“Ah, there you are,” Kenbroth called, as the entourage of twelve ponies and a baby dragon – led by Princess Celestia – approached the spiral staircase leading down to the crystal chamber. “Boy, am I happy to see you again! For a while there, I was beginning to fear the worst.”

“As were we, darling,” Rainbow Dash said, hugging him. “It was far too close for comfort this time.”

“I don’t doubt it. Well then, now that we don’t have the impending doom of all living things to deal with, what do you say we go free ourselves a Princess?” He motioned for them to follow, and they all started making their way down the stairs.

Kenbroth made a point not to look the Princess in the eyes. There was something he had to tell the others, but he would have preferred a time when she wasn’t around to listen. Kenbroth swallowed his pride, turning to his pony friends. “Oh, and... I’m sorry for the mess everyone in the village got themselves into. I should’ve been there for them, and... well, I wasn’t.”

“Don’t beat yourself up over it, Spike,” his own version of Pinkie Pie told him with a smile. “We know you were busy trying to save all of Equestria. Everypony made it out fine in the end, that’s all that matters.”

The rest of them seemed to share her sentiment, and Kenbroth couldn’t help but return the smile. At least these ponies understood. “Nonetheless, I solemnly swear I shall never fail you again. Oh, and remember, it’s Kenbroth now. The name Spike has already been taken in this era.”

“There can be more than one Spike,” said the baby dragon.

“It’s okay, little one. I’m beginning to grow rather fond of ‘Kenbroth’, actually. I came up with it myself, you know.”

Before long, they found themselves in the cave at the bottom, where they had to form a line to get through the slim corridor that led to the ornate door. Twilight seemed especially fascinated by the cavern. “These rock walls look too smooth to have been made naturally; almost as though the Elements carved them out. And where did these fireflies come from...?”

Kenbroth opened the door to the chamber. There, at its center, sat the unmoving body of Princess Luna, her head slumped and her eyes closed. Twilight was the first to run over to her, checking her pulse with a spell. “She seems okay, at least for now...”

“Excellent,” Kenbroth said, walking over. “Though I doubt it would be very healthy for her to stay like this for much longer. Not to worry, I’ll have her back in a jiffy.” He put a clawtip onto the Princess’ forehead, and just like that, his mind was transported to another place altogether. An aether world held together by the magic from the castle and the seal, appearing as an endless ocean of glowing, shimmering, semi-translucent white, sparkling with all the colors of the rainbow.

The spiritual representation of Luna looked up at him, and her face shone up. “Kenbroth! Thank the stars!”

“You did well, Your Highness,” said Kenbroth. “Thanks to you, Canterlot and all the ponies in it are safe. Your sacrifice won’t be soon forgotten.”

“I only did what was my duty,” she replied, but Kenbroth could see it in her eyes how the comment resonated with her. He suspected it was exactly what she needed to hear.

“Of course. Shall we be off then?”

“Gladly.” Kenbroth’s astral form floated over to the Princess, and with the touch of a claw, the two spirits connected. They were back in the real world in a matter of seconds. From the others’ point of view, the entire process had taken almost no time at all.

“Welcome back, sister,” said Celestia, hugging her tightly.

“Celestia... you’re healed!”

“A lot has happened while you were away. I’ll tell you all about it later over a nice cup of tea.”

“Yes... later would be nice,” Luna agreed. “Not to be so abrupt, but I could really use a rest, both physically and mentally.”

“Of course. But before you go, would you not like to see our little ponies work their magic?”

She glanced over to the others. Twilight noticed just how exhausted she looked. She smiled at her. “Trust me, Princess, there is no better therapy.”

“Well, I suppose it won’t take long...”

“Beautiful!” Kenbroth clasped his claws. “Alright, everypony, those not Squinking should probably back off a bit.” Twilight and her friends, as well as the Princesses, did just that, leaving the other-village lookalikes alone at the chamber’s center. “Alright, girls, do your thing!”

And so the Squinking began. Back and forth, back and forth, squishing down; at this point, all of them – even Little Rarity – seemed to have gotten the movements down to a science. The surge of harmonic magic came seemingly out of nowhere, making Kenbroth gasp. As did Luna, and Kenbroth could tell from the look in her eyes that the experience resonated with her as well. It really was therapy; Kenbroth found himself relaxing muscles he hadn’t realized were tensed. It was almost enough to make him forget about his disagreement with Celestia. Almost.

It was over all too fast. When the last glowing particle of magic was absorbed into the crystal walls, everyone – even Luna – had a huge smile on their face. “You know,” said Star Catcher. “I think I am going to miss this when the world is saved.”

“Gotta appreciate the grub!” said Minty through a mouthful of daffodil salad with sesame sauce.

“No kidding,” Sweet Berry agreed. “I never really thought about it before, but eating sweets all day really does get old after a while.” The moment Minty and the others had emerged from the crystal chamber, one of the guard ponies had approached to tell them that breakfast was served. And not a moment too soon; Minty had forgotten just how hungry she was. The evening snack the night before seemed like ages ago.

The villagers were spread out over three long tables; Sweet Berry and Pinkie Pie sat next to Minty, and Razzaroo on the opposite side. On the far end of the room, on a platform, Princess Celestia was kept company by the six Element bearers. Kimono, Rainbow Dash and Star Catcher had joined them as well. Minty swallowed her salad, then reached with her mouth to put some more on the plate. She had gotten a little better at it already; she had only dropped the ladle twice.

All this food on the table looked – not to mention smelled – absolutely delicious, but this salad in particular had caught her fancy. Better yet, according to one of the waiter ponies, this particular meal was common and cheap, enjoyed by ponies all over Equestria. “I’m totally getting the recipe!” Minty decided.

“Hey Pinkie,” said Razzaroo, “you’ve barely touched your food. I thought you hadn’t had anything to eat for days.”

“Oh!” the pink pony started. “Right...” She took a bite of her salad – a small bite, and then she kept staring off into nothing.

“What’s wrong, Pinkie?” Minty asked.

“I’m... I’m not that hungry, that’s all. Guess I should be, huh.”

“You seem kinda out of it. Anything you wanna talk about.”

“I guess...” she paused, as if trying to find the words. “I guess I just have a lot on my mind right now. I’ve been remembering more and more from who I used to be, and, well... I’m not sure where Pinkie Pie fits into any of this anymore.”

“Don’t be silly, Pinks, you’re still you,” Razzaroo said confidently. “Once we get our village back, we’ll pick up right where we left off. Though I guess we’ll have to learn how to care of ourselves now, grow our own food, start using this ‘money’ I’ve been hearing about...”

“...and learn how to deal with each other,” Sweet Berry spoke up. “I... I’m not sure how to talk about this, but ever since we left the village, I haven’t felt right.”

“Well, you were chased by giant monsters and almost died,” Minty reminded her. Raz and Sweet Berry flinched a little at the last word. “I mean, that’s bound to take a while to get over.”

“It’s not just that,” Sweet Berry said. “I can’t shake the feeling that there’s something wrong with me. I’ve been feeling down all morning, avoiding my friends...”

“Is that why you weren’t there when we woke up?” Razzaroo asked.

“Yes... I couldn’t stop myself from feeling resentment toward all of you. Towards myself. I know it’s nobody’s fault, but... well, maybe the dark spell didn’t really leave us after all.”

“I think I know what you mean,” Pinkie Pie said, looking down on her plate. “I wasn’t there for the dark spell, but ever since we came to Equestria, there’s been so many horrible feelings that I’m not used to. What I felt when I thought I had lost Minty and the others... and when we almost didn’t manage to fix the seal... these are things I’ve no idea how to deal with. I don’t ever wanna feel those things again.”

“But we’ll have to, won’t we,” Sweet Berry said. “There’s no getting away from it in this world. It’s a natural part of everyday life, or so I’m told. How do the ponies of Equestria live with it?”

There was another silence. But to Minty’s surprise, she knew exactly how to answer. “I guess... by being there for each other.”

“But that’s just it!” Sweet Berry gave her a frightened look. “What if I snap and go off on someone I love? After what I felt toward all of you... what I said to Wysteria, I...”

“But you do trust us, don’t you?” Minty said kindly. “Otherwise, you wouldn’t be talking about it right now. I think that’s the trick: we need to be open to each other, forgive each other – and ourselves – or we’ll never get through this.”

Pinkie Pie looked up at her, and actually smiled. “That’s one of the most thoughtful things I’ve ever heard coming out of your mouth.”

Minty laughed. “Can’t be silly all the time, can I?”

“Minty’s right, though,” Sweet Berry agreed, her expression just a bit brighter. “Let’s just take this one step at the time.”

“As far as we knew, no one had ever gone through the Rainbow Falls, but I was compelled to do it, certain that there had to be other ponies on the other side. Looking back on it now, perhaps it was my subconscious remembering the life before...”

Listening to Star Catcher’s tale, in all honesty, felt somewhat awkward to Celestia. She knew everything Star Catcher was going to say, as Celestia remembered it as well, in clarity and detail, through the connection they shared. In a way, she felt as though she was intruding on Star Catcher’s privacy, partaking in memories she weren’t supposed to see... but then, Star Catcher must be feeling much the same. Celestia couldn’t help but wonder just how far back her memories of Celestia’s life reached. Was it just memories of the thousand years they were connected, or did she also remember her younger years?

As for Celestia, her memories of Star Catcher’s life before the Time Capsule were vague, fading, but she did remember every life of every cycle within the spell. Star Catcher had been many ponies under many names, but always a pegasus from Butterfly Island. The story of how she and her tribe had met the other ponies was one that had been played out through each version – thirty-three times, each lasting thirty years – only differing in the smallest details.

She was surprised, even awed, at how all this new information didn’t seem to affect any her own memories. She had no trouble differentiating between them, as if her brain had expanded. She would have to have her mages look into the science of this phenomenon later. And, of course, sit down with Star Catcher and talk to her about it at length.

“How could they not be curious about a big rainbow waterfall in the sky?” pegasus Rainbow Dash remarked. “What happened to their spirit of adventure?”

“Pegasus ponies are very shy.” Celestia noted with bemusement just how much she looked like Fluttershy when she said that. “At least, they were on Butterfly Island.”

“Shyness sure ain’t a word Ah’d use to describe a pegasus,” Applejack commented, glancing at Rainbow Dash.

“It makes you wonder, doesn’t it,” Twilight said. “How’d it turn out that way? Did Discord have a bias toward pegasi?”

“I think it may have to do with the fact that, well, we were pretty shy back then,” explained Star Catcher. “Before the Time Capsule, I mean.”

“I remember,” said Kimono. “You used to keep to yourself a lot. As I recall, I was the first one to reach out to you.”

“You were, and I’m more grateful than you know. My fellow pegasi and I were refugees from a village that Discord had ruined in the beginning of the war. We joined up with your village out of necessity, and things were... less than smooth between us at first.”

“Oh my,” said earth-pony Rainbow Dash. “I sure hope I did my job as a mayor to help the poor darlings.”

“You did, but these things can be difficult. But despite our differences, we were an integral part in keeping the village running; we could carry water more efficiently than the others, or travel further distances when we needed resources that weren’t available to us. But we never socialized more than we had to. If it wasn’t for Kimono’s friendship, I would never have met you all, and I would have remained close-minded toward my fellow ponies. She did so much for me, whereas I...” her voice trailed off.

“What’s the matter, darling?”

“Oh, nothing, just another memory. It’s nothing important. Anyway, I tried my best to break the ice, but even up to our imprisonment, most of my kin preferred the solitude of the clouds. Only the Breezies would visit us regularly.”

“Did someone say Breezie?” a voice came from above. Looking up, they saw a tiny, orange pony with wings and antennae. She landed on the table, looking up at them excitedly.

“Hello, Zipzee, darling,” Rainbow Dash said to the tiny orange pony. “How have you been?”

“Oh, just fine, but how’ve you been? Is everything okay now? When are we gonna go back to the village?” She spoke very fast.

“Soon enough, little one, soon enough,” Celestia told her softly. “Where are your friends?”

“Somewhere around here, eating, talking. I just wanted to see what went on this side of the room, and then I heard you talking about the Breezies, so I came over. What were you saying about us?”

“We were just discussing your place in Equestria,” Star Catcher told her. “Seeing as how you are the last of your kind.” It was a good change of topic, Celestia thought; they didn’t need to be bothered with the heavy questions right now. It could wait until they remembered on their own.

“Well, I guess we’ll just have to make new ones. Y’know, baby Breezies!”

“But you’re all female,” Applejack pointed out. “Isn’t that gonna be a problem?”

“What’s a female?” said Zipzee, cocking her head. “Ohh, that’s right, you don’t have antennae, so you can’t transfer your pollen to the flowers! Wysteria told me something about that.”

Applejack gave Zipzee a weird look, but Fluttershy’s eyes widened. “Fascinating... you reproduce through pollen and flowers? I’ve never heard of a creature doing that before...”

“How do you do it, then?”

“Another time, perhaps,” Princess Celestia told her, amused by the other ponies’ expressions; Applejack only snickered, whereas Fluttershy looked away in embarrassment. “Don’t worry, little one, you will soon be able to return to Breezie Blossom. And we’ll always have a garden for you here in Canterlot, should you ever want to visit.”

Barely an hour after the seal in Canterlot had been fixed, Kenbroth was once again speeding through the earth, passing deep below the roots of the Everfree Forest – which, he noted with interest, were quite deep, unusually so even for a forest that had been allowed to grow wild for so long. He never had gotten around to asking Celestia exactly what had happened to this place, but he suspected it was connected to her sister’s banishment somehow.

For better or worse, the journey gave him time to think about his falling out with the Princess. He was glad they’d been able to set their differences aside diplomatically, but it didn’t change the fact that he still found Celestia’s methods less than ideal. Of course, he couldn’t deny that it had been his decision that had put hundreds of lives at risk – including those of his own best friends from Ponyville – but nor was there any doubt in his mind that, weighed against the millions upon millions that Celestia had endangered, his had been the more rational course of action.

‘I’m sure the unlucky ponies who weren’t welcome on your ‘ark’ would agree.’

It was hard to admit, but he felt just a bit betrayed by Celestia’s distrust. The decision had been hard on him as well; of course he had hoped her faithful student would succeed, but he couldn’t in good conscience let the fate of Equestria ride on such a slim hope. Why couldn’t she see that? Perhaps he could talk to Luna about it when this was all over; they had always had similar views when it came to politics.

Kenbroth emerged from underground like a dolphin breaking the sea surface, and landed gracefully on his leg claws. What he saw almost made him topple over.

A large, black sphere. That was all that remained of Ponyville. He had expected the village to appear gray or distorted, but not completely shrouded in darkness. He could feel the magic from where he stood, a couple of pony lengths from the barrier. It prickled his skin, sending a chill up his spine. Could this really be Discord’s magic? He was the god of chaos, to be sure, but this magic felt to him too... hateful. The mad demigod had done many things that could be considered evil; but for all his wrongdoings, Kenbroth had never sensed any actual malice in him, just a desire to wreak havoc for the fun of it. But then, Kenbroth hadn’t been around for the last few years of the war.

What on earth could have triggered such hatred?

He steeled himself, then started forward. He had been tasked with bringing back information on the state of the village, and he would not return until he had taken a closer look. He paused at the edge of the black wall, then gingerly reached out to tap it with a single clawtip. It rippled sluggishly at his touch, but aside from that, there was no reaction. Determined, he walked through the dark barrier. It felt like passing through a thin layer of ice-cold water.

The village appeared to him in negative. Black was white, white was black, and all other colors were gone, as though the whole village was just a drawing rendered on a scratch board. An eerie enough sight on its own, to be sure, but more eerie still was the whispering in his ears. Disembodied voices of ponies, very faint, all talking over each other at once. He stood there for a minute, trying to listen, but he couldn’t make sense of what was being said.

He set off into the village proper, walking past the the dancing stage, the castle in the middle of town, the sweet shop, Rainbow Dash’s fashion boutique, all shrouded in a ghostly distortion. The voices wouldn’t stop, and the more he listened, the more his head started to ache. As did his heart. Being an earth dragon made him more resistant to magic than his pony friends, but he was hardly immune. If he had been, Discord would never have been able to take him from the Princesses. And now, he felt the same familiar pull of dark magic. He ignored it as best he could, walking off the road and toward the Unicornia part of town.

But it was hard. The pull of magic brought back memories he didn’t want to recall. Memories of failures he did not want to admit. As much as he chided the Princess for being so naïve, he himself had messed up in nearly the same fashion during the war, believing in the royal mages to work beyond their capacity, or trusting in the Princesses to find the Elements of Harmony in time. Perhaps on a subconscious level, that was what had made him so frustrated with the Princess. She had made the same mistake, yet suffered none of the consequences.

As the earth dragon ascended the slope to the castle, he felt the pull getting stronger. Up there was the source of this magic, he could feel it. The Crystal Rainbow Castle, robbed of its namesake colors, looked almost frightening in this inverted environment. The whisperings were getting more distinct the closer he came. Eventually, he started to make out words, even sentences. Spoken in ancient, millennium-old Equestrian.

And he recognized some of those voices.

“Kimono, my dear, it’s elementary! I am a being of chaos; I can sense this sort of thing.”

“Wow, a castle of legend, in our own little town. So this is where it stood, overlooking the village... why, just imagine, in ages past, our poor little town might have been a major city, perhaps even the capital! You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?”

“Please, Kimono; I’m old, but not that old.”

Other voices became louder, and he lost track of their conversation. Kenbroth realized with a start whom all these voices belonged to: the villagers from a thousand years ago. From when Discord had lived with them, becoming their friend...

Friends who had betrayed him. Friends whom he had trusted with his life, but who had rejected him and his ideals. But he had no need for friends. There was no magic in it, only hurt, and he had to learn that the hard... wait a minute, what in the world was he thinking? Kenbroth shook his head violently, forcing himself to regain his sense of self. From what he could tell, he was being influenced by Discord’s past self... which meant there really was a piece of his soul left in the village. Either that, or the piece he’d placed inside Rarity had been released when she’d summoned the barrier. Whatever the case, now would be a good time to pull back and report to Princess Celestia....

No, he decided. She had asked him to bring information, and he intended to do his job. She needed a full report, and as such, there was no way around it. He grabbed the handles and opened the door to the castle, and a burst of dark magic hit him in the face. It almost made him gag.

And there is was. The source of the dark magic. A wand – Rarity’s wand from the Rainbow Celebration, he recognized – lay on the floor, shining brightly black. He stared at it for a few moments. The voices in his head were getting clearer, but also more chaotic, talking over one another like a crowd trapped in a small room. Occasionally, he could make out Discord’s voice among the rest. Parts of normal conversations that lacked context to Kenbroth. Again he tried to ignore the voices – and the ice-cold feeling in his gut – as he approached the wand.

It didn’t take a magic genius like Twilight to understand that the magic was being focused on this one artifact. If Kenbroth were to destroy it – just one quick trample – the barrier would disappear, and the magic would most likely disperse. He could end it right here... but Celestia had explicitly told him not to take matters into his own claws. He was to report back, nothing more. That frustrated him to no end. Back in the day, she would never have second-guessed his judgment. She would have understood that everything he did, he did for the good of the nation.

Or would she? Maybe she had never really understood him at all. No, a voice in his head seemed to whisper, she never did understand. Never appreciated you enough. When you were taken by Discord, did she come to your rescue? Did she do everything in her power to rescue you?

How was she supposed to have rescued him, though? He had been trapped in a Time Capsule.

And she let that happen, the voice persisted. She didn’t press Discord to give you back; she was too concerned with the safety of Equestria. And deep down, she fears that your way of thinking puts that safety in danger. Face it, you’re incompetent to her eyes; the only reason she keeps you around anymore is because of damage control and sympathy!

Tears fell down Kenbroth eyes as he realized it was true. He had given her his all, done his very best to protect Equestria, but she hadn’t even taken the time to look for him when he needed it the most. Unless... wait. How did he know this information? He wasn’t self-aware when it happened, how could he be so sure?

He gasped. Discord’s grip on him was tighter than he thought. His spirit was influencing his emotions. He needed to get out of there, fast. But... would it not be prudent to smash the wand before he went? What was the worst that could happen?

Celestia could call you a traitor. She could really throw you out this time.

For a moment, he just stood there, deep in contemplation.

Then he made a decision. He knew where his loyalty lay.

“Where are those slowpoke counterparts?” the cerulean pegasus complained, sitting herself down in the Crystal Carriage.

“Oh, I’m sure they’re on their way,” said Fluttershy, as she sat down next to her. “They must have a lot of catching up to do. They only just got back together, after all.”

“They can talk when we’re done. I mean, we’re almost there! Let’s just get it over with!”

Twilight was about to sit down herself, but hesitated. She glanced back at Celestia, who stood on the landing platform, and then at her friends. She shook her head, and hopped off the Carriage. “Princess, could I talk to you in private for a moment?”

“Why, certainly,” Celestia said, a curious look in her eyes.

“We’ll just be a second,” Twilight told her friends. They took the stairs down the platform, just out of reach from pony ears.

“So why the secrecy, Twilight?” the Princess asked. “Something you can’t tell the others?”

“It’s not that. I told them about it before, but I wanted your opinion on it, and I didn’t want to just causally mention it at breakfast. You see, after you left us at the Frozen North, and we activated the elements to protect the castle, the Elements, they... they tried to communicate with me.”

“Go on.” Her face was calm, but Twilight could tell she was intrigued.

“I’m not sure how to explain it; it was like I was being fed emotions and senses that weren’t my own, giving me a glimpse of the past. Kenbroth was right, Celestia; the Elements really do have a mind of their own. The ancient race of ponies that created the Castles of Legend... I think they were the ones who gave birth to the Elements of Harmony. They used them to carve Equestria from the Echo, splitting reality in two and pouring all the cosmic energy into one of them...”

“Are you certain?” Celestia said, eyes widening in surprise. “There are legends of powerful mages able to create worlds, but splitting apart reality itself...!”

“The Elements of Harmony can do it,” Twilight told her, certain beyond logical reason that it was true. “And they are the force that keeps the worlds separated. They are the very seal we’re trying to mend!”

“By the stars,” whispered Celestia, obviously as taken aback as Twilight had been. “Twilight, this is an unprecedented discovery!”

“I know! This is a breakthrough in magic studies! Imagine the possibilities...”

“...or the wealth of information we could obtain if we were to study the Elements with this new knowledge...”

“...or what could be achieved if we could only find out how the ancients did it...”

“...why, perhaps we might finally explore the Echo!”

Twilight couldn’t help but feel giddy. This was exactly the reason why she was a scholar: to be at the forefront of magic discovery, and be able to share the excitement with the Princess. Her friends supported her, of course, but Celestia was the only one who really understood. “Something bothers me, though; why now? Why me? None of my friends had these visions.”

“Don’t forget that you’re the Element of Magic,” said Celestia. “Your bond with this particular Element is far stronger than mine ever was. If there is a higher purpose to these visions, Twilight, then you must trust in the Elements to give you the answers you need.”

“Trust in the Elements, right. It’s just... I wish I could understand them.” She levitated her crown off her head, giving it a curious look. “We’re always relying on them, but what do they want? Do they simply want me to record the early history of Equestria? Maybe they’re afraid that Equestria will go under someday, and wants to share its knowledge while it can.” Twilight shook her head, putting the crown back on. “You’re right, we’ll just have to wait for the Elements to spill the beans.”

“Here we are!” Minty announced. “Who’s ready to save Equestria!”

“Aw yeah, finally!” Rainbow Dash whooped. “I was born ready! Let’s get the show in the sky already!” It had been an exciting adventure, but all this magic stuff was way over the pegasus’ head. All she wanted now was to finish up and go back to her old life: training to impress the Wonderbolts, hanging out with the gang, managing the Ponyville weather team... My Ponyville weather team, that is, she thought with bemusement.

Things would never be exactly the same. She now had a doppelganger friend, for one. Plus, The idea that there were now two Ponyvilles, and that this “new” Ponyville was actually a thousand years older than her “old” one, was still making her head hurt whenever she thought about it too much. She would get used to it, though. Eventually.

“One moment,” Princess Celestia said. “It appears that somepony wants to say goodbye.”

Rainbow Dash turned to see Trixie running up the stairs to the landing space. Rarity’s little lookalike perked up, waving at her. “Trixie! You made it!”

Trixie smiled. “You didn’t think I was going to let you leave without seeing you off, did you?”

“I’m glad you made it,” Rarity said as she hugged the magician. To Rainbow Dash’s amusement, Trixie still looked somewhat uncomfortable with it. “What’re you gonna do now?”

“I, eh, have some things I need to see to. I think I’ll be staying here in Canterlot for awhile... that is to say, if...”

“You are, of course, welcome to stay until the others return,” Celestia old her. “Twilight told me over breakfast how you saved her life.”

“Are you sure I won’t be imposing?”

“Not at all. I’m sure Rarity would have it no other way.” Hold on, thought Rainbow Dash, was Trixie being modest? Who is this pony, and what’s she done with that arrogant show pony? But from the look of relief on Trixie’s face, complete with a bow of thanks, the pegasus could not help but admit to herself that the mare had, at least in part, changed. Who would’ve thought that a little filly could melt that cold heart.

It made her wonder: what sort of business did she have in Canterlot exactly? But by the time she thought to ask, Rarity had already boarded the carriage, so she let it slide. “Remember,” said Celestia, “the outpour of cosmic energy may have ceased, but unless it is fixed properly soon, the seal may not hold. May the sun and the moon watch over you.”

From this high altitude, far, far above the Everfree Forest, the remaining Mother Ursa – as well as a few other celestial creatures that were hard to distinguish from this distance – stood out like beacons in the early morning light. Glowing mountains that, if you didn’t know better, would fit right into the landscape. Twilight had to wonder how they felt. They had vanquished them one by one without remorse, but what happened to them after that, she couldn’t be sure. Were they killing them, or returning them to the realm from whence they came? But morally right or not, their existence was a danger to all life in Equestria, and had to be removed. Even Fluttershy didn’t seem to have any gripes about it – or if she did, she kept them to herself.

As they approached the giant, indigo crystal castle, the opportunity presented itself once more. This Mother Ursa was even taller than the castle’s tower, close enough that it could have smashed it with its paw, had it been able to move. Twilight motioned for her friends to get in position, and the others quickly moved to the back of the carriage. Twilight felt strangely excited. Would she get another vision? What tidbit of Equestrian history might she get to see this time?

The magic surge welled within her, and soon she was engulfed in the now-very-familiar power of Harmony. The visions came almost immediately. Twilight’s heart pounded as the pictures and emotions washed over her.

Only this time, it wasn’t images of a distant past. It was... a castle. Not a crystal castle, but a majestic one all the same. The image seemed to zoom, and suddenly, she was in a room. There was a book. And then, she was outside again.

The castle turned to crystal. No, wait... the vision had ended, and she was back in the real world. Twilight gasped. She’d just been shown a vision of the very castle they were flying towards.

“That must have been some vision,” grown-up Rarity said. “What did you see this time?”

“It was... different,” she told them, trying to figure it out. “It was the castle – this castle – from before Princess Luna’s banishment. But this doesn’t gel with all the other visions I’ve—” She stopped in mid-sentence, her eyes widening, as it all suddenly clicked. “No way...”

“No way what?”

“I asked for it!” Twilight’s heart started pumping faster. “When I was talking with Celestia just before we left, I said that I wished I knew what the Elements wanted from me! And now suddenly, the visions are showing me something different.”

There was a brief silence where nopony spoke. Spike was the first to break it. “So like, are they watching us?”

“I... I think they are.” It was a humbling concept – but if Discord could do it, why not the Elements? Though it did cast the situation in another light. “If it’s so important, why would they wait for me to ask before showing it to me?” she thought out loud. “Were they counting on the fact that I would discover it myself, eventually? And what was the purpose of showing me all those things about the birth of Equestria?”

“Sorry, we got nothin’, sugarcube,” Applejack said.

“There was a book in the vision,” Twilight told them. “In a small room. Maybe there’s a message for me in it.”

“A history book, maybe?” Fluttershy suggested. “I mean, maybe all they want is for you to know Equestria’s history.”

Maybe that was it. It would certainly explain why the visions had started out as basic knowledge of the past, and it would make sense that they would show her how to find the rest of the information. As far as Twilight knew, there were no books in Equestria that contained the knowledge that the Elements had shown her. Could the Elements actually have written her one?

Part of her brain was telling her it was too simple. If her duty was to become the harbinger of history, it would still make more sense just to show her to the book in the first place? But Twilight wasn’t bothered with the details; the possibility alone that the Elements had written her a book was enough to make her want to jump up and down and make squeaking noises at the top of her lungs. But until they knew more, she decided to rein herself in. “Whatever it is, I don’t think this is something that we can ignore.”

“Princess Celestia!” Kenbroth announced as he stepped into the throne room. “I’ve returned bearing news.”

Celestia started, looking up from a stack of documents her that accountant had brought her. In any other circumstances, Celestia’s royal accountants ran things well enough on their own, but maintaining the town’s economics during this shut-in had been, in their words, a nightmare. It made her realize just how reliant the city was on everyday export.

She motioned for the accountant to put the stack aside for now. “Let’s hear it.”

“It’s worse than we feared,” Kenbroth reported, a serious look on his face. “The chaos magic Discord left behind has engulfed Ponyville completely. The place has become nothing but a dark sphere of chaos. It...” Kenbroth hesitated, which did nothing to ease the Princess’ worry. “It seemed hateful. Chaotic, in a way that didn’t quite seem to fit the image of Discord as we know him. The magic was powerful enough to influence even me. Also... there were voices, Your Highness. Disembodied remnants of Discord’s days in the village. His own amongst them.”

Celestia’s eyes grew wider. “What did they say?”

“There were too many to distinguish, most of the time. I remember one where Discord and Kimono were talking... something about the Castles of Legend, if I recall. Anyway, I found the source of the spell, the wand that Rarity used to summon the barrier. I am fairly certain that destroying it then and there would have solved the problem, but the decision is, of course, up to you.”

The hint of bitterness in his voice did not pass Celestia by, but she choose to ignore it. He had only done as she had asked, and she understood his frustration. She would not have blamed him had he taken action, but nonetheless, part of her was glad he had stayed his claws. “Good work.” She got up from her throne in haste, startling the accountant. “Kenbroth, can I count on you to take care of Canterlot affairs while I’m gone?”

“You aren’t thinking of going there yourself, Your Highness?”

“I must. Facing Discord is my duty, one I have left in the hooves of others for far too long.” But more than that, she was curious. This was a golden opportunity to peer into Discord’s mind, even if it was just a piece of it. Perhaps she could finally get an answer to what had made Discord turn on Equestria in the first place. She could not let such an opportunity slip away.

“And you’re okay with trusting the city to me?”

She smiled at him. “You’re the only one I can trust. While Luna is resting, the political landscape of Equestria is in your claws.”

The earth dragon hesitated, then smiled back. “I shall not disappoint, Your Highness.”

“Another job well done,” said Minty, as the last particle of rainbow light flew into the walls of the crystal chamber. “Gotta love that shower of harmony-stuff.”

“I’ve never felt better,” Star Catcher agreed. “Every time we mend a seal, it feels as though a piece of myself is mended.”

“Almost makes one wish Equestria was in peril more often, doesn’t it,” grown-up Rarity joked. “Just as long as it is related to Harmony. I could do without another Changeling attack, personally.”

“Alright, ponies,” Twilight called out. “I know we’re in a hurry, but there’s a book somewhere in this castle that the Elements want us to find.”

“Can’t we come back for it later?” said pegasus Rainbow Dash. “We’re this close to being done with all of this.”

“I, for one, could use a breather,” Night Gale said. “I’ve been dashing all over Equestria with a heavy carriage on my back two days, and I barely got any sleep last night. We’re not that much in a hurry.”

“Ugh, fine. But where do we even start looking? I mean, didn’t we search through this place last time we were here, looking for Kimono?”

“There must be a hidden door, or something,” said Twilight. “We’ll just have to spread out and look.”

Star Catcher stepped forward. “Or perhaps not. I have memories from Celestia about this castle. Yes...” Realization flashed in her eyes. “Follow me. I think I know where the hidden door is.”

Without further ado, the group followed Star Catcher out of the crystal chamber and through the corridors of the castle. No sound penetrated the crystal walls from the outside, emphasizing the echo of their hooves against crystal as they walked. Here and there, Twilight thought she could make out remnants of the castle’s interior: the frame of a painting on the wall, rocks and trees that had made their way into the ruins, half-crumbed statues littering the floors. All turned to monotonous crystal. Now that she wasn’t in a hurry, the details seemed to spring to life, telling the story of the castle as it appeared before it was restored in crystal.

“We’re here,” said Star Catcher, coming to a halt in the middle of the corridor. “I’m not sure if it will still work now that the castle has turned to crystal, but there is supposed to be another corridor behind here. You put your hoof on the wall and say the password: ‘Praise be to Star Swirl’.”

Twilight held back a grin; that was a quote from one of the oldest tome regarding the legendary wizard Star Swirl the Bearded, and it sounded just like a password Celestia would use. As instructed, she walked over to the wall and put her hoof to it. “Praise be to Star Swirl.”

Nothing.

“Praise be to Star Swirl,” Twilight repeated, trying a different accent. She searched her memories for the exact quote in ancient Equestrian. “Praise be to Star Swirl! Praise be—”

“Move aside, sugarcube.” Applejack gently pushed her away. “No offense, but Ah don’t think the magic is workin’ no more. And where magic fails—” Without warning, she spun around and kicked the wall as hard as she could with her hind legs. “—hard work will prevail!”

She kicked it again. Twilight wanted to stop her, but really, if this was the only way to get through, a broken wall was a small price to pay. That was, if she could actually do it. Applejack was stronger than most ponies she knew, but surely not even she could... she kicked again, and a crack appeared on the wall. Again, and again... and with one last buck, the crystal wall gave in, crashing down as it sprayed shards into the corridor on the other side.

“That, was, awesome!” Little Rarity cheered. “Do it again!”

Pegasus Rainbow Dash gawked. “Did you... did you just kick down a wall?”

Applejack chuckled. “Ah buck apple trees for a livin’. What did you expect?”

The moment Celestia was free from the anti-teleportation field surrounding Canterlot, it had only taken a few moments before she stood inside the giant dark dome that shrouded the second Ponyville.

Such malice! Such chaos! She felt the magic in the very core of her being, and it undoubtedly belonged to Discord. But just as per Kenbroth’s report, this was unlike anything they had felt from the demigod before. This wasn’t just chaos, it was mayhem. Evil. She hesitated to use such a word, as there was much ambiguity surrounding it, but it was the only way she knew how to describe it. Ill intent at its worst.

“Well then,” said Celestia to darkness surrounding her. “Let’s see if this part of you is more willing to cooperate.” She lit her horn and coated her body with protective magic, and started walking into the village.

“I don’t believe it...” breathed Twilight. “It’s all here! A millennium’s worth of knowledge, ripe for the picking!”

From the platform where they emerged from the hidden corridor, a huge library extended before their eyes. Rows upon rows of crystal bookshelves, filled to the brim with books that were distinctively non-crystal. Applejack let out a whistle; it was easily five times the size of the barn in Sweet Apple Acre. “Well string me by mah own rope. The Elements musta fixed ‘em right up.”

“I’ve never seen so many books,” Minty said, her eyes wide. “I’m not sure I’ve seen so many of anything.”

“Do the Elements want us to read all of this?” Kimono asked. “That could take all year...”

“Twilight would do it in a month,” said Spike. “You don’t know how she gets when she’s around books.” As if to prove his point, Twilight had already started making her way down the stairs at the side of the platform. Kimono quickly ran after her. Eyes alight with a look Spike know only too well. “Great,” he sighed, “now there’s two of them.”

As the others followed her down at a slower pace – Pinkie Pie bouncing as she usually did – Minty took the opportunity to talk to her counterpart. “Truth is, I can’t even read,” she admitted. “I usually have Story Belle read for me, so I never bothered to learn how.”

“That’s okay, sugarcube, Ah was a late bloomer mahself,” Applejack admitted. “Never had much use for it until I had to learn in order to pass school.”

“Really? No offense, but I kinda pegged you for a bookworm.”

“Where’d you get that idea?”

“Well, I dunno, you just seem smart, always making clever observations and stuff. A lot smarter than me, that’s for sure.” She gave a small laugh.

“Aw shucks, Ah’m nothin’ special. Guess Ah’m just the curious sort... speakin’ of which, are you okay there, Star Catcher?”

The white Fluttershy-lookalike had a pained expression on her face, and a hoof to her chest. “I... I’m not sure. I’ve been having this pain in my chest ever since we entered the library.”

“Well, that doesn’t sound good, darling,” said earth-pony Rainbow Dash. “Should we have Twilight take a look at it?”

“It’s not as bad as that,” Star Catcher assured them. “It’s starting to fade already. Maybe it’s my magic acting up again... this is the Princesses’ old castle, after all. I’ll be sure to let you know if it gets out of hoof.”

“Whatever you say, sugarcube.” As they began to catch up with Twilight, Applejack saw with amusement that the unicorn had a cloud of book circling around her head, suspended in her signature purple field, and was pulling yet another one down off a nearby shelf. She wasn’t actually gonna try to go through ‘em all, was she?

Looking at the books, a memory resurfaced from the back of Applejack’s mind. Something that Kenbroth had said to her. “‘The Legend of Harmony’? It’s supposed to be a thousand years old, but it was written in modern Equestrian, rhymes and all. Same with most other books I found lying around...”

“Heavens to betsy!” she gasped, earning a reaction from the others. She walked over to the closest shelf, pulled out the first book she saw and opened it up. “Now that’s just freaky...”

“What’s freaky?” asked pegasus Rainbow Dash.

“Ah just remembered somethin’ Kenbroth told me once. If these books were written over a thousand years ago, how come it’s all written in modern Equestrian?”

“The language was different a thousand years ago?” asked Minty.

“Oh, you have no idea,” Spike spoke up. “This one time, Twilight had me read a five hundred year old scroll, and let me tell you, those ‘olde pony folks’ talked weird.”

“Right. And why would they go through all this trouble translating an entire library, if they didn’t want them to be read? Guess we found the answer to our mystery.”

“So they do want Twilight to read it all,” earth-pony Rainbow Dash said thoughtfully. “Oh dear. I think we might be here for awhile.”

The black-and-white village spread out before her as Celestia stood on top of Unicornia mountain. Even with a protective spell coating her body, Discord’s magic was still very uncomfortable to the touch. Celestia didn’t even hear the voices right away. Only after a few minutes of applying sensing magic did they appear; softly at first, then gradually clearer. She stood on this vantage point not to take in the view, but because it was the best place to hear all of the countless voices of the city.

There were so many of them, Celestia had to strain her magic in order to even make out the words. She sat there, motionless; as the minutes went by, her mind started to adapt to the noise, and eventually, she was able to make out individual sentences.

“Misterr Draconocuus, my ball got stuck in the tree. Could you help me?”

“What am I, a ball-fetcher? Oh, alright, here you go.”

“Neat! You make magic look so easy.”

When Discord wasn’t helping a little filly get her ball down from a tree, he was repairing a fence, baking a cake, playing fetch with his friends... taken out of context, these snippets of conversation seemed so ordinary.

But there was one common theme. Acts of kindness and generosity, laughter and loyalty, honesty... all broken into pieces in the end.

Celestia’s heart tightened. In Discord’s eyes, he had been the one betrayed. That was the feeling that fueled the barrier.

Twilight felt much like she had the first time she’d stepped into the Canterlot Library. The sheer sense of wonder, the overwhelming amount of knowledge... the childish grin on her face must have looked rather silly, but she didn’t care. So many books she could read; neigh, had to read. The Elements had shown her a book; the message seemed clear.

“Trust me, I understand your eagerness,” Kimono told her as Twilight was about to pull down yet another book. “But if this was truly what the Elements wanted you to find, then we have no choice but to leave it and come back later..”

Twilight looked up at Kimono, and sighed. “I know.” Besides, she wasn’t sure if this was really it. The vision had shown her a single book, not an entire library.

“Hay,” Applejack called, as she and the others came galloping up to them. “What are we, chopped apples? Don’t go leaving us behind like that.”

“Oh, sorry,” Twilight said with a sheepish grin. “It’s just that, this might be the single most incredible find in Equestrian history: true Equestrian, well, history!”

“Ah know. Obviously the Elements wants you to get readin’, otherwise they wouldn’t have translated all o’ this. But how about we come back here when everything’s settled do—”

“Hold on,” Twilight halted. “Translated?” Then it dawned on her. “By the stars... how could I not have made the connection! It’s all written in modern Equestrian... all so that I could...” she trailed off, another aspect coming into focus in her mind. “But I know ancient Equestrian. I’ve studied it; I can read it just fine.”

“Perhaps the vision was only meant to guide you here,” suggested Kimono. “To find a gift to ponykind left by the Elements.”

“I’m not so sure; the vision showed me single book in a small room, and the castle wasn’t crystal.” The more Twilight thought about it, the more she was convinced that there was something they were missing.

“Oohh, are we looking for one book in particular?” the hyper-version Pinkie Pie spoke up excitedly. “I’ll be back in a jiffy!”

“Wait, Pinkie, I’m not—” Pinkie disappeared before anypony could say otherwise. Oh well. “Right. Since we’re here, we might as well have a look around, make sure we aren’t leaving out any possibilities. Star Catcher, do you remember any—”

“Heeey!” came Pinkie Pie’s voice from a distance. “The floor over here is really suspicious!” The group navigated through the shelves, until they reached where Pinkie was sitting down, ear against the floor. As Twilight walked over to her, she realized that the sound of her hoof steps had changed.

“This is... stone!” The colors and patterns were the same, but this particular area was undoubtedly not crystal.

“Great work, Pinks!” pegasus Rainbow Dash told her, patting her on the back. “You’re a pro at finding things. How’d you do it?”

“I grew up on a rock farm, silly. How could I not notice a rock sticking out like a sore hoof?”

“Alright, everypony, step back for a moment.” Twilight’s horn started to glow with magic, surrounding the stone slab with her aura. She tried lifting it up, and just as she suspected, it came loose. “Well well, what do we have here?” she said happily, the grin on her face widening. Under the slate was a set of stairs, leading downward. “A secret passage!”

“Guess we found our secret room,” said Spike.

“We’d better have!” Twilight unceremoniously put the rock slate down. “Come on, everypony!”

“My gosh,” gasped Twilight, marveling at the room by the end of the tunnel. This was without a doubt the same room as in her vision. It had been preserved just the way it had appeared a thousand years ago, the only part of the castle that wasn’t crystal. There was a banner with a moon crest on the wall, identifying the room’s previous owner. “This must have been Princess Luna’s secret study!” There was a small window on the opposite wall, the only source of light.

Twilight could not believe she was actually standing in Princess Luna’s old private room. It made her feel like a little school filly inside. She wanted to rummage through the shelves, go through every nook and cranny... but as soon as her eyes fell on the book on the desk, all other thoughts were washed away.

She walked over, her legs trembling with excitement, her heart feeling as though it might pop out of her chest at any moment.

What was written on the cover made her gasp out loud.

“Well, what’ya know,” said Applejack, reading over her shoulder. “It even has your name on it.”

Twilight couldn’t bring herself to reply. All of a sudden, she felt incredibly humbled. Her life had hardly been an ordinary one, being the Princess’ personal protege, and a Bearer of an Element of Harmony, having saved Equestria so many times... but this felt so intimate. The highest force in the universe had created this book for her specifically. Not for the Bearer of the Element of Magic, but for her, Twilight Sparkle.

Twilight took a deep breath, and opened the book.

The longer Princess Celestia sat there, the more she became convinced that there was a slow, very slow shift in the chaos magic surrounding her. It was getting stronger, clearer. Clear enough for the Princess to tell that something was missing from the magic structure. This was, in fact, just one part of a bigger spell.

It wasn’t too much of a stretch to assume that the missing parts were were the pieces of Discord hidden away inside those six ponies.

There was no way of knowing just what Discord had been planning, but Celestia could only assume – and hope – that it had been thwarted. The six crucial pieces of his plan had been scattered across Equestria... but why? What were those pieces combined meant to accomplish in the first place?

She cast a glance toward the castle. “Alright, Discord, it’s about time we had a talk.”

The first page was blank. So was the second. And the third, and fourth.

“Oh, come on!” Twilight exclaimed. She found herself panting from all the pent-up excitement. She flipped through the pages with magic, dumbfounded. “Is there a spell I ought to use? Is it written in invisible ink?” She tried the obvious spells she could think of, but nothing worked.

“Maybe it’s a metaphor,” straight-maned Pinkie Pie suggested. “Like, the Elements are trying to tell us not to think too hard about this.”

“Very funny,” said Twilight distractedly, growing increasingly frustrated. “Is this somepony’s idea of a... oh, here we go!” All thirteen of them leaned in for a closer look.

It took Twilight a few moments to realize what she was looking at.

“It’s a family tree...!”

Twilight’s eyes became wide as saucers. Her name was written right under a small portrait of her, with a pair of lines pointing down to the names and portraits of her parents; and from them, names and portraits of their parents. It appeared as a pyramid, with her and Shining Armor on top, and as she kept reading down, her heart fluttered as the diagram showed her ancestor so far back, even she had never heard of them. “I don’t believe it,” she said, half in shock. “My family... but why?”

But then, in the depth of her confused mind, an answer flickered into light. A crazy thought she’d been carrying since she’d heard Kimono’s story...

Twilight’s eyes darted from name to name, faster than she had ever read before, searching the family pyramid for one name in particular. Cold sweat ran down her cheeks. This couldn’t be what the Elements wanted to show her. It just couldn’t!

And then she saw it, at the very bottom. Where a pony should have been depicted, there was a symbol she couldn’t read. And next to that symbol, the name of the spouse...

Kimono.

The two lookalikes stared at each other. Twilight had entertained the idea, but had never actually believed that Kimono would be her ancestor. “Twilight,” her counterpart said softly, her eyes wide in disbelief. “You’re my...!”

“You’re her—?” Applejack gasped. Then, she broke out in a broad smile. “Well ain’t that something! Ah always thought you two had to be—” But just as Twilight had, Applejack put two and two together, and her mouth fell open. “No way...!”

“Kimono, tell me.” Twilight’s voice was rasped. “Did you and Discord ever... y’know.”

Kimono’s face fell. Twilight’s blood froze, her counterpart’s expression confirming her theory. And her worst fears. “Yes. He and I had a foal.”

Twilight couldn’t respond. She could hardly breathe. Next to this, the near-destruction of Equestria seemed insignificant.

Twilight was the descendant of Discord.

Special thanks to EquesTRON for helping out with the editing.