"Good afternoon, Rarity."

"About time! My poor window! I thought you'd said you would be here yesterday!"

"Hey Lantra!"

"Hello, Sweetiebelle. I'm sorry, Rarity. My client paid me a surprise visit to check on her order." I pulled out the stack of 8-layered glass with inset weaves of reed, and then examined the broken window. Good, good… All the pieces seemed to be here.

"Oh, her?" Rarity was obnoxiously close. "So it's an important mare involved with the royals…"

I pointedly ignored her and focused instead on the entropy of the shattered glass. A basic redirection spell coupled with a reverse viewing… Tack on some particle stratification to speed up the process via heat… The layered panes I'd brought were shattering as the pane window healed, but the reeds held the layers together.

"So, Sweetiebelle. Have we finally stopped this crazy 'Cutie Mark Crusaders' nonsense with this accident?"

"Nope!" She chirruped happily. "We're doing better than ever! We have a Manehattan branch now!"

"…What."

"Yeah! Applebloom's cousin, Bab Seed is a Crusader now! She's starting up the Crusaders in Manehattan!"

"Congratulations. You have spread the immaturity of foals and prolonging of their torment."

"Lantra! Sweetie, darling, go upstairs."

"Why? What's he mean?'

"Sheltering her form reality solves nothing, Rarity."

"What are you shielding me from? What's torment?"

"Sweetie! Upstairs, now!" We both waited in silence as she sulked up the steps. As soon as she door closed the white unicorn rounded on me. "That was uncalled for!"

"She is refusing to listen, and extending the influence of her foolishness, bringing further misery to the foals it touches. Possibly even causing their deaths. Not all foals are as lucky as those three."

"They are happier searching for their marks!"

"Oh really? Then let me ask you- will they ever find them?"

"They… could"

"They will not, and you know it. They are prolonging their undefined time. By extending their foolishness to others, they are only causing the same to them. You think the teasing is bad now? Just wait until they are older and still have no cutie mark. They are sealing their own misery."

"You don't know them! You don't know anything about any of this!"

I repacked my broken glass. "The window is done. As for what I do or do not know?" I turned to face her, my voice hard. "I had no mark until I was well pas their age. You need to cease to assume and parade yourself. Goodbye." Without another word, I was gone.

Why were all the modern mares so infuriating!? Twilight refused to understand learning, Derpy was …Naïve, Rainbow was headstrong and self-absorbed, and Rarity… Sweet Luna, what an idiot! The only useful or interesting mares were Ayana and Zecora! Oh, and Applejack had been interesting the couple of times I'd visited the farm for some manual labor and exercise, although not necessarily the deepest thinker. Right- I needed to calm down and take my mind off mares… Some training should be in order!

Several hours later, I was lying next to a quiet stream. My timber wolves were all around me, worn out from our sparring session. …I needed a fellow warrior to fight with. That had been fun, but not really a challenge.

I blinked down at the stream again. Its voice had changed, surging slightly before slowing and quieting. It was almost magically entranced… I strained, trying to understand what it was saying. The whispers stayed elusive as always, but the tone made it through. It was… confusion? The traces of magic though… They pulsed with anger and fear… But who would be casting magic on a river in the middle of the Everfree forest!? Well, Zecora might, but her magic had always been peaceful and meditative… "Do you need my help? What are you asking me?" …Why couldn't it just speak for me again? "Ok, ok…" I hauled myself to my hooves with a slight grunt. "Relax guys. Rest up before going back on watch. I just want to check on Zecora." They all gratefully flopped back down as I followed the infernally whispering stream.

It didn't take me long to find myself in a clearing where the water pooled. I couldn't help stopping dead at the sight of Twilight standing atop the water, levitating orbs of liquid. Before I could ask what on earth she was doing, Zecora trotted over with a shushing motion. She backed me into the undergrowth with her.

"Keep your voice low to not disturb, lest havoc fall like the wildebeest herd."

"What's going on?"

"She came to me, an outcast soul. But her magic still can lack control. I wonder what her mistress has taught, for her power is wielded without a thought."

"Thank you; I'm not the only one saying that! But, why are you teaching her then? You know she's not ready to gain new knowledge, especially of the kind we wield."

"Trixie returns with much greater power, and old defeats have left her temper sour."

"Trixie?"

"Indeed. She'd been here boasting once before, but now Twilight's magic needs something more."

"What it needs is tempering to understand time, place, and situation in which to use magic."

"While normally I would fully agree, the situation sits heavy on me. Trixie's rule is cruel and harsh, and we are now permanently in this marsh."

"Come again?"

"A dome of glass now locks us out. It's a vested interest Twilight wins her next bout."

"…We still shouldn't be teaching her new, dangerous magic. Just keep doing what you are doing, and I'll look for a solution. I'll be damned if Trixie keeps me out of my new home. And if a better solution presents itself to you, don't hesitate to act on it. I trust your judgment." I nuzzled the zebra mare slightly, before heading out. It. Was. On.

I was so angry and close-minded, I didn't see Fluttershy until after we'd run headlong into each other.

"What! Ohh, sorry Fluttershy!" I hurried to help her up. As I did so I couldn't help noticing how she'd fallen onto her back splay-legged. Woah, she was more attractive than I'd realized when she wasn't curled into herself… OY! Pay attention Sky! "Are you ok?"

"Y-yes…" She seemed absolutely terrified of our surroundings. She shouldn't be out here.. It wasn't- wait…

"How did you get out here? I thought Trixie trapped everyone inside Ponyville."

"She did! Oh, and it's horrible… She's being so cruel! But that's what I have to tell Twilight! She has something called the Alicorn Amulet!"

"…Really."

"Oh yes. But I can't find Twilight anywhere…"

"She's at Zecora's house."

"Thank you!"

I watched her leave, a deep feelings of dread settling over me. That amulet… I had to get into my house and see that old diary… Zecora would come up with a plan, I was sure, but I needed to read something for myself before I acted.

I paced out of the forest with purpose and determination. No pitiful excuse for a magician was going to steal something I'd taken the time to hide, put my friends at risk, and keep me out of my new home. This was absurd! It was downright- DONK

What in the?! Oh, this must be the glass dome Zecora had spoken of… How quaint. I considered smashing it, but that seemed foolish. I didn't exactly want to battle with a holder of the amulet again… I needed my old journals first to make my own plans if Zecora's failed.

I paced away from the glass several steps. This should be far enough… I closed my eyes, listening for the underwater rivers I'd identified under my house. Yes, one ran under me now. A tap of my hoof, a bit of focused chaos, and presto- a sinkhole. I got to enjoy a good fall, the wind rushing past me, before I hit the ground. The river cushioned my fall, so despite the length I was unharmed.

A short trip later and I was entering my house through the secret basement. Never a bad idea to have a secret escape route. Or a secret area for whatever you needed it for. Like back with her… …Ahh, good times. Pity Zecora wasn't kinky like that… I'd have to look into getting her back out of stone… FOCUS. Right, where had I hidden those journals I'd gotten out of the castle ruins…?

Right, so hopefully you all enjoyed this chapter. A bit short and rushing around, but hopefully it comes across well... Next chapter is completely different from any other to date, a bit similar to the letters, though. Also might hopefully be a chapter from Seth soon, for any of you wondering what Mythrion's been up to since he got on the train and chose to bypass Ponyville.

As always, I don't own MLPFIM, although I do own all concepts to most OCs. Those owned by others will be mentioned in applicable chapters.

Amaya_chan owns the concept rights to Ayana. She's an amazing writer and artist, although not published on here. You can check out her stuff here- whispering-spirit. deviantart. com