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Storms On the Horizon: Ch. 12

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Storms On the Horizon, Chapter 12
          Second Guesses


   There is nothing more frustrating than lying awake in your bed, exhausted, yet unable to fall asleep, and, as a dressmaker, Rarity knew about frustration. Sighing, the unicorn mare opened her eyes to her sleep mask and sat up. Her horn glowed a light blue as magic removed the mask. I'm relieved to see Fluttershy and Applejack safe, but even they didn't have any information about Twilight... A yawn forced its way from the pony's mouth and she blinked sleepily. "Heavens..."

   Following a slight mane adjustment, Rarity slipped out of bed. Having spent years in her profession, she had seen her share of sleepless nights. There was always one thing that had helped with getting some rest; her secret weapon, so to speak.

   Breeze, the guard outside Rarity's door, turned to face her as it was opened behind him. "At your service, Miss Rarity. What can I do for you?"

   "If it wouldn't be too unreasonable a request, I could do with a kettle of boiling water and some tea."

   "Of course. Any specific tea you would like? We have orange spice, lemon, peppermint, a fine selection of herbal teas..."

   "Chamomile, please. Six bags would be lovely."

   "Excellent choice. I'll have it sent up for you right away. In the meantime, I'll have to ask you to wait with Miss Fluttershy in her room. Her Majesty has renounced the city-wide lockdown, but you must remain under watch. I trust you understand."

   "Of course. But, Fluttershy is asleep, is she not?"

   Breeze shook his head. "Storm Front tells me otherwise. He tells me that she's having trouble sleeping as well."

   There were no more questions; the news of her friend put Rarity's hooves in motion. Her eyes met with those of the guard outside Fluttershy's room, though just for an instant. An instant long enough for Storm Front to understand the mare's intent. He dipped his head and silently stepped aside.

   Concern is no excuse for rudeness and good manners led Rarity to knock upon the wooden door.

   The voice that came from beyond the door was very obviously Fluttershy's, yet at the same time was so tired and depressed, it was bordering on unfamiliarity. "Come in... It's open..."

   The Element of Generosity slowly pushed the door open and looked around. Nothing had been disturbed, not even the bedsheets had been moved. Instead, the yellow pegasus lay on the edge of the bed, staring at the floor. "Fluttershy, dear? Are you all right?"

   "I'm..." A long sight accompanied the rise and fall of Fluttershy's back. She paused afterwards, as if taking back her thoughts. "No... I'm not all right..."

   "Whatever could be the matter, dear?" Beds within Canterlot Palace were extraordinarily lavish, and there was plenty of room for a concerned unicorn to sit down next to her friend. On the floor before Fluttershy, previously just out of Rarity's view was yet another guest. "Heavens, Fluttershy, you didn't make off with the Princess' pet a second time, did you?"

   "No..." the pegasus laughed slightly, stroking the phoenix's red-orange head. "She came in through the window half an hour ago..."

   "Fluttershy, you hardly sound like yourself... What is it?" Kindness Rarity's Element was not, but Fluttershy seemed extremely upset.

   After a short pause, Fluttershy slowly looked over at the unicorn. Although her blue eyes were rimmed red from lack of sleep, genuine concern is hard to hide. "I'm worried, Rarity... About Twilight, about Angel... About everything..."

   Rarity lay a gentle hoof across the other mare's shoulders. "I understand completely. These are times we don't often have to deal with. It's natural to be worried; I am too." Another period of silence followed, broken only by short trills from Philomena. "I can't bear to see you so out of sorts..." Rarity sighed. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

   "I...appreciate the offer, but it's not something you or I could fix..." The butter-colored pony let out a long breath into her tail.

   Fluttershy... The Element of Generosity was at a loss for words. First Rainbow Dash and now you... Now that she thought about it, Pinkie and Applejack had been in a similar state. Ever since Twilight had received that letter from the princess, things had been steadily going downhill.

   Three quick knocks at the door interrupted the Element bearer's thoughts. "Pardon me, dear." With a single glance back at the forlorn pegasus, Rarity trotted over to answer the door. A young unicorn mare, pale green in color, and sporting a dark brown mane streaked in places by a very light green greeted Rarity on the other side of the door.

   "Miss Rarity?"

   "Yes."

   "I have your requested tea. Six bags of chamomile, correct?"

   "Again, yes."

   "In that case..." Dark green magic presented a tray completely stocked with all the items necessary for the proper enjoyment of tea to the older mare. "Here you are, Miss Rarity. There are your six bags of chamomile; it's my own special blend. There are also freshly cut lemon wedges and honey to taste. Is there anything else that I can get for you while I'm here?"

   Rarity's brow furrowed as she cast a careful eye over the tea tray. "No... I think I should be all right."

   "Very good. I'll be off then." With a quick bow, the young pony turned to leave.

   "Hold on, dear. I don't believe I caught your name."

   Obviously, the young mare wasn't used to small talk. "Um... Mint Tea. Mint for short..."

   "I see." Rarity set the tray aside, but not before removing one of the embroidered napkins from it. "If you would follow me back to my room, I have something for you."

   "O-okay..."

   "When I was your age, I would have given anything to live and work in Canterlot Palace. What is it that you do here, dear?"

   "Princess Celestia...heard of my talents and invited me to Canterlot to oversee the tea-making for the entire palace."

   "That is quite a lofty position for one so young. Your teas must be divine."

   "Th-thank you, Miss Rarity... What was it that you wanted to give me again?"

   "Ah yes." Rarity followed the door as magic swung it into her provided room. "Do step inside for a moment, won't you?"

   Despite the invitation, Mint stood in the doorway, reluctant to enter the chamber. "Oh no, Miss Rarity, I couldn't. Kitchen staff aren't permitted to enter the guest's quarters..."

   "Nonsense." the white mare replied, rummaging through her saddlebags. "I shan't be more than a minute or two. Please, come in." The aforementioned rummaging came to an end when Rarity pulled a small purse from her belongings. She upended the contents of this bag onto the napkin spread out upon the vanity. "Two...four...six..." One by one, bits were removed from the napkin, until... "There. One dozen bits, wrapped up and ready to go."

   Mint's brown eyes stared at the package as though it were the embodiment of evil itself. "Twelve bits? Oh no, I couldn't... I don't deserve this; I only brought you tea..."

   "Oh, but it wasn't just any tea. It was tea prepared by Canterlot Palace's premier tea expert. It's only fair."

   The light green pony adamantly shook her head. "Miss Rarity, I-" She trailed off when she felt her hoof turned over and a currency-filled napkin pressed into it.

   "Please, darling, I insist."

   Eyes looked from Rarity face down to the money and back. A smile crossed the young unicorn's face. "Thank you for your generosity, Miss Rarity!"

   "It was my pleasure." Smiles are contagious among ponies well practiced in social etiquette. "Now you hurry back down to the kitchen. I expect I'll be requesting your tea from now on."

   "Yes, of course! Thank you again!" Mint gave a small curtsy and galloped from the room.

   Rarity also took leave of her room, though in a much slower manner. Such a nice young mare... she thought as she trotted back to Fluttershy's room, wherein nothing had changed. The pegasus had failed to move, and a plaintive wisp of steam was slowly rising from the spout of the tea kettle.

   "Who was that pony you were talking to, Rarity?"

   "That was the tea-maker for Canterlot Palace, dropping off the tea requested. Speaking of, would you care for some?" Behind her, Rarity could hear hooves hitting the ground as Fluttershy finally slid off the bed.

   "What sort of tea is it?" the winged pony asked, glancing at the kettle.

   "Chamomile." Two of the tea bags floated out of the silver dish they were cradled in. "With a slight hint of crushed mint." Rarity added after a quick sniff.

   "That sounds wonderful. Yes, I'll take a cup."

   Inwardly, the diamond-marked pony breathed a sigh of relief; Fluttershy's voice was starting to shed some of its depressed tones. A unicorn's magic comes in very handy for a wide variety of things, not the least of which is the pouring of hot water for tea.

   During this time, Fluttershy retreated back to the edge of the bed. In the space of a few moments, she was presented with a fragrant cup of hot chamomile tea. "Oh, thank you, Rarity."

   "Think nothing of it. Mind your hooves, though; it's still rather hot."

   Each of the ponies remained silent whilst enjoying their drinks. In between sips, Fluttershy would gently swirl her cup and stare thoughtfully at the liquid. Finally, she murmured, "I...I'm not sure I want to be the Element of Kindness anymore..."

   There are no words in any language, written or otherwise, to aptly describe the sound that came from Rarity. Out of manners and respect, the mare clapped a hoof over her mouth to stop her sip of tea from drenching Fluttershy. "Heavens above, Fluttershy!" she gasped, shaking the tea from her hoof.

   "S-sorry..."

   "Why in Equestria would you say that, dear?" Tea time forgotten, Rarity edged closer to the pegasus.

   Put on the spot, the shy pony retreated behind her mane. "N-nevermind... I-I'm sorry I mentioned it..."

   "Don't be, darling. That's not something I'd ever expect to hear from anypony, much less yourself. What's going on, Fluttershy?"

   Not surprisingly, the bearer of Kindness didn't answer. She looked down at her folded hooves and began fidgeting uncomfortably. The next ten minutes were filled with silence, and the occasional urging from Rarity. Each time she was met with this, Fluttershy's eyes would drift a little bit closer to her friend before looking away.

   "Fluttershy, please. You're starting to scare me."

   Finally, the butter-colored pegasus closed her eyes and turned away. "Ponies h-have been hurt...be-because of me... Because I'm the E-element of Kindness..."

   "What ponies are you talking about, dear?" Another napkin floated off the serving tray towards the unicorn who presented it to the distraught pony.

   "G-general Headwind, that pegasus in the forest, Tw-Twilight..."

   Rarity placed a hoof on her friend's shoulder once again. "General Headwind volunteered to escort you and Applejack back to Canterlot. He knew it would be dangerous."

   "I...I n-never asked for any of th-this..." The yellow pony's eyes were bright with tears. "I never asked a-anypony to put themselves in harm's way for me... I never asked to c-carry an Element, Rarity. Did you?"

   The pointedly direct question very obviously caught Rarity off guard. "N-No..." she answered at length. "None of us asked to be part of the Elements of Harmony. But we were all picked for a reason; you, me, even Twilight."

   "W-why...?" Fluttershy hiccupped.

   Of course, the white pony didn't have an answer for that. She let out a silent sigh of relief where there was a knock at the door for her to answer. " O-oh my! Princess Celestia, Your Majesty! Please, come in!"

   Equestria's ruler nodded in thanks and stepped inside. "Thank you, Rarity. Is Fluttershy awake?"

   "There's no need to whisper, Your Highness. I-I'm awake..." the pegasus sniffed, quickly dabbing her eyes dry.

   For all of the power she possessed, Celestia was not without a heart. "Fluttershy, my dear, are you feeling all right?" She took the napkin from the pegasus and properly wiped her eyes.

   "I-I'm-hic!-fine, Princess..."

   "Come now, little one. I know from experience; it's not good to suppress your feelings. Tell me."

   "I-I don't want my E-Element any...more..."

   Celestia said nothing, but only because her shocked eyes said it all. Rarity nodded as the princess looked her way. The alicorn sighed. "Fluttershy, I know you didn't ask to be the Element of Kindness, and I know it's a heavy responsibility, but it was the Element that chose you."

   "B-but why did it?"

   "Truthfully, Fluttershy, you were the only one it could choose. Think of all the animals you care for. They don't ask to be cared for, nor do they have a way to repay you for what you do for them. Yet you tirelessly work each day, seeing that they are fed, groomed, and healthy. Tell me, Fluttershy, why do you choose to do all of that?"

   "They d-don't need to repay me..." Fluttershy explained. "Kindness doesn't ask for payment; it is its own reward..."

   Celestia winked. "I think you just answered your own question. Just as Rarity is the embodiment of Generosity, you are the embodiment of Kindness. The Elements chose you for that reason."

   "Ponies are s-still being hurt trying to protect me. I-I'm not okay with that..."

   "Headwind?" A slight nod told Celestia to continue. "I understand how you feel. Headwind had been in my service for years, and I don't like seeing him, or any of my guards for that matter, injured in any way. But, I wouldn't have asked them to join Canterlot's military unless they knew what I asked of them in doing so. They are proud of what they do." In a two-headed attempt to break the following silence and comfort the pegasus, Celestia offered a suggestion. "Would you feel better if I had headwind assigned as your door guard?"

   "M-maybe..."

   "Let's do that then. Now, the reason I'm here. Do you mind if I borrow Philomena for a while?"

   "Of course. She belongs to you, Princess." Fluttershy motioned for the phoenix perched upon the footboard of the bed to return to her owner. "What did you need her for?"

   Two knocks upon the doorframe, followed by, "I can answer that." served as yet another interruption.

   "Twilight!?"

   Before the purple mare could take a step into the room, her friends had met her at the door for a round of welcoming hugs.

   "Darling! Where have you been?"

   Tears of a much happier variety were streaming down Fluttershy's cheeks at the sight of her friend. "T-Twilight... I-I'm so happy to see you a-again!"

   "Me too, Fluttershy... Me too..." she whispered. I thought I never would see you again... A napkin suspended by a soft yellow glow brushed Twilight's cheek, causing her to look up. Celestia smiled and nodded as their eyes met. The simple gesture brought a fresh wave of tears to the unicorn's eyes. She quickly dried her eyes and finally succeeded in extricating herself from Fluttershy's prolonged hug.

   "So, Twilight, dear... Why do you and the princess need Philomena? Is it something to do with that scroll you're carrying?"

    In between dabbing her nose, the Element of Magic nodded. "Long story short, we're sending a message out to Big Macintosh to have him check the library for a book."

   "Uh-uhm, Twilight? C-could I add something to the letter? I-if that's o-okay..."

   "Sure. What did you want to say to him?"

   Fluttershy swallowed at the wording of the question. "I-I want to ask him if he's found Angel yet."

   "That's right... Applejack mentioned he was missing... I'll add that to the letter."

   With the donation of a feather from Philomena and Spike's inkwell from next door, the message, addendum and all, was away within minutes. The four ponies stood at the window, watching until the avian disappeared from sight. "Be safe, Philomena..." Fluttershy said quietly.

   "I just hope that Big Macintosh finds the book we need..."

   "Forgive the interruption, Your Majesty, but I have need of your attention."

   Turning from the sill, the alicorn saw her general standing in the doorway. "Yes, Headwind? What is it?"

   "The research team has requested an audience with you, regarding the sinkstone."

   "Sinkstone?" Rarity murmured under her breath.

   "Thank you for letting me know." A quick nod from the princess bade the three Elements follow her. All three obliged, but not before trading glances.

   Headwind and Celestia were already into a conversation of their own by the time the trio joined them in the hallway. "I see... And the research team wouldn't tell you why they needed me?"

   "Negative. They only said it was urgent. I thought it wiser to notify you as soon as possible rather than press the issue."

   "A wise move indeed. Thank you, General."

   Twilight spoke for three ponies at once in asking, "What is it, Princess?"

   "Fluttershy and Applejack managed to obtain a sinkstone from one of the pegasi that captured you. I had it sent to the research team for further study. Something has happened concerning it, but that is all I know."

   No further questions were asked, nor were any additional words spoken. There was business to be done. Conversation could wait until they were walking; there was little else to do in the palace's long hallways anyway.

   "General Headwind? I have another assignment for you."

   "Of course, Your Highness."

   "As soon as we have resolved the issue warranting this audience, you are dismissed to get some rest. That's an order. Fluttershy has requested you as her door guard while she is with us. I want you well rested."

   The general respectfully dipped his head to the mare. "It would be my honor, Miss Fluttershy."

   "Th-thank you, sir..."

   "Forgive me, General Headwind, sir. You mentioned something about a sinkstone earlier. Where exactly did you come by it?" Rarity inquired at the first available pause.

   "It was...'liberated' from a pegasi in the Everfree Forest. Is there a reason you ask, Miss Rarity?"

   "Not in particular. It's just that sinkstones are considered somewhat of a commodity here in Equestria. They're not often mentioned nowadays." Sinkstones are used for one thing and one thing only. the unicorn added silently. "The pegasi you took it from, was she a gray color? With a dark blue mane?"

   "I believe so... Why?"

   "Because that was the pony that captured me." Twilight interrupted. "The sinkstone you took for that pegasus was the one I was wearing when I woke up. She...was using my magic... She was using my magic to harm you, Fluttershy..."

   The yellow pegasus quickly shook her head. "N-no, Twilight... She didn't hurt me..."

   The unicorn shot a glare at the timid pony, her violet eyes as cold as her tone. "Given the opportunity, she would have. You didn't see how she treated Applejack..."

   "Speaking of Applejack... Do she and the others know you're back yet, darling?"

   "Not unless somepony else has told them. Our current situation called for immediate research."

   Rarity raised a questioning eyebrow. "Pray tell, what exactly is our current situation and how is it more important than our friends?"

   "Nightmare Moon is trying to find a way to return."

   After the initial shock of the blunt answer had passed, Headwind was the first to speak. "What exactly is to stop the Elements from defeating her again?"

   "Allow me, Twilight." Celestia cut in. "In a nutshell, the Elements of Harmony work via separation. Seeing as absolutely everything in this world has an opposite, it stands to reason that the Elements would as well. If it was the Elements that defeated Nightmare Moon the first time, what do you suppose their opposites would be capable of? If Nightmare Moon uses the Elements to give herself form again, she's keeping them. We wouldn't have a way to stop her if that were to happen."

   "H-how do we stop th-that from happening?" Fluttershy stammered, understandably alarmed at the news.

   "Our priority, first and foremost, is the protection of you and your friends. I have already seen what Nightmare Moon is capable of with one Element in her possession. I shudder to think of what she could do with more, and I do not intend to give her the chance to show me. We will fight her to the death to protect the Elements."

   Celestia's admittedly poor choice of words might as well have stopped Fluttershy's heart. The Element of Kindness froze in place, staring in utter shock at the alicorn princess. It didn't take long for hears to start filling the timid pony's eyes once more. She cast one look each at Rarity and Twilight before turning and fleeing.

   For the second time in half as many days, Celestia had shot her mouth off. "Fluttershy, wait!" she called after the pegasus. In a bout of frustration, the Sun Goddess slammed an armor-clad hoof to the ground, cracking the marble unfortunate enough to be in the way. "Headwind, I hate to have you running back and forth across the palace, but would you go-"

   "I'll go talk to her, Princess." Twilight offered, starting after her friend. I know how she feels...

   "Are you sure, Miss Twilight?"

   "Absolutely. I've already had a sinkstone around my neck twice. I don't need to see any more of them."

   "As you wish."

   "Thank you, sir." Twilight nodded in respect and ran off in pursuit. "Fluttershy! Come back!" The purple mare knew the palace halls well, and knew the exact path Fluttershy would have taken. I should have known that Fluttershy felt this way... She never asks anypony for anything; to have ponies put themselves in harm's way for her... It must be tearing her apa- A sudden impact derailed her train of thought and planted her square on the ground.

   "My apologies, miss."

   "No, it's my fault, I wasn't watching where I was g-" For some reason, Twilight's mouth sealed itself shut upon meeting the face of the guard she had barreled into. "-oing..." She quickly skirted the guard and continued on her quest, casting but one glance back at him. There had been something in his eyes that had made her uneasy.

   As Twilight's tail disappeared around a corner, Stratus found the one flaw in his near perfect disguise. The Element of Magic throws herself at me, and I can't do a damned thing!

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

   Thanks to her head start, Fluttershy was back to her room, door shut behind her, well before Twilight could catch up. The pegasus flung herself onto her bed and began sobbing into the pillow. "I c-c-can't handle this any more...!"

   Knock, knock, knock.

   "Wh-what?"

   "May I come in?"

   "I...j-just want to be alone, Twi-Twilight..."

   "Fluttershy... Please... I know how you feel..."

   That did it. Fluttershy slipped off the bed and slowly trotted to the door. Latches clicked, hinges creaked, and the door slowly swung inward. "Y-you do?"

   The unicorn on the other side nodded. "I do..." After stepping inside, a light kick proved enough to shut the door behind herself. "I assume that Applejack told you what had happened to me before you found her?"

   "S-she said you had been ta-taken... That's all. She didn't know where..."

   Twilight's tone changed ever so slightly. "I didn't know either, Fluttershy, and I still don't know. I know some Canterlot guards tried to help me, but...they were...well..."

   Silence can speak volumes, and this time was no exception. The Element of Kindness finished her friend's sentence for her. "They were killed, weren't they?"

   The lavender pony nodded slowly. "Yes, they were. But I'm not any more comfortable with it than you are. If I had known that being the Princess' student qualified me as a member of the Royal Family...I...would have reconsidered."

   "That doesn't really help much..." Fluttershy murmured to nopony in particular.

   "I thought the same thing... Until I got back to the palace. Nightmare Moon did something to Luna; she attacked her, and that was only the beginning, too. Nightmare Moon wants to use the Elements to revive herself. I know you don't like seeing ponies hurt, Fluttershy, but think about this. If Nightmare Moon returns, how many ponies get hurt because of her?"

   The yellow pony said nothing, but Twilight knew she had understood. There was a change in the way she stood; a change in her eyes.

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

   Rarity had never seen so much of the same color before. Everywhere she looked in the research wing, all she saw was white; the walls, the floors, even the ponies milling about were white, or at least their lab coats were. The unicorn's eyes involuntarily squinted in protest.

   "A little bright?"

   "You could say that, Princess... I'm aware that it's all carved from the same marble as the rest of the palace...but the rest of the palace had standards, flags, and even the odd potted plant to provide contrast. This is just a lot of white, is all."

   Before Celestia's mouth could form a reply, one of the coat-clad ponies noticed her presence and approached. "Ah, Princess Celestia, Your Majesty. I trust you are here because of the message we sent with General Headwind?"

   "You are correct." Celestia affirmed her reply with a curt nod. "What was it that you needed me for? Something about the sinkstone, yes?"

   "Indeed. You see, roughly half an hour ago, the sinkstone that General Headwind delivered to us began...acting up..."

   "Acting up? How do you mean?"

   After a moment's pondering, the scientist pony finally replied. "It's...hard to explain, really. It's as if the sinkstone is calling to something. Come take a look, if you would."

   "Very well. Lead on."

   Once Celestia could see the sinkstone, she understood what the scientist had meant. The gem was pulsing with a sickly green light, and everypony had cautiously given it a wide berth. The princess didn't blame them; that glow didn't look overly inviting.

   While everypony else was keeping their distance from the pulsing stone, Rarity was not one of these ponies. She strode right up to the sinkstone and eyed it thoughtfully.

   "Be wary, Miss Rarity." Headwind cautioned. "We still don't know what these stones are capable of. It could be dangerous."

   The mare waved off his concern with a dismissive hoof. "Nonsense. Anypony who knows anything about gems knows that sinkstones are only dangerous if one knows how to use them."

   Princess Celestia was surprised at this statement. "You have heard of these before, Rarity?"

   "Oh yes. I...made the mistake of making an accessory out of one... It was quite the ordeal and I..." Rarity interrupted herself with a quick clearing of her throat. "I digress... It was ugly at best; let's just leave it at that, shall we?"

   "What exactly happened?"

   "Any time a pony wears a sinkstone, in any manner, it blocks that pony from using any magic at all." With a sigh, Rarity turned back to the gemstone. "It's a horrid shame, really. These stones are simple marvelous to look at. So smooth, so clear, so-"

   Celestia sensed that this admiration could go on for quite a while unless interrupted. "Ahem..." When the unicorn looked to her, the princess made a circular motion with a hoof to bid her continue. "If you would, Rarity..."

   The white mare coughed awkwardly before resuming. "Yes... Well... As I was saying, not only will these sinkstones block a pony's magic, they will outright absorb it, hence the term 'sinkstone.'"

   "If I may interrupt you for just a moment, Rarity, I have a question."

   "Of course, Your Highness. I was nearly finished as it was. Go on."

   "You say it 'absorbs' magic. Can that same magic be put to later use?"

   The Element holder nodded. "Indeed it can, but only through the proper incantation, of which I have no knowledge."

   "You may not know any such incantations, Miss Rarity, but I might know somepony who would."

   "Enlighten us, General." The alicorn cast an eye towards the pegasus stallion.

   "Miss Zecora, Your Majesty. She was the pony that explained sinkstones to me in the first place."

   Celestia nodded slowly. "Very well, Headwind. But..." she added bluntly as the general turned to leave, "Do not bring Zecora back here unless she agrees of her own will. I don't want to drag anypony else into this if I can avoid it. Is that clear?"

   "As crystal, Your Majesty."

   Canterlot's resident sun goddess breathed a long sigh as she watched Headwind depart. "May Mother forgive me for letting things come this far..."

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

   Headwind knew the palace like the back of his wing and quickly found Zecora's room. Three quick knocks on the door announced his presence.

   "Pony that knocks for three, for what reason have you come to visit me?"

   "It's me, General Headwind, come on behalf of Princess Celestia."

   Movement could be heard from beyond the door, shortly before it swung open. "You come bearing a message from your ruler? Tell me, General, why did you not come sooner?" The striped pony's tone grew concerned.

   "My apologies, Miss Zecora. I was occupied with the situation concerning the sinkstone in the research wing." Zecora's eyes grew wider as Headwind continued to explain. "The stone that you found on that pegasus has started glowing, in response to something, it seems."

   "This glowing you have seen, tell me, was it green?"

   "Yes, I believe it was; a very sickly color green, if I recall correctly."

   Zecora looked as if she had just seen a ghost. She spun away from the door to grab several small pouches from within her room. Seconds later, she was out into the hallway at full gallop, calling back to Headwind. "Hurry, General, we must make haste, for there is no time for us to waste!"
Boy it feels good to put summer classes behind me and get back to writing.

Enjoy, y'all.

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Storms On the Horizon, Chapter 11==>[link]

Storms On the Horizon, Chapter 13==>[link]

Storms On the Horizon, Chapter 1==>[link]
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My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and all related characters are copyright Hasbro, and developed for television by Lauren Faust.
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