Ten days later.

“I spy, with my little eye…” Silver Spark said, voice trailing off as he glanced around below for an object to describe. A gentle breeze billowing his reflective mane around his shoulders as the glider carried them along. “Something, blue.”

Tiberius raised his eyebrow in thought as he gazed at the world below them, mock interest evident in his eyes as he ignored yet another dull booming noise from far behind. He sighed dejectedly. “Be it, the ocean?” The Pegasus muttered warily, slouching against the railing of the deck as he watched the sun shimmer off the rolling water.

Inhaling deeply and hanging his head Silver Spark nodded in assent. “Yeah, yeah it was,” he admitted, a sheepish grin appearing on the end of his muzzle.

“Shocking…” Tiberius Rustwing muttered, eyeing a large shadow cast over the waves by the air ship. Glancing back to the horizon he huffed, his boredom making itself known. Both ponies stood in silence for several minutes then, neither having anything of value to occupy their time.

In exaggerated slowness Silver Leaned forward on the railing, pursing his lips and bulging his cheeks he released a loud popping sound before turning to the Pegasus. “Your turn.”

With a groan and slight sagging of his shoulders, Tiberius glanced down. “I spy with my little eye, something, blue.”

/ / / / / / / / / / / /

The air shimmered and flared with heat as another blast of energy tore across the waves, leaving the back of the royal transport to sail off into the distant horizon before detonating in a giant cloud of burning plasma a thousand feet high and lighting up the sky like a second sunset. The energy billowed across the view, its glow dimming as the shockwave raced across the sea, brushing passed the aircraft as little more than a slight gust.

Shadow Depth stood on the rear observation balcony, horn glowing with a faint wisp of steam rising from its tip. She glared out over the ocean, sweat pouring down her sides as she panted heavily. Near magical exhaustion, she growled, forcing herself past the breaking point and poured energy into her horn yet again.

In a flash of light the appendage sparked to life, fizzling weakly it produced a compressed ball of glowing orange and red energy. “Gisanto,” she groaned, straining under the pressure. “Fliamm!” The ball of energy flashed forward into a fine beam that tore across the sky, crossing a half dozen miles in seconds before detonating in a similar display as before. Had there been anything in its path, it would likely have been vaporized by the sheer power of the antimatter magic.

A deep tremor ran through the mares body as she gasped for air, her power spent leaving her physically drained. Snorting weakly she shook her head and glared out over the gently rolling water, her horn beginning to glow dully as she channeled another blast.

“Intent on doing that until you drop dead from the overdraw?” Star Shine asked as she stepped out from the interior cabin to the evening air. “If I had to guess, I would say you have, two, perhaps three shots left before you do,” she said softly, stopping just behind the perspiring pony and glancing over her with a concerned look.

Shadow Depth sagged against the railing as her horn sputtered out, her will to fire again leaving her eyes as she looked back at the intruder. “Do not assume to think you know my limits, Star Shine,” she said bitterly as she turned away from her. “I think I would know better than you,” Shadow finished, rearing up to place her forelegs atop the railing to stare out at the view below.

Star Shine sighed, her ears drooping slightly as she moved alongside the dark mare. “Fair enough,” she lamented with a nod, placing her own hooves over the railing to stand as well. “I simply wished to ensure your well being, nothing more.”

Huffing indignantly Shadow glanced at the newcomer for a moment. “You have eyes, surely they have shown you I am well,” she said quietly, suddenly taking a great deal of interest in a pair of gulls riding the dispersing thermals generated by the gliders magical field.

“Of body, I have no doubt,” Star Shine said pointedly, watching as Shadow twitched at the comment. “Tis your mind that concerns me,” she slowly inched closer, making momentary eye contact. “Why do you do this to yourself Shadow? There is no point of it, you push yourself to the edge of exhaustion. And to what end? You have already far surpassed all the other apprentices in power, even myself,” she finished with a smile.

“Not good enough…” Shadow Depth muttered darkly under her breath, glancing quickly at Star Shine as she leaned back slightly. “It will never be good enough, though, I will not expect you to understand,” she looked away and slouched her shoulders further.

Star Shine pursed her lips slightly as she stared off into the blue. “You’re right, I do not understand, nopony does,” she admitted before glancing back and adding strength to her voice. “How can we, if you never let us close. You have been this way for as long as I have known you, ever since I was brought to the order.”

Shadow Depth stiffened as she shot the other mare a venomous glare, a hint of rage flashing in her eyes. And was that, sorrow? “You could never understand! How could you ever comprehend what I have endured?!” She spat the words as she lowered down off the railing and turned to scowl as the other mare lowered to all fours as well. “Your life is perfect, birthed to a family of nobles, sent to the finest schools, and now the favored student to the most powerful High Master the Order has ever seen!” She backed away a step, shaking her head as she turned away to leave.

“Who did you lose…?” Star Shine whispered softly, eyes saddening as she saw Shadows ears flatten to her head. She knew that something had befallen the mare, sometime shortly before her own discovery by the Order. “I just want to help, Shadow. Talk to me, please,” she said softly, stepping closer a pace.

The retreating mare sagged slightly as she paused at the doorway into the crafts interior. Glancing back she sighed deeply. “The gesture is appreciated, really,” Shadow said with the faintest hint of a smile tugging at the edge of her mouth. “But this is something that needs to stay with me, buried. I just, can’t relive it.”

“Why, Shadow,” Star Shine insisted, growing frustrated at the lack of progress. This needed to be resolved if their abilities as a team were to survive. “Why can’t you just tell me?”

“Because I failed!” Shadow Depth roared as she rounded on the other mare, her horn crackling with energy as emotion took her. “Ponies died because of me!” She took a deep breath as she attempted to calm herself, her sides shaking. “My, my master, he…”

“Midnight Whisper, so that is,” Star Shine trailed off as well as she realized the implications of what had been said. “Shadow, I, I am so sorry. I just wanted to help,” she said, biting her bottom lip as shadow Depth shrugged past her and ambled back to the railing.

“I know, but right now, I really just want to be alone. I, I need to think,” she said, returning her attention to the gulls still circling lazily behind the glider. “Please.”

Nodding in understanding Star Shine turned to leave, only to find the graying form of Master Luminescent Star waiting in the doorway. “My apprentice,” he wheezed somewhat lethargically, motioning back into the interior cabin. “Would you be so kind as to join Star Swirl and myself on the command deck, we shall be needed shortly, I think.” Shooting one last glance at Shadow Depth, Star Shine bowed low to her master before venturing back inside.

Watching her go for a moment Luminescent made a grunt of approval before landing his gaze on the remaining mare, giving her an unreadable look until she turned away from him. “The pain of loss never leaves us, though it may lessen with time, even more so when divided amongst those who care for us. Pull your fellows closer in such times, Shadow Depth,” he said turning away to leave her be. “For they will become a far greater comfort than any amount of solitude ever will.”

Shadow closed her eyes tight, reliving the horrible night over yet again in her mind. “I, shall try to follow this wisdom, master, thank you,” she said quietly, pressing her face into the rail.

Smiling an unseen smile the ancient unicorn nodded approvingly. “Then truly, a better pony you have become this day. Your father would be proud,” and with that, he was gone.

/ / / / / / / / / / / /

Ardarius fluttered his wings in mild agitation as he walked along the starboard viewing deck of the glider, face set into his usual mask of chilled steel. He grumbled internally as he passed by his brother and the apprentice named, Silver Spark? Yes, his mental list confirmed the designation as such. Frowning minutely as he strolled past them, an ear turning to focus on their conversation. “Is it, his eyes?!” Asked the always over exuberant pony, a hint of eagerness filtering into his tone as he pointed a hoof in the direction of the passing Pegasus.

‘That arrogant arse of a colt, he should be busy preparing for the task ahead, or perhaps standing guard somewhere.’ Ardarius scowled, teeth grinding over each other before his thoughts turned to Tiberius. Surely he would put a stop to the pointless yammering of the young upstart and set him on a task more suiting of the situation.

Tiberius shook his head in the negative, cracking a smile as he did so. “My brother is not the subject of my eye’s spying,” he said simply, glancing in the direction of his sibling.

“Drat,” Silver Spark muttered, scuffing his hoof across the wooden deck in annoyance. “Is it tha…”

Ardarius swiveled his ear forward to its usual position and frowned as he passed beyond earshot of the conversation, he could care less about the ‘spying of items with one’s eye.’ Of all the useless bantering to get absorbed within, Tiberius certainly had a knack for involving himself in the most pointless drivel. There was a benefit to camaraderie, to an extent, but at times his older brother took conversations too far.

Continuing his march forward to the crafts nose Ardarius came to a heavy door set into the control cabin and shoved it open. Stepping inside he gave a polite nod to the one apprentice he had thus far taken a liking to.

Star Swirl stood calmly behind the large brass wheel that controlled the gliders steering mechanisms. He peered at a gauge before glancing over in the Pegasus’s direction, giving his own brief nod before returning his attention to the instruments arrayed around him.

Moving up alongside the Unicorn Ardarius gave the instruments his own curious inspection before looking out the forward viewport, casting his gaze over the endless expanse of ocean. “Doth our progress remain satisfactory?” He questioned simply, eyes narrowing slightly as they encountered a miniscule cloud at the very edge of the darkening world.

Star Swirl glanced up at a chart hanging beside him on the wall and nodded slowly, double checking the numbers in his head several times over. “Less than ten leagues to go, should take no more than two hours at present speed. Providing this head wind does not increase,” he said, sliding an elevator lever back subtly.

Ardarius huffed, the only sign anypony would ever get to announce his boredom. “And tell me again, why could we not simply teleport ourselves to this, Cromithia?” He asked, glancing again at the oncoming cloud.

Chewing on his bottom lip as he glanced at another gauge Star Swirl nodded before answering. “Cromithia is, unique,” he said as he consulted a compass and adjusted course accordingly. “History may have forgotten much of what happened, the ruins however, have not,” he sighed as his gaze wandered over to the Pegasus. “Even after so much time and destruction, some of the old defenses continue to function. There is also a massive amount of static magical radiation saturating the area. Though it is more or less harmless, it still blocks all forms of teleportation, as well as many other forms of higher magic. So, in theory we could have teleported close to the general area, but that would still leave a walk of over a hundred miles, each way.”

Huffing again Ardarius nodded in understanding. “And you say that simply flying in by natural means can trigger these, defenses as well?” He asked skeptically, wishing to be done with this lazily floating about nonsense and speed to his destination as his king had instructed.

Nodding in the affirmative Star Swirl glanced at the other pony’s wings, which were pressed firmly to his sides. “Yes, unfamiliar Pegasi magic will most certainly garner an unfavorable response from anything still functional, that is why our best method for entering the city is by rune glider,” he said, gesturing with a hoof at the walls around them. “The energy field produced for propulsion imitates that of the Eloy when feeding. It should, allow us safe passage.”

Ardarius raised an eyebrow at this statement, noticing the choice of the word “should,” as he looked back to the pilot. “A ringing endorsement of confidence, to be sure,” he stated flatly, taking notice as the Unicorns shoulders drooped nearly imperceptibly lower.

“No reason for concern, Master Luminescent knows what he is doing,” Star Swirl said confidently as he reached up to make another adjustment, frowning as he checked the barometer. “Odd,” he muttered under his breath, looking forward again only to pause in a sense of surprise.

Mildly curious, Ardarius followed his gaze to the horizon only to find himself perplexed as well as his eyes met with a distant towering wall of fog stretching from sea to sky, moving towards them at an alarming rate. “Be that one of said, defenses?” He queried, tensing up.

“Not one I am familiar with, no,” Star Swirl said cautiously as he checked another instrument, noting a steady increase in headwinds as the craft began to wobble in the air. “This… This is something else,” he said squinting at a group of tiny black dots rapidly approaching from the wall of vapor and arcs of lightning.

Ardarius’ brow furrowed as he leaned against the wall for stability, eyes straining to make out the dots as they grew closer. “Are those… By Terra!” He exclaimed as the dots resolved into large flying creatures in seconds, their size and sheer speed rocking the glider in the wake they produced as they rocketed past, each of the Pterodactyl reminiscent reptiles dwarfing the craft. Both ponies stumbled as the aircraft pitched about, momentarily caught in the turbulent down stroke of a creature as it passed close by.

Grabbing the wheel firmly in his hooves Star Swirl steadied the glider, making minute adjustments to the energy cushion to compensate for the oncoming winds as they continued to increase. Satisfied with his corrections he turned his attention to the imposing wall ahead. “What foul manner of things has caused this?” He muttered gravely.

Ardarius nodded, already not liking the situation. “Aye, is not much which can retreat a hunting pack of Chiraptera,” the Pegasus added. He peered through the glass before them, teal eyes searching the swirling mass of advancing vapor before catching sight of the gauge reading the external temperature. It was visibly falling.

“We are not the first to arrive it would seem,” Luminescent said wearily, entering from the interior cabin behind them. His gaze flashed over the ominous sight ahead briefly and he sighed. “Seems as though our enemy works more swiftly than Terra realizes,” he pulled the drawstrings of his large cloak allowing it to fall away, and reveal the darker fabric of his High Masters robe, its bells tinkling softly as he straightened up into a surprisingly imposing figure. “I only pray that it not already be too late.”

/ / / / / / / / / / / /

The large Griffin swallowed deeply as he emerged from the gloomy interior of the once mighty tower, treading carefully as he navigated the crumbling rooftop. Glancing about nervously, eyes searching for the giant form he knew to be concealed away within the swirling fog and flashing lightning. Only silence greeted him, the storm flowing with an eerie voiceless power that baffled the senses and toyed with the mind.

Pausing near what he perceived to be the center of the structure the newcomer knelt in total submission, feathers flicking in the soft icy breeze that prevailed over the city. “The call that was given, was answered by those who would hear and accept,” he called, sensing movement through the flow of the wind.

Where merely a moment before there had been nothing, a shadow resolved deep within the flurry of vapor as another bolt of light flashed in the distance. A shadow of gargantuan proportions moved from within the tempest. And for the first time, thunder rolled over the tower as the shadow drew nearer. “That which has been given, shall not ‘ere be forgotten,” replied a deep resonating voice from the mist high above. “Nor, unrewarded.”

Bowing further still ‘till his beak scraped the stone beneath him the Griffin finally allowed himself another breath. “All accepted in deep humility, by those unworthy of thy graces,” his breath caught in his throat as a feeling of presence came before him, the slightest hint of a touch brushing at his shoulder in the form of a single monstrous claw. “Conviction bestowing strength upon fortitude, we the few shall soon prove victorious before the many. Bringing forth a new light to shine over the waking King of flame.”

The claw retracted slightly, returning to its place in the balled fist that extended from the obscuring clouds. “So it hath been spoken, so to shall it come to pass. As it hath been written. Fate is blind, Infinity remains obscured,” at these words the fist leveled before the Griffin, the claws uncurling to reveal a smooth crystal artifact within that sparkled like a fresh morning sky. “By this gift may he come forth from the darkness once more, bringing in his wake a new beginning,” at the glowing of a serrated claw the comparatively miniscule rock levitated over and was laid within the Griffins waiting talon.

“This one swears upon the purity of the timeless heart, by pain of death and dishonor. Thy servant will not fail!” At this the Griffin bowed so low his chest brushed the worn stone, talons gripping his charge for all they were worth. “His faith is strong! Resolve incorruptible!” At these words the scaly fist withdrew back into the tempest from whence it came, disappearing silently through the squall like a ghost leaving the Griffin to back away with head still bowed in reverence.

/ / / / / / / / / / / /

Celestia wandered down another random corridor of the massive hedge maze, her mane hung limp over one shoulder dangling down nearly to the ground in a disheveled manner, eyes puffy and red from another recent fit of crying. She plodded along listlessly, paying the cheerfully chirping birds and bright flowers no mind.

Entering a familiar open area she shuffled over and plopped down next the fountain that waited there, the soft bubbling of the water helping to sooth her thoughts. Over the past few days she had been subjected to a rather dramatic increase in her studies, most specifically, world history. Following a rather grueling discussion with her father…

~~~

“Can you not see child? His kind are a danger to us all!”

“No father! I do not! I see nothing but his kindness, I see a friend!”

~~~

Celestia swallowed hard as she fought back another wave of tears, her mind screaming for answers to things beyond its current comprehension. She scuffed a hoof over the grass, singling out the sensation of the green blades caressing her, reveling in the simplicity of it.

~~~

“They killed hundreds of us! These creatures do not deserve life!”

~~~

“Oh, sorry I, did not realize you were here,” came the sound of a familiar voice, a strange tension thickening the tone. “I, I will just leave, then,” Discord mumbled as he turned away, slinking along on all four legs instead of his usual two, tail dragging limply across the ground.

Wiping a cheek with a hoof Celestia turned to look at him, eyes glistening in the sunlight as she watched him go. “Is it true, Discord,” she said, just over a whisper. “Are you everything the records say you are? Are you truly, evil?” Her heart tightened in her chest as he slowed to a stop, not knowing what to expect from him anymore.

Discord clawed at the grass a few times, lost in a moment of contemplation that, unbeknownst to them, would have profound consequences in the years to come. “I don’t know what I am anymore Cel, I thought I did, I know I did at some point. But now, now everything is so confusing,” he stared down at his mismatched hands, one lion paw, one eagle talon. Neither offering any form of comfort.

~~~

“He will turn on us one day, Celestia. Tis his very nature…”

~~~

Celestia sagged lower, her head hanging as she began to sink into her sadness. What if, father had been right? He had shown her the things the Draconequus as a race had done, all of the horrors that they had helped to unleash upon the world. So lost was the filly in her emotions that she never heard the soft approach of mismatched limbs on grass, nor did she immediately react when two gangly limbs wrapped around her to bring her in for a hug, an embrace that could never be conceived by an evil heartless monster. It was the embrace of someone who truly cared for the other.

“I may not know what I am, Cel, and I don’t care,” Discord said quietly as his tail curled up and looped around them both, tightening the hug. “What I do know, is that I am not one of them, and I could never hurt you,” he smiled through his own tears as he gave her an extra squeeze before leaning back to look her in the eyes. “You are my friend, and that’s all that matters to me.”

/ / / / / / / / / / / /

“…and that is all that matters to me…”

From his position in the high branches of an old oak, a certain little newt stood leaning casually against the gnarled bark. He waited there, a tiny finger wiping a tear from under an eye as he watched the children. He glanced down at the moisture gathered on the end of the appendage, a dull white glow emanating from deep within it.

With a smile he lowered the finger till the tear flowed to the tip, hanging there for a few seconds before slipping off to fall upon the bond clasped firmly over his right wrist. The tear landed, searing away a miniscule amount of the ethereal energy. Tillook glanced back to the now playing children, steepling his fingers with a deeply mischievous grin. “Perfect…”