Silver Haze admited, the train ride seemed far faster then it really was, it only felt like it took ten minuets, it took far longer, but with good company and many questions, the time flew by. Silver had many things he needed to ask, the girls had just as many questions for him. The questions flew, both sides not holding back, a furious Q&A of two different cultures. Many different questions were being thrown back and forth. Twilight would ask, Silver would answer. Then Silver would ask, Twilight and the girls would answer.

"What kind of currency do you use?" "We don't rely on a currency system, one's access to resources are based on status, everyone gets what they need in the end."

"Why are the the races all living together?" "Ever since Hearth Warming Eve, the three tribes have been united. We've been living in harmony ever since."

"What kind of a society is Alicornia?" "Well, the High King had the final call on everything, but most of the time the Nobles delt with growth and resource spreading and the Warmongers dealt with defense, policing and keeping everything in order."

"What kind of Military power does Equestria have?" "Equestria has never really had a need to have an army, we have a highly train Royal Guard, but otherwise we don't have a defence force other then the Elements."

"Well that's JUST great." Silver Haze mumbled, looking out the window to see the giant moutain city of Canterlot open up before him. the grand sprirals and colored of blue and black...uh, white and gold. Drew him into the city, the tall walls buildt to withstand siege looked clean, but not workable, as if they had long since sacrifed safty for aesthetics.

The train moved through a tunnel as it came through the final passage, as the cars of the train deceded into darkness, silver was left with only his thoughts for a moment. Why did he know these things? HOW did he know these things he knew, what secreat was his own brain hidding from him?

Silver blinked as the carriage moved back out of the tunnel and into the light, and for a moment, he saw a red Alicorn stairing intensly back at him, however, as soon as he saw it, he blinked and the phantom image was gone, nothing more then a trick of the eye.

Silver shook his head as he settled back down, there was still an hour left in the trip, he might as well catch a few Z's until he got there.

~~~~

"Silver...I'll never forget you..."

"Tell...her...I'm...sorry!"

"I...love...you...silver...haze~"

"HMHMHmhmhMMHh~"

"Worthless...Backstabbing...Life-ruining..."

The red blood replaced the darkness of his mind.

"MONSTER."

~~~~

Silver bolted up, his breathing heavy, who were those voices? He reconsied one as twilight...but the other ones he did not know...that last one though...why did it haunt him so?

Silver got up, slinging his blade over his shoulder. He walked forwards to the side of the train, undoing the curtain, he threw it open to let the rays of sunshine into the car. He blinked a few times, letting his pupils contract as the red in his irises seemed to glow. He saw the gate to Canterlot approach quickly he relised that everypony else was waiting in the carriage ahead of him, turning to move. Silver walked down the trains length, reaching the exit doors just as the train pulled in.

Everypony gave silver a quick greeting or nod, before they all walked out into Canterlot. Guards hussled about, obviously coming to escort him to the castle. They didn't want an Alicorn causing riots in the street.

Silver Haze was easily escorded forwards to the canterlot catles. The guards kept a close eye on him, he tried to get some more info out of Twilight but she was oddly quiet. Silver would have looked farther into it, but a sudden pressing headache kept him from doing much more then focusing on putting one hoof in front of the other, Silver haze move with pourpose foward, canterlot castle aproched quickly, his mind reading to meet this royality of Equestria.

eventually, Silver entered the grand canterlot castle, the twisting corridors guilding him forwards towards the throne room. As he reached it, his mind kicked into overdrive, something was wrong, something was happining, something he didn't understand.

He looked in shock as a briliant white Alicorn steped out from behind the throne, her image stuck in silver's mind, he has seen her before, he knew it...but where? She seemed to react in much the same what as I did. I stepped forwards, and spoke with authority.

"Greetings, ruler of Equestria, my name is Silver Haze, of the alicornian Isles. I come bearing news of it's downfall..." Before I could finish, in walked another Alicorn, a blue one, with a mane filled with stars. I was shocked and so was she.

"Luna?"
"SILVER?"

Flashback- 2343 years ago...

Two young alicorns played in a small field on the outscerts of the island of Kindness. The smaller one, a moonlight blue alicorn filly laughed as she ran away from the slightly bigger alicorn colt who was chuckling as he chased her around, eventually, the colt managed to catch her and they both tumbled down the small slope, laughing all the way. The colt expected to land on the bottom, but it did not come, he fell and fell and fell and the hill grew only steeper, he heard his compainion continue to laugh, only with more force and less merth, the colt could only scream as the landscape turned barren and dark, with plumes of fire being the only light in the landscape, images flashed before him.

Training.

Twilight.

His quest.

Fluttershy.

Luna.

Hope.

Hope.

Hope's loss.

His father.

His adventures.

Silver Haze landed on the cracked stone ground, he got up slowly, his torn armor giving him no respise from the mental overload he was experiencing.

He walked forward.

Silver had no goal in mind as he crossed the scorched landscape of his mind, he had no direction or reason, but it compled him forwards. He could not stop. He would not stop, he had to move forwards.

He always had to move forwards.

Silver eventualy found his way to a mountain, an active volcano spewing lava high into the sky, so high that he could not see where the lava stopped moving up, he wondered if it even did. For no lava fell down, he aproched and felt the presents of another being in his mind, he readied his thoughts, focused his being, then called out to it, not with his words, but with his thoughts, for this was his mind and his word was law.

As he expected the landscape shifted, the area around him cracked and began to rise, a floating isle that was all his own as he was lifted towards the colom of lava. He placed his blade down beside him, he would need to physical blade to wound the intruder, if he even needed too.

A rocky, lava made hoof forced itself from the stream, it was easily twice the size of Silver. It grabbed onto the mountain as anther hoof, much the same as the first, also came out. Followed by a massive head, the head of an Alicorn, it's eyes were a pure red, its horn bubbled with magma as silver flinched as it dripped around him. Massive stone-made wings enveloped silver's rocky island from behind the mountain. But it did not crush him, only watch, curiousity on it's features.

"Sis Sis, Ta'ut Elumont Avars!" The creature spoke, the ancient tongue of Silver's kind reverdibrating through the air, silver focused and attuned his mind to the words, alowing him to understand. It was his mind and this intruder would follow his rules.

"Hm, you wish for me to speak your words? Very well, I shall do so." The Alicorn said, Silver detected the smallest trace of humor in the being's voice, as if it was mocking him.

"Why are you in my mind!" Silver yelled, the creature only laughed.

"You gained back so much of yourself, yet forgot one important bit...think long and hard silver...what happened after hope fell?" Silver growled, focusing his mind, he called up the memory and worked his way forwards. Suddenly, the last few months shifted into focus for him, finding the seventh element, returning to ponyvile...everything became clear.

"You...how...what?" Silver was confused, his memory looped over and over again. He remembered up until he woke up, then he remembered back to his first trip to ponyvile...why did he remember his first trip to ponyvile so much clearer then finding the element if the order they occurred in was reversed?

"I am afraid to say silver. That this is not your Equestria. This is not your time. Somehow you have been forced into a loop, time has been compromised, we have been sent back to do it all again, I have the sickening feeling that this is not a chance accident...I have the terrible, TERRIBLE feeling that whatever sent us here...might have followed us through...but they did not expect me, I have been feeding your mind, giving you bits to remember. It was slow, but you have an advantage now, you know of things yet to come...and you have power you in no way had before."

The lava vanished, and so too did the giant Alicorn, however, out from where the Lava once was, stepped a red Alicorn, his coat seemed to be bubbling, as if an endless sea of magma flowed just underneath his skin, his horn glowed with a briliant light almost as briliant as the light from his eyes. He reached out a cracked hoof, where silver could see lava move just underneath it. "Take my hoof silver, let us join together, our powers united will be more then enough to give you the power you need to survive." Silver reached out, but hesitated at the last moment.

"Wait." The red Alicorn frowned, but waited for silver to speak.

SIlver looked the Alicorn dead in the eye, or as close as he could look to them and spoke. "A few rules" The Alicorn nodded.

"This is my mind. I always get final say on what we do." The Alicorn seemed to be waiting for more.

"Two, we don't hurt innocenets, even if we have to restrain our power, I don't want you pumping more power into a hit I want to be weak"

"And three. Final and most importantly. Never, EVER, tamper with my memories again. I don't want anyone poking around in my mind."

Silver smiled. "You just agree to that and we got a deal."

"No."

Silver was surprised by the curt reply. "wh-what? What do you mean no?"

The Alicorn stepped forward calmly. "Regardless of what you think Silver, I am not offering you power for free. Every gain has its price. Take it from someone who's neglect of this concept ended up killing him and all his friends. I will give you my knowledge and power, gained from the very raw forces of this universe. The very air will shake and land will crack at your command. But I will not do so out of the goodness of my heart." The red Alicorn walked past Silver. Stopping at the edge of the platform.

"This is a partnership Silver, just as you know I need you to survive, in order for you to succeed in your quest, my power will be invaluable. The elements did not gain their reputation simply from being ornate jewelry. Yet taking my power means I will get a say in what we do, this form will become mine as much as it is yours. That is the price you pay for power. You will remain the controller, but you will give me a part of your mind, as so that we must act as one to survive. I give you power, you give me influence." The Ailcorn turned to face Silver.

"The choice is all on you to make Silver, how much do you value power? How much are you willing to give to make sure that you don't mess things up the second time around?" The two Alicorns stood, waiting for what the next words would be.

"No...I will not pay that price." Silver said, picking up his blade and turning to leave. The Alicorn stood, his lips pursed.

"You have made your choice Silver. I hope for your sake that you do not regret it, for if you ever need my power, know that the deal will be far less fair to gain it...I wish you the best Silver, if you need my help merely call into your mind for me. Though my power will remain my own, I would be more then happy to help if you need a third-party for advice, or a sword by your side, I am your Element and you are my bearer but you are not yet truly the seventh element...not yet." and with that, the voices faded and Silver found himself standing back in the Canterlot throne room, his memory restored and a feeling of dread and fear in his gut.

Silver took a deep breath. "Well, this whole thing just got a lot more complicated..."

Silver noted Luna looking bewildered, and Celestia muttering something under her breath.

Silver looked up and sighed. "I fear that things are no longer how they appear, Celestia, Luna, my fellow elements. I fear that this is something I have seen and done before and I require your help" This generated much confusion in the room. Twilight was the first to speak.

"What? How do you know Luna? What do you mean 'fellow elements?' Silver are you okay?" Silver turned to Twilight and sighed.

"It is hard to beleave, but I fear I have gotten myself into a time loop...one in which I have gone farther back then I even thought possible...I have lived these days before, I have done this all before, you must trust me!" Silver said, regretting the desperation that had slipped into his voice. Twilight looked saddened and paniced, Celestia looked annoyed, Luna looked worried.

"OKKaaayyyy...Silver, wow, yes, time loops, all that. Uh, I think some more sleep might do you some good, Celestia, I'll get him rested up so he starts making sense...I think it's just shock..." Twilight began apologizing. Silver only scoweled. He needed some way to convince Twilight and the rest of his truth. Suddenly, he got an idea as he closed his eyes and shouted in the ancient words that he knew. He felt his mind focus as a red haze formed around his vision, as a voice seemed to speak into his ears at every angle.

"You know, I'm not sure if I should be happy or sad that you seemed to have decided you made a mistake by not taking my offer so soon. If you want to take it now I'm still willing to offer the original deal with no added strings, I want you to know that I wish for us to be allies rather then foe..." Silver cut off the voice with his own.

"Wh-no! I don't want your stupid deal! I need your help! You said that even if I didn't want your power there was still a few ways you could help me!" Silver shouted angrily.

"Uh, silver? Are you okay? Who are you talking to? What deal?"

The voice seem to sigh "...well then, fine, if you wish to cut the pleasantries, yes there are several ways I can assist you without you sharing directly in my powers, I am your element, you can command me to help you, but how I do so is up to my discretion. Yet I feel that rather then build this alliance on just orders alone we need to build some sort of a system of making sure we both have a voic-"

Silver rolled his eyes. "You know, for a mass-murdering criminal. You really have a way to act like I'm the one wronging you for forcing you through your own self-made punishment."

"Twilight? Does...does he always do this? Should I call the guard? Is he accusing me of something?"

The voice paused before speaking again "Ah, so that is your problem with me, you do not agree with my actions involving the destruction of the old empire and the subsequent revolution that devastated our species."

Silver scowled as he yelled back "DAMN RIGHT! You murdered thousands! Just because you thought there was no other way! That's not right! Whatever, just do what you are suppose to do! I command you!"

"Ummm...Silver, not to interrupt you...but I'm fairly sure that potted plant has not killed thousands...I-I mean, that's just what I think..."

The haze grew more blinding for a moment, before it dissipated, a voice leaving a few parting words. "Fine, if you wish to have this alliance be purely business-like I can deal with it, Suv'e Kas'vur Murum!

Suddenly, silver felt his body explode in pain as his eyes turned a brilliant red color, he felt his body flow with energy as a brilliant beam shot from his chest. One particularity unlucky earth pony guard was in Silver's cross hair was struck by the beam, causing a pulse of white light to travel down the beam, hitting the guard, as soon as it started, it stopped. Leaving the guard writhing on the floor.

Everypony gasped as the guard opened his eyes to reveal bright red lights shinning from them, as the guard stood, a phantom image of a horn and wings formed on the guard as he stood at attention, before speaking in a creepily echoing voice.

"I am Rightful Smite, Slayer of Tyrants and Forger of worlds. I claim this body in the name of the Elements." 'Rightful Smite' move forward gracefully, moving with a casual ease that did not fit the emotion of the room.

Silver could barely speak "Bu-bu-how? You! WHAT! WHAT DID YOU JUST DO!" Rightful shrugged.

"His mind was weak. You commanded me to make my presence known, I did so. I have claimed his body as mine. Before you panic, no, I have not left you, I cannot leave you, as we have already established, if you leave, I will lose my grasp on his mind, but as long as I stay close, I can remain in this form." Nopony seemed to be satisfied with this.

Celestia flew down from the throne and charged her horn at the guard, who seemed unaffected by the solar alicorn threatining him. "Unhand my guard's mind at once! Or I shall-" Rightful cut her off.

"Shall what? Destroy his body? Or are you foolish enough to think your mind to be stronger than mine? No. I take no orders from you. Sister of the sun. My orders come from Silver and him alone." Silver growled, having more then enough.

"Element, I command you to release your hold on him!" Silver yelled. Rightful simply nodded.

"By your command bearer." With that, the light in the guard's eyes faded as well as the phantom appendages.

Silver stood in the room, filled with shocked ponies (and two shocked Alicorns) and sighed, having only one thing to say.

"well, do you trust that I am telling the truth now?