Minty Image

"Well, " he replied, like a professor, despite the confused tone he used while doing so. "Your mark gives you your special talent, and prevents you from -- "

The pink earth pony shook her head, laughing as she did so, like a sister correcting her little brother. "No, silly! The mark doesn't do anything!" She replied, with a chuckle, waving her hoof. "It just symbolizes my love for wishing, and kites!" She replied, pointing her front hoof at her flank. "And there no way for that to make you any more special, than any other pony!"

"Huh..." the grey unicorn replied, leaving to think about some things.

**********

"Starlight Glimmer, " a changeling drone droned, forcing open the door to her little house. "Belladonna requests your presence at her mansion, " it demanded, foolishly requesting her to visit that monument to inequality that was the dwelling place of her captor -- a captor she would someday depose.

As the boswazi changelings practically drug her along, she could only begin to tell how her fellow ponies had been oppressed by that cougar, that the changelings had put in charge of her town. Instead of being plain and equal, instead they looked sick and tired, having been forced to work endlessly to mine, gather, and concoct that horrid substance that their overlord was so addicted to. And Starlight wanted no more part of it.

However, any thoughts of sedition were immediately greeted by belligerent growling from her 'chaperones'.

Also suspiciously absent from her normally cordial collection of ponies were her closest confidant, Double Diamond, and a pegasus they had enlisted recently, Night Glider, and, for both of whom, she could only assume the worst. And she would have to speak to her oppressor about that. Maybe after she performed the dirty deed, she would be in a place to impose some terms...

However, no sooner had they opened the door to the mansion that the changeling called 'her humble home', then the changelings got the first word.

"Are you upset about losing your puuurrriiends Double Diamond, and Night Glider?" She purred, swishing her tail like a feline.

"No! We are all friends here in -- " Starlight responded, being quickly interrupted.

"Even Double Diamond?" She asked, a sadistic expression embracing her face. "You seemed to take quite the fancy to him?" She said, batting her eyes, and cradling her hooves together, like a star struck filly...

Starlight blushed, shaking her head. She couldn't yet embrace equality, not as long as other ponies hadn't yet, and this meant that she was as fallible as any pony, and, as a result, she'd taken a special fancy for the dashing earth pony, who looked good even drained of his colors in equality, however, she couldn't let on as it was toxic for her herd to think as such.

"Well, " the changeling purred. "If you do a good job on the task I give you, then maybe you, and the other ~~slaves~~ assistants, can take a good month break?" she purred, in the pink unicorn's ear. "How does that sound?"

Starlight shook her head, did she dare even consider this crooked deal? Could she even consider anything that tyrant demanded, or offered, after what she'd done to Double Diamond?

The changeling gave a sadistic smile. "Of course, if you're not sure, " she replied, with a melodramatic voice, "I could give everypony double shifts instead?" She purred. "And you can go back to reeducation?" She purred, taking extra care to emphasize the word 'reeducation'.

Starlight almost fainted, she wanted no part of that horrible chamber, it's purpose was the teaching of equality not conformity to the tyrant queen! "Wh...Wh...What's your task?" She stuttered, finding herself, once again, short of words.

"Excellent!" The changeling purred. "Your task is actually quite simple," she stated, doing laps around her prey. "I need that cutie remarking!" She reiterated.

Starlight swallowed the urge to shriek, this request was affront to everything she stood for, to the 'Staff of Equality' itself! How dare this tyrant even request such a thing! Not just did cutie marks only lead to inequality, but she was requesting to become more unequal... by design! And it was an insult to her. "But the Staff of Equality can't be used this way!" She snarled, angrily showing her teeth at the monster, a bad habit she picked up while on the road with a group of diamond dogs, during her research.

"Then find a way!" The tyrant hissed back, her back arching like an angered cat, her front left hoof ready to strike. "Or you can join Party Favor, and Sugar Belle in the mines! Mining ingredients for my witching potion!" She snarled back. "How do you feel about that!" She snarled back.

"No! Please!" The pink unicorn begged, she'd die down there, and then what would happen to equality?

"And, you can spend your time in reeducation while you aren't in the mines!" The changeling said, driving the point home!

"Ok!" Starlight shrieked back, feeling utterly defeated, not sure if ~~her magic~~ The Staff of Equality could even be used that way.

The changeling eagerly licked her lips, probably drinking of her fear, and desperation. "Then you have one week!" She shouted, the drones putting an hourglass on the granite counters that adorned the mansion. "Don't let me down!" She stated, confidently. "Because if you do..." she said, intentionally trailing off. "Then I have no use for you!" She shouted, stamping her hoof for her guards. "Take her away to contemplate the complexities of cutie re-marking ponies, in reeducation until she learns the place of ponies like her in Vladimir's grand new hive!" She said, as the pink unicorn was dragged away kicking and screaming.

"But you promised me -- " the unicorn protested on her way out the door.

"Well, " the changeling boasted sadistically, "I changed my mind!"

**********

Celestia shook her head, another one of those daydreams. She'd been having them for almost two thousand years, every time she'd doze off during the day, usually during the last thousand years, when she'd been handling both the day and the night shifts.

Usually she'd see an odd pink earth pony, whom, she swore, seemed oddly familiar, and yet she'd sworn she'd never met her before.

Sometimes the pony would be sitting around, making wishes for her friends. Other times she would be flying a kite, or dancing with her friends. And occasionally, in her nightmares, she'd be attacked by Discord, as many of her ponies over the centuries had been.

In past years, while she was still in Starswirl's employ, she'd spent a lot of time investigating the pony, thinking that maybe she was reaching her via a dreamwalk. But what pony, besides herself and Luna, could still be around for a thousand plus years?

Starswirl had always speculated that maybe it was some kind of figment from her lost past. That maybe her soul was reaching out to something, or someone, across the divide. Ironically it had been that speculation that had inspired him to start his interdimensional mirror research.

And, very occasionally, she dreamed that she was a large white pegasus, and that she and the pink pony with the kite cutie mark were the best of friends. And strangely, it felt so natural.

But in the last couple of decades, she had seen the pony a lot more, and she was in trouble. It felt odd, but she had to help, for some reason. Ironically, the same thing had happened right before little Rarity had shown up, the pink pony was in trouble, and she had to help.

Little Rarity... The more she heard the name, the more familiar it sounded... It was just like the pink earth pony... Was it possible that she knew the pink pony? But why, and from where?

She had to admit, she kind of dozed off while waiting for the Unicornian delegation to arrive, she'd been working both the day and night shift, so Luna could have the opportunity to finish teaching her new protegee the basics of her alicorn magic, and some basic controls for her mood, lest the nightmare that she had given birth to return.

Once again, she could see the pink pony, and she was a wreck, locked in a dark room, in some kind of deep trouble.

And then, it returned to her, like the two halves of her mind coming together, and it became clear for a second. "Skywishes?" She asked, hoping to get the pony's attention.

The pony looked around, looking lost, for some reason she couldn't quite get in contact with her old friend.

"Can you hear me Skywishes?" She asked, again, and the pony started turning, towards her. "Can you hear me, my little pony?" She asked, turning her back, as the pony turned towards her. She couldn't face her little pony right now, not after she'd failed her earlier.

"Is that you, Star Catcher?" Skywishes asked the princess.

Celestia frowned, resisting the urge to cry. "I'm sorry, my little pony, " she said, softly, the tears starting to fall, it was an excellent thing that she turned away from her old friend, lest Skywishes know that her princess of the sun had failed her.

She gulped, and continued to speak, in her softest voice. "But we can't talk now, just trust that Star Catcher still cares about you, her old friend, and is desperately trying to find you -- " she said, being awakened by a male voice.

"Wake up princess! The delegation from unicornia has arrived early." Kibitz said, waking her from her brief slumber. "They wish to finish discussions of our concessions for their release of Mrs. Lily Lightly, and the others."

Celestia sighed, "of course, " she replied to her advisor, as they left the throne room to meet with the unicorns in the ceremonial chambers.

"Oh guards?" She said, turning to the two large pegasus guards that guarded her chambers.

"Yes princess?" They responded.

"Please obtain some dragon flame for me, if you could, " she asked the guards, who both nodded in agreement. "I need to write a letter to Commander Sentry."

**********

"The hive mind is peace! Individuality is a lie!" The loudspeaker shouted for the millionth time, if she could, she'd make Belladonna pay... If only she could only get her hooves on that changeling mare.

The voice droned to a stop as the door creaked open, revealing a rather large changeling stallion guard. "Your time is up, Mrs. Glimmer, " he said, forcibly grabbing her in his magic, and dragging her along. "Lady Belladonna demands your presence at her home!"

"Please!" She begged desperately, her eyes still being crazy after a whole week of 'reeducation'. "I need more time!" She whined, being neither willing, nor able to use ~~her magic~~ The Staff of Equality to perform a 'cutie remarking'! Yeah, some ponies would claim that she didn't try, but the truth was that she didn't know how (ok... not that she wanted to, anyway.)

Her tormentor approached while she was still a ways off, almost floating over, as if on a bed of her own magic. "Are you ready?" She purred eagerly, her tail standing straight up, like a dog with dominance issues -- how'd she even do that?

"Please, Belladonna!" Starlight begged. "I really need more time!" She begged, falling down on her back hooves, assuming a proper grovelling position.

The changeling's expression did a one hundred and eighty, from enthusiasm, to utter frustration, her face rapidly changing color from red to orange to purple to polka dot to plaid. "You've had long enough! My blank is flank, and demands a mark!" She hissed, practically pouncing on the unicorn.

"Please!" The pink unicorn begged, desperately, falling onto her face. "I can't do it yet! I don't know how!"

"Try it now!" The changeling demanded, grabbing Starlight Glimmer in a choke hold, with her magic, and lifting her three feet into the air. "Or I'll throw you into my vat of witchweed potion!" She hissed, showing her back teeth.

"No... Please..." The unicorn stuffed, gasping for air, as the changeling's magic pressed ever tighter against neck.

"Do it or else!" The changeling growled, her eyes going wide.

"I'll... try..." Starlight, gasped, her face beginning to change color.

"Good!" Belladonna said, releasing the unicorn from her magic, who fell like a stone to the ground. "She can learn her place in the hive!" The changeling crowed, gesturing her hoof at the pink unicorn, who would probably be returning to reeducation later. "Guards, bring in the pony with the wishing mark! It's time for a cutie re-marking," she announced to the guards, who dutifully left, in quick succession, getting stuck in the door, as four of them attempted to squeeze out at once.

**********

Party Favor sighed to himself, another day, another collection of odd ingredients thrown into the bubbling, swirling vat of green glop. He sighed, this can't be good for him, and was certainly not what he signed up for when he had originally accepted Starlight's offer of 'equality'.

He trotted over slowly, and unceremoniously dumped the contents of his cart into the swirling pool of gloop.

A whip snapped violently, sent in motion by a rather large changeling guard. "Hurry it up!" He snarled. "This is a worksite, not a resort!" He shouted violently. "Do you want to find out what happened to your friend Double Diamond?" He asked, shaking the formerly blue earth pony, in his magic.

"No sir!" He said, giving his legendary 'crazy eyes'. This was definitely not what he signed up for. And Celestia knows, Nightglider, and Double Diamond definitely didn't, he thought, a tear dropping silently. And that was all the more reason to rethink his current arrangement. Now it wasn't that he didn't mind so much being a mindless puppet of equality... he really did (... ok... he didn't so much) but days like today he dreamed of what it would be like if he had his mark back. And he supposed he could say something, but that would mean him returning to 'reeducation', and he really didn't want to have to do that...

And, on days like today, he sometimes wished he could have his mark, even just for a moment... He just wished --

**********

"Has the guest of honor arrived yet?" Belladonna asked amorously at 'Rep', or rather the changeling confidant that she'd assigned to the task of impersonating her old consort.

"Not yet..." he said, stopping for a moment, his face looking very uncomfortable. "Katrina..."

He eyes became slits. "Then hopefully they'll hurry up, Rep, " she snarled. "Every moment I'm delayed is one less wish I can grant myself!" She hissed to herself silently.

"Well, I'll hurry them, then... " 'Rep' said, pausing again, his face turning a more reptilian shade of green. "Katrina..."

"Excellent, " she purred, amorously. "I know I could could count on you, Rep!"

"Oh course..." he said, doing his best impersonation of the lizard he'd seen only in very old replicas of very old replica pictures, and heard of only in the memoirs of a senile old mare. "You can count on me!"

"Excellent!" She purred, as 'Rep', being a stallion of his words, dragged in a very sorry looking pink earth pony with a pink and purple mane and tail, and a kite and butterfly cutie mark.

"Ahhh.... " she purred. "The guest of honor has arrived, " she exclaimed, approaching her pink 'friend'. "So how are you feeling, my little pony?" She asked 'eagerly', savoring her victory.

"What do you want?" Skywishes asked, her eyes still red, and cheeks still puffy from crying. "What did I do to -- ?"

"It's nothing personal, " she replied, nonchalantly. "I simply wish to have your mark!" Belladonna exclaimed, interrupting the earth pony, with a hiss.

"Cast your spell witch, or you're finished!" Belladonna hissed, turning to the vibrant pink unicorn.

Starlight looked back, steeling her nerve, if ever she was going to fight her oppressors for the free--

Belladonna growled, sensing that her marionette was trying to snip her strings.

Starlight nodded robotically, her spirit finally broken, and most of her fight now gone. "I'm sorry..." She said, turning to Skywishes, as her horn began to power up, the staff beginning to glow.

Starlight began to sweat, it felt like the mare's mark was practically glued on. In all of her uses of her cutie de-marking spell, had never happened before...

Skywishes whimpered, in pain, it felt like her mark was on fire, as it began to glow violently. Like something was resisting the Witch's spell, and the more the witch cast it, the worse it became...

Starlight's horn began to glow violently, and the staff of equality began to smoke, as she did battle against the, normally, submissive mark on the pink earth pony's flank... Forget a cutie remarking, she might not be able to even perform a cutie demarking.

The room was bathed in an aura of light green magic emanating from the pink earth pony's body, which now glowed a neon color.

**********

Party Favor frowned, another strike with a pickaxe to the wall, he had no idea what Starlight and her changeling 'friends' could possibly be mining for, and, at this point, it didn't really matter.

His oppressors whipped again, causing him to whinny in fear. It all made him wonder if Starlight was lying to him the whole time, that the paradise she was offering was anything but...

It made him almost want to say: 'to Tartarus with equality! I want my mark back!' But he had to remember, Starlight had given him a gi--

"GET BACK TO WORK!!!" The guard shouted, at the top of his lungs. "I'LL SHOW YOU WHAT WE DO WITH LOLLYGAGGERS!!!" The guard shouted, now whipping at the grey earth pony, with vigor.

That was it! He had had enough! He just wished, even for a little while, that he had his mark back, just to know what it felt like! That he could have his friends back!

He wished for his mark back, and he wished more than anything that...

**********

Changelings, and ponies alike shook their heads, some less dazed than others. The founder of equality lay on the ground, in a heap, her 'Staff of Equality' split cleanly in half (well it was only just a worthless piece of wood, after all), her horn smoking, and her body looking like she'd been on the bad end of an explosion.

The only pony still standing was a very shiny looking pink earth pony, who now glowed an odd lime color, a aura which covered every inch of her square body. Her mark, which remained firmly planted, now glowed a brighter neon white color, then ever, and at this point,looked like it might consume her whole body. It felt, to the earth pony, like her whole flank was being consumed by fire...

"What's going on!" She shrieked in terror, feeling like the very world was crumbling around her, as faint voices began to seep into her mind.

Belladonna was the first to get up, as a horrifying thought crept into her mind. "No!" She shouted, desperately, giving a terrified shriek, as if more concerned, with her thoughts, then what was happening around her. "THE VAULT!!!" She shouted, galloping out of the chamber at high speeds. "I HAVE TO SAVE THE FAULT!!!"

Inside the vault, changelings began to scramble as the seal that contained the tiny town's marks began to strain, and warp.

"Tell me they're still there!" Belladonna shrieked, arriving just in time to see cracks beginning to form on seal around the door. "No! No! No!" She shouted, repeating herself, as her glorious experiment beginning to come undone.

**********

Party Favor took another glance, was it possible?! No! It couldn't be!... Sure enough... A quick inspection verified his feelings... The equals sign was still there... So why did he?

He took another look, yeah, the equals sign was still there, but it wasn't the only thing there! Sitting on top, of the equals sign, was a phantom version of his cutie mark, a balloon animal, and confetti... Was it even possible? Had he gone mad?

He gave a shrug, even if he had, It was nice to see it again. Heck! He even be happy, at this point, if it were an illusion! He'd almost forgotten what the real looked like.

And you know what was even weirder? It felt like his real mark was calling out to him, wanting to return home...

Just like he wished...

**********

"Please stop!" Belladonna pleaded to the cracks which now littered the vault, growing and expanding like a virus through the magic wall. "NO! I COMMAND YOU TO STOP!" She shouted, futily pouring her magic into the seal. It was too little, too late, though, as the cracks quickly continued to grow, finally shattering the magic force that kept thousands of cutie marks contained, sending them flying every which way, back to their original hosts.

"NO!!!" Belladonna shouted, stomping the ground with her hooves, like a crazed mare. "Somepony will pay for this!" She promised the world itself. "And I won't rest until whomever was behind this is punished accordingly!" She shouted, fearing the loss of her source of witchweed potion.

**********

Skywishes stood there, her whole body feeling like it was being consumed in a fire, and it felt like the world, itself, was wrong! Like everything she knew, and loved, was phony. The voices that had started so soft, right after the explosion, were now slowly becoming louder, and louder, now becoming a continuous soft hum within her head.

She held her head with her front hooves. What was happening? It kept getting louder, and now she had the worst migraine. What was happening to her!? Star Catcher where --?

A soft voice shouted in her head, a voice she hadn't heard in months now, and one which, it felt, like she hadn't heard in years. "Run!" Star Catcher(?) Shouted, waking the earth pony from her stupor.

"Now is your chance! Be free!" The voice shouted, encouraging her to escape from the small basement, under the bakery, that they were holding the ritual in. "Flee into the wilderness!" The voice begged. "Help is on the way! Consider it done!"

"Star Catcher?" Skywishes asked, trying to ascertain the nature, and identity of the voice that had been calling out to her.

"I'm sorry, Skywishes, " the voice said, sounding discernibly different. "I can't help you now!" The voice said, sounding less regal, and more motherly. "But don't worry! Help is on the way!" The voice said, suddenly reminding her, of Mama Skywishes. "I promise!"

**********

Flash made the thousandth lap around Manehattan. Had Celestia been mistaken, when she said she knew where the lost pony might be? Was her deity vision clouded when she said that there was a secret village just to the metropolis' northwest.

He vigorously shook his head. How dare he even think about questioning one of Equestria's ruling deity princesses. Nevertheless, he could resist the questions that kep seeping into his mind. Questions like: what could have happened? And, worse still, was it possible that he was... ?

He barely resisted crumpling into a fetal position where he flew.. Celestia couldn't be wrong.. But that meant... Frightful images fluttered to his mind along with nightmares, that haunted his dreams, of the ghastly wraith of his moth-- No! He promised himself that night at that other Ponyville! He would never fail anypony ever again! So long as he had breath, he would never allow another pony to meet the same fate as his mother!

And he had sealed the deal, on his hooves, he wore the traditional spiked horseshoes of his tribe, and, on his wings he wore the unconventional weapons of Equestria, that his fallen colleague had left behind! He was decked out for war!

If he could not flatten his opponent under his horseshoes then he would seal their fate with the blades on his mighty wings... And if all else failed, his spear would not!

He would find Skywishes, and he would destroy whatever evil force that held her there, even if it were the visage of Dark Lord Tirek, himself!

He made a wish, wishing that Skywishes was still ok, and another that he would be able find her in time.

He felt a tingling, from somewhere, like something was reaching out for him...

Hopefully the wishes he made on the altar to Danny the Joybringer, as he passed through Cloudsdale, would be granted.

In the northwest, a blinding flash of light, and, what looked like lightning, filled the day sky. "What in the hay?" Flash asked himself. Had his wish been granted?... He steeled his nerve, and turned towards the light... There was only one way to find out.

Maybe Celestia wasn't so crazy when she said that she sensed something around Manehattan. Hopefully his second wish could still be granted.

**********

All she could do was run. She had to keep following Star Catcher's last instruction, and keep running. It was the only thing that was keeping her sane. Her symbol felt, at this point, like it would burn her rear clean off, any second now. And, the voices in her head kept getting louder, and louder. It felt like every wish that was made, every idle hope, every wish on a star, every futile well wish, and every fleeting desire kept streaming into her very soul, demanding her attention, demanding her action. And not just good wishes, but bad wishes, fair wishes, foul wishes, conflicting wishes...

She could sense every last one, she could hear everyone, she could feel everyone, she could even taste everyone.

... She had to keep running, if she ever stopped running, then she would go mad.

She shook her head, and pushed forward harder, wishes became ever stronger and more vivid...

A middle aged amber business pony with dark grey mane and tail cursed at one of his business rivals. "Business is one thing, but this is jus' personal!" He cursed to himself, shaking his head. "Some days I jus' wish they were gone!!" He thought, incredulously. How dare he act this way! And after he'd extended his hoof, in friendship, with an extremely generous offer!

A group of earth pony supremacists sat together just seething. "How dare those narwhals keep us down, did you hear what they thugs did to that foal?" They hissed, after all, when would the guard ever have justification to use force? Especially on their kind.. After all, they had been keeping the earth ponies down since forever! "I just wish they and the feather dusters were gone!" The loudest the the group remarked, assuaging his pent up frustrations in a barrel of cider. "I wish they'd get what's been coming to for what they've been doing since platina's day when earth ponies were treated no better than iron tools!"

Somewhere, a young foal looked up at the first stars in the sigh. "I wish daddy would return!" She cried, wishing on the brightest star she could see, her eyes full of tears. "I know mommy said he had gone to the fields, but I know he's out there!" She begged, the star. "Please! I wish daddy would come back!"

A lonely old stallion threw a coin into a well. "I'm growing old, well! Please let this be the year I find my mare!" He said, with a silent frown. "I'm so tired of being alone!"

A very young filly looked up into the sky, sending a prayer upwards, and looked back at the deplorable shriveled masses that she called her wings. "Please!" She begged, the skyword forces. "I wish I could fly! The I could find my family! And I could actually be like Rainbow Dash!"

And thousands upon thousands of others flowed through her mind, first in the present, then in the future.

A stallion looked through his accounts sadly, shaking his head. If the fourth quarter didn't improve then they would probably lose the family farm to those new Pegasus sky farms... They'd had the family farm since antiquity... Since before the city had even existed... He gave a sigh... He'd already lost his brother to those blasted feather dusters, as he opting to put on fake wings instead of continuing the family legacy. He shot a wish to the sky itself hoping, somewhere, maybe, out there, Molly, and Faust were listening. "Ah wish, even if fer a moment, this-here farm could be as even half as successful as it was fer grandma 'Bloom!" He wishes, rubbing, what felt like, his last two bits together.

Even voices from the past! "I wish this endless winter would end!" A shabby looking earth pony, who was dressed in sackcloth said, digging through the barren icy dirt. "We don't even have enough for ourselves, let alone our pegasus and unicorn overlords!" He moaned, gnashing his teeth over his empty belly. "I wish they'd stop being such stuck up jerks!" He whined.

Skywishes stopped, and help her ears, with her hooves, desperately crying for the voices to stop. "Please stop wishing!" She begged. "I can't take it all!"

An orange earth pony mare a blond mane and tail, whom she was sure didn't even existed here in this world shed a tear over her two foals, neither of whom existed in either of their worlds. "It tain't fair!" She cried out, the tears flowing down her cheeks. "Ah jus' wish ah could hold them in mah hooves, even just fer a moment!"

A pegasus that vaguely resembled her friend Rainbow Dash cried out for deliverance from a deranged pony that looked vaguely like her Pinkie, neither of whom existed in this world. "I just wish I could survive the night!" She cried out, in terror, as the Pinkie approached, an instrument of terror in her mouth...

"What's happening to me!?" Skywishes screamed, feeling like something wanted to spring violently out of her sides, like she had to escape into the sky, despite the fact that she didn't have the wings to do so.

"~~I weesh I could still remember what eet means ta live, what it was, I used to love,~~ " her friend(?), ~~Fiesta Flair~~ said, or maybe didn't say... She couldn't say, for sure... "~~Ey weesh that Toola Roola would starts~~ painting ~~again,~~ " she said, sad about someone who simply never was. So why did it feel like she was...

It felt like her head was on fire, like something wanted desperately to pop out, like she had to reach out with her mind towards the ~~pony~~, but with what? She cried out in pain as she reared up, and pushed ahead, in terror, trying to ignore the continued wishes as the ghostly grey versions of her friends ~~Storybelle~~, and ~~Puzzlemint~~, who never existed haunted her mind. As well as a ~~real real pegasus pony~~ she never met, and never was, ~~StarSong~~.

And the voices didn't stop there, ever growing, calling from everywhere!

"I want to be president!"

"No I do!"

"More government!"

"Less government!"

"More regulation! We'll make things safe and fair!"

"Get the government out of my life!"

The voices, they weren't even ponies anymore! And none of them could agree on anything!

And the voices became louder from there, no longer beckoning her, now demanding her...

"Please no more wishing!" She cried out, falling to her knees, and finally collapsing in a heap...

**********

A spark went through Celestia's head, one of her little ponies was in trouble, and though she knew which one... But she had a problem...

"And at seven, we have another meeting with general Averis about the Griffin's treaty with Unicornia, and -- " Celestia's advisor replied, going down the schedule.

She couldn't be there in pony, but...

"I apologize, Kibitz, " Celestia replied, holding her lower barrall. "I need a minute, " she replied, her voice growing soft.

"Oh?" Celestia's advisor asked, his face growing white, as he stared at the princess lower barrell, the color draining out of his coat...

"Yes, " Celestia grunted, looking like she would vomit. "I think it was something that happened in that alternate Sombra's -- "

Kibitz fainted, in a heap.

"And I hope I learned something from my sister, " Celestia said to herself, with a mischievous chuckle, as she turned back to her fainted advisor. "I'll feign ignorance when he gets back up, and he'll think it's old age..." She said, turning her attention elsewhere. She wouldn't have long...

"Let's hope this works, " she continued, her voice changing to more of a serene tone. "I can sense you are in trouble, Skywishes, I'll be there soon, even if not in person, consider it done!!!" She said, closing her eyes, her horn glowing vibrant colors.

**********

Even while unconscious, the voices continued to get louder, and louder, in her head, till Skywishes soon found herself in a semi-lucid sleep, suddenly wanting to grant everyone's wish, no matter how absurd, no matter how contradictory, she just wanted to grant them all... No... She HAD to grant them all, and it just tore her up inside that she just couldn't, no matter how much she wanted to.

Somewhere, there were sparks, and smoke.

"Hello?" Skywishes asked, searching around, through the darkness. She swore someone was talking to her... She had to be crazy!!!

"Who says?" A voice said, or should she say, her voice said? Except it wasn't her voice. So who's voice was it?

"What do you mean?" She asked, spinning around in circles, as she searched to find the source of the voice.

"Skywishes!" The voice cooed, reminding her of the way Papa Skywishes used to talk to Mama Skywishes, the morning after a long night of drinking hard cider... "I just want to help!" The voice cooed, the smoke growing in the background. "Let me help you, Skywishes!" The voice cooed, in her ear. "Let me be born!"

Skywishes looked around, growing ever more frantic. "Who said that?" She said, her eyes darting around... That wasn't right. "I mean! What did you mean!?" She said, shuddering, even here. "Ohhhh!! You know what I mean!"

"I do!" The voice replied, suavely. As a thick smoke started to descend. "Let me show you how, " the voice cooed, reminding her of whenever Papa Skywishes was about to go on one of his many business trips... Strange... This never happened before, right? "What are you afraid of Skywishes?" The voice asked, sounding sad. "I can help you! Together we can do it, Skywishes! We have the power!" The voice purred.

"What do you mean?" She replied curiously.

"Don't you feel it?" The voice asked calmly. "You really can grant really extra special wishes now!" The voice replied, confidently. "You can forget extra special wishes! Because, soon we'll have the power to grant everyone's wishes!" The voice said, seductively.

"Skywishes?" Another voice echoed, in her head, bring drowned out by the sounds of wishing voices. "Can you hear me?"

"But how?" She replied, to the first voice, curiously. "How can we grant their wishes if even the wishes, themselves, disagree with each other?"

"Of course!" It replied, nonchalantly. "We'll simply create worlds where each conflictory wish comes true!" It replied, making her almost want to believe.

Skywishes shook her head, that didn't sound right. "But wouldn't that mean that some people's wishes weren't coming true?"

"Nonsense!" The voice replied, sounding oddly confident. "We'll use our power to it's fullest extent, and --"

"I'm sorry, Skywishes, " replied a voice, that sounded a lot like Star Catcher's voice, if a fair amount more confident, drowning out the first voice. "But down that route lies sadness, " the voice said, its white hoof flattening the smoke and fire, a slight pained sound echoing through the darkness. And, just like that, with a wave of her front hoof, the wishing voices temporarily silenced.

"Who... are... you?" Skywishes asked, both in awe, and astonishment. The pony reminded her so much of Star Catcher, and yet so different. For one thing, she was like twice as tall, and equipped with something Star Catcher never did: a horn. Wait.. why did she know that was a horn?

"I'm sorry, Skywishes, " Star Catcher said, her voice booming out of the strange pony's mouth, looking away sadly. "You probably don't -- "

"Star Catcher?" The pink earth pony responded, her face turning purple, showing the abject horror that was in her heart. "What did you do?" She asked, the expression coming out. "How did it happen to you?" Still not right. "I mean... What happened... Ooohhh! You know what I mean?"

"I do, and we have important matters to discuss, " a ghostly version of Star Catcher said, standing next to Skywishes' other side. "But first, I wished to apologize, if I hadn't abandoned you, my friends, back at Butterfly Island, then this would have never happened..." She continued, reticently.

Skywishes, shed a tear, some frightening images beginning to come back to mind. These images... they all had to be a bad dream, right?

'But you weren't the only one I failed, ' the white horned pegasus thought outloud, turned away, a strange looking horn gleaming at the top of her head. 'Like I failed you, Luna, ' he thoughts said, a tear falling between her legs. 'If only I'd been stronger, if only I'd noticed sooner, maybe you would've been spared that fate.'

'And not just her, ' her thoughts betrayed her, as she continued in her series of regrets. 'Maybe if I'd been more loving, ' the bizarre horned pegasus continued. 'Maybe I wouldn't have lost you too, Starlight Twinkle, but I lost you too... to my own temper... Is that how I lost you too Luna? Where are you now, my ex-student?'

Before Skywishes had time to think, the horned pegasus stopped talking, turning rigid, like a statue, as the ghostly Star Catcher began to speak again. "I promised to grant your wish that we'd be together no matter what happened, " she said, with a frown. "Well, I guess, not me... and not you... But I still feel bound, " she said, turning away. "But how can I fulfill it now?..." She asked, taking a few paces away from her old friend.

It hurt her heart to see her friend acting this way. Star Catcher was more than just a friend to her, she was almost like a mother, like a second Mama Skywishes, and it hurt her to see her friend acting this way. However, she wasn't upset for very long even in this state of sleep, as an intense the pain began to seep into Skywishes' very marrow, as she felt both her heads and sides burning, like giant zits were popping out of them...

The white pegasus unicorn. 'Maybe I'm incapable of keeping my promises, ' she thought, out loud, the tears flowing some more. 'If only I'd been more understanding, maybe I wouldn't have driven you away, Sunset, ' she continued, taking a few more steps away. 'I hope that you are enjoying your new life through the mirror,' she replied, taking some steps away to Skywishes.

Skywishes was stunned, how was she hearing her friend's thoughts? And how was Star Catcher talking to her, in her dreams? Was it more really real for real pegasus magic?

Star Catcher, bent down to talk to her friend. "I failed you Skywishes, and then I changed my name and my face to cement it... can you forgive me, Skywishes?" Pegasus-unicorn Star Catcher said, bending down. "And I left you for lost..."

Star Catcher grew rigid as the other Star Catcher spoke...

'And I couldn't notice that my own niece and my students brother were off, ' the pegasus unicorn continued. 'If Chrysalis had been in a sound mind then she could have absconded with Twilight, and I would have been none the wiser, and Twilight would have been gone forever...'

'And then the monster almost cost Applejack her brother, and my niece her husband...' the pegasus-unicorn thought out loud, turning away again. "I'm sorry Skywishes, why did I think I could help you?" She asked, finally opening her mouth. "I'm a total failure..."

"But you're still my friend!" Skywishes replied... Not quite right... "I mean, I trust you!" She said, still not right... "I mean, you did the best you could.... Ooohhhh! You know what I mean!"

The ghostly Star Catcher frowned again. "No, Skywishes," she said, shaking her head. "Where was I for any of those thousands of years of Christmases you were forced to relive? Where was I during our home's final moments?" She asked the pegasus who only stammered. "All the times you were forced to relive our darkest moments... I'm sorry, Skywishes, I'm a failure..."

**********

"Bring me that traitor, Glimmer!!!" Belladonna howled, her face turning a vibrant shade of red. "I want her here! NOW!!!" She hissed, her eyes practically burrowing through the empty wall that used to be 'The Vault'.

"Yes, ma'am!" The drone guards, responded, as a unit, as the marched out of the cave, in perfect lockstep, followed, nearby, by the guards from the sentient Changeling warrior class, and, finally, more than a few of Belladonna's personal guard.

"You have until the count of twenty to bring her back!" The assassin hissed, sending her remaining guards flying with a errant whirlwind, that suddenly flew out of her open mouth.

And true to form, the legion of guards returned, their query bound, and an inhibitor crudely shoved onto her horn, and all in half the time allotted, by their mistress.

The unicorn started her 'mistress' in the eyes and, defiantly, opened her mouth. "I'm finished doing your dirty work!" She stated, calmly, looking her mistress straight in the eyes. "Do whatever you will, but I won't betray equality any longer!" She continued, making good and sure to get all every last of 'her final words', as she relegating herself to the inevitable.

The changeling reacted in a differently, then Starlight expected, bellowing in laughter, instead of exploding into one of her usual fits of rage. "Do you think I'm going to let you return to re-education after this?" She hissed, the tears rolling down her cheeks.

Starlight gulped, but her resolve remained firm. "Send me to the mines, I don't care!" She replied, defiantly. "I quit!"

"After you let both my slaves, and their marks escape?" She replied. waving her front left hoof.

Starlight would've shrugged, if she could.

"No!" The changeling shouted. "Now I'll have no choice, but to apprehend that mark myself!" She cried, motioning two of her guards to come forward with a necklace with the symbol of a single distant diamond like star, and two wisps of smoke travelling from the central body. "I'm through with you, Starlight!" She growled, motioning the guards closer.

"Wh...what are y...you going to do?" Starlight replied, suddenly afraid of arcane magics she could feel rising from the necklace. What would it do to her, if she wore it... Would she turn to stone? Would it cost her her so--?

"Your last hope, Starlight, " the changeling assassin replied, nonchalantly. "You'd better hope this works, or I'll feed you to the timber wolves!!!" She exclaimed, motioning to her guards, who quickly slipped the necklace around Starlight Glimmer's neck.

"Please! No!" Starlight cried out, desperately. "I'm too important to d-- "

"Heh!" The changeling scoffed, as the unicorn futilely struggled against the magic flowing into her. "So, in other words, my slave, you like everypony equal, so long as you are their superior!" She continued, finding further amusement, in the delicious irony. "We could've been such good friends, Starlight if you had been born a changeling instead of a nasty, dirty, inferior pony!" She shouted, as the guards, clasped the clasp, finishing the placement of the necklace.

The unicorn disappeared in a cloud of darkness, which streamed from the black light gleaming from her eyes..

"Heh, maybe I wasn't right after all, " the changeling lemented, as the fog started to recede. "Oh, well, plenty more ponies -- " she said, stopping when a figure slowly trotted out of the slowly receding darkness.

"Heh!" The changeling scoffed. "Maybe not!" She exclaimed, proudly. "Bring her back to the hive while I finish my business with Skywishes!" The changeling exclaimed, as she galloped out 'in search of her prey'.

**********

"I'm sorry, Skywishes, " the ghostly Star Catcher said, with a deep frown. "Apparently our meeting ended sooner than I had foreseen, " she exclaimed, as Sky wishes awoke, with a start to loud shrieks emanating from somewhere nearby.

"Where, are you wish granter?" Belladonna shouted, in a blind rage. "You can't hide from me forever!" She shouted, the bolts of lightning streaming from her eyes and into the sky.

Skywishes cowered under the rock she had fallen asleep under.

"If need be, I'll cover you in snow!" The changeling shouted as the magic she shot into the sky, slowly covered it in a covering of thick clouds. And a quick breath sent the thick storm clouds spreading in all directions.

"Please Star Catcher!" Skywishes began to wish. "Wherever you are, please help!" She shouted, sitting on her flank, her front legs straight, her eyes closed and her head in a praying position. "I wish -- "

Another quick blow into the clouds caused them to release a torrential blizzard fit only for the yak version of Tartarus.

"I wish the storm would stop!" She begged, Star Catcher.

And the storm stopped as suddenly as it started.

"Ahhh!" Belladonna purred, her tail swishing. "The mouse must be closest then I thought!" She said, feeling very satisfied. "And her wishing powers are even more impressive than I ever could have imagined!" She exclaimed, her eyes turning to slits. "And it's all closer to me now than it's ever been!" She shouted, shooting lighting, once again, towards the sky.

The feline changeling took a deep breath, and sent a whirlwind, which began to shape the landscape, pulverizing everything in it's path.

"I hope you're happy!" The changeling hissed. "I had to use half my witching potion to do this, " she growled. "So I plan to make you pay for every last molecule of it, in blood!" She announced, a blood thirsty expression on her crazed face.

Skywishes cried out again. "Please Star Catcher! Help!" She shrieked, rearing up, in terror. "I wish the whirlwind would stop!"

Untold thousands, and millions of butterflies descended, their vary wings flapping against the whirlwind, disrupting its flow, something normally only a pegasus could perform.

'That wishing power should be mine!' The changeling growled to herself, experiencing a mix of both utter frustration, and total ecstasy. 'Only I deserve to command such power!'

Sky Wishes cowered, continuously wishing, at this point, that Star Catcher would show back up. A secret fear began to creep into her mind, that her friend wouldn't be returning...

Meanwhile, the changeling gave a sadistic smile. "Come out, little mouse!" She purred, loudly. "If I don't find you, then I'll be forced to find your friends, and family, and punish every... last... one of them for this!" She purred, sadistically. "After all, I need somepony to restock my supply of witching weed."

Skywishes cowered in place, not sure what to do. She wanted to cower in place, but part of her wanted to face the bully, like Mama Skywishes always recommended. But what should she do? What if that meanie got back at her by hurting her friends? And where was Star Catcher, for that matter? "Please! Star Catcher help!!!" She shrieked again.

**********

Celestia woke from her dream walk in a start, her mane and tail covered in a thick layer of sweat. Apparently she didn't even come close to Luna's mastery of the dreamwalk, and even after impersonating her sister for over a thousand years while Luna sojourned on the moon. "Oh guards!" She exclaimed, calmly, calling for her guards attention, who quickly rushed in to join her in her chambers.

"Yes, princess!" The twin snow white pegasus guards, both looking very galant in their gleaming gold uniforms, stated, in unison.

"Could you please prepare my chariot?" She requested, calmly. This was so against protocol, it was ridiculous, but, at this point, her nerve was beginning to falter, as it became plain that Commander Sentry might not arrive in time, and she further feared that he wouldn't be stallion enough to handle the fiend from Equestria's past, that she was now beginning to sense. "I have another old friend to find, " she stated, not wanting to let her findings, on the monster's awakening slide.

The guards shook their heads, in unison. "I'm sorry, your majesty, but Kibitz has ordered us not to let you leave again today, and to remind you, that you should finish your duties instead."

Celestia hung her head sadly. He'd probably sick the maids on her again if he found out that she was trying to flee again, and there was no way in Tartarus that he'd let her even think about taking on Katrina -- one of the seven beings then single hoofedly ended the first great unified kingdom, at the end of The First Age.

She thought for a second, maybe she'd try a different tact. "But... But... But..." She begged desperately, hiding her sneaky smirk, behind a wall of tears. Every once in a great while, these kinds of tricks would cause one of her more loyal guards to crack...

But she never got to find out, as a third guard came streaming into the room, interrupting her attempt at sympathy, his helmet in his hoof, as he kneeled, on one knee.

"I'm sorry, your majesty, but I bring horrible tidings, " he replied, a look of dismay on his face. "Word finally arrived from one of our more remote villages.

Celestia turned her head, calmly, not letting her dismay be shown. "And what was that?" Celestia asked, sadly. Apparently bad news came in sets.

"They were apparently attacked a week ago by changelings, " he said, solemnly.

Celestia quirked an eyebrow. "How did it take so long, my little pony?"

"We're still investigating majesty, " the guard replied, with a frown.

"How many of our ponies did we lose?" Celestia asked, sadly. "And how many of our ponies did those monsters turn into monsters like them?"

"The good news, your majesty is that only one pony is missing, " he replied, calmly. "Apparently Commander Strong Armor of the EUC Equestrian Special Forces Unit saved all but one member of their village, a pink earth pony with a kite cutiemark."

"I see, " Celestia replied to herself, contemplatively. "That's good news," the princess replied, half in relief. "I have but one more question."

"What is that majesty?" The guard replied back, curiously.

"Are you sure it was Commander Strong Armor, my good stallion?" Celestia asked back, doing a dang good job of hiding her concern.

The stallion replied back, in confusion. "That's what the villagers said, your majesty, why do you ask?"

Celestia looked down. "Because the commander has been deceased for five years, having given his life for the safety of Equestria in a botched operation against Queen Chrysalis."

"Then who saved the village?" The guard replied back.

"I don't know..." Celestia replied, cryptically. "Crysalis... What are you up to?" She asked herself, under her breath. "And what does Skywishes have to do with it?"

She turned to her guard. "Could you write get me more dragon's fire, please?" She asked her guards. "And a scrying mirror as well, I need to get back in contact with a couple of ponies, including Commander Sentry."

"Understood, " all three guards said, in unison. "But what's the scrying mirror for?" They asked.

"Don't worry about that, gents, " she replied to the guards, with a smile, and a wave. "I need it to get two old friends back in contact..."

**********

"Star Catcher!" Skywishes cried out, cowering under a rock. Between the pains in her sides, the endless wishing voices screaming in her head, and the unceasing terror caused by the monster shooting lightning out of her eyes a few yards away, this felt like the worst day ever. "Please help!!!" She cried out, wishing with all her might that the majestic pegasus would finally show her face.

"Come out! Come out wherever you are, pony!" Belladonna roared, pulverizing sides of mountains, with her whirlwind breath, after just another sip of her witching potion. "I grow tired of playing!" She hissed. "And if you won't willingly surrender your mark!" She howled, her eyes growing into daggers. "I'll rip it off your flank myself, with my own two claws!" She cackled, looking down at her hooves, as she contemplated the horrors she planned to perform on the pony that humiliated her, mere hours ago.

"Skywishes! Over here!" Stated a serene voice, from the darkness behind Skywishes.

"Star Catcher?!" The pink earth pony exclaimed, loudly, overjoyed to see her old friend here. "Is that really you? Are you really here!"

"I am!" Star Catcher replied, calmly. "But -- "

The monster outside launched another onslaught onto the nearby hills and mountains.

The pegasus gave a dismayed look at the monsters destruction, and gave a dismayed expression. "Quickly, Skywishes!" The white pegasus continued, motioning deeper into the rocky alcove. "Over here!"

"Where have you been!? I've been so worried!" The pink earth pony exclaimed, the words jumbled in her head. "I mean I've been scared!" She paused, still not right. "Oooh! You know what I mean!" She said, reaching over for a friendly hug...

... only to pass through the white pegasus ...

"I'm sorry, my friend, " the pegasus said, with a frown. "But the magic the monster used to constitute me is fading, " she said, looking away. "I don't know how much longer I have..."

"What do you mean?" Skywishes responded, sadly -- she just found her friend, again, after so much time, she couldn't lose her again!

"I mean that I am Star Catcher, and yet I am not, " the pegasus responded. "When the monster that trapped you, and my other friends in our world, found out that the real Star Catcher, had escaped his grip, he decided it was a waste of time to follow her, " she said, turning her back. "So, instead, he made a phony, and now that our world's magic is leaking out, my form has begun to fail."

"What's wrong Star Catcher?" Skywishes responded, now crying slightly.

"Without the magic another pony loaned me, we would never have this chance to talk, " she said, as a lightning bolt came just short of the place they were hiding. "This is where I, unfortunately, have to say goodby..."

"No!" Skywishes shouted, angrily, her voice distorting. "I won't permit it!" She shouted, her head and shoulders feeling like they were ablaze. "I just need you to help me with this wish, like you always do!" She shrieked, as hot white flames began to shoot out from her forehead, and from just behind her withers.

The pegasus shook her head, sadly. "Is this the way you want me to see you this one last time?" She asked, calmly.

The tears rolled down Skywishes' face, as she turned to the pegasus. "But -- "

"Is this what you want me to see, when I say goodby the final time?" The pegasus asked, sadly.

Skywishes shook her head. "Well..." She replied, calming down. "No... But without you, and your butterflies, my wishes just won't be quite as special..."

"Let me tell you a secret, Skywishes, " the pegasus said, a smile growing on her face, as she darted her head around like she was about to reveal a deep secret. "My butterflies, and I help some, " she whispered in the pink pony's ear. "But you do most of the work, Skywishes!" She replied, with a smile. "You have a real gift."

"What do you mean?" Skywishes replied.

"Let me explain then," the pegasus replied, softly. "How many of those wishes, on the day, that I first met you, did I and my butterflies really grant?"

Skywishes thought for a moment. "Only a couple, right at the end."

"Exactly, " the pegasus replied, serenely.

"You mean I --? " Skywishes responded, being rudely interrupted by the loud roar of a giant changeling...

Or at least she looked almost like one...

The changeling's face now carried a cat's whiskers, and instead of hooves, she had claws now...

"There you are! " ~~Katri~~... Belladonna roared, showing her fangs. "How dare you try to hide from me!" She roared, looking at the little crevice the pink earth pony had hide in, and shaking her head.

"Did you really think you could hide from me in such a sorry place?" She hissed, sounding less amused, and more furious. 'Though, it pains me, to admit, that I didn't see you sooner...' she thought to herself, realizing that she didn't see something so obvious when she was mere yards away, especially under the growth effects of her witching potion. 'This must be the effect of her talent!' She thought, her jovial mood returning, as the perfect excuse came to mind. 'I simply must have this power!' She thought, licking her ~~claw~~ ~~hoof~~ paw...

The tyrant took a good mouthful of air, in order to summon the whirlwind again, and began to blow.

Skywishes cowered, prepared for the worst...

And...

Nothing happened...

A ghostly figure of a pegasus-unicorn stood in the way, taking the brunt of the spell.

"Run, Skywishes!" The ghostly white pegasus-unicorn said, her ephemeral lightblue, green, blue, and purple mane and tail blowing in an invisible breeze. "I'll keep her distracted!" She announced, defiantly. 'I'm sorry, Skywishes, my fellow princess... but you can't handle her yet...'

"But... " Skywishes replied, not wanting to leave her friend. And what did she mean, fellow princess. Did she mean like Wysteria? But she never found a flower like Wysteria's...

"Celestia..." the unicorn-pegasus said, in Star Catcher's voice.

"But she's going to hurt our friends!" Skywishes announced, nervously. Did she just say 'our'?

Belladonna shook her head, sadly. "Oh Celestia... an avatar..." she lamented, feeling at least a little disrespected. "Such an pedestrian spell?" She said, feeling very disappointed. "You couldn't face me like a mare, " she announced, bemused at how weak the pony princesses had become. "Queen Majesty would have dropped everything to come out here and help 'her little ponies'!" She said, putting extra emphasis into 'little ponies', as she mocked the old queen who had barely bested her generations before, and at a very steep, and utterly final price...

"Oh don't worry!" Celestia said, her poker lessons paying off again. "Luna and I will have a chat with you later, so don't worry!" She bluffed, being probably too old and fat to handle the tyrant right now, at least without the help of the elements, or the bearers and their new rainbow powers.

"No!" Skywishes said, defiantly. "I won't let you hurt my friends, or anyone else, anymore!" She said, sitting cross legged on her plot, as she lowered her head in a praying position. "I wish... I wish... I wish I had the strength to stop her!" She announced, her mane beginning to blow on it's own, and her mark glowing so brightly that it's colors vanished into a vibrant white, which eventually covered the whole pony's body.

"Consider it done!" The translucent pegasus said, putting her hoof on Skywishes' head. "Consider this, my final wish granted, a special gift to you..." she said, with finality. "My closest friend, Skywishes!"

Belladonna took another deep breath, and prepared to fire off another hurricane, this time her strongest.

The illusionary Celestia nodded to the illusion, this would hurt in the morning, but Commander Sentry would be here soon...

"I'm tired of running! I'm tired of being afraid!" Skywishes shouted at the tirant, her voice changing. "I'm tired of everyone's wishes being crushed into dust..."

"Skywishes..." the white illusion, Said, disappearing into the light. "I can lend you my power!" She announced, as her light disappeared into the pink earth pony's body. "Please help our friends!"

**********

Scootaloo looked out the window, her eyes 'sweating a little'. it was bad enough that Diamond Tiara had redoubled her attacks since the scavenger hunt, the previous week, concentrating on Scootaloo's secret sore spot: her wings. And that was, oddly enough, even after Diamond, and her lacky, Silver Spoon, had won the scavenger hunt, something about the crusaders 'making fools of them', and 'subjecting them to icky blue grass music!'

And then, to make matters even worse, Twilight's new apprentice had joined Scootaloo, and Twilight, for 'flight training' yesterday after she, apparently, decided to try her hands at flying by jumping out a second floor window -- and onto a convenient hay barrel (but it wasn't her fault, the pegasus ponies made it look so fun!)

And you know what was even worse? She was already out performing Scootaloo, it just wasn't fair! She'd just started trying to fly with those mutated monstrosities, on her back she called 'wings' whereas Scootaloo had been fighting hard, and working hard, her whole life to fly. It just wasn't fair!

Scootaloo looked up, once again, towards the heavens, wishing, just once, that Mrs. Gold Heart would let her visit the tribal shrine... Even just once! Then she'd be able to make the wish she really wanted... "I wish I could fly, like Rainbow Dash!" She cried, wishing on a star, begging Danny, and Faust above to grant her her heritage -- to grant her the skies. "Then maybe I could be as awesome as her!" She thought, the creeping doubts showing their heads again... What if she never flew? Would she really be a real pegasus then? Would her friends leave her behind? Would she never see Rainbow again? Would Rainbow become a bolt, while her biggest fan remained grounded?

A flock of butterflies flew by, attracted by her wish on their way from Lord knows where... to somewhere, nearby...

Suddenly, the orange pegasus filly's eyes felt heavy, as she began to hallucinate, or at least it seemed that way, as she swore she saw multicolored butterflies begin to engulf her. Slowly she fell asleep where she stood, falling in a heap on the floor next to the window.

An outsider, without proper insight, might swear that they heard an ethereal voice speaking over the night's silence. "Consider it done!" 'the voice' replied, with a slight rasp.

Meanwhile, the orange pegasus dreamed, peacefully, of flying high, with her brand new wings, not yet feeling the throbbing pain that started in her sides...

The butterflies continued along, but not for long, as they were drawn, inexplicably, back into town and towards somepony's mansion.

Inside a small pink filly shook silently, she'd won hadn't she? But then, why was her new mom so agitated with her?

"Diamond tiara!" Her 'mother' announced, scrunching her face, as she stuck her muzzle up at her own daughter. "Explain to me what happened to you!?" She asked, sounding snooty as ever. "Explain what happened between you and those BLANK FLANKS today!" She shouted, closing the gap between her and her 'daughter'.

"Look mom!" Diamond Tiara replied back, in protest. "I won didn't I!?"

Her 'mother' shook her head. "You mean: won by a technicality!" She fired back, feeling thoroughly unsatisfied. "You basically LOST to those BLANK FLANKS!" She announced. "And that WAS with the top rated investigator that I bought for a goodly number of bits!" She hissed.

"You mean the one that da-- " Diamond retorted back, receiving a smug expression in return. "And I didn't lose!" Diamond continued. "So leave me alone, 'mother'! I put those blank flanks, in their place, and -- "

"Failed to demonstrate our superior breeding, so after the concert tomorrow, you will be grounded, young filly, until -- " Her mother announced, feeling that her daughter was goofing around, instead of fulfilling the family legacy.

"But 'Mo--'!" Diamond protested back, fighting back the tears that wanted to flow. Tears that she had to keep under wraps, or her mother would give her an even worse punishment for 'showing weakness'.

Diamond Tiara's body continued to shake, this would have never happened when her real mother was still around instead of Spoiled Milk!...

That mare would never be Spoiled Rich! No matter what her father said! She would always be Spoiled Milk, to Diamond!

She quietly opened the door, and quietly clopped down to the private Molly shrine, that the family kept below.

"Molly!" She wished, touching the orange earth pony filly, with her luxurious blond mane. "I wish, again, please restore old mom to me!" She begged, the tears, now quietly flowing. "I don't like Spoiled Milk!" She cried out, her hooves still touching the gold statue. "I just wish she could be as nice as mother used to be!" She cried out.

The butterflies floated, in place, silently, as an idea, occurred to them. A group of them sailed off towards the house of a transplant from Trottingham, who suddenly got the idea that he should try running against Diamond in the upcoming election.

A ~~brown~~ light orangish-brown earth pony colt with a ~~dark brown~~ orange mane slowly clopped through town kicking a stone, as he went along, pondering his most recent failure.

"Psst..." The filly, that caught his eye had scoffed, at his piteous attempt to woo her, by singing along to game sounds on his Joy Boy (™). "Button!" She stated, calmly, looking down at him. "You have to give it up!" She said, trying to let the persistent colt down, as easily as she knew how. "You're not going to impress me with your childish antics!" She stated calmly. "Come back when you get a real game system... and a future!.. Remember! Cheezie Puffs!"

"So much for being persistent, Gibson..." He stated, with a snarl, suddenly wondering if his brother pranked him again, or if this was another one of his brother's 'great ideas'...

As he clopped along, a sound could be heard from down an old alley.

"Psst..." The voice said, not being heard the first time.

The colt continued to grumble, as he continued to clop along the street.

"Psst..." The voice said louder, and the tone harsher.

"Who's there!?" The colt cried, looking around, for the source of the sound.

But when it became obvious that the source of the sound was nowhere in sight, he continued on.

"PSSTTTT!!!!!" The voice exclaimed loudly, causing the colt to wheel around towards the alleyway.

"Hey boy!" The voice exclaimed, having finally gotten the young colt's attention.

The colt pointed, at his chest, with his hoof, with an inquisitive expression.

"Yeah, you!" The voice replied calmly. "You look like a colt, who needs some help!" The voice continued, calmly.

"Like what!?" The colt replied, suddenly noticing the source of the noise, a bright red sea pony, with a brown mane, and a brown muzzle.

"Like this here wishing -- " The sea pony, replied, back, being interrupted, about half way.

"Hey!" The colt replied back, enthusiastically, dancing slightly, in place. "A sea pony, you guys are super rare around here!" He continued, with a smile.

The sea pony, gave a nod, from the small wading pool, he was sitting in.

"But wait..." The colt replied, his eyes squinting, as his face grew increasingly suspicious. "But why aren't you singing!"

The sea pony sighed, and rolled his eyes. "Ya got five bits, lad!?" He continued, letting out a boisterous laugh. "Ug ug gug gug gug gug!"

The colt laughed along, not sure what the joke was, but not wanting to be left out.

"No! I'm serious, lad!" He replied, his face growing stern, as he gave the colt an iced stare.

"Fine!" The colt replied flipping five bits into the pool.

"Ok!" The seapony replied, suddenly, becoming extremely eager, as some stage lights, and loud music turned on. "Shoo-be-doo doo doop-doobie-doo Shoo-be-doo doop doobie-doo!" He sung, enthusiastically, tap dancing, with his tail, to the loud stage show music.

"So, did you like it, lad!?" The seapony asked, turning back to the colt.

"Meh--" the colt replied, shaking his hoof back and forth.

"Ehh, everypony's a critic!" The seapony replied back.

"So what's this about a 'wishing'?" The colt asked back, curiously.

"Well, what you see, behind me, lad, " he said matter of factly, "is a real, honest, for truly, wishing well!" He replied, eagerly. "And definitely not a scam to make you part with your bits!" He said, giving another healthy laugh. "Ug ug gug gug gug gug!"

"Ok!" The colt replied back, eagerly -- maybe this was the answer he needed to his love life problems.

"And there's definitely NOT two of my employees sitting at the bottom, waiting for you to throw your money in, if that's what yer asking!" He said, his voice, giving a nervous laughing tone.

"But I wasn't asking that!" The colt retorted.

"Good!" He replied back. "So that'll be five bits!" He replied, slyly. "... You know... for the service -- "

"But Mr. Crab -- " a squeaky voice cried out, from... 'somewhere', and was quickly silenced.

"Quiet Sponge-- "

"Heh heh..." The seapony replied back, nervously. "Been practicing me ventriloquism.." He said, with as nervous laugh.

"Ok!" The colt replied, throwing in five bits, and closing his eyes to make a wish.

No sooner did the bits hit the bottom of the well, then the sea pony, and two of his friends took the well with them, and hightailed it as fast as they could flop along.

"I wish, even just once that I could show Sweetie, even just once that I'm good enough to be her friend, " the ~~brown~~ light orangish-brown earth pony with a ~~brown~~ orange mane said, making his wish.

A flock of butterflies flew by, the most beautiful he'd seen in years... Well, if colts liked that kind of thing...

"I'll do that..." A voice said softly, in the wind. "I mean I'll help..." The voice stammered, flummoxed. "I mean... Oooh! You know what I mean!" The voice said, making the colt feel like he was cool, for once. Maybe there was a way where he could show the filly that he had more of a future then unemployment checks, and cheezie puffs!

Somewhere far away, at another time...

It was over! Her Kindnesty had been temporarily dethroned, and it was time for some of her yellow and pink butterflies, like the rest of her brightly colored avatars, to return to the place, from which they came, at least until her power was restored onto her.

Well, except for the silent voice, that sounded not all that different from Her Kindnesty's, was beckoning unto them to come. Somepony else needed them, at least for a moment, and it looked like they needed to do some traveling, to meet them...

But first, there was one more piece of business that they could perform, for their new friend, on their way over.

Little Strongheart knew it was wrong, but she was still curious about pony Braeburn, and though her chief had been very supportive earlier, he was no longer -- having forbid her to ever set hoof anywhere near that pony settler town again, under threat of banishment. She just wished that Chief Thunderhooves, and pony Silverstar would just be reasonable, if even for a moment...

Silverstar returned to his office, drink still in hoof. It was amazing how hard it was to outdrink what he had seen earlier! What was that boy thinking, kissing that buffalo! What was he thinking!? How could he have been so supportive of something so unseemly!

A flock of yellow and pink butterflies, flew by, coming within mere inches of his --

The sheriff's face turned a crimson red, as he quickly staggered to his hooves, a murderous expression on his face. "YOU!!" He shouted, pointing his hoof, at the little monsters. "YA DID SOMETHIN' TA MAH HEAD, AND MADE ME THINK THAT COLT SHOULD BE KISSING A CELESTRIA DANGDED BUFFALO!" He shouted, grabbing the nearest 'whacking instrument', he could find -- in this case, a shotgun, held by it's barrel...

The butterflies, effortlessly, remained one step ahead, as the pony flailed around with the butt of the shotgun, like a madpony.

Finally, they flew out his window, but that didn't prevent him from making one last swing, slamming the shotgun's butt again a wall, partially denting the weapon, and sending a cascade of boxes tumbling down, upstairs.

"Dag nab it!" The sheriff shouted, throwing his hat to the ground. Now, not just had he narrowly avoided repeated madness, but he's knocked down some of his things.

He quickly cantered back, checking to see if he accidentally knocked down the boxes he kept the memories of his wife in.

"Dog narb it!" He shouted, looking through the pile of broken things. "Those stupid butterflies done made me break the one box I REALLY cared about!" He shouted, noticing that, sure enough, he'd knocked down the one box he actually cared about most, and broke most of his most cherished items.

He sifted through the broken tea pots, the broken fine china, various yellowing pictures, that reminded him of better times, before finally stumbling on a picture of a very young looking him, as well as a buttercup unicorn with a brilliant blond mane -- him in his only suit, and her in a very expensive looking wedding gown.

He sighed, looking down. "Sorry, Solar Flare!" He announced, looking down sadly. "I dun goofed with yer colt..." He said, his face growing sad. "An' after I promised ya, on yer death bed ta make a fine stallion of the boy..." He said, remembering the grotesque scene from earlier that day. "An' I turned him into a buffalo lover!"

He daintily picked up the picture, and put it to the side, searching through the pile for anything that was still in one piece.

Towards the bottom of the pile, he found another picture, this one of his father, a brown earth pony, with a dark brown mane, Alderman Goldstar, looking very perturbed, as he stood by an effeminate orange unicorn, with a blond mane, looking like he had been kidnapped by a group of cultists.

"Pa never did approve..." The old sheriff said, with a sigh, as he looked at the visage of his father, in the old photo.

"'Course neither did yours, " he said, turning to Solar Flare's father, in the photo.

He remembered his father's first words, upon finding out who his wife was going to be. "Look 'Star!" He said, with a scowl. "Ain't no way I'm gunna allow a narwhal into the family!" He continued, belligerently.

Course her father was more of the same. "Oh dear..." He said, turning to his daughter. "I had no idea this 'Silverstar' was a dirty mud pony..." He continued, with a hasty chuckle. "Not to mention well below OUR station..."

"Where did ah go wrong!" He asked himself, staring at the photo. "That mah son would do something so ugly!" He said, with a frown.

A pink butterfly flew by, as the sheriff carelessly tossed the photo out the window, as his father's words echoed in his head. "Ain't no way Ah'm gunna allow a narwhal into this here family! That's disgusting boy! You know what they did to our ancestors!?"

Meanwhile in another place, the chief did more of the same, empty bottle of hard cider at his side and salt in the circle, as he burned shaman's incense. He knew that drinking in excess was reserved, along with these herbs for the shamans, but Shaman Shinystone had gone ahead of their stampede to prepare the dance of the equal moon, and he needed the ancestor's advise right now! Not at the dance!

"Ancestors!" He prayed, sadly. "Whitecoat!" He asked, in particular, closing his eyes, and taking a deep breath of the blend, that silences the mind and allowed it to tune into the spirits. "Tell me what I need to do about your daughter!" He said, with the same frown he had given the night before their short lived war with the Appleloosans.

A collection of yellow and pink butterflies flew by, disappearing into the fog, as the old chief could swear he heard the words of his father, Ironhorn to his brother, Whitecoat, the day after Little Strongheart had been conceived -- though they didn't know it just yet. "You dishonor our tribe, Whitecoat!" He chastised his son, waving his hoof in the young bull's face. "You know that outsiders can't be brought into the tribe without the proper rituals!" He said, raising up, and bowing his head, to show his horns. "Not to mention that she is of a family of poor character!" He lowed. "No son of mine is going to marry a girl of such a profession!"

The chief bowed, sadly. What was his brother trying to tell him?

A rainbow maned pink earth pony shadow ~~trotted along, her head buzzing with thoughts~~ (which would be ridiculous considering that shadows don't have thoughts, in their head, because, after all, they never were...) "~~What did StarSong mean, when she talked about~~ Believing~~?...~~"

~~She looked around, and sighed.~~ Why was in moments like these did she want to paint again... ~~Something about those~~ phonies ~~from earlier made her~~ wish~~... She~~ wished ~~that she knew, even for a moment, what it was like to~~ paint ~~again...~~

As if answering her questions, a flock of yellow and pink butterflies passed by, coming from somewhere, on their way off to somewhere, lest they obtain Entropy's bad graces by overstaying their welcome. After all, this was the fastest way from where they came, to where they were going, and by the feeling of it, they were needed urgently.

But these butterflies were odd, they reeked of... Skywishes... But wasn't she over there? The pink shadow ~~thought~~, ~~looking over at~~ another shadow, who ~~waved back~~... (Which made the whole scene, once again, absurd, as you can't look over at something that never was... And you certainly can't wave at nothing... Well unless you were completely mad as a hatter... And, for that matter, how can something that never was look, or wave in the first place?)

~~She shook her head~~. Weird... Why did she still swear then that Skywishes was present....

And did she leave a present? She asked herself, noticing something... unusual... sitting on the ground

A pristine easel, and canvas sat on the ~~ground~~, alongside a paintbrush, and pallet, why did they feel so familiar, so inviting? She never existed, so she certainly never used those before, so why did she so badly want to paint a picture...

Entropy shook her head, she would need to have her avatar drop by to speak with this new princess later, she didn't, much, appreciate ponies leaving junk around in their nice clean oblivion...

Oh well... Entropy would let it slide this time... But only for a time... After all, the joy it brought was infectious...

**********

The avatar of the Princess of the Sun vanished in a soft whimper as ~~Katrin~~ Belladonna's claws passed cleanly through her it, quickly dispelling it.

"Heh..." The half changeling purred, standing straight up on her back hooves, a long cat-like tail replacing her normally holey changeling tail. "Too bad I couldn't have fought the real celestia, " she purred, licking her claw. "That might have been more rewarding!"

She shrugged, having decided to turn her attention back to other matters. "Oh well..." The changeling purred, to herself, looking back at the quivering mass in the crevasse. "Where are you, little mouse?" She asked, showing her mouth full of incisors. "It's time to fffffiiinish our trrransaction!" She purred, satisfied with the hunt.

Inside lay Skywishes, now completely translucent in a white light, her body twitching violently, as a long pink horn now slowly drilled its way out of her body, and long crescent like wings did much the same from her back.

"Verrry interesting!" She purred, to herself, sharpening her new claws against a rock. "Too bad I don't have time to fight any more princesses, " she exclaimed, crossly. "Half the EUC is probably already here, " she hissed, arching her back. "Or will be here soon!" She yawled, raising her claws, her eyes becoming like daggers.

The young ~~earth pony~~ alicorn didn't move, instead sitting there, looking like she was asleep, as the changeling-lioness licked her lips. "It's time -- " She purred, bringing her claw back, for a good swipe...

An orange blur quickly descended from the heavens, in a sub-sonic dive that, though impressive, was probably never going to put the rainboom to shame.

"My prrrrr -- " The Changeling purred, in slow motion, licking her lips as her claw moved within inches of the newest alicorn.

The spikes on Flash Sentry's front hooves hit the mountain sized beast at top speed, sending her crashing into the ground, bouncing off of it, spinning a dozen times, and finally colliding into another nearby cliff.

"Ouch!!!" Flash shouted, gritting his teeth, in pain, as he struggled to get back to his hooves. "Basic physics, Flash..." he exclaimed, chastising himself, while simultaneously hoping, beyond reason, that nothing was broken. "For every reaction there is an equal and opposite reaction..." he howled, taking a few steps to ensure all his limbs were still reattached, and checking whether or not they were still in one piece. "You should know something about that..." he sighed, experiencing a twinge of frustration at himself. "You teach physics, and math to the recruits..." the stallion replied, having realized that he, once again, had let his heart lead rather than his head.

"That hurt!" Bella donna howled, quickly getting back up onto her back ~~legs and hooves~~ legs and claws.

Flash grunted slightly, in dismay at how quickly his opponent had recovered. He may have just picked a fight he couldn't win... Though he guessed it was a better than that of his counterpart: being turned into a zombie puppet... twice...

"Do you wish to play too, mouse?" Katri... the assassin purred, giving the pegasus a good slam with her claw, sending him flying... right into her other hoof...

"Ouch..." was the only word the guard said, as his body was sent flying again, this time for a spin.

The lioness purred, as she batted the interloper around between her paws. At this point, the only part of her that still remained changeling was her ears, front legs, and barrell. The monster chuckled, gleefully, having decided that she'd only mess with this mouse for a moment more -- she had bigger pray to catch.

Flash grunted, as he shifted his body, transferring the energy into a spin, straightening out his trajectory as he slashed at the giant monster with the ridiculous, cumbersome, instruments he had strapped onto his precious wings. At this point, he hoped that his old comrade, Water Spout, was watching down from above, that strike was for him!

Flash puffed out his chest proudly. He would avenge his fallen friend's blood, on the monsters that... ended... him...

Katrina-donna dodged gracefully to the side, and pounded him, like a nail, into the ground.

"How dare you!" She hissed, arching her back again. "How dare you think you are stronger than me!" She howled, taking another quaaf of her witching potion, which was now three quarters gone, and preceded to pin her prey against the ground, with one paw, as she raised the other paw, and aimed it's claws for his throat.

"Say goodby pony!" She roared, swiping her paw to --

"I wish she'd stop!" Exclaimed a voice from the gully, setting millions of translucent butterflies aflutter, picking up the assassin, and dropping her on the ground... hard...

"Who dares -- ?" The assassin roared, her face turning pale when a pink ~~earth pony~~ alicorn trotted out of the gully, her butterfly and kite cutie mark remained, but the rest of her had changed. No longer a cowardly little earth pony, now she was a graceful alicorn. And with her new powers came a growth spurt, leaving her body a fair amount taller, even before you talk about her new wings, which stood unfurled, like a tower, from her shoulders. Her long winding horn sat on top of her head, as long as the entirety of her head.

**********

"Wow! That's unicorn fun!" Rarity giggled, jovially, her mind being distracted from her lessons again, the teleportation spell she was casting being unceremoniously cancelled, and sending her crashing down on Twilight, instead transporting her to the next floor of the library. "Cheerilee, can't you feel it?" She asked, turning to her ~~mentor~~ mother. "There's someone new to play with!"

Cheerilee looked back puzzled, what did Rarity mean?

Wysteria howled, in pain, as Luna canceled the spell she was casting on the purple alicorn to allow her to tap into the thoughts, and emotions of her nightmare, Queen Nightshade, who still remained safely sealed within herself. "Wh.. What's this horrible feeling, Luna?"

Luna frowned, she could feel it too, apparently another nascent alicorn had now shown itself in Equestria... "She should count herself fortunate..." The alicorn said, to herself. "Her nightmare aborted before it could be born..." She remarked, feeling the pain as the remnants of her nightmare reacted to the end of another.

Celestia sat on her chair, asking for the fourth bag of ice from her servants... This would probably ensure another round of rumors... She decided, with a reluctant sigh. And that was on top of the fact, that she could probably already read the next day's headlines: 'Princess of the Sun pregnant?' And to make matters worse, there was the matter of what she would tell Kibitz, and her advisors. After all, she, certainly, wasn't about to tell her advisors that she'd just disobeyed Kibitz orders.. in avatar form...

And on top of it all, she sensed something that made her blood run cold. Something, she was sure the others could too... A nascent alicorn had just ascended...

And a powerful one to boot...

"Spike!" Twilight howled, rushing out of the library... And then right back into it... Having realized that she had just run past her number one assistant, while trying to find her number one assistant...

"Yes, Twilight?" Spike said, cheerfully pulling out a quill and scroll.

"Oh, good.." Twilight replied, with a blush. "I guess you know me well..." She remarked, with a bashful chuckle, and a slight blush, as she cleared her throat.

"Ok, " Spike replied, nonchalantly, placing the quill against the scroll. "What's going on your todo list?"

"Not a todo list, " Twilight said, shaking her head. "A letter to the princess..." she said, direly.

"Princess?" Spike asked, curiously, taking the quill from the scroll for a moment. That was odd.. Twilight almost never wrote a letter to the princess now, opting to see her in person, or to handle the matter herself... It must be something big...

Twilight nodded, knowingly. "I suspect another alicorn just ascended..."

"Shiney!" Cadance howled, suddenly rising to her hooves, as she rose from her throne. "Get my armor!" She exclaimed, her voice growing cold.

"What's going on, Cadance?" The unicorn asked, a fearful expression on his face, as he admired the full set of armor that his wife was having the guards hastily assemble for her. Cadance never, ever, wore her armor now, even when going into battle... Heck! Not even against King Sombra and Nightmare Rarity had she worn her armor. Not even one piece!

"I sense a new alicorn, and a broken heart..." She replied, eerily. "If I don't hurry then there's no telling what might happen..."

Professor Shadow Star shook his head. Why was he still even bothering to train this purple reject in magic, again? He meant: if she couldn't even comprehend even mundane spells like levitation, then there was no way she could even hope to pass the stringent entrance exams that were required for entrance into ~~the princess'~~ his prestigious school of magic. After all, this purple disaster with a raptor's face couldn't even cast basic magic...

Heck with it all! The professor decided, as he slowly turned arr --

The unicorn gave an unearthly scream of pain as her horn began to react violently to something, and -- the horn, itself, not an aura -- to glow violently, looking more like a reactor going into meltdown, then a unicorn's horn.

"Make it stop!" Lilly begged, burning her hooves whenever she tried to touch her horn. "Please! Professor! Make it stop!!! It hurts!!!"

The professor looked on, utterly afraid, as he scrambled back, scooting his plot behind him, and up against the closest wall, and covering his face, with his hooves.

"What's going on!?" The professor asked, in utter horror. "What kind of magic does this unicorn wield!?"

**********

"Please leave him be!" The alicorn said, her voice taking an unusual tone... She stopped for a moment.. "I mean! Don't hurt him!!" She said, pausing a second time. "I mean leave -- " She sighed, breathing in. "Ooohhh! You know what I mean!" She exclaimed, defiantly.

"I don't, and I don't care!" The feline responded,with a haute expression. "You may be a princess!" She exclaimed, taking another quaaf of her potion, which, in turn, changed her front legs into gruesome arms... "I'll rip that cutie mark off your flank, even if it's the last thing I do!" She howled, lunging for the attack.

"I wish you would stop being mean!" The alicorn 'wished' back, accidently making a random 'wish', causing unimaginable pain to course through her body, as her horn fire off a beam of pure magic.

The feline howled in pain as the beam connected, pushing her back, and six feet into the mountain itself.

"That hurt!" She roared, brushing her exquisite robes off, as she stood back up, taking part of the cliff with her. "You'll pay for this!" She exclaimed, drinking the rest of decades of hard harvested witching potion, as her form completely shifted from changeling to more of a minotaur's... well... if minotaurs were half lion instead of half cow...

She looked down at herself, and meowed in utter disgust. "No!" She meowed. "How dare you do this to me!" She exclaimed. "You broke my superior form!" She incredulously shouted, having been a changeling since the days of queen Flutter Heart herself. "You shall pay for this!" She hissed, lunging forward.

"I wish -- !" The alicorn said, preparing another wish, only to have the feline's claw bash her head into the ground.

"No wishing!" She howled. "I worked hard for that superior... and ageless... form!" She hissed. "And you took it away! I'll make you pay!" She purred, batting the alicorn around, like a ball.

"Leave her alone!!!" Flash Sentry shouted, having staggered to his hooves. "I won't condone this any longer!" He shouted, flapping his wings more on instinct then design, sending a hurricane forward, a hurricane of pure wind magic, which, once again, sent the assassin flying.

"What was that!?" Flash asked himself, in shock.

"The überflutter!" Katrina replied, again standing on her hooves. "I thought we missed a colt back at Sunnyville!" She hissed, lunging forward.

"What do you mean?" The pegasus asked, as he, once again instinctively flapping his wings, and again sending Katrina flying.

"Just that, little boy!" The feline replied, standing up again. "I knew that that fluttering one had to have had a spawn..." she growled. "They always do, like cockroaches!"

"Fluttering -- ?" Flash asked, being knocked out of the air by lightning from the assassin's eyes, and held, face first, in the dirt by one of Katrina's paws.

"Yes!" She purred. "Traitors of the hive who didn't accept Discord's gift, and instead left their ancestral homeland, and their precious sunstone for a life of imminent demise..." she purred.

... "Except some of them survived..." She purred, nonchalantly, raising her other paw. "Until -- "

"I wish -- !" Skywishes exclaimed, standing to her hooves, her face looking stern.

"And I wish I had your symbol!" The changeling hissed, sadistically, a dreadfully devious idea coming to mind, as the alicorn froze in place.

"No.. I..." She replied, stammering... She had to obey... It was a wish... "But..." She couldn't... She just couldn't... "You're... mean..."

"Yes!" The changeling purred, with finality. "I wish I had your mark!" She repeated, this time boldly. "Now give it to me wish giver!"

"No!" Flash replied, freeing himself partially from the paw. "Skywishes! Please don't!" He pleaded, gasping for air, as the assassin pressed her paw in harder, attempting to grind him back into the earth.

"But!" Skywishes' voice said, growing dark. "Do I have to?" She asked, the sparks and smoke materializing in her head.

"I wish you wouldn't!" Replied a third voice, arriving on the scene, a pink alicorn with a long vertical tricolor violet, rose, and gold mane.

"I'm so confused!" Skywishes replied, looking around, her love of wishes betraying her, along with her own body, which demanded an answer to every wish made everywhere.

Belladonna purred... "Two princesses, and a fluttering one in one day!" She purred, proudly. "Maybe they'll make me queen of the hive instead of Chrysalis!" She purred, going in for the kill.

"Not this time!" Cadance replied, holding up a glittering crystal object.

"Is that?" Katrina replied, seeming uncertain around the crystal object her opponent was holding up.

"it is!" Cadance replied, proudly.

At first the changeling took a few steps back, but when it became obvious that she was in no immediate danger, her face changed, from an expression of unimaginable terror, to one of hysterical laughter. "Do I look like an umbra to you, pony?" She purred, wondering what she ever could have been afraid of, in the first place.

"We'll find out!" Cadance replied, remaining bold, as she bend down, connecting with her crystal ponies. "Be strong and hold out hope so that the witch Katrina can never return!" She exclaimed, as the crystal object began to gleam, and spin,

"Even if I were!" The minotaur-lion replied, fearlessly. "There's no way that object is powerful enough to -- " she replied, as the light from the crystal pillar sent her, once again, slamming into a wall.

"No!" The cat roared defiantly, as she struggled against the troublesome light. "You won't finish me that way!" She growled, gritting her fangs as she stood up, and began to walk forward, trembling at the unimaginable weight of the magic that was pounding against her.

"Make that two!" Crystal-Sentry said, flapping his wings again, instinct again taking over.

Once again, the changeling's plans were foiled as she, once again, slammed against the stone wall. "This isn't the end!" The cat roared, desperately fighting against the magical assault that was waged on her that threatened to tear her form apart.

"It's not going to be enough!" Flash said, beginning to panic.

"No!" Cadance replied, shaking her head. "Hold out hope!" She replied, optimistically. "The crystal heart won't work if we lose hope!"

"I wish that Katrina wouldn't hurt anyone any longer!" Skywishes announced, sitting on her flank, her front legs straight out, her head bowed, and her wings jutting straight out of her back.

Skywishes' eyes turned a translucent white as a ghostly Star Catcher flowed out of her body followed by a sea of multicolored butterflies.

"NOOOO!" Katrina shouted, as the magic forged of two alicorns, and... whatever Flash was... washed over, causing her to disappeared in a flash, not even leaving dust behind, as Skywishes collapsed into a heap.

"Shall I take her back to Canterlot?" Flash Sentry asked the princess, who shook her head.

"Allow me, Commander Sentry, " she replied with a smile. "I need to discuss this matter, with Celestia anyway, " she continued, waving her hoof over the former earth pony's wings and horn. "And I suspect if she's anything like me, it'll really suck when she wakes up and the primal force of wishes itself starts demanding her attention!" She whispered, to herself, under her breath. "And we really don't need somepony like Applejack, or Rarity to be turned blue again... " she said, with a chuckle.

**********

"So, how is she handling it?" Asked a quiet voice, approaching Celestia from behind.

"Hello, Cadance, " Celestia replied, nonchalantly. "About as well as you did, at first, I suppose, " she replied, burying her head her head in the window, 'taking a closer look at the maze below'.

"I see, " Cadance replied, sadly. Her ascension had been a dream: she had warmed the heart of that cold hearted witch, and earned her wings. But it quickly went south mere hours after her ascension, when she started introducing herself to her little ponies.

At first, it was like a soft hum. The faint sound of a piccolo, or a violin. But, quickly the sound began to grow.

She had looked around multiple times for the band that was seemingly following her around, wherever she went, only to find out that there was none in sight.

And it got weirder as the day went on. What had started as the faint sounds of the violin grew, being joined by harps, lyres, and lutes, castinets, and drums, and... It just got worse and worse till it sounded like a cacophony.

She tried ignoring it at first, but over the course of the day, it just grew louder, and louder, till she was forced to cover her ears with anything she could find... But it just wouldn't stop, till she just about fainted on the spot.

And even the night didn't stop the sounds. The sounds of an arguing couple down below were joined by the sounds of a screaming cat.

The sound of a pony's hopes being crushed, like nails on a blackboard. And, that wasn't even the beginning if the range of sounds she was hearing.

She had been forced to beg her personal physician for some kind of spell for her to sleep, a spell he had initially turned down, thrice, because of her age, only to give in as things became worse.

"So you think Skywishes feels it too?" Cadance asked, her head turning towards Celestia's, who continued to 'intently' stare out the window.

Celestia nodded, a look of concern actually visible on her face, something that was extraordinary for the ageless poker player.

"Do you think that pink filly Rarity, or Wysteria feels it too?" Cadance asked her aunt.

Celestia shrugged. "Rarity derives her alicorn magic from a different source then the rest of us, so I don't know -- and if she is, she seems to be handling it remarkably well. And as for Wysteria, I don't know... She might be filtering out the voices of the earth, and it's flowers, considering that she was originally an earth pony."

"What about you and Twiley?" Cadance replied back. "Did either of you have this problem?"

Celestia shook her head. "Unlikely, my niece. Our problems are different than your's. The primordial force of the sun is distant, and only one object, " she replied, turning around. "And Twilight can probably filtering out the clatter from the primordial force of magic without even realizing it, considering her special talent, and the fact that she was originally a unicorn... " she continued, putting a hoof on her niece's wither. "And I'm sure, her friends, the other elements help, themselves bearing the burden. As I'm sure Skywishes' friends will..."

"So?" Cadance asked, turning to her aunt. "Who's going to train her in her magic?"

Celestia looked away, trotting away, slowly. "That's what I'm trying to decide... I'm not sure I can face you now, Skywishes... Not like this..."

**********

"I'd like to thank you for joining us, my fellow princess," Celestia replied, with a smile, turning to her ex-student.

"I'm glad to be here, but didn't you say I should stay in Ponyville?" Twilight asked her mentor, who simply shrugged back.

"Why don't you go and play, Rarity?" Celestia asked, her voice sounding a lot more serene than normal, as she turned her head to talk to the pink Pinkie alicorn that was making laps around her hooves.

The miniature alicorn cheered, and started making a break, for the door, flapping her oversized wings for take off.

"Now Rarity! -- " Her mentor/mother warned, calmly, not being heard, in the least, by the miniature alicorn, as she started to run, stretching her wings out, for maximum lift (a rookie move that Twilight had taught her, to get her started.)

Twilight nodded, unable to speak, though her mind thought volumes. 'Are you sure about that princess?' She asked, herself, mentally, unwilling to question her old mentor.

As if aware of what she was thinking Celestia nodded, waving the miniature unicorn on her way. "It'll be fine!" She replied, to Twilight, in her normal voice, as the alicorn flew out of the room, quickly chased by her ~~mentor~~ mother.

'Are you sure?' Twilight's quivering lips said, not quite moving as she feared what the miniature hyper-active alicorn would do now that she was liberated from her 'super boring duties'.

Celestia only waved her hoof, a mischievous expression on her face. "How much trouble could she possibly get in?" Twilight's old mentor asked, waving her hoof again.

After a moment, the two princesses in attendance were joined with the other two princesses of Equestria.

Celestia turned to Cadance, and gave a nod. "Cadance, " she said, turning to her sister, and opened her mouth. However, no words came out, instead an explosive beam of pure pink magic, which blew a gaping hole through a wall, as well as the echoes of a loud shout.

"It wasn't my fault!" The foal shouted, loud enough to be heard even from here.

"I see her magic focus is getting better, " Celestia said, turning to her old student, who now wore a bright red blush.

"Yeah, I've been teaching her some basic unicorn magic," she said, her face unmoving, and the blush still set. "I was hoping that the focus required to learn spells would kind of help her with her control..." she said, nervously.

Luna gave a bellowing laugh. "Ahh, as with thou, our sister!" She exclaimed, turning to her sister.

"Celestia had trouble controlling her magic too?" Twilight asked, in astonishment.

"Ahh, my student," Celestia replied, with a chuckle, waving her hoof around, dismissively. "We shall discuss this at a later time," she replied, turning to her sister.

A lightning strike was followed by the young alicorn reappearing, in their midst.

"It wasn't my fault, " she said, unabashedly. "This spell is just so much fun, and -- "

"We see thou has experimented with other kinds of magic!" Luna said, turning to Twilight, who blushed again.

"Yeah, I... kind of... got over eager..." she said, looking down. "And taught her some basic teleportation... But I kind of wasn't expecting her to be able to cast it right now..." She said, hissing between clenched teeth.

"Run along, Rarity, " Celestia exclaimed, again, with a chuckle, as the foal once again galloped out of the room, at high speeds. "I'm sure Cheerilee is probably already getting worried about you," she said, being unheard by the foal. "Speaking of which," she said, turning to Twilight. "How is the mare's training coming?"

"Well," Twilight said, proudly, puffing out her chest. "She's mastered basic levitation, and has made great strides in the basics of unicorn magic," she replied, nonchalantly.

"Tis a shame that... circumstances... meant that she had such a late start, " Luna replied, with a frown, turning to her sister. "So sister," she said, turning again to her sister. "As much as we loveth this tetatet, sister, " Luna replied, growing stern. "Why hast thou summoned us, " she said, her her face turning to her sister, a suspicious expression, adorning her face. "Tis well past our bedtime, and we assumest thou wishest not to bore us over pleasantries!"

"Indeed, " Celestia replied, her face growing serious.

"Let me guess, " Luna replied, sternly. "This hast much to do with our newest nascent alicorn?"

Celestia nodded. "And this, Twilight, is why I needed to pry you away from Ponyville, even in this time of great need, " she continued. "And why I needed to know how Rarity's and Cheerilee's training was coming."

Twilight frowned, looking down, his lips moving, but no words coming out, as she grappled with her inner fears of letting her mentor down.

"I see, " Celestia replied, frowning for a moment. "Rarity's a hooffull?"

Twilight nodded. "But actually I'm more concerned about Cheerilee, " she replied, as another beam of magic flew through the west wall.

Celestia nodded, a bemused smile crossing her face.

"And then there's the matter of Twilight time, " she continued, contemplatively. "And how I... kind of... promised Scootaloo, that I'd take a look at her wings for her, after they suddenly (and painfully) grew in two nights ago, " she replied, tilting her head.

Celestia gulped noticeably. Apparently the primordial forces of wishing must have had another 'conversation' with Skywishes when Celestia wasn't watching... And that probably meant that she was still suffering from the wishing voices in her head...

"And I... kind of... inadvertently... promised her... flying lessons with Dash... " she said, with a nervous blush, scuffing her hoof against the ground, her ears flattening against her head. Dash would probably yell at her later...

All eyes turned to Twilight, before returning to Celestia.

**********

Discussion continued on, into the morning, with Luna taking frequent breaks, as she teleported back and forth from one of the guest towers to reposition her solar body.

"I know Twiley's busy, " Cadance replied, with a smile, motioning her hoof over Twilight. "But what about you, aunt?" She asked, turning to Luna. "You know how to deal with nightmares!"

"We assume thou meanest the aborted nightmare we felt a few nights prior?" Luna replied, stopping to think for a spell, finally shaking her head. "T'would not be wise, " she said, her face growing stern. "First of all, Queen Nightshade comprehendest much of both her unicorn, and pegasus sides, whereas Princess Wysteria handlest neither with ease, " she said, almost looking sorry. "Furthermore, we fear that if her nightmare were to stir again, that it wouldst reestablish control within mere moments, " she said, with finality. "Furthermore, we feelst it best for us to give her our undivided attention, lest such an event occur."

Cadance shook her head. "But you're the only pony in the room with any understanding of nightmares, it's not like I -- "

Luna smiled, lovingly. "Thou lackest confidence, Cadance, " she replied, calmly. "Two words, our beloved niece, by adoption: Fractured Crystal"

"But, Luna, that was another world, " Cadance replied, shaking her head. "And another Cadance!"

"We understand, " Luna replied. "But we wishest thou comprehendest, that thou shouldst not underestimate thine ability, " she replied, raising her knee. "Thou hast much empathy insidest thou, and for but one decision goest thou not, also, likewise." She continued. "And remember, furthermore, we art not... known... for our empathy, " she continued, nonchalantly. "Hense, our decision that t'would be most wise to impose on one that understandest such forces..."

"What about you, aunty, " Cadance said, turning to her aunt. "You don't have a student right now, "

Celestia looked away. "I'm not sure I can face her right now, " she said, under her breath.

"What did you say?" Cadance asked her aunt.

"Why, nothing, dear, " Celestia said, with a smile, her poker face showing again. "I just think that you should be the one to teach her, as your interactions with your element, love, more closely mirror her interactions with her element, wishing, then mine does."

Luna frowned, a disapproving expression appearing on her face, nevertheless, her muzzle remained shut. Finally, after a moment, she opened her mouth. "Cele dost have a point, Cadance, " she replied. "No matter, how flimsy it may be," she said, under her breath.

Cadance looked at Luna in surprised, she never used the word Cele, except diminutively, for rare moments when she thought her sister was being especially childish. Just as Celestia never used the diminutive form of Luna's name, Lulu, usually as an insult when she wanted to get her sister's goat.

"Which reminds me, " Celestia said, turning to Twilight. "There's another reason for this meeting," she said, her tone becoming particularly dire.

All heads turned to Celestia. "Twilight, Luna, " Celestia said, turning to Twilight, and Luna, in turn. "I'll need to borrow both of your students, Rarity, and Wysteria, in about two weeks, " she stated, cryptically.

"Why do you need them?" Twilight asked, in befuddlement.

"I'll explain later, my fellow princess," Celestia responded back. "It's time I tested a theory," she stated, turning to Luna.

"Also, Luna, " she stated, formally. "Let's schedule that test for Lily Lightly for three weeks from today, it's time I tested a different theory."

Luna nodded, cryptically.

"Hey... Um... " Twilight responded nervously.

"Yes, my student?" Celestia responded back.

"Can anypony tell me what's going on?" Twilight responded back, immediately slapping her hoof on her muzzle.

"In due time, Twilight, " Celestia responded back, calmly. "In due time."

**********

"Are our benefactors here yet?" A unicorn stallion, who was covered in a thick cloak, asked, one of the two unicorn mares who were with him.

"Not yet, Alpha -- " the mare responded back, also wearing a cloak, only to be hushed by the stallion.

"Somepony's coming..." he said, his horn glowing under the cloak. "I think it might be our benefactor!"

"Greetings Terr -- " A jet black unicorn, who's mane and tail were surprisingly missing, responded back, chuckling at the sight of the other three unicorn's getting defensive.

"And you might be?" The stallion responded back, ready to show this interloper the magical might of his ancient family -- the true heirs of Platina's crown.

"Solanaceae, " the unicorn responded back, taking on his true form, a jet black changeling noble, without a mane of tail to speak of. "And I'm sorry to say that you've been abandoned by the so called queen of the hive."

"Oh?" The stallion replied back, unimpressed with the changeling's lie.

"Very well then, " the changeling responded, with a chuckle. "Don't believe me? How about an alternate deal?" He continued.

"I'm listening..." The stallion responded back, calmly.

"Very well, you wish your family title back, and Platina's crown, do you not?" The changeling responded, curiously.

"And your way is better than the seven step plan we have working right now?" The stallion responded back, with an air of superiority.

"My master has a meeting place assigned for you three months from now, he's explain then, " the changeling responded, nonchalantly. "And I promise that that deceiver Blue Blood, who stole your family's title will receive an appropriate punishment."

"Let me see your deal, and then we shall decide," the stallion responded back.

"Indeed, we shall..."