The Sunset Rises

by Grave Shovel

Rating: mature
Tags: Romance, Sex, Sunset Shimmer, Dark, Alternate Universe, Human, Gore, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 49797

Sunset shimmer is saved from a life of homelessness. Without the spark the Nightmare rose.

Sunset shimmer is saved from a life of homelessness by a strange man, whom she brings to Equestria by request of a Celestia forged by war. They must now take back the world from Nightmare Moon, the changelings, and all the other forces of darkness that were allowed to flourish these many years without the elements of harmony.
Without the spark and a missing shimmer, the Celestial Empire has been reduced to Ponyville, and Clouds Dale alone; surrounded in the south by changeling drones, and in the north by Nightmare sentinels, can harmony be restored?

It is Valentine's day so this story is now off hiatus.

Published 2015-05-21 02:40:01 UTC
Last updated 2018-02-15 05:47:59 UTC

Revised Chapters 1 - 20

"Damn it's fucking cold!" I complained walking along the sidewalk towards my apartment, in Canterlot City.

"Is there a taxi around ‘ere? I shouldn't ‘ave walked, it’s too cold for this." Feeling it had become necessary to check right then to my left, to ensure no one heard that inner monolog I stopped. It was good that I had, some one flew past in one of the new Bentley models. For me, it sufficed to expel a sigh of, "eh, close one again. Cars are too expensive, but perhaps I should get a horse after all."

“Am I home yet?" I queried to no one but myself. "Got lost in thought Ah' suppose." Shrugging, my body moved on to wherever it was I was heading now, leaving the mind behind with visible breath, and an emptied bottle of whiskey . "Downtown? How'd Ah' get here?" Checking my pocket watch I saw the time to be 11:46. "11:46, ah' left work over two hours ago?" I jingle some coins in my left hand glancing at a payphone.

The shift had ended at nine but the lazy idiot who was supposed to relieve me had gone on strike with the rest of the damn communists, and we had to find a replacement. They didn't pay me overtime, yet I remained silent. There was no sufficient reason to care, as I saw it.

I heard a muffled sound, almost like a scream. "What? Brain, what are you doing?" Assuming the deprivation of rest was what spoke now, I took note that I had asked my brain and shrugged it off. It then hit me the noise was not my thoughts but actual muffled screams as another wave hit my ear. Now that I had thought about it, I concluded this was no time for contemplation. I ran towards what could only be assumed to be a very dangerous situation.

As I neared the increasingly quiet screams and increasingly loud cries, my rib cage was pounded repeatedly and suddenly with exponentially astounding force from within. Breath short-lived in intervals spread apart by many alleyways did not last long. I may have been blue by now, but it didn't matter I could hear someone who needed help. There are many underwhelming things about me, but stupidity is not one. Neither is… not the best time for that. Appetites can wait. There is idiocy to be performed, and a gentleman must do what can be done. I arrived on the scene of the ... "No, it is wrong to think that kind of sound cute! Such a thing could only be kindled by… Oh bloody hell, that's what it was."

"Hmm hmm." Was the last sound that would be forced from her by and in these ensnaring shadows.

I regained an unexceptional amount of breath. Regardless I made do assessing the situation. The girl who had been screaming fell silent; struggling to stay conscious with the hand of a much larger man than I over her mouth, holding it shut. The other appendage was poised to rip the clothes from her back when we ran in bringing attention to ourselves.

"What now," we muttered.

There is reason for this speech syntax switch

"There you are milady! Why have you abandoned us? You must return post haste," we asserted as coolly and calmly as possible in an attempt to bluff the aggressor.

The brute backed away staring us dead in the eyes. "Wha' is she ta you? Royalty er some shit, 'cuz out here she ain't nothin' but my little pony! Ain't dat right bitch!" He expelled kicking her over. The maiden made no sound as her body collided with the concrete ground. Frankly, everything about this guy made us feel rather like, discontinuing his beating heart. Yes, that would be best.

"Hey fucka' I'z talken to ya!"

"What is it to you? I will take her home to where she belongs." While we had no idea where that might be, it was only a bluff anyway.

For the first time tonight we heard a small pained voice rattle through the shadows that plagued us. "Sh – she forgave me? After all I've do…" Her speech was rudely interrupted by blood spattering the cold cobbled ground, "Celestia has allowed me to return? Please take me…" A coughing fit further interrupts, "take me back to the castle!" More blood spewed from her drenched mouth painting the darkened ground along with tears and vomit.

"yes, she has." This was an opportunity we were not passing up. "Not only were you forgiven, but a team was sent out to find you. I am one of the team's members," we continued playing off her validation of our claims.

"Who the fuck is she n' who a' you?"

That place had a foul odor, the smell of cannabis and meth.

"Who the hell is this chick?" The fool repeated brandishing his knife ready to kill.

In another lapse of judgment, as he was demanding answers, we jumped to the girl's side to assist her in sitting up.

She coughed up the word "P – P – Princess." A sad hopeful tone marred her voice.

Princess? May as well roll with it. Shrugging off the idea that she was probably drugged and delusional, we did just that. "Yes, her Majesty has forgiven you. You can return with me."

"Agg. I dun care she is the queen er a Princesses! Whatever, bitch getin' raped and you gonna' get outta here. Or I could jus kill you?"

He assaulted us slashing his blade through the air, a grotesque particle trail flowing straight through us (singular). Or rather, where we had been a moment ago. Skipped mind earlier, but another non-underwhelming thing about this form of ours is best expressed through a favorite phrase from the old days when the gang was still together. "Don't try to fight me, you are already dead." A line delivered calmly without emotion only accompanied by a steely gaze. The left sleeve of our jacket is pulled up, revealing a chain coiled around our wrist. No longer home the links found themselves entangled to constrict his throat. The knife hand blocked with my right. The beast took his final breaths without words, our fist colliding in repetition with his ability to take more crushing the windpipe we ended him there. The steel serpent retreated, it's victim constricted. The abomination repaired to its burrow.

"Whoa!" She seemed to forget her own pain as we relished in his.

Breath was short, adrenaline faded. Darkness closed in. Her collapsed body, stolen from my final sight. It was cold, so very cold. Cold as if the souls of hell's domain had taken the stars away to warm their ever frozen hearts. The sky was dark. The air was foul, the buildings' shadows cloaked the streets. Muscles ached. Flesh met shivering ground.

Orange!

Fear set in as shadows rose. The moon turned black and swallowed the stars. There was nothing. The abyss. There was nothing, nothing but chilling dark.

It wasn't cold. I was cold. I was nothing, I was darkness. "Breathless; no need for it. Adrenaline gone; no need. Bloodless; no need.

"Frozen Heart... no, cold heart. Not frozen. Cold. Cold. It's cold. Yes cold.

"Water; yes need. shelter; yes need. Her;... who?"

"Her."

"Her?"

"orange."

"Her?"

"Yes, orange, her."

There was no sun. The moon turned black. The stars were gone. There was nothing, I was nothing.

"She is."

"Who?"

"Her."

"Orange?"

"yes."

"Who is Orange?"

It was dark. It was cold. the lost of this hell had come, the souls lingered. My soul lingered. It was cold, so very cold. It was dark, so very dark.

"Orange."

"What?"

Eyelids were heavy and slowly rose.

"Orange."

light of lightless illuminated the darkness.

"Orange."

Nothing could be seen. What was there to see?

"Orange."

Foul odors swirled mixing, stirring the unpleasant words of death.

"Orange."

Scents of blood, Scents of death, scents of filth permeated the air.

"Orange."

I felt it on my skin, not my bones.

"Orange."

The bitter and sweet flavors of blood danced on my tongue enticingly to wake.

"Orange."

Of blood, of steel, of cold.

"Orange."

Silence. All was Silent. Not eerie, but rather peaceful.

"Orange."

Her. The voice. This won't be our final song.

"Orange."

Slowly, mechanically this tired chilled body rose to the wall, and lit a cigarette. Cold brick met my back, perspiration from my soaking clothes met that of the bricks bleeding cracks and bruises. The emptiness above fell like the tears of angels, frozen amaranth cascaded in the white frills of ocean curls. From empty nothingness, the ground itself was made to bubble and cry. Silence fell as tears met with unholy stones. The tears had been poisoned, tortured, and sent to fall upon a ground of equal pain. Sent to fall upon the rotted fruits of the sinful labor, and upon these innocent sinful souls. Like the excess of a filter fell the tears of selfish angels.

Orange!

There was Orange before me. There was darkness between us... She was there, but unreachable. There, silent as the coldest nights.

Orange.

She was so far, darkness a guillotine.
These limbs unfamiliar and unmoving.
These limbs of stone.
These limbs of dust moved not to the passing tears or breath of blasphemous walls.

Orange.

The tears came lightly through dampening sobs pacifying hope.

There was nothing and it faded. There was hope and it washed away. There was no hope and no nothing. Without nothing what was there but hope? Without hope what was there but nothing?

Orange.

That's right there is still orange, the last colour.

Straining without a medium, there before me, I saw orange.

Orange.

I saw only orange. All else had fallen to dust and from dust faded to exist no more. Orange, orange was different. One defiant colour among the shades, The colour that withstood the fading of time. When everything fell, when nothing ceased, there was only one. There was only orange.

Through the lack of nothing and of everything, there was orange the colour of hope. The light to return hope to the darkest world. Hope did not fall when heaven cried. Hope was... is a flame. The final flame, the last spark flickering in and out when everything is gone and nothing is no more.

Her, she was orange. She was the flame, she was hope. She was everything.

Dim light wafted in from the streets beyond where the ancestral lights did not show. This place was dull and bathed in monotone, the only colours before me were those she wore. Orange conflicting with the pale fallen shadows reflections of dull light crawling in.

There she lay across from me, staring with glittering green eyes warm among the cold. The void between and around us was moist. As I shifted closer to bear witness to the warmth of her voice, the feathers of frozen phoenix scorched mine and her exposed flesh. Once I had pulled myself across to rest against the wall we now shared, it was then that I saw the fear in those distant eyes. Her golden-red hair was an untamed mess unbefitting of her nature, the dirt and cuts upon her skin equally unfit to be. The clothing she wore was an outfit of tatters and filth. A leather jacket hardly clung to her shoulders, the purple of her shirt darkened by unwashed grime, and skirt with cuts missing from along its bottom. We sat she and I, side by side in this frozen wasteland alone. The angels dried their eyes causing the frozen fractals falling all around us to slow.

"Let's go home," I broke the silence.

"Home?" She wondered.

"Come with me," I added.

"I- I don't know you," She pointed out.

"I don't know you either, but you can't stay out here."

The wind whistled across the walls. After some time, along with slight struggle she declared "Ok, I can't get up."

"I can help ya know," I informed.

She shifted uneasily in the white camellias of the night's closing curtain, spotlights distanced from its stars. The snow was shallow Slowly adding but never seeming to rise or fall past what it had been before I met this girl.

Struggling to stand myself, we worked together to load her onto my back. From there I stumbled out to the edge of the street. I would have hailed a cab but it was far too late for any to run. We sat there a while huddled for warmth. As we did I wondered how I would explain this to an officer who would rather be asleep and is aggressively demanding to know what I did to her, were the situation to arise.

Eventually, a car did come past, and I flagged it. The car came to a crawling stop just ahead of us. The driver looked back and spoke into a radio.

"Hey we are going," I whispered to her lifting her back up. "He may be a copper though."

"Oh," she replied.

As the driver neared I realized he was not wearing a uniform and wondered silently what the radio was for, not wanting to bring worry to the girl whose name I did not know.
Realizing this I asked, "What is your name?" She had however fallen limp, asleep.

"Hello, what can I do for ya?"

He was an average height bearded man, though he seemed a bit shifty by his darting dichromic eyes; there was for us this option alone.

We rode home In relative silence, aside from the driver's mumbling. Something about conspiracies I think. I was neither interested nor had I the wits about me to remain aware.

We reached the destination, but before disembarking and paying for his trouble he put in the last word, "Beware the chaos."

"Oww my head. where am I?"

Everything is fuzzy and hard to make out. All I can tell is that there is a lot of white around me and the sound of running water is present to the left.
"Safe"

"What"

The floor is white.

"You asked where you are, you are safe."

"This is a Bathroom isn't it?" I am shaking, gotta calm down. "Why are we in a bathroom?" Did I yell that? I feel odd.

"You need to get cleaned up."

Did he just smile when he said that? Why did it feel genuine? Shouldn't I be getting away? My body won't move!

"What did you do to me, I can't move?!"

"We did nothing to you, we only wish to help as we can."

"Help me? Why are you doing this? What do you mean we?"

"We wish to help you as it is right to do so."

Was this the same person I had met in the alley? "D-Did you save me?"

"Yes. That will about do it." The sound of water came to a halt. "I'll help you in now."

"Wait help me in if he does that I'll be... I I don't know."

"You need to get clean or those injuries will get infected. You can't move in that condition so I will do it."

He doesn't sound the least bit deterred by how uncomfortable I am! "Wait didn't you hear me? I'm not comfortable with that." I can't distance myself, there is a wall behind me!

"You won't be if you don't get clean." Tomorrow we'll get you to a hospital but for now, this is all that can be done."

He is being so gentle. I can feel the water. It feels good to be in the water. He is washing my hair. My neck, my shoulders. This is odd. He seems tired. It feels good to be clean again. His expression hasn't changed, is there really no other motive? Is it because of how I am that he isn't interested. He fell asleep. I can move a little, although the water is cold now.

I finish cleaning myself as well as I can before getting out to dry off With the towel that had been left folded neatly on the counter. Looking in the mirror I could see that as he said my bruises were bad, it was a wonder I could move at all. Also on the counter lie pajama pants and a t-shirt which I changed into. Looking back at him I thought about all he had done. perhaps he was sincere, odd as he may be.

while brushing my teeth with the brush and paste he had gotten out for me I remembered that he had told me to take the bed. I found the bedroom in this small apartment and fell asleep.

I awoke, my vision soft. "Why did I wake up on the floor again? What happened after work yesterday? Ok, let's see I left work, there was that car, a scream, orange, white, then I woke up here? But how? What was that scream? why can I remember only colors after that? Was it me?" Checking myself I found no harm done soreness alone fed my pain. What is craving for bacon and eggs? I closed my eyes to gather these thoughts.

"Who are you?" The girl who stood before me was beautiful... she was naked why was she naked? She was interesting.

Hearing footsteps approach from behind my eyes opened as I jumped up swiveling around to gaze upon the source. It was then for the first time I looked into the face of my daydream girl. How is she here? Who is she? Why is she wearing my clothes?

"Shit! Stood up too fast! Dizzy!" With this, I crumpled to the softened tile below. "Why is it soft?" There were towels unfurled below the confused mess I was.

"She... you are... who?" Memories unremisable eluded mind now. All those which had made themselves known few though they were, all too vague to encompass reality. Alas, here she stood.

"No wait, think 'Ah can get this." At this odd plea, she raised a brow wondering, as I now know, how I could forget such things.

I now spoke to no place in particular. "Knives, hey buddy you in there? know what's up? Who is this girl? How did we get here?"

She shook her head in disbelief and looked around to find my conversational partner. Finding no one to whom I may be speaking she asked, "Hey, are you alright?"

Given only a confused tilt of my head, she passed to the kitchen to retrieve a glass of water for us each.

"~ah yes her.~" Came the reply from within. "~ Well sir last night you heard a wail from an alleyway. Upon entering it we were confronted with the unwelcome scene of this fair maiden against a wall with a man attempting god only knows. It was at this time I was called to form, taking over I killed the man brought her here and cleansed her. Or rather attempted to do so, this body even with my consciousness over it could handle no further exertion. I must apologize for the soreness, carrying her all the way has caused.~"

"Ah, so who is she?" I reiterated rather annoyed with the length of the explanation.

Hurriedly he replied, "Her name is Sunset Shimmer." continuing, "Although the girl isn't totally right in the head if you ask me."

"Right she is the crazy one, so says the voice in my head," I snapped at my other half.

She cleared her throat, standing before us glass held out. "So, you are just some skitzo with a personality that likes to bath homeless crazy girls?"

I coughed "Uh, when you put it that way it sounds bad. Yes I have some problems, but usually not like this."

"Oh no, I am sorry. I didn't mean to offend you," she taunted

"Not at all. Jus' know he didn't do it for himself."

"Right then," skeptically responded Ms. Shimmer.

She handed me the glass that was still full and I took it. The other had been emptied whilst I conversed inwardly. I chugged all of it. Dumb idea, I choked a bit. Regaining my breath and sanity as much as someone in my position could, I stood and returned the glass. With a sigh, she repaired to the kitcehen and set the glasses were set aside.

After washing up myself, we met back up in the living room, where she was lounging on the couch. Entering I looked at her and smirked, "You look comfortable already." sunset laughed nervously scooting in to take up less room.

"So, Sunset I hear you're crazy, is that so?"

"You're the one with voices," she rightfully retorted.

"One voice that saved ya," I admitted.

She looked embarrassed yet remained resilient with an ungrateful air.

"Right, Breakfast then!" I exclaimed leaving the room. Bacon and eggs then, luckily those were two of the few things I actually knew how to cook, not that I will ever claim to be good.

I had scrambled all 12 of the eggs and took 9 overly crisp strips of bacon from the oven.

Returning I arranged these on 2 of the 10 plates in the house. why 10? If I had company as I now had, there will be 8 plates left if we both ate.It may be an unbelievably childish and silly reason but it was my reason all the same. Placing these on the coffee table, I asked if she would like a drink, to which she responded: "Yours is the cup on the left."

upon my return, I put the drinks on the table before taking a seat next to her.

We ate in silence.

"Celestia, this is cheesy!" announced the no longer silent member of our party much to my confusion via unfamiliar swearing.

"Ah that is how I like them sorry," I flushed embarrassed that I hadn't thought to ask. "So... uh... Sunny... how ya doin'?"

"I'm um, better now. still, hurts a lot, but now that I am clean I feel a lot better."

"That's good," I put in finishing a particularly crisp strip of bacon. "What was it that was hurting?"

She gave me a stare that can be assumed meant 'Are you fucking kidding me?'. "I was on the streets before you brought me here. You were there, you know exactly what hurt... not to mention last night!" she shot back bewildered at my ignorance.

Note to self: This girl may be cute but she has an attitude.

"As we have established, it was my other personality in control at the time," I remarked attempting to calmly explain my insanity with the girl I had made breakfast for who had no reason to trust me.

"Oh, right your other... you," She skeptically looked at me taking another bite.

"Why did I tell you that? Anyway, you are safe now, and that is what matters." I tried to put my arm around her to comfort her... let's be real I just thought she was hot. Even if she is insane...

She looked a confusing mix of uncomfortable and... No, she was uncomfortable there is no covering that.

"Tell me about this magical world you mentioned to the other me," I retreated while attempting a social advance.

"You wouldn't believe me if I did."

"Hey look, if it is real enough for you to believe in I'll give it a shot too. After all, we all need something to believe in."

"... Alright, I'll tell you, don't laugh." She shifted in her seat.

"Look yer talking to a guy who has voices in his head here, I think I can take it."

"Sure ya can," she gestured sarcastically. "Alright so guess I'll drop it on you and get kicked out then," She sighed.

"I come from a place called Equestria. In Equestria, there are no humans instead everyone or rather everypony is well just that ponies, equines hence Equestria. Think I've lost it yet?"

"Are you telling the truth?"

"Yes I am," a puzzled look appeared on her face in place of the defeated look that had been present.

"Then I have no reason not to."

"What? But there is no reason to believe me?"

"You said you weren't lying. You believe it so why shouldn't I?"

"Right... sure I guess."

"Continue."

"Among the ponies, there are 3 main types
1. Earth ponies: they have an anatomy most similar to those of this world. They are more skilled in general labor as they are physically stronger than the others. Given that they do most of the farm work and provide food for Equestrians.
2.Pegasi: Similarly to those in the myth of this world they have wings. In Equestria, the weather doesn't change on its own so they are in charge of manipulating the seasons and weather.
3. We have unicorns. Which is what I was. We have magic and as such are inclined to pursue scholarly objectives. Still following?"

Yes right, so normal ponies like we have, Pegasi like in greek myth, and unicorns like in fairy tales. Fascinating!" Being quite interested in the new hope I hushed up and allowed the lecture to continue.

"Really, you don't think I am making this up?"

"You said it wasn't a lie and I sure hope it isn't," I beamed.

"Interesting," the lecturer continued. "There is also a fourth type we call alicorns. Have you read Bearing an Hourglass?"

"No."

"Alicorns are sort of like all three together. They are really rare though, there are only two as far as I know. The princesses who rule Equestria, Princess Celestia who raises the sun in the morning and the moon and stars at night, and Princess Luna who raised the moon and stars at night."

"So, where you come from the sun and the moon are literally raised by beings, and not the planet's orbit and revolution? Also, why does this Luna no longer raise the moon?"

"Legend tells that Luna became jealous of her sister and attempted to overthrow her resulting in being banished to the moon for 1000 years."

Needlessly I was fairly taken back by this new twist.

"She was that much stronger than Luna?"

"No, she used the Elements of Harmony joining her and luna's powers to keep night time from becoming eternal."

This story was becoming more and more implausible as she went on.

"So 1000 years then. How long ago was that? Heck, how long can she survive up there?"

"... that is a really good question how is she? Most ponies have similar life spans to humans, however, Alicorns are supposed to be immortal. As for how she is living there, not a clue. It was nearly... Oh, my Celestia she is back! Luna is back!"

"Well, Celestia can just handle her like before right?"

"No, no she can't after she used them to banish Luna they were themselves sealed away! Besides, do you even realize how hard it would be to banish your own sister a second time?"

"Ya, ya I do," I solemnly responded.

"H- how would you know?"

"I had a brother."

"Oh, I'm sorry I didn't know.”

"Oh! My bad with the wording there. He ain't gone I just haven't seen him in a while."

"well then back to panicking."

"Cuz Luna is back right?"

"Yes, I have to get back there and help! What if she hasn't forgiven me like you.. er other you said?"

"Wait up. You already explained all this to him and he isn't saying anything!"

"well no, but in the alley, he said I had been forgiven and he was a part of a search party sent for me."

"Knives what say you?"

"~ Sorry about that. I was trying to bluff him and avoid physical conflict, by building off of what she had said.~"

"Oh, well that explains it," I chuckled. "He was trying to bluff the guy based on what you said."

"That certainly explains him calling me a princess."

"Of course he did," I started putting my hand to my face. he didn't hurt you at all did he?"

"No, actually he was really gentle and caring. I thought he would be like everyone else but he didn't even seem to care that I wasn't wearing clothes in the bath."

I raised my hand like a confused school kid.

"Yes," she called amused by the childishness of the action.

"So he saw you naked then?"

"... well yes... that is implied."

"So then perhaps I could too? I'm sorry I shouldn't have asked that that."

She gave a single nervous giggle and scooted away again.

"Sorry, right then. What was this about Luna escaping? You can't honestly be telling me This was over 1000 years ago and she is still alive?

"Yes, I am. I don't know how to explain how she survived, no pony has ever questioned it before." The look on her face shows that she was dead serious.

"Everypony! I'm sorry but every time you say that it is just so funny."

"What part of my home world may be a wasteland of eternal night do you find so funny!"

"No, none of that! it's just that I am rather unaccustomed to phrases like that!" I defended.

"Are you making fun of me?"

"What no I um... it was just cute is all!"

"Hmmp. Cute, ya know what's not cute? My whole world could be purged in night eternal!" Not to mention that I am somewhat to blame!"

"You? How could you be? You're nowhere near old enough?"

"I deserted them. It was my selfishness. I was Celestia's prized student, but I set out on my own to a new world when she forbade me to study more advanced magic. She thought I wasn't ready for it, maybe she was right. If I had stayed I may have been able to change things, to find an answer for what to do when she returned. my foolishness is what caused this! I could have been there! I could have helped everypony! Don't you sit there and tell me it's not my fault! I may not have been able to stop her but I could have tried! Instead, I ran away. I chose to leave everypony in that world in the hands of one mare against her own sister!"

"Alright, that is heavy. But Celestia found a way before who is to say she won't again?"

"The elements are the only way to defeat Nightmare Moon! "

"Dramatic."

"I can't believe you!"

"Look all I am saying is that maybe she was able to reactivate these "Elements of Harmony." You said you were her prized student right, so there must be others who could do it."

"No, not even Star Swirl the Bearded could figure out their secrets!"

"Not from your world remember. I don't know who this swirl guy is but he sounds smart may have gotten it by now. Additionally must I remind you there are other scholars who could have."

"Star Swirl died hundreds of years ago. And most everypony else thinks it is just an old pony's tale."

Again I couldn't help my laughter. "pony's Tale, these puns are killing me!"

"You really do think this is all joke!"

"Whoa, I never said that, it's just the different vocabulary that is funny. I don't mean to demote your whole doomsday thing it's just that all these puns are new to me."

We shared an awkward silence.

"As I was saying I have to get back there and help out somehow."

"How do you even plan to get back? Do you even have a way to contact them?"

She took a deep breath to compose herself before speaking. "Yes, I have one."

"Well good let's use it."

"It won't be that easy. Ya see after high school I left it with the principle since I had no other place to keep it."

"... ... ... You left a device capable of communicating with other worlds with the principle... why?"

"Canterlot high do you know it?"

"Hmm... oh ya that's the one with Middle and high school right?"

"Yes, that's where it is."

"Let's get going then," I started getting up to put on a jacket handing the other to her. "Sorry I don't have any coats, doesn't usually get this cold ya know."

"R- Really you want to go now?"

"Sure, why ya keep doubting me?"

"Why aren't you doubting me?"

"Guess I am just too dumb to question it. Other than your story being completely impossible what grounds do I have to think you would lie to me?"

"... ... .... You are possibly the stupidest person I have ever met."

"Aww, so it wasn't true after all?"

"No it was and remains true, I am a unicorn!"

"Then don't complain, Let's go."

"You think we can just walk in and demand my book be returned?"

"Ya why not... book? You left a spell book in the hands of a mere human?"

"You are a human just as much as she is aren't you?"

"... She... is she hot?"

"Eck. What is wrong with you?"

"Sorry guess I should tell you... I am a pervert."

"I got that. Don't say it with such pride it's creepy."

"... How?"

"Your room."

"When were you in my room!?"

"Last night I slept in the bed. Would have put you there but I couldn't move you."

"You were going to get in bed with someone you didn't know, and just found out was a pervert."

"W-W- What no! I was going to sleep on the couch!"

"Uh huh. Look, sweetheart, I think you must be mistaken if you think I am buying that," I teased for the sake of reaction.

"You. Are. Impossible. You believe that I come from a land of magical ponies, but then someone who was originally an equine doesn't want to sleep with you and that is what you find unbelievable!"

"No, I just wanted to see your reaction. Although like you said I saved you like a knight in shining armor right?" I stated proudly.

"Actually it was terrifying what you did."

"Oh." I looked at my left arm, "So he used this then?"

"Yes, and you can stop pretending you have an alternate personality who isn't insufferable."

"Oh, good to know you find it impossible to suffer around me," I smugly grinned.

"You know that's not what insufferable means!"

"I know but... alas what is a word. A word is but a fantasy created by imagination and necessity. A word is a figment of reality something there and yet nothing. Words are but constructs of the mind to manipulate and be shown the way by. A word is both as dependent on us as we are to it. Words can change just as people can for its surroundings. The meaning can alter and return with..."

"Shut up."

"In short I'll believe it means what I want, just as when I said I believed you it was taken skeptically."

"Truly, I had no idea how insufferable you were.” She facepalmed hard enough it would have broken her nose had she hit it.

"So are we gonna go or not?" I asked to break from this tangent.

"Ya. ok let's do that," she sighed sliding her hand down her face.

"Well, off we go then," I cheered.

"The idiocy you generate nearly made me forget that the world was ending."

"So tonight then... you wanna...,"

"Stop just stop trying ok."

"I was gonna say visit the princess, but alright!"

"She looked at me sternly "Oh. L-let's go."

"~having absolutely no grounds on which to believe her you are just going to go on this fool's errand to save an imaginary world from a small horse?~" The voice in my head questioned.

"Ya man, course I'ma do it. Said she wasn't lyin' so why wouldn't I ."

"~really I just don't know what to say to that.~"

Interrupting my dialogue with myself Sunset joined the conversation, "You really do then? Still not sure about this schizophrenia act but if it is like you say there is good in you... somewhere."

"Dang it I asked him to save you ya know!"

"Please don't scream like that in public, idiot," Sunset glared.

"Right. Sorry 'bout that. So how much further is it?"

"Why don't you have a car we could be there by now?"

"I don't want to."

Sunset squinted her eyes.

"I would say I don't like driving, but really it’s just too expensive for someone like me," I added.

"You are hopeless," she quipped.

"At least I'm trying to save horse land."

'Horse land! It's called Equestria! Turn right here."

Finally arriving I commented, "So this is Canterlot high, I can safely say I have never seen a high school quite like that. Well, we are here so let's go in."

Upon entering it was immediately apparent that some of the students were hiding from us or whispering about us. "What's up with these kids?" I wondered aloud.

"Sorry it's me they are afraid of,' Sunset answered hanging her head.

"Why would they be 'afraid' of you?"

"I wasn't the nicest person here."

"You were a bully huh?"

"Yes I had no friends and still don't I got it can we just get to principal Celestia's office!?" My now red companion yelled in frustration.

At that, I stopped walking and formed my reply slowly, "Wait up. I thought Celestia was the princess now you are telling me she is the principle here?"

"There happen to be a lot of parallels between this world and that one, but she is not her." She clarified calming down a bit glad to change the subject.

"Oh alright," I accepted.

"I do not understand you."

There we were the moment of truth. standing before a simple wooden door with only an emblem resembling the sun on its surface where a label would usually rest. The door next to it shared its style except for that it boasted a lunar symbol instead. wondering about this I decided to ask the only other person I had talked to today, "Hey, sunny what about this one?" gesturing towards the lunar portal.

"Oh, vice principal Luna is nothing like Nightmare Moon," she responded knocking on the door before us. Through it two voices were audible. I couldn't tell what they were talking about but it was probably boring budget stuff.

The more motherly of the two called out, "come in, " and continued when Sunset entered with me in tow. "Oh, Sunset what can I do for you?" Then with a gasp added, "Is he your boyfriend? I'm so proud."

Without a moment's thought, Sunset spouted a reply. "Princess it isn't like that! Not this jerk!"

"Princess oh my. You flatter me, but what have you come for?"

" M-My book. T- The one I left with you last year, do you still have it?" Sunset tensed.

The reply came seeming to ignore the mood entirely. "Oh yes, I do. Have you decided to take it back?"

"Yes, I have." Sunset started visibly shaking and staring at the floor.

"Luna," commanded the one who I had rightfully assumed to be Celestia. Following this, the other woman opened a cabinet and pulled out a black box. She walked back and put it on the desk with a stern look. Causing both Sunset and I to wonder if they knew what it was. Why were they being so serious when the book was mentioned. One big difference between us was that Sunset looked scared right out of her little pony skin. "So Sunset care to explain what this is?" Celestia finally added.

"W-what happened? Oh no, you didn't read it did you?" Shimer shivered in a panic.

"No, it was your last wish as a student of mine that I stay out of it," The ridiculously tall woman confirmed.

The panic continued nonetheless. "Oh, Celestia I am so sorry what have I done."

Slamming her hands on the desk Luna looked Sunset directly in the face and demanded, "SUNSET SHIMMER WHAT HATH THOU DONE TO US!" She was so loud her voice seemed to come from everywhere at once, something I had previously thought impossible. This was causing a crowd of curious onlookers to gather around the door, which had mysteriously been opened.Who speaks like that? Not even knives would. Between Sunset retreating further into the unnaturally comfortable chairs, and the students spying in from the hall I didn't know what to do. So I got up and shut the door hoping this woman's voice wouldn't be the death of us.

Then came Celestia to entirely flip the mood. "Sit down Moony."

"Tia, I requested that that name never be used!"

"k,... Moon Butt."

"Must you bring up pool incidents in the witness of former students!"

"In all seriousness Sunset," Celestia continued, "What is this? Have you been practicing witchcraft?"

"Well, " Sunset replied with a breath of relief, "at least I can safely say you didn't read it." At this time I noticed a line of pictures of Sunset Shimmer adorning a wall labeled "Fall Formal Princess," and Celestia raised an eyebrow at what Sunset had said, whereas Luna just squinted at her. "so," she continued, “if you didn't read it what did happen?"

"Is this or is this not a spell book miss Shimmer?" Luna barked. To which I responded, "Spellbook implies magic ma'am. Do you believe in magic?"

"Tis not the point. What hath thee brought upon us?"

"Never mind that I wanna hear about that pool incident." I quipped with a smirk. As soon as I had the pressure on the door behind us seemed to multiply tenfold, as Luna blushed more intensely than I could have imagined her doing.

"Tis none of your concern!"

"I think it is." Sunset looked at me disapprovingly as she said that.

"Why?"Celestia wondered visibly amused looking between Sunny and I. I looked directly at Luna and stood up to say only inches away from her face, "Yes, Why are you Moon Butt?'"

"I wish not to discuss such things."

"Come on Lulu, I'm not a student."

"That doth not make any less embarrassing such memories!"

Seeing Celestia jovial as fuck over in her chair I diverted my question her way. "So Tia, what's up with your sister's butt?" Luna consequently became redder than Sunny's hair, sunset to be at a complete loss of what to do, whereas Celestia cracked up falling out of her chair sending it through the large window behind her. Celestia lay on the floor laughing. Never have I seen even a child laugh as hard as she was now. Somehow she found time to speak in between bursts of laughter to say, "Lulu... your face... I have... never... so red!"

"Tis not amusing sister!" The door stood wide open now with students frothing in to enjoy the spectacle. So many were coming in that I wondered if classes were even happening. Realizing there were teachers among them I assumed that to be a definitive NO.

"CEASE THIS BEHAVIOR AT ONCE!" Another new one there. Never had I seen any place clear so fast, heck even the halls were empty... this lady has power. I took this as a mental note.

"Dear sister it is not that bad you know," the floor bound authority chuckled.

"Um, the book.... Priorities," the now chair sunken girl reminded. For a man, I must prioritize this beautiful woman's butt!" By the colour the vice principal turned it was doubtful she was even breathing.

Getting to her feet Celestia stood to elaborate. "The name is simple I caught her skinny dipping at night... and her name is luna. Although I just say it because she gets so flustered."

This woman who speaks in such a 'traditional' way? This had to be a joke,... but perhaps not. I thought. To follow the thought the spoken question, "Well then, Lulu wanna do it again?"

"Tia why? Why?" Luna pleaded. To which the beaming Celestia 'apologized', "Sorry I shouldn't have said it. Oh, BUTT you were just so cute Lulu." The question of how Luna could survive on the moon was at this point thrown out of the metaphorical window. As such, I found it appropriate to continue seductively as I could muster without breaking out into my own fit of laughter, "Well, what do you say... Naughty Moon?"

"Tia? I can't bare this"

Celestia giggled still jovial as fuck, fuck it at this point she was more like a school wide orgy than a single fuck! "Butt, I'll bet your Butt can Bare this!"

"I got plans for you too Sun Boobs," I smirked getting directly in front of her by leaning on the desk. Celestia came to a full stop for a few seconds before laughing even harder.

"Sister tis not funny!"

"Sun Boobs! Sun Boobs! Sun Boobs! That is great!"

Sunset became completely frozen seeing her former principals like this, emotions as contrasting as the elements their names fit. After a while everyone had regained seats, in Celestia's case having a new one brought in, although composure had not entirely returned to anyone in the room. A few deep breaths later Sunset spoke up again. "My book! Can we please talk about the book!"

"Oh yes that's right, the book," Celestia chimed.

Which received the unnecessary and unceremonious response, "Whatever evil this may be thou will tell us the means by which to vanquish it!" From the still flustered Luna.

"Celestia, this girl is old fashioned, wonder what she'd say during sex?" I wondered aloud adopting Sunset's thing of swearing by her god horse. Doing so as expected elicited a mix of responses, to which I responded, "Oh was that out loud?"

Earning the question we all knew the answer to, "About whom are you referring?"

"About you M'lady. You are so formal here, but how are you under the moonlight?" I teased to see how it would unfold. Luna froze again, Celestia became amused that the tangent about her sister was still by some anti-miracle taking precedence over the main topic.

Seeing as the subject of her sister was unavoidable she finally broke down and gave the response I had been working towards by imitating what it would be like were Luna to retain her formal patterns, "Yes, thou shalt thrust thine large member into me!" as best she could.

To be honest I could hardly believe it myself that was so... unprofessional. "Sorry, sorry. Sunny your book I..." She had already opened the book during all that, and by her expression, it was clear that whatever was in there was unwelcome. "Sunset, hey Sunset? Are you alright?"

I read the first line.
"Dear Sunset Shimmer,
This is my one last letter to you..."
Nope! That was all I needed to see. Seeing the both of us petrified Celestia commented, "The book stopped glowing," slipping it from Sunset's cold grasp, "What could it possibly be?"

"No sister! If it tis a trap!" The lunar administrator snapped from her daze too late.

Celestia began reading the letter in the same voice with which it was written.

"Dear Sunset Shimmer,
This is my one last letter to you. My sister has returned. The elements, however, have not. In your absence, I was unable to find new bearers for the elements. Nightmare Moon now commands her army of darkness in the north as changelings invade from the south.

If this letter reaches you please return. Only a few places remain in the Celestial Empire. If you do return, Canterlot has been taken. The mirror travels with me in hopes of seeing you again. Although it is doubtful there is any way to save any of this world, it would be nice to see you again one last time.
With condolences and regret, princess Celestia.
Ps. Ponyville is where I now reside... I honestly don't know how it still stands.”

After a short moment of silence, Luna responded first, "What kind of joke is this?" Finally speaking normally breaking from the formalities and passing the turn to me.

"I- It is no joke."

Back to Luna, "Tis nonsense. This whatever it is, will not continue, nor does it make sense."

Celestia joined,"What is this then, hmm?"

Thus passing the turn back to me for the final round of this verbal duel. "TheBookIsAComunicationDeviceSunsetHadToCommunicateWithAWorldInhabetedBySentiantEquinesThatApparentlyHaveALotOfStrangeParrallelsWiThThisWorldSuchAsNamesAndLunaNotHavingSexWithMeInHerOffice... Ignore that last part."

"Thou wishest to engage in such activities!!?"

"What, well um, more importantly, we have to write back. Sunny is out, and I doubt either of you believes this so I'll do it."

And so I wrote.

"Dear Princess Sun God,
Sunny has received your message and is currently trying to process it. She kinda just went blank after reading your letter. I am Vernand Oakenshield, a human who saved her royal butt. She seeks to return and assist you. I will come as well to do what I can.
Sincerely the guy who seems to be your only hope.
PS. This world's version of you is super hot.
PPS. This world's Luna is too. (She isn't evil)
PPPS. Wanna come here and have a 4 way with the three of us? Or a 5 way if you can convince Sunny?"

The text glowed, so I figure it safe to assume it was sent... shit I just sent that! I realized silently.

"I can't believe you wrote that!" Exclaimed the sisters in unison. To this, I responded, "What? What did I say?" Leaning back in the chair to await the royal return text.
It quickly became evident that I had fallen asleep in this excessively comfortable chair while awaiting a response from the Celestia of Equestria. I opened my eyes stretching from my daze, "How long was I out?" I wondered this to no one in particular.

Luna Surprisingly responded, "Not long you wrote the letter and feel asleep; so far no reply," Seaming to have dropped the formal facade.

"So then we never... um never mind," I stuttered recovering from the odd dream.

Luna deadpanned, "Silence is likely wise."

I should have stopped Celestia here. "Were you having dirty dreams about Lulu?" She asked still teasing towards Luna, however this time I felt a somehow serious tone directed at myself. As such I denied it. "Aww, I wanted to know what she said," Celestia teased fully directed at Luna.

Changing in color once again Luna stuttered as I earlier had, "T-Tia! I can not even begin to imagine why you would... Why do you have to do this sister?"

"Celestia!" Sunset scolded us.

"But Lulu's habits are so interesting," Celestia stated matter of factly. To which I added, "She's right you know."

Ignoring Celestia and I, Luna spoke directly to Sunset,"Does that mean you are ready to explain that book? Vernand didn't."

"Sorry, I fell asleep after replying," I told her.

"Y-You replied to Princess Celestia!" Sunset panicked, grabbing the book to read what I had written. She looked disapprovingly in my direction once she had, "Vern."

"Yes?"

She grimaced, "You clearly have never been struck with a hoof Vern."

"Please call me, love muffin."

"Y-You... Ugh, I don't even know what to do with you!" Sunset reiterated as the book began to glow and vibrate again. Thus inviting me to ask, "How does one go about setting a book to vibrate?"

"Magic. shut up," sunny set the silence to read the response her god had given. It read as follows.

"Dear vernand our... acquaintance
Sunset will be able to return the same way she arrived there. The moon will be in place 28 equestrian moons from now.
It would be appreciated if these letters could be kept professional.
Hopefully, the princess of nothing"

"Oh Celestia," Sunset worried.

"They still don't know what is going on," I grinned realizing the principles had no Idea what was going on.

"They don't need to," snapped sunset.

Shrugging I asked the question that always lingers, "So what now?"

"28 moons from now we go through," she flatly stated.

"Time Zones sunset, we can't just wait for the sun to set 28 times."

"Vern, how am I supposed to know how different the time zones are between here and Equestria?"

"Not to mention she said the mirror had been moved," I reminded.

"Ugh, the portal would have been originally synced with Canterlot to here, but then it was moved to the Everfree what is your point?"

"And if it were moved around elsewhere in between them?"

"Why would that matter?" Sunset wondered, showing a conflict of interest and annoyance.

"Well, would Einstein's laws of relativity not act upon it like they would any other time reliant device?"

"Vern?"

"Yes?"

"Did you just say something intelligent?"

"It is just a theory that relativity would still apply to magical devices as the mechanical parts within a timepiece aren't what is affected but the experience of time that is distorted."

"It might I wasn't able to study the mirror much before I left. So how do we know when to go."

"We try it every day, or at least until one of us thinks up a decent theory to calculate it," I sighed somewhat defeated reaching the end of my wide slotted logic bridge.

"... That is incredibly stupid, but I don't have any better ideas so... let's do it I guess."

Celestia joined now confused where she had earlier been amused, "would either of you mind explaining all of this with a real explanation this time.

I did, "She is from a land of magical ponies. she is a unicorn. In that world, Luna became corrupted by dark magic or something and is now trying to shroud the world in eternal night. We are trying to stop her."

After a short silence under the room’s light, and for Celestia sunlight entering through the window her chair broke, Luna and Celestia expressed in unison the single-worded question, "What?"

Nervously Sunset explained admittedly, "That's why I didn't have proper records."

The yellow-clad principle composed herself, and gave the overdue command, "Get out of my office."

We left closing the door behind us. "Luna add that window to the budget," Celestia added as we did.

On our way out we received similar looks to those we received upon entering the school, only now there was a presence of curiosity as well. "Dude, they are on a first name basis with The principles, like who are they?"

I was shown to an equine statue in front of the school with an abnormally large base to house the portal. Although currently inactive theoretically in approximately a month the stone equine would be turning us into equines ourselves.

Arriving at home after an awkward walk home, I showered then instructed sunset to do the same. Being inept at doing basic useful tasks myself I ordered Pizza. The next day I got her to a hospital. Luckily pain medication and rest were all she needed. The days passed slowly as we became more accustomed to living together. She taught me about Equestria and it's customs so I would be ready. As a part of this while at home, we spoke in the Equestrian "everypony" style. I cleaned up the bedroom we began sharing we even went on a date on day 32. I continued thinking up theories and factors that could affect the portal. As it is important I will mention that Celestia was able to hold on to Ponyville and Cloudsdale during this time with Sunset’s encouragement through this strange glowing book.

Day 38 was the day. Being that over two days difference were present between this date and the original 28 evidenced that my theory that without the connection alternate dimensions become affected by disproportionate relativity meaning that most likely we were in a layer or bubble type multiverse. It also gave evidence that all magic works by some form of physics whether foreign to my home dimension or simply situational to conditions that couldn't be replicated here. I saw the second as more likely as the book works and it would have brought those conditions with it... Right as I was saying on day 38 since the first contact everything changed.

"Muffin, it's open!"

"Really," I held my phone at a slight distance taking the information that would interrupt my routine of the past days. the entirety of the class was staring at me, but it didn't matter horse land was real! "How long?"

"Tonight, sunrise, if your theories are correct, midnight if not."

"I'll be there early." The class had become dead quiet.

Profesor Blossomforth asked,"Vernand, was it so important?"

"It was my Girlfriend. The plane to her hometown leaves tonight because of schedule changes."

"Well then go. Don't forget your essay."

"Yes, ma'am," I say with no intention to ever write it.

Sunset and I met in my apartment to get our things in order. After a long hug, we walked hand in hand to Canterlot High as the moon rose.

9:14 the portal was open. It felt odd being morphed.

We were now in a Zebra's hut and everything she said hurt my head. Sunset, however, was able to get directions. on our way to Ponyville I mused an inquisition of my ponicized friend, "So, Sunny why are you naked? Just showing off your sexy flank?"

"W-Why aren't you? We are ponies now and you still have that jacket!"

"So what you are telling me is that I can look at your butt any time here?"

"This Celestia won't find you nearly as amusing as Principal Celestia did, as you should know by now," she smacked me across the face with a swish of her tail, "be on your best behavior."

Reaching the edge of the town I realized that I was in heaven, Nowhere else could be this colorful in a time of war.

"Everything is so gray," commented Sunset disagreeing with my impression.
"Shouldn't we tell her we are here?"

"Shit, forgot."

"Language Sunny," I smiled.

She returned a small smile, "Ok, Love muffin."

"She actually called me that?" I muttered silently, it being the first time she had.

Her horn glowed as the book levitated from her saddlebag.

"Dear Princess Celestia,
My ~~boyfrie~~ coltfriend, and I have arrived in Ponyville.
With love, Sunset Shimmer, the sexiest mare in two worlds. <3"

The book glowed back almost immediately,

“Dear Sunset Shimmer,
I think this other world has had a negative effect on you. I will be at the Golden Oaks Library.
Signed, Your disappointed former teacher Celestia."

"Thought you said not to act like that here?"

"Only towards me, nopony else."

"Oh, Want me all to yourself do you?"

"I just don't want you acting like that to anypony here! Besides we can't have derailments like with principal Celestia."

"Hmm?"

Squinting her eyes at me Sunset's glare fell upon me as she deadpanned, "Do not hit on any of Ponyville's citizens. I didn't think it would be an issue but given the comment about my butt it seems I was wrong."

"Only because it is your flank I'm looking at."

"Ah, um, oh-kay?"

"So can we...?"

"Don't push it. There is literally a war going on around you and you, and you still think about that. We aren't even the same species by nature," Sunset adorably fidgeted.

"But we are the same now. Besides that aren't you my marefriend now?"

"Yes, your right. But... we aren't there yet," She turned around and kissed me before trotting between the gold-clad pegasi guards to the door. When she did I saw the mane of a pink mare convert from straight to a cotton candy like poof. Ya, that wasn't weird at all.

"Wow Sunny what happened to not being that far yet?" I smiled back at the mare who had kissed me.

"The guards wouldn't have known you were supposed to come with me; knowing Celestia she didn't tell them to see what would happen."

"Ya just wanted to, and I think I like this Celestia already."

Inside the tree that was also a library we saw a tall, thin, white coated mare I assumed to be Celestia. This version was nothing like I had expected from the encounter with principal Celestia, or what Sunset had told me. Sunny seemed taken aback by the stoic beast that stood before us as well. Had I any will to seduce this incarnation there would have been nowhere to start. She held more the appearance of an ancient war god than that of a teacher or ruler. Her mane flowed behind her pink, green, and blue in a nonexistent ethereal wind, but much darker than one would expect of a sun goddess. Her eyes wearing dark circles, one of which, her right eye was marred by a deep irregular gash across its covering lids and down past her muzzle almost reaching her mouth that seemed to glow just the slightest tinge green. It looked as though a tooth or claw had seared through the flesh with some sort of acid. Her white coat was tarnished as well but its pattern had been splattered on. I silently wondered if that was blood staining. Her whole form was covered in stains, bandages, or closed wounds. Her horn was blackened, one wing in a sling, while the other appeared to be artificially reinforced. Her tail had been cut short and extended with wires that had probably coloured to match her natural tail, now though it was red with dry and fresh blood. These things combined created a tail I would never be at ease around.

"Is this really Celestia?" I wondered wordlessly to myself.

"Celestia, i- is that you?" Sunset retreated.

"It is I my little pony," that sentence had no business being in that voice creating a strange juxtaposition of comfort and sickness. The voice this iteration spoke with was similar, but much harsher sounding as if these simple words were a disinterested command.

There was no doubt in my mind, She had seen more war than Athena herself.

We didn't see her move. Celestia used her fore-hooves to jab large needles into us both.

"P- Princess what was that?" Sunset's demand was marked with fear and worry.

"Tracking. I see them with my false eye. Changeling assessment."

I wondered whether she was more machine or horse. It was only now that I realized that even if I had been in human form here she would tower over me on all fours.

"Principal Celestia wasn't that tall was she?" The question was directed at Sunset, there was no way I was talking to this monster before us.

Sunset shook her head slowly as if she were a hunter trying not to alert a bear lest she herself become the prey. Fear grew in her eyes as it did in mine. We both elected silence the best course.

It was the war horse who spoke first. "Now that you return what have you to say?"

The silence continued as sunset's words failed to escape. The winds whistled not, the birds were silent covering their young, the townsfolk tread lightly outside, the sun itself took on a deeper reddened hue.

"Was Celestia using red-shift? How?" I observed in continued silence.

"Sunset about that letter," Celestia spoke again changing neither her tone nor position.

Sunset gulped not daring to speak, the look in her eyes was apology enough, and it hurt to see her that way.

Jumping in front of Sunset I received numerous cuts along my side, and cutie-mark, crumpling to the pain.

"Why the fuck was her tail Barbed wire!?" I didn't cry out, She could strike again. Silence aside it still hurt worse than anything I had experienced before. "Wait is there lemon juice in this? Why the fuck does it burn so bad!" I added to my previous thought from several seconds before. I fell to the floor in front of Sunset.

"Why?" Sunset cried.

"Don't cry. The salt'll burn," I forced out trying to act strong. "Celestia! Don't you touch my mare!"

"Hard to give threats while lying on the floor," callously returned my new superior and new greatest fear.

To reciprocate a magically constructed chain shot up from the floor through her reinforced wing as my horn lit up, and disappeared as the light dispersed. Celestia didn't flinch.

The sun had set on sunset's hopes for a reunion, the teacher she knew was gone. Equestria's leadership had changed hooves. No longer ruled by benevolence, Equestria was fully at war.

Sunset wept bitterly over my body, yelling the third degree at her former mentor, "Why, why would you do this? You were so kind before!"

I vindicated, "Sunset, war can change a mare. I'll take whatever I have to to keep it from changing you."

"Well said," settled Celestia.

"That's all you have to say! You can't just do that and feel nothing! You would have cut my face had he not predicted it! You could have killed the stallion I love Celestia! You Could have killed him and you feel nothing! I could have died, and you did it anyway! You aren't Celestia! You're a monster now! That's what you are!" Sunset vented.

"War can change a mare. Don't let it change you," Celestia repeated.

"Love. Love. You would say you love me?"

"I- I- I would. As much as I want to hate you, I can't do it. you saved my life twice, you believed in me when no one else did, you have helped me face two Celestias, and you took care of me when I couldn't myself."

"How nice," Celestia commended dispassionately.

"Now," Sunset continued, wiping away her tears, " it's my turn to protect you!" With tear-filled eyes Sunset stood between Celestia and I.

Celestia sighed, "You two rest. Convene tomorrow. Guard."

A guard on the other side of the room made himself known. "This way," the guard instructed, indicating a flight of stairs I hadn't seen before.

"You will live here. The stairs like to change," Celestia added before trotting outside, and returning the sun to its proper position.

Sunset took me with her magic, positioning me on her back continuing to ease the load magically. The guard took our bags up the stairs and Sunset followed, the newly tear moistened steps falling away behind her.

Upstairs we were lain in bed by a nurse who was already in the room.

"I'm nurse Red Heart. I'll dress those wounds for you," the white-coated mare introduced herself. As she wrapped bandages with a pink aura around me she continued, "Must have done something right, if that's all she did." Red Heart appeared content with or at least disinterested in her work, when she closed her supply box.

"What do you mean if that's all?” I asked. "If that's minor what's normal?" I continued panicking.

"I'll leave it at medical magic has gotten a lot better in the past few years." She spread wings on either side with a, "You may admire me now.”

"A-Alicorn? Then you... wha... ?" Sunset stuttered surprised speculations suspended in impossibilities, at the continued lack of informational stagnation.

"I did," Red Heart interpreted the broken phrase, "Regeneration magic."

"There's... no way," Sunset staggered stupefied by what I now know to be far from a superfluous metamorphosis. "Wait why didn't you use that for Vern then?"

"I did... a little. It's better to heal naturally. Regeneration can have some... affects ... look at Celestia," Red Heart gave a simple red gemstone to Sunset while giving her answer. "Chanel into that if you need me. If you have all your limbs though, the other nurses will be able to help just fine, as she said this she opened the large circular east window and flew out.

"I will take my leave as well," declared the guard.

"At least tell us your name first," Sunset solicited.

"My name is Shining Armor. I may be captain of the royal guard, but I shouldn't have been asked to see you."

"Oh?" Sunny and I wondered oblivious.

"My sister, Twilight Sparkle, would have been nearly your age by now. Your name is similar, that's why it hurts. I bid you farewell." before closing the door he asked, "... Wait those chains is your name Oakenshield?" When I responded by nodding to affirm it he left without another word.

This was a day I would never forget.
It was early morning, the sunrise had been beautiful, yet the birds still did not sing. I stood with Sunset in the library's central area, across from Celestia and Shining Armor. The latter of the two's gaze fell upon Sunset, the transformation in his eyes showing that last night's story was all too true. In between us a table bearing a map of Equestria. I silently wondered if it was an old one, as by the looks of it there had been no war although it did show some signs of aging.

"C-Celestia, how old is this map?" I mustered bracing for impact.

"Pre-nightmare."

"And now?" I was shaking, anticipating the reopening of the prior day's results.

A large scroll appeared, only to be slammed down by a forehoof of an angry god, and unfurled by her will. "Nightmare Equestria." Celestia materialized and shoved knives through each corner of the new map. The sun dropped suddenly from the sky, leaving only the dim illumination provided by Celestia's and shining's magic. Sunset realizing this and adjusting before me used her own magic to create a disk of light above us properly lighting the room.

"I get this is literally world war, but why is she being so dramatic about it?" I wondered as the sun rolled back to its proper position.

As if reading my thoughts, Celestia pulled all the books off of the shelves at once tossing them violently the way of Sunset and I. To this a chain link cage instinctively formed around us for a second or two procrastinating the books hitting us. The fallen assault tomes lifted to hit regardless.

"Ok, ok, I got it don't question your motives!" I declared.

"Good," was all Celestia said.

"Can she read minds?" I whispered to my mare friend.

"Not that I know of," she whispered back.

"Let's assume I can."

"Right let's not make her mad," I expelled.

"Best you don't"

"What is this?" Sunset refocused gesturing at the new map in front of us.

"Nightmare Equestria," Celestia repeated.

"It's all black?"

"No," as Celestia said this a thin double-edged knife thrust itself into the map, "There." The knife was plunged next to a small green dot among the darkness.

"That's it then, Ponyville?"

"It is."

"Also Cloudsdale," Shining armor added, "but it will soon be lost.

" What's yer plan then?" I asked expectantly.

Silence. Shining Armor and Celestia extinguished their lights.

"Nothing!" I raged more astonished than angry, "Y'all have been pushed to two settlements and have no plan!"

Shining armor growled.

"What exactly is the enemy here?" I asked hoping for more information than I already had.

"Nightmare Moon. Changelings," was Celestia's entire unhelpful reply.

I ordered, "Shining Armor get me information on those, Sunset can explain it to me."

"Hey you can't...," Shining armor tried but was interrupted by Celestia's command.

"Do it."

"Good then Cloudsdale, why isn't it mapped?"

"Cloud city of pegasi," Celestia began as her guard shifted through the grounded books, "It's not on the ground." Celestia took the book Shining had found and another from the pile levitating them to the edge of the table closest to me. Both had dual chromatic covers, the first was a simplistic Blue- black and midnight- blue cloudy texture, The second was pure black with blue- green netting fused with the cover material.

"Right," I concluded taking the books with chain constructs and strapping them to my sides along with an additional copy of predictions and prophecies , a plain bluish- green book with two gold stripes on its spine. "Let me think about this then we reconvene.

"I may have misjudged this colt friend of yours," Celestia commented to Sunset.

"Perhaps, who is talking?"

"I, am speaking."

"Didn't know you could be serious," Sunset tilted her head slightly.

"I've been serious Sunset. It was all part of my plan back then."

"Luna's butt? That was a part of your plan?"

"It is a rather vague plan, I didn't have much to work with. But we got out of there on good-ish terms with Celestia, we might need that." I thought I saw Warlestia smile for a second, but that would be impossible.

"What?" Sunset rolled her eyes.

"Look I'm doing what I can. What you got?"

"Something better than your plan," she air quoted. Sunset then turned her attention to Celestia who was re-shelving the books, "Still use bits?"

"We do."

"We'll need some to get supplies." A fairly large pouch of coins dropped in front of her. The pouch had it been rectangular would have been about 8-9 inches high and 4-5 wide or something like that.

"Take it. That should last a while," Celestia commented.

"Still made the same way?" Sunset asked the red-white mare.

"It is common what of it?" Was her first question since we had met.

Slowly the reality of what Sunset had just done set in causing me to find it in that moment appropriate to say, "Sunset, you are brilliant!"

Shining armor who had taken his place by Celestia's side once more asked the question that must have burned in the minds of the princess and the queen as well, "Why?"

"Shh, our secret," Sunny winked, "let's just say that things are looking up."

Her smile told me we were on the same page as she mouthed the words "let's go." With each, a nod to the other Sunset and I bowed before Sunset teleported us outside, and we galloped with spirits high from our confrontation with she who rules the day, forest-bound. Needless to say, this was very much to the confusion of those who witnessed it. Bandages, chains, and smiles when leaving a meeting with her, do make for an odd compilation, especially in the context of colorful ponies.

All except one that is. "Surprise! Hi. I'm Pinkie Pie. Were you surprised, were you, were you? Huh huh huh? "

"Very surprised, " I backed up so her muzzle wasn't practically touching mine.

"I saw you when you first got here, remember? You two were all, *kiss*, and I was all, *gasp*, remember? You see I never saw you before, and if I never saw you before that means you're new, 'cause I know every pony, and I mean everypony in Ponyville, and if you're new, then it meant you haven't met anypony yet, and if you haven't met anypony yet, you must not have any friends, well except for each other, and if you only have one friend then you must be lonely, and that made me so sad, but you had love and that made me happy at the same time, and I had an idea, and that's why I went *gasp*, I'll just throw a great big ginormous super-duper spectacular welcome party and invite everyone in Ponyville. See? And now you will have lots and lots of friends," The cotton candy maned pink mare continued. "And now I see you all happy after leaving the library with the princess, and I was all *gasp* something good must have happened, and I had another idea, and that's why I came up to you this time, I'll just throw an even greater bigger ginormous-er super-duper-special awesome spectacular welcome to Ponyville congratulations for whatever the happy thing is party! So what do you think new pony? Oh, my gosh I forgot to ask your name! Oh wait there is no time I have to get ready!" With that, she disappeared in a puff of pink smoke and a motion blur. Again that wasn't weird at all.

Sunset and I continued home after a long drawn out pause to stare into the space where Pinkie pie had stood.

Reclining on the couch I observed, "So then Sunny, we have homes in both worlds, n' an unhealthy amount a’ gold."

"That is true," Sunset blankly stated inspecting the extra book I had taken.

"There is one thing that is bothering me though," I began while sitting up, "Wasn't the portal supposed to close for another 30 equestrian moons?"

"Supposed to," she stared into the table of contents.

"And you aren't worried about?"

"It is being held open," Sunset calmly stated taking a bite from an apple.

"How?"

"A ribbon given, return on your decision," Sunset turned to the first page.

"What?"

"Come on, Weren't you listening to Zecora at all?" Sunset looked up from the book Questioningly at me.

"Who? Oh, was that the Zebra's name?" I finally caught on.

"Yes, gah why weren't you listening when we came through?"

"Oh, I'm sorry Sam I am, I do not like green eggs and ham." I returned to my reclined position.

She facepalmed, "sometimes I wonder, why I love you."

"Because I'm brilliant," I tried.

"… Anyway, you want to know the meaning of her rhyme?" Sunset sighed.

"Yep, you win."

"Those blue flowers in the forest, that we avoided are called poison joke," Sunset explained.

"Why?" I asked with growing confusion.

Elaborating she continued, "it's like poison ivy but magical, and as the name implies has a twisted sense of humor. Don't touch it. The portal won't close while in use, so she put a ribbon through it. In the case anyone may fall and accidentally become anypony, it's blocked on her end, and a certain rhyme is needed to pass."

Taking out a sheet of paper she unfolded it and read,
"we travelers seek refuge in your war,
to give us passage our magic soar,
open for us this gate our door,
to tread your world we must once more,
darkness gone from our core,
we push night now to your shore!"

"We are going to be accused of being witches," I sighed.

"Is it not true that magic we invoke, for the aid of pony folk?"

"It is true but I would ask of you, that we stop with the rhyming."

"Hehe, Ya," sunset giggled.

"Thank you," I relaxed.

"Say, why did you pick up this one?" Sunset wondered holding up the copy of predictions and prophecies.

"I dun know, the title caught my eye."

"Hmm," sunset shrugged.

"Could you hand me Chrysalis' information," I extended my hand lazily.

"You mean Nightmare Moon's?" Sunset stopped what she was doing to pick up the blue book.

"Nope, Chrysalis'," I replied.

"What you planning?" Sunset asked handing me the net textured book.

"Well you said they feed on love right," I explained, "there may be more like that I can use."

"I don't see it, how are you gonna use that?"

"Dun know yet, but if we can do something to get her not to attack us that would help."

Sunset shrugged returning to the book she held.

23 days later human time.
20 days later equestrian time.

"Hey muffin," my thoughts were interrupted making me wonder how this muffin thing had managed to stick, until she continued that is, "I know this may seem random, but um, but you know what I naturally am so…"

"So?" I ventured expecting what was to come and having planned for it.

"… Um… Well… Would it be okay if I go naked in the house?" She sorta half yelled that out of embarrassment? "And I don't want you doing anything perverted because of it."

"You know I have no problem with it, do whatever makes you comfortable."

"Yes, but can you say you won't...?" Sunset fidgeted.

"I won't do anything you aren't comfortable with, as your spouse, I can assure you that," I grinned gauging her reaction.

"W- we aren't married," Sunset stuttered blushing.

Producing a small black box from my pocket I asked, "Would you like to be?"

"Oh, my Celestia!" Sunset dropped her apple of the day. "Yes! Yes, I-I don't know what to say."

With a smile of relief, I opened the box, taking out the ring from the inside, and slid the ring onto her finger as she looked to admire it which had pushed our relationship so suddenly passed the "mare friend, colt friend" stage. I had intended to propose later that night in a romantic setting, regardless holding back seemed impossible at that moment letting events flow through my fingers like her hair had every night before we fell asleep.

The ring was no simple gold band, no this was custom ordered cast of equestrian gold. Carved upon its surface were the words, "Sunrise", and "Sunset" bound on either side with "love". Fire diamonds joined the four words around the ring and were the most well cut beautiful diamonds the jeweler could get her gloves on.

Sunset's eyes teared up as she jumped at me. We cuddled and kissed on the couch for hours after that. We stopped once for her to ask what "Sunrise" on the ring meant as if the thought to question it had just arisen.

"Shining told me my late equestrian counterpart had been nicknamed Sunrise Chain when he held Shining's position during Starswirl's time. Funny thing time, being relative to dimensions, and at the mercy of movement," my mind began to wander before returning to the question at ~~hoof~~ hand. “The Tias thought it best if I were to adopt the title along with a new rank Warlestia and Lulu thought up." She didn't seem to hang on to the words after I lost track.

"Oh? I can call you Sunrise then?"

"I'd prefer it," another name had been added to the list.

"Oh right then, I will. Sunrise, I love you."

"And I love you Sunset."

We continued to cuddle lovingly until the hour struck. It was I who spoke, "to dinner then?" I suggested, checking the time. "Reservations, have been made," I said naturally pausing after the first word for effect.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Sunset suggested surprised.

"For this," opening the closet after leading her into the bedroom, outfits for each of us became revealed. A full suit and jacket ensemble with a sundown orange tie to match her dress which replicated the beauty of the sunset, something its wearer exceeded.

Sunset jokingly put on the tie alone saying, "alright I'm ready." We laughed about it as we helped each other into our outfits for the evening without quell for exposure to the other. We had become ponies together after all, what was a little nudity here.
Now outside I announced, "your chariot awaits," motioning towards the limo parked out front.

"Sir may I ask, why when you can afford this do you live here? Not to be rude just curious," the driver carefully worded, to my ears only, holding the door for us both.

"Of course. Only splurge for special occasions, minimize living expenses to have plenty in times like this," I replied in a practiced tone. Regardless of tone however I had been worried that the story would come out lengthy and stupid.

"Ah. I may adopt the philosophy myself," he considered as I sat down.

"What was that about?" Sunset wondered aloud.

"Nothing much, just advice is all," I answered in short, as sunset hugged my arm with questioning eyes.

"I'm glad you chose me.”

“I am too.”

The limousine moved through the city towards its center. As it did I took notice of how good the driver was. Both sunset and I had drinks and not a drop was lost to sudden suspension of movement. Even when a pink car bounced across the lane, and continued to move in this manner in front of the vehicle, the driver continued and discontinued acceleration appropriately as if aware of these events pre-happening.

Spotting my interest in this, he spoke to quell any fears I may have had. "This one I've dealt with many times, she's no problem for me. Other drivers though,… It is with them my concern lies."

"How's she doing that?"

"No one knows. Car checks out, drives fine for others, only bounces for her."

"Well that's new."

"Quite interesting she retains a license at all. If you ever need it, her name is Pinkie Pie."

"– Know the name?" I asked sunset jokingly.

"Ya," she deadpanned in return.

Everyone sat in silence for some time, Sunset hugging my arm as I finished off another drink. The car stopped. We had arrived.

"Here we are, you have my number." Checking the time I noticed he had said this the very second was meant to be.

"Now dear we mustn't be late," I reminded extending a hand to Sunset.

The monolith fortune would have smile upon us held the title, Mama Mia's spaghetti”

Entering the diner had much the inverse effect of the doorway to Neverland. Rather than entering a zebra inhabited hut carved into a tree in cursed woods, impossibly suspended glass shards surrounded lights of equal impossibility above, and fine carpet below. This was the furthest from small horse village I had ever been. In other words the perfect place to discuss plans for it.

"Shimmer, party of two."

"Ah, first-class private sector? Right this way then," the receptionist responded double checking the paper in front of him.

A well-dressed waiter led us the rest of the way to our table nestled in the far reaches away from anyone else, separated by walls and a soundproof door. I had spared no expense to be sure we could get through this date without complications from public curiosity as to Equestrian matters. At the table we were left with menus and place settings. The one who led the way was soon to return. As for now sunset and I were alone.

"So, why are we so private if this is just a date?"

"You know me better than that," I smiled.

"The briefcase. You have a plan," devilishly smiled my partner.

"It's an odd plan, but a plan all the same," I filled in as we considered the options provided by the menu.

Our waiter returned, the gleam in his eyes reflecting brilliantly in the glasses he carried. After being told our orders he merely returned to place them leaving us with the appetizer, our drinks, utmost privacy, and each other. Not that the thought that the appetizer and the latter may not be different hadn't crossed my mind, but perhaps that succulent delight be saved for dessert, the climax of the evening.

"Whatchya thinkn' about?" She waved a stick of alluring sticky tongue tantalization tipped in delicious white viscous liquid that begged my lips draw nearer to claim that which she held so gently between her fingers as property of my lips alone. Her fingers gently caressed the shaft of my treat lips drawing ever nearer. The pleasure I awaited took eons it seemed, pressure building, I couldn't hold out much longer. My body grew tense. Thoughts of that moment flooding my mind, thoughts of all that would change when the floodgates let loose, and the succulent rod released its gooey fluids past these lips, on to the tongue, to finally be swallowed as the substance within caressed my innards flowing downwards through me to the center. Thoughts of how not a spot of its surface would be spared the lick and enjoyment of my eagerly awaiting mouth. I felt it touch my lips. It was perfect the best consistency of that amazing white fluid that had ever reached my awaiting lips, and with a flavor like no other before it. As my lips met my expected longing desire, my other did as well. Her lips met mine wrapped around that which I seeked a deeper insertion, and taste from. Both of these withheld as her lips closed its entirety within the tight confines of her mouth. She continued to play with our target with her tongue and teeth exaggerating each movement of these with moans and by licking her lips, mocking me that she not I was the one to enjoy its sensations.

"Too slow," she mocked swallowing.

"Yep, that's the girl I fell in love with," I sighed defeated.

She rolled her eyes giggling, "here," she pushed the plate of remaining cheese sticks and sauces towards me.

I of course couldn't resist. Returning the giggle I popped one in. It really was good. Soon between the both of us all but one had disappeared, we eyed it a spark of competition ignited between us. Until she got a better idea that is,"Share?" Offered Sunset taking the final one between her luscious lips beginning to waive it back and forth alluring mine to take it.

So, that I did pressing my lips to hers as she had done, wrapping my tongue to pull it from her grasp. We giggled, while I teased as she had before.

As if on cue the waiter returned replacing the emptiness between us with plenty.

"So how private is private exactly?" A question that had somehow eluded ask till now.

"More than Zecora's hut when she's out in town," I replied, a slight smirk on my face.

Sunset raised an eyebrow at this. "And you decided to be the secluded for what would sound like idle chatter to any outsider because?"

"This is a date after all, besides with what I have planned it won't," I replied passively.

The waiter brought out a clothing rack, being sure there was nothing more were needed before leaving. Needless to say this was to sunset's temporary confusion.

"It's okay, that's why I got them to add this section, you can be yourself."

We after some hesitation both deposited our garments on it. After this the both of us enjoyed the remainder of the meal in much the same way we had the appetizers, with the occasional semi-sarcastic line delivered on to the other.

A waitress this time entered to ask if we were ready for dessert collecting empty dishes blushing almost as profusely as Luna had. I replied that we were, glancing at Sunset after placing it.

"Then I shall leave you to it master, and mistress." She repaired elsewhere, sealing the room behind herself.

"Honeybun, what was that?"

Was there no end to the adorable things she would call me? "I think you know," I slid closer to her in the booth we had been provided imitating Celestia.

"You are so cheesy love."

In response my hands moved to fondle the breasts of my fiance as we kissed again.

"This is a restaurant? We can't do this here. Besides it's my first time," Sunny worried.

"Not to worry Sunny bunny. More private than Zecora's hut remember?" I reminded, "we are already naked."

"Yes b – but this."

I moved lower now to kiss her neck as well, "it's all right we're allowed to here, I commissioned this room after all."

"Sure but, I don't know if I am ready for this."

"We'll take it slow."I now suckled my darling's nipples and moved between them massaging lower on my beloved's body.

"You said that you love me as I do you. what then is it that holds you now?" I asked this knowing the answer.

"Well it isn't our first date but all the same, we are in a restaurant, I have never done this before, and I-I am scared," sunset retreated. "Don't get me wrong, I love you, I'm just not sure if I'm ready."

"Sunset, and I shouldn't say this," to this she gave me space to speak. "I have seen that look in your eyes. I know your true worries without their being spoken."

"Oh?"

"You are worried not that harm shall come to you, nor that I will not honor your wishes.`You worry for that which is unknown, the pain of your first time, if this is the right choice, you worry overall however, about if you were to become pregnant with my child what it would mean for you, for us."

"uh, you're right…, But that doesn't really help."

"Then I ask you this. Do you consider me a fool, who would not consider what that would entail in this war? Do you think I could give up the home we now share? Because, I could never bear losing you."

"I know how honest you are, but I still don't feel ready."

"Then perhaps we should go over the plans now instead."

"Yes, let's do that. What is this great plan of yours, it's going to have to be something even Celestia couldn't come up with you know."

Grinning I recited the origins of my plan, "Mark 13: 23 – 27."

"Didn't really take you for Bible man," sunset snarked.

Opening the briefcase I carried with me I pulled out a Bible, and open to the passage, cleared my throat and read the words within. "But take heed; see, I have told you all things beforehand. But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars of heaven will fall, and the powers of heaven will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. And then he will send his angels and gather together his elect from the four winds, from the furthest parts of the earth to the furthest part of heaven."

"Um… What exactly is the plan? Sounds more like a power show than an actual strategy to defend ourselves."

"If fortune smiles upon us it will be."

"Right?" Sunset looked to me with a questioning gaze.

"All right, American history, the battle Bull Run. The first Battle of the Civil War was known as the military picnic and was never fought. Do you know why?"

"What? That's stupid no one goes to war and then doesn't fight."

"At Bull Run the Confederate Army in unison gave a startling long continuous yell frightening and confusing the Union army who ran away."

"So you're hoping to scare them off?"

"No, they have far more results in skilled leadership in the union had at the time. Neither the changelings nor nightmare sentinels will be deterred by fear."

"Then doesn't that make your plans stupid?"

"As you know I've been studying equestrian magic. I do plan to win this."

The case shook and I opened it again revealing a glow. Removing the book I opened it to the page with new words.

"Earlier I asked Celestia if spies had found out the time of the next strike to the cloud city as a will be of great importance later. Must be her."

I read
"Dear sunrise chain,
Three days equestrian time.
Regards, Warlestia
PS. I have taken a liking to that name, as you did yours.

"Three days," sunset echoed. "How long is that here?"

"I've been running experiments with the help of Zecora's assistant and determined that by using the portal and keeping it open time has become near synchronized. That being said we have only a little over three days not quite four."

"Now I'm the one missing things. Zecora has an assistant?"

"Ya, cute li'l filly named Apple Bloom. Said her teacher is an earth pony who learned a special kind of magic to protect her students," I smirked finally telling her the results of the 23.

"Earth pony… Magic?" Sunset wondered bemused.

"From what I've read on the subject all three types have magic, it's just us unicorns have more and a way to channel efficiently."

"So how's it work?" Sunset wondered seemingly unsure.

"Apple Bloom showed me a little. They channel it through the hooves. It's kind a' like in human kung fu movies."

"What did she show you?" Sunset asked now interested.

"It's mostly strength-based similar to the normal subconscious of pony magic that allows for farming and things of that nature. She could cause small quakes, break some pretty good sized rocks 'n trees. Zecora was able to stand on water, 'n do some cool tricks with smoke, but I think zebra magic is a different thing altogether," I explained.

Sunset said nothing, her mouth hung open.

"It seems rather unbelievable but the reason humans can't do it is because this world just doesn't support magic in the same way. When A.B. stood half in the portal she could still channel some to this side, although fully through not much happened."

"So in the weeks we've been back here you've been productive towards the war, by playing with a child. I– I can honestly say you are full of surprises," sunset chuckled.

With a told you so smirk I continued. "So here's how we do this. Warlestia lowers the sun moon and stars, first shifting the sun to red like she had before."

"Do you realize how much magic that's gonna take!"

"Yes, that's why you are helping her."

"Me?" Sunset more yelled than asked.

"Yes, I believe in you."

She gave me a look I really don't know how to describe.

"While you do that shining armor will expand his shield until it shatters. We can have a few unicorns from the civilian population offer power and solidification magic into it so that the effect can be achieved, as if the heavens were shaken. That is mostly power show, but it will also buy time and the shield may be solidified enough to take some of the enemies when it breaks. But now it gets real. "The stars of heaven will fall," we will have unicorns on the backs of pegasi fire splintering fire spells. Shining armor and the civilians should have a lighter version of the shield back up by then. At that point I will enter from behind the clouds on Celestia's chariot pulled by Royal guards. When I do pegasi set off a lightning and thunder storm to attack Nightmare Moon's forces, and we can add to the commotion using Earth pony magic to shake the land outside of Ponyville. A.B. said they're just enough of them to do it. Shining's field should be able to protect Ponyville, but will be under too much stress to do much more. I will then need you and Warlestia again. You'll be raising the sun again but this time I need blueshift. Now would probably be a good time to tell you that you and Warlestia won't be alone. Celestia and Lulu will also be with you. Told you the thing back in Tia's office was part of my plan."

"How did you manage that?"

"Apple Bloom helped there. She has two best friends Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. They all have parallels here. Since Canterlot high is apparently elementary through high, it wasn't hard to get Celestia to follow one of her own students outside. A.B. went to her with the news that Scootaloo was in trouble. Of course sweetie Belle went with her to complete the act. They brought her out to the statue and let her through. She did not go at first but when I came through and told her it was serious, because of her prior impression of me she knew it must be, and came to Equestria. We caught her up on what is going on and met with Warlestia. We probably can't have them in the same world for long though. Things will be out of balance as is. I honestly don't know what will happen if they are in the same world together for too long, but it should be fine for the short time. That's why you and Warlestia are moving the sun, Tia and Lulu are moving the moon."

"But they don't have the experience to do it! Neither do I!"

"I believe in you sunny. You can do it."

With a sigh she gave in, "guess I'll do my best then."

I smiled in response and continued, "where was I? Right, after the sun is shifted blue three unicorns behind me will unleash torrents of blinding light, in the commotion that ensues I'll down as many of the enemy as possible. The light doubles as a signal to armed pegasi whose armor has been enchanted to direct the sound of their wind trails ahead of them for use as a sort of weapon. Unicorn that goes by DJ–pon3 thought that up. Always good to have a DJ on our side. With that we should be able to down at least a few of the enemy and instill hesitation in, or at least make the rest deaf if only temporarily.

By this time the airborne unicorns will have been returned to the ground. We'll have them fire whatever personalized magic into the air. One of the unicorns on the chariot will be Lyra, a mint colored lyre player who apparently has a thing for humans. I brought her here to get a good feel for the human form. She's currently working on a spell to create the illusion of a giant human behind us riding in on a giant alicorn illusion generated by her human counterpart. Luckily she was equally infatuated with pony anatomy. Anyway, were you Nightmare Moon, what would you think then?"

"How did you get this plan together, and with specific citizens?"

"I asked for the complete files on every citizen, and student. I also asked for specifics that led me straight to vinyl scratch, that's the DJs real name."

"What? What could you have possibly asked to get them?"

"I asked for a DJ, Lyra found me."

"Really," sunset showed her disbelief.

"What I got to have a kickin' soundtrack. How can I be expected to fight without that? As for the anthropologist, if there's one thing I've learned living with humans it's that the most common fear is that of the unknown."

"When you said you wanted my help with your plan, I thought you would need my knowledge. Apparently, I was wrong. How do you plan to take down the enemy though? Since your plan is to take them alone basically." She leaned forward curiously, resting her nude breasts atop the table.

"I would advise going inside immediately after blueshift."

"well now I'm worried,"Sunset straightened up.

"Don't be the ponies and I will be safe. I think this is what I am meant to do," I grinned now devilishly. "I did need your mind though, without you I wouldn't know the real difference in the enemies."

"It still seems may I say out of character for you to be smart," Sunset somewhat rudely put it.

"I am better at some things than others," I assured her.

"Did best in history then?"

"Better than some I guess, was never really too invested in school," I admitted. "I should mention, don't be too surprised if you see a changeling with an orange mane in Ponyville. Don't worry she's cool," I finished this as our meal came to a close. That, of course, earned a somewhat worried, somewhat curious expression from Sunset.

We redressed, and I paid our meal in cash, leaving an unnecessarily luxurious tip.
Back at the portal we chanted our return.

"We travelers seek refuge in your war,
open for us this gate our door,
to tread your world we must once more,
darkness gone from our core,
we push night now to your shore!"

From behind it a small voice came, "How do ah' know if it y'all, er jus' some foals," it teased.

Hand to my face I replied, "Young Missy why ain't you at home by this hour?"

Another squeakier voice cracked the reply, "We trio of crusaders had a dormancy party at the yellow one's abode, and sauntered on over here when the sand stallion seduced her into temptation."

Sunset looked to me for answers. I laughed a bit.

A third still childish but scruffy voice came through now, "sorry our middle witch can't get it together. She said we had a sleepover at Fluttershy's and snuck out when she when she fell asleep.”

We looked at each other and shook our heads, then stepped through becoming our unicorn forms. The place was dark lit by a single candle, the Crusaders stood behind. Hoof extended I introduced the three. "Sunset, these are the Cutie Mark Crusaders, Sweetie Belle the dictionary, Apple Bloom Zecora's assistant, and Scootaloo… potentially our adopted daughter… Yeah um that."

Sunset blinked at me a few times and walked back and forth through the portal for good measure, before replying, "our what now?"

"*Squee* you're gonna do it!" Scootaloo beamed.

"That's great y'all have a real home now Scoots!" A.B. joined.

"Cutie Mark Crusader cordial custodial conjugal companionship concoctors, yay!" Sweetie yelled joined by A.B. for the ending "yay."

"Sweetie you can talk without all the fancy y'know. Sometimes I wonder if y'all memorized the dictionary or the thesaurus," I interjected before she could exhaust every "C" word known to ponykind.

"Both," boasted Belle.

Sunset had to walk back through again to be sure it was happening. "Daughter. Huh. Really?" She put in another word after each return.

"Calm down Sunny, it's still your choice I only said I was in if you were." She walked through and back before I continued. "Sorry, that must've sounded pretty Sudden to you," I finished my apology.

Sunset leaned against me for support. Although I figured a wall would have been more stable, I said nothing. The last time "stable" was said the context was questioned. Instead I directed my attention to the observing orange orphan. "Sorry Scoots, looks like it'll take her a bit to take it in."

She nodded and quickly replied, "Yeah, Is it alright if I start calling you papa though… Papa I…" The filly gazed off.

"Sure ya' can, 'Ah suppose," was my reply. How could anyone refuse?

She did that Squee thing again, it was so darn cute! "Sunny it's alright we can take this slow, you don't have to decide right away," I attempted to reassure her.

"I don't need slow necessarily, but this… wow." Sunset stood stunned soaking in the sentimentally saturated scope of the situation, silence a sincere siren's silhouette sparkled spanning sovereign of the scene, yet a splendid stanza in the standstill slowly sedated slipping into the status of a soft stir of subdued suggestion.

"Look for what it's worth, I'm really sorry about springing her on you like this. I honestly didn't expect to be introducing you so soon."

We- We'll talk about this tomorrow,” Sunset slurred slouching. Apple Bloom helped lay her down upon a mattress Apple Bloom kept in the hut, after Sunset’s eyes closed allowing her body to fall nearly limp as she struggled to remain awake despite the shock.

Against my judgement Scoots whispered, “Goodnight mommy,” while pulling the covers over her. My judgement it seemed had been wrong again, leaving me with the thought that at some point my BS decisions might catch up with me, as I realised that so far everything I had done had been acting in the moment with no greater plan or real thought about how they would work out. A small smile appeared on Sunset’s lips; her breathing slowed.

The hut was silent for a while as I stared off considering my actions since I had met the mare/girl I had proposed to. Almost all of the decisions seemed really stupid in retrospect when at the time they all had seemed like the logical thing to do. I thought back through my memories, and through knives’ memories that had seeped over in to my conscious mind. None of it made sense. I hadn't thought about the things I had done, I had just done them without thinking. It all seemed about as real as a cartoon I could have seen years ago with memories swimming past my mind’s eye wavering with my doubt as if the water had been disturbed.

The silence was suddenly broken when A.B. spoke up with the same concerned expression she usually held when I dazed off, “Y'all speak like a farm pony sometimes, wh’ is that?”

A new voice broke the silence from the shadows at the edge of the dimly flickering room. Emerging from the darkness the form it belonged to spoke, “Yo, A.B. don'tcha’ think it’s kinda rude to be all up in homecolt oak’s grill like that?”

“Zecora?” rang Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and I.

“Chillaax. Ya gotta be all up on the down low tryin’ not to disturb miss ssolar booty over heree,” The Zebra responded Unfettered by our collective surprise at her strange speech patterns.

“What’s up with the new swanky syntax?” Sweetie questioned.

“It’s poison joke ain't it Ze’cora?” Chimed A.B. before the stripes which had emerged from the darkness and those which were still hidden by it had spoken.

“You got it foal,” admitted Zecora the flickering lantern illuminating her silhouette intermittently.

Before the situation could get any weirder I cut Zecora off leaving her only half spoken, ”Ah’ll take the crusaders back to Shy’s ‘n Sunny home!” Still having yet to master any magic other than the chains, levitation was out of the question. As such I had to hoist Sunset onto my back before I could leave with the Crusaders leading the way so I could see them in the moon’s sickly pale light. Luckily we made it back to the cottage at the forest’s edge, or as I like to call it “World’s End” without issue from the forest’s inhabitants, aside from a bat that frightened the fillies.

Scoots knocked three times before backing off. A sudden crashing noise followed by a few smaller noises. The door opened slowly to a disoriented yellow pegasus with an adorable case of bed head on the other side. “Oh my gosh girls what are you doing out there? Oh um th- thank you Vern. I’m sorry… again,” apologised the yellow one.

“Foals will be foals. It’s alright,” I assured her. “Now you girls go to bed, and stay there this time.” The crusaders disappeared up the stairs after apologising to the tree, and Scootaloo turning to me to say, “Goodnight papa.” The butter horse made a hoof to heart motion when she did that.

Do you know how hard it is to carry a grown pony without hands, or magic? … I do.

When I woke up, Sunset was no longer next to me in the bed, when I slowly opened my equine eyes to the harsh morning sun. The sun however is preferable to the nightmares I had awoken from, the nightmares that I knew would only get worse as more faces were added to them. The door leading downstairs was open, through it the distinct sound of books being furiously searched through could be heard. “What in Equis is she up to?” I climbed out of bed thudding to the floor, as I stumbled to stand. Still being somewhat unused to hooves I can't claim to have been all too good at using them. Rather than using the stairs to get down, “How do hooves work?” I had become accustomed to creating chains to lift or lower myself to where ever I needed to go.

Downstairs sunset was furiously flipping through books. As it is generally a bad idea to bother someone in that kind of state, I let her do her thing and went outside.

I sat on the bench outside next to the library I now called home to take in the relative vibrance and bustle that had become of the once gray village over the past few weeks. Doing so I noticed a few things.

1) The birds were singing.
2) The ponies were actively going about doing whatever they will, not quite happily mind you, but not as sluggishly as they had been. They even engaged in idle chatter saying things like “Good morning” on occasion.
3) There was slightly more color to everything somehow. (Perhaps the sun was brighter)

It wasn't extremely early in the morning mind you; t’was just early enough that some of the shops and stalls hadn't opened, yet the sky no longer showed signs that the sun had been below the horizon. There was however this day an underlying tension threatening to bubble to the surface at any moment, and it wasn't Pinkie’s fruit punch. Then again what do I know about good fruit punch. Fruit punch aside, I had invited the Changelings to send somepony to witness the battle that would be taking place so soon. They did.

The very orange maned changeling had chosen that moment to approach me and take a seat herself in a position much more akin to the pony physiology. “Soon?” She asked in her quiet buzzy voice.

“2 days, but it’s too early for war right now Tooearly. Just enjoy the morning’s silence while we have it. ...Puns intended.” I smiled to the changeling beside me.

“My name is Early, not Tooearly,” Early unenthusiastically buzz/hissed.

“Ah loosen up Tooearly. It’s a nice morning after all.”

“You don't seem to understand what this battle means,” Early buzzed somewhat irritated.

“If I lose we all die. I know,” I deadpanned.

“We are still unsure of your strategy having any worth at all really,” she buzzed speaking for the swarm.

“Admittedly it’s a gamble, but so is any battle. we will see in two days,” I shrugged.

As she stood to take her leave towards the market I added, “Wait. Early, there is someone I want you to meet.” To that Early turned around in a heavy apathetic motion, and muttered something before following me inside.

Opening the door slowly I stepped through to see that Sunset had calmed down now, and lie next to a stack of 5 or so books with another in her hooves thrown above her head. “Sunset we have a guest.”

Sunset glared at me before turning to see who it was. Early stepped through revealing herself, only the pony Sunset saw at that time was herself smirking back at her. Realizing this I stifled a laugh before saying, “Tooearly, funny as that was, Sunset doesn't seem in the mood for jokes.

“Fine,” the changeling smirked reverting to her natural form in a wave of green flame.

“Sunset, this is Early Silence, the changeling I mentioned. Early this is Sunset Shimmer my fiance.”

“Pleasure to meet you miss Shimmer,” Early politely bowed her twin curls bouncing behind her.

“The same to you,” Sunset replied in kind still in shock of being introduced to a changeling. “N- No offence, but w- why are you here?”

“Ah,” I interjected, “That would be my doing. You see after what you told me and I assumed that the information in the book wasn't 100% true, I considered that they might be potential allies. I sent a letter, and asked them to send somepony over to discuss with me and witness the battle for Cloudsdale, to see that we are worthwhile allies for them as well. They sent Tooearly as…”

“My name is Early,” she cut in.

“... as that emissary. So far I have found her to be quite pleasant. As such I think this'll work.”

“Sunrise, on the other hoof I find to be more interesting than bearable,” Early muttered just loud enough to be heard.

“I suppose he is something of an acquired taste after all, if a changeling can’t stand him,” Sunset waved a hoof through the air glaring at me again.
Early smirked transforming into Sunset again to say, “I think we are going to get along very well. If your coltfriend can pull this off that is.” Early Silence extended an orange hoof to Sunset, who hesitantly met the motion with a nervous smile, as the other her was once again engulfed in flame.

“Right well you girls get along Surprisingly well, so I'll let y'all chat, and go for a morning trot… try and get more used to these hooves ya know.” Before turning to leave I added, “I was going to tell you this last night, but you were sort of out of it. Scootaloo, is staying with a pony named Fluttershy, and her marefriend for the time being so don’t worry about it too much, ok,” I glanced back at Sunset attempting a reassuring glance… not used to that… especially as a pony.

The air outside was moist and cool against my fur as I went. Shadows danced around me as pegasi moved clouds towards Cloudsdale, like waves above the ocean must be for fish. The ever presence of shadowy waves flickering the sunlight seemed as a metaphor for the candle of hope I metaphorically held. The trodden path led me past one thatched roofed building after the other each with its own personal flair as small as may have been for some.

As my path neared the forest’s edge, I decided to walk in just a few trees distance before turning to walk the direction along the outer edge of the World’s End rather than the quaint village. After trotting a few paces in that manor, and once righting my balance with a wooden chain quickly fashioned from a nearby tree, a chymara pouncing in my direction met its end. Red fell, spreading like roses at the pyre of the creatures end. It’s body lay in spiraled pieces, ripped from each other by their own unwillingness to yield to the chains constructed within, the now severed limbs. With a weak roar, hiss, and bleat, the three heads and four legs lay limp, and shredded chained by their own unwinding flesh turned bind to the place it once, and will forever call it’s home. Fitting to one of its ends the masses of death slithered back now, and forever to the depths of whence they came.

“I really hope Sunset never has to see that,” I sighed. “I’d prefer not to see it myself.” As my thought concluded, before I could move on I saw Sunset struggling to uncover her view from behind the blue wing of Early’s Pegasus form.

“Hey Early what’s the idea!? What if it hur… what happened to the Chymara?” Sunset demanded angrily at first, but shifting to a confused tone pressing her ears to her head when Early dropped her wing.

“What just happened? What the buck just happened!?” Early added pressing her own fluffy ears against her head with a sick look on her muzzle, delaying the drawn out silence that followed.

“Somepony explain where the chymara went,” Sunset demanded, although it came out more as a question, looking between the expressions Early and I held.

“Sunset, if you didn't see that, then it is for the best.”

“I'm not even going to ask where all the red around you came from, I don't want to know do I,” Sunset pressed her ears harder against her head with a familiar fearful expression wavering across her face.

“No, no you don’t; you don’t,” Early added before emptying her breakfast into a nearby bush.

I continued trotting along the edge of town, closer to the town than the forest now that the girls followed close behind. Several minutes later we had arrived in the market square where the sales ponies had all set up by that point.

“Early, I believe you had business here,” I motioned towards the stalls before us.

Early nodded, and repaired to her previous business without looking my way.

“I do too,” I informed sunset moving towards a candy shop, and its cream colored keeper.

“Mornin’ Sunshine, you gonna buy something this time?” The pink and blue maned earth pony asked in almost deadpan.

“Morning Sweetie Drops, two bags of cubes.”

“Its Bon Bon, you know that,” Sweetie Drops dryly stated placing two bags of cubed sugar on the counter.

“How’s Lyra, or rather, how are the Lyras progressing?” I asked putting one of the bags in the pocket of my pony jacket, and hoofing the bits to Sweetie Drops.

“The Lyras are having too much fun with those illusion dolls. Isn’t the scale they are practicing way too small?”

“There is no such thing as too much fun with the task I gave them.”

“well they are at the house playing around with your ‘weapons’. I know I've said it before but it is strange living with two of her around.” The mare waved us off to accept new customers.

Taking the lead again I set out to check up on the mint colored unicorns.

“Why did you call her Sweetie Drops if her name is Bon Bon?”

“Her aelius is Bon Bon. Everypony calls her that.”

*Ding dong* rang the doorbell prompting two identical voices to cry out, “I'll get it!” one just before the other.

The door opened to a mint colored unicorn, a big dopey grin adorning her face, who had opened it, as well as an identical one sitting at a table near the room’s center on a bean bag.

“Morning Mintys,” I grinned goofily back at the paradoxical pair.

The unicorn who had opened the door motioned towards the table with a magic hand, never losing her infectious smile.

I entered followed by Sunset.

“Sup Sunrise, how ya been?” The seated mare smirked putting her hooves into her hoodie pocket. Soon followed by the additional question asked by both mares with pocketed hooves adopting sultry tones, “Who might this cute mare you brought with you be?” The seated Lyra settled bedroom eyes on Sunset, only for her to back up behind me.

“What did I say?” Lyra sunk into her seat with a knowing look.

“Nice to see you too. Sunny is mine.”

“Ya, ya we know just havin’ a bit of fun. You don't have to act like Bonny about it,” The Lyra who had opened the door returned to the seat opposite her counterpart.

When Sunset, and I sat together sharing a side the Lyras Levitated four glasses over to the table with a pitcher of juice. Lyra, poured all four before passing out the full cups. The Lyras each immediately took their own cups in a hoof, to drink at a near unreasonable pace. Sunset tentatively picked hers up with both hooves, and stopped just before taking a sip to sniff her drink. Where as I had constructed a fabric chain basket out of my sleeve to pick up mine. “Again, how do hooves work?” I muttered under my breath rather annoyed that I had to ruin my jacket to pick up the cup.

*sniff sniff* “This smells familiar,” Sunset muttered to herself.

The hand wielding Lyra saw fit to fill us in on why that was. “Well duh. It's called sunrise. ‘s a mix of…”

Interrupting the sentence, my concentration broke dropping my cup towards the table as I blurted out, “Ponies have Tequila!” Only when the cup hit said table did I realize the reason there wasn't a mess was that I was the only one with a plastic cup that apparently had some sort of anti-spill spell over it. “I am the only one with the foal cup,” I put my head in my hooves allowing the tattered sleeve to fall to gravity.

“Sorry its just that you haven't been able to use your hooves… or levitation yet,” apologized the Lyra who was playing with a pony doll of Bon Bon then returning to sip from her refilled glass.

Sunset leaned over and sniffed me in an attempt at subtlety. It tickled when she accidentally nuzzled my neck… and continued to do so. I am rather hesitant to say so, but I giggled, and continued to do so for the couple of seconds it took her to register what was happening… and a couple after.

The mint colored lyre players let out a long “D'aaaawwwww, so cute.” this of course caused Sunset, who was already blushing to blush a bit more. I responded by nuzzling Sunset back, effectively breaking the daww meter of the Lyra who had opened the door who was now sprawled on the floor.

Turning to the remaining Lyra I asked, “How go the horses?”

“I’m the equestrian Lyra.”

“I know,” I responded immediately, “She was affected by pony displays of affection, and you have the pony doll.”

“...”

“So it is fairly obvious that you are trying to trick me.”

“... Dang.”

“So as I was asking, how are things going?”

Lyra smirked illuminating her horn coalescing into being the small form of a human the height of a large doll, but slightly more detailed. The human form that passed as if on a runway appeared to be that of Principal Celestia were she to wear a studded biker jacket with Sequined Elvis pants. adding to the oddity were the wings on her back which resembled those of her Equestrian counterpart, as well as sporting her eye scar.

“Hmmp,” I snorted, “Very nice, I can tell you two are having fun with this. What do you think Sunny?” I wondered the smile returning to my face.

Sunset stared incredulously at the posing figure on the table. “... well that is certainly impressive…, however I have to agree with Bon Bon about the scale.”

“Oh right,” I remembered facing towards the non- floored Lyra, “how are things going with Trixie?”

Both Lyras looked at me with faces similar to Bon Bon’s un-amused glare.

“Not well huh?” I sighed, “Hmm, well is she going to be able to, or shall I modify the plan?”

“We would rather not work with that mare,” both minticorns emphasized the last two words with a special level of worry that almost sounded like disdain.

“Understandable, I’m sorry but you're just gonna’ have to this one time. I’ll talk to her about it later.”

“Thank you,” the lyras pleaded together.

“Well we’d best be off, to check on everypony else,... oh before we do though, may we see the pony she will ride in on,” I gestured to the Celestia still on the table sitting back down.

Lighting up her horn the Less experienced Lyra conjured the form of a Luna as an alicorn wearing simple golden armor that bore the symbol of an upturned crescent moon upon the breastplate. The major difference for this version was that the outline of her ethereally flowing mane was a red gradient rather than a light blue one. The pseudo Luna ran across the table to Nuzzle pseudo Celestia’s hand. “so Vern why do I keep my pony ears when I go back through?” asked the originally human Lyra giving me pause.

“Umm, well… don’t touch your magics… or each other anymore until it is time.” I muttered.

“Well thanks for the drinks Lyras,... mind if I take mine to go? I think I’ll need it to get through this.”

“Sure, You’ll need the alcohol to talk to Trixie,” Commented pony lyra, receiving a nod from the other who added, “And one for Sunset too.” Lyra followed her statement by levitating over another plastic cup and filling it before giving it to Sunset.

“May I ask why you have plastic cups, when you don’t have foals?” Sunset asked as she took her own cup in her magic, and stood next to me.

“Oh, they are Bonnie’s so she won't make a mess when she throws them…” the lyra who had spoken face hoofed sinking back into her bean bag.

“... well then you are both welcome in the Library while she cools off if she finds out,” I smiled before exiting to the brightly sunlit morning streets with Sunset who closed the door behind us.

“Well Sunny this’ll be interesting,” I sighed.

“I still have no idea what is going on,” Sunset said nodding in agreement.

“Exactly that is why I need Trixie in particular to do this,... as much as I'd rather not use her. Poor girl,” I finished as we reached the building that used to be a traveling stage, now wheel-less and partly sunken into the mud under its ill maintained exterior.

Steeling myself for the encounter I took a deep breath.

Steeling myself for the encounter I took a deep breath slowly inhaling the mid-morning air, after a few seconds of silence letting it go. Another calming breath and I knocked three times.

“Wa-what do you want? Trixie doesn't need your pity newspapers mailmare,” groned a voice from inside.

“It’s Sunrise, Trixie we need to talk,” I exclaimed in as much of a sigh as can be achieved while being loud.

“Trixie, doesn't want to leave her stage, Trixie doesn't want to talk, Trixie doesn't want hands, Trixie doesn't want to fight, and Trixie doesn't need your pity!” Rambled the sobbing pony behind the door.

“Trixie may I come in?” I asked irritated to be having this conversation in the morning.

“Trixie… is not home…” Trixie lied.

“Trixie I have the authority to enter even if you don't open the door. How is it going to be?” I asked. “It is too damn early for this Trixie!”

“Trixie,... will let you in,” surrendered Trixie.

Soon the door handle was enveloped in a faint pink aura, and turned allowing the door to open to the dark room inside. With the door opened I entered gesturing for Sunset to follow.

Inside Sunset found a lamp and created the spark to light it. The single room was clean but not particularly tidy. Without space for a bed as the structure had been built for travel, the mare, Trixie lie sprawled out belly down in a pile of blankets and costumes.

“Trixie are you alright?” Sunset worried.

“Trixie is fine. Leave Trixie alone, she does not wish to be bothered,” Trixie rolled over grumbling.

“Damn it Trixie, I am giving you a chance to turn your life around. Get up,” I punctuated.
“Trixie has already told you, Tixie is worthless, she does not need your redemption. Trixie will not leave the stage,” pouted Trixie.

“Trixie I am offering… no damn it Trixie you will get on a bigger stage, and you will put on your best damn show of all time!” Had I possessed hands at this moment my head would have been buried in them. I did not however have hands at the moment. “Trixie, I will not stand here and watch you do this to yourself.”

“Then leave Trixie, leave Trixie like everypony else,” Sobbed the former show magician.

“Celestia damn it Trixie, you haven't left this place in months. The only reason you are alive is because Ditzy brings you food. Trixie doesn't need pity? Then Trixie better prove it, not to ponyville, but Trixie better prove it to Trixie! Now get up. You will get up and get some food or so help me I will drag you there.” I needless to say was not looking forward to dragging Trixie through town.

Sunset siped more of her drink looking back and forth between us. Trixie continued to lie pathetically on her back in the pile of costumes.

“Sorry, Trixie do you need a minute to get ready to go?” I apologised, calming down.

“Trixie has already expressed that she does not want to go outside.” Trixie rolled back over.

Sunset continued taking sips of her drink watching the events unfold.

“Trixie you are not worthless, you are not pathetic, and you don't need somepony to pity you, but you sure as tartarus are being worthless, you are acting pathetic, and you are making Ditzy pity you. If you won’t do it for yourself Trixie, do it for her. She has enough problems, she doesn't need to be taking care of you too,” I dug my hooves into the water damaged floor.

Trixie looking hurt turned to face me, “Trixie forces nopony to pity her.” Tears were forming on Trixie’s face.

“No Trixie you won’t. Now get up wipe your tears grab your cape and let’s go,” I said.

“Trixie will not go. No pony tells Trixie what to do.”

“Ya, apparently not even Trixie tells Trixie what to do,” I say almost sitting down, but thinking better of it.

“Trixie does not want to be seen by anypony.”

“Well,Trixie doesn't get to choose if all she does is mope in an old broken stage. Now come on Trixie let’s get you to your new stage.”

“Trixie’s new stage? Trixie is done performing, Trixie is nothing.”

“Honestly Trixie I don't care what you think you are. We need you Trixie, everypony is waiting to see you.”

“...Waiting to see… Trixie?” Trixie sniffled rubbing her muzzle with a hoof.

Nodding I put out a hoof to help Trixie up. Trixie took it hesitantly bringing herself to her hooves unsteady and shaking. “Trixie is... unsure.”

“All right Tixie what’s up with you, why are you so unsure?” Sunset wondered.

“Trixie feels conflicted.”

“Trixie look, whatever happened is in the past, you are going to have to let it go and forgive yourself,” Sunset supported Trixie verbally.

“Trixie supposes you are right, but how can Trixie forgive Trixie?”

After a short silence I spoke again, “Trixie, you have changed right? So then you aren't the Trixie you used to be. Forgive the Trixie you were, then become a better Trixie.”

“Trixie doesn't know… can ponyville forgive Trixie?”

“Trixie the first step to healing is to forgive yourself,” I sighed. Sunset vizibly reacted moving back a half step. Sighing again I added, “Sunset also has a past to forgive herself for.”

“T-Trixie,” stuttered Trixie, “will t-try to forgive Trixie.”

“Good, now how long will Trixie take to get ready?” I asked relieved to finally get through to Trixie.

“Trixie will be presentable before you know it,” Trixie masked her old confidence.

“That’s good to hear Trixie. We'll wait outside,” I said as Sunset gave a light smile to nopony in particular.

Once outside I gestured towards one of the cups Sunset had been levitating, and she moved it for me to drink from before returning it to its prior position.

“Trixie sure is… Trixie?” Sunset stated stuck on finding appropriate words.

“Yep, Trixie is Trixie,” was all I could think of to reply.

“Trixie is ready… Trixie thinks Trixie is ready,” Trixie uncertainty shook finding it difficult to stand.

“Alright then Trixie, Allons-y!” I announced to my companions Trixie, and Sunset.

“Trixie… has heard this phrase… however she does not know where,” Trixie stumbled with her thoughts as she did her hooves.

“Trixie, that’s probably because there is a pony here who says that,” I told Trixie as the party moved slowly and un-steadily forward.

“And Trixie will have a pinecone with peanut butter,” Trixie added pointing to a small box on the back of the menu.

“... Um that is for…,” the waiter tried until Trixie cut him off.

“Trixie will have a pine cone with peanut butter,” Trixie flatly interrupted.

The waiter resigned to the kitchen.

“... Trixie ponies don’t eat pine cones,” Sunset blinked curiously at Trixie. “Peanut butter yes but not pine cones?”

“... Trixie has a problem,” stated the silver maned light blue mare looking to a spot on the ground, “Trixie tried them once… Trixie couldn’t stop.”

“So you became addicted to pinecones? Well that is interesting,” Sunset pondered silently for a moment before speaking again. “Could I run some tests on the effects of pinecone consumption,... after this is all over that is?”

Being far out off my element I remained silent for the time being to observe the two mares. Trixie thankfully in her cape which somewhat hid her malnourished body, and Sunset who had put on one of my jackets, that particular one being a soft gray that adorably complemented her fur, before leaving out to the cold air that morning.

Trixie also opted for silence at this time and stared at sunset confusion clearly evident in her sunken features.

“Trixie?” Sunset emphasised the question with a slight tilt of her head.

The blue mare let her eyes wander finding new places to focus her silence.

About half way through her hayburger, Sunset put it down to ask the question that is always answered vaguely. “Trixie, will you be alright?”

“Hmm? ahugh yesh,” Trixie mumbled with her pinecone still in her mouth. “Eh hem, Yes Trixie will be alright, Trixie thinks.”

“Trixie,” Sunset questioned with a serious concerned look, “will you?”

“Yes, Trixie said she will be fine.”

“Trixie,” I saw fit to join in, “ after the battle. Will you be fine after that? You won’t go back into seclusion?”

“Why,” the former showpony adopted a curious but cautious expression, “why are you worrying about Trixie? Nopony cares about Trixie?”

“That isn't true!” Sunset and I shouted.

A casual glance at that moment would have told anypony passing by just what had caused the sudden silence, everypony had stopped to wonder what could have gotten their new war leader and Celestia’s prior student so riled up. Noticing this, I rose to my hooves addressed the general assembly announcing Trixie’s return. “Everypony, Trixie has come out to get ready to play her part! Now stomp your hooves if you are ready for a show! Anypony ready to see her help turn this war around stomp your hooves! Everypony with Trixie coming out comes hope!” I had to raise my volume to greater levels to be heard now as some ponies were stomping compliantly. “Stomp if you want to see Trixie! If you are glad to have her back into your community! Come on everypony, stomp those hooves! Let them hear you in canterlot! Tell them we are here, and we are ready!” A loud cheer went up in the place quickly spreading as word was passed through ponyville turning into a steady chant. “WE ARE HERE, AND WE ARE READY! WE ARE HERE, AND WE ARE READY! WE ARE HERE, AND WE ARE READY! WE ARE HERE, AND WE ARE READY! WE ARE HERE, AND WE ARE READY! WE ARE HERE, AND WE ARE READY!” The chants joined by the stomping of hooves by almost everypony in ponyville shook the very air and ground, and was soon after joined by Cloudsdale’s populace within the minute. “LET THEM HEAR YOU IN LAS PEGASUS! LET THEM HEAR YOU IN VANHOOVER! LET THEM HEAR YOU IN THE MACINTOSH HILLS! WAKE THE DRAGONS WITH YOUR ROAR! SHOUT WITH THE POWER OF CELESTIA’S MIGHTY SUN, AND TELL THEM WE ARE HERE!” I shouted in the closest I could to the royal canterlot voice to be heard over the crowd. The volume, and raw energy of the crowd boomed with parts of the latest speech, and the addition of subwoofers all around ponyville being switched on by the resident DJ, and Party Pony duo.

By the time several minutes had passed in that manner both Celestias had found us, with Warlestia throwing a barrier of silence over the now assembled five.

“Well the sun has certainly,” principal Celestia gave a short pause before delivering her punchline, “risen.”

Warlestia face hoofed sagging lower in her stance, “Was I really like this before the war?”

Sunset kicked a hoof in an almost circular pattern, “Well… uh.”

Warlestia's eyes widened, “Oh Harmony, I was wasn't I?”

Sunset shrugged smiling awkwardly at Warlestia.

“I uh need a moment,” The warforged sun wielding god groaned sitting herself slowly on the ground.

“Trixie… is also confused,” stated Trixie almost slipping to the ground herself.

Celestia snorted trying to hold back her honest response, I returned to my seat with an amused glance towards Warlestia who was shifting dirt under her hoof, Sunset and Trixie shared an expression of sudden uncertainty.

It was principal Celestia who put forth the first productive word. “We actually came out here to ask what you are doing, as amusing as getting any reaction out of her,” She indicated her silent behemoth of a double, “is it wasn't the intention.”

“Not much, just treating Trixie to a view of what she has been missing before she helps save it,” I responded casually to the goddess who stood taller than any equine other than her artificially larger counterpart.

“And bringing our little ponies up to speed involves the whole town chanting to be heard in high Elysium?” Celestia asked in the regal manor that had no doubt been taught by the warrior she never wanted to be.

“Well yes actually, it does. Trixie had been lying in her trailer for far too long. She thought no pony wanted to see her perform, because of her skill, or that nopony liked her personally.”

“Hmm, while I can't speak for this world’s Trixie her counterpart, who was one of my little students around the same time as Sunset, had quite the abrasive personality on the outside, but her friends seemed to know something about her that most didn’t. That and her shows were certainly not something to miss.” Celestia gave Trixie the same smile one would give a new primary student who doesn't want to let go of their mother's hand.

“See ponies would like you, you just have to let them,” Sunset copied the smile to Trixie oddly well.

“What must Trixie do?” Trixie chewed her lip.

“Just as Vern said,” Sunset vaguely summarised.

“What about you? He said you had a past to forgive yourself for?” Trixie turned toward Sunset hope and curiosity showing slight glimmers in her dark purple eyes.

“I um,” Sunset stuttered,” well I used to think that I was better than everypony else. I abandoned Celestia when I was her student because I thought I was ready for more advanced magic. I found out about the mirror portal, but Celestia forbade me from using it. I thought she was wrong, I thought I knew best. Even after going through and finding myself in an unfamiliar world, and the embarrassments of my first weeks there, I let my pride control me. I bullied the other students into respecting me. Had I been able to listen to Celestia when she told me I wasn't ready I could have stood by her to stop Nightmare moon from returning. I could have...,” Sunset sniffled pausing as a white hoof came to rest on her withers.

“Sunset this isn't your fault,” Celestia comforted.

“She’s right, that's not you anymore, either of you,” I added between strawberries. "I may not know your pasts entirely, but I can tell you both regret whatever you did. Now can we move on?"

Allowing for another moment in which nopony spoke, prompted me to continue. With a sigh, continue I did. "Sunny, you were going through a lot of confusing things. It is understandable that you would mask that in the way you did. Trixie I'd imagine your situation wasn't much different, pride getting in the way 'n all. Pride is a good thing, let it show, just don't let it become you. 'N all that emotion stuff I'm not good at." To avoid further awkwardness of continuing I pulled Sunset in close with my forehooves. That unfortunately was also awkward because, hooves.

The strange air was moved when Celestia spoke again to reiterate her original question, "So, what was the purpose of making all this noise? You woke up Lulu."

"Should she be sleeping here? ... Any way Don't worry about it," I resigned to my own personal space.
"Shining's current barrier, as you instructed, is focused on blocking magical and natural waves. It's a big soundproof bubble," Celestia indicated the one Warlestia had formed, "with the added bonus that any kind of signals magical or otherwise won't be getting through."

"What? We aren't physically protected?" Warlestia's eyes widened; her own barrier faltered with her concentration before quickly stabilizing again.

"Ugh, that's what he said too. With all due respect ma'am, let's assess the threat. We know when they plan to attack, spies are the priority. A stronger specific shield will be better than one that tries to cover every possibility."

"That's why you still have not yet fully explained what you plan is," Warlestia's eye capable of doing so squinted slightly as a hiss met her tone.

"I will inform those directly involved later today in Canterlot High, to assure we don't have any magic spying going on," Vern's gaze fell upon celestia. "The schedules for the school staff are cleared for today yes?"

"They are, and I hope you appreciate the difficulty of rescheduling on such short notice," Celestia sat crossing her hooves with a foalish look.

A measuring look crossed my face as I analysed the clear facade of displeasure on her face, "We both know Lulu did the work."

"Why would you think I would make her do it?" Celestia while attempting to continue her expression of innocence, also took clear offence to the notion.

"Because you are Celestia. That's what Celestias do."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Both achromatic goddesses were upon me in that moment, one displaying a great deal of intensity subconsciously leaping into a well practiced combative stance, and the other a mix of curiosity along with a lesser intensity than her counterpart while simply standing at full height.

Unprepared for the sudden intrusion I half fell from my seat, much to the amusement of the other unicorns. "Whoa! It was just a joke," I panicked defensively.

The seriousness of the tone failed to falter below it's heightened level, even after everypony had resigned to their own place, the curiosity however had. Warlestia conjured a lounging arrangement for herself. Rather than give her a more docile appearance the resignation to velveteen gave her that of a predator watching pray it both hated and understood. This appearance was benefited by her entire being aside from a single betraying factor. The only thing to bid her presence as other than one who would seek a resolution born from anything but hate, was the quickly banished smirk which, had it remained for more than the split of a second could have been interpreted as playful. Every other trait that remained without that which had been in a blink banished, became shells of what they may have been. her closed lips formed a scowl nearly bearing her sharpened fangs. Her joints hissed as the weight of the bandaged form slowly shifted their metallic components bound to her flesh. The irregularly long legs curled beneath her revealing spaces of fur where the bandages shifted causing them to become loose. Few as these places were, their discolouration of a purer white revealed the fur to be fresher grown than the rest. Other places where the bandages had not been as tight, namely her midsection, revealed scars and stitched wounds. Her eyes, false and real alike shown with what one could only expect from one who has seen the worst of hell, yet also hid a deep sorrow. The burning yellow of magic faded as the red cushions fully formed to support the incomplete mare.

Her counterpart followed suit on a second which Warlestia had summoned, snuggling into her's taking on a demeanor fitting to her own profession. To offset her wise appearance, was the fact that she was a winged horse, and couldn't cover up that she wasn't used to having four legs or wings. I, while finding amusement in the other unnatural equine's awkwardness, elected to remain silent as I myself continued to struggle with my own hooves.

Giving the social dust time to settle, Sunset decided to pick up the conversation with a different possibly sensitive topic. "So, um, If you don't mind my asking; when are you expecting to be able to take the bandages off Cele...y... your highness?"

Trixie, Celestia, and I all gained surprised, alarmed, and worried expressions respectively, as she had asked something not even I had been reckless enough to. Warlestia, rather than show the expected anger as she had previously, looked down sadness in her good eye. "I fear they never will. As long as I am unable to beat my sister, I'll only need more and more." A tear seemed to be forming in her eye as she took a moment to think. "Look at me; I couldn't protect her, and now I can't protect the little ponies from her. She was my little sister, and I'm not there for her." Celestia began to move to comfort her counterpart, but flinched back thinking better of it.

"Were you to rest, if somepony else could protect them, how long would you need?" All eyes snapped to my's faux confidence and very real determination.

"What, there is no pony who... "

"We impress queen Crissy, I will personally tell her we need more time than expected to recuperate before the next move. In that case I will suggest an alternate course of action, which I would like to discuss this afternoon."

"Why not now," Warlestia inquired lack of ire evident leaving impatience in its wake.

"Because we don't know if it is safe to do so. There is magic here. Just as you have formed this barrier magic spying is entirely plausible. We don't know exactly who we can trust yet." He took a moment before continuing. "It isn't that I think there is a traitor in ponyville, I don't. I do however want to be weary in case there is, or are."

"So who is invited to this party?" Asked Celestia as if it were normal.

To answer I got up, trotted over to her, and whispered the answer followed by taking a bag from my jacket opposite the cubes." Give one to each of those ponies, and tell them where to go, but be careful. We will all meet up there." With that I trotted back to the table. Everypony again looked at my eliciting my response, "Yes, I have thought about this a lot."

Celestia was next to talk after putting away the bag. "You didn't list Sunset?"

She is with me there was no need," I shrugged my small gray pony shoulders, "Now was there anything else or can we get back to lunch?" I smiled warmly.

"I am going right?" Warlestia asked unweaving her spell.

"Ya, don't speak a word of what it is for, only when." With that I returned my attention to the table as if nothing had happened.

The Celestias got up to go, but before leaving Warlestia got in the final words. "There is no need to be so formal, my faithful student."

Once the duo of goddesses had left allowing the air to calm back to levels appropriate for a joyous day’s pre-preparation, I informed the former shut-in at our table that it would be in her best interest to have herself checked for thresh, which as it turns out she had a luckily minor case of given her prior living conditions, before going to see the Lyras.

Sunset, and I parted ways with Trixie to find Shining Armor for his status report. That status report was as follows: “The changelings are being openly curious, and four of Nightmare Moon’s spies have been spotted outside. Two pony squads were assigned to watch each of them by my order. There was a bat pony who tried to sneak in early this morning but they have been dealt with.”

With the new information, after a little thought I formed my reply. “If you can do so safely without alerting the other three, capture one of them; otherwise hold your position. That would be my suggestion. We can’t risk the attack coming sooner than expected, though any bargaining chips or information we can get out of them would be great, but it’s your call either way Captain of the guard.”

“Yes, well thanks for the suggestion new guy,” Shining Armor turned to receive a report of his own expecting us to leave. Before we did though I gave two small figures to him; one held the form of a dog the other resembling a hedgehog, with instructions similar to those Given to Celestia.

On the way to check on sound we encountered Early Silence again. This time I remembered to give her the rabbit figure I had been carrying with instructions on when and where to meet back up. Thereafter we met with Vinyl Scratch who reported that all systems were in working order and “ready to rumble.” I presented the DJ with the squirrel totem before being dragged home by my irritated fiance.

"Oww oww ooww! My ear! Sunset let go of my ear! Oahhh-ow! that hurts!"

"Shut up!" Sunset screamed back in my ear she was pulling me by, with her magic.

"Ooowww! What the hell!? What did I do!?" I begged.

Sunset dragged me all the way back home threw me inside, and slammed the door behind us before letting loose. "Vern! What is this?! What’s with the little statues?! Why are you purposefully frustrating the Celestias?! Why won’t you tell any-pony what you’re doing?! Why haven’t you told me?! You haven’t even told me what you’re going to say at this meeting! You haven’t told me anything outside of your general plan, and nopony else knows even that! Don’t you trust me?” Sunset squalled, and continued venting. “Why can’t you be open with me? You just pull me around like some pet! I thought you loved me as more than that, was I wrong?”

“Oh, I didn’t think about it that way. ... I didn’t tell you because I wanted to prove to you that I can do this. I got caught up in proving myself, and let pride get in the way of honesty.”

“Vern you idiot,” Sunset wiped away her tears from yelling, “you don’t have to prove yourself to me.” She fell into my arms to sniffle away more of her anger at my actions. “You don’t have to prove yourself, just; don’t be stupid dumb-ass.”
I couldn't help but slightly snicker.

“Sunny, hold out your hand.”

“Why?” Sunset queried slowly turning up her palm.

“Palmtop tiger,” I responded putting the final figure, a tiny roaring tiger in her palm. We exchanged glances for a few moments before she spoke.

“This entire thing with the animals was so you could say that wasn’t it?”

“Well, mostly, yes.”

“I don’t get it.”

Presenting my own figurine, a dragon, I confessed the meaning of our figurines. “I’m a dragon, and you’re a tiger… Since ancient times, the dragon has been the only beast that could stand equal to the tiger. That’s why I have to become a dragon, so I can stay by your side,” I said. It’s a bit from one of those foreign comics that have been translated since the great war; there’s no reason to say that much though.

“Well I suppose that’s a little romantic, but it’s still a waste of time,” Sunset looked away.

“I just want to become someone you can rely on.”

“Well I don't like dragons… ,” Sunset strutted past me towards the stairs leaving me at a loss for what to say. “Besides, you’re better than any dragon I’ve met,” she added climbing to the top still hiding her face. “But you're still an idiot,” She slammed the door behind her leaving me to wonder.

I tried to go up with her to wait out the time till we were supposed to gather, but she wouldn’t let me in.

T'was on the eve of that brighter dark day that the invited convened to resist the night mother's call, two by two totems in haul. First to enter the dead tree's sprawl were the sisters who would guide us to the hall. Silence descended, softly she did fall, subsequently appeared the cacophony of a trickster's facade.

Above paragraph: Arrival order is (Celestia & luna followed by Early Silence & Trixie)

As one could imagine, for Trixie who believed us at war with the changelings, and would have never considered them capable of even temporary truces, to see one such being take comfort among the melancholia of the far from monochrome library turned war room sent her into a bizarre flurry of emotions which in dissonance with her recently re-erected facade became clear to hear in the clamor to express the disarray of the day's events spontaneously juxtaposed among one another.

This only worsened when the counterpart of nightmares incarnate came into view. The panther and koala totems were shown as the identical pair joined the coyote, and rabbit owners.

Shortly following, the stoic house cat entered with her guard dog effectively ending the cacophony of confusion and explanations that had till then remained unsettled. Soon after Warlestia had settled in, Ponyville’s fashion designer who goes by Rarity revealed her giraffe totem, followed in entrance by the flustered pony who had held the door for her, Shining Armor’s second in command, Flash Sentry. Once Flash had explained that the lateness of their arrival had been his fault, as he had stopped her for questioning, they settled in leaving only four to arrive.

The wait wasn’t long until Vinyl Scratch, and Red heart arrived, however a half hour was filled waiting on the final two. In that time Luna had beaten Early Silence in Jenga three to one. Once they had arrived it was explained that their tardiness had been due to phantom pain Wonderbolts Captain, Rainbow Dash owner of the fox totem had been suffering from, by the Equestrian Marshal of the air force, Spitfire owner of the gorilla totem.

At that we set off for the gateway.

For the sake of clarity I shall recount the events shortly preceding when the party set forth from the place I had newly called home, which occurred near simultaneously with each other like an impossible clock work.

Early Silence, aided by an armor swap that took a shot at Shining armor's pride cast an illusion allowing Flash Sentry to take his leave disguised as his superior. This was a plan he initially opposed, however ultimately complied with.

Rarity, worked her magic over the big horse goddesses, the younger mildly apprehensive. Celestia, as Warlestia, left the building.

We now reach the point at which we who remained began our quest towards the world's end for our hangman's gambit. We, under the protection of invisibility spells, trekked through the dank yet uncharacteristically calm everfree to the shaman's hut. There we met with the Crusaders, the eldest sister of their eldest member, and the homeowner herself.

"Zecora, CMC, & Applejack. K! Full intros latter," I rushed everypony through vice-principal first.

"What's got yer cattle rustled up?" The farmer mare smirked.

"One sheep short ain't a full flock, 'n' we're missin more 'n that," I retorted as the last to clear the mirror's edge.

In the locked, and empty school's board room each took seats around the large table reclining in the chairs, sitting rigidly, and adjusting to bipedal forms. After a deep breath I began with some hesitation. "OK, so this meeting has been called so that I can explain, and clarify the plan for the upcoming battle to, and with we who will facilitate the many parts of it," I stopped to take in the faces of the others. "This plan comes from a verse from this world. Now it is a very flavorful text, but I will be explaining what it means." Opening my folder of notes, and speaking prompts, I began this time a little into the first part, for those whom held no prior knowledge of its context. "... The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars of heaven will fall, and the powers of heaven will be shaken. Then they will see the son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. And then he will send his angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the furthest parts of the earth to the furthest parts of heaven," I quoted for the final time. "Now, as Sunset has pointed out to me this sounds like a power show; I can assure you it is much more than that."

Shining Armor took my pause to raise his voice in question against what I had suggested, "Does fighting the bats in the dark not put us at a severe disadvantage? This seems flawed from the start."

"Well yes, that would be why we are making it brighter instead. The text I chose is a starting point, essentially it's there as inspiration and a basis for a format," I explained. "To start Warlestia, and Sunset shift the sun to red as was done on my first day there, while Celestia and Luna take hold of the night sky. The plan is to lower them suddenly, but I understand that there is a lack of experience in the lunar team, and they will be fighting Nightmare Moon for control. Even if this isn't done perfectly, the plan calculates for such, it may even turn out better. Sunset will follow warlestia's lead essentially supplying the extra magic needed for the sun as we aren't done with it yet.

If Nightmare moon fights for control from Celestia and Luna, two things will happen. First, her attention will be divided from command. Second, she may pick up on her own magical signature from Luna further breaking her concentration. Warlestia believes her sister is still in there under the darkness; so if possible, I would like to capture her alive."

Spitfire without waiting for prompt, moved a hand to silence Rainbow Dash.

"While that is happening, I want you," I pointed my gaze to Shining Armor, "Shining Armor to expand your shield, which as we discussed is being solidified by the unicorns of the populace, aside from those who have other roles... um t- the - uh woah." I shook my head trying to clear it. "Ok, so I have a very low alcohol tolerance apparently, and it just hit me I think. So uh Sunny is going to cover for me while this clears up," I got up and went to sleep in the corner.

Sunset, along with everyone else in the room, stared at Vern's collapsed form for a solid minute before she muttered just loud enough to be heard by the room's other occupants, "It was one drink?" To that The Lyras added together, "One drink this morning."

Sunset moved to the end seat Vern had previously monopolized, and took a deep breath skimming the prompt notes before her, before picking up where he left off. "Um... right I don't know what he told who so I'll just say everything I know, and what he wrote here," she indicated the open folder with it's orderly papers. "So what he was about to say Is that he wants you to over expand your shield past it's physical breaking point, so it creates magic shards. This will create the effect of the sky shaking by reflecting light haphazardly and create high speed shrapnels. Obviously the Wonderbolts and pegasi guard will need to be clear of the blast zone." Rainbow Dash nodded her head giving an appearance to anyone who didn't know her, of sage understanding. "So, Shiny I'll ask you in his stead to talk with Spitfire about that after I'm done. Yes it says to call you Shiny when asking that in the notes," Sunset took a breath unsure of how to proceed. "For the stars to fall part, pegasi in the sky cast splintering spell orbs prepared in advance, among the shards towards the flanking forces of nightmare's army."

"Sorry, but what is a spell orb?" Interrupted Luna.

"I don't know really, " Sunset apologetically responded.

"He wants us to do what!?" Spat Spitfire. "Spell orbs haven't been used since shortly after their invention back when I was a filly, and for good reason!"

Everyone else looked to Spitfire quizzically aside from Dash who became more excited at the mention of dangerous items, and Shining Armor who donned a look of understanding.

"Well, what are they?"

"Spell orbs can each contain one spell, upon breaking the orb, the spell will be released in random directions. They were meant to be recreational items, but the random factor proved too dangerous, and production of them was banned beyond confetti spells," Shining replied in a sage, yet annoyed tone.

"oh, so they're like grenades then," Sunset and Luna realized together. "but the magic will reflect off the Shield fragments!" Sunset alone added.

"Ah, that's pretty smart actually," Spitfire commented, content with that answer.

"Um... Rarity, he wants to know if it's possible to use your magic to help pull the shield back together,... if you can sew magic sort of solids together, and Shining armor says that pulling the fragments back together would be better than putting up an all new shield."

"To pull a shield spell back together," the lone modern riot armor wearing man slowly worded glancing to the ceiling taking note of a particular light which flickered every other second, "especially one of that magnitude under pressure." He shook his head. "No, sorry I and a couple of the guard can with personal shields, but this will take a good 20 seconds minimum to get a new one up, and it won't be anything special," Shining Armor shrugged resisting the urge to bring the riot shield he had gained upon entry to his side.

Sunset nodded checking option 2 in Vern's notes, "Focus the second one on physical reflection then. I've seen what he plans to do, and I'd say we'd all appreciate it." Shining Armor nodded in understanding, as did Early who had seen it that morning with sunset and remained somewhat shaken. "Rarity," Sunset continued, "since that's the case he wants you to stand by him during the fight and... follow his lead." After a short breath she, and Early added, "I do not envy you."

"Oh? Wh- Why not darlings?" Rarity shivered, however was answered only in silence and a knowing look between Sunset, and Early Silence who had begun avoiding her gaze.

Once glances had been exchanged around the table Sunset continued. "While the shield is being put back up the unicorns with vern, being the lyras, Trixie, and now Rarity, need to be ready for their cue to enter. The wonderbolts along with the pegasi guards will attack, again the flanking forces to break their formation, keeping it broken, and rounding them up with Vinyl's sonic trails, and the Wonderbolts electric trails. I am going to assume those who need to, know what Vinyl's trails are?"

"Yes," Shining Armor shortly responded.

"While that is going on he wants earth ponies to shake the land outside of ponyville to prevent the bat ponies from landing. Cele... Sorry Warlestia, and I," Sunset corrected, "will abruptly drop the sun beyond the horizon, before throwing it across the sky to be directly behind Vern's unit, and blue shift it... wait we're doing what?! Anyway I think it's safe to say that will take up the cooldown time for the shield." Sunset looked questioningly to spitfire.

"It should take a little under 35 seconds, 28 if all goes well," She responded to the interpreted question.

"I can do it in...," Rainbow Dash was for the second time preemptively silenced.

"If She was about to say less than 20 seconds then make it happen." Sunset emphasized, "less than the shield time is what he wants," she confirmed consulting the speaking prompts. "What do you need to make it happen?"

"You are actually asking me to cut down eight seconds from a mass capture mission! How can you expect that!?" Spitfire spat sharply burning her words in.

"His decision not mine. Any ideas, anypony?"

"phototransduction cascade," Red Heart spoke up.

"photographic ducks? What are you talking about?" Rainbow blurted being immediately hit by Spitfire "She isn't talking about Ducks you dolt." "Well then what is a photo duck?" Rainbow glared back.

Ignoring the two leaders of Equestria's military in their childish banter Red Heart answered, "Visible and infrared light reaching the retina can induce tissue damage via at least one of three fundamental processes: photoacoustic, photocoagulation, and photochemical, depending on its fluence rate, total dose and spectral characteristics..." but was interrupted.

"In words we can all understand," Sunset almost scolded.

Rolling her eyes Red Heart simplified, "Some... kinds of light," she visibly cringed, "or flashing light could be visually debilitating temporarily, or even permanently damaging. I'm sure this is what Sunrise was going for with moving the sun around."

"Oh you mean make em' blind then! Sure, so then could we equip the pegasi with whatever kind of light we need?" Exclaimed the originally pony Lyra.

"Or have seizures," added vice principal luna attracting the attention of all at the table. To witch she added, "Strobe lights might do it at a high enough setting."

"Sure, but where do we get small enough strobe lights with such a setting?" Wondered the Sunset inquisition which nobody had expected to so readily agree.

"I have... connections,... No, I wishest not to speak of it," somewhat quickly responded the vice-principal drawing out the words from which she immediately desired escape. "So, um... anyone want coffee? Everyone, yes? Ok, bye!" She added bolting from the room with a massive blush, leaving everyone to wonder what she could be hiding.

"OK, so back to the point," Sunset prompted flustered by her former administrator's outburst. "According to the equations here, let's call it at 20 seconds after the shield breaks, we will just have to trust that Rainbow is right and you can do it in that time with Luna's lights."

"Still though we can't just fly in..." Spitfire started, "the shield just broke it's still a danger to us," she finished along with Sunset who read from the notes.

"We know, it means you'll have to figure out a flying pattern to maximise safety and efficiency, can we get through this," Sunset grated. "I don't like this plan either, I only think it might work."

"Oh, YOU don't like it? Well to be blunt, I don't much appreciate being thrown into battle ether," Rarity chided. "But you, no YOU get to sit nice, and sheltered next to Celestia back in Ponyville while everything happens, while I a FASHION DESIGNER AM BEING PUT ON THE FRONT LINES!"

During this Sunset became visibly redder, and began shaking with anger. "NO, YOU SHUT UP! STOP BEING SO SELFISH, AND REALIZE WE ARE ALL RISKING OURSELVES FOR THIS! AND REMEMBER THAT MY COLTFRIEND WHO JUST PASSED OUT OVER ONE DRINK IS GOING TO BE STANDING RIGHT NEXT TO YOU ON THE FRONT LINES! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW WORRIED I AM!?"

The room fell into a deathly silence for half a moment, interrupted by a surprised Luna tripping as she re-entered the room causing the water pitcher she had been carrying to spill on her, soaking through her clothes making the contours of neko keyhole lingerie slightly visible under them, she luckily prevented much of the coffee from spilling however.

It was Sunset who was able to compose herself, and respond. "I don't even what to know anymore! Go get yourself dry clothes," she shook her head walking over to Luna, taking off her jacket.

"This is, it's not what you think I um these aren't mine! ... um I mean they are! No, auggh! Don't look at me!" The soaking wet confused Luna exclaimed trying to hide herself.

"Look Luna, I don't care. Take the jacket," Sunset insisted putting it down to bring the remaining coffee to the table. After she had, Sunset announced, "Everybody take five, I'm taking Luna home... That's not a literal five Rainbow Dash." Sunset then picked up Luna and brought her to a motorcycle the only vehicle aside from Celestia's car in the school's lot. "This has not been a good day for you huh?" "Well hold on tight," Sunset instructed handing her former instructor the helmet Vern would usually wear.

Once Luna had donned a new outfit and Sunset traded her wet shirt for a dry one luna pleaded, "Please don't tell my sister of this, I shan't believe she'd let me live it down for as long as l live."

Sunset playfully hummed for a moment before responding, "Well that sounds like fun, but I'll agree if you meet my demands."

"Thou wouldn't," Luna went wide eyed.

"Nothing much I just want you to get me a set of that lingerie... I think Vern is into it... besides it sure would surprise him," Sunset punctuated sticking out her tongue.

"Oh, is that all?" Luna asked full of hope.

"Hmm, well I'd also like to know what kind of secret life you're hiding from your sister." When Sunset said this the colour drained entirely from Luna's face. "However I'd imagine you really don't want to share that. Hmm, I'm not as good at this as Vern," Sunset frowned. "Well whatever I won't tell her, just help me prank Vern some time, OK?" Sunset smirked like a siren. Luna only nodded, relieved. "All right let's get back before a certain someone wakes up."

"Actualy Sunset I thinketh it best if you'd return without me."

"Alright," Sunset shrugged.

"Right so where were we?" Asked a half naked Sunset as she walked back to the chair in only the white lingerie she had borrowed from Luna pony ears still atop her head, same as Lyra who unlike her also retained her tail, reddening the faces of everyone, and everypony in the room including Sunset. "Luna dared me to, alright!"

"W-Wh-well it certainly emphasizes your... assets darling," commented an extremely flustered Rarity.

"Oh well thanks," Sunset replied half out of sarcastic embarrassment.

"There is a guy in the room you know!" Shouted Shining armor covering his eyes.

"Ya, I forgot OK, it was kind of an impulse decision!" Blushed Sunset. "Besides that you're married aren't you?"

"That doesn't mean I'm not a guy! Seriously!"

"This is stupid! ponies don't even wear anything most of the time, what do you have to get flustered over?"

There was a silence so void the outside world could be heard, from that room in the locked school during the weekend afternoon for a great deal of time.

It was eventually ended by Human Lyra who while playing with her tail asked, "So where are your clothes then?"

Sunset had to pause a couple moments to consider what she had done. "... At Luna's house... oh, oh no. This is not good," It became Sunset's turn to go wide eyed.

"Don't you..., um ride a motorcycle?" Lyra added.

"... I am so glad she lives so close," Sunset froze up a bit. "Right so um, where were we?" Rhetorically asked Sunset still half naked. "At exactly...,"Sunset consulted the weirdly specific prompts, " 23 seconds after the shield breaks, no matter what Vern, Rarity, Trixie, and the Lyras, or team V.R.T.L.L ... nope that sounds dumb, will be cued. ...I know you don't want to, but he asks that you join him as well as the ambassador to The Hive, Early."

"Nope. Not doing it. no offence, but he scares me; I'll stay with my hooves planted firmly on the ground thank you," Early shook off. "As my duty to The Hive I will spectate but no more."

"I am getting really worried about being up there with him now. Could I perhaps opt out as well darling?" Pleaded Rarity.

"Aw come on he seems like a great guy what are you three so afraid of?" Lyra asked.

"The Great And Powerful Trixie is also feeling apprehensive about this."

“let us know sooner rather than later," deadpanned Warlestia to Sunset.

"Whoo, alright I suppose you all have the right to know why Early and I don't want to see him fight." Sunset exchanged a glance with Early. "His talent, chains, that's how he fights; by turning his opponent's body and surroundings into chains to rip them apart with their own movement." After the coils of truth had been unraveled no one spoke for a solid minute. "Lyras and trixie won't have to see it as they are occupied with another task, Rarity, sorry."

"Well I don't see how he can expect something so barbaric of me."

"I don't either," Sunset replied. "Any way, they will enter from behind Cloudsdale to take their front lines head on." At the dumbfounded pause she added, "At this point I just roll with it, I don't know what he is thinking."

Shining Armor stopped her, "You had me, and then what!? One unicorn taking on trained warriors in the air?"

"Having seen him fight twice now, I think we'll just have to trust him. Can we just get through this?" After a round of agreement Sunset continued. "According to records from the past, there will also be back up close behind, whether ponies aided by ponies on the ground using modified weapons from this world, led by Flash Sentry, will be in charge of handling them. Actually sorry that’s scratched out; he wasn't able to get the weapons. The Lyras and Trixie already know their task. You can do it right?" Trixie confirmed that they could with a short nod. "All that's left is to wrap things up. For this part we need all the earth ponies back inside, while the pegasi stir up twisters on either side. Clockwise on the right counter on the left to funnel a forced retreat," Sunset announced.

"We won't have the wing power left available for one much less two," Flatly yet apologetically stated Spitfire.

"In that case we skip that part," Sunset quickly continued forgetting her semi-nudity. "The unicorns on the ground, along with now the earth ponies, will split into two groups. The first will provide support to Ver- Sunrise, while the second webs out to pick off bats who get around the rest of it. Weather they kill, or capture will be left to the free choice of the second team's members."

"The first team?" Warlestia dryly cracked in.

"I quote, "When Warlestia asks about the first team's options, respond 'Kill,' then pause for dramatic effect." so there you have his answer."

"Your answer," warlestia stared back rolling her wheelchair away from the table a slight bit..

"I," Sunset paused in thought, "I agree that it would be too dangerous to do otherwise. I don't like the idea of killing ponies but war, war never changes." Sunset turned the page and read,"the END GAME as it is labeled, is to capture Nightmare Moon if possible, kill her if not. He... we would like to end this with a first and final battle. If an alternative is unavailable Warlestia will have to accept what that means, but killing her is to be a last resort if she can't be captured or would escape."

"So, what is the capture plan then?" Vinyl interjected becoming tired of the pauses.

"Plan to capture, evil on the outside possibly still good on the inside moon butt. Warlestia and I put the sun back to its normal position, then help luna and Principal Celestia fight for the night... the words on this page are actually fight for the night. If we are able to get her to the ground... the rest, is scratched out|| I can't read it. There are no more notes after that and I only knew as far as the verse translated."

"Does he have a plan or not?" Scolded Shining Armor.

"Probably, he's just keeping us in suspense cuz he's a jerk," Sunset grated splashing a cup of water from the pitcher Trixie had refilled in the time while Sunset had been away, ignoring Shining's suggestion which went unheard. "When we capture Nightmare moon what's the plan?"

"Plan is Rarity. can I sleep?" Vern lazily droned.

"No, wake the buck up!" Sunset pulled Vern to his feet practically throwing him into the chair he had originally occupied.

"Whoh ok, I'm gonna get up!" Vern declared wiping water from his face to clear his vision. "Right uh the capture mission is admittedly not too well thought out yet but essentially I want Rarity to tie her up so she will fall far enough to be in range for the guards to put a bubble around her, bind her, and get a magic inhibitor on her horn. Oh unrelated but the Portal will be closed for a while after this, keeping it open seems to be having an effect on this world. I don't know what effect it might have on Equestria but it probably isn't good."

After a bit more unproductive banter, everyone began heading home. It wasn't till this time that Vern turned around and saw Sunset still clad only in white undergarments. "Oh, were you um, why are you naked?"

"I am not naked! just underdressed!" Sunset blushed thoroughly regretting her decision.

---------------------------Early Silence's POV--------------------------------

"Early Silence reporting in," Early telepathically reported to The Hive Once she had received a confirmation signal she continued, "The ponies new leader Sunrise has continued to say things that I am unsure of regarding practicality. He seems sure it will work. If they succeed as planned the bat ponies will be scattered without a leader."

"Do you, as the Changeling in the field have a suggestion for The Hive's movements during Ponyville's operation," Seemingly hundreds of voices buzzed as whispers in Early's head.

"I would not presume so highly of myself as to direct the queen."
"Hiss, as is your job tell us, where would be the best for The Hive to act." The same voices whispered.

"The most advantageous place would be to circle the outskirts of ponyville to trap them within to be sure there plan to end the war goes off. If they succeed the bats will be without a leader and we should be able to quickly crush what they have left, if they fail both other sides will be weakened without cost to our hive."

"It will be done," One feminine voice echoed.

"Vern, what are you thinking? you can't put ponies like rarity on the battlefield; she's a seamstress for Celestia's sake," Sunset paced.

"OK, if this is about Rarity she doesn't have to be up there ... I do need the other three though."

"Wait, that's it?" Sunset paused in disbelief.

"Yes. I would rather have her help me with this sewing, but I also wouldn't want any pony doing something they are against if they don't have to. She'll still have to fight in capturing Nightmare moon but she can keep her hooves on the ground."

"Uh, but wasn't she important to your plan?"

"Yes."

"So, what are you gonna do up there now if you are alone?"

"Work twice as hard? I'll figure it out," Vern laid himself across the sofa in Luna & Celestia’s house.

"Really?"

"Sure," Vern gestured for Sunset to join him, adding, "Cuddle?"

"Cuddle? Really, your gonna say cuddle?"

"Ya, why not? As ponies it seemed appropriate, besides look at you dressed like that."

Sunset becoming flustered responded hesitantly, "Well um, no th... this is just ... I was trying to ... um. We aren't ponies?"

"To what? I know you weren't trying to get in bed with me in that way," Vern rolled his eyes, "... Were you?"

"No, ... Not yet." There is still too much going on right now."

"... Are you worried that I'm still drunk? Aren't people supposed to get hangovers? Is this a hangover?

"No. I don't think you were ever drunk. I'll bet you weren't eating right when I wasn't around were you? You're not drunk just an idiot."

"Oh. That would explain why I didn't feel drunk. So, What's up with the underwear? I like it, but when did you get it? Also, where did your clothes go?"

"Uh d, don't worry about it."

"Hmm ... Luna?"

"H-how did you know?"

"That's it then! Something happened with Luna!"

"Sunset smiled and rolled her eyes, "I don't wanna talk about it." She sat down next to him, "More importantly, aren't you worried?"

"Very. Rarity won't be backing me up and I wasn't able to get the guns, apparently attempting to buy that many is suspicious ... that should have been obvious, the incident that happened the day I met you isn't being investigated, but I still worry about if it were that it wouldn't be too difficult to find me guilty and all of my recent suspicious actions especially with the investigators at my place since we disappeared, the portal is being closed as soon as this next fight is over, I'm not even sure if my abilities are enough even though I've been training with Zecora so much," He takes a moment, and Sunset stops him.

"You'll do fine. So far you've made miracle after miracle; I believe in you."

"Just one more miracle huh?"

Sunset remained silent but hugged him tighter than she ever had. After some time around 10 minutes had passed she sobbed, "I'm scarred."

Realising he was shaking vern responded in a whispered tone, "I'm scared too."

Imagine it, the battlefield as I emerged from the clouds. Shards of the old shield shimmered in the alternating colours of the sun, the dancing light of the moon, and beams of magic mirroring among them. Searing or puncturing holes when they reflected into skyward warriors. The wonderbolts and Royal guard expertly dodging the reflected bolts, knowing to expect them.

Some of the weather ponies as I later learned had been grazed by the fragments or bolts. The bat ponies on the other hoof had become disoriented with many of them being hit by magic from the orbs or caught between the pegasi trails falling to the waiting army bellow.

At once the battlefield was bathed in the blue light of the sun, and the moon made itself clear becoming a full red cratered disk rapidly growing to twice it's usual size. Lights flashed blinding the bat ponies in their path allowing the pegasi to split up the supporting flanks of the enemy. In doing so the still somewhat blinded and deafened Vanguard forces were directed to notice and focus their charge on me along with the giant image of an armored blue alicorn ridden by a spear and shield wielding armored human Celestia, borrowing some of the more fear inducing traits from Warlestia, hair flowing behind her as would her mane emerging behind me.

As the music of war kicked against the air and the earth, and the pegasi tightened the diameters of their circling, I closed my eyes to focus on that familiar tingling rush of magic that had transformed the everfree in to my web of disorder. I opened my eyes to the sight of a multitude of magics erupting from the ground engaging the forces who otherwise would have joined to support my targets. "Clockwork," I grinned unleashing my own magic just as the new shield formed over my new home and the pegasi begun the process of binding the circled flyers. The sky before us erupted into blood and gore as the remainder of the nightmare's advance became one entity, joined by bond of flesh, dropping tens at a time, pelting like living screaming hail upon the newly erected yet already cracked sky below me. The thick layer of liquid cascaded down the dome's surface like a chocolate fountain shimmering dully in the light of the lunar eclipse.

Never again would a mass frontal assault go unquestioned after this battles unbalanced outcome.

My magic reserves nearly exhausted I looked down to where Sunset was with a weak smile, "Sorry that's all I got." When I looked up there were only a handful of Pegasi in the sky, most having landed or fallen for treatment or with prisoners. What I hadn't expected however was to see Nightmare Moon herself charge me and fire a bolt of magic obliterating the chariot and another for the guards who pulled it. I had been flung too far to save myself, but close enough to chain the chariot back into itself so the others could grab hold and be brought safely to the ground. Just as I had, a sharp pain erupted through my hind leg as it was pierced by the Night empress' horn. When I twisted myself around she was knocked to the ground by a wave of fire. Another sharp pain sent shivers through my spine before my body went numb and through blurry vision the ground approached, was kicked up, and settled. At the time I didn't know the cause, but even after the dust from my fall settled, the world had dispersed into a purple haze. I can't be sure for how long but the world went dark and silent to my senses. When my vision had returned to it's blurry state before me was an armored figure passing in and out of my vision in irregular patterns comprised of smooth arcs and straight lines. As the figure grew closer her mane and fur became visible, both only a slightly lighter lavender than her armor. It was only when my hearing had returned with a sharp continuous buzz that her mane came into focus with the sound of whispered rhythmic chanting. The mare's mane was diligently kept, long with a slightly lighter streak of purple accompanied by a streak of pink.

An odd sensation overcame me in that moment threatening to consume my being, a sensation I had only felt lightly once before when Pinkie Pie had first approached sunset and I. This time however, the heart song's magic felt dark and stung as it rippled over my skin with the feeling of thousands of tiny legs like centipedes. Fighting this I forced the words of my assumptions from my mouth, "Twilight, is that you?"

"I was," she looked back in monotone.

Unable to fight the squeeze of the heart song she emanated I half sang feeling the magic enter and sting my insides as I did, "Come home Twilight, your brother misses you."

She, although visibly fighting it as I was, sung her melody, "I'm already home - Here in the darkness || A child of moonlight, daughter of pain || I'm already home, forsaken and alone || No pony needs me."

"Your family needs you now, go to them not to her."

"The family that abandoned me!" She yelled before returning to languish in song, "I failed them and they left me || Alone; cold in the dark || Alone I came to be and alone I'll stay!"

"Alone but not forever || come back to us twilight || out of midnight," The heart song's magic quickly adapted from songs I'd heard before.

The both of us harmonized in that moment, "to see the sun again,"

"Would make you happy." "Wouldn't make me happy."

"You can come back to us," I called.

"I can't come back || I'm too far gone."

"You can come back, your home is here."

Again together we sung, "I don't know you."

"No pony needs me || I'm already home."

"Somepony needs you, come and live in the light with..."

"With whom? You? I'm alone and at home || Here in the darkness || Soon you will be too || once your useless they'll leave you || as they once gave up on me!"

Breaking the song I managed to croak, "No pony gave up on you, even now your brother yearns for your return.

She however had embraced the melody of this dark night, "I can't come back || I'm too far gone."

"You can come back || Love is forever."

"I can't comeback || Trust is fleeting." Breaking the song she added, "As is your strength."

"Wait what," I gasped, choking on the dust still in the air.

Just as my senses returned to me and adrenaline faded, she was enveloped in the thick smoke like fog without another word. Mere moments after the song had left, the pain of my fall and the fact that I hadn't stood up hit me, my re-blurred vision showed me the path twilight had walked around me in a dull glow fitting to her colour. At first I thought it was a thing of my mind trying to piece together my last moments; that is until the lines glowed brighter and my muscles tightened such that I could feel them altering and crushing my bones.

I heard three feminine voices screaming as death knocked.

Fear set in as shadows rose. The moon turned black and swallowed the stars. There was nothing. The abyss. There was nothing, nothing but chilling dark.

"Orange."

"What?"

There was nothing and it faded. There was hope and it washed away. There was no hope and no nothing. Without nothing what was there but hope? Without hope what was there but nothing?

"Orange."

All else had fallen to dust and from dust faded to exist no more.

When I awoke all I could see was a white ceiling. I couldn't feel my body. I tried to look around but I couldn't make my muscles move. for what seemed to me an eternity I saw nothing but the white above me, hardly feeling my own erratic heartbeat that came with an indescribable numbness, the scent of sanitation chemicals, the taste of blood strangely gone from my mouth, and the apparent invisibility of my muzzle as I looked down and saw only a human nose where it should have been.

At some point I began to consider the possibility that I had been in accident, and made up the whole past few months, to seriously consider that none of it had been real, that in a moment doors I couldn't see would open, and human doctors would walk in discussing my survival to be some sort of miracle. I expected someone to try to explain to me what had happened that had put me into a coma while telling me I'd live but lose the use of my legs or something. To be honest though, my greatest fear at the time wasn't for my body or sanity; the thought that gave me greater grief than these was the thought that Sunset wasn't real or that the accident had been in the alley and she had been hurt as well. Did we step out of the light as the man who drove us home warned against? Had Twilight killed me? Had Nightmare Moon killed me? Was this Purgatory? Some sort of divine punishment? Just a dream that I'd soon wake up from, like a shitty movie plot twist? When I considered these things, I panicked, again losing consciousness, "There was nothing, and it faded," I whispered in my mind, as I let go of my grip on the world around me.

When next my eyes opened it became evident I was in a hospital room staring up at the ceiling motionless and numb again, it wasn't long however till I noticed this room was in fact different. In this room there was a surgery lamp above me rather than empty white, the ceiling was further away, the doctors who surrounded me were ponies, and I could see my muzzle again, though I had become no less Paralyzed. Three of them I recognized as nurses Tender Heart, and Red Heart, as well as Warlestia who was for some reason dressed in a nurse's outfit fit for her larger body. Warlestia was looking a lot healthier and less intimidating now, I couldn't tell if it was because of the outfit or that her fur had become more uniform in color, and meany of her scars had healed being less visible. Regardless, she could now pull of a look of concern whereas before it would've looked to be a scowl. The fourth was a doctor with a caramel coat and a brown mane.

I could hear, but none of them spoke for several moments. I tried but failed to speak or make any sound myself. The first to speak was Warlestia in an unexpectedly compassionate tone, "If you can hear me blink twice."

I did.

After a sigh of relief she relaxed her tense muscles and sighed again though she was too quiet for me to hear what she said.

"If you are in a lot of pain blink once, if you are in moderate pain twice, if none three times," the doctor instructed.

I gave the ponies a half worried half confused look with three blinks.

"Alright good I'm going to try casting telepathy magic, if it feels uncomfortable at all or hurts give me three quick blinks, and I'll cut it off," The scared giant winged horse comforted. "Blink once if you consent, twice if you don't" She instructed in her usual harsh tone.

I consented allowing her to light up her horn probing my mind. Though it was a bit discomforting both physically and mentally, I gave no indication to that fact. Soon I heard that same caring voice I had heard from principal Celestia but with a hint of Warlestia's harshness to it's tone, in my head.

"I should be in your mind now. how do you feel?"

It was odd to hear another's voice in that way. "I was hoping you could tell me actually; I can't exactly feel anything. More importantly," I continued before her voice could interject, "How is Sunset doing? I thought I saw her outside when I fell."

"Well it's good to know your memory is intact. Sunset is exhausted currently, but was not harmed while we were protecting Ponyville in that fight," She gave pause as her words left me happy, yet unsettled. "You on the other hoof, I'll be blunt, we don't know how to treat you. Anything you remember about your attacker might help, there have been ponies in similar states to yours, although none of them have woken up yet and most of them died by the time we got to them," She mentally whispered.

"I'm glad Sunset is well," I sighed through the mental link. "I'm not sure how much help I can be though."

"It's great that you're concerned about her, but now is really the time to think about yourself, honestly you two."

"Uh well, let's see, I did have a nasty fall huh?"

"That doesn't even begin to describe what must have happened to you, to be in the state you are," Warlestia Grimmised looking me over, turning away with a sick look before returning to her impassive poker face.

"She must've messed me up bad then if you look at me like that," I joked hopeful it would be something else like a bad dandelion in her sandwich or something, anything else.

"She? So you know who it was?" Warlestia's ears splayed back, "My sister had never displayed abilities like this before so..."

"It wasn't her," I cut her off.

"Well who was it then?" Her ears relaxed a bit wanting to pick up my words.

It might be best if I'm the one to tell shining Armor, or you, you know better than I the matters of his heart. Well, it was Twilight, his sister." Warlestia didn't reply, she just stared at me for the first time to my eyes showing an array of emotions quickly evened as they were. "I am sure it was her, without doubt, for she herself told me so."

"No," She verbally stated quietly with a dazed look in her eyes which remained for a considerable full three seconds. The other ponies must have been giving her odd looks judging by the way she semi-awkwardly composed herself. "This stays between us for now," She mentally resumed with a huff. "How did she... do this?"

"I don't know; I don't even know what it is she did to me."

"Well it won't be long before Sunset begs to see you again," Warlestia groaned her metal parts doing the same. Either way we all think you ought to know how bad off you are, and she thinks you will take it better than she did so..." Breaths latter she spoke aloud again, "Red Heart, Show him." The second alicorn nurse in the room, scoffed but complied, uncovering a mirror sized for Celestia, and tilted the bed I was strapped to into a position nearing on vertical so I could see what I had become. My mind was flooded with thoughts, and fears. Better I suppose to scribe what I saw than fill the text with more emotional ramblings than I have. The thing I saw in that mirror wasn't me, well it was but not anything like before or even something resembling a proper pony for that matter. Quite frankly Deadpool would be insulted to be compared to me at that time. Most noticeable wasn't the freshly changed bandages or splints I wore, nor the oddity of my clearly misshapen spine along with most of my remaining skeletal structure. Rather the most striking feature about the lovecraftian creature I saw in the mirror was the fact that there were black crystals protruding spontaneously from my body. on closer self-inspection, I appeared to have a multitude of thin tightly constricting snakes slithering slowly under my skin. I looked like... like Deadpool was attacked by the concrete user from 'Infamous 2nd Son' after fighting Wolverine to the death, injected with Gau'ld symbiotes too far matured for their own good, but was also a tiny pony on its way to be euthanized after surviving being hit by a tractor and a bull, then given surgery by a little girl who couldn't stop crying for the pony her grandfather had given her for her birthday. That description isn't based on a true story or a reference... thought I should go ahead and make that clear.

"Uh, um well that is, uh,... new," was all I thought spoke to the mind-linked goddess.

After a moment of silent reaction to my lackluster response, Red Heart re-cloaked the mirror. Warlestia cleared her throat before continuing her inquiry in thought, "So you say Twilight Sparkle did this? What did she do exactly?"

"As I told you I don't know," I then proceeded to recount the events of my fall, and interaction with Twilight.

"Ah," Warlestia stated out loud with a pondering look and begun to pace around the room. After awhile she asked everypony else to leave us to attend to other patients, and continued to pace in a regular methodical circle. "The Magic used on you is from before my reliable memory. I don't know what it is, but I can tell you, I never studied it. The only two I knew who did, lost themselves to it and became its embodiment at it's worst."

"So I'll guess this is some cliche scenario where normal magic won't be able to save me, and we need the help of some ancient god to turn me back, but it'll be in the form of some beast?"

"What would be common about that?" Celestia paused her pattern for a short moment.

"Don't worry about it. Is this that kind of thing?"

"I hope not. It looks like the problem is your magic. It has been thrown into chao... become confused. We could probably remove the crystals as they seem to be nearly pure magic, and are actually shrinking naturally to feed the worst of your problems. Your mussels are transforming into chains and constricting your bones. most of them are either broken or dislocated, lucky for you we got to you fast enough to get a magic dampener around your neck, and horn."

"Oh great now I have a magic collar on top of all this," I rolled my eyes.

Warlestia Tilted her head at that. Scary as she normally was, it was actually somehow kinda cute. Yes I called the partly metallic war horse goddess cute, in fact I did so telepathically. "Heh, you're actually cute when you're thinkin' ya know." She stopped moving entirely. "What? You are."

As warlestia stared me down, the door creaked open, and Tender Heart poked her head in, "Um, s- Sorry, but you both ought to see this."

Warlestia gathered herself again, and nodded to the tiny nurse pony. Opening the doors she rolled in two stretchers one after the other, with covered ponies on them. "What is it?" Warlestia scolded, clearly still set off guard by the declaration of her being toyetic.

When they pulled the covers from the stretchers, it was revealed that they were both afflicted with the same crystallization I was. Then the difference hit me, their crystals had fully formed into cocoons and were darker than mine.

"Cause of death, crystals, yes?" Warlestia asked.

"Um, well we haven't been able to analyze them yet, but it looks like the crystallization process finished for them."

Warlestia scowled looking over the cadavers. "No chains. No Magic," she observed.

"Wait, What do you mean no magic? Weren't the crystals feeding the magic?" I tellepathed to the horse goddess.

"Their bodies have no magic in them, only the crystals," she sent back.

“Um, it seems like they are still alive though, their bodies seem to be unharmed,” Tender Heart said.

“Curious, why different now?”

No pony had an answer.

"I've been wondering, why don't you talk as much out loud?"

"It hurts," She eventually confided.

"What does?" Tender Heart shrunk back.

"Crystallizing, seeing my little ponies like this, it hurts," Warlestia tried to snap but came off more as sad. "Leave us."

"Could the crystals be supporting me in place of bones?"

"What? hmm," She began inspecting me again. "Could be."

"Eer with all do respect, could you not walk around me like that, it's too similar to Twilight."

"And one of those in my filly-hood who practiced that old magic, who gave me the habit." She didn't apologize, but switched to a gated back and forth betwixt the cadavers and I.

"Well for now if we remove their Crystals they should be useful later if somepony can figure it out, I have some ideas to turn this to our advantage," I mentally suggested.

"Use them?" She asked beginning the process but soon stopping. "They are absorbing the Magic and growing."

"Even better," I would have grinned. "Let sunset in when she wakes up, this won't kill me... I think."

Warlestia remained silent for a while giving me a sideways glance. "It has been two years since then. I am curious though, what makes you think you will be safe?"

'"Something Twilight said has been bothering me. "Once you're useless they'll leave you too." Sounds like she expects me to survive doesn't it?"'

"Why?" Was her short as usual reply.

"Every being wants someone to connect with, someone to feel their pain as they have. She is no different."

"How then?" Warlestia set her cold gaze upon me.

"Presumably the 'chains' will need a constant supply of magic. If they are now feeding on the crystals then we may be able to wait them out and deplete both at the same time without killing me. After that regrowing bones can't be easy. I'm not expecting pumpkin juice," I clarified. "Wait two years... really!?"

"Who are you, that you can have such confidence, yet be as you are?" Warlestia muttered as she began to cut off the link covering the bodies to take them to another room.

"The Sunrise who loves the sunset," I said.

Following the concealment of the corpses, a moment was spent in silence as Warlestia bowed her head just slightly enough to retain regality, a palpable forlornness in the air. The still was broken by a slow nervous knock, to which Warlestia’s glow enveloped the door and it opened. A pony who although I could not see them sounded much like Tender Heart, announced that Sunset had arrived for visiting hours.

“Tell her to bring ‘it’,” The alicorn instructed the raspiness of her voice returning. “Also bring me my medication, I will stay here for a while.” The sound of the door closing could be heard soon thereafter, with it came the buzz of the psychic connection being re-established. “There is another option,” She mentally spoke, and paused. “We could implant what of you is left intact into a Cybernetic body. It is risky, you might lose your magic or worse your life, if we try. However…”

“However,” I repeated, “The same is true of my way.”

“Yes. Your body may never naturally heal leaving you permanently paralyzed, and in the other case it may reject the cybernetics. Both have the same risks in different ways.”

“I presume this ‘it’ is the cybernetic body you are offering?”

“Yes.”

“Then I’ll accept it.”

“Perhaps you should first see it, Sunset’s choice of design is, well beyond what I would consider odd.”

Were I able, I would have raised a brow at this. Warlestia severed the connection to stand in silence by the door. It wasn’t long till the sound of a cart being rolled towards us echoed in from the hall. From behind it came the sound of a single pony’s four hooves clicking against the tile at a pace suggesting an elevated heart rate. Each time in the cycle of hooves, one of the clicks echoed far more than the others, and louder than even the iron enforced forelegs of the princess. The sounds paused. The door opened. The sound of the cart’s wheels on the tile failed to resume, the gate of the pony behind me however came faster than before, straight to my side. Though I could not yet see her, Sunset’s voice was clear and recognisable in her relief. The cart rolled forward till it was before me, and Sunset joined it, soon followed by Warlestia. Sunset, had changed a lot while I had been out. Her right foreleg had been replaced by one entirely made of metal, her mane had grown long and uncontrolled flowing slightly in an ethereal wind similar to Celestia’s though by its nature to say that it danced in a flame that failed to lick upon it burns would be more accurate. Her expression though exited had become hardened, her irises seemed to give off a piercing glow that could see into my soul, and her face had been marked in scratches as it had the day we met. Between her lips she held a smooth rounded stick with markings about its surface which glowed a bright orange with her heartbeat, and occasionally flickers into, and out of flame at its end. “Welcome back,” She said in a voice unchanged from how I remembered it. “Well are you ready to see it?”

Feeling a similar however significantly, and in fact uncomfortably warmer sensation to Warlestia’s mental link, I thought, “Show me.”

“Well then here it is,” Sunset announced slowly pulling the cover from one side removing it from the giant bipedal cybernetic body which lay atop it. “What do you think? I designed it myself.”

“Well, I certainly didn’t expect this to be your taste,” I hesitantly stumbled as I glanced over the thin tan-white monster of a machine which lay before me a few times more. As I glanced over it I took in its every detail from the six boney fingers on each hand, to the plated armor which covered the body, to the mechanized talons of the feet, and back up to the skull like mask of the head, over and over again.

“Well, it’s not particularly cute, but it should be familiar, and effective. Besides it would still be you in there at the end of the day. Who knows, you might even be cool.”

“Sure, I’ll do it. It might be kinda fun to take on a body like General Grievous',” I mentally shrugged, secretly apprehensive. “Just as long as it won’t make me turn evil or anything.”

“He’ll do it,” Sunset told Celestia who re-covered the cybernetics, and wheeled them out of the room as she herself left. “Then we’ll do the surgery as soon as they are ready, if you are sure you want to do it. I- I couldn’t stand it if I lost you again. I know we weren’t together long, but losing you like that, those were the worst two years of my life. You’ll do something to make it up to me I’m sure, since you’re you. You can start by not dying on me again,” though she had changed in my absence she continued to, through her expression, and signage of her hooves as she spoke, wear her heart on her sleeve in her own way. She tried to hide it, but she cried. “Don’t die, I can’t lose you again.”

“You won’t, I survived this, I’ll make it.’’

“You better, We can’t leave that filly without a father after all.”

I took a moment before realising what she meant, “I’m coming home, don’t worry.”

“It was her idea, the big robot thing you know,” Sunset fought her tears.

“Tell Scootaloo the robot is cool, I like it.”

The conversation dragged on for some time as we entertained trivial points in no way related to the stresses of the world. We dreamed of life when it all was over, when we could retire from the fighting, and enjoy relaxing vacations every year, and raise Scootaloo in a peaceful world where night and day traversed the sky in a regular predictable cycle. Eventually visiting hours ended and we parted ways. Though I could hear the war in the distance it did not reach close enough to be more than a dull roar, unlike the uproar that came from within the hospital within which I had been detained by my condition. Each time soon after I would be brought the news of the triggering event. And each day without fail, Sunset visited and we talked until visiting hours were over. During this time I learned about the various developments in the world, and the destruction of the Everfree along with the mirror portal which trapped the other humans who had crossed here during that first fight, as well as Chrysalis’ betrayal which led to Early Silence taking the changeling crown.

It was four days before the transfer was deemed relatively safe to perform. On that fourth day, I was sedated, and my innards were removed from my pony body to be transferred into that of the cyborg. When I woke up again, I felt as if my body had gone numb, but more than numbness I felt for the first time what it meant to have a sensation of phantom limbs. There was a mirror before me, and I saw myself, I considered my body, and flexed my cybernetics. My eyes I was glad to find, had far more life in them than the source for that body’s inspiration. I remembered, and thought, splitting the two six fingered arms into four three fingered arms, and moved them about in the area I had been provided to adjust. Concentrating I willed the talons which had been based in those of the griffons to a flat footed position, and struggled through the rehab program to find balance, and walk. After examination, and surgical adjustment to the fluids allowed to my ears, my sense of balance returned. With additional adjustment to both the cybernetics and the way they interacted with my remaining natural body, I eventually made it through the basic rehabilitation, and could with assistance of a crutch, and somepony to watch over me, go about town in ponyville which had with the capture of Canterlot been removed from the front lines.

Sunset would often return with injuries she had lacked the last time we had talked, or with an old wound having opened up. Each day we could we talked about nothing in particular, and enjoyed ourselves. I had returned home, and worked hard every day to adjust to the body. No matter how much I worked the sense of my previous form, and an odd pain any time it rained never disappeared. I had in a little over a month’s time, which I’m told was surprisingly fast, but was nowhere near fast enough for me, I was declared to no longer be debilitatingly handicapped by the change, and was allowed to go home as long as I reported to the hospital for bi-weekly check ups, and evaluation.

While I was home, and Sunset returned to the battlefield, I played with Scootaloo and her friends everyday. Between Scootaloo and I we’d sometimes do art projects, which allowed me to work on my coordination and handling dexterity, while she had taken to designing alternate masks for me.

I had practiced every day with the body, which resembled now less than it had, the cyborg general, to return to fighting shape and studied ancient tomes which had survived in the canterlot archives. In these I studied a magic similar however fundamentally different from that which Twilight had used on me. Where the now self proclaimed “Midnight Sparkle” had walked in smooth curved patterns, this art dealt in straight lines, and geometry, this art of alchemy. During my months of at home rehabilitation, as I got used to the body I studied, and worked, and played. I had as I did, kept a journal of what I was learning, as I tried to make sense of the records which all dated from at least 100 years before Celestia, separating fact from fiction, with Trixie’s help to transcribe it, seeing as my current hands were not made for holding a writing implement. Admittedly, I lied in those documents, wording them as if I were still a pony though I doubt anyone aside from perhaps historians will ever read them regardless.

Having the tightness of the magic constrictions removed, my voice returned and I was able to learn to speak again, though more slowly than I used to.

Today is the day Sunset was to return from the front. For hours before the sun’s first light, I stood at the edge of town clutching the hoof delivered, wax sealed letter received two days prior in one of my six fingered claws awaiting the first sight of her since she had departed for the war only days after my return to consciousness and subsequent surgery had concluded.

Several interesting things had occurred during the time I had been inactive, including the reason Sunset’s leadership on campaigns had recently been in such high demand, and Shining Armor was sitting in the library drinking coffee ground from beans grown in changeling territory.

The thing currently holding my interest however was the consideration of how bizarrely the war had advanced. As is done in any war, several treaties and such things had been signed which clearly favor one side or the other, as well as those which at first glance grant equal reprise to all sides of a conflict, yet create a more chess-like strategic opportunity where even a commander who detests war, yet approaches it with a sound mind, and knowledge can lead a thirsty horse from water. In other words a game of supply lines and Blitzkrieg, a type of war Equestrians had never known even in the years predating the first Harthswarming. One such treaty being the Treaty of Rambling Rock which realigned the passage of time to its natural cycle of day, and night resulting from the presence of the principles which created a struggle over the heavens too great for either side’s wary goddess. Another which has come to be known as the Armistice of Holidays, was signed on lunar republic soil establishing certain holidays as periods of time, should the war drag on for years to come, during which neither side would take up arms against one another, or engage in any type of military action. Though tensions for such things remained high, they have provided times of rest, and a small sense of normalcy among the chaos of war for the average citizen.

Seemingly with the beat of the rising sun Sunset and her troops marched steadily as they rounded the crest of the hills to Ponyville’s north-western borderline pegasi and all marching back with heavy hooves and empty stomachs. When I saw Sunset cross that hill that morning, the dirt had become heavy and matted in her fur contouring her already defined muscles, as the sun's rays shimmered on her armor and the fragments of metal from sparking blades, sweat and shrapnel from explosions that had gone off near enough to become stuck in her fur and mane in brilliant morning hues while she nervously chewed the glowing stick clenched in her teeth. As she approached, the combination of her slow pace, eyes which had not been properly rested in weeks, and solemn demeanor nearly shrouded her anticipation of home and longing for safety hidden underneath the unflowing mane of split ends each of those who subsequently followed shared.

When she reached where I waited, Sunset more fell than leapt into my metal arms as she began to weep for the things she had seen, and that she had done and was to repeat again. The others as well found their family’s and the relatives of those who were lost passing on the hammocks and tent coverings turned body bags of those who could be retrieved. Once beyond the horizon the sun had hidden behind a gray sky, and that day like many before it, and many to come was one of homecoming juxtaposed with one of grieving.

"It was a lie Sunrise," Sunset shuttered "war changes, war always changes."

Looking around searching the faces of mothers who had lost their children under her watch, and command, I failed to find words worth the weight of the air filling my lungs.

"They have bombs, they have bombs," Sunset whispered shakily.

Wordlessly I held her in my cold arms, selfishly longing for the touch of her soft fur again, until she became calm enough to face the ponies who had lost their loved ones on the campaign.

"You've become dirty little bird, let us restore your colours."

While I rake the brush through her wet mane restoring it's hues from the collection of experiences she had come through she finally asks "why did you call me "little bird?""

"The little bird who flies too far gains too many colours and forgets its own. Never forget your orange of smiles."

"How could I smile now?"

"The sun still shines, the world moves on. When all else turns black remember what was and think ahead to brighter days."

"How lonely were you?"

"Yes," I reply.

With the graveyard of the battles washed from her fur her orange returned, I remember my smile. "Welcome home Sunset."

She continues to frown. "How could I smile knowing what's to come, and what I've done?"

"We aren't then nor there now. I don't like it either, but we are where we are, we have to find peace in ourselves to find it externally."

"What happened to the brash person I fell for, looks like the pot calling the kettle black to me, you haven't forgotten yourself have you?"

"No, only the pot who remembers is right to fear for the kettle who may forget."

She pauses and rolls onto her back as I had been rubbing her fur dry with a towel placing my hand onto her abdomen, "Remind me?"

"With belly rubs?"

"Ya."

"Ok? That just seems a little... Out of character."

"I'm not Early if you were worried you were holding the wrong girl. So who was I, remind me."

"The girl who showed up in another girl's underwear to..."

"Not that part! Jezz, what's wrong with you!"

"Oh, I had forgotten how good hands could feel!" Sunset exclaimes.

"Are you two alright? I could hear Sunset moaning from down here? ... Wait you weren't... Uh?" Shining armor stutters from the library below the stairs.

"W-what n-No nothing like that!" Sunset blushes.

"Unfortunately," I say descending. "So, about these explosives; do we have any insight on how they got them?"

"No, we know they are using an explosive powder of some sort. But some of the soldiers reported that Sunset seemed to know about it," Shining Armor replied with the slightest hint of suspicion.

"Yes we know that already, it's probably black powder or something similar to what exists in the other world. Grenades, and bombs aren't exactly new concepts to us..., but still where did they get something like that?" Sunset pondered.

"Mines," I suggested. "Explosives used for mining could be converted into weapons if equipment like that exists here."

"The yaks might; most of what they do is mysterious, but back when Equestria was whole we occasionally received noise complaints from ponies who lived up north. We always thought it was nothing more than cultural rituals, who would think to mine with explosions?" He suggested after thinking it over a while. "But the yaks are isolated by nature, they wouldn't consider trading with any pony."

"Unless that someone had something they had to have or wanted back. What do you think, Sunrise?" Sunset asked.

"Hmm ransom or trade huh? The only thing I can think of they could trade is prisoners of war."

Shining seemed to momentary grind to a mental halt. "Are you suggesting Nightmare Moon started a war with the Yaks, to trade their own citizens back in exchange for weapons?"

"No, not at all. I'm suggesting they could be trading ours as slave labor to the yaks." Shining Armor fell into silent introspection. "Well Sunset, and I are hungry so we're headed out."

Although I was now exceeding my height as a human, and metal, much of Ponyville had become accustomed to my presence, as well as the presence of the few changelings who had taken to regularly visiting. This in itself was odd, but more than this was the presence of changelings who more than visited our town, choosing rather to live here in their original forms since it had been found that they could receive ambient love by being around ponies enough, or sexual love though... well sex. Though most ponies remain against the idea of intercourse with the bugs, some found an efficient way to relax in the changelings’ ability to look like any pony.

The place Sunset, and I had come to was a small restaurant actually owned by a changeling offering a discount to couples who visited. The interior, and menu were oddly similar to Olive Garden back on human earth. Luckily, being anatomically an equestrian on the inside, I had gained a taste for most of what was there.

"So I haven't asked, what's with the cigar?"

"It's not a cigar," Sunset shortly replied before elaborating. "I found it in Canterlot after we took the city in what had been my chambers before I left to the human world. It's magic of some sort similar to what was used on you. It probably belonged to Midnight, but I've been keeping it with me as a good luck charm to remind me of you while I was out there. Also it's relaxing."

"But you're sure it’s safe?"

"Fairly sure, ya."

"OK then."

When the waitress arrives at the table with our orders we are surprised to see who it is. "Tooearly?" We both say with differing levels of disbelief.

"What? A girl's gotta have some spendin' money. Just kidding, I’m working here just for today, the experience might be good for me right? Any way I'd love to catch up, but perhaps after work. So two orders of the chef salad with a daisy sandwich?"

"Yes, thank you Tooearly."

"Did she seem different to you?" Sunset whispers.

"Very different, yes."

"Well that and she definitely didn't seem like some pony who would wear that kind of Hooters-esk uniform."

"Really? Mrs. Twin tails didn't seem likely to where that?"

"Wow, I don't know whether to call that rude, or a fair point."

I shrug.

"So with the surgery and all can you still... Well you know?" Sunset left her question open ended.

"If you are asking if I poop, why? But, yes."

"I..." She blushes. "Not that I mean, well even though we're engaged now we never..." she trailed off.

"Oh. That well miraculously, I can, but look at me. Would you even want to?"

"Not yet... I'll have to get used to you being like that... But it is still you so... I won’t say it's out of the question."

"If you are saying that because you feel responsible for what happened, don't. I'm the only one to blame for this. Besides that it's thanks to you I'm even alive, and I haven't been able to properly thank you for finding me, and giving me a new body so I can live outside of that hospital room; so Sunset, thank you."

"You don't blame me? But I convinced you to let Rarity stay."

"There is no saying she would have been able to stop what happened, things might even have been worse. You made the right call."

"How can you say that, with what happened to you?"

"I'm fine now aren’t I? Aside from not being a pony any more, but I wasn't to begin with. It took a while but I made peace with that. If Midnight had found Rarity instead, even if she had survived I doubt she would be as well off without her magic as I am."

"Oh."

"Can we not worry about that stuff now?"

"Right sorry... You aren't seeing other mares are you; you seem uncharacteristically uninterested."

"I can't believe you would suspect me of that."

She raises an eyebrow at that.

"Ok fine. I suppose it was a fair suspicion. But no I wouldn't do that."

"Not even with vice principal Luna or Tooearly?"

"I have you Sunny Bunny."

"Good 'cuz I love you, so you better not betray me."

"Of course not you’re my tiny tiger."

"Rawr :p "

Oddly enough some of the places her fur had been singed actually did almost look like a tiger's stripes.

"Oh right so those crystals that were growing out of magic from those of us who encountered Midnight Sparkle. They are pretty much entirely magic after all so I've been working on ways to use them. The black ones were different though, a more complete version perhaps; they turned out to be useless."

"Oh," Sunset loosened her magic grip on her fork momentarily. "So then you figured something out for yourself then?"

"Oh definitely, most other ponies can't actually handle them because of their property of constantly draining magic, I however," I flexed the fingers of one hand, "have a bit of a special case." Rolling that hand over and back in dramatic fashion with the small sound of shifting metal, revealed Midnight Crystals on my knuckles.

"Oh, well aren't you prepared? Be careful with that stuff I don't want to get drained."

"Heh, well right," I re-hid the crystal. "So Scoots gets off from school soon."

"It'll be good to see her again," Sunset sighed. "It’s still amazing to me that despite all the chaos Cheerilee kept teaching."

The soft pattering of the rain which had set my companion, and I to sleep persisted, stopping only late into the next night as gently as it had begun. The door had been rudely shattered, and the both of us roused from our slumber not hours before the guard who had woken us was, in a flash of purple glow, violently ripped from his reigns unbalancing the chariot which we fell from into the lush greens below.

With the other pilot speared by fragments of the cart in a cruel twist of fate, she, and I continued cautiously on our way. With each drop of rain the tingle of magic, each step in the soft sinking give of the mud a tinge of fear, every sound an enemy. we had gone some way in the dark, damp trek incurring upon ourselves the sum of unseen thorns.

Another flash. Purple. Orange. A cry dampened by the rain. Orange. Black.

Sunset cried out, and the foliage became ignited and was quenched in the rain.

From the darkness, a spear pierced her abdomen from a Celestia sized shadow. Her horn sunk into flesh, became dry with charcoal, the rain returned its moisture.

Hoof steps were loud and resonant.

Silence, but the gentle rain.

She cried, not words, but she cried.

Wrapping the metal giant in his sleeping bag she took it by a rope in her teeth and dragged him onward.

The city didn't sleep the night the rain fell.

In the dew of the night on higher slopes, frozen white amaranth littered the ground dying the red land in white soliloquies.

Her hooves dug in becoming red with the roses drowned in frozen tears, refusing wholeheartedly to give up her burden.

There she lay across from him, staring on, glittering green eyes warm among the cold. She went to sleep on the cold ground, unable to hear the sirens.

Black. White. White. White. White. White. This damn room again, everything was white. I realized my neck was bent back while the rest of me was upright sitting cross-legged. I was staring at the ceiling for no particular reason. My neck was very stiff. My entire body had been numb. I looked straight ahead and realized there was a door with a small window. Outside that window at first was nothing but bright whiteness extending what was already visible, but as my focus improved faint shapes could be made out. The view from the window was limited but there appeared to be at least one floor above mine. I surmised that I was in some kind of multi-layered structure with a hollowed out center and precisely equivalent rooms spaced about the walls of each with their simple unartistic boring railings. ”Am I not alone here?” I thought. The place seemed so lifeless I considered this unlikely. "Why white? Why is this world so boring?" Should I leave soon? A shadow passed outside the door. “It seemed to be a human like me, but wait… I’m a?” and I was a human.

This was odd but didn’t matter I couldn’t speak it seemed, so for the time being, I silently stared out the window. There was some kind of banging noise followed by the sound of pots or pans clattering on tile, but I didn’t care for it and it wasn’t all that interesting, simply contrasted with the rest of the nothing it stood out. When feeling began to return I knocked myself over to lay on my side and let the blood flow more naturally. It wasn’t all that odd that I was a human, I was supposed to be after all. At some point when I had given up on any sense of the time long ago another shadow came over the window. This one stopped in front of it. Click. The door opened. In the doorway stood a bearded human male holding a tray with some contents I couldn’t see. He showed the slightest interest that I had fallen over but made no move to right me. He put the tray down. I reached for it and rolled onto my front in doing so. There was food on the tray. It was clearly food, not some dull mush that could be food, but real legitimate edible looking food, and I wanted it. He scratched something on his clipboard. Had I mentioned he had a clipboard? He had a clipboard and he marked something onto it. I reached again and pulled the tray in front of myself. I sat up unsteadily. I ate it. There was chicken, there were beans, and corn, and potatoes, and they were good.

Virgil, I don’t know if his name was Virgil but I felt like I should call him that, Virgil put down a plastic cup with water next to the tray. He marked something again and the world went dark.

White. Black. Orange... no pink. Black. White, pink, blue. Gold.

Warlestia looked down at me with a frown just beyond a nonplussed glare. "No crystals." She had left my sight suddenly, and without warning, in the sense of abandonment I nearly failed to register her barbed tail scraping my face plate, and the not so subtle sound of iron on stone from her hooves as she did.

For hours there was nothing to my senses except the sounds of hooves outside whatever that room was. For hours Knives refused me, for hours I was alone, abandoned by the world.

Click, Clack, click, clang. Click, clack, click, clang. Click, clack, click, clang. Sunset. Huff, puff. A gentle nuzzle. "No more, don't you dare worry me like that again." The awful sounds of my own bolts and screws being changed were endlessly irritating, as Sunset remained silent until she was done. "Idiot."

"... Something is different?"

"No crystals."

Sure enough, there were no midnight crystals left in my body at all. "Well damn, why not?"

"I'm sure you can figure out what happened when you were hit with magic," she sighed.

"Oh, wait when was I hit?"

"They also finished your wings."

"My... wings... how? Wait didn't Red Heart say that would requi..."

"We 'found' a certain 'donor' on the way here."

As the events of the most recent night, I had been awake returned the reality of what she had done slowly dawned on me, and admittedly I felt ill for it. Sitting up to 'feel' for the wings and how they would move, Sunset's face finally came into my sight. "Sunny, I don't know if I should, but... uh,..."

"Don't. If this is about my face, you of all people aren't allowed to bring it up!"

"Well, alright? I was worried about you though?"

"Drop it," she stared into me such that I was threatened by her more in that moment than Warlestia had ever managed.

"Yes, ma'am!"

"Good." Sunset exhaled causing the rune wrapped matchstick in her teeth to glow again. "Wings."

With the great deal of effort, it took to concentrate while she stared me down, I eventually figured out how to open the wings that had been bound to my nervous system. Oddly though, they were neither Pegasus nor bat pony wings. They instead unfolded like the wings of a beetle. This felt gross, but I didn't dare say so.

“Good now lie back down so I can mount you,” she suddenly commanded,

“What, wait. What?”

“Cowgirl, lie down now!”

“I am confused, happy I think, but what are you doing?” I panicked as the far smaller equine tried to push my mechanical body back down.

“And I’m pissed off. So lie the fuck down unless you want me to make you ride me instead!”

“Wa, huh, I don’t? What the hell?”

“Look asshole, I am really fucking mad at you, and one way or the other you are gonna pay me the fuck back for dragging your ass here and help me de-fucking-stress, so lie the fuck down!”

“Wait, wait, you can’t, not with me this way, right? A-and it’s your first time, you don’t want this do you?”

“And why the fucking hell not? This self-deprecating bullshit is really pissing me off! You accepted my body so easily, why won’t you let me accept yours?”

“Fine when you say it like that, it sounds like a fair point, but that was already a fetish I considered, and you can’t have your first time be out of anger like this!”

“I won't lose again, I won’t! I Won’t! I won’t! I’m not going to lose you again! I’m not going to lose my home again! I’m not going to lose any more! I don’t want to lose! I Won’t! I Won’t! I Won’t! I Won’t! I Won’t! I Won’t! I Won’t! I Won’t! I Won’t! I Won’t! So, we are doing this now! Lie down!”

With great apprehension, I did. “D-don’t break me please.”

“I’ll loosen all your bolts if you don’t shut the hell up!”

It was another one of these mood swings, she had never been this bad before though. Normally it was kinda cute the way she would puff up her cheeks and pout, but this was only one thing: Terrifying.

Even though her teeth were those of an herbivore and my body was covered in metal, the fear that she might bite combined with her hot saliva made my heart race, and begged me to run. However much I wanted to escape her BDSM chamber I couldn’t, I couldn’t even move with her magic tightening each time I tried. Before long she had climbed atop me trying to bring herself down over her oral lubricant. ‘Trying’ because however much she wiggled and pushed her virgin pony pussy was just too tight, and her erection kept bumping against the still cold steel sending her back up in shivers. Admittedly this was pretty cute, and her expression was kinda hot.

“You’re too damn big, help me now!”

With the binds on my wrists gone, I did just that. I accepted my fate, grabbed her hips, and pulled her down. I felt a sudden thick moisture slide down my length, as tears formed in her eyes.

“OWW! OWW! AH! FUCK!” she cried painfully echoing off the walls.

Just then the door swung open violently as Warlestia’s voice entered, “Is eve… oh,” with that the door closed as violently as it had opened.

“Mom? THIS ISN’T…” Sunset tried to yell after her.

“I’m sorry Sunny I didn’t…”

“No,” she shook her head actually shaking her entire body instead. “Aoww, oww, ahh,” she fell forward. “I-I’ll be alright,” she cried wiping away tears with a hoof. “J-just give me a minute. ...That really hurt.”

“Sorry, are you alright now?”

“Yes, now shush, I’m still hurting down there. It is starting to feel good though,” She said moving her hips slightly. She tried to lift herself up once she was through the pain but fell back down again fighting tears a second time. She repeated this several times to the same pathetic result slipping on her own various juices. Pathetic as it was, her tightness and movement were such that we provided the finishing lubricant to slowly lift her from where she had been impaled with a loud moist pop. After that, she lie on my chest for half an hour leaking from the experience. “I was really happy when I heard you woke up you know.” She wiped away the last tear.

I held her in my arms, “I love you Sunset.”

“I wanna kill you so much sometimes,” she nuzzled my cheek. “Don’t forget I made you.”

The door creaked open. A rounded pink mare wearing a maid outfit pushed a mop bucket into the room, took the mop in her teeth as ponies do, and started cleaning.

“D- do you mind?” Sunset asked.

“No, no, es normal, this always happen,” the pink mare responded.

By the time the maid left the room putting a wet floor sign behind her, she had somehow changed the sheets and wiped down my shell as if it were an ordinary part of the room without a bit of reaction. Sunset, and I eventually got over this, although it never ceased to be uncomfortable as a topic, and got off the bed.

“That was... strange.”

“Eyep.”

“Oh, anyway, it’s lucky I remembered I had the gem Red Heart gave us. I suppose you don’t remember, but we nearly died out there, what could be so important we had to be rushed here?”

“I vaguely remember, but I’m not sure I want to.”

“Well, you need to. Did the magic that hit you feel familiar?”

“No,” I said after a period of contemplation.

“Hmm, it didn’t for me either.”

“So what?”

“So, either we are wrong or that wasn’t Midnight Sparkle in the forest.”

“Sure, I don’t see your point?”

“Somepony else knowingly ambushed the two of us and two armed guards with only one companion.”

“Oh, right that does imply a problem.”

Being doubly sure we were both clean and freshly scented with soap first, we headed towards the part of the castle that sounded the most chaotic.

“Warlestia we… “ Sunset shouted as soon as the mare was in view after throwing open the mess hall doors. The room was as its name suggests, a mess littered with streamers, and confetti from poppers the party going ponies present popped startled at the sudden entrance. Even being her a recognizable look of surprise overcame Warlestia. A large banner was on the floor being painted by a couple of pegasi which clearly intended to congratulate Sunset on her first time upon its completion.

“Uh, what?” Sunset and I said together.

Warlestia’s one good eye shifted as if looking for some way out of explaining things. She sighed. “Other me would have?”

“I really don’t know what to think about that. Seeing as that didn’t happen until only hours ago this isn’t why we were called here so suddenly I presume?”

Warlestia stood silently for a few seconds. “Punch?” Punch,” she pointed to a pony who went to fill cups at the punch bowl. It was at this time I registered that none of the ponies present were from the royal guard. No one spoke we simply stood there awkwardly blinking at each other until the punch pony returned, and Warlestia had drunk her entire cup.

Sunset looked at the punch in her magic grasp, at Warlestia, back to the punch which began to stir glowing with her magic. “The punch is a truth serum,” Sunset said with heavy disappointment. She and I put our cups down. “Really spiking the punch? That’s what you’re going with?”

Warlestia shrugged bringing herself to sit on the same princess sized recliner which had appeared behind her in Ponyville so long ago and appeared again now.

What was the thing so urgent we had to be retrieved during the night?” I repeated.

“Cadence,” Warlestia began, allowing her tiredness to show. “Midnight crystals, cadence is dead.”

“That’s terrible! But what can we do about it?” Sunset asked.

“Nothing,” I replied moving forward bringing the cyborg-ish princess into a hug. “We are… or rather you were called here for emotional support.”

I learned that day that not only do they bleed, gods cry too.

Cadence Mi Amore Cadenza, the oh so perfect mare who used to be my foal sitter hangs there chained in that dry quiet cell. She hangs there full of holes where her stupid alicorn magic has become crystals, still with the moisture from her most recent cries of agony rolling down her cheeks. She deserved it for abandoning me. They all do. Yet somehow I feel a pain in my chest, as that old rhyme comes to mind. "Are the ladybugs awake now princess?"

A drop of water lands at my hooves. "Strange, there shouldn't be any leaks near me?" I throw up a magic umbrella so no rainwater could fall on me; even a talentless pony like me can do that much after all. Another droplet falls, and another after that. "Strange." I raise a hoof to wipe my eyes of the illusion. Instead of removing the drops on the floor, however, the fur of that fore hoof becomes wet and is accompanied by the sting of salt where brambles had caught.

"How is it princess, to have some pony whose only Celestia recognized talent is protecting ponies fail to protect every single one? How is it brother, to abandon every pony at Celestia's word? How is it, to know you failed her like I did like you failed me? Weren't you supposed to protect me? Wasn't I supposed to be the most important pony in your life? Just because I can't hatch an egg am I not good enough for you? Because I'm not a princess? Because I'm not pretty like her? Why wasn't I good enough? Why do I still love you, Shiny?"

The ground had cracked at some point, and more water had collected on the ground. Looking up with a quick scan spell there still wasn't a leak anywhere. Looking to the cell on Cadence's left the pony who shares a name with the one I rid myself of, Twilight Velvet, is encased in crystal. "Now that both your children have failed Celestia's expectations will she leave my brother in the streets like you did to me? Or will she hold him to a double standard; you always did like him more didn't you, all of you? Oh look at Twily so worthless, look how she can't do anything right. Isn't it cute how she tries to be like us? Don't worry Mom, Dad, Cadence; Shiny should be joining us soon. Then we can all be together forever. Isn't that great? You will never leave me again, you will need me." I look into Cadence's eyes which are full of hatred and fear. "Oh, what's that look for? I said Shiny will be here soon, I just barely kept you alive for this after all." It seems like she is trying to struggle. That is impossible of course with her body becoming encased in crystal as it was. "Don't worry your cocoon will finish growing soon, then that pretty face my Shiny loved so much will be preserved forever. Once Shiny joins us we can all be together forever; even Celestia won't be able to make you ponies abandon me again. Then I'll add her to my collection too, and Luna, and everypony else, then no pony can leave me again!" I thought about leaving but turned back to look Cadence over. "How fitting it is to have a mare with the Crystal Heart on her flank heartbroken and trapped in the very thing that would have given her worth in Celestia's eyes."

Atop the spiraling stairs and through the halls, I step hoof outside. Glancing down at the smoky black giant beneath the ice I frown. "If only you hadn't tried to kill me." I looked around again at the grid seared into the ice above the monster and the crystallized sculptures of the ponies it had commanded and other strange creatures that had gotten in my way. The draconequus, the dragons, these foolish wendigos that thought themselves above me were now no more than beautiful decorations in my game. Though the draconequus had shattered as soon as I had sealed it.

"You ponies wouldn't underestimate me so much if only I had a... If I had a Cutie Mark! That's it!" I turn and trot back down the stairs singing, "Oh sister Cadence! Oh, precious sister of mine! You've got a little something that belongs to me!"

Inspecting a scalpel I determined it's sharpness to be more than adequate, just perfect really, and gleefully trot over to the mare in question who begged me with her eyes. "Oh don't worry, you get to be of use to some pony now. Isn't that wonderful?" I continue to sing in decrescendo as the first incision is made. A hard breath from Cadence, as I withdrew the scalpel makes me wonder, "did you want to sing too?"

I loosen the crystal growing around her windpipe allowing the full flow of air to and from her lungs allowing the full volume of her wonderfully pained screams to rise and fall naturally as they echoed in the room. "Almost done," I tell her carefully carving around the edge of her cutie mark sure to exclude any of the pink surrounding it. Her panting and crying become regular as I step away to deposit the freshly removed mark. "See that wasn't so bad was it? You did well to stay conscious the whole time. Now, this might sting a little, but we wouldn't want that getting infected now. You have to be here for my Shiny when he gets here after all."

"Twilight, how co, agh!"

"Shh shh, everything will be just fine once I sanitize the wound and stop the bleeding. So settle down for now." Her crying once more settled to a whimper. "Good job Cadence, just one flank left now, I should give you a treat! How about a lollipop for being such a good pony? Doesn't that sound nice?"

"You, you're sick, take my other mark, but don't, not Shiny, Twilly, not Shiny, not Shiny!"

"Oh, and here I thought you loved him! Even though you're supposed to be the princess of love, you don't even want to be with him forever?" Her insistence on interrupting me becoming a bit too often for my liking I re-close the crystal just enough that she couldn't make enough sound to bother me. "Well whether you do or not, I still love my Shiny, so he's up next to join us. Then we can be together forever, isn't that just perfect?"

Making the incision Cadence begins to scream again. This time the screams are far more pleasant and shallow. "Oh, these screams are nice too! You are such a good pony Cadence, I look forward to our eternity together."

"Alright, that's it," I smile at my foal sitter.

"Why?" Cadence asks.

"Oh? Well, I stopped because I already have your cutie marks, that was all I needed from you for now. But if this is what you like, I could go for some cute pink saddlebags. First though, my new Cutie Marks." I bring the two cut outs to a sink and make sure they are completely clean. Then I dry them and make a stencil for each. After that, I carefully trace them onto each of my flanks and ready the scalpel again.

Very much being the type to do things in order, I prepare the area for surgery and go up the stairs. "I never liked you two much, so you can be my sacrifices." I lead the former crystal ponies I had just unbound to the stairs to the lab and push them down when they resist. "So you two, what's the story here? Are you special some ponies?"

"Yes," the yellow mare stutters. "Where are we? I I'm not going to die, am I? Please, I'll tell you anything you want to know!"

"Oh? You are a fun one. It's a shame you have already been selected as a subject."

Following his lover's gaze the stallion's eyes fall on my family. "We we won't be tortured like them right?"

"Tortured? No, they aren't being tortured? Oh, of course, I should introduce you! So although they won't be with us for long, Mom, Dad, Cadence This mare is lemon Sweet, and this is her colt friend, um what was your name again? Well, it doesn't really matter since you will be dead soon after all. Hmm? You look like you want to say something mom? But, you know you lost your speaking privileges so it simply can't be done."

With the crystal ponies in their circles I lie myself down on the operating table and check the enchanted mirrors to be sure the operation can proceed smoothly, apply the anesthetic gel to my flank as passing out mid-operation wouldn't be good for any pony, check the instruments one last time, and finally check the last item on the preparation checklist as the tingling numbness kicks in. There is a satisfying feeling in my flank accompanied by an equally satisfying sound as the blade pierces it. It hurts a lot of course as I knew it would, but there is also something strangely pleasurable about the foreign entity penetrating my skin with the tingling of the numbing agent.

I trace the stencil line with the blade invoking a variety of other tools like I remember the dentists would during every visit of my foal hood. The next part was to sever the skin layers from the muscle and nerves. This, no pun intended, makes me very nervous, needless to say, I am too far in to back out now. "Well every pony, wish me luck." I take a moment to breathe and find solace in that if I were to black out from the pain and bleed to death the magic keeping the others in the room would kill them to keep me alive until either I could finish or we would all die together. I now realize my previous line of thinking is pointless since another set of runes would prevent me from passing my pain threshold anyway by pushing it onto the stallion and mare, my newest friends. Mom did say friends are ponies who share after all. I lift a towel into my mouth and bite down hard having learned my lesson from the initial cut out.
Now with the utmost care, I slide an instrument under the cutout section glancing in amusement as the stallion collapses in a pool of his own vomit. Sliding the blade under it I separate the final section of skin from my flank. I put down the blade and carefully apply the appropriate chemicals to stop the bleeding along with the now sticky hoof between my thighs, allowing myself to convulse in pleasure from the experience. Noticing her stare I call out to Lemon Sweet ordering her to stand at the far end of my operating table. She complies moving with her circle. With her standing there I open my legs to her and remove my hoof.
“I made a mess, would you like to clean it up, Lemon sweet?” When she stood there, mouth agape I reminded her of her position using my good leg to strike her. “That wasn’t rhetorical. When I make a request you respond with, “ yes, I’d love to.” Let’s try this again. Would you like to clean the mess I made?”
“Y-Yes Mistress, I’d love to,” she answered with an obviously forced smile.
“Oh? Well, I might have to keep you around for a while, let’s see how good you are.”
Hesitantly she begins by licking my moist hoof until the only moisture remaining is a thin mixture of sweat and saliva. Without my having to say a single word she releases my hoof with a final kiss dropping her head to plant a sequence of, while nervous, light playful kisses. At just the right time, as if she already knows before hoof exactly what I need, she switches to deeper more passionate kisses hardly allowing her lips to leave my fur as she slurps up every last drop of my sticky liquid.
Coming up for a gasping breath she asks, “Shall I… continue mistress?”
“What a good pony you are, I’ll have to reward you somehow. Continue.”
And she does. She penetrates my expectations with a series of her deepest most passionate kisses yet directly on my lower lips even adding a little tongue action into some of them perfectly finding and hitting my pleasure spots. “Lemon!” I call out. To this she buries her muzzle further in sending her tongue into places and in ways, I never knew any pony could, sending another shivering climax through my body squirting all over Lemon Sweet’s muzzle.
She licks her lips with a slightly less forced smile. “Thank you, mistress.”
“L-Lemon, do you… have you done this before?” I ask.
“N-No mistress, I wouldn’t dare put any pony before you,” her eyes dart to the floor, then to the stallion who stared at her wordless and heartbroken, then back to the floor.
The lie was obvious, but I play along. “What about that stallion? Didn’t you say you two were together?”
She twitches nervously casting quick glances about the floor between her hooves. “We-We were together, but… but I, um, I never loved him! I-I only have loyalty to you mistress!”
Wanting to watch the mare in an even better state of suffering, I grasp a metal rod in my magic passing it to the mare who grasps it in her mouth with a beautiful expression of utter confusion until she drops it in the realization of what I am going to ask. “Prove it; break his hind legs.”
“Y-Y-Yes, mistress, I-I’d love to,” the defeated mare sunk giving the rod a test swing.
Closing her eyes she takes her first swing. The rod swished through empty air. She readies herself for another swing, and he braces himself to receive it wondering if she ever had feelings for him at all, but afraid to ask. She swings again falling forward. The rod lands squarely on his wing instead, instantly shattering the bone leaving it to hang limply at his side as he falls again into his pool of regurgitation
“Lemon?” He cries lying there struck with the truth of what she had done. “Did you ever…”
“Apologies mistress, I failed, w-would,” she takes a sharp breath, “Would you permit me another chance?”
I nod.
“Thank you, mistress,” she bows shaking. “St-Stand up!” She orders the stallion.
“Lemon, did you…”
“Get up, she repeats although tears are visibly welling up in her eyes.
Seeing this the stallion brings himself to his hooves again. “D-Do it, do what you must.”
“I don’t need your approval to obey my mistress.” Lemon Sweet once again takes up the rod, knowing full well from the previous strike that they would both be feeling every strike.
“Well Lemon Sweet, I’m waiting,” I encourage in a facade of irritation.
She quickly brings down her second strike, the third, the fourth. The stallion collapses after the third, but she persists in a fear-fueled frenzy even after the eighth strike had broken his hind leg, and hers had given out, she persists until the both of his legs reach an irreversible state of mushiness, eventually dropping the rod to slam her bare hooves into him instead crying all the while.
“That’s enough Lemon, well done,” I interject stopping her from making any more of a mess with the limbs which had burst open in several places. “Check his pulse.”
“Yes mistress, thank you, mistress.” She put the frog of her hoof to his neck and announced, “he is alive.”
“Good,” open the box over there,” I command.
Lemon Sweet opens the specified box and shivers from the cold air emanating from inside it.
“Take the ice pack in there and put it where you were struck.”
“Yes Mistress, thank you.”
While she rests I fit the appropriate cutie mark from Cadence into place on my flank, and we watch as the circles glow melting the stallion into a black ooze which rushes into the runes around him. At the last moment he regains consciousness, gasps for air as his lungs dissolve, and casts a last pleading look towards Lemon Sweet, before losing consciousness again, and fully dissolving except his skull, eyes, and brain as the cutie mark merges with my flesh as if it had been there all along. Lemon Sweet turns to me with a clearly forced smile and wet eyes.
With my leg now sore but functional I roll off of the table, and sit next to Lemon Sweet by the ice box.”It’s strange, I have a cutie mark now, but I hardly feel different. Just a little sore really. Why do you think that is Lemmon?”
“W-Well I think it looks great on you, You did a great job mistress.”
“Tell me, what do you really think, don’t force yourself. I won’t punish you for it.”
“I-I, well I am terrified. Everything today has been an awful horrifying experience, and I don’t know what to make of it, but I really don’t want to die, I just really don’t want to die. Oh, but I-I really do think it looks good on you,” she awkwardly smiles shrinking away.”
“Do- Do you really?”
“Y-yes, I don’t want to remember how you got it, but I really do think you did a good job mistress.”
“So, then, are you saying that this kind of magic is what I’m good at?”
“Amazingly good at it! Sombra- the shadow king you defeated had some similar looking things around, I think it might be how he got to be as powerful as he was. Since you beat him and from everything I’ve seen, magic is definitely your talent mistress,” Lemmon frantically grasps for follow-ups to her words.
Contemplating this I feel a tingling sensation on the opposite flank from the one with cadence’s mark on it.
“Mistress, your Cutie Mark! Your Cutie Mark has appeared!” Lemon shouts when I get up to inspect it.
Right there on my flank is a new cutie mark, a six pointed crimson star overlaying a silver one surrounded by a deep purple sun motif. “M-my Cutie mark, after all this time. I have a cutie mark of my own. I finally have a cutie mark all my own after all this time!” I jump excitedly in a circle, while Lemon doesn't know what to make of the whole situation. “Lemon Sweet, you wonderful pony! It’s all thanks to you I finally have my own mark! Thank you so much!”
“Uh, oh no, I- I couldn’t possibly take credit,” Lemon shifted her gaze frantically.
“No really! Thank you so much, Lemon! This is the best thing that has ever happened to me! My mark, I finally have it! It really is thanks to you Lemon sweet! What kind of reward can I give you? Oh, I know! You can’t exactly leave this room with that circle around you huh?”
I trot with a new giddiness over to cadence and remove a strip from her leg, clean it, and draw new runes onto it. Then I draw runes on the floor involving two circles, I put the strip from Cadence in one and the skull in the other. Activating the circles the skull fully dissolves completing the process of turning the strip from Cadence into leather. I then fashion the leather strip into a cute pink collar necklace. “ Here Lemon put this on.” She lets me put the collar on her without any resistance. “Cute, do you like it Lemon?”
“Y-yes, I love it.”
“What’s wrong? You don’t really like it do you?”
“No, no I do, I do! It’s just that I am literally wearing a part of another pony right now.”
“Oh, well when you put it that way, but look!” I turned to emphasize the part I had taken off of the same pony. “Now we match!”
“Yes, mistress.”
“Oh come on Lemon we’re friends now right, you don’t have to call me mistress if you don’t want to.”
“Oh? Wh-well what should I call you then?”
“Since you helped me get my cutie mark I’ll let you use my given name, call me Twilight, Twilight Sparkle.”
“We- we’re friends?”
“Well, we did just go through all that together, right? Oh sorry, The circles are still active! I’ll disable those right away! With just some hydrogen peroxide and hard work the blood and magic will be all cleaned up in just a moment.”
“Oh, well, th-thank you mistr- Twilight. What now?”
“Now? We, I don’t know. Let’s go up and find a way to celebrate our friendship and my cutie mark.”
“Oh, yes that sounds good,” lemon adds relieved.
After walking for a short while, we come across a small cabin. “Here we are,” I announce.
“Do you live here mist- Twilight?”
“That’s right, you didn’t think I lived down in that dungeon did you?”
“Umm, well your family is down there so, yes actually, how silly of me.”
“Oh! No, that wasn’t a bad guess then. Come in,” I say holding the door open. “Are you hungry? After all that time in the ice you must be right?”
“Oh um, well I am, oh but I wouldn’t presume to…”
“No no we’re friends now remember, and friends are ponies who share.”
“Oh well then, um, th-thank you for your hospitality Twilight.”
“Let’s see how about some hot cocoa to start with and warm us up by the fire?”
“You know Twilight, I was scared for my life when you brought me out here, and I honestly still am, but this is nice,” Lemon said sipping her cocoa.
“Ah, thanks, Lemon, I’m glad I get to show some pony this side of me too now, it’s been so long since I’ve had fun like this.”
“Hug it out?” Lemmon suggests.
“That sounds good, let’s do it.
And we two live happily for a while, me running my daily rounds and coming home to lemon so we can play and relax together before the fire to forget our troubles.

Sometimes when Twilight is here it's easy to see her smile and listen to her talk lovingly about her family; I occasionally find myself smiling back, forgetting what she did and what she made me do. Twilight is still doing those ghastly experiments of hers; thankfully I am far enough away and can't hear any of the screaming.

Nopony else has come home with Twilight since I did; I am very lonely, but I suppose that shows since this is far from my first entry in you. Oh on that note I suppose this may seem weird, in fact, I find it unsettling, but as you know... or I suppose you don't since you are a diary, nothing more than a collection of pages? I hope Twilight doesn't find you. Right so as you know Twilight and I have been in a sexual relationship for a while now; I'd like to think I would choose any other pony if I could, the problem is, at this point, I can't say for sure if I would. Even though I can feel myself shaking and becoming submissive at the thought of her, even though I want to hate her with everything I am, I can't bring myself to hate her at all; I even pity her. It's a terrifying thought, but I think I've actually become entirely dependent on her; I've actually come to appreciate being in captivity. This life isn't all that bad actually; yes I am living in constant fear of my only living companion, but recently that fear has been easier and easier to forget about. I think I might actually be falling for her, like in an actual romantic way. That's weird, right? I shouldn't be able to fall for some pony who made me mangle the pony I previously loved, some pony who killed him in such a gruesome way, and has made me wear a part of her own living stepsister around my neck every day; I'm even wearing her right now. Even still she is, how to put this? She is... she's cute; in a weird sometimes creepy way, she's cute. She just has these moments where she seems so innocent in the face of her actions. That reminds me it's hearts and hooves day today.

Just yesterday she did one of her weird things actually. So, what started this off was that I heard a knock at the door, which was weird because Twilight has no sense of privacy whatsoever. Anyway, it was her at the door of course, or I suppose saying, of course, isn't right. In the time I've been here no pony has come anywhere near us from the outside, but Twilight has given me instructions for if a messenger pony comes looking for her.

Anyway, it was her, but rather than barge in as she usually does when I opened the door, she stood there with her head down shuffling the fresh snow around with a hoof. Weird right? But it gets weirder. so for the next couple of minutes, she just stands there fidgeting unable to look me in the eye; she stuttered out some words but they were so jumbled I couldn't make heads or tails of anything she was saying. It wasn't until I built up the courage to ask what was wrong that she looked at me. Honestly, a large part of me was hoping she had realized how messed up her hobby is. What she said, however, was, "well tomorrow is Hearts and Hooves day um so, I, I brought you something, i-it's a little early, but I hope you like it." She then fumbled through her saddlebag and pulled out a disgusting mass of meat.

Obviously, this was beyond weird, so I responded the only way I could think of, "Twilight, what is that?"

"Well it's almost Hearts and Hooves day so I thought, I thought since you are my special some pony I should bring you a heart. That's not bad, is it? do you not like it?"

Can you believe that? She brought me another pony's heart as a gift thinking I would like it!

"I know you don't like the sight of blood so I drained it for you," she smiled the most innocent filly's smile.

"Twilight, I, I appreciate the thought, but, well you can't just bring me an actual pony's heart," I tried to let her down gently.

"Oh, but I read that on Hearts and Hooves day special some ponies are supposed to give each other hearts?"

"Twilight!" I resisted putting my hoof to my face, "Paper Hearts, not real hearts from other ponies! How did you even make that mistake?" I know I know that was a little harsh, but honestly, she brought me the actual heart of a pony who was probably alive less than a day ago for the sisters' sake! Oops, I'm not allowed to say that anymore. Honestly though, who does that?

Anyway, she was crying now; way to go Lemmon, you made literally the only pony in your life cry.

"Twilight I'm sorry." I didn't dare touch the gross lump of pony she had dropped, but I gave her a squeezing hug. "I'm sorry I shouldn't have yelled at you."

Anyway, she calmed down and we spent a rather lovely afternoon together making proper Hearts and Hooves day decorations.

It's getting late now, but Twilight isn't back yet. I know I should be excited about my potential freedom, but most of what I really feel is worry.

She could be back any moment now, so goodnight for now. <3

21: To give one's heart

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

22: Are you my Shimmer?

“What’s going on?” Sunset asks catching up as I revert to standing bipedally rather than scuttling on six legs morphing my four arms back into two.

“A monster, the voice was Twilight’s but that was a monster.”

“Hell of a Hearts and Hooves week.”

“We ain’t in Canterlot anymore,” I say gazing around at the vast caverns and crystal pillars Sunset and I had stumbled into after taking shelter in an unassuming cave far north of the Foal Mountains.

“I don’t think it will take us to Kansas either, What do you think all this is?” Sunset tosses a pink heart-shaped trinket my way.

“I don’t know, it wasn’t in any records. The ursa guarding the cave was in the notes of several of the alchemists I’ve been studying; Crystal Myth wrote about anomalies in his readings, but didn’t want to tango with the beast.”

“So, then we’re the first ponies in hundreds of years to see any of this?” Sunset runs her hoof over the carvings on a faintly glowing pillar.

“Probably.”

“Unless Twilight had, you still don’t know how her magic works do you? This place could hold secrets to it.”

“No, I don’t think she's been here.” I set down the trinket on its pillar. “Nothing seems out of place.”

“She could have cleaned up,” Sunset suggests.

“The Ursa Major was still out there, we would know if she fought it.”

Sunset glances over my frame. “Right, you’re right.”

“Still this is weird. No, pony has ever been in here in all of recorded history till now; it’s probably the oldest structure in Equestria then.”

“Well all that studying bores me, so I’m gonna go look for treasure.” So she does.

“Ouch!” Two voices call out in the dark.

“Sorry I…”The first begins but stops when the light from their horns illuminates the other’s face.

“Sorry, I … Wait a pony, there shouldn’t be any pony here?” The second says.

“Sunset, what happened to you?”

The pony he called Sunset steps away from the gray pony with a purple-gray mane of bed head who smells heavily of sweat holding a concerned gaze over her whole.

“Who are you?” She asks clicking her metal hoof feeling for stability on the limestone.

“Grimoire? I’m Grimoire Dusk. You know, come on Sunny, what the hell happened to you?”

“Hell? No wait that isn’t right hell isn’t a word a pony would use?” She mumbles. “I got it!”

“Finally you remember, we only came in here what half an hour after Sunrise? So Sunset, it’s only been a few minutes since I saw you but you, you, What happened?”

“No I don’t know who you are, but you must be an illusion created by the magic here. … Sunrise! Oh no, where is he?”

“I’m sorry who?” Grimoire calls running after the Sunset who’s light was fading.

“I’m not that fast Sunny wait up!”

“Who are you? I have to find Sunrise!” Sunset suddenly turns on him, giving him a proper view of her face for the first time as the rune wrapped pocky like bar between her lips illuminates her scars, burns, and blood matted fur in it’s dancing light.

Stopped only moments from being burnt on the matchstick’s heat he asks, “Are you my Shimmer?”

“No, are you useful?”

“I may be,” Grimoire begins stopping short when she turns away. “Hey Wait up ah’ said, if you aren't Sunset Shimmer, who are you?”

“I am Sunset Shimmer,” Sunset says without an ounce of interest.

“Really? How do I know you’re not a changelin’? No, then the transformation would’ve been exact? So you are Sunset, maybe, but not the Sunset I know? You said you thought I was an illusion, but I know I’m not; so it stands to reason you could be an illusion I’m seeing.”

“I’m not. Do you shut up?”

“I don’t. So let’s say you are really a different Sunset Shimmer, then that makes you from another dimension ya? Or am I in another dimension? Since you’re both Sunset can you sense where she is?”

“No, pony magic is hardly working here. What do you mean by you’re both Sunset?’”

“Of course not, the runes on these pillars aren’t just art, they are a spell jamming curse.”

“You’ve seen them?”

“No, but I recognize some of the styles the designs use. This place must be ancient, the only place I’ve seen anything like it is in art long predating Starswirl.”

“By hundreds of years, yes Sunrise already said that, it predates Crystal Meth or whatever that old pony’s name was.”

“There was a pony named… Oh, Crystal Myth!”

“You know who he is?” Hmm, vaguely, he wrote about some kind of fictional magic right?”

“Real, magic, just not modern Equestrian.”

“Wait, that nonsense?”

“Yep, I’ve seen it.”

“Well theoretically it could work, it’s essentially alchemy I think, though I’ve only skimmed his stuff. It didn’t seem worthwhile.”

“How many corridors longer will I have to listen to you?”

“Sorry.”

“No, it’s fine, I’m agitated because I can’t find Sunrise.”

“So this Sunrise, I wasn’t aware you had a sibling?”

“Lover.”

“I’m sorry?”

“He’s not my brother, he’s my lover.”

“Oh ok, well I suppose you already know what you look like so, uh I’m looking for my Sunset, What does Sunrise look like.”

“...”

“I’m trying to help you here, give me something to work with. Fur color, mane style, cutie mark? Anything?”

“Metal.”

“Ok? Anything useful?”

“He is difficult to describe?”

“How difficult can somepony… is he a human? Or humanoid?”

“You know about humans?”

“Everyone knows what a human is… no wait most ponies don’t”

“What do you think you are?”

“Well I’m a Unicorn now, it still sounds a bit ridiculous to say; anyway I used to be human. I’ll assume the Sunrise you are looking for is then?”

“You, did? How did you get here?”

“I came through the portal to Equestria with my Sunset after… wait you’re Sunset Shimmer, why don’t you read my memories then I wouldn’t have to tell you all this.”

“What? Can your Sunset do that?”

“When are you from I wonder?”

“What do you mean when?”

“Well, let's see; how to say this? You didn’t go to Camp Everfree, you seem a bit less socially adept than I’m used to, no offense. The first thing you asked was if I was useful. Curious?”

“What’s wrong with you?”

“Had you met Twilight in the human world?”

“No? Should I have.”

“Ok, let's back up and get the full picture.”

“You really don’t shut up.”

“When I need to, not when I’m curious.”

“Well, you need to,”

Grimoire falls silent and takes a stance ready to pounce on a threat.

“You need to because it’s annoying me,” Sunset clarifies looking over her shoulder at him.

“Oh, right.”

For a while, they walk in silence past walls and pillars of Jade, Gold, and Pink Sapphire.

“So You really don’t want to talk?” Grimoire finally risks his tongue.”

Sunset heaves a heavy sigh.”Fine, but no rambling. It’s been a long day."

“Right, so the mirror portal: Did you auto-banish through it like the Sunset I know?”

“Auto-banish? Um, yes?”

“So what happened When Twilight came through to get her crown back at the Fall Formal?”

“What Crown? Why would she have been there?”

“So you… you know who Twilight is though… if it wasn’t her why did you come back to Equestria?”

“Nightmare Moon.”

“Nightmare Moon, so your version of Twilight failed to stop her too?”

“You say that as if she was meant to or something?”

“She was, well you were, but since you left and Twilight took over as Celestia’s student, she was. That’s the original timeline anyway.”

“Twilight? But she’s insane?”

“Well, a little but who isn’t… oh, oh OK. I think I get it. So your Twilight what did she do Cast Want it Need it soon as she’d read about it? I’m sure Celestia would forgive that?”

“Again you talk as if Twilight became Celestia’s student, but as far as I know Celestia never took a student after me, no pony passed the test. She said Twilight tried but… She failed and ran away from home.”

“Right, sounds like Twi.”

“If you know her it’ll be hard to hear who she is in reality.”

“In your reality. I won’t give you a lecture on string theory, but I have read from realities where her friends died and she did some wild things to get them back. So whatever you’ve got I can take it… Sunset, sorry the Sunset from my world I wouldn’t imagine would do so well, they are friends after all.”

“No.”

“No? What do you mean no?”

“You want me to believe there is any reality where I am dating someone who talks this much, and am friends with that psychopath?”

“Twilight can be a little intense, but usually she’s little more than a klutzy egghead.”

“A little intense is a vast understatement for breathing fire.”

“You have my attention.”

“Shining Armor, Cadence Mi Amore Cadenza, Night Light, Twilight Velvet: Effectively Deceased, cause Twilight (Midnight) Sparkle.”

“Midnight Sparkle, right if she’s claimed that name I can… wait no Twily wouldn’t … Effectively Deceased? … Yes, she would.”

“Really? Is this a thing you do, prove yourself wrong?”

“I think out loud yes. So Sunrise, You still haven’t told me what he looks like?”

“As I said that isn’t easy to do… or rather you said you were a human at one point right?”

“Yes, I was originally.”

“Do you have the Galactic Wars movies where you come from? Or you said when before; do you have motion pictures where you come from? They were still fairly new for us after all.”

“We call them Star Wars, but yes? Motion pictures were new huh, now I'm even more curious about you.”

“General Grievous, unless you call him something else.”

“Really, he’s General Grievous? Now that is… I’ll need some time to process that.”

“He isn’t, only looks like him, Twilight destroyed most of his natural body.”

“Oh, what is going on in your world, a war?”

“Yes.”

“Ok? Would you care to elaborate?”

“No.”

“Well the Equestria Sunset and I went to, was at war as well, but Celestia was winning, and Twilight is on our side and sane.”

“It’s the few of us who are still alive who stand with Celestia, and the Changelings against Nightmare Moon's army and Midnight Sparkle here.”

“The Changelings? There’s a story there.”

“There is.”

“Do you want to…”

“No.”

A loud metallic scuttling noise echoes through the chamber.

“What was that?” Grimoire readies himself.

“It could be Sunrise, but I don’t know.”

The pair move towards the sound igniting their horns.

The sound of giant insect wings follows the grating of Iron on Jade and is followed by a short incoherent scream and a loud crash.

“Are you ok?” Sunset’s voice calls accompanied by the sound of running hooves.”

“Well that’s weird, is that how I sound?” Sunset asks Grimoire.

“Yes. Sunset is that you,” Grimoire calls.

“Grim? Oh, thank Celestia it’s you!” Sunset Shimmer runs from the shadows her horn’s dim light illuminating her approach.

“There you are don’t run off like that, you could get lost in the mess hall I swear.” Sunset charges into an embrace.

“It’s fine, Sunset Shimmer was with me,” Grimoire says to Sunset Shimmer.

“No, I wasn’t? Who is she?” Sunset eyes the other Sunset who Grimoire had been walking with.

“She is also Sunset Shimmer.”

“So, that’s why he thought, I was wait… so then I or that me is actually dating that tin can?”

“That me is actually dating that blabbermouth?”

“Well, I never said we were dating,” Grimoire clarifies.

“Shut up Grimoire,” the Sunsets say together. “You are me then,” they smile.

"Right, great, great the Sunset's have met each other. Sunset, You have made sure these two aren't changelings right?"

"Obviously," Sunset points to her right eye where she has a scar diagonally across her face as the iris rotates glowing lightly with blue light.

"Wait I'm confused," Grimoire says. "I thought you said the Changelings were friendly this time?"

"Friendly is not the word I would use," Sunset glares at him the light in her right eye diming.

"Well there is Twoearly," Sunrise says.

"The queen doesn't count."

"Oh, not Cryssy... Twoearly... I have a comment, but I'll think better of it."

"If you mean Chrysalis, she was the queen until she betrayed us, and I had to kill her."

"You did, how?"

"On the battlefield... this one," Sunset points to the scar over her eye.

"Hey Grimoire, what is going on here?"

"Oh, sorry Sunny, I assumed you read his memories."

"Read my memories? Sunset, you can do that?"

"No, apparently this one can though." Sunset sighs trying to calm her tense muscles.

"Sorry I didn't invade his privacy, I was too busy running away from him. I thought he was some kind of monster, no offense."

"Some taken."

"You were chasing her," Sunset stomped in her uneven gate over to Sunrise.

"I thought she was you," The mechanical giant attempts to shrink away from the tiny pony.

"Don't you dare cheat on me with me!"

"I won't, I won't ok."

"Not if you want repairs."

"I'm not that ... intense, am I?"

"No," Grimoire says without hesitation. "Oh, but you know the temptation of two Sunset Shimmers Shure is something."

"What! Am I not good enough for you Grim?"

"Oh you definitely are, but two of you is two of you, am I right Sunrise?"

Sunrise looks between his Sunset and the other Sunset.

"Well, Sunrise, what's your answer?" Sunset presses threatening her matchstick between her teeth.

"Come on man, how am I supposed to answer that?"

"Right anyway," Grimoire laughs. "Sunset it sounded more like you were chasing him what happened?"

"Oh that, I guess it would. No, he was flying up to, ... I don't know what he just started flying all of a sudden."

"It's that," Sunrise raised a claw pointing to a sign above a dimly lit doorway being blocked from behind by a stone wall. "I can't read it though, the text I can but the symbols I still don't understand all this nonsense even after years of research."

"You can read that? What language is it in?" Grimoire asks.

"Ancient Ponish, it's older than most records, I'm just lucky I was carrying a note Crystal Myth wrote with a translation matrix in it."

"I thought it was called Old Ponish?" Grimoire said.

"No, this is much older."

"Hmm, I can't see it from here, but it's worth letting Grimoire have a look at," Sunset squints her eyes to make out the symbols.

"Really, he doesn't seem to know a lot about it?" Sunset's counterpart responds to her.

"He doesn't, and he's an idiot. Still, as long as it's magic if anyone can stumble through it without knowing what they are doing it's him."

"Thanks, I think?"

"You want me to fly you up there?"

"Not if I had a choice."

"In what way do you not have a choice?" Sunset asks clicking her metal hoof.

"Have you seen any action movie... motion picture, sorry? There is your answer."

"You are basing real decisions off of movies?"

"Ponies, humans, doesn't matter the same sense of how to lay out spooky treasure troves still applies right? Besides if you looked back when you entered that's what the entrance looked like from the other side. In conclusion, it's the exit."

"It's blocked?"

"It is for now," Sunset smirked at the other Sunset. "Let's see what the boys can do."

"Right then, Sunrise if yer ready let's get to it." Grimoire puts his saddlebags on the ground, shuffles around in them and pulls out a short glowstick cracking it.

"You had Glowsticks the whole time!" Sunset shouts reverberating around the chamber nearly dropping her matchstick.

"I forgot until now."

"Are you serious?"

"Yes."

"Damn it Grim, don't make me look bad in front of the other me."

"No can do, Now let's light it up."

With Sunrise raising Grimoire in the air the two begin translating the carvings.

"So you are me then?" The Sunset's say.

"Could you tell me What's going on in your world?" The wholly organic Sunset asks.

"Can't you read my memories with some freaky kind of magic?"

"I can but I would prefer not to read my friend's memories without permission."

"You don't ask to read mine?" Grimoire shouts down.

"Shut up Grimoire," both Sunsets yell back."

"Ok that is fun," Sunset smirks.

"Isn't it?"

"Telling the story is a pain, if you can, go ahead read em. You are going to want to sit down for it though."

The sunsets figure out a position which is essentially an embrace incase Sunset needs to Support Sunset while she is living her alternate past.

"Whoh, right," Sunset says letting go of her counterpart for a moment, but clenching back into the embrace. "No, I need a hug after that."

"Well you girls have gotten close," Grimoire trots around them.

"Shut up Grimoire," The Sunset's say.

"I hope this isn't becoming a thing."

"No really this time, Shut up. I need a moment alone here."

"Well we've translated it so, we should be able to go through whenever now," Sunrise says.

When the Sunsets are ready they loosen their grip and burst into laughter.

"Uh, What?" Grimoire and Sunrise stare at each other. "Did we miss something?"

"He really said that?"

"He did," Sunset confirms.

"Wow, no way! If I didn't remember it I wouldn't believe it."

"But yours, he really introduced himself that way?"

"Ya, he did."

"OK, we missed a lot," the boys say.

"There was one thing though in your memory that can't be right."

"What's that?"

"Well, you are me so you don't really have a, ... oh you do?" Sunset looks down between her other self's legs.

"Sorry, I... Do you wanna give the boys a tease?"

"I'm sorry what?"

"Go off in the dark where they can't see, but let them hear the echoes."

"Wow, um I don't know how to respond to that."

"With a yes," The hermaphrodite Sunset pushes her body against the other sunset pushing her down into a vulnerable position.

"Are our Sunset Shimmers about to cheat on us with each other."

"Ya, I think so," Grimoire says enjoying his low angle.

"Does that count as masturbation?"

"There is a term for actually, it's selfcest."

"Why would that ever come up for a term to be made for it?"

"Cuz it's hot?"

"You got that right, but when would this kind of thing happen though?"

"It's happening now."

"You're really ok with this Grimoire, our girlfriends doing each other instead of us?"

"Oh, definitely. So then your, Sunset... Who wears the pants so to speak?"

"Shut up," Sunrise ends the conversation.

Sunset Gasps for breath escaping her counterpart's lips. "Grim, fuck you! Help me!"

"Are you sure?"

"Hurry before I lose it to myself!"

"Oh, right." Grimoire starts towards the pair, but Sunrise picks up his Sunset in a claw.

"I love you honey, but you can't take your own virginity without permission."

"Well I can do it in the butt then," Sunset pouts.

"What is wrong with me?" Sunset asks drawing in as close as possible to Grimoire.

"You're too hot even for yourself," Grimoire rubs her back.

"Grimoire?"

"Yes?"

"Your an asshole!"

"Yes, I am. But, you know that."

Shaun 2

"Ugh, sure, but why?" Shaun asked aloud putting down the larger of the books currently being read for historical study.

"Come on Shaun, are you going to read those weird stories the whole time, or are you coming to bed before I have to go home?" Came a wining voice from behind where he sat, a voice which he turned to respond to. This voice belonged to a young girl of 19 years, Fairly attractive, yet relatively reserved in terms of her womanly fat deposits' proportions, who lay face down on the room's single queen sized bed across from the hardly barren desk holding a pillow to the side of her face by crossing both arms on it's opposite side.

"Ya I'd like to babe. This guy's story is so weird," Shaun replied.

"What about it?" She tilted her head to the side slowly kicking her feet in a familiar consistent rhythm, a habit which told she was curious, but didn't really care all that much for an answer.

"Well things keep happening with out proper explanation or foreshadowing for one. If I didn't know already what was going on in the background, there would be no reason for me to believe half of this. I know it's the way it is because it's a memoir, and likely only the things that seemed important or interesting to the writer were put in, but I honestly wouldn't be able to tell why his fiancee fell for him in the first place with only this, 'cuz he thought it would bore future readers even though he him self said it was unlikely anyone would."

"Well would it have been boring?" She dismissed blowing a lock of black hair from her face.

"Well yes," he admitted. "If the writer is to be believed, nothing interesting happened. She seemed to feel differently in her account though."

"Well there you go, BORING. Now, come on I'm board," the girl complained rolling onto her side letting her long hair fall under her as she did.

"Sure, but..." catching her stare he sighed, resigning to bookmark the page.

"Does it even matter though," the girl hummed rolling strands of her hair around a finger. "No offence, but that was, like, forever ago."

Shaun sighed, "Well, but how could someone who all other records praise as extraordinarily intelligent, and capable come across as so incompetent, and self defeating in his own?"

"Wait," she dropped her hands from where she had been inspecting the pink paint on her nails. "It this the same guy that wrote the weird magic book you complained about?"

"Well yes actually," he put away the study materials on the dark stained wooden desk stopping when he came to the prior mentioned book which still lye open to glance over the page, before closing it though carefully, in disgust. "You're right, no sense in stressing about it, yet at least. Thanks sis."

About an hour latter from the previous conversation, the girl ran her fingers through the young historian's hair as he had fallen asleep only moments ago, wrapped in her leathery wings. "Good night," she quietly sang before pulling the covers over both herself, and her incestuous lover before joining him in sleep.

Author's Note

So funny story these two were originally supposed to be switched having her be the one studying history, but I was having trouble picturing her as some one who doesn't study while nude for whatever reason.

Shaun 1: That is enough colorful horses, history test be damned!

Shaun 1: That is enough colorful horses, history test be damned!

Deciding that was quite enough of whatever the Small equine creature who wrote this book was saying,... and enough of colorful equines in general, Shaun closed the ancient tome on his desk without inspecting it further, resolving to actually read the first four pages tomorrow.
Unfortunately he had to finish more than that before the end of the week.

"... Stupid advanced history III, why did I take the third year? It's all ponies all the time! Aug!" Sliding in to bed, Shaun pulled covers over himself soon after falling asleep.