"Tenebris, I'm back!" Twilight called.
he flipped the page of the book he was reading with his hoof but didn't do much else to greet her.
"Did you find anything?" Tenebris asked
"Actually yes... and I have a few questions as well."
"........." Tenebris paused with his reading before looking up and sighing
"...this is why I say it's better if you don't know...." he said
"But how can I help if I don't know"
"I never said I wanted help with anything but finding a book... I don't need anything else"
"Tenebris, come on, that lie was worse than one of Applejack's"
"...Applejack?"
"She's a friend of mine, she's as honest as it gets, so if she tries lying it's not hard to figure out. Then again, that was during our little run in with Discord, but that's all finished now"
"He was a rather cruel dictator... enslaving us like that, If it weren't for Luna and Celestia, I don't know where we'd be... but I still don't think it justifies what Celestia did to her..."
"What? You said that like Celestia was the one who defeated him this time around."
"This time around? Discord was turned to stone, yes? By Luna and Celestia wielding the elements of harmony?"
"Yes, but that's ancient pony history. Did you think that Celestia and Luna did it again or something?"
"You confuse me when you say "again"... unless..... Twilight, how long ago was Discord imprisoned?"
"Which time? The first or second time?"
"The first time, I guess."
"hmm... well, it was before Luna was banished, and she broke free after a thousand years, so it would have to have been just a little over a millennia"
".... I've been in the ice that long...."
"what?"
"Twilight, can't you see? I don't remember Discord's second rising because I've been frozen since his FIRST defeat! you said Luna broke free, the last news I heard of her, she had been banished! That's when-" Tenebris cut himself off
"...That's when the Alicorn Allience was formed..." Twilight finished.
"...Yes... You did your research, I see..."
"But... why would you want to hide that from me?"
"Their is some knowledge out there that everypony would be happier not knowing... How much information did you find on the alliance?"
"Not much... after Fosca and Umbrus left with their followers, they were never seen, nor heard from again."
"That's a relief."
"What? But... but I thought you were..."
"You thought I was with the alliance, didn't you?"
"Well... yes..."
"Well your assumption is incorrect... I want nothing to do with those fools... not anymore"
"Not anymore?"
"...."
"So you were with the alliance at one point?"
"....yes... at one point"
"Why did you quit?"
"That... is the bit of information that everypony would be better not knowing... The alliance seemed good at first, but it's intentions eventually became corrupt... and so did the ponies in it. So I left, and that is all that you need to know."
"...Is that how you became an imaitar?"
"... you have done more research than I had first assumed."
"Yes, and I know that what you have can't be your real cutiemark."
"No. It isn't, I regret to say... They say that when you earn your cutiemark, you can feel it appear. They say it fills you with joy... but did you hear of the pain from an imitar mark?
Twilight remained silent
"First the shadow appears where you'll be receiving it... the darkness feels so cold and empty, until it heats up... not like the gentle warmth of a healing winter hearth, but a searing burning heat that etches the image of what people will forever see you as into your flank. Through the heat it feels like the shadow rends your flesh and tears through your muscle and nerve. and when at last it fades away, the scar-like label of the imitar remains on you with a patch of fresh blood surrounding your new emblem. Your new mask. Your new charade..."
"That sounds horrible..."
"Horrible, yes, but necessary, I would be even less happy had I fulfilled what my cutiemark would have been. But let's not talk about that."
"Tenebris... it's clear you have a lot to hide, but so far all this that you are telling me... I don't see why you would want to keep it only to yourself."
"When somepony learns one thing, they continue to another, if they find out that a well known friend has a secret, they will find it eventually... however, if they know nothing of a pony, they will be curious at first, but it will soon fade as their attempts to uncover the mystery end fruitlessly."
"Did somepony say mystery?" A third voice chimed in
"The last case we had was fun, did someone eat the cake's cake again?" it said
"Oh, no..." Sighed Twilight
she had forgotten that Sweet Apple Acres would only keep Pinkie busy for a day at most, and it was obvious that more than one day had passed since Zacoura and Twilight had first freed Tenebris. Now that their was nothing stopping Pinkie Pie, who knows how Tenebris would react? She seemed to come out of nowhere, as always and stood next to Tenebris, staring at him and taking in a huge gasp as she did to Twilight her first day in Ponyville... then the talking began...
"Oh-my-gosh-You're-new-here-and-I've-never-seen-you-before-and-I-knew-something-new-and-exiting-was-going-to-happen-because-I-got-a-new-pinkie-sense-combo-that-I've-never-gotten-before-which-means-that-something-new-and-exiting-is-going-to-happen-and-"
"Pinkie!" Twilight interrupted
Tenebris remained silent
"Twilight, but he's new! and I have to be friends with every pony, so-" Pinkie stopped mid-sentence
"Whoa! Your cutie mark doesn't match on both sides! Why not? That's cool, what's it mean? Why are you wearing a cloak?"
"Pinkie!!!!!" Twilight said again
"Oooooh~ I'm sorry, Twilight, I know, I'm missing the welcoming song! Nice catch, buddy!"
"Pinkie, that's not what I-"
but it was too late. Pinkie has already brought in the machine she brought out to introduce new Ponies, and began with her song...
"Welcome welcome welcome
A fine welcome to you
Welcome welcome welcome
I say how do you do?
Welcome welcome welcome
I say hip hip hurray
Welcome welcome
welcome to Ponyville todaaaaaaaay~"
Tenebris stood unable to comprehend what was going on.
"Wait for it...." Pinkie said
not 3 seconds later, confetti flew out of an oven on the machine as Tenebris raised his hoof in front of his eyes to prevent getting the pieces of colored paper in it. But the air blast of the confetti cannon lifted the back of his cloak for just a second, and Twilight saw 2 wings underneath it, on both he wore some sort of gold plating, but she couldn't make it out clearly in the small amount of time it was visible. But one thing was certain, he had wings...
Then came the cake mix, not even cooked, just raw cake mix that shot out of a cannon on top of the machine straight towards Tenebris.
Tenebris reacted quickly, and instinctively without thinking; and with a flash of cyan light, a small force field appeared around him as the cake mix sprayed all over it.
The hood of his cloak fell backwards, relieving a sharp horn, glowing with the magic he was using.
The glow faded, and so did the force field, leaving a small circle of clean floor in the library.
as Twilight wiped the cake mix off of herself, she saw Tenebris and the clear area around him.
"You're.... You're an alicorn!"

Next Chapter: The Alicorn's Wings Estimated time remaining: 20 Minutes