More than just a DJby NightmareTRXY32ChaptersNational SecretThe Fallen KingThe Devil's Greatest TrickFrom the DepthsGabby Gums ExposedBroken MirrorsNational Secret Ever wonder what some ponies hide from their friends? Well the CMC did, and it nearly cost them their friends due to alot of hurtful gossip that was driven by both Diamond Tiara's ruthless badgering, and their desperate search for a cutie mark. But there was one secret that was uncovered that could of cost them more than just their friends and family. It could of cost them their lives. Everypony in town knew Vinyl Scratch as one of Equestria's top Dubstep artists and DJs, what they didn't know was something that was deemed a national secret, and highly classified. The only one that knew about it was the Princess of the sun and ruling monarch, PRincess Celestia. Not even her sister Luna, nor the Elements of Harmony, knew the truth to Vinyl's past. News of the 3 Fillies gossip column had reached Celestia's ears before Twilight could run damage control. Most of the gossip actually amused the Princess, that was until she spotted the name Vinyl Scratch under a title aptly named ' Vinyl Scratch DJ or Secret Weapon'. Even after the debacle had been handle in most regards, Celestia secretly made a trip to Ponyville without informing her Guards. She came upon Sweet Apple Acres to a very surprised Applejack. "Uh, What's the reasonin' for a visit Princess?", AJ was undoubtedly nervous about was going on. "I must speak with your sister and her 2 friends", She responded. "Their in the Clubhouse, just past the south orchard", She aptly pointed the Princess in the direction she needed to go. "Thank you, Applejack, and do not worry dear their not in any major trouble." And that was the truth, at least part of it at least. She just needed to see how much they might of uncovered, and to determine if there was a security breach back in Royal Guard. As Celestia flew in the direction of the Cutie Mark Crusaders clubhouse, she couldn't help but smile a small bit. It had only been 100 years ago that this farm had barely been started. And all because of her kindness towards the Apple Families difficult travels. They had been settlers in search of fertile land after all, just like their earth pony fore bearers centuries ago during the times of the 3 tribes. As soon as she spotted her destination, she landed softly in front of the front door, and knocked on it three times. She was met by a trio of voices, a squeky high pitched voice of a small unicorn could be heard telling one of the others to be quiet. Then came a hushed silence before hearing, " Um, whose out there?" "Princess Celestia, my little ponies.", The door flung open and all three of the fillies were scrambling to apologize for not recognizing who it was at the door. "We're sorry we didn't recognize you right away Princess, then again, what are you doing here exactly?", Scootaloo asked out of both fear and curiousity. What was the Princess doing here and why did she seem so concerned. This didn't have to do with the School paper did it? Oh ponyfeathers, it did have to do with that! The same thought immidiately popped into the three fillies heads at the same time. "This has to do with your little gossip column," Celestia stated, " for i need to know how you came across a certain piece of information regarding Ms Scratch." Celestia could be blunt about something and still radiate a calmness to it. It was one of her more endearing qualities Luna had mused about more then once. "All we found out was that she used to be a prominent figure in the Equestrian Military. Sweetie had overheard some strange pony a few days ago comment about ' She's the best at her trade, and I'm not talking about her side gig as a traveling DJ,' which seemed odd since the pony he told it to slapped him, and replied in a posh accent ' lies'. That was it." Scootaloo looked her friends before turning back to see a sad, yet stern look come across the Princess' face. She knew who the other pony was. And it wasn't going to be easy to convince her that her room mate wasn't just a DJ, but an elite Sniper that often operated alone and in deep cover when she was deployed. Celestia decide that this one one secret that the CMC would have to adhere too no matter what. What she was about to tell them she decided to do in front of her prized student, Twilight. And it was one of Equestria's most guarded secrets that she felt obligated to tell Twilight. She knew she could count on her friend and student to make sure nopony else knew about these. And if it had ever come out to the public, she'd rather Twilight hear it from her first before anypony else. "I must ask you to accompany me to Twilight's castle for something," The princess spoke softly to the three little fillies basking in her radiance. "Ok," All three of them chimed in at the same time. As they left the farm, Applejack was inside baking Pies for Pinkie and Spike to pick up. It didn't take her long to poke her out the window and watch Celestia fly off with the CMC nestled on her back. I wonder what that was all for, she thought to herself. What Applejack didnt know was that they were heading to Twilight's Castle. It was important that this matter was handled with the utmost care. That and Celestia didn't want Vinyls' life to be put in extreme danger because of what she was about to tell Twilight. She had to make Twi understand that this couldn't be repeated to anypony outside of the five of them. It was extremely important that Vinyl's girlfriend also not be told, in the off chance that she was ever kidnapped or threatened by one of their many enemies. As soon as they arrived the castle, Celestia and Twilight promptly escorted the three fillies inside. They didn't know how much trouble they had really gotten themselves into until Celestia explained to them why she was hear. She was quite humored with the article 'Celestia just like us' and a picture of herself enjoying some cake. But what really got to her was the article titled 'Vinyl Scratch DJ or Secret weapon'. Scootaloo was the first to realize just how much trouble they were in. "Your article could of put Ms. Scratch in serious danger young ones", Celestia told them very sternly. She had every right to be. Twilight was also about to find out why she hadn't heard of the Changlings since her brother's wedding night. And that was over 3 or more years ago from her perspective. Three Years, One week after Shining Armor's wedding night. She had been so close. So close to victory, and it all disappeared in a flash because of her own over confidence. She realized it as she and her Invasion force were hurtled away from Canterlot and back towards the Badlands. But she didn't know somepony had been dispatched to follow her. Chrysalis' and the remainder of her invasion force landed hard against the rocky floor of the Badlands after being expelled from Canterlot by Shining' and Cadences' forcefield. What she still didn't realize was that she was now being hunted, per Celestia's personal orders to an elite operative. Chrysalis at first heard what sounded like a far off crack of thunder, but it was day out with no storm clouds visible in the sky. That's when she watched one of her changeling guards strike the ground with a hard thud, and not get back up. Another pair of thunderous cracks and two more of her soldiers dropped to the rocky floor. She could feel fear grip her emotionless heart for the first time in ages. She ordered her remaining forces to run until they got close to the Hive. None of them made it. More thunder cracks, and more of the Changeling army hit the ground, permanently. The rocky outcrops of the Badlands made for perfect sniper cover. Chrysalis felt something impact both of her back hooves. The Queen was finding it hard to walk, seeing that both of her hind quarter's had been torn in half by magically laced rifle rounds. She tried to drag herself to the border of her Hive's territory, but she never made it that far. She felt the next pair of bullets rip through her back carapace and then her neck. As Queen Chrysalis tried to scream out for help, all that came out was a gurgling noise as she realized she was coughing up blood and chitinous fragments. The Assassin walked calmly by her dying corpse, and towards the entrance of the Changeling Hive. She set down a cone-shaped device and began the trek back to Canterlot. Her the range of her magic, she could set it off from a safe distance and get back home in time for dinner. As soon as the assassin was out of range, Chrysalis watched her precious hive disappear in the wake of a nuclear blast wave, ,right before the last strands of life drained from her. Celestia never told her operative where these kinds of weapons had originated from, just that they for her use, and her use alone. No pony else knew of their existence. The Fallen KingSix months. Six months of planning and extended travel to the Crystal Empire, and for what. To sit out in the middle of that damned forest looking for what seemed like a needle in a haystack. A haystack the size of Manehattan. No matter how many times she thought about it, it always came out to the same thing. Six months of being in this winter hell hole for a lack of more sophisticated words. SIx months of waiting in this winter wasteland was starting to get to her already. As she waited in the forest, her thoughts kept returning to the events from several months earlier, she had felled one of the powerful beings in existence with a mere hand of magic laced rifle rounds. She didn't feel any pity for the monster Chyrsalis had been. The freak deserved it after what she tried to do during the invasion of Canterlot. Now she was up north in the Winter wastes of the Crystal Empire searching for something else. There was one good thing out of all this though, she was able to catch up on some of the latest music she had burned to her Ipod Neigh-no before coming here. Her favorite techno song Hell March 2 was buzzing in her eyes until it was time for her to start her observation of the surrounding area for her target. "Geez, it's too damn cold," she whimpered," How can those crystal ponies stand this kind of weather?", that was a question she'd find an answer to some other day, and one not as bitter cold as this one. For a moment she felt something cut through the chill in the air and then disappear. ' Huh, wonder what caused that,' she thought to herself. She had always believed the stories of the Windigos when she was a small filly. They'd love a place like this, she thought. It was almost bone chilling how the wind swept through the trees, and the weather here could be like the weather in the Everfree Forest. It was almost like it had a mind of its own at times. She kept thinking of her friends, and her marefriend back home. This was something that she'd never understand, the assassin thought to herself. She told her that she was always away of Music tours and other performances. But in reality part of it was a lie to protect her. Her friends wouldn't understand either. Celestia had always called on her to fix problems that the Elements of Harmony couldn't, and even side effects that resulted from their use in battle. She had assassinated a Changeling queen and nuked an entire hive full of the 'bugs', as some of those in the Equestrian Royal Guard had knicknamed them. This was something entirely different. She had come to realize she was tracking a real nightmare. This nightmare had taken over the Crystal Empire over a thousand years ago and plunged the entire land into misery and sorrow. If Sombra had his way he would of plunged the entire state of Equestria into an all out war. And that's something that Princess Twilight had seen in an alternate reality, but no pony would know about that until several years after these events transpired. In the back of her mind, there was something almost seductive about the fallen unicorn king. But that was treading on dangerous ground as it were. What would her lover and wife think if she had ever discovered that her friend had a romp in the snow with somepony of Sombra's caliber. What would the princesses think if they ever found out. If was nothing personal she thought, she had a job to do no matter what. A rollick in the snow wasn't going to stop her from completing her mission. Failure was not an option. She had been tasked to find his horn and destroy the target at all costs. As per Celestia's direct words, " any and all use of deadly force is authorized." Those were The Princess's direct orders. And was not the type of soldier to ignore orders. Even if she didn't agree with a few of them. As she sat next to her campfire in the Crystal forest, her target became closer than she thought. A grey skinned unicorn approached her campfire and asked if he could join her for a moment. She obliged his request. As he sat there near the fire, she realized just how true it was that King Sombra was handsome as he could be your worst fear. As she stared at him ever so briefly, she was finding it harder to concentrate on her task at hand. And he took notice of this. And advantage of the situation. Before she realized it, the fallen King was on top of her. And not in that ' im going to kill you' kind of way. The white coated mare found herself in the throws of passion with Sombra. And when it was all said and done, she gave him a sarcastic grin as she fired a bullet into his chest. At first nothing happened. As he tried to speak, he felt a burning senstation, the same sensation he felt when he had been blasted to bits by the Crystal Heart before saving his essence in his horn the last time around. This time there was no coming back. " I hate to say it," she said with a sly grin, " You were better than some mares i've been with," The Fallen king shattered into nothingness as he was vaporized once again, for the last and final time. Vinyl's world would be turned upside down in the coming months. A shadow was growing inside the Canterlot government, and inside the Equestrian Military. Several high level officers and their subordinates had gone missing in the last few months, with no sign of where they went. It troubled Celestia so much that she began suspecting somepony was eliminating targets inside the capital with extreme prejudice. There were few that were capable of this kind of infiltration, save for one. No pony, not even Celestia knew how wrong she'd be to falsely accuse one of Vinyl's standing. How could she realize that the threat was from the one pony none would suspect? There's an old saying, The Greatest trick the devil ever pulled was to convince the world she never existed. And just like that, she's gone. The Devil's Greatest TrickOf all the tricks that ever been pulled over the years, this would be the greatest. And not in an entertaining or funny way to say the least. There is one question that was never answered back during the Changeling Invasion. Where was Luna the whole time? How could the Princess of the Night miss out on such an obvious and noticeable event like an invasion. And why was it rumored that half of the Night Guard somehow disappeared around the same time. The only two that would discover the truth would become the most unlikeliest of allies in the times ahead. Of all the most unlikeliest ponies to ignore Celestia's warnings about digging to deep, Twilight Sparkle was at the top of the list. Her curiosity would get her into major trouble someday, but not today. She was secretly hunting down several Guards that went missing during the Canterlot Invasion. And she was the only other pony to have a hint at what Vinyl's 'real job' was. And it wasnt just being a Disc Jockey, she already knew that much. A disc jockey wasn't trained in the use of martial arts and sniper rifles. Nopony else she had known ever was, but at the same time she came to a realization that Vinyl might become an ally if what she uncovered posed a significant threat to Equestria and the realm. Celestia had warned Twilight to steer of clear of things that dont concern her. Why would Celestia be so concerned? That or was she trying to hide something or somepony? The other question weighing on her the most, was where exactly had Princess Luna been during the whole invasion? No pony had been sure how Queen Chyrsalis exactly managed to pull if off. How long had she been impersonating Cadence? Months, years even? Or what is it that Chrysalis had an accomplice perhaps? Somepony that helped sneak her into the Capitol, and somepony that wanted the invasion to succeed? It came to her like a cloud clinging to the sky on a spring morning. It had to be somepony that had intricate knowledge of the Castle and had in depth knowledge of the Routines of the Castle Guards. As for the Night Guards that went missing. There was only one answer, they were in league with whoever tried to pull it off, and then vanished into thin air when the invasion was thwarted. Possibly to plan their next move. But the only Princess in charge of them was Luna. Wait.. Luna. Only Luna would of had the knowledge of where the Elements were being held. Which is how the Changelings were able to prevent me and my friends from getting to them!. But why would she betray Celestia? We purged the corruption from her that made her into Nightmare Moon years ago. Please allow me to introduce myself I'm a mare of wealth and taste I've been around for a long long year Stole many a mares soul and face Been around since Celestia first ruled Please to meet you' Hope you guess my name Twilight couldn't believe what she was reading. They were lyrics for a song that been released about fifty years ago. In the song it spoke a mare concealing her identity from others. The mare had a treacherous past and any that made a deal with her were doomed to be cursed. The young unicorn found the full set of Lyrics on the next page of the book she had uncovered. It was if somepony back then during Celestia's early rule had predicted current events when writing this song. The full lyrics read like this: Please allow me to introduce myself I'm a mare of wealth and taste I've been around for a long, long year Stole many a mare's soul to waste And I was 'round when Celestia Had her moment of doubt and pain Made damn sure she Washed her hooves and sealed her fate Pleased to meet you Hope you guess my name But what's puzzling you Is the nature of my game I stuck around Canterlot When I saw it was a time for a change Killed the Princess and her guards Twilight screamed in vain I rode a Chariot Held a general's rank When the blitzkrieg raged And the bodies stank Pleased to meet you Hope you guess my name, oh yeah Ah, what's puzzling you Is the nature of my game, oh yeah (Woo woo, woo woo) I watched with glee While your kings and queens Fought for ten decades For the gods they made (Woo woo, woo woo) I shouted out, Who killed the Apple Family? When after all It was you and me (Who who, who who) Let me please introduce myself I'm a mare of wealth and taste And I laid traps for troubadours Who get killed before they reached Manehattan (Woo woo, who who) Pleased to meet you Hope you guessed my name, oh yeah (Who who) But what's puzzling you Is the nature of my game, oh yeah, get down, baby (Who who, who who) Pleased to meet you Hope you guessed my name, oh yeah But what's confusing you Is just the nature of my game (Woo woo, who who) Just as every Royal Guard is a criminal And all the sinners saints As heads is tails Just call me Nightmare Moon 'Cause I'm in need of some restraint (Who who, who who) So if you meet me Have some courtesy Have some sympathy, and some taste (Woo woo) Use all your well-learned politesse Or I'll lay your soul to waste, mm yeah (Woo woo, woo woo) Pleased to meet you Hope you guessed my name, mm yeah (Who who) But what's puzzling you Is the nature of my game, mm mean it, get down (Woo woo, woo woo) Woo, who Oh yeah, get on down Oh yeah Oh yeah! (Woo woo) Tell me baby, what's my name Tell me honey, can ya guess my name Tell me baby, what's my name I tell you one time, you're to blame Oh, who Woo, woo Woo, who Woo, woo Woo, who, who [x2] Oh, yeah What's my name Tell me, baby, what's my name Tell me, sweetie, what's my name Woo, who, who [x6] Oh, yeah Woo woo [x2] From the DepthsLuna, Celestia thought, what are you hiding from me? Is what Twilight and Vinyl discovered truly possible. Could i have been so foolish as to think my sister had been returned to me, purged of the corruption that had poisoned her mind, when in truth it was the opposite? Vinyl and Twilight were still going through the archives together when somepony came up behind them and inquired as to why they were still here. IT was Princess Luna. At least it appeared to be the Princess of the Night. Twilight told her they doing some research into the disappearance of some Guards after the aftermath of the Changeling Invasion, even though that occured months ago. They wanted to be sure everypony had been accounted for. The Princess of the night left them too it, acting somewhat off in Twilight's eyes. It was like she was hiding something from her friend but Twi couldn't place her hoof on it. Luna seemed, distant. Almost emotionless it seemed. Twilight decided they needed to pack up what they had and leave before anypony else started to get suspicious. Twilight used a concealment spell to store what she needed in a pocket universe of her own creation. It was one of the few things she ever used in cases like this. She kept things that she had gathered from her adventures there for safe keeping. No pony else, not even her parents, knew about this spell. She kept her Tiara there most of the time when she didn't need to pack it away, as well as diary, and her Smarty Pants doll. She decided it would be best if they went back to Ponyville and stayed in the Library while she compiled her notes for Princess Celestia. If there was a conspiracy to take over Canterlot, they had to find out who was behind it, and why they were making their moves now as opposed to later. And the integral question on her mind was whether Luna had allowed Chrysalis to enter Canterlot, and whether she was deceiving them all. Twi and her friends had watched Luna get purged of the dark magic corruption that had turned her into Nightmare Moon. That magic had to have gone somewhere didn't it? The Everfree Forrest "Where is she?" a cloaked figure pondered. They had been asked by somepony to meet them at this location, but never got a name to go with the muzzle or face. As they stood there, a tall slender Alicorn Approached them. Her mane was as translucent as the night sky, and her teeth were as sharp as razors. "I was told you were waiting for me," she asked her hooded companion,"What news do you have for me?", her words were powerful and commanding, and yet no malice was found in them. "Luna is oblivious to your existence, and Twilight Sparkle is still investigating the aftermath of the failed Changeling Invasion. They have no idea that you still live my Queen.", She could tell the way he spoke to her that he acknowledged her power, position, and her title. She demanded respect from those that worshiped her, and rewarded those that were loyal to her to a T. She was her own master now after all. But she knew she couldn't reveal herself yet, not now. Not when there was so much to plan for. Her time would come and that wretch Celestia would be at her mercy this time. See how you like being trapped on the moon for a thousand years, and tell me if your pride makes you stronger or weaker. The slender looking Alicorn disappeared into a midnight blue mist and left her confidant standing in the forest muttering to himself. Let Celestia eat Cake he thought. This might be the last time she ever sees it. As the stallion walked out of the Forrest, the last vestiges of sun light were starting to disappear beneath the ground as Luna brought her glorious moon for everypony to relax beneath and enjoy in some way. It took her a moment to come to a conclusion, one that worried her greatly. She mentally kicked herself for how she had treated Twilight in the Canterlot library, and sought to rectify it. She told one of her guards that she going to be away in Ponyville and that anypony looking for her should told to wait for her return in a day or two. As soon as the night guard acknowledged this, Luna stepped out onto her balcony and flew off. Her mane nearly matched the stars in the night sky as the light glistened off of it. It was one of her more endearing traits Celestia had always told her. As she neared Ponyville, she caught glimpse of a hooded figure leaving the Everfree forest, and made a note of it in her mind. She did not let that distract her from speaking to her friend. As she landed on the balcony overlooking the street below, she knocked on the door. She hoped that Twilight was still awake, even though it wasnt quite midnight. The door creaked open to reveal Twilight, and Vinyl coming up behind her. Both of them let out a small audible "gasp" as they took noticed of who was in front of them. The Princess of the night got right to the point of her visit this late at night. "I wanted to apologize for my behavior early, Twilight Sparkle.", she paused before continuing," I have been feeling uneasy as of late, as if some force is trying to keep me awake, and it is proving most difficult to patrol the dream realm. There seems to be a powerful force disrupting my control at times." She was very poigant when she needed to be. It helped in dealing with some of the royals in Canterlot at times, especially her nephew Prince BlueBlood. The same BlueBlood that was a complete jerk to Twilight's friend Rarity. It seems to have lightened up in recent years what happened between them. He even came to Ponyville on more then one occasion to ask her for forgiveness. He wasn't used to dealing with the common folk, and he apparently felt truelove towards her and realized it was a bad act on his end for mistreating a mare of her stature, and radiance. He just had problems showing his emotions towards those he cared about apparently. Gabby Gums Exposed"You three are in big trouble,", Twilight glared at the CMC as she spoke those words. Vinyl had left to get them breakfast while they were working, which gave Twilight the perfect time to scold the three fillies. Even though they had apologized to everypony else and been admonished for the most part. She still felt the need to chew them out for their little stunt. But if anypony was to blame for the whole mess, it was Diamond Tiara. They had voiced their opposition, but weren't allowed to act on it as far was she was concerned. The news they getting out of ponies was too good to put down apparently. As Twilight was chewing the girls out a second time for their stunt, Vinyl had gone out for groceries. As she did, she happened to kiss Twilight on her cheek and call her babe in the process. What the buck? Was Vinyl seriously putting the moves on me, Twilight thought to herself. Wouldn't be the first time a pony had tried to court her, despite the fact she was a princess now. As Vinyl finally trotted out the door to the Library, Twilight turned back to the CMC. She decided after she saw the looks in their eyes, she'd go a bit easy on them then she planned. "I hope this taught you a valuable lesson about respecting other's privacy,", She stated, almost short of imitating Luna's Canterlot voice. They all looked up at her and nodded in agreement. "We promise," the three fillies said in near perfect unison. With that she let them leave. It didn't take long for Vinyl to get back with four bags of groceries wrapped up in her magic aura. That was fast Twilight thought. Apparently, the clerk at the local grocer knew who she was and gave the fastest service in return for an autographed picture. "Hey, they learn their lesson?", she asked as she waltzed through the door. "I'm pretty sure they did,", Twilight said as turned to find Vinyl's muzzle pressed right against hers. And she found herself lost in those Crimson eyes of hers. "Closer," Vinyl said as a sly grin crept across her muzzle. And as Twilight moved closer, Vinyl locked her in the most passionate kiss she had ever received from anypony in Equestria. She melted as her lips touched with Vinyl's own. It was like tasting Luna's night sky. Dark, mysterious, and yet full of wonder. She found herself lost in those Crimson eyes of hers. She felt like losing herself in them. "Before we continue this little soiree of ours, I found something of relevance that might help us determine where some of the missing guards might have gone. I think they weren't really there in the first place. It was described that they seemed lifeless as if they were in actuality hallucinations or mirages. "What do you think it means, Twi?", Vinyl asked her, showing Twilight that she was only half interested in what was being said. That was until Twilight told her about an account of a guard that disappeared while trying to alert Princess Luna, only to go missing shortly thereafter. The name is what caught the alabaster unicorn's attention the most, Officer Scrye. She knew him, hell he was one of her commanding officers for Celestia's sake. Twilight could tell that the name affected her friend by the way she was now staring off into nothingness. That would be the least of their concerns though. Looking for a missing officer was one thing. Finding out that you were about to meet a pony in charge of a Pseudo Marxist cult was another. This was something that Celestia apparently felt was more important than looking for a few missing guards. A few ponies, including her lead commander, Firebrand, was always complaining about why her personal guard always seemed to be missing during critical events. But that was a story for another time and place. The scroll she sent Twilight contained a set of coordinates in the middle of nowhere. Both her Vinyl and her friends were required to join Twilight on the mission. But who could of been prepared for what happened on the way. Broken MirrorsAuthor's Note I hate Writers block >< Broken Mirrors Not only did she have to deal with a new Princess as a love interest, now both of them were having to combat the rise of a new political power. Apparently, there was a new unicorn in some no name village north of Canterlot that was espousing an ideology that the princesses were taking issue with. Something about all ponies being equal and ridding themselves of the pain of a life beset by Special Talents. Since they wanted to keep this out of the ears of the general public, for now, they decided to send Twilight, Vinyl, and Twilight's friends to see if they could shut this pony up. When they arrived, they told Twilight's friends to wait for them near the entrance to the Train tracks. They all decided it was the best thing to do, that way if they were caught the others could still make a break for it. As the two of them drew closely Twilight started to get a headache. Along the flashes of images in her mind. Of her and friends. And of Starlight's village. But what was odder was that Vinyl wasn't in any of them. As if she wasn't even supposed to be here. She could also feel the residual traces of both her magic and that of another pony's. What was going here she thought to herself. Then she noticed that her horn was glowing faintly. It wasn't enough to alert anypony to where they were, but it was enough that she realized that it was reacting to a magic she was all too familiar with. The magic that belonged to the Tree of Harmony. Something about this place was giving Twilight the creeps. It felt as if she had been here before, and if had felt like her friends had been with her at the time. But that couldn't be right, could it? The more they observed the town from the cliff they were on, the more that feeling continued to creep into her mind. It felt like everything as of late was wrong, like this isn't the way it should be. Like the timeline had been altered. She turned to see Vinyl staring at her, concern glistening in those Crimson irises of hers. "What's up Twi?", Vinyl asked as they continued to watch Starlight's village without being noticed. "Something occurred to me, It feels like I've been here before,", The way she said that filled both her and Vinyl with dread. there was no other word she could use to describe it. "How is that even possible,", Vinyl said, even she started to get that chill down her spine now. "It's like somepony manipulated the timeline for their own personal gain,", and Twilight was sure now who that somepony could have been. "Do you think that's why Celestia sent us out here?", The way Vinyl poised that question caused Twilight to scratch her mane for a moment. Celestia never seemed like the kind of pony that would hide something from her. Or could it be that she had never really thought of that because of how attached she was to Celestia? She decided to cut the trip short so to speak. They entered the village, spoke with Starlight, and then all abruptly left. As Starlight decided to escort them back to the town limits, Twilight turned to her, looked her in the eye and said something that sent a chill down the mare's spine. No pony had ever left Starlight Glimmer with this kind of feeling before. "If you try to steal the cutie mark of anypony i know... I will kill you Starlight.", The way Twilight said that last part was chilling, to say the least. Starlight knew who Twilight was, she knew that she was always espousing the ideals of friendship and harmony. But to hear the Princess of Friendship say that she'd kill her if she harmed any of Twilight's friends was enough to give her pause. "Let that be a warning, IF I have to return here it won't end nicely for you,", Twilight said as she started walking back to wasteland, out of nowhere she stopped and turned to Starlight one last time," also, Princess Celestia won't be as forgiving either if you keep this up,", and with that she walked away. Starlight Glimmer stood there for the longest time, even after they had all left. She couldn't stop thinking about what Twilight had said. As she stood there, she felt a pain, a terrible pain, building in her mind. With that came a flash, and she found herself standing on clouds. She turned around to come face to face with herself. Her mane was a different style, more elegant, but it was still her, so to speak. "What's going on?", she said, confused about it all. "I pulled you here from your timeline, Starlight, because I needed to tell you something,", Her Alternate self-looked a little older then she was now, but what more was that she had a sad look in her eyes. "Did it not go as planned?", she asked her other self, to which the gaze that she received back was filled with condemnation. "In the timeline I'm from Starlight, I reconnected with Sunburst,", Her older self-smiled a little at that. "Sun... Sunburst." Starlight stammered. "Yes, but's not why I'm here,", Her other self-continued,"When I traveled back in time to get revenge against Twilight i created multiple alternate realities, many of which ive gone to and witnessed the aftermath." Future Starlight sunk her face into her left hoof, almost crying as she did. "All the pain and misery I created because I wanted everypony to be the same was stupid and utterly foolish. Did you know that in one reality the Changeling Queen Chrysalis took over Equestria after deceiving everypony into thinking she was Princess Cadence? Only to outright kill Princess Luna and throw those that saw through her plan too late into Prison?" She stared at her alternate with a cold unrepentant sadness. "If it all worked out why did you bring me here?", she felt that confusion again. "We brought you here,", another voice spoke. She turned to see an older and also more powerful Twilight Sparkle. In a flash of light, the three of them were back in Alternate Starlight's timeline. Not only that they were in Canterlot. In the palace no less. The other Twilight apparently was much better at Teleportation then one in her timeline. It was kind of odd seeing two Twilight Sparkles, and of course, standing next to the future/alternate version of herself. "Ah Twilight, I assume these are the guests you mentioned in the scroll that you and Vinyl sent me earlier,", Celestia said with interest. "Yes, they had appeared shortly after Vinyl and I had begun the return trip to Ponyville,", This alternate Twilight felt... intimated by her other self. Twilight prime as she had decided to call herself there was a foot or two taller, and a few years older than her alternate self. "May I proceed?", Twilight Prime asked her other self. "Of course,", Twilight spoke. "Princess Celestia, In the time that my friend and I are from she, Starlight Glimmer, tried to use Starswirl's advanced Time travel Spell to go back and prevent the Sonic Rainboom from happening. My Starlight saw the error of her ways and became not only my student but a good friend to me and others,", Twilight paused for a moment. "When I look into the eyes of this one," motioning to the Alternate Starlight Glimmer," I don't see her possibly changing her ways like the one I know did." She bowed to the Princess after she stopped her presentation. "I am glad that in another timeline you welcomed friendship into your heart Starlight Glimmer,", Celestia spoke, staring right at Starlight Prime," It's good to know that Twilight has followed my hoofsteps and taken on a student of her own.", Celestia turned back to the other Starlight Glimmer in front of her," That Said, Starlight Glimmer, I Celestia, Princess of the Sun and ruling monarch of this land, I hereby sentence you to serve no more than life in Prison." As she said those words their two visitors disappeared in flash of white light. Celestia chuckled to herself in her mind. "Oh Twilight,", she thought," You never cease to amaze me, my dear."
National Secret Ever wonder what some ponies hide from their friends? Well the CMC did, and it nearly cost them their friends due to alot of hurtful gossip that was driven by both Diamond Tiara's ruthless badgering, and their desperate search for a cutie mark. But there was one secret that was uncovered that could of cost them more than just their friends and family. It could of cost them their lives. Everypony in town knew Vinyl Scratch as one of Equestria's top Dubstep artists and DJs, what they didn't know was something that was deemed a national secret, and highly classified. The only one that knew about it was the Princess of the sun and ruling monarch, PRincess Celestia. Not even her sister Luna, nor the Elements of Harmony, knew the truth to Vinyl's past. News of the 3 Fillies gossip column had reached Celestia's ears before Twilight could run damage control. Most of the gossip actually amused the Princess, that was until she spotted the name Vinyl Scratch under a title aptly named ' Vinyl Scratch DJ or Secret Weapon'. Even after the debacle had been handle in most regards, Celestia secretly made a trip to Ponyville without informing her Guards. She came upon Sweet Apple Acres to a very surprised Applejack. "Uh, What's the reasonin' for a visit Princess?", AJ was undoubtedly nervous about was going on. "I must speak with your sister and her 2 friends", She responded. "Their in the Clubhouse, just past the south orchard", She aptly pointed the Princess in the direction she needed to go. "Thank you, Applejack, and do not worry dear their not in any major trouble." And that was the truth, at least part of it at least. She just needed to see how much they might of uncovered, and to determine if there was a security breach back in Royal Guard. As Celestia flew in the direction of the Cutie Mark Crusaders clubhouse, she couldn't help but smile a small bit. It had only been 100 years ago that this farm had barely been started. And all because of her kindness towards the Apple Families difficult travels. They had been settlers in search of fertile land after all, just like their earth pony fore bearers centuries ago during the times of the 3 tribes. As soon as she spotted her destination, she landed softly in front of the front door, and knocked on it three times. She was met by a trio of voices, a squeky high pitched voice of a small unicorn could be heard telling one of the others to be quiet. Then came a hushed silence before hearing, " Um, whose out there?" "Princess Celestia, my little ponies.", The door flung open and all three of the fillies were scrambling to apologize for not recognizing who it was at the door. "We're sorry we didn't recognize you right away Princess, then again, what are you doing here exactly?", Scootaloo asked out of both fear and curiousity. What was the Princess doing here and why did she seem so concerned. This didn't have to do with the School paper did it? Oh ponyfeathers, it did have to do with that! The same thought immidiately popped into the three fillies heads at the same time. "This has to do with your little gossip column," Celestia stated, " for i need to know how you came across a certain piece of information regarding Ms Scratch." Celestia could be blunt about something and still radiate a calmness to it. It was one of her more endearing qualities Luna had mused about more then once. "All we found out was that she used to be a prominent figure in the Equestrian Military. Sweetie had overheard some strange pony a few days ago comment about ' She's the best at her trade, and I'm not talking about her side gig as a traveling DJ,' which seemed odd since the pony he told it to slapped him, and replied in a posh accent ' lies'. That was it." Scootaloo looked her friends before turning back to see a sad, yet stern look come across the Princess' face. She knew who the other pony was. And it wasn't going to be easy to convince her that her room mate wasn't just a DJ, but an elite Sniper that often operated alone and in deep cover when she was deployed. Celestia decide that this one one secret that the CMC would have to adhere too no matter what. What she was about to tell them she decided to do in front of her prized student, Twilight. And it was one of Equestria's most guarded secrets that she felt obligated to tell Twilight. She knew she could count on her friend and student to make sure nopony else knew about these. And if it had ever come out to the public, she'd rather Twilight hear it from her first before anypony else. "I must ask you to accompany me to Twilight's castle for something," The princess spoke softly to the three little fillies basking in her radiance. "Ok," All three of them chimed in at the same time. As they left the farm, Applejack was inside baking Pies for Pinkie and Spike to pick up. It didn't take her long to poke her out the window and watch Celestia fly off with the CMC nestled on her back. I wonder what that was all for, she thought to herself. What Applejack didnt know was that they were heading to Twilight's Castle. It was important that this matter was handled with the utmost care. That and Celestia didn't want Vinyls' life to be put in extreme danger because of what she was about to tell Twilight. She had to make Twi understand that this couldn't be repeated to anypony outside of the five of them. It was extremely important that Vinyl's girlfriend also not be told, in the off chance that she was ever kidnapped or threatened by one of their many enemies. As soon as they arrived the castle, Celestia and Twilight promptly escorted the three fillies inside. They didn't know how much trouble they had really gotten themselves into until Celestia explained to them why she was hear. She was quite humored with the article 'Celestia just like us' and a picture of herself enjoying some cake. But what really got to her was the article titled 'Vinyl Scratch DJ or Secret weapon'. Scootaloo was the first to realize just how much trouble they were in. "Your article could of put Ms. Scratch in serious danger young ones", Celestia told them very sternly. She had every right to be. Twilight was also about to find out why she hadn't heard of the Changlings since her brother's wedding night. And that was over 3 or more years ago from her perspective. Three Years, One week after Shining Armor's wedding night. She had been so close. So close to victory, and it all disappeared in a flash because of her own over confidence. She realized it as she and her Invasion force were hurtled away from Canterlot and back towards the Badlands. But she didn't know somepony had been dispatched to follow her. Chrysalis' and the remainder of her invasion force landed hard against the rocky floor of the Badlands after being expelled from Canterlot by Shining' and Cadences' forcefield. What she still didn't realize was that she was now being hunted, per Celestia's personal orders to an elite operative. Chrysalis at first heard what sounded like a far off crack of thunder, but it was day out with no storm clouds visible in the sky. That's when she watched one of her changeling guards strike the ground with a hard thud, and not get back up. Another pair of thunderous cracks and two more of her soldiers dropped to the rocky floor. She could feel fear grip her emotionless heart for the first time in ages. She ordered her remaining forces to run until they got close to the Hive. None of them made it. More thunder cracks, and more of the Changeling army hit the ground, permanently. The rocky outcrops of the Badlands made for perfect sniper cover. Chrysalis felt something impact both of her back hooves. The Queen was finding it hard to walk, seeing that both of her hind quarter's had been torn in half by magically laced rifle rounds. She tried to drag herself to the border of her Hive's territory, but she never made it that far. She felt the next pair of bullets rip through her back carapace and then her neck. As Queen Chrysalis tried to scream out for help, all that came out was a gurgling noise as she realized she was coughing up blood and chitinous fragments. The Assassin walked calmly by her dying corpse, and towards the entrance of the Changeling Hive. She set down a cone-shaped device and began the trek back to Canterlot. Her the range of her magic, she could set it off from a safe distance and get back home in time for dinner. As soon as the assassin was out of range, Chrysalis watched her precious hive disappear in the wake of a nuclear blast wave, ,right before the last strands of life drained from her. Celestia never told her operative where these kinds of weapons had originated from, just that they for her use, and her use alone. No pony else knew of their existence.
The Fallen KingSix months. Six months of planning and extended travel to the Crystal Empire, and for what. To sit out in the middle of that damned forest looking for what seemed like a needle in a haystack. A haystack the size of Manehattan. No matter how many times she thought about it, it always came out to the same thing. Six months of being in this winter hell hole for a lack of more sophisticated words. SIx months of waiting in this winter wasteland was starting to get to her already. As she waited in the forest, her thoughts kept returning to the events from several months earlier, she had felled one of the powerful beings in existence with a mere hand of magic laced rifle rounds. She didn't feel any pity for the monster Chyrsalis had been. The freak deserved it after what she tried to do during the invasion of Canterlot. Now she was up north in the Winter wastes of the Crystal Empire searching for something else. There was one good thing out of all this though, she was able to catch up on some of the latest music she had burned to her Ipod Neigh-no before coming here. Her favorite techno song Hell March 2 was buzzing in her eyes until it was time for her to start her observation of the surrounding area for her target. "Geez, it's too damn cold," she whimpered," How can those crystal ponies stand this kind of weather?", that was a question she'd find an answer to some other day, and one not as bitter cold as this one. For a moment she felt something cut through the chill in the air and then disappear. ' Huh, wonder what caused that,' she thought to herself. She had always believed the stories of the Windigos when she was a small filly. They'd love a place like this, she thought. It was almost bone chilling how the wind swept through the trees, and the weather here could be like the weather in the Everfree Forest. It was almost like it had a mind of its own at times. She kept thinking of her friends, and her marefriend back home. This was something that she'd never understand, the assassin thought to herself. She told her that she was always away of Music tours and other performances. But in reality part of it was a lie to protect her. Her friends wouldn't understand either. Celestia had always called on her to fix problems that the Elements of Harmony couldn't, and even side effects that resulted from their use in battle. She had assassinated a Changeling queen and nuked an entire hive full of the 'bugs', as some of those in the Equestrian Royal Guard had knicknamed them. This was something entirely different. She had come to realize she was tracking a real nightmare. This nightmare had taken over the Crystal Empire over a thousand years ago and plunged the entire land into misery and sorrow. If Sombra had his way he would of plunged the entire state of Equestria into an all out war. And that's something that Princess Twilight had seen in an alternate reality, but no pony would know about that until several years after these events transpired. In the back of her mind, there was something almost seductive about the fallen unicorn king. But that was treading on dangerous ground as it were. What would her lover and wife think if she had ever discovered that her friend had a romp in the snow with somepony of Sombra's caliber. What would the princesses think if they ever found out. If was nothing personal she thought, she had a job to do no matter what. A rollick in the snow wasn't going to stop her from completing her mission. Failure was not an option. She had been tasked to find his horn and destroy the target at all costs. As per Celestia's direct words, " any and all use of deadly force is authorized." Those were The Princess's direct orders. And was not the type of soldier to ignore orders. Even if she didn't agree with a few of them. As she sat next to her campfire in the Crystal forest, her target became closer than she thought. A grey skinned unicorn approached her campfire and asked if he could join her for a moment. She obliged his request. As he sat there near the fire, she realized just how true it was that King Sombra was handsome as he could be your worst fear. As she stared at him ever so briefly, she was finding it harder to concentrate on her task at hand. And he took notice of this. And advantage of the situation. Before she realized it, the fallen King was on top of her. And not in that ' im going to kill you' kind of way. The white coated mare found herself in the throws of passion with Sombra. And when it was all said and done, she gave him a sarcastic grin as she fired a bullet into his chest. At first nothing happened. As he tried to speak, he felt a burning senstation, the same sensation he felt when he had been blasted to bits by the Crystal Heart before saving his essence in his horn the last time around. This time there was no coming back. " I hate to say it," she said with a sly grin, " You were better than some mares i've been with," The Fallen king shattered into nothingness as he was vaporized once again, for the last and final time. Vinyl's world would be turned upside down in the coming months. A shadow was growing inside the Canterlot government, and inside the Equestrian Military. Several high level officers and their subordinates had gone missing in the last few months, with no sign of where they went. It troubled Celestia so much that she began suspecting somepony was eliminating targets inside the capital with extreme prejudice. There were few that were capable of this kind of infiltration, save for one. No pony, not even Celestia knew how wrong she'd be to falsely accuse one of Vinyl's standing. How could she realize that the threat was from the one pony none would suspect? There's an old saying, The Greatest trick the devil ever pulled was to convince the world she never existed. And just like that, she's gone.
The Devil's Greatest TrickOf all the tricks that ever been pulled over the years, this would be the greatest. And not in an entertaining or funny way to say the least. There is one question that was never answered back during the Changeling Invasion. Where was Luna the whole time? How could the Princess of the Night miss out on such an obvious and noticeable event like an invasion. And why was it rumored that half of the Night Guard somehow disappeared around the same time. The only two that would discover the truth would become the most unlikeliest of allies in the times ahead. Of all the most unlikeliest ponies to ignore Celestia's warnings about digging to deep, Twilight Sparkle was at the top of the list. Her curiosity would get her into major trouble someday, but not today. She was secretly hunting down several Guards that went missing during the Canterlot Invasion. And she was the only other pony to have a hint at what Vinyl's 'real job' was. And it wasnt just being a Disc Jockey, she already knew that much. A disc jockey wasn't trained in the use of martial arts and sniper rifles. Nopony else she had known ever was, but at the same time she came to a realization that Vinyl might become an ally if what she uncovered posed a significant threat to Equestria and the realm. Celestia had warned Twilight to steer of clear of things that dont concern her. Why would Celestia be so concerned? That or was she trying to hide something or somepony? The other question weighing on her the most, was where exactly had Princess Luna been during the whole invasion? No pony had been sure how Queen Chyrsalis exactly managed to pull if off. How long had she been impersonating Cadence? Months, years even? Or what is it that Chrysalis had an accomplice perhaps? Somepony that helped sneak her into the Capitol, and somepony that wanted the invasion to succeed? It came to her like a cloud clinging to the sky on a spring morning. It had to be somepony that had intricate knowledge of the Castle and had in depth knowledge of the Routines of the Castle Guards. As for the Night Guards that went missing. There was only one answer, they were in league with whoever tried to pull it off, and then vanished into thin air when the invasion was thwarted. Possibly to plan their next move. But the only Princess in charge of them was Luna. Wait.. Luna. Only Luna would of had the knowledge of where the Elements were being held. Which is how the Changelings were able to prevent me and my friends from getting to them!. But why would she betray Celestia? We purged the corruption from her that made her into Nightmare Moon years ago. Please allow me to introduce myself I'm a mare of wealth and taste I've been around for a long long year Stole many a mares soul and face Been around since Celestia first ruled Please to meet you' Hope you guess my name Twilight couldn't believe what she was reading. They were lyrics for a song that been released about fifty years ago. In the song it spoke a mare concealing her identity from others. The mare had a treacherous past and any that made a deal with her were doomed to be cursed. The young unicorn found the full set of Lyrics on the next page of the book she had uncovered. It was if somepony back then during Celestia's early rule had predicted current events when writing this song. The full lyrics read like this: Please allow me to introduce myself I'm a mare of wealth and taste I've been around for a long, long year Stole many a mare's soul to waste And I was 'round when Celestia Had her moment of doubt and pain Made damn sure she Washed her hooves and sealed her fate Pleased to meet you Hope you guess my name But what's puzzling you Is the nature of my game I stuck around Canterlot When I saw it was a time for a change Killed the Princess and her guards Twilight screamed in vain I rode a Chariot Held a general's rank When the blitzkrieg raged And the bodies stank Pleased to meet you Hope you guess my name, oh yeah Ah, what's puzzling you Is the nature of my game, oh yeah (Woo woo, woo woo) I watched with glee While your kings and queens Fought for ten decades For the gods they made (Woo woo, woo woo) I shouted out, Who killed the Apple Family? When after all It was you and me (Who who, who who) Let me please introduce myself I'm a mare of wealth and taste And I laid traps for troubadours Who get killed before they reached Manehattan (Woo woo, who who) Pleased to meet you Hope you guessed my name, oh yeah (Who who) But what's puzzling you Is the nature of my game, oh yeah, get down, baby (Who who, who who) Pleased to meet you Hope you guessed my name, oh yeah But what's confusing you Is just the nature of my game (Woo woo, who who) Just as every Royal Guard is a criminal And all the sinners saints As heads is tails Just call me Nightmare Moon 'Cause I'm in need of some restraint (Who who, who who) So if you meet me Have some courtesy Have some sympathy, and some taste (Woo woo) Use all your well-learned politesse Or I'll lay your soul to waste, mm yeah (Woo woo, woo woo) Pleased to meet you Hope you guessed my name, mm yeah (Who who) But what's puzzling you Is the nature of my game, mm mean it, get down (Woo woo, woo woo) Woo, who Oh yeah, get on down Oh yeah Oh yeah! (Woo woo) Tell me baby, what's my name Tell me honey, can ya guess my name Tell me baby, what's my name I tell you one time, you're to blame Oh, who Woo, woo Woo, who Woo, woo Woo, who, who [x2] Oh, yeah What's my name Tell me, baby, what's my name Tell me, sweetie, what's my name Woo, who, who [x6] Oh, yeah Woo woo [x2]
From the DepthsLuna, Celestia thought, what are you hiding from me? Is what Twilight and Vinyl discovered truly possible. Could i have been so foolish as to think my sister had been returned to me, purged of the corruption that had poisoned her mind, when in truth it was the opposite? Vinyl and Twilight were still going through the archives together when somepony came up behind them and inquired as to why they were still here. IT was Princess Luna. At least it appeared to be the Princess of the Night. Twilight told her they doing some research into the disappearance of some Guards after the aftermath of the Changeling Invasion, even though that occured months ago. They wanted to be sure everypony had been accounted for. The Princess of the night left them too it, acting somewhat off in Twilight's eyes. It was like she was hiding something from her friend but Twi couldn't place her hoof on it. Luna seemed, distant. Almost emotionless it seemed. Twilight decided they needed to pack up what they had and leave before anypony else started to get suspicious. Twilight used a concealment spell to store what she needed in a pocket universe of her own creation. It was one of the few things she ever used in cases like this. She kept things that she had gathered from her adventures there for safe keeping. No pony else, not even her parents, knew about this spell. She kept her Tiara there most of the time when she didn't need to pack it away, as well as diary, and her Smarty Pants doll. She decided it would be best if they went back to Ponyville and stayed in the Library while she compiled her notes for Princess Celestia. If there was a conspiracy to take over Canterlot, they had to find out who was behind it, and why they were making their moves now as opposed to later. And the integral question on her mind was whether Luna had allowed Chrysalis to enter Canterlot, and whether she was deceiving them all. Twi and her friends had watched Luna get purged of the dark magic corruption that had turned her into Nightmare Moon. That magic had to have gone somewhere didn't it? The Everfree Forrest "Where is she?" a cloaked figure pondered. They had been asked by somepony to meet them at this location, but never got a name to go with the muzzle or face. As they stood there, a tall slender Alicorn Approached them. Her mane was as translucent as the night sky, and her teeth were as sharp as razors. "I was told you were waiting for me," she asked her hooded companion,"What news do you have for me?", her words were powerful and commanding, and yet no malice was found in them. "Luna is oblivious to your existence, and Twilight Sparkle is still investigating the aftermath of the failed Changeling Invasion. They have no idea that you still live my Queen.", She could tell the way he spoke to her that he acknowledged her power, position, and her title. She demanded respect from those that worshiped her, and rewarded those that were loyal to her to a T. She was her own master now after all. But she knew she couldn't reveal herself yet, not now. Not when there was so much to plan for. Her time would come and that wretch Celestia would be at her mercy this time. See how you like being trapped on the moon for a thousand years, and tell me if your pride makes you stronger or weaker. The slender looking Alicorn disappeared into a midnight blue mist and left her confidant standing in the forest muttering to himself. Let Celestia eat Cake he thought. This might be the last time she ever sees it. As the stallion walked out of the Forrest, the last vestiges of sun light were starting to disappear beneath the ground as Luna brought her glorious moon for everypony to relax beneath and enjoy in some way. It took her a moment to come to a conclusion, one that worried her greatly. She mentally kicked herself for how she had treated Twilight in the Canterlot library, and sought to rectify it. She told one of her guards that she going to be away in Ponyville and that anypony looking for her should told to wait for her return in a day or two. As soon as the night guard acknowledged this, Luna stepped out onto her balcony and flew off. Her mane nearly matched the stars in the night sky as the light glistened off of it. It was one of her more endearing traits Celestia had always told her. As she neared Ponyville, she caught glimpse of a hooded figure leaving the Everfree forest, and made a note of it in her mind. She did not let that distract her from speaking to her friend. As she landed on the balcony overlooking the street below, she knocked on the door. She hoped that Twilight was still awake, even though it wasnt quite midnight. The door creaked open to reveal Twilight, and Vinyl coming up behind her. Both of them let out a small audible "gasp" as they took noticed of who was in front of them. The Princess of the night got right to the point of her visit this late at night. "I wanted to apologize for my behavior early, Twilight Sparkle.", she paused before continuing," I have been feeling uneasy as of late, as if some force is trying to keep me awake, and it is proving most difficult to patrol the dream realm. There seems to be a powerful force disrupting my control at times." She was very poigant when she needed to be. It helped in dealing with some of the royals in Canterlot at times, especially her nephew Prince BlueBlood. The same BlueBlood that was a complete jerk to Twilight's friend Rarity. It seems to have lightened up in recent years what happened between them. He even came to Ponyville on more then one occasion to ask her for forgiveness. He wasn't used to dealing with the common folk, and he apparently felt truelove towards her and realized it was a bad act on his end for mistreating a mare of her stature, and radiance. He just had problems showing his emotions towards those he cared about apparently.
Gabby Gums Exposed"You three are in big trouble,", Twilight glared at the CMC as she spoke those words. Vinyl had left to get them breakfast while they were working, which gave Twilight the perfect time to scold the three fillies. Even though they had apologized to everypony else and been admonished for the most part. She still felt the need to chew them out for their little stunt. But if anypony was to blame for the whole mess, it was Diamond Tiara. They had voiced their opposition, but weren't allowed to act on it as far was she was concerned. The news they getting out of ponies was too good to put down apparently. As Twilight was chewing the girls out a second time for their stunt, Vinyl had gone out for groceries. As she did, she happened to kiss Twilight on her cheek and call her babe in the process. What the buck? Was Vinyl seriously putting the moves on me, Twilight thought to herself. Wouldn't be the first time a pony had tried to court her, despite the fact she was a princess now. As Vinyl finally trotted out the door to the Library, Twilight turned back to the CMC. She decided after she saw the looks in their eyes, she'd go a bit easy on them then she planned. "I hope this taught you a valuable lesson about respecting other's privacy,", She stated, almost short of imitating Luna's Canterlot voice. They all looked up at her and nodded in agreement. "We promise," the three fillies said in near perfect unison. With that she let them leave. It didn't take long for Vinyl to get back with four bags of groceries wrapped up in her magic aura. That was fast Twilight thought. Apparently, the clerk at the local grocer knew who she was and gave the fastest service in return for an autographed picture. "Hey, they learn their lesson?", she asked as she waltzed through the door. "I'm pretty sure they did,", Twilight said as turned to find Vinyl's muzzle pressed right against hers. And she found herself lost in those Crimson eyes of hers. "Closer," Vinyl said as a sly grin crept across her muzzle. And as Twilight moved closer, Vinyl locked her in the most passionate kiss she had ever received from anypony in Equestria. She melted as her lips touched with Vinyl's own. It was like tasting Luna's night sky. Dark, mysterious, and yet full of wonder. She found herself lost in those Crimson eyes of hers. She felt like losing herself in them. "Before we continue this little soiree of ours, I found something of relevance that might help us determine where some of the missing guards might have gone. I think they weren't really there in the first place. It was described that they seemed lifeless as if they were in actuality hallucinations or mirages. "What do you think it means, Twi?", Vinyl asked her, showing Twilight that she was only half interested in what was being said. That was until Twilight told her about an account of a guard that disappeared while trying to alert Princess Luna, only to go missing shortly thereafter. The name is what caught the alabaster unicorn's attention the most, Officer Scrye. She knew him, hell he was one of her commanding officers for Celestia's sake. Twilight could tell that the name affected her friend by the way she was now staring off into nothingness. That would be the least of their concerns though. Looking for a missing officer was one thing. Finding out that you were about to meet a pony in charge of a Pseudo Marxist cult was another. This was something that Celestia apparently felt was more important than looking for a few missing guards. A few ponies, including her lead commander, Firebrand, was always complaining about why her personal guard always seemed to be missing during critical events. But that was a story for another time and place. The scroll she sent Twilight contained a set of coordinates in the middle of nowhere. Both her Vinyl and her friends were required to join Twilight on the mission. But who could of been prepared for what happened on the way.
Broken MirrorsAuthor's Note I hate Writers block >< Broken Mirrors Not only did she have to deal with a new Princess as a love interest, now both of them were having to combat the rise of a new political power. Apparently, there was a new unicorn in some no name village north of Canterlot that was espousing an ideology that the princesses were taking issue with. Something about all ponies being equal and ridding themselves of the pain of a life beset by Special Talents. Since they wanted to keep this out of the ears of the general public, for now, they decided to send Twilight, Vinyl, and Twilight's friends to see if they could shut this pony up. When they arrived, they told Twilight's friends to wait for them near the entrance to the Train tracks. They all decided it was the best thing to do, that way if they were caught the others could still make a break for it. As the two of them drew closely Twilight started to get a headache. Along the flashes of images in her mind. Of her and friends. And of Starlight's village. But what was odder was that Vinyl wasn't in any of them. As if she wasn't even supposed to be here. She could also feel the residual traces of both her magic and that of another pony's. What was going here she thought to herself. Then she noticed that her horn was glowing faintly. It wasn't enough to alert anypony to where they were, but it was enough that she realized that it was reacting to a magic she was all too familiar with. The magic that belonged to the Tree of Harmony. Something about this place was giving Twilight the creeps. It felt as if she had been here before, and if had felt like her friends had been with her at the time. But that couldn't be right, could it? The more they observed the town from the cliff they were on, the more that feeling continued to creep into her mind. It felt like everything as of late was wrong, like this isn't the way it should be. Like the timeline had been altered. She turned to see Vinyl staring at her, concern glistening in those Crimson irises of hers. "What's up Twi?", Vinyl asked as they continued to watch Starlight's village without being noticed. "Something occurred to me, It feels like I've been here before,", The way she said that filled both her and Vinyl with dread. there was no other word she could use to describe it. "How is that even possible,", Vinyl said, even she started to get that chill down her spine now. "It's like somepony manipulated the timeline for their own personal gain,", and Twilight was sure now who that somepony could have been. "Do you think that's why Celestia sent us out here?", The way Vinyl poised that question caused Twilight to scratch her mane for a moment. Celestia never seemed like the kind of pony that would hide something from her. Or could it be that she had never really thought of that because of how attached she was to Celestia? She decided to cut the trip short so to speak. They entered the village, spoke with Starlight, and then all abruptly left. As Starlight decided to escort them back to the town limits, Twilight turned to her, looked her in the eye and said something that sent a chill down the mare's spine. No pony had ever left Starlight Glimmer with this kind of feeling before. "If you try to steal the cutie mark of anypony i know... I will kill you Starlight.", The way Twilight said that last part was chilling, to say the least. Starlight knew who Twilight was, she knew that she was always espousing the ideals of friendship and harmony. But to hear the Princess of Friendship say that she'd kill her if she harmed any of Twilight's friends was enough to give her pause. "Let that be a warning, IF I have to return here it won't end nicely for you,", Twilight said as she started walking back to wasteland, out of nowhere she stopped and turned to Starlight one last time," also, Princess Celestia won't be as forgiving either if you keep this up,", and with that she walked away. Starlight Glimmer stood there for the longest time, even after they had all left. She couldn't stop thinking about what Twilight had said. As she stood there, she felt a pain, a terrible pain, building in her mind. With that came a flash, and she found herself standing on clouds. She turned around to come face to face with herself. Her mane was a different style, more elegant, but it was still her, so to speak. "What's going on?", she said, confused about it all. "I pulled you here from your timeline, Starlight, because I needed to tell you something,", Her Alternate self-looked a little older then she was now, but what more was that she had a sad look in her eyes. "Did it not go as planned?", she asked her other self, to which the gaze that she received back was filled with condemnation. "In the timeline I'm from Starlight, I reconnected with Sunburst,", Her older self-smiled a little at that. "Sun... Sunburst." Starlight stammered. "Yes, but's not why I'm here,", Her other self-continued,"When I traveled back in time to get revenge against Twilight i created multiple alternate realities, many of which ive gone to and witnessed the aftermath." Future Starlight sunk her face into her left hoof, almost crying as she did. "All the pain and misery I created because I wanted everypony to be the same was stupid and utterly foolish. Did you know that in one reality the Changeling Queen Chrysalis took over Equestria after deceiving everypony into thinking she was Princess Cadence? Only to outright kill Princess Luna and throw those that saw through her plan too late into Prison?" She stared at her alternate with a cold unrepentant sadness. "If it all worked out why did you bring me here?", she felt that confusion again. "We brought you here,", another voice spoke. She turned to see an older and also more powerful Twilight Sparkle. In a flash of light, the three of them were back in Alternate Starlight's timeline. Not only that they were in Canterlot. In the palace no less. The other Twilight apparently was much better at Teleportation then one in her timeline. It was kind of odd seeing two Twilight Sparkles, and of course, standing next to the future/alternate version of herself. "Ah Twilight, I assume these are the guests you mentioned in the scroll that you and Vinyl sent me earlier,", Celestia said with interest. "Yes, they had appeared shortly after Vinyl and I had begun the return trip to Ponyville,", This alternate Twilight felt... intimated by her other self. Twilight prime as she had decided to call herself there was a foot or two taller, and a few years older than her alternate self. "May I proceed?", Twilight Prime asked her other self. "Of course,", Twilight spoke. "Princess Celestia, In the time that my friend and I are from she, Starlight Glimmer, tried to use Starswirl's advanced Time travel Spell to go back and prevent the Sonic Rainboom from happening. My Starlight saw the error of her ways and became not only my student but a good friend to me and others,", Twilight paused for a moment. "When I look into the eyes of this one," motioning to the Alternate Starlight Glimmer," I don't see her possibly changing her ways like the one I know did." She bowed to the Princess after she stopped her presentation. "I am glad that in another timeline you welcomed friendship into your heart Starlight Glimmer,", Celestia spoke, staring right at Starlight Prime," It's good to know that Twilight has followed my hoofsteps and taken on a student of her own.", Celestia turned back to the other Starlight Glimmer in front of her," That Said, Starlight Glimmer, I Celestia, Princess of the Sun and ruling monarch of this land, I hereby sentence you to serve no more than life in Prison." As she said those words their two visitors disappeared in flash of white light. Celestia chuckled to herself in her mind. "Oh Twilight,", she thought," You never cease to amaze me, my dear."
