The world was full of sunflowers. Massive, perfect sunflowers. Tarnish couldn’t tell where he was. There were no fluffy clouds underhoof, the things he had seen before in the astral realms weren’t visible now. There was a hedgerow, what appeared to be a tower in the distance, and an enormous field of sunflowers.

“What is this place?” Tarnish asked.

“A realm within a realm, held together with force of will, given life and purpose through clarity of mind,” Celestia replied.

Tarnish did not understand. This place was beautiful, perfect, there was even a sun shining overhead. There was a sweet scent in the air, the smell of sunflowers of course, but also something else. He thought of what Maledico had said and he looked over at Princess Celestia.

“You anchored your soul here, didn’t you?”

There was no reply from Celestia, not a verbal one anyway, but she did give him a piercing, peculiar stare that made him squirm and feel mighty uncomfortable. He felt as though he was a tiny colt in school again. As he stood watching, staring, Celestia drifted up from the ground, floating without flying, her wings were flared but in a relaxed position. She was staring back at him with a strange, curious intensity blazing in her eyes.

In the distance, there was a baying sound, a howl, and when she heard it, Celestia turned her head and said, “Uh oh…”

Something moved through the sunflowers. They parted like waves on an ocean and Tarnish felt a rising sense of panic that made it difficult to breathe. He could feel it—his pony senses were screaming—something large and predatory moved towards him.

Something terrible and primordial lept out of the sunflowers and Tarnish screamed. It was bigger than him by far, enormous, it even made Celestia look tiny and helpless. It moved with all of the speed and purpose of a steam locomotive, huffing and chuffing. It was almost translucent and appeared to be full of stars. It was the largest wolf that Tarnish had ever seen, and it was charging right for him.

It was on him in a second and instinct took over. Tarnish went limp, falling to the ground, curling up into a protective ball while a tongue the size of a coffee table licked him. He was drenched in seconds and then, horror of horrors, he felt the creature’s mouth all around him. Teeth as long as swords grazed against his flesh and Tarnish was certain that he was going to lose control over his bowels at any second.

“BAD PUPPY!”

Celestia’s voice rang out like a thundercrack.

“Put him down! Bad puppy! What did I tell you about putting ponies in your mouth?”

Tarnish hit the ground with a wet, sloppy, plop, the big slobbery creature let out a yelp and then fell over as if it had been poleaxed. Tarnish opened one eye and peered out, trying to see what was going on. The enormous wolf was lying on its back, its throat and belly exposed to Celestia, and she loomed over him, looking very cross. He heard a low rumbling growl and when he realised that it was coming from Celestia, he very nearly pissed himself as a new wave of fear crashed over him like a tsunami.

His emotions suffered a violent shift and he felt pity for the large, slobbery menace that had just tried to eat him. He opened his other eye watching as Celestia reached out with her hoof and she booped the large silvery purple-blue wolf on the nose. It cried out, gibbering, and then went very, very still.

“You will behave around my ponies, or I shall become irritated!”

Something about Celestia’s threat to become irritated was the most terrifying thing Tarnish had ever heard, it was a new level of terror that was far, far worse than everything he had just experienced. He felt like throwing up. As scary as the big wolf was, Celestia was an ancient eldritch horror just waiting to be unleashed. He turned away from her, she was blazing like the sun—looking at her burned his eyes and threatened to blind him.

And Grrrr appeared to be terrified of her as well. Through the blazing, eye burning brilliance that was Princess Celestia on the verge of becoming irritated, Tarnish tried to get a better look at the strange beast.

“What is he?” Tarnish asked.

“He is a canis minor,” Celestia replied.

Curiousity overcame Tarnish’s bowel clenching terror. “We have those in the physical world.”

“Yes we do. They are planeswalkers. Sometimes, they cross from one plane to another and nopony knows why.” Celestia’s manifested radiance cooled off a bit and she booped the cowering wolf cub on the nose once more, causing it to whimper and kick its legs. “I’m trying to teach this one manners. He’s far too rambunctious.”

“I feel bad for Grrrr—” Tarnish stopped mid-sentence as Celestia turned her almost irritated stare upon him. He turned away with a fresh new understanding of how worlds ended, how galaxies imploded, he saw the end of all things, and knew who could end them.

“It is a most peculiar happenstance that Grrrr, as you call him, projects his body into that of a timber wolf in the physical realm. You say that you have a root ball that becomes his constructed body?” Celestia’s voice was commanding, her authority absolute, and she stood ready to scold Grrrr again if he stepped out of line.

“I took control of a group of timber wolves that were menacing some ponies… I infected them with poison joke and cast a spell… I don’t understand how… it just happened… I was being influenced by somepony else’s memories at the time.” Tarnish swallowed and felt self conscious about his stammering. “Timber wolves used to be protectors, guardians. They were corrupted. Something infected them, poisoned the magic that animated them.”

Grrr rolled over to his belly and began crawling through the dirt to get closer to Tarnish and away from Celestia. His tail wagged and he tried to hold back his youthful exuberance. With each inch he crawled, he let out a whimper and his tongue lolled out of the side of his mouth.

“You speak of things that happened thousands of years ago,” Celestia said, “things that happened before my time. Before I was even born. How do you know of such things, my peculiar little flower pony?”

A hot blush passed over Tarnish’s cheeks. He decided to answer her question with his own question. “What do you know of the druids?” As he spoke, he saw her eyes narrowing. Her mane and tail began whipping around again, as if agitated by some unseen force.

“I know that the druids are long gone, a forgotten order of ascetics who focused upon balance and keeping order. The natural order. They wielded dangerous magics that couldn’t be controlled… well, not really. Some of the minor spells, the chaos that sometimes sprang up could be dealt with.” Celestia took a deep breath and raised herself up to her full height. “I get the feeling that the druids are no longer extinct. You keep secrets, flower pony.”

Tarnish didn’t know what to say.

“Tell me, how did you come to be here?” Celestia asked. “So many unicorns try and fail. It is very, very difficult to jump to these realms.”

“Breathing,” Tarnish replied. “I was breathing. I was trying to breathe life into Grrrr’s root ball, I was treating it like an effigy. I didn’t know what I was doing and this happened by accident.”

“I see.” There was a hard flinty edge in Celestia’s voice. “Zebra magic. You will find many zebras in the astral realms. They come here often. For not having a horn, it seems many zebras are more adept at magic than many unicorns. They are courageous explorers, the zebras. Powerful mystics…” She blinked her eyes. “As for you, I am honestly surprised that one of my little unicorns would learn zebra magic.”

“I am not a very magical unicorn.” Tarnish looked up at Celestia, and then over at Grrrr, who drew nearer, moving at a slow crawl. “I wanted to learn how to heal and maybe make a few charms. It’s a practical matter. I live a very dangerous life.”

“You say that you are not very magical… as you are standing in the astral realm.” Celestia clucked her tongue and her wings flapped against her sides. She let out a sniff as her mane and tail seemed to calm down, returning to a more serene state. “You say that you are not very magical, but you are soul-bonded to a constellation creature. You make the claim that you are not very magical, but you stink of strange magic and ask questions about druids. Were you a colt again, a little adorable colt of the soft, fuzzy-wuzzy chocolate brown variety, I would have you brought to my school so I could straighten you out.”

“But I am dangerous!” Tarnish shook his head. He opened his mouth to say more, to talk about how his magic manifested even as a colt and screwed his life over. But he never got the chance.

“So am I.” There was no boasting in Celestia’s voice, no bravado, just a cool, calm statement of fact. “I understand the danger you represent. I’ve had my eye on you for some time. I’ve been watching you, Mister Teapot. That mirror of yours has marvellous magic. Even without the mirror though, I’ve watched you, waiting, hoping that you would grow. I watched you as you were banished from Ponyville. My heart ached for both you and my student, Twilight Sparkle. I knew what was influencing her, but I could not get involved. There was a lesson to be learned… a very important lesson for both of you. I watched you as you took your first few stumbling steps. I know about the manticore…”

Tarnish cringed and squeezed his eyes shut.

“I watched you as you faced adversity, as you grew… I watched as the most miraculous thing happened… you blossomed. You adapted, you learned, you survived, you faced hardship, you have endured bleak despair and have been made stronger for it. The flowers that bloom in the wilds are oftentimes far hardier than those that grow in the greenhouse.”

As Celestia spoke, Tarnish felt a lick from an enormous tongue. He pulled away and opened his eyes. Grrrr was beside him, his tail wagging, his eyes glittering with strange happiness. Tarnish pulled himself up into a sitting position, reached out a foreleg, and began rubbing Grrrr around his muzzle.

“Whomever our strange visitor is, I can feel him even now, he has made a fine choice for a student.” Celestia’s head turned and she gazed out upon the sea of sunflowers. “We live in strange times, Mister Teapot. There have been many awakenings and many things have returned from the past. Ancient evils… and primordial forces it seems. I have sensed things that have frightened me. Old enemies stir in the south, beyond my influence. It seems as though we are heading for a convergence.”

“I don’t understand,” Tarnish said as he continued to give Grrrr some affection.

“Imagine, if you will, two lines upon the ground that bend towards one another.” Celestia turned her patient gaze upon Tarnish. “You cannot see where the lines converge, as it is some distant point over the horizon, but make no mistake, the lines will cross.” The alicorn blinked. “I can see the lines, I can see the horizon, but I can’t see over it. I know the lines will cross… I can sense that the convergence will happen. All of these lines gather and lead us towards some point in the future. Old enemies awaken, old magic is returning… and it is returning, make no mistake. It seems old friends are returning as well.”

“Am I a part of this?” Tarnish asked.

“We are all a part of this,” Celestia replied. “Some of us more so than others.”

A frown crinkled Tarnish’s muzzle.

“A collection of heroes gathers. Some of them have discovered their purpose, others are still living humdrum lives and have not yet become aware of the potential they possess. Long ago, we had the founders of Equestria, they were heroes in their own way, but there were so many more, so many forgotten by history. They all had a part.” Celestia stood blinking, looking sad, and she shook her head. “Old dear friends, forgotten by history but not by me. I miss them and it hurts me so…”

Grrrr whined, rose, and loped over to where Celestia stood. He sat down beside her, his ears drooping, and he looked sad in a way that only dogs and wolves could. He let out a forlorn whine as Celestia continued.

“The threads of destiny weave a fantastic tapestry. We all have a part, Mister Teapot.”

Reaching up, Tarnish scratched his neck. He had met other heroes. “Say… do you know Cranberry?” He saw surprise in Celestia’s eyes and felt a strange sense of accomplishment.

“Ah, the lost wanderer. Her heart was broken. She will never know home nor hearth ever again.” Celestia inhaled and then let out a sorrowful sigh. “She has found some measure of happiness, but still, my heart grieves for her, as she will never know of home ever again.”

“And what of my tormentor?” Tarnish’s eyes narrowed as he spoke.

“Yes, I know of her,” Celestia replied, “but I do not know her. She shields herself from me. She is adept at hiding. I suspect that she will become quite a source of irritation and I feel that she and Twilight will cross paths at some point. The meeting is inevitable.”

“I don’t want to say she’s evil…” Tarnish’s words trailed off as he became thoughtful for a second, and then he continued, “But… she’s… pretty evil. She strikes me as being dangerous. She keeps offering to cure me. She says that you will never allow me to continue to exist as I become more dangerous.”

“Your continued existence depends more upon you and your levels of personal responsibility, rather than my whims.” Celestia’s voice was deep with concern. “It is my belief that my garden is made better with a little poison joke. That shade of blue is pleasing to the eye.”

Hearing these words made Tarnish feel better. He drew in a deep breath and then let it out in a huff. Grrrr had fallen over and was now rolling around on his back, whining for Celestia’s attention as she stared off into the sea of sunflowers.

“Evil…” The word spilled out of Celestia’s mouth. “Some might be evil… as for your tormentor, maybe… or it could be sorrow. Heartache. Melancholy. She might be suffering in some terrible way and not be able to express a need for help.”

“Or, you know, she might actually be evil.” A hard grittiness could be heard in Tarnish’s voice. He saw Celestia’s head turn and he could feel her piercing eyes upon him. His ears drooped and he felt ashamed as he turned his eyes away from her.

“Reckless hatred does not become you, Tarnished Teapot. Be wary of your emotions and be mindful of your feelings. I will not have you going astray or taking those first dangerous steps down a dark path that will lead to your ruination. Keep in mind what I said about personal responsibility. Should I sense that you’ve actually become a real danger, a meaningful threat, you can expect to be brought before me for a little face to face chat so I can help you sort out your priorities. You are far too dangerous to be allowed to wander into darkness.”

“I never meant… I… I didn’t mean… I…” Tarnish, tired of tripping over his own words, fell silent. He nodded, feeling ashamed.

“It is a dangerous and unpredictable path I am forced to tread,” Celestia said, making an admission. “I have to let my little ponies go into dangerous places. Dark places. I have to let bad things happen to them. They have to be tested, tried… their mettle must be tested. It means I have to let some of them go… the ones I trust. It means losing some of them. Some fall to the dangers of the world.” Celestia’s eyes filled with great sorrow. “Others fall into the darkness to become a part of it. Former friends become enemies. The risks I am forced to endure are many.”

“But you have to allow it to happen… because of this convergence that is coming?” Tarnish saw surprise in Celestia’s eyes.

“Yes, my little pony.” The alicorn nodded and her ears pivoted forwards.

“I would go into darkness for you,” Tarnish offered, trying to rid himself of his shame. “Whatever is coming, I’ll help fight it.”

“We shall talk about this later, at another time.” Celestia let out a sigh, a sorrowful sound.

“You look sad.” Tarnish suffered a moment of terrible insight. “That’s why you watch from a distance, isn’t it? You don’t want to get involved… those friends you’ve lost… you don’t want to be hurt again. And getting to know me… I’m gonna grow old or something bad will happen to me and…” His words faded into nothingness and he watched as Celestia nodded.

“You and Cranberry should talk.” Tarnish stood there, feeling useless.

A sad smile spread over Celestia’s muzzle. “Perhaps we shall. As for you, Mister Teapot, you should return to your lovely wife. Several minutes have passed in the physical world. You haven’t moved nor spoken and you may have become a cause of concern.”

Tarnish nodded.

“When you call Grrrr, reach out to this place. He will answer. If you are troubled, come here. Just close your eyes and think of sunflowers.” Celestia paused. “And one last thing…”

“And that is?” Tarnish asked.

“Try to get your teacher to reveal himself,” Celestia replied. “Fare thee well, Mister Teapot!”

“Goodbye!” As he spoke, the world around him shifted and he felt a tugging just beneath his horn, down inside of his brain. He felt himself being pulled elsewhere. It was like falling, or being born. The sensation wasn’t unpleasant. He endured it, knowing that Maud waited for him on the other side.

Author's Notes:

I am having severe internet problems. I hope this makes it.