“So... you actually are an alien? Like, from another planet?”

Dash wouldn't stop staring at him, flapping around to study him at various angles while they walked. Story tried not to pay too much attention to it all; the curiosity- and edge of distrust- was understandable. Twilight, though, had apparently had enough. “Dash, please,” she said. “Just let it go for now, alright? He's been through more than you can imagine.”

“Yeah, but....” The pegasus sighed, landing next to him. “Okay, that's fair. Sorry, Jacob.”

“It's okay. And please... I'd rather you still called me Story.” He gave her a smile. “All things considered, you're not taking the whole idea too badly.” He turned his head. “Neither are you, First... and to be honest, when it came to the idea of telling you everything, I was terrified that you'd feel lied to.”

“Part of me wants to feel like that, but thinking about what you've been doing for us....” She looked down at the ground. “What right have I got to judge you?”

“You have the rights due to you as a pony, and as my friend.” He brushed against her side. “What I am and what I've done doesn't change how I feel about all you've done for me, First. It doesn't make your opinion or your feelings any less important.”

Her smile returned, slowly. “Thanks, Ja- I mean, Story.” She fell silent for a moment. “Why is it you still want to go by that name? I mean, if you're okay with me asking that.”

“Because Jacob is just the guy along for the ride. Story is the one who's going to have to live with everything I've done to him. From what I know of him he isn't a very physical stallion.”

Dash snickered. “Coulda fooled me,” she said, pointing at the bandages he still had wrapped around his chest. “I'd think you were an earth pony, taking all that abuse and still standing.”

“I'm just stubborn.” He grinned.

“No way.” First gave him a light prod on the shoulder. “Going head-to-head with a timberwolf? Especially one like that one you told us about? That goes beyond 'stubborn' and starts straddling the line between 'brave' and 'crazy'.” She chuckled. “How are you feeling, by the way? Bandages too tight? I can rewrap them.”

“No, I'm good. The healing spell Twilight used took a lot of the edge off of the wounds. But thanks for asking.”

“How about you, Twilight?”

The violet mare blinked, looked over at them. “Huh? Oh. No, I'm okay, thank you.” She considered for a moment. “Story, may I ask exactly how this 'body-sharing' thing you've been doing works? You said that Jacob is in control... are you aware of Story's mind in any fashion?”

“No.” He let out a sigh. “I mean, I have access to his memories... sort of. Just knowledge of his life, no actual rememberings. I've never heard a whisper of a thought from him. As far as I know, ever since I've gotten here, I've been in complete control of his body every moment I've been awake.”

“I see.” She returned to her thoughtful silence, and the rest of them likewise went quiet for the rest of the walk, until they reached their destination. “Okay, wow,” Story murmured. “This is seriously something. I've seen big libraries, but this? This takes the cake.”

He'd also heard of the term “ivory towers” being used metaphorically, but this was the first time he'd actually seen any. The Canterlot Royal Archives consisted of several of them, linked together by a grand campus building. “I don't know, looking through your memories I'm seeing some pretty impressive libraries,” Twilight replied. “And other educational institutes, too. Did you really once get lost in the Smithsonian Institute for three hours?” She giggled quietly.

He sighed as the violet mare led them into the building. “Please tell me you're not going to relate every one of my embarrassing moments,” he said.

“Oh, I don't know, I think I could stand to hear a few more.” First gave him a playful grin.

“Sure, pick on the poor defenseless alien.” He couldn't keep from grinning for a moment. “Are they here? I thought they were going to be waiting for us.”

“We're right over here, sugarcube,” called a voice. Applejack, the other Bearers, Spike and Shining Armor were standing off to the side. “We're... sweet blushing golden apples! Twi? Story? What the hay happened to you two?!”

“Shhhhh!” The librarian at the front desk shot her a disapproving glare.

“Um... oops. Sorry.” She looked down at the floor sheepishly, while Fluttershy gazed at her injured friends with concern. “Oh my,” she murmured. “I'd... I'd heard you'd both been hurt, but....”

“It's okay, Fluttershy. It's not quite as bad as it looks. A little healing magic does wonders. I appreciate your concern, but we're galloping against the clock.” She sighed. “You don't really appreciate teleporting until you're too exhausted to do it when you need to.”

“Speaking of the clock, let's go, everypony.” Shining motioned for them to follow him. “I've restricted access to the Ancient Mythologies and Advanced Thaumatic Constructs sections. Once we're there, Twilight can fill everypony in on just what's happened and we can get to work on research.”

And that was what Twilight did once they'd reached the first section on their agenda. It was a streamlined explanation, to be sure- especially coming from someone as prone towards exposition as Twilight- but the others were brought up to speed quickly. The reactions to Story's true nature brought varied reactions from the others. “Whoa, wait, hang on,” Applejack said. “So... Story, technically, yer a spy?”

“Um... no, that's really not the word I'd use,” Story answered. “How about... 'undercover agent'?”

“Oooh, I like that.” Dash grinned.

“Okay, everypony, let's cut the chatter.” Shining took a look around the room. “The Princesses have been notified; they've accepted the explanation of what's going on, but can't join us yet- there's too much regarding the Renewal that can't be neglected. The front desk had no records of Trixie checking out any books, so she probably took her notes in here- and she's still in a catatonic state, so we have no way to know what she read. Twilight, what should we look for?”

“Anything regarding magic of a corrosive nature, or anything that would use it. Look for words like 'acidic', 'deconstructive', 'entropic' or anything else having to do with rot, decomposition or destruction.”

“Got it. Let's spread out and get started.”

It was a difficult search through countless numbers of old tomes and reference materials, during which Story seriously missed computers and the Internet. At least levitating books wasn't aggravating his headache. “Hey there, tough guy,” came a voice. “How are you holding up?”

Story looked to his left, then down. Spike was peering at him from around a stack of books taller than him. “Oh, hey, Spike. Yeah, I'm managing... could use a nap, though. What have you got there?”

“I skimmed the indexes of these books, and it looks like they might have something useful. You look like a pretty fast reader, so could you lend a hoof?”

“Sure. I've had no luck here.” He took half the books out of the virtual tower Spike was hoisting and laid them on his back, then trotted with the juvenile dragon to one of the tables that dotted the room. “So, um, Story,” the reptile said once the books had been set down. “Uh... what's it like, being an alien?”

He chuckled. “What's it like being a dragon?”

Spike blinked, then laughed quietly at himself. “Yeah, dumb way to phrase that, I guess,” he admitted, pulling himself onto the table and opening one of the books. “I just... well, I've never met somepony who isn't even from Equus before. I guess I'm kinda curious... what do you think of Equestria?”

He felt himself grinning, even as he began leafing through one of the thick tomes. “Spike... this place is absolutely wonderful. There's no magic where I'm from at all.” He caught sight of the young reptile's eyes widening. “No dragons, either. Or talking ponies or zebras or donkeys, or minotaurs or griffons. No timberwolves either, at least the kind you have here, but I'm not so put out about that.” They shared a laugh. “It's... there's so much I've seen here that I would've never come across back home. I envy you guys so much, seriously.”

“Wow. I... I guess I never thought about Equestria like that before. Is where you're from that bad?”

“It's not bad, it's just... my kind doesn't have the same kind of unity ponies do. What happened at the celebration, with the singing, that whole 'magic of friendship' thing- it floored me. There's been plenty of times we could've used that sort of thing, or leaders like your Princesses, to help us find our way.”

“Well, yeah, but... I mean, how bad can your kind be? If you're just some average pony- err, I mean, whatever you guys call yourselves- but you're doing all this to help us....”

“...then perhaps your kind are more open to friendship than even you know, darling.” Rarity followed her words up to the table, levitating a small number of books beside her. “From what little I've overheard Twilight mumbling about your home, I would think it some incomprehensible wonderland- but you seem no different from anypony. I simply cannot believe it to be an act.”

“Yeah, and I don't think that the magic of friendship would've touched you if you were some kind of bad guy. That's a thing.” Spike grinned.

“Heh. Okay, okay, thanks, you bunch of flatterers.” He grinned. “Yeah... when you get down to it we're not terribly different from you for the most part, at least in personality. I'm not saying we don't....” His voice trailed off as he spotted something on the page he was looking across. “...Spike, do you have any bookmarks?”

“Yep, brought a bunch.” He opened a small wooden box that had multicolored strips of cloth; Story levitated one out and slipped it between the pages he was reading. Rarity set her books down, picked one at random and opened it, and the three of them managed a light conversation while reading. Some time passed before First trotted up with a good couple dozen books balanced on her back. “Jeez, First,” Story chuckled. “Grab a few more, they'll build you a wing to keep them in.”

“Oh, har har.” She gave him a grateful smile as he lifted the books up with his magic. “I found a nice selection that have some chapters on... what was it? 'Self-sustaining counter-enthalpathic spell matrices'. I'll admit I don't have the best vocabulary....”

“I beg to differ!” Twilight interrupted, magically tugging an entire cart full of books behind her. “That's precisely the sort of thing I need. Good work, First.”

From then on it was a matter of buckling down and reading. Story had to take a short break due to his headache flaring up on him from all the staring at small writing; First went with him. “Let me have a look at your eyes,” she told him once they'd reached one of the quiet reading areas.

He did so, taking the opportunity to clean off his glasses. “Okay, seems like normal dilation,” she said. “I just wanted to be sure you weren't suffering from delayed concussion symptoms. You really took a beating in that cavern.”

“Yeah, but you ponies are made of some tough stuff, it seems.”

“Right, says the one who spent the night playing tag with a timberwolf.” She chuckled. “Hoo. This... this has been one memorable trip.”

“You're telling me.”

First sighed quietly. “Story... I'm in a weird place right now. I don't know how to deal with this. I know that the Bearers have strange stuff happen to them all the time, but now I wonder how they haven't gone completely insane.”

“It was my understanding that Pinkie Pie saved time and did that beforehoof.” He grinned.

First giggled. “Yeah, that's efficient.” After a moment, her smile fell, and she gazed down at the floor. “Story... I was going to ask you today if you wanted to start dating me. And now I find out that you're... well, a lot more out-of-town than I thought. And if we're not all wiped out of existence, you'll be leaving.” She let out another sigh. “I'm not good with long-distance relationships, Story. Especially, you know, off-planet ones.”

“Postage alone gets to be a problem with those.” The joke fell flat; his heart wasn't in it. Her forlorn expression was killing him. “First... I'm sorry. I never meant for this kind of situation to happen. You deserve better.”

“I really want to be angry at you, Story. But how can I? Knowing what you've been going through, how lost you must have felt trying to figure out us ponies while you were also trying to figure out how to save us....” She looked into his eyes. “I thought for a bit that maybe I'd fallen for an impostor, but I can't believe that. It just turns out I've found the most thoughtful, brave and caring pony I've ever known, only... he's not actually a pony.”

She looked close to tears, and he wasn't far behind. “First, I'm so sorry,” he told her, putting a foreleg over her neck in a gentle embrace. “I didn't want to hurt you. I wanted to tell you who I really am, what was going on... but honestly, what would you have done if I had?”

“...probably drag you off to the nearest psychiatric ward.” Her chuckles became quiet sniffles, and he lightly stroked her mane. “What's... going to happen to you after this?” she asked. “And to the actual Story Seeker?”

“I'm... not sure. One way or another, I'll be heading home due to the Princesses... either the ones here or in the Ethereal Plane. Then I guess Story gets to deal with the aftermath.” He shook his head and sighed. “I've got no idea how he's going to react. I don't know if he's been aware of what I'm doing, or if he's just in limbo, or what... but either which way, he's probably going to have a lot of issues to work out once I'm out of his head.” He fell silent for a moment. “First... would you do something for me?”

“You want me to look after Story once you're gone.”

“I want- um.” He went still for a moment. “Okay, did Twilight teach you that memory spell to let you peek into my mind?”

A chortle escaped her lips. “I'll do that for you. And for him.”

“You're an absolute sweetheart.” He patted her neck. “I think you'd like him. From what I know of him, he's not a bad stallion at all... even if he does have the worst taste in clothing. Maybe you can help him with that.” They shared a chuckle. “The guy is probably going to hate me, though. Especially after what I've done to his body.”

“If he's half the pony you are, that won't happen. Not if he understands the stakes. And if he doesn't, I'll knock some understanding into him. I know he can take it.” They laughed quietly together. “But still, Story... I feel like I'm being cheated. This 'Jacob' guy seems pretty interesting too, you know....”

He went silent for a moment, leaning against her, fighting a losing battle against tears. “I'm going to miss you, First.”

“Hey.” She leaned back and cupped his jaw with her hoof. “No tears, now,” she said, even as droplets rolled down her own cheeks. “I don't want to be a sad memory for you. We'll all still be right here in your heart.” She tapped his chest. “The magic of friendship, remember? It's a stronger bond than you might think.”

“She ain't kiddin', sugarcube.” Applejack peeked around the nearby stacks. “I really hate t' interrupt, but... th' Princesses are here, an' they want everypony together. But, uh....” She gave them a sympathetic smile. “It's awright if y' wanna take a minute or two. I never was any good at findin' mah way around a library anyhow.”

She gave them a wink and then vanished behind the bookshelves, leaving the pair alone. Story let out a quiet sigh. “Right now we've got a world to save. We'll worry about what happens after that once the job's done.”

First nodded slowly. “You're right. But... just one thing before we go.”

“What's th....” He fell silent as she leaned forward and placed a tender kiss against his lips. Her eyes gazed into his as she gently stroked his neck. “No sad memories,” she reminded him once she'd pulled away. “Promise me.”

“I promise.” He closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. “Thank you, First. For everything.”

“I should be saying that to you. But... you're welcome.” She nuzzled his cheek lightly. “Let's go, hon.”

Just as Applejack had said, the Princesses were standing at the table with all their collected reference materials; once more Story found himself kneeling before them, with First doing the same next to him. “Rise, my little ponies,” Celestia said quietly. “And allow my sister and I to thank you both for all you've done today.” Her eyes focused on Story. “And also allow me to welcome you, Jacob Doakes, to Equestria. I wish your reason for visiting-” her gaze swept over his bandages- “and your stay had been more pleasant.”

“Well, I promise not to give a bad review when I get back home.” He managed a faint chuckle. “I'm sorry for the deception.”

“You need not apologize. Given this situation, it was entirely warranted.” Luna paced her way up to him, studying him intently. “Can you feel it, sister?” she asked, not taking her eyes off of him for a moment. “So subtle... easily missed unless one were carefully looking for it.”

Celestia nodded. “Indeed. The spiritual link is so finely forged, so ephemeral... like gossamer in dawn's light. We apparently do good work when pressed.”

“Um... Princesses?” Story's gazed switched between the two. “What are you talking about?”

“Your link to the Ethereal Plane. And... beyond?” The solar diarch concentrated for a moment. “...ah. I see,” she murmured, giving him a cryptic smile. “Quite interesting. Much is hidden, but much can be seen. But that's a matter for another time.” She waved a hoof dismissively. “The present has enough demands for all our attention. Twilight?”

The unicorn smiled slightly as she gathered up her notes. “Thanks to the diligence of everypony here, and the information Story's given me, we've got a few leads. Some of this is guesswork without any input from Trixie....” She gave an askance glance towards Celestia, to get only a slight shake of her head in response. “...well. My best estimation is that Trixie's secondary source of power was entropic magic. The source she gained it from is unknown, but its effect was profound; it basically subsumed her more noble and selfless traits-”

“She had those?” Dash's chortle quickly died out at the stares everyone else gave her. “...um, sorry.”

“-and played up her narcissism and distrust,” Twilight continued as if nothing had happened. “Her work with the arcanocite-nitrate compound only accelerated her mental decline. And judging by the actions of the timberwolf Jacob fought, it's entirely possible that this form of magic either had from the beginning, or achieved over the years, some kind of sentience- and managed to extend its influence backwards in time to before the E.L.E. to prompt Trixie to stop Jacob, in Story's body, from interfering.”

“Uh... what's an 'E.L.E.'?” Applejack questioned.

“Extinction-Level Event.” Twilight's expression became serious. “Which is exactly what we're looking at if we can't stop this. It isn't just Canterlot that this affects, and it isn't just ponies that it destroys.” She paused for a moment, looking at each of the ponies around her in turn. “I haven't worked out every detail of the runeform Trixie devised; it has to be the most complex thaumaturgic construct I've ever seen... but I've figured out some of the details. It's designed to destroy- not just kill, but obliterate- any creature above a certain level of sapience. Ponies, zebras, donkeys, griffons, dragons... any intelligent, self-aware form of life within range of the runeform's effect would be effectively scrubbed from existence.”

The others looked horrified. Even Celestia and Luna had lost their normal aloofness. “And... and how big is that range?” Fluttershy half-whispered.

“By herself, even with all the time she's had, Trixie couldn't empower this runeform to be dangerous to more than, say, a third of the city. But....” She let out a quiet sigh. “She couldn't have picked a better time to do this. The Renewal of the Covenant requires the greatest amount of magical output ponykind has ever been witness to. Between the planet itself, the Princesses, the sun and moon, the amount of sheer thaumatic energy involved... if the entity inside the runeform managed to harness even one-tenth of all that magic to fuel its effect... it could sweep the entire world.”

Fluttershy fainted dead away. Even Shining Armor looked like he could be sick. “But... but why?” Pinkie whimpered. “Why do that? What could be so mean, so... so mean?!”

“Intelligence tends to create order, Pinkie. Even intelligence as random as yours.” Twilight managed a wan smile for a moment. “Entropy is the breakdown of order, a return of everything to its primal state. The ruins Jacob has seen, all across the world- it's practically a smorgasbord for an entropic entity; everything falling into disrepair, being worn down by the elements, crumbling into dust.”

“But it could only hijack one timberwolf to come at me in the future?” Story asked.

“I've studied the photographs you took of that rune, Story. The entity apparently expected to make the runeform its home for some time... and didn't take into consideration its own nature.”

He focused for a moment, bringing up the picture he'd shot as Jacob into his mind's eye and comparing it with the other picture Story had captured. “...you're right. The rune's distorted.”

“I'd wager that all of them were by then. Nothing made of pure entropy can preserve something as ordered as a runeform for very long. This entity engineered its very own deathtrap- by destroying every form of life intelligent enough to repair the runes, it consigned itself to eventual dissipation... extinction along with all the rest of us. Co-opting that timberwolf to attack Jacob could possibly have been its last-gasp effort; if you hadn't defeated it, I'm sure the very nature of the power it held would have destroyed it in short order.”

“But why not get Trixie to do something about it here and now?”

“Perhaps it simply cannot grasp that its own nature has doomed it,” Celestia pondered. “Like a goldfish in an untended fishbowl, fouling the water with its own offal and yet unable to comprehend why it struggles to breathe.”

“Okay. Well, good. We got a decent idea as t' what we're dealin' with.” Applejack took off her hat for a moment and dusted it against her foreleg. “Now how d' we stop it?”

“That, unfortunately, is the hard part.” Twilight levitated another batch of notes over to her side. “Trixie must have spent months designing this runeform- the complexity is astonishing. Trying to deconstruct it and determine its individual components... it's like trying to do one of those connect-the-dots puzzles, only there's no numbers, and I don't know what it's supposed to make.” She sighed. “Trixie's notes aren't very helpful. The paranoia was setting in pretty heavily by then; either she used some kind of bizarre codeset to encrypt them, or she was somehow able to memorize everything she did and all this is just half-crazy nonsense.” She paused a moment. “But... I was able to make a lot of headway.”

She set down her notes, and spread them across the table. “I'm going to say this for Trixie: If she had applied herself this hard towards learning and mastering runeforms in her youth, with a healthy mind, she'd probably have a wing in this library named after her by now. She's made a trap that we'll have to spring in order to disarm.”

Applejack blinked. “Uh... come again, sugarcube?”

“Indeed, do elucidate,” Luna agreed.

“There are a few potential weak points in layers of the runeform. The problem is that they're protected by other parts of it. Imagine... a treasure in the middle of a room with three ponies guarding it. Each pony can see the treasure and both of the other ponies. You can't get the treasure or subdue one of the ponies without alerting the others. Only the problem here is, if one of the guards spots you, the room explodes.”

“That... sounds like a problem, yes,” Rarity deadpanned. “But if we 'set it off', so to speak, before the Renewal... can we not minimize the damage it does? You did say it could only possibly have a relatively paltry amount of magic stored in it.”

“ 'Relatively', yes. The problem is where it'll go. I couldn't find any sort of channeling system built into the runeform- it would be like a release valve- so the most likely place it would be drawn to would be the leyline junction directly underneath Canterlot.”

Dash scratched her head. “Well, what's a leyline junction? And wouldn't the magic being drawn down into the ground be a good thing?”

“The leyline networks cross the entire surface of Equus, Dash. They're subterranean channels of pure magical energy that flow everywhere, like underground rivers. The junction beneath Canterlot connects to dozens, if not hundreds of leylines; if the entropic magic managed to reach it....”

“...it would infest it, spread, and eventually crack this planet apart like a rock beneath a sledgehammer. A choice between instant annihilation and eventual destruction.” Celestia sighed. “Twilight, how do you intend to 'set off' this runeform without destroying us all?”

“The same procedure we'd follow with a hazardous substance spill. Contain, dilute and cleanse. Now, if the energy got out all at once, no shield spell in the world could hope to contain it for more than a few milliseconds- I saw a minor attack practically trap Shining in his own shield....” The stallion in question grimaced slightly. “But if we can draw out the energy slowly, and use the Elements of Harmony to cleanse it....”

“Could we not simply use the Elements against the runeshape?” Luna asked. “Would not their power cleanse it of this foul destructive magic?”

“I can't guarantee that it would, Princess. The runeshape is specifically designed to strip any entering magical energy of its intrinsic properties and convert the raw mana into more entropic energy. Even the power of the Elements could end up corrupted the same way... and we'd only be accelerating our own destruction.”

“...y'know, I wish this was one of those times where I couldn't follow along with the egghead-talk,” Dash murmured; Story gave her a sympathetic look. “You and me both,” he told her.

“So what I think we can do instead is trigger the runeform to release its energy- and then seal it off, like a manual shutoff valve. Only allow out as wide a flow of energy as we can safely negate with the Elements and the Princesses' magic. The only problem with that... is that we have to allow the runeform to do what it was designed to do- absorb the energy of the Renewal.”

“So we have to light the fuse on the bomb in order to disarm it?” Story asked.

“In so many words, yes.” Twilight let out a long, drawn-out sigh. “I'm open to alternatives if anypony has some.”

Everyone was quiet for a moment... and then First stepped forward. “Look,” she said. “What I know about magic I can write on one side of a horseshoe and still have room for a limerick. But you... you're the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony. If anypony can do this, you can. So if that's the best plan we have, let's go to work with it.”

“She's right.” Applejack stomped a hoof. “If we got a shot, we gotta take it! We ain't got much time!” She pointed towards a wall clock that read 3:47. “We got just a bit more 'n two hours before th' Renewal. Now, if I've been understandin' everythin' what's been said, doin' nothin' means we all lose, big time. So we gotta do somethin', even if it don't seem like the best idea right now!”

“ 'The perfect is the enemy of the good'.” Celestia nodded slowly. “I have no better suggestions... sister?” She shot an askance look to her side.

The lunar princess shook her head. “Twilight Sparkle's plan is superior to any I can formulate. Unless one of our number is struck with inspiration, let us proceed at her direction.”

Rarity spoke up. “Shouldn't we evacuate Canterlot in case anything goes wrong?”

“In that timeframe, we could at best get one-third of the non-pegasus population out- in what is guaranteed to be a mass panic.” Celestia gazed out through one of the windows at the afternoon sun. “Any sort of mass-teleportation spell could run the risk of setting off the runeshape. And should we fail... is there any place in Equestria- on Equus at all- we could evacuate to?”

“Maybe Princess Luna has a few extra bunk beds on the moon!” Pinkie volunteered.

Luna shook her head. “Unfortunately, my moon lacks one important substance- air. Mine sister and I would survive... but nopony else.”

“Then let our ponies remain... and remain ignorant.” Celestia gazed at the ponies around her. “Are there objections to this plan?”

Story wanted to object, but he saw the point of the sun goddess's decision. This certainly seemed like an all-or-nothing gambit- so what would be the point of subjecting Canterlot's citizens to two hours of panic and terror trying to outrun something they couldn't hope to escape? So he held his tongue.

“Okay then.” Twilight gathered up all of her notes and reference materials. “We know the problem and we have a potential solution. I think we should get started.”

With nothing else to say or do, the assembled ponies solemnly made their way out of the library.

(-)

“Twilight, I must warn you... Luna and I won't be of much help when this begins. We'll be too involved with channeling the magic required for the Renewal.”

The violet unicorn smiled up at her mentor. “That's okay, Princess Celestia. I factored that into my plan. Shining Armor will handle shaping the containment spells with Cadence's help, and the girls and I will keep the Elements focused on the energy that comes through. We're pretty sure we can maintain the effect for as long as it takes to draw all the entropic magic out of the runeshape.”

The solar goddess raised an eyebrow. “ 'Pretty sure'? That doesn't sound like your usual precision, Twilight.”

“Ugh, don't remind me. I've run the calculations through my mind over and over, but there's just too many variables. I'm still woefully unfamiliar with entropic magic, and we've never used the Elements in this kind of way before.”

Celestia smiled. “I'm sure you and the other Bearers will excel at the task, Twilight.”

Twilight let out a long sigh. “...I sure hope so. We only get one shot at doing this right.”

“I really wish there was some way I could help,” Story said, watching the Bearers, Shining and a few unicorn guards work on preparations. Next to him, First nodded in agreement. “Same here,” she chimed in. “I'm not the kind of mare who likes standing around like a decoration.”

“You have both done more than could be asked of anypony,” Luna countered. She took a moment to look around the square; the guards had set a perimeter around where the ceremony was to take place, ostensibly to protect ponies from the magical energies being unleashed. No one besides Princess Celestia had been around to see the last Renewal, so the procedure went unquestioned. “You have given us this chance to save ourselves. Fates willing, tomorrow will see you both marked as heroes of all Equus.”

First chuckled quietly. “Some vacation this has been. I thought I was just going to relax with some friends and watch a really pretty light show.”

“If we're lucky, that's all you'll have to do.” Twilight gave her a grin before turning to look at Story. “You know,” the lavender mare said to him, “I can't begin to tell you how frustrated I am right now.”

“Why's that?” he asked.

“You're the scientific find of a lifetime! Actual contact with a lifeform from beyond Equus! I have so many questions I want to ask you about all the things I've seen in your memories... but who's got time? We have to save the world first.” Twilight sighed. “I really hope I have the opportunity to interview you after all this. There's just so much to learn!”

“Maybe after the both of you get some rest,” First said, her tone and expression both professional. “Trixie did a serious number on you both. Healing magic only gets you so far.”

“Well... we'll have to see what happens.” He looked down at the ground. “Story going to sleep here has meant Jacob waking up in future-wasteland Canterlot.. and if we stop that from existing, what am I going to wake up to find?”

“Oh... yeah....” First rubbed her neck. “This is all really confusing.”

“If it makes you feel any better, First, I've read dozens of books on causality and time flow... and I'm just about as lost as you.” Twilight gave the earth pony a smile.

Eventually, Twilight had to begin setting up with the other Bearers, and the Princesses likewise had to prepare for the Renewal itself, leaving First and Story sitting by themselves off to the side. Both of them were quiet for a while, simply watching the others get themselves ready, before First spoke up. “Story?”

“Hmm?”

“Is it okay if I feel scared?”

“Of course it is.”

“How about terrified and helpless to the point where I feel like I can't breathe?”

“Considering that's about where I'm at, I don't think I can criticize you.” He leaned against her, feeling the trembling of her body. “We're not going down without a fight, First. No matter what happens, we're going to stand strong. Right?”

“Right.” She rested her head on his neck. “I like how you say 'we',” she told him. “Are all your kind as brave as you?”

“We're as different as you ponies are.”

“Ahh. I kind of find that... comforting, in a weird way. Knowing that you have your good and your bad, just like we do.”

“Yeah... I feel the same way.”

They fell silent again, just content to sit together and watch the preparations. For his part, Story had to admit it felt good to have her by his side- a living, breathing reminder of what he'd ultimately gone through all this for. Now it's up to them, though, he mused. Helpless as I feel... I don't think the situation could be in better hooves.

All the while, crowds had gathered around the center of the square, until it was literally packed with throngs of onlookers. All of them looked excited, expectant, and happy. “Damn, I wish I was as ignorant as them,” he murmured.

“Me too.” He felt First lift her head. “5:58. It's almost showtime.”

As if waiting for that cue, they both heard Celestia's voice ring out. “My little ponies,” she said, her voice magically amplified as it had been during the celebration. “I thank you all for coming to witness this momentous occasion.” He couldn't tell a thing different with her voice, even with the heavy weight of the circumstances on her shoulders; apparently over the centuries she'd developed some supreme self-control. “Once more will we, your Princesses, renew our link with the sun and the moon, so that we can continue to have them shine their light down on all that you do. And today we are fortunate enough to have the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony with us.” There was a few seconds of applause. “Rather than preface the event with preamble, let us simply begin, so that you may all witness what is truly a once-in-a-lifetime event.”

With that, Celestia and Luna took place at either side of the enormous marble mural of their royal mark that lay in the center of the square, while three each of the Bearers stood at the ends; he could see determination and worry in varying amounts on each of their faces. The crowd quieted down to murmurs as everyone waited.

The clock tower began to toll. As the first bell's sound echoed across Equinox Square, a low, deep hum reached Story's ears, while a faint vibration tickled his hooves. The lamps around the area magically dimmed as a thin, tall column of light began to streak upwards between the two Princesses; he watched in fascination as it gradually widened, reaching up into the sky with its blue-white light.

Then something changed. Just on the edge of his perception, he felt a shift of some kind. A few ponies in the audience seemed to notice, but apparently accepted it as part of the whole ritual- but he knew better. The runeform just activated. Once it's working, Shining Armor is going to wait until there's a visible release of its energy- and then he'll seal off the underside of the runeform and allow the Renewal's energy to flow around it. It's a brilliant plan Twilight came up with... so why does the saying “no battle plan survives first contact with the enemy” keep coming to mind?

Within a couple of minutes, there was another sensation of shifting. The crowd gasped in surprise and delight as another circle of light- this one several city blocks wide- rose up around them, while the central shaft gained streamers of black-and-white light surrounding it. And there's Phase 2. Now, girls....

On cue, the Bearers began to lift up, glowing faintly with the power of each of their respective Element of Harmony; even with everything else he'd encountered here, it was a remarkable sight. After a few seconds, beams of light burst forth from the bejeweled necklaces they wore, striking the column of light and wreathing it in a rainbow of colors. It's working? He scarcely dared believe it. It's... it's working! Oh God, please let them hold out... just once, can things go exactly as planned?

He found himself approaching Twilight's group, careful not to distract them or get in the way, and First followed close behind. She, Applejack and Fluttershy seemed to be straining, but their expressions were resolute; still, Story didn't dare speak a word, lest he break their concentration.

He was just beginning to believe that everything would be okay when he felt another shift, this one a lot more noticeable than the last. The white-and-black streams of light flickered, then intensified, covering the entirety of the central beam of light. “Oh no,” he heard Twilight whisper.

“What? What's happening?” he asked.

“I don't know! The flow is increasing!” She looked to the side; Story followed her gaze to see Shining and Cadence rushing up through the crowd; the stallion's horn was glowing brightly. “That's not a good sign,” First murmured.

“Twilight!” he gasped when he finally reached his sister. “The runeform is absorbing my shield energy! I can't get the shield far enough away without losing control of it!”

Oh, shit. “Options?” Story asked.

Twilight looked on the edge of panic. “I... I don't know! We can't stop the process now!”

“Can we release the entropic energy more quickly?” Cadence suggested. “I can lend my magic to the Elements....”

“No good! We need you reinforcing Shining's shield spells! If they go down....” Twilight gasped as the Captain staggered; Cadence immediately rushed to support him. “Shining! What's wrong?!” the pegacorn gasped.

“I can feel the entropic magic eating away at the shield! The energy from the Renewal is going to tear through it at this rate!”

No. Not now, not so close to finally being in the clear! “Twilight! Theories! Anything!” Story demanded.

The unicorn's brow furrowed in concentration. “Reinforcing the shield would only feed the runeform faster. Increasing the outflow- we can't; the girls and I are barely handling it as it is. If only we had a safe place to shunt the entropic energy to! Some way to channel it to a place where it couldn't harm anything!”

A place where it couldn't harm anything.... An idea clicked in his mind. “Twilight, what if we could send it to the Ethereal Plane? What effect would that have?”

“The Ethereal Plane...? It... the very laws of thaumatics are different there; the entropic magic would denature, go inert. But the time and expertise it takes to forge a conduit to an entirely different dimensional plane-”

“We don't need to forge one. We've already got one.” He tapped his chest with a hoof.

Twilight's eyes widened. “...Story? You can't mean... no! Even I couldn't handle that sort of throughput! You'd be annihilated!”

He stared into her eyes. “And the alternative?!”

Her mouth opened- but nothing came out. The others glanced between her and Story as she visibly grappled with the idea. “...Celestia forgive me, I can't think of anything else,” she finally admitted.

He was about to step forward when he felt First's hoof on his shoulder. “Story, no,” he heard her whimper. “You... you shouldn't have to do this for us.”

He turned to face her. “It's okay,” he told her, patting her hoof with his. “I said I was in this to win it. I'm not letting you ponies die. Whatever it takes... I'm going to beat this thing.” He rubbed her cheek gently for a moment, then turned to Twilight, glancing from her to the center column of light and back again. “Put me in, Coach,” he said quietly.

She nodded. “Thank you,” she whispered, before her horn flashed.

And then the world turned to agony. He was in the center of a maelstrom, buffeted by chaotic energies that threatened to tear him apart body and soul, adrift in a metaphorical storm at sea without anything to grab hold of. He fought down a rising sense of panic. Focus! he commanded himself. You're here to do one thing... now do it!

With a supreme effort of concentration, he could feel the thin tether of energy that tied him to the Ethereal Plane. He magically took hold of it, opened himself to it... and then, once he had established the strongest anchor to it that he could, he lowered his defenses and allowed the energies that battered him inside.

Bad idea. BAD IDEA-

He couldn't handle it. The raw magic tore at his psyche, at his soul, threatening to destroy him utterly. He couldn't hope to last more than a few seconds, let alone for as long as it would take to drain the runeshape of its destructive magical payload. You were right, Twilight, I can't handle this... I can only hope I've bought you any sort of time-

A beam of light struck him, then two, then four, then six; bright enough to blind him were he actually seeing them with his eyes. The streams of pure magic encircled him, entered him, supported him. The Elements. The girls are using the Elements of Harmony directly on me! Oh God... it feels so pure, so welcoming....

With renewed strength, he began to pull as much of the entropic energy as he could manage into himself; as it passed through him, the Elements worked to negate its destructive nature, and then allowed it to pass through his link, sending it streaking away past his range of perception. It's working... it's actually working, I can do this, I- wait....

The energy he was receiving from the Elements was fading. The Bearers were reaching the limits of their endurance; he could feel their exhaustion, their panic. He struggled to hold on. Not enough... there's still too much of the entropic magic left; I just need a little more time...!

He was just starting to feel the raw magic attack him again when he felt as much as heard Celestia's voice call out. “My little ponies! Something has gone terribly wrong with the Renewal. Our dear friend Story Seeker is trying to help... but you must help him in return! Open your hearts to me, to him, and lend us your magic of friendship!”

For what seemed like an eternity, nothing happened. He was just beginning to despair that the gambit had failed when he sensed a spark of light ignite before him. Then another, and another... within seconds, there were dozens, then hundreds, then thousands- each one of them the mind and soul of one of the attendees in the audience. Not just ponies, either, but zebras, minotaurs, donkeys, griffins... all of them had opened themselves to Celestia, to him, in a desire to help. He could feel the innate magic of each and every single one of them pour into him.

If the power of the Elements had been a flood, this was a tidal wave. It took him a few moments to grasp it, to bring it under his control- and then he turned it towards the runeform, encompassing it, squeezing it, using the overwhelming power at his command to force it to give up the last of its energies and collapse. He felt himself losing cohesion, his very being beginning to fragment, and a sensation of pain in the back of his mind told him that his link to the Ethereal Plane was burning away... but he held on doggedly, determined to finish what had been started. This ends now, he thought. Even if I end with it. This world will survive!

Then came the moment where he reached for the next surge of entropic energy to channel... and felt nothing. The runeform, spent of the magic that had kept it functional, collapsed in on itself, becoming nothing more than a series of shapes painted on the ground. Exhausted, he let go of the power he had been channeling, and he watched those glowing lights fade away one after the other... until one solitary light remained, twinkling before him, feeling so very familiar.

First Response. He could feel her utter joy at being saved from extinction... and her sorrow at losing a friend. With what little strength he had left to him, he reached out to her. No tears, now, he whispered into her mind. I did this for you, for your kind, for your world. And I have no regrets. Go, and live, and be happy.

That last glowing light faded from sight, leaving him alone in darkness. But just as he felt himself succumbing to it, fading into nothingness, a new stream of feelings entered his mind- warmth, peace, and all-encompassing love. A voice, coming from everywhere, powerful and forceful yet tender and loving, spoke directly into his soul.

Your tale is not yet at an end, Jacob Doakes, my champion. Return home now, and know that you are a hero.

And then everything went white.

(-)

He shot up from where he had been laying, disturbing the bits of wood and dust that had covered him. He coughed reflexively, feeling blindly around the darkness that surrounded him, his hands brushing against cement and leaves and small rocks.

Then he remembered, and reached up towards his head, and clicked on the flashlight still strapped to his hat. And once his eyes adjusted to the light, realization struck. I... I'm back in the Coal Breaker, he thought, looking around at the very same tunnel he'd fallen in when this all had begun. I'm... back home!

Slowly he made his way to his feet, expecting the pains and aches of his earlier adventures... but feeling none. Confused, he checked himself over; the wound in his side was gone as if it had never been, as were the bruises and scrapes he'd earned in the Golden Trails Inn. That... that can't have been just a dream, he thought. Not a chance; it was just so real....

He yanked his phone out of his pocket and brought up the main screen. For a few seconds, the date/time display read “June 1st, 2013, 6:27PM”- then it was replaced by “Syncing”, and a moment later returned. “May 29th, 2013, 2:54AM” Okay, Jake, get a grip on yourself. There's one way to be sure of what happened. Check your camera.

He found himself walking towards the building entrance as he worked his way through the camera's memory, eventually ending up outside the building and well on his way back to his car before he reached the last of the photos he'd shot inside the Coal Breaker. He found his finger trembling as it hovered over the “next” button. Okay, time to see if I've just lost my mind or I did really have an adventure in a world full of talking ponies....

He tapped the button. What he saw come up on the small screen on the back of the camera almost made him drop it. Pages 84 and 85 of “A Tourist's Guide To Canterlot”... it's real. It's real! It did happen!

His sense of utter joy and relief lasted until he reached his car... and then faded away. It was real. But... but what now? He opened the trunk and carefully stashed away his gear, then leaned against the side of the car, staring at the building, which seemed to practically glow from the light of the moon. It... it feels strange to be home now, he thought, taking off his cap and running his fingers through his hair. How do I go back to my ordinary life, knowing what happened? It's not like I can tell anyone else- I'd be in a psychiatric ward in a heartbeat. Do I just... go on, pretending it all never happened?

He didn't know how long he stood there in the cool night air with his keyring clutched in his hand, wrapped up in his own thoughts, before he finally came to a decision. Come on, Jake. If nothing else, think of how First would be yelling at you right now, telling you that you should throw yourself back into life and live it as best as you could. You promised her “no sad memories”... are you going to break that promise? At the very least, go home and get some sleep, and deal with things in the morning.

His hand was just singling out the key for his car when he heard a voice.

“Your moon is beautiful.”

His keys fell to the ground, unheeded, as he turned. There, a dozen feet away, stood Princess Luna; the moonlight seemed to highlight her form, turning her already-ghostly mane into something ethereal, like a viewport into the depths of the universe. She was gazing up at the white circle in the sky. “This is a strange world you live in, Jacob,” she said quietly. “Untouched by magic, chaotic, without even the vestiges of Harmony. And yet your kind has built a civilization here. Truly remarkable.” She turned towards him, slowly, with a gentle smile on her muzzle. “And that such a harsh world could give birth to a gentle soul like yours... I can only be thankful.”

He walked towards her, stopping a couple of feet away, and reached out to touch her neck. “Please tell me I'm not hallucinating,” he half-whispered.

She chuckled at that. “Nay, you are not. I am as real as you, my friend.”

“But... how...?” he stammered. “I... I thought I was dead. Did you...?”

The lunar princess shook her head. “You were beyond even the power of myself and my sister, and of the Elements. But an even greater power interceded on your behalf. Our very world- the magic of Equus itself- took action to preserve and restore you.”

His mind reeled. “That voice I heard... it was your planet talking to me?”

“Indeed. And if Equus itself found you worthy of such a gift, I shall not argue against it.”

“But... then... how are you here? What happened after I left?”

“The Renewal of the Covenant was completed without interruption. All traces of entropic magic have vanished from the runeform- you were successful in defeating the threat. Our world is safe, thanks to you.”

“And... what about Story Seeker?”

She smiled. “He lives. He was unconscious at the moment I left, but First Response believes he will awaken soon. What these few days have done to him is yet to be seen- but rest assured that he has the support of the Crowns, the government and his friends to help him come to terms with events.”

He let out a sigh of relief. “I'm glad to hear that.”

“Indeed. And as for you, my friend....” She approached him slowly as darkness enveloped her horn; something seemed to fade into existence from the void itself. “Jacob Doakes, representative of humanity, citizen of the world called Earth, please accept this boon from the Diarchy of Equestria,” she said, her tone becoming official and stern. “By order of myself and mine sister, Princess Celestia, we bequeath upon you the Solstice Star in thanks for your noble and tireless efforts to protect the innocents of our world.”

He reflexively bowed his head as she levitated the medal over it, letting it come to rest around his neck. “Thank you,” he said quietly.

“No. Thank you.” She lowered her head before him. “Mine sister would be here to thank you as well, were she able. As it stands, she must remain in Equestria as an anchor, of sorts, so that I may return home.” She raised a foreleg and rested a hoof on his shoulder. “As did you serve as an anchor here, for me to find my way to this place.”

“But... but how...?” He couldn't comprehend. “Do- do I still have a link to the Ethereal Plane?”

“Nay; that conduit did not survive. But a different link was forged between you and our world... one you have already felt.”

“But I-” His words died in his throat as realization washed over him. “...the magic of friendship?”

“It is a stronger bond than you might think.” She gave him a knowing smile. “Especially given anchor in a soul so welcoming as yours.” She lifted a foreleg and rested her hoof on his shoulder. “I do not believe that Equestria has seen the last of you, Jacob Doakes,” she said quietly. “Your fate and ours are intertwined now, in ways even I cannot see for certain. But that is a matter for the future; for now... go home, Jacob, and seek the rest you have unquestionably earned. And know that you forever have our gratitude for all you have done.”

With that, she stepped away from him; reality itself seemed to warp around her, swallowing her, until she vanished- leaving him standing alone in an overgrown lot next to an abandoned coal breaker. He stared down at the medal still hanging from his neck, taking hold of it, feeling the still-warm metal against his skin.

It was a long drive home, but he didn't feel alone in the least- he had plenty of thoughts and memories to keep him company.