=BiE 37=

>Everything was happening in a blur.
>After the scene at the town square, Twilight immediately sent a letter to the Princess.
>Not half hour later, you were sitting on a carriage getting flown to Canterlot.
>You and the rest of the Element bearers were whisked into the throne room.
>Celestia and Luna stood around a table with a map of Equestria on it.
>A stallion was leaning over the map. "If they escaped by carriage, then the Everfree Forest is their only option. But I am hesitant to launch an attack on it with the possibility of Discord returning at any moment."
>Celestia nodded. She looked serious. "Agreed. Our first priority should be to ensure some method of countering Discord. Thank you, General."
>Celestia and Luna approached your little group. "Hello Twilight, everyone. I wish that we could have met under better circumstances."
>"Me too, Princess." Twilight says. "Do we have a plan on how to stop Trixie?"
>Celestia started walking towards you as she spoke. "Trixie and her cult can be handled with conventional means, it is the threat that Discord's return poses that we must plan for."
>She looks down her nose at you. Serious Celestia is scary Celestia. "Anon, I am to understand that Mous has joined forces with Trixie to free Discord, do you know anything about that?"
>Was she trying to implicate you? Was she just being cautious? "I am just as surprised as you are about this Princess, Mous had said nothing to be about his plans."
>The Princess continued to stare at you for what felt like an eternity. "I believe you." she said.
>You let out the breathe you had been holding.
>Good. You didn't need to be thought of as a traitor.

>"As for Discord." Celestia said. "We cannot use the Elements of Harmony as our main weapon again, if they allowed for Discord's return once then they would do so again."
>Makes sense.
>She approaches Twilight."Twilight, as my most faithful student, I ask your help in designing a magical countermeasure with which we can use on Discord."
>Twilight grows a serious look on her face. "You can count on me Princess!" she gives a glance over at you. "However, I would like Anon's assistance. His method of thinking has proven to be very well suited for magical study."
>Whoawhat? Was she talking about that portal stabilizer you put out?
>Celestia nodded. "Very well, Anon will assist you in creating a binding spell." She turns to the rest of the girls. "I must ask that the remainder of the Element bearers stay in Canterlot Palace during this crisis. The Elements are still our trump card and we must ensure you all stay safe."
>Everone but Twilight and Rainbow trotted away. "Twilight." you say as you approach her. "Why in Equestria do you need my help? I got that portal stabilizer out of pure luck, you can't tell me that I can somehow help a group of ponies who have been studying magic their entire lives on a magical problem."
>Twilight wasn't having any of it. "Anon, you were able to stabilize a trans dimensional gateway using a method of magical thinking that has never been conceived before in a fraction of the time it should have taken, that's no fluke. We're going to need that method of thinking if we're going to have a chance of stopping Discord." She turns and trots towards the door. "Come find me in the Arcanium, we have a lot of work to do."

-Music: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yuz5cubKvZ8-
>Rainbow flutters up to you. "You alright?" she asks.
>No. You were not alright.
>Your best friend, your bro who you've known for your entire life had turned on you and was planning to release a being of godlike power and malice for a free trip to another dimension.
>You were pretty far from alright.
>But no reason to worry Rainbow. "I'm fine." you say. "Hey, why don't you go find a room and check this place out? I'll catch up with you a bit later after I'm done with this stuff"
>Rainbow looks worried. "You sure you're alright?" 
>"Positive." you say. You give her a kiss and are rewarded with a smile as she flies off.
>You catch up with Twilight and follow her into this Arcanium.
>"Whoa." was all you could say when you walked in.
>The room was a beehive of activity. Unicorns were fetching and reading magical scrolls, brainstorming in groups, and testing theories with magical apparatuses.
>Twilight leads you up to a unicorn who seems to be overseeing everything. "What's the situation Grand Magister?"
>The Magister turns and grows a smile when he sees Twilight. "Good to see you, Miss Sparkle. Always happy to have another mind working on a problem." He glances up at you. "And who might this creature be?" he asks. 
>"This is Anon, another mind to work on this problem." Twilight says. You offer a silent wave. "Anon was the one who solved that stability issue on the dimensional portal."
>That seemed to get his attention. "So, you're the one who came up with the idea to combine different types of magic? Good to have you."
>"Now, come see what we have so far..." he says as he leads you back to the unicorns brainstorming behind him.

>You found your way to the room Rainbow had picked out later that night.
>You'd be annoyed that she picked one at the top of so many stairs, but you couldn't be arsed.
>Rainbow was already in bed by the time you got there, you wanted to lay down with her and forget the events of today.
>Instead, you found yourself staring at the moon for who knows how long.
>"You worry about thine companion." you hear over your shoulder.
>You turn around and watch as a dark blue Alicorn descends from the night sky and lands on your balcony. "Princess Luna." you say with a bow. You look out over the sleeping city "You could say that..."
>"You are close to Mous." she said. Got that right. "Mous has been like my big brother since I was three. He was always looking out for me and trying to help me out." Your face falls. "I can't imagine why he would do this..."
>"We know of the betrayal of one's siblings very well." she says as she turns to you. "One thing of which you can be certain of is that there is always a reason for those so close." You shrug. "He said it's because he wanted to go back to Earth...he said that cult had a way of sending him back." You feel a hoof on your shoulder. Take heart, young Anon. Know that if your bond is as strong as you say it is, then there may be a way to save Mous yet."
>"And if it's not?" you ask.
>Luna's face drops. "Then your brother is truly lost."
>With that Luna flares her wings and takes to the skies.
>Great...

>You find yourself at the table in your room after your chat with Luna.
>You wanted to write a letter to Lotus.
>You remember finding her in an alley right before you left. She had just been laying on the ground there, crying.
>She said she talked to Mous before he left the town. It seemed like it didn't go well.
"Hey Lotus, it's Anon." you start. "I'm writing from Canterlot, they have me helping with researching some way to take care of Discord with a bunch of other ponies, weird huh? I'm sorry to say I don't have any news on Mous or why he did what he did. But, I know that I'm gonna find out. One way or another, I'll find out. Be safe Lotus. -Anon.
>You wrap the scroll and set it aside on the desk. You can mail it tomorrow.
>You crawl into bed with Rainbow and pull her as close as you can.
>Your talk with Luna hit deep.
>Mous seemed content here, he had never talked about wanting to hurry back home at least.
>He even started seeing Lotus.
>Why would he do all of that only to ditch right afterwards? And why would he put the entire planet at risk to do it?
>Mous had always been a stubborn ass, but he was never malicious, right?
>Had the Mous you had known all this time been covering up someone who only thought of them self?
>You sigh as the exhaustion sets in and glance at Rainbow.
>Could you stop, possibly hurt Mous to save the life you had hear? What would the Mous you remembered do?
>...
>He'd put himself down. 
>Which meant that's what you had to be ready to do.