Marigold opened her eyes slowly as the rays of sun fell upon her. The curtains were pulled over the windows so only a thin beam was able to enter the room. She yawned and trotted over to the window, upon pulling back the curtains she noticed the sun setting over the mountains. It was almost night time.

How long did I sleep?

She heard a yawn behind her, turning to investigate she saw Luna getting up as well.

“Oh my! I slept here the entire day, and in your bed. I’m so sorry Luna.” Marigold said with a bow.

Luna simply smiled and waved a hoof at Marigold while yawning again, “Marigold you know you are more than just an officer in the night guard to me, you’re my friend. You don’t need to apologize, and I must say I’m happy to see you stayed with Aldus. Any particular reason why you stayed?” Luna asked with a smirk.

Marigold blushed, “He- he told me he might need my help, so I stayed.”

Luna giggled, “I see, I returned this morning to find both of you sleeping. I’m going to go take a bath before I start my duties tonight and raise the moon. You’re welcome to join me, but first I’d like you to find Aldus and have him meet us here in two hours time. We need to discuss what my sister told him yesterday.”

Marigold bowed, “I’ll go find him right now, do you know where he is?”

“I’d suggest first checking his new chambers down the hall.” Luna said collecting some things to take to the bathes.

Marigold quickly put on her armor and walked over to the bed but could not find her Daring Do book anywhere. Thats strange, it should be around here somewhere. Not being able to find it she decided to leave and go locate Aldus.

After exiting Luna’s chambers Marigold saw three guards and a servant mare all talking to a unicorn in green and blue robes. She recognized the unicorn as Aldus and slowly approached the group, not wanting to barge in on their conversation.

“It is of the utmost importance that you locate this mare immediately. Once you find her, let her know I require a meeting with her on behalf of the princesses.”

The mare bowed and hurried off past Marigold. The three guards who remained also bowed to Aldus and picked up their weapons to continue their patrol. “Thank you for the chat guardsponies, you will receive word about the meeting as soon as I schedule it.” Aldus said.

Marigold saluted the guards as they walked by and stood in the doorway of Aldus’ new chambers. She whistled in awe. The room was covered wall to wall in bookshelves and many of them were already full of books. A large desk was positioned near the fireplace and across from that was a moderately sized bed. Three more bookshelves extended from the fireplace into the room creating a curving wall near the bed.

Aldus was sitting at the desk organizing scrolls and star charts. “Are you that impressed with books Marigold?”

For her part, she actually was. The amount of books here could fill a wing in the palace library. How could he possibly read all these?

“Do you intend to read all these, Aldus?” Marigold inquired as she flew over and hovered by his desk.

“I’ll need to read many of them yes, but for now they are here in case I need a reference for anything.”

“You seem busy, what are you working on?”

Aldus let out a sigh and slumped back in his large chair, “I’m organizing a titanic backlog of Luna’s paperwork since she returned from banishment and began repairing the night sky. There is just SO much here!”

Marigold could see he was stressed and sleep deprived, “Aldy,” she said, “You look really worn out, you could use a break. I’m going to meet Luna in the bathes right now, interested in joining us?” she asked with a sly grin.

Aldus’ jaw dropped, “I- um, I- don’t think- uhh that would be a good idea. You mares need your privacy and Luna... it would be inappropriate.”

Marigold landed beside the chair and nudged it so it swiveled to face her. “Ahw are you sure?” she pouted while turning to leave and swishing her tail in his face. “You were so flirty when we first found you in the north. Oh well, another time then. Luna wanted me to tell you that after we are done we’re going to have a meeting in her chambers.”

“I’ll be there,” Aldus said as he watched Marigold leave the room.

Godesses... I get locked away for a thousand years and suddenly mares find me attractive? I suppose it was true what they said about being old and mysterious.

Aldus chuckled at that.

Well that gives me even more of an incentive to create a fashionable wardrobe suitable for the current time.

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

Luna and Marigold were drying their manes in Luna’s chambers when Aldus walked in. The Nightmare had since returned to him from gathering information and so granted him the ability to see things a bit clearer than normal, even without syphoning its power. Luna and Marigold looked absolutely breathtaking with their wet manes and fur.

Luna noticed Aldus come in and smirked, “We missed you Aldus, you should have come with Marigold.”

Aldus blushed and stared at the floor, “Your notes aren’t going to organize themselves, Luna. I’ll come next time when there is less to do.”

Marigold and Luna giggled, “We’ll hold you to that.” they both said.

Luna sat on her bed and Marigold lounged on some pillows near the fireplace.

“Alright Aldus,” Luna said with a now more serious tone, “What did my sister tell you?”

“Everything she told you, if Celestia is to be believed. If the other court members are still alive, we must waste no time in releasing them.”

Marigold’s mouth practically dropped to the floor, “What are you talking about?”

Luna explained the situation and Celestia’s reasoning before the end of the war.

“I suppose that makes sense,” Marigold said, pondering the logic behind such a decision. “She was right about practically nopony wanting to be around you, let alone work for you, Luna.”

Normally this would have made Luna sad, but things were different now, things were changing for the better.

“I have the two of you,” Luna said with a happy smile, “And soon the others will be here too.”

Aldus nodded and grinned at Marigold with glowing green eyes. “My friends and I are going to make some changes around here for Luna and Celestia... with their permission, of course. That means you will be able to meet your hero, Marigold.”

Suddenly Aldus found himself staring at the ceiling with the wind knocked out of him. Being tackle-hugged was something he might never get used to.

“You’re going to bring Rigel back?!”

Aldus wheezed trying formulate a response while Luna was laughing at Marigold’s actions.

“Why do I feel like Rigel will have a similar effect on many other mares?” Luna asked between bouts of laughter.

“Because he always did?” Aldus added sarcastically as Marigold helped him up off the floor.

“I’m sorry, Aldus. I just can’t wait to meet him! Can I come when you and Luna go to release him?” Marigold pleaded.

“Of course you can!” Aldus said, “I’m sure you’ll get along great with him, and I need a capable officer with me to be in charge of the new guards and soldiers. His location is the closest, so we’re going after him first.”

Marigold turned to Luna, “New guards and soldiers?”

“Thats right,” Aldus said. “I’m not pleased with the situation at hand where nopony wants to join the night guard. If this is a diarchy, things should start to become proportional again, and Celestia agrees. Thats why in the coming days, I’m going to select some new guards to replenish the ranks.”

“But you said soldiers, too. Is there a new need for soldiers now?” Marigold asked, clearly worried.

Aldus looked at Luna, who shook her head indicating that now was not the best time. Aldus ruffled Marigold’s partially dry mane and smiled reassuringly. “Remember what I said about not needing to worry when I’m around? The soldiers are just a precaution. I’m only going to organize them and get things started on the logistics side, the rest is up to Polaris when he returns.”

Seeing the topic was making Marigold uncomfortable, Aldus quickly decided to changed the subject.

“You know, Marigold. I’m going to be more active in meetings and will likely be traveling a bit. I’d like to update my wardrobe. Is there any place you could recommend for me to start shopping?”

Marigold smiled at Aldus and flapped her wings happily. “I know just the place! There is a new designer in Ponyville, she is fantastic!”

“And one of the elements of harmony,” Luna interjected with a wink.

“Yes, I almost forgot about that!” Marigold said excitedly. “I love her work, she is very talented.”

“Celestia did tell me I should visit Ponyville and meet the elements when I had a chance.” Aldus said. “I think I’ll take you up on your offer to show me around, Marigold.”

Marigold beamed at Aldus, “Really? I won’t disappoint you! I’ll send a letter to her right now getting you a private showing of the boutique!”

“Thats not nec-” Aldus attempted to say, but Marigold had already flown out of the room.

Luna giggled and flew over to land beside Aldus, “I’m glad she cares about you, Aldus. I only hope the rest of the courtiers receive the same treatment when they return.”

“I’m sure at least some of them will, Luna. I’ll take it upon myself to see that we are treated fairly and with respect, and with Celestia wanting the same, I don’t see things being too difficult. I worry about other things...”

Luna knew where Aldus was going with this. She cast a silencing spell on the room so that they may talk without fear of eavesdroppers.

“What have you found out so far?”

“According to Celestia, the other princesses sense the same things she does, though they don’t seem to know anything more than we do. From what the Nightmare has told me, and from what little I’ve read so far, I’m worried about the north.”

“What do you mean Aldus?” Luna asked.

“The Gryphon Kingdoms, Luna. I’ve been to a few of them, witnessed their culture first hand, and read about the rest of it. They are warriors and fighters, always fighting amongst themselves because thats all they ever had to fight when it came to matters of their own lands. I don’t worry about them, I worry about what they are afraid of...”

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

Aldus awoke the next morning to the sound of pounding on his door. He had spent some of the night with Luna on her duties and continued organizing her paperwork, but otherwise was able to finally get some rest.The knocking persisted but was accompanied by the voice of a familiar hyperactive mare.

“Wake up Mr. old pony!”

‘Mr. old pony?’ Aldus thought as he gritted his teeth at the racket and the insult. Finally he relented and used his magic to open the door, letting Marigold in.

Marigold flew over to the bed and landed at the end, only to see four books in the bed with Aldus, one of them being her Daring Do book.

“Hey! I was wondering where that book wa- ha- hahaha!” Marigold burst into laughter and fell over on the bed. Aldus was looking at her with a disappointed frown that would actually fit on a grumpy old pony. But that wasn’t the best part, apparently he wore his eye covering veil to sleep along with a sleeping cap. It made him look like a character from a story her mother would tell her as a foal.

“Glad I could amuse you this fine morning, Marigold.” he said grumpily while turning over and attempting to get comfortable again.

Marigold grabbed the Daring Do book and laid down on her back next to Aldus so she was staring at him. “I didn’t know you enjoyed Daring Do, Aldus. If you wanted to borrow any of the books all you needed to do was ask.”

Aldus sighed and turned, “I was going to give that back to you today. You could say I’m interested in Daring Do... I suppose. But not in her so much as her knowledge of ancient ruins. Was there some reason you barged in here and woke me up? Or did you just want climb in bed with me?” He asked with a snicker.

Marigold bopped him on the head with her hoof, “Just because you aren’t a little colt now doesn’t mean I still can’t put you in your place. I came here to tell you that you have a private showing of the boutique in Ponyville tonight. The owner would have taken you sooner, but she is finishing a line of dresses and requires the day to work on it. But I thought you might want to get there a little earlier and see the town.”

“That... actually might not be a bad idea,” Aldus said as he climbed out of the covers and sat on the edge of the bed. “Seems to be a popular little town, when should we leave?”

Marigold flew to hover by the door, “Unfortunately I can’t stay with you the whole time, I can only take you there. Luna needs me this evening for an assignment. We’ll leave after lunch.”

“Okay...” Aldus said with a yawn, “Want to get breakfast?”

Marigold smiled, “I’d like that, Aldy.”

“Great, then you can get it and bring it back here for me, I’m going back to bed.”

Marigold shot him a dirty look and threw a book at him, “Kidding! Kidding! I’ll meet you down there in ten minutes.”

“Okay!” she said in a cheery tone and flew away.

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

The chariot taking Aldus to Ponyville descended from the clouds and landed near the outskirts of town. Apparently, according to Marigold, there was a pink earth pony in town named Pinky Pie who loved throwing parties for new ponies. Aldus did not want that on his first visit today... or any other day for that matter.

Marigold had talked his ear off the entire time. She wondered why he was so comfortable flying in a chariot, as most earth ponies and unicorns don’t go flying that often. His response was his limited sight and the fact that he could fly himself, technically, reminding Marigold of the Nightmare’s wings he could conjure at will.

Aldus jumped out of the carriage and Marigold said she would return later tonight to take him back to Canterlot. Aldus waved to her and the guards as they flew away, then went into town to look around.

Ponyville was a relatively small town, but it seemed much larger. Aldus pondered why that was as he approached a food stand to get some late lunch.

“I’ll take some hay fries and a daffodil salad please.” he said while looking around the town center. There were many ponies running about conducting their business. Aldus saw a blue mare sitting in a most unusual position on a bench drinking some soda, which made him thirsty too.

“Could I trouble you for a soda as well?” Aldus asked. The pony preparing his food smiled and gave him the same drink the blue mare was having, then handed him his order of food.

Aldus thanked the pony and paid him, then proceeded to find a place to eat. He saw some foals running around playing and figured school must have let out for the day. Thinking about those foals made him remember what he used to do once school was out. Usually he would break his back cleaning for Ms. Crabapple then go to the park. The park, that would be a nice quiet place to relax and eat.

Aldus was about to leave the town square when he noticed a small filly in a uniform standing by a collection box that read ‘Filly Scouts’. He remembered groups like this from his days at the school of magic in Canterlot. They did a lot of charity work and promoted good values. Plus he admired the little filly for standing there while many of the other foals played.

“Hello there.” Aldus said as the filly noticed him. He levitated a generous ten bits from his coin purse and dropped them into the box. The filly’s mouth dropped as she snapped a crisp salute.

“Wow thats a lot of bits Mr! Thank yo-- Hey Mr. are you okay? What's wrong with your eyes? Are you blind?”

Aldus looked down at the now frowning filly, “Blind? No not really. I just can’t see as well as other ponies.”

“Where are you going Mr.? I’ll help you get there.” the little filly offered.

“I’m going to the park to eat, but-” he saw the filly frown again. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt the child’s feelings. Strangely, he found himself wondering what Marigold would do in this situation. “I suppose I could use the help, thank you child.”

“Its no trouble at all!” the little filly said saluting him a second time, “This way!” she said grabbing him by a hoof and pulling him along.

They finally arrived at the park and Aldus thanked the filly before she returned to the town square. He found a bench next to a large tree and sat down. The park was nowhere near as large as Canterlot’s, but from what Aldus could see it was nice all the same. He dumped the hay fries on top of the salad and began to eat, only to be drenched with a bucket full of cold water. His food washed out of its container and onto the ground, his veil was sagging revealing one of his glazed over eyes, and his robes were soaked. Laughter above him brought his attention to three pegasus colts. They had most likely followed him while the Filly Scout lead him to the park.

“Haha, stupid blind pony!” one said while the other leaned against a tree, “Yeah, stupid is right. Just what is he even wearing?”

Aldus felt the Nightmare’s anger rising but before either of them could do anything, three fillies appeared on a nearby hill.

“Leave him alone!” they shouted as they ran toward the tree.

The three pegasus colts saw the fillies and looked at Aldus, who was staring back at them with blazing green eyes.

“Uhh guys, lets get outta here!” the older looking pegasus said and they flew away faster than they had ever flown before.

“Run, cowards! You don’t want to mess with us!” one of the fillies with a red bow in her mane shouted.

“Are you ok, Mr.?” asked one of the fillies, this one a white unicorn.

“I’m alright, just a bit disappointed by those foals’ behavior.” Aldus said while wringing out his robes. He heard a buzzing noise and looked down to see the orange pegasus filly’s wings beating in agitation. Upon closer inspection, he also saw that all three fillies were wearing capes adorned with some sort of symbol. Now he was intrigued...

“Those colts have always been a bunch of jerks, but they’ve reached a new low today, picking on a blind pony.” the orange pegasus said, noticing Aldus’ exposed eye and veil.

“Well it looks like you saved me from them!” Aldus said with a gracious bow. “And just who may I have the honor of calling my rescuers?”

The three fillies adopted a heroic stance and grinned, “My name is Apple Bloom!” the earth pony with the red bow in her mane shouted. “This is Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle,” pointing to the pegasus and unicorn, respectively. “And together, we are the Cutie Mark Crusaders!” all three shouted in unison.

“Crusaders? What are you crusading for?” he asked, trying to play along.

“To get our cutie marks! Duh!” Scootaloo practically shouted.

“We’re just happy to have came along to help you when we did. By the way, who are you?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“My name is Aldus, I’m from Canterlot.”

“Well its nice to meet you Aldus, but we have some crusading to do! C’mon girls, we have to get that treasure map!” Apple Bloom said as they raced into town while shouting goodbye over their shoulders.

Aldus smiled as he watched them run off. Such zeal, this is certainly an interesting little town. I bet its no coincidence that many of the elements reside here.

Some of the fries were not drenched with water, so Aldus picked them up off the bench and started eating them with his soda. He produced the book Celestia gave him regarding the locations of his friends and courtiers. As he turned a few pages he heard a slight booming sound overhead. The sky was bright but three streaking images could be seen performing impressive maneuvers around various cloud banks. Their blue uniforms and special contrails revealed them as Wonderbolts. Aldus chuckled and turned to the page marked with Rigel’s cutie mark.

Soon...

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

The sun was setting and soon Luna would raise the moon to begin the night. Aldus was casually walking down the street thinking about how Ponyville was similar, yet different, when compared to the small towns he had seen in his youth one thousand years ago. Sweet Apple Acres was massive and likely was responsible for a large portion of the town’s trade. The pegasi town of Cloudsdale served as a hub of weather control and partner in trade and income with Ponyville, an interesting and dynamic relationship.

Aldus wondered if the ponies in Cloudsdale were as friendly as the ones in Ponyville, since Ponyville was largely a town of earth ponies. He stopped pondering such things when a decorative building came into view down the road. Remembering to check the note Marigold had given him, he read the name above the entrance. ‘Carousel Boutique’, this looks like the place.

He knocked on the door since it was well past open hours.

“Come in!” said a sweet voice from inside.

Aldus opened the door and stepped inside to behold a wondrous display of dresses and gem decorations. The walls were adorned with artwork that would fit well in any high class establishment in Canterlot. A sweet smell of perfume and flowers radiated from a display room near the front of the shop. Judging by the size of the building and the stairs leading up, Aldus surmised that the pony who ran this boutique also lived here.

“Oh my!” said the sweet voice, “You must be the stallion who was interested in some custom designs. How are you, darling?”

The voice came from a stunningly beautiful white unicorn mare. Her purple mane and tail were curled in a manner that reminded Aldus of the old ballroom styles from so long ago. She was wearing what looked like designer glasses that only enhanced her cuteness.

“Y-yup, thats me. My name is Aldus, I’d like to-”

“WHAAAT?!” the white mare practically shrieked.

Aldus let out a deep sigh of resignation. Of course this pony would be a student of history too, anypony who thinks infamy is appealing has no idea wha-

“You- You’re Aldus? THE Aldus? Former adviser to Princess Luna and leader of the Court of the Moon? The Magister responsible for inspiring such inventive fashion trends?”

“The one and only,” Aldus said with a wide grin. “Am I to assume that my choice in wardrobe so long ago has inspired such a beautiful designer? Miss...?”

“Rarity!” the mare squeed. “My name is Rarity, it such a pleasure to meet you, darling! But how are you here and not... you know...?”

“Dead?”

“Yes,” Rarity nodded, studying him closely, “And what is that horrid thing covering your eyes?”

Aldus realized his veil had been torn, dropped in spinach soup, and doused in water. It likely looked hideous.

“Its a long story Miss Rarity”

“Darling, please, just call me Rarity. I have time, now that my order is filled. I’ll brew us some tea and you can tell me all about it. I won’t take no for an answer, I simply refuse to pass up an opportunity to talk to a trendsetter such as yourself. And I won’t take no for an answer.” She said with a wink while entering the kitchen.

Aldus blushed, “Well... if you insist.”

For an hour or so Aldus informed Rarity about the war, the last battle, and his imprisonment. Rarity asked about the fashion one thousand years ago and what Aldus’ interests were back then. Aldus cited Starswirl and the first tailoring shop he had been in with the robes and cloaks. He had given Rarity enough information to start a few projects for him and she was delighted to take on such work.

“I can get your measurements right now, darling. I just need to make sure my sister and her friends are tucked in for bed, they are having a sleepover tonight.”

“Thats fine, Rarity. I’ll wait.” Aldus said, enjoying his tea.

Rarity smiled and batted those beautiful eyelashes at him as she trotted upstairs. Meanwhile Aldus couldn’t get over how many gorgeous mares seemed to be around between Ponyville and Canterlot. Oh yes, Rigel is going to love it here. I can’t wait to show him-

Suddenly his thoughts were cut short by a bone chilling scream coming from upstairs. Aldus raced up the stairs and burst through the door to find a horrified Rarity looking out an open window.

“They’re gone! The girls, they’re gone!” she screamed, her eyes beginning to shimmer with tears.

“Where would they have gone?” Aldus asked urgently.

They quickly searched the room for clues and Rarity found something that made her shriek in horror.

“There is book here with a map of the Everfree Forest!”

Aldus quickly examined the map and saw markings indicating a structure with the word ‘treasure?’ scribbled next to it. There was only one possibility of what that structure was.

“Rarity, I think I know where they’ve gone. I’ll go after them, but I need you to stay here.”

“But-but, I-”

“Trust me,” Aldus said, “Stay here.”

Rarity wiped some tears from her eyes and slowly nodded. Aldus jumped out the window and galloped toward the Everfree forest praying it wasn’t too late.

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

The Cutie Mark Crusaders trudged through the vines and mud on their way to the ancient castle of the royal pony sisters. Apple Bloom held the map and pondered which direction to go.

“There is supposed to be a river that we have to cross. The map says there should be a shallow crossing up this way.”

Sweetie Belle was having hard time getting through some bushes. Her mane was catching on just about everything. Meanwhile, Scootaloo was holding a lantern while trying not to let on how scared she was. The three filles soon found themselves in a small clearing. They stopped to rest only to notice four sets of green eyes watching them from one corner of the tree line. Four timberwolves stalked out of the bushes and approached the fillies. The crusaders backed up against a formation of rocks and screamed. Sensing their fear, the timberwolves charged.

Scootaloo cracked one eye open to see the timberwolves running at them then suddenly the sky above them darkened as a large black figure flew over them and gracefully landed between them and the timberwolves. It shot fire and lightning from its hooves and blew two of the timberwolves to pieces. Of the remaining two, one lunged at the black figure only to be caught between its hooves and thrown to the ground. Blue fire flowed from the figure’s mouth and burned the timberwolf to ash. The remaining timberwolf snarled and fled and the clearing. The black figure seemed to shrink as it set fire to the pieces it had blown apart when it first appeared.

The girls weren’t sure what to think when the black figure approached them. It was a large pegasus mare with fur and mane as dark as the night. Its eyes were a blueish green color and had a certain warmth to them.

“Are you girls okay?” it asked in voice that sounded tender and caring, but infinitely older than the mare standing before them.

“We’re fine,” Apple Bloom said, her voice wavering.

“We’re just glad you saved us, thank you.” Sweetie Belle said while pulling briars out of her mane.

“You destroyed those timberwolves with magic, but you are a pegasus? How-?

The black pegasus sat down in front of them while a black horn materialized from her head.

“You’re an alicorn!” the crusaders said in unison.

The black mare looked at them and contemplated the term, “Alicorn... I am whatever I need to be for the task at hand.”

“Who are you?” Scootaloo asked. I thought that there were only three alicorns in equestria.

“Who am I?” the black mare asked.

“Yeah!” Sweetie Belle squeaked, “What's your name?”

“My name?”

“Yeah, silly!” Apple Bloom said with a laugh, “You know, the thing that everypony has. I’m Apple Boom, and this is Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. So what’s your name?”

The pegasus mare looked at the fillies and at her hooves. The clearing became brighter as clouds moved away revealing the light of the full moon. She gazed up at the moon before answering them

“You can call me... Selene.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Selene!” the crusaders said in unison.

“It’s nice to meet you too girls. But, what are you doing all the way out here in the forest? Its dangerous out here, as you can see.” Selene said, motioning to the burning remains of the first two timberwolves.

“We’re looking for treasure!” Scootaloo said, “There are ruins deeper into the forest that are supposed to have treasure there. If we find it we may get our cutie marks in treasure hunting!”

“I’m sorry girls, but I can’t allow that. Its far too dangerous.”

“But- but you can protect us!” Apple Bloom said.

“And we’ve come so far already!” Sweetie Belle whined.

“Fine...” the fillies said as they realized they were unconvincing.

Selene saw the sadness in their eyes and recognized where she had seen this before. In two other ponies she had come to know. If it is that important to these fillies...

“Girls... If I take you to the ruins, will you promise to let me take you home afterwards?”

“YES!” came the jubilant response as the crusaders ran over to hug Selene.

“Alright, don’t move.” Selene warned as she summoned a dark power from her horn, and in an instant they were gone.

They reappeared inside the ruined ancient castle of the royal pony sisters.

“Wow, we’re here!” Scootaloo exclaimed.

“Yeah! C’mon Selene the treasure is supposed to be in the throne room!” Sweetie Belle said as they ran ahead.

Selene didn’t sense any danger around the castle ruins, it seemed aside from the vegetation, the rest of the forest avoided this place. She slowly walked into the throne room keeping an eye on the three fillies as they ran about looking for their treasure. Selene felt a twitch of pain in the back of her neck. I’ve been here before... but... why can’t I remember?

“Here it is!” Apple Bloom cheered as she opened a chest behind the throne. But Selene only saw disappointment on their faces as they produced stones and ruined scrolls from the chest.

“Theres nothing here,” Sweetie Belle said, sounding lost.

Scootaloo threw one of the stones into the corner, “So much for our treasure hunting cutie marks.”

Selene was seated atop some rubble in the middle of the room watching them, “Girls, come sit with me.”

The crusaders trotted over to to Selene and sat down on the floor below her, all of them looking despondent.

“Why are you in such a hurry to get your cutie marks?”

“Because, Selene,” Sweetie Belle said with a slight mist in her eyes, “Everypony else in class already has theirs!”

“What does that matter?” Selene asked. “You girls shouldn’t rush something like your cutie marks. When the time is right, it will happen.”

“Easy for you to say!” Scootaloo shouted with tears in her eyes. “You already have yours! Its uh- uhm... I don’t know what that is, but its something! And its more than we’ve got!”

The image on Selene’s flank was a mass of strange shaped objects, each with different colors all against a sea of black. Between each shape there were small white dots to accompany the many different images.

Selene smiled and raised the three fillies into the air with her magic and collected them under her large black wings.

“I was like you once, so very long ago. While you are searching for your destiny, searching for just a place to start, my starting point was given to me.”

“Your starting point was given to you?” Scootaloo asked, trying to look at Selene from under the black plumage. “What did you set out to do?”

“... I was... a traveler...” Selene said, choosing her words carefully. “I traveled for a very long time, wandering here and there. I witnessed things so beautiful that touched my soul, moments of creation, birth and rebirth. The showers of waterfalls, the opening of flowers reflecting the sun’s light, and waves of the oceans moving in and out shaping the land around them. I even did some creating of my own. But, after awhile, I became sad... and lonely. However, whenever my spirits were down I would stumble upon something truly remarkable. Girls, just because you’ve run into an obstacle or experienced failure doesn’t mean its the end.”

“Look...” Selene whispered to the girls as she pointed to the chest, this time it was glowing.

“What's that?!” Apple Bloom asked.

“I’m not sure,” Selene said. “Was it like that before?”

“NO!” all three fillies shouted with excitement.

“Well, perhaps you should investigate.” Selene suggested with a smile and released the fillies from her wings.

The crusaders dashed over to the chest and opened it again. What they saw inside caused them to embrace each other with a cheer. They each produced a new crusader cape with gold and silver embroidery. Each cape matched the the color of their respective mane and the crusader symbol seemed to glow with a golden light.

“These are amazing!” Scootaloo said, buzzing her wings as she jumped around happily.

“Let these symbolize your resolve whenever you are frustrated by failure, you only truly fail when you stop trying.” Selene said with a warm smile.

“Now, come to me girls. Its time I return you home.”

“Are you going to teleport us again, Miss Selene?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“Not this time, Sweetie. I think we’ll fly back.” Selene said as she spread her powerful wings.

“Um Selene, we can’t fly,” Apple Bloom reminded the black mare.

Selene grinned and enveloped them in a soft blue light. Slowly, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle  floated into the air.

“I’m flying!” squeaked Sweetie Belle as she spun in mid air above Selene.

“This is going to be amazing!” Apple Bloom said with her hooves outstretched like a competitive flier.

Scootaloo looked at the ground and gave a heavy sigh, “Aren’t you going to use that spell on me too, Selene?”

“Why would I do that, Scootaloo?” Selene asked absentmindedly while tickling Sweetie Belle with the tips of her feathers as she floated by.

“Because my wings... I can’t fly, Selene. Not with these anyway.” Scootaloo buzzed her wings.

“They look fine to me, Scootaloo.”

“Scootaloo!” Sweetie Belle squeaked and pointed at her, “Your wings!”

Scootaloo turned around to behold a pair of large orange wings. They looked just as strong and powerful as Rainbow Dash’s.

“Care to lead the way, Scootaloo?” Selene asked, pointing to a large hole in the roof.

Scootaloo hesitated a moment but then remembered some of the lessons Rainbow Dash had started to teach her. She crouched low and broke into a gallop to gain speed and with a powerful jump she was airborne. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle cheered as she circled once around the room then flew up into the sky with Selene following close behind, pulling the other two fillies with her.

Selene followed Scootaloo into a cloud bank only to see her drop in from behind and bop Apple Bloom on the head. The three fillies laughed and flew around Selene as they left the Everfree Forest. Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom performed barrel rolls and corkscrews and encouraged Selene to play along as well. All three ponies flew around the clouds and even played a game of hide and seek.

Finally they entered the skies above Ponyville. Selene descended to land in front of Carousel Boutique and levitated Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle down beside her. Scootaloo performed one last trick and landed.

“This was so much fun, Selene.” Scootaloo said with a cheer that was echoed by Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle.

“I had a lot of fun too girls, but I’m afraid it's time for us to part ways.”

“Really?” Sweetie Belle asked while hugging Selene’s leg, “How come?”

“Your journey is over, you are safe, and I am needed elsewhere.”

Each of the other two crusaders ran over to Selene and hugged her as well. Selene knelt down and wrapped her wings around the fillies.

“Remember girls, you are crusaders. No matter how bad things seem, never give up the crusade.”

“Will we see you again, Selene?” Apple Bloom asked.

Selene’s eyes took on a slight green color and became bright. “I like Canterlot and Ponyville, and it looks like I’ve already made three new friends, so I think I’ll stick around for a while. If you ever need me, just call out to me in your mind. I’ll do my best to help however I can, I promise.”

Selene unfurled her wings and the doors to the boutique opened revealing a white glow.

“Goodbye girls... until we meet again.”

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

Scootaloo blinked and tried to focus as she opened her eyes. She was in a bed and was able to hear voices. There seemed to be three ponies talking. She attempted to listen closer but her head and side ached. She realized she had a bandage on her head and her left wing was badly bruised. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were beside her but they were also injured. She focussed her vision on the door on the other side of the room. It looked so far away, her vision was still blurry and the voices were muffled. She coughed when trying to focus too hard made her side hurt.

One of the ponies standing in the door must have heard her because they slowly came over to the bed. Scootaloo recognized the pony from earlier in the day.

“You’re Aldus...” Scootaloo croaked.

“Shh... Yes, I am.” he said softly.

“What happened? We- we were...”

“You were in the Everfree Forest about to be dinner for some timberwolves. If I hadn’t found you when I did, you’d be a lot worse off for sure.” Aldus whispered.

Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom stirred next to Scootaloo, they both opened their eyes and recognized Aldus.

“You...” Apple Bloom said.

“That’s right girls, you helped me today and it looks like I was able to return the favor.” Aldus said with a gentle smile.

“But, you didn’t save us,” Sweetie Belle whispered, “It was Selene.”

“Yea,” Scootaloo nodded, “A black pegasus mare, she had a horn too... Selene.”

Aldus put a hoof to his mouth making sure the fillies saw him thinking about something. “Selene huh? I think... I think I just might know somepony named Selene. I’ll be sure to thank her for helping you.”

“But, you said you rescued us.” Scootaloo said, clearly confused, “Who are you?”

Aldus smiled, “I am a wizard and servant of Princess Luna.”

“Princess Luna?!” Scootaloo wheezed.

“Thats right, Scoot. The Princess of the Night and Dreams... speaking of which.”

A soft gold light formed at the tip of Aldus’ horn and wafted over the three filles. The light began to produce small golden sparkles that slowly fell from the suspended band, only to disappear just before hitting the filly’s heads.  

“Wha- what's going on?” the three fillies muttered.

Sweetie Belle yawned and fell back asleep, but both Apple Bloom and Scootaloo struggled to remain awake and look at Aldus, who was grinning at them. Scootaloo could have swore she saw his eyes glow green for an instant.

“You need to rest after your little adventure today. Sweet dreams are the perfect medicine, besides, you never know who you might run into in a dream...”

And they were out. Aldus tucked them in again and levitated himself out of the room so he was certain to not make any noise. Marigold and Rarity were outside waiting, and both mares were smiling at him.

“What?” Aldus asked.

“You were absolutely adorable in there, Aldy” Marigold replied with a large grin splitting her face. “You really are good with foals.”

Rarity bowed to Aldus and wiped a tear from her eye. “I’m just so glad you found them when you did, are you certain they’ll be alright?”

“I was never good at healing spells, but their injuries aren’t serious apart from a few minor cuts and bad bruises. If you feel like taking them to the doctors tomorrow you certainly can.” Aldus said as they went downstairs.

Rarity turned to Marigold, “Applejack is in the Crystal Empire, but I notified Big Macintosh and he is on his way over right now. I confess I don’t know of anyone to call for Scootaloo.”

Aldus took note of that last bit but remained silent.

“Thats good,” Marigold stated reassuringly “Considering the circumstance, things could have turned out a lot worse tonight. I’ll organize a Timberwolf hunt as soon as I can, I think its time we thinned their numbers a bit.”

“Thats a good idea, Marigold” Aldus agreed, “In fact it might make a good exercise for the new recruits. May I have a moment with Rarity please? I’ll be out to chariot in two minutes.”

Marigold arched an eyebrow at Aldus, but agreed and left after saying goodnight to Rarity.

Aldus levitated over a piece of parchment and a quill and began drawing a design on it.

“It’s really unfortunate that the night ended up like this. I’ll need to come back another time for you to take my measurements and give you my design preferences.” Aldus said while continuing to draw on the parchment.

“I can assure you Sweetie Belle and the rest of the girls will receive a stern talking to tomorrow morning, hmph!”

Aldus laughed, “I’d hate to be on the receiving end of that. You know, I ran into those girls earlier today. They chased off some colts who poured a bucket of water on me. I’m happy to see foals like them in a young generation.”

Aldus finished the drawing and gave it to Rarity. “Use that design and make three of them. Each should be a different color, red, pink, and purple. I’ve listed the materials you’ll need to make them, when you purchase the supplies just send all the bills to me. When you’re done, I’ll come by to pick them up and you can take my measurements then.”

Rarity smiled and nodded, “It won’t take long at all, thank you for all that you’ve done tonight, Aldus.”

“Its part of my job to help and protect the princess’s subjects, and I would never turn away from a chance to help an element of harmony... or a beautiful mare.”

Rarity giggled and blushed, “Goodnight, Aldus. Have a safe trip back to Canterlot.”

“Goodnight, Rarity. I will”

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

Princess Luna was observing the dreamscape and dealing with some small problems for the dreamers. Gently nudging their perceptions so they could change the dream themselves, and allowing them to safely face their fears. Luna then felt the presence of a new dreamer, Aldus. His dreams felt like anypony elses except for an overlying feeling.

What is this? Its normal... peaceful and calm except for this.... dread.

Luna entered Aldus dream to find herself on a hill overlooking a verdant green field of flowers. The sky was in the midst of twilight and a soft breeze blew flower petals into the air past Luna.

This place, I remember this place.

Further up the hill there was a large tree with a wooden swing hanging from a branch. A familiar little colt sat in the swing staring at the ground. Sitting behind and to the right of the colt was a large black alicorn. Luna knew it for what it was, but it was still a strange sight to behold. Aldus as a diminutive colt being watched over by that black alicorn.

Luna listened as Aldus conversed with his guardian.

“I suppose that is a fitting name, yes. I apologize for not giving you a name sooner... I... had not thought about it. How selfish of me.”

The black alicorn said nothing, but moved to sit on its haunches in front of the swing and colt.

“I’m fine now, really. It was good of you to help them tonight, you should go check and make sure they aren’t having any bad dreams. I know, I like them too. We’re going to keep an eye on them.”

The black alicorn plucked the colt from the swing and hugged him tightly, then set him down on the seat. It then looked right at Luna and paused a moment. The two alicorns stared at each other for a few moments before the black alicorn took to air then disappeared.

Aldus began to swing slightly on the swing, “Not quite what you were expecting, Luna? The dreamscape, I mean.”

Luna didn’t move, “This is where you would come to spend time with her after she first adopted you.”

“Yes...”

Luna looked at the mountains far across the fields and saw the utterly black sky above them. Lightning cracked the sky and thunder rumbled in the distance. She had found the source of dread.

“The Mountains of Madness... or at least... thats what I’ve taken to calling them...” Aldus muttered while he slowly moved back and forth on the swing.

“What do they symbolize?” Luna asked.

“Fear, uncertainty, and most terrifying of all, the unknown of whatever threatens equestria. But we’re not going to face it alone. I’m going to bring back all of them. The Court of the Moon will be stronger than ever before. We’re going to forge new friendships and learn about the past so it never repeats. And finally, we’re not going to lose anypony ever again.”

A sudden breeze blew several flower petals past Aldus’ face. They swirled together at the bottom of the hill to form the shape of a special pegasus mare. The shape smiled at Aldus and beckoned him to follow it into the field to play.

Aldus turned to face Luna for the first time since her arrival, “Its been a long time since you used your power to help me with my dreams, princess. But I’m not about to refuse it now.”

I’m coming Lilith.

Luna watched him chase the shape of the pegasus into the field of flowers. He was right, they would all return soon, and they would face the challenges together.