I stay sitting in the foggy room as ponies rush in and all around, trying to re-establish order. They rush to check on Luna and Celestia, a few check the other guards, and a few try to speak with me; but my attention is solely on the pony before me.

I don't know who he is. I think he's just some new recruit. I stare at him a little longer until I feel somepony shake my shoulder. Still in a daze, I look over and see the worried look on Luna's face. She asks me something, but my mind is elsewhere at the moment. I ignore her and start to stand up, bringing my attention back to the guard before me.

He's calmed down enough to stop fighting, but I can still tell he's freaking out. His chest is heaving with deep breaths and his ears are twitching with every sound made around him. When I step closer to him I get a... familiar sense from him. Power. Raw energy is seeping from his very being. It's almost like the heat from a massive fire burning. It... reminds me of myself...

I take a knee before him and set a hand on his shoulder. He stares back up at me, waiting to see what I do. What can I do? I've never seen anything like this before. Where do we even start? How do we even start?

"Miles, what is this?" Celestia asks, joining me at my side. Followed by Luna.

"Is he going to be okay?" one of the other guards asks.

"Where did that thing come from?" another asks.

"Why can't he take it off?"

"Where did all that power come from?

"What happened to-"

"SILENCE!" I yell over all of the questions. Aside from drowning out my own thoughts, I can tell they're only causing more and more panic in the guard. "Guards, escort the Queen and Princess... out of this tower. It is... structurally unsound... NOW!"

They don't question me. Even though they should, they don't question me. Luna tries to protest, but we share one look and she stops. I know she sees it. No matter what, she'll always know when it's there. With one look alone she understands me perfectly.

They leave the room quickly, giving me a moment to think to myself. I saw the markings, but I didn't understand them. I rushed this one, this is on me. But I don't know what this is. Is it bad? Or is it simply misunderstood? From what I can tell so far, I'm leaning more towards the former. But I'll need more information first. We'll start with the simple things.

"What's your name son?" I ask quietly, gripping his shoulder firmly.

"Steely Focii... sir." His voice... it sounds so... eerie. It echoes and sounds as if it's been put through a metal grater. Even with all that, I can still hear the tremble in his voice. I need to keep him calm. There's no telling what he'd do if he lost control.

"Steely Focii, you're new right? When did you join?" Calm voice, reassuring shoulder squeeze, let him think you understand what's going on. Give him the impression that you have all the answers.

"Two months ago... I was picked out of Celestia's school for gifted Unicorns. I'm under the Royal Equestrian Third Magii, sir. Placed in the top ten of my class, sir, for enchantments, sir."

"The Third Magii? That's one of the newer regiments. Formed under one of my reforms. You must be very gifted to have placed in that regiment." I tell him under false pride. Not that I'm not proud that we've made new reforms, I just want him to feel as if I'm impressed by him.

"Thank you sir."

"Steely, I have an odd question for you. But I need you to answer honestly. Can you describe how you feel? Does anything... seem different? Aside from the... mask." I feel him tense from that question. This is all happening so quickly for him, but the sooner we understand what's going on, the sooner we can help him.

"Well... I feel... the same, sort of. I'm a little scared right now, but that's understandable, right? I can feel myself trying to breath, but I can't. I'm not choking, and I feel fine... except... I don't know how to describe it, sir. There's this... pressure in my chest." I keep a stoic face on the outside, but when he says that I feel myself go cold. "I-I can't explain it beyond that, sir. But it's probably just from the explosion, right?"

"... It is possible. We'll... have to check to make sure. Um... can... how do I put this?" If this is what I think it is, I need to proceed carefully. There's no telling how things will go if there's even a slight error. "How powerful would you say you were prior to all this? Just so I can get an understanding of where you are now."

"Well... probably just as powerful as the other guards, I guess. I've never initiated before, if that's what you're asking." I figured as much. Now to see if what I think happened is true.

"This will seem silly of me to ask, but can you levitate that bookshelf using as much power as you think you can?" He gives me an odd look before looking to the bookshelf. He hesitates for a moment, thinking on the task at hand. I can tell it seems trivial to him. It's not the biggest shelf, nothing any pony couldn't do really. But if what I'm thinking happened really occurred... no use in guessing. Let's just see what happens.

He lights up his horn and goes to levitate it. As per my request, he goes to use as much of his energy as possible. Several layers of energy wrap around his horn as he starts to use the spell. His energy envelopes the shelf and sends it crashing into the ceiling, shattering it instantly. I flinch from the splintering wood before staring at the falling pages, humming in thought.

"S-sorry about that, sir." There's no way a normal guard could do that. But at this point it's obvious what that mask is doing to him. His power has grown tremendously. Doubled? It's possible. We could just strap him up to one of those power readers, but I have a feeling that they'll only cause more problems. And it seems as if using that much power had little to no effect to him. There's no drain making itself evident at least, what else is it doing to him? Before any of that though, there's one last thing I need to check.

"It's alright... tell me, the pressure in your chest, how is it?" He tilts his head in confusion before bringing a hoof to his chest.

"Um... better, I think. I don't know how to explain it, but it's not so bad now. I guess I just needed to let off some steam! Thank you sir!"

"Yeah... yeah, your welcome. Why don't you go down to the medical ward and have them check you over, just to make sure everything is okay. I... I'll come down there afterwards to let you know what's going on."

"Yes sir!"

---

Celestia and I pace around the throne room as we each think silently. I can't believe Miles would be so careless as to set off that enchantment in the front of the study like that! What was he thinking? And that poor guard! What will happen to him now that he has that thing on his face? What will happen if there's no removing it! What kind of life will he lead if he has to keep that thing forever? There's no telling what lies ahead for him!

I tried to ask Celestia what she thought, but I could tell I wouldn't get an answer from her. She's wrapped up in her thoughts at the moment. But I can only guess what she's thinking about right now. Could it be about the guard? Or of the notes left behind by Starswirl? Thinking on the latter, this starts to make some sense. He was obsessed with the Elements, and would do near anything to get them. Perhaps this was one his ways to attempt to prove himself. But why didn't he ever enact it, and why would he keep it hidden?

We both stop when the doors open and Miles slips in, slowly shutting them behind himself. As he walks towards us he motions for us to come closer. We share an uneasy look before meeting him halfway. He doesn't say anything at first. He's trying to form his thoughts. I try to let him think, but Celestia isn't having any of that.

"What happened?" she asks sternly. Miles bites his lips and scratches the back of his neck before facing us. I can tell he's conflicted about this on a personal level.

"He's... initiating..." That seems... obvious. He's expanded his magical capabilities due to that mask. The idea alone is terrifying, but there seems to be more to it.

"And?" I ask, leaning in a bit closer.

"He's initiated... several times. To the point where I'd say he's as powerful as Twilight, if not stronger." Again, that seems obvious. Those walls are made to withstand barrages and magical blasts. And he blew a massive hole with a single blast!

"So the mask gave him immense power. That much was clear. What's the problem you're trying to get to?" I ask, keeping a business like tone. He lets out a sigh and checks his surroundings before answering.

"I don't think it's going to stop until... well, until his physical form burns out."

We both stay quiet as the implications set in. He's gained more power than Twilight and is growing. It's apparently growing to the point where it's going to consume him, much like how Miles's power almost did. So if he keeps that mask on, it will kill him eventually. But does that mean he only has a few months left? Years? What does this mean for him?

"I'm going off a comment he made, but it seems to fit well enough. I'd also like to take him to Topaz Falls for further evaluation. I'll share whatever findings I make as soon as possible. In the meantime, I think it would be best if we kept this to ourselves. Until we know what's going on here, this was just an alchemic mishap. Steel Focii received burns and was sent to a specialist in a different town."

"Of course," Celestia says, shocking me, "I'll gather all of the present guards and personal involved to ensure their silence. Come back as soon as you have any new information." He nods and leaves quickly, putting his helmet back on as he does so. Celestia tries to leave as well, but I step in front of her to have a word.

"Tia, I have a bad feeling about this," I tell her quietly. "If what Miles is assuming is accurate, and it really seems so, we cannot allow this to exist!"

"Why not?" she asks coldly. I blanch from her question.

"Why not? Tia, this is too much power for the average pony to bear! And with a cost of their life, why would we allow our subjects to throw their lives away? It isn't right!" She seems to smirk at this, giving me an uneasy feeling.

"Luna, with everything going on right now, what is right may not be an option. I understand where you are coming from, I do! But... if worse comes to worse, this may be the edge we need." I take a step away from her, having a hard time believing she actually said it.

"Tia, you are talking about using the lives of our subjects to win a war! This isn't you Tia! Where is this coming from?" She frowns at that, narrowing her eyes at me. But I don't let her intimidate me. I stand my ground, standing by my claim.

"Luna, this is coming from me. This is me. I'm not saying there is going to be a war. I'm not saying that I am not going to do everything in my power to stop a war from happening either. What I am saying is that if all else fails, I want to make sure that we have every advantage possible."

"But this isn't the way we do things Celestia! This is too much power for an average pony to bear! What if they turn against us? What would we do if we made a pony have enough power to destroy everything we care deeply for? Is the reward worth the risk? Is this a burden we can share so easily? Are their lives so meaningless that we could just use them so callously-?"

"Could we allow a tyrant to rule over our people and banish them to the shadow realm? We tried to fight the right way and looked what happened. Could we allow a demon to walk the earth and turn reality upside down? No. And we had to use a special tool that we had little to no understanding to do so. Could we watch and mentor a little filly so she could one day reach her potential and reform her sister? A sister that she couldn't save because she didn't know what was going on! A sister that she had to send to the moon for a thousand years of solitude, and resentment, and sorrow, and hatred! Luna, I love you. You are my sister and I would do anything for you. But you lack the vision of the big picture. This is our next tool. Our next pawn. Like, dislike, I don't care which side you take. All I care is that you make use of your tools as effectively as possible."

She brushes past me and heads to the door. I don't stop her. I don't say anything. What could I say. She has valid points, though I do not agree with most of them. When I returned she told me things were different. I guess I always knew what she meant by that. She opens the door for a moment before shutting it again, having one last thing to say apparently.

"These are the choices of a leader Luna. They aren't always easy, and you may not always want to make them, but it is your responsibility to do so. Ponies will get mad regardless of the choice you make. But if there is a problem, you must make a choice. Even if that choice is to do nothing, you have to stand by your choices for the rest of your life. This is why I should lead the army, not you."

"Do not lecture me on living with the choices you have made. You know full well what I carry with me!" I bark back, turning to glare back at her. "And do not down play my call for caution as a sign of weakness, sister! It was not I who argued against Starswirl from receiving the Elements! And it wasn't me who turned away from him in the end." She doesn't say anything at first. She simply stares back at me, thinking to herself. I stare back at her, knowing what I have said and the pain behind it.

"I think I'll call them the Praetorian Guard, in honor of the story you told just before they were made." With that, she leaves the room. I stand in the center of the room in silence. I've known Celestia to be... many things. But this is an entirely new side of her. Seeing it now, I guess it's always been there. I guess I always knew it was there too. I guess, in my mind, Celestia was always too good to act on those kind of thoughts. But I can tell now that those were the thoughts of a foolish little filly, looking up to her big sister in a perfect light. But now the light's gone, and I can see her for what she really is.

I guess it's time to grow up.

---

Just before I enter the medical ward I pause and pull out my phone. I go back to the photo of the enchantment and examine it again. I've always heard of spoken spells, but I never imagined they would be this powerful. Setting the enchantment off in front of the door was foolhardy and reckless, but it played out perfectly. I don't have to guess and I don't have to risk myself either. I have a live specimen to study. But is this something that needs to exist in mass? I don't know. I don't know if I'm the right person to even ask that question either.

I hear some footsteps coming from down the hall and make a quick decision. I email the picture to myself and delete the photo. As it stands now, this needs to remain classified for as long as possible. Luckily enough, Luna and Celestia agreed with me on that. No one should question me on this. And if I can get him to Topaz without alerting anyone else, I'll be set. With that in mind, I see another obstacle at hand. Those that saw him already.

I know how this castle works. Rumors are already making their way around. If I don't nip it in the bud now, there's no telling how quickly it will make its way outside these walls. We need this to stay quiet, and I only see one way to achieve that. I dial a special number and walk to a corner where I can have a moment of privacy. It takes a moment to connect, but when I get there I start to enter my authorization codes.

"Crypteia, zero-zero, Helots, Agiads, Torto, Evito. Target, Canterlot Castle. Update chat log. Explosion, guard, mask, power. Keep me informed and tag all those that fulfill the profile."

Next Chapter: Chapter 243 Squad Goals Estimated time remaining: 10 Hours, 55 Minutes