dash that.” Scootaloo confessed, scratching the wooden floor with her hoof. It still hurt to think of her idol. “Oh.” “Anyway.” Scootaloo was suddenly in Sweetie Belle's face. “You know this Jade pony! Confess!” “Uh...” Sweetie Belle looked slightly embarrassed. “Yes. I do. Can I go now? I'm hungry.” “No!” Scootaloo resumed walking around her. “You have to tell us! Ponies want to know! The questions are endless! Why you know her? Is she family? Is she a long lost friend from the past? Did you defeat her in mortal combat for the fate of Equestria in a secret location? Is she a demon? Ponies are asking, Sweetie Belle, and I am going to get an answer!” “Scootaloo?” Apple Bloom patted her friends' shoulder. “What?” “Uh, I hate to break it to you but so far we and the Mayor are the only ones in Ponyville that know that Sweetie Belle knows Jade and I don't think the Mayor really wants to know how she knows her.” she shuffled nervously. “I think the Mayor is afraid to ask.” Sweetie Belle for her part looked nervous and sad. “I... I can't tell you two right now...” she looked up, eyes begging. “Just... please believe me that she's a good pony.” “Then why was she with Nightmare Moon?” Scootaloo asked. “Maybe... maybe we just don't know enough?” Sweetie Belle said. “That's true!” Apple Bloom said. “Rainbow Dash is with Nightmare Moon too, and we all know she's a good pony. Remember what Twilight Sparkle told us once? That if we want to know something, we need to do research!” The three smiled, although Sweetie Belle's was a bit unsure and seemed slightly forced. “Well, you know what this means!” the pegasus said excitedly. “Cutie Mark Crusader Nigthmare Moon Investigators! Yay!” “But...” Sweetie Belle bit back her words. She also wanted to know what was happening. “Where do we start?” “There's only one place to find our answers.” Scootaloo said with a serious look. “Canterlot.” o.0.o Nightmare Flare stood at the top of the observatory, watching the horizon. She heard the flutter of wings and the sound of displaced air and turned to face her sister, as she landed next to her. “How was Ponyville, sister?” Nightmare Flare asked. Nightmare Moon snorted, walking up to stand next to her. “As expected. They didn't like it one bit that there has been a change in power. They even attacked. Rainbow Dash can be trusted... and Jade's skills and loyalty were never in doubt.” “Whatever happens,” Nightmare Flare smirked. “we will not be pawns.” “I have asked Rainbow Dash to become the captain of the Shadowbolts once again.” Nightmare Moon said after a moment. “She agreed. She'll begin looking for good fliers soon. Sister, I cannot trust the guards.” “They believe it was you that corrupted me. Their dedication and loyalty is to be commended, but treason cannot be forgiven.” The Sun Goddess said. “Choose wisely, sister.” “I will.” Nightmare Moon said. “Do you have a plan?” Nightmare Flare nodded and looked at her sister from the corner of her eye. “There are many questions to be answered yet. But I want to start my own search as soon as possible.” “I understand, sister.” Nightmare Moon nodded. “We will find your daughter.” “Did you feel her in Ponyville?” “No.” Nightmare Moon sighed. “All of the unicorns attacking me were mediocre in magic. The pegasi chasing after Rainbow Dash showed none of the natural grace needed... and the earth ponies had no magic at all, hidden or otherwise.” Nightmare Flare remained impassive. “So my daughter is not in Ponyville. Very well. I will conduct my own search here in Canterlot.” she turned around and started trotting away. Nightmare Moon did not answer. She just looked up at the Eclipse for a long time. o.0.o “Wait.” Trixie said looking at Midnight. “You are Twilight Sparkle's father?! Then...” she looked towards one of the side caverns. “Yes.” Midnight sighed. “That's me inside.” “But that doesn't make sense.” Lyra said. “You're right here. How can you be there?” “Well...” “Oh, just show them!” Trixie said, pushing the older unicorn so hard he stumbled and fell on top of Lyra. “Eep!” the mint-green unicorn closed her eyes, expecting Twilight's father to crush her under his weight. When nothing happened she opened her eyes again. She slowly turned around to see him standing up while glaring at Trixie. “Wow!” Spike said. “How did you do that?! You went right through her!” Soarin' was at a loss for words. “W-what happened?” Lyra asked, stepping back. “He went through you.” Trixie said. “Literally.” Lyra blinked. “But how?” “Was that a trick, Trixie?” Spike asked eagerly, his earlier grumpiness towards the mare gone in between the impressive magical presentation and the latest 'trick'. “Can you show me how to do it?” “All you have to do is kick the bucket.” Midnight growled. “Really? Hmm.” the little dragon looked around. “Are there any buckets around?” Midnight facehoofed while Trixie suppressed a smile. “Y-you mean you're...” Lyra stammered, paling. “Yes.” the elder unicorn nodded. “But...” Soarin' finally spoke up looking from him to Trixie. “How did she...” his words died as he stared. Trixie had somehow lifted up from the ground and hovered towards him. She wasn’t using magic, since her horn did not glow. Smiling, the showmare approached him until they were face to face. She slowly became translucent and pushed her ethereal hoof through his head. “Boo!” o.0.o “And that is why you will never, ever do that again.” Midnight said sternly to a sheepish Trixie while Big Macintosh finished tying Lyra's legs, picked her up and put her down next to an equally gagged, tied, wide-eyed and whimpering Soarin' and Spike. While Applejack was well-known for her lasso skills, her brother was no slouch. Somepony had to have taught her, after all. The three struggled to get loose, but Big Mac's knots were too good for that. “Eeyup.” the draft pony sighed. “I hope nopony out there heard the screams, cries for help and the pounding on the door.” Midnight sighed. “Well, very few ponies ever come down here. We might have gotten lucky.” “I did not know you could do that, Trixie.” Big Machintosh commented. “Oh, while you were gone earlier today I started experimenting.” Trixie said. “Would have been useful to know I could float.” “It was a risk.” Midnight pointed out. “You didn't know what could have happened to you by doing all of that.” “The Great and Powerful Trixie fears nothing.” “That may be.” the male unicorn grumbled. “But I'd rather not loose allies to careless experimenting.” “Okay, but you still have some explaining to do.” Trixie said, giving him a hard look. “You told me and Big Mac that you had gotten a Council of Nightmares Medallion years ago and had been enchanted by it into servitude for the last ten years until you got into a fight and died.” her eyes narrowed. “You never mentioned you were Twilight's father... why didn't you? Especially with-” she cut herself short, staring at him slack-jawed. “Trixie?” Big Mac looked at her with a frown. “You... you killed Twilight!” Trixie shouted, an accusing and shaking hoof pointing at the elder unicorn. This elicited a series of muffled screams from the bound ponies and dragon. Midnight looked away in shame. He closed his eyes. “That is the danger of the medallions... they twist your reality and the longer you live in that lie, the more it becomes truth to you.” He slumped down on the floor. “We found out that Celestia was in a very emotional position, although not why. While Spitfire scouted around, I was to go into the hall and investigate... see if we could find anything to exploit to break her will and let the Nightmare out.” he chuckled. “Imagine my surprise when out of no-where I see Twilight Sparkle. She obviously knew what was happening, and I needed to know. I was bound by the medallion’s magic to kill whoever saw me during a mission for the Guardian and so I had to... I had to kill her.” Big Mac stood next to Trixie who looked completely appalled, silently supportive. She noticed how close he was and smiled shakily in appreciation. The stallion just nodded. On the floor Spike was giving Midnight a glare that would have set the ghost on fire had it been possible. “The medallion's history in my mind played very different from the truth.” Midnight sighed. “Years ago, I was so proud of Twilight for not only impressing everyone with her power, but also by getting accepted and then selected by Princess Celestia herself to be her personal student.” his eyes clouded over as he remembered with a faint smile. “I had never been so proud of anything! I mean, sure, there were plenty of moments when I was proud of my little filly as she grew, but... right then, it was all her. She studied so hard and practiced for hours and hours. And she was finally there! But... it drew attention. The wrong sort of attention.” The gathered ponies exchanged glances. Even the three tied 'guests' had stopped struggling as they listened. “One night... a pony in a black cloak knocked on the door to our house.” Midnight's voice turned strained. “My wife, Star Dancer was asleep... so I went to answer it. When I did... it was a unicorn... her magic threw me back before I could react. I felt the cold metal of the medallion against my chest... I couldn't move... I heard Star Dancer shout my name...” he stopped. The cavern was completely silent. Midnight drew a shuddering breath. “I... told Twilight that Star had had an accident...” he gritted his teeth. “T-the medallion made me resent that Twilight turned to Celestia in the sudden absence of her mother... Twilight already greatly admired the Princess but after that... i-in any case, I tried to get her to come back home, but she wouldn't... the plan to use her to get to Celestia as a member of the Council never came to be.” “What happened?” Trixie asked softly, her eyes concentrating on the stone floor. Midnight sighed. “Last night... I fought her and she fought back, despite having been working for hours on whatever she had been doing, despite the emotional shock... I hated it, but deep inside I was very, very proud of her. She didn't have any experience in combat magic but... she was so resourceful!” Spike was looking at him with an unreadable expression. The little dragon remembered the wall of the castle exploding. Hearing Princess Luna tell Rainbow Dash that Twilight... his Twilight was gone. “At the very end, her magic was so strong the medallion cracked. It didn't break its control over me... I don't know if even destroying the thing completely would have done that... but it allowed me a split second to try and teleport the both of us out of there. Needless to say, when I arrived here, I was already dead.” the elder unicorn looked sadly at the other room. “And the teleportation did not work as I expected. There was no Twilight with me.” he looked down in defeat. “I had failed her again.” Big Mac had been untying the others as they seemed to have calm down. Spike stood up, his little fist shaking and tears streaming down his face. He glared at the ghost of the elder unicorn. Midnight would not meet his gaze. “We should show them what's in the other room.” Big Mac suggested. Midnight hesitated, then nodded. The silent group followed the navy-blue unicorn into the other chamber. Lyra was the first to notice the body. She screeched. “Is that...? !” “What's left of me.” Midnight said. “Yes.” Spike went up to the cloaked remains and gave them a resentful kick. He turned to glare at Midnight. “I know you were not in control... but I hate you.” The unicorn simply nodded. The group continued around the shrine until they all stood staring. “W-what?” Soarin' asked in wonder. “I don't know.” Midnight confessed looking at it with no small measure of wonder himself. “But whenever I look at it... I feel hope.” Spike gulped, his eyes bright, reflecting the light that came from... it. o.0.o Lyra, Big Macintosh, Soarin' and Spike stood at the entrance to the cave, looking back towards Trixie and Midnight. “We'll start gathering information, then.” Soarin' said. “Remember not to engage any members of the Council...” Midnight warned. “Although I doubt they'll be too interested in trying to capture anyone. Right now, they think they won.” Lyra nodded nervously. “I'll see if I can get in contact with Applejack and the others.” “And I'll try to find out how much Twilight has really changed.” Spike said. “The Great and Powerful Trixie commands you to be careful, Big Mac.” the blue unicorn said. “And to come back soon.” The draft pony smiled. “Eeyup.” With a last nod, the group walked away after Soarin' and Big Mac closed the doors. They walked in silence for a while, following the road towards Canterlot when Spike just couldn't handle it anymore. “Okay, so, what is going on between you and Trixie?” o.0.o End Chapter 11 o.0.o" ]

[ "The Empty Room Chapter 12 By Wanderer D “Spike!” The little dragon froze. He hadn't expected to find Twilight Sparkle in her room of all places. Wait. Okay, that had been a silly assumption. “Uh... hi, Twilight!” he said, forcing a smile and pretending to be cheerful. He took a good look at her and did a double take. He hadn't had a chance to appreciate the changes in her when he was in the courtyard, but now he could really see her up close. She looked so different. Her coat was darker, her horn longer, she had a scar, her hair was almost black except for the red streak on it, her eyes had changed a bit... but her voice was the same. And she had fangs. Cool. He suddenly remembered the sense of loss he had experienced the day before when he had thought her gone forever. Sure, she had changed... who wouldn't, after being killed and resurrected? Spike found himself hugging the unicorn. “I thought you were gone Twilight!” he wailed, dragon tears dripping to the floor. “I heard what happened, and...” “I'm okay, Spike.” Twilight said softly. “I wouldn't leave my little brother alone, would I?” Spike pulled back to look at her. “You have a brother?” Twilight Spark shook her head and poked his head with her hoof. “You, dimwit.” “Oh... oh!” Spike smiled. “Good. Now that you get it, you have to help me with Applejack.” The dragon blinked. “What?” “Applejack.” Twilight sighed. “I know you've noticed it too!” “Uh...” “We were meant for each other, she and I!” Twilight Spark declared. Then she deflated. “But she won't return my love!” she turned to the dragon. “What should I do, Spike? !” The purple dragon stood gazing into space, a huge blush on his face. “Spike?” no response. “SPIKE!” “Huh?! Wha- sorry! Did you just say...” “Yes. Me and Applejack!” she grinned at him. “Were you thinking dirty thoughts?” If possible, the blush increased, and he looked down embarrassed. The little dragon surreptitiously checked if he had gotten a nosebleed from the mental images. He had heard that could happen. “Well, whatever you had in mind, young dragon... is probably going to happen. And more.” Okay. Nosebleed. o.0.o Lyra and Bic Macintosh sat on a cafe overlooking the castle, wondering what their next move should be, unaware that their current setting and the nervousness apparent in Lyra had drawn some attention. “I... have no idea how to do this, Big Mac.” Lyra whispered nervously. “Sure, I can get into the Castle, but I don't know what type of information, if any, I could get!” She squeaked when the waiter placed a cup of tea in front of her. She grinned sheepishly when said pony looked at her confused. “Sorry, sorry.” For his part, Big Mac snorted. “Keep it simple, you can learn a lot by just listening.” The draft pony shrugged. Lyra stared at him as she slowly stirred her tea. “You make it sound so easy.” she trailed off, thinking of all the mystery and spy books she had read as a young filly. She struggled for details. She had read them so long ago, way before she got her cutie mark and started playing the lyre. She sighed. She missed playing music and she missed Bon-Bon. She had just come over to visit family and 24 hours later she was part of the rebel alliance against Nightmare Moon, Nightmare Flare, a giant snake called the Guardian for some reason, a crazy resurrected Twilight Sparkle, a Council of Evil and for all she knew, everypony in the Castle. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. Okay, so what did she remember from the books? Spies needed to dress well to be able to go into many places... well that wasn't a problem, since she was a minor noble, she was able to go where she needed to go. What else? Spies were always conscious of their surroundings. She started looking around suspiciously while Big Mac watched, amused. When she noticed a group of guards walking their way she panicked. “Shit! Guards!” she whispered. She looked around guiltily and wildly trying to figure out what to do. Okay, okay, what did spies in the books? Oh no... they were getting closer! Yes! She remembered now! Stretching across the table she grabbed Big Mac. “Quick! Kiss me!” She closed her eyes and pulled herself up to the stallion, kissing him for all she was worth, hoping against hope that the guards would think them a normal couple having tea. She heard Big Mac's muffled attempts to say something but he hadn't seen the guards! She couldn't let him talk! How to stop him?! Wait... Hmm... apples. The stallion's eyes went even wider when he felt the tongue. He was so surprised that he even stopped struggling as his brain shut down. He didn't even notice the guards marching calmly next to the cafe, ignoring them and the rest of the ponies in there completely as they carried on with their patrol. Once they were gone, Lyra finally pushed him back. And started sputtering. Big Mac just slowly slid down to a sitting position, eyes wide open, jaw hanging. “Gah!” Lyra coughed. “Gross.” she looked through watery eyes at Big Mac. “No offense, Big Mac but I'm not into stallions.” The draft pony didn't say anything but his eyes did look at something behind Lyra. With a feeling of dread, the musician slowly turned around. She gasped in horror when she saw who was behind her. The area around Bon-Bon seemed to shimmer with angry energy as the pony looked at her fillyfriend with unbridled anger. “Lyraaaa...” the earth pony growled. “Bon-Bon! I...” “Nothing!” the earth pony interrupted. “You and I are through! To think that I came all the way here to surprise you because I missed you and I find you...” throwing her hoofs in the air, Lyra's filly turned around and marched out of the cafe. “Wait! Bon-Bon!” the unicorn shouted, jumping up and running after her. Big Mac shook his head and settled down to finish his drink. He sure was glad Trixie hadn't seen that. He stopped. Or had she? o.0.o “I'm going out.” Midnight looked up from the runes in the room that he was studying. “Are you sure? I just found this amazing magic equation...” “The Great and Powerful Trixie is sure.” the unicorn said, glaring at him. “I spent all of last night and every time Big Mac went out studying runes with you. And, although I have learned a little bit, the Great and Powerful Trixie has... other things to attend to.” “But...” Midnight motioned with his hoof towards the shrine. “It's still going to be here when I come back.” Trixie said. “Besides, none of the runes actually have anything to do with it!” “So far!” Midnight said indignantly. “But! Look at all the runes in the room! They're all over the place!” “And we have eternity to go through them.” the mare said venomously. “But we don't for things we have to do now.” with that said, she turned around and trotted through the metal doors, leaving Midnight by himself. o.0.o “Rainbow Dash.” The pegasus rolled in bed with a muffled “leave me alone!” “Rainbow Dash.” “Wuh?” Rose-colored eyes opened slowly. Her eyes focused bit by bit until she could clearly make out the face of Nightmare Moon. The alicorn watched as the pegasus suddenly became a blur and followed it with her eyes as Rainbow Dash crashed into the bathtub in the bathroom. The showerhead activated and the pegasus was drenched in seconds. Nightmare Moon carefully walked to look inside the bathroom as the pegasus gasped. “Don't do that!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed as she tried to find a way to turn off the shower. Barely restraining a smile, Nightmare Moon casually flipped a lever and the water stopped. “Well, Rainbow Dash.” the alicorn said. “It's good to see you are so excited to start your job as a Shadowbolt.” Sitting in the tub, the cyan pegasus just glared at her as her wings and mane dripped water. “When you are ready, get into your uniform. We are going to visit some friends.” The pegasus' eyes widened. “Do you mean...?” Nightmare Moon just smiled and walked out of the room. o.0.o The house was not in the richest part of town, but it was still a step above middle class. It was big enough for sections of it to be called 'wings' and for it to have guest rooms (emphasis on the plural) and a front yard, and a back yard with tasteful decorations. Trixie stood in front of the white gates, looking at a place she had not seen in... what, ten years? Fifteen? She shook her head and looked back towards the castle. She probably had better things to do... she could get into the castle itself and nopony would know... she started to turn but stopped, looking back at the gates with a pained expression. Sighing she trotted through them and into the house. “Mooom!” Trixie stood, paralyzed as a little emerald-green unicorn filly with a lavender mane shouted. She hadn't gotten her cutie mark yet, and couldn't be more than eight years old. “W-what...” the showmare stammered. The little unicorn trotted through her and yelled again. “Mooom! Lunch is ready!” “I'll be right there, dear!” a familiar voice emanated from upstairs. But, there was something strange about how it sounded. It was... strained, somehow, as if the pony answering was having a hard time talking. Trixie frowned, noticing that the little filly had also caught the weird tone of voice. A door opened and shut upstairs, and a tired-looking, puffy-eyed unicorn wearing a saddle bag slowly made her way down the stairs. “Mom...” the little filly galloped up to the rusty red unicorn and nuzzled her. “Is everything okay?” Trixie approached slowly, as her mother shook her head sadly, her salt-and-pepper mane swaying. The door to the house opened and another unicorn walked in. His coat was white and he had a green mane, with hints of gray in it, his cutie mark was a golden cross with a scalpel across it. “Daisy Sprout.” the unicorn stallion's smile was shaky. “Let your mother come down the stairs.” “Dear... I'm sorry, I know you had a lot of appointments today...” the elder mare started to say, but the male unicorn shook his head. “Don't... your note seemed very urgent.” The mare nodded, her eyes going hesitantly to Daisy Sprout, who looked at her and her eyes widened. “No! Uh-uh! No way I'm going away for this!” Trixie smiled. She remembered that look and she had acted the exact same way whenever her parents wanted her out of the room so they could talk about 'adult' stuff. The old mare sagged as her eyes watered. She sat down on the stairs and held her daughter close, crying. “W-what is it dear?” her dad asked, slowly making his way up to her. Without speaking, her horn glowed a little and the saddle bag opened. A piece of fabric covered in stars slowly slid out with the aid of magic, until it was draped on the stairs. It was in a very bad state. Pieces were missing, edges torn as if something had bitten through it. It had dark splashes of red on it. “What... what is it?” Daisy Sprout asked when the sudden silence hit like a thunderbolt. “Mom? Dad? What is it?” The male unicorn had sunk to his knees, staring at the torn cloth in horror. Trixie took a couple of steps towards it, completely baffled. “My... cape...” o.0.o It took Rainbow Dash about ten seconds to get ready. She walked out of the room, primed and eager to get things going. “So, what's the mission, your majesty?” Nightmare Moon watched servants skitter past them, and guards flinch. “I will tell you momentarily.” she said, as they walked towards the courtyard. “Hey, and where's Jade? Is she coming with us?” Nightmare Moon shook her head. “No. She has her own mission to attend to.” “Oh.” Rainbow Dash looked away. It took them a couple of minutes more to get to the courtyard. Nightmare Moon looked around, nodded and with a flare of her horn both she and Rainbow Dash disappeared. o.0.o “No...” the little filly said. “No!” Trixie tore her eyes from the cape to see her parents trying to hold the little filly as she struggled. “Trixie is not gone! She'll come back and show me all her magic tricks!” the tiny unicorn was crying. “She's not gone! She's not gone!” she finally freed herself and ran up the stairs, leaving the two parents and the invisible ghost of her sister behind. The two unicorns didn't seem to have the energy to follow her. Trixie's father just stared at the torn cape. “How...” “They don't know.” he mother answered. “They think it might have been an Ursa... an earth pony she had bought a map from got worried when there was no news of her and organized an expedition... they found...” she couldn't finish. “Trixie's saddle bag had some of our letters... they sent the cape.” Trixie's father gently took the cape with his hoofs. “Oh... my Trixie.” he pulled it to him, his head lowering into the folds of the cape. “My brave little Trixie...” His body shook as his wife held him also crying, while to the side Trixie herself was getting teary eyed. She walked up to them. “I- I'm here daddy...” she whispered hoarsely. “I'm here... please... don't cry...” “It's my fault...” the stallion said. “I... should have... I should have stopped her. She was too young..” his voice was so full of guilt it dug at Trixie's heart like a knife. “You couldn't have...” her mother whispered, rocking them both softly. “You know how she was... how stubborn and proud.” “I should have been a better father.” he whispered. He looked at his wife. “Cinnamon... I should have told her I loved her before she left. I should have told her I loved her every letter I wrote, every exchange we had during the years...” his eyes held so much guilt. “Why didn't I? Why...” Trixie was crying now. She tried to touch her parents, but her hooves went through them. The joke that she had played on Soarin' didn't seem so funny anymore. “I'm sure, wherever she is... she knows you love her.” her Cinnamon said. “I'm sure she knows we all love her... “ “I do!” Trixie cried. “I do mom! I'm so sorry dad! I'm sorry I never told you!” she closed her eyes. “I'm sorry I ran away! I'm sorry I was such a... such a brat all these years! I'm sorry I never gave you the chance you wanted!” The pair of unicorns seemed to have calmed down a little bit. Cinnamon was slowly rocking Trixies father. “What about Daisy Sprout?” he whispered. “Let her be for now...” Cinnamon answered. “Let her calm down, and then we'll talk to her.” Her husband nodded, but Trixie was already all the way up the stairs. o.0.o The courtroom was made of gray stone and was completely devoid of life. Silence permeated every inch of the room as if nopony had ever set hoof there at all. A dark cloud suddenly materialized in the center and slowly coalesced into two winged figures. The smaller stumbled and barely caught herself. “Wow. What a ride.” Rainbow Dash said. Nightmare Moon smirked. “Teleporting is always uncomfortable the first time. You'll get used to it.” The pegasus shrugged. She'd rather not. “So... where are we?” “My palace for the last thousand years.” Nightmare Moon intoned. “I built it with my magic as I stared at Equestria, just outside my reach.” “Oh.” “But we are here for a reason.” the black alicorn continued. “Your friends, Rarity, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie have been my guests in the rooms bellow the surface. They have been asleep ever since I was turned into Nightmare Moon... to protect them from going mad in here. I... we need their help, I have specific missions for them, but we need their trust... and that is why you are here.” Rainbow Dash suddenly looked nervous. “I guess there's no helping it, huh?” Nightmare Moon shook her head and the pegasus sighed. “Okay then. Let's get this show on the run.” o.0.o Trixie walked past her parents' room and several others until she stood directly across from her old room. In the room across from hers, a little flower-decorated wooden sign said “Daisy's Room” the showmare's own room had a sign with little stars declaring it “Trixie's Room”. She felt ashamed. She had a little sister, and she never heard about it. It probably had been mentioned in one of those letters her parents had sent her that she never opened. And now, her little sister needed her and she couldn't be there for her. Hay, she didn't even know what Daisy Sprout liked, what her favorite food was, if she loved any stories in particular, or what games she liked to play. In short, she now stood in front of the door of somepony she should have gotten to know a long time ago, that somehow had really cared for her despite her failings as a sister. As she was about to step through her sister's door, she realized that while she could hear her crying... it was not coming from Daisy's room. It was coming from her own. o.0.o Fluttershy woke up when she felt somepony shaking her shoulder. “Fluttershy... come on dear, wake up.” Her eyelids fluttered cutely as she slowly rose. “W-what happened?” “...” “Rarity?” “Sorry dear... I... thought I had to be dreaming at first... but my mind would not conjure up such a dreadful place like this.” she motioned at the gray walls. “Whoever designed this clearly has no idea of how Gothic themes are supposed to work, why, there is absolutely no light to contrast the shadows!” “Pinkie Pie!” Fluttershy saw the pink earth pony groaning in the corner of the room. She flew up to her friend and helped her up. “Oooh...” the party pony shook her head. “We're alive!” she started bouncing. “Yay! The big meanie Mclousy Black Snooty failed!” “I don't like that moniker.” Rarity's eyes followed an arc over her head as she followed the trajectory of Pinkie Pie as she jumped from fright by the sudden appearance of Nightmare Moon. She caught the alicorn's eyes and held them for a moment before shuffling self-consciously. She went to join Fluttershy who was trembling in the corner. “Calm down, Fluttershy dear, let's see what this...” Nightmare Moon gave a warning cough. “...Dark Alicorn wants.” “I want you to join my cause.” “No way! Nope!” Pinkie Pie said. “You couldn't convince me with all the chocolate in the world, mixed with all the sugar in the world, mixed with all the vanilla in the world, mixed with...” “I get the idea.” Nightmare Moon growled. “Which is why I will let somepony else talk you you.” “And who might that be?” Rarity asked with a defiant smirk. “A conjured up pony? Or perhaps a...” “Nah, nothing that fancy...” Fluttershy gasped and Pinkie Pie stopped bouncing. The three ponies stared as Nightmare Moon lifted her wing, revealing a nervous Rainbow Dash in a uniform they had not seen for a year and hoped to never see again. “Dashie?” Pinkie Pie squeaked. o.0.o The room was mostly how she had left it. The small desk, her few story books, even her bed was made, with the stars and moons-themed sheets on top. However, something was different. In every possible surface of the walls or areas where her old belongings were not taking space, were pictures of her during her shows. Posters, news articles, even a map with little star-shaped pins placed on cities she had visited. She walked towards the map. It was up to date! There was a little pin in the last city she had visited, where she got the map and... The sniffing made Trixie turn to the little filly curled up on her bed, holding a little plush doll that looked remarkably like her. She silently sat down next to the filly, her body not even pressing down on the bed. Somehow her sister had kept track of her, all through the years of not knowing her. She had been a dedicated fan, in secret and never even acknowledged by Trixie... but she had really admired her sister. Trixie felt like crying more. She looked around the room until her eyes settled on a small box which had some glitter dust and magic glue. She had spent so many hours as a young filly decorating things, making them 'sparkle'. She chuckled. She looked up at the poster right next to the bed. It had been from one of her shows before Ponyville. An idea formed in her mind. o.0.o Lyra had finally cornered Bon-Bon in an alley. The cream-colored mare glared at her 'ex-fillyfriend' “How could you, Lyra?! I thought that you weren't into colts!” “I'm not! I promise!” Lyra said desperately. “Right.” Bon-Bon huffed. “I saw you look around before you kissed Big Macintosh! You even looked my way and ignored me! What am I? Just a background pony? I can't believe you didn't see me!” Lyra flinched with each word. “And don't tell me you aren't into colts! I got a good look at you two going at it! Tongue and everything!” “No! I had no choice! Besides, Big Macintosh is taken!” That stopped Bon-Bon. “He is?” her gossip sense started tingling, but then her anger returned. “If he is its even worse! That means you were both cheating!” “But... Bon-Bon! I had no choice! If the guards had caught us...” Bon-Bon's eyes narrowed. “What is this about the guards? What type of trouble have you been getting into?” Lyra looked around wildly. They seemed to be alone. “I... got dragged into a rebel alliance to defeat Nightmare Moon and Nightmare Flare...” Bon-Bon's eyes widened. She hadn't seen what had happened at the courtyard, but it had been the whispered talk of the city. She looked scared. “Lyra... why... you could be killed!” she whispered. “I know! That's why I was so nervous! I remembered all those novels I used to read as a filly about spies and complicated plots and then, when I saw the guards I remembered this one scene where...” She stopped as Bon-Bon dragged her in for a very passionate kiss. She felt herself melt against the earth pony, all worries, all fears dissipating as the familiar embrace of her lover held her. Suddenly, Bon-Bon let go and Lyra slumped to the floor with an “oof!” The earth pony looked out the alley to make sure the guards had passed them by and were not returning. “Well... it seems to work.” Lyra shook her head then looked up at Bon-Bon. “Does this mean I'm forgiven?” “No.” Cyan eyes glared at her then softened. “But... give me some time... this is a pretty big shock.” “Oh.” “Were you eating apples?” o.0.o Daisy Sprout looked down at the little doll in her hooves and sniffed. Her big sister was gone. She had wanted so much to meet her! She had even asked her parents many times to take her to one of the shows, but they wouldn't. She wrote and wrote to Trixie, sending her letters and notes along her parent's mail, but for the longest time there was no reply, until one day her mom and dad had read her a letter from Trixie, telling her to study hard and to be a good filly. She was very busy with her trips so she couldn't write much, but she loved her regardless. That had been three years ago. She was old enough now to recognize the writing in the letter as that of her mother, but, back then, it had meant so much to her that she had started following her sister's career, finding articles praising her, and pictures and even interviews. She had framed them and put them in her sister's room, hoping that one day Trixie would return and make everyone happy. But now she was gone... Daisy Sprout sighed. Who was she kidding? Trixie probably didn't even know she existed.", "She was old enough now to recognize the writing in the letter as that of her mother, but, back then, it had meant so much to her that she had started following her sister's career, finding articles praising her, and pictures and even interviews. She had framed them and put them in her sister's room, hoping that one day Trixie would return and make everyone happy. But now she was gone... Daisy Sprout sighed. Who was she kidding? Trixie probably didn't even know she existed. A reflection caught her attention and she looked up in wonder as glitter-dust floated out of Trixie's desk. She was slightly afraid, but the dust spiraled through the air and she had to turn to look at it. The glitter-dust seemed to gather in front of the poster she had bought with her savings. She gasped as small words formed of glitter-dust attached themselves to it. The handwriting was very different from her parents. “Mom! Dad!” she shouted. Both unicorns ran into the room at the urgency in their daughter's voice. They stared as the glitter-dust kept writing. The three unicorns were teary eyed as they read the upper left corner of the poster. Dear Daisy Sprout, I love you little sister, be good, be strong, and make me proud. I will always watch over you. And then, on the lower right corner... Mom, Dad... I love you both and I know you love me. I'm sorry for being so selfish. -The Great and Powerful Trixie As the three unicorns cried together and held each other, they never knew that right behind them a fourth cried alone. o.0.o End Chapter 12 o.0.o" ]

[ "The Empty Room Chapter 13 By Wanderer D The Eclipse cast stark shadows and light. A red hue gave the sky an eerie quality that made everypony nervous. Although most ponies could see just fine in the gloomy ambience, the authorities in Canterlot had decided to light the torches in an attempt to cheer up the citizens. The sound of trumpets in the Canterlot Plaza drew the attention of all ponies around. A tan earth pony with an open scroll as a cutie mark stepped forth between the trumpeteers. “Hear ye! Hear ye! Her majesty, Queen Nightmare Flare has declared that all mares of ages twenty to twenty two in the city are to assemble at the castle. Compliance is mandatory. Failure to attend will result in immediate action by the guards, followed by arrest and imprisonment. Posters will be put up for your perusal. If you have family members that fall in this category have them go to the castle gates for further instructions. As of now, all mares that belong in the age group please gather 'round here. You will be taken to the castle.” The pony stepped back and turned around, leaving bewildered ponies in his wake. After a few seconds the crowd became abuzz with concern. “What do you think that was about?” Bon-Bon asked Lyra as they watched one of the guards put up a poster. Lyra shook her head. “I don't know... why would the Prin-... I mean, Queen, do that... and only for mares? And for every mare in Canterlot in our age range? That... doesn't make any sense at all! There's at least a couple of thousand mares here who fall in that group!” “Ladies.” a voice next to them made them jump. The guard looked impassive as he indicated they should move to the center of the plaza along with the other mares that were being herded by the guards. Trading nervous glances, the two acquiesced and trotted to join the other mares. “Maybe I'll be able to find out something useful.” Lyra whispered to herself. Bon-Bon bit her lower lip and looked at her worriedly. But kept quiet. o.0.o “Dashie... how could you?” Pinkie Pie asked. Rainbow Dash scratched the floor with her hoof, not looking up. Her thoughts were in turmoil, how could she convince them that Nightmare Moon was not the enemy? “Some Element of Loyalty you are.” Rarity sniffed, looking at her angrily. “First sign of trouble you join 'the winning team' is that it?” “No!” Rainbow Dash looked up angry, offended and hurt. She locked stares with Rarity. “That's not how it is!” “But... well, you are dressed as a Shadowbolt...” Fluttershy said. “I mean... last time you almost joined them...” Rainbow Dash sighed and looked up at Nightmare Moon for help. The Mare in the Moon simply raised her eyebrow as if saying 'you're kidding, right?' “Look, Nightmare Moon is not the bad guy here.” Rainbow Dash started. “Well, I very much doubt that, dear.” Rarity interrupted ignoring the alicorn's look. “The fact is that we all know her to be evil and to want an eternal night just so that ponies can look at her stars and love her.” “Oh! Oh! And there's also the evil laugh, dragon eyes, gloomy aura andburning, hate-filled glare she's giving me right now!” Pinkie Pie added. Rainbow Dash looked up at the black alicorn, who looked back at her. There was something in those eyes, true but... it was not hatred. The pegasus sighed. “Look, listen to me... things are pretty bad down there...” “D-down there?” Fluttershy asked. “Where are we? I mean... if you want to tell me, that is okay...” Rainbow Dash's smile was shaky. “Um... in the Moon?” “What? !” Pinkie Pie shouted. “We're in the Moon?! That is sooooo awesome! I want to go out!” “I would not recommend it.” Nightmare Moon said. “There's no air out there. And the temperature changes are extreme. You would die almost immediately. Although it would still be extremely painful.” That stopped Pinkie Pie's momentum for a bit. “Rainbow Dash.” Rarity looked at the pegasus sternly. “You better cough up an explanation, dear, or you will be in a lot of trouble.” “Fine!” the pegasus sighed. “Look, the fact that you three are alive and relatively free, and that I am not a murdering psychopath is thanks to her! She saved you, and she saved me!” “What do you mean?” Rarity asked a bit more softly when she saw her friend tremble. “Spitfire... she gave me this medallion... it made everything twisted in my mind.” she looked down. “I... I killed a guard because of it.” The three friends recoiled from her as if she were a poisonous snake. “Now,” Nightmare Moon said. “That is not fair, Rainbow Dash. You had no control over that, and even when you brought the guard down, you did not know that Twilight was going to execute them under Nightmare Flare's orders.” “But...” Rainbow Dash's eyes watered. “I... but... I could have stopped it and...” The three friends watched amazed as Nightmare Moon wrapped the sobbing pegasus with a wing. “You regretted it immediately. Even with the medallion's influence. And that triggered your Element to set you free.” the alicorn said soothingly. Rainbow Dash didn't look up, but nodded weakly until she felt another wing drape across her shoulders and the hoofs of her three friends as they hugged her. “It's okay Dashie.” Pinkie Pie whispered. “I'm sorry you had to go through that alone, darling.” Rarity said, tears in her eyes. “We're here for you.” Fluttershy added. Slowly Nightmare Moon stepped back, leaving the friends together. Her objective was complete. The four elements would stand by her side. That left only the Element of Honesty... and Twilight Spark. She turned around to give Rainbow Dash and her friends some privacy to talk, but she had taken only two steps when the cyan pegasus' voice floated up to her. “Please... stay with us, Luna.” Nightmare Moon didn't look back, although she could feel the eyes of all four mares on her. She remained still for a few seconds longer before turning to face them. “I'm Nightmare Moon.” she said with a cynical smile. “I am a dictator, a powerful being that will go to any lengths to achieve her goal. Don't call me Luna.” But she stayed as the friends talked and comforted each other. They didn't notice when the alicorn looked up towards Equestria in surprise. A small smile appearing on her face. “You're welcome, Scootaloo.” she whispered. o.0.o “Are you sure this is a good idea, Scootaloo?” Apple Bloom asked for what felt the seventeenth time. “Yes.” the pegasus replied. “It just looks so weird.” Sweetie Belle said, looking up at the red and black sky. “It makes me think that the whole world is like the Everfree forest.” The three friends walked in silence. They had left Ponyville three hours ago. Without their sisters, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle had had nopony to stop them from gathering their crusader cloaks, some apples and leaving. Scootaloo had found out her mother had been one of the many pegasi chasing after Rainbow Dash, and thus was unconscious in the hospital. The doctor had assured her that her mother was otherwise fine, as were all the pegasi that had the misfortune of encountering a Sonic Rainboom head on. Scootaloo had found herself in the unusual position of thanking Nightmare Moon of catching her mother and saving her from her idol. She looked up at the moon. “Thank you for catching my mom and all the pegasi this morning, Nightmare Moon.” she grudgingly acknowledged the the dark deity. “You're welcome, Scootaloo.” She had the weirdest feeling that the moon had replied to her somehow, but kept it to herself. It probably wouldn't do for the others to know she had prayed to Nightmare Moon of all ponies... and the fact that she was pretty sure she got an answer. She glanced at Sweetie Belle, who despite trudging along loyally, had a look of worry in her face, her eyebrows locked in a small frown. For the most part of the trip she had been quiet, lost in her thoughts. And it made Scootaloo wonder... just how the hay did Sweetie Belle know Nightmare Moon's minion? She had to stop interrogating her friend... not that she enjoyed it, Sweetie Belle had seemed to be really suffering through the questions. The unicorn had clearly wanted to tell them, but couldn't. And that just made it worse. Apple Bloom was clearly worried about her sister and her brother. When she had gone home to gather her things, only Granny Smith and Caramel Apple had been around. She had found out that Big Macintosh had left the night before and had yet to return. It must be difficult to not know. At least she knew her mom was okay, and that she would wake up soon... but Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom didn't know where their families were. She suddenly felt very guilty about interrogating her friend. The little unicorn must be worried sick about her sister too. She sighed. Why were things getting so complicated? “Hey! I can see the castle!” said unicorn suddenly piped in. Scootaloo snapped out of her thoughts and looked up towards the mountainside. Yes, there it was in all its glory, waterfalls and all. Canterlot Castle. The pegasus smiled, dark thoughts forgotten. “Well done crusaders! We're almost there!” o.0.o Applejack's ear twitched. There was a sound... but... There it was again. A door? Opening? Her eyes slowly opened and she stared in complete confusion at the mattress and pillows piled around her. “What...?” memories then started to flood in. Nightmare Moon. Nightmare Flare. Rainbow Dash... Twilight Spark. She tried to stand up, but her body seemed so heavy! She was probably still tired, even if it was the afternoon if the light from the window was any indication. She heard a gasp. “W-what happened here? !” a voice she didn't recognize asked. She pushed a pillow aside and stared at the maid that had walked into the room. The unicorn stared back at her. “Don't ask, sugarcube.” Applejack finally said. “You really don't want to know.” “Oh.” the unicorn seemed to think about it. “Lady Applejack...” The earth pony snorted. “Don't 'Lady' me, please.” she shook her head. “Trust me, there's nothing ‘Lady’-like about me. I'm like you, a hard worker earning an honest living.” she finally felt strong enough to stand up and did so, albeit a bit shakily. The unicorn smiled. “Miss Apple, Lady Twilight has requested your presence for a late lunch with her and some friends.” Applejack noticed that the smile slipped when she had said the purple unicorn's name. It was understandable. Then something hit her. “Lunch?” she blinked. “But... isn't it late afternoon?” The unicorn grimaced and shook her head. Applejack made her way to the window and looked out. Then she remembered. The gloom came from the eclipse that Nightmare Moon had caused. She sighed. “How long was I asleep?” The unicorn looked thoughtful. “I believe you last saw Lady Spark around six hours ago.” “Oh.” no wonder she still felt tired, but now that she was up, she was not falling asleep anytime soon. That's how she worked. She sometimes envied Rainbow Dash for her ability to take naps anytime. Her thoughts about the pegasus soon turned dark as she remembered their conversation outside the door and her betrayal. “Lady... I mean, Miss Apple?” the unicorn prodded. She looked down sheepishly. “I... would appreciate it if you would join Lady Twilight... she... was very graphic about what would happen to me if you were late... I didn't understand half the words but it sounded...” she blushed. “Intense.” Applejack stared at her. “Oh, you poor girl.” she sighed. “Fine! I'll join her. But I need a shower first.” The maid smiled. “Thank you...” “No need, sugarcube.” Applejack said, stretching her legs. They felt sore. “I know what it is like to be on the other end of her... creativity.” she shuddered. “I've kept her in line so far, I reckon I can do it again.” she sounded more sure of herself than she actually was. The unicorn nodded and used her magic to set up the bath for the earth pony. Once it was ready, she excused herself and went off to presumably talk to Twilight Spark. Fortunately she was not disturbed by anypony while she relaxed in the bath. Although her muscles began to relax, her mind was working full-time. She had sealed her fate by promising to go have dinner with Twilight... but maybe, just maybe, the fact that the purple unicorn was willing to let her relax and was being less aggressive was a good sign. Maybe Twilight had stopped to think about what she had told her. Maybe she had regained her senses... Applejack sighed. Too many 'maybes'. But Twilight was her friend and... Rainbow Dash was too. And the only way to figure out what happened to them and bring them back to normal would be to be with them and find out. She eventually (and regretfully) got out of the hot bath and dried herself with the towels that had survived Twilight's blitzkrieg from earlier that day. When she was ready, she opened the door and looked outside. A guard pony stood impassively waiting for her. He nodded when he saw her. “This way... Miss Apple.” Apparently the unicorn had passed the word. Good. It seemed most ponies here knew that she was not a part of Twilight Spark’s entourage, despite the unicorns insistence on being with her. She followed the guard in silence as they made the way down to the place where she would meet with Twilight. She took advantage to gauge how everypony was taking the whole Nightmare Moon/Flare thing. Fear. That's what she saw in the ponies eyes around her. Fear. Confusion. They walked like they were stepping on eggshells, but the castle's staff performed their jobs regardless. The guards more tense if even possible. But then again, she had had a chance to meet some of them in a less formal situation, like yesterday. Had it really only been a day and a half? She shuddered. It felt like a lifetime. The whole situation was overwhelming, to say the least. Ponies would look at her worriedly, possibly wondering if she, like Twilight and Dash, was an agent of Nightmare Moon or Flare. Some would even risk small encouraging smiles if they somehow recognized her. But overall, the long walk did nothing to appease her. When they arrived to their destination, she looked uncomfortably at the double doors. She could hear several voices behind behind them, even laughs. Twilight Spark's unmistakable chuckles prominent among them. “We're here.” The guard said unnecessarily. Applejack nodded and gulped. When she took a step forward the guard touched her shoulder, making her look at him. “Good luck.” he let her go. The earth pony nodded and walked into the room. o.0.o The first thing that caught her attention was the table. It was full of food and she was noisily reminded by her stomach that she hadn't eaten a bite since the day before. “Hey! It's Applejack!” The apple farmer blinked. “Spike?! Weren't you in Ponyville?” “Nah, Twilight packed me into her saddle bags and forgot I was there. It has happened before.” Applejack shook her head and looked at the other ponies in the room. Twilight Spark was giving her a very... intense... look. The farmer blushed when the unicorn licked her lips and quickly looked at the other ponies. When she saw Rainbow Dash dressed in a Shadowbolt uniform she felt her heart break. “A Shadowbolt, Dash?” she whispered. Rainbow Dash looked at her and something crossed her eyes. For a fleeting moment she seemed... pained. But the look was gone in less than a second, and the pegasus nodded. There was no smile, no boasting or gloating. It was surreal. This... could not be her friend. “Nightmare Moon asked her to be the Shadowbolt captain and she agreed.” Spitfire said, drawing the farmer's attention to her. The Wonderbolt smiled at the rainbow-maned pegasus and touched her hoof. “We're all proud of her.” “I bet.” Applejack's reply was dry. Her eyes were drawn to the last pony in the room, who was studiously not looking at her. Applejack took a step back. Those eyes. That green mane... the uniform with the dagger 'cutie mark' on the flank... “J-Jade?” All conversation died at the table as the two mares stared at each other. Jade's azure eyes looked down an away quickly, then returned to look straight at Applejack. With a slight inclination of the head she nodded. “You two know each other?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Yes.” the earth pony confirmed. “Jade saved my life about four years ago. She was on her way somewhere for an important mission, but she heard me calling for help when I was trapped in a collapsed bridge... but, what in the name of all apples are you doing here?” Applejack asked, her tone desperate. “Did they capture you?” Jade looked down. She sighed and her hoofs came up, doing slow motions accompanied by clops and taps as she used the table and the floor to communicate. The others were unsure of what to do, since none of them knew any hoof-language. They just traded awkward looks. “What do you mean you joined Nightmare Moon? !” Applejack growled walking up to the deadly assassin. “You can't!” Tap-tap, clop -tap, hoof to the chest, clap, swift motion across the neck. “I know you are an assassin.” Applejack said, frowning. Tap, clop, hoof-movements, clop clop tap, head shake and shrug. “I expect you to say no! Even if you're an assassin, this is Nightmare Moon we're talking about! She's a ruthless, merciless killer that will betray you at the first chance!” “Hey! You take that back!” Rainbow Dash cried, standing up. “Nightmare Moon is nothing like that!” “You would say that, traitor.” Applejack snapped. “What did you call me? !” Rainbow Dash growled suddenly in Applejack's face. “I called you a traitor! That's what ponies like you who betray their friends and everyone that trusts them are called!” Applejack shouted. “I don't know what your problem is, Rainbow Dash, but if you think I can remain friends with murderers and betrayers you have another thing coming!” The pegasus was about to punch Applejack when she felt Silent Jade touch her shoulder. Looking back at the assassin, she gritted her teeth as the green-maned unicorn shook her head. “What? Backing down already?” the farmer taunted, bitterness clear in every syllable. “Figures that a good-for-nothing lazy coward like you would be the one to join the pony that killed her best friends!” The hurt in Rainbow Dash's eyes was almost enough to make her regret her words. But all it took was a look at the uniform the pegasus was wearing for her contempt and hatred to boil again. She watched as Rainbow Dash turned away from her and walked out of the room, slamming the door behind her. “Dash!” Spitfire quickly galloped past her, also leaving the room. “Oh, dear.” Twilight Spark sighed. “And she didn't even finish her sandwich. Grab a plate, Applejack! Tell us how your day went. Tea?” “Who did Nightmare Moon kill?” Spike asked, ignoring Twilight and looking at Applejack. Looking at the baby dragon, the earth pony felt a huge weight on her shoulders as she took a deep breath and told him. o.0.o There were probably around five hundred ponies in the room. All mares. While this might have been paradise for somepony with Lyra's disposition, it actually felt like hell. She was trapped. Not only that, but her grand plan of getting information would not work at all! They had all been gathered in a large, two leveled room. Above her was an empty balcony, and several columns decorated the room. Although there were at least three doors in the room, all of them were blocked by guards. They had all had to sign documents with their information on them and told that once they were done here, they wouldn't be called for again. There had been a slight disturbance earlier when a couple of pegasi had been unceremoniously thrown into the room. They had argued with the guards and attempted to get out to no avail. Pegasi guards stood at attention on the balcony, and whenever a pegasus would fly up, they would quickly encourage them down. All the mares were nervous. Discussions and arguments sprung out constantly. “Lyra! Lyra!” a voice called making her cringe. She looked towards the approaching unicorn with dread. “Glitter Horn.” she forced a smile. The other unicorn carefully made her way to Lyra, doing her best to avoid touching any other pony. “Can you believe it? We have to share a room with this rabble.” she sniffed. “Nobles should not mix with...” she glared in contempt at the ponies around her. “... commoners.” Lyra lowered her head. Besides her she could feel Bon-Bon seething in anger. “I don't think this is the time to complain about that, Glitter Horn.” “I suppose you are right.” the unicorn sighed. “Nothing to be done.” she leaned forward. “Did you see what Twilight Sparkle did this morning?” Lyra nodded nervously, looking at Bon-Bon. Glitter Horn arched an eyebrow at the earth pony but decided to ignore her. “I never thought she had it in her.” Glitter Horn frowned. “I had heard of course of those ridiculous claims that she had defeated an Ursa Minor with her magic...” “It's true...” Bon-Bon interrupted. “What?” “I um... we were there.” Lyra admitted. “Oh.” Glitter Horn blinked. “Well, regardless of that, I never thought she would punish a pony so... thoroughly.” she leaned in. “I heard that they are looking for more rebels.” Lyra and Bon-Bon exchanged glances. The musician was already paranoid, but Bon-Bon looked downright terrified. The unicorn gave her lover a hesitant smile. “You see those two pegasi over there, with the guards?” Glitter Horn continued, ignorant of the exchange. The couple looked. The pretentious unicorn was talking about the pegasi pair from earlier. She hadn't noticed that they had an escort. “They're both Wonderbolts.” Glitter Horn said. “Since the other one attacked Nightmare Moon, they have been under suspicion and are all under house arrest.” “Isn't that a bit much?” Lyra whispered, thinking of Soarin' “Just because one of them did that doesn't mean that all of them are like that!” “Oh, no dear.” Glitter Horn shook her head. “They have it easy. If you suspect someone of being a rebel and you don't inform the guard, you can be thrown into the dungeons, along with family and friends.” Each word made Bon-Bon cringe. “If you consort with rebels it stands to reason your closest acquaintances might too. I have heard of entire families being thrown into the dungeon... tortured... even killed.” The earth pony gasped. Lyra shook her head. “I don't believe it! It's too much! Are you sure you're not exaggerating?” Glitter Horn shook her head. “I heard it from my daddy who heard it from a friend of a friend of Minty Top, who is dating Sharp Trot, who is in the guard.” Lyra blinked. “Oh.” “Ooh... is that Sparkling Crown? I must talk to her. Ta.” The overwhelmed musician watched the pretentious unicorn walk away, calling at her friend. She had developed a cold sweat through the whole conversation and couldn't stop scratching the floor nervously. “Deep breaths. Deep breaths.” she intoned to herself. “Everything will be fine. Nopony knows.” when her heart had stopped beating four times as fast as normal, she finally turned around. “T-that was pretty crazy, don't you think... Bon-Bon?” she looked around, but her fillyfriend was not there. “Bon-Bon?” She looked around worriedly. Where had she gone? “Mares of Canterlot!” a voice from the balcony called, drawing all the attention there, where the herald had stepped up. “I am honored to announce Queen Nightmare Flare!” Everypony in the room bowed as the dark queen entered the balcony followed by several guards. “My faithful subjects.” the Queen said, looking down at the mares below her. “Thank you for coming here today. I will not take too much more of your time.", "“Mares of Canterlot!” a voice from the balcony called, drawing all the attention there, where the herald had stepped up. “I am honored to announce Queen Nightmare Flare!” Everypony in the room bowed as the dark queen entered the balcony followed by several guards. “My faithful subjects.” the Queen said, looking down at the mares below her. “Thank you for coming here today. I will not take too much more of your time. Although you don't know the reason you are here today, know that you are providing an important duty. Now, let us begin.” Her horn started slowly building up energy. With each pulse of magic that made it glow brighter, each unicorn felt their own horn react, each pegasus felt their wings tingle and each earth pony felt their hearts beat harder. After a few seconds the glow diminished and Nightmare Flare shook her head. “You are free to go.” There was an audible relieved sigh from the gathered group as the doors started to open, but Lyra noticed that a guard had walked up to the Queen and whispered something to her ear. “Stop!” The doors immediately closed and the gathered ponies looked up at the Queen in confusion. “Something has been brought to my attention.” Nightmare Flare said, her voice gaining an angry tone. “A pony here has been conspiring against the unquestionable rule of myself and my sister.” she said as she approached the edge of the balcony and glared down at the ponies. “A traitor. A rebel.” she spat. Lyra felt two hooves hold her roughly by the shoulders. She looked at the guards on both sides of her in horror. In the periphery of her vision she caught a glance of Glitter Horn melodramatically fainting. “Apparently today's demonstration was not clear enough.” Nightmare Flare said as her eyes bore into Lyra's. “However I am not without mercy. If you confess, the names of your fellow rebels I will grant you a pardon, and have you in house arrest until they are detained. This is your one chance, Lyra.” Lyra's world was crumbling around her. Why? How? Who could have known? The only other pony that knew was... her eyes scanned the crowd until they settled on Bon-Bon, who was flanked by two guards. The earth pony wouldn't meet her gaze. The musician unicorn felt her heart crumbling. Tears fell unheeded to the floor as she stared at her lover. “Well, Lyra?” Nightmare Flare prodded. “Your answer?” She felt cold, she felt like this was happening to somepony else. Her head slowly turned towards the dark monarch. She couldn't see the Princess Celestia that she knew in there. The Princess that her friends and fellow 'rebels' were trying to bring back. “Your majesty, I will never betray the rightful rulers of this land.” she finally spoke up, making Nightmare Flare smile and Bon-Bon look up hopefully. “Therefore I will keep quiet so that both, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna can be reinstated.” Bon-Bon paled and tried to walk to her, opening her mouth to say something, but the guards stopped her. “Not only that!” Lyra shouted amongst the gasps and murmurs from the crowd. “I can tell you right now, Nightmare Flare, that you will never stop our Rebel Alliance! No matter how much power you have...” she looked towards Bon-Bon, their eyes meeting, all the hurt and fear in her eyes making the earth pony cringe and look down in guilt. “Or how many traitors and betrayers you surround yourself with.” Bon-Bon tore herself free of the guards and hugged Lyra. “Lyra! Please! Tell them! Please!” “Why?” Lyra whispered. “Are you part of the council?” “What council? No...” Bon-Bon whispered back, but then stopped and looked at Lyra in the eyes. “I can't risk my family, Lyra... my sister, my mom and dad... they would have been all captured with me if I hadn't reported you! What about our friends in Ponyville? Do you want them tortured and killed? But you still have a chance! Don't waste your life? What about your dream of performing for the Pr... Queens?” If anything the answer made it hurt worse. Bon-Bon was not being controlled. A laugh made their way to them. “Your family? Your friends?” Nightmare Flare chuckled. “You have been listening to gossip, little pony. I am not a monster. If someone is found to be a rebel their family would naturally be asked some questions. But unless they were guilty, they would not be thrown into a dungeon. Much less killed.” Bon-Bon's heart almost stopped. All color drained from her face, her hoofs fell to the side, no longer having the strength to keep them up as she realized just what she'd done in the spur of the moment. Lyra closed her eyes as the guards removed the limp earth pony. “Very well, Lyra.” Nightmare Flare spoke again. “You leave me no choice. I will crush your Rebel Alliance. But you will not live to see it.” she reared her head up. “You shall be executed tomorrow at dawn.” Two guards took hold of Lyra, who did not struggle. With a smirk of satisfaction, Nightmare Flare turned around, but stopped when the unicorn's voice floated up in the completely silent room. “How?” The Nightmare frowned. “How are you going to be executed?” “No.” Lyra looked up an unusual smile on her face. “How will you tell the time? You see, there's been a moon stuck in front of the sun at noon-time since... dawn today.” Nightmare Flare roared as her horn shone with magic. There was a crack as the air was displaced and Lyra was sent flying to crash against the wall. “Heal her.” she ordered the guards that had rushed up to the battered and unconscious unicorn. “It wouldn't do for her not to be at her best for her last day on Equestria.” In the corner of the room, watching everything in horror from behind a guard, Bon-Bon sank to her knees, her eyes never straying from Lyra’s form as she was picked up and carried out. “What have I done...” o.0.o End Chapter 13 o.0.o I would like to thank my pre-reader, Stephen Cawking, for all his help and prompt responses! There definitely has been an improvement in quality since you started helping my friend, thank you again! Comments, questions, concerns, or if you found a mistake that should be corrected, feel free to leave a comment. I do read them and answer pretty often!" ]

[ "The Empty Room Chapter 14 By Wanderer D The Griffon burst through the clouds in a frantic dive, trying to lose her pursuer. But it was not to be. Her nemesis emerged less than a second afterward and was catching up quickly. Not to be out done, she banked to the right, then proceeded to gain altitude an angle, aiming for yet another cloud. But this time, she was not going to try to avoid her pursuer. Gilda landed on the cloud after dropping out of her enemy's sight and prepared to pounce. When she felt her opponent was close, she threw herself at the pegasus, claws extending, roar leaving her beak... She took a swipe, but the pony dodged, sending a hoof straight into her stomach. “Oof!” she tried to roll with the punch, but the pegasus was relentless. She pounced, the mare jumped over her and kicked her with her hind legs as she sailed past under her. She snapped her beak, as dangerous a weapon as her claws, but the pony's hoof met her chin, snapping it closed. She hadn't even recuperated from that when the pony twisted in the air and kicked her side, sending her sprawling onto the cloud which held her aloft by a sheer miracle. She spit a bit of blood and glared at the pony as she landed a few feet away from her. Gilda locked eyes with her. Golden eyes met amber-yellow for a second. Then the mare's left eye started looking up and back while the other stayed firmly in place. Unable to hold the stare any longer, Gilda relented. “Fine. Give me the stupid letter.” The gray pegasus with bubbles for cutie mark smiled and gave her an envelope. She nodded and turned to leave. “Wait!” Gilda said suddenly, still holding the letter in one claw, the other clutching her ribs. “What... how did you learn to fight like that?” The gray pegasus looked at her (maybe) over her shoulder. “Muffin-Fu.” o.0.o Nightmare Flare stood in front of the room looking at the preserved objects that had caused her so much grief. It had remained intact through the explosion that had destroyed the wall and killed Twilight, and through her transformation and the revival of her student. “Sister.” Nightmare Moon nodded towards the Queen as she approached. “She is not here.” Nightmare Flare said, still looking into the empty room. “I gathered all the mares of the appropriate age and tested them with my magic. If any one of them had been an alicorn in hiding that spell would have revealed them.” Nightmare Moon was silent as she also gazed into the room that had started it all. “Perhaps the secret is still in this room.” Nightmare Flare glanced at her sister. “Perhaps.” “Have you asked Twilight to take a look at it again? She was close to a breakthrough before she was attacked.” “I have called for her, yes.” Nightmare Flare said, her eyes still on her sister. “And that is another part of this mystery that needs to be solved. Who attacked her? And why?” Nightmare Moon was silent as she returned her sister's gaze. “Whoever it was took advantage of your... emotional state, sister.” Nightmare Flare turned away. “I know.” she looked at the destroyed wall. “Did I tell you we caught a rebel during one of my scans?” “I had heard, yes.” “She will be executed.” Nightmare Flare said. “Along with any other rebels we catch. But I have sent for her family to be rounded up too.” Nightmare Moon remained studiously calm. “According to her, there definitely are other rebels, and they are organized. There is a chance that they were the ones that attacked Twilight Sparkle in the first place.” the white alicorn said. “Are you going to interrogate her?” Nightmare Moon asked. “Of course. That is why I sent for her family to be brought before us.” Flare answered. “Normally I would have entrusted the interrogation to Twilight... but I must ask you to do it for me, sister. Twilight needs to unravel the spells in the room and help me find my filly.” “If they are indeed responsible for all that has happened, these rebels have a lot to answer for, my sister.” Nightmare Moon said, her tone vicious. Flare smiled at the inflection in her sister's voice. “I trust that you will extract all information from her.” Nightmare Moon was already walking towards the dungeons. “If they are responsible for hurting you so much, sister... this rebel will regret ever being born.” Nightmare Flare smirked. “Just don't kill her. I changed her execution to tonight, so don't roughen her up to much... and don't tell her.” Nightmare Moon just nodded. o.0.o “Spike?” The little dragon stared at the table, gems and rocks forgotten as his mind processed what he had been told. He... couldn't believe it. Even with Midnight's warnings, even with what he had seen in the court yard... there was no way his friends could be gone. It was impossible, wasn't it? Applejack had tears in her eyes and suddenly he felt himself in a hug, as the farmer held him, crying. He turned to Twilight, who held his gaze. “Twilight?” “They attacked the Queens, Spike.” the purple unicorn said. “That is high treason.” The little dragon didn't know what to say. He could feel inside of him as if his entire self was crumbling into little pieces. “But why? !” the little dragon wailed. “N-no more parties with Pinkie Pie... and no more taking care of little animals with Fluttershy...” tears streamed down the little dragon’s face. “I'm afraid so.” Twilight Spark nodded. “And... Twilight, I never got my chance to tell Rarity how I felt!” he wailed. “I will never be able to tell her that I love her! Or how inspiring she is! Or how she was always a vision of beauty in an otherwise gloomy world! I mean, sure, the world is more gloomy now, with the eclipse and all, but... but... and that flank! I'll never see that flank again!” he broke down crying. Twilight blinked. “Really? You had a crush on Rarity?” “Oh, come on Twilight! The only pony that didn’t seem to know it was Rarity!” Applejack looked at the dragon with pity. Jade hit her chest with a hoof as something had stuck in her throat. “But... how did Rainbow Dash... and Applejack...” he finally choked out. “Rainbow Dash... saw the error of her ways.” Twilight said. “Spitfire convinced her that it wasn't worth it to try and debunk our beloved Queens... and Applejack... well, the thought probably hasn't crossed her mind, but the only reason she's alive is because I love her.” Spike saw the farmer tense. “Its better to die on your hoofs than live on your knees at the mercy and whim of a twisted pony like you and your Queens!” Applejack shouted, pushing spike back. “Oh, AJ, you say the sweetest things.” Twilight giggled as the fuming earth pony approached her, murder in her eyes. “And you're so silly! It's a well established fact that it is better to live on your hooves than die on your knees, which is what would have happened to you.”* “Twilight Sparkle!” “Spark.” “Shut up! I don't care! Your name doesn't matter! Did you even think about what I said to you earlier? About who you were and what you are now?” “I did! And I like who I am now.” the unicorn smirked as the earth pony moved so close their snouts were almost touching. “If you did, then you clearly didn't do it enough! I give up on you, Spark. The real Twilight is dea-mff!” Spike stared as Twilight's forelegs encircled the surprised Applejack's neck, pulling her closer as she kissed her, tongue and all. It was too much. The confusion and shock and hurt from earlier, combined with this sudden turn of events overwhelmed the baby dragon. He fainted with a whimper. The earth pony for her part seemed to be frozen, she struggled faintly, pushing back at the unicorn, but apparently without sufficient strength. Twilight's right hoof slowly traced a line from Applejack's neck, down her spine to her flank, where she slowly rubbed the farm girl’s cutie mark. The door opened. “Lady Twilight!” a guard coughed. “Her highness, Queen Flare, needs your presence immediately.” Twilight slowly pulled back from Applejack and stepped back. The farmer, who seemed to have been leaning forward, slowly melted onto the floor, where she stared in a daze at the unicorn. “The Queen has the worst timing possible.” the unicorn pouted. She then perked up. “Oh well, don't worry, AJ, we'll continue later!” she leaned down and playfully kissed the earth pony's forehead before turning around and walking out of the room. “Coming, Spike?” The dragon groaned as he looked up. “Uh... s-sure, Twilight...” he stumbled out of the door, not really paying attention to where he was going. Applejack for her part didn't seem to register the fact that the unicorn and the dragon were gone. She sat on the floor, completely spaced out. A cool hoof on her shoulder snapped her out of it. She started sputtering and shaking her head. Through teary eyes she looked up at the masked face of Silent Jade. The azure eyes betrayed the smile hidden under the mask. “N-not a word!” Applejack said, still unable to push herself up. “And don't you laugh!” she added when the assassin turned around and brought a hoof to her mouth. Her body shook with mirth. The door swung open once again and both Applejack and Jade looked up in surprise. “Jade.” Nightmare Moon said. “I need your help in the dungeon. My sister caught a prisoner that might know how all of this got started.” she looked around. “Where is Rainbow Dash?” “That traitor is gone.” Applejack said as she stood up slowly, trying to put the recent experience to the back of her mind. “And if I'm lucky I'm never laying eyes on that pegasus again.” Nightmare Moon observed the earth pony carefully for a few seconds. “Be careful what you wish for.” she turned to look at Jade. “She's coming with us, we might be able to get something positive out of all of this.” Jade nodded and looked at Applejack, who looked back at her then at Nightmare Moon. “Fine. It's not like I have much of a choice.” o.0.o Trixie hovered dejectedly back to the cavern. She sighed when she noticed Big Macintosh was not around. She walked into the back cave, where she found Midnight gazing at 'it'. “Found anything interesting?” Twilight's father jumped. “T-trixie!” he said weakly. “I'm sorry, I didn't hear you... hover in.” The mare sighed and sat down. “It's okay.” Midnight nodded, looking back at 'it'. “I have... I have a theory. With your help, we might be able to find out what it does and harness its power.” Trixie tried to look excited, but the emotional toll from her encounter with her family still hung over her. “Hurray.” “Guys!” Soarin' shouted, running into the cave. “I just heard from Misty! Lyra was captured! She's going to be executed! And I haven't heard from Spike in several hours!” “Great.” Trixie muttered. “We've just started and we're already dropping like flies. At least there won't be a shortage of ghosts.” Midnight remained impassive. “We have to figure out this soon then.” he said, looking at 'it'. “I have to go back for now, they're keeping a very close eye on us Wonderbolts.” Soarin' said. “I'll try and come back a little later.” “Go, we don't want to lose anypony else.” the male unicorn said. The Wonderbolt nodded and hurried out. “I should go and find Big Macintosh!” Trixie said, jumping to her feet. “No!” Midnight looked at her with steely eyes. “Don't you dare. If something had happened to him Soarin' would have heard about it and I need you here. If my theory is correct we'll be able to strike the Guardian a decisive blow.” Trixie's eyes went to the door and back to the unicorn. Finally she sighed. “Fine.” o.0.o Big Macintosh stood amongst the crowd in front of the castle. He had heard about Lyra, but for all he could think about, there was nothing he could really do about it right now. Wild plans flew through his head. Could he disrupt the execution without getting both of them killed? Maybe he could sneak inside the castle tonight... “Her Majesty, Queen Nightmare Flare wishes to announce that tomorrow's execution of the traitorous rebel, Lyra, will take place in three hours at the Canterlot Plaza instead of tomorrow at dawn! Attendance is mandatory!” “...” Big Macintosh cursed in such a vile way that had he actually done it aloud, he would have probably made several of the surrounding nobles faint and earned himself a very sharp scolding from Granny Smith. He noticed the crowd moving and followed suit to let a chariot with darkened windows pulled by several guards slowly make its way through. Whispers spread throughout as everypony tried to figure out who was inside it. When the castle gates opened and Nightmare Moon herself stood awaiting the carriage the crowd gasped. But Big Macintosh was not paying attention to the goddess. His eyes were on the miserable-looking mare wearing a stetson hat... who looked around the crowd and then stared at him. 'Please sis, whatever you do don't...' “Big Mac!” o.0.o Applejack looked at her brother guiltily. “I am sorry Big Mac... I truly am.” she looked down as they walked side-by-side with a deadly assassin and Nightmare Moon herself, followed by a small group of scared ponies. A colt, an elder male and a mare. A family. There was something familiar about them, but neither of the Apples could put a hoof on what it was. Big Mac sighed. He looked at his sister. She seemed really contrite about getting him dragged into the whole thing. But once she had shouted his name and Nightmare Moon had noted him... if he had ran away it would have been very conspicuous. At least his little sister seemed to be okay, and she did not look like a cultist. “It's okay.” he said finally. “No!” she said. “It isn't! They have a strange way of... changing ponies! They made Rainbow Dash into a murderer! And Twilight...” Applejack shut up, looking up at Nightmare Moon who seemed to roll her eyes. The farmer blinked. No. She must have imagined it. They all proceeded down to the dungeons where they could hear a melody being played. “Oh no...” the elder mare from the group behind them whispered. “It can't be... not my Lyra!” “Lyra? !” Applejack looked in horror at the unicorn family. That's why they looked familiar. She turned desperately towards Nightmare Moon. “You can't be serious! Lyra wouldn't do anything like that!” “Oh. I am.” Nightmare Moon said. “I received a report of her exact indiscretions against us Queens. Her involvement with the Rebel Alliance was reported by her lover, Bon-Bon herself. And then she proceeded to make a fool out of my sister in front of witnesses.” “What?” Lyra's mother spoke up again. The guards stared at her and the Nightmare shot her an icy glare. “I'm sorry my Queen...” she said sheepishly. “I... there must be a mistake. Bon-Bon is just Lyra's friend... they are not involved in any way other than that...” Big Mac and Applejack traded looks, Jade shook her head and Nightmare Moon arched an eyebrow. “It seems your daughter also concealed some secrets from you.” the dark alicorn said finally. “That's good.” “W-what do you mean? If she lied to us...” Lyra's father spoke up. “That means that it is highly improbable that you three are even aware of the Rebel Alliance beyond what we have talked about now.” Nightmare Moon interrupted. “That also means that there is less of a reason for you to be here... or stay here.” A guard pony stood silent vigil next to the entrance to the dungeons. Nightmare Moon looked at the guards. “I do not believe it is necessary for them to follow us in during the interrogation.” she said motioning at Lyra's family. “Wait with them here. They will have a lot to talk about with Lyra in between now and her execution.” Applejack gave Nightmare Moon a hard look but held her tongue until the door to the dungeons had closed behind them. “They are suffering enough already! Why did you bring that up again?” The alicorn snorted, not bothering to look back at them as she made her way down spiraling stairs. “If they have time to argue about their daughter's sexual preference instead of her well-being and impending fate, they need a reminder of what is important and what isn't.” When they arrived at the bottom of the stairs, the music stopped. Lyra's cell was not facing the stairs, so she could not see who had arrived, but the sound of hooves on stone had apparently heralded their arrival. Nightmare Moon looked around at the few interrogators in the room with narrowed eyes. “I have my own specialist with me.” she announced. “I shall only need one of you to remain. You.” she pointed at a seemingly random interrogator, who immediately knelt down. “At your service, my Queen.” the dark furred earth pony said. Nightmare Moon nodded. “Everypony else... leave us.” After much moping, the rest of the interrogators left the room and the group of five moved to stop in front of the cell. “I will tell you nothing.” Lyra said, and Applejack's eyes watered. She had been roughened up. She had a split lip and several scratches, by the way she moved as she put down her lyre, there were certainly bruises under her coat, if not worse. “We shall see.” Nightmare Moon said calmly. Smirking, Lyra looked up. Her eyes suddenly widened and she gasped. “Oh no, Big Mac! They caught you too? !” The interrogator had his sword in his muzzle immediately and Applejack had jumped in between him and her brother, who shot her an annoyed glance as he prepared himself for battle. “You know I can take care of myself, sis.” the draft pony muttered. “I’ve no doubt, big brother, but I’ll help out, just in case. Wouldn’t want another wound stoppin’ you from bucking apples this year!” They both knew they wouldn’t stand a chance against Nightmare Moon, but they would not go out without a fight. “Lyra, that mouth of yours is a magnet for trouble.” Big Macintosh stated. “I'm sorry Big Mac!” Lyra said, tears pooling her eyes. “Please don't tell Trixie! She'll kill me after I die!” “What's this about Trixie? Are we talking about The Great and Powerful Trixie?” Applejack growled. “What does she have to do with all of this? !” “I...” “She's Big Mac's undead fillyfriend!” “Say what? !” “It's complicated!” Big Mac snorted. It was then that the laughter stopped the conversation and made the interrogator slowly lower his sword. Nightmare Moon was laughing. And for all that Applejack could tell it was honest to goodness laughter. Not at all like the malicious cackling the Nightmare had showered them in when they fought her back in Everfree. Beside the alicorn, Jade's muzzle was clamped shut even as quivering lips could be seen trembling under her mask. Nightmare Moon took a deep breath and shook her head. “Lower the sword, Interrogator.” “My... Queen?” he stammered but put away his sword, looking completely confused. “It's unnecessary.” Nightmare Moon said. Her draconic eyes settled on Big Mac. “Are you part of the Rebel Alliance?” The draft pony hesitated, but slowly nodded. “Big Mac!” Applejack gasped. “Don't you know what Nightmare Moon and Nightmare Flare do to rebels? !” “Tell me, you two.” the dark alicorn started pacing in front of the whole group. “Why are you rebelling against me and my sister?” “Because you are not our queens!” Lyra said. “You've been corrupted! Turned into monsters by...” she stopped, looking at Big Mac. Nightmare Moon smirked. “I see you know something. Tell me.” Her voice became cold. “Who is responsible for turning my sister into Nightmare Flare?” The draft pony and the unicorn looked unsure. “Somepony took advantage of her fears and suffering.” Nightmare Moon said, the edge to her voice drawing shivers from all ponies around her. “They exploited a weakness, in the vilest way possible... and through that Nightmare Flare was born.” She looked at the two rebels. “My sister is trapped in a shell... she's fighting it and causing Nightmare Flare to make mistakes. But she won't last long. Who is responsible for this? !” Lyra looked down. “You wouldn't believe us...” “The Council of Nightmares.” Big Macintosh said evenly. “They induce new members by giving them medallions with spells on them.” Lyra said with a shudder. “They change their memories to make them believe they were always part of the council.” Applejack was stunned. “Then... is that what happened to Rainbow Dash? !” Nightmare Moon's horn started glowing. With a gasp of surprise the interrogator was floating in front of them. He tried to struggle but was unable to break her hold on him. Slowly a silver chain was revealed as the alicorn's magic pulled out a medallion. “Like this one, you mean?” “We've never seen them.” Lyra said, wide eyed. “But... how did you...” Nightmare Moon smirked. “Rainbow Dash was breaking out of the hold of the medallion Spitfire gave her before I even talked to her. When she showed me the medallion, I felt something familiar about it. When I came down to the dungeon I felt a similar energy coming from this pony.” The chain with the medallion broke until it was floating in front of the group. “But... we were told that the only way to break the hold of the medallion was in death!” Lyra said. “Fools!” the interrogator spat, glaring at all of them. “You cannot stop the Council of the Eclipse! Even in death we remain loyal!” Nightmare Moon smirked. “Clearly you think too highly of yourselves. The Element's of Harmony are powerful enough to break the hold of your amulets. And so am I.” Having said that, the alicorn threw the amulet to the floor and then, with a powerful kick, smashed it into pieces. The cultist howled and spasmed in Nightmare Moon's hold, struggling to be free, until with a desperate gasp he fell limp. The alicorn's horn flashed and the interrogator was gone. “What happened to him?” Applejack asked. “Do not worry yourself with his fate.” Nightmare Moon said. “We need to figure out what to do about you.” she added, looking at Lyra. “I... can't you let me go free?” Nightmare Moon sighed. “I'm afraid not... my sister would act immediately and the consequences would be disastrous.” “Oh.” “Big Mac... are you okay?” Applejack asked her brother who stood staring at the place where the former cultist had been floating. “Do you reckon...” he started, throat dry. “That what he said was true?” Applejack frowned. “What?” “About... their bond not breaking even after death?” Lyra's eyebrows went up. “You don't mean...” o.0.o “Okay, I think I have it down right.” Midnight said after studying the runes. “And this is your moment to shine, Trixie.” The depressed mare looked up at him. “What do you mean?” “A physical being cannot access the power contained within... it.” Midnight said, slowly walking to stand next to the mare. “But us ghosts... we can enter it.” Trixie shook her head. “So you're saying that we can both go in there and harness its power?” Midnight shook his head. “No... one of us will go in and the other will stay behind as an anchor to direct the power. Since I have been studying the runes and have more experience, I will be the anchor, you will have to go in and activate it.” “But how do I do that?” “It should be intuitive.” Midnight said. “Don't worry too much, if it doesn't work the first time, at least we will learn something.” Trixie nodded. “I will give it a try. Anything to stop the Guardian and the Nightmares from affecting more lives!” Midnight smiled. “Yes. Anything.” “What do I need to do?” “Just touch it with your horn.” Midnight said.", "“Don't worry too much, if it doesn't work the first time, at least we will learn something.” Trixie nodded. “I will give it a try. Anything to stop the Guardian and the Nightmares from affecting more lives!” Midnight smiled. “Yes. Anything.” “What do I need to do?” “Just touch it with your horn.” Midnight said. “I will chant the spell and keep it active while you are in there.” The showmare nodded. “Let's get started then.” Midnight's smile was wide, his eyes shone with barely controlled excitement. “Yes. Let's.” o.0.o Bon-Bon looked towards the distance. She could barely see a small cluster of lights where Ponyville was. The view from the edge of the waterfall was one of the most beautiful landmarks in Equestria. It had inspired songs and poems. Lovers often came here to feel the romantic energy that appeared to radiate from the flowers. This was the first place Lyra had brought her to once she had convinced her to come to Canterlot. It was the first of many visits. She had played for her here, pouring her heart out for her, letting her know, without a doubt, that she loved her above anything or anypony else. Bon-Bon had kissed Lyra for what seemed an eternity, with the sunset casting their shadows, intertwined, like the lovers they were into the distance. It had been the best day of her life. But now, as she looked down the edge, following the waterfall reach its destination far below, her eyes gazed on the ragged rocks where the water crashed. She should have known that at the end of the beautiful waterfall that was their relationship, she would bring out the rocks and boulders where it would crash, splatter and break. Lyra would die in a couple of hours. And it was her fault. Did she have the strength to go and watch? Did she want to torture herself like that? “Oh, Lyra.” she whispered. “I love you. I'm so sorry.” Her eyes settled back on Ponyville. “We won't go back there ever again.” she said. “We won't see our friends, or our house...” she choked. “And it's all my fault.” Her head felt light and a small breeze brought some comfort to her. “Perhaps... it was for the best... this world is to harsh for somepony with your kind heart...” she looked up at the eclipse, regretting that the light was not enough to create the rainbows that would normally embellish the waterfalls. “I’m sorry it was me that cut your life short.” She gazed at the scenery in silence. “I will wait for you... and hope you still love me.” She closed her eyes and stepped forward. The sudden rush of wind flapped her mane wildly around her head. The sounds of the waterfall became nothing but white noise as it mixed with the wind rushing by. “I hope... I hope you still love me... when we meet again.” o.0.o End Chapter 14 o.0.o -o--o- Hello readers! Did you anypony see the Catch-22 reference? As always kudos to my faithful and most thorough editor Stephen Cawking, for pointing out so many things that needed attention! Please leave comments as they are not only entertaining, but really appreciated! -WD" ]

[ "The Empty Room Chapter 15 By Wanderer D “She will betray you. You know that.” Nightmare Flare glared at the mirror, where her reflection seemed to be sneering at her. “Twilight? Don't make me laugh.” she thought back at it. “Not her. Your sister. Nightmare Moon.” The alicorn shook her head, almost amused. “Nightmare Moon won't. She is loyal to me. More loyal than even Luna was when I was Celestia.” “And yet, Luna betrayed you a thousand years ago.” her image said. “What is stopping her from doing it again?” “We're balanced now. Equals in the sky.” “But she doesn't have her eternal night. All she has done right now is block your sunlight.” the mirror whispered. \"Do you really think she is satisfied with just being equals?\" Nightmare Flare's eyes narrowed. “She has been diligent about the search for my missing filly. I have seen the anger in her eyes at these rebels threatening me. She has...” “Begun to amass her own forces? Restarted the Shadowbolts? What is next? Her own private army?” “The Shadowbolts are only a few fliers in her service. Hardly a risk against the royal force which is not loyal to her, but to me.” “You shouldn't trust her. And you know it in your heart of hearts. You have seen how she has been acting. She has control of four elements of harmony now that Rainbow Dash has joined her as Captain of the Shadowbolts. Twilight has control of one, but how long will it take for Nightmare Moon to have Applejack join her side?” “You underestimate me.” Nightmare Flare glared at the mirror. “I know the elements. I created them!” “When you had more power... when the rest of the gods knew how necessary they were. You might have created them, but the power was not yours alone.” Nightmare Flare didn't say anything, staring intently at the mirror for a few seconds. “What do you suggest, then?” There was no voice this time. Just a feeling and images as her mind suddenly realized... she smiled. “Yes. That will do. Even if my sister betrays me...” “Mother?” Twilight Spark asked, looking up from her notes. Spike had fallen asleep next to her and continued to snore as she stood up, studies forgotten and walked up to Nightmare Flare. “Did you say something?” The alicorn smiled kindly at Twilight. “My dear student... my daughter... I will bring to Equestria something that has not been seen for thousands of years.” Twilight nuzzled the Queen, who lowered her head to allow the pony to do so. After a moment she stood normally again. “Twilight, ask one of the guards to fetch Spitfire. We will need her.” o.0.o “Wow.”' “It's... amazing!” “So big!” The three little fillies stared at the city of Canterlot in wonder. After several hours walking they had finally arrived, and despite how tired they were, the sight of the city was enough to give them more than enough energy to be awed. “W-where do we go from here, Scootaloo?” “Uh...” “Why don't we ask?” Apple Bloom said, looking at several ponies around. “Hey, check this out!” Scootaloo said, looking up at a poster. “It says here that everypony has to gather in about an hour at the plaza and that Nightmare Moon and Rainbow Dash are going to be there!” “Now that's good luck! We can just go there and meet with them.” Sweetie Belle said. “But what do we do for an hour?” Scootaloo asked. “We explore!” Apple Bloom shouted. “Wait, this says there’s going to be a stage!” Sweetie Belle said. “Why don’t we just head there now and get good places?” o.0.o “Rainbow Dash! Wait!” The pegasus stopped and looked back. “Spitfire...” “Don't let Applejack get to you... she doesn't understand...” “No.” Rainbow Dash snapped. “She doesn't.” Spitfire stepped back, ears flattening. The cyan pegasus didn't care. “I've just about had it with everypony thinking I'm a traitor. I'm not!” “I know, it's just that they...” she glanced around, making sure that nopony was around. “they don't understand our greater mission, they can't, unless they are part of the council.” Rainbow Dash stopped in her tracks. “Are you saying I should induct Applejack?” “She won't mind! Once its done she'll be okay with it... and you can have your friend back!” The rainbow-maned pegasus gritted her teeth. “I will think about it.” she answered, facing away from Spitfire. “For now I have to meet with a couple of ponies about the Shadowbolt positions.” “Do you want me to join?” Dash closed her eyes and lowered her head. “Spitfire... under any other circumstances it would be my pleasure... my honor... hay, I'm not good with words, the truth is I would love to fly with you... but we can't right now. The sisters need a balance. I'm taking care of the Shadowbolts and you...” “I'm being made Captain of the guard.” Spitfire sighed. “I... I know I can't say no... Guardian knows Nightmare Flare would fry me in place. I just wanted to ask if... if you would have considered me.” Rainbow Dash turned around and nuzzled the Wonderbolt. “I'll make sure everything turns out okay.”' Spitfire leaned her head on Dash's shoulder and nodded. “You promise?” Dash closed her eyes and sighed. How much could she take of this? And what exactly did Spitfire feel for her? Was it even real? Her mane fell forward hiding a grimace. Well, she cared enough for the Wonderbolt to set her free... regardless of the consequences. “I promise. And to make it good I need to go now. But... we'll catch up in a little bit.” Spitfire nodded and watched the other pegasus take flight. “Captain Spitfire?” an earth pony guard approached her. “I have orders from Queen Nightmare Flare, you are requested in her presence.” Spitfire blinked. “Sure. I will be there at once.” o.0.o “Halt! The ponies in here are under house arrest by order of the Queen!” A pegasus guard glared at Rainbow Dash. “Well, I am under orders myself.” she snapped. “I'm Captain Rainbow Dash, of her Majesty Nightmare Moon's Shadowbolts. And I am here on official business.” The guards did not look pleased but stepped aside. As she was walking past, one of the guards 'accidentally' shoved her. She glared at him, but said nothing as she went into the building. She soon reached a closed door behind which she could hear voices. But as soon as she was about to knock... “Rainbow Dash.” “Huh?” she looked around. “Nightmare Moon? Are you in my head? !” “I need you to give somepony a message.” Rainbow Dash sighed. “Sure. What is it?” o.0.o Conversation ceased the moment there was a knock on the door. After a moment, the door was pushed open and a cyan-coated pegasus walked into the room. The reactions were immediate. “What the hay are you doing here? !” “You have got a nerve to step into this room!” “Are you here to make fun of us, or take us to be interrogated?” The sudden onslaught from the Wonderbolts in the room jarred Rainbow Dash. The thought of her idols had been stained by Spitfire's stories that had made them look more like mortals. But it really stung to hear them despise her. Dash steeled herself. If she allowed her feelings to affect her she would break down again. She looked down then slowly dragged her eyes up to look at Soarin' who was looking at her warily. “You. Soarin'.” she said. “I have a message for you: you're needed in the cave. Midnight is actually evil.” “What does that mean?” A mare with a light tan coat with a blue and mint-green mane, Misty, asked, glaring at the Shadowbolt. “What are you trying to pull?” “What is she talking about, Soarin'?” Blast asked. “Uh...” Soarin' looked around. “Um...” he dove down on an apple pie that was on a table nearby, sending pieces flying. “Okay, now I know you have something to hide.” Misty said. “Spit it, buster, or so help me Celestia...” “He's a rebel.” Rainbow Dash said. “I just found out myself.” The two mares immediately were in between her and Soarin', who was choking on a piece of pie and at the same time staring incredulously at her. “You're not taking him!” Blast said, her mane, so very similar to Spitfire's, fell around her face, giving her a wild and intense look. Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “I don't care about him being a rebel. Rebels are as dangerous as pillow fights. I was asked to give him a message and I've done so. It was supposed to be urgent.” “But how am I supposed to get out?” he said. “They got pegasi guards this time. They do look up when standing guard.” “Here.” Rainbow Dash tossed him something. It landed at his hoofs. It was a pin of an equine skull with wings on the sides. “Congratulations, you're a Shadowbolt and your loyalty to the Queens is not to be questioned. If the guards have any complaints about my authority to say so, they can take it to Queen Nightmare Moon.” Soarin' looked at her, then the pin. His eyes narrowed. “I can't trust you. You work for Nightmare Moon and you betrayed your friends.” Rainbow Dash gritted her teeth. “I was not myself.” “Ha!” Blast snorted. “Likely story!” “Shut up!” the cyan pegasus growled. “You have no idea what I have gone through thanks to Spitfire and her stupid medallion!” “I don't know what you did to Spitfire but unlike you she would never turn traitor!” Misty said, glaring back at Dash. “Wait...” Soarin' said. “She... Spitfire gave you the medallion?” Rainbow Dash nodded, looking pained. “I broke free... and I want to help her, but I need help to do so...” Soarin' sighed. He really wanted to go back to the cavern and see what this whole deal with Midnight was. “Let me check your wings and uniform.” he finally said. “What?” Rainbow Dash stepped back. “Why?” “I need to see if you have medallions on you. I don't want to leave and find that Misty and Blast have been inducted into the Council.” Dash snorted. “Fine.” The two other mares looked at each other quizzically, but decided to remain quiet as Soarin' searched Rainbow Dash, who looked very annoyed at the Wonderbolt ruffling her wings, but allowed him to do it. “Satisfied?” Rainbow Dash asked blushing. Soarin' nodded. “How did you free yourself?” he finally asked, looking at her in the eye. “I was told that the only way to break free was to die.” Rainbow Dash knew why he was asking. “I... have a special skill, very old magic that allowed me to seek help.” she confessed. “Finally, Nightmare Moon destroyed the medallion. And I was free.” “We'll need to talk more.” Soarin' said as he picked up the pin and walked towards the door. “Soarin'?” The pegasus stopped, but did not look back. “I want to free Spitfire too.” The Wonderbolt nodded and stepped outside. Rainbow Dash looked at the two mares, who were staring at her, confused. “What?” Misty shook her head. “What... did you just come to give that message to Soarin'?” Dash shook her head. “I came to ask you to help me free Spitfire... and Luna and Celestia.” “How?” Blast asked. “I want you to join the Shadowbolts.” o.0.o Trixie cautiously walked towards 'it'. In all her years in the road, listening to stories and legends that she could use for her shows, she had never heard of anything like this. It was pony-sized, at least the very center of it was. It was egg-shaped, but clearly had no physical substance to it, it gave the feeling that it should be translucent, but the light emanating from it wouldn't allow anypony to look inside. Bands of energy with strange glyphs constantly swirled around it. Some looked like cutie marks; a sun, a moon, stars, wings, others looked like they should be letters of some sort... runes, like the ones in the cavern. As she approached, they became more focused, while the world around her shifted and seemed to be distorted. She felt like the light was pulling her in. She could hear voices, or rather whispers. She could not make out words, but they had a certain urgency to them, as if they were warning her of some danger and urging her to turn away, and at the same time pleading for her to continue and at the same time telling her secrets without telling her anything at all. She found herself talking, or rather whispering back. Pure nonsensical words and babble that felt somehow significant, somehow answering the pleas, retorting to threats and making her fearful. This was not for mortal eyes, even ghostly eyes. This had been created by forces greater than anypony had a right to witness. Trixie tried to step back, but she couldn't. Her leg was forced forward. Once. Twice. It felt like her body was being stretched... like her soul was being stretched. Her thoughts became whispers, her vision became a blur of light and unidentifiable shapes, save for the bands of runes and glyphs. She was... she was... She felt somepony calling out to her, and realized immediately who it was, the most important pony... but she couldn't stop. “Big Mac... I don't want to leave you...” she managed to gasp. She was gone. o.0.o Midnight watched, enthralled as Trixie took a step towards his objective. The energy tendrils extended and wrapped around the showmare, sparking with energy as her horn started to shine. He held his breath. This was it. He hadn't even made it that far before... “Trixie!” Big Mac was suddenly charging towards the mare and 'it'. Midnight jumped in front of the stallion. “Stop you fool! You can't get close to it! You'll be destroyed!” “What have you done?” the draft pony asked, his voice strained. “The only way of accessing the power in that was through a soul and she needed an anchor... she went ahead and I stayed behind to...” “Stop lying.” Midnight froze as he looked past Big Macintosh towards the entrance to the room. There were two more ponies there. A mare he did not recognize bearing some resemblance to the stallion, and a black alicorn. Nightmare Moon stepped in, stopping right next to Big Mac. “Y-you brought her here?! Are you crazy? What sort of rebel are you?” “I said,” Nightmare Moon narrowed her eyes. “Stop lying, Midnight. I know all about the guardian and the purpose of the Council of Nightmares.” Midnight closed his eyes and looked down. Then he started laughing. “What do you think you know?” he spat, looking up at the alicorn. “What I told these fools? 'Rebels' please. A rag-tag group of ponies with no chance at actually achieving anything significant other than getting killed by their own stupidity.” “Hey! Don't you talk about my brother like that!” Applejack growled, stepping up on Nightmare Moon's left side. She spared a glance to her brother, but noticed that his eyes were set on Trixie, who was slowly walking towards... something made out of light. “Big Mac, your taste in mares...” “Not now.” Applejack closed her mouth. Her brother had never spoken to her like that. Applejack looked at him and sorted her thoughts. She felt confused, angry and jealous at the same time. Confused because she could not understand, in all honesty how those two could have ever developed feelings for each other. When had that happened? It was clear that her brother held deep feelings for the showmare, but as far as she knew they had never met! She felt jealous because this was the first time her brother seemed to love somepony other than his sisters. It was silly, she knew he would always love her, they were siblings as surely as they were Apple family and it was a completely different kind of affection. And she felt angry. Angry at Midnight for tricking Trixie and Big Mac and who knew how many others. But right now was not the time to ponder. “Trixie!” she shouted. “Stop! Midnight tricked you!” The unicorn chuckled. “She can't hear you, she's trapped.” Big Mac suddenly rushed forward, and to Applejack's surprise, went through the unicorn. But just as he was about to reach Trixie, he was enveloped in bluish light and stopped cold. “Trixie!” he groaned. “I'm sorry, Big Mac.” Nightmare Moon said. “But I can feel the power emanating from the ĉambro. If you take one more step forward your body will be destroyed.” Midnight laughed. “Indeed!” Nightmare Moon glared at him. “You shall pay for what you have done. To Twilight and to Trixie.” she looked at the paralyzed pony. “And to Big Mac.” “Then why is Trixie able to walk towards it without dying?” Applejack asked. “Because she's already dead.” Midnight answered. “I would have gone myself, but given what happened to me before, I think I would rather let her try her luck.” Applejack stared. Trixie was dead? Did Big Mac know this? She glared at Midnight. “What happened to you?” Midnight snorted. “My body was disintegrated immediately.” “Big Mac! You get back here right now, mister!” the cowpony shouted at her brother. “So you decided to use somepony else to see if they would survive it?” Nightmare Moon shook her head slowly. “That is pathetic.” “But effective.” Midnight returned. “Wait...” a new voice interrupted. Applejack, Nightmare Moon and Midnight turned to look at the cavern, where Soarin' stood panting, having clearly rushed there. “You lied to us? !” he glared at the unicorn ghost. “And...” he looked at Nightmare Moon. “What is she doing here? !” “Getting rid of the trash.” Nightmare Moon said. Her horn glowing a sudden force slammed into Midnight, making him stagger. “H-how...” he coughed. “I'm a ghost!” “And I'm a goddess.” Nightmare Moon smirked, then frowned as she turned towards Trixie, who was almost touching the egg-shaped energy. “Creating a ĉambro requires ancient and powerful magic... had we had arrived earlier...\" “You... cannot, stop me.” Midnight stood up. “I will remain here as long as I am in the service of my master!” The alicorn's horn shone again and something scraped against the floor. The group turned towars the cloaked body on the floor as a medallion slowly slid out from under it under Nightmare Moon's call. “Then, by all means, be gone!” The medallion shot towards the black alicorn. Midnight tried to catch it, forgetting in his desperation that he was unable to touch it as it flew right through him. Nightmare Moon's hoof caught it in mid-air and she smashed it on the floor of the cavern, breaking it into tiny fragments. Midnight stood still, his eyes going wide, then locking on to the Goddesses'. They slowly warmed, his body sagged as if a huge weigh had been taken off of him. The unicorn started to fade, wisps of his very being slowly melting into nothing. He looked up and his eyes focused on something beyond their sight. His last words faded into the silence just as the last of him disappeared. “Star Dancer...” “No! Trixie!” Big Mac called as the unicorn’s horn finally touched the egg-shaped energy. “Big Mac... I don't want to leave you...” Trixie's voice drifted to them, full of sorrow. Applejack's eyes were wide as she turned to look at the showmare that by rights she should have hated, but now just couldn't. Before her brother's eyes the unicorn faded away into the light. A bright flash made most of the ponies present cover their eyes. When it was gone, they stared at the thing, which now truly looked like an egg. It still glowed from within, but now seemed to have a solid feel to it. Big Mac, released from Nightmare Moon's hold now that the alicorn felt it was safe, slowly stepped up to it and lowered his head to touch it. “Trixie.” Everypony stood there, shocked. “W-what happened to her?” Applejack asked Nightmare Moon. The Dark Queen shook her head. “I do not know. We will have to wait and see.” “Um, guys? Sorry to interrupt but... didn't Midnight say his body had been disintegrated?” Soarin' ventured. “Yes?” Applejack nodded. “Then... if his body was destroyed... who's under that cloak?” he pointed with a hoof towards the body covered by a cloak. Nightmare Moon's horn shimmered with light once more. The cloak slowly drifted up revealing the body beneath it. “Oh...” “Dear Celestia...” Applejack fell to her knees, she felt short of breath. “I... oh, why...” Carefully, with the tips of her wings, Nightmare Moon lowered the lifeless eyelids, regret clear in her expression. She had seen so much suffering hitting so close to home... she closed her eyes. “What did they do to you?” Applejack asked nuzzling the body tenderly. “You didn't deserve this.” “Who was she?” Soarin' asked in a small voice, caught up in the feeling of the moment. Applejack looked up at him, eyes red and puffy. “One of my best friends.” “My savior.” Nightmare Moon whispered. “Twilight Sparkle.” o.0.o End Chapter 15 o.0.o ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thank you all for reading! Don’t forget to leave complaints/comments/remarks/praises/notes/theories (love those) and such after you leave! As always, thanks to my dependable editor Stephen Cawking who makes this story better every time he grabs a metaphorical red pen and goes at it. You’re awesome, dude. He has also written an interesting short story which you should definitely read, and can find here: Regicide give it a read and tell him what you think! -WD" ]

[ "The Empty Room Chapter 16 By Wanderer D The dungeon under Canterlot Castle was well maintained. For the most part. It was not damp; it was free of vermin; it had new doors outside of where the prisoners were (which were a bit rusty), dividing it into subsections... oddly enough there were small desks and file cabinets against the walls. And, now that Lyra took a good look at her “interrogators” most of them had the lanky look of office workers. In fact, other than the guards who had roughed her up when they brought her here the “interrogators” and the one that Nightmare Moon had... dismissed... they were all a bunch of shy, polite, and friendly individuals. They had given her lyre back to play before the Queen had come to speak to her, and later on had allowed Jade to give her a stack of papers after she left to get them under Nightmare Moon's orders without checking them. Not that any of them seemed eager to question the assassin's motives. When she had practiced they had sat down to listen to her play and even gave her a daisy sandwich just before her parents arrived. She turned a wary eye to her mother. “Why?” “What do you mean, why?” Lyra asked her mother. Truth be told she was barely paying attention to the elder mare, now that she had finished practicing, her mind went back to being preoccupied with the fate of Big Mac, Trixie, Spike and Soarin'. Now that she knew that Nightmare Moon was not a bad pony (the thought still baffled the mind) and that Applejack was going with them she felt a bit better about their chances. She had a half hour to think about things before they had been allowed into the dungeon. “You know full well what I mean, young mare!” her mother snapped. Lyra sighed. “Look, the reason I joined the rebels is complicated...” “That's not what I meant!” her mother shrieked. “How could you, a Noble Unicorn that went to Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns and then on to college here in Canterlot be a...” she struggled with saying the word. “... a fillyfooler!” Lyra stared at her mother, father and brother. “Is that all you can ask right now?” she looked pleadingly at her father. “Is this really what is bothering you?” he looked away, and she felt her heart break. Her brother studiously kept his eyes on the floor. “I'm about to be executed and you tell me that the thing that bothers you the most is that I like mares instead of colts? !” Lyra's voice was almost hysteric. “I don't want you to die.” her brother said softly. “Paper Craft!” their mother hissed. “It's true!” he said looking up and flinching a bit, but not backing down. “So what if she likes fillies? I like fillies too!” he smiled uncertainly at Lyra, who was beaming at him. “It's not as simple as that, dear.” her mother said. “Delivery for the morgue!” a voice shouted, interrupting the conversation. “It's open.” one of the ponies in the dungeon said. “Do you need help? Do you have an ID?” “Nope.” a pair of earth ponies walked into their immediate sight, a stretcher held between them by harnesses and covered with a thick, gray cloth that covered most of the body under it. “We only got to her this quickly because somepony saw her jump from the balcony over the waterfalls and called the guard.” One of the 'interrogators' shook his head. “What would drive somepony to do that?” he walked around the earth ponies and accidentally bumped one, shifting the stretcher and allowing a hoof to slide out. Lyra's blood ran cold. “Well, put her in the morgue, we'll find out who she is and...” “Wait.” Lyra was aware that her mother had been ranting at her, but she hadn't been paying attention. Everypony stopped talking and looked at her. The interrogator looked at her. “What is it, lady?” he asked. “We're really busy and...” “Please... let me see her.” The earth ponies bringing the stretcher and the interrogator exchanged looks. They really didn't know a the first thing about how to treat prisoners. There had been no need of the dungeon for more than five hundred years. It had really been nothing but a morgue up until Nightmare Flare had requisitioned it back into its former use. “I don't think...” the earth pony began to say. “Please! Please!” Lyra said, desperately. “Don't take her away, let me make sure...” Comprehension and pity dawned in the faces of the earth ponies and the few interrogators around. Without a word, the pony that had been about to take charge of the body nodded to the earth ponies. They slowly made their way to Lyra. She barely noticed her mother making a face as she and her father stepped back, not wanting to be close to a dead pony. “Are you sure, miss?” the earth pony at the front asked softly. “It's not a pretty sight.” “I have to make sure...” Lyra said, looking at the hoof. Her horn started glowing softly as the cloth was lifted carefully. Her breath caught in her throat. Seeing the look of recognition, the interrogator motioned for the earth ponies to lay the stretcher on the floor in front of the cell. “Ugh.” her mother muttered. “Please take that away.” “Get out.” Lyra said in a very calm voice. “Now.” “Don't you talk to me like-” her mother started to say. “I believe you have overstayed your welcome.” one of the interrogators said firmly. “The prisoner clearly does not want you here and all you are doing is making things worse for her.” “How dare you...” Lyra's father growled, but the pair of earth ponies, freed from their harnesses stood in front of him. “As a parent... I am appalled at what I have seen and heard from you two.” the interrogator continued, his voice cold. “Your daughter has clearly lost somepony important to her, and she faces a horrible fate in an hour and you... you question her love life.” “You have no right to question us as...” “Go away now, or I will call the guards and have them escort you out.” the interrogator snapped. “I will have your job for this!” Lyra's father threatened. “Bring it up with the Queen then. I'm sure she would love to hear your complaints.” the interrogator growled. The unicorn huffed, but turned around and walked away, followed by his wife. “I'm... I'm so sorry Lyra.” her brother said as he slowly turned around and followed them. Lyra for her part didn't acknowledge any of them, her eyes were set on the pony before her. “Bon-Bon.” “Come on boys.” the interrogator said after a moment to take note of the name. “Let's give her some time to grieve.” The ponies slowly left her alone. She felt... empty. She stared at the body before her, her mind racing but producing nothing in terms of coherent thoughts. Then she slowly started to feel angry. “Oh, you coward.” she hissed at the tear covered face of her former lover. “You coward!” she shouted. “Why?! Why couldn't you have trusted me?! Why did you have to spill everything just because a stupid conceited unicorn decided to share gossip with us? !” She paced back and forth inside her room, her eyes never leaving Bon-Bon's body. Her glare seemed to intensify every time a tear threatened to come out. “You stupid earth pony! Senseless!” she choked. “You always believed the most idiotic things!” she sniffed. “And when y-you get me in t-trouble...” she stopped and took a shuddering breath. “Y-you go ahead a-and...” she closed her eyes. Her body trembled. “You moron! You selfish idiot! The last thing I will remember of you before they kill me is your empty eyes and your crushed body!” She turned around, facing the wall, but her body kept shuffling nervously, her hoof scratched the floor, her ears twitched until she looked back and turned around again to face the silent body in front of her. “Damn it, Bon-Bon.” she whispered. “Don't you know I love you?” she approached the bars until she pressed against them. “Don't you know that I would have wanted you to live? That I wanted to tell you that I forgave you, that it's normal to be scared even if you kind of jumped the bridle? Don't you know that I needed you here? I got my mom and dad... at least my brother came or everything would have been awful. But... why?” She slid down to the floor, looking blankly at the dungeon. “I bought you chocolates.” she confessed. “I hid them in my room, I wanted to get you a flower, you know, since you were so nice to me about not getting the Gala gig.” She looked down, her eyes slowly drifting to the mare lying cold next to her. Hesitantly, she stretched her arm out until her hoof touched Bon-Bon's cold one. Lyra bit her lower lip as she closed her eyes and her body shook, tears forcing their way out. The dungeons were quiet except for sobs and sniffing until a small chuckle emerged. It was followed by another and another until Lyra laughed hard at the same time tears streamed down her face. She kept laughing and laughing, unable to tear her gaze from Bon-Bon, until lack of air finally forced her to stop and take a long breath. Slowly she picked up the lyre from the floor and started playing. The melody Nightmare Moon had given her was simple but powerful. And it had a secret to it, she could feel it from the very beginning, tugging at her magic and at her soul. With little practice she had not been able to do much with it, she didn't know what she was lacking, or what Nightmare Moon had planned by her learning it... but now, looking at the crushed form of her true love, she played sharply, not taking her eyes off of her... each note drawing power from her magic until... o.0.o “You called me, my Queen?” Spitfire asked, walking with her head lowered in submission into the private chambers of Queen Nightmare Flare. “Indeed.” the Nightmare nodded then paced around the pegasus. “As you know already, given your skill and loyalty to me you are being named Captain of the Queen's Air Force... are you ready to accept the responsibilities that come with the rank and position?” Spitfire blinked, she suddenly felt nervous. Why did she not like Nightmare Flare's tone? “Y-yes your Majesty. I can only hope to serve you with the best of my abilities.” “That is good to hear.” Nightmare Flare said. “Be aware that there might be traitors amongst those closest to us.” Spitfire cranked an eyebrow at that, but the alicorn did not elaborate. “For now, step into the circle there.” Spitfire noticed that there was a large magical-looking diagram on the floor of the room. It consisted of a large circle, where she was supposed to stand, and there were four smaller ones each pointing towards a cardinal point. Twilight Spark was finishing up drawing symbols on the outside of the circle while consulting a diagram floating next to her. “Uh... your majesty?” “I understand you are nervous, but you do trust me and owe me allegiance, don't you?” Spitfire forced a smile. “Of... of course.” she nervously moved towards the circle. “Watch it!” Twilight Spark warned. “If you scratch one of those with your hoofs you could implode! Twice!” Spitfire gingerly lifted her hoof. “I uh... I...” “Oh, don't worry your pretty head over it.” Twilight smiled. “Just fly on to the center of the circle.” Feeling even more nervous, Spitfire did as she was told. “I have decided that if you are going to be the Captain, you should have Lieutenants to help you.” Nightmare Flare said. “So I will bring back four of my most trusted to serve under you.” “Y-you honor me, your majesty.” Nightmare Flare smirked. “I do, indeed. But first...” her horn glowed softly and Spitfire felt something shift in place. “No!” She was about to reach up to grab the medallion that Nightmare Flare had levitated away from her, but her body was suddenly encased in energy, preventing her from moving. She turned to look desperately at Twilight Spark, who's horn was also alight. The unicorn smiled sweetly and shook her head slowly. “This is interesting.” Nightmare Flare said as the medallion rotated in place in front of her. “It is tied to your soul. I can see the silver thread that goes from it to you. It is also ancient... and made with the essence that I need for this spell to work.” she looked at Spitfire with cold eyes. “It also has a compulsion spell in it, making you devoted to its cause... but that will change soon.” She levitated the medallion and put it down a few feet away from Spitfire, in a smaller circle with lots of runes around it. Spitfire tried to struggle, but Twilight's magic was too strong. “Let us begin.” the alicorn declared as her horn flared with energy. When the first pulse of energy reached the medallion Spitfire began screaming. “Oh, don't worry!” Twilight Spark shouted over the screams. “It'll take less than an hour!” Hidden behind a curtain, Spike looked in horror at the writhing former Wonderbolt as bubbles of energy seethed and popped in the smaller circles. Behind him, the queen's crown jewels seemed to glitter as they reflected the light from the massive energies being released. o.0.o Azure eyes slowly filled with horror as the green surface of the gem-made mirror Silent Jade held showed her what was happening in Nightmare Flare's room. She blinked and dove to the side, barely able to dodge a lightning bolt striking the spot where she had been sitting. She swirled around, facing an elder male unicorn with a cream coat dressed in white and red robes. “Scrying inside the Castle, dear?” the unicorn asked. “Did you think we would not detect that?” Jade narrowed her eyes. With swift motions she conveyed her message. “Oh, I know who you are.” he said. “But I am under the orders of a higher being and I have been told to get rid of the vermin that have endeared themselves to the Queens.” Jade's horn glowed as she levitated several objects and threw them at the mage, who simply let them bounce on his shield. “Is that and scrying the best magic you can perform?” he chuckled. “This will be easy. For a mage like myself, third in the order of Celestia, you are no challenge!” Jade lowered herself a little, obviously ready to tackle him. In a flash she was before him, but just as quickly, the unicorn teleported... And appeared screaming behind her, through teary wide eyes he stared in horror at his front hoofs, severed by Jade's hidden blade at the elbow. “It's true you might be better with magic than me, many ponies are. But few are better at fighting.” The assassin turned to face him, her horn glowing. His robes took a life of their own, stitches undoing, cloth rearranging until he was completely mummified in the expensive materials, unable to move or even scream anymore. With a slight look of disgust, Jade levitated the severed limbs and wrapped them in extra cloth, before making her way to the barely struggling mage. She concentrated and slowly a Council of Nightmares medallion could be seen between the folds of cloth. Frowning she slid it back under the folds. “Some might see this as me doing you a favor.” She whispered to the mummified pony's ear, ignoring the muffled screams. “I hope you find freedom.” Pulling his head back, her knife traced a deadly arc on his neck. The cloth absorbed the blood as she carefully lowered him down to the floor. Looking around, she quickly dragged the body to a safer location. She had to run. She had to warn Nightmare Moon of what her sister was doing. o.0.o “So... you know what that thing is?” Soarin' asked after a few minutes of silence had passed. They had covered Twilight's body with the cloak again, and the pegasus and the alicorn had stepped away to let the siblings deal with their loss. Applejack had gone to sit next to Big Macintosh and had cuddled up to her brother who provided a shoulder to cry on as he stared dismally at the egg-shaped ĉambro. Nightmare Moon herself looked slightly down over the whole deal, something that Soarin' had some difficulty understanding. As far as he knew, Princess Luna had not had many friends and had kept mostly to herself and her sister since she had come back a year ago. It was odd to see her so distraught over the death of a pony she couldn't have known that well. He sighed. Then again, Luna's life was such a mystery that she could have been dating the pony for all he knew. “I do.” the alicorn said, looking towards Big Mac and the ‘egg’. “The ĉambro is an ancient artifact constructed out of pure magic. It is designed to only allow certain individuals to touch it, or if not completely specific ponies, then it will allow individuals that conform to certain standards.” “So anypony could touch it?” Soarin’ asked. “Or just ghosts? Or just unicorns?” Nightmare Moon nodded. “This one might allow only unicorns to touch it, but the standard was not met by Midnight, which resulted in his body being destroyed. Trixie did conform to it, so she was allowed in.” Nightmare Moon glanced at the dormant artifact. “Normally a great sacrifice is needed to create something like this, not necessarily a life, but something extremely important. One or more ponies might be involved in its creation... the more ponies involved, the more powerful it is. I... have never heard of one with this much power. I only got a glimpse of it before it retracted into its form, the rune shields around it would have been able to tell me what it was. But they are gone now.” “Will Trixie be okay?” Soarin' asked, looking at Big Mac. He had known them for a little while, but he had liked them both, even after Trixie had scared the living daylights out of him with her hoof-through-the-head stunt. They made the cutest unlikely couple in his opinion. “I don't know.” Nightmare Moon sighed. “Trixie was absorbed by one of the most powerful artifacts in Equestrian history, excluding of course the Elements of Harmony and a couple of other... items. I am not aware of how far her skills in magic went. If they are not strong enough, then she only has her will power to keep herself 'alive' or as alive as a ghost can be.” “Well, she seemed to be studying the runes around here, that counts for something, right?” Soarin' said. “She had to know pretty decent magic for that right?” “I'm afraid reading runes doesn't automatically grant you the ability to use them.” Nightmare Moon said. “Magic is complex. As far as I know from reports, Trixie specialized in illusions and magic strictly related to show business. Twilight Sparkle might have been able to do something with it, she was an exceptional mage. She sought to truly understand magic, and not only did she have an amazing amount of power, she had incredible skill with it, so much so that Luna asked her to help Celestia. ” “You mean you asked her.” the pegasus pointed out. Nightmare Moon glared at him. “We are different ponies.” “Right.” the Wonderbolt cringed under the glare. “I um... I saw the egg thingie before it changed...” “Do you remember anything interesting about it?” “Well, other than bands of energy with some cutie marks and other symbols on them...” “... Did you say 'Cutie Marks'?” o.0.o Misty and Blast flew freely over Canterlot for the first time since Blizzard had attacked Nightmare Moon. Their new Captain, Rainbow Dash, motioned for them to land in the Shadowbolt Barracks. “I need to meet somepony.” Rainbow Dash informed them. “There's a pony down there that will tell you more of what's happening.” The pair shared a look, and then nodded at her, following her instructions and banking down in perfect sync, making the cyan pegasus sigh with wishful thinking. As she sped away, the pair made it to the barracks where the imposing figure of a fully-suited Shadowbolt looked at them. “Um... hi.” Misty said. The Shadowbolt cringed. “Hi... uh, follow me... I mean... if you want... that is...” Blast resisted the urge to hug the Shadowbolt. “Sure! Come on, Misty. My name is Bolt, by the way.” “Um... I'm... Fluttershy...” the pegasus leading them said. “Please sit down, I have some tea... If you want? You don't have to.” “Are you really a Shadow-oof!” Misty glared at Blast, who had elbowed her. “We'd love some tea.” “Oh! Good!” the Shadowbolt smiled as she set down a three cups, one in front of the sulking Misty, the other in front of the bemused Blast and the last one for herself. Fluttershy then proceeded to serve them their tea and offered them a tray with pastries. “Welcome to the Shadowbolts.” she said. Misty slurped her tea, her eyes opening wide. “Wow. This is good!” “I'm glad you liked it!” Fluttershy smiled, her voice gaining confidence. “It's my own brew. I grew the spices myself!” “It is very soothing.” Blast agreed. “May I have a muffin?” “Oh, please do.” Fluttershy offered the plate to Misty after Blast had taken one chocolate covered muffin for herself. “Would you like one too, Misty?” The former Wonderbolt glared at the Muffins. The eclipse cast shadows and red light all around Equestria, both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna had been turned into evil versions of themselves, there was a mysterious cult working behind the scenes, Soarin' had joined the Rebel Alliance, one of their own was dead, everypony was mandated to attend an execution in an hour. The guards hated the Shadowbolts. Ponies feared anypony related to the army, the Queens or even the climate. Their lives in show business were probably over and they had been inducted into the Shadowbolts and had sworn allegiance to freaking Nightmare Moon based upon flimsy evidence presented by a former fanfilly, who was their new captain. And here, in Shadowbolt HQ, they were being offered tea and muffins by a superior officer who had the meekest voice and the most inoffensive attitude from anypony she had ever met. “Sure. I'll take one.” Misty sighed. o.0.o The Mayor looked at the ponies that had gathered for her last-minute town meeting. Most pegasi, including the guards, still looked shaken from their ordeal from several hours earlier after fighting Rainbow Dash. Many of them had admitted that they had severely underestimated the young pegasus. They had seen the Sonic Rainboom as something pretty, but not particularly useful other than to amaze... they had never experienced the extreme speed needed for it, or the effects of the aftershock when Dash pulled it off. Still, thanks to Nightmare Moon, they had suffered no losses and little worse than headaches. A fact that the Mayor had kept quiet about. The earth ponies that had fought Jade sported bruises, bandages and in the case of the guard, casts. The unicorn had not been kind to them. Everypony else had ran off in a panic after Dash had knocked out all her attackers and the feeling of shame at their cowardly act made them look guiltily at the ones that had suffered while fighting. The Mayor herself had been about to bolt, had Nightmare Moon not stopped her forcefully. It brought her shame, but she couldn't bring herself to think she could have done something against those three. She was nothing more than an elder earth pony, after all. But she had felt even worse when she realized that they had almost trampled to death three fillies. She sighed. It was time to speak. She brought her hoof down on the wooden floor to draw attention to herself. Conversation slowly died as they all turned to face her. “Now, I know you are all wondering why I called you here.” the Mayor said.", "She sighed. It was time to speak. She brought her hoof down on the wooden floor to draw attention to herself. Conversation slowly died as they all turned to face her. “Now, I know you are all wondering why I called you here.” the Mayor said. “Needless to say, it has been a very stressful couple of days. But we need to decide what to do about our current situation.” “We need to fight Nightmare Moon!” a pony shouted from the crowds drawing several mumbles of agreement. The Mayor bit her lip. Then sighed again, resigned. “I don't think she's the problem.” This drew gasps from the crowd, including incredulous stares from the guards and pegasi. Undeterred, the light coated pony looked at them. “The reason all the pegasi are alive right now, is that Nightmare Moon caught you before you hit the ground. At the speed and height you were falling from... it would have been disastrous.” Ponies started to argue amongst themselves and it took several clops on the floor before the attention went back to her. “I hate to admit it, but Nightmare Moon behaved better than could be expected. We are the ones that attacked them.” the Mayor said, her eyes meeting with several ponies. “I don't like it. I remember what Nightmare Moon did a year ago, but this time... she, and for that matter Rainbow Dash and Jade, did not do anything other than defend themselves.” “She's evil!” “Rainbow Dash is a traitor!” “The unicorn broke my left arm!” “The unicorn,” the Mayor interrupted another shout. “actually dove in to save the Cutie Mark Crusaders from being crushed to death when most of the ponies here in this very hall stampeded away from Nightmare Moon.” A brown female pegasus spoke up. “Is Scootaloo okay?” she asked. “She was fine. She's probably at the Apple Farm right now.” The Mayor said. “But that's not the point... the point is that Nightmare Moon, as bad as she was before, Rainbow Dash and the unicorn, Jade, did not act like villains. And since she is now apparently the Queen, along with somepony called Nightmare Flare we need to decide now how we are going to deal with Canterlot. Are we going to submit or fight? But whatever we decide, we have to remember that things might not be as black and white as we once thought.” At that moment the doors to the hall were pushed open, revealing two ponies covered in dark cloaks. Nervously, the ponies of Ponyville stepped back allowing the pair to walk calmly up to the Mayor. “I think I can help with that!” the foremost pony said. Her voice made Mr. and Mrs. Cake jump. “Pinkie Pie? !” “Surprise!” the hyperactive mare shouted, drawing back her hood and revealing her pink, fluffy hair in all its glory, followed by two balloons and streamers. “So, I think we were all talking about Black Snooty! ?” “Beware, Little Pony, that you do not offend, that who's image you are trying to mend.” the other cloaked pony said, pushing back the hood to reveal the black and white strips of a zebra. “Oh, don't be silly-willy, Zecora! Black Snooty and I go waaay back, well, a year, but that's longer than most ponies here.” “B-but, I thought you were in Canterlot?” Mr. Cake asked. “And now I'm here!” Pinkie Pie shouted with glee, bouncing around Mr. Cake. “Isn't it amazing?! I was sent to the moon! And then I got sent to the Everfree Forest! And then I met Zecora and I explained everything to her and...” “Perhaps it's time, to explain things further, as I can see on some ponies here; they have the eyes for murder.” Zecora said grimly, looking steadily at one of the guards until he looked down, unable to hold her gaze. “Right!” Pinkie Pie said, jumping up to stand next to the Mayor. “Okay! Listen up everypony, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna need us! And to help them we have a plan!” When some ponies started muttering between themselves, Zecora jumped onto the podium and brought her hoofs down hard, drawing everypony's attention. “Listen well, ponies! Listen well! What the Element of Laughter has to say! We all need to trust and work and anger quell, Unless we want this eclipse to stay.” The murmurs died completely as the reluctant ponies relented and listened to the pair. o.0.o Rainbow Dash stood at the top of one of the tallest peaks around Canterlot. Down bellow, she could see the castle and the city, in the distance, she could make out Ponyville and further away Manehatan's lights were bright enough to be visible even with the weird lighting from the eclipse. Down in Canterlot, Fluttershy would be talking to Misty and Blast, Nightmare Moon would be plotting something, Applejack would still be hating her, Twilight would be pulling some sort of crazy stunt to get under the farmer's tail and Lyra would be dealing with her execution... In Ponyville, Pinkie Pie should be about to carefully contact ponies that would be sympathetic to their cause, and as far as she knew, Rarity would be doing the same with the Diamond Dogs. She did wonder what was the point. From her exposure to the Council of Nightmares Medallion, she knew that the Guardian would be aware of their actions by now and planning to destroy them. He could manipulate Nightmare Flare and possibly even Nightmare Moon. They were up against ancient beings of unimaginable power. No single pony, or even an army could stand against Celestia if the Princess had decided to use her full powers. Nightmare Flare would most likely be less forgiving, and if Nightmare Moon was not able to stop her. She sighed. “What's the problem, Dashie?” a voice asked from behind her. “You seem down. Nice uniform, by the way.” The pegasus smiled as she turned around to face Gilda. “I thought you wouldn't make it.” The griffin snorted. “After Kung-Fu Pony gave me the blasted letter I couldn't avoid reading it.” she was silent for a moment. “You really mean what you wrote?” she asked, rubbing her elbow with a claw as she looked down uncertainly. Rainbow Dash nodded. “I... I've been taking a lot of hits recently, Gilda.” she sighed, sitting down on the mountaintop. “Just about everypony thinks I've gone evil because I'm on Nightmare Moon's side.” “Yeah.” Gilda looked at Dash with a strained smile. “About that...” The rainbow-maned pegasus groaned. “Not you too!” “You have to admit it is weirder than you hanging out with those dorks.” Rainbow Dash glared at her and the griffin smiled sheepishly. “Okay, sorry.” The pegasus sighed. “What I wrote is true, Gilda. I do feel that I let you go too easily, I was not a good friend in that sense... you acted like an asshole, there's no denying that, but I just let you go and didn't even try to talk things over until now.” “Dashie, you know that you are the only pegasus I respect. The only pony I respect.” Gilda said walking up to sit down next to her. “It's very rare for a griffon to befriend a pony of any kind. You remember how the flight camp was set out, it was two camps, one for pegasi, one for griffons. We don't really get along, we wouldn't even tolerate each other if we were not forced to go to those camps.”' Rainbow Dash nodded, looking at Gilda steadily. The griffon coughed. “I had a hard time accepting that I was supposed to share my sky with pegasi. When I met you, I thought I understood why it could be so... we were the coolest pair in all of the camp! But... the other pegasi were not like you.” “The other griffons were not like you either.” “Of course not,” Gilda smirked. “I'm the best!” Rainbow Dash chuckled. “Anyway, when I met your other friends... well, they are simply not cool enough for my Dashie.” Gilda confessed. “I was jealous... I am jealous of them. They have you all the time, and when I was visiting they still wanted you to hang out with them.” she started to scratch the soft ground with a claw. “And when the whole party with the practical jokes happened... I know I had been cruel and petty, I'm too proud to deny the fact that I was doing wrong but... I just felt betrayed when I found out you had planned the jokes.” “I didn't know you would be the victim of all of them.” Rainbow Dash said softly. “I brought it upon myself.” the griffon said. “I don't hate your friends... I think the pink one was actually growing on me for a while, but I... it's really hard for me to make pony friends... it's not personal.” “I'm sorry I let you go just like that, Gilda.” Rainbow Dash sighed. “I knew it wouldn't be easy for you to adapt to them, they all live on the ground, even the other pegasus.” she chuckled. “And I think our friendship is worth more than a single fight. Actually, I know it is, one hundred percent sure of it. I should have sought you out...” “... I should have come back.” They stopped and chuckled together. They remained in comfortable silence, past grievances forgiven, until Gilda looked back to the pegasus. “Dashie... your letter... it felt like you wanted to say goodbye.” Rainbow Dash looked down towards the castle. “I am.” Gilda's eyes widened. “What?! Why?” Dash sighed. “There's too much going on, there's a storm coming... I don't know if my wings will pull me through.” the pegasus shook her head. “Gilda... you have been my friend for a long time, I love you like a sister. I couldn't ask for a more loyal and strong willed friend. I would never consider a wingpony over my one griffon.” “Dashie...” Gilda whispered, moved to tears. “This is the side I so wanted my friends to see! The Gilda that was there for me when I thought I couldn't handle the camp, the Gilda that challenged me every day to be a better flier, the Gilda that would be there for her friends, confident smirk, caring eyes.” Rainbow Dash whispered fervently as she hugged her friend. “I couldn't let things end up like that between us!” Gilda couldn’t understand why her friend felt her world was about to end. “Why is this... do you need help?” Rainbow Dash looked deep into her friends' eyes. “Don't... please, just say you forgive me for letting you just go and not trying to sort things out between us until now... I know I asked you to come all the way here just to basically send you back home, but I needed to say this. Face to face.” Gilda smiled. “Only if you forgive me for acting like that around your friends.” Rainbow Dash's lips quivered as she held her friend close, not noticing as she did that the griffon's smile faded to be replaced by a resolute look. o.0.o End Chapter 16 o.0.o ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Thank you all for reading! Don’t forget to leave complaints/comments/remarks/praises/notes or theories! As always, thanks to my dependable editor Stephen Cawking who makes this story better every time he grabs a metaphorical red pen and goes at it. You’re awesome, dude." ]

[ "The Empty Room Chapter 17 By Wanderer D Applejack stared at the cloak-covered body. Suddenly all that she had gone through with Twilight Spark became a joke. That... creature was not her friend. It never had been. Twilight never harbored lustful feelings for her. She had never seen Applejack as anything but her friend. And that is exactly how Applejack wanted to remember the studious unicorn. The fact that a twisted, fraudulent and lustful thing was prancing around with Twilight's face was unforgivable. The fact that that fiend had used her friend's face to try and lure her into bed was inexcusable. The fact that that monster had forced her into a kiss... and that she had kissed back... was really confusing. But one thing was for sure, regardless of the things that it had done, her unicorn friend was pure and innocent... and it was something that made her feel much better about the conflicting emotions inside of her. There was a tiny voice inside of her, sounding much like her deceased friend, that told her that she had been right, that her honest feelings for Twilight Sparkle were as strong and clear as ever. Even if Spark was another story. She shook her head. The conflicting emotions when it came to the Twilight-clone were getting too distracting for the normally grounded earth pony. Glancing around the room, she took note of Soarin', talking to Nightmare Moon, and further back, her brother standing guard over the artifact that had absorbed Trixie. Forgetting about her own problems, she considered her brother and the now-gone ghost. What had happened there? Big Mac had been to that mockery of a show Trixie had put up in Ponyville so long ago. She remembered how she had ranted and raved about the showmare. Applejack recalled vividly how he had supported her when she explained how much she hated Trixie and how bad she had felt at being humiliated in front of everypony. Since then, Trixie had somehow died and came back as a ghost. She had then met her brother, and in the span of time it took for them to meet and arrive in Canterlot, both ponies had developed feelings for each other. Big Macintosh seemed truly devastated by the loss of Trixie, so Applejack had no doubt whatsoever about his interest in the late showmare. The feeling seemed to be mutual since Trixie's last words had been directed at her brother. The longing and helplessness behind it also showed that even in her last moments, her thoughts had been for Big Macintosh. Applejack sighed. She didn’t like Trixie, but her brother was a good judge of character, and she had never had any reason to doubt him. If his gut feeling was that the showmare was the right mare for him... then there was probably more to Trixie than she had seen or thought. But thinking about Trixie made her realize how little things made sense now. Applejack groaned and fought the urge to bump her head on the granite wall. One of the reasons she loved her life as a farmer was that things made sense. Everything was straightforward. If you plant a tree in good soil and care for it, it grows strong. It then gives fruit, and you reap the benefits of your hard work. Granted, sometimes her life made her feel like she was pulling a train uphill, by herself. However, apples might come out bad, or pests might attack. Perhaps the trees would get sick. For the most part, if you were careful, worked hard, followed the steps, and kept honest, good things happened. That made sense. Love... love did not. Especially when there was a certain crazy pony-creature claiming to love her. Applejack sighed and sat next to her brother. The least she could do was be there for him. o.0.o “I think we're lost,” Sweetie Belle said to aloud to nopony in particular. She then turned to Scootaloo. “I think we're lost, Scootaloo.” “I heard you the first time,” the pegasus growled, looking around at all the big houses. “If I could fly...” she sighed. “How did we get lost again?” Apple Bloom asked. “I have absolutely no idea,” Sweetie Belle said. “We followed the instructions from that colt with the yellow and black bandanna Scootaloo was talking with to the letter.” The three looked around and sighed. “Okay, I say we ask someone more reliable than a pony with a huge backpack,” Sweetie Belle suggested. “Fine, fine,” Scootaloo growled. “Hey, I see a few guards over there! They definitely know the city, right? And they should be reliable.” “They should,” Sweetie Belle agreed. “Let's do it!” As the three Crusaders made their way down the street, the guards would stop on each house, talk to briefly to the ponies there and sent them on their way somewhere. “Ah wonder what's goin' on.” Apple Bloom said looking at the group of guards as they talked to yet another pony outside their home. “Do you think it has something to do with the show at the plaza?” Sweetie Belle looked at all the ponies that would immediately leave after talking with the guards. “Probably! It’s got to be something awesome if they’re having the guards remind everypony about it!” Scootaloo said, a big smile spreading on her face. The three finally reached the guards just as a family of three unicorns walked out of their home to meet them. The unicorns didn’t look very happy- in fact, they all seemed tired, and the young unicorn- who had to be about their own age- looked like she had been crying. She was clinging tight to a familiar-looking piece of cloth. “... and it is by order of the Queens that all citizens, without exemption, are to go to the plaza today.” “I understand, but please, we have just heard horrible news,” the male unicorn pleaded to the guard. “We just lost one of our own, we want time to mourn...” The guard actually looked uncomfortable. “I am sorry sir, but it is a direct order and... well, the Queen was very... clear about what would happen to those that fail to obey it.” The unicorn sighed. “Fine then, we'll go to the plaza...” “Oh, you're going to the plaza! ?” Sweetie Belle exclaimed as the three Crusaders reached the guards, she then tried to do her best impersonation of her elder sister. “I'm sorry to interrupt, but we were also hoping to get there, but we were wondering if you gentlecolts could tell us how to do so.” Scootaloo leaned towards Apple Bloom. “Is it me or does she sound like Rarity?” “She does.” the filly whispered back staring at the unicorn. “We’ll take you there,” the unicorn mare said, giving a sad look to her daughter and the three fillies. “Where are your parents? You shouldn’t go alone to something like this.” The three Crusaders suddenly looked nervous. “Um... well, our sisters are goin' to be there...” Apple Bloom said. “Applejack was at the castle not too long ago...” “And Rainbow Dash will definitely be there!” Scootaloo said excitedly, not noticing the looks the guards exchanged. “She's not my sister, exactly, but we go back.” “My sister Rarity should be there, as well as our friends Twilight, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie,” Sweetie Belle finished. “Did you say Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle are your acquaintances?” the guard asked. When the three fillies nodded, the guard gave them a hard look. “How do you know them?” “We live with them in Ponyville!” Apple Bloom explained. “I know Applejack,” one of the guards in the back said. “That little one speaks with the same weird accent. And she does kind of look like her.” “It ain’t weird!” Apple Bloom complained. “Not to mention the pegasus is like a miniature Rainbow Dash except for the coat color. Even her mane is done in the same style. Are you sure they are not related?” another said. “Fine then,” the lead guard said, looking back to the unicorn mare that was now looking a bit conflicted at having offered to help. “My Lady, would you mind watching over these three while they’re at the plaza? They seem to have come all the way from Ponyville by themselves...” Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom gasped. “H-how did you know? !” the pegasus asked. The guard ignored them. “... and are related and acquainted to some very important ponies. Including our Queen's second in command.” The way that the guard had asked was more of an order than a question, and so Cinnamon had no choice but to acquiesce with a hesitant nod of her head. “Good,” the lead guard said. “One of my guards will escort you to make sure you are close to the stage.” The adults looked completely sick when they heard that, but the Crusaders jumped around happily. “Did you hear that, y'all?! Front row seats!” Apple Bloom gushed. “I knew Rainbow Dash would pull through!” Sweetie Belle poked Scootaloo on the side. “Hey, I thought you were angry at her for what she did at Ponyville!” Scootaloo turned around. “Oh yeah? Well, what about Silent Jade? Do you want to talk about her?” “Girls!” Apple Bloom shouted. “Calm down! We shouldn't keep these nice ponies waiting.” The other two lowered their heads. “Sorry.” The guards, who looked bewildered by the casual tossing of names related to really dangerous ponies, just nodded as they returned to normal. One of the guards started guiding the three unicorns and the three crusaders. Scootaloo kept staring at the cloth wrapped around the young filly's neck. “Where have I seen that...” Her eyes opened wide. “Trixie!” The three unicorns immediately stopped and the guard leading them carried on walking for a few feet before realizing they had stayed behind. “What about her?” Apple Bloom asked. “Look at that cape! Isn't it just like the one Trixie had? I remember Twilight taking it and a hat back to her with Ditzy's help!” “Y-you knew Trixie?” the little unicorn asked. “Can we get going?” the guard interrupted. “I'm sure you can talk on the way.” The group started walking again, but this time the unicorn family kept pace with the three crusaders. “Well... we didn't really get to talk to her, though Snails and Snips talked to her a lot,” Apple Bloom said after a moment. “Yeah, but her show was pretty cool,” Scootaloo said. “Until she started making fun of our friends.” “She wouldn't do that!” Daisy Sprout said. “Sis wasn't a bad pony!” This time it was the Cutie Mark Crusaders that stopped short. “Move!” The guard shouted back. The three stumbled to catch up. “She did!” Scootaloo insisted. “She turned Dash's rainbow into a twister!” “And she tied up my sister with magic to prove she was better!” Apple Bloom added. “And she turned my sister's hair into a rats' nest!” Sweetie Belle sighed. “It took her months to get over it.” “... It was pretty funny though. Ah've never seen my sister tied up like that! She's gone done it to me a couple of times before, but since that happened...” “Apple Bloom!” Sweetie Belle gasped. “Oh, come on!” the earth pony filly rolled her eyes. “Why, Ah remember you mentioning rats all the time to your sister whenever you got annoyed with her. Didn’t you even leave one of Opalescence toys in her bed because she grounded you?” “T-that’s just a rumor! She was never able to prove it was me!” the unicorn looked away from her friend, blushing. “I remember that after she put the Ursa Minor to sleep, Twilight was trying to find Trixie all over the place,” Scootaloo said after a moment. “If it wasn't for Ditzy, I don't know if she ever would have.” “Hey, didn't Twilight leave Ponyville to go talk to her?” Apple Bloom asked. “Ah remember my sister was very grumpy that whole week. She said it was a waste of time.” “Why?” Cinnamon asked, looking at them with a serious expression. “Why was Twilight Sparkle looking for my daughter?” Scootaloo and Apple Bloom shrugged and turned to look at their unicorn friend. “Weeell...” Sweetie Belle looked at the ponies around her and blushed. “I wasn't supposed to be awake, but one night I heard Twilight tell Rarity that she had been very impressed with Trixie's control over magic. She said that Trixie wasn't as powerful as she was, and that she probably knew less spells, but that she more than made up for it with inge... inge...” “Ingenuity?” Cinnamon asked. “That!” Sweetie Belle said. “And when Trixie ran away, she had left behind a lot of her stuff, including her books and esseis, so Twilight tried to find her to give it to her, and also to talk about magic.” Cinnamon closed her eyes and leaned against her husband, while Daisy Sprout sighed. “Sis...” “Are you really Trixie's sister?” Apple Bloom asked softly, having noticed how depressed the other filly had gotten ever since the showmare had been brought up. “Did she give you her cape?” Scootaloo asked, trying to get the unicorn to speak to them. They didn't see the two elder unicorns cringe, but Daisy Bloom had a small sad smile. “I think she would have, someday.” The three Crusaders looked at each other. The family's sadness and the way that they kept talking about Trixie as if she was gone finally settled in. “Um... do you want me to tell you about her show?” Scootaloo asked. Daisy Sprout blinked tears away and nodded, smiling at the three crusaders as they took turns describing the tricks that The Great and Powerful Trixie had pulled in front of the crowd at Ponyville. o.0.o Nightmare Moon was deep in thought after Soarin' had finished describing the ĉambro before it had collapsed into itself. She started pacing, looking around the room. The runes had absolutely nothing to do with the egg-shaped ĉambro. They were responsible for everypony being able to actually see and hear ghosts. Her brow furrowed. Ghosts. The Guardian. Cults. Nightmares. The ĉambro. Twilight's body... Twilight Spark. Trixie. There had to be a connection to all of this. She looked at the body on the floor, this time analytically. Her eyes roamed to the ĉambro, she recalled Midnight's words about his body being disintegrated just by touching it. It was powerful enough to destroy the ghost too, she knew. And he had known it, so he had sent Trixie to it just to see what would happen. The ĉambro... why was it so powerful? What sacrifice had been demanded to create it? Why create it in the first place? And who had created it? And what about the cutie marks described on it? Slow realization seeped into her mind. Her eyes widened as she looked towards the artifact. Could it be that... “Nightmare Moon!” a voice shouted as somepony ran into the cavern. The inspiration disappeared like a bubble bursting and the alicorn swore silently, turning to face Silent Jade as she ran into the smaller chamber and straight to her, panting slightly. Clearly the years of inaction had affected the assassin a bit. “What is it?” The Nightmare’s frown hadn’t disappeared, although the focus of it was now the green-maned unicorn. “Nightmare Flare... she-” “Hey!” Applejack had gotten up and trotted up to them, peering at Jade closely. “You can talk? !” “A-Applejack!” Jade stepped back. “You're... still here...” “You're losing your edge, Jade,” Nightmare Moon smirked, earning a glare from the unicorn. Applejack frowned. “Wait... Ah recognize that voice-” Her eyes widened and she opened her mouth to speak again, but her words stuck there as she felt cold metal pressing against her throat. “Applejack!” Big Macintosh jumped up and approached the pair nervously, watching the blade the assassin had pulled out of no-where press against his sister’s neck. Soarin' didn't look happy, the last thing he wanted to do was to get into a fight right now, but he decided to side with Big Mac on this one, flanking the assassin. “Really, Jade,” Nightmare Moon frowned at the impromptu stand-off. “Is that necessary?” Jade gritted her teeth, her body trembled, but the hoof with the hidden razor-sharp blade being pressed against Applejack's neck never wavered. The farmer was frozen in place, her eyes wide, staring in horror at the unicorn. “You cannot reveal my identity!” Jade cried, her eyes never leaving the earth pony's. “I can't allow it! Too much rides on it! You have no idea just how bad it could get! Don't ever say my name while I'm Jade! Do you understand?! I need you to promise, Applejack! And you too, Big Macintosh! This is no joke!” Applejack nodded very, very carefully, feeling cold sweat roll down her back. “A... Ah Pinkie Swear...” Silent Jade glanced at Big Mac, who looked a bit doubtful, but also nodded. Sighing, she let her hoof fall, the blade retracting into its hidden chamber. Nightmare Moon lowered her head to eye-level with the unicorn, her glare making Jade almost step back. “You and I will have a talk after all of this is done, and you will tell me why that was necessary.” The assassin hesitated, but nodded. The alicorn held her eyes for a few more moments before pulling back. “What is it that you needed to tell me so bad you blew your cover?” Jade cringed. “It's your sister... she knows about the medallions, she caught Spitfire in a spell and... she was turning her into something!” “What? !” Soarin' shouted, stepping in front of the assassin and ignoring Nightmare Moon. “What do you mean 'turning her into something'? !” He stared into the assassin's eyes. “What happened to her?” “Flare put her in a circle with runes inscribed around it, she used the medallion to siphon power into it... I saw four smaller circles that had some sort of energy in them... I was interrupted and didn't see more... they don't trust us anymore, and it seems some of the guard are in the know... it took me the better part of an hour to get here without killing anypony else.” Applejack stepped back. “You... killed somepony?” Jade nodded, either not noticing the farmer's disturbed look or not caring. “I was caught scrying by a member of the cult.” Nightmare Moon slowly raised a hoof and massaged her temple, eyes closed. “Anypony important?” “He said he was third in the Order of Celestia.” “You killed Sharp Glimmer.” “Was that his name?” Jade shrugged. “I hid his body, I doubt they'll find him anytime soon.” Through the discussion, Applejack had become paler and paler until she had to sit down, still staring silently at the unicorn as if she had grown two heads. “Yes, that was his name,” Nightmare Moon said testily. “And the fact that he is one of the three most talented unicorns in Celestia's order...” “Talented?” Jade huffed. “Please. I know of plenty unicorns with more talent.” “Fine.” The alicorn rolled her eyes. “They will still notice him missing.” Jade's ears twitched. “Did anypony else hear that?” The others shook their heads, confused. “Hear what?” Soarin' asked. “It... sounds like crunching?” Jade inclined her head. They remained silent for a moment. “I guess it's gone.” “Excuse me?” Soarin' raised a hoof. “Spitfire? Circles?” “I'm afraid I don't know what she's up to... circles and runes can do a lot... but if she's changing Spitfire and using the medallion...” A sharp crack made them all blink. They slowly turned around to find that the ĉambro was shaking; it’s shape contorting and trying to expand. Little rivulets of dark purple energy whirled and snapped around it as the group carefully stepped away from it. o.0.o Trixie woke up. Everything around her was light. There were no walls, no ceiling or floor. For a moment she panicked. How had The Great and Powerful... slowly memories came back to her and she winced. “Ouch.” Her voice had a weird quality to it. It seemed distant, and at the same time was followed by an echo. It was... kind of ghostly. Another voice seemed to float towards her. “... why...” The voice was distant. But it seemed so much more real than her own, that Trixie immediately set off towards it. The voice... no, voices were clearer now, and the light seemed to dim somewhat, creating a feeling that she was walking into a room of some sort. “... dangerous. We don't know exactly who they are, but my research points to their existence hailing from over a thousand years ago.” A strong looking unicorn in golden armor said. Trixie carefully stepped into the room and everything came to be into sharp focus. It was... a nursery? Trixie looked at the three ponies in the room. The soldier that had spoken was talking to Princess Celestia, who stood next to a crib. The last one was a unicorn in expensive-looking robes decorated with magic symbols and runes. “But why would they want to harm my filly?” Celestia asked. Trixie stared at the Princess, completely ignoring the answer the unicorn gave. A filly? The Princess had a filly?! This, she had to see. Since they seemed to be unaware of her presence, Trixie made her way next to the crib and peeked inside. She had never seen an alicorn filly before. She smiled at how cute it looked. Would her own look like a unicorn or more like Big Mac? She blinked and shook her head. The Great and Powerful Trixie was not going to think about that right now. She looked at the filly instead. Little wings tucked close to her body, the cutest little horn poking out from under her growing mane. She was... she... looked really familiar. The purple coat. The darker shade of purple on her mane... the violet eyes... “But... how can we protect her then?” Princess Celestia's voice seemed louder and Trixie realized that the alicorn had turned to face the crib again and was effectively right next to her. “If I might suggest something...” the robed unicorn in the room said, taking a hesitant step forward. “Twilight is too young to defend herself, maybe if we sealed some of her power... turn her into an earth pony, a unicorn, or a pegasus... she could still live in the Castle, but nopony would recognize her as your daughter. She would grow up learning the ways of the court and by the time she's old enough to receive her full power, and she would not be defenseless.” “That seems complicated,” the soldier unicorn said, then turned to Celestia. “My Princess, let me hunt down those miscreants...” “With all due respect, Lord Lance,” the robed unicorn interrupted, “we know that they have infiltrated the Castle, we cannot really trust anypony outside this room.” “I imagine that you wouldn't suggest something like you did without already having a plan?” Celestia asked. The robed unicorn nodded. “I have done some research into the ĉambro spell.” “I am familiar with it.” Celestia said evenly. “I fail to see how it would help in this situation, unless you want to capture my filly in time.” “The spell can be adapted to contain the excess power and other traits that we would want to remove from the filly.” He hesitated. “I think Lord Lance is right in that we have to find the Assassins Guild. I don't know why they have kept up with the attempts on your life but where they failed at killing you, they might just manage it with an innocent filly.” “It is probably because not many ponies have even caught a glimpse of her in the last eleven months,” the soldier said. “They sensed a weakness... my guards-” “...Are really not a match to the Assassins,” the robed unicorn interrupted. “I know they are trustworthy for the most part, Lord Lance, but let's face it, the last time an Assassin made it into the Castle they were not of much use. Had you not been guarding the Princess yourself...” The guard snorted and scratched the floor with his hoof, but didn't deny anything. “What kind of life can I give to my own daughter by having her hide who she is?” Celestia asked. It was then that a scuffle was heard outside, the door was kicked in and two ponies in cloaks rushed into the room.", "“They sensed a weakness... my guards-” “...Are really not a match to the Assassins,” the robed unicorn interrupted. “I know they are trustworthy for the most part, Lord Lance, but let's face it, the last time an Assassin made it into the Castle they were not of much use. Had you not been guarding the Princess yourself...” The guard snorted and scratched the floor with his hoof, but didn't deny anything. “What kind of life can I give to my own daughter by having her hide who she is?” Celestia asked. It was then that a scuffle was heard outside, the door was kicked in and two ponies in cloaks rushed into the room. Trixie unconsciously moved in front of the crib in tandem with Celestia as one of the assassins jumped towards Lance. The other one attacked the robed unicorn, but was stopped by a shield spell, followed by a small ball of energy that sent the pony flying out of the room. The showmare had never seen somepony cast magic so powerful, so effectively and quickly before. Trixie had been so distracted by the casting prowess of the wizard unicorn that she didn't look at Lance until she heard a sickening crack. She looked at the soldier as he let the dead assassin slide to the floor. “Eldritch,” Princess Celestia said, looking at the robed unicorn. “Can the ĉambro be a short-time measure? If we hide my daughter with ponies we can trust until we have dealt with the Assassin's Guild... can we dispel it and return her to normal?” “That should not be a problem, Princess,” Eldritch said. “In fact, if all involved give a little power to the spell, the ĉambro will use the energy as the sacrifice needed for it. When your daughter returns to normal, she'll have bit more magic than she would have otherwise, but she should be fine.” Celestia looked at the bodies of the two guards and the assassins. “Do it.” Trixie blinked as everything changed around her, she felt herself being pulled forward. She was in another room... no! She recognized this place immediately. It was the cave where all the runes were! It looked exactly the same as when she had entered it. The Princess and the two unicorns, Lance and Eldritch were there again, but they had been joined by two more. Trixie gasped when she recognized a much younger Midnight standing next to a mare with stars for a cutie mark. That must be Star Dancer. She thought. The sleeping form of Twilight was wrapped and resting safely in Celestia’s levitation spell. “I have cast the most powerful illusion and disorientation spells I could on Twilight's room as you requested, Eldritch. Nopony alive, other than I, should be able to even detect your shielding spell.” Celestia said, looking sadly at her filly. The robed unicorn nodded. “I have already tied the ĉambro's energy signature to return to the room, where it will be safe until we dispell it and return the power to your daughter- unless entry is forced, in which case it will come back here immediately.” Lance spoke up. “Are you absolutely sure that it will?” “Yes.” Eldritch nodded as he walked around the room. “Our memories of the event should also return immediately.” “For all of us?” Midnight asked. “Yes, for all of us. Although in your case more work is needed.” Eldritch said. “We will need fake memories for you two... we trust you, but you have to be absolutely convinced that Twilight is yours.” The two unicorns looked slightly uncomfortable, but nodded, regardless. “You have to understand that our enemy is very resourceful. We don't know how far their influence goes, so after you two have your new memories, you will be transported back home. It was a happy coincidence that the both of you were gone for roughly a year for your research, so there will be less questions asked,” Lance elaborated. “I understand, uncle,” Midnight nodded. “Are you sure you are okay with this, your majesty?” Star Dancer asked after a second, looking at the alicorn with pity. “This seems dangerous.” Trixie had to agree. While Eldritch certainly seemed to know what he was doing, the whole thing was probably more complicated than it should be. Were the Assassins so feared and resourceful that they merited actions such as this to protect a single filly? Celestia looked at the filly, her eyes shimmering with tears. “For now... I know it is a lot to ask of you all of you, but... I have to do everything in my power to protect my filly.” she hesitated. “If anything went wrong... please take care of my Twilight.” She kissed the sleeping alicorn's forehead and then slowly drifted the bundle up to Star Dancer, who carefully levitated her with her own spell. She looked into the bundle, just as Twilight stirred and opened her big violet eyes. The unicorn almost melted then and there. “It will be my honor to watch over her for you, Princess,” she whispered. “We shall start now... I have devised a rune matrix that, once started, will conclude the whole spell, finishing by teleporting all of you back to your rooms,” Eldritch said. The other unicorns and the alicorn stepped back as the robed wizard started intoning a spell. Before Trixie's eyes, Twilight began to glow. Her wings seemed to shrink until they were completely gone, turned into magic energy. It was then pulled together and a small ball of light formed. Soon, tendrils of magic whipped about it, looking like long blank scrolls that contorted and swam in the air, the ball of light pulsated with every snap or twist of the tendrils, the magic seemed to want to eat everything around it. Eldritch's horn was glowing with an almost blinding white light as energy seeped out of it forming floating runes in the air. A rune flew over each unicorn and the one alicorn. Celestia closed her eyes and let her magic flow as the rune over her flashed and died. The symbol representing the sun, an exact duplicate of her cutie mark appeared on the blank tendrils. It was soon followed by five more. One was the moon, a copy of Luna's cutie mark, the other four Trixie recognized as representing the four seasons. The Princess slumped down, spent, although her horn still shone with magic, she looked confused at Luna’s cutie mark appearing on the blank tendrils alongside hers. Each unicorn's horn glowed in turn after hers, Midnight's cutie mark appeared next, followed by Star Dancer's and Lance's. Trixie noticed that the runes on the walls had started glowing softly as this all happened. Then... she felt a tug on her magic. And to her bewildered eyes a soft cloud of magic floated from her horn to add her own cutie mark to the tendrils! “Where did that come from? !” Celestia asked, worried. “We need to stop this, Eldritch!” “I don't know!” the mage shouted, confused. “It seems there's another unicorn here! The spell... it can’t be stopped now! It’s still draining our magic!” “But that can't be!” Celestia shouted as energy began to whiplash around them creating a hum. “There should be nopony here! We all checked!” “An assassin? !” Lance guessed over the sound. “I... I think... I see somepony there!” Star Dancer shouted her own horn still glowing, pointing a hoof in Trixie's direction. They all turned to look at her. “I can't stop!” the showmare shouted, although she did not know if they could hear her. The magic seeping out of her horn seemed to increase. “She's destroying the matrix! I don't know what's going to happen!” “Don't you dare risk my filly's life!” Celestia shouted, standing up. “The Great...” she gasped. “...and Powerful Trixie...” the unicorn groaned as the magic was soaked out of her. “...would never... hurt... TWILIGHT!” she shouted back. Celestia seemed taken aback, but a sudden shockwave of magic knocked them all down. “The spell matrix is out of control!” Eldritch said as an angry red lightning bolt made purely of magic hit Lance square in the chest. The whole room shuddered and the air turned heavy as the magic enveloped him. The soldier shouted in pain as a cloud of... something seeped out of his head and was absorbed by the sphere, which immediately doubled in size. The tendrils whipped with amazing force as if the memories had fed them somehow. The unicorn did not even hit the floor before he was suddenly not there. “Lance!” Celestia shouted. “Uncle!” Midnight tried to move towards where the soldier had been standing, but like the others, he was held in place by the indescribable force the magical artifact was exerting on the room. “The spell is still working!” Eldritch shouted, as wind seemed to pick up from nowhere. His robes billowed all around him and he had to raise his voice to make sure everypony could hear him/ “His memories of Twilight were erased! He was then teleported away!” Twin bolts of lightning crackled through the air and struck Midnight and Star Dancer. Celestia cried out as the spell holding Twilight failed, expecting the filly to hit the floor. A light blue aura immediately caught the bundled-up filly, holding her in place next to the unicorns. The Princess looked gratefully at Trixie, who was slowly becoming more and more solid, it almost seemed that as the magic was drained from her form, the bursts of energy would feed into her body. “Who are you, Trixie?” she asked as the memories of both unicorns drifted out of them and through the magic storm into the ĉambro, which again doubled in size. “I'm... a friend of Twilight!” Trixie groaned as she tried to hold the filly in place as her magic was being drained and could feel her body being assaulted by energy from all around her. “I... I just never appreciated what she did for me, or realized it... until now!” The pair of unicorns suddenly disappeared, followed by the little bundle containing Twilight. Trixie gasped as the magical energy she had used to hold the filly in place was absorbed into the storm. “Y-you...” Eldritch groaned as another lightning bolt hit Celestia, making the Princess cry out as a considerably bigger cloud of memories was taken out forcefully by the grasping-like tendrils of lightning and drained into the ĉambro. “Y-you're from the future? !” “Yes!” Trixie shouted as the Princess was teleported away. “I found this ĉambro alongside Midnight! I came into it to find out more about it!” “How far? !” “About twenty years, I think!” “You have to get out of here now!” Eldritch shouted. “You could be completely destroyed!” “I have been trying!” Trixie retorted, annoyed. The energy seemed to gather once more, and this time the lightning bolt flew straight towards her. She panicked and struggled against the unbending magical force that held her in place. Eldritch's body just seemed to appear before her. He was hit by the bolt and screamed as his memories were ripped out of his mind, he struggled against it as words poured out of his mouth. “T-this is the last one... I... won't make it, but the spell should be finished...” He opened his eyes and looked at her. “Will Twilight be safe all these years?” The showmare nodded, her eyes wouldn't leave the unicorn that had just sacrificed his life for hers. Eldritch shook his head and smiled, raising his voice even more as the whole room seemed to hum with energy. “Your horn isn’t glowing! It seems I broke the ĉambro’s hold on you! Run now!” Trixie turned and ran. The room started to fade behind her when she heard an explosion. Magic itself rained around her as she was picked up from the non-floor and flung out into the light. o.0.o The ĉambro exploded. Big Macintosh’ eyes widened as Trixie was hurled out of the magical artifact in an impressive wave of multi-colored energy. The Showmare flew through the air and slammed into the draft pony with enough force to knock them both down, where they lay in a confused heap. The energy whirled around the cavern before blasting towards Twilight Sparkle's body. Everypony stared as the cloak was burned in the magical vortex, the body was lifted into the air revealing the gruesome injuries Twilight had suffered. Jade stifled a gasp when she saw the unicorn floating limply in the air. Twilight's horn had been ripped off her forehead, where the wound had bled all over her face and revealed little pieces of bone. Her left front leg was twisted in a way that made it obvious it had broken in several parts. The whole left side of her body was burnt; the coat was charred black and revealed the burnt skin under it. Her once carefuly kept mane was almost missing completely, also burnt by the magical fires of her encounter with the late Midnight. Her cutie mark had faded completely. Slowly, as the magic seeped into her, the wounds reacted. The exposed skin lost the burnt look, going raw red and slowly turning a healthy pink as the coat seemed to extend over it, the burnt parts fading into the magic whirlpool of energy. Her leg stretched into a proper position, the blood slowly faded from her face as the bone seemed to shift and mend as a layer of skin covered it followed by purple fur. Her mane grew again, settling into the familiar style Twilight Sparkle favored. The body was slowly spinning in place, held aloft by the sheer amount of magic acting on it. Twilight shuddered and drew a raspy gasp as she took in air. She groaned as her body twitched and slowly shook her head. There remained no sign of her injuries. The fading magic slowly lowered her down until she stood, shaking, in front of the awestruck ponies around her. Tthe last of the magic snaked to her flank, where her cutie-mark reappeared with a flash. “Ooooh...” she moaned, slowly opening her eyes and carefully looking around. “Dad?! Why did...”Her head snapped up, eyes wide as she looked around. “W-what... where am I?” when she saw Nightmare Moon staring at her with a small smile, her jaw dropped and she started stammering. “Wha... when... how...” “TWILIGHT!” Applejack shouted. She ran around Nightmare Moon and picked up her friend in a crushing hug. “Twilight! You're alive!” the farmer started crying. “Ah can't tell you how glad Ah'm to see you! Ah thought you were gone forever!” “Apple... jack... can't... breathe!” Twilight gasped. The crying farmer immediately lowered her down, but just as she thought she would release her, Applejack closed her eyes and kissed her. Twilight stopped breathing and her eyes widened to the size of dinner plates as her friend passionately tried to slip her tongue into her mouth. Suddenly, Applejack’s eyes snapped open and she pulled back in a panic, letting go of Twilight, who landed on her flanks, staring into space. “Ah’m... Ah’m so sorry sugarcube!” the farmer stammered, wiping a tear from her eye. “Ah'm just mighty glad you came back, is all.” Twilight managed a weak smile. “Uh-huh...” Her brain finally seemed to kick in as she jumped up. “What was that? !” The tan pony would look her in the eye, so Twilight looked around, hoping to get an explanation from the other ponies in the room. Her eyes settled on Nightmare Moon immediately and she felt her jaw fall slack. The dark alicorn raised an eyebrow and Twilight would have asked something had Trixie not coughed and struggled to get up. “Trixie? !” Twilight blinked. “What are you doing here?” The showmare shook her head, but then looked down at Big Macintosh. Without stopping to think, she took his hoof in both of hers and helped him up. It was when both of them stood firmer that she blinked and stared at her hoofs holding the draft pony's. “B-big Mac... I can... I can touch you...” she whispered. Big Mac for his part was completely paralyzed. He looked down, wondering if he had died and his body had remained on the floor, but everything seemed to be in order. “Eeyup.” “Big Mac! I can touch you!” Trixie shouted as she jumped and hugged the red stallion's neck, the showmare then promptly pulled him into a very deep kiss, shocking more than one of the assembled ponies. Unlike Twilight, Big Mac immediately reciprocated. He held Trixie tenderly against him for what seemed like an eternity. When the two finally pulled apart, the draft pony chuckled and wrapped a foreleg around Trixie's waist. “You sure can,” he said. Twilight shook her head again and stepped back. “Okay, what is going on? !” she looked around. “Where are we?” her eyes roamed towards the stallion and the showmare nuzzling. “Why is Trixie here, acting like she’s Big Macintosh's fillyfriend? Why did she kiss him? Why did he kiss her?! WHY DID APPLEJACK KISS ME? !” she pointed at Soarin’ and Jade, her voice gaining a slightly hysteric tone. “WHO ARE THOSE TWO PONIES?” she kept walking backwards, eyes wild, until her back hit the wall. “AND MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL, WHY IS NIGHTMARE MOON HERE? !” The pegasus right next to Nightmare Moon raised his hoof. “Uh, Miss Sparkle? I have a question first, if you don't mind?” “WHAT IS IT?” “Weren't you supposed to be a unicorn?” Twilight blinked. “What do you mean? Of course I'm a...” she stopped. She couldn't feel her magic! She brought up a hoof to her forehead... “My... my horn...” She brought herself to eye-level with Nightmare Moon. “You! You must be behind this! Where is my horn? What happened to my magic? !” Nightmare Moon sighed. “Why do I feel like I have been explaining myself every time I meet somepony in the last two days?” she looked down to Jade when the assassin poked her in the arm. Clop-tap, tap-tap, clop, hoof pointing at her, then hoofs smashing against each other, clop, clop, scratch, forelegs opened wide.The unicorn had then proceeded to hoof-talk to the alicorn, seemingly taking a degree of glee as the fearsome Nightmare blushed, growled and looked scandalized. Applejack snickered despite herself as Nightmare Moon glared at the unicorn. “Thank you, Jade, for pointing that out.” Twilight was about to speak when she noticed that she was hovering. She felt her stomach go cold as she slowly looked over her shoulder at the pair of flapping wings on her back. “Oh, horse-apples.” o.0.o In Queen Nightmare Flare's chambers five creatures knelt before the Queen and her faithful student. The one at the front slowly stood up. “We are ready for the execution, my Queen.” She was almost as tall as the Queen, her wingspan was just as wide. Her draconian tail swished lazily behind her, her powerful claws clicked on the hard stone floor. Two pairs of wings- one draconian, one feathered- shifted slightly. Golden-red eyes regarded the alicorn and the purple unicorn with devotion. “Good.” Nightmare Flare grinned. “And the members of this cult you were part of?” “They will be rounded up and executed too.” Nightmare Flare laughed. “Well said, my dear. I am debating whether to let you keep your old name, or give you another one.” “Your wishes are my wishes, My Queen.” “Oh, I like her attitude.” Twilight Spark smiled and trotted up to the half-reptilian pony. She nuzzled her. “Can I keep her while she's not in service? Applejack and I could have soooo much fun with her.” “We shall see, Twilight,” the alicorn said. “Although I believe she has her eyes set on Rainbow Dash.” “Ooh... just imaging it is giving me shivers,” the unicorn said, giving Spitfire a lustful look. “So, a new name?” Nightmare Flare shook her head. “No... I think Spitfire is oddly appropriate. Especially now, wouldn't you agree, Captain?” Spitfire's smile revealed a row of pointy teeth and a small spurt of flame. “Sound the trumpets!” Nightmare Flare ordered as she slowly walked towards the door. “It's time to show all my subjects what happens when they make fun of their Queen!” o.0.o End Chapter 17 o.0.o _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ As always kudos to my editors; Stephen Cawking, NotAGoodUsername360 and UnderstatedHyperbole. Seriously ponies, without you this would not even be half as good as it ended up. I cannot thank you enough for your efforts. As for my readers, your comments and support keep this story going, just because we’re reaching the climax of this fanfic does not mean I don’t want to hear from you, so please leave a comment behind if you’re enjoying it! (I’m also interested in how many ponies out there caught the cameo/reference of the chapter!) ~WD Stephen here. Much like half the cast of this story, I have died and come back. I would try and spoil something here, but you’ve probably figured it out by now. NotAGoodUsername360: In that case, let ME take over for you and attempt to spoil something! HEY, EVERYONE, THE REASON TWILIGHT SPARKLE DIDN’T REGROW HER HORN BUT INSTEAD GREW WINGS IS BECAUSE SHE- *BANG* “Foreeeveerrrr!” *slumps to the floor, dead* Gun violence is best violence. Also... we may need another editor... They’re dropping like flies these days..." ]

[ "The Empty Room Chapter 18 By Wanderer D : Fluttershy was worried. Rainbow Dash had eventually joined them after finishing whatever business she had, but the wild pegasus had seemed completely subdued. There had been no banter, no bragging of any sort. The cyan pegasus had simply joined them, eaten a muffin and basically stared into the sky with a look of hopelessness. Her eyes, usually focused on her next objective, be it a new trick or dominating a competition, now reflected worries and thoughts flying in her mind one after the other. But the worst thing was that Rainbow Dash seemed to be calm. As if she had accepted her fate and was simply just waiting for it to happen. It was almost as though her will had been ground into dust by the wheels of fate. The pink-maned pegasus bit her lip. It was clear to her that the Element of Loyalty knew a lot more about what was happening than she had told them. It made her wonder, just a bit where the loyalty lay... and if it was earned. Rainbow Dash looked down at the city below from the vantage point at Shadowbolt HQ. Having taken over the old, abandoned barracks of the Pegasi Guards in the sheer cliff rising behind Canterlot Castle, they could survey the vast expanse of Equestria from the several ledges accessible only to winged creatures. The dark sky and the blood-red light from the eclipse made the city look eerie... the streetlamps were all on, and she could see thousands of ponies slowly making their way towards the plaza, filling the side streets and avenues like a muticolored river. Behind her, Misty, Blast and Fluttershy, all dressed up in Shadowbolt uniforms, also looked at the crowds gathering in the plaza. “It's disgusting,” Misty said, her eyelids low. “I wonder what Nightmare Flare intends to achieve by gathering everypony in Canterlot for a public execution. It's barbaric!” “S-she's not going to go through with it, is she?” Fluttershy asked, cringing at the thought. “Because Lyra's a good pony... and it would make Bon-Bon very sad... it would make me sad too... I mean... everypony, really...” “I'm sure Nightmare Moon has a plan.” Rainbow Dash smiled with more conviction than she actually had. “She'd better.” Blast said. “And you'd better have a backup, Captain.” the former Wonderbolt looked at her former fan with steel in her eyes, clearly not impressed by Rainbow Dash’s faith in the evil alicorn of legend. Rainbow Dash lowered her head. “If... if Nightmare Moon doesn't stop it... I'll get Lyra... you girls will have to come at me with everything you've got.” Misty regarded the rainbow-maned pegasus. “Everything we've got might be a bit much for you to survive, Captain.” “I know.” “But... Rainbow Dash... if you do that, it won't be just Misty and Blast chasing you...” The cyan pegasus whirled around, facing the other three ponies. “I know! But I just can't let her die like that! It's wrong!” She was surprised to see the two former Wonderbolts smiling warmly at her. “Don't worry, Captain,” Blast said. “We'll cover you.” Dash blinked. “Wait... what?” “You didn't think we'd let you take all the glory, did you?” Misty added. “Besides, if you weren’t willing to do that, then you wouldn't be Wonderbolt material.” The pegasus bit back a laugh. “Now I know you're pulling my tail.” she turned her back to the three and looked down towards the city again. “I don't know how far dreams can take anypony... but I do know where mine are going to end.” The three Shadowbolts behind her traded worried looks. “Is there anything you want to tell us?” Misty prodded. Rainbow Dash was quiet for the longest time, until the echoes of the trumpets reached their ears. “I think I know what Nightmare Moon is planning... and it really scares me, because I know what we're up against, and it might be the only way to save Equestria.” She looked back over her shoulder. “Well, everypony! You heard the trumpets! Time to join the crowds! Soarin' and Spitfire will be waiting for us!” Before they could argue, Rainbow Dash had taken flight and was circling over them, waiting for the three to join her. Unable to shake the chill on their backs from Rainbow Dash's words, the three pegasi jumped up to join her, the last one's worried eyes not leaving the brash pegasus for a second. The group of pegasi pulled into the air, circling high above the city. Down below, the thousands of ponies congregating in the plaza looked like mere ants. They were moving around and pressing together to better see the gallows or the two wooden balconies that had been installed for both the Queens. In the case of civilian pegasi, flying up to land on top of buildings, one even landed on top of the Celestia statue in the middle of the large fountain that adorned the plaza. All of it was an amazing sight under the eclipsed sun, and had their thoughts not been as dark as the shadow cast by the moon, the Shadowbolts would have enjoyed the sight. o.0.o Twilight Sparkle was in a strange situation. Several things had happened in what seemed, to her, the blink of an eye. As she faced Nightmare Moon in a body that was... abnormal... her mind raced through possibilities, scenarios and the nagging thought that she was forgetting something very important. She took a deep breath. “I'll approach this like research. Nice, methodical, understandable research...\" she mumbled to herself. Okay, fact check. Nightmare Moon was here. That meant that Luna had fallen again to her darker alter-ego. She was missing her horn. And had gained wings. That meant she had no magic but was possibly capable of evasive maneuvers. It had to be the result of some sort of spell being cast on her while she was unconscious, meaning that it also had to be reversible. Even if these wings somehow felt just right. Trixie was also here and she was acting very affectionately to Big Macintosh, who was also here... for some reason. The blue showmare was eyeing Twilight and Nightmare Moon with a strange frown, meaning that she was either confused or knew something they didn't. But finding out what that was could take time... which she did not have. Next fact. There was another pegasus there. He looked familiar. But he wasn't from Ponyville. Had she met him in a social gathering of some sort? That could only be The Gala since she had avoided anything social like the plague before going to Ponyville. Wonderbolt? Possibly... she seemed to recall Rainbow Dash talking to a similar pony at the Gala. He was at ease next to Nightmare Moon, though. Was he a Shadowbolt now? Her eyes narrowed. Then there was Applejack. She seemed okay, well, except for the kiss. She really did taste like apples. Wow. Twilight had wondered what it would be like to kiss Big Mac, and that was exactly what she had thought it would taste like. Apples (and hay in his case, since he was always chewing on it.) But that was in for two reasons: First, Big Mac was taken. By Trixie. Lucky mare. Second, Applejack was standing next to Nightmare Moon as comfortably as if she were standing next to Rarity. That meant that she was on Nightmare Moon's side. But no, that wasn't right... Maybe she was under a spell? And why was Applejack blushing? Oh no. Had Twilight been staring too long at her friend? What should she do? Should she talk to Applejack? No. She was still analyzing the situation. That called for a more subtle approach. Twilight moved her head in the direction of the strangely dressed unicorn, and then slowly tore her gaze from the Apple Farmer. This unicorn was definitely comfortable with Nightmare Moon. Enough to make jabs at her through hoof-language. She was dressed in a tight-fitting black uniform with a jade dagger cutie-mark on her flank. She had azure eyes and again, jade-green hair. It could be safely surmised that she was some sort of pony hit-mare for Nightmare Moon. She couldn't be trusted. And why was she teary-eyed? There was the nagging feeling that she was forgetting something. What was she doing before she woke up here? Of course! Celestia's filly was missing! Oh, no. Was it Nightmare Moon's doing? Was that why she was here? But... that was impossible! Nightmare Moon had been trapped in the Moon at the time! Why, she had established that the spells cast in the room were no older than twenty years and had been about to tell Princess Celestia when her dad had... Oh... no. What had her father done? Where was he? “Ah think we broke her.” Applejack said, watching as Twilight's eyes roamed from pony to pony, settled on her for an uncomfortable amount of time, then turned to Jade, then just lost focus completely. There was a small twitch on Twilight's left eye. “That is entirely possible.” Nightmare Moon nodded curtly, she then turned towards the blue showmare. “Trixie. What did you see inside the ĉambro?” Trixie looked from Twilight, to Nightmare Moon, then back to the purple, eye-twitching, hyperventilating pegasus. “Trixie is not entirely sure if she should tell a legendary dark alicorn what she saw inside the ĉambro.” Nightmare Moon narrowed her eyes and scratched the floor with her hoof. “We don't have time for that now. At any moment my sister is going to call everypony for Lyra’s execution! I need to know if my theory is correct... is Twilight Sparkle Celestia's filly?” “Tah...” was the only sound that escaped Twilight's mouth as her brain registered what the dark alicorn had just said. Trixie gulped and shook loose of Big Macintosh's comforting grasp. “The Great and Powerful Trixie will not let you harm Princess Twilight.” She said, stepping shakily between the Nightmare and the purple pegasus. “Sh-she promised Princess Celestia.” The room was silent as the obscenely powerful alicorn stared at the gifted showmare. The silence was broken by Twilight passing out and collapsing on the floor with all the grace of a sack of potatoes. “Solar-flaring orgasms of Celestia!” Nightmare Moon growled, making everypony in the cavern, including the comatose unicorn, twitch. “That's it! I've had it!” she glared at Twilight and materialized a large sphere of water right over Twilight Sparkle. The former unicorn screeched when it was dumped on top of her with perhaps more violence than was probably necessary. She was immediately wrapped in magic and dragged forward until she was staring Nightmare Moon in the eyes, still dripping and shivering. “I'll make this short because I have several matters of grave importance to attend to and I will not waste my time on this!” She growled at the cowering Twilight. “So listen up! Celestia had a filly. That filly was you.” Twilight blinked. “But how is that possible?! My parents raised me! They even told me about how mom got pregnant during a research trip and...” She was interrupted by the Nightmare stamping her hoof on the stone floor. “Trixie knows what happened and she WILL explain it or she WILL be sent to the Moon!” the alicorn growled, narrowing her eyes at the showmare, who gulped. “Your adoptive father, Midnight, was corrupted by a magical medallion several years ago... the medallion was created by a being called the Guardian.” Nightmare Moon actually looked pained for a moment, she closed her eyes for a second before regarding Twilight. “Midnight was compelled by the medallion to do anything to forward the Guardian’s cause... including killing you.” Twilight looked around at the gathered ponies. With the exception of Soarin’ who barely knew her, all of her friends and even the unknown unicorn with the green mane looked pained at the thought. “Celestia broke and transformed into a Nightmare called Flare.” Nightmare Moon continued in a quieter voice. “She then forced Luna into becoming me.” The alicorn fell silent as the dark thoughts replayed in her mind’s eye, giving Twilight a moment to absorb what had been said. “She created another Twilight using your horn.” Nightmare Moon said, finally looking up. “She's, for lack of a better term, a nymphomaniac fillyfooler with a taste for apples.” The alicorn shrugged and glanced at Applejack who had started blushing the moment Twilight Spark was brought into the conversation. Twilight Sparkle just looked from one to the other... was Nightmare Moon implying what she thought she was implying? The alicorn’s next words cleared her doubts. “She named this new unicorn ‘Twilight Spark’, and she has been chasing Applejack's flank for the last few days... I don’t dare to imagine what’s happened between those two, but from what I hear, they have been extremely rough on the mattresses... and the room in general.” Applejack’s cheeks were burning red as Twilight, Soarin’, Trixie and her brother turned to stare at her. Nightmare Moon nodded and sighed. “Their... exchanges have been the talk of the castle since they began, the staff has reported crashing furniture, screams and galloping inside the rooms as well as... moaning sounds of some sort.” Applejack had pulled her hat down as far as it would go and could only be heard muttering: “Ah swear nothin’ happened! Ah swear! Ah’m gonna kill Spark, ya hear! ?” Nightmare Moon ignored her. “Trixie died at some point, when, I am not sure.” “It is truly a sad story,” Trixie said. “The Great and Powerful Trixie will be glad to amaze you with her perilous journey of self-discovery, romance and misfortune.” “Not now, dear.” Nightmare Moon said, patting the showmare in the head and earning a glare. “We really don’t have the time. Also, speaking in the third pony about yourself is generally not a good sign. Try and drop this distasteful habit, would you?” Trixie groaned angrily and scratched at the floor as Nightmare Moon turned her back on her. Twilight did not know whether to be amused or scared by the familiarity with which the dark alicorn was speaking to everypony in the room. “While being nothing but a ghost, Trixie somehow made it to Canterlot with Big Macintosh,” Nightmare Moon continued. “She was tricked by Midnight to go into the ĉambro, which I believe contained the details of why you ended up as a simple -but very powerful- unicorn.” “I... I’m not that powerful!” Twilight complained. “I’m only learning and...” she stopped mid sentence when the other ponies in the room groaned and, in some cases, rolled their eyes. “You’re being a might too humble, sugarcube.” Applejack said. “Remember when you levitated the Ursa Minor out of Ponyville?” “But that was...” “While you were creating music, and also levitating a water tower and milking a bunch of cows to get milk to make it go to sleep?” Trixie added. Soarin’ stared. “Not to mention that my sister told me of the stunt you pulled while you were still a very young filly. You turned your adoptive parents into plants while levitating the instructors and casting a giant growth spell on your baby dragon?” “Fine!” Twilight moaned. “Fine! I get it!” Nightmare Moon chuckled and shook her head. Her smile disappeared as she sighed. “Your adoptive father is gone now. He died shortly after fighting you and I was able to break the spell that tied him to this world... he seemed to regain his senses when that happened... he can’t be blamed too harshly for things beyond his control.” Twilight nodded and looked down sadly, eyes brimming with tears. Her father was gone. He might not be her biological parent, but he had raised her like his own for her whole infancy until she had attended school. She still loved him and her mother. She always would. Twilight looked up at her friends and at the alicorn and wondered if she would ever have time to grieve. Would she ever get the chance to sit down and think of all the happy memories she had shared with her father? Even if at the end he had been corrupted... when they had lived together he had loved her as his daughter and she had loved him as only a filly can love her father. She could only hope, that once everything was over, she would have a quiet time to herself. “I have named Rainbow Dash the captain of my Shadowbolts.” Twilight’s head snapped up in surprise. “Rarity, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie are also performing missions for me.” The alicorn said, dead serious. As hard as it was to imagine her friends working for Nightmare Moon of all ponies, Twilight knew that she was telling the truth. “Now,” the dark alicorn’s eyes turned towards the blue unicorn, who had cringed to the point of not being able to look up. “Trixie. You are going to tell us what you saw, do I make myself clear?” Trixie cringed once more, then felt somepony stand next to her. She looked up into Big Macintosh's eyes as the stallion nodded encouragingly. “Trixie... was sent to the past and witnessed how Princess Twilight's wings were enchanted away from her body, as well as most of her power, to protect her from an Assassins’ Guild.” Silent Jade's eyes went wide and she looked up to Nightmare Moon, shaking her head at the showmare’s implication. The Nightmare nodded in understanding, concentrating on the blue unicorn’s words. “The spell was more powerful than they thought. Trixie...” the magician looked at the alicorn and coughed as she corrected herself. “... I was somehow brought back to life by it, and then I was sent back here.” “The magic of the ĉambro then returned to Twilight's body, reviving her since it was made of her life essence and magic, which were trapped in there. There was enough power in this room and the ĉambro to also bring you back to life... However, since Twilight’s horn had been broken off during her battle, all she got was extra magic and her wings back.” Nightmare Moon surmised. She then turned to face Twilight. “My dear niece, I have good news and bad news. Which would you like to hear first?” Twilight shook her head. She was Celestia's filly? Her eyes teared up, she was Celestia's filly! She had been living with her real mother all those years and she had not known it! Neither of them had! She would always love her adoptive parents... but... she had felt for a long time now a deeper connection to Celestia throughout the years, and if she was honest with herself, she had seen the Princess as a mother figure for a very long time now. She forced herself back to the moment when she heard Nightmare Moon cough impatiently. “I... good news first?” “Very well.” Nightmare Moon nodded. “The good news is that your mother will be able to remember everything once we return her to normal. At this point in time she is so paranoid about memory spells and illusion magic that she’s no-doubt cast a spell to protect her from interference. We just need to break through. Once that happens, we need to get your horn back and you should be able to do take it back and be a whole alicorn again. And I have a plan for that already in motion.” Twilight nodded numbly. Why was Nightmare Moon helping her?! “And... the bad news?” “You are full of more magic than ever ever before... enough for an alicorn twice your age even, and you have no way to control, curve or contain it.” Soarin' watched nervously as Jade, Trixie and Twilight gasped in comprehension. “Uh... what does that mean, for us non-magically versed ponies?” “It means that if we don't get the horn back soon...” “I'll explode...” Twilight groaned. “But... if she needs the horn... how is she gettin' it?” Applejack asked, scratching the ground nervously. “Twilight Spark is not just goin' to just give it to her.” “Of course not.” Nightmare Moon said. “For Twilight Sparkle to live...” She narrowed her eyes and her tone became grave. “Twilight Spark has to die.” o.0.o “That's not much of a stage...” Scootaloo said, looking up at the gallows. “I don't think there's space for that many ponies... okay, maybe four or five, but what's with the ropes?” Sweetie Belle looked nervous. “This... this is not a show, is it?” she looked up at Cinnamon, who kept her eyes ahead. The mare sighed, closed her eyes and shook her head. “But... but...” the young unicorn's eyes teared up. “This is not... who would do something like this! ?” Apple Bloom and Scootaloo looked at each other before standing close to their friend. “What's wrong, Sweetie Belle?” the earth pony asked. To the side, Daisy Sprout looked in confusion from them to her parents. “Mom? Dad? What's happening?” The pony guard who had led them to the front of the crowd grimaced, but stayed put. Although he technically was supposed to return to his unit, the commander had given him the Look. The Look meant that it was to his discretion to decide when to leave. Seeing these fillies slowly realizing that something was wrong... he couldn't simply leave. He'd stay, and then help the two adult unicorns guide the four fillies out of the plaza. “Mom?” Daisy Sprout insisted. “Darling... I-” Whatever the mare was about to say was interrupted by the sounds of trumpets. o.0.o The crowd gasped as the gates to the castle opened in the distance and a procession started marching down with the bright-white form of Nightmare Flare at the head. Each one of the alicorn’s steps was marked by a searing flame that left a trail of hoof marks on the stone she walked upon. Her platinum regalia looked blood-red from the light of the eclipse, contrasting sharply with the white-hot of her flaming coat. The helm and spikes gave her a terrifying air of aggressiveness, and more than one pony trembled from her sheer presence. To her right, Twilight Spark marched, a proud smile on her face, eyes shinning with magical energy. Flanking the pair were five creatures. They were a twisted mockery of equine anatomy, something straight out of nightmares... the strongest looking one, with a bright orange mane had four wings, two bat-like and two feathered pegasus wings. From it’s chin down, scales protected the neck and belly going back to the end of a very dragon-like tail with small spikes at the tip. It’s forelegs ended in sharp claws, but her back legs remained equine in nature, with almost normal but deeply black hoofs. Its shoulders and the rest of her body were still covered in bright yellow fur. The creature’s face remained like that of a pony, but closer in shape to that of Celestia, its eyes were an ember red, glowing with intensity, and the closest ponies could see that beneath its smile lay serrated teeth. The other creatures looked like living shadows of the first one. Lacking colors and almost leaving no trail behind them other than shivering ponies, the creatures stared ahead; featureless and eyeless faces scanning the crowd from time to time, as if they expected the ponies in the crowd to attack at any moment. Nightmare Flare and Twilight reached the plaza, the guards had little trouble pushing the few stragglers the shadow creatures had not scared away. The pair climbed up stairs to stand proudly in a balcony to the right of the gallows. The alicorn turned to look at the other balcony across from her own. Dark blue mist, glistening with starlight, formed a whirlpool on top of it and two ponies stepped out. In the middle, Nightmare Moon stood proudly, bowing her head in acknowledgment to her sister. Jade stood to the dark queen's right, the assassin staring dispassionately at the gallows. A sudden tremor in the air made the gathered ponies look up. The crowd gasped as three pegasi in dark uniforms split the air above them as they passed overhead. The middle one leaving a rainbow behind as the other two left trails of dark smoke that crackled with lightning. The pegasi pulled up and another one seemed to emerge out of the air and performed a spiral of lightning and smoke around the trails left behind the other three and falling in line besides the leader.", "Jade stood to the dark queen's right, the assassin staring dispassionately at the gallows. A sudden tremor in the air made the gathered ponies look up. The crowd gasped as three pegasi in dark uniforms split the air above them as they passed overhead. The middle one leaving a rainbow behind as the other two left trails of dark smoke that crackled with lightning. The pegasi pulled up and another one seemed to emerge out of the air and performed a spiral of lightning and smoke around the trails left behind the other three and falling in line besides the leader. The group split into two pairs, the middle ponies, consisting of the leader with the rainbow trail and the late arrival sped up while the other two banked to the side. Each started to spiral down towards the plaza, joined in their slow descent by two more pegasi. The four alighted on each side of Nightmare Moon's balcony just as the two leaders left behind descended, one to land facing the crowd at ground level, the other to land at Nightmare Moon's left, to the sound of awed ponies thoroughly impressed by the theatrics. o.0.o “That's Rainbow Dash!” Apple Bloom said, staring at the mare that now stood next to Nightmare Moon. The rainbow-maned pegasus was shooting a curious glance down at one of the pegasi on ground level. “Amazing...” Scootaloo whispered. “Did you see those moves?! All of them are pros! I would recognize those three at the center anywhere! I bet that's Soarin' in the middle, and Misty and Blast!” “But who are the other two?” Sweetie Belle asked blinking. “Is that... next to Blast... is that... Fluttershy? !” The three looked at the slightly cringing Shadowbolt standing slightly behind Blast and casting worried looks around. It was when the unidentified Shadowbolt met their gaze, and they saw her gasp that they had their answer. “Since when is she a member of the Wonderbolts? !” Scootaloo asked, awed. “Ah don't know if they are Wonderbolts right now, Scootaloo,” Apple Bloom said. “Ah thought the uniforms were different.” “They're called the ‘Shadowbolts’ now,” The guard who had remained with them said, startling them and the three unicorns that had been quietly listening in to the Crusader's conversation. “They are Nightmare Moon's elite fliers.” “But... this is so wrong!” Scootaloo finally said. “Why are Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and the Wonderbolts working for Nightmare Moon?! It doesn't make any sense!” “There are a lot of things that have gone wrong in the last couple of days.” The guard whispered gently. “I would have never thought either of them would serve the evil Nightmare Moon...” A murmur from the crowds made them pause as they turned towards Nightmare Flare, who was watching in interest as an orange mare walked slowly up the balcony to stand next to Twilight Spark, who grinned widely and nuzzled said mare, who proceeded to blush heavily. “I-is that...” Sweetie Belle stammered. “My sister? !” Apple Bloom's eyes were the size of dinner-plates as she watched her older sister nuzzle the dangerous unicorn before bowing submissively to Nightmare Flare, who smirked and nodded. “Maybe she cast a spell on them!” Apple Bloom said suddenly. “It's the only way this could be happening! My sister is no traitor!” “Yeah! Rainbow Dash would never follow Nightmare Moon!” “Neither would Fluttershy,” Sweetie Belle added firmly. “There ain’t no spell on them,” a voice said from behind them. “But, ah can tell you this; things are not what they seem.” The three unicorns and the guard watched in trepidation as the three little ponies blanched and turned around to look up at the cloaked pony that stood next to the group. They couldn’t see his face but a piece of hay stuck out of the hood bobbing up and down as if the stallion was chewing on it. “Now,” he continued. “Ah reckon ah should be asking what you three are doin' here in this plaza so far away from home, but ah also reckon ah will not like the answer either way.” “Now, see here...” Cinnamon said, stepping before the stallion. “I don't know who you think you are but I am currently in charge of these three fillies and...” The stallion looked down at her and smiled. “Ah appreciate the sentiment, ma'am, but as Apple Bloom's brother, ah reckon ah can put my two bits into the conversation.” Cinnamon blinked. “Oh.” “Now,” Big Macintosh said, looking at the group, including the guard. “This is very important. When things start happening, you, all of you, have to run away. That includes you Mr. and Mrs. Tricks and little Daisy Sprout too. Ah promised that ah would do what ah could to warn y'all, and ah see that y'all have some protection.” he looked at the guard, who nodded. “Ah can't tell you what is goin' to happen. But it will not be pretty. So y'all make sure they get out of here safe, y'hear?” The guard gulped at the look the big stallion gave him, but his eyes narrowed in determination and he nodded firmly. Big Mac smiled and gave the guard a friendly punch on the shoulder. “Thank y'all. What is your name, soldier?” “Ebon Rain, sir.” “Y'all take care of yourself too, Rain.” Big Mac said, turning around and mixing into the crowd. Soon there was no sign of him. The group stared into the crowd until Daisy Sprout blinked. “Wait... how did he know my name? !” o.0.o Nightmare Flare spoke, her voice boomed over the plaza, silencing all the ponies that were gathered there. “Ponies of Canterlot.” she started, her eyes sweeping the crowd drawing all attention towards her. “We will correct once and for all the mistakes made by certain foalish ponies by punishing those responsible. With this example, we want to make it perfectly clear where we all stand. We sisters as your rulers, and all of you, as our dear and LOYAL subjects. To this end, we have the unfortunate but necessary duty to see through the punishment of those that have mocked our status and rightful place. Those who would conspire against us.” she turned towards the castle and her horn flared. The gates opened once more and a group of ponies emerged from the Castle. Six guards in total, three on each side of a lone mint-green unicorn held by two chains attached to a metal band around her neck. The ponies in the crowd were silent as the procession made its way down towards the gallows. Apple Bloom stared in horror. “Is that... Lyra?” “Yes.” Ebon Rain nodded. “Apparently she joined a rebellion against the Queens.” “But... Lyra's not...” Scootaloo looked at the guard in confusion. “She's just a musician! What did she do wrong?” “She challenged the Queen.” the unicorn guard sighed. “Then she made fun of her. Queen Nightmare Flare does not take kindly to those that mock her.” They watched in silence as Lyra was led up the stairs by a guard until she stood in the center of the gallows. “Lyra.” Nightmare Flare's voice was smooth. “Your crimes are as follow: sedition, mocking authority, conspiracy against the Queens, and protecting wanted individuals. You know your crimes. Will you repent, now?” Lyra sighed. “Your majesties.” she said clearly, looking first at Nightmare Flare, then towards Nightmare Moon. “I have offended you and worked against you... my punishment is therefore just... I... I wish...” Nightmare Flare shot her sister a slightly smug look, before concentrating again on the unicorn. “Do tell me, dear Lyra, what is it that you wish?” “I have always wished to perform for you and for your sister... at least once.” Lyra said slowly. “If it pleases you, my Queens, I would fulfill that wish as my last act.” Again the solar alicorn turned to look at her sister, this time arching an eyebrow. From across the plaza Nightmare Moon stared at the unicorn before looking at Nightmare Flare. The black alicorn shook her head ever so slightly. Nightmare Flare smirked. “Very well. But you shall not be alone on stage.” Her horn shimmered as her magic coursed through it and a cracked and charred medallion floated next to her. The crowd stood there, confused, until two screams tore through it. A unicorn and an earth pony were pulled into the air by two similar, but complete medallions. “Ah.” Nightmare Flare grinned. “There you are.” “I recognize them...” Twilight Spark whispered to Applejack. “The Earth Pony is Golden Pot-belly, he’s a known merchant with strong ties with several ponies in the court. The other is Flying Staff, one of the teachers at the academy.” The two were levitated, struggling, onto the gallows where they were promptly bound by the guards and put to each side of Lyra, nooses tight around their necks. The mint-green unicorn didn't spare them a glance as her harp was given to her by one guard. Nightmare Flare grinned and nodded. Lyra played, one hoof holding her harp as the other strummed the strings with amazing skill, her horn flickering to aid with magic the creation of the music. Her melody was sad. It was slow and contemplative, yet... some of the undertones of it felt angry if the listener paid attention. Slowly, it enveloped the whole crowd, shushing the mutterings and whispers as the nostalgic tones touched something deep inside everypony. The melancholic music wound its way into every spectator, and Lyra's horn started to glow brighter. Few ponies caught the tears in her eyes when she closed them and gave herself to the music, letting each movement and feel of the strings bare her soul to the crows, and more importantly, the Queen. With each note her horn's light increased, and each pony surrendered to her melody. In her balcony, Nightmare Flare stood stock still, eyes wide as she was unable to tear her eyes from the playing unicorn. Slowly tears welled in her eyes until they began running freely down her face. “T-this melody... how...” Twilight Spark shook her head. There was something wrong happening, she could feel it... the magic in everypony was resonating with the music... how had Lyra... she groaned and shook her head again, focusing. “Spitfire!” she growled finally as the music faded a bit. Nightmare Flare was still paralyzed in place. “Lyra cast a spell of some sort on our Queen! Stop her!” The Captain of the Guard was immediately in the air, her flight taking her straight at the unicorn, but just as she was about plunge her claws into the unicorn, a pair of black blurs collided with her, sending all three crashing onto the plaza. The crowd panicked and backed up screaming, allowing Twilight Spark to stare in surprise at Spitfire's antagonists... “Rainbow Dash? !” she shouted. “What? Why? !” “And what am I?” Soarin' grumbled at being ignored. “Soggy hay?” Twilight Spark flinched when she heard something behind her. She shot a quick glance that revealed that Nightmare Flare's regalia had cracked in several places, her helm-like crown had even started falling apart. “I have to... oof!” she never completed her thoughts as a green-maned unicorn in black clothes rammed onto her side, sending her over the side of the balcony to land painfully on the plaza below. She looked up in confusion as Jade jumped over the balcony railing to land next to her, with the purple-winged Shadowbolt landing hesitantly next to her. The four shadows swiftly created a perimeter around Nightmare Flare, who groaned and stepped back as more of her armor slowly broke off. “N-nightmare Moon has betrayed us!” Twilight Spark shouted as she stood up, horn flashing. “Royal Escort! Do your jobs and take them down!” The four shadows jumped into the air, a pair flying towards Nightmare Moon, one rushing to help Spitfire while another rushed Jade and the pegasus. Before the shadow aiding Twilight Spark got too far, it was interrupted by two lassos that slipped neatly around its neck, stopping it short when they tightened. The twisted unicorn felt her stomach grow cold as she followed the lasso that had come from the balcony. “Applejack?” she whispered. The apple farmer looked down at her with a mixture of emotions, but she did not let go of the rope. The shadow chimera thrashed around, pulling both Applejack and Big Macintosh a few inches forward, but neither brother nor sister gave any sign of slackening their hold. Tearing her eyes away from Twilight Spark, the farm mare jumped from the balcony to land on top of the chimera, which started bucking and twisting, trying to shake off the pony on its back. Twilight Spark clenched her teeth and turned to face Jade and the unknown, purple-winged pegasus. “I don't know what inspired you to attack us, but you'll regret it!” Her horn started glowing, but before she could cast anything she was forced to jump back to avoid Jade's blade. The pegasus hovered uncertainly, and Spark thanked Nightmare Flare that it was hesitating so much. She just needed to concentrate on the assassin. o.0.o Twilight Sparkle watched the green-maned unicorn fight her double and tried to think of ways to help. She didn't know this body well... she had an instinctual grasp of flying, but... it wasn't as though she could perform any tricks, much less fight! Without her horn she was pretty much useless! Not that Jade actually needed help. It was almost awe inspiring how fluid the unicorn's motions were. Whenever Spark would charge a spell, the white unicorn would already be within striking distance, and would break the purple unicorn's concentration. Minor spells were easier to cast, but also easier to dodge. It was obvious Twilight Spark was getting frustrated, but she was taking hits that Twilight was sure she would have never been able to. What had Nightmare Flare created? Speaking of whom... Twilight looked up at the balcony to find that the right half Nightmare Flare's armor had broken off, and the fur under it looked... normal. The subtle white of Celestia's fur. Seeing that Jade and Twilight Spark were busy with each other, the purple pegasus flew up to the balcony. o.0.o “S-Spitfire? !” Rainbow Dash stammered as she finally got a good look at the chimera. “Rainbow Dash...” the creature chuckled. “Didn’t I tell you you didn’t need to be so rough with me” she licked her lips with a pronged tongue, making the rainbow-maned pegasus shiver. The Chimera turned to look at the other pegasus. “And Soarin'... my, that Shadowbolt uniform suits you well.” “What happened to you?” the male pegasus asked. “We heard that Nightmare Flare cast a spell on you but-” “The Queen showed me where my loyalty should lie and gave me power to back it up.” the former pegasus grinned. “I will take care of Lyra and then we three can talk.” “No can do.” Rainbow Dash said, stepping in front of the gallows. “If you want Lyra, you have to go through me first!” “And me.” Soarin' added, stepping next to Rainbow Dash. “This is not good, Spitfire. This is not you, look at what happened! You're not even a pony now!” Spitfire's eyes narrowed. “The Queen warned me that there would be traitors even amongst my loved ones...” she grimaced showing rows of pointy teeth. “I will perform my duties!” With an angry, draconic roar that no equine could possibly produce, the chimera launched herself into the air, pursued immediately by the two Shadowbolts. o.0.o “Stay back, Fluttershy!” Misty shouted as she and Blast jumped into the air to engage the chimera flying their way. “We'll handle this one!” Fluttershy nodded, but her eyes went back to the three... no four fillies that were huddled under two adult unicorns and a unicorn guard, who had cast a shield over them as he looked around. She looked back towards the other Shadowbolts as they each tackled the chimera from different angles. Above, on the balcony, Nightmare Moon jumped into the air, clashing with her own attacker, leaving her alone while everypony fought. Gathering her courage, she galloped to the unicorn group. “Fluttershy!” Sweetie Belle looked at the pegasus with horror. “What's happening?” “Oh my...” the cream-colored pegasus shook her head. “You shouldn’t be here... none of you. It's very dangerous!” Nearby, a pony scrambled to get out of the way before a shadow chimera crashed down onto him, the beast thrashing about and injuring several other ponies with its flailing limbs as it tried to right itself. It started to get up, only to be violently pushed back onto a building by the combined strength of Blast and Misty as they landed with all the momentum they had accumulated on the shadow creature. “You think? !” the guard growled as the fillies and two parents stared in horror at the mangled corpse next to them. “We need to get out of here! But there's no place safe to run with all the ponies around!” Fluttershy looked around wildly. “There! Under the balcony! It should provide some protection!” The guard nodded, following the crusaders. He stopped when he noticed the Shadowbolt was not following them. “What about you?” Fluttershy looked at the battle raging around them, then at the ponies moaning in pain at her hoofs. “I'm staying here... somepony needs to start helping the injured.” Ebon Rain was speechless. He and the rest of the guards had simply believed that the group of fillies had turned evil along with the Princesses and Sparkle, but this was clearly not the case. Fluttershy was clearly scared, but willing to help, and if the Shadowbolts were trying to help... he looked up at Nightmare Moon. Maybe not all was lost. “Fluttershy!” he called as she stepped forward. When she looked at him he smiled. “You're a captain! Order the other soldiers to help you! They're just standing there doing nothing!” he turned around and ushered his charges as the pegasus galloped towards the other guards. All they needed was somepony with authority, and Fluttershy was that pony. o.0.o While its brethren fought their enemies, the last of the shadow chimeras circled above. It followed the different fights in its corrupted mind, trying to decide who to attack. The ponies running in the plaza were not a target... it was then that it sensed the music. As Lyra's melody unfolded, the music and magic sought Nightmare Flare as moths seek out a flame. The Sun Queen let out a pained gasp of horror as pieces of her armor cracked and flaked off, powerful spasms shaking her body as the spell continued to fulfil its objective. Flying up and doing a barrel turn, the chimera shot down towards the gallows. o.0.o Trixie watched anxiously as Applejack and Big Macintosh took turns bucking the shadow chimera, each attacking when it was distracted by the other, keeping it from retaliating with their ropes. Her instructions were to remain hidden and help whichever group needed her the most. So far things seemed to be working for them, but how long was that going to last? Trixie’s attention was split, between the Shadowbolts, the Apples, Jade, Twilight's unexpected flight towards Nightmare Flare, and the safety of her family and those with them. A guard had guided them under the balcony where Nightmare Moon had originally stood. The black alicorn had taken flight and was easily tossing the chimera that attacked her around like a rag-doll, keeping her eyes on Flare and Twilight. A shout drew her attention up towards the Shadowbolts. The Shadow chimera had batted one out of the way with its wings, and taken advantage of the other’s distraction to slam its hoofs with incredible force on the pegasus’ side. The red and yellow-maned shadowbolt flew through the air almost too fast to follow and crashed through one of the columns holding Nightmare Moon's balcony steady, smashing into the guard watching over her family. The unicorn had been preoccupied with them and had been concentrating his magic to divert fleeing ponies and potential threats, he had no chance to dodge or brace himself. Both ponies slammed against the brick wall of the building. The wooden structure groaned and half of it fell, several planks burying her parents and making the four fillies scream as the rest of it tilted down. Without any of the adult unicorns they would be crushed to death! Immediately Trixie's horn shone with magic, levitating the structure just as it was about to crush all of them. She grunted under the effort, but was confident that she could hold it in place long enough for- The crash almost made her lose her concentration, the balcony falling freely a few inches before she caught it again. She turned to look at the chimera that had descended onto the gallows and had smashed the levers keeping the trapdoors under Lyra and the other two ponies closed. Neighing in a way that almost sounded like laughter, the shadow then pushed off to attack Nightmare Moon. Her horn flashed a second time and she managed to catch all three in her levitation spell. Amazingly Lyra still played, her eyes focused on Nightmare Flare. Trixie strained. She couldn't hold all of it! Slowly, and guiltily, she felt her control slip as she pushed energy into those that she cared for. The magic surrounding Golden Pot-belly failed and she could hear his neck snap from the fall and sudden jolt. The unicorn struggled harder, panicking and making the showmare’s job even more difficult. Sweat ran down her forehead as she tried to intensify her control, but eventually the unicorn followed the fate of the earth pony. His neck didn't quite break immediately, and she watched in horror, unable to help, as he gasped for air, kicking and jerking until finally, with a shudder his body stopped moving. Only Lyra was left. Her music drifted in the wind, soothing, melancholic, sad... the mint-green unicorn turned to look at Trixie, who fell to one knee. “Lyra!” Trixie called, grunting with the effort. “Stop playing! Save yourself!” Lyra smiled softly and shook her head. “Let me go, Trixie... with the last of my magic I will complete the spell.” “But... you'll die!” The musician chuckled. “I'm already dead, Trixie,” she said softly, eyes half lidded as a single tear slipped down her cheek. “Please... save those fillies. Forget about me. You can't keep up the levitation for both of us.” Trixie's eyes teared up. She didn't want to fail. She didn’t want to see her new friends die. She had only known Lyra for a few hours while they plotted with Midnight, but Trixie had felt close to everypony in that group. Slowly her control went away. She could feel both Lyra and the balcony tremble. “Lyra...” The musician unicorn closed her eyes. The magic gave one last desperate pull, then faded. And suddenly she was falling. The harp hit the floor, shattering into three pieces, magic flashing out. On the balcony, Nightmare Flare collapsed with a cry of pain, an extremely worried Twilight Sparkle shouting for the Princess under the Nightmare. o.0.o “Hey, where are we going?” Bon-Bon asked Lyra, looking down at the dress her fillyfriend had asked her to wear. “It's an amazing place! There's nothing like it in Ponyville.” the unicorn replied, a smile brightening her face. “You'll love it!” Bon-Bon nodded as they walked. “So... about this ‘place’... what are we doing there? Having dinner? Meeting friends?” Lyra chuckled and kissed the earth pony on the cheek, earning a goofy grin. “Silly. This is just you and me tonight. So no, none of those.” “But then... what are we doing?” Bon-Bon asked as they turned a corner. She stared at the building. “Oh...” “That's right!” Lyra said, grabbing her hoof. “We're dancing!” o.0.o End Chapter 18 o.0.o f you want to hear an angrier version of the melody Lyra plays, check out THIS LINK at minute 2:16" ]

[ "The Empty Room Chapter 19 By Wanderer D Nightmare Moon watched as the procession made its way down from the castle, waiting until her sister had assumed her seat before signaling Rainbow Dash and the others that it was time to begin. Allowing her sister, despite the sun goddess' claim of equality between the sisters, to be seated first gave the impression of deference and slight submission. However, the impressive display of aerobatics from the Shadowbolts would make it look like she was being her usual overly theatrical self. Both actions would be appreciated by the older sister, showing Nightmare Moon to be one with respect for her elder, while not being to shy as to not grab all the attention she could. In short, a give and take which her sister would find amusing and slightly comforting. As long as Nightmare Moon fit into Flare's expectations, she would be less suspicious. The black alicorn forced herself to be impassive as the Solar Nightmare spoke to the crowds and then called for Lyra to be brought to the gallows. The black alicorn had had little knowledge of the musician besides what she had glimpsed from their brief encounter, and some would call the Nightmare a foal for entrusting somepony so easily with a task of such importance. But within Lyra's eyes she had seen an honest mare with more than enough willpower to pull it off -even if the unicorn was easily distracted by her belief in the way things ought to be. Giving her the means to stop Nightmare Flare and further Nightmare Moon's plans was risky to say the least, but she had faith in the unicorn. There was a chance Lyra didn’t have the magical fortitude to pull off the spell, as it involved tremendous emotional stress, and if the little unicorn failed... well, even then she had a back-up plan. For now, she had her own part to play. Hopefully the musician had mastered the melody thoroughly, or there would be no stopping Flare from hanging the unicorn. When Lyra asked for permission to play for the Queens, the black alicorn advised caution with a short shake of her head, earning a smile from her overconfident sister. The black alicorn wasn't surprised by her sister's confidence. She was, however, when Flare made the task easier as she dragged forward two members of the council of Nightmares from the crowd to be hanged alongside Lyra. Nightmare Moon hid a smile. Celly had always been one for shifting the playing field to her advantage. When Lyra started playing, the black alicorn immediately knew that her faith in the musician had been rewarded. Already from the first few notes she could see Nightmare Flare reacting. It wasn’t long before Twilight Spark noticed something was wrong and ordered their bodyguards to attack. Moon frowned as everypony exploded into action around her; Rainbow Dash and Soarin’ rushing to meet Spitfire, Jade and Twilight Sparkle heading straight for Twilight Spark; Misty and Blast clashing almost immediately with one of the shadow creatures in the air, while Applejack and Big Macintosh intercepted another. Lyra's melody was as strong as she had hoped it would be -the alicorn spared a moment to look down at the mint-green unicorn. She could feel so much pain, so much anguish coming from her... The Nightmare felt a sudden pang of regret from what she was putting the musician through... But the plan was working, and that’s what really mattered. On the other balcony, Nightmare Moon could see Flare paralyzed by a melody the Sun Queen hadn't heard for more than a thousand years. The music pried open her mind's eye, revealing to her memories of happier times even as the spell woven into the notes created a crack in Nightmare Flare's defenses. The music would have to continue as long as possible for it to complete its task. But her own task beckoned. Taking flight so she could see her objective more clearly, Nightmare Moon extended her magical senses to encompass herself and her sister. She knew her task would not be easy. She began weaving magic around her sister's aura first, probing and enveloping it with her own in a way that she would have never tried under other circumstances; it was an incredibly intimate and possibly uncomfortable thing to do to a magic user. Nightmare Moon watched carefully as Nightmare Flare remained static, eyes filling with recognition as memories began to surface. Soon sister, you will be free. What will you think then? How will you deal with what I had to after returning from being a Nightmare the very first time? The black alicorn’s eyes darkened at the sight of her sister trembling. The worst is yet to come, Celly. You will have to face your decisions. You will have to deal with the responsibility of having let the Nightmare loose... just like I do, every day and every night. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed one of the shadow monsters flying her way. Nightmare Moon gritted her teeth angrily. Under normal circumstances she could take care of the creature easily, but this task required the utmost care and attention. Without taking her eyes off of Nightmare Flare, she telekinetically grabbed a hold of the shadow chimera and held it writhing in place. It would not do for her to lose her concentration over so trivial a creature. o.0.o Nightmare Flare grinned. Lyra hadn't even batted an eye when she had ordered two more ponies to the noose. She nodded at the musician, and with the briefest of acknowledgments, the unicorn started strumming her lyre. The melody started slow, almost hesitant... but as the notes reached her, it awakened something deep in Nightmare Flare's heart... nostalgia. “T-this melody... how...” she stammered. Stop! Stop it! She thought furiously, feeling her defenses fall as the melody continued. The unicorn did not stop playing and the white alicorn felt her body sway slightly to the music. This is... the 'Requiem of the North'... how did she... realization struck her. Nightmare Moon... it had to be her... she betrayed me! Despite her best efforts, the Solar Nightmare felt herself being pulled into her memories... Celestia stood by herself in the room that once had belonged to her daughter. Despite the presence of a crib, books, a small table and toys, the room felt completely empty. The lack of life in it making the absence of her loved ones all the more pronounced as she stared at the horn on the floor. Twilight's horn was slightly burnt at the tip, the bottom part cracked and splintered. “Oh, Twilight...” she sighed. “In the search for my first child... I got my second daughter killed.” she said, looking tenderly at the horn. “I never told you, Twilight, how much you meant to me... how much of myself, and especially Luna I saw in you. You were such a beautiful filly, in mind and body... so innocent, but still so brave!” She had raised the purple unicorn as her own from the moment she had taken her in as a personal protégé. Twilight's education in the arcane arts was but one of the many skills and knowledge that the Princess had imparted on her. She had taught the unicorn how to behave in court, how to approach nobles and common citizens alike. Under the alicorn's watchful eyes, the studious Twilight had grown into a fine mare. True, the purple unicorn had been a bit withdrawn, but she had finally made friends. It had been Twilight, with just a bit of encouragement, who had gathered the Bearers of the Elements and brought back her sister, Luna. “I owe you so much, my Twilight...” the Princess whispered. “And now you are gone... and I have to accept that... I will find the ponies behind this... and they will pay.” She stared at the empty room for a moment before sighing in resignation. “But that will not bring you back. At least I know death is kind... even if he is a bit odd.” she chuckled. “But how can I go on right now, my faithful student, when you will not be at my side again? When your reports will not come to me and break the monotony of the court? When the actual joy of you being alive and part of my life... is gone?” Celestia lowered her head to her hoofs. “And yet, I must. For if not I, who? I only have this night to mourn you, and then, when the time for the sun to rise comes, I will have no choice but to return to my duty and raise it from its slumber. I cannot show this to anyone; I cannot be open, or honest or fragile... even dear Luna needs to see me be strong for her sake... I fear I have become spoiled my student... for within the last two decades not only did I get my dear sister back... I had you.” “And you can have her again...” a voice whispered almost in her ear, making it twitch. “Who’s there? !” Celestia asked, she quicly stood up and glared around the room, searching for the origin of the voice. “Don't you mean... how?” the voice whispered back. Celestia clenched her mouth shut as she looked carefully around again. There was no way anypony could have crossed her field... so who... “Not 'who'” the voice whispered again. “How. How can I get her back? How can I get my daughter back?” “Show yourself,” Celestia growled. “Turn around... yes... you can see me there...” the voice directed as she looked at one of the walls. There seemed to be somepony there... she approached carefully until she stood, staring. “That's not you.” “Yes... it is.” the voice said again. And she saw the pony in front of her mouth the words, just as she had mouthed the words she had said earlier. “You are not me.” Celestia insisted, staring hard at the mirror. “You are drifting from what really matters but if you must know...” her image replied. “I am your inner voice, I am the power within yourself able to bring Twilight Sparkle back to life.” “That can't be done.” Celestia replied angrily. “If you were me you would know!” “I am... and that's how I know it to be possible.” The Princess shook her head... the voice was seductive... Could it be as her mirror image had suggested? If there was a chance to bring Twilight back... “There is!” The voice insisted, her thoughts betraying her. “You know it... just as well as you know your love for that filly... it is not right for her life to be cut so short... not when she was just trying to help you! We know, don't we... that it was unfair... that it was uncalled for.” the broken horn, not even half the size of Celestia's own floated in front of the mirror now, spinning lazily, held by an unseen force. “Y-yes...” Celestia admitted. “She was so young...” she felt tears and was about to fight them but... “There is no need to hide your tears from yourself,” her mirror image said, her voice heavy with kindness. “Who is there to impress? Who is there to see you be a tiny bit sad... fragile? You are alone... not even our dear daughter is here to see us... our sister has to hold the fort for now until we bring Twilight Sparkle back... she is strong; she can handle it...” “But...” “Twilight Sparkle needs us... she needs us to do what needs to be done... she needs us to use our magic and power to bring her back... for her... we should do it for her...” “But how?” Celestia finally asked. “How can I bring her back?” “Find me.” “What?” the alicorn blinked. “Where can I find you?” “I am within you... I am... a spark... within you... you have never needed me before, because you have not loved so much before.” “Within me?” Celestia closed her eyes and turned her attentions inward. She searched deep. Going deeper than she had ever gone before. Everything was light, like being under direct sunlight. “I can't find you!” “I am here...” the voice whispered “You already know me... Look beyond.” The alicorn’s gaze returned to the horn as her thoughts raced in her mind. Was Twilight’s life worth it? Yes, she had decided, there was no doubt about that. Every thought of her deceased pupil brought pain to her heart. She might not have brought her into this world, but Celestia and Twilight were as close as any family... what type of pony would she have to be to let the little unicorn come to harm? Nothing since losing Luna had made her feel so powerless and trapped by rules set down by herself. She had let so many others die, she had selflessly fought to keep a balance in the world, to keep Equestria safe at an incredible personal cost. Each death of a loved one chipped away at her soul and sapped her determination over thousands of years of meeting and allowing ponies into her life. Her subjects expected her to be above such little things as feelings. She was immortal and wise and powerful after all, surely she would get over it. True, she was immortal, and it was true that the average life-span of a pony went so quickly... but she lived with them, every day and night... Her subjects... her friends, lovers, students, colleagues... they all left their mark and she enjoyed every second of their lives and grieved for each death. And out of all of them, a single and most studious unicorn shone like a beacon of happiness in her life; a unicorn she had feared she would lose eventually... but not without a fight. It could be called selfishness, but she didn’t care. Celestia looked. And she looked. And she searched... until she got to the edge of the light, where the shadows at the absolute edge of her subconscious were. She stopped. She should be careful, it was easy to forget she was not- “Princess!” a voice she easily recognized called from within. “Twilight? !” “Princess! I'm scared! I can't see anything! There's... something pulling me away!” “Don't worry, Twilight! I'll...” “Princess...” Twilight's voice seemed to fade into the distance. “TWILIGHT!” Celestia shouted, plunging into the darkness. “Where are you? !” “She's almost gone!” her mirror-voice shouted. “Release your inner power!” And Celestia felt it... a shell of some sort, floating in the darkness. Her horn started to glow as she charged towards it. “Twilight! I'm coming!” She knew this was a bad idea but... she would kill to protect Twilight. She admitted to herself. She never wanted to live through the death somepony she loved so much. She would betray herself and cause untold levels of destruction only if it would bring her beloved student back. She would hurt whoever stepped in her way and Twilight’s return. Because she was tired of losing those she loved so much. Because she was tired of being selfless to the point losing herself. Her horn struck the shell. It didn't budge, her own mind and subconscious fighting against her. There were very few things she would not do for Twilight Sparkle. She would make things right... she would get back both her daughters... The alicorn reared back and struck the shell again. This time it cracked and magic and power poured out in a torrent that threw her out of her mindscape and into reality. Princess Celestia snapped out of her meditation and glared at the horn. “How dare anypony hurt Twilight?! What type of monster would murder such a sweet unicorn? They should be punished...” Something inside her stirred, her body shook with adrenaline and energy. Slowly, tendrils of power began to wrap around her, solidifying into armor. Something inside her pulsed with energy and Celestia gasped with the thrill of magic unlike anything she had ever felt before... “I am ready to come out to the world... to teach my enemies to never threaten my loved ones...” She shook her head. Twilight came first. The severed horn was enveloped in energy. It levitated until it floated at eye-level. “Twilight...” Celestia whispered as her magic turned the horn around and used it to carve a deep gash into the alicorn's shoulder, allowing blood to flow and cover it. The magic coursing through her body immediately healed it, not even allowing her to register pain. The blood-covered horn lit up, the residual magic inside of it giving off sparks of light in tandem with Celestia's heartbeat. The Princess concentrated. She needed all her precious memories of Twilight. She remembered the unicorn's early childhood, where she would be pushy and unintentionally rough when she wanted something, especially any of the books she loved. She remembered the little filly playing with Spike, tossing pillows around and chasing him in her room until the whole place was wrecked. She remembered the lessons in magic she had taught Twilight... her darker inner-self conjuring the lectures on combat magic to the forefront. Celestia tried to put it into perspective... she had warned Twilight to be very selective on using them... “But not anymore. I won't lose her again.” As she succumbed to her darker self, Celestia found herself struggling to bring positive memories to the fore of her mind. Slowly the ghostly silhouette of a unicorn formed from the severed horn. “Her new body needs to be stronger... able to withstand attacks that would leave any other pony crippled.” The alicorn groaned, fighting to make sense of what she should do and what her inner self was saying. The mane formed, falling around the horn in Twilight’s usual mane-style... “Her horn should be longer, deadlier. She should be able to skewer an enemy.” While reinforcing the muscles, the Nightmare grinned. “Twilight will never lose again. She will never leave me.” Celestia continued watching in silence as the process continued... The coat became visible, darker than she remembered. She frowned. “Am, I doing something wrong?” “No.” She told herself. “It is not wrong... she's darker, yes, but that will give enemies pause... she is taller and stronger... much more powerful than before.” The cutie-mark slowly came into view on her flank, the straight lines of the stars twisted almost to look like wavy blades. “That's not right...” Celestia said, confusion showing in her now dragon-like eyes. “It looks strange...” “Her magic is stronger.” she reasoned. “It's natural for a cutie-mark to change a bit to reflect that.” When she opened her eyes, lavender and red irises regarded Nightmare Flare as the alicorn’s regalia molded around her new form. Celestia smiled at the sight of a breathing, living Twilight. “Welcome back, my daughter.” the Nightmare said as the last vestiges of the old Celestia faded into her subconscious. The newly-resurrected unicorn nuzzled the alicorn. “It's good to be back, mother.” She snapped back to the present, thankful for the short reprieve from her memories. The music continued unrelenting, however, still holding her enthralled. The melody, a requiem from thousands of years ago, was being played along with one of the most potent memory spells in history. With enough time it would destroy any shield, any mental protection at the whim of the unicorn player. She had thought it lost to time. But now she was under siege from it. Unable to stop listening, she felt her mental defenses buckling under the power of the melody. Each note drove into her mind like a red-hot spike. Through the haze of pain, vague images and sounds forced their way through... a wave of foreign memories that somehow felt like her own. “Is this necessary?” A tiny filly alicorn cuddled up in bed next to her. She felt tired, so tired... but proud. And strong. Scenes flashed by until she was looking at a mage... she knew this unicorn. Eldritch... he had disappeared twenty years ago without explanation. “I have devised a rune matrix that, once started, will conclude the whole spell, finishing by teleporting all of you back to your rooms...” he was saying. Another flash, red-hot pain in her mind. Whistling winds, cracking thunder, an unknown unicorn suddenly appearing in the runic room. Midnight and Star Dancer bowed before her. “Do we have to forget?” Filly Twilight blinking in the light, muttering her first word. “Please take care of my daughter...” Her first word had been... It had been... Mommy. A battle raged around her, but the nightmare could see only the memories as they relentlessly buffeted her mind. And as the last note of Lyra's melody pierced her psyche, destroying all remnants of her defenses, the memories tearing into her very soul, Celestia was ripped free from her slumber and Nightmare Flare collapsed, her last conscious thought on how unlikely it was that she heard Twilight's voice......calling for Celetsia. o.0.o After Ebon Rain, the Cutie Mark Crusaders and the three unicorns with them made it to the relative protection under of the balcony, Fluttershy realized she didn't know where to look, or where to go. The moment she had turned around to look at the crowd, she had been overwhelmed by the sheer amount of ponies around her. Surprisingly, although a few groups had started running about in a panic, most of the ponies stood nervously in place. Even after one of the shadow chimeras had crashed to the plaza ground, killing a pony and injuring many others, the majority remained in place, watching in confusion and fear as if they could not believe what was happening right in front of them. The pegasus stepped gingerly into the area where the fight had been brought to ground level. There were dozens of wounded all around her... and where the shadow creature had landed on top of a pony... her whole body shook, her first instinct was to run, but the pegasus was rooted to the spot... Fluttershy could do nothing but stare. She had never seen something like this, or even imagined it could happen! She was used to treating small wounds on animals... not... not the carnage in front of her! Fluttershy started to hyperventilate. She had no experience in- the sound of splintering wood brought her back to reality. The pegasus then heard Lyra's melody over the chaos of screaming ponies and everything looking bleak... if the mint-colored unicorn could continue her fight with a noose around her neck and being in the center of all the chaos, Fluttershy could do no less. The pink-maned pegasus muttered a quick prayer to Princess Celestia, which she stopped with a fearful glance at Nightmare Flare, and instead decided to go with a quieter one to Nightmare Moon. She quickly galloped towards the perimeter of guards. “E-excuse me, sir...” Fluttershy asked one of the guards urgently. “We... we h-have to... organize a-and help evacuate and... take care of... the injured... if you want... that is...” The guards either couldn't hear her or pretended she wasn't there. Fluttershy bit her lower lip. There was another crack, and she looked up in horror as the balcony almost collapsed on top of the Crusaders and another filly! Where was the guard? And the filly's parents? A soft blue glow enveloped the balcony. Letting out the breath she had been holding, Fluttershy turned her eyes towards the crowd, where a light blue unicorn poured her magic out. The cream-colored pegasus’ eyes widened as she recognized the unicorn. She looked back to the Crusaders and suddenly it clicked in her mind that the little filly standing with the three friends was wearing Trixie's cape. She looked back at the showmare. Trixie had a sister? The sheer scale of what was happening threatened to make her faint. Whole families were here under Nightmare Flare's orders. Fillies even younger than the Crusaders, older brothers, sisters, parents... all of them scared and unable to act as monsters fought all around them. Her train of thought was derailed when a chimera suddenly landed on the gallows platform with a screeching neigh that sent shivers down the pegasus' back. Its claws smashing the mechanism that kept the trapdoors under the ponies closed, causing them to open with a snap before launching itself into the air.", "The sheer scale of what was happening threatened to make her faint. Whole families were here under Nightmare Flare's orders. Fillies even younger than the Crusaders, older brothers, sisters, parents... all of them scared and unable to act as monsters fought all around them. Her train of thought was derailed when a chimera suddenly landed on the gallows platform with a screeching neigh that sent shivers down the pegasus' back. Its claws smashing the mechanism that kept the trapdoors under the ponies closed, causing them to open with a snap before launching itself into the air. She closed her eyes, not wanting to see... but when Lyra's music continued playing, they snapped open and she stared at the sight of Trixie levitating both the balcony and the ponies. Fluttershy sighed in relief. Confident that Trixie had everything under control, she took a deep breath. A cry from the showmare made her open her eyes in horror, just in time to see the showmare’s control slip and one of the ponies fall, breaking its neck with an audible snap at the jerk of the noose. “Somepony... please...” the shy pegasus looked around, tears welling up. “Please help her! She can't do it alone!” But her voice went ignored amidst the screams. The chaos escalated as ponies previously paralized by fear realized what was happening, as if the sound of the neck breaking had been a bucket-full of cold water dumped on them. But instead of helping, Canterlot's citizens simply ran away, knocking each other down as they scampered for a way out, only to find all the streets so packed by other ponies that they were unable to get out. The pegasi civilians had already fled, except for the few that were rooted to the spot, whether out of curiosity or panic she couldn't know, but they were not helping either. Several ponies had been trampled, here and there moans came from the few fallen ponies that still moved. She turned to look at the guards again, this time however she was getting angry. “WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? !” she snapped at a unicorn guard, staring at him in the eye. She shifted so she could see the other guards, who now were all looking at her, slightly intimidated. The unicorn and earth pony guards gave her wide-eyed stares. “W-we were ordered to not interfere whatever happened!” one of them stammered. The yellow pegasus flinched as she heard another rope snap in the air and Trixie's cry behind her. The second pony had died at the gallows, and Trixie... poor Trixie was doing her best to hold her concentration. She could see her talking to Lyra... there was a desperate glint to the showmare’s eyes. Fluttershy stared incredulously from one to the next. “B-but... who would give such an order? !” As if finally recognizing the fact that she was a Shadowbolt Captain, the guards were quick to answer. “We're under orders of Nightmare Flare herself!” one replied. A shiver ran down Fluttershy's back... she turned to look at Trixie as the unicorn fell to her knees due to the stress. And then... “Lyra!” Fluttershy gasped as the aura that held Lyra flickered and died away. She watched as the unicorn dropped, the rope growing taut around her neck. The sickening crack made her shudder as the unicorn’s hooves shook and bobbed above the ground for a moment. And then... she simply hung there, very still... very quiet. The tears still warm on her face as her body swayed in front of the crowd of motionless ponies. “Lyra! No!” a new voice shouted, Fluttershy opened her eyes to see three unicorns running against the crowd towards the gallows. Lyra's family. It was impossible to not recognize the resemblance. The cream-colored pegasus never knew the musician had a younger brother. Something inside her snapped. She turned towards the guards, her eyes blazing with barely restrained fury. “Who do you think you are? !” she growled at one unicorn guard, who stepped back from her. “You dare call yourselves ‘guards’ while you stand here doing nothing? !” She looked at the others. “Do you think that following the orders of Nightmare Flare is the same as orders from Celestia? !” “You will act now! You will help clear the rubble and get those fillies from under the balcony before Trixie's levitation spell fails! And you will do it now!” She shouted. The guards in front of her immediately ran to the balcony, but those that hadn't received the stare hesitated. “What are you waiting for!? I gave you an order!” Fluttershy roared, her face contorted in anger. “I don’t care who ordered you to do what before! Your duty is to Equestria!” The guards nodded, all terrified right down to the last pony. “You four!” she pointed. “Tell the others, we need to clear the plaza now! There's too many ponies here that will get injured!” She turned to another group. “You go help those wounded ponies! And the rest of you, find doctors, nurses, anypony willing and able to help!” “YES, MA'AM!” came the resounding reply. o.0.o The fillies looked in horror at the planks that had fallen on top of Daisy Sprout's parents. “M-mom! Dad!” Trixie’s sister cried, trying to move the planks. “Are you okay?” She couldn't lose them! Not now! Not after losing her sister! She sobbed as she tried to push the planks away. Suddenly there were other small hoofs helping her. The three Crusader joined her desperate efforts to find the buried ponies. “Don't worry, Daisy Sprout...” Scootaloo said as the first plank hit the floor. “You're not alone. We'll get them out in ten seconds flat.” Apple Bloom looked up at the balcony, a little nervous. “I wonder what’s keeping it up? That thing looks really heavy!” Sweetie Belle's eyes roamed the plaza until they settled on a cloaked unicorn. She was on her knees, crying, but her horn shone the same bright blue as the magical aura that surrounded the balcony. She couldn't see why the unicorn was crying, but she knew enough about magic to know that if the unicorn got too distracted, she would lose control of her spell and the balcony would crush them all. “Help!” she shouted. “Miss! You have to concentrate!” drawing the attention of the other three fillies. The balcony groaned, as the the mare turned to look at them. Daisy Sprout stared, her heart beating hard in her chest, her eyes watering even more. “I... TRIXIE!” she wailed “Trixie! Sis! Mom and Dad are hurt! Please!” The mare's eyes opened wide as she looked their way and noticed what was happening. Slowly standing up, her horn flaring, Trixie concentrated on the balcony. The structure groaned as the magic tore at the balcony. The fillies looked up nervously as gravel from the wall it had been attached to rained around them. Another pull and a crack as the wooden stairs leading up to the balcony splintered and broke. The fillies crouched low as the balcony was suddenly ripped from the wall. Trixie shouted as she threw the remains of the structure into the air, catching one of the chimeras attacking Nightmare Moon with it. The shadow creature did not even know what hit it as Trixie’s magic slammed the balcony with tremendous force into the fountain, completely destroying the statue of Celestia that used to sit there. The broken pipes began to spew water into the air, high above the buildings, and the wind spread it, creating a misty haze. The chimera did not rise again. “Daisy Sprout!” Trixie shouted, running towards them just as a group of guards arrived and fervently started digging their parents out. “T-Trixie...” Daisy Sprout stammered, not believing her eyes. “Y-you... you're alive...” tears started flowing freely as the showmare slid into a stop just in front of her. Trixie was breathing heavily, tears drying in her face as she took stock of her little sister. “I... are you okay? Did anything fall on you? I'm sorry I wasn't able to get rid of it quicker... I-I tried to help...” her lips trembled. “I couldn't save...” She was stopped from talking when Daisy Sprout launched herself and tackled the older unicorn in a hug. “Trixie!” she cried, sobbing as her older sister stopped stammering and, with a gentle smile, closed her eyes and hugged her sister back. “They're okay!” a guard said, helping Cinnamon and her husband up. Cinnamon immediately looked for her daughter, and found her crying and hugging an unknown pony. “Daisy!” The little filly gasped and turned around, the amount of tears doubling as she stared. “Mom! Dad! You're okay!” she let go of Trixie and ran to hug them too. Both unicorns smiled and wrapped their daughter in a hug. “Aww...” both Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom sighed at the scene while Scootaloo hid a smile. Trixie slowly stood up, drawing the attention of the two adults. Cinnamon choked, looking at her in confusion as her dad slowly disentangled himself from the hug and walked up to her. “Trixie?” The magician scratched the floor with her hoof. “Dad... I...” She never finished talking as she suddenly found herself being held close by her father. Soon, Cinnamon and Daisy Sprout were hugging her as well. “We thought you were dead!” he whispered, nuzzling his daughter. “We heard bad news and...” Their reunion was cut by a cough from one of the guards. “Excuse me... you’re Doctor Golden Cross, correct?” When Trixie’s dad nodded, the guard sighed. “Sir, under orders from a Shadowbolt captain, all doctors and nurses in the area are to help those in need.” Golden Cross blinked. “O-of course! What was I thinking?” he turned back to his family. “We have a lot to talk about, but...” Trixie smiled, putting a hoof on his mouth. “...but we have duties to perform.” she finished for him. “We all do; go help them, dad.” As she turned to trot towards the battle, Daisy Sprout jumped forward. “Trixie! Wait!” The showmare looked down at her sister. “What is it, Daisy Sprout?” “You’ll need this!” the little unicorn said, using her mouth to undo the clasp on the cape. Trixie levitated it and threw off her cloak. The cape was a bit torn from the Guardian’s attack, but it was otherwise unharmed. “Thanks,” she smiled as the cape attached around her neck. The blue unicorn smiled for a second. Then she looked towards the gallows and her smile dropped. “I have to go... be careful...” she looked at all of them over her shoulder. “But fear not, The Great and Powerful Trixie is here!” With that, she shot off towards the fray. “Wow.” Scootaloo said after a second. “Your sister is awesome!” “I know!” Daisy Sprout smiled. o.0.o Lyra's melody ended abruptly, and it was all Nightmare Moon could do to slam more force into her spell, keeping the memories flowing and hoping that it had been enough to snap her sister back from the Nightmare. She had located what she was looking for, and now she had to find all the little traces that connected her and her sister to the Guardian. She still needed more time! Nightmare Moon glanced down at the gallows and her magic almost failed her when she saw Lyra. Struggling to keep her emotions in check, she returned to her work, knowing that she had one more death to add to her long list of failures. At least Lyra's spell completed its purpose. She thought guiltily. Nightmare Flare has passed out, she has no way to stop the memories from reaching her. I'm sorry Lyra... It was then that the other shadow chimera attacked. She had less than a second to move, and she banked to the side, then flew up and back, keeping her slim hold of the Guardian's tendrils in check. “Where's everypony? !” she growled as she allowed her mind to scan for her allies. There was too much going on and everypony was doing their job... sadly that wasn't enough. Using her telekinetic hold on the first shadow chimera, she proceeded to use it to bat the second one away whenever it came too close. It would have almost been amusing if it were not keeping her from finding the last tendril! Her anger rose as the chimeras struggled to get to her. As if you two could ever do something to me. She glared in their direction for a second before snapping her attention back to Nightmare Flare. I can't let them distract me! I'm almost done! It was then that she felt a tremendous pulse of magic and suddenly her balcony sailed in front of her and took down one of the chimeras. Her mouth slid open and her eyes widened. “What the hay...” she shook her head and felt the magic start to slip through her control. Nightmare Moon immediately tightened her grip on the tendrils. That distraction had almost cost her everything. Her eyes narrowed. Just a few more... o.0.o Rainbow Dash was batted away by Spitfire. The cyan pegasus tumbled through the air, trying to regain her senses. The chimera was strong... really strong. Soarin' took advantage of his former teammate's distraction and dove down, slamming his fore hooves with as much strength as he could muster into the middle of the dragon-pony abomination's back, eliciting a pained growl. Her draconic tail snaked up faster than lightning, cutting painfully into his arm. Soarin’ gulped. He had almost been completely impaled by Spitfire. The pegasus bit back a scream, instead opting to fly back and get some breathing room between the chimera and himself as Spitfire turned to glare in his direction. “Well Soarin’, it seems all those apple pies finally caught up to you, they're slowing you down!” she spat, the hatred in her eyes felt completely surreal to her old wingmate. “Spitfire! This isn’t you!” he shouted, spying a recuperated Rainbow Dash gaining on their position. “I don't know what Nightmare Flare did to you, but- whoa!” he yelled out, fast enough to duck a burst of flame that passed over his head, but not fast enough to dodge the tail that rammed hard into his abdomen, sending him spiraling down towards the plaza. “Don't insult the Que- Oof!” Rainbow Dash's momentum-fueled charge culminated in a straight punch to the chimera's stomach, forcing all the air out of her lungs in a pained wheeze. “We're taking down Nightmare Flare, and then we're getting you back to normal!” the chromatic pegasus shouted, spinning in place and landing a hard kick to Spitfire's ribs. Gasping for breath, the former Wonderbolt's eyes glowed red in anger. She grabbed Rainbow Dash by the throat before the cyan flier knew what was happening. “I'll rip your wings off and let you suffer for a while until you come whimpering for me to take you back!” Dash struggled, but could not break free. “W-what is it about Nightmare Flare and turning ponies into perverts?” she gasped, feeling the claws around her neck begin to draw blood. “Maybe I should get rid of your voice too!” Spitfire snarled. “I think I'll like you better as a mute!” A roar, similar to that of a lion, split the air. Surprised, the chimera released the pegasus. Rainbow Dash felt her heart give a lurch. Something crashed on top of the abomination, slashing with wicked claws as sharp as the dragon-pony’s, putting a sharp beak to good use as the chimera fought frantically to turn around and retaliate in some way. Both the chimera and her assailant plummeted down towards the city. “Whoa... is that...?” Soarin' gasped, flying up to Rainbow Dash. “Gilda!” the cyan pegasus shouted, diving after them. “A Gilda? I thought it was a griffon! I'm pretty sure it's a griffon!” the stallion shouted, following Rainbow Dash down. “That's her name, feather-brain!” shouted an angry Dash. “We need to catch up to them! She shouldn't be here!” “Oh... you know her!” Soarin’ nodded in understanding. Rainbow just rolled her eyes. “Just help her!” o.0.o “Paper Craft, you come back here now!” he heard his mother shout as his parents chased after him. But he couldn't... he wouldn't! Eventually his gallops brought him up to the gallows where he slowed down until he stopped under the slightly swaying body of his sister. He couldn't bring himself to look up at her, and instead his gaze settled on the pieces of broken lyre that lay at his hoofs. He remembered how, several years ago during Lyra’s tenth birthday, somepony had given it to her. She had searched for a card inside the box, but never found out who had given it to her. Her parents hadn't been happy about it. They had raged in private about how inconsiderate Lyra's friends were. They had discouraged her interest in music from an early age, unwilling to support her passion and trying to get her interested in other more socially acceptable endeavors, like accounting or law. The lyre was a direct insult to them, or so they thought. They didn’t destroy it though, since several of their friends were important ponies in their own right, and the musical instrument was exquisite, hoofcrafted with inlaid designs of gold leaf. No, they didn’t like it, but they would never throw something so expensive away. Paper Craft still felt proud that he had managed to sneak that present past his parents. Even broken, he could tell the loving care with which she had treated the instrument. The inlays were clean, the paint immaculate. After all this time, he was sure that she would have had to take it to be fixed at least a couple of times. He sniffed, watching his tears fall between the broken pieces. He had loved staying awake at night to hear his sister practice, and had missed her dearly when she had announced, to their parents anger, that she would be moving to Ponyville to join the town’s small orchestra. He smiled a bit. He, of all his family, should have known that there was more to it than simple rebellion against their parents. He had never understood it fully until earlier that day when the body of the mare had been brought to the dungeons. His heart had never ached as badly as when his sister had broken down and cried in the Castle’s dungeon. While his parents had huffed and marched themselves out, he had stayed behind, sitting on the cold stone stairs, listening to his sister cry at the loss of her lover. He had gritted his teeth and closed his eyes when she had broken down and started laughing for no reason. He had been about to walk back in and offer whatever support he could... but then she started playing. And he couldn’t intrude. “Paper Craft.” His father's voice reached him. “There's nothing to see here, son. Let's go.” “She's here,” the colt said, finally looking up at the body suspended above him. His tears flowed more freely now as he stood up on his hind legs to hug hers. He buried his face in the soft coat and cried. “She's dead, and good riddance to her.” His mother's words made his blood run cold. He choked up and the tears died. He had misheard... he must have heard wrong... “She was always a failure,” his mother continued, refusing to look up at the body. “Playing with that stupid musical instrument, wasting our money studying music and accomplishing nothing but playing in a small town just so she could be with that disgusting Earth Pony. Figures she would be a fillyfooler on top of it all!” “Come now, dear,” his father said, “Let's not talk about things gone wrong. Paper Craft, let’s go; we need to leave before something bad happens!” “Before something bad happens?” the younger unicorn whispered. He slowly turned around to face his parents. “Fillyfooler? Failure? That is my sister you are talking about! Your daughter! You raised her! She was beautiful!” he broke down crying and stepped back, shaking his head violently when his father approached. “You're monsters!” he shouted, looking at both of them. His father's face a cold mask, his mother's adorned with a sneer of distaste as she looked up at the body hanging from the noose. “How can you be so cold and cruel?! Don't you feel anything? Don't you feel any regrets? We'll never talk to her again! She's gone!” “Paper Craft...” his father started. “Don't!” he shouted. “Don't you dare talk to me! Don't you dare come any closer!” His father ignored him, trying to put a comforting hoof on his son’s shoulder, he didn’t watch where he was going and stepped on one of the lyre pieces by accident. Paper Craft saw red. With angry roar, his horn blazed into life, ripping flyers and posters from the nearby walls. They glowed with arcane light as they swirled into a whirlwind around his father. The older unicorn gasped as he was suddenly surrounded. He cried out in pain as small cuts began to appear on his clothes and flesh as the confused unicorn tried to backpedal away from his son. “Son, stop that this instant!” his mother shouted, only for a piece of paper to wrap tightly around her mouth. “Shut up! I am not your son!” Paper Craft shouted. “I don't know who you are, but monsters like you could never be my parents!” “Son! Listen to your mother!” his father shouted, unable to concentrate on his magic to break free from the vortex. “This is not helping any!” “I don't want to help!” he snapped, his eyes glaring from one parent to the other. “Leave us alone! You have been nothing but unfeeling, hateful and petty jail keepers for me and Lyra!” he shook his head and scratched the floor, breathing heavily and ignoring the hurt in his parents’ eyes. “At least she was strong enough and had the common sense to escape from you!” “And see where it landed her!” his mother spat back, having used her magic to rip the paper away from her mouth. “Hanging from the gallows after wasting her life and her last moments playing her stupid music!” “Excuse me?” another voice asked, filled with venom. The three unicorns turned to face a blue unicorn with a purple hat and cape decorated with stars. “Did you just say that Lyra's melody -the melody that just now brought down Nightmare Flare- was... stupid?” the mare asked, tears welling up as her eyes flared in anger. “Did you just imply that your own daughter’s heroic sacrifice was stupid?” “What business is it of yours?” Lyra's mother asked, looking down her nose at Trixie. “Wait, I recognize you. You're Cinnamon's daughter, aren’t you? Just another useless dropout who went to waste their life seeking fame.” She was suddenly thrown back to land painfully on the wet floor, covering her coat in blood, grime and pieces of pony. Unable to fight the bile rising in her throat, she violently vomited, glaring at the meddlesome showmare as she stood up slowly. “How dare you?” “Who do you think you are?” Paper Craft's father finally managed to blast the vortex surrounding him. “I will have you arrested for this!” “By whom?” Trixie laughed at them, walking to stand beside Paper Craft. “In case you haven't noticed, we're in the middle of a crisis.” Lyra’s parents stood their ground, horns shimmering with magic. Trixie narrowed her eyes. “Do you really want to test my patience?” Her magic aura slowly grew around her, easily outshining the glow of their horns. The stallion took an involuntary step back, intimidated by her display. “P-Paper Craft... come on. Leave these two alone.” “No.” the colt said, his eyes furious. “I'll never go back to you.” “Paper Craft...” his mother tried again. “The young unicorn spoke his mind.” Trixie growled. “Leave, before I forget what Lyra would have wanted and I reduce your bodies to ashes, then have them baked into a Diamond Dog piss-pot.” With a silent look, his parents turned around and trotted away. A soft blue aura enveloped the late unicorn's body as Trixie's magic slowly undid the noose. When it was done, she slowly levitated the body down, next to Paper Craft.", "“I'll never go back to you.” “Paper Craft...” his mother tried again. “The young unicorn spoke his mind.” Trixie growled. “Leave, before I forget what Lyra would have wanted and I reduce your bodies to ashes, then have them baked into a Diamond Dog piss-pot.” With a silent look, his parents turned around and trotted away. A soft blue aura enveloped the late unicorn's body as Trixie's magic slowly undid the noose. When it was done, she slowly levitated the body down, next to Paper Craft. “Can you levitate her?” she asked softly as she placed the pieces of the lyre on top of Lyra's body, using her discarded cloak to cover and wrap the body. The young colt nodded. “I think so,” he said, fighting the tears that threatened to flow again. “Good,” the showmare sighed. “Take her over there, to where those fillies are. I don't want anything to happen to her...” she choked. “She's a hero, Paper Craft. You should be proud.” The colt's magic was already coating his sister's body. “Oh... I am.” he said with a small smile. “I've always been proud of her.” Trixie watched the young unicorn float Lyra's body along as he went towards her mother and cursed her lack of strength. She sighed. This battle was costing everypony much more than she had ever- her thoughts were interrupted by a screech-like sound of a shadow-chimera. She looked up and her eyes widened. The showmare scrambled out of the way, horn lighting up with magic to create a shimmering shield around her as the gallows exploded behind her. o.0.o Applejack was sent flying by a stray kick from the shadow chimera she and Big Macintosh were fighting. She landed painfully, but rolled with the momentum until she finally slid to a stop. The rope she had held so tightly to whipped around as her brother jumped back and circled the dangerous shadow-creature as it tried to keep both ponies in sight. The chimera pulled back, making the stallion brace himself and pull back as well... only for the creature to pounce on him. The rope went slack so suddenly that Big Mac lost his balance. The chimera was on him immediately, landing on top of him so forcefully that the stallion smacked his head on the floor. “Big Mac!” Applejack shouted in a panic, charging towards him. The red-coated pony desperately dodged the clawed talon as it ripped into the stone next to his head, leaving deep gashes on the floor. He kicked as hard as he could, but the creature ignored the pain, still trying to claw the stallion to death. The chimera opened its maw, black fangs clear even under the perpetual gloom of the eclipse and dove down to clamp about his neck. Applejack dove in, her legs already kicking out for all she was worth at the creature's exposed side. The kick made it roll to the side and off the stallion, who stood up a bit shaky. The chimera had managed to draw blood. A small rivulet started flowing down his neck from several small cuts. “Are you okay, Big Mac?” Applejack asked, looking at him worriedly and wondering if the creature's bite was poisonous. The stallion nodded, his eyes carefully watching the creature as it jumped to its feet with an almost feline grace. The two ropes trailed behind it as it started circling them. “We need to get rid of it quickly.” he whispered and winced, feeling the sting of the bite wounds around his neck. His sister nodded and glanced at the balcony for a split second. “Ah have an idea.” she said. “But ah’m gonna need your help... it's a bit risky.” Big Macintosh nodded. “Just tell me what to do, sis.” “We need to get the ropes.” she said, her eyes following the creature. “Then ah need you to distract it long enough for me to throw the end of my rope through one of those spaces on the balcony... then, when ah pull it back, you grab your rope and pull down, throwin' all your weight on it. We'll break its neck.” The stallion nodded again. He started moving to his left, while Applejack moved to the right, effectively stopping the creature in its tracks as it watched both of them warily. Big Mac made the first move. Feigning a charge at the monster, the stallion changed his course at the last second, forcing the shadow chimera to whirl around to keep him in sight, leaving the ropes unattended. Applejack immediately shot forth, picking up the end of the rope and preparing to throw it at the balcony, cursing herself for not thinking of this earlier, when she had been up there earlier. She was about to proceed with her plan when a sickening crack and Big Macintosh's shout stopped her cold. She looked back towards her brother, only to find lying in a pool of blood at the feet of the shadow chimera. With a desperate shout, she yanked the rope, pulling the creature a couple of feet away from him, trying to see if he was moving or still breathing. The creature, however, had other plans. With a mighty pounce, it landed on the preoccupied apple farmer, knocking the air out of her, and almost knocking her out. She choked and coughed as the chimera pressed its weight down on her chest... the light blurred in her vision, distorting the sight of the fanged maw as it lowered towards her. o.0.o Twilight Spark was getting frustrated. Jade was too good to fall for simple tricks and too fast to catch with her most powerful spells. They had been trading blows since the attack on Nightmare Flare commenced but neither had gained a clear advantage, even if she had been on the receiving end of most of Jade's attacks while the white unicorn had dodged just about everything. She was just lucky that she had been able to keep vital areas out of the reach of the assassin’s blade or the battle would have been over by now. Had Nightmare Flare not given her more strength, endurance and power than even Spitfire had received, she didn't think she would have lasted more than a minute. Which made her hate the assassin more. The green-maned pony moved with a grace and intent that were enviable. The white unicorn's attacks were precise, where her own were powerful but unfocused. She growled as Jade nimbly twirled in place, dodging a magic missile. “Those are always supposed to hit!” she accused. The assassin took advantage of her distraction to buck her in the jaw, sending her stumbling back. Shaking her head she opened her eyes in time to see her opponent charging at her. “Enough!” she shouted, expelling a shell of magic around her, and sending the assassin reeling. “I'll kill you, you cheap excuse for a unicorn!” Jade was already on her hooves, but the assassin had landed far enough that she wouldn't be able to close the distance between them in time. It was then that Spark heard Applejack shout. The purple unicorn’s head snapped to the side, quickly spotting the shadow chimera as it stood on top of the apple farmer, claw raised and ready to deal the killing blow. Big Mac was either unconscious or dead several feet away from them, and there was no-pony around to help Applejack. Without a second thought, the spell that had been intended for Jade slammed into the creature, throwing it off of Applejack, and enveloping it in flames. “Don't you dare touch her!” Spark shouted, galloping towards the monster as her dark-purple aura formed into five energy blades that shot towards the chimera. The blades cut into the creature, eliciting a pained roar as it stumbled back with each strike. Its wings were sheared of by a pair of energy blades, one leg was almost completely cut off, the last blade bit into its neck, parting it with ease. The shadow chimera collapsed, its head rolling away from the body, but Twilight Spark only had eyes for Applejack, who was looking at her in pain and confusion. She slowed down until she was a few feet away from the apple farmer. “A-are you okay, Applejack?” she asked, her eyes scanning the other mare's body and taking note of all the small cuts. The orange-coated earth pony stared at her for a few seconds, then struggled to sit up. She looked over her shoulder and noticed that Big Macintosh was slowly getting to his hoofs. He seemed okay, if a little dazed. She released the breath she didn't know she had been holding and turned to look back at the unicorn that had caused her so much grief and worry and confusion. She smiled a little. “Ah am... thank you, Twilight Spark.” The purple unicorn's heart fluttered. “I... s-sure, anytime Applejack!” she coughed, trying to compose herself. It wouldn’t do for the apple farmer to see her as anything but the strong mare she was. “A-anyway! I couldn't let my pet get hurt! What kind of lover would I be?” she asked with a smirk, still a bit shaken by the thought of losing the mare and ignoring Applejack’s wince at the term. She decided to just tease the farmer. “We still have a lot of stuff to do in be-” She saw Applejack's eyes widen as the apple farmer looked at something behind her. The world whirled around in a blur as she turned around to see Jade descending on her, forehoof with its blade poised for a deadly strike. Suddenly, she felt something hit her hard, the world spinning about her once more as she saw blood fan out over her. o.0.o Gilda fought furiously, claws digging into the chimera’s soft underbelly, tearing off scales as her target roared in pain. Spitfire snarled angrily, as she shook off the pain to dig her claws into the griffon's shoulders, holding her in place while the former pony opened her mouth and flames started to accumulate. Seeing this, the griffon thrashed about, ignoring the pain as the claws ripped into her shoulders. With a desperate swipe of her hind legs straight at Spitfire's face, she was able to force the chimera's head to the side the moment it released a blast of flame that seemed as though it could have melted her face around her beak. Both fighters flew apart from each other, bloodied and breathing hard. “Not bad...” Gilda smirked, forcing her claws to stay put and not rub her painfully throbbing shoulders. Spitfire growled. “You're interrupting a private dispute, pigeon! I'll give you this one chance to leave.” Gilda growled back. “That's not happening. You're not cool enough to dance with me, much less Rainbow Dash. But at least I can whip your sorry flank out of the sky and save us all the trouble of looking at your scaly mug.” “That's it!” Spitfire roared, flames surging around her body. “Foal's gloves are off! I'm going to wipe that smirk off your beak and then remove it from your carcass!” The griffon gulped as she rolled out of a fire-blast that sailed past her. “You'll have to catch me first, scaly-flank!” she shouted back. “Die!” the chimera shouted as she charged towards Gilda, who did the smart thing and turned tail, banking up and trying to put some distance between them. She had to concentrate and evade several fireballs that tore right past her as she dashed from side to side, trying her best not to be immolated. A black blur zoomed down past Gilda, leaving a rainbow trail. As the griffon snapped her head around, she saw Rainbow Dash plant a solid hoof into/onto the chimera's face, throwing the beast off-course. Quickly taking advantage of the shift in battle, Gilda did a backwards loop to gather speed before sweeping down towards her friend. Another dark blur, this one trailing a dark cloud with small lightning-bolts slammed into the side of the chimera, cracking at least one of its ribs as the creature tried to fry Dash's coat with its flames. “Snap out of it, Spitfire!” Soarin' shouted before wincing as the chimera sliced his foreleg with her sharp wings in a fluid motion. “How about I snap your neck instead? !” his former partner growled. “How about you shut the hay up?” Rainbow Dash retorted with a buck right to the chimera’s stomach, where Gilda had clawed her. The chimera roared in pain before smashing Rainbow in the snout with a vicious blow from her tail, sending the pegasus reeling backwards. At the same time, one of Spitfire's talons grabbed Soarin's head, another ripping through his uniform, leaving bloody gashes across his flank. Gilda's eagle-like cry split the air as she sped past the chimera, and catching the creature’s throat in her arm, forcing her to release Soarin', who carefully retreated while still facing the pair to quickly scan his injury. Although painful, it seemed the damage was more superficial than he had originally thought. “That will sting for a while...” he wheezed. Rainbow Dash shot past him, anger in her eyes, blood flowing from her nose. She gritted her teeth as she rammed the chimera in the shoulder with all her strength and momentum, hearing a sickening crack and the anguished cry of Spitfire a split-second later. The Wonderbolt-turned-monster started glowing and her three opponents suddenly found themselves dodging for dear life as trails of fire sliced through the air. Rainbow Dash cried in pain as she was hit by one on her hind leg while dodging another pair. She quickly patted the fire out, but the damage was already done, her melted uniform burned into her flesh, much of the cyan fur burnt away. She bit her lower lip to stop from crying out as the pain blurred her vision. “Watch out!” Gilda shouted, her claw grabbing Dash by the hoof and yanking her out of the way as another barrage of flames shot past her previous location. “T-thanks...” the chromatic pegasus panted, nodding thankfully at the griffon. “What are we going to do now, Cap’n?” Soarin' asked, flying up to the pair as they warily watched as Spitfire turned to look at them with hatred. Gilda arched an eyebrow at the title, but Rainbow Dash just shook her head. “I don't know... we've tried reasoning with her, but she's too much under Nightmare Flare's influence to care!” “I say we just beat her up.” Gilda growled. “You can talk to her later!” “Hey! That's my partner you're talking about!” Soarin' growled back. “In case you haven't noticed, she's trying to fry us into snacks!” Gilda snapped back. “Uh... guys?” Rainbow Dash flew in between them. “What’s she doing?” The griffon and the blue-maned pegasus turned to look at the chimera. The air around Spitfire seemed to shimmer as small flames licked her body. Slowly a golden-red aura formed around her. “I don't like the look of that.” Gilda gasped, eyes widening. The aura slowly expanded until the chimera had a sphere of the golden-red aura expanding a couple of feet in all directions until it shimmered in a protective bubble with Spitfire in the middle. Then it burst into flames and started spinning in place like a miniature sun. “I really don't like the look of that.” Soarin' seconded. “Scatter!” Rainbow Dash shouted as she shot up into the air, while Soarin' took left and Gilda right, barely in time to avoid being rammed by the sphere, which turned around and started chasing the griffon. “Why me? !” Gilda shouted, looking back over her shoulder and snarling in annoyance. “Because you're the slowest, idiot!” Spitfire laughed from somewhere within her sphere. The griffon narrowed her eyes at the insults, but concentrated on putting some distance between them. High above them, Rainbow Dash watched in horror as her friend was about to be fried alive. “Oh no, you don't!” she shouted, diving towards them with all the speed she could muster. Soarin' watched in awe as the air seemed to bend around Rainbow Dash. The last time he'd been around and that had happened he had been unconscious and falling to his death. But he had heard the description from other pegasi that had witnessed it. The atmospheric pressure around her made the chromatic pegasus grit her teeth. Her leg hurt horrendously; her wings strained under the pressure and stress from the battle. The wind buffeted against her mane, and just as she felt she couldn’t go on, the cyan pegasus was in that split-second moment that made the Sonic Rainboom so much more than a simple stunt. Everything around her came into sharp focus, doubts left her, pain faded away. This was her moment. The cone of sonic resistance broke less than a second after, shooting her like a rainbow bullet that slammed through the exterior of Spitfire's flame sphere without a pause, and the Sonic Rainboom destroyed the fiery shield, which disintegrated as the pegasus tore out again, this time heading up. Spitfire was thrown down, completely knocked out even before she crashed into one of the buildings in the plaza. Gilda stared in awe as Rainbow Dash shot up for a few miles before suddenly stopping and falling. It wasn't until her friend’s unconscious form plummeted past her that she reacted and dove to catch her friend. She easilly caught up with the pegasus and, matching her speed, was able to break her fall. She held her friend against her chest, looking towards the expanding rainbow ring far above them. “What was that?” she finally asked. “The Sonic Rainboom.” Soarin' whispered as he hovered over the pair. “I didn't get to see it until now... it's amazing.” Gilda nodded mutely as they slowly made their way down towards the plaza. Soarin' suddenly drew a sharp breath and without explanation, launched himself towards the gallows. Gilda followed him slowly, arms wrapped protectively around her unconscious friend. o.0.o “Applejack!” two voices shouted in unison as the orange earth pony fell to her side, a nasty cut on her shoulder bleeding heavily. “You idiot!” Jade shouted. Turning angrily towards the assassin, Twilight Spark's eyes shone white with barely restrained power. “You talk!” she said angrily, then growled. “You hurt Applejack!” The earth pony coughed. “Girls...” “You're one to talk!” Jade snapped back at Spark, knowing that it was too late to pretend to be a mute again. “You've been torturing her since you got your dirty hoofs on her! You're nothing but a mistake at the cost of the life of a dear friend!” her horn glowed with a blue aura and she shifted her position to strike. “You've gotten away so far, but this time I will make sure you die!” Twilight Spark was taken aback by the anger in Jade's eyes, even as the hurtful words dug at her, she smirked, doing her best to ignore them. “And what is she to you?” she taunted. “You met her once a few years ago. You have no relation to her. I have fought hydras and dragons and even Nightmare Moon by her side!” “Dang it, Ah'm talking to you!” Applejack growled from the floor, painfully raising her head to glare at the pair. She was ignored. “You are not Twilight Sparkle!” Jade roared. “You were created to think you were, but you are nothing but an imitation! An equusculus!” the assassin started pacing. “Nothing else!” Twilight Spark bit her lip and her eyes flashed with hurt and anger. “That's not true! I am Twilight Sparkle! I just changed my name! I have my memories-” Jade snorted. “Really? If you are the real Twilight Sparkle, tell me, what were you doing just before you left Ponyville?” “I...” Twilight's horn stopped glowing as her eyes widened. Her mind raced as she tried to remember. Had she been racing? Got fifth place? No... that was in Fall... “I am Twilight Sparkle!” she cried, stepping back. Why can’t I remember? she thought furiously. It’s all a jumble of images... Another memory surfaced, she was at the Ponyville Library, but the perspective was wrong. She looked down at the six ponies around her as she spoke. Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash and... me? “Girls!” Applejack called again, but to her frustration the pair of unicorns was too involved in their argument. “No.” Jade's cloth mask covered her face, but Spark could see the vicious smile reflecting in her eyes as the assassin pointed towards the balcony. “Twilight is up there, setting Celestia free. Which is exactly what the real Twilight Sparkle would be doing” Despite herself, despite knowing that it was an awfully stupid thing to do, Twilight Spark turned her head up and looked. The pegasus pony that had been with Jade when the fight began was now standing next to the collapsed queen. She had taken off her mask, revealing her face. “N-no...” Twilight Spark whispered in horror, her conviction fading at the sight of the purple pegasus. “Do you see it now, monster?” Jade met Twilight Sparks’ eyes as the unicorn faced the assassin with a slightly panicked look. “The real Twilight would never kill anypony.” The assassin accused. “But... they attacked the Queens!” Spark blurted out, shaking her head. I had to do it! she thought. Or did I? Couldn’t I have just paralyzed them like I did with the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony? Another part of her mind argued. The real Twilight Sparkle never killed... even if you can’t remember it, you know its true. “The real Twilight would not try to force Applejack to love her.” Jade growled, her eyes hard as steel as she looked down at the slightly cringing purple unicorn. “I didn’t force her! I didn’t!” Spark cried as one by one tears started to run down her cheek. “I was just... I just wanted her to see how much I need her!” Applejack sighed and looked down. For a second, the assassin seemed taken aback by her opponent’s outburst, but she quickly shook her head. “The real Twilight wouldn't have let Princess Celestia turn into monster like Nightmare Flare!” Twilight Spark fell on her rump. What little of her magic that was still active slowly faded, leaving the dark-purple unicorn staring blankly at the floor. I’m a lie? Her heart seemed to skip painfully. Am I just a construct? A- an equusculus, an imitation... she looked back towards the balcony. “But... she's not even a unicorn...” she whispered futilely. Even as she voiced her complains, Spark could feel her magic skip whenever she thought of the other Twilight. She could feel herself drawn to her, not as a lover like she fancied herself with Applejack, but as a part of the whole. I know the truth now. I... was my love of Applejack even real? Could a creature like me even feel? Her blood felt like ice as her thoughts took that turn. How could Applejack ever love me back, when I am nothing? Jade approached the immobile purple unicorn, her eyes hard. “I... I’m real.” Spark whispered, making the assassin stop for a second. “I feel... I fear and I hurt... I can’t be a lie...” “Don't you dare... Jade.” Applejack said, struggling to get up, but her foreleg was too damaged for her to put any pressure on it. Twilight Spark flinched and looked up at the apple farmer, confusion in her eyes. Does she care? “You can't stop me now, Applejack.” Jade said gently. “I don't know what she did to you, and I don't know why you saved her... don't you remember what happens if she stays alive? What will happen to Twilight?” Spark’s eyes went from one pony to the other. What are they talking about? Am I doing something to Twilight just by being here? The earth pony winced and looked down, her eyes then rose to meet the purple unicorn’s. “Ah... ah just don't want her to die...” she said, not breaking eye contact. “She had no choice in how she was made...” The assassin stopped just in front of Spark, never taking her eyes off of the whimpering purple unicorn. “She...” the apple farmer sighed. “She never did anything to me other than tease me, Jade.” she looked at the purple unicorn.", "The earth pony winced and looked down, her eyes then rose to meet the purple unicorn’s. “Ah... ah just don't want her to die...” she said, not breaking eye contact. “She had no choice in how she was made...” The assassin stopped just in front of Spark, never taking her eyes off of the whimpering purple unicorn. “She...” the apple farmer sighed. “She never did anything to me other than tease me, Jade.” she looked at the purple unicorn. “Ah know she's not a good pony, ah know that she has ah know she's done things that nopony can forgive... but... look at who made her... and why.” “She was made for all the wrong reasons,” Jade stated. “No!” Applejack struggled again before sighing and leaning on her elbow. “Jade... she was made out of love... from a mother to her daughter.” Jade closed her eyes. “Be that as it may... even if the reasons behind her creation are as noble as you say... the fact is, Applejack, that Spark was created by the same magic that turned the Princess into a Nightmare. She cannot be allowed to live..” “Ah... ah used to think the same thing about Nightmare Moon.” Applejack pleaded. “Ah know wanting her to live doesn't make sense to you, Jade, but... Ah... Ah can't bring myself to let you kill her... she is a part of Twilight Sparkle!” Jade's blue eyes opened slowly. “Only the horn. And not for long.” She closed the gap between her and the purple unicorn. Twilight Spark looked up at Jade. Slowly, tears started flowing down her cheeks as she gazed into the eyes of her executioner, before she turned to expose her neck. Her eyes went to meet Applejack's. “I'm sorry.” she said. “I love you.” she closed her eyes. Applejack averted her eyes. Jade raised her blade, muscles tensing to make it as quick as possible. The blade was poised to kill... the assassin narrowed her eyes... and hesitated. Then she stepped back, wide-eyed as everything around them began to shake violently. o.0.o “Over here!” somepony shouted. Slowly she started hearing more voices. Voices and the sound of stone being shifted around, or perhaps the sounds of hooves scraping against stone. She tried to take a deep breath, but something was pressing down on her, barely allowing the air to go through. Her memory was hazy. How had she ended up here? The mental image of a strange shadow monster came to her and she remembered. “Damn.” she coughed. “That thing packs a punch!” Somehow, she didn't feel too worried, although being upside down and having several parts of her body immobilized by heavy things put her in a weird position. Her left shoulder was propped on something hard, but not stone. Wood? She thought she had seen a wooden beam... she shifted as the sounds outside continued. There was something soft under her. She coughed and felt liquid slide down her muzzle. That... was not good. She tried to move more, but then she felt pain from her chest. Something... her hoof felt it's way around until it bumped into that something. It felt... Her thoughts were interrupted as the heavy weight on top of her shifted, then slowly started levitating. “I see somepony! She's alive!” a unicorn shouted. “You're going to be okay... don't... oh, Celestia... Ebon Rain...” “That's not my...” she started to say, but then followed his eyes down. A mangled body lay under her. The legs were twisted into unnatural positions, one was almost completely severed. His neck had obviously been broken due to his horn getting stuck in her abdomen. She gritted her teeth as she looked at how bad the wound was. It was a belly-wound and the horn had probably ripped her stomach. “Great...” she coughed blood as she took stock of her other wounds. “Punctured lung. And... several broken ribs.” she winced as she forced her wings to move. “Wings... survived... somehow...” “I... w-we can... if we move quickly...” the guard stammered, staring at her. Behind the unicorn, the pegasus could still see three shadow creatures and her fellow Wonderbolts-turned-Shadowbolts fighting it out. “No.” With the slab off, she forced herself up. The horn slid out of her painfully and with a disgusting squelching sound, her right hind leg almost gave under her weight. “N-no?” the guard repeated. She shook her head, barely able to concentrate. “No... there's no time...” Misty was up there, alone with that thing. She couldn’t leave her teammate to deal with that by herself while she was being pampered over. The guard stepped back, aghast, as she stumbled out of the remains of the wall she had crashed into, dripping blood. She heard several gasps from around her as several ponies, including a small group of fillies, stared at her. “Hey.” she greeted them all. “Don't worry about me, I'm-” she coughed and swayed before forcing her legs to keep her upright. “I'm just passing through.” “You... you’re Blast!” one of the fillies, a pegasus, gasped. “Hey...” she blinked, head feeling light. “A... a fan... how charming! Nice to meet you, little filly!” she knew what was happening. “I wish I... *cough* could s-stay and chat but...” she looked up. “My captain... and my friends need me.” The little pegasus' eyes welled with tears, but she nodded. “Rainbow Dash told me once that friends are the most important ponies in life.” Blast smiled. “They're up there with family.” she carefully raised a hoof up and slid her goggles off, throwing them to the filly. “Here... we Wonder-” she stopped and chuckled. “Shadowbolts are like family. I always knew Dash would make it to the team...” her voice faded and she stood there for a few seconds, until she snapped back to reality. “Keep those...” “Scootaloo.” “Nice name.” she chuckled, then indicated the googles with her snout. “Hold onto those, kid. Hope they bring you luck like they did for me.” She looked up at the battles in the sky and her wings spread open. She took a galloping start, gritting her teeth and doing her best to ignore the stabbing pain as each step caused her wounds to worsen. The pegasus jumped into the air, flapping her wings wildly as she felt her body almost give up on her. o.0.o Misty blinked back tears of frustration, anger and sadness as she dodged the shadow chimera once again. The creature had batted Blast with such force that it was doubtful the pegasus was still alive. She had seen her partner crash with incredible force onto the side of the building that had, at one point, had Nightmare Moon's balcony attached to its side. Her partner had smashed through a support beam and been buried in rubble. There was no way she had survived. After that, with nopony to help her, she had been able to do little but avoid being shredded to pieces by claws sneaking in a kick or two, which didn't seem to do much against the creature. Already her uniform had suffered very close encounters with those shadowy appendages, and she sported a few jagged cuts herself. She was also getting tired, very tired. She knew that it was the emotional drag as much as the physical exertion... but her movements still slowed down considerably. The shadow-chimera snapped at her and she executed a roll to avoid getting caught in its maw. The creature turned and followed her as she desperately tried to put some distance between them. But the monster was a fast flier, possibly even faster than her, despite its bigger size. The Shadowbolt could almost feel the creature’s jaws snap just behind her hoofs when a black blur slammed into its side, making it lose control as the new arrival held onto its wing tightly. “Blast!” Misty shouted, recognizing her partner. “You're alive!” “Misty! Grab its other wing and follow my lead!” Blast shouted back, holding as tightly as she could to the wing. Nodding, Misty did a quick loop around the creature as it flailed around, looking for an opening. When she saw it, she immediately dove in, grabbing the other wing tight. The monster, with its wings pinned down and deprived of any other means to keep flying, started falling, but Blast started flapping her wings and angling the chimera. Misty caught on and followed her lead. Between the two pegasi, the acceleration increased considerably, and soon the three were hurtling towards the gallows. “We'll have to let go at the last second!” Misty shouted over the whipping wind. “This thing is pretty strong! It might be able to pull out of the dive otherwise!” she concentrated as the ground approached. “We only have one chance!” The ground rose to meet them and when she sensed that there was almost no time left she looked at her partner. “Now, Blast! Let go!” She gave the monster’s wing a sharp twist for good measure before letting go. It was only then that she saw the blood on her friend's uniform. Only then did she realize that Blast had not spoken back to her at all during their descent. Only then did she see the sickly smile as her partner mouthed a goodbye. “Blast!” Misty's scream mixed with the panicked roar of the shadow-creature's realization of its inevitable death. “Blast!” she screamed again as she dove in a futile attempt to catch up to them. The chimera and Blast’s impact blew apart the gallows, sending pieces of wood flying everywhere, and causing what remained of the structure to collapse on itself. Misty pulled up hard as debris filled the air, hooves skidding as they met stone before she tumbled head over tail and skidded to stop. She looked up from the ground, tears in her eyes as she stared at the wreckage. “Misty! What happened? !” Soarin's voice reached her, making her look up to see him, approaching. He was splattered with blood and she could see several nasty cuts on what was visible of his coat beneath his shredded uniform. Behind him, flying a bit slower, was a griffon carrying the limp form of Rainbow Dash. She looked back at the wreckage as her team-mate landed. “It's...” she sobbed as she buried her face in his shoulder. “It's Blast...” Misty whispered sadly. “She took the shadow creature with her...” The male Shadowbolt looked at the remains of the gallows for a second before closing his eyes and nuzzling the sobbing pegasus. Gilda landed next to them and carefully laid down Rainbow Dash next to them. o.0.o The last tendril of the Guardian’s attached to Nightmare Flare magic fell into Moon’s grasp and the Nightmare grinned. I have them all! With her search over and the delicate work done, it was simple to divert a fraction of her concentration and effortlessly snap the shadow chimera's neck with a focused burst of magic. Letting the creature fall harmlessly to the ground, she then looked around. There were no more of the creatures to be found and it seemed that even Spitfire had been taken care of. “Perfect.” her head turned towards the balcony where Twilight Sparkle was standing guard over Nightmare Flare. “Let's draw out the last enemy.” Nightmare Moon twisted the tendrils of energy together into a single tout strand. She shaped her magic into a long, razor-edged sword, and, with a single swipe, the Guardian's link to her and her sister was broken. The Nightmare took a sharp breath as she felt the stolen power returning to her; it was as though an enormous weight she had been unaware of had been lifted from her back. Nightmare Moon could see her sister, with the last bits of the armor falling off stir, opening her eyes to stare at Twilight. She looked better already, and if the magic had returned to Celly as it had returned to her, she would be up and about shortly. Nightmare Moon sighed as things quieted down. Here and there guards ran around under Fluttershy’s orders helping injured ponies and finding more dead than they would have wanted. A few ponies that had been hiding from the moment the fight had started, slowly made their way out into the open. The Moon Queen shook her head sadly at the toll their battle had exacted on the citizens of Canterlot. The plaza was almost completely destroyed. The building that had originally held her balcony was missing its entire western wall; the fountain was completely crushed with water still shooting out at an angle; the gallows had been decimated; the floor of the plaza was splattered with blood, and seeing unmoving ponies of all kinds just lying there tore at her conscience. Her gaze turned to the destroyed gallows, where the remaining Shadowbolts and a griffon were approached by Trixie. Looking towards the balcony, she was glad to see that Scootaloo and her friends were okay. Over at Flare’s Balcony, Celestia was struggling to get up with the aid of Pegasus-Twilight. Moon sighed again as she noticed Jade moving in to eliminate Twilight Spark. It was then that the whole plaza under her started shaking. High above them, the Sun and the Moon broke their static watch and very slowly started drifting appart. The few ponies that remained in the plaza began to shout in panic as the tremor worsened. Something was making its way from the eastern side of the city. The ground shook more violently, and she could see buildings crumbling while the road cracked and split open as it made its way towards them. Everypony looked at each other nervously in the sudden silence. The ground exploded on one side of the street, sending up a cloud of dust, followed by another explosion on the other side of the plaza. Ponies screamed in confusion as everything at street level cracked and buckled as the fast-moving shape of a huge creature rounded around the area bringing down damaged buildings and forcing the fleeing ponies to run back to the center of the destroyed plaza. A few of the lanterns adorning the buildings broke, and soon several of the collapsed structures showed tell-tale signs of an imminent fire. An angry roar rose out of the dust clouds as the shaking suddenly stopped. Ponies shouted and looked around wildly as the area went quiet again. The few pegasi that remained hovered hesitantly over the settling dust. A hissing sound made everypony freeze in place as the ground rumbled with the movements of the titanic creature that slowly snaked around them. Here and there ponies could see large scales moving through the smoke and dust. Nightmare Moon floated back as coils and coils of the serpent-like body of the Guardian slowly revealed themselves towering over the buildings around them, until the creature, unlike anything anypony had ever seen, except for Trixie, rose high above them. The Guardian's several red eyes glowed with power as he glared at all of them. You dare! it roared in their minds as well as in a completely alien language that rumbled like thunder all around them. I have let you all crawl over my world for thousands of years, and now you refuse my due! I will rid this world of all of you and feast on your life energy. I will eat your souls and torture them for eternity. With a wave of a scale-covered arm, the dead shadow chimeras were pulled up from where they lay. Some of them were missing entire parts of their bodies, but that didn’t stop the guardian as the remains started convulsing and their forms were reshaped. Nightmare Moon gasped as the shadowy forms became clearer until she could see the familiar faces and shapes. Her heart lurched at the painful memories of having to destroy those familiar beings so long ago. Trixie, Big Mac and Soarin’ stared, Midnight’s words returning to them. “Legend has it that there were once more Princesses around... true, Luna and Celestia were the greatest, but there were more alicorns protecting Equestria with their power than we remember. Their influence is still felt through terms we still use, like the North Wind, or Spring.” The last of the shadows faded away, leaving behind four alicorns, all shorter than the Nightmare or Princess Celestia, their coats somehow dulled and muted in color. The newly arrived alicorns looked around in confusion until one of them settled her eyes on Nightmare Moon. “Luna...” Winter whispered. o.0.o End Chapter 19 o.0.o" ]

[ "The Empty Room Chapter 20 By Wanderer D o.o.0.0.o.o “Princess!” Twilight Sparkle nudged her newly-discovered mother's cheek with her muzzle. “Please wake up... please... please mom...” The anger seared as it left her body and the one voice in the world - no, in the universe - that mattered called for her once more. Slowly her eyes opened, magenta focusing on the violet of her long lost daughter. The world seemed to stop. Her daughter. Twilight Sparkle. All this time she had been with her, feeling guilty of wishing Twilight was hers, that this wonderful filly could be her own flesh and blood, and not just her beloved student... slowly tears streamed out of her eyes. All this time she could have called her 'daughter.’ All this time she could have been the mother she had always felt she was and never fear to be crossing the invisible line between students and mentors when it came to affection; for it was different to treat a pony as if they were your child... and treating that pony as you would treat your real child. She would have spoiled her so much. Twilight's eyes were also brimming with tears as she looked at her mentor and mother. “Prin-” she shook her head and said more firmly, “Mom. Welcome... welcome back.” “Oh, Twilight...” with her forelegs, Celestia pulled the unicorn into an embrace. Then she noticed something worrying. “W-what... what happened to your horn?” Twilight chuckled weakly. “Um... I... was resurrected and it wasn't part of my body anymore...” Celestia's eyes were wide. “The cambro had enough energy to bring you back, but not completely... Oh, Twilight... I'm so sorry, the whole thing was unnecessary but... I didn't know back then that we could bring down the assassin's guild...” “There's so much that we need to talk about...” Twilight agreed, smiling softly as she held her mother close. “About the assassins, about you and me...” she sighed. “There's so much I don't understand... how did the cambro work? Why could it bring Trixie and me back?” “Trixie?” Celestia blinked. “Clearly I also need to find out about a great many things.” “About my horn...” Twilight ventured uneasily. “I know that Twilight Spark has it.” Celestia cringed. “I'm so sorry, Twilight... when I thought I had lost you... I- I couldn’t carry on. Even if I had forgotten you were my biological daughter... I couldn’t think of you as anything other than that. From the little filly unicorn that I took under my wing, to the proud...” she smiled, “pegasus that you have become...” Twilight chuckled as she buried her face in her mother's flowing mane. “I always thought of you as my daughter... I just wish I had known.” “I always thought of you as a mother,” Twilight stated. “And now, it's true... and I was blessed with three parents instead of two...” She frowned. “Which reminds me... about that--” A crash and a roar interrupted their conversation. The whole area around them started shaking as a they looked around wildly. “Twilight!” Celestia slowly stood, stumbling a bit with the shaking beneath her hooves. “What's happening? !” Suddenly they could hear it in their minds. You dare! A completely alien language that rumbled like thunder all around them, and somehow they understood. I have let you pathetic beings all crawl over my world for thousands of years, and now you refuse my due! I will rid this world of all of you and feast on your life energy. I will torture your souls for eternity. “It's the Guardian!” Twilight gasped. “The what?” “The Guardian! Nightmare Moon explained it to me... he's the one responsible for turning alicorns into Nightmares! He somehow feeds off of them! She was hoping that, by releasing you from Nightmare Flare, he would show up!” “Nightmare...” Celestia shook her head. The memories of her time as Nightmare Flare were fogged... still there but she had to struggle to remember. “Ugh... now I know how Luna felt...” her eyes widened. “Oh... oh no- Twilight... I... Lyra!” Twilight closed her eyes and lowered her head. “Twilight, I let one of my guards get killed! I-” “Mom...” The word broke the Princess from her guilty ramblings. “Mom... there's nothing we can do about it right now other than finish this.” Celestia nodded, taking a deep breath. “I have been acting like a victim too much for my liking...” she said soberly. “Regardless of my feelings I must be strong... I must save Luna from the Nightmare... then, then I'll... I'll deal with what I have done.” Twilight nodded. “We should join the others.” “Yes. Let's go.” o.0.o Most of the ponies that remained in the plaza had frozen in place. They had been looking for family members, friends or simply bemoaning the horror of what had transpired in Canterlot. Now, as the beast approached, they froze in fear, a few screaming out here or there, while the more cowardly and able ponies had abandoned the rest to their fate. The four alicorns observed their surroundings with interest. Clearly they had never seen the city before. One of them, Winter, watched as Nightmare Moon drifted down and landed in the street a few feet in front of her, while several other ponies gathered around the black alicorn. The action seemed to snap the frozen crowds out of their stupor and soon the plaza was a cacophony of confused shouts and screams from panicked ponies trying to flee the area. However this was nothing more than white noise now, all but lost in the background as the fighters stared at the new arrivals. Winter narrowed her eyes as she took in Nightmare Moon's form, then glanced at the black alicorn’s cutie mark. “You... you are not Luna. Who are you?” “Nightmare Moon.” The black alicorn smirked and nodded slightly. “It has been close to two thousand years since you four were destroyed. The world has changed a great deal.” Another alicorn, with a green mane, yellow coat and a single, white daffodil cutie-mark gasped. “Two thousand years?” A rusty-red alicorn with a large brown leaf for a cutie-mark glanced around the semi-destroyed plaza. “It has changed indeed. Structures such as these did not exist when we ruled the four stations.” “We have missed so much,” the last alicorn, cyan-blue with a thundercloud cutie-mark lamented. She looked at the others. “It was several centuries at least when I saw you last, Winter.” The white coated alicorn with the electric-blue mane and ice-crystal cutie-mark arched an eyebrow. “Moon?” Soarin' asked after a moment, “Are those alicorns for real?” The Nightmare sighed, “Yes.” “Well, the Great and Powerful Trixie is at least grateful that you have a plan,” Trixie said, her customary illeism. covering up her shock. “Because trying to win this fight without one would be a bad idea.” Nightmare Moon fell silent for an uncomfortable amount of time. As the immediacy of her previous comment faded, Trixie coughed. “You do have a plan, right?” The black alicorn's wings slumped. “No. I really did not expect this to happen.” “N-Nightmare Moon!” a voice yelled out, all the ponies turning to look at Celestia as she slowly made her way towards them with Twilight Sparkle supporting her. The Sun Princess's majesty was severely diminished by her dull, limp mane. Behind her, Jade helped Big Mac limp toward them, while Twilight Spark levitated Applejack. Cinnamon, Daisy Sprout, Fluttershy, Golden Cross, Paper Craft and the Cutie-Mark Crusaders also approached them from the other side, abandoning the relative safety of distance in favor of being closer to family. Nightmare Moon shook her head dismissively. “Now is not the time to argue, dear sister,” she said, glancing up at the Guardian, who watched silently, all sixteen eyes shining malevolently, “We have bigger issues to deal with.” Celestia's eyes were hard. “My sister-” “Is fine.” Nightmare Moon interrupted as she looked at the two Twilights. Her gaze went to the purple pegasus. “I see you haven’t been able to get your horn back yet, my niece.” Twilight shook her head while Spark took a nervous step back. “Celestia... you've changed.” Summer said, looking at the Princess in awe. “I'm sorry I didn't get to stay longer and-” She was interrupted as the air around them thickened with energy. Everypony gasped, all ponies save Celestia and Nightmare Moon falling to their knees as if the weight of the world was slowly crushing them. “What are you doing? !” Spring demanded, as she and her sisters looked in anger at the Guardian. The voice of the Guardian echoed in their minds. We don't need distractions, and this respite has lasted long enough. “Celestia!” Nightmare Moon shouted, horn already aglow as energy gathered around her. The Princess of the Sun was equally fast; as the pressure around them exploded, a shimmering dome of white light and darkness formed around the group of ponies. Outside the protective dome, all sounds died immediately. It took several seconds for the Princesses to decide it was safe to lower the dome. The group stared in horror at what awaited them behind the dissipating spell that had protected them. The guards who had been helping the injured stood frozen in place, along with the ponies they had been trying to help and even the few remaining ponies trying to flee the plaza, all of them turned to stone. The whole city had dulled, taking a grayish hue under the dark skies, and there was an unsettling feeling of something lurking just outside their perception. “W-what‘s happened to them?” Misty stammered out. “Are... they just frozen? Like when a basilisk or a cockatrice stares at you?” Fluttershy asked fearfully. “They...” Celestia choked. Nightmare Moon growled. “They're dead.” She whipped around to glare at the Guardian as the behemoth hissed in mirth. “You killed them!” Why, my little Nightmare, the Guardian chuckled, his words a hissing threat. You seem to have developed a soft spot for these useless beings. “Silence!” the black alicorn barked, drawing a disbelieving stare from Celestia. “I'll tear you to pieces!” “You won't be alone!” Trixie proclaimed, standing next to the Nightmare, albeit looking more than a bit nervous. “Trixie shall lend you her magic!” “And you have us,” Soarin' added, as Misty and even Gilda, who had been checking up on Rainbow Dash, nodded their assent. “And me as well,” Jade said marching forward, her eyes assessing the four alicorns and the Guardian. Her voice drew a gasp from several of the ponies, who turned to stare at the assassin as though she had grown another head. “J-Jade!” Sweetie Belle gasped, “You talked! But-” “Don't forget me,” Twilight Spark interrupted, not looking at them, preferring to center her attention on the Guardian. “I have a good deal of pent-up aggression to rid myself of.” “And you have me as well, Nightmare Moon,” Celestia finally said, walking up to stand next to the Nightmare, the sun princess's mane already returning to its wavy glory. She stood strong and firm as she glared at the Guardian. “There is much to discuss between us, but there are more dire circumstances to deal with right now.” Nightmare Moon smiled at her sister and eyed the behemoth before them. “We're all with you, Moon,” Jade added. The monstrous snake-like being hissed and its eyes glowed brighter. The four alicorns that had risen from the ashes of the Guardian’s shadow chimera howled in pain as their bodies were wracked by a malevolent energy. Slowly their legs elongated and their faces shifted becoming slightly longer. Their eyes turned reptilian as the rest of their bodies grew to a stature similar to that of Celestia and Nightmare Moon. We will see how far you get! the Guardian hissed angrily. With a wave of one of his several arms, the ponies were blasted by an invisible force as Celestia and Nightmare Moon, struggled in the powerful telekinetic grasp of the creature's powerful magic. The alicorns watched in horror as their friends, family and allies were flung into the the city. Go! Kill them! the snake-like monster ordered the four new Nightmares, who shot up into the air and flew in different directions. “Let us go, reptile!” Nightmare Moon ordered. “Guardian, stop this now or we shall put a stop to you!” Celestia’s voice joined her sister’s. The Guardian's monstrous form rumbled with confident laughter, its amusement sending a chill down the alicorn’s backs. o.0.o Gilda glared at the dome of gray energy that covered all of Canterlot and then sighed as her eyes drifted down to the cyan pegasus beside her. She had managed to fight the force of the Guardian’s throw and had quickly caught the unconscious pegasus, flying down into the city to hide and recuperate inside one of the evacuated buildings. They had ended up in, from what Gilda could tell, some sort of office building. Wooden desks sat buried in papers emblazoned with various company logos. She had dragged Dash into a large office on ground level with a large window that overlooked the street. The air was thick with dust, as if the building had been abandoned for several years, despite the fact that it would have been only mere hours since everypony had left. The Guardian's magic was strange... it left her feathers tingling and her muscles tense. There was a pervading sense of wrongness in the air. It was only the sight of the pony beside her that kept Gilda from giving in to the urge to fly away. “Really, Dash, you get me in the worst kinds of trouble,” the griffon chuckled, her claw carefully brushing aside the chromatic mane so that she could look at the pegasus' face. “I haven't seen you passed out like this since we went bar hopping after Junior Fliers. That was so cool!” she laughed quietly. Her chuckles slowly died until all was quiet again. “Why did you tell me to go away, Dash?” She sighed. “You could have asked me for help... I've learned a lot since I got kicked out of Ponyville. Don't get me wrong, I'm still too cool for your lame-o pony friends though.” She glanced down at the calmly breathing pegasus. “Not that you’re awake to appreciate it right now.” She looked out of the window to the streets outside. Everything seemed duller, as if the life had literally been sucked out of everything, even the paint of the buildings. Trees that had been green that morning looked a muted brown, colorful banners and textiles looked like they had hung for years, bleaching in the sun. “Haven't ever seen anything like this before...” she spotted a couple of statue ponies that had been running away from the Guardian, frozen permanently in the middle of the otherwise untouched streets of Canterlot. Gilda shook her head. “So. Completely. Messed up.” As her eyes strayed upwards towards the distant rooftops, she froze. Fall was flying low, searching the streets carefully. Gilda carefully slid back further into the office, just in case, and watched from the shadows as the alicorn flew past. After a few tense moments of eerie silence, she risked another look. No sign of the rusty-red alicorn. She sighed. “You know Dash... I would really like to start over again. What we talked about earlier... it got to me in a big way. So much that I couldn't just leave you. I had to help.” She lay down next to the pegasus. “Dash... thank you for saving me and forgiving me... I was a wreck after I left Ponyville... it took me months to realize why I was acting like that, and then even longer to come to grips with it and the fact that you were now out of reach.” She smiled and chuckled a bit. “That all changed with that crazy Kung-fu pegasus bringing that letter. She still had to beat me up to make me take it but... Dash... I-” Gilda stopped and looked down at the still unconscious pegasus. “I...” She slowly lowered her head until she was able to nuzzle the pegasus sadly. “I wish I was cool enough to say it,” she finally said, sliding down to simply lie there. o.0.o The air rushing around her, Trixie tried with all her might to hold on to her beloved hat, her cape whipping about in the wind. She could see the ground rapidly approaching. She wasn't going to merely hit it. No. First she was going to smash into the side of a building, then her broken body would tumble down to the street below... or perhaps she would hit it hard enough that her corpse would slide down and leave a bloody smear down the building. Either way, she had to figure a way to quickly change her fate and fast. Complicating matters was the fact that she wasn't alone, and the earth pony's screams were distracting her. Applejack was falling along with to her, screaming her lungs out as she kicked her hooves wildly. She couldn't blame the earth pony. After all, she seldom had her hooves off the ground herself. However... “Applejack!” “Oh, Hooorseaappleeees! Celestia dang it!” “APPLEJACK!” The apple farmer looked over at her, eyes wild with fear. “We'll be fine! The Great and Powerful Trixie won't let anything happen to either of us!” The earth pony managed to grab hold of Trixie and shook her wildly. “In case ya haven't noticed, WE’RE ABOUT TO CRASH!” Trixie sighed in exasperation and pointed towards her horn. The orange-coated mare simply blinked at her. “Oh.” Blue energy gathered around her horn and suddenly, a dense mattress appeared on the wall of the building. Both mares crashed onto it with an “oof!” the force of the impact decreased considerably. It was still painful and disorienting as they bounced off of it, but Trixie quickly spotted something else to use. Another flash and a stray cart in the street turned into a mattress right under them as they landed on top of it in a heap. “A m-mattress...? Why a mattress...” Applejack groaned. The blue unicorn simply shrugged. “They're comfy.” Slowly the pair crawled off the mattress and stared around them. The architecture of Canterlot proper was very different from that of the castle. Celestia's home was, and had always been, designed to reflect the magic and might of the alicorn-goddess: spires, careful curves, perfect white walls... the almost random coloration of the turrets. The city, on the other hoof, was a mixture of styles, the many decades it had taken to build it having brought with them ponies of varied architectural visions. Although none of the buildings could be mistaken for quaint, and the structures were mostly masonry, several sections of the city itself were defined by the buildings in them. “What in tarnation...” Applejack growled as she stared up at the buildings. Trixie looked around. The tall buildings, the ornamentations and stonework, the complex designs, arches... “I see that neo-gothic is not your style.” “Neo-what-ic?” the apple farmer asked. “That why all these buildin's here look so creepy?\" Trixie merely huffed in response, taken aback by the farm pony’s apparent ignorance. “Just look at the play of light and shadow, the intricate stonework, the magnificent gargoyles! Look at how the buildings seem to reach for the heavens themselves as if trying to grasp Celestia’s sun itself! How can you possibly call such masterworks ‘creepy?’\" Applejack gave the magician a deadpan look as Trixie panted from her outburst. “Ah think ya just answered yer question, sugarcube.” Trixie looked away, mumbling something rather crude under her breath. “Well, we should git goin’...” Applejack said, stretching her legs with a slight grimace. “Ah think Ah saw somepony fallin’ a few blocks from here on the way down.” She pointed towards the east. “Sure.” Trixie sighed. She started walking, but stopped when she heard a pained moan and a muffled thump. She looked back and her eyes widened. “Applejack!” She ran towards the orange mare, leaning down to take a look at her. Damn it! I can't let Macintosh’s sister die! She noticed the deep gash on the orange mare's shoulder and grimaced. “How could Trixie have missed that? !” “Ah... ah don't know, sugarcube.” Applejack chuckled. “But, if it makes you feel any better, Ah forgot ‘bout it mahself. Spark healed it a bit ‘fore we all went flying.” “How could you forget about something like that! ?” Trixie asked, horrified, looking around. “Trixie thinks that the landing probably reopened the wound.” “Whatcha lookin’ ‘round fer?” Applejack asked slowly, feeling suddenly tired. “Something to bandage you with!” Trixie answered. “Can't you magic up something?” “It's not that simple,” the showmare sighed, “I can transform small objects with my magic, but after a while they will become what they were originally. Look.” She pointed to where the mattress had turned back into a cart with a puff of blue magic. \"I can perhaps heal you partially with magic, but I'm afraid healing spells are hardly my speciality.\" Trixie's horn glowed and blue pinpricks of magic flashed on Applejack's cut. The blood flow slowed down until the injury had completely stopped bleeding. However, unlike Spark's hornwork, the wound was still open. \"You could go root around in one of them buildings and-\" “No.” Trixie shook her head as she sat down next to the apple farmer. “One of those alicorns is probably going to come for us, or the Guardian will, or something else.” She shuddered at the thought. “I can't leave you alone like this and I don’t think using my magic to move you around will help much while I search.” Applejack smiled and closed her eyes , swaying a bit. “Ah don' know, sugarcube. If y'all don' get a bandage...” A ripping sound made her open her eyes. The farm mare stared as blue magic ripped two long, wide strips of fabric from the bottom of Trixie's cape, then ripped them again so that she had four long strips of the blue fabric. Carefully, the unicorn levitated Applejack just off the ground and then started bandaging her shoulder. The farmer couldn't stop staring as the soft blue material firmly wrapped her wound until it had been bandaged completely. “T-Trixie.” She looked from her shoulder to the unicorn. “You... yer cape...” The considerably shorter cape barely even covered her flank anymore, but the unicorn shook her head. “It's fine.” “But...” “Here. Let me help you up.” The orange mare kept silent as Trixie accepted some of her weight. They started walking slowly towards the east again, Applejack favoring her healthy foreleg and only using the injured one to keep balance. “Thank you Trixie,” the apple farmer said after a moment. “Ah honestly can't say ah ever thought you would do anythin’ like this.” The unicorn chuckled. “The Great and Powerful Trixie you once knew would have never done this.” She looked down at the street, a bit sadly. “The Great and Powerful Trixie was a bit of an idiot. But... I'm just Trixie right now... nothing Great and Powerful about me at the moment.” “Ah don't think-” “I know how I treated you and the others,” Trixie interrupted, “And you weren't the first. Or the last. After Ponyville, I kept doing it. I thought I had to, even more so than before. When I did it to you and your friends, I did it as 'part of the show.’ I never stopped to think how I might have been hurting ponies doing it. After the Ursa Minor, it was to prove to anypony that I could best them in anything, and if I could, then maybe I really could do all I said I could.” “Why... what made you change?” Applejack asked softly, noticing the pained look in the showmare's eyes. “Twilight Sparkle,” Trixie said. “At first...” she added quickly when Applejack raised her eyebrow. “Just a little. She found me a few months after Ponyville. I was about to try and challenge her to combat, but... she brought my cape, hat, notes and books with her. She said she had read some of them...” She smiled softly. “That's our Twilight, alright.” Applejack chuckled. “She seemed to be impressed with my magical technique... I couldn't stay angry at her... at least not to her face. We talked for a long time. We parted on... favorable terms... Although I still saw her as my rival.” She sighed.", "“She seemed to be impressed with my magical technique... I couldn't stay angry at her... at least not to her face. We talked for a long time. We parted on... favorable terms... Although I still saw her as my rival.” She sighed. “When I found the Guardian, I thought it could make me more powerful than ever... that I could go back to Ponyville and... I don't know, challenge Twilight to a friendly match or something.” “And how would you go about doing that?” Applejack asked, raising an eyebrow. “Oh, I'm sure we would have found a way.” Trixie said after a moment. “I mean, there are formal challenges for titles and such. We could have devised a series of complicated tests of skill to find out which of us is the most talented and powerful only to eventually realize that we are almost equal in power.” The apple farmer laughed. “Sugarcube, you really think you could have matched Twilight test for test and even win?” “Of course.” Trixie snorted. “I would have won some and maybe lost some!” Applejack chuckled and shook her head. “W-well, and, that was before Trixie knew that Princess Twilight was an alicorn!” the showmare added defensively. “Besides,” she said, her tone more somber, “the Guardian killed me.” Trixie shook her head as she thought back to it. “Funny how that monster was more helpful to me than anypony ever was. I knew the only pony that could help me was Twilight. So I got a kid to etch a small rune on my wagon and used my magic to get to Ponyville.” She nudged Applejack, who had slowed down, and they started walking again. “Why do you say that the Guardian did you a favor?” the farmer asked after a moment of silence. “Trixie... I was alone. I had nopony to show off to, nopony to talk to. I only had time to think as I made my way and...” she looked down, a rosy tinge on her cheeks, “that’s when I met Big Macintosh.” “Ah was wonderin' how that happened,” Applejack said. “Big Mac was very helpful... just by being there... he was all that Trixie was not,” the showmare continued. “He was kind. He was humble. He listened. He offered to help without expecting any recompense.” Applejack smiled as the unicorn talked about her brother. “I had never met anypony like him. Under other circumstances, I might have thought he was simple... but he's considerate and careful. He never rushed and...” Trixie coughed, “he's pretty nice to look at.” “Whoa there, Sally!” Applejack said, giving the unicorn a glare in mock anger. “That's mah brother yer talkin’ ‘bout!” “He's amazing,” Trixie replied with a smirk, which melted into a warm smile as her eyes looked at something beyond Applejack. “And I never want to be away from him. Ever.” she looked away. “Thanks to him I was able to make it this far without despairing. I was able to face my family... and discover how much I had missed because I by being an obnoxious brat.” The apple farmer took a deep breath. She had seen how much her brother cared for Trixie... and this... this mare standing in front of her was not the unicorn whom she had honestly hated. This Trixie was... likable. Genuine. And, if Applejack was any judge of character, being completely honest. “Ah can tell mah brother loves you, Trixie,” she said eventually, “'For the life of me, ah couldn't figure out why... ’Til now.” She leaned a bit more against the unicorn sisterly fashion. “Ah can't rightly say that I think things will work out or that we’ll even survive this... but fer now, and as long as ya don't raise yer hoof or magic against mah kin... ah welcome you to th' Apple family.” Trixie stopped and stared at the orange mare, eyes shining hopefully, and, yet, part of her was a bit reserved, looking at the apple farmer to see if this was any sort of joke. Applejack smiled through the scrutiny and had to hold back her own tears when the showmare choked on a laugh, her eyes becoming watery. “Thank you, Applejack.” “Call me AJ, sugarcube. All my friends do.” The orange-coated mare smiled. “Now, come on. We need to find the others.” They walked in silence for a time, eyes searching for any clue as to the whereabouts of their friends. Trixie noticed that the apple farmer had a distant look in her eyes. “Something bothering you... AJ?” The orange mare started, then looked at the blue unicorn. “Ah...” she sighed, “Ah'm just comin' to grips with everythin' that's been happening.” “You mean the Guardian?” “Everythin'!” Applejack exclaimed. “The Guardian ah can deal with. It's just a Big Nasty, but we've taken down nasties before. He’s just a mite bigger than the usual...” The earth pony shook her head. “No, it's everythin' else that's botherin' me. Twilight died an' came back t' life... an’ now she's Princess Celestia's daughter!” She chuckled. “Ah always did think that that mare was actin' like a filly tryin' to impress her mama every time she panicked ‘bout the Princess visitin' or when she was late with a report.” She shook her head. “It's a bit much tah take... one of mah closest friends was forced away from her mother an', when they were together, neither of them knew...” Trixie was silent for a moment. “I saw what happened... how much Celestia hated doing what she had to to protect Twilight,” she sighed. “I never really understood the value of family until... well, until I died. Before that it was all about myself, my dreams, how far I would get doing what I wanted. I left my parents behind after a nasty fight with my dad... I just concentrated on being ‘The Great and Powerful Trixie.’” She sighed. “I never imagined the pain my family went through after I left, or how worried they were for me...” Her eyes teared up a bit. “I never knew until they could no longer see me, or touch me, or hear me, that I had a sister, and that I was her hero.” She sighed. “It is ironic that the worst had to happen for me to be the happiest I have ever been in my life.” Her eyes sought out Applejack's. “I know that Twilight must be hurting horribly from her parents' death. And she must be confused and scared regarding what will happen to her now... but I can hope that she will get some respite with the good things that have come out of this.” Applejack smiled sadly and nodded. “Ah hear ya.” She looked up and her eyes widened in fear. “Sugarcube, we have to hide! It's one of ‘em alicorns!” Trixie blinked and looked around wildly. “There!” She pointed to an open doorway. “Hurry!” Both mares galloped as quickly as they could, the earth pony wincing every time her forehoof made contact with the the street as pain shot through her bandaged shoulder. They dove through the doorway just as the alicorn turned their way. The pair did their best to hide under a large dinner table, barely registering that they had run into a restaurant. They didn't even dare to breathe, looking at the doorway and expecting to see a resurrected goddess step into the building, hunting after them. After a tense moment with nothing happening, they exhaled in relief. That is, until the wall was blown apart, revealing amongst the falling debris the form of an amber red alicorn, eyes glowing with malice. A vicious and twisted smile spread across Fall's face as she looked at the two ponies. “You two are so dead.” o.0.o Gilda shifted uncomfortably on the floor, keeping an eye on the still unconscious pegasus. Rainbow Dash was showing no sign of recovery and it was starting to worry the griffon. “Just how long are you going to be out, Dash?” she asked after several minutes of waiting. “Don't quit on me now, you dork! It's the worst possible time!” She sighed, looking out the window at the desolate streets. At least there had been no sign of the alicorn for a little while now. She glanced down at the pegasus. “So...” she looked away. “What you told me earlier... sisters, huh?” A self-depreciating chuckle escaped her beak. “When you told me that... it was weird. I felt kinda happy, but it also...” The griffon flexed her talons idly, still not looking down at the pegasus. “I thought it was obvious... and I thought... maybe...” Gilda shook her head. “Not that it’s bad, being your sister. Or rather being thought of as your sister...” she smiled. “You would have made an awesome griffon, Dash. It would have been easier for us to be sisters then. Clan sisters, at least... It's still possible to be blood sisters. You've certainly proved yourself a true warrior today...” She shook her head. When she heard the explosion and felt the ground trembling slightly, Gilda jumped to her feet. She watched the windows shake as a shiver ran down her back. “Guess the party's started,” she said, looking out at the city. She could see a cloud of dust rising from the west. “It's pretty close.” A shuffling behind her made her turn around. Golden eyes met rose-colored eyes as Rainbow Dash looked up at her silently. “Dash!” Gilda quickly made her way back to the pegasus. “You're okay!” She hugged the filly tightly. “Don't ever scare me like that again!” “Hey, Gilda...” Rainbow Dash grinned. “I'm just glad I managed to save your hide.” The griffon snorted. “I could have handled it myself.” “Yeah, right.” Dash chuckled. “I'm... I'm just glad you're alive.” Gilda said nonchalantly, her eyes betraying her worry. “Hey, I'm okay...” the pegasus said, weakly punching Gilda's arm with her hoof. “I just can't get up. Or fly... or laugh... probably.” Gilda blinked. “How do you know you can't laugh?” \"I just have a feeling that'd really hurt... feels like somepony stuck a lamppost through my chest,\" the pegasus confessed. There was a moment of silence as both stared at each other. Then both started talking at the same time. “Gilda, I-” “Dash-” There was an awkward pause. The griffon motioned for the pegasus to speak first. “You first.” As Rainbow Dash was about to speak, another explosion shook the windows. “The hay was that? !” the pegasus squeaked. “Damn! Forgot about that,” Gilda muttered. “Dash, when we those shadow monsters and brought down Nightmare Flare, this huge thing called the Guardian appeared and sent everyone flying in different directions. I think that's some of your friends fighting the alicorns right now!” “Wait, they’re fighting the princesses now?” “No! The Guardian made four alicorns!” “He did?! He can do that? !” “Yeah!” the griffon said. “Listen, I managed to hide us earlier, but I think they are hunting us now!” “We gotta go help them!” Rainbow Dash yelled out as she struggled to to her hooves, legs trembling as she hobbled a step before subsequently collapsing back down to the floor. “Damn it!” “Dash...” Gilda placed a talon on the pegasus back, keeping her from getting up again. “You rest. I'll help your friends.” “No way! They need me!” Rainbow Dash said, struggling against the weight of Gilda’s talon. “Dash, I will make sure they are okay. “Gilda shook her head. “You can’t even lift my claw. Please, trust me.” The rose-colored eyes met Gilda’s golden ones and slowly gratitude settled in. “Thank you...” \"You just wait here while I go save your lame-o pony friends from certain doom,\" she quipped. \"You ain't gonna do me any good rushing it and getting yourself hurt more.\" Rainbow Dash chuckled weakly. “I'll be there in ten seconds flat. Just you wait.” “I'll be counting,” the griffon replied, smiling as she made her way to the door. “Gilda...” “Yeah?” Rainbow looked at the griffon in the eye. “I... know that a 'sister' isn’t exactly what you wanted...” “Dash-” “No,” the pegasus interrupted. “Let me finish, Gilda. I... I was awake for a while... I heard what you said.” “Oh...” The griffon looked down at the floor. “I feel like an idiot for not noticing...” Dash sighed. “And I regret now that we never talked about it... I... just lost somepony I probably never really had recently, so I dunno if I feel differently about you, knowing how you feel about me... but I’d like to maybe find out.” The griffon's eyes widened. “Do you mean...” “I mean you'd better stay in one piece until I get there to save your tail feathers again. Then we can figure all this out,” Rainbow Dash said tiredly. “I can't promise anything, but... I think we have a lot to talk about.” Gilda's eyes slowly warmed as she nodded. “Fine. I'll see you soon then. Don't leave me hangin’!” “Hey!” Dash shouted as Gilda jumped into the air. “That's my line!” o.0.o Scootaloo flapped her tiny wings as hard as she could. She had managed to grab onto Sweetie Belle, who had grabbed onto Apple Bloom, who had grabbed onto Daisy Sprout. She had then tried to keep them aloft, but the combined weight was far too much for her still developing wings; she could hardly manage to keep herself afloat, much less the combined weight of four fillies. Close by, she could see Misty struggling to right herself as she tumbled through the air. The force of the throw had slowly receded and both pegasi had been able to at least think coherently enough to attempt rescuing the others. Below them she could see a street lined with stores and cafes. It promised to be a very painful landing.. Scootaloo suddenly landed on Misty’s back as the pegasus flew under her taking the weight of the other fillies of off her, before passing under the other crusaders and Daisy Sprout, managing to catch them all. The others were still too scared to do or say anything, but Scootaloo’s gaze quickly turned to Jade and Cinnamon. Jade's horn lit up and several decorative banners, table cloths and tarps were ripped from their homes, stretching in front of her and Cinnamon, each absorbing some of the momentum as the pair hit one after the other, ripping through the fabric until both landed heavily, alive and uninjured, on the street. “That was some quick thinking!” Misty shouted as she landed next to the recuperating unicorns before letting the fillies slide off her back to stand on their own hooves. “Mom!” Daisy Sprout shouted, running into Cinnamon’s waiting embrace. “Jade!” Sweetie was soon to follow, tackling the assassin to the ground. Misty blinked, while Scootaloo and Apple Bloom stood next to her. “She knows the assassin?” “Assassin? !” Cinnamon squeaked in horror, flipping around her embrace to stand protectively in front of Daisy Sprout. “I think we do too...” the younger pegasus frowned, looking at the white unicorn with an inquisitive stare. “I know her voice from somewhere.” Apple Bloom nodded. “Yeah, me too!” Jade looked at both of them, her blue eyes measuring. “I'd rather you not say anything until this is all over.” “What’s the plan, Jade?” Misty asked after a moment. “I don’t know,” the unicorn replied, looking around at the stores. “I can get us back to the plaza but...” she paused to look at the fillies and at the trembling Cinnamon, “I’m not sure that’s the safest place for all of you to be.” “My husband is there...” Cinnamon said, her voice a bit shaky. “I don’t think I could stay behind.” “And we came all the way here to find you and the others!” Scootaloo added. “Ah can’t stay here!” Apple Bloom exclaimed nervously, “Ah need to know find out where mah sister and brother are!” “You might not get that chance,” a voice said, drawing the groups attention to the air, where a white alicorn, covered in a frosty sheen, hovered silently, looking down at them. “If you have something to say, it might be best if you do it now, while you can.” A collective shiver ran down the spines of all present. Winter's eyes never wavered, her tone never turned angry. She seemed, if anything, indifferent towards them. But there was something about the intensity of her gaze that put everypony on edge. “Come to do the Guardian’s bidding?” Jade asked, eyebrow arching. “I am here of my own accord, I assure you,” the alicorn replied. “As for the Guardian... our interests have coalesced in this instance.” “It’s not as if he couldn’t erase you at a moments notice,” Misty quipped from where she stood next to Cinnamon, Scootaloo, Apple Bloom and Daisy Sprout, the flier placing herself between the alicorn and the rest. Winter leveled a look at her. “It doesn’t matter as long as I do what I want.” “Sweetie, go stand with Cinnamon and the others,” Jade said, taking a couple of steps forward. She was soon joined by Misty, who stood at attention next to her. The assassin didn't look at the pegasus, keeping her eyes focused on the alicorn before them. “Are you in fighting condition?” “I'm well enough,” the pegasus replied eyeing the alicorn angrily. “I have a lot of frustrations to work out anyways... besides, can't just let you go it alone.” The unicorn nodded, her eyes not leaving the alicorn as she slowly landed a few feet in front of them. The tension grew as the pair faced Winter. “There are ways to kill an alicorn,” Jade whispered to Misty, who looked at her with a bit of trepidation. “But none of them are easy or even a guarantee... let’s hope some of my tricks work.” “Things have changed indeed, if a pegasus and a unicorn think they can stand up to my power all alone,” the alicorn noted. “If you lay down and surrender, I will quickly freeze you to death; it will be a most beautiful end.” “Oh, please, like we would simply give up! We’re Wonder-” Misty coughed, looking down at the uniform then at the unicorn. “I mean, I’m a Shadowbolt and she’s an assassin, we don’t give up!” Winter narrowed her eyes. “Shadowbolt? Never heard of them.” “Ever hear of the Wonderbolts?” Misty ventured. “Were they around over two thousand years ago?” the alicorn asked. “Uh... no, I don’t think so...” the pegasus shifted. “I- I think we started roughly five hundred years ago?” “Well then, I wasn’t around, was I?” Winter tilted her head, ice-blue mane leaving a trail of snow behind. “Why would I know of some relatively new group of pegasi?” “Oh, um... sorry?” Misty shifted uncomfortably. “Don’t be.” the alicorn assured her. “I was deep in slumber inside an infinite void where there was no heat, no sound or light... it was bliss.” “Aha.” Misty slowly turned to look at the assassin with a worried expression. “Jade,” she whispered. “She’s buckin’ crazy! She’s freaking me out!” “I know,” the unicorn whispered back. “I grow tired of this,” the alicorn stretched her wings and looked down at them. “If you truly are to fight me we should get it out of the way,” Winter said. “Don't let her cast anything too powerful,” Jade instructed in a whisper. “If she gathers power interrupt her, no matter what. Smaller spells we can dodge. We’re both fast enough.” “Got it,” the pegasus whispered back. The pair exploded into action, Misty taking to the air as Jade launched herself with incredible speed at the alicorn, her hidden blade springing from its sheath as she stabbed at the powerful creature's chest. Winter did not move, but as soon as Jade was within striking distance, the unicorn felt a blast of cold smash against her. Gritting her teeth, she ignored the sudden pain in her muscles and lunged forth, until her blade clashed with an invisible shield. When frost started to immediately creep up her blade, Jade kicked back off the shield, rolling away and gasping for air, looking in horror from the sphere of almost invisible ice that encased the alicorn to the frozen blade on her hoof. It had been close. Her eyes went to the pegasus as Misty performed a fiery stunt overhead, dragging flames behind her as she struck the shield herself. The pegasus screamed as her forehooves were suddenly encased in ice-crystals; it was only Jade's quick thinking that saved her, as she was grabbed by the unicorn’s magic and yanked away before the frost could reach her muscles. Winter did not move to counter, she just looked at them. “Are you ready to surrender? You have no chance of defeating me.” Jade gritted her teeth under her mask. “Her shield is too strong for me to breach on my own...” she muttered under her breath. “Misty, I have an idea...” Winter watched silently as the two ponies whispered to each other. Her eyes turned to the other unicorn and the four fillies with her. “Will you surrender now and depart painlessly?” she asked of the group. “You leave them alone!” Cinnamon shouted, stepping forward to shield the fillies. “We've done nothing to you!” The alicorn ignored her, igniting her horn as she formed a large icicle just above her floating form before flinging the icy spire at the mare. Cinnamon's eyes widened as the ice speared towards them at an incredible speed. She barely managed to shout in horror before the spear smashed into a shield spell right in front of them. “How?? Winter blinked, feeling like she had missed something. A sudden widening of the eyes of her targets alerted her to an impending attack. With a flash, several icy spears shot towards Jade who weaved through them, easily pulling her hoof back, the metal of the blade flashing as the unicorn stabbed forth. Again the tip barely got to within few inches away from the alicorn before it suddenly stopped as it encountered the shield. The tip sunk into it, but both mares knew that Jade did not have the strength to push it through That was when the Pegasus flew into them, tackling the unicorn forward. The blade broke through as the unexpected force broke the alicorn's concentration and it connected, although at an awkward angle, the sharp tip tracing a bright red arc over Winter's chest as the white alicorn staggered back in surprise. “What? !” Her eyes flashed as her face contorted in anger. “How dare you touch a goddess? !” With a sudden burst of power both, Jade and Misty were in the telekinetic clutch of the now enraged alicorn. With an angry shout, Winter threw Jade aside, flinging her straight at a jewelry store. The unicorn smashed through a window and into several counters inside, smashing into them painfully as the glass cut into her flank. She crashed against the far wall of the store, where another, larger counter collapsed on top of her. The alicorn then turned towards Misty and with a flash of her horn started using her to bat objects out of the street. Trash cans, tables, windows, the pegasus body was used to break or smash anything the alicorn set her eyes on. Winter laughed malevolently at the cries of pain from the pegasus. Misty felt bones snap as her jaw smashed against something. She could feel it break, darkness swimming before her eyes. Winter continued to pummel her against any surface that looked solid enough, but every time she faded out, a jolt would wake her up to the pain. “Oh, you are not escaping this particular experience, little pegasus,” Winter growled, “I’m still punishing you.” As if to prove her point, she slammed the pegasus hard against a wall, holding her there and putting more and more pressure on her. “You made a mistake, challenging me,” Winter said, her eyes fixated on the former Wonderbolt. “Had you accepted your fate, you would have been resting now instead of suffering.” Shaking her head, she flung the pegasus like a rag doll towards the remaining ponies. Misty's body flopped limply as it rolled to a stop at Cinnamon's feet. The unicorn mare recoiled in horror. “And now...” the corrupted alicorn grinned, “To finish this task...” her head lowered as her eyes took in each of them.", "“You made a mistake, challenging me,” Winter said, her eyes fixated on the former Wonderbolt. “Had you accepted your fate, you would have been resting now instead of suffering.” Shaking her head, she flung the pegasus like a rag doll towards the remaining ponies. Misty's body flopped limply as it rolled to a stop at Cinnamon's feet. The unicorn mare recoiled in horror. “And now...” the corrupted alicorn grinned, “To finish this task...” her head lowered as her eyes took in each of them. “This brings back memories... during the cold nights of winter, I would entice young fillies and colts to seek adventure... they would walk through the snow as I slowly made the world around them colder and colder until they would close their eyes...” Winter chuckled. “A slow and painless death that will be denied to you, but I will make sure you beautiful creatures never decay...” o.0.o Trixie and Applejack rounded another corner at a mad gallop, the showmare losing her balance in the sharp turn. She smashed painfully into a wall before forcing herself to catch up with the injured apple farmer. A second later the same corner exploded into pieces, courtesy of a magical blast of energy from a madly cackling red alicorn. “Come on! Come on!” Fall shouted after them. “Why the panic? Why run? You know there's no way of saving your sorry asses other than fighting!” “Trixie loathes the way the obnoxious alicorn speaks,” the showmare muttered through clenched teeth, following Applejack around another building and into an alley. “Never mind her!” the earth pony gasped, wincing. Each time her hoof struck the ground, burning pinpricks of pain shot through her body. “Jus’ focus on running!” It was then that the wall to their right exploded as the aforementioned alicorn burst through it just in front of them. “Peek-a-booo! I see you!” she laughed gleefully. The two mares stumbled in surprise and fell face first to the ground. “BwhaHAHA!” Fall cheerfully shook out her mane, scattering bits of rock and debris all around her. “Fantastic! You two are my bitches now!” “What is she talking about?” Trixie growled. “We are ponies, not dogs!” “Or wolves!” Applejack added. “Trixie hates wolves!” the showmare said, looking truly offended. She narrowed her eyes at Fall. “Are you calling The Great and Powerful Trixie a wolf?” Fall stopped laughing and simply stared at them, dumbfounded. “Insults must have changed a lot since I was last here...” she murmured. “Well, no matter! You're my bitches now, because I say so!” “No. Trixie refuses to be a dog or wolf or anything canine,” Trixie declared, her hoof striking the ground in anger. “And Trixie is also tired of running away from the obnoxious alicorn!” “Oh?” Fall's grin grew. “And whatcha gonna do about it... bitch?” Trixie opened her mouth to answer when a gargoyle statue twice the size of a pony crushed the alicorn. “Wow.” Applejack coughed as she slowly and painfully stood up. “Ah didn't know you had it in you, sugarcube.” “Trixie... didn't...” she looked up as a griffon swooped down from the tall building where other gargoyles decorated the rooftop. “Ah, I do so love Gothic architecture.” Gilda said as she landed next to the two ponies. “Lots of statues to toss about.” “You... You're Gilda!” Applejack's eyes were wide. “Ah, saw you earlier, but I couldn't believe mah eyes!” “That's right!” the griffon smirked. “And you owe me your ass.” Applejack blinked. “No, I don't. He only works at the farm on Tuesdays, and I don't really own him...” “I'm not talking about your bucking donkey!” Gilda smacked her face in frustration. “You know what, never mind. Let's get the hay out of here. You ponies have been too sheltered your whole lives.” The two mares nodded. “Where are we going?” Trixie asked. “To meet with Rainbow Dash, she's-” Her words were drowned out when the floor exploded around her. With a painful shriek, she was slammed and held by invisible bonds against a wall. Laughter filled the air as the dust settled and they could all see Fall floating over a hole in the ground. Her coat was ruffled and she had several scratches and a cut on her face. Blood poured out of the corner of her mouth. “That was a nasty surprise,” she growled. “But now it's payback time, pussy cat.” Whatever was holding Gilda in place pushed her through the wall as Fall smirked. Gilda glared at her as she slowly stood up from the debris. “Bring it on, bitch!” “But she ain't a-” “Shut up!” Both Gilda and Fall shouted, glaring at Applejack before turning their attention back to each other. With a leonine roar, the griffon slammed into the alicorn, both of them crashing painfully against the wall across the street. “Time to teach you a lesson, pussy cat!” Fall shouted as her hoof sent Gilda tumbling back. “And before you die you will have it memorized! You. Do Not. Mess. With. Fall!” Gilda's claws raked the alicorn's shoulder, forcing her equine opponent back a bit. “Two words, you pest: breath mints!” “Trixie feels dirty just listening to those two,” the showmare confessed to the apple farmer as they watched the pair trade blows and insults. They winced as Gilda was sent sprawling into the street. The red alicorn strode past them without even looking at them. “Have you memorized it yet?! You. Do Not. Mess. With. Fall!” Gilda coughed up blood. The alicorn was hardly pulling her punches and in this fight. She knew this was a fight she couldn't win by simply punching back harder. Not that she actually could anyways. Fall smirked as Gilda moved the fight into the air, her own wings batting down to send her up after the griffon. “Trixie, we have to help her!” Applejack said worriedly. “She's tough, but she ain’t gonna last long against an alicorn!” “Trixie knows!” the blue unicorn retorted, then took a deep breath. “Let me think...” Her eyes moved around the streets, searching for an idea or an inspiration. Finally they settled on something laying atop an abandoned food cart. “I... might have a plan.” Above them, Gilda was desperately in need of a plan. Although she was one of the best fliers around, griffon or pony, she was no match for the alicorn, who could simply stop the griffon in the middle of any maneuver, be she upright or upside down, and levitate there only to grab the griffon in a telekinetic hold for some punishment. “Going somewhere?” Fall asked, grinning like a mad mare as Gilda struggled to free herself. “Have you learned your lesson yet? You. Do Not. Mess. With. Fall!” Each word was punctuated by a hoof slamming into Gilda's forelegs, torso and shoulders, pain shooting from each cruel blow. She could feel how each of her bones were about to snap with each hit and realized that the alicorn was pulling her punches, after all. Finally, she broke the hold, just as Fall's latest hit smashed into the back of her skull, and spiraled down, exhausted, to land in the middle of the street. The red alicorn looked upon her with a large smirk on her face. Gilda spat blood and gingerly touched the many places in her body where the alicorn's hooves had impacted. “Damn it all...” “Gilda!” Applejack called, running towards her with Trixie close behind. “We have a plan!” “About bucking time...” The griffon shook her head as her vision grayed out for just a second, but she shook it off. Applejack looked at her worriedly. “Hold on, sugarcube, if this works you can rest all you want...” she gave Gilda an apple. “All you have to do, is force her to eat this.” The griffon shook her head dazedly and stared at the apple. “I- she must've hit my head harder than I thought... I could swear you just told me to feed her an apple.” “That's the plan...” Applejack said, half-smiling, half-wincing. “Trust me. If you can do it, it'll work.” “But you have to do it soon,” Trixie said. “Or-” “Enough talking, you idiots!” Fall’s voice echoed in the street. Suddenly, in the middle of the group, a sphere of light materialized. Trixie's eyes widened. “Everypony, run!” Gilda reacted immediately, picking a pony in each arm, her wings propelling them out of the way just in time. The light exploded, pushing them all further into the air before landing heavily on the ground . Trixie and Gilda looked at Applejack as the earth pony shouted in pain. Her shoulder wound had finally opened again and her leg hung uselessly at her side. She struggled, but couldn't get up at all. “Are you coming up, kitty?” Fall taunted. “Or do I have to go get you?” Gilda clutched the apple in her claws. Her eyes focusing on it while she did her best to ignore the pounding in her head.. “Are you sure this will work?” she asked Trixie. The mare nodded. “Good. If... if I don't make it and you do... tell Dash I'm sorry I broke my promise,” Gilda said as she jumped into the air once more. “I'm coming for you, you useless bag of manure!” The alicorn grinned. “Give me your best shot!” Gilda’s first swipe was vicious, her second less so. The alicorn didn't even bat her wings, she simply dodged out of the way each time the griffon tried to land a hit, until with a sigh, Fall took hold of Gilda's body with her magic. “I'm getting tired of this, canary.” she said with a small frown. “It was fun while you were well enough to put up more of a fight but now...” Fall grinned as her magic broke one of Gilda's hind legs with a dull crack. The griffon howled in pain, barely able to hold on to the apple. The alicorn chuckled. “Now it's time to finish this shit so I can maim those two mares down there sufficiently before killing them. That was always the difference between Celestia and I!” she cried jovially, enjoying the pain she was causing as she snapped every bone in Gilda’s tail. “She was always a defender of life! Me? I don't give a damn!” Gilda took an instinctual swipe at Fall's eyes, actually managing to scratch her face and forcing her head to the side. The red alicorn's eyes focused angrily on the griffon. “Bad move, bitch!” The alicorn's horn was glowing with angry red magic. Fall slammed the semi-conscious Gilda against a wall and dragged her along it with her magic, leaving a bloody smear behind her. The crazed Nightmare laughed as she used her bloodied opponent to paint a red line across the entirety the wall. Finally, she levitated the griffon up to eye level. “You really should learn the difference between a fight you might win and a fight you can never even hope to put up,” the alicorn remarked as she floated the both of them higher up into the air. She leaned in until her muzzle was almost touching Gilda’s beak. “It would have made your short life much simpler. Do you want me to repeat the lesson that you should have learned or did you memorize it already?” She forced Gilda's look at her. “Well? !” It was then that Gilda slammed her claw into the alicorn’s mouth, ramming the apple down Fall’s throat and leaving the Nightmare choking to death.“Yeah, yeah, same thing you've been blabbering about.” Gilda managed to growl, spitting more blood. She smiled at the alicorn. “But, you know what? I don't give a damn!” she shouted in the alicorn's face. The alicorn struggled to get it out. What?! An apple... what the fuh- She exploded. Gilda watched in awe as she fell alongside alicorn chunks and the gargoyle statue that used to be the apple to the streets far bellow. “Cool...” Her eyes closed and she felt everything go dark, missing the light blue aura that wrapped around her. o.0.o Cinnamon gulped and stepped in front of the fillies as they huddled together fearfully, watching as Winter conjured a frigid wind to sweep all around them. The unicorn gritted her teeth as she looked from the fallen form of Misty to the the broken window the assassin had been thrown through. There didn’t seem to be any way to escape, and rescue was unlikely. She turned to face the alicorn, a resolute look in her face. She would do what she could to protect them. “Girls...” she said softly, but loud enough to ensure they would hear. “When Winter and I start fighting, you have to run away, okay?” “Mom...” Daisy Sprout looked fearfully from the alicorn to her mother. Winter took a menacing step forward, but then stopped, startled, as a line of red appeared on her cheek. Blood began to drip from the paper thin cut. She snapped around, dodging an almost invisible projectile that had been flying toward her eye. The object instead cut off a section of her mane, the clean cut lock floating to the ground. Her eyes flashed back to look at the store into which she had thrown Jade, from where another miniature missile shot out. This time the alicorn was ready, and the small object found a shield in its way... which didn’t stop it. Winter staggered back as her leg bled. “That’s impossible!” “No, it isn’t,” a voice emerged from the destroyed shop, followed soon by a figure. “Shields are designed to stop many things, but there is a trick around them... Assassins have grown clever and bold over the years. I'm certain Celestia and Luna would know of this loophole... but you... you were not around to learn of it.” Apple Bloom gasped. “Is that...” She stopped, gasping as she and the others watched as hundreds of gems seemed to levitate out of the store and chain together, snapping and crisscrossing around the unicorn as she stepped out from the broken window. The assassin’s black outfit was tattered, her fur matted with blood; her knife holster had been torn cleanly from her foreleg and the left half her mask was missing, the rest dangling loosely beside her chin. “Sis...” Sweetie whispered. “If you think fancy gem tricks will be enough to defeat me, you’ll find you’re sorely mistaken,” Winter warned, although her voice trembled. “Oh,” Rarity smiled, moving her green-dyed mane away from her face with a hoof, “These are not tricks... there are many ways to kill an alicorn, just not many ponies who know how. And you are a lot less experienced in fighting assassins than Celestia or Luna, not to mention weaker than either...” Like a whip, the gems snapped out, arching in a glittering curve of death. They cut through Winter’s shield like butter, slicing into the alicorn’s side. She tried to jump out of the way, but one of her hooves was stuck in a crack on the floor. A tingling sensation on the back of her neck made her shudder as she pulled herself free. She jumped to the side as the left gem-whip snapped the area where she had just been, cracking the floor with the force behind it. Her wings batted down, trying to lift her up. However, Rarity’s right whip lashed out, wrapping around the alicorn’s left wing, digging into it painfully. The left whip smacked her on the back and withers, leaving bloody trails where they struck. The alicorn blasted Rarity back with cold air, which sealed the ground around the fashionista in ice. The assassin would have surely frozen to death had somepony’s warming spell not saved her. “What? !” Winter was about to turn around to search for the unicorn responsible for foiling her when one of the whips wrapped tight around her neck, digging into her coat and muscle with a sharp pull from Rarity’s magic. A blast of power sent the gems flying, only to come back together at the white unicorn’s call. Winter jumped, and as she fell back, conjured a miniature blizzard which whipped around Rarity, the sleet and winds both cutting her and breaking her concentration. Winter again had the feeling that something was not right, but she ignored it, concentrating on the deadly unicorn before her. Angrily stomping a hoof on the ground, she sent a freezing wave of water and ice towards the assassin. Instead of retreating, as her numerous opponents in the past had, the white unicorn galloped towards the ice and jumped up at the last second, letting the icy water pass bellow her, freezing everything. Landing on the ice with more grace than the alicorn expected, the assassin slid forward towards her, both whips lashing out in complicated patterns. “How are you able to do that?” the alicorn demanded. Rarity smirked as one of her whips drew blood on the furious alicorn with a painful sounding snap. “We’ve been wrapping up winter without you for many generations! It’s practically a celebration these days!” Winter recoiled, the words stinging her pride. “You believe you can wrap up MY winter? You foal!” The alicorn jumped into the air, barely avoiding Rarity’s whips as they smashed into the ground. “Don’t you dare make little of me!” A cold blizzard whipped around Rarity, pushing her back. Although the assassin could feel somepony’s magic trying to keep her warm, she couldn’t stop shuddering as the winds pressed her back. “I am Winter, I revel in the freezing air devoid of warmth!” the alicorn shouted in anger. “I will seep the heat out of your body until even the marrow in your bones is completely frozen!” And, for the first time, Rarity truly believed it. Her concentration broke as she sought to warm herself with her magic. The gems clattered to the ice-covered floor as the assassin found her attempts to keep herself from freezing almost completely useless. Nightmare Winter grinned manically, her calm facade completely gone. “Feel the cold sap away your will to live! Die knowing the folly it is to challenge a goddess!” Rarity gasped, falling to her knees, her breath clearly visible as it was swept away by the freezing wind. She could hear Sweetie and the others shouting her name in horror, but there was little she could do... her eyes felt heavy... Winter started laughing as she saw the assassin start to give up. “Die you little upstart! I’ll-” She was interrupted as something slammed into her back, and smashed her into the ground face first, horn scraping painfully on the concrete at the side of the street. Batting the weight off of her with her wing, she turned around, spitting out a tooth to look at her attacker. “Impossible!” she shouted as her eyes grew wide. Misty panted painfully, her body covered in blood and bruises, but very much still alive and standing if only barely. “I broke each of your bones!” the alicorn struggled to get up. “How did you? !” her eyes darted to the small group of fillies and the one adult unicorn. “You!? But how?” She felt a shiver as she saw the eyes of the ponies widen in surprise and horror, most of the group turned away in anticipation. Winter snapped her head around at that, just in time to see Rarity’s hoof, enveloped in a glowing, gem-made dagger, plunge into her chest and through her heart. Rarity stared into Winter’s eyes as the shock and anger slowly faded, leaving behind sad ice-blue eyes. “Thank you...” Winter whispered to the unicorn as polluted energy seemed to evaporate around her and her body returned to its original shape. “It- it’s good to see you little ponies have come so far without us...” she coughed and looked at the assassin with hard eyes. “Bring that bastard down...” Rarity nodded slowly. “I’m sorry.” “Don’t be... my time has been done for a while... finish it.” Winter closed her eyes as her horn flashed. The assassin hesitated before closing her eyes. Her horn lit anew with magic as the gems embedded inside the alicorn tore through her in all directions. What was left of Winter’s body fell to the floor before Rarity’s hooves. Misty’s breathing slowed as Cinnamon ran up to her, horn alight as she cast a simple healing spell. Rarity sighed, her hoof going into a small pocket in her uniform that had somehow survived Winter’s attacks. Pulling out a small purple sphere. The small object glowed in time with the unicorn’s magic, and slowly began changing color into jade-green as Rarity’s hair shifted back her usual purple hue. As she dismissed the spell that kept her hair green, she slumped down, with a sigh. She was suddenly mobbed by Sweetie, Scootaloo and Apple Bloom. The latter two were crying in both horror and relief. “Sis! Are you okay? !” she heard Sweetie ask as she hugged the fillies back. “For now, Sweetie... we’re okay,” she whispered, closing her eyes as the fillies cried into her coat and mane. Something cold landed on her nose and she opened her eyes. Small specks of white fluffy snow fell all around them as the remains of Winter slowly dispersed into the wind. “That... that was horrible...” Scootaloo said, barely able to stop shaking. “And... gory...” “How did you do that? !” Sweetie asked in awe. “I didn’t think anything could break an alicorn shield!” Rarity gave her sister and odd look. “If you infuse the gems with an air-vacuum spell, it activates on touching the shield and sucks the magic into the gem... in other words, you send it through the shield, but you are not breaking it, really.” “Did mah sister know who you were all this time?” Apple Bloom asked. “Not until very recently,” the unicorn chuckled as she stood and looked at Misty, who was struggling to also stand. Cinnamon and Daisy Sprout were helping the pegasus as best they could, but the injuries were still fresh and she could hardly keep her balance. “We have to go back... the others might be fighting these monsters too... and the Princesses will be fighting the Guardian,” the fashion designer/assassin said after giving them a moment to collect themselves. The former Wonderbolt nodded, her legs shaky, but her eyes steady. Cinnamon however, looked a bit dubious. “But what about...” she motioned towards the fillies. Rarity cringed, but sighed. “They have to come with us... at least to the plaza... while we were in the air I managed to look around a little, everything here is surrounded by the Guardian’s magic... I doubt they could make it out even if they reached the edge.” “But...” Cinnamon shifted uncomfortably; she was a mother, not a warrior. “The Guardian...” “I know,” Rarity sighed. “I don’t want to bring them but... can’t you feel it? Whatever the Guardian did to Canterlot, it wasn’t just to make it look abandoned and decrepit. There’s something lurking here... it feels as if the city itself is waiting to pounce on us.” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before looking back at the worried mother. “Cinnamon, I’d rather Sweetie and the others were near us just in case.” The mare looked down at her daughter. “Mom... Trixie will be there,” Daisy Sprout said. “She’ll protect us.” Releasing a long breath, Cinnamon nodded slowly, with a tiny smile. “Let’s go find your sister.” Rarity nodded. “This way, we’ll cut through Old Town.” o.0.o Rainbow Dash slowly stood up. Her whole body ached, and she couldn’t help but wonder if she had broken anything. Taking a deep breath, the cyan pegasus slowly walked towards the door. Although she needed the rest, the urgency of her friend’s need and the fact that the silence was starting to freak her out, were good enough excuses to get her going. Each step, although painful, was in itself a relief. She could still walk and as soon as she got out of the building she would feel much better. She looked back at the desks. The shadows stretched away from them, in the same position they had been before. However, she couldn’t shake the feeling that they were somehow creeping up on her. She nudged the double glass doors open with her head and sighed. The street was a bit better than the inside of the building but not by much. The shadows still made her feel leery and the air seemed thick with anticipation.", "The shadows stretched away from them, in the same position they had been before. However, she couldn’t shake the feeling that they were somehow creeping up on her. She nudged the double glass doors open with her head and sighed. The street was a bit better than the inside of the building but not by much. The shadows still made her feel leery and the air seemed thick with anticipation. For what, she could not tell, but it made her feathers fluff nervously. “Careful, careful...” The voices startled her. Rainbow Dash quickly turned around, immediately recognizing Applejack’s voice. The sight that greeted her was unexpected. Trixie was pulling a cart down the street. Inside it, Applejack was focused on holding something with her hooves. “Careful, Trixie! She ain’t doing so well!” “Trixie- I know!” the showmare replied. “I’m trying to keep it steady but it is a cobblestone street! It is bumpy by definition!” The unicorn looked up and locked eyes with Rainbow Dash. “We’ve found her!” “Really?” Applejack looked up at Rainbow Dash. The earth pony felt a rush of joy to see her friend alive. “Applejack!” the cyan pegasus started walking slowly towards them. “I’m glad to see you... I thought... Gilda went out to find you and-” “She’s here, Dash...” Applejack interrupted, the thought of the griffon stealing the smile from her face. Rainbow Dash felt her blood run cold at Applejack’s suddenly somber look. Almost forgetting just how much her body hurt, she galloped to the cart, running around it until she could see inside. “Oh, Nightmare Moon help us...” Dash whispered in horror. “Sh- shouldn’t that be, ‘Ce-Celestia’ help us?” Gilda hacked up blood, but somehow managed to smile. “Gilda... what the hay did you do? !” the pegasus asked, carefully nuzzling the griffon. “Ouch...” Rainbow Dash immediately stopped nuzzling her. “Sorry...” “Dash I-” Gilda coughed again, spitting more blood. “I- I’m glad that I got to see you once again...” she trailed off, her breathing sharp for a few seconds as she seemed to stare past the pegasus. With a slow shake of her head, she focused back on Rainbow Dash. “Dashie I... would be honored if you would... if you would...” “Anything, Gilda...” The cyan mare carefully took Applejack’s place as the earth pony and the unicorn stepped away to give the pair room. “... Dashie...” Gilda’s talon slowly came up until she was holding the pegasus’ front hoof. Rainbow bit back a sob. The strain was evident in her friend’s body, she could barely feel any strength in the deadly talons. She was loosing her. “Dashie...” Gilda repeated softly, her eyes warming as she looked up at the pegasus. “You’re beautiful... I- I want you to be my sister... that’s all we can be now, so close... now that I’m leaving you...” “N-no!” The pegasus couldn’t hold back the tears this time. “I just got you back! It’s not fair!” She stopped when she noticed the griffon had closed her eyes. “Gilda! GILDA!” Very slowly, weakly, the eyes slid open, only half focusing on Rainbow Dash. “... Geez, Dashie... you- you don’t have to be... so loud...” “I’m sorry...” Dash slowly held the griffon tighter, but Gilda did not protest. “Wha... was I sayin’?” Gilda asked, her head slowly leaned to the side, resting on Rainbow Dash’s chest. “Y-you wanted m-me to be... your sister-” the pegasus managed to choke out. “B-blood sisters.” Gilda said with a minuscule nod and a decisive smile. “I’ve plenty... of... of blood, y’see...” Rainbow gritted her teeth as her friends’ words slurred. “I- yes... I can’t wait to see how the other one ended up...” the pegasus forced out the joke, knowing the griffon would appreciate it. She wasn’t disappointed. “H-hah... yesh- yeah... well y’vta pick up her... pieces y’see she... exploded...” Dash simply closed her eyes and nodded. “Dashie...” “Yes?” “Do you love me?” “Yes.” “Be my sister then...” “... it will be my honor.” From a few feet away, Applejack and Trixie watched as Rainbow Dash used the Shadowbolt pin to slash her front leg and pressed it against an open wound in Gilda’s chest. The words they whispered were too quiet for them to hear, but they could see Rainbow Dash listening carefully and nodding from time to time, answering twice, always staring directly into the griffon’s eyes. Finally, she separated the open wounds and gathered her broken sister into her forelegs. It took them a moment to realize that only Rainbow Dash was moving at all, her body shaking violently. They walked up to them until they stood silently behind the pair. Rainbow Dash leaned against the side of the cart, eyes closed tight, teeth clenched as her hooves held Gilda’s body against her; the griffon’s head resting back on the pegasus’ shoulder. They didn’t say anything. Rainbow Dash cried.. o.0.o End Chapter 20 o.0.o A/N: I would really like to thank my many friends who helped me write this chapter and continue to support me. And I say friends because calling them mere ‘editors’ doesn’t do them justice... so, UnderstatedHyperbole, Fifth Alicorn, Stephen Cawking, Magical Trevor, Orpheus, NAGU360, Dragryphon... thank you all for your constant help and patience! And also thank you, readers for your patience and support too! I hope you enjoyed the new chapter! ~WD" ]

[ "The Empty Room Chapter 21 By Wanderer D o.o.0.o.o An alicorn stood in the street, watching with an amused smirk as her opponents shuffled nervously. Twilight Sparkle gulped as she took half a step back, wings flaring in alarm. At her side, Twilight Spark grit her teeth nervously. Big Macintosh, still battered and hurt from his battle with the shadow chimera, stepped in front of a trembling Fluttershy protectively. “Well, brainiac, any ideas?” Twilight Spark whispered to Twilight Sparkle. “Yes, I think so, Twi- Spark,” Twilight Sparkle stammered. “Can we decide on a way to call you that is not my name? It feels weird.” Twilight Spark rolled her eyes. “Just call me Spark for now, otherwise we’ll spend too much time arguing about that and end up naming me something stupid, like ‘Dawn’ because I’m your opposite. And we don’t have time for that.” Twilight nodded. “Okay then... perhaps if I- wait, I don't have magic! I don't know what to do!” Twilight Sparkle started to shift from hoof to hoof nervously. “Maybe we can run away?” “Stop panicking!” Spark snapped, then faced the Nightmare Alicorn in front of them. “We have to form a plan...” she muttered. “And keep in mind that we’re the only thing standing in between it and them,” Spark reminded the former unicorn, gesturing to Mac and Fluttershy. “Ah can still fight!” Big Macintosh gasped, his battered muscles trembling in protest as he attempted to puff out his chest. Summer snorted. “Sure you can.” Fluttershy peeked from behind Big Macintosh. “Um... we could hide?\" she offered, cringing as the alicorn turned to look at her. “Maybe, if you hadn’t said that aloud,” Summer said, rolling her eyes. “So...” Spark began, narrowing her eyes. “Are you going to kill me or are we just going to keep making small talk?” Summer grinned. “Do you want me to kill you? Because I can all too easily grant your wish.” Spark growled. “You can try! You’ll find me a lot tougher than you might think!” “I doubt that,” Summer snorted. “Between you and the pegasus, there’s not much you can do.” She then gestured at Macintosh with a foreleg, her expression unreadable. “And handsome over there is barely able to stay on his hooves.” After a moment, Fluttershy peeked from behind Big Mac again. “Um... what about me?” Summer stared silently at Fluttershy. The pegasus’ face slowly disappeared behind Big Mac again. “So,” the alicorn coughed. “What’s it going to be? Are you going to fight? Lay down and surrender?” The reply came in the form of a lightning bolt slamming into her. “What? !” Twilight Sparkle cried in shock, staring at Spark. She winced at the blinding light. “Princess Celestia told me never to use that spell unless my life depended on it! We should only use battle-magic as a last resort!” “Well, just what type of situation do you think you’re in, Twilight?” Spark snarled, smacking the back of Twilight’s head with her hoof as her horn summoned a second and third lightning bolt before it became a veritable lightning storm. “I can’t believe you and I used to be the same pony! That is intolerably naive of you!” “Hey! I’m just uncomfortable with it, okay?” Twilight rubbed the back of her head, but stopped when she noticed that Spark’s horn started glowing even brighter. “Wait... why did that-” “Oh, that was excellent!” Summer laughed as the lightning storm stopped. Summer shook her head, smiling sadly. “You even caught me by surprise! But, I’m sorry to say that you were doing it all wrong.” Electricity gathered in large, crackling quantities around her. “Here, let me show you how it’s done!” The alicorn’s cutie mark began to glow brightly. Twilight Sparkle raised a hoof in alarm. “Wait!” She cried. “Wait, I have a question!” “Make it quick!” Summer growled, starting to glow with electric power. “Isn’t there some other way out of this? We don’t have to fight!” Twilight Sparkle said, eyes pleading. Summer blinked. “Don’t be stupid!” Spark snapped. “The hay, Twilight! They’re Nightmare Alicorns brought back to life by the Guardian! You don’t reason with them! What are you trying to do? Make friends?” “I um...” Twilight looked down and scratched the floor with her hoof nervously. “I was thinking they might be family...” Spark returned her stare blankly. “You know,” Twilight became smaller. “Like Princess Luna and Princess- mom are sisters? I thought they might also be part of my family?” “Princess Mom?” Summer asked with a small smirk. “I never heard of her... and you say she’s Luna’s sister?” “She means Celestia, you dimwit!” Spark groaned. “She’s learning how to call her mom!” Summer looked back to Twilight. “Wait, so... you’re saying we’re family?” She narrowed her eyes. “You don’t have a horn, but there is a lot of magic in you...” Twilight shot a quick glance at Spark, who glared back. “Oh...” Summer frowned after a moment, realization finally dawning on her. The pegasus and the unicorn seemed awfully similar. “So that’s how it is...” Summer cleared her throat. “Well then... um, niece... you do know you have to kill the anomaly right?” “The wha-” Spark sputtered. “How dare you call me that, you undead freak? !” Twilight arched an eyebrow. “Is this common practice?” she asked after a moment. “Nightmare Moon said the same thing.” “Oh, it’s happened before.” Summer nodded. “It happened to Spring... She was never quite the same again.” Fluttershy raised her hoof to call attention to herself and wincing the moment it was granted. “Um... sorry... I don’t want to interrupt but... I mean...” She paused. “I guess I do mean to interrupt but... I was wondering... um...” “Out with it!” Summer snapped tiredly. “I- I just wanted to know why you’re being so nice and talking to us instead of killing us?” “Eeyup,” Big Mac echoed the sentiment. Summer sighed, letting the electricity fade into the air. “I have no interest in fighting you... you’re weak.” “I’m what?” Spark’s eyebrow twitched in annoyance. “Weak. As in the opposite of strong,” the alicorn clarified. “I know what the word means!” Spark shouted, glaring at Summer. “I am not weak!” “You are strong in magic,” Summer granted. “But you are not capable enough with it to challenge me... in fact, you are siphoning the magic from Twilight here. You were not extracted out of her as much as... grown out of her, weren’t you?” Twilight Sparkle blinked. “What do you mean by extracted?” Summer chuckled. “That’s what Spring did so long ago, even before she was turned into a Nightmare. She decided to take out all the evil inside of her and cast it aside... what she didn’t realize is that she would end up splitting herself in two and that only one half would have the horn. It was a mess, let me tell you.” “But... why would she do that? !” Twilight asked, appalled. “Well... it was shortly after Winter had become a Nightmare and Celestia, Luna, Spring and I had to take her down...” Summer looked towards the plaza. “Celestia and Luna were not as powerful as they are now... I think at this point in time, either of them could take all four of us at the same time...” her gaze went back to the group. “But back then, we were all roughly equals in power. Spring was so scared that she might be next that she decided to purge all of the evil from herself and unwittingly created a unicorn that was, well, completely evil... Darkness Void.” Twilight Sparkle gasped. “Darkness Void? !” “You... know of her?” Summer asked, surprised. “That happened several hundred years before I was turned into a Nightmare.” “I... read about her; she was already a legend when Starswirl the Bearded was just a colt.” “Meaning that it is completely irrelevant right now,” Spark interjected, ignoring the sour glare she earned from Twilight. Spark, instead, glared at Summer. “Well, if you’re not fighting us, what now?” Summer smiled ferally. “Now I find a stronger opponent to fight! Somepony particularly vicious.” o.0.o With a mighty push of magic, Nightmare Moon broke free of the Guardian's telekinetic hold. The Guardian roared in fury as Celestia followed her sister's lead and released herself from his grasp. “Guardian, this is your last chance!” Celestia called. “Give up now or-” She stopped in surprise as a sphere of dark-blue magic, enveloped in black lightning, shot past her and slammed into the Guardian's face, making it rear back. “Don't waste your time arguing with this monster!” Nightmare Moon snapped. “Look at what it just did! Celestia, you are too soft!” Celestia gritted her teeth. “And you are too eager to fight!” Both sisters flew out of the way as a huge claw, large enough to catch both of them at the same time, attempted to do just that. “We will settle this later,” Celestia sighed. “This creature has indeed crossed the line.” Her eyes lit up with a blinding white light. Nightmare Moon flapped back frantically as the sky was pierced by a white column of light coming straight from the heavens. It struck the invisible barrier that had encased the city, but soon forced its way past it. The Guardian howled in rage and pain as the scorching energy of the Sun washed over it. Its mental screams made both Princesses wince in pain. Celestia narrowed her eyes as she slowly let out her breath and the light subsided. “That was-” Nightmare Moon never finished her sentence as a huge chunk of red-hot rock slammed into her. Both crashed noisily against a building, which immediately fell on top of her. Celestia stared in shock as the Guardian, charred black by the column of heat, waded its way out of a pool of molten rock. “That will not be enough to defeat me!” the Guardian growled, arms raised as its multiple eyes shone with malevolent red energy. The molten rock around him flowed into the air for a second, the heat alone making the air around him shimmer. It then shot out, faster than the eye could see, towards Celestia. Weaving and banking under the serpentine molten rock, Princess Celestia thought frantically of her next move. But as the bright red lava coiled around her, she knew she could only concentrate on dodging for now. She turned to her left, but the way was already barred by the molten rock. She hesitated for a split second, which was enough for the Guardian to crush her with all the lava it could pile on her. The molten rock splashed down across the plaza, burning away the remains of the gallows and washing over stone-turned ponies. The Guardian watched, a grin cracking the scorched flesh around its muzzle, as Celestia stood slowly, her legs shaking as the lava slowly dripped down around her body. “I-” she gasped. “I will not succumb to something like this!” Her body glowed as the rock superheated around her and dripped onto the floor. When she released her spell, her coat was singed, but the damage was considerably less than what the Guardian had received. A sudden blast of dark energy slammed into the guardian’s chin, snapping its gargantuan head back. The crackling ball of black magic faded to reveal a slightly disheveled Nightmare Moon, glaring angrily at the creature. “You should have stayed hidden, Guardian,” Nightmare Moon growled. “You aren’t even half as competent in direct combat!” The Guardian slowly lowered its head, the charred skin falling away to reveal untouched scales beneath. Nightmare Moon rubbed her temple exasperatedly. “You have got to be kidding me.” She darted out of the way, barely avoiding a swiping claw, and landed next to Celestia, who eyed the Guardian warily. “When I cut the strands he had attached to both of us, his abilities should have been brought down a peg or two...” Nightmare Moon muttered. “Take heart, sister...” Celestia glared at the creature. “We are causing damage. He’s just playing with us, trying to make us think that our efforts are for naught.” Nightmare Moon’s eyes narrowed to glare at the monstrosity. “Then let us make him regret his audacity.” Both alicorns shot into the air, circling around the Guardian from different directions, one leaving a trail of pure light, the other of sheer darkness. They flew and spun around the behemoth several times before pulling away and, in the process, tightening the trails around him. The creature roared in pain as the twin trails burned its arms, chest and back. With nary an effort, its arms broke free, smashing the unsuspecting Celestia onto the hard ground. “Sister!” Nightmare Moon shouted in surprise. She barely dodged the Guardian’s other claw as it swiped at her. Creating a lance of pure black energy, she shot it straight through the Guardian’s claw. She took advantage of the Guardian’s pained roar to charge him, driving her horn through its scaly hide as a searing hot blast behind her alerted Nightmare Moon of her sister blasting her way free of the creature’s grasp. “Fool!” Nightmare Moon challenged as her horn blasted pure destructive nergy into the Guardian’s body. “You are no match for us! Even if you regenerate, you take far more damage than we do!” The Guardian responded to her taunts by grabbing Nightmare Moon with one of its injured claws. The blood dripping from it coagulated into tendrils that wrapped around the alicorn and squeezed. Nightmare Moon shouted in a mingle of pain and surprise as she felt the magic being leeched out of her by the Guardian. “Luna!” Celestia shouted, a beam of white light shot from her horn, slicing through the tendrils. The moment Nightmare Moon felt the drain stop, she created a force-field around her body that slowly expanded, forcing the claw open wide enough for her to fly out just before the Guardian slammed his palms together. “That...” Nightmare Moon panted, “that was close...” “What happened?” Celestia asked, panting as well. “It seemed like you had suddenly lost the will to fight for a moment!” Nightmare Moon shook her head as she followed her sister out of the Guardian’s reach. “He did something... he started absorbing my energy! The Princesses gasped as the Guardian’s laughter echoed in their minds. “But-” Nightmare Moon gasped. “How? !” “Foolish Princess, I established another link to your souls when I touched you,” the Guardian’s voice taunted. “... you will now die, and feed me...” “We... we must break the link!” Nightmare Moon growled as she crashed on the hard floor. Celestia landed next to her and fell promptly to her knees. “But... how?” The Guardian chuckled in their minds as it slithered up to them. “You can’t. At least, not before I drain you completely.” o.0.o “I hate the fact that she’s watching us. She could attack anytime she wanted to,” Spark growled, keeping her eyes ahead. “Well, it seems she really doesn’t want to kill us,” Twilight mused. “I wonder why that is? How come Nightmare Moon and Summer can control themselves and the others can’t?” “Who cares?” Spark snorted. Her eyebrow rose as she noticed a new sight. “Hey, isn’t that one of the Wonderbolts?” Twilight smiled, waving her hoof. “Soarin’!” The Wonderbolt jumped when he heard his name, and he and the two unicorns with him looked at the group in surprise. “I’m glad you made it, Soarin’!” Twilight sighed in relief. “When we all got separated I feared the worst!” “Well, I managed to catch Mr. Golden Cross and Paper Craft here,” Soarin’ said, motioning at the two unicorns. “We were wondering what to do now...” “We should get everypony together and go help my mother,” Twilight said after a moment. “She might need the Elements of Harmony to stop the Guardian, and that won’t happen if we’re all over the place.” “That’s assuming everypony survived, which is a pretty far stretch,” Spark muttered. “Um,” Fluttershy peeked out from behind Big Macintosh. “Maybe we should keep going? It can’t be a good idea to stay in one place... I think...” “The Shadowbolt Commander is right,” Soarin’ somehow said with a straight face. “We should move along.” “Yeah, let’s get going, sis,” Spark snorted. “Wait... I hear something!” Twilight exclaimed, raising her hoof. “What do you think it is?” Fluttershy asked, now hiding behind Twilight. “I’m not sure...” Twilight said as the group slowed down. “But we should prepare an ambush, just in case.” “Oh, look at you!” Spark smirked. “All brave in the face of danger! It seems I’m rubbing off on you...” “I think it’s a good idea,” Soarin’ muttered. “Why didn’t I think of that?” Big Mac glanced at Golden Cross and Paper Craft. “You two better hide, just in case it’s something dangerous.” “I refuse!” Golden Cross shook his head. “You might need a healer if this turns ugly! You’re barely standing on your own as it is! Let me help!” Twilight and the others exchanged glances, but at a nod from Twilight, Big Mac relented. “Paper Craft, go hide for now,” Soarin’ instructed. The young unicorn was about to reply when he caught the stallion’s eyes. Cringing, he nodded and walked into a nearby alley. Paper Craft stepped into the alley slowly, his eyes searching for hidden enemies. “Celestia...” he muttered as his eyes widened. In front of him stood two statues of two very familiar ponies. “I guess you didn’t make it out in time,” Paper Craft said softly, walking up to the stone effigies of his mother and father. His teeth ground against each other as anger coursed through his veins. A flash of his sister falling, the sound of her neck snapping. His father stepping over her broken lyre. “You deserved it...” he whispered. o.0.o Outside, the group had vacated the main street and waited apprehensively as the noise that Twilight had heard became more obvious. It sounded rickety, followed by scratches of stone against something else. Twilight and Spark looked at each other, ready for action. “Ah keep tellin’ ya, Ah’m worried about Dashie,” Applejack’s voice reached them. “She hasn’t woken up yet since Gilda...” “I know,” Trixie sighed. “But, she’s still recuperating and the emotional stress was probably too much...” “Trixie!” Golden Cross shouted, jumping out of hiding and trotting up to the showmare, who was strapped to a wagon containing Applejack. Twilight and the others also emerged from their hiding spots and slowly approached the mares. “Applejack, are you-” Twilight gasped as she noticed her friend stroking Rainbow Dash’s mane. The cyan pegasus, breathing shallowly and moaning in discomfort, lay next to Gilda. “She ain’t waking up,” Applejack reported, turning to Twilight. “Ah’m sorry, Twi. Ah don’t know what to do other than keep her company... and watching for the dead.” “Oh, Applejack...” Twilight tried to swallow the lump in her throat. A soft glow enveloped Applejack and levitated her out of the wagon. She gasped in surprise when Spark hugged her. “Twilight Spark...” “Just call me Spark... I’m glad you’re okay...” Spark whispered. Applejack sighed and leaned in just a bit, closing her eyes. “Thank you.” Trixie and Golden Cross approached Twilight, who was trying to figure out how Rainbow Dash was doing. “Let me take a look,” the elder unicorn suggested as he stepped onto the wagon. His horn lit up with a soft white light that enveloped Rainbow Dash. Twilight and Trixie hovered over him until the light died down. “Well, she’s okay...” Golden Cross breathed at last. “I cast a couple of healing spells. She’s in no danger of dying anytime soon, but she definitely needs rest. She’s more exhausted than anything. I imagine her battle took a lot of energy out of her and I suspect that the stress of her friend dying was too much for her.” Twilight looked at Trixie. “How did Gilda...” She couldn’t bring herself to say it. Trixie shook her head. “She fought Fall head on... I managed to devise a plan to stop the blasted monster, but Gilda had to get close to her and...” She sighed. “I’m sorry, Twilight, this is as much my fault as hers...” “Now don’t say that!” Applejack rebuked, looking up from her embrace. “Ah was there, Trixie. If you hadn’t done that, and if Gilda hadn’t helped us, we would all be dead, includin’ Gilda and Rainbow. It was just a matter of time before Fall found them.” Trixie turned away until her eyes settled on Paper Craft, who walked out of the alley apparently realizing that there was no danger. “I know you; you’re Lyra’s brother...” She cringed. Yet another failure. Paper Craft nodded. “I never got to thank you for helping me stand up to my parents.” Trixie sighed. “It... it was the least I could do.” “Trixie...” The showmare’s heart skipped a beat as she turned around, her eyes going wide as she saw Big Mac slowly making his way to her. He looked tired and in pain as he limped forward, but his eyes were alight with unbridled happiness. “Macintosh!” Trixie quickly trotted up to him and hugged him, kissing his lips and cheek before embracing him. “You’re okay! Thank Nightmare Moon!” “There’s something I never thought I would hear my child say,” Golden Cross muttered. “Father,” Trixie said, leading Big Mac up to Golden Cross. “This is Big Macintosh, of the Apple family. He... it’s thanks to him that I’m here. He helped me so much... I thought you would like to meet him.” Golden Cross gave Big Macintosh a look. “We met recently.” Big Macintosh fidgeted nervously under the very serious appraisal he received. “So far he’s been a calm and straightforward pony, willing to help, and bears a remarkably strong will,” Golden Cross remembered, looking at his daughter. “I have seen his diligence and love for his work at the market... I couldn’t have picked a better stallion for you if I had tried, Trixie.” Trixie beamed. “Thank-” Fluttershy meeped, drawing everypony’s attention to her as she stared at the grinning face just in front of her. “Don’t worry, little one. It will be your last mistake...” Spring whispered ominously as smoke came from within her mouth. The other ponies froze in surprise. Nopony had seen her arrive. “Well, well, well...” Spring sneered, her hoof tracing Fluttershy’s jaw, enjoying the feeling of the trembling pegasus and the way Fluttershy’s eyes watered with even more tears. “What have we here?” Fluttershy whimpered, paralyzed from fear as the alicorn slowly circled her. Spring looked over Fluttershy’s shoulder at the others. “So, you managed to kill Fall?” she snorted. “That won’t help you... she was deranged; she didn’t know right from left. She would walk into a trap even if it had a large warning sign. Defeating her is no big deal.” “Get away from Fluttershy,” Twilight growled. “Or what?” Spring taunted, whispering into Twilight’s ear. “What could you ever do to me, little pegasus?” Twilight tried to leap at the alicorn, but found herself frozen in place by Spring’s magic. She tried to speak, but the same spell prevented her from talking. She gazed across to Fluttershy, her eyes widening slightly when she noticed her friend was paralyzed with the same spell. “Oh, don’t be too scared,” Spring cooed, nuzzling Twilight’s neck. “That’d be no fun!” “How about you face us like a real alicorn and we show you how scared of you we aren’t?” Spark growled. “Oh, I will,” Spring replied as her horn shone brighter. “Just after I kill-” Suddenly something hit the side of her muzzle, drawing blood and stopping her diatribe. Twilight stumbled forward when the field holding her in place disappeared. Applejack managed to catch Fluttershy. Spring glared as another pegasus, two unicorns, and three fillies came into view. “I wouldn’t do that, dear. You would really regret touching a strand of hair from any of my friend’s heads,” Rarity warned. Her horn shimmered with light as thousands of bright little objects levitated around her. “We’ll see...” Spring said, suddenly disappearing under a cloaking spell. “Won’t we?” she asked as she appeared behind Rarity. The alicorn’s eyes widened and she ducked under a fast kick from the fashionista, and then jumped up to avoid the line of diamonds and gems that followed. Spring ducked suddenly, barely able to dodge the blade of air that slashed where her head had been a moment ago. “Damn,” Spark muttered.", "“We’ll see...” Spring said, suddenly disappearing under a cloaking spell. “Won’t we?” she asked as she appeared behind Rarity. The alicorn’s eyes widened and she ducked under a fast kick from the fashionista, and then jumped up to avoid the line of diamonds and gems that followed. Spring ducked suddenly, barely able to dodge the blade of air that slashed where her head had been a moment ago. “Damn,” Spark muttered. “You’ll need to do better than that, little po-” Spring’s gloating was interrupted by somepony slamming hard into her back . She cried out in pain and surprise as she was violently slammed against the floor. “How’s that for a change?” Summer laughed as she landed next to her fallen sister. She looked at the most recent group of ponies. “Hm... you two seem interesting...” She grinned at Rarity and Sweetie Belle, who exchanged a worried glance. “Perhaps after I take care of Spring we can have a good fight...” “Summer!” Twilight walked up to her. “Sweetie Belle is just a filly and Rarity is just...” She hesitated. “Well, a fashion designer last time I checked...” she muttered, frowning at the disheveled state of her friend. “A fashion designer?” Summer asked with a dismissive chuckle. “She’s bathed in Winter’s blood! I felt her battle! It was glorious!” Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Are we talking about the same Rarity?” “Twilight,” Rarity walked up to her. “Why... are you talking with the Nightmare Alicorn that the Guardian brought to life with the intention of her killing us?” “Um...” “Summer!” Spring shouted as she stood up from the small crater she created when she landed. “How dare you! ?” Summer grinned. “Well, niece, it’s time for you to go. I have business to attend to.” Twilight stepped back. “Are you sure?” Summer snorted. “Go and save your mom,” she ordered without taking her eyes of off Spring, who was charging some sort of spell. “I owe Spring a favor.” Twilight glanced back at the others. With the addition of Misty, Rarity, Cinnamon, Daisy Sprout and the Crusaders, they all seemed to be together now. A resolute look crossed her face when she heard a distant explosion. “We will... and thank you...” she said as both she and Rarity galloped off towards the others. Summer smirked. “Anything for family. Right, Spring?” “Shut up!” the other alicorn shouted, suddenly disappearing. “And here we go again...” Summer grinned. “Just like so long ago...” “This time it will be different, sister,” Spring spat as she re-appeared just next to Summer. “This time... I will kill you!” o.0.o Checking one last time to see that everypony was in the cart--Golden Cross and Cinnamon having already begun to treat the injured amongst them as best they could--Twilight slowly led the group away from the battling alicorns and towards their ultimate destination: the plaza and the Guardian. “Twilight,” Applejack called as they galloped through the streets, risking a glance behind at the alicorns. “Are you sure we can trust one of them alicorns to help us?” Spark rolled her eyes. “‘Auntie Summer’ is probably having more fun right now than she would fighting most of us...” Her eyes strayed to Rarity, the white unicorn seeming to not pay attention, though the small smile that played across her lips suggested otherwise. “She seemed honest enough...” Twilight commented, flying alongside Applejack. “And the way those two were going at it, I don’t doubt there’s bad blood between them.” “Well, dunno about you gals, but I’m glad we’re not staying to see what happens,” Soarin’ muttered. “I see you’re more comfortable flying now, Twilight.” Twilight lost control and struggled hard to get it back. “Please,” she gasped, “don’t bring it up. I’m trying not to think about it!” Rainbow Dash twitched, her hoof slowly moving away from the covered form in the cart. Fighting back the emotions that swelled within her, she groaned and sat up. She looked at her friend. “That’s how it works, Twilight...” She frowned. “Wait... you’re a pegasus now?” Twilight chuckled nervously. “Um... alicorn... actually. My horn is just on loan right now...” “My horn is staying where it is, thank you very much!” Spark snapped back at them. Applejack looked from Spark to Twilight and back. “What are you going to do?” Twilight sighed and looked away. “I don’t know... I don’t want Spark to die, but everypony keeps telling me that it’s the only way.” “Everypony could be wrong,” Sweetie Belle interjected from where she sat with the other three fillies, having draped a piece of cloth over herself. “A unicorn’s horn can’t be easily destroyed and displays regenerative properties directly influenced by the unicorn’s inherent magic.” “That’s true!” Twilight remembered, suddenly smiling. “We might get out of this if only we can-” “Duck!” Rainbow Dash shouted. “No, only if we-” Twilight was interrupted when she was suddenly yanked her from the air. She landed painfully, barely avoiding the huge piece of wall that had been hurled through the air towards her. Her eyes went wide. “T-thanks Rarity...” “Don’t mention it,” Rarity replied. Rarity and Spark quickly jerked the cart out of the street and around a corner so they see what was happening in the plaza. “The Princesses are having a hard time...” Spark reported after a moment. “I never suspected the Guardian to be that strong... it’s taking a lot of damage, but it shows no sign of even being tired.” Twilight remained silent for a moment. “We need the Elements... they’re the only things I can think of that are strong enough to stop him.” “But how?” Rainbow Dash asked, hopping down from the cart and wincing as she landed. She gave Gilda’s body one last mournful glance before walking up to them. “We don’t have Pinkie Pie with us.” Rarity, who was having a quiet word with Sweetie, glanced up and nodded. “Dash is right, dear. We can’t simply walk up there and try to use them if she’s not here.” “Ah’m afraid she’s right... as much as we’d like to do something to help, Ah really don’t know what we could do.” “Maybe we should just wait?” Fluttershy asked meekly. “Right now, I don’t see any other choice...” Twilight muttered worriedly as she looked back at the battle. “So, we’re doing nothing?” Soarin’ asked, frowning. “There must be something...” Misty thought aloud. “I can fly, I can fight... we should be out there... we need to be out there...” “Don’t tell me you’re chickening out,” Spark sneered at Rarity, who huffed and straightened. “Just because we cannot use the Elements right now doesn’t mean that we cannot kick flank,” Rarity stated. “And Trixie can help too!” Trixie stated, walking up to them. “With our magic we should be able to help... at least a little...” “No!” Daisy Sprout shouted, running up to Trixie and throwing herself around the older mare’s forelegs. “Please, sis... I just got you back! I don’t want anything to happen to you!” Trixie smiled down at Daisy Sprout. “Tri- I know, sis,” she said, kneeling to hug her back. “But I have to do it so that you, dad and mom can be safe.” “I can’t let you go just like that, Trixie,” Golden Cross spoke up, walking up to her alongside Cinnamon. “We lost you once... and you’ve been risking your life since you arrived in Canterlot... how could we just let you face such a monster without us?” Trixie smiled at them and shook her head. “No... you can’t... mom, dad... I love you and I understand what you’re saying... but you cannot just leave Daisy Sprout behind.” Her eyes locked with her father’s. “I will be back...” “And Ah’ll make sure she does,” Big Mac assured them, stepping next to Trixie and smiling at her. “Ah’ll make sure nothin’ happens to her, Mr. Cross.” Golden Cross seemed torn, but his wife's hoof on his shoulder let him know the right choice. He nodded reluctantly, letting out a little sigh of defeat. “You two be careful...” “Sis... are you really going out there with Big Mac?” Apple Bloom asked, looking worriedly at Applejack. “Ah... Ah have no choice, sis... not if Ah want you and the others to be safe.” Applejack sighed, nuzzling her sister. “Now, you, Scootaloo an’ Sweetie Belle behave yerselves, okay? Take care of each other and listen to Mr. Cross and Miss Cinnamon, ya hear?” Apple Bloom sniffed and nodded. “Ah will, sis...” Scootaloo walked up to where Rainbow Dash, Soarin’, Misty and Twilight were talking. “Rainbow Dash?” The cyan pegasus raised an eyebrow at Scootaloo. “Hey, squirt. What’s up?” “I don’t understand what’s happening...” the filly confessed worriedly. “Is Nightmare Moon really a bad mare? Why are you a Shadowbolt?” Rainbow Dash smiled softly, patting the filly’s head. “Things are very complicated... I don’t fully understand everything myself, but... we’ll figure it out once this is all over.” “What we need is a plan...” Twilight said, walking to the middle of the street. “We can’t barge in there just like that and fling everything we have at the Guardian.” “Not to mention all the lava is going to make it very hard to even get close,” Spark pointed out. “Pegasi and unicorns may be able to do something but the others...” “Maybe... maybe we could all cast a spell to cool it down?” Trixie suggested after a moment of thought. “If we all link our magic, we could make a really strong gust of freezing wind.” Rarity and Spark exchanged glances. “For something like that... we would need everypony’s help. Even Sweetie, and Daisy...” Rarity hesitated. “It would be rather risky.” “Would a burst of wind be enough to freeze the ground?” Rainbow Dash asked. “And no offense, but you guys can’t fly. What will you do if the Guardian just sets everything on fire again?” “We’ll throw more cold air at it!” Daisy shouted helpfully from the wagon. “This ain’t gonna work...” Applejack sighed. “We won’t be able to get close enough and-” “That’s it...” Twilight whispered. She looked up at everypony around her. “That’s it! I got it!” “Got what? A plan?” Soarin’ asked as everypony leaned in closer. Twilight smiled and nodded. o.0.o Nightmare Moon’s horn glowed with dark energy as chunks of rock and balls of lava encased in silver and black energy levitated around her. With a roar of anger and power, she sent them flying with as much force as she could muster at the Guardian. But the Guardian merely batted away the projectiles as if they were nothing, despite the obvious damage they had left on its titanic arm. Nightmare Moon dived down to avoid one of her own missiles hitting her on a dangerous rebound. She narrowed her eyes and prepared another spell. “Sister!” Nightmare Moon snapped her head around just in time to see a long tendril of lava about to smash into her, but, suddenly, in a burst of light, there was Celestia, horn flaring as a large force field surrounded the pair. Celestia took a deep breath. “I hate to admit it, Nightmare Moon... but I’m getting tired.” The pair turned to face the Guardian. “It’s odd, but...” Nightmare Moon growled. “I... I think I have faced him before...” “Me too,” Celestia agreed, surprised by the revelation. “But when?” The sound of air being displaced was their only warning. With mighty flaps of their wings, both alicorns were quickly out of the Guardian’s immediate reach, but that didn’t stop him from from ripping more rock from around them and trying to crush them with his far-reaching telekinetic grip. “Sister,” Celestia called. “I don’t know how longer I can keep this up... that... dome the Guardian created... it’s stopping me from recharging my energy... I can reach the sun for an attack... but I cannot draw energy from it!” “It is the same for me!” Nightmare Moon revealed as a bubble of black energy encased her, preventing a lava tendril from spearing through her. “I can barely feel the Moon, much less use my link to it!” “How can it have so much power? What is it?” Celestia growled as she blasted through several attacks to land a point-blank shot of explosive solar energy straight into the Guardian’s chest. The Guardian roared in pain, swatting at the Celestia, who dodged the swipe and came back around for another shot at the beast. It was then that she spotted something on the corner of her eye. The Guardian’s arms flailed around as it noticed the smaller figures flying in fast circles around it. It took a moment for Celestia to recognize them. “The Shadowbolts?! But how?” “Princ- Mom!” a voice shouted far below her. Celestia turned to see Nightmare Moon already landing in front of Twilight, Spark, Rarity and Trixie. She quickly followed while the Guardian attempted to bat at the Shadowbolts. “Twilight!” She nuzzled her long-lost daughter once she had landed. “I’m glad both you and Twilight Spark are okay!” Spark, who had been concentrating on some sort of spell, almost lost her control when she heard that startling admission, but quickly forced herself to carry on, ears perked to listen in. “Mom, we don’t have much time,” Twilight said. “So you have to trust me; I need you and Nightmare Moon to join Rainbow Dash and the others flying around the Guardian, I also need you to cast a cold spell to cool the air behind you as much as you can.” “But-” “No time!” Nightmare Moon shouted, jumping into the air, her horn already aglow. “It’s noticed we’re gone; we‘ll just have to trust your daughter!” Celestia said nothing, but nodded and jumped into the air, her own horn alighting as she cast her spell. Soon, they were flying as fast, if not faster than, the Shadowbolts, their bodies becoming multicolored blurs as they encircled the Guardian. “Is this going to work?” Trixie asked Twilight worriedly as she struggled to follow Misty and Soarin’ with both eyes and magic. “It’d better...” Spark growled. “You’re putting a lot of trust in your ability to predict the Guardian’s reactions!” “We have no other option!” Twilight said and looked behind them. “Golden Cross, Cinnamon, Paper Craft... Daisy... Sweetie... are you ready?” Golden Cross nodded at his wife and the two fillies. “As ready as we’ll ever be.” Twilight nodded back, turning to Trixie, Rarity and Spark. “How are you three holding up?” “We’re holding...” Trixie quipped. “Trixie simply hopes the Guardian does what he’s supposed to!” An angry bellow shook Canterlot. “I think we’re about to find out!” Twilight shouted as the Guardian’s arms rose into the air. o.0.o Celestia gave Nightmare Moon a look. They the tendrils of magic coming from Trixie, Rarity and Twilight Spark’s horns were plainly visible as they used their magic to create a trail of cold air behind Rainbow Dash, Soarin’ and Misty. “Wow, this is one helluva updraft!” Soarin’ laughed as the hot air pushed them up. “I think Twi’s plan might work, after all!” “Didn’t know you two were close enough to call her that!” Misty yelled in reply. “Well, she’s kinda cute as a pegasus!” Soarin’ shouted back. “You do know that her mother is right behind you, right, Soarin’?” Rainbow Dash pointed out. Soarin’ cringed and peeked back at Celestia, who gave him a steady look. He sheepishly concentrated on dodging the Guardian’s arms. The Guardian’s eyes flashed and suddenly Soarin’ found himself dodging as balls of lava and fire were hurled towards them. “It looks like it’s really working!” Misty shouted back. “Come on, everypony! We can do it!” “I think I have an inkling as to what our Twilight is planning, sister!” Nightmare Moon called out as she increased her speed. Celestia, not one to be left behind, pushed herself to fly ever faster. “I do as well... it’s a brilliant plan, and I am very proud of her!” The pegasi and alicorns started flying faster, dropping or pressing upwards in the air to avoid the Guardian's attacks: the swipes of its enormous claws, the hissing balls of lava, and the odd chunk of a building hurtling through the sky. Far below, Rarity, Spark and Trixie started to feel the pressure. “Twilight... we’re reaching our limits!” Trixie growled. “It’s time!” Twilight called. “Get ready, Golden Cross, Cinnamon, you two go to Trixie; Paper Craft, you help Spark; Rarity, will you be okay with just Sweetie and Daisy?” “I’ll be fine, we have practiced magic together before; she knows how it works!” Rarity assured her. “I wish I could be up there...” Scootaloo mourned, watching the pegasi weave around attacks. “I wish I could use my wings for something else other than pushing my scooter!” “It’s okay, Scootaloo,” Fluttershy whispered. “We all wish we could do more...” Big Mac nodded, looking at the fight. “Eeyup.” “Are we gonna make it, big brother?” Apple Bloom asked. Big Macintosh smiled. “Trixie and the others are doing their best.” “And we ain’t just gonna sit here either!” Applejack added. “Once the hay hits the fan we’ll have to cover for the others and make sure nothin’ happens to them.” Apple Bloom nodded as the group watched the unicorns take their places, all touching their horns together. Twilight’s feathers ruffled. She watched Rainbow Dash and the others intently as they got closer and closer. “Okay guys, give Rarity, Trixie and Spark your power, now!” Winds started to whip around the plaza, pushing the hot air behind the cold air the pegasi and alicorns created. “Wait for it...” Twilight warned. “Wait for it...” Suddenly the group of flyers banked down. “NOW!” The magic pushed the currents into their set path with tremendous force, catching up to the flyers. In an explosion of speed, they spiraled around the Guardian; the cold and hot air, propelled by magic and the vortex they had created, following behind. The ponies on the ground braced themselves as a huge tornado formed around the Guardian, feeding off of the magic and thermal forces. It tore apart everything around its edge as the winds buffeted against anything standing. When the tornado hit it, the Guardian roared in anger. With a great cracking sound, the gray dome that surrounded Canterlot broke apart, its magic being absorbed into the tornado funnel. “It’s working! It’s working!” Twilight shouted in glee as the earth shook and the magical energies crackled against each other. The Guardian had already been obscured from view by the violent swirl of wind and magic, its writhing silhouette illuminated only briefly by the intermittent bursts of magical lightning that lashed at the creature. “The magical reactions and the sheer wind should be tearing him apart!” Rarity shouted. The buildings around them shuddered as the roofs were ripped off by the wind, immediately absorbed into the tornado. “Y’all need to be careful! You’re too close!” Applejack shouted over the howling wind. “She’s right!” Twilight shouted as loudly as she could in the hope that her voice would reach the others. “We have to step back!” “I can’t hear you!” Spark shouted back. “We’re too close to it!” “What? !” Twilight looked back over her shoulder as pieces of debris started landing around them. “This is getting dangerous!” she shouted, motioning with her foreleg. “Move back!” The unicorns nodded, slowly stepping back as more and more pieces of the nearby buildings, and even rocks, rained around them. Suddenly, out of the vortex, a huge arm burst through. Cut, bleeding, and being actively torn apart by the forces acting against it, it nevertheless tore a piece of a building and rose. “Scatter!” Rarity shouted, her magic cutting short as she levitated Sweetie and Daisy behind her. She immediately ran to the side, Trixie, Golden Cross and Cinnamon following close by. Twilight dove to the other side of the street, followed by Paper Craft and Spark. Behind them, Applejack took Apple Bloom and Scootaloo to one side while Big Mac and Fluttershy had fled in the other direction. The arm reared and hurled the wall at them. A split-second later, it impacted, veritably bouncing off the ground and raining shards of rock and stone that flew in all directions as it continued its trajectory. Twilight followed its trajectory with horror as her eyes swept towards Applejack, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo, who stood transfixed as the wall bounced into the air towards them. “Applejack! Apple Bloom! Scootaloo!” Twilight shouted, knowing that it was already too late. Applejack held the two fillies close and cringed, closing her eyes as her life seemed to flash in front of her eyes. Her world exploded. From the sidelines, the others suddenly saw a bright flash appear just in front of Applejack and the fillies. A shimmering red shield was thrown up against the impact, only half-formed by the time the wall struck it. The shield cracked beneath the strain, the wall slowed but not stopped by the desperate defense. The shield collapsed, only to be replaced by a smaller one that took the rest of the impact before being crushed by what remained. A dust cloud covered the whole area, obscuring them from sight. “Applejack!” Twilight shouted, her voice echoed by Rarity, as screams of “Scootaloo!” and “Apple Bloom!” echoed around. They ran into the dust cloud, fearing the worst. o.0.o The moment the unicorns stopped their spells, Rainbow Dash, Soarin’ and Misty felt the effect. “What’s happening! ?” Soarin’ shouted as they looked down. “The Guardian attacked them somehow!” Rainbow Dash cried out, her eyes on the ponies far below. “We can’t let up!” Celestia interrupted. “I’m as worried as you are, but we need to stop the Guardian!” “But what can we do, your majesty?” Misty asked. “With all due respect, only you and Nightmare Moon could even hope to do any damage!” “Sister,” Nightmare Moon studied the vortex below them. “The Guardian is trapped, but it will free itself soon and regenerate. We need something decisive.” Celestia glanced at Nightmare Moon and nodded slowly. “I know that look, Nightmare Moon... what is it that you have planned?” “We create another tornado... then we’ll feed our power, along with that of the Elements of Harmony, into it and force it to clash with the one below.” “I hate to break it to you, your highness, but there simply aren’t enough of us here to create another tornado, especially now that we don’t have icy contrails or burning rock to fuel it...” Soarin’ ventured, cringing a bit as the Nightmare’s eyes settled on him. “He has a point, princess,” Rainbow Dash admitted. “And we need more than that... we need the Elements of Harmony, which are in the palace...” Celestia shook her head. “After what happened with Discord, I placed a spell on their container so that I can summon them whenever I need them.” “That still doesn’t mean we can use the Elements!” Dash cried. “We need another plan! Without Pinkie Pie we can’t do it!” “Well, why didn’t you say so?” Pinkie asked. Rainbow Dash shot up into the air so fast, all the Princesses and the Shadowbolts were able to see was a rainbow contrail. “Pinkie Pie!” Nightmare Moon smiled at the earth pony sitting inside a hot air balloon. “I take it your operation was successful?” Pinkie smiled as dozens of pegasi rose into the air around them. “I brought them all! Here’s Ponyville!” Nightmare Moon and Celestia exchanged glances. “I think you can summon the Elements, sister,” the Nightmare said. Celestia nodded as Rainbow Dash lowered down to their level, breathing hard. “Pinkie Pie! You’ve got to stop scaring ponies like that! How long have you been here anyway? !” “Oh, ever since the shield went down. I was waiting for the opportune moment!” Pinkie Pie smiled. o.0.o Trying desperately to see through the cloud of dust, Twilight flapped her wings uselessly and coughed in a fruitless attempt to clear the air. “A-Applejack!” she called. “Apple Bloom! Scootaloo! Can you hear me?! Are you okay? !” She searched around her immediate area. “Please tell me you you’re all okay...” “T-Twilight!” “Applejack!” Twilight shouted, flying towards the voice. “You’re alive!” she hugged the orange mare the moment she saw her. “But, where are Applebloom and Scootaloo?” Applejack sighed and pointed behind her. Twilight gasped. “Oh... oh, no...” “Wh- what?” Spark spat blood, trying to ignore the two crying fillies that were watching her with worry and horror. “Don’t- don’t tell me you care, Twilight...” She pushed something towards Twilight Sparkle.", "“You’re alive!” she hugged the orange mare the moment she saw her. “But, where are Applebloom and Scootaloo?” Applejack sighed and pointed behind her. Twilight gasped. “Oh... oh, no...” “Wh- what?” Spark spat blood, trying to ignore the two crying fillies that were watching her with worry and horror. “Don’t- don’t tell me you care, Twilight...” She pushed something towards Twilight Sparkle. The purple pegasus landed softly next to her clone. Half the unicorn’s body was buried under the thrown wall. “Spark... your... your horn...” she whispered, looking down at what the unicorn had pushed towards her. “Your- your body... it’s-” “Useless now,” Spark whispered. “Can’t even feel it.” Applejack stepped past Twilight and knelt facing Spark. “Twilight Spark... Ah- Ah have no words to say that could thank you enough...” she gulped, feeling her eyes start to water. “You saved us... you saved mah sister and Scootaloo...” Twilight Spark’s scowl receded. “I couldn’t just stand there and do nothing...” Her own eyes watered as Applejack nuzzled her. “I don’t want to die,” she whispered. Twilight looked away, closing her eyes as the words hit her like a freight train. She slowly approached Applejack and Spark, leaning down to nuzzle her clone. “I’m sorry I didn’t get to know you better, sis.” Spark chuckled and hiccuped. “Me too, smarty pants.” A magical wind whipped the dust cloud from around them, clearing the view for the others to approach and behold the scene. Nightmare Moon and Princess Celestia landed close to them, levitating Pinkie Pie behind them. “Twilight, Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy,” the Princess listed. “It’s time! We need to use the Elements now!” “Can you save her? !” Applejack asked Princess Celestia and Nightmare Moon. “I don’t know...” Celestia answered honestly. “We will try our best, but... we need to defeat the Guardian first, Applejack. Only then can we help her.” Applejack gritted her teeth, preparing a retort, when she felt a hoof on her foreleg. Her eyes locked with Spark’s, a resolute look on the other mare’s face. “Go... you’ll only be a few paces away...” Spark choked. “We all need you to be strong. I might not live... but at least... at least you’ll remember me... right?” “We all will,” Applejack cried, leaning close to nuzzle the dying unicorn. “Ah promise.” Spark chuckled weakly. “It’s more than I deserve...” “I’ll do what I can for her,” Golden Cross whispered, stepping forth. “I- I can’t promise I can save her on my own, but-” “Don’t worry,” Spark interrupted. “I’ll still be here when you’re finished with him. Now go kick that monster’s flank.” With a final nod, Applejack turned. Her Element floated up to her, as did the rest for their respective holders. The Guardian roared, arms whipping out from time to time from the vortex, each looking worse than the other. The tornado’s strength increased; the Guardian’s magic feeding more energy into it, but it also started to unravel. “We need to hurry!” The Element of Magic floated ponderously towards Twilight Sparkle, who leaned down and picked up the broken horn with her mouth. Tendrils of magic flared from the horn and the Element of Magic. They encompassed Twilight, who started floating and glowing. High above them, the pegasi from Ponyville sped up, beginning to create a tornado funnel of their own. Celestia raised her head and her horn flashed. Both Princess and Nightmare disappeared, only to reappear mid-flight alongside the pegasi, adding their speed, magic and sheer presence to the tornado, which grew stronger. “Do it already!” Spark shouted, coughing blood as all the Element Bearers took off into the air, encased in the magic of the Elements. They spiraled higher, and a rainbow of energy formed around them. Trixie, Big Macintosh and the others gathered tore their eyes away from the spectacle, scrambling to extract Spark from under the piece of wall. o.0.o Within the rainbow energy, the six mares looked at each other. Twilight Sparkle’s horn glowed with magic. She spread her wings as her mane slowly turned a bit translucent, and purple and pink lights shone within, finally revealing to her friends her appearance as an alicorn. She smiled at her friends. “Thank you for saving me... and thank you for being here.” Pinkie Pie laughed. “Silly Twilight, where else would we be?” “Ah wish things hadn’t gone so badly, Twi,” Applejack said. “But Ah’m glad... oddly enough, that Ah got to meet another side of you.” “And I am glad I don’t have to hide anymore,” Rarity admitted, looking at the others. “I’m sorry I lied, and I promise I will explain.” “I’ll hold you to that,” Rainbow Dash grinned. “We could have had a lot of fun if I knew you could take it!” Rarity rolled her eyes. “Dear, I’d much rather be designing dresses.” The group chuckled. “Girls...” Fluttershy spoke up. “I’m just glad we all made it.” The others smiled. “We all are, sugarcube,” Applejack whispered. “We all are.” “Alright, Princess,” Rainbow Dash teased. “Let’s finish this once and for all!” o.0.o The Guardian’s eyes flashed as it became a bit smaller, sacrificing size so that it could start expanding the eye of the tornado, as the myriad cuts and gashes in its body slowly started to heal. Its eyes scanned around it until it sensed something above. Then they widened in fear as a second tornado loomed above him. A swirl of rainbow energy suddenly whirled around the tornado the Ponyville pegasi had created, changing it completely into chromatic energy. The pegasi and the two Princesses flew out of the vortex as the Elements of Harmony took control of it. The multi-colored tornado shot down towards it as the Guardian opened its fanged mouth to scream in denial. o.0.o Pegasi, Princesses, unicorns and earth ponies cheered as the two tornados collapsed against each other, drowning out the screams of the beast within, sending expanding waves of rainbow energy out and shaking the world around it. The energy washed over all of them, making them feel refreshed. Buildings that were about to collapse were renewed. The stone statues that used to be ponies started glowing. The rock softened into warm coats and the confused ponies of Canterlot stared at each other in confusion, fear and hope. Summer slammed against a wall and groaned painfully, held there by Spring’s magic. “I told you I would take care of you this time!” Spring laughed mockingly. Summer’s eyes slowly opened and looked past her. “Nah... just like last time, sis... I win.” Spring frowned. “What do you mean?” Summer simply smiled as rainbow energy washed over them, turning them into little more than dust. The Elements of Harmony purged the evil within and without the tornado until, with a sudden gust, it dissipated, revealing six ponies standing in front of a large statue of a serpentine creature. “Is... is that Discord? !” Twilight gasped. “No...” Princess Celestia said as she and Nightmare Moon landed next to them. Slowly, the ponies of Canterlot and the new arrivals from Ponyville approached as well to surround the statue. “That is not Discord,” she continued. “His name was Balance.” Nightmare Moon walked up to the statue. “I couldn’t recognize him... he had mutated so much.” She stepped back, alarmed as the statue shuddered and spidering cracks appeared all around it. Celestia and Nightmare Moon spared a glance at one another before facing the statue with grim resolve, just as Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash prepared themselves for another fight. But the fight never came, the cracks spreading and growing until, with a resounding crunch, the statue collapsed to pieces. Celestia’s shoulders sagged as she let out a deep breath as cheers erupted once more around them all. “It’s over. It’s finally over.” o.0.o The End o.0.o" ]

[ "The Empty Room By Wanderer D Epilogue “The repairs around the city are going well, Princess,” Lance reported, limping over to her as she overlooked Canterlot from her balcony. He looked at the city. “I have to say that I’m glad Pinkie Pie brought nearly the whole of Ponyville with them. I don’t think we could have been able to make so much progress in a week without their help. Too many were wounded, and even more were traumatized by being turned into stone and back.” “The cost... it was tremendous, Lance,” Princess Celestia whispered without looking at him. “I can’t help but feel that I was foolish and unprepared.” She sighed, and smiled. “Had Night- I mean, Luna-- had she not been so strong, this would have been the end of Equestria.” “My Princess, I-” Celestia shook her head. “We made mistakes and we paid for it. It cost us our memories of my daughter, and the knowledge of Eldritch’s fate... it allowed an insidious enemy to corrupt me, and caused the death of so many innocent ponies during the fight.” She turned to the Captain, tears falling down her cheeks. “How can I face them, Lance, knowing the part I played?” The old warrior sighed. “I don’t know what to say, my Princess... but you have to talk to them. They love you and they have forgiven you; they know you were not yourself... they need you now to be strong.” Celestia closed her eyes and sighed, dreading facing her subjects. “Lead the way, old friend.” o.0.o “My little ponies,” Celestia spoke standing next to a raised platform in the center of the plaza. “We have survived something I wish had never come to pass. It has tried our hearts and conviction; it has stretched hope thin... but we have prevailed.” The pony workers slowed down as they turned to face the Princess and a crowd started to gather. I stand amongst you today because I can no longer hide from my responsibility for the terror which my action brought upon all of you. You have forgiven me... far quicker than I can forgive myself. I am... more indebted to you all than I could ever express in mere words. However, there are those whose lives were sacrificed... whose lives were the price of my freedom. For them, and all those whom we have lost as a result of the Guardian's machinations, and my failure to realize them, we have created this in their honor.\" Her horn glowed and slowly something started to materialize in the center of the plaza. It was a huge statue. At the very top, in the center was a sorrowful unicorn mare playing the lyre; to her right, a pegasus took off, mirroring a female gryphon on the left, a fierce expression of determination etched plainly on both their faces. The statue extended down into a solid square, where the names of all those who had fallen in battle were written. “The personal cost for each of us is immeasurable. The sacrifices some made...” She closed her eyes. Unnecessary. “We will never truly be able to comprehend... it is to them that we dedicate this statue.” She stepped back as Soarin’ and Misty, accompanied by a heavily bandaged Spitfire, stepped forth, each holding flowers in their mouths, which they carefully left at the base of the statue. Spitfire searched the names on the statue until she found Blizzard’s, her eyes went to the effigy of Blast and she couldn’t look at either much longer. She rested her head against the cold stone as tears slowly dropped from her eyes. “I’m sorry, Blizzard... Blast... you two were the best friends any pony could ask for... I’m so sorry...” Soarin’ nudged her gently and the group started moving away, but not before Misty looked up at the statue of her friend. “We fought well, Blast,” she whispered with a small smile before following the others. Next in line, Rainbow Dash walked up to the statue. She placed three flowers down. “Blizzard, you were one of my heroes, I’ll never forgive myself for my part in what happened... even if I had no control. I’ll always remember your courage.” Her eyes strayed to Blast. “I was your superior officer for this one time... it was a dream come true to work with all of you... too bad it turned into a nightmare.” She took a deep breath and turned to look at the statue of Gilda. “I-” she looked down. “I lost so much time... I’m sorry I pushed you away when we could have figured out things together... thank you, Gilda... we won’t have a chance to be more, but you will always be my sister.” Rainbow Dash slowly walked away, allowing for Nightmare Moon, Celestia and Paper Craft to approach. “Sis...” Paper Craft sighed. “I’m going to miss your visits. It’s been hard, taking care of your things, cleaning up the house... Mom and Dad are gone too...” He looked down. “They were crushed by some crates that collapsed during the Guardian’s attack. It seems that they tried to hide under them and when the Elements of Harmony attacked the Guardian, they landed on top of them.I don’t know what I will do with myself... your music, your smile... they’re gone forever.” He gritted his teeth then took a calming breath. “I’ve been contacted by a couple of your friends... a DJ and a cellist... they’ll drop by during the week to help me out.” He sniffled and turned away. Celestia stepped up to the statue, placing a hoof against the cold surface. “Lyra, Blast, Gilda... I owe you three so much... especially you, Lyra... I will always remember you. I hope to be a better mare thanks to your efforts. You stood up against me, even knowing how it would most likely end. Thank you.” She stepped back and looked at Nightmare Moon. The black alicorn looked at the statue, then back to Celestia, before her eyes turned to all of the gathered ponies, settling on the bearers of the Elements of Harmony for a moment. Turning her back to the statue, she faced them all. “A thousand years ago, I brought war to Equestria,” she began, her voice carrying over the whole assembly. “I held only hatred in my heart for the ponies that ignored the night, whose loyalty seemed only to the sun. I hated that friendship always seemed to be beyond my grasp, reserved for everypony else. I brought horrors, pain, and eventually forced my sister to banish Luna, along with myself, to the moon.” The crowd muttered amongst themselves, several ponies looking a bit distressed. When Nightmare Moon opened her mouth to talk again, they all quieted down, paying rapt attention to her words. Nightmare Moon paced in front of the statue, her hooves echoing in the heavy silence. “After I was defeated again by friendship, I thought myself trapped forever within Princess Luna’s soul... but the Guardian’s attack set me free once more... only this time... this time the spirits of the bearers of the Elements of Harmony were there... and they helped me open my eyes. I saw, for the first time, what a monster I had been so many years ago, the twisted reflection of my sister I had become. I saw, for the first time, what extraordinary bravery lived inside our subjects...” Her eyes settled momentarily on Rarity and Rainbow Dash. “And later, I felt... for the very first time, understanding, respect... and friendship.” She bowed to the flustered mares and rose again. “I have learned so much... and have you all to thank for it.” She looked up over her shoulder at the statue. “I owe much to Lyra as well; she was an inspiration and I can only hope she will be one for all of you as well. Remember her lesson: never surrender to evil. Now- now it’s my time to go away... I must leave you and return your beloved Princess.” Nightmare Moon closed her eyes and let the sun warm her coat before she looked up at the sky. “It’s a beautiful day, Celestia.” Celestia took a step forth, her eyes wide. “Nightmare Moon... I-” “Don’t...” the black alicorn smiled. “I wish... I wish I had known... so long ago, when I could have called you and Luna ‘sisters’...” She chuckled. “Back when it was still possible for me to be a separate being... Take care of my niece. Luna has already promised to do so.” “Wait!” Rainbow Dash stepped forth. “What are you saying... are you... leaving forever?” Nightmare Moon smiled and approached Rainbow Dash, giving her a short, completely unexpected hug. “It was nice knowing you, Rainbow Dash. And a pleasure having you as one of my Shadowbolts.” “Nightmare Moon,” Rarity called, taking a hesitant step forward. “I... thank you, thank you for all the nights when I prayed to the moon for help and you answered.” Nightmare Moon smiled slightly, nodding. She stepped back and closed her eyes. “I’ll miss you,” Rainbow Dash said. “Thank you, for being there for me.” The sounds of movement made Nightmare Moon look up. She took in a shuddering deep breath when she saw every pony in the square bowing to her, including Celestia and the bearers of the Elements. Nightmare Moon nodded and let out a slow breath as a small smile played on her face. Her body slowly became smaller and dark energy seeped out into the daylight, fading under the sun into nothingness until only Luna was left, standing in front of Rainbow Dash with tears in her eyes. “She... she’s gone...” Luna gasped as tears slowly crawled down her cheeks. “I didn’t have to fight... she just- she just left. And... she was so happy and... I am... sad...” “Sister...” Celestia walked up to Luna and hugged her. “She will be remembered from now on as the mare who saved Equestria.” She looked at the statue. “Perhaps an addition can be made.” “A fitting change, from her previous deeds...” Luna commented after a moment, looking up at her sister with a small smile. “Thank you.” Both Princesses stepped back as pony after pony went up to the statue, looking at the engraved names of lost loved ones. “Will Canterlot ever be the same?” Twilight asked, approaching her mother and aunt. Celestia shook her head and nuzzled her daughter. “No. And it should never be the same; we shall never forget the lessons that were so costly to learn.” Twilight nodded, looking at the statue. “Mum... I need to go to the cemetery.” Celestia closed her eyes and nodded. o.0.o Twilight stood alone in front of two graves. “Mom... dad,” she whispered, her body beginning to tremble. “I love you. You both raised me, you supported me, and had it not been for the council... you would both still be here. I don’t know... how we would have dealt with this.” She shook her wings. “But... I wish you could have both been here... I’ll miss you dad, just as much as I miss mom.” She sniffed. “I won’t allow what they turned you into at the end to be my last memory of you...” Slowly, she knelt in front of both graves and cried for a long time. She didn’t stop until she felt somepony hug her. She looked down to see Spike holding on to her foreleg, tears in eyes as well. As she pulled him close and felt Celestia’s wings engulf her in a hug as well, she slowly dried her tears. I’ll miss you both... but you can rest easy... I’m not alone. o.0.o That same night, three alicorns stood around the remains of the being once known as ‘The Guardian’. “Who was Balance?” Twilight asked, looking down and the pieces of stone. “He looked like a draconequus, and for a moment I swore it was Discord.” Celestia sighed. “A long, long time ago, before ponies had learned to write or even developed a real language, the draconequus and alicorns were little more than forces of nature. We were not sentient as we are today, Twilight... I was the energy, magical and mystical that tied the sun to our world and moved it.” “I was the whisper of dreams and hopes that lit the night with stars and moon,” Luna added. “Winter was the force that brought clouds and darkness and cold to the world, while Spring would be the opposing force that would drive her back, and in turn would allow Summer to push the cycle forward for Fall, who would prepare everything for the return of Winter. “Back then, the draconequus were more than we were and at the same time less: they were boundless imagination; concepts without form or purpose. When sentient beings started to discern our existence, giving us names and defining our relationship to them and to the world, their thoughts and hopes shaped us into alicorns... and so they also shaped the myriad little things, snippets of fancy and boundless concepts into beings of amazing power.” “The draconequus,” Twilight whispered. “So... that’s how you, we, came to be?” Celestia nodded. “We were created as infants, because that is also how we were viewed, as beings that simply played without caring for the poor mortals we affected. As time went by and we grew, we all settled into our roles, but also developed problems with each other. How long should the day be? Why couldn’t it be Winter earlier? Why shouldn’t Summer be longer, everypony enjoys Summer!” She chuckled. “Fun times,” Luna agreed. “And into that mess stepped two draconequus. One argued that we should do as we pleased. Fight it out from time to time. Have fun, you know. Shuffle the seasons: Spring, then Winter, then Spring then Summer, then Fall, then Winter, then Fall... Days that lasted for weeks, Nights that extended for months.” She chuckled sadly. “This draconequus called himself Discord.” Celestia sighed. “The other, however, calmly presented his case that we should all decide once and for all how things should work, and we should stick to it. We were free because they were rules we were creating, but we also had duties to those whom had given us shape and sentience.” She looked down at the pieces of stone. “His name, he said, was Balance.” “And of course you listened to him!” Twilight smiled. “After all, it makes the most sense!” Luna snorted. Celestia smiled sheepishly. “Actually... we all pretty much sided with Discord.” “What?! But- but mom! That’s-” “Completely irresponsible?” Celestia laughed. “Yes. But we were little more than toddlers, Twilight. Discord’s option seemed more fun. “Even if it wasn’t right,” Luna quipped. “And so it went that we did what we wanted, with Discord throwing in as much chaos as he could to disrupt the lives of mortals. Balance, for his part, did what he could to control the damage, but it wasn’t enough.” Celestia looked up at the darkening sky. “We had our fun, and hurt countless beings as a result, but eventually we grew tired of it. One day it just wasn’t as fun as it used to be. It could have been any number of things; the nests of the gryphons freezing to death; the way nature started to die around us... we suddenly realized that we had responsibilities. That order was part of who we were, deep inside. And so we searched for Balance to help us.” “He laid down laws to which we all agreed,” Luna chipped in. “And we all tied our magic to him, so that he could slowly guide us into each cycle.” Celestia nodded. “At first. it was hard. Balance had to step in more than once to remind us of our promise, but, as time went by, we all settled into our roles. Even Discord. He became a true creature of mischief, but limited himself to acts that would not hurt more than somepony’s pride at worst. “Balance slowly let us take the reigns of our lives and eventually, we were maintaining the natural order by ourselves. I think... I think that’s when he just, faded away.” Celestia said, her eyes on her sun as it slowly settled in the horizon. “We never knew what happened to him, until now.” “But... why did he became the Guardian? There has to be a reason!” Twilight exclaimed. “And what was he guarding?” “He once said that he was the Guardian of Order and that Discord was the Guardian of Chaos,” Luna answered. “I thought he was just being pretentious, but he might have taken that title very seriously.” She sighed. “My guess is that he felt he was not needed. Once we all knew what had to be done, his purpose was lost. He hid himself, and let himself turn into the creature we fought.” “But...” Twilight shook her head. “That can’t be all there is to it, there must have been something more! We don’t just turn into monsters for no reason! You know that!” “I’m not saying there was no reason other than what I already suspected,” Luna replied, locking eyes with Twilight. “However, that is the best we can do: guess...” “Luna is right, Twilight,” Celestia agreed, nuzzling her daughter. “You have to learn that, sometimes, we can’t ever know what it was that caused something that horrible to happen.” Twilight looked down in frustration. “I want him to be evil... but what you’re telling me is that- all the manipulations, all the murders, turning alicorns into Nightmares, turning my father into a killer... it was caused by a creature that once represented what we want in our lives?” She scratched the floor with her hoof and whispered, “It just doesn’t make sense.” “We can never know why he turned into what he did, Twilight,” Luna sighed. “I wish I could understand why he turned Winter and the others into Nightmares... how he reached me to turn me into one myself, but... I can’t.” “I have a theory,” Celestia said after a moment, Twilight perking up at her mother’s words. “Balance, for all his virtues, always wanted control. That’s why he had us all tie our magic to him so long ago. That’s why he hated Discord, even if he never said it... when the control slowly slipped from his claws, he decided to act in a way to ensure he would always be able to return to it. I think his cult started when we were all still fooling around. I think that, while his initial intentions may have been genuinely good, when we turned our backs on him, feelings of hate, anger and betrayal all festered inside of him, for as much as we were toddlers... so was he. When he was not as necessary in the capacity of being a leader, he hid away and planned his revenge.” Twilight sighed. “But that’s just a theory.” Celestia nodded morosely. “I’m afraid so, Twilight.” Twilight took a deep breath. “I don’t think I’ll be happy with just that.” Celestia chuckled and nuzzled her daughter. “I know, but like I said, Twilight, you have to learn that there will always be things we cannot fully understand.” “I guess,” Twilight rolled her eyes and yawned. She shook her head. “I’m sorry! I just... it’s been a long day and...” “It’s okay, Twilight.” Celestia stretched. “We should go to bed.” Twilight yawned again. “Okay,” she said sleepily as she followed her mother towards the castle. “Are you coming, Luna?” Celestia asked. Luna nodded. “I will be there shortly, sister.” She watched the pair walk away and sighed as everything became quiet. One of the stone pieces shuddered and trembled, starting to roll. Luna’s hoof crunched it into the ground and turned it into dust. Her eyes looked at each piece of Balance and each individual rock was collected by her magic and disintegrated. Slowly, Luna let out a deep breath. “You shall never be a threat to my family again. Goodbye, Balance... and good riddance.” o.0.o \"Rainbow Dash stared out at the twinkling lights of the city from her bedroom window in one the castle's many towers. She started when she heard somepony knocking on the door. “Yeah, come in.” The door slowly opened to to admit Spitfire. The Wonderbolt was still heavily bandaged, most of her body still recuperating from having the draconic parts suddenly removed even if it was done by the Elements of Harmony. She closed the door behind her. “Um... hi, Rainbow Dash...” Rainbow Dash smiled at the presence of the Wonderbolt captain. \"H-hey...\" She paused for a moment to get rid of the frog in her throat. \"How are you feeling? Being purged of the Guardian's magic can’t be a good feeling. “It wasn’t...” Spitfire shook her head. “I’m still feeling it.” She gingerly lifted a bandaged wing. “I won’t be able to fly for a while... but at least I’m a pony again...” Rainbow Dash nodded. “Dash... about us... I-” “Don’t worry about it,” Rainbow Dash interrupted, looking out of the window again. “I know it wasn’t the real you... I don’t know if it was the real me either.” Spitfire looked down. “Oh,” she sighed and looked up. “Well... I also wanted to tell you, if you ever want to...” She dropped something on Rainbow Dash’s bed. “We’ll be waiting.” Still staring out the window, Rainbow Dash heard the door close behind her. Slowly, she pressed her head to the cool glass of the closed window, twisting her head to follow the fading light of the sun as it shone on the golden lightning-bolt embroidered on a Wonderbolt uniform. Rainbow Dash sighed and looked longingly at the uniform. “Maybe... maybe after I visit the Gryphon Mountains. Maybe then.” Another knock on the door and another sigh. “Come in.” Fluttershy walked into the room, closing the door gently behind her. “Hey, Fluttershy,” Rainbow Dash gave her friend a half-hearted smile. “How are you doing?” Fluttershy asked, sitting timidly on the bed and looking at the Wonderbolt uniform curiously. “Could be better.” “Do you want to talk about it?” Rainbow Dash looked back at her, rosy eyes shimmering with unshed tears. “I-” Fluttershy stood up and walked up to her, pulling her into a tight hug. “Shh... let it out...” “I-” The tears finally started flowing as Rainbow Dash buried her face in Fluttershy’s mane. “I miss her! I miss her so much! I’ve missed her all this time! She was my best friend for so long and I pushed her away over one fight!” Fluttershy didn’t say anything, choosing to rock gently as Rainbow Dash cried. “I’ll never see her again....” The cyan pegasus sniffled softly, trying to regain her composure. “I wanted to go to the Gryphon Mountains and... I don’t know, let them know she died fighting...” She slowed down a bit. “She would like that, wouldn’t she? You know how gryphons are.” Fluttershy nodded gently. “I think she would.” “Fluttershy?” “Yes?” Fluttershy smiled at Rainbow Dash. “Can you stay here tonight?” Rainbow Dash asked. “I- I could really use a friend.” Fluttershy nodded. “Of course.” Rainbow Dash sighed. “Thank you... let’s... let’s go meet the others and then we can come back... I really have a lot to talk about...” Fluttershy nodded as they stood. “I know, that’s why I’m here.” “Thanks, Fluttershy.” o.0.o “Are you sure you don’t want to stay longer?” Golden Cross asked. “Ah’m mighty grateful for your hospitality,” Applejack thanked as she helped Apple Bloom into the wagon, “but Scootaloo needs to head back home, an’ me, Big Mac and Apple Bloom need to get back to workin’ th’ farm.” “Aww...” Daisy Sprout pouted. “I’ll miss you!” “We’ll miss you too!” Scootaloo promised. “I hope you can visit Ponyville soon!” “Ah’ll be glad to show you the Crusader HQ now that you’re officially one of us!” Trixie coughed. “Well... why don’t you let Daisy come with me to Ponyville? Trixie will take good care of her, Trixie promises.” The fillies all turned to look at Golden Cross and Cinnamon with wide puppy eyes. “Pleeeeaaase?” they chorused so loudly that Golden Cross had to take a step back. “F-fine... go pack!” “Yay!” Daisy shouted excitedly, galloping headlong into her house. Cinnamon turned to look at her eldest daughter. “Trixie, are you sure you don’t want to stay longer?” Trixie smiled. “I’ll be back soon, mom.", "“Pleeeeaaase?” they chorused so loudly that Golden Cross had to take a step back. “F-fine... go pack!” “Yay!” Daisy shouted excitedly, galloping headlong into her house. Cinnamon turned to look at her eldest daughter. “Trixie, are you sure you don’t want to stay longer?” Trixie smiled. “I’ll be back soon, mom. I just wish to go down to Ponyville for a short time.” Cinnamon hugged her daughter. “Very well. We’ll be waiting.” Trixie nodded, holding her mother close. “I’m ready!” Daisy Sprout announced, walking up to them with a bundle hanging from a stick. Applejack raised an eyebrow. “An’ here Ah thought Ah was th’ only one that did that sorta thing.” “I read about it in a book!” Daisy smiled. “Well, hop on, y’all!” Applejack chuckled as Trixie let go of her mother and went to join Big Macintosh at the front of the wagon. She looked over to a mare with a light pink coat standing next to her. “Ready to learn how to work a farm, Dawn?” “Do I have to talk like you to do it?” Dawn asked as they started walking. “And how do you hold things without magic?” Applejack chuckled. “You’ll learn.” “Hey, Spark, why are you comin’ to the farm again? Don’t you want to stay here with yer sister an’ mom?” Apple Bloom asked. Dawn rolled her eyes. “It’s Dawn now, missy, and nah. Too much stuff going on right now with Twilight and mom. I figure some easy work will give me time to think too.” “Easy?” Applejack laughed. “What can be so hard about kicking trees?” Dawn asked skeptically, raising an eyebrow as the group walked down the street. “It’s not like they kick back or anything.” “Girl, they might not kick back, but you’re in for a surprise if yer thinkin’ it’ll be easy. ‘Fore you know it, you’ll be beggin’ to stop and your body is gonna hurt like hell.” Dawn leaned into Applejack, rubbing gently against the farm mare’s side. “But... I could ask for a massage... right?” Applejack chuckled nervously, looking around with a forced smile. “Uh... maybe...” Golden Cross and Cinnamon watched the group leave with a shared smile. “Honey?” Cinnamon asked. “Yes?” Golden Cross replied, turning to his wife. “Since you’ll be retiring soon... perhaps we should look into finding a quiet place to settle down? Maybe a place like Ponyville?” Golden Cross chuckled. “I was thinking the same thing.” o.0.o Trixie and Big Mac pulled the stagecoach along in silence while Applejack and Dawn trotted behind the wagon and talked the fillies inside. “You okay, Trixie?” Big Macintosh asked, glancing at her. Trixie blinked. “Oh... sorry, I was just thinking,” she sighed. “How much my life has changed. A couple of weeks ago, I didn’t even know I had a sister, I hated my parents, I was trying to rebuild my career while refusing help from anypony that offered to do so... it was crazy.” Big Macintosh nodded pensively. “Eeyup.” “I just never imagined I would, you know, meet Daisy, ask my parents for forgiveness, find new friends, be accepted...” She looked up at him with a subtle grin. “Fall in love.” Big Macintosh smiled with that little smile that told Trixie that he felt terribly self-conscious, but pleased. She snorted. “You’re too cute, Big Macintosh.” The stallion chuckled. “Eeyup, but not as cute as you are when you’re blushin’.” “N-nonesense!” Trixie stammered, blushing furiously. “Trixie never blushes!” “You’re doin’ it now,” Big Macintosh pointed out. “O-only because you keep bringing it up!” Trixie growled. “Quit it!” Big Macintosh chuckled again and nodded, then looked back towards the road. “So, Trixie. What are you goin’ to do about your career?” Trixie looked down as she thought. “I- I need to create a new routine and... learn a few more magic tricks. I was hoping I... could stay in Ponyville for a little while, maybe practice there before I set out on the road again.” “Oh,” Big Mac frowned. “Ah’ve been hoping you’d stay for a long time, Trixie.” Trixie sighed. “I would love to, Big Macintosh... but it’s my dream...” She looked at the buildings they were passing by. “I want to perform on the greatest stages in Equestria. Show my tricks to everypony I can reach, and...” She looked at him. “Have a home to come back to.” Big Mac slowed down a bit as he stared at her. “You mean...” Trixie nodded. “I’d love to someday get a home in Ponyville and spend the rest of my life there... hopefully with the one pony I love.” “Are you asking me to-” “No,” Trixie said interrupted in all seriousness. “I want you to think about what I’ve said. And then I want you to ask yourself if you feel the same. Because, dear Macintosh, as far as I’m concerned, I’ve already said ‘yes.’” o.0.o “Thank you for being there, Prin- Mom...” Twilight corrected herself, shuffling nervously beneath the great white wing wrapped about her.. “It’s the least I could do, Twilight...” Celestia smiled, her eyes studying her daughter for a moment before she looked around Twilight’s old ‘student’ room. I have to say something... this silence is killing me! Celestia thought, looking at Twilight. My daughter... for the longest time I never thought I’d have the chance to have a foal of my own and then... I just hid her away and gave up my memories of her for most of her young life. Even if I was with her, I saw her as my student and protégé... close, but not as a daughter. “Pr- mom... why are you crying?” Twilight asked softly, her voice tinged with concern as she used a hoof to carefully wipe a tear from her mother’s face. “It’s because I’m so happy, Twilight, and so sad,” Celestia explained, leaning into her daughter’s touch. “How much time did I waste in an effort to protect you?” “Mom... we’re going to live for a long time, I think you will be able to make up for a few years,” Twilight joked a bit shakily. “And you were there...” She looked down. “I felt loved, all this time. Even when my parents, my adoptive parents, were still themselves, I felt like you were a mother to me as well. I not only looked up to you, I loved you like I would a parent. Mom... I never knew until a couple of days ago who you really were, but I’ve never felt deprived of your love.” “Oh, Twilight,” Celestia whispered, pulling her daughter close. “I do regret not being your mom all that time... When Luna found the empty room...” She shuddered. “I felt a sense of loss like I never could have imagined I ever would... it felt as if my heart had stopped. I felt like all the will to live had been taken away from me... I had so much trouble com-” she choked up. “Comprehending... when- when I saw your dolls I- oh, I’m so- sorry I...” Twilight leaned in, holding Celestia close as her mother broke into sobs, and barely able to stop herself from joining her, even though she could feel her own tears trailing down her cheeks. “I was deprived of seeing you play with your dolls... of reading to you at night so you could sleep,” the elder alicorn recounted sadly, “of teaching you your ABCs...” “Mom...” Twilight whispered, the word coming more naturally this time. “Mom... you protected me as much as you could. I wish I had been able to be with you and do that... please don’t cry... you’ve taught me so much... and you still teach me so much, every day...” Celestia shook in her daughter’s embrace. “I- I have some memories of that time now, Twilight... if you would like to hear them...” Twilight felt a knot form in her throat and a shiver run down her spine as feelings of anticipation and nostalgia welled up inside her. “I- I would love to, mom...” Celestia nodded and her horn flared with light. The world around the pair went completely white as Celestia’s spell completely engulfed them. The pair were suddenly in the empty room. The door was closed as the rest of the wing was still being repaired, Celestia carefully trotted to the small bookshelf. “When you were just learning to stand up correctly, you decided that you wanted to take one of the books yourself... you really loved this one story, ‘It’s Not a Cold Dark Place’...” “Oh...” Twilight’s eyes lit up. “I remember that story! I would always read it over and over again and ask mom to read it to me at night and-” Twilight flinched, looking up at Celestia. Celestia smiled sadly, not commenting on Twilights outburst. “When you tried to reach it, you stumbled back, and... and you opened your wings and tried to flap them while you were on your back on the floor, you started flopping around and-” She sniffed and choked out a laugh at the same time. “It was the most adorable thing I’ve ever seen!” Twilight smiled as she levitated the Luna and Celestia dolls with her magic and nuzzled them. It felt... right. She opened her eyes and blushed, looking over at her mother, who had a soft smile of her own. “Sorry, I-” “Don’t be,” Celestia said. “You used to pick them up and nuzzle them just like that.” “It’s strange how familiar this room feels, after all this time,” Twilight realized. Celestia nodded. “There are so many little memories... you were sitting right there, next to the toy chest when you said your first word.” Twilight’s eyes shone with interest. “Really? What was it?” Celestia laughed. “Can’t you guess? Your very first word... was ‘book’. And you pointed straight at the bookshelf.” She chuckled. “Your next words were ‘Woona’ and ‘Tia’.” Twilight blinked. “What?” Celestia’s magic levitated the Luna doll. “Woona.” The Celestia doll performed a little pirouette and floated over to Woona. “And Tia.” Twilight blushed, embarrassed. “Oh,” The pair stood in the room in silence, soaking in the little memories and feeling comforted by each other’s presence. Then Twilight slowly walked up to her mother and hugged her again. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here with you,” Twilight whispered. “I can tell how much love went into this room.” Her eyes slowly went around the carefully selected furniture; the tiny table and chairs; the bookshelves; the little net on the corner with several plush toys; the crib with bed sheets folded and tiny pillow... “We’re never getting that lost time back, are we?” Twilight whispered, staring through bleary, tear-streaked eyes at the room. Celestia let out a long sigh. “I’m afraid not, Twilight.” “Mom... I know we have thousands of years to spend together...” Celestia looked at her daughter and nodded mutely. “And I know I'd said I'd be going back to Ponyville... but...” Twilight leaned into the hug. “I’d like to stay for a few weeks, if you don’t mind.” Celestia smiled and chuckled. “Not at all, my beloved daughter, not at all.” “I love you, mom,” Twilight said, closing her eyes. “And I love you, Twilight,” Celestia replied, nuzzling her daughter. o.0.o “Hey! There’s Rarity and Sweetie Belle!” Pinkie Pie shouted as she walked alongside Trixie’s stagecoach, making both Applejack and Dawn jump back in surprise. “Hello, Rarity! Hello, Sweetie!” She waved eagerly at the two unicorns standing just inside the Canterlot Gates. “Pinkie Pie? !” Applejack gasped. “Where in tarnation did you come from?” “Silly, I’ve been here all along!” the pink mare grinned. “I was taking a nap on top of the wagon!” “On top of the-” Dawn stopped when she felt Applejack’s hoof on her shoulder. “Don’t ask, sugarcube, don’t ask. It’s just Pinkie Pie.” “Heeey! I know you!” Pinkie bounced around Dawn, making the mare look at her warily. “You’re Twilight’s evil twin!” “Easy there, Pinkie, she ain’t Spark no more and-” “Yeah, I am,” Dawn interrupted, glaring at Pinkie Pie. “I was lucky the Elements chose to heal me into an earth pony rather than turn me into dust. What about it?” “Are you going to live in Ponyville now?” The Pinkie asked. “That’s the plan,” Applejack confirmed. “She’s gonna be stayin’ at Sweet Apple Acres.” “Sweet!” Pinkie Pie beamed. “That means I get to organize a party! Yay!” “Dear, you might want to make sure you call her Princess Dawn now,” Rarity said as she and Sweetie approached the group. “I’m not a ‘princess’,” Dawn growled venomously. “I’m just lucky to be alive and that my ‘mother’ and biological progenitor decided that I was not worth killing.” “Darling, you’re starting to sound like Twilight even more now!” Rarity teased. “Isn’t that lovely? Are you going to start making lists next?” Dawn gritted her teeth. “Are you looking to change your looks, Rarity? Because you’re halfway there for me to lend you a hoof on that...” “Darling, I’d rather avoid the mess altogheter...” “Alright,” Applejack interrupted, stepping between the two. “That’s enough! There ain’t gonna be no fightin’ now, ya hear? What kind of example are you settin’ fer Sweetie, actin’ like this?” “Eh, I’ve seen worse,” Sweetie shrugged, seeming entirely nonplussed. Rarity shot Sweetie Belle an annoyed look, then rolled her eyes and huffed. “Fine, Applejack, since you insist, I shall put up with this-” “Rarity...” Applejack warned. “Fine,” Rarity looked away. “Hey, Sweetie Belle, ain’tcha getting in?” Scootaloo asked, motioning for the young unicorn to join them. “We got Trixie’s mom and dad to let Daisy Sprout come with us!” Apple Bloom added. Sweetie sighed and looked down, dejected. “I’m sorry, but I have to go with Rarity for a while. I shouldn’t be too long, though! Maybe I’ll make it in time before you come back home, Daisy Sprout!” “Aww...” Scootaloo groaned. “We haven’t seen you all week, what have you been doing?” For a moment Sweetie didn’t reply as she traded glances with Rarity, who arched an eyebrow. Sweetie shrugged and looked back at Scootaloo and Apple Bloom. “Um, training...?” “You mean...” Scootaloo slowly drew an imaginary line across her neck with her hoof, while poking her tongue to the side. “No...” Sweetie said, chuckling nervously. “Just learning a bit more about magic, you know?” “Hey, guys!” Rainbow Dash called as she and Fluttershy flew towards the group. “I see we’re almost all here.” “Almost,” Applejack repeated as Trixie and Big Mac approached. “We’re just missing Twilight.” “Do you think she’ll make it?” Trixie asked. “She must have a lot to talk about with her mother...” She sighed. “I know I did with mine.” “Eeyup,” Big Macintosh agreed, earning an elbow to the ribs from Trixie. “She’ll be here,” Rainbow Dash assured. “Twilight wouldn’t leave us hanging.” A flash of red light melded into Twilight Sparkle, who shook her head. “I really need to learn how to control that power difference...” she muttered, blinking owlishly. “Want to ask me how the weather is in Neighpon?” “Toldja,” Rainbow Dash grinned smugly. “Oh, hi!” Twilight smiled, turning around and pointedly ignoring the guards and passing ponies who bowed to her. “Still nervous about being royalty, Twilight?” Rarity chuckled. “How charming.” Twilight smiled sheepishly. “Well, you know me, I’m ‘Miss can’t-stop-feeling-self-conscious.’” Rainbow Dash shook her head. “You should relax, Twilight. Just do like your mom and be all cool about it!” “That takes more practice than you might think, Rainbow Dash, we can't all be naturals at coolness, Dash” Twilight groaned. “Anyways, I’m glad I made it in time.” “Well, you’d better get used to it, ‘sis’,” Dawn remarked, rolling her eyes. “After all, you’re a princess now.” Twilight glanced at Dawn. “You know, being my sister, you could also-” “No.” Twilight smirked. “I figured as much.” “So,” Applejack said after a moment. “What are your plans, sugarcube?” Twilight sighed, and looked towards the city, where several buildings were still being rebuilt. “I’m staying for a bit longer... I want to be with my mother and aunt Luna for a while.” Rarity nodded. “We thought you might, darling. I think it’s the right thing to do.” “But... you won’t stay stay, right?” Pinkie Pie asked. “I mean, you’re staying, but you’re going to come back to Ponyville eventually, right?” Twilight nodded. “Don’t worry, Pinkie, before you know it, you’ll have librarian and dragon back in Ponyville.” Pinkie Pie smiled. “And then we’ll have a BIG party to celebrate all the new friends that will be there!” “Ah heard that Paper Craft is movin’ over to Lyra’s old place,” Applejack said after a moment of awkward silence. “We should all make sure to give him a hoof. That colt needs some good examples after livin’ all that time with those parents of his.” “Trixie hates to say this but-” Trixie cleared her throat, a bit embarrassed by her slip-up. “But I can’t say I’m saddened by the fact that they were crushed.” “Trixie!” Applejack gasped. “That’s a horrible thing to say!” “You didn’t hear what they said,” Trixie whispered. Applejack sighed. “So, where are you going, Rarity?” Twilight asked into the awkward silence. “We’ll be going north,” Rarity said. “The trip shouldn’t be too hard, but I have several things to attend to.” “You, or Ja-” “Me, Twilight,” Rarity interrupted. “It’s time to put an end to that chapter of my life.” Twilight nodded as she looked at the others. “I guess... I guess this is goodbye for now.” “Only for a short time, sugarcube,” Applejack soothed, giving Twilight a hug. “Me and Fluttershy are going to stay around for a day or so,” Rainbow Dash said. “And then we’ll head for Ponyville... and after that... well, I still have to think about what to do after that...” “Please make sure Angel is okay,” Fluttershy said to Apple Bloom and Scootaloo. “And feed the chickens. Tell them I’ll be back tomorrow.” “Sure thing, Fluttershy!” Apple Bloom exclaimed with a curt salute. “See you soon in Ponyville!” Pinkie Pie shouted, somehow hugging everypony at the same time. “And be ready to party!” “We will,” Twilight smiled as she Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy stepped back, allowing the Stage Wagon to roll past. Trixie and Big Mac gave them a nod in goodbye, followed by Applejack and Dawn, who hurried to keep up the pace. Scootaloo, Apple Bloom and Daisy Sprout waved goodbye as the group slowly disappeared into the winding road that led to Ponyville. “Fare-thee-well, Twilight Sparkle,” Rarity said, hugging the alicorn as well. “I’ll see you soon.” “Make sure you do,” Twilight replied. She looked down at Sweetie Belle. “And you take care too, Sweetie Belle.” “I will, Twilight!” Sweetie said happily. “And thank you for the help with the spells!” Twilight grinned. “It was my pleasure.” The two sisters turned around and slowly walked out the gates, leaving Twilight alone with Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. “Hey, Twilight.” “Yes, Rainbow Dash?” Twilight looked over her shoulder at her friend. “How about we give those wings of yours some more practice?” Twilight smiled in appreciation. “I’d like that.” “Well, let’s go!” Rainbow Dash shouted, jumping into the air. Twilight smiled and looked towards Ponyville, her eyes settling on the wagon being pulled down the winding road. She then looked further to where Rarity and Sweetie were making their way towards their own distant objective. She looked at the city around her and sighed. “And so we move on...” she whispered. “Hey, Twilight! Fluttershy! Are you coming?” Rainbow Dash called, interrupting her musings. Sharing her smile with Fluttershy, Twilight jumped up, following the two pegasi towards the Castle. “Hey!” she shouted, wobbling and losing altitude after a few seconds. “Wait up!” o.0.o The Empty Room o.0.o The End A/N" ]

[ "The Empty Room Chapter 21 By Wanderer D Gray skies hung over Canterlot as the dying light cast a deathly pallor over the whole of the city. The brave ponies stood in stunned silence, mulling over their recent accomplishment. They had killed an alicorn in combat. “Well, I must say, that was far easier than I had expected,” Rarity confessed after a moment. “This certainly bodes well for the upcoming fights.” Misty gave her a look. “Are we really going to fight the other Alicorns? There isn’t a safer way to deal with this? Maybe if we go straight for the Guardian we can take them all down in one go?” “Aw, they’re not that tough,” a voice broke in. The group turned to look in surprise at a battered Rainbow Dash, who had spoken from the back of a small cart being pulled by Trixie. Rarity frowned. “Well, I don’t know how well you did, Rainbow Da-” “We lost one of our own,” Applejack interrupted. “Ah would hardly say that was easy.” “Yeah, and it was TOTAL BS!” Gilda shouted. “I HAD that bitch!” “Gilda!” Twilight growled. “You’re supposed to be dead! You can’t just start screaming!” “Oh, stuff it, little Miss Horn and Wings!” Gilda retorted. “At least I didn’t arrive six hours late! And I’ll have you know that Alicorns are perfectly legal PCs!” Twilight snapped, slamming her hoof on the table so hard that it sent cheese puffs and dice flying. “They have a level adjustment of 3!” “Well duh, that’s why you had to sleep it off and be ‘dead’ while we all leveled up!” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “And talk about projecting; suddenly you are Celestia’s daughter?” Twilight shook her head. “Oh yeah? Well, how about you, Commander of the Former Wonderbolts?” She proceeded to knock down the little figurines of Soarin’, Misty, Spitfire, Blast and whoever the first one to die was. “H-hey!” Rainbow Dash blushed as she carefully lined them up again. “Don’t ruin the paint job! It took me hours just to get them right!” Lyra sat down at the table, her horn alight as she levitated a soft drink. “What? Is it over already? Did I get resurrected yet?” “The only thing that’s happened is that Rainbow and Gilda started actin’ up... and then Twilight followed suit.” Applejack groaned. “Oh...” Lyra sighed. “I guess I don’t get to make up with Bon-Bon yet...” Applejack sighed. “Speakin’ of which, you two should really get a room.” “The Great and Powowowowow...” Trixie gasped as Big Mac bit her ear, blushing as she squirmed, cuddling even closer to his side. “Big Macintosh!” Applejack snapped. “Haven’t Ah told ya to not get so personal with Trixie in front of others!” Big Mac gave her a look. “Eeyup.” Applejack raised an eyebrow. “You don’t care, do ya?” “Nnnoope.” Applejack simply leaned her face on the table. “This is why Ah told y’all that we could invite either Trixie or Big Mac, not both of them!” “Well, if we are not going to do anything, I do have to check on Sweetie Belle,” Rarity stated. \"Berry Punch is a dear, but I am still not very comfortable leaving her in charge of my little sister and-” “No! You can’t leave yet!” Pinkie interrupted, “Me and Zecora still have to do our part!” “Other than trading little notes with the DM?” Rainbow Dash growled. “What the hay have you been doing all this time?” “It’s a secreeet~!” Pinkie sang bouncing around the table and barely dodging Gilda’s half-assed attempt at tripping her. “Hey, Dash, let’s leave the twerps and go make out. I have some really cool ideas that will make our night 20% hotter than this lame-o game of yours.” “Um... shouldn’t we, you know... wait a bit?” Fluttershy asked, trying to ignore Trixie’s hoof as the illusionist tried to pull her. “I mean, if you want... it’s just... Luna just went to the restroom and she won’t be happy if we leave...” “What is Luna doing in there anyway?” Lyra asked. “Nopony takes that long in there. Nopony.” “Maybe she passed out? She was drinking a lot of cider...” Applejack looked at the door at the back of the Library with a little worry. “And you saw how Spike was completely knocked out.” Rarity looked at the unconscious dragon. “Oh... poor Spikey, although that does explain why he just suddenly disappeared from the game.” “Aha!” Twilight suddenly shouted, her magic shoving a book between Gilda and Rainbow Dash. She brought it up to the griffon’s face. “See? Alicorns, perfectly good PCs.” “That’s BS and you know it; you just want to be a ‘princess’,” Gilda rolled her eyes, pushing the book down with her claw. “What, wasn’t Cadence marrying your freaking brother enough? Now you want to be a princess too?” “That has nothing to do with it!” Twilight snapped the book closed. “I’m just showing you that I made a perfectly valid character that added a lot of story-telling to the story despite your whining at how cliche it was.” “Your origin story was weak at best and you know it, Sparkles.” Gilda shook her head. “It’s so full of holes that I could fly in and out of it at twice the speed of sound without encountering any sort of resistance in the way.” “Oh, get off my case, as if your little act about how sorry you were and how much you love Rainbow Dash wasn’t projecting yourself even more.” “At least I’m playing myself, dork!” “Well, so am I!” “Dude, you turned your father into Darth Pony; that is not how your life really is.” Gilda retorted. “He was being controlled! I explained it in the backstory!” “You know what, on second thought, I believe you.” Gilda said nodding. Twilight blinked. “You... you do?” “Yes,” Gilda sighed. “The only way a story like yours would ever be considered is if you were Luna’s niece or something, because she wouldn’t accept so much BS from anypony else!” “Everyone ready?” Luna sang, the sound of a flushing toilet announcing her return. Twilight grimaced. “Lu- Princess, should you be wearing... that?” Luna’s eyes went up to the aluminum foil replica of her Nightmare Moon helmet. “Well, of course, Twilight! What else would I use to remind you all who you are dealing with?” “Luna, do we really have to fight all the Alicorns?” Rainbow Dash asked. “It’s getting late, and really, they’re kind of lame.” “They are perfectly good characters!” Luna said. “Why, I remember Winter really used to do that trick with the wave...” “Tch.” Rainbow Dash looked away. “They’re lame. That’s all I have to say. What, you didn’t have enough throwing us at a huge reptilian creature?” “Hey, be grateful she didn’t throw a Tarrasque in the middle,” Twilight said. “We would need very specific items and spells to stop that and-” “Don’t give her ideas, Sparkles!” Gilda shouted, throwing a D12 at Twilight’s forehead. It bounced off the tip of her horn before flashing and disappearing. “Hey! That was my lucky D12!” Lyra shouted. “Meh, you don’t need it, you’re dead!” Gilda gave Lyra a raspberry. “Well, so are you!” “My death was cool!” Gilda proclaimed. “I died fighting a freaking alicorn!” “Which your girlfriend pointed out was lame!” “Well, it was still awesome.” “Well you would have died anyway!” Lyra pointed out. “I would have survived if somepony had paid attention!” she glared at Trixie, who had placed her cape over herself and Big Mac and Fluttershy. The cape shook and both mares giggled. “How did those three end up together again?” Rarity asked Applejack, who groaned without lifting her head of the table. “Big Mac has a thing for strays,” the apple farmer said to the irritation of those that insist her name should be used constantly. “An’ Fluttershy and Big Mac have been an item on an’ off through the years... plus, she’s a pervert.” “Hey, Trixie!” Rainbow Dash hollered. “Pay attention! We’ve just walked into a huge garden with a gazebo!” “Ooo...” Trixie giggled, then poked her head out from under the cape. “Trixie ah... attacks it!” “The gazebo?” “Y-yes!” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “Okay, Lyra has a point, if Trixie hadn’t half-assed that die-roll she would probably still be alive.” “See what I mean?” Lyra slammed her hoof on the table. “I demand to be resurrected! Or at least make it so that they thought I was dead but I wasn’t!” “No,” Luna said. “The incompetence of your teammates is no excuse to reset the whole game. Besides, we’re almost done anyway, just two more alicorns and the Guardian and we’re good.” “Why is it called the Guardian, anyway?” Lyra asked. “Did you even think about it when you named him?” “Are we ready to start again?” Luna growled, ignoring Lyra. “I want to get it over with before I have to put down the damned moon!” “Fine, fine...” Gilda sighed and reclined, watching with mild interest as the surviving ponies gathered around the table. “Now, where were we?” Luna asked. “We had just killed Winter... I think it was Twilight’s turn,” Rarity said. “Okay then,” Luna nodded. “Twilight, you and Fluttershy, Spark-” “What, she’s still alive?” Rainbow Dash asked. “That clone has more lives than a cat!” Twilight frowned. “She never was in any danger of dying!” “Well, I did almost kill her... and I would have if Applejack here hadn’t decided her tormentor was a good pony.” Applejack looked up. “Ah just did what ah would’ve done in real life!” “Suuure, and you don’t have a secret crush on Twilight,” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “Oh, come on, she doesn’t!” Lyra interrupted. “Stop shipping ponies around, Rainbow Dash!” “Shipping?” Luna blinked. “It’s when... um... a pony creates a relationship between characters...” Fluttershy explained quietly, poking her head from under Trixies cape. “It’s a fan-fiction expression...” “Fanwhatnow?” Luna shook her head. “Lyra, you write stories?” Lyra blushed. “A little...” “A little? Haven’t you shown the others that huge pile of ‘My Little Human’ fan fics you’ve written?” Gilda chuckled. Lyra cringed. “W-well, you liked them! And besides, Rainbow Dash is co-writing my crossover with Daring-do!” “A crossover between Daring-do and My Little Human?” Twilight asked, shaking her head. “You ponies have too much time.” “Well, excuse us for not writing a weekly friendship report to mom!” “Celestia is not my mom!” Twilight shouted. “Luna, can you please tell them that we are not blood related?” Luna stared at Twilight for a whole minute, then looked down at the table. “So... you and the others are walking down the street when-” “Cupcakes!” Pinkie shouted, setting a whole tray in the middle of the table. “Hey!” Luna shouted, panicking. “Watch the maps! I spent all of last week making them!” Applejack frowned. “Weren’t you re-writing the tax laws and checking them for flaws?” “Ah...” Luna chuckled weakly. “Yeah... that too...” “Anyway,” Twilight sighed and turned to look at Fluttershy. “Fluttershy, we should get going to the castle and... Fluttershy? Are you paying attention?” Fluttershy looked up under the cape, she slowly extracted herself from under it and moved to the table, flipping through a magazine. Then she noticed Twilight was glaring at her. “Oh... sorry, Twilight, were we role-playing again?” “What are you reading?” Twilight’s spell snatched the magazine from the almost protesting Fluttershy’s grasp. “Seriously? ‘Iron Will’s Self-Help Diet’?” Twilight shook her head. “Fluttershy you should know by now that he... huh... I didn’t know that boroboro root was good for that!” her horn shone again and ‘Supernaturals’ floated up to land next to her. She flipped the pages quickly. “It is! Wow, Iron Will does do his research!” “Oh yes,” Fluttershy nodded. “His diets have been very popular lately, and he has different ones for each species that reads his articles.” “My, I never thought that big brute would ever be able to spell his own name, much less write an article!” Rarity said, looking over Twilight’s shoulder. “But I must say, that salad recipe looks delightful! Exactly what a sexy assassin needs in her diet!” “Um, Rarity? That’s your character in the game, you are not really an assassin.” Rainbow Dash pointed out. Rarity stared at Rainbow Dash for a minute before she looked down at the article again. “Oh, my! Berries and nuts! It looks delicious!” “Ladies, if we could please carry on with the game?” Luna sighed. “Come on girls! I’m sure I can write a nice Friendship Report about Role Playing to mo- I mean, Princess Celestia!” “She’s really into it!” Gilda laughed. “Next thing we know Rarity will really think she’s an assassin!” she barked a laugh and then stopped as the two feathers she had styled on top of her face as bangs slowly drifted down to the table in front of her, splitting in half the moment they touched the table. Her eyes slowly looked up to Rarity, who was looking at a small diamond in her hoof, nonchalantly ignoring her. The griffon gulped. Trixie giggled. “Darn it, Big Mac, Ah told ya to stop doing that!” Applejack snapped, throwing an empty bag of apple chips at the couple. “There are other mares here and we don’t want to know what you-” she stopped when she felt a hoof on her shoulder. She looked back at Fluttershy, who was blushing but was shaking her head. “We don’t mind,” Fluttershy said. “But-” “I said, we don’t mind,” the pink-maned pegasus gritted her teeth as she glared at Applejack. “O-okay then...” “This is quickly spiraling out of control,” Twilight said. “Well, thank you for pointing the obvious, Mrs. Sparkle,” Lyra said as she glared from her chair. “What was your first clue? Pinkie Pie walking upside down on the ceiling?” Twilight looked up for a second before looking back at Lyra. “No, she does that relatively often.” “I see...” Lyra sighed. “Hey Lyra!” Pinke shouted from the ceiling. “Look! No hands!” “I KNOW!” “Pinkie! Get down from there! Your part and Zecora’s is almost upon us!” Luna shouted. “Why didn’t Zecora come again?” Rainbow Dash asked. “I thought she was all for tonight’s game.” She picked up a couple of papers. “I mean, she even filled out her character sheet and all...” Luna rolled her eyes. “How should I know? She said she suddenly had an emergency.” “You must know,” Rainbow Dash insisted. “You’re a Goddess!” Luna’s eyes clouded. o.0.o Somewhere Else o.0.o “Quick! Summon the Zords!” The Pink Pony Ranger shouted. The five ponies quickly stepped in line and, balancing on their hind legs, produced a sequence of exaggerated hoof moves and kicks before landing in different positions. Five giant robotic animals jumped out of the recesses of the jungle, exploding into pieces before rearranging themselves into a pony-like robot with three heads. It tried to fight the enemy dragon-mutant but was soon overwhelmed. “What are we going to do! ?” The Red Pony Ranger shouted in horror. “Our Zords cannot take it down!” “Fear not, my Red-Robed friend!” A powerful female voice echoed all around them. “For I am here, to take out that fiend!” “It’s the Stripped Pony Ranger!” The Yellow Pony Ranger shouted gleefully. “She’s so cool with her rhymes!” Another Pony Ranger, riding on top of a giant mechanical anthropomorphic zebra with two wicked blades half as big as its own body emerged from the ground, standing valiantly next to the almost-defeated Zord. “Let’s do it!” the Black Pony Ranger shouted. The battle was joined once more. o.0.o “I’d rather not know,” Luna stated firmly. “Now, everypony... and griffon, take your seats, it’s time to continue.” There was a little bit of grumbling but eventually all players were sitting at the table, even Big Mac and Trixie. “Okay, let’s make this fast and we can all go home,” Luna said. “Twilight, as you and the others walk down Canterlot, another of the alicorns appears.” Luna ignored the groans the alicorn’s appearance produced. “Her blue piercing eyes nail you to the spot as her voice booms out, ‘I am Summer, let those who challenge me, step forward!’” Twilight sighed. “I guess we don’t have much of a choice, do we? Who was in my party again?” “Um... me...” Fluttershy said. “And... Twilight Spark... and Big Mac.” “Good,” Twilight said. “This should be okay...” she took a deep breath. “I use my magic to-” “Nuh-uh!” Gilda grinned. “Sorry miss alicorn, but I feel I should remind you that you are a pegasus now!” “Oh, horseapples!” Twilight smacked her face on the table. “Being a pegasus sucks!” “Hey!” Rainbow Dash growled. “You take that back!” “Seriously though, what can you do, other than fly and walk on clouds?” “We can create tornadoes!” Rainbow Dash said. Twilight rolled her eyes. “What, with the help of all the pegasi in Ponyville? I mean what can you do to fight?” “Well, I could create a Sonic Rainboom and punch my way through an alicorn!” Rainbow Dash argued. “Well, I can’t-” “And that’s because you are lame as a pegasus!” Rainbow Dash interrupted. “Just because you suck doesn’t mean real pegasi do!” “Tch. Fine,” Twilight growled. She looked at Luna. “Well, Spark will use her thunderbolt spell on Summer, while I... kick up some rain or something.” “And I assume you’ll buck her like a tree?” Luna asked Big Mac, who nodded. “Eeyup.” “I... I think I’ll stay back and... watch...” Fluttershy winced. “Oh, come on, Flutters!” Lyra groaned. “It’s a game! Nothing can happen to the real you! It’s not like you’re going to face the real Summer anytime soon, right?” Fluttershy meeped and hid under the table while Luna, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie and Twilight shared uncomfortable looks. “Riiight...” Twilight coughed. “A-anyway...” Luna nodded. “Okay, everypony roll initiative and-” “Hey girls!” Pinkie Pie interrupted. “I’ve managed to compile a video of the game so far! Let’s watch it!” Luna’s eyes widened as she noticed the cameras set up in the Library. “But... how? When? !” she felt a hoof on her own and looked at Twilight, who shook her head. “It’s not worth it, Luna.” A screen dropped from the far wall and the lights dimmed. A light flickered and suddenly they were looking at themselves. Luna was standing on her hind hooves, leaning forward as she eyed Trixie evilly. “‘Yesssss.’ The voice said, once again whispering in her ear and sending shivers up your spine. “I will teach you now.”’ Luna whispered dramatically. “Trixie, you turn around and look up. And up...” Luna said, eyes glistening. “You look up until you can see the face of the Guardian. You stare at it. And then, with quick move giant jaws descend upon you!” Luna slammed her hoof down, making Trixie jump in her seat. “Your screams slowly die away in the immense jungle, with nopony around to hear the crunch of your bones!” “What? !” Trixie jumped from her seat. “That’s total horse-apples! The Great and Powerful Trixie can’t die first thing into the game! It’s unfair!” Luna stared at her, then smiled. “The Guardian then proceeds to belch mightily, before continuing to tear into your body.” “Bu-but! That’s- Oh, come on!” Trixie whined. “You wanted that map...” Rainbow Dash chuckled. “Luna did say it would come with a price!” “Ha! You got killed ten minutes into the game!” Gilda laughed. “Now that is lame!” Trixie glared at her. “Trixie would like to remind the overblown chicken that she was killed by the main bad guy and not a grunt!” “Do you want a piece of me, ‘Tricks’?” “Anytime!” “Girls!” Pinkie suddenly slid between them. “You’re missing the next scene!” o.o.o Luna looked at Trixie. “Trixie, as your wagon approaches Ponyville, you notice a farm nearby. You don’t remember your way that well -since your skill check failed- and there appears to be an old mare sitting on the porch. She notices your wagon.” “Trixie casts a spell using flaming magical powder from her cart to spell out ‘Which way to Ponyville’,” Trixie replied. Luna nodded with a small smile. “The fiery words appear in the air in front of the old mare, she stares in horror as flames sprout out of nowhere and ask her for directions. Her hoof goes to her foreleg, and it seems like it hurts. She gasps and falls back. She’s not breathing.” “WHAT? !” Trixie jumped to her feet, glaring at Luna. “That’s so unfair!” Luna gave her a look. “Congratulations, you just gave Granny Smith a heart-attack. I hope you’re happy.” “But... but-” Trixie’s eyes watered. “I didn’t mean to! I- I grab her shoulders and shake her awake! There must be some mistake! Hey! Granny! Are you okay? You passed out!” Luna rolled her eyes, but made a credible impression of Granny Smith’s voice. “W-what... I... I'm okay... I just had this strange nightmare of a stage wagon that spoke in words made out of fire to me... I thought I was going to have a heart-attack!” she paused. “You also notice that she has left her body behind.” Trixie glared at Luna. “Seriously? She’s a ghost now? How many ghosts are we getting here? !” Luna looked back at Trixie. “She’s waiting for an answer.” “Y-you did? Ah... hehe.” “Ah remember that,” Applejack shook her head. “For shame, Trixie, killing your soon-to-be family members...” Trixie growled, but Fluttershy’s calming hoof on her shoulder helped her relax a little. She raspberry-ed Applejack and cuddled up between Fluttershy and Big Mac. o.o.o “‘This has to be done... if there was a different way...’ He said in a disgustingly soothing tone,” Luna narrated dramatically. “You know who it is now, Twilight...” “I... I stop where I am, ready to fight and prepare my magic!” Twilight replied. “When he sees your horn start to glow with magic he also stops as his own horn lights with energy.” Luna said. “Now, Twilight, roll a sanity check.” “Wow, who IS this guy?” Rainbow Dash asked, her eyes on the small figurines. “He seems kinda cool! Can he really drive Twilight mad with his presence alone?” “We’ll see...” Luna replied. Twilight shook the dice in the air with her magic before releasing them over the table. “43%! I pass!” “Bummer...” Lyra grumbled. “I would have liked to see Twilight go bat-shit crazy! ‘Bring Celestia to my chambers!’ and that kind of stuff!” “I would never say that about mo- Princess Celestia!” Luna cleared her throat. “Twilight, any last words?” Twilight sighed as she turned her attention to the table. “There is only one thing I could say before I unleash my magic to protect not only myself, but my mentor's secret... ‘Daddy... why?’” “WHAT? !” Rainbow Dash interrupted. “That’s- come on! That’s lame! Seriously? I thought Twilight’s dad was cool? !” “Hey, he’s a very nice guy!” Twilight defended. “That doesn’t make him cool!” o.o.o “Don't say it!” Rainbow Dash shouted trying not to laugh and keep a serious face. “She's gone, Rainbow Dash,” Luna said, looking at the pegasus. “No! Don't say that! Twilight Sparkle can't be dead!” Dash shouted before she burst into laughter. “Hey! It’s a serious scene!” Twilight complained. “And I just died!” A gasp made them look to the small purple dragon that had just walked into the room with a bag of cheetos. “It's not true,” he said, running to hold Luna's hooves. “It's not true, right? Y-you're joking.” Luna rolled her eyes. “Yes, she’s dead, she botched her last attack and got killed by her daddy.” Spike gasped. “Wow, that sucks!” Twilight slammed her face on the table. “Tell me about it, now I have to make a new character!” “Hmm... I have some ideas for that...” Luna said. “Twilight, come with me, we have to talk for a bit...” “What did Luna tell you?” Lyra asked, curious. “Well, she told me I could make an evil clone of myself as a character, since she sort of already had Twilight Spark as a possible NPC... the only requirement was that I had to chase after Applejack’s tail.” “An’ that was pretty annoyin’!” Applejack grumbled. “Oh, you liked it and you know it!” Rainbow Dash teased, poking Applejack in the ribs. “Who was it that was telling me just the other night that Twilight had one hell of a plo-mph!” Applejack chuckled nervously, keeping her hoof steady on Rainbow’s mouth. o.o.o I SHALL GO TO CANTERLOT THEN! CAN YOU POINT ME IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION, HANDSOME?", "“Well, she told me I could make an evil clone of myself as a character, since she sort of already had Twilight Spark as a possible NPC... the only requirement was that I had to chase after Applejack’s tail.” “An’ that was pretty annoyin’!” Applejack grumbled. “Oh, you liked it and you know it!” Rainbow Dash teased, poking Applejack in the ribs. “Who was it that was telling me just the other night that Twilight had one hell of a plo-mph!” Applejack chuckled nervously, keeping her hoof steady on Rainbow’s mouth. o.o.o I SHALL GO TO CANTERLOT THEN! CAN YOU POINT ME IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION, HANDSOME? Trixie leaned seductively onto Big Mac’s shoulder and almost purred. “I-it's that way.” He stammered through his blush, trying to stay in character. THANK YOU Trixie gave him a peck. “Ah uh...” Big Mac looked at Luna. “Ah uh... Ah follow Trixie...” “Big surprise there,” Luna rolled her eyes. o.o.o “B-but it can't be you...” Rainbow Dash stammered. “You died!” “I got better.” Twilight answered, leaning up to the pegasus and whispering in her ear. “Much... better.” Rainbow Dash visibly shivered as her ear twitched from the feel of her friend's breath on it, as much as the feeling of Twilight's coat against hers. “‘Twilight Spark.’ Celestia says then, looking down just slightly. ‘Don't you have something to tell your friends?’” Luna’s voice was eerily similar to when she had been Nightmare Moon. “Spark?” Rarity asked. “But...” “Sparkle was okay,” Twilight interrupted, smirking from across the table. “for a filly... but I am a full grown mare now, as you can see. A better name seemed... appropriate.” Applejack shook her head slowly. “Sugarcube, you can call yourself Twilight Pastel for all Ah care... It's good to have you back.” She nodded at Twilight, then looked at Luna. “Ah give her a hug!” “I lick her neck!” Twilight giggled “Twilight!” “Oh, man!” Gilda laughed. “That was awesome! The look in your face, Applejack! You know what, you’re okay in my book, Sparkles!” Twilight chuckled. “Thanks, I think.” o.o.o “Oh, you know. Basic anatomy, pleasure/pain thresholds, Pavponian Conditioning,” the unicorn spared a glance at Applejack. “Oh... do you think I broke her? But I haven't even started!” she said jokingly, eliciting a snort and a laugh from Rainbow Dash and Spitfire. Applejack visibly shivered as she looked at Twilight, then struggled to stay in character as she looked at Rainbow Dash. “Why... what...” “What’s up, Applejack? Dragon caught your tongue?” Rainbow Dash asked, grinning like an idiot. “Bet you never thought I would betray you, huh?” “Damn it, Rainbow Dash, you explain this to me right now!” Applejack threw a die at the pegasus, who dodged it. “No can do! Dungeon Master’s orders!” Rainbow Dash laughed. “That whole thing with the medallions got a bit convoluted...” Lyra groaned. “Was it really necessary?” “It wasn’t that hard to follow,” Twilight said. “Although I guess how some ponies don’t care much for storytelling and want everything told to them straight out.” “Not me!” Rainbow Dash laughed. “That’s why I love Daring Do, I can never wait to see the ending and figure out all the clues that were there!” “You’re an Egghead now, remember, RD?” Gilda teased. “How about you read me a bedtime story?” “Maaybe...” Rainbow Dash grinned. o.o.o “The guards are approaching, Lyra!” Luna said. “What are you going to do?” Stretching across the table, Lyra grabbed Big Mac. “Quick! Kiss me!” Trixie and Fluttershy looked at each other, shrugged ,and pushed the back of Big Mac’s head suddenly. His eyes went wide as his lips slammed into Lyra’s. The whole table burst into laughter as both ponies quickly scrambled back. “Gah!” Lyra spat. “You taste like apples!” “Why did you shove your tongue into my mouth! ?” Big Mac asked, losing his calm composure for once. “I...” Lyra was interrupted by Luna rolling dice. “Uh oh, Lyra... you are not going to like this,” she smiled. “As you look around, trying to figure out if the guards are gone, you notice another female pony looking in your direction with a look of disgust, hurt and betrayal. “Great,” Lyra sighed, falling into character. “Listen, Octy...” “What?” Luna shook her head. “It’s Bon-Bon!” Lyra blinked. “I’m supposed to be dating her? But she’s just my friend!” “Whatever, you’re lovers in this story and you want her to have your baby.” Luna growled. “But... we’re both mares!” “You want her to have your baby, now role play!” Lyra sighed. “Fine. Um... Bon-Bon! No! I can explain!” “So... you’re not dating Bon-Bon?” Pinkie Pie asked. “Um... no?” “Oooh... the readers are gonna be pissed!” Pinkie giggled. “The- what are you talking about?” “Don’t,” Twilight said, shaking her head. “She’s just being Pinkie Pie.” Lyra rolled her eyes. “Aaanyway,” Luna interrupted, her horn glowing. “As interesting at that is, Pinkie, we should get back to playing.” “Aww, but I wanted more scenes made fun of for April Fool’s Day!” Pinkie pouted. “April what?” Luna asked, but then shook her head. “Doesn’t matter, let’s play! Twilight, Fluttershy, Big Mac... an Alicorn stands before you. You quickly remember her name; Summer. She has not attacked, but is observing you in a way that makes you all nervous.” Twilight’s horn lit up as her dice levitated. “Well then, how about we continue with the story! ?” The group cheered as they settled down around the table, watching and listening intently as the next step in their adventure developed. Slowly the scene darkened until everything disappeared. … … … ... “Happy April Fool’s Day!” Pinkie Pike suddenly shouts, appearing from the right corner of the screen. “Hope you all liked it! It might not be the end of the story, but look at the bright side! If Wanderer D hadn’t been so lazy, you wouldn’t have had this little look into what was happening behind the scenes!” She smiles and nods. “Well, I have to go! My big return is coming! Bye now and see you... soon, I hope!” o.0.o End TER: AFD o.0.o" ]

[ "Warning! DO NOT READ unless you have either finished reading “The Empty Room” or you have no intention whatsoever in reading it at all (which makes me wonder why you’re here) not only do these notes contain spoilers for EVERYTHING, it will also make more sense if you have read the story. Writing 'The Empty Room' A look at story-telling, derps, plot-devices and musings by Wanderer D Whenever I write a story, I usually also write a “process of writing” side-document with it. Some are pretty in-depth, like the one for Myst and Leaves, or Magic Knight Pokemon, and some are not. I don’t know how long or in-depth this one will be, but I will keep writing it as the story goes, then come back and re-edit. I warn you, dear reader, this is by no means going to be very organized... While I could go for a more formal style, since this is a candid written account of my thoughts I don't think it will be necessary to follow the academic format. Besides, who wants to read that? I don’t. And even if somepony did, I don't want to write it. So, there! If you take a look at the picture above, you might notice that point #6 says “Chapter 1 of 6.” And this is how we begin. THE PLANS On June 15th, 2011, I found myself finishing writing the first chapter of what I thought would be a six-part story. How wrong I was. My first hint should have been the scope of what I was trying to achieve. Just about EVERYTHING in the story had already been planned, except for a couple of details which I will mention below. So, what were my intentions with the story and what was the original plan? Well, I was trying to tell the story of a mother and child that were separated for years and had unknowingly been close to each other, already seeing underneath it all, the strong bonds they had together. (I have issues with adoption, okay? Even if I’ve been over it for a loooooong time, it keeps popping up in my freaking stories... I should talk to a counselor about this.) And I wanted to show that Celestia had been thinking about her sister when she named her daughter “Twilight” thinking of her as the bridge between Day and Night. But really, when you imagine something like this, how can you even not want it to happen? (Image definitely not related to the fic, but kindly allowed to be used as reference by ~theX-plotion) By the end of it, Celestia would have her daughter back, Twilight would be her “true” self and they would be able to live together with Luna and the others as a family. The story was planned out in my mind as follows: * Luna finds a mysterious room right next to Celestia’s chambers. * It turns out that it belongs to Celestia’s daughter, but nopony can remember who she was or even that she existed at all. Twilight Sparkle is Celestia’s daughter. * Celestia herself cast the spell on the room with the aid of her mages to protect twilight from her enemies, hiding the memories in a secret room/vault under the castle. * Celestia’s enemy is The Guardian, an entity that feeds of the pain and fear the existence of Nightmares causes. * Trixie awakens the guardian and gets eaten, but she is somehow tied to the spell in the vault, so she becomes an intangible ghost. * Trixie travels to Canterlot in search of answers, drawn there by the spell. * Celestia gets the help of Twilight and friends to find out what happened, but the Guardian’s followers attack and kill Twilight. * Celestia becomes a Nightmare between the pain of Twi’s death and influence from the Guardian who talks to her through mirrors.Celestia resurrects Twilight, but she is corrupted. She used twisted memories of reports and her own experiences with her daughter to bring an incomplete version back. * Twilight gets resurrected along with Trixie by the memory spell. * Together, with the help of Luna and the Elements, they confront Celestia and evil Twilight, releasing her from the Nightmare. * The Guardian reveals himself, a battle ensues in which not everypony survives... but in the end, the good guys win, even if it was with a heavy cost. As you can see, the story was waaay beyond 6 chapters even without thinking about characterization, conflict, aesthetic, sub-plots, twists, hints, references and new characters. The sad thing is that I should have noticed that from the get go... Chapter 1 is not exactly light, and I’ve written enough stories to recognize a long one from a short one. I should have known that it was going to take more than 6 chapters to tell it... And yes, even more than ten. Poor Seth, I kept sending him stuff like this. By the time I had sent chapter 2 I had already realized that I had to re-think my story. There was so much to tell and I had already opened the proverbial can of worms. The protagonists were beyond a simple, straight-forward resolution, because the story called for more. Thus I sat down and thought about where the story was going. Again, I didn’t want to change the main plot... that was the story I wanted to tell, but I had discovered that I would need to do more to tell it than anticipated. And so, I laid back and told myself the story as I saw it. In that moment, while my mind followed the story, several things became clear. I needed to cement the Guardian’s agents in it. I had to add conflict, figure out how Twilight would die, who would kill her, how many enemies would come into the story... The Guardian Guardian is a creature/villain following the precept that the less you know about it (other than it corrupts and its powerful) the better. It remains behind the scenes, and yet you can sense its presence all along the story, but for most of it you really don't get to see him/it... you just meet his emissaries, sort of like Morden and the Shadows in B5. This allows you to do a lot with this sort of villain because, being behind the scenes and knowing much more than the reader, his influence and apparent knowledge is increased tenfold by little details at the right time. This is a technique used in Code Geass by Lelouch at the very beginning of the series. The Council of Nightmares ...was born right then and there, including the back-story about the medallions, as I reasoned how they would add members to their group. How they would be hidden and betray those they loved. And with that, Midnight (Twilight Sparkle’s adoptive father) and Spitfire came to the forefront. These two would be good antagonists. I could play a bit with the fandom’s support for a Spitfire-Rainbow Dash relationship and really mess up Twilight by having her own father attack her, lowering her defences and kill her. Yes, it sounds evil and I felt like a bastard for doing it, but it worked. Then the logical conclusion that Nightmare-Celestia would not be driven by the same boring idea of keeping the sun up all the time. Luna had wanted appreciation and recognition and love when she had gone Nightmare... but Celestia’s interests were not the same. Celestia was turning Nightmare out of a desire to keep her family protected, and that included Luna and Twilight. Thus the idea of Twilight Spark evolved. There were several key elements to this character. Concept art by the awesome Crimson Valor, who made my day when he drew this! First: She was childish. The reason behind this being that she was based on Celestia’s fondest memories of Twilight, which were her younger years. This also made her cruel and unable to understand how much she was hurting others. Second: She was powerful. For obvious reasons. Third: She had a crush on Applejack due to Celestia misreading a Friendship Report. The evil twist made this “crush” an obsession to the point of harassment, but, despite a lot of ponies out there thinking it, not rape. Fourth: She would only have the memories that Celestia knew about, causing some memory lapses and a bit of confusion. Twilight Spark gained a lot of popularity to my surprise (and secret delight) and her interactions with Applejack were both funny and disturbing, making it very interesting to write. This could have deviated into clop-fiction at any point, but I managed to stay with the story. So, how to get Luna in on it? Well, Nightmare Flare knew that her sister would not go along with this unless she did something drastic, like returning the Nightmare to life then giving her the same amount of control over the celestial bodies. The reasoning behind this is that NMF’s objective was to her family, no more, no less. She had no interest in the celestial bodies themselves, so, giving Nightmare Moon something like that was not much of a problem. However, Luna had already been there, she would not fall as easily and so, the little remnants of the Elements helped her remain mostly herself. The Nightmare affected and changed her, but she did not overwhelm Luna as she had before, the Elements allowed her to become a true amalgam of both ponies. At this point I was debating what to do with Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and Rarity. Since Celestia would see them as a danger, she would not allow the Elements to survive. But I had plans for Rarity already. My mind had thought upon a certain comic by Exploding Guy I had seen before of Rarity using her magic to shoot arrows... I deviated from The Empty Room to give some thought to that... I love Rarity, so I wanted her to have a cool, active part in the story that when it was revealed would create a reaction. Thus, with that image in mind, I thought up Jade. Rarity the Assassin’s background is a story that I have yet to write, but I know how and why she got to be that and it allowed me to use her in The Empty Room. I wondered how she would use a dagger and as I thought about assassins I started thinking about Azrael, from the Batman comic books, and I remembered that he had these cool blades that would pop out of his armbands, and gave her those (sans the flames), thinking how clever I was and how cool assassin-ponies were and how Jade was the only one so far! Mwahahaha. (Then, on a fateful 16th of July, literally month to the day after TER was published in EqD, Brotherhood of the Moon came out showing me that yes, it was indeed cool and that there were a lot of stories with pony assassins to be told. Plus... Rainbow Dash assassin? Awesome!) As her background was created, Jade took a step into the front-line. Nightmare Moon would acquire her loyalty, first by manipulating her devotion to her friends and her need to distance her assassin persona from Rarity the Fashionista, and then by slowly proving that she actually had everypony’s best interests at heart. It was interesting to see how as readers slowly realized Jade was Rarity, her popularity grew and also their respect for her. Before, she was (supposedly) just an OC (Which was accused of skirting on being Mary Sue Really? I mean, for the most part she did... well, nothing!) but once it became mostly clear she was one of the mane cast, that turned into complaints on how it wasn’t possible and demands for explanations... never mind that since she was keeping the secret from just about everypony, those explanations would not be forthcoming. Seriously, you don’t have to explain the origin of Every. Single. Thing. in a story! Regardless, I always thought it was blatantly obvious who she was after Sweetie Belle defended this mysterious mare. Then again, I knew all along so... Nightmare Moon herself was a challenge to settle into a single entity. I imagined Luna as being playful at times but secretive about her thoughts as well as slightly resentful that she was still feared because of Nightmare Moon. I wanted her to be the Nightmare but have the others see that she was not a monster... (And on a fateful 18th of July Past Sins came up dealing with *almost* the exact same thing, go figure. At least by then I had established my NMM and Pen Stroke’s approach was completely different than mine. And I am really thankful that Dragryphon’s NMM is also completely different than mine given how scarily similar some ideas we had were!) She’s all-seriousness when we meet her, but as her restraints were removed by her change, she was able to let go a bit and let her humor surface. Luna was (ironically) also able to start relating to other ponies while in this guise, but she also another plan... My portrayal of this mare would get several interesting comments, including: “I swear, NMM shows all the concern/emotion of an exasperated supervisor sometimes.” ~UnderstatedHyperbole (While editing) With NMM, the Guardian, The Council, NMF and Jade established, I went into full sub-plot mode. Trixie’s story became more involved. I could not simply have her turn up in Canterlot, thus I turned her trip into a journey of self-discovery, and my conduit to achieve that was... you guessed it: Big Macintosh. The title of this non-fic-related piece is “Something Unexpected” which was exactly what happened. This image was created by MikeTheUser with no relationship to the story and shamelessly used here (with permission) What I did not expect was the Trixie-Big Mac (Trimac? Trixmac? MacTrix? Matrix? Trixmax? Macxie?) relationship that flourished out of it. It was a welcome surprise, to be honest. The process of those two communicating and delving into Trixie’s mind helped me really get to know her and actually like her, I started reading more Trixie fics due to that and enjoyed more stories than I would otherwise have read. Although The Empty Room itself wasn’t intended as a shipping fic, the way those two got together was through a life of its own and I was there to just put words to it. Look! Actual fan art of Trixie’s and Big Mac’s trip to Canterlot! This was created by the talented BIGCCV Would it have ever happened without Trixie dying? Probably not. However, as I pondered the idea of Trixie’s personality, trip, romance and eventual resuscitation, I discovered her family. A stern (but loving) father, a caring mother and most importantly, the little sister she never knew. While I didn’t know how that would turn out, the idea was already embedded in my head. The result was better than I expected. The rebels was another thing that popped up in my musings, creating a slightly more complicated plot since it became 3 groups acting instead of two; The Nightmares, The Council/Guardian and The Rebel Alliance. The Rebel Alliance got a lot of comments about suspension of disbelief... to you, who claims that it was too much I remind you... the original story had a comedy tag, and although I asked Seth to remove it because it was not as strong as the Grimdark, I always intended to write this story with little comedic snippets. Lyra was a character I wanted to use for a while, I just didn’t have a story exclusively for her, although I had thought about her life being what I described in my story... kinda sad, made better by her leaving Canterlot and meeting/living with Bon-Bon. She was a tragic pony from the beginning. I knew she was going to die playing Mime’s theme. It was just too perfect. (Why, you ask? Well... Saint Seiya, I’m not afraid to admit, has got more manly tears out of me than any other anime/movie/TV series/song/anything; from the battle between Seiya and Shiryu, to the Crystal Saint, to just about EVERYONE in Sanctuary, the awesomeness that was the Asgard Saga and all of Hades: Sanctuary, especially Shaka Virgo’s death which was amazing beyond description.) If I could make use of the amazing music and reference to give more punch to Lyra’s last moments, I would use it! And Mime’s tragic story lent itself to this. I was fortunate enough to have heard WhiteveilHarp’s rendition of Mime’s Harp (Although it’s really a Lyre) and immediately thought of her as the reference material. I loved working with Lyra, which was a surprise, since I had absolutely no idea what type of pony she would be in my story. I failed her, I think, when I didn’t explore her more. I based her personality off of my own impressions from the show and what fics I had read where I liked her portrayal, but my duty should have been to really bring her best and worst out more, especially because of how important she became to the story. I didn’t enjoy killing Bon-Bon, but it had to be done to bring out a more dark and resolute Lyra. There has been some debate as to whether it should have happened and on whether somepony would have saved her from her fate. I don’t think so, and let me explain why: First, if we go by the belief that pony lives are pretty much as happy-go-lucky as they are in the show, the thought of betraying somepony and that resulting in an execution is something so alien and horrifying that Bon-Bon would not be ready, psychologically or even socially, to confront. The guild would drive her crazy, and without understanding of how to deal properly with such harsh emotions, well... letting go of everything seems like the most simple solution. We don’t have to be happy about it, and maybe she could have acted differently, but, well... she didn’t. Now... about somepony saving her. Who? Let’s be completely and brutally honest. Who would save her? Who would be paying more than passing attention? Who would have the spontaneous reaction to jump after her or use magic when something so unthinkable happens? Have you ever had a gun pointed at your head? I have. At first, you’re not even afraid, your brain can’t process what is happening to the degree of performing appropriate action. It’s not until the gun is taken away and you’re not in danger that it actually hits you. If it has happened enough times, or you have special training, well then that’s another story. But let’s say, for argument’s sake that all the ponies in Equestria somehow have the presence of mind to act immediately under normal circumstances. Well... these were not normal circumstances. 1) The sky was stuck in a permanent eclipse. 2) They had, not one, but TWO Nightmares running around. 3) Ponies had been murdered that morning. 4) All the mares of a certain age were being rounded up and taken to the castle. So... who would be paying real attention to the goings of a distraught mare? Really? Enough to know what she was about to do? Enough to call the attention of somepony who could do something? No. Sorry, but no. And then, there were Lyra’s parents... gods, her parents! This is one of the moments where a more in-depth Lyra would have made the whole story better, not only because the readers would have connected even more to her, but the buildup would have improved the story considerably. It was also one of the few times that Nightmare Moon completely used somepony knowing that their chances of survival would be minimal at best. It is the most cold-hearted decision she made in the entire fic, and something that haunts her in the Epilogue (and further). REFERENCES There were several references made through the story, here’s a list of them and what they were referencing. Chapter 1: * Celestia’s line when she starts crying without knowing the reason was slightly inspired by Mia’s reaction to Tsukasa giving her the “Aromatic Grass” in .Hack//Unison Chapter 2: *Mort, of course, I borrowed with permission from “Mort takes a Holiday” by Anonymous Materials. Chapter 3: * Spike was dreaming he was Boromir, from “The Lord of the Rings”. This was a recurring dream for a long time, as evidenced by the guards saying that the “ghost of a general” haunted the library. * The unicorn foal, Six, was a reference to “The Sixth Sense” Chapter 4: * The whole chapter is written with the intention of making the reader think about Twilight, foreshadowing her death.Pinkie Pie is singing “In the Land of Twilight” by Yuki Kajiura from the series “.Hack” Chapter 7: * “Talking is a Free Action” is a reference to the D&D rule, as well as the TvTrope Chapter 8: * “Pavponian Conditioning” a poorly ponyfied version of Pavlovian Conditioning. Chapter 13: * I took the idea of hoof-language from the fanfic “Claro de Luna”And yes, the Rebel Alliance was a direct reference to Star Wars Chapter 14: * “it is better to live on your hooves than die on your knees. Which is what would have happened to you.” is an adaptation of a quote from the novel “Catch-22” Chapter 17: * The colt with the black speckled yellow bandanna is of course Ryoga Hibiki, who got lost again and ended up ponyfied in Equestria. We all knew it was going to happen, that guy is worse than Sweetie Belle when it comes to dimensional hopping. * Eldritch’s name is of course, completely intentional as to the character being a mage, and also as a slight nod to Lovecraft’s fondness of the word. Chapter 18: * “Solar-Flaring Orgasms of Celestia!” is one of Little Pip’s many awesome curses in the story “Fallout: Equestria” * The melody that Lyra plays to break through Nightmare Moon’s defences and reach Celestia is “Mime’s Requiem”, from the Anime “Saint Seiya”; it was an attack which he used to strangle/cut his enemies. Chapter 19: * Slight reference to the idea of “Princess Molestia”: “W-what is it about Nightmare Flare and turning ponies into perverts?” * Magic Missiles: Dungeons and Dragons! Chapter 20: * If you look hard enough you’ll see the link to “The Sweetie Chronicles: Fragments': Chapter 18. (I guess that's a spoiler, huh?) * Gilda’s fight directly references “Lethal Weapon 2” * I didn’t do a good job at describing the place, but the area where Jade and Co. land was inspired by “The Crossroads” from “The Cat Returns” Chapter 21: * Pinkie Pie’s arrival with Ponyville in tow was intended as a reference to Gandalf’s arrival at the battle at Helm’s Deep in how it was presented, as well as, in a small way, Mimi’s and Joe’s last minute arrival with a tag-along-army in the last episode of Digimon Adventure... however... balloon. * Fluttershy channels Willow from “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” The Epilogue It was surprisingly easy to write, in a way. I knew exactly what needed to happen, what each strand and plot I had to bring to a close; what to leave vague and what needed complete closure. I think, overall, it was a very good ending. Some might disagree, some others will want some questions answered more clearly, I guess. But, that’s the story, and like Twilight learned, we cannot always know everything with complete certainty. It was certainly bittersweet to write and each word just made me feel more nostalgic and grateful for all that happened with this story. I hope, that you, reader, found it entertaining and even engaging. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly All stories have things that the writer believes he/she did well (regardless of what others might think), things that the writer thinks should have been better and finally, things that the writer realized were completely stupid to do. In hindsight, this is what I believe is appropriate for each category: The Good (Or rather to me it will be “what worked”, the readers can make up their mind on what parts were actually good!) * Overall TER has helped me leap into better writing. Yeah, it’s not my best story but damned if it wasn’t done with intensive care for the most part.", "I hope, that you, reader, found it entertaining and even engaging. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly All stories have things that the writer believes he/she did well (regardless of what others might think), things that the writer thinks should have been better and finally, things that the writer realized were completely stupid to do. In hindsight, this is what I believe is appropriate for each category: The Good (Or rather to me it will be “what worked”, the readers can make up their mind on what parts were actually good!) * Overall TER has helped me leap into better writing. Yeah, it’s not my best story but damned if it wasn’t done with intensive care for the most part. Not to mention that it’s thanks to TER that I’ve gotten back into my writing habit at all, and thanks to TER that I’ve really made friends in the Brony Community. * I think one of the few claims I can make with a some certainty is that I managed to really get most readers to strongly react to what I write. There were manly tears, cries of outrage, some hatred, some loving, and a lot of ‘what a twist!’ thrown in there. Regardless of the reaction it was one in relation to what I wrote. * If anything, I think that I was successful also in crafting the endings to really make the readers want to read more. Since this story is updated anything from a few weeks to a couple of months, I feel that writing each chapter end as you would in a running series in a newspaper back in the 20s is the right approach. If you don’t leave your readers wanting more, why would they return? * It also proved that Editors are a must. * Twists work. They really do, especially if they are not really that random. If you look at the story, every twist has a reason behind it, from RD’s sudden “betrayal” to Trixie’s death/revival. Some, if not most could be predicted in some way, I think, but what made them work really well is that when I wrote each chapter, I allowed for the twist to happen at the end of it, therefore creating a cliffhanger and giving it more strength than if it had happened in the middle of the story... The Bad * Chapters 1 and 2: They need to be better. They are not by any means worthy of being called “Purple Prose” but they are, I think, needlessly obtuse. I could have worked them much better, but I also blame (in part) my original plans of making the story a 6 chapter deal, as I was cramming way too much into very short chapters. * The summary: It can be a bit misleading, and although it captures the attention of the possible reader, it also doesn’t give much information that might help understand what you’re getting into. However, this is not entirely a bad thing as it probably piqued the interest of some readers that might not have otherwise taken a look! The Ugly: * Those damned Alicorns (Winter and Co.). Honestly, I should have found a better way to do Jade’s reveal, Gilda’s last moments and give NMM & Celly time to fight the Guardian. While Winter and Fall were relatively interesting, I had lost all inclination to write about Summer and Spring by the time I needed to. Let’s face the truth of it, they were an ill-conceived plot device that turned around and shot me in the face. If/when I do a rewrite, I’m definitely removing them or changing their roles completely. It’s one of those early concepts that I planned for a while, even putting the seed of them in Midnight’s narration of the Guardian’s involvement with the world for centuries, but when the time came, I didn’t have the presence of mind to ditch it. It would have worked too, we had the information that the Guardian had messed up some Alicorns before, and they had been all but forgotten, it was a bit of background world-building that should have stayed as such. I guess I also allowed myself to be influenced by the cliched “One more boss before the final battle.” The only thing I achieved was dragging things longer than they had to and making myself really not want to write TER for a while. So yeah, the last few delays? *Points hoof at Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall. * INFLUENCES So, what influences did I have that really affected how TER was written? Some of them were from before I even dreamt about writing it, and some directly affected my story as I wrote it. I don’t remember all the influences I had for this, but, off the top of my mind... 1: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic: It’s almost needless to mention. Where would this story be without this wonderful series? Nowhere, that’s where. This series, who we all love is full of so many details and character development that is fertile ground for fanfics to be born. 2: Babylon 5 - Yes, I always bring it up, ALWAYS I mean, I can talk about other stuff, but B5 is always present as an influence in just about everything I write, for better or worse. Why? Well, so many things! Characters, plot, secrets, JMS coined the term WHAM Episode... the scale! The freaking scale of the story! I will always think of B5 as one of the best pieces of storytelling out on TV. It might look/feel a bit dated now if you’ve never watched it, but hell, it was the very first TV show to have CGI as a constant part of the series, it won so many awards, changed how shows on tv would be forever more... let me put it this way for those of you that doubt me: Yes, while it is unlikely that B5 would exist without Star Trek, shows like Firefly, ST: DS9*, Lost, Heroes, Andromeda, Walking Dead and many others would definitely *not* exist without B5 having paved the way. *While it is a contended piece of discussion, it has pretty much been established by the cast of DS9 that they all know B5 was the original idea. I am not putting down DS9; I loved it! I am just saying, without B5, it wouldn’t exist. 3: Fan Fiction: “Well, duh!” you might say. But, I might as well list it. Yes, fan fiction was an influence into writing this. There were a lot of works out there that got me thinking I could write a FIM story. I have already mentioned Sunset, but I should also mention Fo:E when it comes to Pony fics... I hadn’t read it when I started, I think I got to chapter 10 before I sat down and started reading it, but man, Kkat’s story was a pleasure to read and inspired me to write, even if it didn’t directly affect the story save for a couple of quotes... honestly, I read so many of them that I forget what was first and what wasn’t ^_^ Solar Flare/What Could have Been/Deep Dark: Dragryphon and I had chatted from time to time in both her story and mine on the google chat thingy. But it wasn’t until we started pre-reading for each other that we actually discussed what the hell was planned for each of our stories. Oh, my. We had very, very similar ideas and were going to pull them off in very, very different ways. To be honest, working on Deep Dark really got me thinking and ultimately affected TER. While there was nothing wrong with some important factors being similar, I realized that certain elements were not working correctly and could/should be changed, without really affecting the final outcome. Details, such as the nature of the Guardian... while my original idea was pretty much the same as Dragryphon’s, I soon realized that my villain was really not up to the task. Especially given my claims as to its nature, vs the actual capacity to perform tasks related to said nature. And so, I changed who the Guardian was, for the better, I think. It makes more sense than what I had originally intended him to be, so, thanks Dragryphon! XD 4: My Editors and Pre-readers: Stephen Cawking started helping me from roughly February 2011 NotAGoodUsername360 and Understated_Hyperbole joined in August, while Magical Trevor and Orpheus did on September 2011. Fifth Alicorn and Dragryphon joined the crew in October and well, the rest is history. I cannot imagine writing a long story without these guys. I really owe them a lot, from how much I’ve improved (they all have their unique ways of chewing me out for something) to how better the story is told... I keep thanking them, but I don’t feel like I have done so enough. Thanks guys. IN CONCLUSION These are my ramblings and thoughts about the whole thing. I briefly considered writing a small section counter-arguing some criticisms, but well... everypony is entitled to their opinion, right? True, some comments were hurtful, but the majority were positive, and even out of those “bad” comments I’ve learned a few things. (One of which is that TER needs an overhaul.) Although I would like to point out to those that think I just grabbed a list of popular characters and threw them in for my convenience, that it’s not true. They all had a role to perform. :P So, there. Anyway, I hope you had a mildly amusing time reading these notes, and thank you all for reading “The Empty Room”! ~WD" ]

[ "Back in June, 2011, Noble Cause was one of the EqD pre-readers that didn't hate the story. Like I mention in this BLOG, those were different times and the type of theme and tag combination made everyone doubtful about whether or not that could be put together or not. And rightly so; Comedy/Adventure/Grimdark is not something you find that often now either. But Noble pushed it and helped it pass because he saw something he liked in it, and I am very grateful for that chance he gave me. DualThrone is someone I've had the pleasure to get to know better after she started writing an unofficial, and frankly epic, well... epic-continuation to the TER universe. Her amazing World-Building and her way with words made me love her work, and our conversations and disagreements made me deeply respect her as a very smart woman and accomplished writer. I came to The Empty Room quite a few months ago, after it'd already been finished. Mostly, I came to it because I'd come to appreciate the author apart from his work, and always thought that it was very appropriate that his user icon looks so cheerful. But as the saying goes, I came for the author's reputation and stayed for the fun times. When an author kicks things off by killing a named character, you know you're in for something epic, whether an epic bullet train to literary hell or an epic piece of fiction; this thing delivered epic of the second kind. It had everything I could have wanted in a story, and that's why I finished it and said to myself, \"Dual, if Wanderer says yes, you could write something really good in this AU.\" As you might be able to tell from the fact that Game of Worlds topped 100,000 words and the guy with a banhammer didn't hunt me down, Wanderer said yes. There's a lot that happens here, and you're not going to like everything because let's face it, no one ever likes everything their favorite author writes, even if you'd sacrifice your firstborn in that author's name. But this has everything you could ask for from a well-made work: good characters, surprise twists, every death has meaning, and every canon character remains who they are while bearing the unique touch of the author that's using them. I admired this work enough to write an unofficial sequel with the blessing of its author... and I really think you'll admire it too. Happy trails, gallant reader! ~DualThrone The Empty Room’ was one of the first stories that really grabbed me in this fandom, not just as an Equestria Daily pre-reader, but as someone that loves a good mystery. It really had me wondering just what was going to happen next, or what new twist was going to be revealed in the next chapter, and I greatly enjoyed the full ride from beginning to end. This is part of my ‘go back and read’ list, which happens to be rather short indeed. I can only hope that it appeals to you as well as it has me. - Noble Cause, Equestria Daily pre-reader" ]

[ "You might want to check this out if you've read this before: TER Announcement The Empty Room By Wanderer D Chapter 1: The Empty Room o.0.o The hall had been quiet for almost half an hour before the door was pushed open once more and Luna walked in. Again. The two Earth Pony Guards standing on either side of Princess Celestia's room glanced at each other before looking at the creaking door as it slowly closed behind her. Princess Luna stepped into the hallway again, barely sparing them a glance, or giving any indication of her intentions, despite this being the sixth time that night she had gone through the exact same routine. Just as before, she walked towards them, only to stop a few paces away to stand right in front of a blank wall, gazing at it with unusual intensity. The two guards exchanged looks again. When one was about to speak, the other one shook his head. Grumbling a bit, the first guard settled back to his post, both pretending aloof disinterest while they surreptitiously observed the recently re-instated Princess. After a few moments of study, Luna started pacing, keeping her sight on the wall. The two guards followed her with their eyes, getting more and more nervous as she would stop and stare, muttering to herself before resuming her pacing. “Hey,” one of them started to whisper to the other from the side of his muzzle, “do you think she's going ma—” “Damn it all!” Luna suddenly roared, stomping her hooves on the floor hard enough to crack the stone under them and making the two guards jump in fright. The ensuing crash alerted Luna to what happened and she sheepishly watched a helmet roll past her. “Eh... hehe... sorry.” The pair looked at her bewildered until the door behind them creaked open and Princess Celestia walked out of her room, eyes heavy with sleep. “Luna?” She shook her head, blinking owlishly. Her eyes slowly opened as she became more and more awake, and finally settled on the two guards who were still holding on to each other and blushing so hard their coats looked as red as a tomato. She arched an eyebrow and the two hastily separated to stand at their posts at either side of her door. Still looking a bit embarrassed, Luna levitated the helmet that had rolled past her earlier. “Sorry sister,” she said, trying to place the helmet correctly on the nervous guard’s head. “What happened?” Celestia asked, trying to stifle a yawn. “It's very early, Luna.” Luna sighed. “I know, I know, it's just... there is something amiss.” Her hoof swept in the direction of the empty hall. “I know I haven't been here for a thousand years, but... didn’t you design a room right next to yours when we were thinking of having Canterlot Castle built?” Celestia blinked. “What? I don't remember any rooms next to mine.” “But... I'm sure of it,” Luna said, making her way to where she thought it should be, right in front of the wall she had been staring at earlier. “Did you redesign the layout we worked on back home while I was gone?” “No...” Celestia said, walking up to her. “But, Luna, are you sure you're not confusing this hall with one in the old castle?” Luna shook her head. “I distinctly remember there being a room right here. You must consider, sister, that while I was trapped in the moon, almost no time passed for me…” Her voice softened a little. “It was mostly the Nightmare that lived through the lonely exile.” Her eyes returned to the wall and her voice followed suit, until it was back to full strength. “I can almost see the door. I’m sure of it.” Celestia turned and stared at the wall. Her eyes narrowed. She peered closer. Her left eyebrow twitched and then curved inquisitively. “No... I don't think there ever was anything there, Luna.” Luna groaned. “I feel something here, sister! Truly!” Celestia blinked, looking at her sister's stern expression. “I can see that, Luna, but there is nothing there.” Luna groaned and, exasperated, glanced towards Celestia’s room. “You two, guards. Come here.” The guards looked dubious, but a Royal Order was, after all, a Royal Order. There was a reason the words were always capitalized. “Yes, your highness?” one asked. “Look over here and tell me what you see,” Luna ordered, pointing at the blank wall. The guard stared at it. “I see... a wall, your highness” “Me too,” the other added, then, as if suddenly gaining comprehension he smiled triumphantly. “I also see granite blocks, making the wall.” When it looked like Luna was seriously considering kicking the guard in the face so hard he would meet the celestial body named after her, Celestia felt like she had to interrupt. “Luna, there is nothing there, really. You must be confused,” Celestia said kindly. “Maybe you're tired. It’s been a lot of work, catching up with history, taxes, and the new ways of ruling.” “Sister,” Luna grumbled. “Look at them. Guards. Look at where I am pointing.” Celestia decided to humor her sister. After a moment, she frowned. “My loyal guards, please, look to where my sister is pointing.” Both of the guards looked up, confused. “We are, your majesty.” Celestia looked at Luna, who had a smug smile on her face. “I see,” she whispered, eyes widening in surprise. “There is some sort of compulsion-spell making them not look at the spot you are telling them about.” “Not only them,” Luna said after a moment of hesitation. “You as well, sister.” “What? !” Celestia reared up, taking several steps back to stare at Luna. “But... that can't be! The only other pony that could cast such a spell is you!” Luna nodded. “And I didn't,” she said, before glancing at the wall. “I am sure the door is there, so, if you'll excuse me...” She quickly turned around and using her considerable strength kicked the wall with all the power her hind legs could muster. The sound of snapping wood filled the hall, and for a moment, Celestia thought that she had seen something. She concentrated harder as her sister kicked a second time. ‘There!’ Just as her sister's kick had connected with the invisible door, a mirror-like sheen had flashed right in front of her eyes, just for a second. Concentrating her magic she waited for her sister's third kick and cast the strongest dispel she could conjure quickly enough. The spell and the damage to the door were too much for the illusion trying to protect it. With a crack that shook the hall, the spell broke into ephemeral, crystal-like pieces that were visible to the naked eye for a moment before evaporating into nothing amidst the broken pieces of a once-black-lacquered door. A pulse of energy flowed from within the room, before disappearing completely, making both princesses frown with worry. The guards standing behind them stared in surprise at the sudden appearance of a room where there used to be nothing but blank wall, but to their credit they recovered immediately, unsheathing their swords and approaching it carefully. “Wait,” Luna ordered. “My sister and I will go first. We don't know if there is any more magic in there that might affect you.” The guards looked slightly nervous at the prospect, and fell back after Celestia herself nodded. “My sister is right. No doubt others have felt the energy being released and heard the ruckus. Guard the entrance to the hall,” she said looking to the one on the left. Her eyes fell on the remaining guard. “Summon Captain Lance immediately.” When both nodded and left to perform their duties, Celestia and Luna slowly made their way to the door and carefully kicked in the last pieces of the strong wooden door before walking inside, their magic illuminating the inside. “W-what does this mean?” Luna gasped, looking around in wonder and some measure of horror as her eyes turned to her sister. Celestia had sank to her knees, tears flowing freely as she looked around the room. “I don't know but-I, I can't stop crying...” Her hooves came to her eyes; she was confused and scared, but even worse, there was a horrible, sinking feeling inside of her, as if something very important had suddenly gone missing. ‘No,’ Celestia thought, ‘It’s been missing for a long time, I just never noticed…’ Luna was shaken by her sister’s obvious pain and fear. She hadn't seen anything of the like since she had turned into Nightmare Moon a thousand years ago. ‘How things have changed, she thought. When I turned, I felt nothing but disgust at Celestia’s pain and loss, and now… her thoughts trailed off, unwilling to ponder her dark past any longer. She opted to make her way slowly around the room, avoiding the small hoof-carved bookshelf, the little table, the wooden blocks... until she stood in front of an empty white crib standing next to a small cabinet filled with tiny dresses and baubles. The room still had the feel of magic in it, and whatever that spell from before had been, it had preserved everything just like it had been the night or day the room had been closed and hidden. From the lack of dust and the perfect state of the items around, down to the sense of loss. On the sheets of the crib she could even see the wrinkles around a small empty space, making it the absence inside even more obvious. Next to a small pillow lay two small dolls, one of which, with a pang of sudden, nostalgic pain, she recognized as herself; the other one was, of course, a doll in the likeness of Celestia. She looked back at her sister, who was looking at the room grasping for understanding, head turning to and fro, searching for clues, tears still streaming out of her eyes. “There must be something!” Celestia whispered desperately. “Some object, some sign... why was this hidden? Why does it hurt so much, Luna?” She looked at her sister, eyes wide. Luna cringed, there was so much pain in those eyes. She had to ask. She hated to ask, but she had to. It was the elephant in the room: the question that would break her sister, but also, perhaps, help her think. Maybe even nudge her memories and allow her to remember some detail they had to have missed so far. “Sister…” Luna spoke up, drawing those hurting purple-pink irises to her. “Did you ever have a filly?” o.0.o The Great and Powerful Trixie growled, looking at the map she was levitating for the umptheenth time. She had followed the directions on it perfectly! Trixie looked around her, trying to figure out her position through the dense vegetation of the deep forest, and finally admitted to herself she was lost. Very lost. Completely, utterly, absolutely, undeniably, definitely lost. She was so lost her compass was not even trying to point North anymore. It had given up on her. Just like all her fans. The Great and Powerful Trixie also admitted that she had no idea what to do now, but promised herself that if she ever saw the Earth Pony that had sold her the useless map in her hooves, The Great and Powerful Trixie would make the bastard pay! Oh yes. And he would pay soooo hard. Because nopony humiliated or scammed The Great and Powerful Trixie and lived to tell the tale… unscathed. A treacherous voice inside Trixie's head, however, reminded her that she was so lost that it would be pretty much impossible to meet the pony in question ever again. Trixie, however, quenched that thought with so much force she passed out. o.0.o When Trixie woke up again, she had a splitting headache. It was also nighttime. “Might as well try to figure something out before Trixie has another… incident,” Trixie muttered, casting a quick cantrip to tell the time. About two hours away from dawn. She then remembered that she also had a cantrip spell to know which direction she was facing. Her horn glowing with magic, she concentrated—only for her magic to fail and shower her in sparks. “Yaaaah!” The Great and Powerful Trixie squeaked in surprise. “What the hay? What the hay? !” she shouted at the top of her lungs. “A silly compass, Trixie can understand! But a spell!? A spell?! What, in the name of Tartarus, is going on here? !” A soft, rumbling growl quieted The Great and Powerful Trixie, who looked around fearfully, turning in place, trying to find its origin. “Who dares?” a deep, hissing voice made its way towards Trixie, echoing around her. “Who dares awaken the Guardian?” Trixie blinked, then looked down at the map on the ground, where a circled red “X” marked a spot in the middle of nowhere with the words “Temple of the Guardian” scribbled next to it. “Oh.” Who knew? The Earth Pony that sold her the map had actually given her what she wanted. The Great and Powerful Trixie mentally removed him from the list of ponies that would suffer her wrath. A slithering sound around her snapped her back to the present. “I await your answer, little pony...” the voice hissed in her ear. Fearfully, she turned around but there was nopony there. Her eyes roamed the silent forest and she tried to speak, but faltered. Taking a deep breath, she straightened up, looking defiantly into the darkness between the trees. “The Great and Powerful Trixie has awakened you, Guardian. I made my way here through challenges that would have made any other pony shrink in fear! Facing dangers that none but The Great and Powerful Trixie would have been able to overcome!” “And what does 'The Great and Powerful' Trixie want with The Guardian?” Trixie frowned. The Guardian had said her name in a way that sounded... condescending. But no, no, it couldn't be. The Great and Powerful Trixie would never be treated condescendingly. She was the only one that deserved to look down on others. “Guardian! I, The Great and Powerful Trixie, have come here to learn from you the ancient Magicks of Equestria!” A low rumble shook her and she looked around confused until she understood. The Guardian was laughing! At her! Trixie mentally added him to the list of ponies or whatever it was, that would suffer her wrath. “Little pony...” the voice hissed, amused. “Little, little, pony.” The Guardian chuckled. “Do you know who it is you have awakened?” “Well, duh,” The Great and Powerful Trixie snorted. “The Guardian. You said so yourself.” Mist slowly started to gather around her hooves. “Yes,” the voice said. “But did it ever occur to you to wonder... the Guardian of what, exactly?” Trixie opened her mouth to answer, but then slowly closed it. She had not, in fact, wondered what the Guardian she was looking for actually guarded. “Uh... Trixie guessed you guard great power?” she ventured. There was a pause. “Well... Yes, I do,” the voice said eventually. “But, that is not all... I possess great power, true, but it is not for poniessss to learn to use.” “Dammit,” Trixie swore adding the stupid earth pony to her mental list again. “Are you sure?” she asked hopefully. “Trixie had heard that you had vast knowledge. Surely you can teach Trixie something?” There was silence again. This time though, even the slithering and rustling around her had quieted down to nothing, and a sense of dread slowly started to descend on her. The Great and Powerful Trixie shifted nervously, asking herself if this had been a good idea after all. The Guardian spoke. “Yes. I suppose there is something I could teach you, oh Great and Powerful Trixie.” “Really? !” Trixie smiled genuinely, fears forgotten. “Trixie can’t wait to learn something to prove to everypony that The Great and Powerful Trixie is not somepony to mock!” Trixie debated whether or not to take the earth pony and the Guardian off of her list, but decided to wait until she learned the new magic. If it was cool and powerful, she would take them off; if not... well... they didn't need to know anyway until she exacted her revenge. “Yes,” the voice said, once again whispering in her ear and sending shivers up her spine. “I will teach you now… the one knowledge ponies can learn from me. The knowledge of fear.” Slowly, The Great and Powerful Trixie turned around and looked up. And up. Until she could see the face of the Guardian. For a moment she stared at... it. And then, like a snapping whip, the Guardian’s jaws descended on Trixie. Her screams echoed in the jungle, scaring the wildlife until, finally, they quieted down. o.0.o Twilight Sparkle jumped in her bed when Spike belched loud enough to wake her up. On the way down she completely missed the mattress and crashed next to the still-snoring baby dragon. “Oww...” she moaned, giving the sleeping reptile a glare that slowly melted away when he grumbled in his sleep and turned. She chuckled. ‘Really. Who could stay angry at such a cute— Her thoughts were interrupted when a scroll bumped her just behind her horn, making her go cross-eyed for a second. Shaking her head, she levitated the scroll with her magic, noticing that the seal was not Princess Celestia's, having a silver moon on it instead of the usual golden sun symbol. “I've never received mail from Princess Luna...” she whispered, opening the scroll. “Explains the late hour, though,” she chuckled, noticing that it was still dark outside. When she was about to read the scroll, the door to her balcony was kicked in. “What the...” Twilight shot to her feet. With a flash of her horn the candles in the room were ignited. “Rainbow Dash?! What are you doing here at this time of night? !” Breathing heavy, Rainbow Dash looked at her and shook her head. “Twilight,” she gasped, “it’s not... nighttime!” Twilight blinked. “Dash, you are clearly mistaken. Just look outside. The moon's still up.” “I know that!” Rainbow Dash snapped, having finally regained her breath. “But it should have been gone by now! Everypony's in a panic!” “What?” Twilight walked to a small water clock she had received as a present from Princess Celestia. She stared. It was eight AM. “But that's...” “Everyone is starting to think that Nightmare Moon has returned!” Rainbow Dash said, and in the distance, Twilight could finally hear the confused shouting. Remembering the scroll at the mention of Luna's alter-ego, Twilight quickly returned to it and read as fast as she could. Rainbow Dash paced around as she observed her friend. “Twilight?” she asked as the unicorn's hold of the scroll ended abruptly. The piece of parchment fell to the floor next to the still snoring Spike. “Are you okay? You look pale.” “I-I need to go to Canterlot,” she said shaking her head, still in shock. “The Princesses need me. Immediately. They've already sent the chariot.” “What? !” Dash's eyes followed her friend as she started packing things with her magic, still obviously in a daze as she was trying to pack Spike, bed and all, into her bag. “But... if the moon is out... it has to be Luna! You can't go there!” “Dash!” Twilight said, her magic twisting Spike upside down and trying to force him into the bag. “Princess Celestia can't bring the sun up! They need me there!” “Then you are not goin' alone, sugarcube,” a very distinct voice said from the entrance to her room. The pair turned around to see Applejack, flanked by Rarity and Fluttershy standing at attention with Pinkie Pie bouncing behind them. “Y’all didn’t think we would not head straight here when the sun didn’t rise, did you?” Applejack asked with a smirk. “Why, Ah don’t think any of us ever doubted you’d head straight out into the night, looking for Princess Celestia.” “And really, darling,” Rarity quipped. “Who in their right mind would pass a chance to visit Canterlot?” Twilight’s hyperventilating slowed down as she felt her fears fade and the feeling of security and unity with her friends strengthened. She nodded, smiling a bit shakily but with more confidence than before. “I-thank you... please go get ready, I need to finish packing and write back to Princess Luna.” The others nodded and prepared to leave, but were interrupted by Twilight’s urgent voice. “Girls… please hurry.” o.0.o End Chapter 1 o.0.o" ]

[ "The Empty Room By Wanderer D Chapter 2: In the Wake of the Guardian “Hey!” The Guardian looked around, but he refused to look at her. “I said, ‘hey’!” The Great and Powerful Trixie shouted at the unheeding creature. “Look at me you-you… reptile!” The Guardian, however, ignored her, choosing instead to ponder the night sky. Trixie growled. Nopony, or rather, nolizard ignored the Great and Powerful Trixie! “Oh! You. Are. Going. To. Pay! RIGHT NOW!” Her horn flared with magic, taking hold of a trio of sizeable boulders nearby. With a smirk, Trixie attempted to levitate them and throw them at the Guardian, but her smile died when the spell simply fizzled into nothing. Trixie blinked, confused, before her eyes narrowed in contempt. “You stupid Guardian! Stop stealing the magic of The Great and Powerful Trixie!” She stomped up to the huge creature and kicked him as hard as she could with her hind legs. However, her hooves met no resistance and she lost her balance. Trixie landed in a heap and twisted around to glare at the creature as he slithered away. “How dare you dodge Trixie’s kick?” She hollered. “And what the hay was that? You were supposed to teach Trixie something! And all you did was scare Trixie half to death!” She paused. “N-not that The Great and Powerful Trixie was even remotely scared to begin with! But it was a good attempt! Trixie will give you that!” The Guardian did not turn around, instead heading into the forest. “Hey! Stop ignoring Trixie!” Trixie insisted. A small, nasal voice spoke on her right: \"He's not ignoring you...\" “Waaah!” Trixie jumped several feet into the air and landed horn pointed toward the cloaked pony that had startled her so. Her eyes followed the cloak up to the skull hidden under its hood. Two burning red dots fixed on her under a strangely shaped, suspiciously sharp-looking horn. “Who the hay are you, and why are your skin and muscles missing?” The skeletal pony regarded her as if she were dense. But before he could reply, she interrupted him: “And what the hay do you mean that he wasn't ignoring me? Trixie was shouting at him and even kicked him!” The cloaked pony sighed. “He wasn't ignoring you. Look around.” For the first time since awakening, Trixie looked around the small clearing. “Well, what is it you want me to see? I mean there's a lot of red around, and blue…hair...” Trixie shook her head. It couldn’t be. In a panic she looked at herself and sighed in relief when she noticed her mane seemed to be in perfect condition. Then she noticed something that made her tremble to the core of her being. “I-is that...” she stammered, looking slightly green. “Yes,” the cloaked pony said. “But...” She motioned with her hooves at her own face, which was currently still in one piece. Unlike… the other one. “Let's just say that the Guardian did not just try to scare you.” “Oh.” The Great and Powerful Trixie grew confused as she floated off the ground and began glowing softly, wisps of light floating out of her and disappearing into the night. “Wha-what's happening?” The skeletal pony might have shrugged. It was hard to tell, with his body covered in that black cloak. “Nothing. You are going beyond; as your ties to this world are broken one by one, you will begin the next journey.” Trixie fell silent. It seemed so… sad. She let herself drift up, thinking about everything she could have done differently. Seeing that his charge was well on her way, Mort nodded to himself and turned to go to his next appointment. Maybe soon he would get an interesting pony. Like that drummer. Or maybe a lead singer? He could get more autographs that way. Trixie looked at the world below her. From her vantage, now that she was floating over the treetops, she could now make out the lights of a distant city and the shape of the Guardian snaking in that direction. It was a city she would never be able to perform at. Ever. All those ponies that would be deprived of her greatness… it was too much! The revenge she wouldn’t be able to enact… the lights around her body died as she grew angry. “Oh, hay no,” she growled. “The Great and Powerful Trixie is not going quietly after becoming lunch for an overgrown snake!” Her ethereal form solidified as she slowly floated down to ground level. When her hooves touched the jungle floor, Trixie concentrated. After a few moments, the slightly-chewed magician's hat lifted from the ground. Trixie grinned. It seemed like such a small feat when compared what she could do before… but it was a step forward. She would get her revenge yet! o.0.o The sentries outside Celestia’s hall, opened the doors just enough for their fellow guard to gallop in, quickly closing them behind to avoid revealing anything to the curious nobles and servants that were wandering outside. “Princess Luna!” the guard called out, slowing down as he approached the mysterious room. Luna slowly emerged from the room, a frown crossing her countenance before she turned to stare at the guard, watching him shuffle uncomfortably in place. “I thought I ordered the hall closed to anypony and everything but the most important of matters.” She calmly walked up to the terrified guard. “What could be so important as to make you burst into the hall without even knocking?” “Uh...” He took a deep breath. “Twilight Sparkle and her friends are here. You asked us to let you know immediately as soon as their chariot landed and uh... there is no other way to reach you than to walk into the hall, your highness since you blocked all sorts of magical scrying and communication.” Luna stared impassively at the guard, not saying a word. He cast a glance at the exit, calculating how quickly he could get there and estimating just how much time he had before he would be blasted into pieces. “Oh.” Luna blinked and nodded. “So I did. Well done, guard. Bring Twilight Sparkle here, alone, and have her friends tended to.” She turned around to head back into the room. “At once your highness...” he hesitated, drawing Luna’s attention back to him. “Yes?” Luna asked, tilting her head a little. “Um... how is Princess Celestia feeling? We are all worried about her.” Luna sighed wearily. “What is your name, guard?” The guard stood straighter. “Ebon Rain, your highness.” “She will recuperate, Ebon Rain… tell everypony that the sun will soon return to its daily routine” Ebon Rain nodded and left immediately, leaving Luna alone in the hall with her thoughts. o.0.o Twilight Sparkle walked slowly through Canterlot, with her friends following her a few steps behind. Around them ponies of all types argued amongst themselves over who was responsible for the current situation. It was too soon after Luna’s return, and the legend of the Mare in the Moon was clearly still fresh in the minds of ponies. “I’m sure Princess Celestia is just ill,” a cream-colored mare reassured her husband. “I heard at work that Princess Luna turned into the Nightmare again,” he countered, looking around fearfully. “She was away for a thousand years and she’s back and she doesn’t want revenge?” Twilight encountered similar discussions along the way, mostly centered on Luna’s role in keeping the sun from rising. “My, it seems ponies are rather quick to presume,” Rarity observed. Twilight sighed. “I wish they wouldn’t talk about Princess Luna like that,” she said. “Well...” Dash muttered from where she hovered. “You have to admit it looks kinda suspicious. The last time something like this happened it was her fault, y’know?” Twilight nodded, frowning. “But that was more than a thousand years ago! And we freed her from the Nightmare! There’s no way Princess Luna would fall back into it just like that!” “Um… Princess Luna doesn’t really have any reason to be jealous anymore, does she?” Fluttershy ventured. “I mean,” she scratched the floor, not making eye-contact. “She’s been pretty happy with the nightlife and—” “Fluttershy’s right!” Pinkie Pie interrupted. “With all the parties and nightclubs and discotheques, and vampony-cults, there's no way she'd feel like nopony likes her nights!\" “Guessin’ ain’t gonna get us anywhere,” Applejack stated. “Let's hurry up and meet with the Princess. Then we'll find out what's really happenin’.” A group of guards approached them. “Lady Twilight,” one of them said, saluting curtly. “Ebon Rain!” Twilight Sparkle looked expectantly at the guard. “Can you tell us what’s going on?” The black-coated unicorn shook his head ruefully. “I’m afraid not, Lady Twilight. It’s classified at the moment. Princesses Luna is in a meeting with Princess Celestia and Captain Lance… they require your presence there, in private.” “Now, hold on an apple-pickin’ minute!” Applejack said, stepping up to Ebon Rain and leaning in to look him in the eye. “All of us here are friends of the princesses. We should be able to go with her.” Ebon Rain sighed. “Princess Luna is pleased you are all here as well. But she has requested to meet with Lady Twilight in private. I imagine you will find out what's happening after that... maybe even with the rest of us.” “None of you know what's happening?” Twilight asked, earning several shaking heads from Ebon Rain and the other guards in reply. “I'm afraid not, milady,” Ebon Rain said gruffly. “The only pony besides the princesses that knows at this time is Captain Lance.” Twilight Sparkle blinked. “I see...” She turned to look at her friends. “This sounds very serious, girls, so please let me go first; I promise that if I can tell you anything, I will.” She looked pleadingly at the others. Her friends all smile back in encouragement. “Aw, don't worry about it, Twilight!” Pinkie Pie giggled. “I'm sure we can find something fun to do in the meantime! It's Canterlot!” Rarity nodded. “She's right, my dear. Please go ahead. Perhaps Spike can show us around?” “Come to think of it... where is Spike?” Twilight asked, looking around. o.0.o In another part of the castle, in Twilight's old room, a powerful snore shook her bags. o.0.o “He must’ve stayed in the Library, Ah guess,” Applejack said, while Rainbow Dash tried to stifle a giggle. “Don't worry,” Ebon Rain spoke up. “Princess Luna asked that you were tended to for the duration of your stay. We have already assigned you rooms, and we’ll be happy to show you around the castle.” “Sounds good to me!” Pinkie Pie said. “Very well then.” Twilight smiled at Ebon Rain. “ Would you mind showing my friends around? I can find my way to the princesses, and I’d like somepony I know to stay with them.” Ebon Rain smiled. “Of course, milady, but let Shining Star and Stalwart Shield escort you to the princesses in my stead.” At the mention of their names, two of the guards stepped and escorted Twilight away, leaving others behind with Ebon Rain and a few other guards. “Hey, wasn't it funny how Twilight flinched every time they called her Lady Twilight?” Dash asked the others. “Yes... it was very strange... I think... maybe,” said Fluttershy, who noticed the guards had traded looks when Rainbow Dash asked her question. No one else, except for Rarity, seemed to have caught on, either. “Yeah, since when has she been Lady Twilight?” Applejack chuckled. “Why, they make her sound like some prissy noble!” Ebon Rain opened his mouth, but Rarity was faster. “Oh, dear.” She sighed, her hoof massaging her temple. “You really don't know, do you?” “Know what?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Well... I suppose I shouldn't be surprised,” Rarity said after a moment. “But you didn’t honestly think that Twilight Sparkle was a common unicorn?” “Well duh!” Pinkie Pie piped up. “Of course not, silly! She's the Element of Magic!” The guards traded glances, but a quick look from Ebon Rain stopped them from commenting. “No, no…” Rarity shook her head. “What I mean is... you didn't think she was a... common unicorn, dear.” “Sugarcube, Ah think Pinkie Pie already pointed out that there ain’t nothin’ common about Twilight Sparkle,” Applejack said gently. “If anything, she’s the opposite.” The unicorn whirled around to face away from the group. “Argh! How crude can...” Rarity grumbled incoherently to herself for a few seconds, then, taking a deep, calming breath and forcing a smile, she turned to face the others again. “Allow me to spell it out for you... she is not a commoner, she’s a N-o-b-l-e.” “Oh, we knew that,” Rainbow Dash said. Rarity and the guards blinked. “You did?” “Yes! We know she is a loyal, noble, quirky egghead,” Dash listed. Rarity gritted her teeth. “Not noble that way! NOBLE capital 'N'!” “Ooooooooh...” The collective light of understanding in their eyes was at that moment as beautiful as any gem she'd ever found. “Wait... so she's rich?” Rainbow Dash asked and then grew excited. “Wow! And she probably knows a lot of influential and famous ponies right? So she might actually know one of the Wonderbolts! That makes her like... twenty- no, thirty percent cooler!” “Is that true?” Applejack asked Ebon Rain, who nodded. “But how did you know?” Pinkie Pie asked Rarity, who blinked in surprise. “Well, she grew up in Canterlot, she could afford going to the most prestigious university in all of Equestria, she was selected to be Princess Celestia's personal student—” “Wait! But that was because she really impressed her when she applied to start!” Rainbow Dash interrupted. “She told us herself!” “Well, yes. That is true,” Rarity nodded. “But one cannot apply to Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns if one is a commoner.” “Oh my...” a new voice said. “Did you hear that?” The group observed a pair of unicorns that strutted up to them. “I believe I saw these five walk through the hall in the company of Twilight Sparkle. Could they be her servants?” one of them said. The other peered at them closely. “They are not dressed as hoofmaidens... and I have never seen them in Canterlot before.” “Hey! Who are you calling a servant? We’re Twilight's friends!” Rainbow Dash retorted, glaring at the unicorn. “And for your information we have been here before! We were invited to the Grand Galloping Gala.” “My, how… brash.” The unicorn sneered at the pegasus. “And the way you address her... ugh. It’s positively unfathomable that a pony of her breeding would associate with a pony that did not know their proper position.” The other unicorn looked Pinkie Pie up and down. “Just look at the state of this mane and such a classless pedigree. So obviously... inferior. Why don't you return to whatever backwater you came from?” She turned to the guards. “Guards, please escort them out.” Dash was about to reply but Ebon Rain stepped in front of her. “I am afraid, Lady Glitter Horn, that these five ladies are esteemed guests of not only Lady Twilight Sparkle, but also personal friends of Princesses Celestia and Luna.” Glitter Horn looked at them with scorn. “I don't know why the princesses would bother with this... rabble.” “Come now, dear,” the other unicorn said, sniffing rudely. “Let us be away from them.” “Please do,” Rarity spoke up, waving her hoof dismissively. The pair of unicorns stopped in their tracks, turning around to stare at Rarity. “I cannot tolerate the blatant murder of style that they both have succeeded at, wouldn’t you say, darling?” Rarity quipped, smiling conspiratorially to a nearby noble, who smiled shakily. Glitter Horn rounded on Rarity. “How dare you? I will have you know that this is an exclusive—” “Passive Design, yes,” Rarity interrupted, sniffing dismissively and turning her nose up. “I noticed it was his lackluster work immediately, but felt it would be impolite to bring it up until you decided to share your thoughts with us. Given that you pretend sophistication, I believe it is my personal duty to correct your… error.” “These are the highest quality dresses in Canterlot! How would you even begin to kno—” “Fluttershy, dear,” Rarity interrupted once more, levitating the hem of one of the dresses. “These two ladies have obviously gone out of their way in their desperate bid for relevance. What do you notice here?” “Um…” Fluttershy glanced at the dresses and shrunk away, noticing that other nobles had stopped to observe and were whispering to each other. ”Um... I t-think, um... that... uh... the details... I dunno if I should—” “Why, you’re absolutely right!” Rarity gasped, letting the fabric fall as if it were rotten. “The details on the dress are all machine sewn,” she hissed. “Why, these are not designer clothes at all! They are the common result of mass-production!” There rose a gasp from the crowd, and more than one noble pony seemed close to fainting. The two unicorn ladies stared, wide-eyed, at all the ponies around them, feeling their judging glances. “Well, you know what you should do, dearies,” Rarity offered kindly, smiling at the pair in a decidedly vicious manner. “Go find yourselves better clothes if you want to socialize with the elite. Certainly you wouldn’t want anypony to confuse you with… poseurs.” The pair took a couple of steps back before turning around and galloping away to the dismissive and mocking laughter of other nobles. Rainbow Dash stared at Rarity in awe. “That. Was. Awesome!” “That was horrible!” Fluttershy spoke up, glaring at Rarity. “I would never expect you to be so… so cruel!” “Well, that was one type of character assassination I haven’t seen in a while,” a familiar, yet unexpected voice said, making the whole group turn around. “It's only character assassination if the victim has character to assassinate, Lyra, dear,” Rarity responded, smiling at the unicorn. \"Still, not what I was expecting from a fashion designer.\" “There are a few things that assassins and designers have in common,” Rarity responded, smiling at the unicorn. “A sharp edge and an eye for detail being two of them.” Lyra smirked. “Well I wouldn’t take it that personally, Rarity. Glitter is just as her name suggests: pretty, but useless.” Her eyes narrowed, turning to look in the direction of the departed ponies before settling on her demure friend. “I am sorry, Fluttershy, but I cannot stand by and lift not a hoof while a pair of upper-crust leeches insult my friends.” She huffed and flipped her mane. “Besides,” she said after a moment. “Those dresses were so last season.” Fluttershy frowned but looked away, whispering. “I still feel you shouldn’t have.” “Now, what Ah would like to know is what you’re doin’ here, Lyra,” Applejack spoke up, shaking her head at her friend’s shenanigans. She looked at Lyra in confusion, the mint-green unicorn smiling shyly. “Last Ah saw you, y’all were downtown in Ponyville.” “Well... I have family here in Canterlot and I attended the University here along with Twilight Sparkle... and those two,” Lyra replied, waving her hoof in the general direction Glitter had gone. “They were not, as a matter of fact, the sharpest knives in the drawer.” “Well, how about that,” Applejack chuckled. “Ah’m sorry, Lyra, Ah just never mistook you for a prissy noble.” Lyra smiled. “It's okay. If it’s fine with the guards, I could take you on a tour of the palace.” The guards looked at each other until, eventually, Ebon Rain shrugged. “We have to keep you company, but we can give you some space.” “Sounds good to me!” Applejack said with a smile. “Lead the way, Lyra! Or should Ah say, Lady Lyra?” “Just Lyra will be fine,” the unicorn replied, bemused as she started walking. “This way. Let me show you the gardens first. I’m sure you’ll love them! I used to play the lyre there everyday after class.” “Did you and Twilight have to deal with those two idiots while you were studying?” Rainbow Dash asked as they walked. “Sadly so,” Lyra said, grinning. “But it was more tolerable than you might think! They might have been bullies, even then, but it was always amusing to see the simple concepts go right over their heads.” “Maybe all they needed was somepony to give them a hug,” Fluttershy offered. “Sugarcube, Ah’d rather hug a viper.” Applejack snorted. Their escorts had to stifle snorts of their own. It wouldn’t do for certain nobles to see them act so casually. o.0.o Twilight followed the guards through the palace, trying to keep calm. Although she knew her way around perfectly well, she had to maintain a certain profile while she was here—she couldn’t rush through the castle shouting Celestia’s name. She sighed. Things were so much easier in Ponyville. When they finally reached the halls that led to Celestia’s quarters, the guard stepped to the side of the door and nodded to the sentries. The pair, after ensuring nopony was trying to follow in Twilight’s wake, nodded back and opened the door just enough for her to get through. “Please, go ahead, Lady Twilight.” She nodded and walked in. The first pony she saw was Captain Lance, waiting outside a door she had never seen before. The old, grizzled guard still looked stalwart, like he did as far back as Twilight could remember. Although she had not lived all her life in the palace, she had seen the guards plenty of times during parades in Canterlot, and Lance had always marched proudly at the front of the guard, bigger and tougher than the rest of the younger troops. “Twilight Sparkle!” he chuckled as she rushed up to him and nuzzled him. “It’s been too long! How are things in Ponyville?” “They’re great!” Twilight said, smiling. Her smile slid away a little and she stammered, “I-I'm sure you've read the reports about the Ursa Minor and other little problems, but I assure you, those are few and far between.” The old unicorn chuckled. “Well, you can tell me about that later; right now we have a more important matter at hoof.” “What happened?” Twilight asked. “Everypony has been so secretive about it! Even Luna's letter was vague at best.” “That is because only Captain Lance, Tia, and I know what's going on,” Princess Luna said, walking out of the mysterious room. “And we all trust you to use very careful judgment if you tell anypony about this.” Twilight Sparkle nodded soberly, reigning in her curiosity. “Is Princess Celestia okay?” “Follow me.” Luna started walking towards the strange new room. “And see for yourself.” Twilight followed Princess Luna into the mysterious room, where her eyes immediately settled on the lone pony huddled in the middle. “Princess!” Twilight ran to nuzzle and hug her mentor, taking note of the sorry state Princess Celestia was in. “What happened?” For her part, Celestia rested her chin on her student's shoulder. She had visibly perked up by the welcome addition to the ponies around her. “I'm sorry, Twilight... I know I should be out there but I couldn’t. Not-not after seeing this.” Stirred by that comment, Twilight Sparkle finally turned around to look at the room itself. Any words that she could have said stuck in her throat as her mind quickly connected the dots and came to the obvious conclusion. “B-but... how is this possible?” “We don't know,” Luna confessed. “Somepony of considerable power cast a spell so potent that everypony in the palace that might have known about it forgot about this room, and, if anypony even knew about my sister’s filly... they forgot about her too.” Twilight Sparkle looked at her mentor, curled up in the center of the empty room, staring longingly at the crib and the books and the dolls. Princess Celestia would levitate the dolls up, hesitate and slowly lower them down into the crib again, almost as if she was afraid of taking them out of their sacred space. She loved Princess Celestia with all her heart, she was in more than one way like a second mother. Twilight had spent more time with the Princess than with her real parents, after all. Celestia had been the one solid pillar in her life when Twilight’s mother had passed away soon after Twilight’s admission into Celestia’s school, stepping in after her father had secluded himself in grief, unable to see to his daughter.", "“Somepony of considerable power cast a spell so potent that everypony in the palace that might have known about it forgot about this room, and, if anypony even knew about my sister’s filly... they forgot about her too.” Twilight Sparkle looked at her mentor, curled up in the center of the empty room, staring longingly at the crib and the books and the dolls. Princess Celestia would levitate the dolls up, hesitate and slowly lower them down into the crib again, almost as if she was afraid of taking them out of their sacred space. She loved Princess Celestia with all her heart, she was in more than one way like a second mother. Twilight had spent more time with the Princess than with her real parents, after all. Celestia had been the one solid pillar in her life when Twilight’s mother had passed away soon after Twilight’s admission into Celestia’s school, stepping in after her father had secluded himself in grief, unable to see to his daughter. To see her like this, deprived of the happiness that a foal of her own would have brought her... and to make her forget even having had one... it was horrible. “Who would do something like this?” she asked quietly, but the other three in the room could feel the cold anger in her voice. “Who would take—” She couldn't say it. “Again, we don't know,” Luna said, her own voice angry, “but we intend to find out. Between the three of us we are three of the most knowledgeable ponies in magic. If we study the spells here, we should be able to gain some clues.” “And I will conduct my own investigation,” Lance said standing at the entrance. “I only need a time-frame.” “Twenty years,” Twilight said, drawing the attention of the three ponies. “It should be close to twenty years ago. Princess' Celestia's filly should be a young mare about my age by now.” “Not that I doubt you have a solid explanation for your calculation...” Luna began. “But how can you be so certain?” Twilight Sparkle walked towards the small bookshelf containing foal books. “Here... this rhyme book was first published around twenty years ago.” She smiled sheepishly. “I had a copy myself at home, before I moved into the castle.” Lance chuckled and Luna smiled. “I am glad I immediately thought of you, Twilight Sparkle.” “You couldn't have kept me away...” Twilight said with a sad smile of her own. “Not when my mentor needs me.” Luna sighed. “Speaking of which.” She walked towards her sister. “Tia, you must rise. My moon has been in the sky for far too long; our subjects and friends need you to be strong. Concentrate... between us we can solve this and find your filly, but we can’t keep all of Equestria in a panic.” Slowly Princess Celestia looked up, first at her sister, who had a warm, comforting smile on her face. Her eyes strayed to Lance, who nodded at her, his face tired but understanding. Finally, her eyes sought out Twilight's. There she found strength, in the eyes of the one filly in her many years of life she had considered as close as possible to a daughter. If anypony could find her lost daughter, it was Twilight. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and stood with purpose. She was tired from the tears, the lack of sleep, and the ever-present sting of the new found loss. But, for her sister, her loyal captain, her faithful student, her subjects and... her daughter, wherever she might be, she could not simply lay there and do nothing. When she opened her eyes, she was ready. “Let's raise the sun, my dear sister.” Luna smiled and nodded. “I’ll stay...” Twilight said, looking around. “I feel the magic in this room. I think I can start making sense of what happened here while both of you put Equestria at ease... and rest.” Both princesses nodded and walked out of the room, leaving Captain Lance and Twilight Sparkle behind. “I will leave some guards outside the hall.” Captain Lance said, the old unicorn looking around the room one last time. “Is there anything you need?” Twilight shook her head. “I think I have it covered for now. Thank you, Captain.” Lance chuckled, drawing her attention. “You have been hanging around the Princesses too much, my dear Twilight. You almost sound like them.” Twilight blushed. “I'm sorry, Captain. I—” The old unicorn shook his head. “No. Don't be. I'm glad to have lived to see you become the self-assured young mare you are today. I'll take my leave for now, my Lady.” o.0.o The lights of the city attracted the Guardian to the edge of the river that separated it from the forest. His head reared up and turned north, towards the distant mountains, where Canterlot was located. His eyes narrowed, and a growl escaped his throat. “She escaped the Nightmare…” He pondered in silence before looking back to the closer city. From the protection of the trees, he watched as the ponies in the city looked nervous, casting looks to the night sky. “But, then, where is the sun?” A murmur drew his attention back to the sky as the night turned to dawn and then midday in mere minutes. As he turned, he absently used a claw to dig at something stuck between his fangs. He glared at it, then snorted, flicking the saliva-soaked cape of the formerly Great and Powerful Trixie into the river, where it was swept away by the current. He withdrew back into the forest, ignoring Trixie who glared at his receding form. “I think I will need help,” she sighed. Concentrating hard, her horn glowed, and soon a small breeze pushed her hat towards the city of Baltimare. There was only one pony she could think of that would even give her the time of day. It didn’t sit well with Trixie to receive help from her once more, but what choice did she have? o.0.o End Chapter 2 o.0.o" ]

[ "The Empty Room Chapter 3: Forgotten Love By Wanderer D Lyra had taken great joy in explaining how time had changed Canterlot, and had pointed out several little details as they went from one place to the other, highlighting how previous generations differentiated from each other. By mid-afternoon, when Lyra had left for home and promised to see them the next day, the five ponies had a good idea of the layout of the castle grounds and the surrounding area. All in all, they had spent a very nice morning with their unexpected tour guide, and all of them were looking forward to seeing her again. “Well, Ah don’t know about you girls, but Ah’m starvin’!” Applejack wheezed, sitting down on a bench in the castle gardens. Ebon Rain nodded at the other three guards and they spread around the area, keeping an eye on the group. Ebon then had a quick word with a mare overseeing the gardens, and soon the group was being tended by castle servants. “I am quite hungry, yes,” Rarity agreed, smiling gratefully at the ponies who brought a small table and topped it with a repast consisting of fruits, vegetables and drinks for all five mares. “It was very nice of Lyra to show us around the palace.”A small smile played on Fluttershy's lips as she turned to her friends. “I very much enjoyed looking at all the wild animals they have living on the grounds.” She sat next to Rarity, glancing hungrily at the table. “Yeah, yeah.” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “It was cool and all, but I didn’t get to see any of the Wonderbolts!” She looked at the others with mild annoyance. “This is Canterlot! We should have seen at least one of them!” “I’m sure you’ll get your chance to meet with them again, Rainbow Dash,” Rarity called. “For now you should eat something, dear. We still have the rest of the day to visit all the interesting places around here.” Rainbow Dash’s stomach rumbled and she sat down, looking sheepish. It didn’t take long for her to start wolfing down food. “Still,” she managed to say between bites, “I bet there’s more to do here than just looking at history.” “Yes!” Pinkie Pie giggled. “I bet I could throw the bestest party ever for Princess Celestia in this garden!” The idea seemed to perk up everypony, guards included. “But it has to be big!” Pinkie Pie continued, prancing around. “I have to get cupcakes and streamersanddanglersandcakeanddrinksandhotsauceand...” She only stopped when she turned and found herself muzzle to muzzle with Fluttershy. “But... you would have to make sure the party didn't disturb the animals,” Fluttershy said. “Um… t-they weren’t too friendly the last time I was here, but… we still shouldn’t bother them too much…” “Yeah, yeah, parties are good, but I want to do something now!” Rainbow Dash shot into the air, looking around and thinking until something seemed to click. “Hey! You know what? This place is old!” Rainbow Dash said. “You don’t say...” Applejack deadpanned. Dash gave her a look. “It has been around since even before Nightmare Moon appeared! That's like, thousands of years!” She grinned devilishly. “I bet there’s ghosts here!” Applejack shifted a little, looking nervous. “Oh, Dash, don't be silly.” Rarity laughed, fluffing her mane with a hoof. “There are no such things as ghosts! Next thing you'll say is that humans are real.” “Hey!” Rainbow Dash glared at her. “I never said I believed in humans! I stopped believing in fairy tales like that when I was a little filly!” “But you still believe in ghosts, dear.” “Hey now, Ah don't know about humans, but ghosts are as real as this table right here,” Applejack broke in, tapping her hoof on the table and producing audible knocks. “No, they’re not,” Rarity insisted. “But humans are,” Pinkie said with a giggle. “I met one just before we came here today.” Her friends slowly turned to look at her, while the guards tried valiantly not to stare. “He was very strange! No hooves, and they don't have wings!” Pinkie Pie continued, looking slightly confused. “I always thought they would have wings.” “Now, Pinkie Pie,” Applejack ventured after a moment. “Don't go making up stories, okay?” “But it happened!” Pinkie Pie declared, bouncing around the table with a grin on her face as she talked. “When I said ‘hi’ he stared at me, then said something about 'self insertion was a low he was not going to hit' and then...” “And then?” Rainbow Dash asked, leaning in, interested in the story despite herself. “He imploded!” Pinkie Pie giggled. “Twice!” Applejack and Rarity smacked their hooves against their faces and groaned, there was a crash behind them and a helm rolled past Fluttershy. Rainbow Dash smiled. “Really?! That's awesome! If I implode I want to do it twice! NO! Thrice!” the pegasus declared. “There's no way I'm losing to a human!” “Um...” Fluttershy drew their attention. “What is 'self-insertion'?” “Well... Ah don't rightly know... but it sure sounds painful.” Applejack said, raising an eyebrow. “Why are we talking about this?” Rarity asked, giving the others a wary look. “This conversation is turning ridiculous!” “Oh! Because of the ghosts!” Dash jumped and turned to one of the guards. “Hey, you!” She pointed her hoof in Ebon Rain’s direction. “Are there any ghosts in the castle?” As the guard who had face-hooved his helmet off sheepishly walked to pick it up, the other guards exchanged nervous glances. Ebon Rain forced an uneasy smile. “Uh... there used to be one in the library tower, but it disappeared a year ago.” “It's gone? Aww.” Rainbow Dash sighed, but looked up hopefully. “So... what did that ghost do? Was it scary?” “Well...” Ebon Rain shuffled in place when everypony's attention focused on him. “It was usually late at night... when everything was calm, and even after Lady Twilight had gone to sleep... when we did our rounds... we would hear a voice, but whenever we investigated there was nopony there!” “I remember hearing that the voice was that of a capable general, still commanding his troops from beyond the grave!,” another guard said. “It freaked us out... we thought there really was a battle happening.” “Hm... that does sounds suspicious.” Rainbow Dash said. “I wonder what happened to it?” o.0.o “One does not simply walk into Mordor!” Spike bellowed as he rolled out of Twilight's bag. He wheezed when he hit the floor belly first. Standing up groggily, he shook his head and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. “Uh? Wha—where am I?” He looked around Twilight’s room in the castle, blinking in confusion until he spotted the calendar. It was the same day as when he and Twilight had gone looking for books about the Elements of Harmony so long ago. “Oh, sweet Celestia! I'm in Twilight's room back in Canterlot!” He gasped. This—this can only mean one thing!” He fell on his rump, eyes wide. “I-I must have dreamt the whole thing! We never went to Ponyville!” Spike stared at the wall, letting his brain sort things out. “But then... I never met Rainbow Dash! Or Pinkie Pie! Or Fluttershy! Or even Applejack! But most importantly... I never met Rarity!” His claws clenched into fists as he shot up to his feet, shaking them futilely at the sky beyond the ceiling. “Noooooooooooo! They were all figments of my imagination!” After a few moments of staring at the gray ceiling, he sighed. “Although I must say that my imagination gave Rarity very, very nice flanks.” He smiled at the vivid image his mind conjured up, until he realized, again, where he was. “Why does this always happen to me?” he groaned. o.0.o “Hmm...” Twilight Sparkle hummed as her horn shone in different shades of red and purple. “Interesting.” Next to her, a hovering quill and scroll quickly took notes as she examined the room inch by inch. She stopped when she reached the bookshelf. Her eyes studied the shelves full of foal books, lovingly chosen by her mentor for her daughter, who never had the chance to lay next to Celestia and listen to the kind alicorn read the stories contained within those pages. The covers blurred, and she sniffed, unable to stop her eyes getting teary to the point she had to close them and take deep, shuddering breaths. She gave herself a few minutes before sighing. When the Princesses left, she had felt anger and horror at what had happened. She had stopped several times while moving about the room, when her hoof had hit a toy in the floor, or the mobile made with little effigies of ponies, stars, the sun and the moon had chimed at her passing. Now… all she felt was sorrow. She had tried to detach herself from it, a little, at least, to be able to do her job... but there was so much forgotten love in this one room. Twilight looked at the crib with the two dolls in it, a mental image forming of Princess Celestia's kind smile as she leaned in to wish her filly a good night while levitating the Luna plushie. When she turned and noticed the wooden blocks in the corner, she could almost hear childish laughter and the gentle and warm chuckles of an amused Princess Celestia. Twilight took a deep breath and concentrated. She was not going to fail her mentor. Especially after the Princess had gone back to her duties leaving Twilight with the trust of something so important. She had to find out what had happened here. o.0.o Luna lay in her bed thinking. She had tossed the sheets off of her, unable to even contemplate sleeping. ‘I should be asleep,’ she thought, ‘especially if I want nighttime to fall in time, but...’ She sighed. 'So many things have changed since I returned from my exile,’ She mused. 'All the faces I knew are gone… Islands that had been there when she had controlled the night so many centuries ago were gone now. Like Celestia, there had been some temples built in her honor by devoted subjects as a sign of love and appreciation, and Luna had wasted no time in trying to find them and grace whoever still worshipped her with a visit. Most of those temples were gone, except for a few that had mysteriously been kept clean, although she had been unnerved to find an effigy of Nightmare Moon rather than the Moon or Stars that were traditionally used to represent her. She had felt both dread and loss. No doubt ponies that had worshiped her benevolent side had been shunned away, and as time has passed, she had felt the prayers to the Night dwindle and fade, until few individuals would mutter a word or prayer to the Moon or the Night. Buried beneath the Nightmare, Luna had relished hearing those once-in-a-hundred years chances to somehow bless those souls, and she had eagerly sent them her blessings, even if it through the Nightmare. Before long, she had been turned into a dark deity, patron of thieves, assassins and darkness-inclined ponies. Not all of them were inherently evil, and while sometimes using her powers for evil hurt, it was still a sort of love for her soul, and it had kept her alive, even if she felt saddened by the use they were given. Still, none of that was as shocking and saddening as what she had found out today. She sighed once more. Today felt like it had been a whole week of stress. As much as her sadness had accumulated, change hadn’t seem that important or even immediate until today. 'My sister, Princess Celestia, starting a family?’ Luna snorted. A week ago she would have laughed if somepony brought it up as a possibility. There had to be a limit to attachment, after all. They were immortal. Whomever they married, whatever fillies or colts they produced would pass away eventually, while they remained. That didn't mean they had to be aloof, or unkind, or even feel superior—hard lessons that she needed to face after breaking free of Nightmare Moon—but it meant that if they didn't draw a line, they would be miserable. And misery had brought so many horrible things with it. 'But you didn’t let that stop you, did you sister. Luna turned on her side, looking at the doors to her chambers. 'Not only did you allow love into your life, you allowed yourself to have a filly… only to be denied even her memory.’ Luna felt bitter tears forming as she considered what it would have been like being an aunt. If there had been more family, somepony to keep close and teach about the stars and the moon and those places invisible to normal pony eyes, would she had transformed into a monster? Even as Nightmare Moon, she knew, she would have been touched by the existence of more family. ‘Somepony that would not judge me, maybe even... love me unconditionally. She closed her eyes. 'Are we doomed to live alone? Or to fade away like the others, so long ago, before the written word even existed?’ she thought morosely. 'Who could have done this? Who would even dare?’ Luna finally pulled herself out of bed and trotted to the window, where she could look at the ponies walking down the streets, completely oblivious to her thoughts and feelings. o.0.o 'A filly. I had a filly.’ Celestia felt so much joy at the thought of that... that there was a young mare, out there that was brought to this world through her. 'And yet, she was taken from me. The sense of loss had been overwhelming: the years and happiness that she had been deprived from sharing with her daughter felt like stab wounds directly into her soul... but when Twilight Sparkle had walked in, she had suddenly felt like she knew what if felt like to care for a filly as if she was her own daughter. 'When I find her, I will apologize for not being there for her. I will show her everything she missed, share with her all I know… I’ll spend every second I can with her, and nopony will ever take her away from me again.’ But for now... she had to hold court. As the latest petitioner started speaking, Celestia's mind drifted back to her faithful student, wondering what she had discovered so far. Perhaps she would see her daugher soon. o.0.o A slightly chewed-up blue magician's hat rolled down the street, pushed by a breeze until it bumped to a stop next to the wheels of a blue stage wagon. Trixie stopped next to it, panting. It had taken considerable concentration to get the hat to her stage wagon, but The Great and Powerful Trixie was a magician of the highest order, after all. “Finally! Trixie would like to rest, but the sooner Trixie reaches Ponyville, the better.” With another burst of air, her hat fell into the driver's seat and she made her way to the front to slip inside the harness. Ducking her head, she slid forward. When she didn't feel the harness resting on her back, she leaned forward even more, until she had to quickly get her hooves into position to avoid falling face-first into the road. “What the hay?” Growling she looked back, ready to kick something when she realized that part of the harness was inside her body. She looked at it for a few seconds before she remembered. “Ah... I forgot. I'm a ghost.” She sighed. “Okay Trixie, there's no need to panic,” she said after a moment. “Deep breaths, deep breaths. Am I even breathing?” The Great and Powerful Trixie shook her head free of annoying, mortal thoughts, and began to walk in circles around her stage wagon. “Okay, what does Trixie know about ghosts?” She thought for a moment. “Well... ghosts are ethereal. That means they... we... cannot really touch normal objects; however, according to Magister Crowley, magical objects can be moved and touched by spirits. That’s how fetishes are created. Ohhh... Trixie hates magical theory.” Her eyes narrowed. “But now is not the time...” She looked at her stage wagon, considering. The old stage wagon—which had been destroyed in Ponyville—had been enchanted to produce several magical effects on demand, something she hadn't gotten around to casting on this one. She had needed special and expensive ingredients and she hadn't been too keen on getting them herself. Her father had only sent her enough bits for buying a new stage wagon, but that was it. Sure, she had enchanted some items herself, but they were all useless for now. Trixie briefly considered going inside and throwing around whatever enchanted items she had in a fit of rage, but the sound of hooves on cobblestone stopped her. “Now dear, you see? This... Great and Powerful Trixie, is not in her stage wagon right now. I'm sure we'll hear about it when she starts her show, and I promise you I will bring you over to watch.” It was two unicorns. A mare and her colt. Trixie grimaced and tried to ignore them, concentrating instead on what to do. “But mom, why don't we ask her? She's right there,” the little colt asked, pointing a hoof at Trixie. Trixie blinked. “Huh?” “Now, Six, don't start this again... there's no-pony there.” “But mooom.” Six? Trixie shook her head, wondering, 'Who names their colt ‘Six’?' “Look dear, if you promise not to touch anything, you can stay here and look at the stage wagon. Just look, don’t touch. I’m sure if the Great and Powerful Trixie were here she wouldn’t appreciate some mischievous colt touching her things, right?” The colt looked at Trixie, doubt filling his eyes, but The Great and Powerful Trixie was already on her knees, hooves clapped together and nodding desperately for him to agree. “I-I guess...” he said. “Good. I'll be right back.” Six's mother went into the store, leaving him with Trixie, who was giving him a thankful smile. “Thank you! Thank you! You see, Trixie really needs your help! Can you do something very, very simple for Trixie?” Six nodded slowly. “Are you really the Great and Powerful Trixie?” “Yes, yes I am!” Trixie said, striking a pose. “Trixie guesses you are a fan?” Six nodded, shyly. “Well then, The Great and Powerful Trixie will give you an autograph if you do that small favor her! Do you know how to perform the basic spell runes?” When the colt nodded for the third time, Trixie had to hold herself from shouting in glee. “Well, Trixie needs you to scratch one of the magic runes onto my stage wagon...” “Uh... but my mom said not to touch it...” “Silly, that's Trixie’s stage wagon, right?” “Right…” “And Trixie is giving you permission to touch it, right?” “Right!” “Then it’s fine if Trixie lets you, right?” “I... guess.” He approached the stage wagon. “Where do you want it?” “Anywhere will be fine,” Trixie said, finally noticing the colt's cutie mark. An eye with a small number 6 in the middle. 'Huh. How odd.' “So, Six...” she started as he carefully scratched the paint on her stage wagon with his glowing horn, drawing a basic magic rune for ease of movement. “What did your mom mean when she said you shouldn't 'start this again'?” The colt didn't answer immediately, waiting until he was done drawing. The magic in his horn died, and for a moment nothing seemed to happen, then suddenly the stage wagon seemed to glow for the barest of seconds. Trixie nodded happily. “Well done, Six!” Six, looked around, then motioned for Trixie to get closer. Curious, she leaned forward. “Well... I have a problem, and that's why my mom was saying that thing about not doing it again... it hasn't made me very popular with other ponies my age,” he confided. Trixie blinked. “Well, what is this problem?” “I see dead ponies.” Six said, eyes very wide. “And they don’t know they’re dead!” Trixie snorted. “Well, it’s not like it feels much different, you know?” Six blinked. “You mean you know? But... aren’t you going to stick around and see me through a journey of self-discovery to find my purpose in life by helping those lost souls in desperate need to find peace and continue on to the next world, only to leave me sad, bitter and alone once you realize you too are dead?” Trixie laughed. “Oh, silly colt. The Great and Powerful Trixie has better things to do. Here...” her horn shining, she slid one of several pictures of herself signed in magical-glitter from within her stage wagon. “There you go. Go find more dead ponies, now, okay?” She tried to pat him in the head, but her hoof went through it in a very disturbing way, so she chuckled nervously and jumped on top of her stage wagon. “Bye-bye now!” With a sudden lurch the stage wagon rolled forward, leaving a thoroughly confused colt behind. o.0.o In a dark room with six slightly glowing circles and one column of light in the middle, several ponies had gathered. Obscured by cloaks and shadows, they nickered and shuffled in place, until one stepped into the light. “Brothers and sisters... both the Princesses are acting strange... they are weak.” The pony’s voice echoed in the room, her tone one of smug victory. There was a moment of animated whispering, but the pony in the middle stamped her hoof on the floor, drawing their attention. “I have seen signs that the Guardian has awakened. The time to strike approaches swiftly... be vigilant. We will find what makes them weak and we will bring night eternal again to Equestria. The Nightmare will live again!” “The Nightmare will live again!” the others echoed. “Those who stand in our way, shall fall!” she called. “The Nightmare will live again!” the others replied. The little light in the room allowed the gathered ponies to see a small smile in her muzzle. o.0.o End Chapter 3 o.0.o" ]

[ "The Empty Room Chapter 4: As Twilight Fades By Wanderer D An old pony rocked in her chair, watching the end of the day pass her by. It had been an odd day. The sun had not come up until mid afternoon, but at least the twilight seemed to be on time. She chuckled to herself. It had worried a lot of ponies when the lack of sunlight had gone on and on, but for her, well, it was nice to see something out of the ordinary for once in her old age. And this was certainly out of the ordinary. Some things never changed in the end. As dawn gave birth to the day, so would twilight die to make way for the night. She heard a squeak. It hadn’t come from her rocking chair. Slowly, she stopped rocking. Until everything was silent. And then she heard the squeak again. Looking around, she spotted a stage wagon on the road. It was empty, and nopony was hitched to it. How strange… she thought. I never saw anypony pull that here. She looked the other way and heard another squeak. Looking back, she stared hard at the stage wagon. Was it closer than before? Her eyes widened when the stage wagon turned her way, giving her the unpleasant feeling that it was looking at her. It slowly started rolling towards her, and she could feel her heart racing. The ponyless stage wagon finally ground to a stop just before the steps to her home. A small window at the side of the stage wagon opened and a strange, fine powder floated out before it ignited into blazing words that hung in the air. WHICH WAY TO PONYVILLE? She felt pain above her left hoof... and everything went black. o.0.o “Hey! Granny!” The old pony opened her eyes and groaned. “W-what...” “Are you okay?\" the voice asked. \"You passed out.” “I-I'm okay,” she assured the stranger who helped her up. Funny. Her legs didn't hurt so much now. “I just had this strange nightmare about a stage wagon that spoke in words made of fire to me... I thought I was going to have a heart-attack!” “Y-you did?” the mare stammered. “Ah... hehe. Fancy that.” The old pony looked at the young unicorn helping her up. She had a soft blue coat and a magic wand with pixie dust as a cutie mark. “Yes... I must have fallen out of my chair!” she chuckled. “Oh... well.” Trixie cleared her throat. “T-trixie needs to know how to get to Ponyville from here, if you don't mind?” “Not at all!” the old mare said, smiling at the odd way the pony spoke. “It's west of here, a mere few hours on the road for a fit, young mare like you. Just walk that way and you'll arrive just after sunset.” “Well, thank you!” The Great and Powerful Trixie replied with a conflicted smile. “Trixie...Trixie should get going... you know, beat the traffic and all that jazz.” The old mare gave Trixie a confused look and then let her eyes wander around. There was nopony in the area. “If you say so.” “Thanks again!” Trixie called as she jumped atop a familiar-looking stage wagon. Her horn glowed and soon the stage wagon lurched westwards. “Young mares these days.” The old mare chuckled. She turned around to take a seat again, but her hooves tripped on a strange silvery line. She shouted in surprise as she stumbled and fell forward, eyes widening as she realized she was falling towards herself! “Uh...” The old mare took a gasping breath and shook her head as she opened her eyes. “That was strange...” She looked around, feeling that she should remember something. After a moment, she shrugged it off. Everypony else would already be inside. She could smell the food her daughter was preparing. “Hm...” she carefully lifted herself up, bones hurting again, but she didn’t mind at all. “Mom!” a voice called from inside. “Dinner's ready!” “I'm coming, dear!” she called back, heading towards the door. She felt unusually happy to be alive. o.0.o Spike walked morosely through the castle grounds. “Why me? Really? This happens to me all the time!” the baby dragon growled. “I mean, it's weird enough to dream that I am someone else altogether heading armies into battle, but to dream a whole year of living in Ponyville only to find out I never visited? That's harsh!” he blinked. “Although I guess that explains why sometimes it felt so... episodic.” He waved absentmindedly at a couple of guards as he passed them, eyes glued to the floor. “And then to dream of perfection herself, the most beautiful pony to grace Equestria only to have her be a figment of my imagination? Could there be a crueler fate?” He sighed. “Well, at least I still have Twilight... I'd better go find her...” He looked around and hummed. “I wonder where she is? She usually wakes me up before leaving and its almost the end of the day!” He thought for a second. “I guess I’ll try the library.” o.0.o “Why did we let them talk us into this?” one guard asked. “Because somepony decided to spill the story of the crypt,” another guard muttered venomously, glaring at Ebon Rain, who trudged ahead sheepishly at the fore of the group beside Applejack and Rainbow Dash. “So, this crypt here has been around since before Canterlot was built?” Applejack whistled. “Why isn't it part of the tours?” Ebon Rain nodded, smiling uneasily, and well aware of the pointed looks the other guards were giving him. “The Crypt is old, and part of a system of tunnels that run under the mountain,” he explained. “It can be dangerous for the general public, so most citizens of Canterlot have no idea it’s even there or, if they do, it’s been closed for as long as anypony can remember.” “Nopony knows why it was closed in the first place, but being near for prolonged periods of time has made some unicorns experience visions and cases or paranoia. Some said they saw ghosts.” He glanced at the mares around him. “I hope you understand that the only reason you’re being allowed to take a look is because you are guests of Princesses Celestia and Luna.” “Are you really so sure this is a good idea?” Rarity looked around nervously, ears twitching. “Aw, come on, Rarity!” Rainbow Dash smirked. “There's no such thing as ghosts, right? Why are you scared?” “I— I am not scared, Rainbow Dash.” Rarity said. “I simply do not want to get my coat dirty in a dreadful old crypt!” She snorted and grimaced. “Besides… other than mother and father… I don’t think there are any ghosts I would like to meet.” “W-we could go someplace else you know... if you want to, that is... maybe,” Fluttershy suggested. Rainbow Dash smiled at her friend. “Don't worry, Fluttershy, I'll make sure nothing happens to you.” Fluttershy lowered her head, looking away as she followed the others. “I don't know if you can...” she whispered. “Hey! If there are ghosts in there, can we invite them over to Ponyville?” Pinkie Pie asked. “Think about it!” she said, eyes growing wide with excitement. “We could have a party that would never, ever die!” “Sometimes, Pinkie Pie, you really scare me,” Applejack deadpanned. “Just remember: ‘giggle at the ghosties!’” Pinkie Pie replied merrily. She bounced around the group as they approached a large pair of copper doors embedded into the mountainside. “What the hay is that supposed to mean?” one guard muttered to another, only to be elbowed into silence. The closer they got, the more oppressive the air became until all the ponies were trotting quietly with lowered heads. Their hooves clopping on the hard stone became the only sound around, echoing against the walls of rock around them. As the colors of twilight filled the sky above, Pinkie Pie hummed an old lullaby to herself. In the relative silence, the hummed song carried to the ears of everypony nearby and, just its eerie echo had worked them to their last collective nerve and Rarity had turned to snap at Pinkie Pie... “WHAT WAS THAT? !” Rainbow Dash shouted, pointing her hoof at the nearby cliffs. “Eeeeeeeeeee!!! !” Rainbow Dash's shout was followed by a shrill scream that made everypony cringe. It carried on until Applejack snapped a hoof over Rarity's mouth, shutting her up. Pushing the hoof out of her face, Rarity glared at the pegasus. “Don't you ever,” she gasped “do that again!” “But I saw somepony!” Dash exclaimed, flying back defensively under the disgruntled visage of her friend. “Over there! By the rocks!” A couple of the guards trotted over to where Rainbow Dash was pointing and looked around, but shook their heads when they found nothing. “Listen... it's gettin’ a bit late and Ah’d rather not be here at night,” Applejack said. “So, let's take a look, see if we hear anythin’, and then we can get back to the castle.” “Aww... scaaaaared?” Rainbow Dash taunted, conveniently ignoring the guards’ raised eyebrows. “Very.” Fluttershy nodded. “Nah,” Applejack declared. “Ah just know that Twilight is goin’ to be looking for us, and we can’t talk to her while we’re here.” “Whatever,” Rainbow Dash said. “Well, anyway, let's... Pinkie Pie!” Said pink pony was already at the large gates, looking inside. “Hey look, everypony! The gates are open!” At that, Ebon Rain tensed and with a swift, curt motion had all guards stand around the group protectively. They raised their weapons and looked around warily. Seeing their reaction, Applejack looked over at Pinkie Pie. “Pinkie Pie... come over here.” “Aww... but I can hear a voice!” she said excitedly. “I'll just take a look-see!” She turned words into action and jumped through the gates before anyone could stop her. “Darn it! Pinkie Pie!” Applejack shouted as the whole group galloped towards the gates. They were ajar, barely leaving enough space for a pony to slide through. The guards immediately pushed the doors open and, as the dimming light illuminated the large chamber, they immediately spotted Pinkie Pie, standing still, looking at something just beyond their sight. “Pinkie Pie?” Rarity asked. The pink pony slowly turned around. She was not smiling. In fact, small tears had welled in her eyes as she stepped back, letting everyone see what she had found. Outside, a shadowy figure observed them, then melted into the mists. o.0.o Princess Celestia sat on her throne, her mind lost in thoughts of what had transpired. Her connection with the sun told her the day would soon be over— that she would be free to join her faithful student in her diligent search for clues. She wanted to help, and she should have been doing so, instead of sitting placidly and pretending that nothing had happened for the benefit of a gathering of snobbish nobles. Duty took precedence, however. Her needs and problems were secondary to the betterment of Equestrian society, and certainly secondary to the governing of her lands. And yet, as she sat there, listening to a noble drone on and on about building regulations being broken by a group of builders who had exceeded the imposed limit—by less than half a meter, she observed—while building a house for the elderly, and how this was clearly an offense that required the immediate attention of the court because it prevented said noble from spotting his favorite store from his window… she had to question whether she was deluding herself in thinking that this was a duty to her country. Were she able, she would have exiled the selfish noble from Canterlot. She snorted. She was able to, technically. She had the power. If she didn’t care… if she acted as they expected her to act, he would be standing on the border to the Northern Wastelands wondering why his hooves were so suddenly yet quite firmly entrenched in ice. Something must have shown through, because at that moment the noble hesitated in a moment of unaristocratic lucidity. “I-is there anything wrong, your highness?” Everything. Celestia forced a smile. Didn’t you notice I took all morning to raise the sun? Didn’t you notice that I was distressed? Taking a deep, calming breath, she nodded. “Everything is fine, my little pony. Please continue.” The noble nodded, quickly dismissing whatever he had noticed as he continued his rant about the mediocre work of the builders and demanded the architect be punished and his licence revoked. My child is out there, and you are wasting my time asking me to take down a retirement home because of something so stupidly— She was interrupted by a scraping sound. It took a moment for Celestia to notice that everypony had gone quiet and that the sound itself was the result of her hoof digging onto the marble floor and scraping it in frustration. The noble gulped at the gesture and nearly passed out when the doors banged open to reveal Luna flanked by several guards. Celestia looked from her hoof to her sister in surprise. “Sister! We must talk at once!” Luna declared, turning to all gathered nobles. “Alone!” o.0.o The court had been adjourned immediately and all the nobles had been escorted out amid protests of their serious business being interrupted. “Sister, Lance has vanished,” Luna said urgently. “This servant,” she motioned with her head to an extremely uncomfortable looking pony, “Went to his quarters to find him, and found the whole place ransacked. Whatever Lance had been working on has been taken but, it was clear there had been a fight and... he also found blood in the room.” She gave Celestia a steady, grim look. Before Celestia could even speak, the door to the court room slammed open once more as a pegasus crashed through it and rolled on the floor, sliding to a halt in front of her. Several guards rushed towards the pegasus, surrounding her and pointing their lances at her neck. “Rainbow Dash!” Celestia exclaimed, motioning for the guards to stand down. “What is the meaning of this? !” “Princess!” Dash looked up in panic. “Princess! We found Captain Lance! Where’s Twilight? !” Princess Celestia felt her blood run cold as she exchanged concerned looks with Luna. As if to answer their sudden realization, the castle shook with an explosion. “Go!” Luna exclaimed. “I'll bring up the moon and join you shortly... there's no need to worry the rest of our subjects even more.” Celestia shot her sister a grateful look then flew out of the room. Rainbow Dash immediately went after her. Her parting words echoing in the hall. “Send a doctor to the Crypt!” o.0.o Although she would never consider herself as beautiful or as awe-inspiring as her eponym, Twilight Sparkle did allow herself a little vanity and ego-stroking when she thought about just what her name meant in the grand scope of things. The point where the day ended and the night began, where they would both blend together and create the purple that had inspired her mother to name her, so many years ago. The little maternal reminder however, made her wince, thinking again of her mentor. Twilight shook her head. I can’t allow myself to be distracted! There’s so much to do! And she had discovered so much already! She glanced at the neat stack of papers. She had suspicions already as to what had happened, but still... not who or why or even how. Even if she could reconstruct the whole situation, without those key elements her information would prove interesting... but not useful. “Gah. Writing a thesis on the mating habits of defribulation swamp leeches would be easier. And they're asexual!” She sighed. It didn't help that the atmosphere in the room just got her down. “Well, I think I have done as much as I could here,” she muttered, stretching a little. She heard a thump out in the hall and frowned. She had requested to be left alone with the evidence. She carefully made her way through the room and looked out into the hallway. There was nopony there. Shaking her head in annoyance, she turned and was about to walk back inside when a creaking sound made her look towards the entrance. She sighed in relief when she saw it was one of the guards, peeking in, probably to check what the sound had been. Her relief turned into a horrified gasp when the guard slumped forward and fell, unmoving, on the floor. Twilight couldn’t even move when the body was kicked out of the way by a pony in a dark cloak, who dumped the other guard on top of the first. From where she was, she couldn’t tell if the guards were alive or not, but what she could tell was that the cloaked figure had definitely noticed her. “How convenient,” the hooded pony said in a disturbingly familiar voice, walking almost casually towards Twilight after closing the door behind him. “And yet, it saves some time... here I thought we might have to look for you somewhere else.” His interest seemed piqued by the room she had just walked out of. “And what do we have here? Is this what has our dear Princess all bothered? Is this why the sun did not come up as it should have earlier today?” “That’s none of your business!” Twilight snapped, shaking her fear away. Her horn glowed and a magical barrier appeared at the entrance of the room, shimmering slightly. The magical shield darkened until nopony could look inside and know what was there. “That was not a smart move, Twilight” the pony said gravely. “I recognize that spell... and we both know that the only way to get that shield down is to have you remove it willingly... or by killing you.” Twilight gulped. “T-that's not true, there are other ways.” “True,” The pony said, stopping a few feet from her. “But I don't have the time to break through it when the easiest and most effective way is to kill you... and since I was going to do that anyway...” A chill running down her spine, Twilight took a couple of steps back again, lowering her ears as the cloaked pony followed her down the hall. “Who are you?” she asked. “You sound familiar but... nopony I know would willingly hurt others like you did!” The pony seemed to falter for a moment, and Twilight thought for a second she might have a chance to avoid a fight, but her hopes were dashed when he resumed walking. “I'm sorry, Twilight.” Twilight Sparkle felt tears forming in her eyes, and her heart skip a beat. Why? Who was this unicorn who sounded so familiar and seemed to know her so well? Had some part of her recognized him? Is that why she was crying? Or was it because she was scared? No. She realized, eyes watering. It’s because I know this pony... that's why it hurts. She glanced at him, concentrated on his voice... “This has to be done.” The unicorn sounded as if he were trying to convince himself as much as declaring an indisputable fact. “If there was a different way...” his voice had turned soothing again, but in a manner that seemed so fake, that it disgusted her. Blinking away tears, she gritted her teeth and stopped where she was. The pony obligingly stopped in front of her. As her horn flared with magic, her opponent’s did likewise, illuminating his face. By then, she had realized who it was. The sense of betrayal could reach no further... there were no words to describe what she felt. No words to justify what was happening and who was doing it. There was only one thing she could say before she could unleash her magic to protect not only herself, but her mentor's secret as well. It came out as barely a whisper. “Daddy... why?” o.0.o End Chapter 4 o.0.o" ]

[ "\"You did what!?\" The purple unicorn fumed, staring at Rainbow Dash angrily. Dash recoiled slightly, never seeing Twilight Sparkle this angry before. \"Well, I mean Trixie is back, and you're the only one in Ponyville strong enough to duel her with magic, and I...\" She trailed off. Twilight let out an exasperated sigh. \"You can't just speak for me! I don't want to fight Trixie!\" \"Twi, last time you showed Trixie up by a mile and a half! I'd bet you could do it again!\" \"That was six months ago! She's probably gotten much stronger since then!\" \"Well, so have you, silly!\" Pinkie rose out of a bowl of apples sitting on a nearby table Twilight's anger subsided slightly as she pondered how long Pinkie had been there. Pinkie just stood beside her, munching an apple. \"C'mon, Twilight, it'll be fun!\" She said, mouth full. \"Yeah Twi, we've got till sunset to prepare!\" Dash chimed Her brow furrowed, knowing that she really had no way out. If she declined, it would seem as if she was backing out. If there was one thing to never do, it was back out of a challenge set up by someone like Trixie. And it probably would be fun. From Dash's explanation, Trixie just wanted to test her new magic. She sighed. \"Fine. But I'm still mad at you\" She trotted outside. \"At least there'll only be a few people there\" -------- \"Don't know why I thought that\" The stands were filled with ponies, cheering for Twilight. \"How'd you even get these stands out to the outskirts of Ponyville?\" \"Big Macintosh helped\" Applejack said, motioning toward her brother. \"Now don't you worry, Sugarcube, we've all got your back\" Her friends sat on the sidelines, hooping and hollering. Even Fluttershy could be heard once in a while, and Angel sat on her head, waving a small flag. \"Still no sign of Tri-\" As if on cue, the blue unicorn appeared in a brilliant puff of smoke. \"The great and powerful Trixie!\" Snips and Snails yelled in unison \"The one and only! Now, Twilight Sparkle, are you ready for the duel?\" Trixie reared up. Twilight sighed. \"Ready as I'll ever be\" She said as she lowered herself to the ground. Spike, Snips, and Snails All stood between the two. Spike turned to the crowd. \"Fillies and Gentlecolts! Welcome to the magic duel between our own Twilight Sparkle and-\" \"The great and powerful Trixie!\" Snips shouted. Spike shot him a glance. \"Thank you, Snips\" He said through gritted teeth. \"Let's just have a good clean match. And now, without further ado, let the duel begin!\" They all ran to the sidelines opposite the bleachers. Trixie fired a blue beam at Twilight, who stepped out of the way swiftly. She responded in hind, hitting Trixie with a blast that Made her stumble. Twilight charged at Trixie, her horn glowing with her next spell. Trixie regained her footing and smirked, firing a purple light. It hit Twilight, and she teleported away, running into a tree. \"Teleportation spells? Two can play at that game\" She shot her own spell, putting Trixie up in a tree. They kept throwing teleportation at each other, disappearing and reappearing all over the field. They finally ended facing each other, almost where they had started. They fired again, the beams collided in midair, growing into a large orb. They pushed all their energy into it, pushing it toward Trixie, then Twilight, then back. \"Twi-light! Twi-light! Twi-light!\" Her friends cheered, stepping closer. Trixie and Twilight pumped all their energy, panting. The Ball grew giant, until finally BOOOOMM!!! A bright light blinded Spike and the ponies for a minute. When they looked back, Trixie and Twilight were gone. Along with the rest of Twilight's friends. \"Twilight?\" Spike asked into nothing \"Trixie?\" Snails looked around \"They're gone!\" Someone in the stands shouted The crowd gasped and started yelling \"Where... Where'd they go!? And... what if they can't get back...\" Spike fell to his knees, Yelling at the sky. \"NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!\" -------- Twilight Woke up, looking around groggily as she took in her surroundings. all her friends were scattered to and fro. They were in a mostly white room, With a few benches, a large cabinet, and some cubbies holding strange equipment that she didn't recognize. There was a large metal door in one direction, and a small room opposite it she could see through it's glass doors. In the small room Dash was against a wall. Everypony else was in the main room, Applejack on top of the cabinet, Fluttershy and Angel under one of the benches, Rarity against one of the walls, and Trixie in the middle of the floor. She searched for Pinkie, then became aware of something heavy on her back. With a quick glance, she found her pink friend had somehow landed on her. 'Wait...' she thought, now a little more conscious. She didn't know what this place was. It didn't look like any place she'd ever been before, and nopony was around. 'How'd... the spell!' She yelled at herself. 'Stupid! You never cross teleportation spells!' She shifted, and Pinkie slid off her back and landed on the floor with a thud. Even with the fall, she was still out cold. 'Always was a heavy sleeper' Twilight started walking around, waking her friends up one by one. Applejack nearly fell off the cabinet, but got down safely. Everypony looked around, slightly scared and confused. Except Pinky, she handled the situation with her usual energy. \"Anypony seen Dash?\" Pinkie asked Twilight pointed to the room, and Pinkie trotted toward the door. She didn't realize that it only opened from the inside until she smacked into it. \"How are we supposed to wake Dash up if we can't get in?\" \"Ah, let'r sleep. she'll wake up eventually\" AppleJack looked around. \"Anypony know where we are?\" \"Well, wherever it is it's positively filthy! just look at all this grime on the floor!\" Rarity lifted a hoof in disgust. Applejack rolled her eyes. \"Um... Girls?\" Fluttershy mumbled, unheard Trixie spoke over Fluttershy \"Well, maybe-\" \"No! You have no right to talk! You're the reason we're here at all!\" \"Me!?\" \"Girls?\" \"What kind of foal counters teleportation with teleportation! You're lucky we didn't end up in the walls! Didn't they teach you that wherever it is you learned magic!?\" \"I wouldn't have had to if you hadn't-\" She was cut off by a gruff throat being cleared. A rather short man wearing overalls and a hard hat looked at the ponies with a shotgun in his hands, finger on the trigger. Fluttershy mumbled \"I tried to warn you\"" ]

[ "\"So lemme get this here straight\" The man said, still a little dazed from his discovery. It had been about ten minutes, and Twilight had convinced the man, Who didn't give his name and said to just call him Engineer, to sit down and listen to their story. \"Y'all are from the magical land of Equetsria?\" \"Equestria.\" Twilight corrected him \"Right, and y'all with the horns can do magic?\" \"Right\" \"Okay, and you two\" He pointed at Trixie and Twilight \"somehow messed up and transported everyone here, to my world\" \"Precisely! So you do understand!\" \"Not in the slightest, but I think the jist is that y'all need to find a way home?\" \"... Well, as long as you realize that part, I suppose it's all okay\" A bright light flashed in the small room. \"Well, looks like someone's respawning. I get to see if all this work finally drove me crazy or if I really am seein' talkin' ponies\" From the room a giant of a man lumbered out, looking fuming mad and muttering what sounded like Russian swear words under his breath. at his side he carried a gun that was almost as big as the ponies. \"Engineer! Entire RED team is evil babies!\" Twilight was a little stunned at the man's lack of reaction to them, but Engineer just smirked. \"What'd they do this time, Heavy?\" \"Well, I took down two or three itty bitty sentries, and I was pretty hurt. so I go to corner to eat sandvich and tiny Scout comes up, and he kills me and has NERVE to steal sandvich! Can you believe it!?\" Engineer had seemingly lost interest. \"Terrible. Hey Heavy? Do me a favor. Do you see anything strange over there?\" He pointed toward the cubbies Heavy turned and stared. \"Hmmm... well, there is purse in Pyro's cubby\" \"No, not that. Anything out of the ordinary?\" \"What, like tiny pink horse hanging upside-down in Sniper's cubby?\" \"...Actually, that's exactly what I meant. So I'm not crazy\" He wiped his brow. \"Gotta say, you took that rather well, Heavy\" \"Heavy thought he was hallucinating again. So why are there many tiny horses around respawn?\" \"Just wait, I want the whole crew here for this\" They both sat down, trying their hardest to make normal small talk. A flash of light, and a black man with an eye patch on, taking a strong swig of something Twilight was positive was alcohol strong enough to remove paint, stumbled out of the room. He blinked a few times at the strange sight, taking a look at his bottle. \"Did someone slip som'thin' inta me drink?\" \"No Demo. We see them too\" \"Good. I'd hafta kill someone if they go messin' with me scotch\" \"Why are all the crazy one's showing up first?\" Twilight whispered to Rarity; She replied with a shrug\t \"Who knows. Maybe they're the normal ones here\" \"I hope not, or we're doomed\" The next two out weren't much better. The first was a Man... Woman... Thing in a gasmask and fireproof suit, called Pyro. the second was a German man in a long coat, who was called Medic, and who after hearing the ponies talk, got a gleam in his eye as he wondered aloud how their vocal cords worked. Fluttershy moved as far away from the Medic as she could. \"How many more are left, Engi?\" Applejack spoke up. \"We Still need Soldier, Sniper, Spy, and Scout\" As If on cue, a man who's eyes were concealed by the large helmet on his head stepped out. \"What are you ladies doing sitting around!?\" \"Soldier, do you not see the ponies around?\" \"I see the ponies! I also see a bunch of good for nothing slackers! Why are you people not on the field!?\" \"Look, just hang around for a second till everyone's here, and we'll explain then\" \"Fine. But this had better not cut into my killing time\" He sat down in a huff Another flash, and a man carrying a rifle in one had and Rainbow Dash on his shoulder stepped out. \"Anyone want to tell me why there's a rainbow colored horse in the spawn room?\" \"Long story, we just need Scout and Spy\" \"Ahem\" A man in a suit and mask appeared behind Rarity, and she jumped across the room. \"DON'T SNEAK UP ON PONIES LIKE THAT!\" \"I'm pretty sure sneaking up on people is in my job description\" \"Ah hell, I'll just tell you now, I'm sick of waiting for Scout. I'll explain it to him when he gets here\" \"So these here ponies are from another land called Eque-\" \"We have taken the enemy intelligence!\" A loudspeaker in the room blared. Dash stirred slightly at the sound, mumbling in her sleep \"God that thing is annoying. any way, cuz of some magical mishap, they all ended up here, and they don't know how to get home. Now I think we should help 'em get back, seein as they showed up in our base\" \"We have dropped the enemy intelligence!\" Dash sat up suddenly \"Dammit!\" She was still groggy, and didn't register her surroundings. A last flash, and out stepped a boy in baseball attire, cursing in a thick Boston accent. \"I had it! I had it and... Wait\" Scout looked down at the Rainbow maned pony at his feet. \"No freakin' way\" Dash looked up. \"Could you keep it down, I just wo... No way\" She reached up with a hoof a poked him in the stomach. \"Y-y-you're real!\" \"You're real too!\" \"Omigoshomigoshomigosh\" Both started Chanting in unison \"Uh, Dash?\" Twilight looked at Scout \"Do you two know each other?\" \"Uh, duh! He's only my favorite Class in Team Fortress 2!\" Engi looked confused. \"Team Fortress... hey wait, how do you know her, Scout?\" \"She's only da coolest pony on My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic!\" \"In what?\" Twilight looked quizzically around \"Will somepony tell me what's going on!?\" She yelled. Suddenly in the vents something started banging around, like a frightened animal. It worked it's way Toward the opening, falling through a grate onto the Heavy's head. He picked the Grey pony up, Staring it in the eyes (Even though those eyes weren't staring back), looking angry. \"Muffin?\" The Pegasus held up one of the treats, offering it to Heavy. \"... I like these ponies!\" \"Derpy!\" All the ponies (minus Trixie) gathered around Derpy to make sure she hadn't hurt herself in the vents. \"Are you okay?\" \"Absitivly Posolutly!\" She said with her usual enthusiasm, Never deterred by the bad things that sometimes befell her. \"So how'd dey get here?\" Scout asked, a wide smile plastered on his face \"Ugh. short version, magic spell\" Spy snorted from the corner \"Good enough for me\" \"Now I have an idea. I can try to supercharge my teleporter to get y'all home. But it'll take quite a bit of time. Someone'd have to take over my job\" \"... What if I did it?\" Applejack spoke up. \"Y'all look like you could use a break. I think we could all take on one of the classes for a while\" \"Heck yeah! I'll be Scout!\" Dash Grabbed a spare headset and grabbed a scattergun \"Lemme at em!\" \"Well... I suppose you could. I'd have to modify the guns a little. and the regenerator. If Y'all are okay with that\" Murmurs of approval went through. Fluttershy looked concerned, but she didn't say anything. \"Well, then I suppose we should pick classes\" Pinkie Jumped at the opportunity and ran over to Heavy. \"I wanna be the Big Guy!\" Twilight looked skeptical \"Not to be rude, but... why?\" Pinkie held up a sandvich \"Sandwiches..\" She said, slightly transfixed \"No no no, is sandvich!\" \"Sandwich\"\t \"Sandvich\" As the two argued about the proper pronunciation, Rarity was swooning over the intrigue and romance she perceived as part of the Spy's job. Spy leaned over to AppleJack. \"I zink your friend reads too many romance novels\" \"Read 'em? Heck, she could write her own\" Applejack turned to Fluttershy \"I expect you'll be goin' Medic?\" \"Um... actually\" She cast a glance at the Man, who had pulled out what looked like a giant syringe attached to a huge scalpel. She squeaked in fear, hiding behind the Sniper's legs. \"I guess you're going with me?\" She nodded in agreement. \"You have got to be kidding me. I'll go medic, you wimp\" Trixie walked over to the Medic \"Bah. I refuse to be shown up by a bunch of girly ponies\" His Shovel fell out of his back pocket. Angel picked it up, getting a feel for it. \"Hey! Give that back you stupid rabbit!\" Angel's eyes lowered. Soldier reached for the bunny. Angel ran up his arms, landing on top of his helmet and hitting the helmet with the shovel. A loud ringing sound came every time he hit it. Soldier fell to the ground. Fluttershy looked at the two, terrified that something would happen to Angel The soldier growled at Angel, who still gad the shovel. Suddenly, he smiled wildly. \"I like this bunny's moxie! I would be glad to have you as a soldier!\" Angel slung the shovel over his shoulder, beaming. Twilight looked around. \"Well, that leaves Demo and Pyro\" She turned to find herself face to face with Derpy with a fire axe in her mouth. \"Demo it is\" Engi clapped his hands to get everyone's attention. \"Combat has been called for the night, so we'll be able to train our new friends. I've got the Regenerator modified so that y'all will respawn as long as you're here, so give 'em the rundown. Get to know 'em. We'll meet back here in the morning. Deal?\" Everyone replied in unison. \"Deal!\"" ]

[ "Dash grabbed the freshly-modded scattergun, specifically made for hooves instead of hands. Engi had made special weapons for all of them, capping it off by modding the regenerator so that the ponies could respawn. He even modded some of the clothes to fit the equines. Everyone stood around, firing their weapons to get a feel. Once they were ready, one by one they ran out the door. Of Course, Dash was out first, flying over the bridge, past the enemy respawn, and down their spiral. \"I'll just run in, grab the intel, and run out. Easy\" She peeked in, and the sight that greeted her was not a good one: A level three sentry pointed directly at her. She screamed and ducked behind the corner as the rockets missed by inches. \"Okay, maybe not so easy. At least no Engis were around. That would have been embarrassing\" \"HI DASH!\" Pinkie yelled right behind her. She jumped backwards, back into the sentry's sight. \"PINKIE! wait...\" She looked around as the sentry beeped to confirm her presence. Before she could say a word, the force of three rockets gibbed her across the room. ----- After what seemed like ages (but in reality was 10 seconds), she \"awoke\" in the regenerator chamber. \"Wha? What happened? All I remember is a sentry pointed at me, some beeping, an intense hatred of Pinkie at the moment, and now I'm back here!\" \"You died\" The Engineer said nonchalantly, taking a sip of coffee and reading through some blueprints. \"My Regenerator sensed your death and reconstructed you. Now your not dead. So run along and try not to die again\" He sounded as though he'd had to explain it more than a few times already. Dash was taken aback. She'd died? No way. She was Dash. THE Dash! She'd show RED. No one kills Dash! Her steely determination spurred, she bolted off, quick as a flash. She hasn't lost something she'd set her mind to yet! Not the Young fliers competition, not her first race, and certainly not these RED losers! She smiled wide, closing her eyes and picturing how she would utterly destroy them. The lovely little dream of her's was cut short when something fiercely grabbed her tail, yanking her back. 'Why does everypony have to do that!?' she thought to herself. She swung around angrily, ready to fight whoever stopped her. \"Alright, come and get s- Rarity?\" The pony with her tail wore a mask that was adorned with the enemy Pyro's face, but it was unmistakably Rarity. Nopony else could keep their hair that luxurious during a war. Rarity spat the tail out, making a show of it by spitting and sputtering. \"My word, Rainbow Dash! How often do you wash that thing!?\" Dash gave Rarity an annoyed glare. \"None of your business. Why'd you stop me?\" Rarity spat one last time and pointed into the courtyard that Dash had almost entered. \"If you'd gone in their that court's walls would be painted in Rainbow Dash. There is a pair of sentries that I'm trying to get rid of. Honestly Dash, you need to learn to look before you leap\" Dash peeked in and, sure enough, a pair of level two's were in progress. \"Oh\" She sheepishly offered Rarity an apology. Rarity went invisible, sneaking up on the unattended sentries and placing sappers on them. Dash ran down the straight stairs. \"Thanks Rarity, I'll pay you back later!\" ------ She snuck around the RED basement. Not gonna get caught this time. No way. A beeping around the corner told her that the sentry was still operational. The pegasus gulped. Although, again, the Engineer wasn't around. she poked around the corner, just enough to see the sentry, and shot it. A few sparks jumped out. Another five or six shots, and the monster sentry exploded, leaving the room open. \"Yes! Nopony outdoes Rainbow Dash!\" She ran into the room smiling. At least, smiling until the second sentry in the room, hidden in the corner, noticed her. ----- She appeared back in spawn, looking incredibly surprised. \"There are way to many Engineers on that team\" \"I know, right?\" The Scout sat in the room, bouncing a baseball off the wall. He looked over and the ball landed in his open hand. \"Dey always do dat\" \"Why are you hanging around here? You're on break. Don't you have somewhere to go?\" She sat next to him. Talking to Scout sounded much more pleasing than getting plastered all over the walls again. \"Eh, I thought about takin' a trip home, but that'd take too long. Actually no one went anywhere. So what happened to you? Engi troubles?\" \"You could say that. Any advice?\" \"Don't do it alone. You're fast, Dash, but no amount of fast'll save ya from four hundred bullets in ya spine\" He said with little enthusiasm, as if it had happened to him a thousand times. \"Use da Heavy, or Soldier, someone. Y'ain't gunna win without a little teamwork\" He less said it and more recited it, a speech that he had apparently heard each one of those thousand reckless charges. Dash looked thoughtfully out the door. For once she couldn't bruteforce something. \"Thanks, I'll try that. 'course if I mess up, I'll be back anyway\" She started toward the door. \"Hol' up a sec\" Scout reached into his backpack, pulling out a soda can and throwing it toward her. She caught it and read the label. \"Bonk Atomic Punch? What am I s'posed to do with this?\" \"Trust me, when you need it, y'll know\" Scout went back to bouncing his ball off the wall. The cyan Pegasus looked skeptical, but put the can in her saddlebag and ran out. she jumped down and sitting on the bridge, Pinkie had a strangely pleased look on her face. \"Uh, Pinkie? Shouldn't you be doing something? Like attacking the enemy?\" \"Silly Dashie, I'm waiting for my sandwich to come back!\" Dash had long since given up on trying to figure the Pink pony out, but this intrigued her. \"Come back? What, did it run away?\" She giggled at the mental image of a sandwich running away from the ever-hungry Pinkie Pie. \"No, I ate it. But I found out that after I eat them, another one appears after a little while!!\" Just as Pinkie had said, a sandwich on a plate appeared in front of her. The only thing Dash could do was stand aghast as Pinkie devoured that one and sat waiting for the next one. Before any words could come to mind, She heard a voice from her earpiece. It was Rarity, barely audible. \"Dash? are you there? I need help\" \"Rarity? What's wrong?\" \"I'm trapped, I can't get out of their intel room, They're standing in the exits. Please? I can't fight these on my own, there's Two Engineers and two of those dreadful Pyros\" \"Why don't you just let them kill you and let yourself go back to respawn?\" \"And lose all the hard work it took to get down here? Never! Oh no\" She lowered her voice again to being barely audible. \"I think they heard me. Please hurry, Rainbow Dash\" Then the Earpiece went silent. \"Uh Oh. I can't deal with that either. But I do owe Rarity...\" She cast her glance at Pinkie, rump in the air and eyes on the pile of plates that was slowly but surely accumulating. \"Hey Pinkie Pie? Wanna help me for a sec?\" Pinkie nodded happily, sandwich in mouth. ------ They ran down the ramp, leaving RED team behind, either waiting to respawn or pointlessly firing at where they were a second ago. Dash put a hoof to her mouth, signaling to keep as quiet as they could. \"Okay, stay here and wait for my signal\" She bolted around one corner, calling the Pyros out of their posts at the doorways. She ran out, and once both were in Pinkie's sight, she yelled \"Now!\" and the pink pony unleashed a hail of gunfire from the minigun. Both of them fell quickly, Dash barely getting a scratch. One of the Engineers came out of the room, and was swiftly dispatched with the scattergun. \"Time for part 2!\" She ran to the edge of the room, this time looking all over the room. Two sentries, Level 3 each, and an Engi standing by one of them, fortunately looking away. \"Now or never\" She pulled out the can Scout had given her, popped the top, and chugged the thing. Her eyes went wide. She could feel the energy surging through her, everything seemed to move in slow motion. 'No time to marvel. Hope this works!' She ran out, and the sentries started firing. She used her caffeine time to dodge the bullets, placing herself behind the hapless Engi and causing him to be gunned down by his own building. \"Pinkie! Stage 3!\" Pinkie ran in, and while the Sentries were trained on dash, her minigun tore through one, then the other. The room was finally clear, and Dash returned to her normal speed as the Bonk's effect wore off. \"We did it!\" She was tackled to the ground by an unseen force. A spy pony appeared over her, thanking her profusely. She got to her feet. \"We're not out of the woods yet\" She grabbed the intel. \"All those guys we fought on the way in will be back by now. So Pinkie, you go up the way we came. Me and Rarity will go up the other way. Got it?\" \"You betcha!\" Pinkie ran out, sandwich in hand. \"She is so random\" Dash looked at Rarity. \"You comin' or what?\" \"You're not mad at me for dragging you into my mess?\" \"Mad? That was the most fun I've had in ages! Besides, you didn't think the spirit of loyalty would leave a friend behind, did you?\" she playfully jabbed Rarity on the shoulder. \"We better get out of here before we get caught\" They ran out of the room, past Pinkie mowing the enemy down, and out the front door, intel safely on Rainbow Dash's back." ]

[ "Leave it to Rarity to find a place for fashion in a war zone. The elegant unicorn couldn't let her friends just waltz onto the battlefield without looking the parts they played. While the weapons were being modified, she took it upon herself to modify some spare clothes to create uniforms that matched the classes. Everyone matched with some differences necessary due to differing biologies, but she was proudest of her work with Pinkie, turning Ponyville's Premier Party Pony into a spitting image of the Russian Mercenary. Which is why Rarity was flustered when Pinkie respawned wearing a black, badly kept hairpiece \"Where in Equestria did you get that garish thing?\" \"Dunno. Things just keep appearing on my head when I get back here\" \"Things?\" She asked incredulously. Pinkie pointed across the room to the cubby where Pinkie was keeping a large pile of hats. Rarity stood, mouth agape at the pile. The heavy let out a hearty laugh \"Horosho! Tiny Pink has discovered hats!\" \"Hats?\" Both said in unison, exchanging a glance \"Is greatest honor warrior can find! Hats show skill! Show Power!\" \"Show luck\" The Spy stood in the door, leaning against the wall. \"Bah. Tiny spy is jealous cause he has no hats\" \"I don't need hats, you nitwit. I'm invisible or disguised ninety-nine percent of ze time. So why would I want somezing that is meant to be seen?\" The two started getting into a fierce argument, but by that point the two ponies had left. Pinkie ran toward the enemy base, shouting until she was out of earshot. Rarity tried to do her duty, but found her mind keep drifting back to hats. 'Focus, Rarity' She chastised herself after yet another time getting caught by those dreadful Pyros. She started out of respawn, but stopped. Heavy and Spy were gone, and nopony was around. she took out her disguise kit and looked at herself in the mirror she used to replace the cigarettes. \"The Spy is right. Why would I need a hat? All it would do is mess up my mane\" She kept trying to convince herself, but a nagging voice in the back of her head made her unsure. \"Maybe Twilight will be able to help convince me\" She trotted off to find her. On her way, though, she started noticing all her friends had hats that were not made by her. Dash rushed past wearing a milkpony's cap, Derpy wore a propeller cap, and Trixie wore a Pair of goggles on her forehead. Even Angel hopped across the bridge wearing a Horned helmet. She sighed and continued her search ------ She found her in the intelligence room, grateful that she was Twilight was still wearing the hat she had made. True to form, the purple unicorn was reading some files. A pile of sticky bombs surrounded their briefcase of intelligence. Twilight looked up briefly. \"Oh, Hey Rarity.\" She went right back to reading. Apparently not finding what she was looking for, she threw the papers back in the nearby filing cabinet and withdrew a new set. \"Hello Twilight. Are you okay? You seem a little... distraught\" \"Just looking for some information\" She sounded annoyed. \"Why are you down here anyway?\" \"Have you noticed all the hats our friends seem to be finding?\" Twilight tensed at the word hats. \"Hats? Nope, no hats. Haven't seen any. Nope, just the one Applejack always wears. Why, have you found any?\" Twilight was almost frantic, talking very quickly. “No I haven’t, and I need to-” “FOUND IT!” Twilight threw a folder out of the cabinet. It’s contents spilled out, showing dozens of pictures of hats. A few Rarity recognized from her friend’s heads, many she didn’t. “Oh Twilight, not you too” “What! Just because I want a hat makes me a bad pony! ?” She stopped herself when she realized she was yelling at the top of her lungs. She laughed sheepishly, blushing. “Uh… I mean… Okay, I have seen all the hats, and yes, I don’t have one. No matter how hard I try I can’t make them. It’s like their Cutie marks: you have to find them. And I want to get one” Twilight shifted through the folder, finding a sheet of paper with writing on it. She read the contents aloud: “Easy Ways to Earn Your Hat” \"Throughout history, men have worn hats as a way of showing how much better they are than other men. “I buy hats,” a behatted man seems to say. “I am better than you!” Rarity lowered her head. “In wartime, hats were a useful way of conferring rank, and ensuring that casualties were confined to the lower classes (hence the famous command of “Don't fire till you see the tops of their heads” at the Battle of Bunker Hill by William Prescott, a general renowned for only shooting enemy combatants who were poor). During peacetime, hats have been instrumental for men to let the non-hatted know just who is wearing the hat around here.\" “Now it is your turn to earn your hat. The easiest is the method known as idling. Simply stand around for a long period of time, and allow yourself to die every once in a while. With Patience, a hat will soon adorn your head. Of course, the only surefire way to receive a hat is-” BOOM! An explosion went off next to them. They jumped up, turning to see a RED Soldier firing wildly. Twilight fired bombs at their attacker, hurting but not killing him. He fired a rocket at point blank range, and it glowed brilliantly. All three were destroyed by the blast. ----- Rarity dusted herself off. She was getting quite tired of constantly finding her sent back to the white room. A bright flash to he right and Twilight stood there. “Stupid Crockets! I was at full health!” Rarity looked over and gasped. “…What? Did I say something wrong?” Rarity sighed, lowered her head. She shook it no, then pointed to her horn. Twilight felt the area and found, perched upon it, a stove pipe hat. “YES! Yesyesyesyesyesyesyes” She bounced around in a circle, like she had when her cutie mark had appeared. Rarity walked away, shaking her head. She passed Applejack in the court, muttering under her breath and repairing the damage the soldier had done to her buildings. True to Twilight’s word, the orange pony only had the hat from her pappy on her head. But in one of her saddlebags sat a teddy bear, dressed like an engineer. The unicorn fumed and trotted away. ‘It’s not fair!’ She thought to herself. ‘I’m Rarity! Fashion-pony extraordinaire! I’m not supposed to be behind in trends! I make the trends!’ She tried to put the thought out of her mind, but they wouldn’t leave her thoughts. Time and time again her thoughts would wander away from the task at hand and cost her another life. And every respawn she put a hoof to her head, but nothing new was ever there. “After a particularly brutal death at the hands of a Sniper, she’d had enough. “That’s it!” She yelled, sitting down and refusing to move. Her friends would pass by every so often. At first they tried to persuade her back to battle, but gave up eventually and stopped trying after a few respawns. She sat for almost an hour, but boredom got to her, and soon she fell asleep. ------ “Idling, Mon petit poney? I would think you would be better than that” The Spy took a drag from his cigarette. He had nudged her awake after an hour or two. She had ended up explaining her day to him, while he sat quietly. At the end he had spoken up. “You should be out there helping your friends, not pining for useless headgear” “I am so sick of everypony telling me it’s no big deal when they all celebrate when they get their hats. How would they know how it feels! They’ve found theirs already! I’m not going anywhere until I get one!” she was starting to tear up, until she realized how foolish she must look. He sat next to her. “This is ridiculous. You have let the talk of a man who is convinced that his sandwich can talk get to you. You are no less a person… Er, pony for not having one. And the payoff for getting one isn’t that satisfying” He tossed his finished cigarette bud away, lighting a new one. “Smoking’s bad for you, you know” her voice was a little weak. “So is obsession. Look… Rarity, was it?” She nodded. “I know how you feel. Do you know how long I’ve been here?” She shook her head. “Neither do I. I’ve lost track of ze days. But in all zis time I have found only one thing that is considered a hat. Do you want to see it?” She nodded, and he went over to his cubby, pulling something out of a box. He put it on and turned around. It was a large fake beard with a camera sticking out the bottom. “Ze Camera Beard. I found it one Christmas. Needless to say, I wasn’t happy. Ze payoff isn’t worth ze hype. So get the thought of hats out of your head before you’re disappointed” Rarity stared at the floor deep in thought. After a while, she stood up. “Thank you, Mister Spy. I think I understand. She had more confidence. She didn’t need a hat. Especially if that Garish thing was what could be considered her ‘prize’. She put a medic disguise on and ran out. He watched her leave. Once she was gone, he took the beard off and put it back in the box, next to the beret he prized. ‘Who said Spies have to tell the truth’ he thought as he put the lid back on. ---- The pseudo pep talk gave her all the energy she needed to focus on the work, successfully pushing the thought away. She’d sap engineer buildings and even got a few kills on Heavies, Soldiers, and even an oblivious Pyro once. That kill had made her laugh a little. She was in the middle of wreaking a little havoc when Pinkie came in and decimated the team. With all of RED incapacitated at the moment, they chatted a little. “Feeling better, Rarity?” Pinkie had an umbrella hat on, but the unicorn didn’t let it bother her. “Much. I don’t need to validate myself with some silly hat” “That’s goo- Whoa-a-a-a” Pinkie’s tail started twitching violently. Rarity covered her head, waiting for a soldier or worse to fall from the sky. “Well, at least I know that still works” Pinkie took a step towards the spiral stairs. A gunshot rang out, and she fell to the ground. Rarity screamed and turned to see the enemy’s Sniper throw a jar of something. It broke and covered her. After a second she realized exactly what it was. “EWWW!!! YOU VILE DISGUSTING HORRID AWFUL-“ Her tirade was cut short from a single swing of the man’s kukri. “Eweweweweweweeeewwwww!!! !” She was still yelling as she respawned. She’d closed her eyes and violently shook out her mane to get the feeling off of her. “If that never happens again it’ll still be too soon” She shuddered and walked out. Pinkie looked back to see the source of the yelling. “He got you too?” Rarity nodded. “I think I’m gonna stay away from him. I mean, I don’t really wanna get close to any of them, especially that spy, and I guess it doesn’t matter if I’m close because I mean that gun can hit everything from really far away right.” Rarity kept walking, pushing the memory as far back as she could. Pinkie looked back and did a double take. “Waitaminute Rarity!” Pinkie plopped something on the unicorn’s head. Rarity pulled out the hand mirror and looked at it. It couldn‘t be… but… it was! “A hat!” Atop her head sat a simple Fedora, it‘s color matching her suit‘s. She adjusted it to fit correctly, a smile plastered on her face “It fell off when you were shaking from the… wait. That‘s it? That‘s what I sensed? A hat falling off someone‘s head? Well that‘s not much fun. Or was it that the hat was going to drop? But I suppose…” Rarity didn’t hear much after that, as she trotted triumphantly out of the spawn, her Fancy Fedora taking it‘s place upon her head." ]