Velvet looked at the mare with uncertainty. What had become of her home in such short time. She remembered her mother and father, her neighbors, the foals who played hoofball on the dirt roads. All know possibly under the spell of a madpony. “I don’t understand. Why would Sovereign do this? He was a teacher at the schoolhouse, he used to tutor my sister.” Velvet said. “Why would he trick ponies into being slaves?”
 
 
“Tender Brook, I thought this light might be you.” A new voice called from the mouth of the cave. In unison Velvet and Tender Brook turned. A silhouette with green eyes was approaching them, when it stepped into the light of the dying flame Velvet recognized Crimson Ember, a Pegasus mare with a light red coat, curly white mane with a single pink stripe in it, and a phoenix with wings spread as her cutie mark. “Oh my if it isn’t Velvet Rider, you know I knew you might get turned around out here. But I never thought you’d be this close to home.” Crimson walked beside the fire and circled them like a predator. Velvet noticed the purple gem that she wore on a metal tiara. “It’s a good thing we didn’t put our trust in you.” She spat.
 
 
“Why are you doing this? Those stones are effecting every ponies mind. We don’t have to use them! We cant find a way out of the valley!” Velvet protested.
 
 
“You still think the plan is to get help? Ha ha.. Listen you’ve missed a lot. So If you don’t mind I will be taking both of you prisoner now and we are going back to Hollow Peak.” Crimson said.
 
 
Tender Brook stepped in front of Velvet defiantly. “We will not be going back until this madness ends. Whatever you’re father is up to, he is not thinking clearly, and by the look of that tiara neither are you.” Tender Brook said.
 
 
“I would love to tell you what his grand plan is, but that would be a little clique don’t you think? Besides, I wasn’t giving you a choice. You’re the best medical mare in a thousand mile radius. So lucky for you Daddy sent me to find you. As for you Velvet, I don’t know what she’s told you. But you’ll die for certain trying to fly around this valley. Brave effort, but ultimately not helping.” Crimson said “So either you come along or we fight, I win and have to drag the two of you back. Which I really don’t want to do, its cold and blah blah blah I’m sick of this mission already.”
 
 
Brook looked back at Velvet. Her eyes asked a question. Velvet nodded and prepared herself for a fight. “Hmm Okay then.” Crimson said. Suddenly her gem began to glow and her eyes became dark green with purple energy flowing from them. Behind them the cave suddenly collapsed sealing the entrance and trapping them inside. Crimson’s eyes returned to normal and she grinned. “You know I love being able to do that now.” She said. “No were to run ladies.”
 
 
Tender Brook’s horn began to glow. She turned back to Velvet reaching in her snow tunic and pulled out a scroll. “Take this, find Tempest!” She shouted. Before she could say anything she Pointed her horn at Velvet. “What are you..” She heard Crimson say before her whole world was swallowed by blinding white light.
 
(scene change)
 
Twilight looked up from the book at the sound of the library door opening. She looked around her chair at the entrance. Starlight Glimmer was levitating a scroll in her magic and looked surprised to see her. “Oh hi Twilight, sorry were you reading. I didn’t think anypony was up this late.” She said.
 
 
“That’s okay Starlight. How was your trip to see Sunburst?” Twilight said.
 
 
Starlight blushed a little. “He’s just amazing. For once it was nice to just spend time with him instead of researching a new plan to save Equestria. Two years ago I would never have imagined how great life could be.”
“That’s great to hear.” Twilight said laying the book down, making sure to mark her page this time. “I know how what you mean to. My life was so.. ordinary before. Besides being Celestia’s student, I didn’t know how shallow and lonely I was until I stepped out of my comfort zone. And well.” Twilight waved at the castle with her hoof. “It paid off.” Twilight smiled.
Twilight and Starlight walked out of the library together giggling as Starlight told her about her week with Sunburst. Twilight made her way to the kitchen and brewed a fresh pot of coffee. “You want some?” She asked Starlight. “No thank you. The train ride back made me sleepy. Besides I promised to help Pinkie Pie tomorrow. She randomly showed up at the train station and asked me if I could levitate one thousand twenty five candles. Too be honest I don’t know if I can, that’s a lot of things to keep track of. But she basically begged me to.” Starlight said.
 
 
“let me guess, you Pinkie Promised?” Twilight said cocking an eyebrow.
 
 
“A what?” Starlight asked.
 
 
“You know.. Cross my heart and hope to fly..” Twilight offered.
 
 
“Stick a cupcake in my eye? Yeah she did do that.” Starlight said.
 
 
“I wonder why she didn’t ask me. I don’t know if I can do it either but normally ponies come to me for magical help.” Twilight asked, taking a sip of her coffee. “Well I asked her that. She said you were busy reading ‘for fun’ and since you became a princess you don’t get a lot of time to do that any more.”
 
“I guess that’s true. I just got this knew book. It’s the strangest thing because I don’t remember ever owning it or even seeing it before. And I’ve read this entire library before.” Twilight said. “Is it possible you just skipped it the first time?” Starlight asked. “Possibly. But not likely. I want to see how far I can get in it before going to bed tonight. There will be plenty of work the next few days to get Celestia’s party together. So I want to spend a little ‘me’ time before everypony goes crazy trying to make things perfect for the birthday.” Twilight said.
 
“From what I’ve heard. You’re normally the one who goes crazy trying to make things perfect.” Starlight said with a smirk. She yawned and started walk for the door. “Well I’m going to hit the hay. Goodnight Twilight, I’ll see you tomorrow. Don’t stay up too late reading, I may need your help with those candles after all.”
 
(scene change- back to book)
 
“That was a nice trick. Too bad you’re so weak right now, or maybe you could have teleported yourself too.” Crimson Ember said to the now unconscious Medicine Pony. She was being levitated by a dark aura of magic next to Crimson as she flew back to Hollow Peak. “Wherever you sent her, I hope you realize it wont matter. She will die out here.” Silently she hoped that Velvet Rider did not die. But chances are out here in the cold and the monstrous whether one little pony couldn’t survive.
 
 
 
 
A nights walk had taken her back to the town where changes were already underway. The Townsfolk were busy constructing new buildings with the new magic of the gems. It was a slow laborious process but her father had decided to renovated the town from its tradition wood-style homes with stone structures make from bricks carved from the very mountainside. In the plot where a home had been, their very own crops were growing at an astonishing rate. At this rate, they could be fully self sufficient. If they wanted, they would never have to have contact with the outside world again. It was a curious thought. These ponies who she had grown up with seemed to look at her with fear now. How had it all come to this? When it was all said and done would they be happy? Would she?
 
 
She brought Brook to her Father who was using the town communal center as a base of sorts. When she entered she notice the pair of ponies flanking his sides. She couldn’t see who they were as they wore chrome armor with the Gemstones adorning the breastplate that reflected everything back. As she passed by one she caught a look at herself in his shiny helmet. She turned away and focused back on her father. “Whats with the toy solders?” She asked.
 
 
“We have dangers in these lands. Do we not?” Her father answered. Looking up from blueprints of some sort that she couldn’t make sense of. “I see you found her. I hope you didn’t have to ruff her up, we’re going to need our medicine mare.” He said, his voice ruff and horse like a pony with a throat infection.
 
 
Crimson shook her head. “No I found her like this. And there is something else.”
 
 
Sovereign scowled “What?”
 
 
“The Mare that went out into the storms Velvet Rider. She was with Tender Brook. I think she told her what she heard.” She said. “I tried to get them to come back at first but they wouldn’t so I collapsed the entrance to the cave they were in. But then Tender Brook used her magic to send Velvet somewhere.” Crimson said.
 
 
Sovereign Illusion cupped his horned head in his hooves and sighed. “Do you know. That EVERYTHING I have planned rests on our not being discovered?”
 
 
“Dad, there is no way she can survive out there. If the cold doesn’t get to her the wraiths or weather will. There is no way she ca-“
 
 
Sovereign reached over the table and slapped her hard on the cheek. “You do not speak unless spoken to!”
 
 
Crimson Recoiled from her father’s strike. Her whole life he had never so much as spanked her, but what she saw in his eyes right now. Scared her. “I had expected she would be dead the first day, nopony returns from those wicked lands. But here you tell me, she not only is alive. But she has escaped with knowledge of what we have done here. Do you know why I shook the very foundations of the world and closed our only path to the realm!? I did it so that we would not be disturbed!”
 
 
Sovereign paced back and forth. “It’s not your fault. I know. But we must see this through. Yes, we have to.”