Starlight, Star Brightby BlackWaterChapters2 - Fooled Me3 - These Heartstrings4 - Beyond Stars5 - Split Goals6 - Under Pressure7 - Teleporter8 - Relief9 - Cool Down1 - Won't You Be My Star Tonight2 - Fooled Me Welcome home, Twilight,” Starlight smirked from the purple pony's throne. Twilight just dropped her bags by the door and rolled her eyes. “Thank you, Starlight,” she replied with exasperation. Her new marefriend of only three days had been exhaustingly smug. Without waiting for any cue, Starlight teleported off the chair. She reappeared next to Twilight, who she was instantly giving a shoulder massage. “You look tired? Yak delegates still keeping you on edge? I know their visit was unexpected-” “I'm fine,” Twilight answered all too quickly. “We should get to studying that selective shielding spell before sundown.” Starlight kept up with the princess as she walked to the castle's study. Once they were inside, she decided to argue the point. “You sure about that, dear? You look far too stressed to properly focus. I know just the thing to help you relax and all you have to do is lie back and-” “No,” Twilight spun on the unicorn and put a hoof to her chest. “We've been through this, Starlight. I'm new to this relationship thing and I still can't believe I went through with it in the first place. I want to take it slow.” “What made you think I meant otherwise?” Starlight pouted her lips. “Don't act innocent, dear,” Twilight squinted at her marefriend. “All you've wanted since I said 'yes' is to shove me against the headboard and-” “Ooooh!” Starlight lit up with glee. “Sounds like you really do want it!” Twilight's cheeks puffed up and she shook with frustration. “You're impossible to have a conversation with!” Starlight's lips turned down. “Maybe if you didn't treat everything like a time bomb waiting to happen. Always slow and methodical. Well, the reason I beat you was because I was willing to take risks!” “Risk is fine but you go too far,” Twilight argued back. “You're reckless. What if the risk becomes too much?” “Afraid of losing me, Twily?” Starlight raised a brow and then managed to get her smirk back. She was rather good at regaining her smugness on a whim. “Because I assure you that you can't get rid of me no matter how hard you try.” Twilight's rebuttal caught in her own mouth. True, Starlight's reckless self-confidence and outright arrogance annoyed her to death. But that deep dedication she flaunted casually was something Twilight was beginning more and more to realize was a basic component of her character. Twilight believed it too. She just didn't want to admit to Starlight that she trusted her on it because the girl was already insufferable enough and admitting anything would likely make it worse. Suddenly both of them were teleported into Twilight's bedroom. Starlight's horn glowed from the spell and her hooves pinned the princess below her onto the soft properly made sheets of the bed. “Just keep putting it off,” Starlight taunted. “I won't wait forever. I'll take you in your sleep if I have to.” “That's rape!” Twilight shuddered. Starlight rolled her eyes. “Do you want to be intimate with me someday?” “Yes,” Twilight answered almost in a whisper. “Consent.” “Hey!” Starlight shrugged and then laid down so they were embracing on the bed as they often did in the later hours of the night. She nuzzled the mare's cheek and whispered sweet nothings in her ear while caressing her sides. Twilight barely managed to get out two words before her body began losing all of the day's tension. She knew she couldn't fight the mare, so she tried another way. “Stop playing with my feelings.” “I'm just helping you relax like I told you earlier,” Starlight whispered back. “Besides, even if you don't trust me to, I wouldn't push you farther than you wanted to go. I know that with enough time you won't doubt me.” It was as Starlight's hooves moved to rub and caress the cutie mark on Twilight's flanks that a certain someone almost barged in. He cracked the door open only a bit before realizing what he was walking into and then silently retreated before being noticed. “I did not see that,” Spike told himself again and again as he walked out of the castle in shock. “I did not see that. I did not see that. Who am I kidding? Twilight's a fillyfooler!” “What's a fillyfooler?” Applebloom asked her family while they were all at the table for dinner. Applejack spit out her drink. Big Mac blinked. Granny Smith just laughed manically. Maybe it had something to do with her old age, but she did so enjoy watching Applejack squirm to answer. “Well, uh, you see,” Applejack stumbled along. “There's a, uh, no, um, you know how, no, uh, love?” “What now?” Applebloom frowned. “Two ponies,” Applejack tried to straighten herself out. “Two ponies fall in love. When those two ponies happen to be...female...sometimes they might be called fillyfoolers.” Applebloom remained confused. “But why that? I mean filly-foolin'? What's the foolin' for? If they're really in love then nopony's gettin' fooled.” Applejack really didn't want to answer that. She had heard the term herself some time ago from the city. She knew it could have negative connotations but then there was a mare couple right in Ponyville that used the term as if it were describing a fresh apple or bale of hay. The other explanation that came to mind was perhaps worse. “Fooling” in the sense of an intimate act. Thankfully, Big Mac took the moment to offer his two bits of wisdom. “Might take some history books to find that one out.” “Where'd you even hear that word anyhow?” Applejack had to ask before taking another sip from her glass. The filly replied just as Applejack took another drink. “I overheard Spike. He was talking about Twilight.” Applejack spit out her drink again. “Twilight's a fillyfooler?!” Rarity looked ready to faint. Her couch was nearby, which was why Applejack was surprised she did not use it. They were in her boutique, so she was twice as likely to. “Oh goodness. Oh my!” “I came here to ask if it were true,” Applejack was deadpan. She believed it was the best way to handle the drama queen. “I figured you seem to know most of who's what around here. What with being a gossiper and all. So it's not true then?” “No! I mean yes!” Rarity looked around in an excited daze. “It makes perfect sense now. I knew there was a reason she chose the red scarf over the green one!” “Huh?” Applejack's eye ticked. “It was last year in Canterlot, darling,” Rarity looked back to Applejack as if she were offended the country mare didn't remember so important an event. “We were in Fifth's Boutique on Mane Street. It was snowing outside. Light flurries. She chose the red scarf for her Hearth's Warming outfit. It had hoof-woven tassels.” Applejack's brows were a flat line. “Where's this goin'?” “Yeah, I don't get it either,” Rainbow Dash added in. Both the Earth pony and unicorn jumped at the unexpected voice. They looked up to see Rainbow perched on a high shelf near the ceiling. At some point she had slipped through a window. “My boutique is not a shelter for rude arrogant pegasi,” Rarity bit out. She clearly was not pleased with other ponies butting into a conversation she deemed private. “Yeah?” Rainbow smirked. “Tell that to your dresses.” It was a tad off for an insult, but it worked well enough on the fashionista. Applejack made the mistake of snorting before she could hold back the rest of her laugh. “Out! Out!” Rarity shrieked at both of them and drove them out with fabric flailing about in her magical grasp. The farmer and weather pony only stopped running once they were well out and away from the boutique. It was nearly the countryside, which was testament to why they had been the best two ponies in last year's Running of the Leaves. “Well, that was a short visit. More so than usual,” Rainbow joked to her apple-bucking friend. She trotted beside her rather than fly as she normally did. “I guess your 'news' put her on edge, huh?” “It's not news,” Applejack denied. “Well, maybe. I don't know. I'd ask Twilight herself but it just seems a might personal, y'know?” “What? Liking mares is personal?” Rainbow began to grin and nudged her friend. “I just thought it was a tea kind of thing.” “What kind of what now?” Applejack furrowed her brows. “Did somepony mention tea?” another voice called out to them. “Oh, for pony's sake,” Applejack nearly facehoofed. They had unintentionally been passing Fluttershy's cottage. It was just Applejack's luck that Fluttershy could overhear the word “tea” a thousand hooves away. It was one of her favorite activities, after all. “Is somepony having a tea party?” the shy pegasus asked as she happily fluttered her way over to them, landing gently next to Rainbow Dash. The three of them were now standing on the road just before the mare's nature-nestled cottage. “Applejack thinks Twilight's a fillyfooler,” Rainbow told the mare, half-lidded for some odd reason. “No!” Applejack lost her calm. She didn't want to go around town letting everypony know she thought Twilight might be a fillyfooler. Though she had gone to Rarity and might even now be engaging in it herself, she hated gossip. She preferred minding her own business on her farm. But now here she was getting mixed up in what was likely to become a mess she'd be blamed for. “Oh, that's just lovely,” Fluttershy nearly cooed. “It would be so nice to have a special somepony. Who's the lucky mare?” “I don't know!” Applejack tried to clarify. “Look, if we find Spike then maybe I can have my answer and get back to Sweet Apple Acres.” “Heeeeey,” Rainbow droned out, becoming very suspicious. “Now that I think of it, why is this so important for you to find out? You don't usually get into this kind of thing.” Applejack saw Fluttershy lean expectantly around Rainbow Dash. She gulped and then knew she would never be able to lie. She just didn't have it in her. “Bet.” “Bet?” Fluttershy echoed softly. “I bet with Big Mac. A hundred bits Twilight's not a fillyfooler,” Applejack finally covered her face with her hat. “Should have consulted me before putting down on that one,” Rainbow crossed her forlegs in self-assurance. “How's that?” Applejack grumbled. “I could have told you years ago.” “You knew Twilight liked mares that long ago?” Fluttershy asked in awe. Rainbow shrugged. “Well, duh. I always know when somepony is checking out what I have to offer. Twilight used to drill holes into my flank with her eyes. Almost thought she'd ask me out or something.” “If you'll both excuse me,” Applejack hung her head low and started walking off in depression, “I've got to start working off my debt.” “Stop it,” Twilight grouched. Her voice had steadily lost its calm and serene tone. She was in the study, standing with Starlight before a large glass dome. They were supposed to be magically controlling a difficult plant-growing spell that required the finely-tuned climate of the dome's interior. It was hot and humid in there, but it seemed a certain unicorn was trying to heat things up outside of the dome as well. “We've already solved the matrix complications, Twily,” Starlight rolled her eyes and proceeded to caress Twilight's wings and flanks. “Are you going to keep calling me that?” “Twily Twily Twily~” The alicorn gritted her teeth. She would have felt great warmth in her heart if she knew Starlight was being sincere. Well, actually she knew she was being sincere. It was just the teasing and the arrogance that ground on her nerves and made her realize once more she had been too quick to accept the mare as a significant other. Had it been the heat of the moment that forced her to say yes? Starlight rubbed her face against Twilight's pink and white stars. “Cutie marks are so nice, aren't they? Unique...exciting...warm...” “Argh!” Twilight gave up, collapsed the spell, and turned so quickly that she nearly smacked the other mare. “I know you have an abnormal inclination to physical intimacy but that can't be the sole basis of our relationship! And what if Spike sees?” “So?” “I don't want him to know yet! I thought I told you to keep it a secret. You kept it a secret, right?” Twilight turned nervous. She gripped the unicorn's shoulders hard. Starlight didn't lose a micron of her confidence. “If he knows then it's by nothing I'm directly responsible for.” Twilight squinted. “What kind of answer is that?” Before Starlight had to go through the laborious process of explaining herself to her marefriend, company crashed through the window. Shards went everywhere, once again leading Twilight to wonder how the pegasus doing the crashing was able to remain unscathed. “Rainbow!” Twilight let go of Starlight and approached the blue mare, who was still on her back on the floor. She simultaneously used her magic to clean up the glass and fix the window. “How many times have I told you?! You could get hurt!” “Just thought I'd drop in and give you my congratulations,” Rainbow twirled up into her usual hover and pointed at Twilight. A sly grin was on her face. “For what?” Twilight became annoyed once more for a whole new reason. “For getting bank before me,” Rainbow declared as if it were yesterday's news already. “I've got half the town lining up for me and yet you ring in before I do. Not bad.” Twilight was perplexed just long enough for Starlight to snicker her understanding of Rainbow's lingo. “What-?” “No need to be shy,” Rainbow wrapped a hoof around her friend's shoulder. “Pinkie Pie throws great New Marefriend parties. You weren't in Ponyville back when she threw one for Lyra and Bon Bon.” “How?!” Twilight panicked, trying to understand how Rainbow Dash knew about their relationship already. “I'm just awesome like that,” Rainbow tilted her nose up and crossed her hooves in supreme self-confidence. 3 - These Heartstrings An exotic stringed instrument was plucked conservatively while some kind of steam-emitting orb maintained a steady thrum. It was like the strange music of a far away land and yet soothed the body and mind nearly to sleep. It was typical for Fluttershy to have suggested such a place as this. The Smokey Mountain Meditation and Therapy Resort was first class to say the least not only in quality but also in nature. Twilight felt the warm water ripple gently around her in the rocky hot spring. The night sky sparkled above her with crystal stars and a shy crescent moon. Even though she was resting within Starlight's hooves, she wasn't frustrated or annoyed. The unicorn mare was just as serene as she was now. Their breaths faded in and out in tandem. When the stringed instrument finally stopped, a voice spoke up. It was soft in the warm quiet night air. The pony was just in sight with her mid-sized instrument, both illuminated mystically by the flickering candles. “Rest well, you two,” Lyra whispered as she left the enclosed outdoor space of the hot spring. “I'll see you in the morning.” With the aquamarine pony now gone, Twilight was forlorn for the sound of her lyre. As one of Twilight's old Canterlot friends, Lyra was a pleasant surprise for her and Starlight's secret vacation. She had acquired a whole new understanding and appreciation for the musical mare. Her talent was unbelievable. Twilight speculated it could even sooth warring tribes into peace. “I'm jealous,” Starlight whispered into Twilight's ear after another long relaxing moment passed. “How so?” “She married her true love,” Starlight breathed out. “It could be years before I get to do the same – if you keep us from it.” “Is it true love?” Twilight questioned without moving or opening her eyes. “Or is it just an obsession or temporary fascination?” Starlight didn't answer right away. She looked into her own heart. In some ways she could be just as analytical as Twilight. Perhaps even more so. It was her logical conclusion that made an impression upon the purple alicorn. “No, there is no such thing as true love. Just something very much like it and I do have that with you,” Starlight explained. Her hooves brought up the warm water to cascade down Twilight's shoulders. “You have everything I could want in a special somepony. I love you for you. That is what unnerves you and I must accept it. In time you will accept me too.” “Who died and took Starlight's cutie mark?” Twilight replied in mock sarcasm. It was nice to hear Starlight saying something so calm and reasonable rather than snarky and arrogant. A perfect end to a perfect night. They had to get out of the water soon, but Twilight felt she could lay against Starlight's equally warm chest for the rest of her life. “Don't worry. It's natural,” Bon Bon assured Starlight as they sat in the lounge together, eating a hearty vegetable breakfast. “This place does that to ponies. That's why we come here so often. Lyra can be kind of stressful on me. But then I rile her up too, so I guess it's only fair.” The lounge was built into the rocky mountain and full of the native plantlife that made the resort what it was: a natural beauty to sooth the tired spirit. Starlight was having a restful conversation with Bon Bon, who had gotten up later than her partner the way Starlight did with hers. Their counterparts were out on a walk together, being old friends as they were. Starlight swallowed the veggie roll she was eating. “I'm sure the money Lyra gets from the work helps.” “Well, they also let us stay for free because of it,” Bon Bon smiled warmly. She took a drink of tea from the pottery cup and set it back down on the thick flat tree root that served as a themed table. “I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy her playing as much as the customers.” “Must be nice having a wife who calms ponies for a living.” That made the baker and candy maker giggle. “Oh, no. You get it wrong. Sure, she's soothing at times but, like I said, she can also be stressful. She has a certain...how do I put this...antagonistic element to her? Kind of like what I saw you doing to Twilight when you two first arrived.” Starlight flinched. She had been caught. “I'm not faulting you for it exactly,” Bon Bon backtracked. “I mean, I understand where it comes from. I had a talk with Lyra about it way back when we were just best friends. She told me why she does it. She enjoys getting reactions out of me, seeing me express myself because of what she does. I think it might be a psychological thing. Like we only tease when we really care about the other pony. Don't quote me, though. I don't read up on this stuff.” “Twilight does,” Starlight couldn't help remarking. She shook her head and took a sip of water from her clay cup. “Anyways, Starlight is such an amazing name. Sorry,” Bon Bon caught herself. “I don't mean to embarrass. It's just that your magical power is incredible. I've only seen you do a few tricks in public and heard from others in Ponyville, but I'm really impressed. And if Twilight thinks you're strong then you must be really strong.” Starlight's gaze lifted a half hoof in pride. “I'm at least as strong as her, if not more.” “Less so on the humility,” Bon Bon chuckled, giving Starlight a regretful twitch in her gleeful expression. “Tell me how you got Lyra,” the unicorn ordered, intent on getting something different out of the collected mare. “Get?” Bon Bon cracked a brow. “I didn't win her in a lottery, Starlight. I knew her casually as a friend for years before we were married. She confessed her feelings for me one day and I returned them. We didn't have to figure out if we wanted to get married or when because we already knew everything about each other. There wasn't anything to do on the dates, so we just got right to the wedding.” “And then the loving?” “Lyra didn't bother waiting for that,” Bon Bon deadpanned. “Hmph,” Starlight crossed her forehooves. “If only Twilight were that energetic.” “Starlight,” Bon Bon tried to reprimand gently. “I think it's safe to assume Twilight is worried over how fast you two have 'gotten together' in a romantic way.” The unicorn kept her frown. “It's natural for her to be that way. Anypony would be. I got the impression – and from what I've heard about you two not being together – that this is a recent thing. Give the relationship time.” Starlight wanted to grumble, but knew she'd just come off as being rude. Bon Bon had a point. After all, Starlight had come to that logical conclusion last night as well. But knowing it was true and living with it wasn't exactly easy. “You two are just going through a phase,” Lyra told Twilight as they walked down the stone-strewn walkway outside. It followed intentionally overgrown paths on the slopes of the mountain. The incline they followed wasn't too steep, but it angled up enough to be noticeable. The alicorn princess was happy to have a nice chat with an old friend. She didn't spend much time with Lyra, after all. The topic, however, was complicated for her. She still struggled with her feelings. Nevermind that Starlight was a fully independent mare who she could do nothing to censure. Her “redemption” had done little to curb her strong nature. ”Maybe you're right,” Twilight resigned. “After all, I've never had this kind of relationship before. Sometimes I can't help but think I'm just not as outgoing and extroverted as everypony assumes.” “Oh, I know,” Lyra nodded too enthusiastically. She gave her friend a happy sideways look. “But ponies change and you never know what you or Starlight will be like a year from now. Just look up and be positive.” The two ponies finally came to a point in the path where the incline leveled out and a clearing spread wide to give them an incredible view of the surrounding forest mountains and their lush green valleys. The pair sat down at the edge of the sightseeing spot, noticing a waterfall on a nearby cliff face. It was just close enough in proximity for the rush of water to be within earshot. “I bet a magic journey of some kind would cheer you up,” Lyra giggled. “What do you think I am?” Twilight looked to the aquamarine unicorn incredulously. “Some kind of mythical hero?” “Be fair,” Lyra tutted. “In reality, you're not far from that. And besides, it's never long before Equestria needs you to save it.” Twilight sighed. Lyra had a point. The unicorn tapped her chin. “I can't imagine what it could be, though. Maybe a new villain? Or a lost artifact?” Before Twilight could contemplate alternate possibilities, the sound of rushing air came to her attention. She was hit by the bothersome gust before she could turn around and see who had caused it. Lyra rose her brows in surprise and asked the obvious before Twilight could. “Rainbow Dash?” “Yeah,” the blue pegasus replied with all the cheer of a graveyard. She looked straight at Twilight, who quickly gathered by her look that she had been flying non-stop for a very long time. “Vacation's over, Twi.” “What now?” Twilight frowned, both frustrated and angry that her supposed-to-be-secret get-away had been cut so short. Rainbow, however, did not have the cheer she usually did when adventure was at hoof. “It's Spike.” Twilight's heart skipped a beat. Her tone revealed less of her sudden worry than she actually felt. “What about him?” “He's gone.” Starlight had her eyes closed in concentration. This was a tricky spell. Twilight could manage it on most days, but the alicorn's frantic state had left her unable to focus properly. Starlight's magic spun around her in glowing azure spirals emanating from her horn. Twilight Sparkle paced back and forth behind her. They were both in the open yard in front of Twilight's castle in Ponyville. Though the day was bright and sunny, Twilight felt anything but. Even having all of their friends present had little positive effect on her mood. “Why would anyone want to kidnap Spike?!” Twilight cried out again. Having her baby dragon stolen was bad enough, but not being able to figure out why was worse. Pinkie Pie read the note that was left behind. “If you want to see the dragon again, come to Saddle Arabia. Meet me at the Brook of the Sacred Stars tomorrow at midnight.” “We know,” Rarity frowned at Pinkie, just as serious as Twilight. “We've all read the note. She was asking a rhetorical question, darling.” “Whoever it is, she must be really good with magic,” Fluttershy speculated. “Saddle Arabia is very far away.” “The only way to get there in less than a day is with long-distance teleport magic,” Rarity finished for the shy pegasus. “It was hard enough getting the message to Twilight at Smokey Mountain,” Rainbow crossed her forehooves, she still looked beat from the flight. “Getting there isn't hard. It's all the flying around trying to find a single pony. The tree canopy limits high-altitude visuals.” “And thanks for that,” Applejack put an encouraging hoof on the mare's shoulder since Rainbow was not currently hovering as she usually did. Twilight, having already given her thanks earlier, continued to pace. The sound of a magical rift opening was heard. Space warped in front of Starlight Glimmer as it formed an oval portal. Though massive amount of energy blossomed from the mare's horn and her eyes only began to open, she showed no sign of strain. If anything could take Twilight's mind off of the stress of the situation, it would be Starlight's demonstration of her immense magical power. “Ohhh,” Fluttershy whimpered as a blast of wind from the magic whipped at her mane. “I'm so nervous.” “We've done worse,” Applejack moved over to brighten up the mare. Starlight looked to the purple princess. She might have appeared more smug due to her demonstration of her abilities if she weren't sensitive to the dour mood. “We'll materialize near the Brook and should have enough cover to avoid initial detection.” Twilight gave her still-new marefriend a hopeful nod. “Don't worry,” Starlight assured the other girls. “I've had a lot of practice at stealth teleportation. Long-distance is just a matter of additional power...and a little global positioning magic.” “We trust you,” Pinkie Pie bounced forward. She tried putting some positivity back into the group, mirroring AJ's optimism. “Besides, this is a great excuse to check out the sites in Saddle Arabia!” “We're not going there to sightsee,” Rainbow grouched. “Try to look on the bright side,” Applejack countered. Rarity nodded slow, preoccupied and struggling with her own feelings. “Everything will be alright. Spike is very tough. He's a dragon, after all.” Twilight stepped towards the pulsating portal, which crackled with magical energy. She whispered to herself again and again as the gears turned in her mind. “Brook of the Sacred Stars. Brook of the Sacred Stars...why does that sound familiar...?” 4 - Beyond Stars The group of colored ponies were an odd sight to say the least. In Ponville, nopony would think anything of it. In greater Equestria, the same would be said. Even in Griffonstone that would be true. In Maredina, however, the group might as well have been the Smooze at the Grand Galloping Gala. That was to say, they stuck out like a sore hoof. Saddle Arabian horses looked very different from them – or they from the Saddle Arabians. “I know why we're gettin' weird looks,” Applejack said with her head half down and her hat tipped unusually forward. “But still a might uncomfortable.” “If Twilight says she and Starlight can handle the meet-up then we have to trust her,” Rarity responded. She might have been as uncomfortable as AJ if she were not so in love with their present location. It would be far from her to mention she was using the sights to help distract her from worrying over the small stolen dragon. “Oh Celestia!” she enthused for the thousandth time. Rainbow Dash facehoofed as she hovered behind, watching Rarity dash once more to the next awe-inspiring plaza. The small part of the city they had traversed so far in search of clues or information had indeed been unbelievable. Being so far away from Equestria, none of the girls had been here before and photographs did it little justice. Fluttershy had been disinterested at first with the smooth sparkling marble walkways and towering white palatial estates. However, the first plaza they entered was decorated with exotic trees and well-kept garden dividers. The unusual green and white birds perching on some of them piqued the mare's enthusiasm. The sunny-yellow pegasus was still chatting to some birds on one of the last plaza's trees. Pinkie Pie had disappeared some time ago, likely to a bakery in the outer-city market. That left just Applejack and Rainbow Dash to search with any real seriousness – giving that Rarity was now swooning over some ornate lamppost made of marble and clear silver. “Twilight wants us to find out if there's more than one pony involved,” Rainbow futilely tried reminding Rarity. “We're not going to uncover some gang of dragonnapping thieves by admiring the scenery.” Applejack nodded but then caught sight of a suspicious character who had been following them for some time. She kept from making the assumption of him being a “tail” until it could no longer be explained away by coincidence. They were being watched – and not just by the locals who had never seen a pony before. It was easy to imagine why the ancient horses of Saddle Arabia had named this the Brook of the Sacred Stars. Twilight almost lost herself gazing into the clear water of the brook from her peeping position behind the thick bush. When she had looked at the water carefully, the surface seemed to change and display a sea of stars in place of the smooth pebbles lining the bottom of the stream. If the stars were a reflection then it made no sense. It wasn't night, but rather daytime. The global position of Saddle Arabia meant that the meet-up was during the day because the time in the note was for Equestrian Time. Perhaps the natural light made it odd that the surface of the water also swirled with a magical mist, like a block of dry ice. Twilight was trying to focus on the approach of the dragonnapper, but instead her ears picked up on a rhythmic humming that seemed to come from the brook. Twilight forgot the intensity of the heat that the oasis held or the glare of the sun that the thick foliage mostly blocked out. Here in the relatively dark confines of the Brook of the Sacred Stars, Twilight's mind was drawn to the mystery before her. Only the horn-light signal from Starlight on the other side of the brook broke her obsession. Starlight was also hidden, but her flashing light meant that she had detected an intruder. Likely their adversary. Her message read “red mare to the east.” Twilight stole back her gaze and saw the pony in question. Indeed, it was a pony. Considering their remote location, Twilight had assumed it would be an Arabian horse. The physical characteristics of this pony lead Twilight to calculate a very high probability of her being of Equestrian origin with perhaps a heritage coming out of Las Pegasus. Her wavy emerald mane was done up in a style popular within that city – a fact only known to Twilight because of Rarity's ravings about it. The mare stepped right up to the edge of the brook's water and spoke to the air. “It is time. You may come out now.” A moment. “I speak to you, Twilight Sparkle and Starlight Glimmer.” Twilight made a quick exchange with Starlight via horn-light and the both of them stepped out from their cover. Being on either side of this red mare was advantageous to them. Or so Twilight thought. “The two of you need no introduction to me,” the red mare bore her green-eyed gaze first into Twilight and then Starlight. “I should share my name, however, if nothing else. It is Ruby Rose. Your dragon is safe. You need know nothing more.” Twilight responded with as much steel in her voice as Ruby, though less confidence in her posture. “Where is he? And why did you take him-” “Shush shush,” Ruby waved her forehoof. “You'll have him again shortly. In fact, all you need to do is blast this brook with as much magical energy as you can. Both of you. At the same time. Do it and your dragon is returned.” “Destroy the brook?” Twilight's brows furrowed. She glanced to Starlight, who had suspicion heavy upon her face. “No no no,” Ruby clarified as she tossed her mane back. “Raw magic. Not converted to kinetic force. The blast should cause no physical reactions. I know the two of you can do it. Sustain the release for only a few seconds.” “Spike will be returned unharmed?” Starlight spoke up. “I believe I already said that,” Ruby rolled her eyes. Twilight eagerly nodded for Starlight to sync with her, but the lighter mare was apprehensive. This all had a reason. A purpose. There was no telling what would happen given this mare was willing to dragonnap because of it. Twilight's irritated call out to her made her do it, though. She trusted her marefriend was not blind to a potential scheme. The energy collected in their horns, glowing a brilliant azure and purple. They looked to the water slowly and steadily trickling by in the brook. Besides the crackling of their magic, the place was quiet. What small amount of breeze mixed with their breathing to make what happened next all the more noticeable. The magic aura from their horns began to flow towards the water. The remarkable thing was that neither of them had yet willed it to do so. Starlight glanced to Twilight, who was doing the same. Once the first tendrils of the magic aura touched the water, they felt a pull strong enough to nearly topple them over. “What?!” Twilight exclaimed as the magic suddenly rushed out of her and poured into the mirror-like brook. Starlight tried pulling back and canceling her spell, but her efforts were met with futility. Her magic also poured into the brook, leaving her feeling drained, tired, and more than a little disoriented. She heard Twilight fall to the ground on the other side of the stream. “It better be enough,” Ruby grumbled as she dipped a forehoof in the water. Starlight, still on wobbling legs, was about to ask what was going on when the brook lit up. No longer did it show a sea of stars, but rather a strange world. It was almost like looking through a window – only the window was on the ground. Even stranger was the collection of sounds coming from the brook-portal. Clicking, clacking, and kuchunking. Blasts of steam and an unusual hum. All of it seemed to be connected to the moving gears and pistons rising up from an otherwise empty stone field that Starlight could see in the portal. Little else besides a red-orange sky was visible. “Ha!” Ruby declared to herself in triumph. “It works! Finally!” The mysterious mare said nothing more before plunging herself down into the brook, reappearing at a different orientation in the other world. She materialized right side up on the other side of the portal and at a considerable distance, now a third of her size since she was further away in the field. Starlight never saw where she went after that because her legs gave out and she fell down as Twilight did. “Spike...?” Twilight murmured in exhaustion as she desperately crawled towards the brook. “She left. What about Spike?” Starlight glared at the still glowing brook. Her magic was so low that she couldn't cast any spells requiring energy. Her body was tired too, but she had backup plans for everything. Defeating Twilight had required that. With as much ache as Twilight doubtlessly was feeling, Starlight crawled to the water's edge. “May this site not withhold...a tiny spark to unfold,” Starlight recited the old-fashioned speaking spell. “By my horn's light, let my magic reignite!” It worked much to her relief. Ancient mystical sites such as this one were fifty-fifty on giving back anything they took. It was a gamble and the second Starlight felt magic trickling stubbornly back into her horn, she used it to catapult Twilight and herself into the water. With magic coming back out of the brook, it was inevitable that the portal would close again. They had to get in before it sealed. However, it was quite some time before either of them knew they had transported. As soon as they entered the warp, they blacked-out. “What if we can't get back?” was Twilight's immediate and rather huffy question when Starlight came to. Twilight was kneeling next to her marefriend, nudging her to get up while also eying her with disapproval. Around them was a rock field. Bare rock with strange gears rising out of the stone seemingly at random. The gears turned too, just as they did in the brook's image. “Ruby wouldn't have gone in if it was one-way,” Starlight replied as a matter-of-fact. She nearly choked on her words, finding her throat dry. The air was equally parched. No rainclouds cluttered the sky. No clouds at all. “Maybe she doesn't want to go back,” Twilight countered with the same harshness. “She's vain and greedy,” Starlight looked Twilight in the eye with as much conviction as she felt when she first tracked the mare. “Her motives may be complex but her goal is simple. There's something here she wants and it will only have value back in our world.” “For the record,” Twilight relented and got back up with the other mare. “There's no guarantee this is another world or that your assumptions are accurate.” Starlight looked to the sky and found enough stars to make her point. It was practically sunset and a few of the brightest stars were just visible. She pointed to one particular pair. “You of all ponies would know the constellations in all seasons and hemispheres,” Starlight argued. “So tell me, Ms. Princess, what in Equestria are those?” Twilight frowned. “Sometimes I wish I hadn't gotten involved with somepony as clever as you.” “Why? Because you don't like it when somepony else is right?” The purple alicorn hung her head, all stubbornness seeming to bleed away. “When it means we could be stranded in another world with Spike missing and no promise of his safety...yes...” Starlight was no fool. She knew when she pushed too far. With her love's well-being in mind, she switched to comfort rather than hard-hitting analysis. “Sorry, Twi,” she instilled her words with sympathy and a warm nuzzle. “I know.” The fact that Twilight said that rather than be depressive or huffy again was a silver lining for Starlight, who was honestly more concerned about her relationship with Twilight than the small dragon. It wasn't that she was heartless or that she hadn't grown fond of the little reptilian. Rather, she had far more faith in his durability and resilience than his pseudo-mother did. Starlight also knew that this Ruby pony was likely less dangerous than she seemed. She was an Earth pony and lacked the raw magical power of a unicorn. The best she could put forth was physical strength. As for finding her, Starlight noted the only place that appeared to have any trail-like qualities to it. Since the ground was hard stone, it took a careful eye to spot a path across the surface that was more worn than the surrounding rock. “I guess we know where to go,” Starlight said aloud. Twilight followed the mare's gaze. The trail ended suddenly. The pair only realized that it was a cliff when they followed it to the edge. What lay below the cliff was both incredible and difficult to comprehend. What they were looking down into was essentially a valley situated between the ridge they were standing on and an opposing line of mountains in the distance. A great city laid in the valley. Bizarre in colors of metal and rust with massive cogs moving as did the gears in the rocky field behind them. Besides the turning and pumping contraptions, nothing else could be seen moving in the city. No ponies or other creatures. Neither unicorn nor alicorn dared assume it was abandoned until they could get a closer look. Where the trail ended, a ladder resided. It lead down to a platform below, where it spiraled down again into a much easier flight of stairs leading into the valley. Twilight made only one comment as they descended. “I really hope this place isn't what I think it is.” 5 - Split Goals Twilight Sparkle and Starlight Glimmer stepped hoof in the town square. Or at least that was what they had assumed it was. The complete lack of any creatures was chilling to say the least. And yet they were surrounded by moving machinery – well-oiled and not seeming to have a problem in the world. “Creepy,” Twilight couldn't help but comment. It was when they walked up to a large emblem in the stone roadway's design that they both stopped. “I was hoping not to see that.” Starlight finished her marefriend's discovery. “Starswirl's cutie mark. So that would make this Starswirl's lost City of Science.” This meant they were indeed not in the world of Equestria but an entirely different world in a magical dimension. Starlight closed her eyes and concentrated on a location spell that would help them find their target pony. Since they were close to the center of the city, the range in her spell would be adequate. Twilight, however, was still trying to figure out the motives. “But why? The brook acted as a portal. How did she set the location to...” Realization broke upon the alicorn's face much like a lightbulb lit above one's head. “She didn't have to set it!” Twilight exclaimed. “It was still targeting the last location is was set to. Starswirl was the last one to use it!” Starlight acknowledged the mare's words but was still focused on the spell in her mind. A bleep sounded off in her ears, audible only to her. The place was empty, after all. Save for one pony in a building two blocks away. She opened her eyes and looked to Twilight again, beginning to suspect this trip would be even shorter than she hoped it would be. Perhaps this was an opportunity... “It could take us a while to find her,” Starlight told the purple pony. She cast a stealthy analysis net spell over Twilight, which the mare failed to notice. “Maybe we can learn something about this place while we look.” “No,” Twilight decided with impressive resolve. “As much as this place is a treasure trove of magic and science, Spike's safety comes first.” Starlight, of course, didn't reveal that Spike wasn't here or that she suspected he was back in their world or that she even knew where their runaway villain was. “You're right,” she feigned agreement. “Let's focus on finding her and getting out of here.” Twilight then predictably attempted to cast the location spell that Starlight beat her to. Predictable, Starlight forced down a smirk. She could still read this mare like an open book. And with that hidden net spell cast on her, she would of course fail to find their target. Twilight's face scrunched up in disappointment. “Nothing,” she sighed. “Maybe Starswirl's magic that he put into this place is interfering with our spells.” “Like that?” Starlight pointed to a tower-like structure a block over. There was something like a dish on a pole swiveling around on top of it. Her suggestion was just convincing enough for Twilight to take the bait. “Come on,” the princess commanded as she raced down one of the branching stone streets that led in the direction of the tower. Considering the rusty colors of the metal and the gray tones of the rock, their own colors made them appear bold against the environment. If anypony was watching over the town, they'd have been spotted a long time ago. The red-orange sky painted their surroundings somber hues and yet never seemed to get lighter or darker. It was as if there were no night or day. The pair of ponies finally came up to a building that seemed to lead into the base of the tower. Starlight subconsciously drifted ever closer to her marefriend while she thought of an angle to play the situation. At least the interior of the building was clean and quiet. Only a gentle thrum of sound came from the ventilation system. “Isn’t this place...I don’t know...too clean?” Twilight wondered aloud as their hooves clacked against the smooth floor. “Well lit too.” Indeed, lights along the top and bottom of the walls left few shadows. Then again, there wasn’t much in the room either. Only more doors via a hallway on the other side, which prompted the question. “What was this built for?” Starlight added her curiosity to Twilight’s. “Magic research,” the princess responded. “But Starswirl never publicized what he did here beyond that. Technically he never publicized anything. His work was only known after his journals were made available to the average citizen. Well, the more advanced work anyway.” Starlight was just far enough out of Twilight’s peripheral vision to allow her true emotions to show on her face. She rolled her eyes. Of course her marefriend hadn’t considered that the most valuable thing in the entire city was herself. But then Starlight had her biases and no magic spell could fully reproduce that juicy flank that Starlight was staring at just then. “-and this should be it,” Twilight concluded some kind of one-sided conversation she had been having with the sterile air. Both mares stopped in the middle of the next room. Looking up almost made Starlight’s head spin. The ceiling in this room launched upwards to a dizzying height. They must be looking up into the tower. Cables ran up the sides and it was Starlight’s guess they connected to that dish thing at the top. What it was for she still did not know nor did she care. If she could confirm Spike’s safety somehow then the last voice of morality in her mind would be silenced and she could take her time here with Twilight. The wheels in her mind turned. Applejack bucked the stallion into the alley. Nopony else saw. Nopony besides a smirking Rainbow Dash, an uncomfortable Rarity, and a Pinkie Pie who had her mouth stuffed and bulging with the Saddle Arabian equivalent of fresh cinnamon rolls. They crowded around the “tail” in the shaded alleyway. “Alright, buckaroo,” Applejack squinted at him. “Time to squeal.” “Please have mercy,” the slender Arabian knelt onto his face before them. “I am a humble servant abiding my master’s orders.” “Master?” Rarity rose a brow. “King Clear Sand,” the Arabian trembled beneath his thick white sun cloak. “He instructed me to discover any ponies who might be looking for a small purple dragon.” “Spike?!” Rarity gasped. “King?!” Pinkie Pie cried around the rolls in her mouth, crumbs spraying out. “Yes, kind mistresses,” the Arabian explained, still cowering. “I was to take you to him with the highest of hospitality.” Applejack’s tough demeanor wilted and her expression turned to guilt. “Well...uh...pardon?” she replied and reached out a friendly hoof. “And that’s how I almost became dragon lord of Equestria,” Spike concluded as he laid back into the pile of soft silk cushions that had been piled up for him. He took another emerald from the bowl next to him and chowed down. The Saddle Arabian generosity towards dragons reminded him of the buffalo near Appleloosa. “Truly we are blessed by the Great Stars to be visited by such an Avatar,” King Clear Sand said in awe. He was sitting on his own cushions, as was the Arabian norm. They were in his bedroom, which was both very comfortable and ornate. Complete with mahogany furnishings far larger than normal for an Equestrian pony. “Oh, I think it’s our honor to be here with you, Mr. King,” Fluttershy replied from next to Spike. She spoke in her usual whispery tone and with a kind smile. It made her feel almost embarrassed to be in such an honoring position – much like how she felt around Celestia. “I have told you to call me Clear Sand,” the tall and strong Arabian declared. He pulled a golden rope hanging next to him and servants entered the room to replenish Spike’s empty gemstone bowl. “I must apologize again for not being able to offer faster transportation back to pony lands, my lovely Fluttershy. We do not practice the magic of unicorns here. Our fastest means is by my royal airship Pride of the Stars, which still needs a day of repairs from the last Kullah.” “What’s a Kullah?” Fluttershy squeaked out a question after hiding her face half behind her mane due to the “lovely Fluttershy” bit. “A big sandstorm,” Spike answered first and started chewing on a small ruby. The king nodded and stroked his chin in thought. “I must travel with you to pony lands and visit. Good relations with the ponies brings peace to the sands and the Stars smile down at this. If you, Spike the Western Avatar, would facilitate our speaks with this new dragon lord Ember then perhaps Saddle Arabia will once more be the Blessed Brook of the world.” “Glad to,” Spike said while munching. Not the most becoming. “I could go for more hugs anyways. I don’t think Ember’s got the hang of it yet and she really needs the practice.” Fluttershy’s sidewise look at him passed his notice. A sudden knocking at the chamber door aroused them from their conversation. A weary-looking servant entered while giving a thousand apologies. When he stepped aside, ponies entered from the doorway. The king smiled in patience. “More friends looking for their lost soul,” Clear Sand concluded even while the servant babbled his explanation. “Hey guys!” Spike got up and greeted them. Applejack sighed in relief, Pinkie Pie hugged him until he almost burst, and Rainbow Dash just gave a “sup.” Spike was happy to see them if only for the fact that they were no longer running around trying to find him. Before he could begin his own explanation, however, Rarity tackled him. “Spike!” the fashioista poured over him. “You're okay!” “Yeah...” Spike blushed in the awkward moment. He always wanted attention from the white mare but, now that he was getting some, he didn’t know what to do with it. “All in one piece. Not that Ruby was ever a danger. She didn’t have one spell that could even singe my scales.” “Ruby?” Rarity’s expression dropped in worry. “Perhaps you would all enjoy some comfort while you are caught up,” King Clear Sand waved the mares to plush gold-trimmed cushions that were being moved into position next to Fluttershy by the servants lining the room. “We have much to discuss. Ruby Rose has already violated the Brook.” “Okay, I’m lost,” Rainbow immediately admitted. She was reluctant to stop hovering around on her wings but gave in when the king motioned for her to sit once again. Fluttershy shifted on her cushion when Pinkie Pie squeezed in next to her. The pink pony did so not because they were short a cushion but merely because she wanted to. That was her same reasoning for hugging the shy mare as well. “Should we introduce ourselves?” Applejack whispered to Spike, who subtly shook his head. The king watched the pink and yellow mares hugging in an odd way while he began to speak. “Your friend and Avatar, Spike, was taken here as a hostage by the unicorn Ruby Rose. She was intending to use him to gain access to the forbidden Brook of the Sacred Stars. It is holy water and not to be touched. This Ruby was conspicuous, however. My guards caught her and locked her up. We freed Spike from her at the same time.” “Then how’d the Brook-” Rainbow started. “She escaped,” the king answered via interruption. “Our means of containing unicorns is flawed. I was informed recently that she managed to make her intended rendezvous with Princess Twilight Sparkle. The Brook has been used. I failed my duty.” Seeing the king’s face fall in shame, Rarity tried the gentle approach. “You did all you could, though.” “I will always question if I really did. I was not there to stop her myself,” he seethed in sudden intensity. “The Western Mage Starswirl entrusted my family with protecting the Brook. I cannot undue this mistake.” Spike turned his attention back to his friends. “The Brook is a portal and Ruby has used it. Twilight and Starlight went there too, right?” Applejack nodded with stiff nerves. Spike had guessed right given the way they had split up. She didn’t like where this was going. “The Brook cannot be used again without incredible magical power,” the king revealed. “If the princess has crossed worlds then she remains there until she herself returns. Or another as powerful as she is opens it.” “Oh, that all?” Pinkie Pie waved off the concern with her hoof. She had no worries at all. “Twi-Twi does this sort of thing all the time. She’ll be fine.” “Starswirl wanted the Brook protected because of what lay in the other world. A great danger, he said. One he could not overcome.” “Worrying now,” Pinkie gulped with the others. 6 - Under Pressure At least fourteen gears clacked against each other to help do whatever it was the tower’s mechanism was meant to do. Starlight looked at it with disdain. Clearly the result of whatever it was doing was nothing remotely observable. Twilight’s eyes, however, seemed to turn with those same gears. “It’s a flow analyzer,” the purple princess stated almost as if she were talking to somepony besides Starlight. She placed a hoof in the center of the room and made a circular motion. A magical aura of orange grew out of the thin air around her until it morphed into a series of holographic screens showing a myriad of data. Starlight tried not to leave her mouth open. What was impressive was not this magical device but rather how quickly Twilight herself figured it out. She really is an egghead, Starlight thought as she followed her marefriend around. In a good way, though, she concluded. Twilight, not hearing this, turned ever more optimistic. “This could be our big break! We might be able to use this to locate Ruby Rose!” Starlight smacked her head with her forehoof. It just figured she’d accidentally speed things along. “Wait,” she backtracked mentally, “Ruby isn’t a unicorn.” “No,” Twilight admitted with only a glance to her companion, “but the display here has a setting for tracing Earth pony magic. It may not be as obvious as it is with unicorns, but they also have their own unique magic that this thing can detect!” Starlight ground her teeth. Twilight tapped her forehoof in the air around her, activating the massive tower’s abilities. Gears stopped, clanked into different positions, and started to grind against each other with more energy. The air took on a spicy electrical tang as a humming noise began to fill the room. “It’s working!” Twilight cried in scientific glee even as her mane and tail started to float on a static charge. “It’s picked up a pony in the city!” “Besides us?” Starlight asked and tried to smooth out her own mane. “Northwest,” Twilight reported, confidence in her tone. “5 blocks. You were a genius mentioning this place!” Starlight cursed herself mentally. “Come on!” Twilight didn’t waste a second. She jumped back from the holograms, making them vanish. Her eagerness and dash for the door made Starlight almost trip over herself to keep up. “But what was that Analyzer made for in the first place?” Starlight tried to say anything that might slow her marefriend down. She needed to come up with a plan of action. “It’s so big! It couldn’t have been made just to find ponies inside the city.” Twilight ran back out onto the street before she stopped and considered what Starlight said. “You...may have a point,” she admitted with a blush. It was awkward for her to have been so clearly focused on figuring out what the tower was and how to use it that she missed why it was there in the first place. “But we have to save Spike first. We can deal with studying this place afterwards.” “What I’m trying to say,” Starlight countered before Twilight could dart away again, “is that maybe if I stay behind, I can keep tracking her and maybe even find Spike with it.” Twilight frowned. “But it didn’t have any dragon-finding option.” “You get to Ruby and I will worry about what the tower can and cannot do,” Starlight grinned, happy with the new scheme forming in her mind even as she spoke. Twilight took the suggestion with a nod and ran off down the old stone street. She quickly disappeared around the corner of one of the many rusty-looking metal buildings. Starlight’s grin turned into a smirk when she did. The pinkish unicorn also turned, though it was to go back into the tower. She got back to the screen area Twilight found and mimicked her move. If anypony could copy Twilight or even modify a complex and mysterious form of magic then it was herself, Starlight Glimmer. Suspicion hadn’t been on Twilight’s mind and she seemed to trust her marefriend. All for the better. The tower’s display screens materialized into their orange glows around her. “Typical Starswirl,” Starlight remarked to herself while analyzing the magical displays. “His methods always follow a pattern. Just like the time spell.” A few swipes of her hoof against the holograms made the machines begin clanging into a new order. But before the cogs on one of the far walls could finish positioning against the others, she blasted them with her horn. The heavy metal wheels fell down to the floor with a deafening crash. “Let’s try things my way,” she hummed happily. A warning siren started to blare from the tower’s peak. It made Starlight wince and hold her head, but didn’t keep her from fixing it. “Quiet!” she yelled at it with sudden rage and a burst of magic from her horn. The siren fell silent. “That’s better,” she resumed her lighthearted spirit and cast a spell to form a new series of mechanical devices where the old cogs used to be. “A bit of this. A bit of that.” A mess of new unidentifiable metal parts were now assembled where the cogs used to be. The cogs that were on the floor were gone now – used as material along with a few of the doors and containers in other rooms. Starlight trot up, activated the screens once again and was not disappointed to see that one of the displays was now outputting gibberish. Her horn glowed and then stabbed the hologram, which flickered and then displayed the outline of a dragon. It was wonky, but she didn’t care much about looks. Just functionality. Another tap of her hoof upon the hologram – really more of a swipe through empty air – and the tower once more groaned with turning machinery. The center screen showed the city at first but then scaled out. It showed the entire continent they were on and then the planet. The hologram of the planet twirled and switched focus to another planet far away, scaled in, and finally settled on a new continent and new city. Words snapped across the screen. Equestria. Saddle Arabia. Maredina. “It’s over then,” Starlight let out a breath and stepped away from the holograms, which disappeared in her absence. She had successfully modified the Analyzer to find a “magic dragon” and confirmed Spike’s safety. With their friends in Maredina, it was practically impossible he had not already been discovered. What worried her was something else altogether. “Why would Starswirl build an interstellar detection device?” “Stop!” Twilight shouted across the plaza. When she first found the villainous red mare, Ruby had taken off. The panic in her stride told Twilight that she had not expected to be followed. Let alone found. The red Earth pony was trapped in a seemingly dead-end plaza with no routes of escape except for the direction Twilight was in. High smooth walls formed this literal corner of the city and the ground beneath their hooves was no longer stone. A hard metal made up a unique flooring with a zigzag pattern pointing to the center of the plaza. “I’m sorry! Please don’t hurt me!” Ruby cried out as she turned to face the princess. Her eyes darted about with pools of water at the bottom. This was more than mere panic. “Please! Just don’t harm me!” “Harm you?” Twilight’s brows furrowed in absolute confusion. She took a step toward the broken mare. “What’s going on? Why would you think I would harm you? Sure, you took Spi-” Twilight stopped short when the mare crouched to the ground and held her head. She really was expecting some sort of aggression beyond what Twilight would ever think of doing. “Done yet?” a voice called from behind Twilight, causing the mare to jump around in surprise. “Starlight?” Twilight exclaimed in shock, though she relaxed quickly. “I thought you were back at the tower trying to locate Spike.” Starlight kept walking towards the alicorn until she was only a few hooves distance away. Twilight’s coat fur stood up and her nostrils flared. “Freeze!” Twilight shouted and blasted the most powerful ice magic she could muster from her horn. It lanced at Starlight, but the mare teleported behind Twilight with a smoothness she had not seen with her marefriend before. Not even in their duels. The purple pony felt a harsh shove and fell to the ground with a thud. She could already feel a bruise coming on. She didn’t even have time to turn over because the mare behind her got on top and pinned her with her hooves so Twilight’s face pressed against the cold metal plaza floor. “You picked up my scent faster than my pawn Ruby,” the supposed-to-be-Starlight said with a sickening giggle. “Not fast enough, though. And I expected more given we’ve met before.” “Get off of me, Chrysalis,” Twilight seethed with anger. She couldn’t see it, but the changeling transformed back into her true form on top of the pony mare. The tall shape-shifter ignored Ruby, who took her chance to run past them and escape. “You will not be so feisty after I get you to surrender the activation key to me.” “Activation key?” “Don’t play dumb!” Chrysalis bit out with more hatred than even Twilight felt for the carapaced villain. “You don’t know what I sacrificed to get here!” Twilight’s brain wrestled for what “activation key” might refer to. Starswirl had built the city for experimental science and magic. Clearly, there was some device of significance that Chrysalis wanted to use for her own purposes. Her initial instinct was to try playing along until she could overpower the changeling but a last second idea put her on a different path. “I only just got here and I know close to nothing of this place,” Twilight admitted, her words coming out almost mumbled because of her pressed face. “But if you promise you’re not going to hurt anypony then I’ll find the key for you.” “You would trust a promise of mine?” Chrysalis asked as if she were greatly amused by the notion. “I didn’t say trust,” Twilight grumbled. “I’ll tolerate you until we’re both out of here.” Chrysalis squinted. “I’m not interested in Equestria anymore. I’m moving on. Find the Star Teleporter’s key for me and we’ll have the pleasure of never seeing each other again.” “Sounds like we can have mutual goals,” Twilight almost growled. The changeling jumped off of the alicorn and hovered on her insectile wings. “I’ll be waiting. And watching.” Trying to ignore the audacity of the queen changeling’s lack of assistance, Twilight looked back to the tower she had come from earlier. Perhaps Starlight could configure it to find a key if she had succeeded at finding a dragon. In any case, she would need it again to find Ruby, who had run off into the city. Starlight kept glancing over her shoulder at Chrysalis. She wasn’t a big fan of changelings even though she had only heard about the invasion in news. Perhaps it was her size or fangs that gave her worry. In any case, Starlight’s light blue magical aura swept new parts into the tower’s wall-set mechanics. “It will be less reliable with every part I change,” Starlight disclaimed to Twilight, who was next her. The purple alicorn was wearing an expression equally as grim. She stepped to the tower screen circle, which activated and began reporting on Ruby’s position. “Well, we’re not looking for stability here. We just need to get Chrysalis the key and grab Ruby on our way out. You sure Spike is in Maredina?” “Would I lie?” “The machine might,” Twilight frowned at the glitching screens around her. She could only hope to Celestia that Ruby’s position was not glitching like most of the other data outputs. “I’m still waiting,” Chrysalis complained, the buzzing of her wings not doing anything for Twilight’s concentration. “We’re working on it!” Twilight snapped. She had to concentrate. Chrysalis showed them the Star Teleporter on the northern side of the city. If Twilight were Starswirl then were would she store the key? Everything fit a logical pattern… “So you drain love from others to feed?” Starlight squinted suspiciously at Chrysalis. “You pathetic ponies have no idea,” Chrysalis seethed. She fought to keep her drool from showing. “The love between you two is so strong – particularly from you – that I’m getting a headache holding myself back. I’d drain you dry if I didn’t want that key first.” Starlight sneered. “You better not try after we get the key for you. I’ll show you that a roasted changeling can indeed get blacker.” Chrysalis sneered back. “As much as I’d love to kick your flat flank for that, I’m mature enough to focus on my objectives. Unlike you.” “I’ve got it!” Twilight exclaimed while studying the flickering maps of the city on the screens. “Starswirl would have put it in the food supply facility!” “I’m sure that makes sense to you, Twily,” Starswirl frowned at her with a dead look. “Rationing,” Twilight explained as she hopped away from the screens and headed for the exit. “He would leave the key with the last supplies that would be gathered before an expedition. Things that would spoil otherwise. Starlight, you grab Ruby and bring her back here. I’ll get the key and we can be back in Maredina in no time!” 7 - Teleporter Twilight Sparkle did take some time in finding the key. It was indeed where she believed it to be, but Starswirl must have left it out of the keybox by mistake because it had been half hidden beneath a bag of flour. Starlight, who was next to her, couldn’t help but comment. “I expected it to look like some kind of magical relic.” Twilight frowned. “Starswirl was always for function over form. The most decorated relics he had were made by others. Maybe if he had Rarity as an assistant it would look like something more important than a simple door key.” “You’re assuming that is the key to the teleporter, right?” Starlight quickly picked up on the possible issue. “Nothing else we’ve found in the city requires a key,” Twilight justified and waved the simple rusty key in the air with her magic. “There has to be-” Starlight’s words were interrupted when a sickly green magic aura snatched the key from Twilight’s own magical grip. “I have what I sought,” Chrysalis exclaimed in that disturbing joy she had expressed back when she thought she had won Canterlot. “Excuse me if I don’t care to waste time with your chit chat.” Without a goodbye, the changeling zipped out of the storage hangar on her buzzing wings. “Uh...” Starlight grimaced. “Great,” Twilight deadpanned. “Don’t we need to stop her?” The alicorn stood tall and brightened up, though. “Not really. I mean, it’s not like she even knows how to work the teleporter. And if she tries using it without the proper calibrations...I’m sure some planet somewhere won’t notice the splat.” “Wow,” Starlight’s eyes widened. “And I thought I was dark.” “You have no idea what she did to my family,” Twilight frowned again for a moment and then turned it into a smile. She drew up a scroll from behind her and opened it for Starlight to read. “I made sure she didn’t notice what I found next to the key – fully beneath the bag.” “Note to self,” Starlight read aloud. “Generators 5-6 are acting up again. I suspect a faulty internal transformer array but do not have the time to address it. My timed emergency kickstart spells can power the Star for single trips. Perhaps I’ll have it fixed if I can ever convince Celestia to send support personnel into the city.” “So she’s not going anywhere without us to jump the generators,” Twilight smirked and gave a “heh” of satisfaction. Starlight would be lying to herself if she said she didn’t enjoy her marefriend’s haughty disposition. “You are one clever mare.” “Look who’s talking,” Twilight gave the unicorn a knowing look. “I trust you’ve been scheming behind my back? Maybe planning to tie me up…?” “Oh, I see how it is,” Starlight fluttered her eyes in response. “I confirm Spike’s safety and now you’re relaxed enough to flirt with me. I’m a little surprised actually that Chrysalis doesn’t worry you as much.” “I was worried at first,” Twilight admitted as she began leading her mare out of the massive storage hangar and towards the tower. “But I was able to piece together that she is alone. Her hive is not with her. And she doesn’t have much magical power right now.” “She’s bluffing and can’t really take us on,” Starlight realized. “Why else would she come up with some absurd plan of manipulation to get ponies here to do things for her? She’s desperate,” Twilight concluded as their hooves clacked against the city road again. “She must have found out about easier targets on another world where she can regain her strength.” “And we’re not going to let her?” Starlight guessed. “Nope,” Twilight stated with a fake deadpan and a hidden note of glee. “So we...what? Send her to Tartarus?” Starlight asked. It was less to her own desires than simple curiosity as to what Twilight would choose. The purple pony gave a “hmmm” before rejecting the idea. “She’d just die there. No, we need a proper place for her. It just so happens that Celestia wrote to me last week about a special...room.” Their walk was as boring as ever due to the rusty metal of the empty science city. However, tendrils of purple light were slithering through the red sky. Not knowing the scientific explanation for it but also knowing that there was one made Starlight appreciate the natural beauty of it. The scene went well with the colors of her special somepony. “For changeling detention?” Starlight guessed again. They had just come up to the entrance of the tower and rather than walk through the few rooms before the tower’s center, Twilight simply teleported them in. Starlight blinked herself into equilibrium, having had no warning but managing to recover quickly. Twilight got back to the magical screens and began searching for Ruby. “So do we get a vacation after this?” Starlight walked up to Twilight and hung herself over the mare’s back. Twilight rolled her eyes but didn’t complain. “Why so eager? This trip has been relatively short. And there’s a lot to learn here.” “It will be easy to travel here whenever we want,” Starlight added to the observations while massaging Twilight’s shoulders. “Plus, we haven’t tried even half the things in that naughty diary of yours.” That finally made Twilight pause for a moment and blush. She started working even faster to distract herself, though. Starlight got back off of her and gave the purple pony princess a plea with puppy dog eyes. “Fine,” Twilight relented. “But after we get back to Ponyville. I imagine we’ll wind up in Maredina for a few more days.” Any further conversation was halted by a horrendous scream of rage. Both mares looked towards the doorway that led out of the room and beheld a very flustered looking changeling queen. “You lied!” the tall shape-shifter shouted. “I don’t recall promising anything,” Twilight feigned neutrality. “What I do remember is you grabbing the key and flying off.” “You’ll get it working or I’ll-” “Calm yourself,” Twilight interjected. “I think I know what the problem is and we’ll help you get the teleporter powered.” “You’d better!” Chrysalis gnashed her teeth. She was unsure where to go with her rage without tipping her hole-ridden hoof. Twilight bit her lip to contain her annoyance. It would be over soon, she kept telling herself. And truly she had nothing to fear from the bug-like being. Even if she might be in danger alone, Starlight was with her. She may have only given the mare carefully-worded praise, but she often wondered if a properly trained Starlight could surpass her in power. Starlight was, in fact, literally ahead of her now that she was leading the way out of the tower. Twilight noted the position of Ruby on the screens before trotting after her marefriend. “She’s locked herself in Rations Office 5,” Twilight explained to the unicorn. “She’ll be there after we’re done with the generators.” “Good,” Starlight concluded simply. “How’d Chrysalis even rope her into this?” “Transform into a life-long crush and bait her with promises of true love?” Chrysalis offered with a sickening cackle of amusement. “Where love and greed intersect lies opportunity.” “Says a changeling,” Twilight muttered under her breath. As they once more stepped onto the growing-to-be-familiar drab city road, Starlight couldn’t help but question. “Did you mean to get specifically us here?” They turned around a city block corner and Chrysalis gave a snort of disgust. “You two would be the last I’d intentionally plan to get here. All I did was get Ruby to do the work for me. How she did it was none of my concern. Now I see it should have been if only to rid myself of such an infuriating reunion.” “It’s mutual,” Twilight deadpanned. Out of a certain lack of conversational mood, few words were had between there and the Star Teleporter. Twilight had Chrysalis give directions a few times since her mind was struggling to keep up with all the information she was trying to remember about the city. When they arrived at the site, it was little more than what any pony might expect of a mass teleportation device. A raised platform stood in the center of a city intersection. A myriad of stars were emblazoned on the platform in a circular fashion, growing more dense towards the center. A conspicuous control panel was situated on one street platform away from the teleportation ring. Twilight went there and confirmed the blinking lights upon it. “Yes,” she nodded to herself. Various readouts indicated the set destination and the machine’s current status. “The power generators must be nearby.” “Follow the conduits?” Starlight suggested as her forehoof pointed to the thick cables running from the platform, down a street, and into another hangar-like structure. Twilight agreed and then looked to the changeling, who was hovering over them like a menace. “Once we jump start the power, it should activate and teleport you to the set destination. Get on the platform and we’ll do the rest.” Not feeling naive, Chrysalis double-checked the control display after the mares headed down the street to the open power building. Her world destination was still set: a place of meek beings easy to steal love from without the threat of resistance – according to Starswirl anyways. Content with her chances of accomplishing her objective, she hovered up to the platform’s circle and fell with a clack onto the exact center. Meanwhile, Twilight and Starlight were just entering the generator building and taking inventory of how it was designed. Twilight followed the control cables to the consoles near the door and Starlight inspected the generator array that stretched towards the back of the massive hangar-like room. She used a short-range communication spell to more easily talk to Twilight as they went opposite ways. “I’m seeing dead leads from generators 5 and 6,” Starlight’s voice sounded in Twilight’s mind. “Just like Starswirl mentioned. And where did you learn this spell?” Twilight responded with a suspicious tone. “You mentioned it in one of your secret diary fantasies, remember?” Starlight replied with a sultry inflection just to play with her marefriend. “How much did you read?” Twilight shook her head and continued looking over the generator readouts. Both 5 and 6 had flashing yellow lights indicating a ready start sequence. “Up until the latest entry,” Starlight recalled. She walked down the aisle between generator 5 and 6 and readied her electrical discharge spell. “You know. The one where you capture me in the caves outside my old town and tie me up before-” “Okay!” Twilight interrupted. “You don’t need to spell it out.” “But it’s not like anypony is going to overhear us,” Starlight would have winked at the mare if they were face-to-face. “So what’s the plan?” “For Chrysalis?” “Obviously.” Twilight hummed and then gave an “aha” of discovery. “The control panel back at the teleporter was just a forward terminal. The actual targeting system is here, which means...” “If you do anything, she’ll see it on the screen right?” Starlight warned. “Not if I splice in a dummy connection spell and then change the real one,” the alicorn replied smartly. Starlight paused in her magic charging and blinked. “You can do that?” “It’s magic. And besides,” Twilight stuck her tongue out even though Starlight couldn’t see it, “I could ask the same about your modification of the sensor tower.” “Not the first time I’ve modified Starswirl’s work,” Starlight shrugged. “So what’s the target? That room you mentioned?” Twilight tapped her chin in thought. “Yes. Seems best. Maybe Chrysalis will turn around someday. How are those generators coming along?” Starlight closed her eyes in concentration. Her body began to lift from the ground as her magical aura surrounded her body and pulsed with a heavy thrum. Her mane and tail began to billow with the beat of it. “Ready to start on your command.” “I love you,” Twilight decided to say. Even her close friends didn’t have the ability to handle such magically intense situations. Truly nopony else in Equestria could for that matter – save for the other alicorns. Starlight’s ability made her the only pony she knew of that could relate to her on such matters and her reliability became more clear with each passing day. Once the new destination was set on the master control panel, she gave the order. “Power on!” 8 - Relief The detection spell is coming up negative,” Twilight confirmed with the glow of her horn. “It worked. She’s gone.” “But the spell didn’t detect her in the first place, remember?” Starlight frowned. “I adjusted it for changeling detection,” Twilight said with her nose raised. Something about countering Starlight’s assumption gave her a sense of pride. They competed in a way to see which one of them could invent spell alterations faster. “Yeah, right,” Starlight squinted with a smirk. “You analyzed the magical modifications I made to the tower control panel for non-pony lifeform detection. You just copied my work.” “You accuse me of being a cheater?” Twilight puffed out her chest, the sounds of her rising voice echoing in the large power generation room. Starlight flipped her hair with a grin. “No, you would never cheat on me. You have too difficult of a time keeping your hooves off my posterior.” Twilight was frozen as she was for a good while before relaxing and giggling. Starlight nodded to herself and led them out onto the rusty drab street and past the teleporter. No changeling or pony was in sight. The somber reds and oranges of the sky had shifted to a more gentle purple almost dark enough to be considered a night sky. The city was still lit as it was before though, shapes easy enough to discern in a mix of natural light and low-power glow lanterns. “Did I tell you how glad I am to have you around?” Twilight smiled as they headed towards Ruby’s location. “Many times,” Starlight confirmed in the near-arrogance that had become so familiar to Twilight. It was a few bars below Trixie’s, though. That was probably why it was tolerable for her. “We still need to check with Celestia,” Twilight reminded. “But we should be safe.” “I can’t wait to get back to vacationing,” Starlight used her magic to gently caress her marefriend’s wings. Twilight blushed but kept focused and opened the door to the building they had last traced Ruby in. “Let’s get Ruby back to Equestria, where she can be properly questioned. I’m sure I can convince either Celestia or Luna to take on the case once we get back.” “The Saddle Arabian king will want to coordinate with them no doubt,” Starlight added. “You’re getting a handle on royal affairs, I see,” Twilight smiled. “Mostly yours,” Starlight winked back. “Wow,” was all Rainbow Dash could say. She and her friends stood in the palace’s Court of the Sky. The massive courtyard was enclosed on all sides by garden walls but was open to the sky and in the middle was anchored the airship Pride of the Stars. “Build it big or don’t build it at all, huh?” Applejack laughed. The airship was nearly a third the size of the palace itself. At least two dozen Saddle Arabians were visible working on it from beneath the massive craft and also from on top of it – held by ropes and hoists. King Clear Sand led them proudly to the foremost tip of the strangely-shaped ship. It almost resembled the shape of an exotic beetle with the exception of two enormous cloud-shaped bulbs connected to it from the top. Everything was encased in what seemed to be a tan wood with elaborately carved engravings all over. Depictions of Saddle Arabians could be seen along with some other strange creatures none of the ponies or the dragon recognized. Occasionally, gold accented the creatures. The part of the ship they were nearing seemed to be an entrance, as a panel opened downward to form a ramp and an Arabian stepped out. He was tall but also more muscular than many of the others, with a black coat that somehow shined almost like silver in the sun. He stepped and bowed towards the king. “Your majesty, repairs will require more time than we anticipated. Aft propeller 2 has a damaged stabilizer. However, she can carry under propeller 1 with reduced speed,” the servant explained with head bowed. The king puffed up his chest and looked back to his pony guests. “The Stars smile upon us, it would seem. We will take the Pride a short distance to the Brook. There we will await the fate of your princess.” Spike couldn’t help twiddling his claws. “Twilight,” he whispered to himself with a hint of worry. He always tried to be with her in difficult times but he was absent now. Could he trust Starlight to look after her? Rarity tried to look down at him with a smile to cheer him up but even her attempt felt weak to herself. She was, after all, as unsure as he was. She trusted Starlight just fine but the nature of the other side of the portal was unknown to her. If Starswirl had a hoof in it, then it could indeed prove a challenge even to Twilight. “Aw, don’t worry,” Pinkie Pie insisted as she leaned with her elbow propped on Fluttershy’s back. “I’m totally sure Twilight and Starlight have already taken care of the bad guy and are taking their time getting back so they can have some alone time safely on the other side of the portal where Spike won’t accidentally barge in when they are super kissy-wissy.” Everyone gave Pinkie the “seriously” look that her random tirades often awarded her. Except for Spike. He was blushing from remembering the last time that actually happened. “Come,” the king insisted as he lead them up the ramp into the ship. Not wanting to insult, the ponies followed Spike behind the king. The small dragon was eager to get his mind on other things. In fact, he was almost pushed aside by a suddenly even-more-eager Rarity who wished to see the inside of the ornate ship more than the others. “Oh my,” she exclaimed with sparkling eyes once they had climbed the ramp and walked through the corridor entrance. She had been on Canterlot yachts before but this was of an entirely new caliber. “Oh Celestia.” The corridor sparkled with some sort of gem dust and would have been dark except for the colorful glow of a crystal that was fixed into the walls and ceiling all the way to the room they first entered. Rarity expected a variety of incredible polished marble for the floor, but it was simply wood like the rest of the ship and clacked beneath her carefully-kept hooves. Once the king led them into the first room, they were all surprised to see far less décor than was anticipated. Instead of chandeliers and large furniture, there were only some light-looking pillows. The decorations consisted entirely of intricate patterns of the glowing crystals and the carvings in the walls and ceiling that even swept down across the floor. King Clear Sand gestured to the cushions and pulled on a rope near the one he chose to rest upon. “Even without her full speed, she will take us to the Brook before sundown.” “Her?” Pinkie Pie whispered the question to Fluttershy, who responded in an even quieter tone. “He means the ship.” “Such exquisite, if simple, design,” Rarity complimented openly as she got comfortable next to Spike. The king smiled big. “Such as she is! The wood is of the few materials she could be made of, so I insisted upon a glorious design. If the ship carried any heavier a frame, she would not fly. Only the Roashi tree is so light and yet so strong. A gift of the desert.” Spike asked what was on all the ponies’ minds, which was the strange creatures in the carvings. The king gave voice to legends even as the ship moved beneath them and the sensation of moderate speed became an unsettling feeling to them all. Only one small window across the room gave evidence that they were indeed reaching into the air. “No! Let me go!” Ruby struggled against her magical grasp that enveloped her in the air. “Calm down,” Twilight sighed. “We’re going to deal with you properly when we’re back in Canterlot.” “No...” the red mare was practically in tears. The despair in her voice and the focus of her eyes, however, indicated there was something else entirely she didn’t want to face. Starlight Glimmer finished the detection spell in the rocky field they had first arrived in and began forming a massive swirling portal-opening spell she had picked up from her magical analysis. If Starlight was good at anything then it was at this very sort of thing. It was why Twilight left it to her while she managed the rowdy prisoner. Their manes and tails began to lift as the spell intensified. “I hope you get the portal target right,” Twilight teased, fully trusting her marefriend. Starlight rolled her eyes and stepped right up to the alicorn. “I’d prefer we be alone, but an audience won’t stop me.” “Wha-” Twilight began to raise a brow in question but she was answered prematurely. Starlight, with horn still ablaze and the spell reaching a climax, stepped forward again and sealed her lips to the other mare. Twilight’s eyes widened and she tried to back up. She might have enjoyed her mare’s affection in her bedroom back at her castle, but she had never imagined displaying it with others around. Ruby Rose was, for certain, gasping in shock at the sight of what would seem to her to be very oddly-timed intimacy. In reality, Ruby was now worrying that she might plummet to the ground due to the fact that Twilight’s surprise and diverted attention made the magic around Ruby flicker. Starlight stepped forward when Twilight stepped back and held the kiss. Her magic finally exploded and a rift in space split into the air with a hungry vacuum that sucked at the very fabric of reality. The three ponies were drawn in, shapes and colors distorted as they were magically propelled back to the place they had originated from. “You were mistaken, Miss Pie,” Rarity deadpanned. “They did not remain on the other side of the portal for their alone time.” “Heh heh,” Pinkie Pie giggled as she watched the two preoccupied ponies standing at the water of the brook. Twilight and Starlight stood there with a magically tied up pony laying on the ground. The unknown pony had her naturally red face mixed with a difficult to see blush from watching the mares in their makeout session. Her attention had shifted to them once she had, quite gratefully, hit dry ground without harsh force. “Uhhhh,” Applejack trailed and frowned while quickly looking back to King Clear Sand, who was standing behind them at the edge of the trail they had taken from the Pride’s landing spot. Applejack gulped in worry. Fluttershy hid her tomato-red face behind the thick pink locks of her smooth mane. Spike’s comment was an indication that his prior shock at Twilight’s relationship had finally given way to casual acceptance. “I didn’t know ponies liked to kiss with their tongues.” “Spike!” Rarity hissed at him. “What?” Spike shrugged. “I’m not the one getting all hot and bothered.” Applejack’s worry about the king faded when he walked past them to the mares who were still oblivious to the group’s presence. “I see you have restrained Ruby Rose,” he exclaimed with a proud boom of his royal voice. The two magical mares broke abruptly from their kissing to behold the king of the land, as powerful politically as they were magically. “I-I-” Twilight stammered with a red face. Starlight recovered more easily, her almost arrogant demeanor coming through along with her reduced concern of political conformity. “The situation has been taken care of,” she practically nodded to herself upon seeing Spike in her peripheral vision. The large Saddle Arabian king knelt briefly before them in a show of gratitude. “You both have my apologies for allowing such an event to unfold and my eternal gratitude for protecting the sacred places of my kingdom. The Great Starswirl would be pleased, no doubt.” Twilight was still blushing, but was put at ease by the king’s calm and thankful words. Her mind finally picked up on the diplomatic procedures she was supposed to be aware of as a princess of Equerstria. “If it would be permissible to your highness,” Twilight began, “I would like to have Ruby Rose transported to Equestria for inquiry and detainment.” The king’s lip curled at a corner, pleasantly surprised by the alicorn mare’s ability to recover and make such an official request. “Of course,” he responded in kind while drawing back to his full height and smiling patiently down below. “Under one condition, of course.” Starlight held back an eye roll when she glanced back to her marefriend beside her. She liked having an edge of confidence over Twilight because it meant she could get what she wanted with the pony. But even in Starlight’s self-confidence, Twilight was far more collected and orderly in a political exchange. Fitting for a princess, but annoying to the marefriend who still wanted a vacation away from it all. “Yes, your highness?” Twilight nodded with a minute bow. King Clear Sand chuckled heartily. “That I might have a friendly visit to the royal court of your great country and better know your people. That we may better the relationship of our nations as Princess Celestia has done so graciously in the past.” Twilight tried to hide an amused giggle. Though she had only fully met him now, she could see why King Clear Sand was so well spoken of by diplomats, merchants, and Saddle Arabians alike. He was smooth and, judging by the smiles and nods of her friends behind him, he treated ponies as good as his word. “I would be honored-” Twilight replied with a full bow this time but was caught it in when her small dip made her catch the color and shape of Spike, who had been obscured previously by both the king’s frame as well as that of Rarity. The king’s brow raised and then his expression settled again into contentment when he saw Twilight dart around him and tackle the baby dragon in a tight embrace. “Spike!” Twilight nearly cried, water at the corners of her eyes. Her tone dripped with relief even though she had convinced herself of Starlight’s assurances before. “You’re okay!” “Of course I am,” Spike answered coolly, but hugged back happily all the same. He was relieved as well, though had held back the most terrible of worries due to his hope and trust in Starlight. “Thank Celestia,” Twilight sighed and snuggled the dragon. “Aw c’mon,” Spike said quietly. “You’re embarrassing me.” “Perhaps,” King Clear Sand spoke up while two Saddle Arabian guards picked up the bound Ruby Rose, “we might all relax within the Pride and exchange our stories and concerns.” 9 - Cool Down The ship sailed through the clouds, streams of white floating by as if to only say hello in passing. Starlight Glimmer watched through the small window, her pillow having been moved there while the others were crowded in the center. Twilight and her other friends were conversing with the king. Meanwhile, Starlight was watching the sky and the lands pass by below. Spike walked up and crawled onto her back so he could be at a height to watch too. Starlight had given him permission long ago to do such things. Her relationship with the little dragon was actually closer than any of Twilight’s friends. Spike had certain unique qualities to him that she appreciated. His straightforward honesty mixed with a surprising amount of compassion and friendliness made him her confidant. Well, perhaps with the exclusion of matters promised to secrecy by her marefriend. “Where was the evil?” Spike asked casually. “On the other side of the Brook?” Starlight asked back for clarification. Spike just nodded. He watched as yellow grasslands began to be populated by sparse trees far below. “Gone,” Starlight said flatly. “Except for Chrysalis, who I doubt was what drove Starswirl out. My guess is whatever it was didn’t stick around after the first five hundred years went by and Starswirl didn’t come back.” “You said the city was still in tact, though.” “What we saw was intact. There could have been things that were there before and removed or stolen and we’d never know. Starswirl’s records of it were not like an inventory list. Well,” she stopped to correct herself, “he might have had lists somewhere but none I saw or heard of.” Spike sighed. “I wish I had been taken there. I could have helped.” “Spike,” Starlight said softly as her eyes shifted back to him. “Don’t feel bad about it. There was nothing you could have done anyways. Most of what we had to do used Starswirl’s magical patterns.” “I know,” Spike frowned. Sensing his bothered mood, Starlight thought of a remedy quick. “Oh, I understand now,” her eyes fluttered at him. “You wanted in on my private time with Twily~” The other ponies across the ship’s room glanced over when they heard Starlight laugh boisterously. She hadn’t anticipated Spike’s red face to be so sudden and hilarious. However, the others resumed another conversation shortly and did not pick up on what was being spoken now in whispers between the dragon and magic genius. “W-w-w-wha?” Spike stammered, face as deep as a rich Red Delicious apple. “You don’t have to play innocent with me, Spikey,” Starlight whispered with an insisting expression. “I’ve seen the way you look at us. Especially my flank.” Spike’s faulty response was utterly ruined when Starlight added a wink at the end. So he just covered his face with his claws in total loss. Starlight giggled at first and then cooed. He really could be so adorable sometimes. She slid him off her back and hugged him. “Sorry,” she whispered when he failed to recover. “I was just teasing.” Spike peaked out from behind his claws, biting his bottom lip. “I know you really want Rarity,” Starlight stated. Spike covered his eyes again. “Heh heh,” the unicorn stuck her tongue out and petted his spines. “But why can a team not do the groundwork for you?” King Clear Sand asked Princess Twilight Sparkle. The alicorn shifted comfortably on her pink cushion. “The Brook can be activated from outside but there is no obvious channel on the other side for a return trip. Starlight used her replication magic to create the return portal, but no ordinary unicorn can find the link and activate the channel. Starlight is...special.” Not missing the faint blush in the princess’ final word made the king’s lip curl in a pleasant smile. “In that case, I would be more than willing to provide any supplies you would need to make further explorations yourself.” Rarity had been contemplating the ideas and thought now to ask what she was wondering. “Why not the Star Teleporter then? Could that not send ponies back?” “It was our first attempt,” Twilight admitted. “But the Teleporter was not intended for cross-dimensional use. Only interstellar. My guess was that Starswirl created it to reduce his magic consumption while searching that dimension for something he only alluded to in his records. We made some alterations to get it to teleport Chrysalis back into our time-space but, when we tried to use it again to return with Ruby, some of the critical components had fried.” “That’s what happens when you use a bucket for a plow,” Applejack nodded. Fluttershy couldn’t help a quiet giggle. “We found another way obviously,” Twilight continued. “The Teleporter will need repairs, though. I’m fairly certain that Chrysalis was teleported successfully.” “Fairly?” Rainbow Dash deadpanned. Twilight shrugged. There was nothing more she could do. Besides, it was not as if the return of Starlight and herself had been much more certain. When dealing with advanced magic, risk was aplenty. “We need snacks!” Pinkie Pie blurted out with a sad face. Rarity facehoofed. “Fortunate for you,” the king began as he pulled a service rope, “there is weight enough for sustenance.” A light tan Saddle Arabian appeared from a curtain across the room. “Dessert,” the king ordered in a gentle tone. “I believe certain of my guests are eager for a sweet treat.” Pinkie Pie’s eyes grew to dinner plates and her mouth watered, making Applejack reach over with a handkerchief to prevent slobbering. “I have a question, your highness,” spoke up the shy mare among them. “Hm?” Clear Sand rose a brow. “I will answer anything you desire. And please call me Clear Sand, Fluttershy.” “Clear Sand,” the pegasus breathed with a reserved voice. “In Saddle Arabia, is it common for mares to...um...” “Have permanent relations?” the king guessed. “Perhaps not as much as I’ve heard of Equestria. However, my rule has included some changes. All Saddle Arabians are welcome to love as they please.” “Have enemies?” Applejack followed up bluntly. Twilight glared at her but the king was not bothered in the least. “All rulers do,” he responded simply. A ring was heard throughout the ship. A signal. “We have arrived,” The Saddle Arabian king stood from his spot and went to the porthole, which Starlight stepped away from for his sake. “Canterlot,” he breathed in. “A fine city even when seen from above.” With his gesture, Twilight looked as well. She had seen Canterlot from this view a couple times as a filly, twice as a mare from a hot air balloon, and once from Celestia’s chariot. It was even more amazing from a greater distance above in this ship. The spires of Canterlot Castle grew steadily large and their points more defined as they drifted down towards the air field that usually contained a few observational balloons and a single blimp. The ship was descending just slow enough to prevent the ponies from feeling nauseous. Just barely. Rarity and Fluttershy held the walls to steady their mental balance. The king had obviously done this so many times that he had no issue with walking across the room and talking to a servant about ground signals they had received. First to greet them when the ramp descended was Princess Celestia herself. Twilight might have guessed as much if Chrysalis had indeed wound up where she was supposed to be. The seriousness of her face seemed to indicate that. But it softened quickly upon appearance of the king, her diplomatic skills as experienced as time itself and her manners without flaw. “I was overjoyed upon hearing of your visit, your highness,” Celestia nodded in respect to him. He stepped off the ramp and allowed the others behind him to depart. Then he proceeded with his own greeting. Spike hurried beside Twilight as the mare walked around to Celestia’s side. “Much better flight than your old days in wing training, huh?” The alicorn’s face wilted into a deadpan frown. “Haha,” she whispered back sarcastically. It felt like forever until the pleasantries were over. The girls had only the rushing of the dock ponies to amuse them. The Saddle Arabian engineers had to work with the Canterlot ground crew to secure the ship and begin provisions. It was comical to watch since they both seemed to fumble about and make bizarre and wide gestures to each other in an attempt to communicate what only the translators could convey. Apparently the engineers were not as diverse in their trade languages and the translators were – unfortunately for them – late. The time did come, however, for them to enter Canterlot Castle. While Princess Luna took up King Clear Sand on a walk around the castle garden to speak of his visiting interests, Celestia took Twilight aside. Her pleasant expression was lost in the absence of the foreign royal and was replaced by a strained urgency. “Twilight, I trust and respect you. I also love you as a student and fellow princess. But please,” she begged, “why is there a changeling queen in the castle containment room?” Starlight had been dragged in too by Twilight. The others were away for refreshments or, in Rarity’s case, a dramatic couch to stretch upon. Knowing the answers to the situation, Starlight grinned but let her marefriend do the talking. “We ran into her,” Twilight decided to put it. “I remembered what we had discussed before and decided to give it a shot.” “No scroll of advanced warning?” Celestia practically pouted. “We were trying to rescue Spike at the time,” the purple pony turned apologetic. “Sorry. Really. There was just no time or opportunity.” Celestia let out her feelings with a sigh. She knew Twilight very well and also knew she wasn’t a liar. “I understand. I just wish you had told me about Spike. I might have been able to help. I do care about his wellbeing.” “Thank you, pr- I mean Celestia,” Twilight smiled kindly. “We will have to discuss what to do with Chrysalis after business is finished with King Clear Sand.” “Indeed,” Celestia nodded and then turned her attention to Starlight. “You had a great part in this I’m sure.” “Y-yes,” Starlight replied, not knowing why she suddenly felt nervous. “I trust you to take good care of my former student,” Celestia put a hoof to Starlight’s shoulder, as if to emphasize the point. “She’s like a daughter to me.” “Of course!” the unicorn’s eyes widened in earnestness. “I did everything that was necessary to keep her safe. No harm came or will come to her!” “Hey, I don’t need prote-” “Not from others,” Celestia interrupted while turning her attention back to Twilight. “From yourself.” “Since when?” the smaller alicorn became indignant. “Smartypants,” Celestia replied with a smirk. Starlight giggled. She had only heard of the incident before but it was greatly amusing to see her marefriend’s expression turn to stone. The reference to the incident was an argument killer for her. She had been nailed on the spot like a filly with her hoof in a cookie jar. “Aaaaaah,” Starlight breathed out in complete relaxation. This was the life. Sipping apple cider while chillaxing in a hot tub. Sure, it was on the Castle’s roof. But so what? It was still cider and a hot tub. Oh, and the mare. She had a sexy mare under one foreleg. “I feel like I’m being hit on by a pervert,” Twilight couldn’t help but remark under said foreleg. She squinted and sipped her own drink from a glass she levitated back safely to the table nearby. Starlight, however, kept hers in one hoof and rubbed her mare’s shoulder with the other. “Hey, we got our vacation again. Basically. And I thought you liked getting molested by me?” “I could never get molested by you, Starflanks,” Twilight decided to respond in a smirking jest. “Not when you’re under my complete control.” Starlight’s face twisted in confusion. “I thought I was in control.” “You think you found my diary all on your own?” Starlight’s eyes widened and she almost dropped her glass into the bubbling water. “You’re such a silly filly,” Twilight giggled and booped the mare on the nose. Starlight hung her head in defeat but couldn’t help feeling happy anyways. She still had Twilight either way. “I love you,” she replied. “Yep,” Twilight happily agreed while sticking out her tongue playfully. There was plenty of work and research for them both to do after the incidents that occurred. But not yet. For now was a time to relax and enjoy life. Together. 1 - Won't You Be My Star Tonight All the others had left, the evening had grown late, and the stars were twinkling bright in the calm night sky. Sundown had brought the cold air with it and, in a castle of crystal, it was not hard to feel the chill. Apparently, the crystal didn't insulate well. Twilight Sparkle and Starlight Glimmer had just finished a late but delicious dinner prepared by Spike. It had been a quiet meal, however. The dragon soon retired due to exhaustion and Starlight found herself at a loss for conversation. She hadn't exactly expected to be dining with somepony she had so recently deemed her mortal enemy. Having both finished their last helping of stir-fried cucumbers, one of them was finally forced to say something to get out of the awkwardness. Twilight took the initiative even as she levitated the dishes to the kitchen sink. “So, you're getting used to Ponyville?” she tried to use as welcoming a tone as she could and then cursed herself for sounding too sweet. She thought it made her sound insincere and averted her gaze out of instinct. “It's as good as any other town in Equestria,” Starlight practically whispered to herself. Her eyes were vacant, but she looked to Twilight all the same. Some ghost of a hope laid within them. “I know it's been a week already, but you're welcome to stay here as long as you want,” Twilight offered without a second thought. What better way to demonstrate true friendship? A spark flickered in Starlight's eyes. The wheels turned in her mind, telling her that she should continue down this road. Take it as far as she could. “As long as I want?” “Come on,” Twilight nodded and got down from her chair at the needlessly large table. “We'll talk in my room. I don't think you've seen it yet. It's far more comfortable there, and I've got a fireplace.” Starlight felt a shiver go down her spine and wasn't about to argue. It was indeed getting cold and a fire and a blanket sounded pretty good. Far better than what she lived through when she stalked Twilight, gaining insight and learning her weaknesses. Those times flashed through her memory while she followed Twilight up to her room in the enormous crystal castle. It was just before they came to Twilight's door that something triggered not only in Starlight's mind but also in her heart. She realized just how much she had obsessed over Twilight. How much time she spent following, spying, and learning everything about her. What had been an obsession of hatred before had begun morphing into something else entirely. It happened too fast. She had only just allowed herself to be open to this new friendship thing. Her emotions were scattered and confused. She felt like a tiny raft in a raging and storming sea. What was she supposed to do? What was she supposed to feel? The only thing she knew she had to do was be close. She had to be close to this one pony that had laid down her pride and offered her hoof, no strings attached. So she became aware of the pony walking in front of her. Very aware. The pony she had obsessed over...the one she knew so well and yet only begun to understand.... She had an amazing pair of flanks. Starlight shook her head. No, that wasn't right. Was she really going to ogle at the perfectly plush purple pony posterior of an alicorn princess? She couldn't go taking advantage of Twilight's hospitality. She had nowhere else to go and even if she could use her talents to make a living for herself it would only be an empty life. She needed this friendship to feel alive again. To give some meaning to her days in Equestria. Twilight opened her door, they stepped in, and Twilight closed it behind them. It wasn't a small room, but it managed to have a much closer atmosphere than the other over-sized rooms in the castle. A fireplace was opposite the large queen-sized bed. A magical fire flickered within it, keeping the room warm while preventing the dangers that came with an unsupervised traditional flame. The cozy privacy of the bedroom helped Starlight to relax. “It took some time to get used to this,” Twilight remarked for conversation. She sat down and then laid fully on the plush rug before the glowing fireplace. “After my last place, I mean. I still miss the natural wood walls.” Starlight laid down beside her, purposefully angling herself to be close both to the fire and Twilight simultaneously. “You like trees,” she commented. It was easy remembering what she had gathered on this mare. “And books. You do know what books are made of, right?” The purple pony princess giggled. “Yes, I do. I also happen to know the sustainable tree farms used to supply Equestria with paper. I read about them in books.” “Did you learn about friendship from a book?” Starlight asked, knowing it was a rhetorical question that would be answered anyway. “No,” Twilight looked down at her forehooves resting before her. “I had to get away from the books for a little bit to find out about that.” Starlight just laid there, gazing at the alicorn. The purple coat reflected an off-hue color in the fire's throbbing glow. The other lights in the room were turned down. Or, at least, they were now. Starlight shrugged when Twilight asked why she had just used her magic to do that. “I like the ambiance,” the unicorn explained off-hoof. Twilight thought it was odd, but then Starlight had been odd around the others earlier in the day. There was something off-center about Starlight, but Twilight tried not to be too critical. It was probably because the mare was in a transitional phase. What did those psychology books say about transformation of personal norms in relation to severe self-directed relational corrections? Twilight told herself mentally to read those books again soon. “And I know you do as well,” Starlight grinned almost smugly. Twilight furrowed her brows, pursed her lips, and tilted her head by the tiniest degree. “Huh?” “I know lots of things about you, Twilight,” the unicorn replied. “I followed you for months before I revealed myself to you. I had to know as much as I could because I didn't want to lose.” The princess bit her bottom lip. She wasn't sure how to feel about that. It was unsettling for sure, but she convinced herself to use it as a springboard for their new relationship. “Then you know my favorite meals?” “And your favorite spells. And your favorite books. Even your favorite brand of shampoo,” Starlight was definitely smug at this point. Now that she had smoothed over the adversarial relationship between them, she had forgotten about being humble. Not that it mattered. After all, this lovely alicorn was becoming more attractive to her by the minute. She hadn't had the opportunity to appreciate Twilight's looks when she had been absorbed by her anger. Twilight was further unnerved at that, however. She felt a faint blush warm her cheeks and gulped down a shiver of nervousness. “W-well,” she stuttered, “you've got a leg up on me there. I guess I should ask you most of the questions since you know way more about me than I do you.” “I hate answering boring questions, though,” Starlight sighed, turned deadpan, and rested her head on her two forehooves. She kept her gaze on Twilight, occasionally tracking from the mare's face to the rest of her body. “Ask me something interesting.” “Alright then,” Twilight became indignant. This unicorn was clearly not in the most easy-going of moods. The next words out of Twilight's mouth betrayed her growing insecurity. “Why are you looking at me like that?” “Like what?” Starlight innocently rose a brow. Twilight pursed her lips again. “Like...like I'm some ancient artifact to be scrutinized. You keep looking at my cutie mark too.” “Am I making you nervous?” It was an innocent enough tone but not an innocent enough suggestion. Twilight winced and then looked the other way. “Maybe.” “We're friends now,” Starlight pretended to pout. “I thought that meant we were comfortable together.” “Not when there's something clearly on your mind and you won't spit it out,” Twilight came back quickly. Starlight's tone rose in kind. “You want to know what I'm thinking right now?” “It'd help us come to an understanding and give us the opportunity to bond, further strengthening our new friendship,” Twilight tried to come back to her more rational mind. Her friendship research reports indicated that such open dialogue was necessary for new high-tension relationships common among prior combatants. Starlight smirked and took on an almost sultry tone. “Alright then,” she half-lidded her eyes. “I'll tell you what I'm thinking. I think you'll like it too.” Twilight recomposed herself, pasted a smile on her face, and straightened her back and neck for full attention. “I think you're beautiful.” Silence. The fireplace even had a lull in the crackling of its own flame, as if a non-intelligent thing could have an understanding of what was just said. The next sound that came, after more hearty silence, was Twilight gulping. “Y-y-you th-think I'm....” “Beautiful,” Starlight repeated, her eyes catching Twilight's and staying there. “Your body is in great shape. Your mane and tail are well kept and I must admit the style is very attractive. You smell like lavender. It comes from the soap and shampoo you use. Also, there's a hint of old paper. It reminds me of all the years I spent studying – just like you. You're a star and I don't mean that just for the cutie mark stuck on both of those enticing flanks.” At a loss for any other response, Twilight could only blush and lower her eyes again. This was unexpected. Was her most recent arch-nemesis really complimenting her now? And what kind of compliment was that? It sounded like...like flirting! Twilight didn't know what to think. “I didn't prepare that beforehoof, just so you know,” Starlight closed her eyes momentarily in resolve. “You told me to speak my mind and that's what happened to go through it-” “Maybe we'd better just go to bed,” Twilight interrupted, her voice hurried and flustered. “We need time to think. Collect ourselves. Yes, I'm sure this is just an anomaly resulting from the transition of your inner psyche!” Seeing Twilight so frazzled by her words didn't bother Starlight. No. In fact, she loved it. It occurred to her that she had, in a fashion, beaten this mare. Sure, she wanted to be friends but that didn't mean she had to be demure. Actually, they could be more than friends. Yes! This was how she could prevent the loss of her new friend. Twilight could never go a separate way if they were joined at the hip! Starlight Glimmer's eyes burned with a new resolve. She had to be bold. It wasn't hard. In fact, she hardly had to think at all to do it. Her renewed authority came out with more than a tinge of her old arrogance. “Princess Twilight Sparkle,” she took on a wicked smirk. She got closer and put her shoulder around Twilight, drawing them flush side-by-side. The flustered alicorn was ready to teleport away, but Starlight tapped the mare's horn to snuff out the spell. “What's wrong?” “What are you doing?” “Just following your advice, dear,” Starlight's eyes widened with an excited glee. “You told me yourself! Only I can make sure that my new friendships never fail and that's precisely what I'm going to do!” “What are you talking about?” Twilight whispered, as if she was worried the heavily asleep Spike might overhear. Her heart told her to trust Starlight but everything else told her to be wary. Starlight rolled Twilight over onto her back and swung herself on top so that she pinned her to the rug before the fire. She got down low so their muzzles were close. “I'm talking about you, Twilight! I'll never lose you like I did Sunburst because you'll be mine. I won't even have to indoctrinate or brainwash you. All I have to do is win your heart.” Twilight was dumbstruck. Nopony in her life had ever expressed such an interest in her. If she expected anypony to ever do so then the last pony on the list would be Starlight. “I promise not to go too far,” Starlight breathed into Twilight's ear, which she then nibbled. The purple princess stifled a moan. The sensation sent lightning down her spine. She hadn't anticipated her ears being so sensitive and she was shocked at how much she enjoyed it. Though she had every opportunity to tell Starlight to back away, the words never left her lips. Years of repressed desires for intimacy came out by, ironically, repressing her desire to say no. Starlight then moved to nuzzle their cheeks together. Though her pinning of Twilight was firm, her other movements were gentle. “I know you've always been curious. I read your secret diary. The one even Spike doesn't know exists. The one with all of your fantasies.” Twilight's beet red face cooled along with her blood. “Y-you know?” Starlight giggled. “I wonder what your friends would think if they knew about the naughty things you've written about them.” The bookworm whimpered while the other mare traced her lips along her cheek. “I...how...I cast the most powerful privacy spell! It's impossible!” “Shhhh,” Starlight tried to calm the otherwise limp mare. She place a few butterfly kisses on her cheek. “It's okay, Twily. I know how lonely you've felt. All those friends and yet still lacking that one special somepony you really want. The one you really need.” Tears welled up in the princess' eyes. Her mind battled not for whether she wanted this kind of attention but rather if she wanted Starlight Glimmer to be the one. Every moment she held back resistance confirmed in her own heart that she wanted to give it a try. Her mind that was telling her to wait for some other pony was overcome by her heart that was overjoyed that somepony finally wanted her. Even if that somepony was Starlight. Starlight moved her face and locked their gaze point blank. She allowed herself to sink into those violet irises. “It's a first for me too. What do you say? More than friends?” Twilight closed her eyes tight, took a deep breath, and managed to open them without worry. Her voice resonated with refreshed confidence. “You're right, Starlight. I have had fantasies. And I have wanted somepony special in my life. I don't have any experience, so everything I know is based on theory...everything I do will be based on feeling. I guess what I want to say is...I'll try?” Starlight squealed with glee in a way that Twilight had never heard from the mare before. She would have commented on it but her mouth was swiftly taken by Starlight's. Just before the kiss broke, Twilight felt the unicorn's tongue upon her lips. It gave her the blush she had managed to overcome just prior. “Keep in mind,” the magically powerful unicorn reminded, “there's plenty of non-bedroom-related activities we can enjoy together. Advanced magic study sessions happen to be a favorite of mine.” “Well, if you've really read my secret diary,” Twilight finally returned the sultry look, “I think we'll be too wrapped up with the bedroom-related activities to bother.” Before Starlight could overcome her surprise at the mare's aggressive change in disposition, Twilight tackled her onto her back in play. They tossed and turned on the floor for what seemed like ages, laughing either in relief, joy, or hysterics. A future with Starlight was looking more and more to be a desirable conclusion. An hour more of play and conversation past until both were tired enough to rest together. Starlight nuzzled her companion's side. “You know what's special about you?” “What?” Twilight decided to go along. “You reached out your hoof to me even after everything I did,” Starlight explained. “And it wasn't because of the situation. It's just who you are. You're like a shining star in a dark night sky.” Twilight tilted her head. “I didn't know you were a poet.” “There's a lot of things you still don't know about me,” the unicorn said more quietly and rested her head against Twilight's side. “You'll find out, though.” “We can talk more in the morning,” the princess concluded and nudged her companion with her wing. “You know where your room is.” “Yeah,” Starlight turned deadpan. “I'm in it.” “This is my room,” Twilight pursed her lips. “Exactly,” Starlight agreed. Another silence. “We're sleeping together already?” Twilight asked, feeling nervous once again. The heliotrope unicorn grinned big. “With your consent, I'd love to. I'll warn you though, I'm not really into that kinky stuff on page 147 of your diary.” Twilight puffed up her cheeks and bopped Starlight on the nose. “Very funny.” Starlight playfully stuck out her tongue. “So, ready for bed then?” “Aye aye, princess.” “Good. I'm glad we're finally on the same page, so to speak,” Twilight gave her a wink. The other mare said nothing and instead boisterously bounced onto the bed before burrowing under the blanket. Only her head was now above the covers, resting on one of the many pillows. She gave Twilight a happy smile while gesturing with her head for the alicorn to join her. The princess stifled a laugh. “Alright, alright,” she relented. With a flick of her horn, she snuffed out the magic fire and turned down the rest of the lights. A few trots saw her climbing into the massive bed. Starlight grabbed Twilight's midsection when she was halfway into the covers and pulled her in like a filly snatching the last lollipop. “I expect this every night from now on,” she detailed as she cuddled her face into the crook of Twilight's neck. Her voice muffled against the mare's coat. “Call it my friendship fee.” Twilight shook her head but smiled. “I'll give you more than that,” she replied. Starlight cooed when she felt Twilight's hooves and wings wrap around her. With the sheets pulled up to their heads, it was the warmest and coziest Starlight could ever recall being. Somehow, she didn't think she would be getting out of bed when morning came. “Good night, Starlight.” The unicorn exhaled the last of her worries. “Goodnight, my shining star.”
2 - Fooled Me Welcome home, Twilight,” Starlight smirked from the purple pony's throne. Twilight just dropped her bags by the door and rolled her eyes. “Thank you, Starlight,” she replied with exasperation. Her new marefriend of only three days had been exhaustingly smug. Without waiting for any cue, Starlight teleported off the chair. She reappeared next to Twilight, who she was instantly giving a shoulder massage. “You look tired? Yak delegates still keeping you on edge? I know their visit was unexpected-” “I'm fine,” Twilight answered all too quickly. “We should get to studying that selective shielding spell before sundown.” Starlight kept up with the princess as she walked to the castle's study. Once they were inside, she decided to argue the point. “You sure about that, dear? You look far too stressed to properly focus. I know just the thing to help you relax and all you have to do is lie back and-” “No,” Twilight spun on the unicorn and put a hoof to her chest. “We've been through this, Starlight. I'm new to this relationship thing and I still can't believe I went through with it in the first place. I want to take it slow.” “What made you think I meant otherwise?” Starlight pouted her lips. “Don't act innocent, dear,” Twilight squinted at her marefriend. “All you've wanted since I said 'yes' is to shove me against the headboard and-” “Ooooh!” Starlight lit up with glee. “Sounds like you really do want it!” Twilight's cheeks puffed up and she shook with frustration. “You're impossible to have a conversation with!” Starlight's lips turned down. “Maybe if you didn't treat everything like a time bomb waiting to happen. Always slow and methodical. Well, the reason I beat you was because I was willing to take risks!” “Risk is fine but you go too far,” Twilight argued back. “You're reckless. What if the risk becomes too much?” “Afraid of losing me, Twily?” Starlight raised a brow and then managed to get her smirk back. She was rather good at regaining her smugness on a whim. “Because I assure you that you can't get rid of me no matter how hard you try.” Twilight's rebuttal caught in her own mouth. True, Starlight's reckless self-confidence and outright arrogance annoyed her to death. But that deep dedication she flaunted casually was something Twilight was beginning more and more to realize was a basic component of her character. Twilight believed it too. She just didn't want to admit to Starlight that she trusted her on it because the girl was already insufferable enough and admitting anything would likely make it worse. Suddenly both of them were teleported into Twilight's bedroom. Starlight's horn glowed from the spell and her hooves pinned the princess below her onto the soft properly made sheets of the bed. “Just keep putting it off,” Starlight taunted. “I won't wait forever. I'll take you in your sleep if I have to.” “That's rape!” Twilight shuddered. Starlight rolled her eyes. “Do you want to be intimate with me someday?” “Yes,” Twilight answered almost in a whisper. “Consent.” “Hey!” Starlight shrugged and then laid down so they were embracing on the bed as they often did in the later hours of the night. She nuzzled the mare's cheek and whispered sweet nothings in her ear while caressing her sides. Twilight barely managed to get out two words before her body began losing all of the day's tension. She knew she couldn't fight the mare, so she tried another way. “Stop playing with my feelings.” “I'm just helping you relax like I told you earlier,” Starlight whispered back. “Besides, even if you don't trust me to, I wouldn't push you farther than you wanted to go. I know that with enough time you won't doubt me.” It was as Starlight's hooves moved to rub and caress the cutie mark on Twilight's flanks that a certain someone almost barged in. He cracked the door open only a bit before realizing what he was walking into and then silently retreated before being noticed. “I did not see that,” Spike told himself again and again as he walked out of the castle in shock. “I did not see that. I did not see that. Who am I kidding? Twilight's a fillyfooler!” “What's a fillyfooler?” Applebloom asked her family while they were all at the table for dinner. Applejack spit out her drink. Big Mac blinked. Granny Smith just laughed manically. Maybe it had something to do with her old age, but she did so enjoy watching Applejack squirm to answer. “Well, uh, you see,” Applejack stumbled along. “There's a, uh, no, um, you know how, no, uh, love?” “What now?” Applebloom frowned. “Two ponies,” Applejack tried to straighten herself out. “Two ponies fall in love. When those two ponies happen to be...female...sometimes they might be called fillyfoolers.” Applebloom remained confused. “But why that? I mean filly-foolin'? What's the foolin' for? If they're really in love then nopony's gettin' fooled.” Applejack really didn't want to answer that. She had heard the term herself some time ago from the city. She knew it could have negative connotations but then there was a mare couple right in Ponyville that used the term as if it were describing a fresh apple or bale of hay. The other explanation that came to mind was perhaps worse. “Fooling” in the sense of an intimate act. Thankfully, Big Mac took the moment to offer his two bits of wisdom. “Might take some history books to find that one out.” “Where'd you even hear that word anyhow?” Applejack had to ask before taking another sip from her glass. The filly replied just as Applejack took another drink. “I overheard Spike. He was talking about Twilight.” Applejack spit out her drink again. “Twilight's a fillyfooler?!” Rarity looked ready to faint. Her couch was nearby, which was why Applejack was surprised she did not use it. They were in her boutique, so she was twice as likely to. “Oh goodness. Oh my!” “I came here to ask if it were true,” Applejack was deadpan. She believed it was the best way to handle the drama queen. “I figured you seem to know most of who's what around here. What with being a gossiper and all. So it's not true then?” “No! I mean yes!” Rarity looked around in an excited daze. “It makes perfect sense now. I knew there was a reason she chose the red scarf over the green one!” “Huh?” Applejack's eye ticked. “It was last year in Canterlot, darling,” Rarity looked back to Applejack as if she were offended the country mare didn't remember so important an event. “We were in Fifth's Boutique on Mane Street. It was snowing outside. Light flurries. She chose the red scarf for her Hearth's Warming outfit. It had hoof-woven tassels.” Applejack's brows were a flat line. “Where's this goin'?” “Yeah, I don't get it either,” Rainbow Dash added in. Both the Earth pony and unicorn jumped at the unexpected voice. They looked up to see Rainbow perched on a high shelf near the ceiling. At some point she had slipped through a window. “My boutique is not a shelter for rude arrogant pegasi,” Rarity bit out. She clearly was not pleased with other ponies butting into a conversation she deemed private. “Yeah?” Rainbow smirked. “Tell that to your dresses.” It was a tad off for an insult, but it worked well enough on the fashionista. Applejack made the mistake of snorting before she could hold back the rest of her laugh. “Out! Out!” Rarity shrieked at both of them and drove them out with fabric flailing about in her magical grasp. The farmer and weather pony only stopped running once they were well out and away from the boutique. It was nearly the countryside, which was testament to why they had been the best two ponies in last year's Running of the Leaves. “Well, that was a short visit. More so than usual,” Rainbow joked to her apple-bucking friend. She trotted beside her rather than fly as she normally did. “I guess your 'news' put her on edge, huh?” “It's not news,” Applejack denied. “Well, maybe. I don't know. I'd ask Twilight herself but it just seems a might personal, y'know?” “What? Liking mares is personal?” Rainbow began to grin and nudged her friend. “I just thought it was a tea kind of thing.” “What kind of what now?” Applejack furrowed her brows. “Did somepony mention tea?” another voice called out to them. “Oh, for pony's sake,” Applejack nearly facehoofed. They had unintentionally been passing Fluttershy's cottage. It was just Applejack's luck that Fluttershy could overhear the word “tea” a thousand hooves away. It was one of her favorite activities, after all. “Is somepony having a tea party?” the shy pegasus asked as she happily fluttered her way over to them, landing gently next to Rainbow Dash. The three of them were now standing on the road just before the mare's nature-nestled cottage. “Applejack thinks Twilight's a fillyfooler,” Rainbow told the mare, half-lidded for some odd reason. “No!” Applejack lost her calm. She didn't want to go around town letting everypony know she thought Twilight might be a fillyfooler. Though she had gone to Rarity and might even now be engaging in it herself, she hated gossip. She preferred minding her own business on her farm. But now here she was getting mixed up in what was likely to become a mess she'd be blamed for. “Oh, that's just lovely,” Fluttershy nearly cooed. “It would be so nice to have a special somepony. Who's the lucky mare?” “I don't know!” Applejack tried to clarify. “Look, if we find Spike then maybe I can have my answer and get back to Sweet Apple Acres.” “Heeeeey,” Rainbow droned out, becoming very suspicious. “Now that I think of it, why is this so important for you to find out? You don't usually get into this kind of thing.” Applejack saw Fluttershy lean expectantly around Rainbow Dash. She gulped and then knew she would never be able to lie. She just didn't have it in her. “Bet.” “Bet?” Fluttershy echoed softly. “I bet with Big Mac. A hundred bits Twilight's not a fillyfooler,” Applejack finally covered her face with her hat. “Should have consulted me before putting down on that one,” Rainbow crossed her forlegs in self-assurance. “How's that?” Applejack grumbled. “I could have told you years ago.” “You knew Twilight liked mares that long ago?” Fluttershy asked in awe. Rainbow shrugged. “Well, duh. I always know when somepony is checking out what I have to offer. Twilight used to drill holes into my flank with her eyes. Almost thought she'd ask me out or something.” “If you'll both excuse me,” Applejack hung her head low and started walking off in depression, “I've got to start working off my debt.” “Stop it,” Twilight grouched. Her voice had steadily lost its calm and serene tone. She was in the study, standing with Starlight before a large glass dome. They were supposed to be magically controlling a difficult plant-growing spell that required the finely-tuned climate of the dome's interior. It was hot and humid in there, but it seemed a certain unicorn was trying to heat things up outside of the dome as well. “We've already solved the matrix complications, Twily,” Starlight rolled her eyes and proceeded to caress Twilight's wings and flanks. “Are you going to keep calling me that?” “Twily Twily Twily~” The alicorn gritted her teeth. She would have felt great warmth in her heart if she knew Starlight was being sincere. Well, actually she knew she was being sincere. It was just the teasing and the arrogance that ground on her nerves and made her realize once more she had been too quick to accept the mare as a significant other. Had it been the heat of the moment that forced her to say yes? Starlight rubbed her face against Twilight's pink and white stars. “Cutie marks are so nice, aren't they? Unique...exciting...warm...” “Argh!” Twilight gave up, collapsed the spell, and turned so quickly that she nearly smacked the other mare. “I know you have an abnormal inclination to physical intimacy but that can't be the sole basis of our relationship! And what if Spike sees?” “So?” “I don't want him to know yet! I thought I told you to keep it a secret. You kept it a secret, right?” Twilight turned nervous. She gripped the unicorn's shoulders hard. Starlight didn't lose a micron of her confidence. “If he knows then it's by nothing I'm directly responsible for.” Twilight squinted. “What kind of answer is that?” Before Starlight had to go through the laborious process of explaining herself to her marefriend, company crashed through the window. Shards went everywhere, once again leading Twilight to wonder how the pegasus doing the crashing was able to remain unscathed. “Rainbow!” Twilight let go of Starlight and approached the blue mare, who was still on her back on the floor. She simultaneously used her magic to clean up the glass and fix the window. “How many times have I told you?! You could get hurt!” “Just thought I'd drop in and give you my congratulations,” Rainbow twirled up into her usual hover and pointed at Twilight. A sly grin was on her face. “For what?” Twilight became annoyed once more for a whole new reason. “For getting bank before me,” Rainbow declared as if it were yesterday's news already. “I've got half the town lining up for me and yet you ring in before I do. Not bad.” Twilight was perplexed just long enough for Starlight to snicker her understanding of Rainbow's lingo. “What-?” “No need to be shy,” Rainbow wrapped a hoof around her friend's shoulder. “Pinkie Pie throws great New Marefriend parties. You weren't in Ponyville back when she threw one for Lyra and Bon Bon.” “How?!” Twilight panicked, trying to understand how Rainbow Dash knew about their relationship already. “I'm just awesome like that,” Rainbow tilted her nose up and crossed her hooves in supreme self-confidence.
3 - These Heartstrings An exotic stringed instrument was plucked conservatively while some kind of steam-emitting orb maintained a steady thrum. It was like the strange music of a far away land and yet soothed the body and mind nearly to sleep. It was typical for Fluttershy to have suggested such a place as this. The Smokey Mountain Meditation and Therapy Resort was first class to say the least not only in quality but also in nature. Twilight felt the warm water ripple gently around her in the rocky hot spring. The night sky sparkled above her with crystal stars and a shy crescent moon. Even though she was resting within Starlight's hooves, she wasn't frustrated or annoyed. The unicorn mare was just as serene as she was now. Their breaths faded in and out in tandem. When the stringed instrument finally stopped, a voice spoke up. It was soft in the warm quiet night air. The pony was just in sight with her mid-sized instrument, both illuminated mystically by the flickering candles. “Rest well, you two,” Lyra whispered as she left the enclosed outdoor space of the hot spring. “I'll see you in the morning.” With the aquamarine pony now gone, Twilight was forlorn for the sound of her lyre. As one of Twilight's old Canterlot friends, Lyra was a pleasant surprise for her and Starlight's secret vacation. She had acquired a whole new understanding and appreciation for the musical mare. Her talent was unbelievable. Twilight speculated it could even sooth warring tribes into peace. “I'm jealous,” Starlight whispered into Twilight's ear after another long relaxing moment passed. “How so?” “She married her true love,” Starlight breathed out. “It could be years before I get to do the same – if you keep us from it.” “Is it true love?” Twilight questioned without moving or opening her eyes. “Or is it just an obsession or temporary fascination?” Starlight didn't answer right away. She looked into her own heart. In some ways she could be just as analytical as Twilight. Perhaps even more so. It was her logical conclusion that made an impression upon the purple alicorn. “No, there is no such thing as true love. Just something very much like it and I do have that with you,” Starlight explained. Her hooves brought up the warm water to cascade down Twilight's shoulders. “You have everything I could want in a special somepony. I love you for you. That is what unnerves you and I must accept it. In time you will accept me too.” “Who died and took Starlight's cutie mark?” Twilight replied in mock sarcasm. It was nice to hear Starlight saying something so calm and reasonable rather than snarky and arrogant. A perfect end to a perfect night. They had to get out of the water soon, but Twilight felt she could lay against Starlight's equally warm chest for the rest of her life. “Don't worry. It's natural,” Bon Bon assured Starlight as they sat in the lounge together, eating a hearty vegetable breakfast. “This place does that to ponies. That's why we come here so often. Lyra can be kind of stressful on me. But then I rile her up too, so I guess it's only fair.” The lounge was built into the rocky mountain and full of the native plantlife that made the resort what it was: a natural beauty to sooth the tired spirit. Starlight was having a restful conversation with Bon Bon, who had gotten up later than her partner the way Starlight did with hers. Their counterparts were out on a walk together, being old friends as they were. Starlight swallowed the veggie roll she was eating. “I'm sure the money Lyra gets from the work helps.” “Well, they also let us stay for free because of it,” Bon Bon smiled warmly. She took a drink of tea from the pottery cup and set it back down on the thick flat tree root that served as a themed table. “I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy her playing as much as the customers.” “Must be nice having a wife who calms ponies for a living.” That made the baker and candy maker giggle. “Oh, no. You get it wrong. Sure, she's soothing at times but, like I said, she can also be stressful. She has a certain...how do I put this...antagonistic element to her? Kind of like what I saw you doing to Twilight when you two first arrived.” Starlight flinched. She had been caught. “I'm not faulting you for it exactly,” Bon Bon backtracked. “I mean, I understand where it comes from. I had a talk with Lyra about it way back when we were just best friends. She told me why she does it. She enjoys getting reactions out of me, seeing me express myself because of what she does. I think it might be a psychological thing. Like we only tease when we really care about the other pony. Don't quote me, though. I don't read up on this stuff.” “Twilight does,” Starlight couldn't help remarking. She shook her head and took a sip of water from her clay cup. “Anyways, Starlight is such an amazing name. Sorry,” Bon Bon caught herself. “I don't mean to embarrass. It's just that your magical power is incredible. I've only seen you do a few tricks in public and heard from others in Ponyville, but I'm really impressed. And if Twilight thinks you're strong then you must be really strong.” Starlight's gaze lifted a half hoof in pride. “I'm at least as strong as her, if not more.” “Less so on the humility,” Bon Bon chuckled, giving Starlight a regretful twitch in her gleeful expression. “Tell me how you got Lyra,” the unicorn ordered, intent on getting something different out of the collected mare. “Get?” Bon Bon cracked a brow. “I didn't win her in a lottery, Starlight. I knew her casually as a friend for years before we were married. She confessed her feelings for me one day and I returned them. We didn't have to figure out if we wanted to get married or when because we already knew everything about each other. There wasn't anything to do on the dates, so we just got right to the wedding.” “And then the loving?” “Lyra didn't bother waiting for that,” Bon Bon deadpanned. “Hmph,” Starlight crossed her forehooves. “If only Twilight were that energetic.” “Starlight,” Bon Bon tried to reprimand gently. “I think it's safe to assume Twilight is worried over how fast you two have 'gotten together' in a romantic way.” The unicorn kept her frown. “It's natural for her to be that way. Anypony would be. I got the impression – and from what I've heard about you two not being together – that this is a recent thing. Give the relationship time.” Starlight wanted to grumble, but knew she'd just come off as being rude. Bon Bon had a point. After all, Starlight had come to that logical conclusion last night as well. But knowing it was true and living with it wasn't exactly easy. “You two are just going through a phase,” Lyra told Twilight as they walked down the stone-strewn walkway outside. It followed intentionally overgrown paths on the slopes of the mountain. The incline they followed wasn't too steep, but it angled up enough to be noticeable. The alicorn princess was happy to have a nice chat with an old friend. She didn't spend much time with Lyra, after all. The topic, however, was complicated for her. She still struggled with her feelings. Nevermind that Starlight was a fully independent mare who she could do nothing to censure. Her “redemption” had done little to curb her strong nature. ”Maybe you're right,” Twilight resigned. “After all, I've never had this kind of relationship before. Sometimes I can't help but think I'm just not as outgoing and extroverted as everypony assumes.” “Oh, I know,” Lyra nodded too enthusiastically. She gave her friend a happy sideways look. “But ponies change and you never know what you or Starlight will be like a year from now. Just look up and be positive.” The two ponies finally came to a point in the path where the incline leveled out and a clearing spread wide to give them an incredible view of the surrounding forest mountains and their lush green valleys. The pair sat down at the edge of the sightseeing spot, noticing a waterfall on a nearby cliff face. It was just close enough in proximity for the rush of water to be within earshot. “I bet a magic journey of some kind would cheer you up,” Lyra giggled. “What do you think I am?” Twilight looked to the aquamarine unicorn incredulously. “Some kind of mythical hero?” “Be fair,” Lyra tutted. “In reality, you're not far from that. And besides, it's never long before Equestria needs you to save it.” Twilight sighed. Lyra had a point. The unicorn tapped her chin. “I can't imagine what it could be, though. Maybe a new villain? Or a lost artifact?” Before Twilight could contemplate alternate possibilities, the sound of rushing air came to her attention. She was hit by the bothersome gust before she could turn around and see who had caused it. Lyra rose her brows in surprise and asked the obvious before Twilight could. “Rainbow Dash?” “Yeah,” the blue pegasus replied with all the cheer of a graveyard. She looked straight at Twilight, who quickly gathered by her look that she had been flying non-stop for a very long time. “Vacation's over, Twi.” “What now?” Twilight frowned, both frustrated and angry that her supposed-to-be-secret get-away had been cut so short. Rainbow, however, did not have the cheer she usually did when adventure was at hoof. “It's Spike.” Twilight's heart skipped a beat. Her tone revealed less of her sudden worry than she actually felt. “What about him?” “He's gone.” Starlight had her eyes closed in concentration. This was a tricky spell. Twilight could manage it on most days, but the alicorn's frantic state had left her unable to focus properly. Starlight's magic spun around her in glowing azure spirals emanating from her horn. Twilight Sparkle paced back and forth behind her. They were both in the open yard in front of Twilight's castle in Ponyville. Though the day was bright and sunny, Twilight felt anything but. Even having all of their friends present had little positive effect on her mood. “Why would anyone want to kidnap Spike?!” Twilight cried out again. Having her baby dragon stolen was bad enough, but not being able to figure out why was worse. Pinkie Pie read the note that was left behind. “If you want to see the dragon again, come to Saddle Arabia. Meet me at the Brook of the Sacred Stars tomorrow at midnight.” “We know,” Rarity frowned at Pinkie, just as serious as Twilight. “We've all read the note. She was asking a rhetorical question, darling.” “Whoever it is, she must be really good with magic,” Fluttershy speculated. “Saddle Arabia is very far away.” “The only way to get there in less than a day is with long-distance teleport magic,” Rarity finished for the shy pegasus. “It was hard enough getting the message to Twilight at Smokey Mountain,” Rainbow crossed her forehooves, she still looked beat from the flight. “Getting there isn't hard. It's all the flying around trying to find a single pony. The tree canopy limits high-altitude visuals.” “And thanks for that,” Applejack put an encouraging hoof on the mare's shoulder since Rainbow was not currently hovering as she usually did. Twilight, having already given her thanks earlier, continued to pace. The sound of a magical rift opening was heard. Space warped in front of Starlight Glimmer as it formed an oval portal. Though massive amount of energy blossomed from the mare's horn and her eyes only began to open, she showed no sign of strain. If anything could take Twilight's mind off of the stress of the situation, it would be Starlight's demonstration of her immense magical power. “Ohhh,” Fluttershy whimpered as a blast of wind from the magic whipped at her mane. “I'm so nervous.” “We've done worse,” Applejack moved over to brighten up the mare. Starlight looked to the purple princess. She might have appeared more smug due to her demonstration of her abilities if she weren't sensitive to the dour mood. “We'll materialize near the Brook and should have enough cover to avoid initial detection.” Twilight gave her still-new marefriend a hopeful nod. “Don't worry,” Starlight assured the other girls. “I've had a lot of practice at stealth teleportation. Long-distance is just a matter of additional power...and a little global positioning magic.” “We trust you,” Pinkie Pie bounced forward. She tried putting some positivity back into the group, mirroring AJ's optimism. “Besides, this is a great excuse to check out the sites in Saddle Arabia!” “We're not going there to sightsee,” Rainbow grouched. “Try to look on the bright side,” Applejack countered. Rarity nodded slow, preoccupied and struggling with her own feelings. “Everything will be alright. Spike is very tough. He's a dragon, after all.” Twilight stepped towards the pulsating portal, which crackled with magical energy. She whispered to herself again and again as the gears turned in her mind. “Brook of the Sacred Stars. Brook of the Sacred Stars...why does that sound familiar...?”
4 - Beyond Stars The group of colored ponies were an odd sight to say the least. In Ponville, nopony would think anything of it. In greater Equestria, the same would be said. Even in Griffonstone that would be true. In Maredina, however, the group might as well have been the Smooze at the Grand Galloping Gala. That was to say, they stuck out like a sore hoof. Saddle Arabian horses looked very different from them – or they from the Saddle Arabians. “I know why we're gettin' weird looks,” Applejack said with her head half down and her hat tipped unusually forward. “But still a might uncomfortable.” “If Twilight says she and Starlight can handle the meet-up then we have to trust her,” Rarity responded. She might have been as uncomfortable as AJ if she were not so in love with their present location. It would be far from her to mention she was using the sights to help distract her from worrying over the small stolen dragon. “Oh Celestia!” she enthused for the thousandth time. Rainbow Dash facehoofed as she hovered behind, watching Rarity dash once more to the next awe-inspiring plaza. The small part of the city they had traversed so far in search of clues or information had indeed been unbelievable. Being so far away from Equestria, none of the girls had been here before and photographs did it little justice. Fluttershy had been disinterested at first with the smooth sparkling marble walkways and towering white palatial estates. However, the first plaza they entered was decorated with exotic trees and well-kept garden dividers. The unusual green and white birds perching on some of them piqued the mare's enthusiasm. The sunny-yellow pegasus was still chatting to some birds on one of the last plaza's trees. Pinkie Pie had disappeared some time ago, likely to a bakery in the outer-city market. That left just Applejack and Rainbow Dash to search with any real seriousness – giving that Rarity was now swooning over some ornate lamppost made of marble and clear silver. “Twilight wants us to find out if there's more than one pony involved,” Rainbow futilely tried reminding Rarity. “We're not going to uncover some gang of dragonnapping thieves by admiring the scenery.” Applejack nodded but then caught sight of a suspicious character who had been following them for some time. She kept from making the assumption of him being a “tail” until it could no longer be explained away by coincidence. They were being watched – and not just by the locals who had never seen a pony before. It was easy to imagine why the ancient horses of Saddle Arabia had named this the Brook of the Sacred Stars. Twilight almost lost herself gazing into the clear water of the brook from her peeping position behind the thick bush. When she had looked at the water carefully, the surface seemed to change and display a sea of stars in place of the smooth pebbles lining the bottom of the stream. If the stars were a reflection then it made no sense. It wasn't night, but rather daytime. The global position of Saddle Arabia meant that the meet-up was during the day because the time in the note was for Equestrian Time. Perhaps the natural light made it odd that the surface of the water also swirled with a magical mist, like a block of dry ice. Twilight was trying to focus on the approach of the dragonnapper, but instead her ears picked up on a rhythmic humming that seemed to come from the brook. Twilight forgot the intensity of the heat that the oasis held or the glare of the sun that the thick foliage mostly blocked out. Here in the relatively dark confines of the Brook of the Sacred Stars, Twilight's mind was drawn to the mystery before her. Only the horn-light signal from Starlight on the other side of the brook broke her obsession. Starlight was also hidden, but her flashing light meant that she had detected an intruder. Likely their adversary. Her message read “red mare to the east.” Twilight stole back her gaze and saw the pony in question. Indeed, it was a pony. Considering their remote location, Twilight had assumed it would be an Arabian horse. The physical characteristics of this pony lead Twilight to calculate a very high probability of her being of Equestrian origin with perhaps a heritage coming out of Las Pegasus. Her wavy emerald mane was done up in a style popular within that city – a fact only known to Twilight because of Rarity's ravings about it. The mare stepped right up to the edge of the brook's water and spoke to the air. “It is time. You may come out now.” A moment. “I speak to you, Twilight Sparkle and Starlight Glimmer.” Twilight made a quick exchange with Starlight via horn-light and the both of them stepped out from their cover. Being on either side of this red mare was advantageous to them. Or so Twilight thought. “The two of you need no introduction to me,” the red mare bore her green-eyed gaze first into Twilight and then Starlight. “I should share my name, however, if nothing else. It is Ruby Rose. Your dragon is safe. You need know nothing more.” Twilight responded with as much steel in her voice as Ruby, though less confidence in her posture. “Where is he? And why did you take him-” “Shush shush,” Ruby waved her forehoof. “You'll have him again shortly. In fact, all you need to do is blast this brook with as much magical energy as you can. Both of you. At the same time. Do it and your dragon is returned.” “Destroy the brook?” Twilight's brows furrowed. She glanced to Starlight, who had suspicion heavy upon her face. “No no no,” Ruby clarified as she tossed her mane back. “Raw magic. Not converted to kinetic force. The blast should cause no physical reactions. I know the two of you can do it. Sustain the release for only a few seconds.” “Spike will be returned unharmed?” Starlight spoke up. “I believe I already said that,” Ruby rolled her eyes. Twilight eagerly nodded for Starlight to sync with her, but the lighter mare was apprehensive. This all had a reason. A purpose. There was no telling what would happen given this mare was willing to dragonnap because of it. Twilight's irritated call out to her made her do it, though. She trusted her marefriend was not blind to a potential scheme. The energy collected in their horns, glowing a brilliant azure and purple. They looked to the water slowly and steadily trickling by in the brook. Besides the crackling of their magic, the place was quiet. What small amount of breeze mixed with their breathing to make what happened next all the more noticeable. The magic aura from their horns began to flow towards the water. The remarkable thing was that neither of them had yet willed it to do so. Starlight glanced to Twilight, who was doing the same. Once the first tendrils of the magic aura touched the water, they felt a pull strong enough to nearly topple them over. “What?!” Twilight exclaimed as the magic suddenly rushed out of her and poured into the mirror-like brook. Starlight tried pulling back and canceling her spell, but her efforts were met with futility. Her magic also poured into the brook, leaving her feeling drained, tired, and more than a little disoriented. She heard Twilight fall to the ground on the other side of the stream. “It better be enough,” Ruby grumbled as she dipped a forehoof in the water. Starlight, still on wobbling legs, was about to ask what was going on when the brook lit up. No longer did it show a sea of stars, but rather a strange world. It was almost like looking through a window – only the window was on the ground. Even stranger was the collection of sounds coming from the brook-portal. Clicking, clacking, and kuchunking. Blasts of steam and an unusual hum. All of it seemed to be connected to the moving gears and pistons rising up from an otherwise empty stone field that Starlight could see in the portal. Little else besides a red-orange sky was visible. “Ha!” Ruby declared to herself in triumph. “It works! Finally!” The mysterious mare said nothing more before plunging herself down into the brook, reappearing at a different orientation in the other world. She materialized right side up on the other side of the portal and at a considerable distance, now a third of her size since she was further away in the field. Starlight never saw where she went after that because her legs gave out and she fell down as Twilight did. “Spike...?” Twilight murmured in exhaustion as she desperately crawled towards the brook. “She left. What about Spike?” Starlight glared at the still glowing brook. Her magic was so low that she couldn't cast any spells requiring energy. Her body was tired too, but she had backup plans for everything. Defeating Twilight had required that. With as much ache as Twilight doubtlessly was feeling, Starlight crawled to the water's edge. “May this site not withhold...a tiny spark to unfold,” Starlight recited the old-fashioned speaking spell. “By my horn's light, let my magic reignite!” It worked much to her relief. Ancient mystical sites such as this one were fifty-fifty on giving back anything they took. It was a gamble and the second Starlight felt magic trickling stubbornly back into her horn, she used it to catapult Twilight and herself into the water. With magic coming back out of the brook, it was inevitable that the portal would close again. They had to get in before it sealed. However, it was quite some time before either of them knew they had transported. As soon as they entered the warp, they blacked-out. “What if we can't get back?” was Twilight's immediate and rather huffy question when Starlight came to. Twilight was kneeling next to her marefriend, nudging her to get up while also eying her with disapproval. Around them was a rock field. Bare rock with strange gears rising out of the stone seemingly at random. The gears turned too, just as they did in the brook's image. “Ruby wouldn't have gone in if it was one-way,” Starlight replied as a matter-of-fact. She nearly choked on her words, finding her throat dry. The air was equally parched. No rainclouds cluttered the sky. No clouds at all. “Maybe she doesn't want to go back,” Twilight countered with the same harshness. “She's vain and greedy,” Starlight looked Twilight in the eye with as much conviction as she felt when she first tracked the mare. “Her motives may be complex but her goal is simple. There's something here she wants and it will only have value back in our world.” “For the record,” Twilight relented and got back up with the other mare. “There's no guarantee this is another world or that your assumptions are accurate.” Starlight looked to the sky and found enough stars to make her point. It was practically sunset and a few of the brightest stars were just visible. She pointed to one particular pair. “You of all ponies would know the constellations in all seasons and hemispheres,” Starlight argued. “So tell me, Ms. Princess, what in Equestria are those?” Twilight frowned. “Sometimes I wish I hadn't gotten involved with somepony as clever as you.” “Why? Because you don't like it when somepony else is right?” The purple alicorn hung her head, all stubbornness seeming to bleed away. “When it means we could be stranded in another world with Spike missing and no promise of his safety...yes...” Starlight was no fool. She knew when she pushed too far. With her love's well-being in mind, she switched to comfort rather than hard-hitting analysis. “Sorry, Twi,” she instilled her words with sympathy and a warm nuzzle. “I know.” The fact that Twilight said that rather than be depressive or huffy again was a silver lining for Starlight, who was honestly more concerned about her relationship with Twilight than the small dragon. It wasn't that she was heartless or that she hadn't grown fond of the little reptilian. Rather, she had far more faith in his durability and resilience than his pseudo-mother did. Starlight also knew that this Ruby pony was likely less dangerous than she seemed. She was an Earth pony and lacked the raw magical power of a unicorn. The best she could put forth was physical strength. As for finding her, Starlight noted the only place that appeared to have any trail-like qualities to it. Since the ground was hard stone, it took a careful eye to spot a path across the surface that was more worn than the surrounding rock. “I guess we know where to go,” Starlight said aloud. Twilight followed the mare's gaze. The trail ended suddenly. The pair only realized that it was a cliff when they followed it to the edge. What lay below the cliff was both incredible and difficult to comprehend. What they were looking down into was essentially a valley situated between the ridge they were standing on and an opposing line of mountains in the distance. A great city laid in the valley. Bizarre in colors of metal and rust with massive cogs moving as did the gears in the rocky field behind them. Besides the turning and pumping contraptions, nothing else could be seen moving in the city. No ponies or other creatures. Neither unicorn nor alicorn dared assume it was abandoned until they could get a closer look. Where the trail ended, a ladder resided. It lead down to a platform below, where it spiraled down again into a much easier flight of stairs leading into the valley. Twilight made only one comment as they descended. “I really hope this place isn't what I think it is.”
5 - Split Goals Twilight Sparkle and Starlight Glimmer stepped hoof in the town square. Or at least that was what they had assumed it was. The complete lack of any creatures was chilling to say the least. And yet they were surrounded by moving machinery – well-oiled and not seeming to have a problem in the world. “Creepy,” Twilight couldn't help but comment. It was when they walked up to a large emblem in the stone roadway's design that they both stopped. “I was hoping not to see that.” Starlight finished her marefriend's discovery. “Starswirl's cutie mark. So that would make this Starswirl's lost City of Science.” This meant they were indeed not in the world of Equestria but an entirely different world in a magical dimension. Starlight closed her eyes and concentrated on a location spell that would help them find their target pony. Since they were close to the center of the city, the range in her spell would be adequate. Twilight, however, was still trying to figure out the motives. “But why? The brook acted as a portal. How did she set the location to...” Realization broke upon the alicorn's face much like a lightbulb lit above one's head. “She didn't have to set it!” Twilight exclaimed. “It was still targeting the last location is was set to. Starswirl was the last one to use it!” Starlight acknowledged the mare's words but was still focused on the spell in her mind. A bleep sounded off in her ears, audible only to her. The place was empty, after all. Save for one pony in a building two blocks away. She opened her eyes and looked to Twilight again, beginning to suspect this trip would be even shorter than she hoped it would be. Perhaps this was an opportunity... “It could take us a while to find her,” Starlight told the purple pony. She cast a stealthy analysis net spell over Twilight, which the mare failed to notice. “Maybe we can learn something about this place while we look.” “No,” Twilight decided with impressive resolve. “As much as this place is a treasure trove of magic and science, Spike's safety comes first.” Starlight, of course, didn't reveal that Spike wasn't here or that she suspected he was back in their world or that she even knew where their runaway villain was. “You're right,” she feigned agreement. “Let's focus on finding her and getting out of here.” Twilight then predictably attempted to cast the location spell that Starlight beat her to. Predictable, Starlight forced down a smirk. She could still read this mare like an open book. And with that hidden net spell cast on her, she would of course fail to find their target. Twilight's face scrunched up in disappointment. “Nothing,” she sighed. “Maybe Starswirl's magic that he put into this place is interfering with our spells.” “Like that?” Starlight pointed to a tower-like structure a block over. There was something like a dish on a pole swiveling around on top of it. Her suggestion was just convincing enough for Twilight to take the bait. “Come on,” the princess commanded as she raced down one of the branching stone streets that led in the direction of the tower. Considering the rusty colors of the metal and the gray tones of the rock, their own colors made them appear bold against the environment. If anypony was watching over the town, they'd have been spotted a long time ago. The red-orange sky painted their surroundings somber hues and yet never seemed to get lighter or darker. It was as if there were no night or day. The pair of ponies finally came up to a building that seemed to lead into the base of the tower. Starlight subconsciously drifted ever closer to her marefriend while she thought of an angle to play the situation. At least the interior of the building was clean and quiet. Only a gentle thrum of sound came from the ventilation system. “Isn’t this place...I don’t know...too clean?” Twilight wondered aloud as their hooves clacked against the smooth floor. “Well lit too.” Indeed, lights along the top and bottom of the walls left few shadows. Then again, there wasn’t much in the room either. Only more doors via a hallway on the other side, which prompted the question. “What was this built for?” Starlight added her curiosity to Twilight’s. “Magic research,” the princess responded. “But Starswirl never publicized what he did here beyond that. Technically he never publicized anything. His work was only known after his journals were made available to the average citizen. Well, the more advanced work anyway.” Starlight was just far enough out of Twilight’s peripheral vision to allow her true emotions to show on her face. She rolled her eyes. Of course her marefriend hadn’t considered that the most valuable thing in the entire city was herself. But then Starlight had her biases and no magic spell could fully reproduce that juicy flank that Starlight was staring at just then. “-and this should be it,” Twilight concluded some kind of one-sided conversation she had been having with the sterile air. Both mares stopped in the middle of the next room. Looking up almost made Starlight’s head spin. The ceiling in this room launched upwards to a dizzying height. They must be looking up into the tower. Cables ran up the sides and it was Starlight’s guess they connected to that dish thing at the top. What it was for she still did not know nor did she care. If she could confirm Spike’s safety somehow then the last voice of morality in her mind would be silenced and she could take her time here with Twilight. The wheels in her mind turned. Applejack bucked the stallion into the alley. Nopony else saw. Nopony besides a smirking Rainbow Dash, an uncomfortable Rarity, and a Pinkie Pie who had her mouth stuffed and bulging with the Saddle Arabian equivalent of fresh cinnamon rolls. They crowded around the “tail” in the shaded alleyway. “Alright, buckaroo,” Applejack squinted at him. “Time to squeal.” “Please have mercy,” the slender Arabian knelt onto his face before them. “I am a humble servant abiding my master’s orders.” “Master?” Rarity rose a brow. “King Clear Sand,” the Arabian trembled beneath his thick white sun cloak. “He instructed me to discover any ponies who might be looking for a small purple dragon.” “Spike?!” Rarity gasped. “King?!” Pinkie Pie cried around the rolls in her mouth, crumbs spraying out. “Yes, kind mistresses,” the Arabian explained, still cowering. “I was to take you to him with the highest of hospitality.” Applejack’s tough demeanor wilted and her expression turned to guilt. “Well...uh...pardon?” she replied and reached out a friendly hoof. “And that’s how I almost became dragon lord of Equestria,” Spike concluded as he laid back into the pile of soft silk cushions that had been piled up for him. He took another emerald from the bowl next to him and chowed down. The Saddle Arabian generosity towards dragons reminded him of the buffalo near Appleloosa. “Truly we are blessed by the Great Stars to be visited by such an Avatar,” King Clear Sand said in awe. He was sitting on his own cushions, as was the Arabian norm. They were in his bedroom, which was both very comfortable and ornate. Complete with mahogany furnishings far larger than normal for an Equestrian pony. “Oh, I think it’s our honor to be here with you, Mr. King,” Fluttershy replied from next to Spike. She spoke in her usual whispery tone and with a kind smile. It made her feel almost embarrassed to be in such an honoring position – much like how she felt around Celestia. “I have told you to call me Clear Sand,” the tall and strong Arabian declared. He pulled a golden rope hanging next to him and servants entered the room to replenish Spike’s empty gemstone bowl. “I must apologize again for not being able to offer faster transportation back to pony lands, my lovely Fluttershy. We do not practice the magic of unicorns here. Our fastest means is by my royal airship Pride of the Stars, which still needs a day of repairs from the last Kullah.” “What’s a Kullah?” Fluttershy squeaked out a question after hiding her face half behind her mane due to the “lovely Fluttershy” bit. “A big sandstorm,” Spike answered first and started chewing on a small ruby. The king nodded and stroked his chin in thought. “I must travel with you to pony lands and visit. Good relations with the ponies brings peace to the sands and the Stars smile down at this. If you, Spike the Western Avatar, would facilitate our speaks with this new dragon lord Ember then perhaps Saddle Arabia will once more be the Blessed Brook of the world.” “Glad to,” Spike said while munching. Not the most becoming. “I could go for more hugs anyways. I don’t think Ember’s got the hang of it yet and she really needs the practice.” Fluttershy’s sidewise look at him passed his notice. A sudden knocking at the chamber door aroused them from their conversation. A weary-looking servant entered while giving a thousand apologies. When he stepped aside, ponies entered from the doorway. The king smiled in patience. “More friends looking for their lost soul,” Clear Sand concluded even while the servant babbled his explanation. “Hey guys!” Spike got up and greeted them. Applejack sighed in relief, Pinkie Pie hugged him until he almost burst, and Rainbow Dash just gave a “sup.” Spike was happy to see them if only for the fact that they were no longer running around trying to find him. Before he could begin his own explanation, however, Rarity tackled him. “Spike!” the fashioista poured over him. “You're okay!” “Yeah...” Spike blushed in the awkward moment. He always wanted attention from the white mare but, now that he was getting some, he didn’t know what to do with it. “All in one piece. Not that Ruby was ever a danger. She didn’t have one spell that could even singe my scales.” “Ruby?” Rarity’s expression dropped in worry. “Perhaps you would all enjoy some comfort while you are caught up,” King Clear Sand waved the mares to plush gold-trimmed cushions that were being moved into position next to Fluttershy by the servants lining the room. “We have much to discuss. Ruby Rose has already violated the Brook.” “Okay, I’m lost,” Rainbow immediately admitted. She was reluctant to stop hovering around on her wings but gave in when the king motioned for her to sit once again. Fluttershy shifted on her cushion when Pinkie Pie squeezed in next to her. The pink pony did so not because they were short a cushion but merely because she wanted to. That was her same reasoning for hugging the shy mare as well. “Should we introduce ourselves?” Applejack whispered to Spike, who subtly shook his head. The king watched the pink and yellow mares hugging in an odd way while he began to speak. “Your friend and Avatar, Spike, was taken here as a hostage by the unicorn Ruby Rose. She was intending to use him to gain access to the forbidden Brook of the Sacred Stars. It is holy water and not to be touched. This Ruby was conspicuous, however. My guards caught her and locked her up. We freed Spike from her at the same time.” “Then how’d the Brook-” Rainbow started. “She escaped,” the king answered via interruption. “Our means of containing unicorns is flawed. I was informed recently that she managed to make her intended rendezvous with Princess Twilight Sparkle. The Brook has been used. I failed my duty.” Seeing the king’s face fall in shame, Rarity tried the gentle approach. “You did all you could, though.” “I will always question if I really did. I was not there to stop her myself,” he seethed in sudden intensity. “The Western Mage Starswirl entrusted my family with protecting the Brook. I cannot undue this mistake.” Spike turned his attention back to his friends. “The Brook is a portal and Ruby has used it. Twilight and Starlight went there too, right?” Applejack nodded with stiff nerves. Spike had guessed right given the way they had split up. She didn’t like where this was going. “The Brook cannot be used again without incredible magical power,” the king revealed. “If the princess has crossed worlds then she remains there until she herself returns. Or another as powerful as she is opens it.” “Oh, that all?” Pinkie Pie waved off the concern with her hoof. She had no worries at all. “Twi-Twi does this sort of thing all the time. She’ll be fine.” “Starswirl wanted the Brook protected because of what lay in the other world. A great danger, he said. One he could not overcome.” “Worrying now,” Pinkie gulped with the others.
6 - Under Pressure At least fourteen gears clacked against each other to help do whatever it was the tower’s mechanism was meant to do. Starlight looked at it with disdain. Clearly the result of whatever it was doing was nothing remotely observable. Twilight’s eyes, however, seemed to turn with those same gears. “It’s a flow analyzer,” the purple princess stated almost as if she were talking to somepony besides Starlight. She placed a hoof in the center of the room and made a circular motion. A magical aura of orange grew out of the thin air around her until it morphed into a series of holographic screens showing a myriad of data. Starlight tried not to leave her mouth open. What was impressive was not this magical device but rather how quickly Twilight herself figured it out. She really is an egghead, Starlight thought as she followed her marefriend around. In a good way, though, she concluded. Twilight, not hearing this, turned ever more optimistic. “This could be our big break! We might be able to use this to locate Ruby Rose!” Starlight smacked her head with her forehoof. It just figured she’d accidentally speed things along. “Wait,” she backtracked mentally, “Ruby isn’t a unicorn.” “No,” Twilight admitted with only a glance to her companion, “but the display here has a setting for tracing Earth pony magic. It may not be as obvious as it is with unicorns, but they also have their own unique magic that this thing can detect!” Starlight ground her teeth. Twilight tapped her forehoof in the air around her, activating the massive tower’s abilities. Gears stopped, clanked into different positions, and started to grind against each other with more energy. The air took on a spicy electrical tang as a humming noise began to fill the room. “It’s working!” Twilight cried in scientific glee even as her mane and tail started to float on a static charge. “It’s picked up a pony in the city!” “Besides us?” Starlight asked and tried to smooth out her own mane. “Northwest,” Twilight reported, confidence in her tone. “5 blocks. You were a genius mentioning this place!” Starlight cursed herself mentally. “Come on!” Twilight didn’t waste a second. She jumped back from the holograms, making them vanish. Her eagerness and dash for the door made Starlight almost trip over herself to keep up. “But what was that Analyzer made for in the first place?” Starlight tried to say anything that might slow her marefriend down. She needed to come up with a plan of action. “It’s so big! It couldn’t have been made just to find ponies inside the city.” Twilight ran back out onto the street before she stopped and considered what Starlight said. “You...may have a point,” she admitted with a blush. It was awkward for her to have been so clearly focused on figuring out what the tower was and how to use it that she missed why it was there in the first place. “But we have to save Spike first. We can deal with studying this place afterwards.” “What I’m trying to say,” Starlight countered before Twilight could dart away again, “is that maybe if I stay behind, I can keep tracking her and maybe even find Spike with it.” Twilight frowned. “But it didn’t have any dragon-finding option.” “You get to Ruby and I will worry about what the tower can and cannot do,” Starlight grinned, happy with the new scheme forming in her mind even as she spoke. Twilight took the suggestion with a nod and ran off down the old stone street. She quickly disappeared around the corner of one of the many rusty-looking metal buildings. Starlight’s grin turned into a smirk when she did. The pinkish unicorn also turned, though it was to go back into the tower. She got back to the screen area Twilight found and mimicked her move. If anypony could copy Twilight or even modify a complex and mysterious form of magic then it was herself, Starlight Glimmer. Suspicion hadn’t been on Twilight’s mind and she seemed to trust her marefriend. All for the better. The tower’s display screens materialized into their orange glows around her. “Typical Starswirl,” Starlight remarked to herself while analyzing the magical displays. “His methods always follow a pattern. Just like the time spell.” A few swipes of her hoof against the holograms made the machines begin clanging into a new order. But before the cogs on one of the far walls could finish positioning against the others, she blasted them with her horn. The heavy metal wheels fell down to the floor with a deafening crash. “Let’s try things my way,” she hummed happily. A warning siren started to blare from the tower’s peak. It made Starlight wince and hold her head, but didn’t keep her from fixing it. “Quiet!” she yelled at it with sudden rage and a burst of magic from her horn. The siren fell silent. “That’s better,” she resumed her lighthearted spirit and cast a spell to form a new series of mechanical devices where the old cogs used to be. “A bit of this. A bit of that.” A mess of new unidentifiable metal parts were now assembled where the cogs used to be. The cogs that were on the floor were gone now – used as material along with a few of the doors and containers in other rooms. Starlight trot up, activated the screens once again and was not disappointed to see that one of the displays was now outputting gibberish. Her horn glowed and then stabbed the hologram, which flickered and then displayed the outline of a dragon. It was wonky, but she didn’t care much about looks. Just functionality. Another tap of her hoof upon the hologram – really more of a swipe through empty air – and the tower once more groaned with turning machinery. The center screen showed the city at first but then scaled out. It showed the entire continent they were on and then the planet. The hologram of the planet twirled and switched focus to another planet far away, scaled in, and finally settled on a new continent and new city. Words snapped across the screen. Equestria. Saddle Arabia. Maredina. “It’s over then,” Starlight let out a breath and stepped away from the holograms, which disappeared in her absence. She had successfully modified the Analyzer to find a “magic dragon” and confirmed Spike’s safety. With their friends in Maredina, it was practically impossible he had not already been discovered. What worried her was something else altogether. “Why would Starswirl build an interstellar detection device?” “Stop!” Twilight shouted across the plaza. When she first found the villainous red mare, Ruby had taken off. The panic in her stride told Twilight that she had not expected to be followed. Let alone found. The red Earth pony was trapped in a seemingly dead-end plaza with no routes of escape except for the direction Twilight was in. High smooth walls formed this literal corner of the city and the ground beneath their hooves was no longer stone. A hard metal made up a unique flooring with a zigzag pattern pointing to the center of the plaza. “I’m sorry! Please don’t hurt me!” Ruby cried out as she turned to face the princess. Her eyes darted about with pools of water at the bottom. This was more than mere panic. “Please! Just don’t harm me!” “Harm you?” Twilight’s brows furrowed in absolute confusion. She took a step toward the broken mare. “What’s going on? Why would you think I would harm you? Sure, you took Spi-” Twilight stopped short when the mare crouched to the ground and held her head. She really was expecting some sort of aggression beyond what Twilight would ever think of doing. “Done yet?” a voice called from behind Twilight, causing the mare to jump around in surprise. “Starlight?” Twilight exclaimed in shock, though she relaxed quickly. “I thought you were back at the tower trying to locate Spike.” Starlight kept walking towards the alicorn until she was only a few hooves distance away. Twilight’s coat fur stood up and her nostrils flared. “Freeze!” Twilight shouted and blasted the most powerful ice magic she could muster from her horn. It lanced at Starlight, but the mare teleported behind Twilight with a smoothness she had not seen with her marefriend before. Not even in their duels. The purple pony felt a harsh shove and fell to the ground with a thud. She could already feel a bruise coming on. She didn’t even have time to turn over because the mare behind her got on top and pinned her with her hooves so Twilight’s face pressed against the cold metal plaza floor. “You picked up my scent faster than my pawn Ruby,” the supposed-to-be-Starlight said with a sickening giggle. “Not fast enough, though. And I expected more given we’ve met before.” “Get off of me, Chrysalis,” Twilight seethed with anger. She couldn’t see it, but the changeling transformed back into her true form on top of the pony mare. The tall shape-shifter ignored Ruby, who took her chance to run past them and escape. “You will not be so feisty after I get you to surrender the activation key to me.” “Activation key?” “Don’t play dumb!” Chrysalis bit out with more hatred than even Twilight felt for the carapaced villain. “You don’t know what I sacrificed to get here!” Twilight’s brain wrestled for what “activation key” might refer to. Starswirl had built the city for experimental science and magic. Clearly, there was some device of significance that Chrysalis wanted to use for her own purposes. Her initial instinct was to try playing along until she could overpower the changeling but a last second idea put her on a different path. “I only just got here and I know close to nothing of this place,” Twilight admitted, her words coming out almost mumbled because of her pressed face. “But if you promise you’re not going to hurt anypony then I’ll find the key for you.” “You would trust a promise of mine?” Chrysalis asked as if she were greatly amused by the notion. “I didn’t say trust,” Twilight grumbled. “I’ll tolerate you until we’re both out of here.” Chrysalis squinted. “I’m not interested in Equestria anymore. I’m moving on. Find the Star Teleporter’s key for me and we’ll have the pleasure of never seeing each other again.” “Sounds like we can have mutual goals,” Twilight almost growled. The changeling jumped off of the alicorn and hovered on her insectile wings. “I’ll be waiting. And watching.” Trying to ignore the audacity of the queen changeling’s lack of assistance, Twilight looked back to the tower she had come from earlier. Perhaps Starlight could configure it to find a key if she had succeeded at finding a dragon. In any case, she would need it again to find Ruby, who had run off into the city. Starlight kept glancing over her shoulder at Chrysalis. She wasn’t a big fan of changelings even though she had only heard about the invasion in news. Perhaps it was her size or fangs that gave her worry. In any case, Starlight’s light blue magical aura swept new parts into the tower’s wall-set mechanics. “It will be less reliable with every part I change,” Starlight disclaimed to Twilight, who was next her. The purple alicorn was wearing an expression equally as grim. She stepped to the tower screen circle, which activated and began reporting on Ruby’s position. “Well, we’re not looking for stability here. We just need to get Chrysalis the key and grab Ruby on our way out. You sure Spike is in Maredina?” “Would I lie?” “The machine might,” Twilight frowned at the glitching screens around her. She could only hope to Celestia that Ruby’s position was not glitching like most of the other data outputs. “I’m still waiting,” Chrysalis complained, the buzzing of her wings not doing anything for Twilight’s concentration. “We’re working on it!” Twilight snapped. She had to concentrate. Chrysalis showed them the Star Teleporter on the northern side of the city. If Twilight were Starswirl then were would she store the key? Everything fit a logical pattern… “So you drain love from others to feed?” Starlight squinted suspiciously at Chrysalis. “You pathetic ponies have no idea,” Chrysalis seethed. She fought to keep her drool from showing. “The love between you two is so strong – particularly from you – that I’m getting a headache holding myself back. I’d drain you dry if I didn’t want that key first.” Starlight sneered. “You better not try after we get the key for you. I’ll show you that a roasted changeling can indeed get blacker.” Chrysalis sneered back. “As much as I’d love to kick your flat flank for that, I’m mature enough to focus on my objectives. Unlike you.” “I’ve got it!” Twilight exclaimed while studying the flickering maps of the city on the screens. “Starswirl would have put it in the food supply facility!” “I’m sure that makes sense to you, Twily,” Starswirl frowned at her with a dead look. “Rationing,” Twilight explained as she hopped away from the screens and headed for the exit. “He would leave the key with the last supplies that would be gathered before an expedition. Things that would spoil otherwise. Starlight, you grab Ruby and bring her back here. I’ll get the key and we can be back in Maredina in no time!”
7 - Teleporter Twilight Sparkle did take some time in finding the key. It was indeed where she believed it to be, but Starswirl must have left it out of the keybox by mistake because it had been half hidden beneath a bag of flour. Starlight, who was next to her, couldn’t help but comment. “I expected it to look like some kind of magical relic.” Twilight frowned. “Starswirl was always for function over form. The most decorated relics he had were made by others. Maybe if he had Rarity as an assistant it would look like something more important than a simple door key.” “You’re assuming that is the key to the teleporter, right?” Starlight quickly picked up on the possible issue. “Nothing else we’ve found in the city requires a key,” Twilight justified and waved the simple rusty key in the air with her magic. “There has to be-” Starlight’s words were interrupted when a sickly green magic aura snatched the key from Twilight’s own magical grip. “I have what I sought,” Chrysalis exclaimed in that disturbing joy she had expressed back when she thought she had won Canterlot. “Excuse me if I don’t care to waste time with your chit chat.” Without a goodbye, the changeling zipped out of the storage hangar on her buzzing wings. “Uh...” Starlight grimaced. “Great,” Twilight deadpanned. “Don’t we need to stop her?” The alicorn stood tall and brightened up, though. “Not really. I mean, it’s not like she even knows how to work the teleporter. And if she tries using it without the proper calibrations...I’m sure some planet somewhere won’t notice the splat.” “Wow,” Starlight’s eyes widened. “And I thought I was dark.” “You have no idea what she did to my family,” Twilight frowned again for a moment and then turned it into a smile. She drew up a scroll from behind her and opened it for Starlight to read. “I made sure she didn’t notice what I found next to the key – fully beneath the bag.” “Note to self,” Starlight read aloud. “Generators 5-6 are acting up again. I suspect a faulty internal transformer array but do not have the time to address it. My timed emergency kickstart spells can power the Star for single trips. Perhaps I’ll have it fixed if I can ever convince Celestia to send support personnel into the city.” “So she’s not going anywhere without us to jump the generators,” Twilight smirked and gave a “heh” of satisfaction. Starlight would be lying to herself if she said she didn’t enjoy her marefriend’s haughty disposition. “You are one clever mare.” “Look who’s talking,” Twilight gave the unicorn a knowing look. “I trust you’ve been scheming behind my back? Maybe planning to tie me up…?” “Oh, I see how it is,” Starlight fluttered her eyes in response. “I confirm Spike’s safety and now you’re relaxed enough to flirt with me. I’m a little surprised actually that Chrysalis doesn’t worry you as much.” “I was worried at first,” Twilight admitted as she began leading her mare out of the massive storage hangar and towards the tower. “But I was able to piece together that she is alone. Her hive is not with her. And she doesn’t have much magical power right now.” “She’s bluffing and can’t really take us on,” Starlight realized. “Why else would she come up with some absurd plan of manipulation to get ponies here to do things for her? She’s desperate,” Twilight concluded as their hooves clacked against the city road again. “She must have found out about easier targets on another world where she can regain her strength.” “And we’re not going to let her?” Starlight guessed. “Nope,” Twilight stated with a fake deadpan and a hidden note of glee. “So we...what? Send her to Tartarus?” Starlight asked. It was less to her own desires than simple curiosity as to what Twilight would choose. The purple pony gave a “hmmm” before rejecting the idea. “She’d just die there. No, we need a proper place for her. It just so happens that Celestia wrote to me last week about a special...room.” Their walk was as boring as ever due to the rusty metal of the empty science city. However, tendrils of purple light were slithering through the red sky. Not knowing the scientific explanation for it but also knowing that there was one made Starlight appreciate the natural beauty of it. The scene went well with the colors of her special somepony. “For changeling detention?” Starlight guessed again. They had just come up to the entrance of the tower and rather than walk through the few rooms before the tower’s center, Twilight simply teleported them in. Starlight blinked herself into equilibrium, having had no warning but managing to recover quickly. Twilight got back to the magical screens and began searching for Ruby. “So do we get a vacation after this?” Starlight walked up to Twilight and hung herself over the mare’s back. Twilight rolled her eyes but didn’t complain. “Why so eager? This trip has been relatively short. And there’s a lot to learn here.” “It will be easy to travel here whenever we want,” Starlight added to the observations while massaging Twilight’s shoulders. “Plus, we haven’t tried even half the things in that naughty diary of yours.” That finally made Twilight pause for a moment and blush. She started working even faster to distract herself, though. Starlight got back off of her and gave the purple pony princess a plea with puppy dog eyes. “Fine,” Twilight relented. “But after we get back to Ponyville. I imagine we’ll wind up in Maredina for a few more days.” Any further conversation was halted by a horrendous scream of rage. Both mares looked towards the doorway that led out of the room and beheld a very flustered looking changeling queen. “You lied!” the tall shape-shifter shouted. “I don’t recall promising anything,” Twilight feigned neutrality. “What I do remember is you grabbing the key and flying off.” “You’ll get it working or I’ll-” “Calm yourself,” Twilight interjected. “I think I know what the problem is and we’ll help you get the teleporter powered.” “You’d better!” Chrysalis gnashed her teeth. She was unsure where to go with her rage without tipping her hole-ridden hoof. Twilight bit her lip to contain her annoyance. It would be over soon, she kept telling herself. And truly she had nothing to fear from the bug-like being. Even if she might be in danger alone, Starlight was with her. She may have only given the mare carefully-worded praise, but she often wondered if a properly trained Starlight could surpass her in power. Starlight was, in fact, literally ahead of her now that she was leading the way out of the tower. Twilight noted the position of Ruby on the screens before trotting after her marefriend. “She’s locked herself in Rations Office 5,” Twilight explained to the unicorn. “She’ll be there after we’re done with the generators.” “Good,” Starlight concluded simply. “How’d Chrysalis even rope her into this?” “Transform into a life-long crush and bait her with promises of true love?” Chrysalis offered with a sickening cackle of amusement. “Where love and greed intersect lies opportunity.” “Says a changeling,” Twilight muttered under her breath. As they once more stepped onto the growing-to-be-familiar drab city road, Starlight couldn’t help but question. “Did you mean to get specifically us here?” They turned around a city block corner and Chrysalis gave a snort of disgust. “You two would be the last I’d intentionally plan to get here. All I did was get Ruby to do the work for me. How she did it was none of my concern. Now I see it should have been if only to rid myself of such an infuriating reunion.” “It’s mutual,” Twilight deadpanned. Out of a certain lack of conversational mood, few words were had between there and the Star Teleporter. Twilight had Chrysalis give directions a few times since her mind was struggling to keep up with all the information she was trying to remember about the city. When they arrived at the site, it was little more than what any pony might expect of a mass teleportation device. A raised platform stood in the center of a city intersection. A myriad of stars were emblazoned on the platform in a circular fashion, growing more dense towards the center. A conspicuous control panel was situated on one street platform away from the teleportation ring. Twilight went there and confirmed the blinking lights upon it. “Yes,” she nodded to herself. Various readouts indicated the set destination and the machine’s current status. “The power generators must be nearby.” “Follow the conduits?” Starlight suggested as her forehoof pointed to the thick cables running from the platform, down a street, and into another hangar-like structure. Twilight agreed and then looked to the changeling, who was hovering over them like a menace. “Once we jump start the power, it should activate and teleport you to the set destination. Get on the platform and we’ll do the rest.” Not feeling naive, Chrysalis double-checked the control display after the mares headed down the street to the open power building. Her world destination was still set: a place of meek beings easy to steal love from without the threat of resistance – according to Starswirl anyways. Content with her chances of accomplishing her objective, she hovered up to the platform’s circle and fell with a clack onto the exact center. Meanwhile, Twilight and Starlight were just entering the generator building and taking inventory of how it was designed. Twilight followed the control cables to the consoles near the door and Starlight inspected the generator array that stretched towards the back of the massive hangar-like room. She used a short-range communication spell to more easily talk to Twilight as they went opposite ways. “I’m seeing dead leads from generators 5 and 6,” Starlight’s voice sounded in Twilight’s mind. “Just like Starswirl mentioned. And where did you learn this spell?” Twilight responded with a suspicious tone. “You mentioned it in one of your secret diary fantasies, remember?” Starlight replied with a sultry inflection just to play with her marefriend. “How much did you read?” Twilight shook her head and continued looking over the generator readouts. Both 5 and 6 had flashing yellow lights indicating a ready start sequence. “Up until the latest entry,” Starlight recalled. She walked down the aisle between generator 5 and 6 and readied her electrical discharge spell. “You know. The one where you capture me in the caves outside my old town and tie me up before-” “Okay!” Twilight interrupted. “You don’t need to spell it out.” “But it’s not like anypony is going to overhear us,” Starlight would have winked at the mare if they were face-to-face. “So what’s the plan?” “For Chrysalis?” “Obviously.” Twilight hummed and then gave an “aha” of discovery. “The control panel back at the teleporter was just a forward terminal. The actual targeting system is here, which means...” “If you do anything, she’ll see it on the screen right?” Starlight warned. “Not if I splice in a dummy connection spell and then change the real one,” the alicorn replied smartly. Starlight paused in her magic charging and blinked. “You can do that?” “It’s magic. And besides,” Twilight stuck her tongue out even though Starlight couldn’t see it, “I could ask the same about your modification of the sensor tower.” “Not the first time I’ve modified Starswirl’s work,” Starlight shrugged. “So what’s the target? That room you mentioned?” Twilight tapped her chin in thought. “Yes. Seems best. Maybe Chrysalis will turn around someday. How are those generators coming along?” Starlight closed her eyes in concentration. Her body began to lift from the ground as her magical aura surrounded her body and pulsed with a heavy thrum. Her mane and tail began to billow with the beat of it. “Ready to start on your command.” “I love you,” Twilight decided to say. Even her close friends didn’t have the ability to handle such magically intense situations. Truly nopony else in Equestria could for that matter – save for the other alicorns. Starlight’s ability made her the only pony she knew of that could relate to her on such matters and her reliability became more clear with each passing day. Once the new destination was set on the master control panel, she gave the order. “Power on!”
8 - Relief The detection spell is coming up negative,” Twilight confirmed with the glow of her horn. “It worked. She’s gone.” “But the spell didn’t detect her in the first place, remember?” Starlight frowned. “I adjusted it for changeling detection,” Twilight said with her nose raised. Something about countering Starlight’s assumption gave her a sense of pride. They competed in a way to see which one of them could invent spell alterations faster. “Yeah, right,” Starlight squinted with a smirk. “You analyzed the magical modifications I made to the tower control panel for non-pony lifeform detection. You just copied my work.” “You accuse me of being a cheater?” Twilight puffed out her chest, the sounds of her rising voice echoing in the large power generation room. Starlight flipped her hair with a grin. “No, you would never cheat on me. You have too difficult of a time keeping your hooves off my posterior.” Twilight was frozen as she was for a good while before relaxing and giggling. Starlight nodded to herself and led them out onto the rusty drab street and past the teleporter. No changeling or pony was in sight. The somber reds and oranges of the sky had shifted to a more gentle purple almost dark enough to be considered a night sky. The city was still lit as it was before though, shapes easy enough to discern in a mix of natural light and low-power glow lanterns. “Did I tell you how glad I am to have you around?” Twilight smiled as they headed towards Ruby’s location. “Many times,” Starlight confirmed in the near-arrogance that had become so familiar to Twilight. It was a few bars below Trixie’s, though. That was probably why it was tolerable for her. “We still need to check with Celestia,” Twilight reminded. “But we should be safe.” “I can’t wait to get back to vacationing,” Starlight used her magic to gently caress her marefriend’s wings. Twilight blushed but kept focused and opened the door to the building they had last traced Ruby in. “Let’s get Ruby back to Equestria, where she can be properly questioned. I’m sure I can convince either Celestia or Luna to take on the case once we get back.” “The Saddle Arabian king will want to coordinate with them no doubt,” Starlight added. “You’re getting a handle on royal affairs, I see,” Twilight smiled. “Mostly yours,” Starlight winked back. “Wow,” was all Rainbow Dash could say. She and her friends stood in the palace’s Court of the Sky. The massive courtyard was enclosed on all sides by garden walls but was open to the sky and in the middle was anchored the airship Pride of the Stars. “Build it big or don’t build it at all, huh?” Applejack laughed. The airship was nearly a third the size of the palace itself. At least two dozen Saddle Arabians were visible working on it from beneath the massive craft and also from on top of it – held by ropes and hoists. King Clear Sand led them proudly to the foremost tip of the strangely-shaped ship. It almost resembled the shape of an exotic beetle with the exception of two enormous cloud-shaped bulbs connected to it from the top. Everything was encased in what seemed to be a tan wood with elaborately carved engravings all over. Depictions of Saddle Arabians could be seen along with some other strange creatures none of the ponies or the dragon recognized. Occasionally, gold accented the creatures. The part of the ship they were nearing seemed to be an entrance, as a panel opened downward to form a ramp and an Arabian stepped out. He was tall but also more muscular than many of the others, with a black coat that somehow shined almost like silver in the sun. He stepped and bowed towards the king. “Your majesty, repairs will require more time than we anticipated. Aft propeller 2 has a damaged stabilizer. However, she can carry under propeller 1 with reduced speed,” the servant explained with head bowed. The king puffed up his chest and looked back to his pony guests. “The Stars smile upon us, it would seem. We will take the Pride a short distance to the Brook. There we will await the fate of your princess.” Spike couldn’t help twiddling his claws. “Twilight,” he whispered to himself with a hint of worry. He always tried to be with her in difficult times but he was absent now. Could he trust Starlight to look after her? Rarity tried to look down at him with a smile to cheer him up but even her attempt felt weak to herself. She was, after all, as unsure as he was. She trusted Starlight just fine but the nature of the other side of the portal was unknown to her. If Starswirl had a hoof in it, then it could indeed prove a challenge even to Twilight. “Aw, don’t worry,” Pinkie Pie insisted as she leaned with her elbow propped on Fluttershy’s back. “I’m totally sure Twilight and Starlight have already taken care of the bad guy and are taking their time getting back so they can have some alone time safely on the other side of the portal where Spike won’t accidentally barge in when they are super kissy-wissy.” Everyone gave Pinkie the “seriously” look that her random tirades often awarded her. Except for Spike. He was blushing from remembering the last time that actually happened. “Come,” the king insisted as he lead them up the ramp into the ship. Not wanting to insult, the ponies followed Spike behind the king. The small dragon was eager to get his mind on other things. In fact, he was almost pushed aside by a suddenly even-more-eager Rarity who wished to see the inside of the ornate ship more than the others. “Oh my,” she exclaimed with sparkling eyes once they had climbed the ramp and walked through the corridor entrance. She had been on Canterlot yachts before but this was of an entirely new caliber. “Oh Celestia.” The corridor sparkled with some sort of gem dust and would have been dark except for the colorful glow of a crystal that was fixed into the walls and ceiling all the way to the room they first entered. Rarity expected a variety of incredible polished marble for the floor, but it was simply wood like the rest of the ship and clacked beneath her carefully-kept hooves. Once the king led them into the first room, they were all surprised to see far less décor than was anticipated. Instead of chandeliers and large furniture, there were only some light-looking pillows. The decorations consisted entirely of intricate patterns of the glowing crystals and the carvings in the walls and ceiling that even swept down across the floor. King Clear Sand gestured to the cushions and pulled on a rope near the one he chose to rest upon. “Even without her full speed, she will take us to the Brook before sundown.” “Her?” Pinkie Pie whispered the question to Fluttershy, who responded in an even quieter tone. “He means the ship.” “Such exquisite, if simple, design,” Rarity complimented openly as she got comfortable next to Spike. The king smiled big. “Such as she is! The wood is of the few materials she could be made of, so I insisted upon a glorious design. If the ship carried any heavier a frame, she would not fly. Only the Roashi tree is so light and yet so strong. A gift of the desert.” Spike asked what was on all the ponies’ minds, which was the strange creatures in the carvings. The king gave voice to legends even as the ship moved beneath them and the sensation of moderate speed became an unsettling feeling to them all. Only one small window across the room gave evidence that they were indeed reaching into the air. “No! Let me go!” Ruby struggled against her magical grasp that enveloped her in the air. “Calm down,” Twilight sighed. “We’re going to deal with you properly when we’re back in Canterlot.” “No...” the red mare was practically in tears. The despair in her voice and the focus of her eyes, however, indicated there was something else entirely she didn’t want to face. Starlight Glimmer finished the detection spell in the rocky field they had first arrived in and began forming a massive swirling portal-opening spell she had picked up from her magical analysis. If Starlight was good at anything then it was at this very sort of thing. It was why Twilight left it to her while she managed the rowdy prisoner. Their manes and tails began to lift as the spell intensified. “I hope you get the portal target right,” Twilight teased, fully trusting her marefriend. Starlight rolled her eyes and stepped right up to the alicorn. “I’d prefer we be alone, but an audience won’t stop me.” “Wha-” Twilight began to raise a brow in question but she was answered prematurely. Starlight, with horn still ablaze and the spell reaching a climax, stepped forward again and sealed her lips to the other mare. Twilight’s eyes widened and she tried to back up. She might have enjoyed her mare’s affection in her bedroom back at her castle, but she had never imagined displaying it with others around. Ruby Rose was, for certain, gasping in shock at the sight of what would seem to her to be very oddly-timed intimacy. In reality, Ruby was now worrying that she might plummet to the ground due to the fact that Twilight’s surprise and diverted attention made the magic around Ruby flicker. Starlight stepped forward when Twilight stepped back and held the kiss. Her magic finally exploded and a rift in space split into the air with a hungry vacuum that sucked at the very fabric of reality. The three ponies were drawn in, shapes and colors distorted as they were magically propelled back to the place they had originated from. “You were mistaken, Miss Pie,” Rarity deadpanned. “They did not remain on the other side of the portal for their alone time.” “Heh heh,” Pinkie Pie giggled as she watched the two preoccupied ponies standing at the water of the brook. Twilight and Starlight stood there with a magically tied up pony laying on the ground. The unknown pony had her naturally red face mixed with a difficult to see blush from watching the mares in their makeout session. Her attention had shifted to them once she had, quite gratefully, hit dry ground without harsh force. “Uhhhh,” Applejack trailed and frowned while quickly looking back to King Clear Sand, who was standing behind them at the edge of the trail they had taken from the Pride’s landing spot. Applejack gulped in worry. Fluttershy hid her tomato-red face behind the thick pink locks of her smooth mane. Spike’s comment was an indication that his prior shock at Twilight’s relationship had finally given way to casual acceptance. “I didn’t know ponies liked to kiss with their tongues.” “Spike!” Rarity hissed at him. “What?” Spike shrugged. “I’m not the one getting all hot and bothered.” Applejack’s worry about the king faded when he walked past them to the mares who were still oblivious to the group’s presence. “I see you have restrained Ruby Rose,” he exclaimed with a proud boom of his royal voice. The two magical mares broke abruptly from their kissing to behold the king of the land, as powerful politically as they were magically. “I-I-” Twilight stammered with a red face. Starlight recovered more easily, her almost arrogant demeanor coming through along with her reduced concern of political conformity. “The situation has been taken care of,” she practically nodded to herself upon seeing Spike in her peripheral vision. The large Saddle Arabian king knelt briefly before them in a show of gratitude. “You both have my apologies for allowing such an event to unfold and my eternal gratitude for protecting the sacred places of my kingdom. The Great Starswirl would be pleased, no doubt.” Twilight was still blushing, but was put at ease by the king’s calm and thankful words. Her mind finally picked up on the diplomatic procedures she was supposed to be aware of as a princess of Equerstria. “If it would be permissible to your highness,” Twilight began, “I would like to have Ruby Rose transported to Equestria for inquiry and detainment.” The king’s lip curled at a corner, pleasantly surprised by the alicorn mare’s ability to recover and make such an official request. “Of course,” he responded in kind while drawing back to his full height and smiling patiently down below. “Under one condition, of course.” Starlight held back an eye roll when she glanced back to her marefriend beside her. She liked having an edge of confidence over Twilight because it meant she could get what she wanted with the pony. But even in Starlight’s self-confidence, Twilight was far more collected and orderly in a political exchange. Fitting for a princess, but annoying to the marefriend who still wanted a vacation away from it all. “Yes, your highness?” Twilight nodded with a minute bow. King Clear Sand chuckled heartily. “That I might have a friendly visit to the royal court of your great country and better know your people. That we may better the relationship of our nations as Princess Celestia has done so graciously in the past.” Twilight tried to hide an amused giggle. Though she had only fully met him now, she could see why King Clear Sand was so well spoken of by diplomats, merchants, and Saddle Arabians alike. He was smooth and, judging by the smiles and nods of her friends behind him, he treated ponies as good as his word. “I would be honored-” Twilight replied with a full bow this time but was caught it in when her small dip made her catch the color and shape of Spike, who had been obscured previously by both the king’s frame as well as that of Rarity. The king’s brow raised and then his expression settled again into contentment when he saw Twilight dart around him and tackle the baby dragon in a tight embrace. “Spike!” Twilight nearly cried, water at the corners of her eyes. Her tone dripped with relief even though she had convinced herself of Starlight’s assurances before. “You’re okay!” “Of course I am,” Spike answered coolly, but hugged back happily all the same. He was relieved as well, though had held back the most terrible of worries due to his hope and trust in Starlight. “Thank Celestia,” Twilight sighed and snuggled the dragon. “Aw c’mon,” Spike said quietly. “You’re embarrassing me.” “Perhaps,” King Clear Sand spoke up while two Saddle Arabian guards picked up the bound Ruby Rose, “we might all relax within the Pride and exchange our stories and concerns.”
9 - Cool Down The ship sailed through the clouds, streams of white floating by as if to only say hello in passing. Starlight Glimmer watched through the small window, her pillow having been moved there while the others were crowded in the center. Twilight and her other friends were conversing with the king. Meanwhile, Starlight was watching the sky and the lands pass by below. Spike walked up and crawled onto her back so he could be at a height to watch too. Starlight had given him permission long ago to do such things. Her relationship with the little dragon was actually closer than any of Twilight’s friends. Spike had certain unique qualities to him that she appreciated. His straightforward honesty mixed with a surprising amount of compassion and friendliness made him her confidant. Well, perhaps with the exclusion of matters promised to secrecy by her marefriend. “Where was the evil?” Spike asked casually. “On the other side of the Brook?” Starlight asked back for clarification. Spike just nodded. He watched as yellow grasslands began to be populated by sparse trees far below. “Gone,” Starlight said flatly. “Except for Chrysalis, who I doubt was what drove Starswirl out. My guess is whatever it was didn’t stick around after the first five hundred years went by and Starswirl didn’t come back.” “You said the city was still in tact, though.” “What we saw was intact. There could have been things that were there before and removed or stolen and we’d never know. Starswirl’s records of it were not like an inventory list. Well,” she stopped to correct herself, “he might have had lists somewhere but none I saw or heard of.” Spike sighed. “I wish I had been taken there. I could have helped.” “Spike,” Starlight said softly as her eyes shifted back to him. “Don’t feel bad about it. There was nothing you could have done anyways. Most of what we had to do used Starswirl’s magical patterns.” “I know,” Spike frowned. Sensing his bothered mood, Starlight thought of a remedy quick. “Oh, I understand now,” her eyes fluttered at him. “You wanted in on my private time with Twily~” The other ponies across the ship’s room glanced over when they heard Starlight laugh boisterously. She hadn’t anticipated Spike’s red face to be so sudden and hilarious. However, the others resumed another conversation shortly and did not pick up on what was being spoken now in whispers between the dragon and magic genius. “W-w-w-wha?” Spike stammered, face as deep as a rich Red Delicious apple. “You don’t have to play innocent with me, Spikey,” Starlight whispered with an insisting expression. “I’ve seen the way you look at us. Especially my flank.” Spike’s faulty response was utterly ruined when Starlight added a wink at the end. So he just covered his face with his claws in total loss. Starlight giggled at first and then cooed. He really could be so adorable sometimes. She slid him off her back and hugged him. “Sorry,” she whispered when he failed to recover. “I was just teasing.” Spike peaked out from behind his claws, biting his bottom lip. “I know you really want Rarity,” Starlight stated. Spike covered his eyes again. “Heh heh,” the unicorn stuck her tongue out and petted his spines. “But why can a team not do the groundwork for you?” King Clear Sand asked Princess Twilight Sparkle. The alicorn shifted comfortably on her pink cushion. “The Brook can be activated from outside but there is no obvious channel on the other side for a return trip. Starlight used her replication magic to create the return portal, but no ordinary unicorn can find the link and activate the channel. Starlight is...special.” Not missing the faint blush in the princess’ final word made the king’s lip curl in a pleasant smile. “In that case, I would be more than willing to provide any supplies you would need to make further explorations yourself.” Rarity had been contemplating the ideas and thought now to ask what she was wondering. “Why not the Star Teleporter then? Could that not send ponies back?” “It was our first attempt,” Twilight admitted. “But the Teleporter was not intended for cross-dimensional use. Only interstellar. My guess was that Starswirl created it to reduce his magic consumption while searching that dimension for something he only alluded to in his records. We made some alterations to get it to teleport Chrysalis back into our time-space but, when we tried to use it again to return with Ruby, some of the critical components had fried.” “That’s what happens when you use a bucket for a plow,” Applejack nodded. Fluttershy couldn’t help a quiet giggle. “We found another way obviously,” Twilight continued. “The Teleporter will need repairs, though. I’m fairly certain that Chrysalis was teleported successfully.” “Fairly?” Rainbow Dash deadpanned. Twilight shrugged. There was nothing more she could do. Besides, it was not as if the return of Starlight and herself had been much more certain. When dealing with advanced magic, risk was aplenty. “We need snacks!” Pinkie Pie blurted out with a sad face. Rarity facehoofed. “Fortunate for you,” the king began as he pulled a service rope, “there is weight enough for sustenance.” A light tan Saddle Arabian appeared from a curtain across the room. “Dessert,” the king ordered in a gentle tone. “I believe certain of my guests are eager for a sweet treat.” Pinkie Pie’s eyes grew to dinner plates and her mouth watered, making Applejack reach over with a handkerchief to prevent slobbering. “I have a question, your highness,” spoke up the shy mare among them. “Hm?” Clear Sand rose a brow. “I will answer anything you desire. And please call me Clear Sand, Fluttershy.” “Clear Sand,” the pegasus breathed with a reserved voice. “In Saddle Arabia, is it common for mares to...um...” “Have permanent relations?” the king guessed. “Perhaps not as much as I’ve heard of Equestria. However, my rule has included some changes. All Saddle Arabians are welcome to love as they please.” “Have enemies?” Applejack followed up bluntly. Twilight glared at her but the king was not bothered in the least. “All rulers do,” he responded simply. A ring was heard throughout the ship. A signal. “We have arrived,” The Saddle Arabian king stood from his spot and went to the porthole, which Starlight stepped away from for his sake. “Canterlot,” he breathed in. “A fine city even when seen from above.” With his gesture, Twilight looked as well. She had seen Canterlot from this view a couple times as a filly, twice as a mare from a hot air balloon, and once from Celestia’s chariot. It was even more amazing from a greater distance above in this ship. The spires of Canterlot Castle grew steadily large and their points more defined as they drifted down towards the air field that usually contained a few observational balloons and a single blimp. The ship was descending just slow enough to prevent the ponies from feeling nauseous. Just barely. Rarity and Fluttershy held the walls to steady their mental balance. The king had obviously done this so many times that he had no issue with walking across the room and talking to a servant about ground signals they had received. First to greet them when the ramp descended was Princess Celestia herself. Twilight might have guessed as much if Chrysalis had indeed wound up where she was supposed to be. The seriousness of her face seemed to indicate that. But it softened quickly upon appearance of the king, her diplomatic skills as experienced as time itself and her manners without flaw. “I was overjoyed upon hearing of your visit, your highness,” Celestia nodded in respect to him. He stepped off the ramp and allowed the others behind him to depart. Then he proceeded with his own greeting. Spike hurried beside Twilight as the mare walked around to Celestia’s side. “Much better flight than your old days in wing training, huh?” The alicorn’s face wilted into a deadpan frown. “Haha,” she whispered back sarcastically. It felt like forever until the pleasantries were over. The girls had only the rushing of the dock ponies to amuse them. The Saddle Arabian engineers had to work with the Canterlot ground crew to secure the ship and begin provisions. It was comical to watch since they both seemed to fumble about and make bizarre and wide gestures to each other in an attempt to communicate what only the translators could convey. Apparently the engineers were not as diverse in their trade languages and the translators were – unfortunately for them – late. The time did come, however, for them to enter Canterlot Castle. While Princess Luna took up King Clear Sand on a walk around the castle garden to speak of his visiting interests, Celestia took Twilight aside. Her pleasant expression was lost in the absence of the foreign royal and was replaced by a strained urgency. “Twilight, I trust and respect you. I also love you as a student and fellow princess. But please,” she begged, “why is there a changeling queen in the castle containment room?” Starlight had been dragged in too by Twilight. The others were away for refreshments or, in Rarity’s case, a dramatic couch to stretch upon. Knowing the answers to the situation, Starlight grinned but let her marefriend do the talking. “We ran into her,” Twilight decided to put it. “I remembered what we had discussed before and decided to give it a shot.” “No scroll of advanced warning?” Celestia practically pouted. “We were trying to rescue Spike at the time,” the purple pony turned apologetic. “Sorry. Really. There was just no time or opportunity.” Celestia let out her feelings with a sigh. She knew Twilight very well and also knew she wasn’t a liar. “I understand. I just wish you had told me about Spike. I might have been able to help. I do care about his wellbeing.” “Thank you, pr- I mean Celestia,” Twilight smiled kindly. “We will have to discuss what to do with Chrysalis after business is finished with King Clear Sand.” “Indeed,” Celestia nodded and then turned her attention to Starlight. “You had a great part in this I’m sure.” “Y-yes,” Starlight replied, not knowing why she suddenly felt nervous. “I trust you to take good care of my former student,” Celestia put a hoof to Starlight’s shoulder, as if to emphasize the point. “She’s like a daughter to me.” “Of course!” the unicorn’s eyes widened in earnestness. “I did everything that was necessary to keep her safe. No harm came or will come to her!” “Hey, I don’t need prote-” “Not from others,” Celestia interrupted while turning her attention back to Twilight. “From yourself.” “Since when?” the smaller alicorn became indignant. “Smartypants,” Celestia replied with a smirk. Starlight giggled. She had only heard of the incident before but it was greatly amusing to see her marefriend’s expression turn to stone. The reference to the incident was an argument killer for her. She had been nailed on the spot like a filly with her hoof in a cookie jar. “Aaaaaah,” Starlight breathed out in complete relaxation. This was the life. Sipping apple cider while chillaxing in a hot tub. Sure, it was on the Castle’s roof. But so what? It was still cider and a hot tub. Oh, and the mare. She had a sexy mare under one foreleg. “I feel like I’m being hit on by a pervert,” Twilight couldn’t help but remark under said foreleg. She squinted and sipped her own drink from a glass she levitated back safely to the table nearby. Starlight, however, kept hers in one hoof and rubbed her mare’s shoulder with the other. “Hey, we got our vacation again. Basically. And I thought you liked getting molested by me?” “I could never get molested by you, Starflanks,” Twilight decided to respond in a smirking jest. “Not when you’re under my complete control.” Starlight’s face twisted in confusion. “I thought I was in control.” “You think you found my diary all on your own?” Starlight’s eyes widened and she almost dropped her glass into the bubbling water. “You’re such a silly filly,” Twilight giggled and booped the mare on the nose. Starlight hung her head in defeat but couldn’t help feeling happy anyways. She still had Twilight either way. “I love you,” she replied. “Yep,” Twilight happily agreed while sticking out her tongue playfully. There was plenty of work and research for them both to do after the incidents that occurred. But not yet. For now was a time to relax and enjoy life. Together.
1 - Won't You Be My Star Tonight All the others had left, the evening had grown late, and the stars were twinkling bright in the calm night sky. Sundown had brought the cold air with it and, in a castle of crystal, it was not hard to feel the chill. Apparently, the crystal didn't insulate well. Twilight Sparkle and Starlight Glimmer had just finished a late but delicious dinner prepared by Spike. It had been a quiet meal, however. The dragon soon retired due to exhaustion and Starlight found herself at a loss for conversation. She hadn't exactly expected to be dining with somepony she had so recently deemed her mortal enemy. Having both finished their last helping of stir-fried cucumbers, one of them was finally forced to say something to get out of the awkwardness. Twilight took the initiative even as she levitated the dishes to the kitchen sink. “So, you're getting used to Ponyville?” she tried to use as welcoming a tone as she could and then cursed herself for sounding too sweet. She thought it made her sound insincere and averted her gaze out of instinct. “It's as good as any other town in Equestria,” Starlight practically whispered to herself. Her eyes were vacant, but she looked to Twilight all the same. Some ghost of a hope laid within them. “I know it's been a week already, but you're welcome to stay here as long as you want,” Twilight offered without a second thought. What better way to demonstrate true friendship? A spark flickered in Starlight's eyes. The wheels turned in her mind, telling her that she should continue down this road. Take it as far as she could. “As long as I want?” “Come on,” Twilight nodded and got down from her chair at the needlessly large table. “We'll talk in my room. I don't think you've seen it yet. It's far more comfortable there, and I've got a fireplace.” Starlight felt a shiver go down her spine and wasn't about to argue. It was indeed getting cold and a fire and a blanket sounded pretty good. Far better than what she lived through when she stalked Twilight, gaining insight and learning her weaknesses. Those times flashed through her memory while she followed Twilight up to her room in the enormous crystal castle. It was just before they came to Twilight's door that something triggered not only in Starlight's mind but also in her heart. She realized just how much she had obsessed over Twilight. How much time she spent following, spying, and learning everything about her. What had been an obsession of hatred before had begun morphing into something else entirely. It happened too fast. She had only just allowed herself to be open to this new friendship thing. Her emotions were scattered and confused. She felt like a tiny raft in a raging and storming sea. What was she supposed to do? What was she supposed to feel? The only thing she knew she had to do was be close. She had to be close to this one pony that had laid down her pride and offered her hoof, no strings attached. So she became aware of the pony walking in front of her. Very aware. The pony she had obsessed over...the one she knew so well and yet only begun to understand.... She had an amazing pair of flanks. Starlight shook her head. No, that wasn't right. Was she really going to ogle at the perfectly plush purple pony posterior of an alicorn princess? She couldn't go taking advantage of Twilight's hospitality. She had nowhere else to go and even if she could use her talents to make a living for herself it would only be an empty life. She needed this friendship to feel alive again. To give some meaning to her days in Equestria. Twilight opened her door, they stepped in, and Twilight closed it behind them. It wasn't a small room, but it managed to have a much closer atmosphere than the other over-sized rooms in the castle. A fireplace was opposite the large queen-sized bed. A magical fire flickered within it, keeping the room warm while preventing the dangers that came with an unsupervised traditional flame. The cozy privacy of the bedroom helped Starlight to relax. “It took some time to get used to this,” Twilight remarked for conversation. She sat down and then laid fully on the plush rug before the glowing fireplace. “After my last place, I mean. I still miss the natural wood walls.” Starlight laid down beside her, purposefully angling herself to be close both to the fire and Twilight simultaneously. “You like trees,” she commented. It was easy remembering what she had gathered on this mare. “And books. You do know what books are made of, right?” The purple pony princess giggled. “Yes, I do. I also happen to know the sustainable tree farms used to supply Equestria with paper. I read about them in books.” “Did you learn about friendship from a book?” Starlight asked, knowing it was a rhetorical question that would be answered anyway. “No,” Twilight looked down at her forehooves resting before her. “I had to get away from the books for a little bit to find out about that.” Starlight just laid there, gazing at the alicorn. The purple coat reflected an off-hue color in the fire's throbbing glow. The other lights in the room were turned down. Or, at least, they were now. Starlight shrugged when Twilight asked why she had just used her magic to do that. “I like the ambiance,” the unicorn explained off-hoof. Twilight thought it was odd, but then Starlight had been odd around the others earlier in the day. There was something off-center about Starlight, but Twilight tried not to be too critical. It was probably because the mare was in a transitional phase. What did those psychology books say about transformation of personal norms in relation to severe self-directed relational corrections? Twilight told herself mentally to read those books again soon. “And I know you do as well,” Starlight grinned almost smugly. Twilight furrowed her brows, pursed her lips, and tilted her head by the tiniest degree. “Huh?” “I know lots of things about you, Twilight,” the unicorn replied. “I followed you for months before I revealed myself to you. I had to know as much as I could because I didn't want to lose.” The princess bit her bottom lip. She wasn't sure how to feel about that. It was unsettling for sure, but she convinced herself to use it as a springboard for their new relationship. “Then you know my favorite meals?” “And your favorite spells. And your favorite books. Even your favorite brand of shampoo,” Starlight was definitely smug at this point. Now that she had smoothed over the adversarial relationship between them, she had forgotten about being humble. Not that it mattered. After all, this lovely alicorn was becoming more attractive to her by the minute. She hadn't had the opportunity to appreciate Twilight's looks when she had been absorbed by her anger. Twilight was further unnerved at that, however. She felt a faint blush warm her cheeks and gulped down a shiver of nervousness. “W-well,” she stuttered, “you've got a leg up on me there. I guess I should ask you most of the questions since you know way more about me than I do you.” “I hate answering boring questions, though,” Starlight sighed, turned deadpan, and rested her head on her two forehooves. She kept her gaze on Twilight, occasionally tracking from the mare's face to the rest of her body. “Ask me something interesting.” “Alright then,” Twilight became indignant. This unicorn was clearly not in the most easy-going of moods. The next words out of Twilight's mouth betrayed her growing insecurity. “Why are you looking at me like that?” “Like what?” Starlight innocently rose a brow. Twilight pursed her lips again. “Like...like I'm some ancient artifact to be scrutinized. You keep looking at my cutie mark too.” “Am I making you nervous?” It was an innocent enough tone but not an innocent enough suggestion. Twilight winced and then looked the other way. “Maybe.” “We're friends now,” Starlight pretended to pout. “I thought that meant we were comfortable together.” “Not when there's something clearly on your mind and you won't spit it out,” Twilight came back quickly. Starlight's tone rose in kind. “You want to know what I'm thinking right now?” “It'd help us come to an understanding and give us the opportunity to bond, further strengthening our new friendship,” Twilight tried to come back to her more rational mind. Her friendship research reports indicated that such open dialogue was necessary for new high-tension relationships common among prior combatants. Starlight smirked and took on an almost sultry tone. “Alright then,” she half-lidded her eyes. “I'll tell you what I'm thinking. I think you'll like it too.” Twilight recomposed herself, pasted a smile on her face, and straightened her back and neck for full attention. “I think you're beautiful.” Silence. The fireplace even had a lull in the crackling of its own flame, as if a non-intelligent thing could have an understanding of what was just said. The next sound that came, after more hearty silence, was Twilight gulping. “Y-y-you th-think I'm....” “Beautiful,” Starlight repeated, her eyes catching Twilight's and staying there. “Your body is in great shape. Your mane and tail are well kept and I must admit the style is very attractive. You smell like lavender. It comes from the soap and shampoo you use. Also, there's a hint of old paper. It reminds me of all the years I spent studying – just like you. You're a star and I don't mean that just for the cutie mark stuck on both of those enticing flanks.” At a loss for any other response, Twilight could only blush and lower her eyes again. This was unexpected. Was her most recent arch-nemesis really complimenting her now? And what kind of compliment was that? It sounded like...like flirting! Twilight didn't know what to think. “I didn't prepare that beforehoof, just so you know,” Starlight closed her eyes momentarily in resolve. “You told me to speak my mind and that's what happened to go through it-” “Maybe we'd better just go to bed,” Twilight interrupted, her voice hurried and flustered. “We need time to think. Collect ourselves. Yes, I'm sure this is just an anomaly resulting from the transition of your inner psyche!” Seeing Twilight so frazzled by her words didn't bother Starlight. No. In fact, she loved it. It occurred to her that she had, in a fashion, beaten this mare. Sure, she wanted to be friends but that didn't mean she had to be demure. Actually, they could be more than friends. Yes! This was how she could prevent the loss of her new friend. Twilight could never go a separate way if they were joined at the hip! Starlight Glimmer's eyes burned with a new resolve. She had to be bold. It wasn't hard. In fact, she hardly had to think at all to do it. Her renewed authority came out with more than a tinge of her old arrogance. “Princess Twilight Sparkle,” she took on a wicked smirk. She got closer and put her shoulder around Twilight, drawing them flush side-by-side. The flustered alicorn was ready to teleport away, but Starlight tapped the mare's horn to snuff out the spell. “What's wrong?” “What are you doing?” “Just following your advice, dear,” Starlight's eyes widened with an excited glee. “You told me yourself! Only I can make sure that my new friendships never fail and that's precisely what I'm going to do!” “What are you talking about?” Twilight whispered, as if she was worried the heavily asleep Spike might overhear. Her heart told her to trust Starlight but everything else told her to be wary. Starlight rolled Twilight over onto her back and swung herself on top so that she pinned her to the rug before the fire. She got down low so their muzzles were close. “I'm talking about you, Twilight! I'll never lose you like I did Sunburst because you'll be mine. I won't even have to indoctrinate or brainwash you. All I have to do is win your heart.” Twilight was dumbstruck. Nopony in her life had ever expressed such an interest in her. If she expected anypony to ever do so then the last pony on the list would be Starlight. “I promise not to go too far,” Starlight breathed into Twilight's ear, which she then nibbled. The purple princess stifled a moan. The sensation sent lightning down her spine. She hadn't anticipated her ears being so sensitive and she was shocked at how much she enjoyed it. Though she had every opportunity to tell Starlight to back away, the words never left her lips. Years of repressed desires for intimacy came out by, ironically, repressing her desire to say no. Starlight then moved to nuzzle their cheeks together. Though her pinning of Twilight was firm, her other movements were gentle. “I know you've always been curious. I read your secret diary. The one even Spike doesn't know exists. The one with all of your fantasies.” Twilight's beet red face cooled along with her blood. “Y-you know?” Starlight giggled. “I wonder what your friends would think if they knew about the naughty things you've written about them.” The bookworm whimpered while the other mare traced her lips along her cheek. “I...how...I cast the most powerful privacy spell! It's impossible!” “Shhhh,” Starlight tried to calm the otherwise limp mare. She place a few butterfly kisses on her cheek. “It's okay, Twily. I know how lonely you've felt. All those friends and yet still lacking that one special somepony you really want. The one you really need.” Tears welled up in the princess' eyes. Her mind battled not for whether she wanted this kind of attention but rather if she wanted Starlight Glimmer to be the one. Every moment she held back resistance confirmed in her own heart that she wanted to give it a try. Her mind that was telling her to wait for some other pony was overcome by her heart that was overjoyed that somepony finally wanted her. Even if that somepony was Starlight. Starlight moved her face and locked their gaze point blank. She allowed herself to sink into those violet irises. “It's a first for me too. What do you say? More than friends?” Twilight closed her eyes tight, took a deep breath, and managed to open them without worry. Her voice resonated with refreshed confidence. “You're right, Starlight. I have had fantasies. And I have wanted somepony special in my life. I don't have any experience, so everything I know is based on theory...everything I do will be based on feeling. I guess what I want to say is...I'll try?” Starlight squealed with glee in a way that Twilight had never heard from the mare before. She would have commented on it but her mouth was swiftly taken by Starlight's. Just before the kiss broke, Twilight felt the unicorn's tongue upon her lips. It gave her the blush she had managed to overcome just prior. “Keep in mind,” the magically powerful unicorn reminded, “there's plenty of non-bedroom-related activities we can enjoy together. Advanced magic study sessions happen to be a favorite of mine.” “Well, if you've really read my secret diary,” Twilight finally returned the sultry look, “I think we'll be too wrapped up with the bedroom-related activities to bother.” Before Starlight could overcome her surprise at the mare's aggressive change in disposition, Twilight tackled her onto her back in play. They tossed and turned on the floor for what seemed like ages, laughing either in relief, joy, or hysterics. A future with Starlight was looking more and more to be a desirable conclusion. An hour more of play and conversation past until both were tired enough to rest together. Starlight nuzzled her companion's side. “You know what's special about you?” “What?” Twilight decided to go along. “You reached out your hoof to me even after everything I did,” Starlight explained. “And it wasn't because of the situation. It's just who you are. You're like a shining star in a dark night sky.” Twilight tilted her head. “I didn't know you were a poet.” “There's a lot of things you still don't know about me,” the unicorn said more quietly and rested her head against Twilight's side. “You'll find out, though.” “We can talk more in the morning,” the princess concluded and nudged her companion with her wing. “You know where your room is.” “Yeah,” Starlight turned deadpan. “I'm in it.” “This is my room,” Twilight pursed her lips. “Exactly,” Starlight agreed. Another silence. “We're sleeping together already?” Twilight asked, feeling nervous once again. The heliotrope unicorn grinned big. “With your consent, I'd love to. I'll warn you though, I'm not really into that kinky stuff on page 147 of your diary.” Twilight puffed up her cheeks and bopped Starlight on the nose. “Very funny.” Starlight playfully stuck out her tongue. “So, ready for bed then?” “Aye aye, princess.” “Good. I'm glad we're finally on the same page, so to speak,” Twilight gave her a wink. The other mare said nothing and instead boisterously bounced onto the bed before burrowing under the blanket. Only her head was now above the covers, resting on one of the many pillows. She gave Twilight a happy smile while gesturing with her head for the alicorn to join her. The princess stifled a laugh. “Alright, alright,” she relented. With a flick of her horn, she snuffed out the magic fire and turned down the rest of the lights. A few trots saw her climbing into the massive bed. Starlight grabbed Twilight's midsection when she was halfway into the covers and pulled her in like a filly snatching the last lollipop. “I expect this every night from now on,” she detailed as she cuddled her face into the crook of Twilight's neck. Her voice muffled against the mare's coat. “Call it my friendship fee.” Twilight shook her head but smiled. “I'll give you more than that,” she replied. Starlight cooed when she felt Twilight's hooves and wings wrap around her. With the sheets pulled up to their heads, it was the warmest and coziest Starlight could ever recall being. Somehow, she didn't think she would be getting out of bed when morning came. “Good night, Starlight.” The unicorn exhaled the last of her worries. “Goodnight, my shining star.”
