Espirit groaned as the world came back into focus. The first thing she realized was the world felt amazing, almost as good as Canterlot had. The next thing she realized was that every single muscle, bone and hair on her body hurt. “Owwwwwwwww...” she moaned.

“Finally woken up, I see,” a voice said. For a moment the zebra couldn't identify it, she then looked to the side and gasped.

“Mirage? What are you doing here?”

“I came here to help with the Cadence issue. Imagine my surprise when I found out that four very stupid pon... creatures decided to try a repeat performance of their earlier stupidity. And then to find out the zebra had done the stupidest thing of all. You were almost killed, you know.”

“I-is the crystal heart okay?”

“It's more than okay. I don't know what you did, but you've managed to repair enough damage to save the work of a thousand conjurers.”

“W-what?”

“The land, haven't you felt it?” Mirage asked with a sigh. “It's healed. I've never felt it so... nice.”

“Y-you can feel it?” Espirit asked before slowly sitting up and groaning. “Ow. What happened?”

“Ah, do hold on,” the crystal pony said before pulling out her book and flipping it open. “Here we go. According to the reports, Cadence had nearly drained Canterlot and the surrounding area dry. All that tainted aether. When you defeat her and sent it back into the land, apparently you purified it, or the crystal heart did. Together, you've managed to heal over a century of damage from experiments and who knows what else.”

“H-how long was I out for?”

“Almost a month. Your friends will be thrilled to see you're back.”

“WHAT?” the zebra asked before trying to get up. She fell out of bed with an eek. “Ow... where's Clearpond?”

The crystal pony looked down before sighing. “I'm... sorry. She won't be around for a while.”

Espirit slowly got to her hooves, though they wobbled heavily under her. “W-what? Why? What's wrong?”

“Cadence... wasn't gentle with her bonds. There are still plenty who haven't recovered. Clearpond is... one of them.”

“She... she's going to b-be okay, isn't she?” the zebra asked, gripping the bed to steady herself. “S-she's an amazing white mage, right?”

“Yes, she will. With time. Plenty have already woken up and more awaken every day. There's no reason to believe that she won't wake up. Now, about the fight, what can you tell me?”

Espirit frowned and then rubbed her chin. “Actually, thinking back... it was kind of easy.”

“What?”

“Easy. I mean, it was scary. If their numbers had been there, we would have been crushed.” She slid back into the bed and sat down. “But... she was stronger than Celestia. Yet it felt so much easier. I must have gotten stronger. We all must have gotten stronger. It was also like... she wanted to fight us, though. Cadence. I guess she thought we'd be easy,” the zebra said with a giggle before pounding her chest.

“Indeed, you are all very strong,” Mirage said before getting to her hooves. “I will go get your friends, they will be delighted to know you're moving again.”

“Thank you!” Espirit called after, grinning.

A few minutes after the crystal pony left, the door swung open and Steelhorn galloped inside, jumping into the air and hugging the zebra tightly. “Oh you poor, poor dear! I can't believe all that happened! I thought you were dead, or were going to die!” she shrieked, her hooves so tight around the mare she could barely breath.

“I-I'm fine,” she choked out softly. “C-can't b-breath.”

“Oh, right, sorry!” the changeling pulled back and grinned. “I can't believe it. It looked so amazing, watching you work with that heart. It felt so... you looked so... I swear, you were surrounded by so much aether. At some points it was almost as if you were made of the aether. It was beautiful, all those swirling lights and magic. How did you do that?”

“I... I don't know. It was all... a conjury thing,” Espirit mumbled. “I just felt the way the magic went, where it needed to go. I directed it, guided it. It felt... odd a lot of the time, but it worked.” She gave a soft giggle. “You know, I used to do aether distribution like this when I was younger. But it was more based around flowers and small things. I can't believe I helped do all that. How uhhh... how is everypony?”

Steelhorn gave a small smile. “Better. There aren't going to be any celebrations for a while, though. Two spirits rising like that, well, the ponies in charge want to keep us closer now. There weren't as many killed this time. Cadence was more the... enslave them type. But there's still a lot of damage. Lots of buildings were wrecked, keeping all the sleeping dragons from passing on has been a real difficulty.”

The zebra nodded. “Sorry. I uhhh... I can't believe we did it.”

“Yep, we're real heroes,” Steelhorn said with a giggle. “Ponies will be talking about us for decades after this one. Maybe centuries.”

“I'm already working on the book rights,” Ganry said as he stepped into the room. “I heard you're finally up and about, kid. Feeling better?”

“Tired, but good.”

“It's not surprising,” Silverwing said as she stepped in. “You were lucky to survive, after all that. I've seen conjurers do such things, but never on such a grand scale. You could have had all your aether drawn out, then what would have happened?”

The zebra gulped. “T-the ponies need the crystal heart though,” she whispered. “It's... it's needed by all of them. B-besides, we broke it. I had to at least try.”

The negasi walked over and gently patted her head with a wing. “And you tried spectacularly. It was a foalish, dangerous thing to do. But you did it and you saved one of the greatest treasures in Crystalopolis. There will likely be another medal in it for you.”

“I-I never could have done it without all of you,” Espirit said with a grin. “Knowing you were all there, fighting with me, it made the impossible possible. I feel like we could take on... well, anything that came this time. Celestia, Cadence, maybe even Twilight.”

“Stars forbid that happens,” Silverwing said with a shake of her head. “It's been a long time since any of the tribes have managed to gather spirits, let's all just be hopeful that this was a fluke. Two together.”

Espirit nodded and laid back. “Right. We'll probably never see another one. But can you imagine? Living long enough to not only see, but defeat, two of these spirits? Or three, in your case,” she said with a grin. “They'll write all kinds of stories about us.”

“You'll have plenty of wanting suitors soon,” the negasi said with a smirk.

“W-what?”

“You're young, pretty and unattached. There will be stallions lining up all down the end of the street,” Silverwing said.

“Steelhorn! You told them, didn't you?!” Espirit shrieked, glaring at the changeling.

“No, but you just did.”

The zebra paused and color flooded her cheeks. “I don't like stallions!” she screamed, laying down on her stomach and burying her head under the pillow. “I like mares!”

“Oh? I'm sure you'll have a sizable offer of those, as well,” the negasi teased.

“I could start putting that in song, that you're looking,” Ganry offered.

“I loathe you all,” Espirit grumbled.

------

The days soon turned into a few weeks and Espirit found her strength yet again. She could hardly believe how fast she was recovering, but then a month of rest had helped. True to Mirage's words, more ponies, changelings and dragons were waking every day, freed from the bonds of Cadence. To the zebra's surprise, she found she was barely even hungry. She ate her meals each day, but she never felt truly ravenous, even after her month of sleep.

She did, however, feel stronger. Stronger than she had ever been. Everyday she went out to the training areas and practiced, warming her body up in case there was another conflict. She was sure Aetherbind would send her a message if anything was found, but for now she just had to keep practicing. After all, she was a hero. She couldn't let herself become sloppy.

It was during one of these training sessions that she was suddenly stopped by a loud yell. “Espirit!”

The zebra looked over to see Mirage and a unicorn, wearing similar garments to the crystal pony but carrying a black staff, walking towards her. She reached up and gave a little wave. “Hey! What brings you out here?”

“I've been watching your training for a while and, well...” The crystal pony sighed. “I think you're squandering your potential. I want to talk with you about it.”

Espirit blushed. “R-really? I-I mean, I don't... I don't think I'd really make a good white mage. I mean, errr, did Clearpond say something? Before all this?” She couldn't help but rock slightly back and forth. Of course, the pegasus must have mentioned how great she was coming along and talked about her joining their ranks as one of the few, the proud, the white mages. “Did she talk about me joining her as a white mage?”

“No,” Mirage said with a shake of her head. “I think it's time you learned some of the other magics. Both of an arcanist and a thaumaturge.”

Espirit froze, before narrowing her eyes. “No. Not a chance.”

“But--”

“That magic is... that magic is bad! It damages the land and does so many horrible, horrible things! I won't be a part of that!”

“It will make you stronger, it--”

“I've already defeated two alicorns, I don't need to be stronger that way! I'm not taking some... some little... no!”

The crystal pony let out a sigh. “Please, Espirit. You never know when you'll need power like that. And it is power, great power. It can--”

“It's not for me.”

“But--”

“GO!” the zebra shrieked. “I don't want to hear what you have to say, I want to practice my skills! My conjury! Real magic that actually does good in the world!”

The mare gave a soft sigh before nodding. “Very well. If you're that set against it. You are a powerful conjurer, Espirit. But there may come a time when that's not enough.”

Espirit hmphed and returned to her training. She didn't care about what that woman said, she didn't need any magic but conjury. Her magic was getting stronger every day, she'd even learned a new adaption of the protect spell, that could coat her target in magical armor. What possible use could those other magics be?

------

“You really, really need to get a room of your own,” Steelhorn said as she looked over Espirit's small section of the room, moments after the zebra had arrived back home.

“W-what?”

“You're a hero of Torrential now. You can have your own room, you don't need to stay with us forever.”

“I second that!” Ganry said quickly.

“But, I like it here,” the zebra mumbled as she moved to look over her things. “There's just... it's really comfy in here.”

“Of course it is, but that doesn't mean you need to stay here forever. You're a growing mare, it's time you set out on your own.”

Espirit whimpered. She couldn't believe her friends were kicking her out like this. “B-but I--”

“It's not immediate, but soon,” the changeling said. “Ganry and I will be going away for a little bit.”

“W-what? Why? Where?”

“Training,” Steelhorn said with a smile. “The queen has invited me to train directly under her guards to learn some of their advanced, secret skills. It's an excellent opportunity.”

“I've been invited back to Cloudsdale to learn from the wind singers,” Ganry said with a shrug. “We'd been putting it off until you got better, but now that you're up and about again, we feel it's time.”

“Y-you're both leaving me?”

“Not for long,” Steelhorn said with a shake of her head. “We're just going away for a little bit. We'll be back before you know it. But when we get back, it'll be time for you to get your own room.”

Espirit whimpered and had no choice, she sat down and stared at the changeling, her eyes getting really big and her lower lips trembling.

The changeling rolled her eyes. “Really? Do you honestly believe that will work on me? I am a CHANGELING. You can make all the--”

“You can stay just stop that!” Ganry yelled, covering his eyes.

Steelhorn face hoofed. “No, stop it. Stop your pouting. You're a grown mare and it's time for you to get your own room. It'll be fine, trust me.” She walked forward and patted the zebra on the back. “You can do this, honey. You're a strong mare and it's time you had some independence.”

“But I like being here...”

“We like having you here, but it's time to sever the cord. You have a few weeks to get ready, so do what you can, okay? We'll help you move if you're not out by the time we get back.”

Espirit sighed and gave a nod, before trotting to her section of the room. She couldn't help feeling a little abandoned none the less. How could they kick her out like this?

------

Espirit lightly nibbled her ice cream sundae and sighed. It had been three days since her friends had left and she couldn't deny it, she was feeling lonely. Silverwing was gone as well, having taken Swipes with her to begin some advanced training. She was the only pony not undergoing special training and she was feeling a little left out. She still practiced every day, however.

Her new room had been chosen, a few rooms down from Steelhorn's. It was small and would fit all of her things, though it would be snug. She'd moved most of her stuff, but she couldn't bring herself to move her bed. She didn't want to leave them, or at least what remained of them.

She didn't have any idea how she was going to handle being alone once they came back. She was already having trouble with them not being there each night as it was. Permanently was going to be horrible.

“Espirit?” a voice said from behind her.

“Hmmm?” she glanced back, blinking at the stallion behind her. “Yes?”

“I was told to come get you. Clearpond has just woken up. You're one of the first allowed to--”

The zebra was off in a flash, galloping away. She skidded to a stop outside of the mare's room, before knocking on the door.

For a few moments there was nothing, then a voice. “Come in,” the pegasus' voice said, though it was weak.

Espirit opened the door and gasped. The mare was up, but she looked nothing like she had. Her skin was taut over her body and she was propped up with a few pillows. A big bowl of soup was laying on the small table besides her. “Ah, Espirit. I see you came immediately.”

“Of course! I heard you were better and... are you feeling okay? You don't look well at all.”

“Tired,” the mare mumbled before giving a smile. “I hear you defeated Cadence.”

“We all defeated Cadence, it wasn't an easy fight. In fact, it was... well, at times terrifying. At other times, not so much.”

The were a few moments of silence while the pegasus just breathed, before she spoke up again. “The crystal heart? I heard it was... damaged.”

“It was. We had no choice, we had to stop her from using it.” Espirit put a hoof to her chest. “It... felt horrible when we did it. Like a knife pierced my chest and cut out slowly. The others were hurt too, but I think my connection to the world just made it worse. But when we defeated her it just... you should have felt it. So much aether gathered into her. I was able to redirect it into the heart and use it to repair it. But I'd never felt so much magic. I mean, in a way it was almost... good. Could you imagine if it was possible to gather all that corrupted aether into one big monster and then purify it at once?”

The pegasus chuckled. “Like... near the border?”

Espirit nodded. “No, the border isn't...” She paused and shivered when she realized the mare meant the centaur border. All that corrupted aether, the spirit that could be created with it, the sheer power of the monster they'd need to destroy to fix all that damage. “Okay, maybe it wouldn't work quite so well. But it was still amazing. They say the land hasn't been this pure in almost a century.”

“Indeed,” Clearpond said before closing her eyes. “I'm very proud of you. I... think you've done an amazing job. You're advancing quickly.”

The mare nodded. “T-thank you. I uhhh... I've tried my hardest and...” She gulped nervously. “When... can we begin our training again?”

There was another soft sigh. “I will need to... get stronger first. There is very little for me to teach you, though.”

Espirit nodded. “I see! I-I've learned a few more spells, too! I can now alter the protection spell to create armor for ponies. I also... well, I don't know if this is a spell. But I learned something that lets me draw aether up from the world and... it kind of refreshes me. It lets me use magic directly from the world, but it doesn't seem to drain it like a thaumaturge's magic. It's like becoming one with the world.”

There was a shudder from the pegasus. “Then... you have learned stone skin and...” She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. “There is nothing more for me to teach you. Now you must practice and develop your skills on your own.”

Espirit blinked, her eyes widening. “W-what? But there has to be more! I mean, you could...” She took a deep breath. “You... could teach me the ways of a white mage?”

“No,” Clearpond said firmly, the first sign of strength to her voice since the zebra had arrived.

“W-what? I didn't mean, I-if I got stronger and--”

“No. The... way of a white mage is... special. Different. It is not the path for you.”

“B-but I... I've been practicing all the time. Every day. And I've defeated two alicorns. Well, helped.”

“That is good. But it does not change things,” Clearpond said before slowly sitting up. “The... way of a white mage is different. It is not a matter of practice. It is something only few ponies can do. You are not one of them.”

“But--”

“This is not up for discussion.”

Espirit stared, her mouth slowly falling open. Slowly she gave a nod. “I-I see. Can... can I be excused?”

“Of course,” Clearpond mumbled before collapsing back into the cushions. “Please send Mirage to me.”

“O-of course,” the zebra said before galloping out of the room. It was all she could do to hold back her tears long enough to find the crystal pony and let her know. She then galloped to her room and jumped onto the bed, breaking down into a fit of crying and sobs.

“N-not fair!” she wailed into her pillows. She was stronger than nearly every conjurer she knew. She practiced all the time, had defeated two of the spirits and was doing everything in her power to help keep the world safe. What more did she have to do? What was it about her that made her unworthy to become a white mage? Was it because she asked? She just wanted to use the power to save ponies.

What more could she possibly do?