"It's not supposed to do this, oh fuck." Lenar mumbled as he faded in in front of Mac. He was trying to stop his own bleeding as best as he could, but it didn't seem to be helping very much. Mac looked at the puddle of blood and cringed, stepping away from it as it rolled across the floor. He looked out the window in an attempt to gage how far back the vision had gone by taking him back here. Just after Zecora had left, he presumed.

A zebra guard entered and dropped his weapon to the ground, sprinting over and pulling some bandages from a pack attached to his leg. He got to work, the bandage soaking through rather quickly. He tightened it, a loud groan from Lenar letting Mac know it was quite snug, before he began putting pressure on both wounds at once. Several more guards poured inside, disappearing through the various doors and down the hallways. They started to filter back out moments later, lining up on either side of the room. Minutes passed, the sounds of chaos outside the front door and the window still clearly evident. Lenar continued to writhe on the floor, now under the care of multiple zebras. They didn't look too concerned, which Mac took as an indicator that Lenar would be okay.

"Make way!" One yelled from outside the door, and a couple zebras walked in, looking regal. All around the room dropped their heads.

"Son!" The one in front exclaimed, taking a half step towards Lenar before deciding he probably shouldn't get in the way of the medics.

"Dad." Lenar replied, twitching as one of the zebras pressed on his wound.

"How is he?" He asked.

"He'll live." A zebra replied. The duke nodded thoughtfully, his attention eventually turning to the writing on the wall. He turned white. Mac followed his gaze, looking at Zecora's work.

I will not allow you to harm my children, Intus. Mac grinned. So that's how they'd played it off. They knew that the duke had killed Zecora's mother, so what better way to distract him than reminding him of that and insinuating that she was still around. Witchcraft seemed mystical enough, who said it wasn't possible?

"Mere trickery pulled off by her other daughter." The second regal one said, probably an advisor or something. Maybe a bodyguard.

"That's not what-" Lenar tried to sit up, before he was pushed back down. "-I saw." He let out a heavy breath. "I posted a guard by her in case she tried anything, but last time I checked she was still there."

The duke looked worried. "Send someone to check. What of the witch?"

"We lost her in the chaos, my lord, but I'm sure she's been found by now."

"She better be." He mumbled back, staring at the wall. "I'll be in the keep if you need me. Lenar, see me when you're not in dire straits. You! Get a blood kit and some bags in case he needs any! If my son dies I'll have all your heads." He voice wavered slightly toward the end of the sentence, though Mac didn't need any more indication to know he was scared out of his wits. Both for his own life and his son's, it seemed. Zecora's mother may have been his greatest fear, judging by the way that he reacted.

They bandaged him up for a while as Mac sat and thought. At least if this was moving more quickly than reality he had extra time to think. Though he supposed he wouldn't have much to think about if he wasn't in this mess in the first place. "Why am Ah stuck here, anyway?" He asked out loud, shaking his head.

"And here I thought you were mute." A voice said, as if it was right next to him. Nopony reacted, and honestly Mac couldn't say he was very surprised at this point. He still jumped for good measure.

"So you're the vambrace, then?" He asked after quickly piecing it together in his head.

"I have other names, but yes, I suppose I am."

"Why are you doing this to me?"

Mac heard chuckling echo through the building. "I'm not doing anything, you did this to yourself. Subconsciously, at least."

"So it was the sensing then. Zecora knew I would react like this."

"Mhm." It confirmed. "Nice to meet you by the way. I remember feeling you in the woods a bit ago. First time I've got a good reading on Zecora in years as well." Mac caught what almost sounded like excitement in his voice.

"So this is the story of your life?"

There was a pause. "I suppose, in a way."

"Which one are you?" Mac asked.

"I'm not giving away my own life story. That wouldn't be very fun." He replied. "Besides, I'm needed elsewhere."

Mac's eyes shot wide open. "Is Zecora using you? What's she planning?"

"I guess I'll find out." It replied, disappearing like a gust of wind. The world shifted again and they were back under the willow tree overlooking the city.

"I'll be okay, Zecora." A battered Tena said to her worried sister, shifting her bulging saddlebags. "It's like a day's walk, and Lenar's got a place for me to stay."

"Thank god you have connections, Lenar." Zecora mumbled, hugging her sister tightly enough to inhibit her breathing. Mac watched the trio say their tearful goodbyes, even the stitched up Lenar managing to shed one or two.

"Now lay low, okay?" Lenar said pointedly, without any softness whatsoever. "You're more free to practice witchcraft where you're going, but don't do anything that can be seen in any way as dangerous. If you make a name for yourself, they might hear of you here, and it's well within their power to extradite you for trial. You're a new zebra from now on."

"I can safely say I've learned my lesson." Tena responded, nodding. "I'm staying away from that stuff until I know it's safe. Maybe for when you're in power." She finished, winking at him. Then she turned and walked off, turning only a few steps away to force them to promise her that they would visit.

Mac watched her disappear over the hills in the distance as the two stood in silence. "She'll be fine, Zecora." Lenar said, patting her on the shoulder. A trade caravan's going that same route later today. If something horrible happens, they'll bring her the rest of the way."

More silence.

"I can't believe that ended well." Zecora mumbled. "I just can't believe it."

"I'm still a little shocked myself." Lenar replied.

"You did all this... took all these risks..." Zecora continued to mumble. "I love you so much."

"Aww, well I-" He stopped as her lips smooshed against his, surprised for a moment by the sudden turnaround. He wrapped a hoof around the back of Zecora's head, pulling her closer.

"You know," Zecora began, "there's something couples tend to do with each other when good things happen."

"We're couples." Lenar mentioned between kisses he was planting all over her fur. Mac felt his face heat up.

Zecora laughed, nuzzling him back. "I know a perfect spot."

"Yeah, I know a few as well." Lenar shot back, the double entendre earning him a roll of Mac's eyes, even as he wrote down the dumb joke in the back of his head for later. He let them move away into the trees, not particularly wishing to hear everything else that went on. As luck would have it, the world changed again.

Mac was in an ornate room now, but he wasn't sure where exactly. Peering out the window, he assumed that it was the same place Lenar had thrown bread from. Or the same building, anyway. That part of ground didn't look the same. He couldn't make much sense of why Lenar had seemed to grow up in a regular-ish house. Maybe it was to seem more relatable to the people. Mac could see how the current duke had a lot of leadership capacity, even if he seemed distant. Minus the anti-witchcraft thing and possibly murder. But assuming Lenar's narrative was correct, the duke was just being manipulated. Not really guilty to the same degree at all.

Mac looked around, finding a simple table with just the duke and Lenar, eating a meal that seemed a little below their stature. Mac wasn't entirely surprised that they seemed like the type to not live the good life just because they could.

"You look distracted." The duke mentioned, gesturing at Lenar's mostly untouched food.

"I'm just thinking." Lenar said, who looked very similar in age. Mac had to guess that he was probably only a little shy of twenty by now, though Zebras presumably aged at least slightly differently from ponies, so Mac supposed he could be a little younger or older.

"What about?" His father asked back.

Mac was sure whatever he was thinking about couldn't be mentioned. "All the stuff I need to learn before I take over."

The duke chuckled. "Well then you'll be happy to know I've got some stuff scheduled with my advisors to do just that. I'm sure I'll start to go grey the day that that happens, but I guess you're right. That should start next week, if you still want to go through with it."

"Oh, nice!" Lenar exclaimed.

"I figured you'd like that." He responded. "But don't try to grow up too fast, alright? You'll miss these days when you're like me and something's always stressing you out."

"Oh yeah, how'd the negotiations go with the king?"

"They're getting worse." He complained. "Not because of the king entirely, the other nobles are a thorn in my side every step in the way. But we're populous here as well as strategic, and we're one of the few cities with fortifications like these. But one day they may not make a difference. The artillery they showed off in the capitol seems dangerous mostly to infantry. I suppose war exists to shake things up, though, so it wouldn't surprise me if we have to change. We'll have to see what they do with such a technology."

Lenar nodded. A long silence ensued.

"So my advisor says he has a possible lead on where Linta is." Intus said to Lenar.

"That's good. Don't need her stabbing any more shoulders." Lenar replied, eating a small tomato. So that was the name of Zecora's mother, then. It appeared their plan had held together quite nicely.

"I'd still like to ask her how she feigned her death, as I must say I'm quite interested." He replied. "But someone as dangerous as her, responsible for such things..." His voice wavered. "And capable of so much... I must admit I'm worried."

"You've been worried since you found out, dad. You mustn't let yourself be so stressed all the time. It's not good for you."

"How can I not be, when she killed your brother? Took him from me all those years ago." Lenar nodded. "I don't know what her goal is now. I would've thought that she would kill you as well, but here you are. I think she may have taken some of your blood, which my advisor says could be used to get at anyone in our family tree with a little work."

"And how does he know that?" Lenar asked. Mac watched the king, who didn't flinch.

"I instruct him to read the books we confiscate so that we know better what to watch out for."

"And that doesn't worry you?" Lenar queried. "If anyone reads one of those books, you assume they're involved in witchcraft. But he has free reign. That sounds dangerous to me."

"Watch your mouth." He shot back. "I believe I know how to choose my leadership."

Lenar crossed his arms, staring.

The duke sighed. "You'll understand, someday."

"Maybe." Lenar replied, wiping his mouth and getting up from the table angrily. "I'm taking a walk."

"So that's what you think?" Zecora asked. "He killed my mother?"

"No, it's what I postulated." Lenar replied. "I already assumed it was one of his advisors, but I didn't know which. I don't see much of what goes on behind those doors."

"I'm surprised how isolated your dad keeps you from this stuff."

"He says it's not something he wants to do because it makes him feel old. I told him something might happen and he sort of capitulated, but it doesn't start until next week. I could tell you all about how to fight, dress, act and the list goes on. Not how to deal with the bureaucracy. I love him and all, even with how stubborn he can be, but I wish he'd see what I mean."

"Well either way it's great that we have a lead, but assuming we ID the guy, what are we going to do, kill him?"

"I figured we'd just find out a way to expose his witchcraft to my dad. That'd either get him banished or hung, almost definitely the latter." Lenar shrugged. "I worry that he may grow aware of this and try to keep us from outing him." He reached into his saddlebag, removing an few old books and setting them on the ground in front of her. "So I grabbed these."

Zecora stared at them in disbelief. "You want me to learn witchcraft?" Lenar nodded. "Nonono, I'm not getting involved in that."

"Zecora, we need to be prepared. This guy is dangerous, and he knows exactly who you are. Besides, you're a natural."

"Look, I may have made stuff with my mom, but that was over a decade ago!" Zecora protested. "And what if they find this stuff?"

"They won't. I picked up a night shift of guarding, and we'll meet then. I'll watch out for others, and you can just focus on learning. But you should totally teach me a few cool tricks if you can."

Zecora sighed. "Fine. But this isn't going to be that fast, even if I am good at it. Then we're going to have to wait for an opportunity anyway."

"Well I have some time, so we may as well get started."

When Lenar got back the moon was high in the sky, his eyes drooping. He stumbled in the door, grabbing some food to munch on from the pantry. He knocked over something in the process, cringing with the amount of noise it made. He didn't need to be sneaky; his dad didn't usually care, but he didn't want to just wake him up for no reason. But when he walked back into the kitchen with his food, no one was there. Usually his dad was standing in a doorway staring. Huh, well he must've had a late night too. Or maybe he was waiting in a different doorway.

Lenar walked by his bedroom door on the way to his own bed, stopping to look inside. He didn't immediately see his father in the bed, so he pushed the door open a little more. It creaked like mad, and Lenar rolled his eyes. There he was, in bed. Not out doing something. Not that he really cared, but anything about his schedule Lenar could learn at this point could be useful later.

"Dad." He called, wondering what had put him in such a deep sleep. He pushed against his shoulder, moving him but not waking him. The slight grin disappeared immediately from Lenar's face. "Old man, wake up!" He yelled, shoving him roughly with his hooves. He was breathing faintly. "Hey! Help!" He looked around frantically before sprinting out of the room and down the hallway. Lenar shouldered his way through the maid's door, pulling her out of bed and shaking her awake.

"Lenar, what are you doing?!" She yelled, looking somewhat relieved when he set her down on her hooves.

"Something's wrong with dad, and I need you to do whatever you need to do while I get help."

"Okay, go!"

Lenar didn't think twice, sprinting from the room and down the hall. Mac had trouble keeping up with him as they burst through the front door and across a plaza. A minute or so later Lenar was at the front of a building that Mac assumed was a hospital. He barreled into the lobby, letting the secretary know what was going on. Lenar left, running back towards the house. He quickly assumed a place next to his father before help could arrive, but looked unsure of what to do. He eventually settled on gripping a hoof, the maid continuing to look the duke over.

"What's wrong w-with him?" Lenar asked, getting choked up.

"I can't say for sure, but it's serious. Could be a stroke."

"How could he have a stroke? He's not even that old!"

"Lenar, just stay calm. Did you come straight to me after finding him like this?"

"Yeah." He replied. "B-but I don't know how long it's been since it happened."

"Well they'll have blood thinner, so let's just assume that you found him moments later." She paused. "You're not blaming this on yourself, are you?"

Lenar did a half shrug, a tear making its way down his muzzle. "I don't know what to think right now. I feel like I'm dreaming."

"Well just make sure you do what you can if anyone needs it." She responded. "We can't have you getting glossy eyed now."

Doctors streamed in a few minutes later and Lenar moved outside, his head cradled in his hooves as he sat up against a wall. Mac knew how he felt, with the sadness and loss, but with the haunting realization that there was nopony to tell you what to do or how to do it. Lenar looked lost, heir to a throne he knew very little about.

The vambrace sped up its vision, skipping between events in a sort of montage. Lenar was in what Mac assumed was a war room, then a court, out in the forest with Zecora, giving a speech, speaking with the bureaucracy, and in the hospital with tears streaming out of his eyes over his father's motionless body to name just a few. He aged at least a year or two, though Mac wasn't sure if that amount of time had actually passed or if it had just been stress.

The rapid pace of the shifting visions suddenly and abruptly ground to a halt in a hallway in the castle, Lenar hunched over in front of him. He had his eye to the key hole of a door, ears pointed straight forward as he eavesdropped on something. Mac tried to walk through the door, and this time it let him pass, the lack of any feeling as his body followed him through solid wood unnerving.

"Well he doesn't hate witchcraft. That's the problem. What if someone like her rises up and decides to take revenge? It's only a matter of time."

"There's no way. Besides, she can just have a little accident with her witchcraft, and he'll turn right around. I'm pretty sure he knows her better than we thought, and while she may not be doing anything nefarious, who's to say she couldn't have been all this time. If there's one thing I know, it's that Lenar will hate witchcraft just as much, given the chance. I mean how could he not when it killed his brother?"

Lenar left the doorway and the two speaking ponies, taking mental note of any physical traits he could see. After all this time they finally had a target. The new duke allowed himself a grin, a slight bounce in his step as he made his way across the square, through the market and to his house. Then he promptly set an alarm and went straight to sleep.

One shift later and Mac was back in the forest.

"They know?"

"Oh yeah." Lenar replied. "We need to make a move fast if we're going to do it." He sighed. "I just don't know what that move will be, exactly."

"I can't say I exactly want to murder them if we can avoid it." Zecora said. "Surely with all of their witchcraft stuff there's something we can do to expose that?"

"Well sure, but they can dispute me all they want and I'm not sure if other members of the government will accept that. I mean, they could just decide to make me disappear. I'm not sure how deep this goes, Zecora."

"Annoying them could be the right move, you know. You have me now, and I've done nothing but train these last couple years. I could pick out the things that are dangerous to you before they go off, and we could have more solid proof of an attempt on your life that way."

"So what, I appoint you to government? I know I could make that work to some degree by telling them that I wanted to extend the olive branch to control you, but as soon as you found something it would just be regarded as you setting up a trick."

Zecora scratched her head. "Well we can make it public if I can get one thing working. And if we can get a pretty good amount of hair or skin or blood from one of them."

"What do you mean?" Lenar asked.

"Well I think I remember there being a spell to make a kind of copy of a pony wherever you want, in which case we could do it in public in the square. Cameras are out of the question because they're huge if you want to take video, and that would be too obvious anyway. So maybe we could get away with this instead."

"How does it work, exactly?" He inquired, mulling over the idea in his head.

"Well it's typical voodoo, but it goes a little further in creating the form itself. So unlike the dolls that can exist forever without a sizable drop off in power so long as the bound component doesn't get destroyed, this one will quickly overload it, so to speak. It's got a time limit, though I'm not sure how long exactly."

"What kind of time limit are you thinking?"

"Well with a lock of hair it can't be more than a few minutes if I remember correctly. Really short. But the more material I have, the better."

"Great." So now I might need to signal to you instead. He groaned. "But what if they just called this trickery as well?"

Zecora rolled her eyes and shrugged. "I don't know, Lenar."

"Okay well study the thing and I guess we'll see if we can use it." His sat down, holding his head in his hooves.

"It's going to be okay, Lenar." Zecora reassured him, putting an arm around his back.

"I can't believe it's possible to be this stressed." He replied, shaking his head. "I'm going to end up the same way as my father at this rate."

"Nonsense." She said cheerily, kissing him on the cheek. "It'll all turn out okay, just you watch."

"God, I hope so."

"You asked for me, my liege?" An advisor said, coming into the room. Lenar nodded.

"I wanted to propose an idea." He replied.

"Anything, my lord." Lenar rolled his eyes.

"I was thinking of allowing better relations with Linta's children."

That took him aback somewhat. This was the more confident of the two that he'd been listening in on for a while now, so he'd assumed he was the ringleader. "Why would you do that, sire?"

"Speak to me in normal terms." Lenar commanded, waiting for him to nod. "Because I believe we can control her and provide the usefulness of Linta when she was still around. We are merely festering her hatred by keeping her there. Just look what happened with her sister. And with Linta appearing to be tied to them in some way, we shouldn't take any chances."

"Maybe she's waiting for an opportunity to get close to you?"

"I've got no quarrel with her. In fact, I mean to lift her from poverty. How could Linta possibly have a problem with that?"

"Spirits can be unpredictable."

"And how would you know that, Jalais?" Lenar asked, surprising him with his use of his name. He hadn't gotten more than a hint of the witchcraft stuff his father had mentioned in his years of being here so far, which made Jalais look even more suspicious.

"It says in the texts of the church, sire."

A smooth answer. "But you say that she's a spirit. Wouldn't that go to contradict the definition of spirit in the church writings? Does it not say that she would need to be undisturbed in her grave?" He paused, waiting for the words to sink in. "Then why would it not imply that Linta is a little extraordinary, maybe even unnatural?"

"I don't cate your meaning, Lenar."

"I wish to know why my father chose you as the designated witchcraft advisor and why you haven't told me about it."

"Your father wished for you to become older before you found out."

"Did he?" Lenar asked, raising an eyebrow. "How convenient. Well I wish for you to begin telling me all you know about any threats tomorrow at noon."

"Sir-"

"Dismissed, Jalais."

Zecora finished drawing her circle, checking it at least twenty times with the book before making the scenario specific changes to it. She etched it into the ground with a hoof before lighting the candle in the middle and hoping for the best.

With a whoosh of air, she was in a bedroom of the castle. Hopefully the right one. She looked around, getting her bearings. She had three minutes before this spell reverted, pulling her back. She galloped into the bathroom, pulling hair from a comb, hoof shavings from the trash can next to the sink, old dental floss... anything that would have part of him on it. She really hoped Lenar had picked the right room, and that he was occupying him like he was supposed to.

Jackpot! There were some bloody rags in here, presumably from a nosebleed or something. They were common in this dry climate, and while it disgusted her to no end she found herself not really caring.

Lenar had decided that they better grab something of his to have as a weapon even if they hadn't yet figured out a plan. So here she was, collecting gross stuff so that they could be better prepared. She was careful to cover her tracks as well as she could, quickly moving on to his dresser. More hairs, but nothing specific of mention. She pulled the lining from one of the pieces of hoof armor, figuring that those went missing all the time anyway. It smelled like she expected it to.

Whoosh!

She was back in the forest, holding a lone sock thing. What a weird day so far. But the circle did what it was supposed to do, and she couldn't be happier with it. That had been the first time she had actually put her witchcraft to use that hadn't been to test it. She felt like she was full of energy, like she could do anything. That shouldn't even be possible, but with a circle, a candle, and a little of her own energy it worked. Speaking of, she should feel tired right now. That should have been a hard thing to do without charms or other witchcraft catalysts. But it hadn't been. It had been easy.

Zecora couldn't believe herself. She looked at her hooves, amazed by this testament to her abilities. Maybe Lenar had been right after all. She couldn't even begin to imagine the things she could do with charms at her disposal, or maybe if she was lucky some bones. She wasn't about to exhume a grave or kill something just for that, but these guys doing witchcraft in the castle surely had some. How else could they perform something on tier with her mom? If she got those and learned a little more, well, there'd be no stopping her.

Mac watched Zecora warily, aware of her thoughts on her own power. By now he couldn't be sure how the vambrace came about anymore. Used by them as a weapon, by Zecora for the same?

"Why show me any of Zecora's childhood?" Mac asked, hoping for an answer. He waited about a minute with no response, and almost gave up.

"Background." The voice replied. "You made it happen, not me. Had we both been ponies and interacted this way, everything would have rushed into your head in one overwhelming instant. But here, it's more like a dream. I don't control what you see, but it's what's important, I suppose."

"So you remember this, in some form or another." Mac concluded.

"You'll soon find this vision isn't quite the same as what you think it is."

"What do you mean by that?" He asked.

"I didn't write this story, but I'm not giving it away. You may as well sit back and watch, seeing as you're the first to see it second hand."

"But you aren't omniscient, are you?" Mac pressed. "How could I get several perspectives in this world if you weren't?"

A long sigh. Mac watched Zecora continue to grin ear to ear. "I could ask you intimate questions about your life too, but I don't. Besides, as soon as I explain something you'll just have more questions, so you might as well just wait. Time moves more slowly in here anyway, so the outside world hasn't changed a lot."

"At least there's a little good news." Mac murmured.

The world shifted and he found himself in the square, Zecora working on painting the bottom of a platform in the middle with another intricate circle, for what use Mac couldn't discern. Zecora carefully checked her work and touched it up before leaving the paint to one side, well hidden near some supports. She picked up some books, trotting off into the darkness. Mac followed, watching the hints of sunrise peek over the horizon. He could hear noises of activity already, though Zecora seemed sure enough of herself.

They quickly arrived at Lenar's abode, and Zecora peered through the window. "Ugh, he's supposed to be awake." She murmured to herself, turning to go around front. Something caught her eye and she stopped in her tracks, turning back to the window. A hooded figure made its way through the doorway to Lenar's bedroom, disappearing from view.

"Lenar!" Zecora screamed, punching her hoof through the window but making sure to stay away from the falling glass. They weren't ready for this yet, their plan not finished or set to go into motion. Lenar pushed the zebra out of the bedroom and into another wall, keeping a knife pressed away from his chest. Another hooded zebra came into sight and stared at her.

"Zecora! The spell!" Lenar yelled, dodging a swipe at his face. A circle on the zebra's hoof glowed and he was thrown backwards against the wall. "Now!"

She turned to run and the other zebra vaulted through the window in pursuit. Hopefully Lenar could hold his own, because at this point the spell was their only way to get out of this alive and on good terms with the townspeople. She really hoped he was a gloater back there. Either way, this was gutsy for them. Lenar must've really gotten them worried, or maybe she had. Zecora couldn't be sure. He sounded hot on her hooves, but she didn't want to turn her head to check. The plaza was coming upon them quickly, much more active than it had been a few minutes earlier, and Zecora reached into her saddlebag to pull the components she needed to get the thing into action. Everything was all set, she just needed to activate it.

She came to a halt, trying to put a root into a small bowl, but as she reached out her hoof she was tackled. She slid a ways away with her attacker, the wind knocked out of her. She struggled for breath as she tried to push him away, to no avail. Another item came out of her saddlebag, a piece of paper with a circle. She slapped it onto his shoulder, activating it with a bit of mental concentration. He slid away with an 'oof', and she made another dive for the bowl.

Zecora watched the bowl disappear from her view, the pony's hooves and a paper circle appearing in front of her. He'd managed to teleport her! She gulped, dodging a punch. That was something totally out of her league. Or, at least, she hadn't attempted it yet. Zecora scooped some sand with a hoof, throwing it into his eyes. He staggered backwards, and Zecora took her chance. She threw the root in and her carefully concocted mixture, and it burst into short lived flames. The circle above her glowed.

"What's this, your trap?" He asked, finally getting the sand out of his eyes. He gestured to himself. "Still here."

"I know." Zecora replied, waiting for a telltale sign that the plan was actually working.

"What do you aim to accomplish here?" A voice boomed out. The other zebra got distracted long enough for Zecora to run out from beneath the stage and take in the full glory of her creation. It was positively massive, far larger than she had expected. The zebra that had attacked them, the one that Lenar had correctly identified, was standing there in all his light blue glory, his slightly see-through form reflecting interestingly as the sun rose. So it had been Jalais after all.

That had been Lenar talking, though. He popped into frame a little as he drew closer to Jalais, sporting a few cuts and bruises. He had what looked like a furniture leg in his hoof, though his opponent's large knife looked a little more menacing. "I mean, look, killing me won't exactly allow you to stay in a society like this. I'm well liked around here, and there's nothing you can do to change that this late in the game." Lenar pointed out.

"You bitch!" The zebra near Zecora yelled, hitting her in the side of the face with a hoof before she could react. She sprawled out on the ground, her ear ringing. He had taken off back towards Lenar's house, presumably to warn Jalais. Zecora pulled herself slowly from the cold cobblestones, spitting out some blood and giving chase.

"As if your pathetic legacy can't be erased. We've been around far longer than you, boy."

"So you'll what? Make it look like witchcraft again?"

"We won't make it look like it, we'll do it. Then we'll frame the next one in Linta's lineage. You're forgetting the amount of propaganda that we've done over the last however many years. Witchcraft is the plaything of the devil to them. It's got no redeeming qualities, and everyone already expected her to be a witch so they won't even care when she takes the fall."

Zecora was still giving chase, wishing she had had the time or ingredients to make a light-footed potion. She'd be upon him by now, pummeling him with the power of another potion. But time had not been kind to them, so here she was, trying to fight without augmentation or advantages. She wondered why he wasn't hopped up on them himself, but put it down to luck. He either hadn't expected to need them, or had a poor reaction to potions. Some of those reactions were fairly gruesome, so she could understand that. But their power could be unfathomable.

Zecora pushed her legs beyond anything she thought they could do. "You're ruthless, you know that?" Lenar asked, the loud whoosh of a knife sounding behind her.

"I'll take that as a compliment. But I also like fun, don't sell me short. This is fun, right now. And I can take as long as I need because this room is soundproofed and glamoured. Pretty cool, huh. So you'll die, and you can scream as loud as you want. No one will wander over because nothing seems weird, either. Witchcraft is so much more powerful than either of you knew. You shouldn't have been so eager to force this exchange."

"At least I'll die doing the right thing."

"Mmm..." Another swipe of the knife. "Debatable. Maybe in your own mind, but after we're done with you? After all the cards fall? We'll be heroes. Involved in a power struggle with a witch, and this is what happens? Good thing we're here to put it to an end. Pity we couldn't save you, though. But we avenged you by taking out your friend, so I guess it's as good as we'll get in this imperfect world."

"So with stabbing, I assume this one's getting played off as a hex bag incident?"

"Smart. I'll give you that." He sighed happily. "But there's just something nice about getting to do it myself. Hex bags are so cowardly."

"So when you killed my brother-"

"Well he walked through an alleyway, it was just too easy. I mean, getting the guards away was a bit of a challenge, but a fun one. And it worked so well. A little too well, don't you think?"

"I figured it out, so I'd say not well enough."

"But look at how long it took you!"

Zecora dove on the zebra and they slid, hitting the side of the house. Zecora watched Lenar and Jalais turn in the hologram, and the zebra's face hardened. "I guess I'm cutting this short." Jalais said as Lenar dodged a stab, then another, blocking a third with his table leg. Jalais touched a circle on what Zecora assumed was the wall behind him, sending Lenar flying out of the shot. Zecora shoved the zebra in front of her as he started to get up, sticking her circle on the front of his face and activating it. He hit the wall of the house hard, and slumped over.

Zecora sprinted inside, her heart beating a mile a minute. Keeping the spell going was taking quite a bit of energy from her, but adrenaline was covering it up for the time being. She slid around the corner to Lenar's bedroom door, the normal interior of the room shifting into its destroyed contents as she passed the doorway. Zecora smacked the circle the zebra had written on the wall and sent him into the wall next to Lenar. Zecora's eyes widened. Lenar had a knife in his gut, his hooves holding it where it was. He looked shocked, or maybe he was in shock. She didn't know, and she didn't have time to find out.

But regardless, it made her angry. That was something her books had warned repeatedly against. But she couldn't help it. Without Lenar, there was no point to any of this. If she couldn't save him than she'd rather die trying. These zebras were screwed either way. At least they'd achieved that much.

Zecora reared up, slamming her fore hooves into the ground. A crack formed in the floor, the Jalais realizing almost too late that it was headed for him. He jumped sideways, narrowly avoiding a pillar of stone that shot out of the floor.

"How'd you-" He looked around where she was standing. "Without a circle?"

Zecora didn't respond, only growing angrier. Her eyes glowed a shade of crimson. Jalais backed into a corner, looking around for a circle to save him. "No matter what happens," Zecora began, her voice sounding slightly distorted. "At least I'll be remembered for giving you a quick end, unlike the way you murdered Lenar's brother, Jalais." She finished, putting emphasis on his name. She could hear it boom out through the town a fraction of a second later.

He stood there for a moment as Zecora stared, backed into a corner and looking scared for his life but otherwise confused. "What, no more power to back up your-"

Zecora raised a hoof into the air, curving it backwards towards her face. He coughed, a splatter of blood appearing on the hoof he used to cover it. He clutched his stomach with a hoof, grunting in pain. "You said-" he groaned. "You said you'd make it quick!"

"Yeah, comparatively." Zecora replied, her eyes glowing brightly. "But I want my revenge to be a little more memorable than that. Maybe you'll regret what your tenure over these past fifteen years did to me and my sister, realize the consequences as your life ends." Zecora looked at Lenar, cringing at the knife still lodged in his stomach. He looked shocked, somewhat in awe. She knew he was considering telling her this wasn't necessary, that she didn't have to kill him. But he was too dangerous, and she knew that if they didn't get him here, they may never get another chance before something bad happened. And the best way to kill a witch and make sure the job was done was a hex.

Blood was flowing out of his mouth in a thick stream as Jalais assumed the fetal position. Zecora deftly broke the spell linking him to the town square, a light rumble passing through the building a moment later. Jalais choked on his blood for about a minute or so before finally going silent. Zecora collapsed, her power leaving her in an instant. She dragged herself over to the glamour circle on the wall, scuffing it with a hoof. The maid, tiredly inspecting the broken window and the giant figure that had been outside, she presumed, suddenly did an about face as the room updated itself for her. Zecora merely waved, before the world became lost.

Zecora jolted awake in a hospital, looking around quickly in search of Lenar. "Lenar?!" She yelled, shoving the blankets from the bed and pulling an IV from her arm. She stumbled down the hallway, realizing very quickly that she hadn't regained her strength. She wasn't sure exactly what had happened back there, and she wasn't sure if she'd liked it. But se'd definitely never heard of that happening to anyone before. Passed down the family line, she supposed. Or maybe it was just her. How could her mother have been executed if she had been able to operate that sort of power without a circle or a potion or any conduit at all?

She turned a corner and bumped into a zebra, falling backwards onto the floor. "Zecora?"

"Lenar? What're you doing up and about?" She asked, taking note of the IV he was pushing along with him.

"I'm all stitched up and healing. Not really supposed to be out here yet, but you know."

"That was fast."

"Unlike your nap." Lenar replied. "I'm glad you're awake, because I was getting worried."

"How long?"

"Two days. Makes sense with witchcraft like that, though." He grinned. "Huh, duchess?"

Two days. Woah. Zecora blushed. "We're not married, you can't call me that."

"Oh, you're right." He made an annoyed face. "Is there a title for the duke's girlfriend?"

Zecora chuckled. "I don't think so."

He knelt. "What about his fiancé?" Lenar asked, presenting her with a ring. "This was supposed to be more romantic, but I figure given the context it means more thematically. I love you, Zecora."

Zecora's jaw dropped, and she didn't know what to say. Naturally, when something did come out it was something sarcastic. "Corny, but I'll take it." She quickly followed up. "Of course, Lenar. A thousand times yes!" She hugged him tightly, hearing a nurse walk by and half releasing him on instinct. "Going to have to get used to this though."

"I already pushed a few laws around, but I don't think they were really necessary. That stunt the other day was a godsend, Zecora."

"Glad I could help." Zecora replied, embracing him again.

"I sent word to your sister, and even though I'm pretty sure her home is there now, I'm sure she'll agree to visit."

"I can't believe this is really happening." She mumbled, tears of joy streaming down her face. "Everything's going to be normal for the first time in forever, and-" Lenar covered her mouth with a hoof.

"Normal is boring." He chuckled. "Let's strive for better."

Zecora laughed. "Fine, your majesty. How should we start?"

He pretended to think about it, but Zecora already knew what he wanted. "I say we wait a few hours to make sure I'm not going to start bleeding out again, and then take a look at our new quarters. I'm retiring my father's room, and for a while at least I think I'm just going to stay in the castle. It's less walking, and I'm not supposed to be doing that very much right now."

"Look, if you're not up for it..."

"No, shh." He paused, grinning. "Tell you what. I've been on top a lot lately, so if you want, we can just-"

Zecora kissed him, drawing a few eyes. She felt them watching her like tingles on her skin. Maybe it was the witchcraft, or she really wasn't used to this sort of public stuff. "Show me the way, Duke."

Author's Notes:

The Raiders had a good run this season. Kept updating these authors notes at various times during the season but not I guess it's over. Oh well. Sorry to have kept you all waiting so long.

Part of the next chapter finishes this arc. Essentially a major part of it is done. This concludes everything I added to the original content of this flashback thingy, because what'll come out soon is all that originally existed. It'll get altered to fit the story leading up to it, but by and large it should remain the same length. After all is said and done, hopefully some of you will let me know how important it was. I think the impact of anything I do with these characters is larger now that they're developed, but it could have been too long winded.