Author's Notes:

Well with the lightened load at work, I feel like a dam has opened and new ideas and time to write them is flowing out. I finished this chapter in the middle of last week, and knock on wood, I'm almost done with the next chapter, just 2k words to go! Woot! And more idea's are still coming. I am excited about an idea I just had today and look forward to putting it in a future chapter soon.

I'm back baby! The sleeper has awoken!

She was sure she'd seen Luna running this way! Galloping, Celestia skidded to a stop when she caught a glimpse of the midnight blue filly's rump vanishing around a hut. Suddenly, she heard giggling coming from above her! Looking up, she found Aurora sitting on top of the hut!.

"Aurora!" Celestia shouted in a sudden panic. "What are you doing up there!? That's dangerous!"

Searching for a way up, Celestia set her hooves into the stone wall and slowly began to scale the hut. Reaching the thatch roofing, Celestia worked her way up to Aurora. As she got close, the filly giggled and waved at her just as she vanished with a pop, reappearing a moment later on the ground below as Luna joined her to wave up at her.

"Oh! You two are going to be in so much trouble when I catch you!" Celestia angrily shouted down at the two fillies. She was supposed to be foal-sitting them! Not chasing them to every end of the compound! Luna and Aurora both giggled and dashed off together, leaving her stuck on the roof.

"What are you doing up there?" a musical voice suddenly called up to her. Below her, Starless looked up at her curiously with Ground by her side.

"You shouldn't be up there. It's dangerous." Ground added.

Celestia sighed and shook her head. "I know. I climbed up to get Aurora down, but she suddenly popped herself back down with magic."

"She flash-traveled!?" Starless exclaimed in surprise. "I feared she would figure that one out, but not this soon!" She turned to look about. "Aurora! Where are you!? Show yourself!" Starless' face darkened as the filly failed to appear. "You will not hide from me young filly! You will show yourself now!"

Suddenly, a nearby basket tumbled over and Aurora rolled out. She quickly gathered her hooves under herself and stood. Starless' hard eyes gazed evenly at the filly. She then pointed her hoof to the ground right before her and waited. Aurora hung her head down and she slowly walked over to the place that Starless was indicating.

Starless frowned down at the filly. "And where is your cohort?"

Aurora's ears wilted. Turning her head, she looked at another basket. Starless' magic suddenly surrounded the basket and carried it over to Aurora, where she then upended it, dumping the midnight colored filly out onto the ground.

"Well, you two," Starless said, "what do you have to say?"

The two fillies shifted awkwardly, neither of them wanting to speak first. Starless tapped her hoof as she waited.

"We..." Aurora said, speaking down at the ground. "We're sorry."

"No." Starless shook her head. "Don't say it to me. Say it to her." She then set her hoof at Celestia's back and directed her forward. "Say it and mean it."

Aurora was unwilling to lift her gaze. "I'm... I'm sorry, Tia," she apologized, using the shortened name she and Luna came up with for her because they had trouble saying the first part of her name.

"And you?"

Luna scowled at the ground, her lips stiffened stubbornly.

"We're waiting." Starless said, her voice becoming stern.

"Fine. Sorry Tia," Luna finally said.

"And?" Starless added.

"We won't play Stay-Away from Sister anymore," Luna finished sullenly.

"Good." Starless nodded.

"Star!" A voice called out to her happily. A moment later, Snap Dragon rushed over to Starless and hugged her. "I missed you. When did you get back!?"

"Late last night," Starless answered pleasantly as Snap released her to hug her brother.

"And Mama?"

"I'm sorry. She had to stay behind," Starless said, regretfully. "We got some new arrivals that required her special assistance."

Snap's face fell. "Well, I suppose it couldn't be helped." Her face suddenly brightening up, "but at least you and brother are here. How long are you two going to stay this time?"

"About a month, I think," Starless answered. "I've been neglecting Aurora's training for much too long." She punctuated her statement with a hard look at the sulking filly. "It appears I have a lot of work ahead of me."

Suddenly, a squealing light-blue streak shot by, followed a moment later by Skye as she flew by in hot pursuit. "Come back here, you naughty filly!"

"Oh dear," Snap exclaimed, watching Skye pursue her highly active daughter across the settlement. The filly's little wings buzzed like a hummingbird's as she zipped around the huts and startled ponies that were working in their gardens.

The sound of galloping hoofsteps suddenly shot by as Dusty raced to catch up. "Come to papa, little Flashie!"

Starless gave her head a weary shake. "Today seems to be just one of those days."

Spreading out, Starless and others moved to head off Lightning Flash, while Celestia stayed back to watch over Luna and Aurora. Ground quickly positioned himself right in the filly's path and waited to catch her, but just before reaching him, Lightning suddenly swerved sharpy to the side. Flying behind her, Skye was unable to turn in time and collided with Ground, sending the pair tumbling to the grass together.

With her horn glowing with her magic, Starless galloped out from between two huts and skidded to a halt. Reaching out with her magic, she grabbed at the filly as she came at her. Leaping in from the side, Snap suddenly appeared, diving through the air with her hooves outstretched to catch the filly, Starless' magic seized Snap as she sailed into its way, abruptly halting her flight just before reaching the filly.

Lightning swerved up, climbing straight up into the air. Galloping up from behind, Dusty leapt as high as he could. Stretching out his body, Dusty strained his neck and snapped his teeth shut, just missing the end of his daughter's tail as she flew out of his reach. Flailing his hooves, Dusty sailed through the air and collided right into Snap, sending the two crashing down right onto a surprised Starless.

"Lightning, stop! Please come back down!" Celestia shouted as she watched the filly fly higher. Dazed from the impact, Skye shook her head as she wobbled back to her hooves. Catching sight of her daughter, she gasped in horror. With her head still spinning from her fall, she leapt into the air and flew after her as swiftly as she could.

Climbing higher, little Lightning Flash's assent slowed, her little wings beginning to falter. Seeing this, Skye flapped even harder as she fought to catch up to her. Nearing her daughter, Skye stretched out her hooves to catch her, but just as she was about to reach her, Lightning flew into a low hanging cloud and rebounded off, and plummeted towards the ground. Skye was going too fast and she attempted to twist herself to catch her tumbling foal, but ended up barrelling right into the cloud herself and burying herself deeply inside.

With the wind whipping at her wings as she fell, Lightning Flash started whaling in fright. Dazed from the impact, Dusty frantically tried to gather his hooves back under him while Snap struggled to untangle herself from under Starless. Dashing in to catch the falling filly, Ground blindly ran into the side of a hut and smashed through the wall, reappearing a moment later when his head burst out of the far side.

Bucking a hole into the cloud, Skye shot out and dove after Lightning Flash. Watching in horror, Celestia saw that she was much too far away to catch her in time! "Luna, Aurora! Close your eyes! Don't look!" She shouted, not wanted them to see what was about to happen.

"Flashie no get hurt!" With a strangely determined look on her face, Aurora's horn suddenly flashed and she vanished. A moment later, she reappeared in the air next to Lightning Flash. Falling, Aurora's magic burst out and enveloped the two, slowing their fall to the ground.

Starless gazed up in shock, hardly believing what she was seeing. "That's not possible! There's no spell like that!"

Safely encased in Aurora's magic, the two gently drifted down to Dusty, who caught the pair as they floated gently into his upheld hooves.

"All safe now," Aurora said, giving her head an affirmed nod.

Diving down, Skye flared out her wings and landed in a rush to snatch up her daughter, hugging her tightly to her chest in relief.

Collecting herself, Starless walked over to Aurora and picked her up. "We are going to have a long talk about what just happened," she firmly told the filly, "but, I'll leave that for later. For right now, you deserve a big hug." She then embraced the filly.

"That's right!" Skye agreed, snatching little Aurora out of Starless' hooves to hug her too. "Thank you for saving my little Flashie."

After they all had their chance to praise their hero filly, Starless approached to Skye as she prepared to head back home with her now slumbering foal. "Before you go, I have something to ask of you. I understand that you're rather close with Tranquil Charm. Would you please tell her that I would like to see her tomorrow?"

"Oh?" Skye looked at her curiously.

"It's nothing bad," Starless assured her. "I just want to test something with her, that's all."

Skye slowly nodded. "Okay. I'll let her know," she agreed.

"Thank you," Starless said appreciatively.

Watching Skye and Dusty leave, Snap walked over to her. "So. I guess we should do something about him." She gestured to the hut with her brother's head sticking out the wall.

Starless let out a resigned sigh. "I suppose we should."

Starless woke with a start, her heart racing in her breast. Under the dim light of the low burning fire, she quickly checked next to her to assure herself that Ground was still there. Her heart suddenly leapt up in panic when she saw that he was gone!

Her horn flashed and her magical light flooded the chamber. "Ground!?" Starless frantically called out to him as she fought to control her fear. "Ground where are you!? Ground! Please answer me! Ground!"

The sound of large hoofsteps quickly approached, and a moment later, Ground appeared. Rushing over to her, Ground gathered her into his hooves and held her as she desperately clung to him. "I'm here!"

"You were gone!" Starless wept into his chest. "Where were you!? I thought they took you!"

"I'm sorry," Ground apologized, speaking into her mane. "I went out for a moment to relieve myself. That's all. Everything's alright. I promise."

Reassured, Starless' tears slowly diminished until she finally slipped back to sleep. Carefully lowering her back down, Ground added fresh wood to the fire to build it back up before returning back to Starless. Laying himself down alongside her, Ground held her close as she slept.

The next day, she collected Aurora to resume her magic training. Taking the filly out a short ways to a small clearing near her cave, Starless halted before a large boulder. "Okay. I want you to lift this boulder up and hold it as long as you can."

Squinting at the rock, Aurora stepped closer and tapped it with her hoof. "Rock really dark." Because of the elemental shard in her necklett, Aurora was able to see the life around her, but non-living things like the boulder appeared dark to her unique sight.

"I know you have trouble seeing stone. Just try to lift it anyways," Starless told the filly. Stepping back a few paces, Starless nodded. "Whenever you're ready."

Aurora focused on the boulder and a nimbus of magic surrounded it. It must weigh as much as a dozen Earth Pony stallions. With her little face scrunched up with effort, the boulder slowly began to shift and lift up. Pulling free of the earth, the boulder hung suspended in her magic just over the ground.

Starless nodded, pleased. "Good, now keep it there." Starless felt a little bad, pushing Aurora so hard, especially with how young she was, but because of the filly's raw, natural talent, it was necessary.

After a while, the strain began to show on Aurora's face. Normally, lifting such a heavy stone would have been impossible for most fillies her age. Starless remembered lifting her first large stone. It had seemed to be as big as a mountain and it took her four tries to finally lift it with another dozen to finally hold it up long enough for her instructor to tap out ten measures with her hoof. Little Aurora was well beyond ten measures now. Starless was going to have to find a bigger stone for her next lesson.

Hoof steps approached from out of the trees, and a moment later, Tranquil Charm stepped out into the clearing with her white shawl draped over her shoulders. Seeing them, she paused. "Oh. Forgive me. Is this a bad time?"

Aurora turned her attention away from her stone and it dropped back to the ground with a deep thud.

"Did I tell you to stop?" Starless asked sternly, her gaze boring down on the filly.

Aurora's ears drooped and she shook her head.

"You must remember to always focus on your task." Starless instructed. "Never allow yourself get distracted." She then flicked her hoof at the stone. "Now, lift it again."

Aurora sulked as she turned back to the boulder. Grabbing it with her magic, she lifted it back up.

"Good." Starless said with a firm nod. "Now, if you keep it from touching the ground until that tree's shadow touches it, I'll give you a honeycomb as a reward."

Aurora's ears snapped back up. With look of determination on her face, her stone lifted a little higher.

Starless then stepped over to Tranquil, who looked like she wanted to be anywhere but there. "Thank you for coming."

"Skye said that you wanted to see me?" Tranquil said, keeping her eyes downcast.

Starless gestured to a nearby spot under a tree. "Please, have a seat."

Sitting stiffly, Tranquil nervously nibbled on her lip as she waited for Starless to share why she had asked her to come.

Sitting across from her, Starless bowed her head down to the nervous mare. "I wish to apologize. Before our arrival here, I treated you cruelly, and I'm sorry for that. I've learned so much since coming to live with the Earth Ponies. Things that the Unicorns have forgotten." Starless said the last with a bit of scorn. "I regret not speaking to you sooner, and I completely understand if you don't want to forgive me."

Tranquil's eyes had gotten really wide and she was making strange strangling sounds. "N-No! Th-there's no need to apologize!" she sputtered. "I don't hold anything against you! In fact, I thought you were rather nice. Much nicer than the other Casters. When the hydra attacked us, and was about to snap Grand up after she broke her leg, you risked your life to fight it when the others ran away, allowing me to pick her up and escape." Tranquil leaned forward. "I've heard how you've been helping the Low Bloods. Giving them a new life of hope. The Unicorns are lost and you've been helping them find their way back. I wish I could have the strength and bravery like you do, but I'm just too weak."

"No!" Starless exclaimed, looking up. "Never say that about yourself! You have a strength you are just beginning to show. The Unicorns are fools. They base power in magic as value, but they don't know what magic is. I've carefully observed the Unicorns we have taken in and found that there is more talent hidden deep within than ever realized by the Unicorns. I have seen this with a young gelding named Shadow Play. He can't lift so much as a leaf, but he can somehow pull in the shadows around him. I do not understand how he can do this, nor can I replicate the feat myself. It’s some kind of unique magical talent. I believe that many Unicorns have these special talents. Perhaps even you."

"Me!?" Tranquil exclaimed in shock. "But there is nothing special with my magic. It's just weak."

Starless smiled. "I believe there is." She gestured to the white mantle she was wearing. "How did you make that?"

Tranquil Charm shrugged. "I didn't use any grand magic. I just simply wove the threads together, that's all. Nothing most other Unicorns can do as well."

"Oh?" Starless said, sounding amused. Taking her carry pack in her magic, she brought it over to herself and rummaged inside. Lifting out several gourds filled with colored pebbles, she set them out on the ground between them. Picking up three blue stones with her magic she held them up. "Pick three stones and do as I do." Starless started rotating the three stones in a simple pattern around each other.

With a look of curiosity, Tranquil picked up three white stones and did the same.

After a short while, Starless picked up another blue stone. "And now keep adding one until you reach your limit."

Tranquil did the same. One by one they continued to add stones into their growing collection. Starless had nearly a dozen blue stones spinning around each other. With a look of strained concentration she carefully picked up one more and added it. With an oddly calm look on her face, Tranquil emptied her white stones out and started adding the red ones until that one was empty too. Lowering her blue stones back into her gourd, Starless watched in amazement as Tranquil started adding those ones as well. Nearly a hundred stones now spun around Tranquil in a complex pattern that Starless had no hope of ever duplicating.

Starless was entranced. She suspected that Tranquil had a unique ability to split her concentration, but never did she think that she could do it to this extent! No Caster could do this! The most she had ever seen was two dozen, and Tranquil had that beat by four times, and still she was still adding more!

A kind of frenzied look had come over Tranquil as she emptied the last gourd out and added their numbers to her gathering. The pattern of the stones suddenly shifted as they began to orbit her. Faster and faster they spun, whistling through the air as they passed.

Starless quickly drew back as the stones whizzed dangerously close. "Tranquil?" she called out in concern.

Tranquil didn't seem to hear her as her stones shifted into different color patterns around her.

"Tranquil!" Starless called out, trying to break through her concentration. "You need to stop!"

Suddenly, Tranquil threw her head back and screamed, her stones all stopped dead in the air. A moment later, Tranquil dropped limply to the ground, her stones raining down around her.

"Tranquil!" Starless rushed up and pressed her ear to her chest to listen to her heartbeat.

"Are she hurt?" Aurora asked, hesitantly moving closer.

Starless checked Tranquil's eyes and let out a relieved breath. "That's, ‘is, she hurt,’" she corrected, "and the answer is no. She's merely asleep."

Aurora smiled. Behind her, her boulder dropped with a thud that shook the ground. Gathering Tranquil onto her back, Starless took Aurora and set out to take Tranquil home. Passing by the boulder, Starless was pleased to note that the shadow was touching it.

"The foal's crying; she needs help," Tranquil suddenly murmured.

"What foal?" Starless asked, turning to look back. "I don't hear a foal."

"The foal we found atop the Pillar of the Heavens.”

Starless felt a shock run through her. The Pillar of the Heavens?

“Her mother had succumbed from the foaling, leaving her all alone," Tranquil murmured, her head lying limply along her neck. "The poor thing; her eyes are all white."

"What did you say!?" Starless came to a cold stop. "Tranquil? What color did you say the foal's eyes were?"

"She looked so sad. She was laying against her mother's body, crying her little heart out." Tranquil continued. "We couldn't just leave her there."

"Tranquil," Starless said carefully. "I need you to tell me who the mother was. What was her name?"

A look of pain crossed over Tranquil's unconscious face. "It... hurts to remember."

"Please try," Starless pressed. "I need to know. What was her name?"

Tranquil's body began to tense up as she whimpered in pain. "I... met her once before when I brought her food. We were the same age and I think she just wanted somepony her age to talk to. She told me how her mother was forcing her to breed when she wasn't ready yet. I didn't know how to answer her, but that didn't seem to matter. It seemed that she just needed to share with somepony her plight. A little time later, we were interrupted and I had to leave. It was such a shame she died. She was so pretty."

"Her name," Starless asked again. "What was her name?"

"Her name?" Tranquil's face scrunched up in pain. "Her name was..." Her breathing became strained. "Her name was... Brilliant Dawn." She finished with a gasp and lay limp again.

"Tanqil okay?" Aurora asked, looking up with concern.

"She's just having a bad dream," Starless answered. Continuing on, Starless tried to make sense of what she had just learned. She felt like the world had just flipped over on her. Brilliant Dawn was the Matriarch's daughter. She had never spoken with Brilliant, but she'd seen her many times during the sun rising and setting ceremonies. Glancing down at Aurora, she could see the resemblance now. No wonder she had so much power. She was the grand-filly of the most powerful Unicorn alive, the Great Matriarch, Astral.

It was like a lightning bolt had stuck her brain. It made sense to her now. Who Aurora was, and why Dove found her in those woods. There was no way Matriarch Astral would allow a deformity like a blind filly mar her prestigious bloodline. She had to rid herself of Aurora as well as seal away Grand and Tranquil's memories to keep her existence secret.

Hurrying on to her home, Grand was shocked when she saw her carrying Tranquil in. She wasn't her mother, but she might as well have been for all the love and worry she had for her. Further in Skye was lounging on a tiny cloud, nursing Lightning.

"What happened!?" Grand exclaimed, rushing forward to see to Tranquil. "Is she hurt!?"

"No," Starless quickly answered, waving at Skye to keep her from getting up. "She was just overwhelmed by her magical surge. That's all. She just needs to rest," She assured the worried mares.

With the help of Grand, Starless lifted Tranquil off her back and placed her on her sleeping mat.

"Magical surge!?" Grand repeated in befuddlement, sitting down next to Tranquil.

"It surprising, I know, but she does have magical talent. A rather interesting and strong one too," Starless noted. She then described to them what had happened her.

"I don't understand how this is possible," Grand said in confusion. "She's a Low Blood."

"No," Starless said, shaking her head. "There is no such thing as a Low or High Blood. We've been getting it wrong all along. I just watched her do something that is well beyond even my skill and talent. She held and tracked over a hundred pebbles in her magic, directing each one precisely through a complex pattern without losing control of a single one."

"She did what!?" Grand asked, looking up in shock.

Starless beamed down at Tranquil. "This has been a most remarkable day." With a flick of her magic, she lifted little Aurora back up onto her back. "Well? What do you think of having her as a fellow student?" she asked the filly.

Aurora considered her, her face going oddly serious before nodding with a happy smile.

With some final instructions for Tranquil to rest for the remainder of the day, Starless took Aurora and left to fetch a promised honeycomb for the filly.

Within the maze of old lava tubes that ran throughout the base of the old volcano, the Unicorn mares lived within various hollowed out chambers and cavities that ran throughout the mountain's old bones. High up within its deep crater, the High Blood stallions lived in seclusion, kept there by the high crater walls that encircled the massive rim with one large crevice as the only way inside. Only High Blood mares were allowed inside with the exception of the Keepers, who were the Common Blooded mares that were tasked with tending to the stallions needs as well as overseeing their breeding's.

Resting in the center, was a clear lake with lush pastureland and small forests dotting the lands around. Radiant relished the short times she managed spend with her older brother. Her magic training to become a Caster had been taking up much of her time now, and she was finding it difficult to make the long climb up to visit him.

Just that morning, she and the other students were paired up for combat training. Her opponent for the exercise was Nova Slash. Nova delighted in trying to show her up and oftentimes used difficult spells that were beyond her skills. At one point, one of Nova's spells went wild and she blasted off half of one of the instructors tails. Nova was quick to blame her for it and the two got into a fight. When they were broken apart, they were both assigned punitive tasks for the rest of the day.

When she finished telling Rising Dusk, he started laughing so hard, he had to clutch at his gut.

"Why are you laughing!?" Radiant snapped. "I was being serious!"

"Did you really use a spell to make her lips swell up to ten times their size?" Rising Dusk gasped out.

"That was a mistake!" Radiant gasped. "I was aiming for her head!"

Rising collapsed to the ground, tears streaming from his eyes as he gasped for breath.

Radiant didn't see anything funny about it. Flicking her tail angrily, she turned her back on her brother with a snort. Further out in the field, her younger sister, Dazzling Evening, was running along the lake, playing with Frost Conjure. Radiant let out a irritated sigh as she gazed at the frolicking colt-stallion. She was supposed to breed with him? He was just so... foalish! Frost Conjure was just a year or two younger that her. Hardly old enough to be called a stallion.

"You should spend time with him," Rising said, breaking her from her thoughts. "Get to know him more."

"What is there to know?" Radiant asked flatly. "He pokes at slugs and jumps in mud puddles."

"Don't be that way," Rising chided, moving to her side. "He's still young, as are you. Besides, it's fun to jump in puddles."

Radiant sighed and leaned against her brother's side, resting her head along his neck. "Why does mother want me to take him as a mate? I don't want him. I want you."

Rising nuzzled the top of her head. "It's time to let these feeling for me go. I know he's not your choice for a mate, but neither did he have a choice in the matter ether. He's a good colt. I'm sure you'd like him too, if you'd give him a chance."

Radiant felt heartbroken. She knew he was right, but it still hurt. "Fine. I'll try to spend a little time with him, but I won't promise I'll ever like him."

"Good, that’s all I wanted" Rising said. "Because there’s something you need to know."

Radiant lifted her head from his neck to meet his oddly serious gaze.

"I've heard from the Keepers that I am being exchanged to another tribe."

"What!?" Radiant exclaimed, her gut dropping. "No! This can't be true!"

"I'm being exchanged to the coastal tribe for their Matriarch's son," Rising said, confirming her fears.

Radiant felt her knees give way and she collapsed to the grass. "No." Her eyes moistened with tears. "When?"

"In about a month," Rising answered softly. Bending down, he wiped at her eyes and gestured down at their little sister, Dazzling, as she played with Frost. "The colt will be for her."

"But, she's still much too young!" Radiant protested, climbing back to her hooves.

"I was told that he was about the same age as her, so that shouldn't be a problem."

Radiant flung her hooves around Rising's neck. "I don't want you to go!" She wept. "I'll never see you again!"

"It's done." Rising shrugged. "We just need to make the best of it."

"No! I won’t accept it! I'll talk to mother!" Radiant stepped back to look up at him hopefully. "I'll convince her to change her mind!"

Rising considered her, his face becoming serious. "That's a good idea."

"Really!?" Radiant asked, beaming up at her brother.

Rising smiled down at her and gave her a nod. "Yes, indeed. I’m sure if you speak from your heart, she’ll see the right thing to do and let me stay. After all, my proper place is with you."

Radiant felt her heart swell with a sense of hope. She'll do it! She'll get her mother to see that it would be wrong to send him away!

Suddenly, something slammed into her from her side, carrying her to the grass. Coming to a stop with a weight resting on her, Radiant felt something pleasantly soft and warm pressed up against her lips. Blinking her eyes open, she found a pair of clear blue eyes gazing back down into hers. Her eyes went wide in horror when she realized that her lips were firmly pressed against Frost's. With her legs forced apart from how they were laying, she could feel a certain part of his body pressed up against a rather sensitive part of hers!

With an audible smack, his lips broke from hers as he quickly pulled his head back. "Oh! I'm sorry! I wasn't watching where I was going! Are you alright!?"

With her heart racing in her chest, Radiant felt like her face was turning into the sun. She could feel him grinding against her marehood and the fact that it felt good made it all the worse! "Get off me, you creep!" With more force than she truly needed, she shoved Frost off of her with her magic and flung him back into the grass. Scrambling back to her hooves she glared down at the colt. "You cretin! How dare you!?"

"I'm sorry!" Frost fervently apologized. "I didn't mean to run into you! It was an accident!"

Adjusting her necklett back into place, Radiant swept her mane back and firmly turned her back on the flustered colt. "Come, Dazzle! We're going!" Marching away, she never looked back.

Rising Dusk watched her leave with a strangely forlorn look on his face.

Gathering himself, Frost let out a sigh. "She hates me."

Rising looked over to the colt, an amused smile coming to his lips. "Oh, I think she's definitely warming up to you. I can tell."

"Really?"

"Truly," Rising assured the colt. Turning back, he watched as his two dear sisters disappeared over a rise.

"Did... you tell her you were leaving tomorrow?" Frost asked, climbing back to his hooves.

"We... discussed something about it," Rising answered, hating himself for the lie he told his sister. He knew that she’d never get their mother to change her mind, no matter how passionate she was. Letting out a sigh, Rising turned back to Frost. "I want you to promise me something."

"What?"

"I want you to promise that you will make her happy." Rising said.

Frost slowly shook his head. "I'm not sure if I can. I always seem to mess things up with her."

"Nonsense!" Rising flicked his hoof to the side. "You've been absolutely perfect with her! I know you have it in you to make her the happiest mare ever."

Looking unsure, Frost scratched at his head. "Okay. I promise."

"Good." Rising nodded with a smile. "Now, I'll give you some advice. The next time you are on top of Radiant like that. Don't let her push you off." His smile then grew bigger. "And remember to move your hips a bit more too. She'll love that. I promise."

Radiant stomped her hooves with each step she took as she walked down the path, forcing Dazzle to hurry to stay with her as they made their way down from the crater. She could still feel his lips on hers! Even with how furious she was, she still felt a little happy about it. She didn't understand it! Why was she feeling so confused!?

She was so focused on her thoughts she didn't notice the figure ahead of them until she was nearly upon her. Blinking in surprise, Radiant stopped and cast her hornlight onto the figure. "Who's there!?" Ahead of her, an azure colored mare stood in the middle of the path. Something about her seemed familiar to Radiant.

The mare's head bent with a jerk. "Give back."

Radiant felt the fur on the back of her neck rise at the sound of the mare's crackling voice. "What are you talking about? Give back what?"

Instead of answering, the mare's horn flashed with a sickly light, shooting a blast of magic at her. Caught by surprise, Radiant barely managed to raise her shield just as the blast struck. In a moment, her shield shattered as it took the brunt of the impact, and Radiant was hurled back, landing painfully on the path.

Dazzle watched in horror as her sister was shot back by the strange mare. Gathering her magic, Dazzle pushed really hard and shot out a blast of her own right at the mare.

Stunned, Radiant looked up in time to see her little sister send a bolt of magic at the mare. Watching in shock, her sister's attack vanished as it hit the mare, looking like it had been absorbed into darkness.

"Dazzle! Run!" Radiant screamed. The mare's horn flashed and a stream of darkness shot out right at Dazzle. Terrified, Dazzle was unable to dodge as the blast shot at her. Seeing her sister in danger, Radiant suddenly felt a power well up deep inside her as a blast of blue fire shot out of her necklett, striking the mare's dark magic and shattering it into a thousand motes of light.

The mare's head jerked back to her and her gaze fixed on her. Radiant suddenly remembered where she had seen the mare before. Why was she attacking them!? Darkness suddenly enveloped the mare and she vanished.

Climbing back up to her hooves, Radiant rushed to her sister. "Are you okay!?"

Dazzle looked stunned and she managed to nod to her when Radiant asked her again

"Who... who was she?" Dazzle asked, shivering from the ordeal.

Radiant stood and gazed the spot the mare had vanished. "The last time I saw her was when we rescued her from that cave. Her name is Flicker Shine." Lifting her hoof, she touched the gem on her necklett. The same gem she found in that cave. What was that magic she just used?