The door to the room in which the princesses were sitting was shoved open with little ceremony, and through it stepped the the castle's three temporary residents.

Rarity slammed the door behind her just a little harder than she had intended, but made no apologies, only wincing slightly and taking a seat at the circular table in the centre along with Applejack and Rainbow. Across from them sat Celestia, Luna and Shining Armor.

Celestia was the first to speak, "Thank you for being here promptly, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity. I apologise that we couldn't begin sooner, but as you know, there are a great many issues to deal with, some of which simply could not wait." She raised an eyebrow at them, "It seems I'll also have to add replacing a window and refurbishing a suite to the list, doesn't it?"

Applejack lowered her eyes and squirmed uncomfortably in her seat, "Ah'm sorry, Princess, Ah really am. Ah just... after everything he's done to them..." Images of her friends - rage burning behind their eyes as they lashed out at the guards before them - flashed before her, "Ah just lost it. Ah couldn't control myself. A-Ah'll pay for the damages, if needs be."

Celestia waved a hoof dismissively, "There won't be any need for that, Applejack, don't worry; the treasury will provide. I understand how you all must be feeling, and honestly I'd be more worried if you didn't react so strongly. Besides, money is the least of my worries right now. That, however," she gestured to the large gauze pad above Rainbow's eye, "concerns me. How is it?"

Rainbow shrugged, "It's no big deal. They said I shouldn't need any stitches as long as I don't mess around with it."

Luna scanned the faces of the three, "I trust that the issue has been resolved properly, as opposed to through violence?"

Rainbow and Applejack shared a glance and nodded.

Celestia placed her hooves on the table, "Good. However, we didn't bring you down here to discuss last night's... incident. Luna, Shining and I need any information you might be able to provide on the location of Twilight and the others."

Shining rose from his seat with a slight grunt and a grimace as he put weight on his injured leg. He levitated a scroll from a pile on his left and unrolled it so that the Bearers could see the image upright. It was a map of Equestria, labelled with numerous lines, arrows and shapes. He gestured down at a circled area close to Dodge City, "This is where we encountered my sister and the others. Take a look."

The three registered the location, and Applejack gave an affirmative nod, "Ah remember, yeah."

"Good. Okay, I'll get to the point." He withdrew his hoof and waved it around the general area, "We need to know where they're likely to have fled to. It seems unlikely that they moved north, considering how many guards were posted along that route in preparation for our retreat; somepony would have noticed them." He pushed the map closer to the three, "Do you have any idea of where they might have gone to afterwards? Have the six of you visited any of these locations before? Is there anywhere they could hide that isn't on the map? Anything would help us right now, even if a detail seems trivial and benign to the three of you, it might just be what we're looking for."

The three shared a glance, and Rarity pointed a hoof at a marked railway line leading away from Dodge, "Yes, we've been in Dodge before, though it was a while ago now." She shuddered at the memory of the arduous, dirty, and profoundly noisy ride home, all thanks to a certain pink friend of hers.

Shining circled the town in red ink, "Right, though I doubt we'll turn up much there. It was amongst the first places my guards searched afterwards, given its proximity to the battle."

After a moment's pause, Applejack tapped her hoof against the map, "We've been to Appleloosa before, too. Doubt any of the folks there'd hide a group on the run from the guards, but Ah reckon if they wanted to hide in plain sight they wouldn't have too many problems, they managed it well enough the last time."

Shining circled the town accordingly, "We've got guards there, too, but perhaps you're right. Anywhere else?"

Rainbow pointed to the left of Appleloosa, "Just about the only other place we've been around there is Ghastly Gorge. I mean, I was the only one that actually flew in, but they were all there. I don't think they'd ever dare to hide somewhere as dangerous as that, but as much as I hate to admit it, Discord could probably walk through with his eyes closed."

Shining circled the corresponding area and hummed thoughtfully to himself, "It would make sense, definitely. Not many ponies would willingly explore somewhere so dangerous, it would certainly keep them from being stumbled upon." He gave the map a cursory glance, "Anywhere else around that area?"

The three looked between one another thoughtfully before shaking their heads, "Ah don't think we've ever been any further south than Appleloosa. The only other place the six of us have been is the Everfree Forest, but they'd have to be mighty desperate to be hidin' there, considerin' how close it is to home and all, never mind how dangerous it is."

Shining drew a small question mark beside the Forest and closed his eyes in thought, "It's not much, but it's better than nothing. At least we have a general idea of where they might be." He rolled the scroll back up and placed it to one side, "Thank you all for your help. Without your assistance we might never have found them at all. I can continue the search for my sister, thanks to you; it means a lot to me that you've gone this far for her, and the others of course."

Rarity shared a small smile with the two beside her, "Even if they've made the wrong choices of late, they will always be our friends, that much will never change. If we have to search the entirety of Equestria to find them, so be it." Shining returned their smiles and gave a grateful tip of his head.

Rainbow stood from her seat and turned to the princesses, "Speaking of the search, are we good to go? There's no use in us just sitting here planning if we aren't going to act."

Applejack followed suit, "She's right. Every minute we spend sittin' here is another the three of them have to spend with that monster. We need to get back out there and find them!"

Luna shook her head, "No, you don't. Not yet, at least."

Rainbow almost nodded in agreement before registering what the Princess had said and pausing,"Yeah, let's-What?"

Luna rose from her seat calmly, "I'm sorry, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, but I'm afraid we simply can't let you go if that's your intention."

Rainbow looked around the room in apparent frantic bewilderment before setting her eyes on Luna and bringing a hoof down hard against the table, "Wait, what!? What do you mean we can't look for them!?"

Celestia spoke sympathetically, "Luna speaks the truth, I'm afraid. After a recent... development, Luna and I have agreed that it's far too dangerous to send you after them again."

Rarity, previously silent, lurched up from her seat and all but threw herself across the table, her muzzle stopping a few inches from Celestia's, "Too dangerous!? Correct me if I'm wrong, Princess, but you seemed more than happy to send us out against the demon that butchered Spike not six months ago!"

Celestia kept her tone calm, and her face expressionless, "Because there was no good alternative, that event was the very definition of emergency. I trusted the six of you to handle a hopeless situation, as you have in the past, and you did. This is not an emergency. It is urgent, yes, and of the utmost importance. But we have the time to plan, to think things through and retrieve them at the most opportune moment. Most importantly, we can do so without having to risk lives, as I had to when Calamity returned, and sending the three of you after them puts your lives at risk, so you are not going."

Rainbow mimicked Rarity, leaning across the table to face Celestia, "Our lives at risk? Last time I checked, those three are the ones that need saving, not us! And down to some 'development'? What was it? Don't tell me you're keeping us here because AJ broke your damn window!"

Luna stepped up beside Celestia, "Watch your tone, both of you!"

Applejack lowered the brim of her hat, her words filling with venom, "Well excuse us for not bein' all that trustin' of her after all the lyin' she's been doin' since Spike died!"

Celestia frowned, struggling to keep her voice level at the accusation, "I lied because the truth would have crushed you!"

"And look where that got us!" Rarity effectively spat, "This is so much better than if you had simply told us the truth from the beginning! Perhaps that way they might not have chosen a psychopathic monster over you! Oh, wait! Perhaps they just had trouble telling the difference!"

"How DARE you!?" Luna snarled at her.

"ENOUGH!"

A blinding flash of light filled the room, accompanied by Shining's voice, "Simmer down, all of you. We're here to discuss a plan of action, not argue amongst ourselves."

As the temporary blindness faded from the Bearers' eyes, each begrudgingly took a seat, noticing that Celestia and Luna were already seated, and seemed to have gone unaffected by the blast.

Shining gave them a few seconds to regain their composures before breaking the silence, "My apologies for the spell, but not for my words. The longer you spend bickering, the less time we have to deal with the issue at hoof."

Luna glanced at Celestia questioningly, and she nodded in response. The younger Princess cleared her throat, "Thank you, Shining." She turned her attention to the Bearers and drew a deep breath, "If you must know, the 'development' that Celestia spoke of had nothing to do with what conspired here in the castle last night, but the confrontation between Shining and Discord."

Rainbow tilted her head and gave a huff to prevent the remnants of anger rising into her voice, "What about it? We saw the whole thing."

Luna shook her head, "This happened after the three of you left." Again, she looked to Celestia for approval before speaking, "The guard that Pinkie impaled is seriously injured, but in a stable condition. However, the one that Fluttershy attacked wasn't so fortunate."

Their eyes widened slightly at the many insinuations of the Princess's words, "W-What do you mean?" Applejack stammered.

Luna stared into each of their eyes in turn, "He passed away in the early hours of this morning. Fluttershy of all ponies is now, by definition, a murderer."

The three stared at the table before them, dumbfounded.

"Y-You're kidding, right?" Rarity whispered, barely able to force out the words.

Luna shook her head, "I wish I was."

Nopony moved for a long time.

Celestia took it upon herself to break the silence, doing so in as quiet and calm a manner as possible, "Indeed. That is why we can't allow you to go chasing after them haphazardly any more. Discord is manipulating them, trying his best to ensure that the six of you will never reunite and use your Elements against him. If you found them, and Discord, in turn, found you, there'd be nothing to stop him warping your minds in the same way, or even just killing you outright should that fail."

Rarity opted to rest her forehead against the edge of the table, leaving Applejack and Rainbow to share a forlorn stare.

Rainbow shook her head, her voice pitifully hollow, "We can't give up on them." She spoke again, her voice retrieving but a fraction of its usual vigour, "We won't give up on them. Not when they need us."

Applejack pulled the brim of her hat down even further than earlier to shadow her features, but nodded, "You're right. N-No matter who says what, we can't abandon our friends. There's no way in hell we're leavin' them to be that monster's puppets!"

Rarity lifted her head, anxiety clear on her face, "Fluttershy needs us. They all need us."

Celestia sighed, "Girls, please, listen to us. Now is not the time to go chasing after them, you could die. What about your families? How would they cope if you were killed in the process?"

"What about their families?" Rainbow countered, albeit with little spirit in her voice, "How is it fair that we get to sit here, safe, whilst Twilight, Pinkie and Fluttershy's families are probably worried to death?"

The attention of every pony in the room switched to Shining, but he radiated only a professional calmness and allowed his face to betray no emotion, "I'd certainly be less worried if you all stopped arguing and focused on the task at hoof." He scrutinised the expressions of the three Bearers in turn, then looked up at the roof in apparent exasperation, "No matter what you tell them, Princesses, I give them two days maximum before they give chase regardless." He turned his attention back to the three, "Am I right?"

They eyed him warily, but after a moment Rainbow summoned up the courage to reveal her intentions, and the others promptly followed, each giving a quick, emphatic nod.

Shining directed his gaze to the princesses, "They're not going to stay here and do nothing, surely you realise that?"

Celestia raised an eyebrow at him in curiosity, "Well, it wouldn't prove difficult to hold them here against their will if push came to shove, but I have neither the desire nor the inclination to do so, and it sounds like you have a viable alternative."

He nodded, "The issue here is the danger that going after their friends could pose to them. Evidently, keeping them here for no good purpose will achieve nothing but agitate them further and make them more likely to charge off into potential danger."

Luna tilted her head, "And what do you propose we do?"

Shining winced briefly and shifted his weight off his injured leg, "What I suggest is that, since they fully intend to go regardless of what we say, we eliminate the potential danger by adequately preparing them for it."

A moment passed before the meaning behind his words sank in, "Combat training?" Luna asked in apparent befuddlement as she looked over the three.

"Wait, wait, wait." Rainbow interjected, "Combat training? I'm a black-belt already! What's the point?"

Shining rolled his eyes, "Ever tried kicking an opponent in a full suit of armour? Or shielding yourself from a hail of arrows? I can guarantee you that conventional martial arts won't do you much good in a situation like that, and that's fighting a normal opponent. If you're planning on going after Discord, you're going to need a few more tricks up your sleeves, all of you."

Celestia mulled it over in her head, questioning Shining's judgement for only a moment before the pieces clicked together, 'Very clever, Shining.' She hummed thoughtfully and turned her attention to the Bearers, "Perhaps Shining is right. Girls, do you fully intend to go after them, despite our warnings?"

They didn't miss a beat this time around.

"Yeah."

"Yep."

"Yes."

Celestia exhaled slowly, "Very well then, let's make a deal. Over the coming weeks we will train you adequately enough to defend yourselves and each other in preparation for the next time you meet your friends. However, you will not go after them until we deem that you are ready and fully capable of doing so with minimal risk."

Rarity opened her mouth to speak, but Celestia cut her off, "In return, when the time comes that we affirm such, you may search whenever and wherever you please without restriction. If their location is found, you will each have full access to whatever resources you require, be it guards, weaponry, armour, money, anything - within reason - so long as it used to help you achieve your goal of retrieving your friends. Do we have an agreement?"

The three shared uncertain glances, each hoping another would make the decisive call; the same worries on each of their minds. All three knew what was being offered would prove infinitely beneficial in their hunt for Twilight, Pinkie and Fluttershy, but it came at the cost of precious time.

Celestia's tone changed from business-like to nigh despondent, "Listen, girls... I know we haven't exactly been on the same page ever since the truth about the... incident, was revealed. I know you don't trust me any more." She glanced at Rarity in particular, "Hate me, even. But I speak from the bottom of my heart when I say that I want the three of them back home, safe, just as much as you do. I'm giving you this offer because Shining is right, you won't listen to me if I simply tell you to stay put, but I care about your well-being, regardless of what you might think of me. Please think this decision through carefully."

Applejack sighed and turned to Rainbow and Rarity, "What do you two think?"

"I..." Rainbow closed her eyes in thought for several seconds, "I think we should take it. I swore I wouldn't put my friends in danger by being reckless ever again. I don't like it much, but it's better than knowing that one of us might end up dead, or worse, if we went after them now."

Rarity shook her head, "The benefits seem to far outweigh the detriments on the surface, but we're forgetting that every day we don't spend searching is another that the trail is left to go cold. I'd rather put myself at risk and make sure that they're okay, than train myself only to lose trace of them completely in the process." She drew her mouth into a thin line, "Whatever we do, we do it together. The deciding vote is yours, Applejack. What do we do?"

Applejack felt all eyes in the room fixate upon her, doing little to ease her nerves as she struggled to give an answer. A bead of sweat formed on her forehead as she internally debated the offer. It was only after she questioned her morals that she finally came to a decision, "A-Ah... Rainbow's right, we can't risk their safety, or each other's, no matter how desperate we are. It ain't right. Ah don't like it... Ah hate it, even. But Ah think the Princess is tellin' the truth, we ain't ready. Sorry, Rarity, Ah say we play it safe, at least for now."

Rarity closed her eyes and nodded absent-mindedly, "It's fine, dear. I understand."

Applejack's features darkened slightly as she tilted her head forwards an inch and stared hatefully at the table before her, "Besides, Ah was tellin' the truth last night. When I find Discord, Ah want to be prepared, because Ah'm gonna kill him." The severity of her tone caught her friends off-guard, even after last night's outburst. This sounded colder, edgier. "There's gonna be hell to pay when Ah get my hooves on him. Livin' hell, Ah promise ya, he's never gonna try anythin' like this ever again."

Rarity gave her a nudge, trying to snap her from her borderline distressing ramblings, "Applejack?"

"Ah'm gonna wring his fuckin' neck 'till he chokes on his own lies and-"

"Applejack!"

The mare in question looked up in surprise, all eyes in the room once again focused solely on her. She could feel the blush burning at her cheeks as she avoided their gazes ashamedly, "Y-Yeah, w-w-we stay here, like Rainbow said..."

Silence prevailed over the room, none present knowing exactly what to say in response.

Shining took it upon himself to get things moving once again and sat back down carefully, the strain of simply standing whilst injured beginning to cause him serious discomfort, "Well, despite the... intermittent disruptions, it seems that we've reached a consensus, though I think it would be best if we discussed the specifics at a later date; we still have a lot to deal with before nightfall, and I fear the stress of it all might be getting to a few of us, if said disruptions are any indication."

"I think that would be best." Celestia scanned the three on the other side of the table, "I suggest that the three of you head back to Ponyville in the mean time. We'll send a messenger with information on when you should return here and what you should bring. We will most likely begin by the end of the week, at the latest, that should give you enough time to deal with any outstanding issues." She caught the edge of worry that seeped onto their faces, "Your families will receive financial support for your absences, so there should be no risks to anypony's livelihood." She glanced at Rainbow, "And I'll inform the Ponyville weather team that their replacement captain is strictly temporary until you return."

Luna turned between Shining and Celestia, "Is that everything?"

"I believe so." Celestia turned her attention from her sister to the Bearers, "You may leave the premises whenever you're ready. You'll hear from us as soon as we've dealt with the emergencies on our hooves, I promise."

Shining tipped his head to them, "Thank you again, Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash. I appreciate your help, and good luck."

Without a word, the three nodded and shuffled out of the room, Rarity taking care to close the door quietly behind her this time.

Each of the royals took a moment to gather their thoughts before Celestia cocked an eyebrow at Shining, "Combat training? On one hoof, that was exceptionally clever of you. On the other, we now have to follow up on that promise, which, considering their temperaments at the moment, might not be the best idea."

Shining sighed and reclined in his chair, "It should keep them out of trouble for a couple of months, at least. And I meant it when I said it will minimise the risk, should they run off, which I have no doubt they will sooner or later."

Luna let her posture sag slightly, "Most likely..."

"How long until they're here?" Shining asked nopony in particular.

Luna shrugged, "A few minutes, at most. What will you tell them?"

Shining still kept his eyes on the door, awaiting the entrance of the ones he spoke of, "The truth, even if it does make things worse."

"Would you like us to leave the three of you alone?" Luna asked, "I can only see this ending in tears, and neither of us want to intrude."

Shining shook his head, "If you don't mind, princesses, I'd rather you stay. You're probably right, Luna, there'll be tears, but there'll be questions too, and I'd be grateful if you could help me fill in the blanks."

"Of course." both sisters spoke simultaneously, a combination of pity and understanding evident in their voices.

"Speaking of 'filling in the blanks'," Shining unfurled another scroll with hastily scrawled notes upon it, "There's something rather disconcerting that I noticed before our encounter with Discord that I need to bring up."

"Yes?" Celesta asked, puzzled.

"I know that you ordered a full sweep search to find them, Celestia, but for one reason or another our nearest backup was an hour away."

Celestia nodded grimly, "I remember. I haven't gotten around to questioning the patrols about that yet."

"Well, I spoke with a few members of the backup team on our way back, and there seemed to be a consistent reason why they weren't nearby at the time." He rolled the scroll back up and rubbed his eyelids with a hoof, tiredness continuously making itself more apparent to him, "According to them, despite your orders for each unit to search specific areas, they didn't patrol that location because 'there couldn't have been anything there, so they avoided wasting time'."

Luna rubbed her chin, "You sound sceptical."

Shining nodded, "The more I think about it, the more suspicious it seems. Solar Guards just don't make such errors, especially not when they've been specifically ordered on the contrary. It seems to me like there are only three viable explanations as to why this might have happened: Plain stupidity, insubordination, or mind-control on Discord's part; and I'm sure you'll agree that each possibility is equally disturbing."

Celestia frowned, "This... could be very problematic. I'll see to it that they are questioned properly as soon as I can. Thank you for bringing this to our attention, Shining."

The Prince opened his mouth to speak, but the abrupt rattle of the door handle gave him pause, and he drew a deep breath in preparation.

The door was tentatively pushed open, and through it stepped a pair of tired, dishevelled, evidently anxious unicorns.

Twilight Velvet and Night Light.

Upon the sight of their son the two shot across the room, desperation and hope in their voices as they assaulted him with a veritable barrage of questions.

"Shining, what happened!?"

"Are you alright?"

"Where's Twilight?"

"Did you find her?"

"Is she safe?"

"Is she hurt?"

Shining endured their continued interrogation for the next few seconds, remaining silent until they released him, took a step back, and fell quiet themselves. Once they had, he glanced at the roof for a brief moment, trying to maintain his mask of professional detachment, for their sake as well as his own, "Mum, dad."

He shook his head solemnly, "It's not good news..."

The seconds ticked by in silence. All eyes in the room were on Fluttershy, but for once the pegasus simply didn't care; instead opting to gaze lifelessly at the Element she held in her hooves. It had been only twenty minutes since she had returned from her several hours of solitude, but ever since she had, not a single word had been spoken.

Discord coughed awkwardly, "Well... this has certainly been an utterly soul-rending experience for one or two of us. At least we've learned something, though I know it's not much of a consolation." When no one responded he glanced around, everyone's eyes were still fixed firmly upon Fluttershy. He snapped his fingers, ensuring that the sound created by doing so was just enough to catch their attention, "In case you haven't gathered, those posters should have made one thing clear; showing our faces in public - even under the most dire of circumstances - is now an absolute no, no."

Twilight glowered at him, "We know. So what?"

Discord snapped his fingers, causing Twilight to lurch out a foreleg before herself. Her protests died in her throat as she took notice of the dial that had appeared near her hoof labelled 'attitude'.

With practised nonchalance, Discord reached over and pinched it carefully, turning it counter-clockwise all the way down to 'simmer', accompanied by an emphatic hissing sound.

Twilight deadpanned and flicked her gaze between him and the dial, "Take it off. Now."

Discord rolled his eyes and complied, removing the dial and returning the control of the leg to its rightful owner, "You don't appreciate my attempts to lighten the mood at all, do you?"

"No, I don't." she examined her foreleg carefully before lowering it and cocking her head impatiently, "My question still stands. We can't be seen in public, so what?"

Discord gritted his teeth and slowly curled his paw into a fist, "I'm starting to think it might be more beneficial if I just catapult you all the way back to Canterlot. At least it would rid us all of your constant whining."

Twilight shook her head, smirking to herself confidently as she did so, "You wouldn't dare. You need me for your plans to work, otherwise I wouldn't be here, would I? I'm not an idiot, Discord."

Discord's expression became passive as he regarded her carefully for several seconds. Once he had finished his examination, he collapsed, laughing hysterically, clutching his sides and writhing around on the floor uncontrollably.

It took him all of three minutes before he was finally able to stand again, "Oh, Twilight! And here I am saying you don't appreciate a good laugh!" He sighed contentedly and allowed his guffaws to lower into intermittent chuckles, "No, no, no. I don't need you! You need me! The only extra benefit I'm gaining by helping you is that I get to hurt Celestia just that little bit more by taking away her precious little student." He chuckled deeply, "Oh, and the extra chaos; can't forget about that now, can we?"

Twilight stared at him with a furrowed brow, quite obviously not impressed by the bout of laughter he'd had at her expense.

Discord cleared his throat loudly, "Anyway, getting back to the issue at hand before Twilight delivers another solid brick of comedy gold." He ignored her growl of irritation, "Well... in short, we now not only have to avoid the guards, but the prying eyes of the general populace, too. That in itself is going to cause problems with my plan further down the line." He glanced between them, and noticed that all - bar Fluttershy - held varying levels of curiosity on their faces, "Speaking of which, I think it's about time I filled the four of you in on the basics."

"You mean you're actually going to tell us what you've got planned?" Despite her sullenness over recent events, Pinkie's voice held an unmistakable tinge of excitement, "For real?"

Discord raised an eyebrow, "I didn't know you had such an appreciation for my fantastic planning abilities, Pinkie."

"Well, yeah! Considering you'd already beaten us hooves-down before we even met for the first time! Evil genius if I ever saw one!" Her voice was much heartier than it had been previously, and she was smiling up at him. Not in a disturbing fashion, but more along the lines of how a friend would smile when encouraging the talents of another.

Discord took a greatly exaggerated bow, "I'll take credit where it's due. I do try my very best when I'm scheming, you know."

Pinkie continued on cheerfully, "You probably would have won too, but a certain draconequus got a little bit cocky and tried to play one too many games, didn't he?"

Discord stumbled slightly before standing back upright, all traces of pride gone from his face, "I believe I was about to reveal my plan?"

"Looks like someone's changing the subject." Twilight jabbed with a smirk of her own in retaliation to his earlier laughing fit.

"Looks like somepony wants to lose their speaking privileges." He conjured a huge needle and thread into his paw and thrust it towards Twilight, causing her to instinctively jump back before it vanished with a harmless pop, "That's what I thought." His expression quickly switched from amused to serious as he glanced around, "Now then, if we can get back on topic, here's where we stand. Celestia, Luna, and that Shining brother of yours, Twilight, are all after us now. As they get more and more desperate, we can expect their efforts to become so. It won't be long before full-scale searches will be on the agenda. That, in conjunction with the public eye now looking out for us, is going to make sneaking around a lot more difficult. Sooner or later - though preferably later - they'll find us. We have to prepare."

"Prepare? For what?" Pinkie asked with a tilt of her head.

"To fend them off. I don't know if Twilight has shared this with the two of you, but when she and I first discussed our plans back when I was still a statue, we agreed that one of the best ways to exact vengeance upon Celestia would be to destroy everything she holds dear. We'll probably have to face off against the brunt of their joint forces too. For both of these undertakings, we're going to need sufficient preparation, and an army of our very own."

"A-An army?"

All turned to Fluttershy as she spoke, and Discord nodded slowly in response, "Yes."

Though the curiosity on her face did little to override her sorrow, it was a welcome change for the others, "H-How?"

Discord sighed and scratched his cheek absent-mindedly, "Sorry, but this is another one of those times where I have to be rather vague, but with good reason." His gaze lingered on Pinkie for a moment, "Rest assured that I have a few specific groups in mind. What I can tell you is where we're going."

"And where would that be?" Twilight asked, clearly suspicious of Discord's avoidance of the previous question.

A map popped into the air between them, "North, to a lovely little town by the name of Hollow Shades." A dotted line appeared near their current location, trailing eastwards as he spoke, "We'll head east to the Haysead Swamps first, though. It should give us ample time to rest and recuperate after everything that's happened so far. Plus," he gave Twilight a small grin, "we should finally be able to get back to your training!" He rubbed his hands together rapidly, causing them to spark and catch fire before he blew them out, "I can hardly wait!"

"Sounds good to me." Twilight said - albeit cautiously - still unsure as to his true intentions.

Fluttershy slowly raised her hoof and pointed at the aforementioned town, "W-Why Hollow Sh-Shades, exactly?"

"That's where we'll be finding the first of our new-found allies, if all goes as planned. Again, I can't say much right now... Well, other than the fact that 'new-found' might be a little bit of a stretch."

Fluttershy nodded in apparent understanding, but Twilight blew her mane exasperatedly, "You have a real talent for answering questions without answering them, you know that?"

Discord chuckled and spoke mysteriously, "Don't you worry, all will be revealed in time... Though I'll leave you guessing up until that point." Smirking at her irritated frown, Discord gave a wave of his paw, the map disappearing from view once more, "Anyway, that's the plan at its most basic. Provided we aren't discovered this time around, I can't foresee many issues arising."

Pinkie slumped forward out of nowhere, only to raise her head with her mane flat and her voice lower, "Good, considering how many we have to deal with already."

"Pinkamena?" Twilight raised an eyebrow, "That was... sudden."

Pinkamena spoke tiredly, "Before any of you ask, your precious Pinkie is fine, so relax." She turned her attention to Discord, "Am I the only one concerned about that?" she pointed to the cracked Element in Fluttershy's hooves.

Discord sank his face into his paw purposefully slowly, "Just as the mood was starting to lighten up a bit..." He made his way over to Fluttershy, standing by her side and examining her Element curiously, "But I suppose you're right."

Fluttershy turned to him as he leaned down to her and spoke quietly, "Are you okay with us talking about it? It can wait, if not."

She nodded hesitantly after a moment of deliberation, "We're going to h-have to find out what h-happened eventually. We might as w-well get it over with."

Discord affixed his attention to the Element once again with a brief nod, "I'd be lying if I said I knew everything about your magical little fashion accessories. If I did, I probably would've been able to avoid a good stoning once or twice. However, I'll go over what I do know..."

He took a step back as Fluttershy held her Element out for him to take, causing her to glance up at him in confusion, "W-What's wrong? Is it dangerous?" a sliver of worry worked its way into her expression.

Discord waved his hands before her, "No, no, well... not to you, at least. Just me. Remember the spell that Celestia put on them a while back?"

The realisation dawned upon them, and Fluttershy hastily pulled her Element away from him with a yelp, "Sorry!"

He chuckled to himself, "It's fine. So long as I don't touch them physically or magically I should be fine. I don't know exactly what would happen if I did, but it's probably some sort of stunning or trapping spell mixed with a tracker so that she could find me should I 'misbehave'. Whatever it is, I'm not taking any chances. Anyway, as we know the Element of Kindness is broken due to its Bearer displaying the..." he cringed, "exact opposite of kindness; using the Element itself as a tool to do so."

Twilight enveloped Fluttershy's Element in her magic, "May I?" The pegasus nodded, and Twilight levitated it between them, spinning it gradually and closely examining the cracks that ran across the gemstone, "I don't understand it, though... The Elements have never worked on their own. I didn't even know they could until... that happened."

Discord hummed, "If I had to take a guess, I'd put it down to the Element reacting to Fluttershy's distress at the situation." He turned to the pegasus, "As you know, the lot of you share a connection with your Elements. It wouldn't surprise me if it's not just your personalities. It might be something deeper..."

Fluttershy glanced at her Element uncertainly, "Y-You mean like... our souls?"

He nodded and stroked his beard simultaneously, "Could be..."

"Souls?" Pinkamena asked sceptically, "Really?"

Discord shrugged, "I've heard of stranger concepts that have turned out to be true. That being said, Fluttershy's distress might not be the only explanation. What if the Elements themselves hold a certain level of awareness? The more I think about it, it's almost as if the Element didn't want or expect to be used in such a way, considering how it seemingly smashed itself afterwards. What if Fluttershy's rage forced it to function, even against its will and intended use?" The quietness of the room didn't go unnoticed by anyone, "Of course, these are just ideas. As I've said, I'm more or less as in the dark as the rest of you." He brought his eyes up right beside the Element, resisting the urge to tap it, "What powerful secrets do you hold inside that gemstone?..."

Pinkamena narrowed her eyes slightly at the insinuations of the statement, but voiced her question regardless, "Will it still work? At all, I mean? I suppose we don't want it backfiring and blowing her head off or something."

Fluttershy yelped quietly and sank to the ground, hiding behind her mane.

Discord frowned and shook his head, "That's not going to happen, and you know it; I'd appreciate it if you could utilise a just little tact from time to time, Pinkamena." He shot her a blazing glare, reminding her exactly of the influence he held over her should she choose to ignore his warning in future, "But something is... off, about all this, definitely. The Elements have this... presence, that they constantly emit. Despite being cracked, nothing else seems to have changed at all, at least not from what I can sense. That's not to say it's safe to use it though, who knows what could happen if it's used again in this state?"

Twilight squinted at the Element as she scrutinised it carefully, "There has to be a way to fix it, right?"

The draconequus furrowed his eyebrows in thought and turned to Fluttershy when he spoke, "This is only an assumption, but if a deed of severe cruelty was enough to break the Element, then perhaps one of outstanding kindness can mend it."

Fluttershy and Pinkamena nodded, the latter speaking up, "Makes sense. Whatever the case, let's be careful until we've got everything figured out." Pinkamena stretched and gave a weary sigh, "Well, that's one of the more pressing issues dealt with, sort of. I'm going back." she reclined back into her seat and closed her eyes.

"Pinkamena?" Twilight asked, causing the pony in question to open her eyes and glance back, "I never did thank you for saving me." The unicorn pulled a small smile, though Pinkamena's icy expression didn't shift a muscle, "So tha-" Twilight stopped mid-way through speaking as Pinkamena slumped forwards, her hair slowly returning to its normal state, "Pinkie?"

"Yep?"

"Can Pinkamena still hear me in there?"

Pinkie hummed the affirmative, "Yeah, I think so. Everything that happens to me basically happens to her, it's the same when she's in charge too."

"Good, because this is for her." Twilight smiled, "Thank you, Pinkamena."

Two figures of royalty trotted side by side through the halls of Canterlot castle, though one pointedly lagged a step or two behind the other.

"That's quite the request, Celestia." Blueblood remarked as the door ahead of them was held open by the guards.

"I know, but it's of the utmost importance to me."

They passed through the threshold. Blueblood waited for the doors to close behind them before continuing, "I see, although quite frankly just the thought of having to be anywhere near one of those... peasants again makes me nauseous."

Celestia gave a small sigh, "I won't force you to do it, Blueblood, but I can't think of anypony anywhere near as suited to the task as yourself."

"I suppose that much is true..." He grimaced briefly, "She has a penchant for working with gems and crystals, yes?"

"That's correct, though nowhere near what you can do."

"Naturally. It's more than a little ironic, don't you agree? The means to attain wealth and status are literally affixed to her forehead, yet she remains in that disgusting backwater of a town. Then again, I suppose she's not entirely to blame. One can't really blame a pig for wallowing in filth, after all; it's part of the loathsome creature's very nature."

"Blueblood," Celestia allowed a warning tone to creep into her voice, "please, you know I don't share your disdain for the lower classes; and especially not for them."

The Prince bowed his head slightly, "Of course, Auntie, my apologies."

"Thank you. So, will you do this for me? If not, I understand, but she could learn from you, I'm sure of it. Your magic is unique and unquestionably powerful, Blueblood, there's not a pony alive that could equal you in that regard, you know that. She's one of the lucky few that actually has the potential to learn it, if only you'll teach her."

They rounded a corner, Blueblood ensuring that Celestia remained a step ahead of him. He glanced through the large stained glass windows to his left as they walked, one of which depicted the very unicorn they were talking about, plus her five friends, "I won't pretend to like it, Celestia. Especially not after all the grief that she and the rest of that band of misfits have caused you." He paused, recalling Celestia's earlier warning and shaking his head, "However, I understand that you wouldn't have brought this to me unless you truly did require my assistance..."

The conversation briefly lapsed into silence as they proceeded down the hallway.

As they exited through a door at the end of the hall, he spoke once again, "You already know what my answer is. Of course I'll do as you ask, Celestia." He turned his head to the side, "But I'm only undertaking such a task because it's you requesting that I do so."

Celestia stopped trotting, and Blueblood swiftly did the same so as to avoid stepping past her, "Thank you, Blueblood. It means more to me than you realise, especially with so much falling apart at the moment."

He looked back at her briefly, "Anything for you, Auntie."

The two did not share any more kind words, nor consolations, nor comforting gestures. They simply held a momentary but meaningful glance. It was all it took to convey their emotions to one another, words were superfluous to them in situations like this.

Celestia turned away and continued trotting, followed promptly by Blueblood. The Prince spoke once more, "I'll need the specifics of exactly what I'll be doing in the way of tutoring her, as well as when and where."

"Of course. I'll have them to you as swiftly as possible once we're certain of the details." They ascended a nearby spiralling staircase, Celestia stepping out onto the floor above when they reached it, "Until then, Blueblood."

The Prince tipped his head respectfully, "Until then, Celestia." He waited until she had rounded the corner before making his way further up the staircase. Though his countenance did little to betray such, his mind was abuzz with frustration and disbelief at his situation, 'Well, this is certainly going in the diary.'

He departed from the staircase as he reached one of the upper levels, glancing up at the stained glass windows on the path to his chambers only to see yet another depiction of the Bearers and their Elements, "Rarity?" He grunted in irritation, "Common as dirt if you ask me." Without a moment's hesitation he trotted away, not gracing the image of his soon-to-be pupil with a second glance.

Upon reaching his chambers, he immediately made his way over to his desk, withdrew a bottle of well-aged whiskey, and took a sharp swig; etiquette disregarded in favour of obliterating any thoughts regarding the horrors he had agreed to subject himself to for Celestia's sake. He wiped his mouth and exhaled deeply, as if expecting - and certainly hoping - that his soul would escape the confines of his body.

When it didn't, he rested his head against his hoof and grumbled darkly under his breath.

'Filthy peasants...'

Twilight cast her eyes across the others gloomily. Discord and Angel were currently locked in their promised game of chess, but both were uncharacteristically quiet given their proximity to one another. Though the board was alive with all manner of chaos, the atmosphere between the two was all but dead. Their movements, whilst obviously well-calculated, were slow and sluggish, and although it was clear that neither of them had any intention of losing to the other, their glaring lack of competitive flair made it apparent that both had more pressing matters nagging at them.

Still, neither would forfeit or throw the match; to do so would mean to admit defeat at the paw of the other. Pride pushed them on. Their battle of wits continued.

Twilight watched with mild interest as Discord's remaining knight charged through the lashing rain, leaping over friend and foe alike and descending onto one of Angel's bishops, delivering the finishing blow with one swift swing of its miniature sword as the startled piece attempted to regain its footing. Stillness descended over the battlefield as Angel contemplated his next move.

Given the lull in the action, Twilight turned to the others. Pinkie and Fluttershy were side-by-side, each staring at their hooves - or in Fluttershy's case, the Element she held in them - pensively.

Pinkie's expression was, for the most part, passive. Whether she was conversing with Pinkamena within her mind, or simply mulling over recent events, Twilight couldn't tell. Whatever the case, the sight of her once-so hyperactive, carefree friend quietly reflecting to herself still hurt Twilight deeply as she remembered the way things once were.

Fluttershy fared no better than the mare beside her, if not worse. She would intermittently clutch her Element tightly, dipping her head and closing her eyes as she did so, accompanied by the occasional subdued sniffle or two before she went back to staring at her damaged necklace. It was clear that the pegasus was trying to remain quiet, most likely to avoid attracting attention from those around her, but Twilight had taken notice regardless. Were it not for Pinkie being so lost in her thoughts, and the other two too busy trying to outsmart one another, they would undoubtedly have picked up on it too.

Twilight shook her head to herself, 'Hurting. We're all hurting. All because of you.' Memories of the past she and Celestia had shared plagued her thoughts.

Smiling, laughing, learning, loving. Being consoled in times of distress, praised in times of triumph, encouraged in times of defeat. Promises of future responsibility, of respect and renown, that greatness was her destiny.

All lies. Sweet, poisonous, blinding lies.

'I hate you...' Twilight grimaced. Despite everything, the memories still held a small amount of sweetness, and only served to make the bitter reality all the more difficult to swallow, 'How? How can I make you hurt the way we are? How can I make you suffer?' She pondered over the question for several minutes before resigning with a defeated sigh. She reached for her saddlebags, intending to examine their intended route on the map for the hundredth time.

As she rummaged through her saddlebags, her eyes fixed upon her assortment of writing supplies, and her actions gradually ground to a halt, 'How can I do it? How can I get to her on a personal level? How can I hurt her in a way nobody else ever could?' she examined the objects within.

Ever so slowly, a correlation between all her memories made itself apparent to her. No matter the situation, or the circumstances, one specific action had always remained a fixed constant between her and Celestia.

Twilight focused on the utensils within her saddlebags once more, and it clicked.

Wasting little time, she levitated her weapons of choice - some parchment, a quill, and an inkwell - from their container, and laid them out on the floor before her, "Discord?"

The draconequus kept his gaze set firmly upon the board, "Yes?"

"Can I ask a favour?"

He briefly turned to her, absent-mindedly setting down the piece he held in his paw, "Give me a minute." He span back to the game, only to see his king impaled upon the sceptre of Angel's remaining bishop. He glanced at the piece he had involuntarily placed down beforehand - leaving the opening Angel had exploited - then up at the rabbit, and drew a deep breath.

He held it in for several seconds, and after giving Pinkie and Fluttershy a sideways glance, exhaled slowly so as to avoid startling them, instead lowering his voice so that the others couldn't hear, "You're a cheating sack of crap, Angel Bunny." With a snap of his fingers, the board, table, and chair upon which Angel was sitting vanished, leaving the bunny to fall helplessly to the floor. Another snap accompanied the sudden appearance of a carrot in Discord's claw, which he tossed at the rabbit with significantly more force than necessary, "Choke on it." With that, he held his paw to his forehead, released a hefty sigh and turned to Twilight, "What is it?"

Twilight gestured to the equipment she had prepared, "I have an idea, something I think you might be interested in, but I need your help to pull it off."

He glanced at her over his paw, "Trying out for the vagueness championships, are we?"

Twilight frowned slightly, "Do you want to take a stab at Celestia or not?"

The draconequus chuckled, "Literally, yes, but I don't think that's quite what you have in mind. Either way, I'm listening."

Twilight's frown disappeared, but the seriousness in her expression remained, "Good... Give me a minute, I think you'll get the idea when I'm done."

"By all means, take your time. I'll need a moment to relax anyway since you've just cost me the match." he folded his arms and glared expectantly at her.

Twilight took little notice of his tantrum and promptly sat by her equipment, quill suspended by her magic, ready to get to work. As she dipped the utensil into the inkwell, however, she found herself unable to properly articulate her thoughts, managing to write only three words before coming to an addled pause, "I might need more than a moment at this rate. This is more difficult than I thought..."

Discord leaned his head to one side in an attempt to view what Twilight was writing, "Care to clue me in?"

The unicorn moved to intentionally block his view, "Not yet. You're keeping us in the dark about a lot of things, Discord. Let's see how you like not knowing!" she smirked to herself.

Discord furrowed his brow, "I could quite easily move you, you know? But fine, keep your little secret for however long it takes you to finish, see if I care; I'll find out once you're done anyway." with a disinterested shrug, Discord made his way over to his cloud, keeping his gaze on Fluttershy the entire time once he sank into it.

Twilight gave a slight grunt of annoyance at his passiveness, having hoped to have irked him a little more, but the feeling quickly slipped away as she regarded the rest of the miserable group once more. The solemn looks on their faces, and the silence broken only by the occasional sniffle from Fluttershy did more than sap her frustration, they inspired her, filled her with retaliatory hatred towards their tormentor and added kindling to the fires of spite deep within her.

A grim, chilling anger governed her actions as she began to write, pouring her heart into breaking Celestia's through words alone.

The scratching of quill on paper - lapsing only when the unicorn would glance up at her friends - filled the air for another twenty minutes before she finally released her quill. Her tone was cold and malignant as she rose to her hooves, "That should just about do it."

Discord tore his attention from Fluttershy, wiping any traces of pity from his face as he hopped from his cloud and approached Twilight, "Finished?"

"Yes." Twilight flicked the lid back down onto her inkwell before levitating the equipment back into her saddlebags.

"What do you want me to do, then?"

"I want you to send this," she passed him the document, "to Celestia."

Discord opened his mouth to protest, but as he read on his mouth instead distended into an enormous, sinister grin, "Genius... Genius!" he cackled to himself as he imagined Celestia's face upon receiving such information, "I'd say that doing something like this isn't worth running the risk of being traced, but I'll be honest, Twilight, you've impressed me, so I'll make an exception; I'll just have to be careful, I suppose."

Discord rolled the message up into a scroll and licked it, a large wax seal appearing beneath his tongue as he did so, "We're sending it now, yes?"

Twilight nodded, "The sooner, the better."

"Excellent!" With a smile, he tossed the scroll into the air and pointed his finger at it, a small burst of yellow magic jumping from his fingertip to it, sending it spiralling even higher, "And just to be safe..." he snapped his fingers, causing the air around the scroll to shimmer before he caught it. He turned it over in his paw as he examined it, "Looks like we're good to go."

With a casual wave of his paw, Discord released the scroll. It shone brightly as it descended before colliding with the floor beneath, disappearing with a small pulse of energy.

Twilight gave Discord a small smile, "Thanks for the help."

The draconequus smirked back, "How could I refuse? I only wish I could see her face when she reads it."

Twilight sighed, "Me too. Hopefully she'll choke on her own tears and die, but even then she'd just come back..."

"We can dream, can't we? Well, at least when Luna's not stalking us. I would've thought she'd have wandered into too many... awkward dreams to even consider doing that any more, but perhaps the Princess of the Night has a hidden... darker side? If you know what I mean." Discord laughed briefly before sighing and reclining into his cloud once more.

To her surprise, Twilight found herself laughing too, despite burying her face in her hoof at his terrible attempt at comedy. She shook her head and turned to sit down, only to find Pinkie and Angel glancing at them bewilderedly, though Fluttershy remained staring at her Element, "What was that all about?" Pinkie tilted her head curiously.

Twilight made her way over to her seat, "Nothing to worry about, don't worry. Let's just say that Celestia is in for a nasty surprise."

Pinkie looked between Discord and Twilight, nodding in apparent acceptance. However, the moment they looked away her gaze fell solemnly to the floor as she contemplated their situation, 'This isn't going to end well... The angrier and more upset we make them, the harder they'll try to hunt us down.'

Another familiar voice spoke from the back of her mind, 'For once, I agree... Though that wouldn't entirely be a bad thing, I suppose; at least I'd have somepony to cut a little.'

Pinkie pretended not to hear, but shivered slightly regardless, 'This... is the start of a bad cycle, I just know it...' She noticed the contented smile that Twilight wore, despite her tired eyes and the stress that had made itself clear on the unicorn's face; it unsettled Pinkie deeply, 'How far are we willing to go before we'll stop being so cruel?'

What worried her the most was that, even after half an hour of contemplation, she still couldn't determine the answer.

Celestia and Luna trotted side by side through the halls of Canterlot Castle as they made their way towards the tower from which they would lower the sun and raise the moon respectively.

Celestia glanced through a window at the sun on the horizon, "I'm going to try again tomorrow."

Luna sighed but spoke sympathetically, "I don't think you'll have much luck, Celestia. I know you think it's our best chance, but Discord is blocking every attempt to locate any of them. Perhaps it would be bet-"

A sickly yellow aura flashed before them, almost blinding them from its proximity.

Within an instant the two had leapt backwards, suspending themselves in mid-air and levelling their horns defensively at the spell.

The bright light vanished, revealing a scroll that hovered in the air for a few seconds, then fell of its own accord. It remained still on the floor, but thrummed with an off-key rhythm, and glowed a distinct shade of yellow, leaving little doubt as to its sender.

Neither Celestia nor Luna moved for several seconds, both keeping their horns trained carefully on the object. As the seconds ticked by, both alicorns lowered themselves to the ground. Celestia drew a deep breath and reached out with her magic, "At the first sign of danger, destroy it." she said, her voice tight as she held her breath, her eyes never leaving the scroll.

Luna grunted the affirmative, "Understood. Caution, sister."

Celestia nodded, taking the scroll within her magical grasp and raising it slowly. Once the sound of Luna summoning up her magic was heard, Celestia levitated the scroll a good distance away and yanked it open.

Nothing happened.

Celestia held it away from her for nearly half a minute before speaking, "Keep your focus on it, I'm going to bring it closer." With that, she brought the scroll barely within reading distance, squinting as she attempted to make out the words. Once she did, however, all regards for safety were forgotten. Her eyes widened, and her horn shone as she yanked the scroll in close to her, despite Luna's cry of protest.

Celestia read it again, and shook her head in disbelief, "She didn't..." Her magic sputtered and died, leaving the parchment to glide quietly back down to the floor.

Luna darted to Celestia's side, "Are you crazy!? That thing could have killed you!"

Celestia, apparently oblivious to Luna's concerns, pointed a single hoof at the parchment beneath her, "L-Luna... She..."

Tentatively, Luna enveloped the document in her magic and levitated it closer. As she examined the contents, however, she too had to fight not to lose control of her magic. Her eyes widened and she ground her teeth furiously, her voice seething with barely contained rage, "Twilight. Sparkle..."

Though she had only read the first line, the motives behind the seemingly random appearance of the scroll became all too clear.

Spite.

Hurt.

Revenge.

"Dear Princess Celestia,"

Author's Notes:

Yep, slower-paced chapter this time. In all honesty, other than the near-fight scene at the beginning, the scene with Blueblood, and the ending, I didn't really enjoy writing the rest of this chapter. However, it's necessary that I add these details into the story if I'm to write some stuff that I'll really enjoy writing later down the line.

So yeah, hopefully this chapter wasn't too dry for you guys.

Oh, and an important notice for you all: I'll try not to, but I may take a break from writing over the Christmas holidays. I've got a lot on my plate at the moment, and I don't want to start writing as if it's some kind of chore. So maybe, maybe not, depending on my circumstances; that'll be in my blog anyways.

On a final note, I've done my usual in this chapter and left some subtle foreshadowing in there for you. I'll give you guys a hint if you're looking for it: It has to do with Discord's mention of their 'newfound' allies... Leave your guesses below if you like, and I'll give you a couple of nudges; I feel like we could have an interesting guessing game here >:D

Anyway, as always, thanks for reading, please feel free to leave feedback, and I'll see you guys next time!

- Mike, bringing you the 'scope' of things to come