Slicer Jen's stomach gurgles from the massive amount of s'mores she ate. Normally she eats light before sleeping, but Rarity's incessant generosity had her at the word 'chocolate'. Then there was the infectious singing brought on by their pink bard, along with epic tales of loyalty spun by a fiery rainbow knight, life lessons taught by the resident truthsayer and hints of kindness and acceptance from a very shy forest spirit.

As she lies there on her bedding with her eyes closed and stomach suffering from pleasant fullness, Slicer imagines the other ponies and their overwhelming attempts to win her over as the work of mystical creatures in this forest, whimsies in a whimsical tale that will fade away once she wakes up from this silly nightmare. Sure, in small enough quantities, everyone of them could eventually be her friends. Just not all at once like what she had to endure these last few hours.

"Sooooooo..."

Slicer's face scrunches up and she whimpers out, "Whaaaaat? What do you want, princess?" She grinds out the last word between her teeth and opens one eye.

Twilight Sparkle is lying there next to her, almost nose to nose with a big grin on her face. "Friends yet?"

Slicer ughs and rolls over to face the other way, closing her eye. "Tartarus would freeze over first." There is a brief flash. When Slicer opens her eyes, Twilight is there on the other side of her, nose to nose again. Slicer glares, "You know, it was funnier when I did it." She rolls onto her back, staring up at the night sky partially peeking through the tree branches above.

Another flash and the night sky takes on a very distinct blacked out silhouette of Twilight. Slicer raises an eyebrow at the alicorn floating above her, mere inches away. Twilight quips, "I can do this all night. AND I can research a spell to freeze over Tartarus with all that spare time, too."

Rainbow Dash hangs her head down from a low branch where she set up her bedroll in a tree several feet away. "Yah, don't tempt her, she'll do it, too." Slicer regards Twilight for a few moments, her right eye twitching slightly, then sighs and slowly rolls out from under her.

"Fine. You win." She sits up and scratches her ear with a hoof. "I almost assassinated your precious teacher, Celestia."

Twilight loses concentration and smacks into the ground with a >POOMF<. She picks her head up quickly and stammers, "What? When?...w..WHY!?!" The other ponies stir, sitting up, minus a snoring little dragon. Pinkie Pie stares wide-eyed at the two, sliding a box of popcorn over to her friends, who in turn slowly grab hoof-fuls and stuff them into their mouths.

Applejack murmurs, "This oughta be good."

Slicer frowns, noting their interest and tries to ignore them. She did not want her transgressions to get out beyond the other princesses and the guards that were involved that fateful night, but these ponies seem to want to help her. Honoring Luna's desire for Slicer to make friends meant a certain amount of soul bearing, much to Slicer's discomfort.

She lifts her head to look at Twilight. "I had grown up enduring no small number of bullies, from those that picked on me for not having wings to those that picked on me for having a cutie mark that HAD wings." She snorts at the irony of that. "Then later on, learning about the history and politics of the surrounding realm that Celestia had a seeming influence in, it was like all that was wrong in the world was her fault. Originally, after Luna's downfall, thestrals were relegated to live outside the major cities. Then the bad relations with the dragons and their incursion onto our continent, another miscalculation by Celestia. Even certain cosmic events had her hooves in them." Twilight's mouth starts to hang open with each event. She knew Equestria's history, and yet one 'could' misconstrue events. She raises her hoof to make a point, but Slicer leans over and promptly pushes her hoof back down. "You wanted to hear it, then hear it, 'princess'." She didn't exactly sneer out the word...but it was close. "Nightmare Moon had been whispering to me in my dreams for a very long time." She ignores the gasps from the others and half-smiles at Twilight's paling. "She promised there would be a reckoning with her return, thus she taught me many things. Many of my skills you industriously 'researched', remember? Well, you were there. You all made sure the one pony, who had given me purpose in life, was reformed. Made something...less." Slicer raises her hoof quickly to cut off Twilight's response, "Yes yes, she was evil, I got that, eventually. But at that moment, when you all went to have your celebration of my mentor's return to...dare I say, normalcy, I was lost. And I thought I could fix it myself."

Pinkie slowly moves the box of popcorn in front of her to hide in her guilt. It WAS a good party, though.

Twilight processes everything she just heard. There was mention of some commotion at the castle on the night following Luna's return, but nopony would ever fess up. "I thought it was weird when Princess Celestia had me research a repair spell for magical glass. She said her mirror 'fell over'."

Slicer chews her bottom lip, remembering. She picks up a twig and reaches over to the fire, sticking one end in the flames. "See, I got it into my head that Celestia was the enemy, had caused so much grief in the world, had my home destroyed...had Lance..." She slowly pulls the twig out of the fire, its end lit with a small flame. She looks up at the other ponies who are riveted to her every word. The crackling of the fire pulls her attention back to the twig. "I figured if Celestia were gone from the picture, it would right so many wrongs I had seen in my life." She crushes the twig into the side of her hoof, extinguishing the flame. Fluttershy looks horrified. The others, though, have more mixed reactions. Pinkie Pie is spellbound by the fire tricks Slicer somehow knows how to perform. Rainbow is teetering between being defensive for Celestia and sympathizing with Slicer because she remembers her own trials growing up in Cloudsdale under the name 'Rainbow Crash'. Rarity looks almost heartbroken while Fluttershy hides behind her mane. In truth, Fluttershy is not so afraid of Slicer as she is of her friends seeing she might be agreeing with Slicer, knowing she herself has gotten used to living away from others, along with similar bullying when she was a filly. That reminds her, she should ask the thestral about her pet cat. She would really like to study the large animal. Applejack looks the most stoic of the group. Every word has had the ring of truth, no boasting at all.

Slicer shrugs and tossses the twig back into the fire. "Anyway, Princess Luna betrayed me and they set up a trap, but I escaped. Then Celestia did something most sinister. She showed me her diary. A millennia of good intentions, mistakes, and pain."

Twilight sits up, "What? She has a diary??"

Pinkie Pie is sitting next to her and shushes. "It's not about you."

Twilight turns to her, "No, really, she never showed me her diary!" The other ponies shush her.

Slicer regards Twilight somberly, "She didn't mention a word?" Twilight shakes her head no. "Hm...I guess I can ask her if you want to see it. She gave it to me, anyway."

"WHAT!?!?!" Rarity steps in helping with Pinkie Pie to keep the rabid alicorn down as she frantically babbles about how she is Celestia's student and it should be she who is bequeathed such things of massive historical importance. Slicer doesn't seem to notice and continues.

"The princesses saved me from Nightmare Moon's influence, which I learned had a very evil undercurrent. They saved me from becoming what I had vowed to fight my entire life, a bully."

Twilight calms down under the watchful eyes of her two friends and crosses her forelegs, "I would venture to say that's why you take to authority figures like a cup of water to a vat full of boiling oil? We all seem like bullies?"

Slicer nods.

Twilight nods as well, fully understanding what she is dealing with. This was no 'one day and done' friendship lesson. "Alright. I can assure you I would not have any friends if I were a bully." She reaches out and pats both Pinkie Pie and Rarity who were there to help their friend control herself. "They follow me because they care, not out of fear. And it is my responsibility to nurture that care." All her friends voice their approval. Twilight gets an idea. "I propose we both help each other. You advise me on good leadership techniques, and I try to help you with good tenets of teamwork. Deal?" She holds out her hoof.

Slicer hesitates. It sounds genuine, a friendly exchange of help. A bad leader would not encourage help from their subordinates, though Twilight is young. Here is an opportunity to mold the princess into a decent ruler, worthy of following. Few chances like this ever presented themselves with ease. Slicer nods and leans forward, tapping hooves with Twilight. "Deal." The rest of the ponies clap their hooves together in approval, making Slicer grit her teeth in embarrassment.

With the show being over, everypony starts to settle back in on their sleeping arrangement. Except Twilight. She has somehow snuck her sleeping pad right up next to Slicer, who in turn is getting uncomfortable with the closeness. At length, Slicer asks with her eyes closed, "Yes princess?"

"Um, just a minor thing. A trifle really, considering our new arrangement of trading goods and services, and don't get me wrong, I do understand the bartering system as outlined by Level Ledger, a more obscure book keeper-"

"Just spit it out, princess."

Twilight inhales slowly, holds it, then asks quietly, "About that diary-"

All her friends start snickering and giggling. Slicer groans and replies, "A good leader knows when to consolidate her position after having gained the high ground."

Twilight sighs in defeat, "Right, good advice." She settles back onto her bedding and regards the sky above them. If the map is correct, they will be leaving the forest and entering large swaths of grasslands that surround the mountain, their target destination. "Tomorrow, we'll be out in the open, won't we?"

"Oui."

She blinks at the Prench response. Slicer must be really tired if she's slipping into her ancestral language. "And without cover from the skies, we should expect trouble."

"Mmm..." Slicer starts to slip into a relaxed form of pre-sleep.

Twilight leaves her alone, though she herself has trouble sleeping, what with all the plans she has to make as their stalwart leader with regard to the oncoming day. While lost in her thinking, she hears a hiss from the side. She looks over to see Rainbow hanging from her branch again. "Yeah Rainbow?"

"So," Rainbow whispers a tad loudly, "If you are Celestia's star student...and she was Nightmare Moon's star student...wow. No wonder you two are like boiling oil and water." She cackles softly, "That's pretty badass!"

Twilight rolls her eyes and gets comfortable. She wouldn't quite put it THAT way. And yet, a lot of it made sense. She took her mind off that and went back to planning. It wasn't long until she did start to feel tired, and knowing that the next day would be tough, tried to get some sleep. A last lingering thought permeated her brain for a few minutes. If Nightmare Moon spoke to Slicer through her dreams while she was imprisoned, would Slicer have been the only one? Nopony else had shown up looking for revenge, and the princesses certainly weren't being forthcoming about Slicer in the first place. Might be something to ask Luna the next time Luna wasn't acting wacky, she thought to herself. Twilight drifts off, logistical charts dancing in her head.

*******

Birds flit about the branches above, chirping, making morning merriment, ushering in the new day. And annoying drowsy thestrals still not used to the daytime cycle of her pony cousins. Slicer keeps her eyes closed against the slowly brightening light. Recent memories of the night prior, with the princess and her friends attempting to include her into their group, almost put her back into a relaxed state. Almost. The incessant chirping continues. Just as she is about to sit up and grab a stone to throw at the birds, they flutter away. Her face relaxes. Finally, peace and quiet.

A single leaf alights on her face. Typical. She blows the leaf off, keeping her eyes closed. The other ponies are still breathing slowly, or snoring, in Rainbow Dash and Rarity's case, so she doesn't feel the need to get up just yet. It has been a long time since she was this relaxed. Okay, 'perhaps' the group's attempts, as well as those really good s'mores from Rarity, helped give her a good rest she hasn't had in a long time.

Another leaf alights on her face.

Slicer grabs the leaf off her face and sits up quickly, growling. She looks around, but all the ponies are asleep, save one. Fluttershy is curled up around her sword and watching her, giggling. Slicer frowns and says, "Wait, was that YOU doing that? How did you move so fast?" The pegasus shakes her head in mirth and glances up. Slicer follows her gaze and spies a dark mass lazily lounging on one of the tree limbs far above, two eyes glowing in the darkness.

"Oh you have got to be kidding me! How long have you been up there hiding!?!"

Fluttershy gets up and languidly stretches. She yawns out, "Aaaahhhmmm....she has been up there all night, watching over us. More specifically, watching you." That gets Slicer's attention.

"Watching me?....wait, 'she'?"

After a series of rather weak looking morning calisthenics, which amounts to a half pushup and one or two individual leg stretches, Fluttershy walks over and sits next to Slicer. She looks up at the large cat. "Oh yes, she is a she. And she is very protective of you. You can tell how she always has her eyes on you while her ears swivel to every other sound outside the camp...and occasionally inside the camp, when one of us addresses you directly. I doubt she would harm us if we had a cross word with you. Mostly doubt." She considers the cat for a moment, then adds, "...kinda sure..." Slicer regards Fluttershy with surprise.

The sound of claws scraping against tree bark pulls Slicer's attention back to the tree as Guenhwyvar deliberately walks/slides down the side of the tree to thump softly next to her, keeping her eyes level with Slicer's. The thestral points her hoof at the cat and lightly bops the cat's nose, "So what was that all about, pushing me into the road and running off? That figurine is supposed to let me control you." Guenhwyvar's eyes narrow and she huffs. She bends back and starts giving herself a tongue bath. Fluttershy giggles, obviously reading the cat's body language. Slicer gets the idea that she is being blown off.

"I've been thinking on that, Slicer." Twilight is starting to get up, pulling her mane out of her face and brushing off leaves and bits of dirt from her fur with her hooves, though her friends can tell you she so needs coffee in the morning. She spots Applejack near the fire making coffee and bows down to worship her vast wisdom for the act. Applejack chuckles and shakes her head as she settles a pot over a slowly growing fire. Slicer patiently waits for Twilight to situate herself. The alicorn notices they are waiting and is all too eager to continue. "Yes. You see, figurines typically have two aspects to them. They summon and bond spirits' will from other dimensions. The summon part, well, you already know about that. It is the bonding side of it that seems to be missing. Most creators of magical artifacts will tell you the first rule of summoning is to protect yourself from reprisals of said summoned spirits. They tend to be angry when they are ripped out of their natural environment." She tilts her head and watches the cat, almost seeing it for the first time from a different light. "This one doesn't seem to have such safety measures built into the figurine. Hm. Well at least it isn't an angry spirit!" She smiles, as though that is supposed to make everypony there feel better. And everypony IS awake now, staring at the large cat with a little more than trepidation. Except Fluttershy.

She actually steps up to the cat, finally getting the chance to examine her up close. "Oh, she is not angry at all. In fact..." She reaches out and lightly brushes the cat's side, then turns to Slicer, "I think she rather likes when you summon her. You can usually see it in her tail that first minute, how it is confidently displayed-" Fluttershy pauses, watching the cat again, then exclaims, "Oh, you poor dear!" She leans in closer, trying to look into the cat's eyes, who in turn tries to avoid her like a petulant child. Fluttershy turns around to Slicer, clearly agitated, "Um....Slicer...if it's not too much bother...please unsummon her." The confusion on the thestral's face prompts Fluttershy to explain further. "Well, she looks very very tired...how long has she been in this world?"

It dawns on Slicer that she never willed the cat away since their encounter with Celestia, Treader, whatever her name was, "Oh, merde! Yes, too long. I was so irritated I forgot...yes, yes." She pulls the figurine out of her bag, not sure if it needs to be held or not, the familiar sting of guilt creeping up on her. "Go, Guenhwyvar...and I'm sorry I was angry with you...and you shouldn't have stayed up there all night just to watch over me....and now I'm babbling like Pinkie Pie."

Pinkie Pie is crouched, staring at the coffee pot Applejack is preparing. All windows of opportuni-pinkity must wait until this, oh greatest of morning events. ALL windows. Twilight makes a mental note to put that in her secret journal she has been keeping to catalog the pink aberration of reality.

The cat pads forward and licks Slicer on the muzzle. She lowers her large head on her paws, lying down with clear signs of exhaustion that Slicer normally would have picked up, but this time the cat must have been hiding it. Guenhwyvar becomes a mist which dissipates into the aether.

Fluttershy sighs sadly, yet again missing an opportunity to study the wondrous animal up close. Slicer catches the forlorn expression on Fluttershy's face. She leans in absently, knowing the pegasus is a big animal buff, brushing up against her as a friendly gesture of reassurance. They both then act surprised by the move, one from shyness and the other, from, well, not having friends to do that to, and probably being too preoccupied to be prickly. A scoffing sound comes from a hovering Rainbow Dash several feet away. "Oh good grief, that's like, a totally normal social custom. Get in there, Slice, she gives great cuddles!" Fluttershy turns a deep red and hides under her mane. Slicer rolls her eyes and mutters something which causes Fluttershy's eyes to go dinner plates.

Rarity says primly, "Perhaps for the more delicate of us, we prefer subtlety and conservative expression, rather than the amateur antics of the gutter dwellers." She stares pointedly at Rainbow, who in turn laughs and flips over in the air.

"Yah whatever, I live in the clouds, Rares."

The extremely well brushed unicorn who looks like she just stepped out of a salon, in the middle of the woods mind you, replies with a slow shake of her mane, "Yes, nopony is refuting THAT fact, Rainbow."

Slicer ignores the two and leans in close again, whispering to the curled up pegasus. "I promise, when she is rested up, I will bring her back, and you can have all the time in the world to study her." Fluttershy peeks a little out of her mane.

"Um...I wouldn't dream of keeping you from her....if...well, if this is truly just a game of pure fantasy...I imagine we can't take any of our gifts back with us. So....I know she means a lot to you, she should spend what little time we have left with you, not me."

The thestral is taken aback by Fluttershy's words. She hadn't even thought about that part. She makes to say something, then closes her mouth and glances around, thinking. The other ponies have stopped taking jibes at each other and start to listen in. Twilight, who sees her position as the Element of Friendship from an official capacity, and thus protective of the ponies around her, takes the realization a little harder in pure empathy for Slicer. "Oh, Slicer I'm sorry. She's right." She walks over to Slicer and puts her hoof on her shoulder. "I...suppose when we get back...IF Guenhwyvar does not come with us, I could try to create another figurine...?" Her eyes dilate as her brain starts to whir away. She speaks quicly, "It Ssouldn't be too hard to carve the piece, scry for the spirit by name, set up an interdimensional rift, secure said rift from other foreign entities. Somehow tie the spirit to the figurine without rending either apart...." As Twilight goes through each step it seems far more complicated than the end product would belie.

Slicer regards the princess, knowing what she is trying to do. At length she unclenches her jaw and says, "Thanks. I doubt any of this is real so certain attachments are what they are, imagniary. We deal with disappointments in our own way, no? Fluttershy, next chance we get, you can study her. It could be our last." She gently takes Twilight's hoof off her shoulder and releases it. "Since Guenhwyvar is resting, I have to scout ahead alone, make sure our last chance isn't quite THAT soon." Before the others can speak, she slips out of the camp toward the thinning trees.

As they watch her leave, Rainbow is hovering next to Twilight and asides, "Smooth."

Twilight scowls at her and says defensively, "I was only trying to make her feel better. We made so much progress with her last night, I would hate to see it wasted because of some stupid game mechanic disappearing when we finally 'win'. What kind of win makes you feel like garbage, anyway?"

Rainbow takes on an introspective expression. She says in a lowered voice, "The kind where you lose more than you win." Twilight regards her friend and softens her gaze.

"Had your fair share of those?"

The hovering pegasus nods. "Yeah. Along with the lessons learned." She lands on the ground and pokes Twilight gently, "So, you think you can actually do all that, create a figurine out of thin air, summon an imaginary cat based on a game?"

Twilight wrinkles her brow in thought. Something odd has been needling her brain for a while now. At times she had started to voice her concerns, but was always sidetracked. Not this time. "Imaginary? I'm not so sure. Along those lines, I find it strange that while there are personas that are acting differently, i.e. the princesses," and she says quietly while glancing at their dragon friend, "and Spike, most of the other beings are typical NPC's found in this type of genre." Her friends stare at her blankly as Applejack starts passing around cups of coffee. Twilight takes a cup in her hooves and savors the flavors. "Ooooh, AJ, good stuff." She notices they are waiting for her, so she continues. "NPC's, nonplaying characters. Cast of thousands?" They shake their heads. "Nevermind. Anyway, those we know well, like the princesses, they seem more real, versus those that are background characters. Guenhwyvar seems VERY real, like a main character...yet she is from a book. An Earth book, by the way. Also, a lot of things I have noticed are from books."

Her friends wilt and start to go back to the fire where Applejack is setting up breakfast.

Twilight steps forward, "No, wait, hear me out. I think we are being influenced by very specific books and stories." This gets their attention. Pinkie Pie blinks.

"You mean like, Goldyhooves and the Three Minotaurs?"

Twilight groans, "No, not THAT story. Other stories."

Rainbow quips, "Daring Do and the Raiders of the Temple of Crusading Skulls?"

Twilight blinks, "What? Okay, that isn't even a real Daring Do book, and I happen to have read all the Daring Do's so far!"

Rainbow shrugs, "Well it should be." Twilight ughs and throws up her hooves.

Applejack pushes her hat back and takes on a concerned look, "Okay, Twi. Spill it. Which stories?"

Twilight sits back. Finally, they are paying attention to her. "Well...The Bearded Wizard of Oz, for one....the yellow sandstone brick road?" Her friends look at each other, clearly not seeing the correlation. Twilight grrs. "Okay, what about Dawn Treader? That was a clear favorite of children from another world. Narnia?!" Rainbow starts snickering.

"I was just making a joke about that. You know, piss off the end boss into making the fight easier."

Twilight stamps her hoof down, "Alright, fine, then what about that whole scene with the arrow and AJ's flank?" This causes her friends to die laughing and start retelling flank jokes from earlier. Twilight grumbles and walks over to the campfire, picking at some of the morsels Applejack set aside.

Applejack smiles and says, "Don't you pay them no nevermind, sugarcube. I hardly remember the torturin' my flank got." Twilight turns beet red and rubs her hoof across her face, clearly not wanting to further her own mortification at the hooves of her friends. Applejack offers her a hot apple tart. "I get it's all important an' the like. Suppose what ya'll sayin is true, how does that help us?" Munching into the tart, the spices and sweetness filling her olfactory senses, Twilight thinks about it and smiles weakly.

With a shrug she replies, "I guess not much."

Her friend nods curtly and adds, "Important and Helpful. Each of those get their due attention when they're as good an ready, eeyup?"

Twilight snorts softly and replies, "Eeyup, AJ. Thanks." Applejack winks with a smile.

"The book!" This gets Twilight's attention as Rarity sits up, exclaiming, "I forgot. Spike?" The dragon looks up from his map. He really loves looking at that map, Twilight muses...and then starts watching him a bit more. He protectively rolls up the map and secrets it away into his map carrier. She glances at Applejack, who also notices. They both share a look that has 'investigate' written all over it.

"Yes, Enchantress Rarity?"

Rarity feels all warm and gushy from the title, but first things first. "Yes, regarding my book of spells." She reaches into her saddlebag and pulls it out. "It being of dragon make, as I remember you mentioning, I was wondering if you could help me read it?"

Spike hops over and tilts his head, studying it. "Oh, yeah, definitely dragonish. Not the language, mind you, just the creation."

Rarity opens the book and moves her hoof over the pages, "This is quite frustrating. Why can't I read this? Beyond the nonsense it seems to spew forth."

The dragon looks up and says, "Well to 'get it' you have to 'give it'." Rarity blinks in confusion. Spike replies, "I need to explain in depth?"

She glances around to make sure nopony is paying attention to them, which they all are, then conspiratorily gets close to Spike and lowers her voice a bit huskily, "I may be a proper mare, but I am aware of the more seedier forms of business transactions...." Rarity's voice gets so low it is now a whisper. "What are you proposing?"

Spike raises an eyebrow. "I propose it is a riddle of generosity. Give the book to someone and it becomes clear."

Rarity rears back in sudden realization of what he was getting at. "HAHAHahah, oh, OH! That's all! heh." She shakes herself off. "And here I thought it would be...expensive. So, a riddle of generosity, hmm, well that shouldn't be too difficult. I am the Element of that! I don't suppose, that is, I could give it to you?"

Spike chuckles and shakes his head, "Nope. I am a dragon." Upon seeing Rarity's face become crestfallen, he waves his claws in the air, "Oh, it's not that I'm choosing not to. I simply can't. See, I am a dragon. We create stuff for others to use. Kind of like a curse to offset our greed? Was a popular thing back in the day, before the devices were created to curtail magical artifact creation. We can make 'em, just not use 'em. Sucks to be us, huh?"

Rarity shakes her head and pats Spike. "Not at all. I think dragons are splendid, when they aren't eating somepony." Spike chuckles. Something tickles his nose, but he ignores it. "That said, yes I figured there would be a catch. Still, I must find a way to interpret this book so I am more helpful in the next fight. The last one was, shall we say, dreadful?"

Spike shrugs and is about to reach for his map again, when he picks up on Rarity's perfume. His eyes drift up to her. He responds quietly, "Um, we are also not supposed to just give away the answers, but in your case...I could. You just need to give it to one of your friends to read. They verbally read back the phrases and the glyphs reform in your mind's eye." As he speaks, he can see Rarity starting to glow with happiness, making him feel really good for some reason. His voice has gotten very soft too, almost floating. Fluttershy smiles delightedly and nudges Twilight to pay attention.

Rarity looks down at him with sparkling eyes, "Wha....that's it!?!"

Spike puffs out his chest. "Sure! We dragons can be ruffians, but we're not sadistic ruffians."

She picks up the dragon and spins around, hugging him, "Oh, you beautiful beautiful dragon!"

He laughs in reply, "Woh, heh glad to be of......heh...woh.....beautiful." His voice fails him as he stares into her eyes, those beautiful crystal blue sapphire eyes. Like delicious gems, but too exquisite to ever munch on.

Twilight grins and nudges Fluttershy back, "Now THAT'S the Spike we know. Oh, hey, is he still your squire? You don't mind, do you?"

Her friend shakes her head, mane falling forward, "Oh no, not at all. I learned long ago never to interfere with the nature of the heart. You embrace it, feed it, nurture it. Mm, like most things you wish to see grow."

Meanwhile, Rarity finishes spinning around and puts Spike down, "Oh, thankyou thankyou thankyou! By the way, thanks for not blowing my cover, what with the last book you helped me st-...borrow. That one was quite a bit of trouble, wasn't it? Maybe a bit too much inspiration if you ask me."

He catches his breath from all the hugging and looks up quizically, exclaiming loud enough for Twilight to hear, "Huh? What book?" His eyes still retain that starry look while gazing at the divine beauty that is Rarity.

Rarity scratches her head and looks up, catching Twilight's gaze, then chortles softly, "Ohhh, that's right. Different Spike. Nevermind!" She prances off to gather her things, with Twilight starting to follow her.

"Hey, what book? Rarity? We need to have a little talk, I think."

Ignored by her friends, Fluttershy sees they are moving out of the camp. She finishes talking to her new friends, two squirrels and a rabbit. "Oh, yes, I know it will take time. Tell the birds, they are wonderful messengers. Yes, I understand, and I would never willingly put you in harm's way. I just think that we may need your help." Their chittering response warms her heart. "Why thank you! And the cities too. I'm not sure which one the meteor will hit, but even rats need a chance." The rabbit seems to have a different idea about that and scampers off. The squirrels giggle and wave goodbye before running off in different directions. Fluttershy smiles. She can feel nature's approval. While nature is nature, sometimes it too must defend itself.

***

A pink pony head prowls slowly through the tall waving grass. A hat with one side of the brim pinned up sits atop that head, and a very serious voice underscores the culture of that hat. "Yeez got ta keep yeh head on when yeh in the bush. All mannah a prey an' predetahs make this wondrous woop woop country home. Take this sheila, for instance. Tall, proud, colored in lavendah. Kinda squishy in certain pawts due to that book readin, but don let that fool ya, mate. Even within cooee, she'll be hawd yakka ta take down. She may look loik a snag, perfect fo stalkin an killin-"

"HEY!"

"-but Aw reckon she's got it where it counts, too right!"

Twilight glares at Pinkie for a brief moment before going back to staring at the vast grasslands in front of her. She and her friends have been mesmerized for several minutes, just watching the beauty of the savanna. Long golden wheat colored stalks move back and forth in ocean-like waves as the winds invisibly caress them, a soft sifting sound emanating from the countless stalks brushing up against each other. It is almost breathtaking if not for Pinkie's antics as she crawls around low in her safari outfit while speaking in that weird accent...and occasionally referencing Twilight's scrumptious nature as it appeals to natural predators.

Rainbow remarks quietly, "That's a lot of grass."

Applejack replies just as quietly, "Eeyup."

Fluttershy peeks out from behind Rainbow and murmurs, "A lot of camouflage for stalking animals that live in the grasslands....um...to stalk 'other' animals...and sometimes ponies...." She hides back behind Rainbow.

Applejack mutters, "...eeyup."

"No sign of her, is there?" Twilight glances at Rarity for a moment. Her friend has been using a visual spell from her enchantment repertoire to spot any contrasting colors. So far, zippo. She shakes her head no. Twilight sighs. "We'll have to assume she is still doing her duty and press on. Rainbow, feel free to take to the skies, keep an eye on any incoming ground threats that get past her, but don't ignore the skies. That Earth book would have me say 'we are not in kansas anymore, toto' but I have no idea what a kansas or a toto is, much less what lives up in these skies. We could meet anything, and the Monster's Compendium is huge."

Rainbow grins, snaps a salute and wooshes straight up to take on a lazy orbit above them.

Twilight and her friends proceed down the road, difficult to see with its color blending in with the flora. Their saving grace was the fact that the stones create somewhat of a physical path due to the absence of grass, though here and there the flagstones and bricks are showing wear, with grasses growing up between them. A few hours of trekking across the grasslands shows their alertness starting to flag. Pinkie and Rainbow seem to be the only ones making a point of surveying the land, with Pinkie being the lesser of the serious. She hops across the path to the other side on occasion, remarking on a particular bug or plant that stands out to her.

It is after several quick hops back and forth when Twilight finally loses her patience and yells, "Pinkie! Quit that! You are going to attract unwanted attention."

Pinkie has her head stuck in the grass immediately to Twilight's left with her tail thrashing back and forth. She becomes stock still, then slowly raises her head and slowly prances over to Twilight to sit down. "Okie smokie Twilie. I'm done finding all the cat people."

Twilight sighs. "Good, thankyou, now we can continue...wait, did you say cat people?" Pinkie noddles, smiling innocently. Twilight notices movement and turns her head to see a bipedal cat stand up slowly, right where Pinkie had her head buried in the grass. He is holding a drawn shortbow, the arrow aimed at Twilight's head. A quick inspection by Twilight's intellectual mind shows the cat is almost like a tiger, black and tan stripes all over his body. No wonder he was hidden.

Next to him, Slicer jumps up and rears back with a dagger, only to freeze as a spear pushes up out of the grass behind her, gently prodding her in the back of the neck. A similar cat, though with black and white stripes, is holding that spear as it rises up while keeping the point planted right on the thestral's neck. Slicer closes her eyes and growls, "Merde." Several more cats stand, at least ten interspersed near and around the group, most with various weapons like bows, spears, blowpipes. Surprisingly, no swords.

A glance up in the air by Twilight shows Rainbow still making her wide circles, obviously searching for any threats coming TOWARDS the group, not IN the group. As if on cue, Rainbow makes a beeline for them and slams down on her hind hooves, cracking the stone. "Twilight! I just spotted a black horse on the road, like a real feral horse, but with flames coming out of its eye sockets and off the stones where it steps. I think its hooves are on fire, too! It is directly that way at about five minute's trot." She points, then makes a face at the one cat standing in the way of her view, "Hey, furball, get out of the way! I have to show Twilight here....that threat...oh come ON!" She whips her head around, "Where did these guys come from!?!"

The one cat standing on the road pads toward them quietly, lowering his bow, "We hail from Myth Drannor, and we have been waiting for you so that we may escort you to the Great Maharaja."

Slicer snorts, "Urinate on that, I've been tracking THIS one," she points at the cat near Twilight and Pinkie, "an hour after I left you guys."

The cat behind Slicer prods her with the speartip and says in a female voice, "And we were tracking YOU the moment you left the treeline, weeping and groveling like a mewling fresh off the teat." Slicer whips around with her dagger, but the cat steps back, makes a counter six fencing move with the spear and binds up Slicer's foreleg, dagger unthreateningly twisted to the side as the cat slowly pushes the speartip back up to Slicer's throat again, "A very young mewling."

The cat on the road speaks to the female cat, "Kis'myet, at the ready, as ordered." The cat named Kis'myet snarls softly, but relents and takes a step back, unlocking Slicer's foreleg and lowering her spear while keeping the tip pointed forward. The thestral flexes her foreleg and puts the dagger away while acting as if nothing had happened.

Twilight looks between the different cats and remarks, "Ridge cats, I hadn't thought you would be in here. Slicer, these are your people, back when you left your home, right? Talk to them."

Slicer raises an eyebrow. Twilight motions with her hoof to get on with it. The other one grits her teeth and slowly takes a few steps toward the leader before Kis'myet makes it a point to block her approach, the spear coming close again. Slicer ignores her and addresses the leader, "Pouvons nous parler? Poney au le félin?" The leader stares at her.

She looks down at Kis'myet's legs, noticing there are scraps of clothing wrapped up with thin strands of...muscle, which has been dried and twisted into cord. The clothing is actually leather, with a more coarse grain to it and a higher sheen than some other leathers. Patches of hair have been left on it, tan, to blend in with the grass. Horse hair.

Slicer looks up into Kis'myet's eyes and only sees death there. "Nice pants." Kis'myet lifts her lips, showing sharp teeth. Slicer nods slightly and mosies over to Twilight, whispering in her ear, "These are NOT....my people." Twilight doesn't quite understand what got into Slicer, but if she's giving up the parlay, it is either to surrender or fight.

Before she can say anything else, Rainbow takes matters into her own hooves. "I don't need no stinking roll for initiative, I've got this!" and draws her sword while leaping into the air, all of ten feet before a high pitch sound pierces the air and Rainbow slams back down on the ground, a dart sticking out of her flank. The sword she had drawn plants tip first a short distance away. Twilight attempts to reach Rainbow, but several cats close in with weapons, keeping them all at bay. Twilight looks over at the leader.

"What did you do to her!?"

The leader regards the alicorn and says, "She is not dead, merely unconscious. A sleeping poison, if you will. You are all to be guests of the Great Maharaja. Minus your items, of course."

Twilight looks between Rainbow to her other friends. They all nod, understanding the situation. A look at Slicer shows otherwise. She says to the thestral, "It's only temporary. We will get everything back. I promise." Slicer's hard facial expression crumbles and she goes to reach for her saddlebags, as do the rest of the ponies. Spike keeps his map case firmly on his back, and to Twilight's dismay, the cats grab everything off the ponies except that case. Twilight shakes her head and goes to levitate her bags off her back, but nothing happens. Her horn thrums a little, but that's all. "What the hay!?"

"Hm, a mage...your magic is nullified, tiny unicorn pegasus mutant," the leader says.

Twilight glares at him, "I have a name, it is Twilight Sparkle."

The leader bows, "And mine is Azar. While we are not allowed to have or use magic, we must at least protect ourselves from those that do. Your items, please, Miss Twilight Sparkle." He waves his paw to the growing pile.

She walks over and after a minute of unbuckling the understrap, she shimmies the bags off her and pushes them to the pile, along with the staff strapped to them. Some of the cats upend the bags, spilling the items out. One holds up the onyx panther figurine and exclaims, "Honorable Azar, a figurine of power! The Great Maharaja shall surely be happy to receive this!" He proceeds to put it in his own bag.

Twilight holds up her hoof on instinct but is too late. Slicer is already galloping toward the offending cat with her head down, all reason fled from her eyes. She smashes into the cat, both of them rolling into the tall grass. Kis'myet leaps in after them. The grass hides much of what is going on, though at one point there is a loud grunt. Both the cats get up, the first unlimbering his spear while Kis'myet rears back with hers. They both thrust down, the spears meeting somewhere together out of sight.

Twilight yells, "NO!!!" and gallops forward. She pushes past one cat but is eventually tackled by Azar. She is close enough in the grass to see through the stalks. Both spears are crossed just above Slicer's neck and their tips are dug into the ground, the shafts bearing down on either side of her neck.

Kis'myet leans in on hers and says, "Continue to fight and you will die." The pressure starts to cut off blood flow through the arteries in her neck. Slicer kicks out, just missing the cats' legs. Kis'myet leans in more, "In several seconds you will feel faint. In several more seconds you will lose consciousness. After that, it is a matter of how many brain cells you wish to kill off, and since you will be unconscious, you will no longer have a say in it." Twilight can see Slicer's eyes start to glaze.

"Slicer, please! It will be alright!" Twilight pleads. The thestral manages to spot Twilight in the grass. Twilight nods. "Fight later." Slicer relaxes, showing she has given up.

The cats pull back their spears. Before the male cat can walk away, Slicer kicks him in the shin from the ground. He wails and rolls to the ground, holding his leg. Kis'myet snarls and flips the spear around, thrusting the butt of it into Slicer's head, knocking her out cold.

Azar grumbles as he gets up and walks over to Kis'myet, getting right in her face, "Do NOT injure them! It is his fault for letting down his guard, YOU do not cover for his folly!" He gingerly steps over Slicer's body and kicks the male cat in the other shin. "And YOU do not get to choose what to take. It is for the Great Maharaja to decide." He reaches down into the cat's bag and pulls out the figurine. With a precise throw he tosses it onto the pile. "The rest of you, bag all this up. We must meet that abomination to return home." The cats that are still standing pull out large sacks and push all the party's gear into them. Azar assigns two other cats to each carry Slicer and Rainbow draped over their shoulders.

Twilight watches how the two are handled until satisfied they are not to be further mistreated. Azar notices this and says, "Rest assured, Miss Twilight Sparkle, we have orders not to injure them beyond our self-preservation. I would have gotten that out sooner had I known their...aggressive nature." He waves his paw forward to get everybody moving.

She smiles weakly and starts walking. "Given our last few encounters, it would seem most everypony we run into is an enemy."

He nods. "I can see that. Had I to choose, we would not be. I can also see you are a leader who loves your people, rare these days. I...Jirrat, what is the holdup?" He addresses a cat who is still waiting on Pinkie Pie.

The black spotted cat is standing there with a frustrated look on his maw as Pinkie is pulling item after item out of her bag. Some of the items could never have fit in there in the first place. "Oh, don't forget this! And this! And, oh I can't believe THIS was in here. Twilight, I thought you said these batteries would last at least a fortnight of nights??" Twilight stares at the item and goes white.

Azar stomps over to the cat and watches Pinkie. He tilts his head, "Magic or not, would it be easier to simply take her bag?"

Jirrat hunches over, trying to overshadow the pink pony, "She won't let me."

"o/~ You didn't say the magic woooooord! o/~"

They stare incredulously at her. Azar murmurs, "please?"

^_^

All the items get shoved back into the saddlebags, even the item Twilight was mortified to have witnessed. Pinkie bounces away to catch up with the rest of her friends, tossing the saddlebags at Jirrat, who is nearly crushed by their weight. Pinkie returns to Jirrat and lightly sticks her happy face sticker on one of the bags. Jirrat collapses under the bags and Pinkie giggles, returning to her friends. Azar smiles and follows her, asiding to Jirrat, "See? You should show more backbone, Jirrat." The subordinate agrees as he struggles to get back up.

Once grouped up, the cats appear less threatening as they put up their weapons and start herding Twilight's group down the road. Twilight addresses Azar, "If you don't mind, I have a question. I thought ridge cats were a nomadic folk? Why stay in a ruined city like Myth Drannor? Assuming it is the one I'm thinking of."

Azar's eyes flick Twilight's way before resuming their scan ahead. "We are not...'ridge cats'. We are Rakshasa."

This causes Twilight to clamp her mouth shut. She has read every entry in the compendium that Luna brought with her that first night of gaming. Rakshasa were a kind of cat demon not to be trifled with. They were very powerful mages and illusionists. Not to mention, some were cannibals. She shudders to think which ones these were.

"Uh, you said you were not allowed magic. Are you not...magical?" That sounds so stupid, bad Twilight, bad Twilight!

Azar chuckles. "We were, once. As was Myth Drannor. Since our city was closest to the temple of the Keepers, we were the first and hardest hit to suffer their decrees. We were stripped of our spells and knowledge, then our artifacts. Only anti-magic was left. They allowed one scrying mirror, which can...do other things they did not foresee. You are their enemy so I do not mind telling you this. All else, we scrape together these days. Even our ability to make potions is nothing more than mixing things found in the wild. Our knowledge of sword making was also taken. We made such wondrous things. 'To preserve the balance of technology and nature' it was told to us. Bah! They might as well take away who we were. And they did."

Jirrat quips, "Don't forget the mirrors, we made lots of mirrors to help with illusions back in the day." Azar casts him a sour look and Jirrat drops his head, falling behind in subservience.

Twilight wants to ask further questions, especially those concerning the Keepers, when the group stops. She notices another being walking toward them on the road. It is the horse Rainbow had spoken of. It stands tall, several heads above the cats and more so above the ponies. Its hide is covered in black fur, with fire for a mane and tail. Its hooves are a kind of brimstone, smoldering against the stone of the road. Embers burn where its eyes should be, and a low kept fire rages down its throat when it opens its mouth to speak.

"Catling, you take your time, and time is upon us. Give us the dragon, and keep your meat and trinkets." Its gaze sweeps the ponies. They pull closer to each other in fear.

Azar walks right up to the horse, a nightmare, if Twilight remembers correctly. "All in good time, creature. You are here to do one job, and not to give orders. The portal, create it now, so we may be home and you closer to the end of your task."

The nightmare's eyes flare for a second. Its gaze lingers on Spike, who is glaring right back at the flaming horse. It then turns away abruptly. "As you wish, catling. Do keep up." It strikes the ground in front of it and walks ahead into a widening tear in reality. The opening shows a different vista on the other side, the remnants of an old city of stone and crumbling buildings among rocky hills, overshadowed by a much closer Undermountain. No grassland at all, lending to the idea a great distance is being bridged. The cats and ponies follow the nightmare through the opening. Once on the other side, it closes up behind them. The light is different, the sun in another part of the sky.

Twilight frowns and remarks, "Azar, if we can't do magic, how come that nightmare can?"

The cat leader grins, "You are a smart one. Do not be too smart, for curiosity has since killed many cats. The portal is an innate ability, it does not have to project the magic to use it. A mage does." Twilight ah's.

"Of course. This is like nullification..?" She is hoping she can elicit that from him.

Azar huffs. "I know what you want, but I cannot let you escape." While watching the nightmare leading them into the city, he slides a paw over his chest, lingering on a ring tied by a leather cord to his neck. "To speak of a nullification ring to our enemy would be unwise, to our friends unsafe. To you..." He tucks the ring under his shirt. "To you, I can only advise not to harm any of us. With luck, you will escape this place alive. More I cannot say." He moves on to walk next to Spike, putting himself between the dragon and the nightmare and making it clear that was his mission now.

Rarity and Applejack get close to Twilight, with Rarity saying, "I sense an opportunity with this one. They do not get along."

Applejack nods, "Eyup, I'd go so far as to say if he had his way he wouldn't give Spike over. More of that Keeper business, that nightmare is representin, I'd wager."

Twilight agrees, "Yes, it would seem so. If we handle things correctly, we can get through this without a fight. You two stay near Rainbow and Slicer. When they wake up, explain the absolute need NOT to fight." They continue in silence as they pass several ruins. There is a ghostly dreariness to the city.

Rarity asks, "Twilight, do you have a moment?"

"Sure, whatcha need?"

"That fight where I, ahem, when I completely embarrassed myself and got stuck on that ridiculous recipe page, I wanted to thank you for saving me from that arrow. If it hadn't been for you, I would now be trying to decide what hat to wear to cover up the extra hole in my head."

Twilight wrinkles her brow with a quirked smile, "Eh...Rarity? That WASN'T me. To be honest, I thought you moved yourself out of the way to give me a clear shot at them. I already had a spell prepped and was waiting for an opportunity."

It is Rarity's turn to look befuddled, "Then if it wasn't you, and it wasn't me...no, clearly it was you."

"Heheh, if it was me, I'd know it." She thinks to herself, i wanted her out of the way, now that i think on it. i even thought the words 'slide right' so i can cast this spell, and ...meh, it's over and done with, no sense wasting brain power while we have so much ahead of us.

Azar drifts back, tapping Spike to come with him. Every once in a while the nightmare turns its head to track the dragon before moving on. Azar leans to Twilight and asks, "I couldn't help but overhear, you made your friend move without being aware of it? No magic?"

"I don't know that I did. I wanted to, but I didn't cast a spell."

Azar muses to himself. "Perhaps all is not lost." Twilight eyes him. He shrugs, "There was a time when we used something other than magic. A light from within, some described it as." Kis'myet's eyes flick toward Azar but linger a fraction of a second before going back to watching the nightmare. She doesn't trust it either. "One could split and refract reality, like light, and move between places. We gave up that gift before the Keepers ever formed." He sighs and continues walking in silence. No other words are spoken until they reach the center of the city, a crumbling massive structure with marble pillars before them. Azar directs the other Rakshasa to take the ponies and dragon to the dungeons.

Applejack exclaims, "What?! Aw thought we were ta be this Mirage's guests!?" Her friends protest in unison.

The leader holds up his paws, "Temporary accomodations, until negotiations are concluded between the Great Maharaja and...other entities." He turns around to end up muzzle to muzzle with the nightmare.

"The dragon is ours!" The nightmare snarls at him.

"Hence, the negotiations. You have not set your terms, only that we had to make best speed to intercept them. We are not your slaves and you are not in your sovereign territory. The Great Maharaja shall dispense as needed per our assistance to the Keepers."

"I care not for your 'terms'. Scratch away in this pile of rocks, it will be the only thing left of your civilization soon enough. For now, the dragon is here, and I shall be gone with him soon, no matter your meager payment." The nightmare storms away deeper into the building, escorted by half of the cats, including the one that Slicer had kicked earlier. The rest lead the sullen ponies to a side corridor and down several flights of stairs.

Twilight addresses Azar, "You can't possibly be thinking of letting that thing take Spike with it!?!"

His eyes flash with anger, "It is not my decision, nor my desire." He turns his head to Kis'myet. "If the Great Maharaja so ordered it, would you kill these ponies?"

The black and white striped cat grins with a sparkle in her eye, "Yes, and drink of their blood and wear their skins to warm my fur in the oncoming winter months soon to smother us." The ponies shiver from her words.

Azar nods as though he were asking what time of day it was. "And should they be the ones to bring down the Keepers and stop Prometheus, would you fight by their side?"

Kis'myet slows her walking and turns to Twilight, "I would fight and die by their sides, knowing if I had to choose between dying on a cold winter morning for lack of any magic or fire to keep me alive, or fighting for a sliver of a chance to beat the Keepers. I would fight." She reaches over to her friend who is carrying Slicer and picks up the thestral's unconscious head by the scruff, "And I would carry this one right up that damn god's leg and chest just so she can stab his eye out with her pitiful dagger and I would piss in his socket, and defecate in the other eye, just for shits and giggles." She drops Slicer's head like yesterday's fish.

They resume walking down the steps to the final landing where rows of wrought iron cells await. Twilight and the others stare at Kis'myet. Twilight asks quietly, "Prometheus is that large?" The female cat nods. "Wait, why is he so important?"

Azar's gaze settles on Spike. "I would answer their questions, little one. All of them, while you still have time. I cannot guarantee what happens to you once you return to Undermountain, but your friends will be taken care of, to the best of our abilities." Spike nods to Azar's suggestion, but remains silent as he and the ponies are ushered into a cell close to a large wooden table. Rainbow and Slicer are placed on the flagstones, still out cold. All of their items are dumped on the table by those carrying the sacks. Azar picks up the onyx statue as soon as it spills out. "Tell her I am sorry for this. Word will have gotten to the Great Maharaja, otherwise. I will be back shortly to see if we can release you all." With that he is gone, as are the rest of their escort, leaving the ponies alone.

Twilight waits a few minutes, then turns to the lock and focuses her horn. The spiraled cone of ivory glows, but nothing happens. "I don't understand, the ring is gone." Her friends look at her questioningly. "Azar, he alluded to a nullification ring keeping us from using magic."

Rarity walks over to the bars and taps them gently with her glowing horn, wincing from the pain. The glow momentarily pulses off with each tap. She sits back, looking at all the cells, "Oh my. All this iron is infused with the same anti-magic property as that ring." She continues to test different parts of the cell, especially focusing on areas that appear to have rust.

Twilight walks over to Spike and sits down next to him, studying his eyes. Fluttershy is next to him with a worried expression and says, "Um...he's been shivering ever since he saw that fiery horse. He won't speak to me about it. I'm afraid..." Under her breath she adds, "...for him."

Spike grimaces and pats Fluttershy, "It's alright. I figured this was coming ever since you mares showed up in town and put down my teacher and dispelled Silvery Orb's dillusion spell." He looks up at Twilight.

She nods at him, "Whenever you are ready Spike, we are here for you."

He smiles gratefully. "Okay then. As it was taught to me and all my ancestors, we were gathered to monitor magic and technology in the world. The Covenant has a clause where we will be summoned to return to a temple and made to give back magic to a being known as Prometheus. All magic."

Rarity blinks, turning around to face him, "Give back? Darling, how can a dragon give back ALL magic?" She gets a dreadful look and whispers, "It's not like Tyrek, is it?"

Spike replies, "Tyrek? Who is that?" Twilight shakes her head, waving him on. "Ah. Anyway, I'm just reciting, or paraphrasing, what the Covenant says."

Twilight clears her throat. "Ah, this Covenant. It seems to be a set of legal phrases dictating exactly what you will be called upon to do. You wouldn't happen to have a copy of it, would you?" The dragon slowly reaches around and pulls his map case off his back. He shuffles out the map to Undermountain and unfurls it. Two other scraps of parchment fall out, but he ignores them. The other ponies look on skeptically until he inhales and blows steam across the parchment. The artwork is overlaid with a glowing set of arcane lines, written in dragonish. At the bottom is a scrawled signature. Twilight sighs, "Nuts, I can't read that. Spike?"

He looks at it and shrugs, "More of that dragon curse. They made me sign on the dotted line and told me 'only what I needed to know'. I can read individual symbols and explain them to someone else, but not for gaining my own knowledge."

Twilight frowns, "That's horrible! Who would make such a thing possible for a whole race??" Spike mouths the name 'Prometheus' without saying it aloud. Twilight starts feeling an anger that has been sitting in her for a long time since hearing about the suppression of magic.

Fluttershy sits up, "Um...I can read it, actually!" Her friends stare at her and she shrinks down. Twilight, desperate for knowledge on this, waves off Applejack, Rarity and Pinkie. Fluttershy whispers, "Eh, Spike taught me." The dragon beams with pride.

"Go ahead Fluttershy." Twilight coaxes. The pegasus peers at the map's glowing words.

"Upon this pedestal lays bear your word as sworn. Upon it, your fire returns the magic all around you born. Upon me, Prometheus, I take back what from the heavens I have shorn, and once all is said and done, for you and technology shall we mourn." Fluttershy rereads the passage, then puts her hoof on the signature and looks at Spike, "Does this mean...you signed here, yes? What does this mean?"

Spike hangs his head, "I am to be instrumental in taking back all magic in existence."

All the ponies that are awake stamp their hooves in protest. Twilight exclaims, "Magic or not, they cannot take you from us!"

Applejack grits her teeth, "Damn straight." Rarity blinks at her friend. Applejack shakes it off, "Damn don't care right now how Aw sound."

Spike raises his arms. "Girls, girls! I don't think we can fight our way out this time. But I have an idea." They settle down and he rolls up the map. He puts it back in the case and hands it to Twilight. "A bargaining chip, something to play when all the cards are down. This isn't just a map, or an infernal contract or bad poetry. It is a lens to focus the energies for magical reclamation. And since I signed it, it is only activated by MY breath."

Pinkie hops up and down, "Oh, it's like a lock and key. Wait, which gets to be the key and which is the unfortunate lock?" Her head whips back and forth between the case and Spike. Twilight slowly pushes Pinkie aside.

She says to Spike, "Yes, barring THAT kind of weird scenario, they can't touch you without this, I surmise?" Spike nods. Twilight sighs. "Good, now we have a plan."

"Good! Plans Keep Ponies Kicking." Azar has returned. Several guards have shown up with him and stand ready. He waves them forward and they open the cage door, motioning for Spike to leave. Applejack and Rarity scramble to get in front of Spike. Fluttershy wraps her wings around him from behind. Even Pinkie hops right up to Azar but skitters back when a spear is leveled at her. Azar says somberly, "This has to be done."

Reluctantly, Spike pushes past the ponies and turns to them, "Remember, the key to a good bluff, is knowing you have the cards." He winks at Twilight and kicks at the scraps of parchment that had fallen out of the map case earlier. He spins around and makes an effort to keep attention on him while he follows the retinue of guards up the steps, minus Azar. He closes the cage and locks it. The glint from Twilight's crystal on the table catches his attention. He stares at it for a time, listening to the steps of the guards grow fainter. He clears his throat.

"Let me tell you of a story, a great distance back in time. When this city was glorious. It was during a time when one need only think of a place, and he was instantly there. No magic, no memorization of runes or phrases, no smelly essences to burn up in the process."

Twilight approaches the bars and eyes him through them, "Really, you could literally think yourself somewhere without magic?"

He sits down at the table and pokes at the crystal, making it roll over one facet. "Not so immaturely simple. You had to have a vast array of spatial mechanics memorized, to know how to move between worlds. A long time ago we thought differently. Picture all your thoughts, organized in a set where each thought is ruled by two elements, a unique supremum and a unique infimum."

"um...wha?"

He chuckles, "Like I said, well above your understanding. Ours too, centuries later. We became dependent on magic, which simply could not coexist with our older ways of thinking, so we succumbed to its allure. Much to our demise, we were stripped naked of our magicks when the Keepers punished us for our research into the suppression device. We want revenge, don't get me wrong. We want our magic back. To be sure we do not wish to kill you. The nightmare wishes to make you our permanent guests. As permanent as these stones." His foot nudges a broken corner of a flagstone out of its deteriorating mortar. He grunts softly to himself.

Applejack says, "Eh..that's a long time. We got's things to do."

"I spoke to the Great Maharaja. The very least, you are to be our guests until things settle down." The cacophony of protests causes him to raise his paws. "Yes, yes, I know you dislike the outcome of all this. If only there was a way for you to leave without my directly intervening." He kicks behind him and rattles the large table. The quartz crystal rolls off, and before it hits the stones, his tail catches it and tosses it in the air, only to be bumped off his left knee, then his right knee, then a spin from him with his tail whipping the crystal in a spiraled flight through the bars of the cage. Twilight tries to catch it with her hooves, though being out of practice because she uses magic so much, bobbles it and it heads for the stones.

A light blue hoof stretches out and catches it just in time. Rainbow exclaims groggily, "Oh yeah....nnhm...on my back....I'm still the best!"

Her friends groan. Rarity stares down at her multi-colored friend, "Do be a dear, and NEVER....EVER...say that out loud in public." She whispers more softly, "It's not a competition!" Rainbow snorts, then groans in pain.

"OW, my flank! Which one of you cats bit it??"

Azar ahs and pulls out two potions from a belt pouch and hands them to Applejack through the bars. "Here, for the pain and injuries. Health elixirs. Like I said, we can still make potions." Applejack moves to Rainbow while handing one to Fluttershy so she can administer it to Slicer.

Twilight picks up the crystal Rainbow had caught and peers into its facets. Still nothing extraordinary. "No key for the lock, no artifacts to counter the anti-magic. Just...this? Why?"

Azar leans back against the table and tilts his head. "You really don't know what that is?" Twilight shakes her head.

Kis'myet steps out of the shadows. "It is a lattice structure. More to that specific item, a focusing lattice. We used to walk through space and time, focusing energy, to matter, to reality itself, splitting and recombining points of origin with nothing but those crystals and our minds." She stops near Azar and glances at the table. "Helping the prisoners?"

Azar snorts. "My orders are to not give them any their magical implements. That," he points at the crystal, "is not magical, as you well know." Kis'myet's nose twitches. He walks over to the steps and pauses. "I trust you can lead them out of the city without defying your orders?"

She nods, none too thrilled. He smiles and leaves. Kis'myet turns back to the cage and addresses the ponies. "I am to guard you." With that, she sits down at the table as if it's going to be a long wait.

While Twilight continues to study the crystal, Fluttershy picks up the scraps of parchment and peers at them. Her eyes light up and she reaches over to Applejack with one of them. "Um...I think Spike meant for you to have this."

Applejack takes the scrap and reads it. "Oh hey, these are the symbols on mah sword. Aw assume this here says how to pronounce them, and what they mean?"

Fluttershy nods. "They appear to be similar, but with a different message. Spike wanted to teach you and Rainbow Dash...but...um...we sort of ran out of time." She snuffles and says meekly, "we are always running out of time, i'm sorry." She starts to break down and cry. Applejack pulls her into a hug.

"Don't you fret, sugar. I swear, we will get him back!" Applejack whispers fiercely.

Rainbow sits up groggily and shakes her head. "Woh...I didn't think I landed THAT hard." Applejack takes the second note from Fluttershy and hooves it to Rainbow while still hugging the pegasus. "Oh what's this? The symbols on my sword! Sweet! I'm totally going to be using this."

"guen...." Slicer's stirring pulls their attention to her. Rarity helps the thestral sit up. "where...where is she?"

Rarity's hurt expression tells Slicer the news isn't good. "I'm sorry, darling, they took the statue to their Great Mahimahi." The sudden tension in Slicer's body makes Rarity brace the thestral's shoulders to keep her down, "BUT! but, we are going to try and get her back, won't we girls?" A scan around the cage gets a nod from everypony, except one. Twilight is still staring at her crystal and thinking as hard as she can.

Kis'myet groans, "Would you quit that? You are giving ME a headache, just watching you." She rubs her temples.

Twilight sighs and slumps into a sitting position, "Then what am I supposed to do!?! I've known magic all my life. I can feel THAT, at least. I put together simple energies to combine greater constructs, infused with the energy I open up inside and....woosh, magic! Ugh." She shakes her head and looks at her hooves, the crystal rolling to the ground, "I can't believe I said woosh. I am losing it."

The Rakshasa chuckles and lets her spear drop onto the stone floor, the sudden clang causing all the ponies to jump. "Woosh, I have lost my spear, what ever will I do?" She looks at her claws, and then picks at her sharp teeth. "Oh yes, I can use these." Twilight frowns, trying to think through the obvious analogy.

"So I have the ability in me, and wouldn't necessarily need the crystal?"

The cat tilts her head, "It's not just that. When we had two schools of thought a long time ago, one was of magic. We pulled energy from our environment and created things, just as you described. The other school, was a form of energy manipulation called psionics. We pulled from within. All creatures have this energy, chakra they were called. Focal points within the body, each one a foundation for the next. The two schools were so completely different, it was as if they were oil and water." Twilight looks behind her and sees Slicer staring back at her. While Slicer's eyes are heavy with moisture, she nods to the alicorn, confidence hardening her eyes. Twilight looks back at Kis'myet. "It was inevitable one would be pushed aside and the other embraced."

Applejack speaks up, "So what ya'll sayin is instead of outside forces and energy, all Twi here has to do is think inward? Well gosh, she does that on an hourly basis!" Some of the others chuckle. Slicer gets a hint of a smile.

Twilight twists her head sideways to look at Applejack, "Gee, thanks." She goes back to contemplating the crystal. "I'm almost too tired to even think right now."

Kis'myet nods. "Total exhaustion and total mental relaxation is the perfect place to be, enlightenment gained by the fusion of mind and body once both are willing to accept each other. One cannot even be conceptualized without the other." Twilight peers at her with a peculiar expression, but lets it go. She breathes in and relaxes.

A silence descends on the dungeon. On occasion, either Applejack or Rainbow whisper to each other regarding how to pronounce a given symbol, but with the help of Fluttershy, they seem to work out the gist of it. Kis'myet sits in a relaxed position, her eyes betraying her alertness as she picks up every movement the ponies make. Twilight remains perfectly still, thinking inward.

All manner of thoughts flood her mind, worries about her friends, Spike, the future. She harkens back to how she used to prepare for bedtime. Each thought becomes individually compartmentalized, put away for later. It is a calming excercise Celestia helped her to practice when her mind becomes overworked. However, this time she is not preparing for bed, but is staying awake. With soothing contentment, she finds her head is less full, thought by thought, until finally there is nothing but her. An exhausted her, yet she only senses herself, a thing no words can describe. All things external are gone, and their absence defines what is left, i.e. Twilight Sparkle.

A whisper drifts into her being, a simple directive. "Pick up the crystal." She senses the crystal. She senses the water and minerals that created it through the eons, the rock that directed the creation, the layers of life that eventually created the rock. In truth, she is reliving her first times when she touched upon magic so long ago, yet in this state of mind she knows of the connections without needing the magic to bridge her to them. Simple connections like her hooves touching the floor, the floor to the bars, the crystal no longer on the floor. The air around the crystal. Air that could push or give way. She does not have to use her hooves, for all things around her IS her. She can FEEL. She could always feel, to be honest. It was a matter of stripping away the magic, an existence of thought known only prior to her discovering magic at a time when she knew little of the world and herself. Now, she knew much, much more. She knew an energy in herself that was not magic. There was no loss of control this time like there was during her first magical exam, so long ago. This energy she was familiar with. This energy has been with her all her life.

"..twilight.." Applejack's voice squeaks out, then she coughs quietly. "Twilight, honey? How are you doin that?" Twilight realizes her eyes are closed and opens them. The crystal is floating in front of her. She is not filled with magic, only Oneness with herself.

Twilight whispers back, "I can feel it."

Kis'myet grins and leans forward, "Now, can you feel the lock in front of you. Pour yourself through the crystal, allow its perfect natural structure to realign your doubts. Allow its lattice, a perfect structure of nature, reinforce your strength, and push out to the lock."

Twilight could feel what she was saying. The crystal was never a magical item, absurd now that she truly SAW it. Saw INTO it. She starts murmuring about the colors and light she sees, sparking Rainbow's interest as it reminds her of rainbooms. "Color, vast color expanding into infinity. Like light focusing through, at once pure light split into an infinite number of colors and reformed into pure light, again and again within this crystal. So many facets reflecting and refracting, redirecting the light within the crystal...I can feel it within myself!" She felt the light, and nudged it at the lock.

The lock on the cage explodes outward, right at Kis'myet. Her spear flies right to her paw and she spins away on the bench, barely dodging the shrapnel that peppers the far wall and table. Twilight jumps in surprise and the crystal makes several chime sounds as it bounces on the stone. "Ohmygoshohmygosh I'msosorry!!!" Her friends gasp for a few moments, then begin congratulating her.

"Unbelieveable, Twilight!" Rarity exclaims, "I knew you had it in you, really I did!" Rainbow and Applejack clap her on the back while Fluttershy looks on with astonishment. Slicer, now fully recovered, steps over to the barely attached door and pokes at it with her hoof. It falls off its hinges with a loud clang.

"Subtle," she murmurs. Rainbow scoffs and wheels around to defend her friend when Slicer raises her hoof, "and completely devastatingly effective. I like." Rainbow smirks and then holds out a hoof. Slicer bumps it with hers.

A dust covered cat girl stands up and brushes herself off. "A powerful mind you have. Years of studying the world around you, conditioning your mind, practicing with magic. It's ironic, the two cannot blend, and yet here you are, a child of both. I envy you." She looks down at the door. "Yes, that should do. No way in the abyss of Hades can they accuse me of letting you out with that destruction on display." And of course, sounds of several guards are heard running down the steps. As a large group of Rakshasa fan out with weapons drawn, Kis'myet points her spear at the door. "Our prisoners have just psionically blown the lock off their cage, and they plan to fight their way to Undermountain if we stand in their way. Who is first?" With that she shoulders her spear and walks past the guards to the steps and waits there, not having a care in the world. The guards look at each other, and as the words start to sink in, each one puts away their weapons.

Twilight picks up her crystal and waves her friends forward to the table, where they start gearing up. Slicer gathers her weapons and bags, staring at Kis'myet the entire time while keeping one hoof hidden. The female cat stares back, idly rolling her spear between her digits. Twilight sidles up next to Slicer and whispers, "Are we going to have a problem?"

"You and I? No, thought we fixed that."

Twilight sighs, "I mean you and her. Azar all but said if we did not hurt any of his people, we could make it out of this."

Slicer remains fixated on the female cat. "They have her, Your Highness."

Twilight moves in front of Slicer, locking eyes with the thestral. She whispers confidently, "We will get her back, even if we have to tear down this building on top of them. Are you with me soldier?"

Slicer studies Twilight for a moment. "A leadership decision?"

"A friendship decision."

Slicer nods and slides her dagger back into its sheath on her saddlebag. "My blade is yours. Cut or cure, name the target."

Twilight nods and motions the rest of the group to move out. Kis'myet shoulders her spear and pads up the stone steps, the pony entourage in tow.

Pinkie pie breaks the short silence halfway up the stairs, "Hey Slicer, can you cut and cure at the same time? That sounds an awful lot like extreme dieting, which to me seems a complete waste of waist since someone and I mean SOMEPONY can put away a pastry or two, am I right Rarity-"

"WHAT?!?"

"-because seriously, multitasking an operation on mm m mmMmmmm mmMMM mm mm...." Pinkie continues to muffle away while Rarity's horn glows. Everypony else whispers their thanks.

They reach the top, practically near the entrance they initially entered the building. Kis'myet turns to Twilight. "From here we shall move to the far side of the city. It is a day's run to the foot of the mountain, another day of climbing to reach the entrance, though you should have a care. They have been building up their encampments around the base of the mountain the last several days. I imagine losing a dragon would make a fanatical cult just that much more paranoid." The ponies each look away, guilt marring their features. Twilight sits and shakes her head.

"No. We will meet your Great Maharaja, reclaim our party member and then leave the city."

There is a stillness in the air. Twilight watches Kis'myet. Kis'myet stares back, unblinking. Pinki Pie stares at Rarity, who turns to her and pushes Pinkie's head to stare at a wall, "Do be a dear and look that way. It is awfully unnerving when YOU do it." She moves next to Twilight and says quietly, "Our Twilight is not the only psionicist, is she?"

Twilight catches her breath for a split second and responds, "I thought I was the only one that caught that."

Rarity flares out her mane, "Please, I am trained to spot inconsistencies. A thread out of place, a color improperly matched to its complimentary color," she pauses, eyeing Kis'myet. "A spear that falls up? The real question is, why not flaunt it?"

Twilight nods, "Yes, why do you hide it?"

The catgirl scoffs. "You must ask such stupid questions? There has not been a single mind warrior for eons! I would be locked away as some precious antiquity, unable to hunt and roam free. The Great Maharaja has an equally great heart, but he can become distracted at times. He would fixate on me, demand to know how I do it....he was never patient, a skill vastly needed by a psionicist, Miss Sparkle."

"So he would cease fixating on a certain statue, if given the right...trade?" Slicer muses, walking up slowly.

Kis'myet hisses at the thestral. Twilight spins around to address her, "Don't you DARE use her as barter, Slicer, I mean it!"

Slicer shrugs, replying "As you wish, princess," and trots on by. Nopony is convinced she is going to listen.

They move on, their walk takes them deeper into the building and through long dark hallways with only lit sconces lighting their way. The ponies can't help but admire all the tapestries they pass, some looking very ancient, others almost new. Each one has some depiction, ranging from a nice waterfall or field of grass, dipping to some very horrific or risque scenes. All the while, Slicer makes snide remarks about each one they pass. 'Oh, I bet they didn't MIND the results of that battle. Now here is one, I wonder if that was done without magic, you know, with willpower alone,' or 'Yeah, mind powers.' To her credit, Kis'myet ignores most of the comments, but a well-trained eye would notice small details like her starting to growl under her breath. Rarity picks up on this and murmurs something to Twilight.

Twilight takes it upon herself to get close to Slicer and whispers, "I don't know what game you are playing at, but we cannot afford to anger anypony at this point. I can feel we are nearing the checkmate phase of this, and we need all the pieces we can get. We are too few as it is."

"That's why I am trying to put her off balance." She scowls and eyes Twilight, "An unwilling ally is better than a smug enemy. Besides...Guenhwyvar is by far the best fighter of our group. We need her more than any of us. If worse comes to worse, we lose one piece before this day is done." Twilight blinks at Slicer's explanation. She tries to get Slicer to clarify what she just said, but the thestral trots on ahead to walk next to Kis'myet. Great, Twilight thinks to herself, more 'unbalancing'.

Before she can jab again, Kis'myet quips, "How's the skull?" A small curl at the corner of the cat's maw tells Slicer she has recovered and wishes to poke back. Okay.

"Not bad, after using that potion. Had a great nap, aside from some weird dreams. I was riding a cat, up a leg and chest. You wouldn't happen to interpret dreams with your skills, would you?" A quick glance sees the cat's eartips turn red. "So you CAN go into our minds."

Kis'myet stops and snarls in Slicer's face, "I would NEVER do such a thing! Or allow such an idea to persist. I was merely making a point aloud. It was just an example!" She blinks and realizes she may have overreacted. "You probably overheard it during your nap and created the sordid dream yourself."

It is Slicer's turn to blink. And blush slightly, "Your example was me riding you...?" They both stand there as the rest of the group looks on. Kis'myet's head tilts slightly to catch them staring and each one finds something worthwhile to do, like 'don't look at the awkward pair' something.

Kis'myet takes a steadying breath and continues walking on, the others following. "I shall explain this to one who does not have the spark. Miss Sparkle, you should listen to this." Twilight's ears perk up. "I saw two outcomes, beyond hypothetical. One was where I am ordered to execute you all. The other...yes, if you must know, riding is involved. Both are a result of what you say very soon." That gives them all something to think about. Slicer finds it tactful at this point to not respond anymore. Or glance at anypony, though she can feel their eyes borrowing into her.

Twilight murmurs to herself, "Now who is unbalanced?" A question that Slicer overhears, but cannot answer.

Eventually the hallway opens up to a large hall with pillars holding up the vaulted ceiling. Dominating the center of the room is a large dias, several steps leading up to the top platform where a gilded throne is displayed. An older Rakshasa sits on the throne, leaning to one side as he speaks in a low voice to Azar. Several guards are arrayed around the room walls, near pillars and a few posted at the dias. The clipclop noises from the ponies catches their attention and the elder cat, who appears to be this Great Maharaja, sits up in surprise. His paw holds something close to his side, something shiny and black. He raises his voice, "What is the meaning of this, Kis'myet!? They should be locked away, as per our agreements with that creature from the mountain!"

Kis'myet waits until they are at the foot of the dias. The guards, noticing the group has all their gear and weapons back, raise their spears and bows, but are conflicted since the group was led here by one of their own. Kis'myet pads up the steps to stand on the other side of the Great Maharaja, opposite of Azar. "I was ordered to guard them. I have. They did not commit any crimes, other than blowing the door off their cell."

The Great Maharaja waves his paw dismissively, "Impossible, those cells are magic-proof. Perhaps they used an explosive chemicle hidden on one of them."

Azar raises his brow and says, "Well, did they use anything to assist them?" He has a knowing look.

"The purple one used a crystal."

The elder leader pauses to regard Kis'myet's words, then leans forward, "We were the last race to utilize psionics before falling in love with magic. Of course. A mind warrior emerges on the precipice of our own doom. Since you will most likely cause us more bother than to help us, I am tempted to let you go, though given more time I should keep you close. The Keeper's wrath will not be too much more than what they've already done, or are about to do." He holds up the statue and Slicer tenses. He sees this and directs his gaze at her. "You know its name, yes? Give me what I need, and you may continue on your journey, all your other belongings you can keep."

Twilight moves to speak but Slicer raises her hoof, blocking her. Slicer responds, "She is not just some pet...she is...We need her. I need her, to finish what we started. We are going to get our dragon friend back and fight Dawn Treader."

"Dawn Treader?!" The Great Maharaja spits out. "That sycophant for Prometheus? She is a nobody, her power only a table scrap gifted to her by her god."

Twilight exclaims, "Prometheus is a god? What does he have to do with these Keepers and magic suppression?"

Azar answers, "He is the giver of magic and technology, to ALL worlds. All those damnable devices come directly from him, too. All orders to suppress magic and technological advancement come from him. Our suffering, it comes from HIM."

The Great Maharaja says, "In a word, he is the true enemy."

Rainbow says defiantly, "Then we will fight him too, if that's what it takes." The ponies agree in unison.

The cat leader asks, "You would go up against a god? You!?"

Slicer slowly walks up to the steps and puts one hoof on the first. The guards dip their spears at her. Ever so slowly, she draws out two daggers and drops them with a ringing clang on the first step. The guards look up to the Great Maharaja, who in turn nods and motions her forward. The guards step back and Slicer begins walking up the steps.

"I dont have magic." She deftly pulls out a longer blade, this time with an odd metal pattern on it, like it was forged from a meteorite. Before the guards can respond, she drops this on the steps, but continues. Azar grins slightly. "I dont have wings, though all others of my kind do." She undoes her saddle buckle and it drops off her back, a whole array of throwing knives lining the underside of it. "I don't have any treasure. All I have is a very specific set of skills." She shakes out her mane, dropping two needles. "Skills designed to kill, and heal." She shakes it again, and a pack of bandaids falls out." Kis'myet chuckles. The Great Maharaja is not amused, watching the long line of weapons that his guards have apparently let through their protective ring. "None of this is important to you, but that figurine is. It is also my friend." She reaches the top platform. "I don't have a lot of friends. So when you lay claim to her, you lay claim to a part of my soul." She reaches around and peels a miniature dagger right off her cutie-mark, colored to blend into it, and drops it. She does the same to the other side. "I have the option to fight for my soul, trade for my soul, or to lay it bare." She steps very close to him now. She can hear drawstrings grow taught. She fishes around in her mouth and spits. A tiny needle twangs into the wooden arm of the throne next to the Great Maharaja's paw. To his credit, he remains still. "Decisions, decisions."

She sees Kis'myet's jaw clench out of the corner of her eye. Slicer meets her gaze, two pairs of eyes steeled against what the next few moments will bring.

They needed allies, Twilight had said.

Slicer sighs. "In exchange for Guenhwyvar, I offer servitude-"

"Now wait, Deary, you just can't give away service, not to mention all..those weapons, without consulting your princess first!" Rarity interupts her. "You know, on a sidenote I have to actually wonder where you might still have some more...nevermind." She shakes her head and steps forward, "As for servitude, I myself am a free agent. I noticed your wardrobes are replete with the most atrocious fabrics." Rarity, to everyone's dismay, trots over to the nearest guard. "Ugh, your enemies' skins are SO last holocaust season. Trust me on this," as she leans in, poking at the guard's clothing, to the guard's total discomfort, "silks, red and gold for the haired help, and purple for the more anointed." She finishes with motioning to the Great Maharaja. Rainbow cringes, working her mouth around the words 'haired help'.

Before the Great Maharaja can reply or Slicer can close her mouth, Applejack steps up, "I don't know, Rarity, they sure can do with some healthier food, maybe a decent farm around here. Their own skins practically falling off to where you wouldn't need to figger more n one way to skin a cat, am Aw right?" She chuckles out loud.

Nobody else laughs. Her friends wince.

Applejack pulls her hat low, "Yeeaah, maybe ferget that last nibble there."

Rainbow swoops in, literally. "I could pull in some clouds, irrigate this place, and not just for farming. Heck most of your buildings need foundation watering if anything. A snap with pegasus power!" Classic pose on the floor as she lands.

Even Fluttershy comes to the rescue, "And I could teach you to speak to animals, even giant cats. You wouldn't need magic for that...just some...understanding..." She sees everyone's attention is on her, so she goes back to hiding behind Rainbow.

Twilight walks up to the dias and puts her hoof on the first step. "And I can teach you magic, again." She stares directly at the cats' leader.

Slicer stands there, unable to say anything. For all her trials and hardships, there were only a few times she was ever reduced to a quivering mess of emotion. This moment threatens to make it on that list. She does everything she can to keep from losing it, way up there up top where she so rashly decided to confront the adversary.

With each offer, the Great Maharaja is moved. He is struck both by how each of them put so much worth into the statue he held in his paw, and equally how the value of that statue paled to what the ponies truly showed. And Slicer's willingness to give away every single advantage. Self-sacrifice.

He was even given the panther's name freely. At first he thought it a miscalculation on the dark pony's part, but now...now he is unsure. He traces the figurine, the panther's name in his mind. "I believe you would all give up everything for a cause greater than yourselves. Each bearing what gifts you have without demanding a price. Such bravery. We once had that long ago as well, until even our own self worth was taken from us." His eyes linger on the statue.

Kis'myet places a paw on his shoulder, "Oh, give over, Father." She points at Slicer, who is now more shocked then before. "You owe me for this." She growls, then closes her eyes and the statue lifts out of a surprised Maharaja's paw and floats over to Slicer. The thestral gingerly takes it, as though it will shatter if she drops it or it might be taken away again. The Great Maharaja turns to Kis'myet.

"You would withhold this...this secret from me? After all I have done for you? How long have you been able to do this?"

She leans closer and touches her forehead to his, whispering, "A long time, dear father. I was afraid of the future, had you known. I will ALWAYS be grateful for our past." She straightens and takes in both Azar and her father. "Can you not see it? They move against the Keepers, at a time when the Keepers would snuff out ALL instances of magic, both living and artifice. Sooner rip the soul from this world...as you would have done, father, had you kept that statue from her." She nods at Slicer.

The elder cat regards his daughter for a short time, thinking. At length he sighs and says, worry in his tone, "You are going to fight, too? Rhetorical, as I can see it in you already. I would do anything to protect you, this long lost skill making you our most precious treasure."

She places her paw atop his head and starts speaking softly, slowly raising her voice, "If you spend a lifetime forging a powerful weapon and you create a masterpiece, do you hide it away, denying its nature, or do you bring it forth, for it to live within its role, to smite your foes, to shout at the world that we WILL NOT DIE!?!" Her words last seconds later in the echos of the hall. She says again, softer this time, "Yes, I will fight, but not alone with them. I stay behind just long enough for us to finalize what we shall do now."

Azar nods approvingly. He had been trying to convince their leader to move against the Keepers for some time.

Her father nods. He looks over the ponies and waves his paw. "Go then. We shall send you on your way and place you as close to your destination as we can. And we shall send help. You will not stand alone."

Azar calls for the guards to drag over a large mirror. They drag an ornately carved silver framed mirror over to the group. One of the viziers standing in attendance steps forward and traces the frame, reciting the inscriptions seen in the metalwork. The surface of the mirror ripples like silver water and shifts to show a great cave on the other side.

Azar says, "Step through, and delay them as much as possible."

Slicer thanks Kis'myet and she nods back, warrior to warrior, then the thestral makes her way back down, laboriously picking up all the weapons she had dropped. As she passes Twilight who looks aghast at all the knives, Slicer raises a hoof, "Yeah yeah I can feel your look, princess." Twilight shakes her head and motions her friends over to the mirror. With some final waves of hooves and thankyou's, the party steps through the mirror, and the surface ripples back to reflecting the inside of the large hall again.

Azar turns to the guards and raises his voice, "Bring out every scrying mirror that has been hidden since the dawn of our demise!" While the Keepers have allowed them to have just the one mirror, they had been busy copying it. "Contact every city, every nation, every world. Myth Drannor calls upon them, ties more ancient than the Keepers. We are done hiding and licking our wounds!"

Guards everywhere run to each tapestry on every wall and in every hall. Ropes are yanked, tapestries pulled down, and dozens of mirrors are revealed, hidden behind those tapestries. Quick Rakshasa strip down to just their bodies and go forth into each one, runners to send word that Myth Drannor calls. That Myth Drannor is angry.

The scrying mirror Twilight and her friends used does indeed put them as close to their destination as possible. The ponies stand on a path bored out of the mountain face, a gaping tunnel mouth open in front of them.

"Alright!" exclaims Rainbow. "It's about time something went our way!"

"Hm...oh breezie poop."

One by one, Fluttershy's friends slowly turn their heads to look at her in dismay. Rarity is the first to unlock her mental gears. "Uh, darling...d-did you say.. breezie p...poop?!" Fluttershy nods but says nothing else. She also happens to be facing away from the entrance, looking at something behind them.

It is at this time a rhythmic sound can be heard, heavy stomping and drum cadence, along with a low guttural drone of voices yelling in unison. From the ponies' position, they can see the entire valley of foothills reaching almost to a distant smudge on the horizon, which looks to be Myth Drannor. Covering several miles in every direction are columns of troops. Thousands. Maybe a hundred thousand. All manner of dark creatures can be seen by the more eagle-eyed pegasi. Orcs, goblins, kobolds, trolls, wargs, and all other manner of creatures. It is as if Tartarus belched up its denizens to invade the land of good.

Twilight whews, "Well, at least we were able to skip that mess!"

A soft chuckle is heard above them. They all look up to see Dawn Treader staring down at them from a small wooden tower she is sitting on, at least a dozen nightmares surounding its base. It would appear she was overseeing the movement of the troops below, while several ogres use large flags to send signals down to the ground commanders. Her chuckle gets louder and louder until it is a cackling. The ponies grit their teeth in a mix of fear, dread, terror, but mostly frustration.

Twilight calmly takes out a small book, turns several pages and traces her hoof down one page, then looks up at Dawn Treader. "Parlay?"