Innocence. Innocence is something that most don't see in the Wasteland these days. Even with things getting better all the time, nopony is truly innocent. Everyone has a skeleton in their closet, some dark secret that proves that they aren't all good. Celestia knows I have my fair share. Even if my sins burned away with the Goddess, the clean slate I had been granted in a blaze of balefire was covered in black marks...

I wonder, though. Was I ever truly innocent? I don't remember anything before my time in the Goddess, so I can't rightly say. How then, do I know what innocence is? Is it some intangible virtue that says I am pure and uncorrupted? Or is it something far greater?

I wish I had some idea, but I don't. All I know for a certainty is that I am not innocent. I have spilled blood, and it rests upon my hooves. I do not know how much more I can take.

“Smooze?” I asked, blinking my eyes. “Is it really you?”

The purple goo's face contorted, what appeared to be a smile surfacing on its slimy features. The thing's head shifted, nodding slowly. The griffon cub that the Smooze had called Featherjoy stayed deathly silent, looking up at me with awe in her wide eyes.

“It is,” the Smooze said. “However, that is no longer my name. I would like you to call me Finishing Touch now. It is so good to see all of you again.”

“You too,” Patch said, grinning. The others nodded in response. “Where the heck have you been?”

“It's... it's a long story. Best to tell it someplace safe, however,” the purple being replied. “This building appeared safe enough when we arrived. Follow me.” He began to trudge towards the building's entrance, which had been blown inward. As we entered, I realized that it used to be a school. We made our way to one of the building's ruined classrooms. The dust of centuries covered the room, an untouched film of age.

Featherjoy loped along behind me, her eyes still drawn to me every chance she got. Whenever I looked over at her, she would avert her gaze. I smiled softly as the young griffon followed me to her friend, sitting quiescently in the middle of the room. Finishing Touch appeared to be lost in thought, the black holes where his eyes were closed up. Featherjoy poked him in the side, and he looked over at where we were all sitting.

“So... We’re safe here, for the moment,” I said. “How can I help?”

“It's probably best that I start at the beginning,” Touch said. “You see... after I left you at the museum, I wandered the Wasteland for a time. Whenever I would come near other ponies, they would either run in fear or try to shoot at me.”

“Boring, get to the part where you met me and the Professor!” Featherjoy said impatiently.

Touch's features shifted into an expression of annoyance. “Now, Featherjoy, what did the Professor say about being impatient?” he said.

“That good things come to those who wait,” Featherjoy replied glumly. “Sorry, Touch.”

“It's alright, I was getting to that part,” Touch said. “In any case Miss Star, I wasn't quite sure what to do. I tried to offer my friendship to others, following your lesson, but I couldn't seem to get anypony to stick around. That is, until I ran across the Professor and his caravan.”

“The Professor?” Violet asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Professor Osmosis,” the purple thing said. “His caravan was trapped inside an abandoned building that I happened upon in my travels. The structure of the roof had weakened, collapsing in on the group while they were scavenging the ruins. I used pieces of my body to remove the rubble, freeing them. They were certainly astounded by their rescue! The situation was developing poorly, as I had accustomed to. But the Professor told their guards to stand down. Afterwards, he explained that he was working for a group of educated ponies from Canterbridge, known as the Seekers of Truth.”

“I've heard of them,” Steeljack said. “They're a buncha eggheads who scavenge dangerous ruins.”

“Indeed. As it turns out, the Professor was actually headed into Chicacolt to attempt to scavenge the ruins of the museum that you found me in,” Touch said. “I... I told him that I came from there. He said that he knew. He knew that I was special somehow, and that I held some sort of connection to the past. That's also where I met young Featherjoy here. It was she who gave me my name.” Featherjoy beamed at the mention of her name. “The Professor was extremely excited to be able to study me. He even taught me how to speak more clearly, so I could be better understood by others. Everything seemed like it was going well, until...”

“Until what?” I asked, noticing that Featherjoy had become extremely uncomfortable all of a sudden. The purple being placed a dripping hand on the griffon's shoulder, smiling.

“The Professor... he wanted to go back to the Museum. Where you found me,” Touch said after a few moments of silence. “He wanted to find out where I came from. He kept saying something about there being a 'missing piece'. It wasn't until we made it to the Museum itself that things... went wrong.”

“What happened?” Violet said, narrowing her eyes.

“We spent several days searching through the museum's ruins. Of course, we found nothing. We couldn't even locate the room that you had found me in. It was... strange. It was as if the museum itself prevented me from finding it,” Touch continued. “After three days we decided to leave. On our way out, we were confronted by several ponies. The Professor... he told Featherjoy and I to hide. We heard shouting.”

“Who were they?” I asked.

“Unfortunately, I don't know who they were. Neither did Featherjoy, but the Professor acted like he did. After a few minutes I heard the most terrifying thing I'd ever heard in my life. Loud blasts and screaming came from where the Professor was. It was inequine,” the purple creature said. “We dared to peek out. The Professor’s leg had been shot off. There was... blood everywhere. The Professor shouted at us to flee. I grabbed Featherjoy and we ran as far as we could deeply into the city.”

“So... how did you end up here?” I said.

“We kept running as far as we could. Our pursuers came after us, but we were able to use the alleys to get away from them,” Touch replied. “We were thankfully able to lose them, but we got lost. For several days we kept to the shadows, moving only at night. It was... difficult. I spent much time trying to explain to Featherjoy what had happened, but I did not fully understand it myself. I'm not sure how long it took us, but we finally reached a small settlement called Theater.”

“Theater?” Lilith said. “As in the MMMM outpost?”

“Correct,” Touch said. “The ponies there were friendly, but cautious, having never seen one of my kind. I remembered your friend, the cream colored one known as Apple Danish. Featherjoy managed to convince the guards to let us see him. Apparently this was right after you had left. Danish gave us a place to stay in a nearby building, and provided Featherjoy with food and drink. It was the first safe night we'd had in days.”

“And now you're here. I assume that means you've been following us,” I said.

Finishing Touch nodded slowly. “I didn't know who else to turn to. I fear that these ponies, whoever they are, are still after me,” he said. “And... I've grown attached to young Featherjoy here. She is... my first true friend. I do not wish for any harm to come to her.”

“Do not worry, my friend,” I said with a soft smile. “I will not allow anything to befall you and the young one.”

Touch nodded slowly. “Then, I feel it is prudent to mention that just a day or so ago, I came across a small group of these ponies in the area,” he said. “They did not see me, but I overheard them talking about us. I would... I would ask if you might consider talking to these ponies and find out why they want us.”

Featherjoy stood, her expression indignant. It was slightly adorable in a sense.

“Touch, you didn't tell me about that!” she crowed. Her small wings flared.

“Featherjoy, I didn't tell you because we were alone. I couldn’t risk approaching them, with or without you,” Touch replied. “I didn't want you to worry.”

Featherjoy slumped to her haunches, looking defeated. “I... I know, but I still do. You're one of my best friends. I don't want them to take you away,” she said.

I smiled softly, inching forward to lay a wing over the young griffon. Her eyes widened as I touched her.

“And I won't let that happen,” I said. “We will go to these ponies and find out why they have been chasing you. No matter what, I will not let them take him. But you have to be strong for both of us, and stay here.”

“But – “ Featherjoy started to protest.

“Agreed,” Touch interjected. “Featherjoy and I will remain in this building. If we went with you, there is a chance that things could go wrong, and neither of us are fighters. We would be in the way.”

I glanced back at the others and smiled. I looked over at the Smooze.

“So... where are these ponies now?” I asked, placing my PipBuck in front of the purple thing and turning on its mapping function.

“They should be... here,” he replied, pointing at a location on the map.

I placed a marker on the location and nodded. Featherjoy was continuing to watch with a gleam in her eyes. The young griffon hesitantly stepped forward.

“I didn't really get to say it before, but... wow,” she said quietly. “You're really her. You're the Ministry Mare.”

I flashed a smile at the young cub. “Yes, I suppose so,” I said. To be honest, I didn't feel like I deserved the title, but it was mine nonetheless.

“Touch has told me all about you, and we listened to the radio a lot in the caravan, so we heard everypony talking about what you were doing,” the griffon rambled. “You're like... the coolest pony ever!!” Her eyes were wide and she smiled even wider. I couldn't help but chuckle.

“I... I don't know what to say,” I said. “Say Featherjoy, before we leave, would you like to meet all my friends? Seeing as how the radio doesn't exactly talk about them too much.”

Featherjoy lit up and she nodded ecstatically. I smiled widely. How often would I get the chance to talk about my friends for a change? They were the best part of my life. Touch nodded and smiled as well as he molded back into the ruined couch. I motioned over at Violet. “This is Violet. She's pretty much one of the coolest ponies I know.” My lover rolled her eyes.

“Please. I'm not that cool,” she said.

“Yes, you are. Anyways, Violet's special talent is protecting the ones she loves. She's pretty smart, and tough too,” I replied. I glanced over at Steeljack, who had removed Tempest's helmet, and Patch. The two were talking quietly in the corner. “And that is Steeljack, and his marefriend Patch. Steeljack is strong, and he has a good level head on his shoulders. Patch, well... she's a little impulsive. But she's very smart, and knows a lot about weapons. She built her own rifle all by herself.”

“Wow...” Featherjoy cooed.

I pointed over at Lilith. The black mare was pushing against the wall, dipping her wings in a peculiar pegasus stretch. “That's Lilith. She's a pegasus. She used to go by a different name, but now she's changed. She's a fierce friend, and very agile. Nopony can take her in a straight fight. I doubt even I could,” I said.

Lilith grinned at hearing my praise, raising a bladed wing in a wave at the young griffon. I heard Nixis behind me, and turned to greet him with a smile. Nixis nodded a greeting in return, eyes on the grifflet. Featherjoy pulled her rapt gaze off of Lilith to turn with me, and squeaked in alarm. My smile widened into a grin as the young grifflet dived behind me with a squawk. I nudged her out of hiding with my wing.

Nixis had squatted, his big knuckley hands loosely clenched to conceal his wicked claws. He smiled, taking care to not show any teeth as he spoke to the cowering Featherjoy.

“Do not fear me, dear child,” he said softly.

“W-W-What are you?” Featherjoy replied.

“I am a hellhound,” Nixis said. “A sort of... dog breed, if you will. But while my body is fierce and intimidating, my soul and mind are not. Take heart, little one. Though many bad things rule this Wasteland we live in, I seek the path of the Lightbringer to show others that I am not one of them.”

“The... The Lightbringer?” Featherjoy said, sounding less scared as she pushed herself up to look at Nixis more clearly.

“Yes. It is by her example that I live, in hopes of the day that all races of the Wasteland can put aside their differences, and live in peace,” Nixis said.

“You see, Featherjoy, all those things you heard on the radio? I never could have done them without my friends. They're as much a part of this as I am. I owe them everything.” I said, lowering my voice so that only she and I could hear each other. “That's why I want you to promise me something, between you and me.”

“What?”

“Never let go of your friend there. He's going to need you, and you will need him.”

An abandoned power station sat in the bowled terrain below the next ridge. Despite this area not being part of a major city, there were still plenty of old buildings around. Many of them were either industrial production sites or old warehouses that companies stored items in during the war. My E.F.S. lit with several amber blips. From our vantage point in a nearby office, we could see a few guards standing outside the entrance to the power station. Strangely enough, my E.F.S. wasn't marking them as hostile. I narrowed my eyes.

“Lilith, Nixis. You two hang back in case there's trouble. If we need to escape, we'll need your support,” I said.

The hellhound and pegasus nodded, the latter tapping a button on her power armor to unload the Bitch from its casing.

“Steeljack, Patch, Violet. You three are with me. Let's go say hello,” I said.

I stood, igniting my horn and enveloping us in a teleportation spell that dropped us in front of the building below. We started moving forward towards the power station, cautiously and openly approaching so that the guards could have ample time to see us. I wanted to talk to these ponies, not shoot them. The two standing outside perked up as we trotted up.

“Halt,” one of the two, a blue unicorn stallion, called out. “Who are you?”

“I'm... a friend,” I said. “I wish to speak with your leader.”

“Inquisitor Truth Seeker is busy at the moment,” the unicorn replied.

“And when might we be able to see him then?” Violet asked

The unicorn shook his head. “The Inquisitor will be busy for some time. Nopony just gets to see him,” he replied brusquely.

“Look, all I want to do is talk to your leader about my friend. You're chasing after him,” I said.

The unicorn's ears perked forward. “You have information on the creature?” he said.

I nodded. I wasn’t sure what else to do. The unicorn looked over at his compatriot and nodded. The other guard, a white earth pony mare, trotted to the door of the power station and disappeared inside. A few moments later the door opened again. The blue unicorn smiled. “Please enter. I apologize for the brusque behavior. All who seek knowledge are welcome to the Magisterium.”

“The Magis-what?” I said, cocking my head.

The unicorn chuckled. “I believe the Inquisitor can explain further,” he said, motioning for us to follow him.

We fell in line behind the blue unicorn, trudging into the dark hall of the power station. The hall ended in a door that led into a series of stairs going down.

The unicorn stopped, pointing down the stairs. “Down the stairs, and first door on the left. He will be expecting you.”

“Wait, how does he –?” I started to ask, turning to the unicorn. My eyes widened when I realized that he was gone. “Where did he...?”

“I don't know, but I don’t think we have any choice but to go meet with this Inquisitor,” Violet said.

I nodded and started down the stairs. The soft clopping of our hooves was the only sound in the dark stairwell. Another hallway met us at the bottom. We moved down the hall with purpose, stopping at the first door to the left like the unicorn had told us. I lifted a hoof to rap at the door. The steel door swung open before I could touch it, revealing a small room lined with equipment. In the center of the room was a red unicorn stallion, sitting with his back to us. I stepped into the room.

“Hello?” I said. No response. “Umm... my name is --”

“Radiant Star,” the unicorn said. He stood, turning about. His dark black mane fell off his shoulders in waves and a flash of white accompanied his grin. A bright light emanated from one of the pony's eyes. The soft glint of metal could be seen in the low light. He was a cyberpony! My eyes widened. “Yes... I know who you are. There are not many that haven't been to the broken city who do not.”

“If you know who I am, you also know why I am here,” I said.

“Always to business, I see. Forgive me for being a rude host. I am Inquisitor Truth Seeker. I am the leader of the Magisterium,” he replied. “We are the seekers of forgotten knowledge, the hunters of lore long lost to this world. In short, we are scholars and archaeologists.”

“And cold-blooded murderers as well,” I said angrily. “Or did you forget what happened to my friend's friend the Professor?”

Truth Seeker sighed, sitting back on his haunches. “Yes... that was most unfortunate business. I admit that was not one of our better moments, but our current mission must not fail, lest the world suffer for our efforts,” he replied.

“And just what is your mission?” Violet said.

“We are seeking a creature that has the potential to destroy the world as we know it,” Truth Seeker said calmly. “It is a being of great power, comprised of a material that can corrupt all that it touches.” He grinned as he saw our expressions. “Yes... you call it the Smooze.”

“And... what do you want with him?” I asked hesitantly.

“Him? How interesting, you have assigned a gender to it. Do you know what this creature truly is?” Truth Seeker asked in response. “It will overtake the world. Everything will suffer under its cruel power.”

“I don't believe you. He's not evil. He's more of a child than anything else,” I said.

“A ploy, nothing more. I have seen the truth, Radiant Star. The thing is the myth come to life, the ancient Smooze come to take the world for its own unknown intentions,” Truth Seeker said. “If we do not do something, we will all fall.”

I narrowed my eyes at the unicorn. I had no intention of letting another friend go. I had failed Grey, Cranky, and Diamond. I had failed Lucky. But the lessons I had learned from those failures kept me strong, kept me sane. I would not let a friend die. I couldn't.

“Truth Seeker,” I said finally. “May we have a moment to discuss this, in private?”

“Of course, of course. You have no idea how refreshing it is to deal with somepony who has a basic level of civility,” he said. “I have to attend to business. You may stay here as long as you would like. I will return within the hour.” The unicorn stepped past us and left the power room. I sighed and slumped to the ground.

“I don't like this,” Patch said.

Steeljack nodded in agreement. “If the Smooze was such a great and terrible thing, why would it run? And with the young cub no less?” he pondered aloud.

“He wouldn't. I don't know about this Truth Seeker, but I do know that Touch isn't bad. I doubt that he's even close to being the Smooze that these ponies think he is,” I said.

“Then what else is he?” Patch said. “I mean, if he's not this legendary evil poised to take over the world, what is he really?”

“He's a friend,” Violet said softly. “He helped us get out of that museum by destroying that security system. We can't let these ponies get to him.”

“I agree,” I said. “We've got to convince Truth Seeker to leave him alone.”

“And how do we do that?” Steeljack said. “They don't seem bad, but if they won't stop, how long before it escalates into a fight?”

“I... I don't know,” I said. I glanced at the ground, and sighed. “But we'll think of something.” A loud sneeze emanated from one of my saddlebags. My eyes widened as I looked back at them. “Did... anypony just hear that?”

“That sounded like...,” Violet said, her horn glowing as it unclasped the saddlebag. Tucked inside was a young female griffon. Featherjoy looked up at us, grinning sheepishly.

“Umm... hi?” she said.

I groaned loudly. “Featherjoy?” I asked. “What in the world are you doing here? Touch is going to be so worried about you! Angry, too!”

“I'm quite angry, yes,” a voice from nowhere said. I blinked. My other saddlebag popped open and I glanced back at it. It was filled to the brim with purple goo. A face appeared in it.

“How did... how did you get in there?” I said.

The face pushed itself into a crooked smile. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.

“I slipped in when you weren't looking,” Touch said.

“But wouldn't I have seen you in my inventory?” I asked aloud, flicking through my PipBuck's inventory spell. I stopped at the last entries.

Featherjoy Wt 10, Val 20

Smooze Wt. 100, Val 10

“Ah... never mind,” I said.

“Indeed,” Touch said. “And Featherjoy, I'm still mad at you. You shouldn't have snuck out on me.”

“I'm sorry, Touch!” Featherjoy chimed from my other saddlebag. “I just wanted to see what they were up to, is all.”

“Still, you should have at least said something,” the purple face said.

“Look, we can wax poetic about this later. Right now we're in big trouble,” I said. “We're in the middle of a potentially hostile situation. If those ponies return and find you, things could go real bad real quick. Touch, you just... stay right there. Featherjoy, you too. And try to stay quiet.”

Violet snapped my bags shut and I wiped the sweat off my brow with a fetlock as the door opened again. Truth Seeker reappeared in the doorway.

“Well, have you made a decision then?” he said.

I narrowed my eyes at him. “The answer is no,” I said. “We will not allow you to come near our friend.”

“That's too bad,” Truth Seeker said. “I had hoped you would see the error of your ways. However... there is something that you should see. Even if it doesn’t change your mind Miss Star, it will certainly give you food for thought.”

“I don't care,” I said forcefully. “I have things to do, and we will not let your words sway us.”

“Well, should you change your mind, there is a place nearby you may wish to see,” the unicorn said. “In days of old, this area used to be a forest of vast beauty. When the war came, ponies ravaged the forest for its riches. However, there were many things held inside the forest, including ruins of times that predated even peaceful Equestria. Located deep in the Wasteland now, is a temple. Inside it, you will find your answers.” He waved at my PipBuck, which beeped obligingly as it loaded a new map marker.

“If it's all the same to you, we'll be going now,” I said, pushing past the unicorn.

Truth Seeker grinned, stepping aside and gesturing to the door.

“Remember, Radiant Star. You have the opportunity to make things right,” he said. “You should take it.”

I glared back at the unicorn and kept walking. The rest of my friends followed behind me. We walked in silence until we had left the power station and were up the ridge. Lilith and Nixis waited patiently in a tiny hollow, both of them watching our backs intently until they were certain we weren't being followed. Lilith nodded her head and I ignited my horn, opening my saddlebags.

“Alright, you two - out.” I said.

The purple goo bubbled out of one bag and onto the ground, reforming into my friend. Featherjoy hopped out of the other bag. She shook briskly, ruffling her feathers.

“It kind of stunk in there,” she said.

“Yes... well. I think what we need to do is find some place for you two to hole up. If we can make it down to Manehattan, we may be able to put you up near Tenpenny Tower,” I said, starting to trot away.

“No,” Touch's voice rang out across the clearing.

I stopped in my tracks. Did he just…?

“Huh?” I asked.

“No. I want to see it,” Touch said. “Star... I heard everything that he said. I'm not bad. I know I'm not. But I have to know. I have to see.”

“Star,” Violet said. “I know that this is important, but so is Spark. We just need to find somewhere safe --”

“Okay,” I interjected. “We'll go to this temple.”

Violet's eyes widened. She frowned and shook her head, but her expression showed that she understood why I was doing this. “Alright, alright. We can do this,” she said. “I just wanted to make sure, is all.”

I stepped forward, nuzzling my love. “I know, sweetie. But Touch is right, this is important. At least to him, and he’s my friend. You know what that means, Violet.”

Violet sighed, smiling sheepishly. “I understand that, you can’t walk away from a friend.”

“Absolutely,” I said, laying my neck against the green mare’s. “And these Magisterium ponies... they rub me the wrong way. I don’t think they’re going to stop until they capture him.”

Violet nodded, her neck warm and solid against mine. “And this Temple is the only real option we have to find out what’s going on here.”

“Yup. I don’t see any other way forward, since Touch won’t do the safe thing.” I shot a wink at the purple being, and he smiled.

“Well then, what are we waiting for?” Patch said, grinning. “Let's get going!”

“Do you think we're close yet?” Violet said quietly as we walked along the broken path.

I glanced at my E.F.S. The arrow marker pointing to the location that Truth Seeker had given me was still glowing brightly. Every so often it wavered as we made our way through the dreary Wasteland terrain. I sighed.

“Doesn't seem like it,” I said. “I don't even see anything that looks like a temple.”

“You don't... you don't think that Truth Seeker is setting us up do you?” my love whispered under her breath so that only I could hear. A twitch from Nixis' ears indicated that he probably heard her as well, but I knew that the hellhound could keep quiet.

“I don't know,” I replied, hanging back behind the others to walk alongside Violet. “He didn't seem the type. True, he wants to destroy our friend here, but he was very polite about it.”

“I got the same impression. He was very eloquent, that's for sure,” Violet said quietly.

Ahead of us, Patch and Steeljack walked next to each other. They were engaged in some hushed conversation. I thought for a brief moment about eavesdropping, but decided better against it. Whatever it was, it was obviously private for them to be speaking about it so quietly. In front of them Touch sloped along, Featherjoy perched high on his gelatinous mass. Nixis took point ahead of them, padding through the Wasteland under Lilith’s soaring overwatch.

“Star,” Lilith's voice broke through our conversation. I cocked my head in response. “I think we're getting close. I can see some ruins ahead.”

I nodded, smiling at Violet before flapping my wings and taking to the sky with the black pegasus. Ahead was a low hill, sloping down to some old stone buildings. They were strange, they didn’t appear pre-war or even post-war. I couldn’t tell anything about them other than that they were very very old.

“Alright, let's be careful,” I called out as Lilith and I descended. “We don't know what's here.”

We made our way down the hill towards the first stone outcropping. The small building was merely part of what appeared to be a larger complex. The ruins were half dug up, ancient stone protruding from the disturbed soil. Tattered fabric that had once been tents littered the area. Broken columns made of rough stone formed a path to the end of the slope, which ended in a large black hole in the side of the rock. The silence of the place was overbearing. It was deathly quiet, almost as if the entire area was waiting for something to happen.

Something happened.

Gunshots rang out in the distance, kicking up the dirt in front of us. From behind one of the stone outcroppings a blue unicorn appeared, floating out a carbine rifle. I narrowed my eyes. It was the guard from the Magisterium. Accompanying him were several other unicorns, each of them floating out deadly assault weapons. At their head stood Truth Seeker. His own weapon, a combat shotgun, lifted lazily into the air beside him. I snarled under my breath. Of course it had been a trap. How could it not be?

“Well met, Ministry Mare,” Truth Seeker called out across the clearing. “How I knew that you couldn't resist coming here. And look, you brought the creature with you. How... generous.”

“Truth Seeker,” I said, unlatching Stargazer from its harness. “I really should have seen this coming. I told you before that we aren't turning him over.”

“And that is where we disagree,” Truth Seeker said. He glanced over at his guards. “Take the creature alive. I wish to deal with it myself. The rest of them... kill them.”

The guards grinned widely, lifting their rifles and opening fire as they moved forward. I stepped in front of the others, igniting my horn. My alicorn shield came up just in time for the first bullets to deflect harmlessly off of it.

“I can do this all day, Truth Seeker,” I said, a wry smile crossing my face.

Truth Seeker flashed a grin of his own, flaring his own horn. I suddenly felt my magic dissipate as the shield flickered out of existence. My eyes widened. What in the Sorrel Hells just happened?! I thought frantically.

“And I can do that longer,” the unicorn replied. “You see Ministry Mare, my special talent is somewhat of an oddity. I'm quite the expert at canceling magic spells. Now then, where were we? Oh yes, you were about to surrender or die.”

I growled under my breath. “Everypony, make for that big hole,” I said. “We'll lose them in the tunnels. Lilith, you take Featherjoy. You're the fastest out of all of us besides me. You get her there first, alright?”

“Right. Come on kid, hop on,” Lilith said as Featherjoy slid up onto the mare's back. “Hope you know what you're doing Star.”

“Me too,” I said, gritting my teeth as I watched the guards fan out to surround us. They were toying with us, thinking they had us cornered since Truth Seeker could just cancel out any of my magic spells. A grin formed on my face as I realized just how wrong they were.

“Now!!!” I shouted, leaping forward into the fray.

Stargazer went into high gear, unloading a payload of fire at the nearest group of guards. The bullets went short into the ground, but served their purpose in forcing the unicorns to fall back. Lilith shot off like a rocket, heading towards the far end of the stone quarry. Patch and Steeljack began their usual brand of teamwork, earth pony ingenuity driving every attack as the green mare rebounded off of her lover's back and laid down a vicious hoof strike on a nearby guard. Nixis loped through the battle silently, using his razor sharp claws to try and tear the weapons away from the unicorns. Violet fought by my side, the silver fire of Thunder Flash keeping any guards from approaching. It was a tactic meant to buy time for Featherjoy and Lilith to get away and for us to eventually follow.

In the center of it all was Finishing Touch. The purple being was trying to follow where Lilith had gone, nearly getting caught at every turn by Truth Seeker's guards. Violet and I galloped to his aid as one wayward guard slammed into Touch's side. The Smooze, while a little perturbed at the bodily intrusion, didn't appear to be hurt. A scream erupted from where the guard had struck, his body dissolving into purple goo. Touch's eyes widened and he looked up at me. All that was left of the guard was his gear.

“What did I do?!” he said. “I... I didn't mean to... I didn't!”

“Worry about it later, let's get out of here!” I shouted, taking a few more shots behind the being. Truth Seeker watched silently from his vantage point. I locked gazes with the unicorn briefly, and he nodded as if acknowledging something. I narrowed my eyes and turned to Touch. “Come on!”

Touch shuddered as he pulled away from the guard's gear and began to follow Violet and me. We pulled back towards the large black hole, where Lilith held onto Featherjoy. Steeljack and Patch came along shortly thereafter. I pointed down into the hole.

“Everypony in!” I shouted.

Lilith jumped down into the inky blackness, followed by the others.

I turned back, seeing Truth Seeker at the head of the attack. I flashed my horn. “Cancel this, Truth Seeker.”

I unleashed my magic at the ground beneath me, causing the ground to tremble and shake. Rocks shot forth from the earth, enveloped in the soft glow of my magic. I grinned, jumping into the hole after my friends. I grunted as I slid down the tunnel, unable to see a thing. I felt like I was going too fast. I dug my hooves into the loose scree, trying to slow myself down. The tunnel opened up into pure black and I felt the sensation of falling. I tried to open my wings to slow myself down, but it was too late. I hit the ground hard, and I blacked out.

“Star?”

“Where... Where am I?”

“Star, you can't be here. Not yet. Not now.”

“But... but where...?”

“Trust me, Star. You have to go now.”

“But --”

“Go!!!”

“Is she awake?” I heard a voice from above me say. I groaned, my eyes fluttering open.

“What's... What's going on,” I said as I looked up.

Violet stood, hovering over me in the darkness. A soft smile graced her face, illuminated only by the light of her horn and her PipBuck.

“The tunnel above caved in,” she said. “For the moment, we're stuck here.”

“Is everyone alright?” I asked as I pushed myself up from the ground. I extended my wings, working them through their range as I flared my horn to give us some light. Everything seemed to check out okay. Violet's expression turned grim.

“Yeah, mostly everyone. There's a bit of a problem,” she said. “It's Touch. He's freaking out about what happened.”

“I'll talk to him,” I replied. “Any idea where we are?”

“Best as I can tell, we're in the outer ring of some larger structure. I'm not sure if that was the only entrance or not,” Violet said as we walked through the tunnel into the next clearing, where I could see the soft orange light.

The others had managed to scrape together a passable campfire, illuminating the stone walls. Patch poked at the firewood, causing the flames to spark. Lilith and Nixis sat next to the two earth ponies, while Featherjoy and Finishing Touch were in the far corner. I sighed and peeled away from Violet, trotting up to the two. Featherjoy's eyes widened at my approach. She moved to meet me before I could get to Touch.

“Missus Star, you’ve gotta talk to him,” the young griffon said.

“What is it?” I asked.

Featherjoy sighed. “He... he won’t talk to me about it. He’s acting all depressed, and I don’t know what to do,” she said.

“Well, maybe he will talk to me,” I said. “Why don't you go hang out with the others. I need to talk some sense into him.” The young griffon nodded, bounding over to Violet. I slumped to my haunches next to Touch and smiled. “Hey, Touch.”

“Go away,” the purple creature rumbled.

“Touch, you know... what happened... it wasn't your fault.”

Touch stayed quiet for several long awkward moments before speaking.

“I... I killed someone, didn't I?” he said.

I hung my head. “Yeah. You did. But it was an accident. Even so, you wouldn't do it intentionally, would you?” I said.

Touch shook his head solemnly. “No, I suppose you're right,” he said. “But what if it happens again? What if Truth Seeker was right? What if I'm just a monster?”

“You're not a monster, Touch. You deserve a chance to prove that you aren't,” I replied. “But right now? Featherjoy needs you.”

Touch sighed, rumbling deeply. His gelatinous form shivered.

“Alright. You're right. I need to know more. I need to see what's in this place, if there is anything. I'm not sure. What if this was just a clever trap to catch me?” he said.

“Even if there isn't anything here, does it matter? As a friend of mine once said... it's not the land that defines a pony, it's the pony that defines the land. You may not be a pony my friend, but you still make your own fate,” I said. “Now come on, let's get going.”

Touch nodded and I stood, trotting back to the rest of the group.

“Okay, if we're going to get out of here, we're going to need to keep ourselves moving. There has to be another entrance to this place, we just need to find it,” I said.

“I figure if we head through to the center ring, we should have a chance of cutting across and up,” Violet said, pointing at a crudely drawn map based on her PipBuck's auto-map.

“Would it be possible for me to dig us out?” Nixis asked.

I glanced over at Violet, who merely shrugged.

“I don't know. Everything is a little shaky. It might just fall down all over us,” she said.

“Not worth the risk, Nixis. We'll move through the center ring, and try and find another way out,” I proclaimed.

We started through the tunnel, the dark walls illuminated only by PipBuck lights and horns. As we walked, I noticed that my own PipBuck had started to click. I blinked, pulling up the radiation meter. It was increasing at a steady, but slow rate.

“Hold up, everypony,” Steeljack said, holding out a bottle of Rad-X. “We've got some radiation in this area. Before we go any further, we should be prepared in case it gets worse.”

I watched as the others took a pill and chewed it. The only ones who didn't need any medicine were myself and Finishing Touch. Steeljack then pulled out a few packets of RadAway, and handed them out to the rest of the group. He glanced sideways at Patch, who was starting to place her packet in her side pocket. “Umm... honey, do you need to take any now?” Patch glared at him.

“No, I'm fine,” she said curtly.

I blinked. What in the world was going on there?

“Are you sure?” Steeljack said. “You should keep yourself healthy.”

“I'm fine,” Patch replied. “Can we get going? I want to get out of this place.” The green mare tossed her mane with a huff and trotted off.

I looked over at Steeljack with one eyebrow raised questioningly. The stallion shrugged, his expression hidden by Tempest's helmet. He started after the other earth pony, silently walking up next to her. I moved in line next to Violet, while Finishing Touch and Featherjoy walked in silence behind us.

“Do you know what that was about?” I asked quietly as we continued to walk through the tunnel. My PipBuck's radiation meter continued to click, ticking slowly upward.

Violet shook her head. “No idea,” she said. “Patch has been off since we left Arlington.”

I nodded, thinking back to the Stable that we had found there. The green earth mare had been hit pretty hard by the revelation that the inhabitants were mostly foals. Still, that didn’t explain her behavior towards Steeljack... He wasn’t a foal. I pushed it out of my mind for the moment. There were more important things to deal with.

We walked silently, the tunnel taking a downward slope which opened up into a larger section. Long dead torches lined the dark stone walls. My radiation meter slowed its clicking, indicating that the rads in this section weren't as bad. Still, the accumulated heat made me feel warm and fuzzy. We trotted into the long hall, making it about halfway through when we heard the loud sucking sound. Ghouls, I thought, unlatching Stargazer and nodding at Violet. Thunder Flash slid out of her harness on her own magic. A soft glow filled the hall as the first ghoul came barreling down towards us. It was covered in a glowing green slime that made my radiation meter begin to tick wildly. I floated out Stargazer and dropped into E.S.A.T.S., queuing up a string of shots at the ghoul's torso. Time fell away and my gun unleashed its payload, the bullets slamming home into the feral beast's chest. It hit the ground hard, green slime drooling out of the carcass onto the floor.

“What the hell?” Patch said. “Never seen a ghoul like that before. Still, went down easy enough.”

I nodded. I was about to stow Stargazer away when movement caught my eye. The ghoul lying in the center of the floor got up, sucking loudly and groaning. It roared as it lurched into a stumbling charge.

“Shit!” I shouted.

Violet answered my curse by unloading Thunder Flash's silver fire into the feral's head. The energy weapon took the appendage clean off, disintegrating it into a pile of silver goop. Violet grunted, lowering her rifle. She coughed, ejecting blood from her mouth.

My eyes widened. “Violet? What's wrong?”

“I'm... I'm fine,” she choked out, floating out a packet of RadAway. “Just too much rads, that's all.” She tore open the packet, sucking down some of the orange liquid.

I looked over at the others. Everypony else was looking quite ill as well, despite having taken Rad-X. Was the radiation here worse than I had thought? I looked down at Featherjoy. The young griffon had keeled over, coughing uncontrollably.

“Featherjoy!” Touch shouted, putting a goopy hand on the back of his friend. He looked up at me, fear etched in his purple face. “What's wrong with her?!”

“She's got rad poisoning,” I said, trotting over to the two. I ignited my horn, levitating out a packet of RadAway. “See if you can get her to lie down. She needs to drink this.”

Touch nodded, helping the griffon to lay on her back. I floated the packet up to her lips, doing my to not spill any of the precious orange stuff. Featherjoy gurgled as she tried to drink, her coughing subsiding.

I forced another Rad-X pill down her throat along with the rest of the RadAway. “Come on, Featherjoy. Stay with us...”

“I... I'm okay,” the young griffon managed to say. “Just need... to rest a bit...” She closed her eyes, breathing hard but peacefully.

“Featherjoy!” Touch exclaimed, reaching out to pick up his friend.

I put up a hoof to stop him. “She'll be alright. She's just resting. Violet, keep an eye on her if you could,” I said, flaring my horn. I lifted the young griffon and laid her on my marefriend's back, using Thunder Flash's harness to hold her in place. “But it isn't going to last long. We need to get out of here, or everypony else is going to be in the same shape as her.”

“Star... I don't... I don't feel so good,” Patch said, lifting a hoof as she used Steeljack for support. She closed her good eye, breathing heavily. The other earth pony lifted his visor, his eyes full of concern for his love.

“Patch...” he said softly. “Come on. We can do this.” He glanced up at me. “This is bad, isn't it?”

“No. We'll get through this. We just have to keep moving,” I said, motioning at the others.

We began to move forward again, slowly but surely. My friends who were susceptible to the radiation were trying to be tough and ration out what little RadAway we had left. Meanwhile, Featherjoy squirmed in her sleep on Violet's back. I felt warmer and fuzzier with each tick of the rad meter, and I realized that this had been the first time in a long time that I'd been exposed to such heavy radiation. It was disconcerting to say that it felt kind of nice.

Eventually the tunnel opened up into a massive circular chamber, centered around a dais in the middle. The walls were tarnished gold and large pillars of rusted copper were spaced out every few feet in a circle around the room. Two more pathways went up into other parts of the temple on each side of the room. I looked up as we walked silently down the stairs. The room extended upward for several stories, where gloomy balconies overlooked the chamber. Half of the torches in the old chamber were still alight, providing some light to the immediate area. I breathed a sigh of relief as I noticed that my PipBuck's radiation meter had finally stopped clicking.

“Wow...” Violet said, her eyes glancing upward as well. “This place is huge...”

“Yeah... at least we're safe from the radiation for the moment,” I said. “I think we should stop and rest. Try and do what we can to purge the rads.”

“I agree,” Steeljack said, helping Patch to lay down.

The green mare heaved a breath and smiled. “Thanks,” she said quietly. My ears perked as I overheard the two. I couldn't really help myself. All of my senses had been increased a little bit due to the radiation, and I could hear them clear as day. “Sorry about earlier. I just...”

“It's alright. I understand,” Steeljack replied, pulling his helmet off. He nuzzled his love, smiling. “We'll get through all of this. We'll be alright, you'll see.”

“Are you sure...?” Patch whispered.

“Hey, I would never let anything bad happen to you,” he said. “Especially not now.”

I blinked. What did he mean by that? I thought.

Patch nodded in response, and I turned away. I would have to ask her what he had meant at some point, but right now it was more important that we find a way out of this hellish place and got away from the Magisterium. I wasn’t sure Truth Seeker had planned on us escaping this way, but I figured he wouldn’t try and follow us through the radiation. Still, I had a bad feeling about everything. My friends were resting as well as they could, but the prickling energy of the radiation exposure wouldn’t let me. Without anything better to do, I trotted over to the dais. Resting on the pedestal was a large purple book, bound in what appeared to be... leather? Curiosity piquing, I lit my horn to provide a little light so that I could see things clearly and opened the book.

My eyes widened as I flipped page after page. The book was an old history account, detailing a creature that was so powerful, so unbeatable, that nothing could stop it. It was apparently indestructible, and could absorb whole ponies with nary a thought. Eventually, the only thing that could stop it was the Elements of Harmony. They had banished the creature to the far regions of space and time where it could never hurt anypony ever again. I stopped at the middle of the book, gasping softly under my breath. A rendition of the creature had been painted on the pages. It was an incredibly large purple creature with dozens of sinister eyes and a cruel grin.

It was a Smooze.

“Star?” A voice from behind me echoed. I hung my head. Finishing Touch had chosen the worst possible time ever to talk to me. My reluctance to answer must have really shown, because the purple creature pressed on. “What's wrong? What are you --” His voice cut off and I heard him cry out softly as well. He had seen the pages. I flared my horn, forcing the book closed. I cast another spell, setting the book on fire. I watched silently as the flames consumed the book and then flickered out of existence.

“Touch,” I said, turning around to face the Smooze. His sunken eyes appeared to be surprised and unsure. “Do not pay attention to this. It doesn't mean anything.”

“But... that book. It was... it was me...” he replied.

I shook my head fiercely. “No. It wasn't. It was something far worse. It was a creature that existed eons ago. It was not you. You were in that lab under the museum, remember?” I said angrily.

“I don't... I don't remember anything though before I woke up, though. What if... what if I was this thing and I was put there to be imprisoned? What if I really am the mythical Smooze, destined to destroy everything? I don't want... I don't want to be that way, Star!” Touch spouted frantically.

I closed my eyes. This was going from bad to worse. If I wasn't careful, we'd have a panicking Smooze on our hands, and that was the last thing we needed. I lifted a hoof, setting it on my friend's shoulder (at least what I think was his shoulder).

“You... you're not it. I know you're not. And you know how I know that?” I said softly. Touch shook his head in response. “Because I know that beyond a shadow of a doubt, that you care greatly for that little griffon over there. If you really were some mythical monster of great evil, would you have friends? Would you care for another?”

“I... I never...” Touch said, fidgeting with his goopy hands.

“Trust me, my friend. Friendship is an important thing. But so are second chances. Even if you were this... Smooze of legend, you aren’t now. You deserve the chance to live your own life. To be your own Smooze,” I said. “Now come on, lets --” I stopped speaking as I noticed that my PipBuck's radiation meter had begun to start ticking again. In fact, it began to click louder and faster, the radiation levels increasing at an alarming rate. I glanced over at my friends. “Everypony, we need to move now!!”

Violet scrambled to her feet as best as she could, holding the sleeping Featherjoy on her back with a gleam of magic. The others began to move as well, and we all funneled up towards the left pathway, hoping it would take us away from the intense radiation. I wasn't sure what had brought on the rads, but I knew I didn't want to stick around and find out.

We got within ten feet of the door when a large pillar struck the wall, causing the entrance to collapse in on itself. Rock and debris sprayed everywhere, knocking me to the ground along with my friends. I grumbled as I pushed myself up immediately, the radiation filling the room letting me ignore any scrapes and cuts from the rubble. I turned back to see what had happened. A deep chuckle echoed throughout the room.

“Yessss.... It has been a very... very... long time... but I finally have you...” a rough voice croaked from above.

I glanced up to see something crawling down the pillars. The creature was massive, and not only that... glowing bright green. I could see its bone structure clearly through it's glowing flesh, which was hanging off in several places. It had hind legs much like a dog's legs and forelegs like those of a large ape. Its tail was completely bone, revealing a grasping hand at the end of it. The beast's head was vaguely similar to Nixis’, except for the longer muzzle and closer set eyes. The thing's eyes glowed an unnatural green, and its lips curled back, revealing pale green teeth in an evil grin. A glowing green tongue curled out of the creature's mouth, licking its dry and rotting lips with anticipation.

“Yesss... you are mine... now...”

I glanced up towards the glowing beast over the collapsed entrance, and back to the last remaining passage on the far side of the chamber. There was no way we were going to be able to get past this thing in the state the others were in. I looked back at my friends. If I didn't get them out of here soon, the radiation would cook them alive. Even now, they were struggling to move, sweat pouring from their brows. Violet coughed violently. The rad meter clicked wildly, steadily increasing. At this level, anypony who was normal was not feeling well at all. Patch was doubled over, using Steeljack as support. Her free hoof was clutching her stomach. I grimaced. The massive glowing monster cackled madly as he neared the floor, the stone spalling away from his claws.

“I have been waiting for you...” the monster snarled.

I narrowed my eyes, a plan forming in my mind. I had only one shot at this to get the others free.

“Finishing Touch,” I said. “When I say to, you take the others and you get them the fuck out of here. Do you understand me?”

“Star?” Touch asked.

“Oh no you don’t!” Violet cried out as well.

“Don't, just don't, Violet. You guys need to get out of this radiation and you know it,” I snapped. “I can hold this thing off until you can get out of here. I can survive anything in these rads.” I ignited my horn. “Be ready to move, Touch. I'm going to teleport you into the entrance up ahead.”

“Can you even do that?” Touch said.

I nodded silently, the spell enveloping my friends in soft purple light. A flash of light wrapped around them, and they disappeared. At the far end of the chamber, they reappeared. The giant glowing monster glared hatred at them, snarling as it leaped from pillar to pillar to give chase. Finishing Touch was already up, wrapping the others in his smoozey appendages. My friends disappeared through the doorway and out of sight.

I flapped my wings, taking to the air as I unlatched Stargazer. A spray of bullets slammed into the wall, drawing the monster's attention.

“Hey,” I snarled. “Come play with momma, you glowing bastard.”

The creature howled and leapt, soaring off its pillar straight at me. My eyes widened. Shit! I thought, forcing myself backwards with a buffet of my wings as the glowing beast reached out with its razor sharp bone tail. The beast missed, but its tail striped my shoulder and barrel, leaving a gash across my hide. The radiation filling me with its warmth and power instantly healed the wound, and I grinned. The monster roared in fury as its attack failed. It landed in a crash of rubble and debris, coming out of the cloud in an instant with a chunk of rubble. It spun once, whipping the stone at me. I flared my horn, batting at the rock with my telekinesis. I sent it hurtling back with a mere thought, striking the creature directly in the face. It howled loudly.

“You... you are her, aren't you...? Even she couldn’t fight as well as you....” it said. This thing was starting to become a broken record. It kept talking like it knew me somehow.

“Who are you? WHAT are you?” I asked, the radiation giving me strength. I was confident that I could stall this creature long enough to give my friends time to escape. I hoped they were alright. “And why do you keep acting like you know me?”

“You are my oldest enemy... Daring Dooo....” it replied.

I blinked. What, I thought. This thing thought that I was... Daring Do? What the hell was this thing?

“You don't remember...? It is I, Ahuitzotl. I am your greatest enemy...” it said.

“I don't know who you think I am, but you've got the wrong pony,” I said.

The ghoul's eyes brightened and it roared again. “No... you must be her... I will rip your body apart and pull your entrails out!” it screamed, leaping into the air again.

This time it tried to wrap its bony tail around my barrel. I cast my shield spell instinctively, and Ahuitzotl bounced off it screaming. The thing slammed into a pillar, grunting as debris showered it. The chamber shuddered under the force of the blow. I glanced up, feeling dust fall from above. This place wasn't going to last much longer under this punishment. It was eventually going to fail, and I'd be trapped here. A grin formed on my face. A trap would be just fine, just fine, indeed - if I wasn’t the one caught in it.

“Come and get me, Ahuitzotl!” I challenged, flapping my wings and speeding away.

Ahuitzotl howled again and leaped. This time I flipped behind a pillar, actually running around the curved surface to dodge his attack. I couldn’t restrain a peal of completely inappropriate laughter as I leapt off the pillar myself, soaring into the center of the chamber as my foe slammed into it. The grinding groan of rock shifting was louder and longer this time, and I hoped I had this right.

“It’s been fun, dear Ahuitzotl, but I have to go play with someone who knows how to fight now.” I taunted, swirling through the dusty air.

Ahuitzotl cried denial as I arced towards the door, and my peripheral vision just caught him lifting another massive chunk of rubble.

I saw the debris fly through the air, enough rubble to easily block or destroy the entrance. I ignited my horn, visualizing the hallway and cast a teleportation spell. Space warped around me, the radiation bleeding off as I deposited myself into the hall. I spun about just as the thrown rubble smashed into the entrance, firing a wave of telekinetic force at the structure above me. I backed away as the hall rumbled, pushing and shoving at the grumbling stones. More fell from above the collapsing tunnel as I retreated. A glowing green arm thrust its way through the rubble as it fell, clawing furiously and trying to push its way through.

“No... no... No!!!! I will find you, Daring Do... I will find you!” Ahuitzotl roared through the rubble and debris. “I will find you, and when I do... I will pull your insides out and feed them to my cats!!!”

I grinned as the shouting became faint and the glowing appendage was completely covered in fallen stone. I breathed a sigh of relief. I glanced at my PipBuck, pulling up Violet's tag to track her. I turned about, galloping hard. According to my automap, my friends were in another part of the temple's network of tunnels. My body still felt warm from the radiation, having not bled it all off from the teleport and the telekinetic wave. I turned down the next hall, seeing the others at the far end. Violet's eyes widened as she saw me. She started to rush forward, but I put up a hoof to stop her. I could see Featherjoy still squirming on her withers.

“Hold it, I'm a little too lit up for you to approach me,” I said. “I need to bleed off a bunch of radiation. How are the others?”

“Still not doing so hot, but I think we found a way out of here. There's a tunnel that leads up towards some outer ring,” my love replied.

I nodded. “Get out then. I will be right behind you. Once we are out we can find someplace to treat everypony,” I said. “If I could teleport us to the surface I would, but I can't if I don't know where I'm going. You need to get everypony out of here and fast, before that thing down in that chamber claws its way out. I kind of pissed it off.”

A roar echoed down the hallway from behind me. I spun about, debris and rubble striking my shield as I brought it up. I glanced back at Violet. “Run!!” I shouted.

The other mare nodded and hurriedly returned to the others, frantically grabbing them up as they scurried down the hall. They were out of sight when a glowing claw appeared around the side of the tunnel. I pulled out Stargazer, and grimaced as Ahuitzotl's lithe form appeared. The glowing monstrosity was in a bad way, cradling one of its forearms to its chest. It even looked less glowy. I fired up E.S.A.T.S., and stared at the spatters of glowing blood on the floor behind him. Ahuitzotl was determined to end me and my friends. Creature of legend or not, I wasn’t going to let that happen.

Stargazer’s full payload was a torrent of hellfire in the room, stripping more life from Ahuitzotl in sprays of green and chunks of flesh.

A bony tail shot through the air at me, shattering the shield I had forgot to pay attention to. I dodged enough that the blow slid along my shoulder instead of through my neck, but the shock of pain was enough to drop my focus. Stargazer hit the ground with a clatter and my shield dissipated. I growled under my breath as I shoved the beast backwards with a hard push of telekinetic force, making enough time for me to put Stargazer back on target. E.S.A.T.S. hadn’t recharded, but I put a wave of fire on the roaring ghoul without it, stripping bone from its face. I narrowed my eyes. This thing was no longer interested in talking. It had gone completely feral. The cruel glint of intelligence was gone from its made, glowing eyes. I needed to end this, and I needed to end it fast. Any more exposure to this thing and I'd be able to light up Tenpony Tower all year long. I was out of time to play nice. My horn lit, grabbing hold of the tunnel around us, pulling the rocks and stone from the structure and bringing it down onto the glowing monster's back. I strained as I kept the spellwork going, using all the strength I could muster to continue dropping the rubble.

Ahuitzotl dropped to the ground as hundreds of pounds of debris rained on him. The ghoul snapped and snarled as a particularly large stone dislodged from the ceiling above, striking him the face. Glowing blood oozed from its eye sockets as the rubble pinned it into immobility. It screamed, a cry of rage and fury that was painful to hear. I stepped forward with Stargazer, slamming the multi-barrelled front of my weapon down on his screaming face. Ahuitzotl yelped, and I slammed Stargazer down again. And again. And over and over again until I was pounding my minigun into the stone, a shallow crater covered in slime where his head had been. I staggered backwards, staring at my gory weapon as the radiation and overuse of magic took its toll. I stumbled on a pebble and keeled over, Stargazer falling to the floor as my head hit the ground, and blackness took me.

I groaned, pushing myself into a sitting position. I knew for sure that I wasn't in the temple ruins anymore. Of course, I had to be right. The familiar door to the library stood open, waiting for me to enter. What does Twilight want with me now? I thought angrily as I stood. My thoughts drifted to my friends. I hoped they were alright, that they had gotten out of the death trap the Magisterium had forced us into. I wondered briefly if they had planned for us to take refuge inside the temple, or had planned to kill us all outside and take Finishing Touch for themselves. I pondered also what I had seen in the temple's central chamber. Was it true that Touch was the mythical Smooze?

I decided that it didn't matter. Still, that meant we were left with the problem of keeping the Magisterium from taking him. As I tried to come up with a plan, I stepped inside the dark library. At the far end of the center room, Twilight Sparkle toiled away at a report, several books floating around her in the grip of her magic. I regarded the alicorn for a moment. I was beginning to get tired of seeing her, but I knew that she was my only way I was going to find Spark and finally figure out how to end this spell that she had cast. I stepped onto the hard wood, the tick tock of my hooves drawing Twilight’s attention. She looked up at me, a grimace on her face.

“Star,” she said, sarcastically. “You know you really have to stop coming here like this. Do you really just get yourself knocked out all the time, or what?”

“Gee, I dunno. Do you sit in your library reading your books all the time?” I replied with just a hint of venom in my voice. “Besides, I thought you said I wouldn't burn out my magic any more.”

“Under normal circumstances only. I think we can both agree that sucking up that much radiation and using it to blow a temple apart and fight off the remnant of an immortal demigod is hardly normal,” Twilight said, her horn flaring as it closed the book she was reading.

“And you didn't think to try and help me at all?” I complained.

Twilight scowled. “I told you already, Star. The connection between us is tentative at best. We need to disable Spark to even get close to fixing anything,” she said. “Speaking of fixing, why are you wasting your time with this current venture? The longer you wait to find her, the more time Spark has to enact her plan.”

“Are you suggesting that I let a friend get taken, and possibly killed?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. “You would condone such an action?”

“I would condone any action that would save the world,” Twilight replied. “This seems... Pointless. This creature that you have chosen to befriend... it's not natural.”

“Touch is more than just a ‘creature’,” I argued. “He's a kind soul. There's nothing evil about him.”

“And yet he absorbed a living pony by complete accident?” Twilight countered. I sighed. “Does that not strike you as evil?”

“It wasn’t an intentional action, Twilight. If these ponies hadn’t been chasing him, he wouldn't have done it in the first place,” I said.

Twilight trotted over to her bookshelves, placing the books she had been studying back in them. She motioned for me to follow her.

“And yet, he still did it. What if the next time it happens to one of your friends? To the young griffon?” she said. “What would you do then?”

“That won't happen,” I said flatly.

“And what if it does?” Twilight replied as we stalked through rows of books.

I stopped, pondering the mare's words. What would I do if Finishing Touch turned evil? Or if he inadvertently hurt Featherjoy... or even Violet. Twilight stopped too, not looking back at me. We stood there in silence for several moments, neither of us speaking. Finally, I broke the calm.

“I would do what was necessary,” I said softly. “But that still doesn't mean I will let Truth Seeker have him. I don't trust that pony, Twilight. He has other plans for Touch, I can just feel it.”

“Do you think he would try to use this creature as a weapon?” Twilight said.

“Maybe?” I said. “If that's the case, then shouldn't I do my best to help my friend?”

“Or you destroy him yourself,” Twilight said. “And eliminate the problem altogether.”

I blinked. Was this really the same Twilight Sparkle? I narrowed my eyes at her.

“Not happening,” I said. “I think it's time that I go now. I have friends I need to get back to.”

Twilight nodded, pointing at the door. “Then go, Star. And don't come back until you've found Spark,” she said angrily. The mare turned with a huff, leaving me alone in the sea of book shelves. I sat there, wondering what in the world had just happened when the black came rushing back in.

A hoof shoved my shoulder hard as my eyes fluttered open and close. I groaned.

“Mom? Five more minutes, really...” I whispered, rolling over onto my side. The hoof jabbed into my side and my eyes shot open wide. I looked up, seeing Violet standing above me. “Violet? Oh... sweetheart you gotta get back, I'm all irradiated...”

“You're not,” Violet said softly. “At least, not anymore. It bled off.”

I blinked. I realized she was right. My PipBuck was no longer clicking like crazy. I pushed myself up, glancing about. We were in a different part of the temple ruins.

“Where are we?” I said hoarsely. My throat felt like it had gone through the wringer.

“Further up in the temple. I found a way out. There's a tunnel that leads right out to the surface,” my love replied. “The others are camped out a stone's throw from the entrance.”

“And how is everyone?” I asked hesitantly.

Violet smiled brightly, calming my nerves instantly.

“Well, once we got everyone away from the radiation, we were able to use the RadAway more effectively. We’re completely out, but everyone is fine. Even Featherjoy is alright,” she said. She motioned for me to follow her. I trotted next to the green mare, breathing a deep sigh of relief. Everyone was okay. The truth of the matter hit me like a ton of bricks. We rounded the next corner, which led to a set of broken stairs headed up. Light flooded in from above where the entrance was. At the foot of the stairs on the landing was the rest of our friends.

For the most part, everypony looked pretty strung out. Steeljack and Patch sat next to each other, the grey earth pony doing what he could to keep his love's spirits up. The two had smiles on their faces regardless. Nixis sat across from the two, looking ragged but in good cheer. Lilith was in the middle of watching the stairs intently. She looked better than any of the others. I idly wondered whether it was the power armor or the blessing of the statuette that gave her an advantage against radiation.

Featherjoy looked up from where she was sitting next to Finishing Touch and let out a cry of pure enthusiasm. The young griffon leaped from her position, fluttering across the clearing to wrap herself around my leg.

“You're alright!!” she exclaimed.

I smiled, reaching out with a hoof and ruffling her head feathers.

“Of course I am,” I said. “How are you feeling, Featherjoy?”

The griffon disengaged from my leg, smiling widely. “I'm feeling a lot better, Missus Star,” she said. “Thank you for getting us out of there.”

“There's no need to thank me, sweetie. You should thank your friend over there,” I said, pointing over at Finishing Touch. The purple creature seemed to shift uncomfortably at my motion. “If it weren't for his quick moving, we'd still be stuck down there.” I looked over at Patch and Steeljack. “What about you two? Are you alright?”

“I'm fine,” Patch said softly, nodding. “Just a little shaken up, that's all.”

I smiled. I knew that she was lying right off the bat, but I decided not to press the issue further. We still needed to get out of the temple ruins and figure out how to evade the Magisterium. To that end, I turned to Violet.

“We should probably get moving then,” I said. “Maybe we can get lucky and give Truth Seeker the slip,” I said.

Violet grimaced. Uh oh, I know that look, I thought.

“It's not that easy,” Lilith interjected. “The Magisterium are waiting for us outside this tunnel. Their patrols have been just sitting there. I don't think they have the guts to come in after us.”

“Great. Out of the frying pan and into the fire,” I replied, pacing back and forth. We needed to get Touch past those guards and away from Truth Seeker, but how? How were we going to do this? “We need a plan then. Either disable the guards or sneak past them.”

“In our state, an open fight is just asking for trouble,” Steeljack said. “It'd be a really bad idea to just go out guns blazing.”

“I agree,” Nixis said. “But we cannot stay here either. Eventually Truth Seeker will grow impatient and decide to enter the ruins.”

“So it seems we need an alternate route,” I said. “How much food do we have left?”

“Enough to last at least two days, maybe a day and a half,” Patch said wearily. “Anything that wasn't sealed needed to be tossed out. Too irradiated.”

I sighed. For the most part, keeping food hadn't been much of an issue for us, having left Theater and Arlington with stores of the stuff. Now most of it had been ruined. I grumbled under my breath at the harsh reality of this. We were trapped here until we figured out how to deal with the Magisterium and Truth Seeker. I needed to think on this more. In any case, if we did have enough time, then there was no time like the present.

“I... I know that this looks bad,” I started to say. “But we'll get through this. We'll come up with something. In the mean time, let's rest up a bit and try to get some sleep. We'll keep rotating watch over the entrance and we'll all do our best to think up a good plan.”

The others nodded, weary but thankful to get any form of rest. It wasn't going to be much, but we had to do something. I trotted up the hall to take first watch, glancing out of the entrance briefly into the bleak Wasteland. Several red blips appeared on my E.F.S., and I saw the gleam of assault rifles in the distance. I grimaced as I watched them shuffle about. Truth Seeker was toying with us. It seemed that he had infinite patience. In turn, I had even greater patience as I kept watch.

“Star?” I heard a voice behind me after several hours. I glanced back, seeing Patch standing there. I smiled.

“Hey,” I said. The green mare trotted up to me, slumping to her haunches. “Are... you alright?” I ventured to ask.

Patch nodded. “Yeah, I'm fine,” she replied softly. “Everything is fine.”

“Are you sure?” I said. “It's just... you've been a little...”

“It's nothing,” Patch said curtly. “Look, I just don't want to talk about it, Star. Please.” I sighed, hanging my head.

“Alright,” I said. “I'm sorry. But if you ever want to... I'm here for you, Patch. You know that right?” The green mare nodded slowly, meeting my gaze. “Good. I'm gonna go get some rest then, the watch is yours.” I trotted down the hallway, my mind growing with thoughts of my friends, of Spark, of Finishing Touch and Truth Seeker. I couldn't separate myself from them. I made my way over to where Violet was laying and plopped down onto the ground next to her.

I sighed, resting my head. Sleep did not come easily for me. I tossed and turned, and groaned when Violet awoke to take her turn at watch. I felt like I was missing something. There had to be a way out of this that didn't end with a big fight. I was loathe to admit it, but I did not want to see Finishing Touch do whatever he had done to that pony before again. He deserved better than that. Truth Seeker and the Magisterium, despite their trap, were merely doing what they believed was right. I was reminded by something I had said to Grey Knight, that the Wasteland was morally ambiguous. As I tried to allow sleep to take me, I was never so certain in my life that I was right. Eventually, I awoke once more, and decided to try and meditate.

I breathed deeply, trying to feel the world around me, to understand what Envy had tried to instill in me. Closing my eyes, I let my thoughts drift away. Oh, who am I kidding, I only tried to let go. I groaned as I opened my eyes and glanced about the dark clearing. I couldn't even begin to let go of my thoughts. I was never going to get this! I wished that I could talk to Envy some more. It would at least let me vent my frustrations over not being able to meditate. I certainly wasn't going to cast any zebra magic any time soon if I couldn't even perform simple meditation. I needed a release, and without Violet around I needed something tangible. I opened my saddlebags, trying to find a memory orb I could crawl into for several hours. I blinked when I saw one I hadn't seen before, and I couldn't recall it ever being registered in my inventory. Taped to the orb was a crude piece of paper, with a message comprised of magazine letters.

Watch Me.

I narrowed my eyes at the new memory orb. Who had put it there? At the very least, it would give me a bit of a distraction for a while. I reached out with magic, grasping onto the memory orb and falling away into darkness.

I knew immediately whose host body I was occupying. It was a body I'd been in numerous times before. Twilight walked down the long hallway, her hooves making a sharp clip-clop sound against the marble floor. I recognized this building. It was the Ministry of Arcane Science Hub in Canterlot. The spires of Equestria's capitol rose into the sky outside the window beyond. My host had a pit in the bottom of her stomach, almost like she didn't want to be here. At the end of the hall was a set of double doors with a sign above that said Conference Room. My host pushed the doors open, stepping inside.

“Twilight!!!” a bubbly voice shouted. A pink blur zipped across the room, wrapping two forelegs around my host's neck. My host closed her eyes, sighed, and smiled softly.

“Hello, Pinkie,” my host said. The pink mare extracted herself from my host, her grin wider than her face. There were bags under her eyes and there was a shocking amount of gray in her poofy pink mane.

“Pinkie, let her in the room, would ya? We've got business to discuss,” a voice said from behind Pinkie Pie. My host glanced past the other mare to see an orange earth pony sitting by herself at the large table in the room. A white stetson hat rested on the mare's brow, and she wore a black suit. “Howdy, Twi. Take a seat. We're just waiting on the others to show up.” My host nodded silently, pulling out one of the chairs across from Applejack and sitting down on her haunches.

“Applejack,” my host said.

Pinkie shrugged, plopping down on the chair next to Twilight. A knock at the door drew my host's attention. The large doors opened, and the rest of the Ministry Mares entered. Rarity came first, her swirling purple locks dancing in the light. She wore a simple business suit, accented by a feathered hat. Fluttershy trotted behind her, her face pinched and anxious. Rainbow Dash followed last, strutting confidently. She closed the door behind her. Each of the others took their place at the table. Silence reigned for several moments.

I don't like this... a voice from behind my host's thoughts. Spark sounded... anxious.

“So,” Twilight started to say. “I'm sort of wondering how all of you managed to get away from your security details to schedule this meeting. It's not often that we get together without a bunch of guards breathing down our necks.”

“Luna,” Applejack said curtly, narrowing her eyes. “Gave her approval for this. That's all you need to know.”

“And what, if I may ask, is the reason for this meeting?” my host asked. Awkward silence filled the room, almost as if the other five mares didn't want to say anything. Finally, the one pony I hadn't thought to speak raised her voice.

“We're... we're worried about you,” Fluttershy said quietly.

My host's eyes widened and she stood. “I knew it,” Twilight said. “I knew that you would try this.” She started towards the door, attempting to push it open. It wouldn't budge. My host snarled, slamming on it with her hooves. “Let. Me. Out.”

Applejack was on her feet and across the room in an instant. She placed a hoof on my host's shoulder.

“Twi. Sit,” she said, pointing the other hoof at the empty chair.

My host glared at her. She trotted back over to the chair and sat down. “Fine, say what you have to say and then get out,” Twilight said angrily. “I have things to do.”

“Twilight, darling, please. Just listen to us. We're all worried about you. This isn't healthy, this way you've been treating yourself,” Rarity said.

“Yeah, Twi. You're really freaking us out,” Rainbow Dash added. Fluttershy nodded silently.

Twilight narrowed her gaze at her friends.

“And I keep telling you, I'm perfectly fine,” my host said.

“But you're not...” Pinkie suddenly said. Her eyes had drooped and she looked quite sad. “You're sad, Twilight. And we know it.”

“Twilight,” Applejack said. “I'm gonna be right honest with you, sugarcube. It's been six months. Your brother is gone. You need to pony up and deal with this, and this isn't the right way for you to do it.”

“What do you know?” Twilight spat venomously. “I'm not sad, or frightened, or angry. I'm focused. And you can go tell Luna that. The things my Ministry are doing? They'll end this war and help everypony.”

“At the cost of your own life?” Rarity asked.

“Any cost is worth it to end this conflict,” my host said, glaring at her five friends.

“Twilight... I really don't like this. The others, they're here too,” Spark said from behind my host's thoughts.

I felt time slow as I watched the six mares continue to speak. I suddenly felt the presence of five other entities in the room and I realized what I was witnessing. The Elements of Harmony. They were here, and they wanted to speak. I cringed. If this memory was what I thought it was, this was when the Elements tried to murder one of their own.

“Spark, darling! Long time no see,” a ringing voice echoed through the void. It was as if the Elements were sitting around a large round table of their own, in a different plane.

“Generosity,” Spark said. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“You've been a bad, bad pony Sparky-warky,” a bubbly voice replied. I knew that voice. It was Laughter.

“You're overstepping your bounds,” a rough voice that could only be Honesty interjected. “Revealing yourself to your Bearer? What are you playing at?”

“My Bearer is a little more in tune with harmony if she can see and hear me, Honesty,” Spark said. “I can't help that.”

“You're lying. Or did you forget that I can tell when you do that?” Honesty said.

“Now, Honesty...” a soft and gentle voice said. “There must be some reason that Magic has done what she has done.”

“I don't buy it, Kindness,” Honesty said. “She's hiding something.”

“Yeah, Kindness. You agreed to this too, remember?” a brash and rough voice said. Loyalty sounded much like Rainbow Dash indeed.

“I know, but I think we should give her the benefit of the doubt,” Kindness said. “Ever since this war began, everypony has been so angry at each other.”

“Then explain yourself, Spark,” Honesty said.

“You want to know why I've revealed myself to Twilight?” Spark said, her voice smooth and amused. “I'm going to immortalize myself. I will transcend this form and attain my own alicorn body.”

“What?” Honesty said. “What do you mean?”

“Twilight really is quite intelligent. There's definitely a reason that she is a Princess and an alicorn,” Spark said. I could tell that she was grinning. None of this made any sense. I had been told by both Twilight and Spark that the other Elements had tried to kill her. But this didn't seem like that at all. “She just needed a nudge, is all. Her brother gave her all the reason in the world to develop a spell to give me my own form.”

“You can't,” Loyalty argued. “Don't you even know what that would do? That would break the Elements.”

“Please... I know exactly what I'm doing. In case you forgot, I'm the 'Spark' that makes all of you exist,” Spark spat. “I can carry us forth into reality itself. Can't you see that? I'm doing this for all of you. Once I am complete, I can use this power to bring you along as well.”

“But we don't want that, Magic,” Kindness said. “I just... I just want to hear Fluttershy be happy again. She's so sad lately.”

“And all I want to do is see Pinkie smile!” Laughter interjected. “Ever since this nasty war started, nopony smiles.”

“You don't understand, do you?” Spark said. “If I have my own form, we'll be able to end this war. Everypony will have no choice but to bow to us as their Goddesses of Harmony. We'll rule forever.”

“That ain't Harmony,” Honesty said. “That's tyranny, and you know it.”

“And this war isn't? You don't see it, do you? Luna, the Ministries? They're going to end this world. It's all their fault this conflict has gone this far. It's time we did something about it,” Spark snarled.

“By forcing ponykind into servitude?” Loyalty said. “There's no loyalty in that.”

“Darling, this isn't at all like you. What happened to make you think like this?” Generosity asked, her voice filled with concern.

“Maybe you don't know me as well as you think you do,” Spark said angrily. “I thought that you would support this. This will give you back your Bearers. You can laugh and play again as though nothing is even wrong.”

“At the cost of the demise of everything else,” Honesty said. “I'm sorry, Spark. I truly am, but we can't let you do this.”

A rush of energy accompanied the voice of the Element. It surged through the aether towards the spirit of Magic. I felt the power of the Elements assaulting one of their own and it was intense. Did the Elements truly have this strange and amazing power? Spark roared in the back of Twilight's mind, causing the mare to fall to her knees in front of her friends.

“Twilight?!” Rainbow Dash shouted. She was the first one to her fallen friend's side, placing a wing over her. “What's wrong? Are you alright?”

Twilight shuddered, holding a hoof to the side of her head. “Get away...” she breathed out, pushing the other mare away from her. Twilight's vision swam with pain as she struggled to stand. Her horn flared in defiance of the pain, cutting through it like a butter knife. “Leave me alone!” The mare snarled and cast her spell, disappearing into thin air before her friend's eyes. She reappeared in a bedroom, tumbling to the ground immediately.

“Thank... thank you...” Spark huffed in the rear of her mind.

Twilight groaned as she climbed off the floor onto the bed. “Don't... don't mention it. What happened?” she managed to choke out.

“The other Elements. They tried to sever my connection to you,” Spark replied. “They tried to kill us both, Twilight. You can't trust your friends. Not anymore.”

I awoke with a cold start, breathing hard. A sharp pain echoed in the back of my skull. I realized quickly that I had probably hit my head on something. I sat there in the darkness, trying to process what I had just watched. Sure enough, Spark and Twilight hadn't lied about what the Elements had tried to do, but Spark had lied to Twilight. Spark's true intent was to control the Elements themselves, and to rule ponykind with an iron hoof. My thoughts flittered back to what the Pinkie Pie hologram in Stable 180 had said. The world needed the Element of Magic. Did Spark deserve the second chance I was so desperate to give her? I shook my head, pushing that thought away. I knew deep down that she did. I had to believe that, I truly did.

I glanced down at the memory orb in my hooves and sighed. This wasn't the first one that had shown up without explanation. Who was leaving these orbs? What were they trying to get me to see? Was it Twilight? If so, what was her angle in this? I groaned, and glanced over at the others. They were still asleep. Steeljack was taking his turn to watch us. My eyes widened when I realized that one of our number was missing. Finishing Touch was nowhere to be seen, while Featherjoy was curled up next to Violet.

“Steeljack!” I shouted across the clearing, causing everypony to wake up instantly. The armored stallion looked back, his eyes hidden by Tempest's blue visor. “Touch is gone.”

“What?” he said, scanning the area. “But... how? He was just here a few minutes go.”

“Touch?!” Featherjoy called out, her eyes teary. “Where did he go, Star?”

I narrowed my gaze at the young griffon. “I don't know, but we'll find him,” I said, turning to Violet. “I'm guessing that he probably snuck past us, somehow. I'm not sure how he got by our E.F.S., but there isn't much we can do about that.”

“Something's not right out there. I can't see anything on my E.F.S. The Magisterium, they're gone,” Steeljack called out from near the tunnel entrance.

“Shit,” I muttered under my breath. I had some idea of what had happened. Touch had turned himself into Truth Seeker. It was the only possible way that would get us out of this hellish temple and the Magisterium's hooves. Still, it was a stupid, stupid move. One that I myself would have probably done if I were in his place. “Alright, then. We're moving out. We need to find him and try and end this peacefully. But be ready. There's a chance that Truth Seeker already has him, and I don't want to risk anything.” Despite the fact that everyone was still not feeling too hot, the news that one of our own was in possible danger spurred them on like their own injuries and sickness was nothing.

I latched up Stargazer, stepping out of the tunnel and into the brightness of the Wasteland. The sloping valley that led away from the entrance showed just how large the temple really was. It was set in the side of a large mountain range, hidden away from normal prying eyes. I wondered briefly if the book that had been sitting in the central chamber was the only reason the place had been built. Who had even took the opportunity to build such a thing? And what of the monstrosity that had attacked us? How did it get there? What was its purpose? Why did it keep calling me Daring Do? My mind buzzed with distracting thoughts, and I tried to stay focused on the here and now as I started down the trail. My friends stayed close in behind me.

I narrowed my eyes at the mountainous valley below us. Nothing appeared on my E.F.S. I wondered just how far Finishing Touch had gotten. Had Truth Seeker made off with him? What if he was already dead? I closed my eyes. No, I thought. I refused to believe it. I would not let another friend get killed. I had seen too much death already. The trail led down deep into the valley, the shadows of the mountains behind us drawing over the land. There were signs here and there left behind by the Magisterium's guards, from hoof prints to scorch marks on crude targets hung in the dead foliage. Still, there was no physical sign of our friend. I grimaced, wondering if I was maybe wrong somehow. As we walked, I tried my best to formulate a plan of how to deal with the Magisterium. Truth Seeker was still able to cancel out any of my magic, so there was no chance of using any of my more advanced spells against him.

I was lost in my thoughts, trotting along until I saw it. Rather, until I walked into it. A large crystalline wall, scorched black by the megaspells and crumbling due to the ages of time, lined the ridge ahead of us. I cringed as I fell backwards from the impact. Rubbing my nose with my forehoof, I stood, placing the other hoof on the wall. It was cool to the touch.

“What the...?” I said.

“Whoah,” I heard Featherjoy say. “Where did that come from?”

“I... I don't know,” I said. “It wasn't here a second ago.” I glanced down the length of the wall, looking for any way past it. Down the ridge was what appeared to be some form of large crystal gate. Past the wall, several blips shimmered in and out on my E.F.S. Somehow, the wall was playing with the PipBuck's spell, preventing it from working properly. I grimaced. If this was the Magisterium’s headquarters, it was certainly impressive.

We moved down the ridge to the massive gate, in awe of the smokey black crystal that made up the entrance. I stepped up to the entrance, pushing forward on it with a hoof. It wouldn't budge. I grimaced, flaring my horn and reaching out with my magic. I felt a sharp pain in the back of my mind as my telekinesis touched the black crystals, reeling back and cutting off the spell as quickly as I started it.

“Star?!” Violet said, coming to my side and holding me up before I could tumble to the ground. I groaned.

“Something with the... crystals. Hates magic...” I breathed. I put a hoof up to my horn, rubbing my forehead. A dull throbbing formed at the base of my appendage. “Door won't budge...”

“Step back then,” a voice from behind me said. I glanced back at Lilith, who had a grin on her face. The familiar whine of the Bitch punctuated her statement. I smiled softly and beckoned to Featherjoy to stand away from the black mare. Lilith snarled under her breath, letting loose at the crystal gate. The missile struck true, exploding in a shower of black crystals and roiling smoke. I put up a shield as best as I could, deflecting pieces of the black substance away from our little group. Each one that struck dimmed the shield a little more, until the magical barrier dissipated on its own.

“Did I do it?” Lilith said hopefully.

The smoke cleared, revealing a massive hole in the side of the gate. My eyes widened as I glimpsed what had been hiding behind the wall. It was what appeared to be a city, the landscape transitioning from the gentle rise into another bowl valley, this one a lot larger than the one the temple was in. The buildings were crystalline in nature, shattered under the force of the war, or of time. Some of the taller structures had toppled over, resting on the smaller buildings. In the center of the valley was a tower made of sharp black crystal, jutting upward into the sky. Halfway up though, the tower had cracked, the rest of it laying across the far end of the valley. It looked like somepony had simply snapped the structure in a neat clean break and then set it at an angle on the other buildings. There were simple crystal structures popping out of the landscape, all of them the same black color as the wall and the gate.

“What the hell is this place?” I heard Patch say. I shook my head.

“No idea,” I said. “I've never seen anything like it. It's like something out of a story book.”

“A post apocalyptic story book,” Lilith uttered. “Freaky.”

“I... I have a bad feeling about this place, Star,” Nixis whispered from next to me.

“Let's... be careful not to touch anything,” I said, glancing back at my E.F.S. The blips on it flickered in and out, reporting several non-hostile markers up ahead. Non-hostile? What was going on here? I was pretty sure the last time we saw the Magisterium they were seriously hostile. We moved cautiously forward, and I floated out Stargazer just in case. The blackened crystal buildings loomed on each side of the main drag that led up towards the broken tower. As we walked, I glanced about nervously. I felt like we were being watched with every step. The silence was deafening, the sounds of our hoofsteps falling away without an echo. Eventually, the main plaza underneath the tower came into view. It had been converted into some form of a ritual area, a massive altar standing in the center. Several unicorns milled about the altar. They bore the same style of dress as the guards of the Magisterium. They paid us no attention as we made our way into the plaza. Featherjoy clung to my leg, clearly frightened of these ponies.

“I wonder if this is like their headquarters or something,” Violet said quietly.

“Looks like some cuckoo crazy stuff to me,” Patch replied.

“To you maybe, but to us, it is home,” a voice rang out from across the plaza. I glanced up, seeing Truth Seeker. Here in the center of his power, the leader of this mysterious group of ponies was wearing a flowing white robe, illuminated by a bright orange sun standard. His crimson coat made the robe seem like it was a shining light among the blackened crystal structures. He wore a smug grin on his face.

“Truth Seeker,” I said curtly. “Where is our friend? We know you have him.”

Truth Seeker's grin faded. “The Smooze? We had thought he had escaped and that you had perished in the temple,” he said. “He is not here.”

“Liar!” Featherjoy exclaimed. She hopped off of my leg to stare indignantly at the red stallion. “You have him!”

Truth Seeker hung his head. “I wish that I did, little one. But it seems our search for the beast has begun anew,” he replied. “If you are not with him, that means he left of his own accord, am I right?” I nodded in response. “I thought as much. Your so-called friend has left because he realizes what he is. He is a monster, destined to destroy everything. You must see that, Ministry Mare.”

“You're wrong,” I said angrily. “You're beginning to sound a lot like a broken record, Truth Seeker. If you don't have our friend, we'll be going then.”

“Oh, I don't think you will. You see, I happen to know for a fact that the beast has formed somewhat of an attachment to the young griffon. I figure if I keep you here, he will be more apt to show his slimy excuse for a face,” the unicorn said, grinning.

He motioned to the guards in the plaza with a hoof. The unicorns pointed their rifles at us menacingly. I noticed that they weren't using any magic to hold them. I narrowed my gaze at the leader of the Magisterium. Truth Seeker had a smug grin on his face.

“Thy will be done, Inquisitor,” one of the guards said.

“You won't get away with this, Truth Seeker,” I snarled, flaring my horn. A sharp pain echoed through the base of my skull. I grunted in pain, the light from my horn dissipating as quickly as it had appeared.

“Funny thing about this place,” Truth Seeker said. “The crystals in this place have a lot of history. They exhibit... interesting properties. They steal magic, void it out. It's one of the major reasons we are here studying them. One of the greatest finds of the century, so to speak. Suffice to say, you won't be casting any spells while you are here.” I hissed, the dull throbbing in my horn subsiding as I felt the void magic sap the strength from me. Truth Seeker grinned, his horn flickering black. “Thankfully, I have been exposed enough to them to resist their effects. My own unique brand of talent seems to help.”

“What do you want, then?” Violet said. “You obviously have us where you want us.”

“I only want the creature,” the crimson unicorn said. “Nothing more. After I have him, you will be free to leave. However, should he not show his face... well I will be forced to kill you to prove a point.”

“Let them go!” a voice from above shouted. We looked up collectively and I smiled widely. Standing atop one of the nearby broken buildings was Finishing Touch. He was pointing at the Inquisitor with one goopy hand. “You want me, Truth Seeker. Not them.”

“Indeed, creature,” Truth Seeker called. “Why don't you come down then? We have much to discuss you and I?”

Finishing Touch shook his head fiercely. “Tell me what you know about me first. What am I?”

Truth Seeker grinned wryly. “Okay, creature. I will entertain your simple request. After all, all who seek knowledge are welcome in the Magisterium. You are a monster, plain as day. You are destined to cover this world in your eternal goo, destroying everything in sight,” he replied. “You are an abomination that must be destroyed.”

Finishing Touch appeared to be lost in thought, processing Truth Seeker's words. I grimaced.

“Don't listen to him!” I shouted angrily. “You're not what he says you are, Touch. You're better than that! You have friends!”

“No. He's right, Star. All I am... All I ever was meant to be was to be destruction,” Touch said, cutting me off. “And I'm ready to end this. I'm afraid, Star. I’m afraid that what I did to that poor pony I will do to one of my friends. To you, or to Featherjoy.”

“You see the futility of your actions, Ministry Mare? Even the beast itself recognizes its own purpose,” Truth Seeker said, returning his attention to Finishing Touch. “Now come, creature and meet your final judgement.”

The purple Smooze leaped from the side of the building, landing next to the Inquisitor. He looked over at me somberly. Featherjoy leaped past me, her eyes filled with tears.

“Touch!!” she shouted. I reached out with my telekinesis, pulling the young griffon back. The effort was futile as the void crystals sapped the magic out of my horn. “No!! Touch, you can't do it!! Please!! Touch!!!!”

The Smooze mouthed the words 'I'm sorry.' as he slid up before Truth Seeker. Featherjoy began to sob at my feet.

“You are making the right choice, evil creature,” Truth Seeker said, his horn flaring in a blaze of black fire. His eyes glowed with an unnatural light.

I growled under my breath, doing the only thing that made sense at the time. I ignited my horn, wrapping my magic around Thunder Flash on Violet's back. I grunted through the pain, leaping forward. The beam rifle unlatched from its harness and zipped up into the air next to me.

I lifted the gun, took aim, and fired.

Author's Notes:

Well, here we have it. Another chapter, another entry in the ongoing saga. This chapter was fun for me to write, because I got to mess around with some new locales and also got to work with writing the Elements. Plus, we have a Smooze and Featherjoy!

This chapter is a lot shorter than my normal bit, but that's because I decided to split where it would go with 25, which will obviously be titled “Return to Dust, Part 2”.

Things have been rather nutty for me lately, so this chapter took quite a bit for me to get done. I just wanted to take a moment to say thank you to the readers out there supporting me in this. We are now officially at 12 chapters and the epilogue left. Progress!

Also, recently I was gifted with some awesomeness, RinaSunshine sent me the coolest picture ever of Radiant Star. Go check it out here. It's totally great!

Onto the plugs. As always, you can ask Star questions at http://askradiantstar.tumblr.com. I've been busy, but I will try to answer any that come through.

My story plug for the week goes out to “Fallout Equestria: Sweet Nothings” by Golden Tassel. It's quite an interesting read with a fun premise. Go check it out!

As always, I thank Wirepony and McMesser for the editing and the encouragement. I always appreciate it.

And I continue to thank Kkat, for the world she helped to build, and the sandbox I now play in.