“GET BEHIND US, TWILIGHT!” Princess Luna ordered as her eyes flashed white and hair grew pitch black. “SHIELD THINE EYES IMMEDIATELY!”

Twilight fell immediately to the ground as Princess Luna's voice shook the cave more so than the stranger's ever had. With eyes cast downward the student could see the nothing but the shadow of the academy headmaster, its figure tall and hair flailing like a flag in a brewing windstorm. The building zephyr whipped around Twilight and the princess like a cyclone. It nearly swept the student off her hoofs, but the headmare stood her ground like a tower.

“SPEAK NOW, FIEND! WHAT ART THOU, AND WHAT IS THY PURPOSE HERE?” Luna roared.

The stranger chuckled as he had before, but the explosion of laughter felt half as powerful compared to Princess Luna's vocal strength.

“Alas, after longest years you've finally decided to come! Are you prepared to listen to all the evil that you've done? My name is simply Specter, though it has not always been. I have last words to speak to you before my string of life grows thin.”

Princess Luna howled, “ON WHAT GROUNDS DOST THOU INTENDETH TO SCOLD US AFTER THOU HAST WRONGLY ABDUCTED OUR OWN STUDENTS, TARAXIPPUS?”

Taraxippus?

Twilight had studied the monster before. Ancient stories told of competitions that went terribly wrong because of the mysterious beings. The ghastly things were said to strike fear into any ordinary pony that spotted even an inch of its form, freezing any onlookers in their tracks. Remembering the pale state of Vinyl and the others, Twilight shut her eyes tightly and protected them with shaking hoofs.

“Such is true, dark alicorn, but it brought you here nonetheless,” the Taraxippus teased. “Now listen to what story I have to tell in the midst of this mess. There was a time long, long ago when this whole island defined peace. Diverse individuals lived in harmony without cease. They thrived in their own settlement for many, many years. But those who thought the times too good found answered their own fears.

“Along came a vicious devil that encouraged disarray. He turned the waters salty and made rotten all their hay. He made the strangest scene of their tiny, humble town. Every delighted grin soon turned into a dreadful frown. To the dismay of the townsfolk he claimed the isle as his own. And for some time he had no fear for sufficient opposition had not yet grown.

“But as time passed four brave souls stepped up to face the brute. They tired of all the hardships and sought to rip apart the root. Little did the heroes know that this was the devil's plan, for the moment they set hoof in his trap was the second it all began.”

An eerie silence filled the cavern. The high-pitched ringing in Twilight's ears suddenly became painfully noticeable.

“What began?” Princess Luna demanded, her tone calmer as telling voice’s had died down too. “Is that all thou has to tell?”

The Taraxippus gave a great cry, “It was sheer horror, princess, yes the horror that began! An appalling spell enveloped the heroes before they turned and ran. Cries of agony pierced the sky as storms began to rise! And their faces were never again seen by their friends' and families' eyes.”

“What is thy purpose of telling this tale?” Princess Luna interjected indignantly.

The Taraxippus moaned, “All this time I've waited, and this is all we get? An impatient princess that was waited on, no sign of regret?”

“If thou suggests that we were that devil then we must inform you that you are mistaken,” Princess Luna declared.

The voice shook the room with greater power. “You weren’t the devil I described, but you are one nonetheless. How could you ignore your name being called by hundreds in distress? The savior that failed to show her face, who left her mark behind? What a waste to believe in your noble name he enshrined.” The Taraxippus gave a terrible screech, like the a cry of an eagle, and shouted, “As my final act for all while I’m yet in this cursed form, I'll bury the one who never came to clear the devil's storm!”

The ground began to shake with terrible vigor. The grinding of rough boulders scratching against one another cracked the air as chunks of earth rained down from the cave ceiling. Twilight turned and looked back with alarm as piles of dirt and stone piled up around her three motionless friends. Before she could run to them, a great gust began to spin. Thunder sounded throughout the room as bursts of explosions swarmed the chamber. Titanic rocks dropped from the ceiling and dirt flew into the air like clouds. Twilight could suddenly hardly see, let alone breath.

“Keep covering your eyes, Twilight!” ordered Princess Luna.

The student obeyed, though reluctantly. The darkness behind her eyelids did not shut out the quaking nor the collisions of giant rock; in fact, the fear that choked Twilight only grew exponentially. But suddenly a light brighter than the sun flared throughout the cave, visible even from behind closed eyelids. Almost simultaneously was a tumultuous crack that split the air.

The din of crumbling suddenly faded. The ground was soft. The air was thin and refreshing, though still terribly cold. Shivering, Twilight tried to peel one eye open, but the persisting terror had drained almost all of her energy. Ever so slowly her senses gave way, leaving her lying in a scatter-brained blanket of silence and senselessness.

Something nudged her.

“Twilight Sparkle?”

Her own name echoed through her head, a bottomless chasm, hollowed by the panic that had racked her brain. It was empty from the crashes that pierced her eardrums, letting her last thoughts ooze out like water from a hole in a barrel. But her senses had not entirely escaped, for Twilight could begin to retain the fluid information of her own name.

“Twilight Sparkle, are you all right?”

Twilight knew it was the voice of Princess Luna. The unicorn tried her best to nod, but the throbbing in her head made every inch of movement in her neck feel like a terrible contortion. She could not even open her eyes.

“You need to try and remain conscious. We have to get you and the others back to the academy immediately,” Princess Luna explained.

Twilight winced at the thought of the others and their pallid states. The tighter she closed her eyes, the farther she felt herself disconnecting from the real world. Her mind slowly began to drift off until the unicorn could not help but submit to the comatose that devoured her.

---

A gentle light streamed across Twilight's face. Her coherent thoughts and senses returned as the mess that plagued her mind fled to the mare's subconscious. A warm, comfortable bed cushioned her back and side. Clean blankets covered her entire body. A wrap around her ears muffled what little sound she could make out, most of it being her own shifting in the sheets.

Her eyes eased open to reveal an unfamiliar room. It certainly wasn't her bedroom - it was too large and filled with fine furnishings - but it looked very similar. The dark coloring around the room covered all kinds of familiar shades. Violet curtains dotted with golden and silver stars donned the wide-stretched windows that practically made up the far wall. Rows of portraits and paintings, each one outlined by golden or silver frames, fit across the faces of the walls like puzzle pieces.

The air was still cool, but not chilling like that of the tunnels. Twilight shuddered at the memories that leaked into her brain, from the moving walls to the last moments she could remember before fainting. It left her shaking to the point where even the bed itself wobbled.

“Be still, Twilight Sparkle,” came the strong voice of Luna, even though whispered. “Thou art safe within the royal guest room at the academy. There is nothing of which to fear.”

The student ceased her trembling and looked to her right where the princess sat a hoof’s reach away. Her dark blue eyes pierced through Twilight's being, drawing out a vulnerability that brought out tears to the unicorn's eyes.

“P-Princess Luna-”

“As your princess and headmare, I shall speak first,” Luna stated emotionlessly. “Thou hast much to explain, my new student. As a former pupil of Celestia's, I can only trust that thou had good reason to be out so late. Whether you led this expedition or not, it matters little; all that does matter is that you relay everything with accuracy.”

The thought of being sent back to Ponyville seemed unavoidable. All excuses and stories that had developed were now inadequate, melting into mere puddles of worthless, dirty water no pony would dare to offer or take in themselves.

Twilight stuttered, “It was all because of the exam, and I... Back in my room, I tried to sleep, but I couldn't! This noise, I went to check... and next thing I know I'm outside. I fell down a hole... And then that tunnel! Princess Luna, I couldn't even-”

“SILENCE!” Princess Luna ordered. Her eyes flashed for a moment, but then returned a calm state again. “I understand that thou art feeling quite tempestuous. However, I am in need of thine experiences regarding exactly what happened last night. That monster we encountered was no hoax; thou and thy friends are most fortunate to have escaped alive.”

“I heard you say ‘Taraxippus’,” Twilight mentioned, leaning toward the princess with wet eyes. “Why would it be on the island-?”

“That is not crucial as of this moment, Twilight Sparkle,” Luna scolded. “For now, thou must relay to me what occurred this past night. That is of utmost importance.”

The princess sat and stared as Twilight tried to collect herself. Though out of harm's way, she had not escaped any kind of punishment after enduring the trial of breaking the academy rules. Twilight accepted the fact with great consternation.

“In all honesty, I was so worried about the exam results that I couldn't sleep,” Twilight admitted with plenty of sniffling. “I heard from a friend that the results would be posted tonight, and I couldn't wait. I heard something outside the door and found an excuse to leave. I ran into some others who had snuck out, so we searched for the exam results. We spotted a scroll on the entrance to the main hall.”

The princess forcefully interrupted, “There are two things that thou must clarify. Firstly, explain how thou managed to escape past the guards. Secondly, what is this scroll of which thou speakest?”

“Somepony put the guards to sleep,” Twilight said. “When I walked out into the foyer, every guard was slumbering but one. I used an invisibility spell before he could spot me.” The student paused and looked around. “About the scroll... is there nothing on the castle door anymore?”

“I hath seen no such thing on the doorway after our return last night. What was on it?”

Twilight gulped, recollecting the sight of the one word. “There was only one word when I opened it. 'Surprise'.”

Luna's eyes narrowed again, this time a spark of mystical ire shooting through the royal blue of her irises.

“Twilight Sparkle, it pains me to say this,” Princess Luna began, and her student began to choke up worse than before. She knew the words that were coming with the intensifying look of disappointment. “But I would very much encourage thou to remain on the island.”

Dashed, Twilight felt herself fading away from the fabric of reality, falling into the net of fears and mortification that had formed over the course of the night. All of her woes had indeed finally come true. Until she realized what the headmare had said.

“Wait, remain on the island?” the unicorn asked.

Princess Luna nodded slowly. “I understand that this was a most taxing experience for thou; however, I may be in need of thy assistance. As my sister is overseeing her own academy while watching over the whole of Equestria, she does not have time to come to my aid so readily, even when the matter at hoof concerns such a devilish fiend as that which you witnessed.”

Twilight felt her insides churn. “You didn't defeat the Taraxippus? Even with your powerful magic spell?”

“No, I did not vanquish it,” Luna stated. “It destroyed itself. As thou might already know, spirits such as the Taraxippus live for many years, but they too grow old and pass away. Since that ghost - which called itself Specter - knew it was drawing near to its end, it gave up its remaining energy to try and bury us. Though I sensed a strong magic spell to prevent teleportation, its power was no match for my magical ability.”

“It kept me from teleporting,” Twilight said. “I tried to escape and find help.”

The princess nodded with closed eyes. “Again, I am most sorry that thou had to experience such a trying and mysterious phenomena.”

“What about the story it told? About the four ponies and the... devil? Aren't all of the ponies on this island in danger if it returns?”

“I do not know. I felt the presence of something when I arrived to rebuild the academy a year ago, but I never directly encountered anything. Now that I have found what I was sensing, I must find out what it wanted to communicate through telling that disturbing tale.” Princess Luna let out a sorrowful sigh. “Troublesome things were expressed. Even I have not solved the puzzle the Taraxippus handed to me. For the time being, Twilight Sparkle, I would rather not see my revived school close so soon.”

Twilight looked at the headmaster, whose violet figure grew brighter as the sun began to rise. “But what will happen now, Princess Luna?”

“Do not fret. That monster is gone and it was little to fear in the first place, save for its trickery that thou witnessed first-hoof. If I sense that things are getting too dangerous, I shall summon my sister. We are in contact almost every day. She knows about thy exploits even now.”

Twilight's face grew terribly hot, afraid to hear just what Celestia's reaction would be like.

Luna smiled, to her surprise. “She says that ever since thou were sent to Ponyville thou hast seemed to turn into quite the inquisitive one, or so declares Celestia. She thinks thy friends have had an influence on thou.”

“Do I really get to stay?” Twilight asked excitedly, almost ignoring the previous comment. “What about all the rules my friends and I broke?”

“Though something very important has been revealed through this event, it indeed does not exclude thou and thy peers from chastisement. I have considered certain disciplinary measures for the breaking of the statutes, and believe I have found something suitable.” She took a deep breath, giving Twilight a second to sweat over it. “Thou shall not be able to leave the island during the first winter break.”

Twilight's heart sank, but quickly recovered at the thought that far worse things could have been said. Though she had made arrangements to see her friends during that time, she could have been faced with being stuck in Ponyville with no chance to revisit the academy. Ever.

“Will we be allowed to leave our rooms during the break?” Twilight asked sheepishly.

Luna laughed gracefully and smiled again, “That I have yet to settle. It shall be contingent on how thy Ponyville friends fare over the next few weeks.”

Twilight, with a regenerated spirit, giggled nervously. “I don't think we'll have any more problems.”

“I expect as much,” Luna said as she rose and headed for the door. “Do try to refrain from blushing too much when I make the announcement at breakfast time this morning.”

“You're telling everypony about this!?” Twilight squealed in horror.

But the princess looked hardly concerned. “The declaration shan't be too specific. It shall be for every student's good to be warned not to linger about at night. It shall also indirectly inform thy friends of what they should expect for their punishment, should they not hear from thy mouth first.”

“I-I understand, princess.”

Princess Luna stood before the door of the royal guest room and halted.

With one last breath she turned her majestic head and said, “Rest well, Twilight Sparkle. Feel free to return to thy room when thou feelest well enough.”

Twilight nodded with a smile, and the princess walked out, her flowing tail the last thing visible before the wooden barrier between chambers shut. The violet mare did not stay in bed for long, for curiosity – one not so dangerous – got the best of her and led her to doors nearby that connected to other identical guest rooms. She found an occupied bed in one of them. Twilight peeked at the head sticking out of the dark comforter and navy blue sheets. The electric blue mane made Vinyl's character indistinguishable.

“Vinyl? Are you awake?”

The white unicorn opened her eyes, revealing the dashing red irises, and let a large grin cross her muzzle.

“Duh, heard the whole thing,” she said, sitting up. “She asked Pokey, Windchaser and I the same stuff. I was hopin’ you wouldn't lie to get out of trouble or something. It would've been your word against ours, and with you being Celestia's student and all, I think I know what Luna would've done.”

The other two stood from their hiding place on the other side of the bed. They each had been listening quite intently since Twilight’s awakening.

“You guys! I couldn't lie to the princess!” Twilight retorted brusquely. “What kind of pony do you think I am?”

Vinyl smirked, “The kind of pony that heads out alone to check some lame exam results.”

Twilight let out an uneasy chuckle. “Well, do I dare ask what you and the others were doing out there? Pokey, Windchaser?”

“Vinyl made me,” Pokey said. “She said she wanted a 'scapegoat', whatever that means.”

Windchaser nodded in agreement. Twilight rubbed her face with her hoof and laughed silently with her face hidden.

“I guess I pressured them into it,” Vinyl said. “I was hoping we'd run into you guys somehow. It would've made the adventure more interesting. ANYWAY, sounds like you and the others had a good time. I mean, you put the guards to sleep, yeah?”

Surprised, Twilight asked, “Hold on a second, how did you three get past them?”

“We didn't, really,” Pokey answered. “We went around the back of the castle. Windchaser helped us float down from out of our windows. Who'd have thought he's really good at controlling the wind?”

Windchaser looked away as though his face were flushing.

Twilight laughed and sighed, “Well, I think I'm feeling well enough to go back to my room before anything else crazy happens. Princess Luna must have cast a healing spell on us.” She unwrapped the cloth from around her head and examined the clean white strip. “Shall we?”

They headed for the exit, Twilight leading the way.

“If we want to avoid suspicion, we'd best get to our bedrooms before everypony wakes up and sees us,” she said.

The mare pushed opened the door and nearly screamed; standing crowded around the door outside was every student on campus. Their eyes all stared straight at the group of four inquisitively.

Before her jaw dropped to the floor Twilight quickly collected herself. “H-Hey everypony, nice morning, isn't it?”

Stares.

“Well, we're just going to get moving here, if you don't mind,” Twilight said as she nudged her way into the crowd, never once looking back.

She lowered her head and shuffled through the crowd until finally finding enough space to not be rubbing shoulders or stepping on another's hoofs with every stride. With a hot face she looked at the other three behind her, their eyes tapering in humiliation.

“Twilight! Guys! There you are!” Starlight called from afar.

The five others from Ponyville were talking toward the door Twilight and company had just left. Their eyes and smiles spread wide, the white of their eyes and teeth bare.

“You're all okay!” Twilight said with relief. “What happened to you guys?”

“We went and found Princess Luna!” Quirky stated as she took in a huge breath and unloaded. “Well, first we didn't know what to do, because you disappeared. But then we went and found Lyra and Gallant, and they told us to find Luna, so we did! And then the princess got this angry look on her face and her eyes turned all white, and I thought she was going to banish us! But then she just told us to go back to our rooms and we did, and now we found you!”

Though the words flew out faster than bees from a broken hive, they passed through a cognizant brain. As Quirky panted with excitement, Twilight looked at the others, who displayed a mixed set of emotions, from regret to relief.

“What happened to you guys?” Quirky asked.

The four looked at one another, unsure of how to reply. They had created stories for when a guard had caught them, but not when one of their friends asked.

“Well,” Twilight began, “we sorta got lost. That's all.”

“Lost? But you completely disappeared!”

“Invisibility spell?” Twilight said, though her tone emerged as that of a question.

Quirky looked over each one of the skeptically, but then smiled and started her usual bounding. “Phew! Here I thought you were all in big trouble. As long as we're all here and not banished by Princess Luna, we're a-okay!”

Twilight faked a smile, as did the others.

“You guys saw the results right?” Starlight asked. “Isn't it great?”

“Is what great?” Twilight asked. “You mean they're up?”

Starlight looked taken aback as his gaze darted back and forth between the crowd and Twilight. “D-Didn't you all just come from that doorway? It should’ve been posted there.”

The four's faces started to redden again. To hide them as best they could the group turned to face the door swarmed with other students. Surely enough, Twilight could make out above the huddle of horns a piece of parchment hanging on the door.

Oddly content, Twilight shook her head and laughed to ease her tension. Strangely, it worked. The horrible thoughts that had kept her up last night simply faded away.

“I don't need to see the results of the exam,” Twilight said happily. “I'm just happy that everypony here is safe-”

“Why wouldn't you want to know?” Quirky asked, puzzled. “It just says what class you'll be taking for the winter.”

Twilight sat down, dumbfounded. “Wait, what?”

“The results. They weren't grades or anything,” Starlight explained. “They were just to see what magic class we'd be best suited for. You know, like one of those fun quizzes to see what occupation you'd fit in best? That's pretty much all it was.”

One of Twilight's eyes began to twitch.

“I guess I’ll just tell you: you, Lyra and I are in the Light Magic class,” Starlight said with fervor. “Vinyl and Windchaser, you guys are in the Elemental Magic class with Gallant; and Pokey, you're in the Shadow Magic class with Colgate and Quirky. We're evenly spread!”

Quirky covered her mouth and erupted with a snarky laugh. “Boy, it's a good thing we didn't go through a whole heap of trouble to figure that out, right guys?”

All Twilight and the others could do was stare. Not at the others, but at thin air. Their tails ceased to move and their bodies felt jiggly as jam. Twilight especially started to drift off in thought, the voices of those disappearing around her, as they were drowned out by a single thought.

All that worrying... for nothing?!

Next Chapter: Chapter 6.5 (Interlude): Collywobbles Estimated time remaining: 10 Hours, 54 Minutes