For a time, Tercio saw and felt nothing. Then, like a haze, an image came before him. It snapped into view a mere moment later, where Celestia's eyes were cast down at a scroll. It was a simple thing, a letter from a citizen asking if she and Luna would like to attend a formal event that was being held in the newly-completed amphitheater in Marestopholous. He could see the familiar sparkle of the regally detailed double doors at the end of a long, opulent space, which could only mean that this memory was from a different place entirely -- the throne room.

A stallion approached the dais, clad in glinting steel with a purple crest atop his helm. He was a strong, stocky figure with an air of youth about him, his earthy coat and mane looking plain in comparison. He saluted smartly and stood at rigid attention.

"Princess Celestia, Your Highness," he said reverently.

"Decanus Stonewall, it is a pleasure to see you again. How goes your Praetorian training?"

"It is challenging, but I am committed. On my word, I will not let you nor your sister down, honored be Her name."

Celestia giggled. "At ease, Decanus. We are not so formal as the Equestrian Guard here."

Stonewall was plainly bewildered. It was a look Tercio remembered only too well from his early days.

"Y-Yes, Princess. As you say." He cleared his throat and continued. "I come to you with an urgent message from Imperator Flastius of the 7th Equestrian Guard regiment. He says his stallions were on a patrol when they happened upon a 'strange place'." Stonewall produced a map from a saddlebag and unfurled it, a small area circled in purple ink marked just east of where Whitetail and Equestria's borders met, known as the Tumbling Expanse. Equestrian text could be seen on the other side of the parchment as he read aloud. "Let's see here...Flastius claims that he could feel a great deal of magical energy emanating from it, which was confirmed by three other unicorns in his detachment. They went to investigate and found a relatively small encampment of deer. Whitetail, from the sound of it, but they were not wearing quinn-plate as their soldiers would. Upon their discovery the deerfolk attacked Flastius and his stallions. Two were killed and five were wounded before they ran off into the forest, leaving behind a collection of strange items. He has requested your presence as soon as possible, stating that the arcane forces at work are far beyond his comprehension. Nothing further follows."

Celestia took the map and examined it closely, furrowing her brow at the small strip of unclaimed territory. "Did the Imperator describe what this place looked like, or what it contained?"

Stonewall shook his head. "No, Your Majesty, I'm afraid he did not."

"I wonder...excuse me, Stonewall." Celestia rose from her dais and made the short walk down the hall to the royal chambers. Luna was sitting on her bed, deep into a stack of scrolls. She did not look up, though her ears did perk at the sound of Celestia's approach.

"Sister," she said plainly. "Tis a day of toil and planning, for the beginning of the Great Sowing is nearly upon us. We are quite busy."

"I'm sorry to interrupt, Luna, but I have something you might want to see." The scroll floated to Luna, who grabbed it from the air with her own magic. "Decanus Stonewall, one of the new Praetorians, brought this to my attention. It's addressed from Imperator Flastius."

Luna nodded. "A good soldier would not waste time with frivolities, and Flastius is certainly that. Very well, then." Luna read the note to herself, flipping the map over several times as she did. "A place of great power? This sounds like..."

"A ley line?" Celestia finished for her.

"Yes," Luna said wearily. "Forgive us -- apologies, me -- but I was under the impression that we had discovered all of them within the last two centuries. Our scouts have been through the Tumbling Expanse many times. It does not make sense."

"That's what I was thinking. From the sound of things these aren't Whitetail regulars, so it's unlikely there will be any continued resistance, but if Whitetail finds out about this new font of power they could reignite the war with their redtail neighbors. Or worse."

From the look Luna gave her, it was clear that she knew exactly what her sister meant. "Chancellor Artellus is ambitious. Hopefully he is not so ambitious as to spill blood for it. Do we know if he has learned of its existence?"

"I couldn't say," Celestia answered. "Considering Whitetail has never formally recognized what happened two hundred years ago, much less apologized for it..."

Luna rolled the scroll up and stood before her sister, shorter in stature but no less confident or regal. "Right. It is in the best interests of our nation, and others, to find this ley line and neutralize its properties. We shall venture forth and see to it that Equestria remains safe." She passed the scroll back to Celestia. "Tell the pegasi we will require use of the sky carriage shortly. I must don my armor for the first time in many years."

Celestia winced at the memory of the last time they suited up for combat. It had been something she'd tried to forget, but knew she never could. She was not eager to repeat it. "Stonewall says it's already been evacuated. There's no need to arm yourself."

Luna laughed to herself bemusedly as she withdrew a long box from under her bed. "There is always a need to be prepared, Celestia. Now go. We will make haste to the Tumbling Expanse."

Craggy rocks and jutting stone formations made navigation a complicated task for even the most adept of flyers. Land wrong, and one was likely to break a leg or cause a rock slide. The dense outcroppings of the Tumbling Expanse were the epitome of harsh terrain, a virtual labyrinth of ancient paths obscured by time and weather that had rendered it nigh impassable. Yet somewhere down there, in its stone corridors, a powerful place of worldly magic had sprung into being -- and the whitetail had found it first.

The royal sky carriage bumped and jostled as the pegasus guards set down on the rough surface, a small retinue of Praetorians disembarking from a nearby escort wagon to check the area for threats. Finding none, they waved to the stallion in charge and took their places in a standard formation.

Celestia and Luna stepped out of the carriage, both dressed in their armor that had tarnished with disuse, and returned the salute from Imperator Frostbark, an older, experienced unicorn with a sky-blue coat and a mane of snow that was now run through with streaks of grey.

"This place is rich with magic," Luna said confidently. "Do you feel it, sister?"

"I've felt it since we approached. There is definitely something here. Whether it is a ley line or not, I cannot say, but I imagine we'll soon find out." The royal sisters' manes and tails seemed to sparkle vigorously in this place, and even when they were standing idle a faint glow of magic could be seen radiating from their horns.

"It is...intoxicating in its power." Luna took a deep breath and let it flow through her. "If only we could harness it. Control it."

"Some things are beyond even us. Be careful with that line of thinking, Luna." Celestia produced the map from Imperator Flastius from a pouch around her neck and studied it closely. "We appear to be just west of these spires. If we head north by northeast we should come across this place of interest within the hour." Satisfied, she replaced the map and spoke to the Imperator near the carriage. "Frostbark, if you would?"

"It would be my pleasure, Princess," the stallion replied. He stood on his hind legs and circled his hoof in the air with a shrill whistle. "Form up on me! Avarius, Shadetree, you've got the left flank! Slate and Westwind, you're on the right!" He pointed to the largest formation of soldiers, numbering just under a dozen. "You new pups take the rear. Decanus Stonewall, I'm placing you in charge of your fellow milk-drinkers. Try not to fall on your own blade."

"Sir!" Stonewall answered smartly.

"Right, then, that's everyone," the Centurion said, satisfied with his stallions. "Lead the way, Your Highnesses."

The trek to the newly-found ley line proved to be free of conflict, but no less exciting for it. For the first time in many years a place of immense power had been unearthed, and its effects could be felt by everyone as they neared its source, unicorn or not. The air was charged with energy that sparked like pink and purple streamers of electricity. For nearly an hour they walked -- though from Tercio's dream-like point of view it felt like an instant -- before finally coming upon a long, gradual ramp that had been carved out of the jagged rock face. Spots and trails of dried blood marred its pristine beauty, a reminder of the Legion's actions against Whitetail's continued meddling with forces beyond their control.

"I do hope the Chancellor is not responsible for this," Celestia said as she followed her guards down the path.

"Whitetail continues to ply these beacons of magic, yet you do not believe him responsible? I do not know whether you are being optimistic or ignorant," Luna replied. "Still, it is not entirely beyond the realm of possibility that some faction within their borders seeks to exploit this place for their own gain. The deerfolk are nothing if not complicated." She gave her sister a stern look. "You remember what happened the last time they found a ley line. We must prepare ourselves to do what is necessary."

The rocky ramp dipped into a small entrance chamber. A Praetorian pulled a torch from his pack, lit it with a flash of magic, and carefully stepped into the chamber beyond. Once he gave the all-clear signal, the princesses followed him in. What they saw nearly took their breaths away.

The entire cave, from top to bottom, was covered in a sheen of incredibly delicate crystals, like a blanket of freshly fallen snow that twinkled in a display that made the night sky look bland by comparison. Larger hexagonal crystals jutted from the walls, glowing faintly with internal magic. Its expanse was at least as large as the Canterlot throne room, if not bigger.

Here the whitetail had made their camp, a collection of tents and burnt-out torches dotting the cavern that had been left in a fit of panic as the Equestrians had stumbled upon it. Pots of cold stew and flasks of water still sat out on small, round tables.

"Stay on alert. We may not be alone here," Frostbark cautioned, keeping his short sword at his side. Celestia and Luna wandered the area together, tiny crystals crunching under their armored shoes, picking through discarded supplies for anything of note. Incomplete letters to home, cooking utensils, bags of vegetables and breads -- nothing useful was to be found.

"Perhaps the deer were merely conducting research into this place's power," Luna suggested as she overturned a bowl of grains, sniffing them cautiously before trotting away with a shrug. "Our own would do the same."

"They were willing to fight for it, there has to be something more here," Celestia said. "Cervidae is making a lot of noise again, threatening to take back their lands by force if Whitetail doesn't give them up. This could be exactly what Whitetail needs to stave off another incursion by their neighbors."

Luna scoffed at the idea. "Empress Maelanynn would be wise to avoid provoking another war. I fear her children may inherit her conflict if she is not careful."

"Elinwynn and Corvalix are too young to be concerned with such things."

"I recall you saying the same for Melanynn when she was just a fawn," Luna reminded her. "Look at her now, advancing into the Northern Lands to 'reunite' the factions under threat of blade and shield. Mark my words, sister, her children will be no different."

A soldier called out from across the cave. "Your Highnesses, we may have found something. You should take a look." Intrigued, Celestia and Luna joined the veteran Praetorian near a long, low wall that met the cave ceiling in a gradual curve. "The floor here has been well-trodden, but stops abruptly. Perhaps a hidden door of some kind?"

"It's certainly possible," Celestia said. She stuck out a hoof and narrowed her brow in concentration. "It's hard to say. This entire place radiates magic. It could be a false lead, something to throw us off. Or perhaps--"

"No," Luna interrupted, stepping forward. "There is something beyond this facade. I can feel it."

"Are you certain? I can't make out anything."

"Open your mind, Celestia. What lies in wait for us is dark magic. I have felt its presence since I arrived, albeit faintly. Only now does it reveal itself. I suggest you prepare yourself for what lies beyond."

The Praetorians took Luna's warning to heart, quickly forming a barrier between the royal sisters and the unassuming crystalline wall. Celestia stepped aside and let Luna take the lead as she prodded with her mind, feeling the tiny changes in the arcane forces around her. There was a barrier in place, of that she was certain -- she just had to find it.

"Here," Luna said. A thin streak of dark blue magic traced out along the wall and formed the outline of a rough entrance way. "I may require your assistance to dispel it." Celestia nodded and stood by Luna's side, and together they dipped their heads and set their long horns against the wall. Dual points of light filled the cave with countless reflections, fading slowly as the magical barrier shimmered and disappeared to reveal a long, dark tunnel carved out of the rock.

"We'll go in first," Imperator Frostbark said without waiting for orders. The tip of his horn glowed a silvery white, gradually disappearing as he and his soldiers worked their way forward. Celestia waited nervously for the all-clear, listening intently for Frostbark's voice, when she heard something entirely different. She perked her ears at the sound, taking a step forward and tilting her head. It was faint, but it was there.

"Luna," she said, "do you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Luna asked.

Forstbark's voice sounded from the expanse. "There's something alive down here! Sounds like a foal!"

The sisters looked at each other in surprise, then quickly followed the cold, cramped tunnel until it emptied into a larger chamber that had been carved out of the glinting rock. Pools of crystal clear water had collected on the floor, mired by the detritus of the whitetails' hasty departure; broken torch sconces, bits of food stores, and the shattered remains of long, emerald colored crystals . Whatever had taken place here, the deer had done their best to deny any real information to the Equestrians.

Celestia stopped in her tracks as a tiny, helpless voice cried out from somewhere, its wails echoing around her. "Just ahead," she told her soldiers and broke into a gallop. Luna quickly ran up beside her.

"What is a foal doing here?" she asked.

"I don't know, but we're going to get it out of this place."

They skidded to a sudden halt on the slick, rocky surface as an immense wall of pain pulsed through them, sending them sprawling with a clattering of armor. Celestia shouted in sudden agony and flung herself back with a panicked flap of her wings, coming to rest in the midst of the Praetorians.

"Princess! Are you alright?" Frostbark ran up to her, a murmur of surprise spreading amongst the gathered soldiers.

"Get...get Luna away from there!" Celestia ordered as a pain like a terrible headache threatened to render her unconscious. Luna's incoherent yells of torment continued unabated, the normally composed princess reduced to writhing on the ground and twisting with unseen pain.

"You heard her, everyone move!" As one the Praetorians rushed to her aid, only to have a third of their number, unicorns to the last, drop as if they'd been felled by invisible blades. The pegasi and earth ponies carried on, pulling Princess Luna back to her sister, then saw to their own. "No magic users past me from this point on! Westwind, make sure the unicorns get water. They'll be alright if they stay back." Frostbark looked to Celestia, who nodded to show that Luna was fine. "I don't know what's going on here, but it's obvious there's far more power than even the princesses can handle. I don't think I need to tell the rest of you that it's probably not a good idea to try your luck. Stonewall!"

"Sir!" Stonewall answered quickly.

"You wanna prove yourself as one of us? Then find out what's causing this, and locate that foal."

"Yes, sir!" He turned to his fellow recruits. "I need six of you to come with me."

As the soldiers gathered around the young Decanus, Celestia slowly rose to her hooves and tried to float a small roll of cloth from her saddlebags. Her horn sparked, and a jolt of magic sent a fresh dagger of pain down her body before she decided it was of no use. Instead, she unclasped the bag with one of her wings and bumped the underside, sending the wrappings up and over the top, where she caught them in her hoof. A quick pull from her teeth tore off a small length of the coarse fabric, and she bent down to press it against Luna's bleeding muzzle.

"That was most unpleasant," Luna grumbled. "I believe we may have found the ley line's source. Do you fare well, sister?"

"I'm fine. I've never felt raw power like this before, at least not from a natural source."

"Then perhaps it is not natural," she suggested. A detachment of Praetorians were cautiously approaching the far wall of the chamber, where a stream had carved a narrow tunnel leading back to the source of the young voice. In the dim light the echoing cries made Celestia's coat stand on end, haunting and strange as they were.

"What do you make of this?" one of the Praetorians asked over his shoulder as he held up a torch to the wall. The slick, brown rock appeared to have been twisted and melted in a roughly circular shape, spiraling like a whirlpool, its center jagged and out of place. Faint swirls of arcane afterglow faded and pulsed just under its surface.

Celestia craned her neck and squinted, but it was too far away to be sure. "I can't say. It certainly looks like the after-effect of a powerful spell, though. If I had to guess, I'd say this is what the whitetail were after. How they managed to get so close to the source of such magic is anyone's guess."

"Right, we'll continue on," Stonewall said. One by one the soldiers squeezed into the darkness beyond, the splashes of their steps getting further and quieter.

"Vile whitetail," Luna said. "Do the depths of their depravities know no bounds? Ever since their civil war they have been a thorn in the side of Equestria, causing naught but bloodshed at every available opportunity. Remind me again why we maintain a facade of good relations with them?"

"Because you know as well as I do that the situation with Whitetail is complicated at best," Celestia answered. "If it's not the Chancellor throwing his coin around to buy loyalty, it's splinter factions of the military insisting on revisiting the glory of centuries past. Even if it means causing harm for those who have no say in the matter, whitetail or otherwise."

Luna gave her a look that said she remembered all too well what the whitetail were capable of. Two hundred years though it may have been, the memories of that dark time were as clear as if they had just happened.

Celestia put on her confident composure and approached the massed Praetorians who were leaning against columns of smooth stone, some of them still rubbing their heads in lingering pain. Imperator Frostbark was seeing to a unicorn whose horn had become blackened near the tip; occasionally a spark of magic would ignite from its length, and the unfortunate stallion would reel back with a gritting of his teeth.

"Are they alright?" she asked in concern. Frostbark finished applying a damp cloth to the soldier's head and stood.

"They'll live. Head pains and sensitive horns to the last, some with involuntary magic bursts. Strangest thing I've ever seen -- but then, I'm no apothecary." He rubbed his chin and said, "something feels wrong about this place, Princess. I've heard of these 'ley lines' before, but I can't recall any reports mentioning magical overloads. I don't suppose you'd know anything?"

"I'm afraid not. I've visited my share of them over the years, but this is different," Celestia said.

"Hmm. Let's hope Stonewall and his charges find what we're looking for. The sooner we can get that poor foal and ourselves out of here, the better."

It took several minutes for the distant cries to cease. There was rampant speculation by the stallions about what the whitetail could have been doing to the unfortunate foal -- if it was even a foal at all. Some said it was a fawn, and that the deer had been experimenting on their own.

They didn't have to wait long to find out. Stonewall's squad returned in short order, a squirming bundle wrapped in cloth peaking over his saddlebag. Those that followed him had looks of confusion, even terror.

"Your Highnesses, we found the child, but..."

"But what?" Celestia asked, quickly trotting over with Luna at her side.

"But...it's not a foal. Or a fawn. I don't know what it is."

Celestia's stomach twisted as she carefully pulled the wrappings from the child's face. Somehow she'd known since the moment they'd first heard its wails. The whitetail, the ley line, the warning of dark magic by Luna, it had all pointed to one inevitable truth that she'd done her best to deny -- another human had been pulled from its distant world, this one barely old enough to keep its eyes open.

"A human?" Luna said in disbelief. "Then it is as I feared."

"Oh, you poor thing," Celestia said to the child, gently placing a hoof against its cradled head. The child opened its eyes and looked up at her, and in that moment a tendril of black magic appeared in its eyes. She jumped at the sound of Luna quickly drawing her blade from its sheathe, turning just in time to see its sharp point floating menacingly mere inches from her face.

"Step aside, Celestia," Luna demanded. Celestia stood in front of the human child, and ordered a very confused Stonewall to stay back.

"What are you doing? Put that away!"

"I am putting an end to this before we repeat the events of two centuries past. Now move, or I shall be forced to move you." Luna glared at her with an anger she hadn't seen in years. Her starry mane and tail had begun to change, ever so slightly, into the pure darkness of midnight.

"He's a child, Luna! He's of no threat to anyone! You're being ridic--"

"He is a child for now, dearest sister, but you've seen what he will become. I cannot and will not stand by and wait for it to become yet another mindless instrument of death. It is in our best interests, as well as that of the child, if we grant it the mercy of a swift death before it can lose itself to whatever foul influences the whitetail have placed upon it. Or have you forgotten the slaughter it brought upon Equestria last time?"

Celestia's mouth was agape at her sister's words. "Listen to yourself! You're advocating the murder of a creature not even old enough to stand on its own! Stand down, Luna, and do what is right." She knew that all eyes were on her, even as the chamber went utterly silent except for the royal sisters' arguing. "We can help him, find him a home. Doesn't he deserve a chance at a decent life?" Luna said nothing in return. "This is not our way. Lower your weapon, and show these stallions that the ideals of Equestria live within you."

For a tense moment Luna kept her sword floating with its point aimed directly at Celestia. Then, with a curse of resignation and anger, she placed it back into its sheathe as Celestia, along with her guards, breathed a sigh of relief.

"This is a mistake," Luna insisted. "You condemn this land to death untold once more, and I will have no part of it. He is dangerous, sister. One day you will see that, but I fear it will be too late. Do not come to me with your mewling when that day arrives."

As Luna trotted off to return to the sky carriage, Celestia turned to her soldiers and let out a sigh. "As of this moment you are all sworn to secrecy. No living soul is to learn of what has transpired here today. Understood?"

"Yes, Princess," they answered as one.

"Thank you. I hate to ask such a thing of you, but I'm sure you can understand this is a difficult situation, to say the least. And please, do not think less of Princess Luna for her actions. She simply has a different view of things."

Stonewall motioned to the restless child in his saddlebag. "What would you have us do with this...hairless ape-creature?"

"Human," Celestia corrected him. Stonewall didn't prod further. "We'll return to Canterlot to make sure he's healthy. I believe I know somepony who would be willing to take in such a unique child, one of the kindest souls I know. I may require use of the pegasi again to find her."

"Give us the word," Imperator Frostbark said.

"After that, I believe a discussion is in order with Chancellor Artellus on the morrow. He has a lot to answer for." Celestia looked to the distorted far wall of the chamber with disgust, her head still throbbing with the remnants of powerful, dark magic, and turned to the young human. "Come, little one. Let's get you away from here."