Beckett felt numb.

It had taken Gates and the Chief O'Mally 30 minutes to lay it all out for them. They had explained how, during Beckett's 'vacation' Roy Montgomery's house had been robbed. Roy...the captain...Beckett's mentor...her friend…one of the men linked to the death of Joanna Beckett. He had died saving Beckett from a hit squad and it had been his funeral that had earned Beckett the bullet hole in her chest.

Without Beckett there, there had been no one to stop Gates from overriding Ryan and Esposito and forcing them to give her the lead. Gates had assigned a few detectives to do some digging...and they had hit the motherload. The entire conspiracy had come tumbling down once they burst into the hotel room of the sniper that had taken out Beckett last May. With him in custody they had been able to lean hard and get a name.

William Tate.

Neither of the partners knew who he was. That was the point. 'The Dragon', as others had called him, wasn't some politician who had used crooked cops to move up in the world and become President or something. He wasn't some shadowy criminal mastermind who sat in an opulent office, stroking a white cat while cackling about his evil deeds.

He was merely a paper pusher at city hall, working the same job for 30 years, brining the same tuna sandwich for lunch and then hanging out with the guys at Happy Hour before going home to his one room apartment.

Tate had decided at some point that he wanted to be a big shot. So he used his brain and found a way to trick some cops to begin working for him. Their actions had brought him in money, which he promptly spent to buy off more cops and judges and lawyers and anything inbetween. He didn't even keep a dime of his blood money; he wasn't interested in making a buck. Tate just wanted to be the new Boss of New York, having everyone bow to him even if they didn't realize he wasn't some all-powerful shadowman. Heck, the only reason he had picked the nickname "The Dragon" was because it was his animal in the Chinese Zodiac.

According to Gates, 'The Dragon' had passed out when they burst into his apartment and promptly soiled himself when he had awoken to find Esposito's gun in his face.

Beckett had sat there, listening to every word and squeezing Castle's hand so hard he was for sure she was going to snap his fingers like they were pretzel sticks.

She wanted to laugh. She wanted to cry. She wanted to fall to her knees and thank God that finally...FINALLY her mother had been avenged. Beckett didn't even care that she wasn't the one to slap the cuffs on Tate...it didn't matter. It was finally over. She should be running around the bullpen, hugging Ryan till his eyes bugged out and kissing Castle so hard all the blood shot out of his brain.

She should do all that.

But she didn't.

She knew they were all thinking the same thing: 'She's shell-shocked. She worked for hard for this and now that it is finally over she doesn't know what to do with her life. Her purpose was gone.'

They all thought that.

They were wrong.

"Captain..." Beckett finally said, clearing her throat. She sniffed, only realizing at that moment she had been crying. "Captain Gates...Chief O'Mally...I need a break."

Everyone stared at her like she had grown two heads and was singing Michael Jackson's greatest hits.

"A...a break, detective?" Gates asked.

"Yes sir," Beckett said, reminding herself not to call her captain 'ma'am' (Gates hated that for some stupid reason). "I...I..." Beckett threw back her head and laughed. "I need a break, Captain." She looked at them both, a large smile gracing her features. "I'm not in the right headspace to lead a team."

That shocked Gates and O'Mally. After Beckett had been shot she had only taken those three months off because the doctor simply wouldn't let her back out on the streets. And the moment she could, she had come blazing into the precinct with a vengeance. They had expected pretty much the same thing now, especially after she had sat there, so quiet, as they laid out the details.

They were surprised and pleased and startled all at the same time.

"Of...of course, Detective!" Gates said, finding herself smiling for no real reason. "I mean...it's just so..."

"I know but...but I am just being honest with myself and I realized that right now I need to be with my friends."

"Your friends?" O'Mally said, noticing the look Beckett gave Castle...and the delighted grin that spread across his face.

"Yup, OUR friends," Castle said, standing up and offering Beckett his hand. She grasped it, smiling as she pulled herself out of the chair. "They're kinda in our line of work and...well, I think we'd both like to see them and share the great news."

"Definitely!" Beckett said, shaking hands with the flabbergasted chief and captain. "I think I'll need...what do you think Castle...2 months paid leave?"

"That's a start, and if need be I'm sure the mayor can get you more."

"Great." Beckett flashed her startled boss one final grin before heading towards the door. "Think we can make it in time for Pinkie Pie to set up a party?"

"This is Pinkie we are talking about…she'll probably have the party-a-pult ready to go," Castle said with a laugh as the two of them headed out the door.

"...Pinkie Pie?" Gates mumbled.

~MC~MC~MC

Tydal tilted his head, looking at the statue. The chaos god's face was twisted in a horrific cry and the king of the Mareatine couldn't help but smile darkly at seeing the foe that had caused him and his 'sisters' so much pain left forever trapped with a look of panic upon his ugly face.

"I'll never understand why Mother made you," Tydal said to the statue, his tail swishing slightly. "But I suppose she has her reasons. Still, I hate the fact that we are kin. Are we brothers? No...no, Celestia and Luna are my siblings if I am to claim any…not you. Maybe an uncle...a distant uncle who is shunned by the family. That thought doesn't thrill me either but I suppose there is no way to fight the past: you and I came from the same being and there is little I can do about that fact."

The sea god's crown flashed in the moonlight as he walked around the statue. Luna had given them a beautiful sky and he glanced up every so often to look upon it and smile. She had taken such care with it and he was happy that at long last ponies were learning to admire her work. Capricons had always been a restless race, sleeping when it suited them and even then it wasn't often. There was simply too much to do in life, even for those few that were immortal like himself and his family, and sleep seemed to be such a waste of time. His subjects had loved the night and the day and he wondered briefly what might have been had he been around those thousands of years. Would Luna still have fallen? Or would the love of her adopted kingdom and all her friends in the Mareatine been enough to keep her from becoming Nightmare Moon? And what of Celestia? The loss of both her teacher and her sister had aged her. She had come out ok in the end, but looking at the tall, noble mare he couldn't help but remember the same, eager to please filly she had once been and wish that she smiled…just a bit more.

"Another reason to hate you, Discord," Tydal said bitterly. "You robbed us of so much."

He finally came to a stop before the statue, looking at the Element of Disharmony with utter loathing. "We are more alike than I care to admit, trickster. Both of us have known a life of power and dominion...and we both have lost many long years to the stone. But we both escaped, did we not? We both managed to break free and live once again? So why is it that I am still among the living and you have nothing to look forward too than eroding away into dust?

"There is a key difference between us, Discord: You went it alone. You are simply unable to keep your mind on a single idea or fact for more than a short time before you find yourself drawn to something shiny and new. I wonder if you would have tired of Equestria after a few years and simply turned it back to normal once you had your fun?" Tydal scoffed. "Like it matters. But you could never have a student, Discord. You could never teach someone your secrets; never create a protégée to continue on your work.

"And that was your downfall. None of us are meant to be alone and it is only when we work together that we are truly able to achieve miracles. I trained Celestia and Luna and that started the chain. Celestia trained Twilight Sparkle and she in turn created the Spark of Friendship that allowed her and her friends to escape your madness. From me to Celestia to Twilight, and then to all those she will train and that they will train, going on and on..."

The capricorn warrior knocked his hoof on the ground several times. "I came out here to let you know that Celestia has gifted me a boon: You. You'll be transported to my keep tomorrow morning, where I will place you within my meditation chamber. There no living being may speak and it is a place of peace, tranquility...harmony. No fighting, no rage…nothing but calm reflection. You and I, old trickster...have many long years of quiet contemplation ahead of us. Which is why I came here, to tell you one final thing...the last thing you'll ever hear."

Tydal leaned in very close, so his nose was almost touching Discord's. "I…win." He pulled away, flashing the statue a dark smile. "Goodbye uncle."

Perhaps it was only his imagination that the wind that had suddenly picked up sounded like a wailing moan.

"What are you doing out here, Tydal?" Luna asked, trotting up to her mentor. "You are missing your own party."

"Parties," Tydal grumbled. "I am the god of the sea. The king of the Mareatine. The greatest capricorn warrior…why would I want to be in there in some frilling jacket making small talk with Celestia's court? I'd rather spend a week in the desert."

Luna gave him a snotty look. "But it is the duty of royalty to mingle with our subjects, to show to them that we are united with them in all aspects of their life."

Tydal just gave her a sour look.

"Yeah, I don't believe that either," The moon goddess said with a soft laugh.

"That is why you are out here with an old warrior instead of finding a nice stallion to make an honest mare out of you. I might live forever but I would like to have some little foals to spoil soon."

"Have you seen the stallions in there?" Luna shot back. "There is a reason my sister has never married these last thousand years."

Tydal just shook his head in good mirth. "And because of that I am forced to deal with you?" He said it with good cheer and Luna knew it to be a jest and only that. Tydal would never confirm it, but Luna always sensed that she was his favorite of the sisters. They were much alike and now, after all that had happened to her, Luna shared a bit of the jaded streak that ran through him.

"It could be worse," Luna said with a slight smile, "you could be mingling with my 'nephews'." Tydal gave a full body shiver at the thought. "I see you've already met Prince Blueblood."

"The only thing keeping me from lopping of his head was my desire not to get blood on the floors," Tydal grumbled. "How we are related to that clod..."

Luna laughed. "Don't fear...Blueblood isn't really Celestia's nephew. 500 years ago the council desired her to have a family and in the end she selected a loyal handmaiden and her family to be elevated to the rank of royalty. According to Celestia, Blueblood is the first bad apple in the basket."

"Bully for us," Tydal muttered. "Celestia mentioned another…"

Luna smiled, Tydal rising up and leaving the statue behind as they began to make theirway back towards the castle. "Ah, Cadence. Our 'niece'. Now she is family."

"She is one of mother's?"

"Yes, though don't ask me why mother decided to finally create a new member of the family after so long. From what Celestia tells me, mother appeared with the filly and told Celestia to raise her. Technically she is our little sister but Celestia didn't want to replace me so she calls her a 'niece'."

"Sounds like mother," Tydal said, remembering how the Creator had presented Celestia and little Luna to him much the same way, leaving the duty of raising the alicorns to him. "What do you make of her?"

"She is a good alicorn, if that is what you are asking. Full of hope and joy and love...love is her domain."

Tydal and Luna walked up the steps, but instead of entering the castle and rejoining the party they decided to walk the perimeter. Tydal had never been one for making small talk with those that had not earned their rank and Luna had no desire to leave her mentor's side; it was only when she talked to him that she felt she was able to be her real self. Even with her own sister there were still walls that remained that separated them, old guilts that prevented the two from conversing like they once had. Secretly, Luna was thrilled that Tydal was making them write their letters on friendship, as she prayed to the Creator that doing so would mend the rift in her relationship with Celestia.

"I heard she had been married..." Tydal said.

"Hmm?"

"Princess Cadence," Tydal said.

"Indeed she has," said the guard as they passed. "They say he is a great stallion but I think they give him too much credit."

"And I say they do not give him enough," Luna said with a smile. "Tydal, my I present Cadence's husband, Captain Shining Armor, head of the royal guard. Oh, and I suppose technically a prince."

Shining scoffed slightly. "Please, Princess...I am happy with the title of Captain."

"A smart stallion," Tydal said. Shining Armor had no idea that his humble statement had instantly won him a measure of respect from the god of the sea.

"How is Cadence recovering from her ordeal?" Luna asked. It still enraged her that the Queen of the Changlings had been able to pass underneath their nose without detection. Luna's chambers were sound proofed to allow her to sleep during the day and she had awoken to find Canterlot cleaning up after the invasion and her sister licking her wounds from her failed battle with Queen Chrysalis

"She does better each day...we both do," Shining said. He still had nightmares of his beautiful wife turning into that hideous bug-like changling. In the dreams he would look over and see his sister in various stages of distress. Sometimes she would be upon a rack, other times broken and bloodied...and in the worst she would be converted into a changling herself, asking why he didn't love her before she lunged for his throat...

Shining shook his head, striking the dark thoughts from his mind.

"The Queen and her swarm were only banished though, correct?" Tydal stroked his beard, glancing over Luna. He never liked it when others attacked his family. "Does that sound like a fair punishment to you?"

Shining had not become Captain of the Guard for his good looks. He knew when trouble was brewing…and if he had Pinkie Sense he would be vibrating.

The moon goddess gave the god of the sea a smile that would make Nightmare Moon proud. "I think you are right, Tydal…and I believe both of us have been meaning to explore Equestria…"

~MC~MC~MC~

"Twi, don't you think you're getting a little worked up?" Applejack said. "I mean, yeah, I want to know about the Elements too, but even I know when it is time to work and when a filly needs to play."

The unicorn merely shook her head, tossing the apple farmer another book to look through. Twilight had ended up begging her friends to come over and have a 'study party' to try and figure out more about the Elements and the whole 'Immortal' thing. The girls had been disappointed to learn that to Twilight, a 'study party' was 99% study with 1% party...with a 1% margin of error.

"Come on, Twilight, let's just give it a rest!" Rainbow Dash complained, not even trying to hide the fact that she had slipped a copy of Daring Do and the Last Saddlebag of Celestia in between the pages of Elemental Magic for Dummies.

"I agree with Rainbow Dash," Rarity said coolly, using her magic to pull over Twilight's hand mirror and inspect her face. "I am getting such bags under my eyes from all this reading!"

"Girls, come on..." Twilight pleaded, tossing another book into the ever growing pile of dead ends, "we need to focus! Don't you want to know the truth? What if the elements are radioactive and one of these times we'll mutate into giant ponies?"

Fluttershy shivered. "Ooooh...I wouldn't like that Twilight!" She began to furiously flip through her book, visions of her towering over Ponyville, trying to tiphoof around the buildings filling her with terror.

"That would be so awesome!" Rainbow Dash squealed, imagining herself towering over all the pegasi that had ever mocked her and sending them flying with a simple shake of her wings.

"No, no it would not be awesome!" Twilight complained. She floated a scroll over to her, looking over the notes she had gathered. "We really know very little about the Elements of Harmony. Tydal called us the Immortal Elements and Luna froze up when I made a joke about living a thousand years. That's it!"

"What about this?" Pinkie said.. "It's The Legend of Harmony."

"Pinkie dear, that is just an old ponytale for colts and fillies," Rarity complained. She used her magic to grab the book from the baker and began to read the summary on the back. "When the world is threatened by the evil Remo Repulso, Zorgon selects six fillies with attitude to become the Harmony Rangers." She rolled her eyes in disgust as she flipped it back over, gesturing to the 6 fillies on the cover, each dressed in a latex outfit that was both colorful and garish at the same time. "Do you think I would ever be caught dead in something like that?"

"But it could be about us!" Pinkie argued, happily flipping through the pages. "Look, five of them have magic necklaces and one has a magic tiara, just like us! And they have the power to combine their magic to defeat evil bad ponies!"

"Ya know, Granny Smith always says that ponytales are built around forgotten truths."

"She also thought pears were plotting against her," Rainbow reminded her.

"That was only because she had gotten into the Apple Cidar!" Apple snapped, blushing at the memory of Granny swinging her walker at any pear tree she could find.

Fluttershy looked over at the book. "What ended up happening to the Harmony Rangers?"

Pinkie tapped her chin, trying to remember the ending to book 12 of the series. "Oh, I remember that part! After they defeat this really bad baddie bad they joined with their power symbol and became goddesses and set about selecting the next Harmony Rangers." Pinkie tossed the book aside. "Of course by then the books had gotten a bit dull…I mean they added the two other rangers, which was interesting…hey, could we read the book about the fox ninja? I love that one!"

"Maybe later Pinkie," Twilight said absentmindedly. She didn't believe the book was right...but she wasn't about to let an idea go just because it didn't sound right. She made a note to read the Harmony Rangers a bit later.

"Twilight, we get why you are gettin' all worried. But if we don't take a break we might get tired and miss somethin'."

"Well...I suppose if we took a short break...maybe 5-"

"Hours!" Rainbow Dash shouted, flying over to turn on some music.

"Minutes! 5 Minutes!" Twilight shouted over the din. She was about ready to use her magic to switch off the song when Pinkie began to twitch rapidly. "Pinkie..." Twilight said nervously, looking around for falling objects.

"Don't worry, that's a good twitchy twitch!" Pinkie said, running over to the door. "See!"

She threw it open to reveal a blue stallion with short brown hair and a reddish-purple pony with brown hair with tan streaks. Each one had a bag of chips in their mouths.

"We decided to come back early."

"KATE! RICK!" The girls screamed in excitement.