Amaretto paced back and forth in the small room he and Theá shared. It had been a few days since they had felt that massive eruption of magic. He had wanted to do something, even if it wasn't his place nor any of his concern. On a purely personal level he didn't care much in regards to whether or not this Silver Scalpel managed to raise a ton of dead people, but he still felt compelled to doing something about him. At the very least, he admitted, something about that damn unicorn felt off--wrong, even. Light streamed through the window, hitting the contentedly snoozing Theá, as she lay on the bed with her paws underneath her head. She still retained her canine body, if only for the sake of remaining anonymous. He couldn't say exactly--nor could she, for that matter--but he figured that the town wouldn't react too kindly to a God waltzing around their their houses; especially considering they were within the Moon & Star borders. Or very close to, at least. He never could remember. "Why aren't we doing anything?" He asked suddenly, ceasing his pacing, and instead stood rigidly before her. "That bastard did something huge, and you're not even going to investigate it?" He was still sour about how she didn't even do anything when that explosion, or whatever it was, rocked the forest near the town. "I don't need to," she replied simply, eyes still closed. "And why not? I know you're a God, but you're not omniscient, for Celestia's sake!" One of her eyes opened, peering at him with an intensity similar to that of the owl watching the mouse on the ground. Even casual as the look in her eye seemed, it was enough to give him pause. "Because he's not here anymore," she replied. "He's gone, and has been for a while. Usually a few of my Sentinels are picked off every day, but there have been no deaths since the explosion." "So he's not here... Then why the fuck are we still sitting here? You know where he is, I take it?" To his surprise, and great chagrin, she shook her head. "I do not, nor have I done very much to search for him. First of all, several parties of his... servants, have gone different directions. I felt what I think is a teleport spell of some magnitude, but t'is not my field of expertise and I can say neither destination nor direction. The fact that his servants all go in different directions makes it nigh impossible for me to find him at the moment. At least, impossible without actively searching for him." Amaretto looked at her like a deer caught in front of a speeding carriage. "...What?" Rolling her one opened eye, Theá stood up and shook herself awake. "Yes, I have ceased my search on him, at least for the time being. I have a number of Sentinels out and about which may pick up trails of him, but I doubt that I'd find anything worth investigation without giving them directions. As of now they act just like any other animal would. Eat, sleep, shit, and attempt to reproduce." "Right," the unicorn deadpanned. "Alright. So what now? We're wasting time here and if you're not going to go after him, and he's already left, I assume I'm free to go home, then? Celestia knows I want to." Theá nodded, large ears flapping with the motion. "You're free to go home." She tilted her head then, as if thinking something over. "If you wish, I can take you some of the way." Amaretto thought it over for a moment, clicking his tongue in thought. He wanted to get home quickly, so he probably could convince her to take him to the edge of the Everfree, but there was somewhere else he wanted to go first. "Can you take me to Northgate? I need to see someone there. You don't have to take me further than that; I'll make the rest of the trip myself." Theá nodded. "Very well." She quickly resumed her alicorn body, and, lighting her horn, conjured a small sparrow. She sent it flying out the window where it quickly flew to where Xerihan rested; landing on the windowsil and started pecking away at the window to get his attention. I have gone. If you wish directions, send this sparrow with a message to the individual known as Meelo. He will know a place where you can rest, and can pay for your stay as well. She light her horn again, then, looking at Amaretto. He was about to open her mouth to ask her what she was doing, when her magic flared and sent them both hurtling through the fabric of space. They found themselves standing in a clearing in the forest just north of Woodswatch, Theá already stretching her wings. "I will fly you there." She smiled, a rare occurence. "Teleportation is faster, but I prefer flying." She grabbed Amaretto in her telekinesis and yanked him with her, as she took off, flapping her great wings with such force that they soon reached speeds which most Pegasi would find themselves incapable of. The soared north-north west, aiming for Northwatch, and, unknowingly to the both of them, flying right above the cavern in which Scalpel currently resided. To Be Continued

Two weeks. May as well have been two months. Glory was slumped over the ship’s side. The discomfort of the rail’s rough surface, scraping her chest was lost to her as she fought the wave of nausea. Ever since she had gotten on board the damn ship she had been wracked with sea-sickness and insomnia most fierce. The ever present rolling of the deck, and the salty air did not sit well with the unicorn mare. She had hardly eaten anything and when she thought sleep would bring her relief she found the constant movement of the ship across the waves of the ocean wouldn’t allow her respite. She would lie awake fighting off wave after wave, only catching an hour or two a night. It never ended! What’s worse she knew she looked the fright but frankly her ability to care was nonexistent. Her coat was horribly matted, her mane was a shambles of knots and kinks, and dark circles framed her eyes. Her face was tinged a pale green, the color of pus. She was thankful the blue-green water of the sea held no reflection. A flutter of feathers and the light thud of hooves hitting the wooden planks of the deck sounded behind her. Glory didn’t bother looking to see who it was, she knew full well. Epic Lore walked up beside her and took a deep breathe, relishing the salty sea air. Glory clamped a hoof over her mouth as bile threatened to rise once more. A warm, gentle breeze tussled his unkempt mane and he allowed his wings to hang freely, catching the breeze between sensitive feathers. The sun was just starting to set as they approached Manehatten Bay. The journey was nearly over and he was sad to see it end. “I’m going to miss that ocean breeze,” I said, contently. He glanced at his friend. “Aren’t you?” Her response came in the form of her retching her lunch over the side into the water below. “Still sick?” he asked. A cheeky grin threatened to form at the corners of his mouth. She turned a glare at the stallion, her silver eye gleaming dangerously. The effect was lessened though thanks to her inability to act on any threats, implied or otherwise, and Lore knew it. As far as he was concerned it was open season on the mare. He knew she would be fine, as did she. So there was room for teasing. Finally she croaked: “Of course not. I’ve just fallen in love with the feeling of sea sickness and self-induced myself.” Another wave of nausea forced bile to once again climb her sore throat. “Girl has yet to get her sea legs under her eh,” spoke a thickly accented voice. Lore looked back at the Captain as he approached. He was a burly bronze Nhorse, standing head and shoulders above even Glory. His grey mane hung freely while his long beard was kept in two thick ropes by a pair of brass tubes. Glory vomited, again. “That’d be a no,” Lore chuckled as he rubbed her back. She’d have brushed him off but the sensation felt so good. It gave her a little respite. The ship sailed through the bays entrance, a thin strip of water three large galleons across between the tips two curved peninsulas. Lore looked up in wonder at the ivory towers that stood watch over the bay like silent guardians. Innumerable docks and wharves lined the stone edges of the harbor, hugging the body of water life two massive white arms. He noticed and named off the many types of ships he saw in the harbor. Skips, schooners, galleons, even a buck-of-war or two. Most bore a single white diamond proudly across their white sails. “Whitegold Armada,” the Captain snorted, pulling Lore’s attention away from the sights. “Bunch of pirates the lot of ‘em.” He pulled out a stout bulbous pipe and lit one end with a match. Glory chanced a glance at one of the passing ships that bore the sails of Whitegold. Ponies clad in immaculate navy blue military uniforms walked along the deck, securing lines and rigging. “I doubt pirates would wear military dress.” “Put a fancy suit n a rat it’s still a rat.” The stallion took a puff of his pipe then walked toward the upper deck, where the wheel resided. “Come on lad,” he said to Lore,” You can help the crew secure the rigging.” “Will do Captain.” Lore gave Glory a meaningful look, asking if she was alright. A simple nod sent him on his way as the Captain began bellowing orders. The Unicorn’s eyes scanned the city-scape of Manehatten. From her vantage point the city was massive with a titanic white tower standing in the distance. Skyscrapers of stone rose like weeds, threatening to choke their neighbors. The ship was successfully docked some two hours ago. The sun had barely drifted below the horizon, casting the world in a deep dusk. Glory sat on the dock, awaiting Lore as he packed up his belongings in the cabin they’d shared. He was no doubt saying his good-byes. Lore’s belongings were all packed since the trip began. She had jumped ship the second the ship had moored. She tapped her hoof impatiently on the wooden planks. Finally. Lore came walking down the gangplank, hoisting bags weighed down with tomes, parchments, and quills. “I’d have thought you’d gotten lost,” she said with an edge to her voice. “I was about to come find you.” It went unnoticed as he regarded her with a grin. “Just making sure I had everything.” The pair walked the streets. Lanterns burned brightly from atop metal poles. The smell of burning oil reminded them of Lavidport. The decided to stay the night in the Blue Gull, a small hotel that resided at the middle city edge, just outside the harbor district. Lore paid for separate rooms. They said their goodnights as they slipped inside their respective rooms. He’s requested the rooms be close together. Once inside Glory shed her bags and collapsed on the fluffy, firm bed. She was asleep seconds after her head hit the pillow. Lore stayed up that night studying his latest tome, an account of noble lineages of Canterlot. He looked out at the starlit sky from his room window, a small smile crossing his lips. Their journey had begun. From here on out they were on their own. He blew out his candle and steeled into bed. He would get his answers, he was sure. Soon… Glory awoke with a start. She was in a hotel room, she half remembered how she got here. Despite the small pool of drool that had accumulated under her cheek she felt rather good, energized. She stretched coiled muscles and yawned. Glory hopped off her bed and made a beeline for the bathroom. She stepped out of her room an hour later in the immaculate dress uniform of the Free Army. Her mane was styled in its signature wave over her right eye, hiding the gristly scar. She checked her time piece. Seven thirty two. Good. She snapped the watch shut and made for the lobby. Glory found the dining area and ordered her breakfast. Some minutes later two plates bearing dried apple slices, croissants dribbled in honey, and a crisp, fresh pear slices were set before her and the seat across from her as well as two tall glasses of fresh orange juice. She curtly thanked the waitress and set to eating her meal. Lore arrived in the dining area sometime later clad in his grey robes, his mane pulled back in a rough ponytail. “I took the liberty of ordering you meal,” she said as she dabbed her lips with her napkin. She had finished her meal not seconds before. “What is our next move?” She set her plate aside as Lore began eating. “Well,” he said between bites,” I need to meet with Professor Crypt at the Stockhoof Academy in the Inner City. It’s in the artisan’s district. I have papers so we can gain entry. If you want you can explore the districts while I see to the old stallion. Just keep your papers on you.” “Thank you,” she said in an even tone,” But I shall go with you.” She wanted to know exactly what was going on and why they were seeing this Crypt. He more than likely had information on these Alicorns. “Don’t say I didn’t’ warn you,” he said as he swallowed another mouthful of food. “From what I read in his letters guy’s duller than a rusty plow.” “I shall endure,” she said simply. After he was done she paid their bill. The streets were horribly narrow up into the Inner City filled to the brims with other people going about errands in the morning sun. Glory caught more than one pickpocket start to target them but they were deterred quickly as she exposed the steel of her blade. The glinting metal and glare deterred the would-be thieves. She heated thieves, and would enjoy beheading one or two but in these narrow streets she held back. They came to a check point, an entrance into the Inner City. One of the armor clad guards slammed his halberd in front of them, cracking the stone. “Your papers,” he said forcefully. Such disregard for his weapon. Glory noticed the cuts in the stone. The ax blade was no doubt dull due to this treatment. Glory’s eyes narrowed but she held her tongue. Lore pulled out the necessary papers and handed them to the guard. “Here you are.” He overlooked them after snatching them from Lore’s grasp. Glory took a menacing step forward. The other guard noticed and took a single step forward. The guard that had the papers looked them over before giving them back rather harshly. “Stay out of trouble.” They allowed access through the gate for Lore and Glory. Lore stepped through but Glory stayed back. Before either could speak she whipped her blade out in a flash of silver, the tip touching one’s throat. The one that had been rude to Lore to be exact. Both froze. “Be aware of who you disrespect,” she said in a chilled, even tone. “Or next time you’ll find yourselves relieved of your tongues.” As quick as the blade had been out it was sheathed again, hidden under her coat. She walked into the gate. The guards contemplated running after her for threatening to assault an officer but thought it wiser to leave her be. “You ok?” Lore asked as she fell into step beside him once again. “They didn’t give you trouble did they?” “No,” she said with a small smile. “I simply coached them in etiquette.” She left it at that. They traveled in silence as Lore gazed up at the architecture. It was intricate, bright and wide in the Inner City. Fountains dotted the many squares. Ponies in rich, elaborate dress walked the streets. Glory felt eyes on her and Lore. She ignored the stares she knew she and her friend were receiving. Few saw the dress uniform of the Free Armies. It was an odd sight. The Academy was a large circular building adorned with pillars and wide open halls. The architecture Lore noted was inspired by pre-Equestrian Pegasi structures no doubt. They walked in, maneuvering through the slew of students carrying scrolls and tomes. They found Professor Crypt in the middle of a lecture in one of the lecture-halls. He was telling the students about the beginning of the Celestial Age, a time when Equestria was fraught with war, within and without. The pair settled in for the lecture. Lore listened intently. Crypt was a dark silver Unicorn of about fifty years of age. He was short but carried himself well, dignified even. He wore the dark blue robes of the Moon and Stars Scholar about his slim frame. His tine was monotone, dull during the entirety of the lecture. Discipline kept Glory from nodding off. Near the end of the lesson Crypt had noticed their arrival. “Ah yes Scholar Lore,” he drawled,” Class, this is an associate of mine and valued colleague of mine.” The class room regarded Lore with respect as he stepped down to greet Crypt. The stallions shook hooves. “Tell me my friend what is your take on the wars of that time.” “Well I would admit they are grand form the accounts I’ve read.” Lore looked at the young faces, many not yet in their twentieth year. “But what of the losers. Alas history is written by the winners and is always biased.” He chuckled and clapped his colleague on the back. “But that’s what Scholars such as us are for, discerning truth from fiction. To follow up one the account of the Cloudsdale uprising was what started the need for a legit Royal Army as I recall. Ah to have lived in those times.” “I don’t doubt they were much harder back then.” “Depends on which side of the world you hail from.” Crypt chuckled fondly. ”Indeed.” He turned to his class and dismissed them. “And don’t forget to bring a copy of the Rift Inquiries tomorrow.” Once the hall was empty Crypt gathered his things and they walked to his office. Glory walked a step behind them. “Now how was your venture across the sea?” “It was grand. Though I think I was the only one who enjoyed it.” Glory snorted at that. “Who is your friend here?” “I am Glory, formally of the Free Armies,” Glory said introducing herself. “I am acting as Epic Lore’s bodyguard during the duration of his stay here in Equestria.” “You speak well Lady Glory.” Crypt looked her up and down. “You wouldn’t by chance be of Noble birth from Canterlot would you? Your accent reminds me of there.” “My father was,” she said curtly. “I picked it up from him.” “I see. Ah hear we are.” They followed him inside a small study brimming with scholarly tools and artifacts. He took a seat behind a large desk and Lore took a seat in front of it. Glory opted to stand. “As to your request. From what I’ve gathered the rumors are true.” Lore’s eyes widened and a grin broke out on his muzzle. “Now before you get too excited you should know they are hard to track down. I don’t know where they roost as it were but I’ll tell you one thing death follows them. I’ve on good authority there have been a good many bloody encounters.” “Where did you get this information?” Glory asked her eyes cold as ice, locked on his. Lore gave her a look that said ‘easy’. “From a reliable source I assure you.” “Then how do you know it to be true?” “Because I’ve seen one of them myself.” He sat back. “The Palace of Ivory Shores houses one. I’ll warn you she’s an odd ball but she can restore anything to pristine condition. A service she provides freely I might add.” “One you took full advantage of I’m guessing?” Lore asked with a knowing smile. Crypt matched his smile,” Bet your best quills I did. Three first editions on sealing techniques of the dead by Void Gaze restored to perfect condition. Ponies can come and go as they please. Another scholar wouldn’t be of any consequence.” “Wonderful!” Lore shot up his wings twitching in anticipation. Glory chanced a smile. ‘Finally.

Glroy strode out onto the battlefield, her blade gleaming in the firelight. Her steps were even, calculated. A dark smirk played on her lips as a soldier rand toward her. Silver magic lashed out catching him mid-stride. Poor fool fell on her blade. She walked on. Why…? Blood danced in the light, crimson streams, as her blade lashed out, keen and deadly. Another throat opened. A faceless soldier, intent on avenging the fallen, lunged skillfully and danced around her blade. She licked her lips and struck out with quick hooves, opening holes in his defense then in his chest. Another fallen she walked on, head held high. Why did I do it? The fires lashed out, licking at her hooves from behind. Three spears of light skewered another soldier. Another faceless corpse. She sneered as she teleported inside a soldier’s guard, no shock, no fear. Silver steel opened his throat. He fell. She walked on blade out, horn aglow. No fear. None. They kept pushing forward. Two more fell before her, scarlet slid down her blade in rivulets. Her brow darkened with a scowl. Why did I kill him? Three more fell thinking they could overpower her. No. Fear! She screamed as her blade sang, swift through flesh and bone. A macabre dance she performed around the three. A flash and she was at another’s side, a spear of light erupting under him. He allies charged with her, many falling to the enemy. “Fight!” She shouted to her fellows. “For glory!” [/i]I did it.[/i] Her allies pushed forward but to no avail. They fell to enemy steel. Glory end two, three, four more. She stepped over the corpse of an ally. Weakness. She snorted and ran another enemy through. Another sally fell before her. Such weakness. “Glory.” She stopped and looked down. Her heart stopped. She had stepped over her brother’s body. Blood turned his coat a ruddy brown. “Why?” She looked down, her blade was in his chest. Time froze as he turned to ash in her hooves. “I killed him.” Glory woke in a start, sweat had plastered her mane to her forehead and her chest heaved. She was back in the hotel room, in her covers. It was night, the pale light of the moon offering little light against the suffocating darkness. Her head pounded like her magic was bursting to get out. Tears stung the edges of her eyes. Rage bubbled up inside her belly and she lashed out. The table lamp shattered spraying glass all over the floor. Pain flared in her hoof, blood seeping out. She stared at it, only growing angrier. And the damn tears wouldn’t stop. There was a pounding on the door. IN a blur of movement she teleported, a shard of glass in her magic and ripped open the door. Lore flinched back. Glory stopped just before she opened him. “Damn it Lore!” she exclaimed,” I almost killed you!” Lore tried in vain to stop his heart from pounding in his chest. “I heard a crash.” He loked around the room, noticing the bits of glass on the carpet. “What happened?” “Just a nightmare.” “Are you-“ “I’m fine!” she snapped, cutting him off. She gathered her nightgown around herself. “Now if you’re done banging on my door. Get out.” She winced at his hurt expression. “Please.” He noticed the blood on the floor and pointed to her hoof. “Oh Geez you’re bleeding.” He rushed out and in a flurry of white feathers and appeared a moment later with a small box. “Sit,” he commanded, pointing to a small stool in front of the vanity. “Really, I’m fine. Now please-“ No buts missy. Sit.” Glory sighed. There was no arguing with the feather-brain when his dander was up. She sat down with a huff. Lore pulled out the contents: rubbing alcohol, gauze, medical tape. He tended to her cut in silence. She huffed and let him. So you want to talk about it?” Lore asked, his eyes on the cut. He pressed a strip of gauze dipped in the alcohol to the deep laceration. She didn’t even flinch. Pain was no stranger to her. “The nightmare I mean.” “Not really.” “I see.” Lore looked back at his work. “It was about Gambit wasn’t it?” She looked up in shock. “How’d you…?” “I heard you crying out a week ago in your sleep when you finally got more than a few hours,” he looked up at her. A wings brushed a stray tears from her cheek. “That and I’ve only ever seen you cry after his death.” Lore flicked his wings and began wrapping the cut. “I’m here if you need to talk alright.” “Thank you,” she whispered, pulling her hoof away. Lore looked at the clock on the wall. It was late and they had a big day tomorrow. “Hey, we can talk in the morning. For now let’s get some sleep. Do you need any-“Glory’s horn glowed and the glass was swept into a nearby trash bin in a flash of silver. “…help?” he finished. “I’ll be fine.” Glory smiled weakly,” And thank you. I mean it.” Glory watched him leave in silence. When he was gone she said one thing before laying down in bed again. “Goodnight.”

Under the evening sky, two ponies ran across the plain. Their cloaks seemed to blend into the twilight, providing some cover. But it was little comfort to the two travellers. Lens and Southwatcher were still a long ways from Golden Pines, and were not sure if they were being pursued. Here at such open land they would be easy targets, if not hunting party then bandits or the minions of the Laughing Mare. Southwatcher, despite being under the influence of whatever the Inquisition drugged her with, was able to keep a steady pace. Alas, Solar Lens found herself struggling to stay active. She had spent more time in the labs than exercising. Much to their luck they came across what once was a farm. But the main barn had collapsed with the roof fallen inwards. Only the silo remained standing, and even then it lacked a roof. Lens looked over to Southy, nodding over to the structure. The Earth pony nodded, getting that would be the best place to spend the night. Half an hour later, the pair were in what was a small cellar. They had checked the area, carefully making sure no other ponies or unwanted guests were staying. The barn’s understructure was too wet and smelled foul, and the remains of the house did not provide much protection. By chance, they found some stairs that lead to a sturdy oak door. Inside was dry if a bit cold. As the stairs was obscured by the ruins, it was unlikely anypony would find it right away. Southwatcher and Lens blocked the inside of the door, and finally rested. --- On the other end of Equestria, Scalpel oversaw the readying of his forces for the task ahead. They had little time in which to achieve their goal, but with sufficient skill and a bit of good luck they might succeed where others would fail. The plan required the entire thing to go as smooth as clockwork, and it was making him nervous, anything else and the Stormwing legions would be alerted to his presence. He paced back and forth in nervous agitation, trying to calm himself down. Recently one of the squads of his Risen had come from Woodswatch and rejoined with the main group, which had given him some measure of relief. He hadn’t heard from the forest god either, so he assumed he’d managed to get her off his trail, at least for the moment. He was standing in the cave they had occupied with his equipment. Most of it was still packed up, asides from fold up chairs and a few tables which were easily disassemblable. Over in the corner the bodies of the captives lay from where Scalpel had dealt with them when Zodiac had returned. They drooled and muttered incoherently to one another on occasion, but for the most part they seemed almost catatonic. He’d have to deal with them at some point if he had the chance, although he figured that might just be a waste of his time. I doubt they’ll have the strength to even recover, let alone talk to anyone. he mused, wandering over to the Inquisitors serum bags and beginning to pack them up. He’d cleaned the equipment before he finished with it, and the dull steel glinted in what remained of the daylight. The serum had proven to be rather effective, it was a wonder he hadn’t used it much before really, but then he’d never seen much of a need to consult the brains of the living in regards to his studies. He figured he had enough to synthesize his own at some point, but that would require shipping in the chemicals and figuring out the formula for its completion, so it was out of the question right now. He turned to his nearby saddlebags, each pouch filled with accumulated lore, as well as both rare books which the trade had supposed to exchange. Lens had been on his mind of late, he wondered how she was doing, where she was, and how she felt. He’d left in a rush and an inopportune time, he hadn’t been given much time to get to know her as well as he might have under different circumstances. He paused before the bag, before lighting it up with a touch of magic, and lifting out a small intricate metal box and giving it a look. bringing it over to a nearby table he sat down, legs crossed, his forehooves on the table with the box in front of him. Should he make the call? it might have been a bad time to do so. He didn’t know yet, which was why he’d asked her to call him instead. He didn’t want to draw attention to the beautiful mare more than was necessary. He sat there frowning for a while, before making up his mind. He would send out a projection. --- Southwatcher took the first watch by the door, while Lens decided to get some rest. Around the bend of some rock there was small alcove with some shelves. At one time it might had held canning jars, but there was now nothing but dust. Somepony at one time or another took the food. Lens checked the area for glass or any pest, and it was nothing but bare stone. She lay down and attempted to sleep. Despite her tired legs and aching back, the unicorn could not fall asleep. Her mind was back to the Noxferus, whose real name she kept secret. Her heart was still with him, wherever he went. She turned to her side and took out from her saddlebag his gift. Looking at the device, she wanted to see the Doctor again, and wondered if he felt the same way. She avoided using the device during the run - Lens did not want to endanger Scalpel. That and no doubt the Doctor would have been busy setting up a new shop. But days have gone by… and each day her heart longed to see the stallion’s face. And now that Lens was by herself and secure (she hoped), perhaps she could give into her soul’s desire. She studied the device, and gave a guess in how to activate it. I have no experience with Astral projection. Grandfather noted the dangers of attempting such magic, but I’m sure the Noxferus’ device should be safe enough. Here I go… So she thought back to the handsome face of Scalpel, his smile, his eyes full of intellect and passion, his wonderful coat and well developed body. Her horn began to glow, and she felt the slow transfer of magic from her to the device. She closed her eyes to focus on the image more, and waited. --- At the same time, Scalpel on the other end of Equestria was doing just the same thing. He imagined her soft luxurious mane, parting wonderfully down her face in cascading waves, her piercing orange eyes, her soft blue coat, his heart aflutter slightly as he revelled in the memory. But most of all he remembered the towering intellect behind the beauty, and which intermingled fantastically with her features to create a truly stunning mare. Channeling these thoughts into his mind, and then activating his magic into the device, he readied himself for the projection. Suddenly his mind began to leave his body, still connected by a strong link to it, but drifting away towards the device. With a rush of magic he made the connection and the small box sang harmoniously, the gem rising from it to levitate above it, spinning and growing ever brighter. Finally with a woosh of exhilaration he felt the connection on the other side be made, but it was made even easier when he realised that at that same time, Lens had also done the same as him. With a rush of energy, the gem on Lens’ side erupted in a cascade of light and magical essence, pouring out like a twisting serpent from the gem. Slowly this magic correlated itself, the image growing clearer, until the ghostly ethereal form of Scalpel stood levitating before her, surrounded by a miasma of magic and a small amount of the cavern he was sitting in. He blinked momentarily in surprise and looked about, around him he could see what seemed to be a cellar, old and dusty. But that was not what caught his eye. Before him, Lens lay, looking up at him with a loving smile on her face. She looked tired, like she’d been on the run for a while, and there were faint traces of bags under her eyes, but to him she was just as beautiful as the day he’d first seen her. He gave her a small smile, the passion and adoration seeping out of him like concentrated magic as he took her in again. “Lens” he breathed, and savored the word, “I… I’ve missed you.” ---- The Scholar was silent as she looked into the eyes of Scalpel, usually hardened but were now lovely. Her own eyes began to quiver and she smiled. In the three days she and Southy were on the run, Lens did not forget him. And to hear his voice after running that long… Lens couldn’t hold back the joyful tears. “Thank you,” Lens said, wiping the tears away. “It seems like forever since we spoke, Doctor Noxferus.” His real name Lens swore never to reveal or speak aloud. In was kept in a maze of thoughts, buried under the most subconscious defenses that her training had prepared. If any pony ever penetrated those defenses via force, Lens would be left insane and incoherent. Any only Scalpel and the Inquisition were the only ones who do that without destroying her mind. And Lens had no intention of being captured by the Moon and Stars. A new passion drove her, love that was left kindled that meeting in the manse in Woodwatch days ago. Emotions now reawakening at the sight of Scalpel. “Please, if I am interrupting something, let me know. But…” Lens took a deep breath. “... I needed to know if you were alright.” Scalpel chuckled at that, a bright smile settling over his face as she spoke, “Quite the contrary, I have some time on my hooves as of late, although I’ll be moving camp later tonight. That will be the first of the decisive changes in my fortunes, although I’m afraid I should leave the details vague for now.” he scratched his chin thoughtfully, before returning to her with an eager look, “Interestingly enough we managed to activate the Astral projection at the same time… I must admit, I’ve been concerned about how you were doing for the last few days. I … left at an ill time, I worry that the Inquisition might still be on your hooves. Tell me, how are you progressing in your travels?” “Been rough as of the past day or so,” Lens replied. “But I should probably start from the beginning, after you had transported away. “I rushed out of the mansion as fast as I could, once I was able to compose myself. Funnily enough I almost forgot to close the front door. I went back and slammed it and made my way to the Inn. I found the place more than a mess after the party, with the bar mares less than happy with the job they had to do. I inquired about Scarlet and Southwatcher, my fellow Scholar. Of Scarlet, the maids knew nothing and they said Southy rested in my room. “The Innkeeper was there, attending over my catatonic peer. Alas, he did not see Scarlet either, and he seemed rather anxious when I mentioned her description.” Lens sighed. “Scarlet must have left, before I could properly thank her for saving me from the Inquisition. But she must have known that the Moon and Stars would send someone to find out what happened that night.” Scalpel nodded, “Scarlet is perfectly fine, we met shortly after the incident at the Monolith, I ended up hiring her to see to some personal matters on my behalf, although I didn’t know that she’d left so soon. She was... Ah, rather inebriated that night. She may have decided to start out on a whim. I may be able to contact her soon, if so I’ll send her your thanks, she was one of the people to vouch on your behalf after the incident.” Lens blushed a bit. “Well, Scarlet does know how to party, I think Nocturne could tell you the details if you want. In any case, thank you. “Now where was I… yes, the Inn. I gathered what little baggage I had, which was a medical bag. I wasn’t sure which serum the Inquisition had used on Southy. Chances are she would be fine in a couple of days. But time being short, I took some desperate measures and injected her with a syringe of hyperactivity stimulant, the stuff that acts like adrenaline. “Sure enough she literally jumped out of the bed and was standing on the ceiling.” Scalpel smirked at that, “Sounds like Nocturne after too many drinks, goodness knows Honey had to beat her down with a broom for roosting on the ceiling after the party you three had. She kept on hissing, but eventually settled down a bit after a lot of grumbling.” “Regardless, I think the serum used on her was a lesser variant, as far as I can tell the concoction you were injected with was a recent invention, high priority targets only. Doubtless she would have made a recovery sooner of later, but the shot you gave her couldn’t have hurt, probably helped in getting out of there fast I imagine.” Lens nodded, and chuckled at Scalpel’s comments. “Southy is a rather large unicorn, sometimes she gets mistaken for a stallion. I couldn’t drag her all the way to the safehouse at Golden Pines. But bad luck came our way. “Just as I was paying the Innkeeper extra money - to tell anyone looking for me that I headed south for Manehatten, the door busted open. There was one of the Town Watch, Pathfinder and Lily, who seemed rather worried.” Lens sighed. “It seems that Lily went to the Watch after Longsight did not return that night. Worse, it seems the Innkeeper contacted the Watch earlier about Southy. As a result, we were delayed by an investigation.” “It took hours, but I managed to convince the authorities that there was a misunderstanding. And by convince, I mean bribe. The Town needed medicine, so I traded my bag to get Pathfinder to look the other way.” Scalpel gave a small sigh of relief “Thank goodness for that, honestly now that I think about it I should have expected as much, I could have left a sizable amount of bits to assist with bribing process. Its not like my family had any dearth of wealth, even if you one is of the more unwelcome members of said family.” He began to pace slightly before the Astral projector, a slight frown on his face, “I do wonder if the Innkeeper will keep his end of the deal, hopefully he’ll keep his mouth shut. How far are you from one of your safehouses?” “This pegasus Pathfinder was rather odd - he didn’t want money. I had more than enough to bribe him as well, but instead he just began talking about Woodwatch’s lack of medical supplies, implying he wanted that instead. “Now I have two hypotheses why he wanted my bag. One was that he was a addict and needed a fix. But considering he was in fine shape and very focused, I don’t think that was the case. The second was, well, he was willing to bend the rules so the Town itself would benefit. I know it sounds strange in times like these, but there was something about him that indicated that. “But I should return from this odd tangent. We’re about a day’s march away from the nearest Scholar safehouse. But we needed to rest for tonight.” Scalpel’s frown got slightly deeper at the information Lens had just given him, the cynical portion of his brain beginning to question the watchpony’s motives. “That’s a very curious reaction to this Lens. Call me a cynic but it sounded vaguely like he was up to something. I don’t know, perhaps I should keep an ear out for him the future, see if he starts turning up in the ‘wrong’ circles.” Out of the gloom of the cave, another figure emerged from the darkness, heavily shrouded and bent to whisper in Scalpels ear. After the figure had finished it turned and left, but not before giving Lens an analytical look as it past, clearly displaying the features of the dead Inquisitor Longsight. Scalpel continued as if he hadn’t noticed, sitting back down again and turning to give her a warm look, “On my end we seem to have a bit of mixed luck. a portion of the force had to be split off as I couldn’t transport them during the ritual, regardless we’ve had them making their way to temporary camp over the past few days. Tonight we’re planning an operation, which, if it goes successfully will give me a permanent hidden base so I can work relatively undisturbed. Hopefully, with this developed I might be able to be with you in a more physical manner than the Astral projection device.” A slight blush erupted across his face, the tantalising thoughts of being close to Lens’ filling him with some level of glee, “It’ll be good to see you again in person…” But Lens had paled somewhat, her limbs began to shake. She closed her eyes and shook her head to regain her wits. She did not respond right away, but then spoke: “That… unit that just spoke to you… it was like seeing a ghost. Was that… who i think it was?” Scalpel looked a bit confused at that, tilting his head to the side. Eventually however, the dawning sense of realisation kicked in, and his mouth thinned a little at the mistake he’d just committed. Stupid, stupid stupid! he scolded, I should have realised, goodness me I’ve made a right mess. With a very clipped and formal tone he replied, looking a little nervous as he did so, “Ah… yes. That would happen to be the recently deceased Longsight, although there isn’t much of her left in there anymore. The resurrection process doesn’t bring back the souls of the dead the same way the cult does. There are fragments left, abilities, traits, not much else. The new possessor of the body calls herself Zodiac, and she’s proven to be a useful asset to the cause. I thought I had mentioned before that the Inquisitors had been ‘processed’. Perhaps I wasn’t as clear as I thought. I apologise for that… its my fault.” he looked a little downtrodden at that, slightly saddened to have made Lens so afraid. “No, no, this is no fault of your own,” Lens said. “It just… this is the first Risen that I could recognized as living before. I didn’t know Longsight very much, and until you told me, I didn’t even known of what she did to me. It’s unnerving, because just a week ago I saw her, alive, just a rather curious missionary. To see her body moving as if nothing happened, changed as it might be… it’s like the a ghost coming to visit. Something shocking even to a Doctor like me.” He nodded back understandingly, “I guess it would seem rather uncanny, personally I’ve never felt it exactly. Then again, I’ve never resurrected anyone who I knew particularly well, or much at all, I wonder how I’d react if I did so, probably not as well as you I imagine.” He rubbed his face, slightly relieved that the situation wasn’t as dire as he’d previously presumed, “Perhaps we should move to other topics?” I hope the Noxferus will never have to face such an instance, to see a friend come back from the dead, as if nothing happened, Lens though. She nodded. “I should finish my tale quickly. Of the Missionaries I had some difficulties. I informed Lily and her comrades of Longsight’s affiliation. I did not tell them about the events of last night, though I had to conjure a different story. “Lily was in shock, and a pegasus mare didn’t want to believe. But I asked if they knew anything about Longsight. Few knew anything about her, save that she joined their band a month or so ago. And Longsight was interested in meeting the Lady Sweeper, almost too interested. I then asked if Longsight had any strange behavior. ‘She would go out during dark,’ Lily said. ‘I followed her one time, quietly. She met up with a stallion and they exchanged notes. I thought they were, well, lovers.’ “Well, it was not proof, but it was enough to convince the Mission to leave town. I told them to head to Manehatten, to the Cathedral of the Sisters of Harmony. The bishop is the granduncle to one of the other Directors of the Scholarship - he should be able to keep an eye on the group until I could get back to try to sort things out.” With a nod of affirmation, Scalpel replied, his face still heralding a slight but noticeable frown set upon it, “It does seem that the majority of the Missionary group are trustworthy. Still, I’d advise caution for future work with them, their order is loose and could be easily infiltrated, as it has been done here. I’d advise someone keep a close eye on their membership in the future, just to make sure, Sweeper’s temperament, according to my sources, as well as your analysis of her is… erratic.” He shuffled some loose papers to the side of him, sliding them into one of his numerous travel packs, “Regardless they should still serve as good cover for Scholastic movement…” he paused, and gave her a small smile, “but despite all that’s been going on I guess I want to ask you something personal. Is that fine with you?” “Good advice - I was thinking of setting up protocols for the Scholars to use when working with the Missions. Perhaps we could set up an Counter-Inquisition as it were,” Lens said. “But that will have to wait....” She was quiet for the last part, unsure of how to respond. “Personal? Well, this is a first - I’ve never been asked that before. Most of my peers wonder if I have a personal life. But… yes, you can ask.” He gave her a grin at that, happy that his idea was being taken on board, not to mention getting to know her better. “I must say that everything seems to have been forced to move so fast with us, the attack put a stress on me which might not have happened otherwise. I know Dr Lens has a sharp mind, perfect and wonderful, and that she has a vast array of talents. I also know she’s the most stunning mare this stallions ever met, from her beautiful hair, wonderfully alluring orange eyes and a fine hau... “ he cut himself off there, blushing slightly as he realised he’d almost gone overboard, “Well… what I mean to say is that whilst I know these things about you, I don’t know the real you. What I said when we were back in the Manse still holds true, I want to get to know the real you Lens, not just rely on these sparse details… you're… important to me. I guess what I’m saying is, who is this magical mare who swept me off my feet?”

Lens blushed at the words, and smiled. She knew of her stunning beauty, but Scalpel’s words were sweet to hear. He’s no poet, but I would prefer to hear his words over the best musicians who dared to ask for my hoof, she thought. “I must say Dr. Noxferus is that the feeling is… mutual. You’re one of the few ponies smarter than me, perhaps an equal to my grandfather, if not more. I do not exaggerate - he never did finish his training at Celestia’s School. As such, his magic is lacking though his intellect makes up for that. “I want to know about you as well, that kindness you showed me days ago was but a hint of who you are. And… I want so discover that, along with your mind. To bask in the light within, to discover your love… and that of my own.” She trembled in anticipation, heart beating fast. Scalpel had practically gone bright red at the compliments she gave him, he knew he had great aptitude, and he’d been complimented before, but something about them coming from Lens made it feel far more satisfying than it ever had before. Still, a level of fear crept into his skin as she spoke, she wanted to know more about his history, something he did not readily approach with many in his service, or those who were his friends. However, he could feel an element of release to unveiling his history, as if he might be able to let go of an old burden which had held him down for so long. “My history is not something I really approach much Lens… but for you I’ll tell you, I can’t keep secrets. However,” he paused, looking slightly solemn as he did so, “You may find out unpleasant things about me, my life has not been easy and there have been activities and duties which even I admit I’m not proud of. I’m willing to be honest with you about it though, I can’t pretend that I’m completely blameless for some of my actions.” he gave her a sad smile, “perhaps we could exchange information, one after the other, is there anything in particular that springs to mind that you’d like to know about?” Lens wondered if she said something off, for she did not want to particularly know the details of Noxferus’ life. She was curious, but Lens did not want to endanger him by knowing too much. Yet, she wanted more than ever to understand the stallion. “We should wait on your history - it’s clear that something drives you to the lengths you’ve taken. And the drive is so intimate to yourself, it would not be best to deal with that so soon. “ We should take this step by step, for it may be too soon in our relationship to reveal deep details,” she said. “We should let this grow, and appreciate each other, then we shall be ready. Is that ok?” A small measure of relief crossed his face and he gave her an appreciative smile, “You’re right of course, I could almost kiss you… well, I would, if we weren’t on the other side of an Astral projector. I agree that my history is something that should be gradual, letting it all out could not be the best option… Still, I think we can start with a couple of the basics? At least for the meanwhile. Until you’re safe with the rest of the scholars and I’m hidden.” He gave her another look, this one emanating with love and compassion towards her, “I’m so conflicted. On one hoof I worry about revealing too much and endangering you, on the other I feel I can’t just simply leave you in the dark…” “Still,” he said, bending his hooves into a pointed arch like position, “Should we start with the beginners stuff? I can tell you a little of my older family history if you want, that’s pretty much open, or we could generally ask in general about anything…” he shuffled a little uncomfortably, feeling like a teenage colt on a first date, trying to lighten the awkward situation somewhat, “Do you want to go first or shall I?” Lens smiled at the thought of the Noxferus’ kiss, her first kiss ever, three days ago. He was not the only pony who wanted to relive that moment. Or at the very least, feel the compassionate lips of the stallion. “It’s best not to provide too much that would risk your identity or operations, Master. I don’t want to get you into trouble on my behalf. “But I’m game for the basics too. After all, we have to start somewhere.” She smiled, looking far more cheery than she did in a long time. “So, out of Starswirl’s the Bearded works, which do you think was the best?” She blushed, mentally facepalming at the question. Why did I go for something so academic?! she thought. He wants to know you, not the facts in your brain. Blushing, she quickly spoke: “Well, my own personal favorite was the Symposium of Love, you know the one with Starswirl attending a party and they discuss the different loves, that sort of thing. So interesting and reflects the thoughts of the ancient writer Ponyto. Haha.” Her face was violet in embarrassment. “I must admit it was an enjoyable read, mostly from a philosophical perspective. Personally I think his ‘Treaties of Speculation’ was my own favourite. Despite his refusal to delve too deeply, he came up with some intriguing ideas which pointed me in the right paths in my own research, even if he thought that it was too dangerous to approach. Admittedly a good number of his principles were rather dated, but many still held powerful insights.” “However, I must say I favored his lesser known rival Tattered Spire slightly more than Starswirl himself. Though he may have thrown caution to the wind, he came up with some fascinating insights which have been very much overlooked. Admittedly most of his work was lost after a failed occult ritual, and the pony himself spent the last years of his life in an asylum, but what remains -even during his maddened period- shows startling revelations in the theory of magic. It’s a shame scholars have been so skittish around approaching his work.” “I’ve never did study much of the occult myself,” said Lens. “My grandfather told me to stay away from it. The only reason I know of those ‘forbidden books’ was because some in are in the care of the order. And as Prancer’s Librarian, I know about their wereabouts. “But my grandfather’s warnings wasn’t because of his ideology. But rather…” She went silent for a moment. “I can’t quite explain it, but everytime my grandfather talks about that subject, his eyes get wide and he begins to shiver. Yet the Director has an interest in the topic - he certainly read through plenty of them. “I mentioned the particularity to Steel, probably grandfather’s oldest peer. They might not look it, but they’re about the same age. Although, the Earth Pony has kept up his vigorous strength in his advanced years. He shook his head, and spoke: ‘Your grandpa had an avid interest in the dark lore when he was younger. But one night, back when we were both students in Equestria U., I saw Prancer so pale that I almost mistaken him for a ghost. His nerves were fried and he couldn’t speak for hours. When he did, he muttered something about a ritual at the Silver Dawn house, sort of an Occult fraternity. It failed, and something happened. I don’t know the details, but I know the Silver Dawn House was gone, and your Grandfather avoided using the occult. Mind you, he still read the stuff, but not put it to use.’” Scalpel gave Lens an intrigued look, “The Silver Dawn you say? I’ve heard that name before, directly in fact, my own grandfather was involved in it, one of the higher echelons I believe, although I can’t be certain. They were a tight lipped and secretive group. I wonder if that is the self same ritual that drove him into the asylum, although I did have some doubts about it, Father was always eager to take on the role of the Patriarch of the household, he may have sought it as an reasonable excuse to usurp him.” He leaned back in his chair, trying to rifle through and correlate his memories, “he was an odd stallion, I haven’t heard or seen him in over a decade… I wonder if he is even still alive.” “Unfortunate times,” Lens said. “My parents… well I should finish the topic at hoof. I found no records of the Silver Dawn in my grandfather’s personal records. He’s written tomes of his earlier days and experiments, but nothing about the Dawn. And since the Old University was sacked, any records on them were gone. She shrugged. “Oh well. I do find it interesting that your grandfather had something in common with mine.” Lens mind flash back quickly to that memory, the one that she saw of Scalpel’s early days. The sadness, and pain, it was but a moment but that seemed too much. She had to focus. “Do you know anything else about the Silver Dawn?” “I’m afraid not, as I said, Grandfather Silver Mist was very secretive about it. I know he kept a volumes of the Orders activities along with his own esoteric research, but Father had that locked away in the family vaults and I don’t think its seen the light of day since then. I have some connections with a few of my extended relatives, I might be able to have them taken from the vaults. Not all of them have been in favor of Fathers… direction of the family, and there are plenty who’d be happy to undermine him. If you want I could send off some letters and get them delivered to me, and then I might be able to decode what they were up to back then, I may need some time to do so however.” Considering what I know of Noxferus’ father, I can see why they’d be unhappy with such a patriarch Lens thought. “As curious as I am, we both have plenty of priorities to deal with first. The records of some decades gone order is probably not going to be needed right away. For all we know, all the order did was mostly drink ale during their meetings.” She smiled at the small joke. “I guess it’s your turn to ask me something.” He gave a small chuckle at that, “Probably. Still I might as well look into it at some point, even if it is just an account of various university binges for the nobility. I could do with some light reading in the future.” He paused and let out a hum of thought, trying to come up with something, “Might be a bit presumptuous to ask a lady, but I guess we might as well start with our ages and birthdays as one of our basics…” He gave a sort of offhand nervous laugh at that, “I’m August the 15th, and currently I’m twenty-nine, last time I checked. Study does seem to get in the way of the basic things in life sometimes...” “Well, I’m turned 20 last month, on the 3rd,” Lens said. She was a bit worried, her eyes giving that fear away. I’m almost a decade younger than him. Will the Noxferus be bothered by the age difference? He gave her a small smile, reasonably glad in actuality ‘I worried she was actually a bit younger than that, glad the age difference is only nine years’. “So you’re a turn of the new age mare? It’s strange for me, sometimes I forget an entire generation didn’t live under Celestia and Luna, and when I remember it makes me feel like an old decrepit stallion. I’m actually glad the difference is still under a decade. I’d feel mildly lecherous if you were a few years younger!” He gave a cheerful laugh and that. Lens smiled at the comment. “Thank you, I was worried about that, but I can rest easy. But you’re still plenty young. At least, compared to Steel and Grandfather. Both were in their 70’s when the Scholarship was founded. Steel probably tell you how he’d feel, er used to feel at least, when he reached 90. “But you’re not alone in your feelings - I hear it all the time from my peers in the order who are in their 30’s. Scroll himself is actually 35, and yet seems to act like an old stallion,” she chuckled. “But I find that it tends to be more perception than actuality. When the world changes, it feels like time does fly.” “I’d agree with you on that. Luckily us Argentum’s seem to age with relative grace, makes me feel a bit more relieved about the whole process. Not that I’m vain, but nobody likes to feel age creeping up on them. Unfortunately I haven’t gotten around to asking Steel as of late, poor old fellow is still in hibernation, although I had to turn the speaker off, his subconscious attempts at snoring are atrocious.” “Still, I’ve asked my question, I suppose its back to you again.” He looked eagerly at her, interested to see what she’d ask next, hooves tap tap tapping away as he did so. Lens was just anxious, her tail moving back and forth, and legs trembling. “That’s Steel for you - when he’s not chatting, he’s snoring. My next question… oh, do you ever watch the stars and moon at night? If so, what do you feel?” “Well the old me would probably tell you that they are divine signs of the Lady of the Nights grace, and a sign of her ‘continual unadulterated glory.’” He rolled his eyes slightly at that, mildly contemptuous of his past zeal, “I do occasionally watch them, but with my time occupied I don’t get many chances to do so. What do I feel about them? I don’t know exactly, one part of me views it as an unexplored vista of possibility, rich in undiscovered knowledge and discovery. Another views it as perhaps an object of terror, who knows what might come down from the stars? The gods have, and their influence has been… debatable. Could something worse come? I don’t know. A final portion of me just takes time to wonder at creation, each of those stars crafted and designed by forces beyond our knowledge, and as far as we may know, may extend for eternity. So much to wonder at, so much to discover... “ he drifted off slightly, his eyes becoming slightly glazed as he did so. After a few moments he recollected himself, grinning sheepishly, “I guess you could say that my feeling for them are complex. How about you, what do you feel when you look at them?” “Probably as complex as yours. But I must say your past self was partly right that the stars were a divine sign. But perhaps not of Luna - she was only the warden of the night, not their creator. But the nature of the stars, the unseen nature and not just the physical aspects, enimates a beauty. “In Manehatten, one can’t see the stars very well. Once the sun sets, the light pollution from the multitude of lamps and other devices blocks out most stars. Only the highest magnitude could be seen. It wasn’t until age 10 that I got a chance to see the night in it’s glory. “The Scholarship was training the next generation of the order, preparing us on both academics and our order’s purpose. Our group got the chance to travel outside the city, to an observatory in the Whitetail Woods. Though the structure would be destroyed years later, the experience inspired me. “Inside the dome, a pegasus named Star Dancer opened the aperture above us. And for the first time, I saw the stars in all their beauty. It was lovely, wonderous, a multitude uncountable, awe for it seemed like infinity. Of course, I ended up forgetting what Dancer was trying to teach us. But that sight… to this day I can but look at the stars and feel an ultimate euphoria.” He frowned somewhat, intrigued by her comments, “I guess you could say that my past self had a point, I have a tendency to ignore what he represented however, his zeal and attempts to appease my Father through any means other than a military vocation seem like such a waste of time now…” He shook his head, clearing away the darkening thoughts and focused on the rest of Lens’ story, “The are alluring, I tend not to see them as solely divine however, perhaps it is a fault of mine to search into the science of such things and ignore the beauty. I try my best however.” He paused in thought, a half remembered line of poetry echoing through his mind, the topic rusling old papers of his memories into wind disturbed action. Almost spontaneously he spoke softly, a half remembered stanza coming to the forefront temporarily, “...It shone through all the sunset's glories—thin At first, but with a slowly brightening face. Night came, and that lone beacon, amber-hued, Beat on my sight as never it did of old; The evening star—but grown a thousandfold More haunting in this hush and solitude…” He went silent after that, retrospectively trying to recall where such poetry had come from, but turning up a blank. “How strange…” “That sonnet is quite astonishing,” Lens said. Her eyes bright in wonder. “It’s as if I can see the stars now, instead of this dusty subterranean alcove.” Scalpel nodded, his attention temporarily elsewhere, in strange lands, but still attentive to her words. “Yes… I can’t recall who wrote it… but there is some echo’s of whoever it was within my mind. I guess he appealed to me on some level, sometimes I feel like I am a stranger to the people around me, as If I’d come from other lands… perhaps worlds and visions beyond our own, and through the darkness of the void. I shake them off eventually, but the feeling remains for a long time… and sometimes it seems that my dreams follow such thoughts elsewhere, they have become strange affairs. Bizarre landscapes, strange machinery and a calming, but alien entity, made of brass, silver and fire…” He became retrospective once more, staring off slightly into the distance, unspoken words ebbing off his lips as he moved them unconsciously. “Do you ever have dreams,” he asked, finally reconnecting with her again, “That you’re so certain are more than just dreams, but visions or messages, like someone is trying to tell you something through the strangeness of the mind?” Lens shook her head. “No, but then again I’m not particularly trained in the arts of divination or to receive messages from afar. There’s been rumors, if unconfirmed, that the Archmagister has developed such telepaths, but… sorry I digress too much on tangents. “These visions… I’ve read of instances of prophecy before. But these dreams, they are new to my experience.” “I don’t believe they are prophesying anything, at least not what I can tell. There is no dialogue of such things in them. But sometimes… after I have them, my mind is filled with ideas and thoughts that seem almost foreign to me, but which represent vast leaps in technological progress. I don’t quite understand it, but frequently they’ve been invaluable in my research, and my final goal.” He gathered himself together again, becoming more attentive, “Regardless of what they mean, I believe I’ll figure out in time. In the meanwhile I believe its your turn again.” “Well, if anypony can figure out such a mystery, it’s you,” Lens said. “ As for my next question… What music do you like?” “Well, I was raised with classical compositions, and that has been the mainstay of my life… still some venturesome parts of my mind have explored many musical variants and found them to be equally enjoyable, within some limits. Once I heard a symphony by two unicorn mares in my university years which tapped into the various harmonic hums of dimensional layers… the effects were both startling and strikingly alien at the same time. I sometimes wish I had the skill to do as they had done, I’d love to hear them once again…” “Really?” Lens said in surprise. “Professor Sweet had written of such a technique, of unicorns being able to use manipulate space-time to generate some very unique sounds that no instrument could create. When I get to the safehouse, I should ask if she knows how to achieve the feat. Or at the very least, see if she has a recording of something like that. “Though I don’t mind Classical, my favorite music is…” the mare began to turn violet again. “um.. it’s… it’s dubstep.” He gave her a grin, “Ah, DJPon3 and the likes, or has the scene moved on from her and branched out? I imagine Manehatten has seen its fair share of new musicians in that genre. I remember her coming to Canterlot once, it was quite an amusing sight,” he gave a small laugh, a smile crawling upwards as he remembered the event. “The nobles didn’t quite know what to do when she started playing, they all sort of stumbled about trying to figure out how to react. For someone who’s used to seeing them act in perfect motion to music, it was quite a hilarious sight to see them wander about like lost sheep.” “I would have loved to see that. Prancer and I was younger, and well quite a few of his Faction, had to regularly attend the Noble’s parties in Manehatten. Oh there was certainly intrigue going on behind the scenes, but most of the time… I read periodicals about the mating habits of tarantulas that were more entertaining.” She stuck her tongue out. “If my grandfather didn’t have to play their games to gain their patronage, we’d wouldn’t waste our time. “I still enjoy DJPon3, but its been some time since I heard any beats from her. Certainly a new generation of Dubstep musicians are on the rise, but its popularity is largely with the freeponies and lower to middle classes. Though, if the younger nobles were like Lightwing, they’d probably listen to it as a rebellious act against their parents.” Scalpel well remembered the intrigues of the nobility, he’d been raised among it, and had largely found it to be both unbearably unpleasant, tedious and irritating. That may have also been because it interfered with with his studies, but the feeling still held true, he didn’t miss it for a moment, although the entertainment was something he did occasionally pine for. “To be honest you could probably compare the mating habits of spiders and snakes to the intrigues of the Canterlot nobility, although I’d say they’re more like the habits of black widow spiders. If they aren’t mating with one another they’re chewing each others heads off, or in general killing one another in complex plots.” “I imagine there is some level of counter culture in the youth of Manehatten, not that I’d come to much, most of the nobility are too settled in their usual paths to deviate too far from the expected norm. It’s a saddening state of affairs.” He paused, considering his options now the ball was back to him. A lingering question sat on the edge of his mind. He decided to chance it, “Lens? I do have a more personal question to ask, but I’m slightly concerned over whether I should. I guess I could even it out by allowing you to ask one of your own… “I guess I want to ask whether you were solely raised by your Grandfather Prancer? you’ve never spoken of your parents, So I have been wondering. You don’t have to answer if its too personal.” “No, it’s not a problem,” Lens said. She had avoided it only because she didn’t want Scalpel to recall that horrible memory. “I barely remember my parents. They had passed away both before my 5th birthday. Officially, I was adopted by my father’s sister, May Spring, but it was only a technicality. She, like any of Prancer’s children, were working for the Scholarship, and my Grandfather’s agenda. “But while Aunt Spring was very busy off in foreign lands, her children and I were watched over my Director Prancer. And he was a great educator and seemed to appreciate children. After all, he did have over ten. Well, ten legitimate foals. Actually, my father was one of the illegitimate ones, born after a rather scandalous affair with a former student, Ms. Crystal Lens. She frowned. “If there was one flaw that my grandfather had, it was he was a skirt chaser. I still don’t know how he got a mare at age 70…” She shook her head. “In any case, Grandfather was a caring parent, if his education standards were higher than most other parents. But he shown me and my step sisters kindness and compassion, keeping us safe while his own children worked on the Project. “I suppose I was the closest to Prancer. My stepsiblings, well, they choose other educations. I stayed with science, medicine, and psychology. And who was a better teacher than the Director himself? I admired his genius, and spent a lot of time with him. Until I received my Bachelor's at age 11, I barely left his side. Indeed, even now I’m rather fond of him.” Scalpel raised an eyebrow as Lens’ described her grandfathers amorous tendencies, “My, my. I’d heard he was quite a rogue in his own fashion but I never figured he’d be still at it in his Seventies, I’m mildly impressed.” He leaned back a bit, retreating into his memories, “I remember I graduated early at Celestia’s School, I think I was the youngest in my specific field for a long, long time. Well, until I left Moon and Star behind and went on my own way, letting them think I’d snuffed it in the process. I didn’t really have anyone to assist me in my work, Father disapproved and tried to have me shut away in numerous military academies, and Grandfather was long in a Struttgart asylum by that point, although I imagine he could have taught me a few things about my studies and delvings.” His face fell slightly, “It was a lonely existence sometimes, only having books to talk to and the constant issues at home sometimes made me feel miserable. I managed to get through, and now here I am,” he gestured around him, a slight sarcastic smirk crossing his face, “Stuck in a dark cave in the middle of noponies land! The fortunes have favored me well.” A sudden sound of rustling metal made him pause momentarily, turning to stare off to his right. In a matter of a couple of seconds the large figure of the unicorn Risen captain, Tsan was brought into the light of the projector. “I take it all preparations are ready?” Scalpel said, a hint of nervous tension working its way into his voice as he spoke to his creation. Tsan nodded, “It is done Lord Father. We are ready, we’ll begin at midnight.” Scalpel relaxed slightly, “good. If all goes well we’ll have it within the hour.” Turning to face Lens he gave her an apologetic look, “Sorry Lens, I am going to have to be drawn away for tonights business. Hopefully I’ll be able to contact you soon after once the mission is complete, I won’t have to worry much about my safety afterwards if its a success.” He waved Tsan away, and the Risen bowed, first to Scalpel and then to Lens, before trotting off out the cave. “Thank you,” Lens said to the Risen. She looked back at Scalpel. “Your work must come first. Besides, I can rest easier knowing you are safer. Until then, I’ll try to rest. Please be safe, and if you see Honey and Nocturne, say hello for me. “Take care, my love.” “I’ll send them your regards… and I’ll try and keep myself safe for you.” he paused, a passionate look coursing across his face as he took her in one more time. “You take care as well Lens, the roads are treacherous. I worry for you…. He blew her a kiss, before giving her a longing look, reaching forward to deactivate the box with his magic “Stay safe Lens, stay safe my love.” With that, the vision of Scalpel clouded, the magic dissipating, fading into nothingness. The crystal settled into the box once again, and then the image faded away, leaving behind only the broken masonry of the cellar.

Torrential couldn't help but chuckle at his own forgetfulness; He had forgotten that Star wasn't able to see at the moment. "Sorry, I got ahead of myself a little. And good guess, but no. Water is not the correct answer." Turning his head to gaze into Star's currently compromised gaze, Torrential offered her a soft grin as he explained "Granted water is a vital part of life and it is a lot more powerful then many ponies realize because they are so focused on other things. But the answer to my question was actually 'Words'. To be more precise, 'Written Words'." Turning his attention back to the runes he had written, Torrential explained "The three runes I just drew in the ground have about as much magical energy in them as the castle made out of sand that a young foal created. Yet much like a sand castle with time, patience and a creative mind it is fully possible to craft something utterly awe inspiring that will stay with the viewer for the rest of their lives. They are little more then pictures drawn into the ground and thus can do very little on their own but words can be used to create a story to entertain a child, offer evidence so that the story of history can be told as accurately as possible; even be used to create the dream of an ideal world." "And where would the world be if we didn't have our heroes to look up to and aspire to be? Of villains who performed such infamous deeds that were so dark and foul that parents tell their children about them as a cautionary tale? Of the actions of our ancestors and why we are proud to follow in their footsteps? The right words can ensure that the memory of a pony will endure and be remembered long after their mortal body has passed from this world for better or worse." There was a pause as Torrential took a moment to take a breath and let his message have a chance to sink in. "On the subject of stories, I should tell you the one behind the runes I drew and why they hold a special place in my heart." Turning his attention back to Star, a playful smirk appeared on his muzzle. "But maybe I should wait for Snow Tail to return with any survivors first. It's an interesting story regardless and I would like her to hear it alongside you. Correct me if I am wrong, but have I seen signs that you care for her much in the same way that I care for the both of you?" It was a slight tease, but a well meaning one.

Glory clipped the latch on the last saddlebag. They were all packed. All their supplies ready for their journey to the Palace of the Ivory Shores ready to go. The Unicorn sat back with a sigh. They’d spent the entire day getting ready, acquiring supplies, well she did at least. Many supplies she needed could only be required in the market district in the Outer City. She couldn’t shake the feeling she had been watched though, but every time she had turned to look she simple saw a crowd. Lore had spent the day perusing the many book stores, for what he was searching for was beyond her but it gave her respite. After last night’s episode Glory was sure Lore would try and bring it up again but thankfully he had left her to her own thoughts. She looked down at her wrapped hoof. A small smile spread across her muzzle unbidden. A knock on the door pulled Glory from her thoughts. That must be Lore. About time. Glory walked over to the door and opened it. “Have fun with th-“Glory barely ducked the swipe of a blade as it whistled through the air. Its wielder struck her in the chest with a hoof and tripped her with a whirl of a black wing. Instinct kicked in, years of fighting coming to bare. She rolled out of the way as steel sliced through air where she had been not a second before. Glory jumped back to her hooves, pulling her blade from its sheath as she did so. She deflected two daggers as they flew through the air. She caught both in her magic and sent them flying back. Her assailant, a Pegasus clad in full body armor and hood and cowl, flipped over them in a feat of avian grace. A burst of silver magic pushed Glory’s would be assassin into her blade. The steel pierced the Pegasus through the chest, fixing it in place before falling to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut. The Unicorn remained in a battle stance for a few more minutes, her ears perked and eyes flicking, waiting for another attacker. When none came she flicked the blood off her blade and sheathed it. She pulled the cowl of the Pegasus down revealing a pretty young mare. She look barely into her seventeenth year. Her face was frozen in shock. Glory closed the mare’s dull, vacant eyes, and searched her. She found a small bag of gems, no doubt her payment, and a note. The target is a red Unicorn mare with a white mane. She will more than likely be with a white Pegasus, have Mirror secure him. As for the Unicorn, I want her alive. Use the blade's I've provided they have a unique poison that will make transport much easier. As for your payment. Half now and the other half upon your success. I will not tolerate failure. M Who was M and why did he want her? She had made no enemies in Manehatten save those guards the other day but that wasn‘t worth a death sentence. Besides they were cowards, she could tell. The pouch of gems was a small fortune on its own. Wait! Her eyes flew back to the note. Lore! Glory grabbed her barding, pulled it on, secured her blade to her side and galloped out of the room. An angry scowl darkened her face as she cleared the hotel lobby. She hoped she wasn’t too late. The wonders of philosophy. Lore closed the book gently and sat back in his chair. All around were ponies sitting at other tables, stacks of books surrounding some. The smell of ink and parchment permeated the air, comforting Lore greatly. He loved this calm quiet atmosphere. The symphony of minds being expanded was exhilarating. He had decided to do some light reading before heading back to the hotel. He had spent the day charting their path to the Palace of Ivory Shores with Crypt. It was quite the elusive little landmark but it had been done. He quite liked the old Unicorn. He was insightful, clever, and kept his own pace. Though he seemed annoyed for some reason when Lore asked if he could return with him to Canterlot to see the great libraries the city of legendary for. He recalled the conversation they had. “You wouldn’t be allowed there my friend,” he had said. “They don’t take kindly to anyone not bearing a horn.” “Why is that?” Lore asked with a chuckle. “Would my wings get in the way?” “They think Unicorns are the species that can ascend past the mortal coil. Really Moon and Stars is made up of a bunch of supremacists” “Then why are you with them? You don’t seem bothered by my being a Pegasus.” “Because for all their flaws Moon and Stars holds the pursuit of knowledge above all else. Anywhere else Knowledge is scorned. Here if it’s not turning a profit it isn’t worth the effort. The only reason I’m here in Manehatten is as a favor to the Dean.” The old stallion sighed heavily. “I wish we could go back to that time when it didn’t matter what you had on your back or forehead but I doubt that will happen.” “Why not go to the Freelands then? Sireleaf is a city dedicated to its academies, schools, and colleges. I think you would love it there.” “I’ve considered it my friend. By Celestia I’ve considered it but I’ve grandfoals who can’t go a month without seeing their Pappy. And my son is loyal to the Moon and Stars cause, fiercely so. I can’t up and leave.” He leaned forward in his chair, his eyes intense as they locked onto Lore’s. “Let me tell you one thing. Be careful. Equestria is nothing like your home. Here what tribe you are will get you killed. Steer clear of the northern territories. Moon and Stars will see you a slave, but the Stormwings will kill any Pegasus not affiliated with them outright. And if you value your Unicorn companion you’ll steer clear of Earthborn’s borders too. They’ll either kill her or saw her horn off.” The old stallion’s words did not sit well with Lore. Who would be so cruel as to saw off any Unicorn’s horn? It was like slicing a Pegasus’ wings off or amputating an Earth Pony’s legs. Could such cruelty be so widespread here in Equestria? The idea that it could sent shivers down the Pegasus’ back. He felt as if he had stepped into an ant’s nest of violence. Maybe he should have listened to his father’s warnings of this place. “Zeth Oar’s Lie of Harmony. Good read.” Shaken of his thoughts, Lore looked over at a beautiful dark blue Pegasus mare with a pale green mane pulled back in a tight bun. Her lavender eyes were fixing on him from her place at the other end of the table. “You’re familiar with Zeth Oar uh?” he asked. “And it is the ideal of Loyalty we see ourselves bound,” she recited flawlessly, the sound of her voice was oddly captivating. “Honesty only asks for the obliteration of secrets. Generosity forces to give all you are.” “Our minds no longer our own through n this lie of Harmony. It is through Chaos we see the beauty of Freedom,” Lore finished. He grinned at the pretty mare. “That’s quite good. It’s a bit tight fisted a philosophy but I can see the validity of some of his arguments.” She giggled. Lore felt his wings twitch. “True. I quite like his view that one day we will are own god.” She closed the book she had been reading. Lore noted it was a copy of Sol Tzu’s Art of War. A philosophy buff. “I’d rather not be a god,” Lore said with a chuckle. She tilted her head. “Oh? Why not? The master of your own destiny, creator of your own world.” She looked at the chandelier above. It cast a soft yellow glow on the ceiling. “Knowing none can tell you what to do.” “True, the idea does sound appealing,” Lore admitted,” but throughout the mythos of every culture, well save this one here in Equestria, all gods and goddesses are often times cruel or have sorrow filled existences. I wouldn’t want that.” “You look into it rather deeply. Where are you from? I’ve never heard your accent before.” Accent? Lore didn’t have an accent. If anyone had one it was this mare. “The Freelands, across the Sea of Harmony.” Her eyes sparked with wonder and with a flutter of her supple wings she was in the seat in front of him. Lore felt his face go warm as he watched her wings extend to full length for the briefest of moments. “Across the sea!? What’s it like over there?” She all but yelled as she leaned forward. “From what I’ve learned much different from here. For one things there is really no legit government. The Freelands is really just a collection of city-states, each ruled by a different Noble family. I came from Lavidport and my family is actually one of these ruling families.” “So you get to do anything you want?” “Oh no. I’ve responsibilities sure enough and it’s only a matter of time before father passes the position of Governor to me. I’ve no real interest in it mind and I would much rather pursue my carries as a Scholar but it’s my duty to take up the mantle. Oh yeah,” he extend his hoof,” Epic Lore.” She took it and daintily shook his hoof. “Mirror.”

“A pretty name.” She giggled. “Thank you.” Lore could listen to that giggle for eternity. He had to admit she had his attention. He felt nervousness fill him. It was odd he normally didn’t get flustered around pretty mares. “So Mr. Lore what bring you to Equestria?” “Pursuing an old fascination of mine is all.” He then realized it was late as his eyes fell on a nearby clock. Lore stretched his wings of the dull ache they had accumulated. “I’m sorry to cut this short but I need to head back. I have quite the journey ahead of me. I bid oyu goodnight Ms. Mirror.” As he stood up the mare did as well. “Do you mind if I walk out with you?’ She asked her vice captivated him. He found it hard to say no to her. He didn’t want to say no. “Uh sure,” he answered dumbly. A pleasant haze settled in his mind as all he could think about was the sound of this mare’s voice. She was talking about…something as they walked out into the cool night. Glory ran through the streets of the Inner City toward the Stockhoof Academy. She weaved through the crowds with ease, her eye fixed ahead of her. She tore over the marble steps of the main hall. She saw Professor Crypt and rushed toward him. Her heart was thumping in her chest, and not from the physical exertion. “Crypt!” she shouted as she skidded to a halt. “Where’s Lore? This is urgent!” “Umm last we talked he wished to see the Quill Library,” the old stallion said, shocked by her appearance. “What’s happened? Are you alright?” “His life is in danger,” she said in a clipped tone,” Where is this library? Quickly now!” “It’s three blocks from here to the east. Now what’s going-” She turned on her heel. “Thank you.” She galloped away, leaving a bewildered stallion in her wake. The library was an easy find, large with a row of pillars before the double doors. She burst through them, shocking the receptionist behind the book checkout counter. The young mare regained her senses quickly as Glory ran up to the counter. “What’s your rush?!” she said sharply, a disapproving scowl on her features. “Have you seen a white Pegasus stallion?” Glory asked. “Black mane, grey robe.” “Lower your voice!’ the mare hissed. “This is a library. Now why are you running through those doors like a maniac?” Very well then. Glory set her jaw and her features darkened ever further. “White Pegasus, black mane, grey robe,” A length of steel slid form its sheath. “Where is he?” Glory’s tone and the look in her eye promised punishment most cruel if she didn’t get an answer she liked. The young mare shook, her eyes fixed on the blade. She gulped and said,” H-he just l-left with some mare.” She pressed her back to the file cabinets behind her. “P-please don’t hurt me!” All eyes were on the Unicorn, most were wide with shock. Glory sheathed her blade. “Thank you.” She set the small pouch of gems on the counter. “For your troubles.” She left and scanned the streets. She barely caught a Lore walk around a corner down the street. Glory broke into a gallop straight for him. She tore around the corner and…Gone?! Glory’s head whipped around, looking for any trace. She found none. Where the hell was he!? “Nice to meet you.” Glory jumped out of the way just as a pair of hooves clacked down where she had been not a moment before. Cracks appeared in the stone below her. The mare sauntered forward in a sultry manner her eyes closed. Glory drew her sword, the tip pointed at the Pegasus. “Where’s Lore?” she hissed as her horn blazed silver. “Oh the cutie,” she giggled, tilting her head cutely. “He’s safe.” Her eyes opened, red eyes alight with malice. “For now.” The mare was a blue of movement. Glory could barely keep up with the mare, her blade blocking swift strikes. Five spears of light erupted out of the ground. The Pegasus flew back, then flared her wings stopping her momentum. Ponies scattered form the battle, some calling for guards. A rivulet of blood slid down the Pegasus’ check. She licked at the blood and grinned manically. “You killed Twitter didn’t you?” “She died well,” Glory said simply. Her features became neutral. The manic joy was gone replaced by rage. “Screw bringing you back alive!” she screeched and rushed the Unicorn. “I’m bringing M back your head!” Anger was good. Anger made her sloppy, unfocused. Glory felt a similar rage as well for the danger she knew Lore was in but she squashed it with practiced ease. It would cost her. She blocked the strikes with her blade. The enchanted gauntlets the other mare wore made engaging her in a hoof-to-hoof manner impossible. The Pegasus- Mirror, Glory remembered- broke through her guard forcing Glory to disappear in a flash of silver. She appeared at the top of a building. The guards appeared in the street below. This fight needed to take place without interference. Mirror flew up over the building. Glory sent her bade flying after the Pegasus. The mare batted the blade away. Damn. Glory’s eyes narrowed as she jumped away, recalling her sword to her side. The pair regarded each other. Eyes flicking. This mare was good. She had training. Advantage she had was Glory’s inability to see on her right. Glory’s advantage, the mare’s rage. Mobility was a moot point. Glory’s teleportation and the mare’s skill with her wings. Far better than any flying Lore could hope to accomplish. The plan was simple, split the mare’s focus. Again the mare attacked first. Glory waited until the last moment to sidestep. A teleport landed her on the Pegasus’ other side. A spear of light erupted where Glory had been a half a second later. The Pegasus’ impaled a wing on Glory’s blade. The Unicorn’s hoof lashed out, catching the other mare under her wing, right in the bundle off sensitive nerves and muscles that resided there. Mirror’s wings seized up and she fell to the ground. Glory placed the blade above the mare’s jugular. One flicker of magic would open the vein. The Pegasus was breathing heavily. Glory wasn’t even winded. “Where is Lore?” “Fuck you!” the mare hissed from her place on the ground. A spear of light ran her other wing through. To Mirror’s extreme credit she didn’t’ scream from the apparent pain. The wings were rather sensitive. But her face scrunched up in agony. “Where is Lore?” Glory’s voice was even, dull. The Pegasus refused to answer. “If I have to ask one more time I’ll take your wings.” Still no answer but there was fear in her eyes. “Very well.” Glory’s horn glowed brightly as she prepared the spell. “Wait!” Mirror shouted, realizing Glory was not bluffing. “He’s with M. A couple of other ponies took him in a carriage. They’re taking him to the Ugly Duckling.” “Thank you.” Steel opened flesh. The Pegasus pawed at the gushing wound in vain to try and stop the bleeding. Glory sheathed her blade and walked away. A teleport put her below in an alleyway. Now to find this Ugly Duckling.

The fighting had not long settled when Scalpel made his way through the Stormwing mining camp. Around him the air was saturated with the rich smell of blood and the bodies of multiple Stormwing guards lay in shattered heaps across the shanty town. Death had come to Dragonpoint Mines, and it had been bloody. Scalpel stepped over another broken corpse, this time one of Stormwing’s conscripted recruits. It was a Pegasus this time, his features young and soft, untempered by the blood of war, a look of surprise etched into his last moments. He’d probably not even seen his death coming before it was upon him, assault from all sides from armoured foes after a breach of the palisade, and death from above as the Spheres sliced throat and wing tendon in a mad cacophony of slaughter. Within twenty minutes the camp had been decimated and not one guard that resisted had survived the bloody encounter. Passing through another winding street between the miner’s quarters, more corpses were there to meet him, scorch marks and blood from magic and blade scattered across the walls, and in a distant corner a pile of crates burned. Beyond this he encountered his Medical Drones dealing with bodies; they looked up blankly as he made his way onwards, already prepping the remains for use later on. He nodded to them, and they returned to work carting away the carnage and gore in reclaimed carts from his path. Beyond this he saw his Risen, dressed in armour and robes alike unlocking the prisoner barracks and herding out the roughly awoken miners, who stared in either shock or terror at their newfound occupiers. They were not the saviours they had prayed for, and now they worried what would happen to them. Would they become chattel slaves for a Warlord? Experiments for a demoniac necromancer? What was to become of them? Soon they would know, and their worldview would change forever. He arrived at a small plaza just before the mine, and saw the Risen shepherd the local mining slaves towards him in a mass of several hundred. Before the mine there had been erected a small stage, or rather gallows from which announcements could be made and executions completed, but he’d repurposed it for another goal. Upon it many huge sacks and chests, locked and sealed with thick rope lay, hiding a cargo which would have made a bandit kings heart stop and a beggar dance a jig. Its lure alone might sway many of the prisoners to his service. He climbed on to the makeshift stage and two other Risen joined with him on either side, One of his experiments and Zodiac, both would be necessary for convincing them on his sincerity. The prisoners were a huge mess of various age groups, races, genders and appearances, all bundled together in one confused hubbub. Some were Fallen, their wings torn from their bodies and forced to wear leather masks of shame. Others were dehorned unicorns forced north by the Earthborn and into the hooves of Stormwing, Still others were a motley collection of various races, lean and ill looking, half starved under brutal repressive conditions. Then amidst them all was the occasional child, connected with the thin and wasted refugees, or orphaned, pushed into mining operations just to do away with them, or because their size helped in the brutal conditions. Many seemed to be families, but a fair amount seemed not to be, still he could appeal to them through appealing to the safety of their families. Behind him the hangpony’s noose hung, empty for now, its arm creaking a little in the wind. Scalpel turned around, activated his magic, and ripped the entire structure in half. The crowd erupted in a shocked murmur of voices, wondering the meaning of what was going on. He turned back to them, giving them an even stare, a small smile crossing his face. “Many of you are wondering what is going on here, doubtless many of you are thinking that I’m a roving Warlord come to enslave you , a slaver to come and sell you, or perhaps I am one of the cult of laughter come to practice foul necromancy…” He paused, giving them an even look; their faces appeared tense as they waited on a response. “I am none of these people.” He answered, signalling the cordon of Risen to open behind them, allowing a road straight through to the gates of the now deserted palisade. “All that I ask of you now is to listen and hear my words. I will not hold you here against your will as did your oppressors, I will not torture and beat you, I will not even demand that you heed my request, but if you would give me time, I wish to tell you of a vision I have forseen.” “It is true that you may leave here freely, you could scatter across Equestria, and maybe some of you would escape to better lands if you avoid recapture… But we all know war is eternal. You cannot truly escape it. Sooner or later, you will be forced back into bondage, enslaved, tortured and maimed by the forces of the enemy. And that enemy is all around us…” He thrust a hoof out, pointing south, “In the south! The Earthborn host rides in on a tyrannous rampage of war, brutalising all before it, spreading is racial supremacist diatribe and dehorning and slaughtering any uncorn which has the misfortune to get in their way. Many I see have suffered this fate, and its monstrosity repulses me!” His hoof moved again, his voice picking up fervour as he continued, getting more and more invested in the role. “In the North the Stormwing pronounces dictatorship, holding to their Spartan ways, and any without wings being nothing more than second class citizens and cannon fodder, no better than serfs or slaves to their arrogance. They kill all pegasi who do not serve them, whether it is the swiftness of the blade or the slow death of a work camp. They allow no caution, no second guessing, and those that do question their fool hardiness are dishonoured! Their wings carved off and forced unto the ground, shamed and spat upon by society! “In the East the racist slaver, Twilight Sparkle collaborates to make all unicorns above those of the other races! She enslaves and tortures any who fall into their hooves, and her foul inquisition ruthlessly burns both knowledge and ponies, in their quest to strengthen their ignorant and debased religion! “And in the West the cannibal tides of savage barbarians seek an end to all we hold dear, bringing with it the scourge of the Everfree and all its horrors upon the land, as if it was some sort of blessed gift!” He brought his head down, bowed as if in prayer, closing his eyes with an intense expression, “My friends, we have been betrayed… betrayed by those we trusted and put our faith in.” He heard a murmur of agreement. It was low, but he could sense it. Once forgotten grudges were rising and anger began to seep forth, he had snared them but a little, now to reel them in. “Celestia and Luna have abandoned us, the state that was forged on their presence rotted when they walked away from it, allowing it to crumble into nothingness and discord in a matter of weeks! The peace which once ruled the land is now dead, only the shallow grave and the numbness of death exist in comparison to what once was. “But not even the grave is safe for us, for no flesh is sacred enough for the bane of the Laughing cult and her depraved decadent followers. The bones and bodies of our brothers, sisters and friends rise in unholy symphony to devour and destroy the living, cursing the land with their foetid putrescence! “Those sisters have made the tyrants we now call rulers and masters! The forged them, moulded them, and brought them to power, and now we must suffer the consequences of their short-sightedness! Our children slaughtered, our bones picked over by carrion, they have laid us a banquet of sorrow! “All of them are foul. All of them are without mercy. All of them are corrupt and worthless of loyalty of trust… “But what choice do you have? There is no other way in this word, the tyrants hold their cards close and they’ve dictated our lives for two decades. Unscrupulous in their corruption, without concern for what damage they cause… And around them they pour flaming oil, burning what was once left of Equestria’s glory to cinders, self-destruction and oblivion is all that remains in their minds! All that matters is that they spite their enemies by denying them anything! The murmuring was growing more distinct, an angry helpless element was emerging, he’d worked them up, now he could bring in the temptation… “But what if I told you there was another way?” The crowd suddenly went quiet, waiting on him to continue. He made note that none had turned to leave, whether out of fear or interest he could not tell. He continued, a feverish grin on his face, his eyes alight with passion and drive, infecting the crowd with his aura. “What If I told you that the age once lost to us could be revived? That peace, order, security and liberty could be resurrected and filled with newfound purpose and vitality! What if I told you that your families would never have to face hunger or thirst, famine or disease, death or disaster again?” “What if I told you that you could live in a world where you would be safe, the cities ordered, the roads clear of bandits and evil? What if I told you that any injury or loss of limb could be restored, that your children would be given good education, prospects, safety and food? What if I told you that your pride and dignity could be restored? “That my friends, is my dream.” “A world without tyranny beckons, where equality and security reigns once again in the hearts and minds of all equnity! A world of political freedom and toleration, where the people decide who rule! Not those strapped up tyrants and dogmatic fundamentalists who argue from “tradition” and the “hereditary”! A world where science and progress will lead to all ponies’ happiness! A world where want and suffering are broken before the tides of plenty and fortitude!” He paused, a moment of silence giving drama, he could sense them leaning in, interested, enraptured by this strange person who offered so much. “Perhaps many of you think that I lie, that this cannot be done. Equestria is hell you say! And this is true. But I tell you now, if Equestria is hell, I will invade it, tear it down and build a nation upon it! And that nation will be bound to the fundaments of truth, courage, innovation and freedom!” He raised a hoof, point directly at the crowd, a frown of almost religious piety entering his voice. “Those of you who have lost your horns, and those of you who have lost your wings or hooves, step into the light!” Nervously, a significant portion of the mining slave stepped forward, Fallen, dehorned unicorns and earth ponies with lost limbs stepped forward, casting each other worried looks. Scalpel scanned many of them, most were refugees, but he could tell a number of veteran warriors stood amongst them as well, mostly from the Fallen, but sometimes elsewhere in the glean of an eye. “You all have lost something deeply connect to you, something intrinsic to a ponies very nature, to your very souls! You pegasi have been dishonoured, your wings carved off so that you may never fly again. Dignity and years of loyalty broken before corrupt officials, suicidal death charges and gross incompetence of others wasting of your skills. Perhaps some of you did act cowardly… perhaps. If so then this is a chance to reclaim your pride, reclaim your courage and dignity, and reclaim that birthright which was stolen from you!” Scalpel tore off the robe which hid his nearby experiment, revealing it to the crowd. The ponies gasped as they took it in, a relatively normal looking Pegasi Risen, legs and body still of flesh and blood but whos wings had been crafted from delicate sharp blades of metal, machinery and crystal. It’d taken him days to perfect it, but once he’d connected once again with the Pegasus magic they responded like any other set of wings, except these were harder… and far deadlier. The Fallen eyed the wings eagerly, but there was an element of suspicion to them, and he sensed it. “A demonstration then, to show you the truth my invention.” He gestured to the Risen and it nodded in response, opening its wings to an awed group of spectators. With a few cursory flaps to ready itself, and then leaped into the air, beginning to power into the sky with powerful steady beats. Within a matter of seconds it achieved the same speed of a normal Pegasus. Looping, twisting and turning in acrobatic feats which would have been difficult for most of its kind. The crowd looked on in shock and approval, already he could see the desire in the Fallen’s eyes, they’d sell their souls to get their wings back, never mind their loyalty. “And to those of you who have lost their horns…” he nodded to Zodiac, and she returned it, pulling down her shroud for the audience to see the occult crystal and metal portion of her horn grafted to her skull. With a pulse of light, dark purple magic erupted from it in a strong energetic beam, lifting up the broken arm of the gallows with ease and levitating it about without even noticeable strain. Now it was the unicorn’s turn for their eyes to become greedy. Zodiac continued by bringing a hoof forward, revealing the advanced mechanical leg to the disabled earth ponies. In a matter of a minute, he’d ensnared them. Now to tighten the knot. “I see you find this appealing; you wonder what would be the dire cost of gaining such things back? What would I ask of you? Well I shall answer…” He opened his hooves, giving them a cheerful honest grin. “Nothing.” He heard them mutter again, confused but hungry for more, their eyes filled with something that probably hadn’t been there for years. Hope. “All I ask in return from you is that you stay loyal and true to my cause, and assist me in building my great vision. “To practice your talents and gifts, where you are soldier or sorcerer, farmer or scientist, architect or artisans are all I ask in return from you. I have the power to build my dream, but I require minds and innovative thinkers to form and stabilise it and guide it to its logical conclusion. In return I will offer you opportunities undreamed of, security and civilisation, equality and toleration and of course…” He turned his eye to the chests he’d set up on stage, and with a rush of magic ripped them open and toppled one to show its contents. In a tide of metal thousands upon thousands of golden coins were cast out in a glittering tide. “Wealth beyond measure.” Now all eyes were upon him, the offer was too great to throw away. Who wouldn’t want to see such a ‘utopian’ vision come to life? Who wouldn’t want to fly through the air, or cast magic again, or simply run once more? And who could resist the lure of gold? “There shall be no bondage, nor chattel slavery or ignorant tyranny forced upon you, I shall treat all as equals before my eyes and I will ensure your lives are bettered to the highest degree. I shall pay you to assist me in this venture and bring about the rebirth of Equestria, strong militarily, but also economically and culturally in ways unseen even before the eternal war broke out! “Through manipulation of the current tyrants, food shall never be an issue again, land, property and power shall be gifted on those who commit themselves to my vision and assist in crafting its greatness. All I ask is that you maintain the pretence of this mining operation whilst gifting me with your talents, my workers shall see to the demands of the tyrants upon you for raw resources…. “Ah… but you wonder how I will build this city do you not? How could I build something so strong without resistance… well my friends! The enemy cannot resist what it does not know exists! I could not build an Empire without attracting attention, so it must be deeply hidden, where none but those loyal to me may find it.” With a sudden flourish he raised a hoof and gestured to the mine, a crafty grin on his face, already being shared with many of the crowd. “The city shall not be on the land, nor in the wastes of dead Equestria. The city will be the first of its kind. A fortress of peace, security and reason, beyond with even the eyes of a god may reach. “A city under the Mountain!” “Those of you who join today will be the first and foremost to reap the benefits of the new kingdom, and with my vision and your guiding hooves, we shall prevail!” “The Reign of the tyrants is over! They shall be eclipsed by us free equines, a black sun shall rise and beckon a new age of glory upon this world! A silver age! An age of machines, and logic and progress! A world of liberation and benevolence! The age of harmony has passed, the age of discord must die, and the age of reason must rise up and bring order to this shattered land! “This is the promise, this is the dream! Who will follow me to make that dream a reality? Step forward and be counted amongst the blessed family!” Silence ruled momentarily, and Scalpel felt his heart sink slightly. Perhaps none would join… But then the first of them stepped forward, a small colt with a dirty greyish mane and brown coat, a determined look on his face, a look of respect. And then more followed, Fallen casting aside leather hide facemasks to reveal rekindled pride and purpose, Unicorns with appreciation to his ideals and the lure of restored magic, and Earth ponies, fully agreed with his politics, his sense of family, the call of reason and the restoration of their natural magic. All of them stepped forward. None of them left. A great sense of power spread across Scalpel, a sense that he’d just created something world changing, a sense that for a moment, he was the pivot from which Equestria would be restored. He nodded to them all, face giving them a look of respect and veneration… as well as compassion. “Thank you, all of you… “There is much work to be done, hardships endured, troubles and conflicts to be defeated, cities to be built and tyrants to be deposed… “But the Black Sun Nation shall rise... "For so long as dictators die…” “Liberty shall never perish!”

Steel Storm raised an eyebrow at Snow Tail. She wasn’t a real warrior, she was certainly a dangerous opponent, but all the nicecities of warriors oftentimes baffled her. Ah, Joy, one of the few ponies I’ve know who managed to stay reasonably honest and yet play the political game. To think on how our paths have diverged. She politely declined the offer of Snow’s food, “Thank you for the offer, but no thank you.” She replied in her usual slightly clipped tone. “As far as the bodies, this level of Cult activity will require the direct inspection of the Alicorn currently residing in Stormwing territory. I shall ensure the information reaches her.” Then she looked around the field and sighed, looking for her partner. “And yes, I had a partner. He was the genius who decided to run out at the Cult zombies.” She looked back at Snow Tail, looking noticeably more at ease, “Tell me, how’s Joy been doing lately?” __________________________________________ “Makes it a bit more fair,” Winterjet muttered, slowly starting to circle Armifera, wings half spread in preparation. “Still, I’m not really holding up hopes of winning, but…” she grinned “does it matter?” Small droplets of water materialized around her body, hovering scant few millimetres from her fur, all but invisible. Armifera smirked, “So long as it’s interesting, I suppose.” She shuffled her hooves and ruffled her feathers. She watched idly as Winterjet collected water, and suddenly disappeared in a blur, almost materializing at Winterjet’s left and bringing in the dulled and padded wing blade for a vicious strike to her underbelly and following through with a pure brute force body slam. Fuck sake she’s fast, Winterjet cursed, jumping back and narrowly avoiding the blow to her underbelly. Time seemed to slow down for her, then, her mind tuning for battle. The body slam came, and she jumped forward to meet it, twisting her body and aiming a strike at the Alicorn’s leg with her own icy wing blades; created in a split second as she dashed forward. Armifera grinned as Winterjet swung at her leg, letting the ice crash against the Astral steel. “Seriously?” She muttered, bringing the same leg up to smash into Winterjet’s jaw and following through with a wingblade slash to her exposed chest. “Well that didn’t work,” the pegasus said, and spat out a small glob of blood. She’d managed to protect her chest with her ice, already having lessened the force of the blow by pushing against the ground. The blow to her jaw, however, not so much. “Your armour’s tough,” she muttered. “I guess I should better get serious.” From one to the next, the air around her misted over; temperature dropping and ice crystals forming in the grass around her. She blinked, and her eyes had turned slitted, teeth already forming into a set of fangs and murderous points. A circle of rime quickly formed on the ground around her, whitening the grass. Rushing in will do nothing. She’s armoured head to tail, and she’s faster than me. Best I can do is counter her attacks. She started circling the alicorn again, her—now sharper—eyes looking for any opening or tell that might be shown. Armifera watched idly as Winterjet circled, eyes slitted and prominent canines showing. Ah the wonders of Thea’s blessings, she remarked to herself, certainly an interesting look.She knew the pegasus was looking for weak spots, she knew that look anywhere. She smirked internally, feeling slightly lenient and swinging one of her legs back and forth, exposing the joints covered in chainmail, rather than solid plate. I ought to show her some personal tricks for an armored opponent, she mused to herself. The ice however, caught her attention, How curious… let’s see what she can do with this. The face, Winterjet noted. Her joints are somewhat exposed, but I don’t think I can cut through it. Stab, perhaps? She pulled back her lips, snarling like some animal about to attack. Heh, never knew I could make that sound. Must be the Blessing. She circled the alicorn a few more times, noting what few places where she could get a hit in. Extending her wings, she covered the front of them in ice-like wing blades and took off. She descended a short while before, finally, she turned into a dive and shot towards Armifera. Armifera saw Winterjet take off into the air and dive towards her. Shrugging, she flared her own wings and threw herself backwards into the air. A grin split Winterjet’s fanged muzzle. Of course she jumped back, who wouldn’t? Her original plan had failed, but she still had an ace up her sleeve. When she reached the point where she would have originally acted, she performed an extremely tight forwards roll, creating a solid block of ice at the end of her tail and—hardly a fraction of a second later—sent it flying towards Armifera with all of the force of her own momentum behind her. She didn’t have much time to look at the results, instead pumping her wings to kill her speed, going into a hover above the ground. She looked back at Armifera. Glancing at the ice hurtling towards her, Armifera couldn’t help but appreciate Winterjet’s cleverness. Seems we’re really playing with magic now. Alright. She summoned her own magic, blasting fire from her own wings as she propelled herself back down at a shallow angle and landing on the ground with a noticeable thud. Fire began to dance along her wings, mane, and tail, and the air around her began to shimmer with heat. The fire did intimidate Winterjet, if only a little. She had, perhaps faultily, believed that the Alicorn would fight her as a pegasus instead of an alicorn. It was a foolish notion, really, given how their magic was as second nature to them as hers was to herself. I may actually be able to use that. “Woulda thought you’d be brave enough to fight me using only your wings,” she taunted, rising a little higher in the air. “Could it be that my little trick surprised you that much?” I’m trying to piss off a god. Luna’s moon-covered butt, I’m an idiot. Armifera smirked, “That was my wings.” The flames dancing along her wings grew larger, and she casually lobbed a ball of fire at Winterjet with her right wing. “Any reasonably powerful pegasus with some basic training could do this.” “Your wings?” The pegasus asked, trying to hide her shock. “Well, shit.” She waved her wing in front of her, sending forth a gust of cold wind to disperse the fireball. She was just happy that it wasn’t a serious attack, as that would have just crashed through her wind and hit her. “Welp, here goes, then.” She charged again, flying in a straight line towards Armifera. Truth be told, she was getting bored with it. The alicorn did nothing but counter, and didn’t even seem to try to attack her. A spar though it may only be, she did want at least some back and forth. Armifera grinned, releasing dual columns of flame towards Winterjet and disappearing in a blur behind them. She loosed another torrent of flame from Winterjet’s front left and then rushed to her rear, wing blade crackling with electricity. Tilting her wings and throwing herself into a spiral, she dodged the twin columns with relatively little effort. The third blast of fire she caught sight of in the corner of her eyes and only just managed to fold her wings at her side, avoiding most of it. The ice she created to shield her back melted almost immediately, too. Yeah, I’m outmatched here. No doubt about that, she thought, one eye pinched close in pain from the fire. The crackle of electricity from behind her made her turn, coming face to face with Armifera. Well, shit. She beat her wings as hard as she could, propelling her backwards and, hopefully surprising her opponent, unleashed several razor sharp knives at her; small feathers from her wings covered in ice. She just hoped that her aim was true and at least one grazed her cheek or something. Armifera ducked her head, letting the feathers crash against the armor. Extending her wings, she shot a bolt of electricity with the combined force of both wings, not enough to kill but certainly a rigorous shock. She was certain, now, that winning this fight was out of the question. If the alicorn could move fast enough to effortlessly dodge everything she sent at her, then winning was simply not possible. The lightning didn’t help, either, but she had a way of avoiding that—most of it, anyway. She waited until the last moment before twisting herself so that she was ‘lying’ horizontally in the air. One wing was extended towards the air, and the other down, touching the ground. She pushed her magic to its fullest, then, focusing on creating a clear path through her body. The lightning hit the wing extended upwards, and travelled through her wings, and down into the ground. A grunt followed as she fell to the ground with a thud, sitting up shortly after. “Not doing that again,” she muttered. Looking up, she said. “I think that’s it. My wings are going to be sore for the rest of the day after that, and I’d much rather avoid further beatings.” She chuckled dryly. “Was fun, though. Your armour’s fucking annoying, by the way.” Armifera smirked, “To be fair, it’s even more annoying to be hit and not wearing armor. I haven’t even shown you what it can do when charged with lightning.” She walked over and offered a hoof for Winterjet to pull herself upright, “You’re pretty good, actually. Didn’t try to just hammer at the armor like some do.” “Doesn’t work like that unless you’re a monster like the Juggernauts who has enough strength to dent armour with their hooves,” she said, taking the hoof and standing up. She flapped her wings a few times to get the feeling back in them before folding them back at her side. “I’ve been a soldier for most of my life, I know how to fight armoured opponents. Just didn’t expect yours to be made of solid Mary Sue.” “You mean Astral steel.” “Yeah. That. Solid Mary Sue from Godland. Is it not the same thing?” She returned her teeth to those of a normal pony, as well as her eyes, smacking her lips and clacking her teeth together a few times to get used to the feeling. “Whatever the case, I can usually at least dent armour when I cut it with my blades. Yours didn’t even get a scratch.” She shrugged and turned to look at the horizon. “I should probably go, by the way. I was on my way north when I came by here, and should probably continue. I’ll swing by Cloudsdale to replenish my supplies before I continue, I think. I do think they’d allow me to stay the night, at least… Knowing them, probably not, but I can always hope.” Armifera raised an eyebrow, “I’ve been working on that. They should at least let you stay and replenish your supplies. They might even be downright friendly if you tell them I said you’re okay.” she paused, “Tell them -quietly- that freedom grows where tyrants are planted. Make sure it’s a guard with Summer’s helmet and not the standard one.” “Passwords, ‘eh?” She let out a brief chuckle. “Didn’t peck you for the secretive type, with all manner of intricate hoof signs and word jumbles. Freedom grows where tyrants are planted, then? Contradictory, if you ask me. Granted, a good tyrant is miles better than an idiotic democracy.” Armifera raised an eyebrow again, “Now now, there was never any mention of democracies. But you see, the latent Freedom energy feeds off the decaying corpse of a tyrant and thus freedom wells forth if tended properly.” She smirked as she said the second sentence, hoping Winterjet would pick up on her sarcasm -plenty of mortals were terrible about that- “Anyway yes, ‘Freedom grows where tyrants are planted. And remember, guards with Summer’s helmet only, they’re the only ones who will recognize it and not panic.” Despite the apparent seriousness of the conversation, the snowy pegasus could not help but guffaw at the sarcasm so thickly lacing every word Armifera spoke. “Pfft. Yeah. Freedom Energies, seriously? You sound just like some of those wanna-be tribes ponies who think that being part of the Everfree Tribes is all about nature and tree hugging. So… Silver coloured helmet, and mysterious phrase of ultimate sarcasm. Got it.” She nodded theatrically, trying—and failing—to look serious.

Consciousness came back to Lore slowly. He sat in a plush red couch that curled around a black marble table. He was in some kind of underground bar. His memory of how he got there was nonexistent. Last he recalled he was walking out of the library with… someone. Who had he walked out of the library with? He couldn’t remember what she—it was a she he was sure—even looked like. Though her voice had been so beautiful. The Pegasus shook his head. Now was not the time for that. He got a better bearing of the bar. It had a gothic feel to it, the tables had a sickly looking gray duckling—at least he thought it was a duckling—decorated the marble table tops. A lone Griffin sat eyeing him from under a derby behind the counter. He held a mug in his talons, sipping form it every now and then. Lore shivered as the Griffin’s eyes scanned his form not unlike a lion does in sizing up a gazelle. A thousand questions raced through Lore’s mind. Why was he here? Who had nabbed him without his remembering it? This was looking like those shady mystery crime novels his mother fancied, after all this place screamed criminal headquarters. He was about to get wacked, or at the very least ransomed off! Yep he was dead. A Scholar wasn’t worth much. Lore’s teeth chattered at the idea. At the very least “Ah look who’s awake!” Lore looked to the staircase that acted as the bar’s entrance. A large teal Pegasus walked in flanked by a gaunt Earth Pony. The Pegasus had a cheery grin on his muzzle, and there was a bounce to his step. He gave off a jovial demeanor. He wore a sleek black suit that hugged his body just enough to let his muscle tone show through. His black mane was combed over to the side sharply. Lore found himself disarmed by this pony’s disposition. As for the Earth Pony, just looking at him sent shivers down Lore’s spine, and he’d spent many a dark night deep in crypt’s, tombs, and graves. The stallion was a dark yellow, a pair of eyes a few shades lighter than the Earth Pony’s coat stared out from under a wild mass of crimson hair. His eyes were unblinking and seemed to stare into Lore’s mind. He wore nothing save black band holding a dagger to his right fore-hoof. His cutie mark further unnerved the perplexed Lore. It was a cloud of smoke the same color as his mane with a manic grinning face peering out menacingly. “How’s the head?” the other Pegasus inquired as he sat down across from Lore. “Manipulation via voice magic mixed with a cocktail of sedatives can be rather intense I’m told. “ Voice magic? Lore pushed yet another question to the back of his mind, deciding to go with the most obvious of the bunch. “Where am I?” “My place of business and pleasure,” the jovial stallion said with a wink. “The Ugly Duckling.” His eyes widened. “Oh where are my manners. My name is M. The quiet fellow to my right is Spook.” M laughed as Lore’s eyes gravitated warily to the stallion. “Don’t mind him my good lad. Spook’s bark is far worse than his bite.” He turned to his friend. “No pun intended my friend.” The Earth Pony shrugged. Lore saw the exchange as peculiar. M seemed to notice. “He can’t talk if it isn’t obvious.” That caught Lore off guard. Spook opened his mouth. He had no tongue! “Used to be part of the Inquisition. Then he got captured for asking too many questions in dark tunnels.” M shuddered. “Never get involved with the Cult of Laughter my good lad. Dark things creep behind those bright smiles.” Lore looked over at the Earth Pony once more, this time feeling pity toward the stallion. The feeling quickly faded as Spook’s pale yellow eyes fixed on him, cold malice resided there. “Pity,” M said his tone losing all of its chipper timbre. “Is not something he likes being the foci of. A feeling I share. Before you is a weapon pure and simple. Granted there is no one I trust more than he, but then every warrior puts their absolute trust in their blade don’t they?” “Why am I here?” Lore chanced to steer the conversation toward a subject that didn’t make him wonder if they would kill him on spot or not. To Lore’s great relief, or absolute terror—couldn’t quite pick which—M’s jovial demeanor returned as he laughed. “Finally the question that needed to be asked,” he said. “We are waiting for your friend. I’m afraid you are a means to an end.” Lore blanched. M laughed, again. “Oh nothing so gruesome. Once Glory arrives I shall invite her to join me to a soirée my associate is hosting you will be free to go, I’ll even give you a life time pass past my front door. In the mean time we shall have a drink. Ignatius, a bottle of merlot any year beyond eight hundred will do. “ The Griffin nodded and hurried into the backroom, behind the bar. “What does your associate want with Glory?” “Revenge I gather,” M said in a bored tone. “A fruitless venture. No profit whatsoever but my associate is prickly about his honor.” The Griffin—Ignatius—set down two glasses of a rich scarlet liquid. It smelled faintly of rose and raspberry. Lore looked at the glass then back at M, his eyes narrowing slightly. “Why would someone be after Glory?” Lore asked “That is the question,” M took a sip of his drink. He pulled the glass back with a satisfied sigh. “Mmmm. Damn good year. You know wine is scarce where I’m from. Dare say there’s a bit of an inhibition going on. Drink my boy the wine won’t kill you. Scouts honor.” “Somehow I doubt you were a scout.” “Oh but I was.” M shrugged. “For three years. Now then. Onto more important business. What is a scholar from the Freelands doing in Equestria?” “Sightseeing,” Lore snorted. His mood had soured as the wine once had. “Oh yes,” M said, playing along. “We have a wonderful array of sights. War, bigotry, famine. Yes quite the plethora of depraved beauty. Sick is what it is. No I believe you’re here to see for yourself if these Alicorns that have been floating around in fact exist.” Lore made to speak but M cut him off. “And don’t dare deny it. I’ve my set of spies in the Freelands. How else would I track down Ms. Glory?” “Fine. Yes I’m here to discover if the rumors are true. What’s it to you?” “My, such a tongue, sharp for a noble.” “What can I say? I never took to matters of etiquette. Now why is your associate after Glory?” “That I can see.” M drained his glass. “As to why I care, I am simply curious. These Alicorns are of no consequence to myself of my dealings. Unless they wish to have a hoof in it then I say have at. I would enjoy having some long term partners.” He laughed at that for reasons Lore couldn’t understand. “Forgive me, sometimes I just can’t help myself.” M’s eyes flashed a subtle green. Lore didn’t notice. “How about I tell you a little story?”

The Ruins of Ponyville "Har har har," Star Dancer said to Torrential. "We pegasi and mares tend to stick together and watch each others' wing. Instinct? Who knows, probably some holdover back from the days of Hurricane. Plus, we both know Scroll and he's quite the charming Earth pony. Really, if your sister the Lady Sweeper meets up with you, you should get a chance to chat with Scroll. His parents where farmers of a sort, growing plants for bookmaking. "Actually, your riddle about Words probably would have been loved by him. Ever since I meet the stallion back at the University, we were both in our early teens. He had a bright mind and well a love of writing. Oh sure, it's not as magical as the unicorn's aura, and it does look a bit silly with a brush his mouth. But he kept on and on, and today he can write the most lovely reports in beautiful penmareship. I have to tell him when I get back. "But back to Snow Tail… well I suppose we have formed a fast friendship. But I think it might be that well, you're here. Something about your nature that seems to unite others that have meet you." ---- Meanwhile, Snow Tail took the refused ration and ate the rest. No doubt trying to size me up, so she's experienced enough to do that. she thought. Very good. She'll probably last in this world. "Glad to hear that the Lady Armiferia is still resides within the Stormwing. If there's one House that deserves some divine support, it be you guys," Tail said fondly. She might have not been a Stormwing citizen, but she was proud that the Pegasi managed to be more civil than the Unicorn-supremicist Moon and Stars or the Earth pony-dominiated Earthborn. Well, relatively civil. "Though I am sorry about your partner. Poor stallion, but I suppose losing one's shit is costly." Tail was about to reach in and grab some the whiskey. "Aw cripes, I just remembered I used those bottles up. I guess we'll have to drink to your partner latter. "As for Joy," Tail grinned. "I'm sure you've heard of the exploits, and wonder if they're true or not. If we managed to pull that raid on the Manehatten Bank, or the Assassination of the Dark Magos, or pulled a blitzkrieg during the Four Month Winter Offensive. "Well, I can't say officially some of that stuff we did… after all, robbery, espionage, and assassination is something most employers don't know. " She gave a knowing wink. "But I will tell you, if Joy was working on them, the stories wouldn't do them justice. "I was wondering Miss Storm, what's your interest? Did you know Col. Joy?" ---- Manehatten Sitting in the Central Library, Directors Prancer, Cheese, and Sub-Director Holly sat as the young Scholar Gildershake gave her report. When the young mare was done, Prancer rubbed his eyes. His was filled with exhaustion, but from what Cheese did not know. Plenty of his grandchildren went on Missions before, so why was he so worried about Solar Lens and some backwater town? Prancer finally spoke. "So what do you think, my peers? We have two strange foreigners seeking the Lady Sweeper. And thanks to Professor Crypt, we might know their intent but they also know the location of the Chambermaid's base." "I don't think the Lady is any danger," spoke Holly. Unlike the grey-maned stallions, Holly was middle aged, her mane as vibrant and colorful since her youth. "For one thing, they seem to have genuine academic interest into Sliver. And another, they seem well civilized for outsiders, and probably won't try to offend her." "No, but Sweeper is bound to offend them in some way," muttered Prancer. "But I'm more concerned if some spy where to find the location of Ivory Shores. It's location, namely that it isn't well known, is the reason why it's such a refuge. And they might lead a spy to it inadvertently. After all, they are strangers to this land and know not of its dangers." Cheese nodded. "A reasonable concern Prancy, but this academic Lore and friend Glory are bound to search in any case. And I feel we should not hinder them - after all, they may not be of the order, but this Lore certainly has its spirit! It certainly warms by heart to know that beyond the seas that some civilization remains." "Well, I guess I can't fault them for seeking knowledge," the older unicorn agreed. "But how do we make sure they do not bring unwanted… guests with them?" Holly looked over to the silent young mare. "Gildershake, what are Lore and Glory doing next?" "From what I could tell, well, it was preparing to go on a trip. Probably to find were Ivory Shores is, and soon." "Huhhh. So they'll be needing a guide…." The Subdirector gave some thought on the matter. And soon her mind bloomed in bright light. "Ah-ha, I just know the perfect pony!" Prancer looked at her. "What's going on?" "Well, this Lore needs a guide and we need somepony to keep them from any trouble..." So the meeting ended with the Directors liking Holly's plan, and Gildenshake being sent off to get a certain pony before heading back to observe Lore. Cheese and Holly headed back to their projects, but Prancer was a bit slower in his leaving. Too many days had gone by, and no word from Lens or her party. Rumors of an Inquisition investigation has come from Woodwatch. Prancer hated uncertainty, and what little love he had made him worry for both his granddaughter and his old friend. His objective side wanted the Marvels of Science even more, and that worried him was that it was destroyed. He walked down the hall in a misery he had not felt since Celestia had failed him.

The Undercity was a dark, dank husk of it once possibly was. The streets were narrow, filthy, and filled to the brim with those afflicted by the poverty brought by this Whitegold. Glory was disgusted by the state of things here. Sure poverty was no new idea to her; as a soldier with the Free Army she had walked through areas that had once been war zones but ponies actively strived to make the situation better for those impoverished by the wars. Here crime set in to make up for it, a natural effect to the rampant poverty. More than once Glory had to scare off the occasional thief or thug. The flashing of her blade or menacing thrum of her magic sent most scurrying. There was one or two desperate enough to lash out with a rusty shiv or dagger; the loss of a hoof was the cost of their lesson. Finding the Ugly Duckling-- at first-- had been a chore but the abundance of beggars and orphans. The jingling of a coin purse set them in agreeable moods—that and a few sweet words. Glory trotted down a die alleyway. Her eyes stayed focused on the door way at the end of the way. A single crimson door with a dark grey duckling embroidered on it. Glory’s eyes narrowed as a pair of Earth Ponies walked out in front of the doorway. They looked menacing but the effect was lost on Glory. She stopped a few feet before them. “Stand aside,” she said calmly. “Ain’t that sweet eh,” one said to his companion, who snickered in reply. “Yep filly lookin’ fer a spot ‘side’s the boss.” The second on stepped forward and licked his lips. “But you’ll have to pay th’ entrance fee, one good fu-“The loss of his tongue stopped his words short. The first Earth Pony swore and made to rush Glory. The Unicorn walked calmly past as he skewered himself on a spear of light. Unwashed brutes. Glory sniffed as she bucked the flailing Earth Pony through the door bodily. She followed the body down the stairs. Glory noted the pictures, some of a handsome green Pegasus stallion, a skinny yellow pony always at his side. His eyes sparked with a darkness she was all too familiar with, that of a calculated killer. The same look she witnessed every time she sat before a mirror. She came into a dark bar that stank of cigar smoke and whiskey. The same green Pegasus from the photos stared at her, wide eyed before smiling broadly. Relief settled Glory’s pulse for the first time in hours, his back was to her but that shaggy black mane only belonged to one stallion she knew of. “Welcome,” he said merrily. “I see Ms. Mirror did see to your coming. Please sit, have a glass, and let’s get down to business.” Glory carefully stepped forward, blade level at her side. Why was Glory staring forward like that? His eyes were unfocused and he was mumbling to himself. The Unicorn scowled and hissed through clenched teeth, “What did you do to him?” “Just some vocal persuasion,” the Pegasus said, his voice hinting malice. “Please sit.” Glory didn’t move. The stallion’s smile faded. “Very well, stand. I have a proposition for you.” “Whatever you want no deal,” Glory said. “Now allow me to walk out of here with Lore or I’ll paint these walls with your blood.” The Pegasus tapped a hoof against the marble tabletop. Glory barely registered a yellow form out of her right. She whirled but was too late. A pair of strikes sent her right leg crumbling under her. She was pitched forward but lashed out with her sword only to have it deflected by a short length of metal that her assailant held in his mouth. A leg wrapped around her neck as a hoof flicked painfully against her horn. White, hot pain lanced through her skull, turning her vision white as her magic flicked. Her blade fell to the ground with a clatter. A wheezing breathe inches from her ear sent shivers down her spine. A cool length of steel pressed up against her throat as a yellow Earth Pony kept her pinned to the wooden floor. One wrong move and her life’s blood would flow. “Easy Spook.” The metal was pulled away a fraction of an inch. “Now then Ms. Glory shall we start our business or do you want to fight some more. Believe me my friend here would love to slight your throat. Unfortunately I need you alive not bleeding out onto my floor. Besides cleaning up bodies on my abodes floor is a hassle.” Glory glared up at him, her silver eyes alight with fury as he continued. “I need your help, ironic here I am asking when you’re the one at a position to beg for your life. Ah well. Now then my associate wants you alive so she can just kill you. Revenge is such pointless business, no profit in it. I, however, see your use. You’re going to kill my associate. When the dust settles everyone will think it was he need for revenge that did her in and no one will think the wiser as I step up and take her territories. “Normally I’d just off her and be done with it, that is after all how I’ve come to control the Undercity. But my associate holds power among these aristocrats. She’s part of the Inner Circles you see and simply killing her will turn attention on me, and well they may have a skewed justice system but it’s still there. I would be locked up but if you kill her all they would have are suspicions, can’t lock someone up on suspicion alone. What do you say?” Glory glared at him, defiant. As if she would agree with such swill. He could kill her. Death wasn’t something she feared. The Pegasus stood up and walked to her. He knelt before her, his eyes locking on hers. “I know you don’t fear death, I see it in your eyes. But what of your friend.” Glory’s heart nearly stopped. “How much pain can he endure before he dies? And they’ve come forward with wonderful innovations in medicine. I guarantee a week before he croaks.” He scowled at her. “Bet your ass on that.” Glory had never felt more helpless. Her instincts roared for her lash out, go down fighting take as many with her as possible. But the sincerity at his words struck her. There was only one choice. “I’ll do it<” she said quietly, hating herself for giving in. His smile returned. “I’m sorry what was that?” “I’ll do it,” she hissed. “Wonderful!” He clapped his hooves together. He then went into explaining the plan. The first chance Glory got this M would bleed out at her hooves, begging for his miserable life. This Glory swore.

Sliver Sweeper watched the match between the mortal and her sister. It was, after all, neat to see Armiferia work her martial skills. For her, it was like an artist painting a landscape. Sweeper herself often tried to imitate the combat abilities of her kin. Alas, the Chambermaid lacked technique, and her battles were more rough brawls than the skillful dance of combat. There was also another interest in the fight: Winterjet. I want to see how good Scroll's girlfriend is at combat thought Sweeper. I know Thea would always find skillful followers, but it doesn't hurt if they know how to crack a few heads if things get out of hoof. Despite the mess that was being made, Sweeper didn't move. Her full attention was on the contest. Once it was over, Sweeper trotted up to the blood-spattered grass and cleaned it up with her magic. Once that was done she headed towards the combatants. "That was really good Winterjet! Usually any pony that dares to best Ami wouldn't last as long as you did." Her horn glowed to clean Armiferia's armor, slightly smudged in battle. "And rather impressive, as always Sis. Wish I could do half the things you do, would certainly make Scroll feel safe." Once she was satisfied with the job, she looked over at Winterjet. "Well… would you mind if I give you a touch up? You're quite messily from the battle." Sliver smiled. "After all, you want to look nice." ---- "Well, this is a problem," muttered Gildenshake, as she was outside of the Ugly Duckling, not knowing what was going on. All she knew was that there were some bodies laying about and Glory seemed to be looking for somepony. What that had to do with Glory or why Lore was not with her, the Scholar could not say. In any case, it took Gildenshake time and money just to track the whereabouts of the pegasus. She hoped both were alright - in the time she was sent to observe them she thought they were rather nice foreigners. A blind beggar came by and began to nudge the pegasus, and Gildenshake tosses a few coins in the street. The beggar went to chase the sound of the coins. Gildenshake moved around to another shadowy corner, the blue grey of her cloak blending in with the undercity. She continued her vigil. ---- After Southwatcher had finished resting, she and Lens removed the barricade and slowly opened the cellar door. The sun was peaking from the horizon, the sky violet and red. Carefully, the duo trotted up to the ruined house, and looked around. There seemed to be no pony in the area. Perhaps my worries that we were being followed was unfounded Lens thought to herself. Never the less, we must make it to Golden Pines without delay. "What's the plan?" asked Southwatcher in a low voice. "We cover the entrance with some debris to hide the appearance of the cellar. In the future, it could be put to good use, as long as no other ponies find it," Lens responded. "Then we continue towards the safehouse." "You sure you don't want to rest up a bit more?" Lens smiled. "Considering the state you were in, I should be asking you that question." Southwatcher shook her head. "I'm fine, but you shouldn't overexert yourself. I know Lightwing was your friend and…" Lens said nothing for a bit, a shadow came over her face. Lightwing… I didn't even get a chance to say goodbye. All those times we spent, and you snarking about our job. I liked that about you, your sarcasm seemed to help lighten the darkest of times. We would debate, would ponder theology and psychology, comment on the byzantine intrigue of Whitegold.... and now.... I'm sorry dear friend, but until we're safe I can't mourn. "That can wait… but right now we need to make progress. Much has to be done, and we can't do anything in the irons of Twilight's Inquisition. " Lens said.

A slight look of frustration appeared on Torrential's face at the remark about his presence uniting those that met him. "It's not intentional on my part I assure you. I never asked for anyone to follow me but I always seem to find myself being asked by somepony to tell them how to run their lives. If ponies have one design flaw, it is that they bend to easily at the knees."

Taking a few deep breaths to calm himself down, the alicorn seemed to relax a little... and even looked a little bit embarrassed about his outburst. "I apologize. It's just something that has plagued my mind ever since..." Torrential seemed to... sag a little as he laid down in the mud, breathing deeply to keep himself in a state that he could talk about what was on his mind. "A long time ago, I found myself asking the question 'Are ponies following you and looking up to you because of who you are or because of what you are?' Were they only seeking my advice because I was bigger and stronger then them? I do acknowledge that I was also more experienced then them but when you have the first two you don't really need experience to make ponies listen to you..."

"And I couldn't turn to my brothers and sisters on the issue because either they wouldn't quite understand what it was I was trying to say to them, they wouldn't care or it would merely vex them like it was doing to me, maybe even more so. I suspect that Luna once asked herself the same question, but I'm sure you've heard that tale already." Rolling his wings a little, Torrential shook them a out before resting them once again. Turning to look at Star Dancer, he smiled at her softly as he asked "What do you think Ms Dancer? Often times philosophical matters need to be discussed so that it can evolve and reach maturity and I would welcome a fresh perspective."

Dancer's heart was pounding hearing the irritation coming from the Alicorn. Unconsciously, she wanted to recoil and grovel, to avoid the a watery wrath. She still remembered the ruined Earborn pegasus. But wisdom overcame fear. Torrential wouldn't hurt you, not after all that he's done. He loves you, as much as you love him.

She felt Torrential sit on the ground. I wonder what Sweeper would make of this? Her brother in the mud - would she clean him, or join him? The Chamermaid's ideas of Cleanliness seemed to depend on the context of the situation as well as her attitude. Dancer recalled Sweeper's first meeting with a Diamond Dog. Despite the strong smell, the Lady only cleaned his vest and gem-encrusted collar. "It's natural for them," was her explanation.

Soon, Dancer's fear subsided once Torrential began to explain himself. She listened and pondered his words. "I'll admit, when I first meet your sister, all the ponies of our shantytown were looking to her as a new ruler," she answered. "After all these decades of barbarism, to see a glowing alicorn was more than enough to have us bowing. We were afraid before, and now we had some hope."

Dancer sighed. "But after a few days, most of the town was left bewildered by Sweeper's eccentricity - her preference towards baldness, her obsessive-compulsiveness, her random chats and ramblings… The more we got to know her, the more she seemed less like a divine alicorn and more of a unusual loon."

The pegasus facer began to flush. "I'm sorry, I should not have said that about your kin. It's just… well she's just like family to me, as well as an alicorn. I tend to sometimes forget who Sweeper really is - a divine being and not a older sister.

"Well, back to my story. Ivory Shores was willing to put up with Sweeper's oddities. After all, she was repairing the town. But in the first week or so, the majority of us wondered when she was going to leave, if at all. Taller and powerful she may be, Sweeper was just too weird for most.

"But soon Sweeper's works became to borne fruit - for Ivory Shores became an actual town, no longer just a ruin with squatters. Her ramblings may have gone off in strange tangents, but it put ponies at ease, even making them laugh a bit. And despite her compulsion, she had time to tend to our wants and needs - we only had to ask. Well, that and get her attention, which tended to be either offering tea or waving our hooves in her face.

"Sweeper earned our respect. We honor the Lady because of her nature certainly. But the Lady would have not gotten our fealty without those positive virtues."

Torrential didn't answer right away. Dancer's answer required some thought before he offered anything even close to an answer. Much longer then they were going to be sitting here at any rate. "That... is a much better answer then I was expecting Dancer. I've never considered that point of view before and I will have to dedicate some time to explore it fully. Then again, with Sweeper involved I'm honestly not that surprised that a question that is meant to have a black and white answer would instead come up orange in practice."

A slight chuckle escaped the alicorn, an amused smirk on his face for a flicker of a moment before it vanished once more. "You know, I'm honestly glad that Sweeper is doing the world a great deal of good in her own way. She's a lot smarter the she lets on and I fully expect to see great things come about because of her." It wasn't much of a confession, but saying it out loud seemed to cause Torrential to completely relax in his spot next to the somewhat smaller Star Dancer.

"I suspect a lot of her success is going to be coming from the fact that she doesn't care about what shape the world is, just as long as it's clean and the beings she likes are happy... Well, that and a healthy supply of tea and biscuits." For a moment, Torrential pondered if he should bring up what he was about to say; If it was appropriate for him to inform a mortal pony of the faults of one of those considered his betters. The answer was of course 'Yes', but he was going to do it anyway. "I honestly suspect that whatever world comes about due to Sweeper's involvement is going to be a much healthier, stronger one then what Celestia had managed for so long. It'll definitely be cleaner at any rate."

Foreseeing the need for an explanation, Torrential turned to gaze at Dancer as he continued "Celestia and Luna are the Second Born. Created by our mother after the Lords of Harmony and Discord in order to control and guide the Sun, the Moon and the other heavenly lights. By their very nature they are beings of Harmony and Order, which many ponies seem to consider to be the same thing. The problem is that to Celestia, stability is more important then anything else. Whether she intended to or not, she more or less turned Equestria into a segregated government with a class system; Earth ponies doing the physical labor, Pegasus ponies controlling the weather, Unicorns in the higher educated upper class and of course Alicorns ruling over everypony else."

Torrential took a quick breath before asking his companion "Can you see the issues with such a system, my dear Dancer?"

The soothing words coming from Torrential was like being in a warm bath for the pegasus. It was good to hear that at least one of Sweeper's kin speak well of her. Indeed, the alicorn seemed to be 100% accurate in his comments. A part of Dancer was worried that the other Alicorns would consider Sweeper to be an annoyance, an unnecessary load to their missions. But to hear some praise show that at least Torrential didn't have that view.

The change in topic caused Dancer to think, long and hard, at the question posed about Celestia's rule.

"You know, I never gave much thought about it. Back when I was a student at the University, before the Disappearance, I don't think many of us cared about social-political matters. Sure, we knew all the different theories and systems of government, but Civics was just one of those classes one took to get their undergrad studies done.

Dancer frowned a bit. "We were happy, or for the most part, well satisfied then. I never heard from anypony that they hated their lot in life - no Earth Pony farmer grumbled at their job, just from the problems that they had with rabbits raiding their fields. A pegasus might complain how the clouds were not of the right water content than they should be, but never that their job was terrible. A unicorn, well, I've actually heard how some nobles bemoan the problems of their position, namely they didn't get enough Bree with their wine." She smiled at the half-joke.

"But it wasn't like it was slavery or anything - any pony could go into a different career they wanted. Scroll, for instance, managed to get into a field predominately filled with unicorns. And I've meet a number of non-pegasi who were interested in weather - if not able to control it, then do reports from the ground or analyze the wind and atmospheric content.

But then she shook her head. "But that was then. Now after so many years of tyrants and barbarism, it gives a fresh look on Celestia's rule. It was stable… but only by a keystone of the Princess. We relied so much on her… and without a keystone, the arch falls apart. We became so engrained and focused on our roles, without Celestia we began to use that to justify our biases."

She awaited Torrential's reply.

Torrential shrugged a little bit. "I guess things must appear a bit a lot different when you are apart of the system rather then outside of it. I've never really had the benefit of being apart of such a thing myself."

Taking a deep breath, Torrential felt much more like himself. All he had needed was a bit of a rest it would seem. Now all he needed to focus on was the future and how his companions were going to fit into it. "I wonder where our spunky little spitfire has gone? It feels like she has been away for months now and I need to discuss something with the both of you..."

Considering how to locate and inform Snow Tail that he wished for her to come back so he could talk with her, Torrential grinned wickedly as the spark of trickster creativity came to him. Letting his horn glow for a moment, Torrential's grinned seemed to glow as a small raincloud just big enough for a full grown winged mare to ride on formed itself 'randomly' about ten meters above the ground along a 'random' spot near the lake before releasing a short, sharp burst of icy cold rain.

"That ought to get her attention." Torrential offered aloud before turning to Dancer and leaning in to entrust her with a close secret of his with a playful air. "Don't tell anyone but there is something about making a mare flustered and wet that appeals to me deeply. You would not believe how much self control I needed to use not to drench the both of you completely while you were wearing those dresses. But I held back because it didn't seem like the right time and I suspected that you might not have enjoyed such attention from me..."

The two of them landed on the ground with a jarring thud, at least for the mortal of the two. Time was approaching mid afternoon, the warm sun beating down on them from above.

Theá released Amaretto from her magical grip, letting him drop the last few centimetres onto the ground, small indentations forming in the dry ground where he landed. They had seen hide nor hair of Scalpel as they flew, even with Theá’s unrealistically sharp senses. In fact, Amaretto had barely through of even finding him, at this point just glad to be on his way home.

But he had an errand to run first.

He looked ahead at Northgate still a good kilometre away, sitting snugly on a hill top. Had he not known better he would have thought the town peaceful. A happy place. The smoke circled upwards towards the sky from the chimneys, and what little he could see from so far away, the tiny pinpricks of ponies walking about before disappearing out of his sight, made it seems idyllic. The corners of his lips turned upwards in the ghost of a smile. It reminded him of home.

“What will you be doing here?” The question came from beside him and, although not a surprise, did shake him out of his own thoughts.

Tearing his gaze from the far-away town he met Theá’s sharp eyes. It struck him then for some reason, how beautiful and young she looked, but her eyes were as old as anything he had ever seen. Older even. He let out a small hum which turned into more of a grunt. “I have to meet someone. Call me soft hearted, but there’s someone here I want to help who’s not part of my family.” He snorted then, a small guffaw following as his gaze returned to the town “Strange, isn’t it?”

Theá didn’t answer at first, instead following his eyes to the collection of wooden houses. She had an inquisitive look on her face as she stood there. Thinking. “Perhaps,” she said at length. “And perhaps not. You are compassionate towards those who have shown you kindness. I believe… I believe my sister, Silver Sweeper, might say that you have a heart to match your body.” Just as she had said it she could already feel the stallion’s eyes on her. Looking back at him she found him with eyes as wide as ever, mouth as close to gaping as it could without looking utterly stupid.

“Did you just try to make a joke?” He asked, closing his mouth and reigning in his surprise although it was still very much present in his voice.

“I suppose,” Theá admitted, tilting her head, thinking it over. “I don’t know.” She shrugged and repositioned her wings for better comfort. “You don’t approve?”

Amaretto shook his head, although not so much as to appear insulting. He hoped. “You’re not exactly the best at jokes, no. Best leave them to your sister, I think.” He took a step towards the town, stopping to look back at the goddess. “Thank you for bringing me this far. And… good luck with whatever it is you’ll be doing.”

“And you too,” she replied, giving him a nod in recognition of the luck wished upon her. She spread her wings then, about to take off, but gave the stallion a final look before she flew away. “Thank you for your help, Amaretto. While nothing much came of it this time, it was appreciated. Until next time.” A powerful flap of her wings and she was off, shooting towards the clouds at incredible speeds, only gaining more as she beat her wings again.

The resulting buffet of wind from where she had taken off almost threw Amaretto off his hooves, making him stumble away several steps to avoid falling. A grumble followed as he looked up at the green shape that was his goddess, muttering something about her needing to mind those around her when she takes off. His frown, however, soon loosened up, and he made his way towards Northgate, already knowing who it was he would be visiting.

---

Amaretto made his way into the inn little less than an hour later, pushing the door open carelessly and letting it bang against the wall. He, however, closed it properly behind him. Ignoring the stares he had garnered from his rather rude entrance he made his way up to the bar, his silver eyes locking onto the bored looking bartender, the same plain stallion he had met the last time he was here.

“Yes? What can I do for you?” He asked when Amaretto had come near enough to speak to. “Food? Drink? ...something else?”

“Amber.”

The bartender lifted an eyebrow. “So scotch?”

“No. Amber, the pegasus mare,” Amaretto pressed.

A knowing smile spread across the bartender’s lips, a glint entering his eyes which, for the first time, made him look slightly less boring and plain. “Very well. That will be ten bits, then.” He held his hoof forward in what could only be called a greedy manner.

Without complaint the coins were fished out of Amaretto’s saddlebags and placed in the waiting hoof. “Which room?” He asked.

“You will find her in room 072. Up the stairs and to your left.” The bartender didn’t even care to make sure that Amaretto found the fight room, nor that he only ‘visited’ one of the girls.

Greedy fucker, he thought, making his way up. He hoped the room had a window.

He walked up the stairs and turned, a long hallway with doors on either side stretching before him. The inn itself wasn’t terribly big, so how they even had enough room for more than seventy two rooms was a mystery. He figured that they had hollowed out some of the adjacent buildings and used them for additional rooms. The town was rather tightly packed, after all.

He continued down the hall, watching the numbers on each door until, finally, he found a door with a large “72” emblazoned upon it. He knocked on it twice before pushing it open, finding an amber coloured pegasus mare in the process of braiding her opal blue mane. She sat on a stool in front of a desk with a mirror, her eyes having shifted to the door reflected in the polished surface in front of her.

A smile spread quickly across her lips at the sight of the stallion in the doorway. She turned around, a glimmer of excitement coming into her eyes. “Hello there. Amaretto, was it?” She put the finishing touches on her bread and hopped down from the stool, walking slowly towards him. “I figured you’d be back. So… ready to be a little naughty this time?”

The stallion was quick to shake his head, holding up a hoof to stall her in her advance. “Afraid not. I have another reason for coming here.”

That got a curious look from the smaller mare, one ear flopping to the side, only adding to her puzzled expression. “And what would that be? Not another night-long conversation?”

“You sound almost as if you don’t enjoy a good conversation,” Amaretto chuckled. “No. I want something else, but first.” He closed the door behind him and, walking further into the room, turned to face Amber. “If you could, would you leave this place?”

The answer came almost immediately. “I would. It’s not that I hate my job, but I fear the war. I feel far too close to it, honestly. Why?” Her eyes narrowed, although there were no anger in her look, only scrutiny. “Do you know how I could get away? The guy downstairs wouldn’t let me, certainly, and I have nowhere to go even if I tried to leave.”

“I… might know a place.” Amaretto absentmindedly scratched his chin, almost in an anxious way, as if he was far too self-conscious about what he was thinking about. Steeling himself, he let his hoof back onto the floor with an audible thud, and spoke. “I want you to come with me. I live with my family in a place far from here, and safe. We… I…” he stopped, ears turning around to spot any possible sound. When he was satisfied that there were no one nearby he resumed. “My home is hidden and protected by Theá Erimo, the wilderness goddes.”

Amber didn’t seem perturbed that his home was shielded by one of the alicorn gods. Instead she just asked. “Which?”

“The green one. The one reputed to move too quickly for the naked eye to see. In return for working for her whenever she needs me, she has given me and my family a home which no one can find. Only those who already know where it is can find it. I will be honest, even if I don’t know you I want you to have a life free of this war. You, and many others, don’t deserve to live in fear of hordes of undead swarming over you, or whatever pitched battle Stormwing and Earthborne decide to arrange. Call me a sentimental old fart, but I want you safe, if only because you seem like a kind person.”

Amber had the decency to blush at the statement, hoof raised to cover her growing smile. “I… I would like to get away from all this, but… is it safe? Getting out I mean. The old man won’t want me to leave. I am one of his most popular after all.” Her smile took on a temporary proud look. “But… Yeah. I want to get away to somewhere safer. Can you promise me that you’ll keep me safe?”

Amaretto nodded. “I promise. But we will need to get out without being noticed. That—” he looked around, quickly finding the window to a back alley he was hoping for “—is what we’ll need that window for. We jump out and make a run for it. If luck has it we’ll be far away when he realises that we’ve left.” He stepped towards it, horn already lighting up and grasping the window’s latch. “I’m going to leave regardless. I’ve let my wife and daughter wait for far too long for me to return.” He looked back at her. “So now is the time to decide. Do you want to come or not?”

For all of a second Amber looked as if she didn’t know what to do. But in that second thoughts swirled through her mind, each warring for the front spot and attention. They wanted to be heard, to be the one to be the deciding factor. Should she go, or should she not? On one hand it would be a good chance for her to get away from the war—provided he was telling the truth—and she would likely never get another chance. On the other hand he could be luring her into some trap or whatever. But was Amaretto really such a stallion? She had known him for only a short time, spent less than a full day with him, but what she had seen lead her to believe that he was one that could be trusted. He worked for a God, a being similar to Celestia and Luna, so they had to be good, right?

The second passed, and she decided. It was risky, and she bet everything on him. She just hoped he told her the truth. “I trust you. Let’s go.” Please let this not be a trap, she thought, following him as he opened the window and crawled out, holding it up for her. And please let his wife not be the kind that goes ballistic when she sees another mare close to her husband.

---

Amber stopped, panting and sweating more than she could remember having ever done before. She let out a weak cry for Amaretto to stop, which he did, and slumped down, leaning against a rock on the side of the road. They had been running for the past two hours, having not stopped for rest for a single second to get as far away from Northgate as possible. Amaretto himself was panting and sweating as well, but not as much as the younger mare. In her prime though she may be, she had done little training aside from what was necessary to give herself a healthy and slender look.

“We need to hurry. We can’t risk them catching up on us,” he said.

“I-I know, but I’ve never been running for this long before. I… I’m dead tired. Can’t we at least take a short break?” She tried to make her eyes as big and innocent as possible in an attempt to persuade him, and, to some extent, it worked.

Amaretto grumbled something under his breath, but lit his horn and lifted the small mare off of the ground and deposited her on his back. “Rest if you want, but we have to keep going.”

“O-Okay,” she breathed out, resting her head between his shoulders. “Thanks.”

Unseen to her, a small smile played at the corners of the stallion’s lips. “You’re welcome.” And then he continued on, a brisk trot to keep up speed, but not burn too much energy. They had a long way to go, after all.

---

Theá touched down on the small stone plateau, folding her wings carefully at her side. It had been little over two hours since she had delivered Amaretto at his destination near Northgate, and had set off towards her own destination. Back in the inn room she and Amaretto had share in Woodswatch she had gotten a notion, or more like a thought planted in her mind.

She had often been told of a light in the south, but had always dismissed it as nothing but a campfire or a small town in the mountains being seen from a distance, but in that room a thought had struck her: Luna and Celestia couldn’t be found anywhere in Equestria and beyond as far as Theá and her followers could find. She—the tracker among trackers—had not been able to find her quarry, so could they really be on this plane? She thought it unlikely, and so, had latched onto the one clue she had so far dismissed in her arrogance, and went for it.

And that was where she was now, on the very plateau where the Southern Light was said be. And it was. A score metres away was what looked like a spherical orb of light, half again the size of Theá herself, similar to Celestia in size in fact. Its light was soft but of no discernible colour.

“So this is it?” She asked the empty air, brows furrowing and ears swivelling about in search of anything. “It certainly isn’t of mortal origin, that much I can guarantee. Maybe…” She lit her horn and closed her eyes, letting an aura of her magic blanket a large area around her, easily a hundred or so metres. There were insects aplenty, as well as what shrubbery could survive on the plateau, but there was no other life here.

But even if it was not life, there was still the Southern Light. She refocused on the orb in front of her and felt it. It shone like a thousand beacon to her magical senses. Of all the things she had met on the mortal plane nothing came even close to exuding as much raw power and magic as this thing did. It dwarfed Theá herself with such magnitude that she doubted even Celestia and Luna combined would be even close to matching it. It was so much that it caused physical pain to run through her horn, so much so that she forcibly tore herself away from her magic, cutting it off in a gambit to get rid of the pain.

She found herself panting, groaning from the last vestiges of pain surging through her horn. Now she understood what it was, and she also understood why only one of her own Verse did it. It was a portal, a tear in the fabric of creation itself. And the reason why she had not felt it until now was quite simple: It had been cloaked from magical senses so as to avoid a magical overload across the entire unicorn population. It caused this much pain when she scrutinized it, but if a mortal were to do it… the pain would be unbearable and, possibly, lethal.

“Explains why whoever made this shielded it like this.” She swallowed and stepped forward. She had a pretty good idea of where it lead, and possibly even to whom. It was only a matter of trying. There was no other way, is what she thought. She had to go there herself.

“And what sort of Hunter am I if not I follow my quarry wherever the tracks may lead?” She mumbled something unintelligible at her own hesitance and, steeling herself, stepped forward. The portal loomed in front of her.

She breathed in and, summoning forth her conviction, stepped through it.