The Queen of Sandby The First HunterChapters1231Celestia has betrayed me. Princess Twilight Sparkle took another step. Her leg moved like a rusted old machine, slowly and shakily descending down on the blazing hot sand, but it could move no further. She was used to it by now--the singeing temperature of the desert sand had numbed the pain that came with each step long ago--but in the end, she knew, that would cease to matter. She was going to die here, a thousand miles away from everyone she loved. Princess Twilight Sparkle had gone to sleep last night in her comfortable bed in Ponyville. She had a great day helping Applejack prepare the farm for Applebucking season with the rest of her friends, socializing and discussing recent events as they did handiwork around the farm. The work was grueling and the heat was staggering, but there were plenty of places for shade whenever they'd take a break. She had went to sleep that night tired and spent, and when she closed her eyes with a smile, she dreamed of being back in Canterlot, roaming the streets as a young filly under the tutelage of her mentor. She thought it was too hot at Sweet Apple Acres. She had seen nothing. When she woke up the next day, it was not in her bed. The heat of sand scorched her side as she got up with a yelp, but it was no use, as it attacked her hooves just as viciously. The pain made it hard to concentrate, but when she looked around, it was clear she was no longer in Equestria, but rather the deserts of Saddle Arabia, as no other place on the planet had such an unforgiving landscape. She had no idea how she had arrived, but the first logical thing she thought of was to try and find civilization, so she started to head off in the direction of the sun in hopes of finding her way out of the desert. The idea did not last long. Twilight lifted up her other hoof, ready to step again, but there simply wasn't a point; there was nothing left for her to give. With a grunt, she toppled to the ground below her, the golden sand puffing up in front of her eyes from the sluggish impact. She had been sweating profusely, and the moment she hit the desert sand, a droplet caught itself in her eye. She tried to blink a few times to get it out, but even those were slow, and she began to see the world around her spin in circles. Normally, she would try to get up and continue, but Twilight merely rested, because she knew well that she had been defeated. Princess Celestia taught Twilight Sparkle everything she knew. She had been apart of Twilight's life for almost as far back as she could remember, and, as well as instructing her in the ways of magic and friendship, loved and cared for her as a mother. So it was ironic, Twilight thought, that the very sun she graced the planet with every morning would be the thing that killed her. Not in the heat of battle, not from old age; it would be from Celestia's sun, in the middle of the desert where nopony would ever know. She'd decay here, if she wasn't feasted on by the local wildlife (if there was any; she hadn't seen a living soul since she woke up), and the ponies of Equestria would never know what happened to their Princess. They'd create conspiracy theories, they'd write in the history books what they all believed happened, but no pony would guess that Princess Twilight Sparkle died alone in a desert in a far away land. So in that aspect, Celestia had betrayed her, and the worst part was that she would never know it. Twilight, in her dying breaths, still had no idea how she had gotten here, which meant that Celestia likely didn't either; she would spend the rest of her nights awake in bed, the question of what happened to her former student and daughter gnawing away at her like a pack of hungry dogs. Twilight had always hoped to be at peace with everyone she knew when she died, but there would be no peace here; the thought of her loved ones not knowing what ever happened to her, and the mystery that would be slowly destroying them as they tried to carry on with their lives, would make her last moments filled with pain and regret. Twilight knew not how many lives Celestia's sun had claimed, but surely it was about to claim another. Twilight wanted to cry, but there was no water left in her body to create the necessary tears. The extreme dizziness she had been experiencing was beginning to fade away, and a sinister black tunnel began to form on the outside of her vision to take its place. Twilight tried to look up at the sun one last time, to see its beauty before it claimed her life, but she couldn't move her head to do so; in fact, she realized, she couldn't move anything on her body. I'm sorry thought Twilight. I wish you were all here with me. Her eyelids began to close, her vision faded, and suddenly, all was black. * * * * * * Princess Amira was not nervous very often. She had been in the public eye since the day she was born, and as a result, was used to the mayhem and chaos that came with being a Princess. She was never worried about decisions, because her mother made those, and though she was constantly told she'd be the Queen one day, it never really bothered her all too much. Simply put, Princess Amira didn't have a lot to be nervous about, so she didn't really know how to react to the fact that she currently was. In Amira's private chambers were the finest items a pony could ask for. The walls were painted a soothing maroon, adorned with a golden pattern. The carpeted floor below her was crafted from the finest materials, so that every time a pony walked upon it, it was as if they were stepping on the clouds themselves. The bed in the room was massive, with plenty of room to move around in the night, and it was trimmed with a pleasant gold color that was more than pleasing to the eye. There were plenty of luxuries in Amira's room, and she was not in the mood to enjoy any of them. She was sitting in her wooden desk chair, where she usually wrote her letters, but she wasn't writing anything today. Instead, she was sitting at the mirror in front of her, rapidly tapping her hooves on the carpeted floor below her as she did so. The people thought she was beautiful, and when she looked in the mirror to see her bright pink fur, midnight colored mane and tale, and eyes bluer than the sky itself, she liked to think so, too; Princess Amira was the type of pony to admire herself when she peered into her reflection, but that was not what she was doing today. Today, she looked into her reflection and feared for her very life. The entire royal family of Saddle Arabia had naught a horn or a pair of wings on them; they were all what the Equestrians referred to as "earth ponies". As such, when they needed anything having to do with magic, they went to the court sorcerer, a unicorn who would then perform any magical tasks requested by the royal family. The court sorcerer, Sahir, was a very old pony who had served the past two royal families, and so Amira firmly believed that, with his experience, there wasn't a task he could not do. She was beginning to regret her line of reasoning. Amira had requested Sahir to bring Princess Twilight Sparkle of the Equestrian Kingdom to the palace. With the dire situation the country had just found themselves in, Amira thought long and hard about a solution, and late one night, she thought she had the answer. Calling one of the princesses for aid would simply take too long--Saddle Arabia had not a week to spare, and even if they teleported a letter straight to Equestria, there was no telling how long it would take them to read it or how long it would take for aid--so she resorted to act now by stealing one of them and asking for their forgiveness later. Amira had told Sahir to teleport her to her chambers in the palace, as she wanted slowly introduce her plan to the rest of the country in secret instead of coming right out with it; it took some convincing, as Sahir had lectured her about the unpredictability of teleportation, but Sahir had eventually gave in and agreed to perform the spell. Amira was delighted, and once the spell was cast, came to her chambers and waited for the Princess to arrive. Princess Twilight Sparkle was not in her chambers. Now, the spell could have easily failed--Saddle Arabian unicorns didn't quite have the magical potency of their Equestrian counterparts--but Amira was far too busy thinking about that not being the case. What if she ended up in a different place? What if she ended up in the very hands of the enemy the crown was trying to combat? What if she ended up in the Saddle Arabian desert, in the barren heat? What if she wasn't even here, and instead went to some other territory or place in the world? It was well known that Celestia and Luna were the most powerful beings the planet had to offer. They held control over the very celestial bodies that the world knew so well, and their magical abilities far outclassed anyone, be it pony, griffon, zebra, or dragon, that roamed the world. As such, Amira had known that her move was risky--stupid, even--but, if she didn't get help now, her kingdom would be toppled anyways. Now, had she lost Twilight Sparkle, and anypony found out, the Princesses would not be all too happy. At any rate, they would try to retrieve her regardless, but she had a feeling, having met the young Sparkle, that she would understand and stay to help her. But again, Princess Twilight Sparkle was not here. Amira gave a long sigh and slumped back in her chair. It wasn't risky, it was just plain idiocy, and she should have seen it earlier; her sense of hope and desperation for her country had assured her nothing would go wrong, she knew, but in reality, that was often not the case. She glanced at the clock; it had been six hours since Sahir had used the spell. Amira immediately lashed out and kicked the desk in anger; it stung upon the impact, the wood edge of the desk biting into her flesh, but she didn't care; she was about to be in a whole lot more trouble than that. The moment she looked back into the mirror, and the rapid tapping of her hooves started up again, she heard a knock at the door. Sahir? Did we find her? she thought to herself. In excitement, she jumped from her chair, causing it to wobble a bit from the quickness of her exit, and ran as fast as she could for the size of the room to the door. She yanked the door open, fumbling with the handle before she did so, and was immediately greeted with a sight she very much didn't want to see. It was a member of the almuharibun, the military of the Kingdom of Saddle Arabia. He was sleek and muscular, like most of his comrades, and he had pitch black fur with a tail to match. His face and mane were entire obscured by the white cloth that they donned atop their heads to combat the vicious desert heat, only letting her see his bright green eyes and the fur around it. His sword, the scimitar, was slung across his side, and the golden light armor he wore seemed to fit him absolutely perfectly. They were fearsome warriors, and had knowledge of the land and the desert like no other, but they were also supposed to approach the royal family directly only when there was an emergency or a particularly interesting event. Which means... thought Amira, although the words she didn't want to think about quickly came out of the warrior's mouth. "Princess Amira," began the warrior. "I apologize for interrupting you in your private chambers, but...we've made quite the interesting discovery." 2Twilight Sparkle awoke to the soft feeling of silk. Certainly, it was an improvement over her grave of sand from what seemed like moments ago. She made an attempt to open her eyes, but it was no use: her body violently rebelled, practically begging her to indulge in the sheets for just a few more precious seconds. Having emerged victorious over much tougher foes, however, Twilight forced herself to sit up, creaking her eyes open slowly but surely as she did so. Hanging over the bed--which she now realized was quite large--was a pure white cloth, draped neatly across the top. Little paper lanterns hung around it at uneven intervals, straining Twilight's eyes as she tried to look at them. Colorful patterns of various shapes and sizes, colored mostly maroon and gold, adorned the large room. In the corner of the room was an exquisitely carved wooden desk that hosted a pony Twilight immediately recognized. It was the Princess Amira, though not as Twilight had remembered her. Whereas Amira was often in makeup and donned with traditional Saddle Arabian clothing, she wasn't right now: she wore nothing, and her face was presented entirely naturally, devoid of any make-up or product. As per usual, she wore her mane down to her right side, leaving an eye covered behind its dark black strands. She was still strikingly beautiful, but that was the last thing Twilight was concerned with at the moment. "Princess Amira," she croaked. Her voice was weak and empty, and Amira's neutral face dropped ever so slightly to a worried grimace. She said nothing, however, and Twilight continued as the memories flooded back to her head. "I was in the desert," she began. "Something brought me here. I thought I was dead for sure." Amira slowly brought a cup to her lips, drinking whatever was in it: Twilight could easily see a red glow of embarrassment for through her pink fur, and she gave a heavy sigh before she replied to the Princess of Friendship. "I brought you here," she began. "And you did die, if only for a few precious moments. I am beyond glad you are safe, as I could not possibly forgive myself if you passed from this world. I am sorry for what I have done to you, and your arrival in the sahra' was a... miscalculation." Her words hit Twilight like a freight train and danced around in her head like a chorus that couldn't be quelled. She could feel her eyes narrowing in disbelief, and after staring at her hooves for what seemed like a lifetime, she looked back to the Princess with a face of twisted confusion. "I... I died?" she asked. Amira nodded gravely, setting her drink down and leaning back in her chair. "Yes," she began. "Our court sorcerer, Sahir, revived you. No one can raise the dead, of course, but he did kickstart your magical energies to force your own revival. Or so he told me... I admit I am not well learned in the ways of magic." Twilight looked to the ceiling for a moment, lost in thought: yes, it was possible, she supposed, invigorating magic through a lifeless body, but it was by no means easy, and it could only be done in very certain cases. This court sorcerer would have to be highly skilled in magic, and even then, Saddle Arabian unicorns just didn't have the magical potency that Equestrian unicorns did. She had a distinct feeling that Amira was not telling the entire truth, and she would have to talk to this court sorcerer once she regained her health. As she mulled this over, it wasn't until a few moments later that the reality of the situation truly hit her. She turned to Amira, her eyes alight with a brand new fire. Even in her frailty, her eyebrows narrowed into a fierce grimace. "You brought me here," she rasped aggressively, a hint of confusion seeping into her inflection. "Why? You could have sent me a letter." Amira was already nodding in shame before she even finished the sentence. "Understand I am gravely sorry for what has happened here, and I take full responsibility for it. You will be under the finest care here." She looked to the carpet below her now, unable to face the Princess of Friendship. "But I couldn't wait for a letter to arrive. It takes close to two months to arrive here if one makes haste, and I simply did not have that time." There was a silence in the air as Twilight laid back upon the bed to mull the situation over. Twilight was rarely every truly angry, but she certainly wasn't pleased that she had almost met her death at the hooves of Amira, a situation that called for it quite rightly. Still, there was a pleading in desperation in her voice that Twilight had seldom heard from anypony, much less a monarch. Amira is a good pony, she mused, staring at the while cloth above her. They hadn't spent a lot of time together, but she was always courteous and kind in every instance Twilight had spoken with the Saddle Arabian monarch. If she was willing to put Twilight's life on the line to bring her here, then perhaps it truly was a matter of life and death. "Well, you have me now," Twilight said suddenly, causing Amira to perk up from her seat. "But before you say anything, I need to contact my friends back in Equestria. They have to know where I am." Amira nodded quickly, leaning over to her right and sliding across a few sheets of parchment. "I figured you would ask. Of course, you are welcome to," she said. Her face became suddenly grim, however, and her eyes narrowed with a burning intensity. "But you will aid me, then?" She asked. "In this country's dire time of need?" Twilight's ears perked up at those words, the force behind "dire" coming through Amira's a bit more forceful than intended. Nonetheless, her iron gaze was still firm, and Twilight gave a long sigh before she turned to the monarch to answer her once again. "I still can't say I'm particularly happy with what you've done to me," Twilight began. Amira's face immediately flooded with a tidal wave of red as she looked to the floor once more, but Twilight held her hoof up as best she could. "BUT... you wouldn't have done it without good reason. So of course I'll help you, Amira: you and your country have been nothing but wonderful to Equestria, and we're always here to protect those in need." Twilight wasn't sure what she expected from the Princess, but it wasn't what she got: Amira looked to the ceiling and breathed a sigh of relief, the muscles on her body visibly relaxing. She looked down to Twilight, and it was for the first time that evening--or day, perhaps?--she saw a smile from the monarch. "Thank you, Twilight Sparkle. I cannot repay you enough." She sat back in her once more as she began to summarize her plight. "Do you know of my husband, Prince Haakim?" She asked. Twilight merely nodded in response: Haakim was always paired with Amira at every meeting and event, the couple Saddle Arabia's delegates at every turn. He was Saddle Arabia's true monarch, making the final stay on any executive and legislative decisions, with Amira by his side aiding him through it. Cadance had oft spoken of her admiration for the love the two shared, a bond she knew had been forged early when they had met in their youth. Amira, her stoic face unchanging, continued. "He is dying," she began. The bluntness of the statement caught Twilight off guard, but she didn't have much time to think about it as Amira pressed on. "With every second that ticks he awaits his demise. He lays frail on his bed... I fear seeing him in this state has left my heart in pieces." There appeared to be tiny droplets forming under her eyes as she spoke, but she quickly extinguished them in a show of strong will, closing her eyes tightly and forcing them to retreat. She was about to continue, but Twilight, knowing where she would go next, finished her next sentence for her. "You must choose his successor," she added. "If I remember correctly, the successor to the throne is chosen by the widowed. It's a lengthy process with many families and individuals making their cases for ascension." a faint chuckle escaped Amira's lips. "You certainly are a bookworm, hmm?" she asked playfully. "Yes. When my husband dies, I will personally name his successor: it is a long engrained tradition that has carried Saddle Arabia into modern times, and it will carry it into the future. It's why I brought you here on such short notice." Twilight could feel her own eyes narrow in confusion, her head cocked slightly to the side. After thinking about it for a few seconds, she stared at Amira with confoundment. "I don't understand," she said. "Why would you need me for that? I don't know enough about the ponies of Saddle Arabia to help you make a decision, and I'm sure Haakim has a good pony in mind." Amira nodded wistfully at the mention of his name, and she looked to Twilight with a steel-hardened glare. "He does," she said simply. "Because he has chosen you." "What do you mean she's gone?" Starlight Glimmer had been sitting at the simple desk in her room, but she was certainly standing now: the frantic, hurried words of Spike the Dragon rang in and out of her head, their meaning not truly hitting home quite yet. "W-Well, she didn't wake up early like she usually does," Spike stuttered. "And at first I thought she might be sleeping in so I didn't wanna bother her, but when it was noon I knew something was wrong. So I went into her room and called her name, but she wasn't on the bed! She was gone!" Starlight, still in disbelief, leaned in a bit closer to the dragon. "Maybe she had something to do and just left. She's a princess, you know." Spike immediately shook his head in disagreement, causing Starlight to recoil. "No, that isn't it. The bed wasn't made, and Twilight would NEVER leave her bed without making it. Ever." Starlight looked around the room at that: as silly as it sounded, Spike was right. Twilight's sense of organization and neatness defined who she was, and she was never one to leave anything sloppy. Spike gingerly threw his hand up in the air, indicating he wasn't done, so Starlight refocused her attention. "There's something else, and it's a bit scary." Starlight perked her ears at that, allowing Spike to continue. "You know how the chairs by the Map all have everypony's cutie marks lit up?" Starlight quickly nodded in acknowledgment, but was surprised to see Spike look to the floor just as fast. "Well, I was walking by it to write letters to all the girls and... her light went out," he replied. "For about fifteen minutes. I... I don't know exactly what that means but I only assumed that would happen if somepony died." The words swam through Starlight's head, a chorus of rapidly formulating questions building up like a volcano all at once. "Okay, hold on," she began, the information overload only just beginning to separate itself. "This is a lot to assume. She's been missing all day, and none of the girls have seen her?" Spike nodded affirmatively, and Starlight looked to the ceiling in deep thought before she spoke next. "And you said the light went out... it came back on?" Spike nodded more enthusiastically this time, electing to speak after Starlight's questionings. "Yes! I was so relieved, but I wasn't any less confused." Starlight quickly got up from her chair and began a quick walk out of her room: Spike immediately ran to join her as she walked through the doorframe and out into the carpet-lined hallway. "You need to send a message to the Princesses. They're probably gonna know more about the map and how the elements work than we do." Spike's response was immediate, formulating before Starlight had even finished her sentence. "Already did that. They haven't res--res--" Suddenly, Spike stopped right where he stood, holding his hand up to his nose. Starlight knew exactly what that meant, and so when Spike's telltale green flame brought forth a finely sealed scroll she immediately grabbed it from midair and brought it to her face, relaying the information aloud as she read. The information was frantically written and curt, lacking any closing or introductory statement, and some of the ink had been clearly mottled with teardrops. You were right in your assumption if the map is anything like the Tree of Harmony--when a bearer dies, the brilliant light of their element is snuffed out. I am glad you wrote to me as quick as you did, as I was able to check the tree to see it for myself. This being said, the Element of Magic DID reignite some time later, and I imagine Twilight's cutie mark did for you as well. This is a very grave matter: while it would appear that Twilight is indeed alive, it would also appear that, for a few moments, she was not. I know not if Twilight is safe but I am constantly monitoring the tree and have sent out search parties across Equestria to find her. Stay vigilant for any form of contact she may attempt. Celestia Starlight stared at the page for a few more seconds, slowly digesting its contents. She lowered it to look at Spike, who had a frantic and worried stare plastered upon his countenance. "What are we gonna do?" He asked, his voice weak and worried. Starlight looked to the paper again, seeing the words but not reading them. She sighed mightly before answer, her tone becoming equally distressed. "We get the girls together," she began grimly, "And we wait." 3To Princess Twilight Sparkle, the land of Saddle Arabia might as well have been another planet. She knew that Trixie had been there quite a few times. She had actually developed a bit of a following in the desert kingdom, often wishing aloud that a day would come where any city in Equestria paid her half as much as the Saddle Arabians did to see her perform. Starlight had gone with her to one of these expeditions, she remembered, but as far as she knew, that hadn't ended particularly well. The Saddle Arabian palace was located in the country's capital city of Aljana, and from the balcony she was seated at, Twilight could see all of it: the ponies far, far below raced from building to building, occasionally stopping to chat with another citizen on the way to where they were headed. She spotted two Equestrians in the crowd, but both of them appeared to be tourists, as she saw one of them circle around the main plaza a few times too many. A few of them stopped to look at the castle, scanning it up and down, but Twilight knew they couldn't see her: She was safe from her ivory tower, though she knew not how long it would last. The country was truly beautiful. The way Celestia's light hit the dunes of sand gave Twilight a euphoric sensation just by looking at it, and the architecture that her hosts had built was truly a marvel. The magnificent arches and regal mosaics were entirely foreign to Twilight, and while she'd only seen a very small part of the country, every bit of it was enough to make her feel like a complete stranger. Amira had made her tea, and the Equestrian princess accepted it gratefully. Her proposal, of course, was a lot to take in, and Twilight requested some time to herself before she discussed the matter at hand. She was in the process of writing multiple copies of a single letter to be sent to all those looking for her, and once that was complete, she planned to sit down with Amira and give her the painfully obvious answer she could to her husband's request. No. Twilight flipped the quill she'd been writing with incessantly with her magic. She looked back down to the ponies below her once more, not particularly keeping an eye on any one of them as she lost herself entirely in her thoughts. After everything -- waking in the desert, feeling the sand scorch her hooves to the bones, succumbing to heat and wasting away -- Twilight Sparkle felt good. She'd been resurrected from the grave, and as the tea washed down her throat and the Saddle Arabian heat hugged her like an over-eager relative, she could only think about just how spry and vigorous she felt. Twilight Sparkle was a dead mare, and dead mares didn't feel good. She looked to her quill again. She'd overdone the twisting, and a few of the feathers had flown off of it in the process. With an idle sigh, Twilight dipped the quill in ink and started on the next letter, this one addressed to a certain cyan pegasus. Rainbow, I'm in Saddle Arabia and, for the most part, completely unharmed. It's all a really long story, but I should be back in Ponyville within the next few days to tell it: I won't be staying here too long The quill dropped to the table. She knew magic. She knew what it could do, the power it held. She'd seen magic do incredible, incredible things, but there was one thing she was always taught that magic simply could not make happen. And here she was. She simply could not let it go. It was a parasite eating at her with every passing second, and she knew that if she left Saddle Arabia without figuring out exactly what had happened to her, it would keep her awake at night for the rest of her days. Sighing, she reached for the quill and plunged it once more into the ink, but her words this time were far more permanent. Rainbow, I'm in Saddle Arabia and, for the most part, completely unharmed. It's all a really long story, but I have some unfinished business here that I need to attend to. Hopefully, I'll be back within the next few weeks, but I could never ask any of you to travel all the way here to be with me. You should be getting this letter almost as soon as I send it, and so I hope I can ease your minds of worry. Think of this as a diplomatic visit, just... unplanned. See you soon, Twilight Sparkle "You've been writing a fair bit of letters." And thus, the moment she had been dreading had finally come. Amira pulled out the chair at the other side of the table and sat down, but Twilight paid her no heed. Instead, she began to write new letters with the revised body she'd written in Rainbow's, and she felt Amira's presence loom over her as she responded. "Yes. I have many people who are worried about me, Amira. I'm sure you understand." She was already silent, but it became even more deafening with Twilight's passive-aggressive tone seeping through her words. Once Twilight was done revising Pinkie's letter, she moved on to Fluttershy's, and it took a lifetime for Amira to speak again. "Have you thought over my--" "Of course I have!" the Princess of Friendship interjected, slamming down her quill with a sickening thud. Amira reeled back, and once Twilight saw the fear glint in her eyes, she closed her eyes and gave off a long sigh. "I'm sorry, Amira. I didn't mean to frighten you," she began. "But this whole thing, it's, it's insane! You teleport me thousands of miles away, resurrect my corpse, and all to give me a proposal you have to know I wouldn't accept? Amira, I have the Elements of Harmony I need to be with to combat any threat. I hold an administrative duty in Ponyville, I run a friendship school, and I have so many people I care about in Equestria. And to do what? To throw that all away to become the ruler of a place I've only just now been to? I know nothing about the culture, the ponies, the politics, the cities. I'm flattered, but you have to realize that I wouldn't say yes to this, even over my literally dead body." Twilight had met Amira very few times in her life, but she knew she'd never given her any indication in those meetings that she was capable of such an outburst. Regardless, she didn't waver, and that thing Amira so often did where she'd refuse to look at Twilight as her spirits clearly dropped reared itself again as she turned. And she said nothing, and so Twilight kept writing. For a few minutes, the only noise in the air was the scratching of her quill and the crumplings of old drafts, but after a while, Amira spoke again. "What if I had something that could change your mind?" And the quill stopped once again. Twilight wasn't going to let another long silence take over, however. "You don't," she retorted. "I might," Amira replied back. "I only ask that you come with me to see it, because it is why I have brought you here. And once you do, I will no longer lie to you, Twilight. I have been a shadow of the mare I was raised to be these past few days, and I cannot apologize enough for my actions. But please. I beg this of you." Twilight felt her eyes widen as she stared at Amira's. She looked for any hint that she may have been lying, but the steel resolve mixed with a dollop of fear was enough to convince her she was telling the truth. "What is it?" Twilight asked her. Almost immediately, Amira shook her head. "I cannot say." Twilight felt her eyes narrow at that, and if she had any less restraint, she would have rolled them. She grew tired of Amira's constant dodging, and though it seemed she was getting somwhere, the Saddle Arabian Princess seemed to take four steps back once they started making any progress. "You can't say? Why, Amira? Because you think somepony is listening?" For Twilight, the words had been a bitter jab of frustration. And then Amira's eyes shot wide as the sun, and with a paralyzing glint, she nodded ever so slowly. Once she realized Amira was completely serious, Twilight reeled back. She leaned her head a bit to the right to watch the guards standing firm at their post, and then she leaned across the railing to watch the ponies jaunt about Aljana. The anger and irritation Twilight had once held vanished like a wisp, and as calm as she could, she turned back to her mysterious new friend. "When would you show me this, Amira?" Twilight asked her. "Tonight," she answered, almost immediately. "I'll rouse you from your bedchambers." Carefully, Twilight nodded, and she grabbed the teacup that had been sitting close. She took a gentle sip, savoring the flavor as it danced upon her tongue, and once it washed down, she nodded her head toward the door. "Very well," Twilight said. "Come get me then. I have some more letters to write, if you would excuse me. I'm here if you need me." Amira stared off into space for a few precious seconds, but eventually, she rose without a word. She made her way back down the hall, and Twilight watched her go, observing her gait and the way she carried herself. Amira had managed to be suspiciously dodgy in the day Twilight had gotten to know her, but this little conversation revealed a whole different side of the matter. Amira was scared, and it made the shroud around Saddle Arabia that much thicker. Eventually, Twilight turned back to the parchment. The empty pages stood back at her as if they were showing her all the knowledge she held of her current situation. So she started writing. Dear Spike... Everyone knows of the desert heat. But at night time, when the temperature plummeted, the cold that bit could be just as cruel. And so the pony sat, a tent pitched in the sand only opened to allow the smoke from the fire in the middle of it to billow out into the sky. One would think it to be lonely at these times, but the pony thought nothing of it: He would get company soon enough, and if he was lucky, he would get good news with it. But for now, he only had time to stare at the sand. There would be time for more, he knew, where every grain of sand in the desert would be his, and it was sooner than he'd ever tasted. Saddle Arabia was a beauty, but once it was his, it would be more than just something to look at. No, it would be the fulcrum of the known world, and even the princesses in Equestria that scorched the desert and let it freeze would no longer tower over them. He was interrupted from his thoughts, though, by another entering the tent. The pony could spot a member of the almuharibun from across the continent, but this one, whose blood-red coat and striking orange mane and tail matched the fire in front of him almost mesmerizingly well, was one the pony had come to know particularly well. "I bring news from the castle," he said curtly. The pony chuckled, gesturing outwardly with his free hooves. "I would hope," the pony said. "Anything important? How is Haakim fairing?" To the pony's surprise, the soldier shook his head almost immediately, and he moved around the fire to stand firmly in front of the pony. "I bring no news of Haakim," the soldier began, "But of your sister. She's brought Princess Twilight Sparkle of Equestria to the castle. She arrived in the night, and I know not the reason for her sudden appearance, nor what the two have been discussing." The pony was expecting to hear many things, but that was not one of them. Princess Twilight Sparkle had arrived at Saddle Arabia from worlds away, and his sister had somehow made it happen. The pony said nothing at first, opting to look down toward the sand, but slowly, he felt his lips curl at their ends as he looked back to the soldier. "Well, well," he began, leaning in towards the fire. "Amira has brought another bird for us. We'd best have our stones in order." Twilight had sent her letters to everypony she'd written to beneath Luna's moon, and for the past few minutes, she'd been waiting. Waiting for nothing. Without Spike, transmitting a letter across the world was a very difficult task, and although she was sure Celestia could possibly manage it, she had never seen her try to do so. With a long sigh, she leaned back into her chair and looked up to the stars. She started laughing. And it did not stop, nor was it merely light chuckles. If the past few days were a Daring Do novel, it wouldn't have been believable, but here she was, gazing to the stars in a sky she'd never seen. Twilight should have been filled to the brim with seething rage at what Amira had done, but instead, she was quietly writing letters in her castle as if she had come to Saddle Arabia for a day trip. And so she laughed. And laughed and laughed, as the tears filled her eyes and the night was still no longer. That was, until she felt her horn begin to glow. The laughter died in her mouth immediately, and she quickly launched off the spell she'd felt involuntarily building. Twilight's eyes widened as she realized what was happening: Somepony, probably Celestia, had used her own magic as a conduit. The process was extremely difficult, especially this far away, so she assumed that what she knew would be a letter popping out from the spell would have to have been extremely important. When it plopped neatly to the table in front of her, it was a letter, and Twilight ignited her horn with a bright light to read it in the gloom of the night. There weren't a lot of words, but the ones it did have were more than enough to draw a gasp as Twilight put her hoof to her mouth. Twi, It's Rainbow. Be there in a few hours. Don't die again.
1Celestia has betrayed me. Princess Twilight Sparkle took another step. Her leg moved like a rusted old machine, slowly and shakily descending down on the blazing hot sand, but it could move no further. She was used to it by now--the singeing temperature of the desert sand had numbed the pain that came with each step long ago--but in the end, she knew, that would cease to matter. She was going to die here, a thousand miles away from everyone she loved. Princess Twilight Sparkle had gone to sleep last night in her comfortable bed in Ponyville. She had a great day helping Applejack prepare the farm for Applebucking season with the rest of her friends, socializing and discussing recent events as they did handiwork around the farm. The work was grueling and the heat was staggering, but there were plenty of places for shade whenever they'd take a break. She had went to sleep that night tired and spent, and when she closed her eyes with a smile, she dreamed of being back in Canterlot, roaming the streets as a young filly under the tutelage of her mentor. She thought it was too hot at Sweet Apple Acres. She had seen nothing. When she woke up the next day, it was not in her bed. The heat of sand scorched her side as she got up with a yelp, but it was no use, as it attacked her hooves just as viciously. The pain made it hard to concentrate, but when she looked around, it was clear she was no longer in Equestria, but rather the deserts of Saddle Arabia, as no other place on the planet had such an unforgiving landscape. She had no idea how she had arrived, but the first logical thing she thought of was to try and find civilization, so she started to head off in the direction of the sun in hopes of finding her way out of the desert. The idea did not last long. Twilight lifted up her other hoof, ready to step again, but there simply wasn't a point; there was nothing left for her to give. With a grunt, she toppled to the ground below her, the golden sand puffing up in front of her eyes from the sluggish impact. She had been sweating profusely, and the moment she hit the desert sand, a droplet caught itself in her eye. She tried to blink a few times to get it out, but even those were slow, and she began to see the world around her spin in circles. Normally, she would try to get up and continue, but Twilight merely rested, because she knew well that she had been defeated. Princess Celestia taught Twilight Sparkle everything she knew. She had been apart of Twilight's life for almost as far back as she could remember, and, as well as instructing her in the ways of magic and friendship, loved and cared for her as a mother. So it was ironic, Twilight thought, that the very sun she graced the planet with every morning would be the thing that killed her. Not in the heat of battle, not from old age; it would be from Celestia's sun, in the middle of the desert where nopony would ever know. She'd decay here, if she wasn't feasted on by the local wildlife (if there was any; she hadn't seen a living soul since she woke up), and the ponies of Equestria would never know what happened to their Princess. They'd create conspiracy theories, they'd write in the history books what they all believed happened, but no pony would guess that Princess Twilight Sparkle died alone in a desert in a far away land. So in that aspect, Celestia had betrayed her, and the worst part was that she would never know it. Twilight, in her dying breaths, still had no idea how she had gotten here, which meant that Celestia likely didn't either; she would spend the rest of her nights awake in bed, the question of what happened to her former student and daughter gnawing away at her like a pack of hungry dogs. Twilight had always hoped to be at peace with everyone she knew when she died, but there would be no peace here; the thought of her loved ones not knowing what ever happened to her, and the mystery that would be slowly destroying them as they tried to carry on with their lives, would make her last moments filled with pain and regret. Twilight knew not how many lives Celestia's sun had claimed, but surely it was about to claim another. Twilight wanted to cry, but there was no water left in her body to create the necessary tears. The extreme dizziness she had been experiencing was beginning to fade away, and a sinister black tunnel began to form on the outside of her vision to take its place. Twilight tried to look up at the sun one last time, to see its beauty before it claimed her life, but she couldn't move her head to do so; in fact, she realized, she couldn't move anything on her body. I'm sorry thought Twilight. I wish you were all here with me. Her eyelids began to close, her vision faded, and suddenly, all was black. * * * * * * Princess Amira was not nervous very often. She had been in the public eye since the day she was born, and as a result, was used to the mayhem and chaos that came with being a Princess. She was never worried about decisions, because her mother made those, and though she was constantly told she'd be the Queen one day, it never really bothered her all too much. Simply put, Princess Amira didn't have a lot to be nervous about, so she didn't really know how to react to the fact that she currently was. In Amira's private chambers were the finest items a pony could ask for. The walls were painted a soothing maroon, adorned with a golden pattern. The carpeted floor below her was crafted from the finest materials, so that every time a pony walked upon it, it was as if they were stepping on the clouds themselves. The bed in the room was massive, with plenty of room to move around in the night, and it was trimmed with a pleasant gold color that was more than pleasing to the eye. There were plenty of luxuries in Amira's room, and she was not in the mood to enjoy any of them. She was sitting in her wooden desk chair, where she usually wrote her letters, but she wasn't writing anything today. Instead, she was sitting at the mirror in front of her, rapidly tapping her hooves on the carpeted floor below her as she did so. The people thought she was beautiful, and when she looked in the mirror to see her bright pink fur, midnight colored mane and tale, and eyes bluer than the sky itself, she liked to think so, too; Princess Amira was the type of pony to admire herself when she peered into her reflection, but that was not what she was doing today. Today, she looked into her reflection and feared for her very life. The entire royal family of Saddle Arabia had naught a horn or a pair of wings on them; they were all what the Equestrians referred to as "earth ponies". As such, when they needed anything having to do with magic, they went to the court sorcerer, a unicorn who would then perform any magical tasks requested by the royal family. The court sorcerer, Sahir, was a very old pony who had served the past two royal families, and so Amira firmly believed that, with his experience, there wasn't a task he could not do. She was beginning to regret her line of reasoning. Amira had requested Sahir to bring Princess Twilight Sparkle of the Equestrian Kingdom to the palace. With the dire situation the country had just found themselves in, Amira thought long and hard about a solution, and late one night, she thought she had the answer. Calling one of the princesses for aid would simply take too long--Saddle Arabia had not a week to spare, and even if they teleported a letter straight to Equestria, there was no telling how long it would take them to read it or how long it would take for aid--so she resorted to act now by stealing one of them and asking for their forgiveness later. Amira had told Sahir to teleport her to her chambers in the palace, as she wanted slowly introduce her plan to the rest of the country in secret instead of coming right out with it; it took some convincing, as Sahir had lectured her about the unpredictability of teleportation, but Sahir had eventually gave in and agreed to perform the spell. Amira was delighted, and once the spell was cast, came to her chambers and waited for the Princess to arrive. Princess Twilight Sparkle was not in her chambers. Now, the spell could have easily failed--Saddle Arabian unicorns didn't quite have the magical potency of their Equestrian counterparts--but Amira was far too busy thinking about that not being the case. What if she ended up in a different place? What if she ended up in the very hands of the enemy the crown was trying to combat? What if she ended up in the Saddle Arabian desert, in the barren heat? What if she wasn't even here, and instead went to some other territory or place in the world? It was well known that Celestia and Luna were the most powerful beings the planet had to offer. They held control over the very celestial bodies that the world knew so well, and their magical abilities far outclassed anyone, be it pony, griffon, zebra, or dragon, that roamed the world. As such, Amira had known that her move was risky--stupid, even--but, if she didn't get help now, her kingdom would be toppled anyways. Now, had she lost Twilight Sparkle, and anypony found out, the Princesses would not be all too happy. At any rate, they would try to retrieve her regardless, but she had a feeling, having met the young Sparkle, that she would understand and stay to help her. But again, Princess Twilight Sparkle was not here. Amira gave a long sigh and slumped back in her chair. It wasn't risky, it was just plain idiocy, and she should have seen it earlier; her sense of hope and desperation for her country had assured her nothing would go wrong, she knew, but in reality, that was often not the case. She glanced at the clock; it had been six hours since Sahir had used the spell. Amira immediately lashed out and kicked the desk in anger; it stung upon the impact, the wood edge of the desk biting into her flesh, but she didn't care; she was about to be in a whole lot more trouble than that. The moment she looked back into the mirror, and the rapid tapping of her hooves started up again, she heard a knock at the door. Sahir? Did we find her? she thought to herself. In excitement, she jumped from her chair, causing it to wobble a bit from the quickness of her exit, and ran as fast as she could for the size of the room to the door. She yanked the door open, fumbling with the handle before she did so, and was immediately greeted with a sight she very much didn't want to see. It was a member of the almuharibun, the military of the Kingdom of Saddle Arabia. He was sleek and muscular, like most of his comrades, and he had pitch black fur with a tail to match. His face and mane were entire obscured by the white cloth that they donned atop their heads to combat the vicious desert heat, only letting her see his bright green eyes and the fur around it. His sword, the scimitar, was slung across his side, and the golden light armor he wore seemed to fit him absolutely perfectly. They were fearsome warriors, and had knowledge of the land and the desert like no other, but they were also supposed to approach the royal family directly only when there was an emergency or a particularly interesting event. Which means... thought Amira, although the words she didn't want to think about quickly came out of the warrior's mouth. "Princess Amira," began the warrior. "I apologize for interrupting you in your private chambers, but...we've made quite the interesting discovery."
2Twilight Sparkle awoke to the soft feeling of silk. Certainly, it was an improvement over her grave of sand from what seemed like moments ago. She made an attempt to open her eyes, but it was no use: her body violently rebelled, practically begging her to indulge in the sheets for just a few more precious seconds. Having emerged victorious over much tougher foes, however, Twilight forced herself to sit up, creaking her eyes open slowly but surely as she did so. Hanging over the bed--which she now realized was quite large--was a pure white cloth, draped neatly across the top. Little paper lanterns hung around it at uneven intervals, straining Twilight's eyes as she tried to look at them. Colorful patterns of various shapes and sizes, colored mostly maroon and gold, adorned the large room. In the corner of the room was an exquisitely carved wooden desk that hosted a pony Twilight immediately recognized. It was the Princess Amira, though not as Twilight had remembered her. Whereas Amira was often in makeup and donned with traditional Saddle Arabian clothing, she wasn't right now: she wore nothing, and her face was presented entirely naturally, devoid of any make-up or product. As per usual, she wore her mane down to her right side, leaving an eye covered behind its dark black strands. She was still strikingly beautiful, but that was the last thing Twilight was concerned with at the moment. "Princess Amira," she croaked. Her voice was weak and empty, and Amira's neutral face dropped ever so slightly to a worried grimace. She said nothing, however, and Twilight continued as the memories flooded back to her head. "I was in the desert," she began. "Something brought me here. I thought I was dead for sure." Amira slowly brought a cup to her lips, drinking whatever was in it: Twilight could easily see a red glow of embarrassment for through her pink fur, and she gave a heavy sigh before she replied to the Princess of Friendship. "I brought you here," she began. "And you did die, if only for a few precious moments. I am beyond glad you are safe, as I could not possibly forgive myself if you passed from this world. I am sorry for what I have done to you, and your arrival in the sahra' was a... miscalculation." Her words hit Twilight like a freight train and danced around in her head like a chorus that couldn't be quelled. She could feel her eyes narrowing in disbelief, and after staring at her hooves for what seemed like a lifetime, she looked back to the Princess with a face of twisted confusion. "I... I died?" she asked. Amira nodded gravely, setting her drink down and leaning back in her chair. "Yes," she began. "Our court sorcerer, Sahir, revived you. No one can raise the dead, of course, but he did kickstart your magical energies to force your own revival. Or so he told me... I admit I am not well learned in the ways of magic." Twilight looked to the ceiling for a moment, lost in thought: yes, it was possible, she supposed, invigorating magic through a lifeless body, but it was by no means easy, and it could only be done in very certain cases. This court sorcerer would have to be highly skilled in magic, and even then, Saddle Arabian unicorns just didn't have the magical potency that Equestrian unicorns did. She had a distinct feeling that Amira was not telling the entire truth, and she would have to talk to this court sorcerer once she regained her health. As she mulled this over, it wasn't until a few moments later that the reality of the situation truly hit her. She turned to Amira, her eyes alight with a brand new fire. Even in her frailty, her eyebrows narrowed into a fierce grimace. "You brought me here," she rasped aggressively, a hint of confusion seeping into her inflection. "Why? You could have sent me a letter." Amira was already nodding in shame before she even finished the sentence. "Understand I am gravely sorry for what has happened here, and I take full responsibility for it. You will be under the finest care here." She looked to the carpet below her now, unable to face the Princess of Friendship. "But I couldn't wait for a letter to arrive. It takes close to two months to arrive here if one makes haste, and I simply did not have that time." There was a silence in the air as Twilight laid back upon the bed to mull the situation over. Twilight was rarely every truly angry, but she certainly wasn't pleased that she had almost met her death at the hooves of Amira, a situation that called for it quite rightly. Still, there was a pleading in desperation in her voice that Twilight had seldom heard from anypony, much less a monarch. Amira is a good pony, she mused, staring at the while cloth above her. They hadn't spent a lot of time together, but she was always courteous and kind in every instance Twilight had spoken with the Saddle Arabian monarch. If she was willing to put Twilight's life on the line to bring her here, then perhaps it truly was a matter of life and death. "Well, you have me now," Twilight said suddenly, causing Amira to perk up from her seat. "But before you say anything, I need to contact my friends back in Equestria. They have to know where I am." Amira nodded quickly, leaning over to her right and sliding across a few sheets of parchment. "I figured you would ask. Of course, you are welcome to," she said. Her face became suddenly grim, however, and her eyes narrowed with a burning intensity. "But you will aid me, then?" She asked. "In this country's dire time of need?" Twilight's ears perked up at those words, the force behind "dire" coming through Amira's a bit more forceful than intended. Nonetheless, her iron gaze was still firm, and Twilight gave a long sigh before she turned to the monarch to answer her once again. "I still can't say I'm particularly happy with what you've done to me," Twilight began. Amira's face immediately flooded with a tidal wave of red as she looked to the floor once more, but Twilight held her hoof up as best she could. "BUT... you wouldn't have done it without good reason. So of course I'll help you, Amira: you and your country have been nothing but wonderful to Equestria, and we're always here to protect those in need." Twilight wasn't sure what she expected from the Princess, but it wasn't what she got: Amira looked to the ceiling and breathed a sigh of relief, the muscles on her body visibly relaxing. She looked down to Twilight, and it was for the first time that evening--or day, perhaps?--she saw a smile from the monarch. "Thank you, Twilight Sparkle. I cannot repay you enough." She sat back in her once more as she began to summarize her plight. "Do you know of my husband, Prince Haakim?" She asked. Twilight merely nodded in response: Haakim was always paired with Amira at every meeting and event, the couple Saddle Arabia's delegates at every turn. He was Saddle Arabia's true monarch, making the final stay on any executive and legislative decisions, with Amira by his side aiding him through it. Cadance had oft spoken of her admiration for the love the two shared, a bond she knew had been forged early when they had met in their youth. Amira, her stoic face unchanging, continued. "He is dying," she began. The bluntness of the statement caught Twilight off guard, but she didn't have much time to think about it as Amira pressed on. "With every second that ticks he awaits his demise. He lays frail on his bed... I fear seeing him in this state has left my heart in pieces." There appeared to be tiny droplets forming under her eyes as she spoke, but she quickly extinguished them in a show of strong will, closing her eyes tightly and forcing them to retreat. She was about to continue, but Twilight, knowing where she would go next, finished her next sentence for her. "You must choose his successor," she added. "If I remember correctly, the successor to the throne is chosen by the widowed. It's a lengthy process with many families and individuals making their cases for ascension." a faint chuckle escaped Amira's lips. "You certainly are a bookworm, hmm?" she asked playfully. "Yes. When my husband dies, I will personally name his successor: it is a long engrained tradition that has carried Saddle Arabia into modern times, and it will carry it into the future. It's why I brought you here on such short notice." Twilight could feel her own eyes narrow in confusion, her head cocked slightly to the side. After thinking about it for a few seconds, she stared at Amira with confoundment. "I don't understand," she said. "Why would you need me for that? I don't know enough about the ponies of Saddle Arabia to help you make a decision, and I'm sure Haakim has a good pony in mind." Amira nodded wistfully at the mention of his name, and she looked to Twilight with a steel-hardened glare. "He does," she said simply. "Because he has chosen you." "What do you mean she's gone?" Starlight Glimmer had been sitting at the simple desk in her room, but she was certainly standing now: the frantic, hurried words of Spike the Dragon rang in and out of her head, their meaning not truly hitting home quite yet. "W-Well, she didn't wake up early like she usually does," Spike stuttered. "And at first I thought she might be sleeping in so I didn't wanna bother her, but when it was noon I knew something was wrong. So I went into her room and called her name, but she wasn't on the bed! She was gone!" Starlight, still in disbelief, leaned in a bit closer to the dragon. "Maybe she had something to do and just left. She's a princess, you know." Spike immediately shook his head in disagreement, causing Starlight to recoil. "No, that isn't it. The bed wasn't made, and Twilight would NEVER leave her bed without making it. Ever." Starlight looked around the room at that: as silly as it sounded, Spike was right. Twilight's sense of organization and neatness defined who she was, and she was never one to leave anything sloppy. Spike gingerly threw his hand up in the air, indicating he wasn't done, so Starlight refocused her attention. "There's something else, and it's a bit scary." Starlight perked her ears at that, allowing Spike to continue. "You know how the chairs by the Map all have everypony's cutie marks lit up?" Starlight quickly nodded in acknowledgment, but was surprised to see Spike look to the floor just as fast. "Well, I was walking by it to write letters to all the girls and... her light went out," he replied. "For about fifteen minutes. I... I don't know exactly what that means but I only assumed that would happen if somepony died." The words swam through Starlight's head, a chorus of rapidly formulating questions building up like a volcano all at once. "Okay, hold on," she began, the information overload only just beginning to separate itself. "This is a lot to assume. She's been missing all day, and none of the girls have seen her?" Spike nodded affirmatively, and Starlight looked to the ceiling in deep thought before she spoke next. "And you said the light went out... it came back on?" Spike nodded more enthusiastically this time, electing to speak after Starlight's questionings. "Yes! I was so relieved, but I wasn't any less confused." Starlight quickly got up from her chair and began a quick walk out of her room: Spike immediately ran to join her as she walked through the doorframe and out into the carpet-lined hallway. "You need to send a message to the Princesses. They're probably gonna know more about the map and how the elements work than we do." Spike's response was immediate, formulating before Starlight had even finished her sentence. "Already did that. They haven't res--res--" Suddenly, Spike stopped right where he stood, holding his hand up to his nose. Starlight knew exactly what that meant, and so when Spike's telltale green flame brought forth a finely sealed scroll she immediately grabbed it from midair and brought it to her face, relaying the information aloud as she read. The information was frantically written and curt, lacking any closing or introductory statement, and some of the ink had been clearly mottled with teardrops. You were right in your assumption if the map is anything like the Tree of Harmony--when a bearer dies, the brilliant light of their element is snuffed out. I am glad you wrote to me as quick as you did, as I was able to check the tree to see it for myself. This being said, the Element of Magic DID reignite some time later, and I imagine Twilight's cutie mark did for you as well. This is a very grave matter: while it would appear that Twilight is indeed alive, it would also appear that, for a few moments, she was not. I know not if Twilight is safe but I am constantly monitoring the tree and have sent out search parties across Equestria to find her. Stay vigilant for any form of contact she may attempt. Celestia Starlight stared at the page for a few more seconds, slowly digesting its contents. She lowered it to look at Spike, who had a frantic and worried stare plastered upon his countenance. "What are we gonna do?" He asked, his voice weak and worried. Starlight looked to the paper again, seeing the words but not reading them. She sighed mightly before answer, her tone becoming equally distressed. "We get the girls together," she began grimly, "And we wait."
3To Princess Twilight Sparkle, the land of Saddle Arabia might as well have been another planet. She knew that Trixie had been there quite a few times. She had actually developed a bit of a following in the desert kingdom, often wishing aloud that a day would come where any city in Equestria paid her half as much as the Saddle Arabians did to see her perform. Starlight had gone with her to one of these expeditions, she remembered, but as far as she knew, that hadn't ended particularly well. The Saddle Arabian palace was located in the country's capital city of Aljana, and from the balcony she was seated at, Twilight could see all of it: the ponies far, far below raced from building to building, occasionally stopping to chat with another citizen on the way to where they were headed. She spotted two Equestrians in the crowd, but both of them appeared to be tourists, as she saw one of them circle around the main plaza a few times too many. A few of them stopped to look at the castle, scanning it up and down, but Twilight knew they couldn't see her: She was safe from her ivory tower, though she knew not how long it would last. The country was truly beautiful. The way Celestia's light hit the dunes of sand gave Twilight a euphoric sensation just by looking at it, and the architecture that her hosts had built was truly a marvel. The magnificent arches and regal mosaics were entirely foreign to Twilight, and while she'd only seen a very small part of the country, every bit of it was enough to make her feel like a complete stranger. Amira had made her tea, and the Equestrian princess accepted it gratefully. Her proposal, of course, was a lot to take in, and Twilight requested some time to herself before she discussed the matter at hand. She was in the process of writing multiple copies of a single letter to be sent to all those looking for her, and once that was complete, she planned to sit down with Amira and give her the painfully obvious answer she could to her husband's request. No. Twilight flipped the quill she'd been writing with incessantly with her magic. She looked back down to the ponies below her once more, not particularly keeping an eye on any one of them as she lost herself entirely in her thoughts. After everything -- waking in the desert, feeling the sand scorch her hooves to the bones, succumbing to heat and wasting away -- Twilight Sparkle felt good. She'd been resurrected from the grave, and as the tea washed down her throat and the Saddle Arabian heat hugged her like an over-eager relative, she could only think about just how spry and vigorous she felt. Twilight Sparkle was a dead mare, and dead mares didn't feel good. She looked to her quill again. She'd overdone the twisting, and a few of the feathers had flown off of it in the process. With an idle sigh, Twilight dipped the quill in ink and started on the next letter, this one addressed to a certain cyan pegasus. Rainbow, I'm in Saddle Arabia and, for the most part, completely unharmed. It's all a really long story, but I should be back in Ponyville within the next few days to tell it: I won't be staying here too long The quill dropped to the table. She knew magic. She knew what it could do, the power it held. She'd seen magic do incredible, incredible things, but there was one thing she was always taught that magic simply could not make happen. And here she was. She simply could not let it go. It was a parasite eating at her with every passing second, and she knew that if she left Saddle Arabia without figuring out exactly what had happened to her, it would keep her awake at night for the rest of her days. Sighing, she reached for the quill and plunged it once more into the ink, but her words this time were far more permanent. Rainbow, I'm in Saddle Arabia and, for the most part, completely unharmed. It's all a really long story, but I have some unfinished business here that I need to attend to. Hopefully, I'll be back within the next few weeks, but I could never ask any of you to travel all the way here to be with me. You should be getting this letter almost as soon as I send it, and so I hope I can ease your minds of worry. Think of this as a diplomatic visit, just... unplanned. See you soon, Twilight Sparkle "You've been writing a fair bit of letters." And thus, the moment she had been dreading had finally come. Amira pulled out the chair at the other side of the table and sat down, but Twilight paid her no heed. Instead, she began to write new letters with the revised body she'd written in Rainbow's, and she felt Amira's presence loom over her as she responded. "Yes. I have many people who are worried about me, Amira. I'm sure you understand." She was already silent, but it became even more deafening with Twilight's passive-aggressive tone seeping through her words. Once Twilight was done revising Pinkie's letter, she moved on to Fluttershy's, and it took a lifetime for Amira to speak again. "Have you thought over my--" "Of course I have!" the Princess of Friendship interjected, slamming down her quill with a sickening thud. Amira reeled back, and once Twilight saw the fear glint in her eyes, she closed her eyes and gave off a long sigh. "I'm sorry, Amira. I didn't mean to frighten you," she began. "But this whole thing, it's, it's insane! You teleport me thousands of miles away, resurrect my corpse, and all to give me a proposal you have to know I wouldn't accept? Amira, I have the Elements of Harmony I need to be with to combat any threat. I hold an administrative duty in Ponyville, I run a friendship school, and I have so many people I care about in Equestria. And to do what? To throw that all away to become the ruler of a place I've only just now been to? I know nothing about the culture, the ponies, the politics, the cities. I'm flattered, but you have to realize that I wouldn't say yes to this, even over my literally dead body." Twilight had met Amira very few times in her life, but she knew she'd never given her any indication in those meetings that she was capable of such an outburst. Regardless, she didn't waver, and that thing Amira so often did where she'd refuse to look at Twilight as her spirits clearly dropped reared itself again as she turned. And she said nothing, and so Twilight kept writing. For a few minutes, the only noise in the air was the scratching of her quill and the crumplings of old drafts, but after a while, Amira spoke again. "What if I had something that could change your mind?" And the quill stopped once again. Twilight wasn't going to let another long silence take over, however. "You don't," she retorted. "I might," Amira replied back. "I only ask that you come with me to see it, because it is why I have brought you here. And once you do, I will no longer lie to you, Twilight. I have been a shadow of the mare I was raised to be these past few days, and I cannot apologize enough for my actions. But please. I beg this of you." Twilight felt her eyes widen as she stared at Amira's. She looked for any hint that she may have been lying, but the steel resolve mixed with a dollop of fear was enough to convince her she was telling the truth. "What is it?" Twilight asked her. Almost immediately, Amira shook her head. "I cannot say." Twilight felt her eyes narrow at that, and if she had any less restraint, she would have rolled them. She grew tired of Amira's constant dodging, and though it seemed she was getting somwhere, the Saddle Arabian Princess seemed to take four steps back once they started making any progress. "You can't say? Why, Amira? Because you think somepony is listening?" For Twilight, the words had been a bitter jab of frustration. And then Amira's eyes shot wide as the sun, and with a paralyzing glint, she nodded ever so slowly. Once she realized Amira was completely serious, Twilight reeled back. She leaned her head a bit to the right to watch the guards standing firm at their post, and then she leaned across the railing to watch the ponies jaunt about Aljana. The anger and irritation Twilight had once held vanished like a wisp, and as calm as she could, she turned back to her mysterious new friend. "When would you show me this, Amira?" Twilight asked her. "Tonight," she answered, almost immediately. "I'll rouse you from your bedchambers." Carefully, Twilight nodded, and she grabbed the teacup that had been sitting close. She took a gentle sip, savoring the flavor as it danced upon her tongue, and once it washed down, she nodded her head toward the door. "Very well," Twilight said. "Come get me then. I have some more letters to write, if you would excuse me. I'm here if you need me." Amira stared off into space for a few precious seconds, but eventually, she rose without a word. She made her way back down the hall, and Twilight watched her go, observing her gait and the way she carried herself. Amira had managed to be suspiciously dodgy in the day Twilight had gotten to know her, but this little conversation revealed a whole different side of the matter. Amira was scared, and it made the shroud around Saddle Arabia that much thicker. Eventually, Twilight turned back to the parchment. The empty pages stood back at her as if they were showing her all the knowledge she held of her current situation. So she started writing. Dear Spike... Everyone knows of the desert heat. But at night time, when the temperature plummeted, the cold that bit could be just as cruel. And so the pony sat, a tent pitched in the sand only opened to allow the smoke from the fire in the middle of it to billow out into the sky. One would think it to be lonely at these times, but the pony thought nothing of it: He would get company soon enough, and if he was lucky, he would get good news with it. But for now, he only had time to stare at the sand. There would be time for more, he knew, where every grain of sand in the desert would be his, and it was sooner than he'd ever tasted. Saddle Arabia was a beauty, but once it was his, it would be more than just something to look at. No, it would be the fulcrum of the known world, and even the princesses in Equestria that scorched the desert and let it freeze would no longer tower over them. He was interrupted from his thoughts, though, by another entering the tent. The pony could spot a member of the almuharibun from across the continent, but this one, whose blood-red coat and striking orange mane and tail matched the fire in front of him almost mesmerizingly well, was one the pony had come to know particularly well. "I bring news from the castle," he said curtly. The pony chuckled, gesturing outwardly with his free hooves. "I would hope," the pony said. "Anything important? How is Haakim fairing?" To the pony's surprise, the soldier shook his head almost immediately, and he moved around the fire to stand firmly in front of the pony. "I bring no news of Haakim," the soldier began, "But of your sister. She's brought Princess Twilight Sparkle of Equestria to the castle. She arrived in the night, and I know not the reason for her sudden appearance, nor what the two have been discussing." The pony was expecting to hear many things, but that was not one of them. Princess Twilight Sparkle had arrived at Saddle Arabia from worlds away, and his sister had somehow made it happen. The pony said nothing at first, opting to look down toward the sand, but slowly, he felt his lips curl at their ends as he looked back to the soldier. "Well, well," he began, leaning in towards the fire. "Amira has brought another bird for us. We'd best have our stones in order." Twilight had sent her letters to everypony she'd written to beneath Luna's moon, and for the past few minutes, she'd been waiting. Waiting for nothing. Without Spike, transmitting a letter across the world was a very difficult task, and although she was sure Celestia could possibly manage it, she had never seen her try to do so. With a long sigh, she leaned back into her chair and looked up to the stars. She started laughing. And it did not stop, nor was it merely light chuckles. If the past few days were a Daring Do novel, it wouldn't have been believable, but here she was, gazing to the stars in a sky she'd never seen. Twilight should have been filled to the brim with seething rage at what Amira had done, but instead, she was quietly writing letters in her castle as if she had come to Saddle Arabia for a day trip. And so she laughed. And laughed and laughed, as the tears filled her eyes and the night was still no longer. That was, until she felt her horn begin to glow. The laughter died in her mouth immediately, and she quickly launched off the spell she'd felt involuntarily building. Twilight's eyes widened as she realized what was happening: Somepony, probably Celestia, had used her own magic as a conduit. The process was extremely difficult, especially this far away, so she assumed that what she knew would be a letter popping out from the spell would have to have been extremely important. When it plopped neatly to the table in front of her, it was a letter, and Twilight ignited her horn with a bright light to read it in the gloom of the night. There weren't a lot of words, but the ones it did have were more than enough to draw a gasp as Twilight put her hoof to her mouth. Twi, It's Rainbow. Be there in a few hours. Don't die again.
