Pyrite awoke the next afternoon and saw that Eve was still with him. She was laying there snoring lightly. Pyrite chuckled, looks like you do snore.

With small movements of his hoof, he nudged Eve awake. “I think it’s time we talked to Thule. I want to get this over with soon.”

Eve opened her eyes and yawned, she squinted at Pyrite and nodded, “Lead the way.”

Pyrite opened the door and lead Eve outside. Both of the guards took a step back in surprise and made a move to to grab her, but Pyrite held up a hoof to stop them. “It’s alright, she did sneak in, but I was fine. I let her stay.”

The guards looked at each other, then shrugged. Pyrite made his way to the dining hall and saw Thule seated at a small table with Poppy. He looked up from a book and saw that Eve accompanied him.

“Well... what do we have here?”

Poppy turned around and smiled, “Why don’t you two join us, we were just about to eat.”

Pyrite nodded and sat down next to Thule. He waited while Thule poured him some orange juice before clearing his throat. “Thule, I wanted to talk to you about Eve’s punishment.”

“Why?” Thule asked, turning to face Pyrite.

“I don’t think it’s entirely fair, I’ve forgiven her. I don’t think she needs to be torn away from her home.”

“Respectfully, Pyrite. What you think is irrelevant. She’s disobeyed me for the last time, and I can’t risk my leniency on her influencing others in the colony. We don’t feed on other ponies.”

“But you do, dad!” Eve snapped. “I know you’ve done it in the past, and you even said you had a lapse when being with Princess Luna for such a short time! You’re a hypocrite.”

Thule’s eyes blazed, but he remained silent. He thought back to his interrupted time with Marigold, but before he could say anything, he felt a soft hoof on his shoulder.

“Dear, she has a point. The best leaders lead by example. You’ve served us so well, and you’ve done so much, yet you still have vices and problems. This isn’t right.”

“Do as I say, not as a I do.” Thule said with growl. “I’m not perfect, but actions have consequences. I’ve faced mine more times than I can count, and you’ll face this one, Eve. It’s the only way you’re going to learn. In perhaps a decade or two, I’ll consider letting you come back.”

Eve’s eyes glistened, she got off her chair and started to trot away when a hoof stopped her. She saw Pyrite’s hoof on her wing, but he wasn’t looking at her. Instead his eyes were transfixed on Thule.

“Unacceptable.” Pyrite said.

Thule lowered his gaze to the colt, “Excuse me?”

“It’s unacceptable. It’s not fair. I can’t make you reconsider, but I can offer Eve a place to stay, if only for the time being.”

“Really?” Poppy asked.

“I’m sure Aldus would let her stay with us, we are a big welcoming family after all. Princess Luna will want to know about my trip, I’ll be sure to let her know about this unfair treatment.”

The air in the hall was still as a statue, and all noise vanished. Poppy and Eve stared open mouthed at Pyrite’s actions. Even Thule’s expression was one of shock, if only for a moment.

Thule regained his composure and slowly got up from his chair. His eye’s burned crimson as he unfurled his wings. With a single clawed appendage he picked Pyrite up by the scruff of his mane and held him against a wall.

“I’ve killed hundreds, if not thousands of ponies. I’ve defeated warriors from nearly every pony kingdom. I’ve killed gryphons, changelings, minotaurs, diamond dogs, manticores, timber wolves, and even a dragon. I’ve saved your life... and you’re going to blackmail ME?”

Pyrite looked into Thule’s gaze and felt himself beginning to shake, but he had experienced this before. It was the same with Saros, and he could withstand her, the first of their kind. He took a deep breath, blinked then leaned close to Thule’s face. He would not be bullied, he would stand up to them just like his big brother would.

“You don’t frighten me, Thule. I’ve stared into eyes much more menacing than yours. This isn’t right, and I’ll make sure Luna knows. You don’t have to do this. Do the right thing, Eve will learn, she won’t do it again. Please...”

Thule eye’s narrowed, then he slowly relented. “You know, you’re a lot like Polaris, Pyrite. I couldn’t scare him either. You’re going to make a fearsome warrior someday. Alright, Eve can stay. Her punishment will be changed to suit her remaining here. Poppy can come up with something. As for us, Luna doesn’t need to know about this little incident, does she?”

Pyrite smiled as Thule let him down, “What incident?”

Poppy laughed and got up to hug him, “Thank you Pyrite, you know not many ponies can stand up to my husband. Forcing him down with words rather than a sword reminds me more of Aldus than Polaris.”

Thule growled and returned to his seat, “Let’s not talk about my peers. Our food’s getting cold. Now that the matter is settled, we’ll be departing tonight. Sound good, Pyrite?”

“Sure does,” Pyrite answered while taking a bite from his toast.

After they finished breakfast, Pyrite went with Thule to take a tour of the colony which took a few hours. Upon returning to his room, Pyrite was once again treated to a visit from Eve.

“Pyrite... thank you. I don’t know what to say.” she said while trotting over to him. “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to repay you.”

Pyrite smiled and shook his head, “You don’t need to repay me, Eve. Just don’t get yourself in trouble like this again.”

Eve blushed and offered a small smile, she slowly put her hooves on his shoulders and touched her forehead to his. “Nopony has ever shown me kindness like this before. I hope we can meet again someday, Pyrite. Don’t...” she began, while briefly turning away, “Don’t forget about me.”

Before pulling away, Even lowered her head and gave Pyrite a soft kiss on the lips. After seeing that he was receptive, she leaned against him and wrapped her wings against his back.

Pyrite’s eyes closed, only to reopen when Eve slowly backed away. “Eve- I” he began.

“Don’t forget about me, Pyrite. Goodbye.”

----------------------

In the archives, Frost sat on a stool pondering exactly what happened when Salinia was feeding on him. It was mostly a haze, but he remembered being helped by Melody. It was strange, Frost only ever encountered her when under the influence of Ciaran’s hypnosis. After all, Melody was essentially a manifestation of Ciaran’s magic. So why did she appear when under the effect of magic from another changeling?

Frost shook his head for a moment and looked up to find Ciaran was gone. He walked around the corner and saw that she had moved to the other side of the shelves. Whatever she was looking for seemed illusive. Many of the books she levitated out to examine she returned just as quickly.

“Ciaran... I- um, I have a question.” Frost said.

Ciaran was perusing a book when she finally answered, “Huh? Oh, yes Frost. What question?”

“Well,” Frost began, careful to not let slip anything about Salinia, “I had a question about your magic, specifically your hypnosis magic.”

Ciaran nodded, “Ahuh.”

Frost looked up from the floor and saw that she was engrossed in reading, and let out a quiet sigh. “I guess it can wait til later.”

Ciaran heard quiet hoofsteps walking away and looked up from her book. Frost’s head was lowered and his mane almost touched the floor. Something was wrong.

Ciaran shut the book caught Frost’s tail in a small field of magic, halting him. “Frosty, if something’s wrong, you have my undivided attention, come here.”

Frost smiled as she patted the floor. He trotted over and sat down. “So... I had a dream the other night...”

Ciaran smiled, “Really? Weren’t dreaming of me were you?” she asked with a chuckle.

Frost rubbed the back of his head, “Well, kinda...?”

“Kinda?” Ciaran asked.

“It was Melody,” Frost replied. “She appeared in my dreams when I was having... um... trouble. A nightmare. She helped me.”

“Well that’s good,” Ciaran said. “Nightmares are never fun. I’m glad she got you out of it.”

“That’s the thing,” Frost said, “I don’t think she did. She just encouraged me. I just don’t understand why she was there. I- I don’t think I dreamed her. It didn’t feel like I was dreaming on my own. It felt like... well, I was under a spell again.”

Ciaran raised an eyebrow and bent down to be closer to Frost. She looked at him closely, then flared her nostrils as if to take in his scent. “That is strange, Frosty...”

“Could- could Melody be in my head right now?” Frost asked, “Like, could a remnant of your magic still be with me, even after we’re done practicing?”

“I’ve never heard of such a thing, Frost.” Ciaran said, “I don’t think that’s what’s happening here. Once we get back to the cottage we’ll investigate this further, I promise.”

Frost smiled and hugged Ciaran’s stomach, which she returned with a hug of her own and a small kiss on the forehead. Suddenly Frost felt Ciaran’s hooves stop rubbing his back and fall back to the floor. He turned around and his heart dropped into his stomach. There, at the end of the aisle stood Princess Desalia.

The silver alicorn stood in her full regalia staring down at them. Ciaran froze, she was in her Willow disguise but she never expected to run into the alicorn princess alone. Well, not alone exactly, Frost was there, and that was a larger help than  she realized. Her connection with him was growing every day. It wasn’t even a few seconds before Frost put himself between her and the princess. He knew the gravity of the situation.

Frost trotted over to her and bowed in respect. However, something strange happened. The air became thick and heavy. Small particles of pink and silver began to fall from the ceiling, and an odd light emanated from Princess Desalia to expand in all directions. It seemed to stop time all around it. Ciaran could move as she pleased, but she noticed Frost was stuck in his bow, his head still touching the floor. Desalia glanced down at him briefly, then walked around him to Ciaran.

Ciaran didn’t know what to expect. She was shivering in fear. All her plans did not factor in this variable. She wondered if she fired her most potent beam of hypnosis magic and hit the alicorn right between the eyes,  would it save her? If she fought, right here, right now, would she survive long enough to get away? As Desalia came closer, Ciaran was petrified with fear until the alicorn spoke.

“I’ve always enjoyed this section of the library, you know. It’s history, pure and simple. No spells, no accounts of madness from long dead kings and queens. No notes regarding the traversals of the multi-dimensional plains... just cultural history. Nothing more.”

Ciaran knew this, and it was exactly why she was in this part of the library.

Desalia came closer and stopped. She stared directly into her eyes, her expression completely neutral. “I’ve always been fascinated by your kind. Your actions are always something that is brought up when many of us alicorns meet to discuss things.” She paused, then looked away for a moment before running a hoof through her long silver locks, “The one who was going to attack us, I’m guessing a relative of yours, she wanted this,” Desalia said while motioning all around her, “It’s what they all want.”

“So...” Ciaran croaked, “You knew?”

Desalia’s expression did not change, “I knew the one called Silth was going to try something eventually. Though I did not know the extent to which she infiltrated the Isles. You see, we alicorns, despite what ponies say, cannot see the future. We can however use our long lifespans to accumulate knowledge and study patterns. After living thousands of years, one begins to notice certain patterns, and can reasonably predict how events may or may not turn out. Silth might have succeeded, but certain individuals intervened and stopped it. Were you one such individual?”

“Does it change anything if I was?” Ciaran asked.

“Right here, right now? No, it doesn’t.”

Ciaran’s face paled, her eyes shrinking to pin pricks. Her disguise threatened to falter at any moment. She was at a loss of what to say, then Desalia spoke again.

“I’ve always believed you can judge the character of an individual based on what they do when presented with opportunity and power,” Desalia began. “Silth attempted to get what she wanted through subversion, then brute force. She failed. But you... subversion and careful planning is what brought you success, and here you are.”

Ciaran grew tired of being on edge like this. She gulped and cleared her throat. “Here I am, so what happens now?”

“You don’t understand,” Desalia said with a slow shake of her head. “You’re here, in the archives, on this floor, in this wing, looking through these books. You could have gone to another wing and learned magic so powerful defeating me would be as easy as breathing. You could have learned ways to turn the Isles inside out, but you didn’t. You’re here, searching for answers about your race. That tells me so much about you, changeling.”

“Like what?” Ciaran asked.

“This library holds secrets that you cannot even begin to imagine. There are many things here that are even beyond my understanding. The alicorns decided long ago that the world wasn’t ready for this knowledge, and it might never be. Thus, we watch over it like we watch over our little ponies. I could have used this knowledge to conquer the world one thousand times, that knowledge is known to me. But I haven’t.”

“I think I understand,” Ciaran replied.

Desalia nodded, “Find what you came here for, changeling. You’ve done nothing to harm my ponies. Your identity is safe with me. Be warned, however. If you find what you’re looking for, beware the consequences of seeing it through.”

“Consequences?” Ciaran asked, “What consequences?”

Desalia only smiled as she ran a hoof through her mane. She ignited her horn and pulled Frost into the air. She pressed his back against her chest, holding him with her forehooves crossed around his body. Desalia smiled down at him and pressed her cheek against his. “Beware the consequences...”

The air around them returned to normal as quickly as it changed. The falling particles were gone and Ciaran could smell the cool air again. Frost finally began to move again and rubbed his eyes. Then realized he was in the hooves of Princess Desalia.

“P-princess! What’s going on? When did I get here? I thought you were over there and I-”

“Shh, Frost. I just came to say hello since I didn’t see you when you came in. If I didn’t know better I’d say you were avoiding me...”

Frost gulped and looked up at the large silver alicorn, “I- um, we- Aldus didn’t...”

“That’s right, where is he?” Desalia asked with a smirk.

“On the other side with his notes,” Ciaran answered, then pointed a hoof.

“Thank you, Willow.” Desalia said with a kind smile. “Frost, could you do me a favor please?”

Frost turned around when she let him go and rubbed his hooves together apprehensively, “I don’t know... your last favor was pretty intense.”

Desalia chuckled and waved her mane to the side, “That’s funny, Frost. But this one is simple, I promise. I want you to get a book for me, that’s all.”

“A book?” Frost asked, “Okay, where?”

“Twenty seventh floor, east wing, row twelve. It’ll be glowing when you get there.”

Frost raised an eyebrow then looked at Ciaran, who glared at him to get moving. He galloped away to the elevators leaving Desalia to find Aldus.

Desalia teleported to the desks and tables Aldus had haphazardly pushed together and scared him half to death. Coffee flew into the air along with the mug, assorted notes and scrolls, and a few books.

The silver alicorn let out a groan as the objects were caught in mid air by a magical field. A field not belonging to her. Aldus floated in the air with a forced smile on his face. He struggled to put the liquid back into the mug and set everything back in it’s proper place.

“Princess... you’re looking lovely this fine evening.”

“Spare me, Aldus.” Desalia said with a roll of her eyes. “So, you’re here like you wanted. What are you reading?”

Aldus picked up the book and presented to Desalia as she walked around the table. “Tomes from creation, regarding the first alicorn.”

“The first of our kind, if you believe what’s written. Charming, isn’t she?” Desalia said with a chuckle.

“Yes...” Aldus replied, “Charming is one way of putting it.”

“Frosty, you’re back. That was fast.” Desalia said while taking the book from Frost as he trotted over.

“It wasn’t hard to find at all, just like you said.”

“Very good, very good. Aldus, I’m going to borrow Frost for a little while. We won’t be gone for long.”  Desalia said while motioning Frost to follow her.

“Of course, princess. He’s at your disposal.” Aldus replied.

As Desalia turned her back, Frost saw Aldus open his eyes wide and mouth “What did you do?!”

Frost shrugged and went on his way following Desalia to one of the large walls near the outer rim of the archives. She put a hoof to the wall, and slowly it began to glow silver in the shape of a small doorway. Desalia motioned for Frost to enter, then followed through herself.

Inside was a void of blackness. Frost took a few steps forward when a hoof grabbed his shoulder and stopped him. Desalia ignited her horn and illuminated the darkness. Frost had almost stepped off a ledge into what seemed to be a bottomless pit. He caught his breath and backed away slowly.

“Where are we, princess?” he asked.

“We’re in one of the secret parts of the library,” Desalia said.

She picked him up in her forehooves and flew across the chasm to a large translucent platform floating above it. When they landed, Frost noticed symbols traced all over the platform’s surface. He had no idea what they meant. Desalia slowly paced to the center of the platform and sat on her haunches. When she did, a silver light formed under her and spread through the lines carved into the platform.

Frost stood near the edge, a small silver circle outlined an area nearby. He assumed that was where he was supposed to sit. After positioning himself within the circle, he noticed he could feel something. It was faint and subtle, like he was touching something else, or somepony else. His eyes widened, it was Desalia. He could feel her presence, her heartbeat, her soft fur, and... something else.

As the lights around them dimmed until only one remained. The light circling each of them that ran along the center of the platform connecting the two together. As Princess Desalia opened her eyes, they became white hot gaping holes of magic. She stared at Frost, and he felt the power.

It was power unlike anything he had ever felt before. He was connected to it, he was a part of it. The entire room was illuminated as Frost became more in tune with Desalia’s magic. The magnificent silver light crept up the walls from the abyss below and revealed everything. Frost could no longer discern the translucent floor. He felt weightless, utterly immersed in the great power. Then, he fell. Down to the bottom of the pit where a vast silver ocean tossed and turned as if in a storm. Frost fell in and broke the surface. It was warm, almost like bath water. The longer he stayed in it, the more powerful he felt. His horn crackled and sizzled with raw energy. He had never felt more powerful.

Just as he was reveling in his new power, a large wave rose up and crashed down, sending him under. Frost tumbled through the water and shook his head to reorient himself. He looked down and couldn’t see the bottom of whatever sea he was in. There was seemingly no end to this place. As he was starting to swim back to the surface, something appeared out of the corner of his eye. It was small and in the distance, but closing rapidly. As it approached, it became even bigger.

It had the raw appearance of a pony, from the front, but it’s rear was entirely different. It was being propelled by the motions of several tentacles, not unlike the giant squids he had heard about. It’s forelimbs stretched out into long a nimble claws the closer it came to him. He began to swim away when the water changed around him, making it harder and harder to move. Frost turned around and saw that this mysterious thing was almost on top of him. It was difficult to see, as it’s color was the same as the ocean waters. The only way to discern it’s location was a thin flowing outline.

Frost was nearly at the surface when two tentacles wrapped themselves around his rear hooves, pulling him back down. Frost was swung around before two more tentacles wrapped around his forehooves, stretching him out like he was on a torture rack. The creature rose up in front of him, it’s angular equine head studying him closely. It’s mouth opened, revealing a bright pink light. It spoke without moving it’s mouth, and stared into him with maddening eyes.

“You belong to me!” it shouted while diving forward with it’s open maw.

“Wah!!” Frost shouted as he flew back and skidded to a halt near the edge of the platform.

Desalia was at his side immediately and gently stroked his mane, “Are you alright, Frost.”

Frost trembled and looked up at the alicorn, his heart was beating so fast it felt like it was going to leap out of his chest and run out of the room. He slowly got up and jumped into Desalia’s open forehooves.

Desalia closed her wings around Frost and tried to calm him down, “It’s okay, Frost. I’m here, you’re safe.”

“I- I saw something...” Frost whispered into her ear.

Desalia pressed her head against Frost and whispered, “What did you see?”

“I don’t know...” Frost replied, also in whisper. “It was a... thing, it was like it wasn’t even there. But it grabbed me and tried to eat me. It said that I belonged to it. What was that?”

Desalia sighed and put Frost down, but kept her wings closed, “What you saw... was magic, Frost.”

“Magic?” Frost asked, “What are you talking about?”

Desalia opened her wings and placed one behind Frost, prompting him to get up. He followed her to the center of the platform and sat down on two pillows Desalia teleported in. She took a seat on some then sat down on all fours, such that she was near Frost’s level.

Desalia paused, making sure to choose her words carefully, “Ancient scholars from around the time when ponies first walked Equus, wrote theories on magic and it’s nature. Some believed that it was a naturally occurring force in the world able to be harnessed by special ponies.” She grinned and pointed to her horn, then playfully bopped Frost’s. “Once traces of magic were discovered in our kin, the pegasi and earth ponies, some theories were re-evaluated.”

“But you said that was magic,” Frost said, “That thing... was magic?”

Desalia closed her eyes and nodded, “Some scholars believe that magic, all of it, is not just a naturally occurring force in the world able to be harnessed and understood. Rather, it is the essence left over from an immensely powerful being. One that existed during the time of the first alicorn.”

“So that’s it? That’s what I saw?” Frost asked.

“I don’t know, Frosty.” Desalia said with a frown and tousled his mane. “We alicorns can only speculate. We’ve read about it and researched it, but there is no conclusive evidence. Some of us claim to see something when we are deep in meditation. Some of us feel a presence pulling at us when we use vast amounts of our power. But it’s nothing substantial enough to back up that theory. Records from the time of the first alicorn do exist, but the scribe who recorded them was later exposed as a fraud. The documents traded hooves for centuries. To say they are unreliable is an understatement.”

“Have you seen it?” he asked.

Desalia nodded, “Only once, a long time ago. Several hundred years. It appeared to me as a great serpent with wings. Most of us alicorns believe it’s in our minds, it’s the manifestation of temptation pulling at us. Thus, it will be different for each pony that experiences it.”

“What I saw was a pony with tentacles like a squid.” Frost said with confusion.

“Yes, it’s different for all who see it. I’m sorry you went through that.”

Frost sat down on all fours and smiled, “It’s alright, I’m fine. But what was that ocean, that water and light?”

Desalia smiled, “It was my power, Frost. You felt all the magic I possess, you were quite literally bathed in my magic.”

“That’s your magic?!” Frost exclaimed while jumping off his pillow. “That’s incredible!”

Desalia smiled and ran a hoof through her mane, “Yes, Frost. I am quite incredible. Due tell me more...”

Frost saw her smirk and decided to play along. He sat down on his haunches and held her forehoof to his chest. “My princess... you are the most vibrant, the most exuberant, the most breathtakingly stunning alicorn I’ve ever seen! Your magic is vast, your wisdom endless, your coat... exquisit...”

Desalia watched Frost hold her hoof and couldn’t stop herself from laughing. She held her other hoof to her face and shook her head. “You really are Aldus’ apprentice.”

Frost laughed along with the princess and shook his head. “I can’t believe you’re able to hold that much power, alicorns are incredible. But... why did you show me that?”

Desalia paused, then turned the lights in the room down. “Frost, did really think I was going to punish you for finding Silth?”

“Huh?” Frost asked.

“Do you think I would have sent a colt to prison, or have him executed for stumbling into something on accident?”

Frost remained silent. Aldus was convinced Desalia would have been very angry with Silth being set free. It was the entire reason they had that meltdown in the first place. What was Desalia implying here?

“So, I was never in any trouble?”

“Frost, Silth was going to invade my kingdom, and likely enslave all of my ponies, including myself. With the proper power in her hooves, and in certain circumstances, I might not have been able to stop her. Her punishment was deserved, and I deemed it so. But I would never punish you for something that wasn’t your fault.”

Frost crossed his hooves. This was politicking... the rich ponies he used to steal things from engaged in this sort of talking and planning all the time.

“Aldus genuinely believed there would be consequences, and that I would be in some sort of trouble. He was angry that because of my meddling, he might lose favor with you.”

“And for all he knows, he has...” Desalia said with stern glare.

Frost got the message. “And my helping find your daughter?”

Desalia nodded, “A small test for you, and with your success... and Aldus’ intervention, he’ll tread more carefully, which is what I wanted. Things are best around here when they are stable. The Isles are a trade hub between various other pony kingdoms and other societies. Things work best when they are calm, and controlled.”

“So I passed your little test, and my reward was seeing your power? Power that I’ll never have?”

Desalia raised an eyebrow, “Careful, Frosty. What I’m about to show you isn’t something I would consider giving to the power hungry.”

Frost bowed his head slightly, “Of course.”

Desalia levitated the book she had Frost retrieve and tapped it with a hoof. “Are you familiar with Crystal Magic?”

Frost shrugged, “I don’t think so, I’ve just heard about from Aldus a few times.”

“Oh Frosty, don’t be silly! You use crystal magic all the time. What do you think ice is?”

“I... guess I never thought of it that way. Yeah, you’re right.” Frost said.

Desalia got up and walked behind Frost, “I showed you the amount of magic I’m able to wield, because I wanted to introduce to the concept. You have trouble with your magic, don’t you Frost?”

Frost frowned, his ears drooped and he looked at the floor, “My horn was bad, I was born that way. Aldus was able to fix it, though. I just don’t have that much magic in me.”

Desalia bent over and examined his horn, “He fixed it as best he could, and to the best of his knowledge. But I can do a bit more, I think.”

Frost turned around, “What? You mean I can use more magic if you fix me?!”

Desalia chuckled and motioned for Frost to calm down, “I can make the magic flow more freely, but I can’t increase your innate stores of it. I’m afraid the damage has been done. Had you used more as you were growing up, you’d have more. As it stands, that’s not going to change.”

“Story of my life...” Frost sulked.

Frost’s chin was lifted by Desalia’s hoof, “There’s a way to circumvent that problem, Frost.”

She moved back a few paces and brought magic to her horn. She opened the book and flipped a few pages in before closing it with a smile. She pointed her horn near the center of the platform and fired an almost liquid  bolt of magic. The silver light fell into a small puddle, and almost immediately began to grow crystals.

“Well, what do you think?’ Desalia asked with a confident smile.

“It’s a crystal,” Frost said. “What’s special about it?”

“Why don’t you take a closer look?” Desalia suggested.

Frost trotted over to the crystal and walked around it. At first he didn’t sense anything, then he could feel a faint energy. He got closer and touched his horn to the crystal, once touching he sensed Desalia’s magic growing within.

Frost’s eyes widened, “What is this?”

Desalia teleported to his side and sat on her haunches, “This is a special type of crystal magic. You form these with the spell, just like you would your normal ice magic. The only difference is you plant a small amount of concentrated magic inside before you cast it. The crystal grows, and so does the magic inside it.” She tapped it lightly with her hoof and smiled, “Think of it as your own magic battery. Even if you run out you can cast these and siphon magic from them at any time.”

Desalia flapped her wings and hovered into the air. She ignited her horn and drew upon the magic in the crystal. She used it to form five smaller crystals above and behind her head in an arc. Each of them soon glowed with silver light. She turned around and fired them into the platform, each exploding with a bright flash.

Frost shook his head in amazement, “I had no idea. I never would have thought of that. Where did this come from?”

The silver alicorn floated down and levitated the book to Frost, “Why don’t you read and find out?”

Frost grabbed the book, then hugged Desalia around her forehooves, “I don’t know what to say. Thank you so much, princess.”

Princess Desalia chuckled and stroked Frost’s mane, “You practice in here for a bit while I go talk with Aldus. I’ll be here to help later, okay?”

Frost nodded eagerly and went to work reading. Desalia smiled at his adorable eager to learn attitude, then flew out of the room. She landed beside Aldus and saw he was still reading about the times of creation.

Aldus turned around and smirked, “So what are you doing with my apprentice?”

“I’m teaching him how to circumvent his low magic reserves, then I’m going to check his horn after he’s tired out a bit.”

“I see,” Aldus said with a shrug, “That will help.”

Desalia sat down to the side and threw back her mane, “I gave Rigel a pass to enter the archives as well. He didn’t want to come? I was looking forward to seeing him.”

Aldus closed his eyes and shut the book he was reading. “Rigel is flying to Verine today...”

Desalia’s eyes widened, remembering the island’s significance, “I see... I forgot.”

“It’s understandable,” Aldus said. “But it’s something he needed to do.”

Desalia got up and pressed her hoof on Aldus’ shoulder, “When you see him, tell him I hope he’s alright, and if he needs anything, he only needs to ask.”

“Yeah... yeah...” Aldus repeated, “He’ll appreciate that.”

--------------------

Iris rocked back and forth on a swinging bench outside the cottage while watching the sun set. She was kind of bored without Frost or Pyrite around. The only other pony in the house was Marigold, and she was working at the moment. Rigel had asked her if she wanted to do anything else or if she was fine being by herself for the rest of the night. She didn’t care if she was alone, if worst came to worst she could always play with Black Star.

She closed her eyes to yawn, when she reopened them she saw Rigel take off and fly south away from the island. Iris didn’t think he was going anywhere later, and by himself? Even stranger, he appeared to be carrying two large saddlebags.

Iris flew into the study and found Marigold filing papers. Luna was spending some time with the children on the other side of the cottage.

“Hey Iris. What’s up?” Marigold asked.

“Did Rigel say he was going anywhere this evening?”

Marigold pondered the question, “Not that I know of, why?”

“I just saw him fly off with two saddlebags full to bursting with something.”

Marigold sat back in her chair, “He didn’t say anything to me...”

Iris’s beak curled into a mischievous smile, “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

Marigold’s face slowly mirrored Iris’, “I think I might, I’ll meet you outback. Just need to tell Luna I’ll be gone for a bit.”

Iris nodded and flew to the back of the cottage, after a few moments Marigold joined her and they took to the air in pursuit. There was at least three hours of daylight left. After about ten minutes of flying they saw Rigel gliding below the clouds. Marigold motioned for Iris to follow her into the cloud cover as they watched Rigel descend to the island of Verine.

“This is weird,” Marigold said, “There’s nothing here except a large estate owned by the Silvermane family. And even they don’t live there all the time. What could he possibly be doing here?”

They landed on a cloud and watched Rigel fly to the groundskeepers house. He knocked and spent about ten minutes talking with the groundskeeper, then flew into the forest near the center of the island.

Marigold and Iris followed closely and were surprised to find so many trees packed so densely together. Verine was one of the larger islands in the south and had a verdant green center that stretched from tip to tip.

Iris and Marigold crept through the brush and eventually found Rigel standing at the base of a large tree. Several weeds and bushes grew up around it. Rigel dropped his saddlebags and spread out gardening tools near the tree. He began to set up a tent and cleared a small area for a fire. As he began laying out some rocks, he looked over to where Marigold and Iris were hiding and stood up.

“Are you going to join me, ladies? Or are you going to skulk back there the whole evening?”

Marigold and Iris looked at each other, then came out into the small clearing.

“What are you doing out here all by yourself?” Iris asked.

“You didn’t tell us anything, Rigel. We were worried.” Marigold said with concern.

“Worried?” Rigel asked with a laugh, “I’m not flying off to battle.”

“You look like you’re going to spend the night here,” Iris said.

Rigel nodded, “I am.”

“What is this place? Why are you out here on this empty island all by yourself?” Marigold asked. “If you talked to me I would have come with you.”

Rigel lowered his head, letting his blue mane fall forward, “I know, but this is something I wanted to do alone. But now that you’re here, I guess that’s fine.”

“Rigel... what is this place?” Iris asked, fluttering over to his side.

Rigel’s ears fell flat as he slowly walked over to the tree. He tore out a bush and threw away some branches. He pointed to a small rock, it was barely visible above the soil. He then motioned to the tree. Something was scrawled into the bark, but it was warped with the many years of age.

“Epsy...” Rigel said, letting a single tear fall. “It’s short for Epsilon, my little brother. I came here to visit him after one thousand years away.”

Marigold put a hoof to her mouth, realizing that the small stone was a grave marker. And that it had eroded over the years. Iris pulled one of Rigel’s wings around her and snuggled into the crook, nuzzling his chest to try and console him.

Marigold stepped forward and looked down at the small stone. “Pegasi didn’t have earthly burials back then, it was a different tradition. So... why is he here? Why the Silver Isles?”

Rigel shook his head, “I wasn’t about to let him be put to rest by old pegasi customs, he was brought here by myself, Aldus, and Polaris. We weren’t going to do it in Equestria.”

Iris stretched out a single talon and wiped away a tear from his eyes. Rigel looked down and smiled, wrapping his wing around her further in gratitude.

“Rigel... how did he die? Can you tell us about him?” Iris asked.

“Yeah,” Marigold said, joining Rigel and giving him a nuzzle. “Will it make you feel better to talk about it?”

“He- he fell...” Rigel stuttered, “He fell to his death from our family home... he was only eleven years old, he couldn’t fly.”

Marigold was shocked. Deaths due to falling were extremely rare for pegasi, even foals. “That sounds like a horrible accident.”

Rigel’s wings tensed, his ears shot backward and his eyes glazed over with murderous fire, “It wasn't an accident...”

Rigel quickly flapped away, making sure not to hurt the females beside him. He began to set up the tent and turned to look at them, “I’ll tell you what happened, maybe... maybe it’ll be good to talk about it after all these years. It started at dinner with our father, one dark and stormy night.”