Moonbeam's head was spinning as the dizzying spirals of sparkling gray and purple clashed and twisted around her.  

How could everything have gone so wrong in just a few hours?

She'd been so excited for Solar Ray's knighting ceremony.  She could even see the present she had bought earlier laying near the base of the tree.  Not that she could move to retrieve it.

The filly pressed her head between her fore-hooves, struggling to pull back the power rushing from her horn.  It was as though someone had jammed on a faucet though as the magic just kept coming out in torrents.

Outside the chaotic mass Solar Ray's eyes went wide in shock.  The magic around his sister was coalescing into a solid sphere of silver and amethyst.  In just an instant it was as though the poor filly had been sealed in shining marble.

But the stallion could still hear her voice echo from within.

"RaaAYyy...heLP Meeee!"

"Hang on Moonbeam!" Ray shouted, horn blazing like a torch.

The yellow magic reached out and wrapped around the orb.  Ray smiled as he felt his power sink in and began to pull the sphere apart.

As the orb split light gushed from the cracks forming along the surface and slammed into Ray.  The guard was almost knocked off his hooves, the corona of magic around his horn expanding as it gathered the excess energy.  He gasped in shock, his magic faltering for a moment.  Ray pushed his concentration to the limits and his horn's glow wrapped tighter around the sphere.  The part trembled as they were forced back together.

The entire magical construct began to pulse, energy seeping from the lines among its surface.  Ray could feel his head beginning to throb as beads of sweat formed across his brow.

"Just what did that guy do?" Ray wondered frantically.

Chapter 2

It Takes a Spark (Part 2)

Princess Celestia would be the first to admit that the ponies of Canterlot seemed to go too far for her.  The elaborate shaded picnic area, complete with a fully decorated banquet table, was just one example she could cite and nopony other than her sister was confident enough to join her under it.  

At the very least it gave her and Luna some privacy.  The dark-blue alicorn next to her was just staring down at her tea as she added another scoop of sugar to it.  The mass of starry night sky that made up her mane and tail seemed flat.  Three-hundred years had been generous to the Night Princess, she was nearly as tall as Celestia now and no less beautiful than she had ever been.

"Come Luna, this is supposed to be a happy occasion," Celestia reminded her sister.

"Of course sister," Luna responded, rolling her eyes as she lifted her tea.  "To another year of captivity."

"Luna..." the Sun Princess sighed.

Luna sighed and lowered her cup.

"My apologies...But honestly Celestia just how long are we to bear this?" the younger immortal asked.  "We pacify the public with parties while outside Moon only knows how many ponies might be in need."

"I know Luna, believe me I know." Celestia whispered, placing a wing across Luna's back.  "But without the Elements all we can do is make sure the ponies here don't lose themselves to despair."

Luna's eyes focused back on her teacup rather than her sister's reassuring smile.  For the past three centuries Celestia had had that smile whenever the subject came up and for the past two Luna had only just been able to bear it.  The younger alicorn stood up, gently pushing off her sister's wing with her own.

"Luna?" Celestia asked.

"I'll be fine, Tia," Luna said, trying to return her sister's smile.  "You're right this is supposed to be a happy occasion.  I'm simply going to...Enjoy the fine weather."

Celestia pursed her lips, her gentle eyes looking over Luna before she simply nodded her head.

"Very well," she said as Luna departed from the tent.

There was muttering amongst some of the ponies in the garden.  Many were bowing out of respect and the two guards that had been posted outside the tent stood at full attention.  Luna paid no attention as she spread her wings, taking off into the cloudless sky with a single stroke.

Luna closed her eyes and breathed deeply as she flew higher, for a brief moment trying not to feel the pressure of the past three-hundred years.  Forgetting about the barrier and just feeling the air moving under her feathers.  As she opened her eyes though a spot of silver caught her attention.

The Night Princess slowly began to glide toward the strange light which seemed to be settled in a grove of apple trees on the far side of the garden.  It was beautiful, but Luna could feel a sense of foreboding the longer she looked at it.  Nopony was supposed to be in that part of the gardens.

Taking too long

"You can't rush genius.  Especially since I have no intention of being caught in the blast when this does go off," the thief responded to his ever-present partner.  "The spell will work.  It just needs a little time."

The cloak wearer had donned his unicorn disguise again, just another pony wandering the gardens.  Granted he was keeping a fair distance away from the stalls and the other ponies.  That was mostly so nobody could hear him talking to the disembodied voice.  Although with nothing but the tendril's voice to accompany him it seemed boredom was setting in quickly.

Taking too long...

"Oh fine, I'll go back and see what's keeping them!" the beige pony sighed.  "Sheesh!  Bossy, bossy, bossy."

The stranger scuffled back to his hooves, muttering darkly under his breath.  A pang of worry had hit him as much as he loathed admitting it.  Something should have happened with that spell a while ago.

"There he is!" a new voice cut in.

The stranger's concentration snapped back to the world around him.  He looked with a start toward the voice and the one it belonged to.

"Huh.  I forgot all about him," the thief muttered.

Talon was charging straight at him, apparently not noticing or caring about the ponies that had heard his outburst.  Right on his heels was Justy, her armor clattering as she pulled ahead of the reptile.  The tan thief turned to run but stumbled as soon as he started.  Looking down he found a miniature white barrier around each hoof was rather effectively anchoring him to the ground.

Idiot

"Who asked you?" he muttered in response.

Justice had a smug smile on her face as she trotted up to her prisoner, her horn blazing like a star.  The four bubbles around his hooves quickly expanded and fused into one that encompassed his entire body.  Talon skidded to a halt next to her just as she finished forming the barrier.

"Heh, first day on the job and I bag a thief.  Not too bad," the young guardmare said.

"First day?  I thought your duties didn't start until tomorrow," Talon pointed out.

"Details, details."  Justy dismissed with a wave of her hoof.  "Let's hand this guy over to the boys at the castle then find Ray and Moonbeam."

Talon looked at the ground around the thief though and shook his head.

"Wait, where's the present?" he asked, turning a purple-eyed glare on the bubbled unicorn.

"Present?" the stranger asked, trying to look innocent.  "I wonder.  Wherever could I have left it?"

"Don't try and be cute, buddy.  I don't have to keep you in the roomy bubble," Justice warned, her barrier shimmering threateningly.  "The gift.  What did you do with it?"

"Oh relax, I gave it back to that poor little filly already," he prisoner chuckled.  "I felt so awful about the whole thing I even tossed in an extra surprise!"

Though he was laughing there was something sinister about the way he had said 'surprise.'  Talon felt a shiver pass up his spine as his eyes narrowed further on the thief.

"You'd better not have done something to my family." the dragon growled, clenching his claws into fists.

There was a far off rumble as if in response.  Ponies across the gardens stopped in their tracks, looking toward the noise and gasping in shock and amazement.  A rocket of silver light was rising high into the sky, exploding in a burst of violet and yellow.  A massive BOOM like some great firework echoed from explosion.

"If I were you, I'd be more worried about what that cute little sister of yours is about to do," the stranger answered with a mocking smile to his captors.

Ray felt his knees buckle as he struggled to hold his spell.  The fireworks might have looked impressive from a distance but the grove itself was in chaos.  More and more cracks and bulges were forming along the surface of the orb as Ray struggled to suppress the tide within.

He was failing and he knew it.  All around him the escaping magic was lashing against the trees, knocking loose chunks of bark and entire branches as it left scorch marks wherever it touched.  The loose debris were whirling around the orb as though caught in a tornado, colliding with pulses of magic and occasionally one another and careening wildly in new directions.

Ray pushed himself up, struggling to regain control of the insane amounts of magic saturating the air around him.  There was a sickening CRACK as another branch was blasted off a nearby tree.  Ray barely had time to register that it was flying right toward his face.

With a loud FWOOSH a blast of blue flames struck the incoming projectile.  In seconds it was reduced to harmless ashes that dusted along his helmet and armor.  A welcoming white dome formed around him as he managed to turn his head enough to see his rescuers.

"Talon...Justy..." The exhausted stallion panted.

The pale mare managed to smile at her partner before turning her concentration back to the shield.  The occupant of her other barrier giggled a bit as he applauded his front hooves together.

"So you're the one that's been holding this back!  All by yourself at that, I'm honestly impressed," the stranger spoke up.

"What did you bring him along for?" Talon asked, glaring at the thief.

"Like letting him run loose is a better idea?" Justy grunted in response.

Ray was breathing heavily as he turned toward the prisoner.  What of his fur could be seen under the armor was matted with sweat.  His eyes seemed to be having trouble focusing even as he glared at the beige blob before him.

"What...did you...do to her?"  He gasped out.

"I told you already, it's just a little something to help her reach her full potential," Justy's prisoner explained.

"Ray, by her you don't mean - " Talon asked, fear filling his eyes as his brother cut him off.

"Moonbeam...She's in there..." Ray panted, his knees wobbling like jelly.

The stallion's eyes rolled back as his legs buckled again.  Talon dove forward and caught the sun-colored unicorn as he toppled over, the glow around his horn extinguishing.  The yellow magic around the sphere quickly vanished, the pulsing of energy around it growing stronger.

"No!"  Ray shouted, his horn sparking pitifully as Talon cradled him.

"I wouldn't do that!  Try to channel too much more and you won't like the consequences," the stranger cautioned.

"You..." Talon growled, smoke pouring from his nostrils as he turned his glare at the mushroom-colored pony.

"Incoming!" Justy screamed.

A massive wave of energy slammed against the barrier.  Justy howled in pain as huge cracks appeared along the surface of her protective spell.  The smaller barrier holding the prisoner shattered into fragments as her concentration on it broke, setting the smirking pony free.

"Well now.  Seems somepony might need a little bit of direction." He commented, his horn shimmering.

The strange unicorn gasped as he suddenly felt a set of clawed hands grab him from behind.  A few scratches were left along his shoulders as he suddenly found himself face-to-face with Talon.  The dragon's face was a mask of righteous fury as he tightened his grip.

"Forget it!  You're not getting close to her!" Talon growled, tightening his grip.

Another blast of silver slammed into Justy's barrier.  The white mare screamed again, the spell shattering to fragments under the force.  She and Talon were both bowled to the ground while the thief wormed his way free of the dragon's claws.

"You were saying?" the stranger said, turning toward the mass of chaos.

The orb was expanding, charges of amethyst lightning passing over its surface.  The beige unicorn didn't seem to notice or care as he simply melted right into the magic.  Ray struggled back to an upright position, shaking his helmet off as he did so and letting his sweat-soaked mane flop free.

"Moonbeam!"  The stallion shouted.

"No no no no..." Moonbeam was chanting to herself as she struggled with her magic.

All around her the intensity of the storm had been increasing.  There was nothing visible but a cloud of silver with arcs of purple lightning dancing through it in strange patterns.  The filly was squeezing her temples as she desperately tried to do something.

"Ray, Talon, Justy, somepony," Moonbeam whimpered, tears falling from her glowing eyes.  "I can't...I can't stop it!"

"Poor little thing," a voice cut in.

Moonbeam gasped, looking around for who had spoken.  She didn't have to look far to spot the orb of shimmering lavender floating through the strange ether toward her.  Her eyes widened in recognition of the pony inside.

"You!  Why are you doing this?"  Moonbeam asked as The Stranger's shield floated around her.

The tan unicorn looked over her trembling form.  The tears still rolling from her eyes and leaving dark trails down her face all while more magic emanated from her into the storm around her.  He drifted closer, gently laying one beige hoof on her horn.

"Aww, poor dear.  You don't even realize what an important gift you have here," the strange stallion pointed out.

Moonbeam winced and struggled to pull away but a familiar feeling of magic wrapping around her brought an end to that.

"More magic than anypony has seen in over three-hundred years," he said with a smirk.  "Oooh all the things I could..."

He stopped as something tightened around his neck.  Frowning deeply he turned a sickly purple glow on the filly before him.

"Fine.  We'll do this your way."  He grumbled, face scrunching like a spoiled child.  "One barrier, going down."

Moonbeam gasped in horror as the magic around her suddenly began to rush upward.  Her horn released another pulse of magic into the storm as her paralyzed body struggled to scream.

Ray screamed as the orb shattered, a crushing blast of silver magic sending him flying.  The stallion could see more branches being ripped from the grove, even an entire tree being hoisted into the air by the force.  He grunted as he felt himself collide with something scaly and lanky, something that managed to spin around and set him on the ground next to Justy.

"Talon!" Ray shouted, staring at the dragon in horror.

The sapphire-scaled reptile had his wings spread, face contorted in pain as the magic tearing into the trees and ground around them slammed into his back.  The dragon staggered but managed to stay standing as his body prevented the rampaging energy from reaching either of the unicorns.

"Thank the heavens for magic resistant scales, huh?" Talon managed to gasp out.

Talon fell to his knees as another burst struck home.  The magic infusing the grove seemed to be swirling faster and faster as tendrils of violet energy laced through it.  With a howl of wind the flow of the magic reversed, drawing the debris toward the center like a massive cycle.  Talon hurriedly dug his claws into the loamy soil as Ray and Justy braced against his spread wings.

"What's happening?!"  Justy shouted, struggling to avoid being pulled in.

"I'm not sure!"  Ray answered, peeking from around his brother's wing.

The tree, branches, fallen apples and a variety of other detritus were gathering above the sphere, where a single point of light at the top shone brighter than the rest.  Ray gasped as he realized what was about to happen.

The stallion didn't have time to say anything as a beam of silver light shot straight upward toward the barrier.  The sheer force of the blast sent the fallen foliage soaring directly toward the three helpless bystanders.

A wall of gray light suddenly sprang up, the debris smashing to pieces against it.

"Captain Rook!"  Justy shouted.

The graying guard captain breathed a sigh of relief, his shield dropping as the last of the apples splattered against it.  Up above the rogue blast smashed into a shimmering shell of yellow and blue light.  Luna and Celestia orbited around the newly formed barrier, their own magic concentrated on it.

"The Princesses!?"  Ray gasped out.

"You three are lucky Luna spotted what was happening," Rook declared, marching toward the trio.  "Now does somepony want to tell me what exactly is going on around here?"

Ray swallowed hard and stepped forward, feeling more sweat starting to bead on his face.

"It's Moonbeam, sir,"  Ray answered, his eyes locked on Rook.

"Your little sister?"  The guard captain asked, raising a skeptical eyebrow.

"Help me understand this, Ray.  How in the hay can Moonbeam be causing that?" Justy asked, her steel-colored eyes narrowing on the saffron stallion.

"Moonbeam - she can't control her magic," Ray admitted, bowing his head.  "Sometimes it just spins out and - "

"Causes stuff like this to happen?" Justy queried, pushing closer to Ray.

"The worst she's done before is rearrange the furniture at home!" Ray responded, falling back a couple steps.  "That weird thief put some spell on her!"

"But it's still all her magic, right?" Justy asked.

Ray simply nodded, Justy stepping closer again with her gaze hardening.

"Justy, stand down," Rook ordered, putting himself between the two unicorns.  "Ray, we'll discuss this matter later.  Right now we - "

A loud CRACK cut him off.  The light pouring from Moonbeam hadn't stopped.  Celestia and Luna's barrier was still shimmering as energy poured into it but a fracture was forming along the surface of it.

"Your majesties!" Rook shouted.

"Captain Rook!  I'm not certain how much longer the shield will hold!" Celestia called down.  "Fall back and begin evacuating the citizens!"

"What about Moonbeam?  We can't just leave her!" Talon exclaimed.

"You can bet that spell is gonna do some serious damage to the barrier at the very least."  Rook responded.  "We don't have time to worry about one pony."

"Sir, if I can get to Moonbeam I can cut the spell!"  Ray protested.  "The magic is directed away from us I should be able to get in now..."

"And then what?  Ray, that much magic is still gonna need to go somewhere!" Justy pointed out.

"I'm sorry Ray but we have our orders," Rook pointed out, brow furrowed.

The yellow stallion took another step back, glancing toward the column of silver light that held his sister.

"Yeah but I'm not on duty until tomorrow," he pointed out.

The steel-armored pony broke into a gallop, charging right at the light.  Rook's horn flared as his magic reached for Ray only for Talon to raise a wing in its path.  Before anypony else could react the young stallion leapt into the column of chaotic magic.

"I know this shouldn't be taking so long.  What do you expect me to do about it?"  the stranger argued with his invisible companion.

Moonbeam was trembling as more of her magic poured from her.  No matter how much joined the storm it never seemed to stop.  She could still feel reserves of energy driving to join the flood, like a never ending layer of static drowning out all other sensations.

"Moonbeam!" a familiar voice broke through the static.

The filly opened her glowing eyes, gasping at the sight of her brother charging toward her.  A thin layer of golden light shimmered around him, the barest minimum of a shield holding back the chaotic magic.  The Stranger turned a glare on Ray and his eyes flashed red for a moment.

"You again?" he commented.  "Talk about not knowing when to quit."

Ray stumbled to a halt, panting as he glared at the thief.  His horn was releasing a few sparks and wisps of smoke, the flimsy shield around him flickering out in several spots.

"First you steal from her, now you try and - I don't even know what you're doing to her but it stops - " Ray shouted.

He let out a strangle gasp as a tendril of purple energy suddenly wrapped around him, lifting his hooves from the ground.  The aura around him shimmered, focusing around his neck trying to break the grip.

"Ray!" Moonbeam screamed.

"Ugh, you heroic types just love to hear yourselves talk," the stranger commented.  "Just shut up and stay - "

The silver magic and purple lighting in the air around the thief began to shift.  Its chaotic patterns twisting toward the beige unicorn as they formed a swirling ring around him.

"Out of...the...what the hay is going on?" he gasped as the magical energy began to crack and spark harder.

Both Ray and his captor's eyes flew toward Moonbeam.  The silver pools that were her eyes were narrowed at the one that held her brother captive.

"Let.  Him.  GO!"  She shouted, her voice booming like a thunderstorm.

A flash of lighting danced over the strange pony.  He had time to begin to gasp in shock before vanishing in a clap of thunder.  

Ray grunted as he was dropped back to the ground, his knees shaking for a moment before he was able to run toward his sister.  The filly was taking deep breaths, her face screwed up in concentration.

"Ray," she squeaked out as her brother reached her.

"That was some light show," the armored pony said with a grin as he gently nuzzled his sister.

"You - You need to get out of here!" Moonbeam gasped weakly.  "I still can't stop this and he's not controlling it anymore!"

"I'm not leaving without you," Ray said, his horn flickering as he tried to focus his magic.

"No!  You're too tired!  You might get hurt," Moonbeam gasped.

"Moonbeam, what did I say earlier?" Ray asked, leaning over the filly.

Moonbeam stared at him, then closed her shining eyes and sniffled a bit.  Ray gently tapped his horn against hers with practiced ease.

"Everything is going to be fine," he whispered.

Outside the column of silver was crackling threateningly.  Rook and Justy had formed a shield of gray and white magic between them and the stray bolts of magic peeling from it.  Talon's amethyst eyes were wide with fear as the magic arced out of control.  The shield Celestia and Luna held in place overhead was a spider web of cracks and pits in spite of all the power being poured into it.

"I don't like the looks of this!" Justy shouted.

"Ray's done this before!  He has a plan!" Talon responded before quietly adding.  "I hope."

The column wobbled unstably, as though its glow were suddenly being filtered through water.  A point of yellow appeared on the surface of it, slowly breaking off into a fragment of light that burst apart into harmless sparkles.

"I don't believe it."  Rook gasped out.

More points of yellow broke away from the column, shattering into sparkling dust that was swept away with the wind.  Celestia and Luna nodded to one another, their magic swirling around the column as well.  Soon whole chunks of the construct were peeling off and collapsing into stardust and flecks of light.

The swirling winds in the grove were dying out.  Rook and Justy's shield fell as the last layers of silver light were stripped away.  Moonbeam lay in the center of the grove, her hooves covering her eyes as she trembled in place.  Ray stood over her with wisps of steam rising from his body.  Slowly the filly uncovered her eyes and looked around as they faded back to their normal purple.

"What did I tell you?"  Ray asked, panting for breath.

Both unicorns gasped as they suddenly found themselves pulled into a very scaly hug complete with dragon wings wrapped around them.

"You're okay!" Talon practically sobbed.

"Little tight!" Ray gasped out, his brother releasing his hold.

The yellow stallion stumbled a bit, wincing in pain.  The pain and a quick glance around the grove was enough to wipe whatever good feelings had been starting.  Celestia stood behind his siblings, her eyes no long as gentle as they had been at the ceremony.

"I don't think we're out of trouble just yet either."  Ray said.

As the three siblings faced the Princess of the Sun none of them looked up.  None of them saw Luna with a thoughtful expression on her face as she landed next to Rook and Justy.

"My sister and I can handle matters from here," the darker alicorn said with a nod.  "Captain, you and Initiate Justice should make sure no others were harmed."

Rook gave the Princess a curious look but didn't argue.  He and Justy snapped a quick salute, the two slowly leaving the grove back toward the castle ground.  As she prepared to leave herself Luna felt her hoof bump something.  Something other than a torn branch or splattered apple.

"So, for the last five years you've hidden Moonbeam's lack of control from everypony?"  Celestia asked.

Ray flinched but nodded in confirmation to the alicorn.  He was rather hoping that wouldn't have been the part she'd focused on, having just related the entire afternoon's events to her.

Visiting the throne room should have been a great honor for anypony but Ray simply felt exposed without his armor.  Though she had looked stern Celestia had ordered that all three siblings have their injuries treated.  Ray knew he'd gotten the worst of it, bandaged burns along his torso where his armor had heated were proof of that.  There was a small pang of regret for not listening to the warning about over-channeling.

Talon's scales had lived up to the reputation set in fairy-tales.  In spite of taking such heavy impacts from the wild magic he'd only been left physically exhausted.  One wouldn't guess that by the way he stood over Moonbeam though.  The filly was (shockingly enough) uninjured but Talon still shielded her as he looked from her to Ray and then to the princesses, his eyes filled with worry and the vaguest hint of a threat.

Celestia and Luna themselves were in their place of authority.  Celestia seated in her throne, her face a mixture of sympathy and disappointment.  Luna occupied a smaller cushion next to her, her gaze unreadable as she seemed to be contemplating something.  Moonbeam peeked from behind Talon's wings her eyes wide in awe at her first (and probably only) chance to stand so close to Equestrian royalty, barely noticing the pair of phoenixes perched to the side.

"I don't know what else I can say, your majesties," Ray admitted.  "We came to Canterlot when she was barely more than a foal.  I always thought she'd just grow into her powers."

"He was just trying to protect me," Moonbeam spoke up.

"Moonbeam, wait," Talon tried to quiet the filly.

Moonbeam slid from behind the dragon, ignoring his warning.

"I was embarrassed about it," she insisted, moving to Ray's side.  "Ray and Talon promised to keep it a secret for me - "

"Unfortunately that doesn't change the fact that somepony else knew about it," Celestia stated.  "What's more, this supposed thief realized you had a great deal of power.  Our options for dealing with this are limited."

Moonbeam whimpered a bit and Talon was back at her side, pulling her close.  Ray looked up at the Sun Princess, unblinking as he waited for the hammer to fall.

"Even if the thief were caught others might seek out Moonbeam to misuse her power," Celestia explained, sadly.  "The only course of action is to - seal her away.  Somewhere nopony would be able to find her."

Moonbeam cringed in fear, tears starting to fall.  Ray closed his eyes, his head falling in despair while Talon held his sister close.

"Let's not be hasty, sister," Luna spoke up.

All eyes were on the Princess of the Moon as she stood, looking down at the crying filly.

"My little ponies, are you familiar with the legend of the Elements of Harmony?" Luna asked.

Silence reigned in the throne room as the siblings looked to one another in confusion.

"We all know it.  Everybody in Canterlot does I think," Ray spoke up.

"I used to read it to Moonbeam as a bedtime story," Talon admitted.

"Luna you can't be thinking - " Celestia responded, horror crossing her face.

"The Elements are not simply a story.  Three-hundred years ago they were the last hope of Equestria against The Smooze," Luna explained, ignoring her sister.  "My sister and I were there when the magic of the Elements failed to stop the chaos."

Moonbeam gasped, her mind recalling something.  Five ponies floating in a sea of purple.  Five jeweled necklaces shining with power.

"The Smooze tried to steal them, didn't it?" Moonbeam guessed.

Celestia's surprised gaze moved from her sister to Moonbeam.  Luna seemed a bit taken back as well but nodded in confirmation.

"It was not successful, thankfully.  In their final moment the Elements of Harmony released some new kind of power," Luna went on.  "Somehow they broke free from The Smooze, scattering to the far corners of Equestria."

"Luna and I couldn't try to trace them down.  Not without completely abandoning the country to the forces of chaos," Celestia chimed in, finding her voice again.  "And so the Elements have remained lost to this day."

The three siblings were silent, Moonbeam being the first to speak up.

"What does that have to do with me?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Celestia gave Luna a desperate look, but the younger Princess stepped closer to the trio.

"The Elements of Harmony were - are the greatest magical artifacts in all of Equestria," Luna explained.  "With their power we could reinforce the barrier and make sure this incident can't repeat itself.  It's possible that they might call out to a pony with enough magical power - "

"That's enough, Luna!"  Celestia butted in.  "She's just a child!"

"A child with more magical power than we've seen in three centuries," Luna pointed out.  "A child who's only other hope for the future is to be sealed away for her own and other's safety."

Celestia pursed her lips, her eyes locked with Luna's.  Neither Princess was backing down.

"I'll do it..." a small voice spoke up.

"Moonbeam are you serious?" Talon asked, staring at the filly.

Ray seemed shocked into silence along with both of the alicorns.  Moonbeam nodded her head, wiping the tears from her eyes as she looked up.

"That thief found me somehow.  Even if you lock me up he might come back right?"  Moonbeam asked, shaking a bit at the thought.  "Maybe if I'm at least away from Canterlot..."

The filly didn't finish her thought, just trailing off and bowing her head.  Ray took a deep breath and turned toward the Princesses.

"I'm going with her then," he announced.

"Yeah, me too!" Talon exclaimed.

"Guys, no!"  Moonbeam gasped in shock, only for Ray to put a hoof under her chin.

"Hey, we promised right?  When we first left for Canterlot?" Ray reminded her.

"All three of us together, no matter what,"  Talon said as he gave the filly an affectionate squeeze.

Moonbeam smiled at her brothers, her body slumping in relief at those words.

"You realize what you're volunteering for?" Celestia asked, staring in amazement at the three.  "Beyond the barrier itself, there's no telling what you might find."

"We managed to handle that when we came to Canterlot five years ago," Ray said.  "We'll be okay.  Somehow."

Celestia lowered her gaze for a moment but then turned and nodded to Luna.

"In that case, there's two things we should give you," Luna stated.

The two Princesses focused as a swirl of midnight blue and sunrise yellow magic flew away from them.  Talon yelped in surprise as the magic wrapped around him, twisting over his body and working its way into his nostrils and mouth.  The magic faded quickly, leaving the dragon looking over himself with a very confused expression as Celestia picked up a sheet of parchment in her telekinesis.

"What was that?" Ray asked, looking worried.

"A simple enchantment, one that works with a dragon's natural magic," Celestia explained, focusing on the parchment sheet.

The paper vanished in a flash of light.  Talon grunted and suddenly released a belch of cerulean fire which spun overhead.  In less than a second the flame coalesced into the blank parchment which floated to the ground.

"That was different," Talon admitted.

"Talon can get messages from you two now?" Moonbeam asked.

"As well as send back reports of your progress.  The magic creates a connection and from there it's a matter of practice," Luna explained.  "The spell we cast should help most of it come naturally.  As for the second gift..."

Something levitated from behind Luna's cushion.  A gift box, the wrapping paper stained and torn, the box itself dented and smudged.

"My present!" Moonbeam exclaimed as it landed on the ground in front of her.

"I had a feeling this was yours," Luna said with a smile.

Moonbeam looked at the box with a sad little smile on her face as she peeled back the last of the paper with her hooves and flipped open the top.  Inside sat three golden lockets each inscribed with a different symbol: a pair of scales, a cloud with sunbeams poking through and a tiny flame.  Ray's magic wrapped around the one that matched his cutie mark, lifting it to eye-level as he gently opened it.  A single picture was inside, one with three young ponies (two fillies and colt) and a little dragon smiling at the viewer.

"I thought you and Justy would be busy with guard duty, so with these we could see each other whenever we wanted," Moonbeam explained as Talon picked up the flame one and looked at the picture inside.  "I thought that since it had been five years since we got here - Since we met Justy - I got one for each of you guys."

The filly looked at the last locket in the box, then up to Luna.

"Could you make sure she gets hers?" she asked, her voice cracking a little.  "I don't think I wanna pull her into all this.  She was really looking forward to being in the Day Guard."

"I'm sure we can manage that," Celestia said with a gentle smile.

"Peewee?" Luna asked.

One of the phoenixes chirruped, swooping down and scooping the final locket up in its beak.  It flapped a few times and soared out the window, heading out toward the castle grounds.

"I guess we'll have some packing to do," Ray said, putting a hoof on Moonbeam's back.

"Guys?" Moonbeam asked, still looking at the window the phoenix had left through.

"Yeah, Moonbeam?" Talon asked, fastening his locket around his neck.

"Thanks."

No one in the room notice a shadow slinking just under the window outside.  The cloaked stranger winced at the chorus of whispers in his ears but nodded.  He darted away from the castle, heading away from the grounds and toward the city proper below.

Justy sighed heavily, her armor levitating to its stand in the corner of her room.  Her small apartment was perfect for just one pony, everything neat and in its place.  Desk and floor polished with the window open to let a late-afternoon breeze in that failed to lift her spirits.

"Too close to all this," Justy grumbled, recalling what Rook had said.  "Only my friends getting banished or worse...Ugh.  All that attitude I gave Ray, too..."

The white mare slumped onto the couch that also served as her bed.

"Awful negative aren't you?" a voice asked from the window.

Justy sat up with a start, eyes glaring at the cloaked figure.  His face may have been hidden but his voice was all too familiar.

"You!" she snapped, her magic reaching for the stranger.

He slid under the spell, his body and cloak suddenly flattening against the floor.  In an instant Justy found herself face-to-cloak hood with the thieving pony.

"You should relax, I'm here to deliver some good news about your friends," he said, the grin apparent in his voice.  "It seems banishment isn't quite in the cards for them."

"Really?!" Justy gasped, before recalling who she was speaking to.  "Wait, why are you telling me this?"

"Oh I thought you might need some cheering up.  I couldn't help but notice how many secrets your 'friends' were keeping from you," the stranger answered.  "And now they're heading out into the wilderness without so much as a word to you."

"You just said they weren't banished!" Justy shouted.

"Maybe you'd like the whole story?"  her guest asked, tilting his head curiously.

With a chirp Peewee the phoenix alighted on the windowsill for Justy's apartment.  It had taken sometime before Rook understood what the fire-bird had been searching for and even longer for him to find the proper window in the housing complex.

He tilted his head curiously with the locket still clutched in his beak.  Rook had been very clear that he had sent Justy home until her shift started next morning.

However the apartment was utterly devoid of life.  Even the armor stand in the corner was empty, though knocked askew as though somepony had left in a hurry.

Next Chapter: New Faces Estimated time remaining: 39 Minutes