To Espirit's delight, learning the spells of a thaumaturge wasn't nearly as difficult, or as despicable as she'd feared. While conjury depending on the power of the world gently flowing through you, thaumaturge magic depended more on the magic within. Turning it into the needed effect and then sending it out, often with explosive results. Then refilling themselves by drawing the magic out from the land, which tended to be the more damaging portion.

The magic wasn't as destructive on the land as she'd suspected. Then again, she was still pretty weak so it wasn't as if she was draining it too badly. But it was frequent. During their training matches she could end up drawing aether from the land four or even five times. Afterwards it would take a few moments to fix the damage she'd done.

She was happy she'd learned arcany first, however. It seemed to be a mix of the two types of magic, using a little from each type to make its spells. She even found a few of the spells and abilities she learned could be used by her conjury, such as a small little time spell that rapidly accelerated how quickly the spell was cast, or another that made the spell cast on its own after she set the starting incantation down.

However, the most important thing she learned was how to better mold her own aether. Finally, on the night of the fourth day, she put her hoof to the stone and reached out with her magic. This time it was almost easy. She let the aether flow through her, slowly drawing away pieces of it, but not letting it completely detach from her. Instead it seeped into the stone and she could feel it disappearing. She let out a gasp as her magic traveled into... someplace. She couldn't quite feel what it was, but there was a lot of power there.

Then something grabbed the aether. She felt it and couldn't help but shriek as whatever it was latched on and started pulling. She shook her head. “No no no!” She tried pulling back, but it refused to let go. Fearfully, she cut it off, falling back from the stone with her eyes wide. “W-what was that?” Little bubbles of aether were flowing around her, lighting the area.

Both the crystal pony and unicorn were staring at her. After a few moment, Mirage gave a nod and held out her hoof to help her up. “You've done it, you've passed.”

“Mirage,” Tempora said warily.

“She's done it. That's what we need.”

“T-that's it? That's all we needed to do?” Espirit asked softly, staring at the stone fearfully.

“For now,” the crystal pony said before motioning the mare to follow. “It's time we head back to Cloudsdale. We'll need transportation to get to the Everfree Forest.”

“What? We're going to the Everfree Forest? But that's--”

“If my research is correct, that's where we'll find the portal to the breezies. I've been there once, you know. The portal. But I couldn't enter it.”

“W-what? Why?”

“The magic there is... it requires a different touch. A summoner like I can't go through it, we're more adapt at drawing things in. But a conjurer... especially one like you, I believe you will be able to go through. To meet with the breezies.”

Espirit nodded. “I... I don't really understand.”

“Don't worry about it,” Mirage said with a shake of her head. “Our transportation should arrive soon.”

“Really? Ho--” The zebra froze and looked around. “Where's Tempora?”

“He's already gone on ahead to get our transport. We'll return to Cloudsdale to find out if there's been any news, then we'll go to the Everfree Forest.”

Espirit nodded before looking up at the sky. A small part of her couldn't help feeling a little fear. What if Ganry had perished in the days since she was gone?

------

“They're in there,” Clearpond whispered before pointing towards the door behind her. “Ganry is still alive, but... Steelhorn is not doing well. She hasn't moved since... well...”

Espirit nodded and slowly stepped into the room. Ganry was still there, lying on the bed, wrapped in bandages. The smell of pus and blood filled the air. Somehow, Steelhorn managed to look almost as bad. She had dried blood on her as well, her carapace was somehow dull and seemed extra craggy. Her wings would occasionally twitch erratically as well.

“S-Steelhorn?” the zebra asked before stepping forward.

“What do you want?” the changeling asked, not moving. All she did was stare at the griffon, her eyes dull and slightly glazed over.

“I... I hear you haven't eaten or slept since... this. You need to get some rest and--”

“Of course I haven't eaten, you foal,” Steelhorn muttered. “Look at him. If I... if I fed off him, I'd kill him.”

“I mean actual food, I know you can eat some real food. It'll help keep your strength up,” Espirit whispered before moving besides her friend. She lightly reached out and put a hoof to her side. She looked down and saw the pillow, soaked almost entirely in tears. “He's going to be okay. I--”

“Don't give me that!” Steelhorn yelled softly. She sounded furious, but there was no energy or spirit to it. No heart. “You can't... you can't know what he's feeling now. What he's going through.”

“He's holding on. He's--”

“He should be dead,” the changeling muttered. “They... they should just let him die.” Fresh tears formed in her eyes. “I-I can feel it, you know? E-every... every pain. I know he's suffering. I can taste it. The fear, the agony, the suffering. You... do you have a-any idea what that feels like?”

“No, I don't. You need to eat. Maybe feed off some of us, let us--”

“I DON'T WANT YOUR LOVE!” she screamed, this time a little energy to her voice. “I... I can feel it. I can TASTE it. D-don't you... do you have any idea what it feels like?” she asked softly. “T-to... to watch your lover die? To feel him dying? To know there's nothing you can do to save him? To watch as the suffering infects every aspect of his life and know there's nothing you can do for him? I-is it not bad enough he has to die, that I have to lose him? Do I have to taste his pain, his suffering the entire time? To watch him... to watch him f-fall apart?” She let out a wail, before burying her head into her pillow.

Espirit watched for a few moments before slowly turning away and trotting to the door. She closed it and leaned her head back against it. “Is... is there nothing we can do?” She wanted so desperately to say something to help the changeling, but she couldn't think of a single word.

“No,” Clearpond said softly. “Steelhorn... I'm afraid Steelhorn will not survive this.”

The zebra's head shot up. “W-what? But she's--”

“She's requested to become a drone once he passes,” the pegasus said softly. “Her body will survive, but her mind and spirit... they will be gone.”

“S-she can't!” the zebra shrieked, shaking her head. “H-he... even if... if we can't save him, w-why? Why would she do this?” She turned to the pegasus, tears in her eyes. “She's... she's my...”

“Changelings don't... most ponies could never hope to have a bond like changelings do. To love and care for each other in such a way. To feel and give love the way they do. In many ways, she and Ganry were... are one. Losing him is likely like losing a part of her soul.” She took a deep breath. “I... don't know if her queen will accept the request. She may even rescind it after he has passed and she has had time to grieve. But now... for now all she can feel is that pain, and it is killing her.”

Espirit trembled, staring at the door. “I... I just...” A hoof fell on her withers.

“I... don't like this. Any of this,” Clearpond said softly. “But I know you've made up your mind. If there's any chance you can save your friend, I know you won't stop. It's... it's best you leave now and continue, while you can.”

The zebra nodded and looked up at her. “Don't... don't let her do anything drastic. Please. She's my... she's my friend. I--”

“I will keep them safe,” the pegasus said with a smile. “As long as I can. But you must be quick.”

“I-I will,” the zebra said before turning and galloping back through the halls. She nearly skidded into a pegasus as they came into the room. The pony was wearing the blue armor of the wonderbolts.

“Lady Clearpond!” the pony called out, not even seemed to notice the zebra. “I have terrible news.”

“What is it? Celestia?”

“Yes. The country has been falling rapidly. There have been a few token attacks on our borders and Canterlot's, but they were easily pushed back with no sign of the alicorn. However, the northern borders--”

“The centaurs?” the pegasus asked, her eyes widening.

“No news has come from them. Trapped with Celestia at their back and the centaurs at their front, there is no doubt that they have fallen. There haven't been any messages from them in days.”

The pegasus took a deep breath before nodding. “This... may be for the best, as horrible as that sounds. With those two warring with each other, we may have the time we need to defeat Celestia and--” She froze and looked to Espirit. “Espirit, please leave. You must continue your training.”

“But--”

“This is between I and the other company leaders,” Clearpond said. “You have your task, now get to it.”

Espirit nodded before trotting out the door. Even if they did save Ganry, they still had to fight back Celestia. Not to mention help those ponies in the north. She gave a silent prayer that most of them managed to escape before the alicorn's forces overwhelmed them.

Mirage was waiting on the edge of the city in a chariot. Espirit gulped and stepped onto it with her, before looking around. “Where's Tempora?”

“Already left with the supplies,” the crystal pony said. “Don't mind him, he's not really a... people pony. Honestly, I'm a little surprised he even agreed to help me with this.”

“How do you know him?”

“He used to date Clearpond.”

Espirit nodded, before her eyes widened. “Wait, WHAT?”

Mirage chuckled and shook her head. “That's not important.”

“She dated a black mage! I think that's pretty important!”

“He was just a thaumaturge then. He didn't become one of the black mages until... after Celestia. When we fought her.” She took a slow, deep breath. “And it wasn't...” For the first time in a while, the crystal pony's age seemed to have caught up with her. It was as if her glimmer dimmed again and all the wrinkles in her face rose up. “It's... not something you need to concern yourself with.”

“Was he there? Did he help fight Celestia?”

“No. Perhaps if he had been...” She shook her head. “It doesn't matter. Come on, hiya!” she yelled and the pegasi pulling them took off.

------

“Espirit? Espirit, wake up,” Mirage said as she shook the mare.

The zebra groaned and sat up, a bit of drool falling from her mouth and over the edge of the carriage. She ached all over, the pain of having spent a night draped over the front of the small carriage coursing through her. “H-how long was I out?”

“Hours,” Mirage said with a chuckle. “I wanted to wake you up, but you just looked so cute.”

She rubbed her belly where the imprint of the wood was dug in. “You couldn't have at least moved me to the floor?” She stretched and looked around. The sun was slowly beginning to come up and the sky was clear, not a single cloud in sight. She then peered down and gasped. It was beautiful, the morning dew still gently spread across the world, making it glimmer like jewels. A lake was on their right, the water clear and sparkling. Ahead, a forest was coming into view. A forest she knew all too well, Everfree.

“No. I had to get a bit of sleep myself,” the crystal pony said before yawning. “We're almost there. How long has it been since you've been to the Everfree Forest?”

“I don't know. Not even a year.” She blinked and shuddered. She could barely believe how fast the time had flown. She'd done more in the last few months than the entirety of her life. She wondered what she would have done had she been able to live like this from the day she was born, but quickly shook the thoughts free.

“We'll be going inside, though not very deep. The portal lies within a long, narrow cave.”

Espirit nodded and held onto the rim of the carriage as they started going down. Once they landed she jumped off, only to fall over with a little squeak. “Ow.”

“That's why you shouldn't sleep while riding,” Mirage said with a chuckle before looking back to the pegasi. “I will call for you when needed. Feel free to head to the nearest village. I noticed a nice zebra village on the way.”

The two nodded before flying off. The crystal pony then looked down and held out a hoof to help the mare up. “Come on, let's go.”

Espirit groaned, but was slowly pulled to her hooves. Together, the two trotted into the woods and down a narrow path. “Where are we going?” The path didn't look very well traveled, mostly the branches and plants over it having recently been torn out.

“I told you, the cave. It was over grown when I found it. I had quite a lot of trouble clearing it, you know. I had to summon a wind spirit to tear out the trail.”

“Really? How long ago was that?”

“A few weeks ago.”

Espirit froze. “W-wait, what? You only just found it? But I thought you'd been working on this... I thought you knew all about this?”

The crystal pony sighed and stopped. “I have been studying the breezies for years. But where they last disappeared to is a mystery to most. I've managed to find a place similar to the tartarus portal, but it's... weaker.”

“Weaker?”

“Smaller, even.”

The zebra nodded. “O-oh, okay. Why me, then?”

There was silence for a few moments before Mirage started walking again. “I wanted Clearpond to aid me. To help me in this adventure. But she refused. You were the next best bet. I was hoping that training you in some of mine and Tempora's arts would help to see if you were ready, but you refused.”

Espirit blushed and lowered her eyes. “I-I'm sorry. I just...”

“I know why. You conjurers almost always take a dim view to the other arts. You may think you're doing the world a favor, but you won't be if you get yourselves or others killed. It's not like we use these magics because we're lazy. We do it because there's no other way. Do you really believe if there was another way, some black mage or thaumaturge wouldn't have found it by now?”

The zebra sighed. “I know. I just... don't want to be like that. I... can you tell me about the breezies?”

“Huh?”

“The breezies, can you tell me about them?”

“Ah, of course. According to my research, they are massive. To them, we appear as little more than insects. They have great butterfly wings, though their bodies are that of ponies. Apparently they would travel the lands, from one corner to the next, spreading their magic to help balance the aether. Kind of like giant traveling conjurers. Everywhere they went, they scattered magical dust that made all manners of plants spring to life.”

Espirit let out a gasp of awe. “Truly? What happened to them?”

“Nopony knows. It's rumored that they disappeared soon after the princesses left. But there's no real proof if they've ever existed, just a bit of old records. Most ponies believe they were a fairy tale told to little colts and fillies.”

“But you don't.”

“I've seen too much to not believe. The breezies make just as much sense as anything else. If they exist, their magic could be amazing. Imagine if they decided to aid us? Their power must be immense. Even if they wouldn't fight with us, they could help heal some of this damage that's spread. Ah, we're here!”

The two broke out of the tree line and came to a small valley filled with rocks on all sides. A cliff towered over them ahead, covered with plenty of rocks as well. Thick tunnels seemed to be carved all through it, so many that she was surprised the cliff hadn't collapsed. “What made all those?”

“Rock eels. Come along,” Mirage said before trotting towards the cliff stopping. She opened her book and after a few moments a large, stone like creature that resembled a timber wolf appeared.

“W-what? Rock eels? There are rock eels here? Isn't that dangerous?” Espirit shivered lightly. She'd never seen a rock eel, but she'd heard stories. They were, mostly, gentle creatures. They only ate rocks and other minerals and left fine dust and soil in their wake. The problem was they had a tendency to snap at anything that went through their tunnels. While they rarely chewed, plenty of ponies had been accidentally crushed or wounded by the creatures.

“Of course not. They abandoned this place centuries ago. Most of the tunnels are still standing, though. They are quite magnificent at building them, aren't they?” Mirage said before climbing onto the back of the creature she'd summoned and it began to climb up the cliff side. “Now, I do believe it's about halfway up...”

Espirit followed behind, her eyes focusing on the stone creature. “Wait, what is that? It's not a carbuncle, is it?”

“Of course not. This is a stone wolf.” She patted its head. “Summoners learn how to summon all kinds of things like this.”

Espirit nodded, her eyes focusing on it for a few more moments before she started climbing up behind them. Unlike the creature, she had a lot harder time, the dirt occasionally crumbling under her hooves and sending her falling into one of the tunnels with an eek. Still, she didn't give up and kept making her way up, inch by inch, until she was besides the crystal pony in one of the tunnels she swore was like all the others. She rolled onto her back and panted from exertion.

“Really? Tired so soon? But we've only just begun,” the mare said with a chuckle.

“N-not fair. Y-you c-cheated,” Espirit said, before slowly rolling back onto her hooves.

“Of course I did. I'm far older than you, I need to be more wary of breaking my bones. Come along.” Mirage started trotting into the tunnel, the stone wolf walking ahead, the aether in its body making it glow.

Espirit grumbled before slowly crawling to her hooves and letting out a groan. She followed behind the mare, shaking her head lightly. “Breaking my bones, yeah right. If you're going to be this old you should at least act it.”

“What was that?” Mirage asked, with just a hint of threat to her voice.

“Nothing.” The zebra glanced towards the walls as they walked. They seemed... odd. While the other tunnels they'd crawled over to get to this one seemed rough, but smooth, this one wasn't smooth at all. But it was round. It was almost as if a perfect circle had gone through, carving out a hole and then as the years went by, the dirt and minerals that fell into the hole went out of their way to make sure they kept the hole nice and round. Even the few roots she saw seemed to go around the outer wall rather than through the tunnel.

“Unlike the tunnels from the eels, this tunnel is likely millennia old. Yet still so round, the magic swirling through it is amazing. Can you feel it?”

Espirit nodded slowly. She hadn't noticed, but now that she thought of it she could. It felt a little like a stream of water, gently flowing down deeper into the tunnel. Drawing them in and swirling like a drain. “What is it?”

“A doorway. It draws you in, doesn't it?” Mirage asked softly. “It's not like the one on that mountain. It just seems to... take. We believe there's a second, somewhere. Where it comes out from. But it could be anywhere in the world. Other dimensions like this... well, they just don't work like ours.”

“Of course,” Espirit whispered. “It feels... weird.”

“It is a very strange place,” Mirage said before looking up. “Looks like Tempora beat us here.”

“Huh?”

“Ah, right. Hold on.” The crystal pony waved her hoof and the wolf disappeared in a shower of sparkling aether. Once its light was gone, a fire could be seen off in the distance.

“Oh!” Espirit said, before gulping. She could barely believe it. She would be seeing... well, whatever this was in only a few moments. The tunnel began to widen, before forming a small open chamber. Tempora was sitting in front of a small fire and a thin layer of smoke filled the air. Against the wall opposite the tunnel, a large circle was hewn into the stone. The markings were completely white and seemed to almost glow in the fire light. The zebra stepped forward and put a hoof against the stone. True enough, she could feel the aether being funneled inside, swirling slightly around the chamber before going in. “This... this is it, isn't it?”

“Exactly,” Mirage said.

“It feels... weaker. A lot weaker.”

“The pull is lesser, I'll admit. That's why we started with the other stone. You might not have even felt this a week ago, without our training.”

Espirit nodded. “So, what do we do?”

“Easy,” Tempora said before getting to his hooves. “We're going to open this doorway and enter the world of the breezies.”