Rainbow Dash waited in the guards’ mess hall. It wasn’t as large as she would have expected but it made sense in retrospect. The guards were working in shifts so only a part of them ate here at a time. As Rainbow believed, the hall was named after the food. It really was a mess. Except the fries. Those were excellent.

Everypony had become accustomed to seeing her eat here often enough for the last few days, sometimes alone, sometimes accompanying guards. She was still riding on the tail of her fame of her duel with Luna and she was doing her best to milk it for all it was worth. She had almost nailed most of the guards’ thoughts on Luna. She didn’t bother with writing down names. Rainbow believed that only a bad spy that wanted to get caught red hooved would do that; plus she didn’t remember most of their names. She could point and tell just fine though if she needed to.

She didn’t have anything concrete to point at them for however. There was quite a difference from trusting her enough to bash one of the diarchs in front of her and trusting her with knowledge of wrongdoing.

Most of the time she sat with guys and gals who disliked or mistrusted Luna and Raegdan. There was a lot of them, but she had noticed that as time passed, during which neither of them was antagonizing the Royal Guard or taking out their frustrations on them, everypony seemed to simmer down. Whatever Applejack did to keep them both in line worked wonders! Grumbles would rise up every now and then, but plenty of times somepony would pipe up and remind them that Princess Celestia trusted them and spoke well on behalf of both of them.

They might not be liked, but a wave was spreading through the ranks that maybe, just maybe, they might prove to be not that bad down the road. The story of how Raegdan saved Rarity from a griffin was making its rounds, even though a lot of details were unknown, as well as the story of Twilight’s abduction. Rainbow had made sure to slip in a few hints of what Luna did before her banishment. Some ponies had hit the books or even asked Princess Celestia herself. There was some newly rediscovered respect for them both circulating now.

Rainbow had hoped it would change the view everypony had of them radically. It wouldn’t take however, no matter how much she tried to discreetly push, as did Shining Armor, and Pinkie, in their own way.

Every now and then somepony would be quick to point out Nightmare Moon, or Raegdan’s assault on Celestia. If that was countered by the fact that both of these events had happened long ago then their behavior in the arena would make a comeback.

So yeah, as far as popularity polls went Luna and Raegdan were still losing, but at least not as much as they used to. There was a general disposition to see how they would act when they returned. A lot was riding on that.

Still, there were a couple of cases were none of this mattered. It was why Rainbow Dash sat alone on a bench near the wall when almost nopony else was around.

Smoke Ring came in, looked around until he spotted her, and headed right for her after loading up a tray for himself. The light gray unicorn sat opposite of Rainbow, his magic depositing his meal in front of him.

“Hey,” Rainbow greeted him. “How was your shift?” She noticed he had taken a large portion of fries. She started helping him finish them off quicker.

“Meh,” Smoke Ring answered, starting to work on his salad. “Boring as always. Stand in front of door, move along corridor, repeat. I heard you got yourself back into that cell two days ago. You didn’t mention that.”

“Twilight put me in for saying some bad words in front of Princess Celestia. No biggie.”

“How bad exactly?”

Rainbow fluttered her wings in an annoyed manner. “Bad enough. She only left me in there for like twenty minutes. Like a little filly that needs a timeout,” Rainbow grumbled.

“Still, better than staying in there for over a day like your friend Rarity left you, huh?” Smoke Ring remarked.

“Meh. Actually, from what Twilight told me, Rarity had left a message about where I was, in Twilight’s room. But then the whole thing with Spike happened so… Mind you, I still intend to pay her back for that,” Rainbow Dash said, smirking.

Smoke Ring snorted and almost choked. “Whoo, talk about bad luck! Listen, got any news from them- no, forget I asked. Last thing I need is to get branded as suspicious and ruin my chances. They are coming back soon though, right?”

“I think they are gonna be gone for a week or two more. Depends on a lot of stuff. I don’t know any details either. You’d think with Spike along they’d bother to send a couple letters. You are really anxious to get in on the action, huh?” Rainbow hit Smoke Ring on the shoulder with her hoof in a friendly way. She liked the guy. He was smart enough that he didn’t buy into Rainbow’s story but upfront enough to come out and say it to her in private.

“Can you blame me? Look around. I don’t want to waste my life away guarding doors. I joined the Royal Guard to do something worthwhile not… this!”

“And?” Rainbow prodded, flicking her eyebrows in a knowing manner.

Smoke Ring huffed. “And I want to make those pretentious bastards eat their words. Your talents and abilities are of no use to the Solar Guard. Don’t bother us anymore,” Smoke Ring said with a self-important, puffed out voice. “This Raegdan guy will give me a chance, right?”

“Why shouldn’t he? He doesn’t really care what your special talent is or if you can fly or what spells you can cast. He will figure out a use for you. They just want you to be able to do the job. Speaking of which, got anyone else interested?”

“I try.” Smoke Ring turned his attention back to his food. “It’s pretty hard. You remember Heavy Hoof? The Solar guard that Raegdan killed in the arena? His brother is a Royal guard. He doesn’t really say much against Raegdan or Princess Luna, I think he might be blaming his own brother for going ahead with the whole silliness in the first place, but the part where they cheered over his brother’s corpse didn’t stick well with him either. It didn’t stick well with anypony. Anyway.” Smoke Ring paused to take a drink of water. “He stays sullen but silent on the matter. His niece keeps coming over all the time however. So, the other guys keep seeing him try to comfort an orphan filly and…”

“Ok, I get it.” Rainbow Dash felt really bad about that filly. What has her name? Morning Dew? She had tried to talk to her once when she spotted her, but the filly asked her straight away if she knew “the monster who killed my daddy”. Rainbow admitted that she did and that’s all it took for Morning Dew to run away from her. She decided to let her go. What was she going to say anyway?

“Yeah. Word got around of what your tall friend said to the filly too.”

“Dang. Listen, Twilight told me about that. He didn’t mean-”

Smoke Ring motioned for her to quit trying to explain. “You don’t have to say a thing. I understand why he said that. I asked myself why he didn’t just tell her the truth and found myself stuck. I don’t know what I would have done in his place. Probably run. Most ponies don’t see it like that though. Some of them took his words literally.”

Rainbow stole a couple more fries from his plate, uncaring of his disapproving scowl. “This is so not cool. I want to have some good news for them when they come back.” She let her head plop on the table. “It’s not fair,” she whined. “Luna’s lived a crappy, lonely life and all she got in return is a cold shoulder from almost everypony. At best.”

“You really feel bad for her, don’t you?” Smoke Ring asked. His eyes were focused on his meal instead of Rainbow’s theatrics.

Rainbow lifted her hoof in the air. “Element of Loyalty and all that jazz. It doesn’t feel right that nopony shows any to her. I include me and the girls in there. There have been a couple of occasions where I’m surprised they didn’t kick our flanks with the stuff we pulled. Anything else? I gotta go meet up with Shining Armor.”

Smoke Ring hesitated. “Uh, there is something actually. Not a lot of guards heard so far but…”

“Come on, spit it out. What else could have happened?” Rainbow asked while getting up and flexing her wings.

“There’s another rumor floating around… about Raegdan, and this one is pretty nasty. It’s not a new one either but it’s really gaining ground with the latest incidents.”

“Ah, ponyfeathers. What do they accuse him of this time? Do they say that he collects ears like trophies or something?”

“No. They say he has eaten ponies.”

“There’s nothing here,” Leaf Stream pointed out.

“Not anymore,” Luna said, walking ahead. “Do you see that small area where nothing grows? That’s where they were buried. The village was right over there,” she said, pointing at the other side, across a small, empty field.

“Is there a particular reason we are here princess?” Applejack asked. She looked around or as much as she could in the dark. There wasn’t anything to see. She would never have guessed there ever was anything of importance here.

Twilight would probably gush about the passage of time and how everything changed. Applejack didn’t need to hear a lecture about that or really think about it. It was something she had learned a long time ago. Things change. Old things fade away or vanish before you know it, and new things come to replace them. It’s how life is.

Luna seemed to see much more than they did in these empty fields. She walked to the edge of the purported mass grave. “Not really. We were close enough and it felt… right to come here one more time.” She pointed on the ground with her hoof. “Raegdan, if you could please-”

Raegdan didn’t wait for her to end her sentence. He had been walking next to Luna, solemn and silent, always less than a step away from her. The moment she started her sentence he was already down on his knee and digging at the ground with his hands. Grass, roots, and rocks gave him some trouble at first, but he ripped them out of the ground easily enough once he got a good grip on them.

“I meant to make proper graves for them.” Luna watched intently as Raegdan dug. “I never did so. I returned and stayed here for scant minutes before leaving.” Applejack was glad that Spike and Rarity had stayed back at the cart along with the two minotaurs. Neither of them would enjoy this kind of topic.

“Why did you change your mind?” Leaf Stream asked.

Raegdan answered with a guess of his own. “You didn’t know their names, did you?” He pulled something brown and flat from the ground.

“I did not. I considered building something else instead, perhaps a memorial of some kind. I decided against it. I felt it would have been...”

“For all the wrong reasons,” Raegdan finished in her stead. He cleaned his find as best as he could with his fingers, removing the chunks of earth that clung to it. “Is this what you were looking for?” He threw it lightly up in the air so that Luna could grip it in her magic without his disruptive effect stopping her.

“Yes. It is strange what the mind chooses to remember. I can’t recall their names or if they ever mentioned them. I don’t know what the village was called either, but I clearly remember where they left their shovels even after all these centuries.” Luna examined their find. Applejack realized that it must have been a shovelhead; it was dented and rusted so much that she had barely guessed what it used to be.

“I can keep digging, see if I can find the other one,” Raegdan offered. So there were two in total. Luna must have told him the whole story rather than the extremely condensed version they were told. All Applejack knew was that a village had perished due to a plague and Luna had buried them all.

Poor gal.

Luna shook her head. “No. There is no point.” She let the rusted piece of metal fall. “There is nothing left here. I don’t even know why I insisted we come here.”

Raegdan was still bent down, supporting himself on one knee. “Perhaps because you did build that memorial after all.”

Luna looked at him, puzzled.

Raegdan’s dirt covered finger tapped at his head at the height of his temples. “Wood, stone, metal…” He picked up the discarded leftover. “They crumble eventually. Even if you had done as you wished you had, would we find anything here today? And if we did, so what? All that a stranger would see would be a few tombstones without meaning. The point would be to be remembered, right? Even a little. They have that at least. You remember them. Over a thousand years over and they are still remembered.”

“Yes. Remembered enough so we can find a piece of trash,” Luna said, bitterly.

Raegdan shrugged. “So? Someone knows they were alive once. That they lived here. That they died and that they were buried. It’s far more than others get. It will have to do. It’s better than any old statue or other crap anyway in my opinion. At the end, people care way more about them than what they’re supposed to mean.”

Luna sat down on the cold dirt. “What of those that I don’t remember?”

Raegdan sat down himself, next to Luna. Both of them ignored the two ponies behind them as if they weren’t there. “That’s something that could lead to a long discussion. Listen, we could argue about how their life had impact and they are still remembered somehow through the ripples they caused that echo even today and all that tripe. The truth however, as I see it? They are dead. They don’t care about memorials or anything. We can sit here all night and philosophize all we want, but in the end it would all be about us, and what we would feel and want. Not them.”

Luna lightly kicked a small pebble that rested near her hoof. “It feels like an excuse.”

“It’s a pretty good one though, isn’t it? Come on Luna.” He reached out and tousled her mane. “Ever thought that perhaps you can’t remember more for your own good? Maybe the mind isn’t strange. Maybe it’s just looking after itself and remembers as much as it can take.”

Luna froze for half a second. Applejack and Leaf Stream exchanged glances.

“Look, I’ll show you something.” Raegdan’s hands smoothed the ground as best as he could and then he started drawing lines using one extended finger. It was a senseless shape that he made. When he finished with the main part he started making a whole bunch of little holes in various areas around it, close together.

“There,” he announced.

“You need to pick up drawing again. You’ve become worse. What is this supposed to be?” Luna asked.

“A blood pool and splatter. I remember it perfectly. If I had colors I could paint it the exact shade of red. The sun shone right above my right shoulder so this, this, and this part, reflected it back almost pure white. Over here it looked almost pink because there were white lines beneath. At this point there was a small dent on the ground. These drops here?” He pointed at individual tiny circles, one by one. “They landed on small pebbles. There was my own handprint in red right here.”

“Do you remember when that was?” Luna asked. Applejack felt a little concerned and, judging by the way Leaf Stream’s body straightened next to her, so did she. Still, Raegdan offered to tell this on his own.

“No. See? I remember this but I can’t remember how it happened. It really bothers me. Eh, I probably split open my own head or something. Head trauma explains a lot, doesn’t it Luna?”

Luna chortled. “I wonder how I will be remembered.” She smiled slyly at him. “Or you.”

“Yes, the very same question burns in my soul,” Raegdan said, sarcastically.

“Right. I wouldn’t care about that at that point either, though… I never asked you before. Do you believe in an afterlife?”

Raegdan’s lips became a thin line and the muscles around his neck tightened. “My kind… A lot of them do. There’s a lot of… of possibilities. Not everyone believes the same.”

“What is the most widespread one?” Luna asked, her eyes scanning the fields in front of her.

Raegdan took his time before answering. His hands kept busy, scratching at the ground. “Simple version; Depends on how you lived your life. If you were good you go to heaven. If you were bad you go to hell.”

“What is heaven like?” Luna asked after a few seconds.

“Depends on who you ask. Popular version again is that it is a place filled with everyone you loved and cared for. No pain, no hurt. Just bliss among your loved ones and the love of… of god I guess. If there’s one. Pretty boring and unimaginative isn’t it?”

Applejack listened carefully. It wasn’t so dissimilar to what she personally believed, though she never thought about meeting a god when you die. That would be neat. She’d actually have somewhere to lodge some of her personal complaints, somepony who actually could do something about them. Heaven sounded pretty amazing.

“And hell?”

“How about we go back to the others instead of talking about this?” Raegdan suggested.

“Hell, Raegdan. What is hell like?”

Raegdan closed his eyes. His expression was briefly one of hate and loathing before it changed to surrender. “Torture. Pain. Lakes of fire. Demons ripping you apart. An eternity of suffering. I think there is an acceptance that they are big on ironic punishments down there. If you were guilty of greed for instance they might pour molten gold on you and stuff like that. Again, unimaginative. This is boring. Come on, let’s go. The sooner we reach the Thestrals, the better.”

Luna chuckled. Applejack couldn’t understand why. It sounded horrible. It was horrible. She hoped there wasn’t a place like that. She could imagine nothing worse. As they kept talking however, she realized that just because she herself could not didn’t mean that somepony else couldn’t either.

“Raegdan…” Luna started to say.

Raegdan cut her off. “Don’t. Luna, just don’t.”

“...what do you think heaven and hell are?”

Raegdan sighed. “I don’t know what heaven is. I don’t think about it. I don’t see the point.”

“But hell?”

Raegdan didn’t answer for a few minutes. “If it’s like what most of my kind thinks… I would prefer it to be so. It isn’t so bad when you think about it.”

“But you don’t.”

“No,” he spat. “Hell? I think hell is loneliness. Nothing but yourself. No one to love you, no one to care for you, no one to talk to you. Just... being completely alone until you finally lose yourself and then you just… are. A nothing that has nothing apart from a small part of you that knows and it won’t stop screaming.”

“Hell sounds… familiar.”

“Yeah, it does… It’s also asinine. There’s no cosmic judge out there. Trust me.”

Luna leaned closer to Raegdan until they were sitting shoulder to shoulder. She stayed silent for a minute before calling out behind her. “Applejack, I have a question. Do you care about those who died here over a millenia ago?”

“Huh? Uh, ah suppose ah feel bad that they all died like that,” Applejack answered to the best of her ability, caught by surprise as she was suddenly put on the spot.

“Are you taken with grief?” Luna asked. Sitting beside her, Raegdan had turned his torso to watch Applejack with a small bitter smile on his lips. “Do you feel the need to mourn or shed a tear for the dead?”

Applejack looked to Leaf Stream for some help in this unexpected line of questioning. The dark green pegasus just shook her head. Big help there. “Ah guess not. It happened too long ago.”

Luna kept her eyes on the ground in front of her for a couple more minutes before rising up on her legs. Raegdan followed suit. “Come. I am done here.”

Applejack and Leaf Stream followed behind them as they slowly made their trip back.

“I hope this trip down memory lane won’t turn into a repeat of what happened before, eh commander?” Leaf Stream said with a slight mix of sarcasm and plenty of worry. Applejack glared at her.

“I don’t understand what you mean,” Raegdan said without turning back to her.

“You know what I mean. Spike, the baby dragon? Remember holding a knife to his throat?”

All of a sudden Raegdan stopped right where he was. His hands tightened into fists and the right one trembled and jerked towards his hammer’s handle. Leaf Stream realized she pushed too far and took cover behind Applejack.

“Raegdan...” Applejack started.

The moment passed. Raegdan started walking again in wide strides, increasing the distance between him and the two ponies behind him.

“Hey, wait. Ok, I’m sorry, seriously. I was just, you know-” Leaf Stream called out.

“Let him calm down. Leaf Stream, just so you know, if you prod him like that again? I will not get in the way if he attempts to hurt you back,” Luna warned her severely before hurrying after Raegdan.

“Maybe tone it down a notch?” Applejack advised.

Leaf Stream gulped. “Yeah. I was thinking the same thing.”

Spike and Rarity waved at them as soon as they came into view. “That didn’t take long,” Spike said.

“There wasn’t much to do,” Luna answered, hopping on the cart. Leaf Stream climbed up next while Applejack headed to the front. Raegdan took off his helmet and gave it to Spike to hold. He threw the rusted piece of metal he dug out on the cart.

“Why did you bring that?” Luna asked.

“Souvenir,” Raegdan said with a wink, making Luna smile tentatively. “Perhaps we can try cleaning it when we get back.” He took his place at the back and they started on their way once more.

Two hours later, filled with the usual backbreaking workout, Raegdan called for a stop. “Don’t tell me that you are tired,” Applejack complained. “Ah’ve been pulling this thing through the dark, across mud and over holes with no complaint for three nights now and-”

“And you started complaining nonetheless,” Raegdan finished for her. “We are making camp here and waiting for daylight. We are too close and we don’t know what the Thestrals have been dealing with.”

“I thought we were supposed to be hiding from our pursuers,” Rarity said.

“Since we haven’t seen any sign of them, they might have called it off or never came after us in the first place,” Solid Charge speculated. He reached over the side of the cart and pulled down the tents. Raegdan got hold of Spike and put him down gently.

“You mean we travelled like this for nothing?” Spike said, aghast.

“A little caution is never unjustified young dragon,” Luna said. “Not seeing them doesn’t mean they are not out there.”

“Or maybe they relocated their ambush,” Leaf Stream said. “Did you think of that?”

“We did,” Luna answered. “One or the other, it matters not at this time. Eat something and rest. We will wake you up when it’s time to go.”

“Uh, yeah, about that…” Applejack said.

Twilight spent a few minutes gazing at the corridor she was in before knocking on the door before her. Honest Serenade was rich, no question about it. Her personal taste left quite a lot to be desired though. Everything around her had to do with war and battles one way or another. Old pony armors, Minotaur war axes, Zebrican spears, and more.

She looked at the wall at the right of the door. There was a shadow around the painting as if there used to be a much bigger frame hanging here. Honest Serenade must have renovated extensively -and relatively recently. She looked at the painting. The contrast to the rest of the decor was jarring. Fillies and colts smiled widely in front of a playground. Every frame had either a painting or photo of foals. Twilight hadn’t happened to see the same foal in any of them in her short walk here from the entrance at the floor below.

The juxtaposition of themes made the whole mansion creepy.

She knocked on the door. This was a waste of time, all of it, and the sooner she ended it the better.

“Come in already. My hallways can’t be that interesting,” the mare’s voice called from inside, jeering as always.

Twilight opened the door and walked inside. She expected an office. What she got instead was a strange combination between an office and a lounge area. Honest Serenade did not work behind a desk, small or large. Instead, she had a reclining couch for herself and a small, short table filled with folders, papers, and trays. A liquor cabinet was right next to her, the glass doors wide open, and a bottle out and opened.

“Welcome to my humble home Magic. Please, have a seat.” Honest Serenade’s hoof pointed towards the sole chair in the room. Like everything in here it shouted comfort. “Would you like something to drink?”

“No, thank you. I don’t intend to stay that long,” Twilight answered as coldly as she could.

“Suit yourself Magic. All the more for me.”

“I have a name you know,” Twilight protested.

Honest Serenade ignored her. A glass made its way to her lips under the guidance of her magic as she lied on the luxurious couch. “I’m glad you accepted my invitation Magic. I didn’t expect otherwise, but it’s always nice to see I’m right,” she giggled. “So where should we begin?”

“How about the part where you don’t concern yourself anymore with me, my friends, and my family? And yes, I include Raegdan in the last category,” Twilight demanded with anger.

The mare looked stunned for a second and her ever present cocky smile left her. It made its way back quickly enough. “Come on my dear, don’t lie to yourself. That’s too much like him. I thought you wanted the truth. Answers,” she said, presenting the word like a tantalizing morsel.

“I do, and I will get them. But not from you.”

“Then from whom? Him? You really expect that? I thought you were supposed to be the smart one,” she mocked.

“He has promised me, and Raegdan keeps his promises. He will tell me-”

The half filled glass barely missed Twilight as it was throttled past her face. Honest Serenade was baring her teeth at her. Twilight prepared herself to cast a shield if need be.

“That monster, that liar,” she spat, “doesn’t keep promises, not when it doesn’t suit him. You expect anything of real importance, anything that matters, to make it past his lips and be true? He will lie and use half truths, and when you call him out on it he will dismiss you as if you are insignificant. He will have gotten what he wanted long before that!”

Twilight scoffed and raised her muzzle at her. She managed to hold off the smile that threatened to break out when she saw how much that simple action angered Honest Serenade. “I believe I know him better than you do.”

“You don’t know him at all! Where is he from, Magic? What is his name? Why did he stop trying to go back to his own wretched home? Why is he so set on forming a guard under his own orders?”

“He will tell me everything when he is back. Now, if you will excuse me, I believe we are done. For good.”

“Sit back down,” Honest Serenade hissed, getting up and pushing Twilight back to the chair before she could dodge her. “You think you are the only one he made promises to? I’m trying to help you, I really am. The moment you realize all he deserves is a hole in the ground, the better. He’s going to use you for his own ends. He already is, him and that perverted bitch that sleeps with him.”

Twilight pushed Serenade away from her easily enough, making it a point to show off her stronger magic. Serenade and all the furniture in the room were pushed halfway across the room with a single flare of magic. “That is my adopted father and your princess you are talking about, and you will stop these accusations if you know what’s good for you!”

“Oh, ho ho,” Serenade laughed, her good mood returning. “Magic has teeth. I’m so scared, oh dear me, what am I gonna do?” she taunted. “You need to trust me Twilight. I’m talking out of experience.”

“I don’t care. I’m leaving.”

“Did you know that he has killed ponies?” Honest Serenade asked with a pretense of innocence.

“Yes, I did. It happened right in front of me if you forget. Now stop blocking the door or I’ll move you myself.”

“Oh, I’m not talking about that little thing. Not that I am trying to belittle the horrible ordeal you went through, but I’m talking about something more… recent.” She smiled wickedly into Twilight’s face. “Something a bit more grim. Perhaps something that a really tall pony doesn’t know about.”

Twilight paused. She couldn’t be talking about what she thought. Did she know or was she baiting Twilight into admitting something? She decided to play it safe. The last couple of days had been filled with deliberation and searching into her own heart. The chasm that divided her was still there, but with help from her friends and her mentor it had shrunk, and the bridges were restored. She wouldn’t allow this bitter, hateful pony to destroy that hard labor with nothing but conjecture.

That voice in her roared to know. It took a lot of mental effort to push it back.

“Whatever it is, I do not care to know. We’ve wasted enough of each other’s time.” Her answer wasn’t how Serenade had scripted this in her mind. Twilight gently pushed her aside with her magic and reached the door.

“That doesn’t make sense,” Honest Serenade spoke in a hushed whisper behind Twilight. “You can’t ignore something like that, you are not like…” Honest Serenade’s magic forced the door close again.

Twilight could easily overpower her but decided to try to the courteous, sensible approach first. “Please let go of the door. I want to leave.”

“You know! You know and you haven’t said a thing!” Honest Serenade was looking at her with hungry eyes. “Oh, you poor little thing. Now I understand what she did and why. Please, don’t let me detain you. You’re free to go,” she said, smiling pleasantly once more.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t be of help,” Twilight lied as she walked through the threshold.

“Oh, on the contrary my dear. You have been of excellent help.”

Twilight hesitated. She should leave and not allow herself to get baited into a conversation that would burn them all. Still, she had one question that she felt it was safe enough to ask.

“Lady Honest Serenade… why do you hate Raegdan? What has he ever done to you?”

The white unicorn raised an eyebrow. “And here I was thinking I was being subtle,” she mocked, chuckling. Her expression turned serious and hateful. “He robbed me, Magic. He stole from me the only light I could ever have, and I won’t rest until I take it out of his sorry hide. You are defending a villain. You can find your own way out,” she said, closing the door.

Twilight made her way out of the rich mansion and took the road back to the castle.

Halfway there she stopped. She had found herself in front of one of Canterlot’s orphanages. Most of them were away from the centre, to the edges or even outside the walls of Canterlot where space was not such a premium. Except this one.

She stood in front and examined the building, ponies passing her by as she stood in the middle of the road. She remembered this being an old theater. It must have been repurposed recently while she lived in Ponyville. Was this the work of Honest Serenade? Is this what that caustic mare, whose eyes lit with fire when Raegdan was mentioned, did when she wasn’t plotting against him?

She could see silhouettes in the windows, small, energetic, and playful. They must be treated well at least. She wondered how many of them were the result of atrocities committed upon innocent fillies or how many of them could have ended up the same. Raegdan put a stop to it and Honest Serenade was obviously caring for the foals that were abandoned here. They should have been allies in a common cause. Friends.

She turned her back to the building and all its implications. At moments like this she could believe what Raegdan said.

Life wasn’t fair.

Rarity waited along with the others in the dark of the night for Applejack to come back from her battle. She was fighting alone, not for her, but for others. Rarity wanted to say that she wholeheartedly believed she could win. She wanted it so much, but even though Applejack had faced those opponents before she never did so while they had the proverbial home advantage.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the clopping of four tired hooves coming their way. It was Applejack. Nopony dared to ask. The minotaurs, Leaf Stream, Spike, and Rarity herself stayed quiet, waiting.

Applejack smiled.

Rarity and Spike hoofbumped. The minotaurs slapped each other’s back, and Leaf Stream started breathing again. “I can’t believe you got them to back down,” Leaf Stream said, shaking her head.

“Ehh, ah got some experience working in mah favor,” Applejack grinned. She pushed a low hanging branch off her path. “Ah managed to get them to agree to sleep for a few hours at least, but in return they want all three of you,” Applejack said, pointing to Solid Charge, Cast Iron, and Leaf Stream, “to keep watch.”

“That’s fine. We were planning to anyway,” Solid Charge said. “It will be good to do something useful instead of being babysat all the time.”

Applejack smiled awkwardly. “Heh, yeah, ah used that as one of mah points. Raegdan said he’s gonna have you eating those words five minutes into your training.”

“Color us surprised,” Leaf Stream deadpanned. “Ok boys, let’s take another look at the perimeter, and set up. We might be in a flying predator’s area for all we know, but this area is covered with trees dense enough so we’ll focus on…” The minotaurs followed behind Leaf Stream, paying complete attention to her.

“She’s not doing a bad job, is she?” Applejack commented when they left.

“I don’t like her,” Spike said, sullenly. “She keeps trying to spy on dad or making fun of him.”

“Spy on him? I haven’t noticed anything like that,” Rarity said, surprised.

Applejack snickered. “Well, you wouldn’t have the way you sleep like a rock. Oh Celestia, ya really missed something great. Leaf Stream saw Raegdan get up and go behind some dense bushes. She thought that was suspicious so she follows along. Next thing you know, she gets thrown all the way back to her bedding and Raegdan pops out, pulling up his pants, and yelling at her in his language. He must have kept going for ten minutes straight,” Applejack and Spike laughed together at the memory.

Applejack’s mouth opened wide with a deep yawn escaping her. “Ah’m beat,” she announced. “Sleeping during the day doesn’t quite agree with me. Ah’m glad we return to a normal schedule, let me tell ya. See y’all in the morning.” Applejack turned tail and headed towards her own little tent. Spike and Rarity followed suit behind her.

The sun pierced straight through Applejack’s eyelids and into her brain, waking her up like a bucket of cold water emptied on her head. She blindly reached with one hoof to her right for her hat. She brought it over her face, stubbornly refusing to accept waking up yet.

A lifetime of working on a farm had conditioned her otherwise.

She gave up, grumbling all the while she stretched. Eyes still crusted from sleep she stepped heavily over to the cart where their dwindling supplies were left. Hot breakfast was out of the question since nopony had thought to ask Luna or Raegdan whether a fire was permitted yet.

She laboriously chewed on a hardtack, still grumbling. She felt exhausted, but there was no way she would be able to get back to sleep, not yet. She hoped they were close enough to the Thestrals. A full day of dragging that gosh darned cart feeling like that would be like a journey through tartarus. She eyed the abominable cart and all its heavy cargo with pure loathing.

She looked around for some company. Luna and Raegdan were not in sight, which was not that unusual. They were either still sleeping or checking around. She hoped it was the former. Applejack spotted Cast Iron walking nearby, holding a spear and looking around, obviously on his patrol. She decided to let him be. Solid Charge and Leaf Stream were probably still on guard then. Spike was in his tent, she could hear him snore. Rarity…

Applejack put her head into Rarity’s tent. It wasn’t the extravagant monstrosity she had tried to bring along. Somepony -guess who- had switched it with something more tame and inconspicuous.

The point was that Rarity was not inside.

Maybe she should have been worried, but what went through Applejack’s mind instead was a feeling of wounded pride. Did she really wake up second to last? After Rarity? What was next? Finding out Rainbow Dash worked harder than her?

Applejack shook her head. She missed her cyan friend and the competitiveness they had. She simply had no fun at all the last few days. It was either running after the terrible two or breaking her back dragging that thing. One thing was for sure. When the Lunar Guard got more recruits from solving the Thestrals’ problem, then somepony else was pulling that darn thing for a change.

She was also getting a day off from running after Raegdan when they returned to Canterlot.

She headed towards where Luna and Raegdan had gone off to sleep. She frowned. Did they even get a tent with them when they headed off? Did they even pack one for themselves- no, wait, they did. It was the one that Spike used. Huh. She hadn’t thought of that before. That meant that they were planning to share-

“Turn around,” a hushed voice said to her.

What?

“Over here.”

What the… Applejack looked around the dense foliage she was going through. “Rarity?” She called out, without raising her voice too much.

“Shhh… over here.”

Applejack examined the trees and bushes around her. The white unicorn should be sticking out like an orange among a bushel of apples yet Applejack couldn’t spot her. “Rares? Where are you?” she whispered, feeling creeped out.

“Over here!”

Applejack walked towards where she thought the voice originated from. This didn’t feel right. She looked above her. The trees were forming an impenetrable canopy over her, letting almost no light through. It felt too similar to the Everfree Forest for her liking.

“Rarity?”

Something white and fast as a snake whipped around her head and pulled her to the side and down to the ground. A hoof gagged her, stopping her from -yes, she would admit it- attempting to scream her heart out.

Her wide eyes saw that Rarity, wearing that cloak that Raegdan had forced on her, had pulled her into the deep shadows of a cavity made by a fallen tree.

“Shh…” Rarity beckoned, her eyes looking forward. “Out there. Past them trees,” she whispered. The seamstress’ hoof left Applejack’s mouth, letting her breath easier. She pointed towards where she was looking.

“Do you see them?”

Applejack’s heart was hammering. She searched among the trees, looking for what Rarity had spotted. Sweat stung her eyes as the searched through every crook and cranny until they finally saw-

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” Applejack whispered back, furious. “This is what ya almost gave me a heart attack for? I thought they found us or something!”

“Aw, but Applejack… Look! Aren’t they adorable?” Rarity cooed.

“Since when did you become a voyeur?”

“I beg your pardon!” Rarity hissed. “I actually found out something, but if you prefer to throw baseless accusations rather than hear me out then I can match everything you-”

“Ok, ok, ah’m sorry. What is it?” Applejack said, more out of a desire to not have a fight rather than any true curiosity.

“Watch,” Rarity ordered.

Applejack did as she asked. Luna and Raegdan were sleeping a few meters away from them, their only amenity a thin blanket below them. Raegdan was using a tree root as a pillow. Luna had settled with a better one. She was draped all over Raegdan, using him as a mattress and pillow in one. Her muzzle was buried in his neck. Both of them snore lightly in a funny, coordinated way. One of them would exhale while one inhaled. It made for a non stop buzzing.

“Watch for what?” Applejack asked after a minute.

“Just be patient Applejack. You’ll see.”

Less than ten minutes later Applejack noticed something. Luna was shivering. The shivers turned to shudders and she whimpered. She barely made that tear inducing, mewling sound before Raegdan’s arm went around her and his hand got lost in her starry mane. The trembling stopped and Luna half purred, half moaned, as her muzzle tried to work itself in a more comfortable position in a spot between Raegdan’s shoulder and neck.

“Hm,” Applejack said, discreetly trying to control the tugging at her heartstrings and not to say what she really thought. Like, perhaps, that Rarity’s observation was right on the bits.

“See?” Rarity exclaimed. “I don’t think he even knows he’s doing it. Oh, this is just precious. Remember when they caught us in that dungeon cell?”

“How could ah forget?” Applejack said, her newly found good mood threatening to vanish.

“Remember what Luna said? She mentioned a sleeping arrangement they were keeping secret.”

Applejack looked at Rarity. Then the sleeping pair. Rarity. Alicorn and biped. Rarity. “So when she said sleeping arrangement, she actually meant sleeping arrangement?” Applejack whispered, astonished. “I thought that they… you know!”

“I know!” Rarity said, sounding giddy. “I was disappointed too at first, but then I realized that this means I can give a hoof into making the pairing a reality. I’ll be known as the pony that helped a princess find the stallion of her dreams! Plus, this makes everything I wrote so far pure fiction which means I can really go that extra mile on the third chapter.”

Applejack cut her off before she could get too far. “Ok, Rarity, let me be clear about this. No! We got too much on our plate already without trying to play matchmakers- wait, chapter of what?”

“Oh come on,” Rarity begged, making puppy eyes at her. “You can’t take this from me Applejack. All I need is to throw a few hints, make a nice dress for Luna, arrange a romantic dinner for them when we get to Manehattan…”

“How about we keep our mind focused on actually getting to Manehattan without anypony getting hurt first?” Applejack counteroffered.

“Applejack, Applejack… my dear, ignorant farmer friend,” Rarity said with condescending smile. “Trust me, I know a thing or two more than you do. In fact, I believe that this is why Raegdan brought me along, though subconsciously, and not just what he claimed for.”

Applejack’s curiosity was prickled. “Ya know, ah never got that. Why did he bring you along of all ponies? Does it have something to do with why you and Raegdan disappear every now and then?”

Rarity made a show of examining her hoof. “Well, I’m sorry Applejack, but I do know how to be discreet when the situation calls for it.” She smiled widely. “Oh, who am I kidding? Listen, he-”

“-is very upset you go into all this trouble to get us to rest only to wake us up with your bickering? Yeah, you got that right.” Raegdan said.

Applejack and Rarity turned their heads to see both Raegdan and Luna standing right next to them, both of them trying to blink the sleep off their eyes and scowling at them. Luna’s mane was flying off wildly in different directions and Raegdan had a trace of dried drool running down among the short hair that grew on his face.

“Oh. Raegdan. Luna. We were just-”

“-disrespecting our privacy again?” he growled.

“No, no, heavens forbid,” Rarity said, trying and failing to laugh it off. “We-”

“-have five seconds to get out of my sight before I hang you both upside down from a tree and pretend you are pinatas. Four. Three…”

What peeved Applejack most afterwards, when her heart was no longer attempting to jump out of her throat, was the fact that Rarity could actually run faster than her if she put her mind to it.

Rainbow Dash was lying on the branch of a tree in the gardens. Bird jokes aside, she always preferred napping or lying at places like this. It wasn’t just a refuge from the heat. The rustling of the leaves right next to her ears always lulled her to sleep. It was all kinds of awesome.

“Hello Rainbow Dash.”

The pegasus opened one eye to see who was calling her, even though this timid voice could only belong to one pony. Yup, Fluttershy. “Hey Flutters. What’s up?”

“Oh, you know… the usual. How about you?”

“Peachy. I just found out today that there’s a rumor going on that Raegdan ate ponies. So, yeah. I had an awesome day. I can’t wait for the moment Luna gets back and asks me what I did about this. It’s gonna be so much fun,” she said with feigned excitement.

“Oh. Can’t you do something to stop that?” Fluttershy asked as she flew next to Rainbow Dash.

“Like what? Fluttershy, I can’t go and outright defend him. I spent days trying to convince ponies that I don’t like him. Even if I do, it’s just something that circulates around. I can’t find a single pony and make him stop.”

“Well… I guess all we can do is ignore it. It will stop after a while, won’t it?”

“I guess. Maybe I let it ruffle my feathers because, you know, it hits too close for comfort. Since he eats meat it was only a matter of time since some idiot started saying stuff like that.”

“I bet ponies will realize it’s a ridiculous notion and ignore it after a while,” Fluttershy said in a show of support.

Rainbow stared back, unimpressed. “Really Fluttershy? Really? It’s not that ridiculous, is it though? It’s not like they say…” Rainbow’s mouth remained open as she stared somewhere beyond with wide eyes.

Fluttershy looked behind her and saw nothing. She waved a hoof in front of Rainbow. “Umm, Rainbow Dash? Are you ok?”

“Fluttershy, you are a genius!”

“Oh, gosh. I am?”

“I know exactly what to do! Sorry Flutters, but I gotta go!”

“Um, Rainbow, before you leave… can I ask you a question?” Fluttershy asked quickly before Rainbow could vanish.

Rainbow abandoned her “ready to launch” stance. “Sure Fluttershy. What?”

“Just a simple question… Do you think Raegdan is really that good in a fight as they say?”

“What brought this on?”

“N- nothing. Really. I’m… I’m just curious what you think.”

Rainbow laughed. “Come on Fluttershy. Apart from the princesses, I don’t think there’s anypony who stands a chance against him one on one. Is somepony thinking about doing something stupid? I’ve seen my share of idiots thinking about starting something these last few days.” Rainbow smirked.

“I… uh… maybe.”

“Well, let them try,” Rainbow advised her friend. “Just make sure Applejack or Twilight is there to stop the idiot from getting killed.” Rainbow chuckled.

“Uhm, I don’t think there’s a need for it. I doubt anything will really come of it. Applejack won’t let him get into a fight, will she?”

“Yeah,” Rainbow said with some disappointment. “I guess it’s for the best in the end. Fluttershy, I gotta fly. Catch you later for dinner?”

“Oh, yes. I’ll be waiting for you after sunset, ok?”

The sun was lowering down once more and Applejack saw no end in sight yet. At least she did manage to get a small nap. Luna called for another short stop during noon when she saw Applejack and the others who pulled guard duty getting tired. She wondered if she would regret that pause in their journey now. She had enough camping out already and they had to make the return trip too. It wouldn’t be half as bad if they could light up a fire at least and warm up during the night or get something cooked and hot in their bellies.

“We’ve arrived,” Luna announced.

“Oh, thank Celestia,” Applejack said with feeling. She looked around and saw nothing. She even checked the sky in case the Thestrals had something similar to Cloudsdale. No luck. “Uh, beg your pardon Luna but… ah don’t see anything.”

“I’m sorry, I misspoke. We are still a little bit away. Do you see that treeline over there?” Luna pointed at a dark forest formed of trees that looked twisty and gnarly even from this distance.

“Yeah.”

“Let us wait. You will see them soon.”

They waited. The sun vanished behind the trees and tall hills. When twilight started giving its place to darkness, the forest across lit up in lights of blue, purple, and red. The darkness and threatening branches that reached out had vanished, replaced by something mystical yet welcoming. Square silhouettes were revealed among the trunks and ponies burst out in the air above the trees, flying in loops and around each other.

“Whoah,” Leaf Stream breathed out, her eyes glued on the acrobatic flyers.

“What are we waiting for?” Spike excitedly asked. “Let’s go!”

They rushed towards the objective of their journey, their vigor renewed from finally seeing the end in sight. Everypony was looking more excited as with every step closer they could see more of the beautiful lights the Thestrals had hung among the trees. Everypony except Luna and Raegdan. Their eyes were flicking around, watching every approach. Raegdan even held his hammer in hand and his left hand was on the cart, ready to grab his shield.

“Everything alright?” Applejack asked.

“Just… being cautious. You never know,” Raegdan answered.

“You are being paranoid, darling,” Rarity said. “We made it just fine. What could possibly happen?”

Two spears pierced the ground not even a meter away from Cast Iron and Applejack’s legs. More of them grew instantly from the bushes around them, glowing eyes of various colours gazing down the long shafts. The metal points, wicked and sharp, closed around them. Previously hidden Thestrals dropped from the clouds above holding more weapons of their own, all of them turned on their group.

“Luna, could you please remind me later to make a rule against saying stupid stuff like that?” Raegdan said.

“Princess Luna, we apologize for treating you and your companions this way, but we prefer to err on the side of caution.” The tall Thestral said. He was past his prime but he still stood erect and his wings and legs looked strong. He had a short silver beard on his chin which made him look extremely dignified.

“Apology accepted Sir Silverwing. No harm done, though for future reference I would advise against asking the commander of my Lunar Guard to accept being chained,” Luna said with a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

“Next one who does that, I’ll break his neck instead of his leg,” Raegdan let them know, his helmeted head swiveling around, trying to take in all the sights.

They were standing in the midst of the Thestral village. It was… well, amazing was the only word that Applejack could come up with, but what really impressed her was that it was only temporary! The Thestrals could take it all down in a day or two, which they often did from what she got, and move elsewhere. She could scarcely believe that they did all this for just a temporary residence.

Their homes were wooden wagons. They were colored in muted colors but they were carved with breathtakingly complex designs. What looked like a twin arch from a few steps afar was actually an unbroken line of Thestral ponies flying in formation when viewed up close.

Ladders and bridges made of rope and wood climbed above and connected the trees like a web. And the lights! There were soft lights everywhere. Beautiful small lanterns that shone with a variety of colored lights, turning the area from a small clearing with wagons strewn about into a fairy tale.

“You look like a tourist,” Leaf Stream admonished Raegdan.

“I am a tourist. I feel like I’m in Lothlorien…” Raegdan breathed in amazement. Spike laughed at this.

“The what now?” Applejack asked.

“Nevermind. It’s not important.”

Thestrals were surrounding them, but not aggressively. In fact, they all seemed to be extremely joyous to see Luna. Everypony had bowed to her as she passed and their eyes always found their way back to her. She was treated like… like Princess Celestia was treated everywhere else in Equestria.

They even seemed to be pleasantly fascinated by Raegdan, despite the fact that their first impression of him was breaking the leg of a Thestral that got too close and uppity. Applejack could make out some of their whispering to each other. They were all impressed by his armor and how fast he assaulted one of their own ponies despite it. Some of them were making plans on getting him to spar with them.

Applejack wasn’t entirely certain herself how much of a good idea that would be.

“I have to admit, Sir Silverwing,” Luna continued as she looked at the crowd around them. “Now that I am here I’m very curious as to why you asked for my aid. Your ponies seem too lighthearted for there to be an issue as grave as your letter made it seem. Unless… is there another Thestral caravan that is plagued? Do we need to make haste elsewhere?”

Silverwing looked puzzled for a second before his face lit up with understanding, followed by hesitation. “I’m sorry to inform you my princess that… there is no other group. This is all of us.”

Luna’s mouth hung open at this information and she looked at the small crowd around them again. “So few? What happened?”

“Crap,” Raegdan whispered behind Applejack.

Silverwing adjusted his leather wings on his back and tried to settle better on his seat. To Applejack he looked like a pony that was trying to delay something as much as possible. “Princess Luna… with all due respect, you happened. To be more exact, Nightmare Moon happened.”

“Impossible!” Luna said. “I never touched a single Thestral!”

“Nightmare Moon never found us my princess. But when you were banished… somepony had to pick up the slack. While Princess Celestia and her guards did what they could, so did our ancestors. They delved into the dark places where you used to go and tried to take custody of your duty. Most of your hard work had turned to shambles in the Nightmare’s wake. Our ancestors did the best they could, but though they were tough and hardened by our nomadic lifestyle they were not you. Still, they did enough and learned a few tricks on their way. Even now we pick up our spears against the occasional horror that tries to rampage out of their dark places or alert Princess Celestia to them if we have no choice.”

Silverwing looked disappointed. “We understood you better through trying to follow in your hoofsteps my princess. In those fearful days ponies did not take well to us and what they considered our frightful presence and preference of the dark. There was the occasional attack but what hurt us most was the lack of understanding. We could barely trade for the essentials. Winters were hard. Between the beasts, the cold, and famines… we perished. It took centuries for us to swallow our pride and turn to your sister. She had been trying to help already, but there was little she could do if we did not accept her aid, and this time we did.”

His hooves spread, embracing the entirety of the village and the crowd around. “If not for her there would be nopony to welcome you here my princess. You are back now. At last, now we can stop and we can focus on rebuilding ourselves without sending our brightest to their deaths.” The Thestrals around cheered for Luna’s return and the end of the harrowed fate they put upon themselves.

She didn’t seem to enjoy it. She looked guiltily around her. “Yes. I am back.” She sighed. “Tell me, what of the monsters that plague you? The sooner I return to my duty, the better.”

Silverwing took a few steps away. The crowd in that direction split, revealing a number of Thestral homes with open doors. “There’s only one of it my princess. I shall show it to you tomorrow morning when we will be able to see it clearly. In the meantime, perhaps you’d like to rest after your long journey?”

“We would. Thank you. Raegdan, come along.” The two of them quickly went into one of the small houses made available to them.

Applejack left the others behind to settle their accommodations. Naturally, Rarity took complete control and began the search to find the best bed for herself. Applejack didn’t mind. Any bed would do after sleeping on the ground. What she wanted to do now was check on Luna and Raegdan. Both of them seemed… off.

She knocked on the door. Raegdan opened it, took a look at who knocked, and went back inside, leaving the door open for Applejack to come in. She closed the door behind her. There was a small table with a lantern on top illuminating the room. Raegdan sat cross legged near a wall. He had to stoop inside the small lodgings. It seemed too small with those two inside.

“Everything alright with you two?”

“We are fine,” Luna said. “There is no need to worry about us. Just-”

“Disappointed,” Raegdan finished.

Applejack frowned. She could have expected a little depression after what the Thestral leader told them, but disappointment? “Why?”

“The Thestrals are exactly what we need,” Raegdan said. “Did you notice how easily they got us surrounded? They know how to fight. They trust and respect Luna. They are just perfect. Damn it, so close....” Raegdan and Luna sighed at the same time.

“...And the problem is…”

“Open your eyes Applejack,” Luna reprimanded her. “There are too few of them. They don’t have the option to give us their best as recruits, not with the way they live.”

“Oh. So, then that means…”

“Yep,” Raegdan agreed, nodding. “The whole recruitment thing? That’s a bust.” He took off his helmet. “At least we get to kill something tomorrow. That will be a little fun.” He looked around with a sparkle in his eyes. “Heh, we are back on the wagon.”

Luna copied his examination of the room. “I don’t get it.”

Raegdan rubbed at his face with a hint of a smile. “Nevermind… Are you hungry?”

“Starving,” Luna answered without any enthusiasm.

“I’ll get us something to eat. I’ll be right back.” Raegdan wore his helmet and carefully made his way out, wary of the helmet’s added height.

Luna sat before the table, her eyes gazing a thousand miles away. Applejack approached and cleared her throat. It took the Alicorn a few seconds to refocus on her surroundings.

“Oh, Applejack. Forgive me. I thought you had left with Raegdan.”

“Nope, still here,” Applejack said, trying to make the atmosphere a little lighter. Her cheer met the crushing gloom around the princess and perished. “You ok there princess?”

“I’m fine. Just thinking.”

Applejack gave it another go. “The Thestrals are quite something nonetheless, huh? They really love ya too!” She walked next to Luna and nudged her shoulder in a friendly manner. “Admit it, ah bet it feels pretty nice to have ponies cheer and call out your name as you pass.”

Luna’s eyes flicked towards the door that led outside. “Not really. It feels like any moment now they will march in, say “just kidding”, and ask me to leave and get Celestia to come in my place instead.”

“Oh, come on. Don’t sell yourself short. They like ya!”

“There were caravans of Thestrals across all of Equestria. They used to travel everywhere and they were always welcome. Now there’s only one and they only survived because of my sister. I drove them to near extinction.”

“Hey, hey now. That’s not true. The Thestrals don’t believe that so why should you?”

Luna did not answer. She rested her head on the table, heedless of the hard surface, and closed her eyes.

Applejack’s ears fell, just like her mood did. She tried to think of some other way to cheer up the black hole in front of her. She failed to come up with something, except keeping her company. Luna kept silent.

The minutes trawled by. Applejack wondered if she should go out and get Raegdan instead. Maybe he could give a hoof here, or hand. She frowned. He should have stayed here and sent Applejack to get them some dinner instead.

The door opened and Raegdan walked in, holding a tray with plates of steaming hot food. “Sorry I was late. I had to do a detour. Applejack, you are bunking with Rarity and Spike next door to the left as you head out. They are bringing your own dinner there now.”

“Great! Ah’m starving. Hey, Raegdan, can ah talk to ya for a bit in private before I go?”

Raegdan ignored her. He put the tray down on the table and reached behind him. “Guess what I found,” he said to Luna.

Luna didn’t even bother raising her head. “I give up. What?”

“I’ll give you some hints. It’s brown, sweet, and you haven’t had any for days.”

Luna’s eyes widened and she hungrily examined Raegdan top to toe. “You have brought me chocolate?”

Raegdan revealed a very large bar of chocolate he had hid behind him. “Yep. You are getting dessert tonight- whoah!” Luna had jumped at him and he barely avoided her.

“Give!”

“Eat your meal first you crazy mare! Dinner first, chocolate after!”

“Don’t treat me like a child.” Luna’s jaws clamped ineffectively in the space where her target used to be before Raegdan pulled his hand back.

“Then don’t act like one. You can wait a few minutes til- gah, my finger!” Raegdan cried out in pain.

Luna spit on the floor. “Do you ever wash these gloves of yours?”

“Excuse me, you are right. I should have done laundry, what was I possibly thinking?” Raegdan said with sarcasm, whipping his hand.

“Give me that chocolate or I shall charge you for treason!”

“Come and get it you little chocoholic!”

Applejack left them at it and departed with a smile on her face. It’s not like they even noticed her leaving. They were too involved in their little game to do so. She chuckled at her own stupidity. She had actually thought for a minute there that Raegdan hadn’t noticed Luna’s mood. It was moments like these that she felt completely justified in sticking with them despite everything else.

She barely ducked in time to avoid a wooden cup. Good thing the Thestrals liked Luna or they might get upset when they see the damage they did to the walls and furniture as they bumped all over the place.

She closed the door behind her, and as she expected, came face to face with a small crowd of concerned, bat-winged ponies.

“Everything’s fine everypony! They’re just playing around, no need to worry,” Applejack shouted over the sound of breaking wood from inside.

“Is Princess Luna gonna get hurt?” a worried voice sounded among the Thestrals.

“Nopony’s getting hurt,” Applejack said, calmly.

There was a heavy thump from inside. “What the hell’s wrong with you?” Raegdan shouted from inside, his voice a little shrill. “Stop kicking me there!”

“You are fine, we fixed the padding. Now, to the victor go the spoils- hey, give it back!”

“I don’t think you’ve earned it my little ballbuster. Now, what are you supposed to do?”

“Magic.”

“Magic?” Raegdan scoffed loud enough for everypony to hear him clearly.

“Yes. Magic.”

“Holy mother of-”

The wagon rocked violently on its wheels, briefly leaning only on two of them for a couple of seconds, threatening to tip over. There had been a cacophony of impacts and splintering wood.

“Well, not Princess Luna at least,” Applejack said to the stunned crowd. “‘Scuse me, ah’d really like to get some sleep. See ya all in the morning.”

The first thing that greeted her when she went inside was the glowing face of Rarity getting right in her own. “Applejack, come! You must simply see these tablecloths! The design and stitch is just perfect!”

Hopes and expectations of settling on a soft, warm bed anytime soon vanished under the long winded, gushing praises that Rarity sang of Thestral art. Applejack missed her single pony tent and that beautiful cart where nopony was talking to her about needlework.

They made their way on a winding path that led up to a cliff that was overlooking the sea as Silverwing told them. He had assured them that the area was completely safe and they were going up there only so they could see the monster they had called them for. For the first time in days they were walking without worrying about hidden dangers or warily watching their surroundings.

Silverwing had slowed down to stay behind enough in order to converse with Raegdan, obviously eager to find out more about the strange being that always kept near his beloved princess.

“So, apart from her Commander, you also act as her highness’ bodyguard?”

Raegdan shrugged. “I do whatever Princess Luna needs done, from guarding her to sweeping her floors.”

“Must be tiresome,” Silverwing speculated, “despite how much she honors and trusts you. One wonders if you get time to rest.”

“The pay’s worth it.”

“Ah,” Silverwing’s mouth tightened. “I should have expected so. You must have asked for a great salary in exchange.”

Raegdan scratched his chin. He had found the time to cut and shorten the hair on his face this morning. Applejack had never seen him do that before. She expected him to use scissors, not bring a knife to his throat and drag it across his skin.

“I’m not really sure how much I get. Hey Luna, how much am I getting paid?” he asked.

“I’ve arranged matters with Celestia and the Treasury. You can keep whatever you find from sweeping my floors and any bits stuck behind the couches,” Luna said. There was chortling and giggling around them.

“Ok, so the pay is not that good after all. There are other perks. I’ll let you know when I think of one.”

Spike shouted down from up ahead. “Hey! We’re here! The view is amazing.” Everypony doubled their pacing.

It really was amazing. The sun shone over the sea. The sky to the east was overcast with dark clouds, making the sea take a gray-greenish hue that gave it’s place to a brilliant blue closer to them. Powerful, strong waves were storming the cliff far below them. They were tens of meters over the surface of the water. Applejack looked down. White foam faded away only to be renewed by another series of waves that crashed on the rocks.

South of them were the swamps. They hadn’t gotten into them. The Thestrals had made their brief home almost at the edge of them but not even they ventured into them without reason. They glowed with such a bright shade of green that it was almost unnatural.

North of them, Applejack could spot the curve of Horseshoe Bay. She wasn’t sure but she thought she could see ships as they sailed in and out. They were almost imperceptible dots at this distance.

What she didn’t see was the monster. “Where is it?” she asked.

Silverwing went to the edge of the cliff, naturally uncaring for the sheer drop that waited. He pointed to the south, towards the sea. “There.”

Applejack hadn’t paid attention before. It was just more sea and she had ignored the greatest portion of it. She couldn’t believe she had been so blind. “Wow,” she exclaimed.

“That’s a big whirlpool,” Solid Charge observed.

“It must be as big as Ponyville,” Rarity said, breathless. “Bigger even.”

“That’s it?” Raegdan was angry. “Is that what you brought us here for?”

“Yes,” Silverwing answered simply.

“I don’t believe this!” Raegdan stomped towards the end of the cliff himself. “A whirlpool. All this time for… for… what the hell did you expect us to do, huh? Change the currents? Or was it your idea of fun? Playing a little practical joke on Luna?” he yelled, furious.

“Please, calm down. I assure you, we meant what we said. There’s a monster we need help-”

“Hey, dad?” Spike called out. “I think the whirlpool is stopping.”

Cast Iron had brought his palm horizontally over his eyes, trying to see better. “He is right! It’s stopping.”

The Thestral leader looked both relieved and worried. “This is bad. We have less time that we thought. We believed it would stay there for a couple of days more. Still,” he said, eyeing Raegdan at his side, “you might believe this easier now.”

“What is happening?” Raegdan asked.

“Shh. Please, just watch.”

The whirlpool slowly died down completely. Everypony waited with baited breath. Leaf Stream had the sharpest eyes out of all of them. She was the first to see the massive shadow that moved beneath the water, even all those kilometers away. Nopony believed her at first, not until it moved close enough as it headed north, almost across from them and directly below the sun.

They couldn’t make the shape. It was so deep or perhaps just so vast that it was a blob, a formless shadow. Probably both. It crossed kilometers in a very short time. Either that or they were all too caught up to take notice of the passage of time. It could have taken a day to complete its short journey and all of them would have stood there, watching, mouths gaping and hearts thumping.

No matter how long it actually took it did stop. Almost across from them deep into the sea. They could see it moving, shifting erratically. For a few minutes they thought it was turning around, the massive beast hidden beneath trying to change directions. Then they realized it was settling.

The sea started churning. A hole formed and the water started going down a huge spiral. The maelstrom was back.

“It’s heading north,” Silverwing said, his voice shockingly calm. “It will reach Horseshoe Bay soon enough and when it does… It will eat everything in there. It will swallow and destroy every ship. Baltimare will be ruined without its port as will every village that relies on the sea to survive. Equestria itself will suffer with its greatest port destroyed. The lives that thing will directly consume is only the beginning. Even when it’s done… it will move across the coast. Up and down, with nopony to stop it.”

“Dad? Dad, you can stop this, right?” Spike said.

Luna’s wing was tugging at Raegdan’s arm. Whatever little hope they held for a positive answer was savagely destroyed at the sight of fear on Luna’s face. “Raegdan, this… this is a Leviathan! I… I couldn’t hope to kill one of them even before. They are too big, they are too strong! What- what are we going to do?”

Raegdan sat down, slowly and carefully, moving like an aged, trembling pony. His eyes never left the swirling mass of seawater. “That’s- that’s Charybdis… How- it’s real. It really existed! I- I don’t know. I don’t know. I have no idea!”