“You’re crazy, Sam.” She giggled. “You know that, right?”

“Well, maybe.” I took her hands, bringing her closer to me. “Is it crazy that I want to kiss you?”

She giggled again, with a light rose coloring her cheeks. Slowly, she freed herself from my grip, sending a pang of disappointment in my chest.

“Yes, but I like that kind of crazy.” She leaned closer, cupping my head into her hands.

My eyelids started to drop, my attention entirely on her pink, soft lips.

I felt some heat rise in my chest, as my heart started to go wild. At this distance, my senses were starting to get overwhelmed by new details about her. Her hair brushed off against my shoulder, soft and carrying a sweet flagrance of flowers.

“Sam…” she whispered.

“What?” I replied, breathless.

“SAM, WAKE UP!”

My eyes shot open. I was sprawled across my bed.

“M-Mom?”

There, she was, in all her morning glory, hair disheveled and wearing her night jacket.

Okay, I was really pissed off. She wasn’t that adamant against me bringing a girl home, right? Even in my dreams, I couldn’t date, because of poor naïve Tom who’d be traumatized?

The little squirt better not have finished the cereals again.

“Get out of bed, now, Samuel!” my mother hissed at me, with incredible urgency.

I blinked. I hadn’t noticed, but she looked off. This was a Saturday morning, right? I hadn’t forgotten any events like hosting a football game viewing or something… Why did she seem so frantic?

“W-what’s wrong?” I asked, getting out of bed.

“Did Tom tell you about going off somewhere this morning?”

I thought back to our last conversation and, while it had contained lots of exchanged ideas, recalled no such thing.

Well, except…

“I hate you! I wish I didn’t have to see you ever again!” he had said. At the time, it had slid off my back…

Darn it! Now my guts were twisting around with guilt. Super.

“N-no… why?”

“Because we can’t find him anywhere!” she screeched.

My stomach churned.

“W-what?” I asked, staring at her with wide eyes.

“He’s not in his bedroom. We looked everywhere. You know how he is in the morning. Even worse than you!”

I was going to let that slide, because, for God’s sake, was this actually happening?

“Have you called Johny’s parents?”

“Of course I did! They didn’t see or hear anything about him, neither did Jonathan.” She put her head in her hands, muttering curses under her breath. Not just any curses either. The kind I would have never expected to hear from her, the kind that would give me a verbal smack down if I ever used around Tom.

This was bad.

“He's… I bet he’s just playing outside in the park…” I placed a hand on Mom’s shoulder, doing my best to sound comforting.

Is it possible to sound like something you need yourself?

“Y-your father’s already out looking…” Her eyes dropped halfway, reflecting no light. Her face was pale… she seemed about to pass out. “T-this can’t be real…”

Breathe, Sam. Breathe, pull yourself together. Mom needs you right now. I took one more deep breath.

“Look, go sit down in the living room.” I gently started guiding her out of my room. “Let me put on a shirt and then we’ll call the police. Okay?”

She nodded quickly, looking down and rubbing her eyes. I trailed her off, just to make sure she was doing good on my suggestion. After a turn to the left, she entered the living room, just as I had asked her to.

Pacified, I took another deep breath, trying to calm down my maddened heart and pushing to the back of my mind all the crazy theories that were already springing out of nowhere. Then, I opened the drawer and picked the first shirt I saw.

He’s just playing around. Maybe even pulling a prank on us, I told myself.

He had done it before. Well, not that way, but when he got pissed, Tom would pull pranks on me. This ...this was probably it... right?

I quickly rubbed my eyes, chasing off any moistures that might be there. I… I wasn’t worried. This wasn’t real.

Just playing outside…

Now decently clothed, I walked out of my room, fast paced, and went straight toward my mother. She was sitting on the couch, staring at pictures. Oh Mom…

She did not react when I plumped down right next to her. She kept staring.

“When did you realize he wasn’t in his room?”

She stayed silent.

I frowned, uneasy. It was hard not to glance down at the picture. I knew I ought not to. It would be too painful…

“Mom…” My tone grew more insistent.

Still nothing.

I sighed. She was making this even harder. Steel yourself, Sam. I stared very intently at her, still, pained face, and opened my mouth to speak up, when…

“I realized he was not in bed an hour ago.” It was quiet, almost a whisper, yet I heard it clear as day.

“A-an hour ago?” I stammered, the reality of this hitting me like a train. My head started spinning. “Y-you didn’t wake me up earlier…”

“I…We… it… it was too unreal…” she said quickly, slightly apologetic.

It made me feel strangely empty, as if a void had popped up in my chest. Slowly though, it seemed to be replaced by a nauseous feeling.

I kept on a neutral voice.

“It…he’ll be fine, Mom.” I patted her back, but she did not seem very responsive. “I’m sure Dad will come back with him and we’ll just share a good laugh over that silly fright.”

Mom did not say anything. She pinched her lips together, her eyes never leaving the picture.

Without listening to reason, I glanced to where she was looking. Instantly, my heart squeezed with pain.

Family picture. She had to pick up a family picture.

Even after I looked away, the guilt did not die down. The image had been seared into my brain. I knew that one by heart anyway. This was just a painful reminder.

Christmas photos. Me, Tom and Mom, all sitting down with presents on our knees, with the little squirt openly excited and barely stopping long enough for a picture. Dad had had a field day just making us wait and pretending the first few pics were not good enough.

Darn it…

“I… I’m calling the police.” I stood up, without waiting for her to react. I had a feeling she wouldn’t be doing any of that soon.

It didn’t take long, picking up the phone and call the police station. Figures. If there was an emergency, then they would have to be quick, asking who was talking an’ all that… still… It went well… I guess…

“I… this is about…” I almost choked on the next few words. “…a missing kid…”

“Sir, can you give us a detailed description of the child?”

“S-sure, it’s my brother.” I paced, growing restless. “ His name’s Tom Miller. He’ll turn nine in a month, he’s a bit small, maybe four feet three inches, white skin, black hair, brown eyes, weights something like sixty-five pounds… he’s got a beauty mark on his right shoulder… he…”

I turned to my mother.

“What was he wearing the last time you saw him?”

No answer. She seemed transfixed.

My face started to turn white.

With a shake of my head, I chased off my treacherous thoughts, refusing to be distracted.

“Last time I saw… I think he was wearing a blue t-shirt of Superman with a pair of black jeans.”

My mind was more focused on his crunched up, red face. We had been yelling a bit. I was almost surprised Mom hadn’t start blaming me. Don’t jinx it, Sam.

“My mother was the one to realize his… d-d…”

The voice at the end of the line promptly offered me some rehearsed lines about taking my time and powering through the trial. They needed to know.

“…That. She said an hour ago…” My voice hitched up in my throat. Fuck, I couldn’t do this much longer. “We can’t find him anywhere and he’s not at his friend’s house. They haven’t seen him in days…”

I swept up a tear. Why was I crying? This was not real. I was just doing this to reassure Mom. Wait till we find you, Tom. You’re going to need ice for your butt after you’re done with the spanking of a lifetime we’re giving you.

“My father left for other places we think he might be. H-he’s checking the park…”

My knees started shaking. I gripped the doorknob for some support. It didn’t do much. Anytime time now, my legs would give out under me and I’d pass out…

Not real, this is NOT real.

“Yes… we’ll be waiting for your call. Please, be quick.” Not that they need to be. Tom’s fine. Hiding somewhere to freak us out… My hands were shaking when I ended the call.

Mom was still staring blankly at that photo. In the background, our clock was ticking, producing the only noise in the otherwise silent room.

The scene was eerie.

“They’ll come to... to get some pictures.” A slight nod of acknowledgment. Thank crap for that. “It should take five to ten minutes…”

For a second, I found myself unable to think of what to do next. A part of me wanted to stay and help her, but another was pushing me to rush out of the house and start looking for Tom.

“I… You should change before they arrive,” I whispered, almost with shame, before running out of the living room.
I couldn’t stay. I couldn’t greet police officers telling me they’d find my missing brother. It would be real.

The little squirt’s not missing! It’s only been an hour, he could have just decided to talk a walk outside and buy candy at the convenience store!

So I started looking for him around town.

--

“Sorry, Tom, I’m busy…”

“But you’re always busy! You never take time to play with me anymore!”

--

I could hear a pin drop.

A heavy silence reigned over the dinner table. The atmosphere was dark.

Tom was nowhere to be found.

I picked halfheartedly at my spaghetti, not feeling very hungry. Even if the smell was enticing, I could not wrap my mind around food at the moment.

Neither could Mom and Dad. My hard work would probably end up in the garbage can, left untouched. I wasn’t going to blame them. Both of them looked horrible, in their own ways.

Well, they were always different, even in their physical appearance. Mom had dark hair, brown eyes and a petite stature, while Dad was a tall blonde guy with the clearest blue eyes. Aunt Diana always thought it was funny how that extended to me and Tom too. I was the blonde guy and Tom was the dark-haired midget. Apparently, Mom had recessive blonde genes. Hurray for Biology classes!

“Linda…” Dad’s voice rumbled, a great deal more subdued than usual. “They are going to extend the searches region-wide.”

At that, she muffled a sob. That noise reached inside me and twisted my insides.

I put down my messy fork and stood up. If I heard more, I might start bawling my eyes out. That stupid little squirt! Where was he?!

“Sammy,” Dad rose his voice, if only to be heard. “I’m going to drive around town again.”

I understood what he was saying. I nodded.

“James…” Mom closed her eyes, mouth twisting into an ugly grimace. “Please… you have to bring him home.”

I dropped the plate. My hands just gave out. This is real. This is real. This is real!

Tom was missing. We called everywhere! Nobody had sighted him all day! No teacher, no friend, no neighbor. The last person to see him was Dad and that was when he hushed him to bed!

The police had searched the whole house from the roof to the basement and we gladly let them, heck, Mom had practically begged them to just so they could find him napping in a closet somewhere! They found nothing. Not even traces of breaking in!

Had he run away? That couldn’t be it, right?

I opened the faucet, forcing the water to come steaming hot, at full capacity. Droplets even splashed across my face, making me flinch a few times. That didn’t matter much, my cheeks were already wet with tears.

It can’t be be-because… no…

I rinsed my plate like a robot, not paying attention to any detail here. I was stuck replaying our last fight in my mind. It always ended with the same words.

“I hate you! I wish I didn’t have to see you ever again!”

And every time it stung more and more…

Was he still angry? Was he in pain? Was he sad, afraid, terrified, begging for his big brother to come save him?

I gripped the corner of the sink with enough strength to make my palms hurt. Breathing was hard, with an overwhelming sense of guilt crushing my chest. T-this was my fault.

I was supposed to protect him. It was my responsibility!

My body started to burn. I… I wanted to kill the son of a bitch that took Tom! God help me if I was left alone with whoever was responsible for that. I already knew what I’d do to them.

Sobs were what brought me back from my dark thoughts.

Turning around, I was treated to the sight of my mother, resting her head against her arms on the table. With a low whine, she whispered his name once more. I could tell though, that her cheeks were dry. She was already out of tears.

Dad was already gone or else he would have been by her side already. He probably ran outside not to show his pain. He once told me that’s what a man does. I wasn’t strong enough to do that.

It tore at my heart to see her like this. S-she might not have been the happiest person in the world, but she had never broken down before. Just one more slap in the face, telling me this was all too real.

“C-come on, Mom,” I said, trying to get her to stand up. And then what? What can I possibly say to make her feel better? “You… I think you should rest.”

She shrugged off my hands, as if I was a stranger. It hurt, but I could not leave her alone. Not like this. For the sake of love, if I ever left her in that state and she…

NO! That can’t happen! She’d never-!

“Just go to bed, Mom,” I pleaded, voice cracking with my own pain. “I’ll give you your sleep medicine. I swear on everything you want that we’ll wake you up if- as soon as they find Tom.”

Her eyes met mine. They were so red it was almost comical, if, you know, my little brother wasn’t missing. I was fairly sure mine would soon gain that shade too. Give or take an hour or two.

After a small staring contest, Mom finally stood up, mechanically reaching for her plates.

“No, let me take care of that,” I assured her as I gently pried her hands off it. “Just go get some sleep, okay, Mom?”

“T-tell me wh-”

“I swear.” I added, more forcefully.

We exchanged no more word beyond that. Quietly, she made her way to her bedroom while I went to retrieve one specific bottle of pills in the bathroom. She said nothing when I handed it to her, nor did she answer my “Good night, Mom”.

Once I had turned off the light and left the room, my feet became heavy. I never dreamt of the day I would need to comfort my mother this way. It simply had never happened before. Now I just felt drained.

It got worse when I turned around the corner. On the other side of the hall was Tom’s room. The lights had been left on.

For a moment, my mind screamed against going anywhere near his room. I don’t think I can handle that. My legs carried me there regardless.

Warily, I pushed the door open, trying my best to stay calm. It wasn’t easy.

His room was messier than usual, due to the policemen’s presence, no doubt. I had followed them in, if only not to give the little squirt reason to scream they had touched his stuff.

It did not prepare me for this.

His room… was empty. There was a void where he should be. The whole thing felt out of place not knowing if he’d ever occupy it again.

Whatever possessed me, I could not tell, but I walked deeper into Tom’s bedroom. I just let my gaze wander – or was I simply lacking the strength not to? –to his shelf, toward his closet and onto his bed sheet.

I stroke off the pillow, which was covered by a Shining Armor pillow case. Dad refused to buy any other. He said they were too girly.

Can’t exactly argue with that, Dad. I smiled for a second, but quickly it turned into a sigh.

When I had first been caught red-handed looking at a My Little Pony episode by Tom, of all people, I had seriously expected endless teasing. To be fair, that was mostly what had happened, until I picked up the little prick and forced him to watch the whole thing with me.

I thought that was a nice ironic punishment for being so darn annoying. I hadn’t anticipated him to like the show. Hypocritical much?

So, yeah, I was a closet brony to everyone but my family and one friend, and I had brought my little brother into it. Surprisingly, he was more intense about it than me, even if he shunned every episode without Rainbow Dash, Applejack or Pinkie Pie, his best ponies. The formers for “bucking butts” – you have no idea how mortified I was when I heard him say that with Mom in hearing range – and the latter for being funny.

Now I wished I had just given him one of my traditional noogies and sent him off instead. These days, he wanted us to do stuff together and it was always about ponies. Problem was, while I like ponies, I was not that big of a fan of playing that with my little brother and his endless godmoding.

My hand brushed off against a rougher surface on the pillow. Curious, I stripped the thing off its pillowcase, only to find a sheet of paper, colored a bit clumsily.

Yeah, I knew that one.

Blade DarkBlaze, his alicorn original character.

“I’m telling you, Sam, he’s the most awesome pony since Rainbow Dash!”

“Yes, he is, Tom,” I whispered, picking up the drawing.

It was completely overpowered. A young prodigy amongst alicorns that wore an ancient red cape of discordian magic. Marine blue coat and black mane, crimson red eyes, personal apprentice to Princess Celestia in all things of divinity.

Yeah, I could bear with it at first, but it got old fast. It was one of the reasons I was so reluctant to do stuff with him these days.

It was what sparked our fight yesterday.

Suddenly, it was as if that drawing was burning my hand.

I fled the room, barely taking the time to turn off the light like I had intended to. The sheet of paper slowly glided to the floor, slipping under his bed.

--

The house was devoid of noise now, except for the occasional click from my laptop’s mouse.

I was surfing on the web, trying to get my head off this disaster. It was hardly working. Tom and I have similar interests, mostly because he kept coming up to me whenever he was bored. He always expected me to introduce him to some new show, which was unfortunately what I could do with practiced ease.

At the moment, I was reading up on some commentaries on the newest My Little Pony episode, which I had completely forgotten till now. As it turned out, apparently, it was not that big of a loss. Opinions were generally negative about it.

“New character out of nowhere…” I muttered, skimming among the comments. “Completely destroyed the dynamics of the main character… badly designed on top of everything… Damn, they messed up good or what?”

That was about the time my eyes caught up with a peculiar line.

“An alicorn out of nowhere? At least Cadence had a great introduction.”

This tugged at the back of my mind. A bad presentiment came over me.

“He was just like a really stupid OC…” I gave a weak laugh at that comment. Wow, that hit way too close to home. “Oh, for freak’s sake, listen to me. I must be about to pass out from fatigue. It’s almost as if I had thought…”

I stopped.

T-t-this was just ridiculous. I couldn’t… I couldn’t actually think…

Hand shaking, I moved the browser toward the first streaming link I could find. Waiting for it to download probably turned into the longest two minutes of my life.

The appeasing feeling that accompanied an opening of My Little Pony did not come this time. I was trembling, prey to a stupid idea that would not leave me alone!

The screen turned from a black square to a greatly animated Ponyville. The scene depicted Twilight meander the streets with a saddle bag full of books.

“Twilight!” Spike suddenly ran to her. The little thing seemed out of breath. “Y-you have to see this! You won’t believe it!”

“What’s going on?” Twilight asked, concerned about her assistant’s behavior.

“Can’t explain! Just follow me!” With that, the Spike ran off, to her obvious shock.

Seconds later, they ran into a crowd of ponies, gathered around the town hall. In the middle of the ponies, I spotted Derpy, for a split second, which I thought was pretty awesome.

Then I heard it.

“Eeyup, ponies! You are not dreaming!”

That voice…

Neither Twilight or I could see the one possessing it. The camera was stuck on Twilight and the bookworm certainly did not have the muscle strength to power through an actual wall of ponies like that one.

“Huh, Twilight…?” Spike gave her a flat look. “Your wings.”

At the remark, she looked incredibly sheepish and blushed. “Oh, right, sorry. I’m not quite used to having two extra limbs yet.” She flapped them, accidentally nailing the poor dragon in the face for good measure.

“Just take off, would you?” he grunted.

She did not need to be told twice. With a majestic start, she flew off a dozen feet in the air, getting a direct view of the podium and who was standing behind it.

Twilight’s jaw dropped.

So did mine.

“This can’t be real…”

On the podium, there was this foal, at most a bit taller than the Cutie Mark Crusaders. His coat was marine blue… his mane was black… Coincidence…

The mayor looked shocked out of her mind, yet she had made no move to relocate the unruly kid. There seemed to be a subconscious command in the ponies mind not to, as no pony at all tried to get the foal to behave.

That had to be because he was an alicorn.

“My name is Blade Darkblaze and I’m here to buck asses and eat cupcakes, and I’m not out of either of those things!”

Oh God… I just wanted to hit my forehead on my desk repeatedly. How the heck did the editors let that line slide?

The ponies, having no clue as to what that stupid shout-out was supposed to mean, glanced at each other with frowns.

Of course, Gary Stu did not take the hint and went on with his tirade, somehow getting more and more spazz-tastic and lost in a speech about his awesomeness with each passing moment. Aside from the voice being exactly the same, well…

“What are you doing, Tom?”

“Hey Sam, I’ve just invented a new game! You have to take the characters from this side of the map all the way over to the king’s palace, then into the dungeons and that’s where the dragons are and you have to steal their gold to give back to the king so you can raise an army and buy lots and lots of soldiers to defend against the undead hordes-”

A chill went down my spine. T-that was just completely nuts. To even think of that was just proof I needed to rest badly. Who could ever think that with a straight face?

Yet, despite the creeping illness slowly gaining on me as I watched the new character rant on and on about how incredible his stay was going to be, my hands refused to move. I could not force myself to close that tab and forget I ever thought that for one measly little second.

I had to watch.

My eyes took in every detail; every single little quirks and varying intonation were recorded and registered. The foal had a habit of saying “Duh” whenever a pony asked him a clarification.

“Wait, you have to punch the princess in the face?”

“DUH!”

His mouth twisted and his eyes shifted to the right when Rainbow Dash finally called him out on his lies.

“You finished your homework before, right?”

“Of course, Mom.”

“Tom, you’re grounded.”

“No fair!”

Haha, wow, that was a bit creepy…

Now the cyan mare was hovering above the colt, making him back away a few steps.

For a second, I felt a bit of hope emblaze my spirit. There’d be no way this would fly by if that colt was actually a wish fulfilling character.

“I’M NOT LYING!” he screeched, which was much too familiar of a sound for me to be comfortable. “JUST ASK MY-” He abruptly cut himself off.

“Tom, that movie’s too violent for you. Go play in your room.”

“No way! I’m old enough, Dad! Right, Sam?”

My heart accelerated.

Those coincidences were piling up…

It seemed as if I was nailed to my chair, pushed down by an invisible force, an overwhelming pressure. My legs refused to move, my arms were as still as stone.

And the episode just went on, with Fluttershy trying to come up to the foal’s defense and him slowly integrating himself in the group, though more as a bratty addition than any real friend, thank Faust for that.

Then it got to the part with the manticores.

I could not believe my eyes. For no good reasons, a group of manticores waltzed into town, roaring and screaming bloody murder.

Before the panic even set in though, nothing less than five huge chunks of rock flew through the air, right toward the monsters. Under the astonished eyes of a crowd of ponies and no doubt thousands of viewers, the boulders collided with the manticores before anyone could react.

“Buck yeah!” Blade jumped, pumping his hoof. “Boom, headshot!”

“Holy crap…” I muttered. “I never thought I’d feel sorry for manticores.”

On the screen though, it became evident that I was not the only one. Poor Fluttershy looked about ready to faint. Even her yellow coat had paled.

Ignoring the little alicorn, Dash flew over to her friend’s side, supporting her with her hooves. The glare she shot at the kid was enough to send shivers down my spine. Please, don’t hurt him!

My blood turned to ice. T-that had been entirely a reflex. I had mentally begged Rainbow Dash not to hurt T… him…

Twilight stepped forward, starting a lecture on responsibility in using powerful magic, but, call it an intuition, that one flew right over his head. Sam, you’re starting to give credit to that idea…

As I had predicted, T-…Blade gave her a flat look.

“BOOOOOORING!” he shouted, before spreading his wings and taking off.

The ponies stared at his silhouette shrinking in the distance. A few words were whispered, but too quietly to be picked up. One mare though had no such reservations.

“What in tarnation was that all about!?”

“I don’t know, Applejack,” Twilight replied, locking gaze with her friend still in the crowd. “Princess Celestia never told me about… another alicorn…” Her brows furrowed together.

“No way that brat is related to the princess!” Rainbow Dash almost snarled, stopped only by her close proximity with her more timid friend.

“That’s not what I said. I’m just wondering where he came from.”

“Doesn’t matter to me, so long as he goes back there pronto!” the pegasus argued, patting Fluttershy’s back.

The shy mare’s eyes flickered open. “Oh, Rainbow Dash, I just had a terrible nightmare. Those poor manticores were-”

“Huh, yeah, that happened, Shy,” Dash cut her off, opting for a prompt dose of honesty.

It got her knocked off her feet. In a flurry of yellow and pink, Fluttershy took off toward the injured beasts. Her ears plopped down as soon as she caught sight of the extent of their injuries.

The camera went for a close-up of her face at that exact moment. It was as if someone took a rusty knife and stabbed my chest with it.

“I… I’m going to need a bit more bandages…” She squeaked sadly, before steeling herself. That look… it was the same she had whenever she made up her mind about a bit danger.

The screen briefly turned black and I tuned out the announcements being made about the Hub. I was glad for the commercial, right there. It gave me time to digest.

This is just the nerves talking. If anything, I’ve fallen asleep on my chair and dreaming about Tom’s location.

That was a sobering thought. For a moment, every shred of worry and fear crashed down on me.

I was being ridiculous. How could I be speculating on him being stuck in a cartoon while he could very well be lying on a cold floor, praying that he’d be found out soon?

Oh God…

The temperature drastically dropped. It was as if a coffin of ice was encased around my heart, so painful I just wished for it to end, for any end at all.

It remained with me throughout the episode. I barely listened, every time the alicorn foal spoke, every time I thought I heard Tom’s voice, was pure torture.

I… I never felt such hatred. I hated the show for daring to impersonate my missing brother. How could they do that?! They were taking one of my favorite things and spinning it on its head until it was tearing me apart!

When finally the credits started playing, I felt such a relief I was almost guilty. I just couldn’t help but be glad for that reprieve. Was I wrong in my wish not to be so painfully reminded of the little brother that counted on me when I was so powerless to help him!?

“I can’t believe that just happened…”

The episode was actually as bad as most people had depicted. Blade just paraded around Ponyville doing whatever he wanted, because he could. It even ended up with him outwitting the girls with a sort of cliché trick. That was going to cause grief to many.

The idea of introducing a really powerful but ultimately irresponsible character wasn’t bad, per say, except the writing was sub-par. Not to mention that he got away with it and was hinted to come back in a later episode.

As if a curse had been lifted, the stillness that afflicted me had gone with the last few notes.

Even then, it took me a moment to calm down my heart and dull the pain in my chest.

“T-to bed I go…” I muttered, out of habit.

A habit I had gained to put five year-old Tom to bed when I was forced to babysit him.

I stripped down to my underwear, tossing aside the clothes I had picked in such a hurry this morning. Halfheartedly, I pushed them toward a corner of my room, where I wouldn’t trip on them in the morning…

With a sigh, I turned off the light and slipped into bed.

My eyes remained wide open. H-how could I close them? I’d see Tom’s face and I would… I would…

“Where are you?” I whispered, praying to every star under the sky that I’d get the answer.

The police, and us, were at a complete loss. No sign of breaking in, which we would have heard. T-they had said he might have tried to… to run away…

To a kinder world?

…Insane as that was, I could not shake off a terrible sense of foreboding. The resemblances were plain uncanny, even when they were just silly. Anyone could suddenly start referencing the same show Tom always referenced when he was beating people at their own games.

Anyone can allude to being angry with their family and start getting defensive when questioned about it, even if that was such a Tom thing to do.

The doubts grew. Just by being left alone with my thoughts without distraction, I kept noticing more things about that new character.

Could... could he really…?

NO! That’s a bad JOKE! I’m hallucinating! That’s it. I just had a really, really horrible day and I mistook a young boy’s voice for Tom’s. THAT’S ALL!

Silence.

I was staring at the ceiling, a pale light filtering through my window’s blind. It… added to the eeriness of my room. This wasn’t what I usually felt like, but with this big of a failure hanging over my head, with such worries burdening me, a moment of silence stretched over nothing but my shortcomings.

Wherever Tom was, it was my fault.

--

It was quiet, much too quiet for a midsummer night in the Everfree Forest. Gone were the bug of slime crickets and the chirping of firebirds. Only nothingness and void surrounded Zecora’s hut.

The herbalist’s brows were furrowed, all thoughts of sleeping already fleeing her mind. From a terrible nightmare she had woken up, vivid images of a time now lost had danced before her eyes to torment her. But her inner demons were nothing but ghosts. Harm her, they could not. Of that she was confident.

A single lamp offering its light, the hut was dark and her neighbors, as familiar as they had gotten with the years, would have been afraid by the shadows that danced with each flickering of the flame.

Zecora stood close to her window, though a stronger caution than usual stopped her from peeking beyond a meager opening.

“Not a sound in the Everfree; pray tell me, what is this folly?” she whispered, eying the shades of the trees and the unmoving bushes.

For a long time she tried to detect and identify a possible cause for that unnatural silence. All life seemed to have disappeared from the woods.

When finally she had convinced herself no clue could be found at such a tardive time, the zebra closed the door completely and spared no effort in putting the lock in place.

“How has my fear gotten so strong?” she muttered, blowing the candle. “Clearly, to sleep I long.”

Irritable, with the nagging feeling of something big going on, Zecora let herself be taken away by sleep again, though this time, her rest was light and alert.

Yet, it seemed to prove pointless. Minutes after the zebra had started to peacefully snore, a small bout of sniffing broke out from under her window, followed by a mute growl.

No living soul witnessed the dark blur that disappeared through the woods seconds later.

--

Searing screeches pierced right through my dreams, filled with unicorns and dragons, and earned a grunt from me.

“Hurrrrrr…” My hand smashed down on my alarm clock, through practiced ease. “W-what time is it? It’s Sunday, right?”

Ah, to be buried under a warm blanket early in the morning, that was probably the one feeling I loved the most. Unfortunately, I never really got to enjoy it. There was a conspiracy against nice mornings. I could swear.

I didn’t. I just shot a tired glance at the numbers displayed. It was a bit late to tell the truth…

Curious, I got out of bed, stretching my arms wide and letting out a powerful yawn.

Mind foggy with sleep, I got out of my room, rubbing my eyes, but unable to shake off that desire to go back to my bed and lie there. I stumbled into the dining room, where both Mom and Dad were sitting, faces grave.

“G’morning,” I mumbled, only now taking their horrible looks. “Wow, not looking good there. Where’s To-”

It hit me like a ton of bricks.

They turned to glare, but even that lacked any bite to it.

With a weak “sorry”, I ran out of the kitchen. The bathroom was the first place with a lock I could find. I couldn’t remember locking it, but at some point, I had found myself staring at the ghostly pale guy in the mirror. Good job, you idiot. You just reopened everyone’s wound. All at once. Like a boss, Sam. Like a boss.

I had managed to forget, for even a few minutes, that my little brother was missing. The ‘asshole of the year’ award was coming for me at the speed of light.

“Are you proud of yourself?” I asked the Sam in the mirror.

He gave me a pitiful look in return.

T-they had to find him! I had a million things I wanted to teach Tom, so many things I could have done better that needed rectifying. We couldn’t lose him! He wasn’t even ten!

Defeated, I let go and just sat down, eyes to the floor, trying to outwait the pain and distress.

I was often playing suckers’ games like that.

--

I waited, a cheesy song playing in my ear. On a better day, I’d say that was quite catchy and mock myself endlessly for liking it. At the moment, I wished it would cease to exist. As long as it continued, I could not speak to the one I needed to. I’d get to the bottom of this.

When, finally, the song cut off, I was greeted by a feminine and professional voice.

“Hello, my name is Caroline, department of customer’s service, how may I help you?”

My tone left no place for debate.

“I want to speak with the voice actor for the new character in your My Little Pony show.”

There was a pregnant pause, as if that was not what she had expected. “Sir, we are not allowed to divulge the coordinates of our employees over the phone, or through any other means of communication for that matters.”

“I don’t care!” I threw an arm in the air, gritting my teeth together in anger. “Hook me up with him yourself, WHATEVER, but I have to speak to him!”

“Sir, please calm down,” she asked, sounding as professional as before. Clearly, she had been doing this for a while now.

“I don’t need to calm down, MA’AM.” I started pacing around the living room, stealing glances at the news on the TV. Through some cruel irony, they had chosen to display a couple of pictures of Tom, with a few of them showing how kidnappers could have altered his appearance.

I had been getting calls all day now, from my friends, from my extended family, heck even one of my teacher left a message for me on Facebook! The sentiment might have been appreciated, if I didn’t feel so goddamn irresponsible!

The most recent one had convinced me to put my beliefs to the test. For the love of crap, Hasbro couldn’t have kidnapped Tom, right? That was just beyond ridiculous. Still…

Better than nothing, right?

“Sir, with all due respect, you need to calm down.”

I could admire the kind of rock solid conviction she embodied at the moment. So, I took a deep breath and made a conscious effort not to scream in her face.

“…O-okay…” I mumbled, massaging my forehead. “I… Madam, I really need to speak to that kid.”

“The voice actors are usually credited at the end of the show. If you try to find him through social networks, like some of our other employees like to use, then perhaps-”

“No.” I cut her off, but I was not rude about it. I sounded more defeated than anything else. “I… I tried. He’s nowhere on any of them.”

“…Then I’m afraid I cann-”

“NO! PLEASE!” I shouted, frantically glancing around, as if that would help me find the right words to convince her. “My little brother went missing yesterday!”

For the first time, I could hear her composure shatter. “Oh my God…” she whispered. It was followed by a sharp intake of air. “I’m sorry, Sir. I hope they will find him soon, but I don’t understand wh-”

“IT’S HIS VOICE!” I threw myself on the couch, hiding my face into the cushion. I couldn’t... why was this happening to us? “I’d recognize it anywhere!”

There was a moment of silence. To me, it seemed to stretch on and on, but I could tell it was my anxiety and my fear amplifying it up to frightening levels.

“What is your name, Sir?” she asked, subdue.

“Samuel Miller, my little brother’s name is Tom. Check the news…” I gave a small derisive and bitter laugh. “It’s all over the place.”

“…Please, give me a moment.”

Anything, Ma’am, if you’ll help me get Tom back! “S-sure…”

The phone at my ear remained silent for a moment, instead of dishing out cheesy elevator music. Not that it mattered. I could barely hear anything over the sound of my own heartbeat.

Please, work. I just need to know he’s fine. I have to find him.

Still nothing.

I was alone. Waiting. Dad was still scouting the town, leading the searches for Tom. Mom… she had locked herself in their bedroom. I could hear her speaking to people over her phone when I passed it by.

I stayed behind because I could not look at them after this morning’s blunder. This was incredibly selfish. It made me feel worse.

That unfortunately did not mean I had the strength to do the right thing. So, here I was, grasping at straws and making up the most ridiculous stuff just to put my mind at ease.

There was still a big knot tying up my throat. NO! No angst! Focus on the task at hands, Sam!

Just as my thoughts ended, I heard some rustling and shuffling noises at the end of the lines, followed by a long sigh. Caroline was back.

Oh please, please, please!

“Mr. Miller?” She called, voice heavy and strangely rasped.

Ignoring the sudden fear gripping my insides, I replied with little enthusiasm.

“I just talked to my superiors…” She trailed off, with such a deep sadness in her tone that I needed not hear her next words. No… “I am afraid they forbid me from giving out this information.”

“NO!” I shouted, jumping to my feet and gripping my phone so hard my hands hurt. “Y-YOU CAN’T! PLEASE! I MUST KNOW IF IT’S REALLY HIM!”

I heard a sob, and it took me a moment to realize it hadn’t come from me. As monstrous as that was, it made my heart flare with hope. She understood... if I could just press her harder then she might…

“We don’t have it…”

The words cut right through my veil of delusions.

“W-what…?” I muttered, dumbstruck. What kind of sick joke was th-?

“We cannot explain how the episode that was recorded and programmed to air has been replaced.”

My blood turned to ice.

“There is no voice actor.”

That was precisely the moment I dropped my phone.

Tom…

--

“Unreal, unreal, unreal!” I repeated, holding my head within my palms. That just couldn’t be true!

And yet what if it was? There were so many freaky hints pointing toward that mad conclusion. Regardless of the clusterfuck that was the inexplicable answer I had gotten from the company that aired the show, there were still some truly creepy coincidences.

Like Blade Darkblaze character design. I knew I had seen it before, drawing aside, Tom had shown it to me, real proud of his work.

For the shortest of seconds, a smile was brought to my lips by the memory.

“SAM! I DID IT!” He ran up to me, waving a sheet of paper wildly, in my face.

It was only mildly endearing at the time, because I was in the middle of playing a racing game. And fell off a cliff.

“Did what?” I asked, only halfway concentrated on my little brother.

“Design the perfect character!” He crossed his arms, after putting on sunglasses.

Okay, I’ll admit I laughed. That was rather epic.

“So, what’s his name then?”

“Blade Darkblaze,” I whispered. “He’s like a super nephew of Princess Celestia and can do this really cool magic with big boulders and he’s really great at handling monsters. Kinda like Fluttershy but a lot more badass!”

I buried my head into my pillow and let out a scream. This was madness! H-how could it have possibly happened?!

I slowly lifted my head from the comfortable thing. It was no use. I could not deny it any longer, I actually believed my little brother was in Equestria. And he was an alicorn.

So far, he had only earned the ire of about sixty percent of the fandom, the remaining forty percent split between those that thought he wasn’t so bad and those that just wanted to forget that mess ever happened.

“So much for perfect design, Tom…” I whispered dejectedly.

What now? Do I tell Mom and Dad? Right, that will go swimmingly. ‘Hey, remember how we all thought Tom was kidnapped? Well, apparently, he was magicked into a kid’s show and is currently doing stuff like the resident god-empress.’ Can anyone say asylum?

No, of course not. I could not tell my parents. Great. I would only slowly go mad seeing them search for him everywhere when he was right under our nose. And in a completely different dimension.

What could I do about this? WHAT?!

No answer came to me. I just rolled over and looked at the ceiling of my room.

--

“-and as such, I would like to inquire about this new alicorn. Respectfully, your faithful student, Princess Twilight Sparkle.”

For a second, one could only hear the scribbling and scratching of a quill against a scroll, then a fine pressure.

“Done,” Spike declared. “Do you want me to send it right away?”

“Yes, please, Spike.” Twilight nodded, pacing around the library. She did not flinch when a brief green light illuminated the room. “This is simply too strange. Princess Celestia would have told me if there were more alicorns around. Or is this a test?”

“Hu oh.” The little dragon grimaced.

“Oh gosh! If this is a test and I was supposed to find out by myself… Spike! Take the letter back!”

“W-what?” He tilted his head to the side. “I can’t do that.”

“Oh noooo…” the lavender alicorn moaned, accelerating. “She said I would learn in different ways, she told me about this. How could I have been so blind?”

“Come on, Twilight. Princess Celestia wouldn’t fail you on a test you didn’t know you were taking.”

“Would she?” Twilight got up to her assistant’s face, eyes wide and iris shrunken.

“No,” he said with absolute sincerity.

The reply was enough to get her to pause.

“I…” She blinked. “You’re right.”

“You’re becoming reasonable with age, Twi.” Spike chuckled, obviously amused by her reaction.

“And you, very wise, Spike,” she responded by nuzzling his head.

“Aww, Twilight! That’s embarrassing.” The little dragon tried to push her off, but without success. Not that he was trying very hard.

Though he found out it might have been better he had, as he soon belched up green flames, right into his big sister’s shoulder.

“Sorry!” he yelled, jumping on her back and batting the flames away.

“Oh, no, that’s okay, Spike. I should have seen it coming.” She rolled her eyes and levitated the letter they had been sent. With a magical pull, the seal was undone and the scroll unrolled. “My dear Twilight, I am most trouble by your reports of events…”

--

“Sam…” The voice of my father brought my out of my reverie.

“Dad?” I asked, cracking under his gaze.

“I wanted to check up on you. You’ve been quite a bit…” He paused, looking away, as if uncomfortable. “Out of it, tonight.”

“Haven’t we all?!” I lashed out, bringing myself into a sitting position. “Mom’s locked herself in and we haven’t been able to coax her out at all!”

This was hard on him too. Likely more than it was on me. Why was I doing that to him?

“Your mother’s taking it very hard… I know that…” He sighed, looking every bit as lost as a man whose youngest son had disappeared, whose family was starting to unravel.

I felt a pang of guilt pierced through this blank state of mine. If I convinced them…

“She refused to speak to me…” Dad continued. “She wants to remain alone.”

So did I, but this…

I stood up, walked to him and gave him a hug. It stunned him. We hadn’t hugged since I was twelve, which made this all the more significant.

I-it felt good. I sunk into his embrace, leaning against him more than he did with me. We both needed this.

“I… I’ll make it right, Dad. I’ll find Tom,” I whispered.

Instantly, his arms closed harder against me. That had been a blow to the heart. I could tell.

“Just stay with us, Sam…”

“I’m not going anywhere, Dad.”

He let go and, albeit small, his smile was genuine. He left my room without another word. There wasn’t much need for some anyway.

His departure did not leave a void. For the time being, part of the hole in my heart had been patched. It wasn’t much, but it made me feel a lot better.

I shot a glance at my laptop. Some of my anxiety returned at the idea of what I could see on it, but it ultimately did not matter, I had a better idea.

With a glance, I confirmed my father had left for the living room, allowing me free reign toward the one place I wanted to go: Tom’s room.

“Knock knock,” I whispered, pushing the door open.

No answer, no surprise there.

The room was just as messy as before. No one really wanted to clean it up. That, at least, was not a jump from before. Good. I needed it as close to before as possible.

There had to be a clue in here. There HAD to be.

I just did not know where to start. It was not like Tom had placed a big leather-bound tome of evil magic on his bed, the place was exactly as normal as it ever was. Nothing conspicuous. No lead.

I scanned the room, looking for at least one element out of place. I found one. …Where’s his drawing? I could have sworn I had left it in here.

Following an intuition, I started looking around the tablets and the drawers for that sheet of paper which might hold some proof of my crazy theory. To my growing distress, I could not find it. It was not in sight and I could not remember where I had put it the last time I came here. The panicked, crazed exit helped.

Come on. I know you’re in here somewhere… I sat on the bed, heart heavy with my lack of results. This was the last place we knew he had been. It had to count for something, right?

With a sigh, I let my arms fall to the side of my body. My hand brushed Tom’s pillow and the familiar contact jolted something inside me. The drawing had been in his pillow sheath!

With a frantic shake, I threw the pillows off the bed, sparing a glance to the emptied spot they had occupied. Nothing. But no matter, I was focused on more important things.

I kneeled on the ground, picking up the two objects delicately, as if they were fragile and precious. To me, they were. They might be one of the key elements to getting my brother back.

Methodically, I picked them apart, examined them under every angle and probing them for anything. Slowly though, my hands started searching more roughly, as little results were obtained.

In the end, they were just pillows.

T-that shouldn’t feel like being punched in the guts. The fact that there was nothing weird about pillows should not hit me so goddamn hard!

I swallowed back my tears. Come on, I just need something to work with here! I just want to get my little brother back!

I punched them as hard as I could. This wasn’t fair! Everything was turning this into a dead end! What chances did I have to save Tom?!

I hit them, again and again, to the point my knuckles were feeling numb. This offered me no relief, but, breathing heavily, I let myself fall face first into them.

So… all that hype for nothing? I just wouldn’t be able to help. What now? Would I be forced to watch as my little brother goes on a power trip as a little brat and becomes hated by the rest of the fandom? With my parents fanatically looking for him, yet having no idea they would never get the chance to see him again? Was that what the future looked like?

Prey to a crushing despair, I turned my head around, at least avoiding to smother myself in that useless pillow. That’d be the last straw…

Though, from the corner of my eyes, I caught glimpse of a pale object under Tom’s bed.

Curiosity overtaking me, I slid down closer, the object, seemingly a bundle of paper, now in reach. I stretched my arm, but to my surprise, my hand first closed on a conic object. The thing was moist and fragile enough to give out under my grasp, with a quiet crunching noise.

A (thankfully) unused ice cream cone.

“Seriously?” I grumbled, shaking the crumps off my palm. “Tom, it’s winter!”

Annoyed, I grabbed the bloc of paper in a hurry and sat against the wall. Flipping the cover page, the one with a big "SECRET” written on top, I gave the whole thing a look. Let’s see…

My eyes widened in shock.

“S-stuff to try to… ‘Go to Equestria’?!”

This was it! This had to be IT!

Febrile, I started reading the notes and scribbles Tom had written all over that pile of paper. Okay, the fact that it included things like “Throw a penny in a fountain” or “Learn lucid dreaming” had a sobering effect, but even that was not enough to douse my enthusiasm completely.

For the first time, there actually was a possible solution to this disaster! If I could find how he got there, then maybe I could find the way to get him back! Then this nightmare would be over!

Alright, alright, I had to organize myself. First of all, I should establish a list of the methods described here, then separate the ones that could have likely been used by Tom two days ago. In the evening. Probably from his room.

“Hum… not this one… not thi- wait!” I looked up from the document, staring blankly into the empty air. “Can some of these be a delayed reaction? Like a wish being granted retroactively or something?”

I… I had no answer to this.

I sighed. “I should just focus on the ones I realistically think could be used and then adjust if it’s not that.”

That compromise made, I went back to my reading, delving deeper into my little brother’s mind. Some of these… well, were creative, to say the least.

After cleaning up the list, I had gotten about a dozen methods that could have been put into place by Tom during the timeframe of his disappearance. It gave me a bit of hope, to have established something like a concrete plan of action, but there was one item on that list I was praying wasn’t the right way.

Wish on a shooting star… if that’s it…

Then Tom was gone, perhaps forever. There was no telling if I’d ever get to see one myself, even if I spent all my nights staring at the sky. Heck, the weather would have to be perfect too. A few clouds to hide might be more than enough to screw away the opportunity of a lifetime.

The idea that this was the solution made me nauseous.

I shook my head, willing the unease and the fear to disappear. “Time to go read up on lucid dreams… I guess.”

--

She could not sleep. Oh, her bed was very comfortable and she had no intentions at all to complain to the manufacturers of her bedframe. She was certain they had done the best they could for the satisfaction of their customers and that was all that mattered to her.

No, Fluttershy could not sleep because she was worried about the manticores. The monsters were resting in her backyard, nicely sharing the space with her other animal friends. With a little bit of persuasion, everyone had reached a compromise.

Yet something was tugging at her conscience. The manticores had been frightened, of her, HER! Not just a kneejerk reaction either, which would have been perfectly understandable after that foal had grossly exaggerated his means of subduing the poor monsters, but a full blown panic attack. They had been terrified of her, cowering at the sight of her shadow.

From the start, the animal caretaker could not understand why the beasts would willingly leave their natural habitats to angrily roam through a settlement if they were so afraid of a single pony like her.

There was something fishy about this. It tugged at her mind. She could not figure out what.

And so, Fluttershy spent the night at her window, observing the manticores, who, under all their bandages, slept peacefully. From times to times, she glanced at the forest beyond her backyard.

What could be so terrible in the Everfree Forest that they’d leave in such a hurry?

She had no answer.

--

I woke up as normal. I didn’t get a single dream, even if I had spent the better part of my evening reading all about it. Usually, my dreams are quite unpleasant. Now, I was disappointed not to have any.

There was an irony somewhere here…

Like how the world hadn’t stop going on its merry way, when I felt like mine had crashed down. Namely, I had school today.

My parents had had a heated discussion on that. Some screaming had been involved. Dad insisted I took the day off to help him search around town; Mom wanted me back in school, so I did not screw up my incoming finals. They had argued back and forth, to the point their arguments had been exchanged.

It was just messed up.

I had taken the decision out of their hands. I went up to them and told them I would be going back to school, but I would use that time to ask my friends around for sighting of Tom or anything suspicious.

Truth was I didn’t feel like doing either. I had the conviction it would all be for naught. Some part of me simply told me to go around as if I was mostly fine, as if my vision of reality had not been shattered to pieces.

Really, my little brother, sucked in a cartoon? It was ridiculous, but I could not find it in me to deny any longer.

I was probably just clinging to a mad hope.

And so, I left the house late, after Mom and Dad had both gone their respective way. The drive to school was done in a strangely mechanical manner. I could have been a robot for all that mattered.

My friends commented on it pretty early, at least those that had not listened to the news. The joking tones and the jabs died out in a blink once Cassandra had snapped at them. Then it was like a funeral. Very awkward, very sad, with no one knowing what to tell me to make me feel better.

In a way, it ought to be aggravating, but I preferred it like that, to be honest. Empty words and promises would have gotten me mad. What use would they be to me? To Tom?

“You… huh…” It was Eric. We weren’t longtime friends, just pals that met in this class. Eric, just shut up, please. “You watched the latest ‘My Little Pony’ episode?”

My body became as still as a statue.

Of all things he could have asked me about, he chose that topic?! Of course, the one guy about my friend that was a brony had to ask me about this!

Slowly, I looked up from my meal, the muscles of my face frozen in place.

Eric flinched at the look I sent his way and twisted his hands nervously. “N-no, forget it, stupid question,” he whispered.

“I did.” That was all I said, fighting with all my heart not to throw up, not to scream, not to go mad.

“Oh.” His eyes widened a bit at that. If you were expecting me to say ‘no’, why did you ask? “Then, huh, what did you think of it?”

I stayed silent. I really had no word for this. Besides, if I opened my mouth, I might throw up.

“…Yeah…” Eric’s speech devolved into rambling. A twinge of sympathy pierced through this veil of disgust surrounding my heart, but it was crushed quickly. “I-it was not really up to par, you know? What’s with that plot?”

If you’re going where I think you are, stop. Seriously. Unfortunately, Eric was no telepath, so he kept going on about it. Cassandra would have bet it were the nerves. The morning had been much too awkward between us.

“Oh and the background ponies weren’t very in-character, you know? Come on, why would all those foals suddenly start cheering that little alicorn?!”

I clenched my knuckles so hard they turned white. My whole body literally screamed of hostility. “Eric…” I said with a warning tone.

He missed it by a mile.

“And don’t even get me started on that guy! Blade Darkblaze?! If that is not a bad OC Gary Stu, then I-”

His ranting was cut short when my fist collided with his face.

--

“Spike?” Twilight called, letting her magic flicker out of existence and dropping the bags and books she carried around. “Did you send that letter to Princess Celestia like I asked you to?”

The little dragon huffed and frowned. “What do you think, Twilight? What kind of assistant would I be if I hadn’t?”

“I know…” The purple alicorn bit her lips. “I’m just getting worried. I would have thought this kind of event would have warranted a faster response. You’re sure she hasn’t sent her reply already and you forgot to give it to me?”

Spike threw his arms in the air. “For the seventh time, YES! I think I would have noticed if my stomach had been used as a mean of communication, again.”

“Sorry, Spike, but this just isn’t making any sense!”

With no update from her mentor, Twilight could not tell what to make of this newcomer. He had come and gone thrice already, each time causing trouble like any other foal – or at least like three little fillies... Unfortunately, this particular foal happened to be an alicorn and his magical prowess implied that it was not simply an unusual genetic lottery result.

Then, why in the name of Starswirl the Bearded was there no mention of such a pony in any of her books?!

--

“What were you thinking?!” Mom screeched. “Were you trying to get in trouble?!”

My eyes were locked on the ground. I felt as small as a mouse. Eric’s a nice guy. He didn’t deserve that.

‘That’ being a black eye and a broken tooth. That was all I had gotten in before Cassandra and two other guys pulled me off him. I would have kept going.

For a moment, there had been nothing but the desire to hurt, focused entirely on him. The objectives had been clear, the means too, I had simply dove headfirst into an opportunity to let out a bit of the pent up stress. It was disgusting.

“Human,” the principal had told me. Then he suspended me for three days.

Rules are rules.

“Do you honestly believe this is the time for you to exhibit such stupid behaviors?!”

No. “No, Mom. It isn’t.”

“Then what were you thinking?! We have enough problems as it is! Now they demand you see a psychologist?!”

They had mentioned that, but I hadn’t really paid attention at that part. The idea of actually seeing a psychologist… it made fear grip my heart. Could I hide my thoughts? If I didn’t, what would he or she do with me?

I… I couldn’t let them know the truth! If they put me in a nut house, I would not be able to help Tom! I was the only one that knew!

I’ll save you, Tom. I’ll bring you back!

Though… it might be good for me. Perhaps... perhaps talking about the whole thing, about the general state of affair would clear my thoughts, give me more focus. Yes, it could help, I nodded. And not just me.

“I… I will, Mom, but…” I looked away, heat rushing to my face from the shame and the uneasiness.

“What?” She spat, mouth twisted into a stern snarl.

“D-don’t you think that would be good for you and Dad too?”

A different kind of heat spread from my cheek, one that stung, one that hurt, from the spot she had slapped. My strength left my body. I was left unable to move, stunned. I could not even turn my head back, to look at my mother.
It had been the first time she ever laid a hand on me. It struck a chord inside.

I heard the sound of something being ripped apart.

I still don’t know what it was.

--

I was standing alone; the waiting room was empty. My arm slid off my sides, slowly regaining a more natural position after those three knocks on the door. It wasn’t a big one, by any means, but I felt so small in front of it. All because of three small words…

Mrs. Thompson, Psychologist.

A brown-haired woman opened the door with a smile and motioned for me to come inside. “Hello, Mr. Miller. I was waiting for you.”

“Sorry about the time…” I mumbled, though not feeling very sorry. “I overslept…”

“Oh, I understand, it is not that important.” She nodded, though I saw a small change in her expression. Her eyes had narrowed slightly and she gave me a vibe of… concern?

My feet carried me to the chair waiting in front of her desk. On my far right, there was a couch and another chair. My eyes narrowed at these. It felt a bit too much like clichés.

“Don’t worry, we will never use them until you feel comfortable with that form of counseling,” Mrs. Thompson assured me quickly, making her way around the desk and sitting in her chair.

That made me blink. Whoa, she’s good. Or everyone reacts the same way…

“I don’t think I will ever feel quite that comfortable.” I grimaced, resolutely avoiding that couch with my eyes.

For a second, her lips formed a sly smile. Now I knew this was a recurring situation… and I could guess how they ended up based on her reactions too.

“I certainly hope we will reach an adequate level of trust, Mr. Miller.”

I cringed. “Then, please, just call me Sam. I’m expecting to hear my father answer you every time you say ‘Mr. Miller’.”

“Very well, and I invite you to use an appellation for me that makes you feel more comfortable, as long as you stay away from more indecent nicknames.” Her eyes flashed with a severe light at that, as if expecting me to try. The way her lips pinched, I could tell this would not be a smart move.

“Got it, Mrs. Thompson.” I nodded.

“Great,” she exclaimed, deliberately putting her notepad and her pen down.

Okay, I’ll bite. “You’re… not going to take note?”

“No, Sam.” Her smile remained engaging, though it held a bit of a… rehearsed quality that had me on my guards. “Today, we will simply talk.”

“About what?”

“Anything you feel like telling me. Today, we’re learning a bit about each other.” She folded her hands.

“I don’t want to talk.” I crossed my arms. This was much too sudden. This was too fast and I did not like it.

“Then, perhaps I should tell you more about myself,” she offered patiently.

For a moment, I did not move, then…

“Okay…”

Mrs. Thompson instantly took the hint and started weaving a nice, casual conversation. She talked about such insignificant things… but her words were light and her eyes were free of any judgment. I did not realized how much I craved for it until the wave of relief crashed down on me.

I had to fight back some tears right as she started recalling an anecdote about her cat.

T-this was pathetic, but I so, SO needed some release.

The hour went by much too fast and the world became heavy before I could appreciate the lack of weight on my shoulders. I spent my first time with a psychologist saying no more than a few sentences.

I did not feel nearly as bad as I could be.

--

“Place a coin under your pillow and make a wish…” I whispered, dropping the small piece of metal and pulling my arm out from underneath the item.

Tom, please come back.

My eyelids dropped down soon after and I fell asleep.

I stared intently into my bowl of cereals, my favorites even. I wanted to think of this terrible situation with at least some sort of positive attitude to give me the strength to go on. It’s the small things that matter.

But those were also Tom’s favorite cereals.

I was getting so sick of this. At every turn, around every corner, there was something that existed to remind me of Tom.

No, not sick of it, just… saddened. I could not despise the reminders of my little brother. I could not. They grounded me in this reality…

Ah, what was I saying? I had somehow convinced myself that my little brother had been magicked into a TV show. How could I be remotely grounded in reality?

Not that much, I thought while crossing a fifth item on the list.

It had been three days now, since I had first tried Tom’s methods of getting into Equestria. None had borne any result and every line across that list was a stab at my heart. Every failure was one step closer to losing Tom indefinitely.

Today, however, my unease was only partially due to my failures. Saturday. That meant a new episode.

I had no idea what would happen, but my guts were twisted by pure dread. It could not be anything good. W-with any luck,

Tom would be there, but nowhere near the main plot. Just a background character.

The second worse scenario would be a complete and extremely nauseating plot where he would steal the whole show and basically make all the Mane Six completely irrelevant.

That would probably take the fandom by storm and unleash hell.

However, there was one thing that I know would kill me if it happened.

No presence at all. The character, absent from every angle, no matter how you look at it. If it came to that, not knowing if he was safe, not knowing if he was still alive when I had been given a chance at seeing him…

I’d break down. I knew I would. Just because the possibility he’d… he’d…

It was too horrible to consider…

Mom and Dad were both home, which was a rather rare sight these days. They weren’t talking much, which was unfortunately a lot less rare. Nobody really had the heart for conversations nowadays. We just shared a house; we weren’t a real family anymore.

H-heck, I couldn’t look Mom straight in the eyes anymore, mostly because one of us would look away too quickly. With each new occasion to apologize we missed, we grew apart a bit more. Soon, I wouldn’t be able to remain in the same room as her. Shame and anger would keep me from trying. I would hazard it would be the same with Mom.

Ignoring the tasteless cereals in my mouth, I finished the whole bowl mechanically, like a robot whose commands insisted he eat.

I couldn’t be bothered to try and talk to them this morning. I just went ahead and locked myself in my bedroom.

Once inside, my eyes fell on my alarm clock. It won’t be too long now…

With a disheartened sigh, I sat down and prepared myself to watch the newest episode.

--

The chats were frantic. I had tried visiting them, but whenever the discussion turned toward Tom, I… I just closed it down faster than they could start arguing.

It was painful, like a blow to the guts, to witness all this hatred directed at my little brother. Part of me screamed, demanded, that I remained and argue all day long if need be, but, deep down, I knew this would be pointless.

If I was going to waste my energy, it could at least be about trying methods from Tom’s list. So far, the Tooth Fairy had given very little result. It seemed like punching a tooth off my mouth was not good enough for that damn fairy. Astral projections? Not worth talking about.

I had however managed my first lucid dream last night.

… I… I’d never try that method again. Never.

Simply thinking back on it was physically painful. The real-life equivalent of that would have been a kick to the groin.
I had gotten to see Tom.

It had been him, his face, his mannerism, his… his voice and his tics. Everything was exactly like I had remembered. That was why it had been so hard.

It had been a dream and it had all vanished in the morning.

Waking up had never felt this heartbreaking before.

Yet I could not do anything else than forge ahead and try something else. I had a job to do and I would; nothing would stop me from achieving my goal. That was what it meant to be a big brother.

Tom, you’re getting the chewing out of a lifetime once we are done hugging the life out of you. I can’t guarantee you won’t be getting both at once!

--

In Ponyville, the habitants were rather worried. For days now, the self-proclaimed most awesome colt in Equestria had roamed through the streets, doing anything and mostly everything he wanted. Some officers had tried to get him to behave, but once he had started calling the authority of the Princess of the Sun herself, they had not insisted very hard.

If rumors were to be believed, the colt was Celestia’s secret student… or… a relative. While these conclusions were uncertain at the moment, they both reinforce the idea that the young alicorn’s behavior was, at least, justified.

Princess Twilight Sparkle had simply asked the citizens of Ponyville to indulge him until a decree had been issued from Canterlot. If she was to be believed, it would arrive within the next few days.

So, merchants gritted their teeth together when Blade Darkblaze helped himself to some of their products and the passerby listened patiently whenever he recounted extraordinary adventures they doubted were real. Though the magical power he displayed was sufficient for them to hold onto their skepticism. Just in case.

The sun of their blessed princess shining strongly over their head, the ponies simply hoped it would not be one of those days, when the bearers of the Elements of Harmony would somehow wind up getting in trouble.

They hoped.

--

~ I used to wonder what friendship could be. ~

I took a deep breath. The theme song was playing, filling my room with its cheesy and catchy melody. Contrarily to my habits, I did not hum or whistle. No, really, who’d expect me to? Mom would probably slap me again for the sin of making a happy sound.

…The thought left a bitter taste in my mouth. Perhaps I was just putting too much importance in this. I-I just…

With a sigh, I shook my head and resolved not to think about this anymore. Besides, the episode was starting. According to the material leaked a month ago, this one should focus on Pinkie Pie. However, what seemed to be more worrying was the fact that all these info had been taken down… following last week’s episode.

Oh Tom, even in another world, you wreck everything by being you. And cruel as that thought was, it remained the truth. He was a little timed-bomb, waiting for the moment to go off on a hyperactive tangent. Woe was the one that had no patience and triggered him.

Anyway… episode.

The opening sequence had been about Pinkie running out of supplies for a party. Simple, clean, efficient. One or two great visual gags in a short amount of time. So far, so good.

Now, the pink mare was running down the streets, or zipping them down, as her shape remained at most a blur. This went on for a few seconds, enough to leave an impression on the background ponies. Speaking of which… Derpy sighted, take out the champagne. She was here to stay.

The enthusiasm died down rather quickly. Why do I bother?

“Rarity! You have to help me!” Pinkie popped out of her friend’s gem chest.

“GAH!” Her voice dropped down an octave or two, as she usually did when truly angry and dramatic. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!”

“I’m sorry, Rarity! I was just doing a party for Gummy and he bit down on a cupcake and I told him it was no big deal, but then I realized I was out of cupcakes and streamers AND balloons, which brought the party to an end prematurely, which is REALLY bad, and I went to Pokey’s shop and he’s out of supplies too, so I don’t know what I’m going to do!”

“Well, calming down would do you good, dear,” Rarity deadpanned, pushing her friend off of her.

“But I can’t!” Pinkie threw her front legs upward. “What if somepony needs a party and I can’t give them because I’m out of my party goodies?!”

For a second, Rarity certainly did not look very impressed, but, as I expected and hoped, she simply sighed and placed a hoof on her shoulder.

“It’s that bad?”

Pinkie vigorously nodded. “Can you help me, please, please, please?”

“Well, the answer to that is obvious, isn’t it?” The prim and proper unicorn smirked. “Sweetie Belle?” she called loudly.

P-please, no siblings dynamics… just… please…

“Sis?” A cute little filly ran down the stairs, her face smudged with colored paint.

“Oh my, wash your face this instant!” Rarity said with disgust.

“What? How could you have known?!” Sweetie gaped in disbelief.

“It matters not! Clean your face and then I will let you watch over the Boutique until my return.”

“For real?” The filly jumped up and down, shaking with excitement.

“Yes.” Her big sister smiled at the endearing antics. “We should not be gone too long, but I expect you to stay in the boutique and watch for customers. If anypony wants to make an order, just take a note in my book. You do remember how?”

“Of course!” Sweetie grinned.

“Then I believe we are set, Pinkie.”

“Oh, thanks Rarity! I really needed your help!”

“Think nothing of it, darling.” The unicorn gave her mane a small shake, with a discreet smile lingering on her lips.

You could always tell that Rarity loves giving, even if only her help, to others.

With that, the two friends left Carousel Boutique.

“Had you made any plans? A party that is already scheduled, maybe?”

“Oh, I had Big Mac’s birthday party coming in three days, but since there will be a few Apples there, I’ll need a lot more stuff than usual. Luckily, with you here, nothing bad can happen.”

Just then, as they were walking away, a very loud crash was heard and Rarity’s shop actually distorted in the way only cartoony buildings can. What followed were an indignant scream and a cat’s hissing.

Both mares stopped dead in their track, eyes wide. Then, Rarity crouched slightly and her eyes narrowed on Pinkie, who had suddenly started giving her friend her biggest and shiniest sheepish smile.

“Sorry?”

“Let’s us not waste time.”

--

He was flying. Of all the awesome things that he could do now, this was really really on his top three. It was so much fun, he could dive and loop and do all these crazy stunts he had seen on TV whenever he watched Dad’s shows.

Scootaloo hated him because, as she put it, he was a show-off, which was totally untrue! He was NOT a show-off! He was just really really great at flying and magic! What was wrong with that?!

Not submitting to his desire to pout (so uncool!), the little alicorn flapped his wings harder, accelerating. In just a few seconds, he was outside the skirts of Ponyville, or, more accurately, at the very edge of the town.

There, two mares standing on the deck of the train station caught his attention. Since one of his favorites was part of the duo, Blade Darkblaze chose to dive, not noticing the faint glow given off by his cape.

In a matter of seconds, he had landed right next to two bearers of the Elements of Harmony.

“Hey girls! Whatcha doing?!” he asked, excitedly, because, for once, something fun might happen. In his mind, Ponyville had never been so… boring. Nothing ever happened.

“Oh, hi Bladey!” Pinkie greeted him with a cheer.

“Hello, Blade.” Rarity nodded, though her smile seemed quite stiff. It puzzled him and made his heart ache a little. Sam often wore that kind of expression when he talked about ponies with him.

But, hey, if Sam would always play with him and listen and be nice whenever he smiled like that, it had to mean Rarity would be nice too, right? Eh, perhaps she wasn’t so bad after all, even if she was too froo-frooey.

“We were about to make a small trip to Canterlot to get party supplies. You know, so I can throw a party in case of emergencies!” Pinkie continued.

“Oh, that’s so cool!” He bounced, eyes shining with stars. “Can I come with you?”

Being on the receiving of such a gaze so often, Rarity found it easy to resist. “I’m afraid we cannot afford to look after you all day, Blade.”

“Oh, but I’ll make myself super tiny, you won’t even notice.”

At that, the unicorn had to fight very hard not to roll her eyes. She knew an empty promise when she heard one. That would be about as likely as Sweetie Belle not disintegrating food to make dinner.

“We simply cannot accept this kind of responsibility.” She shook her head.

“Awwwww!” The colt hung his head low, ears drooping.

Unfortunately, while Rarity had learned to fight the charms of small and cute creatures, Pinkie Pie on the other hand was vulnerable to his plea.

“Oooooh, are you sure sure sure we could not use another hoof in Canterlot?” she asked her friend, pressing her hooves together as if praying.

Moved by an instinct all little kids had, Blade zipped to her side and imitated her posture. Now Rarity was faced by two sets of adorable puppy eyes.

For a second, her heart faltered. Then…

“No.”

“WHAT? NO FAIR!”

“Frankly, Blade, we are very thankful for your generous offer,” she acknowledged with a nod. “But I very much doubt our searches for supplies will end faster if you follow us.”

“Hey! I can do plenty to help!” The little alicorn boasted, puffing his chest arrogantly. “In fact, I can even end the problem right now!”

Somewhere, in another universe, one could hear an older brother banging his head against a wall. Words were muttered, but the gist resembled ‘Of all the way to phrase it…’.

While Pinkie Pie looked positively excited at such a prospect – except for the part of her that was aching for a road trip –, her friend had much bigger reserves.

“I-I’m sure you could-”

“I CAN!” Blade jumped, glaring at the unicorn. “In fact, I’ll show you! Sam always says it’s the best way to shut someone up!”

“Sam?” Pinkie Pie tilted her head. “Who’s that? Is that a friend? Ooooh, should I prepare a welcoming party? But I don’t have anything to throw a party with! Which is why-”

“Darling?” Rarity cleared her throat, stopping her friend’s babbling at an early stage. “He’s not listening.”

Indeed, the colt’s eyes were closed and his mouth moved silently.

“Ooooh, magic.” Pinkie turned around, twisting only her neck.

The little alicorn’s horn briefly glowed a deep blue, before the mares were both blinded by a cloud of smoke. A second later, he could hear them both coughing, which was followed by a small comment about special effects.

When the smoke dissipated, Pinkie’s eyes fell on a mountain of colorful objects of all forms. Her lips stretched and stretched upwards, even as she started shaking in excitement.

Jumping from behind the obstacle, Blade landed right in front of Rarity. With an arrogant grin, he stood on his hind legs and leaned on a piñata. “Told you I could.”

“Wooohooo! You’re the best!” Pinkie yelled, diving headfirst into what appeared to be a bunch of streamers.

“Alright, I will admit that this is a rather impressive display,” Rarity conceded, looking at the towering party supplies with apprehension. “Just a question though…”

“Shoot!” The colt waved a hoof, as if telling her ‘bring it’.

“Are all alicorns able to create objects out of thin air?”

“Huh…” He blinked, unsure of both the question’s goal and what his answer should be.

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but creation magic has never been seen in a millennia.”

“H-how should I know?! And what’s your point?!” He stumbled, with his more aggressive gesture making him lose balance. Now embarrassed, the colt was more defensive than ever. “That what’s Pinkie wanted! And if you don’t like it, t-then… well, Pinkie should not share them with you!”

“Oh dear, this is not what I mean.” The fashionista rolled her eyes. “The reason I asked is simple. If this is not creation magic, then where did you get those items?!”

His eyes widened almost comically and his fur could not hide a luminescent blush. He looked very much like a deer caught in headlights.

“Huh… I... I…”

To his stammering words, Rarity replied only with a sigh. “Pinkie, dear?”

“Yes?” she asked, popping out of a cake.

“It appears we will need to make the trip after all, if only to pay for all these stolen goods.” She waved at the mountain Pinkie was part of.

“HEY!”

“Stolen?” the party pony repeated, her mane deflating. The heartbroken look she sent her little friend’s way made him shrink on himself. No arrogance could be found in his body language anymore.

One could almost feel sorry for him, if he wasn’t responsible for the whole mess in the first place.

“Can you at least tell us of their provenance?” Rarity insisted, looking quite irritated.

“T-they’re… I dunno…”

“Oh perfect, we also need to go hunt for any store that suddenly lost party material. Now this trip is definitely going to take long enough for Sweetie Belle to destroy my boutique.”

“I… I could go help her?” The foal proposed half-heartedly.

“…No.” Rarity shook her head, with an air of finality.

“B-but…”

“No,” she repeated. “You have done enough.”

“I… I…” The colt’s eyes started to fill with tears. “FINE!” he yelled, startling the two mares with his outburst. “SEE IF I CARE!”

Without losing a beat, Blade took off in a blast of air, leaving a trail of blue behind him.

Rarity sighed. “Foals…”

--

Fifteen minutes later, and I could still not believe my eyes.

Eh, of course I could. Wow, that had been one painful episode to watch.

Had I made the comment to Eric, he would have agreed, saying that Blade’s intervention had derailed an otherwise sound plot into a forced and shoehorned appearance that had other characters left with his messes to clean up. Frankly? I would have to agree. If so much hadn’t been at stake, I would have rather watched what looked like a promising episode.

Instead, I had been stabbed inches away from my heart with a rusty carving knife.

Sam always says it’s the best way to shut someone up! Sam always says it’s the best… Sam always says… Sam…

SAM!

It was Tom! IT WAS HIM!

All my doubts were gone. Every fiber of my being had screamed and begged for me to reach into the screen and pull Tom out. My hand had gone to the window separating us... and my heart almost stopped beating when all I felt was a cold and smooth surface.

“No…” I had whispered. “P-please!”

This was too hard.

“PLEASE!”

I pushed.

I pushed again, I tried to reach, I stood up and forced a hand against the screen, harder, I poked and tried and tried and tried, as if I could just pick him up and get him back.

Pointless… So pointless…

The sadness reached my heart and I let out a sob. Then… another… My vision started to blur… My breathing became shallow…

This was too HARD! I… I could not last much longer like this.

“Tom…” I whispered, reeling back and staring.

I could not care less about whatever program was playing now. I could not care less.

The colors were so bright, so cheerful. It was sickening. It was a mockery of my tragedy, a… a-an insult!

The frustration that had been building for so long suddenly exploded. Without even realizing it, I leaned toward the ground, my eyes never leaving the target of my anger. My hands fell and closed onto the first object they could. Without a second thought, listening purely to that beast inside, my arm made a circular motion and I flung a shoe at my own TV.

It made a resounding breaking noise, which doubtlessly traveled through the house. Surely enough, steps could be heard in the next few seconds, and my door started shaking under repeated bangs.

“Sammy! Sammy, open up!” My dad asked, voice shaking with fear. “I heard something break! Are you alright? SAMMY!”

No… not alright.

“Do you understand why you are here?”

Yeah, but really, I’d rather not be. “Maybe,” I said, crossing my arms, eyes narrowed and daring her to call me out.

“Do you believe you should not be here?” Mrs. Thompson asked simply, fingers intertwined and serving as a support for her chin. Her gaze was piercing. It made me... uneasy. It dared me to lie in her face.

I looked away. “I don’t want to be here.”

“I see…” she whispered, becoming pensive for a split moment. “Would you like to lie down for the rest of our meeting? You show classical signs of lack of sleep. A little rest would help you feel more confident.”

Not if I dream about Tom again. “I’d rather not, Mrs. Thompson.”

“As you wish,” she replied, but I barely heard her.

My mind was forcing me to remember. The cocky grins and the boasts, the unending energy and some of the worship I knew he held me in, that pouty lip when he didn’t get his way, the proud yelling when he did, him through and through. My eyes were completely unfocused, as I saw her figure and nodded when she paused, but images of my little brother were all I registered.

“Sam?”

The call of my name brought me back, left me blinking. “Y-yes?”

“Do you have any idea of what I just asked you?”

She got me here.

“…No.”

Surprisingly, her expression did not change. It remained engaging, indulgent, though her eyes were sparking with amusement now. “I wanted to know if you wanted to talk, if you felt the need to.”

Normally, I would have brushed her off without a thought. It wasn’t something I could tell her. It wasn’t something I could tell anyone. And I wouldn’t, of course not… but my brain easily provided me with the sensation I longed so much.

A few hours of peace…

The last time I had visited her, I had left with a lighter heart than ever since Tom’s disappearance. The thoughts that plagued me following the episode had a nauseating quality to them. They were sick… heavy… dark…

“T-there is something…”

Quickly, but at a pace that had me doubting she had been waiting to pounce for her notes, she picked up her pen and gave me an encouraging nod.

“Yes?”

Problem was, I didn’t actually know… “I… huh… it’s…”

“Would it help if I told you to take your time?” She smirked, still not judging me.

That made me chuckle. Of all the cliché lines, that had to be the one I had expected the most. Even as I looked up, her easygoing smile created a simple, relaxed atmosphere. It helped. It really helped.

“Maybe. Are you going to be polite about it?” A small grin crept on my lips.

“Then, Sam, please take your time.” She nodded exaggeratedly, seemingly looking for confirmation.

“Eh, that’ll do.” I shrugged, eyes going to the plain white ceiling. What do I tell her?

Just like that, my good mood evaporated. With that sobering thought, my head was back to being a place swimming with uncertainties and anxiety.

“I…”

The room grew colder. I did not like this. I hated it, but it mattered not. It was something I ought to do, if only to be able to keep going and get a chance to save Tom.

“I’m guilty,” I admitted so quietly Mrs. Thompson had to lean forward and strain her hearing.

“About Tom’s disappearance?”

“O-of course,” I laughed lifelessly. “He came to see me the evening before. He wanted to spend some time with me.”

“Saaaaam, come on, play with me!”

“Tom! I’m in the middle of a raid!”

“What? That’s so awesome! I’m going to join with my assassin!”

“No way! That’s my guild, Tom. They won’t let you join in the middle of the boss fight so you can aggro the whole room and sink us down!”

“No fair!”

“It was about eight o’clock. His bedtime was coming soon so I tried to coax him to come back in half an hour, so my parents would stop him and tell him it was bedtime. Something like that.”

“I don’t do that!”

“Yes, you do, squirt! Just leave me alone and go play with your console!”

“I don’t wanna! Come on! I’m bored. Saaaaaaaaam!”

“Not until I’m done!”

“Of course, being a little brother feeling bratty, he started throwing a tantrum because he was not getting what he wanted. Dad quickly came in to get us both to shut up, a command I was very happy to oblige, so long as I could get on with my game.”

“Will you two keep it down?! The whole neighborhood can hear you!”

“Daaaaaaad! Sam won’t play with me!”

“Tom, it’s almost time for you to go to bed. You will not play with your brother. It gets you riled up and you won’t get a good night of sleep.”

“Not true!”

“My father ended up taking my side of things. Why would I speak up then? In Tom’s eyes though, that was the worst of betrayals…”

“I hate you! I wish I didn’t have to see you ever again!”

“He started shouting things, which got me annoyed enough to shout back. He left my room in tears, muttering curses under his breath. I think he got punished for that too…”

Mrs. Thompson was pensive. Still she didn’t speak up, try to chide in a good word or a bad one. She simply listened to me with interest. It gave me the courage to go on.

“Don’t be mistaken… I love my little brother. It was just a bad night…” My eyes fell on the ground, going to the swirling red motif on the rug.

My breath hitched.

“It... it… My parents had left the weekend before for a ‘second honeymoon’, leaving me with the task of babysitting Tom. I took the job seriously seriously, because in the end, I care about the little squirt and I want to deserve the hero-worship he puts me through. ”

With images of that weekend flashing before my eyes, I found myself struggling to speak more and more. My throat had gotten tighter. It felt as if no air would pass through.

“We spent the whole weekend together. Literally. We were constantly with one another, even when it was time for me to revise for my exams. Eh,” I snorted, amused by the memory. Looking up, I saw she was too. “I guess it helped that I could sit him in front of a TV and put on his favorite movie with popcorn, big brother watching him over from the sofa included.”

She smiled at the picture I depicted. I did too.

“We had a great time, no denying it, but it still demanded a lot of energy from me. After that, I felt like getting a bit of time for myself, but Tom wouldn’t take the hint all week long…”

“So you had a fight,” Mrs. Thompson said as if it was the simplest statement in the world.

It cut my chest open. So that’s what they say when they talk about ‘the last word we exchanged’.

“Sam…” Strangely, her voice appeared a little uncertain to me. “It was a normal occurrence. Siblings do fight and I am in a position to understand that notion very well myself. So, forgive me for asking, but… Why do you feel so guilty?”

I snorted in annoyance. “Isn’t it obvious?”

“Humor me,” she asked firmly, with such a tone that I found myself questioning the notion that had been so self-demonstrating over the last week.

I found the words harder to articulate then they ought to be. “Because I pushed him away! B-because I was not there to prevent it from happening!”

Mrs. Thompson’s next question left me baffled.

“If that is so… then do you blame your parents for your brother’s disappearance?”

I froze, completely. Despite the part of me that had instantly screamed in denial, the trust we had spent so little building up was already pushing me to put these thoughts on the examination table.

Do I? Do I blame them? Dad certainly did help getting Tom mad in the first place; Mom didn’t do much at all… Is that why I have been avoiding them all week? Is it less my cowardice than my resentment?

I pictured myself, yelling at Mom and Dad that it was their faults, that Tom wouldn’t be missing if they had bothered to spend the night with him. I saw them blanch with horror, redden with indignation, and the idea struck me at the heart.

I could not do that to them, nor did I felt the desire or need to.

“No.” My answer came vibrant and clear, without any doubt.

A weight disappeared in my chest.

“Then why, Sam?” She went on, forcing me to take a look at my thoughts from the outside and be truthful about them. “Why do you believe that you are responsible for Tom going missing?”

Because it IS my fault. “He wouldn’t have gone missing if not for me!”

Sad, but true. I knew it was the undeniable truth.

Mrs. Thompson shook her head, a slight frown starting to appear in her features. “You cannot know that.”

I’m pretty sure I do, actually, I thought. Outwardly however, I simply averted my gaze.

“Why are you so convinced you are the only one that can save your little brother?”

Because no one else knows where he is. No one else would be willing to believe this ridiculous story. “I didn’t say that.”

“Sam.” She looked at me from over her glasses, clearly not impressed with my attempt at dodging her question. “You are crippled with guilt from an event you have little control over, but cannot find it in you to condemn your parents for the exact same reasons. I don’t believe I am mistaken in thinking the actual reason for this disparity is your belief that you have some level of control over the situation and are unable to affirm it.”

For a moment, I could only stare, stunned. That one had hit too close to home, not to mention how logical it seemed to my own ears. Is that it? Is it because I might be able to help him that I can’t shake off my guilt?

“I… that is…”

“Sam, why do you believe you must be the one to find Tom?”

I have to, he’s my little brother! That’s all! “I…” I couldn’t say it outright. A part of me refused.

“What happened is terrible, but you are not to blame!” She insisted, pressing me with words that I couldn’t block, with a question I couldn’t ask myself. The simple thought had me shaking. “Why do you believe yourself to be the cause of all this? What is the real reason?”

Why?

“Sam!”

Why...? WHY?!

I knew the answer to that. It dawned on me so easily when I dared put words on the emotions and labels on the events.

The words flew out of my mouth.

“IF I HADN’T SHOWED HIM THAT ‘MY LITTLE PONY’ EPISODE, HE WOULDN’T BE GONE NOW!”

For the very first time, I caught a glimpse of Mrs. Thompson’s composure being shaken… or at least I thought it had… I… could not tell. Her eyebrows had furrowed further, I think...

“I… beg you pardon?” she asked, unable to quite proceed the importance of my words.

“It’s… it’s a TV show…” Why am I talking? “A cartoon, actually.” Stop, Sam. Don’t go there. “It’s… huh… not quite aimed at grown men… or boys in general…”

A bitter laugh escaped my lips, but the psychologist in front of me was too busy trying to connect the non-existing dots to truly care.

“I really like it. I’m… what you call a brony. Funny thing is, so is Tom. We’re bros and bronies. It always made us laugh.”

“How is that… relevant?”

For a twisted second, I contemplated telling her the whole truth. It would be so liberating, it would take away this unbearable isolation, tear down the wall I had to build around myself to help Tom. A terrible longing ripped my reserves in half, only to be shown back together by the rational part of my brain. I can’t do that.

“He’s trapped in the show. As a pony.”

My blood turned to ice in my veins.

It had slipped. My desire to speak had overwritten the impulse of common sense and I had confessed to thinking my little brother had gone dimension hopping!

I saw it. Her eyes flickered to my right for a second, betraying a hesitation and an unwillingness to maintain my gaze. A vein twitched in her neck and a small sigh left her mouth. Quickly, however, all traces of unease faded, as she regained composure at a speed that left me wondering if I hadn’t imagined it outright.

Her body language let nothing filter, though I could see beneath the mask. There had to be some ill-conceived pity aimed at me. I was that guy that couldn’t protect his kid brother, that came up with a ridiculous fantasy. It had to be so pathetic!

My heart started beating faster and I spoke quickly, almost desperately. “I know I heard his voice. I know it’s him! ...Y-you must think I’m crazy.”

“No, I do not,” she said with a soothing tone. “In situations of such emotional distress, it is not that uncommon for the immediate family of a missing person to latch unto emotional reminders of their loved ones. For you, it happens to be a children’s show you and your brother both loved, combined with the voice of a boy you find very similar.”

“But I know, in my guts.” My arms wrapped themselves around my torso. Subconsciously, I leaned closer, even as my mind screamed to put some distance between us. “It’s him! It’s his voice! His attitude! His own character!”

“Mister Miller, have you ever mistaken someone’s voice over the phone? In a crowd, maybe?”

I opened my mouth to protest, to say that it wasn’t the point, but the words got stuck in my throat.

“How is your brother like? Would you describe him as energetic, brash, confident, outgoing?”

Yes, on all accounts. I kept my mouth shut.

“You tell me about his personality, yet I find it quite similar to those of many boys I have personally known.”

“But there are too many coincidences to ignore! Things like that just don’t happen!”

“Do they?” she asked with a disturbing calm. Her words had been strong, unshakable. “Thousand to one coincidences happen all over the world every day.”

She doesn’t believe me. She thinks I must be lying. Or worse! “I’m not crazy!”

Still serene, Mrs. Thompson shook her head. “This is not what I’m saying. It is not wrong of you to look for reminders of your little brother, but you must not forget what is real and what isn’t.”

W-what is real? She’s making so much sense… Am I the one in the wrong? For Tom to actually be in Equestria…

“This fantasy of yours is just a coping mechanism, but, ultimately, it isn’t real. When your little brother returns, you must remember that what he went through and what you think he did will be very different.” Her hand fell on mine, its warmth seeping through the contact. It reminded me of Mom… before… “He will need you. He will need his family, united.”

T-this wasn’t just a wild fantasy… right?

--

Why had I gone see Mrs. Thompson? Why?

This is not helping.

On the ride home, I had been unable to focus on anything. Her words kept replaying in my head. I had no control over them. Their echoes would not die.

Was I wrong? Had I been a complete fool and a naïve idiot that could not distinguish the real world from that of fantasies?

It… it can’t be the truth. It’s Tom, I know it’s Tom. But every time I repeated those words, they lost in conviction and gained in fragility. S-soon, Mrs. Thompson’s reasonable explanation would shatter my conceptions and throw me back into this hell of incertitude.

Tom would be unaccounted for again and that thought ravaged my mind.

Gone…

Was it all a fantasy? All just a make-believe story to appease my fears? Tom in Equestria was devastating, but… it also implied the knowledge of his well-being. Heck, if Tom was Blade Darkblaze, then he was having the time of his life, mistakes not accounted for.

Which is it? The dreadful reality or the comforting dream? Which one is the truth?

I had no answer.

I was devoid of emotion when I finally stepped back in the house, all but drained from my inner turmoil. My feet carried me away to my room due to a force of habit alone. I had no desire to actually do so now. Still, I found myself sitting at my desk, my laptop staring back at my lifeless eyes.

It was still opened on that website. Bright colors and crafted characters adorned my browser. The irony of the situation couldn’t touch me anymore.

Following a well-established routine, I let my gaze wander around the screen, taking in the details of each piece of work that was added to the fandom’s archives. It wasn’t very demanding; I could have allowed my mind to wander off to this sight, but… my eyes fell on the thing that could shock me out of this almost catatonic state.

It was a little one-shot, a few thousand words at most. The title was simple enough: “Cupcakes and Blue Wings”. It was classified mature… it had a warning for gore.

The only characters were Pinkie Pie and… B-B-Blade Darkblaze…

I stared at the screen, my whole body frozen with horror. I should not look at this. I already know what this will be.

Why was my hand moving the mouse toward the link? Don’t! I... I could not look away…

The screen displayed the story.

“Sam?” The voice of my parents, along with the few knocks on the bathroom’s door...

Any possible answer was drowned out in the following moments, as my abdomen retched upward, a burning sensation going up my throat. Acidic liquid filled my mouth, gagging reflex forcing my head forward, into the toilet.

Too horrible. This is monstrous.

Rancid vapors filled my nostrils. I was going to be sick. More than I already was. It was all so simple…

On the plus side, my doubts had all but vanished. My imagination had rendered every detail with dreadful precision, every image had been perfectly about Tom. And now… I could not stop seeing it in my mind. Torture. Again and again, escalating in depravity with each passing sentence. It echoed in my mind!

“And we twist the wings now!”

Retching. Barfing. Puking my guts out.

“Stabbity stab in the leg!”

My head was spinning, horrifyingly vivid images dancing before my eyes.

“You won’t need that horn now, will you?”

“Oh God…” A spasm ran through my body, almost throwing my hands off the toilet seat and sprawling on the floor.

“Come on! It’s not fun if you don’t scream along, Bladey!”

“Stop…” I begged, conjuring the mental image of Pinkie Pie. “You’re one of his f-favorite!”

Sick. Unwell. Nauseous.

“Cool story, Bro. I really liked how you showed that little Stu we don’t take kindly to his kind here. Instant fav.”

Vision blurring, I tried to stand up, pushing on my elbows. I only managed a halfway position, my knees staying firmly on the ground. Still, at that height, I could easily see my reflection staring back at me.

Some were applauding the author of that demented THING! They were asking him for more! This… how could they?

The worst of it all had to be the most casual comment.

“Damn right, brother! That little Gary Stu just needs to go! Look at my petition.”

I choked. And coughed. My body seemed to violently express my disgust, my anger and my fear.

This was an abomination. Inhuman.

Long minutes passed before a semblance of health filtered through my breathing and the strength in my limbs. Rising my head from the sink, I stared at the blonde guy in the mirror.

Pale, with a labored breathing, a chin shining and a mouth hanging on open, I was a classic picture of illness. Beneath my blonde bangs, blue eyes were cutting through the fog of my mind. There was something at the front, for all to see.

A monster. Not the poor chap that just couldn’t find the solution to all his problems. No, not him, not anymore! That story had pulled at a hidden part of me; it had awakened a darker side of me that I had forgotten existed.

Shining through the clear blue of my eyes, there was but one thing: hatred. My whole self was burning with pure unaltered hatred. Toward the monster that wrote a story about my little brother being tortured to death by his favorite character… Toward the growing majority of bronies that hated him or believed him unnecessary… Toward whatever thing had taken Tom in the first place.

I HATED.

My grip became as strong as steel. In a matter of seconds, my knuckles had become pure white. How dare they? How can they wish death on my little brother?!

A different urge filtered through this burning darkness, pure and focused into the destruction of such a monstrosity.

Kill. Kill them all.

As if a veil of blindness had been lifted, my senses returned to normal. The illness simply faded away. Exhaling deeply, I found myself able to stand, head light and arms heavy. Eyelids drooping halfway over my eyes, I let a wave of coldness wash away my mind. Everything appeared crystal clear and everything was painful to the touch.

Ignoring the burning sensation spreading through my hands, I stumbled to the door and unlocked it.

Behind it, Mom and Dad were both standing, worry stretching their faces. “Sam?” my mother asked, tentatively.

“I’m fine,” I muttered through gritted teeth.

They didn’t buy it.

“Sammy…” Dad placed a hand on my shoulder.

“I said I’M FINE!” I slapped off the offending appendage, pushing my way through them.

Stomping, I made my way to my bedroom, locking the door behind me. At my desk, my laptop was still waiting.

I unleashed all my pent-up aggression into that keyboard.

--

It took all her years of training not to sigh and openly massage her forehead in front of her class. Not that this would have been a problem, seeing as her students were all staring outside through the window.

“Now, now, I know his tricks can be quite impressive, but we have a lesson to finish… Class?”

She sighed outright. Teaching had started to become a headache as of late. Something, somehow, had particularly annoyed Ponyville’s newest alicorn. As she now knew was the case whenever he got angry, Blade Darkblaze was flying around and accomplishing tricks that would easily make a professional flyer look amateurish. And, of course, he did it all just over Ponyville for the whole town to see.

How was she supposed to retain the attention of her students in those conditions?

“He’s so dreamy!” Diamond Tiara sighed longingly, imitated by her friend. Both had a smile on their face.

“What a show-off!” A certain filly dismissed the show with a wave of a hoof. However, one did not need to be very perceptive to notice the moisture in her eyes as she said it. “Rainbow Dash is a thousand times better.”

“At least he can fly.” Cheerilie cringed the second she heard it. Her legs carried her toward the filly who had uttered those mean words to her classmate.

“Diamond Tiara! You will apologize right now.”

“What?” The pink filly sneered. “It’s not my fault Scootaloo can’t fly.”

“Okay, that’s it! You’re going to get it!” Scootaloo roared, turning an orange blur as she jumped on the bully and started hitting her with her bare hooves.

It did not take long for Diamond Tiara to start fighting back. Soon, the two were rolling on the floor, using anything and everything they had to make the other feel pain.

“Girls, you will stop right this instant!”

Why was this colt causing so much trouble?

--

I sat with a small smile. Beyond the edge of that murderous fury that I kept close to my heart, there was content. Pride even, perhaps.

My parents did not take notice, or if they did, they didn’t want to bring up my apparent good mood. I figured they had been off put by the bouts of yelling I had let out earlier.

That was fine with me. I did not wish to engage in trivial conversations anymore. I had a single goal in mind and I intended to keep going until it had been accomplished. No distraction, no self-pity, only the quest for my brother’s return.

And shitstorms, I shouldn’t forget that either.

With that thought, my grin widened, growing to the point of being fully visible, even from the corner of one’s eye. Beaming positively at the thought of my previous actions, I cut into my steak with good appetite.

It was wrong, but oh so satisfying.

Basically, I had provoked the mother of all shitstorms in that story’s comments, then trolled the fuck out of the readers, then hacked into the author’s account, destroyed his story and reputation, got banned for it, created three new accounts, spewed my venom all over the Blade hate groups (ignoring the twisted cold in my guts at the acknowledgment of their existence), got banned again and finally just went on an argument spray over four different brony forums.

It was probably the single most disproportionate and petty reaction of my life, but there truly was no part of me that even remotely cared about it. If I could do it again, I would try my hardest to make it a lot worse. I’d have looked for their coordinates and send hate mail to them.

The monster in me had just roared in triumph for the duration of my vengeance. It demanded a bigger, more physical revenge, but I had no way of fulfilling that need. It would have to do.

“Sammy?” My father’s voice brought me out of my reverie.

“Yeah?” I asked, not looking up.

“How was the meeting with your therapist?”

Oh. That? My expression hardened, my grin slipping and muscles relaxing. “I didn’t like it. I don’t want to go back.”

Dad frowned. “That badly?”

“Worse.” Lying bitch! Trying to make me give up on Tom!

“What happened?”

I almost sneered, instead focusing my anger into the movement of my knife. Viciously, I stabbed the slice of meat in front of me. “She said a bunch of things, I don’t really care to remember. It had to do with delusions.”

While they thought I couldn’t see them, my parents exchanged a glance. It said a lot of things, I supposed, if only by the way my father shifted in his seat.

When he spoke, it was with utter serious. It was enough to get my full attention at least. “Sammy, why did she say that?”

I paused, contemplating telling them the truth. Right! As if! “…Something about being unfair to myself or some crap like that.”

“And how did she believe you were unfair to yourself?” Dad pressed on, leaning forward with a frown on his face.

For a moment, I hated that honest gaze of him. Stern and true, it always pierced through any veil of lies and secrets I could create. It held a fatherly quality that simply made me unable to run away from myself.

That didn’t mean I had to be happy about it. “She thought I wasn’t responsible for his disappearance,” I grumbled.

“You aren’t!” His cry of indignation flew out of his mouth faster than even he could proceed. “That’s ridiculous, Sammy!”

My lips had clenched together, forming a thin line. My gaze was all but impressed. Just because people repeated a lie to me, it didn’t mean I would start to believe it. I’d put my trust in facts and the fact remained that if I hadn’t introduced him to the fandom, there would be no way for him to be in Equestria.

However, my father wasn’t done berating the stupidity of that concept.

“What could make you think that this is in any way your fault?!”

In the face of this honest indignation, it became harder to remain coldly detached. “…Our fight the day before, Dad,” I reminded him with a quiet voice.

“That…” He appeared pained by my answer. “Sammy, that wasn’t your fault...”

I opened my mouth to reply, to argue my guilt, but I was cut off by another set of words. They were spoken through a stupor, a complete disbelief echoing through each sound.

“T-that fight?” Mom muttered, eyes widening with the realization.

Her gaze fell on me and I felt as if my heart had been burned.

I would recognize that look anywhere. I knew what she was directing at me.

Accusation. She blamed me.

The ground threatened to swallow me. The fire in her eyes reached at the core of my being and threatened to break it. And I realized that she hadn’t known.

Mom thought it was my fault. She believed I had pushed Tom away and he had made himself vulnerable as a result. She believed it was my fault. And now that it was being pushed on me, I felt myself unable to cope. Though my thoughts had always pushed me toward shouldering that responsibility, though I had been annoyed when others failed to recognize that truth, I found myself shattering under the weight of my mother’s judging eyes.

“I… I…” I staggered, throwing my chair to the ground just by standing so quickly.

I had to leave. I had to leave this room!

“Sammy!” My father reached forward, trying to ground me into the room, but I jolted backward as if he had been flames.

Stumbling, I ran off.

--

“Is there such a thing as rock bottom?” I asked thin air in the hopes no answer would come back. I’d be afraid to hear the answer, whichever it would turn out to be.

On my back, I could barely feel the pressure of the back of my chair on my shoulders. Slouched over it, I was staring blankly at the ceiling.

So… Mom hates me then? Should have seen that coming. There was a core of sadness in the midst of my chest. I could not ignore it, it was eating away at me. It could only be so long until someone did. And who better than Mom? Dad should get on with it too, once the realization hits him…

It was so easy, such a small stretch of my imagination, to see their faces, cold and uncaring, their anger directed at me. Every detail was burned into my brain so easily. I knew I would see this image in my nightmares from now on.

They’d rant and rant about how they thought I was a disappointment, how I had never done a thing right and how they would have preferred Tom to be an only child. They’d talk my ears off how hard it was to pretend to love me all these years…

My vision blurred, obscured by some liquid. Burning and stinging, tears trailed down my face.

“I just… I… I… I don’t even know anymore…”

There was this hatred, festering at the back of my mind, while an overwhelming powerlessness just made it all meaningless.

You’re nothing! They screamed at me. A disappointment!

“Thanks…” I whispered, throwing myself off my chair. “At least I’m doing something for Tom… what have you guys done? I mean, how could you not realize where he is?”

Lethargic, I moved more slowly than usual, going to my closet to fish out the list.

Seeing the scribbled notes on it reached inside me, like a proverbial slap in the face. Just like getting one, it whipped me back into a more… productive state of mind.

“You… Useless… Thing…” I spat, hands shaking so hard the paper was almost ripped in half. And we can’t have that, right? Oh, you’re so useful!

Seeing another outlet for my anger, I tore away the first page off, looking at the words, remembering how they had promised me so much and delivered nothing!

Suddenly, I couldn’t be on that thing fast enough. My nails clawed at the soft structure, my fingers closed on its edges, gripping it so strongly that they started to numb with pain. I glared at the list. I wanted nothing more than to destroy it.

I shouldn’t do that…

And I wanted to… I wanted so much.

But this was my only lead…

With a sigh, I slumped down.

I felt defeated, empty. What more could I do? I’d just continue to try, over and over again, until I found the right way. I could not honestly think of anything else I could do.

Let’s get on with it then… I sighed and reached for the list, fallen from my grip when I had sit down. Which one was I supposed to try next?

Silently, my eyes went from the crossed lines to the first few words still intact. They fell on something rather weird. Well, not that weird to be perfectly honest. A better word for it would be childish. Reading it the first time had me slightly puzzled, but then again, it was Tom.

‘Portal opening 101’ brought to you by yours truly, Monsieur Ten Ropes.

I blinked.

Whoa, that sounds like either a creepy magician or a guy with a BIG bondage fetish… and I’m going to follow his advices… Suddenly, I found myself wishing that Tom had not tried this particular method. Alas, even if he hadn’t, I would. Nothing would be left to chance…

“Alright, what’s with this stuff?” I mumbled, flipping the notes over toward this new method.

The first thing I recognized was the pentagram. Lines traced with minute precision I knew Tom was incapable of. Not with the attention span he had. Nonetheless, I forced myself to push away the healthy skepticism to the back of my mind, where it could be ignored. At the point I was, nothing short of the human sacrifice would make me hesitate more than a few moments.

If it came to that, well… I had a few ideas of whom I’d choose.

I shook my head, forcing myself into a more rational state of mind with a well-earned slap to the face. Fuck… what am I turning into?

“F-focus, Sam…” I whispered, locking my gaze onto the lines. “Read out the incantation… drop the ritualistic focuses… enjoy.”

I grimaced. This felt like such a waste of time…

“Ritualistic focuses…” Doesn’t mean I won’t give it a shot. “Objects of power to mold the universe to your will... Well, damn, now I want them. I’m just not a big fan of the Temple of Doom. Because of course, that’s where I need to go to find the stuff, right?” I said to no one in particular. It just made me feel a little better to voice my bitterness like this.

To prove my point, I made a show of reading the exact requirement for that… ritual.

To say I was shocked was an understatement. “The three required objects are a cone, earth and wings. Any object vaguely resembling these will do.”

My brain would not process the information. It had come to a halt. To be more exact, before my eyes, all I could see was one thing, so out of place, under Tom’s bed. I remembered the sickening sensation of a piece of food cracking under my fingers.

Eyes wide open, a burst of mad hope flared through my chest and spread like wildfire.

I jumped to my feet so fast I flung myself headfirst into my bed stand. The pain briefly dissolved into my forehead before being reduced to nothingness by my excitement. Not caring in the slightest, I dashed outside for the pantry. If Tom had gotten it here…

My heartbeat got staggeringly powerful when I caught sight of a blue box, with a picture of ice cream cones on one side. The world started to spin as it caught up to me that this might be it! This could be what I was looking for all along!

Blazing hope still coursing through my vein, I grabbed the whole thing with me and turned around to get to the front door. The list echoed in my mind. Conic object… earth… wings…

Vaguely, I knew what this was meant to be. I had an inkling of the true meaning of those objects and a part of me was opposed to it. The rest however violently put those thoughts to rest. I would not allow myself to pass up on this chance.

The lack of response to my mad stomping all around the house raised some suspicions, it made me wonder... until…

“You’re a disappointment!”

No. I shook my head. No distractions were allowed. Not when I was so close…

With a rough yanking motion, I lifted one of my dirty shoes from the rug and went back into my room. The clicking noise of my lock could be heard the next second.

In my manic state of mind, I surprisingly found the restraint to put the items down delicately, with the care of a parent cradling his newborn child. In a way, the comparison was not quite unrealistic. Those had resurrected my hope, right as it was becoming but a shadow and a luxury I would not dare look for.

The last thing I needed was already in my room; all I had to do was reach out for it.

My hands closed down on a soft plushy.

For a brief second, my lips twitched upward. I had quite a few fond memories surrounding it. All of them involved a convention I had had the luck of attending when it had been hosted in the next town.

Succumbing to a small bout of nostalgia, I let my hand ran through the plushy’s yellow fur and its pink mane. The softness of the touch had me truly smiling.

It was going to be okay…

I grabbed a marker. The hardest part was coming right now. I had to copy what appeared like runes and geometrical figures. Memories of my previous attempts at drawing such a complex symbol flashed in my mind, having my guts tied up in a knot. It wasn’t a very comforting thought.

Cracking my knuckles, I took a long time to stare and memorize every detail of the drawing. Then, I got down on my knees, cleaned up the floor and bit the cap off my marker.

The first line came off as shaky and improper. One furious stroke later and the line was twice as thick, but much more straight. Good, that was precisely what I had to do in this point.

Slowly, sneaking glances at the reference in the notes every so often, I worked on the symbols and the forms needed to perform that ritual.

The muscles of my face had started to hurt a while ago, stiff and rigid with extraordinary focus. I could not mess this up, I had to do it right. With every line I was making though, I ran the risk of ruining everything. After a certain amount of time, I noticed I had drastically slowed down into the creation of this piece of art.

Beads of sweat pearled in the far corner of my eyes and an uncomfortable numbness paralyzed my legs from my knees down. My fingers were black with ink at this point.

“Next comes a parallel line…” I muttered, staring at the intricate drawing on the floor. If by some terrible play of fate this wasn’t the right solution, then this would be a real pain to clean up. “Aaaaand… done.”

The final dot of ink had been put into the right place.

My eyes alternating between the notes and the lines on the floor, I did not notice a single dissimilarity.

I almost collapsed in relief. This had been hard... Draining too.

“All I’ve got to do now is sing some ominous lyrics…” I whispered, feeling light-headed.

Almost there.

Clumsily, I went through the three ‘ritualistic focuses’, reading the instructions one more time. They were rather explicit about it. It had to be only a horn, a pair of wing or earth. For the ice cream cone, that was easy as pie. I did not blink either at the prospect of scrapping the dried up mud under my shoes.

I felt a small pang of dismay at the idea of destroying my Fluttershy figure.

Are you serious, Sam?! That plushy means nothing! I chastised myself.

Closing my hands around it, I held the shoulders securely, with a firm grip. Nonetheless, to destroy all the stitches at once was harder than I expected. Think of it as if that was the author of that story.

The wings came off in an instant, a terrible ripping sound accompanying the deed.

And that was the end of that.

More violently than I should have, I shoved the wings into their own circles. A death glare was sent their way, even as I turned back toward the instructions once more. The words would not leave my mind. I could see Tom suffering at Pinkie Pie’s hooves.

What is next? I read over the chanting. That much would need me to read it. There was no way I could pronounce those words without constantly having them under my eyes.

Steeling my resolve, I took one last deep breath and started chanting.

It wasn’t mystical. Disappointing as it was, no sudden sense of enlightenment was offered to me. The words just flew out of my mouth while I put my whole soul into this.

More than half the incantation had been uttered out loud by now and no discernible event had happened. No signs of magic or mysticism to alleviate this growing pit of despair in my stomach.

Let this be real… Grant me this favor, whoever is listening.

Things had fallen apart. What we had was no more, but it could be salvaged. Our family might recover from this hardship, but not without him… and if it could, I wouldn’t want to be part of it.

T-Tom... I just want to see you again… I miss you.

The fear grew stronger, as I felt the last few words roll off my tongue. So many memories came flooding back into my head, times I just had fun with Tom, times when I gave him those small advices big brothers are meant to, times when we never saw eye-to-eye, times when we shared a wink while Mom and Dad wondered how we managed to replace every piece of furniture in the living room without tipping them off.

Wet spots started to appear on the scroll. It had to work, it had to!

The last syllable echoed in the air.

Frozen, I was staring wildly at the lines on the ground, hoping to get a glimpse of it… of anything…

Nothing. Everything remained the same.

No…

No, no, no, no, NO!

This couldn’t be true, this couldn’t have been just another FALSE LEAD!

I lost my balance, overwhelmed by a crushing despair.

The world started darkening. It grew cold.

It had been pointless! It hadn’t worked!

I hid my head into my knees, shoulders shaking and sobs escaping my mouth. I had been so sure… I knew it had to be the right one! WHY?!

I only wanted to sink into the ground.

I did.

At first, I thought I had just messed up what little coordination I had left, but the second I glanced at my legs, I realized they were halfway through the wooden planks. N-nothing had been broken, my feet were simply going through the floor as if it had been mud.

Under me, the ground seemed to shake, moved by an invisible shockwave. I could not move anymore.

And I was swallowed into the pentagram.

Never before had I experienced anything like this.

Not in a good way…

The world had gone mad. It was beyond even Discord’s bizarre version of Equestria. At least then, there had been space. Yet something was still pulling me down. I was falling through nothingness.

Bright colors spiraled around me, a kaleidoscope of orange, yellow, pink and white. It gave me vertigo to stare at it too long, but I could not close my eyes. My body did not respond. I could not even tell if I still had one. I barely felt anything. I simply… observed as logic flew out of the window.

I found myself wondering why I could not even feel panic. Nothing. It was as if I had been stripped bare of any emotion… except a burning desire to leave this place behind me.

Abstract forms danced, circling white jumped over orange squares, pink triangles span and span, endlessly, yellow tendrils stretched in all directions. Soon, there was nothing in my mind but this all-compassing madness.

The colors spread. It seemed to chase me, as I was falling and not falling. I could see it all.

Yellow.

Yellow.

Yellow.

--

“Twilight!” The small dragon’s voice echoed in the library. “Twilight, it’s finally here!”

“What is, Spike?” The alicorn asked, eyes shifting from the cover of one book to another.

Her nose had been into her researches all morning long. She literally hadn’t seen the light of the day yet.

“Princess Celestia’s letter!”

Twilight’s head snapped toward her number one assistant, somehow managing to drop every one of her books delicately while staring very intently at the scroll between Spike’s claws. Quickly, she made her way over to him and nodded.

Clearing his throat, Spike broke the seal and started to read. “My dear Twilight, I have decided on the appropriate course of action toward Ponyville’s newest resident…”

--

Shapes and colors, so few, so scarce… but what little there was forced itself together. A thousand variant of the same color, endlessly reforming the same silhouette.

Yet, I had no idea what it was meant to be. The image ticked off my memories, but it was not enough to gain recognition.

What was I looking at?

It looked a little like a dragon… a little like a pony…

What is it?

I had no idea, but it never stayed the same. It became something else the instant I could get a better look at it. So far, it had change twelve times. That was the number I had come up with, but then again, I could not really back up my claim.

It just changed, changed and changed.

It kept changing.

On and on.

--

He was feeling a little down today. H-he hadn’t cried! No way! He wasn’t a baby!

But it did hurt when Rarity had looked at him like that. He had just tried to help…

Okay, he screwed it up really badly… Still, Sam wouldn’t have left him all alone with this big knot of guilt in his throat, right?

The little colt curled up on himself, his own wings serving as his blankets. It was a bit cold outside today. The breeze kept brushing on his fur, which was a funny tickling sensation, really, but it also made him shivered more often. He didn’t like it. Plus, having fur was a bit disappointing. He wouldn’t get to learn how to shave like Dad, would he? Sam promised he’d show him how to!

Okay, Sam had had that little grin that infuriated him back then, like he was too small to understand, but still, a Pinkie Promise!

Reminded of one of his favorites, the colt turned his head around, looking over the edge of the town hall’s balcony, perhaps in the hope of seeing that pink pony he liked so much. S-she had been a little mad at him too…

Luckily though, the streets of Ponyville were not buzzing with their usual activity. They were… hopelessly deserted…

The weather might be the reason for it too. Nopony truly appreciated getting their coat wet. They’d much rather stay inside with their families and share a nice hot meal.

Tom felt his heart skip a beat. All of a sudden, he really didn’t want to go out and have fun today. He missed Sam and Mom and Dad.

Not crying… he was not crying…

He was just a little lonely.

--

How long had this gone on? How long had I fallen through the endless abyss of this place? There was nothing here, but the weirdest freak color show I had ever been given the chance to contemplate. I was trapped inside this loop.

I wanted to be freed. I had so much more important things to do than decipher the form of shape shifting colors.

I just wish I could get to Tom already!

Because it had to have worked, it had to have been the right way. How could this be possible otherwise? Even a hallucination would have move onto something else by now. Can I just get to Equestria now?!

Something changed. I felt it in the air… the atmosphere grew… restless.

The ever changing colors moved faster, becoming blurry lines rather than forms, expending in diversity other than just a sickeningly bright combination. Green and blue joined the palette, others appeared as well, in a progressively more complex way. Lines were becoming more defined now… more clean-cut.

And those lines were creating a landscape, of grassy fields and trees.

I was in Equestria.

This had actually happened.

Holy fuck… I could barely wrap my head around it. Even after wishing for this for what felt like an eternity now, I still had trouble believing this was really happening.

I did not recognize the exact location I was in, but the way the world was remained unmistakable. This was definitely 'My Little Pony'.

Then, as if reminded of their existences, I was assaulted by a plethora of sensations, from all five of my senses. What I had lost in that transition had come back with a vengeance.

The first thing I felt was an overwhelming impression of wrongness. I was not how I should be.

Having finally control over my eyes, I could look down at the arms I knew were sprayed across the grass. They were golden yellow horse legs.

For a moment, my mind came to a halt.

I knew it was coming or rather I had strongly suspected it would, but this was still spreading numb cold throughout my whole being.

I was not human anymore. Not in body.

Not human… not freaking human…

A powerful curse escaped my lips. Even then, it had an uncanny dissimilarity to what it should have been. Some of my thoughts were… censored? It felt as if some of them were being transformed before they had fully formed and it resulted in… friendlier… terms than I would have used.

It wasn’t the worst though. Everything about myself was wrong, in new and strange ways. Heck, I had a tail! Pony, but still, WHY?! I was getting feelings of cold and touch from places I never had before. Case in point, my shoulder blade were linked to two new limbs.

“This is weird…” I muttered, turning my head to stare at the golden wings adorning my back. “Am I…?”

My hoof went to my head, where I had been getting a small impression of unbalanced weight. It seemed just a little… well, like my forehead was harder than it ought to be.

I touched my horn with a flat round hoof and got freaked out from the response that came both ways.

“Urgh… I am just as Sueish as Tom. Great…” My eyes twitched, though it stopped when a thought hit me. “Well, this does make it easier to explain that I’m his big brother.”

Belatedly, I wondered how far from Ponyville I was at the moment. How would I get there? I certainly wasn’t going to try flying. I wasn’t even sure I could walk.

…I really ought to have put more thought into this.

With a grunt, I folded my legs under me, planting them all firmly into the ground. Then, with a push, I stood up. This success made me smile.

“Why does it feel like I’ve accomplished something?” I sighed, rolling my eyes.

Again, I focused my attention entirely on my legs, ignoring the inherent weirdness of standing on all four so naturally. I had to figure out how to walk, I just went from two legs to four.

Hesitantly, I moved one hoof. After that though… I was stuck. One leg stretched forward, three firmly vertical and me leaning forward like an idiot, I was freaking stuck. I had no idea which leg to move next. I tried to picture the ponies in the show, but my memory chose that moment to fail me completely. Finally, I gave it a shot, randomly.

Tangling my own legs, I fell face first against the ground.

How the hell did Tom manage to get the hang of this so quickly?! I really wasn’t giving him enough credit if he figured it out on his own so fast. Tch, whatever, I’ll just stand up and walk.

On its own, my body moved and took a few steps.

My jaw dropped.

“T-the hay?!” I looked at my hooves like they were on fire. “How did I…?”

I had simply thought of walking and…

A few steps.

I blinked. This is… disturbing…

S-somewhere, in my brain, the influx had been redirected the right way, even if I hadn’t done it correctly myself. I could think what I wanted to do and it would work, I couldn’t do it myself…

The feeling of alienation I was experiencing grew ten times worse. Wrong… wrong… wrong…

“ARGH! I can’t stop to think about this crap! I’m in Equestria, so I gotta find Tom!” I shouted, before scanning my surroundings more attentively.

I did not recognize this place. If it was in the show, then I had missed it or forgotten it altogether. What now?

Nothing beats being well-prepared, eh? At least that’s what I tell Tom when we go camping. I grunted, annoyed at my own thoughts.

Truth to be told, I had been acting on instinct for a while now. I had been constantly put on the defensive, forced to react to every event that made my hopes crash down and burn. Was it any wonder I had started to lash out?

I could not find it in myself to care all that much. All I could focus now was on finding a way to get to Tom and getting him out of here.

Moved by yet another new instinct, my eyes went to the sky, observing the endless blue space. It was… like being called by name. Simple, yet it instantly grabs one’s attention. Whispers reached my ears, so many voices that echoed aimlessly.

I found myself understanding weather patterns and the movement of winds, with just a glance.

Gary Stu status is mine. I grimaced, but not for long. I’ll take it. I’d rather not have to learn all this stuff just to get out of here. Still, I have to find Tom before anything can happen.

With a sigh, I started walking.

There were a fair bit of storm clouds in that direction, but by the time I got there, it would already be over.

I just knew.

A shiver went down my spine.

I’ll find you, Tom. I’m coming.

--
He had been slowly drifting to sleep when the voices first pulled him out of his daydreaming. They were filled with urgency, but more importantly, they were calling his name. Well, his name here, because he couldn’t be just Tom here. He was the super cool alicorn Blade Darkblaze!

Anyway, he knew who was calling him and he would not answer. Rarity had been mean about his mistake and he wasn’t in the mood to get a lecture by Twilight!

Gosh, she was so annoying! She kept lecturing him every time they met!

“You should not use your power so irresponsibly, Blade. Your control over your magic is rudimentary, I can help you be more collected about it. Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.”

That last one had been said by Sam once before, but he never remembered the context around it.

Still, not important. Twilight just kept bugging him! Why couldn’t she leave him alone?

“Blade! Please come on out!” Her voice rang through the street.

The colt scooted closer to the barrier, crouching to make sure she wouldn’t see him anyway. Luckily, at this height, she would have trouble seeing him even if she looked directly in his direction. And that was even a stretch.

The lavender alicorn was running down the streets, her eyes wide with panic.

“Blade? I need to talk to you.” She called again.

Eh, fat chance of me telling you where I am. The little colt smirked.

He’d sooner let her get soak in the rain than reply. Unfortunately, the sky had apparently gotten much clearer since he had taken that little nap.

“Twilight!” Another mare appeared, coming from around the corner of a street.

This time, the orange and blonde colors made him grin. Applejack was here. He hadn’t seen much of her since his first day. It was a bit weird that she was ever around though and he didn’t like it much. With Rainbow Dash not speaking to him and Pinkie being Pinkie, Tom hadn’t gotten much of a chance to spend time with his best ponies.

He was almost tempted to get down just to get down to say “hi”, but the prospect of a lecture held him firmly nailed to the ground. Besides, they had walked close enough for him to hear them anyway.

“Applejack! Have you seen him?”

“That lil’ fella’s nowhere to be seen. Ah asked around, but nopony saw him today. Real weird, if ye ask me.” The cowpony shook her head.

At the words, Tom could not hold in a chuckle.

That was a bit of a mistake.

“Oh I cannot believe he was hiding under our muzzles all this time,” Twilight muttered, bringing a hoof to her face.

Her friend’s reaction, on the other hand, was much more… proactive.

“Rainbow Dash, get him!” Applejack screamed.

As if that had been an universal cue, the cyan pegasus flew out of nowhere to the other two mares’ position. With just a nod and a pointed hoof, she was redirected toward the colt hiding on top of the town hall. “You got it, AJ.”

“Ho-oh…” Tom said, seeing Rainbow Dash fly straight toward him.

Scrambling to his hooves, the little alicorn opened his wings to take off, but a sudden gust of blue wind made him flinch backward.

“Gotcha!” Rainbow Dash said triumphantly, landing on the rails and crossing her hooves in a “cool” pose.

However, simply telling the colt he had been caught was far from enough to clench the frustration and the rebellion built up in that small body. In fact, Tom grimaced and sent a venomous glare at his idol.

“You don’t have me!” He yelled and charged.

With a jolt, Rainbow Dash jumped to the side, unfortunately leaving a clear path for the kid.

Had he been less blinded by his anger, he might have noticed how she had bitten her bottom lips just as he had started moving. As it stood, Tom simply took off.

“Nice going, Rainbow!” Her friend’s voice came from below. The tone was… less than friendly. “We said we had to make him come see the Princess with us!”

“Hey, I didn’t want to hurt the kid, okay? I’ve seen the look on his face enough to know!” She turned to the blue shape in the sky, with a grin. “Besides, he didn’t get away from me yet.”

On the ground, Twilight and Applejack barely had the time to blink before a blur and a rainbow trail painted a line straight toward the fleeing colt.

“Oh no… the guards will arrive soon and we still haven’t gotten to explaining it to him.” The poor alicorn whispered, biting her hoof. Her eyes started shifting around. “Oh no, oh no, oh no!”

A warm contact on her shoulder got her attention. “Calm down, Twi. The kid’s stubborn as a mule – no offense.” She turned out of habit, but was confounded when no mule had been there to reply.

This was enough to get a laugh out of her friend. “Yes, you’re right, Applejack. If we explain it calmly, I’m sure he’ll come to his sense.”

The earth pony blinked. “But Ah didn’t… ah, forget it. Let’s go help Rainbow.”

“Yes, let’s help her!” Pinkie Pie agreed.

“Pinkie?! When did ye-” Applejack jumped, before cutting her question short. The answer might be worse than the mystery. You never knew with Pinkie Pie.

“What are we doing exactly?” She tilted her head, eyes wide and brimming with innocence.

“I received a letter from the Princess asking me to prepare for a trip to Canterlot,” Twilight explained. “She wants a private audience with us and Blade, but he won’t listen.”

“Okey dokey loki!” Pinkie giggled. “I’m going to get Fluttershy and Rarity. The more, the merrier, and the better the party!”

“Pinkie…” Applejack frowned.

“I know.” The pink mare nodded. “This is serious. But it never hurts to be prepared for a surprise ‘We’re-back-from-Canterlot Party’!” She shook with excitement, before shooting off like a rocket in the distance.

“Eh, go figures.”

“Yeah, but let’s get on with the chase, shall we? I’d be more at ease if we were actively trying to solve this problem.”

“You got it, Twi. Don’t worry.” Applejack nodded.

They both started running, following the clear path lead out by the multicolored trail in the sky. With it, giving Blade the chase turned from a frustrating exercise to a rather simple one.

However, simple did not mean short.

The colt clearly had no intention of making this easy and while Rainbow Dash was much faster than him, she could not quite catch him without risking sending them both quarreling. Not a big deal for her, but she would rather not have a kid’s injuries on her conscience.

“Come on, kiddo! You can’t actually outspeed me.” She yelled after him, getting annoyed at his antics. “Can’t you just come with us quietly?”

“No way!” Tom replied instantly, shouting over his shoulder.

With a roll of her eyes and a sigh, the pegasus accelerated. “Okay, but remember, you asked for it.”

The colt didn’t have the time to reply. Coming out of nowhere, the mare had slipped in front of him, forcing him to drastically turn to his left. Into an alley, between two rooftops.

“Surprise!”

“Whoa!” He yelped, tumbling into a pink inflatable thing.

Tom lost control of his flight completely, ramming into the wall of the object. To his surprise though, he simply harmlessly bounced off its edge, straight into a bunch of streamers and sticky ropes.

With a loud noise, the thing crashed into the ground, as did the colt inside.

Thankfully, he hadn’t been injured, but all these sudden jolts had gotten him dizzy. His eyes were spinning and he could barely make out the shapes and voices around him.

“Hum… is he okay?” Fluttershy stepped out of her hiding place, a concern look on her face.

“Yeah, don’t worry! My special Pinkie cage is one hundred percent harmless. It’s full of fluff and balloon.”

“Yes… remind us, darling, why you had this… cage lying around behind the spa?” Rarity raised a delicate eyebrow at her friend.

Twilight, Applejack and Rainbow Dash all seemed to secretly agree, but knew better than to ask.

“You never know when you might need it.” She shrugged, before reaching into the cage and pulling out a now recovered alicorn.
Struggling against the grip, he only managed to entangle himself more.

“Hey! What gives?!” The colt protested loudly, fighting the elastic restraints as best as he could.

For a second, Rainbow Dash wondered why watching him squirm was not more satisfying. After the annoyance that had been giving him chase, she had expected a least a little joy at being done, but no, this was not really fun. If anything, it reminded her of Scootaloo when the filly decided to be difficult.

She couldn’t decide if that was a bad influence or a good one.

But it mattered not, as Twilight took the opportunity to step up and finally get a chance to talk to the kid.

“Alright, now that we have your attention, Blade, can we please talk? The royal guards will be here soon and-”

She was interrupted by a loud crack of thunder.

Surprised, the ponies all exchanged a glance and tried to spot who could have triggered a storm cloud for no reason. However, their endeavors were cut short by a much louder sound, of a volume they had learned to associate with a certain royal pony of the night. The tone used left no doubt about the intention behind them either.

“LET HIM GO!”

I could hardly think. My mind was foggy, boiling with naught but righteous fury. With each maddeningly strong heartbeat, my vision would jump. It was hard to focus, on anything but Tom.

My chest should be light and my hope, flaring. I should be unable to put one thought in front of the other with just the joy of seeing him in the flesh.

But he was in danger. There was Pinkie, holding a tied up Tom. He was trying to get free.

A cheerful voice echoed in my head. “We twist the hooves!”

I would not let her hurt him.

“I told you to let him go!” I snarled, lowering my head, horn pointed toward them.

Them. The Mane Six.

They were all looking at me, a mix of shock and defiance on their features. Fluttershy and Pinkie were the only two not assuming an aggressive stance.

The pink mare was just tilting her head in confusion, but not letting go of Tom. He looked uncomfortable, but worse, scared. His eyes had widened, but the iris had shrunken to dots. He had stopped squirming. He was curling on himself.

“Who do you think you are?!” Rainbow challenged, flying a few feet in front of her friends.

I saw her body, broken in half. I felt an urge. I wanted.

“Let go of my brother!” I shouted.

“S-Sam?” Tom’s jaw dropped.

“Brother?!” The other six exclaimed at the top of their lungs. Pinkie even dropped him to the ground.

Instantly, the world blurred, as an impulse went through my legs and made me dash forward. I was by Tom’s side in the second.

O-oh God… it was him. T-the little colt was looking at me with total shock, but even behind that pony’s face, I could recognize the Tom I had grown up with. I took in his features, his blue fur, his black mane, which incidentally was just like Tom’s haircut back on Earth, heck, his red eyes weren’t the same, obviously, but they looked at me the same way they did before.

The way my heart swelled with joy, I thought it would explode. It made me so dizzy I almost fell over. Relief came crashing down on me with the weight of the ocean.

“I…It’s really you…” I whispered, my voice hitching and cracking.

At the sound of my voice, something changed in his expression. The shock turned into doubt. “Y-you really came after me?”

It was as if he had hit me with one of his magical boulders. No… probably harder than that. My eyes stung with the creation of tears.

“Tom… of course I did. I’d never abandon you,” I whispered, nuzzling him.

Tom leaned against me, searching reassurance and truth. In response, I could only drop down and brought him closer with my hooves. Warmth seeped through the contact. It just felt so right that when my tears fell they carried no sadness or bitterness.

“I missed you…”

I felt a surge of heat go through my horn and the restraints around Tom expanded harmlessly. At their breaking point, they simply broke down into confetti.

Now free, Tom jumped further into my embrace. “I missed you too, Sam.”

My heart squeezed. Now that we were back together, the things I hadn’t allowed myself to think came surging back to me. I had done it. I had actually travelled to another world, dimension, whatever… to find my little brother.

And had I been slightly off about it… we would have never been reunited ever again.

My muscles contracted a bit harder, reaffirming the truth that Tom was here, that this wasn’t a dream I’d wake up from. I will never let this happen to us again, Tom. I swear. No one will hurt you. I swear.

“Is anypony else here confused?” The unmistakable Rainbow Dash asked, exchanging glances with the rest of her friends. “Anypony?”

That second one was completely unnecessary too, if only by the height at which Twilight’s jaw was hanging and that was without mentioning the size her iris had shrunken down to.

Her eyes twitched.

Fascinated, still in the other’s hooves, Tom and I stared at the poor gal whose face seemed to undergo a wide range of emotions.

“IS THERE A SALE ON HORNS AND WINGS GOING ON?!” She shouted at the top of her longs, her horn discharging a bolt of purple lightning. The stray magical bolt exploded into the sky, harmlessly, sure, but not without making noise comparable to that of a firework.

Holy crap…

“Huh…Twi?” Applejack poked her side with a timid hoof, eyes shining with worry. “You okay there, sugarcube?”

Said alicorn’s tensed expression slid off her face quickly, with her dropping her head a little. With a groan, she closed her eyes. “Sorry, girls. It’s just that this whole ‘New-Alicorn-in-Town’ business really got on my nerves and now there’s another one coming out of nowhere!”

“Oh, no worries, Twilight dear.” Rarity aimed an understanding smile at her. “Everypony can be subjected to a little stress now and then. There’s no need to apologize, really.”

“Well…” Rainbow Dash cut in, looking pensive.

Her friend’s glare stopped her rather quickly.

“What? It’s true.” She shrugged.

“Yes, perhaps,” Rarity replied with a cautious glance at Twilight. “However, the real point is that Twilight is right. We know virtually nothing of Blade and even less of this newcomer.”

Hearing these words were all the mares needed to truly focus their attentions on me, on us.

Shrugging off six pairs of eyes staring intently in our general direction, I stood up as if it had been a perfectly natural course of actions for me. Tom seemed the most confused at my actions, as I placed myself between him and the rest of the Mane Six.

Though I affected to project a calm aura, my inner self was all but. Oh crap, oh crap, ooooooh crap. What do I say? What do I do? This wasn’t part of the plan, which, by the way, wasn’t very well thought-out either. All right, plan? Grab Tom and run to the nearest portal. Why is there a portal in that scenario? Arrrrrrh, I have to choose something now! Something against the hate. Something to take away the hatred of Tom’s character.

“My apologies, my ladies,” I bowed my head, speaking with a more collected and respectful voice.

“What in tarnation?” Applejack blinked, confused by this turn of event.

“I suppose you mean the contrast between my earlier attitude and that I have adopted right now?” Great, I defaulted to noble speak! Now I’m stuck with that! Still, as before, I let nothing of my inner turmoil filter through this new façade. “Well, I will admit to overreacting when I saw my baby brother tied up and obviously trying to get out of strangers’ hooves.”

They all grimaced. The way I had painted the scenario, they did come out as kidnappers.

“Right… Sorry about that.” Twilight looked away, a very uneasy smile on her lips.

“No, no.” I waved a hoof nonchalantly. “It was a misunderstanding… I hope?” I added and put a great emphasis on this.

“Oh, yes.” Fluttershy nodded. “The Princess has asked that we bring him to her, but he was not very cooperative. We really meant no harm to Blade.”

Here’s one chance to do some damage control.

“Blade? Who is that?” I asked, tilting my head.

The atmosphere shifted drastically. I felt it in the air. Rarity was the one that expressed her dismay the most openly though, and she did so by biting her bottom lips gently.

Heck, I had really confused everyone, because I hear a bit of ruffling and shuffling behind me. I could guess without looking that Tom was dancing on his fe- hooves…

“Did you not say he was your brother?” Applejack narrowed her eyes at me.

I feigned recognition and let out a laugh. “Oh, he used that name again?”

Crap, I hope that laugher sounds real! My eyes went from one mare to the other, trying to gauge if any of them would call me out on my obviously badly strung story.

“What are you talking about?” Twilight tilted her head, not amused by the situation.

I turned around to Tom, who was trying and hilariously failing at an innocent, angel-like whistle. Really, the shifty eyes were all but giving up.

Doing my best to sell it, I ruffled Tom’s mane, briefly savoring the reassurance that I had indeed been reunited with my little brother.

“You’ve lied again, haven’t you?” I sounded more amused than displeased, mostly because I had no negative feeling whatsoever aimed at him for the moment.

Sheepishly, my brother turned colt crouched down to the ground, making himself appear as small and vulnerable as possible. In his eyes though, I could see the light of incomprehension.

In a moment of weakness, heart tugged by the sight, I leaned close enough to whisper for his ears alone. “Just play along, Tom.”

“We’re still waiting for you to start making sense.” Rainbow’s voice sounded as if she was rolling her eyes.

When I looked back to them, she was indeed the one with the biggest frown and the only one with her arms crossed over her chest.

“My baby brother does not think his name is cool enough, so he came up with an alias.”

“But Saaaaaaam!” Now you find your voice, eh, bro?

“You have lost your coolness privilege the moment you ran away like that without telling anyone first, baby brother.” I chuckled, which was actually sincere this time.

“No fair!” Music to my ears, Tom.

“Right.” Dash gave us a flat look. “So his name is Tom and yours is Sam? Mares, alicorns have the strangest names.”

While I pretended to appear mildly bemused by her remark, inside I was sweating. Right? Human names? The bronies will rip us apart if I let this go. “Oh, those? No, those are nicknames.”

“Nicknames?” Twilight repeated, clearly doubting my words.

“Yes, it is a rather long story, one that involves a few extra-dimensional beasts and I wouldn’t want to bore you.” Casual and smooth, keep talking like a stuffed up noble, don’t break character. And I really shouldn’t say things like that around Pinkie Pie. Better continue before I start a disaster. “I am Ventus Vinco and this is my little brother Calx Iugum.”

“Come again, Sugarcube?” Applejack tilted her head, very confused.

I chuckled softly as if I was amused, though I felt none of it. I was much closer to panic. WHERE DID THAT COME FROM? “Yes, that is indeed how most ponies react, hence the nicknames.”

A sharp pain erupted in my right hind leg, making me flinch and grit my teeth together.

“Sam!” A force hit me again, though this time, it wasn’t as strong. If anything, that felt like something bumping into me.

A blue bundle of fur ran past me. With a brief moment of panic, I recognized the sniffing noise. Tom was scowling, tears of frustration starting to gather in his eyes. He was already trying to zigzag between the girls.

That is SO not the time to throw a tantrum, buddy, I thought. However, in my chest, a bubbling fear had already replaced the annoyance. Every inches of distance he managed to put between us was an inch toward another separation. And through the panic, something else pierced. Anger. “Oh no, you DON’T!”

Again, without a true control of my body, I moved. My legs pushed at the ground with more strength than I thought I had and lifted me in the air. The images of the Mane Six briefly scrolled past me, as I jumped past them, pinning Tom to the ground on my very first try.

“LET ME GO!” He screamed, flailing his limbs uselessly, but that plea fell in the wrong ears.

I would have none of this crap. Not now! “No, I am not letting go!” I snarled, pressing down on his hooves hard enough for him to be completely stuck.

Amazingly, Rainbow Dash had the guts to move toward us, mouth pressed into a thin line. “H-hey! That’s a little much, don’t you think?”

“The last time I let go of him in that state of mind, he traveled to another dimension!”

I heard them gasp; I did not care. My attention was entirely focused on my little brother who seemed to really need a good scolding.

“LET GO! I DON’T WANT TO LISTEN TO YOU!” Tom screamed louder, growling now that he was not in any position to do more.

Somewhere in the back of my mind, I heard a dam break. This was one of those straws, the ones that break the camel’s back in half and put him in the hospital for surgery, only for the medics not to find any anesthetic before the operation.

Things blurred. The edges of my vision were not very clear cut anymore. A fog of rage was stretching and distorting those limits. Heat spread from my horn to my mouth and sparks danced into my throat. When I spoke, the volume was deafening.

“DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA OF WHAT KIND OF HELL YOU PUT US THROUGH?! DO YOU EVER STOP TO THINK HOW IT MIGHT MAKE ME, MOM OR DAD FEEL?! WE’VE JUST SPENT A WEEK LOOKING FOR YOU EVERYWHERE AND YOU’RE STILL TRYING TO PULL THAT KIND OF STUNT THE SECOND YOU DON’T GET YOUR WAY?! YOU ARE A SELFISH, SPOILED BRAT! GROW UP!”

Silence fell after that last bout of yelling. It wasn’t a pleasant silence either.

Heavy.

Dark.

Uneasy.

Internally, I felt my inner demons fall asleep, appeased by this outburst. My fury faded away with them, melting and leaving just an empty lifeless void in its place.

My breath was short and fatigue seemed to have mad my legs heavier, but I could not focus on that. Underneath me, a colt was looking at me with wide eyes shining with tears. His body had started shaking, with a little sob escaping his mouth the next moment.

The sound clawed its way to my heart. It tore apart that veil of indifference. It filled it with horrified dismay. What have I done?

“T-Tom…” I whispered, voice cracking with the overwhelming guilt.

I did not get to see or hear his reaction though, as something suddenly barreled into me. My eyes never leaving Tom, glimpses of pink nonetheless flashed before me, mainly from the general area of this new pain. “You big meanie!”

Urgh… Pinkie Pie?

Hooves grabbed each side of my face and forced to my left. Blue irises stared back at me and there was no joy in them. “How could you say such awful things to your own brother?”

“That was mean.” The words had been soft spoken, but there was mistake in the sternness behind them. The simple fact that a pale yellow pegasus was hovering over Tom, protectively, was enough to kick up my guilt another notch.

I knew who she was protecting him from. I heartily approved.

My little brother, however, decided he needed no pony’s protection and ran off, the Mane Six hesitant to follow suit.

“TOM!” I screamed, calling desperately for him to stop. He ignored it completely. Not that I would blame him…

I… I think I’m going to be sick.

No words left my lips, even as I choked on my breath after many unfruitful attempts. It was pointless, my throat had already constricted too painfully under the weight of my guilt.

What am I doing here? What am I doing?!

Prickles of pain spread in my eyes. It stung. It hurt to feel them water.

My shoulders hitched as I closed my eyes in shame. Bitter tears fell down from my cheeks, splashing the ground monotonously.

How could I…?

I felt as if the world had started to crash down and burn. I had spent so much time and energy focusing every aspect of my person toward protecting Tom that I could not even understand my own actions now. I had hurt him, in the worst possible way.

What am I doing? I stared at my hooves, held in front of me. What kind of monster…?

Applejack sighed. “Come on, gals, we have a foal to catch. Again.”

The rest of them nodded, with the exception of Twilight. She, of them all, seemed the most hesitant. “…Go. I’ll catch up with you later.”

Seconds later, stampeding hooves indicated the departure of the other five.

Hers steps were much more light, making me wonder how calm she was. I did not look up to satisfy this curiosity.

“Ventus, right?”

That required no answer.

“I am sorry for what you went through, sincerely.” She took another step closer and her voice seemed incredibly humble. I could not understand. “It must have been horrible.”

I wished I could have ignored her words, but they rang true. This was not a fake display of sympathy. Those words carried weight.

“I do know what it is like to almost lose your little brother because of a fight. I remember the anger I felt when I found him back, buried beneath the endless relief toward his safety.”

“W-where are you going with this, Princess Twilight?” I asked, miraculously able to call forth enough decorum to keep up the accent. But really, who cared at this point? I was fairly certain I had blown it in my rant anyway.

“I want you to know that it is not the end of the world. There are still plenty of chances for you to mend those broken pieces.”

You have no idea how much I want to believe you, Twilight. Even then though, the words were enough of a soothing force to lift my mood a little. Just a little.

“I… thank you for your kind words, Princess.” The words came off as chopped and anguished. Hopefully, she could grasp my own sincerity. “Especially since you took time off your mission to tell me this.”

“Well, that is not totally true.” She looked away, smiling sheepishly. “My mission probably changed by now anyway.”

I did not see that coming. “I beg you pardon?”

“…I really think you should accompany us to see Princess Celestia too.”

Oh dear…

At first, James had simply called his name. He had not gotten any answer with this method and thus, had been tempted to simply let his son blow off some steam. After all, he had seen the look on his face when Linda had made that remark.

It had been a look of pure pain, of the emotional variety.

That he had holed himself up wasn’t all that surprising. Tom would have done the same and, despite the protests from one or the other of his sons, they were quite similar.

“Sammy?” He asked again, knocking gently.

There had been a bit of muttering, muffled by the locked door. Thus, James hadn’t been able to make out his son’s words, but there was a certain rhythm to them.

Sam was probably listening to a bit of music. If so, then the chances of his words being heard were slim.

“Please Sammy, can we talk? I really think we should.” He had sounded hopeful, even timid if one would be willing to believe.

His eldest son had remained unresponsive. With a sigh and a bit of disappointment running through his mind, James had left him alone for the rest of the evening. If he wasn’t willing to try, then little could be done to convince Sam to open up.

Perhaps a good night of rest would defuse him somewhat.

Shoulders slumping, the father had decided to go to bed early, not having the heart to stay awake much longer.

Linda was already asleep too.

Ever since Tom’s… Tom’s… d-disappearance… their household had lost all its energy and liveliness. It seemed as if everyone of them had broken off their bonds with one another. Linda had appeared to be the taking it the worst… at first. Now he couldn’t tell which one of his remaining family members would break.

Sleep did not come easily. It was a fleeting thing these days. Too long to come, too quick to leave, and sometimes showing him images too horrible to think upon once awake.

Tonight was no exception and he woke up with a hazed mind. His morning routine went on slowly, lacking any innovation that would require enough concentration to make him gather his wits.

It was only when he walked passed his son’s still locked door that he regained his senses.

“Sammy?” He asked, slowly turning the handle around.

It barely moved.

Worry gripping at his heart, James knocked more strongly against the wooden door, hoping to annoy his son out of bed. Without any answer of some sort, the fear grew and soon, he found himself struggling against the handle frantically. It would not give out, but he forced his grip to tighten, becoming painful to maintain. Calling for him more loudly, James finally attempted to kick the door down.

He succeeded and was presented to a sight he wished was nothing but a nightmare.

Sam’s room was devoid of human presence. There wasn’t even a sign that the bed had been occupied for the night.

And so, without even the need to make a few calls to confirm it, the father knew that one more son was lost.

James’s bitter chuckle filled the room, as he thought to himself that, for once, he would have liked for his children to be a bit more different.

--

“Now, now, where is she?” The entity muttered, taking out a giant watch out of a bushel of fruits. “I believe it is tea time.”

With a hit of his claw, he forced the locked door of the cottage open, enjoying the horrified realization on his rival’s face.

Scowling like no other before him, Angel threw the first object to fall in its paw, namely a carrot.

That made him chuckle. “Oh oh, I believe, my dear Angel, that it has been at least seven thousand years since I was last assaulted with veggies. And even then, there had been no killing intent behind it.”

Shrugging aside the insignificant pet, the visitor set foot into the cottage, intent on finding Fluttershy. Oh, he could have simply flashed right by her side, but that tended to get an irritated squeak of shock every time. Normally, that would have been reason enough to do it again, but this was his friend. He supposed there had to been downsides to friendship.

However, when he could not find her in her own home, he began to grow impatient.

And as such, he closed his eyes to feel the veins of magic. Those current of natural energy that ran through the fabric of their universe always helped channel energy and, as luck would have it, every type of pony left their signatures into these currents.

Discord did not predict what he would see.

“Well… isn’t that interesting?”

--

The search had taken the better part of the afternoon. Applejack had been the one to find him, holed up in the ground somewhere outside Ponyville. It was lucky she had, Tom might not have followed another pony. He seemed pretty mad at Rainbow Dash about a chase, if I understood Twilight’s explanation right, and Pinkie Pie… well… he was probably still ashamed of what had happened.

When I saw him on her back, red lines coursing in his eyes from his own sadness, my mouth dried up and words of relief could not be pronounced. I was trying, and failing, to see eye to eye with him.

He turned around when Applejack got closer. At this, Rarity winced, looking pained for me. Why? I don’t deserve that.

“Well,” she said, gathering the attention of us all, “I believe the guards are waiting in front of the town hall. It would be best not to let any further delay derail our task, wouldn’t you say?”

The other mares nodded in agreement, even if Pinkie seemed to narrow her eyes at me.

“Agreed.” Twilight took the lead, taking the direction of the center of Ponyville.

I walked at the back of the herd, hardly able to keep up my head hung high enough to see in front of me. A gnawing shame was feasting inside my heart and I could not make it shrink.

I… those words… they had been true. I wouldn’t have lied to scold him of all things, but really, did that matter? I had sworn to protect him, yet I had been the one to hurt him the most.

Argh! Distractions! I need distractions! I really did not want to think about this anymore.

For a second, I thought about making small talk with the girls, but that required me to be a little less nauseous. The idea slipped out of my mind quickly anyway. A simple examination of my surroundings managed to do it for me.

This… this place is amazing… The show did not translate half of the atmosphere of Ponyville. Now that the small storm had passed, the sun had started to shine again on the town. To add to the experience, with the remnants of the rain, everything seemed to take on a new light.

Vibrant, so vibrant with life was the town of the heroines. Many ponies were still barricaded inside, waiting for the rain to subside, but as it stood, there were already quite a few making late errands and greeting the Mane Six as they passed us by.

A few glanced Tom’s ways, curious as to the little colt’s apparent lack of energy, for once, but a lot more were sending inquisitive looks in my direction.

Pushed by some weird impulse at the back of my mind, I acknowledged each one of those with a gracious nod and smile. Why? I seriously had no idea…

I kept these thoughts to myself however, as Rarity had finally broken the awkward silence we had been bathing in. Inaudibly, I breathed a sigh of relief at the diminishing tension.

The subject discussed had little importance to me – fashion, what else? –, but anything was a nice break from the constant accusations thrown at me.

A few times, I caught the glance Twilight sent my way. The first two times it happened, she averted her gaze quickly enough. So much that I could not gather much from just these fleeting scarce seconds. The third time however…

Our eyes met. They truly did. For a brief moment, the rest of the world stopped existing, as there were just the two of us, seeing each other. Nothing but her own judgment of me and I was struggling to keep up, as fear had started to freeze my legs. Surely, this would end up in one more disaster.

Unaware of my internal dilemma, she kept it up for just a smidgen longer. Then, her lips formed a small smile and through it, she managed to carry a simple, yet comforting message: “Everything will be fine”.

To say I was shocked was an understatement. Only through an extreme exercise of will did I manage not to stare with my mouth hanging.

Her attention returned to her friends quickly, but it left a lasting impression.

A small flame of hope had been lifted in my chest, spreading a little warmth to the rest of my body. It even allowed me to look up at things with a slightly less pessimistic nature. All too naturally, my gaze went from the mares to my brother.

Just wait, Tom. I promise things will get better between us again.

We stepped into the town square at about that moment. That, in itself, was fine, as was suddenly finding myself in a much more open space than the narrow alleys we had gotten ourselves out of, following Tom’s locating. No, what disturbed me was the sight of four chariots attached to eight winged ponies. Each one of them were wearing golden armors, leaving little doubt as to their allegiances.

My guts twisted with newly born anxiety. They were going to take Tom and me in front of Celestia. How would she react?

Rainbow Dash sprinted forward, making the first contact between the stallions and the mare being part of our escort. “’Sup, dudes?”

Typical Rainbow Dash.

To my amusement though, I caught sight of Applejack rolling her eyes as well.

“Greetings, Miss Dash. Are you and your friends ready for departure?” A stallion whose left cheek was decorated by a scar spoke with a calm and very firm voice. No doubt the captain of that small group of soldiers.

“Yeah, we’re good.” Dash nodded. “We just had to catch the little guy first.”

“Very good, then we will depart immediately. Take a seat ins-” He stopped.

Looking straight at me. With his eyes struggling not to flicker toward either my forehead or my back. That’s my cue.

Clearing my throat, I stepped forward, doing my best to put on a show of regality. “Pleased to meet you. My name is Ventus Vinco and I am the older brother of the colt the Princess requested the presence of. Princess Twilight Sparkle thought it judicious that I accompany them, as my presence could solve mysteries that would otherwise plague that meeting.”

Well, that was the most pompous I could manage. I just hope that’s enough.

“I… see…” He said slowly, narrowing his gaze at my alicorn attributes. If he hadn’t connected the dots, then I was a dog. “Then, as I was saying, please take place in a chariot, in groups of two.”

Obediently, the mares all moved as one toward the vehicles, with me following Applejack closely. My eyes were transfixed on Tom, who had taken to sulking in silence. It was one of those rare occurrences.

Not good… I gulped down nervously, mind filled with terrible scenarios.

Nonetheless, I made my way to the nearest chariot. Obviously, I wanted to sit in the one that Tom was going to be in.

Not… everypony saw it that way.

“What?! No way! He’s not sitting with him.” I turned, recognizing Pinkie’s voice. She was talking to Twilight… vehemently. “He said all those mean things to Bladey!”

My ears drooped down. I’m aware, yes.

“Pinkie, this is truly not the right moment for this.” Her friend sighed in annoyance. “And really, as far as we’re concerned, he is Calx’s legal guardian.”

“Blade…” Tom mumbled, proving he, at least, was hearing some of this. That he did not protest on anything else was just a little disheartening.

“Ah dunno, gals. Aren’t you afraid the kid’ll try to fly away ‘soon as he gets the chance?” Applejack looked between Tom and me, trying to gauge each of our reactions.

Good luck, I’m putting on as much of a poker face I can and Tom is sulking.

“I… must object as well.” Fluttershy took a step toward Twilight and Pinkie. “T-that scolding just wasn’t right.”

That one was a blow to my guts. Again.

“Oh darling…” Rarity sighed in the most overly dramatic fashion. “We do not even know context and they were clearly overjoyed to see each other the first time. No, I believe we are blowing this issue out of proportions.”

I almost chuckled at that. To hear that from a drama queen must really put things into perspective. Also… Whoa… girls fighting over me. I just wish there was more jello. Even though I did think that, I was all but amused OR casual about it. None of the mares were backing down.

“Ladies.” The older of the guardspony stepped forward. “We must go back to the Princess’ castle as soon as possible. There is no time for disputes on riding partners. If he is the colt’s guardian, then they will ride together.”

And, just as Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie opened their mouths to protest, he added: “No backtalking allowed.”

“Alright, Pinkie Promise not to scream like that again!” She bounced back to me, eyes narrowed.

Something about that really pissed me off. Yes, I had screwed up, but she was starting to make it sound like I had enjoyed it. If she kept it up, the only thing I would be enjoying was giving her a black eye.

My tone was unnaturally cold when I answered. “I made a vow to protect and help my brother to the best of my abilities the moment he was born. Do not imply I am only waiting that your backs are turned to reduce him to tears!”

Though the others flinched, Pinkie kept up her glare. Neither of us were backing down. In the end, Applejack had to step in and direct Pinkie to a carriage she would share with her.

This settled that. My heart was still boiling with fury, but I forced my face to show little resentment and a great deal more calm than I felt.

Carefully, as if it was natural, I lifted Tom with my magic and gently put him into the chariot.

The fact that I was apparently an expert at this unsettled me. Specifically, it felt as if my body controlled my brain and not the opposite. Impulses felt as if they had been born into my horn rather than my brain. Really, that was exactly like me picking up a guitar and pulling off the hardest song I could think of, with the impression that a ghostly force was moving my hands. Creepy…

Shivers running down my spine, I took a few steps and sat down, finally letting the whole gravity of our predicament crash down on me. I barely noticed the yank that went through me as the guards took off.

We were stuck in another world. A whole new world. We weren’t humans anymore, not in the physical sense, maybe not even in the mental sense if all those weird rewiring were any indication…

Heck, Tom was a blue foal sulking on the bottom of a carriage pulled by two sentient pegasus. The only two words that made sense together in that sentence were “Tom” and “sulking”.

A little chuckle escaped my mouth, reminded of times when an ice cream cone would make me his best friend forever again instantly. Of course, he had been about five at the time, so the tactics weren’t quite the same as today.

Case in point, Tom sent me a glare for that. I could see that he thought I was mocking him.

The second I opened my mouth, he turned away, preferring to look at the other carriages transporting the girls. I was left at a lost. I didn’t know how to mend that. I never screwed up so badly with him before…

Silence passed and stretched between us. By now, we were well over the clouds. At this altitude, the wind was completely stroking our fur. The sensation was surprisingly pleasant, like the gentle touch of a mother comforting her child.

Mom… My heart constricted. I… I had abandoned her, hadn’t I? Her and Dad, they were back home… and they had no idea where we were…

A powerful urge pushed at me, willing us to just go back already. The impulse reached at the core of my being, I felt it course through my veins, this desire to be reunited with my whole family…

And it led to nothing, except more heartache. We couldn’t just disappear like this, I doubted I would have the time to perform the ritual with them looking for us. I had no idea what could go wrong with that thing if it was interrupted. No… we had to do our best to fit in until the right moment to leave presented itself.

Until then, I had to keep our family from falling apart, starting with the one and only little brother I had.

“Tom?” I nudged him, hoping to get him to stop sulking already.

As I took a better look at his face though, I was shocked to realize his traits expressed more sorrow than petulant anger.

He turned to me, shaky on his hooves and looking up hesitantly. When he opened his mouth to speak, his voice came out as weaker and much quieter than usual.

“I-is it true that Mom and Dad are really sad because of me?”

For a moment, my own voice failed me, stuck in my throat. I did not want to make him feel this sort of guilt. It wasn’t my role. I was supposed to help him.

But maybe this was the kind of help he needed at the moment.

Nonetheless, a weight pushed down on my mind when I nodded.

His lips started to quiver and he took a step away from me.

“I-I’m sorry,” he squeaked with a tiny voice.

The way he twisted and squirmed on his hooves, I could tell he was terribly ashamed. He even refused to meet my gaze, which triggered something inside me. Obeying my first instinct, I pulled him closer, into a hug.

A part of me died when he flinched, exactly like he would if he had been burned.

I did my best not to let it filter through my voice. “It’s okay, Tom.”

I held him, in silence, hoping that this small reprise would not end so badly. Alas, my little brother had other insecurities.

“D-do you really think I’m selfish?” Had I not been so close, straining my ears to catch any sign of trouble, I wouldn’t have heard him at all.

Tom truly feared he had been just as I had told him: a selfish brat.

“I think…” I bit my lower lips in my hesitation. “You didn’t think ahead, not long enough…”

He understood it as the admittance it was. His hooves squeezed me harder and he showed no desire to break out of my hug at any time soon. So I let him, I made myself a rock for him to rest against, to absorb his tears and his fears, to allow him a chance to grow. Whispering some comforting words in his ears, I closed my eyes and folded my wings over him.

“I love you, Tom. I promise I’ll never leave you.”

“I’m sorry,” he said again, sobbing.

“Shhh.” I patted his back and nuzzled him a bit more, chest warming up with the strong feelings of love coursing in my veins. “Don’t worry. It’s already forgiven.”

This moment would forever be engraved into my mind as perfect.

We were together, truly, for the first time since this had started.

It felt right.

--

Things weren’t quite right.

“Dear, are you feeling fine?” Rarity’s voice came to her ears.

“Oh, it’s… nothing, Rarity. Really.” Even to herself that sounded very unconvincing, so to her perceptive friend…

“It’s about Ventus and his little brother, right?” Dead on.

Twilight sighed, knowing she could not put off this conversation much longer. Besides, perhaps it would ease her worries to share her thoughts with her friend.

“Yes. I find them… intriguing, Ventus especially.”

To her surprise, the white unicorn smiled coyly. “Well, he certainly isn’t a bad looking stallion, with his lustrous white flowing mane or his turquoise eyes. Oh, and don’t get me started on his mu-”

“No, it’s not like that!” Twilight quickly interrupted that sentence, before her cheeks could start coloring with embarrassment.

“Is that so?” Rarity gave her a knowing look, and the way she had pronounced her words managed to worm itself through her barriers.

Well, she thought, he isn’t bad looking, fine, but that is really not the point!

“Yes. My interest has nothing to do with attraction,” the lavender alicorn said, perhaps with a little bit too much conviction to be truly believable. She had to ignore her friend’s expression of skepticism to continue. “There are a few details I could not explain.”

Rarity rolled her eyes, almost scoffing. “A few? He knew us by name without introductions, though that could be explained if he had heard us interact, I have never heard of nicknames such as Tom or Sam, his tone of voice is off whenever he speaks like royalty, I noticed him stumbling on thin air once or twice already and he sometimes hesitate before replying with a vague and non-committing answer.”

The complete list made Twilight’s jaw drop and she stumbled upon her words, in a mix of indignation and shock. “B-but… you…”

“I was simply teasing you, darling.” The unicorn placed a hoof on her friend’s shoulder.

“Oh.” Twilight breathed a sigh of relief, but before she could continue, Rarity laughed quietly.

“The fact that it let me express my opinion of this handsome alicorn was simply an added bonus.”

I felt a shiver, sudden and obviously not attributable to the wind. It felt as if I was being watched… with six mares having nothing better to do than kill time, it was a very real possibility that one of them had decided to stare a hole into my head.

With a feeling of foreboding, I did my best to ignore it, instead turning to Tom.

That hug had lasted a certain number of minutes, sure, but after a while, it had started to grow awkward. Now we were talking about his experience in Equestria so far.

“Are you serious?! You saw?!” The big ass grin on his face told me this was really just a rhetorical question.

“We sure did,” I said, ruffling his mane. “We saw that time you got outside the town hall to say loud and clear that you are the stuff. So it was rather hard not to notice.”

“AWESOME!” He shouted, jumping in the air and flapping his wings. “I’M PART OF THE SH-”

My hoof covered his mouth.

“Mfow?” He tilted his head, looking at me with big eyes. My grin had frozen on my face a bit and not only because he had almost doomed us all.

Case in point, wet liquid spreading all over my hoof. Lovely.

“Let’s not talk about this while we’re here, okay?”

Slowly, he nodded, though his little body was still shaking with excitement. Even as I slid my hoof out of his mouth, I had to hold him down with my wings.

“Relax.” I chuckled. “We’re not arriving anytime soon and you don’t want to get too excited in a flying carriage, do you? We don’t have that much space to play.”

Tom snorted, looking at me with a cheeky, cocky grin. I certainly hadn’t expected him to react this way to reasonable advice.

“Yeah, just the whole SKY!” He ran up to the side of the cart, extending his wings wide.

At the sight, my heart skipped a beat. The irrational part of me sent electrifying impulses throughout my entire body, pumping blood through my arteries with enough force for me to feel its rhythmic strength.

To my unending relief though, he did not jump, just looked at the sky with a bit of a goofy grin. The fact that he wanted to soar through the air… it made me acutely aware of the distance between us and the ground.

Oh crap… we’re really flying. Over the cloud. In a small chariot. Without seatbelts. My face froze with fear. Do not want.

I was never really good with heights, really.

So, logically, I grabbed and pulled him away from the edge of that chariot. “Let’s not cause trouble for the girls and the guards, okay?”

“Huh, yeah, sure.” He shrugged, clearly not caring much about that.

I held in a sigh. That much told me how much work I had cut out for me. Let’s work on that empathy, ‘kay Tom-tom?

“Right, why don’t we talk about your visit some more?” My voice sounded strained. He picked it up instantly. “I… huh… I saw that time with Rarity and Pinkie.”

“Oh…” His ears drooped and he crouched down, almost going flat against the floor.

“I…” My words got stuck in my throat. Was he… afraid of me? “Tom…”

Lowering myself to his level, I gave a small smile. At that, my little brother’s muscles relaxed and his figure quickly started to look less tense. “I-it wasn’t on purpose, promise!”

Part of me almost wanted to be angry for his recklessness, but, really, I couldn’t. Instead of boiling, my heart was calm and light. I just wanted to chuckle.

“It’s fine, Tom,” I said, ruffling a hoof through his mane. “I think you’ve learned your lesson already.”

The poor kid’s eyes were wide with surprise. Likewise, I could taste the disbelief in his words next. “You’re not mad at all?”

“A little disappointed, maybe…” I grimaced, looking away, though not quickly enough to miss the wince he had in response. “I know you tried to apologize. That’s already a good thing.”

“Yeah…”

Cue the awkwardness again. Good job, Sam. I had to mentally applaud myself for that one.

“Hey, it’s fine. Come here and tell me more. I’m sure you’ve had some awesome adventures while your big bro was left in the dust.”

He took my self-derision in stride, instantly going from humble to smug. He was almost parading like a little peacock. “Well, duh!”

I chuckled. That was the little brother I had been missing.

--

The wind slapped her cheek again. It wasn’t very painful, but the sensation was unpleasant.

At altitudes like this one, her flowing pink mane had more disadvantages than advantages. Oh, she liked it that way, very much, and wouldn’t dream of insulting Mister Sharp Cut by changing it. Still, there were a few times it was a bit annoying.

Fluttershy never craved flight like most pegasi. It had added to her… inadequate technique, early on, the laughs, the scolding a-and… the bullying.

It had put her on edge, to hear that booming voice, the same tone of anger…

Why couldn’t you do it?! It was such a simple exercise and you blew it! Do you not realize how badly that reflects on your father’s career?!

The poor mare suppressed a shudder, instead keeping her eyes focused on Rainbow Dash. Or, at least she tried to, but soon enough, a strange thing distracted Fluttershy.

Foalish chuckles rang to her ears.

She… knew that voice… but, wasn’t he…?

In her surprise, she could not help but turn her head toward the carriage in the middle of their formation. The sudden cries from her friend were ignored in her hurry. Her whole attention was focused toward the scene presented to her eyes.

The golden alicorn was holding a hoof toward the guards pulling their chariot, pretending to be completely overpowered by his little brother. The effect was particularly ruined by the lack of serious and acting talent from every party involved, but that mattered very little.

Something healed up in her chest. It felt like a bit of heat had spread from her chest to the rest of her body. It was… nice.

A soft smile took place on her lips. Perhaps Twilight had been right. Everything would be just fine.

--

The rest of the trip to Canterlot ended up taking the better time of the day. The twilight of the day’s end was tainting the sky orange and red by the time our carriage landed. Princess Celestia was probably about to retire for the night and let Luna take care of stuff…

“Get down immediately, so you can be escorted to the throne room.”

Or not.

“Sure!” Tom replied, jumping off our carriage as soon as he had heard the order. “I can’t wait to meet Celestia! I bet she’s even cooler in person!”

“Hold on there, Sugarcube.” Applejack called, bemused.

“Huh?” He stopped in mid-run, turning over to her, and, by proxy, the rest of the Mane Six who were all putting their own hooves onto the firm ground.

“Didn’t you say you were her secret apprentice an’ all? How come you never met her before, then?”

The words having punched a hole in his claims with all the brutality of a manticore, Tom stared at her with wide eyes and an open mouth. He really looked like a deer caught in a heads light.

“I believe you know the answer to that question, Applejack,” I said lightly, taking pity on my poor baby brother.

“Yah, figures…” The mare rolled her eyes, a tiny smile on her face.

With a chuckle, I tapped Tom’s side gently and brought his attention back to the guards who were waiting impassively, body as still as stone statues.

My eyes fell onto their highest ranked officer and I barely perceived the slight nod he offered me before leading the way to Celestia’s throne room.

The architecture itself was… oppressive. From a purely objective point of view, it seemed rather simple and truly only remarkable in the expert craftsmanship decorating the way to the throne room. However, I, for one, had never been in such a place in my entire life.

Paintings of incredible battles, of days and nights, of festive events and sober moments, superb in their detailed nature, breathed a life onto the otherwise grey walls. The eyes of one such character seemed to briefly meet my gaze, for but the briefest of moments.

I had to wonder if I was not the fake.

Absolutely everything about this castle was so much beyond anything I had ever dreamed of that I felt miserably out of place. My insecurities were brought to the front of my mind, while I had naught but them to contemplate.

At my side, Tom seemed equally taken by the scenery, though his wide innocent eyes held none of the misery I felt. Good. Keep up the spirit, Tom.

Behind us, the Mane Six were still engaging in some quiet conversations. Well, Fluttershy and Twilight seemed to exchange some words, the nature of which was lost onto me, but the two mares were left smiling.

Satisfied with my assessment of the situation, I tried to avert my gaze from them, but Pinkie Pie’s intense stare stopped me.

Her eyes were fixated on me, creepily so. I had rarely been gazed upon with such intensity and certainly not by what was essentially a stranger.

Shaking my head, I chased off the off-putting thoughts, rather trying to focus on the problem at hands here.

We were going to meet Celestia, in person.

How the hay are we going to get out of that one?

My guts twisted with fear at the mental admission, I was trying very hard not to pale or generally appear nauseous. What kind of suspicions would that arise? Oh yeah, the new alicorn that came out of nowhere doesn’t want to meet our benevolent ruler or her sister for reasons he refuses to explain. THAT’s not suspicious.

I could not help grimacing at the predicament in front of us. Truly, I had not the slightest idea how to spin this into an acceptable tale.

I really started to sweat when we turned around the corner and I noticed two guards standing beside an enormous ornamented door. Our guide was walking straight toward it, confirming what I had suspected.

We were arriving. The last few seconds of freedom for us if I screwed this up.

A quick greeting between the stallions in front of us was all they needed to let us enter. Protocol however dictated that the girls entered first, as known acquaintance of the Princess.

Stepping aside, both Tom and I watched all six mares make their way inside the throne room.

“Her Majesty’s guests, Princess Twilight Sparkle and the Elements of Harmony, heroines of Equestria,” a page announced loudly.

Quite at ease, the girls walked up to the throne calmly, no emotions betrayed by their movements whatsoever. Not the slightest flinch, nor the faintest hesitation; they simply made their way to their princess without trouble. They knew they were welcome.

I didn’t. Still, I couldn’t delay it further when the page then announced our own presence.

My body refused to move, an invisible pressure making my limbs too heavy to succeed. My eyes were fixated on the throne and the white figure that was waiting for us.

A tug at my leg made me look down. Tom was looking at me with a frown. “Come on, Sam! They called for us.”

Silently, I nodded and motioned toward the room.

Heart maddened, my pulse beating against the side of my head, I started to walk.

The red carpet brushed off softly against my hooves. The light shone onto my fur through the stained glasses. The air entered my lungs softly, through an immense effort of will.

Dozens of eyes were falling on us. Nobles, dignitaries, servants, journalists and royalty; so many ponies, so many judgmental gaze to gauge our reactions, our attitudes. Already, whispers were spreading at our appearances, but so few seemed receptive. At best, they were puzzled… At worst…

It was almost tempting for me to spread my wings, simply for the sake of showing them off.

They would eat their words. Yet the thought, so tempting, was pushed aside almost instantly. Too much was at stake for me to nurse my ego. Besides, Tom didn’t seem to care much, walking to the throne with a shake in his limbs and a grin on his face.

“The alicorn known as Blade Darkblaze and…” The servant stopped abruptly, unaware of my addition to the group.

Apparently, nopony had thought to send a pony ahead… Just perfect. As if it wasn’t hard enough as it was.

Dozens of emotions ran wild in my head, from the most abject of fear to the purest of awe, and keeping an outwardly strong composure had never been so hard.

The throne was just a few meters away from our position. I was looking up, to the being that had requested my brother’s presence, and for whom I had had to delay our return to our universe.

For the first time in my life, I met Royalty, the god-like ruler of Equestria, monarch through divine right. Not arisen from her throne, Princess Celestia awaited visitors, lone figure in the immense gallery.

But what a figure it was. For a moment, the stallion I had become felt his mouth dry out at the sight of her incredibly well-sculpted body. White coat purer than the fresh snow, lustrous mane of the many sacred colors of the sky and slender form of grace, Princess Celestia was the most beautiful mare I had ever seen in my life.

My heart skipped a beat.

Then restarted as we got closer to see the one feature I had instantly started daydreaming about. My breath was cut short when my wish was granted and I got to see them…

Her eyes… they were the eyes of someone very old. They carried the weight of millennia of suffering and restless efforts, of love stolen away and friendship lost through time. That same weight fell on me, with its full intensity bearing a hole into my skull.

My hind legs gave out under me, bringing me into sitting position. It was as if my whole body had gotten heavier to a point I couldn’t support it.

I looked up to Princess Celestia, my heart overwhelmed by contradicting sentiments. I had been humbled by the sight of her alone.

I bowed my head respectfully.

“Princess.” My voice was hoarse, thick with emotion.

“Hey, Celestia! How are you doing?”

A wave of indignation rippled through me and the rest of the crowd. For freak’s sake, TOM!

Before I had the time to snap at him though, a motherly chuckle filled the air.

“My, what a bold foal,” Princess Celestia said with an indulgent smile. “I am feeling quite well, thank you.”

Tom puffed his chest at her words. It was positively adorable. And cringe worthy. “You’re welcome!”

Luckily, it seemed as if the crowd had taken it as an endearing scene, rather than a blatant offense toward their ruler. Celestia’s reaction probably accounted for that.

“So you are the mysterious colt I have heard so much about all week long?”

“Yup!” He neighed, his wings flaring into extended position. “That was me! And that’s my big bro, Sam!”

Princess Celestia almost seemed sorry when she spoke next.

“I am afraid I have never heard of either of you before.”

Silence fell.

The admittance of their princess’ ignorance had shocked any and all whispering amongst the crowd, as well as within the ranks of the Mane Six. Most of all, Twilight’s jaw had dropped and her eyes had widened, to an almost comical extent.

Rarity’s gaze seemed almost inquisitive, silently asking questions I could not hear, while Applejack, Pinkie and Rainbow Dash were all wearing puzzled frowns.

Fluttershy’s mask was unreadable.

The stares were heavy, a few downright hostile. Breathing seemed plain difficult with such pressure on us.

I looked up to her. “May I speak, Princess?”

“You may,” she said, graciously lowering her gaze on me.

Exhaling deeply, I stood up on my hooves, ignoring the growing knot in my throat threatening to suffocate me.

“My name is Ventus Vinco and this is my little brother, Calx Iugum.” I heard a scoff from Tom at that. I could not refrain from rolling my eyes and sighing. “…Whom you may also refer as Blade Darkblaze, if you wish.”

“Hay yeah!” Tom pumped a hoof, which brought a small laugh out of me.

The rest were a bit scandalized by this lack of decorum. It was worrying me quite a bit too… I made sure to lay it on thick with the formal attitude and tone of voice.

“We are the Alicorn of Wind and the Alicorn of Earth, away from our loved ones, but honored to meet one of the two Royal Pony Sisters.”

“Okay, hold on a minute!” A brash voice cut in my explanation, causing a shocked whisper to spread amongst the nobles.

“Yes, Rainbow Dash?” The princess turned to the cyan pegasus, as if she hadn’t grossly interjected into a formal event.

But Rainbow Dash had either not noticed or she didn’t care. Her eyes were all on me and they translated a great deal of annoyance. “You’re telling me there are even more alicorns out there?! I thought you guys were supposed to be super rare!”

Fear gripped my heart.

That was an echo of a rant I could read all too often in the fandom, whenever a new alicorn had been revealed. For a moment, the images of the daredevil was replaced by an entire fandom, breathing down my neck and asking for my disappearance.

…And that of Tom.

My veins filled with ice and a desire to snap her neck. I would not let that happen.

But my revitalized anger provided me with no courage to speak up. The slightest of slip-up might earn us a trip to the recycle bin, retconned out of existence and though a monster had a grip on my heart, it still desired continued existence...

Hesitating, I looked up to Celestia, whose only gesture was to nod. The exact same she had given me when I had asked permission to talk.

She was giving me the task to explain it all.

We’re doomed… Sorry Tom.

“We…” My guts twisted under an icy grip. “We are astral alicorns.”

“What?” Rainbow Dash blinked.

‘What?’ Indeed, RD. I have no idea what I’m saying. “There are other realms of existence beyond this one, Rainbow Dash. One such realm is the one where the forces of guidance, alicorns, are born. Such occurrences, rare as they may be, have allowed Harmony to persist into your world.”

Before continuing my speech, I shot a glance at Tom, who seemed completely lost. He probably assumed I would say we were humans. I simply thanked every lucky star I could think of that he was either shocked silent or smart enough not to interrupt.

“Your Princess and her sister have both come from this realm into your world in order to guide ponykind into a golden age of peace and prosperity.”

“Alright, I can buy that, but why are you two here, then?” Applejack gave us an annoyed glare, reacting to what I assumed was an implied insult against either their ability to sustain themselves or that of their princesses to guide them.

“Thank my little brother for that.” I scowled, glaring at him.

It had enough of an effect to make him shrink on himself, offering a sheepish smile. “Sorry?”

“Calx had decided to visit this world, whom he had heard had the most love and friendship of them all. Unfortunately, he did so without permission. Else he would have been told that there are good reasons why astral alicorns keep to themselves.”

“Is that so?” Rarity joined in on the fray, clearly curious.

“Yes. As I mentioned, alicorns are creature of guidance, but Harmony requires more than that. For there to be balance, there needs an opposing force to the order an alicorn brings.”

I saw comprehension dawn on her face, as it did on some others.

A part of me was glad they bought my story, but… Someone will call me out. There has to be at least one historian or something here. All my knowledge of their world comes from a children’s show. And if they do buy it thoroughly… well, I think I just made us bringer of disaster. Great job, Sam.

“I apologize on behalf of our elders, who did not foresee the possibility of my brother breaking the veil between our world and creating a portal here. Such a task should have proven beyond his capacities, but our father’s Cape of Ancient Power went missing the same day.” I finished my explanation through gritted teeth.

If possible, Tom looked even more sheepish, innocent and angel-like. It was nice to see someone had taken his acting lessons to heart. At least, my advices and techniques had not been lost through the ages.

“In fact, I believe that for an inconvenience such as that one, the safeguarding of that artifact should befall your hooves, Princess.”

Finally looking back at her, I realized that her silence had been suspiciously saving our butts in more ways than one. A word from her could have destroyed each and every one of my lies.

On her throne, the white alicorn had not moved.

Why aren’t you saying anything? I’m lying out of my ass here! You can’t not know that! Why aren’t you saying anything?

Her eyes were on me; they betrayed nothing.They reflected the barest amount of light. It… almost made me think they were… glassy.

W-what game are you playing, Celestia?

“Of course, Princess Luna and I will take great care of this artifact, until the Elders judge it better to recover.” She rose from her throne and took a few steps toward us.

Each step was punctuated by a clang of metal, between the armor she was wearing and the stony stairs before us. Each step resonated with one of my heartbeat.

I did my best to appear regal. I did not think I really succeeded. Not next to her.

She was taller than me, by at least one head. On even ground, I still had to look up to her. At this distance though, my senses were assaulted by a wide variety of new information. The flow of her mane created the slightest of breeze, comfortably warm. Sparkles flew out of the multicolor hair, adding to the ethereal aspect of her being. Her scent was reminiscent of a nice day of summer where everyone simply wanted to tan.

Heat nested in my chest and in my cheeks, making me quite squirmy, so close to her.

…I am checking out a pony princess... This is actually happening… again. Darn those are nice flanks!

Status update: disturbed.

She then proceeded to lean toward Tom, which… gave me… a nice… errh… view. She is definitely trolling me. “Then, Sir Blade, will you hand me over that cape?”

Wow, Princess Celestia was good. Asked so nicely, by one of his favorite ponies no less, the demand was that much harder for him to deny.

“Do I have to?” He pouted, his tone turning a bit whiny and pitiful.

It hit a chord in me, but I suspected Celestia had more than enough experience in dealing with children.

“Yes, it would be much safer with me. You would not want ill-events happening to your father’s cape, would you?”

“No…” Tom trailed off, looking away not to see the calm encouragement in her eyes. If he did not see her, then he would not feel guilty for not handing it over.

“Well then?” Celestia pressed again, still as patient and serene as ever.

“…Fine…” He pouted, sighed and slumped, all in one swift motion.

With a sad bite, he untied the knot keeping the cape on his back. The piece of fabric slid off his back, to his great regret.

Then something strange happened.

Just as the cape was about to hit the ground, an impulse went through my body, to reach forward, to take the item for myself. Magic seemed to radiate off from it in waves, an invisible temptation that rippled through the air and grabbed my attention.

Want.

“Oooh, shiny!” somepony cut me off, snatching the cape before I could make a move for it.

“Pinkie, what are you doing?!” Twilight hissed, eyes narrowed at her friend’s antics.

“Hey girls, try to guess who I am!” the pink mare joked, putting on the cape and posing. “Ah’m gonna get mah Cutie Mark!”

I let out a nervous snort at that and a few ponies turned toward me in response. “ My apologies,” I quickly added.

“Pinkie, that’s not a toy!”

But her friend did not seem very focused on what she was saying. Rather, Pinkie’s eyes seemed lost, staring into empty space with a blank expression. “Oh, what is that door?”

Twilight reached for the cape, intent on taking it off her friend’s back, but to the shock of most, me included, Pinkie… vanished into thin air…

W-what? I blinked.

The whole court seemed to just freeze in time. Nopony had the slightest idea of what had happened, I would bet my tail on it.

Almost everypony.

Next to me, a thundering stomp sent my eardrums on the verge of ripping. Pain literally threatened to split my head in two.

In a blinding flash of light, Pinkie had reappeared next to Twilight, eyes woozy and going off in opposite directions in circular motions.

“Oh girls, it was so strange. There was this wall, beyond the fabric of time and space and it-”

“Pinkamina Diane Pie.” Princess Celestia’s voice filled the court room, even as she spoke much quieter than the Royal Canterlot Voice. “Please refrain from behaving in such ways in the future.”

The mare was quick to offer a sheepish smile as an apology. “Okey dokey, your Majesty.”

With a very small sigh, the princess called upon her magic, making her horn glow a golden light and enveloping the cape in the same aura. The artifact imploded with a small, ridiculous ‘pop’. Had I not been convinced that had to be a teleporting spell, I would have stared with wide eyes.

“Now that this small problem has been taken care of…” The white alicorn turned back to us again.

I had to fight with everything I had not to cower in shame for lying in her face. She knows. She’s just playing along. She has to.

“Would you please expand on your reasons for coming here, Ventus?”

Repressing yet another urge to show my guilt, this time by gulping loudly, I made a show of careful formality. “As you wish, Princess.”

She acknowledged my statement with the faintest of nod, before returning to her throne.

“I descended into Equestria in an attempt to retrieve my brother from your country before his stay had unintended consequences. However, due to the nature of his little trip, I had been unaware of his arrival in Equestria before recently. As such, I have yet to spend a complete day in your kingdom, while I believe a week has passed since Calx made it here.”

“My faithful student?” the princess called, her tone slightly inquisitive.

“His statement matches with our own side of the events,” Twilight replied instantly, glancing between us and her teacher.

“I see…” Celestia’s eyes fell on Tom, intense, more so than before.

Whether dense, oblivious or just that confident, my little brother didn’t even flinch. A rush of newfound respect for him was born at that point. Now, I had to resist the desire to ruffle his unruly mane and put him in a glorious brotherly headlock.

“In that case, I would like to ask you one more question.”

Go ahead. I’m certainly not going to interrupt when you’re the only reason we’re not in a dungeon or a limbo between life and death.

“How is my dear cousin Magnus?”

I was shocked silent.

“I… beg you pardon?” What the hell are you talking about? Who is-?

“Your father,” she explained, staring intensively at me. “I would recognize that jaw anywhere.”

Images of a tall and bulky red alicorn flashed in my mind. What the…?

“I…”

“Not to mention the magic in that cape is without a doubt that of the Alicorn of Strength.” Her crystalline chuckle reached my ears. “Yes, you two are definitely his sons.”

I saw that same crimson alicorn, talking softly and comforting a smaller me. He nuzzled me, telling me everything was going to be fine. For a second, my heart flickered with joy, before horror started to crash down on me. The hell? The HELL?!

“You have guessed well, Princess.” I bowed respectfully, as much as a show of respect than an attempt to hide my quivering lips. “Magnus is indeed our father.”

My teeth were grinding together, beyond my control. A binding pain was circling my head, as more images flooded my mind. Suddenly, it was as if that alicorn had always been part of my life. Heck, I could remember in great detail the first father and son bonding activity I had with him AND Tom, but whereas the memories were heartwarming, I was all but at ease.

I was scared shitless. Something was very wrong with my brain. Fake memories? Dad wasn’t an alicorn, what the hell? Besides, that cape was invented by Tom. It couldn’t have a legacy or be recognizable either!

“Saaaaam…”

My head snapped to the right, recognizing that whiny cry of pain anywhere. My worries were blown away from that very second, instead replaced by a very real fear for Tom’s health.

I was by his side, wings lifting his chin toward me. His eyes were crunched close and his mouth was little more than a tight line at this point. “What’s wrong, buddy?”

“My head hurts… real bad, Sam…” Tears started to gather in the corner of his eyes.

Sirens and alarms started going off in my head. I was no doctor, but bad headaches could be very bad signs.

“Princess!” I turned to her, unable to hide my distress. “Please, let us adjourn this meeting so my little brother may receive medical attention!”

To my growing dismay, Princess Celestia closed her eyes mutely. She seemed to be mulling it over, debating whether or not this was important enough to delay her precious interrogation. Don’t you dare…!

“Twilight Sparkle?”

“Yes, Princess?” the lavender alicorn asked, eager to please.

“Have you and your friends bring Calx Iugum to the infirmary, immediately.”

“Yes, Princess!” Rainbow Dash saluted, half-way grinning at the idea of serving her leader’s instructions.

A flurry of colors flew inches away from my form, creating just enough wind to brush my fur. A light of recognition lit up in my brain, telling me of such occurrences when I had been that same wind, a playful and free spirit tickling airborne creatures, teasing the earthbound ones with a rather cruel streak.

I don’t understand… I don’t get it…

“Don’t worry.” I heard a gentle and quiet voice, just as its owner ran past me. Yellow and pink. “We’ll take good care of you.”

My neck twisted, so my eyes could follow her track. All six heroines were standing around my little brother. Compared to them, he looked so small, so vulnerable when he was not so boasting.

The urge to protect him rose.

Just as he was being carefully lifted by Twilight magic’s, Tom’s gaze met mine, his carrying pain intense enough to cloud it. It made me flinch. That usually lively face of his was crunched; muscles contracted less under his control than he’d like us to believe. Heck, if it had been anyone but me, I doubt he would have allowed them to see. To me, though, the words he could not say were crystal clear.

“Stay with me, Sam.”

There was no need for me to nod or even acknowledge them. It went without question that I would be with him.

A certain princess thought otherwise however and made her opinion rather clear.

“Ventus.” The word bore an urgent note to it, combined with a powerful order. “I need you to stay. There are still questions that must be asked.”

Two of my hooves still suspended in midair, halfway through the motion needed for me to start following the mares and my little brother, I reluctantly halted my progression. My eyes were on Celestia, with nothing in them but a demand I knew she could hear.

Her gaze never hardened, nor became more intense, as it already held the quality necessary for anypony to understand. I felt her compassion at my situation, as a small bout of warmth in my heart, but it was too little to help.

Chiseled…. Cracking sounds started grated my ears. Their provenance was unknown, but their echoes were not. Nails on a chalkboard, aluminum under your teeth, an incessant ringing… The more I thought about Celestia’s order, the stronger they became.

I was needed here, apparently. Great. I had to stay and entertain decadent nobility while Tom wanted me by his side. This is so pointless. Why don’t they just roll over and die while I go see Tom? It wouldn’t be so troublesome. I’d get to do what is truly important.

“Ventus,” Celestia said, with a hint of steel behind her tone.

Her gaze had hardened this time, with her delicate brows lowered and her expression stone-like. In a shadow looming over her head, I saw hellish flames and a harsh light, burning and searing straight through evil. It was aimed at me. And for her to be so guarded so suddenly… there could only be one cause.

Can you read my mind, Celestia? If you do… then really, just send us back home. It’s all I want from you and your little ponies… This is turning into a disaster… Just… help us…

“I will do as you say, Princess.” I bowed, biting back the urge to scream my anguish and my guilt to the world.

Right as I had finished talking though, an invisible pressure was lifted from my shoulders. I understood quickly when my fellow alicorn spoke, this time with a peaceful voice. “I thank you for your understanding. This is simply too important of an issue to let go unresolved.”

Yes, of course. Rarely had I felt this venomous about obeying authority before. Still, I couldn’t let this be more transparent. “Yes, of course.”

Princess Celestia glanced to her left, where a pale blue pony held a quill in his mouth, over a scroll. I saw the glint of acknowledgment in the scribe’s eyes. So did that mare.

She turned back to me, stared straight at me and solemnly opened her mouth to speak. For some troubling precious seconds though, I could have sworn she had almost choked on her words. “Please, tell me. How old are you?”

The question made me blink. I had to admit, that wasn’t the kind of thing I thought I would be questioned on, unless I wanted to visit a bar.

Random number under a thousand… “I will turn four-hundred and twenty-six on the day of the next solar eclipse, Princess.”

My vision blurred.

A mare. I could see a mare. Not that mind-blowingly sexy Celestia, but a simple, tomboyish mare with a straw hanging on her lower lips.

I thought she was pretty, with a crescent moon Cutie Mark and a cream colored coat. It… suited her. Remarkably, she had this aura… this part of her that grabbed the gaze and held it on her.

No, I was wrong. It was not a mare, but the image of a mare, seen through a cloud of dust that changed shape and form. An endless void, whose only goal seemed to swallow the light of the stars, surrounded the cloud, made a blanket of magic over my shoulders.

I still had hooves, wings and a horn. I was alone though. Alone with just a few glimpse of a possible friend for sole company.

Suns moved in the dark sky, moons turned red then blue and winds brushed against the face of endless planets. The passing of time had lost meaning. It could not be defined anymore, but I knew I wished it to end, to change… oh so many times.

The void outside was a great reflection of what was inside me.

But I was also wrong, in that I thought it was just one mare. Dozens of ponies, of all sizes and colors, flashed before my eyes, each more unique than the next, each close to my heart just through timid observation.

They called to the winds, look at the sky with tenderness and asked for a little favor. Always granted, for they saw the sky as a great place. Each thought was a little fragment of kindness to rub on that gaping wound in my being. A little more loved, a little less lonely.

Was it cheating? Yes, but what my parents hadn’t known wouldn’t shame them. I suspected Mother knew of my meddling even then, but kept quiet. Besides, though forbidden, I was simply helping ponies with their lives. What did it matter that I granted a few some extras for the duration of their short lives?

Every single one of them died of old age, years before my descent into Equestria.

Oh Elders, I was going to start tearing up. Why did I have to think of th-?

THE HELL?!

“I… see… and your brother?”

The question flew right over my head. I could not process it. The world was spinning around me, too big and too small, oppressive and free, unstable and unmoving... What was going on? What was happening to me?

What is the meaning of this? I’m… what’s my REAL name? Which one is it? It’s… huh… Sam Miller…right? RIGHT?! “Sixty-three.”

Something lit up in her gaze, something tragic. Princess Celestia seemed… distressed. I barely caught her words, as my attention was almost entirely on my own troubles, but I caught them nonetheless. “That long?”

“Yes.” And I knew what to say next, through some exercise of magic or an incredibly subtle intuition I had never known to possess before. “I apologize, but the Elders had voted an intervention irrelevant to your reign.”

For the first time, perhaps in a pony’s lifetime, the mask of the immortal goddess slipped, showing a deep pain I was also starting to understand, yet could not discern the reason behind.

A shadow passed over her frame. Literally.

My eyes shot up to the sky, toward this dark silhouette, indistinct while in front of the setting sun. Wings extended, it glided in our directions. Aristocrats and citizens of all kinds were all turned toward the balcony, as I was, trying to catch a glimpse of the newcomer’s nature. Some did, as small smirks and smile found their ways on their faces.

Her hooves hit the ground silently, one last extension of her wings slowly down her landing to a slow and graceful exercise. More regal than I could ever manage to be, her dark fur and mane eclipsed nearly everything else.

Recognition hit me like a speeding bullet.

My knees almost buckled. I could not help it. I had been prepared before seeing Celestia, I was not prepared for this.

“It is nearly time, Sister,” Luna spoke clearly, with the slightest of disappointment in her voice.

“I know…” The older alicorn took a deep breath, hardening her resolve.

“I have observed… and I believe this one speaks the truth, Tia. The veil has been disrupted and all signs point to it being two alicorns’ doing. We must prepare for what will inevitably come next.”

I sucked in a terrified breath, halfway acting. “Princess Luna…” I said with a bow. “Have our actions…?”

“Yes, with two new forces of guidance amongst our midst, we must be ready for the appearance of a new power of disruption.”

W-why is she also supporting my story? T-that can’t be right. She… wait… did she even hear it? She wasn’t even close to us! Heck, I doubt even the guards at the door were close enough.

I stared at the Princess of the Night. This wasn’t making sense.

I… have I managed to get SO lucky as to guess PRECISELY how this world works? No way… that’s just wishful thinking. But why didn’t Celestia call me out? She has nothing to gain by protecting a liar like me. Honestly, without her implicit support, bronies would be screaming bullshit at their… screen…

It dawned on me.

The show…

“It is unknown to me what the punishment for those two will be, Tia, but I doubt the Elders would punish them in a way dangerous for our kingdom as well.”

My heart squeezed in fear, even as my brain roared in triumph.

I… I get it. I wasn’t lying… Since this is the show… I’m as good a source as any to reveal the backstory behind other alicorns… I’m a credible source enough as it is… So it’s real. Bronies will accept it as real, so suddenly Celestia always knew that… I made myself older by more than four hundred years… and Tom’s now more than half a dozen time his real age.

I’m a moron.

For someone that had understood the deeper physics behind the world, I was somehow not ridiculously panicking. In fact, my heart had slowed down to a snail’s pace. Calm had washed away everything, making it… eerie. Everything was so slow… would never make even the slightest bit of progress... just one throne room filled with unmoving dolls.

What I say goes, unless someone’s more likely to be right. Basically, I can shove my headcanons down other peoples’ throats. Wow… I feel like a fanfic writer.

The world felt… damp, too old and distant to be real. With an unfocused gaze, I shot a look at the assembled ponies. All of them were transfixed. All of them were all so pointless.

Well, it’s only canon so long as it’s accepted by the larger fanbase… I think? Maybe? Who decides what goes and what doesn’t?

Dolls. Puppets for the amusement.

What of the fanfics? Do they count? This is obviously the show… right? So whatever monstrosity some write, it won’t reflect back on here… it can’t.

Breaking the Fourth Wall is a thing. I could get Pinkie to shatter it and then, there goes the idiots. Not a problem anymore.

But… what of Retcons?

“Please, Ventus, step forward,” Princess Celestia asked with an imperative tone.

My hooves moved without my accord, not that I cared much. I had other things to think about. My survival and Tom’s depended on my ability to think straight.

And so, I obeyed her order mechanically, in the same matter of robots and livings dolls I had mocked those foolish cartoon characters for being. I heard her words, her explanations and her excuses for doing this, but her message was entirely lost on me. Her voice was just a muddled background noise to me.

I nodded, to whatever she had asked, face betraying a suitable amount of anxiety.

“How courageous of this one,” Luna remarked in passing.

The Alicorn of the Night placed herself behind me and I heard the sound of wings being opened. In front of me, Celestia was towering over me in all her glory, betraying nothing of her nervousness.

On the ground, searing red lights flared so suddenly I had to divert my gaze in pain. It had happened distressingly quickly, forcing my eyes closed, of course, but also making me realize I was trapped in a circle of glowing symbols and runes.

My hooves were glued to the floor. A slight pressure circling my ankles told me all I need to know. I was being restrained.

“This is a spell designed to reveal one’s true form, Ventus,” a princess -- which one I did not know -- tried to tell me, over the ethereal melody of the runes on the ground. “If you are what you claim to be, then no harm will come to you. If not…”

Crystal clear.

Despite my mental protests, I could do nothing more than nod and gulp down, eyes shifting quickly between Princess Celestia and the few ponies at the edge of my vision. Luna was out of my sight, which might be fortunate as that was one less pony to see how terrified I was of the procedure.

My cover story was slowly crumbling apart, but I could not fight the knowledge that I would be unmasked in a few seconds. Then the true shitstorm would begin.

I almost squeaked when Celestia’s horn lit up a beautiful golden color.

Luna yelled something, in an ancient language long forgotten of ponies and all equines alike… but this one struck a chord inside. It… resonated with instincts I never had before, found a goal in my mind I was starting to forget and inflated the things I knew were right about me.

Then, the magical circle completely engulfed me. Suddenly, it wasn’t about being in Equestria anymore. Things were more complex and more simple than that. I was, then I wasn’t.

Only a blinding light within. Only an enlightening darkness outside. No limbs nor wings, no horns and hooves, no fake alicorn, just Sam.

That was who I was, Sam. Big Brother, occasional jerk, brony, geek, Sam. Me.

I had no body, no material attachment anymore. I had… transcended

“Ventus Vinco.” Ethereal noises echoed in the void and the frozen time.

“Who?” I replied, vaguely confused.

“You.”

“But that’s not me.”

“It is.”

I was in the throne room.

“The spell is done,” a motherly, tired voice said, letting out a sigh of relief.

I was still a pony.

“One’s true form… is as it should be.” Princess Celestia closed her eyes, letting a bit of her mask slip again, shaking off the last of a tiredness brought by the magical revelation.

You’re… joking! Y-you… you INCOMPETENT IDIOTS! How could you fail so badly?! How dare you even imply I’m NOT HUMAN, BITCHES?!

I suppressed a sob of pure despair. Oh God… I’m not human… W-what about Tom? I-is it just me or are we both…?

One should not have to show such a stoic and polite attitude when they are so crushed. My façade remained the same. I kept up the mask.

“That one is definitely no changeling, Sister.”

“Yes… that is a great relief.” The white alicorn smiled, though it felt fake to me. “A visit from our family is always a source of rejoicing.”

My head was spinning. Haha… ha… ahhh… I’m thinking of something else. NOW!

I blinked. Princess Luna had somehow sneaked up in front of me without me noticing. Her eyes seemed halfdropped, but her smile had a charming quality to it that caught me off guard.

What she did next baffled me.

She bowed. “I welcome you to our kingdom, little cousin.”

My brain caught on fire.

I am both the luckiest brony alive and quickly becoming the one to be the target of the most insane amount of jealousy ever.

“I… Princess Luna!” I shouted, too shocked to control the volume of my voice. “It is I that should be bowing at your hooves! I am naught but a youngster and an inexperienced foal in comparison to you and your sister!”

The Princess of the Night chuckled and she patted me like one would a foal. “That may be so, but we have learned that a little respect and appreciation is a most precious gift.”

T-that… hit way too close to home. Thinking of something else now.

“…Thank you, Princess Luna.” I bowed in return, doing my best to sound profoundly humbled. “Such feelings from you are priceless. I hope to prove myself worthy of them.”

Great. I’m becoming friend with Luna. The chords of my Suedom have started echoing in every corner of the Internet.

Vaguely, I noted the sun setting against the horizon. The day was almost over and soon, it would be Luna’s turn to rule.

As such, the sisters swapped places, Luna getting onto the throne while Celestia remained at the feet of the stairs, much closer to my level.

My mind however, was miles away from such details.

Plan A: I’m getting the hell out of the castle with Tom before I’m also labeled a complete Stu by the fanbase and prompt them to petition Hasbro to remove us from the timeline. Plan B: we hope for the best.

It really wasn’t that complicated.

All I had to do was avoid the worst clichés and I would avoid the brunt of the hatred. Of course, since Tom and I were both alicorns already, we were already in the red. Next, we should avoid the spotlight…

Right, so, all I have to do is slowly eclipse myself, take Tom with me and stop gathering attention. Laying low, no meddling, no nothing, just be an average John Doe that lives in a forgotten old town in the middle of nowhere. Also, I am never speaking out loud again, for fear I accidentally create a pantheon or a devil or reveal that Celestia used to like tea or some crap like that. There, a solid plan that would limit the collateral damage.

Unfortunately… Princess Celestia had other plans.

I saw it coming, just by the way she placed her focus on her scribe, by the subtle change in her posture when she opened her mouth to speak, but the realization shocked me into silence at the crucial moment. I could not think of any way to prevent this.

“In the face of evidence of our guests’ shared lineage with us, we wish to extend an offer of hospitality to our young cousins, so they may share our roof and our food, until their duties call them elsewhere. It is decreed in my name, Princess Celestia, Co-Ruler of Equestria and Alicorn of the Day.”

…Well... fuck.

The few next minutes went by in a haze. Nothing could be defined quite clearly. I knew that, at some point, I had been led out of the throne room, as court was adjourned and some nobleponies retired for the night. A significantly smaller number of them arrived specifically for the beginning of the night court.

I walked past them without a care in the world, if only a vague recognition that they existed. I was much too deep into my thoughts and my fears.

What can I say now? Can I just run away and pretend that ‘The Wind is Free’ or some crap like that if they catch up? They’ll call me irresponsible. That I hate the pressure? They’ll tell me I’m as whiny as Tom, which, to be fair, is both true and sad. That I’m not worthy? No, it will make others shill my character and that’s just one more quick trip to the Stu bin.

“Excuse me, good sirs.” I asked two guards patrolling, distantly noticing their surprise at being addressed by an unknown alicorn. “Could you point the direction of the infirmary to me, please?”

The biggest of the two, a bright orange stallion, turned to the other with a small hesitation. Obviously, neither were thrilled with my interruptions, but that was their jobs, right? The small light brown stallion – a pegasus – seemingly mulled it over, biting his lips.

They had a silent exchange of glances and meaningful tics, none I could make out well, the orange one turned back to me. “It is a little complicated, Sir.”

I’m getting used to that sort of thing, now, please. For sole response, I nodded and tried to look politely eager.

I somehow pulled that off. “My little brother has just been taken there, I would like to see him as soon as possible, gentlecolts.”

The guard relented. “Look, Storm Lance, I can show him the way, just go talk to the captain by yourself.”

At the suggestion, the bigger stallion darkened. Visibly, it was an unwelcomed solution, but one nonetheless. He agreed, grumbling and mumbling quite a bit. My gaze followed the orange stallion as he left us both alone.

“So, huh…” The second guard hesitated, not very good at keeping the surprise out of his face at the sight of me. “You want to go to the infirmary, Sir?”

Oh for freak’s sake… Did I stutter, you idiot? “Yes, please.”

“This way,” he said, trotting toward a stone staircase.

With a small insincere and annoyed thanks, I let my legs carry me in the same direction.

--

He was… disheartened. Not just… schoolyard breakup or dashed expectations about book disheartened…

There was a giant hole in his chest.

They had made the official announcement in class the day before. The school had received a notification from the police and the teacher had said it.

Cassandra had broken into tears on the spot. He had gone into denial.

That… that’s not real… Sam’s… missing?

Unfortunately, it was dreadfully real and, according to some, likely. There were whispers to be shared, that he had gone crazy after his brother had disappeared. He was seeing a psychologist after all…

Some had even wondered if Sam himself had not been responsible outright, then ran off at the first occasion.

A pair of girls who had dared say that out loud around Cassandra had been slapped so hard one of them had lost a tooth. He had cheered mentally, even as he had run up to her to restrain her.

It did not end well. Now Cassandra had been suspended too. There were rumors that her parents had decided to move away, seeing as this couldn’t be a healthy environment for her to study. So Eric had been left alone. All alone, sitting at their usual table, without a soul daring to approach him, as if he carried some sort of curse.

Words were said around him now, most objectives or even compassionates though, as he was slowly losing his friends one by one.

Between Sam and Cassandra, he had yet to spend more than a few hours without a black eye. Both for the same triggers too. Both had just lost someone extremely important to them and he had done something to piss them off. He wasn’t quite sure what in both case too…

Sitting at home, he had started moving in a slow daze. His life had started to head into a downward spiral.

Forces of habit oblige, he had gone into the right folders to check out on pony news. He had looked over the standard issues quickly, skimming contents he would have usually read avidly. Not anymore.

It felt pointless.

Somehow that didn’t stop him from logging into his pony roleplaying chat. Two other members of their groups were already in heated discussion about today’s episode. He had yet to see it. Hadn’t had the heart. Hadn’t felt the usual excited spark.

Being punched in the face by your best friend for bringing it up at the wrong time had left a truly bitter taste in his mouth. Now that Sam was gone too… it had started to make him vaguely ill.

“-istening to yourself? No seriously, Dude. That rant hardly makes him less than a quick attempt by the writers to ‘fix’ their previous blunder. He’s another alicorn out of nowhere!”

That made Eric blink. So there were still new alicorns being suddenly introduced? Gee, the writers could really use a new twist…

“He didn’t come out of nowhere! He came running after a member of his family that had gone missing! Any intelligent person would have realized that a little kid showing out of nowhere without anyone to accompany him would have a guardian not far away.”

“Still an asspull!”

“No, he’s not! He was mentioned by mini-stu in the previous episode! (Oh, and hi NightServant!)”

Eric was tempted to just ignore the greetings and closed the tabs… but he decided against it. He could use some company, even if it was about… well, it was about My Little Pony. He hadn’t felt very comfortable logging back in about.

“Hi guys.” He typed, sighing. “I take it you’re talking about the show.”

“(So, how are you doing? Oh, and is ScatteredWind okay? You said he was acting weird last time?) Yeah, and I was telling LoveCupcakes that this is all a load of crap!”

For a moment, Eric truly was at a loss as to what to answer. Sam had really not acted like himself.

“(You’re lucky you weren’t there… man, he was nuts. It was something about his family, right? Tell me it’s gotten better. If he blows a casket like that last one at me again, I might try to hack his writer’s account and troll him…) Come on, Dude! He even explained that mini-stu was boosted. Now he won’t be able to show up the Mane Six out of nowhere!”

Somehow, a conversation that should have been at the front of his mind at the present moment had been relegated to completely stupid and pointless rambling. He didn’t want to think about Sam anymore. Just thinking about it made his eye hurt.

“(I… think he’s fine).”

“(Good) I like that part! It’s just that I hate they had to use a new freaking ALICORN to do it! Why not just bring him to Celestia and have her do that herself! Heck, she mostly did it already!”

“Oh come on! That new guy helps explain the backstory behind the Princess! You can’t tell me you don’t want that! You always complain about the lack of it.”

“He’s got a point, BestDerp.” Eric jumped in, momentarily taken by the argument. “Wait, they did that?”

“Yes.”

“Sorta.”

He stared at his computer screen.

“Hu-uh…”

“Okay, here’s the thing. I didn’t want someone telling me about Celestia’s backstory, I wanted them to SHOW US!”

There was a moment during which the log didn’t update. Eric held the conviction his penpal had been baffled by the point. Finally, after a few minutes of waiting, LoveCupcakes replied.

“…Touché.”

“What about you, NightServant? Tell me you’re part of the enlightened one and you know what kind of franchise killing crap this is, right?”

He had told something like that to Sam… then…

The pain in his eye seemed to intensify.

“I have no clue. I don’t even know who you’re talking about.”

“Wait, you haven’t seen it yet?”

Without much conviction, he still typed out an answer.

“Judging by your description… yeah, I don’t think I’ll be watching an episode soon.”

--

I pushed the door open, relieved to finally be here.

That other guard… had been one tedious companion. He had tried to be helpful, obviously, but there was no way I would not notice the dozens of looks he sent my way in wonder. I could understand the sentiment. Heck, if the equivalent of a previously unheard of pony angel just asked me directions out of nowhere, I would be rather curious as to his origins and such too.

But really, I had other things on my mind and the staring had gotten old fast. Still, I had tried projecting the image of a reasonable figure before and I could not break character now. Who knew who could be watching my… every… move…?

I suppressed a shiver.

Knowing that this world was part of a TV show made it all so much worse. Heck, I already had to watch my every word just not to alter reality. And while each episode only lasted about twenty minutes, it still could cover the most crucial moments.

No rest, no time to let go of this mask. I had to slip it on and glue it to my face.

It did not slip when I put a hoof into the infirmary, glancing around and trying to spot my little brother. That much was frustratingly hard to do, as the room seemed filled with beds and curtains, for privacy’s sake, no doubt. Well, at least, it might come in handy when I would need to draw those symbols again.

For the sake of my sanity and your safety, Tom, I sure hope we can do this.

I pressed forward, walking between the beds, peeking through the curtains a few times with the hope of seeing Tom. So far, my researches had ended with a boot to the face by an indignant mare and a few gasps at my indiscretion.

Clearly, I was going at this the wrong way.

Shaking my head, I went for the sensible solution. Where’s the nurse?

“Sir?” A curious and definitely female voice took me by surprise, making me flinch.

It was a mare alright and not a bad looking one at that. Her coat was a softer shade of pink than the Element of Laugher, but her mane was a very fiery red. The soft curves of her face made her expression kind, while the bright blue of her eyes added an alluring quality to her gaze. And man, those were nice flanks, I’d-

SHUT UP, HORMONES!

“Madam?” I replied, already putting that sudden spike of adrenaline behind me.

“May I help you?” She asked, frowning slightly at my earlier behavior.

“Yes. The Elements of Harmony were ordered to carry my little brother here. I would like to see him now, if you would.” You better…

“Of course.” She nodded instantly. “Who is your brother?”

Urgh, right. “His coat is of the darkest blue while his body carries the strengths of all three pony tribes.” Was that too sueish? Or just a simple truth?

I gritted my teeth. This was so complicated. Where did I draw a line in all this? WHERE?!

“Ah, yes, I remember him. We gave him sleeping medicine almost right away. It should both make him comfortable for the night and allow his body to fight off the illness without him noticing.”

That sounded like a nice change of pace, for once, though the words jogged up some memories…

“Ah, I see.” The corners of my lips twisted into a pained grimace. “He wasn’t too difficult about it, was he?”

Instantly, as soon as the words had flown through the air and reached her ears, the mare had diverted her gaze, refusing to make eye contact. “Well…”

The urge to hit my face with my own hoof grew within me. “Typical…” I muttered.

“I’ll show him to you right away,” the mare said, using a delicate tone to pander up to me. It wasn’t working, but the thought could be appreciated for once.

She was even quick and efficient about her task. Now we were getting somewhere.

“If there is anything you need, you can simply call me,” she declared, walking away.

“Thank you.” I nodded and looked back to the curtain.

They had been drawn close, offering some privacy to Tom, not that he cared much about that. Usually, he was the kind of kid to just go somewhere to drop down and sleep. Even more suspicious, the curtains were stretched slightly on one side of the bed, by a form I doubted no belonged to another pony.

I felt the need to rush inside, and my hooves moved faster than my brain could register.

The pieces of silk slapped my face, then my shoulders and my wings. Quickly, my eyes registered a yellow pegasus, standing close, and a blue foal resting under the bed sheet.

Said pegasus jumped a few feet in the air at my sudden entrance. Her wings spread protectively over my little brother, only for her eyes to widen in recognition.

“Oh, I… I thought it might be… hum…” She lowered her head, looking miserable. “Sorry…”

“It’s fine.” I shrugged, squashing the dark thoughts that had been born when she had tried to place herself between me and him. “How is he?”

“He just fell asleep… he was calling for you…”

My heart almost exploded. Why couldn’t have I gone with him in the first place?! All it did was make the whole situation completely unbearable! Damn it…

Fighting the urge to growl and scream, I forced my mouth into a thin line. Silently, I stalked closer to him, eyes stuck on his peaceful body. His breathing lifted the sheets periodically, a reassuring sight to me.

My hind legs folded as I sat down, beaten by the emotional rollercoaster this world had unleashed on me. I hadn’t been here for a day, yet it seemed like a year already.

I reached forward, placing my muzzle against the side of his head. Subconsciously, he leaned into it. The gentle contact almost broke a dam in me.

It was getting harder and harder to keep that mask on my face. I didn’t want to be that strong. I just wanted to go back and be carefree again. Just me and Tom, back home, so we could go back to our lives before all went to hell.

“I… ” The word was so quiet I almost missed it.

Eyes shifting back to my unexpected companion, I gave her a very tired look.

“Yes?” My voice was hoarse, raspy even.

I could not keep up for long. Not for long…

“I’m sorry…” Her gaze avoided mine. Her pink mane fell over her face. “I shouldn’t have said that earlier…”

“It’s… fine… I understand.”

“I… I’ll leave you two alone now…” The poor mare almost fled, eyes filling with tears.

Of what? I couldn’t tell. Yet, as I watched her leave, I wondered… why?

Giving forgiveness should have been a blessing, right? Why did nothing change then? Why wasn’t I able to give a damn about her apologies? There was still this burning fury in me, this lack of sympathy, a black pitch darkness… That wasn’t me…

I heard a groan and my attention changed focused so quickly I gave myself whiplash.

His eyes were clenched shut, but Tom was stirring in his sleep. The rustling of the sheets were like screams in my ears.

I leaned over the edge of the bed, spreading my wings and my feather into a blanket, one that would hopefully reach out to him. They covered him, forming a shield for him to rest under.

We were close. Close enough for me to feel the warmth of his body, the rebellious knots in his unkempt fur, the pain in his tensed muscles, wet trails that started form on his face…

“I’m here, Tom…” I whispered into his ears.

“Mom…”

“Shhhh, it’s gonna be okay. We’ll see her soon.” Please, let that be the truth. “I promise.”

--

At first, he hadn’t been able to formulate what had possessed him to get out of bed at this ungodly time of the day. Darkness still covered the land like a cool blanket and one pony could not pierce through that same darkness with his eyes alone.

Normally.

Tonight, he could.

He didn’t say a thing. He rarely did.

But tonight Big Macintosh was worried about those flickering lights dancing amongst the trees of his family’s farm.

--

Morning would soon make itself visible in the night sky, signaling the end of her hours of reign.

It was with a sigh of relief that she would welcome the moment she’d be freed of her duties for one more day. Ruling a kingdom was an endeavor that one could not simply be half-assed about and gaining her subjects’ admiration had proven to be a fight of every day. At times, Luna was almost jealous of her sister, but she knew better now.

Celestia had had a thousand years of devotion and fair ruling to gain the near universal love of her subjects. For her darker, formerly bad, little sister to believe she could catch up to her so quickly would be a naivety without equal.

Yet, every night, she could count a few more ponies willing to look at her with for something other than political power.

The door of her office creaked open and inside entered a well-known figure in her life.

“Tia, how good it is to see you.” Luna jumped to her hooves, smiling. “The Grapes’ family vendetta with the Prunes are slowly driving me back to madness!”

Her sister chuckled at the complaints. “I see you still do not appreciate the subtlety of solving everypony’s problems for them everywhere all the time.”

Luna stared at her flatly. “I am serious, Tia. I’ve been trying to figure out a way for the better part of an hour now and I still do not have a hint of an idea on how to begin this.”

“Let me see.” Celestia moved, stepping next to her younger sister, peaking at the papers lying across the wooden desk.

Gladly, Luna allowed her full access to the papers, with the hope she could finally be freed from this dilemma. Sometimes, being a princess wasn’t all that glamorous.

For starters, she had yet to get the opportunity to visit her friend Pip in person again. Oh, she had seen him in his dreams many times already, but… she couldn’t neglect her duty, even for her favorite little colt.

An endless, eternal supply of hard work and dedication, that had been her sister’s lot for more than a thousand years. It was a wonder she was still so loving and warm to their subjects. At some point, Luna knew she would have grown bitter.

How? How had Celestia managed to rule for so long, without ever breaking?

With a subdued feeling of admiration, Luna had to fight her eyes’ desire to stare at her sister. Very few were the moments Celestia had ever let go of her mask. With the exception of her students, Luna had not doubt she was the only pony her sister would voluntarily allow to see the sadness behind.

You are much too stubborn, Tia. Just like me… The Princess of the Night thought.

“You know how the Elders are,” she said, in passing.

The careful composure of the supreme ruler of Equestria shattered at those casual words.

For a grand total of a fraction of second.

The emotionally devastated expression had not lingered on Celestia’s face, immediately replied by a careful hesitation and a skeptical frown. “I’m afraid I do not understand your words, Luna.”

But it was far too late. The younger alicorn had had the confirmation she needed.

“Tia, the Elders are generally much too duty driven to care about silly things like our feelings as individuals.” Luna rolled her eyes, failing to keep her tone light with her sarcasm. There had been too much dripping venom in the words.

Luckily, they still brought a chuckle to her sister.

“Ah yes, how did our Aunt go about it again? There is no greater honor…”

“…Than devoting your whole soul into the well-being of others.” Luna completed the saying.

The Royal Pony Sisters shared a biased, somewhat amused look. They could not quite smile at this typical behavior, but sometime ago, they had both accepted the… strong convictions of the Elders.

“Our dear Auntie Lexia, Alicorn of Law and Devotion. It is lucky she has apparently not gotten her hooves on that little colt yet.”

“Which one are we talking about here?” The younger sister shot back, waving her eyebrows with a mocking grin.

“Oh Luna, that poor Ventus obviously has to put up with a lot of her teachings already. He forces himself so much to be official when he’s so skittish and dying to just loosen up. Have you heard him talk? There is no way that is not rehearsed.”

“I was more concerned about his incredible fear at being submitted to a spell of Truth, Tia.” The Princess of the Night noted with a frown. All traces of humor left her voice then. “They are hiding something. At the very least, the older one is.”

Celestia didn’t respond to the words this time, only closing her eyes, remembering an ancient pain.

“I understand your hesitation, Sister, but do not let the past cloud your judgment.”

Oh, she knew of her own foolishness. Her leniency might have been misplaced, but truly, she had not expected this sudden development.

No, to refer to that as sudden would be inadequate. The bitter thought crossed her mind. It had been waiting to be revealed to her for more than four hundred years apparently. A simple notice would have been nice.

After all, that young stallion was likely nothing less than the reincarnation of the previous Lord of Windigos, who was also, as very few beings knew, her past lover.

My mind was lost in the haze of an early morning wake-up call. Even with my eyes closed, I could tell the sun was only slightly above the horizon.

I was aching all over. My muscles were stiff and the slightest of stirs sent pain signals through my body. It made me groan.

What kind of messed up position had I ended up sleeping in? Well, my head had sunk into comfortable fabric if that was any indication, but my body was sprayed all over.

My body…

Wait… something’s wrong.

Am I… naked? … it’s all… my forehead’s sorta… why is my back… what’s that over my… M-my hands are… MY HANDS! My eyes shot open, toward my arms.

My fingers were gone. There were just two golden yellow furry blobs instead.

I let out a bloodcurdling scream and recoiled so violently I fell into some sort of curtains, who could not hold me up more than a few seconds before their bonds were torn apart. They engulfed me in a tornado of pale beige fabric.

The impact against the ground hit hard, as it seemed to be stone, but worse even, the pain spread from appendages on my back. I had grown something on my back.

To make matters worse, voices started to join a chorus of panicked questions and at least one child let out a panic call for help. And I knew that child.

“T-Tom?” Wait, wasn’t he…

“WHAT’S GOING ON HERE?!” A male’s voice boomed into the room, rendering us all silent.

Things were coming back to me.

Four limbs batting away useless at the curtain I had entangled myself in, I tried to throw it off me. Useless. Luckily, something suddenly lifted them,

Pony. Cartoon pony. This one was wearing a doctor’s outfit and seemed pretty pissed.

Aw… bucking buck… That’s right. I managed to get here yesterday… “M-my… my most sincere apologies…” I muttered, feeling so ill I would throw up any second now. “I was the prey of a truly terrible nightmare and I disturbed everypony else…”

“That you did,” the stallion said, voice so cold it made me shiver. His death glare was impressive too. “You are still doing it too.”

Time for me to break out the nervous awkward laugh. One, two, thr-

“Holy Buck, Sam!” A blue colt popped out from under his pillow, eyes narrowed. “What’s wrong with you?”

I blinked.

About a dozen ponies gasped in shock.

I blinked again.

Then, snorted.

“Oh, little brother, you mustn’t use such bad words.” I grinned, unable to hold back. Unfortunately, my tone carried little if any reprobation at all, something most ponies in the room picked up.

“You use them all the time!” Tom harrumphed, his whole expression falling flat.

Now the adults in the room were collectively glaring at me, and, if I was reading their severe expressions correctly, probably thinking that I was an irresponsible bum. Heck, by the way that vein budged on the doctor’s neck, a lecture was coming.

Under the curtains, I extended my wings, very clearly making it known that I was, perhaps, not just another John Doe. I am, but hey, they don’t need to know that.

It worked, somewhat. The stallion paused in his movement, an uncertain light glistening in his eyes for a moment. It gave me an opportunity I gladly used.

Stretching and cracking the stiffened muscles and tendons, I stood up.

“You have my most sincere apologies, Sir.” Keep up the act. Remember the right way to talk… “I will of course leave as quietly as possible to allow your patients to rest properly. Is my brother allowed to leave with me?”

At that, Tom’s attitude did a 180. He jumped off the bed, landing at the doctor’s hooves, an hilariously over-the-top cute expression on his face.

“Can I go too, pleaaaaaaaaaaase?” His voice turned grating very quickly, hurting everypony else’s sensitive ears.

That worked in our favor. The stallion had flinched, mouth twisting into a pained grimace. “Yes, yes, fine! Just leave quietly!”

“Sure will!” Tom shouted, too happy to get out of a place he had to be quiet and peaceful in.

Of course, his reaction earned him one too many glares and he offered his most apologetic smile, in an attempt to soothe them.

The doctor’s eyes narrowed at me. “Go.”

Well, I was not going to wait any longer. Neither was Tom.

I barely had the time to notice that a blue blur was already bolting out of the infirmary.

“Brother! Don’t run in the castle!” I shouted after him, again, with too little conviction to be convincing.

Someone cleared his throat next to me. The sound was enough to get my attention and I turned around, only to find myself face to face with a very annoyed doctor.

My cheeks started to feel hot, embarrassment starting to get to me.

I did not manage to keep up the appearances this time. Swift urgency washed up over my careful mask and forced me to run as well.

I dashed through the door, glancing at the stony arch overhead… The feeling of insignificance returned rather quickly, as this was the least impressive feature I had been given the chance to see yet. For example, at my right, the sun was shining through a painted glass, projecting an expertly crafted image onto the very ground I walked.

I shook my head, trying to chase away this impression. I did not have the luxury to just stop and admire windows. I had a hyper kid to chase after.

W-where was he?

…The hallway was desperately empty. Stone walls as far as the eye could see. No colt whatsoever anywhere in sight.

My chest tightened painfully.

“TOM?” I shouted, voice cracking with the irrational panic taking me over.

Oh, I did not just lose him. I just got him back. Tch, why don’t I just hang on my big brother plaque and pick up my medal of the worst legal guardian in history? Come on, Tom. Tell me you’re ju-

“Huh… Sam?” His voice came out very hesitant, from around a corner.

Again, my legs moved beyond my control. My goal started growing into the distance, with each stomping of my hooves against the stone floor. When I got within reaching range, I turned so violently I almost crashed into the wall.

I fell head over heels, literally, when I saw why he had been out of my sight. Abruptly stopping from the combined relief and incredulity did that to someone’s balance, unfortunately.

Dangling by his tail, lifted by a cloud of green magic, Tom was pitifully squirming and trying to get free. The unicorn in the golden armor holding him did not look pleased. “Is this colt yours?”

Tom flashed me a million watt smile, every bit as awkward as that of Applejack when she was trying to say a convincing lie. Oh, he was in trouble and he knew it.

My eyes narrowed in an echo of my displeasure. “In the way that he is my little brother, yes.”

“Then keep a better eye on him…” Just then, he seemed to realize Celestia herself had made us her guests and he quickly added a “Sir” to his speech.

“I will…” I muttered, willing my magic to pick him up, which it did, to my surprise.

Well, not my surprise, as that was little in the face of the much bigger reveals I had faced yesterday. No, of course, Ventus Vinco was an alicorn, centuries old even… so magic was probably just a second nature to him. Me.

A golden aura surrounded Tom, as per my will, and placed him on my back.

“Don’t run off by yourself like that again.” My tone grew icy. “Understood?”

My little brother quickly nodded.

Satisfied that he would behave for a least a little while, I allowed my attention to focus on the guard. He still hadn’t loosened up in the slightest.

I held back a sigh.

“Thank you, good sir. You have been a tremendous help.” I bowed my head graciously, hoping this would appease the stallion a little.

A quick glance to his face revealed wide eyes and a mouth halfway opened.

Wait… what’s so surprising here? I just thanked you, man… oh dear, that’s either disturbing or worrying.

“Yeah, thanks,” Tom chipped in, every bit as sincere as I had been.

“Hum… you’re welcome… I’m only doing my job, Sir.” The guard fumbled a bit, until he just gave a salute.

“I am grateful nonetheless.” I smirked, almost snorting at his obvious unease now. “Now, far from me the idea of distracting you from your duty, but I am new to the castle, would you please tell us where we could go to eat?”

“Oh, right, huh, t-the dining hall with all the nobles is in the west wing.” I bit back the desire to further my interrogations about the way he spat the word ‘nobles’. I had an inkling of an idea as to why that may be so. One white unicorn stallion came to mind… “You just have to follow this corridor, then turn left again. There’s one room for the maids. One of them will have to leave for the hall soon, so you could just follow her.”

“Thank you.” I smiled, if only to see him getting uneasy again.

It got even worse when Tom joined in on the thanking.

Stiffly, the guard nodded, hurrying back to his post.

Following his form with my eyes, I felt a sickness grow in my guts. They’re that bad, huh? …Well, no use worrying about them now. Better just go with the flow for now…

I walked in silence for a moment, trying to keep in mind the directions of the unicorn guard.

“Hey… Sam?” Tom shifted on my back, much more subdue than his usual self.

“Yeah?”

“Why’d you scream earlier?” I turned my head at that, meeting his inquisitive eyes head on. He seemed genuinely curious about that.

“I woke up in Equestria, Tom.” I rolled my eyes.

“Me too,” he countered distressingly quickly.

“You’ve been here for a week, you can already expect it at least. This was literally the first time in my life I woke up as something other than…” I did not say ‘human’. In the back of my mind, there was this paranoid fear that pronouncing the word would suddenly make the universe implode and we’d be gone. Ironic as it may be, I knew our status as alicorn was infinitely less damaging for the show than the reveal we’re actually human. “…Anyway, I just had the scare of my life.”

“You’ll get used to it. It’s really cool!”

Oh how I wish I could appreciate it like you do. To me, this is nothing but one long awkward moment where I try not to think that I have a tail, or that less than twenty percent of the girls I see wear clothes, or that I might bump into flying people, or that my mouth is now the equivalent of a hand or…

Well, it’s weird as hell and I’ll leave it at that.

I bit back a grimace, hoping to forget the bitter taste filling my mouth.

Home, I wanted to go home. To walk on two legs instead of four. To open my laptop and type on my keyboard. To climb up the tree in our backyard and show Tom the secret carving I had made there. To take off this mask and return to being just Sam. To look at Mom in the eyes and apologize, to close my arms around Dad and give him the hug he deserved for putting up with us.

The memories just kept flooding. Sam. I was Sam and I wanted out.

The desire to just find Celestia and beg her to send us back violently took over my mind.

My footsteps became more quick-paced. If I could just find her now, before the day started…

I would be able to tell her… I’d admit to have lied. A lie… about a life that I had memories of, that she knew of.

The spell did not reveal my true form…

I came to a halt, so suddenly that pain erupted in the back of my head, where Tom had collided with me.

“Sam?” He asked, the questions in his voice all too clear.

What would happen? Somehow… the canon of the show is that I’m an alicorn from space that followed his lil’ bro here. I have the memories to prove it. If I tell her the opposite… do I get my mind wiped? Do they disappear? What if they don’t?

Would I develop a second personality? A Ventus Vinco, who was the alicorn that was meant to be, sharing a body with the alien Sam?

I felt cold.

Something else, something else! Anything at all will do! …Got it!

“Hey… how did you know I was lying back in the infirmary?”

That seemed to put him at ease. It distracted him long enough for him to forget about his previous question, at least.

“Easy. You don’t have bad dreams.” He grinned. “You’re too cool for that.”

My heart exploded.

“…That…” I could not find the words. I fell silent.

I ruffled his mane with my right hoof. “You’re not that bad either, squirt.”

He giggled. Music to my ears.

How cheesy that a little laugh was all it took to make me feel better. Just a few seconds of joy and my day suddenly got brighter? Ah, I was such a snugglebear inside.

A strangely hollow sensation attacked my stomach though. A hungry snugglebear it is.

“Come on.” I laughed, adjusting his position on my back with my wings. “Let’s put some hay in that body.”

“Hay yeah!”

Even if he tried, I wouldn’t be able not to cringe. Oh boy, that’s a painful one, Tom. Nevertheless, I gave a goodhearted chuckle.

All to my newfound happiness, I turned a corner a bit too quickly, too absentmindedly.

A bump into something. A flurry of clothes. A basket that flew through the air, thrown away by a sudden impact.

I barely had the time to register what was happening, already imagining the disaster that was unfolding in front of me. Eh, I’d probably be forced to clean it all up myself. Crap…

Everything froze in place, held by an aura of magic.

“Gotcha!” Tom grinned, horn glowing blue.

Hell yeah, squirt! I rose a leg, to which he responded by launching his hoof into mine. Brohoof!

“Hum… excuse me…” A timid, almost ill quiet voice interrupted us.

Surprised, I turned in direction of the noise and blinked. A pink poor mare was stuck in midair, with her hooves in the air, right under the frozen clothes. Oops.

“Oh Elders, I am so sorry, madam,” I muttered as quickly as I could, pushing the articles of clothing away and rushing to her side. “Tom, get down.”

One hop from him later and I was burden free, able to place myself behind her, with a hoof ready to support her fall.

“Are you ready?” I asked, locking my gaze with hers.

The mare stood still, flabbergasted. Complete shock was written all over her face. Well, except for her cheeks, those were just colored with a slightly darker pink.

“Madam?” I pressed, trying to snap her out of her daze.

That did the trick. She blinked once, then quickly nodded with a little squeak.

Still looking at her, I called out to the one maintaining the sparkling magic. “Alright, Tom, release her gently.”

The maid closed her eyes in anticipation. I tensed, ready to catch her falling body. I waited, for the one moment gravity would remember it existed…

I waited…

“Tom?” I frowned, returning into a more natural position.

My eyes scanned the room, between the multiple still floating blankets and such objects among other places. Quickly enough, they fell on him.

My brain sent an emergency signal when it registered the mischievous smile on his face. Everything fell into place when his horn’s light flickered and fizzled.

Panicked, I barely had the time to turn around that a pink coat hit me square in the face.

Pain erupted in the following places, in order: my muzzle, my forehead, my right front leg (unbalanced fall), my wings, my chin and my tail (because of course, that poor mare had to crush it under a lost limb)…

Yeah… We became an entangled mess of limbs, bed sheets and clothes.

A cool sense of detachment washed over me, even as I failed to hold in a groan. I had to, otherwise having a mare sprayed halfway over me would either send me into a sputtering rage, a worried mess or an incoherent idiocy.

“That was so uncool.” The colt stuck out his tongue at me, reveling in the success of his prank.

“What?” I growled playfully, feeling my spirit fill with mock malice. “I am cool and I have the hooves to prove it.”

“Nu-uh!” He protested.

“Come here, you little squirt! I’ll show you the consequences of dissing your big brother!” I shot to my hooves, completely forgetting where I was, why and how. My mind was focused on showing up who was the boss.

Tom saw the danger, too late, for I had already reached him.

With more dexterity than I thought I had as a quadruped, I dropped on one side, keeping his head stuck in a headlock with one front leg. With the other, I mercilessly started rubbing a hoof on top of his head. The result was instantaneous.

“AAAAAAAAAAH! HELP! SAM’S TORTURING ME AGAIN!”

“Surrender!” I demanded, with the voice of an evil overlord. “Submit to my coolness!”

“NO WAY!” Tom shouted, kicking empty air in the hopes of hitting a vital organ.

“You asked for it. Here comes the wet willy.”

“NO! NO, NO, NO!” His struggle became increasingly frantic as I moved the wet hoof closer to his face. As an added bonus, I took it on myself to reproduce the Jaw soundtrack.

In any other context, seeing his pupil dilate with fear would have sent me over the edge, but darn this was just too funny not to go on with.

“UNCLE!” Tom finally relented. “YOU’RE COOL! YOU’RE COOL! NOW GET THAT HOOF OUTTA MY FACE!”

Well, that was almost too easy. I had to gloat. “Have you learned to respect your elders now?”

“YES! LEMME GO, SAM!” He squirmed a lot harder and even managed to land in a hit. Not painful, just noticeable.

With a chuckle, I loosened my grip, which he used instantly to worm his way out and run behind the pink maid.

Oh… I did forget about her… And it showed… Her mouth had dropped and her fur seemed paler around her cheeks. Well, that’s one mystery solved. Cartoons biology allow fur to pale to imitate human expression.

A nervous laugh bubbled up my throat. “Ah, that was… improper. I apologize for letting you see that.”

For a moment, she seemed unable to think of the right way to reply, as if I had grown a second head. She settled for something safe. “You need not apologize.”

Alright, I’ll take it. I got up on my hooves, scratching the back of my head. “We wanted to get to the dining hall for some breakfast. Could you please show us the way?”

“Of course,” she replied with a small bow.

“Thank you!” I breathed a sigh of relief. “I am surprisingly dumb when it comes to directions…”

“He’s terrible, Ma’am. He got us lost in an amusement park once! Mom got really mad at him!”

“Oh no, I hope she wasn’t too hard on him,” the mare said, hiding a smile behind her hoof.

“Eh, could have been worse.” Tom shrugged, ridiculously trying to look aloof and, of course, failing spectacularly. “You should have seen how she reacted when I tried to use my parent’s bed for my trampoline circus act!”

“You fell through the window, Tom…” My eyes went to the ceiling, annoyed.

The mare however, did not appear to have heard me, as she decided that he was an adorable little colt and therefore could never be wrong, at most misguided. She had apparently forgotten he had just pranked her.

I’m torn… why is my young padawan so talented? Yet he uses his power for evil…

I had to facehoof at my own stupidity. Wow, this place was not good for my brain.

Just great, he’s got her in the bag. Now I have to make sure he doesn’t smuggle candy in his bed before going to sleep…

I sighed. This was a little too much.

But hey, at least we had a guide to lead us to the dining hall.

--

His aunt had created a lovely morning, once more, but much too early, again. Cruel sunrays had illuminated his room and his bed, signaling the beginning of another day of tireless slaving on his desk. Alas, his job was an ingrate one, but a noble had to do it and who better than the one and only Prince Blueblood.

Viper tongues would hiss and spit their poison by pretending his work was all cut out for him, but of course, they were the vilest of jealous ponies.

And so, the white stallion had made his way to the dining hall in a rather foul mood. Things did not get much better when sat down at his personal seat amongst his pear. The servants had taken much too long to serve him. He was the Prince! Couldn’t they have put a hold on their ridiculously narrowed minded perspective and look at the bigger picture? He was starving.

Unacceptable.

Feeling incredibly gracious, the prince managed not to sigh at their unsightly oversight. Oh Celestia’s Mane, details like this were a great reminder of the distinction between commoners and ponies like him.

“Your Prench crêpes and homemade whipped cream sorbet, Prince Blueblood.”

He dismissed him with a wave of a hoof, not interested in anymore of that incompetence. At least, they had gotten the order right. Had they dared serve him the imported Bitalian tea with fresh pastry first again…

The unicorn promptly levitated a bite from his plate, cutting himself from expressing his displeasure in public. That would be rather mortifying of him to behave so commoner-like.

The meal was… adequate, he supposed. The wait spoiled his delicate taste buds.

More than ever ticked off by the actions of the servants, Blueblood instead focused his attention onto the local newspaper, folded nicely and waiting for him to pick it up. As was his routine, the unicorn wasted no time in opening it, finding the gathered information enjoyable in general.

Such was not the case this morning. Good gracious, was there a conspiracy against him? Nothing would go right for more than a few instants, it seemed.

On the paper he had decided to snob, one could read the title on the front page, probably the most eye-catching since the editor’s first day of work.

‘World exclusive! The princesses' long lost relatives! All about the lost princes!’

Tch, sometimes, Auntie’s charity can get so annoying. Not that he resented her quick recognition of their shared bloodlines. He was above that. Of course.

But the idea of two new princes to be added to their family, not very long after the ascension of that Sparkle mare, seemed ridiculously premature. Had they even proven themselves able to represent the aristocracy their kingdom was built on? Certainly not yet. The colt in particular had ghastly manners.

Blueblood would rather not have his name associated with such uncouth ponies, be they alicorns.

His inner rambling got cut short, however, as was that of many of his fellow nobles at the tables by offensively loud noises.

A pair of unknown voices could be heard through the great doors, though they were muffled and incomprehensible. One detail sticking out however was how they could be qualified.

One definitely belonged to a stallion, while the other had to be that of a foal.

The Prince barely hid a scowl when the doors were opened over two alicorns.

The maid had been thanked, we had excused ourselves for being so inept with directions, she had assured us it was no problem, mostly to Tom, so I could go on at ease. On that part, I didn’t have to keep up my guard as high as I did before. Heck, I had been relaxed enough to get a few good jabs against Tom, and vice versa.

Just that had been like a breath of fresh air, to pierce my head through the surface of a lake after being submerged for so long. Like any reasonable person, I gulped the sensation greedily, demanding more of it…

That, however, changed spectacularly when the doors opened themselves, onto an extravagant ballroom, the middle of which was occupied by a long wooden table.

I barely had the time to swallow my anxiety. And underwater we dive!

Stick the mask to your face. Wouldn’t want them to have doubts… Act like you’re nobility… what a joke. Why’d I default to that again? A: Because I’m a moron. B: Because I want to make things so much harder for myself.

There was a tug against my leg, which made me blink and glance down at Tom. “Yes?”

“C’mon! I’m hungry!” The little colt urged me, skitty and eager to take his place at that table.

Oh, I so wasn’t looking forward to sitting down with the rest of those tuxedo wearing sharks. I already knew what was going to happen. They’d make thinly veiled comment, I’d have no choice but to lie to cover up for it and then…

The memories…

I shuddered. “Alright, let’s find a place and then we can ask a cook for some food, okay?”

He jumped in place, ready to agree loudly, but I cut him off. “And don’t run, yell, be rude, talk back, mock ponies and all that stuff that makes Mom swear we’ll never go to a restaurant again.”

Off put, Tom settled down a little. “’Kay… Can we get food now?”

I struggled not to chuckle. “Sure. Follow me, we’ll find ourselves some good seats.”

Calmly, making my way to the table, with a foal in my tow, I scanned the room for reactions. Few if not any had decided to ignore us in favor of their breakfast. Frankly, I might have been offended if some had.

Great, now I’m getting an ego. What’s the next step? Talking the monster to death with my pure heart alone? The insolent thoughts brought images of me in a woman’s sailor outfit with me. Luckily, my brain shut down at the atrocity before it burned itself into my mind.

Anyway! Amongst the nobles, none had expressions of approval or disapproval while we made our way from one side of the room to the other. Mostly, they seemed intrigued, or confused.

Was there even an etiquette for where you have to sit down?

Who am I kidding? Of course there is… I guess we’re supposed to sit at the end? I eyed the few free seats, looking for a pair of adjacent places.

There were only two…

A white stallion was intently redirecting his gaze every few seconds, as to avoid giving the impression he was staring. That… was not working well… Besides, I would have been hoping to find another place at any given chance, but there simply wasn’t any two free places except at that spot.

If we were expected to dine here, then that had to be…

I repressed a sigh and motioned for Tom to take a seat.

Quickly, my little brother went to sit on the right of an old stallion, whose coat was gray as my grandpa’s hair. The wrinkle on that face were rather reminiscent of him too…

With Tom seated, that left me with no choice than to take my place, next to… Prince Blueblood…

My inner Rarity fan screamed at me to buck him in the face. The rest of my being was telling it to SHUT THE HELL UP, because apparently the idea of being incoherent and badly written was a big enough fear to rein myself in.

With a very faint sigh, I let my legs give out and plumped down into the cushion. I barely had time to look up from that that a pony came out of nowhere, holding a plate. “Hay bread pastries, Sir?”

The loaf of bread was letting out an aroma that made my mouth water. My eyes almost got glassy just from me imagining how that had to taste like.

“Yes, please.” I nodded, smiling faintly.

From the corner of my eyes, I could see Tom shaking with excitement, nodding enthusiastically at the cook’s suggestion.

Both of us got served in record times, as the ponies responsible for breakfast had prepared a few of those in advance. Even then though, the loaf radiated warmth and freshness. Just taking in the smell of it was a delight.

I had to restrain myself not to dig in right away. I felt too many eyes on me.

Moving my eyes upward, I got sight of a dozen ponies glancing at me, continuously. Those that didn’t were aiming their interest toward Tom.

Speaking of which, said little guy had already started munching on his bread, without much care for protocol and etiquette. Silently, some whispered indignant words under their breath. At this point though, I could hardly do a thing. I simply had to hope that Tom’s age would be a good enough justification. Realistically, it would be.

But that only made other ponies look at me more intensively, as if to see if Tom’s manners were the results of my influence. They totally are. I shouldn’t have engaged him in so many chicken wings eating contests…

Why had the waiter laid down four different forks? That was just one loaf of bread…

Oh man, I was totally staring at silverware like I had no idea what to do… Was it a surprise that a boorish voice came from my right?

“You seem confused, my good sir,” the prince said with an amused tone. “Surely you know basic table manners.”

Hahaha… buck you, Blueblood. We both know I don’t. And we both keep those rigid little fake smiles on our faces to pretend otherwise.

“Ah, I must admit to the customs of your court eluding me,” I replied with a kind smile. “Table manners seem to have greatly evolved since the last time I had been given the opportunity to learn them.”

“Then, please, allow me to show you the proper way.” Oh freak… that sounded so condescending. Is that blood I taste at the idea of considering his offer?

“If you would?” I gave a nod of acknowledgement, biting my cheeks to stop myself from screaming.

“Of course.” He nodded, but… Wow, even when trying to be helpful, he gave the aura of an utterly self-centered idiot. Urgh… this is a mistake. “Simply use the hay fork.”

…

There are four pieces of silverware in front of me, each more glittery than the next, each more detailed than the next, with carvings that could tell a tale all by itself. Shame there isn’t one with ‘Hay’ written all over it?

“Surely…” That grating voice came again, with a note of disbelief. “You know which one I’m talking about?”

My cheeks started to heat up. Long and thin? Small and large? Four spikes or just two? I had no idea…

Somepony coughed, but not in a natural way. It was that kind of cough I pretended to have whenever I had let out a snort or a chuckle. A quick glance told me an increasing number of ponies were staring at me, with Blueblood’s question gathering attention. In his eyes, I saw a desire to gloat.

“Is this my destiny? To look at you and never more?” A voice echoed in my mind. It was… weird… I had no idea where it came from.

“Huh? There’s a fork just for hay?” I heard Tom ask his neighbor.

Salvation!

“Yes, young colt.” The older stallion replied patiently, apparently used to dealing with kids. “One must use the right silverware for the right dish.”

“Oh.” He seemed stumped. “That’s cool. I was just wondering, ‘cause I never ate hay before.”

YES! I love you, Tom!

A stunned silence followed his declaration. Somepony even dropped their drinks, eyes wide. That particular noble was quick to insult the servants for not cleaning up his cup better and for not cleaning up his mess faster.

Cold contempt, rising.

“You have ne-” The older stallion started, intrigued.

“No. He hasn’t.” I jumped in the opportunity of a lifetime. I already knew where to take this. Still, I affected a humble façade and waited for the million dollar question.

Quite a few ponies seemed ready to do just that, including a middle-aged mare munching on a piece of straw, but none had the guts to step forward and ask.

“How is that possible?” Blueblood? …Is that just me or is he slightly more daring than the average stuffy noble? I had to take a second to digest that information.

My voice came out uncertain, almost ashamed. It made my ego soar with pride. “No astral alicorn ever eats hay…”

“But… why?” Another asked, emboldened by their prince’s question.

I looked thoroughly embarrassed. “In our world, it is considered inedible and below us. No member of my family ever got to know its taste before today…”

“But what do you eat then?”

“All our food is thoroughly transformed and refined.” With plenty of growth hormones, preservatives and whatnot… and why is my brain still intact? Is it because I’m telling the truth? “It is the first time I see hay bread. Back home, my people would not dream of serving that.”

Okay, laying it thick. Maybe I should n-

“Oh no, your Majesty!” A panicked maid ran to my side, having heard the whole thing. “We are so sorry! We wouldn’t have dreamed of serving such low quality food had we known. We will make something more appropriate to your standings right away.”

The poor girl scrambled to reach for the bread, her muscles shaking with fear at the horrified realization. A high pitched panicked squeak escaped her mouth when she felt my hoof against her shoulder.

“It is perfectly fine, miss.” I gently pushed her away, smiling kindly. “As your guests, we would not dream on refusing food you have worked hard on to bake. Besides, as you can clearly see, my brother seemed to have appreciated.”

Her eyes moved on to Tom, who was munching on the last quarter of his loaf. He was staring at us, crumbs all around his mouth.

“Yeah, I like it. Can I get another one?”

“I… I…” The maid stuttered, jaw hanging from shock.

The tip of my wing pressed against her back, tying her down in place. “Please, there is no need for you to fret so much. If there is no bread left, that is no matter for concern. He shall have something else and it will also be fine.”

…She looked about to roll over and faint. She had the biggest expression of incomprehension ever. “I… I will go see the chefs!” She ran.

Gee…

“As for you, little brother.” I frowned, picking up a napkin with a spell. “Show a little bit more restraint. There are crumbs of bread all over your face.”

“Saaaam, you sound like Mom.” The colt squirmed, batted it away with a hit from a hoof and turned his face away from the piece of tissue. “Stop that. I can clean myself.”

“Then, do it,” I ordered, waving the napkin in his face.

Now grumbling, Tom wiped his face clean.

I tried returning to my own meal now, but I stopped when I saw the faces of the ponies around me. A few had been whispering, the tone of which reminded me of old gossiping hens.

“That was… unusual, Prince Ventus.” Blueblood frowned.

“Oh, but my father always said that a pony’s character is measured in how he treats his inf- Wait, what did you call me?” You did NOT...

“I called you Prince Ventus. The title is appropriate, considering your bloodline,” he said through gritted teeth. Pronouncing those words seemed to be the equivalent of ripping his heart from his chest for the guy. “After all, you ARE closely related to the princesses.”

Fffffff-! Now we’re off the charts in terms of sueness! How did I not see that coming?! Long lost relative was one thing, that was rather hard to avoid, but suddenly being made princes! We’re doomed!

…Screw it, we finish breakfast and then, we cast the spell to go back home. That was already the plan, but now it’s even more imperative we do.

“Hey, does that mean I’m a prince too?”

I rolled my eyes. Leave it to him to catch only that part.

“Technically, yes.”

“Sweet! Bro, we’re princes! That’s awesome!”

We’re going to die. We’ll be retconned. It’s over, I thought grimly. There was nothing else to do than hope this had not aired yet so we’d have enough time to work on that ritual. Disheartened, I picked up a fork, the right one according to Blueblood, and put a piece of hay bread in my mouth.

Heaven. That bread was like heaven. It tasted so good. Even cooled off, the thing was miles away from its closest competitor in terms of quality. It took all my willpower not to start gushing over it, especially in the face of my previous explanation in terms of food…

Working against my stomach, I ate slowly, making a show of appreciating it, but not overly so. Hopefully, that would work.

“You are drinking from the wrong side,” Blueblood remarked as I sipped a few drops of herbal tea. He was shooting a few glances around, the recipients of which had strangely dismayed expression.

“I beg you pardon?” Come on, that can’t possibly be right! Who can be that stuck-up? Oh, right!

“Your cup,” the unicorn helpfully pointed out. “The crest on it must be facing the opposite way, as to show your allegiance to the ponies in front of you.”

After that, it was apparently my posture, my wings not being folded enough. So I had to clasp them against my sides, making it all the more hotter in the room for me.

At least nopony was nagging on Tom, judging it to be my job, I supposed. That was good, even if the little squirt’s eyes sparkles whenever I was told to correct myself on something. It went on.

And on.

All breakfast long.

I was getting progressively less patient, more likely to snap. My voice had long since gone dry, wits, razor sharp and my body language, tense. Heck, I was in a conversation with Blueblood, as the stallion had gotten progressively bolder with each mistake he had corrected.

“Now, now, Prince Ventus. A royal figure cannot simply hand over their plates once they are done. It would be unsightly to do so.” Great, now I was imagining creating a tornado up his ass just to see how full of shit he was. That condescending… ARGH!

“How peculiar. I have never heard of that before.” At this point, the mask had all but slipped away from my face. I was scowling.

The bastard raised his nose a little, looking as smug as they come. “Is there no such concept of royalty amongst your midst, Prince Ventus?” The ‘how appropriate’ went unsaid.

Haha, just go die in a hole, Blueblood.

The happy thought gave me the strength to show an incredibly fake smile. “No, we indeed do not function in accord to a system of nobility. We find it to be an oppressive and primitive way to govern.”

At the end of the table, a young stallion, at most my age, had spat out his coffee in a spray. It made it very hard for me not to start laughing when somepony had done a spit take.

Tom, of course, found that to be uproariously funny. To the point he started to roll over on the floor, tears rolling down his cheeks. Chill out, buddy.

Props had to be given to Blueblood though. Even though I had just insulted his way of living and that of his country – Crap, that was really moronic of me… –, the only hint of his mortally offended pride was a slight twitch of his ears.

His voice was so cold it almost gave me shivers. “Oh, then please forgive us for not being as enlightened as you, Prince Ventus.”

That sounded like ‘Buck you’… That actually sounded like a big fat ‘Buck you, you ignorant sin against ponykind’… To an alicorn. Wow, I might actually start to develop some respect for the pompous bastard. Heck, he’s the only one calling me out amongst the rest, even if all of them seem just as insulted.

“If you wished it so, I might consider teaching you. That way you may come to be – how did you put it? – enlightened.” Oh, it was so hard to fight a grin at using his own condescending ways against him.

I was surprised Blueblood could speak with his teeth grinding so hard against one another. “Oh, I am rather satisfied with my lifestyle, even if not as intellectually perfect as yours seem to be.”

A sledgehammer hit the sides of my head. It almost knocked me over.

Images flashed before my eyes.

A pony that chokes on a promise he can’t make. A burning desire that leads to a greatly ingenious invention. Wings you can strap on, powered by a little unicorn magic…

It hurt so much…

My tone was not really friendly when I got control of my body again. “No doubt. The idle life of a useless thing like you must be nice. Not a damn effort ever made for the food or roof you get, with all the privilege of bossing ponies around as you like.”

In response, somepony started choking.

Oh, I have to keep scores on how many ponies lose their drink by spitting it all over. That’s like three so far. Two for me, one for Blueblood.

“Useless?! How dare you?!” He turned red. “What would a stranger like you know about our hardship?”

“Well, tell me, ‘Prince’ Blueblood. What do you have to your name other than a pretty seal on your birth certificate?” I felt the temperature drop. I might or might not be responsible for it.

“I have my duties and I perform them, as I have been trained since birth to do so.” He huffed his chest, as if proud.

“So you were groomed into the position?” I wanted to sneer. “What makes you so much greater than another pony that would have followed the same path, growing up?”

“Any pony who would have followed the path that I have taken would have been of noble blood!” He responded with passion, as if he had stated the cold unchanging truth.

It only made me roll my eyes. “And you fail to see how self-serving that logic is?”

While a few seemed to ponder my words, Blueblood himself thoroughly refused to.

“It is a fact! Nobility is the only defense Equestria has against anarchy!” If possible, he looked more arrogant than ever.

Now that is just bullcrap. “Oh, what about the guards? Are they all nobles too?”

“They come from families with great histories in the military, but they are no nobles! We are an elite! Somepony like you wouldn’t understand.”

“Funny, I was under the impression ponies thought my brother and I are nobles, if only because we are alicorns related to Celestia.”

“YOU’RE NOT A NOBLE!” Blueblood stood up, stomping a hoof against the table and shaking it in an outburst of rage.

Three to four, I guess your friends aren’t used to seeing you forego protocol.

“Yet, we are one generation away from Celestia herself. We are cousins. That’s what? One generation? Compared to your fifty generations, I know we must be intimidating but frankly, you need not bother. I cannot register you as anything but a pain in the neck, nothing more, nothing less.”

Sputtering, the stallion struggled to stay coherent.

“Our blood is pure. We have kept it that way for generations!”

“So you’re inbred?” I deadpanned, smirking when I heard the sound of coughing around the table.

Six to four, advantage: mine.

“This is an outrage!”

“Or simple logic, my ‘Prince’. Princess Platinum had a single child before her death.” Another flash. An alicorn teaching me about Equestria’s history. “For your blood to be so pure, there aren’t that many ways.”

“Why, I never heard su-”

“There is very little evidence that a bloodline as old as yours kept any of the qualities that made your ancestors so great, Blueblood. They were pioneers, grand inventor, servants of the Solar Crown. You barely qualify as one of the three.”

“I am much more than that!”

“Then tell me, what is your biggest dream?”

“T-that is none of your bu-”

“No, don’t bother. You’re right. It is irrelevant. It is quite unlikely that you will ever succeed in achieving it, whatever it might be.”

Flashes. Images. Words.

W-what? Not this again!

I got a better look at the pony. He had a white coat. A blond mane… No… that’s a joke, right?

It was him, albeit younger by a few years. Blueblood was the pony from those fake memories! H-he had wanted to fly away! To leave the life of a prince behind and soar through the sky, to see the world and explore. It was his voice I had heard in prayers.

He had given up on all that.

Anger. I was burning with so much… anger… The edge of my vision seemed to blur with barely concealed fury.

The atmosphere had dropped from its previous liveliness. The sky, although clear of any clouds just like it was earlier, had grown hostile. One would not dare open their wings at this moment. My voice darkened the very air between us. “I believe it is time somepony drill the truth into your head. You will grow old, sick if you’re unlucky, but that is a simple fact, Blueblood. That time, you will have to look back on your life and see what you have accomplished. What great things did you do? What good things did you do? The bitter truth is as simple as they come, Prince, you will grow old and die. All that will be left of you will be a name!”

He closed his mouth, swallowing a little saliva with some difficulties.

I did not pause. “Someday… Someday, ponies will read your name in a book and wonder what you did in your life that got you into their history, because that much is a certainty.”

He had the gall to look smug, the glorious idiot.

“Yes, even if it is as a little footnote on the bottom of a page, you will at least be mentioned and remembered. You like the idea, don’t you? Have you ever stopped to think what will ponies hear about?”

The hall was so silent. No movement, no words. Nothing but me and my hatred. I had nothing else, but a growing cold, a hole in my chest that could not be filled. Emptiness.

“That day, the day your name will be in a book, will they read all about how you had the luck of being born to the right parents? Will that be the sole reason for Leon Polaris Blueblood’s inclusion in the world’s history? It is all I can possibly imagine you would be written about for! You are nothing more than a spoiled brat!”

I pressed on, almost bumping into the stallion, locking my gaze into his so he would see and hear me out. He recoiled at the touch, looking at me with iris shrunken by fear.

“But you’re not dead yet! You can still change! Maybe they will they read about a pony that treated everypony as equal? That went on and did more with his life than just the role he had been given when he was five? That tried to better himself his whole life without being a condescending flankhole about it? That brought some of the greatest changes in the history of Equestria? That went on and drew a map of the whole world?!” He could not look at me, not anymore. His eyes had fallen to the ground. Heart still beating with anger, I pushed my hoof against his chest, forcing him to back away from me. “Which one will they read about, ‘Prince’ Blueblood?! TELL ME! WHAT WILL THEY REMEMBER YOU FOR?!”

Complete silence followed my angry rant.

The stallion’s head hung low, ears drooped down and no boorish speech to grate the ears. He had gone silent. I must have dreamt the hitch of his shoulders or the sharp intake of breath that followed.

Just vanish, you useless waste of a life… just jump out of a window… do us all the favor.

“Perhaps one day I will read that book and see for myself. Right now, I already know which Blueblood I would read about.” I stood up, ready to leave. Tom was looking at me with wide eyes. “And really, that's kind of sad.”

I started walking away. And Tom followed me outside, speechless.

The nobles I left gaping in my wake would not recover completely for the better part of the morning. I had no idea how long it would take for Blueblood to just brush me off completely and go on with his life of being a royal pain to every pony he meets.

We trotted past a servant carrying a tray of food. The pony in question stopped right in his track. “Sirs? Are you done with your meal?”

I’m feeling a bit nauseous to tell the truth. A weird pressure had built up at the back of my eyes, pulsing through my eyesight. It made everything a little blurry. I wanted it to end. I wanted more clarity, cold precision would be good at this point.

“Hay no! I’m still hungry! What d’you have?”

Poor guy, Tom’s manners completely screwed his composure over. Were all nobles that much rigid with etiquette? Surely there had to be exceptions?

“How does a bowl of fresh fruits with Prench cream and chocolate fondue sound, young sir?”

I had to hide a grin. That sounded good to me. So, with him…

“HAY YEAH!” He jumped in excitement, just before grabbing the tray with his magic.

“Thank you very much, Sir.” I gave a bow of my head as acknowledgment, which seem more than those guys were receiving these days.

He left us quickly, thinking to himself. We were left alone, in the middle of a hallway, with a tray full of food.

Obvious solution is obvious. I laughed, taking the tray away from Tom, who loudly protested, until I sat down against the wall and placed the tray on the ground. Getting the hint, he dashed toward me, settling down as well.

We shared the moment, it was lighthearted… Just spending a few more minutes enjoying simple things before we’d get to work about going back.

My head was feeling light when I got hit by a ridiculous thought. Aw bucking hay… I totally did a redemption speech to an antagonist. Great, now I’m getting traits of a Mary Sue classic too. That’s disturbing…

“Hey, Sam?” My little brother asked, between two bites.

“Yes?”

“Are we doing something special today?”

Buck yes, we are. Going home. Special enough for you, Tom-tom? “Yeah, why?”

“I’m just saying, can it wait just a little? ‘Cause I want to go see that hissy guy’s room.”

That shocked me beyond words. Tom, of all people, wanted to talk to a pompous fool like Blueblood, after I had made it abundantly clear how much I loathed him? “H-hu-huuuh… w-why?”

His grin was anything but nice. “I teleported a cake over his door. I wanna see his face when it happens.”

And the winner is Calx Iugum, aka Blade Darkblaze, aka Tom, my favorite little brother, ever!

What did he stand for?

He knew he had forgotten. Or he had chosen not to think about it. Whichever was less painful.

It was shameful, unprincely even! Such a poisonous, heretical thought would have never wormed itself into his glorious mind before, but they were nothing, oh nothing at all, in the face of words of that damned alicorn.

The most infuriating part had been his lack of wit, the shock of being addressed that way responsible of course. He had completely been unable to reply to those ridiculous claims.

Ridiculous…

Y-yes, they were ridiculous! How could the next generations not see what he had done for the good of his country?!

What he had done? …Give the authorization to build a new road between Fillydelphia and Clopenagh? Put his seal of approval on a revision of the Everfree Forest’s borders?

He knew those were important tasks, Celestia damn it! Why was he still bothered by that ruffian’s words?!

“What is your biggest dream?” He had asked. As if he had any right to question his motives!

Blueblood squashed the floating image of his airship, knowing the remembrance would just bring out painful memories. Memories of his beloved “Sky King” were best left untouched.

Not that he wanted to use it, to feel the wind brush against his fur and look at the earth below, as if the whole world had suddenly become accessible to him in ways he could never dream of. As if it belonged to him, like the sky itself.

No, of course not. He was a prince, he knew what his duty was… Mother had always made that clear enough.

Phantom pain ran through his flanks, but he ignored it.

Duty, duty, all that mattered remained his status. He was a prince, nothing could change that. It just meant certain… restrictions were inevitable. But he alone could do it.

Why did the thought suddenly turn so bitter then? Why was he left with nothing but the taste of ash in his mouth?

The stallion had no answer to his interrogations, nor was he in the company of any pony that might have. Blueblood was alone, slowly making his way back to his room.

The hallways were deserted, save for the occasional pony cleaning up the castle or the guard making his patrol. Blueblood made a show to ignore them.

“Oh, but my father always said that a pony’s character is measured in how he treats his inf-”His inferior? Ah, what a laughable sentiment.

What did it matter if a servant’s feelings were hurt? They weren’t paid to feel.

Ashes. Only ashes in his mouth.

“You can still change!”

Why would he? He was perfect as he was. Anypony with a lick of common sense would agree.

“The only thing royal about you is that you’re a royal PAIN!”

He cringed at the memory of that fury, who he later realized was one of the heroines that had saved the world. It had been… awkward to find that out.

With a sigh, the prince pushed open the door to his suite. He slowly walked through the doorframe. Perhaps he was wrong, perhaps he ought to change his ways…

SPLOTCH!

The whole castle heard his screams.

--

It was hard not to break into cheers when we heard of Tom’s successful prank, oh so hard, but alas there were witnesses around. We wouldn’t want to antagonize the princesses by publicly revealing we had pranked (or allowed another to, in my case) their nephew.

There was no chance in hell they would not guess accurately it was our fault, especially after this morning’s encounter, but we might as well pretend to be innocent.

“Oh no, that is terrible,” I deadpanned.

Well, crap, that was weaksauce times twenty.

“Yes… absolutely terrible… The castle won’t be the same without his magnificent presence bearing down on all of us…” The maid replied, with just as much emotion.

Alright, maybe our cover wasn’t blown yet. If it had, we knew at least one more pony that would go down with us.

Thing was, we didn’t get to see Blueblood as he got splattered with cake. We missed it by a couple of minutes apparently. From that point on, nopony had gotten any update about the prince. He had holed himself in his room and would not come out. None of his usual staff had been allowed inside either.

Nevertheless, that had deserved a brohoof with Tom. And a big congratulation.

“Now, I believe you were supposed to escort us to our own suite, am I correct?” I gave her an encouraging smile.

“You are, my prince.” She bowed.

The title made me cringe. The deference did not help either.

“Y-yes, if you would please…?”

She got the hint and started walking.

--

“Do you know why you’re here?” The woman with the glasses asked him.

“I guess it’s because I’m avoided like the plague?” He replied bitterly.

She could not stay completely stoic at that. She had to show a little compassion. Her hands found his. “Eric, there is nothing wrong with you.”

“Then why are all my friends gone now?”

Mrs. Thompson had to stop and forget her own failures. She had given herself the task to help Sam. She had failed him spectacularly. Now, she had to face one of his friends.

This was hard, but the psychologist could hardly imagine herself in the shoes of Sam’s parents. It was a fate she would not wish on anyone.

She had been contacted by her colleague, Dr. Lachance, for a small discussion concerning Sam’s perception of his parents. He had said a few words about their general states, but, of course, hadn’t delved into their states of mind more deeply.

Professionalism aside, they weren’t such nice things to look into anymore…

“Eric, this is not a fault on your part. It is a terrible, terrible thing, but none of it can be blamed on you. You must understand that.”

The teenager’s eyes would not focus back on her. They were onto a memory he had tried to forget, because every remembrance came with a throbbing sensation around his eye. Always the same thing.

He was talking, trying to make a lighter conversation. Then, there’s a fist.

He was holding her back, making sure she wouldn’t go too far. Then, there’s another fist.

And, like that, they’re both gone.

He couldn’t not think about how he had played a role in this. His mind just kept telling him he had done something wrong to deserve this. Right?

“I can’t,” he whispered. “I want, but I can’t.”

--

“Hum… Sam? What are we doing?” Tom asked, thoroughly confused.

“We’re going to redo the whole ritual that brought us here, of course.” My horn glowed bright and most of the furnitures was moved out of the way, creating a clear, wide area for us to work on.

“Oh.” He looked down. Well, that didn’t sound thrilled. Don’t start talking about how you want to stay, ‘cause I’ll drag your ass back to Mom and Dad anyway, except I’ll be a lot angrier about it.

“What’s wrong?” I frowned, absentmindedly levitating lumps of coal from our chimney. “You don’t look like you’re happy.”

The pieces of dark material snapped in half.

…I had to work on my control better…

“Come to think of it, Tom, why didn’t you come back by yourself?”

“I… got a little scared,” he admitted with a tiny voice. His cheeks had darkened. “I thought you might… not be happy to see me again…”

“Oh come on, squirt.” I nuzzled him, sharing some warmth and comfort with him. “That’s nonsense and you know it.”

“Hu-uh…” He shrugged noncommittally.

Tom broke the contact himself. He had foregone most if not all of his boastful attitude. At the moment, he was little more than a kid, lost and confused.

“Plus, I had sorta forgotten the way to draw the big circle…” He looked down, ashamed, in more ways than one. He seemed on the verge of tears now.

I brought him into a hug. “Shhh, it’s fine, buddy. I’ll take care of everything, promise.”

Tom blinked, shocked. “Huh? You know how to?”

“Of course I do, I studied the spell intensively before coming here.” I smiled, though I was mentally bracing myself for the worst. “I memorize it in its entirety.”

The sudden onslaught of memories did not catch me off-guard. I had physically steadied myself. I had seen it coming. I had hoped to.

Now, a series of extremely complicated and precise alignment of magical runes were freshly imprinted in my mind. The incantation was just as easily remembered as well.

It made me shake in anticipation. It would be so easy to make it work. I already knew the spell would be perfect.

“Let’s get down to it, shall we?” I grinned, releasing my hold on my little brother.

Then I started pressing the coal against the stone floor.

--

“Now where is that beaver?” A fabulous voice echoed on the shores of the river. “He promised to meet up here for the issue of his dam.”

Exquisite purple scales shimmered in the sun, so rarely shining in his neighborhood. The Everfree Forest was not often that sunny in the middle of the day… or anytime of the year really. It was just a lucky break for him.

After all, the light brought out the orange of his mustache.

The sea serpent scanned his surroundings. Nothing.

His claws scratched his chin, a frown on his face. “I could have sworn this was the right place.” He glanced at the orb of fire moved around by the alicorn princess. “And this is the right time too. Ah, where is that beaver? He’s not late, is he? That is so unsightly.”

Steve Magnet did not notice the fog conquering the woods. He really ought to have…

He just felt terribly cold all of a sudden.

--

I-it was complete. I had finished drawing all the runes, each symbol was in its place. Nothing would ruin this.

My eyes darted around the room, my heart skipping a beat when I realized I had tempted fate. But that cold-hearted bitch seemed to have decided not to screw us over this time. The room was empty, save for us and those pentagrams.

I was so excited I could throw up. “R-ready, squirt?”

He quickly nodded. He clearly was just as thrilled as I was.

“Stay close to me,” I said, pulling closer with one wing. “And repeat everything I say. We wouldn’t want just one of us going through, right?”

“Okay, Sam.”

I started talking. And he started repeating, everything, dutifully, just like I asked. For a moment, I allowed myself to hope. It would work. It had to. We were doing everything the way it should be done. Heck, the strange reality warping that was plaguing my mind had even made sure I knew exactly what to do.

We said the words. All of them. Without hesitation. Without missing a beat. Everything was perfect.

But this time, the runes lit up during the spell casting. I wasn’t facing an inanimate circle this time, but a maddeningly bright writing that had me hoping… that had me thinking to myself that it wasn’t a bad sign, that it wasn’t a hint that it wasn’t working right, that this definitely did not meant anything other than the spell was working. That alone and nothing else.

The last syllable left my mouth, and it seemed to echo with another voice.

And then, nothing.

Again.

The moment the spell was over, it was as if nothing would happen, nothing would ever happen to bring us out of this hell away from the people that matter to us. But I wasn’t truly worried yet. It had done this before. Is this it? Or is this the part where the nightmare becomes a reality?

My eyes had gone to the ground. The last time, I had sunk through the ground. That had been how I had travelled here. Now, my heart was beating so strongly my vision kept jumping as I stared at a lifeless stone floor.

I was trying to will us to go through it. My hooves remained despairingly solid.

The seconds ticked away. Each one was a needle piercing my skin. Each one added to a growing fear, until there were naught but deafening screams in my mind. They were all I could hear, even as my heartbeat grew wilder.

What is that? The question crossed my mind.

I saw red. Literally. Something red was floating about, formless. It seemed ominous… it had filled the air. If I could describe it, I would call it a mist. Droplets of something crimson, an infinite number of it that covered the room from head to toes. Each one of them was calling to me like the song of a siren. They… reminded me of something…

Home…

Then, it gathered, took on the shape of a vaguely horse-like creature. The figure seemed alien at first, but as more of its essence was returned to its original shape. Into the center of the runes I had drawn, a new creature had taken form.

I was looking at the ghostly figure of an alicorn. One whose traits were filled with warmth, who was so familiar my heart ached with longing. I… I couldn’t… For a second… I wished I could simply go back to him… to return to being under his watchful golden eyes… to just… rely on him… the strongest and the most reliable of all…

“Hey Dad!”

My heart stopped. It froze in my chest, suddenly turning a lifeless husk and driveling into nothingness.

Cold ice seeped through my veins and made the world spin madly.

No… That’s… a lie…

“Started to miss you, y’know?” Tom grinned, boastful. “Well, not that much, ‘cause I’m not a baby, but maybe a little.”

The alicorn smiled in that faint way fathers do when they’re humoring their children. YOU HAVE NO RIGHT, YOU BASTARD! I’LL KI-

“Please tell me you haven’t disrupted the fabric of time and space yet?”

HAHA, I WOULD HAVE LAUGHED, AND MADE THAT EXACT SAME JOKE, BUT YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO SAY THAT!

I couldn’t see clearly. I was blinded by my rage. “Why are you here?!”

The alicorn stammered, clearly taken by surprise by my vindictive tone. “T-they asked me to be the messenger this once. It is a responsibility I would not give to anypony else.”

“What message?! What responsibility?!” Did Tom flinch? Why?

“Something from Mom?” He asked, eagerly looking up at the strong fatherly figure.

I was this close to snarling, to foaming and just attacking that thing. How dare he?! How could he pretend to…?!

“No, Calx…” He spoke softly, as if that made up for anything at all! “Not from your mother…”

“From whom then?!”

“The Elders.” I was shocked silent.

W-who were they? I had some knowledge of them, as all alicorns would, since, you know, I had gro- LIES!

They were unforeseen consequences of a botched up reality warping magic. Nothing more.

Yet my chest tightened with dread at how solemn Magnus had been. Ho-how do I even know he’s Magnus?

Because he is. He’s the one from my memories, the alicorn that kept me warm at night, that gave me a hug when nopony else would. My father.

My head was killing me. A growing pressure was encircling my head, a prison of pain that would not give out.

“W-what did they say?” I didn’t truly want to know that. Just why we were still in Equestria. Why weren’t we going through a swirl of color and on our way to our beds, waiting for the reality to crash on us and share a laugh, then a hug with Mom?

I could already imagine how warm her hug would be, how strongly she’d crush my bones in her embrace. But I didn’t have it yet.

The world was becoming cold around us. My fur was not enough to keep it at bay anymore.

“You have broken the rules… You know what it means.” No, no, no, no, no! “They decreed that the passage will not be opened until your mistake is atoned for. Innocents may be in peril from your infractions…”

Lies. A bunch of lies. He’s a changeling. Not an alicorn. He’s a liar. A liar. A liar that lies. This isn’t real. A nightmare. Time for me to wake up. Just a bad dream. A lie. Magnus is not my father. He must be thinking of other alicorn kids. Just a case of mistaken identity. And a joke. A bad one, but a joke. It just isn’t real.

“The princesses will educate you… and you shall watch for abnormal comportments from them.”

“B-but Dad…” Tom protested, his expression that of absolute dismay.

Why was this happening? My fault. Wasn’t it like that? A lie that snowballs into the most monstrous of truth? THEN NO MORE LIES!

"YOU'RE NOT MY FATHER!" And I saw, the absolute hurt in his face. That alicorn... it did not understand why a son had rejected him. I... I wasn't so sure why I had...

"Son..." Oh God! He sounds just like Dad! This isn't real! "I... I'm sorry. I don't want this."

I saw him, I saw Magnus as my father, the one that comforted me when I was just a little colt. I saw that tall alicorn stand proud and show me how to fly amongst the stars. I remembered the glee. I remembered the love...

I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry... Bitter tears rolled down my cheeks. I DON’T KNOW ANYMORE! "You can't... you c-can't force us to stay here..."

“T-this is how…” He sounded as if he was ripping his own heart into pieces. “The Elders have willed it to be…”

I could not see him clearly anymore. Hot. Wet. From my eyes. It just blurred and cleared up, with every blink of my eyes. And my throat was tightening closer and closer.

"Yo-you h-h-have to let us g-g-g-go home!” My breathing accelerated. This was too much. TOO MUCH. “I BEG OF YOU!"

H-he… he looked away, avoiding my gaze! I could not register anything from him but the same desperate plea, though one for forgiveness. His pity struck me at the heart. I knew. It was all over.

I could no longer stay standing.

I collapsed, the worst of fear a reality. My vision turned dark.

We’re stuck here…

Sounds had been muted. There was but a deafening silence, loud enough to eclipse even the panicked screams of my little brother and my father. Nothing but nothingness.

I heard the bell toll.

My mind crashed.

I realized it before my senses were back. I was a pony. Still a pony…

Still a pony… it’s not a bad dream… ha… haha… hahahaha…

PONY!

Wings folded over me, heat radiating from my chest, weight added by a couple bed sheets. My eyes were closed, letting filtering nothing but darkness. A bitter laugh built up in my throat.

Listen to me… I’m living the brony dream. I’m an alicorn, a prince, on somewhat friendly terms with the Mane Six and the Princesses. And I want nothing more than to throw it all away… Hey, that’s not a bad idea… trade place with someone? How? Anyone interested?

Slowly, I lifted my eyelids, fighting a fatigue that dragged my limbs down. My teeth were grinded together, jaw clenched. A numbness born from pain had taken a hold of my face’s muscles.

“S-Sam?” Well, I’d recognize that voice anywhere…

I forced my eyes open. It allowed me to see the face of a young colt, inches away from me. His own eyes were red and puffy.

“Hey, Buddy…” I whispered, voice raspy.

His eyebrows lowered, a grimace on his mouth. Next thing I knew, a hoof in my chest cut my breath. “You big idiot!”

I could not help it. I just chuckled. “Sorry, Tom.”

“Don’t laugh!” He scowled, very nearly pouting. His eyes held unshed tears.

“Aw, don’t be like that.” I sighed. “Come here.”

I lifted one hoof in the air, enough to make some space for him to occupy. With a dash, he did just that, jumping over me and almost strangling me with his legs.

I had to strain my ears to hear his next words… they were so small… they made him seem so… vulnerable. “You scared me…”

You never admit that stuff, Tom. The realization just made my weakness weight heavily against my heart. It sickened me that I could be so fragile as to worry him. So much for strong big bro…

“I’m sorry for that, Squirt,” I muttered, stroking his mane.

He only squeezed me harder, not willing to forgive me yet. He’d done that a few times before, rarely. Nothing to do in times like this, water under the bridge, that was pretty much the only way to get him to forgive me on that.

I let the silence take its rightful place. It had a… calming quality.

Listening to my brother’s quiet breathing, I took the opportunity to glance at the room we were in. Certainly, the place lacked modesty. Fitting for one dubbed a prince for no reason.

The room was… decadent. It just instantly brought Blueblood to mind, which was an unpleasant thought in itself. Too many richly decorated pieces of furniture, too many silky curtains, too much ‘froufrou-ey’ stuff... it just made me feel vaguely uneasy.

Still, that was nothing. With nothing but the reassuring presence of Tom at my side, my mind was free to wander. And wander it did.

Stuck here… The thought made my mouth dry out. It was just too much to take at once. What next? What am I supposed to do? It might not be long until I just forget what I am. Wouldn’t be surprising after getting a dozen brainsplosion due to unwanted memories…

My eyes widened as I was struck by a dangerous thought.

“Hey Dad!” That’s what Tom said…

That… I could not leave that alone. I had to… to get to the bottom of it.

Taking a deep breath to call back what I had left of my courage, I distanced myself from my little brother, making sure I could see his face. He looked a little surprised to be honest.

“D-do you remember home?”

“What d’you mean?” He tilted his head, not understanding.

“Do you remember what it’s like back home?” I locked my gaze with his. “Don’t you remember Mom and Dad?”

“I…” A slight frown started to appear on his face. “Yeah, I do. Why’d you ask?”

“Tell me about them… please…” I was pleading. I knew I was. Even if I did my best not to sound vulnerable, t-that… I couldn’t fake about.

His eyes flared up, as if indignant that I could imply he would forget them. Except…

“Started to miss you, y’know?” You said those words, Tom. To an alicorn…

My heartbeat picked up the pace when Tom suddenly froze. “They’re… hum…”

I stopped breathing. Dread was clawing away at my brain. I couldn’t think anymore…

“Huh…” Tom looked away, biting his lips. His whole body screamed of uncertainty. “Sam… I’m not… sure…”

I fought the urge to be sick. “H-how come, Buddy?”

How my tone was still kind and calming, I’d never know.

“It’s weird…” Tom stood on his hind legs, his front legs resting on my shoulders. “I… it’s like I remember more than one dad… and more than one mom…”

Hesitantly, I gave a little nod. T-that… that’s good…. Still salvageable… Not too late… Maybe if I ask something else… to trigger something…?

“What was your room like, back home?”

“Hum… it was messy,” Tom said very seriously, which made it all the more hard for me.

I stared.

Then started laughing.

“HEY!” He shouted, indignant. “Don’t laugh at me!”

“N-no, don’t worry…” Oh dear, it was not easy to speak between snorts. “It’s… just t-the nerves…” And the incredible amount of truth in your words. Man, you make a mess of your things.

He harrumphed, glaring. It seemed like I had thoroughly failed to be convincing.

“Now, just listen, okay, Tom?”

He turned away, a little pout on his face. “I don’t want to.”

“Come on,” I urged, grabbing him close with my wings. “I was just surprised. It wasn’t at you, promise.”

“Pinkie Promise.” He freed himself from my grip, still frowning.

“Cross my heart, hope to fly, stuck a cupcake in my eye.” With the eye closed, thank you, Twilight.

“Hum… okay…” My little colt of a brother seemed mollified by the gesture. Slightly.

“But really, Tom, you’ve got to try a bit harder.” Come on, bro. I really don’t think I can take that kind of crap from you too… We’re NOT ponies. “Don’t you remember how Mom and Dad look?”

“Dad’s like you… Mom’s like me. Sorta.” He scratched the back of his head, eyes narrowed as if he was trying to remember and couldn’t quite…

“Yes, they are.” I nodded, encouraging him to go on with a little smile.

“And huh… we’ve got a… really big piano in the living room, Mom’s always playing it…” A wave of relief came crashing down on me. “The backyard’s too small to play baseball… we tried… there’s a… ticket for your… favorite band’s concert, on top of my drawer…”

I blinked. “Wait, what?”

“I… huh…” Did the little squirt shift his gaze to avoid meeting mine? “It’s really hard…” He looked up at me, his mouth twisted into a grimace, a small quiver going through his lips.

“I know…” I sighed, forcing him into a stronger hug. “It’s okay. We’ll try again later.”

It was just lucky he couldn’t see my face in the position I had forced him into. I was fairly sure I was the picture of tormented. My eyes stung and I felt my mane was being messy, spiky and all around epic bed hair.

Something doesn’t want us to leave. Whoever those Elders bastards are, they will pay for that. Of course, reality would crash down on me soon enough. Except I have no idea how to do any of that, again.

It's the disappearance all over again. It was enough to get another sigh out of me. Just then though, a small hit to the wings surprised me. Tom had hit them with his owns, for reasons I could not quite discern.

I got signals about my fur being brushed, repeatedly, up and down…

He was sobbing, shaking like a leaf in the wind.

When he spoke, his voice was even quieter than before. “We’re not going back, are we?”

I felt my mask crack. His words had struck me right past my white lies and into my heart. It made my throat tighten painfully.

“I…” For fuck’s sake, Sam! Just lie! Say it! It’s not that hard and it’s what he needs to hear! “I don’t know…”

He just buried his head deeper into my chest. Without a word, he just hugged the last remnant of his old life. I had no comforting lie for him.

It felt as if my bones had turned into solid ice. It stole away all the heat within my body, leaving me feeling like a empty husk, a failure of a brother and a pathetic thing… How I loathed myself for this.

I hung my head low, mane obscuring my eyes. I wanted this to end.

--

Somewhere beyond the borders of Equestria, at an altitude rarely reached by even the most intrepid of griffons and the mightiest dragons, something stirred.

The celestial body of the pony princess shone over the snow, that white blanket covering the highest of mountains, but never melted it away.

It never did. The cold cloak of the rocky formation would remain frozen, a reminder of the darker times most civilizations had started to forget.

And, over the sound of the devastating winds slamming into the mountainside, at the height of the highest of them all echoed an ethereal neigh.

--

Her sleep was tormented with the past. Had she been awake and conscious, she might have rolled her eyes at the irony. As it stood however, the dark mare’s expression remained that of a troubled pony.

Blood chilling cold. Shrieks of horrors from those that got close enough to witness the events. The shining light of the sun in the sky, bloated out by dark clouds. The smell of blood, its taste in her mouth. Shadows that hide nothing and everything in an endless blizzard. Howling in the wood.

The images flashed in her mind, before coming to a standstill.

There, encased in ice, a white mare with a pink mane. Mere inches away, a dark figure, clad in golden clothing.

A small moan of sadness escaped the sleeping figure’s lips. If one had observed her at the moment, they would have seen the trail of tears going down her cheeks.

“Ah, my dark love,” he said with a chuckle. His voice, usually so suave, had a strange hollow tone to it. “It is good to see you.” Why was her heart still beating fast at the sight of his smile? “I was hoping you would come to your senses. Can’t you see how unworthy they are?” Her hooves seemed stuck to the ground. “War, again. They are preparing for it. Again!”

She became agitated. Her subconscious knew what would happen next. No matter how many time she tried to forget, she couldn’t. Her mind wouldn’t let her forget.

Completely vulnerable. Chains weighting down on her. Cold wind brushing against her fur every so often. His words echoing again and again in that icy cave.

Ethereal creatures, parody of her fellow brethren, floated up to her. Every time they got closer, her heart seemed to grow cold as their touch. The chains had grown bigger with time. They covered her almost entirely. Her horn, frozen as were her wings, could not produce even a spark to save her.

He loomed over her, enjoying what little he could get out of her. At some point, she knew, her own life had been turned into nothing more than a trophy to him, nothing more than a possession. That twisted sentiment made her sick, every single time it seeped through his voice. “Almost done. Almost… then it’s only us, my love.”

The mare’s body jolted back to consciousness, shocked out of her dreams by his voice whispering to her.

Her chest inflating and deflating rapidly, she stood shocked, eyes wide, staring at empty space while her dream still remained fresh in her mind. After a few seconds however, her panic faded away and she took notice of her real situation. She was in her room. It seemed as if her bed sheet were damp and heavy with sweat. The darkness surrounding her, usually so inviting and proper for her sleep now only made otherworldly voices ring in her ears.

With a yank of her magic, her curtains were drawn open, revealing the midday sun.

“Ugh, it is too early for me to be awake…” The mare sighed, trotting calmly to her boudoir. She needed to freshen up, for the night promised to be long with so little sleep in her body.

But she could not be quite at ease with their guest staying in the castle. Not when her instincts were screaming at her that something was amiss with the young alicorn.

Luna’s eyes narrowed at the reflection in her mirror. This time, she would not allow it. This time, there would be no Lord of Windigos.

Her mirror cracked.

--

We… eventually, we left the suite. We had to. A servant had come by to check up on us – me – apparently. The news of my… fainting had spread like wildfire in the castle, if the brown stallion had to be believed.

Which was why he was carrying a fruit basket and a get-well card.

No, not kidding. He was. Said something to the effect of a well-deserved reward for putting a certain somepony in his place.

…Not going to complain here.

But anyway, this was not important. What was important was the fact that the princesses had asked for news of my recovery. They had been scared for my health and ashamed not to have noticed anything sooner.

…Haha, yeah, total Stu. The thought had crossed my mind. Then I decided to hell with that and just play along.

Still, that meant we had to make a public appearance of sort to squash any rumors that might leave the castle’s ground. What-freaking-ever.

Beside me, Tom walked without any energy. He was moving slowly, the zest of life gone from his usually cheerful demeanor.

God, I just wanted to slump down and tell him it would be FINE, that we’d be back in no time and all that… but… the lie just wouldn’t roll off my tongue. It just gripped at my insides and refused to move. I just didn’t have it in me to lie to him on that…

This doesn’t look good. Seriously, what can I do to ju-?

“Excuse me,” a feminine voice cut my train of thoughts.

I glanced at my left, where the voice had originated from.

There were two mares, one pink and the other lavender.

I seriously hadn’t expected this. It probably showed really easily on my face. I just blinked without understanding. “H-how did you…?”

“Oh, that was me, silly.” Of course.

“I… see…” I replied, pretending to be confused.

Twilight sent me a compassionate look. I could imagine the memories of her trying to understand her eccentric friend were still fresh enough in her memory.

“We came because I got a chill followed by three sneeze and that usually means someone really needs cheering up.”

My gaze went to the blue little form at my side.

"Sounds like somepony really could use one of your parties, Pinkie." Twilight remarked with a slight cringe.

“Oh, that’s a great idea, we shou-” She abruptly stopped, deciding to look at me all of a sudden. “Did you apologize?”

“I’m sorry?” My eyebrows furrowed.

So did hers. “For yelling at him like that! It was mean!”

I felt a sting of pain, as if an old wound had been reopened. I sounded a bit defeated when I replied. “Yes…”

“Great!” She piped up, looking very happy with this development. “Then everything is fine. Oh, except for this.”

Before I had the time to say anything, she popped out from behind me, head respectively lowered.

“I’m really sorry I yelled at you. The others have explained to me about it and I get that you weren’t trying to be mean about it. Do you forgive me?”

That’s… that actually felt nice. I grinned, warmth spreading in my chest. “It would not be very gracious of me to refuse an apology from such a nice mare.”

“Yes!” Her body rippled, stretching into the air in an amazingly disturbing motion, before turning back to normal.

Color me nauseous. A body should not twist that way. My eye twitched.

She did not notice, instead, Pinkie took one look at Tom and appeared next to him. Holy crap teleportation without magic was a heck of a pain in the neck. I’ll have to watch out for whiplash around her…

“I’m willing to bet you were the cause for my Pinkie Sense going off!”

“I dunno… Maybe…” Tom said quietly, not feeling up to it.

“Come on, Bladey! We have to turn that frown upside down!” The pink mare picked his front hooves in hers and tried to get him to look my way.

He sent me a pleading look. Clearly, he had no intention of humoring his best pony. I, on the other hand…hoof… whatever, thought letting her have her way with my little brother seemed a good idea. I certainly wasn’t in the state of mind needed to cheer him up, but her…

I made a little motion with my head, pushing him to accept.

At that, he pouted, not impressed. Nonetheless, Tom let his shoulder slouch, no longer fighting her.

“Hum… ‘kay, Pinkie…” He muttered, letting himself be carried away by Pinkie.

Losing no time, she brought out the big guns, in the form of a couple of streamers and a song. Amazingly though, it seemed to cheer him up just a little, with him repeating a few words from the lyrics.

Longingly, I let my eyes trailed after the two of them. If she could bring some smile back so easily, then I wanted to know her secret. Or hire her as a babysitter. Eh, I’d prepare a couple of bags of flour, just in case. Won’t work, but, damn, it would be hilarious if Tom came back completely white.

From the corner of my eyes, I noticed that Twilight was still by my side, her gaze also turned toward the two shrinking figures in the hallway.

“Intriguing, isn’t she?” She said, apparently holding back a desire to laugh, if her slight trembling was any indication. “That’s our Pinkie Pie.”

I know, Twi. I know. “I haven’t met anypony quite… like her…”

She took the polite assessment at face value, or so I thought. Her lips were curled into a little smile.

A pleasant silence took place between us. It did not stop my thoughts from running wild with the proximity of the show’s debatable main character.

I wanted a distraction… I got it… Eh, what the hell? Why not? It can only get worse… At least, I won’t have to think about it much… Let’s see how easily the mask slips on… Clearing my throat, I summoned the voice of a restrained, calm, regal-like stallion. “I suppose you have many questions, Princess Sparkle.”

Apparently, pretty damn well easy.

“W-what makes you say that?” The lavender alicorn blinked, a bit taken aback.

I chuckled, tilting my head toward the quill and scroll sticking out of her saddlebag. “Just an intuition.”

“Oh.” Twilight blushed, telekinetically pushing the two items back into her bag. “That was just something I… well, I had planned to ask you a few clarifications about you story and your culture, but after hearing you had fainted earlier today, I had decided to just check up on you.”

My lips quirked upward. Typical Twilight. “You need not be ashamed, Princess Sparkle. Curiosity is only natural, especially coming from an ascended pony. Frankly, I would have expected you to have asked your teacher, however.”

“I did,” she replied, as if that had been a stupid question.

“Is that so?” I asked, feeling my interest flaring. That could be an… opportunity. “Was your wish to compare notes? Or different points of view, perhaps?”

She bit her lips. “Would you? I know this might feel very intrusive, but the documented knowledge of alicorns is so very scarce. Princess Celestia told me it is because of the rarity of your ki-”

“Our,” I corrected gently.

The poor mare stopped her movements. Pausing and looking slightly confused, Twilight shifted on her hooves with unease. Her eyes went to her back and her wings twitched a few times.

A brief surge of compassion went through me, as I waited for her to focus her attention back to me. Sounds like I’m not the only one being hit by the species change… Happy thoughts!

“Yes, ‘our’ kind… but now that you and your brother are here, that’s six alicorns in Equestria at the same time! More than has ever been reported in our history.”

The question flared in my mind, but I squashed it, knowing I – Ventus Vinco – should have known the answer myself.

“And you wish to exchange information?” I guessed.

She nodded.

“I do not object, Princess Sparkle, but I might require your assistance myself for a… different dilemma.” My heart was beating really fast. I was fighting not to blurt out a plea for her to help us do some dimensional travel. “Should I tell you everything you want to know, will you aid me in a quest I must accomplish?”

“What… kind of quest?” Twilight frowned, looking more than a little cautious.

“My own knowledge of it is limited, though I doubt it could be dangerous.” That’s a nice lie. Why did I even bother with it? She’s a heroine, she already risked her life a few times now.

“I… well, I do have duties as a princess now, but if I can help you, then I will gladly do so! Besides, I think you’re worth helping!” She smiled.

I wanted to, I already had the reply on my lips. Just a humble ‘thank you’ to show how grateful I was. Instead, what came out was what I knew to be true. “I am not that good of a stallion, Princess.”

My answer seemed to startle her. “You seemed like a nice stallion to me… temper aside.” She finished awkwardly.

I let that one slide. Instead, I tried to focus on a way to steer the conversation in a way that would either benefit me outright or at least provided me with enough excuse to be coherent. This moment was key.

“What knowledge do you have of astral alicorns?”

My heart skipped a beat. No matter how much I tried, I could not control my gaze and avoid staring at her eyes. They were a little unfocused, not looking at me, as if a mist made a veil over them. That can’t be a coincidence!

“Oh, well, our knowledge of astral alicorns is very limited. Frankly, I was not aware of them before your arrival. I had heard a rumor that the Princesses had first been sighted as fully grown adults already. I had thought nothing of it then, but now I have a feeling I know where they were before.”

“A sound theory.” I nodded. And conveniently confirming everything I said…

“They weren’t the first though,” she added as an afterthought.

My ears perked up. Hopefully, she hadn’t noticed. I couldn’t quite tell however, Twilight went on with her train of thoughts without looking anymore confused or intrigued. “The very first mention of an alicorn in our history books date back to before the uniting of the three tribes. His name was Caelum Ourobos.”

A sensation of horror started crawling under my skin. And I had no idea why.

“W-what do they mention about… him…?”My voice had started shaking, beyond my control. A cold shiver was running down my spine.

“He had taken the title of Alicorn of the Sky.” She glanced at me. There was something in her gaze that I couldn’t identify…“They say his time in our world was short, for one of his species, culminating at twenty-six years. He had appeared in times of conflict, when the three tribes were just starting to show true tension. His efforts unfortunately failed and, the year preceding the apparition of the windigos, he vanished.”

I had long since been lost in memories beyond her words.

Alicorns, a few more than usual, maybe a dozen or so of them, all looking at me with varied and slightly terrifying expression. I was small. It was a long time ago. My wings were not even fully developed.

“Will he be just like him?” They asked.

I remember being a little scared, but my father was there so I would be okay. I knew it.

“No, he will not!” Magnus replied. “Ventus Vinco will not-”

A lavender hoof was waved in front of my face. “Prince Ventus?”

“O-oh, my apologies, Princess Sparkle.” I shrank back, then went on with a very uneasy tone. “You’ve… brought back memories, dare I say.”

Luckily, she read the atmosphere and did not inquire further on that.

“Oh… well… after that, the Princesses came, to purge the windigos with the help of the three tribes newborn unity. The struggle took a little time, but in the end, pony races were united into what is now Equestria, with the Princesses taking their role as our ruler. This was the last time an alicorn was heard from outside of them, until Cadence’s arrival a few decades ago. No other alicorn ever visited…”

“HE CANNOT BE ALLOWED IN THE PONY’S WORLD!”

I stumbled forward, breath suddenly cut short. Agony ripped through my mind, flames burning at my memories and hundred years of isolation suddenly crashing searing through what was left of my happiness.

She was stunningly beautiful, with the most delicate shade of blue coloring her coat, a calming snow white ripple going through her silver mane.

Mom just held me close, telling me nothing was wrong with me.

My breathing was strenuous. This sudden set of memories had assaulted me more strongly than any other before.

A cranky old mare screamed my ears off about proper decorum. I certainly wouldn’t be going anywhere with manners this atrocious.

The mask suddenly dissolved over my face. It wasn’t quite one anymore, just a shade that went over my traits. It was more natural to act princely and aloof than casual, at least with mortal ponies around.

Not that any of the ponies surrounding me were quite mortal at the moment.

A human, I knew it was a human. He was calling me. The word just blurred before it reached my ears.

Twilight was almost right in my face, concern written all over her features, but it was hard for me to process anything she said. My mind was succumbing to a terrible panic. Quickly, it became evident I had forgotten something.

Something horribly important.

WHAT’S MY NAME?!

My mind was drawing a blank.

What is my name?

Everything seemed to spin around me. Who am I? I’m not a pony… I know that… I just don’t remember what’s my name… There’s got to be somepo-someone that knows!

I glanced around, purposely avoiding Princess Sparkle. I just wanted to see the right po- person, but all I could see were the high arcs of rock and the darker stained glass. The castle had rarely felt this unwelcoming.

Calx would know! My whole body seemed to tense with the realization, followed by the other one, that of him being with Pinkie Pie.

Princess Sparkle looked on the verge of calling for help.

I did not need to see a doctor or whoever that would lead me to. I knew exactly which pony I had to look for right now. My little brother.

And hope his head was clearer than mine.

“I… I am fine, Princess Sparkle,” I said with some difficulties.

“Did you even look at yourself?! It looked as if you had an aneurysm!” Her ears twitched.

I would have liked the aneurysm better! “I apologize for frightening you, but I can assure you that I am not in need of medical attention.”

The look she gave me was so flat that the monitor of a patient in cardiac arrest would seem off the chart in comparison.

“Look, Prince Ventus, I am not interested in that bridge to the Crystal Empire you want to sell me too.”

Ouch. “I’d give you a discount?” I tried a shy smile.

She did not look amused. “Prince Ventus! This is serious.”

“So am I, Princess Sparkle.” I straightened out, fighting the overpowering vertigo tilting my balance sideways. “I do not need medical attention.”

“You know I could still call out the guards and ask them to escort you to the infirmary, right?” The lavender alicorn looked definitely unimpressed.

I met her gaze head on, not moved. “I cannot help notice the lack of cries for help on your part at this moment.”

“Don’t hold your breath.” She warned, tensing a little, enough to be clearly noticeable.

Ah come on, I already know what’s wrong. And I want nothing more than to find the one possible cure and it won’t come from a pony doctor… Gotta step up my game or Twilight will not let me go. I sighed dramatically. “I suppose the truth can wait a couple of years, when you are more experienced with your new responsibilities.”

Her whole body froze. With a startle, she came to a screeching halt, eyes widening and iris shrinking together. “A-a couple of years?”

“Well, obviously I will not be able to talk to you if I go see a doctor right now and my brother really doesn’t know all that much about the knowledge you are asking for.”

“B-but why years?” Wait… Was she pouting?

“Well, I intend to return to our home as quickly as possible.”

She took a step backward, ears drooping. Clearly, that one had taken her by surprise. Her voice was rather quiet after that. “W-what? Why?”

The tone alone was enough to make me cringe in shame. I hadn’t intended to hurt her or offend her or anything. A sigh escaped my mouth. “Understand, Princess Sparkle, that my brother was believed to be missing for about a week. I haven’t been able to contact our parents at all and had it not been for the Sun Mare’s convocation, we would already be gone.”

“T-that’s… wow…” Twilight glanced to her left. “I hadn’t thought of it this way…”

I looked down, feeling my ears drooped at the same time. “Yes, but our continued absence must be wearing them both down and we cannot afford to stay much longer.” Lest they… they decide to…

Oh Elders, I was going to be sick.

A warm touch rose my chin up. I was forced to look into Twilight’s eyes. They shone with compassion.

“I understand.” She gave me a gentle smile. “There’s no need to explain further.”

A small spark of fire lit up in my chest, flickering out almost instantly, but the gesture itself had had an effect on me. I was touched that she tried to empathize with me like this. It probably justified that skip in my heartbeat.

Slightly relieved, I glanced in the direction Pinkie had gone with Tom, biting my lips.

“Do you want to go see if Pinkie managed to cheer up your little brother?” She read my mind.

“Y-yes, I would like that…”

With just a nod of acknowledgment, I started trotting toward the place my little brother had disappeared to.

A few moments passed in silence, during which at most, one could hear the echoes of our hooves against the ground.

I did not hate that. Just getting a chance to clear up my head before having to make up another lie on the spot, that was nice too. But… Wait, what lies? That’s how everything’s always been, right?

A pit of unease settled down in my stomach. Part of me knew something was wrong with my mind and the other insisted that I was growing paranoid.

I shook my head, mentally chastising myself. Gee, Ventus, get a grip.

“I-if you don’t mind me asking…” Princess Sparkle’s voice grabbed my attention, making me glance her way. “What was wrong with him? He seemed so… different from usual. So… depressed.”

“I…” The weight of it was just too much. My shoulders slumped and my head hung low. It was beyond my strength to carry on for that much longer. “There is a rather depressing reason behind it.”

Why would Father… it… it just wasn’t right… The rules were a bit severe, that I always knew, but… Eh, did Great-Auntie Lexia blow a casket again? She really needs to -The hell am I thinking?

I felt my breath brutally come to a halt, my eyes widening greatly. The next second though, I clenched my teeth, closing my eyes again, a grunt of irritation building up in my throat.

My head hurt, badly. It was a slow build-up that, I knew, wouldn’t stop anytime soon.

“Prince Ventus?” Princess S- …Twilight asked, her wings almost brushing against my sides.

“I… It is nothing,” I lied.

“Are we doing this again?” She deadpanned.

That elicited a chuckle from me. “No, I apologize. We will not be having that exchange again.” Pretending to be fine, I straightened my posture again and cleared my throat. “The reason for my little’s brother depression is the fact that we are being punished by not being granted access to our home again, until an unspecified date later.”

Her jaw dropped. “W-wha-?!”

My mouth moved faster than my brain could register – and try to stop the phenomenon, to no avail. “Yes, the Elders have decided that it would be a fitting punishment for throwing Equestria out of balance.”

“I-” She blinked.

I wanted to stop, but I… at the same time, I didn’t want to. Celestia’s beard! It was so freaking liberating to be truthful! Every word of explanation felt like a shackle being broken, even if it was on such a minimal lie. “One could call it fair, considering that our succeeding arrivals might have tipped the universal balance enough to allow an abomination into this world.”

She was immobile.

Oh crap… did I break Twilight? Tentatively, I waved a hoof in front of her face, trying not to stare too hard at the popped blood vessels in her eyes. That was rather creepy.

Finally, with one last eye twitch, her brain seemed to have settled on one detail.

She placed her full attention on me and, growling, she pushed me back with a hoof. “Y-you tricked me!”

Well, that wasn’t what I expected… “Did I?” I tilted my head.

“YES!” She almost shouted, her indignation making her frown darkly. “You said that you would be leaving as quickly as possible, maybe quickly enough so that we may not have that conversation! You lied to me!”

“I also told you that I didn’t need to go see the doctor. As you can see, I am still standing.”

For a second, she simply glared at me.

“Fine… I’ll let it slide one last time, but if you get another one of those episodes, I can promise you you will find yourself strapped to an hospital’s bed faster than you can say ‘Apologies, Princess Sparkle’ with that sweet suave voice of yours.”

…

We both seemed to realize exactly what she had said at the exact same moment. My face felt like it exploded with warmth, just as Twilight’s cheeks took on a much darker shade and her eyes started drifting away in every possible direction.

Half amused, half horrified, I could not resist a little dig at her. “You… think my voice is suave?”

“No!” She yelled, suddenly skittish as a squirrel. “I-I mean, yes! Well, no offense, it’s just a nice voice, not a super suave, pleasant-for-the-ears, ‘I would love to hear that reciting the periodic table in my ears’, famous actor-like, voice, you know what I mean?!”

I stifled a snort. Wow, that was surprisingly cute.

“I believe I d-”

She cut me off brutally. “What was that about you not being authorized to come visit Equestria on account of some mysterious balance thingy?!”

The bubbles of carefree joy all popped out at once. That’s sobering.

“Beings like me are not allowed to interfere, not under normal circumstances.” I averted my gaze, feeling more heat spread to my cheeks. My next words were a whisper, but not the kind Twilight had confessed to fantasizing about. “There are things greater than an individual’s feelings…”

I had broken the rules. It was shameful, but true. I had let my emotions guide my actions and jumped right in after Calx, whose disappearance had caused too much inner turmoil already. The fact that our father had discovered one of his most powerful artifacts missing the same day… well, I could remember the look on his face at the moment of the discovery.

“There were moments in your history when hope seemed lost, when the horizon showed nothing but promises of bitter tears, and still, we weren’t able to come down to help you.” A lemon yellow mare, her smiling image superposing itself with that of her face broken by tears of fear. Then, a blade that falls down and an arc of red. “Otherwise, greater disruption could have been born. The world follows a strict rule, enforced by the spirit of Harmony itself. No interference, lest you give your opposite the right to act as well…”

Her body almost jerked forward, a ripple of indignation seemed to go through her. “Y-you were watching? And you did nothing?!”

“The balance mustn’t be upset,” I confirmed with a firm, yet pained voice.

“But this is… it feels…” She looked down, a look of confusion, anger and pain on her face.

A part of me moved my hooves before I could think of stopping them and I lifted her chin gently.

“Heartless?” I supplied the word, but regretted it when she flinched. Her constant dorkiness had just up and vanished… “I’m afraid you misunderstand me.”

“H-how?”

“The Harmony I speak of is not an equal balance. There isn’t an act of evil committed for every act of good, nor is there a death for each birth. That would be heartless.” The impulse to make her happier, to comfort her, sent a lightning bolt through me and my horn glowed with magic in response.

The curtains in front of the nearest window were pushed aside by a breeze that was generated from nowhere. We were allowed a clean view of the azure sky and the multiple clouds above. “What I speak of…”

I lead her to the window, toward the outside world, where the sun touched the gardens of Canterlot Castle. The sight, as it had always been I imagined, was breathtaking. Everything was a delicate yet complex structure of life, plants over stone, ponies amongst the statues.

“…Is Harmony, between Order and Chaos.”

“I’m… not sure I understand. What you speak of sounds nice on paper, but I can’t help think that maybe, j-just may-” My hoof on her shoulder silenced her.

“Do you see these flowers, Twilight?”

She almost jumped at the sudden use of her name.

“I-I do… Ventus…” She squeaked my name timidly, trying to get better used to that level of familiarity. That’s actually kind of cute.

“Those flowers… they are ponies. Just like you and your friends, Twilight.” I saw her gaze lock onto a tall flower, one who was as tall as a pony, with red petals and an orange center. “Alicorns are forces of guidance, of Law, just like that gardener over there. With a little tending to, they grow strong and beautiful.”

Aw crap… that really sounded like I’m flirting with her. Sure enough, a slight blush now occupied Twilight’s cheeks.

“Thank you…” She whispered in her embarrassment, focusing her gaze on the flower.

Face heating up, I cleared up my throat, trying to get my panic under control. “Too much intervention however… and you have a lawn. Practical, but certainly not awe-inspiring or simply as beautiful.” I tilted my head away from the ground, then toward the stone walls and the climbing vines. They were a real mess… “Not enough and everything grows out of control.”

I saw her eyes lit up. I knew she was starting to truly understand.

“Harmony is that state of balance when the guidance is not enough for mortals to grow complacent and when the disruption is just enough to keep them fighting for more out of life. It is not a matter of arbitrary balance, nor of an equal number of good and evil. If twenty alicorns are needed to allow mortals to live good lives, then it will be so. If none are needed, then that is how it shall be. The same… goes for the forces of disruption…”

“B-but then…”

“Princess Celestia is an extraordinary ruler. She has maintained a state of Harmony over her kingdom for a thousand years without major disruption. Even when the events started to move again, she kept the upper hoof until the end. Now, she has made the single most decisive act that will ensure a much greater harmony for her subjects.”

“W-what is that, Ventus?”

My eyes found hers. They were filled with curiosity. I had grown terrified of what wise words I would spout out of nowhere. “She released Discord.”

Her expression was that of pure shock. Suddenly, it was as if dozens of connections were made in her head. I could see the impulses travel behind those eyes. “S-she… you mean…”

“Yes, by converting and convincing the Spirit of Chaos to settle down as much as he did, while still free in your world, Celestia has almost completely ensured that another alicorn could exist within Equestria without creating any conflict.”

She frowned, slowly processing what I had revealed to her. “Then, the ways she wanted him ‘to put his powers to good use’ was so I could…”

Was she mad? Crap! Had I made her mad at her mentor? Great! Now I’m sure cousin Celly will be rea- …cousin Celly? What the buck? Urgh… let’s just hope I didn’t repay kindness with driving a wedge between the two.

“It was so you could fulfill your destiny on better terms.”

“All that… for me?” Her wings clasped harder against her body, just as she subconsciously shrank down on herself.

“I believe my dear cousin finds you most precious to her heart.”

It seemed as if I had stunned her, with just that simple truth. Seriously? Anypony could see it.

For a moment, I just stayed in place, unable to decide if I should try to get her out of her reverie. It didn’t seem like a bad place for her mind to wander to; at most, her eyebrows were slightly furrowed together, as if she was pensive.

So, yeah, on all four, wings retracted, tail twitching, I was sort of waiting for her to snap out of it.

This is just uncomfortable…

The sound of laugher and giggles reached my ears. Instinctively, I perked up, trying to locate its source. I knew it very well too.

It was coming from the very same gardens we had been staring at.

“Come on, Bladey! You can’t catch me!”

Breathe hitching, I almost jumped forward, sticking my head out of the window with my front legs resting on the border. Hearing his nickname being called had pulled my complete attention to the gardens below.

Ignoring the wind that was making my mane whip in my face, I looked down, trying to spot them both.

Green… green… My eyes went from one corner to another. Green… grey… green… AH PINK!

I stifled the cry of triumph, a remnant of decorum somehow still implanted in my brain. Clearing my throat, I summoned the more regal voice I started using in this place, with a nagging part of my brain insisting that Twilight would approve.

“Miss Pie!” I called, a hint of light from my horn ensuring the words were carried away to her.

The effect was instantaneous.

Below, the pink shape of a mare came to a screeching halt, quickly enough to give any observer whiplash. Her mane even stretched like a rubber band, almost zooming past her head.

Eh, at this point, I had given up on the mechanisms of Pinkie.

She turned her head sideways, before a light bulb lit up over her and she looked up. “Hey Ventus! Wanna come down and play?”

Before I had the time to reply though, a little blue form barreled into her. Wincing, I did not need to stretch my hearing to hear the resounding “Gotcha!” my little brother shouted.

“Ooooh, that had to hurt.”

I nearly jumped out of my skin. T-Twilight? When did she…?

She chuckled, oblivious to my small heart attack. “Your little brother really likes to play rough, doesn’t he?”

I grinned, only slightly mirked by the comment, but mollified by the fond light in her eyes.

“Should we take Pinkie on her offer? I heard water balloon fights are quite refreshing.” Even as she said it, she couldn’t help glance at her mentor’s sun.

“Ah.” I stifled back a laugh. “I believe this might be quite refreshing indeed, Princess Sparkle. However, I would simply like to ask you if you know who you are up against.”

--

James Miller stared at the billboard in his workplace’s restroom.

He couldn’t explain his need to do it. He just did.

It had been the exact same thing for as far back as he could remember, since the first day he had started working there.

Every day, he had looked at the faces of children and teenagers, sometimes aged up by some computer program and he had felt his guts twist inside with sympathy. At the back of his mind, there had been a cold dread, a healthy sense of paranoia that had made him imagine the worst.

--

“Dun dun…”

Wait…

“Dun dun…”

Baffled, I glanced around rapidly, trying to identify the source of that soundtrack. Well, I was fairly sure it was Pinkie, judging by the high-pitched noise, but still, what the heck?

“Geronimo!”

I barely span fast enough to see it coming. Crap, I was going to get hit!

Psych! I grinned, letting the item hit my wind barrier.

With a wet pop, the balloon exploded from the pressure exerted by its wielder’s hooves and its content splashed all over the mare.

“Oh noooooooooo!” She screamed melodramatically, flailing as she let herself hit the ground limply.

Darn, that was pretty funny. I let out a very undignified snort. “It isn’t about timing, Miss Pie.”

“And…” She gasped, spasm running through her body. “I was so…” Her voice turned into a pained wheeze. “Sure…”

Pinkie’s head fell to the ground, her expression frozen, her eyes now glassy and empty of life. Internally, I couldn’t help but be impressed.

Score: Twilight, Calx and Pinkie: 0, Me: 4. Oh yeah… Still got it.

So far, I was a complete beast. With the exception of a close call from one of Pinkie’s off-screen teleport and a montage, I had been able to deflect each and every assault with a solid wall of air.

To be entirely fair though, Twilight’s anti-magic fields were seriously becoming quite problematic. I had almost gotten hit the first time she used them. Only great reflexes had saved me from an improvised shower.

The memory brought a smug smirk to my lips. Oh, my reply had been great too. “I am afraid I will not be defeated by this kind of – what is the term? – ‘egghead’s trick’?”

My playful banter had shocked her long enough for Calx to snipe her from above. The little squirt had a surprisingly dangerous airborne strategy. Well, dangerous for anyone that didn’t have control over air.

Careful, Ventus, you might burn someone with all the hot air going out of your mouth, I chastised myself… weakly. I was just having way too much fun.

“You’re wide open!” A shout made me jump.

Eyes widening, I swirled around.

Tartarus no! I’m not losing after all that mental bragging! With a snarl, I magically yanked a statue out of its pedestal and forced it into the balloon’s path. However, instead of exploding against the solid stone like logic dictated, purple light suddenly flashed from behind the statue and the next thing I saw was a speeding balloon aimed at my head.

I recoiled backward. I have to-!

Red plastic zoomed right in front of my muzzle, tickling it with its magical aura.

I let out a sigh of relief.

Water splashed all over my face.

For a brief second, I could not breath, liquid going up my muzzle and down my mouth. The impact had been rather impressive.

Soaking wet, sputtering and spitting to get that water out of my face, I turned around wildly, trying to catch sight of the one responsible for that. Most likely Pinkie, if only due to the way it had come out of nowhere!

But no, Pinkie was still lying on the ground, faithful to her role as a fallen enemy until a new game.

“H-how?” I stuttered, blinking and trying to spot Twilight.

“Starswirl’s third principle of spell traces combined with his second theory of restoration.” My heart almost squeezed. One should not be so nerdy when being so smug. “Any and all spell leaves a lingering trace for a duration proportional to the amount of magic put into it. One can use lingering magic to replicate a spell 30% faster than it could otherwise be casted.”

I was torn between indignation and admiration, to be honest. I could admit to having been made to eat my words.

“Impressive, Princess Sparkle,” I complimented, shaking my head to dry it a little. “You certainly are a dangerous opponent with this anti-magic aura of yours.”

“Well, I am the Alicorn of Friendship, after all.” She lifted her nose slightly, quite proud of herself. “Magic is second nature to me.”

“Winning is mine,” I shot back, levitating a hoofful of balloons with just the surrounding breezes.

“We’ll see about that,” she countered, arming herself with some ammunition.

A self-conscious part of our brains brought our attention to our situations. Us, both royal alicorns, threatening one another with water balloons, myself having to move some sticky strand of white hair away from my eyes to see.

Not that Twilight fared much better. Her careful, squarely cut mane was just as dripping wet, but after bumping into a statue, she had decided to tie it up on the side. It was a little cute too.

The staring intensified. If some guard decided to walk in at this precise moment, he’d probably be drowned on reflexes alone.

Neither of us backing down, yet neither stepping up, our gazes locked into the other’s, we waited for a sign of weakness. I almost perked up when I realized the corner of Twilight’s mouth were quirking up. Unfortunately, so did mine. An uncontrollable hilarity was bubbling up in my chest.

Finally, the hilarity of the situation got the best of us, making us topple and fall into the grass, my legs wrapped around my ribs. It didn’t even hurt, nor did the impact registered in our minds, as we were all prey to the delightful numbness of laugher.

I almost fell faint from the lack of air and that irony was enough to prolong my suffering by a few moments. Imagine that: the Alicorn of the Winds suffocate.

Fortunately, I was spared from the ultimate irony when a shadow briefly blotted out the sun for me.

“For Asguard!”

Unable to reign in my hilarity in time, I really could not do anything against Calx’s surprise attack.

Plastic exploded against my horn – great aim there, Bro – and once more, my face became soaking wet.

“YES! I GOT YOU!”

“Does that mean I’m no longer dead, guys?” Pinkie jumped to her feet, shaking with so much excitement none of us had the heart to deny her.

“Come here, you little squirt!” I snarled, mockingly angry and rising to my hooves very quickly.

“Never! The word shall fear the terrible Blade Darkblaze!” He took off, laughing loudly.

I had half a mind to snatch him back with telekinesis, but alas, I was too nice.

“Do spare our champion, Prince Ventus.”

“Yeah! He’s a crucial part of Team Alicorn!” Pinkie chimed in, happily disappearing with a couple of balloons.

It was just me and Twilight in the gardens now.

Our gazes met.

We both smiled, fondly thinking about our respective loved ones being quite into the game. It was almost strange, to be so at peace here. I just really liked it.

However, to my surprise, I caught sight of an intriguing phenomenon from one window looming over the gardens.

A small flash.

And for spending the afternoon with dozens of those going off, I could tell it wasn’t magic this time.

Eric walked through the living room, ignoring his mother on the couch looking at her favorite cooking show. He had had a terrible day, with that annoying hollow feeling gnawing at his guts whenever he sat next to two empty chairs.

It had been two weeks already and he just couldn’t get over it! Ah… he should, right? Everyone told him to…

A feminine voice cut through his angry thoughts. “Had a nice day at school, Eric?”

Surprised, he almost stopped dead in his track. He hadn’t expected her to notice, or care all that much, really.

“Not that bad,” he replied without conviction. Luckily, his mom was too focused on her show to notice.

Phew, that was closer to normalcy. Eric just shrugged it off as a fluke.

The teen was midway through when the strange event repeated itself, though this time with a much closer note of familiarity.

“And that meeting with your therapist?” She wondered out loud, without any concern so to speak.

He didn’t answer that one.

He let his feet carry him out of the living room and that surreal scene.

It was much calmer in his family’s computer room. Sure, it had always been cozy, what’s with the green walls, the fan, the small fridge in the corner and the big windows filtering plenty of natural light in, but lately, since every environment had started to become hostile, this place had turned into a haven.

Eric might have been slowly adopting the lifestyle of a hermit and a recluse.

Not that he cared much, not without anyone to actually care in return.

With a disheartened sigh, Eric sat down in front of the screen and started browsing, mostly about pony stuff. He… hadn’t managed to ignore the force of habit. He had steered clear of the new episodes, but he had caught a few glimpse of the new alicorns through the fandom’s art.

The opinions were… mixed to say the least.

Eric’s eyes dodged the pictures as soon as he noticed dark blue and red in the same frame. The phantom image of his friend looking at him… the burning anger in Sam’s eyes were daring him, double daring him even, to just peek at these and appreciate them.

His face hurt just to think about the kind of violence that would be behind the fist it promised.

Perhaps hurriedly, he opened his pony roleplay chat. It was empty, save for a single user. Eric felt a surge of relief when he recognized which of his online pal that was.

“Greetings, LoveCupackes.” He typed.

The answer came within seconds, flashing onto his screen.

“Hey NightServant, how’s it going?”

“It’s…” His fingers hovered over the keyboard. What should he write? Should he just up and confess his troubles over the Internet? Nah, not quite that desperate… yet… “I’m fine. Got into a bit of trouble at school, but what’s new. You?”

Again, Eric barely had the time to blink before another reply came.

“Always a ray of sunshine for my pals, you know that.”

He had to fight the urge to grin at that. It made him feel a weird, as if a ball of warmth was dancing all over his organs and making it harder to be gloomy. Well, at least someone cares.

For a moment, he simply didn’t know what to type next, for fear he’d go on a weird tangent, he kept silent.

Finally, it was LoveCupcakes that started the conversation again.

“Still boycotting the show?”

He could not tell if there was any bitterness in those words. LoveCupcakes was usually… well… screwing over with everyone.

“Yeah, but not because of that alicorn debacle. I just can’t get into it these days.”

It was entirely true too. He wasn’t particularly excited about the show nowadays. Who cared about this stuff when your friend went missing?

“Well, you’re missing out on some nice stuff. The plot is getting really… like… intriguing, far from the light-hearted thing from before. Well, I mean sure, they went into lighthearted topics too and it was rather fun seeing Rarity dragging Applejack and Rainbow Dash all around Canterlot to teach them shopping, but there are those background events with the two new guys… it’s weird.”

Even if he had promised himself not to get into another debate about ‘My Little Pony’, he just couldn’t resist a comment.

“Oh, so the new alicorns are being pushed into the background, again?” Why add them then? “I thought something big would happen…”

Well, he wasn’t really sad he had stopped watching the show if that was the kind of writing he would have to deal with.

“Come on, it looks like they’re building up for some epic stuff! There was some sort of implied threat in Ventus’ words! He was all ‘We were forbidden from coming… we may have awakened something terrible’! You can’t say that doesn’t sound big, like ‘Return of Harmony’ big.”

Eric felt his indignation flare. “Oh, you did not go there…”

“I did, suck it. Plus, they’re male alicorns! Come on, you can’t say you didn’t want to see some of these!”

He almost regretted his deadpan expression could not be translated so easily through his written reply. “Not really, I was fine with just two, so reaching six is actually getting on my nerves.”

“Come on. It makes for a nice story.”

His face turned into a perfectly neutral mask, eyes half-drooped with a clear feeling of being unimpressed to the utmost power. “I’m not buying it, Love.”

“For the last time, stop abridging my username to ‘Love’, it makes you sound like we’re a couple.”

“Puh-leaze, that’s nothing you. I mean, that’s what Scat-.” ScatteredWind used to do…

He froze.

His chest ached.

It had been a while since the last time he had thought about fun memories of Sam, rather than the burst of rage and the pain. It… it made him long for that simple reality that had slipped away so abruptly. The feeling of loss weighted heavily on his shoulders, making him slump on his chair.

He… did not want to think about this anymore. Not of Sam, not of Cassandra, just as he did not want to ponder on the isolation plaguing his life.

The young man’s stare at the computer screen seemed lifeless, easily belonging to an image rather than a person. Still, Eric caught sight of his fellow bronies’ question.

“Dude, are you still there?”

Eric did not move.

“Dude?”

--

Twilight let out a content sigh. This had gone better than she had expected, but there was nothing quite like an afternoon spent with Pinkie Pie to drain the energy out of a pony. For once though, none of her articulations ached with overexertion, so that was a small victory for the side of eggheads everywhere.

Without a thought, the young alicorn took off her tiara, letting it levitate to its placeholder on a table close to her window. The piece of jewelry, the Element of Magic, no less, was slowly getting less uncomfortable to wear.

Royalty and its functions were progressively becoming less of a mystery to her… even if there were some exceptions.

Golden fur came to mind.

Twilight’s eyes went to the ground instantly, admonishing herself for her moment of weakness. But her mental berating had little effect on her accelerating heartbeat.

Why is he so… so casual? He’s so different from Princess Celestia and Princess Luna… He doesn’t act anything like them in private. With Princess Celestia, there’s always that majesty and grace to her, even when sometimes overshadowed by a mischievous streak.

If anything, he reminded her of Cadence. The Alicorn of Love certainly was flexible on decorum when need be, especially whenever her kindness shone through her royal attitude.

“He’s nothing new then, so why is he bothering me so much?” She whispered, thinking back to his cocky grin after he had managed to nail all three of them down with a well-times trap.

It… It just didn’t make sense!

“Who?” Somepony asked quietly.

However quiet that had been, to the overthinking alicorn, it had been like an impossibly loud explosion. As such, she jumped ten feet of air in shock.

“Oh, Twilight, I’m sorry I took you by surprise like that.” The voice owner’s stepped forward, lowering her head in an apology, pink mane hiding her face.

“O-oh, no! that’s nothing!” Twilight quickly replied, waving a hoof before her. “I just didn't hear you enter our suite.”

“I… was here the entire time.”

Twilight felt her cheeks flush a nice dark purple color. Thank Celestia that was the only one of her thoughts that had been vocalized!

“O-oh…” She exclaimed, wincing with embarrassment. “I was a bit out of it. Sorry.”

“Oh no!” Fluttershy instantly backed away. “It was my fault for not making myself more easily detected right away!”

Twilight frowned. “What? No, it was my fault. I was thinking and I didn’t think to check if you were back.”

Admittedly, both mares decided to drop the issues, even if not quite satisfied with this turn of event.

“O-okay then…” Fluttershy looked away. “W-who were you thinking about? I-if you don’t mind me asking…”

Even more than before, the alicorn’s body was animated by a cringe. “N-nopony!”

In response, the pegasus mare simply looked away, a slight pain hidden behind her bangs. She was neither naïve nor stupid. And, Celestia forgive her, she was a little disappointed her friend hadn’t come out clear with it right away.

Seeing all that passing on her friend’s face, Twilight felt a pang of guilt still her heart in her chest. Biting her lips, she looked away as well, holding out an internal debate.

“L-look, Fluttershy…” The mare’s head turned to her, seemingly as peaceful as before. “This is all very complicated and I’m not exactly sure what to make of it yet, but…”

She swallowed loudly, and with it, her pride went down the drain. “I was talking about Prince Ventus.”

“Oh.” Fluttershy’s eyes lit up with recognition. “Him.”

Then, curiously, the yellow mare let out a disheartened sigh.

“Fluttershy?”

“I haven’t been very nice to him, have I?” She hung her head low.

“Didn’t you apologize for that?” Twilight’s eyebrow furrowed.

“Y-yes, but I still don’t feel-”

A pair of purple hooves pressed on her shoulders. Looking up, she saw the kind, reassuring expression of her friend.

“It will be fine,” Twilight promised. “From what my researches tell me, Prince Ventus seems to be a rather forgiving stallion. He’ll understand what happened and won’t hold it against you. He already did so with Pinkie.”

“R-really?” The mare looked up hopefully.

“Of course! He even spent the afternoon playing with Pinkie, Calx and me.”

The second her friend looked at Twilight in confusion, then blinked, she realized what she had said.

“You spent the aftern-”

“SO? WHAT DID YOU DO TODAY?!” The poor alicorn shouted, suddenly quite nervous.

Luckily, her friend didn't so much as flinch at her strong reaction.

“I met up Discord at a café in downtown Canterlot today. It was…” Her hesitant smile turned into a scowl. “Special.”

“I can imagine.” Twilight nodded, an incredibly forced smile slapped on her face.

“Oh, the food was nice and that waiter was so brave to keep up with Discord’s antics even when he was shaking like a leaf. The poor dear just seemed to have lost ten years of health to the experience.”

“Fluttershy! Was Discord bullying the staff?” She asked, scandalized at the idea of her sweet friend being so indifferent to this kind of fear.

“Of course not.” Fluttershy’s eyes narrowed into a glare. “He was showing me his new inventions like the Horn-“slash”-trumpet-cake tree and the puddinghead first edition exclusive historical figurines. Nothing. More!”

Twilight’s wings clasped close to her sides at the accusatory tone. Oops, that had been a blunder.

“Right, sorry, Fluttershy. I did not mean it like that.”

“It’s… fine,” she sighed. “Lots of ponies are very suspicious of Discord and he is not always making it easy for them to believe he turned a new leaf.”

“It’s rather hard to forget what he did to Equestria the last time he was freed,” Twilight muttered bitterly, feeling a remnant of hatred fester in her heart.

“Yes…” The pegasus looked down, feeling somewhat overwhelmed by her role in all this. “He is trying though. It was quite nice at some points. We just talked about a lot of things over sandwiches.”

Small talk with the Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony… that’s a bit hard to imagine. “Oh… well, I’m glad it wasn’t all bad. What did you talk about?”

“Oh, we breached a variety of topics, from my little angels to the weather pattern in Fillydelphia to the rumors in Canterlot.” She paused, apparently unsure on whether or not she should continue.

“Fluttershy?” Twilight asked, worried by this sudden silence.

“He also asked what I thought of Prince Ventus and Prince Calx. He seemed quite interested.”

The alicorn barely hid her shock.

D-Discord… is showing interest? In those two? But… why?

Ah! She knew she had a perfectly good reason to be intrigued by Ventus and his brother. Perfect! Further studies were indeed needed.

She pointedly ignored the part of her that berated her voluntary blindness.

--

I pounced on my prey, showing my teeth in a triumphant grin. It stretched even further as my hooves closed on their targets.

“I got you!” I laughed, crushing him under my weight and using my free hoof to rub it in on the side of his face.

“I’m not…” He squirmed under me, trying to lift me and mostly failing. “Done yet!”

Something yanked the tip of my tail, sending a small signal of pain in my rump and making me yelp.

Indignant, I turned around, only to see a blue aura surrounding my tail. Oh horseapple…

Faster than I could smack his horn and disrupt his concentration, Calx put his all into his spell and threw me off him. My chin painfully hit the stone floor, resonating all throughout my jaw and my teeth.

“Ah, I won!”

Snorting, I could only say. “Yeah, you sure did.”

“Duh, not like there was any doubt,” he gloated, his wings fluttering and his head held high.

Why must you be such an adorable little squirt? Eh, makes me wonder how bad you will be when you grow up. But my thoughts were cut short by the image of a drawing. It was… rather simple… quite childish too, but the one holding was out of my sight. Curiously enough, no magic seemed to be holding it up in the air, only somepony’s grasp.

I… did not recognize the memory. This was an old one, to be sure.

Wait… memories? …There was something I meant to ask Calx, right? Slowly, the mental conversation came back to me and it prompted me to look at Calx directly in the eyes. “H-hey… is it fine if I ask you something?”

Blinking, clearly not expecting this, the little colt nodded.

“It’s… huh… really important that you answer me honestly, ‘kay, Buddy?”

“Sure.” He shrugged, not seeing the bigger picture.

To be honest, I didn’t see all that much more myself.

“Do you remember those names we call each other, so the other don’t know…”

“Ventus and Calx?”

Nicknames? No, that isn’t quite right. Those are our names, aren’t they?

“No, the other ones.” I made a small circular motion with my hoof. I wanted him to go on. This had stirred up an old memory, I just knew. That thing about nicknames…

Nicknames…

Wait! It is right! They’re just nicknames! Codes! I couldn’t help but smile with satisfaction. “Yes! Those aren’t the real deal, aren’t they?”

Ca-Tom just looked more off put. “You’re being weird, Sam…”

That… that’s it… I know that’s the right name. I’m a human named Sam! I waited, bracing myself for a mental impact, as there was bound to be one. A bit nervous, I even closed my eyes, trying to put myself at ease before the inevitable breakdown or whatever I would be put through.

Except… it didn’t happen.

My heart jumped up in my throat, almost making me gag. Why aren’t I suddenly feeling the weight of my memories crushing down my mind and giving me the worst headache of my life?

“Sam?” Tom tilted his head, frowning at me.

Somehow, I simply remembered being Sam… and Ventus. And, in my mind, things just clicked, making sense for once.

“I’m fine, Tom.” No, I’m not.

I had both the memories of myself back on Earth and those of the astral planes, whatever their names were. I didn’t feel… different all that much. Just like I had remembered something I had forgotten before.

Insignificant. The revelation was crushing. I looked at my brother, at his muzzle and his horn, at his wings and his hooves. I saw his big crimson red eyes, shining with incomprehension and worry, and… for the first time… I didn’t have the image of a human boy reflecting through those traits.

Calx Iugum… Tom… The only difference was the amount of memories I had of each.

The same thing could be said of myself.

I hadn’t been disappearing. My memories weren’t being erased, but the amount of it changed.

Seventeen years… I imagined a balance, tilting on both sides shakily. Four hundred and twenty six… One scale hit the ground so hard it left an impact.

That was just it. I was Sam, without a doubt, but I had been Ventus for more than twenty times the same amount of time. How could I pretend that I was only Sam in that context? Heck, me not remembering everything made sense too.

Who could remember so easily all the details of a period of time that didn’t encompass more than a few percent of their actual life experience? I couldn’t. And with the life I had now, seventeen years weren’t all that much, not to mention early childhood… that part didn’t even register. So that was what? A little more than a decade. In comparison to forty-two.

There, rational, non-mystical and mysterious explanation to my current predicament, ain’t that dandy? I bit my bottom lips with some bitter anger. Why couldn’t I care MORE?! Damn it!

“You just retreated in your head, right?” Twin hooves pushed against my chest, a little, annoyed glare directed at my face. “You always do that when there’s something you don’t like.”

“I know… I was thinking.” I rubbed his head softly, without putting enough strength in it to be uncomfortable.

There was a little passion in there, but, appropriately, I felt mostly… peaceful.

Really, I tried to summon my indignation, that sentiment of bitter injustice. The anger, the hatred, the loathing; none of that could find a place in my heart anymore. At most, there was a rational understanding that it would be very sad for us to be stuck as ponies, to have lost… less than two decades of existence in favor of these new lives… Sad… right?

No fire…

Was this how Celestia felt after all those years? Pushing on not because it was important, but because every tragedy would just fade in the background when you had lived past a certain number of years?

No flames of determination burning in my chest. Even if being human eventually became nothing more than a fleeting memory, I wouldn’t care.

Not on a gut level.

Not anymore.

D-damn it!

I couldn’t even mourn my own death sincerely!

“I… I think it’s time for you to go to bed.”

Calx let out a spectacular whine at that.

At least, that never changed no matter the life or dimension.

--
She walked down the path wearily, hooves heavy and horn lowered. Ironical as it may be, her fate was to ensure others’ peaceful rest, regardless of how troubled her own dreams were. Her years lost in the darkness that was her mad alter ego had not been quite lost, as Nightmare Moon had sometimes invaded the populace’s mind, although more as her folkloric rendition as a pony-eater than an all-beloved queen.

Still, alone she remained on the starry path into the dreams of others.

Her nightly patrols had been important before, though perhaps more as a mean for her to regain her subjects trust, especially that of foals. Recently, however, it seemed as if these patrols were a scouting device.

Nightmares had multiplied. Such occurrences were not unheard of, far from it, but, curiously, they showed a certain resistance to her powers, as if they weren’t born only of the mind of sleeping Equestrians.

It was worrying and, more remarkably, exhausting.

Sighing, Luna straightened her posture, steeling her resolve and her mind. The land of dreams were hers and no Princess she would be if she appeared so weak in front of her subjects.

Without hesitation, she stepped into a swirling black light and appeared elsewhere.

--

Far away, under the starry sky, winds blew stronger over the eternal ice of a certain mountain.

Winds cold enough to freeze one’s heart.

--

Luna’s eyes scanned her new surroundings.

Her eyes narrowed. “Something… isn’t quite right here.”

Illusionary wind brushed her fur, pushing pale blue clouds away from the coast, toward the ever darker ocean. Singing, ethereal, otherworldly, echoed through the air, tainting it purple and casting a painting not unlike that of a madpony.

Sand gritted against her horseshoes, friable – too friable? – under her weight. Water would splashed inches away from her, yet gave off a vibe. The liquid seemed to stretch just a little too much, just out of the way it should, to reach her, as if trying to drag her underwater.

“What is the meaning of this?” She asked herself, taking in the twisted scenery.

However, time to ponder was not given to her as a bloodcurdling scream reached her ears.

Instantly on guard, Luna jolted around, in time for a most baffling sight.

Water up to their knees, five ponies were kneeling in the bay.

They were holding struggling ponies underneath the surface.

It was a nightmare, she knew. Drowning, the fear of it, was particularly strong amongst her citizens, seeing as most had some troubles swimming. For a coastal city like the one she visited, the fear seemed logical enough.

However, the Princess of the Night certainly hadn’t expected their nightmares to be about drowning somepony else.

The dream selves – the identity of the ponies dreaming – were akin to stars in the night to her. Easily distinguishable amongst all other beings. There was no mistake. Some of her citizens were having dreams about killing others.

The lunar princess’ heart burned with anger. Reeling on her back legs, she stomped her hooves against the beach, sending a shockwave through the whole dreamscape. “Enough of this travesty!”

Stunned, the ponies collectively lost their grips on their victims, who vanished within the second. What remained of that mad frenzy was but a hoofful of ponies, slowly coming to their senses, slowly realizing what their dreams had been about.

One such pony stepped forward, toward her monarch.

“P-Princess Luna?” A pale blue mare muttered, struck by horror. “W-what happened? I was dreaming of a nice stroll on the beach with my husband when…”

Suddenly, the mare paused, eyes widening and iris shrinking. Face paling, she let out a squeak of pure agony, suddenly looking at her hooves like they were dirtied.

Luna had an inkling of an idea as to what kind of things might dirty that mare’s hooves.

“You need not feel guilty, young lady.” The alicorn’s voice came out strongly. “This is no mere nightmare, nor a desire of your heart. Not even those of your fellow ponies,” she added toward the few mortified mares and stallions surrounding her.

Her eyes, however, were toward the darkened horizon.

From within the depth of the ocean, something stirred.

The ponies flinched as their leader’s expression became furious. They had heard of their co-monarch’s features, spoken of with great references, but none of them had ever imagined them deformed by such powerful rage.

Baring her teeth, the Alicorn of the Night stood tall in front of a mass of seething evil, whose form changed and crawled over toward preys it could corrupt. Its ends became sharp, a mimicry of claws, even as its center folded and separated with thin openings. Its head, if one could qualify it as that, had stretched forward, into their directions, dripping shadows falling off what seemed to be fangs.

The creature oozed a malice Luna hadn’t seen in a pony in a long time. Quite obviously, such monstrosity was the reason behind those disturbing nightmares her subjects had had. Creatures of fear had a way to destroy ponies.

Memories of a red horn and a shadowy mane flashed before her eyes, flickering into oblivion soon afterward.

The nightmares plaguing the citizens of Colthasset weren’t purely mundane monsters.

They stemmed from an external magical source. And that, amongst other things, was the purest form of her duties as Princess of the Night.

Growling, Luna released her restraints over her power. That storm of magic, her energy, the imitation of gods within her was let loose.

Her subjects’ stares intensified as the princess’ rose over them, glowing of a mystical light. Shadows hesitated and the world became still as the princess demonstrated her birthright and her standings as the master of all dreams.

With her voice, it seemed as if the heavens themselves would shake. With the flap of her wings, storms would explode. With the heat of her stare, her enemies would be reduced to ashes.

“Hear me, nightmares of Colthasset! I am Princess Luna, Maiden of the Night, Oneiric Lady and Shield against the Impure Darkness! Skies darken in my presence and my presence eclipses the sun. Ancient dragons weep in my wake for the honor of seeing my image. The creatures of Tartarus bowed before me, lest they be destroyed on a whim. I command the land of dreams and my words you will heed! Return to the void you were created from or face my wrath!”

They left.

--

I woke up, for the first time, completely peacefully, without any sensation of alienation in being a pony upon my awakening.

That is sad, I thought, but did not feel.

By my side, there was a small bundle of bed sheets and pillows, lifting itself to the rhythm of a peaceful breathing.

The sight tugged at some corners of my mind, though in a way that reminded me of more… appreciable occurrences.

Before my eyes flashed the images of a much smaller colt, curled up against our mother’s side. My curiosity had been almost childish then, despite the centuries of age behind me

This was a new life and the spectacle, not new in itself, had that distinct quality to it in that we shared the same blood, the same origin. For an alicorn as lonely as I had been, well, it had almost blown me away to feel this link to another outside my parents.

However, I was not the only one doing the observing, as two round crimson eyes looked at me with a blank lack of understanding. In effect, it simply meant the foal lifted one small chubby hoof toward me and made a sound.

At that point, a push had forced me closer to Calx, delivered by a grinning Magnus, who couldn’t seem prouder than at this moment.

Vows to protect him had been sworn. Here and there, back home and in that other world.

Some things about me never changed either.

With a grin, I stretched my wings, getting to my hooves slowly, letting the fog of sleep fade by itself. There was no use to fighting off this comfortable warmth so soon.

On the other side of the bed, Calx started to stir.

“Rise and shine, little brother.” I nudged him softly, stroking his head with my feathers.

He answered with a growl.

“Our cousin’s sun has already risen over the horizon.” A spark went through my horn and Calx’s started levitating. “It is high time for us to descend into the dining hall and make an appearance.”

Dangling, Calx still didn’t wake up, curling up further at the sudden exposure to the rest of the world, away from our comfortable mattress. At that point though, I had my doubts. Especially when his face crunched up and his mouth moved enough for another grumble to escape.

“Last chance, little squirt. You either stop pretending to be asleep or you face my wrath.”

In the air, he turned around, showing me his rear end. Fairly eloquent as far as silent replies go.

You asked for it, I thought grimly, all the while a part of my mind focused on hardening air around a handle in the room adjacent to ours. I quickly had the satisfaction of hearing a sound akin to a stream of liquid.

Eying the blue foal floating in the air, I grinned. “Remember, I gave you a chance.”

With a yank of my magic, he disappeared through the next door.

When his breathing form was in the right position, I dropped him.

His screams of confused panic were a delight to my ears. As were the splashing and the promises of payback.

It build up in my throat, but it truly exploded when my little brother came out of the bathroom, soaking wet, with a glare to kill a timberwolf. Really, how else could I have reacted?

I broke into a laughing fit.

--

Nopony dared questioned our wet appearances when we entered the dining hall. It simply wasn’t one of those questions a noble could ask, I would later realize.

At the moment though, the trails of water left in our wake led to no questioning whatsoever and I could appreciate that fact.

“Good morning, everypony,” I said with a polite bow of my head.

Most ponies bothered with a reply, amongst them Celestia and Blueblood. The rest, I suspected had done so due to my apparent rank, Blueblood especially. Still, eyes stayed on us longer than I would have liked. Their strange insistence was rather discountenancing. Had I done some sort of royal faux-pas?

Feeling a little self-conscious, I led Calx to our seats, which unfortunately, were still besides a certain arrogant foal.

“Hello, Prince Ventus,” he greeted me, with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Are you doing well in this fine morning?”

Swallowing the scowl and the biting reply I wanted to throw in his face, I sat down warily. “When my dear cousin does such a good job of it, it is rather hard not to.”

The reminder of our status seemed enough chastising for most, but as I started digging into the delicious meal placed before us, I felt the gaze of others trailing my every move with a certain intensity. Adding to my discomfort was the realization that eyes were more on myself than on my brother. In which case… well, it probably wouldn’t concern manners and should reasonably be assumed to be a bigger problem.

“Prince Blueblood?” I called my neighbor of seat.

Many raised their heads from their meal and their whispered conversations at the sound of my voice, addressing the same pony I had completely tore into.

“Y-yes?” The stallion replied, with a little tremor in his own voice. The strain was barely noticeable, but it could heard, though the look in his eyes contradicted it. “May I help you somehow?”

“I seem to be a center of attention at the moment.” A wave of unease spread through the impolite nobles as they heard me. My attention, however, remained on the white stallion. “Is there something I should be made aware of?”

“Have you…” He cleared his throat. “Perhaps… read the morning press?”

“Not as such, no…” I narrowed my eyes at the papers spread in front of some ponies.

“Not even ‘The Dusk News’?” He pressed, smirking slightly.

Again, I shook my head and denied.

Silently, the prince shoved a copy of said newspaper toward me, his own, I hazarded.

“Is there something our Princess should be made aware of?” The flankhole asked ironically, as I took a closer look.

My eyes fell onto the image at the front page. To be perfectly honest, I had no idea why this could be worthy of getting that many glances. Blueblood’s gaze in particular looked singularly smug.

The photography itself hardly seemed fussing over. Golden fur and wet white locks, a perfect depiction of my face, smiling fondly toward Twilight.

I might have made my opinion known, had my eyes not caught sight of the title accompanying it.

Exclusive! The new royal couple! Celestia’s cousin, Prince Ventus, in love with new Princess Twilight Sparkle!

Oh you bunch of stupid shippers. I groaned. Could they not see completely platonic way friends played together? I mean, mostly, we did that because Calx and Pinkie wanted to.

A part of my mind knew this was a lie.

Right?

Internally, I sighed. Knowing Celestia’s character from my observations and my knowledge as both an alicorn and a human, this would be the source of an endless stream of teasing. ‘Trollestia’ indeed…

I glanced her way, already preparing a resonant “She is not my marefriend!” answer and thus destroy all plausible deniability. As an added bonus, the simple thought would make me blush and further cement my new relationship status in everypony’s mind.

Elders was I wrong about this. My estimation of Celestia’s reaction was monstrously off.

The expected playfulness was nowhere to be found. If anything, I detected a slight sense of wariness in her reserved expression. It became worse when our gazes met.

“Young love is always such a beautiful thing,” Celestia remarked casually, skimming through the newspaper while holding a cup of tea to her lips. “Though I would hope you two are not moving so quickly.”

In the corner of my eyes however, I caught sight of Blueblood’s passing display of surprise. As a noble though, he managed to hide it quickly enough. I couldn’t tell if anypony else had noticed.

I hid an urge to frown.

What was going on here?

Breakfast passed uneventfully. No great disturbance came to break the calm and relaxed atmosphere that had taken over the dining hall. I suspected this was the norm rather than the exception.

I, for one, found it hard to remain on my guards while everypony else made small talk and exchanged gossips. Even the close proximity to Blueblood did not disturb me all that much, as the prince had chosen to ignore me the best he could, essentially forgetting I existed until one personally reminded him of me.

On my other side though, that old stallion from the other day was still patiently trying to get Calx to mind his manners more. More surprisingly, the old noble certainly did not seem very bothered by his lack of progress nor by the blatant unwillingness he should have expected from my little brother.

Really, at most he was sending endearing looks to Calx and ruffling his mane when he said something particularly memorable.

I decided I liked that old guy.

Still, there had been an endeavor I wished to pursue, if only to clear my mind of guilt. To achieve that goal, however, required at least one course of action.

And judging by the unusually silent and formal attitude of the Ruler of the Day... I might not succeed in such matters. Twice before, I had stopped myself at the last second, judging the moment inappropriate, rightly so at least in one occurrence.

However, I could hear the clock ticking; with each passing moment I hesitated, a greater pressure befell me. Soon enough, it had turned into a boiling pit of confused emotions, tearing me apart with desire to speak and fear of incurring my cousin’s anger or disapproval.

Somepony had to have noticed the dozen times I glanced at Celestia. That slight show of paranoia did not deter me, though, and as such, I was the first to notice the Princess standing up to take her leave.

“It is time for me to begin the morning audience.” She rose to her hooves, her splendid figure almost shining under the daylight filtering through the windows. “I wish to all of you a pleasant day.”

Following a little nod of acknowledgement, the white alicorn turned around, intent on quickly taking her place on her throne and start another day of service for her little ponies. That sight, the one of Celestia walking away, her back facing us… it sent a jolt of distress through me.

I couldn’t let my anxiety stop me!

“Princess Celestia!” I called, scrambling to my hooves. “I have a request to make!”

Every pony in the room paused in their previous activity, be it gossiping, eating or carrying plates, even, or rather especially, the Alicorn of the Day.

Slowly, she turned toward me, while I ran up to her.

“…Yes, Ventus?” She asked as soon as I had stopped close to her.

At this distance, the bigger subtleties of her tone and her traits were noticeable to me. Her expression was carefully guarded, not unlike the one I showed them every day, if only much more perfected. While I couldn’t tell what she was thinking, I knew her benevolent smile wasn’t quite sincere.

My voice wavered slightly in the face of this fact. Hopefully, not too much… “I would like permission to access a certain section of your archives today.”

She raised one delicate eyebrow at that. “Might I ask for which purpose such an access should be granted to you?”

A cold mass of ice seemed to form inside my guts at her question. This… I knew was an impulse, a whim mostly, to offer myself some measure of comfort. Calx and I… were trapped here, for as long as the Elders deemed fit.

And the Sam part of me really hates it. “In essence, it would be most purely a gratification of my curiosity, though one our relatives might find useful. I wish to find out how deep the understanding of magic is among your subjects, Princess.”

The mentions of our common relatives triggered something within her; that much was evident, seeing as her lips had clasped into a thin line instantly.

“I see…” She replied slowly.

I fought back the urge to gulp audibly.

“Had you already chosen a field of study to focus your efforts on?” Celestia asked, sounding far more casual than I felt her to be.

“My… intentions were toward the… Anathema section of your royal library.” I looked away, feeling uneasy under that evaluating gaze. “Princess Sparkle mentioned the subject in passing yesterday and I found myself intrigued.”

Glancing back to her, I saw her lips move, silently mouthing the name of the section again.

Please… I mentally begged, a part of me dying to seek the answer to my questions.

A few seconds passed, during which a debate seemed to take place within the Princess’ mind. Quickly though, a tacit understanding of my intentions passed between us. From the moment I had mentioned the name of the pony I would seek knowledge from, it had been crystal clear to Celestia.

Her posture appeared slightly more relaxed following this exchange, although it had not become void of caution.

“What of your little brother? I do not believe his character suitable for an access to our archives to be granted, not unless I wish some destruction to take place.”

Sad but true. “I understand.” I nodded. “My intentions were to find Miss Pinkie Pie and ask her the favor of watching him for the duration of my studying. Her previous interactions with him were positive, greatly if I might say so.”

“Very well, shall you manage to ensure your brother’s caretaking elsewhere, then you might enter the Anathema’s archives for the purpose of studying.”

“Thank you.” I bowed, feeling a disproportionate wave of relief crash down on me.

My emotions… weren’t quite as weakened as I had first estimated…

As Celestia left, for real this time, I noticed a shaking in my shoulders and a twitch in my tail. Had I really been so nervous? Or was this anticipation as to what I might discover?

As if a remainder of the stakes, Twilight’s words echoed in my mind.

“Anathema: the fourth Archmage and the second female one, born in the seventh century following the start of the Solar Monarchy, contributed to ponykind’s knowledge by scientifically dissecting four entire branches of magic.”

But at the moment, I was truly concerned about only one.

--

The aroma of tea filled her nostrils, comforting and reminiscent of her most cherished sessions with her mentor. Such memories were an excellent way for her to start a new day, as it filled her with a new energy.

The warm vapors rising from her cup simply enticed her appetite furthermore. Giving in, the purple mare dug in her hearty breakfast with a smile.

At her sides, Fluttershy and Applejack were both enjoying their own meal, conversing on minor subjects and inquiring about the other's previous day. It appeared that no matter where they went, some form of troubles followed them, even in the Capital of Equestria.

“Ah’m telling you, gal, Rainbow just up and went there to pick a fight with this huge stallion, something about him bumpin’ into her!”

“Oh no… that sounds dangerous.” The shier mare placed her hooves in front of her mouth, trying to hide a fond smile rather than the horrified grimace the other two expected.

“Ye mean for that other guy, don’t yeh?” Applejack’s eyes shone with amusement.

Unfortunately, Twilight had chosen that moment to take another sip of her tea and the remark had made her snort into her cup.

“Whoa there, girl. Careful not to choke,” the farmer replied, grinning.

“Yes, it is definitely too early for us to save somepony’s life,” Fluttershy added, in an unusual display of playfulness toward their roles.

“I-I’ll do my best not to-”

The doors to their private dining room were slammed open, almost brutally, revealing a white figure poised to attack. “Twilight!”

“Huh?” The alicorn turned around, blinking in surprise at her friend’s shrilled call. “What is it, Rarity?”

“My, I am shocked and appalled that you would use my absence to advance your own nefarious plot!” The white unicorn ran into the room, a hoof over her chest, almost ready to faint on her special couch.

“You had a nefarious plot?” Fluttershy asked, blinking in surprise.

“W-what? No, I didn’t!”

“Oh yes, you DID!” Rarity interjected, voice losing all sense of refinement and tainting itself with indignation and ham-tastic drama. “See the proof of your betrayal!”

From… somewhere, a scrunched up magazine floated up to their levels, surrounded by a beautiful blue magic.

Applejack’s eyes narrowed as soon as she got a better look of it. “Wait, isn’t that the tabloid that keeps spouting nonsense about Twi? Didn’t we all agree to stop reading it?”

“Yes, we did.” Twilight raised an eyebrow in annoyance. “I had to supposedly dissolve my personal army in secret not to be secretly vaporized by Princess Celestia when she found out I secretly wanted to overthrow her… apparently.”

Applejack threw her hooves into the air. “Then why in tarnation do you have it, Rare?!”

“Oh, that is…” The unicorn suddenly struggled with her words. “NOT THE POINT! LOOK!”

Obediently, the three friends leaned over the table where the magazine lied.

“Prince Ventus in love with…” Fluttershy read out loud, before squeaking when the apparent identity of his lover became apparent.

“Twi?” Applejack looked up, confused.

“B-bu-but I don’t… we… I mean… that’s… EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEH!”

She stared into a blank space, mane suddenly disheveled and cheeks much darker than usual.

“Twilight?” The pink-maned pegasus flew up to her friend, waving a hoof in front of her face.

“Oh dear, I broke her, didn’t I?” Rarity muttered, looking a bit taken aback by this drastic reaction.

“Yeah, an’ Ah’m sure yer proud of yerself too!” Applejack crossed her hooves, scowling.

“Well, I certainly didn’t mean to!” The poor mare’s lips quivered. “I’M the one that should be emotionally devastated. I didn’t even get the chance to talk to this new prince that he is already taken by one of my best friends!” And with that, she dramatically dropped down onto a pile of cushion.

“Look at her!” The cowpony pointed at the frozen alicorn. “That looks like an evil love-stealing mastermind to yeh?”

“Darling, I never used the words ‘evil love-stealing mastermind’…” Rarity rolled her eyes, muttering a few words about how much of a drama queen her friend could be.

“It’s what it meant!” Applejack slammed her hoof against the table, eyes narrowed.

“Fine, I’m sorry. It was just the disappointment speaking.” The fashionista apologized, but without much success.

Twilight remained desperately immobile. To the point they decided perhaps it was best if they gave her time to process. In the meanwhile… well, they could… talk?

“You… hum… you like-like Prince Ventus, Rarity?” Fluttershy shyly asked, curling on herself.

“Well, yes, I do. You cannot say he is not handsome. And you know the saying ‘Mane of gold, heart of gold’.”

The cowpony seemed about ready to just give up altogether on all that nonsense. “His mane is white, Rarity. It’s his coat that’s golden.”

“Same difference.” She huffed. “The point is I believe he would make a fine coltfriend. He does seem to get along nicely with his little brother, even if he makes a few mistakes here and then. It’s always a plus when a stallion knows how to deal with children.”

“Meh, he’s a little thin to me. I’m into stallions with more meat on their bones.”

All three mares blinked, momentarily confused by the sudden jump in the conversation by one they hadn’t even known to be listening.

“Dashie?” Fluttershy looked up, taken aback.

Then, the words started to register as well.

“Consarnit!” Applejack stood up, glaring right through her rainbow colored friend’s skull. “Is that the reason you always take nap in mah orchards? To ogle mah big brother?!”

“W-what?!” She strongly shook her head, though her movements became slightly skittish. “Noooo. Way! I’m way too cool for that.”

Eyes half-drooped, the rest of her friends all exchanged unimpressed glances.

“Okay, girls, I’m back!” Twilight shouted, life returning to her features. “I think my brain exploded a little, but I should be fine now. I rebooted. WHAT DO I DO?! I’m NOT ready for LOVE, yet! Wait, I’m not in love anyway! But what if I fall in love for real?!”

“Oh, leave everything to me, Twilight. He’ll eat in the curve of your hooves in no time.”

“Eating in my hooves? B-but I’m not even sure I want that. Besides, that sounds kinky!”

Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash backed off, feeling a ball of unease suddenly expend in their stomach at the sight of their unicorn friend. For a split second, images of timberwolves had flashed in their minds.

“Oh darling, you have so much to learn.”

Glaring, Applejack leaned closer, whispering into her ears. “Weren’t ye supposed to be ‘emotionally devastated’? Yer sounding mighty peachy if ye ask me!”

“I got better.” Rarity replaced her mane, a look of determination shining in her gaze. “Besides, this is just too much fun!”

--

My eyes darted from one shelf to another, taking in as much information as possible. The style of architecture was quite different from the Star Swirl’s section. While the other wing of the archives were seemingly dedicated to his work on time magic, this place was dedicated to another archmage altogether.

The air itself shimmered with magic, greenish in color. There is something deeply ironic about being the Alicorn of the Wind and still finding some atmospheres to be heavy.

To be fair, the orbs of light floating everywhere would likely put off more than one pony. I simply happened to see these… things and understand some of the law of magic at work. Frankly, I was impressed.

Slowly, I made my way up into a pair of spiraling stairs, my initial inquiry revealing nothing of interest in the first part of the Anathema wing. Logically though, what I was looking for was quite complex, so it might only be found in the upper levels…

Undeterred, I made my way up there, hooves clanking against the metallic stairs with each step. I simply followed the lights. It was akin to being surrounded by fairies… even if the knowledge of these was rather blurry in my mind.

No matter, that is quite beside the point. I stretched my neck as I passed under the threshold of the new floor.

The upper levels weren’t as intimidating. Physically.

My fur stood on its ends as soon as I took one step in. A mystical force had gathered in this place.

I shook my head. “Don’t be ridiculous, Ventus. You’re an alicorn… Act like it.” Right. I’m an alicorn. Riiiiight. I couldn’t deny it. ...Where is all this stuff?

The first book my eyes fell on had the kind of title that referred to the object of my researches.

‘Dimensional Travel: An Exploration of the Advanced Mechanisms’

“Well, that sounds promising…”

It was what I had decided. As myself, whether it was a new sense of self or not, I had had… issues with my current situation and, while I still did, the fire was not quite as strong, or even all that present…

That did not mean I would accept such a turn of events so easily. If only for the knowledge that I did try…

The book floated out of its shelf, moving almost lazily toward me. It left me with the distinct impression it somehow mocked me.

Or I’m projecting my issues on an inanimate object. I’m the one in control of its speed.

Feeling exasperated with myself, I let out a resounding sigh, sitting down at a nearby study table. The book now opened on its first page, I leaned over it.

“Well, look at what we have here!” A voice recognizable amongst all rang to my ears, mocking and childish. “A new alicorn pal!”

Frozen in place, I stared blankly ahead of myself, consciously avoiding to turn around and see the source of that noise. My coat seemed to be trying to stand on its ends from the simple aura seething out of his body.

“Come oooooon, don’t be rude. That would make it five in five.” Amazingly, that sounded somewhat like a petulant child, but I did know a lot about that…

Deep breath, Ventus. Deep, deep, deep breath! I pictured Mi Amore, standing next to Princess Sparkle and making the soothing motion.

Calmly, I rose to my hooves once more, closing my eyes and turning around.

“It is an honor to meet you, Lord Discord.” My front legs folded as I lowered my head into a respectful bow.

The library seemed to have fallen silent. Too silent. If somepony tried to produce a sound, it wouldn’t even work, that much was a certainty.

Hesitantly, I glanced upward, toward the floating god. His appeared to be quite the subdued pout. The sight, though mundane in a rather twisted way, stirred up inside me a violent desire to beat his face to a bloody pulp. Luckily, my poker face was nearly perfected. My expression was that of profound respect.

And in a bizarre way… I probably did feel like that on some level.

The Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony certainly wasn’t expecting my reaction, it seemed. “Well, that’s a first. Since when do cornies like you act like you I am your master? Sure, go ahead, feel free, but I’d like to know.”

“Don’t be mistaken,” I said sharply, straightening my posture. “I do not consider you my master or anything of the sort. As an alicorn, I am bound by duty to demonstrate proper respect to an Elder, regardless of my personal feelings in the matter.”

“Yeeeeees… ‘Duty’, you say?” The draconequus slithered in the air and circled me. I had to actively fight the urge to shiver. “But there is something different about you.”

My heartbeat accelerated.

“I’m afraid I do not-”

“Oh yes, you do.” He cut me off, stopping a few feet away from me in midair. “You know precisely what I am talking about. And judging by the look on your face, it’s not something you want to actively advertise.”

“You are mist-”

A finger snap later, no sound would pass the barrier of my lips, regardless of my attempts to do so. Discord suddenly seemed to have grown taller, more imposing…

“Ventus Vinco.” The words rolled off his tongue with a strange sensation of… power… of overwhelming presence. My senses were all but screaming at the madness crawling under my skin. “How about you show me proper respect by telling me the truth?”

I looked away, feeling a little faint, my body burning with both shame and fear. This could not happen. I couldn’t… I couldn’t say it.

“T-that is…” My tongue was tied… “I cannot tell you that.”

The voice of reason in my head sounded suspiciously more like Sam than Ventus. What if THEY hear me? What if someone caught wind of it? That lie is too precious to give away, Discord…

“Oh, now you’re just doing it to irritate me!” The draconequus pouted and glared, leaning against a shelf of book. Said shelf proceeded to giggle.

“That… is none of your business… sir.” I refused to look at him. Cold sweat was running down my spine just thinking about what he could do.

“Oh, but what you are hiding feels quite chaotic and that IS my-” He stopped, freezing in place, releasing a few dozens firework from his left ear. Then, he was inches away from my face. I promptly had a quiet heart attack. “Ho-ho… is that a string of reality I see hanging from your feathers?”

A strand of light manifested at the tip of his claw, glowing softly. Stranger yet, Discord decided to pull on it, just give it a tug, I suspected.

I felt my consciousness stretch toward his paw!

My legs started shaking. Dots were appearing in front of my eyes, clouding my vision with dancing patches of darkness. I… don’t hear words… My brain was thoroughly refusing to take it much longer.

His claws ran through my mane, sending a small signal of pain and many more of shivering disgust. W-what is he doing?

“How interesting. There are plenty of these all over you, almost like a…”

I neighed in fright when he exploded into a mad bout of laugher. In every literal sense of the term.

Wings fully expanded, in a careful balance on my hind legs and heart beating like crazy, I stared with wide eyes at the empty spot where Discord had been. Trying to get my breathing back to normal, amongst other things, I dropped down on all four, eyes still fixated on the site of his vaporization.

“You’ve been a naughty alicorn, haven’t you?”

I turned around lightning fast. He was there, standing in all his glory, arms crossed behind his back and sporting a knowing smirk. Listening purely to my instincts rather than the rational part of my mind, my expression turned defiant and my mouth ran by itself.

“I will not listen to you lecturing me about ‘naughtiness’ after your actions!”

“Ah, there it is.” The draconequus rolled his eyes, then snorted. “I also like how you didn’t deny it.”

I took a hesitant step backward, wings slowly folding back in place. The defiance had not yet left my features though.

“I ask, with all due respect, that you leave this issue alone.” I bit my cheeks, before adding… “Please.”

His face twisted, seemingly with annoyance, but there was something else…

He raised one finger at me, stopping at an awkward height, his shoulders tensed and his face crunched up as if he was…

…Holding back?

“Alright, alright.” His chest lifted up seven feet in the air, out of a petulant annoyance I could only guess. “Apparently, not prying too much is one way to show that you respect a pony’s privacy and their general person.”

My jaw dropped.

“I… huh… what?”

The draconequus frowned, crossing his arms over his chest. “You made an effort, somewhat. I guess I can make one as well.”

“I…” The words stayed stuck in my throat. That had taken me completely by surprise. “What were you hoping to gain, coming here?”

The Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony shrugged. Shrugged. “I don’t know. I was just curious. Someone or somepony has been hijacking the Source for the past few days.”

His yellow eyes almost bore a hole into my skull, from their sheer intensity. Part of me expected them to shoot lasers and disintegrate me on the spot.

It made speaking considerably harder.

“I… cannot answer that. I’m… not even sure I know… the answer you seek.”

“Let me give you a friendly advice: are you – oh dear, I’m actually doing this and it’s not even half bad… – hum… what was I saying? Oh yes, that’s the one thing. Do you not know the answer? Or do you refuse to acknowledge the fact that you do know?”

Something in my heart hardened. My eyes narrowed into a glare. “I’d appreciate if you followed on your own statements. Drop it.”

Discord swatted the cold air blowing from the nearby windows away with a swipe of his tail, rolling his eyes at me, again.

“Why don’t you take a deep breath, my little corny? Here, let me offer you one shot at remembering the truth you buried away. Make of that what you will.” His fingers were posed ready to snap. “I’m leaving you alone after that, Pinkie Promise.”

My breath hitched. “W-what are you-?”

I heard the sound of bone against bone, I reflexively turned my head away from a blinding light.

W-where… that’s… my old world…

The bed… the small desk… heck, the laptop… those things were all mine. I was in MY room.

I felt… I wasn’t relieved. I wasn’t overjoyed nor horrified. My senses were troubled, my perception of things muddled by some unknown force.

My ears picked up some noises, loud but muffled. It was… familiar though. Distantly, I tried to get closer to the source of the noise, hopefully getting a better understanding of the situation at hand… hoof?

However, that plan soon crashed down to hell and deeper. Nothing happened. Even as my consciousness seemed to return, that my focus sharpened toward this simple goal, the evidence remained: I couldn’t move.

My blood froze in my veins when I heard the sound of a plate breaking. The sound was so distinct, so unmistakable, that it seemed to literally pull my mind straight toward it like a magnet.

My heartbeat seemed strong enough to make my vision jump.

More screaming. A muffled impacting sound.

“HAVE YOU GONE MAD?!” WHO IS IT?! WHICH ONE OF THE TWO?!

The screaming intensified and every word cut right through my soul. They were all carved in burning letters into my brain. The argument was simply going back and forth, with each party progressively losing their restraints. Until…

“I-I… I HATE YOU!”

The nightmare ended.

I was splayed across the floor, one wing extended, legs scrambled and my mane falling into my eyes. The situation seemed not unlike any other morning, especially if the day before had been exhausting. Yet my body felt cold, absent was the comforting warmth of a bed.

I was but a disoriented alicorn lying on a stone floor. I definitely felt more Sam than Ventus too. At least though, my visitor had left.

Discord was gone. It was probably a good thing, because my first thought toward him was to rip his face off.

T-they… Mom and Dad are falling apart…

I was alone in the library again, as I had requested of Princess Celestia. Like it had been just before Discord’s interruption.

I stumbled forward, limbs heavy as if I had been swimming or exercising for hours on ends. My front hooves bounced against a hard form on the ground and the sudden change in my balance made me fall.

W-what was that? I wondered, blinking away the confusion and the blurriness. Then, I saw it. Just a simple carved stone, with the following words written on it: “Do you know Prench, mister?”

I DON’T CARE ABOUT THAT!

There were people, real, tangible lives being put in jeopardy by my inaction. There were some that suffered because of our disappearance and giving up on them, condemning them to that kind of end without trying with all my heart was simply… evil.

For goodness’ sake! They’re our parents! It doesn’t matter how LONG they were, how MUCH effort, it wasn’t a contest of quantity. I knew they loved us, I knew… well, perhaps not quite as much due to my previous failures with saving Tom, but heck, THEY LOVED US AND THAT’S ENOUGH REASON FOR ME!

I launched myself at the book lying on the ground.

The sound of her friends arguing was starting to grate on Twilight’s nerves, just a little.

“Oh, none of you girls know about true passionate romance. It’s not just about settling down in some cozy home and share a blanket by the fireplace.” The actual consideration in her friends’ eyes made Rarity pause mid tirade. “Though that might be a nice image, there is MORE to pure love than just a nice moment of shared camaraderie and confidence.”

“Sounds plenty to me.” Applejack deadpanned.

It had been going on in a similar fashion for a while now. The only difference was the fact that they were now walking down in the gardens, looking for Pinkie and Calx to inform them of today’s plans.

So far, the worst part had been, well, Rarity and Applejack going back and forth. Every time Rarity managed to invoke a sumptuously romantic image, something about candlelight and the watchful sunset…

“Oh no! It is MUCH bigger! Romance is a passionate, burning wild flame that stampedes all over your preconception and sets you ablaze with desire!” Rarity would say. “Your head will spin and your heart will soar!”

Golden hooves on her…

“Hon, if you feel that way, you ain’t lovesick, yer just sick!”

Her sneezing in his face.

And her bubble would pop so hard she would feel the backlash in her brain. This had gone on for almost an hour! She was sick of it!

“You will see!” The fashionista declared confidently. “If Prince Ventus truly loves her, then he will surprise her! He will barge in suddenly and whisk her away to carry her toward the sunset, to flee from all responsibilities and exist only for one another till the days grow old and the moon shines blue!”

Twilight pointedly looked away, ignoring Fluttershy’s attempts at making eye contact. Her face would flush so hard if any of them manage to capture her gaze for more than a few seconds. Rarity’s speeches were definitely setting her brain on fire, as the poor alicorn could not stop her imagination from switching the faces of those unknown ponies with herself and… perhaps Prince Ventus.

“That’s… that’s pure nonsense!” Rainbow Dash shouted, holding her hooves in front of her face, indignation clear in her voice.

Now she was definitely blushing.

“Twilight?”

She didn’t hear that! She really didn’t! Pinkie Pro-… alright, maybe not Pinkie Promise…

“Ah have to agree with Rainbow on that one, Rarity. That sounds like a load of horseapple.” The cowpony rolled her eyes.

“Yeah, AJ’s right. Come on, Rare!” The pegasus laughed, flipping in the air. “Whisking Twilight away? Like that? So suddenly Twilight wouldn’t get the time to react and plan the whole thing in excruciating details?”

The white unicorn winced, sensing a grain of truth tainting her vision of a perfect romance.

“Why, I never-” She cut herself off when Twilight came to an abrupt stop. “Darling?”

The lavender alicorn seemed to be staring into place, though her eyes were actually shifting slightly every few seconds. Her expression remained troubled however, her eyebrows furrowed together.

Before she could speak up, however, a violent burst of wind almost threw them off their hooves. Out of nowhere, a figure appeared with the burst, though one might be forgiven for not discerning his traits so easily with the barrier between them.

“Princess Sparkle!” Oh dear, she would recognize that voice anywhere. “You must come with me!” The stallion lunged at her, too quickly for her to react. A small part of her actively wondered if she wanted to react, though in the end, she pondered too long for the choice to remain hers.

Ventus’ hoof touched hers.

And with that, the two of them disappeared with a gust of wind.

Rarity savored her moment of triumph for a few seconds, before deciding to be reasonable and close her friend’s mouths, all wide opened with utter disbelief.

--

Not so far away, out of sight and out of pony earring range, a beige coated stallion grinned to himself, eying the perfect picture he had taken. Princess Twilight Sparkle’s shocked and secretly pleased expression was centerfold, with the Prince’s face obscured.

Only quick reflexes and pure instinct had allowed him to miss the desperate plea from the stallion.

“Colt, you are making my life so much easier…” He chuckled.

His thanks given, the stallion hurried off the castle ground, knowing his money could only buy so much time off the guards’ patrol schedule.

--

The winds died down as quickly as I had brought them up, fading away with the magic I had forced into my horn. It all dissipated harmlessly into the suite I shared with Tom, barely even shaking a flowerpot by the window.

Some warmth climbed up my hooves, even while my limbs started to feel less… ghostly again. A neat trick I had come up with three hundred years ago… or never, depending on which part of me one asked. Our bodies both became solid soon enough, the last lingering effect of my “pony-to-air” spell completely fading away.

“W-what was that?! This wasn’t a teleportation! There was no tunneling effect, nor a magical backlash! D-did you just use a completely new and exclusive method of travel to get me here?!”

“Yes,” I answered honestly, bluntly too to tell the truth.

Luckily, my reply seemed to have been enough for her to gather her mind, or perhaps it was simply picking up on my voice and the overall feeling of urgency that overflowed from my general person.

“Prince Ventus?” She eyed me with a frown, her breathing still more rapid and deeper than I would have expected at this point. “What is going on? Why did you bring me here like this?”

I remained externally calm, but inside my inner turmoil was reaching a peak. What I wanted was extremely risky, but it seemed like the best course of action, considering the urgency of the situation.

Still, my heart was beating so strongly it seemed Twilight’s words were overshadowed.

“I do apologize for my… unusual behavior, but I fear there is no time to lose.” My voice faltered, as screams of my human self almost deafened me. The propos however were neither mindless nor useless. A cold dread washed over me. “This is meant for your ears alone!”

For some reason though, Twilight took a step back, eyes shrinking and face paling. W-was she… no, she wouldn’t outright refused because of me whisking her away from her friends so suddenly, r-right?!

I felt my heart sink.

“Please, I need you.” I stumbled forward, reaching for her with one hoof.

“Whoa, whoa, whooooooa, this is way too fast for me! I’m not ready to leave my life behind me, my friends, my family, my whole career! In fact, I don’t get that!” Her expression seemed to become more frazzled, verging slightly toward hysteria. “Why should I do that? Why would I want to do that?!”

I blinked. Good question… what the hell are you going on about, Twi?

“Princess Sparkle,” I said with a calm, but firm and regal tone. It made her flinch. “I have yet to disclose the nature of my request. What are you talking about?”

For a moment, she remained still, unmoving, completely frozen with the exception of her staring eyes that were slowly widening with each passing second. Something of a blush seemed to visit her cheeks.

“Nothing.” Her tone was so mechanical I cringed.

“We both know that it is a lie.” I was almost sad for the poor gal. That was Applejack’s levels of bad lying.

A string of words left her lips, too quickly for me to make sense of them. Eventually though, as she started to run out of air, I presumed, she seemed to realize she was going about it way too fast and sunk down to her knees, squeaking in embarrassment.

She was so… freaking… cute…

The thought fled my mind almost immediately. I had much more pressing business than hitting on a mare. And one of them was regaining enough of myself to make that concept disturbing again.

Slowly, I made my way to her crouching form, being as gentle as I could.

“Princess Sparkle, I need your help.” I had no trouble putting the pain I experienced into my voice. She instantly caught up on it as well. “You’re the only one I trust enough to confide on this.”

For a moment, the poor alicorn seemed completely lost, so unsure… Her gaze would not meet mine. It seemed as if her wings were not closing simply over her sides, but rather over her own heart, hugging her for comfort.

My heart skipped a beat. She looked hurt, though also… flattered, ashamed, concerned, touched? I… I couldn’t tell…

“Yes?”

The word was so quiet I almost failed to hear it.

Upon taking this implicit acceptance, I sucked in my breath, feeling one last bout of hesitation before I could truly speak to her. “D-do you remember what I told you about the balance of Harmony?”

She nodded, but said nothing else. Her eyes were fixated on me and I doubted they could seem more piercing. I had her full attention.

“Do you also remember the part where I told you Celestia had managed to instate Harmony by releasing Discord while you ascended to alicorn status?”

Her silence was telling.

I sighed, feeling the corners of my lips slip downward into a grimace. My ears drooped down. “We weren’t supposed to come. We shouldn’t have been able to.”

“B-but then…” Her voice trailed off. She seemed unable to vocalize the rest of her thoughts.

No more words were necessary anyway.

“The spell I used to follow my brother…” I averted my gaze, preferring to focus on the window and the outside world it gave access to. “It was a forbidden one. Magic… of unknown origin…”

I didn’t have any other choice, not a significant one, not so quickly. And I was out of time already! The books I read from pages to pages had been of no help. While a true expert in the art of weather manipulation, my education was… lacking in subjects such as dimensional travel. It had been deemed unnecessary when I was studying under Magister.

Bitterness had literally permeated my body to the bones, to find myself so over my head whenever it was important. If I had learned anything at all from the last few days, it was that I could only make things worse.

Turning toward a well-versed magician and the personal student of Celestia herself was a logical choice second only to the Alicorn of the Day herself. Why not her then? Well, I suspected Twilight was more likely to do it for the sake of science and thus, ask fewer ethical question to me.

Flimsy, but it was that reason, alone. No other reason. Twilight could help me.

“W-what kind of spell did you use?” Said mare finally stuttered.

I steeled my heart to get the courage to say it. Even then, the words came out as hesitant.

“The kind that can alter reality.”

Dead silence.

A perfect environment for one’s fears to grow and his imagination to run wild, as mine did.

…Please. I know this is hard, but I’ve already wasted so much time… I can’t… I can’t afford to just… Just give us your help...

Twilight blinked, but remained otherwise stunningly silent.

I could not blame her, this was something big. It would be hard to process and digest the sheer scale of our actions. Parts of me were trying and failing to imagine it so, while I had two sets of memories to draw from.

“Wow… this is…” Twilight looked around, everywhere but at me. “Wow…”

“T-Twilight…”

“I…” She suddenly chuckled. “I just don’t know what to say…”

My voice got stuck in my throat.

“Has it… you know, altered anything?”

…

“I… ” Oh crap… what do I say to that? Do I tell her? Then what? Would she figure it out? We’ve – well, mostly me – already created discrepancies with this world’s history. Or at least about how threats arise, which is precisely what is supposed to be happening right now…

Her traits became slightly more precise, bigger, allowing me to see in perfect detail the more minute details like that small twitch beneath her lips she maintained in a firm line or the fact that her fur had started standing on its ends. Subconsciously, Twilight was leaning toward me.

“You see… it’s…” Something like Chrysalis might waltz in and try to take over, possibly causing the death of many of your fellow ponies.

The moment the thought had crossed my mind, I knew what I would do. There was simply no other option for me. Otherwise, Twilight’s cooperation might be lost forever.

Instantly, a cool… no, cold detachment erased all signs of hesitation from my mind. Though externally I projected the image of an unsure alicorn, my mind was an ocean of ice. Vaguely however, my conscience was screaming bloody murder.

“I don’t think it did…” Liar. “But who knows when and how it might start?” Liar, liar, hooves on fire… “We need to pinpoint the origin of the spell, perhaps reproduce it, to stop its effects and reverse them?” Hung by his wings with barbed wire… “The balance would be restored.”

She stared, the cogs of her mind turning so visibly I could hear them.

The corners of her lips twitched and suddenly it was my turn to lean closer, too fixated by the other to realize what I was doing. I needed help so badly! I needed her help so badly! Come on, Twilight!

Upward. A smile. She was smiling.

Immediately, I released a sigh of relief I hadn’t known I was holding in.

I knew I had won.

“Alright. I will try to help you to the best of my abilities.”

--

There was a monster in his chest. A strange crawling thing that had him uneasy, uncomfortable… on the verge of throwing up all over his keyboard.

Through some sort of strange miracle however, he managed to force his fingers down, enough to type a message, but without his eyes ever trailing off the screen.

“F-for real…? That’s their names?” No way, that’s just… how… why would they give alicorns those names?

“Well, nicknames actually, NightServant, but you get the idea. And the fandom pretty much universally agrees that this is really out of place and weird and no one knows why the writers went with that.”

He just stared at the screen.

That had to be a weird coincidence. Come on, those two new characters… one of them being an annoying mini-stu?

Phantom pain in his eye.

His heart jumped in his throat, threatening to up and outright leave his body. There was, in his mind, the memories of his friend glaring at him, so strongly for speaking like that.

Too strongly. It’s just a TV show’s…

“Tom and Sam, really?”

--

I didn’t want to squirm and get skittish, but I kept so nonetheless. Truly though, my situation was rather… peculiar, one might say.

“A-are you entirely certain it is necessary I strike a pose while you run your tests?” Not that I mind puffing my chest and extending my wings, looking all proud, Twi, but I can’t help feeling something is amiss here...

The mare, her nose in her readings, barely seemed to have registered my words. The blush her glasses couldn’t hide was the only concrete proof I had that she wasn’t as detached as she pretended to. “Oh, yes, of course, it… huh… helps the circulation of your magical aura and then I can… see if you’re ”

Even when not looking at me, she gave a ‘I’m-really-not-lying-I-promise’ smile. Even worse, my ears picked up some unusual words when she turned around. Perhaps I should try to inform her that as Alicorn of the Wind, I could pretty much hear anypony I wanted to, so long as we weren’t separated by solid matter.

“Be bold, Twilight, she said… ooooh, I’m so bad at this…” She whispered.

The strange phrase did not quite translate in my brain. Distantly, a part of me knew precisely what she was talking about. In itself, it would have been quite distracting, but…

Well, the dozens wires attached to my wings and the rest of my person made it a little hard to concentrate on much.

After I had made my request, Twilight had lead us to the castle’s laboratory. Strange as it had first appeared to me to have a lab, a place where one would experiment with magic, in the Princesses residence, this was Twilight Sparkle, student extraordinaire.

“T-this is all fascinating!” She exclaimed, tone breaking and pitched too high. “I’ve never seen anything like it before!”

“Yes, as I told you…” A sense of shame stirred in my guts. “Yes, as I already explained, the source of this spell is unknown…”

Her head turned toward me, yet she still didn’t look at me. Her gaze was fixated on the beeping equipment surrounding my body and the wires hooked up on me. Slowly though, awed discovery seemed to be replaced by perplexity.

Twilight quickly ran to my figure, making my heartbeat accelerated with paranoia.

“This should not happen,” she muttered, making a bunch of readings float toward her, glancing alternatively between each of them, inches away from me.

Less than her words, it was the frown darkening her features that had me worried.

“Twilight?” I called.

She did not answer, too immersed in her examinations of the strange colored lines displayed on the machine behind me. It did not change when she moved toward me again.

Without even a hint of her previous skittishness, the Alicorn of Magic honestly started to examine me from up close. I could feel her breath on my fur at this distance.

My tail twitched.

T-there was something… dehumanizing about being put on a pedestal and being turned into an object of observation and study. That I had made the request diminished the sentiment, but only very slightly.

Instruments were levitating around her head and she mouthed many things silently, to my dismay, as reading on lips was not a skill I had. Her train of thoughts was simply lost on me, even while the direction of her experiments became more and more evident.

A full blown glare at numbers stayed telling no matter the dimension.

“No, this HAS to be wrong! Magic doesn’t work like that!” She almost snarled at her scrolls, obviously displeased with the results she was getting. If anything, she looked about ready to…

Hit them… throw them across the room.

“I-I HATE YOU!”

I still don’t know… which one… which one said it? It’s all falling apart.

A muffled, hitting noise.

I can’t match a face with the voice.

“HAVE YOU GONE MAD?!”

Have you? Are you both still sane? Was that a fluke? Or just...

The sound of deep breathing, not unlike that of a yoga master, brought me back to my senses.

“Alright, Twilight, you can do this,” she told herself.

Completely to her thought process, the alicorn blatantly ignored the intrigued look I directed her way. Instead, she turned her head back to her desk and, before I had the time to ask anything, a black blur flew toward her at lightning speed.

My warning died in my throat when it flashed itself into Twilight’s hooves and revealed itself as tongs. Besides, my voice was extinguished the next second. A nice, warm, gentle touch registered in my brain.

However, Twilight still didn’t seem happy, brushing my leg like that.

“What is it?”

A sharp bout of pain in my hind leg made me bite my lips, to hold in the yelp that threatened to echo in the lab otherwise. D-did Twilight just pluck out a piece of me?!

She didn’t notice. Her eyes were entirely on her sample. “That’s… weird.”

“W-what is?” I asked, chest burning up with sudden fright.

“This,” Twilight said, carefully holding up the piece of me she had pulled out with her levitating tongs. “It’s all over you… and…”

There was nothing. Not even some golden fur.

Staring intently, something hit me as wrong, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. In the first place, I was no expert on such matters. Air was distorted around it, I could tell – of course I could –, but what I didn’t know was the reason for this distortion. I had some theories, but they were probably total crap.

Frowning, Twilight closed her eyes, making her horn glow much more intensively.

It did not take long. Whatever was in Twilight’s grip changed, slowly expanding, stretching into a thin line. That in itself was not notable, admittedly, but, as it turned into a white rift inside an empty space, it seemed to have an effect on me I could not explain.

From the rift, a pulse seemed to echo and, as soon as it reached me, I heard an ethereal neigh at the back of my mind.

Twilight started to speak, completely unaffected. “The further I move it away from you, from the caster and his reserves of magic.” She took a step back, ONE!

The string of light faded away.

“W-what does that mean?” I asked, mouth going dry.

“I…” Her eyes were wide open. “I think the spell is starting to... to run out…”

“Come on, Bladey!” She urged him, gently biting and pulling on his wing when he stopped moving. “We have to defeat the evil coalition of moral guardians that want to destroy our bakery!”

It was a silly game, kinda girly too, but he liked it. W-whatever, he’d just tell his big bro that it was something more epic. Not like Ventus called him out on that often. He was just really gullible sometimes.

Then again, Sam always looked down at him with the same smile whenever he recounted his day to him.

The pulling sensation in his wing disappeared.

“Bladey?” Pinkie asked, a little surprised.

Tom wasn’t quite sure why he had stopped. They were about to win, obviously, so it was not like he was trying to dodge a magical ray of lightning aimed at him or something. At least, no broccoli had been used so far. Nopony would sink that low, fortunately.

“It’s okay, Pinkie…” He replied absentmindedly, looking up, a cold pit of uneasy in his stomach.

“Are you sure?” She insisted.

“Hu-uh.” He nodded, but did not take his eyes off the sky.

Calx folded his wings against his body. The sky looked a little bit too gloomy today. It was kinda gloomy…

Sorta depressing, if you asked him.

--

To put it mildly, I was depressed.

It… well…

I sighed, letting my head hang low.

I probable looked miserable and that had to be an irreparable offense to nobility or whatever, but I honestly could not care less about their opinions. Though the impact of my hooves against solid rock made a noticeable echo, nopony had bothered coming up to check on me yet. I was… partially grateful for that.

The testing had been meant to… well, find a solution, discover a way, ease my fears, ANYTHING... but I had been left with more questions than answers.

And I was not the only one.

“W-what will happen when…? Could that be just… a characteristic of reality warping spells?”

The alicorn shook her head, still frowning. “N-no, the process is normal, but this is too strange.”

“W-what is?” I asked, feeling my heartbeat accelerated with fear.

“It didn’t disappear the same way as it should be… It’s only when I removed it from your body that it started to truly disappear. Normally, it should have already been disappearing when I pulled it out. The timing doesn’t make sense…”

“B-but what of us? What’s going to happen when the spell fades completely? Will there be adverse side-effects?”

“I… I’m not…” She sighed, looking torn. “L-listen, I need time, plenty of it, to analyze everything. Just… just return to your brother’s side in the meantime.”

Twilight didn’t have any idea either. She had simply shooed me out of her lab, a very pensive expression on her face. That kind of result was simply disheartening.

Even with her help, I was no closer to finding a way home. Without at least some dedicated scholars to guide me, my own researches about dimensional travel seemed doomed to fail miserably.

Magister really screwed up by not giving me more knowledge of different schools of magic.

No, without Twilight, this was not going to work and I couldn’t go back to her so soon...

I would follow up on her suggestions though, as they were sound ideas, truly. However, before that, I had to get my thoughts into order or I might not make a very nice companion for the rest of the day.

It wouldn’t do to darken anypony else’s mood with my gloom. An aching part of my heart seemed to stretch toward the sky. With the maids quietly commenting on the terrible feeling of emptiness they got watching the normally blue endless space over their head, I had been able to quickly deduce that my goal was already in jeopardy.

The Alicorn of the Wind could influence the sky itself. Who would have thought?

Calm down, I thought while taking as deep breaths as I could afford to. Just think of positive stuff. Anything will do, so long as I look happy. Things are pretty crappy right now. I know I’m equally Sam and Ventus at the moment, but there is no guarantee that will remain the same with time. There are apparently traces of that dimensional travel spell still on me, which both Twilight and Discord noticed.

I felt my heart sink.

Oh for freak’s sake! I was trying to cheer myself up! But apparently, I was doomed to fail at everything. Even seeing the bright side of things…

“HAVE YOU GONE MAD?!”

The bright… side…

“I-I… I HATE YOU!”

My wings twitched.

This wasn’t… I shouldn’t focus on that memory. It was so painful it made me want to forget altogether about… If I did, I wouldn’t be able to… I wouldn’t…

My thoughts were too confused at the moment. It seemed as if my chest was a pot of boiling and freezing emotions tearing me apart one contradiction at a time.

I wanted them to be okay, I wanted them to be safe. That, at least, was unchangeable.

I’ll do it right, Mom, Dad. I allowed myself to breathe a sigh of relief. It was still important to me. It still mattered on a gut level. I swear to you, I will find a way back home for me and Tom. We’re not abandoning you.

Slowly, the promise washed away some of my fears and doubts.

“Alright… smile, Sam,” I whispered.

I did. The corner of my lips twitched upward, slightly, but they did. It was technically a smile.

I didn’t need anypony else to tell me that it was not good enough. I’d more than likely make my little brother cringe if I showed myself like that.

And if there was anything the little squirt shouldn’t be given, it was more reasons to worry, especially about me. I didn’t deserve that kind of concern as long as we were still trapped here…

Come on, a bigger smile. Put yourself in the mood. You have to do it… for him.

Images of my little brother flashed into my mind. Ranging from the silly to the cute, my brain could summon so many good memories of him, so many times I was just happy, that the inner darkness vanished instantly.

I broke into a grin.

A spell later, the hallway I had been walking in was empty and the curtains were moved by an inexplicable draft of wind.

--

He was nervous.

This was new.

Him? Nervous? It was simply unconceivable to every single reasonable pony in Equestria. He was the epitome of nobility; he could not be doubting his capacities of making small talk with the castle’s servants, right?

Then, why were the words stuck in his throat?

The mare was working quickly and efficiently – as she ought to –, just in front of him, baby blue body partially obscured by his sumptuous bed and the clothes she was intending to take to the laundry room.

He did not find her especially pretty, nor did she look that much older than him. Nothing about her was remarkable and that was the root of the problem.

If he spoke now, well, he might shoot his reputation in the hoof. There would be nopony ignoring his humiliating choices in an hour if he went through with his plan. It wasn’t so much the words he wanted to speak, but rather who he would be endorsing by doing so.

C-could he do it? Could he brave all traditions for the sake of being… the sake of what? Being a better pony? He was already an excellent example of noble stallion!

“You are nothing more than a spoiled brat!”

“G-good job,” the words flew out of his mouth before he could stop them.

If possible, the stallion paled in horror. He hadn’t meant to do that!

Oh sweet Auntie Celestia, he had done it. Now he would be the laughing stock of the whole Canterlot nobility. Now everypony would think he had put credit in that infuriating alicorn’s words!

It was too late for him to take back his words. The maid had completely frozen, hearing his compliment. Her mouth hung wide open, almost comically.

“I’m… sorry… I didn’t quite catch that, your Highness…” She declared, composure broken and hesitation betrayed by her every gesture.

Normally, he would have reprimanded her severely for not only implying something there, but also for not paying attention in the first place. Instead, nothing of that scatting reply came out, only a pitiful stuttering could be heard in his royal bedroom.

“I… I s-said… ‘G-g-good… job’… that is all…” Heat crept up his cheeks, coloring them brightly.

“I… thank you graciously, your Highness, for your kind words.” She bowed deeply, as was proper decorum. Unfortunately, her expression remained that of a pony suddenly being transported in an Equestria under Discord’s thrall.

“It… it is simply a most sincere observation of your work, Mare.” The prince looked away, wondering if it was not too late to do some damage control and save his reputation.

Oh, if Fancy Pants hears about it, he will not cease bugging me about those ponyist events and his public endorsing of mules and donkeys to stop unfair treatment in their working population.

Okay, if he was honest with himself, Prince Blueblood might understand the sentiment and the attitude was fitting for a noble soul, let alone a rich stallion like Fancy Pants, but as prince of the kingdom, he had more important duties.

“What makes you so much greater than another pony that would have followed the same path, growing up?”

His bitterness squeezed his heart. It was too much. Those accursed words would not leave him in peace. Not for one second. Whenever he acted as he always did, they started echoing in his mind again, causing a strange feeling of emptiness at the level of his heart.

“What is your biggest dream?” would always be at the front of his mind. Of course, it would be followed by a scathing “No, don’t bother. You’re right. It is irrelevant. It is quite unlikely that you will ever succeed in achieving it, whatever it might be.”

The white stallion’s head was feeling heavier than it should. He was weary of this nonsense that kept assaulting his senses.

He couldn’t tell what he wanted anymore…

“R-remember that I do appreciate your work…”

The maid hurried off with a few words, leaving him alone to ponder this familiar sensation of solitude.

--

His figure was cowering behind a bush. The sight of his blue coat shaking so should have sent distress signals all over my brain. However, I could feel his breath through some extra sense in this form.

He was snickering. Hardly an attitude one adopts when shaking in fear, if you ask me.

With a grin, I held back from manifesting, enjoying the invisibility of being one with the wind. Not only would this allow me to get one over Calx, but another part of me just… wanted to fade away. Just turning into a gust of wind and roaming through the sky seemed like a pretty appealing option to me.

Eh, maybe one day, when he’ll be all grown-up and won’t need me.

I entertained the thought, shutting down all attempts at acknowledging this would mean I had failed to keep my promise by watching as Tom tensed, ready to pounce.

A second later, a high-pitched voice rose from behind a statue. “Bladey?”

From my position as a spirit in the air, it was child’s play to see the tensing in his muscles, indicating he was geting ready to pounce.

Chance! I quickly leaned forward, right next to his ear. “Boo.”

He jumped three feet in the air, letting out a yelp of complete surprise. The sight had me snickering, finally allowing myself to become flesh and blood again.

“Sam!” Tom shouted, swirling around in shock. He looked equal part crossed and happy.

I guess I have that effect on ponies.

“There you are!” Pinkie jumped over the bush, smiling. “Mare, that was a good hiding place. I’ve been looking for a whole ten minutes! Phew, and I almost lost too.”

“Hey! I didn’t lose!” The little colt’s eyes narrowed, his voice suddenly sullen. “Sam surprised me.”

“Oh, Sammy Good?” Pinkie said, apparently just now noticing me. “I didn’t even know you were playing with us. Ooooooh, I’m so excited.”

…What?

“M-Miss Pie,” I stuttered. “What did you call me?”

“Oh, I heard the girls say you had abducted Twilight, so I was worried at first, but then they also said it was okay, because it was really romantic and stuff. I even heard Rarity say you were good, but I already wanted to call you Sammy, ‘cause it really rolls off the tongue well, so I figured ‘why not both?’.”

All to her little speech, the hyperactive mare didn’t notice how I had focused entirely on one part. My eyes twitched. Please tell me you didn’t say the forbidden word in front of Tom.

His devilish smirk was all the confirmation I needed. “‘All romantic and stuff’, eh, Pinkie?”

“Hu-uh,” she exclaimed and nodded enthusiastically, blissfully oblivious as to what she had just unleashed. “Rarity said her romantic senses had like… really really started tingling, in overdrive even.”

“Are you sure that’s not just you? Sounds like a Pinkie Sense to me.”

“Yup, pretty sure.” She shrugged.

So did Calx. I had a feeling the protest had been more a token than anything else. As further proof of this theory, his evil gaze fell on me, his mouth twisted into the kind of smile the shark gives to the innocent trout.

Getting sidetracked by the analogy here. And how did I come to think of myself as a trout?

I was suddenly visited by a powerful urge to facepalm myself into oblivion.

Right, where was I?

Tom took a deep breath, and that was how I knew Tartarus was unleashed on me.

“Sam’s got a girlfriend! Sam’s got a girlfriend. Sam’s got a girlfriend.”

Ah, yes, the chanting, the abomination that some moron had one day invented to give annoying kids ammunition and fuel to become the most annoying things ever. What I wouldn’t give to inflict a thousand tortures on that being, human or pony or whatever…

This… this is like chewing on aluminum paper while giving a bath to a strangled cat that is scratching a blackboard over the sound of a fire alarm.

As it stood however, the inventor of the wretched thing known as singing had long died and I was stuck in the middle of an imaginary circle, on the edges of which my little brother jumped up and down, scanting the unbearably whiny noise.

Then, it got worse.

After a moment of observation, a light of interest lit up in Pinkie Pie’s eyes. “Hey, this sounds like fun! Can I join?”

Hearing that, my indignation flared. “Miss Pie, you ca-!”

“Sure.” Tom instantly agreed.

“YES!” The pink mare jumped ten inches in the air.

Before I could blink, shout or generally express my disagreement with this new arrangement, they both started skipping all around me, with a frightening unison.

“Sam’s got a girlfriend!” They chanted.

I felt like my ears would start bleeding at any given time now. That, or I would have used my magic to destroy all air and thus all sound. For the sake of not hearing them, it would be worth it to destroy this world’s atmosphere.

“Sam’s got a girlfriend. Sam’s got a girlfriend.”

Urge to destroy the world: rising.

“Stop,” I said, sounding so calm it was surreal.

They ignored my warning.

No mercy then.

Heat coursed through my being for a brief moment, before focusing into my horn and lit it up with the glow of magic.

As it so happened, they were both in midair at the same time, legs happily folded under them temporarily. This was precisely what I needed to strike.

With a flicker of my horn, they both instantly noticed a change. The first of the two was Tom, whose leg muscles contracted and relaxed several times without noticeable change in posture.

“Huh? My legs are all tied up,” he muttered, squirming in position to get out of that invisible jam.

You can try, but it won’t work, Calx. The air underneath you is solidified and will simply carry you around for a while.

“That is so neat!” The high pitched voice was shaking with pure joy. It grabbed my attention quite easily.

…Pinkie looked quite similar to a sitting duck, gliding through the air not unlike a giant pink chicken either. A giant excited chicken that gushed over this new thing by babbling and spinning her neck to keep up with me.

…That was strangely in-character for her and, surprisingly enough, sent a shiver down my spine.

Stupid as it felt though, I could not stop myself from jumping ten feet of air and opening my wings wide when she suddenly appeared underneath me, right between my front legs.

Heart beaten at an accelerated rate, I stared at Pinkie while she giggled at my reaction. Damn it! I knew she could do that already! How did that take me by surprise?!

“You should have seen the look on your face!” Tom shouted, hollering with laugher.

Annoyed, I dropped to the ground and let gravity do the same to them. Neither was properly prepared and I hid a satisfied smirk at the simultaneous thud their bodies made hitting the ground.

I used the opportunity of them being both down for the count to make my next point.

“Now, listen and understand what I am saying, Tom. I will not repeat it.” The grasp of another spell lifted him up to eye-level. “I am not in love with a pony.”

Parts of me screamed that this was a false reassurance.

At least, I knew I could not deny a physical, purely physical and nothing more, attraction, which was due to the fact that I had spent four hundred years with that kind of ideal of beauty in my brain.

“Come on, Sam. That’s the reason you’re all gloomy and stuff, right?” The odious little squirt grinned, giving me that look. “Twilight didn’t want to kiss you?”

He yelped when I unceremoniously dropped him to the ground.

“Tom.” I breathed deeply to calm myself and not let the burning rage just take over. “I am currently contemplating how to get you back for this, you understand, right?”

He tensed, but otherwise showed no signs of unease through his arrogant demeanor. “Bring it!”

“You will learn that I have had plenty of time to learn all brotherly wrestling techniques from hell, little brother.” My attention zoomed in on his slightly shaking figure. “You are on the verge of learning them with your body.”

To see him about ready to run for his life quenched at least half of that thirst for glorious sibling revenge. In light of this satisfaction, the muscles of my legs relaxed, visibly.

The fear of retaliation away from his mind, Calx was free to act his normal obnoxious self again. Heck, the impish way he muttered to himself implied bad things about my future. But hey, I could take on everything the little guy would dish out. I taught him everything he knows.

“Hey Sam, I wanted to ask you something!” Pinkie Pie piped in, breaking me out of my contemplations.

With a grain of apprehension, I turned to her. “Yes?”

“Where does the nickname ‘Sam’ come from? I mean, your name’s Ventus Vinco and I can’t, for the life of me, figure out where it comes from.”

Taken aback, I took a second to compose myself, thinking on how to reply to that without revealing something compromising.

“Well…”

Pinkie’s face crunched up, with her teeth stuck together and her eyes locked into a panicky light. “Gniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii-”

“You okay?” Tom asked, as I blinked, baffled.

“-iiiiiiiiiiiiiii- Ve- Nope, got nothing.”

I stared. Tom stared as well. We exchanged a glance and both decided not to say anything of this, most likely vowing to forget it.

“Let’s just say those nicknames come from a while ago and involve dimensional travel and noodles.”

“OH!” The pink mare jumped on her hooves. “What kind?! I love noodle!”

“To describe them would be outside the realms of reason,” I said, deadpan.

“Awww.” Her ears drooped, sending a pinch of guilt in my chest.

“You made her sad!” Calx pouted, jumping to her side instantly.

I would later feel shame at the only thought going through my head at the moment being only a deadpan “Seriously?”. Heck, it even pissed me off. She could afford being sad over noodles while I had to suck it up and pretend everything was fine? Urgh…

He kept up the glare.

I would have too, had it not been for the part where I had promised to make this a good day for him. That, however, did not prevent me from rolling my eyes. “…Fine, I apologize for not being able to describe a particular kind of noodles from outer spaces.”

It was as if a switch had been turned on. Instantly, the mare was on her hooves, looking the happiest in the world.

“Oh, thank you!” She threw her front legs around my neck, hugging me like I had suddenly told her that ponies all over Equestria wanted to throw her a party. “Just the fact that you apologized means a lot. Usually ponies don’t bother when they say I’m not making sense.”

My heart sunk in my chest a little. Well, I needed something to make me feel guilty today…

“But you know what would really cheer me up?” Again, her whole expression lit up with anticipation, which had me mentally cower in apprehension. “If we got to visit Canterlot itself.”

“Y-you want to visit the city?” Strangely, the thought didn’t bother me. A part of me was however surprised I had not even contemplated that yet. “O-outside the castle’s ground? Are we allowed to do that?”

“Why wouldn’t you be? You’re not prisoners of anything.”

Oh, of nothing at all, if we exclude Equestria itself.

Nonetheless, I could not allow these thoughts to surface, lest somepony caught on. I affected a humbled, embarrassed façade. Scratching the back of my head with my hoof, I offered the pink mare a sheepish grin. “Well… I… believed the possibility nil without any guard to accompany us, but there wasn’t any instruction on what we were allowed to do… or anything else for that matters. I-”

The blue face of a colt suddenly filled my field of vision, as a double pressure on my shoulders indicated he had literally jumped on me. “Does that mean we can go visit Canterlot, Sam!?”

“…I guess so.” I gently threw him off, desperately trying to find an issue with that course of action and not quite finding one that would not suddenly break Tom’s spirit and squash it into pieces.

Of course, the two’s immediate response was to cheer and jump in the air.

“That sounds really really nice! I heard they have the highest quality cuisine. This will be great. We’re going to spend lots of time together down in Canterlot. I bet we’ll have lots and lots and lots of fun there.” She proceeded to let out this really cute and weird snort-giggle mix, before looking up at me with wide innocent eyes. “What could go wrong?”

…When you put it that way…

I had always figured that, snootiness aside, Canterlot didn’t have much to offer. Boy was I wrong…

We had done more than I could have imagined possible in the town. Perhaps my opinion of it was too shallow.

“Well, this is awkward,” I said, alternatively looking at Tom, Pinkie and the various food stalls.

“I can’t believe you would forget to take bits with you, Sam!” The little squirt sneered, angry that his stomach kept rumbling with no way to satisfy it.

Like I would let that fly.

“I apologize, Tom, but it did not occur to me that we would spend so much time in the park, that we might see the Wonderbolt’s open-air show, that there would be a free visit of the Museum of Equestrian History – which, by the way, I can’t believe you asked to visit –, that we would ultimately end up so far away from the castle and that you would get hungry before we got back. I can’t make bits appear out of nowhere and you will not try to summon money the way you tried to summon party supplies. You will have to wait until we return to the castle and that’s final.”

“Or you could go whoosh!” Her mane flailed as if it was shaken by a particularly strong breeze. “And ask Princess Celestia if she could lend you the bits!”

…Smart.

“Oh pleaaaaaaaase!” Tom instantly jumped on the idea. “I don’t wanna wait till we get back!”

Okay, this is him being a brat and indulging him now is truly a bad idea. On the other hand though, I’d rather not deal with him whining on the way back for half an hour. Plus, I’m still supposed to make sure he has a nice day.

Still, I had some apprehensions. “…What are the chances you will not spend the whole time conspiring against me?”

“Preeeeeetty good.” Tom flashed me his best angelic smile, which answered that.

I’ll wish I had an unfortunate and unexpected sudden explosion accident on the way back, got it.

--

She tensed before I even announced my presence. I barely had the time to slip through the space between her window’s frame that her perfect slender body had already shown signs of her vigilance. Slowly, as if to show her lack of concern, Celestia looked up from her paperwork and aimed her gaze directly at my form – or lack thereof.

Her voice appeared carefully controlled, yet still gave off a certain… warmth. “To what do I owe this visit, Ventus?”

“Color me impressed, Princess.” A chill went down my spine as my body took a solid shape once more. My front legs folded as I bowed, humbled. “You detected me instantly, even if you did not know I knew this spell.”

“I have quite a bit of experience with magic,” she said, with a heavy tone, somewhat playful nonetheless.

I could not hold back a grin when I looked up. “I can imagine.”

She raised one eyebrow at that. The sass overflowing from her general person was enough to bring one stallion to his knees. “Was that a jab at my age?”

“Oh no!” I snorted, holding my hooves in front of me. “I wouldn’t dream of that.”

She was so convinced I was sincere she rolled her eyes. “If that is how you talk to mares, young stallion, then color me puzzled as to your apparent success with my faithful student.”

Now, that was just asking for it. “My incredible looks must account for quite a bit. Mainly though, I simply do not talk about age, because chances are the burn will be much more powerful if turned back on me.” My grin widened. “With a few select exceptions.”

“That is honestly something I would have expected Blueblood to say.”

My smile disappeared at the speed of lightning, being replaced by a spectacular scowl. Heck, being compared to him had made all my organs rebel and I was now seconds away from illness.

“You seem an awful lot chipper than usual, my little pony.” How ironic. “You, who have always been so guarded around others, are exchanging quips with me.” She settled down on her seat, her gaze suddenly greedy for information. “What brought this sudden change of heart?”

“I… I guess today has been… nice…” For a moment, my eyes turned to the shelves around us, detailing the covers of a few books, as I tried to put my thoughts into order. When I looked back to her, Celestia’s whole focus was on me alone. “I spent a lot of time today, having fun with my family and a friend. It felt… good to just shed away this mask of cool and stoic attitude to just be… me.” Whoever that is.

Something flashed in the princess’ eyes.

“What I’m trying to say… well… I want to be the real me with my family and, well, you’re a part of that, Celly.”

I don’t know what I’m saying! …But it still feels right.

The mare behind the mask of absolute ruler took a deep breath, as if her breathing had been cut short by the words.

“I am touched, Ventus,” she admitted with a beautiful smile.

Bashful, I could only offer her one in return.

Her eyelids flickered once and her gaze momentarily went to the window, who allowed only the sunset to be seen over the city of nobles. In this light, she looked at peace, radiant in her own glory, as the wave of her mane reflected the colors of the red sun. Yet… I could only focus on the sadness inside her eyes.

Her voice seemed… shaking, almost regretful, when she spoke next. “Now then, not that your presence is not a delightful, albeit unexpected, surprise but the job of a Princess includes a lot of paperwork. Now, understand me when I say that I do not want to return to the absolutely fascinating legal disputes and administration puzzles that make my kingdom, but…”

The moment had passed.

“I understand, Princess.” I nodded, ignoring the small pang of disappointment that suddenly flared in my chest. “And I am grateful you did not throw me out on sight for disturbing your work.”

The image made her snort. “I can only imagine what me trying to throw a stallion like you out would look like to my guards.”

That does sound rather silly. I had to fight a bubbling feeling in my chest soon. It was hard, but necessary. The longer I stayed here, the more justifications Calx and Pinkie could dish out to explain why Canterlot was now a smoking crater.

“Oh, I suppose the guards might be worried you’d be telling empty space to leave you alone.” Her eyes shone with amusement and, for a moment, I was convinced she wanted to try. To stop this dangerous course of action from being attempted, I cleared my throat and affected a much more serious tone of voice. “Moving on… I would like to humbly request an…”

“Yes?” She asked, her delicate brows furrowed in the slightest.

I gulped down and swallowed my pride.

“An… allowance…” I said, biting my cheeks in a vain attempt not to feel the burning shame all over my face. “Of… some sort…”

“My, Ventus, do elaborate, my little pony.”

And suddenly, I’m ten in front of Mom again.

“W-well… honestly, I would not bother you with this, seeing as you are housing my brother and I so graciously, but…” I glanced aside, trying and failing to get my ears up again. My shame was just too strong at this point. “After Pinkie’s repeated help at taking care of Calx, I thought appropriate the idea of inviting for supper in a high class restaurant here.”

“I suppose it must be quite difficult to find one such establishment offering free meals.” Celestia’s lips twitched upward.

I took the statement as graciously as I could. “This lack of foresight on my part means a disaster is currently brewing in downtown Canterlot as an excitable little alicorn with the potential to wreck this place is currently alone with Pinkie Pie, while they are both hungry.”

“Oh my, that is indeed quite serious.” She chuckled. “I am glad you came directly to me for this question of national security.”

Her head turned to a cabinet behind her, all of polished carved wood, with a few symbols I felt were familiar.

“Here, take these.” A small bag levitated out of her drawer, making my eyes widen when I realized she was giving me bits from her personal funds.

I actually hesitated, growing a little self-conscious in the face of this obviously big gift. With a little bit of urging however, Celestia managed to push me to take it and observed its content.

Platinum bits. Lots of them.

“C-Celestia!” I protested, my tail and my wings flickering once with excitement even as I tried to appear scandalized.

She gave me a knowing look, the kind a mother had in front of a child badly trying to cover up something. “I suggest going to The Royal Crown. The food there is absolutely exquisite and they have a table specifically reserved for royalty at all times.”

“I…”

“Don’t worry about the amount. Use it wisely to make a beautiful gift to your friend.” She stood up, walking up to me with what I knew was a furious desire to laugh. “It seems appropriate for a pony that babysat a prince, wouldn’t you agree?”

Gently, her horn pushing against the side of my shoulders, she forced me to turn toward the same window I had phased in between. I was not quite mentally prepared to resist her commands yet.

“Go. Enjoy your evening, my little pony.”

A bit mechanically, I forced my hooves to move. Grabbing the bag of bits with my mouth, I focused on the sensation of turning into air, of becoming one with my own sense of concept.

My consciousness started to spread, ready to leave my cousin and not-cousin behind to her work.

It seemed, however, that she was unable to resist one last jab.

“I do hope your double-timing adventures will not blow up in your face, little cousin.”

Thanks to that, I finally found my voice.

“I will not even dignify that with a reply.” I raised my muzzle high in the air, refusing to even look at her.

As I disappeared into the evening sky, all I could hear was her light-hearted chuckles.

--

The waiter did not ask question when I stepped into the restaurant, flanked by two hyperactive ponies. If anything, he looked ready to answer them all if one dared bother us. Either that guy was nervous or he was used to being visited by royalty and ‘royalty’ in this case would probably translate with Blueblood most of the time.

Now he would have to deal with a hungry Tom and a hungry Pinkie Pie…

That poor stallion. Leaving a great tip for him was in order.

Quickly putting on a stoic and servile façade, the waiter guided us inside.

The first thing we noticed was the music. Part of the background itself, the notes were soothing and obviously reminiscent of great classical authors. It felt as if they floated between the conversations, slipping past a net and forming completely intact by my ears. I was impressed.

The restaurant was high-class. It was no exaggeration. Neither lives I had had been inclined that much toward luxury and I was as much of a stranger to this than, say, Applejack.

The floor was covered by this incandescent red carpet that left a fleeting, ghostly impression of softness under our hooves. Its appearance alone seemed to invoke the idea of nobility, as it stretched through the restaurant all over, to meet up with the pristine marble walls. Those were covered in crystalline chandelier, bearing lit candles that projected an orange glow, so reminiscent of the evening sun and the fading day.

Ponies and other creatures everywhere were sitting with an air of refinement to themselves at tables covered with the most incredible pieces of silverware I had been given the chance to see.

Blueblood could come in here and not have legitimate beef with the décor.

E-everything was on a whole new level. We were being lead directly in the center of it all, toward what seemed to be a plateau of some sort, in the middle of the room, seemingly like an ivory tower amongst the elite of the populace.

My heart skipped a beat at the idea of actually belonging to this world, to this level of aristocracy. It was unbelievably flattering and exciting.

“Your table, sirs and madam.”

I blinked, just now realizing we had reached our destination. All to my thoughts I hadn’t even realized we had walked up the stairs.

“Thank you kindly, Sir.” I nodded, taking place on one of the silky cushion surrounding the table.

Tom and Pinkie both dove into their places, seemingly as psyched out as I was to be in this kind of restaurant.

“Calm down, Buddy,” I said to my little brother as he started bouncing in his seat, even though I felt kind of exactly the same way.

Chastised, he stopped… for like three seconds. That was obviously as good as I was going to get.

“Just don’t make too much of a mess tonight, ‘kay?” I whispered, which, I’ll admit, was a little bit of teasing.

“I’m not twenty-two, you know!” He rolled his eyes, making a show of his wings and puffing out his chest.

The smile on my lips froze around the edge.

“W-what about you, Miss Pie?”

“What about me, Sammy?” The mare tilted her head to the side, making me realized that neither of us had actually an idea of what we were meant to make small talk over.

Swiftly, I scanned the room for a topic of conversation, as would have been smart to do beforehand. Logically though, the first thing that really caught my attention, in a restaurant, was the food.

“Have you ever had the chance to eat in a place such as this one before?”

“Nope!” She cheerfully replied.

Another waiter, this time a stallion with a red coat and a slick mane, seemed to appear out of nowhere with some menus. The next instant, the poor guy glanced at me, the only one not having jumped on them like a starving timberwolf.

To his carefully guarded expression, I answered with a sympathetic shrug of my shoulders and listened while he listed the specialties of the chef and the recommended dishes.

“Ooooooh, what am I going to choose? Everything sounds so fun and yummy!”

Scratch that, she was listening, in her own way.

“Man, I dunno… there’s so much stuff there…” Calx said, his gaze transfixed by the menu.

Quickly, his head turned to me, shining with curiosity. “Ventus, what’s a ratatouille?”

I came up with a blank. I had heard of the dish, but never tried it. “...Dozens of veggies cooked in a pan?”

For a second, Calx’s face contorted into a disgusted grimace.

My heart skipped a beat. Is he…?

It wouldn’t make sense, right? For a pony to hate them with such passion?

My brain was running at the highest speed, trying to figure out if that had even a remotely, vagued, badly established, link to his human memories.

“Oh, yuck!” Pinkie exclaimed, making a face as well. “You’re right about that, Bladey!”

A flame waned inside me, quietly, without fanfare. It just disappeared and the room lost a little light to me. Not unusual, eh? Just a sign of being a kid… not necessarily a human kid…

It took nearly all my self-control to keep my ears from drooping and my eyes not to shine with tears. This one had been like another kick to the guts.

Struggling, I knew I had to focus on something else. Anything else, really.

Briefly, I took the waiter’s ear aside to talk about the currency I was holding, fearing that my companions had stomach bigger than Celestia’s gift could satisfy. One look inside the bag had the stallion’s eyes widening so much that the fear got pushed back to the back of my mind instantly.

“I assure you, Sir, that this is more than enough for any combination of items on our menu.” He eyed me with some sort of shocked respect.

Slightly embarrassed by all this and certainly not craving attention at the moment, I scratched the back of my head sheepishly, hoping he would take the hint. Fortunately, he quickly assured us our food would be ready soon and left.

After that, I just let myself calm down. Things weren’t complicated. I couldn’t overthink them, it was less painful. Just… no preoccupations. No, really, we just made small talk, sometimes a bit more explosively from Pinkie and, yes, it got a few aside glances, but apparently nopony had the guts to call her out when she was with us.

It felt relaxing to just join in on their antics. More so, it felt natural, something I would do, not this mask of royalty I was expected to wear, nor this slowly unraveling mess of anxiety I had turned into.

Even the arrival of a waiter with our ordered meals did little to disturb my inner peace. I felt like this would be a great evening.

My zen-like attitude was drastically shaken though, when a chump of mashed potato squashed itself against my face.

Feeling my temper flare, I fought a furious desire to chew out the one responsible, as I calmly wiped myself clean. Had somepony seriously thrown mashed potato at me? Who does that?

Calx snorted, obviously amused, but the lack of guilt or fear of retribution in the way he carried himself protected him. Besides, he didn’t have mashed potatoes. He hates that.

No, the one that I had to blame for that was the truly obvious culprit and I felt like smacking myself in the face for not seeing it coming. Of course.

Pinkie’s body was halfway spread across the table, her traits not visible with her face smashed against her meal. She was making those… noises… of satisfaction, which had my cheeks burning up in embarrassment and… you know…

Heck, a wave of whispers spread through the ponies below, with a few pairs of eyes falling on us. They were watching, making an opinion of Pinkie, of me… of Tom. They’d judge and spread the words.

Like a certain fanbase… I thought venomously.

Now I just wanted to buck someone’s head off. Great.

I made a conscious effort to breathe deeply and not snap at anypony. Okay, Ventus, you can do this. Pinkie’s a real sweetheart with the most innocent joy ever as her sole motivation, but this needs to stop. This is actually on par with pigs.

“M-Miss Pie…” I called softly, grimacing.

“Yes, Sammy?” She looked up, pieces of her food sticking on her cheeks… for a few seconds anyway. Then they fell to the floor with a wet sound.

I cringed.

“Forgive me if you consider this insensitive, but would it be possible for you to reign yourself a bit? I fear your… manners… are making some ponies in the restaurant uncomfortable.”

“Huh?” She tilted her head in the cutest possible manner.

I almost gave up on the spot. Then, I heard a mother scolding her child after he had imitated her while giggling. The mare in question glared our way as she took her foal to the bathroom to clean him up.

“…Pinkie, you’re ruining some ponies' evening.”

“W-what?” Her voice died midword, with her expression falling.

Cautiously, biting my lips, I looked for the right way to fix this. There had to be-

“It’s kinda gross,” Tom muttered, making me blink.

“But this is so good! And I was so looking forward to it!” She looked at us with distress in her eyes… well, behind all the layers of food…

“I understand.” I nodded, wishing I could just skip over this awkward moment. “However, this makes others' experience much less satisfying, not to mention that it produces a bad model for foals to imitate.”

“But…” She looked down.

This is just sad, in some horrifying ways…

“Now, don’t look so sad…” I did my best to sound comforting, though I figured it probably sounded as awkward as this whole thing was. “This is not a rebuke. I’m simply concerned the rest of the world will not get the chance to admire your beauty under all this gravy.”

She giggled and snorted again, her whole body perking up. Tom, on the other hand, made a gagging motion and coughed something that sounded suspiciously like ‘gross’.

Ignoring him and the voice in my head that said I was flirting, I lifted up a table cloth with a spell, holding it up to her level. She took the hint remarkably quickly, leaning almost instantly toward the levitating object.

Softly, I moved the cloth across her visage, wiping it clean of all the food she had virtually slammed it against. In just a few movements though, her pink fur looked as clean as it ever was.

“There.” I smiled, locking my gaze into hers. “Much better.”

Eying the disastrous mess on our table, I held back a sigh and made my magic surround her fork.

“Why don’t you just let me give you just a bite?” I tilted my head, hoping to come across as bashful and a little shy. “Open up.”

Pinkie’s eyes lit up, figuring out the game this was and playfully opened her mouth widely.

“Not as wide…” I smirked, this time feeling a bit of amusement at what was clearly teasing.

Gently, with finesse, she closed her lips on the fork I was holding up, letting out a small hum of appreciation, then looked back at me with hopeful eyes.

“Was that still good, Miss Pie?”

“Yeah…” She admitted shyly, her smile screaming ‘sheepish’. “It’s just so hard to resist…”

“But this way you can enjoy it longer and other ponies are more comfortable.”

It was enough to convince her.

“I’ll do my best so everypony can enjoy their meal, Pinkie Promise.” She solemnly did the gesture, making me sigh with relief.

Crisis… averted…

I had rarely been as wrong before.

“Blade Darkblaze?” called a juvenile voice, one that was strangely familiar.

All three of us turned simultaneously toward the source of this voice, only to discover two young fillies: Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon.

My jaw dropped.

Tom, on the other hand…

“What?” His expression darkened, no doubt recognizing the fillies. He loathed them.

A part of me urged me to nip this one in the bud before it degenerated, but I was too dumbstruck to act.

Why are those two…? I stared dumbly, unable to quite process and rationalize their presence. Sure, they were probably rich and able to afford this place, but why would they come seek Tom out?

“R-right…” The filly stumbled at the vehemence in his voice, but still catching herself quickly. “You don’t have to hang out with Pinkie Pie. W-would you like to come with us instead, Blade?” She asked, with the kind of tone a grown woman would say to a man she hoped to seduce.

Holy. Buck!

Mind. Blown.

Tom’s reply was instantaneous and straight to the point. “No way!”

“B-but…” Her eyes were screaming how much this couldn’t be happening.

I could imagine why too. Not used to not getting your way, eh, brat?

“Nopony likes a bully!” He sneered, refusing to look at them.

“Bladey?” Pinkie called, thoroughly confused.

“W-we’re n-not bullies!” Diamond Tiara yelled, yet managing to sound uncertain and vulnerable. This might have been the first time in her life somepony she respected had called her out.

“Oh yeah?” Tom jumped on his hooves and I knew this one was going to hurt for real.

He marched toward them, head slightly lowered and glaring at them viciously. Seeing that, the two fillies backed away, eyes widening with something akin to fear.

It was Silver Spoon that found the strength to speak, but even then, she was shaking in her boots. “Y-yeah…”

At this point, Tom’s face wasn’t visible to me anymore. Nonetheless, it wasn’t hard to imagine it.

To my surprise, instead of the screeching I had expected, I simply heard a loud coughing noise and that of somepony clearing his throat.

When his voice came out, it was whinier, of a higher pitch and all around, girlier. On the spot, probably every patron in the restaurant that could hear us understood whose voice that was supposed to be.

“Blank flanks, blank flanks!” He topped it off with a cruelly accurate snide laugh, an imitation of their own.

They looked like deer caught in the headlight.

“Look, those fillies don’t have their cutie marks yet, Diamond Tiara.” He pointed to an empty spot, his head turned as if talking to another foal. Then, he turned his head the other side and changed the intonation slightly. “You’re right, Silver Spoon. Let’s go be jerkfaces and rub it in their face, like MEAN BULLIES THAT NOPONY LIKES!”

The whole room had fallen into shocked silence. Even the musicians had stopped to stare in horror at all the drama.

As for me… well, I had to be an absolutely horrible person all around, but my only thought at those two being rolled over like that by my little brother was among the lines of… well… BURN!

My inner bastard wasn’t even moved when their eyes started watering. There was something horribly wrong with me. No, really, this was two young children, being brought to tears by my little brother, and I felt nothing. No empathy at all…

They ran off crying. I still didn’t find myself compelled to chastise Tom.

What is wrong with me? They’re bullies, yes, but… that was brutal! Why can’t I…?

I felt… broken, incomplete…

At my side, Calx sat down again, glaring at his meal as if it had started insulting him.

“Bladey…” Her tone of voice had my stomach churn. Worse even, her mane was straight and devoid of liveliness. “That was… really… really… mean…”

“They’re mean,” he grumbled sullenly, picking at his food with his fork. Each stab was stronger than the previous one. Each stab seemed angrier.

He really was the only one moving. Everypony else was still looking up to us with the kind of scandalized expression that translated as a morbid curiosity. You wouldn’t find a soul refusing to suck the scene dry of all drama, even when it seemed to be over. They still watched, just in case.

Their prayers were answered.

“Young colt!” A stallion thundered, making my head snap toward him.

I grimaced. Oh buck… Filthy Rich…

The earth pony was barreling through the restaurant, ignorant the staff that seemed completely overwhelmed by this turn of event. Really though, who would blame them? It probably wasn’t often that such an occurrence happened from their usual clientele.

Filthy Rich reached the stairs with minimal interferences, while a few waiters seemed to be whispering amongst themselves for their next course of action. If I had to guess, I’d say the Royal Guard was about to show up…

Still, the moment Mr. Rich stepped on the plateau, I stood up, very intently, and placed myself in front of Tom. The little squirt wasn’t even afraid; he was glaring daggers at Diamond Tiara’s pops. Fearing what could happen next if such an attitude was witness by the stallion, I extended my wings to hide as much as Tom’s form as possible.

It worked. Mr. Rich’s attention was entirely focused on me. His attention was expressed through the usage of loud swearing, outraged words and spit in my face. I could understand the sentiment.

With every passing word from the indignant father though, I felt my heart grow more detached. In his anger, as justifiable as it was, he was still insulting and screaming at Tom. Every one of my instincts was taking it as a declaration of war.

“Sir, with all respect, kindly shut up.”

The earth pony stallion stopped dead in his track, probably too shocked to speak in the face of my audacity…

“Yes, his behavior was out of line.” Tom sneered at that, glaring at me now. When I glared back, he seemed rather shaken. “However, his words were nothing but an echo of the bullying your daughter and her friend perpetrates each day. They intruded and even acted disrespectful toward his friend. He had every right to reject their invitation.”

“T-this is an outrage!”

Cold, cold, cold. A mist was making my thoughts hazy. JUST SHUT UP! “Your parenting is an outrage, Sir, if you allowed your daughter to become an entitled brat that bullies her classmates.”

Distantly, I was amazed I sounded even remotely rational in my current mental state. Mr. Rich certainly didn’t. He was still burning with the fury of an angered father.

“How dare you accuse my little princess like that when this… this colt of yours just made her cry! He’s a ruffian with no manners and you should be ashamed of yourself for letting him off the bat, sir!”

I narrowed my eyes, an array of words already lining up in my head, hateful words, as naught but my darker emotions remained. You pushed one too many buttons.

“How many fillies have returned home in tears because of her? How many of her teacher’s reports did you ignore and pat her on the back, saying you didn’t believe those horrible lies about her, that she was still your precious princess? Do you like it, the feeling of seeing your foal heartbroken by another while the stallion that could stop it does nothing, FILTHY?!”

It did the trick. The words, aimed at him with heartless precision, just cut right through his outrage and he deflated. Stuttering, he struggled with his words, his cheeks now coloring themselves red. There was no way the crowd had missed my words, nor his guilty reaction.

He ran.

Feeling heavy with mental fatigue now, I turned back to Tom and Pinkie, but they both held the same expression.

None of us really had the heart to enjoy the night anymore.

“I am sorry for the ruckus,” I said, sighing sadly. “I hope you can still enjoy the rest of your meals, everypony…”

This will be a nightmare to deal with tomorrow… and I have no one to blame but myself…

Quietly, we stood up, paid for our meals and went back to the castle, heads swimming with the events of the night. Pinkie was the worst of. Her cheeks were darkened by a trail of wet fur and her steps were punctuated by the sound of droplets hitting the ground.

You wondered ‘what could go wrong’, eh? Everything. ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING! Does that answer your question, Pinkie?

The shadows were all-encompassing. Beneath me, above me, surrounding me from all sizes, they were in the air I breathed, the space I stared into, the sound I heard…

Darkness that comes from within.

I knew this place. I had the feeling I did, but I could not see it. Beyond the veil of shadows, there were… furniture… people… laughter? But it was beyond my reach. It was on the other side of the darkness, I could not pierce through it.

My horn did nothing, my wings refused to lift me, my hooves were too unsteady for them to allow any charge. I was as powerless as a foal, then suddenly I was a foal, small and too weak to get out of this trap.

The creatures sliding in the shadows made me want to scream, but my hooves were steadily keeping my lips sealed, for fear they would decide I was tasty. My heart was beating faster than ever, much too fast. My head was already spinning and threatening to crack under the pressure.

But it didn’t. Instead, my ears picked up the strangest of noises.

A chime of diamond rang echoes in the distance, producing a sound with a strangely ethereal quality, almost… otherworldly.

It was gentle though. Its lightness made the note sound much purer than those of another instrument, perhaps, and it certainly was a great amelioration over the creepy shadow creatures.

I found myself drawn to the chime. It was kinda pretty. Lot less scary than the monsters. A lot more familiar than the darkness.

I picked up the pace. The sound got louder and the closer I got, the more clearly I could hear it. It was a longing plea for help!

I couldn’t let them die! Not because they were born different!

Cold wind slapped my cheeks, harshly, and I stumbled, disorientated. The pain I expected from falling on my face never came, leaving me with naught but a dull sensation of numbness.

Confused, I tried shaking my head a few times, but all I accomplished was getting the world to spin even more.

“Still your steps!”

There was a being, taller than the others, darker than the others and with an aura of power that sent them all to their knees. She, for the creature was without a doubt a mare, glared at our surroundings, her mouth slowly twisting into a scowl.

She spoke with disgust.

But I didn’t hear her words.

My body arched violently, catapulting me out of the world of dreams and back into that of harsh reality. Or cartoons. Whichever, I thought, muscles relaxing back into a lying position.

To my surprise, I woke up to a cold, unwelcoming void in my bed where Calx should have been. It did not surprise me much, after the disastrous ending of yesterday’s dinner at The Royal Crown. He had been acting sullen for the remainder of the evening, right up to the time to go to sleep.

He had pressed himself against me harder than ever, whispering some words about our parents. It left my cheeks burning with shame that I hadn’t been able to summon the right images at the words “Mom” and “Dad”. My mind had become wearier, even as I had clasped my hooves on Tom’s shoulders and held him closer.

Nonetheless, regardless of the events of last night, this morning, I was alone in the room. The stone walls were sanctuary to nopony but myself. At least, as far as I could tell...

Wings shrugging off the covers with a mint of regret, I rolled off the mattress. My landing was less than graceful, leftover fog of sleep oblige.

“Tom?” I called, voice breaking from the emotional rollercoasting and a newly born worry.

My chest contracted to produce a sigh of pure relief when the air carried the sound of little hooves hitting the floor of our bathroom.

“Yeah?” His head peeked out of the door, looking blissfully normal and not traumatized.

Then again, his mood had gone rotten mostly because he had been really annoyed by the two fillies intervention. Guilt was a lot more long lasting than disappointment over a dinner.

“You didn’t wake me up,” I stated, trying to sound mildly annoyed, but unable to summon those emotions.

“Have you tried waking yourself up?!” He threw his front hooves in the air, half pouting, half glaring. “T’was like talking to a brick. And you were half squishing me like a big bag of potatoes!”

My eyes twitched. Well, there you go. Plenty of annoyance to start the day!

--

Lime Line caught herself sneezing a few times, gathering the attention of her mother, who beckoned her to wear some clothes, just this once.

The adolescent filly frowned, shivering under her layer of clothing. Why was it so cold all of a sudden? S-sure, the wind blowing down from the mountains was generally freezing, but it didn’t happen at this time of the year. It was supposed to be summer from Celestia’s sake.

She shivered and went on with her business for the day.

--

The whispers were significantly louder when we entered the dining hall this morning.

Eyes trailed off after us, that much was a given, if one considered the insane amount of gossiping hens amongst the nobility. It was both sad and rather funny when I think about it.

Nonetheless, this morning, I certainly did not crave the extra attention. Every shushed whisper in my presence made images of last night flash before my eyes. More precisely, the brief glint of panic in their gazes when they saw I noticed them talk about me was telling, as were the sighs of relief when I went past them without a moment of hesitation.

Great, I’ve got a reputation now. I sighed. Well, there’s nothing I can do about it right now. We should just eat something and think about it after that.

Carefully dodging the gaze of everypony assembled, I lead my little brother to our usual seats, bottling up my unease and my annoyance.

“Hi old guy!” Tom cheerfully greeted the aging stallion still sitting next to him.

“Hello, Prince Calx,” he replied with his usual tolerance, though I detected a hint of disappointment beneath the smile.

Their exchange barely got the chance to expand that a few servants came up to our levels with plates of food. It smelled exquisite.

While Tom dug right in, there was something I needed to see first.

“Excuse me, madam?” I called the closest maid, ignoring the painfully obvious flinch of her body when she heard me.

“Yes, Prince Ventus?” She turned around and lowered her head slightly.

“Would you be so kind as to bring me this morning’s newspapers?”

As expected of her, she did so with quick efficiency. I sorta wished I had bits to give her as a tip or something…

When my eyes fell on the paper though, my newly born good mood evaporated.

On the front page of the morning news, there were pictures – two pictures, to be precise –, one of me feeding Pinkie while she had that playful glee to her eyes and one of Tom screaming at Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, whose faces were brimming with tears already.

The title truly said it all.

‘World exclusive! The Unprincely Princes’

“Yesterday evening was not a good night for The Royal Crown’s staff, as unforeseen events centered around Princess Celestia’s young male relatives brought the evening to an early stop. After some shameless flirting toward one of the Elements of Harmony-”

I wanted to crawl under a rock and forget everything. Why had everything gone so wrong? In retrospect, I could see that it really was just the end of the night that had been bad and we had thoroughly enjoyed the rest, but that carried too little weight to stop us from being down.

There was this tight knot of guilt in my throat that made it hard to breath and this tingling horror that clawed its way into my brain just as soon as I knew why. My feeling of guilt, or responsibility, was sorely centered about the fact that my actions could have made the night a lot more satisfying for Tom.

The rest… I didn’t actually care.

A shiver went down my spine at my own train of thoughts. This… uncaring… blatant emptiness where there used to be something. How can I… what’s…?

I remembered a pair of eyes, mine, but different from how they were today, smaller, of a different color, blue instead of this soft shade of green. Those differences, though, they were trivial.

No, all I could remember were the things behind the physical appearance, mainly because I knew what was there. It was only a memory of a small bathroom and a dozen scenes of highly sadistic torture, approved by a number of fans.

Hatred. Revenge. Apathy.

I looked down, somehow managing to feel ashamed of myself, heat spreading all the way up to my head from the depth of my chest. The flicker of enthusiasm at experiencing this emotion was quickly squashed however as my gaze fell into my reflection.

In a silver plate, I could see those eyes, staring back. They were colder, uncaring as always. What I could have realistically passed off as being a carefully guarded and measured approach just screamed of a darker truth now. Those weren’t the eyes of a simple pony, nor those of a human. I could see it.

Monster.

The realization had bubbles of panic suddenly crash into my mind. No, it’s wrong! I’m not like that! It was just anger! I found him! I found Tom!

I was praying I was not sorely mistaken, that it was not just denial.

So why does my chest feel so heavy?

Suddenly, the idea of eating anything else repulsed me. Any hunger I might have had was long gone, my head spinning with dark, murderous thoughts, each scarier than the next.

It was just a spiral of red and red, screams and screams, tears of pain and of terror.

A movement to my side caught my attention, as the pony in question had to shuffle into his seat, uncharacteristically late. Oh joy, the prince has arrived.

Though beneath the sarcasm, there was a deeply rooted fear of what might happen if we clashed again. Was I really any better than him?

The answer was not one I had the time to ponder however, as one look at his newspaper had the white stallion snort with derision.

“And you consider yourself above me,” Blueblood sneered, sounding oddly triumphant and sad.

“I see you still like putting other ponies down,” I replied, staring blankly at my breakfast. “Does that make you feel better about yourself?”

From the corner of my eyes, I could notice a slight trembling in his legs and his hooves, which contrasted with the air of superiority he was adopting. “You mean the way it does for you?”

…Is he… on to something? Is that why I get so angry? Puzzled, I tried to look inward, to see if those cutting words could actually be turned against their holder.

They could.

I mouthed at him, acutely aware of the little colt not even a meter away from me, a simple “Yes.” His expression froze into one of shock, his mouth hanging open rather ridiculously.

Silence fell.

“Huh?” Calx looked up from his meal, noticing the sudden lack of conversations all around the table. His gaze went from one pony to another. Clearly though, nopony had the guts to say anything, so he turned to me. “What’s wrong, Sam?”

My expression morphed instantly, into one with a bashful grin and the least care in the word. If only for a split second, I felt rather good. “Nothing. The others just wanted to spend some time in silence to think.”

It took so much not to burst out laughing when Tom’s scowled, obviously disgusted.

“Boring,” he said.

I shrugged. “It’s an adult thing.”

“You’re not an adult!”

The shout had Blueblood snickering.

“I’m old enough to be one.” I rolled my eyes, thinking back on the few centuries already behind me. “I literally saw Blueblood’s ancestor trip on a garbage can and fall on his future wife. They met that way.”

I shared a knowing smirk with Tom, while the prince behind me had to fight an aneurysm. By the look on my brother’s neighbor's face, it was pretty bad.

“Anyway, the silence is just a time for ponies to relax. Don’t worry about it and use it to plan your day, ‘kay, lil’ bro?” A few nobles gasped at the slip-up in language.

“Sure! Sounds good to me.” He agreed, grinning before going back to his food.

Feeling one disaster had been averted, I returned to Blueblood. “You were saying?”

“Well, that’s two-faced if I ever saw it.” His eyes shifted from me to his meal, his body unusually still. “Nevermind.”

He sounded… bitter. Somehow…

Could he be…?

“If you need to search adamantly for a better role model… and think it is so difficult… then clearly you haven’t given it much thought.” I looked beyond him, toward a certain pony.

Confused, the white unicorn turned around, following my gaze and looked straight at Princess Celestia.

A strange light flashed in Blueblood’s eyes. His superior smug smirk had all but vanished.

I wouldn’t know what I expected of him, but clearly, my imagination was lacking. Or overachieving. The perfectly groomed stallion’s mask of royalty was cracking. The twitch of his brows, the imperceptible shift in his stature, the way his eyes focused on anything BUT Celestia…

What was going through his mind?

I, unfortunately, did not get further chance to speculate, as Princess Celestia had other plans.

“Ventus,” she called, instantly getting my full attention.

Ears perked up all around the dining hall, with it growing dreadfully silent again. Well, not completely silent… Calx did mutter something about boring adults and what’s not…

I would have loved to laugh at his behavior, but parts of me were too preoccupied with keeping my stomach in check. To be perfectly honest, I had been dreading the possibility of Celestia demanding an explanation all breakfast long. There was no way she could let the events of yesterday night slide without even an explanation.

“Yes, Princess?” I asked, lowering my head ever so slightly.

“I would like to speak to you alone.” She rose from her seat, causing a series of shocked looks from the nobility all around her. “Please, follow me.”

“Of course,” I whispered, scrambling to get to my hooves and go wherever she wanted me to.

I’d do a lot not to have those vultures’ eyes scrutinizing my every move. This was stretching it a little though…

I did my best to stop my tail from twitching and showing my nervousness, even as I followed Celestia’s painfully slow pace. She wasn’t in a hurry – why would she be? –, but I would rather not break character here and there…

I eyed the wooden door she lead me to with caution, not quite sure on what it might open. No torture chamber, please… I thought, passing below the doorframe, which closed itself behind me.

We were alone in some sort of… antechamber… and the look she was giving me was not quite as joyful as yesterday’s.

“We must speak of your behavior.”

Oh Elders, it’s like Mom’s in front of me… “P-Princess!”

“Believe me, Ventus, when I say that my student’s love life is her own business and hers alone. Just as is yours. On this topic, I do not have the right to judge you, especially with the experience I have of some journalists.”

I stayed silent. Her words implied too much unspoken things for me to feel even remotely at ease…. But a cowardly part of my mind let out a sigh of relief anyway.

“However, this morning, I received a troubling letter from none other than a certain Mr. Silver Ware. This convocation is for us to discuss its troubling content, which seems to coincide precisely with the points described in that gossip column.”

My mouth twisted with displeasure. In a corner of my mind, flames of a darker kind seemed to be burning with hatred toward those paparazzi that wouldn’t very well leave us alone and stop giving so much bashing fuel to others.

It must have shown eloquently on my face, because the white alicorn’s frowned as well.

“I won’t insult your intelligence by pretending neither of us know the content of this letter. While I do believe Mr. Ware has exaggerated some aspects of this tale, I also know he was not quite wrong with his assessment of you.”

Said letter slipped out from a desk in the corner and levitated to the level of her eyes. They skipped over what seemed to be half of its content before falling on the appropriate line.

With the tone of a storyteller, she read. “My daughter would not stop crying all night and, understand that it is with a heavy heart that I write this to you, but I believe your cousins are awful ponies if they could do that to an innocent filly that wanted to share some time with them.”

The words made my insides go cold. W-why…

“What I have trouble understanding is your reasons for letting it happen…” She did not look at me, she seemed pensive. “Mr. Rich and Mr. Ware are both rich ponies, but they have yet to leave an impact on the Canterlot scene, preferring more… earthly cities to develop their companies. Their daughters were nothing but fillies that wished to approach Calx Iugum, if I read this letter correctly.”

At least, I know that one is a lie. “Calx said everything you need to know. They are bullies in Ponyville and he doesn’t like bullies.”

“And how did he know that?”

“He…” I looked away, hoping not to reveal a hint of my sudden panic. Crap, how do I get out of that one?! “He… well, the ancient practices of the alicorns have not changed much, Princess.”

Her interest in me seemed greater than before, but she still did not speak, instead urging me to go ahead.

“Divination spells are incredibly common, to evaluate the numerous dangers that could befall any realm, of course, but many alicorns, including Calx and I, used them as a way of entertainment. It so happened that those two crossed path with the siblings of the Elements of Harmony many times before.”

“Is that also the reason you did not stop him?” She asked calmly.

…It was not. I just couldn’t be bothered. Even to me, that sounded cold. The sad part was that it was true.

My lack of answer seemed to be enough for her to make a judgment, as Celestia took a few steps around the room, eyes toward the ceiling.

“I am torn, Ventus. You have shown yourself to be usually reasonable, with perhaps one exception I was willing to overlook in regards to the intent I felt behind it. However, I can also see something very…” She turned to me. “…strange about you.”

“S-strange, Princess?” My wings fluttered a bit.

Her gaze was soul piercing. “Your actions… they do not strike me as the normal course of action from a stallion as polite and soft-spoken as you.”

My stomach churned, as a cold fear started to creep out on me. “I-I am not perfectly stoic, Celestia… Is it so hard to believe that I do have a temper under that… benevolence?”

“No, it is not so hard…” Her voice trailed off, momentarily at least. Her focus turned back on me with such intent though I doubt she had truly bought it for more than a few seconds. “However, Ventus, there is too much cruelty in your words when you express that anger. And it seems to focus with too much clarity to be spontaneous. You had thought of those same things a while ago, long before you met them in person, didn’t you? Your words and your personality seem to clash too badly and too often for it to be an anomaly. It is much closer to the real ‘you’ than what you would like them to believe. What you show to this world is not just a ‘mask of royalty’, Ventus, it is also a ‘mask of kindness’.”

So that’s what it’s like to get a taste of your own medicine? Damn… No room for me to hide, no lie for me to use in my defense. Cold hard logic that could not be reasonably argued against. The truth was a magnifying lens suspended over my head.

And just like me, Celestia did not relent so easily either.

Her eyebrows furrowed ever so slightly, as if concerned about my well-being despite figuring out the darker side of my inner self. “You will need to forgive me for this, but I cannot allow such events to be doomed to repetition out of negligence. For it to be overlooked… no, it is not a possibility, I must know.”

“Know what?”

She knew what she wanted. “Nopony was allowed to see it yet… the answer to that question.”

My voice came out uncertain. “What question?”

“Who are you?”

The words cut straight through any façade I could have built. I could only repeat them in my mind.

…Who am I?

It shook me to the core. I… I didn’t know. I had lost the knowledge a while ago now. All I could do was look at myself and decide…

Who am I?

Forced to look at the state of things, it seemed ridiculously unfair that I had been stripped of the answer and forced to carry on anyway, lest my life be forfeit to some alien power that was only looking for entertainment.

I couldn’t summon the strength to lie right away. For a moment, the thought of admitting everything was sweet, dancing at the edge of my consciousness and tempting me to grab the opportunity. Yet, to admit my culpability was much too dangerous. There was a whole fandom behind an impenetrable veil, sometimes watching and sometimes not, for the sake of their amusement. I could not simply prove her right. Their reaction was unfathomable to me. I could not tell how they’d react.

“You are wrong, Celestia.” I shook my head, carrying myself with an air of disappointment and a bit of sadness. “This mask you see exists only in your mind. I’m sorry I gave you that impression, but what you saw is nothing more than a poorly worded confrontation between two stallions defending their respective family. Would you not do your worst for the sake of your own, Celestia?”

Let’s hope that does the trick.

If the white alicorn had bought it, she gave no indication of such a thing. She was too good at keeping her true thoughts in check.

Her silence stretched, with nothing to keep me on my guard other than the weight of her gaze against mine. We stared honestly at the other’s eyes, each showing a very obvious façade, both hiding the rest in our minds.

Finally, her voice came out, resigned and colder than I could remember her using.

“I see…” Her eyes narrowed. “I fear contact between you and the external world might have been premature. You might not be ready to face Equestria as it is.”

I blinked. “What are you saying…?”

“I will ask that you remain in the castle at all times now and instruct your brother to do the same.” She did not seem faze by my sudden disappointment. “This is non-negotiable and effective immediately.”

But if I can’t look for a way home… “I… understand.”

Strangely, I truly did. I even felt grateful for it on some level. In a way, she was taking back the highly public and attention-grabbing title she had given us so freely and, while the display of caution stung, I would rather be able to lay low until most of the backlash faded. With a little luck, we could simply be integrated into the background without much fuss and the threat of retcon would be but a bad memory.

A colder part of me sneered. As if… as if a fandom that could produce the horror of a Cupcake spin-off STARRING TOM WOULD EVER-

“Ventus!” Celestia voice snapped me out of my thought.

Her image was that of a serious, severe… stern, pony-goddess of the sun. The radiant glow of her being had grown harsher, less warm than boiling.

“Yes?” I asked, already allowing my fury to quietly hide itself in a corner of my mind.

Celestia’s eyes stared straight into my soul.

For an instant, she spoke no word, displayed nothing but overwhelming authority and power. Her sole presence made the room feel heavier, uncomfortable and simply scary. At the moment, the thought crossed my mind that she might simply kill me.

If she could read minds, I would already be nothing more than a pile of ash on the ground though. Or, you know, imprisoned in the moon, a statue or the ice of the Crystal Empire. Whichever fits me better.

“I still need your attention. I am not quite done with this decree.”

To my dismay, I could not stop myself from crouching a little in fear.

If she noticed, she made no show of it. Her figure was as regal and stoic as it would ever be.

“Perhaps a tutor would be the best way to alleviate your brother’s constant need for newer things to explore. I have already contacted a trusted mare from the Canterlot’s school system and she accepted the charge of teaching him.”

I might later blame the nerves or the sudden lack of tension or the incredibly unexpected nature of her request, but, after a second of incredulous staring, I started laughing my rump off. The thought of Calx being forced to study again. Earning his two masters had been Tartarus for him.

Sometimes, I regret saying those numbers… but this time…

“He’ll have an aneurysm!” I shouted, rolling on the floor.

“Ventus, this is extremely serious,” Celestia said, though with a strain in her tone that I could not clearly attribute to a dying patience. Something told me there was amusement being held back as well.

“A-alright…” I snorted, raising to my hooves, still fighting some snickering. “C-Celly... I’ll… calm down, but he really… he really studied a lot under Magister.”

“Understood, but I believe it would be a nice way for him to occupy his time while he develops emotionally. Although he might have knowledge, he lacks any restraints, which might be attributable to you, Ventus.”

“I deny anything of the sort, Celly,” I deflected her accusation with ease. Heck, it was not even a lie. Tom really was that hyper all the time. “My little brother has always been more enthusiastic than the statistically average foal, Equestria simply had the chance to see him at his most normal.”

She nodded, probably expecting a reply of the sort.

A bizarre desire sparked in my heart at the sight of her calm figure. However…

“Princess.” My tone was solemn. “I request that you inform him of this yourself.”

One of her eyebrow shot up. “Might I inquire as to the reason for this request?”

“I am not willing to lose his admiration over this.” I was slightly shocked at how bitter my tone came out. “It is only fair that the one who made the decision faces its consequences, is it not?”

I saw her hesitate. In the depth of her gaze, there was something nondescript, an echo of pain, but not actual pain. Strange.

“I suppose it is.” Celestia admitted reluctantly, glancing in the direction of the dining hall we had left, then back to me. The touch of steel in her stance left very little doubt of her current opinion of me.

My hooves shook slightly against the ground, making me acutely aware of my own fear at this sudden disposition. Twitches ran along my body, from my ears to my tail. They betrayed my mask and Celestia knew it.

“This exchange is over,” she said, and the exchange was over.

Grateful through my bitterness, I managed a polite bow before turning around, eager to leave this all behind me. Just when my horn lit up with magic, she spoke up one last time.

“You did not answer me, Ventus.”

I looked down. I know.

It came in a whisper, one that I had wished I could have missed. “I still don’t know who you are.”

Neither do I.

--

The white alicorn stood still for a moment, staring at the door behind which the – relatively – young stallion had disappeared. Her eyes, normally tinkling with benevolence and kindness, seemed to be abnormally empty.

“Y-your Highness?” came an uncertain voice from her sides.

Celestia looked down, forcing a bit more softness in her gaze as it fell on a dark grey stallion.

“You can always speak your mind with me, Steel Rampart. It is part of your job as the new Captain of the Royal Guard.”

He gulped down loudly, not very willing to speak up against his ruler’s decision. “I-is that not… a little severe a punishment for an argument between stallions?”

“You may believe what you wish, Steel Rampart, but I think it is necessary for the time being.” Seeing the stallion’s horror struck face, she let out a small chuckle. “Do not worry about this, my little pony. My judgments should and must remain questioned to keep me grounded. The consequences of me losing sight of my subjects would be too dire for us to consider…”

He couldn’t help it, it was a knee-jerk reaction born from a lifetime of adoration.

“Y-your Highness!” The grey stallion stuttered in protest. “Your rule has been perfect in every way anypony could think of! There is no way you could ever cause tragedies like what you speak of!”

The princess’ thousand years old gaze slowly turned to him, heavy and ancient, carrying the weight of a rule that seemed never ending.

The guard’s leg grew weaker, forcing him to steel his resolve, but still leaving him unable to face the eyes of his beloved princess. It seemed as if her voice had grown faint, but it couldn’t be the truth. He knew that! It had to be the incredibly loud heartbeat hammering down each side of his head.

Subconsciously, the stallion leaned forward.

“…Are you so sure about that, Steel Rampart?” His chest felt empty, as the intonation skipped a beat, lacking either the benevolent authority or the playful teasing qualities it so usually exhibited. No, Celestia’s words were carried with a heavy air of fatality. “The last time I ignored an alicorn’s troubling behavior, I lost my sister for a thousand years.”

The sound of her peaceful breathing was, at first, the only noise in the white room. Though one certainly wouldn’t call it appropriate for a napping place, it essentially served that purpose at the present moment in time.

Far away from the instruments, the wires and the central pedestal, her head resting awkwardly against a dark wooden desk, a purple alicorn rested, eyes closed and face hidden against her front legs. She was alone, voluntarily making that choice the day before, but, forgot to lock the door behind her research partner, allowing a few ponies to intrude.

The mare’s sleep was thus soon interrupted by the shaking of her body by some familiar hooves.

Her consciousness was slowly pulled away from the land of dreams, though the fog it made of the real world chose to fade at an equally agonizing rate. Warmth and comfort wouldn’t leave her. Her body subconsciously clenched to her place of rest, if only to keep that sensation vivid for a few more instants.

“-light… ” The voices said. She couldn’t make sense out of them yet… they were so… distant… “Twilight!”

Her eyes shot open and she instantly regretted it, as a bout of pain hit the front of her mind at this sudden irruption of colors and light.

“W-what?” The poor alicorn jolted awake, jumping away from… a desk? “Where am-?” She stifled a yawn.

Twilight blinked, staring at the sheets of paper previously spread under her face.

…I fell asleep on it, didn’t I? Oooooh, I need to get rid of that bad habit so bad!

Applejack, Rarity and Rainbow Dash were surrounding her, the unicorn frowning at her disheveled look, the other two seemingly more concerned outright exasperated.

“Did ya just fall asleep doing your fancy sciency stuff?” Applejack asked with disbelief. “Again?”

Shyly, Twilight looked away. That served as confirmation of what they had feared.

“Frankly, darling,” Rarity chipped in. “It is not the first time you’ve let your research get the better of you… What was so fascinating that it couldn’t wait until tomorrow… well… today as it now stands?”

Having heard that, Rainbow Dash’s interest was piqued and proceeded to fly over to her desk to grab one of her report cards. “Yeah, what was so interesting that you skipped breakfast with us?”

“Oh, that was just some work about…” She let her words trail off, suddenly hit by an onslaught of memories.

She remembered the trust he had put in her. She remembered the terrible uncertainty in his eyes and the silent plea for help. She remembered feeling flattered, impossibly so that he would ask her rather than any other, but also disappointed that it was all he asked of her.

“You’re the only one I trust enough to confide on this.” His voice resonated in her mind, calm, but strangely void of that usual strength he put into it.

She heard her mind snap back with whiplash.

“Nothing!” Twilight lunged forward, grabbing the papers away from her curious friend.

“Hey!” Said pegasus protested. “I was reading that!”

“A-and there’s nothing to see here!” The corners of her mouth inched upward in a very convincing “I’m-not-lying-I-swear” smile, which nonetheless failed to serve its purpose.

“Seriously?” The orange mare deadpanned. “We’re supposed to believe ya spent yer night studyin' nothing?”

“YES!” The alicorn wildly agreed, sending magic coursing through her horn and using it to hide her first observations and theories. “T-this is just mindless babbling and stuff and that I just got caught up doing it in the end…”

The three remaining mares exchanged skeptical looks, thoroughly convinced that their friend had chosen to hide something from them, possibly something embarrassing if they were to judge the dark purple coloration of her cheeks. More importantly, her face was pleading for them to believe her lies.

“Well, Twilight,” Rarity started. “Regardless of whatever magical conundrum you studied yesterday, we thought it would be nice if we could spend the day together. With things in Canterlot the way they are, the time for us to return home might be closer than you’d think.”

“Yeah!” Rainbow Dash landed next to her friend, placing a hoof around her neck. “So we figured, ‘why not take our egghead friend with us to have some real fun and leave some books for the actual worms?’”

“Rainbow…” Applejack said with a tone of warning.

“Oh, sure, I would like that. I’m beat anyway and I don’t think I can make much more progress without taking some time to myself first. ”

“Attagirl, Twi, that’s the spirit.” The earth pony mare cheered.

“Yeah, I’ve heard there will be an exclusive reading of the first chapter of the new Daring Do at the House of Litterature today. Interested?”

“Hay yeah!” The cyan pegasus pumped her hoof, before realizing her friends were all smirking at her.

Applejack in particular had this smugness to her demeanor that rubbed Rainbow Dash just the wrong way. “Sure ya don’t want to spend some time here with the bookworms, Sugarcube?”

“Oh ha ha!” The daredevil crossed her legs, acting unaffected and mostly being unaffected. Only acute eyes would notice her cringing. “No thanks, I’d rather spend time with my friends.”

The others seemed to pause, any teasing dying in their throats the moment it was formed in their brain. Finally, it was Rarity who spoke, smiling warmly at her friend.

“We all do.”

Twilight felt something flutter in her chest, but it couldn’t be compared with those she felt near the golden stallion. Whereas his presence had her mind racing with anxiety, it was just right to be with these ponies, to be with her friends.

“W-we should go get Pinkie and Fluttershy,” she said, stumbling at first.

“Excellent idea, Twilight,” Rarity approved. “This way, we can all spend the day together.”

‘So you won’t be alone when you hear about your crush’s interest in your best friend…’ went unspoken between Applejack, Rarity and Rainbow Dash.

“Where are those two?” Applejack asked, suddenly frowning. “Ah don’t recall hearin’ much about them this morning.”

“I think they took a stroll in the gardens before you arrived.”

“Alright, let’s go, girls!” Twilight took the lead, heading out of the laboratory with her friends in tow.

She winced when her wings’ muscles pulled at her shoulders. Without a doubt, there was an urgent need for her to discover a good sleeping position when doing researches. Her body was sore all over… Great.

--

Her hoof rattled weakly against the ground, moving a few pebbles and making a strange drawing in the dirt. With her rump on the ground and her mane half as poofy as usual, Pinkie Pie didn’t seem to live up to her Element all that much. Her face was crunched up with a rather scary amount of focus.

She was mumbling under her breath. At high speed. With a high-pitched voice.

Was it any wonder that the pegasus behind her could not quite understand the dilemma?

“P-Pinkie?” Fluttershy asked tentatively.

Her voice, so quiet and hard to carry on any distance, made the other made snap her neck toward her. For a second, she shrunk back under the incredibly intense look Pinkie was sending her way.

“Hi, Fluttershy!” Pinkie said cheerfully, somehow keeping up her intensively intense stare while being her normal self.

“H-hello,” the pegasus whispered.

“So, Fluttershy, what did you want to ask me? I’m only asking because you have this weird tic where you look away when you talk to somepony and you need to ask something.”

“Hum…” She looked unsure. “I always do that when talking to other ponies…”

“Which proves my point!” Pinkie nodded, crossing her front legs over her chest in a picture of self-confidence. “Because you are looking away when you're asking somepony something.”

“I don’t think it works like that, Pinkie…” Fluttershy said with an apologetic tone.

All of a sudden, the pink mare slumped down, letting out what she would herself qualify as a “BIG-low-on-sugar-and-that’s-terrible” sigh.

“W-what’s wrong?” The pegasus moved closer, surprised by this apparent mood swing. Strong and spontaneous reactions were expected of her friend, but generally, those involved more party canons and less depressed faces. “What happened yesterday?”

“Oh, we had…” Pinkie rolled her shoulders, looking sideway. “…Fun. Yeah, lots of fun! In fact, it was really really fun! Like one of the funniest day I’ve had in Canterlot yet, not quite the best, but pretty up there nonetheless!”

As she had spoken, Pinkie’s color had indeed returned, getting more vibrant

Fluttershy’s heart ached when her friend’s mane deflated again.

“But then… then Bladey acted really mean!” She vehemently waved her legs in the air, eyes widened almost comically, but with an edge of distress that made Fluttershy step closer. “Like grade-A mean and I didn’t even think he could do that! Next thing I knew, Sammy does the same with Filthy Rich and BAM! The night of fun is all over a-and I...”

A pair of yellow hooves encased her, forcing her into the embrace of the Element of Kindness. In this particular instance, if Fluttershy had worn the necklace, it would have shone like a thousand of Celestia’s sun. “I’m sure this was just a bad decision on their parts. Lots of ponies and other people do that when they get mad. The best thing you can do is wait until everypony’s cooled down and ready to talk nicely.”

Eating up every word, Pinkie sniffed loudly a few times, blowing her nose into a box of tissues that seemed to have materialized out of nowhere.

“D-do you know what this calls for?” She turned her attention to her friend again, voice shaking with some form of anticipation.

“Hum… no?” Fluttershy replied meekly, forgetting her own advices just to make sure she would not contradict whatever idea had hit her hyperactive friend.

“Well, me neither!” Pinkie almost shouted, grabbing on her friend for support, a hint of insanity glistening in those sparkling blue eyes of hers. “My plan involves parties, like all good plans, but I don’t think it’s going to work this time!”

“Why not?” Fluttershy blinked in surprise. It was not that she believed the idea of parties as redeeming forces to be inherently great, but rather that Pinkie doubted it.

“It’s Gilda all over again!” The pegasus flinched at the mention of the griffon. “Actually, this is not even like that time with Gilda. I mean, yes, I tried to be her friend at first and then she showed herself that she was just a jerk and I can try not to think about it – even if I sometimes feel like I wished Dashie had gone back and tried to make things right between them so we were all friends –, but it’s different now! Bladey is already my friend, but he acted mean anyway. And I’m not sure I understand why!”

The pegasus mare had to distance herself a little in order to see the distraught expression on the party pony’s face. “D-did you ask him?”

“Yes! He said they were mean bullies that deserved it! But when I said he had been mean, he sulked and said I was lying! I don’t lie to my friends like that!” Her gaze had started getting misty, as her mind seemed to be going in all directions.

“It’s okay, Pinkie.” Fluttershy patted her back, her every instinct screaming at her to comfort her friend as best as she could, as quickly as possible too… “I know that. All of us know that. And it wasn’t your fault for the Gilda thing. We’re all very glad you tried to help her with your party anyway.”

“Ah, you’re so incredible, Fluttershy! I feel much better talking to you!” She smiled widely, gratitude transparent through her every gesture. “Oh my gosh! I can do this! I must! I MUST!” She threw herself backward, in an impressive imitation of her more fashioned inclined unicorn pal.

“D-do what?” Fluttershy asked, part of her fearing the answer.

“A party!” Pinkie jumped to her hooves, shining with rebuilt confidence. “We’re going to throw these boys the best party EVER and then they’ll have no choice but to be nice to everypony! It’s foolproof!”

S-she was glad that Pinkie’s energetic self had returned, Pinkie Promise! However… she might have preferred not being forcibly enlisted as the one to recruit partygoers.

--

“C-can you repeat that?” Eric stuttered in disbelief.

That had not been what he had expected… though he wasn’t sure why the conviction had been so strong in his mind to begin with. It was such a silly idea… to put so much faith in a scenario straight out of a fanfic…

“Again, sir, if you wish to speak to our voice actors, you may do so by contacting them on other public accounts. Many of our employees can be found via social networks, including the ones making the recorded voice of the new alicorn characters, Calx Iugum and Ventus Vinco.”

His grasp on his phone became so strong a dull pain started to radiate from his palm. It doesn’t make sense!

He didn’t know what he was thinking anymore…

--

It happened so quickly… they were almost shocked by how obvious their plan’s flaw had been. Some pony had simply walked up to Twilight and expressed their compassion to her situation.

“Huh? What do you mean?” The clueless alicorn asked, a kind but confused smile on her lips.

Thinking fast, Applejack’s hooves covered the intruder’s mouth. “Oh, ya know, Twi, all this princess-y stuff ya have to do all the time.”

“Yeah!” Rainbow Dash flew to her side, wearing a painfully large smile and dropping so suddenly by her side that Twilight jumped. “So this pony is showing their appreciation of your efforts!”

“Well,” she said, her heart beating too quickly in her chest. “That’s very kind of you, ma’am. And you really should move your hoof off her, Applejack.”

Nopony could have said she hadn’t tried to be patient and understanding, not jumping to any conclusions or something, but she’d have to be blind not to see how little Applejack wanted to allow the now struggling pony to speak.

“Applejack.”

“W-what is it, Twi?”

“Let her go.” Her tone left no ambiguity or room for protest.

Still, Applejack shot a quick glance at Rarity, who nodded gravely, knowing there was nothing else they could do to delay the inevitable. As soon as the grip had loosened, Applejack winced, preparing herself for a bad moment…

“Are you hiding it from her?!” The pony’s voice came out in a disbelieving and actually scary hiss.

“Hiding what?” Twilight’s eyebrow rose.

“How Prince Ventus went, behind your back, on a date with the Element of Laugher! It says so in the Sunrise News!”

“Oh, that’s all?” The alicorn tilted her head, unflappable.

The assembled ponies blinked dumbly, sending blank stares at the serene reaction from the Princess of Magic.

“Well, that one is just so ridiculous, it’s not even credible.” She giggled softly. “Pinkie wouldn’t do this to me and I seriously doubt that Prince Ventus would pursue a relationship in his current situation.”

The mare’s eyes widened almost comically. “But... but there was a picture of them together!”

“So?” Twilight shrugged, not particularly impressed. “I bet plenty of ponies could take plenty of pictures of me and my friends, but that wouldn’t imply that we’re dating, right? Besides, they were already wrong about their previous headlines. They already lost most of their credibility with me anyway.”

Her friends had long since lost the capacity for words.

“In any case, thank you very much for your compassion. It really warms my heart to know that you cared enough about me to give me your best wishes. Thank you.” With a bow, she proceeded to stun every and any pony in sight.

Amongst them though, Rarity, Applejack and Rainbow Dash tried hard to squash their guilt at putting so little faith in their friend’s strength. An apology was due.

--

I had seen it coming, with perfect clarity. The scenario had all played out in my head before Celestia had even started talking.

She never raised her voice, not even once, to stop his tantrum. His screaming had carried all throughout the dinner hall, rendering the few remaining nobles utterly silent.

It was a combination, I guessed, that made them so pale and dumbstruck at the scene happening in the antechamber. The nerves, of course, of screaming at the most prominent ruling authority of the land, but also the few insults that had started to slip in his dialogue, must have been the most appalling thing ever for any Equestrian.

I, personally, could not find it in me to show strong disapproval toward this. It hadn’t been a lie that Tom had already done a lot of studying. How could he not have in more than sixty years of life. Even at a slower learning rate, he had earned his knowledge and, though he might not flaunt it, his lack of maturity could not hamper the fact that he was a master on the subjects of geology and agriculture.

I might have laughed in the heat of the moment, but, in the end, I wanted to side with my little brother on this issue. Frankly, it wasn’t even being bratty; from his point of view, this was like having finished school and being told you had to go back because they didn’t like your attitude, completely disregarding everything you might have known.

In other words, Celestia brought this on herself.

In the end though, it did not matter. Her mind could not be swayed, certainly not by a child throwing a tantrum about it. With a hint of steel, she ended the discussion with the details of his first lesson, which was to happen tomorrow.

At that, Tom’s face probably crunched up in the most rage filled display possible. “I HATE YOU! YOU’RE NOT MY FAVORITE PRINCESS ANYMORE!”

My guts twisted at the painful remembrance brought on by the words. They had once been aimed at me, with the same kind of childish coldness. Their weights had been so hard to carry back then anyway. And then…

A wave of cold dread crashed over me, as my imagination ran wild over what he might do. For the first time since Celestia had called him, I bolted out of my seat, toward the door leading to the antechamber.

All I saw was a blur of wooden brown and a blow of wind hitting my face, to punctuate how close to being hit I had been.

In my shock, I stopped dead in my track, in time to have a small colt ran straight into me. A mild bout of pain struck me, in the spot his horn had rammed into, but already, I pushed it aside in favor of the foal groaning on the ground.

“Little brother,” I said quietly, half of an apology transmitted through my tone alone.

“Y-you knew!” He sniffed, eyes shining with tears of anger.

With a pained grimace, I grabbed him, lifted him, but he stayed mostly limp, sullenly refusing to share one more word with me. Frankly, his frustration seemed to pale with the rapidly fading flame of his happiness. Heck, he hadn’t struggled or fought his way out of my grip yet.

In spite of any control I tried to exercise, I came to resent her nonetheless, for hurting him so.

Right wing stretched in front of us as a shield, I shot a look at the white alicorn still standing in the room. Of my anger, I let as little as possible filter, instead trying to show only my disappointment and a hint of rejection.

A twisted part of me enjoyed the fact that she would doubtlessly pick up on it.

Before letting myself fade into a gust of wind and taking Tom with me, I kept up this mask for a few more seconds, taking in her reaction. She was immobile. Her face was an especially stoic mask. Princess Celestia’s soul piercing glare was the last thing I saw of her today.

--

As soon as we reached our room, I let go of my hold on him. He lost no time getting back to his hooves and glaring at me. His traits held an accusation and an anger I did not like to see in him. It made my heart clench with fear.

“You let her do that!” He shouted, his wings flaring into extension.

“I didn’t want to,” I said softly. “It was out of my power to stop her.”

But he did not want to hear it.

“Why didn’t you try?!” He looked at me with the eyes of someone that had been stabbed in the back on their birthday. “IT’S NOT FAIR!”

On that, he ran to our bed, hiding under the covers to hide both his tears and the rest of his shattered pride.

With a sigh, I decided to let him nurse those wounds himself, at least for a little while. When he had calmed down a bit, I’d try to talk to him again. Perhaps he would feel more receptive then.

As such, I decided to sit down next to our window, gazing outside, beyond the city and toward the sky. In Equestria, it seemed to always be a perfect shade of blue, set with a manageable number of clouds and wind that seemed to pulse in resonance with my own heartbeat. So easily, I felt my consciousness slip toward this greater ocean above.

It was my heart’s desire, to unshackle myself from this self of mortal flesh and be the wind.

More disturbingly, the thought made me serene.

As much as I tried to, I could not summon the appropriate horrified response this thought process should have called for. In a way, my true nature seemed to be attuned outside of myself.

For a long time, I stared at this part of myself, unsuccessfully trying to orient my mind toward more pressing issues such as our return to Earth and the safety of my human parents.

I could hear ethereal neighs through the song of the wind.

“H-hum… hello?” The voice was so soft it almost failed to pull me out of my reverie. However, my hearing was particularly sharp at times.

I turned around with a peaceful expression, already deducing who had gently peeked through the door by her tone alone. As such, I replied as calmly as I could.

“Miss Fluttershy, to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?”

The poor mare started stuttering, blushing beneath her mane and desperately trying to avoid my gaze. Her voice weakened to a meek, incomprehensible squeak.

“Miss Fluttershy,” I repeated, taking her chin with my wing, doing my best to ignore her shaking. I forced my voice to be as soothing as I could dish out. “I assure you that whatever it is you want to tell me, I will not judge you, get angry at you or make you uncomfortable. I promise.”

With the kind of delicate movement that came so naturally to her, she shook off the tip of my wing and steeled her resolve, looking about as confident as a slightly shy pony.

“P-Pinkie decided to throw a party… and put me in charge of the invitations…” I winced, feeling a bit of compassion for the introverted mare and her predicament. “I-if you’d like to come… in the western ballroom… t-this evening…”

We were both startled though, when a booming noise erupted in the room.

“AWESOME!” Tom barreled into view, grinning from one ear to another. Someone’s feeling better… “I didn’t even get to go to more than one of her parties!”

Glancing at the bed, I saw the sheets still flying in the air, thrown with too much force for it not to have been magical in origin.

“Wait, you had a party for you organized by Pinkie Pie?” I turned to him, slightly shocked at the pang of jealousy I felt.

“Oh, hum, well, that’s just something Pinkie does…” Fluttershy explained, misunderstanding my question.

I’m certainly not going to correct you though.

“How kind.” I offered her a gentle smile, hoping to put her in a more relaxed mood. “Do not worry. You can tell her we will attend without fail.”

“BUCK YEAH!” Tom screamed, earning a mortified look from the shy pegasus.

I could only offer her a sheepish grin in guise of apology. She unsurprisingly accepted it, but seemed uneasy nonetheless.

--

Somepony had gone overboard with the decorations in this place. Streamers, balloons, confetti, cakes, all of those were hanging from the ceiling, covering tables, sticking on the windows, creating the most cake frosting PINK ballroom I had ever seen in my entire life.

It could have hurt all kinds of sensitivities and the Sam side of me was in utter shock that it hadn’t. Somehow, it worked. Barely. But it worked.

A few ponies had already arrived, forming a crowd spread throughout the whole room. Most of them were grown-ups, of course, but, in a corner, a bunch of foals had gathered around Pinkie Pie. Her curly mane bouncing with her jumps, she seemed to be singing along with them, playing entertainer for the whole dozen of them.

By my side, my brother’s eyes lit up with pure joy. Judging exclusively by the amount of shaking, I had a few seconds left.

“Don’t get into fights and if you do, call for me.” I grinned, ruffling his mane before letting him run off.

I felt a bit better after seeing his own wide grin at the idea of joining the other kids. Eh, with Pinkie Pie around, he’d have no trouble integrating with the rest. Following his progress for a few more minutes, I saw his blue form met the group of foals and him rapidly taking place in the circle, being just one of the kids.

A bit of weight disappeared from my shoulders, making me sigh in relief. With that bit of peace at the front of my mind, I decided to just take a first look at the room. Walking between ponies, I distantly heard the exchanges, most if not all of them goodhearted exchanges. I greeted a few of them, having an easy time looking the part of the charming prince.

Quickly though, I caught sight of an interesting gathering.

Not far from table of refreshments, Rarity, Applejack and Rainbow Dash were discussing some topic with varying expressions of approval or disagreement. With a little focus, it became easy to make out their words far before I made my way up to them.

“Can’t say Ah’m really mad the little troublemakers got told off. Celestia knows Ah’ve been aching for somepony to beat some decency into those heads of theirs.”

“Yes, I understand, Applejack. Half the time Sweetie Belle comes home in tears, those two horrible fillies are the one to blame,” she said, momentarily angered. Quickly, however, the emotion faded, leaving her staring blankly into space, pensive. “Still, I heard it was a scandalizing event…”

I felt as if fatigue was catching up with me, making me so tired of this and wishing the whole night had gone differently. For a moment, I contemplated changing my course of action, just to avoid dealing with this crap again.

“And just where d’ya ‘hear’ that, Rare?” The cowpony’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. “Have ya been readin’ that magazine again?”

“No…” She whispered, her gaze flickering toward Pinkie for a split second.

Ultimately, it was her behavior that pushed me to get moving again.

The embarrassed and quick deflection I had expected did not come. In fact, had it not been for her half-hearted answer, I would have believed Rarity hadn’t heard her friend at all. Instead, she was looking straight at me, worriedly, as if suddenly discovering something unexpected. For the first time, her gaze was not dreamy, wistful and filled with the fantasies of knights in shining armor she fashioned me to be. For the first time, they held an unspoken fear.

She was seeing something unexpected in me and she did not like it.

The others followed her gaze and finally noticed me just stepping next to them.

“Oh, hey there, prince. Didn’t see ya before.” Applejack said, lifting her hat to me. After a nod from me, she turned back to her friend, halfway whispering. “Ya could have told us he was here, Rare.”

“So you wouldn’t have continued talking about my actions?” I asked, feeling amused at this turn of event.

Rainbow Dash shrugged, clearly not guilty. “We were just saying we aren’t completely disappointed in lil’ Calx for snapping at the two fillies.”

She got a hoof to the shoulder for her trouble. “What? It’s true.”

“Ah wasn’t saying that!”

“Oh, it is quite alright.” I waved a hoof dismissively, faking a smile. “Everypony is entitled to their opinions.” But can they please not be about us?!

As I expected, the mares just nodded, seeing as this was practically self-evident, especially in Equestria. Thus, I opened my mouth to steer the conversation away from that topic, when I was saved the trouble by a sudden weight on my back making my knees flinch.

“Hey, Sammy! How do you like the party?” Pink face in my face. “Does it make you feel better? Nicer?”

Wow, that is so incredibly subtle… Despite that though, I was not exactly annoyed. My feelings on this were… confused. With the context she didn’t know I had access to, I could easily piece out that this was the same kind of party she had thrown for Gilda, hoping to make her a better person. For her to turn it around and give me one… well… it was both insulting and touching.

It got me… pensive. Did I really come off as such a bad stallion?

What was it about those parties that supposedly help ponies be better? The cake? The music? The dancing? Tch, now I just wanted to scoff in derision…

Or it’s the other ponies that act like friends that care about you?

Ignoring the inquisitive look from Pinkie Pie, I looked down, contemplating a thousand incomplete, fleeting, comforting thoughts. I-it was nice… when others treated us as friends… w-when Pinkie spent the afternoon with us… w-when T-Twilight… when we played with waterballoons or… or when she accepted to help us study the spell that sent us here…

The image of yet another pony flashed before my eyes.

“A-actually, if I can make a suggestion, Miss Pie…” I looked up.

That got her unaltered attention.

“Yes, Sammy Goody?”

For the love of Celestia, never use that nickname again! I thought indignantly. Fortunately, all that came out of my mouth was inconspicuous. “Can you invite Prince Blueblood here? I believe he might find the event… eye opening, perhaps.”

Pinkie’s lips broke into a really sly smile, the kind that made my mind think of creatures like dragons and manticores rather than pastel ponies. With a bounce, she appeared right next to me, teleporting during the slight interval necessary for me to blink in shock.

“That’s all good, but I already invited him, of course!”

“…What?”

“Yeah, him, a bunch of other nobles and even Princess Luna! They’re all coming!”

A strange uneasiness visited me at the mention of the Princess of the Night. I… I hadn’t given her much thought these last few days, but… well, somehow, I didn’t want to think of her. There was something about her… Come to think of it, have I actually talked to her yet?

The only thing I could think of her at the present moment had been a passing glance she had given me after casting the spell of Truth with Celestia… it hadn’t been downright hostile, but…

“Speaking of the timberwolf, there he is!” Pinkie turned my head around, forcing me out of my head and making me witness the scene of a few more ponies entering the ballroom, one particular stallion scanning the crowd with his blue eyes. “I think he wants to talk with you too! Let me go get him.”

And before I could shout a very definitive “NO THANKS!”, she had already teleported away.

My eye twitched.

“Oh, for the love of my parents!” I groaned, a very distinct pang of pain running through my veins at the thought. Suddenly, my next thought was extremely appropriate. “Tell me this punch contains plenty of alcohol…”

None of them truly impaired my trip to the buffet table, toward the gigantic bowl full of pink juice. Normally, I’d stay clear of this in Equestria, but clearly, it was an emergency. Not to mention that I was slowly growing sick of this charade.

The most they did was follow, one pegasus flying a little over me.

“Alicorns can get drunk?” Rainbow Dash asked, looking suspicious and… a little devious too.

“I certainly hope so…” I muttered, levitating a cup of punch and downing it.

I breathed a sigh of relief at the burning sensation that went down my throat. At least one mystery was solved. Now… for the other one’s elucidation… for science, of course…

I grabbed another cup.

“Whoa, easy there, partner. Wouldn’t want to make a show of yerself t’night, right?”

The “again” was only heavily implied.

“I am contemplating my options,” I grumbled, my mood darkening with each passing moment. If Blueblood came to me, speaking all about his superiority and rubbing any of my mistakes in my face, I might explode.

Thus, when I turned around and came face-to-face with him, it took most of my self-control not to snarl. Taking this moment of hesitation as an invitation to open his stupid mouth, Blueblood spoke with a surprisingly trembling voice.

“I… I would like to…” The stallion shifted on his hooves. “To respectfully request some of your time… to talk.”

A moment of stunned silence followed his declaration. My eyes and mouth were wide open, staring with incomprehension at the nervous prince before me.

W-well… it seemed like I got my answer. An alicorn CAN indeed get drunk, out of their minds, to the point of hallucinating.

This was awkward.

We were sitting by the punch table, mostly because I had insisted I had something – anything – to drink to get through this. He had put on a token protest, to which I had miraculously managed to be polite and told him that no, we weren’t leaving for a more private place, like next to a window.

So far, we had talked about exactly nothing. We were both just… waiting for the other to say something. On one hoof, I really wished to just tell him to buck off and leave me alone, but since he hadn’t done anything truly jerkish yet, the small decent part of me refused to do so.

Unfortunately, that was about the extent of my willingness to do this. I certainly didn’t want to initiate this conversation.

Another cup of liquid went down my throat, the number of which had quietly started to accumulate.

“Not a very dignified attitude, Prince Ventus.” Blueblood chuckled, apparently amused by this.

The narrowing of my eyes told him exactly how long he had to correct himself.

For a split second, he seemed to be the prey to a little panic attack, his eyes darting around the room for a hint, but his stance quickly relaxed. “I’m… I’m… s-s…”

Oh dear Elders… is he actually…? This one was a bit of a shocker.

“Let’s not make this even more awkward, Prince Blueblood,” I said swiftly, unsure of the reason behind this fear taking a hold of my mind. “It’s alright…”

“I am grateful for that…” The stallion breathed a small sigh of relief, glancing at the few ponies around us.

None of them appeared to care, but we both knew a front could be so easy to create. Plus, this was two princes apparently exchanging courtesies and, maybe, just freaking maybe, put aside their differences. What were the odds they weren’t listening?

“Would you care to go straight to business?” I asked, a little angry at the attitude of the ponies close by.

“R-right…” He stumbled on his words, showing so little confidence and arrogance that I was starting to doubt his identity. Surely, this couldn’t be the stallion I had talked to just a few days ago, right? A changeling, maybe? “U-understand that this is not… e-easy for me… to say, but it is about your words to me the other day.”

What else? I fought the urge to roll my eyes.

“Do you want an apology for that?” Don’t expect it to be very sincere though…

“Quite frankly, yes, but I don’t expect you to.” The white stallion scoffed. “It has become quite evident that you are about as self-centered as I am.”

“Am I?” I asked carefully.

“Yes.”

It stung. I hadn’t expected it to, but, somehow, to hear him say it, not as an insult or a thoughtless remark, but with absolute conviction like that…

A phantom pain went through my chest, spreading from horn to hooves quickly, then seemingly fading. It didn’t hurt less – no, not even close –, a strange numbness just dulled it away, pulled the focus of my attention on everything else.

The image of two blue, human, eyes, flashed in my mind. They were staring coldly.

I downed another cup of punch. I levitated another, ready for use.

“You wanted to pick me as a role model, didn’t you?” I said, hoping to divert the topic at least a little. I really didn’t want to delve on the cold, the wind that carries the rot and the plague through the bloody battlefield, hatred, hatred, hatred.

One less cup of punch at the table.

Regardless of my thoughts, he had answered, so quickly it had to have been rehearsed, not to mention the spite and disdain in his tone was much closer to the usual Blueblood.

“Don’t flatter yourself,” he sneered, grimacing, but because he hadn’t meant to say it or because he was disgusted with me, I could not tell.

I was too focused on keeping the conversation going… on making sure my own eyes wouldn’t haunt my mind…

“You certainly seemed… disappointed when you read the newspaper this morning.”

“Princess Sparkle has most obviously developed a certain infatuation with you. As a prince and a member of the royal family, it is only normal I care for her.”

I blinked. And stared. Of all the excuses he could have used to deny it, this certainly wasn’t one I had expected. Worse still, some part of me grew uneasy, as I could tell that however surprising it might be, it nonetheless had some sincerity to it.

However, I was no fool. He had protested way too much. “We both know a pony can have more than one reason for his actions. For example, if you only wanted to apologize, you wouldn’t be insulting me so quickly as well.”

His whole body went backward for a split second, as if my words had punched him in the face. Seemingly, Blueblood thought that way, as he sent an impressive glare in my direction.

“When the pony you were hoping to follow the example of reveals himself as quite the two-timing flankhole, I believe you are allowed some snide remarks for him.”

And I would like to cut off your tongue, Blueblood. Shame we don’t all operate on beliefs, right? “I could make you eat your words in so many different ways…” My voice trailed off, the implied meaning quite a good deal stronger than the rest. “But that might actually prove you right. Rather, I’ll just ask you why not do the sensible thing. Why not Celestia?”

“Is it not OBVIOUS?!” He shouted, looking well and truly aggravated, eyes narrowed at me as if I was some kind of thing not worthy of his presence. That’s the Blueblood we know and hate. “I’ve already based my mannerism on my aunt’s!”

It took me a minute to wrap my head around the idea. Then…

“…Are you blind?!” The volume of my voice rose, but I quickly forced it back into a hushed whisper. “She acts nothing like you! Or rather, you act nothing like her!”

“I never really thought of it that way before… well, before you came along…” The stallion shook his head, a bitter smile finding its way on his face. “I simply acted as a noble should, thinking it was enough to be… to be a little closer to her… But then, you tore me apart.”

Hearing him like that, with this vibrant note of bitterness and sadness piercing through the veil of arrogance, I… I felt a little bad for him.

“L-listen, Blueblood…” My eyes darted off to the checker style floor. “As much as I felt you deserved some sense beaten into your head, it probably was too much.”

“What? ‘Probably’?” He scoffed, an ironic smile finding its way on his lips.

“Has your aunt not tried to talk to you about your attitude before?” My words froze him in place. “On your treatment of others? I cannot imagine she didn’t try at least once. If I had to guess, I would say she tried a few inquisitions about your behavior once or twice, but you brushed off her. Probably not in a direct way, but in your justification.” The jolt he had had when I mentioned going against her died down, but his fur seemed to grow greener with horrorstruck illness. “After that, she might have attempted to make you reflect on it, but seeing as she hadn’t been firm enough, you only pondered it superficially.”

His eyes were unfocused, gazing into empty space. I could tell the memories were flashing in his mind at this point. The way the corner of his mouth twisted downward became the confirmation of my guess.

“Am I wrong?” It was purely rhetorical.

I waited. Blueblood seemed in no hurry to reply, casting his attention downward, onto his own hooves.

“No…” It was nothing more than a weak whisper, but from him, I had expected denial.

I truly believed he would explode in another rant on how he couldn’t have been blind and that I had been right about his behavior. Yet… he hadn’t.

Slowly, the amount of growth I started getting glimpses of softened any reminder of the icy edge I had had in regards to him. “I think I understand… why not her, but not why me. Haven’t you had your fill of these insights I give on your person? I cannot fathom you would still wish to base the evolution of your character on me.” It certainly would be easier to avoid me, Blueblood.

There was this impulse coursing through me though… it asked I give him a choice and a chance, lest I proved myself an even worse stallion than I thought.

His eyes almost lit up with amusement… not quite… “Well, you certainly talk about things as if you were a great pony to imitate. Haven’t you realized that by now?”

It was my turn to pause. Articulating my next thoughts was a bit more difficult.

“I do not believe the strength of the words should rely on their speaker, lest one valuable truth be lost to misconceptions and prejudices, but… I guess… I did… give off that impression, didn’t I?”

He nodded stiffly, as if the admittance cost him greatly. “As much as I hate to admit it, you did not do much to gather disapproval.” But I’ve certainly thought enough to disgust you, Blueblood. Trust me on that.

Blissfully unaware of my train of thoughts, he went on, looking straight ahead of him, anywhere but at me, I suspected. “To be quite honest, I am a little surprised at my aunt’s reaction.”

Between the crowd of ponies and the two of us, there should have been plenty of noises to fill the holes in our conversation, but as soon as he was done speaking, a bubble of silence seemed to have surrounded us.

Busted. I rolled my eyes at the surrounding ponies obviously eavesdropping on us. Still, that changed very little, as I would not have given Blueblood any more fuel to feed his suspicions anyway.

“There’s something more to it, I’m fairly sure,” he remarked, as if it was some great deduction.

Well, bucking good time for you to grow a brain. My mental sighs could surely be heard by somepony by now… Of all the crappy things I had to do today, explaining everything to Blueblood would be really annoying at this point.

Thankfully, two mares in particular moved right in front of us, one showing us her slender, well-toned body, while the other had an impressive sway in her hips.

…For a second, we… kind of lost our focus. Independently of my will, my neck strained to follow their track, this being even harder to ignore as we both recognized the two mares. Even with reddened cheeks and a hint of unbalance in their steps, they walked with complete confidence.

My eyes followed the white unicorn and the cyan pegasus, distantly making out the words of their conversation. A more timid part of me wish I hadn’t, as the subjects made the party’s atmosphere suddenly a lot warmer.

“-And I tell you, I’m way better than you! I’m always the best!”

“Oh please, Rainbow, dear.” Rarity rolled her eyes, oscillating between amusement and annoyance. “You’ve barely dated one or two stallions in your life. You aren’t that experienced.”

“Like you have any room to talk!” She stuttered, grinding her teeth together. “Or was all that talk about a proper lady investing herself in each relationship just empty air?”

Rarity’s expression also turned sour, glaring at her friend, who certainly wasn’t shy about returning the favor. Discreetly, I inched myself away from the impending catfight I smelled in the air.

“Granted,” the unicorn admitted with a death glare. “But I certainly studied the topic in extensive details. I’ll have you know there’s many ways to learn about romance, most of which don’t involve bragging about the Wonderbolts all the time!”

Oh boy… this is going to get ugly soon. Grimacing, I shot a quick glance at our surroundings, hoping to catch sight of their friends and, with a little luck, convince them to intervene before it came to blows. Unfortunately, in the small crowd surrounding us, they were undetectable.

“You did not just go there!” She butted head with Rarity, miraculously not hurting herself against her friend’s horn.

Rarity responded in kind, pushing just as hard. “Oh, I think I did. I’m simply better at this. It comes with having more experience.”

“Oh yeah?! Well, here’s something you never did!” Her wings flared open, a show of bravado.

The rest happened in a multicolored blur.

She tackled Blueblood against the wall, the poor guy barely having the time to do more than let out a yelp before she smashed her lips against his. His eyes widened to the size of plates, as did mine and Rarity and… well, pretty much everypony in sight.

My brain had a short-circuit, my every thoughts coming to a halt abruptly. Heat spreading in my chest and my wings becoming stiff, I could only stare blankly. Holy buck!

That’s when Rarity snarled, after a second of incoherent babbling and high-pitched whining. With a startling speed, she pounced Rainbow Dash, pushing her away from the prince.

Naively, I thought this would be the end of that, but then, the fashionista turned around to the flabbergasted Blueblood and trapped him in yet another kiss. Obviously aroused and far from stoic, the stallion responded in kind, eliciting a muffled moan from his kissing partner.

This time, it was the jawdrops. Everywhere. Heck, Rainbow Dash’s daze seemed to have evaporated at the sight, her own mouth open so wide I could make out the entirety of her dentition without any trouble whatsoever.

“What in tarnation?!” Somepony spoke our collective minds, with a distinctively southern accent.

Turning my head, I got sight of one of the mares I had hoped to see earlier, too little too late, unfortunately. Then again, having reliable Applejack around could not hurt.

“I-I believe…” I started, finding it harder to speak clearly with the alcohol finally having an effect on me, not to mention how dry my mouth felt. “…That your friends were arguing about being the better… kisser. I-if I’m… not… mistaken.”

“Ah sure hope you ain’t!” The earth pony pointed a hoof, her eyes twitching at the now growing indecent show. “Rarity’s tasting his lungs by now.”

“I’m sure they’ll run out of air soon,” some noblepony commented offhandedly.

“Y-yeah, shouldn’t be too long now…” I muttered, looking down. “Unless they voluntarily choose to pass out…”

As it turned out, this wasn’t the logical conclusion of what went on, but it could be inferred from their extremely passionate making out session that stopping was not their choice. However, nopony could be drunk enough to choose to ignore the dramatic entrance punctuated by strikes of lightning and booming thunder.

“GREETINGS, PONIES OF CANTERLOT!” echoed the impossibly loud voice of one unmistakable amongst all.

To my own surprise, my wings clasped harder against my sides and my tail twitched again. Some unknown pressure was shortening my breathing as the Princess of the Night’s figure slowly descended from the dark sky. The closer she was, the worse this sensation got. With my mind feeling hazy from the alcohol, I clearly couldn’t hide my reactions as well as before.

Worse still, green eyes trailed on me, a frown obscuring them slightly. The contact lasted for a brief instant, but left a lasting impression on me. I knew Applejack had noticed.

Don’t think about it…

With a subtle clink of silver against the floor, she landed a few meters away from us, as we stood not too far away from the passage leading to the Royal Gardens.

I just had to insist on being close to the refreshment tables, didn’t I? Oh Elders… I’m somewhat drunk and she might see me. This will blow up in my face. So hard.

One could hear a pin drop in the deafening silence that fell over the ballroom. Nopony dared speak first, not when their princess had arrived in such a grandiose manner. Luna herself had quietly started to move forward, but stopped when she heard a familiar voice.

“Princess Luna!” Twilight shouted almost excitedly, running through the crowd, with a few extremely soft ‘sorry’ seemingly punctuating her progression.

Well, it wasn’t hard to guess who was trailing behind the young alicorn.

“Twilight Sparkle!” The dark alicorn replied, a pleasant smile appearing on her face. “Or rather, Princess Sparkle. It would be unbecoming of me not to recognize your title, would it not?”

“There is no need for that, Princess Luna.” Twilight dismissed it with a casual wave.

“Yet you insist on using mine.” She teased her, nudging her with a hoof. “My, this is quite unfair. I almost feel slighted.”

The good-naturedness of their exchange seem to spread to the rest of the guests. Quite a few chuckled at their princesses little banter. For my part, I fought a nervous laugh that would have given me away on a good day…

“So many ponies have been gathered so quickly. We must praise the pony responsible for this.”

Unbeknownst to Luna, Fluttershy had shrunk on herself, a luminescent blush spreading across her cheeks. She whispered something, most likely a ‘thank you’, but nopony could have possibly heard her.

Instead, the dark alicorn had diverted her gaze to the ponies assembled, which, unfortunately, also included me. The thought to disappear in a gust of wind only hit me after we had made eye contact, by which point it was too late.

Stupid punch…

“Hello Prince Ventus.” Her tone was more formal than anything else she had used so far.

Crystal clear… With that kind of reaction, absolute respect seemed like the only appropriate response. So, my right knee folded under me, sending the world spinning.

“Princess Luna,” I said, gaze firmly set toward the ground as I desperately tried not to let the drunken dizziness trip me.

However, even like that, I could feel the weight of her stare on my back. Luckily, it didn’t last long. She skimmed over my kneeling body, barely giving me any attention before looking to the next pony. Was it wrong that all I could feel was vibrant relief?

Nonetheless, the Princess of the Night went on with the greetings, as many ponies, most of them in reality wanted a few seconds to exchange at least names with one of their rulers. Most imitated my bow, with polite greetings, but I was savagely thrilled to hear Blueblood receive a very stiff reply too.

It was only when this little commotion had died down that Twilight got the chance to speak again.

“We’re glad you could come to the party, Princess.”

“W-we hope it is to your liking,” Fluttershy added, a bold move for the timid mare.

Twilight seemed to share my shock, glancing with widening eyes at her friend before composing herself. “We weren’t sure if you could make it, as we know your duties are crucial, but Pinkie really wanted you to share some quality time with us.”

“Unfortunately, it is impossible for us to stay!” She dramatically rose her hoof skyward, making more than a few ponies glance up.

Those that didn’t gasp in shock, that is.

With an air of royalty, she ignored both group and puffed her chest.

“Not so long ago,” her voice carried through the air with ease, spread to the entirety of the room. Her tone was that of a story-teller and the effect was to immediately capture each and every pony’s attention. “Yes, not so long ago, W-… I visited Ponyville on Nightmare Night!”

At my side, I heard a grumble, coming from a certain cyan pegasus.

“It was the first true contact I would have with my citizens on a casual occasion. It was also the first celebration I had ever heard revolving around my own art as a princess.”

I shared a pained wince with Applejack, as we both remembered the events of that particular Nightmare Night and how close to a disaster it had been.

“Shock was mine when I realized the object of celebration itself was toward my darker side, reduced to a foal’s tale. At first, I was offended, unable to understand why love was not given to me rather than a parody.”

A noticeable unease seemed to hit ponies in wave. Ashamed glances were exchanged, even from those that could not reasonably be expected to have participated in the events of that night.

“Princess…” Twilight whispered sadly.

“But I digress!” Luna said much more strongly. “Nightmare Night was just a moment for ponies to gather and share innocent ‘fun’ together. It was foolishness on my part before not to see it; after a thousand years, my nights have finally become an occasion of celebration! Nothing could make me happier than for my subjects to enjoy them more and though my visit must remain short, do not let my absence stop you from enjoying a most enjoyable party.”

Just like that, the heavy, saddened atmosphere created by her retelling had been lifted, leaving only a growing affection for the lunar alicorn. She stood at the center of the attention, yet her gaze was clearly toward her subjects, decorated with a beautiful smile.

“That you wished to share them with me only makes my heart soar with joy. Thank you, thank you all, my little ponies.” With a mighty flap of her wings, she was gone, already disappearing into the darkness outside. “May the night be good to you all!”

For a moment, the vast majority of the nobles assembled seemed to share my feeling, namely, lots of confusion.

Things had happened quickly, perhaps a little too quickly. She’s got her duties to fulfill, right? Move the moon around… and protect her citizens from their nightmares…

At the back of my mind, a wall cracked, letting filter a fragment of my anxieties. Nightmares were of course a natural occurrence and nothing to be concerned with… in the human world that is. Here, in Equestria, there were magical sources of influence that could affect a pony’s dreams.

The magic of fear, to name the most obvious. Black, sickening dark magic, with an aura that oozed and slithered through shadows and unseen places.

And with that moment of realization came more terror.

It’s coming. Chaos is coming. My blood was frozen in my veins. As an alicorn, such a concept was monstrously alien to me. It was repulsive for me to imagine a world flooded with chaos and disorder. It made me panic to imagine Calx being forced to live in such a terrible place.

Brotherly instincts taking over, I turned around, toward the corner I last remembered the foals to have been playing in. In lieu of them though, the first thing that I managed to see was another alicorn, Twilight. She was looking straight at me.

Our gazes met. Hers was unsteady, full of hesitations and questions, of doubts and uncertainties. The emotions already running wild in my mind truly started to dictate my every thought as I tried to imagine what the light in her purple eyes meant.

It was a miracle I didn’t shout when she reduced the distance between us to a leg’s length.

“C-can we speak?”

Fighting a bout of nausea, either fear or alcohol induced, I gave a simple nod and followed her outside when she turned around silently.

--

As expected, outside of the ballroom, the castle’s atmosphere seemed definitely subdued, colder and far less welcoming. Twilight’s wings closed against her body, confirming the fleeting thoughts I had about how cold she must be.

“Are you alright?” I asked, making a gesture to move closer.

To my surprise, she stepped forward, into the space I had left empty. Even worse, her expression held a bit of smugness at seeing me dumbstruck so. “Don’t worry, Ventus. You clearly had a lot more punch than I did.”

The playfulness got to me, even if I was very close to throwing up from the strain on my nerves alone. Casual as it was, I could not forget how important this meeting with her was. “You, on the other hoof, seem to be a great deal more lucid than most of the remaining ponies in this party.”

“I generally don’t drink much at this kind of events.” She shrugged. “On a few special occasions, I do, but other than that…”

Well, that’s a lot more reasonable than me. Heck, I’m having a little trouble standing straight at the moment.

“T-Twilight,” I stumbled on my words, more nervous than I wanted to admit. “Before anything else, I must ask.”

“Yes?”

“Have you found anything about the spell? Anything at all?”

It was impossible to ignore the way her breath hitched and her eyes wavered with the beginning of new tears. For a moment, her strength appeared to have left her. Her shoulders slumped ever so slightly and she quickly averted her gaze.

My thought process so impaired by the night’s previous events, it came up with a blank as to the reason of her distress.

Coward, my own voice echoed in my mind.

“Twilight…” I whispered, lifting her chin with my hoof. Even then, she would not look back. “You must tell me. It is not the first time my words seem to hurt you. What is the reason behind this?”

Other words itched at the hedge of my lips, confirmation of her feelings for me, but I dare not. I dare not speak for fear I was right. I did so, with a cold sensation running down my spine at the idea she might actually…

As if I didn’t know already. I am such a bucking coward… I could see her hurt and it pulled at my heartstrings. Still, I dared not broach the subject. If she confirmed it… If she confirmed that she… that she loved me…

I…

I wouldn’t know what to tell her! I didn’t know if I felt something like that toward her!

“It… Ventus, I…” The words begged to leave her lips, but they wouldn’t. Nothing, not even air, would leave her mouth. She seemed so torn it was almost comical, if one had a twisted sense of humor.

But as I stared at her lips, a part of me wondered what they felt like… what they tasted like…

The thought pierced through my drunken stupor.

Everything about that lavender mare seemed painfully omnipresent in my mind now. So many sensations, so many details about her, would just assault my senses and refuse to be ignored. It made the cool night warm.

“I did find out something.” Twilight finally said, with a mechanical tone that almost saddened me. “Something out of place.”

Chastising myself for my distraction, I turned my entire focus entirely on her words.

“When the others came to pick me up this morning, they asked me what my researches were about.”

My heart missed a beat with a sudden burst of fear. This had to be kept a secret!

“D-did you…?” I whispered.

She shook her head. “No. But while I didn’t mention what they were, I did say I needed time to figure out some things…”

All I could do was nod, hoping it would encourage her to elaborate further.

“The spell’s matrices… the source of its power… it is outside of our world.”

It was like being hit by lightning. A painful shock seemed to expand into every nerve of my body. Miraculously, I still had the use of my tongue. “W-who? Who powers that spell?”

Tell me who is responsible for this.

“I couldn’t trace that far back!” She hung her head in shame. “It had already decayed too much.”

My anger popped like a bubble. It literally broke down into fine pieces, grinded powder and blown away by the wind. It was replaced by a growing, numbing despair.

“Is it… t-t-too… late?”

“I’m not sure.” She looked at me, frowning deeper than before, but with the shame of her failure piercing through her voice, it only made her pitiful… “I… I think that… white line… it wasn’t a piece of our reality… ”

I sucked in a sharp breath. It could only be…

“The spell itself…” She continued. “…Shattered a barrier and sucked everything in until the hole was sealed with enough… reality… I could not probe that far ahead through space, but… but I did get the feeling that it needed barely more than one living entity.”

Surprisingly, a light was made in my mind. I knew what that piece of reality had had to be.

“The… the runes!” I spoke, voice shaking with excitement. “After Calx disappeared, I discovered the spell he utilized, but the runes were long gone by that time!”

“W-wait! That would mean you are literally covered in the spell itself! Not just its effect or its source of power, but the actual structure of the spell!”

As Sam, I would have been lost right away. As Ventus, the magical theories were engraved in my brain. At least the most prominent ones were.

“Y-you could study and reverse-engineer it!” I think my heart just about exploded with joy.

Her voice became excessively quiet. “No…”

“W-what?!” My eyes were like saucers. “W-what are you talking about?!”

“The degradation is too far ahead for me to recreate the spell. We’d have better luck tracking down the source of the magic and work from there… It… it’s a big gamble, but there’s nothing else we can do…”

I felt lightheaded. My ears could barely pick up sounds anymore.

“T-there’s something else I had to tell you.”

Naively, I had figured out that there was a limit to the amount of sheer terror one could feel from words alone, but it kept getting worse!

“I’m afraid I cannot keep this a secret, Ventus. This is so… this is beyond what one pony should have to shoulder. I want to go speak to the Princess about this.”

My head was spinning.

N-no… no… if they get to hear about the spell… about its consequences... What will they do?! They’ll find out the anomalies! Will they realize what I’ve done? W-what Tom and I are?! T-then, then there will be no time! It will be too late! They’ll never accept that!

“I…” Her voice brought me out of my panicking daze. “My friends and I… we’ll be leaving for Ponyville soon. We already spent a lot here…”

At this point, I lost it. Honest to Elders LOST it. My mind was already nothing but a maelstrom of confused emotions misted by the fog of alcohol and tampered by my fear. There had to be something…

Without thinking, I threw myself forward, doing the first thing that came to mind, using the only halfway rational idea I had.

Completely shocked by my sudden reaction, Twilight didn’t have the time to bat away my hoof when it rested on the back of her neck. She didn’t get the chance to push me away before I crashed my lips against hers.

My fear was pushing me too much. I was too forceful. My body was pressed too strongly against hers. The kiss was bestial, calling forth primal instincts buried beneath too many masks. It stripped away my inhibitions for a split second and I pushed forward, finding myself wanting this, craving for more.

She was so timid, so inexperienced… It made a possessive side of me wish for her to be mine and mine alone. Almost hungrily, I deepened the kiss, earning a whimpering moan from her.

Warm. It was all I could think of. This contact with her made fire blaze inside my heart and spread to the rest of my body. I could not wish for this to stop. Just then, just as things wouldn’t get more confusing, she started kissing back.

I… I couldn’t think… I just wanted… more… more! She was mine and I wanted more!

But she broke it. All too quickly, hooves painfully shoved into my chest pushed me back.

Breathless, she stared at me, eyes so wide I felt they might pop out of her skull. If she was anything like me, then her own heartbeat would be maddeningly loud, pulsing against the side of her vision, spreading an unbearable heat through her whole body.

The poor mare stayed completely silent, unable to process what had happened, whether it be her own sentiment in regards to the kiss or simply the fact that I had done so.

It was my only chance, maybe my last.

“Y-you can’t leave…” I said in a lusty, desperate whisper, making her shiver. The emotion behind it… I could not actually tell if it was real or not. My mind was hazy from the alcohol and actual desire. Her scent flew right through my nostrils as I breathed in, inches away from her again. “Celestia requested that Tom and I stay in the castle for the time being. We will not be able to follow you, should you return…”

I saw her still, a slight twitch in her tail notwithstanding. She listened with a mute horror, strangely combined with some form of… relief?

“A-ask her… to stay…” The words were too difficult to pronounce. My brain refused to work properly, as if… manipulating her… as if that was a line I hesitated to cross. “Convince her that…. That you would like to spend a bit more time with your family here in Canterlot… or that you’d like to study a bit more before going back… a-anything… so we’re not separated.” I can’t afford to lose the one pony willing to do this secretly.

Especially not with the threat looming over the horizon.

Just say you’ll stay. I need somepony’s help, Twilight… your help…

You. I need you.

But Twilight did not answer. She kept looking at me, unable to process anything, or hiding it so well I could not see it. Her stance was completely stiff, as if she dared not move and trigger another reaction from me, whatever it might turn out to be. She… stayed silent.

And every passing second made my apprehensions grow.

I nearly jolted in shock when she finally spoke.

“W-w-we should go back to the party,” she said, eyes wide and cheeks colored. “I think I just heard Pinkie break the party canon.”

I could not hide it when my heart sunk in my chest. A part of it felt as if it had been torn off.

“I… I think I will do just that…” I walked past her, doing my best not to look at her.

In shame. In sadness.

I had no idea what I was doing anymore.

The sound of my hooves against the floor was the only one in the dark hallway. It was a soft noise, but with the majority of Canterlot already fast asleep, it echoed throughout the castle. Or so it felt to me… and I had a rather good sense for things on this matter.

On my back, the weight shifted, which was followed by a quiet groan. At this, I stretched my wings, just in case Calx decided to roll over in his sleep. The evening had taken its toll on him and being so tired made him a surprisingly restless sleeper. I had tried for years to understand his subconscious’ logic on that particular stance, but without success of any kind.

In any case, after Twilight’s return to the party and mine, things escalated a few steps further, alcohol flowing a bit more freely, with most of the foals shortly thereafter escorted back to bed by their guardians, Calx being one of the few exceptions.

There had been a few disapproving glances from some of the older ponies, but I didn’t care much about that. Plus, I could not see them very well when I was rolling on the floor, pretending to be in total agony, acting a scene straight out of my little brother’s imagination. The fact that the three colts dancing on my corpse all had glimmering wings of air probably alleviated the disapproval. The utter glee on those little faces melted any bouts of true resistance I could have been met with.

Sure, I was almost choking to death laughing at their over-the-top acting, but nothing could be perfect. Besides, who was I to complain when I had miraculously managed to create three pairs of artificial wings and stuck them on a few kids? I was freaking drunk, for goodness’ sake. If I had been only sloshed before, it was a thing of the past.

When these little guys left, they said something to the effect that I was the best prince ever.

All in all, despite the utter awkwardness and confusion that was my talk with Twilight, the party had been… refreshing. With so many ponies out of it because of the spiked punch, I was doubtful they’d remember much of my attitude tomorrow. And since this was a drunken party by the end, I had inkling that this one would not be featured in the show. All in all, a great occasion to relax completely and let loose.

Perhaps it was understandable then, that I only resigned myself to leaving when Calx started yawning so badly he might dislocate his jaw. With minimal protest, I levitated him and placed him on my back, against which he curled up and relaxed, soon falling asleep despite protest against doing so.

Just as we had left the ballroom though, I had caught sight of Twilight staring at me, a thousand questions in her eyes. The weight of that gaze pressed against the back of my mind, making me restless and quite a bit more aware of our situations.

I sent her a look just as curious and uncertain as hers, truly having no idea what could or should happen between us.

Even now, with the alcohol receding away from my brain and the silence allowing me to think, I couldn’t decide what I wanted in the first place. If I needed her help so badly, was that not just a simple way to ensure she would? Unless she was so in love she couldn’t bear to let me go…

…What am I going to do?

I sighed. Nothing could be so simple.

The entrance to our shared room was in sight now, the wooden door firmly closed and the shadow of a night guard not too far ahead in the hallway. By the time I made my way to the door, the grey stallion was almost by me and I greeted him with a polite nod. He reciprocated quickly, showing proper respect for a guest, or something like that…

Gently, my magic seized the handle and twisted, pushing the door open. The whole operation went quietly, precisely how I wanted it to be. The room I shared with Calx remained dark, unlit candles resting on the bedside table, curtains drawn over so even the glow of the moon could not shine on my path.

Even so, navigating around the obstacles was quite easy and I could do it with my eyes close anyway. However, rather than get ready to slip into bed, I stilled a few meters away from it.

There was another pony in the room. I could feel their breathing in the air.

Brain flooded with ideas, theories and questions, I shot a glance in the direction of that breathing, quiet and calm. Hopefully, the gesture would go unnoticed and whoever that was wouldn’t launch an attack or something.

An extreme wave of dread ran through my whole body when I managed to get a better look at the intruder. It was not so much the intimidation than the fact that I was wholly unprepared for this kind of crap.

“Hello, Prince Ventus,” the mare said with a sultry voice, sending me a look that told me everything.

I could feel the groan of exasperation building up in my throat, even as my heart treacherously fluttered with excitement. Oh, you have GOT to be kidding me.

“State your name and your business here,” I said in a hushed whisper, hoping not to wake Tom up. He had a long day of work ahead of him tomorrow and the party was already one drain on his energy. I’d rather not add another. It would be Tartarus here if he woke up grumpy…

“My.” She stood up, causing the bed to squeak a few times, her fur evenly brushing against the silky sheets. The tiny smile she sent me, with a hint of lewdness, was accompanied with a sensual voice that had my blood running strong in my veins. “How straightforward. So… direct…”

With a twitch of my eyes, I realized how much noise she was making. So, she could not take a hint. Oh, I was just going to kick something, preferably a face.

“You are not welcomed here, not at this late hour.” My face hardened, becoming a stony mask of flesh. “State your business now or leave our room.”

It did not deter her. On the contrary, it seemed that my harshness was leaving her feeling bolder. In the dark, her silhouette grew slightly bigger and her traits, more defined. She was… pretty, not classically so in the way Celestia was, but in that little kick-inducing, head-turning way that some mares just used to make your blood boil.

“That is such an authoritative tone you used…” She swiped her tail against my neck. “I like that in a stallion.”

I bit back the desire to move closer, to take in her scent and make it mine. My breath was shorter, tickling sensations running down my neck where her fur had made contact with it. It made it harder to think.

My mouth had gone dry again.

Luckily, something brought me back to my senses. It was a simple noise, soft and not particularly meaningful, just a groan coming out from a little colt’s mouth.

My eyes widened slightly. Bad timing.

Ignoring a pang of panic, I let my magic flow into my horn, focusing my mind on the air in the room. My consciousness stretched with it, reaching out, further than I could feel and see. With a growing feeling of longing, my mind turned to the wind, to the free spirit that rode away, unseen and unheard.

The moment the spell was complete, I was back and I wished I hadn’t…

My limbs felt muddy… heavy… unclean… shackles that grounded me. For a second, my emotions, my senses, both had become blurry, unclear and all-around weak. On some reflective surfaces, I could see that my eyes were unfocused, that my gaze had blurred toward empty space.

The first thing that came back to me was a gentle pressure against my shoulders and a tingling sensation in my loin.

W-what?

My heart jumped in my chest when I shook back the haziness and realized the mare had started feeling me up. She took advantage of the moment I had deafened noises around Tom to stroke my shoulders and my wings!

“So formal… so stiff…” Her smile turned smug, pleased with how I appeared to be reacting. “Look at the tension in those muscles…”

“Remove your hooves from my person immediately,” I said with enough coldness to stop a windigo dead in its track.

For a brief moment, her composure shattered. The glare I was sending her way alone threatened to make her combust spontaneously.

With a startle, she stepped back. For a second, she looked the part of the deer caught in a headlight, with her eyes widened so much and her gobsmacked expression. I could have started dancing on my hind legs and I probably wouldn’t have gotten a reaction this strong.

“N-now, my prince, don’t be this way…” She whispered, with a slight tremor in her voice that denied her otherwise confident demeanor. “There’s no need to be so cold.”

Her smile was starting to make my blood boil. “Didn’t I ask you to leave?”

“Oh, y-your mouth might say that, but your body says otherwise.” At that, she twisted her neck around, tilting her head to get a view underneath me.

I knew what she was referring to. The simple knowledge of her being right left a bitter taste in my mouth.

My cheeks started burning with the humiliation, the flame of which went straight at my heart. It grew hotter with rage and the desire to strike down that arrogant mare pulsed in my vein. I wanted her to just quietly choke down and stop bothering us already.

It would be pretty easy… just take back the air she is breathing…

“Don’t worry, I won’t tell a soul.” She leaned closer to me, bolder than ever. She smelled like flowers and vanilla, but her scent made me want to gag anyway. “Especially not Princess Sparkle. It’ll be our little secret.”

You certainly won’t get the chance to tell a soul about what I will do to you if you don’t shut up, dear.

However, the darker thoughts were strangely eclipsed by echoes of concerns and of Twilight’s image. They looked at me with such uncertainty, such restrained hopes... I knew exactly what her expression would turn to.

Horror. Disgust. Hatred.

In an instant, the expression spread. Soon, not a single being I knew was exempt from this glaring at my naked soul. They were all there; they all were ashamed to have once shared a link with me.

Three cut so much worse than the others. And one of them was sleeping on my back at this very moment.

Suddenly, the weight increased, too big for me to carry much longer, too precious for me to touch and taint! My mind was washed away by a wave of panic. I dared not stay a second longer in the company of that infuriating mare, for fear of what might happen.

Running away… I always do that, don’t I?

“Just go home, you poor filly,” I said in a shaky tone, not able to keep the regal, noble like façade any longer. With the amount of spite I put into it, she would have to be a brick not to get the message.

Not that I stayed behind to see it. With the searing gaze of my loved ones still staring a hole in my skull, I wanted to spend as little time in her presence, lest I became a slave to my darker impulses.

The cool night air embraced me like an old lover. How I wanted nothing more than to hug back the darkness of the outside world, but a certain little colt made his disagreement known by shifting on me and groaning at this sudden discomfort. That little show of impatience and caprice brought a fond smile to my lips. It was just so… him.

Gently, I levitated him off my back and deposited him on the garden’s lawn. Contact with the earth seemed to soothe him, in some ways at least. I understood him on that, at least.

With a sigh, I settled down on the grass, next to him, and extended my wing over him. This improvised blanket was welcomed with a smile and a nuzzle, though only through the unconscious state of sleep.

That small contact alone made me feel warm, a little loved. At least Tom would never… wouldn’t just stop loving me, just like I would always, always put him before anything else.

My wing brought him closer to me. I could feel his chest move with his breath, slowly and steadily. Our fur brushed off against each other and it was one of those little things that told me I wasn’t alone yet, that I still had people… ponies… worth fighting for.

I wasn’t a monster yet.

Eyes half closed, I glanced up, toward the night sky. Parts of me were just hoping to calm this sea of unease beneath my skin. The sight of a peaceful night could at least help me relax. Thinking of home – which one? – had my stomach churn.

And so, I looked at the mass of darkness above, for the first time with simple intent to see, and see I did.

Although she was an interesting flawed character, there were aspects of Luna that always flew right over my head. Sometimes… sometimes I never got why Luna had fallen so far when she realized her people did not appreciate her hard work, or so she thought. It had never struck me as being worth the corruption and ensuing fall out.

Tonight probably would be the last time I would ever feel this way.

Alicorns have strange needs.

Magnus had once confessed the need to be strong, not just as a character trait but as an integral part of his being and in all his interactions. Atonie Negata had explained to me that it wasn’t wrong to wish for more wind to blow through the empty space of the Astral Planes and convinced me by showing what kind of impulse could go through her brain as a result.

Thus, I could wonder what kind of needs Celestia and Luna had, being concepts of astral bodies and of a period of time. With a little lesson in Equestrian history, I could make an educated guess. With but a glance at the night sky, I understood.

All the myriad ways. So many stars, the closest thing to an infinite number in this world, and she was the one arranging them every night for the sake of her subjects.

She was an artist and the sky itself was her canvas. To compare it to the sky on Earth would be an insult, even from a purely objective point of view. The stars were brighter, the darkness contrasted more strongly, the arrangements were reminiscent of detailed paintings; it melted together into a vibrant, living painting of the things beyond this world. Before my eyes flashed the auroras and the meteor showers, the greatness of the celestial realms and a deafening cry for remembrance, for the home both sisters had long lost to their duties.

Finally, the right words dawned on me, echoes of my years of learning under Magister, Alicorn of Knowledge and teacher to all.

The Sacred Darkness.

The holy side of all things dark. The concept of good through the night and the shade. The encompassing shadow that made light easier to see. The contrast that made life worthwhile.

“Princess Luna…” I whispered, trying to imagine ponies ignoring her, ignoring her work for so long and my mind became blank.

The night was breathtaking.

…Breathtaking… breath taking… breath… breathtaking…

“Can’t breathe…” They said, in their last moment. Oh so many had said that, and so many times before had I wished for the right to give them those precious few gulps of air they needed. But this time... She would have said so with me reveling in her anguish.

Away from the annoyance itself, away from what made me angry and with nothing but my thoughts for sole companion, I could put myself under the magnifying glass.

I had trouble breathing, my chest moving too quickly, allowing only shallow breathes that left my body greedily reclaiming more. The recent events played again in my mind. I saw them, all of them.

“She would have had… had I stayed…” It was as if something was crawling around my guts. “And she’s not the only one…”

Rainbow mane…

Snap.

Snobby stallion…

Snap.

Unknown pony with a camera…

SNAP!

I held out my hooves in front of my face, as if it was the first time I saw them.

It keeps happening. I just think my world would be better off without those ponies. And I don’t actually care that they would be dead! I only care because of the repercussions it would have for me! It isn’t because it’s wrong!

My hooves started shaking.

I forced myself on Twilight tonight. I can blame the alcohol or whatever, it still doesn’t change the fact that I kissed her against her will.

Celestia’s stern words started echoing in my ears, over and over, less intelligible than the intent and the emotions behind them. She had felt worry, anger, disgust. Her voice rang loudly in my mind, almost deafening. She already knew. She probably knew before I did.

I could not keep away from her imaginary gaze, staring straight through my barriers and my masks, to see the breaking stallion with a twisted mind. It could expose this side of me. She was already aware of it.

It must make her sick to even keep me under her roof… I went limp, my strength deserting me.

T-this self-loathing was emotionally draining. It simply couldn’t be kept up for so long.

With a grunt, I buried my face into the grass, hard. My muzzle uncomfortably pressed against a solid surface, I rubbed in the frustration, but mostly the fear, that my internal evaluation was correct and had been for quite some time now…

I’m a bucking psychopath! An actual, I-lack-empathy-for-others-so-I-can-kill-without-remorse, psycho!

A loud snore interrupted my train of thoughts rather abruptly. Unaffected by all my rumbling and my shifting, my little brother had kept sleeping on like nothing else in the world mattered.

I consider it a miracle that you sleep like a brick, Tom, but even my annoyed thought did not reflect on my face, as an amused smile just threatened to take over.

Knowing there was nothing else better for me to do at the moment (beating myself up had never proved productive), I tried to imitate him.

And pretty much succeeded quickly, on account of this being a long day. However, what awaited me was not a merciful lack of dreams, as I would crave for, or even the ultimately harmless nightmares I had started getting over time. No, in contrast with all these, I simply heard an authoritative voice grab my consciousness away.

“Come with me, Alicorn of the Wind.”

The tone Luna used had me fear for my continued safety.

--

“There’s … in Canterlot, with Rarity and Rainbow Dash, which was actually one of the writer’s best this season. They have like, one minute of speaking role…”

His pencil scratching against the paper sheet is the only noise that could be heard at this late hour. His parents would throw a fit if they knew how late he stayed up, to make ‘My Little Pony’ theories of all things. They’d look for a better psychiatrist if they knew he thought it had a link with his missing best friend.

“Then, there’s that scene when Ventus kidnaps her in the opening sequence of the episode… they still haven’t showed us what it was all about,” he mumbled, his eyebrows slowly descending to form a frown.

He didn’t get it, that scene didn’t make sense. Not without additional information, as the least incendiary parts of the fandom had managed to freeze frame on the alicorn’s face and deduce it wasn’t a romantic set-up at all. Thank goodness for that.

Those two were already hated enough as it stood. Most of the initial good impression left by Ventus putting his brother in his place had evaporated by the time it was evident the two were there to stay. Mane Six romance would take it to the next step and unleash hell.

Still, the following episode had held no answers whatsoever. There were implications of a date gone wrong or something with Pinkie, but nothing specific. Stranger, a random pony’s newspaper had been shown with a picture of the two being very happy together.

He could feel his thoughts meshing into a big fat nothing at this. A train wreck, Eric felt like his deductions would only lead to a complete train wreck. Things weren’t working out.

One more appearance… he had to piece it all together. He just knew there was more to the characters of Ventus and Calx than met the eyes. Still, he could not figure out what had gone through the writers’ heads to create such unbalanced characters. And why did they have human nicknames?!

--

“W-where are we?”

My voice carried on, echoing through this strangely empty space. I had never witnessed such a thing in all my years as an alicorn or as a human. Well, perhaps as a human I had seen this… like… in a videogame… but being in a show was already a truckload of bull, so I would rather not think about it.

Luna was in front of me, walking with a strong hoof and so fluidly that nopony could think she wasn’t at home here. Of her figure, I could hardly see more than that flowing starry mane so characteristic of the alicorn.

“I believe it is high time you witness the consequence of your actions,” she said, no inflexion betraying her emotions.

It did not escape me that she had not answered my inquiry, of course not, but the direction this was going had me reel back in fear. At least, mentally. To make such a show of my guilty conscience might be the exact proof she needed to condemn me.

“My actions?” I asked, hints of true puzzlement filtering through my voice.

I wasn’t acting either. I had no idea what she could be referring to. H-had I dreamed about some… unsavory course of actions I had wished to take?

“By following your brother here, you have thrown Equestria out of balance.” She elaborated, though this time, she turned around and I could see one of her eyebrow had shot up in incredulity. “Or perhaps tho-… you have forgotten this small detail in favor of your apparent lover struggle with my sister’s apprentice?”

Right… CHAOS! Because I opened my big mouth and caused some reality warping to make that rule. Am I a walking disaster or what?

“No,” I said, looking at her straight in the eyes, without hesitation or fear. “I had not, but I had been kept unaware of actual consequences being detected so far. It is in fact a wish of mine that my fault could be atoned for in any way I can.”

Unfortunately, my heartfelt speech fell in deaf ears… or at least ones that were perfectly willing to ignore me.

“We shall see about that, Ventus.” She turned once more toward a path only she could see, guiding me through the void.

What it was I didn’t know for certain. Every alicorn in the astral plains had some knowledge of one another’s abilities. Dream walking was not quite exclusive to Luna, but it was no secret she had taken its uses as one more of her duties. For her to bring me into one could mean a number of things I dared not contemplate. Not yet.

At some point though, while I had been speculating, the scenery had started to change.

I honestly would have liked it better if the void had stayed empty.

Whereas there had been emptiness now stood flags and the crest of some faction unknown to me. Whereas there had been but white nothingness now turned into a stagnant flow of red.

Red… flowing red and screams of agony… flowing red and clanks of metal against metal…

War cries abound and bolts of magic deafening them.

I was witness to yet another war.

“This…” Her head went from one side of the plains to another. “…Is a foal’s dream.”

I suddenly felt stupid at my slowness.

“A-a dream…?” Of course, it’s a dream. I-it couldn’t be anything else.

“So you understand…” She whispered, a note of suspicion arising in her tone.

That much alone had me questioning my understanding of the situation. I could not afford to cause or follow a misunderstanding due to poor communication skills.

“W-what do you mean, Cousin Luna?” I asked, feeling my breathing accelerated as the tension grew between us.

“This is a dream. Not a nightmare.”

N-not a nightmare…

A bloodied battlefield, covered in weapons serving as sole marker for a pony’s grave, a feast for scavengers and a true horror show for a creature as peaceful as an Equestrian pony…

Not a nightmare, but a dream?

I felt a shiver go down all the way to my soul.

I felt sick.

“For his Majesty’s glory!” A stallion screamed.

Without thinking, I turned around, toward this more distinct noise. It was a mistake, as I would have rather not witness a pony being impaled viciously on a lance.

More red.

Gritting my teeth together, I forced myself to focus on Luna.

The dark blue alicorn seemed remarkably calm, her face betraying nothing of her emotion if not a small sentiment of severity. Her eyes, half-closed, flickered to the scene unfolding around us once, before truly falling on me.

“What is going on?” I asked, flinching at the sound of ponies falling to the ground. “Why are you saying this is a foal’s dream?”

“Have I not made that clear?” She gave a dismissive sneer. “This place is a foal’s dream as it unfolds.”

I tried to understand, to see more clearly what was going on, but my vision was clouded by this darkening atmosphere spreading around the battlefield. Wild bouts of nausea assaulted my senses for every twisted detail I did manage to make out. “D-does that child wish for war? Is this what you wanted to tell me?”

“Wish?” She repeated, a little incredulity piercing her otherwise stoic features. “No, it is not a wish, but this is a place he can be content. He doesn’t understand why, but he’s not unpleased with this turn of events.”

I opened my mouth, but no words came out. Now, I just plain don’t know.

“It is deeply disturbing, however, that a colt that had never heard of this before would have dreams of bloody conquest,” she said, walking past me. “Unfortunately, this phenomenon is starting to multiply amongst our subjects.”

With a single stomp of her hooves, the world changed, as a single ripple through the air washed away the battlefield and replaced it with something… otherworldly.

The sky was silver, but so was the ground. The line of the horizon had disappeared in a strange lack of contrast, even if it obviously existed far beyond my eyesight.

Princess Luna was, of course, unaffected. Why would she be? Thus, her legs carried her on even as I stared with unease at the plane of existence she had transported me to. Quickly enough, it became evident she would not wait for me should I stay immobile.

My instincts told me to fear this strange place and what might happen, should I be reckless, but I had little choice. Against my flanks, the force of my wings pressed strongly. For a second, the thought of flight was tempting, but, ultimately, was rejected. Slowly, I put a hoof to the inert reflective surface.

I felt a jolt of magic go up my leg where contact had been made. The ground itself rippled, as would a water surface that we’d walk over. Each wave painted the sky a different color.

Though fascinating, this couldn’t keep me distracted for too long. “How many ponies, Luna!?”

“Would you be happy hearing the numbers?” She paused, giving me a chance to catch up. I wished I hadn’t, as the look she gave me was icy cold. “Are there any you would consider ‘low enough’?”

I looked away, forcing my ears to droop. Maybe.

“Far too many, Ventus Vinco.” Her gaze turned to the horizon, but she did not look at it. Her mind was elsewhere. “I have witnessed too many of these dreams recently. Those I stop end up making the dreamer more agitated during the day. Some ponies reported to have assaulted others, I recognized with ease. Disturbing as it may be, these dreams seem to evacuate the worse of our subjects’ aggression.”

I felt something unlock in my chest, but, in my head, some ideas were still floating around. “They are… a defense mechanism?”

The look she gave me was heavy with meaning, as was the judgment I perceived. “Yes. Dreams are an expression of a pony’s daily experience. Sometimes.” Her lips curved into a small, fond, smile. “They are rather unpredictable.”

“And nonsensical,” I added, recalling a few experiences with balloon bowling and bike sellers in a spa.

“Yes,” she agreed, though the fondness melted away in seconds. “Our citizens are dreaming of violence and payback. Sometimes, for offenses so small I was baffled. Death because one had been annoying?!”

I felt the strong and completely absurd urge to whistle loudly while looking away. Such a desire was squashed mercilessly. If I ever act that dumb, I deserve a kick to the groin.

“This is indeed surreal.” I nodded, tone grave and suspicious. “What folly is responsible for this?”

Her tone grew colder still. “You.”

I took a step back, mouth suddenly drying in the face of a clearly angry alicorn a few hundred years my elder. Eyes wide open with apprehension and my whole body tensing, I stared and searched for signs of menace.

“I… do not understand…” And truly, to the extent of my knowledge and education, there was nothing on how my powers could cause such a thing. As for which force of Chaos could, I was not overly fond of the possibilities.

“Do you not?” She asked, and it sounded to me as if she was surprised. “Or do you refuse to think about it?” Or skeptical.

I looked down, not meeting her gaze and the silent challenge it issued.

“Your impromptu descent into our kingdom has triggered events nopony could contain, not even my sister and me. Once the balance has tilted, more players will come and try to push it in their favors.”

“Which ones?” was all I dared say.

Once more, Luna turned around, looking in the distance, more likely in her memories than in that reflective surface. Slowly, she started trotting away, and I followed her. “The winds of hatred have started blowing over Equestria. Ponies from certain settlements have started growing more unruly… Public order is harder to maintain as many petty conflicts arise every day.”

Images flash before my eyes in an almost familiar manner, when one takes into account the reality warping that had plagued my first few days here. However, this time, it wasn’t so much remembering as being shown. And the scenes definitely left an impression.

A landscape of snow and ice, buried by an unending blizzard, where naught but a few imprints in the ground remained and even those would soon disappear. Hoofprints that led to a cave, blocked by a wall of ice. Amazingly, bickering could be heard through the air. It… was about a rock.

Somepony’s got an insane sense of priority.

Luna was by my side, her mane’s starry end almost brushing against my fur. These abrupt transition having started to get common, I managed to keep a straight face, even as she looked down on me.

“You know the answer, Ventus Vinco.” A dangerous light flashed in her eyes. “You, of all ponies, cannot possibly ignore the answer to this puzzle.”

And truly, I did know. Sam knew. At least.

“The windigoes…” I muttered, a familiar ethereal neigh echoing in my mind.

“They are coming back.” The line of her jaw seemed to have straightened and hardened. “Of all the forces you could have summoned, it had to be them.”

Ghost-like, pony-shaped abominations, that feed off hatred and spread cold, until the world was but a frozen wasteland and a cemetery for all races. The chaos that I had called forth.

Yeah, I’m pretty much a walking disaster. No freaking doubt about this. Still…

“But the windigoes were banished before, were they not?” I said, observing her expression for noticeable tics. “And the bearers of the Elements of Harmony are alive and well. Could they not be used to put a stop to this madness?”

“No.” She shook her head, closing her eyes. “The windigoes are a spreading plague. They multiply through the misery and the cold they create. Eliminating them is not so easy a process that you can simply aim a weapon at them and hope for the best. While anypony might have the power to banish them, the simple fact remains that the windigoes’ powers themselves will make it a miracle, should it happen.”

W-why? I thought, properly horrified at the sudden burst of emotion in my chest. Why did that thought just make me happy?!

A twitch on my tail remained the only external sign I gave of this struggle. Princess Luna’s presence alone was suffocating, too big to be shouldered on by a single pony, in a way so drastically dissimilar to Princess Celestia. The white alicorn was like a stern mother, whom you failed and suffered shame at disappointing her. Rarely should a pony truly fear for their life in Celestia’s presence.

But with Luna… I could see the impulse dance under her skin, a twitch of muscles that ran over the muscles of her neck and her shoulders and a clench in her jaw, both signs that faded out quickly, even if they left me with the lingering impression that she had stopped herself from spinning around and staring me down.

And those were only the physical changes. My horn was tickling and heating with the changes in the ambient flow of magic around us.

Mastering the shaking in my hooves, I tried to swallow the fear of being alone with Luna, even as it seemed she fought herself not to kill me on the spot. Without knowing my true impressions so far. Her getting access to my thoughts and feelings would have left me a smoking corpse.

“…Your sister knows of this, doesn’t she?” I spoke, though my voice broke mid-sentence.

“Of course.” Luna straightened. “I informed her of our predicament as soon as I detected its effects on our citizens.”

“I… I heard nothing of it.” It left me with a strangely hollow feeling in my chest, somehow. It hurt… why?

“My sister was always a very impressive chess player. And I heard she has taken up card games as a hobby too. One game in particular…” She bit her lips in irritation. “Ah, the name escapes me.”

“Poker?” I guessed, grimacing.

“Yes, that sounds fitting. Poker…” She let the word roll off her tongue. “But this is irrelevant. Our sister was discreet and sent a few more soldiers to investigate those occurrences when I reported them. So far, no real fight has broken out, but we refuse to consider ourselves so lucky that it will continue so without our intervention.”

Another question came to me, though I couldn’t quite tell what its origin was. “And the citizens? Do they know?”

Somehow, I believed it only right that they be informed of the danger they were in. Again, I did not know why.

Luna seemed downcast as the words soaked in.

“No, they do not. Not yet, at least.”

“B-but…”

“It must be nice…” She cut me off. “For one’s worry consisting of tabloids’ opinion of them.”

This one… felt like a jab at me, but there was also… there was something else there, in the tone of her voice and the wishful gaze she casted on the silver sky.

It didn’t work though, because in the end, I couldn’t care less about those, but heck… she didn’t need to know that. So I affected an ashamed, humble voice and lowered my head.

“You’re trying to make me feel small, aren’t you?”

“No. I am trying to make you realize you should be bigger than you are now.” S-something about her voice… she looked almost surprised. “You’ve talked about doing your best to atone for that mistake, but I have yet to witness you trying.”

I shifted on my hooves, tail twitching nervously and wings fluttering. “T-that’s…”

“But this is also an exaggeration, Ventus Vinco. My words were but an observation, one that could make you reflect on your statement. This purpose obviously failed, my attitude toward you being faulty and not very suitable for a mentor’s relationship.”

Well, I had no idea how to respond to that.

“It appears my sister’s experience still trumps my inspiration. Practice make perfect, they say. I shall practice more then.”

I blinked. “You are interested in taking an apprentice?”

“Yes, but that will be subject for another discussion. We are not done yet, Ventus. What I hoped to communicate to you was that our citizens remain so far blissfully ignorant of the danger over their head. Their hearts are light without the fear of windigoes hovering so close to their heads.”

“The danger is still there, isn’t it?” I frowned. Why was this bothering me so much?

“If possible, my sister and I would rather allow our little ponies to remain as innocent as they can be. Their purity does make them happier beings.” She shot me an inquisitive look, equally curious as it seemed cautious. “Do you not shield your brother so?”

My jaw clenched, to the point of hurting.

“I see…” The Princess of the Night muttered, before deciding this had gone on long enough.

Her horn lit up with its blue glow, causing ripples upon ripples through the air and the ground. I awaited, readying my body for the smallest sign of a threat.

Abruptly, everything stopped.

No sound, no movement, no magic… The world had become still beyond my own sense of self. My breathing seemed to be impossibly loud in this silence. It racked on my nerves and boomed in my ears, and there was nothing else. Nothing. Luna’s form still existed, but it seemed to me that she might as well be an image, least of all a living being.

It made an invisible pressure fall on me, as my eyes scanned the silent world for the sign of something… anything at all!

My heart nearly exploded in my chest when I did find one. There was a figure in the distance; a stallion, I could tell, but something about him…

I was dumbstruck when it blinked into existence, a few hooves away from us. Its appearance was…

H-he seemed to be… me. The difference between us were in the details, in the most insignificant manner. His general appearance was so reminiscent of mine it couldn’t be a coincidence. If somepony put Magnus and him next to me, they would undoubtedly assume this stallion was my father instead. His coat was as golden as mine, his mane was as pale as mine… h-hi-his… eyes…

To properly describe how disturbing it was, I had to… to express… The way that stallion carried himself, the way he held himself, the way he smiled, I was naturally inclined to believe and trust this guy. My first impulse, seeing him, had been to go and greet him.

Then, I had the chance to see his eyes.

They were mine, at my darkest. And I understood. I understood who that was, what he was.

The air became colder, losing its own welcoming quality. I was not in control. The clarity of this dreamlike land started to lessen, turning into a dark void. And still, he appeared to be just a pleasant fellow, if… i-if not for the…

Psychopaths usually have superficial charms, don’t they?

…Eh, I would know that, right?

Luna’s voice made me jump out of my skin. “This is Caelum Ourobos, First of the Fallen, as I recall him to be.”

“As you…” I felt my head become lighter. “You knew him? A-as in…?”

Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap! Please tell me she doesn’t know Caelum to have been a complete psycho as well!

“Intimately.” BUCK! Also, what?! “As you may know, he was the first alicorn to be tasked in coming to Equestria, before it was even known by that name, to tamper the war brewing between the three tribes. The task proving too difficult for him alone, he requested assistance, which was the moment my sister and I were deemed fit to leave the Astral Planes.”

Slowly, I nodded, trying to fit this new information with what I had been taught.

“We failed.” Her lips trembled, out of fear and regrets. “And the worst happened.”

It wasn’t bitterness. It was anger.

I dared not ask toward whom she directed it.

“He did something terrible. My sister and I were the first to be neutralized. He did not want the interference.” The anger faded away, her traits relaxing, but not enough. She seemed haunted by her past. “He went after my sister first… she had seen through his façade… I… I didn’t… I only intervened far too late.”

Luna then closed her eyes, controlling her breathing. Her pain was so obvious that I couldn’t simply ignore it.

I would have rested a hoof on her shoulder, had I not caught sight of Caelum, tilting his head slightly at Luna, amused. His expression was pleasant, as always, but storms brewed behind those soulless eyes. It made my blood curdle.

Slowly, Luna seemed to recover, a hint of steel flashing through her tone when her gaze met Caelum’s. “Amongst his titles, there is one he is least well-known for in these days and age: Lord of the Windigoes.”

I froze.

“Shocking as it may seem to you, it is only logical. He is their creator, after all.”

I could not articulate my thoughts anymore. “He… what? H-how?”

“Caelum did not plan for it to happen… or at least… I still hold to the hope that he hadn’t, not at first.”

No sound would escape my mouth, not for a lack of trying.

“During his first few years of negotiation with each tribe’s leaders, he grew frustrated with their stubbornness and their refusal to cooperate. No amount of his pleading would suffice and nothing short of military might would make them fold, which was precisely the solution to crept over the horizon. With time, he grew to hate them and their hard heads.”

A sense of foreboding visited me, heavier than before, and like that, I knew that Caelum’s gaze had fallen on me.

“He could not bear it, to try to save those he hated.” For once, Luna’s expression softened. She pitied him. “Duty, orders, those are things inscribed in an alicorn’s very mind. For the sake of his mission, he did something unthinkable.”

Carried by a strange instinct, I turned my head, glancing toward the living memory.

He was smiling at me, fondly, a father observing his child taking his first steps.

I fought back the desire to scream.

“He tore apart his soul.”

My front leg gave out under me. I-I hadn’t been able to stomach this one and I stumbled, breathing more strongly as dread started to crawl under my skin.

“H-he did what?!”

“Every time he felt the hatred become too strong, he tore away the fragment that held his hatred and casted it away from his soul. Alicorns are strange beings, less similar to ponies than they would like to believe. Caelum obviously believed his own nature would allow him to continue such reckless practice. And, for a while, it did work. His behavior became… less emotional, more paused and patient. Things… things didn’t affect him as strongly as before.”

It’s coming. I know the bad part is coming!

“It was not to last. It took more time, but his hatred returned as the conflict escalated. Caelum continued to mutilate his own soul in an attempt to maintain a semblance of order. Our support proved too small in the face of failure. With each fragment he threw away however, the less restraint he seemed to retain. Heated words were met head on with viciousness and physical assaults ended in tragedies.”

Ponies choking on the ground… writhing on the ground in agony… a stoic stallion watching…

“Celestia tried to stop him. It was too late. He had already gained unexpected allies that proved too dangerous of a trump card for her to best.”

Allies? I thought, puzzled. Didn’t he antagonize a lot of ponies by that point?

“The fragments he had thrown away had taken on a life of their own. Knowing only hatred, they sought to acquire more of it, as if it had been their most important duty, as if they wanted to maintain a form of order.”

Eternal night, anypony?

“And their hearts grew colder still, until their freezing aura spread to the land and its dwellers. Their unending blizzards nearly destroyed Equestria, while Caelum stood on the sidelines and watched. It is a miracle Life as a whole didn’t end during that period of time. The Fire of Friendship was channeled through some of the surviving ponies and it banished some windigoes away.”

I clenched my teeth together.

“It wasn’t enough. My sister and I were freed. We lead a crusade to banish them all.”

Harder.

“Caelum disappeared. With so many fragments of himself destroyed or sealed away, he could not sustain his mortal form any longer. He simply… vanished.”

I forced myself to stare at the Caelum standing so close to us. This image was remarkably lively. It wasn’t a mere painting; it held its own presence. That was the problem though. This reflection seemed… hollow. Had I tried touching him, which I wouldn’t, my hoof would have gone through him. Slowly, I inched closer to the alicorn’s image.

Luna followed my movement with her eyes, but instead turned her back to me.

“All alicorns have the potential to become a twisted image of their former selves.” Caelum blinked out of existence. “Every single one of them.”

The ghost of a mare as black as the darkest night lingered over Luna’s form, but it faded before I could confirm its identity.

With a strangely rustic noise, the world started to change, shifting from one form to another. The uniformity that had plagued this realm shattered, reorganizing itself as the vast greatness of the cosmos.

We stood, on nothingness, between a starry field and a towering moon. Here, in this place, Luna seemed to be more than a pony, of so much more.

“Do you understand why I showed you this?” She asked, the full strength of her authority fully apparent.

“I believe I do… but before that… tell me… t-the truth…” How I longed not to be right. “Why were we so… similar?”

“Do you not know already?” She raised a delicate eyebrow. “The Alicorn of the Sky, a mane of silver and a coat of gold, piercing turquoise eyes and a mask so convincing no living pony could see the monster behind. Do those traits not feel familiar to you, Alicorn of the Wind?”

“Not… all of them, Princess,” I said, after a short pause.

Air, Wind, Sky… what is the difference? One’s existence depends on the others, but enables them also. Easily, one can see the differences blur until they can no longer detect them. They’re all the same.

“In all likeliness, Ventus, you are his reincarnation. You are the alicorn born to replace Caelum.”

“And you want to make sure I will not turn out as bad as him, that I will devote myself to the ponies rather than become a harbinger of their demise. I-is that it?”

The thought made my heart beat more strongly in my chest. It grew heated, spreading it to the rest of my being. Affecting a cool and relaxed mask became harder. This will be hard to do when I already know I’m a sick pony. And they both knew, right away.

“My sister made you a prince.” As if that wasn’t a veiled attempt at keeping me close to her, where she could react quickly to any ‘misconduct’. “Act like it.”

This one, more than the rest, more than any other remark, left a bitter taste in my mouth. From me, for the crime of being born and reborn into this body, they expected duty bound and honor? From the one they made a prince against his will, from the one they bound to their castle and their realm, they expected obedience and self-sacrifice?

…Right.

My head was against the most comfortable pillow in the universe. Its fluffiness would be forever registered as unequaled and I might one day dedicate a poem to it. Elders, this was a comfortable place for my head to rest.

“Sam… wake up!” Not yet. Strange voice, just let me rest. Luna’s visit just drained me. “Saaaaam!”

Well, there was no mistaking that kind of whining.

“Yeah, yeah, waking up, squirt,” I grunted, batting a hoof in the air and not moving an inch.

“You just said you’d-” He cut himself short, probably in indignation. My theory proved itself more likely when two hooves started pushing against my shoulders. “Stand up!”

I was too comfortable to be pushed away, so my body mostly went through a forward-backward movement with each push.

“Come on, you big dummy! It’s morning already.”

“I’m not feeling up to it, Tom,” I muttered again, which was followed by a yawn I couldn’t keep in. “Just… come back later.”

“We’re gonna miss breakfast! Celestia said my lessons were supposed to start right after it was over!”

Surprised, I crept open one eye… My brain exploded with pain from the bright sunny weather. Hastily, I blinked and flinched, which Tom took as a good sign and had him sit down. He was still a little blurry to me though. “Did you just say you wanted to go to a lesson?”

“Buck no!” He protested with a disdainful sneer.

Regretfully, my heart lingering to that patch of grass that had made my morning so divine, I finally got around to sitting up. That, however, did not mean that my mind was fully operational at the moment. Things were a little hazy.

“Right, so what’s the big emergency this morning?” I asked, halfway focused on our little exchange here. Another alicorn’s words were very much at the front of my mind.

“Oh come on!” Tom looked about ready to sulk now. “I just said we’re gonna miss breakfast if we don’t hurry up!”

Okay, small normal issues. I can deal with that… My expression slipped toward the usual mask, alarmingly easily. “Right, let’s go then.”

My words being the only cue, I forced myself to stand on my hooves and just accompany him to the dining hall where any number of nobles might try to get my head for my attitude at the party yesterday. It certainly wasn’t a situation I was looking forward to, but I didn’t have much of a choice. We’d be there soon enough.

Except Tom wasn’t following me. Not understanding this moodswing, I turned around and came face to face with him. I… wasn’t ready for this…

His crimson irises were focused on me, and they shone with worry. “What’s wrong?”

“H-huh…” I hadn’t expected him to notice anything. Clearly, I wasn’t putting enough effort into this. “Nothing’s wrong, bro.”

“You have that face. You keep making it here and you always look really unhappy!”

My face…? L-like me trying to just look calm and happy? Granted, this wasn’t even close to how I acted back on Earth… or even in the Astral Planes themselves, but for Tom to notice and realize what it meant…

Alright, I’ll admit it. I just underestimated you, bro.

“I… I’m not, Tom. Promise.” I tried a reassuring smile, the kind that usually worked with him.

But he was surprisingly tenacious on top of being perceptive this morning. He just narrowed his eyes at me and pressed on. “Pinkie Promise?”

“Err…” I certainly don’t want to risk that. I don’t need any angry mare breathing down my neck at the moment.

Unfortunately, my hesitation had been revealing.

“Sam!” Tom shouted. “What’s wrong?! Tell me!”

“H-hum… I…” What do I say? I can’t tell him about how grim things look for us! Nor that I don’t believe there’s a way for us to get back home!

My thoughts stopped. The buzzing activity caused by my panic had ceased, when the fear I had buried was brought into light. I don’t believe we’ll make it to Earth again…

A twitch put a dent in my mask.

“Sam!” He was flying to my eye level, his wings flapping quickly to maintain him in place. “You always tell me it’s okay to say when I don’t feel okay, so tell me why you’re not okay!”

I looked away.

“It’s complicated…”

Tiny hooves stomped the ground angrily, childish frustration fueling them. “Explain it then! I’m not twenty anymore, I can understand!”

“Do you not shield your brother so?” Luna said…

She asked me the same question I asked of her. A-and… Tom’s right… He at least has the right to know I’m trying to get us back on Earth… Even if he might figure out from my mood…

I closed my eyes for a second, needing a moment to build up the courage, a moment away from the steel resolve behind the crimson irises. The sea beneath the surface just moved in violent torrent. I-it was so… hard… to just tell the truth…

But for him, I could.

“I’ve been trying to find a way back home…”

Tom quietly sat down, looking down, causing a pang of painful guilt to sear through my chest. “I knew that…”

My eyes opened wide. …W-w-what?

“That’s just like you, Sam,” he explained slowly, with a kind of maturity I wasn’t expecting of him. “When I have a problem, you always do your best to solve it, right?”

There were a couple of occurrences floating in my mind in how I had such things on a semi-regular basis. It was the truth, of course, but I had never done something on such a base before. T-this one might be beyond me.

“Yeah…” I sighed.

But my little brother certainly didn’t share my weariness. In lieu of a grimace, he offered me a shining grin. “That’s why you’re awesome, Sam.”

“T-Tom…” Don’t you dare say that! You don’t know what I’ve been thinking about!

“What?” He stood, insolent and bashful, knowing the kind of stuff I wanted to tell him, and daring me to go ahead and contradict him. It would forever follow me; to deny my own awesomeness would subject me to years of stupid taunting. “Come on, I wanna get breakfast for real now.”

Breakfast. Oh dear, everything would go wrong, right?

--

I was wrong.

Nothing worth noting happened. A scroll had been left at my intention, but beyond that…

Well, nopony had much of a heart to make game-changing talk when the Princess of the Sun herself had been absent all morning. Her seat had been shockingly empty when we had entered and a quick glance at the nobles gathered the table had all but confirmed she had not simply left early.

Thus, we could eat in peace, without the pressure of her gaze on me, judging silently. It made it easier for me to relax. Cherry on top, the princess wasn’t even the only missing figure of importance, if one had a loose definition of importance.

Blueblood was nowhere to be seen. The most popular theory was that he was nursing his bruised ego, his hangover or yet another dispute on whether or not he fathered a child.

Strangely though, I had a feeling it wasn’t even close to the actual truth… Still, there was nothing I really wanted to do about it at the given moment. Perhaps later, if the mood struck me…

The instructions left by Celestia were opened just after we finished our meals, or rather, I had finished mine and Tom was still asking for seconds.

Let’s see… she gave me… two assignments today? For real? It did irk me that she would do that, but I wasn’t about to defy her will, certainly not again and definitely not after Luna had bothered reaching me in my dreams about it. Alright, first off… the archives of Equestria laws...? Now that is just blunt, Cousin.

Then again, it was nothing compared to the rest.

Wait, she wants Tom and I to go talk to the Mane Six before they… oh buck… OH BUCK!

--

Sunlight would not pierce through the cover of the leaves. The density of the forest was much too great, sometimes too erratic, for the light of Celestia’s sun to shine over the cold and unwelcoming atmosphere of the Everfree. Shadows cast by the trees were bigger than they had the right to be, in many visitors’ mind.

As the day signaled its beginning with the dawn and the song of roosters however, a seasoned and perceptive being might have noticed, before an untimely demise, that the shadows were also far too numerous.

--

It wouldn’t be inaccurate to say that we crashed into the Elements of Harmony’s private dining room in a panicked blur. At least, from my point of view it wasn’t. After a very unprincely and ungracious stumble that had me splayed against the cold hard floor, I could accept that description. I didn’t have much going in the way of sensation.

My heart was beating like a maniac in my chest and created that deafening pulse in my ears. My vision jumped with every beat. Disheveled, I had to put away my mane from my eyes to see them.

“Hey Bladey. Hey Sammy!” A flashy pink mare jumped from her seat, being the first to greet me – and thus the first to help me up. “Did you like the party? Are you feeling better? Or maybe even a better stallion? Hint, hint!”

I blinked. Well, at least, she’s not trying to be subtle.

“I… I do feel as if the party helped me sorted some repressed feelings,” I said slowly, glancing at Twilight.

My chest contracted painfully when she averted her gaze immediately. The signs are multiplying.

“Great! I’m really happy it helped you then!” Pinkie cheered, taking my hoof into her own and shaking it up and down.

“Likewise…” I ignored the numbness spreading in that leg, up to my shoulder, making the comment a little robotic-like. “It was a nice party…”

Fortunately, a pony or two in this room were not that great at reading the mood.

“You can bet it was! We played so many games!” Calx jumped in between us, wearing a wide grin and shaking with excitement. “Rising Gold was so jealous of me! He kept saying he wanted a big brother now!”

Adorableness levels, increasing… increasing… critical level reached.

“Aw, ain’t ya lucky ya do have one, eh?” Applejack chuckled, joined in her laugher by Fluttershy and Twilight.

Tom puffed his chest and spread his wings proudly. “Duh! My big brother is the best one there is!”

Had I wanted to be stoic, I would have failed miserably. My gaze was directed toward him and I could not look away. I-I just… Elders, it felt like I was going to cry. After having it beaten in my head that I was a bad stallion, it felt really nice to have at least one pony on my side.

A loud crash had us all jolt in shock. As one pony, we turned around, violently to cause enough whiplash to anypony BUT Pinkie Pie. The scene we were treated in for was strangely worth the pain…

Two easily recognizable mares had ran into each other, trying to enter the room unnoticed. No, that wasn’t quite true. Two usually recognizable mares had collided and sent a ridiculously pompous vase to its demise. Then again, Rainbow Dash and Rarity probably envied that untimely destruction the inanimate had been subject to, if only by the blush spreading to their whole heads.

Rainbow Dash’s was strategically hidden by a royal guard’s helmet that had tainted her coat and mane a darker shade of blue, which was quite trendy to be honest.

Striking me as the oddest detail had to be the attire Rarity was covered in though. It was just so… so tastelessly overwhelming. From her horn to her hooves, she seemed to have used every piece of fabric possible to cover herself. Fashionable giant hat, epic sunglasses, silky scarf, hips-covering coat… one would be hard pressed to recognize the unicorn under all those clo-

The reason flashed in my mind, making me fight a snort. Somepony doesn’t want to be seen this morning. Not after yesterday night… Yes, she had been somewhat lucid after her session of mouth sucking with Blueblood, so that’s to be expected. Oh, I do not want to be in her horseshoes right now.

Thank the Elders my conversation with Twilight had gone on unnoticed outside the ballroom.

For a brief moment, nopony really said anything, preferring to stare at the two strangely behaving mares that had pretty much intruded into our cutesy moment. For once, neither of them could summon their self-confidence and their sense of worth, probably still reeling from last night’s party.

“Soooo…” Twilight said awkwardly, looking away from her dreadfully embarrassed friends. “W-what brings you here so early?”

Aw crap, I hadn’t thought of that. Last night was probably safe, but this is sure to be an episode scene or something! The whole Mane Six is leaving Canterlot! T-th-they probably haven’t caught up on the shipping yet…

The idea of a void to be trapped in forever made my blood freeze.

“W-well…” I coughed, fighting a nervous laugh. “Cousin Celly told me you wished to speak to me before taking part in any task I had in mind. Might I ask what you wanted of me this morning?”

They seemed surprised at my question. It probably wasn’t the right thing to say…

Nonetheless, eyes slightly wider than usual, Twilight was the one to step forward.

Good… if she was still willing to talk to me, then things weren’t lost yet.

“We… hum… wanted to talk to you before we left. According to the princesses, we’re not needed at the moment, so it’s best if we go back to Ponyville.”

“You’re leaving!?” Calx shouted, lips threatening to form a pout. “Awwww, come on!”

“I’m very sorry, Calx…” Fluttershy took a step forward, hiding halfway behind her mane. “Most… of us had to take an impromptu break from our jobs a-and…”

“Eh, that was fine by me.”

“Oh, I’m sure Rainbow, dear, but some of us have a reputation of hard work and diligence to maintain.” She gave a pointed glare to her airborne friend, sliding the sunglasses on her muzzle so the emotion could be appropriately conveyed. It was an impressive display of resentment and anger. “I can only pull the ‘Celestia needed me’ card for so long before some of my clients look for another designer!”

Dash’ eyes narrowed. “Hey! I do have a reputation too. It’s awesome, if you didn’t know.”

Yeah… you do have a reputation, especially ‘cause of your mane, Rainbow… and unjustified if I judge by last night’s events.

“Knock it off, y’all.” Applejack walked in between them. “This ain’t the time for yer lil’ cat fights. Y’all been bickering all night and morning. We’re just sick of it now!”

“R-right…” Twilight spoke up again, sending uneasy looks between her friends. They exchanged glares and silent threats of fashionable or unfashionable horrors. “A-as I was saying… w-we’ll be… taking the train back to Ponyville today…”

In the corner of my eyes, I saw Tom’s ears droop with disappointment and I had to painfully fight my first instinct not to do the same. Through some effort, I affected a hesitant, quiet voice.

“So that’s what you choose?” It came out as a whisper, forcing most ponies in the room to strain their hearing to get it.

This isn’t good! There’s got to be something…

Softly, I leaned forward and nuzzled her neck. Warmth crept up to my cheeks and hers, especially with so many witnesses, but I couldn’t risk not doing anything. So I took another step forward and extended a wing to enlace her.

Wordless gasps came out from the mares surrounding us, while one little colt snorted in amusement and pretended to gag. However, Twilight’s reaction was the strongest, at least in terms on impact on me.

She squeaked, freezing at the sudden contact. She seriously had no idea how to react to romance. This was just painful to do.

“I-I’m sorry…” I whispered under my breath. “What I did last night was not appropriate… b-but it did… it did mean something important to me…”

Did it?

“I… I need you here.” My embrace involuntarily strengthened, the emotion starting to mess with my restraint. “Will you not stay with me at least a little longer?”

There was a flash of light and suddenly I wasn’t hugging anypony. Just a meter away from me, the purple of her fur was like a beacon, gathering my attention after she had made herself deliberately inaccessible.

Seeing her apprehensions, I felt fear crawling at the back of my head. “Twilight…”

“This is not… this is too fast, Ventus. I need time to think!”

My mouth twisted into a pained grimace. I wasn’t faking that, at least. I truly was pleading for her to stay. “You know that’s not something I can give you…”

“Whoa there, lovercolt, ya might want to give Twi space for her to breath.”

To my own surprise, my heart squeezed in my chest when the cowpony pushed us further away from each other. It got worse when Twilight let out a sigh of relief.

“Yes… of course…” I said, trying to sound regal again, but my heart just wasn’t up to it.

I had been so blatant – so freaking moronic and impulsive –, that an uncomfortable silence had installed itself between us. Nopony really said anything, nor dared to try. I did shoot a few glances at Twilight, hoping to get her to react, but she pointedly avoided my gaze. The only pony in the room that didn't look like he wanted to leave was because he only felt vaguely concerned by this turn of events.

Yes, Calx was just waiting, examining his hooves impatiently with the hopes that somepony would just step up already.

Applejack did.

“So, huh… we’ll... take our leave. Lots of work to do. See ya, princes.”

And like that, they hurried out of the room, on the verge of running to get their own baggages for the trip back to Ponyville.

--

Six mares were boarding the train from Canterlot to Ponyville that morning. Of them, two were simply taking naps, being confident in the stability of their lives, especially when they were going back home.

Three others were thinking ahead on the workload they had doubtlessly accumulated over the passing days. The very notion of such a thing left one mare guilty at leaving her tasks to the rest of her family, but a princess’ summoning wasn’t something anypony could refuse like that.

And one very much hangover unicorn felt her face burn up every time she repeated the prince’s words in her mind. ‘What I did last night was not appropriate…’ Something not appropriate…?! With Twilight?!

--

Where did it all go to Tartarus so quickly? One minute it seemed like… like maybe there was something between us… at least coming from HER! S-she did not seem to be resenting me, but she… she just left. Like that! There was so little ceremony in a princess like her leaving the capital of Equestria that it HAD to have been on purpose.

I was giving myself a headache trying to figure out how to properly woo Twilight and convince her to come back, help me and Calx and keep it a secret, preferably without getting flamed to death by either a certain fandom or another, the second being a group of ponies that didn’t like their Element of Magic being screwed over.

Of course, since I was trying to focus, Tom being a little brat meant there was this brotherly tradition he couldn’t ignore at the moment. Thus, he was jumping up and down, chanting.

“Sam’s got a crush on Twilight, Sam’s got a crush on Twi-”

The nerve destroying sound abruptly disappeared. Noticing that, he stopped, staring at his muzzle with shock, trying to speak but with nothing coming out. With a glare in my direction, he got to know the source of that strange event.

My horn was glowing. “Ah, there’s nothing quite like abusing the laws of nature to shut you up in the morning, squirt.”

His expression turned into a sour pout. It was the typical kind that showed up whenever he didn’t feel like doing something or he was denied what he wanted to be doing. That little pout had zero effect on me. It didn’t tug at my heartstrings.

Good, or else I would really feel bad about my next words.

“Time for you to go to class…”

In retrospect, the silencing spell was even more of a genius idea that I first figured. None of his whining and groaning reached my ears. Oh glorious magic, how I love your usefulness.

--

“Look, I think I got it. This season does have a big plot twist.”

His jaw closed down on the snack and spicy flavors filled his mouth. The sensation was nice and comforting, after yet another day that just didn’t work out for him. He appreciated the simple fun of having a taste of his favorite chips. The only downside was the fine film of seasoning sticking to his fingers. He couldn’t use his keyboard like that.

Oh well, he wasn’t actively typing anyway. Plus, he’d be crazy to jump in between those two when they were arguing about ponies.

“Oh, get off it, Love. The writers just screwed it up, the whole season.”

There we go again. Those two were literally on opposite side of the 'mlp' spectrum, though LoveCupcake was on the much scarcely spread side of the fandom.

BestDerp, on the other hand, was vehemently calling every new episode with prominent focus on any of the new characters complete garbage. He wasn’t the only one either. Eric was hard pressed to fight that opinion. ‘My Little Pony’ wasn’t actually that bad, just… not up to its usual level of quality.

“Season four is officially non-existent, except for the real episodes.”

“Oh, BestDerp, {obligatory comment about that river in Egypt}!”

That one brought a smile to Eric’s lips. It was so predictable, but, for some reason, he still found it funny. The same couldn’t be said of his fellow brony.

“Whatever, Love, it didn’t capture the usual feeling of MLP at all! It’s like one big train wreck and we’re forced to watch.”

Some of the young man’s chips seemed to form a ball in his throat. He had had the same impression BestDerp had described, but not toward the show. No, it was aimed more closely toward his relationship with… well, everyone…

His psychiatrist had deemed him fit for the cessation of their weekly meetings. The last one had left him feeling somewhat adequate. He had worked through his guilt complex, understanding that no, he wasn’t responsible for his friends’ departures, Sam even less so. Bad luck, she had said.

Still, her encouragements had been nice.

It was only after his friends had mostly left his life that he noticed how empty it was. It wasn’t the first time he lost some friends, but he would have preferred it never happened nonetheless.

Being alone sucks. Though n-not as much as… He thought back on Mr. and Mrs. Miller. His attempt at participating in the searches had turned sour rapidly, when the two parents had started arguing just as he approached them.

Eric had judged wise to slip away unnoticed at that moment, but the image was burned in his brain.

With a sigh, he swallowed again, hoping to make the uncomfortable sensation go down and fade away.

On the screen, the conversation had gone on, culminating on some virtual screaming. Caps lock had been thrown, bold fonts and even one or two memes.

“I’m telling you, Derp! You’re not looking at the signs from the right perspective!”

“It’s just bad writing!”

“No, it’s not! They’ve planted plenty of hints throughout the season! Heck, Rarity herself made notes of inconsistencies in their behavior. It’s not a fault, the conflicting information are just the sign of a conflict within the show! You were the one to say they give a different vibe from the rest of the ponies. Heck, they even use nicknames appropriate for their true nature!”

The angry came fast and angry, in the middle of Love’s explanation. “DON’T YOU DARE HINT THAT!”

“They’re humans in Equestria!”

Breaking noises echoed in the small room, deafening, as the cup of coffee slipped between Eric’s fingers and fell to the ground. The furious succession of alerts from his chatroom’s browser flew right over his head.

The brony was staring blankly at his screen.

--

Equestrian laws could be extraordinarily weird. A few hours of reading dull enough to make me fall asleep had at least thought me that. While a few seemed to be remnants of an ancient time, some sounded foreign to the Sam part of me.

For example, shunning somepony was held a more severe offense than physically assault them. Opposing that was this ancient text saying that any insult to honor of one’s family could be legally retaliated by one such assault of equal weight, though this only applied to noble recipients.

THAT explained so much, yet so little… For starters, my previous onslaught against a certain white stallion daintily taunted me. Not fear, but puzzlement grew within me, a taint of shame also breaking through at the implications.

If BLUEBLOOD was legally entitled to revenge against me, why hadn’t he done anything yet?

The only sound was silence.

Well, that was not quite true. On the wall on my left, there was a small wooden clock, punctuating each second with an obnoxious ‘toc’.

Again and again. Just that one dull sound. It racked on the nerves and the brain like nothing else, preventing one from achieving good focus by making that same noise at the exact wrong moment.

I could have had true silence. A flicker of my horn and no sound would reach me, should I so much express the desire. But I couldn’t bring myself to. S-sometimes… I was worried I might forget.

Not forget this task, but forget why I cared. At times, it was harder to pretend these hooves hid human flesh… from time to time, I just stared at my muzzle or at my wings and pretended to see what I was like underneath…

I couldn’t recall every detail… not every generality either…

Well, that might not mean much…

The subjects contained within those scrolls were fascinating… oh so fascinating… no time to ponder on other stuff.

Okay, to be fair, this could be quite interesting. Ignoring the message in Celestia sending me to study Equestrian laws, the reasoning between the ponies’ rules and regulations, in addition to the sanctions inflicted each time, well… it’s kind of neat.

My eyes were slowly skimming over the forbidden practice, in exercise or in study, unless they were heavily supervised. The phrasing was refreshingly direct too.

Evil magic, which constitutes an offense worthy of horn removal, is the practice of magic with eroding effect on the empathy center of the brain. Torture of any pony or other citizen through the use of magic will be considered ‘Evil’. DUH.

A unicorn king, with an ashen grey coat hidden by a red cape and a horn curved and bloody, made his way to the center of my mind. There was no doubt possible on whether he had been an adept.

More intriguing though was the aforementioned effect on the empathy of the being that used evil magic. It seemed worth my attention…

Further down the page though, another line blew my mind.

Chaos magic is considered outlawed, by virtue of it altering the laws of the world and thus endangering every living being.

Oh, it wasn’t about how chaos magic was outlawed. After Discord, anything less would be moronic. No, rather, my focus was on the weight of what had been reminded to me.

Altering the laws of… A shiver went down my spine, all the way to my core.

Chaos, this concept that had alicorns of all ages grimace in disgust at the sheer mention of its name… t-this impossibility that we are not allowed to think of.

It altered the laws of the world and alicorns are laws. To alter the laws… would be the same as…altering alicorns... or...

Reality warping.

Countless moments of horror came back to me, as I tried to remember how often… how badly my world had shattered and had been replaced by another. So many times had my history changed… had others’ history changed.

I already knew it was reality warping. I knew about balance, in how one side of the spectrum is all about following a certain Order, while the other is about breaking it.

Things hadn’t changed. This didn’t change anything…

Chaos is reality warping. D-does that mean…?

To imagine an alicorn wrapped in it, in Chaos, like a cocoon or a costume, should have been inconceivable, simply alien and out-of-this-world to me. Yet… well, I was here, wasn’t I?

Yes. I was.

And Celestia had wanted me to read this… It could only mean one thing. Seriously.

She knows. Buck… she knows… Chaos is forbidden by law… lest they destroy themselves, right? So the punishment for its practice…

Words just failed me to express my dismay.

I wanted to panic. It felt like the appropriate response to somepony as powerful as her having deduced things such as illegal magic use by us, but I could also see that for her to send me here had to have significance. If this was her method to announce that she knew exactly what had transpired before, what had happened… then it also meant she was not going to punish us just yet. Not openly, at the very least…

Why bother doing it this way otherwise? There was no need to hide. What? Would the scandal of another alicorn turning out to be evil too dangerous to the Royal Pony Sisters’ rule? Or was it just the fact that nobility as a whole seemed quite petty?

I’m really turning up the self-loathing, ain’t I?

Speak of the devil…

Prince Blueblood entered the library, his mane not nearly as well-groomed as it usually was, falling into his eyes and given him a generally disheveled and uncaring appearance. He was not dressed either, a first for him since I had met him.

Not that I wanted to know more about the pompous idiot, but it was… well… intriguing to say the least. The laws about him being entitled to revenge did float in my head for a few seconds, before deciding that, as bad as he could be, he was still trying to better himself.

Which a lot more than what I can say about me.

“Prince Ventus,” he whispered in passing, acknowledging me with a nod before stiffly making his way to a shelf nearby.

His whole body screamed of tension, his muscles seemingly locked when he stood tall. The outlines of his neck stretching to spot the right title, the princely stallion did want to appear nervous, but his self-control was lacking.

Strange. He had generally seemed to have a decent poker face before. Perhaps it was just being in my presence that unnerved him. I could get why…

With shaky control over his magic, he missed his first levitation spell, which caused the book to fall off the shelf entirely. In a library, the sound had the impact of a thunderclap. Had I not been staring before, I would have let out a whinny of fright, like that janitor three shelves away.

Thank buck I didn’t. That would have been humiliating.

A snarl briefly appearing on his face, Blueblood took a deep breath and picked up the book again, this time with a steady flow of magic. With a sigh, he placed it into his saddlebag and turned to leave.

It seemed as if that unexpected meeting would end up quite innocuous, when…

“We never did finish that conversation from last night,” I thought out loud.

My own eyes almost flew out of their orbits. Why did I just say that?!

He had stopped dead in his track and slowly turned around to face me. His lack of words betrayed his confusion.

“Oh, perhaps you don’t remember, what’s with the alcohol and all…” Even if I clearly remember what I did last night… “I recall you being somewhat surprised at the newest assignments Celestia has given my brother and myself. Something about ‘being more to it than that’. Have you drawn any conclusion so far?”

He bit his lips, doubtlessly regretting making that observation now. Nonetheless, he answered, with conviction.

“I might not pretend to know your own schedule, Ventus, but I would rather not accumulate work for later for the sake of your curiosity. What I can do now, I will.”

I was a little surprised, not gonna lie. Oh, so you have a work ethic now? …Actually, I don’t really know if you had one before or not…

“Is it only for my sake, though?” I asked, then answered mentally. Eh, probably.

His lips pressed into a thin line. He obviously didn’t want to spend that much more time here and might even have an actual workload, but I could bet that, at the moment, there was a little voice whispering in his ear about how this might be something he would need.

With a resigned “fine”, Blueblood sat down at my table. Ignoring the pit of anxiety in my stomach, I tossed aside my readings. His presence, usually so nerve grating, had yet to put me on edge in that brief exchange.

It was better than nothing…

This is a bit of a test… will I lose my cool or not? And if I do…

“How is your quest of becoming a decent stallion turning out for you?” I asked, not willing to allow uncomfortable silence.

With a derisive snort, he gave a bitter mocking bow. “Why, I am doing well. How about yours, kettle?”

I would appreciate if you were a little more of an empty-headed idiot, for starters.

The most infuriating about this was that time was giving Blueblood a much better standing ground against me than the opposite.

“I am trying to understand the laws of this kingdom.” I shrugged. “It is quite interesting.”

“Oh?” His smile was joyless. “How barbaric and primitive are they to you?”

I walked right into this one.

“They aren’t.” I sighed, feeling a little on the down low, what’s with examples of my stupidity or my short-temper flaring into evidence. Closing my eyes, I willed myself not to mess this one up again. “I do apologize for that. It was thoroughly insulting to you and to every citizen of Equestria. In a show of anger, I went much further than I should have.”

A few seconds went by without anything happening, so I let light filter between my eyelids again.

Blueblood was eying me with wide eyes and a hanging jaw. He looked absolutely stunned.

“Y-you…” He opened his mouth, but no further sound came out. He closed it quickly, not knowing what to say.

His reaction stung a bit. Still, I managed to keep those emotions in check too.

“Anyway, the point of this was that I read about an old law, one that I figured you might have heard of. Noble ponies can, if their pride or honor are gravely attacked, retaliate in equal measure. My actions certainly would have allowed this to stand in court, would it not? Yet… yet you did nothing against me afterward. Was that another sign of the good pony you are underneath the mask?”

To my surprise, Blueblood looked away, showing nothing of the arrogance I had thought he would use to justify his lack.

“I-it wasn’t… being the better stallion…” He said so quietly another pony would not have heard it. “You’re an alicorn! I did not want to show myself as stupid as to aggravate matters between us.”

I blinked. Okay, that was a lot to digest. Not only was he denying a compliment made to him, he was also putting his mistakes at the front.

…Parts of me were really impressed.

Obviously though, Blueblood himself wasn’t. His head hung low, he seemed a little pitiful…

“A lifetime of work, that’s what you burdened me with.”

Cry me a river… I wanted to scream. Sure, his situation wasn’t particularly pleasant, but hell if I did not have my own problems to deal with…

I held in a sigh.

“I think you’re doing a good job, Blueblood.”

“W-what? Do you not listen? I just admitted how bad of a po-” He cut himself off in a panic. “I mean… how different…”

I nodded, feeling quite serene. “Not provoking a dangerous foe over a slight is a good thing. Fearing for your safety certainly isn’t a fault. Knowing that cowardice could be one such fault and acknowledging your own is quite the accomplishment, Prince, even if not quite in context...”

I wasn’t angry. I wasn’t bitter. Heck, I wasn’t even lying.

It was pretty cool that even a sleaze like him could see the errors of his way and try to change. And I had to try to be less of an unpleasant psycho. Enough ponies were on my back for my lack of action already. What kind of guilt tripping bandwagon would we be talking about if they saw the images in my head?

“You’re not done, but it’s a nice way to start. There are still some things you need to address.”

My remark made him shift on his hooves, or rather, squirm in place, as his rump was still very much against a cushion on the ground. He leaned slightly forward, as if to say something, but leaned back at the last moment.

Taking that as permission to go on, I paused to search for the right way to phrase my next grief with him.

“Treating mares the way you do…” Now, I’m just projecting… “Quite frankly, that is enough to earn you a good kick in the face.”

He looked exactly as if I had given him one.

“T-those mares throw themselves at me as if I were nothing but a pretty statue for them to show off!” Blueblood stood up, fire in his eyes. “Gold diggers are simply a plague upon any rich pony’s existence, but it gets to a whole new level when it comes to the nobility!”

I blinked, certainly not expecting justification like this. My mental image of Blueblood needed to be updated, quickly if possible.

“All my life I have had to deal with those insufferable vultures! You’ll excuse me for not treating them like actual living beings with feelings. I just thought I would return the favor!”

“W-well… perhaps some of them wa-”

“Have you not met at least a few mares that wished to share your bed!?” His outraged demeanor slipped a little, as the corner of his lips itched upward and the volume of his voice dropped. “No need to lie either, Prince Ventus. This is all strictly stallion conversation.”

Don’t go bro on me, Blueblood. Don’t you dare! My brain recoiled in horror, while my inner crazy wanted to smirk back to the idiot stallion. Damn my teenager mind. Four hundreds, perhaps, but still a teenager's mind, damn.

“There was one, just last night.” I wanted to gag. “She even decided to feel me up when I didn’t reply… Thank my parents my brother didn’t wake up then!”

“So quickly?” He blinked, before giving a silent chuckle. His eyes lit up with amusement. “Well, perhaps it was more one of the adventurous kind, the ones that like the bragging rights of sleeping with royalty.”

His smug tone pretty much confirmed my suspicions. I was not that naïve.

“Why do I have the feeling you don’t hate those nearly enough?”

“You wound me,” Blueblood said, putting a hoof over his chest, which he puffed out proudly. “As if I would take advantage of quick consensual and mostly attachment-free encounters between two rational beings.”

Real subtle, you lucky bastard.

“Still, those aren’t the worst. Oh no, those sweet flanks aren’t the worst. Nor are these soft fluffy wings. Nor those exotic black and white stripes.”

I rolled my eyes. Give him an acting medal, somepony!

“I was mysteriously under that impression as well, Blueblood. They probably aren’t the worst if you both know what is actually happening, I guess.”

Strangely though, his smug lewdness mostly vanished in the place of a sober, saddened grimace. “The sweet and naïve type, that’s what you must be looking out for the most.”

My stomach churned. Oh buck…

“T-they will not leave…” His eyes obscured a bit. “N-not without having their hearts broken… s-some more harshly than others…”

He fell silent after that.

I could imagine. Strangely, I could imagine precisely what being Blueblood would be like at that moment.

You are at the summit of the world and you know it, you’re royalty in the nation lead by two alicorns. You are above mere peasants and peons. So often, they are wooed by your charms… or your title and your money.

So many of them that you start to just hate those vapid, headless mares and just want them to leave you alone. Some aren’t even nobles!

Some seem like decent mares, if only they didn’t have such a foalish dream… They want to marry a prince and have beautiful foals? Well, there is only one prince and that’s you. So they will take you, not because you’re you, but because you’re a prince. Oh well, they can settle for a stallion they never met before. He’s handsome and rich.

It starts to grate on your nerves. So you lash back.

It feels good to see them leave you alone. It feels bad to see the tears glittering as they fall on the ground when they do leave.

And now, you question yourself. Were you right to hurt them?

“Trying to become a better pony is not easy. It means to take a look at yourself and point out that which you know is ugly. That is, without a doubt, a courageous thing to do. It’s what makes it so extraordinary, Blueblood.”

A non-committing grunt came from his general direction, of the variety that made one laugh with triumph. Words of wisdom swayed him not, but darn if it wasn’t fun to give.

“Well, then, you cannot become anything without starting somewhere. All you need to do is find the appropriate course of action, the one a truly noble pony would choose, and take small steps on that path. Don’t pretend you’re not feeling at least guilty about some of those rejections you had to dish out.” I let the stallion stew on it for a second, using to pretend I didn’t have a plan. “Have you ever apologized to Miss Rarity?”

His jaw dropping in horror made me grin savagely on the inside. On the outside, I affected an innocent demeanor.

He wasn’t fooled.

“Now you are just trying to torture me! You cannot ignore the way she treated me at the end of the night! I even tried not to be as hard on her as the others.”

That was you holding back? Holy buck, you’re a flankhole.

“So… you won’t apologize?”

“I refuse! She saw me as nothing than a pretty dream and didn’t bother to look at me. Would you go out with mares that are only after the title, even if they are dignified about it!? And then have the gall to insult you on top of everything?!”

“No.” I shook my head and hardened my gaze. “I would not. That is not what love is about.”

Nor is emotional manipulation, but I sure am trying my hooves at it…

“But neither is being good. It… isn’t about determining who is worth not being treated like dirt. There… shouldn’t… BE a standard for that…” I replied, slow and hesitant. It would not do to rush things to their conclusion, not when dealing with a pony as prideful as Blueblood. “The Element of Generosity wasn’t very generous that night. I will freely admit that. However, that does not negate your part in it. You crushed her dreams and expectations as surely as she crushed yours.”

He sucked in air quickly, his breath hitching with an unnamed expectation. Or perhaps it was disappointment that I had not seen eye-to-eye with his point of view.

His muscles weren’t tensed anymore, but the look of silent anticipation on his face was telling. It appeared as if he wanted to relax, but knew better. Smart stallion.

“If I had to say one more thing about your night together though… well, she didn’t mean to hurt you. You wanted her to pay for her lack of consideration. You aimed to drive her away and it worked quite well. You both hurt one another, so you are both to blame, not blameless.”

He visibly cringed at that. If I was less insensitive, I might have stopped there.

“Besides, if you want to become a better pony, you will have to face your previous mistakes and attempt to fix them in earnest. Being a flankhole to so many ponies is one imperative fault you must learn to deal with. You might as well start with an obvious target.”

His eye twitched. “I… suppose you might have a point.”

Now, this should be fun.

“But if she tries to kiss me again, you can be sure your name will be crossed off my list of ponies that may offer some wisdom.”

Oh yeah, this WILL be fun.

However, while I listened to him ramble about how I was terrible at giving advices, a thought occurred to me. It wasn’t incredulity, annoyance, nor anger. It was simple confusion.

Why am I even doing this?

--

The only sound was silence.

It was quite natural however, as the only pony in the chamber was a maid, Silent Praise being her name. Her years of experience and loyal service had earned her a privileged position amongst the castle staff. With a few others, she was given a mostly free access to her princesses’ private chambers for cleaning and maintenance. She had earned that trust and never tested it.

As such, the thought of reading the scroll that appeared in a puff of green smoke didn’t even cross her mind. Without a fuss, Silent Praise simply put it on her ruler’s bedside table, where it would be easily seen and noticed.

--

The only sound was silence.

The borders of Equestria itself, when correctly referred to as the country, ended at their northern limits by a series of mountains taller than the height the bravest pegasus could fly up to. At the summit of the world, in that place, where it seemed as if the earth was reaching for the sky, stood the city of the first griffon king.

It was as much of a beautiful place as it was a harsh one, an appropriate allegory to the nature of a griffon’s lifestyle. Brutish and even barbaric to some, but not incapable of magnificence by any means. All of stone carved right out of the mountainside, the fortress watched over the rest of the world, its stone walls less of an actual protection than a show of the power held by beings that could and did stand at the top of their world.

‘Let the lesser races weep in fear of the death from above’ had been the most famous words from King Airian, before declaring war on Equestria.

Great had been his arrogance and his pride and joy remained standing, an ominous presence that waited for its chance to flood the lower levels of existence with the primal fear of the hunt.

Thus, Galepeck Castle was and would continue to be.

Any mortal would have compared it to a sand castle had they been given the chance to lay their eyes on the Greater Tribunal.

Beyond the words, beyond the ideas that were, there were those creatures whose existence acted as part of the cosmic balance. Lesser spirits were immature and their ages could still be imagined by mortals, albeit in a roundabout way and never understood for the abyss in time it represented.

Greater beings had the mortals’ mind crack.

The Elders however could not be perceived, less they allow it… Otherwise… Lights and noises, a collection of sensorial signals that translated to nothing, beings that were and were not.

The only sound was silence.

Nothing else could be expected when the Trinity stood united, calling for their presences. Events such as this one were a rarity, a once in a century occurrence, for the alicorns gathered solely to reestablish the natural order of worlds.

All were assembled at that point in time, amongst the stars and the void; their hooves, their wings and their horns took form and consciousness came. The few missing had duties that could not be forsaken. It had been their mission before, it remained so.

It was more than a simple mission that made them so wary however. Lesser spirits were uneasy and that same sentiment could at least be echoed in the actions of greater ones. Unrest was spreading amongst them…

A decree would be issued today. Order would be restored.

It was the innate purpose of the one hundred and one alicorns of the Greater Tribunal.

Overseeing all would be the Trinity, the Elders of Order.

Three beings that even alicorns did not fully understand, with a scope of power and existence beyond all but themselves and their fellow Elders.

But they knew of them and they knew of their own place in the scheme of Eternity.

Incipiens Linea, the very first being, older than Harmony itself. Incipiens Linea had come into existence and made it the natural order of things.

As was proper, she was always the first to convey her thoughts.

Words and images flashed in the assembled alicorns’ mind, translating to the will of the first. They saw of two of their own, immature spirits and lesser concepts. They saw the defiance of the law and the disturbance of order. They were made to know of the consequences, of the impending future of one world turning into a frozen wasteland.

A shiver went through the assembly, as they could not fathom actions so alien as to go against Order.

And two worried parents felt their heart shrivel weakly.

Not images this time, but different emotions spread to them all, as Vitam Mortem was not facts and words. It was the beating heart and the still body. Fear – ancient fear and shame – of their own child and their own failure. Heads hung lower, but not without anger or troubled hearts.

Difference. The two children were different, despite the obvious nature of their relationship. One hadn’t fallen. Yet.

It was a possibility, though one that elicited a cry of indignation from the crimson red stallion and his mate.

The act was improper, against the rules of the Greater Tribunal. One could not speak outside their bounds, lest they allow chaos to slip into their ranks. And that would be unforgiveable.

Magnus and Atonie stood defiant and tall despite the weight of the gazes turned toward them. To back down now would be an implicit support to the accusations; that they would never allow.

Silence stretched.

Tension increased.

Finally, pleasant perfumes from worlds beyond mortals’ imagination filled the minds and hearts.

A gesture of peace.

An offering of one’s self had been made, as was proper and orderly when wishing for consideration. The action calmed down more heated spirits, while Magnus smiled in gratitude at some old friends. When the initial surprise had subdued, his mate reacted the same way, especially when her gaze fell on them.

Dominus Ferus and Saltus Cogere had no children to call their own, but they had expressed fondness toward the two alicorns brothers. Their opinion was now registered and noted; they wished not for this trial to go on much longer.

Few agreed. They could not let themselves be swayed by sentimentality.

A stomp of a hoof resonated in vibrations through the room, but still the silence was not broken. The last of the Trinity had called for order.

Judicium Frigus.

Born in opposition to Chaos, the sworn arch-enemy of Discord, if there was such a thing in the draconequus’ twisted mind.

Justice and Retribution.

Innocents might suffer. That was all they needed to know to take action.

The second that truth had been shared with them, the assembly nodded collectively, even those opposed to its goal in the first place. Justice would prevail.

The culprits would be punished. It was just.

One more opposed, with the knowledge of previous tasks given to the transgressors.

Hope flaring in their chests, Magnus and Atonie turned, showing gratitude in their own offerings toward the being. It nodded softly and offered a story of peaceful nights, parents and children reunited.

Three beings could see the light of distrust that appeared in Judicium’s gaze. One of them simply wanted to smirk, but refused to be disrespectful to him.

Renascentia Ignis. Not Elder, but Outer, as her origins were unknown, but her being was undeniable. She took the form of a mare, simple and elegant. One could not deny her a sense of dignity beneath that playfulness she was known for.

Fiery red bangs hiding so little of her knowing blue eyes that all could see the note of knowledge beyond the simple ideal of Order, a coat of a startling white and devotion to her work that had some ashamed.

She was The Writer. The one that changed the stories for the better, until they fit the vision that would be appropriately shared. Her existence seemed dictated by the changes she brought. Rumors spoke of her as a shaper of worlds; rumors spoke on how she had earned the respect of Incipiens Linea.

That one, some suspected, understood far more than any other alicorn. Her goals differed from them all, but witnesses could not condemn her, for her talent made worlds just.

An impression of anger ensnarled the alicorns’ hearts, righteous fury set them ablaze. One hundred alicorns glared as one toward the arrogant outsider.

Renascentia held not the power to oppose the Tribunal, Judicium made them understand. They agreed. Already, her daughters had shown themselves corruptible, one being taken over by evil magic, the other consorting with Chaos.

But tales of growth and beauty started chanting through their minds in response to the barren rage of the Elder being. They were strings of words and meanings woven into a great tapestry. It was a thing of beauty, of ideas they represented, of ideals they were meant to be.

For a moment, they wavered, some more strongly than others, a few not needing Renascentia’s arguments to side with her.

The impression disappeared, blown away by an angry flash of an incandescent wing. A few lesser spirits wept at the glimpse of the Elder.

It was decreed shortly afterward, to the dismay of two parents, silently hoping for a mercy they were not certain would be given. Had they been beings of flesh and blood, their stomachs might have churned with fear and despair.

Already, one of the Trinity had disappeared from the Greater Tribunal. He was now headed toward one mortal realm, with the intention to deliver proper judgment and restore the true state of things.

Not a word had been exchanged. None would be. Not until this was fixed. Not in the face of a crisis as dire as this one.

The realm of Order, dimension of the Primordial Law and the home of the alicorns, had cracked.

Somehow, after him finally managing to write a letter to Rarity, we had started making small talk.

How?! How in the seven circles of Tartarus did we get to this point?

“The invention is a booming revolution. It’s opening up the skies to all races of ponies and non-ponies now, not just pegasi and griffins. Granted, hot air balloons were already doing that, but the level of control on airships takes the experience to a much higher level.”

Even more disturbing was the fact that this was actually a captivating conversation. For real!

Okay, it had a lot to do with flight and the sky itself, so maybe that was a biological compulsion in me, but still, what the hay?

“How widespread are those airships?” I asked, fighting a flutter in my wings. More ponies to like the sky…

That question seemed to have quite the effect on the prince. His growing confidence and general happiness faded rapidly, leaving him with a blush across his cheeks.

“N-not all that far…” He coughed. “Nobility is notably not keen on taking part in adventurous trips, even less so with prototypes.”

My own enthusiasm deflated at his words. I can imagine.

“I don’t suppose you’re amongst them?” I said casually, purposefully avoiding his gaze.

“Of course not!” He shouted. “My personal airship was already christened! It’s flying marvelously, but since there aren’t many ponies both interested and rich enough, the projects are stalling in development.”

His heartbreak was palpable, which brought some curious thoughts to the front of my mind.

“Forgive my confusion, Blueblood, but would it not have been easy to just… use your status and hasten that process?”

For a moment, he averted his gaze and fell into silence. His expression was pained, but its meaning seemed hidden quite well. It could have meant a number of thing, some as simple as him not being able to as interesting as him not wanting to.

However, I did remember him, alone on his balcony one night, looking at the sky longingly and cursing his own station. There had been desire and despair in the then adolescent pony’s eyes.

Now fully grown and considered the number one most eligible bachelor in Canterlot, Blueblood seemed ridiculously similar.

“No,” he whispered.

“Why? I could understand that you do not wish for this now, but before…” My voice trailed off.

Actually, I did understand, or rather, foresaw what it implied about him that he hadn’t abused his power or his connections to push forward a project he liked. But that still left me with some questions. If he already had that kind of character depths previously, what made it so hard for him to change for the better?

I was hesitant to ask, especially when he was already having such troubles finding the right path for him. The timing just wasn’t right for this.

Besides, my questioning seemed to have set him off, as he eyed me cautiously. The beginning of a frown had formed at the edge of his eyebrows. Easily, interrogations flew through the air between us, most of them coming directly from him.

“Do you know what this stands for?” He asked, turning around to give me a view of his flanks.

I made the most logical and less nauseating guess by default.

“Isn’t that the compass rose?” My eyes focused exclusively on the picture adorning his flanks.

Quickly enough, the absurd train of thought was cut off short as I tried to make sense of where he meant to go with this.

“Indeed. My cutie mark means I am exceptional when it comes to finding my way.” He could not help but puff his chest proudly. Some things… “However, I really prefer thinking about it being a sign of me being a good navigator.”

“I suppose that makes sense from a certain point of view.” I nodded. “While I’m not quite certain on how this link back to my previous question, it certainly is better for ponies to choose rather tha-”

The loud banging noise made me jolt.

“You don’t cheat about your cutie mark!” He yelled, his hooves firmly set against the table between us.

“I see…” I muttered, while internally feeling that no, I wasn’t seeing it. At all.

Huh… why does this surprise me so much? I’m knowledgeable, but pony mentalities certainly isn’t my area of expertise. If they value it so much more, then so be it. I’m not going to let myself be shackled by a pretty picture.

Subconsciously, my eyes darted to the mark magically tattooed on my butt. I hadn’t ever really taken time to think about this. My concerns hadn’t really been about my ‘destiny’, but the very concrete need to leave this place forever.

Still, warmth did spread in my chest at the sight of the waving symbols of wind.

Blueblood interrupted my thoughts softly.

“I… I… huh… don’t suppose you… would like to t-try boarding one of them?”

I need to think ahead. That’s too many times he’s said something I really didn’t see coming.

“I… I understand the… perhaps you could call it hypocrisy… of refusing to ask my aunts… for help, but then turn around and ask you…” He bit his lips harshly, searching for the correct way to express himself. There was a nervousness to his movement that had me believe he feared my reaction. “I am not asking you to back me up, but I would like to see what you do think of them. Perhaps a bit of sailing this evening w-would .”

Well, now I’m a little stuck. Flying is… it i-isn’t…

“Y-you see…” I said, unable to prevent my ears from drooping. “T-the thing is…”

Picking up on it, the prince’s own dismay showed in his grimace. Dejectedly, he only let out a very bitter “Oh…”

Something inside me pushed me to at least elaborate. “You see, I am not very fond of the idea of flying…”

Quickly, Blueblood blinked, trying to process the admittance. Then, he scoffed, completely disbelieving what I had just admitted. “Now, that is a weak lie, Prince Ventus. The Alicorn of Wind does not like flying?”

I remained silent, which only served to aggravate him further.

“Next thing you’ll tell me, your brother doesn’t like to keep his hooves… on the… ground…” His voice trailed off, just as memories started to hit him.

My eyes were still on him, with just the level of intensity that begged him to keep thinking. The cogs of his mind were indeed turning behind his face. It was easy to see how he straightened out and how the derision faded from his features.

“Celestia’s beard, you’re not kidding,” he whispered, the shock still making his voice vibrate.

“I’m afraid not, Blueblood.” My tail twitched, even as my gaze went to the nearest window.

I don’t want to fly in the sky… Parts of my brain couldn’t even wrap themselves around the idea. Those wings of mine… they actually felt a little superfluous…

“H-how?!” The prince demanded. “This makes no sense!”

“Really?” I asked, legitimately surprised by his surprise. “I suppose it might be easier to illustrate it somewhat…”

“It might, yes,” the white stallion repeated derisively.

I paused, trying to articulate the right way to picture it for a normal pony. Blueblood, unfortunately, wasn’t feeling very patient as his frown deepened. “…Did Celestia – or Luna – ever explain to you what an alicorn is?”

Instantly, his head shook from right to left, though the movement also betrayed a rolling of eyes at my idiotic inquiry.

“Your aunt is physically the sun. It’s an integral part of her, just like the moon is part of Luna… or the air being part of me.”

His breath hitched and I felt a tug at the back of my mind in response. His voice came out weak, almost faint. “W-wait…”

“Would you feel comfortable taking a bath in your own blood? This is probably the best analogy I can use when somepony asks me to fly. It’s a part of me, why would I want to single myself out in myself and… Listen, this isn’t a pleasant sensation for me and that should be enough for you to understand.”

Slowly, he nodded, even if his grimace had deepened. “A-and what we’re breathing…”

“Yeah…”

Prince Blueblood could not suppress a shiver. Worse still, his eyes seemed a little unfocused, as if unable to quite accept the idea just yet.

“Calx certainly loves to fly. His presence is so easy for me to detect then, perhaps he knows that…” His assaults from above had been repeatedly foiled, but also relentless, as if he hadn’t needed to search for me. “I’d rather not make my visit more unpleasant and alien than it already feels like for me… so, yes, I do keep my hooves on the ground as much as possible.”

Even stone constructions, albeit hard on the hooves, were preferable to that unease that came from the idea of flying as a separate entity from my concept. It was easier to focus my mind on things as trivial as sound traveling the distance between ponies or the movement caused by a twitch of a muscle.

It could help detect unease, stress and restlessness. There was no doubt these adjectives applied to the prince in my presence.

“I… understand…” Blueblood whispered, regrets and sadness obvious in his tone. “I… would an apology be appropriate? I thought you wanted to… that perhaps it was just another ploy to undermine me.”

…The sad part is that it’s not completely untrue. However, I can’t let him know that…

With a chuckle, I offered him an encouraging smile. “Well, it would be the right thing to do, Prince Blueblood.”

Folding of one knee, he bowed, which had my eyes wide as saucers. Luckily, the stallion had lowered his head, ashamed.“T-then, you… you have my most sincere apology.”

My mind was a little blank at the stunt he had just pulled. I could only say, weakly, the first thing that came to mind. “I… I will board on one of these if you believe it could help…”

Crap… after I had just gotten out of it too!

Surprised, he stared at me for a second. “Didn’t you just say…?”

Too late for that now…

Hopefully not bitterly, I managed an indulgent snort, as if he had asked a grade-school level question. “Yes, I did say it was not something I would like to do, but you have come asking for my help, humbly might I add, and it is within my power to do so. Albeit not particularly pleasant for me, I will do what I can to help. Remember that doing what you know is the better choice might also be the hardest, Blueblood. You really ought to prepare yourself for this.”

For a moment, the stallion opened his mouth, but no sound would come out. A few hesitant steps backward and he really seemed to think he ought to stop now. His eyes almost screamed a plea that it wasn’t actually how he was supposed to act. Easily, I could imagine him thinking about bathing in his own blood.

“N-no…” My jaw tightened, pain erupting in mad signals from the muscles in my cheeks. I was letting too much of my anger filter. “It isn’t so easy.”

I felt my mask slip. It had been an impulse, I knew, but a glimpse of my true feelings was visible at that moment. And Blueblood was staring right at me, with slightly wider eyes and perhaps a hint of fear again.

“Don’t expect to mean it at first. Make the idea ingrained in your mind before. Let time transform a forced action into a habit, and hopefully into something you will sincerely do.”

It’s like lying. You get used to it really quickly.

“Luckily, the end result is the same: you’ll have helped somepony even at the cost of yourself. With that, I can guarantee, lots of ponies will know you are good afterward.”

Or believe you are.

--

Her quill hovered shakily over the piece of parchment. Drops of ink almost glittered with the purple taint of her magic.

“Do I?” She asked, inching the quill closer.

“Or do I not?!” She threw herself away from it, droplets of black liquid staining the paper and her desk.

Princess Twilight Sparkle could feel the weight of her decision on her mind.

“I mean, he is attractive, physically, and for the love of Celestia, his voice!” The alicorn’s voice became raspy with the dilemma. “But there must be more to it than that! It’s not just physical! Otherwise I’d be on Big Mac like ink on a-”

Her scream startled Owlowicious off his perks, who proceeded to fly off a few feet away from his mistress. Few good things happened to the owl whenever Twilight Sparkle was screaming her frustration away or, incidentally, when she was so frantically quiet that her expression turned manic and deranged.

So far, the lavender alicorn had simply paced in the library crazily, trying and spectacularly failing to make a new checklist. The title at the top of the parchment, elegantly written, seemed perfectly inconspicuous to anypony but her. It read : ‘Do I like like Prince Ventus or not?’. So far, it remained perfectly blank.

“Just thinking about him makes me really, really nervous!” Twilight stared at her opened copy of ‘Love for the Neophytes’, regretting it now that her every interactions with him was coming back to her. Her cheeks were flushed a pleasant dark purple.

Her lips felt even hotter. Timidly, she brought a hoof to them, delicately stroking the bottom one and trying to summon that one moment where her world had turned upside down.

“And it felt really really good when he first kissed me! But it happened so quickly! I couldn’t place a word! It was too fast! W-what if he wants commitment?!” Breaking that dam with words had sent her brain into overdrive and had it assault her with a series of vivid images. “Marriage?! Foals?! I’M NOT READY TO HAVE FOALS! I’M STILL A VIRGIN!”

To make matters much worse for the distraught mare, she heard a juvenile boy’s voice behind her. “You’re still a what, Twilight?”

If there had been a spell in her arsenal that allowed her to disappear forever, she would have casted it.

As it unfortunately stood, Twilight had no such spell at her disposal and she was left staring madly into blank space, dots dancing in her vision. Completely immobile, her mind split in half and any possible rational explanation flew right out of the window.

“AAAAAH! SPIKE! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!” She shouted, standing on her hind legs.

Used to these outbursts, the small dragon only flinched and jumped back a few inches, before getting his cool back.

“…I’m working; I’m your number one assistant. Didn’t you want me to clean the kitchen?” He raised the feather duster he was holding in his paw as proof. “I was going to sort the returned books now. But you still haven’t told me what’s a vir-”

“WELL, I can see you did a fantastic job, Spike!” She pointed out at the mess of books and scrolls he barely had the time to start picking up. “It’s marvelous as it is, you can go outside play with your friends!”

Blinking, Spike glanced at the incredibly messy amount of books before looking at her in confusion. “B-but, Twilight…”

“Tatatata! Owlowicious can do your share of chores today!” She smiled brightly, completely ignoring the cry of outrage from her pet bird. “It will do you a lot of good to just take some time for yourself, Spike!”

Without even waiting for an answer, she lit up her horn and engulfed him in a purple aura. Effortlessly, she escorted him out of the library. There, she gently dropped him in the grass and dashed inside muttering about ‘tooyoungtooyoungtooyoung!’. With a slam, the library was closed to the general public.

His jaw hanging in disbelief, the little dragon stared incredulously at the wooden door. Rapidly, he got to his feet and went to knock strongly against the obstacle between him and his big sister.

“Twilight, what’s wrong with you?!” His frown deepened. “Is this another deadline thing?”

“N-not at all, Spike!” Her voice trembled. “I just think you deserve a day off for doing such good work all the time! Go talk to the other foals your age. I’m sure your friends will be happy to play with you.”

The little dragon heart fell as he looked at the library.

“B-but I don’t have…”

--

The ground shook strongly, almost knocking her off balance.

“Discord?” She asked, half shocked, half groaning internally. “W-what are you doing?”

“Oh my, hello Fluttershy. Nice seeing you,” the draconequus greeted her, taking off his horns in lieu of a hat.

“Likewise…” The pegasus said quietly.

Hesitantly, her legs carried her closer to the scene, ignoring the beret and full body armor Discord had suddenly started wearing.

“If you don’t mind me asking, what is… this?”

“This, my dear, is a message.” He bragged, extending his arms wide as if to present the fruit of his seconds of labor.

“A message?” Fluttershy repeated, confused by the strange floral arrangement. “What kind of message? A-and for whom?”

“Oh, but it’s really easy to read, Fluttershy. Look.”

A blinding flash of light momentarily stunned the poor mare. Dots dancing before her eyes, she had to blink several time before regaining her sight.

She let out a squeak when she did.

The clouds floating lazily around her had told her everything she needed to know. In fright, her wings had closed against her body, but, luckily, her body did not obey the laws of gravity, instead being supported by her trickster friend.

“Please, Fluttershy, open your eyes or this was really all pointless.”

“S-sorry, this was just too sudden.” She sent a weak glare to him.

“Just look down,” he asked, rolling his eyes.

Obeying him, though not without suspicion, Fluttershy sent her gaze downward and immediately felt her eyes widen with surprise.

The field had been turned into a gigantic mosaic of dashing colors, through flowers of so many species she could not identify them all, even if she had had more time and been closer to the ground.

“You see, I have this old friend of mine and I wanted to communicate with him, but he lives a bit far away. I had to make it grand enough for him to see.”

The kind pegasus frowned. “The flowers here make a picture of your butt, with ‘bite this’ and an arrow next to it.”

“The poor dear doesn’t know what eating is like and I’ve been trying to get him to get more healthy. Since my body is perfection, I figured this might just do the trick.”

Her frown deepening, Fluttershy pointed at another flower patch with her hoof. “This one says ‘oh, it is good to be free to make the world a bit more chaotic’.”

“Well, he hasn’t gone out in eons!” The draconequus threw his arms upwards, dramatic lightning striking the ground below them, as his friend miraculously stayed afloat without anyone to hold her. “He needs to get on with the news and Celestia wanted me to use my powers for good, right?”

“…Right,” she said quietly, looking away.

Her gaze fell on the third message, though this one was strangely written with various appliances, including a toaster that spat out green fume.

“Take that stick out of your rump?” She quoted, her eyes narrowing threateningly at her eccentric friend. “Discord. That is not very nice!”

“Now, now, I believe it is my duty to inform you that that guy is a total bore. He can only go on and on about one thing! It’s just not healthy!”

Following his falsely exasperated tirade, she didn’t make a comment right away, her thoughts instead drifting toward her fellow Elements of Harmony and how this could easily apply to some of them…

“Take me, for example.” Discord’s tail whipped out, grabbing a big fat load of nothing and putting it in front of him. “Just now, you expected it to explode into a couple of streamers and then a human would pop out and say ‘Surprise’! and then-”

Fluttershy timidly rose her hoof to interrupt him. “A-actually, I thought you would mold it like cake mix and it would become a train.”

Yellow eyes blinked.

“Well, well, well,” he chuckled. “I am glad to see we are a good influence on one another. And glad to see I still got it.”

With a snap of his claws, he created a flash that displaced them from their peaking spot in the sky. The sudden change almost made the poor pegasus fall off her hooves.

“Now then, what did you want to ask me?” Discord said, while sitting down on a red and blue sofa, unfolding a parasol and drinking from an empty glass.

Unfazed, Fluttershy took a few small steps toward him and, full of defiance, deflated at the last second.

“W-well… it’s Mother’s Day tomorrow a-and… and I thought, if you’re not busy, and I’m sorry for assuming, that you’d like to spend it with somepony.”

The sofa flew away, taking with it any and all accessories Discord had on his person. Said ageless being proceeded to stare, making his friend shrink on herself.

“N-not, you know, all alone…”

Chirping crickets broke the silence, but the draconequus finally smiled.

“I would love to, my dear Fluttershy.”

Loud laughter filled the room. The throaty deep sound carried well, echoing and bouncing off the wooden walls of the small room we were crammed in. The air seemed heavier with it, but not… not in an entirely unfriendly manner. A few candles and lanterns placed strategically illuminated enough of it, creating an atmosphere of secrecy, as backward as that could be when there was so little space to move.

If anything, the enclosed space ensured that the ponies inside had to become closer, both physically and metaphorically.

A burning furnace in the emptiest corner and a circle of stallions exchanging stories made up for a very homey atmosphere. It was comfortable, sitting as part of that group of ponies, even if the heat had some fur damp with sweat.

And the beverage did flow. Going from hooves to hooves, there was a pint, full of one worker’s personal favorite, being exchanged by everypony. Each time, they emptied it; each time, they filled it again. Before long, it stopped in front of me.

Cautiously, I eyed it, taking in its shape and volume, but more importantly the beverage it contained.

Nonalcoholic cider, they said. It would make sense, considering where we were, but I had a rather limited trust in stallions I had met about two hours ago. Pranks and hazing rituals were certainly a possibility. With so many expectant eyes falling on me though, I had little choice on how to receive their approval.

Without a moment’s hesitation, I grabbed the handle with my hoof and took a swig. The liquid quickly went down my throat without trouble and the dreaded heat spreading from there simply didn’t come.

About six voices cheered on me for about another three seconds, before I slammed the pint against the wooden crater and let out a spectacular burp. Then, their cheers doubled.

And, of course, Tom was rolling on the floor, holding his sides.

“Now that’s a prince I can get behind!” An old unicorn claimed, chuckling, his favorite pipe in his hoof. “None of that froo-frooey nonsense I keep getting from those stick-in-the-muds!”

“YEAH!” Two brown stallions hollered, Daybreak and Sunrise, proud of their blue overalls and their caps and not afraid to show them off to the poor, stuffy, traumatized prince sitting between them. He had covered his delicate ears as best as he could, one hoof occupied by a flask of cider.

The borderline battle cry got the ‘brownies’ one more recruit in the form of one overly excited colt. It wasn’t that surprising when his first reaction to them had been something among the line of ‘You two look like a pair of brownies’. With but that cringe worthy remark, Calx had set up the bar for how badly he needed to unwind.

His day of study was over and he intended to make full use of his free time. All of his hyper behavior… focused in a short period of time… Celestia’s plan might end up backfiring dangerously.

“You won’t believe what they say when we want to eat!” Calx yelled. “They won’t even let me choose what I want, just because ‘It is not the proper moment to enjoy such treats, Prince Calx’.”

“Cry me a river.” I rolled my eyes and patted the poor thing’s back with the tip of my wing, to his annoyance.

“Hehe,” the oldest engineer chuckled, stroking my brother’s messy mane. “Those are fools if you ask me. What’s in a life, if you can’t choose to enjoy it?”

Images of a few humans flashed in my mind, but I shook them off. Now wasn’t a good time for this. Luckily, none of the mechanics had caught on to my reaction. In fact, the attention was turned toward one of the other two princes.

The youngest pony of the bunch, who seemed to be barely out of his teenage years, stepped forward, emboldened by the companionship he was witnessing. “What d’you think of that, your Highness?”

Blueblood’s eyes were begging me to help him out of this one, but the correct answer was so obvious that he deserved no intervention. Then again, it was Blueblood. He was making efforts, that could not and should not be denied, but darn was he dense when it came to people skills. It was logical though, when one considered how little he had needed them before.

Finally, he answered, with but a semblance of regality. “W-well, my good fellow, I think there is a place for decorum in Canterlot… I mean, you wouldn’t want to offend Princess Celestia, right?”

Only that last part had allowed them to let it slide. Be it as it may, nopony really wanted to disappoint her, even for something as trivial as unrefined manners. So they just grumbled a few words under their breaths, the ambiance sobering up quickly.

Passable way to reply, if a bit political, Blueblood, but that could have been a lot better.

“BUT who cares when we’re not in Canterlot!” He added hastily, getting the mood back on track somewhat. “We’re just between stallions!”

Better. I nodded, approving his reply.

As if a weight had disappeared from his shoulder, his posture became a bit more lax. After I had given him the advice to mingle with his staff more often, Blueblood had responded with almost abject terror.

“Because you think they will suddenly forget me ignoring or belittling their work for years?!”

Funny how his ability to accept his previous behavior as arrogant beyond belief had a direct correlation with the amount of pain he might expect otherwise.

“The small steps, Blueblood. The small steps…”

So there he was, stuck between two stallions with stature and body mass approximately equal to his, obviously wishing to be somewhere else.

Hey, you’re the one that wanted this…

Luckily for us both, none of the workers had really picked up on what Blueblood was most likely thinking. In fact, they seemed to be enjoying themselves just as much as I did. Heck, the youngest pony in the room just stood up and looked at his much more elderly counterpart.

“Now then, Steam Salvo,” the teenage worker said with a grin, holding out an open hoof. “I believe you owe me a few bits.”

The room descended into silence, very, very, attentive silence. There were bits involved and a debt to be paid.

The old pony blinked dumbly, then spoke with a mix of incredulity and stern anger. “What are you flapping your gums about, Patchwork?”

“You said a week ago and I quote ‘the day I meet a noble that doesn’t snob me is the day I give you all seven bits’. Now, I may not be reading the situation right, but those princes over here are definitely not snobbing you, so fork over the bits.”

The pipe that had been held in the old timer’s mouth fell to the ground. It made a small thud when it collided with the ground, but in an otherwise completely silent atmosphere, it almost seemed to detonate.

The brownies stood up as once, in another remarkable show of synchronization, quickly addressing the elderly pony and demanding that he honored his words.

Now the look the old pony was sending me was definitely less than benevolent. Tough luck. In fact, you’ve barely even lost. It’s lucky for Patchwork that Calx’s around, otherwise, well, it wouldn’t count.

With a grumble and an impressive number of profanities that had Blueblood’s cheeks reddening, Steam Salvo handed them their money, his face crunched up in a stern glare. Amusingly enough, it made his wrinkles thrice as prominent. It lost a bit of its impact because of this.

“Don’t be like that, Salvo,” the young worker chuckled, not impressed. “When you play, you must be willing to lose.”

Except when the stakes are too high. Then anything is fair game.

The light that appeared next in the old stallion’s eyes had me thinking of predators like the timberwolves. Salvo wasn’t done with this. “Now, who’s up for some poker?”

Patchwork confident and easygoing attitude evaporated on the spot. “No way, Mr. Salvo! No way!”

“Eh,” he laughed. “Sounds like one youngster’s got no balls. What’s wrong, sonny? Afraid you’ll have our bits taken away?”

“Hey! If there’s a game going on, I want in!” One of the brownies – Daybreak, I think – stepped forward. The other scoffed, whispering something about ‘suckers’ and just moved to the further corner, where the firebox was.

Now Patchwork seemed torn. On one hoof, he clearly didn’t want to be part of a game where he might lose the money his smartass mouth had earned him, but peer pressure pushed him to seek acceptance from his colleagues.

“Hey, I want to play too!” Calx yelled, effectively killing any chance for the young stallion to back away from the challenge. “You too, Sam!”

Now, not that seeing how the game would unfold with him wouldn’t be a story for the ages, but there were other factors to consider, such as the fact that we were broke and living on charity at this point. Plus, I’d rather not see my baby brother try his hooves at gambling.

Since he would not listen to reason, I went with the simple truth. “We don’t have any bits to bet, bro.”

“Nonsense, Prince Ventus,” Blueblood interjected. “As part of the royal family, you do have access to certain funds…”

Oh buck you, Blueblood.

“Great, so that’s five players!” Salvo cackled, tapping his front hooves together.

“F-five?” Blueblood repeated dumbly.

Ah, serves you right! This was getting fun now. They wanted to play poker with their boss. Said boss was also trying to fit in. Who would be losing or winning the most?

“I’m glad you want to join us, Prince Blueblood,” Daybreak grinned, slapping a friendly hoof into the noble’s back.

The resonating smack that followed had me silently chuckling. Oh yes, this had been a great idea. “So it is settled. A five pony game?”

“But…” He sneered, not amused. “Oh fine! I will play this com-… this game.”

His slip-up went unnoticed, or so I was inclined to believe until I noticed Steam Salvo’s slightly raised eyebrow. His gaze remained unflinching on Blueblood, who was trying to sit more comfortably by the crate which we served as our table. He looked about ready to demand his bits back from the others…

“I’ll be the dealer.” The old timer grabbed a deck of cards from his pouch. “Those hooves have seen a lot of decks go by in their days.”

A few snickers followed, prompting Calx to look at me questioningly, to which I only replied with a shrug.

“You princelings know the rules?” Salvo asked, shuffling the cards with great dexterity. I doubted my magic could do the same, so with my hooves…

Now jumping up and down with excitement at the idea of a game, Calx nodded enthusiastically. “Yup! Sam taught me!”

At that, Patchwork glanced my way, seemingly confused or perhaps a little outraged. He didn’t have time to ponder however as the old stallion’s skills were true. With a few swift sleights of hoof, Salvo had served each player his cards.

Faking some interest in the game, I looked down at my hand, four out of five being black cards and making two pairs. Aces and eights…

It had been a while since I last played this though… Looking back, well… I came up with a blank. I had no idea when I had last played this… Did I ever try my hooves at poker before? Yeah, Calx said I taught him, so I must have...

Said little colt certainly didn’t look the part of an experienced trainer though. First, Calx tried to pick up his cards with his hooves, clumsily clenching them together and dropping two of them. With a yelp, he scrambled to hide them with his wings jealously. The glare he sent Patchwork for laughing only served to bring a paternal light to the eyes of Salvo and Daybreak.

Golden light engulfing them, his cards floated up to his grasp again, well hidden from the sight of cheaters. As soon as they were secured, he grinned to me. “Thanks, Sam!”

I smiled. “Anything for you, little brother.” Literally.

The others, getting a bit bored with our interactions or simply wishing to get on with the game, started placing their bets and exchanging cards.

“Huuuuuuuh… two cards?” He looked up to me, with a grimace.

“I dunno, squirt.” I shrugged. “It’s your cards.”

“…I guess three then!” He declared, throwing them against the crate and tapping its side to ask for his new cards.

Stoically, Salvo indulged him. Then, just as he looked to the cards he had been dealt with, for a split second, Calx’s mouth twisted into a grimace, before he panicked and tried to look inconspicuous. Far too late, a confident and bashful grin appeared on his face.

Blueblood and the others smirked, doing their best not to look at him and show even more clearly that they had seen through his bluff.

As for me, I decided to fold, my thoughts centered around the princesses reaction, had they known we were betting money we didn’t have. Then again, something felt off about this round. I couldn’t put my hoof on it…

My withdrawal proved wise a minute later, when Daybreak showed off three Unicorn Prince.

A strangled, inaudible gasp prickled my ears. The noise, betraying shock and pain came from the only unicorn in the room. Truly, had his coat been any other color, Blueblood’s would have paled drastically.

The intensity of his stare was abnormal as well. It seemed to have zoomed in on the paintings of the Unicorn Prince, which strangely resembled him, if only a little older… say… one generation older?

A cold hand gripped at my guts, my own image superposing itself to the white stallion’s.

All to his victory, Daybreak hadn’t noticed Blueblood’s reaction, nor did Patchwork and Salvo, both grumbling it was only the first round.

Not wishing to bring more attention to what was happening, I jumped on the first distraction that came to me. “What about you, little brother? Can you beat three of a kind?”

The second he broke into a grin, Daybreak knew he had been had.

“Who’s got a Royal Flush?” He happily threw down his cards. “Me!”

We stared. All of us, without exception. Heck, Blueblood was probably grateful from the distraction, or would be once his jaw was back in place.

And if there was a thing Calx wasn’t, it was humble. With a hoof to his chin, faking to muzzle on his thoughts in the most adorable way, he looked us all in the eyes. “I guess I’m too cute and clumsy to know how to play, huh?”

Now the spirits were starting to heat up.

After four more rounds of this though, the emerging tendency was as hilarious as it was awesome. With a little stretch of the imagination, it was quite easy to summon the very thoughts that had to be crossing the others’ minds at this very moment.

My guess? They could not believe that the little hyper colt currently bouncing in his seat was steadily taking the lead in a game of poker. For all my ability to put on a perfectly neutral mask, I just wasn’t that good at making gambles…

Calx, on the other hoof, really knew how to mess with adults. He did it all the time and certainly had the imagination to pull it off.

And I wasn’t bad at getting in on the act either. After a minute of staring at his honest-to-Elders puppy eyes of doom, I smirked. With a little magic, I slammed my cards against the crate. “I fold. No way I’m getting sucked into your little game.”

Daybreak and Salvo’s gazes alternated between us with disbelief. Blueblood, having already folded, stared at me intensively.

Exchanging glances, the remaining two stallions folded before being made fools of again.

Of course, that time, it turned out that Calx’s cards were pitiful.

I can’t believe that work. Wasn’t it obvious?

“Now, wait just a minute, tha-”

We all jumped in our seats when a booming metallic sound cut them off. In his corner, Sunrise had kicked the firebox while laughing his rump off, rolling on the floor and wiping his tears.

I like this guy.

“There you go, squirt.” I ruffled Calx’s mane, which he took in strides, looking at the bits he was accumulating and fast. “That’s another way to bluff. Classic two-pony con.”

Daybreak and Salvo glared at me, to which I replied with an innocent smile.

“What? I only didn’t want to lose against him. I completely misjudged his hand. That’s all.”

The insults they grumbled under their breaths had me almost admiring their creativity. Granted, had they known I could hear them no matter how quietly they said it, they probably wouldn’t have voiced them, ever.

Quickly though, the game returned to normal, with exchanges of cards and most players being very wary of Calx’s skills now. However, my heart wasn’t to poker anymore. My attention kept shifting to the world outside, each turbulence shortening my attention span. The open sky was calling to me; I couldn’t ignore it much longer. This was it.

“If you’ll excuse me, sirs,” I said, my voice shaking and my legs growing unsteady. “I will check how things are on the deck.”

“Huh… ‘kay, Ventus.” Calx didn’t even look up from his cards.

With one last chuckle, I took my leave, the others sending me their good wishes for the rest of the evening.

Once the door of the engine room was closed, I let the mask slip. It hadn’t been particularly tedious, as the general atmosphere had been quite relaxed in the first place, but I was starting to really resent having to fake everything I said.

The image of Calx floated in my head.

ALMOST everything.

Very un-regal, I grimaced at the steps leading to the upper levels. The wood creaked beneath my hooves, producing a grating noise with each step in the stairs I was taking. Within a minute, I had reached the door leading outside, but my patience was spent.

In front of the opening toward my domain, my heart stilled, a faint glow of magic ensnarling the doorknob. Fear held my magic in place, my heart growing nauseous with the idea of exposing myself to the sky, to diving so deep into my own concept…

My mind wandered elsewhere.

I remembered the deck had seemed to be of decent length when I had first set hoof on it, reaching approximately that of a house. From afar, it had seemed quite ordinary, almost like a botched job. From up close though, one could easily infer the fact that it had been a deliberate design. In all appearances, the airship had a military rigor and almost Spartan rigidness.

Quite different than what I had expected of Blueblood. It wasn’t anywhere near as fancy as the one Rarity had gotten the chance to ride during one of her stay in Canterlot. While recently cleaned and polished, which told me how little the ship was used, it still remained remarkably austere.

‘You don’t cheat about your cutie mark’ indeed. If there is one thing a pony should be honest about, it’s that, huh?

Makes me wonder about mine…

I shot a glance to my backside, toward the mark adorning my flanks. It was in the same veins as Celestia and Luna, simply a symbol of my nature as an alicorn. Still, today, the curves and the spirals of this pale blue held more fascination than usual. To have your destiny marking your body… it almost sounded arbitrary. It sounded like a law.

Who am I kidding? It’s just a butt tattoo. I chastised myself. It doesn’t matter. Once we’re back, it’ll be just one more thing left behind.

The world grew cold as I realized where my thoughts had gone.

…‘Left behind’? W-when did I start thinking like this?! Since when do I think of anything here worth missing?! SINCE WHEN?!

My head spinning, I felt my mind grow out of control. Images, sounds and memories came by too fast to be registered, too fleeting to be remembered. Panic was starting to take hold of me.

My name is Sam. My name is Ventus. My name is what I choose it to be. We’re not staying here. WE’RE NOT STAYING HERE!

Without thinking, I twisted the doorknob and ran outside.

Instantly, the disorientation hit me, making me stop.

I knew my words had been true when I had explained it to him, I knew that, but the difference between knowing and experiencing it was one that could never be overstated.

My legs failed me, causing another burst of pain where my head had hit the wooden planks. Flames and illness had exploded in my chest. I was exposed to an unmaking reality. It shouldn’t have been possible, not for an alicorn as young as me to do this. Fear struck my heart, as I came to wonder if I hadn’t been too foolish in my arrogance and this desire to maintain a mask.

Unable to stand, barely able to move, I remained still, at the mercy of my own concept. The winds struck at breathtaking speed. Each one was like a blade, striking at me fast and hard, or at least it tried to.

No, that was wrong. It… it wasn’t exactly… hitting me, nor was it really moving around me… it… my own knowledge of language failed me in this occasion. My more human side in particular was completely stumped. T-there wasn’t a word for this. Not in Sam’s – my – vocabulary. There simply wasn’t a human word that could accurately describe the slow loss of your soul in your environment.

Left with little strength, I couldn’t move, not yet, but I could still see. In the distance, the sun was setting, coloring the horizon orange and red. Over the rails, a few clouds drifted, sometimes over, sometimes under the airship. There was no denying this beauty, how it created aches and soothed the dread filling my limbs.

“This was a moronic idea…” I muttered, panting and sweating.

Gritting my teeth, I forced myself to focus on this identity rather than its essence. I repeated the mantra, I told myself who I was.

I am Ventus Vinco. I am the wind. I am Sam Miller. I am the air under the sky and the reborn concept of wind. I am human in mind, but not in body. I am an alicorn and a concept, but not a pony. I am Sam and Ventus.

Slowly, the unease receded. It changed, from an overwhelming pressure over my whole being to a scream in my ears, one that couldn’t be silenced.

Over that, I barely detected the screeching of the door’s hinges. Without looking, I already had an idea of the identity of this new pony. After all, the engineers weren’t going to leave their posts and Calx would have thrown the door open with much more confidence.

“So, how is your attempt at mingling going, Blueblood?” I called for his attention, stopping the noise of hoofsteps behind me.

Building up my strength to put out a calm front, I breathed in and out a few times, regretting the foul impression spreading in my lungs with each inspiration. Then, only after I felt I wouldn’t throw up, I turned around to face him.

“T-this is ridiculous…” He shot a nervous glance to the door behind us. “They are so uncouth I feel my fur stand on its ends just hearing them speak. And don’t get me started on the smell in that room! My airship will need to be disinfected and cleaned up when we get back.”

Mentally, I rolled my eyes. Four workers in a small closed-off room, with a heater somewhere… What kind of smell were you expecting? Besides, some nobles can be worse with how thick they lay off their perfumes.

Sadly, my true feelings had to be squashed, and a more diplomatic answer came out instead. “I can’t really deny they are rough around the edge, but what of it?”

“’W-what of it?!’ Their behavior is simply disgusting. You imitated them!” The thought seemed to give him a small aneurysm. “I cannot believe you would forsake all your manners so quickly for a few workers!”

His words struck a chord, hitting the fiber of my being I had thought dead.

Hiding a newly born anger had luckily become an easy exercise for me. “But it was fun while it lasted. Didn’t you feel accepted by them when you tried to see it from their point of view?”

Hearing this, the prince’s abrasive attitude subdued and he shrunk on himself shamefully.

“Tell me you at least tried…” I felt my mouth twist with disbelief, almost scoffing.

Parts of me were really irritated that he’d made me lose my time, but the rest... strangely, it was disappointment that shone through. When had I started placing so much faith in him?

“Don’t be so condescending all the time, Blueblood.” I shook my head, letting out a disheartened sigh. “That’s one of the first lesson you ought to learn.”

Behind me, Blueblood’s breathing hitched.

“S-sorry…” His voice came out hoarse, prompting me to look back to him. The more time he spent with me, the less well-off it seemed to be for his physical appearance. Muscles in his legs were shaking, betraying his nervousness, and the despair in his eyes struck me as pitiful. “J-just how am I supposed to connect with those ponies? We’re nothing alike.”

Only then did the truth dawn on me. It wasn’t for a lack of trying, rather than a simple inability to see where to start.

“True, but the same could be said of you from their points of view. Once they saw you weren’t going to condescend and belittle them, they accepted you. Do you at least see it?”

“I-I suppose… if one were to exclude… s-some truly ghastly moment… it was fun, for short periods of time!” Even as he said it, he seemed to grow more excited, childishly so. “T-they were… very… accepting and friendly.”

It made me grin. “Well, then, you’ve got one proof that a pony’s shell makes not for their value or their nobility. Does this rationalization help you consider them worth your time?”

Sadly, my guess turned out correct. He did look less reluctant to talk to them again. Somewhat encouraging was the internal debate I detected within him.

“But that still does not tell me how to connect with them!”

“Turn it around. Be accepting and friendly in return, without the judgmental eye. Keep up the appearances and don’t let your differences slip between you. That’s the basic for a socialite, isn’t it?”

His mouth, opened to protest or question again, clamped shut.

There, that ought to keep him busy just stewing on that. Maybe now I’ll get a moment to think of more urgent matters, like how to-

“I could not help thinking…” His voice came out loudly, again, making me drown a puppy in my head to vent the sudden rise in frustration. “They will want a raise, won’t they?”

Okay… strange question… “Do you think they deserve one?”

“I… I do not know… They have been doing their jobs well and I have been paying accordingly. If we become more civil, do you think they’ll expect… I mean, if we come into contact more often, would they not expect me to use my moneytary status to... That is how the high society live. Friends means more favors and power, financial or political.”

As ridiculous as the idea was, I felt saddened by how empty he made his life sound. Darn, it had to suck to be raised in such an environment.

Unaware of my sudden empathy, he went on, pensive and introspective, to the point I seemed to have vanished from his field of vision. He was thinking out loud. “There wouldn’t be much harm in giving them a raise… I never cared much for money itself.” Briefly, he paused, before his eyes widened in horror. “M-my status… was so much more important… is. Ventus! I do not think I can actually stop caring about my station!”

I know I’m supposed to be a well of wisdom and what’s not, being four centuries old or one and a half decade, but shit, this isn’t easy... I never thought about this stuff before! It was self-evident to me!

“Being proud… of your origin… of who you are…” I placated my hesitations behind a kind smile. “I don’t think it’s something inherently bad. Truly, it will depend on how that translates to your relationship with other ponies.”

For a moment, Blueblood looked so relieved, so thoroughly comforted, that I wavered. Something akin to warmth had grown in my chest. On impulse, I trotted the distance separating us and gently patted him in the back.

“You’ve seen today that ordinary ponies can be just as good, competent, hardworking and friendly as ponies of higher status. Superficial factors might change, but not the worth of the pony itself.”

“But…”

“Just keep trying,” I said firmly, a hint of steel and cold filtering through my behavior.

Silence was the only thing passing between us. There was no room for discussion anymore.

“You taught your little brother how to gamble?” His voice was a mixture of indignation and amusement.

Almost no room.

I snorted. “Shut up. It kept him busy.”

As it keeps the poor stallions stuck with him downstairs. Briefly, I prayed the Elders wouldn’t be unfair to the workers, as they were good ponies at heart.

“I was only wondering.” Blueblood raised a roof over his chest briefly, feigning repentance and humility.

That’s about as convincing as the CMC’s talent show.

In spite of the annoyance of his questioning, I actually grinned. The ambiance had lightened tangibly with just these few words.

“The breeze is quite pleasant at this altitude, at least at this time of the year.” The white stallion looked over the safety rail, hazarding his gaze to the earth below.

From his perch, I knew he could see the entirety of the fields separating Ponyville from Canterlot. The sight seemed touch him, as a small and childish grin appeared on his lips.

His voice turned into an excited whisper. “A-amazing! It has been months since I was given the chance…” He gulped down, though it seemed to have stemmed from excitement rather than stress. “The world below seems so different from up here. It’s so much more... refined.”

“There is no denying that.” I nodded.

“Though perhaps it is a bit cold.” He shivered.

Cold wind… I glanced to the side of the ship, an extension of my mind warning me about an anomaly. Somehow, the
presence of another, unwelcomed but so very familiar, being so up high was clear as day to me.

Without a second of hesitation, my head turned precisely toward said flying creature. At a moment’s notice, it accelerated, flying directly toward the airship. From this angle, the unmistakably equine traits of the monster only served as a remainder of the horror behind its existence.

“He tore apart his soul.” Luna’s scream echoed in my mind as a warning.

A piece of Caelum Ourobos’ soul. Perhaps a fragment of soul that should have been mine. And it was drawn to me. A windigo had come to me!

It cut through the gusts of wind like they were nothing, exhaling air cold air to create white smoke. Its cries of blind hatred started echoing, creating an uncanny version of a whinny that had my blood curdling.

I was looking straight in its eyes. The admittedly great distance did little to minimize the impact of such a sight. Behind the swirling white light, there was an instinctual truth hidden. I knew what it was. It knew what I was and the instant that the spark of recognition danced between us, a whirlpool of impulses drowned the rest of my being.

A wave of desire and affection flushed through my thought process, leaving only the connection between the two of us and reducing my capacity to reflect its most basic level.

MINE!

The wind spirit recoiled, turning on its tail and diving away from the airship. It left a trail of cooler air behind, a few snowflakes forming in its wake. Clearly, it tried to put the most distance between us.

A foolish and pointless gesture.

The entirety of my being focused entirely on the windigo, I took a few steps forward, as to make sure I would not lose sight of its form. How could I?

It was a part of me, right? Then why was it flying around?! I wanted it, violently!

With a stomp of my hoof, I put the entirety of my greed in one single mental command. Come. Back!

As the windigo faded in a panicked shriek, memories started to pour in my brain. I was completely unprepared for the thousand sensations that split my head in half. Unlike the reality warping, the assault didn’t feel like I was remembering something, I was shown somepony else’s life. It filled my brain with thoughts that weren’t mine.

A plethora of blood… so many ponies, dying… so stupid… why aren’t they listening to me?! I’ve thrown away my home for you! WHY AREN’T YOU LISTENING TO ME?!

Just as suddenly as the images had been summoned, the world was back to its vibrant, brightly colored state. There was a small exception to this though. I felt as if my chest was burning with seething fury.

“Prince Ventus, are you alright?” The fool stepped closer to me, stabilizing me with a strong hoof. “You staggered for a moment.”

“I… I am-”

Against my will, my body leaned more strongly into his hold. My legs had no strength in them; I couldn’t stand, I couldn’t breathe. My chest was heaving, so loudly those broken pants of mine just filled my ears.

Die.... Die... Die... Die... Die... Die... Die... Die... Die... Die... Die…

The corners of my eyes burned with cold so extreme it would stripe one’s flesh off their bones. I wanted to share the feeling with whoever would cross my path. Just share my pain and my hatred!

However, just as I started focusing magic in my horn, my neck twisted enough for something else to catch my attention. Painfully, the dying sunlight reflected against my retina. With just that, I was reminded of the princess waiting for her nephew to come back.

Mercilessly, I squashed those urges of violence. I can’t… too dangerous right now…

Slowly, with great hesitations, I forced myself to stand on my own four hooves, refusing any help from the unicorn prince. Judging from the wide eyes and the twitches of his tail, it wasn’t by any choice of his that I stood unsupported.

“What happened!? You were looking in blank space one moment and, the next, you collapsed!”

For a second, I could not think of an appropriate answer. Instead, my mind had focused on an information he had revealed to me. So you didn’t detect the windigo’s presence? Better not disillusion you then.

“Sorry about that. I’m afraid being so up high in the sky does affect me in ways I couldn’t predict,” I explained with a weak smile.

Oh yes, certainly not what I had predicted.

At another time, I would have noticed the sincerity of his worry or the truth behind the concerned look he shot me, but I was too busy contemplating what had happened. That windigo had disappeared without even physical contact between us. All it had taken was an honest desire to get it back.

The cogs of my mind were already turning at full speed. Now, this is very interesting…

The letter had arrived in the morning, early. When she had seen the seal and whom it had come from, her first action had been to keep the scroll away from her, but, within minutes of diverting her gaze, it had started naturally turning back to it.

In the end, she hadn’t resisted.

Dear Twilight,

It is unfortunate that this must be the second time I must present an apology to you, but I cannot simply silence this. My actions have made you uncomfortable and this is a fault I mustn’t repeat. I am afraid my self-control failed me in your presence. If I could promise you perfect control, I would, but I am afraid my attraction to you might be stronger.

Until we can both be certain of our sentiment for one another, if there is such a thing, I would nonetheless hope we could continue communicating via these letters. I have heard from my cousin that you have a remarkably fast way of keeping contact with her. Perhaps this could allow us to learn more from each other without… internal influences.

With hopes that you will reply to this letter,

Prince Ventus.

Her magic keeping the message afloat, Twilight bit her lips, pensive. What was she supposed to think? Her sentiments toward the whole situation and the stallion himself were still muddied by uncertainty and, today, she would like things to be simple. As such, Twilight telekinetically grabbed her two train tickets and her number one sleeping assistant, departing for the station.

Visiting the Crystal Empire with her parents would be quite nice, she decided, especially when they had inside ponies to give them support should it be needed. Sometimes, it paid off to be related to so many royals.

--

The song of roosters had long since echoed in the orchards of the Apple family. With each sunrise, the three earth pony siblings would rise from their slumbers and prepare for their daily chores with various degrees of acceptance.

Youngest and most energetic of them all, Applebloom had made a habit of putting a token protest at wasting her time with chores every day. Unsettled as of the moment for a future she knew nothing of, the filly certainly could not focus long on mundane tasks when there were crusade to be had.

The Apples’ kitchen remained stunningly calm and undisturbed, with the exception of a few dishes being handled.

Similarly, the bulky hooves of the eldest sibling carried him not in the fields, but upstairs, carrying a very special something in his mouth. Despite his weight, none of the wooden planks creaked and his little trip upstairs went on in peaceful silence. Unfamiliar witnesses might have believed he was going to wake his little sisters for the day, but both were busy cooking downstairs. It was not before his room that he stopped either.

Gently, Big Mac grabbed the handle of the door and pushed it open, careful not to make any noise. Only darkness would have welcomed him beyond the slimmer of light he brought in, had it not been for a few words mumbled by a cranky old voice.

After putting his gift on her bedside table, the red stallion softly brought her up from the land of dreams. “Morning, Gran.”

Blinking and muttering, Granny Smith’s first reflex was to grab for the first thing she could, which happened to be her curtains.

Hurriedly, breaking from his unperturbed stride, Big Mac almost ran to catch up his grandmother before she threw herself down the bed and broke her hips. It, unfortunately, wouldn’t be the first time.

“Lil’ Macky?” The elderly mare called in confusion from his front legs, her wrinkle face crunched up while she tried to identify her grandchild.

“Eeyup.” He nodded, and picked up the bouquet he had brought with him. “AJ, Bloom and I got ya this.”

Giving the flowers a tentative lick and sniff, Granny Smith turned her focus entirely on the little folded piece of cardboard rather than the enticing snack.

“Aw, you big doofus,” she said as she picked the card up, though her tone implied playfulness. “Ah can’t read s’mething so small without mah glasses.”

“’s okay, Granny.” His mouth curled up in a smile. “Ain’t the words that’s important.”

No, indeed they were not.

--

In other parts of town, a few more ponies stirred away from their sleep, some of them mothers receiving the pleasant surprise of a breakfast in bed cooked by enthusiastic foals. The results, sometimes quite spectacular in more ways than one, always felt special to those lucky mares.

How else could a mother react to a token of her family’s affection? The love was palpable, even in the craziest displays and shows of appreciation.

Mrs. Cake was visited by an escalating sense of foreboding before it all went to Tartarus.

--

I had not welcomed the rising sun this morning. Its light had caused pounding against the sides of my head. The sensation had not been unrelated to a bad hangover, though I was certain that I hadn’t drunk on the airship.

Mostly certain…

My memories of the day before were… hazy. I did remember the essential, namely Calx owning the local poker game and the windigo, but after that…? I wasn’t quite sure.

Caelum had been whispering in my ears. Or at least, what I assumed to be his voice, but then again, it sounded ridiculously similar to mine. The differences were mostly in the tone and the inflexions.

It made for a blurry recollection, leaving the airship a little later and going back to our shared room, laughing at the stories told. A mist covered most of these images.

The guards… the servants… the nobles… Calx… their faces are there… but I can’t hear them. Like others wouldn’t listen to me.

A pulsing flame heated the depth of my chest, trying to spread a boiling anger to the rest of my being, but it remained… muted, muffled. It remained, a fragment of hatred that would neither fade nor take over.

Doing my best to ignore it, I tried to relocate my attention elsewhere, but the other scene available to me at the moment was just as heart wrenching, though with sorrow rather than hatred.

Calx looked a lot less confident and boastful than usual. His demeanor was eerily calm, with his wings placated against his sides rather than flaring up at every opportunity, with his gaze dull and unfocused. At first, I couldn’t tell the reason behind this sudden change of personality and it struck a chord in me.

At first. My own nature worked against me today.

I was hearing the voices of the Equestrian. It wasn’t new. What had changed however was that I could not tune them all out so easily, not with the event of the previous day still so vivid. My mind felt out of balance and, as such, so did my magic. To be completely honest though, even perfect control over my magic could not have stopped me from hearing it. The words exchanged were simply too attention grabbing.

“Happy Mother’s Day!” They said, all around Equestria.

My heart contracted painfully enough to send shockwaves through the rest of my being. So suddenly, the metaphorical blade had cut straight through my chest and emptied it.

Less than longing, perhaps more, there was a craving in me for even a small morsel of motherly love today. I just wanted… I wanted them to know how much I loved them…

Which ones? I asked myself, but the answer came out surprisingly easily. All of them, of course.

Likewise, my little brother certainly had thoughts of the same type. His hooves seemed to be too heavy, grating the stone with each step, for it to be another reason.

“Come on,” I whispered, lifting Calx up with a twist of my magic. “Let’s try to have some fun today, okay?”

“…’Kay…” He muttered, crestfallen.

I hoped the emptiness in his voice was only temporary.

--

It would be blatantly unfair to say that she did not understand the spirit of the holiday; it would be even worse to say that her own mannerism was proof of her lack of respect for her parents. No, Rarity did understand how important it was to honor one’s parents and make it apparent.

Still, would it have killed her mom to choose clothing that wasn’t draining the fabulous from the air simply by existing? It was true, however, that in comparison to her last outing, Miss Pearl’s fashion sense had improved drastically. That peculiar occasion had made Hoity Toity faint. Luckily, his recollection of the events fortunately left out Rarity. Nowadays, Miss Pearl’s clothing habits simply had the fashionista internally die each second she spent in sight of that outfit.

Her whole family had gathered at a small restaurant near the edge of town, reputed to serve nice quaint little breakfasts, light and healthy. It was delicious. That, however, was a double-edged sword, as a fair number of ponies had chosen the location for an early family reunion.

“And then, there was that time when I stayed at Rarity’s house and the girls came for a mini-sleepover!” Her sweet little sister shouted, gathering more attention and thus causing Rarity to die more on the inside. Again. “We stayed up all night!”

“Y-yeah…” The fashionista gave a faint chuckle, her eyes darting around to “It was so nice to take care of you and your friends all night after you destroyed my supply of perfume.”

Sweetie Belle had the good grace to look guilty.

Their mother would have made a comment, which, judging from her expression and dismissing wave of hoof, would have been along the lines of “Aw, cut your sister some slack, Rarity. I’m sure her and her little friends didn’t mean to.”

However, before any remark could be made, the small family heard a syrupy voice.

“My, Rarity, what a pleasant surprise!” They turned toward a beige pegasus speaking with such sweetness that flies would soon be attracted to her person. “I didn’t think I would see you today.”

“Fine Stitch, the shock is absolutely mutual.” Rarity assured her icily.

Her parents and her sister glanced at the mare, before turning back to the fashionista. “Who is that, my little bumpkin?”

“This is Fine Stitch,” Rarity said mechanically, remarkably neutral sounding. “She is a semi-professional mannequin that just recently moved here.”

“Why, then, it’s a pleasure meeting you, Miss Stitch. Pretty fancy clothes you’re wearing there, darling.” Pearl gave an approving nod, which her husband replicated.

“Yes, yes they are. I love to follow the latest fashion trends. This scarf here is a Calves Klein. Isn’t it lovely?”

“Sure is, Miss Stitch.” Sweetie Belle giggled, then, to the horror of her big sister, added a little something. “Do you want to have lunch with us?”

Celestia suddenly found herself being silently prayed to about how, in the name of all that is fashionable and drop dead gorgeous, she should lead that pain in the rump Stitch away from them forever. The Alicorn of the Sun unfortunately had no time to share for this triviality.

Thus, the sapphire blue mare sent a look to the table they were sharing. The food served in particular gathered her attention.

“Hay Fries and Salad?” The haughty mare remarked in mock shock, eying the meals they were sharing with a convincing concern. “Dear, isn’t that a little… plain?”

At that point, even cute innocent Sweetie Belle had stopped smiling. However, her sister had not. It was a smile too large, too big and frankly, too insincere to resemble anything but a snarl.

“Then again, I could understand you not wanting to ruin that…” The mare’s eyes fell on Pearl’s clothes, causing the edges of her mouth to curl upward with smug superiority. “...That outstanding ensemble.”

Confused as to whether she should be happy with the compliment toward her mother, Sweetie Belle settled for finding out the source of that blood chilling scrapping noise that had started saturating the air. She shrunk back in her seat when she realized it came from her sister grinding her teeth together.

“Oh, it. Is. ON!” The white unicorn stood up, eye twitching. “I challenge you to a duel to the fashion death!”

“My poor Rarity, you were always too pre-”

“The game is hoofball!” Rarity slammed her hooves into the table, making her father grin like Heart’s Warming Eve had come early. “First mare to score fifty points wins, loser has to wear last week’s fashionable ensemble!”

Suddenly, Fine Stitch spontaneously realized that she had gotten herself in a whole leap of trouble. And that last week’s fashionable ensemble did not fit with her mane at all!

--

The staff on hoof had been minimal, serving only a few nobles in the dining hall in contrast to the overwhelmingly large room. With so many empty seats around us, it was quite awkward to eat breakfast. No recognizable faces to exchange vapid pleasantries with, no, just a silent introspection and a terrible aching for our parents.

Still, I made an effort to be polite and gentle with the maids stuck serving us on what appeared to be a national holiday. It might have echoed empty and my smile might have appeared hollow, but the look in their eyes conveyed understanding, at least.

Nopony made any comment when we decided to leave early, though one green mare seemed to hesitate, looking at Calx sadly.

The hallways of Canterlot Castle gave the impression of being void of life. We would be hard pressed to run into one servant or guard. The holiday’s importance seemed to be just as big as I had evaluated. It made it impossible for us to think of anything but them.

At this point, I just felt like the Universe was rubbing salt in my wounds purely for the sake of it.

Mechanically, my little brother led the way to his tutor’s room in the castle. It was in an isolated part of the western section. On my own, I wouldn’t have bothered visit the place.

The door to the living room seemed to have been unlocked, as he pushed on it without even bothering to knock, instead making his way in like it was his second home.

Honestly, the environment was cozy enough for me to accept it without even a mental fight. Drapes and cushions were placed strategically, creating an impression of intimacy that could be quite welcomed in a learning studio. In the middle of the room, in front of a chalkboard, a simple student desk awaited him.

“Hi Mrs. Catch Crop,” Calx dully recited, showing little to no energy. In my mind, the only images that came to me were seriously disturbing pictures of pony zombies.

“Hello, Mr. Iugum.” A familiar alto voice came from the adjacent room, growing slightly louder as she appeared in the doorframe. “Have you completed your homework on the second Equestrian conflict with the diamond dogs?”

I didn’t know who I expected, but it certainly wasn’t HER. The difference between the mare was in the lighting. This time, we weren’t almost alone in the dark, but Calx was still an unknowing witness.

My first assessment back then hadn’t been wrong, she was sexy, with the right curves to her red hips and that little kick in her movement, but darn it if I didn’t hate her face. Especially when her gaze fell on me and switched from normal to predatory.

“Hello Prince Ventus.” Okay, the Tartarus? How’d she make a simple hello sound like an invitation to her bedroom?! “I am very glad to see you. You left so abruptly the last time. It was so lonely to wait alone in that big empty bed.”

If you didn’t get the message after I run the buck away from you, you’re a moron!

“Didn’t I tell you last time to-”

"Hey, Miss Catch!” Calx suddenly cut me off, a grin appearing on his face. “Is it okay if I go fetch my homework and leave you alone with my brother?"

We both turned to him with wide eyes.

"Like... for two or three hours?” He asked innocently, though I knew better. “Would that be enough?"

Sometimes, the fact that he could read me like an open book was a curse. Seriously, he knew exactly how much this pissed me off, which made it that much more hilarious for him.

Watch your back, you little squirt! You’re going to get it later.

Catch Crop’s smile turned downright saucy. “Perfect, Calx. You also get a bonus point on your assignment.”

I watched in astonishment as my little brother ran snickering, toward his freedom and leaving me with this skank.

Wait, is he really selling my body for his grades in school? Nah, it’s to get a vacation. Twilight Zone… and not the cute librarian type either. “Tell me I’m dreaming.”

“Oh, it is a dream,” she said, stroking my chin with her tail. “And it’s about to get even better.”

I didn’t know what pissed me off the most: the fact that she had groped me or that she was just so utterly unashamed of having done it. Also, I was SO going to practice my wrestling moves on Calx once this was over.

“Have you no shame?” I hissed. “You courted me, despite my protests, in front of him! TWICE!”

She truly seemed unflappable. “If the issue was the place, you could always just knock at my door tonight.”

My face unfortunately exploded with heat. The knowing light in her grin was enough to accentuate the humiliation.

Through gritted teeth, I let out a frustrated growl. “Don’t wait up, you might get to experience another ‘lonely night in that big empty bed’ of yours, which I suppose is quite often for such a bitch!”

Oh, this time, she certainly didn’t shrug it off. In a flash, her expression went from confident seductress to that of righteous fury. With a snarl, she threw herself forward, an impulse going down her right front leg as she raised it to strike.

My rational mind went down the drain. For a split second, something animalistic, primal, took control of my limbs, blinding me to everything but the all-compassing hatred of that idiot mare that dared move to hurt me. In a blur of colors, I stood on my hind legs and stomped.

As quickly as it had started, that outburst died, with one of her leg firmly stuck against the ground. Catch Crop had fallen on her side, the momentum of her attack throwing her off balance when I had pushed over that very same leg.

I loomed over her, seeing her through a filter of blood thirst and anger. Both our breathing was heavy; but while mine was pants of anger, hers resembled a series of panicked whimpers. Her pupils, shrunk to dots, were hard to see through a small film of tears.

My body felt cold, my wings were fully extended and stretching, each one of my exhalation brought a small could of icy air; I could hear the song of the blizzard’s wind. Shrilled ringing was threatening to split my head open.

Briefly, I lost sight of the thing under me, my vision turning white.

Beneath me wasn’t a castle of stone and an impudent mare, but the wide open space of the sky. The land stretched for miles beyond what my eyes could see.

My body wasn’t solid. It was air.

Cold air.

The land was warm. It was covered in green. It needed to be white.

“P-please… let go…” The terrified whisper broke through my trance.

Trembling was communicated to one of my hoof, but I wasn’t the source. It was her. The fleeting thought of making her realize that I wasn’t playing hard to get was sweet.

I shouldn’t… this is already dangerous waters to thread by…

Slowly, I lowered the pressure applied on her hoof, then stepped back. The fur in that spot was ruffled and the shape of my own hoof was imprinted there. It looked bad.

Darn it. I put too much strength in it…

“This will leave a bruise.” A silky thread flew by us, cooled by an icy breeze, then enlaced her hurting limb. “Try not to put too much weight on it.”

The care I tried to put in my voice rang hollow, even to myself, but I had to try. I had to keep trying to put on the right mask, even when it felt much too late. It mattered not in the end. Out of shock or fear, she did not call me out on it.

She’s more likely to avoid me like the plague now…

Feeling the weight of my action starting to wear on my shoulders, I turned toward the door swiftly. Trying to keep the nausea at bay, I focused my gaze onto the painted windows outside the room, in the hallways. Feeling her eyes still on me, I saw an opportunity.

“Calx is not coming here anymore. It matters not what Celestia has to say about it, he’s not keeping you for a teacher.”

She did not say a thing.

Breathing in… breathing out… It was her respiration. Not mine. No, everything she breathes IS mine, I should-

I shook my head, trying to chase the idea before it led to a fatal consequence.

This isn’t working… Sooner or later, I’ll end up killing somepony… And then things will become really dire.

Without realizing it, I put more strength in my legs, pushing harder against the ground and moving faster. My mind was still toward the hyperventilation and the breaking that came from Catch Crop’s room. I was too close, I could still feel everything about her and it made disgust crawl over my skin.

I had to get away, quickly! My hooves created a thundering sound hitting the floor, again and again. I didn’t even think to become immaterial, all that mattered was to escape this slithering malice clawing at my heart.

It was this desperation and mindless impulse that guided me straight into the pony walking around the corner, the impact of our collision having pain flash in my face and making me bounce backward. Unceremoniously, I fell off on my rump, forcing me to, appropriately, look up to the one I had ran into.

“Cousin Celly?” I asked, blinking.

The image of the white alicorn, radiant, shedding light over me had the darkness recede, if only out of fear. Her benevolent smile barely affected me, though I did let out an inner sigh of relief.

“Why, hello Ventus.” She offered a hoof to help me stand up, which I accepted gratefully. “Are you alright?”

“I… yes. I apologize for this…” Heat crept up to my cheeks, as my ears drooped with the embarrassment. “I had too much on my mind.” Thoughts of murder and horrific pain, mostly.

“Well, we can call this a lucky accident then.” Celestia turned around, flexing her wing forward as an invitation to walk next to her. “I was looking for you.”

“Looking for me?” I repeated, hesitantly making my way up to her side.

As was becoming a recurring occurrence for her, the lightness of her interaction decreased, reaching a polite but distant tone. “I have heard of your escapade yesterday evening.”

The weight of her words had me sweating. Uneasy, I fought a grimace, looking away from a split second before giving a curt nod. I didn’t trust my voice to remain calm or strong enough.

“So you consciously disobeyed my orders and left the castle’s premise?”

Buck, I can’t believe that didn’t even cross my mind before!

“…Yes.” The sound came out almost raspy. “I did.”

Her gaze hardened, but not overly so. Disappointment rolled off of her in waves.

Keeping up a calm exterior, I waited for her to go on. Truthfully, I was kicking myself for not planning ahead for this conversation. There had to be a skillfully fabricated motivation I could use to justify that, but being put on the spot didn’t help my concentration, especially not with the words whispered in my ears.

She sounded surprisingly calm when she addressed me. “Would you care to justify your actions?”

Admittedly, I spent a small moment silent, figuring out what to say. That I had felt the impulse of our race? That Tom wanted a bit of fresh air and it was the best available option? That I was considering buying one such airship?

…When did lying become my first course of action? Oh right, since I decided to hide the truth of our origin, whatever it is now… If I were to start that moment over, would I change anything?

And thinking back on Blueblood, who was making progresses, I realized that, at the very least, I didn’t want that to be lost. This time, the truth really seemed a much more elegant and simple option.

“It had been requested of me.”

“By our nephew?” She guessed accurately.

“Yes, he wanted… my opinion of his airship.”

The way her lips formed a tight line, I guessed that she had understood with just those words. Still, my guts were telling me not to under evaluate what my actions were about.

“I felt it more important to support Prince Blueblood in his soul searching than to obey your command on that one occasion. What is happening to him is a grand and powerful change, that I dare not stifle, as it may be his last chance at a greater life. If he stops now, there is no guarantee he will not snob his next chance. I chose what I believed would be for the best.”

Celestia looked at me silently for a long time.

Finally, she spoke without a single trace of emotion. “The goal of staying in the castle was to minimize the possible impacts your presence and that of your brother would have in Equestria. Was there any incident worth noting during this little excursion?”

“A windigo.”

It was funny, truly, to see the carefully guarded princess blink in surprise. The sight made it harder for me to keep a grin off my lips.

“I took care of it,” I said simply. “It’s gone.”

Throwing her off her game with the absolute truth. Just to give the impression that she can at least trust me when the horseshoes are off.

“Gone?” She repeated slowly.

“The one we met will never bother you again, this much is a certainty.”

Contrarily to my expectations, Celestia simply closed her eyes. “If that is the end of it… so be it.”

Now, I was surprised. “Are you not going to punish me for defying your orders?” Is it not how alicorns act?

As she turned to me, her eyes opened, showing leniency and perhaps even worry. “No. I believe I understand your reasons and this time, I am willing to overlook your actions.”

“T-then…?” I was so confused. Why would she insist I follow her if not to inflict some other form of punishment on me?

Her lips curled up in a small smile at my own surprise, but I could also detect… pity at my reaction. “Equestria is not so cruel a world, Ventus.”

“Tia!” Another alicorn’s voice rang through the corridor.

Hearing this call, Celestia turned quickly, as did I, toward Princess Luna.

For a second, my mind became a blank. From the impression I had first been given, she lived through a nocturnal cycle most of the time, accompanied by her guards and any pony that wished to deal with Luna rather than Celestia. The other impression of her that I had concerned cold contempt for me and age olds question about the very essence of my soul.

So yeah, daytime meeting with Luna, not what I expected.

But my gaze didn’t remain on the Alicorn of the Night for long. I was much preoccupied by the blue colt following her halfheartedly.

It was a far cry from his earlier impishness around his tutor… but rather close to his behavior beforehand. His head hung low, scrapping the ground with every step and refusing to make eye contact. A bad presentiment visited me, but the desire to protect him was stronger than even my fear.

“Hey.” I kneeled down to his level, opening a wing for him to hide under. “What’s up, lil’ brother? You look sad.”

“There was this…” His voice broke and he fought a sob, quickly hiding his face in my shoulder. “This filly, she was calling for her mother…”

I heard this sound of breaking, caused by the schism that jumped in my chest and slowly pushed two sides apart. My heart sank, broken, leaving only an emptiness that made it hard to breath. I could only try to fight my own aching for our parents.

“It’s okay,” I whispered, closing my wing over his body. “We’re going to see them soon.”

His grip hardened. “I miss them…”

Closing my eyes, I nuzzled him with the hope to transmit even a little of the sentiment he craved for. “I know.”

To my shock though, twins sets of wings pressed on my own back, gently spreading a comfortable warmth to my whole being. For a second, my consciousness went to my past, toward the Astral Planes and the numerous alicorns. Father and Mother had held me so, most of the times at my demand. I could see their faces… I could see their love…

Opening my eyes was a torture at this point, for I knew the reality would quickly replace the fantasy. Regretfully, I allowed my eyelids to part and let the light filter my surroundings again. My gaze was on Calx, only on him, as I did not think I could face either Celestia or Luna at the moment.

I couldn’t summon up the strength to be annoyed at them! Even if I only wanted us to be left alone, the delicate and comforting touch was slowly melting away my reluctance. The two royal sisters were acting… motherly. And Elders, Calx and I needed that so badly.

“Now that we are all gathered, it feels appropriate for us to speak of our idea,” Luna started, a small tender smile directed at us.

Continuing, Celestia also smiled, alternatively looking at each alicorn in the hallway. “This is a delicate topic, we know, but we also understand the longing for a mother long lost.”

…W-what?

“Would you accompany us today in our endeavors, young ones? It would please us greatly to share our agenda with you.”

I had no words.

--

The loud whistle rang through the train station, bringing a wince to the few ponies that got off. Their ensuing glares at the train driver made him smile sheepishly and amicably wave their way.

There were a few that hadn’t been bothered by the loud and shrill noise, as they had just been reunited with an important part of their family.

“It’s good to see you, B.B.B.F.F.,” Twilight stepped forward, passing a front leg around his leg and squeezing.

“Same here, lil’ sis, same here.” Shining Armor replied, patting her back a few times, before breaking the hug. “So, how’s the trip been? Peaceful I hope?”

“Oh, it was really nice.” The young mare nodded, lifting her luggage and her assistant’s with her magic. “Spike slept almost through the whole thing, so I had plenty of time to dive into the latest book in Miss. Sleeping Heart’s novel. Of course, before that, Pinkie had to give us a small farewe-”

“Shining Armor!” A childish voice abruptly cut her off, as did the purple blur that ran straight into said stallion.

“Whoa there, little guy.” The eldest sibling looked down to his leg and the baby dragon attached to it. “Missed me?”

“You think?” Spike groaned. “It’s just girls stuff all over. All the time. Save me!”

“I wouldn’t be much of a royal guard if I didn’t help my fellow males to escape the domination of the evil, yucky mares, would I?” The white stallion chuckled and lifted his little brother on his back.

Next to them, Twilight rolled her eyes, muttering something to the effect of “Colts…” However, she straightened up when, after noticing her reaction, both boys had started snickering and looking for other ways to annoy her.

“Where’s Cadence?” She swiftly asked, preempting any of their attempts.

“Oh, back at the castle, Twiley. Somepony had to stay and show off our inner gymnasium to our parents. It just so happens that Cadence lost a bet recently.”

The young alicorn’s eyes widened in surprise. “You mean everypony’s already here?”

“Yeah, Mom and Dad arrived yesterday night.” Shining Armor mentioned offhandedly.

“Wow, I didn’t think they’d already be here.” Blinking, Twilight brought an unfolded scroll

“Sounds like you’re the last one to arrive. One could say that you’re…” He broke into a teasing grin, waggling his eyebrows at them. “Tardy.”

Spike’s claws abruptly covered his mouth, snorting loudly, while Twilight’s cheek colored a deep purple.

“Hush!” She flicked her tail at her brother’s face. “Come on, let’s get going. With the others already here, my whole schedule is messed up. No time to lose.”

Nodding, the other two members of the Sparkle family exchanged a look and agreed to follow. Seeing as Twilight was getting ahead of them, Shining Armor used the opportunity to ask a certain question. “You’re sure you're doing fine in Ponyville?”

“Well… I don’t get a chance to hang out with a lot of guys back there, you know?” The little dragon said after a short hesitation, grimacing.

“I get where you’re coming from, Spike, but if it was male bonding you wanted to experience today… well, it’s Mother’s Day. Today’s all about honoring Mom.”

With a sigh, Spike dragged himself away from Shining Armor, hoping to catch up on Twilight.

Neither him or his alicorn big sister heard the white stallion mutter under his breath. Had their senses been more attuned Shining Armor, they might have lost their mind, for he had said: “And next year, Cadence too.”

We had been walking down the streets of downtown Canterlot at the time. The slightly less immaculate part of the capital of Equestria had quickly started buzzing with activities when the residents had realized who was coming for a visit. Both princesses at once had to be a rare occurrence.

Slowly, some of the streets filled with excited ponies looking to catch a sight of their rulers together. Heads turned on the terraces and whispers floated in the air. At those that dared address even a single word of welcome or good will to us, Celestia responded in kind with her owns and a nod of acknowledgment.

So, while the atmosphere grew more excited and febrile, our little group made its way through the stony walls with the practiced ease of a regular visitor. Not once was there even a need to pause at an intersection or before eclipsing ourselves under a bridge. That small tidbit casted a light of suspicion upon my eldest cousin.

Not that Calx cared. He was literally buzzing with excitement, shaking at the idea of spending a whole day with his favorite princess. I would have thought he’d be at least a little put off by the part about being forced to study again, but then again, To- Calx had a pretty big forgiving streak.

“They’re here!” Somepony shouted, and instantly, we were surrounded.

It had been a great naivety on my part not to have expected it, but, as I stood blinded by a few dozens of flashes of cameras, I had to admit that the press eating up one of our first public appearance outside the castle was a dreadfully unpleasant experience.

Leave us alone, seriously. Right now is not the time you put me through the grinder, I thought, partially covering my eyes with one hoof. This way, at least, the pain each flash sent barreling through my brain was considerably lessened.

Heck, with a glance to my left, I could see Celestia’s figure standing a few feet away. While she had her own reporters to deal with, I had the gnawing impression her attention was actually focused on me.

As such, I did my absolute best not to react when a mike was shoved in my face, literally. “Sorry, Prince Ventus. What is your stance on the upcoming demolition of the old opera?”

Oh damn it… politics.

I could consider myself lucky, as for the most part, I hadn’t had direct contact with the incessant questioning. Considering the spell covering my being and possibly Calx’s, this had been a very good thing. Politics were a timberwolves’ den and I wanted nothing less than to avoid it entirely.

Still, now that I was face-to-face with it, I didn’t have that much choice. And this was a political question, no doubt about it. Problem was, knowing what was political and what wasn’t didn’t mean a lot when trying to come up with the right answer.

However, to my bafflement, Blueblood’s image flashed in my mind, retelling the events of a long opening ceremony during which he had been ambushed by paparazzi. At the time, I had smiled and rolled my eyes at his evasion technique. Now seemed like an appropriate moment for me to try my hooves at it.

“Eh, maybe my brother could answer you better than me,” I said quickly, snatching him away and putting him on my back. Quickly though, I felt his weight shift, with only two hooves pressing on my back, the remaining two pushing against the back of my head.

“Huh?” He exclaimed, tugging at my mane a little too strongly without realizing it. “On what?”

The multiple ponies stared silently for a moment, mouth opened widely and faces crunching up in an effort to think of the best way to approach this. It almost seemed like I had succeeded before a brave one took a step forward and prepared her quill and notebook.

“Prince Calx, the old Opera’s main building is decrepit!” She called with a bleeding heart. “Experts are formal: the only possible solution is well-organized demolition. Otherwise it will collapse and possibly injure innocent ponies!”

“Oh, duh, yeah, that’s bad. Just put it down.”

Excited, the journalist, a beige pegasus mare, started scribbling down his answer. What she hadn’t realized was how fake the indifference in my gaze truly was. My guts told me to be very wary of these ponies.

Still, seeing as one royal figure, albeit the least influencing one, had declared an opinion he hadn’t approved of, one much older stallion nearly pushed the mare over to talk to Calx. “But the old Opera is a remnant of our past and our culture! The institution remained standing for nearly three centuries! Our knowledge and practices of old cannot be lost to time so easily!”

If there was one thing he mustn’t have been expecting in response to his passionate declaration, it was that hissing noise so characteristic of uncontrollable snickering.

“W-what is so funny?”

“‘Three centuries’?” Calx quoted, failing to suppress some more snickering. “My brother’s older than that.”

Instantly, every pony stopped talking, looking quite a bit uncomfortable. Some were staring, the old stallion that had talked was squirming on his hooves and at least three ponies were trying to muffle their reactions by coughing loudly.

Unbelievably, I couldn’t stop myself from scowling at them, an eye twitching into a death glare. There was just this kneejerk reaction in me, like a kick to the guts, at having my age mocked. My cheeks were burning hot at that point.

Worse still, in the corner of my eye, I could see that Celestia was greatly amused, to the point even Luna realized it and sent her sister a curious look. How this managed to escape the attention of the journalists, I would never know…

“Oh, yes, you see, my little ponies,” the ruler of Equestria went on peacefully, as if she hadn’t followed our own interview word by word, “the idea of alicorns being able to visit us at any given time is unfortunately false. There are great balancing powers at play, involving the consequences of some of our actions, sometimes being thrown back at us.”

What goes around comes around, I translated in my head, finding it harder and harder to fight a snarl. I can’t believe she just managed to secretly taunt me in public!

Luckily, I had a little colt on my head ready to gather the attention and hold it forever.

“Okay, here’s what I would do. You take out the pricey stuff, put it in a museum and then you demolish the very old thing.” He crossed his forelegs over his chest and nodded, looking quite proud. “Problem solved.”

I wanted to laugh so badly at the disgruntled look the journalists shared, especially since, you know, Calx was probably screwing with them anyway.

With but that simple act, he had washed away my irritation and replaced it with a good natured desire to troll. So, not to be outdone by my little brother, I channeled some power through my horn and made us disappear with a breeze.

--

His little filly walked down the stairs with a bit of haze to her steps, but even then, he could not stop himself from feeling a great sensation of relief. At long last, she was willing to leave her room and stop crying her eyes out.

Alas, he had expected it would happen one day, but still, the heartache of a rejected love was a painful ordeal he had wished his precious daughter would never have to face.

“Come here, my little princess, let’s give your mother her gift,” he said, with an inviting hoof.

Wearing her signature tiara covered in diamonds, the pink filly accepted her father’s hoof and followed him to the kitchen, so she could give her mom her present. She even gave him a small smile.

It made him feel as if Father’s Day had come early. She would be okay.

--

Unfortunately, short of using my powers seriously, I couldn’t shrug off a bunch of super persistent journalists. Once past their initial shock, they had dispersed toward every single direction they could think of, including the sky itself.

Their frantic determination had something… disturbing to it. Such a powerful focus, toward just a few beings… eh, wasn’t it a bit excessive? Ah. Takes one to know one.

Cautiously, taking the time to examine my surroundings thoroughly beforehand, I had us rematerialize in a small alley.

“As I once discovered, Ventus, one does not simply escape paparazzi,” the Sun Princess said lightheartedly. I nearly jumped out of my horseshoes in shock at the sound. Even Calx had yelped. Not that our reaction affected Celestia’s serene features. “They are a persistent and tenacious breed.”

As if it had been a signal, and considering who I was talking to, it might have been one, dozens of voices started calling for us. With a quick scan of the air, I could tell they were also converging in our direction.

“You have got to be clopping me…” I grumbled under my breath.

“What was that?” My cousin’s voice instantly rang to my ears, in a very dire warning tone

“Nothing!” I said quickly, flashing an angelic smile at her.

Calx rolling on the floor while holding his sides ruined the effect nonetheless. As such, I felt quite justified when my right hind leg shot up and gave him a retaliatory kick. Not a big one, but hey, it got him to stop laughing.

“Quick!” Luna’s voice came from another corner, causing me to twist around to catch a glimpse of her disappearing in another darkened alley.

Before I could blink, a blue blur passed me by, flapping his wings at high speed. For a second, I stood, shocked, until I felt a light tap on my shoulder. With a glance, I took in the form of the white feather resting against my body and looked up to its owner.

With a simple movement of her head, she asked me to follow course. Since I did not want to face a horde of ranting journalists or leave my brother alone, the command was quite easy to accept.

However, a lot of muscle power had to be used to keep my mouth closed when I noticed Celestia also running by my side. There was just something… bizarre about the sight of Celestia not going at a brisk and calm pace. “Isn’t this exciting, my dear little Ventus?”

My eye twitched. I want to gouge somepony’s eyes out now.

As usual, I forced myself to let nothing of my thoughts surface, though I did let some of my annoyance filter. It seemed appropriate and in synch with my previous slip-up.

Thus, I was frowning when I managed to make it to the corner Luna disappeared behind. My expression did not change when I took my first step in the new street it crossed.

Luna and Calx were standing next to each other, in front of an opened barrier.

“Ah, it seems we have made it in one piece after all,” Celestia joked, pointing to a pony with a camera near the end of the street. “Though not for long.”

A shrilled cry of astonishment pierced my eardrums the very next moment. Strangely, the source of the cringe worthy ringing in my ears had come from above, nowhere near the journalist.

In fact, looking up revealed a female pegasus flying overhead.

A teenage filly, pointing at me with starry eyes.

Fangirls…? I’m going to torture something now…

“My, shouldn’t we wave at this nice filly?” Now the mask of serene perfection was cracking up, letting me see her grin.

I felt the bile rising in my throat, painfully burning everything in its path and almost rendering me unable to speak, but not to think. Slowly. With acid. It will also involve dismemberment.

Before I could enact any form of retribution however, a soft pat against my back got my attention. Her head turned toward the end of the street, Celestia diverted my attention toward the journalists that were bound to have heard that supersonic cry.

“Let us make haste, Ventus,” she declared simply.

For once, I was not tempted to insult her under my breath. It was a reasonable, sensible, workable idea with a clear goal that didn’t involve me embarrassing myself in front of others.

Getting closer to Calx and Luna, I caught sight of a sign, hanging loosely by a pair of old ropes to the gateway.

The Star Covent? I pondered, repeating the words and their meaning in my head.

My eyes darted from one side of the building to another, taking in the wooden exterior from this three stories high… house. What is this place?

Neither princess proved helpful when I shot them a curious glance. Both just… smiled mysteriously, as if I was about to make some kind of grand discovery and be let in on some precious secret. Without even stopping her strides, Celestia opened the door and entered, followed closely by all of us.

A swift slam of the door later and only the four of us had managed to enter, a series of insistent knocking quickly starting to shake the door. Soon, it was followed by muffled voices that could barely be heard, except, you know, by me.

“Please, just a few more questions!” was pretty much the standard.

For a second, we stared collectively at the one obstacle between us and the crowd of journalists.

“Sheesh, they’re pretty clingy, huh?” Calx mused it over, hesitating between a grin and a grimace.

“I do love my little ponies, but even I can find this quite tiring.” She sighed.

A thousand years of this? It’s a miracle she hasn’t snapped yet. I thought, fighting a grimace and averting my gaze from the source of all this commotion. Rather than them, I would rather focus my attention on the new environment I had been given the opportunity to visit.

The interior reflected the exterior. Adequately cleaned, with not a speck of dust to be seen, but barren of furniture and paintings, this place had a strange atmosphere to it… The wooden walls and the stone floor gave a rustic charm, without chasing away the impression of poverty that reeked out of the entire building.

If anypony else was affected by this, they didn’t show it. Instead, the two princesses lead us to the end of the hallway, past a staircase that I noticed in the corner of my eye and in front of an open door.

Placing ourselves behind Luna, Calx and I were at the right angle to see into the small room it opened to. There, at a humble desk, a gray mare past her prime was reading papers after papers, her gaze filtering the information through old glasses.

“Miss Soft Center?” Celestia said softly.

The mare in the office stood up quickly at the call of her name, adjusting her glasses on her nose and the bun on her head. A glint of recognition had flashed in her eyes at Celestia’s voice and she left her desk behind her swiftly. Her expression lighting up with each step, she crossed the distance between us in the time it would have taken me to flap my wings.

To my surprise, she seemed quite at ease in the presence of her rulers. “Princesses! We were hoping you could join us once again.”

“You and your residents know that we wouldn’t miss this occasion for anything,” Celestia replied with a kind smile.

“Indeed.” Luna nodded in approval of her sister’s declaration. “Have the supplies arrived? We were worried that they might be spoiled if our visit was delayed by some… individuals, so we had them delivered this morning.”

Supplies? I repeated mentally, eyes now darting toward every corner of the room to catch a glimpse of a ton of… ammunition, food, survival blankets? It mattered not though, as there was nothing in the hallway or in the office. Okay, what the Tartarus?

“Of course, Princess Luna. The foals were just so excited when they saw the carriage arrive.” Miss Soft Center nodded too, chuckling to herself.

However, Calx interjected, not willing to stay in the dark any longer. “What supplies?”

For a moment, the mare seemed confused, as if something didn’t click in her mind, before she caught a glimpse of my brother just next to Luna. Her body noticeably straightened, especially when her eyes quickly went to me, then to Celestia. “Oh, are they…?”

“Yes, my sister and I believed it would be beneficial for everypony if they could participate in our yearly ritual. We hope it is not a problem for you.”

“Oh,” Miss Soft Center whispered, taken aback, eyes wide. “Oh! It is no problem. I simply never imagined there would be more nobles willing t-to…”

To my growing frustration, she stopped there, right before telling us. Willing to WHAT exactly?

“Can anypony tell me what’s going on?!” Calx reared, looking at the three mares sullenly.

“You will know soon enough, little prince,” Luna said mildly, eyes half-closed. “There is no need to be so impatient.”

Ouch, that’s a typical ‘you’re too young to know’ reply. Now he’s going to get real pissed.

Surely enough, not a second had passed since the Alicorn of the Night had turned her back to us that Calx stuck out his tongue. His gaze was a death glare but it softened as he turned pleadingly to me, begging for answers with puppy eyes to melt one’s heart, to which I could only shrug helplessly.

“We’ll find out together,” I whispered and winked, hoping to mollify him.

“I guess…” He scratched the ground with his hoof, not quite pleased but at least a little less angry.

“Go on,” I said, giving him a little push that got him moving, though not without a whine.

None of the adults paid much attention to the scene, seeing as, per my estimates, they met plenty of kids in their lifetimes. Celestia and Luna hoofsteps echoed Miss Soft Center’s owns as the old mare lead her rulers to a door on our left.

Strangely, there was a little more furniture in this corridor, though the bulk of it was simply hanging on the walls in cheap frames. Curiosity made my eyes gravitated to them. And I regretted it.

The pictures were old, their corners gnawed upon by time and insects and the images broken down in shades of brown and white. From one image to the next, I could sense a pattern, a rather simple one, all things considered. It was this place, or at least its front facade, where a hoofful of ponies and a few dozens of foals stood or sat. Amongst them, I spotted a few whose eyes would not meet the camera, instead being fixated on the ground or refused to smile.

A few thoughts flew through my mind, each of them a possible answer, most I dismissed on the spot. This isn’t a school… There’s nothing reminiscent of-

I stopped, blinded by a flash of inspiration. Foals, a good number of them, some looking depressed out of their minds, with no adults but the same aging mare supervising them.

An orphanage?

A burst of phantom pain struck me at the heart, so suddenly that my breathing hitched.

Those kids… those poor kids… what I feared and so desperately tried to avert beyond all… they had all faced it.

Quite suddenly, I felt the contact of dry paper against my body. To my own surprise, my hoof had gone to the closest picture subconsciously, covering half the foals depicted.

It was hard… too hard… to pretend I hadn’t seen that, that this place was home for some truly unlucky little guys and gals. They were young, yet so few of them had kept this childish air to them.

It was easy… oh so bucking easy to replace any of those faces with Calx’s. In the blink of an eye, his traits danced over the heads of a colt, who simply seemed emptied of… o-of everything!

Quickly, I diverted my gaze, feeling the corners of my vision heat up. The pictures were unbearable to look at.

But the images did not fade from my mind. What if I hadn’t been able to come in Equestria? Would this be the place they’d had left Calx at? N-no… he was an alicorn, surely they’d… they’d…

My brain refused to fool itself. Hard and cold, scarily so, my own voice hammered down the brutal truth for me. He was just a kid, all alone, without any known family… and I have no idea if the spell ever worked for him…

“Are they here?” Somepony whispered, before being instantly shushed.

Perking up, I shot a glance at the staircase now well behind us, recognizing the juvenile undertones. With a small smirk, I said, without making a sound: “Yeah, they’re here.”

While they hadn’t noticed the cries earlier, with the shriek of surprise coming from upstairs and the sudden stampede going down the stairs, all four of my fellow companions turned around in surprise.

Yup, even Celestia.

The way her eyes narrowed on me was the closest thing to a dirty look she ever sent my way. As soon as Miss Center caught on to her ruler’s behavior, she joined in on the hate group. Judging by how these things were going, it wouldn’t be long until Luna decided she wanted to be part of the herd too.

For some reason, this sent bubbling desire to laugh my butt off to my brain and screw all conventions.

My little brother saved me, simply by jumping in the space between us and the residents of the orphanage, as proud and boastful as ever. “Hey guys! What’s up?”

Thank the Elders for the distraction. With that, I could turn to see the young foals I had impishly riled up with a little trick.

Fourteen adorable little things, ranging from taller than Calx to half his height, and colored from flashier than my coat to darker than Luna’s, all of them had gone down to the ground floor when they had heard my voice.

By the way they were looking at my brother and myself with such confusion, I could guess that we had been an unknown variable to those foals. They probably didn’t have access to news all that often…

Suddenly feeling my stomach twist, I opened up my mouth to say something, but Luna beat me to the punch.

“Children of Star Covent! How grand it is to see you all so lively and lovely today!”

Cries of delight made their response. And I saw, Luna’s heart melted on the spot. Shadows of tears danced in her eyes for a split second, before she was all smiles and warmth.

“You make my heart soar with joys, my little ponies!” She said once more, putting a hoof over her chest. “Come, for we have prepared a surprise for you.”

The promise of a present unsurprisingly gave them all springs for legs, as I had to sidestep to avoid being trampled. Curiosity over me was already fading in favor of swarming over Princess Luna. In the corner of my eyes, I saw Celestia and Soft Center, both observing the scene with a fond smile.

To tell the truth, so was I.

Hay, Calx, the little social bug, had already taken advantage of the confusion to get into an intense conversation with two colts his age, an earth pony and a unicorn.

Bemused, I just shook my head. Every single time…

“Now then,” Luna called. “Would you care to follow me into your kitchen?”

Fifteen little heads nodded in unison, wishing nothing more than to do just that. At that age, it was pretty much anything for a present or a treat. Coming from the princesses ruling the kingdom, it would have to include the most stupidly healthy food to make them even pause.

Luna lead them proudly, head held high as Celestia, Soft Center and I walked at the end of the pack. Turning just around the corner, her horn lit up with blue light and I heard the click of doors opening.

Surely enough, when I made it to their levels, I got a look at the orphanage’s dining hall. It was rather sober, without extravagancy, but for the first time, I got a sensation of homeliness. The place radiated welcoming heat and simple acceptance.

My mouth formed a grin.

Then, my eyes caught sight of the command the princesses had brought with them, at the very end of the hall, near a couple of stoves.

Ingredients, in enormous quantities. But they lacked a certain… diversity, hinting at their true purpose.

Eggs, flour, baking powder, milk, fresh fruits…

The realization once again hit me with the strength of a rampaging minotaur, though this time, it was sorely because of how unreal and surreal the idea inherently was. For a moment, my mind struggled to keep the shattered images of my cousin in place, before miserably surrendering when the cover of a recipe book was made known to me.

Princess Celestia and Princess Luna… were going to bake a cake?!

--

He had only the sound of tinkling glass for a companion, but Blueblood didn’t mind terribly. Rarely so often did nobles like them have a moment to reflect in silence and enjoy each other’s company.

His gift to her, a splendid ornamented diadem, her favorite jewelry, laid unpacked in the table between them. Every so often, her eyes would drift to it and she would giggle, sending a loving look to her son.

Every time, the prince would allow himself a rare show of bashfulness and playfulness.

Un-princely, he knew, but it mattered little when both were alone in their private mansion. There, they were free to act with a bit less restraint than normally.

“I have heard your airship has left its anchors, yesterday,” Silk Sculpture said with a very slight hint of disapproval.

Suddenly apprehensive, Blueblood pondered for a second the best way to answer.

“Yes,” he replied slowly, with what appeared to be a lack of heavy investment in the subject. “I used it to invite Prince Ventus and Prince Calx for some time... away from the rest of the nobility.”

Those were the right ponies to mention for his mother to forget her initial inquiry.

“Humph, I have heard strange rumors on this one, of a disdain for nobility. Some even try to avoid the older one for that.” Her nose crunched up, as if the idea evoked in her the taste of a bitter fruit. “But it is nonsense. An alicorn directly related to the Princesses themselves? Only a fool wouldn’t try to approach them. It was very smart of you, my son, to enter his good graces.”

Oh, a lovely disconnected lady you are, Mother… The prince thought, taking another sip of wine from his cup to hide any smirk he could have had. To anypony with two eyes and a brain, it should have been obvious that Ventus Vinco wasn’t in Celestia’s good graces.

“Thank you,” he quickly muttered before taking another sip.

“Ah!” The mare laughed. “Seize the opportunity and the connections those lower born idiots won’t take. Let them show their inherent lack of insight when you’ll stand so high above them.”

How strange, that he actively wished for her to remain oblivious. Had she heard of his behavior while on board… her fragile heart might not have survived. For all her phlegmatic manners, Silk Sculpture had quite the blood pressure. And temperament that matched.

Briefly, he wondered if it wasn’t a mistake, to risk angering her so badly, for the sake of another’s words. Would it not be so simple to simply pretend it had never happened?

But the faces of the ponies he had encountered could not be dissolved and destroyed at will. His mind had been opened to the possibility that they were indeed just as worthy of respect as himself, just as real and emotional beings as him. And he could not forget.

Suddenly, the smile of the alicorn seemed quite devious, rather than kind. To hear of words so similar to his owns – and how appropriate that they came from his own mother –, it left him with only the strange twist in his guts and the taste of ash in his mouth.

Swallowing more wine appeared difficult, if not outright unpleasant, so he let his magic carry it to a nearby table. With a little effort, he made himself seem relaxed and content, lying across the absurdly delicate cushions of his mother’s living room.

Luckily, his bluff turned out effective and his mother only gave a nod of approval.

“This wine is the reward of your station, my son.” Silk Sculpture rose her glass, letting the rays of Celestia’s sun hit it and spread a tinted red light. “Is it not the most sumptuous your lips were given to touch yet?”

“Delightful, Mother…” He said, faking a smile. “Yes… delightful.”

--

In the immortal words of a certain pegasus… I just don’t know what went wrong…

“Your creation now stands taller than one of our royal guard, Tia.” Luna’s voice echoed with warning and wariness.

In all honesty, she had excellent reasons to be. Even at the distance I observed the scene, right next to Miss Soft Center and far from the counter on which they were working, the endings of my coat were tingling with anticipation of danger.

“Now, I do not understand why the cake is rising so much, Lulu.” The glorious leader of Equestria muttered, her sparkling mane dancing on her shoulder as she read from the scroll. “We’ve rigorously followed the instructions.”

The cake, if it could be called that, emitted a strange hissing noise, causing the Alicorn of the Night to stare at it with a twitching eye. “Perhaps your sources were erroneous, but this monstrosity is still rising and growing more threatening by the second.”

The remark was met with snorts and giggles from the orphans sitting at the tables. Judging by the lack of worry or surprise in any of their cute faces, this might not have been quite new to them.

“I do not see what it could be...” Celestia’s head turned toward the counter and the empty bags of ingredients. From the angle we stood at, it seemed as if she was looking at… Oh dear. “...Lulu, put the frosting on top of it.”

“W-what?” Luna stuttered, too shocked for proper elocution. With shaking movement, she wildly pointed at the menacing pastry with her hoof. “Your… your cooking attempt is slowly overtaking the room. It is no time to decorate it!”

Wise words to live by, Cousin Lulu. I nodded in approval.

“The cake is still hot and must be reacting with the baking powder. The frosting is cool and will stop the reaction.”

“This is a foolish endeavor, Tia...” Yet, with such a resigned tone, it was obvious she would indulge her older sister.

Indeed, her magical aura lifted up a spatula and a bowl of frosting. Determination gleaming in her eyes, she gave the cake a hard stare before first splattering one side of the cake.

Unable to keep myself from noticing more signs, and the curiosity devouring me, I momentarily looked away from the disaster scene to turn to Miss. Soft Center. “Please, be honest, Ma’am. Do they do that every year? The whole ‘failing at baking’ thing?”

“Yes,” she admitted, torn between laughing and fearing for her establishment. “Though it is the first time the cake has done that. Usually, it is something a little less spectacular.”

The foals around us had no such restrictions and were openly giggling and whispering excited words between each other. Their eyes would not leave the baking princesses.

On their side of the hall, the cake had risen well over even Celestia’s full height, though it was now decorated exquisitely with some of the most delicious looking frosting I had ever seen. It sparkled, unctuous and smooth, easily malleable and given off a fresh aroma of vanilla and cream. The light contrast between its perfectly white color and the beige coating of the sponge cake created a simple but effective appearance.

Luna stood right by her sister side, her face locked into a deadpan poker face.

“Pardon my protests, sister. Though still rising and now looming over the both of us like Discord before it, I cannot deny how splendid the cake appears with the frosting adorning its sides.” She nodded to herself, giving the rearing frosting alicorn on top of it a last nudge.

It almost crushed my heart to see such a beautiful sculpture tremble and oscillated with the movement of the thing’s expansion.

Probably just as devastated, Luna spoke with a tone that was downright venomous. “Now, if only your cake would pause in its quest to bloat out the sun and stop stretching my work of art, it might become edible.”

Unfortunately, it was no exaggeration. It was casting an ominous shadow over the rest of us.

“...This makes no sense...” The Princess of the Sun whispered, bewildered.

Grimacing, she quickly glanced between her cook book and the fruit of her hardwork.

“Fine. The easy way didn’t work. We’ll try the hard way.” She shot the growing monstrosity a terrifying glare. “Lulu, compress it with your magic.”

Not even Luna could keep a straight face now. “WHAT?!”

As for the rest of us, we wisely stepped back, making ourselves as small as possible. With one wing, I covered up Calx protectively.

“It is the only solution we have left, short of the Elements of Harmony,” Celestia insisted, dead serious.

“T-this is folly, sister.” Luna stepped back, eyes wide. “I shall not accompany you to the depth of Tartarus!”

“If you refuse, I will do so myself.”

With that ominous statement, she lit up her horn and enclosed in a magical field of a golden color. Not content with that small victory however, the Princess of the Sun contracted the field until the cake had no choice but to decrease in size.

The reactive sound it made had my blood freeze.

Unable to curb my instincts any longer, I threw myself to the ground, simultaneously tackling Miss Soft Center and Calx out of harm’s way. “DIVE!”

Luckily, my panicked shout got results, as a bunch of screams came out before a sound akin to a bursting balloon created a small shockwave. The sight making our jaws slack with disbelief, Miss Soft Center’ and I witnessed a wave of pressurized pastry fly overhead, to harmlessly collide into the walls and make an impressive mess of the previously clean dining hall.

Silence reigned.

For a few seconds.

Before it was destroyed with a series of slow strikes of hooves against the ground.

One needed not see Luna to imagine her absolutely deadpan expression. “Magnificent, now the whole room tasted our creation without the need to move. Congratulations.”

Slowly, we inched out of her cowering position. Enough to see what was happening at least.

“Then I suppose we can say the original purpose was fulfilled, albeit in a roundabout way,” the white alicorn declared with great dignity for someone covered in frosting.

Not that her situation was an isolated one. The high pressure volley of cake had simply covered more than its share of the hall and its occupants. We had been spared only by a fortunate angle and obstacle. Quite a few foals were laughing at their friends and themselves, looking positively ridiculous with their coats and mane all sticky like this.

This was stupid. Potentially hazardous. Worth a smack to the back of my head. But I had to know what had caused the cake to react that way.

So I scooped a hoofful of the pulverized pastry and, after giving it a tentative sniff, slipped a piece into my mouth.

“…T-this…”My whole body threw itself upward and I barely suppress the desire to throw up. The pastry was rancid, an abomination that would surely surpass Applejack’s famous Baked Bads. “This is bitter to the point of… oh you are jousting the hay out of me… Celly!”

Both alicorns instantly turned to me, Celestia in particular appearing very curious and attentive to my indignation.

“You inverted the flour to baking powder ratio! There’s barely any flour in this! We’re lucky it exploded!”

One sister gave the other a look. After all, Celestia’s role in this had only been to read out loud and help with the mixing of the enormous bowl of ingredients.

“Oops?” The contrast was sharp, between Luna’s previous attitude of deadpan exasperation and this sorry smile and blush. At least, until she suddenly straightened and spoke with force. “This accident barely bares mark of our intervention, sister! Labels were incorrectly placed and the resemblance is too great for untrained… it is entirely our fault.”

Miss Soft Center had heard more than enough. By the time I had realized she wasn’t by my side anymore, the mare was standing in front of both alicorns.

“Now that this show is over, your Majesty…” She said with a stern voice. “May I ask that you do not destroy my kitchen, again?”

Amazingly, the little old mare had managed to make both rulers of Equestria look incredibly sheepish, even if Celestia’s attitude seemed tainted by her obvious amusement. They were both avoiding her steely gaze and scraping the ground with their front hooves.

“Worry not, oh mare of great heart, our guards will come and clean every trace of corruption. Not to mention any nutriment lost today will be sent to you ten folds.”

I doubted there was enough place to stock ten times the ingredients put in that cake.

“Thank you…” Soft Center nodded. “You should go talk to the foals now, they were very excited to have you come here. I shall handle their lunch.”

With a nod, Celestia and Luna accepted and made their ways up to us, the foals looking quite happy.

“Hello, my little ponies,” Celestia greeted them, before sitting to the ground and waiting patiently as they threw themselves in front of her.

They wasted no time in returning the favor, almost saluting her, all at the same time.

“Calm, calm,” Luna gently reminded them of a more peaceful state of mind. When they had, mostly, settled down, she spoke again. “Now, what would you like to talk about first?”

“Who are they?” One of the older foals pointed at me and my brother, a little suspicious.

“These two alicorns here are our young cousins, Prince Ventus and Prince Calx.”

A little more than a dozen pair of innocent eyes looked at me with fascination.

Thank the Elders for my experience with children. It didn't actually make me nervous. I just flashed them my best grin. “Hi.”

“Yeah, that,” my little brother added.

Again, the foals reciprocated in spades. Except for the colt that had first spoken.

“Yeah, right! Everypony knows there’s only four alicorns!”

I sorta… just blinked. Four is an acceptable number…?

“Now then, Ventus, why don’t you do something to prove your affiliation with us?”

…She wants me to do something only an alicorn could do? …She can’t seriously mean that. But seeing the eager faces of the kids all around me offered me a better insight. Oh, do something a child would believe only an alicorn could do.

That would be either much easier or thrice as hard. No middle ground.

Eh, there was always one trick, it worked well with non-pegasus…

Five minutes later, the room was filled to the brim with foals flying with the use of glittering wings of air. Laughter echoed even when a slight hint of horror passed by Miss Soft Center’s expression. Hay, even the little pegasi, who hadn’t gained much from the spell, appeared well and truly delighted with so many new comrades of flight.

I noticed, however, that not everypony was flying. Some were making plans first.

“Okay, guys, I’ve got it!” Calx’s eyes widened and grinned, as if hit by a brilliant idea. “We’re the Alicorn Rangers! And I’m the captain.”

His friends certainly wouldn’t take it lying down. The green unicorn spoke first. “What? No way! I wanna be captain.”

“Nu-uh, I want to be captain.” The red earth pony waved at him dismissively. “Just be a colonel!”

“Colonels are bigger than captains, you dummy!” Green colt stuck out his tongue.

“What? No, they’re not!” The little red guy butted head with his pal.

“Guys!” Calx stepped in, trying to push them apart. “I’m the captain, ‘cause we’re the Alicorn Ranger and I’m an alicorn!”

The two remaining colts looked at him with indignation and would have surely protested, if not for an unexpected snag in their plans of superheroing.

“Oh, Alicorn Rangers, you’re so naïve.” I said, making my voice echo all around them. At that, the three colts didn’t seem nearly as confident as before. “You spent so much time focusing about positions that you forgot about your greatest enemy, the vile wind dragon!”

All three turned just in time to come face to face with a glowing mouth full of fangs and a roar. Their eyes shrunk to tiny dots and their ears flattened against their skull. However, beyond that, they… didn’t react quite as expected.

They freaking jumped my magical construct, war cries and all. As one pony, the three arguing kids started beating up the moving image of a dragon with tons of battle codes that made no sense whatsoever.

Twice, they called different names for exactly the same thing.

The sight made me smile, having me chuckle at this display of simple childishness. It almost turned into full blown laughter when Celestia stopped to turn at the troubling display of brutality.

Better, the remaining colts and fillies noticed the commotion, stopped flying and started to cheer on the ‘Alicorn Rangers’. The domino effect started, spreading the energy from one foal to another, until every resident of the orphanage was chanting for their victory.

Well, let’s make them work for it. I grinned, not quite without malice.

Drafts of air started to gather around the construct, making my brother and his new friends struggle to even stand. But they held strong.

Bits of cake and frosting started to fly around the room, an howl ringing to ears of the occupants. Suddenly, a stronger draft of air, that, of course, I hadn't conjured up myself, threw the would-be heroes off the vile wind dragon.

Another roar from the beast, and the chanting had ceased, instead replaced by wide eyes fascination and pure admiring silence. Making sure none of the foals were looking at me, I deepened my voice as much as possible and projected it from every angle. “You will never defeat me, foals!”

For a second, they hesitated, looking well and truly scared. Did I overdo it?

Glaring, Calx stomped, shouting loudly. “We won’t give up, Vile Wind Dragon!”

“Yeah!” His two companions jumped forward, snarling. “You don’t scare us!”

“We’re the Alicorn Rangers!” They screamed. “And we fear nothing!”

As one, the three colts charged.

Stomping, roaring, they ran wildly into the construct, three small bodies about to collide with a solid wall of air. Or not.

On impact, the figure bent, the image twisting for a second, before I stopped channeling magic into it. With a loud ‘pop’, it faded away under the assault of the ‘Alicorn Rangers’, who all fell to the ground inelegantly.

The crowd erupted into wild cheers.

Staggeringly getting back on their hooves, the ‘Alicorn Rangers’ shook their heads, trying to chase away the momentarily confusion. Quickly enough, they realized they had won and reacted appropriately. Puffing their chests, grinning smugly, they posed and exchanged a brohoof.

Laughter bubbled up in my chest. For the love of… those colts were just awesome.

I… I could not believe it, but damn, I was really, really glad to have come here. In what probably had to be the most depressing place I could visit in Equestria. And what had been the most amazing part was just giving a few foals the time of their lives.

T-that… that’s almost normal…

The idea sounded almost foreign to me. That hit me hard. For a split second, I had to just… just look away from those innocents, not when I knew how much of a broken monster I was. The movement itself made me realize something though.

One filly wasn’t taking part in the games of her comrades, discreetly eclipsing herself from the rest. In fact, her transparent wings lied flatly against her body. Her head was hung low and her eyes expressed nothing but an empty, downtrodden lack of… everything.

W-why was I so drawn toward that little filly? I didn’t even know her name! B-but, I couldn’t… I couldn’t just ignore her, right?

Ignoring the sick feeling settling down in my chest, I let myself fall on my rump, just next to her. “Hey, are you feeling alright?”

“O-oh, Mr. Ventus…” She jolted, surprised, before trying to wipe away her tears and the trails they had left in her cyan fur. “T-thank you very much for the wings! They are… lots of… fun.”

Well, darn, if I wanted somepony to deliver a weaker line, I’d have to look in a cemetery.

A bit strongly, I extended my right wing, then closed it around her. Surprised, she looked at me with wide eyes… reddened eyes…

I put up the kindest smile I could muster. “What’s your name, kid?”

Her voice squeaked, even as she looked away. “…V-Violet Petal…”

“Well, Violet, I just saw you looking sad, here all alone. Do you want to share your reasons with me?”

“I… It's... I only arrived here last week…” Please, don't tell me... “I-I thought… Mom and D-D-Dad would… would be… with me f-forever, b-b-b-but…”

She could not finish her sentence. Miserably, she curled up and started sobbing again.

My heart sank. The horrified realization that her words had brought in started tainting my perception of this whole experience. How could I have let myself forget?! How did I, for one measly second, forget that the kids here all carried their personal tragedies?!

I could not help, but find myself a repulsive being.

Blood pumping powerfully in my veins, I felt each heartbeat against my temples, pulsing… Again and again… Cold and hatred… the blood of windigoes, they said… Lack of empathy…

Uneasy, I felt my chest itch, but I resisted the urge to squash it. I… could try to comfort the filly. It wouldn’t bring me anything, but… w-why not?

Gently, I brushed my feathers against her back, tracing soothing circles in her back. Probably subconsciously, she leaned into the touch, pushing herself against that small source of comfort.

I moved a little closer to her.

“I… I know… that feeling,” I said, my mouth going dry.

“You do?” She asked, sniffing.

Sadly, I nodded, memories coming back and weighting down on me. It made it so easy to express the same emotions as hers.

Then, I said the words that she needed to hear, but wouldn’t heed. Not yet. “It will get better.”

“B-but how, Mr. Ventus...” Her eyes glittered with a hint of anger, and her voice rose. “How could it ever…?! It... it's so painful...”

Just like that, the outburst died… and she lowered her head even further, shaking with every sob.

“W-well, sometimes, it's because there's no other choice, but to move on. T-they'll live on with you, forever, that will never change.”

Just then, she let out a louder wail than before, and cold claws gripped my heart. Something about her distress was reaching into me, deeply enough to unearth things I had thought lost for anypony beside my brother.

Breathing more heavily, I made a shield of my wings for her. At the very least, she would have this moment to herself.

“But sometimes...” I went on, quietly… without much strength. “You can let other ponies in too... you can love again. The wound... it will scar... become a bit less sensitive... until you can look back and remember the love before the hurt.”

“I…” Her voice wavered, too much pain still present for her to accept it. “I want to, but…”

“You can do it...” I swallowed dry air, before putting just a little too much emphasis on my next word. “You, you're strong enough.”

I knew she never felt as weak as in that moment. I knew that. There was nothing to stop her tears… only time could make the pain fade.

So I let her hold onto me, let myself become nothing but the anchor for her to grip to. The little filly wanted nothing more than that, but needed more.

Finally, she managed enough control over her sobs to let words out, albeit tainted with despair. “I don’t want to forget them!”

Something started to form in my throat, an obstruction, that had me unable to breathe properly. Keeping this mask had never felt harder.

“You won’t.” I placed my hoof against her chest, right over her beating heart. “It’s not their faces or their voices you will remember, it’s how much they loved you. Do you remember the warmth of their embrace?”

She hesitated!

My front legs moved by themselves, carried by an impulse I couldn’t rein in.

“It’s like this,” I whispered softly, stroking her head. “You’re not alone. Even when it seems to get darker and darker, there are other ponies around you. If you open your eyes, you will see…”

After a slight hesitation, I gently turned her around, toward the other foals – still playing for the most part – and the few adults. While none had truly noticed her distress yet, some, including Celestia, had sent encouraging nods our way.

“You will see two kind rulers that want you to feel loved, on the day that would be the most painful. You will see a nice mare that wants you to have a home and friends. You will see… so many other foals that are just like you… and do want you.”

Suddenly, she turned around and hid her face in my shoulder, her tears damping my fur. “I… I don’t know, Mr. Ventus! It just hurts so much! Even when I’m happy, the world just turns grey so soon! It never lasts! I just want to cry all the time!”

“Then cry, confide to others to help them heal you.” My voice broke. This was hitting too close to home, I couldn’t… no, I had to. I had to show her a strong face, if only to give her some hope! “They’ll be there for you! And if it ever gets too hard, if… if you need somepony to listen, t-to help… pray to the wind. I will listen to every word. I swear.”

At some point, things had gone oh so horribly wrong for him. It had been a normal, if slightly boring Mother’s Day for him at that point. Usually, they just went to a restaurant at noon, then he took his mother shopping. Not exceptionally fancy, but it was just about spending time with one another.

So, how in Tartarus had he come to be recruited to play in a game of hoofball out of nowhere? He barely knew either of those mares, though, of course, everypony in Ponyville knew Rarity by sight, national hero and darn hot mare.

Hay, of the two, he would have been more logically playing for her rather than that Fine Stitch. Alas, Caramel had had no choice in the matter and had been recruited to face Rarity’s team.

Which somehow included Big Mac and Applejack.

Cold sweat had gone down his spine at the realization. Both were dangerous foes, the eldest sibling being a veritable juggernaut and the younger being able to regularly wrestle with bulls and cows in rodeos.

Yet, as the game had progressed, the poor stallion had also been made to see that, for all their strength, they paled in comparison to the absolutely vicious ferocity of their frailer unicorn friend.

She was a beast. Literally and metaphorically.

Fine Stitch’s team of misfits had had no chance. Still, this was hoofball and, traumatized as he may be, Caramel still had enough of a competitive streak to do his best to win.

“Pass it!” He shouted to Doctor Whooves, the second random pony to have been brought into this.

The brown earth pony asked no question and simply threw the ball to his teammate, under the cheers of his friend, a well-know mailpony.

Caramel jumped, dodging the intimidating charge from an orange mare, and placed his front hooves onto her back. With another powerful push, he used her as a springboard and caught his prize in his mouth.

Yes! He thought. This isn’t over ye-

His world started spinning, pain suddenly filling his entire left side. In a single moment of distraction and hope, he had been viciously tackled into the ground, with the force of a thousand parasprites. His vision blurred momentarily, letting him only see a white form running in the opposite direction, a hoofball in her mouth.

“That’s my daughter!” Magnum cheered loudly, clapping and jumping in his seat.

Rarity swiftly dodged her rival’s desperate attempt at stopping her, but the fashionista was not one to be denied victory. Pushing forward savagely, she threw herself forward, scoring the victory for her team and sealing the deal over Fine Stitch’s fashion death.

She roared, making the nearby ponies out of the loop cower at the sudden eruption of what appeared to be a predator’s voice. “Victory is MINE!”

“Forgetting somepony, SugarCube?” Applejack interjected, walking up to her with her brother in tow, looking slightly incredulous.

The voice of reason snapped Rarity out of her bloodthirsty trance, rendering her aware that she was standing on her hind legs in the middle of a playing field, surrounded by various ponies eying her with various levels of fear and amusement.

“T-that is to say, a lady never loses,” she chuckled meekly, trying to ignore the burning heat running across her face.

Perhaps with a bit of panic putting springs in her legs, the unicorn quickly ran to her family standing on the side.

“Yay! You did it, Rarity!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed, jumping up and down with excitement and admiration.

By her side, their mother chuckled at her elder daughter’s behavior. It was always quite funny to witness her prim’s side be overshadowed by the brutal playing style Rarity had inherited from her father.

A bashful smile graced the fashionista’s features. “Your honor is safe, Mother.”

--
Usually, some of her animal friends would grace her tea parties with their ballads and their melodies. However, even if Celestia’s sun was high in the sky and shining upon them a bright and cheerful day devoid of any lingering darkness, even if this day seemed similar in all points with every other day, the hill her picnicking towel had been spread on remained eerily silent.

The reason for this oddity was simple, and currently sitting on a washing machine.

“Delicious,” Discord said, sipping some of his tea on top of the magically powered appliance. “I especially like the artificial dragon scale flavor.”

Meekly, she looked away. “Hum… that’s your doing…”

The draconequus only gave a little nod of acknowledgment, the corner of his lips inching upward ever so slightly. “I do have a taste for great tea, don’t I?”

“You do…” She paid no real attention to the flying glove that patted him in the back, adding to the smug image. Such small events were actually easy to ignore once their meetings had grown in numbers. No, truthfully, Fluttershy only had interest in her friend’s well-being.

He had been surprised, very surprised, at her invitation. That wasn’t something common. The being of Chaos had always done his best to appear unflappable, which she had speculated could have been an armor of some sort against what had been a friendless world for him. Yet…

It had caused a little pinch in her chest to see Discord shocked by a simple display of compassion. To her shame, it had also created curiosity within her mind. The best behavior would have been to offer a quiet support and listen if he wanted to reveal it to her.

Sometimes, Fluttershy feared that she was a horrible pony.

“Y-you know... I didn't mean to imply anything when I invited you... I just... didn't know if you had...” She stopped, letting out a high pitched squeal of pure shyness as her cheeks colored red.

“Oh, no, that is quite alright Fluttershy. As it turns out, I do not have a mother. Hence my surprise at your proposition.” The draconequus drank more tea from his cup, which had the result to fill the teacup with more steaming purple liquid. His friend’s nose picked up the scent as somewhat bitter, but with a touch of spice. Coffee, perhaps? “But I do have an older sister.”

“O-oh?” She perked up, interested in that surprisingly direct confession.

“Yes, an older sister. Older, by a measure of time so vast you cannot process it…” For a frightful moment, she feared that he would stop at this part of his explanation. Quickly though, his yellow eyes fell on her, and the way his smirk grew gave her the impression he had seen through her. “Her name is Pandora, at the moment, at least.”

“That’s a nice name.” She nodded, happy that her kind words were genuine.

“Yes, my dear, and quite ironic when one knows of multiple realities. For example, in one culture, that very same name defines the one being that unleashed all the evils in their world.”

“That’s terrible…”

“Well,” he sighed, shrugging and rolling his eyes. “I suppose some of it can be true, as, from your point of view, Fluttershy, my sister is the Elder being of Emotions.”

The quiet pegasus almost gasped, honestly not expecting this revelation from her peculiar friend.

“Every little tear you have shed, every fear that grounded you, every bit of anger that made you think horrible things…” Discord listed off, with a strange tone, devoid of any mischief or playfulness. “Shame, awkwardness, inadequate…”

Her chest felt heavy and she looked down. She didn’t want to be reminded of that. It had made her so… helpless. There had been no fighting back at the time, only more soul crushing experiences after the others.

It wasn’t like that anymore however. She had friends, incredibly good friends that offered their hooves and the sweat of their brows whenever she needed it. She knew that.

Suddenly, the weight disappeared, and it became so easy to look back at Discord with a simple, satisfied expression.

“Every smile I gave, no matter how small, every laugh, every compassionate gesture, everything about my friends…” And as her tone grew stronger, so did her confidence, in herself and in the good of Pandora.

The draconequus nodded with approval and perhaps a bit of a smirk.

“Congratulation, my dear. You have proven yourself smarter than at least one stick in the mud eons old.”

Eons? Fluttershy thought. It’s a unit of time, right? Twilight said it was very, very, very long…

Her expression fell, as much as she tried to keep it neutral, her inner sadness prevailed. It must be lonely to be that old…

“Is she your only sibling?” She asked quietly.

“Oh, there are a few others that could be called that, but it doesn't matter much anyway. There are also my older half siblings, but they think I butt in too often. Then, there's that little brat, Harmony.”

The way his claws ensnarled the teacup suggested many things about his opinion of the being. In fact, the delicate porcelain emitted a mute sound, before cracking up from top to bottom.

Such an event could not escape the pegasus’ notice.

“That’s not a very nice thing to say, Discord,” Fluttershy chastised him, frowning slightly.

“Oh, but it is the honest truth. The youngest of the Old Ones and yet it gets to call all the shots. I would say that’s parental favoritism by some senile parents, but there’s no one older than us anyway.”

At this, her mind felt torn, as if trying to follow too many focuses at once. Part of her heart shattered at the revelation of his entire lack of parent, while her conscience wanted to scold him for the obvious disdain he showed toward a younger being.

As such, her mouth pronounced words she had not expected. “Wait… you were there before there was Harmony?”

“Of course, my dear.” Discord took her question in stride. “Chaos is what disrupts the balance first. What happens afterward is an attempt to fix it and bring things back to Order or Harmony.”

“T-then th-”

“Hey, Fluttershy!” A familiar voice called, coming from above.

The poor pegasus mare jumped, taken completely by surprise. Oh… oh please, please, please, Dashie… I love you, b-but now is not the ideal time for…

Unfortunately, if any cosmic power heard her pleas, they didn’t bother to answer. With the strong push of a gust of wind, Rainbow Dash landed a few pony lengths away from Fluttershy, almost sending her to the ground.

“’Sup?” She asked, deliberately not looking at anypony or anyone else that might or might not have been in the vicinity. “I was wondering what you were doing today. Nopony had seen you, so I figured I’d look around, see if you’re alright.”

Had she been a slightly less introverted pony, Fluttershy might have winced at the thinly veiled accusation. Her brash friend certainly had strong opinions that she never hesitated to communicate…

Rearranging her mane quickly, moving all that pink away from her face, the mare rapidly got back on her hooves. Boldly, she reduced the distance between herself and Rainbow Dash, then spoke, her soft voice coming out slightly louder than a whisper. “Y-yes, I am quite fine.”

Lowering her head and leaning closer, Rainbow Dash sent a very unsubtle look toward the still sitting draconequus. “You sure?”

“Yes,” Fluttershy said, and a little spark of pride ignited in her chest at how certain it had come out.

Eyes widening in the slightest, the cyan pegasus seemed a little taken aback by that very same certitude. “Oh, okay then.”

“So, how is… y-your day going so far?” Fluttershy asked bashfully, slowly feeling her natural timidity return.

“Oh, you know, flew over Ponyville, had a good daisy sandwich for lunch, saw Rares play hoofball, did a Sonic Rainboom, tri-”

“W-wait…” The shier mare cut in, surprisingly, blinking in shock. “What was that?”

“Come on, Fluttershy! A Sonic Rainboom!” Rainbow Dash’s wings fluttered with disbelief. “My signature move.”

“N-no, not that. I meant befo-”

And once more, she was cut off by somepony she knew quite well.

Another blue pegasus with a rainbow mane landed abruptly, though his color scheme had a slightly darker shade. However, his landing was also punctuated by him striking an athletic pose and rolling his muscles.

“Hey there!” He trotted over to them, grinning. “What a lucky stallion I am. My two favorite mares, in one place.”

“Urgh, Dad!” Rainbow Dash groaned, facehoofing.

“Mr. Spectrum.” Her friend nodded and smiled shyly, feeling herself blushing at the compliment. It became a burning sensation as his strong legs enlaced her neck in a hug.

“Oh, Fluttershy, young mare, you have grown leaps and bound since I last saw you.” He smiled, stroking her mane gently, like a father would. “I still remember the first time my little Dashie brought you home.”

“M-me too…” She admitted quietly.

To her left, she could hear loud coughs, accompanied by frogs chirping. Turning, she saw the draconequus, standing and sending an unimpressed look to Rainbow Dash’s father.

“Oh, yes. Mister Spectrum, this is my friend Discord.”

“We’ve met before,” the stallion said icily. “I still have flashbacks of the diaper and the heart-like bow.”

Recognition flashed in the spirit of Chaos’s gaze. Quickly, his expression turned amused. “Oh, yes, Mister Spectrum Blitz, I do remember you. I loved that part where you screamed after random ponies to get them to love each other. It was quite frankly very funny to watch.”

“Glad to know my messy break-up could entertain somepony…” Spectrum’s grimace intensified, and that was to say nothing of the growing snarl on Rainbow Dash’s face.

The blue mare seemed about ready to come to blows with him.

For a second, the idea of the bearer of the Element of Loyalty fighting him crudely seemed quite entertaining. Petty, perhaps, but he was not one to appreciate suspicions and threats of petrification. In fact, he prepared a scathing reply disguised under a light filter of civility, but caught sight of Fluttershy in the corner of his eye.

She was Staring. In itself, that had no effect on him, but the simple thought she was that disappointed in his behavior did sting a bit. Oh, Pandora, I liked it better when you didn’t sneak up on me like this. Why did you have to make me care?

“Ah, yes, in retrospect, perhaps an apology is warranted?”

“You think?” Father and daughter replied in unison.

--
“And that is why Mom’s the best!” The little dragon’s proudly finished reading his homage to Twilight Velvet.

“Aw, thank you, Spike.” Said mare lifted her adopted son to put him into a hug, under the sound of hooves hitting the ground and agreements. “That was so nice of you.”

Normally, public displays of affection embarrassed him to no end, something he had inherited from his older brother, but on this day, Spike decided to make an exception when she kissed him on the cheek.

Still, he did blush at being showered with praises over his poem. His father, his sister, his brother and his sister-in-law all had acclaimed his work and placed their own supplementary comments about Twilight Velvet. Feeling a little overwhelmed by the attention, Spike quickly jumped down from his spot on the table and sat down on his cushion, next to his big sis.

Stealing a glance her way, the little dragon quickly saw how relaxed and happy she seemed to be, which had, unfortunately, become something of a rarity ever since her ascension into alicornhood.

Not even the grandeur of the Crystal Empire’s dining hall, glistening and shimmering with opulence like nothing else but the treasure room of Canterlot Castle, its vault stretching higher than the eye could see, not even this supreme display of royalty could make her happiness dim. Not on this special day, not with her family all gathered.

“I think it’s time for the shower of praises to calm down a little, I might get an inflated ego from this.” Their mother joked, waving a hoof next to her eyes, with the hopes of avoiding to shed tears.

“Oh, Honey, I’m sure that will never happen to you.” Orion stepped closer, nuzzling her neck. “You’re much too modest to let this get to your head.”

“What did I just tell you?!” Twilight Velvet shouted and snorted, laughing at her husband’s silliness while fighting the urge to punch his shoulder.

Shining Armor and Spike chuckled at their parents’ ‘quarrel’, amused and comforted by the love obviously still present between the two older ponies.

With most of the attention diverted from them, Cadence inconspicuously leaned closer to Twilight. Their respective duties keeping them away from each other, the Alicorn of Love had been devoured by curiosity.

Coyly, the pink mare looked away, before asking, out of the blue: “Do you think he’s cute?”

“W-what?” Twilight turned around and blinked, startled. “Who is?”

“Now, now, don’t be shy, Twilight.” Cadence waved her hoof in front of her sister-in-law, smiling smugly. “Even here we get newspaper, you know? Is he a good kisser?”

The poor new princess let out a moan of squeaky despair. “Can we not talk about him? My friends wouldn’t let me hear the end of it back in Ponyville.”

“Why?” Cadence’s innocent demeanor certainly didn’t fool Twilight. The smile she was wearing would have looked appropriate in the mouth of a timberwolf. “Did something happen while you guys were alone?”

Feeling herself blush at the implication, the younger mare was almost glad to be interrupted by her big brother’s voice. “What are you two whispering about over there?”

“Nothing!” Twilight was quick to shout.

Her family exchanged skeptical glances between each other, which was immediately noticed by the poor princess trying to calm her beating heart and cool her burning cheeks. For a few seconds, nopony said a thing, instead opting to prolong the silent torture of Twilight Sparkle.

Then, Shining Armor turned to his wife. “Cadence?”

“Oh, we were talking about her love life.”

Instantly, new life was brought into the discussion, to the ever growing dismay of the poor mare put into the grinder. She couldn’t understand why everypony was so interested in her maybe, perhaps, not even certain, possible crush on Prince Ventus.

“C-can we please not talk about this?”

“Ah, as if!” Shining Armor chuckled. “My little sister, the very same one that always used to say that interponies relationships were a loss of time in comparison to her studies, is apparently falling for a stallion I don’t even know. It’s my job to be very curious about it and possibly hurt him.”

“Now, now, Shining, just because Twilight has a very strong history of ignoring every sign members of the opposite sex send her way doesn’t mean…” Cadence’s words slowly trailed off, as the alicorn failed to justify her point through more than a gut feeling. “Well… maybe it does…”

“Okay, now that’s unfair. I’ve changed since that time.” She frowned, her wings fluttering in response. “I wouldn’t be a princess if I hadn’t discarded that perspective a while ago.”

“Eh.” He shrugged. “Still worried about you.”

At that, Cadence nodded, then added, with a small hint of concern in her voice. “And I’m still very interested in hearing this from you rather than from second-hoofed gossips.”

“Likewise,” her parents said simultaneously.

All heads turned to Spike, who had remained quite silent since the unexpected turn in the conversation. Put on the spot, the little dragon’s eyes widened and he nervously fiddled with his own scales. “Huh… well, I don’t really care much about romance, you know? That’s stuff a little gross…”

For the shortest of moment, Twilight’s facial muscles all twitched with the incredibly strong urge to form a very indignant scowl that included every bit of incredulity at his guts. As if he wasn’t fawning over Rarity at every possible occasion!

But he was still a child, and prone to some myopia about certain issues. She managed to let it slide. For the most part. That line he dared pronounced would be used by her at some unspecified time in the near or late future against him.

Plus, a nudging pink hoof was demanding her attention. “Well?”

Momentarily, she forgot everything Spike had said in favor of quickly scanning the room for expectations.

Every eye were on her, everypony wanted to know and… well, she was a little afraid of disappointing her mother if she was so hardheaded about this…

“I might like-like him…”

Her family quietly stared at her admittance, halfway between stunned shock and pleasantly surprised.

It was her big brother that broke the silence first. Looking deadly serious, he uttered some words that had her look at him with a slackened jaw. “So… want me to punch him in the face, Twiley?”

“Shining!” Both alicorns stood up at the same time, with the exact same look of indignation on their faces and the exact same tone of warning dripping from their voices.

“Can I help?” Spike chipped in eagerly, but shrank down when the mares turned their synchronized disapproval in his direction.

For his part, Orion’s only reaction to this was to snort behind his hoof, earning a glare from his wife.

“What?” The white unicorn looked suspiciously innocent. “Would you prefer I buck his teeth in? Or maybe a magic blast to the face? I’m not picky about which way to protect my little sister.”

“You’re not going to try to hurt him!”

“Why not? Afraid I’ll mess up his pretty face?” He grinned, chuckling in silence.

“Because he’s Princess Celestia’s cousin!” It seemed as if mentioning her idol had revived some more preachy habits in the purple mare. “You could get in serious trouble if you touched him!”

“Hey, I’m a prince too, you know? That has got to count for something!”

At his reply, Twilight started to grind her teeth against each other, simply unable to pronounce words in her state of mind. To even suggest a heresy like that against anything remotely relating to her idol, mentor, beloved teacher, certainly had her on edge.

Worse yet, her rage was quite visible for everypony else, causing them to exchange hesitating and awkward glances. The relaxed and peaceful atmosphere had evaporated with the way the teasing had evolved; now, they were trying to find a solution on how to defuse this.

“Okay, now, children, this has been fun and games, but I think it’s high time we change the subject,” Twilight Velvet declared solemnly, and wasn’t opposed.

“Sure thing, Honey, but what should we discuss about then?” Orion asked.

“W-well, we… we could always tell them about…” Shining Armor leaned closer to his wife, his voice barely above a whisper and his eyes going down to her belly. “Y-you know…”

“W-what?” Cadence squeaked in surprise, obviously not prepared for his suggestion. “Y-you mean, now?”

His expression set in stone and giving the impression that he wished for anything but that, Shining Armor nodded swiftly.

Now prey to the same anxiety as her soul mate, Cadence bit on her lips before alternatively looking at him and at the rest of his family. “Alright…” She whispered.

“Mom, Dad, Twiley, Spike…” The young stallion took a deep breath, steeling his nerves. “We have something very important to tell you…”

“Shining Armor and I wanted to tell you that… ” She paused, seemingly to steady herself as well, before smiling tenderly at her husband. “I am pregnant.”

Jaw dropped. Eyes almost flew out of their eye sockets.

And only then did the excited cheers and questions start pouring in! How wonderful that there would be a new child in their family!

Observing the scene with a strange sense of otherworldliness, as her parents were congratulating Cadence and celebrating this great news, Twilight couldn’t help but question herself. Was this what she wanted? For someday to be sitting in that chair with her family and announce to them that she was expecting a foal, a handsome alicorn stallion by her side, just like her old foalsitter was doing?

Everypony was treating her possible crush as such a big deal that it was hard not to wonder. Was it something she wanted?

She… she didn’t know. At all.

Maybe… M-maybe… not.

--

We stayed until the twilight had come over the horizon and Luna had to perform her royal duties. Only then did most of the foals start to show signs of exhaustion. Their day had been a most exciting one, and parts of me had rejoiced when my cousin had shown not even a trace of resentment or sadness at them going to bed instead of enjoying her nights.

Somepony else did complain at lengths about it, though.

“Saaaaaam,” Calx whined. “I don’t wanna leave yet.”

“Come on, bro.” I tried to nudge him. “They’re going to bed anyway.”

“But it was so fun! I want to stay longer!”

My brain was slow to make connections at the moment and my limbs had started to drag about, so heavy to carry. I had been the one to put Violet to bed. It had been her request and, while I couldn’t find it in me to deny her that small comfort, it became harder and harder to speak as I read the tales of a foal’s storybook. A few others had inched closer, while my little brother had sat directly in my lap, perhaps with a bit of possessiveness.

When most had succumbed to their desire to sleep, I had lifted Calx up and brought him downstairs, into the entrance of the orphanage. Despite his lack of energy and his falling eyelids, the little colt still desired more games.

I didn’t have it in me to go on like this much longer.

“Please… don’t be difficult tonight…” I whispered, almost as a plea.

My tone shocked him, making me instantly regret my weakness. His eyes had widened and his mouth had opened, without a sound coming out, as if he couldn’t believe it.

Quietly, he settled down, a strange look passing over his gaze and he accepted to leave without another protest.

That hurdle overcome much faster than I anticipated, we gathered just before the gate of the orphanage. “All that is left for us is to go back to the castle, Ventus. Are you ready to face Canterlot once more?”

Wise to my cousins’ games now, I offered them a devious smile. “I think I have a better idea.”

After a gust of wind, we had left the orphanage. The sensation of becoming weightless shocked my mind out of its lethargy, perhaps with this closer contact with my concept of existence. It… gave me at least some more time to go on without collapsing.

It was slightly harder than usual to let go of the wind and become solid again. After a second of hesitation however, all four of us had reappeared within the Castle’s gardens.

The cool air of the evening hit us first.

“This is not our suite…” I muttered, closing my eyes in frustration. “And here I just wanted to drop down in bed…”

“Oh, a little pride would do us good.” Celestia joked, earning a baffled grimace from me. “Alicorns should be the strongest of ponykind. A few minutes of trotting shall not kill us.”

My legs are saying otherwise…

Now was not the time to protest though, so I complied.

After a few seconds of silent walking, Luna started speaking, to my annoyance. Couldn’t she just…? No?

“We must say, Prince Ventus, that we were most proud of your behavior today. It showed the makings of a great prince.”

Though a part of me was ticked by her words, it still didn’t stop my face from burning with pleased modesty. Without thinking, I just scratched the back of my head shyly. “I… you shouldn’t say that. I’m really not that good of a stallion.”

“Nonsense!” Luna replied strongly. “We have seen your attitude and your words with that filly!”

“I just did what… what came naturally.” If it had been Calx, I wo- no, it wasn’t and it will NEVER be!

“You helped her.” Celestia added, seemingly very pleased with the results of our little visit to the orphanage. “No matter how many years pass, there are always foals that need support. And I knew, Ventus, that you could give it to them.”

Her words made me blink. Huh, she… she trusted me?

“I… well, this… wasn’t something I had ever noticed before…” I couldn’t phrase my thoughts properly, this wasn’t… ARGH! Just the first thing that comes to mind! “You really do this every year?”

“As regularly as possible. There are a few other orphanages through our kingdom and it would be a great relief to see their number dwindle, but until it has been reduced to nothingness...”

“D-doesn’t it hurt?” The Elders knew how much this one torn my heart in half.

At that, Celestia’s eyes went to the ground. All of a sudden, she wasn’t a kind and strong ruler for her people, but just another mare, who had had a long life. “It does. Every time, it opens old wounds and new ones.”

Dark blue wings fell on her back, making a gentle and empathic touch. The Princess of the Sun reacted in little way, other than straightening up a bit. Her sister, on the other hand, seemed to avoid looking at anypony at all cost, her gaze suddenly shifty.

“But it is the right thing to do,” Celestia said softly, slowly looking up to me. “It is what Mother taught us. A good ruler should be just. A great ruler can afford to be kind.”

And a certain somepony we had pegged down as drifting into the world of dreams interrupted.

“Who’s your mom?” Calx asked, shifting on my back and rubbing his eyes.

“Our mother, young colt,” Luna said, a certain flair for the dramatic in her tone, “is Renascentia Ignis, the World-Shaper.”

“The last time we saw her was over a thousand years ago, hours before we departed the Astral Planes for our mission in Equestria.” The white alicorn’s eyes became distant, looking past us and into reminiscences of times long gone. “Since then… I heard nothing of her, though words reached my ears about her whereabouts. Perhaps you have met her?”

“Renascentia?” I whispered, summoning a memory over three hundred years old.

She was tall, at least as much as Celestia. Perhaps slightly taller, but I could not tell for sure. I had been only a little older at the time than Calx was now.

I grinned, feeling a flicker of joy at the images brought back. “Yes, I do remember her.”

“Well, I don’t!” Calx pouted, unpleased at being out of the loop.

“She is rarely seen, even amongst our kind, little brother. Renascentia’s goals and motivations are unknown to most. I have only seen her thrice in all my life, and even then, only once did she talk to me.”

Now, as I spoke, my own gaze lost focus of my surroundings, rather turning toward the memories that started to play before me.

The first time had been… strange. It had only been a glimpse of her essence amongst so many others. Yet, in the mind of the colt I had been, it seared a few impressions in me. Warmth. Peaceful light. The smell of ink. The roughness of wooden planks under my hooves. Notes on a harp intertwining with a soothing voice reciting verses.

My parents had had to call for me multiple times afterward. They told me I had started staring into empty space and simply wouldn’t respond to them.

The third time was almost insignificant, as it had been but a fleeting moment during which our gazes had met over a crowd of alicorns.

Our second meeting had been much more interesting.

“I had been feeling a little down, after some disappointing matters, the exact nature of which I cannot seem to recall clearly.” Lies…

It was so easy to remember tasting the salt in my own tears. And the innocent curiosity at this peculiar alicorn towering over me. Had she been like… others… I might have been scared, but her face held nothing but benevolence.

There had been words, though exchanged differently. For her, it was not a matter of air as it was for mortals… it had been a few chapters of a nice story.

“She spoke something of a comforting tales for young foals, as this was the form I had back then.” The weight on my back moved slightly and I could tell, just from the way he stilled, that he was fascinated. He was naturally a curious kid, but this little story invoked the impossible image of an older figure in one’s life being just a kid once too. “It was quite simple, really. Her wings were blazing feathers with an ethereal softness, almost cool to the touch. With a mighty flare, they sprung into life and made a blanket to shield me from the world. When I asked why help me, when she didn’t even know me, well, she just said she could never stand to hear a foal crying.”

There was a flash of recognition in the Princesses' eyes. They understood the parallel.

I went on, speaking slowly, with a deep voice and a rhythm that translated impressions and emotions. Like a storyteller. There was no other way to speak of Her. “Then, she told me more, revealed old secrets from ancients civilizations, just to keep my mind off painful memories. But it came to an end… and I apologized to her, that I must have been really annoying and made her lose so much time.”

They all inched closer to me, captivated by my story. They seemed to be eating my every word, which had me quite thrilled and made me wear quite the smug grin. What she had said…

“After a moment of silence, Renascentia leaned forward and confessed that she missed even the sound of your childish whining, Princess Luna.”

“Whining?!” Said alicorn stood up, blinking with indignation. “I was never whining! I was complaining!”

Tom started chuckling and Celestia hid her smile behind her hoof. In response to that, the Princess of the Night huffed and puffed, rather childishly if I could comment on it. She looked, alternatively, between all three of us, trying to find support or, Tartarus forbid, opposition.

Luckily for the sake of our ears, and especially mine, Luna faced no such reactions, only welcoming smiles and quiet sighs of relief, once their laughter had faded away.

Slowly, however, the relaxed atmosphere started to fade and the weight of this day still couldn’t be completely overshadowed.

“I… I miss her, Tia.”

Sadness seeping through her usually regal mask, the elder sister gently hugged the younger. “I miss her too, Lulu.”

A small shaking hoof gripped my shoulder. “…Sam…”

“I know, Tom,” I whispered with some difficulty. “I know…”

He buried his head into my shoulders, in silence, but I could feel him fighting some shaking.

“It’s okay, buddy.” My heart was rapidly sinking in my chest. “We’ll see them soon…”

The silence of the night naturally claimed its right over us. Through the echoes of our steps and the darkness covering the halls, there was only the reflection of our thoughts.

We barely noticed that we had reached our destination already. To me, it had felt as if time had not moved since our arrival in the castle. The searing pain in my legs protested otherwise though…

With a depressed foal to take care of, the goodbyes were quick, especially since Luna’s duties were only starting at this point. After some encouragement and wishes of good will, she left, taking off into the sky.

Right then, it was only Celestia and me, Calx having finally succumbed to his fatigue.

“Good night, Ventus,” the princess said.

Then, to my shock, she moved forward to nuzzle me, offering me a bit of affection. I was almost ashamed of how much I gobbled every drop of it. “Good night, Celly.”

Before it ended however, I… heard something.

Just a click. Not especially memorable either, but… this one stirred something from my memory. Granted, it was all over the place at the moment, but still!

Celestia, neither blind nor insensitive, detected my tension in an instant. Her brows furrowed as she detached herself from me. “Is something wrong, Ventus?”

“N-no… I don’t think so…”

I had a bad feeling about this.

--

Only the barest light filtered in the otherwise dark room. Long after the sun had disappeared under the horizon, he still had stayed up, relying on nothing but the artificial light coming from his screen to keep him up. It had been a few days already, but the words would not leave his mind.

“They’re Humans in Equestria.” That’s a joke! E-even if some of the coincidences – because that’s all they were, coincidences – could, maybe, hint at that, t-there is no WAY in HELL that the two new alicorn bros are Sam and Tom!

EXCEPT THEY’RE ALSO CALLED SAM AND TOM!

Eric almost screamed out in frustration. Only the barest of consideration for his sleeping mother had stopped him. His current posture might have muffled it out a little, but not perfectly.

His face was hidden in his hands, feeling burning to the touch, against his forehead whom he could only admit was the façade concealing too many conflicting emotions. H-he couldn’t just… How was he supposed to accept that?! His friend and his little brother had jumped dimension?! That was just beyond unreal!

I mean, even if the theory turned out to be real and that those two were really humans in Equestria, that would mean nothing about Sam and Tom. That would still be two very fictional characters. NOT missing people!

Slowly, his hands slid off his face, letting the cool air of his fan hit him square in the face. He didn’t hate the feeling. Besides, he couldn’t just stop looking forever…

On his computer’s screen, there were some more images, and a paused video.

Ventus’ voice is way too deep to be Sam’s anyway. And they don’t act alike.

For a moment, Eric allowed himself a small smile, coming to terms with the rational and solid facts. The names were a coincidence. What mattered was the personalities and the interactions, right? And Ventus didn’t act the way Sam did.

Except on how they interact with their younger siblings.

That one had been a complete bull’s eye. Granted, their relationship was a pretty healthy and not uncommon one, but it had resonated with a fiber in Eric’s body.

Why? He thought furiously. Why is it that every single little detail burns into my mind and sways me so easily?! The rational thing is just so much simpler!

The most obvious example was the very concept. Ever since he had read about the theory from LoveCupcakes, he hadn’t been able to shake off that stupid thought. It just gnawed at his mind, even when there were solutions that made infinitely more sense.

He just couldn’t stop himself from clinging at the hope he had indeed found his friend…

Perhaps, it was time to do something he hadn’t had the courage to do since Sam had disappeared: browse through the anti-Blade Darkblaze group, the very same his friend had apparently took over with a massive shitstorm…

The forums were all pretty active at the moment, as there had been a certain amount of alicorn in the last few episodes. He knew that much at least.

You’ll have to look at them sooner or later, Eric told himself, but it was useless. He couldn’t gather the courage to do that so easily.

He really felt like a coward when he hastily clicked on the first thread he could see. “Alright, let’s… look at this one.”

His heart almost stopped beating when he read the opening statement. It was a Cupcake reprise’s promotion thread, with the target of the Internet monster being none other than the titular alicorn colt.

Quickly scrolling past down the few posts of approval, Eric felt the unsettling fear shaking his guts. It got worse when he recognized one username.

ScatteredWinds? That’s… that’s his…

Then, he started reading the comment.

“Haha, good one. You’ve shattered my faith in humanity. Great recreation of a fucking character assassination for the sake of torturing A CHILD, YOU MOTHERF-”

He felt himself become… nauseous. The words were just flowing through his mind, barely registering as one long sick nightmare.

“-WILL FIND YOU, FIND WHERE YOU LIVE AND CUT YOUR THROAT IN YOUR SLEEP, THEN FILL IT WITH ACID AND DRAG YOUR BODY OUTSIDE TO FEED THE CROWS! I’LL BASH YOUR HEAD IN WITH A SHOVEL AND-”

His blood was cold as ice in his veins. It was not simply bafflement, or even horror, he felt. It was fear. He could see his friend’s expression, the murderous intent glistening in the blue eyes when he had spoken up against the mini-Stu, but… but this couldn’t be real. This was a joke, right?

The death threat continued for at least half a page. Literally half a page.

The members of the forum weren’t treating it like a simple troll or a flamer. At first they had, but with the degeneration of the posts… Well, one could easily infer that they were very cautious about their replies, the few that did have the guts to make themselves a target.

The words were repulsive and the malice in them was making him shake in his seat.

W-wait… He looked closer.

Midway through the conversation, the speaker had changed, but he hadn’t noticed right away. It had been the exact same tone. Until the story’s writer had been called out on it, then there had been a reply to chill his bones.

“Eh, that’s right, bitches. It’s meeeee, ScatteredWinds. I’ve hacked his account, looked up his personal info. Don’t believe me? Here they are.”

As the numbers and words appeared on the screen, Eric’s visage progressively lost all colors. In a matter of seconds, he was pale as a corpse and his head felt so heavy he was off-balanced.

It just didn’t seem possible that one of his friends could react like… like a psychopath. It felt like reading about a murderer stalking his victims!

Realization hit him like a bolt of lightning.

…It is… possible. It occurred to him that his friend had started seeing a psychiatrist not long before this event had transpired.

N-no, he had gone seen the very same professional and he wasn’t going to kill anyone either. More importantly, what could possibly motivate him to act this way?! It was just a character from ‘My Little Pony’ in a bad fanfic! It wasn’t even a very likeable character to boot. Heck, he was surprised Sam cared at all, seeing as the kind of overhyped character Calx Iugum was usually rubbed him the wrong way!

It just wasn’t possible for him to care so much about a fictional character to send serious DEATH THREATS!

But if he had believed this was endorsing torture of Tom…

“Sam…” The name felt wrong, rolling off his tongue. He hadn’t known that guy, not the one that he saw today. This was wrong.

“You’ve shattered my faith in humanity.” It wasn’t one of those jokes or those angsty statements nobody could take seriously. T-this one resonated with him; he felt it in his guts.

Sam was sick. Very sick. He needed help! And fast!

Before it was too late.

Eric rarely felt such sentiment of urgency before, but he knew why. The responsibility had never fallen on his shoulders, not such an important one at least. Lives were at stakes here.

--
I knew before I even woke up. How could I not? So many voices called for my attention, involuntarily for the most part, for had they known I could hear them all, their words wouldn’t have been so blunt. Or perhaps the smarter ones would have communicated with written messages rather than spoken words.

The flow of blood in my veins started to create a strangely pulsing sensation in my mind. I could hear every one of them, as the Alicorn of Wind… of air and sky… I could hear everything.

I didn’t wake Tom up. It didn’t feel appropriate for me to do it, not with what I feared loomed over us. And really, the honest side of me knew that I was afraid of what side of me I might show him in the event I was right.

Without a word or sound, my body dissolved into thin air, sending my consciousness away, only for it to rematerialize right behind my seat in the dining hall. Predictably, most nobles were back, with a few scarce exceptions, such as Celestia herself.

Without the opening of the great doors, which I had slowly realized was noisy for the sole purpose of allowing ponies to hear newcomers, very few noticed me right away. It was that same fact that caused a minor incident.

As I took a few steps forward, still shaking with apprehension and rage, I didn’t notice the maid carrying a tray of pastries and fruits. I only felt a bump against my side and a cry of distress.

Following my reflexes alone, I span, only to see half a dozen meals falling to the ground. As naturally as breathing, I allowed my magic to glow through my horn and it shot up, grabbing each items before they hit the stone marbles.

One, two, three, four, five… six. That’s everything, I thought, levitating the tray onto a nearby spot on the table. With that done, I could hopefully get the answer I needed.

Unfortunately, my actions had brought attention to my presence.

The hall immediately fell silent. So many ponies were frozen with the expression of somepony caught like a deer in headlight. There was guilt written all over their faces.

Instantly, there were dark thoughts pushing me to violence, to retribution. They were so unbelievably naïve! I already know, you idiots!

“P-prince Ventus! I am s-s-s-so SORRY!” The green mare looked at me with fearful, teary eyes. “I didn’t see you a-and, that t-that was completely involuntary! I deeply apologize!”

As the maid dropped to the ground, I could only blink. My mind was so far off from this thing… I just didn’t…

The mask, just remember the mask.

“No, stand up, please.” The tip of my wing gently raised her head up. “It was only an accident. I understand. I shouldn’t have appeared so suddenly in your path.”

“I… I…”

Even though my throat had started burning with loathing, I managed a benevolent chuckle. “If anything, I must apologize. You almost had to run back to the kitchen to grab another tray.”

“I… thank you, my prince,” she stuttered before hurriedly running off.

Now the center of the attention, I sighed, trying to reign in more destructive urges before they could explode in my face. Slowly, I made it to my seat, next to the same old unicorn.

“Blueblood,” I said, with a semblance of civility.

He nodded in return, a weary look in his eyes. There was… fear, yes, it was the appropriate word for the slight shaking in his hooves and the twitches at the corner of his mouth.

“May I see this morning’s journal?”

I didn’t even need to look at him. The ponies around us basically reflected his own thoughts. Some flinched, some winced and others looked in a hurry to leave.

“Prince Ventus,” Blueblood said weakly. “T-this… you shouldn’t look at this.”

My telekinesis yanked the newspaper out of his grip without more than token protest. In the times we had indeed spent together, he had come to understand certain things about me. I could not tell how far he had seen behind the mask, but some things, he had indeed caught a glimpse of.

He just went quiet when I dropped the paper open, widespread in front of me.

The title grabbed the attention quite quickly, but the pictures emblazed one’s imagination. Four royals were sitting together in the castle’s garden, each of them sporting wings and horn, the younger ones leaning slightly against their elders, who had them held in a maternal embrace.

‘World exclusive! The Princess’ dirtiest secret revealed! The fruits of her forbidden love!’

I didn’t need to read further, but I could not simply look away. I already knew, I had known before I was even aware there had been yet another article related to me. It had been said enough for me to pick it up. This was just confirmation.

‘The two bastard sons.’ T-the…

It cut right through my composure, like a burning blade into flesh. The pain it left seemed comparable too. T-this was just so ridiculously offensive… It made my head spin. And their whispers of contempt would just not STOP!

Something inside me snapped.

In my ears, there was a howl. Of Darkness. Of Cold. Of Hate.

The windigoes were calling for me, as I was, for them.

I looked down, searching for a name, and I found one. Despite the ice spreading into my veins, a part of me wanted to smile. The kind of smile a hydra showed its prey.

I had a target.

Very swiftly, I had affected a bothered, slightly angry demeanor. Showing a blank face or exuding calm would simply be unrealistic for them and bring more suspicions on me. Besides, it was easier to show only a little of what I was feeling rather than hiding it completely.

There were too many risks that I would slip up for me to stay to eat though. In my current state of mind, any slip-up would be dramatic in consequences.

“Miss Tea Leaves?” My hoof gently stopped a maid in her track.

Showing admirable composure, especially if she had any idea about the nature of the article I had read, the pale purple mare gave a quick respectful bow before looking at me calmly. “Yes, Prince Ventus?”

“I will not be eating in the hall this morning. Will it be possible to bring breakfast to my suite for my brother and myself?”

“Of course, my prince. I will inform the kitchen immediately,” she said, being as neutral as possible. I appreciated that.

“Thank you.” I gave an appreciative nod, actually feeling some gratitude at not being judged silently or under a breath.

As soon as I had left the hall, I felt their collective sighs of relief rippling through me.

I usually had the good sense to tune their voices out, to forget their conversations and give them that bit of privacy. But not today. I couldn’t. What they were discussing was striking me at the center of my chest, again and again and again!

It… it actually stung! It felt as if the world was rejecting us, looking down on us both for the sake of their petty gossip! Mocking tones and faked shock run abound, but in their hearts there was only joy and twisted satisfaction.

Moreover, the emotion that shone the most was righteous indignation. I was ridiculously offended by this! They were using… they were using my own self to convey their disgust with me? To insult my family?! I felt personally betrayed by their actions.

Thoughts went through my mind, of how to give those bastards their just desserts. How would they like it, if I suddenly refused them right to communicate verbally, all of them?! What would they DO, once they realized they had been rendered mute?! Maybe THEN, they’d think twice about what they were saying!

My own laughter echoed in my mind, unhappy, rather bitter and cynical. It was such naivety! When did a populace, in a frantic panic no less, ever turned out toward itself for the cause of its misery?

No, there’d be a witch’s hunt and hooves pointing. Toward me, obviously, how could anypony with half a brain not realize who would be behind it.

It left an awfully bitter taste in my mouth.

How could I ever think there was a place for us in Equestria?! In that veil of anger, there was an imperfection; a sudden wave of dread that hit me at the heart. And it was my own thoughts that brought it about. Y-yeah… how did I come to? I… I was trying to find a way to go back home, wasn’t I?

My heart seemed to be moved only by inner turmoil. T-there had been time when going back had been… had been even less than an afterthought.

What am I doing? WHAT AM I DOING?! AM I EVEN TRYING ANYMORE?!

The ground seemed to have gotten unsteady beneath my limbs. My balance was shot… Slowly, the stone walls and the painted windows started spinning around me.

“Prince Ventus?” A hoof pressed gently against my shoulder.

Taken aback, I blinked, before glancing toward the owner of that limb.

Her coat was a strong orange color, very eye grabbing. Perhaps my own fur had a similar effect, but I probably wouldn’t know simply from an encounter with this mare. She was looking at me with wide eyes, a slight frown lowering her brows into a concerned expression.

“Are you not feeling well?” She asked.

Her voice was soft, but lower than that of an average mare. It had a certain charm on its own, but more importantly, I was not familiar with it. Not from this morning, nor before.

“…Sunlight, is that right?”

If she was surprised by my words, she did not show it. Remarkably composed, the mare only nodded and waited patiently for me to go on.

“Have you read this morning’s newspaper?” My voice was shaking; there were screams in my ears, some much more violent than the average pony could tolerate. “…I think it was in the Canterlot Daily. That alone should tell you how I am feeling.”

For the longest time, the maid’s face remained a completely neutral mask. There had been nothing, not even a twitch of a facial muscle, while she gathered her thought, or so I suspected. And then, she asked the most unexpected question. “Is it true?”

It baffled me that she even bothered with asking for my words on the matter. Bitterly, I bit back the acidic remark on how it seemed she was the first to do so.

My answer came out more dry and threatening than I would have liked. “No.”

“Then I think that neither you nor your brother are Princess Celestia’s sons,” she said simply, seemingly unaffected by my tone.

“…Why?” I truly wanted to know that.

“S-somehow, I do not think you would lie so easily.” I almost scoffed in her face. Me? Lying, well, there certainly aren’t any examples of that happening since we arrived in Equestria. “You… you are kind to those of lower stations, Prince Ventus.”

I wanted to scream at her! My kindness is all a lie! How much would you love me if I told you that?!

But I kept my mouth shut and let her leave, after but a brief exchange of formality and an empty word of gratitude. Perhaps in other circumstances, I would have appreciated it, but it was too little, too late. Besides, every passing second was an occasion for me to hear another lovely conversation about ‘how unbelievable’ and ‘shocking’ and ‘scandalous’ and ‘those two surely were defective ponies’ and I WAS GOING TO KILL THEM!

--

She had noticed the silence right away. There had been no sound after they had reached a certain distance, which had been really freaky. Even without the occasional roar or howl, there were chirping of birds or buzzing of bugs, but…
Silence.

It made the shadows longer, projected from above their heads. Branches elongated and twisted, in an effort to reach them, in an effort to trap them into this unnatural state of stillness. Every branch they stepped onto cracked and produced a sound so loud in these dark woods.

Applebloom was thanking her lucky star that her brother had insisted on coming with her in the Everfree Forest. Had she been alone, perhaps she would have run back home before ever reaching her friend’s house.

It was an immense relief for her to catch sight of the one tree that housed the stripped potion-maker. Finally forgetting her unease at the silence amongst the Everfree, the filly dashed toward Zecora’s house, quickly followed by the sound of Big Mac's thundering hoofsteps.

So excited and relieved she was, that she didn’t knock and simply threw the door open.

The basket full of apple treats fell to the ground, no longer held by a youthful mouth.

Two apples rolled on the uneven floor, sole things moving at all in the house. They continued to roll for an interminable minute, as they met no resistance but the wall opposite to the siblings.

Zecora’s hut was empty. Completely.

--

The remainder of the morning had seemed to fly right by me. Between my little brother who woke up curious and very savvy about my inner turmoil, those continuous whispers and the measures I had taken to clench at least some of my thirst for revenge, I was well and completely spent. Not even breakfast in bed had been respite, as I had to use Calx’s distraction to eclipse myself briefly and strike my target. Though rewarding in that it allowed me to keep him in the dark about the ugly side of the media coverage, it was one more drain on me.

Thus, the corners of my mouth fought hard with my brain to turn downward into a scowl at the sight of a servant at our door. This was going to be even more of a bother, I just knew it.

“Yes?” I asked dryly, feeling quite exasperated.

The pony, a white coated teenager in a black tuxedo, stumbled a bit at my tone, but quickly regained his composure after coughing once or twice.

“The Princess has requested your presence in the audience room, your Highness...” His words died out as he inclined his head in a polite nod, his body shaking slightly. “She wishes for you and your brother to witness the Court’s proceeding this afternoon.”

A groan almost came out of my throat, held back only at the last second. Called it…

Before I could answer, a certain somepony pushed himself between us, forcing my front legs together to get enough space in the doorframe.

“So what’s the deal?” Calx asked, tone dripping with typical childlike curiosity.

“Our cousin wants us to assist to the audiences,” I replied, halfway between a sigh and a roll of my eyes.

“Sounds pretty cool.” He shrugged, looking up to the ceiling with a bit of a lost gaze. His thoughts weren’t really on either me or the servant. “D’you think Celestia will do a big trial thingy?”

Other than on me, you mean?

“Maybe if you really start to whine…” I laughed under my breath, poking him teasingly.

“HEY!”

“I will leave you to your preparations then.” The teenager bowed quickly, then added, with his best comforting tone: “I hope your day will get better.”

His smile, albeit I strongly doubted it was meant to, almost had me grimacing. Really. It had almost triggered a knee-jerk reaction of shocked recoil. Through some more efforts however, I kept it under control.

“Thank you,” I said warmly. “And please forgive my irritability today. I am… quite torn by the… opinion on my family being spread around Equestria.”

“I do not mind, Prince Ventus.” He waved a hoof in front of himself, smiling bashfully, almost as if embarrassed. “I know that a positive attitude is difficult retain while your family is being insulted so. Besides, most of the staff trusts you and knows you’re a good pony.”

No, I’m not. A strange feeling was tying up a knot in my throat.

It had come again, something akin to bitterness, yet far removed as well.

I… didn’t appreciate their gratitude, not toward fake acts of respect. Truly, I hadn’t cared before; it was just a façade and an easy one to maintain to boot. However, the more I heard the castle’s staff react with kindness and understanding to my anger, the more annoyed I grew.

They claimed to know me, yet had no idea how little I cared for… for their opinions… for their feelings… I-I did not deserve…

--

The voices coming out from the kitchen felt distant to him. They formed something of a blur, words mashed together with nothing recognizable but their owners. One of them was his wife’s, still filled with pain, but also fainter. The second, bless her, was his sister Diana, visiting to offer some measure of support after the terrible news.

It had been no secret… In fact, once Sam had been reported missing as well, no one could get enough of this strange story, of both siblings disappearing one after the other. Rampant speculations, the most painful ones being the accusation aimed at them and the idea that it had been planned by their eldest son.

It had taken all his self-control not to ensure the one that had told him that went back home in an ambulance. The nerves!

But the viper tongues really were a trivial pinch in their sides. What did it matter what others had to say about it?

They were not getting their sons back.

James’ hands gripped against the sink with crushing strength. His knuckles turning white, his grip turning painful quickly, all the father could feel was the same vertigo that assaulted him every time, oh every time, the reality of his missing children hit him.

If he had been honest with himself, the father would have admitted that he wasn’t certain he might make it through this in the end. There just wasn’t… He couldn’t imagine his life without his sons.

Yet the Universe had promptly decided he needed not imagine. All he had to do was watch, powerless to do anything but search fruitlessly and try to ignore both his guilt and his wife’s slow descent into depression.

Slowly, his fingers traced the healing cut across his cheek. The flesh underneath had gone from a bloody red to a soft pink, and the borders of the injury made a small bump against his hand. It was healing decently, but it wasn’t gone yet…

His sister had given him an odd look when she had first seen it. From the way her eyebrows had gone down, it was almost as if-

A high pitched noise brought him out of his contemplation.

The doorbell.

“You want me to go?” Diana asked from the kitchen.

“No, it’s alright! I’ll get it.” He shouted back, rationalizing that he probably needed the distraction anyway.

Anything to distract him from this perpetual grief they were stuck in…

Quickly enough, he had reached the door and he opened it wide.

James stared for a few seconds at the young man trying to appear bashful, feeling that the connection was there but eluded him.

“Mr. Miller?” He asked politely, but with a note of uncertainty.

The question made him shake his head, trying to gather his thoughts a bit more efficiently. “Yes?” And it came back to him, the owner of that face. “…Eric?”

--

As I fought a very powerful urge to yawn, I wondered if, perhaps, Celestia hadn’t already realized what I had done. This kind of boredom, mind-blowingly deep boredom, couldn’t be wished upon somepony else without at least a good reason for revenge. Hay, this would have been a rather exotic way for me to get even with him.

More amazingly, except for a select few, foals included, most of the nobility assembled around the court room appeared interested in the situations presented to them. For example, a couple of superbly clothed ponies, both barely in their adulthood, had constantly focused on the complainants that had come before Celestia.

Not that every time a noble whispered to the ears of a companion, the comment had been respectful, or even on topic. The worst were the ones followed by smug smirks and glances. Some had been aimed toward my form or Calx’s, bored out of his mind and standing on my back.

For those, a death glare was more than enough to make them realize their mistake. Often, their pupils shrunk to tiny dots and they desperately tried to avoid eye contact for the rest of the audience.

Aside from these minor distractions, the whole thing was so boring I could have fallen asleep right there. I had sat through Magister’s lectures, with blood and sweat, and for pity’s sake, this was a close second.

It did not help that most of the problems were very mundane. A fair share of the ponies came straight from Canterlot, and those tended to have the least interesting problems, as they did not have to waste much time coming to the Castle.

From around Fillydelphia, it was a legal dispute between three parties that had degenerated. Now, only the wisdom of the Princess would do.

And more often than not, Celestia did have an answer for them. Not always pleasant for everypony involved, but undoubtedly fair and well thought-out.

Meaning, no drama to capture one’s attention, only meaningless talking. And talking. And talking.

However, things were soon about to change. From outside the court room, beyond the walls and the painted windows, another pony had just informed the guards outside of his predicament, and for the first time since this had started, I managed a discreet grin.

This is going to be fun.

Right as I thought those words, the massive doors opening into the Royal Pony Sisters’ throne room produced an unnerving rattling noise, two ponies pushing each side to widen the entrance.

Under the eyes of a curious court, a single stallion, dressed from head to hooves in a golden armor, entered. His gaze was solely on the Princess, his stance suggesting nothing toward the attention he was bathed in at the moment.

When he was close enough to talk to Celly without screaming, the guard bowed. “Your Highness, a Canterlot citizen has requested an emergency audience. Their claims include an unbreakable curse.”

The Royal Guard was full of stoic brick walls, no doubt about it. How unusual it was for the gray one speaking to his ruler to have sounded almost amused.

Celestia noted the anomaly as well, if a slight raise in her left eyebrow was any indication.

“The Court will receive them,” she said with a nod, with a hint of caution in her tone. “Bring that pony before me.”

Quickly, the guard bowed and turned around to go back to the door. Protocol dictated that only the biggest emergencies warranted more than a brisk pace. While certainly no faster than a trot, the guard didn’t walk nearly as mechanically as he could have.

Not like the pony that entered the room next.

His coat was beige and his mane, grey. On his rump, there was a quill in front of a camera. It was the first time I had seen the pony in person… in the flesh, one might say. I certainly had paid him a visit in a more… invisible form.

I fought a smirk, feeling a savage satisfaction at the stallion’s discomfort. Obviously, there hadn’t been a way to deal with his new problem in private. Why else would he be here otherwise?

From the way he advanced, each step painstakingly slow and causing a ripple of unease through his whole being, some nobles began to whisper. The guard had spoken of a curse, but truly the pony seemed in no hurry to get it removed.

In the center of it all, Celestia appeared unfazed, patiently waiting for her subject to reach an acceptable distance with an inscrutable expression on her face.

Another alicorn though had no such patience.

Blue hooves shifted on my back and against the back of my head, as his voice dropped down to an almost undetectable level, hiding a lot of frustration. “Sam?”

“Just look, little brother,” I whispered with a grin. “You’re going to love this.”

Looking back to the paparazzi, I saw that he was at the base of the stairs leading to my cousin’s throne.

“Speak, my little pony,” she said gently, in a tone not unlike a mother’s. “How may I be of assistance to you?”

For a second, it seemed as if the stallion did not know what to do with himself, looking around at the ponies surrounding him with apprehension. Flashes of recognition danced in his gaze as it fell upon the members of the court. And from the widening eyes on the face of so many nobles, the identification had been mutual.

Now there was a buzzing source of excitement in my chest making my wings flutter. The set-up was almost perfect!

Sensing my good mood, Calx shifted again, to get a better view of the scene, in time for him to see Celestia give the bastard an encouraging nod.

His cheeks growing redder, he sat down, breathing more deeply and closing his eyes. Then, his lips moved and a sound came out, but… not of his mouth.

Incredulous whispers spread to the crowd assembled in the throne room as it slowly dawned upon them what this stallion’s predicament was.

Her expression never wavering, Celestia imperceptibly leaned forward, her eyes never leaving that poor pony. By my estimation, she was fascinated by the elaborate spell he was under. I was fairly certain she had never seen or heard anything like this before.

“Please…” She hesitated, pausing for a few seconds, glancing at her scribe and shaking her head when the mare put her quill against the scroll again. Instantly, the grey unicorn lowered her scroll and stopped transcribing.

Almost with regret, Celestia continued. “You must state your name and occupation before the audience can proceed as planned.”

The stallion squirmed uncomfortably, a look of incredible embarrassment painted all over his traits, but he obeyed.

The sound came out muffled, again. From underneath him.

“…Stand up, please.” Celestia asked, her expression slowly morphing into one of incredulity.

“Yes, Princess Celestia,” he said dutifully as he scramble to stand up on all four. And this time, there was no doubt.

Appropriately, that darn paparazzi was literally speaking out of his ass. How do you like them apples!

In a silence shattering thunder, the crowd erupted with laugher. It had taken less than a few seconds, but the hilarity had spread to everypony like wildfire.

“S-stop!” He had yelled, making his tail swing back and forth.

Oh, it’s really the details that count, I thought, before a thud next to me caused me to jump.

Tom had fallen off my back, rolling on the floor in tears, the situation all too funny to a young colt like him. The sight had me grinning, pushing me to give him a few pokes in the ribs just to rile him up even more.

From a foal, it was understandable. Hay, the good ol’ childish jokes still worked on him with proper timing. From adult ponies, the reaction was much more… vindictive… vengeful.

Contempt. All I could feel toward those laughing ponies… Just cold contempt. How refined that they laugh so easily at the misfortune of another. I eyed them, taking in their features and their barely hidden snickers. How very much like I had anticipated.

A little flame ignited in my chest, though twisted and far from warm. I was… I was almost proud of how well I had read them.

This court… it wished to see those beneath them packed in good obedient locations and never question their divine blood. To see this paparazzi, one who could always attack their image so easily, this one pony, humiliated so badly; it was a primal revenge for them. They probably didn’t even find the irony all that funny, they just wanted a bit of payback.

And they were getting it.

The stallion held his head low, his tail curling up under him as he tried to disappear out of view, his whole face red with shame. He gave the impression of wishing to disappear, to sink into the ground and never come out again.

I was the first to hear choked sobs. Bitter tears of humiliation started rolling down his cheeks.

The sight of something so… pathetic actually ignited sparks of guilt in my chest.

I tried to squash them… unsuccessfully.

H-he DESERVES it! I thought with indignation toward my apparent empathy. Humiliated as he humiliated us! He gets what he threw around…

Feeble excuses. They didn’t do a damn thing to loosen this tightness around my throat.