NOTE ON DATES:

The Unified Imperial calendar is used as a benchmark for all dates within this text. It is compared with local calendars where appropriate, although certain alterations have been made to clear up inconvenient details that would otherwise prove confusing. For instance, the names of the months are taken from Imperial convention, as the ancient Equestrian calendar (due to the multiple lunar cycles) had a very unorthodox system of months.

The Imperial calendar uses as a basis point the formation of the unified Empire, specifically the overthrow of the DivineKingdom after the Summer Revolution.

The Equestrian calendar is divided into three large Ages. The first Act of this history deals exclusively with the First Age of Equestria, which uses as its basis the foundation of the free country under the First Triumvirate, and includes the reign of Discord. Events that occur before the foundation of Equestria carry no local comparison.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

The account following was assembled from first-hand interviews with those involved (at least, those who could be contacted within a reasonable timeframe). Though the author accepted most of this testimony, rigorous cross-checking was done in the event that it was likely the witness was lying to cover up past misdeeds or exaggerating past successes, which admittedly was most of the time. Since this history bridges such a long period (approximately one and a half thousand years), it is unavoidable that there has been some aberration in the historical record. However, in the interest of future generations that might benefit from this work, it has been presented in as factual a manner as can be reasonably attempted.

Care has also been taken that the final product properly reflect cultural norms of the time periods being covered, while remaining politically correct according to present social standards. For more information on this specific process, please consult the Appendices.

-T. Sparkle, Imperial Archivist & Master of Magic

Dated: 18 Aug. 3256 (Unified Imperial Time)

18 Aug. 4 (Third Age of Equestria)

Prologue

Twilight closed the door to her room gently and walked slowly over to her writing desk. This was the day, the culmination of months of research, trawling through exhaustive historical documents and interviewing countless subjects. Finally, it was time to begin. She ran her eyes over the desk. Everything was there that she would need: recording touch-screen and stylus, fibre optic network link, and of course a mountain of parchment, her notes and plans. Some might call her old-fashioned, after all a personal data assistant could have held all this and more, and all in a space smaller than an envelope. But Twilight still wasn't used to the new Equestria, and she doubted she ever would be.

Outside, the wind gusted as an international transport liner shrieked by overhead, bound for the newly constructed space port in New Apple Loosa. The wind whipped through the flags adorning the peaked roofs of the nation's capital. Slowly, Canterlot had recovered from the purgatory of the past few years, the horrors of the Integration. The city was rebuilding itself, struggling on as best as it could in the brave new dawn that Equestria faced.

Reflectively, the lavender unicorn examined the only other object on her desk, a faded photograph of her old mentor, Celestia. The picture had been taken more than six years ago, back when the Princess had still had her beauty. Celestia stood proudly in the foreground, framing the rising sun at her right shoulder and the gleaming capital over her left. I'm doing this for you, Celestia, she thought to herself. The ponies must be made aware of how wrong they were about you.

Picking up the stylus, Twilight tried to get her thoughts in order. Where to begin? The story was long and complicated, intertwined through history like a tightly coiled braid. Realizing that this task was going to require utmost concentration, she pushed a virtual button on the holographic console that stood just off to the desk's right. Shortly, a trim white unicorn appeared in the doorway. Although she was dressed in the white and blue robes of the monarchy, this servant had embellished hers with a ring of multicoloured gemstones about the collar. It perfectly complemented her light blue eyes.

"Do you require something, Your Majesty?" asked Rarity, careful to show the proper respect and deference to the newly crowned High Princess.

"Nothing special, Rarity," Twilight replied. "I just want to make it clear that I am absolutely not to be disturbed for any reason while I am writing."

"Ooh, you're finally getting around to it?" Rarity approached cautiously, and then a drawn expression appeared on her face. "It really is a terrible tragedy, all that has happened. However will you even start?"

"I think I'm just going to have to begin where it all began, so long ago. Ponies deserve nothing less than the whole truth."

Rarity cast a quick glance over her shoulder, and then closed the door silently with a shot of magic. "But I thought you were being commissioned by… him," she finished in a very quiet voice.

Twilight felt an involuntary shiver pass down her spine as she thought of her superior, the disturbingly twisted figure that now paid her living expenses, and who had originally commissioned her "official history". "Just because it will be stored in the Imperial Archives, doesn't mean that ponies shouldn't read it, Rarity. In order to move past this as a country, we must come to terms with our history."

Standing regally at attention again, Rarity waited for the Princess to dismiss her, as even the Lady of the Chamber was subservient to the monarch. "Do whatever you feel is necessary then, Twilight," she concluded. "If that is all you need me for, I have a chess match scheduled this afternoon with Spike. You know how busy he is these days, so I'm really looking forward to the chance to get back caught up with him."

Twilight waited for several seconds, then realized why Rarity was still standing there. "Yes! You can go, of course!" Twilight finally blurted out. "We're friends, Rarity! Haven't I told you that don't need to put on the whole formal rules of etiquette when we're in private?"

"Thank you, Your Majesty," The Lady of the Chamber bowed low with a slight smile, and then retreated to the door, letting herself out silently. Twilight berated herself. She was never going to get used to this whole Princess thing, of that she was certain. Then, an idea sparked off inside her mind, bouncing away from what Rarity had just said. Chess.

It seemed just right, oddly appropriate. Pulling off the first few stacks of her notes, she found the passage she was looking for. Indeed, it would be the perfect place to start. Summoning her concentration, she put stylus to screen and began to write. Equestria, she thought, here begins your story, a story that will be written in fire, water, and blood.

Act I: Ascending Star

Chapter 1: Opening Book

"Equestria under Discord; what a frightful place. So long as I shall live, it is my duty to ensure history never repeats itself."

-High Princess Celestia, Personal Journals (Vol. 2)

Date: 14 Apr. 1749 (Unified Imperial Time)

14 Apr. 2975 (First Age of Equestria)

Place: Discord's Capital City of Eridian

"It's your move, sister."

Celeste Albright was fully aware that it was in fact her move. She had been puzzling over the arrangement of the chess board in front of her for five minutes already. At the moment, it was set like so:

|** |** |** |** |BR |** |BR |Bb |8
|BQ|BK |** |** |BN |** |** |** |7
|** |** |** |** |** |** |Bp |** |6
|** |** |Wp |**|BN |** |** |** |5
|** |** |** |** |** |** |** |WQ|4
|** |** |** |** |** |** |Wp|** |3
|** |WN|Wp|**|** |** |** |** |2
|** |WK|** |** |WR|**|** |WR|1
|a *|b *|c *|d *|e * |f *|g *|h *|

Celeste's White King was well-defended on the near rank, and her sister's King was vulnerable, as her other pieces were scattered about in a seeming mess. Her bishop, especially, was stranded in a corner, unable to give any real support to the formation. Checking the board over a final time, she reached out with her hoof, and manipulated the White Queen onto h7. Satisfied, she sat back with a small grin. Now that the knight was blockaded protecting the King, her sister was quickly running out of options.

When Claire immediately charged the Black Queen down to a1 and stated "Check," in a satisfied tone, Celeste had to put in an effort resisting the urge to raise her hoof to her forehead.

"Seriously," she began, exasperation clear in her tone, "you're not even trying anymore, are you?"

"Whatever do you mean?" Claire asked innocently. "I checked you. Isn't that the whole point of the game?"

Standing up and indicating Claire's Queen, Celeste continued to berate her sister. "Yes, you checked me. Now what am I going to do? I only have one move: to capture your queen like so," she stated as she executed the capture. "Now you've gained absolutely nothing, and lost your queen. It's no wonder I always win these games, if that's how you think!"

Coming around the table to stand beside her, Claire was still smiling. In the flickering light of the room's lone candle, it would have been difficult for most ponies to ascertain the intent in her eyes, but Celeste had known her sister for years, and could read her innocence like a book. "Come now sister, it's only a game. I play it to have fun, just as you should. Do you want to continue?"

Walking away from the low table to the room's only window, Celeste cast one look over her shoulder. "If you're not even going to try to challenge me, then what point is there in continuing?" For a moment, she held Claire's gaze, then her younger sister turned her attention to putting away the chess set. Celeste spent the time surveying the view from the open window.

The room that she shared with her sister occupied the second floor of a roughshod hovel on one of Eridian's low and dirty side streets. The winding, pitted dirt road that serviced the dwellings here ran for about a mile before dead-ending in one of the city's many plazas. Looking out the window now, Celeste could see that the ponies living in this section of town were mostly out in the street, doing whatever they could to survive, whether that meant scrounging or begging for food, or attempting to barter what possessions they owned for the necessities of life. In that sense, she and her sister were lucky. They had their own ways of obtaining food and drink, though they might not have been particularly honest. In Equestria, one did whatever had to be done.

Turning back inside, she could see that Claire had set the chess set aside in the dim corner where they kept such pleasantries. Besides the small table and two chairs that they had been seated at for the game, the room also contained each of their sleeping arrangements, and an improvised kitchen area. Overall, about a hundred square feet of living space, enough to get by with, but not nearly enough for real comfort. Not that either Celeste or Claire really cared. It was all that they had ever known, and they did at least have each other, which was more than most ponies in Eridian could claim these days.

For the moment, the room's only source of illumination was a single, flickering candle on the kitchen countertop. It was the middle of the day, or at least the middle of what semblances there were of "days" here in Equestria, but in Eridian none of that mattered. At all hours, the sky above the city was obscured by a thick wall of swirling grey cloud, the work of Discord's magic, or so everyone said. Because of this, the streets of Eridian were held in a state of permanent twilight. So ponies made their own time, as well as they could. The way that Celeste and Claire defined a "day" was just as likely to be completely different from the way their own neighbours did it.

Finally, Celeste's gaze fell back onto the form of her sister, who was rummaging through their supply of foodstuffs in back, likely looking for a snack before work tonight. Casually approaching Claire from behind, she spoke over the rustling in the closet. "Could you pass me out an apple, sister? And take one for yourself as well."

Claire emerged holding a trio of fruits, passing one to her sister, and taking a large bite from one of the others, causing several drops of juice to run down her lips and onto the floor. With a sigh, Celeste worked the other apple free from her sister's hoof and tossed it back into the pantry. "Just one is all for now, I'm afraid," she said to Claire in a stern voice. "We'll need two for the shill tonight, and who knows how much more if you screw up again like last time."

With an indignant glare, Claire wiped her face with the back of her leg. "It was just two apples! And we came out four ahead of what we needed besides!" Taking another bite, Claire relaxed against the counter. "But did you see the look on that colt's face when he won? Oh, it just melted my heart! For all you know, he could have had a family to feed."

"Well, we can't be bothered to go around seeing to the needs of every pony in Equestria, now can we?" was Celeste's cold reply. "Since it looks like I'm the only one here looking out for us first, tonight let me decide who gets to win, alright?"

Claire acquiesced with a nod, but Celeste knew that the issue was far from settled. She resolved to watch her sister very closely tonight, to make sure that no profit was unnecessarily lost. Moving off to look over the city again, Celeste allowed her gaze to rise up over the low roofs of the city, and pass out into the horizon. Far beneath Eridian's mountain perch lay a country of green fields and running streams. Nonetheless, life out there was just as lawless and unfortunate as it was here. She wasn't being callous in looking out for herself first. If she and Claire had been able to make a larger difference, do something meaningful in the broader scope; she wouldn't hesitate at the opportunity to help. But as it stood, the problem was simply too large for either of them to face. What good would a few apples do to help a population of millions?

As she stood looking out the window, an apple core passed several inches over her head, sailing out into the street before rolling a few yards down one of the worn pathways. Behind her, Claire climbed into her bed for a few hours of rest. Celeste, though, stayed awake for several minutes more, to think.

---

The shill was late, so Celeste and Claire had to stand together on tonight's street corner for several minutes just waiting for him. After a couple of nights spent plying their trade in the general vicinity of their residence, tonight Claire had voted that they strike out somewhere new, so as to attract some fresh eyes. The square where they now stood was in an upper ring of the city, though of course it was just as dim and decrepit as the rest. The only difference here was that if one looked up, the crooked and twisted spires of Discord's castle punctuated the sky. Built from grey, unadorned stone, the towers of the tyrant's seat cast themselves round each other in a chaotic tempest of style and design. Indeed, any attempt to discern an overall theme in the architecture left an observer only more confused than when they started.

The self-styled High King rarely left his quarters within the castle, but his power and presence could be felt throughout Equestria all the same. Ancient history told that once, Equestria had been a peaceful land. The three pony tribes had lived in harmony with each other, governed by an equal triumvirate of representatives. The ascendance of Discord had changed all of that, and now all of ponydom knew only fear and uncertainty. Even as the two sisters waited now in the plaza, lightning flashed in the distance. Just another one of the King's mood swings.

Finally coming to the conclusion that it was late enough to start even without their shill, Celeste motioned for Claire to set up their apparatus. It was a simple enough deal: one square table, three inverted cups, and some small trinket (tonight a small rock) to serve as a marker. The game was as old as the hills of Equestria, and was usually a fair way to spend one's time when among friends. It was only in the presence of a skilled practitioner (that role here being filled by Claire) that it became a reliable way to earn a living.

Technically, "Fool's Paradise" (as it was colloquially referred to, though Celeste preferred the rather less pejorative "shell game") was a confidence trick. Thus it was at the very least highly unethical, and probably would have been illegal in a more civilised society. Eridian, however, was about as far from civilised as a society could get, and so the two sisters were free to pull their con on anyone ignorant enough to fall for it. Of course, Celeste didn't put it quite that way when she thought about it to herself. To her, they were doing what was necessary for their own survival, just as any pony would do.

As mentioned, Claire was the one with the fast hooves. Contrary to some popular beliefs, a well-run shell game did not require a trick table or other subterfuge. Instead, it was all a matter of having someone on hand that could be deft enough with the cups. Celeste's participation in the endeavour was to act as a hook, luring potential marks into the game and watching over things to make sure they stayed under control. Usually, there would be one or two other shills present to create an aura of reputability, but tonight the two of them were being forced to go it alone.

Not that Celeste found it difficult to gather a crowd. Equestrian ponies were unique creatures in several ways, but one of the most interesting of these was that despite all that they had been through under Discord, they maintained an outwardly trusting demeanour. Celeste grabbed onto that naïveté and milked it for all it was worth.

Striding out in front of Claire's table, Celeste stood tall and let her voice carry out over the area. "Who's feeling lucky? Want to turn one apple into five, two into twelve? With one simple pick you could be set for a week!" Zeroing in on a reasonably-well dressed colt just off to her left, Celeste approached him with a jovial grin. "How about you, fine sir? Have time for a simple game to make your fortune?"

Celeste's smile was disarming, and she could tell that he was seriously considering it. Taking the initiative, she led him over to the table, where a small crowd had already gathered. As she approached, Celeste knocked on the table twice. She could see the acknowledgement pass immediately over her younger sister's eyes. Let him win once to hook the crowd, then run him 'til he's done. Claire returned a slight nod.

Turning to face the crowd, she kept up the enthusiastic grin, as well as a calm and level voice. It was time to seal their interest. "It's a simple game, ridiculously simple really. One stone, three cups. The stone goes into one, and around it goes." As Claire began shuffling the cups, Celeste turned to address their mark. "Now sir, I shall ask you one simple question: where is the stone now? Even shot at success, and we'll pay 2-1 odds. That sounds like a winning proposition, does it not?" She noted nods at her question from the crowd. Indeed, tonight was going to go well.

Ten minutes later, the two sisters were doing a roaring trade. Although perhaps "trade" wasn't quite the right word, since the apples were only really flowing in one direction: out of the hooves of the willing marks and into the stash in Claire's saddlebags. Now all Celeste had to do was stand at the curb side, stopping the occasional passerby to keep the crowd going.

There was another factor at work in increasing the spectacle, that being the sheer visibility of the two sisters themselves. The striking opposition of their appearances conspired to make them stand out in any crowd. Celeste's strikingly white coat and flowing mane served as a counterbalance to Claire's penetratingly dark visage. For that matter, the two of them stood out biologically as well. The "winged unicorn" sub-species, of which both Celeste and Claire were members, was exceptionally rare among the pony tribes, although not altogether unheard of. It was told that the third Triumvirate of Equestria had been composed entirely of alicorns, owing to the fact that they could be produced by any mixed-race marriage (and in rare cases, even pure earth pony marriages had created alicorn offspring). They were only rare because the three tribes kept a certain distance and distrust between them. Sure, they were all one kingdom, but marriage was a different story, especially where the proud unicorns and stubborn Pegasi were concerned.

And so, standing with wings outstretched and horn raised to the heavens, Celeste made a mystical sight on any street corner. It was more than enough to cause ponies to stop and talk, and from there most simply strayed into the crowd afterwards.

Since the business of drawing ponies in was mostly taking care of itself now, Celeste busied herself watching over the crowd. Every so often, she would give her sister a slight nod, indicating that the current player should be allowed to win, so as to keep everyone hooked. But even if a mark won once, Claire was never, ever, to allow one of them to leave while up on the House.

When a young foal came up to the table, Celeste could tell immediately that he brought some trouble with him. Dressed in only a tattered felt cap, the light green child had a pair of large blue eyes that turned the heart of any pony that looked into them. She could tell immediately that Claire was touched by the image. She cast her sister a fiery glare over the crowd, very clearly intimating that he was just another mark, but it was obvious what Claire planned to do. When the foal laid his solitary apple on the table, her sister shuffled the cups around, gazing into the eyes of her customer the whole time, as if trying to tell him where the stone was by telepathy.

Celeste knew that she had to do something before Claire screwed them both over. Jostling her way through the crowd, she got to the table just as the cups were coming into their final resting positions. Sure, they would only be paying out two apples to this particular foal, but there were other bets on the table too, and those would take a much more sizeable chunk out of their payday.

Coming abreast of the table, she roughly pushed aside the cups, leaving the bets open. Addressing the crowd, she spoke quickly. "Sorry folks, that's all for tonight. There's rain on the horizon, and we need to get out of here to keep our equipment dry. Sorry for the inconvenience, but we'll be around again soon. Have a good night." She felt a sharp jerk on her shoulder then, and found Claire's earnest eyes waiting for her.

"Are you serious right now?" was all that her sister said to her.

"I'm certainly not going to let you or your silly ideals get in the way of the success of our operation," Celeste replied with a sharp whisper. Seeing that the young foal was still standing in front of the table, she tossed him back his apple. "Sorry kid, but we're all done for tonight. Run along now." As she busied herself folding up the table and securing their takings, Celeste did not notice Claire slipping the foal three more apples from the saddlebag.

---

Of course Claire did end up telling her sister about the extra payout later. It just wasn't in her heart to keep a secret, especially not from her big sister.

"You have got to be kidding me right now." was all Celeste would say as the two trudged home under the weight of their haul. "Don't tell me it was the eyes that drew you in, because if so then he could have used those eyes to beg and borrow his way to half the apples in Eridian. Meanwhile, you almost lost us more than a dozen of them. That's more than a day's worth!"

Claire skipped along in front of her sister, seemingly oblivious of both the weight on her shoulders and the indignation in Celeste's eyes. "You know what, sister? You worry far too much. Save a thought for some other pony's problems for once. Even a small act of kindness is important to some pony, right?"

Celeste could only gaze at the ground for a long time. "If I do not worry for us, who will?" she finally said. "You can go about your own little crusades of kindness if you want to, just know that the expenditures will come out of your share."

That night, as the two of them prepared to sleep, Claire whispered a final time to her elder sister. "You're not still mad at me, are you?"

Embracing her younger sister for a moment, Celeste spoke softly. "We're sisters, Claire, and you're all I've got right now. You know I could never stay mad with you. Just let me do the worrying for the both of us."

"Goodnight, Celeste."

"Goodnight, Claire."

Chapter 2: You All Meet in a Tavern

"In those days, there were no rules. The smart ponies did whatever they could to get ahead. One naturally learned to use absolutely anything that was at your disposal, if it meant gaining an advantage."

-High Princess Celestia, Personal Journals (Vol. 2)

Celeste and Claire didn't have to go out for work every night. Depending on the size of their take, sometimes the two sisters could survive for more than a week without having to hit the streets again. But ponies could not survive on apples alone, so it was necessary from time to time that they emerge into the wild to engage in some trade.

The old economic systems of Equestria had completely collapsed since Discord had taken over the country. Currency no longer held any value, although a few families still kept secret hoards of rusty silver tri-coins, hoping that someday they would be valuable again. Nowadays, barter was the only financial system that could be found in Eridian.

And so tonight, Celeste and Claire had packed a small saddlebag worth of apples before setting out into the eternal grey twilight. Their destination was a small outcropping of pavement where the local ponies gathered to interact, do some business, and generally shoot the time away. Although it was only about a mile away, the journey would take some time, due to the winding terraces upon which the city was constructed.

Eridian, most remarked upon seeing it for the first time, was built in a rather perilous position. On the northward face of a long chain of mountains, which continued far to the south beyond the Equestrian borders, the city's foundations were screwed into the side of a nearly vertical cliff-face. Celeste had always felt that the engineer who had conceived of this bizarre arrangement must have been ridiculously arrogant, or else just crazy enough to see the project through to completion. Either way, the city's present day residents were forced to live with the decision.

The city itself was actually surprisingly horizontal, built on the flat outcropping of stone that had been prepared for it, but compromises had been made as new developments were added on over the years, and nowadays it wasn't entirely strange to look out one's penthouse window into your neighbour's basement. As might be expected, the streets and pathways constructed to service the area were a maze of switchback curves and foolhardy cross-paths. And so, Celeste and Claire spent the better part of an hour navigating the path on tonight's journey.

As she carefully picked her way across broken cobblestones, Celeste realized suddenly that her sister was quiet, far more so than usual. The events in the square the other night must have put her off more so than Celeste had originally thought. But Claire had never been the type to hold a grudge, so her older sister was sure this phase could only be a passing one. If anything, it was a little relaxing not to have to deal with her inane chatter all the time.

But the soothing silence, like all good things, had to come to an end eventually. With a wistful glance across the expansive horizon, which stretched for many miles out in front of them as the mountainside fell away, Claire turned to her sister with a softly spoken question. "Sister, Equestria is massive, isn't it? Millions of ponies live out there, and all are suffering under the same scourge as we are. Haven't you ever wondered if there might be some way to help them?"

"Claire, we can barely help ourselves. What good can we do for the larger population?"

"Certainly nothing if we don't try, Celeste." Claire was looking at her with an expression of desire and determination, the sort of expression a pony might adopt before embarking on a battle. "I've been thinking about it a lot lately."

Celeste remained silent to let her sister sort out her own intentions. It wasn't very often that Claire took time to think about things, rather than charging in headfirst and tackling problems as they came up. Beneath them, the city groaned on in its never-ending half-slumber. A scent of rotting garbage wafted up from a side street, so Celeste picked up the downward pace. After several moments, her younger sister found the words she was looking for.

"We are special, Celeste," she began flatly. "It's in our very bones: alicorns are destined for greatness. I mean, look at the historical record for proof of that. You and I each have our own special talents. I just feel like a life spent scratching existence off other ponies' ignorance would be a life entirely wasted."

Celeste took a moment to compose her response. Sure, the historical record was on Claire's side in this argument. At times, she too had felt that certain mysterious feeling of untapped potential. But the risks, and the toils associated with aiding a country like Equestria were simply too large for either of them in their present states. That being said…

"I do agree with you on that first point," Celeste started out with, pausing for a moment to navigate a particularly dilapidated section of roadway. Above them, the sky rumbled as a bolt of blue lightning crackled through the cloud covering the city. Finding her hooves on solid cobblestones again, she continued. "Perhaps ponies deserve better, and some pony needs to take the responsibility to make that change happen. But look around us, Claire. This problem is massive, just like you said. Without resources, without skill, we wouldn't even know where to start."

Claire took all of this with a silent and sullen demeanour. For a moment, her elder sister thought that a reply would be quickly forthcoming, but Claire seemed to want to think things over very thoroughly before continuing the discussion. And so the pair continued on in silence for the better part of an hour, passing through crumbling neighbourhoods and the occasional plaza, most of which had some extent of commerce occurring, but not what the sisters were interested in. It wasn't until they stood on the hill overlooking their ultimate destination, admiring the twinkling candlelight of the atmosphere below that Claire spoke again.

"Promise me something, sister," she said quietly, but not without seriousness.

"What?"

"That if an opportunity does arise for us to do our part for our fellow ponies, you will join me in undertaking the task. It just feels right to me that that is what we should be doing. I can't quite explain it, but—"

She was interrupted by her sister then, who reached forward for a single loving embrace. "Of course I will," Celeste replied firmly. "I will always be there to support you if such a decision comes to us." Finishing up, Celeste allowed the warmth to leave her tone in an instant. "Now, you know what we're here for right?"

"Of course, my sister," Claire replied.

"Good. See you in half an hour then, at our usual place."

---

Roughly thirty-five minutes later, Celeste's saddlebags had been relieved of most of their fruity contents, instead now being weighed down with candle wax, refined baked goods, and several fresh canteens of water. The water was a bit of a luxury purchase, as it wasn't particularly difficult to boil collected rainwater, but the two of them had a surplus, so Celeste had decided to go for something special. She carried the load over to their usual table in the square, one of several that were set out. Most were populated with various groups shooting the breeze over tall glasses of cider. The beverages were provided by the middle-aged practitioner of a nearby eatery, which actually did a reasonable trade, at least as far as Eridian went.

Claire was seated at the table already, staring out over the horizon with a thoughtful look on her face. The results of her bargaining were positioned underneath the table, and Celeste withdrew them to run a quick inventory.

Gazing over at Claire for a moment, Celeste could see that her expression was very distant. Clearly, she was still mulling over her plans for the country. Celeste went back to the numbers. Perhaps she had agreed to her sister's proposition earlier, but Celeste knew that her own heart just wasn't into the whole idea. Effecting real change in Equestria would require vast power, and support from the citizenry. Neither she nor Claire had ever even set their hooves outside the city for their whole lives! How could either of them hope to make a difference? Still, she respected her sister's determination, and strong sense of right and wrong. It wasn't that Celeste didn't realize Claire was right, she just had more important things to think about right now. If a true opportunity ever did present itself (and Celeste highly doubted that one would) she wasn't entirely sure what she would do. It was a bridge that would have to be crossed when encountered.

She stopped with the inventory for a moment, scratching her chin thoughtfully. Her sister's numbers weren't adding up. For an instant, she wondered if another "charitable donation" had exited their funds tonight, but the real answer hit her soon afterwards. Spying the mug of cider (mostly untouched) that sat in front of her sister's chair, she felt that familiar hoof-to-face feeling coming on again. "You actually paid for that drink, didn't you?" she asked in an incredulous tone.

With a look of innocent surprise, Claire turned to face her. "Isn't that what you're supposed to do?"

Celeste laughed; a soft chuckle that caused her flowing mane to ripple in accelerated time. "I hate to tell you this sister, and I don't mean to be insulting, but only a simpleton pays for her own drinks. You should learn to use the blessings that we, as mares, have received. Allow me to demonstrate." Turning away then, Celeste scanned the plaza. Several tables down were a group of lively young stallions, likely splurging a month's worth of savings on a night of decadence. The night was still young, so they were likely to still have some good credit with the barkeep.

Zeroing in on a handsome brown colt who appeared to be several years younger than she was, she made sure that he noticed her eye contact. Seeing the interest in his expression and body language, she flirtatiously tossed back her mane, making sure to frame it well with the twinkling light of her eyes. Now that his interest was piqued, she offered him a seductive wink. Although it wasn't really necessary at this point, she also decided to go a little over the top for her sister's benefit, and so blew him a kiss as well, making sure to maintain direct eye contact of course.

Celeste turned back to Claire with a satisfied smirk on her face. A minute later, the establishment's practitioner arrived with a tall flagon of cider. "Compliments of the gentle-colts down the way," he explained tersely, before moving on again. Celeste sipped at the beverage, admiring the mixture of emotions that played across her sister's face.

At length, Claire found her voice. "I am not entirely sure how I feel about that," was her only reply.

Still savouring the cool flavour of the cider, Celeste opened her eyes to regard Claire coolly. "It's called being resourceful, sister. Everything at your disposal is an advantage if you know how to use it properly. That's another reason that I always beat you in chess, I think."

"But I feel like it's not really necessary, is it Celeste? Why not ask them nicely first, instead of using them to get what you want?"

Celeste shook her head. "Do you honestly think that any of these ponies would care about us when they themselves are barely getting by? Use your head, Claire! Every pony takes care of themselves first."

Claire was silent then for some time, leaving her sister to go back to enjoying her beverage. She was finishing it off when Claire finally spoke again. "Even in dark times like these, a kind heart is easier to find than you would think, Celeste. Take that stallion by the bar for instance. He doesn't look particularly friendly, but I'll bet you this glass of cider that underneath he has a heart of gold."

Celeste took a moment to examine the patron in question. He sat hunched over the bar; caressing a glass of apple whiskey between his two front hooves. Oddly enough, his profile didn't really fit with the standard Eridian rabble. A clean and well-trimmed deep brown mane swept back over slender shoulders, down to a pair of neatly folded wings adorning his back. His light green eyes contrasted well with his dark, slightly off-yellow coat. Right now, those eyes stared intently into the depths of his whiskey, though every now and then he would turn aside and glance in their general direction. Perched gently on his nose was the strangest thing about him: a clean and well-maintained set of glasses, fitting him perfectly. Celeste didn't even know where in Equestria a pony would go to get glasses made. Overall, he just didn't fit in, and that meant he was trouble.

But Claire was already on her way over. After retrieving their purchased items from beneath the table, Celeste followed warily, ready to pull her sister out if things got out of hand. The mysterious pony paid them no heed as they approached, instead continuing to examine his drink. He didn't react until Claire, having walked right to his side, reached out and patted him on the shoulder. "Good evening, sir," she chirped in a very pleasant voice.

The stallion turned and looked Claire over with a very appraising stare. Behind her, Celeste tensed, ready to intervene at the first sign of trouble. But after a moment, the Pegasus simply took another drink. Setting down his glass again, he passed a remark over his shoulder at Claire. "Little young to be out alone, aren't you?" His voice was crystalline, clear as a flute, and lacking the pompous pretension of a pony trying to puff up his ego.

Claire responded quickly. "Actually, I'm eighteen, but thank you. And I'm not alone, right behind me is–"

"Ah, your mother!" blurted out the colt, seeming to notice Celeste for the first time.

"Um, no," Celeste stammered. "I'm just her elder sister, and I'm sorry for her having interrupted you. She can be a little impulsive sometimes." She placed a hoof on Claire's shoulder, hoping to get away quickly.

"Nonsense!" declared the Pegasus immediately. "In fact, I daresay I could use some company. Why don't you both have a seat? Here, I'll even buy you some drinks." His smile was innocent enough, but Celeste was still nervous.

Claire though, wasn't prone to any of the same inhibitions. She sank easily down onto the stool nearest to her new friend, shooting her sister a glance that very clearly said I told you so. Rolling her eyes, Celeste followed.

Soon enough, an easy conversation had been struck up. The stranger, who introduced himself as Altas (Celeste felt that that was a very strange name, but he wouldn't elaborate) got along very well with Claire, who seemed eager to share her stories with him. As Claire told him about how they had been orphaned soon after her birth, he expressed shock that the two of them had been able to survive alone in such a country as Equestria. When the conversation turned to his own life story, he claimed to be a roaming soul, originally hailing from the desolate countryside. Supposedly, he made his living on odd jobs here and there, but his real passion was mathematics. Close inspection of the counter in front of him revealed several diagrams he had scratched into the wood grain.

While Claire was fascinated by his tales, Celeste wasn't buying any of it. His appearance was far too trim for a migrant worker; someone that did whatever he could to make ends meet. No, this Pegasus had more surety in his survival than that. But he was so unassuming in his demeanour, so calm and confident. If he was trying to pull a con on them, then he was very good at it.

Eventually, during a break in the conversation, Altas noticed Celeste studying his face thoughtfully. Seeing him turn to her intently, she sat up quickly. But Altas did not look offended. Instead, he merely took another sip from his glass, which had been re-filled several minutes ago. "It's the glasses, isn't it?" he said calmly.

"Sure," Celeste answered in a level tone. "I didn't think there was any place in Equestria where you could purchase a product of that quality."

Taking a sly glance over his shoulder, Altas leaned in toward them conspiratorially. "I hope you don't find this too melodramatic, Celeste, but let's just say I know some ponies."

"In what capacity?" Celeste asked. Normally, she would be minding her own business, but this Altas was a puzzle, and she wanted to unravel him, find out what he was after.

After a moment, Altas took another glance around the square, as if making sure that they would not be overheard. Satisfied, he spoke to them in a low voice. "If you must know, my friends and I are involved in an attempt to unseat Discord and restore order to this kingdom." Having dropped his bombshell, he sat back on his stool.

Celeste immediately noticed her sister perk up at this, and looked down at the bar in dismay. It seemed that her little promise from before was going to be tested sooner than she had anticipated, if this conversation was going in the direction she thought it was.

"So, you're like, a revolutionary?" Claire asked eagerly.

"Yes," Altas said quickly. "In fact, I think it's time for me to be perfectly straight with you. I do travel this countryside, but not to find work. Instead, I do it to find ponies that might want to join in on our little crusade. You two struck me as potential candidates. What do you say?"

Celeste, having some knowledge of psychology, couldn't help but notice that Altas was looking very pointedly at Claire when he asked his question. Clearly, he had noticed her innocence and interest. She realized that there was probably no stopping this thing now. Having just told her sister that if an opportunity presented itself she would take it, Claire would never forget it if she said no now. Secretly however, she was more intrigued now than ever by this stranger. It seemed that it had somehow never occurred to her that there might be organized resistance to Discord's reign out there somewhere. He had ruled Equestria for many years, and she supposed that she had almost consoled herself to the idea of that situation remaining unchanged.

As if sensing her uncertainty, Altas turned to Celeste. He had made the sale where Claire was concerned, anyway. "Not so sure about it?"

"It's a large undertaking to leave everything we have built for ourselves on such little information," Celeste answered cautiously.

Altas nodded. "That is unfortunate, yes. How about this? I can take you to a friend of mine, very near to here. She can answer more of your questions, and then you can make your decision."

Celeste did not answer, but thought she might have nodded. Quickly, Altas drained the last of his drink. Getting up from the bar, he motioned for the two sisters to follow. "Close now," he said in a low voice. "The paths that we must walk are dim."

As the trio exited the square, Celeste, who was in back, couldn't help but notice the looks that her sister was giving to their new compatriot. While she kept telling herself that she hadn't committed to anything yet, she couldn't shake the feeling that whatever happened from here on out was most certainly not under her control.

Chapter 3: En Passant

"In all things we declare, the rule of three votes stands over all. It shall be the foundation for even the most basic of things within the government of the ponies."

-Constitution of Equestria, First Draft

The alleyways that Altas led them down were indeed rather dim, and obviously were not used particularly often. Even the occasional flicker of candlelight that illuminated most street corners was not to be found here. After a few minutes of scrambling through the murky twilight, Celeste was thoroughly disoriented.

The yellow Pegasus, though, seemed confident of his directions. Every so often, he would pause for a moment to gaze around, making sure of their position before continuing. It took Celeste a little while to realize it, but soon she became sure that he was actively avoiding other ponies in the streets, choosing only the dimmest, dustiest paths that none other than them used. She found this to be a strange choice of action, and decided to question him about it once he stopped again.

"Why are we taking the loneliest, darkest roads, Altas? What harm is there in us being seen?" she asked warily.

Altas whipped his head around and put a hoof up to his lips. "Keep your voice down!" he replied in a terse whisper. "It's for our own safety that we must remain hidden. The resistance must remain a secret!"

"But why?" whispered Claire quizzically. "You are fighting the good fight. Why not let every pony know of your cause?"

Altas chuckled to himself ever so softly. Peering around a street corner, he waved them forward. As they came around into a somewhat wider thoroughfare, the two sisters were able to glance back up the mountainside and pick out the profile of Discord's castle as it cut into the twilight. Walking quickly now, Altas spoke to them over his shoulder. "So young you are, and so inexperienced. Even the righteous cannot hold to unlimited trust. For Discord is a crafty king. Even as sits in his castle and lets the country rot, his spies travel the countryside for him; taking back everything they see and hear. That is why our operations must remain a well-kept secret."

But Claire was unconvinced by the explanation. Coming to a quick trot beside him, she continued, "But surely any creature twisted enough to work for him would stick out in Equestria like a sore hoof! Your secrets must be safe among ponies."

In response, Altas simply gave her a long stare. As the implication hit her, Claire had to stop for a moment. The realization even made Celeste stop and think. So that must have been the reason Altas didn't recruit them directly. Slowly, the pieces of tonight's puzzle were clicking into place in her mind, but there was still a lot of work to be done figuring it out. Claire, meanwhile, was wrapping her thoughts around Altas' latest revelation.

"But that's impossible!" she finally managed to sputter. "What kind of pony could possibly be loyal to Discord? He stands in the way of our prosperity, destroying everything Equestria ever could be! What could move any pony to such treachery?"

Altas had reached the end of the street in the intervening time. Patiently, he waited by another corner for the two of them to catch up. As they came together, he looked up at the sky to answer Claire's question. "Tragedy, they say, is a spectator sport," he began with a sullen tone. "Discord has ruled over this land for four hundred years now. At first, there was hope; memories of a better time. Ponies held on to the past, waiting for the day when the peace of old would return. But the years ground on, and generations passed. Soon enough, the memory of peace and freedom had become just a legend."

Slowly, he brought his eyes down to the horizon, at the jagged towers of the castle. From this vantage point, the trio had a reasonable view of the castle courtyard, which at the moment was twinkled with light. It was difficult to be sure, but it looked as though the square was filled with ponies dressed in various fineries, almost like a royal gala. But Discord was not the kind of king that liked to throw parties.

Interested, Celeste turned to Altas once again. The light from an open window across the street created a twinkling reflection in the lenses of his spectacles. "We call it the sham court," he continued, motioning to the gathering at the castle. "Courtiers of the king, gathered to try and win his favour, and in so doing improve their miserable existences as much as possible. Most of them are there out of fear, but there are some that are dangerous." Altas shook his head, before looking Celeste right in the eyes as he continued.

"For there are some among us that actually do support Discord, simply because they have never known anything else, and it is these ponies that we must watch out for."

Turning back to the street, he waved them onward. "Come, it's getting late," he stated in a low voice. And so Celeste and Claire commenced following him as he again hurried through the labyrinthine alleyways that made up Eridian. Claire had fallen silent, apparently understanding now the need for caution. Celeste, meanwhile, was still assimilating these new pieces of information.

Naturally, there was a strong part of her mind that detested the idea of a pony serving Discord, even if they knew no other option. It went against the very nature of right and wrong. But there was another section of her mind, a section that she would never reveal to her sister, which understood the motives that would lead to that kind of action. If she forced herself to be honest, she had to admit that it almost sounded like a good idea. After all, one had to do whatever it took to get ahead in this world. If she and Claire were willing to con a few ponies to make ends meet, why not go all the way for a little luxury?

About thirty minutes later, as the group came underneath the crumbling archway that marked the entrance to the city, Celeste was still wrestling with these concerns. However, it seemed that Altas had finally led them to their proper destination, and he ushered them quickly towards a tattered old tent that had been erected several yards off the cart path. Woven from faded fabric, the tent looked as though it had weathered the tempest of the desert winds, although that was probably more a sign of age than anything more. It looked about large enough to comfortably accommodate two ponies, so Celeste naturally assumed that neither she nor Claire would be staying the night in the vicinity.

Leaving them outside, Altas disappeared inside to converse with the occupant, presumably the "friend" that he had mentioned earlier. The friend that would answer their questions. Celeste certainly had a couple on her mind.

---

Inside the tent it was only marginally warmer than it was outside. At least the chill breeze didn't get in, although Altas always felt a little bit more at home in the wide open spaces of Equestria than he did inside. Such things were just encoded in the Pegasus blood, he supposed. Nonetheless, it was of the utmost importance that this ensuing conversation be conducted in private. The tent's other occupant was seated on the ground, wearing only a tattered robe that was drawn round her neck with a corded rope. Her face was turned away from Altas, but he could still admire the flowing curls of her groomed mane as it cascaded over her delicate skeleton. She was mediating now, he could tell, as the faintest of glimmers shone out from her pearl-white horn.

Straightening his spectacles a final time, he stood to one side behind her. "I have returned," he began simply.

The mare did not acknowledge him, instead remaining completely motionless. Altas did note, however, that the glow from her horn vanished. With confidence, he continued, "I have found two more."

"I know," she replied immediately, with a voice powerful and direct. "I sense them outside. These two are special, are they not?"

"Yes, indeed they are." Boldly, Altas stepped forward and laid a hoof on his companion's right shoulder. Her skin felt very cold beneath the robe. "They are alicorns, my dear. The sign we have waited for."

Calmly, she drew in a deep breath, exhaling slowly. "Yes, their magical auras are stronger than any I have sensed thus far, Altas. But magic alone will not make them into what we require."

"They are still young, and there is much that we could teach them, before their destiny must be decided."

She was silent for a full minute then. Altas withdrew his hoof and stood behind her, reflecting on the possible ramifications of this moment. The night's breeze rustled the fabric of the tent around them, sounding much more menacing in here than it had in the streets of Eridian.

Finally, the mare slowly stood up, continuing to face away from Altas. As she turned her face toward him, he could see the decades of worry creasing her brow. It made no sense to think of tonight as the end of their journey, but he would prefer anything than to see her spend any more time like this. Their collective fate had taken a lot from both of them, but his friend had sacrificed more than he could ever hope to.

Sighing, she let all the stresses fall away, hardening her expression to one of cold determination. "What must we do?" she asked him.

"I brought them here on the promise of information. The elder one has questions, and we shall have to answer them. She is a pony with a strong mind, indeed."

"Caution, my dear Altas. Remember always the 2nd Line."

Of course Altas remembered the 2nd Line. It had driven their search for all the long years that they had travelled the countryside. "Mind and Spirit in Harmony," he recited quietly.

"Indeed," she agreed. "A strong mind is a good start, but we require more than that. The spirit and the mind must stand united for the light of order to shine free."

"And Chaos' end will find thee," Altas finished. Stepping back, he grabbed hold of the tent flap, hoisting it aside to allow his fellow Master to face the outside world. The world where tonight, he hoped, their destinies would finally find them.

---

Outside, the world was still dry and dreary as ever. Celeste and Claire stood together off to the side as they waited. The wind, barely a whisper inside the protected streets of the city, was far more noticeable out here in the open. The biting breeze seemed capable of cutting to Celeste's very heart, and she shivered, trying to use the tent for shelter from the cold. But the brisk weather, she could tell, was doing nothing to dampen the excitement in her sister's thoughts. She knew that the issue needed to be addressed right now, or else there would be no stopping this thing, whatever her own choices turned out to be.

"Claire," she began with a firm glance in her younger sister's direction. The dark alicorn was standing still just off to her right, the only other thing on the landscape besides the tent. The rest of the country seemed to spread forever into a brown nothingness. The sky was still clouded by Discord's eternal shroud, muting out all colours into a blank greyscale. It was a very foreboding sight, but Claire's eyes were still drinking it in with vigour. It was only now that she turned to examine Celeste once again.

Seeing her sister's face so full of hope and youth, Celeste almost stopped herself from speaking up. But someone had to be the voice of reason, so she swallowed once and continued. "I would advise caution, Claire. We still can't be sure of exactly what we are into." Her words came out sounding forced, lacking the conviction and levelness she had hoped for.

For an instant, Claire simply appeared confused. She took a step in toward Celeste, cocking her head to one side. "But we know precisely why we are here," she began in a slow voice. "Altas told us everything … oh!" she exclaimed as she finally figured out her sister's trepidation. "You're getting cold hooves, aren't you Celeste? Worrying again, just like always! You promised me, remember?"

"I promised … that I would accept a legitimate offer," Celeste countered. "What we have seen so far has not been enough to convince me of Altas' legitimacy. After all Claire, WE make our living off lying to the ignorant. The least we should do is to be aware that it could happen to us as well."

It was probably the worst thing that she could have said, as least as far as bringing Claire over to her side was concerned. Claire looked away from her, and back toward the soiled city of Eridian, grey and lifeless under its shroud. "Lying to the ignorant, Celeste? If our life has been a lie up to now, perhaps it is time we stop cooperating with Discord and start doing our part to restoring some honesty to our country, hmm?"

Celeste felt the words hit their marks, and she knew that it was time to be conciliatory, at least to save their relationship. "That's not what I meant Claire. Look, I just don't want us to run into this without knowing what we're doing first, okay? If this is in fact what it appears to be, then I will be right here behind you for the rest of the way."

Claire softened her expression, coming back to offer her sister a hug. The two of them held the embrace for several seconds, just enjoying the peace of the countryside. With a voice barely above a whisper, Claire spoke to her sister. "Thank you, Celeste. Together, we shall be the change that our country needs."

They were interrupted then by a rustle of cloth from the tent flap, which had just been pulled aside to allow Altas and another pony to exit into the twilight. The Pegasus was once again wearing his usual warm smile, but the mare beside him projected none of the same friendliness. She was a tall unicorn, appearing to be in about her mid-fifties, although it was clear that a stressful life had taken its toll on a once youthful complexion. Beneath her gleaming white horn rested a pair of wide-set light blue eyes, the depths of which spoke to ancient wisdom, and a sharp intellect unclouded by age. Framing her crystalline face was a very finely groomed dark mane, which cascaded over her neck in delicate curls. The rest of her body was obscured by her tattered cloak, but from the way she carried herself, it seemed likely that the fine delicacy of her features extended to the rest of her as well.

Celeste and Claire stood apart from each other then, and waited for the silence to be broken. The newcomer simply looked upon them for a long time, measuring, calculating. Beside her, Altas too appeared taciturn. Finally, the unicorn spoke. "Altas, you didn't tell me we had a mother and her daughter here." She was just about to turn back to the Pegasus, when Celeste spoke up, to clear the misconception for the second time that evening.

"Sorry, but we're sisters, actually. I'm Celeste Albright, and this is my younger sister Claire. Altas told us that you would answer our questions concerning your cause?"

"Hmm. He did, did he?" was the unicorn's cryptic response. Her voice was very calm and direct, confident without coming across with arrogance. "And did you believe him?"

Celeste was taken aback by the question. Certainly this was nothing like what she had expected. In the end, it was Claire that responded first, stepping forward with her chin held high. "We believed him to the extent that he wished to do what was right, and save Equestria from the mires of Discord's tyranny. To that end, we followed him here, that we may do whatever we can to aid you."

Celeste noted the slightest of nods pass between their two hosts then. All at once, the unicorn let the stony façade fall from her features. Now sharing in Altas' warm smile, she regarded each of them coolly. "Excellent. Then our desires are in accord. You've already met Altas of course, so allow me to introduce myself. I am Aquos, Master of the Order of Water, and I shall be one of your teachers for your time with us.

"You both are alicorns," Aquos continued, "gifted in many ways, with the magical powers of the unicorns and the unmatched spirit of the Pegasi. Within such a potent mixture rests power unmatched throughout Equestria. We shall teach you to unlock this potential, and become the true heroes you were meant to be, as we take this country back for the ponies that created it."

Altas interjected then for a moment, hoping to clarify. "By the way, when she says 'we', Aquos means the two of us. She will teach you the beauty of the ways of magic, enhancing your minds, and I shall focus on the development of your spirits and wills. In combination, these facets of training will create an ideal fusion of power within you."

"The power to take down Discord?" Claire interrupted eagerly, earning a disapproving glance from Celeste. Aquos, though, looked at Claire with an expression very much like a mother admiring her child's accomplishment.

"The power to do away with oppression rests inside each and every one of us, Claire, no matter the circumstances of our birth or the responsibilities of our life. If you do your part to understand your own place in this world, that power will come to you of its own accord." With a satisfied smile, Aquos looked at both of the sisters one last time. "Now, is there anything else either of you would like to know before we begin?"

Celeste's mind raced through the possibilities available to her. Without a doubt, this was the moment of truth. If she didn't say anything now, her future would be decided forever. But what was there to say? That she wanted things to stay the way they were? That she was content living week by week off what she and Claire could scrape off their fellow citizens? That she was, in the end, happy with Equestria under Discord?

She looked over each of the other ponies around her. Altas and Aquos radiated confidence and surety. Each of them seemed to indeed be the Master of their own chosen element, and Celeste sensed a great deal of wisdom behind their complexions. That they could teach her a great deal, Celeste had no doubt. With their resources and skill, and the power that she and Claire could possibly represent, it was perhaps even possible that they would succeed in their goal of restoring freedom to the land. When she considered the possibility of such a victory, she had to admit that it sounded infinitely better than another night of shell games in the streets of Eridian.

So Celeste elected to keep quiet, standing at attention as Aquos and Altas gave them a final inspection. After a moment, the white unicorn nodded once to her companion, then flashed out of existence with a single spark from her horn. Shocked, both Celeste and Claire pulled back from the spot where she had been standing. But Altas merely laughed, and came forward to address them.

"Sorry about her. Aquos can be a bit direct sometimes, and lacking in the department of social graces. But the fact of the matter is that there was nothing more to discuss, so she has gone to prepare for you. When you are ready, we can be off as well."

Noting that both of their expressions remained mystified, the Pegasus stallion turned to look for a moment into the endless void of the country. Where his gaze was falling, neither Celeste nor Claire could be sure. Regarding them again, he continued, "That flash of light was a simple teleportation spell, one of many such things that Aquos will be teaching you. Have either of you experimented with your natural magic before?"

Celeste shared a sheepish glance with Claire. Out of all the free time they had had together in the past, magic had unfortunately not been one of their pastimes, although each one felt it every now and then, bubbling up through their minds in times of emotional intensity. Seeing their hesitance, Altas laughed again. It was a jovial chuckle, this laugh of his, somehow evoking images of simpler times, even in such a barren wasteland as Equestria. More than ever, Celeste found herself drawn by this curious Pegasus.

"Not to worry. We have other ways of getting around," Altas said, before extending his wings and leaping up into the gloomy sky. "At least you have some experience in flight, right?" he called down to both of them. "The way is long!"

Finally, Celeste and Claire had a chance to do something that was a bit more in their element. While neither one of them was a flight enthusiast, the basic knowledge of the practice was the birthright that came with their Pegasus genes, and so each of the sisters shared a nod before joining Altas in the sky with powerful beats from their own wings. As the three ponies climbed upward into the swirling mists, Equestria spread out beneath them, miles of brown and grey. But Altas kept his gaze straight ahead, working through the wind with stoic determination, although Celeste could see that the joy of flight was clear on his features. Realizing that she too was free, for once, she allowed some hope to percolate through her own heart. For the first time in a very long while, Celeste allowed a genuine smile to reach her face.

Chapter 4: The Four Masters

"Fate is a cruel friend. It will steal up to our doors in the middle of the night, rapping quietly and waiting only a short while. If one is not ready to answer, one can only curse the missed opportunity for evermore."

-Star Swirl the Bearded

In the end, Celeste remembered only select pieces of their long flight. Over fen and valley, hill and forest, the three winged ponies soared on in pursuit of their final resting place. Altas had remained tight-lipped about where precisely they were headed, and of course neither of the two sisters knew much of anything where Equestrian geography was concerned, so they just followed along.

About ten minutes along, they had broken out of the eternal twilight of Eridian, and both of the sisters lay their eyes on the light of dawn for the first time in their lives. The golden light of the sun cut its way through low-lying clouds over the far eastern deserts, illuminating the countryside in gleaming shades of gold. The grasslands lit up with a pristine fire, and every lake became as a sparkling diamond. From their altitude, it seemed as though the entire country of Equestria was one gigantic pile of treasure, glittering in the new glow of day.

Cruelly, just as Celeste flew a little lower, to let the rays of gold caress her own wings, the scene was cut away with an almost insulting acuity. Day flashed to night in the blink of an eye, and the three travelers found themselves looking at the darkened countryside under the light of the full Equestrian moon, which was admittedly large and impressive from this height. This time it was Claire that descended, letting the pearl-white sheen of the moonlight flow around her wingspan. Celeste meanwhile couldn't help but consider: which was better? No sense of time at all, like it was in Eridian; or a random day/night cycle like it was out here? In the end, she let the question sit unanswered.

In an attempt to pass some of the time, Celeste flew ahead until she was alongside Altas, matching the rhythm of the strokes of his wings. In a conversational tone (though of course slightly louder than normal to accommodate for the wind), she spoke up, "I wasn't aware that beauty like this existed under Discord."

Carefree, Altas turned over so that he was flying upside-down, looking sidelong at Celeste with a grin. "Like it?" he asked. "Better get used to it. While the general cycle is random, Discord seems to prefer night to day for some reason. When I was young, we once had a full week of constant midnight. I think I memorized every detail of that old moon." Without even looking, he cut lazily to the left to avoid a patch of cloud. Celeste and Claire followed as best as they could.

Celeste's next memory had been some time later. They must have been flying for quite some time, as she remembered feeling a little tired, although Altas wasn't even breaking a sweat yet. She remembered looking beneath her, only to find that the rolling hillsides of Equestria had disappeared, replaced instead by rough mountain crags, clawing upward in shards of obsidian black, razor-sharp and menacing. She had asked Altas where they were, and he had replied in characteristic good humour.

"We've reached the far northern frontier of Equestria. It is desolate land, free from interference, which made it the perfect place for Aquos to set up her headquarters. It is there that you shall stay while you learn from her."

"So you don't live here then?" asked Claire quickly.

"No, I don't. Like many Pegasi, my heart yearns for the wide open spaces that only the sky itself can offer. I don't really have a permanent home, but I dally around in the cloud layer above Equestria. It might not have the same amenities as Aquos' base might offer, but it is a wonderful place to think and exercise."

He stopped himself there, as a column of purest white light had become visible over the jagged profiles of the mountains in front of them. Like a beacon, it called out to the weary travelers, illuminating the path to their final destination. Finally, through a crack in the sheer cliffs ahead of them, Celeste caught a glimpse of Aquos' headquarters.

In a hidden vale of the mountainside, a clear stream tumbled over the cliffs and down the mountainside. Around it, a complex of buildings had been constructed out of bluish-grey stone. The steeply-peaked roofs of the structures were shingled in polished tile, catching the light of the moon to appear as if edged with silver. The buildings were arranged in a simple horseshoe pattern, bisected by the river as it cut its way through the valley. In the open space between them, a cultivated forest could be seen, a speck of green in amongst the lifeless mountains. Within these moonlit grounds, numerous unicorns could be seen going about their routines, some practicing magic, others simply enjoying the peace of the night.

But the crown jewel of the compound, and also the structure to which the illuminating column pointed, stood in the centre of the horseshoe's gap, its foundation straddling the stream with a finely-crafted arch. Atop this foundation stood a slender tower, glistening in pristine whiteness as it stretched toward the heavens like a spike of porcelain. At its very peak was a small platform, atop which Aquos could be seen, horn aglow like the new dawn, calling them in. It was all a bit much for Celeste and Claire, who, it must be remembered, had been stuck in the dullness of Eridian their whole lives. Perhaps some of that city's older buildings had whispered of a grandiose past, but time and disrepair had reached them ages ago. Architecture on this scale was something of which neither of them had ever dreamed.

But this was the here and now, the spark of enlightenment that still remained smouldering in the otherwise lost realm of Equestria. As the three companions came in for their landing, Aquos ceased her spell, causing the night to go dark once again. In turn, each of them landed softly on the smooth silver stone of the roof, which was inset with patterns of still water. Celeste allowed herself the luxury of a deep breath. The flight had taken a little bit more out of her than she had expected, and she was slightly embarrassed at the show of weakness, since Claire clearly wasn't the least bit fatigued.

As was her style, Aquos wasted no time on pleasantries, instead electing to get straight down to business. "Welcome, Celeste and Claire, to our haven against the chaos of this time. Each of you will stay here while you study magic under my tutelage. Tonight, however, we will celebrate your new birth as free ponies. You will dine with us, at the places of honour." Having said her piece, Aquos dipped her head slightly, creating a slight glow from her horn. Before anyone else could speak, they were inside the tower, materializing in a well-lit reading room.

The next several minutes again faded into a blur in Celeste's memory. They were given a selection of formal garments to wear, each one miraculously fitting well. Each of them was guided downstairs and through numerous rooms in the complex, some large and some small. Finally, they were seated together at a long table, situated at the head of an expansive chamber. The room was lit up by blazing torches in the far corners, and on the supporting columns to either side. Overhead, a dramatic circular dome arced gracefully upwards, framing the shining moon.

The rest of the room was filled with other smaller tables, and as time went on, these were slowly populated with the remainder of Aquos' students. The vast majority of them were unicorns, but Celeste spied a few alicorns in the crowd as well. As the room filled up, the floor became a multicoloured tapestry from all the different manes and coats. Finally, once everyone was seated, the meal was served. The head table was naturally served first, receiving a collection of delicately prepared rolls, infused with natural flax from the low-lying foothills. As the silence of the room was broken by natural conversation, Celeste was finally able to turn to her sister and engage in some much-needed conversation.

"Well, sister," Claire began, "it seems that this is what we have been missing. See what can be accomplished by letting one's guard down just once every so often?"

"Perhaps," Celeste admitted. "But if I always let you have your way, we wouldn't even have had enough apples to trade that night, and this whole opportunity would have passed us by."

"Hmm, but if I always listened to you we would be back at home right now, lamenting our forlorn circumstances instead of doing something about them," Claire countered in a friendly tone. "Check."

Admitting the point, Celeste took a small bite of her roll. The food melted in her mouth, releasing the sweet taste of cherries. Astonished, she examined the delicate pastry again, but there was most certainly not any fruit in the cooking. Taking another bite, she felt the same flavour explosion.

Eventually, she glanced over at Aquos, who was grinning. Her roll was surrounded with a light-blue corona, as it levitated next to her mouth. It was Altas beside her, though, that finally let Celeste in on the secret. "Magic," he said simply. "It's good for plenty more than just moving books around." With a chuckle he took a bite of his own appetizer.

Celeste wasn't entirely sure why the idea had never occurred to her of using magic to enhance the flavour of food. It wasn't merely a question of convenience, but the formation of an entirely new art form. Suddenly, she was very eager to see what else this evening had in store. But there was one thing still on her mind, a question that had been niggling at her for a little while now.

"Aquos?" she spoke up hesitantly, realizing that they had never been instructed as to the proper way to address their new teacher. When the white unicorn nodded to her, she continued.

"When we first met, you introduced yourself as 'Master of the Order of Water'. I always remembered there being four ancient elements, of which Water was one. If it isn't too forward of me to guess, is Altas then your counterpart in Air?"

To Aquos' left, Altas nodded once, although his gaze fell out across the floor afterwards, as though he was afraid of Celeste's next question. Unperturbed, she continued. "Then where are the other two of your compatriots, Earth and Fire? Are they here also, to teach us in their own ways?"

For an instant after she spoke, there was an uncomfortable silence, broken only by the murmuring of conversation from other tables, and the clink of cutlery. As the next course was brought out, the two Masters exchanged uneasy glances, as if trying to figure out which of them would answer the question. Nervously, Celeste turned her attention back to the food. It had seemed like such an innocuous question, but all of a sudden she had apparently broached a most unseemly topic.

After an eternity, Altas finally coughed, and pulled his seat in closer to the table. Leaning forward, and turning to address the two sisters to his right, he coughed again before continuing. His smile had all but vanished. "You'll have to excuse us, unfortunately. We don't discuss the others much lately. However, to answer your question: yes, there are in fact two other Masters within Equestria, although neither of them is here tonight."

"If you are found worthy, you may meet Terraria, the Master of Earth in time," cut in Aquos. "She is the oldest and wisest among us, the leader of the resistance to the King's tyranny. She makes her residence in a wondrous citadel in the country's southern forests. There she studies nature and contemplates the mysteries of our existence. It was her that first taught each of us the skills needed to unlock our potential, and it will be her that ultimately judges each of you, in time."

"Okay, and what of Fire?" Celeste pressed on.

Again, there was silence. Celeste noticed a torrent of unspoken communications passing between the two Masters: shakes of the head and subtle taps on the table. It seemed that they were discussing how much they would reveal, or perhaps whether or not to answer the question at all. She decided to progress with the meal, which was rather uncomfortable now that her and Claire were eating in silence. When the dessert came and still no response had been offered, Claire took it upon herself to break the ice. "So what's next for us?" she proffered in a chipper tone.

Altas seized on the new conversation hook with all of his usual enthusiasm. "Excellent question, Claire. As the two of you have no doubt gathered, you will be spending some time over the next little while studying under each of us, learning the ways of wisdom and power. Each of our two Orders emphasizes different elements of the psyche, which is why you shall learn from both of us separately. Only through balance can true power be obtained."

"Each of you will spend six months with either of us," continued Aquos sternly. "Celeste, your first rotation will be here with me. Claire, you shall begin in the sky with Altas. At the conclusion of a year, if you are ready, you will undergo the final test."

"Excuse me?" interrupted Celeste. "There's no way for us to stay together? We have lived together all of our lives, you see."

"Indeed," Claire elaborated. "I've never lived without my sister. Must we be separated?"

Aquos was stonily dispassionate. "It is necessary that you be removed from each other's influence for the duration of your studies. Each of you has individual talents, which must be probed and stretched in their own ways. You must learn to live independently."

Celeste looked over to her sister in dismay. Indeed, the two of them had been at each other's side for as long as they could remember. In Claire's case, it had been for her whole life. Their mother had died during Claire's birth, and their father had been killed in the streets of Eridian only several weeks later. By circumstance, they had been forced to care for each other, forced to rely on each other's skills to stay alive. The thought of being apart from her sister, if even for six months, or a year, filled Celeste with unease. She could tell that Claire had similar misgivings about the situation.

Playing the role of the conciliator, Altas stepped in to fill the silence. "I know that it may seem like a difficult thing to do, but both of you are adults, and certainly should be able to survive alone. Besides, we are not stranded in the anarchy of Eridian anymore. Both of you will be perfectly safe among us."

With eyes of sorrow, Claire turned to face her sister. "Whatever it takes to do the right thing," she said softly. "You promised."

"We both did," Celeste returned. "Stay safe, sister." She reached over to give Claire a hug.

"I will," Claire replied, holding the embrace for a moment. Then, with finality, the two released their hold on each other.

Finishing with her meal, Aquos rose from the table. "Tomorrow your studies will begin," she stated, back to her usual calm and commanding voice. "Make sure to get some rest, as we will begin in earnest."

Standing, the rest of the students began to file out of the great hall. The two sisters also left, following Altas to their allotted room. Celeste, though, knew that her evening was not done just yet. She still had one thing that she needed to know.

Fire.

---

Under the light of the twinkling stars, Altas lay upon the warm earth, letting the sound of the brook calm his mind. In the peace, he let his thoughts swirl around where they may; eventually leading him back to the math he loved. Numbers and symbols danced in his mind's eye, flowing over each other just as the waters of the river cascaded about between rocks and sheer walls. Always leading on somewhere; falling downward to some great truth. In math, the end was always some conclusion, some theorem resting just beneath the numbers, waiting to be teased out into the light of day. Numbers were so much more malleable than the world, so much easier to control. If only Equestria was as logical as his proofs, then he would never have to worry about the problems of this world ever again.

He sensed Celeste behind him before she made her presence known, as he could feel the slight reverberations caused by her hooves contacting the ground. Nonchalantly, and without opening his eyes, he spoke. "I was wondering when you would come."

Coming around in front of him, Celeste regarded him with calm interest. "So you know why I am here."

Finally looking at her, he motioned for her to join him on the grass. For an instant, both of them simply admired the starlit night. Then he continued, "Celeste Albright, from the moment we met, I knew that you were not the kind of pony who could let sleeping dogs lie. You want to know about the Master of Fire, and why we are so hesitant to speak of him."

Celeste remained silent, waiting for him to continue. Around them, the calm scent of the green meadow intermingled with the humid vapour from the cold water, creating an invitingly peaceful atmosphere.

With a sigh, Altas began again. "It is a long and tragic story, but I know you won't rest until you hear it, so here goes. There is indeed a Master of Fire, and he is out there in Equestria somewhere, though I know not where. Once, long ago, he was with us, in fact he was my closest companion. His name was Seraph, and together with Aquos, we made up a very close circle of friends, probably as close as you are to your sister, if you need a comparison.

"We had grown up together, weathered the tragedies of Discord's rule, and hoped for a better time. The three of us even became daring revolutionaries for a while, running raids on Eridian to try to incite a rebellion. Seraph was a genius with his hooves, and devised all kinds of mechanisms and contraptions to aid in our plots. Together with Aquos' magic and my aerial skill, we made a great team."

Altas let a wistful smile grace his face. "But then, destiny found us. It wasn't long before we came in contact with Terraria's group, the real resistance in Equestria. The three of us were the greatest hope the country had found yet, and Terraria recognized that we could pose a legitimate threat to Discord. In keeping with the ancient ways, she christened us the new Triumvirs, so that we could bring back the age of peace."

Celeste had of course heard of the ancient Triumvirate, the government of the ponies from even the most ancient of histories: three ponies, one chosen from each of the tribes of Equestria, acting together for the good of all. "Seraph was an Earth pony, then?" she asked.

Altas' face had clouded over by then. "Yes, he was, but tragedy befell us that day. For Seraph's heart had grown ambitious through our success. Faced with the possibility of ruling Equestria, he decided that he deserved single rule and domination of the kingdom under his own hoof. He allowed greed and pride to cloud his thoughts, and neither Aquos nor I could turn him from his ambitions. It wasn't long before he left us, seeking his own future in Equestria. We searched for him, but he had disappeared into the mist of the country, and we could find no trace. He was like a brother to me, but now it has been very long since I heard any sign of him. Perhaps he moved on in his own way, but in any case neither Aquos nor I like to speak of him much. I think that the wounds are still too fresh for both of us."

Celeste listened to all of this, fitting it all into the various empty spaces that their dinner conversation had left. It all made sense, except for one thing. "But if Terraria made you the new Triumvirs, and said you could challenge Discord, why have you not done so? Why is Equestria still under his control?"

"A Triumvirate needs three members, Celeste. It's all in the Constitution. With Seraph gone, we needed another member to complete us. And so, that is what we have done since then: searched the countryside far and wide for one powerful enough to join us as the third Triumvir of Equestria."

Altas fell silent then, admiring the skies again. After a moment, Celeste wished him good-night, and made her way back to the Order's dormitories. Finally, she had put the pieces of tonight's mystery together, forming a proper picture of the story of the Four Masters, and more importantly, how she and Claire fit into the overall picture. Could that really be her destiny? Triumvir of Equestria in the new government? It seemed almost like she had stepped into a dream as soon as she had exited Eridian. More troubling, though, was the question of whether or not she should tell Claire about these new developments. For if what Altas said was true, then only one of them could achieve that ultimate goal. Did she have it in her to leave her sister behind if the chance presented itself? Celeste didn't know the answer to that question.

Chapter 5: Each to Her Own

"Unicorns: Ponies blessed with supreme knowledge and intricacy of the mind; their magic flows from their rationality and logic.

Pegasi: Ponies granted the strongest and most determined hearts among their race. Their abilities come from their unbowed spirits and harmony with the order of the world."

-"Ponies: A Primer", from the Imperial Archives

As promised, both Celeste and Claire began their training regimens immediately following that first night's sleep. Although Claire had been well-rested, Celeste had spent that whole night in restless thought, wondering about what the future held in store for her. When she awoke that first morning, Altas and Claire had already departed for the open countryside. She could only begin her own studies, and hope for the best when her six months were up.

Aquos was a stern teacher, but not without a gentle side. Celeste's day generally began with a light breakfast at sunrise, followed by several classes dealing with ancient law and government. Although Celeste usually found these lessons rather dry and uninteresting, Aquos stressed that a proper knowledge of governmental procedure would prove invaluable to a potential ruler.

After a brief lunch spent in solitary contemplation among the school's grounds, Celeste would take the rest of the afternoon in private study with her teacher. The subjects of these lessons would vary, from magical spells and practice, to intellectual development. On the whole, Celeste found herself enjoying the strict routine, and clung to the Master's side whenever she could. True to her reputation, Aquos was a unicorn blessed with great wisdom, and every so often she would grace her student's ears with a few words of deep meaning. Celeste took care to write down these profound sayings, so that she could study them later.

One day, Celeste was finishing her lunch under a large oak tree near to the centre of the compound. A bright noonday sun filtered its way down through the spread leaves of the monolithic tree, showering the grassy ground with rays of gold. Celeste loved this spot, and came here often just to think. Sometimes she would practice her magic here as well, whenever a particular spell was giving her difficulty. She was one of the fastest learners at the school, and in only a few short months had already advanced above simple telekinesis and teleportation into transmutation spells.

Celeste enjoyed magic immensely. The amount of control that she felt over her surroundings whenever she was casting a particularly intricate spell made her feel like she was already ruler of her own little patch of Equestria. Today, she held a small stone from the nearby river aloft, twisting it subtly with her mind, coaxing out its hidden treasures. With a satisfying crackle, the cold rock dissolved into steaming liquid, which she carefully poured into a waiting mug. Taking a small sip, she savoured the rich taste: cinnamon tea, with one spoonful of sugar, her favourite.

"Impressive, my student," came a voice suddenly out of the underbrush, causing Celeste to almost spill her tea. Without mirth, Aquos materialized out of thin air with a torrent of silver sparks.

Hurriedly collecting herself, Celeste stood up in front of her teacher. "I was just practicing, Teacher." Aquos preferred that their relationship remained formal, so Celeste was careful not to act too familiar around her instructor, although she did feel almost as if Aquos had become something of a surrogate mother to her in these recent months.

"Indeed, practice makes perfect, child," Aquos answered, coming forward to examine the tea, which was still hot. "Your control is exemplary."

Though she did not show it, Celeste beamed with pride underneath her stoic expression. Whenever Aquos deigned to compliment her, it only drove her forward to greater accomplishment. She had vowed to be the greatest student the Master ever had the chance to see, and to truly earn her spot at the forefront of the new Equestria.

Stopping in front of her and looking Celeste straight in the eyes, the old white unicorn maintained her stern complexion. "Come now, my student. Today I have something special planned for us."

With excitement, Celeste followed her mentor through the expansive gardens of the school's grounds. The fruit trees were just now coming into bloom, and songbirds chirped in the branches while insects flitted about between the vibrant flowers. The sun cast an inviting aura about the place, causing the whole of the surroundings to burst forth in vibrant colour. After a life spent in grey Eridian, Celeste was still taken aback by her newly verdant environment. The presence of such beauty always lifted her heart, and gave her hope for the future of Equestria. Surely with such potential, peace was only a short effort away.

Today, Aquos was silent as they walked among the orchards and gardens. Celeste became aware that they were entering a private section of the grounds, as suddenly the sounds of other students practicing among the flowery groves faded away. But the silence was broken by the cheery ambience of the woods, so the place still seemed comforting. Finally, Aquos led her to a small table set among the trees, in the shade of a spreading sugar maple. The table was a polished stone square, with two seats opposite each other. Once both ponies were seated, Aquos addressed her student.

"You have progressed quickly, Celeste. You are undoubtedly aware that you are probably one of my most promising acolytes. So I think the time has come for a test of sorts, to gauge your true potential, in a way fitting with our standards of mental purity." With a subtle smile, Aquos reached over her shoulder and gestured with a hoof. Seemingly out of nowhere, an acolyte appeared beside the table. Wordlessly, he laid a glass chessboard upon the smooth surface, the pieces already set up.

Inwardly, Celeste breathed a slight sigh of relief. She had always loved chess; in fact it had been one of her favourite ways to pass the time back in Eridian. Claire hadn't beaten her once as far back as she could remember. Granted, Aquos would likely be a more formidable opponent, but today Celeste felt as though she was truly within her element. This stood as a perfect chance to impress her teacher even further.

---

"Checkmate," stated Aquos dryly, but with the slightest hint of a smile. "Shall we play again?"

Weakly, Celeste nodded, although her eyes were still fixed on the board. Her White King stood surrounded by a forest of Black pieces. Aquos had picked apart her defences like a surgeon, playing every one of her plans against itself immediately. She felt the embarrassment settle into cold determination in her heart. So many years of annihilating Claire had obviously gotten her out of practice. This time, she would make sure to utilise her full potential.

---

"Checkmate," Aquos said again, smiling quite visibly now. "Again."

This time, news of her defeat hit Celeste like an avalanche. Examining the board again, which this time was still quite crowded with both sides' pieces; she couldn't believe that she had missed Aquos' true intentions. Her opponent had covered the front with feints, pokes which acted to hide the true insidiousness of her plan. When the final blow came, Celeste had been unable to react.

Now, as the pair began their third game, it was plain to see how much the student's confidence had slipped. Whereas before she had moved with precision and clear purpose, now she studied the board intently before grasping a piece. Every so often, Aquos would tilt her head sideways just a bit, as if asking "Are you really going to do that?" at which point Celeste would invariably retract her hoof and examine the board again.

Finally, Aquos felt that the display had gone on long enough. Reaching behind her again, she signalled her servant to come forward and remove the board. Fixing Celeste with a satisfied smile, she just waited. Expectant.

Immediately, her student spoke up defensively. "I apologize, Teacher. You see, I am quite clearly out of practice. My sister never offered me much of a challenge, so you realize I was never forced to play to my full potential. Given time to reorient myself, I'm sure we could have a more spirited game." Although Celeste spoke with conviction, Aquos could see the doubt in her eyes.

"Hmm," she replied noncommittally. Then, she suddenly spoke in a more serious tone. "When Altas and I first met you and your sister, we both mistook you for Claire's mother, even though you are only twelve years her senior. Why do you think that is?"

The sudden question initially caught Celeste off-guard, but Aquos loved to surprise her students in this way, and she had trained her mind to come up with answers quickly. "Clearly," she replied, "it is because Claire always acts like such a filly. Some pony has to deal with her, and usually that was me–"

"Stop, Celeste," Aquos interrupted in a loud and commanding tone. Uncertain, Celeste stopped talking and looked at her teacher with clear tension in her expression. Had she said something wrong? It was only the truth, after all.

With no small amount of frustration evident in her features, Aquos continued. "It is not your sister's fault when YOU fall short, Celeste, and I will not allow you to continue blaming HER for your own shortcomings. That is called projection. Now, try again."

Under her teacher's steely gaze, Celeste tried to come up with another reason, but found it rather difficult. How could it be a fault of hers that other ponies found her more mature and reasonable than her sister? All her life she had acted to deal with circumstance, doing what had to be done. If she hadn't been the mature one, who else would have taken care of them? Uncertain, she spared a glance upwards, to see that Aquos was still staring at her. Weakly, she shook her head in confusion.

Disappointed, Aquos turned to examine the tree beside them for a few moments. Speaking authoritatively, she gave Celeste the answer to the question. "First, it's because you act like it. You're very protective of her, always looking out for her to make a mistake and require your assistance. Just like a mare would a newborn foal.

"And secondly, you look like it." Aquos turned back to face her student. "All those years of worry take their toll, believe me. Barely into your thirties, yet you look like you could be my sister."

Aquos got up from her seat, motioning for Celeste to do the same. Brusquely, the two exited the clearing, heading back to the common areas. As they walked, Aquos addressed Celeste in a reassuring tone. "Don't look upon this as a failure, child. You are indeed special, and soon enough you will develop into your potential. But there was one lesson to be learned from this. Are you willing to hear it?"

Beside her, Celeste nodded respectfully. After such an embarrassing display, she knew it was time to redouble her efforts. The next time her and the Master met in mental combat, she vowed it would not be such a one-sided affair.

Aquos stopped and looked her student straight in the eyes. "The lesson is simple Celeste: you are NOT perfect. Claire was never much of a challenge to you intellectually, and you lacked an authority figure to correct your pride. Nonetheless, you MUST accept your own shortcomings. If you can personally come to terms with this fact, then you will find the power that you hold within you. But, if you continue to find fault with others to cover your own flaws, you will continue to be dependent on them for your personal security." Letting the message sink in for one moment longer, Aquos turned to continue up the path. "Now come along, Celeste. It's time for your violin lessons."

Continuing to follow her teacher through the winding pathways, Celeste reflected on the words Aquos had given her. By her own reckoning, she had two months left here in the mountains before it was time for her and Claire to switch places. She had that long to improve, and hopefully make up for today's pathetic performance. She had so much more to show Aquos, so much more to be proud of. By the time those two months were up, she would make sure she had earned the Master's respect.

After the violin lessons that night, Aquos stopped by her table in the common dining area. Celeste ate with all the rest of the students, and had found it relatively easy to make friends in among the other acolytes. They were all here to study magic and improve themselves, after all, though most of them kept a respective distance from the Master's favoured student. When Aquos approached, each of the table's occupants rose from their seats in respect.

"Celeste," Aquos addressed her immediately. "You have two months remaining with us, before Altas gets his turn with you. Tell me, how do you like it here?"

"It's brilliant, Teacher;" Celeste replied immediately, "so peaceful and calm. I've learned much more than I ever thought possible. At the conclusion of these two months, I will be sad to leave." And it was honestly the truth. She had been living in heaven here among the glades and stone towers. She had been free to pursue her own path to enlightenment, guided by the calm hands of her teacher. Whatever awaited her out in the wilderness could not possibly compare to this.

"And after those two months," Aquos continued. "Your sister will be joining us here. How do you think she will take it?"

Celeste thought this question over. Claire was a free spirit, still a foal at heart. She was always full of energy, inquisitive and lacking in caution. When the two sisters were together, their personalities balanced each other well, but Claire would be on her own when she was with Aquos, the same as now. Looking her teacher straight in the eyes, Celeste answered truthfully and with conviction. "Hours of quiet contemplation and solitude? Classrooms and music lessons? Teacher, she will find it the purest form of torture."

---

In turn, each of the clouds around her disintegrated into its own wisps of gentle vapour once struck by Claire's precise hoofs. Following her Master's directions, the dark blue alicorn let her mind fall away from conscious thought, and settled into the instinctive, reactionary state of total suspension. Her body reacted as required to deal with each threat, leaving her consciousness floating in a state of hyper-awareness, ready to analyse an opponent for weaknesses in the few seconds she might have to react.

Of course, these clouds weren't really opponents, or at least not ones that required much analysis. But practice was necessary. After several months now with Altas up here in the cloud layer, Claire knew that soon the training would have to move to something more serious.

Whipping her head around to the last target behind her, she spun into a wing-assisted roundhouse kick, adding a slight flourish as the cloud split apart. Coming up to a steady hover, she raised her eyes to face straight ahead, where Altas was watching. She could see that he was wearing his characteristic light-hearted grin.

"Fair enough, I suppose," he chuckled, letting his crystalline voice flow over the syllables like a gentle breeze. Floating down toward her, the Master ran his eyes over her figure. Both ponies were dressed in stark-white training outfits, although Altas had adorned his with a red sash tied across his left shoulder. The colour stood out in the clear sky like a flare.

"Yet still you have work to do, Claire. What was that little trick on the end? A personal addition to the routine?" He paced in front of her, awaiting a reply. Claire elected to remain silent, staring straight ahead. They were both well aware of her weaknesses.

Smiling, Altas stopped in front of her. Shaking his head, he looked off into the clear blue sky. There wasn't anything of note in that direction, at least far as Claire could see. It was just clean, azure emptiness, except for the spires of the northern mountains, which she knew were right behind her.

When the off-yellow Pegasus turned to face her again, a gentle breeze tossed his mane over his shoulders. "The true lesson, Claire?" he prompted.

"I must lose myself to find myself," she replied immediately, calling back the words from memory. "I will become one with the world, and the world will become one with me."

"And true harmony you will find thence," the Master finished for her. "You have an exceptionally strong spirit, Claire, and it refuses to fall away and let the world come in. It is your great strength, but also your great weakness."

Claire knew that Altas was right, but it was very difficult for her to let go of her individual streaks. She could feel the power of the world at the edges of her awareness, and she was fearful that her own self would be swept up by it and left adrift in the surge of the winds. "I want to succeed," she replied.

The Pegasus ran his eyes over her form once again. "Naturally you do, but perhaps that is the problem," he said cryptically. "You must not try to succeed. You must let it happen. Allow success to find you, and believe in your own ability to harness it. Come, perhaps I ought to demonstrate." Kicking up the corners of his wings, Altas settled into a low fighting stance, bringing his hoofs up into a ready position.

For an instant, Claire wondered if her Master was joking. Altas had experience, but he was slim as a blade of grass, and spent as much time bent over his desk scribbling out proofs as he did in the sky. Meanwhile, she had spent the last four months undergoing his extensive physical regimens. She was in the best shape of her life, and less than half his age. Uncertain, she settled into a matching stance.

Seeing the doubt in her eyes, Altas spoke calmly. "Let the lessons speak through you, my student. Don't try to defeat me; simply know that you can." And after exchanging nods, the two came together in combat.

Claire wasn't sure what her instructor expected from her. Would he come at her with real force, or was this merely some extreme test? For his part, Altas remained very still, one hoof extended just in front of his shoulders, and the other farther out, ready to react to any of her movements. She looked into his eyes, and found their usual warmth replaced by a cold, calculating stare. If this was merely a practice scenario, her teacher was ensuring it was as realistic as possible.

Testing his defences, she jabbed out with her left hoof, an attack that he easily blocked, before countering back with speed. On instinct, she flew off to the side, avoiding the blow. Warily, the two circled each other, exchanging the odd fisticuff. Claire tried to study her opponent, tried to identify a weakness. She felt herself slipping back into the suspended state, and tried to let it happen, tried to embrace the feeling. Claire Albright became an island, immersed in a sky blue sea. In her mind there was only herself and her opponent, going through their motions.

There! She thought she saw a weakness in her teacher's defences, a momentary lapse in his concentration. Reacting with lightning-fast efficiency, Claire dodged around a punch, manoeuvring in close. Reaching back her wing for extra torque, she unleashed a kick like a slingshot, aimed directly for Altas' mid-section.

But her opponent reacted with nearly impossible speed, catching her hoof neatly, and flipping her backward with barely a flick of his front legs. She was just able to reorient herself in time to see Altas coming around with a thunderous punch. As it connected, Claire was thrown backwards, somersaulting in the air before she finally landed on a nearby cloud, more than ten metres away. Altas hovered still as a statue, and then slowly reoriented himself to a relaxed position. Eventually, he flew over to where Claire had landed and helped her get her breath back.

Breathing hard, Claire checked herself over. Surprisingly, she appeared to be intact. Surely such an intense blow must have fractured a bone, or left some sort of bruise, but as far as she could tell, Altas had left nary a mark. Confused, she looked back to him.

Altas smiled, and then answered the unspoken question. "The truth is, Claire, that I did not even touch you. I spoke to the wind, and the wind spoke through me. They don't call me the Master of Air for nothing, after all." The usual warmth had returned to both his voice and his face, so once again he looked for all Equestria like a bookish nerd.

Claire tried to reorient herself, tried to zero in on the Master's meaning. "So that's the power in store for me, too?" she asked.

Altas laughed his characteristic chuckle. "All that and more. The right to control the sky comes directly from your Pegasus genes, but coupled with the intellect of a unicorn, the power that you and your sister might command is beyond anything I could demonstrate. We have but two months remaining together, but by then I'm sure you'll have finally gotten what I've been trying to tell you."

Playfully, Claire cast the Master a sardonic grin. "I'd have gotten it two months ago if you would stop talking in riddles all the time."

"Just you wait," he replied. "If you think I talk in riddles, Aquos will have your mind running in circles just from her 'Hello'."

The two of them went back to the practice, and Claire tried to focus on the lesson, but Altas' remarks had made her realize how close the transition was to occurring. She tried to imagine her big sister, the tactician and the scholar, up here working out and pulverizing clouds with her hoofs. The image was almost too funny for her to keep a straight face.

Chapter 6: Fire

"Unicorns: Lazy, snobbish freeloaders that have survived by deceiving their honest, hard-working brethren with sharp tongues and sly wits.

Pegasi: Brutish overlords that take what they want in exchange for the services we require. We've only ever been able to put up with them because we needed their skill with the weather."

-"Manifesto of the Earth Ponies", published 3251 UIT

Under the perpetually charcoal-grey skies of Eridian, life went on, and little changed. There may have been the odd few that noticed Celeste and Claire's disappearance, but such a minor detail was greatly insignificant compared to such concerns as finding food, a warm place to stay, and scratching out one more day of existence from the drippings that filtered their way down to the lower rings of the city.

For it was not all grimness within the cloistered streets of the once-great city. High up the hill, beyond gates and sentinels most ponies dared not cross, there was a small sequestered community; those among the population that had sworn fealty to the High King, and enjoyed what superiority came with that decision. They had good homes, steady supplies of the essentials for life, and even a way to pass the time, namely, scrambling about in the sham court, and trying to outmanoeuvre their compatriots in the competition for Discord's favour.

In a way, the contest amongst these inhabitants of the inner circle was just as desperate as it was for the regular rabble out on the streets. Any amount of pride-swallowing, toadying, or besmirching of the good names of one's rivals was fair game. But the ultimate feather in any pony's cap was always the same thing: concrete information about the underground resistance. The elite sent out their spies and households throughout the population, seeking everywhere for that elusive lead that would guarantee them the favour of the High King.

But the three remaining Masters were indeed elusive, and besides, they had a most unexpected ally in the court, a pony that laid down his own reputation to keep the secret safe. Who was this unsung hero, this inside colt for the resistance?

He went by many names, for his own protection, but in private he was known as Seraph, one-time Master of Fire. And he didn't protect the resistance out of hope for a brighter future. No, after what his fellow Masters had done to him, they could rot in Tartarus for all he cared. Seraph simply knew that he was the one with inside info on the location of Aquos' base, and which paths to walk through the forest to find Terraria's citadel, and which spots in the sky Altas frequented. When the time was right, he would happily give out that information, all to secure his own victory. But in the meantime, he had to make sure no one else beat him to the punch.

This evening, Seraph was outside with the rest of the upper class, socializing and communicating before the court came into official session. As was his custom, Seraph wore a crimson cape tied round his front shoulders with a golden brooch, set with a choice ruby. The fiery stone went well with his dark orange coat, and captured the prismatic shimmer of his vermillion eyes. An exquisitely coiffed mane completed the arrangement, red hair struck through with orange highlights. Tonight, a finely crafted monocle and black top hat also complemented his features. Indeed, he was the picture of a true gentle-colt.

As he walked in amongst the knots of conversation in the courtyard, Seraph tried to remain aloof, head held high, above all of their petty concerns. The act was just that, though, an act. In truth, all of them were only servants of their lord, only a single step up from the huddled majority in the rest of the city. They still lived under the same lightless sky, still searched for meaning wherever they could find it, and still lived in fear.

Seraph hated all of these obsequious fops, so abjectly terrified of the High King that they would bend over backwards to grant his every whim and desire. They scuttled about in service of their master, perhaps holding to some ridiculous hope that they would somehow be happy, if only their world was just a little bit brighter than their neighbour's was.

But he had grander plans than that, true ambitions that reached beyond the immediate day-to-day happenings of the kingdom. He had spent years gathering his power, building it in secret here in the city, waiting patiently for the perfect opportunity. When the time was right, he would rise for Equestria, banishing the tyrant to the deepest reaches of the void. This country would be his to shape into its glorious future, his to manipulate and rule with the authority he deserved. It was only a matter of time and patience.

The burning torches in the courtyard cast flickering shadows across the grass, which was long and dewy underfoot. Reluctantly, Seraph approached a small group of his "colleagues", clutching at snifters of brandy and incessantly discussing the latest court gossip.

"So I told her, if you think I'm going out in something like that, you'd best have that horn of yours examined. I think I might be scratching your brain!" exclaimed the stallion that was talking just then, earning a chorus of titters from the assembled group. His moustache was tightly stretched out over a generous mouth, holding teeth which appeared white enough to light a room.

"But it is indeed a most smashing outfit!" gushed one of the mares beside him, her gaudy jewellery clinking as she spoke. "Perhaps not one to match Lady LaFlamme's from the other night though. Have you seen it?"

The other mare in the group, a teal Earth pony with a ridiculous stack of silver curls atop her head, nodded vigorously. "With the Fillydelphian ice diamonds on the brooch? My, what a sight that was!"

Seraph tried to pay attention to the inane chatter, but he could not fathom the worth of the conversation. How deluded these fools were, to discuss matters of such inconsequence as their country rotted around them! He vowed that when he was in charge, these traitors to Equestria would be the first to be shown the door. A revolution always needed scapegoats, after all.

Finally, in unspoken agreement, the court members funnelled into the crumbling grey hall that served as Discord's audience chamber. Much like the rest of the castle, the room was dreary and unadorned. A large rectangular stone floor stood cracked and barren, broken only by a colonnade that encircled the room. Beneath the columns stood the courtiers, waiting for the King to make his appearance. It was no secret that Discord carried on this assembly only for his own amusement, and that meant just about anything could and would happen. The King was just as likely to walk in the door as he was to rise like a wisp through a crack in the stone walls.

But today the room was silent as a grave. As a few minutes ticked by, the courtiers began to shift uneasily and murmur amongst themselves. A group on the far side from Seraph erupted momentarily in a fit of giggles, apparently the result the result of an exceptional bon mot from a colt in back.

Seraph ran his keen eyes slowly over the chamber. Clearly this was all just a little bit of fun on Discord's part. Likely he was already here, watching and listening from some dark perch, laughing to himself all the while. Or perhaps he was hiding in plain sight, waiting for some observant fellow in the crowd to see through his ruse. It took the red stallion several seconds, but soon enough he saw the trickery. Clever, he thought. Even after four hundred years, he still finds ways to surprise.

With a cackle, Discord materialized in the room, transforming out of the high-backed wooden chair that was normally his seat for these occasions. The feat was met with respectful applause from the ponies of the court. "You have your King, Equestria!" he proclaimed in a booming voice. "As any good monarch must, however, tonight I am at the will of the suffering public," he continued with a gleeful smile. "Tonight I almost feel merciful. We'll see what entertainment the rest of the evening brings." With a mischievous snicker, he snapped the talons of his left claw, creating a new seat at the head of the room, as well as opening the door to admit the evening's first supplicant.

The pony that entered was light-green, dressed in faded overalls that spoke of hard work. A day's worth of stubble was growing over his drawn face, and the deep purple irises of his eyes showed little hope. Still he carried a reasonable degree of determination for a task that he probably knew was only a futile gesture.

Coming to a stop in the center of the chamber, the stallion addressed Discord in a respectful tone. "Most High King of Equestria, and Eternal Lord of all the Ponies, please hear my request!"

Discord nodded very slightly, checking the claws of his lion's paw. The supplicant continued, "I come from a long line of carpenters, gracious King. We have plied our trade on the outskirts of your fair city for many ages. But with the sun shrouded, the forests we relied on for raw materials have all passed away. Please, restore light to our lands, such that we may have hope for tomorrow!"

Seraph had to admit a certain degree of respect for this peasant. Though he knew his plea was desperate and unlikely to succeed, he still came in here with honour, and had not stooped to kiss the King's feet or begged for mercy. At least he still had his self-respect intact. Most of these "supplicants" were in fact ordinary civilians that the courtiers rounded up and coerced into coming just to give Discord some entertainment. Seraph wondered if that was the case here, or if this fellow had actually had the stones to try it on his own.

The King seemed to mull the request for a moment, and then had a brainwave. Leaning forward in his seat, Discord levelled his decree. "You say you are a carpenter, hmm? Then make me a stool. I've been on my feet all day and they could use the rest. Surely you can sympathize?"

The stallion was taken aback by the answer. "Indeed milord, but I have no tools or wood to work with."

In response, Discord simply winked. The hall was silent for the briefest moment, before being punctuated by a distinct rumbling. All at once, two great trees pierced the floor around where the supplicant stood, stretching out their voluminous boughs to both ends of the cavernous hall. The unfortunate carpenter was caught up in the surge, and ended up desperately clinging to a branch near the room's ceiling, casting his wild gaze about. Chuckling, Discord tossed a small handsaw and some other tools down to the base of the newly grown foliage. "No worries now, right?"

What followed was an unfortunate display. Seraph felt real shame pierce his heart as the carpenter attempted to find his way down the hulking tree, then sat wondering how best to fell a metre-thick trunk with only a 30 centimetre blade. Throughout the ordeal, he was subjected to the mirth of the King, which was answered by all the courtiers in the chamber, careful to match their master's timing and sure not to miss an opportunity to pass a sly remark.

Seraph could only watch the ridiculous display with sadness deep in his stomach. How had Equestria fallen so far? How could these ponies live with themselves, crawling over each other's backs for a taste of imagined power? How could they be reduced to such barbarism, in the pursuit of the favour of a cruel leader? Seraph silently vowed, as he often did, to fix this broken nation, once and for all. Meanwhile, he laughed along with them. Discord would surely be watching to make sure none of his admirers was hiding any secrets, and he most certainly did not wish to be discovered.

---

Several hours later, Seraph found himself back next to his own home. On the outside, it was a large house, with striking tall windows, and a steeply-peaked roof. In reality though, as with so much in Upper Eridian, it was just for appearances. Seraph made use of the residence only very rarely. His business was generally conducted in other, more secret places.

Coming around to the back of the home, he casually unlocked the sloped doors leading down into what appeared to be a root cellar. Casting a look around to make sure that he was not being watched, he disappeared into the gloomy, dank darkness, carefully relocking the door behind him.

Sure of his step in spite of the piercing blackness, Seraph reached along the wall and found a well-used lantern, which he quickly lit with a couple of matches from a pocket of his cape.

The lantern's glow revealed a view that was anything but a root cellar. A rough-hewn passageway spiralled down and out of sight, stretching hundreds of feet into the Earth. As he descended, stepping carefully in the smooth, gently-sloped passage, the air grew drier, and a warm breeze wafted up from beneath. Slowly, a yellow ambient glow from the depths of the mountain began to be visible. Seraph breathed a contented sigh. Finally, he was home again.

The passage ended in an immense stone chamber, lit by burning cauldrons and torches. It was his fortress against the unpredictability of the world, his refuge in the regularity of fire, and the mechanical work of his own hoofs. Lining the far wall was a row of massive boilers, fed constantly by hulking mounds of coal. From them emerged myriad ducts and pipes, carrying the life-blood of steam off to the various other devices in the cavern. Other areas in the space were occupied with all the necessary equipment to feed Seraph's voracious mind: massive furnaces and foundries, workshops, laboratories, assembly lines. The orange Earth pony looked out over his domain, blazing with the fire of enlightenment, and felt his heart fill with hope again. Here was where Equestria's true future lived.

Riding a clockwork-powered elevator up to his private apartments, which were erected along a wrought-iron truss high on the near wall of the cavern, Seraph thought of all the potential in this room. Since the days of his youth, he had always been enamoured of the power intrinsic in fire and machines. He remembered playing around with water-wheels, and marvelling at the might of lightning. Truly, he had thought, it was the destiny of any ascended species to harness this potential.

But Discord stood in the way of all that, which was why Seraph had chosen his current path. Twenty minutes later, he was in his own sparring hall, ready to work away the stress of life aboveground. Walking over to his personal armoury, he reverently withdrew a lengthy blade of layered steel, sharpened to a razor's edge, and balanced precisely to his fighting style and proportions. Approaching a worn-in training dummy on the practice floor, he assumed a proper stance. As he always did in these practice sessions, he simply summoned the memories of his own disgrace, how his one-time friends had proven their true colours in their final dealings with him. With a roar, he fell upon the dummy in flashes of bright steel.

The three of them had been perfect, Equestria's ultimate answer to Discord's stifling repression: Aquos, the tactician and magical prodigy; Altas, the idealist and flyer extraordinaire; and of course, himself, the genius engineer and master of the blade. All his youth, he had dreamt of earning that chance, to set things right once more, and claim his proper place at the head of the new Equestria.

Catching his breath, he stepped back. The dummy had been fully dismembered, and he would probably have quite enough work putting it back together for another session. Wiping sweat from his brow, Seraph sauntered out to the balcony overlooking his factory floor. Smoke billowed from the chimneys of the foundries, as iron was smelted into steel for construction and metallurgy work. The exhaust was all diverted carefully through pre-existing funnels in the rock ceiling, eventually emerging to mix harmlessly with Discord's eternal shroud.

Although he had purged his mind of the day's business, his heart still burned bright from the remembered betrayal. When confronted with the ultimate choice, of facing destiny or hiding from it, his friends had chosen cowardice, covering themselves with the flimsy veils of tradition and history to avoid facing the obvious truth. Equestria had lost its chance at freedom, and so it continued its slide into nothingness, forgetting its once-hallowed place in the world.

Altas and Aquos had tried to explain their reasoning, but Seraph could only look at either of them with contempt. How he had ever imagined that they might be the saviours of his country, he could not now say. But he had known what his destiny was, right from the start. They could not stand in his way, any more than they could hide their personal flaws from the test of destiny.

Seraph turned his gaze upward to the ceiling, imagining Eridian above him; the potential for greatness inherent in every pony. He had trusted in friends, certain that they would never betray their ultimate cause. Now, the task fell to him and him alone.

And when Equestria rose from the ashes of its mire, he would be there for it, a shining example of everything it could aspire for, everything that ponies could accomplish. A mechanized state, built on the principles of order and responsibility. A just society, rewarding intellect, effort, and honour. He would lead his country into the fair dawn of its glorious future.

Seraph smiled contentedly, for perhaps the first time in a long while. All in its due time, I will be King, and the future will be bright.

Chapter 7: On the Other Foot

"Every pony has strengths and weaknesses, and the wise leader should be able to identify them, not only in their followers, but also in themselves."

-The Princess, Nicola Machiavilić

Wistfully, Claire watched the clouds lazily drift by as she stood high atop the tower of Aquos' magical school. It was now her turn up here in the mountains, to learn the intricacies of her intellect and unlock her inner magic. The prospect was tempting, especially now in light of everything she had learned from Altas. She now felt the unlocked potential of her Pegasus heritage running through her veins like a potent elixir, in tune with the world. In time, she hoped to add the knowledge of the unicorns to that mix, achieving the ultimate power of which the old Masters spoke.

But up here, Claire found it difficult to concentrate. From the lofty perch, Equestria spread out to the south, a patchwork of untamed wildness. Altas had shown her some of the settlements ponies had carved out of the land over time, ramshackle buildings clinging to the soil against the onslaught of the unpredictable weather and daylight. Her heart went out to all the ponies striving to wring existence from these wretched circumstances. It had suddenly driven home to her how real this problem was, even beyond everything she had witnessed as a filly. Suddenly, the training which had seemed so fun up in the clouds had become very serious business.

Aquos was a teacher that accepted no argument, and Claire was able to get on with her well enough, although lately some of the tasks she had been assigned seemed to creep into unknowable territory. Today, she was up on the tower with only a small brush and a bucket of icy water from the stream. Aquos' only directions had been to clean off the area. It had seemed like a ludicrous waste of time, but Claire was not one to question instructions.

As she worked, Claire tried to imagine where her sister was right now. The two Masters had somehow endeavoured to have them change stations without running into each other, so it had now been more than eight months since the two siblings had last been together. It was by far the longest time that they had ever been separated. Celeste had been only twelve years old when the two of them had been orphaned, so she had been forced to care for her younger sister as well as she could, whilst coming to terms with an unfriendly world. It was no wonder that Celeste's soul had been hardened; that she now looked out at society with a cynical and distrustful eye.

But Claire knew her elder sister better than most, and she could still see the bright light of wonder that Celeste fought to conceal. Her sister had never really had the chance to enjoy a proper foal-hood, but they had shared their private moments whenever possible. Only rarely though, as life out on the streets of Eridian did not come easily, not even for two talented alicorns such as themselves.

Due to her maturity, Celeste had always been the leader. She had made the plans, and Claire had followed them. The two were each only one half of a pair, and Claire knew that she felt exposed without her sister's support. It had been easier to ignore this feeling up in the sky, as her and Altas were like brother and sister anyway, but now that she had returned to Earth, every day was a reminder that she was alone now, and independent, at least for the next little while.

Several minutes later, Aquos appeared on the roof of the tower with a flash. The Master of Water was dressed in a dark cloak, hiding most of her body, but open at the neck to keep her head free. Characteristically, she did not appear to be amused. Without a word, she concentrated for a moment, her horn glowing brightly as she worked her magic. As she finished, a torrent of water rained down from above, apparently having been magically transported from the stream. Claire was thoroughly drenched by the unexpected downpour.

Reaching up to pull her sodden mane from her eyes, she noticed that Aquos had somehow contrived to remain dry throughout the ordeal. It also became obvious to her immediately that the roof of the tower was now spotless. In less than a second, the Master had accomplished more than her student had after the better part of an hour. As if Discord himself was laughing at her ineptitude, it began to rain shortly afterwards.

Claire tried to salvage some decorum, standing as respectfully as she could in the Master's presence. Aquos strode forward until she stood right in front of her student, and then asked a simple question, "Claire, why did I do that?"

It was a difficult question, and not one for which Claire had an immediate answer. It seemed that Aquos loved asking why, as though she knew it was the one question that always made her student nervous. Claire just naturally assumed that her teacher had her reasons. As a child, she had never really tried to figure out the world around her; that had always been Celeste's specialty.

When she did not answer, Aquos turned around and walked away a little distance. In a patient voice, she sent another query toward her student. "Okay, then try this one: why did I send you up here in the first place?"

This was a question for which Claire had the answer. "You wanted the tower cleaned, of course."

"Indeed? Are you sure of that? Because you did just see that I am capable of cleaning it myself with minimal effort, not to mention that the rain is doing it for me as I speak. So why would I get you to scrub at a floor when you are supposed to be here learning magic?" She looked in Claire's direction rather pointedly, her light blue eyes questioning, probing for the correct response.

Phrased that way, Claire realized that the premise was rather ridiculous. "Umm, good exercise?" she proffered.

The expression that flashed across Aquos' features in that instant was about equal parts frustration, rage, and amusement. In a flash, both of them were teleported away. Claire next found herself standing in the Master's austere office, now dripping water on the polished hardwood floor. Somehow, despite the rain, the white unicorn was still dry and prim.

Seated at an expansive rosewood desk, Aquos donned a set of copper-rimmed reading glasses to examine the stacks of parchments in front of her. Claire remained standing, feeling small in the room, which had a very high vaulted ceiling, and a single peaked window to her left, which now displayed the persistent rain as it fell upon the school grounds. Behind the Master's desk, a large picture had been hung, depicting three younger ponies. Claire immediately recognized Altas and Aquos, but the third party was unfamiliar to her. His striking red and orange mane certainly stood out though.

Without looking up from the paperwork, Aquos addressed her in a sterile voice. "Claire Albright. Two weeks ago I tasked you with cataloguing every rock in our stream larger than twenty centimetres in diameter. You gave me this report," she said as she tossed the nondescript paper down in front of her student. Claire remembered that assignment; the labour had been menial and horridly boring.

Aquos continued, "Last week I told you to document the stages of development of every plant in our orchard." Here she indicated a stack of pages more than ten centimetres thick. "And finally, just yesterday, I had you go out into the mountains in search of a rare Equestrian ice poppy, of which there are very few in this region. You actually found one, which I'll admit is a credit to your perseverance, but that was NOT the point of the exercise."

Bringing both hooves down onto her desk, Aquos fixed her student with a very cold gaze, seeming to penetrate Claire's skin and stare into the depths of her thoughts. "Tell me now, Claire, what possible reason," she asked very slowly, "could there be for me to ask you to do these things?"

Her brow still dripping, Claire felt the once-expansive room growing smaller around her. She summoned all her intellect, but could not possibly fathom an overriding objective to such disparate tasks. "I… I guess I never thought about that, Master," she replied weakly.

With obvious exasperation, Aquos clapped herself on the forehead. "Of course you didn't think about it! That was the point, Claire! That for once you would THINK about something before running off and doing as you're told!" She got up from her seat and began to pace the room, tossing remarks over her shoulder every now and then.

"There was no point in it, and I was hoping that YOU would figure it out eventually! It was all just busy-work, pointless tasks that served NO purpose besides proving to me that YOU, Claire Albright; YOU are a follower. Any pony with an analytical fibre would have at least been suspicious of my intentions, but you were off dutifully fulfilling your meaningless objectives day in and day out!"

Claire stood taking the criticism stoically, whilst trying to sort out the repercussions of Aquos' meaning. She had never considered her willingness to obey instructions a flaw; in fact it was precisely that one of her qualities that had always made her and Celeste such a great team. For all her life, she had never really needed to think analytically or reason about motives and intentions, and she wasn't particularly good at that sort of game anyway. Still, Aquos wasn't done berating her yet.

Coming out in front of her desk, Aquos put a contemplative hoof up to her chin. "Now I think I realize why you and your sister are so close," she mused. "Do you realize that she views you as nothing more than a tool to achieve her own objectives? To her, you are just a pawn on the chessboard of life, something to be manipulated into the proper place when the time is right. But we are not looking for pawns here, Claire. The resistance needs leaders, strong ponies capable of thinking on their feet, and doing more than just following orders." She removed her reading glasses, fixing Claire with a long stare, before picking up a file from behind her again.

"Altas praised your spirit, and I must say I agree with him on those terms, but you have a lot of improvement left if you wish to unlock your true potential. You must become independent, or else I'm afraid you will be of no use to us."

Claire examined the floor. Certainly she had never thought of her relationship with her sister in that sort of master-and-servant mentality. They were partners, each keeping their own strengths, and covering for each other's weaknesses. They split everything equally, and there was no denying the true love in their relationship. Claire would surely have sacrificed everything to grant her sister happiness, and she was sure that Celeste would do the same. It seemed though, that if she wanted to succeed here, she had a little growing up to do.

After Aquos had dismissed her, Claire exited the tower into what was now a crystal-clear evening. Her teacher's words echoed through her mind. Whereas before she had looked at life and seen her destiny as standing forever by her sister's side, now it seemed that in order to save Equestria, she would have to forge her own path. Whatever it took she would do it, because her country deserved it, but that didn't mean she couldn't be afraid of the necessary actions to get there.

---

That night, high up above Equestria, Celeste Albright was thinking similar thoughts, though she was having difficulty staying coherent as she completed the last of dozens of laps she had flown around Altas' corner of the sky. Belying his scholarly appearance, the yellow Pegasus had turned out to be a stern taskmaster, and every night Celeste flopped into bed exhausted at the end of the day. She failed to see how any of this was going to help develop her magic. Meanwhile, Altas hovered above, moving clouds around in his simulated abacus.

The Master spoke of "calming the mind" and "finding synergy with the world around oneself", but it all just sounded like a gigantic load of hooey to Celeste. She had just finished six months spent studying (and mastering) the art of magic, which she could use to do anything she pleased, and all in a timely and predictable manner. This whole business of "thinking with one's heart" just felt like something a pony that didn't get magic would say to try to reassure themselves that they were special somehow. What point was there in finding harmony between mind and spirit when her mind could already move mountains on its own?

Drained and panting, Celeste finally finished and dragged herself up to a cloud just beneath where Altas was working. While she got her breath back, Celeste took a chance to examine the proof that the Pegasus was trying to solve. While Altas hadn't actually taught her any of his work, she had often watched while she was bored with her practicing and routines, which was most of the time. This proof, she could see, was patently obvious. All Altas had to do was multiply by the complex conjugate on both sides and the result would fall out like a finely crafted piece of furniture. Sometimes Celeste wished that he would stop with these other "lessons" and allow her to try her hoof at his life's passion instead. Surely she could do a better job at it than he was right now.

After a few more minutes of labouring over his clouds, Altas turned around and saw her relaxing on her perch. Coming down to meet with her, he again wore his trademark jovial grin. Celeste considered it a familial expression for what was supposed to be serious work. "Admiring my work, are you?" he asked cheerfully.

Celeste decided to ask him a penetrating question, just to see how the unflappable Master would react. "I simply find it interesting: you're a mathematician, a servant of logic and reason. Yet in our lessons all you go on about is belief, and faith in nature to work with ourselves. How on Earth do you rectify these interests of yours?"

Celeste felt that is a very well-phrased argument, but her teacher simply laughed. "Now you sound exactly like Aquos, my dear! But the unicorns never were much for this kind of thinking. Through magic, unicorns make the universe work for them. With his spirit, a Pegasus can make the universe work with himself."

With a hoof outstretched, Altas indicated the canvas of his work, clouds arranged in neat little rows to count off numbers. "You see math as just a tool, Celeste; a way to control the universe and understand it. But you miss the greater truth: it is a language of the universe, a way to converse with creation and share with it. If you give yourself up to it, great power it will grant in return." As he finished speaking, Celeste felt a stiff breeze ruffle her mane. Just like before, Altas was demonstrating his control of the wind. But what proof was that? Celeste could control the air too.

With a dip of the head and a shot of magic, she created a howling gale to oppose his little breeze, and the startled Pegasus was bowled over by the tumult, eventually ending up face-first against one of the clouds in his simulated abacus. Celeste attempted to stifle a chuckle as he pried himself loose. When he flew up to where she stood again, Altas for once did not appear to be amused.

"Yes, very funny, Celeste," he commented in a dry voice. "Magic gives all the power, right? But you don't see that you are missing the important elements of the equation. You don't have to fight nature or subjugate it, and the sooner you learn that, the easier your life will be. Up here, the world is peaceful, but soon enough you might have to face down a raging storm, or command daylight itself. Against the full fury of nature's power, you may find it difficult to emerge victorious."

"Perhaps," Celeste conceded, "but with practice magic can overcome even such obstacles as those. Besides, I thought the ancient Pegasi were supposed to able to completely control weather patterns, not just the wind. Why have you not demonstrated any of that?"

Finally, Celeste sensed that she had cracked the Master's calm and carefree façade. His face suddenly drawn and sorrowful, he looked away. "I haven't because I can't," he admitted in a quiet voice. All around the two of them, the wind died away, to be replaced by an uneasy stillness. "The legends you speak of are true, Celeste," Altas continued. "Once, the Pegasi of old held complete oneness with the world, and they manipulated it into the shapes they chose."

"But what happened then?" Celeste pressed, sensing that she was on the verge of some important information.

"What happened?" Altas repeated. "Discord happened. Our abilities were no match for his domination of nature. Slowly, we dropped out of practice. Eventually, the art became truly lost. To be perfectly honest, I had hoped that either you or your sister might rediscover it for us in due time." The Pegasus remained silent for some moments more, and then all of a sudden he was all smiles again. "But that's all in the past, my student. Perhaps we should get back to work?"

Celeste followed him back to her training areas, but in her mind she was reviewing the details of the conversation, trying to build a more complete picture of this gentle-colt. She had sensed a very deep feeling of loss from him in that moment of his introspection. Indeed, Altas had given up very much to find himself at this present point in his life, more so than she had originally believed. Celeste found herself thinking back to their discussion by the stream back in the mountains. Altas had given up his dearest friend, and his tribe had lost its greatest asset to Discord's tyranny. And this Pegasus hid it all beneath his friendly face and warm smile. What else could he be hiding?

That night, after Altas had already retired, Celeste approached his clouds. Apprising herself of the situation one last time, she solved his proof for him, and then continued on the line of reasoning to an additional theorem. She still wasn't sure about what he had been saying earlier. Growing up in Eridian had taught her that trust was perhaps the most valuable commodity she had, and giving it out freely to other ponies was a great risk. She had found it far safer to manipulate others, rather than hoping that they would stick to their ends of agreed bargains. Why not do the same thing with this universe, especially since magic was such a convenient way to do it? Rather than trusting that the world would find her an acceptable vessel for its power, she could create her own power, and make the world do her bidding. In the end, it would accomplish the same objectives.

She could tell that Altas was frustrated with her stubbornness. In turn, she didn't particularly agree with his head-in-the-clouds approach to life. Such wilful and blind idealism had never helped any pony. A functioning economy, a proper government, security from threats; these were the things that Equestria needed, and "harmony" was not the sort of thing that was going to create them. For not the first time, she wished she was back down in the mountains with Aquos, learning and increasing her power for the final test.

Celeste found herself wondering about that "final test" all of a sudden, which both of the Masters had mentioned. Presumably it would be something comprehensive, requiring both of the skill sets that she was supposed to be mastering. As Altas had told her before, the end of this journey was to be christened the third Triumvir of the new government of Equestria. Now, if she was to fill that role, Celeste knew that she would need the power to control the world around her.

As she finally found her way back to her own sleeping arrangements, the numbers of Altas' work still ran through her mind. But rather than letting them fall of their own accord as was his penchant, the white alicorn was shuffling them deliberately, attempting to force the truth out. In her mind, this was just the natural way to do it.

Chapter 8: Earth

"Equestria has always housed the greatest beauty that thought has thus far created on Earth. Even in the darkest times, there have always been those among us able to preserve and protect this heritage of ideas."

-Jessica Sotheby, 1st Duchess of Cloudsdale

The second of the six month terms passed quickly, and soon enough Celeste found her wish granted. Flying round a bluff in the mountains, she let a contented sigh pass her lips. Nestled in its protected vale, Aquos' school called out to her mind, welcoming her home. And even though she had lived more than thirty years under Discord's shroud in Eridian, she felt more at home here in the mountains than she ever had.

The grounds of the school were a hive of activity, as students rushed about making preparations. It was a momentous occasion, after all. Both of the two sisters had completed their training to the satisfaction of their respective teachers. They were ready now for whatever the future held in store for them. But all Celeste really wanted right now was to see her sister again, and talk with her about everything that had changed since that fateful night one year ago.

She set down at the base of the main tower, near the ornately braided columns that straddled the mountain stream, supporting Aquos' working areas above. The place had changed little from what she remembered. The orchards were now ripe with fruit, which was being harvested hurriedly for tonight's celebrations. The air was heavy with the sweet smell of the Earth's bounty. Celeste allowed herself a deep breath, savouring the rich aroma. Indeed, she was happy to have a moment to relax.

She and Altas had eventually managed to come to an arrangement concerning her studies. While she still didn't appreciate most of his ideas, she had agreed to practice the skills he extolled. In exchange, he had allowed her to continue practicing her magic in her free time. Over just a few months, Celeste had expanded her personal spell library to include several new creations. Perhaps they were relatively minor pieces of magical machinery, but she was eager to demonstrate them to Aquos in any case.

Hearing the sound of a door closing behind her, Celeste wheeled to see her sister exiting the grand entryway beneath the tower. Her heart filled with elation, Celeste ran over to her, quickly climbing the magnificent staircase that stretched over the river. At the summit of the arc, the two sisters came together in a loving embrace.

"I missed you terribly, sister," Claire said softly.

"So did I," Celeste replied.

The two remained together for a moment, then Celeste pulled back to examine her sister anew. She was shocked at what she saw, but pleasantly so. "You've grown up, Claire. So different, in only a year."

"Is it that obvious?" Claire replied. "And look at you, sister. I see a new fire burning in your features. The worries and cares of Eridian have passed from you."

"Simple; I didn't have to worry about you anymore!" exclaimed Celeste with a laugh. Taking her sister close, she led Claire through the orchard. The two of them had indeed changed much, but the spark of their relationship remained. If anything, the separation had probably driven them closer.

For a few minutes, the two sisters simply walked in silence, admiring the forest bowed low with heavy fruit. It was Claire that spoke up first. "It was me that first told you we were special, right? One year ago, to the day. But I'll be the first to tell you, Celeste, I had no idea just how right I was."

Celeste nodded in agreement. When she looked back at her past life, she could only marvel at how such talent could possibly have been put to such inconsequential use. Now that the innate power of her awakened mind was at her disposal, Celeste felt capable of moving mountains, reshaping Equestria on her own if needed. There was only one obstacle left standing in her way, and that was Discord.

She could see as well that Claire now bristled with tapped potential. Her power seemed different, borne of a separate fortitude, but substantial all the same. Together the two could indeed be the light of hope that Equestria needed. But with that thought Celeste felt a mote of sadness fall on her heart. She thought again of her conversations with Altas. The Masters only need one Triumvir. At some point, one of them would have to make that choice, to leave the other behind for the greater good. But she wasn't about to let such concerns cloud their afternoon together. So the two of them walked and shared memories and stories with each other, even unto the close of the afternoon. For the first time in a long time, they were just sisters again.

That evening, the whole of the school gathered on the grounds of the academy for the feast. Massive pots of steaming vegetables had been cooked for the occasion, and the freshest grains had been brought in from the outlying country. Unicorn chefs had been busy all afternoon, infusing the food with exotic flavours as they laboured over the preparations.

Celeste and Claire walked together through the assembled multitude, approaching the head of the proceedings down the central aisle. Both of them were dressed in their best fineries, long gowns that stretched down to the ground. Celeste had opted for a snowy-white configuration, decked in jewels to complement her shimmering mane. To show off her independence, Claire had opted for a more colourful arrangement, but it was nevertheless still haughtily formal. As the pair came up to the elevated platform that stood just under the tower, Celeste helped her sister up the steps.

Aquos and Altas were there waiting for them. The unicorn had done up her mane into an intricate set of curls, framing her face perfectly, and matching her very conservative outfit. Altas, meanwhile, had on a white suit-jacket and red bowtie. His mane was parted casually to the side, although at least he had taken the time to comb it. Still, the two Masters stood out in opposition to each other: order and individuality.

When both of them were in place on the platform, Aquos called for order. Speaking in her usual commanding tone, the Master of Water began her speech to the assemblage.

"Students of Air and Water, esteemed guests, trusted companions, friends: welcome. We are gathered here tonight in celebration, for these two students here by my side, Celeste and Claire Albright." There was a moment of respectful applause, and Celeste tried to suppress a proud smile as she felt the warm attention.

"They came to us a year ago, and at that time we toasted their rebirth as free ponies: released from the shackles of Discord's tyranny. Over this time, they have grown; matured into new beings. They have learned the unifying harmony of mind and spirit, as emphasized by our separate disciplines. They have found power by looking inside themselves. They have excelled in their chosen fields. My children," she stated, turning now to the two alicorns with sincerity in her tone, "you are students no longer."

There was another outbreak of applause, which the Master of Water immediately quieted with the wave of a hoof. She now spoke directly to the two sisters, and Celeste felt the eyes of the audience drawn in toward her as well. "You go forth now to fight the battles that must be fought; to spread peace, justice, and harmony as far as you can; to reclaim this land in the name of all that have fallen in defending it. May harmony stand with you."

Reaching for a crystal goblet that seemed to appear beside her out of nowhere, the Master raised it in a toast. Her magic cascaded around the glass in an azure shimmer. Looking down for a moment, Celeste was startled to see a similar glass in front of herself. With a tiny effort, she raised it with her own magic, and Claire did the same. Over the field, she was joined by the multitude, as more than a thousand snifters glinted in the moonlight. With finality, Aquos finished her toast. "A year ago, we drank to new beginnings. Now, allow me to reaffirm that pledge. Celeste and Claire, you are once again born anew; free from the self-imposed prison of ignorance. We wish you the very best in future endeavours, as we work together for ultimate victory and a free Equestria once again!"

In unison, the crowd drank to the toast, and all four of the ponies on stage did so as well. The wine tasted, somehow, mystical, full and round while still sweet on the tongue. It was a majestic moment, one that Celeste wanted to go on forever. The light of the moon glistened off the buildings of the school, casting its inviting aura over the congregation. The air was still, comfortably humid from the bubbling brook, which danced to its own music in the background.

Soon enough, the toast had completed, and the rest of the students got down to the business of the meal. But for the four on stage, the ceremony was not complete, or at least so it seemed. Aquos turned round to address the two sisters, speaking in a calm voice. "Come, Celeste and Claire. We have something wonderful to show both of you."

The four made their way down off the stage, and reverently climbed the curved steps that rose over the stream to the base of the tower. They came together under the structure's base, on the small landing that straddled the river. In the background, the night air was broken by the ebullient sounds of dinner getting underway. But the two Masters had eyes only for their new companions now.

"Well, that's finally over with," chuckled Altas as he hurriedly undid his bow tie and tossed it into the river. "Congratulations to the both of you. You've earned your spot here. Few are able to pass the trials both of you have faced; even fewer can reach your level within only a year. Aquos and I are both proud of all that you have accomplished."

Claire beamed with satisfaction, and Celeste also couldn't hold back a satisfied grin. It had been a rough year for the both of them, filled with vicissitudes. Finally, the end was here. Looking up, Celeste even noticed the barest hint of a smile on Aquos' features.

Behind them, at the railing, Altas spoke up again. "So both of you are probably wondering when you get to eat, right? I'll admit it sure does smell good over there."

Both of the sisters stayed silent, awaiting an answer, but Celeste did have to admit that the luscious aromas wafting over from the banquet had piqued her appetite. Aquos, however, merely summoned an orb of energy into their midst, holding it above her horn for a second. In a steady voice, she addressed the two sisters. "There will be time for all that later, but first there is business to attend to. The first stage of your journeys has come to its end, but now it is time to begin anew." With a flash, she released the magical orb, which expanded out to envelop the four of them. In an instant, they had vanished.

---

Celeste felt herself floating in a shapeless blue void, a sort of limbo wherein time seemed to slow to a standstill. She wanted to call out, find something or someone to hold on to, but suddenly realized that she didn't even know if her voice would carry here. Was there even air for her to breathe? Celeste felt lost, on an instantaneous verge of panic. Then, Aquos' calming voice emerged through the fog, giving clarity to the scene, drawing out recognizable shapes in her mind's eye.

"Do not be afraid, child," Aquos intoned steadily. "This is simply a magical construct, a visual way to experience a message. Now that you are ready to join us, you have earned the right to this vision, that of the power we face, and hope for that which once was, and that which may yet be."

As Celeste looked on, lines of silver etched their way through the limitless void, forming into a recognizable outline. Colours inflamed the scene, and Celeste found herself looking at the city of Eridian, but different. It was older, and unadorned with the wicked towers of Discord's castle. In their place was a brilliant triangle of golden stone, three slender pinnacles set round a central spire of straight lines and peaked arches, reaching upward to dizzying heights. Perched on its very peak was a massive statue: three ponies reaching skyward in unison, claiming the brightness of Equestria's future.

Celeste gasped as the vision slotted itself into her memory. The Tower of the Triumvirs! This meant that the city could only be the legendary Equestrian Capital City, unspoilt in the early years of the free Equestria. Looking closer, Celeste could see that each of the secondary towers was adorned in its own way, put to the use of one of the pony tribes. The unicorn tower supported a powerful observatory, and was ringed about with banners and measuring instruments. Its ornate balustrades were etched with images of astronomical bodies; bright stars and exotic planets. Nearby, the Pegasus tower was surrounded with clouds and lightning, as the masters of the weather directed the meteorology of the nation. And finally, the enterprising Earth ponies had turned their tower into a centre of administration, and had even planted a small field on its roof, never letting a single foot of space go unused.

In the light, the city shone with all the glory deserving of its place in history. Celeste felt its reflection illuminate the depths of her soul, inspiring her as it must have inspired all ponies in ages past. But alas, for the vision was not finished. In an instant, Celeste felt darkness pushing at the corners of the utopia. Like a flood of serpentine wisps, grey evil flowed up around the city. All at once, fate turned upon ECC. The Pegasi clouds turned upon the population, unleashing a torrent of rain and destructive lightning, igniting fires and sparking panic. Confused unicorns rushed out onto their balconies, but could only watch in dumbstruck awe as their own instruments of science transformed into fearsome weapons, assaulting the populace with focussed energy. Even the earth ponies saw their machinations turned against them, as the fruits of their field suddenly grew to enormous size, caving in the roof of the tower. All throughout the city there was great distress, and nothing that the powers of any tribe could do to stop it.

Like a breath of cold stealing the life of a calm spring night, chaos spread through the city, robbing colour and creating only lifeless dullness. Finally, the malady became complete, and the Tower of the Triumvirs crumbled, falling to Earth with a deadened crash. The vision morphed then into something all too recognizable to Celeste. It was Eridian: dead and broken in the place of what had once been great. She felt determination settle into her heart then. For such a crime, there was only one justifiable punishment. And now that she had the power within her, she vowed that Discord would pay the terrible debt that he owed her country.

---

When Celeste rematerialized in the real world, she felt a wave of nausea as her body attempted to readjust. Beside her, Claire was engaged in a similar process of acclimatization. But from the passion in her eyes, Celeste had no doubt that her sister had witnessed the same vision she had.

Finally getting her head back in order, Celeste spared a glance around the area, but was immediately shocked. They most certainly were not up in the mountains anymore. The ever-present babble of the mountain stream had been replaced by a sort of living stillness; quiet, but not uncomfortably so. Taking another, longer gaze, she analyzed whatever she could.

They appeared to have materialized in a dense forest. The light of the moon trickled down through the branches, illuminating a forest floor covering in loose grass. The trees were spaced regularly, growing in harmony with the world and allowing easy passage. The two sisters seemed to be on a worn path, which ran straight for several meters before disappearing over a low rise. The forest grew thicker ahead, so it was difficult to determine where the path led. Overall though, the place certainly seemed safe. Her confidence grew when the two Masters also phased into existence just in front of her.

Aquos and Altas reintegrated with the real world far faster than their two students did, likely from experience. Both appeared quite pleased to be here. Altas took a deep breath of the crisp air, letting all of his stresses fall away with every exhalation. Aquos did the same, but in a more refined manner.

Celeste realized suddenly just how much she had changed, and how well this moment encapsulated it. Here she was in an unfamiliar environment, and the Celeste of old would have immediately brought up her guard, distrustful of anything until she got answers. She realized how open she had allowed herself to become. It was certainly something to consider later.

Claire was the first to find her voice. "That vision… that was Equestria in the past?" she asked, directing the question to Altas.

The Pegasus was engaged in ruffling his mane and unbuttoning a few of his suit-jacket buttons. "Yes," he replied nonchalantly. "That was what once was, and what we hope to restore."

"It was… beautiful," Celeste said in a voice edged with sorrow. "And thanks to Discord it is now all lost. Such an unforgiveable tragedy," she finished, hanging her head low in remembrance.

But when Celeste raised her eyes again, Aquos had on a knowing smile. Speaking in a mysterious voice, she addressed her students. "I knew that both of you were ready to see it though. Hopefully, both of you now understand the power that we face. All the might of our ancestors could mount no opposition to Discord's assault. However, if you'll follow me," she said with a wink, "I think you'll find that the future is not as bleak as it might seem."

And without any more words, the two Masters walked together toward the small hill in the path. With a look, Celeste motioned for Claire to go first, and they followed. The wood was serene in the moonlight, almost heavenly. The elder sister managed to spot the occasional nocturnal creature about its routine, but soon sensed that her attention should lie ahead. Both Aquos and Altas seemed to grow taller with every step, in clear anticipation of what lay just over the ridge. They paused for a moment just on the lip, and motioned backwards for the two alicorns to come forward. As Celeste laid her eyes on the grassy clearing below, she felt her jaw slacken in shock.

It was the Tower of the Triumvirs, rebuilt brick for brick from the original, standing tall and proud in lordship over the forest. The central spire was ringed with gold, reflecting the moonlight in a dazzling array of patterns as it stretched, story over story, to a dizzying height overhead. Each of the secondary towers stood atop its own independent mound, and each was adorned according to the individual sense of the tribe it represented. The unicorn tower was again bristled with telescopes, and the Earth ponies once again grew their crops. Only the tower of the Pegasi was blank, and Celeste remembered then that their art was lost to the mists of time.

"The Citadel of Everfree," Aquos announced with a reverent voice. "Last bastion of the free ponies, and home to Terraria, Master of the Order of Earth." Both she and Altas were looking upwards at the amazing structure, with glassy, nostalgic looks on their faces.

For the two sisters, it was as if they had stepped from a dream into history itself. Aquos' base in the mountains now seemed utilitarian, compared to this extravagant display of beauty. Even now, in such dark times, hope burned eternally. For beneath the structure, Celeste now beheld a multitude of ponies, heralding each of the distinct tribes in roughly equal proportion. They were dressed in varied robes, long and flowing garments of silk and cashmere. The crowd erupted in approval upon seeing the newcomers, pointing and applauding vigorously. Suddenly Celeste felt as though she was being scrutinized again, but no one appeared concerned, even in light of Altas' dishevelled countenance. She realized suddenly that these ponies cared not for such trappings as appearance or attire. In a free Equestria, such things shouldn't and wouldn't matter. Indeed, this little vale in the forest was all that remained of the Equestria of old, and remained a light of hope.

The perfect completion to the scene reached her then, as the scent of exquisitely cooked fruits and cereals wafted up to the ridge. It seemed that they would get their celebratory meal after all. She looked over at the Masters: each of them seemed ready to forget all the troubles of life to settle into this one moment. Celeste realized that it was time she and Claire did the same. This was the celebration they had earned, their first night as truly free ponies in the new Equestria.

Chapter 9: Old Habits

"Twilight is the time of deception, when the entire world loses form and twists about around itself, hiding the truth from those that wish to penetrate it. In the shadows nothing is as it seems. Those who view the world in terms of black and white are stymied by the twilight, but that is why I thrive in it."

-"Musings of the Twilit Hour", by Princess Luna

Altas breathed a wonderfully contented sigh of relief as he climbed up the long spiralling staircase that circled PegasusTower. This place was filled with so many memories, memories of a simpler time, before life's destiny had moved him and Aquos onto their present paths. The two of them had had each other, and they had had work and study to occupy their thoughts and minds. Then, unexpected as a bolt of lightning, the world had worked its mysterious magic on their fates.

He stopped before an unobtrusive door about midway up the tower's length. Examining it, his heart skipped a beat as he noticed the marks and gashes from its former use. Every nick was a piece of his former life, so long ago. Pushing it open, he stepped back into his old room.

Everything was just as it would have been ages ago. The room was ellipsoidal, and mostly open in the centre. Along the far wall, the low writing desk was still piled high with parchment: drafts and drawings from his older studies. He was shocked to find that even his old chalkboard was still in here, still covered with scrawled notes and diagrams. The rest of the living arrangements were pretty ordinary, as befitted a tenant who had once been just another student.

Altas immediately threw his white jacket onto the bed and walked over to the room's single window, which offered an inspiring view of the forest from this height. But more importantly to him, this window faced the adjacent Unicorn Tower. Altas remembered all the times he had sat at this window in ages past, gazing wistfully across the way, admiring the magnificence of that tower's braided architecture. He had been so young back then, full of energy and passion, but also naïve and fearful. The object of his desire had been so close, and yet had seemed like it was on the other side of Equestria.

Tonight, he recognized a familiar glint from the opposite window, a twinkle of light that indicated activity in the other tower. Altas remembered every night that he had sat here as a youth, promising himself that one day he would take the plunge, and take hold of life. How complicated the matter had seemed back then! Countless nights he had stopped himself in front of her door, questioning how she would react, whether or not it was his place to ask for that which he desired. Many times, he had retreated back to this room, vowing that someday he would have enough courage to let her know.

He laughed to think of how foolish he had once been: such a lovesick colt, wishing for attention but unwilling to take the necessary step. Ironically enough, it had actually been Seraph that had first convinced him to take that leap of faith, grabbing fate for his own and seeing where his future would lead. He felt a pang of guilt as memories of his lost friend surfaced once again, but buried it. Seraph had made his choices, despite any opinions Altas might have had on the matter. What was done now could never be undone, regardless of how much he might desire that. Ever since then, Aquos had been all that he cared for, although of course she always let work come first. She was such a headstrong mare, but then that fire in her personality was exactly what made them so similar, so compatible.

But tonight, both of their labours had reached fruition, at least for the moment. He felt a familiar longing surfacing through his mind, and knew that both of them deserved this night for each other.

---

Thirty Years Earlier
Place: Citadel of Everfree

A harsh summer sun beat relentlessly upon the gilded towers of Everfree. For more than a week, all of Equestria had suffered under an unprecedented heat wave. Ponies looked at the sky every morning and wondered what it was that apparently had Discord in such a rancour.

Spots of covered shade quickly became the most valuable commodity at the Citadel, and students gathered in the guarded nooks in an attempt to beat the heat. As could be expected under such conditions, irritability ran high in the population. Any given day was likely to bear witness to several escalating verbal arguments, with the odd one turning physical. Luckily no one was able to sustain a brawl for long in the sweltering conditions.

Altas spent most of his afternoons along the outer boundary of one of the Citadel's central courtyards. It was a well-kept little area, encircled by a low wall, and interspersed with several small tables, perfect for impromptu games of skill or contemplative lunches. The courtyard itself was filled with exotic flora cultivated by Terraria's Order: brightly coloured flowers and striated ferns from far-off lands. All brought here from various expeditions and travels.

Of course, the plants were suffering in the heat, but the Order's gardeners were fanatical, never letting a single root go un-watered. There were jokes that Terraria loved her plants more even than her own family, and even held funerals for them when they passed on. Altas wasn't entirely certain what to think of stories like that, but the ancient Master definitely did have her eccentricities.

The young pegasus was simply a student here, as were so many that walked about within this last stronghold of the Equestria that once was. After a youth spent in destitution wandering around the country, he had found his way here a few years ago. Just like all that had come before him, Altas began a course of studies into the ways of nature and history. It was a classical education, but one that he honestly couldn't care less about. Even now, a selection of parchments laid spread out in front of him, dry and brittle in the desiccated air. But Altas wasn't looking at them. He only had eyes for the brilliant white mare across the courtyard from him, engrossed in her own affairs.

Altas had first run into the young unicorn more than a month ago; a chance encounter in a random hallway. He had been wandering about rather aimlessly, searching for something with which to occupy himself. Coming around a corner, he had seen her then, at the far end of the hall and coming forward. The mare had moved with a purpose, clear intent visible in her light blue eyes. Every inch of her form radiated pure order and reason, as would a single crystalline thought, navigating the chaotic swirls of life on its way to its destination.

She had spared him the slightest of glances before passing by, unimpressed. All of a sudden, Altas had become aware that his school suit was wrinkled and dirty, and his mane was unkempt. He had remained staring after her for a while, admiring the way her beautifully managed mane fell effortlessly around her glistening and delicate shoulders.

Since then, fate seemed to have conspired to drive them together, as Altas began noticing her around where he hadn't before. The two of them ended up in a class together, and Aquos (for he had found out her name almost immediately after that first meeting) distinguished herself as a top student, a clear rising star. Meanwhile, struggling with the content, he had felt more inadequate than ever.

Ever since then, he had found himself shadowing her day-to-day, admiring her assured and self-confident life. At the same time, he wondered what on Earth he was hoping would happen. Aquos was a star, a sparkling diamond in the dust of life. Surely her fate was to meet another such gentle-colt, a high achiever who could offer her the chance to live her dreams. Meanwhile, he was just another student, laughably inept at everything in which she excelled. Back in the present day, Altas let a hopeful breath pass his lips as he kept on staring across the courtyard. Every day, he wondered what chance he could have. What harm would it do to approach her, and try to strike up some conversation?

But each time, that memory of their first meeting in the hallway came back to him. As Aquos had casually stepped past him, she had been wearing a deadpan expression; already moving her attention on to the next task. Unimpressed. If he ever wanted a chance, he knew that he needed to make a better first impression than that. And to do that, he would need to have a plan, a dashing presentation that was sure to knock her off her hooves.

Later that afternoon, when Aquos had gone off to one of her classes, Altas decided to pay a visit to Seraph. The orange Earth pony lived in a rather large room near to the top of Earth pony Tower, a secluded area that very few others dared to enter. Rumours abounded throughout the school of what went on within that room, as strange sounds and smells were known to emanate forth from it at all hours. Only Altas knew the real truth: Seraph was just one strange stallion.

Most of the other students looked at the youthful orange stallion as a loose screw, a wild and unkempt soul that needed to be shown the path back to regularity. Most simply avoided him, but Altas had taken a shining to the budding engineer. He was an analyst, a pony steeped in reason despite his chaotic exterior. Whenever Altas was in a pickle, he had always been able to count on his friend's rationality to get him out of it. With that said, such advantages did come with a certain amount of drawbacks.

This afternoon, just as Altas grasped the handle to his friend's quarters, the floor shook as a massive crash reverberated through the building. It was accompanied by a loud shattering sound, as though a hundred wine glasses had been thrown from a cliff, and landed on hard, unforgiving stone. Opening the door gingerly, Altas found the orange stallion standing amid a pile of glass shards, a screwdriver in one hoof and a scowl on his face. "Uh, hey Seraph, what's up?"

With a grunt, Seraph stepped away from a complicated-looking set of brass frames and wires in the centre of the room. "Nothing of your concern, Altas," he answered in a calm, ever so slightly affected voice. "The main lens for my solar collector is lying in ruin upon my floor, which is a positive waste of good crystal. Luckily I have a spare. Would you mind lending me a hoof?"

Altas nodded as his friend began shifting items about on the long workbench that circled the room's perimeter. He caught sight of water wheels, lightning rods, mounting brackets, and even a whole set of glassware being tossed into its own little corner, adding to the already cluttered state of the surroundings. Seraph's apartment was a testament to past experiments, some of them successful, but most being abject failures. Every spare corner was piled up with twisted metal and machined lumber, some of it burned and blackened from a few of the more explosive tests. All of it was of course entirely incoherent to Altas, but his friend didn't mind at all. Seraph was used to living in his own little world. Casting a quick look about, the yellow pegasus noticed that the room didn't even appear to have a bed. Probably, it was hiding underneath the mess.

Finally, Seraph motioned him over. Resting on the bench was a large disk of polished glass, more than a foot in diameter. Seraph's eager face was reflected nearly perfectly in its bright, convex surface. Carefully, the two of them hoisted it over to the centre of the chamber, where a column of sunlight shone through a window and illuminated the unruly apparatus Altas had noticed upon his entrance.

Noticing his confusion, Seraph decided that perhaps an explanation was in order. "It's a solar collector, my friend. I intend to focus the power of the sun into something worthwhile, since it has been beating down on us so long anyway."

Altas held the lens in place as Seraph set about attaching various mounts and brackets to hold it in place. He realized that it was probably time to broach his own issue, lest the inventor get off on a rant about this new project of his. "Hey Seraph, can I ask you something?"

The orange stallion glanced over from his work, tightening a small screw in an overhead mount. "Anytime, my friend. Problems with your chemistry homework again?"

Altas looked away in a sudden fit of embarrassment. "No, nothing like that," he admitted. "It's actually… something a bit more personal."

"Hmm?" Seraph prompted him to continue.

"You see, there's this one other student, this mare–"

"Uh, pardon me for a second, would you?" Seraph put down the screwdriver and fixed his friend with a long glare. He gestured that Altas could stop holding the lens, and indicated the room around them. "I'm flattered, old friend, but take a good look around you. I'm what you might call a 'solitary' fellow. Do you really think it's such a good idea to ask me for help with the mares?"

Altas kept staring his friend right in the eye. In fact there was a very good reason, which Seraph was about to find out. "It's Aquos, friend."

The incredulous look in Seraph's eyes vanished, to be replaced only with a sombre resignation. Sighing, he turned back to his work. "So you went and dug yourself into that particular hole, did you?"

"I feel her, Seraph. Like the clear light of a spring sunrise she calls to my soul. I just know that she was made for me, that together we'll be happy."

"Heh, I've heard that one before, I think," Seraph replied. "She has that effect on stallions, you know? Every pony thinks she's this unassailable peak, a treasure beyond reckoning. You aren't the first to come around here asking for advice, Altas. Can you pass me that Allen wrench?"

"Well, can you blame me?" Altas shot back defiantly, grabbing the wrench of the worktable and handing it to his friend. "I don't want to lose this opportunity, Seraph. So tell me whatever you've told every pony else, then. What is the secret to winning Aquos' hand?"

Seraph was silent for a very long time, twiddling with his solar collector. Altas stood expectantly off to the side, dreaming his dreams of happiness, and waiting for the golden nugget that Seraph had in his possession. Information that could only come from an inside source, a source that knew Aquos' heart better than any outsider could. Seraph had that information; the sort of insight that only a younger brother could provide, but he had seen many other suitors lose themselves on this path before, and obviously wasn't sure what to tell his friend.

After an eternity of silence, Seraph stood back and reached up to a small rope that Altas had not noticed before. The rope ran up through a sequence of pulleys to a shutter that was attached to the roof. With a grin of anticipation, Seraph indicated the machine in front of him. "I'll only tell you this once, and it'll be your decision whether or not you want to continue down this road, so watch and learn."

Seraph yanked on the cord, opening the shutter and letting sunlight stream through the opening. Focussed by collimating mirrors, the light fell onto the main lens, being sharpened down onto a single pinpoint. A small scrap of parchment was there at the moment, and it instantly burst into bright flame. Satisfied, Seraph pulled another rope, and closed the ceiling again.

Turning around and facing his friend, Seraph remained smiling. "Aquos is like that parchment, my friend. On her own, she can be very perceptive, filled with words of wisdom and knowledge of the ages. She tries to fill her heart with reason and understanding, but I know her well enough to see that she misses the joy of true beauty underneath. That is the secret you are looking for, Altas. She needs to have her spirit awoken, lit up by the beauty of a true relationship."

Altas absorbed all this information like a sponge, trying to work it into his strategies for the future. All he needed was to wake up Aquos' sense of wonder, perhaps showing her some sight few looked upon in their times, or maybe even taking her to a dangerous place, and allowing some adrenaline to get through to her brain. He could do things like that. In fact, the first ideas of a plan sprouted somewhere inside his head. Finally, he felt some hope again. The two of them would be together in the end! He turned a hurried gaze back up to Seraph, and nodded his understanding.

Seraph stood complacently, shaking his head as if wondering if he had done the right thing. In response, Altas came up and clapped him once on the shoulder. "Thank you, my friend. The two of us are destined for each other, and I'm going to show her just that. Tomorrow, we will look upon this day with fond memories."

"Well, you'd best get on then," Seraph replied with a hint of humour returning to his voice. "Go, I've got plenty more work with which to occupy myself." And so Altas left, thanking his friend silently every step of the way. When this was all worked out, he would have to find some way to reward the orange pony for services rendered. For the moment though, he had his own job set out to do. If Aquos was the parchment, then it was his job to set the flame of wonder within her heart, so that they could light up the night with the pristine fire of their love.

---

Present Day
Citadel of Everfree

The doorway to Aquos' room was far more salubrious than the portal to his simple apartment, but then that was to be expected. The unicorns had always delighted in the regal trappings of their offices, and so made sure to leave no surface unadorned. Somehow though, the whole place managed to maintain an air of magisterial beauty, rather than vain showmanship. The door was closed, meaning that the room's occupant was likely busy and did not wish to be disturbed, but he grasped the handle anyway.

Inside, the room was mostly dark, lit only by the starlight coming in through the open window. Had he stopped to look around, Altas might have noticed that the bed was a large and comfortable four poster, and the writing desk (though still piled with notes) was far more solid than his own, carved by hand from rosewood. But the yellow Pegasus only had eyes tonight for the room's occupant, who stood by the open window peering upward through a silver telescope.

Altas knew that he really should make his presence known, but he took a slight moment to appreciate his fellow Master's form. Aquos had removed her usual traveler's cloak, so Altas ran his eyes over her fine figure, all the way from her delicate neck, along the gentle curves of her front legs, and back along her body. Coming up behind her quietly, he approached the windowsill, sliding in alongside her and peering upward at the night sky.

She noted his presence immediately, but barely spared him a glance before turning back to her eyepiece. Put off, he let a loose breath out of his lips. "Hmm. Why is it that a unicorn never can let well enough alone, Aquos?"

She didn't reply, so he hooked a hoof over top of the telescope and nudged it out of alignment with a gentle pull. When she scowled and looked up again, he swept his other hoof over the night time sky. "Why is that they have such a desire to understand everything, and put it in its proper place? I can look upwards, and I don't have to map every star onto a precise grid to know that everything is exactly where it needs to be."

With a smile to match his, Aquos turned away and walked back into the room. In a challenging voice, she answered his question with a question. "And why is it then that Pegasi can never see the precision and the applicability of our knowledge? Understanding the beauty of the stars will not allow you to navigate by them. Appreciating the sun's light will not allow you predict a solar eclipse." Her eyes shone with a playful energy, a bewitching twinkle that teased Altas along.

"It seems that we have much to learn from each other then, my dear," he replied, pushing himself off the windowsill and coming around to face her in the room's centre. "Just like always."

The two Masters stared into the depths of each other's eyes, searching for that lost connection, the spark that both of them had found so long ago. It felt like it had been forever since they had had a real private moment like this one, without work and life pushing either of them along. Both could feel the warm blaze of desire surfacing from the depths of their minds.

Altas reached forward and touched his friend's mane, stroking his hoof down around her perfect face. Then, the two of them came together for a long, passionate kiss. Altas felt all the stress of this life fall away from his mind, as he allowed himself to think only of this moment. When their lips parted, Aquos looked up at him with a new clarity. "It's been a very long time, my love," she said in a voice bright and clear. "We are not the brash young students we were so long ago."

Altas allowed himself a carefree chuckle, and took a step around her, manoeuvring them both closer to the bed, which was plenty large enough for the two of them. "Perhaps not," he admitted, "but our love still burns just as bright, does it not? Brighter yet, I might wager."

Aglow from the anticipation, Aquos lay down in the centre of the mattress, her front legs spread out invitingly. "Then let us light up this night, like we did in the fearless days of our youth." Altas needed no further encouragement.

---

Coincidentally, the room that Celeste and Claire had chosen (out of more than a dozen vacancies) was directly beneath Aquos' old bedroom. So even though the building was pretty well-insulated, the floorboards could not entirely hide the sounds of their Masters' passionate lovemaking on the floor above. As such, it was proving very difficult for either sister to get a good night's sleep.

"Can you believe those two?" asked Claire as she tossed around in her single bed.

"It's not so hard to believe," answered Celeste, who was pacing about over the room's polished oak floor. "They have known each other for many years, and by all accounts lead mostly solitary lives. I had my suspicions, and this simply confirms them."

"Still, this is a little ridiculous," Claire stated, sitting up against the wall. "Neither one of them is particularly young, either."

"But they both keep their bodies and minds in pristine order," summarized Celeste. "And if what you tell me is accurate, then Altas can certainly throw it down with the best of them."

"But that was a fight, not… this," Claire replied, gesturing at the ceiling in clear discomfort.

"Actually, you'd be surprised how similar the actions are as far as musculature is concerned," the elder sister commented in an academic voice, before noticing the odd look she received from Claire. "What? I read a book on it in Aquos' library!"

Claire laughed, a mischievous grin appearing on her face. "I see then, Celeste. So that's how it was during your six months. What was that you said about them being mostly solitary all the time?"

Celeste turned on her sister with a stare of indignation. "You know that's not what I meant!"

"Fine, fine, whatever," Claire waved her off. "So what was so interesting about this book that you just had to read it, anyway?"

Celeste looked away from sister, her chin turned up in haughty formality. "If you must know, it had some very illustrative pictures that caught my eye." When Claire immediately burst out in an uncontrolled fit of giggles, Celeste threw a hoof to her forehead. "You're totally useless, you know that? Try to get some sleep so I can think for a second!"

"Love to, but our two little lovebirds don't sound like they're stopping anytime soon. Don't you have some kind of spell to block the noise? Surely you were doing something in magic school other than looking at your 'picture books'."

Grimacing at the jab, and knowing that it would be some days before her sister gave up the issue, Celeste picked up some quills from the room's desk. With a little concentration, she transformed them into a set of earplugs, which she casually tossed at her sister. "Goodnight, Claire," she added wryly.

"Love you too, sister."

Chapter 10: Seeds Sown by the Ancients

From the depths of the green sea, shines the light of salvation,
The Great Hope; which calls to all race and relation.
But there also comes darkness; deep as blackest night,
At the end of all things, who stands against its might?"

-"The Beginning & The End" (translated), by Skullhum the Far Seer

The Citadel of Everfree, awesome as it was viewed from the outside, saved its true beauty for those allowed inside the great tower. Since they were the ponies of the hour, Celeste and Claire took the opportunity to explore the complex a bit before their meeting with the old Master, Terraria. Entering the Citadel's core complex via a raised walkway, the two alicorns beheld the majesty of the building's interior design with open-mouthed expressions of wonder.

It had been clear even from outside that the Citadel's core structure was very tall, as it towered over even the highest trees in the wood. From inside however, this feeling was magnified a hundredfold when one was standing astride a support pillar and craning one's neck in the skyward search for the peak of the structure. The Citadel's core was hexagonal, with six main columns tapering to a peak many stories overhead. On each of the levels, ponies could be seen going about their routines, in research and in study, for each floor constituted one section of a great library; untold volumes as far as the eye could see. Each of the columns had been built to resemble leafy stems and tree trunks, extending their branches and leaves as the supporting floors. Celeste felt that it was probably the most beautiful sight that she had ever laid her eyes on.

The negative space in the center of the tower was occupied with an expansive courtyard, itself housing trees and plants, some stretching more than four stories high. In the very center was a grand statue, an exact duplicate of the one high above at the tower's peak. Three ponies, one from each of the tribes, all stood facing inwards. Each held up a single hoof, touched together at the geometrical center of the structure. Underneath the point of their convergence was a large plinth, upon which sat a great treasure. It was the first thing that Aquos had shown them after the celebration the previous night.

Celeste could just barely spy the edge of the protected parchment from this high up, shaded as it was by the various trappings of its enclosure. Still, she felt the history that it carried with it. The original Equestrian Constitution. It was the document by which ponies had governed themselves, in peace and prosperity, prior to Discord's rule, and it was the future that they hoped to restore. Every rule, every stricture, including the all-important Statute of the Triplicate Vote, was enshrined on that document, governing every action of the resistance. Aquos and Altas each held a Vote already. They only needed one pony more to complete the Triumvirate.

"A single piece of writing, upon which the hope of a nation now rests," Celeste mused. "Only true wisdom can hold such power."

"And one of us will complete the formula it outlines, to save Equestria," Claire answered beside her. Out of necessity (and perhaps a little bit of guilt), Celeste had eventually let her sister in on what the true purpose was in their studies. Claire had taken the revelation in stride, her boundless optimism refusing to back down from the challenge. But Celeste wasn't really comfortable exhibiting such confidence with the final test still before them.

"You speak as though the matter were pre-ordained, sister, though the hardest part of the journey still lies ahead."

Claire pushed herself away from the railing, letting a light laugh escape her throat. "Cautious and careful: my sister, you haven't changed one bit! But think on it for a second, and tell me honestly what you think of our chances."

Admittedly, Celeste now realized that her sister had a superb point. Both of their teachers had recognized that the two sisters were the finest alicorns either one had had the chance to work with. Her own magical skill was unmatched, and Claire's mastery of the Pegasus arts was exceptional. Indeed, how could either one of them not be the hero Equestria was waiting for?

Regarding her sister once more, Celeste answered with her own laugh, which Claire met with a wide grin. "Let's just hope this final test doesn't pit us against each other directly, then." With a sly grin she continued in a mischievous voice, "I'd hate to have to embarrass you too much in front of the Masters."

"Hey! I'd be game for that! The two titans, in a classic fight to the finish: winner gets the first crack at Discord!" Claire put her fore-legs up into a fighting posture, peering around her hooves to get a look in at her sister's stance. Celeste merely walked on towards one of the lengthy staircases that serviced the tower.

"Perhaps you'd best watch what you wish for, Claire," she replied as her sister came up beside her. "For all you know, it could be a chess tournament. Then, I daresay Discord would be feeling my wrath first."

"Hey, it doesn't matter to me, Celeste. As long as one of us gets to save Equestria, I'll be happy."

"As will I, Claire." The two of them were ascending towards the very top floor, as that was where their two teachers had told them to go. From there, they would move on to their final test, whatever it turned out to be. It seemed that now would probably be their last chance to be truly together, before fate and history spurred one of them on to greater things.

Still, Celeste found herself tongue-tied for the moment. Immersed as they were in such a novel and awe-inspiring environment, perhaps it was only to be expected. The two ascended thusly, in silence, for a time, until the elder sister felt that something simply needed to be said. Looking to the left (for the staircases ringed the structure round the outside, and ascended anti-clockwise) she beheld the maze of bookshelves upon each floor, weighed down with tomes both old and new. "Such a wealth of knowledge," she said softly, "and I might not even have the chance to read a single one of them."

"Plenty of time for that when Equestria is free again," Claire answered.

"Yes," Celeste remained looking out at the library for a moment, and then began climbing again. A new determination entered into her tone as she declared. "We shall rebuild our capital, greater and fairer than there ever was before, and I shall fill it with this knowledge and more. It shall sit on its high mountain perch, an eternal beacon of the glory of our kind."

"And Altas and I will toil in the sky to rediscover the lost arts of the Pegasi, so that we may let sunlight shine forever upon this renewed land. And all will be happy again." Claire answered her, letting her excitement match that of her elder sister. "Together, we shall remake this country, greater than it ever was."

As the two alicorns came around to the final flight, Celeste turned to her sister with a familial smile. "Good luck, Claire. And, whatever happens, thanks. Without your impulsiveness, we'd still be in Eridian right now."

Claire answered with a smile of her own. "Same to you, sister. Without your levelheadedness, neither one of us would have survived long enough to make it here anyway. I know that they'll only take one of us, so may the best alicorn win."

"Agreed," Celeste replied, and the two of them embraced each other one last time, together before the deciding of their collective destinies. From this point on, they would separate, each striving in her own way for the fulfillment of Equestria's rescue from the clutches of the tyrant Discord. But both sisters knew that no matter which of them would be the ultimate hero, they would always be one with each other, both in government and in life. And so they stepped out into the blazing sunlight of midday in unison, side by side against the trial that had been laid before them.

Altas and Aquos were already there to greet them, both dressed in very formal attire. Celeste was rather surprised to see that even the Master of Air had combed back his mane and put on his best suit. She also couldn't help but notice that each one was wearing a golden circlet with a triangular jewel shard at their centre, the traditional headpiece of the Triumvirs of Equestria. Aquos' was a diamond for the unicorns, and Altas' was a sapphire for the Pegasi. Both of the sisters were well aware that along with the Constitution of Equestria was held the third circlet, containing the red ruby of the Earth ponies: the prize that waited for one of them after their trial had been completed.

Celeste and Claire both stood at attention in front of their Masters. Aquos spoke up first. "Celeste, Claire, each of you has progressed to the satisfaction of the both of us. You have reached the point at which neither one of us can teach you any more." She paused, for a moment, studying each of their faces in detail, then, "You are ready for the final test."

On the inside, both sisters beamed. They had become accustomed to such praise, accomplished as they were in the various arts that the two Masters had endeavoured to instruct them.

Altas then stepped forward, to (as it seemed he was always doing) try to lighten up the heavy mood a little. "Aquos and I would like to let you know that we are both very proud of everything you have accomplished, and we wish you the best of luck in the trials you will face ahead. We would also like to make it clear that in the event you are not found worthy, there will be open positions in either one of our Orders for the both of you."

Neither one of the two sisters spoke, but both felt that the reassurance was perhaps a tad pessimistic. It had been a little more than a year that they had been wondering what this final test would entail. Now that they were right on the cusp of it, the anticipation was almost suffocating. Celeste even felt a few uncharacteristic butterflies scooting about in her stomach.

Finally, Aquos gave them her last benediction: "Whatever happens ahead, may Harmony stand with you." After the bright flash of a teleportation spell, the four materialized in a lush garden, illuminated by rays of sunlight streaming in through a skylight high above. Celeste couldn't see more than a few yards in either direction due to the thick foliage, but from the stillness of the air, she realized the room must be quite large. The rich soil felt slightly damp underfoot, and the atmosphere was infused with a dewy scent, reminiscent of a laden orchard on a warm summer's evening. Immediately, Aquos drew aside a low-hanging fern, opening up a clearing beyond, and motioned the two sisters through.

Both of them immediately sensed that this space held power and gravity. The clearing was roughly circular, hemmed in on all sides by impenetrable green leaves and stems. Rising up out of its centre was a great tree, tall and proud as the Citadel itself, which spread its lower branches out over the room in all directions.

Immediately in front of the mighty tree, facing away from them, a pony sat in meditation. By all appearances, this Earth pony had weathered time untold, and had the scars to prove it. Spindly fibres of a pure white mane fell from the back of her wrinkled scalp, reaching downward to the ground behind her. Her coat, which spoke of once being a verdant emerald, had now settled into a dull greenish hue. Still, even though her body appeared weak and thin, she sat straight up, unmoving as a stone carving. By all appearances, this was Terraria, oldest and greatest of the Masters.

Neither one of them dared speak first, but luckily Terraria did not feel inclined to drag out the proceedings. Without turning around to face them, the ancient Earth pony looked up to the top of the great tree. "This tree was once just a seed, sown by the ancients of this land," she said, in a voice that despite cracking occasionally was still very clear and strong. "It fell into fertile soil, and survived off the light that found the way to its leaves. Insects fed on its blossoms, and aided in fertilizing its seeds. Songbirds nested in its branches, and its seeds supported them. Over many decades, it grew to tower over the forest, a testament to the glory of nature. And when it dies, its branches will come back to the Earth, fertilizing the ground once more to enrich the soil for those that would follow it. Tell me then, what is the lesson of this?"

The question caught Celeste by surprise, and she was flustered in thinking of a possible answer. Trees grew, they died, and they grew again. What lesson did this impart? She had never thought of plants as things from which to extract wisdom. Wisdom was in writing, in free thought. A pony could plant a tree, water it, harvest some fruit, and plant a new one when it died. What lesson could possibly be found in that? That all life was cyclical? That all things were temporary? That–

"The tree serves its purpose," Claire answered with confidence. Celeste looked at her sister quizzically, rather surprised that she had decided to speak up with what sounded like such an off-the-mark answer.

"And why do you say that?" Terraria continued.

Showing a bit of nervousness now, Claire's gaze found the ground. "Truthfully, it just sort of came to me. From where I know not, Master."

"Hmm, nonetheless you are correct," Terraria stated as she climbed up to a standing posture. She turned around and faced them then, and both sisters beheld Terraria, Master of the Order of Earth. Her features were plain and simple, although the tough clarity in her aged eyes reminded Celeste very strongly of Aquos.

The Master continued to explain. "For it is, of course, the great lesson that all things teach us: we all exist to serve our purpose. From the scale of the world's breadth, to the smallest microcosm of society, all life is like a forest: each entity working to preserve the well-being of the others. Life exists to benefit life."

Terraria came forward, looking deep into the eyes of each of the sisters. Celeste returned the stare, sensing great wisdom in the Master's sharp gaze. Clearly, she had spent enough time questioning the meaning of her own existence to understand things a mere student couldn't even begin to grasp. Still, Celeste knew that her reasoning had been on the right track as far as answering that question went. With some more time, she surely would have gotten it.

Speaking to the both of them again, Terraria continued in her clear voice, "Equestria is a tree in the forest of the world, placed there to fulfill its purpose within the pages of history. You understand this." It was not a question, but both of the sisters nodded to indicate agreement.

"It is this purpose for which we strive; the ultimate achievement of that which we are tasked by life itself." Terraria was silent for just a moment, and then suddenly a smile appeared on her face. "But don't worry. Luckily for us, fate has granted us a record by which we might judge our progress towards this goal. And within it rests the key to your own destiny: the way to defeat Discord and free Equestria once more. Triumvirs!" she called out to Aquos and Altas, who were standing regally at the edges of the clearing. "Lead us now to the Chamber below. It is time."

After a short walk through the garden, Celeste and Claire soon found themselves descending even deeper into the depths of Everfree. The air became chillier as they descended, and lost the sweet, leafy aroma of the life above. Still, from the austere reverence on the faces of the three Masters, and their hushed silence, Celeste knew that what lay ahead was of utmost importance.

They came at length to a great hall, larger than any Celeste had ever seen. The ponies were dwarfed in the massive space, which carried on for many yards into a deep gloom. In the blackness, Celeste couldn't even make out the far side wall; such was the sheer enormity of the room. And yet, the floor underneath was smooth, as were the walls of the archway through which the five ponies had entered. Something had built this chamber, and taken great care in its aesthetics and maintenance.

It was Aquos who first struck up a light, a clear azure brilliance radiating out from the tip of her horn. Finally, Celeste was able to pick out the far wall and ceiling of the cavernous space. Or at least she would have been, were she not completely enraptured by the design carved into the wall by which she and Claire had been standing.

The hall was composed of parallel niches, arranged in a system of periodic archways, down one wall and up the next. Within each was a surface of flat, grey stone, unquestionably ancient and yet still smooth. Most of the niches were completely unadorned, but the engravings on this one were cast in deep shadow by the sudden illumination.

The image depicted a bright, glaring star shining forth from between two low hills. The light's rays were far-reaching, dominating the space; though they were matched by a spiral of blackness just off to their side, seeming to emanate from a small forest. The image was complemented by a scratched script on the bottom, although the text was completely incomprehensible to either of the two sisters. However, the most striking element of the image, like the room in general, was its sheer size. Each individual character of the text stood as tall as Celeste herself, to say nothing of the engraved picture, which held a certain divine mystery about it. What could have been so powerful, as to have left such an awe-inspiring legacy? Surely this was not the work even of a whole civilization of ponies.

Terraria confirmed her suspicions several moments later, when she announced regally, "The Beginning & The End, by the great dragon Oracle, Skullhum the Far Seer. The Citadel is built upon his old residence, with this hall being but one of many buried here deep beneath the forest."

The three Masters began proceeding slowly through the chamber, their steps reverberating in the empty space with faint echoes. They followed the left-most wall deeper into the chamber, passing by finished carvings. Each one was simple like the first, massive but composed mainly of straight lines, as well as a short addendum in the peculiar dragon script. As she passed each one, Celeste tried to make sense of the images, especially in light of the fact that they had apparently been drawn by an ancient Oracle, but none fit into her memory. They seemed to form a sort of sequence though, as if the dragon had been tracing out history itself.

The party stopped at the seventh mural, which seemed to depict a cloud of darkness sweeping over a green plain, covering the mountains and the forests in shadow. The cloud was marked with a strange rune, a mess of lines drawn in no particular order and obeying no unifying principle. Again Terraria gave the engraving's title: "The Coming of Chaos".

The group moved on to the next image, stopping again. Celeste stole a glance onwards and noted that all of the walls ahead appeared blank. Either the eighth mural was the last, or something else was afoot. This time, Aquos finally spoke, through the glare of her still blazing magic. "An explanation perhaps, for our two newcomers: Skullhum was a prolific seer, renowned over the continent for his prophetic visions, or at least so history tells us. But this chamber is perhaps his greatest legacy. It was discovered decades ago by daring archaeologists, and excavated. The ponies that found this prophecy vowed to eternally protect its significance, and wait for its reveal. They constructed the Citadel of Everfree and founded the Order of Earth to watch over this place."

Terraria took up the narrative. "This image is the eighth, and the final one which has been revealed thus far. For Skullhum's prophecy is like a chain: the fulfillment of one piece reveals the next. Know ye look now upon the Grand Prophecy of Skullhum the Far Seer, and its prediction of the hope for all ponies, that one day we shall be free!"

The ancient Master swept a hoof over the breadth of the wall, and Celeste took it all in with one sweep of her eyes. The peculiar rune which had signified chaos in the previous nook featured prominently again, only this time it was held high and surrounded by a wall of six lights, through which its darkness could not penetrate. Beneath, three triangles pointed upward, arranged in a row over a flat line. Two of the triangles were filled in, while one was an outline. For once, Celeste felt she could understand the symbolism. If the chaos rune represented Discord's darkness, then the three triangles were the three new Triumvirs, and the six lights would be the power they wielded to defeat him. The two filled in triangles were Altas and Aquos, while the outline yet to be filled would be the as yet unfound third Triumvir. She spared a glance over at her younger sister, who stood spellbound by the majesty of the entire moment. One of them was the final triangle.

There was one final piece of the puzzle. Beneath the triangles was another piece of text, written in the indecipherable dragon language. Terraria nodded once to Altas, who came forward then to recite the final part of the prophecy:

'Neath mottled Earth in Everfree,
Mind and Spirit in Harmony.
Let the light of order again shine free,
And Chaos' end shall find thee.

Celeste felt the words roll over each other cleanly as they reached her ears, buoyed by the clarity of the Master of Air's voice. Another fairly simple set of instructions, seemingly enough. All they needed to do was release this "light of order", and the way to defeat Discord would reveal itself. Finally, the end of all the suspense and expository build up had been made clear. Celeste felt a recognizable energy flow through her mind, the same energy she always felt when about to embark on an especially stimulating challenge. Now, with the ability to wield magic at her command, fulfilling this prophecy would be a simple test of power, and that was the kind of test Celeste really enjoyed taking.

Terraria summed it up nicely. "The trial then is simple: Discord holds the sun and moon at his command, interleaving their cycles and confusing the natural order of the world. The successful Triumvir must break his control over them, and restore the natural peace to this land. Once this has been performed, Chaos' end will find us all, and Equestria's future will be secured. For now, we shall return to the surface."

The party began its slow trek back up the path they had walked through the dim chamber. Celeste sensed the anticipation from her sister, and knew that she was already working through her own strategies of attack for the problem. In Celeste's mind, it would be a shame that her sister had worked so hard for this moment, only to be stymied by the misfortune of being outshined. Once these formalities had been cleared, it would be her chance to fulfill the destiny that both of them had dreamed of: to save Equestria for all the future to come.

[A/N: This chapter contains an illustration, but unfortunately embedded pictures and links are unsupported here. I can't even give you the link to versions on other sites that do have the pictures in them. I sincerely regret having to post this version without the pictures in it (you've probably also noticed the attempted ASCII chessboard in Chapter 1 - in a perfect world that would have been a picture as well). I will try to do what I can to see that this problem is resolved.]

Chapter 11: Parallel Lines

"Hope is the greatest weapon which can be wielded against tyranny. For a tyrant may sunder our freedoms, deny our rights, even take the voices and lives of those who would stand against him, but hope that burns within our hearts he cannot touch. And hope is what unites us against him."

-"Last recollections of Altas", retrieved from the Cloudsdale archives

Citadel of Everfree
Thirty Years Earlier

Altas' steps were lit only by burning torches as he slowly climbed the circumference of UnicornTower on this night. Outside, the light of the moon was shrouded by great storm clouds, and a steady patter of rain fell onto the stone walls and roofs of the Citadel. The rainclouds came out of the east, having split off from the eternal maelstrom above Eridian, and they carried with them little shards of Discord's magic. The rain that fell from them was notably fouled, and plants that were watered with it shrivelled and died within days. Seraph had taken it upon himself to analyse the water, over the protests of his instructors, who believed that any contact with the chaos magic would be folly.

At least, that had been his intention, until his friend had shown up outside his door and nearly dragged him halfway across the compound. So now, Seraph was ascending the stairs alongside his compatriot, seething with each step. A crackle of lightning threw its light over the scene, casting the orange stallion's features in deep relief, as drops of water still trickled from his loose and unkempt mane. "You seriously owe me for this one, Altas," was all he could say.

"I needed a partner, a wing-colt if you will," came the yellow pegasus' slightly nervous reply. "She's your sister, after all, and I might need some backup later on down the line. I'll pay you back, don't worry."

"It is not merely a question," Seraph continued through clenched teeth, "of a few extra desserts over lunch. There are some very important experiments going on in my room right now, and if anything happens to them while I am gone, it will all be on you, Altas!"

"Nothing will happen to it, my friend. Now could you focus for a moment? This is my future we are talking about here, and I need your head to be in the game as much as my own."

Altas turned off the staircase and onto the circular hall that outlined this particular floor of the tower. Inside, his heart was dancing a merry jig about the walls of his ribcage, as he tried not to think of the myriad ways this plan could blow up in his face. Still, it was the best one that he had been able to think of over the past few days, based on what his friend had told him. The plan was risky, and a large part hinged on his abilities as a charmer. But if he wanted Aquos' hoof, a large part of it had always depended on his charm, so that wasn't so much of a detail.

The two of them finally arrived outside of the door to her room, which was large and salubriously adorned. Altas remembered all the times he had stopped here before, with his hoof outstretched, trying to work up the courage to knock and finally throw it all out there. Truthfully, there was a sizeable section of his mind, even tonight, that insisted now was not quite the time. But blinking a moment, Altas realized that if now was not the perfect moment, then that moment would never come. Turning to his friend, he spoke in a low voice. "I need you to go in as soon as she opens the door. You still have a private area here?"

"A small storage closet, yes."

"Rummage about in there for a moment, and meet me back here. Hopefully, I'll have been able to talk her into the enterprise by that time." Seraph nodded, but couldn't quite suppress a sarcastic laugh at his friend's confidence. To his experience, Aquos was not a mare that allowed herself to be easily talked into anything.

Finally, steadying his racing heart for a moment, Altas took a deep breath, and knocked twice. There came a second of tense silence, then another, then a third, and then just as Altas was breathing a sigh of relief, the door swung inward silently, and the face of Aquos appeared in the entryway.

Her light purple mane was uncombed and unruly, but Altas still found himself struck dumb by her beauty for a moment. Every curve of her face stood out in perfect harmony, crafting a visage as clear and focussed as a freshly cleaned diamond, and punctuated in azure brilliance by the deep reflecting pools of her large, clear eyes just above it. Tonight those eyes reflected a flicker of lightning outside with a sparkle of divinity, and Altas had to hurriedly clench his jaw in order to save some dignity as Seraph brushed past his sister into the chamber. He now had a minute, maybe two, to attempt some sort of sales pitch.

"So," she began, looking at him with a knowing smirk. "My brother roped another innocent into one of his experiments."

Although he had been planning several good opening lines, Altas' mind had totally forgot them on first sight of his love. Still, he wasn't so far out of it not to notice a thrown line when he heard one. "Yes, unfortunately," he replied in a tone that barely bordered on exasperation. "You know him better than I do; it's always something."

"And what is it this time?"

"Rock samples, for his chemical work. Very special rocks, he assures me; only found," and here Altas glanced up, attempting to add a mischievous glimmer into his gaze, "in the caverns underneath the Citadel."

This caught Aquos' attention, for the caverns were a forbidden area for all the students, regardless of seniority or specialization. "The caverns?" she repeated back to him. "He's not allowed down there, and neither are you if I'm not mistaken."

"That's correct, but something about the very nature of 'forbidden' things has always interested me, just as it has your brother, I think. What is it about them that is so important we will never be able to see it?" He tried to project an air of adventurous disdain, of the potential for excitement in things unknown. For her part, Aquos answered his question with a challenge of her own.

"And what is it then about the inside of the Headmare's office that seems to interest you and him so much? If she finds out about this, the both of you will have invited punishment most severe. I tend to think that when something is forbidden, it is that way for a reason." Her eyes were cold, but Altas thought that he might have seen just a hint of a playful glimmer. She was likely enjoying this little test of wits.

"Ah, but is not the risk of danger half the excitement?" he returned, locking eyes with her. "Besides, the Headmare is in her garden, just like she is every night, and she won't be back for a very long time. There is little risk of our being caught."

Her eyes seemed to search deeply within his mind, penetrating beyond what veneer of confidence held his features in what he hoped was an invitingly disdainful expression. After an instant, she was interrupted by Seraph again exiting, having tossed about his closet for a bit. Brother and sister exchanged a set of looks, and then Aquos turned back to her caller. "Well, I suppose the two of you shall be off on your adventure then."

"I suppose so," he replied, still calm, but willing her with his eyes not to leave yet. "On to adventure, discovery, and maybe even a bit of danger, hmm?"

He had laid it all out with that last statement. Either she would say yes now, or else the whole thing was dashed. He reached out to her with all his heart, but Aquos merely motioned after her brother who had begun to walk away. Delaying until the last second, Altas turned to follow his companion back down the hallway. That was it, then. Three days of planning, of working up his courage and he had nothing to show for it. Perhaps his conscience had been right all along after all. Perhaps she simply was just too good for him.

His thoughts were interrupted then by a ruckus from farther up the hall. Glancing backwards, he saw a most unexpected sight, and felt his heart jump up again. Buttoning up a raincoat, Aquos emerged from her room, and ran forward to join the two of them at the staircase. As she arrived, he fixed her with a questioning glare. "Thought you didn't like forbidden places?"

"I still don't," she replied with an upright air. "But I think I recognize you now. We've taken a couple of classes together, and you're that dreamy-eyed one that always sits in the back, with his head in the clouds." Affixing him with an appraising stare, she continued. "If my brother is going to be going on some adventure fraught with risk, I would much rather prefer his escort to be some pony I know I can trust to think maturely."

Accepting her presence with a nod, Altas wasn't entirely certain whether that previous statement had been a compliment or not. Regardless, he was happy that tonight's itinerary was still afloat. The three of them continued down the staircase in silence, before stealing across a covered walkway into the heart of the Citadel. Thunder rumbled in the distance as they descended stair after stair, peeking around corners in darkened hallways to ensure that their presence was not detected by the members of the night watch on duty.

Finally, they came to a solid wooden door, wide with dark iron hinges. A big padlock stretched across its handles, barring entry. A cool draft exuded from behind it. Altas turned to Aquos then. "Thus far, the three of us haven't broken any major rules. That changes as soon as we go through this door. Just making sure that you understand that."

Aquos brushed him aside, and stepped away from him. "Of course I understand that. And as I'm clearly the only one here who's actually thought about the consequences, I think I understand it even better than the both of you do. But some pony here has to be the mature one, so do whatever you think you have to." Altas could see that she had resigned herself to whatever amounted from this endeavour, but as he waved Seraph forward, he couldn't resist tickling her sense of adventure a little.

"Come now, Aquos. Tell me you're not at least a little bit curious about what we might find. A chamber bristling with ancient history, upon which this very Order was founded. Doesn't the intrigue just whistle to your intellect?"

"Oh, it whistles to her, alright," Seraph interrupted from in front of them. The engineer had pulled an assortment of lock picks from a front pocket of his shirt, and diligently set to work on the locking mechanisms. With a final shake, the lock fell to the floor, and Seraph pulled on the door handle, revealing a dimly lit stair beyond. "But she'll never let on, and certainly not to you, my friend. Now can we get on with this?"

Ready with a glare of annoyance, Altas whipped his head around to his young friend. But just as his sight was leaving her face, he saw the faintest hints of a blush coming to Aquos' cheeks. It seemed that Seraph's observation had been right on the money. Quickly hiding his scowl beneath an expression of genuine joy, he stepped toward the portal. "Coming?" he asked Aquos behind him. "Or are you going to let this opportunity go to waste? Last chance to turn back."

All business again, the white unicorn brushed past him. "Fine. Let's get this thing over with then." As Altas and Seraph joined her on the stairs, the two colts exchanged winks. For his part, Altas could barely contain his glee.

---

The stone stairs became steeper and more treacherous as the group descended. When Altas had shut the door behind them, the area had been plunged into utter darkness, before Aquos had created some light with her magic. It didn't take long for Altas to realize that they were entering a whole new world down in the depths. The passageway grew narrow, constricted by grey stone on all sides. Still, it tunnelled deeper into the Earth. The air was noticeably colder and drier, and suddenly Altas realized that even the steady patter of the rain outside had died away. Pausing for a moment, he faintly heard a rumble of thunder high above them. It was the only sign, except for the passage itself, which confirmed that they were still anywhere close to the Citadel.

Since she was the one providing illumination, Aquos led the group. Seraph went second, his eyes eagerly sweeping over the area, gleaning as much information as he could from what there was to see. Even though the story about collecting rock samples had only been a ruse, Altas wondered if the orange Earth pony might decide to collect some anyway, so long as he was here.

Altas brought up the rear, trying to think of how best to continue with his personal plans for the evening. It seemed that he had done little to impress Aquos so far, and he wasn't entirely sure what more he had in store for her. At least Seraph had demonstrated that she was at least a little excited about what they might discover down here, so he would have to work with that. What is it about this sort of adventure that tickles her fancy? She clearly wasn't enthralled by the risk, or the thrill of adventure. Altas shook his head in confusion. He had struck out on all of his options thus far, and that familiar voice of doubt rose in the back of his mind once again.

"Who are you to ask for that which is so clearly above your station?" it whispered into his mind. "Settle for that which life has adorned for you: a future fashioned from your destiny." Was that truly to be his destiny? Alone and heartbroken for the rest of his life, until some other mare came along that he could impress? Ahead, light from Aquos' horn refracted through crystalline deposits in the rough-hewn walls, adding a rainbow of colour to the azure magic. The brilliant sight steeled his resolve. Screw destiny. I love her, and we will be together, whatever sacrifices will be required to get there.

After some minutes spent in silent descent, Aquos' flare of light struck out into open space. The three students exited the confined tunnel into a large antechamber, with a high, arched ceiling that stretched out over their heads. The ceiling was engraved with simple designs, straight lines meeting at sharp angles to denote corners and edges. The antechamber continued on ahead for several yards, before opening up into a yawn of sheer blackness. Whatever lay beyond may as well have been the edge of the world for all they could see.

All three of them had to stop for a moment, taking in the scope of their surroundings. It was an awe-inspiring sight, after all. Seraph was the first to recover. "Well, best to take a look around, I suppose," he said in a deadpan tone. "I think I'll leave the two of you to your own devices." With that, he picked up a torch from a pile that lay on the floor a few paces to the group's left, left over for any Earth ponies that needed to come down here without magical aid. Striking a phosphorus match off of the rock wall, he wandered off into the gloom.

Watching him leave, Altas tried to come up with something else to say, to get the ball rolling again between the two of them. "Umm, shouldn't somepony go with him?"

Aquos turned to look at him with a strange smile. "No, in the end I trust his judgement more than I trust yours. He'll be fine, I'm sure."

The two of them began to follow Seraph slowly toward the far end of the hall, which could not be seen even in spite of the illumination. The room seemed to stretch out unto eternity; a simple, repetitive architectural style. The columns which held up the ceiling were regularly spaced, and separated by expanses of rock. The areas on the near walls were entirely blank, although they could see that some ways up on the left a series of carvings began. Ahead of them, Seraph had already bent down to examine the first such image.

Aquos quickly noticed the awestruck face of her companion. "The thrill of adventure proving a little much for you?" she asked in a familiar, challenging tone.

Altas tried to hide his amazement, and then decided that maybe it was a proper tack to start out with. "Well, how do you expect me to react to something like this?" he replied in a flabbergasted tone. His voice barely even echoed back to him in the cavernous space. "I mean, just look!" he continued, spreading his forelegs wide to better illustrate his point. "All the ponies in Equestria could stand in here, and there would still be room left over! What beings could possibly have built this?"

Aquos got an exasperated look on her face, and rolled her eyes away from him. "Don't you pay any attention in history class? This chamber might be a secret, but everypony knows at least that the Citadel is built on an old dragon lair. I suspect that the room's dimensions are merely a matter of convenience for a well-aged old dragon."

"And that doesn't impress you at all? To think an old dragon used to stomp about this place, in all the majesty of his youth. Does nothing impress you, Aquos?" He turned to look her dead in the eyes, entreating a spark of interest to appear. But the cold logic refused to leave.

"Nothing that I understand already, Altas. Yes, the room is old and magnificent, and yes, it is an impressive thought to think that it was carved out thousands of years ago by a being that we don't even fully understand. But that doesn't impact me at all. And it certainly doesn't impact my plans for the future, besides being one more piece of information to slot into my memory."

She looked ahead, to where Seraph now squatted close in to the wall, swinging a small pick at a section of stone. "I'm not like my brother, you understand," she lectured Altas on. "While everything in the world is something to be deciphered for him, I see only a world which must be understood to be controlled. And understanding is obtained from quiet, private contemplation, which is nothing to get excited about."

Altas realized that he wasn't going to get anywhere with this. He felt the confidence of the past few minutes deflating like a punctured balloon. Maybe his subconscious had been right all along, and the two of them were simply too different to ever be compatible with each other. He would just have to go back to his own life, struggling through one day to the next, and watch her succeed from afar. At least he would know that he tried, and perhaps would have a dream to go to sleep with. At least he would have that much closure. Now all that remained of tonight was to make sure that they didn't get caught. A punishment on top of this abject failure would just the kicker he needed right now.

His thoughts were interrupted then by a shattering sound coming from just ahead, where Seraph knelt against the wall. The Earth pony stepped back from his work in astonishment, and both Altas and Aquos hurried over to see what the matter was. Seraph had been working under the first one of the great carvings which adorned the walls. Having seen a section of oddly-coloured stone, he had attempted to crack off a sample for testing. Now however, the blow of his pick had sent spider webs of cracks throughout the lower corner of the wall.

Embarrassed, Seraph turned to face his sister first as the two of them approached. "I didn't do anything, I swear!" he entreated, his unkempt mane waving as he vociferously shook his head. "I just tapped it lightly, looking for a sample, and the whole thing shattered."

Altas looked over the damage quickly. The cracks were wide and plainly visible, covering a blank section of the lower corner of the image. It would now be impossible to cover up the fact that someone had been down here. So now, this failure of a night was perfect. He was just about to suggest that they cut their losses and leave when he noticed that Aquos was intently studying the spot where Seraph's pick had fallen. Approaching from over her left shoulder, Altas tried to see what had her so interested. Turning to face him, she motioned that he should come closer. "Altas, take a look at this."

Aquos moved aside to give him a closer look. A small amount of rock had fallen away from the point of impact, revealing darker stone underneath. Of greater interest, though, was a curved mark in the stone, cutting gracefully across the area from top to bottom. Reaching in with his left hoof, Altas felt the depression. "It's very smooth," she remarked beside him. "Almost as though it was engraved." Altas nodded in agreement, although he hadn't a clue what it could be.

Seraph too had now come up behind them. "Looks interesting," he said, the panic in his voice having been replaced with piqued interest. "Almost like it might be a part of something bigger."

Altas followed the mark, until it disappeared underneath a section of shattered stone. Grasping the rock, he found it was brittle, and cracked easily. With a slight pull, he tore away a section, revealing even more engraved marks. A fully formed letter 'n' now looked back at him. "Text?" Seraph asked from behind them. "That's odd. All of the writing on these pictures is in the dragon language. No Equestrian as far as the eye can see." Altas nodded. Equestria hadn't even existed when the dragons still lived permanently in these areas. He did at least remember that much.

Beside him, Aquos had remained calm, but from the look on her face, Altas could tell that she was thinking hard. Now having reached a decision, she stepped away from the wall. "Stand back, both of you," she said in a very serious tone. "This whole wall is going to have to come off."

Both of the stallions retreated to a safe distance. When Aquos switched her attention, the light on her horn went out, leaving the only illumination in the area as the flickering warm light from the torch that Seraph had left against one of the columns. With a grimace of exertion, the white unicorn reached out to grab the loose veneer of stone. In a single fluid motion, she ripped it all away, revealing the engraved message for the first time in thirty thousand years.

"By the Four winds…" Altas breathed.

[Illustration of the dragon runes would have gone here.]

Viam pones ut vetus quam novum fit chaos pro fine propinquat.

Τοποθετήστε τη διαδρομή της παλαιάς τάξης έκανε νέα, για το τέλος του χάους »εφιστά την πλησιάζει.

Legen Sie den Pfad der alten Ordnung neu gemacht, für Chaos-Ende naht.

The words were gibberish to Altas, and he could immediately see that they were no more understandable to Seraph beside him. They didn't even appear to all be the same language, and they certainly weren't Equestrian. Looking over to Aquos, though, he saw that her eyes were lit up with wonder, unlike he had ever seen them. She turned and saw his expression of confusion, and indicated the wall spread out before them. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" she asked, her voice now carrying a noticeable undertone of excitement.

Taking a step toward her, Altas understood no more than before. "Hold up, you understand all of this?" Seraph appeared equally bewildered.

Aquos gave them a tortured sigh. "Were both of you sleeping in Ancient History?! These languages don't even appear slightly familiar to either of you?" Both of them shook their heads weakly.

"I suppose both of you think that ponies just always spoke common Equestrian, then? Of course not. These are the ancient, pre-unification, pony languages, matched up with each other and the dragon runes. I'm no expert, but the top there is Unicorn, the second is definitely Pegasus, and the third then has to be ancient Earth pony. When the tribes unified in the founding of Equestria, a new language was created by blending together these three. That is what we call Equestrian."

Altas was still trying to get his head around it, but Seraph seemed to have figured out a bit of it. "So, what you're saying then, is that this is a translation?" he proffered in a slightly hopeful tone.

"Yes!" his sister replied. "Don't you see? All of these sentences say the same thing, including the dragon runes! This will unlock their language, allowing us to understand even more about this room, and the meanings of the other inscriptions!" Turning back to the wall, Aquos ran her eyes over the engravings again. "As I said, languages aren't my biggest interest, but I know my ancient Unicorn. And this says: 'Lay the path of the old order made new, for Chaos' End draws nigh.' It certainly sounds prophetic to some degree."

The words meant little to Altas, for even though a section of his mind was still trying to decipher the meaning of what lay in front of him, he had seized on an entirely different realization, which had triggered his own special sort of elation. Watching Aquos eagerly pore over their discovery, he noticed the keen fire in her eyes, the carefree smile that now lit up her face. By circumstance, his question from earlier now had its answer. As it happened, certain things did impress this particular mare, and the thrill of new discovery was one of them. And that meant that tonight had not been a total failure after all.

Chapter 12: Reckoning

"Magic is, in the end, just a problem of understanding. If you understand a thing, then you can control it. Even Chaos itself is a system that follows rules, and thus can be controlled. But there are some things for which such thinking does not apply, and for these things magic alone is not enough."

-"A Beginner's Guide to Magic", retrieved from the Canterlot Archives

A Forest Path
Present Day

It had been some time ascending once more through all the levels of Everfree and exiting once again into the forest. Terraria had insisted that this final trial must be completed free from any interference, which was why Aquos was now leading Celeste deep into the wood. Presumably, the Master of Air was going through a similar process with Claire somewhere else.

Celeste still felt that electric thrill of coming up to a challenge, but her mind had slipped into a more analytical mode, trying to feel out the ends of the magic in the air. With her head clear, she could just about make out that constant disharmony that was Discord's magic permeating the landscape and infecting every living system. Peering up, she noticed that the sun was currently about halfway up. As if to taunt her, it immediately plunged toward the horizon, to be replaced by the silver fullness of its nocturnal counterpart. In that instant, her heightened senses detected the magic at work, a system manipulating the ways of the earth. In order to release the sun and moon from the King's control, all she had to do was understand that system.

The forest was quiet and still, as though all of the animals understood the momentous importance of what was about to transpire, and did not wish to ruin the moment. As the two ponies penetrated further along the path, their sound of their hooves impacting the earth was swallowed by the new blackness of the forest.

A break appeared in the trees ahead, and Celeste detected a splash of water as Aquos began to ford Everfree River, which divided the forest in half as it cut from east to west. Here, it was shallow and slow-moving, although farther off, at the far western frontier of Equestria, it was a raging torrent. Although no pony had ever seen it, legend in the area said that it continued south for many miles, before meeting a great ocean at Everfree Delta.

As Celeste crossed the stream, she realized that it was likely one of the few methods of communication that existed from Equestria to the outside world. Each one of her steps created a small eddy as the water swirled around her legs. Would some enterprising foreigner, observing the river's flow weeks from now, be able to detect the slight alteration and know that a pony had crossed the river on this night? Normally, such a thought would wash past her mind, but since she was thinking in mathematical terms tonight, it struck her as an interesting question.

Finally, Aquos stopped in a small clearing, really just a patch of longer grass amidst a break in the trees. Looking about, Celeste could see that they had come a fair distance, although of course the colossus that was the Citadel of Everfree clearly jutted out of the forest's ceiling off to their southwest. The trees in this area were so straight and ordered, so accommodating, that Celeste knew there was no way she could get lost among them. Nevertheless, she knew that this particular spot was to be her sole resting place for the immediate future.

The Master of Water stood straight at attention, directing her cold gaze back at her student. The diamond circlet on her head gathered in the light of the moon, shimmering in prismatic hues like a pinpoint of fire. "You understand the task that is now set before you, my student." Her voice was calm and even, and though the speech had clearly been rehearsed, the words did not sound overly dry. Celeste sensed that this was not by any means the first time that her teacher had gone through this protocol. She did certainly intend that it would be the last, though.

Celeste nodded, maintaining an expression of steely determination. Turning to leave then, Aquos gave one final piece of advice, "This space is yours to use as you wish, Celeste. Take as much time as you need. And remember, we are proud of everything that you have accomplished. May Harmony stand with you." The mare bowed once more, and then disappeared in a gentle pulse of light blue magic.

Knowing that now there was only one thing left for her to do, Celeste took to the task. Seating herself amidst the lush grass of the clearing, she cleared out her mind, and focussed again, waiting for the chaos magic to lift its voice above the silence of the forest, just that she could grab hold of its tendrils and follow them back to its source. It did not take long. Sensing that same upheaval sweep through her mind as before, Celeste forgot everything about this physical world, and took herself inwards, to a mental realm where there was only her consciousness floating amidst a sea of magic.

She had first achieved this only several weeks ago, while locked into a deep trance of reflective concentration. Already able to control the exterior world in miniscule detail, Celeste had sought even finer power than that: she wanted to understand the inside of her own mind as well.

She had shut out all forms of stimulation, forgetting the outside world and seeing, feeling, only that which was internal. Deeper, deeper into the depths of consciousness she had probed, searching out the overriding mechanisms and principles that governed magic on even this level. Sifting through the layers of emotion and memory, of all the subconscious triggers that link to the magical processes of the unicorn's mind, she had finally found the root of it all.

It did not require a particularly receptive sense of magic to understand that the powers wielded by the High King were inherently different from her own, or those of any other unicorn she had ever met. When the sun spun round into a new position, or thick oily rain fell over Everfree, she had always been able to feel the foreign nature of Discord's magic. But it was only in finding and experiencing the core of her own power that Celeste became able to understand the distinction.

She had examined the root of her own magic, in total isolation of thought, and let her mind be stimulated by it. It was a primal energy, and it brought with it a very strange, but very familiar feeling. It was only later, as night once more flashed to day outside her window that she had realized precisely why. The two energies felt exactly the same. Chaos magic and her own were both based on the exact same principles, the exact same overriding laws and rules. They were simply used in different ways and with different intentions.

Celeste knew that this form of vision was an ability that her teacher did not share. Now, when she entered deepest concentration, she was able to go beyond merely thinking about magic, and see it in a tactile sense. Magic became more than just something she could feel in her head; it became something she could interact with on a physical level. When she looked out at Equestria in this new sort of vision, the country became more than just ruins; the true horror its devastation was revealed to her mind.

Celeste looked again now at what she had first seen on that day: the vast web of Discord's control as it swept out from Eridian and covered the land. In this view, Equestria had vanished, to be replaced only by a black emptiness. The chaos magic was like a massively complicated knot of many threads, thin as the fibres in a spider's web in places, but in others thick as a corded rope. Each individual thread was the embodiment of a spell: a set of rules for turning one thing into another. Multitudes of spells built themselves into magical constructs, just as threads twisted into cords and braids. It was confusing and strange beyond words, but it was, in the end, just magic, and it was from this fact that Celeste derived her hope.

However, this collection of magical fibres was unlike anything that Celeste had ever seen in her studies. The heart of the knot, which was the city of Eridian, seemed to beat with an unnatural pulse, wrapping and unwrapping new strands in indeterminable patterns. The whole system shifted depending on how one looked at it, and morphed into something entirely different even after a few seconds. Decrypting it would indeed be a massive challenge.

Celeste grabbed onto one of the nearby threads with her consciousness. The rhythm of the magic came through it and beat into her mind. It was a chaotic pattern, but she knew that it was a pattern on some level, and therein laid the first step in deciphering the maze. Pulling her mind forward, she listened to it carefully, searching for any sign of repetition. Segregating that section of her mind, she then examined the local scope of the fibres, looking for connections upward, to the sun. Just ahead, she saw a massive column, composed of thousands of individual spells, wrapped around each other and forming a bridge upwards, from the center of Equestria to the center of the sky. The construct pulsated in time with the rhythm in her ears, and she knew that it had to be the one. All she had to do was untie the knot, and the Sun and Moon would be free.

Aquos, Altas, and Terraria waited patiently on a high balcony which jutted from the central terrace of the Citadel of Everfree. The outlook offered an impressive view out over the whole of the forest. In their own separate worlds, Celeste and Claire had each taken to their tasks with sombre determination. Overhead, the Sun spun through its cycle like an irregular pendulum, bouncing back and forth between high noon and twilight.

---

"So we wait again, my students," Terraria intoned in her usual reserved tones. "Tomorrow, Equestria may be saved, and our tasks will finally have come to their end."

Aquos and Altas joined their hooves together on the railing. "Yes," the yellow Pegasus replied with a wistful edge to his tone. "This is probably the closest we have come yet."

Aquos turned to him with her wide eyes open. "Which of them do you think it will be?"

Altas considered the question honestly. Both Celeste and Claire were prodigies in their respective fields. He had never taught a finer student than young Claire, and she had even come to the point of surpassing his own abilities. Celeste, though, had been more of a challenge. From what his partner had told him, her experiences had been nearly precisely the opposite.

"It's a shame," he said finally, "that we could not take both of them. Together, they are very likely the greatest power we have yet seen."

"Perhaps that's true," Terraria answered him. "But the Prophecy is specific on this issue. However much they both could be useful, we can only take one, and then only if they are proven worthy today."

Altas thought a bit about that particular statement. This was not the first time that his own opinion had gone against what the Prophecy had foretold. So many years ago; his heart ached to think of what might have been. In the end, it had been his choice to make: his love, or his country. He had made the only choice that he could have back then; now he couldn't help but think of what might happen if that decision came around again.

He could still hear his old friend's impassioned words, reverberating back through his memory as they so often did when he took time for introspection.

"Who are we to deny our country its first true chance at redemption? All because our 'destiny' was scratched into a wall by a deluded dragon thirty thousand years ago? Equestria deserves so much more from us, its so-called defenders. It deserves the right to freedom, not according to some divine plan, but however we can arrange it! I challenge all of you to look into your own futures, and tell me that you are willing to wait for 'the perfect moment' when an opportunity for victory is staring us in the face today! Won't you join me, my friends? Won't you fight now, for the end of our struggle?"

It had been the night of the sundering of their fellowship, so many long years ago. He had had Seraph at his right and Aquos at his left, an impossible choice. Either way, he knew that he would be second-guessing himself for all the years afterwards, a prediction which had proven depressingly accurate.

Aquos caught the faraway look on her love's face, and squeezed his hoof a little in her own, causing his face to turn back around into hers. Their eyes locked again, and she willed him back to the present day.

"None of this was your fault," she said slowly, and in a voice filled with compassion. "You did the only thing that you could of."

His gaze wavered for second, and then came down. "We've both sacrificed so much, my love. Our friends, our lives, our futures perhaps. Sometimes I just want the whole thing to be over. We've spent so long biding our time, waiting for the perfect moment, as we've been told. Some days I look out at how little we've really accomplished and wonder if maybe Seraph was right after all."

Aquos shook her head. "My brother was lost and confused. He would have led us to ruin. Our only path forward was here."

"Of course," he replied, coming back to meet her gaze once more. "I never could have left you, besides."

"Nor would I have been able to see you go."

The two Masters grabbed each other by the shoulder. Altas let his head rest against his partner's well-groomed mane, and both settled back to watch the horizon. Overhead, the Sun ground slowly to an agonizing halt.

---

Celeste knew that she had cracked it. Working quickly with nimble hooves, she had scaled the tower of magic, tracing out its pathways and identifying its key structures. Carefully, she had unwound its primary bindings, slicing load-bearing points and tossing away loose magic. Now, there was only a single strand left. When it was released, the primary challenge would be finished, and the only task remaining would be to restore the celestial bodies back to their proper positions. The hard part was finished. With one final swipe, the connection was broken, and both the Sun and the moon were free again.

She immediately felt an overbearing, undeniable power sweep through her mind. Like a fiery sear, the representations of the Sun and moon impressed themselves upon her, insisting on their freedom. It was only with a supreme effort and concentration that she was able to master their force.

It was an altogether different feeling than was moving a rock about in the garden. Normally, magic was a strong force that radiated out from her, obeying her every thought and directive. Normally, Celeste found that she could exercise complete control over her subject's every attribute. But now, Celeste was forced to struggle against a will of its own. The sun seemed to actively resist her every attempt at control. The harder she pressed at it with her will, the harder it fought back, seeming to seek out whatever footholds and purchases within her mind it could, and holding on to them with all of its might.. She had imagined that once they had been freed from the domination of the chaos, guiding the celestial bodies back into their proper places would have been a matter beyond triviality, but now it seemed that this would not be the case.

With a grunt of exertion, Celeste creased her brow, concentrating with all of her might on this task. Even with the full fury of her awakened magic, she got maybe an inch farther along, before her and the sun's power were back at a stalemate. Celeste began to feel something she had never felt before: the flow of magic from the depth of her consciousness running thin. She had given this nearly everything that she had, and still could not control the objects of her desire. Having come so far, how could this possibly be the way it would end?

No! This will not be how it ends! she thought to herself, and braced her thoughts against this new determination. With full concentration, she felt a little relief, as the burning resistance let up just slightly. Grabbing hold, she pushed farther, and could feel the two heavenly bodies finally moving into their proper position. On the edge of triumph, she finally released her control just a bit, knowing that the battle had finally been won.

The second surge of resistance came at her so hard that even her physical form (in the forest) was knocked back half a step. Mentally, she felt herself thrown far from the peak of the Equestrian skies, her mane smoking slightly from the sudden rush of backwashed power. She lay there, breathing heavily for a moment, absorbing the magnitude of what had happened. Slowly, Celeste turned her gaze back up to the sky. The chaos had already reformed itself, and clawed its way upwards in an inevitable progression. After only a few more seconds, it had once more claimed its dominion over the skies.

Celeste breathed a final shuddering breath. The strength had left her limbs, and slowly she slipped back into the real world. Once more, the Sun spun below the horizon and she found herself looking out at the darkened forest. Finally, she forced herself to consider the unthinkable.

I lost.

---

After what had seemed like an eternity of stillness, Altas saw the Sun spin away from its stationary point, releasing pent up energy like a spring. It circulated rapidly through the day/night cycle more than a dozen times before eventually coming to rest in the middle of the night. All three of them looked away for a moment.

"Such a shame," Terraria summed it up. "Perhaps her sister will hold the true answer."

The burst of released magical energy that had come as the break occurred had been palpable to all three of them. Aquos had even drawn in a sharp breath. Clearly, this was the closest that any one of her students had ever come. Still, it had not been enough.

The two old teachers shared a look. They had been through this proceeding before, many times over. Altas nodded with a sombre expression. It would be his job to go down and meet the failed applicant.

Altas took the stairs slowly, giving himself time to think, although in reality it was just time to go over his own doubts again. Another year was gone, and another candidate had been stricken from the list. If he had ever met a pony who could potentially have fit the bill, he would have thought for sure that it would have been one of these two. Both of them were by far the best at their chosen fields. If this year was not to be his last… Altas wondered if his toil would ever end.

Back then… things had been so much simpler back then. He had been in the prime of his youth, brimming with skill, energy, and optimism. He had had both the love of his life and his closest friend by his side, and all three of them had come through the worst that Equestria had to offer. They had even been responsible for finally retrieving the last copy of the Constitution from the depths of Eridian, emboldening the Order into believing that the fulfillment of their Prophecy was nigh at hand.

But, just as everything had begun for the three of them, down in the caves underneath the Citadel, so too had it ended. Sadly, it had been on the anniversary of their first fateful expedition, a journey among friends revisiting those old memories. This time, rather than the blow of Seraph's chisel, it had been his own touch that had set off a discovery, a discovery that would go on to transform all of their lives for decades, and as yet he could not say whether the changes had been positive or negative.

Altas shelved his recollections as he arrived at the bottom of the tower, and saw Celeste gathered up in a dim corner. She looked positively drained, her normally bright face pale and dull, and much of the natural sheen gone from her mane. But what struck him more than anything else was the look in her eyes. Celeste's eyes were completely vacant, missing the spark of understanding that he was so used to seeing within. A light stream of tears trickled forth from them.

The pegasus knelt down beside her, resting a comforting hoof upon her shoulder. For a moment, he simply let a little bit of reassurance pass between them, and then sat down next to her. "You shouldn't look at this as a failure, Celeste," he said softly. "Remember that Aquos and I are both very proud of everything that you have accomplished. This is not the end of your journey. It is, instead, merely a beginning."

"I was so close," Celeste replied, in a tender, heartbroken voice. "I could taste it, success grasped between my hoofs. It was just the sun and me, battling for control. And I was not strong enough."

"That was your mistake then," Altas returned. "You fought it. I warned you about the dangers of pitting your own will against that of the natural world."

"What do you mean?" she curtly replied, the tone of her voice hardening in an instant. "What else was I supposed to do?"

Altas breathed out a long sigh. "Nature knows its place; it seeks it always. The sun fights Discord's control, just as surely as it battled your own. The key is to be strong enough mentally to set it free, and possess enough faith to let it be free. Your sister understood that far better."

Celeste seemed to remember all of a sudden that Claire too was taking the test. A very small smile tugged at the corners of her lips. "Claire is much stronger than I could ever be. I hope that she succeeds. For all of our sakes."

Altas looked out the window, at the expanse of the forest stretching on as far as his eye could see. "So do I, my student. So do I."

The two of them sat in a wordless silence for a time then, each thinking on their own about all the turns their lives had taken, and hoping with all their might that now might be the end of it. Eventually, Aquos and Terraria both came down the stairs. Expectant, Altas looked his love straight in the eye, but received only a sullen shake of the head. A year of effort, hoping and waiting, and in the end they were no closer to victory than before.

Chapter 13: The Elements of Harmony

"The Elements of Harmony are one of the most enduring of the legends which permeated out from the country of Equestria over the years. It was said that they were artefacts of pure, crystallized magic, the strongest force known to exist on the Earth. Naturally, we paid very close attention to such whisperings."

-Dr. Szill Tosak, Research Log: July 5, 1900 UIT

A sombre mood had returned to Everfree, and for once the weather had lined itself up to suit the occasion, as ominous storm clouds had rolled in, and a grim shower fell throughout the forest. Around the Citadel, and its sister towers, windows were drawn and fires were kindled, as the disheartened members of the Resistance tried to warm their hearts and spirits with the same tools as they warmed their bodies. But for many, the day's news was simply too grim to be helped. For another year at least, Equestria would remain captive.

In their upper room in UnicornTower, the two sisters tried to recuperate as best as they could. Celeste was pacing once more in front of the doorway, thinking, always thinking. Meanwhile, Claire was at the window, looking long out at the country. The country which she was so sure would be saved yesterday, and now seemed destined for even more suffering.

The Masters had been succinct and sincere, attempting to soften the blow by insisting that the two of them still had parts to play in the Resistance, and that surely they would live to see the free Equestria one day. While Celeste fervently hoped that this would indeed be the case, she found herself doubting more and more as she considered the situation further. With all modesty, the two of them had been the best to have yet arisen since the original Masters. If neither of them was good enough to save the country, then it seemed very likely that Equestria still had long to suffer.

That was, at least, if the two of them gave up on that dream now. But Celeste most certainly had no intention of giving up. She had come so close, stood on the very cusp of victory, of the achievement of that dream. She just needed that little bit more, that final extra push needed to clear the last hurdle. She reflected once more on Altas' final pieces of advice. The trick is not to force it. Release the sun, and then let it do what it must. It went against much of her internal philosophy. Things became ordered when one placed them there. On their own, they leapt into disarray.

Claire had told her a similar story of her own travails, though it had been flared with her own distinct style. Her sister had taken a shining to the Pegasus art in ways that Celeste could only try to imagine, and it gave her certain advantages in dealing with the problem. In the end, however, it had still not been enough.

"Claire," Celeste began, stopping in the middle of the floor. Her sister turned around then from her perch at the window. The younger alicorn had recovered somewhat from the devastating turn that the afternoon had taken, but her face was still far from cheerful. "There's one thing that I still don't quite understand about what you've told me. You said that you were able to reach out and feel the sun?"

"Yes," her sister replied, as a crackle of thunder sounded outside. "It's a special little ability of mine, which I only discovered a few weeks ago. I just let my mind go blank, and I become aware of every entity, every consciousness in the surrounding. Each one of them is like a bright dash of colour in a dark purple void. I can sense them, touch them, and interact with them even."

"Only a few weeks ago?"

"Yes," Claire's head shot up suddenly. "Just like your sort of second vision?"

"It would seem so. That's awfully coincidental." It seemed as though the two of them might share connections besides just familial ones. "And then the sun and moon are like one of these consciousnesses?"

Claire got up from her place at the window, and took her turn pacing about the room. "I could sense them just as easily as I could anything else. I could feel that all they needed was to be set free, but I couldn't get to them." The downcast look returned to her eyes. "I failed in my one purpose, and now everypony will suffer for it." A fresh tear rolled its way down her cheek.

Celeste placed a foreleg across her sister's shoulders. "There, there Claire. I don't think that our part in this story is over just yet." The first inklings of a plan were beginning to filter their way through her mental machinery, but she needed a few more details yet. "I think that I may have an idea, Claire, but first I need to know one more thing. Can you sense my mind right now?"

Claire caught herself, and then closed her eyes. "Of course I can. Your mental footprint is practically impossible to miss."

"Excellent then. Follow me."

---

The rain had intensified, and as the two sisters exited the tower and began their trek out into the forest, each drop felt like the sting of a tiny needle as it impacted their backs and wings. Even though it was still just early evening, the combination of the clouds and leaves overhead made the forest floor exceedingly dark. It was Celeste that struck up a light with her horn, just so that they could see where they were going.

The pair walked in silence for a few minutes, each one in deep thought over what they were about to attempt. Although it had never been explicitly stated that they would never get a second chance to succeed, it had been quite seriously implied. There was even the possibility that attempting a stunt like this would put them in dire trouble. It was fair to say that neither Celeste nor Claire cared about such considerations at this point. For if they succeeded, then that was another matter entirely.

After about five minutes of sullen silence, Claire spoke. "Do you remember a year ago, sister, back in Eridian? We both promised to do whatever it took to save Equestria?"

Celeste remembered. Eridian felt like it had been ages ago, before both of them had been thrust into the search for their final destiny. All of that had been leading to this night, this one chance at success. "I do, Claire. I remember that I promised to always stand by your side, if an opportunity should present itself for us to free our country."

She stopped for a moment, letting Claire come alongside her in the darkness. In truth, it had been scarcely a week since they had been reunited, after a year spent in individual solitude. But neither of them had grown apart, indeed that year had only strengthened what had always been an unbreakable bond, a bond forged from hardship and struggle in the depths of the High King's cruelty. And now, the two of them were about to become even closer.

"We go forward together now, sister," Celeste said. "Whatever happens in the times ahead, I shall never leave your side. We shall fight for this country, and rebuild it in time, as one entity, forever."

"Together, forever," Claire agreed. "I couldn't have made it this far without you, sister." And the two sisters shared a long embrace, as the rain came down all around them, and lightning lit up the black sky. Both were so lost in the moment that neither realized that the forest in their immediate vicinity had been illuminated slightly during that instant, but the effect was lost as soon as they released each other.

They came thence to the small clearing in which Celeste had made her attempt earlier in the afternoon. It was roughly circular, and filled with tall grasses that swished about the two alicorns' knees as they came into its center. Unfortunately, since they were now clear of the forest's protective canopy, the rain fell upon them again in a hard torrent. But neither one paid any heed to it. Nothing would deter them from their goal at this point.

Celeste and Claire both cleared their own little section of the space, sitting down into their own pieces of privacy. Taking a deep breath, and steeling herself for facing this task yet again, Celeste locked onto her sister's gaze. "Ready?" she asked simply. Claire nodded, and so both of them closed their eyes, and fell down inwards into their own private little worlds.

Equestria fell away once more, and again Celeste awoke to find herself suspended above the intricate web of knotted cords that was Discord's hold on Equestria. The tangle of his magic infected every corner of the land, concentrating on population centers but present everywhere regardless. The colossal warped tower that was his hold on day and night still stood there, forming a bridge between land and sky. It was thick and twisted as a braid, but Celeste knew its weaknesses. She had deciphered this puzzle once before, after all.

But before she could set off on that errand, Celeste felt it. A sort of uneven pressure applied across her eardrums, building up to a note of pain. She gritted her teeth and tried to force the sensation away, but with each breath it came harder, focussing into two intense spikes of discomfort. Eyes clenched shut; Celeste heard her sister's voice, softly echoing in her head. "Don't fight it, Celeste. You have to let me come. I'll be here for you the whole way."

Celeste allowed herself to relax, taking a deep breath even as the discomfort intensified further. Even though obviously neither one of them had attempted this sort of thing before, she hadn't thought that it would be quite this hard. "That's good, sister. It should only take a few more seconds. Do you remember our years together in Eridian? It wasn't much, but we made everything that we could out of it."

"I do remember," she thought to herself, casting back in time to what happy memories there were of that part of their lives. Most of the time they had been working, either in the streets or back at home, doing whatever it took to get by, but there had been moments that created fond memories. Surprisingly enough, it was not their games of chess that Celeste found her memory drawn to though. It was instead the times that they had just talked, just been together, without objectives or plans. Just the two of them.

In an instant, the pain built itself to a crescendo, and then was gone. Celeste opened her eyes, and found that Claire was now standing beside her in the realm of her own imagination. Her younger sister's dark mane flowed out behind her head as she stared in shocked silence at the nightmarish landscape that was laid out before them. Celeste came up to stand beside her.

"It's…" Claire tried to begin. "It's… unbelievable. The way I could see it, it was all just grey, as if Discord had drained all the life and colour out of the country. I could sense them, all the lives out there, waiting for the day that they would be free. Now I can see why they're not." Both of them felt their gazes drawn to their old home, which seemed almost to glow, such being the sheer concentration of magical strands that ran like tentacles out from it.

"Seeing it again, I almost want to go back there right now and dismantle everything from the ground up. Tear it all out by the roots," Claire continued, a note of anger entering her complexion.

Celeste shook her head. "As much as I agree, we're still not strong enough for that. Our only hope lies in the Prophecy still." Let the light of order again shine free; And Chaos' End shall find thee. "Our task lies over there still." And she indicated the tower of magic clawing its way up into the heavens.

Both of them took to the skies, flying over to the area where the massive rose like a tree trunk to the sky. It did not take Celeste long to discern the shape of the structure again. It was different than it had been last time, as chaos tended to be, but still followed the same general patterns as before. It was beyond simple to cut it up once more.

Finally, she stood precisely where she had been only a few hours previously, with but a single strand still holding the celestial bodies in submission. Claire now hovered a few feet to her left, taking in the scope of the situation. "Okay, Celeste. So as soon as you cut that last thread, all of that power is going to be released, right?"

"Yes, Claire. You can feel them just like before, can't you?"

Claire nodded immediately. "Their power is almost unimaginable at this close of a distance. I can understand how you were beaten now. None should be capable of withstanding this strong of a force."

"But you'll just let it pass through, right? You'll allow each of them to find their own way?"

Claire was silent for an instant, and then calmly replied, "I think so, but I might need your help as well. There's going to be a lot of magic at work here, perhaps too much for me to handle on my own. Be ready to jump in if I need you."

"Right. Are you ready?" Receiving one final nod from her sister, Celeste wound up and cut the final strand, once again letting the full fury of the sun run wild. She could feel it at the corners of her own awareness, that same burning force of nature as before. Expecting a similar grimace of concentration, she looked over at her sister. But oddly enough, Claire's face was serene; eyes closed and lips curved into a gentle, slender smile, as though she was contentedly resting after a day's hard work. Rather than fighting the rush, she was simply letting it happen.

But it was only an instant before she noticed a slight creasing of her sister's brow, and the pulsing of a vein above her right ear. It seemed that her sister's magic was indeed not enough. Coming to Claire's side, she whispered softly in her sister's ear. "I'm here, Claire. What do you need me to do?"

When Claire spoke, her voice was strained with obvious effort. "You… can feel it, right? Take… some of the burden, let it pass through you."

Although the prospect frightened her, Celeste knew that there was most certainly no turning back now. So, gathering her own thoughts, and focussing hard on her sister's words, she opened up her own mind to the torrent, immediately feeling the rush of power run through her consciousness. Fighting her natural urge to maintain control, she tried to just relax and let it all happen. It was a terrifying feeling, as if she was being swamped in the flood of magic and natural force. If she didn't assert her own place, take some control, she felt sure that she would be lost. But then she heard Claire's voice again, and it gave her strength. "Take heart, sister. Don't fight it; above all else let it flow. We don't have to do this alone. You should be able to find me within the torrent."

Celeste tried to think calmly in the raging flood, tried to see through it to the source of her sister's voice. Sure enough, she could detect the pinpoint of her Claire's consciousness, doing its best to stand amidst its own current. Slowly, the two of them came together. "Offer me your strength, Claire, and in return you shall have my own. Together we shall outlast all of this."

"Together forever, Celeste," Claire answered, and in that instant, their minds joined to become one.

It was an altogether novel experience for both of them. Never before had they been so close, literally joined together on a psychological level; each intimately aware of the other's thoughts and memories. Time stretched out to an infinite continuity as the two sisters simply were, together in the face of the entire world's power, weathering the storm. Neither before nor again would any two ponies experience such purest Harmony as did Celeste and Claire that evening.

After only a second (or an hour, or a century; it was impossible for either one to tell) it was over. The torrent ceased, bringing with it a sense of purest excitement, and undeniable power. For perhaps the first time, Celeste truly felt the legendary fury of the magic of the pegasi, held deep within her heart, and combining with the unicorn magic in her mind. Together, the two alicorns experienced the lost pure magic, the first beings in more than twenty-five thousand years to do so. The collected energy erupted forth from both of them in a dazzling nova of energy, illuminating both their mental realms and the real world of the forest where both still sat. Looking beneath their perch where the sun and moon had once been held captive, Celeste could see the tower of magic, before merely severed, was now shrivelling in the intense blast of light, dying away to nothing on the matted floor of the country. Indeed, not only was the sun free for now, it would be for a long time afterwards. They had done it.

---

When Celeste and Claire opened their eyes, they were met with a most unexpected sight. It was still dark, for apparently the "true" time had been the middle of the night, but the fullness of the Equestrian moon lit up the forest with a twinkling radiance. There was not a cloud to be seen. Moreover, the formerly empty clearing had been blasted flat in radiating lines, each blade of grass blown outward from the very center of the area. And in the clearing's center, still smoking slightly from the release of magical energy, rested a most curious artefact.

On its side on the ground was a circular disk of gold, upon which the design of an eight-pointed star had been inlaid. Resting on the outlying edges, five bright gemstones had been arranged in a symmetrical pattern, with a sixth sitting in the very center. Each of them greedily drank in the light of the moon, thus shining forth in a dazzling multi-coloured array of hues and tones. Besides their visual beauty, Celeste and Claire could both feel something else. An intense magical aura radiated out from the area, imprinting each of their minds with a feeling reminiscent of what they had experienced together in their shared mind space. It was an exhilarating euphoric experience, and both of them turned to each other with wide grins.

"We did it, Celeste!" Claire let a joyous laugh shake through her features. "Discord's power has been shaken, and soon it will break."

"Indeed, Claire. These magical gems must be the article spoken of in the Prophecy: Chaos' End. I can't wait to get back to the Citadel and spread this news." And picking up the ring, Celeste began galloping back through the forest.

"Sister, wait!" Claire yelled after her, causing her sister to stop and turn. Claire was airborne, wings flapping powerfully over the forest. "I don't think that this occasion really calls for walking," she called down to her sister. "Let us bring back this news with the triumph it deserves!"

With a laugh, Celeste joined her sister in the sky, and in seconds the two of them were closing in on Everfree. Both could see that a few ponies were outside, milling about in confusion over the rain's sudden disappearance. It wasn't long before one of them pointed upwards, spying the returning sisters out over the forest's canopy. Afire with each other's fully awakened magic, both of them knew that the situation required something special. And so, with only the slightest effort, Celeste and Claire reached out with their minds and built a sprawling rainbow, arching gracefully from one end of the night sky to the other, and passing directly over the Citadel.

As the news spread quickly through the building, more windows and doors were opened, and soon enough there was a large crowd gathered beneath, joyous at the turn of events. Celeste couldn't help but think back to the days they had spent entertaining crowds back in Eridian, although this event comprised a completely different nature than those ones had.

Celeste looked over at her sister, aflame with the glory of magic and light that rang through both of their minds. "We're ready sister. Today Everfree, tomorrow Equestria, and for the future, finally there is hope."

"Ponies will be free once more. Thank you for everything, sister." And once more the two of them embraced each other lovingly, to the exuberant cheers of the multitude gathered down below.

---

The sun had begun to peek its way over the far eastern horizon by the time that things had gotten settled in the Citadel. It was the first real sunrise that Equestria had seen in more than four hundred years, and Claire could feel the hope that had radiated out to the whole of the country this past night. The two sisters now stood together outside of the entrance to the great chamber in the Orders held their general meetings, with space allocated for Earth, Water, Air, and even Fire, though those seats had of course sat empty for many years now. The room was divided into four quadrants via rails that drove from the corners of the chamber. These ended in a high square platform at the room's center, upon which a small table had been placed. At this table sat the present Masters: Terraria, Altas, and Aquos, and again, an empty seat where Seraph would have been had he not left the Resistance years ago. Two more chairs had been placed at the head of the table especially for this occasion; those being where the two sisters would sit.

From where they stood, just outside one set of doors into the room, both of the sisters could see a great deal of the arrangement, as multitudes of unicorns, pegasi, and earth ponies sat in their assigned sections. The overall mood was jubilant, echoing the thoughts and feelings which circled about within their own hearts. At the central table however, things were surprisingly more subdued. Altas especially appeared almost uncomfortable. Celeste put it down to nerves. He never had liked being the center of attention.

Once everything had gotten settled down, Celeste and Claire dutifully made their entrance, letting the excitement of the past twelve hours show clearly in their faces as they received a standing ovation. Celeste carried the magical ring in front of them with her magic, and finally placed it in the very center of the table, such that it was literally the focus of everyone's attention. Both sisters took their seats, eager to get the proceedings over with so that they could be off to Eridian to complete the revolution.

Terraria rose first to address the assemblage. "First, allow me to extend most sincere congratulations to our two guests of honour, Celeste and Claire, for having restored natural light to our Citadel, and recovered this article of power." There was another round of applause, even with some light whistles thrown in from a few of the pegasi. These Terraria quieted with a raised hoof. "However, allow me to advise caution," she continued, her voice having suddenly grown very grave. "This cannot be thought of as our final redemption."

A collective gasp shot through the pegasus section, as well as a few of the earth ponies, but the most of the Orders of Water and Earth nodded their approval. "We require three heroes to form our new Triumvirate," Terraria said. "At the moment, we have four. Somehow, we must still choose one of the sisters."

A pegasus in the front row of the Air section rose then to speak. "These two sisters have given their all to our cause," he bellowed out over the room. "Surely they are the heroes after which we have sought. How can we then commit such a crime as to only allow one of them to save our country?" There was a chorus of approval from the benches behind him, and it was Aquos herself that rose to answer.

"The Prophecy is very specific on this point," the white unicorn enunciated clearly. "We only require three heroes, and Altas and I have been selected beyond any doubt. We must make our choice somehow." Across the table from her, Altas stared longingly into the wood grain, looking as though he would rather be anywhere than here. Behind him, his Order was calling for their Master to speak.

Reluctantly, the yellow pegasus pushed back his chair, standing beside the table. In a clearly uncomfortable voice, he began, "This is a truly momentous occasion. For many of us, it is the first real hope that we have seen in all our time with the Resistance. Understandably, many of us are cautious about believing that the end has arrived after all our years of work." He stared a moment into the eyes of Aquos, seated across the table, then continued. "I think that my Order is simply a bit… restless after so many years of waiting for our opportunity to arrive. Now that real power has finally found its way to us, might we not consider striking against the tyrant while we can?" A tiny sliver of determination entered his voice on the end of this speech, bolstered by the many shouts of approval which he received.

Terraria quieted all of this with one hoof. Authoritatively, she rose once more. "To move on Discord now would be folly," she emphatically declared. "We must wait until the right time comes, and that time has been ordained for us by the Prophecy. Until it is fulfilled, we must take our responsibilities with heart." But no sooner had the words exited her mouth were they drowned out by another cavalcade of objections, answered by shouts of approval from Water and Earth.

As the chamber descended into argument and disarray, Claire turned to face her sister in the very center of it. "When you said that there would be a small ceremony before we got to go fight Discord, did you have this in mind?"

Celeste shook her head slowly, feeling the excitement of the past few hours drain out of her system. On the table in front of them, even the magical gems had lost some of their lustre, seeming to react to the tension and distrust in the room. "No, Claire. This isn't what I thought would happen at all."