Consanguinity

Chapters

The Princesses of Equestria
A Quarry of Crystalline Quandaries
Mixed Feelings and Empty Stomachs
Moonrise
Sister-in-law Synchronized Stressing
Not Really a Morning Pony
Decisions Made in Faith and Love
The Student Becomes the Teacher
Over Dinner
Restless Nights and Practice Fights
A Study in Skyla
A Shining Example
One-on-One with the Princess of Love
Of Memories and Dreams
The Flight of the Snowflake
Starlight, Eclipsed
The Paradox of Forgiveness
Dividing Lines
One Week Later
The History of the World: Revised Edition

The Princesses of Equestria

The rays of the morning sun spread across the Crystal Kingdom like a golden veil, its light dancing and sparkling off of the crystalline buildings so brilliantly that it sent motes of light shimmering off in all directions until it appeared that the entire kingdom was glowing of its own accord. This went doubly so for the Crystal Castle, and as Skyla stood in the throne room she couldn’t help but look up in awe at the ceiling above her as the light of the sun flitted and danced through the semi-translucent crystal facets. The Castle was not completely transparent by any means, since she couldn’t see out through the walls or anything, but there was no denying that sunlight was affecting how the huge spire looked and it drew Skyla’s attention like a magnet. It looks so beautiful, she thought as her gaze chased the gently shifting lights to and fro. Our castle never did this… everything just looked like regular old rocks. She felt the corner of her lips quirk upward in a smile that probably looked much happier than it felt. Maybe I’d actually feel bad about leaving if my home looked like this…

“Do you like it?”

The voice slid gently through Skyla’s thoughts, and with a startled blink she quickly dropped her gaze to the floor, her cheeks flaring in embarrassment. “O-oh, sorry,” she muttered out of the corner of her mouth. “I didn’t mean to get distracted, Your Highness…”

She heard a chorus of chuckles from around her, but Flurry Heart’s laughter made her brow furrow. “Take it easy, Skyla,” said the smaller Princess from her spot on Skyla’s left. “It’s just us here, so you don’t need to be so formal – especially with mom!”

That’s easy for you to say, thought Skyla as her frown deepened. She shifted uncomfortably on her hooves, but after a long moment of silence she let out a sharp sigh and raised her head up once more, her ears drooping slightly against her mane as she offered the pony to her right a small, weak smile that flitted across her lips then disappeared.

“S-sorry… I’m still getting used to the Castle,” she muttered. “Back where I’m from, the Castle doesn’t exactly sparkle… so seeing sunlight do that-,” she gestured at the ceiling with her right hoof, “-is a bit of a new thing for me.” Her wings rustled against her sides. “I meant no disrespect, Your Highness.”

Princess Mi Amore Cadenza laughed gently, and the sound filled the chamber despite its easy tone. “Skyla, please, you don’t have to apologize. It’s one of the Crystal Castle’s unique traits, so we’re used to seeing ponies dazzled by it.” She met Skyla’s gaze with her lavender eyes, and even after a week she had to force herself to meet the Princess’s gaze squarely. “And you can drop the ‘Your Highness’,” Mi Amore added with a wink. “You can call me Cadence – everypony else does.”

“I… I’ll try,” Skyla whispered, her smile returning so slowly she was sure that it was checking for danger before showing up again. Cadence’s own smile grew minutely and she straightened, turning her gaze once again to the ceiling.

“The facets of the Castle are actually designed to reflect sunlight differently at different times of day,” she said. “In the morning and the evening, they send the light up and into the ceiling of the throne room so that whoever is there can still enjoy the sunrise and sunset. Once the sun is at a certain angle in the sky, however, the crystals are cut to simply refract the light and sparkle as brilliantly as they can.” Her gaze returned to Skyla, her smile sparkling as brightly as the Castle around them. “They still reflect a little light up into the throne room, but everything returns to blues and whites instead of the variety of colors in the morning and evening.”

“According to ‘A History of the Crystal Kingdom’, the castle is even made to light up differently for different astrological phenomena, though we haven’t really been here long enough to see any,” said Flurry Heart, and Skyla turned to face her as she puffed up her chest importantly. “I learned all about it in my classes with Sunburst,” she said with a proud smile.

“If it makes you feel any better, Skyla, I know exactly how you feel,” said the last pony standing with them, his voice deep and soothing. “When we first moved in here, I spent a lot of time just watching the light through the crystals.” Prince Shining Armor gave her a soft, easy-going smile. “So no worries, all right? We’re just happy that you like it.”

Skyla’s gaze met Shining’s, and it was a long moment before she could manage a nod. “A-all right,” she said softly. “Thank you… Your Highness.”

“Hey, none of that stuff with me, either,” he chided with a grin. “You can call me Shining Armor, or Shiny, or whatever. Just don’t call me late for dinner!” Shining Armor chuckled at his own joke, and Skyla felt her smile return as Cadence groaned dramatically.

“I’m going to officially change your name to Late For Dinner one of these days just to show you how not funny that joke is,” said Cadence, mirth sparkling in her eyes. Flurry Heart laughed loudly, and Skyla felt a lot of the tension that she’d been carrying around vanish into thin air. They’re so completely different from what I know, she thought as she looked from Cadence to Shining Armor and back again. Mom never smiled, and I only ever heard dad laugh every once in a while, when we were alone… and that was before they started gearing up for war. Her ears drooped slightly, but it only lasted for a moment before she gave her head a slight shake and forced herself to stand up straight, her mouth pressed into a tight line. No. I’m not going to think about that stuff right now, she told herself firmly. I have more important things to worry about.

“So when is Aunt Twilight gonna get here?” asked Flurry Heart, her voice bubbling with excitement. “I can’t wait to tell her that I finished all of the work she assigned me!”

“They should be here soon enough, snowflake,” answered Cadence, who turned and paced away from Skyla to one of the windows that lined the walls of the throne room. “Aunt Celestia told me that they would be leaving Canterlot as soon as the sun was raised, and since they can travel faster in the air than by train they shouldn’t be much longer.”

Flurry stepped up next to Skyla and sat down, her tail curling around her hooves. “Isn’t Starlight coming with them?”

“She’s already here in the Crystal Kingdom,” said Cadence with a glance out the window. “She came a few days ago to spend a little extra time planning with Sunburst.”

Skyla arched an eyebrow at Flurry Heart, and the smaller filly gave her a sharp nod before turning back to Cadence. “Planning for what?” she asked.

“Oh, um…” Cadence pulled back from the window and turned her gaze to Flurry, a smile plastered firmly onto her face, and Skyla felt a pit open up in her stomach as Princess Cadence’s purple eyes darted to her once before she spoke again. “Don’t you worry about it, my little gem – it’s something that’s going on between them. Nothing to worry about, and I’m sure you’ll hear about it soon enough.”

Flurry Heart squinted at Cadence, but after a moment her brow smoothed and she nodded happily, as if that were the end of that… but Skyla felt her stomach twist uncomfortably, and it was all she could do to keep a straight face. She’s lying, she thought gravely, and she’s not very good at it, either.

The sound of hoofsteps in the hallway outside the throne room drew the attention of all four ponies present, and moments later the double doors creaked open just enough to admit one of the Guards for the Crystal Kingdom, a yellow pegasus stallion with a blue mane. His gaze swept the gathered royals and he sketched a quick bow, his wings spreading wide towards the floor.

“Your Highnesses,” he greeted with a smile, “your guests have arrived.”

Cadence sighed, and it was easy to hear the relief in her voice as she turned towards the door. “Oh, good… show them in, Flash.” The Guardspony straightened and nodded before taking a step backwards, his right wingtip catching the edge of the door so that he could pull it open as he moved back and out of the way.

Flurry Heart leaped to her hooves and hurried to stand next to Skyla once more, excitement radiating off of her like heat from the sun. “Are you ready, Skyla?” she whispered. “They’ve decided to do a formal introduction just for you!”

Skyla’s stomach flip-flopped, and she had to swallow hard to force the nervous bile back down her throat. “Yeah… super ready,” she murmured weakly. Every ounce of nervousness that had bothered her last night came roaring back all at once and, as the Guard named Flash took a deep breath, she felt her knees start to shake. I’m so not ready for this…

“Your Royal Highnesses,” proclaimed Flash, his voice booming throughout the room in a most authoritative fashion, “it is with great pride that I announce your honorable guests!” He gestured towards the door with his right hoof. “The Princess of Friendship, Her Royal Highness Twilight Sparkle, and her esteemed student, Starlight Glimmer!”

Skyla’s eyes locked themselves on the open doorway, and her heart pounded in her ears as Twilight Sparkle entered the room with her student walking next to her. In the name of Saint Celestia, it really IS her, she thought weakly as the purple unicorn – no, not unicorn: alicorn – smiled happily up at the group gathered near the throne, her wings shifting along her flanks as the pony identified as Starlight Glimmer whispered to her in hurried tones. Both of them were very pretty, Skyla realized, and as the Princess of Friendship made her way quickly towards her she wondered if the Twilight from her world was as pretty as this one was. This one’s horn is longer, and she’s certainly much thicker through the legs and chest, thought Skyla. Perhaps that has something to do with the alicorn transformation…

The greatest difference between the Twilight Sparkle that Skyla knew and the one that was now striding up the soft purple carpet at her, however, wasn’t anything physical about her: it was the look in her eyes. The eyes that Skyla remembered were cold and calculating, constantly measuring and weighing you as if she could tell your worth in the universe with a single glance; this Twilight’s eyes were full of energy and curiosity, but it was such a warm, friendly gaze compared to what she knew that Skyla felt her shoulders relax even though the other Princess had yet to take her eyes off of her. The pair drew closer to the throne, and Skyla’s ears twitched as Starlight Glimmer’s words drifted to her.

“…and that’s all we could find out,” she finished, her blue eyes darting to Skyla from beneath the tasteful curl in her purple and teal mane. “Sorry we couldn’t do more.”

“You did great, Starlight,” whispered Twilight, and Skyla’s eyes widened at the easy, friendly tone of her voice. She sounds… really nice, actually. Like somepony you’d want to be in charge. Her eyes flitted to Flurry Heart, who was shifting impatiently on her hooves in such a way that it made her tail swish back and forth behind her. I guess I could imagine a pony like this Twilight being a bit silly every now and again, she thought with a smile.

Finally, Flurry leaped forward and ran to the purple Princess, her wings extending from her body in excitement as she threw herself against Twilight. “Aunt Twilight!!” she gushed, her hooves encircling the other alicorn’s neck. “I’m so happy to see you!” Starlight Glimmer took a half step away from the Princess, her muzzle scrunching up as she turned to face forward once again, her ears flattening against her mane as Twilight laughed and wrapped her right hoof around her enthusiastic niece.

“Hi, Flurry Heart,” she greeted as she gave the smaller pony a squeeze. “I’m happy to see you, too!” She held her hug for several long seconds before releasing Flurry and pushing on her chest with a hoof as she arched an eyebrow down at the younger Princess. “But weren’t you supposed to wait until our formal and official introductions were done before you started hugging?” Her lip curved into a knowing, kind smile as Flurry extended her lip in an exaggerated pout.

“But Aunt Twilight, it’s been more than a month since I saw you!” she whimpered. “I couldn’t wait anymore!” She fell back to all four hooves and bounced back a step, her mane bobbing merrily as she did. “I finished all of the work that you gave me, and I even did some extra research into Starswirl’s theories on the Karmic Transference of the Metaphysical!” Her ears stood up proudly as she smiled. “I knew that we’d be covering that soon, so I moved ahead on my own.”

“That’s amazing, Flurry Heart!” said Twilight, her eyes filling with excitement. “I knew you’d be able to handle advanced theory like that at your age!”

Next to her, Starlight cleared her throat. “Yeah, about that – I checked the courses at Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns, and that kind of theoretical magic is usually left for graduate students…”

“Well yeah, for regular students who go through regular school,” scoffed Twilight with a wave of her hoof. “But Flurry Heart is a natural-born alicorn Princess with the blood of the Sparkles running through her veins! She can handle anything!” She turned her attention back to Flurry, her face all but glowing with pride. “So tell me what you thought about the runes that Starswirl postulated would allow a pony to actually harness karmic forces? I mean, when I was going through them I thought that-,”

“Ahem.” Starlight Glimmer cleared her throat forcefully, and Twilight let out a sharp sigh.

“What is it, Starlight?”

Starlight met her gaze then nodded pointedly towards Skyla, who felt her eyes widen as every pony in the room suddenly turned their attention to her. Twilight’s blushed, and with a loud cough she turned back towards the throne.

“A-all right, Flurry Heart, we’ll pick this up in a little bit,” she said lightly as she extended her right wing and ruffled Flurry’s mane with her pinions. “Right now I have to finish my part of the introduction, okay?”

“Okay, Aunt Twilight!” Flurry Heart bounded away and back up to where Skyla stood, her cheeks flushed with pride. Skyla arched an eyebrow at her, but she only received a broad grin from the smaller pony that showed neither remorse nor shame at her actions.

“Told you so,” the younger alicorn whispered, her voice so soft that only Skyla could hear her, and before she could stop herself Skyla felt her lips curve into a disbelieving, incredulous smile. I can’t believe this filly… she’s going to get herself into trouble one of these days. She let out a silent chuckle before turning back to the ponies before her.

Twilight and Starlight crossed the last span of carpet that separated them from Skyla, and as they stopped before her Skyla bent her left front knee, extended her right leg, and stretched out her wings as she bowed low, her pinions lying flat on the stone as she dropped her gaze.

“It is a privilege and honor to meet you, Your Highness,” she greeted formally, her heart beating faster as the realization of what she was doing settled into her. “My name is Skyla, formerly of the Crystal Empire.”

“The privilege is mine,” replied the purple alicorn, and after a moment Skyla felt a hoof touch her own. She raised her head to see Twilight smiling down at her, her eyes full of kindness. “Please rise, Princess Skyla.”

Skyla did as Twilight said, but only long enough to offer her a smile. “I’m afraid my title was left behind with my homeland, Princess Twilight,” she said as she turned towards Starlight Glimmer. “I am not a princess here in the Crystal Kingdom.” She bent her knee and bowed to the unicorn, her wingtips once again touching the floor. “A privilege and honor to meet you,” she intoned again.

“A-and to meet you,” stammered Starlight, and as Skyla rose she met the unicorn’s gaze squarely for the first time. Her eyes were blue, so blue that they made Flurry Heart’s look almost dull, and she was staring openly at Skyla as if she was seeing her for the first time. “You didn’t need to bow to me,” she said quietly. “I’m not a princess.”

“If there was one thing I was raised to do, it is to always give everypony the respect they are due.” She smiled at Starlight. “And here, I believe that everypony is due as much respect as I can give them.”

Twilight and Starlight both dipped their heads low before straightening and moving off to Skyla’s right, towards where Princess Cadence was standing. Skyla watched as they went, and as they did Starlight Glimmer cast her gaze at Skyla one last time before Flash cleared his throat at the door.

“The Princess of the Moon and the Night, Her Royal Highness Princess Luna!”

Now Skyla’s whole body stiffened and she felt her heart begin to pound in her chest as a dark blue alicorn stepped into the room, her mane shifting and shimmering like the night sky. She gave the pony at the door a friendly nod before moving towards the throne, and as she walked Skyla swore she felt the room start to spin ever so slightly. The Princess of the Night wore silver shoes that clicked tastefully as she walked, and at her neck hung a black chest piece that matched the sparkling crown that sat nestled in the twinkling stars of her mane. Her neck was long and graceful, and as she drew closer Skyla noted that she was a good deal larger than Twilight Sparkle; her legs were long and graceful, and as she moved Skyla couldn’t help but think of the moon dancing across calm water, a night passing in peace and serenity. And, as Princess Luna met her gaze, Skyla felt her chest tighten until she felt as if she may never draw breath again, because in the eyes of the Moon Princess she saw the power that she had expected from Twilight: an intangible, undeniable power that made Princess Luna’s brilliant teal eyes all but glow even in the warm light of the rising sun. Skyla was dumbstruck by her quiet, powerful demeanor, and it took her several long seconds to realize that Luna had stopped in front of her where Twilight and Starlight had.

“O-oh, please forgive me,” muttered Skyla, quickly dipping her deepest bow yet to the Princess before her. “Princess Luna, it is a great privilege and honor to meet you today.” She hesitated with her wingtips still touching the floor. “Please f-forgive me for staring at you, Your Majesty…”

“Rise, young mare – you’ve nothing to apologize for.” Her voice was strong, and Skyla had straightened almost before she realized she was doing it. Princess Luna met her gaze again, her teal eyes holding Skyla captive as she smiled. “And I’ve not gone by ‘Your Majesty’ in quite some time – you may forego the use of it here.”

“A-as you wish, Princess Luna,” stammered Skyla. She knew that she was staring at the Princess, and she knew that she was being extremely impolite about it, as well – but right at that moment, she knew that she couldn’t help herself. Here she was, Princess Luna, the Great Calamity, the Nightmare in the flesh, and Skyla was standing mere feet away from her. It was almost too much for the filly to bear, and after several long seconds of silent staring, Princess Luna’s lips curved into a sad smile.

“I can tell by the look in your eyes that my time as Nightmare Moon happened in your world, as well,” she said, her voice soft. “I will admit that I had hoped otherwise, but such things cannot be changed, I suppose.” She let out a gentle sigh before giving Skyla another smile, though she couldn’t quite chase the melancholy from it. “Be that as it may, I look forward to getting to know you, Skyla.” Princess Luna gave her a nod and Skyla returned it as the dark alicorn moved towards where Cadence and Twilight stood, their heads pressed together as they spoke in low tones.

“And finally,” announced Flash from the door, “the Princess of the Sun and the Day, Her Royal Highness Princess Celestia!”

Now Skyla’s head really did swim, and it took everything she had to even stay upright as the doorway was filled with a brilliant alicorn whose coat was so white that she made Flurry Heart’s own coat look dull by comparison. Her very presence defied every bit of logic in Skyla’s mind, and as the Princess of the Sun started towards her Skyla could not believe the amount of magical power that she felt from her. Her golden raiment glimmered in the light from the rising sun, each piece seeming to reflect and amplify her unbelievable brightness: her golden shoes glowed, her neck piece glinted, and her crown shone brilliantly as she approached Skyla, her violet eyes peaceful, serene, and powerful beyond imagining.

Despite telling herself that she would not fall prey to her preconceived notions of these ponies, Skyla could not stop the torrent of stories that she’d heard as a foal from spilling into her mind: stories of Celestia’s courage, her sacrifice and her unwavering desire to keep the ponies of Equestria safe all crashed together in Skyla’s head, and as the white alicorn approached her they grew ever louder. As if to accentuate the validity of those very same stories, the sheer size of Princess Celestia made the much smaller Skyla feel as though she were actively shrinking in her presence, as if the brilliant white light that was Celestia would simply grow brighter and brighter until she was wiped from existence. She’s unbelievably powerful, thought Skyla as the quaking in her knees returned with a vengeance. What Princess Luna keeps tight and contained within herself, Celestia wears as a mantle for all to see… a force of nature, a paragon of magic…

Before Skyla could even hope to gather herself, Princess Celestia had stopped in the same place that the others had, her ethereal multi-colored mane and tail shifting of their own accord. Slowly, Skyla brought her gaze up, up, up until she found Celestia’s eyes… and the smile that the much older, much wiser alicorn offered her made Skyla’s eyes fill with tears.

“Hello, Skyla,” she greeted cordially, her voice as soft as summer grass and warm as spring sunlight. “I am Princess Celestia, the ruler of Equestria, and I must follow suit with my sister in requesting that you not call me ‘Your Majesty’. It sounds far too stuffy, don’t you think?” She chuckled once before bowing her neck and spreading her massive wings as Skyla had done, though she didn’t let her snow-white wingtips touch the stone beneath her. “It is a privilege and an honor to meet you, Skyla,” she said solemnly.

Skyla’s tears welled up and spilled down her cheeks as she sniffled, fighting desperately to keep a sob from wrenching its way free of her chest. “Th-the privilege and honor are a-all mine, Princess,” she managed to squeak. She bowed her head low and spread her wings wide, this time actually touching her horn to the floor in a show of absolute reverence. “Truly, I am unworthy to be here in your presence, Saint Celestia.” She held her pose longer than she had the others – to show as much respect to this living legend as she could – but to her surprise she heard Celestia chuckle, a sound that drew her horn from the floor and brought her eyes back to the larger alicorn, who smiled down at her from beneath the bangs of her luminous mane.

“Saint Celestia?” she said softly, her lips curving into a smile. “Talk about stuffy names. The Celestia in your world must have a rather big head on her shoulders to ask ponies to call her a Saint.”

“Yes – don’t get any ideas, sister,” said Luna from her position near Cadence, a smile upon her lips, as well. “I may call you many things, but a saint is not one of them.”

Skyla rose to her hooves, her brow furrowed and her eyes still wet with leftover tears. “B-but you are a saint,” she insisted, her words feeling thick and scratchy thanks to the effort she’d used in keeping her crying under control. “Tales of your goodness and virtue are told all through Equestria and even the Crystal Empire! It was your inspirational story that held our countries on course as we went forward without-…”

The words tried to force their way out from between her lips, but at the last possible moment Skyla clamped her teeth onto them and swallowed them whole, cutting her own sentence off. Her lips pressed together into a thin line as Celestia’s gaze narrowed ever so slightly, and Skyla noted that even a minute change to the massive alicorn’s demeanor was enough to make her start to sweat.

“Without what?” asked Celestia, her voice easy and calm. Skyla’s eyes widened and her teeth clenched tighter, holding desperately to the words that sat at the tip of her tongue, begging to be said. You didn’t want to do this right now, Skyla, she reminded herself. You were going to wait until you were talking with Twilight in private before you revealed any crazy information about your home world! Hold on, you idiot..!

As she stared up into the eyes of the Saint of the Sun, however, she knew that she couldn’t lie to her. There was something about Celestia that goaded Skyla towards the truth and, despite her desires to keep things focused at this introduction, the filly knew that she had little choice now. She took a deep, shaking breath before standing up as straight as she could manage. This deserves a proper delivery, at least.

“…without you,” she finished as loudly as she dared. Flurry Heart gasped, and even Celestia looked surprised at the admission.

“Without me?” she repeated. Her lips quirked into a smile again, something that seemed to be a very natural expression for the Princess. “And why would Equestria have to go on without me? Did I retire? Because that would be uncharacteristically lazy of me, despite what Luna might tell you.”

Skyla took another deep breath, her chest tightening against her desire to breathe as the ponies in the room slowly gathered around, including the guard named Flash from the door. Twilight hurried up and took up a spot on Celestia’s right, while Luna took the taller alicorn’s left. Shining Armor and Cadence flanked Twilight and Luna respectively, and Flurry Heart simply strolled up and placed herself right at the hooves of Celestia, her blue eyes as wide as they could possibly be. Flash peaked over Shining Armor’s shoulder, his crested helmet poking up from the side of Shining’s head, and Starlight took up her position to Cadence’s left.

“No, it’s not because you retired,” said Skyla slowly, her wingtips fluttering against her flanks. “It’s… because…” she sighed sharply, “…it’s because you aren’t there.” Skyla brought her eyes back to Celestia’s. “In my world, you are dead, Princess… killed in battle against your sister,” Skyla’s gaze shifted to Luna, “who perished along with you, one thousand years ago.”

Silence greeted her words and, as she watched the faces surrounding her, she saw an incredible myriad of reactions to her news: disbelief, shock, surprise, horror, they all made the rounds and mixed with emotions that Skyla couldn’t even identify as her words sank in, and all of the words in the universe couldn’t have filled the silence that surrounded the group.

“Wow… that sounds terrible,” a previously unheard voice said into the deafening quiet, and as one the group turned to stare at an orange unicorn stallion with soft white markings on his chest and head, who stood on the other side of Starlight Glimmer. The stallion blinked and adjusted his round glasses. “Well it does,” he insisted.

“Oh, also presenting Sunburst,” said Flash, pointing with a hoof at the other stallion. “Sunburst is here too, guys.” Shining Armor let out a coarse sigh and turned a flat-eared glare at the yellow pegasus, who winced and lowered his head in shame. Finally, Twilight gave her head a slow shake, her eyes never leaving Skyla.

“I was going to give us a little more time to talk casually before jumping into the interview process, but I guess this is as good a time as any,” she muttered. She gestured to Sunburst, who hefted a large briefcase in his magic. “Let’s move to a more private room, Skyla. This could take a little bit of time…”

Skyla nodded. “I’m ready to answer any questions you have, Princess Twilight...” her ears flattened against her mane, “…though you probably won’t like the answers to them.”

“Well goodness no,” muttered Celestia. “If I’m dead, I’m not sure that I’ll like this story at all.”

A Quarry of Crystalline Quandaries

“I’ll say we’ve got a few things to discuss,” said Starlight Glimmer, her lips quivering as she tried her best to control a smile. “How about we start with the fact that you basically turned into me in that alternate world, shall we? Can we talk about that for a few minutes?” Twilight sighed and leveled a severe glare at her friend and student, her muzzle scrunched up and her eyes narrow as Starlight snickered into a hoof.

“Starlight, this is no time for snarky comments,” she muttered, but even as she said it she felt her cheeks grow hot. “And no, we are not going to discuss my – er, Queen Twilight’s – choices in that other world. At least, we’re not going to talk about them right now.” She reached out her hoof and pulled all of her notes back to her side of the desk, her eyes sweeping them as she allowed all of the questions she’s resisted asking to flood back into her mind. “I think we need to focus on the questions that brought us all together here today: Who is Skyla, why is she here, and is she a threat in any way?”

Cadence shivered and wrapped her hooves around herself, her long mane draping low over her left eye as she stared into space. “What she described… it was horrible,” she whispered. “Wendigos, war, hatred, division... it sounds like a nightmare.” Shining Armor reached out his right hoof and looped it around his wife, one of his signature easy smiles touching his lips.

“It’s all right, Cady,” he said softly, “she left that all behind. She’s here in our world with us now – so all of that stuff really is just a story that’s she’s telling us.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that, big brother,” grumbled Twilight with a frown, “but that discussion has to wait for a moment. Let’s start with the biggest and most vital question to all of this: who is Skyla?” The purple alicorn raised a hoof and ran it down a page of her notes until she reached the information that she wanted. “According to her, she is the daughter of Cadence and Shining Armor in this other world. Do you think that she’s given us adequate information to prove it?”

“I think that her full name may provide a clue to that,” said Sunburst, breaking his silence for the first time since they’d entered the room. He raised a hoof and adjusted his glasses carefully as every eye turned to him. “The fact that she is named Mia Amata Skylark may indicate that her lineage is, in fact, genuine. If I’m remembering the book I read correctly, the royal family of the Crystal Kingdom does have a long-standing tradition of using a three part naming scheme for foals.” He shrugged, his blue cape shifting and falling off of his left shoulder as he did so. “It’s by no means iron-clad proof, since our very own Princess Flurry Heart was not named using that system, but it does make her story a little easier to believe – from an academic standpoint, at least.”

“But if that’s a long-standing tradition, then it wouldn’t be too hard for a pony to find that written down somewhere and just make up a name that fits that pattern to reinforce her claims,” said Starlight with a roll of her eyes. “There’s literally no evidence to prove that she’s Princess Cadence’s daughter and not some pony who became an alicorn like both of them,” she pointed her right hoof first at Twilight, then at Cadence, “then decided to skip dimensions and come wreak a little havoc in a different universe.”

Princess Celestia let out a sigh and rose to her hooves, her wings rustling against her back as her mane flowed over her shoulder. “For what it’s worth, I don’t believe she was lying,” she said as she stepped away from the group and into the more open part of the room off to Twilight’s left. “She certainly has no more proof than her name and her story, that’s true enough...” The tall alicorn stretched her legs and extended her wings to their full length, a feat that she almost couldn’t accomplish in the small room; she did, however, have just enough room to do it, and after a moment she retracted her wings and turned back towards the group, her left eye hidden by her mane. “But what reason could she have for lying to us at all?”

“Oh, gee, I don’t know – to stay away from ponies who want her back?” Starlight sat back and crossed her hooves over her chest, her ponytail swaying against her neck as she shook her head. “No better way to make a clean getaway from ponies in that world than to generate a little sympathy in this world.”

Celestia frowned irritably at Starlight. “Somepony certainly enjoys playing devil’s advocate,” she muttered, and Twilight winced as Starlight smirked.

“Hey, if that’s what it takes to keep you ponies from being too starry-eyed over this filly, then so be it.” She sighed and turned her gaze to Twilight. “I swear, you alicorns sure are a trusting bunch, aren’t you?”

“That is because we have to be.” Twilight’s eyes shifted from Starlight to Princess Luna, who rose to her hooves and stepped up to stand behind the chair that Skyla had used, her teal eyes soft and sad as she gazed at the empty seat. “My sister and I have lived for countless generations of ponies, Starlight Glimmer, and we will live for countless generations more… and if we were to allow such petty suspicion to cloud our perceptions of any pony we meet, it would taint our spirits and harden our hearts until we were no better than the intolerable tyrants that seem to roam free in Skyla’s world.” She frowned slightly. “I speak from experience,” she finished quietly.

Starlight’s shoulders relaxed, and after a moment she dropped her hooves back to the chair beneath her with a gentle cough. “Well, I guess when you put it that way…”

“Furthermore,” continued Luna, the sadness fading from her eyes as she turned to face the four ponies who were still seated, “as a pony who has seen more than my fair share of duplicity and deceit, I could not detect any falsehood from the little princess… except for once.” Twilight’s eyes widened and she sat forward in her chair, her wings extending with a whoosh.

“And when was that?!”

Luna turned to face Twilight, her mane shifting and sparkling around her face as she locked eyes with the purple princess. “She was not telling us the whole truth about how she found Flurry Heart in this world,” she said coolly. “I do not think that she was lying, but she certainly omitted some of the truth.”

“Well… why would she do that?” muttered Twilight as she relaxed, her wings retracting as she sat back in her chair again. “Why wouldn’t she just tell us everything right now?”

“Perhaps it has something to do with being interrogated in this fashion,” said Luna, and, while her voice did not change in the slightest, Twilight felt her ears droop into her mane beneath the Moon Princess’ gaze. “After all, she was brought to this room and seated before three ponies who are mirrors of her family, two complete strangers, and two living legends from her own world, then asked to remember detailed information from a tumultuous and spiteful time that she would most likely rather forget.” Luna snorted. “I would say that it is a testament to how much she wishes to cooperate that you managed to get as much knowledge as you did.”

“W-well,” stammered Twilight, her right hoof fiddling with a page of her notes, “we didn’t exactly have another choice, did we? I mean, I know I can’t stay in the Kingdom for more than a day right now, and the two of you have a country to run… questioning her like this was the fastest way to gather all the information we needed.”

“At the expense of her comfort and well-being,” quipped Luna, her ears standing up straight as she frowned at Twilight yet again. “Time may be of the essence, Twilight Sparkle, but I must say that-,”

Celestia sighed loudly, stepped forward, and placed her left hoof onto Luna’s right shoulder, her eyes calm and her smile neutral. “Peace, Luna,” she said softly, her gentle words cutting off her sister’s. “Twilight did what she thought was best, and even if it could have been done differently, we still managed to get answers to a lot of our questions thanks to her.” The white alicorn turned and gave Twilight a sympathetic look. “So maybe you should take it easy on her, just this once.”

The blue alicorn stiffened beneath Celestia’s touch, but to her credit Luna took a deep breath and let it out slowly, her body relaxing as she exhaled. She turned her head to her right to meet Celestia’s gaze, and after a moment of eye contact she nodded minutely.

“…you are right, sister,” she said softly, and with a sigh she dropped her gaze to the floor, her ears drooping into her mane. “I apologize,” she said a little louder. “I could sense how scared and nervous she was, and I…”

“You needn’t explain,” said Celestia with a smile. She gave Luna another gentle pat with her hoof before dropping it back to the floor. She nodded towards the other occupants of the room, her mane bobbing around her face as she did. “Please continue everypony.”

Starlight Glimmer’s ears drooped down to nestle against her mane as silence returned, and Twilight shifted uncomfortably in her chair. It seems like this whole situation has everypony on edge, no matter how far away from the actual circumstances they may be, she thought with a clandestine glance at Princess Luna, who had begun staring at Skyla’s empty chair once again. The silence stretched onwards for several long moments until Sunburst cleared his throat and sat forward on his chair.

“So we can take it on fairly good advice that she was not lying – is that what I’m hearing?”

Luna nodded, her eyes never leaving the chair before her. “Indeed. If she was lying, then she is far more gifted at it than any pony I have ever met… and we would never be able to distinguish the truth from her lies.”

Twilight shivered. “Well, let’s hope that she was telling the truth, then. I honestly don’t see a reason why we shouldn’t trust her, Starlight,” she said with a glance at the other mare. “I mean, she’s been nothing but cooperative since we asked her to do this, so I believe we have adequate reason to believe that she is, indeed, who she says she is.” She turned her head and tapped her right hoof on her notes as she allowed her gaze to touch everypony in the room. “Any objections?” Cadence and Shining Armor both shook their heads emphatically, and were quickly joined by Celestia and Luna; Starlight, on the other hoof, let out a sharp sigh and crossed her hooves over her chest once again, her brilliant blue eyes brimming with dissatisfaction.

“I’m still not convinced,” she said quietly, “but I can see I’m overruled, here. Fine, we’ll believe the little world-jumper – for now.” She sighed. “What’s next on the list?”

“The next item would be why she’s here at all,” said Twilight, her hoof sliding down her notes line by line as she went over the information again. “From what we heard today, we can surmise that she came here for one very specific reason: to escape the war that threatened to consume her country. She mentioned that her mother had said that it was her ‘divine right’ to rule both nations…” She shivered, her pinions rustling against her flanks. “And without anypony there to tell her she’s wrong, it sounds like she and Queen Twilight are more or less destined to fight.”

To Twilight’s surprise, Cadence let out a sharp sigh and shook her head, her mane swaying gracefully despite the clipped nature of her movements. “That’s the only part that I just can’t believe,” she said, her voice shaking ever so slightly. “That her mother could throw away her happiness and well being for the sake of some war… it sounds absolutely ludicrous to me.” She glanced at Shining Armor, who gave her a reassuring smile. “We would give up everything we had to make sure Flurry Heart was safe and happy, so how could our other world selves be so selfish?”

Celestia chuckled. “Don’t forget that Twilight, Luna, and I all saw a world where I was the villain, Cadence.” She stepped past Luna and turned her back to the door, presenting her left side to Twilight as she smiled down at the pink alicorn. “Mirror worlds are strange places, and they sometimes might appear nonsensical to us, but you have to remember two things about them: one, that you are not the ponies you see in those worlds, and two, that they have their own unique sets of circumstances that led to their current states.” Her smile wilted just slightly, and Twilight saw a glimmer of sad memories in Celestia’s eyes. “Starswirl and I did a lot of tests with mirror worlds and mirror transportation when I was younger, so I can tell you without reservation that you must remember those two things above all others.” Cadence stared up at her aunt for a long moment, but finally she let out a sigh and managed to give Celestia a smile and a nod.

“You’re right, Aunt Celestia,” she said quietly. “I… I’ll do my best.”

“Be sure that you do,” replied the taller alicorn, her smile rebounding. “You have more than enough to worry about here, on your own side of the mirror.” Twilight frowned as Cadence nodded again, but she held her tongue. Celestia knows what she’s talking about when it comes to mirror worlds, she thought as her gaze flicked back to her former mentor, which is why I’m going to be relying on her for experience in this matter.

“Her story does sound a little suspicious, I’ll grant you that,” said Sunburst as he hopped down from his chair, his cloak shimmering as he paced towards the bookshelf, his eyes unfocused as he lost himself in thought, “but I’d say that she’s given us enough information to validate her world, at least. I mean, she gave us history all the way back to the battle against Nightmare Moon and walked us forward – it would take a pretty long time to think up enough lies to cover all that material.” He tossed a smile at Twilight. “Asking her about Discord was sheer brilliance, Princess – an excellent question for judging if she was lying or remembering.”

Twilight felt her cheeks color slightly at the praise, but before she could respond Starlight Glimmer sat forward on her chair again, her ears perked upright.

“Again, she didn’t give us proof,” the unicorn complained, pointing her right hoof at Sunburst. “She answered Twilight’s questions in a convincing way, sure, but if she had enough time to prepare, it wouldn’t be very hard for her to do just that.” Princess Luna’s eyes blazed and she gave Starlight a withering glare that caused the pink unicorn to sink a little lower in her chair. “O-or we can just believe her, that’s fine too,” squeaked Starlight with a sheepish smile. Princess Luna squinted at her for a long moment, but eventually the nocturnal monarch sighed and turned her gaze back to Twilight.

“So we can all agree on why she came to our world – the escape of her own and the destiny that waits for her there – even if we cannot all agree on what exactly she was fleeing. Would that be an accurate summation?”

Twilight nodded. “I would say so, yes. Does anypony object?” Starlight fidgeted in her chair, but this time she didn’t even try to speak out; instead, she folded her front legs over her chest and slouched a little further down in her seat, her lips pressed into a thin line that Twilight recognized immediately. She’s trying so hard to keep her negative comments to herself, thought the Princess with a gentle smile at her student of seven years. Starlight has changed so much in these past few years, but in some ways she’s still the headstrong mare who fought me to a standstill. “All right, then,” continued Twilight when nopony spoke, “we’ll move on to the final and most important topic of the bunch: does Skyla represent any kind of threat to the Crystal Kingdom or Equestria, either directly or indirectly?”

Cadence turned to look at Shining Armor, who offered his wife a smile and a wink before rising from his own chair, his broad hooves thudding against the carpet in the room so firmly that Twilight was sure that he would have shaken the whole room if they’d been in a normal wooden structure.

“I’ve been keeping an eye on her ever since she got here and having my guards around to attend to her, to make sure that I could answer that very question.” He stepped away from his wife and made sure that he met the eyes of everypony present before continuing, something that made a warm feeling of pride blossom in Twilight’s chest. He’s come a long way since he married Cadence, she thought. He really does seem like royalty, now – so confident and self-assured. “I wanted to see for myself how she was going to act, and what I’ve found, as well as what my guards have seen, seems to indicate one thing.” He paused and Starlight Glimmer sat up in her chair, her eyes wide as she stared at the stallion, but her expectant expression quickly melted into a sour frown as Shining smiled. “She’s just a kid, scared and off in a new world. She hasn’t asked any questions that seem out of the ordinary, and she’s never actively tried to ditch the guards or go off by herself to anywhere she’s not supposed to.” He shrugged. “All in all, she seems to be completely on the level.”

“Did you set ponies to guard her?” asked Celestia carefully, but Shining’s smile didn’t waver as he shook his head.

“No, but yes. See, she told us that her world was completely different from ours, but that the Castle seemed to be pretty much identical – at least as far as she could see. So, I thought that it would be smart to keep a guard around her during most of the day, just to make sure that she found her way around all right and didn’t have any questions about anything.” He stepped over to where Sunburst was standing and nudged the orange stallion with his right elbow, his smile becoming a grin. “Sunburst here was a big help, too. He invited Skyla to attend Flurry’s classes so that she could have a chance to see how things went here, and she seemed to really enjoy that.”

Sunburst blushed and adjusted his glasses. “Oh, I didn’t do anything special,” he muttered, but a smile found its way onto his face despite the denial. Twilight smiled at the scholarly stallion and nodded, her mane bobbing around her face.

“That was a great idea, Sunburst,” she agreed. “It got Skyla involved with Flurry and our world, and that’s the best and fastest way to acclimate a pony to their new surroundings.” Sunburst blushed even more as he nodded to her, and Twilight felt her cheeks grow hotter before she shifted her gaze back to her brother. “So you’d say that she’s not dangerous at all, Shining?”

The stallion’s smile wavered and shrank slightly. “Well… that's correct. Skyla herself isn’t a danger in the least.”

Now Twilight frowned, and she could feel Celestia and Luna do the same even if she couldn’t see it. “And what does that mean?” she pressed, and thankfully Shining Armor didn’t seem interested in playing coy with his opinions. He sighed and straightened his shoulders until he stood at his full height, and Twilight had to admit that he cut a very princely figure.

“I’m not worried about Skyla at all… but I am worried about the world that she’s from.” He gestured towards Twilight with his horn, his chin dipping towards the floor as he did. “Twilight was able to go back and forth between our world and the world of Canterlot High without any trouble whatsoever, and she told me about the world that she and her friends visited that they were able to return from without an issue.” He shook his head slightly. “My only concern for our safety is making sure that whatever portal Skyla used to get here remains closed, or broken, or both. If that were to open back up…” he shuddered, “…well, let’s just say that our kingdom hasn’t been preparing for a war for the past several years. If a warlike alternate version of our nation poured through a mirror into our world… well, I can’t say we’d be in any position to tell them to go home, if you know what I mean.”

“And that’s to say nothing of the danger that the portal itself might pose,” said Sunburst as he stepped forward, his glasses shimmering in the diffused light from the crystals. “Starlight and I took the time to go over every book that I could find in any library I could access, and the information I found wasn’t always good.” He brought his gaze to Cadence and smiled. “We also researched the information you requested us to, Princess, but we’ll have to have that discussion at another time.” Cadence’s ears perked up out of her mane for the first time since Skyla had left, and Twilight was relieved to see a hint of happiness touch her sister-in-law’s face.

“That’s great, Sunburst,” said Cadence with a hesitant smile. “Does that mean that you found something positive?” The orange stallion nodded so emphatically that his glasses bounced on his nose a few times, causing Cadence to giggle softly into her hoof. “Wonderful! We will have to talk later!”

“And just so we're clear about the portal,” said Starlight as she sat up in her chair and waved a hoof in front of her, “from what we can tell, Skyla’s calculations were accurate. She really did get through and close the door behind her, so to speak.” The unicorn dropped her hoof back to her chair and looked to Shining Armor. “We won’t go into details right now, since we still have a lot to discuss on the subject, but I think you’re pretty much in the clear as far as an invading army goes.”

Shining’s smile returned in full force, and he let his ears droop in relief. “Okay… that’s a load off my mind. Thanks, you guys.”

“So, does that conclude our meeting?” Luna’s tone was neutral and calm, but as Twilight turned her gaze back to the blue alicorn, she saw that Luna’s wings were fidgeting against her sides in an uncharacteristic display of impatience. “I believe I’ve been inside this tiny room for far too long and, if this discussion is to go on any longer, I think a recess is in order.”

Twilight glanced at her notes, a smile tugging at her lips. “Um… I believe that wraps up our main discussion,” she said after a moment. “We all agree that Skyla is who she says she is, that she came here to escape a terrible fate in another world, and that she poses no direct or indirect threat to our world.” She brought her eyes back up to the group and offered them a bright smile. “So, I guess that’s meeting adjourned, ponies!”

Luna barely took the time to nod to Twilight before she bolted for the door, every bit of her body language screaming that she needed to be away from everypony for a little while. Her horn lit up and she tugged the door open wide, narrowly missing Sunburst in the process. The Moon Princess disappeared through the door with an agitated flick of her ethereal tail, and she was followed closely by Cadence, who paused only long enough to give Twilight a smile and press her muzzle against her husband before vanishing through the door, as well. Twilight sighed and relaxed back in her chair as Celestia approached the desk, a smile on her lips.

“You did very well today, Twilight,” she said softly. “Though you might work on being in charge of the meeting for next time,” she rolled her eyes, “because things got a little sticky there for a second. Luna is used to being the one in charge of meetings, so when somepony else is running them she tends to get a little… antsy.”

Twilight swallowed and felt herself shrink infinitesimally. “I… I’ll remember that, Princess,” she muttered. “I tried to stay in control of the group, but-,”

“But you had a group of some of the most powerful and ancient ponies known to pony-kind to contend with,” finished Celestia with a wink. “Don’t dwell on it too much. I just thought you might appreciate some constructive criticism.”

“You’re right, I do.” Twilight sat up again and offered Celestia a genuine smile. “Thank you again… and thank you for the books on Starswirl’s mirror research. I wouldn’t feel as confident talking about Skyla’s traveling if I didn’t have the notes and journals that you provided.”

“Think nothing of it, Twilight – it’s the least I could do.” The white alicorn nodded graciously and moved towards the door, her mane flowing behind her. “I do hope that you’ll join us for dinner instead of staying cooped up in here the rest of the night,” she said over her shoulder, her smile saying in no uncertain terms that she didn’t expect Twilight to actually follow her advice.

“I’ll do my best,” offered Twilight with a shrug and a half smile, and Celestia laughed lightly as she exited the room.

Shining Armor and Sunburst, who had spent their time since Twilight had adjourned the meeting whispering to one another in hushed tones, gave each other broad smiles before stepping apart. Shining raised one massive hoof and patted Sunburst firmly on the back with enough force that it almost knocked the smaller stallion’s glasses right off his face.

“Thanks, Sunburst – I’ll pass the info on to Cadence when I see her. We really appreciate all your hard work, you know.”

Sunburst raised a hoof and adjusted his glasses with a modest smile. “I’m just glad that I could help,” he said as Shining put his hoof back to the ground. “And if the two of you have any further questions about it, please don’t hesitate to ask me.”

“You’ve got it.” Shining turned his eyes to Twilight and his smile grew. “You did a great job today, sis! Keep it up and you’ll be leading world summits in no time!”

“And what about you, mister I’m-Suddenly-a-Respectable-Prince?” said Twilight with a scrunch of her muzzle. “You sure sounded confident earlier – how long did you practice that little speech?”

“Practice? That was all off the cuff, little sister,” he winked and turned for the door, “which that means I’ve been practicing every waking moment since three days ago.” He waved with his right front hoof as he exited the room. “Don’t stay in there too late; you have to travel back to Ponyville in the morning, after all!” He turned the corner and vanished from sight, leaving Twilight with Starlight and Sunburst.

From her chair, Starlight’s magic ignited and closed the door a little harder than she needed to, the slam echoing in the small room as she crossed her hooves angrily.

“Gosh, what a great help I was, Twilight,” she said with a frown so deep that it scrunched her muzzle. “I added so much valuable information to the discussion and wasn’t told to just shut up even ooonce…”

“Oh, don’t be that way,” said Twilight as she hopped down from her chair. “I know that Luna and Celestia didn’t appreciate your input, but I did.” She circled the desk and smiled at her friend. “You’re kind of pessimistic sometimes, but that’s just because you try to be cautious about some things that the rest of us take for granted. And you’re getting a lot better at not being suspicious of everypony, but this situation is so strange that I can’t blame you for being a little more cautious than usual.”

Starlight’s expression softened and she sat up a little straighter. “…do you mean it?” she muttered, her eyes shimmering with hope. Twilight giggled lightly and nodded.

“Of course I do. You made us think about things that we might not have thought about, and that’s a good thing.” She offered the unicorn a soft smile that she hoped looked mentor-like. “I do hope that you’ll give Skyla a little more of your trust, though. She’s done nothing to give us any reason to not trust her.”

“Yeah, well, she hasn’t exactly done anything to earn that trust, either,” grumbled Starlight as she slid down from her chair onto her hooves. “But we’ll deal with that at another time.” She nodded towards Sunburst. “We spent a long time poring over those books and journals, and now that the plebeians are gone-,”

“Princess Celestia is not a plebeian,” gasped Twilight, but Starlight just rolled her eyes.

“-we can get down to the real issues at hoof.” Starlight stepped up towards the desk and touched the short stack of papers that Skyla had left behind as Sunburst nodded.

“Yes – the questions that we didn’t want to pose to the others.” He sighed. “Is Skyla’s portal going to destroy our world? And if we figure out that it is, what can be done to stop it?”

Twilight nodded sadly and sighed, her wings drooping just slightly towards the floor. “When we dealt with the mirror world where Celestia was a villain, the Princess said that too much contact between the worlds would cause them to collide, meld, and change things irreparably… or destroy them completely.” She stood up straighter, her eyes determined. “We need to do whatever we can to figure out whether Skyla’s mere presence here could induce such a tragedy.”

Starlight’s eyes remained on the papers as she shifted them around idly. “And if it will?” she asked quietly.

Twilight’s ears drooped to her mane, but she didn’t give voice to the horrible thoughts that sprang into being inside her head. “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” she said aloud. “Now come on, you two – it’s time for a little magic, a lot of math, and a boatload of theoretical physics!”

“Oh joy – somepony please stop the fun,” deadpanned Starlight.

Mixed Feelings and Empty Stomachs

Skyla stepped out of the study and quickly closed the door behind her, her wings shifting anxiously against her flanks as her magic went dark and she took a deep, steadying breath. Well… that was a ton of fun, she though sourly as she stepped away from the door, her ears folding back against her head. I knew that Princess Twilight was going to ask a lot of questions about home and what it was like there, but… she closed her eyes and swallowed in an attempt to remove the acrid taste of bile from the back of her throat. I had no idea that talking about it again would be that… awful.

She swallowed again, hoping against hope that the simple repetition would make her throat feel less like she’d vomited multiple times in quick succession, but as she did her best to chase the awful taste away she noticed a gentle, teasing pressure on the right side of her head, a tickle that caused her lips to curve up into a smile that she knew must have looked very awkward on her dissatisfied features.

“So you were out here listening to everything,” she said softly as voices from within the room behind her began to filter through the door. She let out a soft sigh and turned to her right, her eyes flashing open and focusing on a small credenza that sat between two potted plants near the study’s door. “You might as well come out now – otherwise, who knows who else might find you.” She took a step towards the piece of furniture, but for a long moment nothing but silence answered her verbal challenge; after that moment passed, however, the plant farthest away from Skyla shivered as if it had been bitten by a Wendigo, and from the shadows between it and the credenza stepped Flurry Heart, her eyes narrow and curious.

“…how did you know I was there?” she muttered, her muzzle scrunching as she peered intently at Skyla. “I thought I was hidden pretty well in there…”

“If it makes you feel any better, I couldn’t see you.” Another smile touched Skyla’s lips, but she could feel the weight of her interrogation pulling it down at the corners, keeping it from really blossoming. “I could feel you, though – the brightness of your magic gave you away.”

“But I wasn’t using my magic!” protested Flurry, her muzzle scrunching even further as she glared up at Skyla. “I made sure that I wasn’t, because magic glows and that’ll give you away when you’re hiding!”

Now Skyla chuckled, and the laughter made her feel like the clouds inside of her were parting to let the sun shine on her again. “No, I meant your innate magic,” she said, her smile growing bigger as Flurry’s indignant glare became a frown of curiosity instead.

“My innate magic..?” she mused softly, but even as Skyla opened her mouth to explain further, Flurry’s eyes opened wide and she smiled brightly. “You mentioned something with the Aunt Twilight from your world last night, something about how it felt like she was wearing magic around her like a cloak… is that what you’re talking about?"

Skyla nodded. “That’s right.”

“So I’m wearing a cloak, too?” Flurry Heart’s wings fluffed slightly as she beamed up at Skyla. “That’s so super cool!”

“No… no, Flurry,” giggled Skyla, her smile growing larger every moment she was with the smaller filly, “it’s not like that with everypony. That was just how the Twilight from my world felt.” Flurry’s smile dimmed a little, and Skyla could clearly see the gears in her head turning at full speed. I swear this filly doesn’t even try to hide her inner thoughts, thought Skyla to herself. I’d heard the expression ‘wear your heart on your sleeve’ before, but I’ve never met anypony who actually did it.

“So… you’re saying that it feels different for each different pony?”

Skyla nodded and started down the hallway, leaving the door and the adults who were no doubt discussing her future behind. “It’s really hard to describe sometimes,” she said as Flurry fell into step with her, “because it doesn’t always work with every pony. Like, I could always feel Queen Twilight, and I can feel your Aunt Twilight just fine… though she feels totally different in this world.”

“I’m glad that she does,” muttered Flurry, her ears drooping. “She didn’t sound very nice when you described her to Aunt Twilight.”

Skyla slowly turned her gaze to the smaller pony and raised her eyebrows. “So you were listening through the door,” she said. Flurry Heart’s cheeks colored slightly, but to Skyla’s surprise she smiled sweetly and stuck out her tongue, her eyes squeezing shut with the might of her sassiness.

“What was I supposed to do?” she said as her tongue retreated and her eyes opened again. “You guys all left me behind and I wanted to know what was going on.” She shrugged, her wings bobbing with the motion. “Besides, now you don’t have to try and explain all of that stuff to me from the beginning, right?”

“Well, yes, but…” Skyla’s protests died on her tongue, and with a resigned sigh she shook her head. “I guess I can’t really blame you,” she said after a moment, “because that’s what I would have done, were I in your place.” She smiled at Flurry, and as the younger pony grinned up at her she felt a wave of warmth blanket her heart in a way that she’d not felt before: a happy, sunny sensation that made it feel like all of the bad feelings that she’d had while talking to Twilight and the rest had faded away, and before she could stop herself Skyla raised a hoof to her muzzle and giggled again. “You really are a troublemaker, Flurry Heart,” she laughed.

“Only when I’m bored,” replied Flurry with a mischievous glint in her brilliant blue eyes. Skyla rolled her own eyes and dropped her hoof back to the floor as the two fillies made their way out of the hallway and into one of the many larger rooms in the Crystal Castle. As far as Skyla could tell, this room in particular was just a sitting room, decorated modestly with several couches, tables, and a smattering of low bookshelves, and as they passed through it Flurry Heart took the lead in their walk, stepping up just slightly ahead of Skyla and turning towards the passage on their right. “So tell me more about this whole ‘feeling magic’ thing,” she continued with a glance over her left shoulder. “What do you mean it doesn’t work with everypony?”

The sunlight from the windows in the sitting room faded away as Skyla followed Flurry into the corridor, her brow furrowing as she tried her best to find the words that she’d need. “I mean that I really can’t feel normal unicorns,” she clarified. “Like, if Starlight Glimmer or Sunburst were around and not actively using their magic, I wouldn’t be able to feel them.”

“But if they started using magic?”

“Then I could, yeah.” Skyla sighed. “If a unicorn uses magic around me, it’s like I can… I dunno, see what kind of spell they’re using before they use it, and I can also tell a little about how they intend to use that spell… does that make any sense?”

Flurry Heart shook her head slowly, her shoulder length mane swaying gently across her back and wings. “I’ve never heard of a pony being able to do that before,” she admitted, “but that doesn’t mean that it’s something that ponies can’t do.” She turned a smile back to Skyla, and again the pink alicorn felt a warm blanket wrap around her heart. “I guess if it’s happening to you, it doesn’t need to make sense to me – it just has to make sense to you!”

Now Skyla’s smile shrank slightly, and she let out a sigh that echoed in the hallway as her shoulders slumped. “Only it doesn’t really make sense to me,” she muttered as the pair approached another room. “I don’t really know why it happens, or even how to make it happen – it just kinda does.” Her tail swished behind her as the familiar prickling feeling of irritation settled against the back of her neck. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, it was incredibly useful to be able to sense when my mother was coming, but it didn’t do a lick of good when it came to my father and that made it more dangerous than helpful…”

Flurry’s eyes widened. “So you can feel mommy, too?”

The prickling of irritation solidified along Skyla’s shoulders and caused her to stiffen sharply, inhaling briskly as she did so. The warm blanket around her heart squeezed tighter as it felt like her insides were suddenly caught up in a whirlwind, and it was all she could do to keep a calm face on for Flurry.

“W-well yes, I can,” she muttered after a moment, but as she inhaled to continue her thought Flurry Heart bounced closer to her, their sides bumping as the smaller filly’s tail lashed back and forth with excitement.

“Oh that is so cool!” gushed Flurry, her gaze so open and warm that it halted Skyla’s words on her tongue. “What does mommy’s magic feel like?”

By Saint Celestia’s holy raiment… Skyla swallowed loudly enough that she was sure that Flurry would have been able to hear it if they’d been standing still; thankfully, the clip-clop of their hoofsteps echoing in the hallway around them covered up the guilty sound and allowed Skyla the momentary respite that she desperately needed.

“She… she feels a lot like you,” said Skyla with a smile that she didn’t feel. “And speaking of that, don’t you want to know what your magic feels like?”

Flurry’s face split into a grin so broad that it practically consumed her face, and the smaller pony darted out in front of Skyla to bound happily about in a strange semi-circle that caused her backside to swing out wide while her eyes remained locked on Skyla, and before she knew it Flurry Heart was walking backwards in front of her, tail swishing eagerly.

“Oh please, please tell me what my magic feels like!” she whispered excitedly, her ears perked to full attention as she backed into an intersection of corridors. Without looking, Flurry turned her rump and pointed it down the hallway to Skyla’s left, leading the pair on towards an unknown destination.

At that moment, however, Skyla didn’t care that she was following Flurry Heart’s butt wherever it chose to lead; in fact, she could only breathe a sigh of relief as the topic shifted away from her mother and this world’s Cadence. There’s going to be a time and a place to talk about that… but I’d really rather it not be here or now, she thought.

“Well, you feel kind of… sparkly,” she said as her shoulders relaxed. “Like somepony sprinkled glitter in the air around you and it just kinda stayed there,” her smile returned, “or like tiny ice crystals in bright sunshine. You feel… cool, but happy and bright, and that was easy to pick out against the desk and potted plants.” She shrugged and felt her face grow warm as she glanced away from Flurry’s expectant eyes. “I know that’s not much to go on, but-,”

“That’s amazing!” interrupted Flurry Heart, and Skyla blinked before bringing her gaze back to the smaller pony. To her surprise, Flurry was staring at her with her mouth slightly open, her expression stuck somewhere between wonder and absolute adoration. “I never knew that my magic felt like that,” said Flurry as her hooves slowly clicked away beneath her. Her eyes narrowed suddenly, and her ears flattened against her mane in such a way that Skyla flinched warily away from her as the little alicorn spoke again. “All right, now you have to tell me what everypony else feels like! Aunt Twilight, Great Aunt Celestia and Luna, everypony!” Skyla’s lips twitched into a smile that she knew must look as awkward as it felt, and after a moment’s hesitation she managed to nod.

“A-all right,” she said softly, her wings rustling against her sides, “I think I can do that.” She took another step after the backwards-walking Flurry Heart, a frown touching her face as she tried her best to clear the vestiges of her sudden defensive mindset away. The only pony who ever looked at me that seriously was mother, she thought, and the mere memory of her mother’s stern expression caused her to shiver. Flurry Heart really does look a lot like mother…

The thought hit Skyla deep down inside, in a part of her heart that she couldn’t remember ever feeling before, as she realized that the young filly walking in front of her truly did look remarkably like her mother. Sure, she didn’t have the predominantly pink coat like Skyla did, but the tinge of pink in her wingtips and the way that she looked when she got serious were more than enough to prove Flurry’s lineage, at least as far as Skyla was concerned; and, as they walked together through the next hallway in the Crystal Castle, a single fact slowly blossomed in Skyla’s chest – a thought that made her stomach clench and her wing muscles tighten so quickly that it forced her pinion feathers to clap together audibly.

Flurry Heart frowned and tilted her head to her left, her voluminous bangs falling over her right eye as she did so. “What’s the matter, Skyla? Why’d your wings make that funny pop?”

“O-oh… it’s nothing,” Skyla muttered as her cheeks flushed in embarrassment. “It was just… I was trying to decide who to tell you about first. Do you have somepony besides mo-…” she coughed, “your mother that you’d like to hear about?”

The smaller filly bounced eagerly on her hooves, causing her mane to bounce into complete disarray on her head. “Oh! Oh! Talk about Great Aunt Celestia first!” Flurry grinned brightly as she turned right, her backside leading them further into the Castle. “I bet she feels like the sun – that seems like it would be right.”

“You’d be sort of right,” said Skyla, her face furrowing into a frown of concentration as she tried to think of the right words to describe Princess Celestia through the twitching, strangely giddy emotion that had filled her up thanks to her previous thoughts. “She felt warm like the sun, that’s for sure… but it was such a strange sense of power that I felt off of her, ancient and greater than anything I’ve ever felt before…” She shivered as she thought back to that moment in the throne room when she’d first seen Celestia, and the overwhelming flow of emotions that had filled her then. “It was like looking at the sun through a stained glass window, but all around her… like she was wearing it for a royal robe.” Skyla lifted her right hoof and gestured slowly with it as her eyes lost focus and began staring at the wall just above Flurry’s head. “Her raiment glowed, and she just felt… like a queen. I’ve never met a pony who felt more regal.”

“Not even Queen Twilight?” piped Flurry, and Skyla couldn’t stop herself from laughing sharply.

“If Queen Twilight could feel what I felt, she’d surrender Equestria to Princess Celestia in a second,” she quipped as she brought her eyes back to Flurry. She grinned and made a sharp, horizontal gesture with her hoof before dropping it back to the floor. “Nopony has anything on Princess Celestia.”

“Woooww…” muttered Flurry, her eyes wide as her smile melted into a look of awe. “And what did Great Aunt Luna feel like?” Skyla’s muzzle scrunched into concentration again as Flurry led her into a long corridor that had large windows all along its left side, and this time she could even see other ponies walking its length. A few maids bustled along, their heads close together as they spoke in quiet tones, and a guard stood at attention at the far end, his eyes locked dutifully on the wall across from him despite the pretty maids nearby.

“Princess Luna felt… smaller,” said Skyla finally as Flurry’s rump headed for the guarded door at the end of the hall. “But not physically – magically. It was like Princess Celestia was letting all of her magical might flow around her, like the robe I talked about before,” she gestured with her wings around her, her pinion swooping down her body in a motion she hoped made Flurry think of sweeping royal robes of state, “but Princess Luna felt like she was keeping it all inside.” She sighed and flicked her wings before drawing them back to her sides. “It was like all of her magic was in her eyes, waiting to be called out… so I really can’t tell you what her magic felt like.” Her ears drooped. “Sorry, Flurry Heart.”

The younger filly shook her head and giggled. “Don’t be sorry, Skyla! This gift you have is so amazing, I’m just really glad that you’re telling me about it!” Her wings rose from her back slightly, and her eyes practically glowed with excitement. “Now tell me about Aunt Twilight!”

Skyla smiled in spite of herself, and slowly her ears rose out of her mane as she nodded. “Um… Princess Twilight felt… well… she felt… happy.” She shrugged and chuckled. “I know that’s probably the silliest thing I’ve said all day, but that’s the best way to describe her. She didn’t have a real sparkle to her, like you do, or a mantle of power and authority like Princess Celestia… but there was this aura of warm, happy feelings around her… like you could never really be sad while she was around.” Her smile grew ever so slightly and she sighed. “She was like a crackling fire on a cold evening, or the warmest, fluffiest blanket that you’ve ever felt… and it was so different from Queen Twilight that it was kind of hard to believe that they’re practically the same pony.” Her eyes met Flurry’s gaze, and the same feeling from before teased her heart yet again. “Or maybe it was weird that it came from a pony who looked exactly like another pony who didn’t feel like this pony… ugh, it’s complicated,” she finished with a good-natured grimace.

To her relief, Flurry Heart nodded vigorously. “I totally get that,” she said solemnly. “It’s gotta be weird for you to see ponies like Aunt Twilight who don’t feel anything like you think they should…” Her eyes narrowed, but it wasn’t in the same way that she had before, and as she frowned Skyla was surprised to see sympathy written boldly across the smaller pony’s face. “Can you tell me what mommy feels like?” asked Flurry, her tone soft and unassuming.

Like a collar being tightened around her neck, Skyla felt a wave of panic fill her to the brim at the mention of her mother. A sick, slick taste rose up from her throat and filled her mouth as she tried to find words to say to Flurry, but before she could even begin to organize a sentence, the smaller alicorn shook her head.

“No, never mind – we don’t have to talk about her,” she said gently.

Skyla swallowed against the tension in her throat, her mane swaying as she shook her head. I don’t want her to think that I’m weak, she thought desperately. I need to answer her somehow, even if it’s a lie.

“No, Flurry, I-I can talk about it,” she began, but to her surprise Flurry stopped in her tracks so suddenly that Skyla almost walked into her. She gasped and skittered on her hooves for a moment before taking a step away from the smaller filly, her brow furrowing indignantly. “Why’d you stop like that?” she muttered angrily. “I almost plowed right into you!” She felt the heat of anger rise up in her throat, focused by the invisible collar that squeezed her, but as she opened her mouth to scold the other filly, Flurry Heart plopped herself down onto her rump, reached out with a hoof, and pressed it gently against Skyla’s chest.

“Skyla,” said Flurry softly, looking up so she could meet Skyla’s gaze squarely, “please don’t try to talk about stuff that hurts. We have plenty of time to talk about mommy, and about everything else we might need to talk about someday, so I don’t want you talking about that stuff if it makes you feel bad, inside or outside.” Her lips curved into a tiny frown. “Got it?”

Skyla stared down at the other filly for a long moment, her head swimming as her old conventions clashed with her new. “B-but I,” she started, but Flurry Heart pressed her hoof against Skyla a little more firmly, the hard curve of her hoof digging into the soft flesh of Skyla’s chest just enough to stop the taller filly’s words.

“Nuh-uh,” chided Flurry. “No more right now.”

“But-,”

“Nope. Done.” Flurry shook her head as if that made everything final and dropped her hoof back to the floor. “Besides, we have a much bigger problem to deal with.” She rose to her hooves once again as Skyla frowned.

“Bigger problem… like what?” she asked.

Flurry smirked and turned towards the guard by the door. “Crystal Lance, if you would be so kind,” she said sweetly, gesturing towards the door with her right hoof. The guard at the door gave a single, precise nod and reached out with his left hoof, his muscular leg pushing the swinging door open just slightly.

Skyla frowned, and as a moment ticked past without anything changing she opened her mouth to ask Flurry what made this a bigger problem than what she was dealing with; that, however, was when a waft of warm air from beyond the door hit her squarely in the face, a current that carried with it the unmistakable scent of warm bread. Her eyes widened as the smell filled her head in an instant, and before she could say anything her stomach let out an enormous growl, one so loud that Skyla felt her face flush even hotter than the last time as Flurry Heart let out a giggle.

“We have to deal with getting some lunch!” she laughed. “We only ate a little bit this morning, and you were in that meeting with Twilight and everypony for forever.” The smaller filly bounced once, her eyes sparkling. “Plus, you’ll feel all better if you eat some of Butter Flake’s rolls! He knows just how to make ‘em nice and fluffy and it always makes me feel better!”

The guard, the pony that Flurry had addressed as Crystal Lance, gave a sage nod. “She’s right, you know,” he said in a deep baritone voice.

“Well…” Skyla coughed lightly into her hoof, “I guess I am a little hungry…”

Flurry’s smile filled her with warmth as the smaller filly bounced closer to her and extended her left hoof out towards Skyla. “Then come on – let’s go together!”

Skyla looked down at Flurry’s leg blankly for a moment, but after Flurry gave it an inviting shake the taller filly felt a smile curve her lips. She sighed loudly and extended her right hoof so that it looped through Flurry’s.

“All right,” she conceded, her smile breaking any illusion of disinterest she might have attempted, “let’s go get some lunch… together.” Flurry gave another nod and tugged her along into the kitchen as Crystal Lance held the door open for them, his stoic façade cracked by a smile of his own.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Luna’s magic pulled the door closed behind her, and the slam that echoed through the hallway caused a wave of satisfaction to wash over her despite the tumultuous state of her emotions. The nerve of that mare, she thought vehemently as her magic went dark and she turned to her left in the hallway, her tail swishing angrily behind her as she started away from the study. I cannot believe that the pony whom Twilight Sparkle has taken as her apprentice would have such terrible manners, or such abhorrent lack of respect for the rulers of her land. Her jaw clenched tightly enough that it made her teeth ache, and as she stalked down the hall she could feel all of the frustration that she’d bottled up inside of her rising to the surface; her cheeks flushed, and it felt as though a fire had started behind her eyes as she came to a bank of windows and stopped, her eyes looking out the window while her gaze turned inward.

I truly cannot remember the last time that I was this angry, she thought as she stared unseeing at the city that stretched out below her, her left ear flicking violently in response to her restlessness. I have been irritated by nobles before, certainly, and even vexed by Celestia’s lack of decisiveness about certain affairs of state, but this… The alicorn took a deep breath and held it for a heartbeat before exhaling again, her wings fidgeting at her sides. This is an anger that I was not prepared for. Those other occasions are situations that anypony would grow angry about… but when we were speaking about Skyla, and Starlight Glimmer said the things that she did… The mere memory of Starlight’s blithe words and blasé attitude about Skyla’s plight caused the fire in Luna’s belly to flare up once more, and she felt the muscles in her shoulders tense as her ear flicked again, harder this time. I’ve half a mind to return to the study and give that insolent unicorn an honest piece of my mind!

She simmered for several long moments, her mind playing loosely with the idea that she should, indeed, go back and tell Starlight Glimmer exactly what she could do with her suspicious attitude, but before she could make up her mind she heard the slow, measured cadence of hoofsteps coming from the direction of the study. They were unhurried and casual enough, but Luna stood up a little straighter despite not taking her eyes off of the cityscape below as the hoofsteps approached her, then slowed to a stop.

“Well, that certainly was a fun way to spend a morning,” said Celestia lightly as she stepped up to the windows, the white of her coat glowing at the edge of Luna’s vision. “Although there were a few more surprises than I would have liked… and speaking of surprises, Twilight was quite surprised with how strongly you came on in there, Luna.” The Moon Princess felt more than saw her sister frown. “What’s put a burr under your saddle?”

Luna snorted. “Do you truly need me to explain my position to you, Celestia?” she said quietly. She shifted on her hooves, her tail swishing behind her legs once as she tried to cool the flames inside her. “Do you honestly need an explanation of why I do not and cannot support the blind distrust of a filly like Skyla?” She wrenched her eyes from the city below her and turned them to her sister, who met her gaze without batting an eyelash. “Can you not understand my anger and frustration at watching a mare like Starlight Glimmer simply shrug her shoulders and present wild theory after wild theory as to how Skyla could be lying to us all, instead of accepting her story with a smile of goodwill?”

Celestia shook her head. “Quite the contrary, actually – I can totally understand your frustration as far as that is concerned.” She offered Luna a soft smile. “But you need to understand that Starlight Glimmer was trying to help just as much as everypony else was… even if she had a bit of an unfortunate way of doing it.”

“That is the understatement of the century,” huffed Luna, her muzzle scrunching. “She was rude and loud and outspoken and only showed some decorum when I glared at her.” Celestia’s smile grew and she brought her right hoof up to cover it demurely.

“Yes… that sounds quite a lot like you when we were younger,” she said, her eyes shimmering with mirth in the early afternoon sunlight. Luna’s eyes widened as a jolt of disbelieving shock ran through her whole body, but before she could give voice to the very unkind things she wanted to say to Celestia, her sister’s hoof darted forward to forestall her. “But that’s not the issue here: the issue is that Starlight put forth some very important ideas that the rest of us would not have thought of. In fact, it’s exactly as she put it.” She dropped her hoof back to the ground and she shook her head, her smile taking on an edge of sad acceptance. “The two of us trust everypony readily, almost to the point of carelessness. She was simply doing what she felt was right in the situation: being cautious and prudent.”

Luna frowned. “But she-,”

“Yes, she was quite rude about how she said it,” interjected Celestia, “but we both know that sometimes we have to look past how a pony says something to see the value of what they were saying. And, perhaps more importantly, we both know the value of an opinion that runs contrary to our own. It allows us to see more than one point of view, and that makes for better decisions.” She took a step forward and placed her right hoof onto Luna’s left shoulder, her eyes meeting Luna’s once more. “I know that Skyla reminds you of yourself,” she whispered, “and I understand why you’re so angry about Starlight’s words… but we have to put these things aside if we’re going to help Skyla.”

Luna frowned, but even as she did so she knew that her heart was no longer in it. “Yes… you’re right,” she admitted after a moment, her ears drooping into her flowing mane as the flame of anger sputtered and faded inside her chest. “This whole situation… it reminds me of when I returned to Equestria after being Nightmare Moon.” Her chin dipped towards the floor as she lowered her head in shame. “The fear and distrust that other ponies had for me… the struggles of trying to adjust to a brand new world… it all seems so fresh for me, despite being almost a decade past...” She sighed and brought her head back up so that she could meet Celestia’s gaze once more, her jaw set in determination. “I want to help this filly, Celestia,” she said after a moment. “I want to help her in any way that I possibly can…” she sighed and managed to smile up at her sister, the edges of it quivering, “…because I want her to have somepony to be there for her, as you were for me.”

Now Celestia’s smile returned full-force, and she dropped her hoof back to the floor before stepping forward and laying her neck across Luna’s, their ornate chest pieces clicking together gently as she did so.

“I think she’d really like that,” she whispered. “And I know that everypony would appreciate your help.” Luna let out a sharp sigh and nodded against Celestia’s graceful neck, her eyes hot and stinging as she leaned heavily against the taller alicorn. The moon take you, Celestia, thought Luna wryly. Somehow, you always know exactly what to say and what to do… I truly don’t understand how you manage it every single time. She took a deep, steady breath in before letting it out slowly and stepping back from her sister, her eyes red but determined; before she could speak, however, Celestia arched a stern eyebrow at her. “So does that mean that you lashed out at Twilight because you were irritated with Starlight..?” she mused, her eyes narrowing at Luna suspiciously.

The Moon Princess’ eyes widened, and she felt her cheeks flush so hot that she was certain that she must be glowing like a full moon. “W-well, I…” she stammered, but a giggle from Celestia cut her off.

“All right, no need to explain,” the white alicorn said with a wink and a wave of her hoof. “But you might consider apologizing to Twilight the next time you see her. She takes your criticism to heart, you know.”

The Moon Princess sighed and nodded before shifting to her right and starting down the hall, her hooves moving almost of their own accord. “You’re right… I’ll be certain to do that.” She glanced at Celestia and offered her a sincere smile. “Shall we attempt to seek out lunch? I’m certain that Cadence and Shining Armor will have something prepared for us.”

Celestia nodded emphatically and fell into step with Luna, their shoes clicking smartly on the crystal beneath them as they headed back the way they’d come. “Oh, please, let’s do that,” Celestia said softly. “I’m afraid that all that talk about parallel worlds and whatnot just about wore me out.”

They moved down the hallway together and passed the door to the study, where Luna could hear the voices of Twilight Sparkle, Sunburst, and Starlight Glimmer speaking alternately. Her eyes followed it as they hurried by, and with a sigh she turned her gaze back to Celestia.

“Tell me truthfully, Celestia – do you believe that Skyla may be dangerous?” she asked carefully. “You studied many various worlds and portals with Starswirl while I was gone… did any of your research indicate that ponies like Skyla may be poisonous to our world?”

The white alicorn’s smile melted away, and as the pair walked she stared at the wall far ahead of them for several long moments. The silence stretched on for so long, in fact, that Luna was just about to cough and change the subject when Celestia finally spoke.

“I don’t believe for a moment that her presence here will damage our world,” she admitted softly. “However, I’m going to place my trust in Twilight for the real answer to that question. She’s brilliant, and she’ll be able to give us a reliable answer now that she has all of Starswirl’s notes on the subject.”

Luna nodded. “And what of her own world?” she muttered. “It did not sound as if it was a very happy place…” She sighed. “What do we do if somepony from that world tries to follow her here?”

Now Celestia’s eyes became as hard as diamonds, and when she met Luna’s gaze the Moon Princess was taken aback at the look on her sister’s face. “I would feel nothing but pity for anypony who came to this world looking for trouble,” she said, her voice quiet, “because while that world may have forgotten our power, we are still here to protect this world.” She offered Luna a smile and a nod, her eyes burning with righteous fury. “And if somepony came here with anything but the noblest of intentions, they would quickly learn why our enemies feared us.”

Luna felt a surge of determination at her sister’s words, and she couldn’t help but give Celestia a steely grin. “I couldn’t have said it better myself, sister.”

Moonrise

“All right, first things first.” Twilight Sparkle turned towards Sunburst and pointed to the papers on her desk with her right hoof. “Sunburst, take a look at the list of books that Skyla gave us. Are any of those familiar to you? Do those books actually exist here?” The orange and white stallion nodded and hurried over to the chair at the desk, his eyes riveted to the copious amount of notes that Twilight had taken. He hopped up into the seat and took a quick look at the list, which Twilight had left out on the top of her pile before she’d stepped out from behind the desk herself. Silence fell in the room as he read and, in spite of her gut instincts telling her the opposite, Twilight couldn’t help but feel a surge of hope as he did so. If Sunburst recognizes the title from even one of these books, we’ll have a common thread to start stringing dimensional correlations together with, she thought with a smile that barely turned the corners of her lips upward. That will definitely make it easier to see what kind of trans-universal relationship we’re dealing with.

“Well,” he murmured, his brow furrowing as his aqua eyes darted back and forth behind his glasses, “the bad news is that I’ve never seen these exact titles anywhere before.” He sighed and sat back in the chair, his right hoof rising and pushing his glasses up his muzzle as he shifted his gaze to Twilight. “I’m sorry, Princess, but it looks like these books are native only to Skyla’s dimension.” Twilight’s smile died and became a small frown, but it was Starlight who voiced the obvious question that Sunburst had left hanging in the room.

“All right then,” she said as she approached the desk and stopped next to Twilight, “so if that’s the bad news, then what’s the good news?” She frowned deeply at the stallion, the curl in her mane bobbing as if to more clearly express the tense displeasure that Twilight could see coursing through her student’s whole body. Sunburst chuckled and waved his right hoof as casually as he could.

“Ah, yes – the good news… right.” He cleared his throat and pointed to the list again. “The good news is that, while I don’t recognize the exact titles of these books, I can extrapolate from Skyla’s method of travel here that each of these books is about the subject of travel through space and time. Using that, I can say that these books are almost certainly here in this world, just under slightly different names.” His horn lit up and he grabbed Twilight’s quill up from the desk, his golden magic pressing it against the paper where it began to scribble noisily. “The Theory of Temporal Dissonance matches almost perfectly with ‘The Complete Theories of Temporal Dissonance’, for instance – one of Starswirl’s main treatises on how to mathematically predict the seemingly random and chaotic nature of time travel.” He frowned as the quill scribbled faster, a smile touching his lips as his eyes lost focus. “The Principles of Space-Time Equilibrium is almost certainly ‘The Principles of the Space-Time Equilibrium and How to Maintain It’, a small book that, if I’m correct, was written when he and Princess Celestia made their discoveries about the mirror world into which she had traveled often. You know, the one you gave me about our universe colliding with another and the untold damage that it might do?”

Twilight winced as she nodded. “Uh, yeah – I remember that one pretty well,” she murmured, her ears drooping almost to her mane. It would have been super helpful if I’d read it before we traveled to that mirror world, but I suppose it’s better late than never. Sunburst’s smile grew at her words, despite his eyes remaining glued to the paper in front of him.

“Good – that’ll make things easier as we go forward.” He sat forward again and placed both his hooves onto the desk. “Alternate Worlds and You: A Reference Guide is probably ‘A Beginners Guide to Alternate Worlds’, and Gravitational Waves and Temporal Anomalies sounds like a book that would be very similar to Starswirl’s ‘Gravity Waves and Temporal Abnormalities: Don’t Try This at Home’.” His quill slowed to a stop, and after a moment he raised his eyes to look at Twilight, his brow knitted into a look of concern. “Starswirl was… a very strange pony, wasn’t he?” he asked. “I mean, I guess it never really hit me until I was reading them out loud, but the titles of some of these books are unbelievably awkward and just weird…”

“Yeah, he was pretty much the kookiest crack pot in the whole of ancient Canterlot,” said Starlight with a knowing look at Twilight. “But you really can’t argue with his genius – I’m sure that’s why Celestia put up with his nonsense for so long.” Twilight sighed heavily, but after a moment she nodded.

“Yeah, Starswirl was pretty weird,” she admitted, though a part of her that lay deep inside her heart – the part that had practically worshipped Starswirl when she was still a student – made sad, sobbing noises at the acknowledgment. “Celestia told me a lot about him after the mirror incident, and, while it wasn’t always easy to hear, I have to admit that he was an eccentric weirdo.” She winced as Sunburst’s gaze dropped back to the paper and his quill began to move once more. “Ugh, it still feels so wrong to call him that out loud…”

Starlight chuckled under her breath and touched Twilight’s left shoulder with her right hoof. “I said it didn’t make him any less brilliant, didn’t I?” she muttered. “Don’t get your pinion feathers in a twist, Twilight…” The Princess smiled apologetically and sighed again. She’s right, of course, she told herself, Starswirl’s oddities don’t make him any less of the influential figure that he was. And I guess I really should have known, considering he wore a cloak and hat covered in bells all the time… that is pretty weird. She gave her head a small shake and turned her attention back to Sunburst, who smiled lightly at her before speaking.

“The next book was titled How to Punch a Hole in Space, which is conveniently titled ‘How to Safely Punch a Hole in Space’ in our world.” He chuckled. “An important distinction in the methodology, I feel… and the last one was Connecting Everywhere: Mirrors as Travel.” He raised his head and squinted at the ceiling, his mouth pursed. “Hmmm… the only other book that I can think of that Starswirl wrote that mentioned a mirror is ‘Portal Mirrors and You: The Cake is Not a Lie, it’s just in Another Dimension’.” He nodded and looked back to the paper, where his quill scribbled out the last few words of the title. “Now, I should point out that these are simply educated guesses on my part,” he said, turning his gaze back to Twilight and Starlight, “but they’re a good place to start looking for more conclusive information.”

Twilight frowned. “I thought you two spent all day yesterday going through every book you could find about parallel worlds.”

“We did,” Starlight said, “and what we found always came back to the same thing: that how a pony got into whatever world they did was just as important as their presence there. In other words…”

“…we need more information about how Skyla got here to determine whether or not her presence is harmful,” finished Sunburst, his magic going dark as he set the quill back to the desk. “I can remember a lot about these books, but me just talking about them isn’t going to get us anywhere conclusive. For Celestia’s sake, even I’ll admit that I can’t remember everything that’s in these books, so our first stop is getting these books and researching the how of Skyla’s journey. It’s the only thing that’s going to connect the dots from her world to ours. Plus, it’ll give us all a chance to brush up on our trans-dimensional physics as they relate to the multiverse.” He hopped down from the desk and hurried to the door, his blue starred cape fluttering around his hooves as he did. “I’ll go straight to the royal library – I’ve spent a lot of time in there and I know that they have the Portal Mirrors and the Gravity Waves books. I also have Complete Theories and Space-Time Equilibrium at home, so I’ll grab those, as well. Meet you back here in an hour or so!” The door flashed open and Sunburst was gone, his tail flicking eagerly as he exited the room. Twilight blinked and gave her head a small shake before turning back to Starlight.

“W-well… I guess that’s that,” she murmured. “I suppose we should try to find the other two books.”

Starlight nodded and turned towards the door, a smile touching her face. “I think I saw a copy of How to Safely Punch a Hole in Space at the public library in town, so I’ll head over there.” Her magic grasped the doorknob as she threw a glance at Twilight. “Don’t you have a copy of Beginner’s Guide to Alternate Worlds in your library back home?” she asked.

Twilight blinked. “Um… as a matter of fact, yeah, I think I do.” She felt a surge of excitement that made the hair at the base of her neck stand on end as she turned towards Starlight, her ears standing straight up as she grinned. “I’ll send Spike a quick letter and see if he can send it to me. I knew it was a good idea to leave him at the library, just in case!” She giggled in spite of herself. “This is going to be just like studying for exams back when I was a filly!”

At the door Starlight rolled her eyes, though it did nothing to dim the smile on her lips. “All right, calm down there, teacher’s pet,” she said lightly. “We have a little more riding on this study session than just a grade, so try to stay focused.” She opened the door and darted out without another word, though Twilight noticed that Starlight’s hoofsteps were a little lighter than they had been before. It’s good to know that I’m not the only one of us that likes studying, she thought with a knowing smirk.

“But that’s not what I need to be thinking about right now,” she said aloud to herself, her wings rustling as she stood up straighter. “I’ve got to get a letter to Spike so he can send me that book!” She hurried around the desk and snatched the quill up with her magic, her heart pounding in her ears. Starlight was right about one thing, though, she thought as she began to write, and that’s the fact that this could be the most important study session of our lives so far. After all, our entire world could hang in the balance. “Dear Spike,” she began, her lips curving into an even bigger smile, “I know that you wanted to come with me, but it’s a really good thing you didn’t. I need you to do something for me…”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The sun slowly sank over the Crystal Kingdom as a day full of excitement and emotion came to a close, and, as the sky began to grow dark in the east, the last light of day ignited the crystalline structure of the Castle and caused it to dance with brilliant slivers of orange, red, and yellow as the sun slowly sank in the sky. The myriad of colors shifted and twinkled as if the whole building had simply burst into a pillar of frozen flame, and, as Skyla slowly made her way towards the highest point on the Castle, she couldn’t help but feel like she was being lifted along towards her destination by its prismatic tongues of fire. It was a thought that stuck in her head and would not leave her, which filled her climb towards the pinnacle of the Crystal Castle with thoughts that were quite a bit grimmer than she would have liked. Her hooves clicked gently along the stairs as she climbed, her heart pounding in her ears as she watched the smooth crystal walls slide past her on her right.

I wonder what Luna wants to talk to me about, she thought for what must have been the ten millionth time, her wings rustling against her sides. She said when we met in the kitchens today that she wanted to speak to me, and to meet her at the top of the castle at sunset… The memory of her meeting with the Moon Princess burst against her mind, and for a split second she was back in the castle’s kitchen, looking up into Princess Luna’s cool, unreadable eyes. In spite of the warmth that hung on her body from the steady climb, Skyla shivered as her gaze returned from her reverie and refocused on the steps before her. She didn’t sound angry or anything, she thought with a gentle shake of her head, but she didn’t exactly sound happy, either… uuugh, this place can be so confusing! Skyla’s nose wrinkled slightly as a feeling she recognized as irritation pricked at the back of her mind.

Back home in the Crystal Empire, it wasn’t hard to figure out what other ponies wanted from you when they talked to you, she thought as she continued her climb, her mane bobbing around her face as she did. It never took me long to figure out a pony’s real intent when they asked me to talk to them, or when they asked my mother or father for something… but here? She snorted. I feel like everything I learned there is useless. I can’t tell what the ponies here are thinking at all…

Her ears drooped against her mane and she leaned to her left slightly, her right wing extending for counterbalance as she turned her gaze upwards towards the ceiling that still felt impossibly high above her. The center of the staircase was open instead of having a central pillar for the stairs to connect to in addition to the wall, and it was almost wide enough that Skyla had considered simply flying up the middle of the spire to get to the roof. Almost.

She sighed and leaned back to her right, pulling her wing back in tight against her as she lifted her hoof to the next step. I guess I’ll just have to keep trying, she thought as she climbed, a look of determination sliding onto her features as her hooves clicked solemnly in the empty space around her. It might be hard, but that doesn’t mean that I should give up. In fact, it just means that I should try even harder to figure this out. She nodded firmly, her mouth curving downward into a serious, no-nonsense frown. I never let something being hard from stopping me before, and I can’t start now – especially now that I’m here. I’ve got to show everypony that I can do it because…

Her thoughts faltered as she suddenly reached the top of the stairs, her internal workings grinding to a halt as she took her first steps onto the high landing. She blinked at the broad expanse of crystal that curved gently around the interior of the tower and, as she realized where she was, all of the nervousness that she’d felt in the kitchen earlier came flooding back into her, chasing her previous thoughts away in a wave of heat to her cheeks and a feeling in her stomach that was so sickly sweet she was sure she would vomit. Nooo, no you don’t, Skyla, she thought frantically, don’t you even think about throwing up here!

Skyla took a deep breath and hurried to the edge of the landing, where a low wall topped with a thin, decorative silver railing kept ponies from simply careening into the open space beyond the door to the roof. She reared up and placed her hooves onto the wall, her insides flip-flopping around even more than the time when she’d tried some of the alchemical ingredients that she’d found in the castle back home. I had to take a pretty serious antidote for that, she reflected weakly as she exhaled, her wings shaking against her back, but unless the sweet rolls and salad I had with Flurry were poisoned, there’s not going to be an antidote for this… so I have to get a grip.

Her muzzle scrunched in determination and her nostrils flared as she inhaled with purpose, filling her lungs with a warm, fresh breath of air that she held for a moment before exhaling out through her mouth, her eyes locked on the wall across from her. Just take it easy, she thought, inhaling again. This isn’t like being summoned by mother. This is somepony completely different: somepony who has been nothing but nice to you since you met her this morning, and somepony who doesn’t deserve to see this reaction and think that it’s directed at her! The thought that Luna would be able to see her discomfort filled the filly with a cold sensation that washed over her from ears to tail, causing a shiver to run down her spine as she exhaled. Don’t worry about that right now, Skyla – just worry about breathing. Just breathe in, then out… in, then out…

Finally, after what seemed to Skyla like an hour of standing on her rear hooves, her stomach settled into something that felt a lot more natural than it had before, though it was still far from feeling normal again. The bile in the back of her throat receded, and she chased it down with one last deep breath and a firm, audible swallow. There, she thought as she closed her eyes, that ought to do it. Now I can go out there and talk to Luna about whatever she needs to talk about, and I’ll be perfectly under control. She nodded and dropped back to all four hooves, her lips pressing into a thin line as she turned to face the door behind her. Perfectly under control, she repeated firmly to herself, but no matter how insistently she repeated it she could not keep her wings from shaking ever so slightly.

“Well, at least I don’t feel like throwing up any more,” she muttered under her breath. She sighed sharply and lit her horn up with magic, the aqua light filling the small area around her as she grasped the doorknob and gave it a twist.

The highest point on the Crystal Castle that could be accessed from the inside was a balcony that encircled the tip of the spire a mere dozen or so feet from where the castle actually ended, and it afforded ponies the best view of their city that could be had without flying over it. It was perhaps ten feet wide and had a wall around its edge very similar to the wall around the landing inside, but instead of being a solid piece of stone, this outside wall was ornately carved into delicate snowflakes and swirls of crystal, leaving plenty of space between them to see out into the city. It wasn’t a place that Skyla had been many times in her life and not somewhere that she was terribly familiar with, but as she pushed the door open and stepped out onto the smooth stone she felt her wings shift away from her body ever so slightly, as if they longed for nothing more than to spread and fly her away into the darkening sky, never to be seen again.

That’s old junk getting kicked up, she thought with a frown as she shut the door behind her. The last time I was up here was with father, just as things were getting worse with Queen Twilight… and I really did consider leaping off the edge and just disappearing into the northern wastes. She snorted softly as an evening breeze tousled her curly mane, tossing a few stray locks into her face. Of course, that would have meant leaving my research and the mirror behind… so I made my decision. She brushed her mane away from her eyes and turned to her left, where the setting sun was blazing against the horizon and coloring the world in shades of orange, its light dancing across the city as if it hated to leave the buildings and citizens behind. I questioned that decision every single day… until I made it here.

“I’m glad that you were able to make it,” said a voice from behind her, and, in spite of knowing that another pony was waiting for her, Skyla leaped a foot into the air before rounding on the speaker, her ears pressed firmly into her mane as she did her best not to glare at Princess Luna.

“I… I apologize if I’m late, Your Highness,” she said breathlessly, her heart pounding in her ears yet again as she sketched a quick bow. “It took me longer than I remembered to make it up the stairs, so I ended up being a little late…” She winced and focused her eyes on the other alicorn’s silver clad hooves. “Please, forgive me.”

The gentle wind swirled around her, teasing her tail and wing feathers in a way that seemed to perfectly embody the soft laughter that she heard from Princess Luna, a sound that drew Skyla’s eyes back to the Princess’ face. The dark blue alicorn stood on the eastern side of the balcony, silhouetted against the gathering night in her very own patch of shadow that was provided by the central spire of the castle itself, and as Skyla’s gaze met Luna’s she saw a very different face than the one she’d seen in the kitchen earlier.

Now, Luna’s eyes weren’t cool and devoid of emotion at all; instead, they sparkled like the sea beneath the stars, and her smile was as warm as a summer’s night as she took a step towards Skyla, her mane floating effortlessly behind her as zephyrs played around her.

“There is no forgiveness to be had, Skyla,” she said softly. “I’m just glad that you’re here.”

Skyla felt herself blush at the intensity of Luna’s gaze and, before she could stop herself, she shifted nervously on her hooves. “It’s my pleasure, Princess,” she replied formally, her throat tightening beneath Luna’s insistent gaze, “though I am wondering why you called me up here, if you’ll forgive my impertinence at asking.” The Princess of the Night blinked in surprise, and after a moment she laughed a little louder than before, the sound warming Skyla’s heart like the gentle calling of a dove.

“It’s so strange to hear a pony of your age speaking thusly,” Luna said, her smile growing. “And after I have expended so much time and effort in erasing the vestiges of yesteryear from my speech, too.” She stepped forward, her expression soft. “I fear that around my sister and her protégé I am often more on my guard than I would like, but that cannot be helped, I fear. Please, allow me to introduce myself once more.” She extended her hoof towards Skyla, pad down. “I am Luna, the Princess of the Moon and the Night. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, and please – call me Luna, at least when it’s just the two of us.”

Skyla blinked at Luna’s hoof, her mind cart-wheeling for several long seconds before she, too, extended her hoof, turned it pad up, and touched it gently to the other alicorn’s. “A pleasure to meet you, Pr- Luna,” she stammered, her eyes wide as Luna shook her hoof. “My name’s Skyla, and you can call me… well…” her ears nestled into her mane, “…Skyla’s fine,” she finished lamely, her cheeks coloring. Luna laughed again, her smile bright and happy as she withdrew her hoof.

“Please, relax,” she said with a tilt of her head. “I only called you up here tonight to get to know you a little better, Skyla – nothing more. You needn’t feel cornered or threatened.” Luna took a step back and turned her body towards the railing, her eyes never leaving Skyla. “You may leave if you feel uncomfortable, but if you would like to stay, I would greatly enjoy it if you would join me over here.” She offered Skyla one last smile before turning her gaze to the dark skies of the east, her expression soft and calm.

To her surprise, Skyla felt a weight lift off of her shoulders at Luna’s choice – a weight she hadn’t realized was there in the first place. She said that I can leave if I want to, she thought, her brow furrowing. Does she mean it..? Am I free to go if I please? She shifted on her hooves again, her heart quivering in her chest as she watched the blue alicorn. If this had been an audience with her mother, Skyla would have been given the mere illusion of choice and her mother’s body language alone would have been enough to convey how much trouble she would be in if she chose anything but what Princess Amore wanted. This, however, was different, more different than Skyla knew how to handle. Luna had genuinely offered her a choice – stay or go – and she was quietly standing off to the side, waiting to see which Skyla chose. Skyla’s eyes narrowed, but try as she might she couldn’t seem to make herself suspicious of the pony who shared the balcony with her. She really wants me to choose this for myself… She licked her lips nervously, her options running rapidly through her mind. In the end, however, there truly was only one proper choice to be made.

Skyla took a deep breath and hurried to stand on Luna’s left side, her wings shivering and her ears laid flat against her mane as she lifted her right hoof and placed it onto the railing.

“I think I’ll stay,” she said with a smile, and she knew immediately that she’d made the right choice. Luna’s eyes lit up as brilliantly as a full moon, and her smile was so big that it made Skyla feel like crying, though she didn’t really know why.

“I’m… I’m very happy that you decided to do so,” whispered Luna with a nod. “I was hoping that you would.” She turned her eyes back to the sky, and Skyla let her hoof fall back to the stone beneath them.

“So… what did you want to talk to me about? You said that there was something specifically.”

“Ah, yes, of course.” Luna cleared her throat loudly before speaking again. “I simply wished to talk to you about the recent events here in the Crystal Kingdom.” Her wings rustled against her sides and she shifted on her hooves, her eyes still gazing out at the twilight sky. “Have you been comfortable while you’ve been here? Are Shining Armor and Cadence showing you kindness?”

Skyla nodded. “They’ve been very kind to me, despite me dropping in on them completely unannounced and beyond unexpectedly.” She snorted a laugh in a way that her mother had hated. “I’d say that they’ve been kinder than I deserve, considering that I showed up saying that I was their daughter from another world… that’d be hard for anypony to process, much less accept.” Her ears drooped slightly. “Though… it’s kind of hard to separate them from my real parents,” she admitted softly, the evening breeze teasing her hair again. “They look exactly like them… but they’re nicer, better versions of them… ugh, it’s so complicated…” She winced, but when she looked back to Luna, the taller alicorn just nodded sagely.

“Very much like what Celestia said,” she agreed. “My sister told me of her travels through portal mirrors when she was younger, and she mentioned meeting another me in the universe that was ruled by a good version of King Sombra.” Her smile became sad, but her words stayed light and casual. “She said that she was so relieved to see ‘me’ again that she let herself begin to grow accustomed to this other Luna being her sister… and even though she knew that she was not me, Celestia reveled in the time she got to spend with her.” She sighed and shook her head. “Of course, she also confided to me that the time she spent with this other Luna made her feel my absence more keenly, as if it had just happened all over again.” She turned her head and met Skyla’s gaze again, her smile full of understanding. “It is a complicated subject, so do not fear calling it such.”

Skyla’s ears slowly perked back up, and she felt herself standing up a little straighter than before. “Yeah… it is,” she agreed. “But everypony here has been so nice to me that it hasn't been hard to remember that this isn’t my home. That much has been easy.”

Luna frowned, but when she spoke again her tone was light. “Well, it’s a relief to hear that you’re being treated with the utmost care and kindness, at least from Cadence and Shining Armor,” she said with a nod. “In fact, I would like to ensure that you continue to be treated thusly…” she shifted on her hooves again, her tail swishing against her legs. “And to that end, I would like to request something of you, Skyla.” She turned her head from the railing and met Skyla’s gaze again, her ears still pressed against her mane. “I… I would like you to tell me how your time here is progressing,” she said after a moment, her words coming stiffly as if she were trying her best to put them together and they simply weren’t meshing the way she wanted them to. “You can send me letters – I’ll make sure that you can send them to me without any problems – so I’ll know how you are doing. And you can tell me if anything is wrong or if you’d like me to help you with something… or…” Her words trailed off, and perhaps it was a trick of the dying sunlight, but Skyla could have sworn that Luna blushed before turning her eyes back to the dark sky above them. “I… I guess what I am trying desperately to say is… will you let me help you with anything you might need? I know that you have Cadence and Shining Armor, as well as Sunburst to help you, but I...” She sighed sharply and returned her gaze to Skyla. “I want you to know that if you need me, I will be there for you. No matter how great or small the problem, I wish to help you, Skyla… if you’ll have me.”

The hairs at the base of Skyla’s neck rose as goosebumps prickled her skin, and her ears began to ring as she stared up into the eyes of a pony who she’d only heard of in legends up until a week ago. She… she wants to be my friend, she thought. Or my guardian… one or the other, I’m really not quite sure, but… That was as far as her thoughts went, because as soon as she realized what Luna was trying to say her smile returned with renewed vigor, exploding onto her face so forcefully that she could feel her cheeks begin to hurt immediately.

“Y-yes, Luna!” she managed to squeak. “I… I’d love to write letters to you! I’ll tell you about everything that’s going on while I’m here – I promise!” She felt her whole body start to shake, from her hooves to her horn, and before she could stop herself she darted forward and threw her neck across Luna’s in a hug, her heart swelling in her chest until she thought it would burst. “I promise to write you as much as I can,” she whispered, tears pricking at the corners of her eyes and filling her face with heat. Somewhere inside of her, the part of her that knew she was hugging a foreign princess like she was her best friend screamed in agony, certain that Luna would be angry with her and chastise her for her behavior; that part of her was silenced, however, when she felt Luna’s left wing wrap tightly around her as the taller alicorn leaned into the hug, her coat soft and cool against Skyla’s flushed cheeks.

“I’m glad to hear that,” whispered Luna, her voice hoarse and thick. “I want to help you as much as I can while you are here, Skyla… and I’m glad that you are willing to let me.” She held Skyla tightly for several long moments, but sooner than Skyla would have liked the Moon Princess withdrew her wing and stood up straight once again, signaling to Skyla that she should do the same. Reluctantly, Skyla lifted her head and stepped back, her cheeks damp with tears as she looked up at Luna.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, and with an inward wince she realized that she sounded more than a little bit selfish. That’s right – guilt-trip the Moon Princess, Skyla. That’s a great plan… To her relief, Luna offered her a smile and stepped back to the railing.

“There was one other reason that I asked you to come up here tonight,” she admitted softly. “It’s not something that I do in front of other ponies, but I thought that if you’re going to rely on me and trust me with your secrets and life, then I had best do the same.” She turned her body to face the eastern sky, casting one last glance over her shoulder at Skyla. “Please, stay and watch.”

Then, without waiting for a reply, Princess Luna took a deep breath… and Skyla’s eyes widened in shock as the magical power she’d seen in the Princess’ eyes earlier that day exploded out from her in an aura that easily rivaled Princess Celestia’s. It flowed out from Luna and filled the balcony like an ethereal wedding gown, its sinuous silk sparkling and shimmering like moonbeams upon a river that was scattered with diamonds, and, as Skyla watched, Luna’s horn began to glow a deep, rich blue that colored the whole top of the castle a brilliant sapphire.

This is the power she was missing, thought Skyla blankly as the taller alicorn lowered her horn almost to the railing, the power and majesty of Luna’s station causing Skyla to take an unconscious step backwards, her mouth open in a wordless gasp of amazement. THIS was the power I was expecting… why didn’t I feel this before? The might of Luna’s magic pressed down on Skyla much like Celestia’s had, but there was something wrapped up in the Moon Princess’ magic that had not been there for her older sister: something cool, rough, and sad…

Skyla’s eyes widened. Regret, she thought, her heart clenching in her chest. That’s what it is… it’s regret… Luna’s lamentation… Skyla didn’t know how she knew that’s what it was, but she knew. As Luna slowly raised her horn from the railing, the full moon crested the horizon in the east and cast its brilliant silvery light out onto the land… and as its light touched the tower, Skyla felt another round of tears spill out onto her cheeks.

The moon’s light seemed to ignite around Luna, causing the very air around her to sparkle with a myriad of ethereal lights, as if the stars from the heavens had descended to be with their mistress for a moment. The blue alicorn lifted her head and pointed her horn skyward as she lifted her right front leg and tucked it against her chest, her graceful neck and shoulders creating a silhouette that was both beautiful and tragic to Skyla’s senses, and it was all the filly could do to keep from sobbing aloud.

Finally the moon lifted beyond the horizon, and as Luna released her magic the balcony plunged into darkness once more, her glorious mantle fading away until it was naught but a glimmer in the Moon Princess’ eyes before Skyla could so much as say a word. The blue alicorn let out a sigh and turned back to Skyla, who sniffled loudly.

“You… you don’t show that to anypony?” she whispered, her voice thick with tears. Luna smiled and shook her head.

“I have to lower the moon for the Summer Sun Celebration, but it takes very little of my power to bring the moon down. Moonrise, however, is when I must expend the greatest amount of my magic to ensure that the night is properly set in motion, and the only ponies to ever watch me raise the moon are my sister… and now, you.” She closed the distance between them and extended her right wing, its pinions brushing Skyla’s cheek and flicking away some of her tears. “Are you all right?” Luna asked softly. “You’re crying.”

Skyla nodded vigorously and smiled brightly despite the tears still gathering in her eyes. “Yes… I’m just fine. Thank you for asking… and for showing me the moonrise. It was beautiful… more beautiful than any I can ever remember.”

Luna smiled, and Skyla could feel the happiness behind it. “I somehow thought you’d like it,” she whispered. She shifted her wing and gently brushed her wingtip against Skyla’s cheek once more before retracting it with a sigh. “All right, let’s get you back inside – I’m sure that Cadence and Shining Armor would like to know where you are, and I’m certain that Flurry Heart is absolutely beside herself at being left alone.” She took a step towards the door, and Skyla fell into step beside her with a chuckle.

“Yeah, probably… who knew that having a sister could be so much work?” To her surprise, Luna snorted a rather unprincess-ly laugh.

“Oh, I have some stories I could tell you, young Skyla,” she said after a moment, her smile becoming a sly smirk. “Stories about Celestia and just how clingy of a sister she could be…”

Skyla’s eyes widened. “No… no way,” she hissed in disbelief. Luna laughed again.

“Oh, very way,” she replied. “Why, there was this one time, when we were about your age…”

Luna’s magic pulled the door open and admitted the two alicorns back to the tower, and as it closed behind them Skyla had to admit to herself that she couldn’t remember feeling happier than she did right that moment. It was a feeling that she never wanted to go without ever again, and, as she and Luna started down the long staircase that would lead them to the castle proper, she knew that even if she couldn’t always keep this new feeling, she would never, ever forget it.

Sister-in-law Synchronized Stressing

The night breeze was soft and warm as it rushed over Cadence’s body, its gentle touch teasing her tail and mane as she sat at the window of her chambers. The window itself was huge, at least compared to other windows in the castle, and came complete with a large raised bench that allowed a pony to stretch out and relax directly in front of it. It was an amenity that the Crystal Princess had grown quite fond of, and it was a place where she could often be found after a long day of royal duties.

Or after a long day of trying my best to maintain my composure, she thought with a sigh as she gazed out into the moonlight night. It felt like just doing that took all of the energy I had… and that’s really not something that I’m used to. She flexed her forelegs and firmly squeezed one of the plushy pillows that covered the crystal platform beneath her, the soft, yielding material giving her a satisfactory sensation of resistance while still collapsing beneath her grip. Normally I can speak my mind around Twilight, Luna, and Celestia, and Sunburst has become a pony we can rely on to keep our secrets, but today… She squeezed the pillow yet again as a wave of what she could only describe as nausea washed over her, a sick, warm feeling that made her want to groan in disgust. Ugh, it was all I could do to stay in there…

The door to her chambers creaked open, and the sound of a single set of hoofsteps entering the room caused her left ear to flick towards the sound; she did not, however, attempt to draw her gaze away from the city below her, its crystalline buildings awash in the silver light of the full moon, because she didn’t need to see who had entered. After all, there were only two ponies in the kingdom who would enter her chambers without knocking, and only one of those two had such broad, confident hoofsteps.

“Well, snowflake’s in bed,” said Shining Armor, his voice filling Cadence with warmth as he pulled the door closed behind him with an audible click. “She was a perfect angel, as always, though she was a little sad that you didn’t come to say goodnight to her.” His hoofsteps drew louder as he approached her and, in spite of her happiness at his presence, Cadence’s ears sank towards her mane and her brow knit into a frown at his words.

“I knew she would be,” she said softly, her words sounding as tired as she felt, “but I really needed some time to be alone after today…” She sighed sharply and pulled her eyes from the city so that she could turn them to her husband, who drew up next to her with a smile. “Do you think Flurry will understand?” she asked, her heart clenching in her chest. She rarely – if ever – missed out on sending her daughter to bed personally. Even if the day had been filled with royal petitions, visits from dignitaries, and dinners with nobles, Cadence always did her best to make sure that Flurry Heart went to bed with a healthy dose of parental love, so missing a day like today set her already frazzled nerves even more on edge. To her relief, however, Shining just chuckled and gave her the lopsided grin that she’d fallen in love with.

“I know she does. She said to tell you goodnight from her, and that she hopes you’ll feel better in the morning.”

Cadence relaxed on her cushions as a weight lifted from her chest, though it certainly wasn’t the whole weight. “I’m sure I will,” she said softly, her eyes moving back to the city outside her window. “Today was just too much for me, that’s all. An uncomfortable afternoon to end seven days of worry and stress…” she sighed, “…and, even though we won’t have all of our answers until tomorrow, I’m sure that just knowing we’ll get them will help me feel better.” She felt the cushions shift as Shining climbed up onto the platform with her and, after a few moments of shifting and shuffling, she felt the warmth of his body as he nestled against her left side.

“It’s been a pretty weird week,” he agreed, his words gentle in her ears. “Everything was fine and normal, with normal Crystal Kingdom things to do and take care of… and then suddenly there’s Skyla.” He sighed and nuzzled Cadence’s cheek with his muzzle. “Do you wanna talk about it?”

“I…” Cadence’s ears folded back against her mane, “I’m not sure I do… or rather, I’m not sure I should at this point.” She turned her eyes back to her husband and met his gaze, her wings rustling anxiously against her flanks as the emotion and anxiety of a week’s worth of worrying stirred inside her. “I’m trying so hard,” she admitted, her words barely louder than a whisper as her throat tightened against the restless, acidic tasted that rose up from her stomach and threatened to overwhelm her. “I really am, Shiny, but…”

The unicorn stallion nodded as her words trailed off, and before she could continue he leaned over and pressed the side of his horn against hers, his nose gently touching her own.

“All right, take it easy,” he whispered. “Take a deep breath, songbird. Deep breaths.”

Cadence nodded as much as she could and complied, her eyes half closing as she took in a lungful of the clean night air with a hint of Shining Armor mixed in. The presence of the stallion soothed her agitated spirit in a way that nopony else’s ever did, and not for the first time the Princess of the Crystal Kingdom thanked whatever powers that watched over them that Shining Armor was her husband. I’m not sure I could have made it this far as Princess of this kingdom without him, she thought as she took another deep breath. She let the breath out slowly and drew in another lungful of air before opening her eyes once again, her ears rising from out of her mane as she relaxed.

“…thank you, Shiny,” she muttered as she pressed her head against him more firmly for a moment. “I needed that.” She sighed and sat up straight once more, removing her horn from his and turning her eyes to the city once again as she looped her left hoof over his right. “And I suppose that you’re right,” she continued. “It’s high time that we did have a talk about… Skyla.”

Shining nodded, the movement teasing the edges of Cadence’s peripheral vision. “I know I said I’d wait until you were ready to talk about it, but I’m afraid time’s running out.” He squeezed her foreleg with his own. “Twilight’s going to figure everything out by tomorrow, and if I know my sister she’s going to have a list of things that can or should be done with Skyla, according to what she finds. That means that by tomorrow, we need to be on the same page so that when she brings these things up we’re not arguing with each another while arguing with others.” He chuckled, bouncing Cadence’s smaller frame on the cushions. “Try saying that five times fast…”

The pink alicorn sighed. “I know… and I know that you’re right… but where do we even start?” She shook her head, her eyes never leaving the night outside her window. “It’s not every day that some filly bounces out of a mirror and says that she’s your daughter, but not your daughter… I mean, how are we even supposed to act around her?” She turned her eyes back to her husband as the volatile mixture of worry and anxiety rose in her chest yet again and caused her words to shake as they left her lips. “I know we were putting off discussing this until we had more information, but now that we do have more, it’s like the decisions we have to make are even further away than before…”

“Yeah, you’re right,” muttered Shining as he shifted even closer to her, his white coat pressing and rubbing firmly against her own. “The more I think about everything that Skyla said, the more I feel kinda sick to my stomach, y’know?” He offered her a tiny, sympathetic smile. “I’m willing to bet that it didn’t exactly make you feel good, either,” he whispered. Cadence inhaled sharply as her throat tightened, and after a moment she nodded.

“You’d win that bet,” she breathed, her ears twitching as if they longed to dive into the safety of her voluminous curls. “Hearing her talk about the world she’s from… it was heartbreaking.” She scooted a little closer to Shining and extended her left wing, wrapping her feathers around the stout frame of the stallion. “To hear about how awful we are in that universe… I can’t even imagine what it must have been like for her. I mean, I worry and fuss about sending Flurry to bed without a hug!” She sighed and glanced down at her hooves, their edges lost in the fluffy pillows around her. “I just can’t imagine treating our daughter like that… it made me feel sick to my stomach… and my heart.” She winced and allowed her ears to dive to safety as the feelings that had filled her during Twilight’s questions came flooding back into her: anger, fear, disbelief, and the unmistakable pangs of sympathy all whirled around in Cadence’s head and heart, clogging her already crowded thoughts with a fog that made thinking all but impossible. She sniffled as tears sprang to her eyes before sighing. “I just want to help her, Shiny,” she whispered shakily. “She’s all alone, now…”

Shining Armor’s hoof squeezed her own beneath the pillows, and she felt the heat of him as he pressed a kiss against her cheek. “Don’t worry, songbird,” he whispered, his dulcet tones dulling the emotional whirlwind that filled Cadence, “that’s what I was thinking, too.” He sat back a little and sighed as Cadence looked to him once again. “I didn’t want to say that’s what I wanted because I didn’t want to influence your decision, but now that I know that’s what you’re thinking too, well, I guess there’s no point in hiding it anymore.” He turned his gaze out the window as his brow furrowed and his eyes grew serious, and Cadence had to admit that he looked very princely when he was serious. “I don’t know what Twilight’s going to say about Skyla tomorrow,” he admitted. “I don’t know what she’s going to say about how Skyla’s presence is going to affect our world, or even if she’s going to say that it’s safe for her to stay here at all.” His lips pressed into a thin line and he squeezed Cadence’s hoof again. “All I know is that Skyla needs our help and our support no matter what happens… but if she’s going to stay in this world at all, she’s going to need more than just friends.”

Cadence’s eyes widened and she felt a single beat of her heart resonate throughout her, as if Shining Armor had strummed a single string on a harp and let the note echo in an otherwise silent room.

“Yes… yes, you’re right,” she said softly, her heart suddenly pounding in her ears as she stared at the stallion she loved. How does he always know what I’m thinking? It’s got to be some kind of unicorn trick that he’s not showed me… “She’s going to need a lot more than just friends... but…” She sighed. “Do you think we can be more to her? I mean, I haven’t gotten to spend more than a few minutes alone with her at any given time. It’s like she’s actively avoiding me, even when I go out of my way to try.”

“Yeah… she hasn’t seemed super enthusiastic about spending time with me, either,” admitted Shining as his ears flopped back against his mane. “Even when we got to spend some time together we didn’t talk at all, and she left as soon as she could.”

Silence welled up around them again, the cloying soundlessness filling Cadence’s world until she thought she would drown in it. Even the sighing of the wind through her open window tapered off into quiet, and only the occasional noise from the city below fractured the bubble that surrounded the couple. Cadence’s wings shuffled against her sides as the hopeful part of her, sparked to life by Shining’s words, warred angrily with the part of her that wanted to simply give up instead of finding a way to help. Eventually, however, she cleared her throat loudly before sighing.

“Well, I suppose we’ll just have to try harder in the future, then,” she said, shattering the bubble around them. Shining’s gaze returned to her, and she gave him a smile. “If we’re serious about helping, then it’s probably not going to be easy…” she squeezed his hoof, “but it’s going to be worth it if we can help her, even if it’s just a little bit.”

“Yeah… I don’t suppose it’d be easy to go to a world where everypony you knew was different, but looked almost exactly the same.” Shining shook his head and blinked, his expression moving from natural into absurd so quickly that Cadence’s right hoof shot to her mouth as a giggle rose in her throat, the first genuine laughter that she’d tasted all day. “It’d be enough to make anypony’s head spin, much less a filly like Skyla,” he said with a dramatic and comical roll of his eyes.

Cadence’s giggle rose into a laugh as Shining smiled brightly at her, and as the waves of mirth filled her, she felt some of the trepidation and fear that had filled her heart melt away. She pressed her hoof to her forehead for a moment as her laughter receded before dropping it back to the bed with a loud whump, her lips curving into a smile that warmed her from nose to tail.

“You’re right about that,” she agreed. “She’s got a lot of baggage from her world riding on those tiny shoulders of hers, and if she’s ever going to be happy here then she’s going to have to let go of the past and move forward.” She sighed. “But is she going to let us get close enough to help? I mean, from what I understand, her parents look exactly like us. That might make things… a little awkward.”

Shining smiled. “She’s warming up to Flurry Heart well enough,” he said with a minute shrug. “The two of them are hardly ever apart anymore, and Skyla doesn’t seem to mind that much at all. For Celestia’s sake, I’m sure that when I go to wake up Flurry in the morning, she’ll be down in Skyla’s room.”

“Have they been staying in the same room all week? I told Flurry to give Skyla her space... but I understand what you’re saying.” She gave Shining’s hoof a squeeze with her own. “We’ll try to work from where Flurry’s gotten us. I’m sure that together, we can show her that we’re nothing like the ponies in the world she came from.”

“And maybe someday, she’ll be ready to accept what we want to give her.” Shining returned her hoof squeeze before leaning forward and kissing Cadence lightly, his lips pressing softly against hers for the barest of heartbeats before he pulled away and sat up straight with a smile. “That reminds me, Sunburst told me about the information he found.”

Cadence’s eyes went wide and she shifted on the dais, moving her body away from Shining so that she could turn and look at him squarely. “He did?” she asked, her wings shuffling against her sides. “But he said that he’d wait to tell me directly!”

“Well, that was initially his plan, sweetheart.” Shining lifted a hoof and pressed it gently down onto Cadence’s hooves, which she had pressed together and pointed towards her husband. It never ceased to amaze her how big and powerful his hooves looked compared to hers, despite the earth pony traits that she possessed. It’s no wonder he could pick me up and throw me, she thought. “He told me to let you know that he was sorry he couldn’t tell you himself, but he knew that he’d be locked away with Twilight and Starlight for most of the night and didn’t want to risk missing the chance to pass it on to you in any way he could.” The Crystal Princess’ mouth pursed into a petulant pout, but she knew her heart wasn’t in it.

“Well… that’s fine, I suppose,” she said after a moment. She shifted her right hoof out from under Shining’s enormous one and placed it onto his, her smile returning and her eyes shimmering with excitement. “So? What did he say?”

Shining barked a laugh and shook his head again. “I swear, Cady, you can change moods faster than the winter wind can change direction.” A frown teased Cadence’s brow at his words, but before she could object to what he’d said the stallion sighed and smiled at her disarmingly. “He said that there would be no problem in us adopting Skyla if we wanted to.”

Now her heart swelled in her chest, and she grasped his hoof tightly with her own as she pulled herself towards him. “Really?!” she whispered, her voice soft yet sharp. “No problems at all?”

“Nope, not one.” The stallion grinned. “In fact, he said that now that he knows that she’s not tied to the Crystal Heart back in her world, we could even have a Crystaling for her,” he snorted, “except maybe without the whole breaking the Heart and almost losing the kingdom part… that part wasn’t fun at all.”

Cadence laughed and rose to her hooves, her wings extending away from her as her mane draped across her right shoulder. “That’s great!” she whispered, her words muted as her heart swelled in her chest. “We… we could officially make her a member of our family, and make her an official Princess of the Crystal Kingdom, all in one fell swoop!” She hopped down from the dais and took a few steps away, her hooves clopping loudly in the silence of the room. “I… I can’t believe it! That’s so perfect!”

“Well, yeah, I suppose it is,” said Shining as he, too, rose to his hooves and hopped down onto the floor, “but you have to remember that all of that has to be Skyla’s choice. We can’t force her to do it, and I’d even be uncomfortable suggesting it to her until we were sure that she even wanted to stay in the Kingdom.”

“Why wouldn’t she want to stay in the Kingdom?” Cadence turned on her hooves and frowned at Shining, the bubbling feeling inside of her dimming somewhat as the stallion sighed again.

“We have to think about how she feels, Cady,” he said gently, his hoofsteps clopping in deep, resounding notes as he moved towards her. “She was pretty much a prisoner in this castle in her own world, and we were her jailors…” He stopped in front of her, his gaze meeting hers as his ears twitched. “I mean… do you think you’d be able to go to a world and suddenly be bestest-best friends with Chrysalis? Or Tirek?”

Cadence’s ears drooped as the thought of running into a version of the Changeling queen or the centaur that desperately wanted to be her friend popped into her mind, and after a moment she shook her head to chase the images away. “No… I guess that’d be harder to do than I’d like to admit,” she said softly. Her ears flattened against her mane, but a determined frown creased her forehead before she could give in to defeat. “But that doesn’t mean Skyla will have the same problems,” she said. “It’s possible that she’ll still see the castle as familiar ground and want to stay here as she adapts to the new world, right? Especially since she and Flurry are such good friends already.”

Shining nodded. “Well, that’s a good possibility, yes. She does seem very comfortable here.”

“Then I say that tomorrow, we let Twilight and the others know that we’ll gladly let her stay here with us if she’d like to,” said Cadence as she took a step towards Shining Armor. “You’re right about one thing, though: I don’t want to overstep my boundaries and become an abusive figure like her mother was.” She winced at the comparison, but shook her head and continued. “We’ll let her stay here until she decides she wants to move on,” she added, “with no obligations or ties to us unless she absolutely wants them.” She smiled charmingly at her husband. “Does that sound agreeable?”

He nodded emphatically, his short hair bouncing wildly out of place despite the limited nature of his movement. “Absolutely.”

Cadence giggled lightly and kissed the white stallion on the cheek. “Flurry really does have your hair,” she sighed. “I’m going to start putting you in charge of her daily brushings so you can see what you’ve cursed our daughter with.”

Shining Armor threw his head back and laughed incredulously before turning his gaze back to Cadence, a mischievous glint shimmering in his eyes. “Well, if that’s how this is going to be, I’ll make sure to let you deal with one of her next temper tantrums… since, you know…” Cadence felt her cheeks flush as her eyes widened, and to her chagrin Shining mimicked her expression in such an over-the-top way that the alicorn couldn’t keep the anger that had flared up inside her from sputtering and going out.

“Shining Armor!” she half-gasped, half-laughed, “you… you’re an absolute cad!” He laughed loudly and stepped forward, pressing his chest against hers.

“Yeah, but you still love me,” he murmured against her cheek, his breath tickling her coat as his velvety soft nose rubbed against her. “Just like I love you, despite the fact that you can be a total drama queen sometimes…”

Now Cadence brushed her lips softly against his cheek. “Thank you for talking with me about everything,” she whispered. “And I know for a fact that you love it when I’m dramatic… it gives you a damsel in distress to rescue.” He chuckled, the sound reverberating in the room around them.

“Well, what can I say? My name is Shining Armor, so I guess it comes with the territory.”

The Princess drew her head back and looked into the eyes of the stallion she loved once more, her heart filling her smile as she grinned up at him. “I wouldn’t have you any other way,” she whispered. Her eyes softened and she glanced over at their large bed, its sheets immaculate and unmolested. “Maybe… I can offer you some other kind of territory that you might enjoy..?”

Shining Armor arched an eyebrow at her, and his lips curved into a lopsided grin. “Are you suggesting to me what I think you’re suggesting, Princess?”

Cadence bit her lip sensually and nodded slowly, her eyes never leaving his. “Oooh yeah, baby… I am…”

“Going to bed early?”

Cadence’s nod became emphatic as her mane slowly bounced out of place. “Uh-huh,” she whimpered. “Can we please…? I’m so tired…”

The stallion laughed and kissed her on the cheek once again. “C’mon, let’s get tucked in. Everything else can wait until the morning.” The pair turned and moved towards their bed, their sides bumping against one another affectionately as Shining’s horn lit up and began turning out the lights around their room one at a time, slowly but inevitably plunging their room towards moonlight darkness. “I wonder if Twilight’s going to stay up too late,” he muttered as his magic turned out another lamp. “It would be just like her to stay up and then be an absolute mess the next day.”

“Oh, I’d say that’s almost one hundred percent guaranteed to happen,” agreed Cadence as the light dimmed, a yawn chasing the end of her words. “But she doesn’t have a daughter to worry after in the morning, so she’s allowed to stay up just as late as she pleases.”

Shining laughed and turned out the last light before snagging the edges of their blankets with his magic. “And she’ll do exactly that, I promise you. Especially with Sunburst and Starlight there with her.” Cadence pulled her side of the blankets down with her magic and the pair crawled into bed together, their legs intertwining as they scooted as close to one another as they could. “Heck, I bet that they’re having a great time, too. Reading and discussing science that would make my head hurt just thinking about it…” He smirked up at the ceiling. “I bet they’ve already figured everything out and are just goofing off right about now…”

~*~*~*~*~*~

Twilight Sparkle massaged her temples with the pads of her hooves as she sighed in vexation, her head pounding so hard that she felt certain that it would split open if she removed the pressure from the sides of her head.

“For the last time, Sunburst, there’s no way to test whether or not Skyla is a physical risk to this dimension!” she muttered, her words feeling rounded and much more sluggish than she thought they should be. “According to our research, if she was an immediate threat it would have been because of an incompatibility with the energy and magic of our world as compared to the magic and energy of her world, and she would have exploded upon entry.” Twilight dropped her hooves back to the desk and directed her gaze to the stallion who sat across from her, her eyes feeling grainy and achy. I swear if he brings up Starswirl’s Transitional Theory one more time…

“But Starswirl’s Transitional Theory states that-,” the unicorn began, his glasses sliding much farther down his nose than he would have normally allowed so that he could look over the tops of them at Twilight, but the alicorn raised a hoof and waved it frantically at him.

“No no NO, we’re NOT going through this all AGAIN!” she snapped, her brow furrowing until she thought it would leave permanent marks on her forehead. “We’ve been THROUGH the Transitional Theory front to back, and the only way to test it is if there is a copy of a pony in BOTH WORLDS. Skyla, as far as we know, only existed there, so we can’t test the theory because she only exists here now, meaning that she should be totally and completely safe since she didn’t EXPLODE WHEN SHE GOT HERE!” Twilight banged her hooves onto the desk in frustration, causing a stack of books to slide to one side and spill across the paper-covered desktop. “Celestia and Starswirl were able to prove it because they went back and forth to Good King Sombra’s world countless times over years, and even then it was little things that tipped them off.” Twilight’s magic snagged a copy of The Principles of Space-Time Equilibrium and held it up in front of the stallion as she pointed to it with her hoof. “The Transitional Theory states that the very act of passing back and forth is what draws the worlds together, like passing a magnet between two pieces of ferrous metal. The more passage back and forth, the closer they get. Skyla’s already here and isn’t going back which means no passage between worlds which means no magnetic effect which means NO PROBLEM!” She dropped the book back to the table and sat in her chair, her chest heaving and her mane in disarray from what felt like hundreds of hours of reading and discussing. I don’t remember this being so hard when I was a student, she thought as Sunburst crossed his hooves over his chest. I used to stay up for days on end reading and writing papers! What’s happened to meeee..?

“But the Transitional Theory also states that Starswirl didn’t know what would happen if a pony was placed into the world and simply left there,” insisted Sunburst, his eyes bloodshot and weary. “It could be like magnetizing the whole other world so that the collision happens that much faster.”

“Again, there’s no way to test that,” said Starlight from the chair at the end of the desk to Twilight’s right, her mane looking as disheveled as Twilight’s felt, “but I think that another book might hold the answers to that question.” The unicorn mare rubbed her eyes with a hoof and picked up a book next to her with her magic, though Twilight noticed that the magical aura shifted in color several times as the book wobbled in the air. “How to Safely Punch a Hole in Space states that if her means and method of travel were sufficiently precise and prepared, then her presence here – especially considering that there is no double of her in this universe – shouldn’t make any difference to our world at all.”

“But that only works if it was an alternate universe and not a parallel universe, Starlight.” Sunburst poked at the copy of A Beginners Guide to Alternate Worlds with his hoof. “An alternate universe is one like the one that Sunset Shimmer went to, where her presence has had no effect on the world at all… well, except for the damage she herself has done to it.” He adjusted his glasses and snorted disdainfully. “Honestly, how could a scholar and student of Celestia take a powerful magical object into a world without magic and cause so much trouble?”

“Don’t drag Sunset into this,” growled Twilight, her eyes narrowing. Sunburst sighed heavily and waved a hoof.

“Yes, yes, I’m sorry – but she is a good example of what I was talking about. Even with a portal between this world and that world, that world has never begun to affect ours or vice versa.” He held both his hooves up in front of him vertically so that both mares could see them. “If it’s a parallel universe, then it was never meant to cross paths with our own and Starswirl’s Transitional Theory applies. Meaning, of course, that as travel is made between them they get drawn closer and closer together…” he began to move his forelegs towards one another in increments, but before he could continue talking Twilight sighed loudly.

“And eventually they’ll begin to overlap until just one, weird universe is left over with unknown consequences to both, yes, we remember from the LAST time you talked about it.”

Starlight dropped her book back to the desk before dropping her head onto the book itself, her eyes glazed and exhausted. “Then how in the name of Tartaurus do we figure out what kind of world she’s from?!” she whined. “You got all that information from her, Twilight! Can’t you figure out whether it’s an alternate world or a parallel one?!”

Now Twilight’s ears folded back into her messy mane and she turned a glare towards her friend and student. “Well gosh, Starlight, I really wish I could,” she hissed, “but unfortunately, it’s not like we could go skipping across universes to find it and conduct tests, now is it?” She pushed a book out of her way and glanced down at the pages upon pages of notes that she’d made during their study session, all of which had ink blots and hasty notes scribbled in every conceivable location. “Maybe you don’t remember how much trouble you caused by jumping through time like you did, but trying to do something like that again would be absolutely nuts, not to mention dangerous beyond-,”

Suddenly, Sunburst sat bolt upright in his chair as if he’d been electrocuted, scattering a few stray papers away from his hooves and causing both Starlight and Twilight to gasp in fear.

“THAT’S IT!!” he shouted, his voice causing Twilight’s head to throb so painfully that her eyes jammed themselves shut as she winced.

“Aaaagh!” she moaned, her hooves darting to her temples again. “Shhhhh!! Don’t talk so loud, you big idiot!”

“Oh, I-I’m sorry, Twilight,” came Sunburst’s voice through the vibrating blackness of Twilight’s world, “but I just had a- well, I think I- oh, where’s a quill?!” The rustling of papers filled Twilight’s pounding head, and it was only after a long moment of intense self-motivation that the alicorn managed to open her eyes, where she found Sunburst frantically scribbling on a piece of paper with a quill. “I had totally and completely forgotten about your time-hopping, Starlight!” muttered Sunburst with an almost mad scientist like glee. “I had completely forgotten, but now that I’ve remembered…” His quill danced across his paper, sketching out complex equations that whirled with Starswirl’s magical theories into a miasma of math and magic that made Twilight’s late night head absolutely spin. She blinked heavily and brought her eyes back up to Sunburst, who was practically glowing with renewed determination now that he had a lead to follow. He’s… he’s actually pretty cute, she thought, her teeth nipping at her bottom lip as she stared. Especially when he’s being all… thinky nerdy brainy about stuff…

“All right, I’ve got it.” Sunburst slapped the quill down onto the desk and sat up straight once more, his magic glowing brightly as it snatched up the paper he’d been writing on and presented it to the mares one at a time. Twilight shook her head and squinted at the paper, but whether it was due to the late hour or Sunburst’s atrocious penmanship, she couldn’t make heads or tails of what he’d written. Thankfully, that didn’t seem to matter to Sunburst, who plowed on without hesitation. “Because I’d forgotten about Starlight’s time traveling, I’d completely neglected a third possible option for the type of world that Skyla had come from – a type of world that is governed by different rules than the other two!” He pointed to the bottom of his page with a hoof, his eyes glowing with excitement. “The alternate history!”

Starlight stared at him blankly. “Sunburst… that’s what we were saying earlier. That it was an alternate history… and it took you this long to figure it out?!” she growled through gritted teeth. Sunburst shook his head vehemently and tapped the paper frantically.

“No no no, Starlight, listen – this is much more important than you think. See, what I neglected to take into account was temporal anomalies, like Starswirl suggested in his Gravity Waves book.” His hoof moved up the page to a complicated series of equations. “When you and Twilight were bouncing back and forth in time, you were stirring up some unbelievably strong ripples in the time stream. Not only that, you effectively stopped time up at the moment that you kept traveling back to… so, like any other kind of stream…”

“It pushed backwards,” muttered Twilight, her eyes widening as her cobweb-strewn brain slowly creaked into action once again. “That’s what happens when you dam up a stream – it floods behind the dam!”

“Precisely!” squeaked Sunburst happily. “So your leaping through time caused a backwash into the actual time stream itself, and when that happened, the stream burst its banks and presto,” he pointed to another spot on his paper, “a new alternate history is born.”

Starlight stared at the paper and Sunburst, her eyes wide and her mouth open slightly for several long seconds before she finally blinked and gave her head a slow shake. “But… but that’s impossible,” she muttered. “I planned everything so carefully… the spell was perfect… and I didn’t go back a thousand years, only a few… how could it have possibly affected something so far back?” She gave hear head a shake that was much more firm and determined, and when she refocused her eyes on Sunburst they were full of anger. “That’s impossible. There’s no way that I could have done that!”

“But you did,” insisted Sunburst as he placed the paper back onto the desk. “Your careless time jumping created countless alternate futures, didn’t it? Well, it stands to reason that some of those probably had alternate histories, as well. Time’s a weird thing, Starlight, and you can’t always predict how it’s going to react when you go splashing around in it.”

“But… but I…” Twilight felt a pang of sympathy as the fire in Starlight’s eyes flickered and died out, and with a shaking sigh the unicorn mare dropped her gaze back to the desk, her eyes empty and unfocused. “That’s impossible… how could it…?”

“The good news is that this revelation makes things relatively simple,” said Sunburst, turning his attention back to Twilight. “If it’s an alternate history, then it branches out from our own ‘mother’ time stream. As long as our history continues on unbroken, that world will do so, as well. The best news here is that because it is an alternate history, many ponies who exist here do not exist there, answering the question of incompatible energy: there is no Skyla here just as there is no Flurry Heart there, but because both princesses are of Shining Armor and Cadence’s bloodline – and alicorns, to boot – then our timeline will reject neither of them because of their compatible energies.” He pushed his glasses up towards his eyes, his left eyelid twitching slightly. “And, as stated in How to Safely Punch a Hole in Space and Portal Mirrors, an alternate history – which is, indeed, a type of alternate universe – is much more stable thanks to its branching nature from the main time stream, so Skyla’s transition here will have no effect on our world or her home world.” He sat back in his chair and dropped his hooves to his side as he heaved a sigh filled with relief so profound that Twilight couldn’t help but relax as well. “Oh sweet mother of Celestia that feels good!” he whispered as he closed his eyes.

“And what about a possible invasion?” muttered Starlight, her eyes never leaving the spot on the desk that she’d chosen to stare at. “Shining Armor asked for… a report on that, as well…”

“Simple. The connection between our worlds – the actual transporting magical force – was only open for a few moments. She had a vague connection for almost a year, yes, but the chances of that leaving a lasting trail of magic for somepony else to follow is slim to none.” Sunburst sat forward and tapped the cover of Portal Mirrors again. “Like poking a needle through gelatin and then removing the needle, it would be all but impossible to find the same connecting thread to get to our world from there without the same means that Skyla used to locate us.”

“How did she locate us?”

“Her dream,” answered Twilight quickly, her scholarly spirit pressing her forward so that she could add to the discussion and not be left out by Sunburst’s theories. I’m not going to be left out just because he thought of it… and because I’m tired… and because… um… She shook her head sharply before turning her gaze back to Starlight. “Skyla mentioned that she saw Flurry in a dream, and that was how she knew we were here.” She shrugged. “It might not seem like much, but knowing what you’re looking for is the first rule of teleportation… so I suppose the same theory could apply when you’re taking a blind shot through the multiverse.”

Sunburst shrugged. “So unless anypony else has a random dream about a pony from our universe, there’s no way that they could find us. That works for me!” The stallion slid off of his chair and staggered as his hooves hit the floor, his cape swaying around his hooves as he made his way towards the door. “That was some good work tonight, ladies,” he said over his shoulder. “I… I’ll see you both in the morning… or… later this morning…” He grabbed the doorknob with his hoof and yanked the door open, tossing a smile over his shoulder to Twilight as he staggered through the door. “Good mornight!” He waved and was gone, with the skittering, staggering sound of his hoofsteps in the hallway to prove that he’d actually started walking away and not simply passed out in the hall.

“Well, that was certainly productive…” muttered Twilight sulkily as she too hopped down from her chair. She stretched her legs and extended her wings to their fullest, stretching as many muscles as she could before relaxing with a loud gasp. “Oooh, I’m going to be so sore tomorrow… maybe I’ll just take the train back to Ponyville instead of flying…” A yawn rose in her throat and forced its way out between her teeth, filling the alicorn’s world with blackness and the roar of rushing air for several long seconds before it subsided. “Oh I am one tiiiiired Princess,” she murmured as she turned towards the door. “C’mon, Starlight – it’s time for us to hit the hay, finally.”

She took a step towards Starlight and the door, but the unicorn didn’t move. She simply kept staring at the papers and books in front of her, her eyes wide and unseeing. Twilight frowned at her, and after a moment of silence she extended her left wing and passed it in front of Starlight’s eyes twice, her feathers rustling together as she did so.

“Hellloooo, Equestria to Starlight,” she said loudly. “Let’s get out of here and get to bed! We’ve got a pretty long day ahead of us tomorrow too, you know.”

Starlight blinked slowly in the face of her wing, but to Twilight’s surprise the other mare made no move to rise from her chair. Instead, the unicorn slowly shook her head, her eyes still locked on the desk.

“I did this…” she whispered softly enough that Twilight barely heard it. “Her future… her past… they… they’re all my fault…”

Twilight’s eyes narrowed. “Whoa, now wait a second, Starlight… that’s not… that’s not exactly fair, okay?” She took a step towards her friend, but Starlight held up her left hoof into Twilight’s face.

“Please, go on to bed, Twilight,” she said, her voice wistfully soft and empty. “I… I’ll go in a few minutes…”

“Starlight, I don’t think-,”

“Please… just go.” Starlight dropped her hoof back to her side and turned away from Twilight so that the curl of her mane hid her face, though not before she saw the tears begin to flow down the unicorn’s cheeks. “Please…”

The alicorn hesitated for a moment, but her complete exhaustion made the prospect of doing anything but sleeping seem like an impossible one. With one last glance at Starlight, Twilight Sparkle hurried to the door and out into the hallway, her hoofsteps quickly filling the long passage as she made her way towards her bed and what little rest she would be able to get… and as she reached the end of the hall, she heard another sound filter into the empty spaces between her hoofsteps: the slow, rhythmic sound of crying.

Twilight winced, but her hooves continued to carry her towards her rest as her heart began to ache just as much as her head. I’ll talk with her tomorrow… I’m sure things will be better in the morning.

Not Really a Morning Pony

As brilliantly silver as the night had been, the morning dawned in an equally breathtaking burst of pure gold that poured itself over the land and filled the Castle to the brim with warm, loving light. The sky slowly filled with orange and pink, the warm colors chasing away the vestiges of the nighttime as if to clear a path through the heavens for the sun, and, as Skyla made her way down one of the Castle’s long hallways, the young alicorn couldn’t help but feel a little bit sad that the night was ending.

Luna was so nice to me last night, she thought with a yawn that chased away the sounds of her hoofsteps in her ears. I wish the night could have lasted a little longer so I could have enjoyed more of it. She blinked her eyes, trying to chase away the granules of sleep that clung to the edges of her eyelids. But after all the excitement yesterday, along with Flurry being practically frantic after Luna and I got back from the roof, meant that I didn’t really get a chance to be outside in the moonlight for long… She sighed and pursed her lips as she headed towards the kitchen, her tail swishing irritably behind her for a moment as she allowed her disappointment to well up inside of her; after that moment passed, however, she gave her head a shake and stood up straighter. No reason to worry about it, she thought as the ghost of a smile touched her lips. After all, there’ll be plenty of nights for me to enjoy from now on. I’m sure I’ll get plenty of opportunities once this whole investigation thing is taken care of…

The very thought of everything that had transpired yesterday made Skyla’s ears droop as a wave of tight discomfort washed through her middle, and her hoofsteps slowed minutely as she frowned. I guess today’s the day when I find out what the most powerful ponies in the world want to do with me… the day that my fate in this world is decided.

It hadn’t been something that she’d allowed herself to think about very much and, if she was honest with herself, it wasn’t something that she really wanted to think about at all. She hadn’t toyed with the thought that other ponies might have a say in her fate once she’d escaped her Mother… yet here she was, waiting with bated breath and knotted stomach, to see if the ponies she’d fled to would allow her to stay.

“I guess I never thought about what things might be like once I got here,” she muttered to herself. “I kind of just figured that I’d get here, say ‘Oh hooray I did it!’ and then get to do whatever…” She sighed and glanced to her left, her gaze passing through the line of windows and out onto the city below, its streets still empty in the early morning light. “I guess this is their world, though… and they have every right to do what they want with me…”

The idea that she might be tied down or controlled again made the already firm knot in her stomach twist, but she gave her head another shake and took a deep breath. Take it easy, Skyla, she told herself firmly. They might be in charge of your fate, but at least you’re here and not back in the Empire. She turned her gaze back to the hallway as a sardonic smile touched her lips. The worst that these ponies will say is probably that I can’t go running around without supervision. Back with Mother, the punishment would’ve been… Her heart clenched painfully, and she snorted. Well, it wouldn’t have been easy to live with, that’s for sure.

The realization that she was, indeed, better off here no matter what happened made the sour tasted in her throat a little sweeter, but it certainly didn’t chase it completely away.

She approached the door at the end of the hallway, the same one that she and Flurry had passed through the day before, and was a little disappointed to note that the guard from yesterday was not there today. What did Flurry say his name was…? Crystal Lance? I think that’s what it was… she thought as she raised her right hoof and touched it to the heavy wooden door. I hope I get to see him again, he seemed nice… but I wonder why there isn’t a guard out here this morning. She smirked and rolled her eyes at her own thoughts. Probably because you’re up earlier than anypony else in the whole castle, you doofus. The night guards are going to bed, the day guards are just waking up, and even Flurry’s still tucked up in my bed, sleeping like a rock. Nopony else’ll be up for at least an hour. She gave the door a push and stepped into the kitchen. The room was dark, with the exception of a single beam of light that lanced through a high window to her left to paint the wall far to her right a bright yellow. The silhouettes of stoves, ovens, and the various implements that ponies would need to cook food on such things lay around her in neat, clean lines, and with a sigh she reached out with her hoof to find the switch for the lights. Of course, being the only one up means that I’ll probably have to find my own food. She flicked the switch and chuckled as the warm, friendly lights that lined the top of the kitchen flickered to life. That’s not a big problem, she thought, casting her gaze across the room as she moved past the counter on her right and turned to follow it. I fed myself for years back in the Empire, so it really shouldn’t be too hard to find something to… to…

Her thoughts sputtered and died as her gaze swept from left to right and, as her eyes came to rest on the far side of the kitchen, she found something there that shouldn’t have been: a large, white figure with a mane that shimmered in the light, staring at her with lavender eyes from over the top of a huge muffin.

Skyla blinked at the figure for several long seconds, her still-tired mind struggling to grasp who and what it was that she was seeing. Finally, however, her mind caught up and confirmed that she was, indeed, seeing what she thought she was seeing, and her eyes bulged in disbelief as words surged to the tip of her tongue.

“P-Princess Celestia?” she gasped, disbelief filling her voice. “Is that you?”

The tall alicorn smiled broadly around the muffin clenched in her teeth before lifting her muzzle sharply and giving the muffin a gentle toss into the air. The small baked good performed a single, perfect revolution before Princess Celestia’s teeth found it again, and with a single, audible chomp the muffin vanished. The sound of chewing filled the silent kitchen as Skyla stared, followed by a contented sigh.

“Ah, good morning, Skyla!” greeted the Princess of the Sun brightly, her wings rustling against her flanks. “How nice to see somepony else up this early. Normally, nopony’s awake until a good while after I raise the sun, and then nopony’s in a fit state to talk until an hour or so after that!” Her horn ignited and she lifted another muffin from the plate that sat on the far counter with her magic, the golden aura floating the muffin through the air until it hovered near Celestia’s right shoulder. “I think that my little ponies need to work on being a bit more chipper in the earliest part of the day, don’t you? After all, how you greet the morning determines how the rest of your day is going to go.” She turned her head and took a much more demure bite out of her new muffin before turning her gaze back to Skyla, her eye sparkling with interest. “Don’t you think so?” she asked, her words rounded on the edges as she spoke around her food.

“Well, I…” Skyla blinked rapidly a few times before giving her head a shake, a motion that caused the curls in her mane to bounce off of her cheeks. “To be honest, Princess, I… I’m usually not much of a morning pony myself… and I’m kind of surprised that I’m out of bed this early today.”

Celestia’s expression didn’t change, but Skyla swore she saw the older alicorn’s eyes sparkle. “Oh, is that so?” she murmured around another bite of muffin. “So what has you up just after sunrise?” She swallowed, and a mischievous smile touched her lips. “Did Flurry Heart steal all of your blankets?”

Skyla’s cheeks flushed, the heat of her embarrassment flooding her face until it was all she could do to keep from hiding behind her wings. “N-no, that’s not what happened!” she blurted with a wave of her hoof. “She never takes all the blankets, and even if she did it’s not really something that would wake me up…” She sighed and winced. “Ugh, ponyfeathers… I guess everypony knows about her sleeping with me, huh?” she muttered, her ears drooping against her mane. Celestia chuckled around her last bite of muffin before swallowing and stepping away from the counter, her hoofsteps clicking regally even on the modest stone floor of the kitchen.

“I wouldn’t say that everypony knows,” answered Celestia gently, her smile soft and kind. “But Cadence and Shining Armor told me that she’s been sneaking into your room at night so that she could be near you, so I thought that might have something to do with it.” She approached Skyla at a perfectly slow and measured pace, her coat all but glowing in the light from the kitchen’s lamps, and as she did Skyla felt herself growing smaller and smaller in the presence of the enormous alicorn. She’d been near her the day before, of course, but any time that she’d been around Celestia there had been other ponies around, other ponies who moderated Celestia’s dimensions simply by virtue of being normal sized; now, however, there was nothing between Skyla and the Saint of the Sun – no pony, no barriers, no distance – to disguise the brilliant white pony’s unbelievable presence and sheer size, and Skyla felt her eyes grow wider as Celestia stopped before her.

“N-no,” said Skyla with a slight shake of her head, “Flurry’s been just fine. Actually, she’s been nice to have around… she helps me sleep.” Skyla blushed. “It sounds kind of silly, but her being there is… soothing.” Celestia’s smile didn’t change, but as she nodded thoughtfully Skyla felt as though the taller alicorn knew something that she didn’t. It was a sensation that Skyla was all too familiar with and, despite knowing where she was and who she was with, she felt her shoulders tense in preparation for a game that she’d been all too accustomed to back home.

“I see,” Celestia said. “So it wasn’t Flurry Heart who woke you, and it certainly wasn’t anypony else at this time of day…” her expression softened, “…which means that it’s something going on inside that head of yours, isn’t it?”

Skyla blinked and felt her heart clench in her chest as warmth flooded her cheeks. “Wh-what?” she stammered, her pinions rustling against her flanks. “P-pardon me, Princess, but I think you might be jumping to conclusions a little…” The feeling that Celestia knew more than she was letting on intensified inside Skyla’s head and it was all she could do to keep her hooves from carrying her backwards towards the door behind her. If I run, she’ll think that she’s right, thought Skyla furiously, and on top of that, running away would show weakness – something I really can’t afford to show a pony as strong as she is. She inhaled slowly and drew herself up to her full height, her ears standing straight up as she did her best to appear calm, collected, and confident, but before she could utter another word to refute Celestia’s claim, the taller alicorn made her move.

As Skyla watched, the Saint of the Sun bent her knees and settled herself down to the stone floor, her mane and tail pooling about her like liquid rainbow as she tucked her long legs beneath her.

“Am I just jumping to conclusions?” Celestia asked gently as she bent her neck and brought her violet eyes down until they were level with Skyla’s own. “Am I leaping at shadows, or are you simply ignoring them?” Her words were straightforward and unclouded by deception – Skyla was old enough to know that much – but it wasn’t the frankness of her words that made Skyla blink in surprise; rather, it was the openness of her eyes and the soft, gentle warmth of her smile that caused Skyla’s guard to waver. After all, it was one thing to grow up listening to stories about how pure, how wonderful, how benevolent and righteous that Saint Celestia had been, and another thing completely to see how pure, wonderful, benevolent and righteous that she actually was. Skyla squirmed in place as the older alicorn smiled at her, a sliver of guilt sliding into her heart as she realized that she’d suspected Celestia of trying to play the same games that her mother had. She’s not my mother, she reminded herself firmly, her jaw clenching tight as she forced herself to meet Celestia’s gaze. She doesn’t deserve to be suspected just because she shares some traits with her.

Finally, Skyla let out a sigh. “I… I guess I don’t really know, Princess Celestia,” she murmured. “I don’t really know what woke me up, but… I guess I didn’t really sleep very well at all last night, so maybe that has something to do with it.”

Celestia nodded sagely. “Understandable. After all, what pony could rest peacefully while other ponies are out deciding their fate?”

Skyla’s earlier thoughts echoed in the back of her mind, and her eyes widened. “I… suppose so, Princess,” she managed to whisper, and Celestia’s eyes sparkled in the low light of the kitchen.

“Don’t look so surprised, Skyla,” she said quietly. “After all, I’ve lived through hundreds of lifetimes of normal ponies. I’ve seen enough and know enough to know when something is bothering a pony. When you’ve lived hundreds of lifetimes, it’s kind of hard not to.”

“Well… when you put it like that,” murmured Skyla with a raise of her eyebrows, “I suppose it makes sense…” Her wings rustled against her sides, the feathers pulling at her coat slightly as she tried desperately to meet the gaze of Equestria’s greatest leader. “I guess if I knew what was wrong myself, I’d tell you,” she said after a moment. “I mean, all I know is that I woke up way earlier than normal and couldn’t go back to sleep, even though I still feel tired.” She let out a resigned sigh and dropped her rump to the floor, curling her voluminous tail around her so that it hid her front hooves from view. “I… I’ll admit that I had a thought that sounded an awful lot like what you said,” she admitted, her ears drooping towards her mane. “About resting while others decide your fate, I mean.”

“I thought you might have.” Celestia’s gaze never wavered, though her smile grew infinitesimally. “You don’t strike me as the type of pony who likes to sit around and have things decided for her.”

Skyla blushed and nodded, but her expression quickly melted into a frown. “I guess so… but how do you know that? You just met me yesterday – how can you tell me what kind of pony I am?”

Celestia’s smile grew into a grin and, to Skyla’s surprise, a giggle escaped her lips. “Just as I said before,” she chuckled. “I’ve been around long enough to become quite good at judging a pony’s character, and the fact that you literally tore a hole through space and time to chase your dream tells me everything I need to know about you.”

Skyla’s eyes narrowed and she felt the back of her neck grow hot. “Oh, is that so?” she asked, and the amount of challenge in her own voice surprised her. “Then tell me, Princess. I’ll be happy to tell you where you’re wrong.” Her tail swished away from her hooves as she stood, her eyes suddenly filling with an uncontrollable heat. “So go ahead,” she growled, “tell me all about me.”

The sour taste in her mouth returned even more harshly than before as Skyla stared at Celestia, her heart pounding in her ears. Oh by Saint Celestia’s golden raiment, what am I doing?! The thought exploded in the back of Skyla’s mind in a whirlwind of cold shivers and a sick twist of her stomach, but the hot sensation that filled her wouldn’t be dissuaded. She couldn’t stand the thought that somepony like Princess Celestia, a pony who had ruled with love and kindness for a thousand years, would sit there and say that she knew what Skyla was like, what her life had been like. The very thought made her angrier than she had ever been, and as her wings bristled she knew deep down that she was probably focusing her anger at a pony who didn’t deserve it; however, what was done was done, and for several long moments Celestia sat in silence, her eyes never leaving Skyla’s.

The smaller alicorn felt a cold smile curve her lips as the moments turned into a minute, and she was just starting to gather her words for an ‘I told you so’ speech when Celestia finally spoke.

“I can tell you that you’re smart,” she began, her voice the same, measured tone that it had been before. “I can tell you that you’re determined, tenacious to a fault, and probably downright stubborn at times.” The white alicorn shifted on the floor, a motion that caused her mane to shimmer as light from the rising sun lit the room brighter and brighter with each passing minute. “I can tell you that you care deeply for those around you, even if you grew up in a world that didn’t value compassion, and that you’re still conflicted about how you should behave in this world.”

Celestia’s words fell onto Skyla like snowflakes, each one spoken with such soothing gentleness that the fire behind her eyes started to calm almost immediately. Her mask of anger melted away in the face of Celestia’s words and, as the other alicorn continued, the pounding of Skyla’s heart in her ears faded away and was slowly replaced by a horrible aching in her stomach.

“I can tell you that you’re brave,” said Celestia, “and that you’re resourceful, skillful with your magic, and clever enough to keep a project like a mirror portal hidden for seven years. You probably didn’t have many friends, so you’re struggling to accept the value of other ponies in your life while doing your best to keep them distant just in case things don’t work out.” She glanced up at the window, where the sun was pushing higher into the sky, and her smile melted away as the sunlight touched her face. “I can tell you that you’re lonely,” she said, her voice dropping to just above a whisper, “and that you’re desperately seeking a place where you can be safe and loved. That’s why the idea of other ponies deciding that you can’t stay here woke you up so early today, and is coloring your conversation with me even now.” She blinked slowly before dropping her gaze back to Skyla, a ghost of her former smile touching her lips. “Well, that’s about it,” she said finally. “Feel free to tell me where I was wrong.”

The aching in Skyla’s stomach intensified and she plopped her rump back to the floor as she stared up into Celestia’s eyes, her heart aching. “Princess Celestia,” she began, her words thick with apology, but to her surprise Celestia shook her head and held her right hoof, forestalling her comments.

“You’re right about one thing, though,” Celestia conceded. “I don’t know exactly what your life was like back in your version of the Crystal Kingdom, and, if the truth be told, I don’t care to know. That is a part of your life that we here in this world can’t change, and to hear about it would only bring me heartache.” She dropped her hoof back to the floor, and her smile returned in full force. “What I do know, however, is that you are still a good pony despite all of the bad things that have happened to you in your life – and that means more than you probably know, at your age.” Celestia smirked. “You also remind me quite a lot of my sister and myself when we were younger.” The older alicorn unfurled her right wing and stretched it towards Skyla, who stared at her open-mouthed as Celestia’s snowy white feathers brushed gently against her left cheek. “You needn’t worry, Skyla,” whispered Celestia. “I’m quite familiar with travel through space-time and parallel worlds and, unless I’m greatly mistaken, Twilight’s not going to find any reason to try to send you back.” She smiled again, and Skyla felt warmth trace through her from her nose to her hooves. “We’re here to help you, little one. Twilight, Luna, Cadence, and I – we’re all here for you if you need us.” She withdrew her wing and folded it against her sides once again before rising to her hooves to tower over the smaller alicorn once more. “I hope that you’ll call on us if you need anything.”

Skyla could only nod as she stared up at the Saint of the Sun, her words of anger and apology long since lost in a whirlwind of shame. Celestia just smiled and ignited her horn, the glowing golden light blending in perfectly with the light of the rising sun.

“I look forward to speaking to you again another time, Skyla,” said Celestia as she took a step around her towards the door. “And please, keep in touch with Luna. She would like very much to be somepony you can rely on.”

Now Skyla blinked and jerked her head to her right, her vision following the magnificent sun that adorned Princess Celestia’s flank. “Luna said that..?” she asked incredulously. “But… but why would she-?” Her words were stifled as a muffin sailed through the air and performed a crisp u-turn that placed it perfectly into Skyla’s open mouth, the golden aura of magic that had suspended it going dark as soon as it was wedged firmly between Skyla’s teeth. Her eyes bulged as she took a large, involuntary bite out of it, dropping the rest of it onto her waiting hoof as she watched Celestia laugh once again.

“I’m sorry, Skyla, but you shouldn’t talk with your mouth full,” she said over her shoulder as she turned out the door, her expression one of such absolute mischief that Skyla’s mouth dropped open despite being filled with half-chewed muffin. “I’m sure I’ll be seeing you later today, so until then – enjoy your muffin, and chew with your mouth closed!”

Skyla’s eyes narrowed and she closed her mouth with a hearty snap that echoed in the empty kitchen. That didn’t go the way I expected it to, she thought as the tip of Celestia’s tail vanished through the door. She chewed her muffin thoughtfully, the soft, sweet bounciness filling her with a strange contentment that she didn’t think she really deserved after what had just happened. Though, I guess I really didn’t know what to expect after saying something like that to the Princess of the Sun… she thought as she swallowed the rather large bite.

She felt a smile tug at her lips as she opened her mouth and tossed the remainder of the muffin into it. She was nice, though, she thought as she rose to her hooves. It felt strange, thinking about somepony like Saint Celestia as a real, flesh-and-blood pony that she could talk to and interact with, but as Skyla headed towards the plate of muffins that Celestia had left behind, she couldn’t help but feel a little bit better about the day ahead of her. After all, how you greet the morning determines how the rest of your day is going to go, right? She snagged a muffin in her aqua colored magic and lifted it off the plate as she’d seen Celestia do, her smile spreading across her face. Maybe I could become a morning pony, after all.

Decisions Made in Faith and Love

Oooooh… late night study sessions are most definitely NOT as fun as I remember them… Twilight Sparkle winced as she walked through a beam of bright sunlight, her eyes aching and her head throbbing as the light pierced the veil of foggy pain that enveloped most of her being. In fact, I don’t think I’m going to be doing that again anytime soon. Or, at the very least, I’m not going to be doing that again unless the fate of the world hangs in the balance. She snorted as she turned right down another hallway and headed for the throne room. Of course, knowing my luck, a world-ending problem that requires an all-night study session is probably closer than I think. That’s how my life has been ever since I moved to Ponyville: world-ending threats and megalomaniacal villains all over the place. Her brow crinkled into a frown above her tired, red eyes. I still have no idea how Celestia managed to keep the peace for so long while Luna was gone… all the threats and villains must have gone on vacation together or something.

Twilight gave her head a slight shake, her mane caressing her neck as she did her best to chase away all miscellaneous thoughts from her mind. Now’s not the time to wonder about villains or threats in the past, she told herself firmly. Today has to be about one thing and one thing only: letting everypony else know what we found out last night, and deciding what’s to become of Skyla.

She shivered as she walked, despite the warm air that filled the hallway around her. The idea that she would be deciding somepony’s fate here today made her exhausted mind reel and, in spite of the fact that all of the news she had was good news, she couldn’t help but feel a little bit squeamish at the concept. Though, I suppose that’s something that comes along with being a Princess, she thought with a glance out of the windows that lined the wall to her left. The city below her bustled with activity as ponies went about their day without a care in the world, and, as Twilight looked down on them, she found herself frowning in distaste. I’ve always pursued the study of magic, and that has made me strong… but I don’t know if I’d be strong enough to banish somepony, or worse. Will I have to do something like that someday..? She winced and jerked her head away from the windows, her purple eyes refocusing on the hallway and the door at the end of it. All right, Twilight, that’s enough – focus on the task at hoof, here. You can’t spend time worrying about the future because you’ve got your plate full today, and this issue needs your full attention.

She approached the door and ignited her magic, the magenta glow grasping the doorknob and pushing it open to admit the purple alicorn to the throne room, where the seven ponies she’d met with the day before turned their eyes towards her.

“Sorry I’m late, everypony,” said Twilight as her magic closed the door behind her before vanishing as her horn went dark, “but after last night I just couldn’t get myself out of bed any earlier…”

Cadence waved a hoof from her throne, her smile soft and warm. “Don’t apologize, Twilight. Sunburst and Starlight were telling us how you three stayed up almost ‘til dawn working on everything, so I’d say you earned a little bit of sleeping in.” She hopped down from her seat and moved to stand next to Shining Armor, who had been standing to the left of her throne. “Have you eaten yet today?” asked the pink alicorn, her voice taking on a tone that Twilight recognized from her foalhood. That’s Cadence’s ‘I’m going to fuss over everything’ tone, and she only really used that when she was worried about something. A smile touched Twilight’s lips as Cadence gestured towards a small table off to the far left of the throne. “I had some small things brought in while we waited, so help yourself if you’re hungry. It was going to be a variety of muffins, but our chef said that somepony had eaten quite a few of them before he woke up this morning so he had to add some fruit to round everything out.”

Twilight’s eyes darted to Celestia, who met her gaze with a secretive smile that caused Twilight to roll her eyes. I can remember that happening a lot when I was her student. Plenty of breakfast muffins went missing then, and I’m sure they’ll continue to go missing for a long time.

“Thanks, Cadence, but I’ll eat once everything is settled,” said Twilight with a wave of her hoof as she moved towards the group. “I’ve held everypony up long enough as it is – I’m definitely not making you all wait until I’m done stuffing my muzzle.”

Cadence scrunched her muzzle in disapproval, but after a moment she nodded. “If that’s what you’d like to do, then we’ll do that.” The words were benign, and her tone was soft and filled with motherly understanding, but Twilight was just tired enough to give Cadence the tiniest bit of a glare. You’re not my foalsitter anymore, and I’m not a foal, she thought huffily. This whole situation is much more important than my empty stomach.

“To be fair, I believe that Twilight is correct,” said Luna from her place between Cadence and Celestia. “This is an issue that has waited long enough, and is one that should be resolved as soon as possible.”

Oh thank Celestia that somepony else thinks that way, too, thought Twilight, her lips curving into a slight smile. Leave it to Princess Luna to cut through to the heart of the issue! She shifted her gaze to the dark blue alicorn to give her a nod of thanks, but, as her eyes met Luna’s, she found herself taken aback at the disapproval that radiated from the older alicorn. Twilight’s next hoofstep hesitated on its way to the floor as she felt a quick flash of confusion along with a rumbling of irritation at the other princess’ conduct; after all, what did she do to deserve a withering stare like that? Then, thanks to the delay of her sleep-deprived brain, she was hit with the reason like a clap of thunder.

Oh… I made everypony wait while I slept… She winced as her hoof hit the floor and her walk resumed as normal. Yeah… I guess I should have expected SOMEPONY to be aggravated with my behavior… way to go, Twilight.

“Y-yes, Princess Luna is absolutely correct,” she said as politely as she could. “Skyla’s future hangs in the balance today, and that is not something that should be put off for a moment more.” She stepped into the circle to stand between Sunburst and Starlight, her eyes meeting Luna’s once again. “Please, forgive my tardiness,” she said, dropping her gaze to the floor and bowing her head. “It was not my intention to keep everyone waiting, and I apologize.”

She held her bow for a heartbeat before bringing her gaze back up to the group, and to her great relief Luna offered her a tight but sincere smile.

“Your apology is accepted, Twilight Sparkle,” she said, and Twilight’s relief exploded in her chest as Luna’s serious tone eased into a much warmer one. This may have been my fault, but everything will go much better today if I don’t have to contend with Princess Crankyface while trying to take care of this Skyla business. Twilight offered her a nod and a smile in return before switching her gaze over to Starlight, who stood between Twilight and Celestia with her eyes on the floor.

“All right, Starlight – how much have you filled them in on?”

The unicorn mare let out a heavy sigh, and Twilight felt a twinge of concern dart through her chest as she got her first look at her friend. She doesn’t look like she slept at all, thought Twilight as Starlight lifted her chin and looked at her. The unicorn’s face was haggard and pale, and her eyes had even more red in them than Twilight’s did.

“We told them that we were up really, really late,” she murmured half-heartedly, her words heavy and cumbersome. “We also told them that we didn’t really have anything to report until you got here, but that was mostly so we wouldn’t have to explain stuff without you…” She lowered her eyes to Twilight’s hooves as her ears drooped in exhaustion. “Sorry we didn’t talk more about everything before you got here,” she whispered.

Twilight’s brow furrowed, but she swallowed the words of concern that tried to force their way out from between her teeth; instead, she gave Starlight a nod and a smile. “You did great. I really would rather be here to talk about all of this, anyway, so you not talking about anything is just fine.”

“Except that, in the absence of anything else to talk about, we had to listen to Celestia describe the Great Accounting Disaster of 576 A.C. in excruciating detail.” Luna leveled a glare at Celestia, who smiled cutely and glanced up at the ceiling.

“Oh come now, everypony loves my stories,” she said with a dismissive wave of her hoof. “Especially that one.”

“ANYWAY,” interjected Twilight with an annoyed glance at her former teacher, “before we get any more off track, I’d like to get this whole thing started, if you please.” Celestia stuck her tongue out at Luna before nodding to Twilight, who let out a sigh of relief before clearing her throat loudly. “Thank you. Now, as you all know,” she turned her head so that she could let her eyes rest on each pony as she spoke, “we all came here to discuss Skyla. We were to determine whether or not she was a threat to this world in any way, shape, or form, and then, provided that she was not, decide where she would be staying while she adjusts and grows up.” She glanced at Sunburst, who nodded confidently. He looks like he got sleep, at least, thought Twilight, noting the brightness of his eyes and the fact that his mane looked like it had been brushed one hundred times before he’d come in. “After exhaustive research with my two colleagues, we’ve discovered that Skyla poses no threat to our world, as far as being incompatible with our plane of existence is concerned.”

“If she had been, she most likely would have exploded instantly upon entry to our world,” explained Sunburst as he gestured with his right hoof. “That, coupled with the fact that she’s not displaying any signs of destabilization or dematerialization, leads me to believe that she’s not going to blow up and hurt anypony.”

“And our investigation into Starswirl’s research also gives us enough evidence to say beyond the shadow of a reasonable doubt that her presence here will not cause any universal displacement ending in eventual contact, collapse, and destruction,” continued Twilight, motioning to Sunburst with her left hoof. “Sunburst’s theory that she is from an alternate history rather than a parallel world or even a true alternate world means that there is a better chance for compatibility, especially since we don’t have to worry about that whole ‘two ponies in one universe’ situation.”

Sunburst smiled proudly and dropped his hoof back to the floor. “In conclusion, we see no reason why Skyla can’t just stay here if she likes. No universal destruction, no end of the world scenarios.” Across from Twilight, Shining Armor and Cadence both relaxed visibly and cast relieved glances at one another, while Celestia and Luna simply nodded in educated silence. Twilight glanced at Starlight, but the unicorn didn’t seem the least bit interested in what was happening around her; instead, her hooded eyes stared ahead in deep inner contemplation, as if she were sifting through her soul out of pure exhaustion. I’m going to make sure she sleeps on the train home, thought Twilight firmly. She has to take care of herself! I swear this is what happens if I let her out of my sight for even a second…

“What about invasion?” asked Shining Armor. “Is there a threat to the Crystal Kingdom in that regard?”

Twilight looked back to her brother and her smile shrank minutely. “Well… according to what we deduced about her method of travel, the spells that she probably used, and her own understanding of the magic and science necessary to make something like slinging yourself through space and time possible, we… don’t believe that there is a high likelihood of somepony tracking her and coming here.”

Shining’s eyes narrowed, an expression Twilight had seen countless times on his face when she’d been trying to hide something from him. “Not a high likelihood,” he repeated. “But that means that there is a likelihood of it happening, correct?”

“Twilight, please,” interjected Sunburst, “don’t make it sound like there’s some kind of invading army waiting for a new portal to be built.” Twilight glanced to Sunburst, who gave her a warm, reassuring smile before turning to Shining. “Your Highness, from what we calculated it would be all but impossible for other ponies from that timeline to find this one.”

“Skyla did it,” said Shining matter-of-factly.

“Well, yes, we know she did it,” said Sunburst, his right hoof rising to stroke his long, thin beard, “but she also had some sort of connection to Flurry Heart that nopony else seems to have. We’ve postulated that this connection was the only thing that allowed her to make such a jump through dimensions, and that without her, nopony can do it again.”

“What about tracing her magic?” said Cadence, her brow furrowed as she glanced at Shining. “Shining Armor said that if a spell is powerful enough, you can trace it for quite some time after it’s been cast. Something that could move you through space and time would probably leave a trail, wouldn’t it?” Shining nodded, but Sunburst just smiled as he shifted his hoof from his beard to his glasses.

“That’s very much true, Princess,” he said, adjusting his spectacles. “But it’s also true that the spell lasted such a short amount of time that the trail it left behind would be too thin, faint and difficult to find amid the twisting energies of the fabric of space-time.” He dropped his hoof back to the ground. “In short, it would be nigh on impossible for anypony to find her here.”

“But not flat-out impossible,” Twilight said, looking back to her brother. Sunburst chuckled and started to speak again, but Twilight’s hoof shot out to forestall his comments as her violet eyes snapped back to him, a frown planted firmly on her face. “Sunburst, if the chances for this happening aren’t zero, I’m telling my brother that there is at least some chance that somepony will find this place again. I will NOT let educated arrogance get in the way of protecting this world, and neither should you.”

Twilight held Sunburst’s gaze for several long seconds, her eyes burning hot in her head as the unicorn stallion stared at her wide-eyed and open mouthed. I swear I’m going to find him much less cute than I did before if he fights me on this, she thought vehemently. To her relief, however, a few more seconds saw the stallion close his mouth and bow his head to her, his glasses flashing in the sunlight from the crystals.

“As you wish, Twilight,” he said gently before raising his head and looking once more to Shining Armor. “It is as she says, Your Highness. There is a minute, miniscule chance that somepony might find this plane again, but it is so mathematically improbable that they will do so that I didn’t think it was worth mentioning.” He sighed. “The fact that Skyla did it only decreases the statistical probability that somepony could do it again at random, so I thought that-,”

“All right, Sunburst,” said Shining, raising a hoof to stop the other stallion’s words. “That’s enough. We get it, you were just doing what you thought was right.” He gave Sunburst a lopsided smile. “But a word of advice: never go against my sister when magic and science are involved. She’s learned a lot of hard lessons over the years about that kind of stuff, and it’d do you some good to listen to her when she says something.” His eyes flitted to Twilight, who felt her cheeks warm gently at the praise. “Especially when it comes to impossible things happening – she’s sort of an expert on those.”

Sunburst bowed his head again. “I will certainly keep that in mind, Your Highness.”

“Good.” Shining sighed. “So there is a chance, even if it’s a really little one, that somepony from Skyla’s world could find us.”

Twilight nodded. “Yes, but Sunburst is right about how small of a chance it is.” She shrugged and returned Shining’s lopsided smile. “I mean, it would be like trying to find a needle in a haystack, but the haystack is the size of Equestria and the needle is only a micron thick.” Shining frowned, and Twilight’s smile shrank. “A micrometer, Shining Armor – it’s one of the smallest units of measurement in modern science.” Shining’s eyes glazed over slightly, and Twilight rolled her eyes. “It’s really, really tiny, Shiny,” she sighed in vexation, “like, six times smaller than the width of one of your hairs. That’s how small of a chance somepony else has of finding this place.”

“Ooooooh.” Shining blinked a few times then nodded. “I gotcha, Twilight. Really small chance.”

“Yes, really small.” Twilight gave her head a shake and brought her right hoof to her forehead just beneath her horn, where her head was beginning to hurt. “So, statistically, there’s no chance that somepony will find that microscopic needle in that massive haystack, but I didn’t want you to think that there was literally no chance that somepony would.” She rubbed her head gently with her hoof for a moment before dropping it back to the floor.

Shining Armor nodded once more. “I got it, Twilight. We’ll keep an eye on things here, just in case somepony does try to follow her. If that happens, I’ll be contacting you for help, little sister.” Twilight’s lips curved back into a smile, one that her brother mirrored.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way, big brother,” she said. She held Shining’s gaze for a moment before turning back to Celestia. “Aaaaand that about wraps that up, I guess,” she said, her tail swishing behind her. “We’ve covered everything that we wanted to, so this study session wasn’t in vain, thankfully.”

“You all did excellent work,” said Celestia with a smile. “I know it was hard, but I want you to know that we appreciate every moment that you spent in your research.” Her eyes darted to Luna for a heartbeat before coming to rest once again on Twilight. “And, if I’m not mistaken, that means that there is only one place for this conversation to go next.”

Twilight took a deep breath in and exhaled slowly before nodding. “You are not mistaken, Princess,” she said, shifting slightly on her hooves. “That brings up something that we did not discuss yesterday, because that discussion was contingent on the results of our investigations last night.” She swept her eyes across Shining and Cadence, then Luna and Celestia. “Now that we know she can stay here, I can’t, in good conscience, say that she shouldn’t be allowed to. I mean, we all heard her accounts of her home world, and I’m certain that none of us want to send her back there, right?” Every head in the group shook to one degree or another, from the vehement, hair-messing shake of Cadence to the barely visible, detached shake of Starlight. Twilight nodded. “Then we have to decide where she’s going to live, and who’s going to be keeping an eye on her.”

Her words seemed to echo a little bit more in the throne room than they had mere moments before, and Twilight knew that even if they actually hadn’t, she felt them resonate through her all the same. This is the part that I’m not looking forward to, she admitted silently, her eyes roaming the circle of ponies around her. The part where we have to decide what happens to her, without her here to speak for herself.

The idea that they should, indeed, bring Skyla into the discussion at this point in time had crossed her mind, of course, but the more she thought about it, the more she disliked the idea. After all, it would mean battling against Skyla’s preconceived notions about the Crystal Kingdom and Equestria as a whole, and that was a battle that Twilight thought would just muddy the already difficult waters that lay ahead of them. She glanced at Starlight, who blinked slowly as she continued to stare at the floor. I’m especially glad that I didn’t bring her in now, she thought, her eyes narrowing at Starlight. I thought for sure that my apprentice would be ready and willing to help me discuss this stuff, but apparently I’m on my own today.

Finally, just when Twilight thought that the silence would rise up and swallow all of them whole, Shining Armor cleared his throat.

“Actually, Cadence and I had a long discussion about this very thing last night… and we would love for her to stay here with us.” He slid to the side and pressed his body against Cadence, who nodded in eager agreement. “We know that it’s not much of a change of scenery,” he admitted, “but we’d like to start out with her here, at least.”

“Flurry Heart’s already taken such a shine to her, after all,” added Cadence. “That means she already has somepony to support her, and… well…” Her ears flattened against her mane, and she cast a sheepish glance at everypony else. “We figured that since she is our daughter, technically, that we might as well, you know… officially make her our daughter.” Her ears shot up out of her mane and she waved her right hoof frantically. “Not right away, of course! We want to wait and see how she does first, and then ask her if she wants to… We just want her to be comfortable and happy, and…” She sighed and dropped her hoof back to the floor. “I guess we both think that she’s going to need more than just friends to get through this, so…” She trailed off into silence, and Twilight was surprised to see tears gathering in Cadence’s eyes. “I just want to help her,” she whispered hoarsely.

Twilight felt her chest tighten at the pure emotion in Cadence’s voice, and she had to swallow against a lump in her own throat before she could speak again.

“Well… I guess that would be the easiest solution,” she said softly. “I mean, she’s already here, she knows this place as home already… it sounds like a good option.” She turned to Celestia. “What do you think, Princess?”

The white alicorn nodded. “I think it’s a wonderful idea,” she agreed, “though I feel I should point out that she was kept against her will in a castle exactly like this one, by ponies who looked exactly like you two.” She pointed a hoof to Cadence and Shining Armor. “Are you sure you have what it takes to fight those bad memories to make better ones?” She lowered her hoof and glanced at Luna. “It’s not always easy, you know…”

Cadence and Shining Armor both shifted on their hooves and glanced at one another, their hesitation palpable even from where Twilight stood. Celestia’s right, she thought, her eyes darting between her brother, her sister, and her former teacher. Skyla has such bad memories of her parents and this place that she might never be able to get over them. It would basically be an uphill battle, starting all the way at the bottom. She bit her bottom lip and sighed softly. I suppose I’d better offer to take her back to Ponyville with me. I’ve got the space, and it’d be refreshing to have a pony as young and talented as she is around. She started to gather her words but before she could do so, Princess Luna cleared her throat.

“I believe that she should stay here, as well,” she said softly. Twilight blinked in surprise before turning her eyes to the Lunar Princess, her words forgotten in the wake Luna’s endorsement. Celestia’s expression mirrored Twilight’s own, and without waiting even a heartbeat the white alicorn turned back to Luna, her wings rustling against her sides.

“Luna, are you sure about that?” Her words were carefully neutral, but Twilight’s ear twitched as she spoke them. Why would she ask if Luna was sure? She wondered. I mean, she wouldn’t have any reason not to agree, would she?

The shorter princess nodded and looked up at Celestia, her eyes calm and clear. “I’m certain, Celestia. This is the best thing for Skyla, I’m sure of it – at least, it’s the best place for her to start.” A wry smile quirked Luna’s lips and she shifted her gaze to Cadence, whose ears drooped towards her mane as the attention of the Moon Princess returned to her. “I will be watching her closely, Cadence,” she said, her tail twitching. “I have asked her to write me and inform me of everything and anything that she wishes me to know so that I can help her if she needs me.” She turned and took the several steps that separated her from Cadence so that she could place her left hoof upon the pink alicorn’s shoulder, a gesture that coaxed Cadence’s ears out of her curls. “I have faith in the two of you,” she said softly. “Become the parents that she never had.”

Cadence met Luna’s gaze and nodded slowly, her wings shifting along her flanks. “I… we will. Thank you, Aunt Luna… for your support.”

Luna’s smile grew as she returned her hoof to the floor. “Do not mention it. Or, at the very least, do not thank me for it until you have proven that you can handle this filly.” She turned and started towards the door to the throne room, her tail swishing across her hind legs a bit more than usual. “Giving you my support means that I am invested in the outcome,” she said over her shoulder. “Ruminate on that, if you would.”

Twilight’s gaze danced back to Cadence just in time to see her sister’s ears dive back into her mane, and Twilight couldn’t help but smile wryly to herself. I guess I’m not the only one who’s intimidated by Luna, she thought with just a hint of satisfaction. The doors at the far end of the room opened as Luna’s magic kissed them, and within moments they closed behind her without a sound.

“Well… I guess that’s it,” said Twilight with a shrug, her wings bobbing. “Cadence and Shining Armor will keep Skyla here with them at least until such a time that Skyla decides that she needs to go somewhere else.” Her smile became genuine as she met Cadence’s gaze, and she could see the tension ease from the other alicorn as she did so. “Everything’s going to be fine, Cadence,” said Twilight gently. “I’m sure Luna’s just worried about Skyla, like we all are. The two of you are going to do great.”

“Thanks, Twilight… I need to hear that right now.” Cadence’s right hoof rose to her chest as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath in, and as she exhaled she pushed her hoof away from herself as if to put distance between her and her unpleasant thoughts. “I don’t think we’re going to have that much trouble,” she admitted, opening her eyes and dropping her hoof back to the floor. “And even if we do, we have Sunburst here to help us.” Her eyes shifted to Twilight’s left. “Right, Sunburst?”

“Absolutely, Your Highness,” replied the stallion with an emphatic nod. “I’ll do my best to make sure that she’s given the same quality education that Flurry Heart is receiving, with a special side dish of ‘how to interact with ponies on this side of the mirror 101’.”

Shining Armor grinned and nodded as well. “All right, then – we’re all in agreement. We’ll do our best to make sure that Skyla comes to think of this place as home.” Cadence and Sunburst both nodded once more, and Shining’s grin grew even larger. “Great! Well, why don’t we go tell her and Flurry Heart what’s going on? I’m sure they’re dying to know.” He started to turn away from the circle, but Cadence’s hoof shot out to forestall his movements; he gave her a confused glance, but when she jerked her head in Twilight’s direction, Shining caught on right away. He spun back and offered Twilight an apologetic smile, his ears folding back towards his mane. “Sorry about that, Twilight. Is this little meeting adjourned, or do you need some more from us?”

Twilight laughed lightly and rolled her eyes. “We’re done here, Shining. You can go tell Flurry and Skyla now, if you’d like.” Her brother nodded happily and turned away from her, this time followed by Cadence, whose lips curved up into a smile that matched Shining’s for excitement. Their hoofsteps filled the room as they hurried for the door, their heads pressed together in hushed conversation. Next to Twilight, Sunburst stepped forward to go after them, his ears perked high.

“I’m going to go along with them, Princess,” he said with a grin. “I’d like to be there with them when they tell the girls, since I’m going to be a big part of this plan.” He lifted his right hoof, his entire body poised to give chase to the royal couple, but he hesitated for a moment before speaking again. “I… I wanted you to know that, despite there being a lot riding on the research we did last night, I had a really fun time.” He blushed heavily. “I hope to see you the next time you visit the Crystal Kingdom… Twilight.” Then, without another word, he dropped his hoof and took off after Cadence and Shining Armor at a gallop, his blue cape flapping behind him.

Twilight stared after him, her own cheeks growing warm as she watched him go. He… had fun with me? she thought absently. He’d like to see me again? But… does that mean…?

Before she could continue her pondering, however, the sound of a pony clearing their throat drew her attention to her right, where Princess Celestia stood watching her. Twilight shook her head and offered the other alicorn a smile that she hoped looked nonchalant, despite the color that was no doubt lingering in her cheeks.

“Well, I suppose that settles everything,” she said with a sigh. “Cadence and Shining Armor can take it from here, and with Sunburst helping I’m sure that everything will work out fine.”

“Mmm,” muttered Celestia, her expression oddly unreadable as she stared at Twilight. The smaller alicorn’s ears folded back into her mane beneath her former mentor’s gaze, and she had to swallow forcefully before she could manage to get any more words out.

“Do… do you think there’s a problem?” she muttered. “I mean, I didn’t see any problems, here…” The taller alicorn blinked slowly before her eyes seemed to refocus onto Twilight, and as they did, Celestia’s smile became warm and mysterious once more.

“Oh, no, Twilight, I don’t think there’s a problem, necessarily.” Her wings fidgeted against her sides as she, too, turned towards the door. “But I want you to know that Luna is placing a great deal of trust in Cadence and Shining and, by that same token, I am, as well.” She threw a glance over her shoulder at Twilight, her smile unwavering. “Oh well, I’m certain that it’s not misplaced,” she said nonchalantly. Silence spread between the two alicorns as Celestia made her way to the door and vanished through it as the others had before her, leaving Twilight and Starlight alone before the throne.

“I hate it when she does that,” grumbled Twilight, her ears still pinned against her mane. “It always feels like a veiled threat, even though I really can’t prove it…” She sighed in vexation before lifting a hoof and pressing it firmly against the bridge of her nose. “Well, at least this is all over and we can hop on the next train back to Ponyville. I don’t know about you, but I plan on sleeping most of the way there. Heck, I’ll rent an entire car to get some peace and quiet if I have to!” She turned towards the door and gestured towards it with her head. “C’mon, Starlight, let’s get moving. I know you have some stuff to grab from Sunburst’s house, so we’ll hit that on the way to the train station.” Her hoofsteps echoed in the grand room just as the other’s hoofsteps had, but after taking a half dozen or so she realized that hers were the only hoofsteps making any sounds. She frowned and stopped in her tracks. “Starlight, come on,” she said with a glance over her shoulder, “I really want to get home.”

To her surprise, however, Starlight didn’t turn to follow her. Instead, the pink unicorn’s eyes slowly rose from the floor and locked onto her own, her expression a mask of determination.

“Twilight… I’m not going back to Ponyville with you,” she said.

Twilight’s eyes widened and she whirled on her hooves, her mane and tail swishing dramatically as she did so. “Wh-what? Whoa, wait a second – what do you mean that you’re not coming back with me?”

“I mean that I’m not going back with you. Not on the train, and not at all.” The unicorn moved for the first time since the meeting had started, taking a step towards Twilight as she spoke. “I’m not convinced that something won’t happen around Skyla, Twilight. I mean, she punched a hole through space-time, for pony’s sake! Are we just going to trust math, theories, and predictions to tell us that nothing’s going to happen around her?”

“W-well… I mean, we could,” said Twilight feebly as an uncomfortable expression slowly spread across her face. “It’s certainly good enough for Sunburst…”

“Well it’s not good enough for me,” said Starlight firmly, her tired eyes full of fire as she stopped before Twilight. “We have to study this more, Twilight, and the only way that that’s going to happen is if I stay here and keep an eye on things.” She lifted her right hoof and pointed to Twilight. “You have the Cutie Map and all sorts of friendship problems to take care of all through Equestria.” Her hoof shifted and pointed towards the door. “Celestia and Luna have all of Equestria to run, Cadence and Shining Armor have their own kingdom to run and a daughter to raise, and even Sunburst has his own duties as Flurry Heart’s tutor and the Crystal Court’s mage.” Her leg bent until her hoof was pointing back at herself. “I am the only one without anything to do, Twilight. I’m the only one without official duties or a specific job to do. I’m the only one with the knowledge of space-time distortions with literally nothing else to do, so I’m the one who has to do it!” She dropped her hoof back to the floor and gave Twilight a determined frown. “So I’m staying here. I’ll help Sunburst with the girls’ tutoring, and I’ll keep an eye out for any kinds of anomalies surrounding Skyla. I’ll put everything I find in a report as things progress, and I’ll keep in touch with you by letter regularly.”

Twilight stared open mouthed at Starlight, her mind whirling as the unicorn’s proposal sank in. There was a part of Twilight – and it was a substantial part – that didn’t want Starlight to stay, and she knew that it was for completely personal and selfish reasons. I’ve become so dependent on her presence in the Castle to help me with things, she thought as silence settled between the two mares. I mean, Spike’s still a great helper, but Starlight knows so much about magic and is so strong… I guess that I’ve been taking her presence for granted. I suppose that I never really thought that she’d choose to leave, someday…

She closed her mouth, swallowed, then exhaled sharply before lifting her chin and meeting Starlight’s gaze once more.

“Is that what you want to do?” she asked quietly.

Starlight nodded, her disheveled mane bouncing unevenly as she did so. “More than anything,” she said just as softly.

Twilight sighed, but after a moment she lifted her left hoof and placed it onto Starlight’s shoulder, a smile curving her lips. “Then you do it,” she said simply. “I think that it’s an excellent idea to keep her under a little bit of surveillance, considering that magical anomalies don’t always crop up right away. And what’s more, you’re one of the most skilled mages I’ve ever met. Even if something does happen, you’d probably be able to take care of it on your own!”

Slowly, Starlight’s eyes filled with hope. “Does… does that mean that you’re okay with it?” she asked. “You won’t object to my staying here?”

“Of course I won’t,” said Twilight, dropping her hoof back to the floor. “You might be my student, but you are your own mare, first and foremost, so you can do as you please.” Her smile grew slightly. “Though, I’d love to get letters and updates from you. Y’know, just to keep me from getting too lonely.”

Now the unicorn’s eyes filled with tears, and her bottom lip quivered gently for a moment before she managed to nod. “All right,” she whispered hoarsely. “I… I’ll make sure I do that.” She let out a shaking sigh and stepped forward, her neck crossing over Twilight’s as Starlight pressed her chest against her own. “I’ll keep in touch,” she said, her voice barely audible despite her close proximity.

Twilight leaned against Starlight and fought to keep her own tears out of her voice as she nodded. “I’ll hold you to that,” she said. She held the hug as long as she could, and just before her tears overwhelmed her she stepped back and sniffled loudly. “Whew, all right then,” she said, rubbing a hoof across her nose as casually as she could. “Well, even if you’re not going back with me, would you mind walking me to the station? That way we can set up how often you’re going to send letters to me and other organizational things like that.”

Now Starlight smiled brightly, and with a nod she fell into step with Twilight. “Sure. I think that’d be a great idea.”

The Student Becomes the Teacher

The sky outside of the study that served as Flurry Heart’s classroom was filled with storm clouds, their mottled blue-gray colors diffusing and dampening the light of the sun so dramatically that Sunburst had actually turned on the lamps during his lecture, something that Flurry couldn’t remember him having to do before. The Crystal Kingdom doesn’t really get thunderstorms very often, she thought excitedly as a deep, low rumble of thunder growled beneath Sunburst’s voice as he moved towards the end of his morning lecture. Her eyes darted to the window, and she couldn’t help but kick her hooves beneath her desk at the prospect of the weather to come. I hope that Sunburst will let me have a break when the storm happens. I don’t think I’ll be able to concentrate at all if he doesn’t! Her icy blue magic shifted her quill down her page and scratched a few more notes as the sound of chalk scraping across a chalkboard added a higher, sharper layer to the sounds inside and outside the room.

“…and so, with the Unicorn Corps backing up the Wonderbolts and their secondary units, the Equestrian Army was able to drive a wedge through the Griffon formations and effectively bring an end to the Griffon War in the fall of 1014 A.C.” The chalk scribbled faster, causing Flurry’s right ear to twitch towards the board even as her eyes stared eagerly at the storm outside. “Princess Celestia herself presided over the battle, and at its conclusion she personally made her way to the Griffon commander to accept his surrender. Then, the very next day, she entered Griffonstone and drafted a peace treaty with their King – an agreement that still stands today.” The chalk made one last decisive stroke across the board before being deposited loudly into its tray. Flurry’s quill made a few more precise strokes on her paper, but her eyes never strayed from the window to the fascinating world outside her classroom. Her wings rustled, their joints brushing gently against her hair as she heard Sunburst take a few steps towards her. “Any questions?”

Flurry’s ear twitched again, and this time she turned her gaze from the window to the pony that sat in the desk next to hers, her insides jumping and bumping around. Asking whether or not she had questions was not something that Sunburst had always done; in fact, he knew very well that Flurry Heart would be ready and willing to leap squarely into his lecture if she had a question that needed answering. He had, however, added the polite ‘any questions’ at the end three weeks ago when Flurry’s class had literally doubled in size.

Skyla sat with her hooves atop her desk attentively, the clear aqua of her magic moving her own quill deftly across her notes as she eagerly watched the chalkboard and Sunburst. “How far into Equestria did the griffons make it before they were repulsed?” she asked. Flurry’s eyes darted back to Sunburst, who smiled and shook his head.

“They didn’t. They never made it past the northern border.” He gestured back to the notes on the board with his right hoof, his movements crisp since he’d removed his cape for the lecture. He always gets kind of lost in that thing, thought Flurry with a quirk of her lips. I think he might be better off if he just stopped wearing it…

“They didn’t make it into Equestria at all?” muttered Skyla, and Flurry’s eyes returned to the other alicorn as she gave a slow shake of her head, her curls waving gently around her neck and head. “In my world they broke through the border and were massing to march on Whinnyapolis before the Equestrian forces could push them back, and even then it was a very near thing. What did they do differently here?”

Sunburst chuckled lightly as he turned back from the board. “I think that you might be asking the wrong question, actually.” He lifted his right hoof and adjusted his glasses as he closed his eyes, a motion that forced Flurry Heart to stifle a giggle. That’s what he does when he’s going to say something smart, she reflected, her lips quivering with the effort of containing her laughter. He probably thinks it makes him look smarter. “I think,” he continued, “that what you should be asking is not what they did differently, but who they had with them that they didn’t in your world.”

“Who they had..?” Skyla frowned, but it only lasted a moment before her eyes widened and her mouth opened into a half smile. “Aaaaah, I see. So Princess Celestia’s presence is what kept the Equestrian lines from falling apart?”

“Correct.” Sunburst dropped his hoof back to the floor. “The fact that Princess Celestia herself chose to remain with her troops at the front lines instead of retreating when things looked bleakest inspired the troops enough to make an actual difference on the battlefield.”

“Did she fight along with her troops?”

A low, throaty rumble of thunder filled the room, the sound chasing the words of Skyla’s question as they faded away. Flurry’s magic lifted her quill off of the paper as she frowned across at Skyla, who was watching Sunburst so intently that she didn’t notice Flurry’s look.

“Ah, um… actually, no,” said Sunburst after the thunder had faded away into silence once again. “According to official accounts, the Princess merely directed the battle. The only time that it was said that she used her magic was to heal wounds, and then only the most dire and most severe.” Skyla shifted in her seat and sat up, a frown touching her face, as well.

“But why didn’t she? She’s an alicorn with enough magic to blast a kingdom from the face of Equestria if she wanted to.” She lifted her hoof and shrugged. “Why didn’t she intervene in the battle and bring it to a close earlier?”

“Well, um…” Sunburst shifted on his hooves and started to look like he needed to use the bathroom, “that is a fantastic question, Skyla… and one that I really, really would like to answer, but-,”

“It’s because if she’d intervened and brought an end to the battle by herself, the griffons never would have respected the ponies enough to leave them alone.” Flurry’s eyes widened and darted to the open door, where Starlight Glimmer was standing with her shoulder against the doorframe.

“When did you get here?” she blurted before she could stop herself. Starlight smiled a little, but Flurry could tell that it wasn’t really a nice smile.

“I’ve been standing outside for a bit, waiting for Sunburst to be done with his lecture,” she said, shifting her weight away from the frame and stepping into the room. “I would have waited ‘til he was done, too, but I feel like this was a pretty good time for me to butt in.” She moved to the front of the makeshift classroom so that she stood next to Sunburst, who gave her a shaky sort of smile that made Flurry think that he was in trouble.

“Thanks, Starlight,” he muttered. “I’ll admit that I haven’t always asked the same questions that these girls ask, so sometimes they catch me off guard.”

Starlight smirked. “That’s why I’m here now.” She cleared her throat and looked from Skyla to Flurry, her eyes firm and full of seriousness. “Griffons don’t respect much, but they respect strength. They believed that ponies were weak, pathetic little creatures who wouldn’t last two seconds in a real fight, and if Celestia had intervened and used her amazing magic to end the battle, they would have continued believing that.” She snorted. “I mean, that doesn’t stop most of them from still believing that today, but because of that battle in 1014 A.C. they know that ponies can and will defend their land, no matter how tough things get.” She focused her attention on Skyla, who sat up straighter in her chair beneath the unicorn’s gaze. “Celestia knew that, so, in spite of being able to end the battle herself, she had to sit back and stay out of the fight as much as she could. She became a general instead of a soldier, and that’s a much harder job than just blasting other creatures with magic.” Starlight held Skyla’s gaze for a long set of heartbeats, but finally she relaxed and smiled – a nice one, this time. “Does that make sense, Skyla?”

“Yeah… I guess it does.” Skyla nodded and smiled back to Starlight. “Thanks for explaining that, Starlight.”

“No problem,” she said before lifting her left hoof and elbowing Sunburst playfully in the ribs, her smile morphing into a grin. “Sometimes this bookworm gets too comfortable reading about history and forgets to think about history.” Sunburst chuckled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head with his hoof.

“Well, you’re right about that, I suppose,” he muttered before dropping his hoof back to the floor. “Reading and reciting are a far cry from critical thinking, and we need both sides to learn.”

Flurry Heart’s quill touched back down on her paper as she watched the pair, jotting down the exchange between Starlight and Sunburst. It wasn’t something she did all the time, but sometimes she would write down the things that Sunburst, Starlight, or other important ponies said so she wouldn’t forget them. It had been her Aunt Twilight’s idea, and she had to admit that she was able to remember a whole lot more of the neat things that ponies said when she wrote them down. We need both sides to learn, she repeated to herself as she looked down at her notes, where the ink was rapidly drying on the last few words she’d written. That sounds like something that a Princess should remember.

“And now that we’ve gotten that little muddle taken care of,” said Sunburst with a glance at Skyla, “I suppose that means that it’s time for Skyla’s training?”

Starlight nodded once, her curl bouncing as she smiled. “Indeed it is.” Her eyes darted to Skyla. “Are you ready to go? Did you get all of your notes?”

Flurry Heart rolled her eyes and laid her quill onto her desk, the tip propped neatly atop the small ink catcher that kept her desk from getting stains. “Of course she did,” she said softly, though not quite softly enough to keep the other ponies in the room from hearing. “She always does, so you can stop asking about it.”

The unicorn mare’s ears twitched violently, but they stayed upright as she turned her gaze back towards Flurry. Before she could answer, however, Skyla sat back in her chair and waved her hoof dismissively at Flurry, her expression caught somewhere between a frown and a smile.

“Flurry, it’s fine,” she said quickly. “I don’t mind. It’s okay.” She turned her gaze back to Starlight and gave a single, firm nod as she sat up straight in her chair once again, her wings rustling against her back. “I made sure that I got all of my notes, Starlight,” she said, her face finally deciding on an expression and choosing the smile. “I’m ready to go.”

Starlight turned back to Skyla and gave a satisfied nod, her face losing the edge that Flurry had seen in it. “All right then, as long as your teacher approves,” she glanced at Sunburst, who nodded, “then we’ll be on our way.” She headed towards the door as Skyla hastily tucked her ink well, papers, and textbook into her desk with her magic before darting out into the hallway after the unicorn, her curled tail swishing with excitement.

“See you later, Flurry Heart!” she tossed over her shoulder, her smile bright as she raised her right hoof and gave Flurry a wave goodbye. Flurry raised her hoof as fast as she could and gave a frantic wave, but the other alicorn slipped out of the room so quickly that she wasn’t sure that she’d seen it. Flurry’s ears drooped as she lowered her hoof and slowly turned back to her desk, a sad, uncomfortable feeling bumping around in her stomach. I really wish she’d stick around to say goodbye, at least, she thought with a frown at her paper, even though she knew that it hadn’t done anything to make her angry. It makes me sad when she doesn’t…

“Well, that wraps up our lesson,” said Sunburst, and his voice drew Flurry out of her inner thoughts. She blinked and turned her gaze back to the front of the class, where the stallion was carefully erasing the chalkboard with the fuzzy eraser held in his golden magic. “I suppose you’re going to have some free time today, since you won’t be having your flying lessons with Captain Sentry.”

Flurry froze in place, her hooves stopping halfway to closing her textbook as her eyes widened at her teacher. “Why wouldn’t I have my flying lessons with Flash today?” she asked, the uncomfortable feeling returning in her stomach. “I mean, I know I can’t exactly fly yet, but Flash has been really helping me, and he said that we might get to gliding soon!” She closed her book with a soft thwump as lightning flashed vibrantly out the window. “I was hoping that he could take me up into the crazy clouds out there right now and fly around!” She pouted at Sunburst, who lowered his snout and peered over his glasses at her as thunder filled the room with an explosive rumble. “Why would my lesson be cancelled?”

Sunburst’s eyes darted to the window as the thunder faded, and with a sigh his magic grasped a book from the shelf to the right of the chalkboard. The tome floated through the air before the stallion’s magic winked out and deposited the textbook onto the top of Flurry’s first one, and she squinted at the words printed in official looking text across the cover.

“’The Pegasus’ Complete Guide to Weather Phenomena’…” she read aloud before sitting back in her chair and frowning. “Why did you give me this?”

“So you can start reading it while I clean up,” he replied with a smile that made Flurry Heart just a little angry for some reason. He turned back to the board and continued cleaning it with the levitating eraser. “I guess it never occurred to me that you might not know about weather other than pretty blue skies and snow. Skip to chapter fourteen on lightning, and I think you’ll learn all you need to know about why your lesson on the roof today is cancelled.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The storm that was scheduled to hit the Crystal Kingdom did so right on time, and there wasn’t a pony in the city that didn’t know about it. Thunder rumbled so loudly that it shook windows in the streets, and rain lashed the buildings with enough force that some ponies began to fear that the sheer pressure of the wind and water would cause some leaks to start appearing in the cracks of their homes. The roar of the wind was almost deafening throughout the city, but nowhere was the howling of the storm greater than inside the Crystal Castle, which, unlike the houses that surrounded it, received no protection at all to dampen the effects of the blistering wind and driving rain. The sounds of the tempest outside made it all but impossible to hold a conversation in the outer hallways even if you shouted, and everypony with good sense had retired to their rooms until the squall had blown over.

I’ve been accused of a lot of things in my life, thought Starlight Glimmer with a sardonic smile, but having good sense isn’t one of them.

The sound of the storm outside echoed in the large training room in which she stood, the rain lashing the broad windows that lined the upper part of the two-story high walls that normally allowed a copious amount of sunlight into the broad space. Now, however, the storm clouds had all but driven the light of the afternoon sun away and left the castle in a state of darkness that was more akin to late evening at this time of year, and the only light that illuminated the space inside the training room emanated from orbs of white magic that hung suspended in a vertical ring in front of Skyla, her face knit into a mask of concentration.

“Good,” said Starlight from her spot several pony lengths away. “Your orbs look stable, and you’ve even got them uniformly spaced – a nice touch.” She turned to her right and started to walk, her eyes never leaving the filly before her. “Now, it’s time to change their colors. Are you ready?”

“I’m ready,” said Skyla, her words firm and confident. The corner of Starlight’s lip twitched, but she refused to let the alicorn see a smile on her face.

“All right, then – show me red, blue, orange, and turquoise.”

Skyla lowered her muzzle and the soft aqua of her magic flared a little brighter around her horn as the floating orbs of light shimmered for the barest of heartbeats before beginning to shift in color. The orb highest in the ring blossomed into a brilliant scarlet without any problem at all, its red light casting a brilliant hue on the ceiling high above them; then the orb to Skyla’s right became orange, its tones splashing across the wall and floor before the bottom orb shifted to blue, its calming hue blending nicely with the orange next to it. Starlight’s eyes narrowed as Skyla’s gaze darted to the orb to her left, her frown deepening as she glared at the orb until it finally gave a shiver and swirled with blue and green until it became a bright turquoise, its light the color of a tropical sea.

She had trouble with that last one. Maybe turquoise is too hard for her. Starlight kept her expression neutral as she nodded in affirmation, turning around to pace back towards where she’d started. “Good. Now, change them to yellow, green, purple, and pink.”

Skyla’s attention refocused on the group as a whole, and in the same order they quickly changed to the next series of colors: red to yellow, orange to green, blue to purple, then turquoise to pink with the same shiver of the structure and swirl of the color as before. Starlight’s eyes narrowed once again, and this time she couldn’t keep from frowning.

“Are you having trouble with the fourth orb?” she asked, stopping in the center of the room once again. “If it’s too much, we can tone it back to three again.” Lightning flashed outside the window and thunder rumbled almost immediately through the auditorium as Skyla gave her head a vehement shake, the orbs shifting along with her infinitesimally.

“No,” she said, her voice firm again. “We’re up to four, I can handle four. It’s no problem – I’m just making sure that I get the right color, that’s all.” She brought her gaze back to Starlight, who blinked in surprise at the look of determination on the young pony’s face. “In fact, let’s go up to five. I’m sure I can handle that many.”

“Five?” chuckled Starlight, her surprise melting into an arched eyebrow and a smirk. “Skyla, we just got to four, and you’re clearly having trouble with that last one. I won’t make you go back down to three, but for right now let’s-,”

“I can do five, Starlight,” insisted Skyla, her voice almost desperate, “I’m sure I can. Please, let me try five. I’ve been practicing, and I know what I’m doing now.” She exhaled sharply. “Just… let me try. I’ll prove it to you.”

Starlight watched her student closely for several heartbeats, a few thoughts clashing against one another in her mind as she tried to decide what to do. On the one hoof, she knew that Skyla was having trouble with the four orbs that she had right now – that was what a magical dexterity test like this was designed to point out, after all – and she knew that she really shouldn’t allow the filly to stretch her limits too far, since only bad things could happen if the magic she was holding went out of control. It’s the responsibility of the teacher to know her student’s limits and make sure she doesn’t hurt herself, she thought. That’s what Twilight told me when I said that I’d be helping Skyla with her magic, and it’s apparently something that Celestia herself told Twilight when she wanted to do magic that was too much for her.

It was a prudent statement, and one that she could absolutely stand behind. The last thing she wanted was for Skyla to be hurt while trying to handle too many different threads of magic and, even though what she was handling was only a simple light spell, she was holding four of them all at once. That meant four different spells, each having to be maintained, tuned, and controlled separately by the caster, a feat that was something that most unicorns struggled for years to be able to do. Skyla can handle four orbs better than a filly her age should be able to, but to bump up to five would be asking for trouble… The smile that Starlight had been trying her best to keep from her features finally burst onto her face as lightning flashed once again.

“All right, Skyla,” she said, “show me what you can do. Go for five. Make it any color you want.”

The alicorn’s face lit up brighter than the orbs around her, and she gave one firm nod to Starlight before refocusing on the lights, her determination returning with renewed zeal. She lowered her head a little more, dipping her horn towards the ring of orbs as they shifted downwards slightly, making room for another white orb to appear at the top of the circle. The light blinked in and out of existence for a moment or two, but Skyla gritted her teeth and lifted her horn back to where she’d started, the magic around it glowing brighter as the fifth orb materialized and stayed there, its bright white light clashing with the yellow and pink on either side of it.

Starlight sat down onto the floor, her smile becoming a smirk that she knew was sure to irritate Skyla. “And where’s the color in that fifth orb?” she asked, not even bothering to hide her expectant tone. “Don’t make me wait all day.”

A frown touched Skyla’s lips, and Starlight watched sweat begin to bead around the young pony’s face as the top orb shifted in color, blinking rapidly through several shades of orange, red, and yellow before finally stopping on a violent shade of green so toxic that Starlight winced. Ugh… it looks like something that was pulled out of a dragon’s stomach. The orb shimmered once and blinked back to white several times before changing to green and staying there, suspended above all of the others and casting its noxious light over Skyla’s triumphant face.

“There,” she panted, her breathing ragged and quick, “I did it! That’s… that’s five!” Lightning flashed outside the windows again as the filly straightened on her hooves and managed to raise her neck up out of the bow that she’d been stuck in since orb three. “What do you… have to say… about that?”

Starlight’s eyes narrowed at the five orbs and, as she watched, she saw the top orb twitch violently. “What do I have to say?” she said, raising her voice to be heard over the long roll of thunder that filled the room. “Well, I’d say that you’d probably better take a step back and drop your spells right now, or else-,”

Suddenly, the top orb exploded in a flash of green light that easily rivaled the lightning outside. Starlight squeezed her eyes shut and lifted a hoof to cover them as Skyla yelped in surprise and leaped backwards, her hooves skittering on the crystal floor as each of her orbs failed in spectacular fashion. Even with her eyes closed, Starlight could see the flash of light as another orb exploded with a very loud pop; another one popped then fizzled, like hot metal being dripped into water, while one dropped to the floor and shattered like glass and the last one gave a tremendous whistle and shot off towards the sky. It didn’t get far, however, before it exploded loudly off in a corner of the room, its energy spent in a concussion that was lost amid another rumble of thunder.

The thunder died away, leaving only the insistent pattering of the rain on the roof and windows and the gentle tinkling of residual magic to slowly fade back in to Starlight’s hearing as she lowered her hoof and blinked, trying to rid herself of the troublesome spot in the center of her vision.

“Are you all right?” she asked, her ears folded back against her head as she rose to her hooves. She turned her gaze to where Skyla stood, several feet back from where she’d been practicing with the orbs, her eyes wide and her legs splayed as if she might bolt away at any moment.

“What… what happened?!” she gasped as she, too, started blinking furiously. “I’ve never seen a reaction like that before!” Skyla lifted her left hoof and tilted her head so that she could rub her corresponding ear with it. “Did one of them break a window? I heard something shatter, then something explode...”

“No, none of them broke anything,” Starlight assured her as she started towards her student. “They couldn’t get through the magical barrier I put up to do any real damage to the building, and as dramatic of a show as that was, none of those had any real power to damage anything.” She pursed her lips before jerking her horn to her right, indicating the far corner where the loudest one had exploded. “Well, okay, maybe that one could have done some real damage, but none of the others were harmful at all.” Skyla turned her head to look at the corner in question before bringing her gaze back to Starlight, her expression somber as she stood up straight once more.

“Then what did I hear that broke?” she asked, and Starlight smirked.

“You built a portal mirror by yourself and never once lost control of a spell like that?”

Skyla frowned, still blinking rapidly and making faces as she tried to chase away the bright spots in her own eyes. “No, I can’t say that I have,” she muttered irritably. Starlight’s smirk grew slightly, but internally she couldn’t help but be impressed. Mirrors take lots of magic, all laid very delicately, to be able to function properly – even single-shot jobs like Skyla made. To never have lost control of a spell like that in all her life… that’s impressive.

“Well, welcome to the wonderful world of becoming a real magic user, part one of a series that I like to call ‘Sometimes, Things Explode’.” Starlight gestured to where the orbs of light had hung in the air, blinking away the last vestiges of the afterimages in her vision. “The spells you had were stable while you maintained focus and kept calm. That means that while you were in control of them, they behaved exactly as you wanted and were simple spheres of light.” She stepped closer to Skyla, who stopped blinking and locked her gaze onto Starlight intently. “No matter what Twilight Sparkle might tell you, magic is a fickle, temperamental, and highly volatile lady, and if you take your attention off of her for even a second there’s no telling what she’ll do.” Starlight’s horn lit up, washing the area around her with the turquoise of her magic. She grasped the ethereal threads of magic that she could feel around her and focused them in front of her, where a sphere of light exactly the same as the ones Skyla had made before popped into existence. She gave Skyla a grin. “You had your first lesson, but here’s a repeat.” She took a step back from the orb of light and yanked her magical touch away from it without tying off the spells.

The orb stayed where it was for the barest of moments before it began to vibrate, its edges shimmering so fast that Starlight had to squint at it to be able to focus on it at all; then, just when she was sure it wasn’t going to do anything else, it dropped down towards the floor, stopped a foot above the stone, then rocketed upwards towards the ceiling trailing a jet of pure light. The orb gained speed, drawing a wide-eyed look of shock from Skyla, but as it approached the ceiling it burst against a barrier of magic that flashed a bright turquoise, deflecting the magic inward instead of allowing it to hit the building. The orb burst with a loud bang and a puff of smoke, sending the room back into darkness.

“Whoa…” breathed Skyla, her ears perked upright as lightning lit the room for a moment. “It… did something different. Why?”

“Because without your guidance, the magic essentially reverts to a chaotic form of energy and does whatever it pleases.” Starlight shrugged. “It could turn into a burst of water, or explode like fireworks, or just blaze super brightly then die without a sound. There are actually those of us who have postulated that magic is chaotic by its very nature, much like Discord in this world, and that’s why the spells behave so strangely if they go awry.” She smirked and sighed. “Though there’s not much power behind that argument, since the spells mostly just explode in some fashion or another, so…”

Skyla nodded slowly, her eyes staring up at the place where the orb had impacted the shielding spell. “I didn’t think your shield could stop it,” she admitted softly.

“Pffft, that little thing?” Starlight lifted a hoof and touched the curl of her mane, her eyes focusing on the delicate strands of her hair as she smiled sweetly. “I don’t mean to brag, but my barrier spell can stop a full-power blast from Twilight Sparkle – I think it can handle the two of us playing around in here.” She dropped her hoof back to the floor and turned her gaze back to Skyla, who was watching her with interest.

“You know that for sure..?” she asked, and Starlight nodded slowly as the relevance of what she’d revealed settled onto her.

“Oh yes, I do. We… uh… tested it.” She coughed lightly into her hoof. “We wanted to see how much power it could take before it shattered, and she couldn’t do it. So I’m pretty confident about it.” Starlight took a few steps backwards from the filly and gave her a small frown. “Now, the first thing you can do to avoid something like what just happened is to keep from losing control of your magic in the first place. It sounds kind of obvious but it’s harder than you’d think.” She nodded. “Make one orb in front of you, twice the size as before. Don’t color it, just hold it in place. Got it?”

Skyla nodded, her horn lit up, and almost immediately an orb appeared in front of her, glowing with a pleasant, soft white light. “All right, now what?”

“Now? Why, we’re going to talk, of course.” Starlight sat down onto her rump and curled her tail around herself, her smile bright. “So, why don’t you tell me how things went on your last outing with Cadence, Shining, and Flurry? It was only a couple of days ago, right?”

Skyla’s eyes darted to Starlight, her brow knit in confusion. “And you still want me to hold this?” she asked.

“Naturally,” answered Starlight, her smile unchanged. “We’re going to talk, and you’re going to hold that orb as tightly as you can. So? How did it go?”

“Well, it…” Skyla took a deep breath and refocused her gaze onto the orb, her eyes staring unblinkingly at it. “It was fine,” she answered after a moment, her voice tight. “We took the train a little way off into Equestria and went to a beach.”

“And what did you do at the beach? Tell me specifics.”

“I, uh…” Skyla frowned. “Flurry Heart and I played in the water a little bit, then we built sandcastles. Shining Armor also tried to build one but only used his hooves, so it didn’t turn out so great.” Starlight’s eyes watched the orb closely as Skyla talked, but to her credit the light didn’t so much as flicker. Hmm… might have to push her a little farther, then.

“That’s great to hear,” said Starlight with a nod. “Cadence and Shining Armor have been spending a lot of time with the two of you since you officially moved in, haven’t they?” Now the orb twitched ever so slightly, but it was so minimal that Starlight thought it might have been her imagination.

“They have,” confirmed Skyla, her voice still carefully measured. “I hear that they’ve got another group trip planned for us next week.”

“Well that’s exciting.” Starlight’s smile dimmed slightly as she watched the orb. “And how are you feeling about Cadence and Shining Armor?” she asked nonchalantly.

Skyla’s eyes widened and the orb gave another, much less subtle twitch than before; within a heartbeat, however, her frown returned and her magic flared, restoring stability to the ball of light. “I’m not feeling anything about them in particular,” she answered, her voice a little tighter than it had been moments before. Now Starlight squinted at the filly. There’s the spot – it’s time to get on with this lesson.

“So you have no strong feelings about them either way?”

The furrows in Skyla’s brow deepened. “Nope.”

“So you’re not warming up to them at all?” Starlight made sure that her tone stayed light, but her gaze never shifted away from Skyla’s face. “You’re not starting to hate them, are you?”

Now the orb shivered, and Skyla’s lips curled back from her gritted teeth. “No, of course not,” she growled.

“So that means that you do feel something for them, right? I mean, I guess you could feel absolutely neutral about them, but that’s a little hard for anypony to actually do. And if you don’t hate them, does that mean that you’re starting to love them?” The orb shrank and expanded rapidly several times, and sweat started to bead on Skyla’s face but, instead of letting the filly respond, Starlight pressed onwards. “I mean, who could blame you? Considering what a terrible hag your mother was in your world, I-,”

The ball of light suddenly turned a brilliant fire orange, its edges waving violently like shifting tongues of fire before it winked out of existence without a sound and plunged the room back into semi-darkness. Skyla turned to face Starlight squarely, her eyes filled with rage.

“Don’t talk about my mother that way!” she snapped, her wings extended down and away from her body as they shook. “Don’t you dare try to talk about me like you know what I’m going through! I-,”

“-Failed to keep control of your spell due to your emotions,” finished Starlight for her calmly. She held up her right hoof towards Skyla, forestalling her tirade. “Take a deep breath, Skyla.” The filly stared at her for a moment longer, her anger apparent in every square inch of her body as she held her aggressive posture. Oh boy, maybe I went too far… thought Starlight as Skyla held her gaze, her blue eyes seething.

Finally, however, the smaller pony relaxed and seemed to collapse in on herself. She retracted her wings and stood up straight before forcing herself to take a deep breath and exhale slowly, a motion that filled Starlight with relief. Note to self: don’t poke the alicorn about her family.

“Is that why you asked those questions..?” asked Skyla after several deep breaths. “So I would… so I would lose control?”

Starlight nodded. “Yes. Keeping your emotions in check while casting your magic is the most important thing for a mage to remember, and that includes ponies who might want to you to lose that control in the first place.” She smiled. “There are ways around that, of course – tying off your spells, learning how to unravel them before they blow, that kind of thing – but both of those are only useful if you can keep your feelings from making your magic literally blow up in your face.”

Skyla’s look of annoyance faded into one of grudging understanding, and she nodded. “I understand, I think. My mother,” she winced as if she’d poked an old wound, “would often tell me that to properly use my magic I would need to clear all of my emotions away. To be cold and still as ice in my mind, so that the magic would take the proper shape.” Starlight inhaled sharply and winced before shaking her head.

“Ehh, I wouldn’t say that getting rid of your emotions is the right thing to do.” Skyla tilted her head to her left and frowned, her mane falling over her right eye.

“But you just said that I had to control my emotions.”

“Yes, I said control your emotions, not get rid of them.” Starlight stood and walked towards the smaller pony, the curl in her mane bouncing with each step. “Twilight Sparkle is one of the greatest mages I’ve ever known, and she is an emotional wreck sometimes. Does that look like a pony that could simply ‘get rid of her emotions’ to better use her magic?” She shook her head as she stopped in front of Skyla. “Your emotions have power, Skyla, and I can tell you without hesitation that you’ll never get as strong as you can be without accepting and using the emotions in your life. Friendship, love, desperation, desire, conviction…” her lips curved into a sad smile, “…even anger, jealousy, hatred, disgust, they all have power that can be added to your magic to make it even stronger. But let them run unchecked,” she gestured to where the ball of light had been, “and you’ll have spells exploding in your face every single day.”

“So… what should I do, then?” Skyla’s eyes stared up into Starlight’s own, and she was surprised to feel the sharp stab of sadness at the look in the filly’s eyes. “What do I need to do to get stronger, while keeping my magic under my control?”

Starlight sighed and placed her right hoof onto Skyla’s shoulder, her smile losing its sadness. “You’ve got to start actually dealing with your emotions instead of bottling them up,” she said. “If you don’t deal with them they’ll act like jars of oil, waiting to be tossed onto the raging bonfire of your magic.”

“Like today?” asked Skyla, a ghost of a smile touching her lips. Starlight chuckled.

“Yes, like today.” She patted the filly on the shoulder and dropped her hoof back to the floor. “But you’re a strong, resourceful little thing – I think you can probably handle it.” Lightning flashed again, drawing Starlight’s eyes up to the windows above them. “Well, it looks like the worst of the storm has passed us. I guess we’ll call it a day, considering that ponies will start moving around the castle again now.” She turned and headed for the door, her tail swishing. “Good work today, Skyla. We’ll meet again in a few days to continue this. In the meantime, practice the spells I showed you last time.”

She got to the door to the auditorium before Skyla’s voice reached her, its tones sad and uncertain.

“How do you do it, Starlight?” she asked quietly, her voice almost lost to the rain outside. “How do you control your emotions, yet still use them in your magic?”

Starlight smirked as she lifted her hoof and placed it onto the door. “Well, that’s easy,” she said without looking back. “I have friends who care about me, other ponies who worry and fret about my wellbeing. They remind me that I’m not alone, and that keeps the despair and anger from taking over.” She turned and glanced back into to where Skyla stood, her smile returning. “I do it all for my friends. They count on me, and to do what I need to do I have to be in control. It’s as simple as that, for me. Though,” she added as she turned back towards the door, “I imagine that having a family to support me would be even better.”

She gave the door a push and exited out into the hallway, leaving Skyla behind to ponder her words.

Over Dinner

“Though, I imagine that having a family to support me would be even better.”

Starlight’s words echoed through Skyla’s head as she sat at the table, her eyes focused out the window on the far side of the room and not on the plate of food that sat in front of her. In the distance to the east, the storm that had rolled through the Kingdom was painted in colors from orange fading to purple in the gathering twilight, and as Skyla watched she could see pinpricks of lightning peeking through the surface of the clouds. She slowly chewed the food in her mouth, the flavor of the meal lost to her thoughts as she idly moved her fork around the plate with her hoof.

You’d think she was right, with how confidently she said it, she thought as she chewed, her gaze stuck firmly out the window. But it’s really easy to say that, Starlight… it’s another thing all together to actually do or have it. Her fork meandered around until she felt the tines hit something solid yet yielding, and without even glancing down at her plate she impaled and lifted the item to her mouth. Her lips parted and she slid the food in without hesitation or investigation and, despite the sweet tartness of it, she barely registered the juicy strawberry before she was gone again.

I mean, it’s not like I don’t agree with her, she thought as she watched a particularly bright flash of lightning chase the color away from the clouds for a moment, the silent display of natural power stunning despite its distance. After all, family bonds are stronger than any friendship, and having a family to support you and hold you up is worth a thousand friends doing the same. Her chewing slowed, and her fork began wandering her plate again, searching for its next victim. I mean, that’s just common sense… but… She swallowed the strawberry and let out a soft sigh, her forehead furrowing in thought. But if that’s common sense, then why do I get the feeling that Starlight was actually trying to tell me something different? Or at least get me to think about it in a different way… that’s normally how she is.

“That was a pretty big sigh, Skyla,” said a voice, its soft, light tones shattering her reverie like a stone through a huge pane of glass. “Everything okay over there?”

“Hmm?” Skyla blinked and turned her head to her left, where Cadence sat with a hint of concern in her smile. “I-I’m sorry, what was that?” Skyla’s ears wilted as she shrank sheepishly in her chair, her fork scraping against an empty portion of her plate. The older alicorn’s smile perked up slightly, but the concern simply moved to her eyes as she gave her head a shake.

“Oh, I was just asking if everything was okay,” repeated Cadence as she shifted her own fork around until she found another piece of fruit. “You’ve been staring out the window for a bit now, and then when you sighed I thought you might have something on your mind.” She lifted a piece of cantaloupe up on her fork. “Is there something you’d like to talk about?” she asked before popping the piece of fruit into her waiting mouth. Skyla settled her fork back to the table before waving her right hoof dismissively.

“Oh, that? I was just watching the storm, that’s all,” she said, doing her best to keep her tone light and even. “The sunset is making it a very pretty color, so I was just kind of letting my brain relax, you know?” She shrugged. “No big thoughts or anything – don’t worry about me.”

Cadence nodded, but a scoffing sound from across the table drew Skyla’s eyes straight ahead to where Flurry Heart sat, her curled mane just slightly below the window that had dominated Skyla’s attention. The other filly’s gaze was neutral, but as Skyla fixed her attention on Flurry she narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

“Oh is that so?” asked Flurry nonchalantly as she turned her attention back to her plate, her fork hovering over it in her hoof like it was a pool full of fresh fish and she was a fisher-griffon, just waiting for the right moment to strike. “Must be a preeeetty interesting storm, I guess.” Her fork lashed out and impaled a chunk of pineapple, which she lifted up triumphantly in front of her face. “Mmmm, I love pineapple,” she muttered before Skyla could offer a response to her statement. “They come from Haywaii, right?”

“That’s right, snowflake,” said Shining Armor, his words muffled by a bite of his own food. “It’s summertime, so it’s a little easier to get them right now. Haywaii doesn’t export much of their produce during the winter months, unfortunately.”

“Ooh, I get it.” Flurry lifted the pineapple higher, as if the fork that supported it was a royal scepter. “I think pineapple is my favorite fruit,” she said with a nod, “even if we can’t always get it.” She lowered the fork and devoured the chunk with a single chomp, the sounds of her happy chewing overlapping the more subdued eating sounds of her parents. Skyla’s ears stood back up and she gave Flurry a half smile.

“You sure look like you enjoy it,” she murmured, grasping her fork and returning it to its search of her plate. Flurry nodded vigorously as she chewed, though she waited to speak until she’d finished chewing. Something she obviously learned from her mother, thought Skyla with a quick glance at Shining, who still hadn’t finished the massive bite he’d taken before speaking to Flurry.

“I love them,” Flurry clarified, her fork shifting things around on her plate as she presumably searched for more chunks of pineapple. “Even though they’re hard to get, and even though they’re all hard and prickly on the outside when you do get them, I still love how soft and squishy and juicy and sweet and… and…” her ears flattened and she lifted her eyes away from her plate to stare up at the ceiling, a stream of uncertain and inquisitive noises slowly trickling from her mouth as she searched for a word. Finally, Cadence giggled.

“Tart?” she offered, and Flurry’s ears snapped back upright.

“Yeah! Sweet and tart!” The filly grinned. “Thanks, mommy! Yeah, tart and sweet and wonderful on the inside…” Her eyes shifted to Skyla, and her smile grew. “Just like Skyla!”

Skyla’s smile morphed into a frown as her ears drooped towards her head. “I’m like a pineapple..?” she muttered, and Flurry nodded emphatically.

“Yeah! You’re kind of prickly and hard on the outside, and kind of hard to get sometimes…” Flurry’s fork made a quick jab onto her plate and returned with another glistening yellow chunk of pineapple, which she held up proudly yet again, “…but you’re all sweet and tart and soft on the inside!” Skyla’s frown deepened as her face filled with heat, and it was all she could do to keep from wrapping herself in her wings and hiding, like she’d done when she was a very little filly.

“Th-that doesn’t make any sense,” she blurted, her ears finishing their journey to her mane as her tail twitched behind her, its voluminous length brushing the sides of the back of the chair in which she sat. To her chagrin, she heard both Shining Armor and Cadence chuckle at Flurry’s comment, a sound that caused her face to color even more brightly. “Wh-whatever, Flurry Heart,” she snapped halfheartedly before crossing her hooves over her chest, wings rustling against her back. The pounding of embarrassment in her ears drown out the gentle laughter for a moment, but as her heartbeat faded back to where it belonged, Shining Armor cleared his throat and sat his fork down onto the table.

“Flurry, calling someone ‘prickly and hard’ probably isn’t the nicest thing you could do,” he said gently. To Skyla’s surprise, Flurry’s wings puffed up and she gave her father an indignant look.

“Well she is sometimes,” she said, “but that doesn’t mean that she’s not my favorite!” She glanced over at Cadence, her mane falling across the left side of her face and blocking Shining from her view. “Isn’t it okay to tell somepony about their faults as long as they know that you love them?” she asked, her voice slightly strained as if she were trying desperately to keep it under control. Cadence’s smile grew and, after taking a moment to collect herself, she nodded.

“Yes, Flurry, it is okay to tell somepony close to you where they might need to improve themselves.” She brow furrowed in sympathy. “Although, comparing somepony to a pineapple at dinner probably isn’t the best way to do that, sweetheart.” Skyla’s gaze flitted from Cadence to Flurry, whose expression of indignant certainty melted into one of deep regret as she turned back to Skyla, tears pricking the corners of her eyes.

“Oh…” she murmured. “I… I was only trying to say that she was sweet and great on the inside, but…”

“Don’t worry too much about it,” said Shining with a wave of his right hoof and a smile. “I’m sure Skyla knows what you were trying to say. You tried and you learned – that’s the important thing here.”

“I agree,” said Cadence with a nod. “You did very nicely, Flurry Heart, and your father's right – you learned a little bit about complimenting ponies today, and particularly about how not to do it.” Flurry's cheeks flushed and she giggled softly before popping her pineapple chunk into mouth as Shining Armor pushed his empty dinner plate away from him.

“And speaking of learning,” he said, sitting back in his chair, “what did you girls do in school today? Learn anything good?”

Now Skyla sat forward, her ears shooting back up despite the embarrassed color still in her cheeks. “We learned about the Griffon War in 1014 A.C.,” she said, her voice filling with excitement as the stallion's eyes came to rest on her. “About how it all started, the order of events, and about the role that Princess Celestia played in it.” This was her favorite part about mealtimes with Cadence and Shining: the part when they asked about what the girls learned that day. It'd been a little awkward at first, since Skyla wasn't really accustomed to talking about herself or what she was doing, but she'd quickly grown to enjoy talking about the lessons she'd learned about this fascinating new world.

“Oh really?” Shining sat forward, his blue eyes bright as he placed his hooves onto the table. “I can remember learning about that as a knight cadet, but I didn't think that it was part of the standard curriculum for ponies your age.” His smile became a grin. “Guess you girls are just too smart for the standard, huh?”

Skyla blushed again, this time with pride. “W-well... maybe,” she muttered, her heart pounding as she fought a sudden, burning desire to agree with Shining that she hadn't felt in a very long time. It came on so fast that it took Skyla by surprise, and only her innate sense of propriety stopped her from launching into a long, complicated description of exactly how smart she was, and that alone made Skyla frown. Wow... I can't remember feeling so eager to be told that I was smart, reflected Skyla. I didn't even care if my mom thought I was smart or not. In fact, it's probably for the best that she had no idea how smart I was... but this feels different. She met Shining's gaze and felt a strange squeezing sensation in her chest, a tension that made her feel short of breath and anxious all at once. Do I want him to know how smart I am? Or do I want him to TELL me how smart I am again..?

“Actually, Sunburst said something about it being important for us to understand why Princess Celestia did the things that she did before he started teaching.” Flurry nodded as she chomped onto the last piece of pineapple that she'd found. “He didn't say it was because we were smart.”

Skyla's ears slanted back as she leveled her gaze at the younger alicorn, her nose scrunching as she glared. “Well he wouldn't be teaching us graduate school level lessons if we weren't smart,” she quipped sharply, “but Princess Celestia did become the main part of the lesson at the end, so I guess we're both right.” Flurry paused in her chewing and arched an inquisitive eyebrow at Skyla, but instead of pursuing Skyla's sharp words with some of her own, she simply swallowed and offered the older filly a smile.

“I guess we are!” she said nonchalantly, her fork returning to her plate yet again. Skyla felt the deflection like a physical blow to the chest, but to her surprise the feeling that spread through her wasn't anger or irritation like she'd expected. Instead, a wave of relief spread through her as Flurry gave her a quick smile and returned her attention to her food as Cadence cleared her throat at the other end of the table.

“Well, I'd say that you're both very lucky to have a teacher with as much foresight as Sunburst,” she said, pushing her own empty plate towards the center of the table. “He's showing you examples of how a princess is supposed to behave, both on the battlefield and off, so that you'll both understand the horseshoes that you may have to fill someday.” She turned her attention to Skyla, her eyes bright. “And how did your individual lessons go today?”

Again, Skyla felt the warm rush of feelings that she'd gotten when Shining Armor had complimented her; a tense, squeezing feeling along her chest and neck that caused her heart to race and her breath to come short and fast as she sat up straight in her chair and turned to face the older alicorn, her smile growing slightly.

“My session with Starlight was... good,” she said, her smile growing into a sheepish grin, “though I might have tried to push myself with my magic a little bit too much. Starlight tried to tell me not to try five orbs, but I did anyway, and...” She shrugged, her wings bobbing. “Well, it went just about as well as she'd expected, I'm sure.”

“Did any of them explode?” Shining asked, and Skyla glanced over her right shoulder at him, hoping that her hair would hide the blush that crept into her cheeks.

“...at least two of them exploded, and that doesn't count the one that Starlight made specifically so it would explode.” The white stallion crossed his hooves over his chest and nodded his mouth pushed up into a look of deep approval.

“Nice, very nice. When I was trying the same exercise with Twilight – y'know, helping her with her magical homework – I made one explode in my parent's china cabinet.” A grin curved his lips into a mischievous mask. “I'd never tell them, but it was probably the best thing that could have ever happened to that ugly china from my great-grandmother.”

“Shining Armor, that china was an heirloom,” said Cadence from the other side of the table, her voice full of disapproval, but Shining simply gave her a deadpan stare.

“Trust me, Cady, you wouldn't have decorated the table with that set, either. And hey, now at least it's special.”

Skyla frowned. “How is it special?” she asked... and by the time Shining Armor's face lit up, she knew that it was too late to take her question back. His grin returned, and he uncrossed his hooves so that he could lean onto the edge of the table, his left eyebrow raised.

“Well, that's easy, Skyla – now it's broken a few records.”

Two groans and a giggle erupted from the group, with Cadence and Skyla harmonizing while Flurry pattered between them like a tap dancer around a pair of ponies playing tubas. Skyla's right hoof found its way to her forehead where she pressed it firmly beneath her horn, trying her best to suppress the giggles that were trying desperately to leave her own mouth. I can't give him the satisfaction, she thought desperately, Cadence said not to encourage him...

“Hey, one out of three isn't bad,” said Shining with a lopsided grin as he sat back in his chair with a creak. “I'll get all three of you at once, though – mark my words!”

Cadence snickered into her hoof and shared a glance with Skyla, who couldn't help but giggle softly at the look on Cadence's face. Sometimes I can't tell what Cadence's real reactions are to Shining's jokes... but one look into her eyes and you know that she loves him, despite the stupid things he says sometimes.

“All right, all right,” said Cadence after a few moments of laughter and rolled eyes, “that's enough humor out of you, Shining Armor. No more jokes for at least ten minutes.”

The stallion chuckled before sighing dramatically. “Ten whole minutes? GOSH... I dunno if I can handle that much time without at least a little joke...” He arched an eyebrow at Cadence, but when she frowned forcefully at him, he brought his hooves up and held them out in front of his chest, as if to deflect her gaze away from his body. “Okaaaay – no jokes for ten minutes. You've got it.” Cadence's eyes narrowed at him for a heartbeat, but her expression softened just as quickly.

“I swear, Shining Armor, you're setting a terrible example for the children,” she said before sticking her tongue out at him. Skyla snorted into her hooves as she tried desperately to keep her laughter contained, and just when her eyes started to water from the effort she saw the silhouette of Cadence turn her attention to the filly on the other side of the table.

“And what about you, Flurry? What did you do this afternoon?”

Skyla blinked away the thin film of tears and gave her eyes a quick swipe with the back of her hoof to completely clear her eyes, her vision recovering just in time to watch Flurry's face fall as she set her fork down onto the side of her plate, her expression fading from happy to blank in a matter of moments.

“I learned about lightning, and the effect it has on a pony's body,” she reported, her voice as deadpan as her expression. A single shiver ran through her body, causing her hair to vibrate comically. “The good news is that I figured out why my flying lessons with Flash were canceled...” Skyla smirked, and Flurry Heart's whole muzzle scrunched as she glared across the table at her. “Well, I didn't know about what lightning can do to a pony,” she grumbled. “I'm just glad that Sunburst gave me that book before I tried something really dumb...” Her ears drooped as her eyes dropped to the table, and Skyla cleared her throat to chase away the laughter that was trying desperately to claw its way out.

“No, Flurry, it's... I'm sorry, okay?” she said. “I guess I take what I know for granted sometimes, and I have to remind myself that you don't know the same kinds of things that I knew when I was your age... so I'm sorry.” Flurry lifted her gaze back to Skyla as her sad gaze slowly became eclipsed by an inquisitive one.

“The same kinds of things you know?” she asked, her brow furrowed. “If you lived in the same place as us, how did you find out about lightning?”

The question was as innocent as it could have been, but Skyla's eyes widened all the same as a memory exploded into the forefront of her mind: a memory of crackling white-blue sparks that danced down a horn pointed to the sky, and of a wild-eyed smile on a trusted face that made her stomach clench like she was going to be sick.

“I... I read a lot when I was in the Crystal Empire,” she answered quickly, her ears drooping. “I'll tell you all about it another time... don't worry about it.” Flurry frowned and opened her mouth, but to Skyla's relief Cadence raised her hoof towards the smaller alicorn.

“That's enough, Flurry Heart,” she said with a small smile. “Skyla just said that she'd tell you all about it later, so try to control your curiosity, okay?”

Flurry closed her mouth slowly, her cheeks puffing out as she frowned at Skyla again, but eventually she nodded. “All right, fine,” she grumbled, crossing her hooves over her chest. Cadence gave her a brighter smile than before and nodded happily.

“Thank you very much, Flurry. I know you want to know absolutely everything about Skyla, but you're not the only one who wants that and I'm afraid you have to share a little bit.” Now Skyla's ears perked up and she turned so that her whole body faced Cadence, who had turned her violet gaze to Skyla.

“Share?” she asked, and Cadence nodded before placing her hooves onto the table, pads down.

“Yes,” she said simply. “We – that is, Shining Armor and myself – want to know more about you, Skyla, and to that end...”

“...we'd like to start spending time with you one-on-one,” finished Shining, his voice drawing Skyla's gaze back to the other side of the table. “It won't be anything stiff or official, of course,” he said with a wave of his hoof, “but we wanted to talk to you about it before we started.” He chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. “I mean, we considered just trying to do it without talking to you, but Cadence thought it would make it look like we were trying to play you against each other, and that wouldn't be good.”

A sigh floated across the table. “Shining Armor, we weren't going to tell her that, remember?” Cadence's words were tinged with a breathy lilt that made Skyla's ears twitch, but Shining just chuckled again and shook his head.

“Yeah, I remember – but I think that we should just be fully honest with her, y'know?” He shrugged. “I mean, I know we're used to raising Flurry and not having to talk about stuff like this with her,” his eyes moved to Skyla, “but she's different. She's not Flurry Heart, who doesn't have any reason to be suspicious of a pony's motives.” He smiled at Flurry before looking back down the table to his wife. “She's seen some terrible stuff, Cady, and I think that if we want to really do this, then we're going to have to be one hundred percent open and honest with her and tell her what we're thinking.”

“Well... I suppose you do have a point there.” Cadence lifted her right hoof and gestured to Skyla. “All right then, I'll be completely honest with you, Skyla – I really want to have some time with you. Just you and me, getting to know each other better.” She smiled, and it was such a kind smile that Skyla felt her throat get tighter, like she might start crying at any moment. “Shining Armor wants to have the same thing, and we're both hoping that by doing this, we'll all get to grow closer together.”

“And, if I'm being totally honest here, I'm really hoping that we'll be able to put some distance between us and your parents back in the Crystal Empire,” said Shining. “It's got to be strange, having us look just like them... but I promise, we'll do our best to be way better.”

A warm wave of emotion welled up in Skyla's head, and before she knew it she was wiping tears away from her cheeks, a smile pulling upwards at the corners of her mouth. I don't know what I'm getting so upset about, she thought with a sniffle. I mean, sure they're saying stuff that makes me feel better, but they haven't DONE anything to make it better yet... Yet even as she thought it, she knew that it didn't really matter. She rubbed at her eyes with the back of her hoof before turning a quavering smile first to Cadence, and then to Shining Armor.

“I... I don't know how things are going to go,” she said softly, her voice squeezed by the emotion in her throat. “I can't promise you that I won't... still think of you differently...”

From across the table, Flurry Heart shook her head. “Then don't promise anything, Skyla. Just try – that's all you can do, sometimes.” Shining Armor snorted and gave his daughter a smirk.

“Way to spit out my own words as your own, squirt,” he muttered, and Flurry Heart gave him a huge grin.

“I told you that I'm keeping track of good quotes to use, and what's the point in doing that if you don't use them?” Shining Armor's smirk became a full smile as he began to chuckle, seemingly against his control. Flurry joined him happily, her boisterous laughter seeming to fill the room, and, after a moment, Cadence's laughter did the same, her tones floating between Shining and Flurry's... and soon after, Skyla couldn't stop from joining in with her own laughter even as tears still prickled the corners of her eyes.

It may have been just words for now, but Skyla felt like she knew these ponies well enough to know that they meant what they said, and that if they were saying that they wanted to be closer to her, to get to know her better, then that's what they wanted to do. And that means that they care, she thought, wiping her eyes again as she smiled down at her empty plate.

It wasn't much right now, but Skyla had a feeling that it would be more soon – and that made her feel warmer inside than all the summer sunshine in the world.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

...and, whether because of her own innate skill or because of my teaching – the former much more likely than the latter – Skyla was able to expertly handle up to four magical orbs today. She tried for five, but the last one gave her trouble...

The scratching of a quill on parchment mingled with the sound of chewing filled the room as Starlight Glimmer wrote, her magic directing the quill as she shoveled another bite of food into her mouth with the fork in her hoof. The food was warm and gooey, with lots of vegetables, cheese, and pasta, but Starlight's eyes never left the paper upon which she was composing her letter. She usually wrote her letters to Twilight Sparkle during dinner time, when everypony else was out in the dining room or mess hall, eating with their friends and family. It guaranteed her some time to herself when she could think and put all of her thoughts in order and, after going from the relative solitude of Twilight's castle to the fully staffed family home of the Crystal Castle, any time that Starlight got to be alone was time that she cherished.

It's not that I mind having other ponies around, she thought as she took another bite of her food, but there are times when a mare needs her privacy, and it's like nopony here has ever heard of it... She scratched another line to her friend, outlining what she was planning to do for Skyla's training in the future as she took another large bite.

The room that she had been given at the Crystal Castle was much more than she'd expected, considering that she made the decision to stay all by herself and without asking permission from the royalty living there: instead of a single room like she'd expected, she'd been given what amounted to a large apartment for her exclusive use. The large suite consisted of a living/sitting room area complete with couch, low table, and a large desk at which she currently sat. Just off the living area was a small, informal dining area with a modestly sized table around which sat four chairs, and down a short hallway sat the bathroom and the bedroom. In truth it was nicer than most other places that Starlight had called home in the past, up to and including her rooms in Twilight's castle; however, there was one thing that both locations had in common, and that was the fact that Starlight Glimmer kept her lodgings as neat and clean as they had been when she had first arrived. Everything was still exactly as it had been on the day she'd moved in, and if she had her way it would stay exactly so until the day she left.

It might be a little bit of a leftover from the time when I was stalking Twilight, but it's not such a bad thing to be able to do, the unicorn thought with a little bit of a smirk around the tines of her fork.

She was frowning down at her letter and trying to decide if there was anything else she needed to add when a polite knock on her door drew her attention, and despite the gentle, non-intrusive nature of the sound, Starlight's teeth clamped down onto her fork firmly enough that they squeaked against the metal. Oh joy, what fresh excitement has this lively place brought to me? She thought with a twist of her lip. She let out a sigh and withdrew the fork from her mouth before turning towards the door.

“Yes, who is it?” she called. She knew it wasn't good manners, but they were intruding on her private time, so she thought it all evened out in the end.

“Starlight? It's me,” came Sunburst's voice through the door, and the mare's brow furrowed into a deep frown.

“Oh, hey. What's up? Do you need something”

“Um... actually, would you mind if I came in?” Even though she couldn't see him through the door, she could hear him shift around on his hooves from the tone of his voice alone. “I'd like to talk to you about something, if I could.” Starlight let out a smaller, less vehement sigh before she nodded to herself.

“Uh, yeah, sure – come on in.” She turned back to her desk and set her quill down into her inkwell as the door swung open and closed rapidly, admitting the orange and white stallion to the room.

“Sorry to bother you during your dinner, but I knew this would be the best time to catch you alone so we could discuss a few things.” Starlight frowned, but when he did not seem forthcoming with any more details her face softened.

“That's okay,” she assured him, gesturing towards the couch with her left hoof, “I was just finishing up my letter anyway.” Sunburst nodded his thanks and moved towards the couch, giving Starlight a sympathetic smile as he did so.

“You're still writing those letters to Twilight?” he asked, his hooves clopping solemnly against the stone floor of Starlight's room. The mare's frown returned, and she gave him a stern glare.

“Of course I am. I said that I'd report to Twilight about everything I do, and I'm doing it.” She spun in her chair to face him and crossed her hooves over her chest, the curl in her mane bouncing against the side of her face. “Even if there's nothing happening, I'm not backing out of a deal I made with a Princess.” Sunburst chuckled and shook his head before taking a seat on the couch, his right hoof rising to forestall her ire.

“All right, Starlight, all right – no need to get so defensive.” He dropped his hoof back to the couch and gave her a disarming smile. “Actually, I'm glad that you're working on them. It makes it that much easier for me to segue into what I actually wanted to talk about.” Starlight squinted at him.

“And what's that?” To her surprise, Sunburst sighed heavily.

“Something that I haven't been able to stop thinking about since Twilight left: the possibility of being discovered by Skyla's world, and, if we are discovered, what kind of threat the Crystal Empire might pose to us in this world.”

Now Starlight frowned heavily and hopped off her chair, her tail swishing behind her. “But I thought you said that it would be impossible for anypony there to find us here. You said that there was such a tiny chance that you didn't even consider it a chance.” She moved to the couch and settled onto the cushions to Sunburst's left, her curl settling against her left cheek so that she could fix her blue gaze on her friend. “What's got you so worked up about it now?”

“Well, that's the thing of it,” he admitted, his front hooves fidgeting with the cushion beneath him as his eyes stared down at the floor. “I guess it's because I dismissed it so easily that I'm still thinking about it. Twilight was so adamant about not forgetting about that small chance – despite all evidence to say that I was right, mind you – that I couldn't help but dig back into the numbers and theories that we came up with that night... and the more I dug, and the more I thought about it... the more I realized that she had a point.” He turned his bespectacled gaze to Starlight, and the seriousness in Sunburst's eyes caused her to blink. “I wanted to discuss a few key points with you, talk with somepony about these thoughts, before I start to get paranoid with worry...”

“Oh for crying out loud, Sunburst!” Starlight gave the stallion her very best disapproving frown, and was satisfied when he winced. “Is that what this is about? Are you really, actually worrying yourself sick about this?!”

“...maybe..?” he muttered with a halfhearted shrug and thin smile, and Starlight rolled her eyes so hard that she was surprised they didn't rattle in her head.

“Oh for the love of Celestia and Luna...” She sighed before settling back against the cushions of the couch and crossing her hooves over her chest once again. “All right, bookworm – you've got two minutes to talk to me about this and make me care, or else I'm kicking you out of here so I can finish my dinner in peace.”

Sunburst's eyes lit up as if she'd just said the nicest thing that anypony ever had to him, and in a heartbeat he perked up. He sat up straight on the couch and adjusted his glasses with a hoof, losing his depressed, serious air so fast that Starlight squinted at him again. If I didn't know any better, I'd say he just played his way in here to chat with me... her lip quirked into a smirk once more, ...but that's impossible. Sunburst couldn't do that, even if he really wanted to. Duplicity's not in his blood.

“All right,” he began, turning towards Starlight a little so he could face her squarely. “I'll try to make this quick so I don't keep you late into the night. Firstly, I'd like to ask you about the statement I made about ponies not being able to find this plane again.” He took a deep breath, as if steeling himself for disappointment. “Do you really, honestly, in your deepest heart-of-hearts as a scientist, mage, and time-traveler, think that there's a way for somepony from the Empire to find their way here?”

Starlight sighed. “Of course there is, Sunburst,” she said softly, and as soon as the words left her mouth Sunburst's look of apprehension melted into one of surprise.

“Oh... really?” He blinked before staring off towards the door, his eyes unfocused as if he'd just been faced with a problem he thought he'd never have to solve. “But... why didn't you say so at the meeting that day, with Princess Celestia and Princess Luna?” Starlight lifted her hoof and gave it a quick twirl in the air.

“Well super sorry about that, Sunburst, but I kinda had my own things to worry about that day,” she grumbled. “Unlike somepony, I didn't sleep at all because I was trying to figure out how I was going to make up for my-,” her hoof froze in midair and, after a pause that felt like an eternity, she dropped her hooves back to the couch before her with a loud humph. “I had other things on my mind,” she finished as she felt her cheeks flush slightly. Sunburst squinted at her in much the same way that she had at him only minutes before, but, instead of pursuing her bitten-off quip, he proved how smart she was by simply shaking his head and pushing forward.

“And why do you think that there is a way for a pony to find us?” he asked.

Starlight's lips quirked into a soft smile. “I know that somepony could find her, if they really wanted to, because that's how friends and family work.” She turned her gaze back to the desk, where her letter to Twilight sat, almost finished. “Those kinds of close ties, that consanguinity between ponies, links us in ways that I'm just now starting to understand. It's what keeps Twilight and her friends close, no matter where they go in Equestria on their missions,” she turned her gaze back to Sunburst and smiled, “and I'm sure it's what led us back together after so long apart. Those kinds of links don't just go away... so if somepony, say, a close friend or family member, decided that they wanted to find Skyla? They'd be able to find her, one way or another.”

Sunburst nodded slowly, and it was clear to Starlight that his mind was working at full tilt. “I see... but what about her mirror? She built that out of Starswirl's unfinished spells and research, something that not just anypony could accomplish.” He chuckled. “I mean, nopony short of an absolute prodigy could put together even a basic mirror to slingshot like Skyla did... and all the desire in the world won't get you through the barriers of space-time without a tool to do it.” Starlight's lips curved into a frown as her muzzle scrunched.

“That is assuming she didn't leave notes behind as she completed things,” she pointed out. “Or assuming that somepony, say, her mother, who is the ruler of an entire empire, didn't gather up the best and brightest mages that she could and have them all work together to replicate the thing. Or...” Her words died on her tongue as a thought burst into her mind, and it did so with such force that it killed all of the rest of her thoughts without remorse. Silence fell over the pair for several long seconds before Sunburst reached out a hoof and poked Starlight in the leg, his expression somewhere between curious and concerned.

“Um... Starlight? What happened?”

“I... um...” She blinked rapidly. “I... I just realized that we're forgetting about something.”

“Oh? And what's that?”

Starlight turned her gaze back to the stallion, her throat clenching against her as she did her best to swallow and wet the desert that had somehow replaced her mouth. “...we're forgetting about Twilight,” she said softly. Sunburst's expression became a frown for a moment, but it wasn't more than a heartbeat before he chuckled.

“I haven't forgotten about Twilight,” he said, his cheeks coloring. “Actually, I think about her a lot...”

“NO, you idiot!” exclaimed Starlight, pounding a hoof onto the sofa. “Not our Twilight – Skyla's Twilight! You know, Tower of Starswirl, Queen of all Equestria?”

“Oh..?” Sunburst frowned at Starlight. “And what does she have to do... with...” Suddenly, his eyes widened until Starlight felt they were going to pop out of his head, and she pointed at him with her left hoof.

“SEE?! THAT!” she blurted. “That world has its very own prodigy sorceress and magical technician – somepony who would, given enough time, have literally no problems recreating what Skyla did.”

“That world's Twilight,” breathed Sunburst. “I mean, it makes the most sense, I suppose... but... why would she come looking for Skyla? I mean, Queen Cadence was setting her up to be Queen Twilight's usurper. She wouldn't really care to go looking for her if Skyla were to suddenly go missing.”

Starlight shook her head as all of her experience as a small-time dictator came roaring back to her in horrifying clarity. “She would if she wanted to make sure that threat was gone forever,” she muttered. “Think about it, Sunburst. She couldn't touch Skyla when she was in the Crystal Empire for fear of being the one to incite the war that Cadence had been threatening. Cadence was the aggressor, so Twilight was able to sit back on her laurels and be the defender, even if she was secretly yearning for a chance to cut the heart out of her opposition.” Sunburst made a face, and Starlight waved a hoof. “Figuratively, of course.”

“All right, I'm with you so far...”

“Okay, so suddenly Skyla goes missing. Something like that isn't going to be kept a secret, especially when you consider the fact that somepony like Twilight is going to have spies on the inside in the Crystal Empire, even if Skyla didn't know they were there.” She lifted her left hoof. “So now, she has the heir to the Crystal Throne and weapon of her possible destruction,” she lifted her right hoof, “tossed out into a multiverse that, whether she may or may not be able to return from, is someplace that she's not under the protection of her mother, Twilight's enemy...” She lifted both hooves into the air a little more before turning them towards one another and mashing them together. “Loose end tied up, and she still gets to play defender.”

Sunburst's eyes widened incredulously. “But... would Twilight really do something like that? I mean, she's so level-headed and rational. Wouldn't she just see this as a fantastic boon and just let it go?”

“Sunburst, I've seen Twilight Sparkle at her worst, okay?” Starlight curled her lip and shook her head. “That mare can lose her head just as fast as anypony else, and if the stories I've heard are true, she's caused some pretty big magical problems trying to make sure that everything was perfect to her specifications. If you take her and give her Queen Twilight's experiences...” she shrugged. “You might have your seeker, right there.”

“Oh... oh that's really bad, isn't it...” muttered Sunburst. “Maybe... we should come up with a contingency plan...” he locked eyes with Starlight, “y'know... just in case?”

To her surprise, Starlight felt herself nodding. “Yeah... maybe we should.”

Restless Nights and Practice Fights

Even when you know the pony in charge of the nighttime, it can still be really lonely after the sun goes down.

Skyla sighed and glanced out of the window to her right, her gaze touching the half moon hanging in the sky as she folded her front legs across the desk and settled her head on top of them, her head sideways with her left ear pressed against her hooves. It had been quite a while since Cadence and Shining Armor had bade both the girls goodnight, but despite the late hour Skyla didn't feel the least bit tired. In fact, she couldn't really decide what it was that she was feeling, and that alone was enough to drive her sleepiness away faster than ten pounds of chocolate cake.

It feels like I'm being all mixed up inside, she thought with a wince as she squeezed her front legs tighter together. Or like I might throw up at any moment... or maybe one because of the other... A lock of her hair fell out of place and into her right eye, obscuring her view of the moon. I guess I feel kind of like the moon tonight... half full, and half empty...

She let out another sigh and shifted her head atop her legs so that she could bring her gaze back to the book that sat on the desk in front of her, her hair falling back into place as she settled her chin onto her hooves. It was a rather large book, certainly bigger than anything that Skyla had ever personally owned in her life, and it was bound in dark blue with a silver crescent moon on the cover, making it easy for everypony to guess who had given it to her. Skyla felt her lips curve into a minuscule smile as she traced the curving lines of the decorative moon with her eyes. I wonder when Princess Luna will get back to me this time, she thought. I hope it'll be soon... The filly reached out and touched the book, the ridge of her left hoof tugging gently at the binding as she fought the urge to open the book and stare at the pages until the other alicorn responded.

Skyla had received the book from the Princess not long after she'd made the decision to stay in the Crystal Kingdom, and had been thoroughly overjoyed to have such a beautiful book to use as a journal; however, a letter enclosed just inside the cover had explained to her that this was no ordinary book. It was enchanted to allow two ponies to write back and forth to one another using a pair of linked books, which meant that whenever Skyla wrote in hers, Princess Luna would receive her message in a sister book in Canterlot Castle. It went much faster than sending letters to one another, and didn't require Skyla to learn the spells required to send a message through magical means, despite her having the ability to do so. It probably has more to do with Luna and her schedule, she thought as she touched the crescent moon on the book's surface. I doubt she'd want a letter to just pop out of thin air when she was with a diplomat, or when she was in the bath or something. Doing this with the books is a good idea, since she can check it whenever she has a moment and write back when she's available.

It all made perfect sense, of course... but that didn't make Skyla feel any less alone.

Despite the complexity of her current emotional maladies, Skyla didn't have any problem recognizing the stabbing pangs of loneliness coursing through her. It was something that irritated her even more than usual, considering that Flurry Heart was currently sleeping in her bed on the other side of the room. The alicorn turned in her chair to cast a glance at the younger filly's sleeping form and, as if on cue, Flurry snorted gently in her sleep and rolled over on the bed, a motion that pulled the sheet into a tight wad around her winged form. Skyla smirked and shook her head. Well, I guess it's a good thing that I'm not sleepy – I'd probably have to go without blankets now that Flurry's got them.

Skyla hopped down from her chair and moved to the bed, her smirk slowly becoming a genuine smile as she looked down at the smaller pony. I wonder what she's dreaming about, she thought as she stopped at the bedside. Flurry twitched in her blanket cocoon and breathed something that sounded almost like words, but it was clear that she was still sleeping contently. Probably about eating that pineapple from dinner earlier, if I had to guess, thought Skyla as she lifted a hoof and used it to brush Flurry's mane out of her face. She's such a happy pony... I have to wonder if she has any worries or cares in the world that can't be solved with a smile and some kind words. She tucked a lock of hair behind Flurry's ear and lowered her hoof, running the pad of it gently down the small Princess's left cheek before returning it to the ground. Just the fact that Flurry Heart was here should have made it a lot easier to ignore the lonesome feeling that had invaded her inner thoughts, but something about this particular night had stirred up her heart and was magnifying everything she was feeling – a sensation that wasn't about to let her settle down anytime soon.

Sleep well, Flurry, she thought with a sigh as she turned away from the bed and towards the door to her room. As much as I'd like to join you, I think I need to take a walk... She moved silently across the room, opened the door carefully with her magic, and slipped out into the hallway, making sure to shut the door silently so as not to disturb the sleeping Flurry.

The gentle moonbeams cast a strange sort of half-light into the hall, making everything feel cold and alien as Skyla turned and headed to her left, her hooves clicking solemnly in the quiet. The thought that she should have felt more secure in the castle during the night skittered across her mind, but her lips pressed into a frown as soon as it did. This isn't the same castle, she reminded herself as she moved past a bank of windows to her left, the moonlit city glittering below her. I can't even remember the moon ever shining in the windows like this, and it really does make the whole place feel different. Her frown lifted slightly. Better, sure, but different all the same.

She followed the hallway down to the door at the end of it, where a guard in full armor stood dutifully at his post. Skyla managed a smile for him as his brown eyes met her own and, in spite of her knowledge that she wasn't technically doing anything wrong, she felt her ears droop ever so slightly.

“Good evening, Princess,” greeted the guard, his firm features lifting into a smile as she approached. “And what has you out of bed so late?”

Skyla's ears perked back up and she drew herself up to her full height as she slowed to a stop before him, her wings twitching along her flanks. “I'm not a princess, sir,” she said, “and though I appreciate you honoring me with the title, I would ask that you not use it again.” She fought with her gaze to keep it from turning into a glare, but she knew that she wouldn't be able to stop it completely. Flurry Heart had told her more than a week ago about how stories of her presence had taken root in the castle staff and the citizens of the Kingdom, and ever since then she'd been running into random ponies who called her Princess. It was something that had immediately gotten under her saddle and seemed to draw out her most acidic of glances; however, if the guard noticed her less than friendly stare, he did nothing to show it. He merely gave her a respectful nod, his helmet dipping low enough to hide his eyes with shadows in the moonlight.

“As you wish, my lady,” he said, his tone using the same respectful measure as before. He held his head low for a few moments before bringing his gaze back to Skyla. “And as for your activity this late at night?”

Now Skyla felt herself shrink slightly, and it was all she could do to keep herself from making up some elaborate excuse on the spot. In fact, that's exactly what she had done many times when she'd been caught out of bed in the Crystal Empire, and it was apparently a hard habit to break; she felt the lies spring unbidden to her mouth, their sour taste causing her to wince as they plopped down onto her tongue and teased her with their tartness. There's no reason for me to lie, she told herself firmly. He's just doing his job, and he's not going to have an opinion one way or another no matter what you tell him, so you might as well tell him the truth!

“I... um...” Skyla sighed and let her posture droop, her wings slouching so much that the tips almost touched the floor. “I... can't sleep,” she said finally, the truth clearing the sour taste out of her mouth. “I've got a lot on my mind, and I just can't seem to settle down...” She shifted on her hooves as she dropped her gaze to the floor, her neck prickling as she felt the guard's eyes stay on her. “I was going to try and walk until I was tired, but if I need to be in my room because of a curfew, I'll gladly return there...” To her surprise the guard shook his head vehemently, the sound of his helmet clinking delicately against his breastplate drawing her eyes back to his.

“Oh no, my lady – no such rule is in place. You are free to roam the castle at your leisure, of course.” He bowed his head again and stepped a little further away from the open door, his spear thumping against his armor as he pulled it tightly against him. “And, if I may be so bold..?” His words tapered off into inquisitive silence, leaving ample space for Skyla to nod.

“Please,” she said with a subtle wave of her left hoof. The guard met her gesture with another nod before straightening and smiling down at her once again.

“I might suggest that perhaps Your High-,” he cleared his throat, “perhaps my lady is simply not tired enough for sleep? It was quite stormy today, with no chances to get out and fly or exercise at all. Perhaps, if you need such exertion to end the day, you could venture down to the training area for the guards and move around a bit.” He shrugged. “It is, perhaps, unhelpful of me to suggest it, but often when we guards have trouble settling down for the night, we will go and practice our drills until we're tired enough to sleep.”

Skyla frowned. Physical training, huh? That's certainly not something I've done in... well, not since I've been here, at least. Actually, it seems like an eternity, now that I think about it... Her eyes widened slightly as she stared at the open door before her, her mind suddenly churning with a thousand new thoughts and old memories, all blending together into a fan blade that kicked her tumultuous emotions back into a frenzied state. Her tail flicked in agitation before she could stop herself, and without another thought she smiled up at the guard.

“That is an excellent suggestion,” she said, her heart suddenly pounding in her chest. “Though I'll admit that I don't think I'd like to just run around in circles in the training hall...”

“If you would prefer, we keep the practice weapons behind the door on the north side of the room,” the guard said with a shrug. “They're wooden, so the door is always open, even to non-guards – though I suppose that probably does no good for you, my lady.”

Skyla's eyes widened and she grinned in spite of herself. “That... does make a difference to me, sir.” She gave the guard a quick nod before darting through the door and turning to her right, her eyes locking onto the staircase that would lead her down. “Thank you for your help!” she called lightly over her shoulder, hoping that her voice would carry far enough that the guard would hear it but not far enough that it would wake anypony up. The guard stepped through the door just long enough to wave at her with his free hoof, his whole face hidden by the shadow of his helm.

“Train well!” he said simply, and Skyla felt a fresh burst of excitement explode through her chest as she skidded to a halt and started quickly down the stairs.

I guess this night won't be a total waste of time, at least, she thought as she took the stairs two at a time. I just hope they have what I want in that room of theirs...

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The training hall hadn't changed one bit since Skyla had been there that afternoon, and the crisp, cool scent of moisture in the air made it blatantly clear that nopony had been working up a sweat in the room that day – or, at least they hadn't since Skyla's training session with Starlight Glimmer. The pale moonlight filled the upper reaches of the room thanks to the large windows, but it left a good deal of the lower spaces swathed in shadows, as if the moon were slowly trying to fight back the forces of darkness and never quite achieving total victory. A fitting tone for a room where warriors are trained, thought Skyla as she pulled the door shut behind her with her magic, though I'm sure that Luna would have something to say about not achieving total victory.

Though the click of her hooves had echoed sharply in the hallways, Skyla found that the large room seemed to swallow the noise of her hoofsteps as she moved across the wide open space towards the door on the northern wall where the guard had indicated that the practice weapons were. It struck Skyla as rather silly that she'd been in this room a half-dozen or so times now and never thought to ask what was behind the doors around her. I mean, I guess it makes sense that they'd keep things like this in here – after all, the guards DO practice in this room, and that means they have to have equipment nearby. She sighed softly at herself as she reached the door and grasped its knob with her magic. There had been a time not so long ago when Skyla had prided herself on being able to pick up even the smallest of details and ask just the right questions to fill in the gaps in her knowledge, but that had, admittedly, been a skill developed and kept sharp out of necessity rather than a desire to have it. I guess if I still want it, I'd better start paying closer attention to things and not let this peaceful world bring my guard down too far, she thought as she twisted the knob and pulled the door open. I mean, I guess that's kind of why I'm coming back here in the first place...

She allowed her magic to go dark, the blue hue fading away into the shadow and silver of the night as she gazed into an armory of wooden weapons, all sorted into types and placed on racks for easy access. The room was perhaps twelve feet wide and fifteen feet deep, and every inch of the walls were covered with the weapon racks; in addition, there was a broad table in the center of the room that looked like a single, solid piece of wood to Skyla, though she knew that would make no sense in an armory like this. Her eyes widened as she stepped inside, the smell of polished wood and clean metal filling her nose. They must have some live steel in here, she thought, glancing first to her left, then to her right. Either that, or they have some armor stored in here. I guess that's much more likely than a real blade in the unlocked training weapon room... She frowned at her own thoughts as she moved inside, her gaze sweeping heavily shadowed weapons racks holding swords, spears, bats, and staves of all sizes and lengths. Come on, Skyla – what were we JUST talking about? Try to use your head and not make silly statements! She moved around the central table and gave it an experimental poke with her hoof only to find that it was much heavier than she'd expected. Her frown melted as she bent her head low, squinting at it in the low light from the high window until, after several long moments of scrutiny, she finally spied something that put everything into perspective: a handle built into the apparently solid side of the table suggested that it wasn't a solid piece of furniture after all, but a massive storage unit secured to the floor. Aah, so that's where the armor is, she thought as she straightened. I suppose it would make sense to stash it all together instead of displaying it like a noble would – especially since it's just so recruits don't get hurt when they bash each other with sticks.

She stepped back from the storage unit and cast her gaze around the room once again, her gaze dancing across the hilts of wooden swords and the handles of wooden axes until she found what she'd been searching for: a wooden staff, around five and a half feet long, that sat nestled between a staff that was much too long and a staff that was much too short. She moved around the storage and hurried to the rack that held the staves, her magic igniting once more and wrapping itself around the mid point of the weapon. A twitch of her hoof lifted it from the rack and brought it floating to her, her eyes glued to it as a smile returned to her lips.

“It feels like it's been an eternity,” she said aloud, “but I suppose I should just do my drills like always. That's probably the best place to start.”

She nodded to herself and turned towards the door, her magic opening it then closing it behind her as she made her way out into the training area. Simply feeling the weight of the staff in her magic brought a strange dual emotion into her heart: it felt good to hold the weapon, so like her own back in the Empire... but that very similarity brought with it a rush of gut-wrenching guilt, fear, and insecurity that washed over Skyla like the crest of a tsunami. She winced as memories of her training flashed through her mind, but she forced her hooves to continue carrying her towards the center of the room. I can't let these memories beat me, she thought, her magic gripping the staff so tightly that the wood creaked beneath the blue glow. I have to push forward, push THROUGH them, or I won't be able to keep making any kind of progress towards... towards...

Her thoughts tapered off as she slowed to a halt in the center of the room, the staff floating down to be held horizontally in front of her, its tips pointed to her left and right. What am I moving towards, anyway? she asked herself finally, and as she did so her magical grip on the staff split into two and shifted apart, gripping the wooden weapon at two different points around a foot and a half away from one another. Where exactly do I want to go from here? She took a deep breath and held it for a heartbeat before exhaling again, her pulse almost audible in the otherwise silent room. What do I want to do now? Her hooves slid apart into a loose stance, and with a flick of her horn she whirled the staff in a quick circle before flipping it vertically and thrusting it to her right, as if to block an incoming strike from an opponent. She held the position for a moment before whirling the staff back to her left and assuming a block position there as well, the staff swishing through the air as she forced it into place with all her might.

Everypony's been so kind to me, she thought, and it's been really great to just sit back and relax, but... She took a quick step backwards, her hooves crossing delicately as the staff whipped in front of her yet again, a motion that was designed to deflect thrusts from enemy weapons and keep a safe distance from them at the same time. But I can't just sit back and enjoy their hospitality forever, she thought as she stepped into her next form. I have to start thinking about the future... MY future.

The swishing of the staff through the air slowly filled the room as Skyla lost herself in her drills, her body falling into the forms as if she'd never missed a day; each thrust of the staff was crisp and unwavering, each block steady and firm, and each hoofstep and movement was fluid and light as she swirled and danced across the training room, her blue eyes wide and half focused. I've never really been able to dictate my own future, she thought as the staff whirled around her head in a circle so tight that it touched the back of her neck before lashing out to her left in a strike meant to trip an opponent. I guess I don't even know where to begin...

She stepped forward and her magic shifted sightly on the staff, both points moving towards the end closest to Skyla so that she could thrust it with all of her might at one of the entrances to the hall. The staff vibrated in the air from the force of her attack, and Skyla held the form rigidly as she took some much needed deep breaths. As she stood, her eyes wandered past the staff and her little sphere of influence to the doorway where a white stallion leaned against the door frame, his eyes glued to her.

Every thought in her head evaporated into a flush of heat as she blushed feverishly and lowered the staff, her magic morphing back to one spot on the wooden shaft as the weapon floated to her side. The figure shifted and stepped towards her, his smile evident even in the low light.

“Whoa, don't stop on my account – I was just admiring your technique.” Shining Armor's voice was rich and clear despite the late hour, and his coat shimmered as he stepped into one of the moonbeams. “I'll admit that I'm impressed, and, not to toot my own horn or anything, but it takes quite a bit to impress me.” Skyla winced and dropped her gaze to the floor, her mane falling into her face and sticking to her sweat as she did so.

“I'm sorry to be in here so late, Shining Armor,” she said quickly, her heart pounding in her ears so hard that it muffled her own words. “I just couldn't sleep, and the guard on my floor said that-,”

“That he and the other guards sometimes come in here to work off some steam before bed, right?” Shining's blue hooves came into Skyla's view and stopped a few feet away from her, his posture relaxed. “Yeah, he's right – but what he forgot to mention is that typically you have to have permission to use the training weapons.”

Skyla winced again and bowed lower, her wings spreading down and away from her in a display of subservience. “I... I'm sorry, I didn't know...” she said, her voice slowly growing softer and softer as she took a half step backwards. “I thought that... well, I just wanted to...”

“Hey, Skyla – take it easy, okay?” Shining's hooves moved towards her at a careful pace, as if he were approaching a startled animal, and Skyla had to admit that he wasn't too far off from that. “You're not in trouble or anything.” A frown touched Skyla's face and, before she could stop herself, she lifted her chin and peered at the stallion through her curled bangs.

“But you just said that you have to ask permission first. I didn't, so I'm breaking the rules.”

“Ah, I said that you usually have to ask for permission.” Shining's smile was light and easy as he gestured dismissively with his left hoof. “You're not some wayward cadet who sneaked in here to pretend to be a dragon slayer when they ought to be sleeping and resting up for drills the next day.” He dropped his hoof back to the ground and took another tentative step forward, his movements careful and light. “So no harm done, okay?”

“If... if you say so,” said Skyla, though she couldn't quite wash the acrid taste of suspicion out of her mouth. It wasn't Shining's fault, of course, and Skyla felt horrible looking at him with such wariness, but there were some things that kind words just couldn't erase. Skyla took a deep breath and straightened her neck, her eyes never leaving Shining's face. “But why go easy on me if I was breaking rules?” she asked. “I mean, what's the typical punishment for doing what I did?”

“Typical punishment?” Shining blinked for a moment, his confusion even more apparent thanks to the stark shadows of the moonlight. “I... guess it would be a few extra laps around the castle? I'm not really sure.” He chuckled and shrugged. “Honestly, I can tell you that there's usually no need for a punishment. The ponies who do that are upbraided firmly, then called out for it in front of their fellow cadets – that usually does the trick.”

Now it was Skyla's turn to look confused. “But... what about ponies who do it repeatedly? What happens to them?” To her surprise, Shining Armor grinned broadly.

“Well, they usually get promoted... and then, if they're lucky, they get to marry a princess and become Prince of the Crystal Kingdom.”

Skyla's eyes widened, and she couldn't help but crack an incredulous smile. “That's... did you..?”

“And, to answer your second question,” continued Shining as he took another step towards her, “the reason that I'm going easy on you is simple: you're practically a member of our family.” He reached out and ruffled her mane gently with his hoof. “You'll continue to get a little bit of special treatment for that... at least from me.” He patted her once on the head before taking a step back, his eyes so soft and full of understanding that Skyla felt her eyes prickle with tears.

Special treatment for being almost family? she thought. Well, that's ironic – I spent most of my life getting harsher treatment for being actual family...

She sniffled and swiped a hoof at her eyes, hoping against hope that the tall stallion hadn't seen her tears. “W-well, I guess that's fine by me,” she said in her best flippant tone, despite the coarse rasp of emotion that teased the edges of her words. “I mean, the less trouble I get into, the better.”

“My thoughts exactly,” said Shining with a nod. His tail swished behind him as he pointed to the staff that still floated at her right side. “So... would it be too much to ask where you learned your staff technique?” he asked. “I wasn't kidding when I said it was pretty impressive.”

The staff floated closer to Skyla as she glanced down at it, her cheeks flushing again as her ears flattened themselves against her mane. “I... was trained by my mother and father,” she said, her throat tightening down on the words as she said them until they were barely more than a whisper. “They said... Mother said, mostly... that if I was going to lead an army, I was going to lead an army.” She felt her shoulders tighten as memories filled her: memories of her mother and father, their faces cold and their eyes judgmental as they watched her drill with her staff. “They didn't want me to just sit at the back and command an army... they insisted that, as an alicorn destined to lead both nations to glory, I had to fight.”

“Aah... I see...” Shining's ears drooped towards his mane, and Skyla saw the gentle gleam of sympathy fill his blue eyes. “Sorry – I didn't mean to pry.”

“No,” said Skyla hastily, her words leaping to her lips almost faster than she could say them, “no, don't apologize. It's nothing to be sorry about.” She smirked and hefted the staff in her magic. “Actually, I was just thinking about the future, and what I'm going to have to do in order to start moving on... and I'm starting to think that talking about everything with you and Cadence is going to help me do that.”

Shining's face lit up, but he somehow held in the burst of enthusiasm and covered it with a gentle cough into his hoof. “I know that we'd both love to talk to you more,” he admitted, dropping his hoof back to the floor, “and... it's really good to know that you actually WANT to. The last thing we wanted to do was force you to talk about stuff like Twilight did in the interview.”

Skyla nodded, her muzzle wrinkling at the memory. “Yeah... that really wasn't fun. I mean, I get why she had to do it that way, but still...” She let her words fall away, and quiet fell between them in the moonlit room, the nighttime air snatching every sound and muffling it in a way that made Skyla feel like they were the only ponies in the whole castle. She shifted her weight from her right hooves to her left, the staff bumping against her flank as she looked up at Shining's face. He looked so much like her own father, but more different than she could have ever imagined; where there had been judgment before, now there was understanding. Where there had been anger in her father's eyes, here there was kindness, and it was slowly becoming easier and easier for Skyla to see Shining Armor for who he was, rather than how she remembered him. Finally, the unicorn stallion cleared his throat.

“Well, I'll make sure she doesn't do anything like that again,” he assured her with a nod. “Now, it's pretty late. Shouldn't you be getting back to bed?”

“I guess so,” sighed Skyla, “but I'm really not tired yet. I didn't exactly get to practice much before you came in.” She lifted the staff and stood it next to her vertically. “I don't suppose you'd mind if I worked through a few more of my drills, would you?”

Shining's eyes narrowed slightly, as if he were really weighing his options as far as what he could and could not tell her to do, and Skyla felt ire rise in her chest as moments ticked by. Oh come on, Shining Armor, she thought, I was just starting to think you're cool – don't screw this up and go all 'angry dad' on me... She was just about to tell him to forget it when he shook his head.

“I guess I don't mind, but on one condition.”

Now Skyla's eyes narrowed at him. “And what's the condition?” she asked carefully.

Instead of responding, the unicorn turned and trotted off to the practice weapons room, his form disappearing inside for only a few moments before emerging with a six foot long practice spear held in his violet magic. Skyla's eyes widened as he hurried to his left and took up a spot a dozen feet away from her, the spear held low by his side. She blinked and turned to face him, the staff rising defensively across her chest.

“That doesn't exactly answer my question,” she said.

“Do you really need me to spell it out for you?” chuckled Shining with an arch of his left eyebrow. His horn flared and the spear leaped to life, whirling in a quick circle on his right side before flipping over his back and performing a similar circle on his left before ending its journey by darting up to Shining's front, its shaft slanted across his chest with its wooden point held high. “I can't think of a better way to get tired than from sparring with each other, can you? Plus, it'll give me some idea of how good you really are with that staff of yours.”

The staff floated closer to Skyla as she stared at the white stallion, its wooden texture the only thing to remind her that she wasn't dreaming. He wants to... actually practice with me? Like, for real, not trying to kill each other but just practicing PRACTICE with me..? Her mind whirled for a moment, but it didn't stop her from taking a half step back and whirling her staff before her, its ends whistling through the air as her magic split on the shaft and once again assumed positions spread out from one another. She whipped it around her neck and turned to her left slightly, slanting the staff down and across her right wing as she gave Shining a smile that was half excitement and half challenge.

“Whenever you're ready,” she said, the bubbles of her exhilaration boiling over into her voice.

Shining's grin became sharp and without another word he lunged forward, his own magic splitting on the shaft of his weapon much as Skyla's had done – the only exception being that he kept one grip on the center of the spear while shifting the other to the very bottom. Skyla's eyes narrowed at it as he approached. It's different than what I've seen before, but I can remember reading about that style in a book, she thought, her muscles tensing. It maximizes the motion of the tip of the spear without resorting to fancy whirling and twirling, and gives the wielder great control and strength. She crouched a little, her tail flicking eagerly as her magic blaze brighter on her weapon.

Shining closed on her in a matter of seconds, and without hesitation his spear lashed out at the right side of her chest, aimed for her heart. Skyla's staff leaped from her wing and slammed into Shining's spear, the center of the wooden shaft driving the spear's head out and away from Skyla's body just enough to keep it from hitting her. Skyla winced as the first thock of wood against wood echoed dramatically in the empty room, but she didn't let it distract her; she took a swift step back and away from Shining's considerable mass while giving her staff a firm twist that sent Shining's spear point to the floor. Her staff darted away from his spear as she took another step to her right, and with a flick of her horn she brought the staff skimming low across the floor then up into a quick circle that would have brought the end of the staff crashing down onto Shining's head.

Shining's spear rose faster than Skyla could see, the upper shaft battering Skyla's staff out of the way as he stepped to his left, following her. The alicorn reversed her strike and brought the opposite end of the staff whirling up towards Shining's face, its momentum amplified by the stallion's own strike on the weapon; Shining's eyes widened and he stopped in his tracks as the staff whistled by his head, mere inches from striking its mark. Skyla's hooves clacked on the stone floor as she followed the path of the spear and spun, the staff gaining even more speed as it was tugged along with her on a centrifugal ride that brought the weapon in at Shining's face even faster than before.

To her shock, Shining's spear met her strike with a deflection so solid that it literally stopped her in her tracks, her eyes locking onto the stallion as she completed her turn. Shining stared at her, his face a mirror of the surprise that she felt, and for a long moment neither of them moved, their gazes locked as if they were really just seeing each other for the first time. Finally, it was Shining who broke the stalemate by taking a quick step back and lowering his spear, his eyes still watching her carefully.

“Well... all right then,” he said, his voice carefully neutral. “I think that's enough for tonight.”

Skyla blinked and lowered her staff in a similar fashion. “Enough? But I only attacked you twice...”

“I think twice is enough,” he said, his lips curving into a slight smile. He shook his head slowly and moved to stand in front of her again. “I've got to admit, you've got some skill with that staff. I wasn't sure when I was watching you before, but I'm sure now.” His smile solidified. “How would you like to pick this up tomorrow? I'll strap on some armor and we can really spar – like, go until one of us gives up.” Skyla's eyes widened and her smile returned.

“You mean it?”

“Of course I mean it!” chuckled Shining, his eyes glimmering. “And then, if you want to, maybe we can have a little talk about your future. I might be able to help with your decisions – but only if you want me to, of course.”

Skyla nodded. “Of course... thank you.” She smiled up at him, and before she could even attempt to prepare for it a yawn rose in her throat and squeezed its way out of her mouth, its broad tones echoing in the training area loudly enough that Skyla felt her cheeks turn bright pink with shame. Shining, for his part, just laughed it off.

“I guess that means you're finally tired,” he said with a wink. “Here, let me put those away – I've got night duty for a while still.” Skyla nodded and levitated her staff over to Shining, who took it in his purple magic that somehow made her think of her mother. “Now, why don't you hurry off to bed? You'll need your rest if we're going to train tomorrow.”

Skyla nodded again, a little more eagerly this time, and managed a smile for Shining that she hoped looked nicer and less tired than it felt. “All right, then – good night, Shining Armor.”

“Good night, Skyla,” said the unicorn as Skyla turned and hurried towards the door, her mind whirling with the possibilities that sparring with a soldier like Shining could bring for her.

I'm glad that I came down here, she thought as she pushed the door open and glanced back at Shining, who disappeared into the storage room just as she caught sight of him again. I might not have gotten much practicing done, but I think I may have taken my first steps towards a future that's mine... but still built with the help of others. She smiled slightly and pushed the door open. That might take some getting used to, but I don't see why I can't start relying on them. After all, it's not like my real parents will care...

A Study in Skyla

The first thing Flurry Heart noticed was that she could hear the birds outside the window, chirping away as they greeted the new morning. It was a sound that made her smile even before she opened her eyes, her heart fluttering in time with their warbling calls as she shifted onto her back and stretched in the blankets. Mmm... it sounds like a... a lovely morning, she thought, the warm cloud of sleep still drifting across her mind. She inhaled sharply and held it for several long seconds as she stretched before allowing her body to relax and exhaling in satisfying fashion. Aaahh... it sounds really nice outside, but maybe I'll just go back to sleep...

She rolled over onto her right side and curled up against the warm, comforting blankets as she wrinkled her nose against the cool morning air from Skyla's open window. Besides, it's way too chilly to get out of bed just yet, she thought, her eyes squeezing shut more tightly as a huge, silent yawn forced its way out of her muzzle. Even a Princess shouldn't be expected to get out of bed when it's too chilly. She smirked and snuggled down a little further into the blankets, burying her nose into their soft folds. I'm sure Mommy'll come wake me up when I need to get up... but until then... she let out a sigh as she felt herself starting to drift back towards sleep, I don't see why I need to be out of bed... just yet...

She gave herself willingly to the embrace of sleep, eager to dive into her dreams once more, but just as she touched sleep's glassy surface she was yanked back to wakefulness as if she'd been tugged by a rope. She jerked sharply and her eyes flew open as she lifted her head off of the bed, her muzzle still covered by the blankets she'd rooted down into.

The sky was growing brighter out the window, but she could tell that it was still too early for the sun to even be up. It was a time of morning that she thought should definitely be off limits and one that she avoided whenever she could, but one that she recognized thanks to her mother's insistence that she rise early for special events. She blinked in the half light of the room, her ears fully upright and twitching amid her messy curls as she lifted her right hoof and tugged the blanket off of the end of her nose.

“What happened..?” she mused, her words feeling fat and sluggish as her tongue did its best to work while still being mostly asleep. “Why... what woke me up..?” She licked her lips and blinked languidly before bringing her hoof up to her eyes and rubbing them firmly as she made a small, irritated noise in her throat. “Mmmmmmph... mornings suuuuck...”

She was about to flop back down and attempt to sleep one more time when she felt something impact her backside, and the strike was firm enough that it made her jump in surprise. It didn't hurt, but it was enough to cause a bubble of indignation to rise up in Flurry's chest in the form of a grumpy growl.

“Heeeeyy, knock it off, Skyla,” she grumbled, her wings extending behind her and flailing lazily as she waved her right hoof near her head. “We don't have lessons today, so we should get more sleep...” She let out a sigh and pulled her wings back against her, but only moments later she felt another strike against her rump, just as firm as the first. Her eyes narrowed as she felt her irritation boil towards anger, and with another growl she twisted on the bed so that she could face her companion. “HEY, I said to knock it off-!”

She felt her words die on her lips as her gaze found Skyla still fast asleep, her brow furrowed as if she were knee deep in worry. She was lying on her right side, just as Flurry had been, so that her hooves were pointed at Flurry's back and, as she watched, Flurry saw her back hooves kick in her sleep so hard that they tapped against her leg again. Her eyes widened as Skyla's lips moved, half-spoken words tumbling from them as she breathed in her sleep.

“Skyla..?” whispered Flurry, her ears folding back against her mane. She pushed at the blankets with her front hooves, freeing herself from their comforting embrace so that she could scoot closer to the other filly, who's frown only deepened as Flurry drew nearer. “Skyla, are... are you okay?” she asked, her heart suddenly pounding in her ears. “Is everything alright?”

Skyla's only response was to kick her hooves again, her tousled mane twisting around her ears as she squirmed. Flurry shook her head as she stared at her bed mate, panic rising swiftly in her chest as unblocked feelings flowed through her freshly awakened form. With a muttered curse word that she'd heard one of the guards use, Flurry did the only thing she could think of to do: she extended her front hooves and threw herself forward onto Skyla, her whole weight crashing down onto the other filly with a soft whump.

For a second, nothing happened: Skyla made a funny squeaking noise as all the air left her lungs, but she didn't move or try to remove Flurry from her body. Flurry's panic flailed inside her as the other pony's form lay dormant beneath her sprawled self, and her wings rose away from her body as she prepared to move onto the next phase of the plan. If that didn't wake her up, I'll make SURE she wakes up!

The rest of the plan, however, turned out to be unnecessary. As the first second passed, Skyla's whole body tense and she gave a sharp jerk beneath Flurry's smaller form as she inhaled sharply and let out an angry growl.

“Flurry Hearrrrt, get off of me!” she wheezed, her wings wriggling beneath Flurry's chest. “I can't breathe with you up there..!” Flurry felt all of the tension that had been inside her suddenly relax, and she felt tears gather in her eyes as she moved her legs beneath her and stood up. She stepped backwards and away from Skyla, who levered herself up with her forelegs and gave Flurry a grouchy glare. “What was that for?” she grumbled, her mane disheveled and her ears flat against her head. “At least I try to be nice when I wake you up...”

“But...” sniffled Flurry as she sat back down onto the bed, her tail curling around her as she did her best not to dissolve into tears, “you were muttering in your sleep, and kicking me in the back... I... I got scared, and didn't know what to do...”

Skyla blinked. “I... I was?” she asked, and Flurry nodded vigorously, her already untidy mane getting even more mixed up as she did.

“Uh-huh... I couldn't hear what you were saying, but you were doing it a lot.” She rubbed at her eyes with the back of her left hoof, her lip quivering. “And you looked really upset, like... like you were having a bad dream or something...” She sniffled again and let out a long sigh before dropping her hoof back to the bed, her mane drooping into her eyes as she shifted. “I didn't think, I just kinda... did it.” Her brow furrowed and she extended her right hoof towards Skyla. “I didn't hurt you, did I?” To her relief, Skyla shook her head.

“No, you didn't hurt me,” she admitted, “but you did scare me.” She frowned. “And... I don't remember having a scary dream. I really can't remember if I had any dreams last night.”

Flurry sat forward. “So you don't remember why you were muttering and tossing around like that?” I'm sure that I'd remember if I had a dream that made me mutter and kick my hooves in my sleep, thought Flurry as a little piece of irritation broke off and floated around her mind, but just as quickly as she felt it, she dismissed it. But, I heard from mommy that waking somepony up too fast can make them forget whatever dreams they were having, so... She winced. So it's actually my fault she can't remember... super...

“No, I can't remember a thing about any dreams,” repeated Skyla, her mouth curving downwards a little bit more as she narrowed her eyes at Flurry. “But it might be because I didn't sleep when I normally do last night. I was up late with-,” her eyes widened, and her frown exploded into a broad smile so quickly that Flurry Heart blinked. “Oh! You were asleep when I came back in, so I didn't get to tell you what happened!”

Flurry smiled sheepishly. “I honestly didn't even know you left... but tell me what happened!”

With expressive hoof gestures, Skyla quickly recounted her late night encounter with Shining Armor, including her conversation with the guard and her practicing with the stallion in the training area. She described in detail how close she'd come to striking the white pony, and Flurry couldn't help but wince when she did so.

“...you almost hit daddy in the face?” she whispered, and Skyla nodded emphatically.

“Yeah, I did! It was so close that I bet he could feel the breeze from it!” The pink filly rose to her hooves and hopped down out of her bed as the sky grew brighter outside. “He told me that we could really practice today, since we didn't get to do a whole lot last night!” She turned and gave Flurry a broad grin before shaking herself from nose to rump, her mane, tail, and wings all flailing around her chaotically before she stretched languorously.

“And you're gonna do it?” Flurry asked as she, too, hopped down off the bed and stretched, her muscles pulling tight across her back and shoulders as she did so. She extended her wings up and away from her body, stretching them as far as she could before returning them to their resting place against her back.

“Well of course I'm gonna do it,” replied Skyla as she trotted over to the window, her eyes bright. “Like I would pass up the opportunity to spar with somepony as distinguished as Shining Armor!” The light from the morning sun suddenly poured through the window, illuminating the gold in the taller filly's mane as she beamed out at the city below her. “I'd never be happy with myself if I didn't go for it,” she said softly. Flurry Heart frowned at her as the room brightened, her bottom lip protruding out into a pout despite her attempts to the contrary.

“It seems like something that you really want to do,” she said, and Skyla turned away from the sunrise to nod.

“Yeah, I guess I do.”

“Well, that's the first I've heard of it,” Flurry huffed as she moved to stand next to Skyla, her wings rustling against her flanks. “You never mentioned fighting or anything like that before, and now it's suddenly a huge part of you?”

Now Skyla's face fell, and, as Flurry watched, it was like a door had closed behind the other filly's eyes – a door that was always guarded and seldom open.

“I guess I haven't told you everything about me,” she said simply, her lips slowly moving back to the flat line that was Skyla's default expression. Flurry huffed again, louder this time, and her cheeks puffed out slightly as she frowned.

“And what about your bad dream?” she pressed, taking a step closer to Skyla. The other filly's brow furrowed.

“What about my dream?” she muttered, taking a step away from Flurry Heart. “I can't even remember it, so it must not have been that bad. Just... drop it.” She turned and moved towards the vanity that sat opposite the window, her magic igniting along her horn as she walked. Flurry gave her head a vehement shake and followed Skyla, her tail swishing angrily behind her.

“Skyla, we're sisters,” she said, “and sisters are supposed to talk and share and know everything about each other! And I didn't know that you like all that fighting stuff, and we aren't talking about your dream... that just doesn't feel right!”

Skyla stopped at her vanity and snatched up the hairbrush that sat on it with her magic; without hesitation she spun around and leveled the brush at Flurry, the rounded front edge of the brush so close to her nose that she had to stop and jerk her head back to avoid running into it.

“That's enough,” said Skyla, her as voice flat and hard as a skipping stone. Flurry blinked at the brush and brought her gaze back to Skyla, and she was taken aback by the stoical look the other pony's eyes. Her blue gaze lacked the luster that had been there mere minutes ago, and had been replaced by something that Flurry had never seen on the other filly's face. “I know that we're sharing the same space right now, Flurry Heart,” she said as she allowed the brush to sink and float back towards her, “but we're not sisters. You're from here, and I'm from somewhere else. If anything, I'm just a stranger who's come to depend on the kindness of your family – an immigrant without a place to return to – and that's not the same as a sister.” She sighed and turned back to the vanity before lifting the brush to her mane. “You deserve better than that,” she muttered out of the corner of her mouth as she began to brush her hair. “Better than me.”

Flurry Heart felt an uncomfortable squeezing sensation in her chest as Skyla's words fell across her and, combined with the look on Skyla's face, they seemed to wring all of the sunshine out of the whole world. Her ears wilted towards her mane, and she sat her rump down onto the floor as a beam of sunshine started to make its way down the wall in front of her.

“You... don't think of us as sisters..?” she whispered, her lip quivering again as the tears she'd denied earlier came roaring back to her. Skyla sighed and stopped brushing long enough to look at her in the mirror and give her a soft smile.

“Flurry Heart... you know that I care about you,” she said gently, “but a sister is... something different. Something that I... don't know how to be.” She winced and started brushing again, faster than before. “Look, don't worry about that,” she said quickly. “Just worry about watching me spar against Shining later, and I'm sure everything will sort itself out.” Her eyes flicked to Flurry in the mirror again. “If you want your mane brushed, you're going to have to get your rump over here,” she said, a tiny smile touching the corners of her mouth.

Flurry stared at her for a long moment, her insides churning and forcing tears closer and closer to her eyes. What does she mean? she thought. Why is she saying these things? What else is she hiding from me? She sniffled against the sudden blockage in her nose, and Skyla's tiny smile retreated back to where it'd come from. The older filly let out a sigh, turned from the vanity, and crossed the space that separated them. She circled around behind Flurry, who continued to stare at the vanity as she struggled to comprehend what was happening; she passed out of Flurry's line of sight, and a few moments later came the familiar tugging of a brush on the ends of Flurry's curly mane. Flurry winced in spite of herself and bit her bottom lip to keep her comments from coming out.

Silence settled between the two fillies, with only the sound of the rhythmic pulls of the hairbrush to tell them that time hadn't stopped around them, and Flurry Heart found herself squirming in that silence. It wasn't a nice kind of quiet, like the kind that happens when ponies are reading books or doing other quiet things together; rather, it was a quiet that made her feel antsy and uncomfortable, as if it were somehow making her want to scream out loud and leap out of the window to escape it.

Finally, Skyla sighed in her ear.

“Look, I'm sorry if what I said made you sad,” she said, “and you know that I care about you a lot, but... I just don't think we should be calling each other sister.” The brush pulled at a knot, and Flurry winced.

“Mommy and Aunt Twilight call each other that,” she muttered, not even trying to hide the sulkiness in her voice. The brush slowed a little, but only for a moment as Skyla sighed again.

“That's not the same thing,” she said as the brush resumed its previous pace. “Your mom married your dad and that makes her Twilight's sister by law. That's different.”

Flurry felt her shoulders slump, and a single tear rolled down her cheek. “Okay,” she whispered, tears causing the edges of her words to tremble. The brush slowed again, but this time Skyla said nothing and, after a few more minutes of silence, the brush left Flurry's hair and floated to the vanity as Skyla stood up behind her.

“All right, you're good to go,” she said gently. “Why don't we head down and check out what's for breakfast? I'm sure that they've got something we could have, even though it's still a little early for everypony to be awake.” The thought of food sparked a glimmer of excitement in Flurry's heart, and she sat up a little straighter despite the tears that still stained her cheeks.

“Okay,” she said again, a little more firmly this time. “I am really hungry...” Skyla's smile returned, and it made Flurry's heart feel better just to see her look happy again.

“Well, let's not waste any time, then. If you're not careful, all the good muffins will be gone before you get there.”

Flurry frowned. “How... how do you know that?” she asked, and, to her surprise, Skyla's smile became a grin.

“Because I'm going to get there first and eat them,” she whispered wickedly. She turned and bolted for the door, her wings giving a single flap that propelled her forward and pushed Flurry's newly brushed mane out of her face. Before she knew quite what was happening, Flurry found herself on her hooves and scrambling for the door as Skyla pushed it open and hesitated in the hallway, her eyes on Flurry.

“Don't you eat them all!” shouted Flurry, a smile bursting back onto her face. “I'm gonna get to my muffins first!” Skyla just grinned and leaped forward, her mane and tail flowing elegantly as she did so. Flurry slammed the door behind her and took off after the pink filly, her large wings flapping insistently as she willed herself to go faster. It wasn't as if the conversation earlier hadn't happened – she knew that she couldn't forget what Skyla had said, or what she'd learned – but it truthfully wasn't as if things had changed. She still felt the same way about Skyla and, no matter what the other filly said, Flurry knew what she felt.

I just have to show her, no matter what, she thought as she hurtled down the hall. I just have to be her sister, no matter what she says... and someday she'll see it, too.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Wait, she came how close to hitting you in the face?” Cadence paused, her right front hoof still suspended off the floor as she stared at her husband. Shining Armor smiled disarmingly and shrugged.

“Pretty darn close,” he admitted, raising his left hoof up in front of his face. He moved it to a spot perhaps five inches from his muzzle before giving Cadence a lopsided grin. “If I'd have been a little bit slower, you'd have had a husband with a black eye this morning.” Cadence's eyes narrowed at him, and he had the grace to look sheepish as he placed his hoof back to the floor.

“Shining Armor, that was very irresponsible of you,” she chided as she pressed the metal chest plate suspended in her magic firmly against Shining, the aqua blue sparkles darting around it to secure the straps that would hold it to the stallion. “I can't believe that you would do something so reckless so late at night.” Cadence's magic went dark and she stepped back from Shining, who rolled his shoulders and shifted his body as he acclimated to the breastplate.

“Oh, don't give me that tone,” said Shining lightly. “I was just following our plan to try and get closer to her – remember, the one where we spend time with her separately and together to form deeper bonds with her?” He gave his shoulders one final roll before giving her his most dashing grin. “Besides, she wasn't anything I couldn't handle.” Cadence's muzzle wrinkled as she gave her husband the most condescending look she could muster. Says the stallion who almost got a mouthful of wood shavings last night, she thought wryly.

“Well, it won't be long before you'll have to put your bits where your bridle fits,” she said with a nod towards the door behind him. “I heard from the guards that Skyla and Flurry were up extra early today, and that this practice match is all that they've been able to talk about.”

The stallion nodded as his horn ignited with magenta magic and wrapped around the wooden spear that leaned against the wall to his right. “I heard that, too. I guess this really is something that she wanted to do...” He let his words fall away as the spear floated to him, and Cadence rolled her eyes.

“I know that face,” she said as her own horn lit up with soft blue light. “That is the face my husband makes when he isn't sure he's doing the right thing.” Her magic touched the edges of Shining's breastplate as she dropped her gaze to its unblemished surface, its lack of dents and scratches a testament to Shining's skill. “I'm going to tell you this just once, Shining Armor: don't think too hard about this.” She gave her horn a twitch and shifted the breastplate around minutely as a smile touched her lips. “Skyla was training on her own, and she leaped at the chance you offered her. Don't worry about anything other than giving her your full attention today.” She took a step towards Shining as she released her magic, pressing her chest against his breastplate as she brought her eyes back to his. “That's the best we can do,” she whispered as she looked into his bright blue eyes, the eyes that Flurry had inherited. Her smile quirked upwards a little more as she leaned forward and pressed a quick kiss against Shining's lips, her heart skipping a beat despite the hundreds upon hundreds of times she'd kissed him before. Shining's brow smoothed as Cadence pulled back, and his smile returned in the wake of her kiss.

“You're right. I have to give Skyla one hundred percent of my attention.” He twitched his horn to his left and the spear floated in front of him, its shaft vertical with the point up. “Otherwise, she might actually hit me this time.”

“And we wouldn't want that, would we?” chuckled Cadence as she stepped around Shining's left and put a hoof on the door behind him. Shining turned around as Cadence pushed the door open, and together the pair walked out into the training hall.

The hall wasn't full of ponies by any means, but Cadence still found herself surprised at how many ponies had decided to come and watch this sparring match. Cadence and Shining Armor had been in one of several small staging rooms that sat opposite the entrances and adjacent to the room where the practice weapons were stored, and from where she stood she could see no less than two dozen ponies lining the walls in pairs and trios, their heads pressed together in quiet conversation as they waited for the practice match to get started. Her eyes swept the clusters of onlookers, surprise filling her to the brim.

“I thought this was just going to be a private thing,” she murmured to Shining.

“I thought so, too,” he admitted with a sigh, “but Crystal Lance told me that it's been the talk of the Guard ever since Skyla woke up this morning. Apparently rumor moves faster than sunlight in this Kingdom.” He huffed softly, his mouth drawing into a thin line. “I could call to clear the training room, of course, but all of these mares and stallions are off-duty...”

“Say no more.” Cadence lifted her left hoof and patted Shining on the shoulder, her lips curved into a supportive smile. “I'm sure you'll both be fine, even if there's an audience.” She leaned over and planted another kiss on his cheek before returning her hoof to the ground and taking a step back, allowing the stallion to move forward into the room while she turned and started to move along the wall to her left.

Her eyes swept the room again, and it was easy for her to locate Skyla as she walked. The pink alicorn was standing at the center of the training room, her staff tucked beneath her right wing as she eagerly watched Shining approach. She wore a breastplate as well, though hers was not quite as unmarred and lustrous as Shining's was, and Cadence had to admit that she looked quite natural in it. She didn't slouch or fidget with it, as Cadence imagined that Flurry might if forced to wear such a thing; instead, she stood up straight as Shining approached her, an excited smile chasing away her normally placid facade. It's clear which of her parents she took after, thought Cadence with a wry smile. Even if she looks a lot like me when I was younger, it's clear that she takes after the Sparkle side.

Cadence's hoofsteps slowed minutely as she watched Shining stop in front of Skyla, his smile just as bright as hers. He nodded and spoke to her, though his words were too soft for Cadence to hear, and Skyla nodded in return, her ears perked straight up out of her curly mane. She really does look like me... The thought shouldn't have surprised Cadence, but it did catch her off guard nonetheless. It's one thing to know that her mom is you from another universe, but to see such a striking resemblance even though you know you're not her real mom is... almost disconcerting. She watched Skyla and Shining both gesture as they spoke, their smiles growing as they did so. And to see how much she resembles Shining Armor in her expressions and attitude is almost as weird... Cadence turned the corner of the room and started up for a point near the center when a voice reached her ears, a voice that yanked her attention away from the impending sparring match faster than Twilight yanking a book away from a pool of water on a table.

“Mommy! Over here!”

Flurry Heart's voice drew Cadence's eyes to a spot very near the middle of the training area, where she saw the small white alicorn waving her hoof frantically next to a taciturn Starlight Glimmer, who was pointedly keeping her attention on the ponies at the center of the room. Cadence's smile returned and she moved towards her daughter, who began to bounce in place as she approached. The small group of ponies who had gathered around the small Princess all bowed to Cadence and spread out along the designated training space, leaving plenty of room for the royals to watch unobstructed.

“I was wondering where you'd be,” said Cadence as she stopped in front of her ecstatic offspring. “Are you excited to watch daddy and Skyla spar?”

“It's all she's been able to talk about since she found me an hour ago,” muttered Starlight, her ears tilting back towards her mane, “so I'd say the answer to your question is yes, Princess.” Flurry bounded into the air once more, this time adding a massive flap of her wings so that she launched twice Cadence's height into the air before returning to the ground, her disheveled mane falling wildly around her brilliant blue eyes.

“Of course I'm excited!” she exclaimed, her tail swishing behind her as she crouched low, her wings still extended. “How could I not be excited?! Daddy and Skyla are going to fight!” Cadence fought the urge to roll her eyes at her daughter as she extended a hoof and began flipping stray locks of Flurry's mane back into place.

“Now calm down, Flurry. It's not a fight, it's a sparring match.” Cadence's hoof made quick work of Flurry's tousled tresses and returned to the floor as the small alicorn's brow furrowed up at her.

“What's the difference?”

“A fight would imply that they're trying to hurt each other,” said Cadence simply as she turned to her right and faced the center of the room, where Shining and Skyla were still talking to one another. “This is training, where your daddy is trying to see how much Skyla already knows about fighting and teach her a little more.” Flurry hurried to stand in front of Cadence, plopping her rump down right at Cadences hooves so she could lean against her legs.

“What's he going to teach her?” she asked, and Cadence shrugged.

“I'm not sure. I guess we'll just have to watch and find out.” Shining Armor and Skyla shared one final nod before backing away from one another for several pony lengths, their smiles still firmly in place. Shining must have done a good job of keeping her calm despite the crowd, she thought, her gaze darting around to the onlooking ponies once more. As the Prince and Skyla moved, all conversation in the room died and plunged the space into an almost deafening silence that was perforated only by the shifting of ponies and the clopping of the combatant's hooves. Shining's magic moved his spear to hover in front of him, the shaft slanted downwards across his chest with the tip pointing towards the ground to his right, and Skyla's magic burst to life and moved her staff into a similar position as their hooves came to a stop.

Silence reigned over the room for several long moments, and only the breathing of Starlight to her left and Flurry beneath her kept Cadence from wondering if she'd been trapped in a time-freeze spell. Then, without any warning or signal, Shining Armor gave a loud, bellowing war cry and rushed forward, his spear lifting so that it was pointed directly at Skyla's chest.

Cadence felt Flurry Heart jump at Shining's shout, but the filly remained silent as the stallion rushed towards Skyla, who simply bent her knees and held her ground, her ears flat against her head and her eyes focused entirely on Shining Armor's massive form. He dwarfed her in every way, but the pink alicorn showed no signs of retreat as the Prince drew within striking distance and, almost faster than Cadence could follow, the huge stallion locked his legs, turned his body, and lashed out with his spear in such a way that Skyla would have had no chance of hitting him even if she'd used every last inch of her staff. The wooden point lanced straight for Skyla's chest, but a flick of her horn brought the right side of her staff up so that it batted Shining's spear away as easily as if it had been Flurry Heart trying to hit her with a stick. Shining stepped back as Skyla allowed her momentum to carry her around in a quick spin to her left that brought her staff around in a sweeping strike from the right that she aimed at the stallion's legs, but Shining's retreat meant that her staff whistled through empty space in an arc that surely would have left the Prince with aching knees for weeks had he not moved.

Skyla's magic shifted on the staff as she stepped forward and pressed her attack, her eyes focused on Shining to the exclusion of everything else as she whirled the staff and struck out at Shining's face with the left side of her weapon; Shining Armor, however, merely pulled his head back and let her strike swish past him, his eyes calm and impassive. She shifted to strike with the right side of her staff and Shining repeated his dodge effortlessly as she struck at him once, twice, then thrice more at his head in quick succession; however, Shining Armor did not dodge the last strike, instead whipping his spear up and batting the left side of her staff away much as she had done his weapon earlier. Skyla's hooves skittered across the smooth stone floor as she fell back, her staff whirling in one quick defensive sweep as she took several steps away from Shining, who gave her a broad grin.

“Not too bad, kiddo,” said Shining, his voice light and conversational, “but you're going to have to really step up your game if you're gonna hit me.” Skyla took a step to her right, her eyes never leaving Shining's as she began to circle him.

“Honestly, I thought I'd be a little closer to hitting you already,” said Skyla as she moved. “I guess you were tired last night.”

“Yeah, I was,” admitted Shining with a chuckle as he began to circle, as well. “Sorry to make you work harder than you thought you'd have to.”

“Don't be – I'd much rather have a challenge!” Skyla's hooves scraped against the stone as she lunged forward into an attack again, her wings giving a mighty flap that propelled her forward with a mighty war cry that almost rivaled Shining's. A murmur of approval rose from the gathered ponies as Skyla went back on the offensive, her staff whirring through the air like an angry wasp seeking to attack somepony who had disturbed its nest. Cadence felt Flurry shift against her legs, but to her surprise it was Starlight who spoke first, her tone echoing the quiet scrutiny of the rest of the crowd.

“Shining's got the upper hoof, but Skyla's impressive,” she said softly. “I can't believe she knows how to fight like that...” Cadence nodded as she watched Skyla and Shining spar, their wooden weapons cracking violently against each other.

“I agree... I never would have guessed that she'd press Shining so hard.” Skyla might lack physical size, but she's being much more aggressive than I expected... though considering what Shining told me about last night, I suppose I really shouldn't be surprised.

“I can't tell who's winning,” grumbled Flurry at her hooves, and Cadence pulled herself out of her reverie to glance down at her daughter, who looked up at her with a scrunched muzzle. “You guys are talking like you know what's going on, but I can't tell at all.” Cadence breathed a laugh through her nose and offered Flurry a gentle, parental smile.

“Well, I've watched your daddy spar with other ponies for a very long time, snowflake, so it's easy for me to tell when he's having a hard time with an opponent.” Flurry's eyes widened and her muzzle smoothed out.

“And is he having a hard time against Skyla?” she asked. Cadence opened her mouth to respond, but the thought that Shining might not want his daughter to know how exactly he was fairing in a battle against a teenager caused her to hesitate over her answer and, once again, Starlight Glimmer surprised her by sighing loudly and turning her attention to Flurry.

“He is,” she said simply. Cadence straightened and couldn't stop herself from leveling a cool look at Starlight, but the unicorn simply returned her gaze with one of the exact same temperature. “I may not have watched him my whole life, Princess, but I can see. He's having a hard time keeping that staff of hers away from his bright, shiny breastplate, and I think he's more than a little put off by it.” The cracking of wooden weapons shifted in tone, drawing Cadence's gaze back to the match. Shining Armor slid to his left and jabbed with his spear, an attack that Skyla had to dart back and out of the way to avoid, but it came so close to her coat that the crowd collectively inhaled through their teeth as the young alicorn regrouped. Cadence could see sweat beading on Skyla's coat and, to her surprise, on Shining's coat, as well. Hmm... maybe I've been making him neglect his training a little too much...

“How can you tell?” complained Flurry with a frustrated clop of her front hooves. “I just see them moving around and hitting at each other!” Cadence sighed softly and started to gather every last ounce of combat knowledge that she'd gleaned from Shining over the years so that she might be able to appease her curious daughter, but it was Starlight who responded first. The unicorn sighed much louder than Cadence and stepped forward, dropping to her knees next to Flurry so that they could look at the fight from the same level.

“All right, look at how they're moving.” She lifted her left hoof and pointed to Shining and Skyla, who clashed loudly before drawing back a few paces from one another. “Look at them, and tell me what you see.” The pair watched each other warily for several heartbeats before Skyla pressed her attack yet again, her staff whirling and striking at Shining's impeccable defense.

Flurry Heart was silent as she watched, so silent that Cadence was sure that she'd simply decided to give up her line of inquiry to avoid having to deal with Starlight Glimmer, who had, admittedly, always been a bit cold towards the smaller alicorn. However, just when Cadence was about to tell Starlight to forget about Flurry's question, the little Princess shifted on her rump.

“Skyla's faster,” she said slowly, “and she's hitting a lot... but daddy's not letting any of her hits get through. He stops them with his stick, and keeps moving around a lot.” Out of her peripheral vision, Cadence saw Starlight nod.

“That's right – good observation. Now, we can take a couple of things away from that. First, Skyla's got a lot of skill because she's keeping up that level of energy in combat. That means that she's well trained, and has done this quite a bit.” She pointed at Shining again. “Your dad isn't letting her hit him at all, which means that he's really, REALLY good at defending himself against attacks, even attacks as fast as Skyla's. And the way he's moving is forcing Skyla to chase him, something that should wear her out and leave him with energy to win the fight.” Cadence felt Flurry shift again, and this time she stood up.

“So daddy's winning?” she gasped, and Starlight rose to her hooves as well.

“Well, that depends. Even defending makes a pony tired, and if Shining's not careful, then-,”

On the training floor, Skyla whirled her staff again and lunged at Shining as she had done countless times before, and the white stallion shifted his spear to intercept her strike as he had done innumerable times; this time, however, the smaller pony's wings gave a mighty flap that launched her up and over Shining Armor, her body revolving on a vertical axis so that she was still facing her opponent even when she was above him. The stallion's eyes widened and his spear darted upwards, but Skyla's staff flashed and the sound of wood striking metal ran across the room. The crowd gasped as Skyla continued her arc, her staff lashing out one last time as she rotated and pointed her hooves towards the ground. Shining's spear caught her strike and swatted it away, but as he turned around to face her in her new position, the motion of defending himself took his spear far out to his right, leaving him wide open; Skyla landed deftly, her staff floating to her right, and brought the weapon in a broad, fast arc at Shining's unprotected chest.

The unicorn's horn flared, and magenta light filled the room as Skyla's staff rebounded off of a massive tower shield, a construct made entirely of Shining's brilliant magic that hovered between the alicorn and himself. The crowd's murmur rose in a wave as the two ponies stared at one another, their chests rising and falling rapidly in the sudden stillness, and Cadence's eyes widened as a wave of surprise welled up inside of her.

“Oh my,” she whispered. “It's not every day that he has to use that...”

“Wow... Mommy, what IS that?!” squeaked Flurry, her wings fluttering anxiously against her sides as Shining Armor straightened and lowered his spear. Skyla quickly lowered her staff as Shining had done, and the massive shield disappeared from between them. The voice of the crowd rose again, this time in hoots and cheers as the sound of clopping hooves filled the room beneath the words, and the two combatants had the grace to grin sheepishly around at everypony before stepping towards one another, their cheeks flushed but their smiles happy.

“That's your father's signature shielding technique,” answered Cadence, lowering her head so that Flurry could hear her. “He usually doesn't use that in practice unless somepony really catches him off guard, which Skyla must have done with that little flip trick she used.” Her lips curved into a smile. “He calls it Amore's Aegis.”

Flurry made an astonished sound in her throat as the gathered ponies began to speak among themselves and move towards the exits, their faces animated as they talked about what they'd just witnessed. Skyla and Shining were speaking to each other in low tones once more, with Shining gesturing with his right hoof as Skyla nodded emphatically, and with Flurry distracted, Cadence turned to Starlight and nodded.

“Thank you for that earlier,” she said, her lips quirking upwards. “I must admit that I'm not as well versed about combat as Shining, so I'm not sure I could have told her what to look for, or engaged her so well.” To her surprise, Starlight's cheeks colored slightly and the other mare rubbed the back of her neck with her right hoof.

“It... was nothing, really,” she said. “Flurry asked, and I answered in the best way I knew how. That's all.”

“But it was really nice of you.”

“And that surprises you?”

“Maybe just a little,” admitted Cadence with a shrug. “Everypony knows that you're not the biggest fan of Flurry. I guess... I wanted to point out something that I think is a good development.” She gave Starlight a full smile as Shining and Skyla turned towards the far side of the room, their heads still pressed together in discussion. “After all, it's clear how much you care about Skyla – I guess I'm hoping that you'll care about Flurry just as much someday.”

Starlight snorted. “Oh, don't make it sound like such a big deal,” she said with a wave of her hoof.

“It isn't?” Cadence's smile turned into a thoughtful frown. “It was a big enough deal to keep you here to watch over her, wasn't it?” Now the unicorn's eyes widened, and she waved a hoof frantically.

“Oh no, no no no, don't misunderstand, Princess! I-I stayed because I wanted to make sure nothing bad was going to happen with the space-time continuum, that's all! It was totally and completely scientific!” Cadence's expression softened, but she just nodded.

“If you say so, Starlight.” Cadence turned her attention back Flurry, who looked as if she might dart after her father at any moment. “Flurry Heart? Come with me, snowflake.” She turned towards the far door, and Starlight mirrored her movement as Flurry Heart groaned.

“Awww, why can't I go talk to daddy and Skyla?” Cadence's eyes darted to the pair, who were still talking and smiling together, before returning to Flurry.

“Let's give them a little bit more time to be together, just the two of them,” she said with a nod towards the door. “We'll have plenty of time to talk to them about things later.” Flurry huffed, but with only a moment of hesitation she scurried to catch up to Cadence and Starlight as they moved towards the exit.

“I think Skyla won,” whispered Flurry, and Cadence chuckled under her breath.

“I'm sure your father will enjoy hearing that,” said Starlight with a smirk. “It's not every day that an experienced warrior gets pushed to his limits by a teenage filly.”

A Shining Example

“What kind of fighting style was that?” Shining's voice didn't hold the accusatory tone that Skyla had feared that it would and, as the group of ponies who had watched their bout filtered out of the room, she turned and offered him a smile.

“It was one that started as a pegasus style of martial arts, believe it or not,” she said, her heart still pounding from their fight. “A pegasus never just fights on the ground, they take the whole sky into account when they're in combat, and that was what my parents wanted me to remember.” She lifted her wings away from her body and gave Shining a shy smile. “It was partially to keep me aware of attacks from the sky, but mostly because I'm an alicorn and not taking advantage of something that is part of me would just be silly.”

Shining nodded as they moved to the far side of the room, his right hoof rising to the fresh dent on his breastplate. “Yeah... I guess I kinda forgot that myself,” he admitted with a sheepish grin as Skyla pulled her wings back against her. “You really caught me off guard with that little up-and-over maneuver you pulled. There aren't any pegasi in the Crystal Kingdom – none that were born here, at least – so it was kind of refreshing to have to think vertically.” Skyla's brow furrowed into a frown as she stared intently at Shining's breastplate, her mind moving slowly after her adrenaline-filled bout. After a few moments, however, all of the pieces clicked into place, and she felt her cheeks burn.

“O-oh, I... I dented your armor,” she observed, and immediately she kicked herself in the rump as Shining gave a dry chuckle.

“Yeah, you sure did. I was pretty proud of how this looked before, y'know...”

Oh dear Celestia, you're saying all the wrong things! Skyla's mind whirled for a split second as her thoughts tried their best to re-organize themselves into a more coherent formation in her head. He obviously isn't going to be happy that you hit him, you idiot! And you did it in front of his daughter, his wife, and some of the guards who work with him!! Skyla's ears folded back against her mane, and without another thought she turned to face him squarely and dropped her head into a deep bow.

“I-I'm sorry, Shining Armor,” she said, her words tumbling from her lips. “I didn't even think... I mean, I just got so swept up...” She took a deep breath and felt a spark of shame as it shook in her chest. “I'm so sorry,” she finished softly, squeezing her eyes shut.

“Whoa, there's no need to apologize,” came Shining's voice, his words quick and steady. “You just got caught up in the moment and did as you'd been trained to do, that's all.” Skyla opened her eyes and raised her head back up, tears pricking the corners of her eyes as she met the unicorn's gaze again. The stallion gave her a broad smile and waved dismissively with his right hoof. “No shame in that, Skyla. In fact, that's one of the reasons I had us wearing breastplates today.” He tapped the shiny surface of his armor with his upraised hoof, and his smile became a grin as his horn lit up gently. His magic shimmered over the surface of the armor, and the dent popped out with a bright, pleasant ting! “There was no telling how we were going to match up against each other, and I thought that a little extra precaution might be a good thing – especially considering how close you got to knocking me out last night.”

Skyla's eyes widened as he lowered his hoof, the dent and scuffs gone as if they'd never been there in the first place. “You... removed the dent?”

“Well of course I did. Dents give the armor weak spots, and we can't have that.”

“But... but I thought that you'd never been hit before!”

Now the stallion arched an incredulous eyebrow at Skyla, though his grin retained the sly edge that it had gained when he'd fixed the dent. “Skyla, that's silly. Being a Prince doesn't mean that you can't get hit... it just means that you need to go through a couple of extra steps to make other ponies think that you can't be hit.” The stallion's magic shifted to the straps of his armor and began to undo them as Skyla stared at him, her mouth open in a confusing mixture of relief and confusion.

I'm starting to think that there's a lot about Shining Armor that I don't know.

Shining's magic made quick work of the straps, and in a few moments he placed the breastplate onto the stone floor next to the wooden spear he'd fought her with. He sighed deeply as his magic winked out and rolled his shoulders as he glanced back to where a few ponies were still lingering near the door.

“I know I said it before, but I hope it didn't bother you too much to have the crowd here,” he said softly. The bright aqua of Skyla's magic darted along her own piece of armor as she used it to feel along the thick straps and unclasp their buckles.

“O-oh... well, it did at first,” she admitted, her magic tugging at the armor and pulling it away from her chest. It was damp with sweat, though thankfully it wasn't matted down like she'd seen it before. A short little session like this is nothing compared to what I used to do... “But after you told me that everypony was just here out of curiosity, and that I could ask you to send them away if I really wanted to, it was easy to ignore them.” She twitched her horn and settled her breastplate onto the stone next to Shining's before lifting her left hoof to her chest and smoothing out her coat. “Actually, I didn't really even think about them when we were fighting...” she grinned sheepishly, “...is that weird?”

“Nah, not weird at all!” Shining stepped over his spear and move to the wall where he turned and sat down, his back pressed against the cool stone. “In fact, I'd have thought it was weird if you couldn't fight in those circumstances.” Skyla frowned at him as she stepped over her weapon and moved to sit next to him.

“And why's that?”

“Because of what you told us about your home,” he said simply, his eyes still looking around the room. “It sounds like your training there was a lot more intense, and I'm sure that your parents – at least the way you've described them – would probably have had plenty of ponies there to watch you grow towards the valiant alicorn general that they always wanted...” He winced and bit down on his words so forcefully that Skyla heard his teeth clack together as she sat down. The stallion closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and let it out slowly before turning towards Skyla. “I'm sorry,” he said as his eyes came open, “I didn't mean to sound like I know what happened over there.”

“Please, don't apologize,” said Skyla with a dismissive wave of her hoof. “You're not wrong, even a little bit: that's exactly how they acted.” She sat up straighter against the wall, her memories churning in the back of her mind as she fought to keep her expression neutral. “They wanted everypony to know just how powerful I was getting and how powerful I would become because, by extension, that meant that our kingdom was powerful. My mother wanted them to see me so that any spies that might have been in our midst – and there certainly were some – would report back to Queen Twilight and tell her how I strong I was... and my father...” she trailed off into silence as her face fell. “Well... yeah,” she finished lamely. Shining shifted on his rump and frowned at her.

“What's wrong?” he asked, and the pink filly bit her lip.

“Well... I-I guess it feels... weird... or bad to talk about him to... y'know... you.” To her surprise, Shining's smile returned to his lips and he chuckled deep in his chest.

“Are you afraid it would bother me?”

“...maybe?” Skyla felt her brow furrow, but Shining just waved a hoof.

“Don't be. That Shining Armor, your father? He's some other guy who turned out to be a-,” Shining once again bit down firmly on his words, his hoof darting to his mouth so that he could cough into it. “Well, he's not me, at any rate,” he finished, though Skyla couldn't help but feel a surge of curiosity as to what he had been going to say. “The point is, I kinda feel like you might need to get some stuff out. Y'know, talk about the things that bothered you about your parents, about that world's Shining Armor in particular, because I'm not him. I'm just a pony who looks like him, and lemme tell you that if you thought my shielding spell was thick, it's nothing compared to my hide.” He poked at his flank with his right hoof while squishing his face up, a combination that drew a giggle from Skyla. Shining joined in with her before shifting around so that he could face her directly, his eyes crystal clear and sharp as any sword. “I told you yesterday that I wanted to talk to you about your future, but I think that we might have to deal with your past before we can even think about moving on. My little sister once made an analogy about moving on as trying to catch a train while hauling a mountain of luggage, and that you could either stay at the station with all of your luggage or ditch it all and catch the train.” He chuckled. “As I recall, one of her friends was fairly upset by that little saying... but I think it made the point.”

Skyla nodded slowly as she let his words sink in and, despite her best efforts, the memories in the back of her head churned a little faster. Leave the past behind before you can move on to the future, she thought. That sounds like wisdom if I've ever heard it... but haven't I moved on? She frowned. I mean, I jumped dimensions to get away from all of that... aren't I already free? Silence stretched between her and Shining Armor, the stillness of the room around them ringing in her ears as she looked up at him. He really does look like father, she thought. The same jawline, the same silhouette... but there's something very different about him...

Suddenly, she felt her mouth open, and before she knew it she was speaking in a low, soft tone that wouldn't carry very far even in the empty cavern of the training hall.

“Father... always pressed me to train harder and longer,” she admitted. “Even when I was making progress, he always pushed me to do more. Do it again,” she intoned in a deep, gruff voice, “do it faster, do it ten times exactly like that!” She sighed. “That was what my life was like back in the Empire: eat, sleep, train, with a little bit of studying sprinkled in.” Her hoof scraped at the stone as her eyes dropped to the floor, visions of the past flashing behind her eyes. “Almost everything I've learned, as far as knowledge goes, was because I didn't have friends or anypony to spend time with... so I read. I read books upon books upon books... I probably read most of the books in the library back home.” She chuckled dryly. “I guess I should have thanked my parents before I left, since it was thanks to them ignoring me that I was able to complete my mirror.”

“Was your father the one who trained you with your staff?”

Skyla nodded slowly. “Yes, he was the one who suggested it as my weapon. Mother insisted that I should use a sword, but father... well, he told her that the staff was elegant and practical, as befitting a future queen.” She winced. “That was the last thing I wanted to hear, but he said it anyway...” Her horn ignited and she poked the staff with a gentle touch of her magic. “And now I'm stuck with the stupid thing, apparently,” she growled as she let her horn go dark. “If it was what I went out to do when I was stressed and worried, then I guess it's part of what I'm going to do from now on...” Next to her, Shining Armor sighed.

“Yeah... that's something they don't tell you in basic training: that your weapon becomes such a part of you that you sometimes feel like you can't think without it.” The corner of Skyla's lips quirked upwards and she rubbed her forehead with her hoof.

“Like I said, stuck with it,” she muttered. “To be honest, I kinda thought I'd be able to stop training when I came here, but when that guard told me I could go train and tire myself out... it was like I couldn't stop myself.”

“You've only been here a few weeks,” said Shining with a shrug. “How long were you training before this?”

“I dunno... since I was old enough to handle my magic?” Skyla pressed her lips into a thin line and shrugged as well. “So, maybe when I was eight or nine?”

“That's six or seven years that you've been training with the staff.” Shining's hooves clacked against the stone as he shifted and stood up, his shadow falling over Skyla. “And if you've been training as much as you say you have, I'm sorry to tell you that it's going to take a little longer than a few weeks to get yourself and your body out of the habit of training like that.”

“Greeeeeaaat,” deadpanned Skyla as she rose to her hooves, as well. Her ears drooped against her mane and she cast a disparaging glance at her wooden weapon. “Just what I needed... something else of theirs that I have to get rid of...” Her eyes went back to Shining, who bit his lip as his own ears flattened against his mane. Skyla frowned. “What? What did I say?”

“I...” Shining shook his head and seemed to war with himself about whether or not he should say what he was thinking. Skyla could see his jaw muscles clenching as he chewed his words and finally, after several moments of contemplation, the stallion sighed again. “Maybe... you don't have to get rid of everything they gave you.”

His tone was gentle and his words were carefully chosen but, despite his clear and apparent care, Skyla felt a wave of fire burst to life inside of her, its tongue licking the back of her throat.

“Oh?” she asked, and she couldn't keep the edge from her voice even if she'd wanted to. “And why not? All they've ever given me was pain and heartache – why shouldn't I try to cast away everything to do with them?” Shining Armor met her gaze squarely, but instead of responding immediately he lifted his right hoof, pad towards her, and held it there. Skyla frowned a little deeper as her gaze shifted from his eyes to his hoof and back again, and she was just about to ask if she was supposed to know what to do with his hoof when he spoke.

“Take it easy,” he said gently. “I'm not trying to tell you that you have to keep anything that they taught you.” He held her gaze as he dropped his hoof back to the ground, his tail flicking behind him. “But, if you'll forgive me saying so, I think it'd be a shame to throw away something that shows a little bit of love from them.” A bitter laugh ripped its way from Skyla's throat before she could even hope to stop it, and she felt her tail lash her hindquarters as she did so.

“A little bit of love?” she murmured angrily. “What did my parents ever give me that shows even the tiniest smidgen of anything even remotely resembling love?” The white stallion remained unfazed, his blue eyes calm and collected.

“Your training,” he said simply. Skyla scoffed again.

“My training was to forward their ideals for my life,” she said, a resentful edge slicing through her words like the honed blade of a knife. “It had nothing to do with love for me.”

“You might think so, and again, I can't tell you that you're wrong...” Shining shifted on his rump, an uncertain look flashing through his eyes for the first time since they'd started their training, “...but I can't help thinking that at least your father put some love into what he had you doing.” He lifted a hoof and pointed to the staff lying on the floor. “The staff is a very elegant weapon, one that takes advantage of a pony's natural agility and litheness – and a great choice for a pony like you, who has great flexibility in combat – but there's something else about it that I don't think you've considered.”

“And what's that?” quipped Skyla, her lips curling into a frown that she couldn't quite shake.

“It's defensive rather than aggressive,” Shining said, placing his hoof back to the floor. “The natural way to use the staff is for defense and, even when you're attacking with it, it's easy to step back and fall into a defensive stance that will get out back and out of trouble really fast.” He gave Skyla a small smile. “Did your father teach you something like that?” Skyla's lips relaxed and her brow furrowed as his question caught her off guard.

“Well, um... yeah, I guess he did,” she said after a moment. “How to flourish my staff to swat away enemy spears and swords and give myself room to maneuver. He told me that even if I can fly out of danger, flying isn't always the best option – especially if there are archers or mages nearby.” Shining nodded.

“Right – a maneuver that would keep you safe and give him a sign if you were in danger.” Shining sighed and shrugged, his shoulders sagging as he gave Skyla a tired smile. “I'm not trying to tell you that you're wrong about them, or that they were trying to do anything but use you for their own ends, Skyla... but I can tell you right now that if Flurry Heart were to become interested in fighting, I'd teach her the same style you know.”

Skyla felt a churning inside of her stomach, and for a moment she thought she was going to be sick as her memories slammed around in her head again: memories of her father, so like Shining Armor and yet so different, sternly instructing her in the proper use of her staff.

~*~*~*~*~

“Again, Skyla!” Her father's voice rang across the indoor training area, his words and tone giving her no option but to obey. Skyla's teeth gritted together and she forced her exhausted body to move yet again, exactly the same way that she had hundreds of times before: she took a quick half-step back, her hooves scraping across the stone floor as she gave her horn a minute flick that brought her staff whirling up in front of her from its horizontal position, the ends blurring as it hummed through the air. She let it complete two whole revolutions before finishing her backpedal, the staff giving a final, firm flick downwards before coming to hover near her right side.

Skyla's muscles ached, and her head was starting to hurt from using her magic for so long... but despite her physical maladies, her bright eyes did not hesitate before darting to her father, who stood off to the side of the main training area. He wore his full armor, as he had done since Queen Cadence's official declaration of war on Equestria, and his eyes peered out at her from beneath the edge of his helm, his face impassive. She watched him for several long seconds as he stared blankly at her, and as she waited she felt her chest start to squeeze. Please, father, she thought, please tell me I did well... something, anything... please...

Finally, the white stallion nodded.

“Very well, Skyla. We're done for the day.” He turned and headed towards the door, his armor-clad hooves clanking loudly against the stone. Skyla dropped out of her stance and allowed herself a moment to relax, her wings drooping down almost to the stone as she released her magic and dropped the staff without a second thought.

“Father!” she called after the retreating figure, her hooves clicking as she turned to face him squarely. The stallion slowed to a stop, his helmeted head turning to face her as if he couldn't be less interested in her if he'd tried.

“What is it, Skyla? Do you wish me to run your drills yet again?”

“N-no, father, no... not today.” She let out a quick sigh and managed to stand up straight, sweat slowly dripping down her neck as she met his gaze. “Have... have I improved, sir? Is my technique better?” She managed a weak smile for him. “I... I know that I could be better, but... a-am I doing better..?”

Silence answered her for several long moments, and Skyla could feel her heart squeezing tighter in her chest as the massive stallion held his tongue. Please tell me I'm better, she silently begged. Please tell me that I'm improving... something, ANYTHING to motivate me..!

“You have improved,” he said cautiously, “but I fear you have much to learn before I'll be comfortable letting you loose on the battlefield by yourself.” He turned to face her a bit more squarely, and even though two dozen or more feet separated them Skyla could feel his smile, even if she couldn't really see it. “That flourish will help keep you safe, so I expect you to practice it whenever you aren't working on something else. Do I make myself clear?”

A smile burst on to Skyla's face, a ray of sunlight in an otherwise overcast day. “Yes, sir!” she answered briskly. The stallion nodded and turned to the door without another word, but Skyla knew that she wouldn't need another word: he'd already said exactly what she wanted to hear...

~*~*~*~*~

“He... he taught me the staff because he loved me?” she whispered, her words barely audible even to her own ears. “Because he cared about my safety..?” She let her gaze fall to the floor, her mind and heart whirling.

“I can only say that I think he did,” said Shining, his hooves shifting at the edge of her vision. “Or, I can say that I'd teach you the same thing because I care about your safety – maybe that's more the right way to say it...” He chuckled, a sound that drew Skyla's eyes back to him. “I'm trying to tell you that I care about your safety, Skyla, and that as a pony who cares about you, I can say that at least this thing – your staff style – is probably yours because your father cared about you, too.” The filly nodded slowly, the corners of her eyes pricking with tears.

“You... you care about me?” she asked.

“Well of course I do, you big dork!” said Shining with another lopsided grin. “I know we've got a lot of complicated stuff going on, and that there's a long way to go before any of us are comfortable making big, official-sounding declarations about anything, but I care about you a lot. I care about how things are going for you, and about how you want to spend your time here.” His grin grew into an earnest smile. “So if you'd like to continue doing this training, I'd be more than happy to help you – and heck, maybe we'll even teach you some brand new things, to boot.”

Skyla watched him, his face open and his eyes bright, as the weight of his words sank into her. He cares about me, she repeated, and as the words permeated her consciousness she had to admit that she felt a little silly about how surprised she was to hear them. I mean, he offered me a place in his home when he had no obligation to do so – I think that really says all that needs to be said, she thought wryly. However, hearing him say it out loud, without any filter or pretense to get in the way, somehow made it that much more real to Skyla, and with a brisk shake of her head she pushed the memories of her father away and gave Shining Armor the biggest smile she could muster.

“I'd love to keep going,” she said, her voice quivering as she tried to fight back her tears, “as long as you're willing to teach me!” The stallion nodded happily, his tail swishing behind him.

“That's awesome!” His eyes darted to the floor and back to Skyla, and a familiar look passed over the white stallion's eyes. “But we have to be careful – I don't want to ruin your ex-spear-ience!”

Skyla's eyes widened, and she couldn't even think about stopping the huge snort of laughter that wrenched its way free of her chest. She threw her head back and laughed long and loud at his stupid joke, her tears finally finding a reason to spill down her cheeks as her hooves flew to her sides. She heard Shining's laughter join hers, their mirth echoing together in the training hall, and as she did so she felt a little part of her shift ever so slightly. It wasn't much, like a door creaking open just enough to let a sliver of light out through the frame, but it was something more than she'd had before... and for the first time in a very long time, Skyla felt a tiny moment of peace.

Shining Armor cares about me... and maybe, just maybe... my father did, too. It was a thought that she'd never truly entertained, this idea that her parents had actually cared about her... but perhaps it was worth taking another look at.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The sun was slowly edging closer to the horizon as Celestia's hoofsteps echoed down the long hall in Canterlot Castle, their bright tones clashing with the soft orange sunlight that peeked in through the high windows in the hall. It was drawing close to the time when she and Luna would need to play their parts in shepherding day into night, and her sister had yet to appear from her chambers.

I'm sure she's just enjoying the evening air on her balcony, she thought as she nodded to one of her gold-clad guards as he passed her going the other direction. The guard tossed her a crisp salute as he passed, his smile determined and his face serious. After all, it truly is a beautiful evening. I couldn't blame her in the slightest if she was trying to shirk her duties just a little...

Celestia chuckled to herself as she approached the door to Luna's room, the brilliant silver crescent moon that adorned it making it impossible for her to mistake it as anything but her little sister's room. The white alicorn paused outside, her right ear twitching as she leaned her head a little closer to the portal. Pausing outside somepony else's room and listening before knocking or entering yourself was a terrible habit, she knew, but she'd grown used to it after teaching Twilight and countless other young fillies and colts for so many years. She knew that each pony needed and deserved their own space to live in and feel comfortable in, and they wouldn't feel that way if she just barged in whenever she needed something – no matter how much she knew that she absolutely could.

Not to mention that it has led to me hearing things that I probably ought not have, she reflected, her lips curving into a knowing smirk. But then again, that's sometimes proved more useful than I'd like to admit...

Her keen ears, however, detected nothing unusual coming from Luna's room. In fact, they couldn't detect anything from the other alicorn's quarters: not a single hoofstep, sigh, or even the rustle of wings to indicate that Luna was flitting about in the air greeted Celestia's refined listening technique, and with a soft sigh she straightened her neck. I'm ashamed to say that I'm a little disappointed, she admitted silently. Eavesdropping is a fairly thrilling pastime, after all, and I like to experience as much excitement as I can get! After all, barging into a pony's room was uncouth. Listening through their door was a much more... sophisticated kind of uncouth, and Celestia liked to think that she was nothing if not sophisticated. And so, faced with a silent sister inside a hidden room, Celestia did the most sophisticated and responsible thing that she could think of.

Her horn ignited with a soft golden light, the golden light gave the shiny brass handle of Luna's door a firm twist, and Celestia slipped into her sister's room without a sound.

The area was commodious and modestly decorated, with only bookshelves, a large desk, and a spacious bed to distract from the castle's natural elegance. Outside on the balcony, through doors that were thrown open wide to allow the fresh evening air to flow in, stood Luna's massive telescope, its lens pointed skyward in preparation for Luna's nighttime study of the stars over which she held sway. It was the one extravagant thing that she owned, and Celestia couldn't help but wonder if her sister's anti-materialistic mindset was some form of penance for her previous misdeeds.

Luna sat at her desk, a sizable book open before her. She sat with her chin in her upraised left hoof and a soft smile upon her lips, and Celestia hesitated in the doorway as she saw the gentle set of her sister's eyes. Oh... perhaps barging in wasn't the right thing to do, after all, she thought with a wince; however, as she moved slowly and quietly into the room, she felt her heart warm as Luna sighed and flipped a page with her right hoof. Celestia's smile grew, and with exquisite care she stepped into the room and closed the door behind her, the latch clicking softly as she did so.

Luna's ear twitched and her eyes left the book in a flash, her teal eyes locking onto Celestia's as she put on her best sheepish grin.

“Oh, don't mind me,” said Celestia cheekily, “I was just coming to check on you.” Luna didn't move from her position, but her smile became a bit more pointed as she scrunched her muzzle.

“I don't seem to remember hearing you knock.”

“Hmm, that's strange – I swear I can remember knocking...”

“The last time you were here, perhaps,” said the dark blue alicorn with a sigh as she straightened her neck and sat up in her chair, her ethereal mane shimmering around her shoulders. “But I'm quite certain you did not knock this time, sister.”

“Aah, well, I suppose you may be right. It's getting so hard for me to remember such things in my old age...”

“You know as well as I do that you're not senile, Celestia. That little act may work on your subjects, but it most certainly does not work on me.” Celestia chuckled and moved to the desk, her gaze falling to the book that Luna was reading.

“I was just coming to get you for our nightly switch, and when I didn't hear you moving around I decided to check on you,” she said. Luna's left hoof shifted around the book's cover and closed it briskly, but Celestia didn't need to see what was written inside to know what book this was; after all, Luna might have been vain enough to put her cutie mark on her door, but she was certainly not vain enough to put it on a book unless there was a very specific reason for doing so. “Were you reading something from Skyla?” Luna nodded, her soft smile returning.

“Yes. She wrote me several times since I checked the book last, which makes me feel a little inadequate, I must say.” Her ears drooped, but her smile didn't falter. “I may have to make more time in my day to check this book if she's going to write me so often. The last thing I want is for her to feel ignored.” Celestia moved behind Luna and turned towards the balcony, where the sky was beginning to darken towards night.

“That's exactly how I felt when Twilight Sparkle was first writing to me from Ponyville,” she admitted. “It was her first big assignment away from the castle and away from me, and I couldn't help but think that something terrible might befall her if I didn't answer her as quickly as I could.” Luna's chair scraped across the smooth marble floor, and Celestia turned to her left as Luna moved to stand next to her.

“Which nothing did, of course,” said Luna with a smile that was equal parts worry and confidence. Celestia giggled and started slowly towards the balcony.

“Of course not,” she said. “Well, nothing that resulted from me not writing her back right away, at least.” She shrugged. “Twilight sort of turned out to be a bit of a magnet for adventure and bad things, so there really wasn't anything I could have done to prevent it.” She reached out with her right wing and brushed her feathers gently along Luna's back. “But that didn't stop me from writing back to her at every opportunity. I enjoyed talking to her, and I'm sure that you enjoy talking with Skyla just as much as she does with you.” She withdrew her wing and gave Luna a knowing wink. “I'm certain that nopony would object to you checking your book a little more often.”

Luna rolled her eyes, but her smile shone like a full moon in a clear winter sky. “I'll keep that in mind.”

“And how is Skyla doing?” asked Celestia as the pair stepped out onto the balcony.

“She's well, perhaps more so than I had expected.” Luna's ears perked back up, and Celestia could see the pride settle in on her sister's features as she continued. “She's quite strong, and just today she had an excellent time sparring with Shining Armor. She tells me that she actually scored a hit on him, if you can believe that.”

Celestia's eyebrows rose. “I suppose I can, though it's surprising. Shining's defensive skills were well known in the Royal Guard – almost the stuff of legend.”

“Skyla said as much, and as such she expressed no end of pride in being able to hit him as she did.” Luna's wings rustled, and she stood up a little taller as she gazed out onto the world below. “She also tells me that she feels like she may be making progress with her emotions. She's been trying to sort out how she feels about Shining Armor and Cadence ever since she decided to stay there with them, and she said that tonight she feels like she made an important step.” She met Celestia's gaze, and the love in her smile was unmistakable. “I feel so torn, Tia... I'm so happy that she's making progress, and I'm overjoyed that she's addressing her feelings... I just wish that I could be there with her to help her through it.”

“But you are,” said Celestia. “You're communicating with her via your book, and that clearly means the world to the both of you.” She nudged Luna with her wing. “You of all ponies should know that distance doesn't stop your love from getting to somepony.”

Luna laughed softly. “Yes... I suppose you're right.” She let out a sigh and flicked her tail. “I do worry about her... though that's to be expected, no doubt.”

“It most certainly is,” answered Celestia with a firm nod. “You'll worry and worry and worry. You'll worry if you hear from her too often, and you'll worry if you hear from her too little. You'll fret and agonize and brood and despair and even bite your hooves from time to time...” she sighed and gave Luna a knowing smile, “but that's what its like to love a child from afar, I'm afraid, and the only thing I can say is to not lose heart, because worrying proves that you care.” Luna sighed and her shoulders sagged, but the smile she offered Celestia was strong.

“...well... there's nothing to it, then.” She gave her head a shake and straightened, her eyes clear as she stared out at Equestria below them. “Let's make short work of this, so I can go in and write back to her posthaste.”

Celestia's horn ignited with a blaze of gold and Luna's with a flare of blue, the two colors each filling their respective halves of the balcony as if they were a tangible substance and not just light.

“It'll be the fastest sunset and moonrise in Equestrian history,” she said with a grin.

One-on-One with the Princess of Love

“Sunburst, can I ask you a question?” Flurry Heart shuffled her papers beneath her hooves, her eyes quickly scanning her answers before turning her attention to her teacher, who rose from his desk with a smile.

“Of course you can,” he said, his hooves clicking smartly along the stone as he moved to her desk. “What did you need help with?” He lifted a hoof and shifted through her papers, his expression slowly changing from supportive to confused as he saw the neatly scrawled answers all over them. “...all of your homework is done... again,” he said flatly. “Flurry, you were supposed to do this outside of class...”

“But I got it done here, so that's fine, right?” Flurry smiled sweetly up at him. “And anyway, my question really isn't about math or history or whatever.”

“Yes, I can see that,” muttered Sunburst with a sigh as he dropped his hoof back to the floor. “I'm going to have to ask Twilight what exactly she's been teaching you during the summer... but I'll worry about that later.” He gave his head a slight shake before turning his gaze back to Flurry, his smile returning. “What did you want to ask about, then?”

“Well... I wanted to ask you about family,” she said, and even though she kept her words nice and even, she felt her stomach do a flip as her hooves fidgeted with her papers again. Just be cool, Flurry. Sunburst will answer any question, as long as he thinks it's just for research.

“Family?” Sunburst's ears twitched and he arched an eyebrow at Flurry. “Well... okay, then. What about family?”

“Well... like, what makes a family, anyway? Like, I know that mommy and daddy and I are a family, but... why are we a family?” Sunburst watched her through the lenses of his glasses for several long seconds, and Flurry was about to sigh in exasperation and repeat herself when the light clicked on in his eyes and he nodded.

“Aaah! Okay, that's easy enough.” He sat down onto his rump, his blue cape pooling around him as he lifted his right hoof and coughed into it. “Family, by definition, is a basic social unit consisting of parents and their children, considered as a group, whether dwelling together or not. There are other definitions of it, to be sure, but that is the most commonly accepted one.” He smiled and adjusted his glasses. “Does that answer your question?”

Flurry felt her cheeks puffing out as she stared indignantly at the orange stallion. “I know that a family is parents and their kids, everypony knows that!” She frowned down at her desk and busied her hooves stacking her papers neatly. “But why does that make us a family? What's the reason?” She saw Sunburst shift on his rump out of the corner of her eye, but he remained silent as she stacked her papers. Finally, after she'd gotten them all perfectly arranged and placed them at the upper right corner of her desk, he cleared his throat again.

“Is this about Skyla?” he asked quietly. Flurry's wings stiffened against her body and she sat up straighter, a denial bouncing on her tongue faster than she would have thought possible. After a moment, however, she swallowed the denial and sighed, her shoulders relaxing.

“Yeah,” she said softly. Next to her desk, Sunburst made a soft noise in his throat that he always made when he found an answer to something and, while the small breath of air didn't usually bother Flurry, today it curled up against her coat and twisted like a bad tangle beneath a fancy dress saddle that she couldn't take off yet.

“Aaah, I see what you're talking about.” He cleared his throat again and Flurry turned her attention to him, knowing full well that she wasn't going to be able to take the anger out of her eyes. If Sunburst noticed, however, then he ignored it as he continued. “Family's an interesting subject, when you break it away from its base definition. Normally – and for the sake of this example, we'll say typically – a family is based on bloodline: the parents and their children. They all share blood, ergo they are related to one another, ergo they are a family.” He lifted his hoof and pointed to Flurry. “You are related by blood to Cadence and Shining Armor, therefore, by the typical definition, you are family.” Flurry's eyes narrowed as she processed this new information, and a moment later she nodded.

“Okay, so it's blood that makes ponies family?”

“In the most typical example, yes.”

“So Skyla is my family?” Flurry's ears perked up as she waited eagerly for the agreement she knew was coming, but, to her disappointment, Sunburst just scrunched up his face and inhaled sharply through his teeth.

“Well... that's, ah... a bit of a complex issue, I'm afraid.” He rubbed the back of his neck with his left hoof. “I mean, if you look at bloodline, I suppose that she is, but... it's not exactly right. Her mother and father were your mother and father, to be sure, but they were from a different world, and-,”

“But does that matter?” interjected Flurry, her hooves clunking against her desk as she sat forward to stare icicles at Sunburst. “You said that family is blood related and Skyla shares blood with mom and dad and they share blood with me, so we're sisters, right?” Sunburst sighed and dropped his hoof back to the floor.

“Flurry, I think that's a bit of an unfair characterization of the facts-,”

“You're an unclare flarification of the cracks!” blurted Flurry, her face burning with anger. Silence fell over the room as she stared at the stallion, her eyes simmering with tears. “You just said that family is family because of blood, and Skyla has the same blood as me, so we're family!” Sunburst watched her closely for several long seconds, his blue eyes unreadable behind his glasses as Flurry fumed. Stupid Sunburst and his making up rules and then breaking them...

“As I said before, that's just the typical definition of family,” he said softly, his right hoof rising to his long, thin beard and stroking it once. “There are lots of other ways to classify family, Flurry Heart. I'm sorry if I made you think that blood was the only way.” He stroked his beard again before placing his hoof back to the floor. “Truthfully, Flurry Heart, I'm going to have to defer to something that a very good friend of mine told me not too long ago: that the relationships between ponies are really what makes you family or not.”

Flurry's ears perked up as she tilted her head a little to the right, her bangs falling into her eyes as she did so. “So blood doesn't matter?” she asked, unable to keep the hope from surging into her voice. Sunburst made a noncommittal noise in his throat and bobbed his head back and forth.

“Eeeh, I wouldn't say that it doesn't matter at all, but there's certainly a lot more to it than just blood.” He bit his lip and glanced up at the ceiling, something that he did when was digging deep inside himself for an answer to Flurry's questions. “Let's see... Oh! I've got it!” He dropped his eyes back to Flurry, his smile spreading across his face. “Your mother, Princess Cadence, calls Princess Celestia 'aunt', doesn't she? Well, we all know that Cadence is not actually related to Celestia by blood, but Cadence uses that particular name – aunt – for Celestia despite not being a blood relative. Why do you think that is?”

Flurry's expression darkened and she let out a heavy sigh. “If I knew the answer to that question, I wouldn't be asking you!” she grumbled.

“But why do you think that is?” He gestured towards her with his hoof. “Go on. Think about it a little, and tell me what you come up with.”

With a grumble and another, even heavier sigh, Flurry Heart folded her front legs across her chest and sat back in her chair, her wings bunching against her as she put her weight on them. Why does mommy call Aunt Celestia aunt? Well... it's because she's Aunt Celestia, duh... Her lips curved into a frown. But he's right – that's something you'd call somepony related to you by blood... but she's NOT related to Aunt Celestia. So why..? She glanced back up at Sunburst, who nodded at her expectantly.

“Well? What do you think?”

Flurry squeezed herself tightly with her hooves, but instead of asking him to just tell her the answer, as she had done in the past, she turned back to her desk and frowned in determination down at her papers.

“Mom said that Princess Celestia was always very nice to her once she'd moved to Canterlot,” muttered Flurry. “That Celestia took mom under her wing, helped her get used to the city and being a Princess, and really helped to raise her into the Princess that she is today.” Flurry's eyes widened. “And it was because Celestia adopted her as her niece! Celestia made the decision that mom was going to be part of her family, and that's why mom calls her aunt!” She jerked her gaze back to Sunburst, her heart hammering in her ears. “So ponies can become your family, even if you're not blood related! And not just saying that you're family, but really, officially becoming your family!”

Sunburst nodded proudly. “Yes, they can. But what did Celestia and Cadence have before they were family?” Flurry's expression dimmed slightly, but only for a moment.

“They had lots of time together, and had a relationship that was already like family?” she half stated, half asked the stallion. To her relief, Sunburst nodded again.

“That's right. Celestia and your mother had a very tight bond and a strong relationship as mentor figure and ward, and it got to be so strong that they became family through it.” He lifted his left hoof and placed it onto Flurry's desk, his expression softening into a gentle smile. “So, it stands to reason that if you and Skyla grow close enough and depend on each other enough, you'll be sisters just as real as Celestia and Luna.” Flurry felt a warm, happy wave wash over her that made her shoulders relax, and a smile exploded onto her face.

“Really?!” she whispered.

“Yes, really... but,” Sunburst lifted his hoof off her desk and held it upright, his expression growing distant and a little less friendly, “you also have to remember that both of you have to choose that. You can't simply decide that you're her sister, any more than a unicorn could suddenly decide they were a pegasus, and if you try to force that on her...” He trailed off, his muzzle scrunching like he'd bitten into something sour, but Flurry couldn't stop herself from turning towards him, her wings rustling behind her.

“And what will happen if I do?” she blurted, her eyes wide.

“Well... you might lose your chance to be her sister at all.” He shrugged slightly, but Flurry could see that it was jerky and unnatural looking. “That's just speculation, of course,” he said quickly. “She might not have any problems with you saying you're her sister... but in case she does, you should probably play it a little safer.”

The possibility that Skyla may never want to be her sister struck Flurry deep inside, and it was all she could do to give Sunburst the most serious nod she could muster without bursting into tears. Skyla might not want me to be her sister if I bother her too much? It was something that hadn't really crossed Flurry's mind, but now that it had she couldn't stop herself from thinking about their conversation a few days ago, when she had insisted that they were sisters... and now more than ever, she realized that she probably shouldn't make those kinds of one-sided statements again.

“I... I see,” she said quietly. “Well... I guess I'll just have to be there for Skyla no matter what,” she said, determination filling her eyes. “And when she needs me, I'll be right there to help her!”

Sunburst nodded happily. “That sounds like the best thing you could possibly do, Flurry.”

The filly gave her teacher a smile before turning her gaze to the bright blue sky out the window. Skyla and mommy are out there in the city somewhere, she thought as Sunburst rose and moved back to his desk. They said they wanted a little time to talk, just the two of them, and that they'd be back in a few hours. The white filly sat forward, placed her elbows onto her desk, and settled her head onto her hooves as she watched the world outside the castle. I guess mommy already knows what Sunburst said about family...

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The day was about as perfect as a summer day could have been, and the effect that the brilliant sunshine and bright blue sky had on ponies was certainly not lost on Skyla. Ponies laughed and spoke to one another seemingly without a care in the world as they went about their business, and the market that surrounded her was full of a warmth that she knew had nothing to do with the sun.

She had heard, what seemed like an eternity ago, that the way the Crystal Empire kept the cold winter winds at bay – as well as keeping various enemies out of the city itself – was via a magical artifact called the Crystal Heart, and that it somehow harnessed the magic of the citizens of the Empire and created a barrier that would protect them from almost anything. It had been a story that she could hardly believe, considering what she had seen in her own kingdom her whole life; after seeing the Heart firsthand, however, and after learning a bit more about the kingdom in which she found herself, she had begun to believe that the information she'd been given was more than a little inaccurate.

The Heart is a focus point, but it doesn't focus magic in the same way that unicorns think of it. She glanced around at the smiling faces of ponies selling everything from carrots to cornmeal, her hooves clopping on the smooth cobblestones beneath her as she tried to watch everything at once. I think that it must focus the spirit of the Crystal Ponies, and the warmth in each of their hearts is what keeps us all safe. Her blue gaze flitted over a booth selling small trinkets that were clearly meant to dangle in your windows and reflect the light, and she couldn't help but smile a little bit. There are some times when I forget it, but there's no doubt that I'm really in an alternate universe... I can't imagine anything like that ever happening in the Crystal Empire.

She moved passed the booth and turned her gaze to her right, where the pink form of Princess Cadence kept pace with her. The other alicorn was smiling and chatting amiably with the citizens, who all paused in their business to greet and speak to her as if they would like nothing more than to spend time talking with their ruler. Cadence's smile was almost as brilliant as the sun overhead, and it was clear that there was nothing in the world that she would rather be doing than being among her subjects.

Skyla smiled wryly. Another thing that reminds me of exactly where I am... my mother would never have received such a warm welcome in the streets of our city. In fact, the only time Skyla could remember ever going out into the market was when Queen Cadence had been trying to show her how destitute the empire had become, so that Skyla would be motivated to save it. And it worked... for a little while. Skyla winced. Of course, it wasn't too long before I realized that any problems the empire had could be pointed directly back to Mother... that kinda put a damper on the lesson.

“What's the matter, Skyla? Is something wrong?” Princess Cadence's voice was gentle and full of concern, and her words caused Skyla to blink and give her head a small shake as she was pulled away from her thoughts.

“O-oh, no – nothing really,” she said, giving the taller alicorn a lopsided smile. “I was just thinking about how different this place is than where I grew up.” She flicked her tail against her right side as she fell back into step with Cadence. “I haven't really thought much about my home since I got here, but after talking to Shining Armor the other day...” she shrugged. “I don't know, I guess that I've been reminiscing a little.”

Cadence's wings fidgeted against her sides, but her eyes remained warm and her smile didn't falter. “I can't say I blame you,” she said. “I can hardly imagine what it must be like for you, growing up the way you did. That kind of thing would probably be hard to forget.” Her violet eyes darted back and forth to the ponies around them, and Skyla couldn't help but smile. She's being careful not to air out too many of my secrets out here in the market, she realized. This might not be the Crystal Empire, but royal secrets are still secrets, after all.

The market hummed around the pair as they made their way through the broad avenue filled with booths and towards a large area at the end of the street that ballooned out into a large circle, its cobblestone reaches filled almost to the brim with stalls, vendors, and ponies browsing at their wares. Skyla watched Cadence as she guided them gracefully through the shifting crowds, her mind and her heart swirling inside of her. It had been Cadence's idea to visit the Crystal Kingdom's market today, and Skyla had agreed to go before she'd even taken a moment to consider it – something that she wasn't used to doing. It's been a long time since I let my guard down enough to just answer a question immediately and honestly, without worrying about it for a while first... It had helped that Cadence had explained that going to the market was something she regularly did with Flurry Heart, because the last thing Skyla wanted to do was cause Cadence to go out of her way for her.

But that's what she's doing, thought Skyla as Cadence paused to chat with a mare at a stall. The mare had glasses and her hair tied up in a tight bun, but her warm smile betrayed her stern style. She's not just doing it in the smaller, everyday things, but she and Shining Armor both have gone out of their way for me... in everything they do. She felt her chest tighten as she watched Cadence and the mare share a laugh before waving and parting ways, the Princess's eyes full of life and happiness. It's so much more than Mother ever did for me... and she's so much more than Mother ever could hope to be...

The thought hit Skyla hard enough that she winced, but she couldn't bring herself to feel bad for what she'd thought. Comparing her mother to Princess Cadence was something that she had gone out of her way to avoid doing in her month in the Kingdom, just as she had done with her father and Shining Armor, but somehow the blatant comparison didn't make her feel as guilty as she'd expected it to. Quite to the contrary, admitting to herself that Princess Cadence was so much more than Queen Cadence – as a pony, a mare, and a ruler – only made her feel lighter, somehow.

“I don't think I want to forget about where I came from,” she said, and the surprise she felt at her own words was echoed in Cadence's eyes as the Princess turned towards her again. Skyla shook her head briskly and cleared her throat before offering Cadence a smile. “I mean, that's kind of what I decided when I was talking to Shining Armor the day we sparred.”

“Is that so?” Cadence took a step closer to her, and Skyla was surprised at how much larger the Princess actually was than her. I can remember Mother looming over me like a thundercloud as she gave me orders... but this feels different. She felt her smile grow just a little as Cadence fell into step with her. “And what brought you to that decision, if you don't mind me asking? You seemed pretty determined to leave everything about your home behind you.”

“Well... it's kind of complicated.” She glanced at a stall selling turnips as she passed it, her wings shuffling at her sides as her tail swished back and forth. “Shining and I talked for a while about my past, and about the future, and what I might need to do to get to the future that I want... and when I told him that I wanted to get rid of everything my parents had ever given me, he said that I shouldn't get rid of things that had been given in love.” The line of stalls on her left suddenly fell away and opened up into a long, clear street that led out into the city. Skyla felt her heart leap at the empty street, and she couldn't keep herself from biting her lip as she whipped her gaze back to Cadence. Before she could say a word, however, the Princess let out a chuckle and gestured down the street with her hoof.

“Go on, lead the way. We'll take a walk away from all this hustle and bustle so we can have a little more of a talk.”

Skyla nodded emphatically and turned to exit the market, but before they could get out of the line of stalls she heard a chaotic, frantic clattering of small hooves that quickly grew louder and louder over the hum of the bazaar. Skyla's ears stood straight up out of her mane as she frantically glanced up and down the rows of stalls, but when her eyes came to rest on Cadence once again she felt her anxiety disappear. The Princess's smile became even softer than before and, as she turned around to face the way they'd come, four foals leaped out of the tangle of adult legs and stopped directly in front of the alicorn, their eyes bright and their smiles broad.

“Princess Cadence, Princess Cadence!” exclaimed a filly with a brilliant white coat and an icy blue mane. “Is Flurry Heart with you today? Can she come play with us?”

“My mom is baking oatmeal cookies, and she said we could give them to all our friends!” said a pale yellow colt, his dusty orange mane disheveled from his run. “So is Flurry with you today? We want to play with her!” Cadence laughed lightly and dropped to her front knees so that she could meet the gaze of the four young ponies on their own level.

“Aww, that's so sweet of you – but I'm afraid that Flurry Heart's not with me today, Amber Waves.” She gestured to Skyla with her right hoof, and the eyes of all four small ponies shifted to her as one. “I'm with Skyla today. I'm sure that Flurry Heart has talked about her.” The eyes of the white filly widened and she gasped so loudly that Skyla thought she was going to fall over backwards.

“You're Flurry Heart's sister?!” she blurted, her hooves dancing eagerly on the stones. “Oh WOW! Flurry talks about you all the time, but we've never even seen you before!!” The filly darted up to Skyla, her honey brown eyes brimming with excitement. “How long have you been Flurry's sister? Why didn't we hear about you before? How are you older than her? What does-,”

“All right, Ivory Rose, I think that might be enough questions for Skyla for now.” Cadence rose to her hooves and stepped up next to Skyla, her wing extending over Skyla's back. “I promise that you'll see Skyla again, and she'll answer all your questions then. Okay?” The filly called Ivory Rose looked disheartened, but her ears perked back up as she bounced back to her friends.

“Is it okay if we go ask if Flurry Heart can come out?” she called over her shoulder to Cadence.

“As long as she's done with her schoolwork!” Cadence called back, and all four of the small ponies cheered as they vanished into the crowd again. The Princess lifted a hoof and waved goodbye to the small ponies even after they had vanished, and it wasn't until their hoofsteps had faded that she let out a sigh and put her hoof down. “Aah, they're so energetic,” she said softly, her eyes lifting to the castle in the distance. “I hope for Flurry's sake that she's done with her assignments – I don't know how long those little ponies will be able to wait for her if she's not!” She laughed under her breath and withdrew her wing from Skyla's back, the feathers gently caressing her coat. “They might invade the castle at this rate...” Skyla smiled as she looked up at the taller alicorn, standing straight and tall in all her regal glory.

“Why are you so nice to them?” she muttered. Cadence blinked in surprise and dropped her gaze back to Skyla, her forehead wrinkling as she gave Skyla a confused smile.

“I'm sorry, I don't understand what you're asking. Why am I so nice to who?”

“To those ponies, Flurry Heart's friends.” Skyla turned and started walking down the empty street again, her voluminous tail swishing behind her as she moved away from the market. “They just ran up to you, without permission or warning, and started assaulting you with questions, and you just... were really nice to them.” She shook her head and couldn't stop her ears from folding back against her mane. “That's not how I'm used to royalty dealing with commoners...” The echoes of Cadence's hoofsteps joined Skyla's in the alley, and in a few moments the other alicorn was walking next to her, Cadence's form visible out of the corner of Skyla's right eye.

“Well... how are you used to treating other ponies?” she asked. “How would...” she hesitated, and Skyla could all but feel the conflict going on inside of her as silence fell between them. Finally, Cadence sighed and bit the bridle. “How would your mother have handled that?” she said, her words careful but without hesitation. Skyla half laughed, half groaned as memories once again rose in the back of her mind, just as they had with Shining Armor.

“Oh ho boy, she would not have been nice about it at all. In fact, I don't think anypony would ever have approached her the way they did with you.” She kicked at a loose stone in the street and sent it skittering away as the pair approached the end of the street, the bustle of the bazaar fading to a muffled murmur behind them. “I didn't go out with her to the city very often, but the one time I can really remember doing it, I remember ponies moving out of her way and bowing low as she passed.” She shook her head slowly. “There was no laughter or conversations with ponies as we passed... just silence, and the sighing of the winter wind as she moved through. She would take a moment and nod to a particular pony if they were worthy of note – like a noble, or a craftspony who had done work for her – but it was seen as a sign of favor, and it was just as often a bad thing as it was a good thing for that pony.” Cadence's hoofsteps didn't falter, but Skyla saw her draw a little nearer out of her peripheral vision.

“And why is that?”

“Because other ponies would literally kill for a place of favor in my mother's court,” Skyla said with a sigh, her ears pinning themselves all the way down to her mane as she spoke. She hadn't actually talked about her mother in any capacity since the interview with Twilight three weeks ago, and allowing herself to do so made her feel immediately uncomfortable, like she'd just been caught in a lie. “They would sell each other out for a chance to kiss her hooves, and she liked it that way. It kept the nobles occupied and loyal, she said.” Skyla snorted and turned to offer Cadence a quivering smile. “So I guess that's why it feels so weird to see you, the ruler of the Kingdom, being so nice to the peasantry.” The taller alicorn's brow smoothed, but Skyla could see turmoil deep in her eyes as she took a deep breath and relaxed her shoulders.

“I can see why you might feel that way, but let's start at square one: they're not 'the peasantry', or 'the commoners',” corrected Cadence. “They're my subjects, of course, but I am beholden to them. Their happiness is my happiness: that's a sentiment that is at the core of being Crystal royalty.” Skyla and Cadence passed the last house in the row and emerged into a square, at the center of which sat a moderately sized fountain. The water cascaded down its tiered sides with a continuous pleasant splash, and Cadence steered them towards it as she took the lead. “I am their leader, but I am not their ruler. I am their Princess, but I am not their Empress. A position of power does not define us – rather, it magnifies us, turning us into exaggerated, larger-than-life caricatures of our innermost being.” The Princess stopped in front of the fountain and Skyla stopped on her left. “In other words, being a Princess doesn't define you: who you are defines what kind of Princess you will be.”

Skyla sat in silence for several long moments, the splashing of the fountain and the feeling of cool water droplets landing on her coat the only indication she had that time had not simply stopped. Who you are defines what kind of ruler you will be, she thought as she watched the rippling of the water before her. I guess that makes sense... but...

“So what does that say about my parents?” she asked, her words so soft that she wasn't sure that Cadence would hear her over the fountain. After a moment, however, she saw Cadence shift and heard her sigh.

“I can't tell you what your parents were like, Skyla,” she said, her words coming in a very purposeful fashion, “and I don't want to be the one to tell you how to think about them... but Shining told me a little about the conversation you had after your practice match and, if I may be so bold, I would say that your mother and father...” She sighed again, heavier than the first. “If you don't have the Elements of Harmony in your world, it's possible that they just... are not good ponies.” She reached out and touched the water with her right hoof, the surface rippling gently against it. “Your mother came to power and allowed it to bring out the darkness that she'd held inside her. Your father, though it sounds as though he lasted longer, succumbed to the same. It's... something that we've seen here in Equestria, as well, but in a world without Harmony... there's just no telling how far a pony could fall.” Skyla's head throbbed and her stomach flipped, but she bit her lip and said nothing. A world without Harmony... I guess that does accurately describe the Empire, she thought.

“And what does that say about you?” she asked. “Why are you so different from my mother? What did you do that she didn't?” Skyla turned and faced Cadence squarely, her chest clenching as she stared daggers up at the other alicorn. “Why do you care, and she didn't? Why do you love your subjects, and she didn't?!” She felt tears fill the corners of her eyes as Cadence turned towards her, and they redoubled their efforts to spill down Skyla's cheeks when she saw the look of compassion and understanding in the Princess's eyes.

“Skyla... I was raised with love. I was brought up believing that love conquered all, that peace was always the right answer, that everypony could live in harmony with one another if we all tried... but your mother was raised in a world in which, according to you, had to struggle for survival. That kind of struggle changes a pony... perhaps that's what hardened her heart against everypony.” She lifted her hoof and reached out to Skyla, hesitating only for a moment before pressing the pad of her hoof against Skyla's cheek and wiping away one of the tears that had made its escape. “Perhaps that's why she shut you out, and could only think about herself.”

Without even thinking about it, Skyla leaned against Cadence's touch, her heart swelling in her chest until she thought it would burst. The touch brought more tears, and a sob burst out of Skyla's throat before she could even hope to stop it.

“I... I just wanted her to be proud of me,” she gasped, her mind breaking into a whirlwind. “I... I just wanted her to say that she loved me... to tell me anything that would mean she cared... but sh-she insisted that the war was her way of showing it...” She sniffled before reaching up quickly and grasping Cadence's leg with both of her own, holding the other alicorn's hoof against her as if Skyla might blow away in the wind if she let go. “And then I come here, and you're wearing her face... a-and you care about me more than she ever did, and I just... I don't know how to feel..!”

Suddenly, Cadence's front legs were wrapped around Skyla, and the warmth of the Princess's body pressed firmly against her as she pulled Skyla into a tight hug, her chin coming to rest atop Skyla's head. Skyla hesitated for a moment, her whole body going rigid with shock... but the moment quickly passed, and Skyla threw her front legs around Cadence's form before burying her face against the larger pony's chest.

Skyla couldn't remember crying like that before, and she didn't think that she would ever cry like that again. She cried and sobbed against the warm, inviting softness of Cadence as if every ounce of anger, fear, and frustration inside of her were warring to get out at the same time; she cried until her throat began to ache and her breath was coming in short, ragged gasps, but the tears still came – so many tears that she was certain she could fill the fountain next to her with them – and through it all, Cadence just held her tightly in her arms, her hoof occasionally stroking the back of Skyla's head as she made shushing noises and whispered gentle, soothing nothings.

Finally, after what seemed to Skyla like an eternity of tears, she sniffled sharply and sat back, her eyes aching and her throat ragged and raw. Cadence let her front legs slip down around Skyla's shoulders, and as their eyes met she offered Skyla a warm, reassuring smile.

“Of course I care about you,” she said. “I do, and I know that Shining Armor does, too. And Flurry Heart, as well – we all care about and love you, Skyla.” She touched Skyla's cheek with her hoof once more, again wiping away her tears. “I can't tell you how to feel about us, of course... but I want you to know that we love you... and...” The older alicorn bit her lip for a moment as a look of uncertainty passed across her face, but it was gone as quickly as it had come and she gave her head a quick shake before smiling again. “And I can't say for certain, but I'd like to think that your mother did love you, too – it's possible that she just didn't have a way to show it because she was never taught how to.”

Skyla sniffled again and wiped a hoof across her eyes. “You... you have to be taught how to love another pony?”

“Well of course,” said Cadence with a wink. “Love is complicated. You might know you love a pony, like your parents or your children, but you won't necessarily know exactly how to show it.” She sat back a little and extended her left wing, her pinion feathers brushing at Skyla's mane as she spoke. “You have to learn how to show a pony that you love them. Sometimes it's through words, sometimes through actions, or honesty, or gifts... it's a very complicated thing, and you'll only succeed at it if you focus on it and try hard.” She patted Skyla on the head with her wing before returning it to her side, her smile as gentle as a wisp of whipped cream. “I don't want to speak for her, but if she felt about you even a fraction of how I feel about Flurry Heart...” she sniffled, “or about you, Skyla... then I have to believe that she just couldn't find the right way to show it.”

Skyla nodded slowly, her eyes sweeping Cadence as if she were seeing her for the very first time... and, as she did, the aura that she'd tried so hard not to see began to emerge. The brilliant, sparkling pink aura, like bubbling champagne, slowly filled in around Cadence and threatened to overwhelm Skyla with it's splendor as she accepted Cadence's feelings for her. The aura washed over her and made her feel warm and cool at the same time, as if she were being touched by the sun and moon's light all at once, and within that aura she felt truly safe for the first time in years.

Maybe my mother really didn't know how to show that she loved me, she thought as she smiled up at Cadence. Maybe... maybe she really DID feel this way about me... maybe she really loved me after all...

She leaned against Cadence's shoulder again, and as the older alicorn put her wing around her she felt the door in her heart open wider and wider, letting that sparkling aura wash over her and spill through it. I never thought I'd get to feel this way, she admitted silently as she savored the quiet moment with Cadence. Loved, accepted, cared for and about... it's hard to believe that this is real... She shifted to sit a little closer to Cadence, Skyla's rump bumping against hers. It was a feeling that she never wanted to forget, and she knew that no matter what happened in the future, she would always treasure this moment of peace with a pony she was beginning to wish was her mother.

Of Memories and Dreams

The scene around Skyla was hazy, like she was locked inside a snow globe, and everything that wasn't inside the small sphere around her was distorted and hard to see. Flecks of ice dropped from the sky and coated her mane and muzzle as she stared up into the heavy, steel gray clouds above her.

“It's time for a math lesson, Skyla.”

The voice pierced her heart and caused Skyla to wince, her hooves scratching against the stone and ice beneath her as she shifted uncomfortably. She forced herself to look to her right at the pony next to her as the balcony wavered around her, the dream warping as she fought against what she knew was going to happen.

Bright blue sparks of electricity snapped around the long, elegant horn of the pony next to her, and the face she knew so well cracked into a cold, sadistic smile.

“If there is only one message to be carried, how many messengers do you need..?”

The sparks around the taller pony's horn came faster and faster until they began to hum, a sound that started deep in Skyla's chest and rose to her sinuses as it increased in pitch.

No, thought Skyla desperately, please, don't do it! But there was nothing she could do. Her hooves were frozen to the stone beneath her, and the words she longed desperately to say choked her as she watched the sparking horn rise higher and higher above her, the sparks solidifying into a terrifying bolt of lightning that lanced out into the sky...

~*~*~*~

With a gasp, Skyla shot upright in her bed, her sheets tangled around her front legs and wrapped tightly around her torso. Panic coursed through her and her heart pounded in her ears as her gaze darted around the room in which she found herself, and for a moment of pure terror she couldn't tell where she was. The memories of the dream bled through her and filled her with dread as her breath came in ragged gasps, her hooves grasping desperately at her bed sheets as if they would save her from whatever was happening. Oh Saint Celestia, please tell me that I'm not back home..!

To her relief, the room around her slowly lost its phantasmagorical edge and became once again the room that served as her home in the Crystal Kingdom, the dark aura of her nightmare washing away into the warm tones of a midsummer morning. Skyla took a deep, shaking breath and exhaled loudly before running the back of her hoof over her forehead, where the curls of her bangs were stuck to her coat with sweat.

“It was just a dream,” she whispered fervently. “Just a dream...” She felt her wings shiver against her back as the cool morning air licked her damp coat, and she pulled the covers closer to her chest with a wince. It sure didn't feel like a dream, though... she reflected, and even though her mind was still fuzzy with sleep, she knew exactly why it felt like more than just a dream. Again the image of the pony and the lightning bolt flashed behind her eyes, and Skyla shook her head vigorously to chase it away. No, go away! I don't have to deal with you anymore! she commanded firmly, squeezing her eyes shut. Go away and leave me alone!

Alone. The word resonated inside of her head and sent another, very different chill down her spine. Her eyes flew open and searched her bed, certain that she would find Flurry Heart's still sleeping form tangled in the other end of her blankets; to her surprise, however, she found that she was, indeed, alone in her room, with no sign that the other alicorn had been there at all during the night.

Oh sure, the one time that I would actually like to have her in my room, she's not here! Skyla sighed raggedly, her heart twisting up inside her chest as she threw her blankets off and slid out of bed. Her hooves clopped loudly on the floor as she landed, the sound echoing through the room and driving home the point that she was totally, definitively alone. Her ears flattened against her mane as she glanced over her shoulder at the empty bed. Stupid Flurry Heart and her stupid habits...

The sun was just rising, its light igniting the eastern sky into a beautiful summer morning, but Skyla's hooves led her away from the tranquil scene outside and towards her door as she muttered incoherently under her breath about Flurry and how dumb she was being. She knew, of course, that Flurry had done absolutely nothing wrong and that it was her right to stay in her own room if she decided to do so, but something about the whole situation put a knot in Skyla's mane. She hurried to her door and snatched the knob with her magic before yanking it open with tremendous force, her nose scrunched in a distasteful frown as she darted into the hallway.

As luck would have it, however, she didn't get very far before she found the very pony that she was irritated at; in fact, as she barreled out of the door, her eyes widened and her hooves scraped across the stone as she almost ran bodily into Flurry Heart. The smaller pony gasped and scrambled backwards, her wings giving a quick flap that both propelled her backwards and pushed Skyla's mane out of her face as she skidded to a halt just outside her doorway, her heart suddenly pounding in her ears.

“F-Flurry Heart!” she gasped, her breathing ragged as she leveled a glare at the other filly. “What... what are you doing outside my door?” She lifted a hoof and pressed it against her chest, willing her heart to calm down. “That's... that's not like you at all, lurking about in the hallway like that...” Now Flurry Heart's eyes widened as well, and, as her cheeks puffed out in indignation, Skyla felt a warm, comfortable feeling spread through her that soothed her racing heart and brought a ghost of a smile to her lips.

“I wasn't lurking,” huffed Flurry. “I was waiting. Waiting for you to come out, or for somepony to tell me that I could come wake you up.” Skyla's smile inverted.

“And that's not very like you either,” she muttered. “Why were you waiting? Why didn't you just come in and get into bed with me last night, like you've done every other night since I got here?”

To her surprise, Flurry didn't say something smart or sassy in response; instead, she watched Flurry's disgruntled expression melt away until all that was left was a sad frown and the biggest, saddest eyes that Skyla could ever remember seeing on a pony, and the depth of melancholy in the smaller alicorn's eyes was enough to draw Skyla out of the mixed up mist left over from her dreams.

“I... I didn't come in there with you last night because...” she paused and took a deep breath, the sound shaking around the edges in the silent hallway, “because I wanted to give you your space.” She shifted on her hooves, her tail jerking sharply back and forth as her ears folded back towards her head. “I know I've been... close to you a lot since you got here... like, really close, all the time, and... I dunno, I guess I was starting to think that maybe you...” she sighed and dropped her gaze to the floor, “...you might not want me to be so close... even if I want to be.” Flurry sniffled softly, and Skyla felt a pang of guilt resonate through her.

“Ah... this is about what I said the other day, isn't it?” she murmured, her own ears folding back towards her mane. Flurry Heart nodded briskly, her jaw clenched tight like she was trying desperately to hold back the words that longed to leap from her tongue. She swallowed audibly and took a deep breath before speaking once more.

“I had a talk with Sunburst,” she admitted, “and he said... well, he said a lot of stuff that made me think about you and me... and... and about how I'm acting when I'm around you.” She winced. “And... I wanted you to know that I really do want to be your family, Skyla... but I understand if you don't want that. I guess what I'm trying to say is that... if you want me to leave you alone, I will... and if me sleeping in the same room as you makes you unhappy, well... I'll stop doing it.”

Skyla fidgeted in place, her hooves scraping against the stone much louder than she thought they should have as she shifted her weight back and forth beneath Flurry's gaze. That's pretty much exactly what I wanted, she admitted silently as she turned her gaze towards the floor. To have my own space so that I can figure out what I'm going to be doing with my life in this new place... Her eyes rose back to where Flurry stood and, before she could say anything, an image of the nightmare that she'd had flashed through her mind, followed by the sight of her empty bed. She shivered visibly, her wing feathers rustling together.

There was still a part of her that wanted to have what Flurry was offering, and she would be lying if she said that it wasn't a fairly good sized part of her; even as she thought about it, however, the events of the past week flickered through her mind. The talk she'd had with Shining Armor in the training room and the conversation she'd shared with Cadence at the fountain in the city had not been things that she would have set out to have, but she couldn't deny that they had effected her. They had made her see what kinds of possibilities she could have with them, the kind of life that she could have here in the castle, and she couldn't deny that the larger part of her craved that. A door inside her had opened to these ponies, a door that had long been closed, and she knew in her heart that forcing it closed again would make her the worst kind of pony.

And, as she gazed deep into Flurry Heart's big blue eyes, she saw another blue-eyed pony in her life: the face of Starlight Glimmer rose in her mind, the mysterious smile that Skyla had come to know teasing her with knowledge of things she might never understand. Skyla felt her back straighten as her heart swelled, and before she knew it she was speaking.

“I... I won't tell you that's not what I want... or at least, what I wanted,” she said, her words coming slowly as she picked her words like a farmer hoof-picking her best produce. Spilling her feelings all over the place like she had been in recent weeks still felt weird, but it was almost like she'd opened up a floodgate and there was no way to close it again. “But... when I woke up this morning and saw you weren't there...” Her throat tightened against her words, and her lip curled in irritation as she had to swallow before she could continue. “I felt really sad when I saw the bed empty,” she said, her words coming out in a rush. “I had a bad dream, and when I woke up I didn't see you, and...” she sighed sharply, “...and I felt all alone... something that you haven't let me feel since I came here.” She stood up straighter and gave Flurry a smile even as tears gathered at the corners of her eyes. “I can't stand being alone... I was alone for my whole life, and now that I have ponies around who want to be with me, I... I guess I'm just having a hard time getting used to it. I really thought I'd be better off if I kept everypony at a safe distance, but...” She sniffled and gently wiped a hoof across her eyes as Flurry took a step closer to her, her own eyes wide.

“So... are you saying that you want me to... to keep being close to you like this?” asked Flurry, her voice trembling. Without another word, Skyla lunged forward and wrapped her front legs around Flurry, pulling the smaller pony into a tight hug.

“I might want nights alone sometimes,” she whispered into Flurry's mane, “and I might need to have some alone time during the days, too... but I don't want you to go away, Flurry. I don't want to be all by myself... I've had enough of that to last me until I'm as old as Celestia.” She gave Flurry one last squeeze and drew back, dropping back to all four hooves. She could feel the tears running down her cheeks now, and she could see that Flurry was having the same problem. “So... maybe we can give me a few nights a week where I get to sleep alone if I want to? And have a little bit of space every now and again?” Flurry nodded vigorously, her mane bouncing out of place.

“I think we can do that,” she whispered hoarsely.

Skyla let out a giggle that sounded a lot like a sob, and Flurry did the same as they stepped together, Flurry's head coming to rest beneath Skyla's chin as the larger alicorn wrapped her left wing around her. Skyla could feel Flurry trembling beneath her touch and, as they stood together in the empty hall, she began to see the aura around the smaller alicorn shimmer and rise around them. It sparkled and danced as she opened her senses to it, like ice crystals on a crisp wind as the first rays of the rising sun glinted across them. It wasn't anything that she could feel, but being with Flurry Heart made her feel exactly like the aura portrayed: cool, happy, and amazed at the beauty of the pony before her.

“You have such a good heart, Flurry,” she muttered into her curls. “Please don't think that I'm mad at you...” Beneath her, Flurry sniffled.

“So... does this make us..?”

Skyla chuckled softly. “I know it sounds silly... but in my world, ponies who call one another sister... typically don't feel very nice things about each other.” She gave Flurry a squeeze with her wing and stepped back, using the edge of the same wing to wipe the tears from her face. “Let's just focus on being best friends for now... and maybe we'll talk about the whole 'sister' thing later.”

Flurry bounced in place once, further disheveling her hair as she gave Skyla a beaming smile.

“I can work with that,” she said simply.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“So, you said you had a bad dream last night.” Flurry lifted a muffin in her magic, a gentle breeze tickling the newly brushed curls of her mane. “What was it about?” She turned her gaze to Skyla, who held a muffin between her hooves as she watched the sun climb into the sky. The older filly winced slightly and offered Flurry a small, sheepish smile.

“Aah... I was kind of hoping you'd forget about that...” She took a bite out of her muffin and looked down at the city far below. Flurry had suggested that they come out to the roof to eat their breakfast muffins and Skyla had seemed all for it, but now that they were up here it seemed like she was slowly drifting away, like the scent of their muffins on the wind. “It was really nothing,” she said around her bite, “not worth worrying about, at least. Just a dream.”

Flurry scrunched her nose and pointed her muffin aggressively at Skyla, her shoulders stiffening as she sat up straighter.

“Skyla, you grew up in a world where there was no Princess Luna – world where nopony controlled dreams at all – so I guess I can get why you're not a little more worried about this. But here, in Equestria?” She pulled the muffin back towards her and took an enormous bite out of its soft, moist, delicious form. “Ponies don't just 'have bad dreams' here, okay?” she said, doing her best to pronounce all of her words perfectly despite the half-chewed muffin in her mouth. Skyla's brow furrowed, first at Flurry's face, and then at the muffin particles escaping her lips.

“What... do you mean?” she asked hesitantly. “Dreams just happen, Flurry. There's not always a rhyme or reason to them.” She shifted on her rump and placed her left hoof onto the railing, her wings shifting against her back as her hair shifted in the breeze. “Just old memories and fears,” she said, so softly that Flurry wasn't sure she was supposed to hear it. She tossed the rest of her muffin into her mouth and chewed it quickly before speaking again, this time making sure that her mouth was mostly empty before she started.

“Sometimes you're right,” she said, wiping a hoof across her mouth, “but sometimes dreams are more than just dreams.” She swallowed and let out a happy sigh before patting her stomach. “Aaaah, those were good muffins...”

“And when are dreams more than just dreams?” asked Skyla as she sat her muffin on the rail, her eyes still glued to Flurry. Flurry blinked and bit her lip as she placed her right hoof back to the stone beneath her.

“Um... well, Great Aunt Luna never really told me what exactly makes them different... just that they are different...” Her ears settled back against her mane as she gave Skyla a sheepish grin. “Buuuut we could talk about your dream, and maybe figure out if it's different from there..?” Skyla arched an eyebrow at her suspiciously, and Flurry felt her cheeks grow hot. “What? It's the only thing I can really think of to help right now, so it's what I'm saying that we do!” She sat back a little and folded her hooves across her chest, the front curl of her mane falling into her eyes as she dipped her chin. “I'm not saying that you have to tell me, but dad always says that talking about a problem is the fastest way to beating it.”

Skyla watched her closely for what felt like forever, the wind gently teasing her mane so that it shifted around her like she was some kind of hero in one of the adventure stories that Flurry had read. She was quiet, so quiet and still that Flurry was starting to wonder if Skyla'd actually heard anything that she'd said. Did I talk too quietly? Maybe the wind blew my words away so she didn't hear exactly what I said... She took a deep breath, preparing to state her idea in a much louder and clearer voice, when Skyla let out a sigh and looked out at the city again.

“It's... an old dream,” she said softly. “One that's mostly a memory, but I get stuck in it and I can't get out until...” She winced, and Flurry felt her heart leap at the chance to learn more. She scooted a little closer until her rump touched Skyla's.

“So it's one you've had before?” she asked, and Skyla nodded.

“I've been having it on and off ever since... the event in the dream happened,” admitted the pink alicorn, her ears drooping as she gazed out towards the horizon. “And no, it's not a happy event.”

“Well... what is it?”

“I'd rather not say...”

Flurry's muzzle scrunched again. “Well, how are we going to help you figure things out if you won't talk about it?” Skyla's gaze returned to Flurry, her lips quirking into a smile that made Flurry Heart's wings bristle just a bit.

“Aren't you being a little pushy for somepony who wanted to give me my space?” she asked, her voice cool. Flurry knew that tone of voice: it was the tone of somepony who was asking you why you were breaking a rule when you just told them a half hour ago that you knew that rule and then they caught you with one of the big silver serving platters as you were trying to figure out the best way to surf it down the eastern stairs again. Internally, Flurry winced. Mommy was definitely not happy then, and Skyla's not happy now... but...

“Maybe a little bit,” admitted Flurry, her cheeks flushing again, “but if you want to be close to me, you're going to have to get used to the fact that if you have a problem, I'm going to want to be there to help you solve it!” She stamped a front hoof. “Now you've got a problem, so, I'll solve it!”

Skyla's lips softened into a real smile, a nice one this time, and she lifted a hoof to her mouth to cover a giggle. “Do you really think you can?”

“I don't know dreams like Great Aunt Luna does, but I won't know unless I try,” replied Flurry, her wings fluffing out as she sat up as straight as she could, her chest puffed out so that she could sit the way she'd seen daddy sit when he was trying to look regal and impressive. “So, let's hear about this dream of yours, and we'll see if we can figure it out!” Skyla's smile wavered for a second, first growing bigger then shrinking back down to almost nothing and bouncing back again before she sighed and nodded.

“All right, Flurry... you win.” She let her hoof drop back to the stone as she took a deep breath and started talking, her voice low like she was trying to keep it a secret from the rest of the world. “It's a dream where I'm standing on the front balcony of the Crystal Castle-,”

“Oh, the one where we give all the royal proclamations and stuff?” asked Flurry, and Skyla nodded.

“Right, that one.” She sighed. “Anyway, I'm standing there, and there's snow falling from a gray sky... and I know I'm standing next to a pony, but I can't see who it is at first...” With a shaking voice, Skyla recounted her dream, all the way to the lightning bolt into the sky. “And then I wake up, usually sweaty and anxious... like I did this morning.” She offered Flurry a small smile, and Flurry noticed how out of place it looked on Skyla's sad face. “Which is part of the reason I almost bashed into you... sorry about that.” Flurry shrugged and waved away her apology.

“No, it's fine. Don't worry about it.” She settled her hoof back down in front of her, her eyes wide as she stared at Skyla. “So... who was the pony in your dream? Or do you know?”

“Of course I know.” Skyla sighed again. “It was... my mother, Queen Cadence.”

“Ooh... and... you said that it wasn't just a dream, but..?”

“A memory, yeah.” Skyla sat back and wrapped her hooves around herself with a shiver. “Ugh... I can feel the snowflakes on me just from talking about it...” Flurry Heart shivered too, but not from the memory of the snow that Skyla had talked about. Lightning is scary, she thought. I really hope I never have to fly through any.

“So Queen Cadence could summon lightning like that? That sounds like pretty powerful magic.”

“She could, and it was.” Skyla squeezed herself tighter as she turned her head towards the kingdom below, her eyes wide as if only staring at her surroundings would keep her from drifting back to the Crystal Empire. “That day... we discovered that Queen Twilight had planted a few spies into our military. Or rather, Father discovered them. He brought them before Mother to decide what should be done with them... and everypony was shocked when she freed them.” She gave her head a sharp shake. “She told them to tell Twilight everything they'd seen, especially of... well, me... and then she said to let them go. Since they were both pegasi, they took off and started flying for the clouds as fast as they could... but nopony can out-fly lightning.” She closed her eyes forcefully and held them shut so hard that it crinkled her face. “Ugh... I hate that dream so much...”

“It sounds scary,” muttered Flurry, her own hooves rising to wrap around herself. “But you said it's a dream you've had before, right?” Skyla inhaled sharply through her teeth and shrugged.

“I have, but... there was something different about it last night. Like, I can't ever remember feeling stuck to the ground like I was last night, or not being able to speak... it was just...” she shivered again. “Ugh...”

Flurry rubbed her shoulders with her hooves as she tossed ideas around in her head. “Well, maybe it's because it's been a long time since it happened, and your brain is throwing your feelings into the situation?”

Silence fell between the two fillies as Skyla turned and arched an incredulous eyebrow at Flurry, who shrank beneath Skyla's gaze.

“W-what did I say?” she asked cautiously. To her surprise, Skyla's smile returned.

“Flurry, that... that might be it!” She let her hooves drop back to the ground, her face all but glowing with relief. “Maybe it's just changing because I'm getting far enough away from that, far enough away from her, that I'm not even remembering things correctly! That my mind is putting in how I felt instead of what actually happened!” She laughed lightly as her ears perked back up, her tail swishing behind her. “That's got to be it!”

“You... really think so?” asked Flurry, her ears rising out of her mane. Skyla nodded, her laughter bouncing around the roof.

“Yes!” She leaned over and wrapped her right wing around Flurry's shoulders, tugging her close. “Oh Flurry... that's a load off of my mind. I couldn't figure out any reason why that was happening, but by Saint Celestia's raiment you made me feel so much better...” Flurry blushed from her position against Skyla's chest, but she couldn't stop herself from nuzzling against her velvety soft coat. Skyla held her tightly for several long heartbeats before letting her go.

“So you're feeling better now?” asked Flurry, her heart flip-flopping around in her chest as Skyla rose to her hooves. “Did... did we do it?”

Skyla stretched and grinned down at her. “You know what? I think we did!” She laughed again. “It's like a weight has been lifted off of me! I feel GREAT!” On the word 'great', she threw her wings open wide so that they could catch a little of the morning breeze, and Flurry's eyes widened as Skyla's pinions smacked her not-even-half-eaten muffin off of the railing beside her. She gasped aloud and lunged for the small baked good, but her chest thudded against the railing and her hooves swiped at thin air as the muffin tumbled away towards the ground far, far below. Flurry felt her bottom lip quiver as she watched it, and her wings rose from her back as she seriously considered leaping off the tower after it; before she could make a move, however, she felt Skyla's hoof on her shoulder.

“It's not worth it, Flurry Heart,” she said solemnly. “It was a delicious muffin... but you shouldn't go after it.”

“He was gone before his time...” intoned Flurry sadly. She waved a hoof after the muffin, which impacted the stones far below as she watched. “Goodbye, Sir Muffington – you were too good for this world...” She heard Skyla snicker and, after a few more moments of mourning, she allowed Skyla to pull her back away from the railing.

“You worry me sometimes, Flurry Heart,” Skyla said with a roll of her eyes. “I really hope you weren't seriously going to leap off of the highest point in the castle for a muffin that I'd already taken a bite out of...” She raised her eyebrows at Flurry. “You're getting better at flying, but you're not there yet, so you wouldn't do that... right?” Flurry scoffed and waved her right hoof dismissively.

“Naaah. Not for a plain muffin. Now, if Sir Muffington had been a blueberry muffin, well...” She gave Skyla a grin, and the other alicorn rolled her eyes again.

“I swear to Celestia, we're never eating blueberry muffins up here.” Skyla shook her head and started for the door, her hoofsteps much lighter and more energetic than the had been when they'd come up here. “Let's head downstairs and clean that muffin up before somepony sees it, okay?” Flurry nodded and hurried to catch up to her.

“Okay!” She fell into step with Skyla, and the older pony reached out with her wing and ruffled her mane.

“Thanks for talking to me,” she said. “I don't think I'd be as relieved as I am without you, so... I think you should definitely sleep in my room tonight.” A surge of excitement exploded in Flurry, and she couldn't help but gasp.

“You mean it?!”

Skyla nodded firmly, her smile warming Flurry to her core. “Of course I do. After all, you're the reason I'm going to get a good night's sleep tonight!”

Flurry giggled and hopped over so that she could rest her head on Skyla's back, if only just for a second. “I can't wait,” she said softly.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Aaah, here it is again, she thought through the haze of the dream. She honestly hadn't expected that it would happen again so soon, especially after Flurry's help in the morning, but now it was easier to gather herself. It didn't chase away the memory of the cold, of course, but she felt herself relax.

“It's time for a math lesson, Skyla.”

The voice still sent a shiver down her spine, but this time she was able to force a determined smile onto her lips. Not this time, Mother, she thought firmly. I know this is a dream, and I know I'm getting farther away from you, so this can't hurt me anymore. Even thinking it made everything feel less cold, like her body was doing its level best to wake her up after realizing that she was dreaming. She felt her smile grow as she turned to face the pony to her right, deciding to give that smile to her mother before she woke herself up.

Bright blue sparks of electricity snapped around the long, elegant horn of the pony next to her, and the face she knew so well cracked into a cold, sadistic smile.

“If there is only one Princess in an empire, and she goes missing...”

Skyla's smile melted away, and the cold, damning wind of the Crystal Empire stabbed into her soul as the sparks around her mother's horn faded away. The Songstress of the North shifted her eyes from the sky and bent her neck so that she could meet Skyla's gaze squarely, the depths of her eyes as frigid as her kingdom.

“...how much time will pass before the Queen finds her..?”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Skyla bolted upright in her bed, a gasp rending the room as she flailed against her sheets. She flopped over onto her right side and rolled away, her wings twisting around her as she leaped to her hooves, her chest heaving as her eyes darted wildly around the room. On the opposite side of the bed, Flurry Heart sat up as well, her wings shooting up in alarm.

“Whazzat?! Who-who'zere?” she blurted, Flurry's eyes blinking languidly as she fought to wake up. She lifted her hooves and rubbed them firmly against her eyes before she managed to lock her gaze on Skyla, who was standing at the edge of her bed like a spooked cat. “Skyla... what in the name of the moon is happening..?” Flurry squinted at her. “And why are you all sweaty..?”

“I had it again,” she hissed, her heart pounding so hard inside of her that she was surprise Flurry couldn't hear it. “I had... I had that dream again...” Flurry Heart blinked again, as if her brain were trying desperately to process the new information. Once it did, however, her eyes widened until Skyla thought they might pop out.

“You did? But... I thought we'd talked about it and it wasn't going to scare you anymore!” Skyla nodded jerkily, her mane bouncing around her face as she did so.

“We did, and I wasn't at first... it started out all the same, but... but then it wasn't the same, Flurry Heart!” She felt her knees begin to shake as her gaze slipped away from Flurry and down to the myriad of rumples in the bed sheets, her mind fighting to accept what had just happened. “I started pulling myself out... and then I looked at Mother, and... and she looked at me, Flurry!” Spots of moisture began to appear on the sheets as tears started to flow freely down Skyla's cheeks. “She didn't look at me the whole time that happened, but this time she did, and she even asked me a different question!!” She choked on a sob. “How?! How is that even possible?!” Her shaking knees finally gave out and dropped her back to the sheets, her whole body sinking into the bed like it never wanted to get up ever again. She buried her nose into the sheets and cried, her whole body still quivering in abject terror as she fought to process everything.

As she cried, however, she felt the bed shift as Flurry hurried to her side, the warmth of the other pony flopping against her as the smaller alicorn lent her support in the best way that she could.

“Skyla... If our talk earlier today didn't really help...” She looped her right front leg through Skyla's left front, and as Skyla met her gaze, Flurry's eyes filled with concern. “...then there's only one pony you can talk to now.” She glanced pointedly at Skyla's desk, where the journal with the silver crescent moon sat closed on its top. “She knows dreams better than anypony ever, Skyla,” said Flurry insistently when Skyla didn't answer right away. “She'll be able to tell us if this is just you going through a really hard time with your dreams, or...” She trailed away, and Skyla turned her red eyes back to her.

“Or what?” she asked, half angry, half pleading. To her surprise, Flurry's ears flattened against her mane and she shook her head.

“I dunno, Skyla... but whatever it is, Great Aunt Luna will be able to tell us about it.” She gestured to the journal with her free hoof. “And I think you'd better do it now, before we go back to sleep.”

Skyla scoffed angrily. “Like I'm going to get any more sleep tonight...” she murmured. “But... you're right.” She gave Flurry's hoof a squeeze and rose to her hooves once more, and she was happy to see that her knees seemed to be ready to do their jobs again. She hopped off her bed and made her way unsteadily to her desk, where she flipped open the cover of the journal and began to write without ever bothering to sit down.

Dear Luna... I think that there's a problem that I need to talk to you about...

The Flight of the Snowflake

“I really don't think there's a way to do this.” Flash Sentry's voice sounded disheartened, but Shining Armor's ears twitched as the pegasus spoke. “I mean, the only way I'd be able to do it is if I held the spear in my teeth, and if you're going to try and smack it away from yourself,” he lifted his hoof and rubbed it against his cheek, his blue eyes sad, “I mean, that'd probably knock a few of my teeth loose, boss.” Shining arched an eyebrow at the yellow stallion.

“You sound pretty happy about not being able to do something,” he muttered, and Flash's muzzle wrinkled into a deep frown as he lowered his hoof back to the floor.

“I'm happy about not loosing my teeth,” he grumbled in return. “I mean, the only other things I have to hold onto the spear with are my hooves and my wings.” He poked at the wooden spear that lay on the floor before him. “The wings are out, and it would be all but impossible for me to use my hooves if I invert the way that she did when she went over the top of you.”

Shining Armor flourished the staff he held loosely in his magic as he pursed his lips in thought. “So... what you're saying is that there's no way for me to practice defending against this move with a pegasus,” he said after a moment, and Flash nodded.

“Afraid so, boss. I mean, unless you'd like all of the pegasi in the Crystal Guard to be toothless...”

“I think I'll pass on that.” Shining winced and offered his Captain of the Guard a grin. “It'd make it hard to take you guys seriously.” Flash grinned back at him, but he folded his ears back against his mane as he lowered his head.

“Sorry I can't help you out, Shining,” he said. “I really wanted to be able to help, but I just don't think it's possible without magic.” Shining waved his hoof and settled his spear to the ground before releasing it from his magic.

“That just means I'll have to get Skyla to train with me a little more,” he said with a chuckle. “Although something tells me that it won't exactly be like pulling teeth.” Flash opened his mouth into an overly exaggerated smile, Shining's grin became comically large, and the pegasus used both his wings to form fingers pointing at the Prince.

“Niceeeee,” they said in unison.

The pair of stallions laughed loudly, louder than they knew they had any right to, considering the actual quality of Shining Armor's joke, but the Prince couldn't be happier for the noise, as cheesy as it was. It's nice to know that I have someone so easy-going as the captain of my guard, he thought as the over-the-top laughter faded into genuine laughter. I was kind of afraid that we'd end up with somepony who had more experience in the field than I did – something that would make me giving them orders a little touchy. Shining knew that experience was everything to military ponies, and no matter what his rank was, nopony who wore the Guard's Shield would respect him if he made bad decisions based on limited experience. Flash was a good pony and, as their laughter faded into silence, Shining knew that the Crystal Guard was going to be in good hooves for a long time.

From outside the door to the practice area, a sound began to rise – the clattering of tiny hooves, moving at an incredible rate of speed. Shining's magic lit up and he grabbed both the spears that were lying on the floor, propping them up against the nearby wall as Flash turned his smile to the door.

“I'd recognize those hoofsteps anywhere,” he said with a knowing look at Shining, and the Prince laughed as his magic pulled at the straps of his armor.

“Right? It's kind of hard not to recognize Flurry Heart at this point.” He tugged the armor from his form and placed it next to the spears. “I wonder if she goes anywhere at any speed other than 'as fast as I can possibly go'?”

“Hard to say, boss. I'll let you know if I ever see her do it.”

The door to the practice room burst open, admitting Princess Flurry Heart to the room in all of her wind-swept glory; her mane was positively disheveled as she scampered through the room, her eyes quickly locking onto Shining Armor.

“Daddy! Daddy!” she called, her legs moving as fast as they possibly could. “What are you doing with Flash?!” The white stallion sat down on his rump and held out his front legs towards his daughter, who threw herself violently into his grasp with a gleeful laugh. He caught her and wrapped his hooves around her as tightly as he felt comfortable, reveling in how tightly she grasped his neck.

“Oh, we were just having a little practice and discussion about tactics,” he said. “Y'know, boring grown-up stuff.” Flurry giggled against him, her mirth shaking his whole head.

“That's not boring! I saw you practice with Skyla, and that wasn't boring!”

“Trust me, Princess,” said Flash over Shining's shoulder, “you'd think what we were doing was boring.” Shining gave Flurry an extra firm squeeze before lifting her away from himself and putting her down, her eyes sparkling with happiness.

“Why, were you not doing cool flips and stuff like that?” she asked, and Flash's ears drooped as he grinned sheepishly.

“As a matter of fact, that's what we were trying to figure out, but...” he shrugged, and Shining cleared his throat.

“But, after hearing Flash's concerns about how hard a move like that would be for a pegasus, I decided that I'll just have to get Skyla to spar with me again.” He gave Flurry a hopeful smile. “Do you think she'd like to help me out?” To his relief, Flurry nodded briskly.

“Uh, yeah she would!” she chirped. “She was super excited to spar with you the other day, and I know she'd love to do it again!”

Shining felt his shoulders relax a little and, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Flash give a firm nod. Well that's good to know. I'd hate to think I was imposing on her. He hadn't spoken much to Skyla since their sparring match several days ago – except for mealtimes and other family activities, of course – and he hadn't been able to rid himself of a nagging doubt about whether Skyla had truly enjoyed their sparring or not. However, he now had multiple ponies telling him that she had, in fact, really liked doing it, so his worries were clearly in vain.

Flurry Heart took a step back and gave her wings a stretch, her gaze shifting from Shining to Flash. “So is Daddy going to stay and watch my flying lesson today?” she asked, lifting her left wing and arching it above her back before doing the same with her right. Shining Armor blinked.

“Whoa, is it that time already?” he asked, glancing at the sun through the windows. Flurry giggled again.

“Would I be here if school wasn't out?” she asked, and Shining had to admit that he had no answer for her other than the painfully obvious one.

“Well, when you put it like that,” he muttered, and he couldn't help feeling like he was quickly falling behind his daughter when it came to sense. You just start getting used to asking them basic questions so they learn things, and then they're past you and zooming towards the horizon... he thought, and a pang of sadness rang through his chest. I guess this is what its like, watching your child grow up... For her part, Flurry Heart just gave him a brilliant smile and stretched both of her wings up.

“So, are you going to watch me? I really want to show you how well my training's going!” She held her stretch for a long moment before exhaling loudly and tucking her wings against her back, her eyes darting to Flash as he approached. “Right, Flash?” she asked, and Shining's ear twitched at her tone.

“Oh definitely,” he said with a long, pointed nod at Shining, “you're going to want to stick around today. In fact, I was going to ask you to come watch no matter what was happening.” He reached out and elbowed Shining on the shoulder his face a mixture of pride and excitement. “I think you'll be soar-ly disappointed if you don't...”

Shining's eyes narrowed. “I'm the only one allowed to tell horrible jokes around here, Flash,” he grumbled. Flash's expression softened with confusion, but the pegasus just sighed and shook his head before turning a smile to Flurry.

“All right, kiddo – let's get to the roof and show your dad what you've learned!” Flurry nodded eagerly and turned towards the door, clearly prepared to bolt out of the door just as quickly as she'd entered it.

“Aah-aah, wait,” he said firmly, and Flurry Heart froze in place. The stallion stood and gave his tail a flick. “Don't run ahead – we'll walk with you, okay?” The filly didn't turn around, but her hooves stayed dormant as Shining and Flash approached her; as they did, however, she began to rapidly bounce in place, her mane and tail bobbing rhythmically in time with her movements as if they couldn't wait to be moving again. Shining couldn't help but smile and roll his eyes behind his daughter's back. You'd think I told her to stand still for an entire day, he thought. I wonder where she gets all her energy, and if she'll share.

As the pair of stallions drew abreast of the Princess, she allowed her hooves to kick back into motion and started walking between them, with Flash on her left and Shining on her right, and Shining was happy to note that she was at least attempting to walk with them instead of darting ahead. He turned his gaze to Flash, who was staring ahead of him with his brow furrowed, as if he were reviewing something in his head. Flurry was never this good at following directions before her lessons with Flash started, thought Shining. I knew he was the Captain for a reason, but for him to be able to get a rambunctious seven year old to tone down and follow instructions like this... he must be better than I thought.

“So how was your schooling today?” asked Shining as the trio made their way through the castle proper, their hooves clicking in tentative unison. “What did you study?” Flurry Heart bounced in mid-step and her wings fluttered against her back, but she kept her eyes facing in the direction of the tower, as if she longed for nothing more than to dart ahead of the group and get there first.

“Just more history stuff,” she said. “We finished talking about how Equestria recovered after the Griffon War and moved on to the next big event in history, which was some sort of drought.” She shrugged. “Sunburst didn't really get into lots of details because Skyla was having a hard time paying attention, so we just kinda talked about it instead of having to take notes.” She turned a smile to Shining. “I kinda liked not taking notes. Maybe Sunburst won't make us take them anymore!”

Shining Armor couldn't help but smile at his daughter's upbeat attitude about the very slim chance that Sunburst could be persuaded to stop forcing her to take notes. I don't think anypony could stop Sunburst from making ponies take notes, he thought. Heck, I have to take notes just to keep up with him sometimes! He felt a joke rise to the surface in his mind and grinned as it moved to his tongue, but before he could set it free Flash turned to Flurry with a frown.

“Skyla was having a hard time paying attention?” he asked as the three ponies came to the stairs that would take them up into the tower. “That sounds odd for her. Normally, she's one hundred percent engaged when it comes to learning about the history of our world.” Flurry made a bland noise in her throat as she hopped up onto the first step.

“I guess so,” she said noncommittally, her tail flicking sharply to her left.

An alarm bell sounded in Shining Armor's mind, and he had to fight to keep a frown of his own from dominating his face as he stopped at the bottom step.

“You guess so?” he asked, and Flurry Heart froze in place like she'd been suddenly trapped in a block of crystal. Shining's eyes narrowed at the back of his daughter's head, and he could practically see the sweat running down her neck. “That doesn't sound very honest, young lady.” The stallion kept his tone as light as he could, but he injected just enough parental warning into it to let her know that he was not in the mood for lies. I mean, that's all the time, but still – I know that tone, and that tone says that she knows more than she's letting on. “Come on, snowflake,” he said, softening his tone as he drew up next to her. “What's going on that you're not telling me?”

Silence reigned for a few long seconds, and it seemed to Shining that Flurry's face became a battlefield of emotions as she gave serious thought to whether or not she was going to answer his question. Flash tossed Shining a worried frown over the top of Flurry's head, but Shining returned his look with a slight shake of his head, his eyes never leaving Flurry. She's got to make the decision herself – whether she's going to lie to me or not. He felt his lips curve into a frown, despite his best efforts to keep it at bay. I really hope that she makes the right decision... but she still has to have the choice.

To his everlasting relief, Flurry took a deep breath and sighed.

“Skyla had a bad dream last night,” she admitted softly as she started up the stairs again, her hoofsteps almost covering up her words. “I didn't want to talk about it because she really didn't want anypony else to know... but she woke up scared and couldn't go back to sleep at all.” Shining watched her ascend for a moment before following her, his heavier hoofsteps drowning hers out.

“She had a nightmare?” Flurry Heart nodded, her mane bobbing around her face as she climbed the stairs.

“Yeah. She said that it was a dream she'd had before, but...” she hesitated, then shook her head and used the curl in her mane to hide her eyes from Shining's gaze. “I... I don't really want to talk about it anymore. It was Skyla's nightmare, and talking about it without her makes me feel gross inside.”

Again the alarm bells rang in Shining's head, but it wasn't because Flurry was saying she didn't want to talk about Skyla's dream; rather, they were ringing because of Skyla's dream. I wonder why she didn't talk to us about it, he wondered as silence fell over the three ponies. I mean, we were all together at breakfast and a little bit afterwards... why didn't she talk to us? He turned his gaze up towards the ceiling far, far above him and let out a sigh. I suppose I can't blame her, though. I know that I don't really like to talk about my nightmares when I have them, and Cadence is a really good listener for those kinds of things. He glanced down at Flurry again and found her watching him intently, her bright blue eyes full of bottled up worry.

Shining's eyes widened slightly, and without a second thought he reached out and patted her on the head, his smile returning to his face with full force.

“All right. Well, I suppose I'll have to talk to Skyla about it then, won't I?” He gave her mane a rub, the multiple hues blending slightly beneath his affectionate touch. Flurry's smile returned as well, and she gave a nod beneath his hoof.

“Yeah... it might be better if you did,” she said. Shining removed his hoof and she turned her eyes back to the stairs before her. “She sent a message to Great Aunt Luna about it, so maybe she'll have some kinda response when we get done with all of our lessons for the day.”

“I'm sure that Luna will get back to her as soon as she can,” agreed Shining with a nod. “She cares about both of you very much, so I know she'll be ready to help if Skyla needs it.” Flurry Heart nodded, and her wings rustled as silence fell over the trio.

Shining Armor knew that the stairs leading to the roof could feel endless, but they arrived at the top sooner than he thought possible, and he blinked in surprise as he found himself without stairs to climb.

“Whoa, did I space out there for a few minutes?” he asked, his gaze darting to Flash. “Or did we just move a lot faster than I normally take these stairs?” The Captain of the Guard grinned.

“Actually, I think it was the pace set by the Princess here,” he said with a nod towards Flurry, who was standing at the door with a broad smile on her face. “We talked about some heavy stuff on the stairs, so it makes sense if you were thinking – but Flurry took those stairs in record time, even if she wasn't running.” He turned his eyes to Flurry. “You gonna be able to do your daily training after a climb like that?”

“Of course!” chirped Flurry, her brow crinkling in determination. Flash gave her a firm nod and the Princess turned crisply towards the door, her hoof rising to turn the knob and admit the three ponies to the roof.

The brilliant sunlight almost blinded Shining Armor for several long seconds as he followed Flurry out onto the balcony at the very top of the Crystal Castle, and he couldn't keep his stomach from doing a bit of a flip as he recalled exactly how high up they were. This is most definitely not the time to be blundering around half-blind and fall over a railing, he thought to himself as he took a careful step to his right, allowing Flash to follow him out. I mean, I think Flash could probably stop me from dying, but I can't teleport like Twilight can. He shuddered in spite of himself. It wouldn't be a nice thing, either way. He blinked a few times, and as his eyes began to adjust he saw Flurry and Flash at the opposite end of the balcony, their front hooves stretched out in front of them as they stretched their wings high.

Shining hadn't sat in on very many of Flurry Heart's training lessons with Flash, but he'd been here enough times to know the stretching routine like the back of his hoof. He moved to the railing and sat down with his back touching it, his eyes trained on the pair as they stretched first their right wings, then their left before straightening. Flash and Flurry then moved to the railing, where Flurry lifted her front hooves and rested them atop the rail as Flash used his right wing to help stretch hers back, and back, and back, stretching the most important muscles in a pegasus' body. They performed this stretch for several minutes, ensuring that each muscle that the Princess would use for flying was properly limbered up before moving to her other side and repeating the process.

Shining watched them as they stretched and chatted back and forth with one another, Flurry smiling from ear to ear as Flash asked her to recite each muscle they were stretching and why. It's clear that she's very comfortable around him. I'm glad, too – I was worried that he'd be letting her just walk all over him, with her being the Princess and all. Shining felt his lips curve into a smile as Flash performed his own stretches, using the railing to pull his wings up as he used his body weight to press down on them. If she's going to be learning how to fly, I'd much rather her have somepony who can put her in her place if necessary. She's a bit of a free spirit, after all. His smile became a smirk. I wonder who she gets that from... Suddenly, Flash cleared his throat, drawing Shining's attention away from his inner monologue.

“All right, boss – are you ready to watch today's lesson?” Shining nodded and hopped to his hooves, his tail lashing his hindquarters in excitement.

“You bet I am!” he said, giving his words a little extra enthusiasm as he locked eyes with Flurry Heart. “So what are you practicing today? Am I going to get to see you glide around?” To his surprise, Flash and Flurry turned their eyes to one another and shared a single, broad grin.

“Oh, I think you'll like it,” Flash said cryptically. “Right, Flurry Heart?”

The Princess nodded, and there was such a mischievous glint in her eyes that Shining felt his stomach clench. Before he could say anything, however, both Flurry and Flash turned towards the edge of the balcony, their wings flaring wide.

“One,” said Flash. Shining frowned. What in the world...

“Two!” squeaked Flurry, and Shining's stomach tried to eat itself. Oh sweet merciful Celestia..!

“Three!” they said together, and as one they leaped into the air and hurtled over the railing, their bodies disappearing before Shining could so much as breathe.

The white stallion stared at the edge where his daughter and Captain had disappeared, his heart hammering in his ears. Logic warred with his parental instincts in his head as he slowly moved towards the edge of the balcony, trying to decide if they'd both just lost their minds, or if Flash knew exactly what he was doing. Please Celestia let it be the latter, he thought fervently.

A moment passed, then two... and then he saw two figures rise up over the edge of the balcony, their size diminished by the distance. Their wings were flapping slowly, gently, but as Shining watched they rose steadily into the sky – not gliding downwards, but flying.

Every ounce of fear in Shining's heart evaporated and became a swell of pride so great that the stallion felt tears tingle at the corners of his eyes as Flurry Heart, his little girl, followed Flash upwards in a two-pony formation, with the filly off of Flash's right wingtip. The Guardspony tilted his wings to turn and Flurry followed him perfectly, her huge, beautiful pink-tipped wings flashing brilliantly in the sun as they turned and headed back towards the tower. Shining rose up and placed his hooves onto the balcony, his vision blurring as his tears built.

“She's... she's flying!” he whimpered, his bottom lip quivering. “My little baby... she's out there... flying in the sky...” The pair of ponies tilted their wings ever so slightly and performed a flyby of the tower, with Flash grinning mischievously down at him and Flurry waving a hoof at him excitedly. Shining sniffled and waved back, his throat tightening up as he watched them resume their flapping to gain a bit more altitude.

“She looks beautiful up there, doesn't she?” Cadence's voice was as full of pride as Shining felt, and the stallion couldn't even muster up a moment to be surprised that she was on the roof too.

“Yeah... she really does,” he whispered around the lump in his throat. He felt Cadence press against his side, and when he glanced at her he saw that she had tears in her eyes, too. “How did you get up here without me noticing?” he asked, and his wife managed a giggle through her happy tears.

“Flash told me that I should come up here at this time, to see how Flurry was doing in her class. I had no idea that she was ready to fly...” She lifted her hoof and swiped a tear away from her eye. “I guess... this means that our little girl is starting to grow up,” she whispered, and Shining heard the mixture of pride and sadness inside of him echoed in Cadence's words.

“Yeah... I guess it does,” he muttered, and Cadence leaned against him with a sniffle. He nuzzled his wife's mane and wrapped his hoof around her delicate shoulders as they watched their daughter glide gracefully across the sky, her broad wings carrying their love along with her.

As they watched, however, Shining heard the door to the tower open and close. His right ear twitched as hoofsteps hurried across the balcony to him, and the clearing of a pony's throat brought his eyes down from the sky once again. With a sigh filled with vexation that he didn't even try to hide, he turned his head towards the sound to find another one of the Crystal Guards standing at attention, his eyes staring straight ahead.

“Yes, what is it?” grumbled Shining, his irritation at having this moment interrupted growing by the second. The Guardspony swallowed audibly, but threw a steady salute nonetheless.

“Sorry to disturb you, Your Highness,” he said crisply, “but I was sent to inform you that Princess Luna is waiting for you in the throne room.”

Shining frowned, and Cadence shifted so that she could turn and look at the guard, one of her wingtips rising to blot her tears from her eyes.

“Aunt Luna's here?” she asked, her voice raspy and quiet. “I... I didn't receive any message that she'd be arriving again so soon.” The guard nodded.

“She said that she hadn't sent word, but that she wished to speak with you as soon as possible.” Cadence nodded before throwing a glance to Shining Armor, who felt his stomach clench for the third time that day.

“I think I know what this is about,” he murmured, rising to his hooves and giving his mane a shake. “We'd better go, Cady. She might need our help with something that Flurry mentioned. I'll fill you in on the way.”

Starlight, Eclipsed

Five orbs of magical light hovered in a vertical star pattern, their colors vibrant and steady as Starlight Glimmer walked around them, her tail swishing idly behind her.

“Not bad for a week’s worth of practice,” Starlight said, making sure that she kept her voice level and her expression clear of the pride that wanted to beam through. “Not great, mind you... but not bad.” She stopped and turned to her right so that she could look through the space between the orbs, her gaze falling onto Skyla’s face. “Keep up those exercises I taught you, and your magical dexterity will only get better. At this rate I’ll expect you to handle six orbs soon, so be ready.”

“Yes, Starlight.” Skyla’s lips quirked into a smile, but it only lasted a few moments before it vanished. She gave her horn a flick and the orbs shivered and faded away, allowing the afternoon sunlight to come pouring into the large room once again. Starlight frowned at her young pupil. That’s not exactly the reaction that I was expecting, she thought. I mean, a little enthusiasm or excitement would have been nice...

“What’s going on with you today?” she asked, and a frown creased Skyla’s hitherto lackadaisical expression.

“I’m not sure what you mean. Did I do something wrong?”

“Well, no, not strictly speaking,” said Starlight with a wrinkle of her muzzle. “I mean, you performed every spell I asked you to without any problems, which is great, but...” She sighed and took a step forward. “You seem tired. Or sad. I can’t tell which, but it’s at least one of those. You’re normally so... excited about your magic lessons that I guess it’s throwing me off.” Starlight sat down and gestured towards Skyla with her right hoof. “And that leads me back to my question: what’s going on with you?”

Skyla’s ears folded back towards her mane and she turned her eyes away from Starlight, her tail swishing behind her as she shifted slightly on her hooves. Starlight felt an immediate pang of guilt about pushing Skyla for answers, but the guilt was quickly overridden by a swell of something that Starlight couldn’t quite place – a feeling of need, of deep desire to pick Skyla’s problems apart until they could be solved.

“I just... didn’t sleep well last night, that’s all,” murmured Skyla, her eyes wandering the training area. “Don’t worry about it.” An uncomfortable tightness tugged at the back of Starlight’s chest, and it brought her frown roaring back.

“Um, sorry, but I can’t just ‘not worry about it’,” she said, lifting her hoof again and twisting it around in small circles. “You’re my student, so I’m naturally concerned about your well-being. You said that you didn’t sleep well last night? What were you doing besides sleeping?” She dropped her hoof back to the floor and gave Skyla a grin. “Sneaking out at night again?” she teased. Trying to get a rise out of the filly wasn’t her best plan, considering what had happened the last time she’d done it, but it was better than doing nothing. I mean, at least she’ll get mad at me. That’ll be better than this nonsense. Unfortunately, Skyla simply frowned deeper before turning away from Starlight, her lips pressed tightly together.

“I wasn’t sneaking anywhere,” she answered, her voice flat and almost deadpan, “just... wasn’t able to sleep, that’s all.” She sighed heavily and Starlight had to stop herself from wincing at just how sad it sounded. Dear Celestia, she sounds depressed. “So, what’s the next lesson?” she asked as she turned back to Starlight. “Or are we going to be done for the day?”

The pink unicorn squinted at the young alicorn, her mind working furiously behind her eyes for several long moments of silence; finally, however, she let out a sigh and nodded.

“We’re done,” she said. “You’re clearly skilled enough to handle the magic that I’ve taught you so far, but you’re not here enough today to learn new magic. Like here here.” Starlight pointed her hoof at the side of her own head. “A distracted mind leads to distracted magic, remember? That lesson didn’t happen all that long ago, kiddo.” She placed her hoof back to the floor and shook her head. “So we’ll just have to pick up the new lesson next time.” A wave of disappointment washed over Skyla’s face, illuminating the caverns of her eyes for the briefest of moments before the darkness returned, her ears pressing down against her mane once more.

“I understand,” she said softly. “Well... I suppose I’ll see you later, then.” She turned towards the door, her wings visibly drooping from her body, but before she could take more than three steps towards the exit Starlight Glimmer’s body slid in front of her. She stood sideways, blocking Skyla’s path to the door with her side.

“Whoa, whoa, I didn’t say you could leave – just that we’re not doing any more magic today.” She turned to face Skyla squarely, the curl in her mane bobbing authoritatively against her cheek. Another frown turned Skyla’s lips downward.

“Then... what are we going to do?” she asked.

“Well, that’s obvious, isn’t it? We’re going to,” Starlight took a deep breath, “talk. About stuff, and... things.” Her heart hammered in her chest as she met Skyla’s quizzical gaze, and deep inside she could feel a swell of panic. What are you doing!? She thought as she gave Skyla her best smile. You should just let her go, and plan this out a little bit better! Never do things like this spur of the moment, Starlight! The alicorn filly lifted her right front hoof and tilted away from Starlight.

“O...kay,” she murmured, her voice tight with uncertainty as she took a step backwards. “I assume that means you have something you wanted to talk about?”

Starlight nodded confidently as her stomach twisted and flopped around inside her. “I want to talk to you about your attitude today, and what’s going on with you.” Skyla’s eyes narrowed again, but she didn’t move towards the door. Instead, she let out a sigh and turned away from Starlight, her tail flicking irritably.

“I told you I couldn’t sleep last night,” she repeated. “There’s nothing more to tell.”

“And why couldn’t you sleep?” pressed Starlight, taking a step after the younger mare as Skyla moved towards the center of the room again. “Did Flurry Heart keep you up? I know that little filly likes to get into your room at night – has she been bothering you?” To her surprise, Skyla stopped walking and leveled a glare in her direction.

“She’s not bothering me,” she said, each syllable as deliberate as the hoofsteps of a waltz. “I actually rather like having her there with me.”

“Okay then, what is it?” Starlight took another step towards Skyla, who turned and moved away yet again, her wings rustling against her back. “I guess if it was your bed or something superficial like that, you’d probably have told us... which means that it was probably a nightmare.” Skyla’s shoulders jerked and she glanced through her mane as Starlight said the word nightmare, and the unicorn couldn’t keep a surge of victory from filling her from hoof to horn. So she had a nightmare! I’m sure I can help with that!

“...yes, I had a nightmare,” confined Skyla softly, her gaze dropping to the floor as she stopped at the center of the training room. “It woke me up early in the morning, and I couldn’t go back to sleep.” She huffed. “There, are you happy now?”

Starlight’s elation dimmed at the tone of Skyla’s voice, and the mare took a step closer to the filly as her brow furrowed. “It must have been a pretty bad nightmare to have turned you so sour,” she muttered, and Skyla plopped her rump down onto the floor with a heavy sigh.

“I guess it was,” she grumbled, her gaze shifting between the squares of sunlight on the training room floor and Starlight’s face. “But there’s really nothing that can be done about it right now, so I’m just kinda stuck with the repercussions – lack of sleep and bad attitude.” She shrugged, her wings bobbing as she did so. “Are you satisfied?”

“No, actually – I’m not,” came the reply, and Starlight felt her eyes widen as the words leaped unbidden from her lips. The response was so instinctual and so visceral that the unicorn fell silent as Skyla’s quizzical gaze fell on her again, her mind scrambling to tug at the thread that tied her spoken words to the thoughts that had spawned them. “Th-that is to say, I’d really rather help you in some way.” She took another step towards the seated alicorn, her hooves clicking against the floor. “Like, maybe you can tell me what your nightmare was about? I’m not one to brag, but I’m pretty well versed in psychology. Who knows? I might be able to offer you some insight that you hadn’t thought of before.” She lifted her right hoof and placed it against her chest. “I’d be happy to help.” Skyla’s eyes met hers for a moment, their normally excitable depths a bland malaise of disinterest.

“I’d rather not talk about it... right now,” she said, the hitch in her words so blatant that it made Starlight’s left ear twitch. Skyla winced as the words left her mouth, and Starlight couldn’t keep a hot wave of anger from swelling up inside her.

“Or is it just that you don’t want to talk to me about it?” she asked, her words as sharp as any spear. “Because it really seems like that’s what this is about.” She stomped her right hoof back to the ground with a resounding clop, her tail lashing her flanks as Skyla turned towards her with surprise written across her face.

“S-Starlight, that’s not...” she began, but her words trailed away and she bit her lip as she dropped her gaze to the unicorn’s hooves. Starlight felt her mouth open once more, words of unknown sentiment rising like bile in her throat, but Skyla’s eyes lit with a familiar fire before she was able to speak again. “Why do you even care?” asked the alicorn, her chin rising so that she could meet Starlight’s gaze straight on. “This is my problem, my issue that I have to take care of. It doesn’t concern you in the slightest, so why are you bothering me about it?!” Starlight’s anger flared brighter, but she managed to barely keep it tamped down as she took a deep breath, refocusing her self control. This is the moment... take it easy, Starlight... you can do this... She exhaled before taking another deep breath in, and only then did she speak once more.

“I’m not trying to bother you,” she said softly, irritation coloring her words like the bright red tinges of a bloody sunset despite her attempts to snuff it out. “I’m asking you about how you’re doing because I care, okay?” She sighed and her shoulders slumped. “That’s all. I just want to be able to do more for you than... than teach you.” Her ears drooped and she turned her face away from Skyla, her cheeks burning.

“And why do you care?” grumbled the alicorn, her words so jumbled with emotion that Starlight felt her anger leap again despite Skyla’s subdued tone. “There’s no reason for you to be mixed up in all of this. I... I’m really grateful for what you’ve done for me, but you don’t have any reason to care.” She let out a shaking sigh. “I just don’t get it.” Starlight felt a smile touch her lips, and the cool shadow of sadness floated across her heart.

“Yeah... I had a hard time with that, too,” she admitted, her voice little more than a whisper. “Why should anypony care about what I have to say? Or what my problems are? I’m the only one who can solve them, so why should anypony else care?” She chuckled under her breath. “It turns out that most of the time, the only reason a pony has to care is that they do care. They want to help, or they feel like they can do something to make your life easier... that’s all that Twilight and her friends needed to help me.” Starlight turned her face back to Skyla, their eyes meeting as the unicorn sighed once more. “But I’m not like that,” she whispered, her words trembling. “I... I have a reason...”

At the other end of the room, the door to the training hall opened with a loud bang against the wall. The sound drew the gazes of both ponies in the room, and their eyes widened as the dark blue figure of Princess Luna walked through the doorway, her mane shimmering with the light of a thousand stars.

“Skyla?” she called, her wings twitching along her flanks. “I am sorry to barge in on you like this, but I’d very much like to speak to you, if I could.” Starlight turned to look back at Skyla, who offered Luna a bright, if confused, smile.

“Princess Luna, you’re... you’re here? But why?”

“I came to speak with you about the message you sent me earlier,” she said simply. “Are you finished with your lesson for the day?” Her smile shifted to Starlight, and she had the grace to let her ears droop. “I do apologize, Starlight Glimmer, but this truly is of utmost importance – I only hesitated this long because I felt I must let Princess Cadence know that I was here.”

Skyla’s eyes returned to Starlight, and for a moment the young alicorn’s face clouded. She bit her lip as she shuffled on her hooves, clearly warring with something behind her blue eyes, but Starlight lifted a hoof and gave her head a shake.

“Don’t worry about me, kid,” she said, doing her best to get some of her former temerity back into her voice. “Go with Princess Luna. It sounds like she’s on a mission or something, and making her wait might not be the best idea we’ve had all day.” Skyla’s brow furrowed, but she nodded after a moment of silence.

“All right... I’ll see you later, Starlight.” She gave Starlight a nod before dashing off towards Luna, her curled tail waving elegantly behind her. Starlight watched her go, her emotions battering one another against the rocky shore of her heart as she managed to give Skyla one last smile when she glanced behind her.

“Behave yourself for the Princess!” she called after the filly, who only managed to give her a small smile of her own before Princess Luna extended a wing over her shoulders and whisked her out of the room with one last apologetic glance at Starlight. The door swung closed behind them, and the click resounded in the empty room like the sonorous tolling of a lych bell. The pink unicorn let out a soft, defeated sigh, and plopped her rump back to the floor as her head drooped low. That was my chance, she thought. My one chance to tell her everything...

Silence rang around Starlight as she sat in the big, empty room, and as the noiseless air wrapped around her like a cloak she felt a shiver lace its way up her spine. This feels like how things used to be, she thought. Still and silent... just me and my thoughts... Her head drooped even lower than before, her ears laying flat against her mane as the silence began to ring in her ears. Before she could get too far into her melancholy, however, the door at the end of the room opened again and Sunburst’s voice rang out through the room.

“Starlight! Thank Celestia that you’re here.” His hoofsteps came towards her at a full gallop, and Starlight only had time to raise her head and blink in confusion as the stallion roared towards her.

“Whoa, whoa, easy there,” she warned, lifting her right hoof towards him as if to ward him off. “If you run me down right now, I might just stay down.” The stallion slid to a halt in front of her, a look of confusion washing across his face.

“You might stay... oooooh...” he winced. “I see... so the Princess came and got Skyla from your class.” His ears drooped. “Am... I to assume that you would have liked it better if she’d stayed?” Starlight’s eyes drifted towards the door, and her hear chest squeezed uncomfortably.

“No, she can do what she wants,” she said dismissively, rising to her hooves. “Don’t worry about that.” She gave him a wry smile. “Did you actually need something, or do you just enjoy plowing into rooms uninvited?”

“Huh? O-oh! Right!” He grinned proudly and stroked his goatee with a hoof. “You know that contingency plan that we were working on?” Starlight’s ears slowly perked up, and her tail swished around her as her eyes widened.

“What about it?” she asked, unable to keep hope from surging to the surface of her words. Sunburst puffed his chest out, straining against his blue robes.

“I figured it out,” he announced. “I thought about what we’d discussed and applied my knowledge of spells against it, and I realized that the answer has been staring us in the face the whole time.”

“And what do you mean by that?” Starlight arched an eyebrow, but Sunburst just grinned and gestured around them.

“Skyla’s been learning an awful lot about magic these past few weeks,” he said softly, placing his hoof back to the ground. “About how hard it is to control... and what happens when it stops being controlled.” Starlight frowned, her mind spinning wildly as she tried to grasp what he meant; when she did, however, her eyes widened again.

“Oh... oh SUNBURST,” she stammered, and the orange stallion nodded eagerly.

“We need to finalize some things, but if all my math is correct,” he lifted a hoof and brushed it against his chest, “and it always is...”

“...then this might actually work,” muttered Starlight with a slow nod. “Yeah... yeah!” She leaped to her hooves and started for the door. “Well, don’t just sit there congratulating yourself! We’re not done with this research yet – not by a long shot!”

“I’m glad you agree!” said the stallion as he briskly rose to follow her. “I’ve already taken the liberty of constructing a monitor that will help us keep our magical studies separate from the castle’s ambient magical output, and-...” He continued to talk in that bustling, excited way that Sunburst did when he was enthusiastic about something, but Starlight didn’t hear him. Her thoughts quickly turned inward, pulling forward all of the calculations that she’d made the last time they’d spoken.

I might not be able to tell Skyla everything, she thought as she pushed the door to the training room open, but I can at least protect the place she calls home... and show everyone that I’m willing to clean up my mistakes.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Princess Luna... what are you doing here?” Skyla’s voice was quiet as they left the training hall behind, her wings fidgeting along her sides as she felt Luna’s feathers brushing her back. “I mean, I’m happy that you are – very happy, in fact – but still... what’s going on?” She turned her head and glanced up at the taller alicorn, who withdrew her wing and gave Skyla a warm smile.

“I’m sorry to intrude on your lesson,” she said, her voice careful and measured, “but I’m afraid that I needed to speak with you quickly, and could not wait another moment.” She quickened her pace for a moment to take the lead, and turned down a side hallway that Skyla knew would take them towards the stairs. “Your journal entry earlier surprised me greatly,” she continued, her hoofsteps clicking slightly louder than Skyla’s on the smooth crystal floor, “and I could not, in good conscience, wait a moment longer to address the issue.” In spite of herself, Skyla felt her ears droop against her mane.

“Ah... I see.” She felt her heart clench in her chest as she turned her gaze towards the floor, and she knew that she couldn’t stop her wings from sagging against her sides. I made her worry, she thought. Dear Celestia... I made her worry enough that she dropped EVERYTHING to come and see me...! Like so much of her life recently, the thought tore Skyla in twain: one part of her was overjoyed that Princess Luna had taken such a visceral interest in her well-being, and the other was horrified that she had pulled one of the reigning royals in Equestria away from her duties with a selfish and self-centered journal entry. She winced behind her bangs and searched for something she could say to dissolve her guilt, but before she could find the words Princess Luna spoke again.

“Be at ease, Skyla – you needn’t feel badly about this.” The pink alicorn lifted her eyes and met the other mare’s brilliant aqua gaze, the Moon Princess’s smile as soft and gentle as moonlight itself. “I asked you to inform me if anything happened, and you did so.” Her words drifted across the empty hall like feathers being chased in the wind, their sounds swirling between their hoofsteps as they moved towards a stairway nearby. In spite of her guilt, Skyla felt her muzzle scrunch as Luna’s words tickled her heart and made her feel sad in a way that she hadn’t expected. “I’m very glad that you did, as a matter of fact,” continued Luna, her voice rising back to her regular, regal tone as she put a hoof onto the stairs and began to climb, “because the issue you have raised is one that requires my immediate and personal attention.” Her wings rustled against her flanks as she frowned at the rising stairs before her, her brow furrowing as if the poor crystal steps had insulted her whole family as far back as memory could go.

“O-oh does it?” Skyla felt an icy sliver of fear slide into the spot just between her shoulder blades as she watched Luna climb. I didn’t realize that having a bad dream would get such a reaction out of her... She felt more questions pile up behind the first one until they spilled down her throat, but she kept her teeth tightly closed as she followed Luna up one flight to the floor above them, where the blue alicorn turned to her right and started moving down the hall at a deliberate pace.

“I’m not certain if Flurry Heart informed you,” Luna said after a few moments of walking in silence, “but here in our version of Equestria, dreams are... a bit different than they may have been in the Crystal Empire.” Skyla’s eyes widened and she hurried forward to walk next to Luna, giving her a nod as the other pony looked at her.

“She mentioned it. She said something like...” she frowned, “something like ’bad dreams don’t just happen here, Skyla’, but she never gave me anything else to go on.” She turned her gaze to Luna just in time to see the alicorn nod, Luna’s eyes focused on the empty hallway ahead of them.

“She’s quite right. Under my watchful eye, all dreams in Equestria tend to be pleasant ones. Now, that is to say that I cannot stop every nightmare – some dreams are bound to come, either through stress or worry or both – but dreams with evil intent, dreams that are meant to dishearten or discourage a pony?” Her eyes narrowed. “I ensure that all such dreams, no matter their origin, are kept from my subjects.” Their hoofsteps filled the hall as Luna’s words fell away, and Skyla had to swallow against a sudden dryness in her throat.

“Does that happen often?” she managed to whisper. “Dreams with evil intent, I mean.”

Luna glanced back at her, and the secrets behind the Moon Princess’s aqua eyes told her everything that she needed to know. A shiver laced its way down her spine with such force that her rump wiggled. I don’t really think I want to know any more about that, she admitted silently.

The pair turned another corner in the expansive castle and stopped before a closed door before Skyla had even truly realized that they had done so. The pink alicorn blinked at the door before casting a confused glance at Princess Luna, her mind whirling for a moment.

“Where are we?” she blurted, and she was ashamed to hear her pinion feathers shake as a shiver hit her once more. To her relief, Luna gave her a small, easy smile before placing a hoof on the doorknob.

“I suppose it would be folly to assume that you know every inch of the Crystal Castle, despite your pedigree,” chuckled Luna. She gave the knob a twist and the door a firm push, allowing it to swing open and reveal a medium sized room inside; there were small bookshelves and a desk that sat at the far end, and around that desk sat Shining Armor and Cadence, their heads close together and their backs towards the entrance. As the door opened to its fullest, the two of them straightened and looked back.

For just a moment, Skyla saw the remnants of a frown across Cadence’s face, but it was gone so quickly that the small alicorn wasn’t completely sure that she’d seen it in the first place.

“Oh good, you’re here.” Cadence’s words were light and easy, but Skyla could see her red-rimmed eyes from the hallway. You’d have to be more blind than a fruit bat to not see it, she thought to herself as Cadence made a quick swipe at her eyes with the back of her left hoof. Despite all that she’d been through with each of the ponies in this room, Skyla’s chest gave a squeeze that reminded her all too well that such situations – minus Luna, of course – had happened before, and that there was a reason that she didn’t immediately recognize this room.

“It’s mother’s study,” she whispered, almost to herself. She squeezed her eyes closed for a heartbeat, and in the darkness of her mind she could see the room once again, though it was very different than the clean, organized study that physically sat before her. In her memories she could see long black and red drapes that covered the window on the far side of the room; she could smell the scent of frozen flesh, of burning incense and parchment, of rotting wood and ill-kept stone; and most of all she could see her mother as clearly as if she’d been standing in front of her, the Queen standing behind her broken desk, her brilliant eyes staring icicles into Skyla’s heart.

“It is Cadence’s study.” Luna’s voice wriggled into Skyla’s memory, the simple correction on who owned the study breaking apart the vision so violently that Skyla opened her eyes with a gasp. The memory of what had been faded away, and slowly the Queen became Cadence and Shining Armor, their eyes full of worry as they watched her. The ruined room seemed to reconstruct itself into the room in which she now stood, though she couldn’t remember actually stepping inside.

“I... ah...” she stammered. Cadence and Shining Armor opened their mouths to speak, but it was Luna’s voice that filled the study.

“Do not be consumed by what has been,” said the Moon Princess softly, and a gentle touch along Skyla’s back told her that the dark alicorn had extended a wing to cover her. “I fear we have much to discuss on that account already, and we cannot lose your focus before we’ve begun.” Skyla turned her gaze to Luna, who offered her a warm, knowing smile. “Let your heart know peace, Skyla – once this discussion is finished and my plan is enacted, I am certain that whatever haunts your dreams will be gone forever.”

A moment of pure silence filled the room, and Skyla felt her heart skip a beat.

“Y... you mean it?” The words slipped from her lips and fell to the floor, and her tone was so childlike and helpless that she felt her pride give a cry of anguish in her soul. Oh boy, just what I need – the ponies who I care about most, looking at me like I’m a child... hooray...

“I do,” declared Luna, and Skyla heard only confidence in her voice as Luna gave her a small smile. “I believe it is time for you to see the other side of my magic, young Skyla – and this time, I believe you shall be most suitably impressed.”

The Paradox of Forgiveness

“Princess Luna?” Skyla's voice was as soft as the moonlight pouring into her room, and she was a little surprised at how far her words seemed to travel in the silent space. Every light in her room was dark, casting every last bit and bauble she possessed into familiar relief against the pale light of the moon.

“Yes, Skyla?” Luna's voice was so soft that Skyla almost didn't hear it, and she had to admit that if things hadn't been absolutely silent in her room, she probably would have missed it. I doubt a mouse could whisper so quietly, she thought with a wry smile.

“So, the plan is that you are going to enter my dreams with me, and take a look from behind the curtain..?”

“Behind the curtain of your dreams, yes.” Luna's smile was audible in her words, and Skyla grasped her covers a little tighter with her hooves.

“And by doing that, you'll be able to see if my nightmares are just nightmares, or if they're something else, right?”

“That is the hope.” She heard Luna sigh and fought the urge to turn her eyes from the ceiling to where the blue alicorn was curled up at the edge of her large bed. “If you do indeed have the same dream, it should be a simple task to determine its origins. Once its origin is known, then we shall make short work of finding a solution.” Skyla shifted in her bed, the soft, welcoming mattress beneath her conforming to the contours of her wings and body.

“Okay... and you think it'll work?” She tried to make her voice as confident as she could, but as soon as the question left her mouth she knew that it was a futile effort. When the question is worried, my tone hardly matters, she thought with a wince. To her relief, however, Luna merely chuckled lightly.

“I do, little one.”

Silence fell between them again, and the squirming, uncomfortable feeling that Skyla had been fighting for what seemed like forever forced words past her lips yet again.

“...Princess Luna?”

“Yes, Skyla?”

“There's one little, tiny, itty-bitty problem with the plan.”

She heard Luna sit up and shift, and when she spoke again her words were full of worry of her own.

“What is it?”

Skyla rolled over and met Luna's gaze, her lip quivering slightly. “I'm not sleepy,” she whimpered.

Silence again filled the room as Luna stared at her in momentary disbelief, the blue alicorn's left eyebrow arched incredulously. For her part, the smaller pink princess winced and tugged her covers up towards her snout, her heart pounding in her ears as she waited for Luna's reply. To her surprise, Princess Luna closed her eyes and chuckled lightly, a sound that spread through the silence like a soft mist and caused Skyla's cheeks to grow hot with embarassment.

“You cannot sleep?” repeated Luna, her ethereal mane shivering next to her as she laughed. “An inconvenient thing, when we are planning to see what your dreams are like.”

“Tell me about it...” Skyla grumbled as she squeezed her eyes shut. “This whole thing rests on me and my ability to sleep, but... here we are. I'm just not tired...” A sigh from Luna tickled her ears, and deep inside her Skyla felt a surge of irritation at the sound; after all, there wasn't anything she could do about not being able to go to sleep. It's not like I'm doing this on purpose, she lamented, her heart pounding in her ears as she felt the bed shift slightly. It's not like I set out to be wide awake when Luna decided it was time for sleep...

Skyla's hooves tightened on her sheets and she pulled them even closer to her face as memories of countless sleepless nights, both in the Crystal Empire and here, floated to the surface of her mind, stirring up her heart and causing her to groan. On nights like this, I'd usually get up and go sit by the window until Flurry Heart came to bother me, she thought. Ironic that her visits have become such a comfort to me... She squeezed her eyes shut a little tighter. But that doesn't help me TONIGHT, she thought as loudly as she could, her thoughts ricochetting off of the inside of her skull. Princess Luna specifically told Flurry not to bother us tonight, and if there's one pony that filly will listen to, it's Luna... which just means that I'm stuck with no way to go to sleep!

The smaller princess huffed loudly into her sheets and flopped onto her other side, her blankets billowing around her as she completed the maneuver; she grasped the edges of the billowed bedclothes once more and tugged them tightly against her body, her determination not to let Luna down overriding her understanding of how sleep worked. That's it – I'm going to lay here and not move until I fall asleep, she told herself firmly. I'm sure if I just stay perfectly still, and control my breathing, that I'll get to sleep eventually. Behind her eyelids she saw a vivid image of the sun, its glowing radiance peeking over the Crystal Kingdom with her still awake and staring at the far wall, and her nose wrinkled as she squeezed her eyes shut even tighter. Nope! No no no, no way is that happening. I think I'd absolutely die if I couldn't go to sleep tonight...

Her thoughts spiraled off into the deep quiet of her bedroom, the form of the words vanishing even if the worry they had conveyed did not. Skyla's left ear flicked once as she listened in the silence as she strained to hear anything from Luna – a stirring, a sigh, whatever it might have been – to show that the other alicorn hadn't suddenly decided that tonight was a bust and left. After several long heartbeats, however, Skyla's question was answered; she felt the bed stir as weight shifted from the far end towards the middle, and she even felt her whole body tip back towards the other side of the room as the weight that she knew was Princess Luna moved closer to her. The weight shifted and settled next to her, and for the briefest of moments Skyla considered saying something; before she could do so, however, she felt a gentle pressure settle across her shoulders and upper body. Her brow furrowed and she cracked one eye open to peer at what is was that had covered her, and to her surprise she saw the midnight blue pinions of the Princess of the Moon herself.

“Be at peace, Skyla,” whispered Luna. “The night is long and full of fear, but you needn't fear anything while I am near.”

Skyla's cheeks warmed as Luna's words floated to her in the darkness and, before Skyla could even choose whether or not to reply, she heard Luna take a long, slow breath.

Then, she began to sing.

Skyla was no stranger to music, of course – her mother hadn't been called 'the Songstress of the North' for no reason – but the songs that her mother had always sung had been loud, outspoken ballads of the Crystal Empire's exploits, or fearful melodies that allowed her to commune with the Wendigos.

Princess Luna's singing was completely different from anything she'd ever heard, and for the first few moments of the song Skyla could feel her brow furrowing. I can hear things that should be words, she thought, her hooves tightening on her bedsheets, but I... I can't quite make them out... Her mind raced as she attempted to translate the sounds she was hearing together into words that she would understand, but after a few fruitless seconds she knew that trying to hear the words was irrelevant; the haunting, beautiful melody that Princess Luna was singing ever so softly did not appear to have any words at all – at least, not words that Skyla had ever heard before.

The lyrics of Luna's song wove their way into Skyla's mind, their ethereal tones drawing forth images inside her head that the young alicorn knew weren't memories or dreams of any kind; rather, as she listened to Luna's gentle voice, she began to see things that she'd never seen before – images that were coming to her directly from the song itself.

Behind her eyes, Skyla saw a lone blue alicorn sitting beneath a full and vibrant moon; the image didn't look real, by any means – the alicorn was stylized, with angled swirls in her mane and tail and small black dots for eyes – but as the tiny alicorn shifted and sighed, Skyla felt as though she were watching a storybook that had come to life. It's so small and precious, she thought, but even as she did so she could feel her conscious musings drifting away as she focused exclusively on the song and the images in her mind.

The small alicorn stood and moved away from the moon, her tiny wings fluttering against her sides as she took to the sky, drifting aimlessly into the heavens as Luna's song floated through every facet of Skyla's mind. The tiny alicorn flitted along simplified treetops and across abstract mountains, her flight leading her farther and farther away from the moon, or so it seemed. When she had flown for what seemed to Skyla to be hours and hours, the tiny alicorn turned back towards the moon and dismayed to see that she hadn't gotten farther away from it; in fact, the moon appeared to be chasing her, rising higher and higher into the sky as it pursued her. The little alicorn dashed across the sky, her tiny wings flapping as fast as they would go, but slowly, steadily, the moon overtook her and headed for the opposite horizon. Skyla felt a smile touch her lips as the tiny alicorn stopped at a cliff overlooking the sea, her mane blowing as she watched the moon slip behind the horizon, the sky brightening as dawn approached, and, as she watched, the little blue alicorn heaved a sigh and turned back the way she had come, a determined look upon her tiny stylized face as she took to the sky once more.

It was a variation of a story that Skyla had heard in her own world, but it had always been one of her favorites when she had been younger and she could still feel the same kind of unblemished enjoyment for it that she had back then. Her smile grew and before she knew it a laugh had formed in her throat and leaped upwards, bouncing off of her lips and into the room where it echoed no small amount of times.

The sound made Skyla clamp her muzzle shut and wince, her wings tensing along her back as she waited for the reprimand that she knew must be coming. Luna's been really nice to me, but even she probably won't sit idly by and not get after me about not going to sleep... The very idea that she may have irritated one of the ponies in this world that she had grown closest to made Skyla feel like she could throw up at any moment, and for several long heartbeats she thought it was inevitable; finally, however, she heard a sound – not the sound of her stomach finally making good on its threats, but rather the soothing, gentle voice of the Moon Princess.

“I'm glad that you found the story to your liking,” said Luna, her words filling the world around Skyla. “I shan't say if it was based upon true events, but I will say that the moon is quite fast when it wishes to be.” Skyla winced again, and a small, apologetic smile touched her lips as she turned towards where Luna had spoken, her eyes still shut.

“I'm really sorry, Luna... I guess I couldn't go to sleep after all,” she muttered with a sigh. A moment of silence passed once more, and this time it was broken by the clear ringing of Luna's musical laughter, its tone crisp, bright, and full of mirth.

“Oh is that so?” Luna's words were warm and relaxed, and full of more happiness than Skyla had ever heard. “Then perhaps you should open your eyes, and tell me more about how 'not asleep' you are.”

Skyla frowned. Why would she tell me to open my eyes if I'm supposed to be asleep? She wondered, but after a moment she let out another sigh and opened her eyes, sure that she was just going to be setting the clock back even farther on their plan.

As she did, however, she was greeted with a soft, ethereal light that seemingly came from nowhere, its glow luminescent enough to chase away even the barest hint of shadows on her body but gentle on her eyes. It was a good thing, too, because once she glimpsed the place in which she stood, she knew that there was no way that she could have closed her eyes again even if she'd wanted to.

She stood among the stars, their twinkling, ethereal beauty even more dazzling than they normally were; swirling galaxies of gold, blue, orange, and white all danced across a backdrop of deep blue and purple, the dance of the heavens set into vibrant motion all around her as she stared up at it, her words stolen before she could even think to say them. Finally, after several stunned moments of silence, she felt Luna step up next to her, and the presence of the other alicorn seemed to flick a switch inside Skyla that brought all of her words back.

“Where... where are we?” she managed to whisper as she turned her eyes to Luna. The blue alicorn smiled as she gave Skyla a coy glance, and for just a moment Skyla swore that Luna was going to ask her to guess. I am not about to start guessing – I really don't want to find out I'm dead. Thankfully, Luna chose not to keep the pink alicorn in suspense for long.

“We are in the realm of dreams,” said Luna wistfully, her gaze rising from Skyla to return to the night sky around them. “This is where all ponies come when they dream, and it is from here that I can reach the dreams of anypony.” She took her hoof from Skyla's shoulder and pointed to the stars above them, her smile broad and her eyes twinkling with life in a way that Skyla had never seen. “Every star is a dream, and into each of them ponies pour their hopes, their struggles, their needs – and it is with that in mind that I watch them and guard them.” She placed her hoof back down onto the darkness below them, and Skyla was surprised to hear a sharp clack, as if Luna had placed her sparkling horseshoe down onto black marble. “I brought you here first so that you would not panic, should I need to pull you from your own dream.”

“Pull me here?” Skyla tilted her head quizzically and arched an eyebrow at Luna. “Why would you bring me here, instead of just waking me up... y'know, just...” she lifted a hoof and waved it in a small circle, “taking me back to the waking world?”

“I could do just that, certainly,” said Luna with a nod, “but being pulled from deep sleep disturbs your rest for the entire night, and I would prefer not to do that to you if I do not have to.” The blue alicorn rustled her wings as she cast her aqua gaze towards the revolving stars above the pair. “If I were to bring you here and leave you – let us say, in a situation where I needed to traipse off further into the dreamscape – you would simply fall into a dreamless, comfortable slumber until morning. It is no danger to you, and you'll awake feeling refreshed.” She brought her eyes back to Skyla, and the smile she gave the smaller alicorn was full of determination. “Additionally, I would have to drag myself back to wakefulness just to wake you, and that would mean that I cannot follow whatever is plaguing your dreams.”

The blue alicorn lifted her horn high, and the deep blue of her magic pulsed to life around it. The color seemed to seep into everything, casting the entire universe into ten thousand shades of blue as Skyla watched. The filly felt a shiver trace its way down her wings as she nervously flicked her tail.

“If you say so, then I'll... I'll trust you.” She took a deep, steadying breath, and did her best not to panic as the starry sky around her began to dissolve into a blue haze, a shimmering, ethereal mist that slowly closed in on the pair. As it did so, a question tickled Skyla's mind, one that she had meant to ask before but had been lost upon her arrival in Luna's dream hub, and with a gasp she spun to face Luna once more. “Princess! What was that song you sang earlier?” she blurted as the galaxies around her faded from view. “I tried to hear the lyrics but I couldn't understand them – what was it?”

As the blue mist filled everything around her, Princess Luna smiled that mysterious smile that seemed made for her. “That song was in the language of the Ancient Alicorns,” she said, her voice growing farther and farther away. “It is magical by nature, and if you could see the story they told, then you understood it. But think no more on that, dear Skyla – your dream comes, and with it, answers.” She heard Luna smile. “I shall be watching over you, so do not be afraid.”

Skyla felt the ground beneath her disappear, but she didn't feel scared. She didn't throw her wings open and try to fly, either; instead, she felt her body lift upwards, seemingly of its own accord, and float towards what had once been the sky as the reality around her shifted and warped. A star appeared in the blue mist above Skyla, and in a flash she was enveloped by it; the mist disappeared, as did all sensation, and as darkness closed around her she felt a squeeze in her chest and, despite Luna's reassurance, a flash of trepidation that followed her into the void.

~*~*~*~*~

For the first time since she had started having this nightmare, Skyla could feel the pull of the dream around her, like she was laying atop a huge piece of fabric that was shifting and trying to get her to roll a certain way. She knew exactly what was supposed to happen next, and every fiber of her being screamed at her to fight against the flow of the dream. She shifted on her hooves and forced herself to look over to where her mother stood, the other alicorn's light pink coat resplendent even in the weak light of a winter sun.

To her shock and surprise, her mother was not staring up at the sky, as she had been every time before this; instead, the other alicorn's piercing gaze was locked upon Skyla, her eyes as hard as diamonds and as cold as any winter Skyla had ever felt.

“Have you thought about the math question I asked you last time?” Her mother's voice pierced the dream around her, filling up the hazy, snowy landscape of the Crystal Empire with the same kind of fear and power that had followed her in life. Skyla's ears flattened against her mane and she lowered her head on instinct, a supplicating gesture that she had learned very early in her life to placate her mother. As she did so, however, she glanced beyond the parapet towards where she knew the city should be, and saw that it was only the blurry boundaries of a dream: her dream.

With an audible swallow, Skyla slowly raised her head and forced her ears up and out of their hiding places, facing the specter of her mother with defiance that she could feel from her hooves to her eyes.

“I have, as a matter of fact,” she answered, her words as strong as she could make them. They still quavered at the edges, and she could feel her pinions shivering as she remembered the cold of the Empire, but she stood her ground as she stared up into Queen Cadence's frigid eyes. “It's haunted me every moment since you asked.” The Queen's lips curled into a smile, though it lacked any warmth to speak of, and for a moment Skyla saw the other Cadence standing next to the Queen, her smile as warm as the summer sun. “It has made me afraid, and even caused me to act poorly around those I've come to care most about.”

The Queen rolled her eyes and snorted. “Spare me the sob story,” she grumbled, and hearing such harsh words said in the voice of a pony that Skyla had come to know as kind and compassionate caused the hair at the back of her neck to stand on end. It almost doesn't seem real, she thought, even though I knew my mother for longer... it feels so unnatural to hear Princess Cadence's voice saying things like this...

“Oh I'll spare you the story,” retorted Skyla, her wings rising slightly off of her back as she took a half step forward, “but the only reason I'll do it is because I don't want you to know!” She finished her step forward and lifted her right hoof, swiping it through the air in front of her as her courage rose. “I don't want you to know the grief you've caused me, or the pain, or the sorrow!” Her hoof found the stone beneath her again as she took another step towards the Queen, her tail lashing at her flanks.

Luna told me to stay calm, shouted a voice from the back of her mind, and not to forget the reason we're doing this! It was right, of course – this whole setup was so that Luna could find out who, or what, was manipulating Skyla's dream and causing old nightmares to crop up once again – but for the first time, Skyla could feel the dream. She could do something other than be dragged along with it, and it was an opportunity that she suddenly realized she didn't want to lose out on. I'm never going to be able to tell my mother these things to her face, so I...

“I'll spare you the details of how scared I was when I was back in the Empire, or how I was desperate enough to escape that I literally tore a hole in the universe and escaped into a new reality!” She grated her hoof against the stone, her eyes burning hot as her vision blurred with tears. “I won't tell you how much I hate you! I won't tell you how much I despise you, or how much I...!” Her throat closed around the words, and she gave her head a shake as she hiccuped. “How much I just... wished that you would stop fighting with Aunt Twilight... how much I just wanted... to have a normal life, with you and Father...” The next hiccup became a sob, and Skyla squeezed her eyes shut as years and years of emotions suddenly came pouring out at this facsimile of her mother. “How much I hated you,” she whispered, “...how much I loved you...”

The wind swirled around Skyla as her words trailed off, her ears ringing as her pain and grief filled her heart, mind, and soul. She hadn't wanted Princess Luna to see her break down like this in front of some image of her mother, especially after all of the positive progress she'd made with Princess Cadence over the past few weeks, but finally hearing her mother's words, her mother's tone again, and having the stark juxtaposition of her behavior against Princess Cadence had triggered a response that Skyla hadn't even thought was possible.

Several long moments passed with nothing but the sound of Skyla's quiet crying atop the lonely parapet of the Crystal Castle, the wind and the snow all but silent counterparts to her heartache. She felt hot and weak, and she could feel her knees beginning to wobble as tears poured down her cheeks.

I thought I was beyond this, she thought from deep within herself. I thought that I'd made my peace with this, and had decided to forget all about mother and her awfulness... I guess I was wrong.

Finally she sniffled and lifted her head, swiping a hoof across her eyes as she did so. “Does that answer your question?” she croaked, her throat swollen even in her dream. “Are you satisfied?”

Around her, the wind slowed to a stop. The snow faded away and the chill of the north was replaced by a strange, almost overpowering warmth that caused Skyla to wince in spite of herself. As she forced her eyes back open, she watched as the hazy quality of the dream faded away into an image of sharp, crystalline clarity; in a matter of moments, she found herself standing in a much more realistic looking Crystal Kingdom, so crisp and clear that Skyla felt her chest tighten at the realism of it. With slow, jerky motions, she turned her gaze back to the parapet and focused her eyes back on the dream of her mother, who stood staring daggers into her.

No, not a dream of her mother.

Her mother.

“I am not satisfied,” she said, and this time her words were as sharp and clear as anypony that Skyla had spoken to in the past month. “The fact that you would speak in such a way to me, your own mother... it's unbelievable.” She jerked her head to the side and clicked her tongue angrily, a sound that made Skyla jump. “Impertinent girl...”

Skyla's eyes felt as though they would bulge out of her head, and before she could stop herself she scrambled backwards on the stone, her hooves slipping and sliding along the smooth surface. Queen Cadence straightened and stood tall, her cold, imperious smile returning to her lips as she took a step towards the smaller alicorn.

“I asked you how long it would take for the Queen to find her wayward princess,” she said, her words soft yet full of venom. “And the answer was simple: a much shorter time than the princess would have liked.” Her smile grew, and her blue eyes flashed eagerly as Skyla felt her stomach drop into her hooves.

“H-h-how..?!” she managed to wheeze, her tail tucking itself firmly between her hind legs as she backed further away from her mother. “H-how did you find me..? I... everything I did was perfect..!”

“Oh it certainly was,” agreed the Queen with a small nod. “In fact, I had all but given up hope of ever finding my precious little war leader ever again, but then, just like magic, my diviners were able to find you again!” She took another step forward, and this time the area around them shrank, pulling Skyla bodily towards the Queen despite her attempts to back away. “They said that it must have been that you opened yourself back up to me, or at least to the idea of me... is that what you did, you poor, misguided little girl?”

Skyla's eyes widened, and a veil of horror settled over her heart as she realized what her mother was saying. “Oh... oh by Saint Celestia... I...” She sat down onto her rump and lifted both of her front hooves to her head, pressing them firmly beneath her horn as her eyes filled with hot, angry tears yet again. “I didn't mean to, I..!”

The light of the dream suddenly grew dark, and Skyla felt herself be pulled towards the Queen once more. “But you DID,” the Queen sang, her words as cheerless as a funeral march and as dark as the hour before dawn. “You brought me right back to you, my stupid little daughter, and sooner than you think, I'm going to get you back into this world – YOUR WORLD – and you're going to finish what you started!” Her wings extended, the inner feathers of her once beautifully pink wings a marbled patchwork of white and black that seemed to draw Skyla deeper and deeper into their mournful depths.

“Soon..?” Skyla brought her gaze back to her mother's eyes, her throat as dry as any desert. “How soon?!”

Queen Cadence's eyes glowed a sinister blue, and her voice filled Skyla's world. “Within the week,” she boomed, her words seeming to draw Skyla closer still to where she stood. “Less than a week, my daughter, and you will be mine once more!”

Skyla skidded closer to her mother, unable to stop her momentum, and with all that she had she let loose one final scream, a cry of terror and agony that embodied the last hope that she had.

“LUNAAAAAA!!!!”

In an instant, she felt as though a rope had fastened around her middle and yanked her backwards, pulling her away from her mother, the parapet, and the Crystal Kingdom. She sailed into the sky, outside of the realm of crisp lines and back into the haze of dreams; the light grew brighter and brighter around her, then suddenly plunged into blackness as the feeling of momentum grew faster, and faster, and faster...

~*~*~*~*~*~

With an audible whump, Skyla slammed into her mattress and rebounded, bouncing her off the fluffy surface and directly into Luna, who caught her with both front legs outstretched. The pink alicorn's heart raced in her chest, and she could still feel the tears on her cheeks as she struggled against Luna's grasp and the wrap of the blankets still around her.

“NO! NO I WON'T GO BACK!!” she screamed, her words strangled and strained. “Sh-she can't make me!! I..!”

“Hush, child,” came Luna's soothing tones, her hooves holding Skyla tightly against her. “Hush... everything is fine... you're safe...”

Slowly, Skyla stopped thrashing. Her movements became lethargic, and after several tense heartbeats she stopped moving altogether. Silence fell over the the pair, but soon the sound of gentle crying filled Skyla's bedroom as Luna held her snugly against her, doing the only thing she could think to do. The blue alicorn stroked Skyla's mane as she whispered soothing words to her, her own eyes filled with tears as she felt the smaller alicorn shaking against her.

Finally, despite her rude awakening, Skyla soon fell back to sleep in Luna's grasp, and the blue alicorn decided that it would be best if she simply stayed there.

We have much to discuss on the morrow, Luna thought as she settled Skyla back down onto her mattress, the tracks of her tears still obvious upon her cheeks. The blue alicorn reached out with a hoof, hesitated, then stroked Skyla's mane once more, brushing it out of her face and back behind her ear and neck. There was so much trauma in that dream... so much pain and fear. She sighed. Do not fear, Skyla. Whatever happens... I shall not abandon you. Her brow furrowed into a frown.

I must speak to Celestia, and first thing on the morrow. There is little time... so little time.

Dividing Lines

Knock knock knock.

The sound slid through the darkness of Starlight Glimmer's room and coiled around her head like a snake, each rap squeezing her brain like an orange being juiced. The unicorn hissed beneath her covers and pulled all of her blankets tighter around her body, every ounce of her being screaming to stay right where she was. Who could be knocking at this hour, anyway? She thought blearily as she nestled deeper into her bed. My alarm is set for just after sunrise, and if it hasn't gone off then I'm not getting up... I'm sure they'll just give up and go away if I don't answer. Her lips curved into a self-satisfied smile as she relaxed again, letting the soothing touch of her bed and blankets draw her back towards sleep. It's probably just Sunburst being paranoid again, anyway...

Knock knock knock knock knock.

Starlight's eyes shot open in the dark, and her hooves clenched her blankets tight as anger washed over her as her head throbbed again. No, it's FINE – keep knocking! It's not like I was up really late going over the intricacies of inter-planar magic dispersal! Really! No, please, don't put yourself out by NOT knocking! She sighed sharply and rolled over onto her left side, the blankets pulled even tighter around her. I know Sunburst still had issues with my theories when we stopped for the night, but I swear to Celestia and all that is good in this world that I will end him if he's back before dawn to hash out the minutia. Her eyes stared angrily towards the source of the sound, even though she knew that no less than two walls sat between her and the door to her rooms. Don't knock, she thought as hard as she could. Don't knock don't knock don't knock... just go away and let me sleep, for Celestia's sake...

Her right ear twitched above her and she unconsciously held her breath, drawing the room around her into complete silence. Only the sound of her own heartbeat thrummed in her head as she waited one moment, then two for the knock that she hoped wouldn't come. Two moments turned into three, and when the fourth came she exhaled and smiled. Aaah... good. They went awa-,

KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK.

With a curse that would have caused Discord to do a double take, Starlight Glimmer's horn flared to life in the darkness and threw her blankets off of her, wadding the bedclothes into a ball and throwing them into a corner as she rolled out of bed and onto her hooves, her brow creased with a murderous frown. She stormed to her bedroom door and slammed it open with her hooves, the impact echoing in the hallway as she stepped out and turned left. Her annoyance ricocheted off the walls as she stomped through her dining area, and she could feel the tension growing along her shoulders and back as she approached her door like a hurricane bearing down upon a coastline.

“This had better be important!” she snarled as her magic grabbed the doorknob, twisted it viciously, and yanked the door open so quickly that it caused her mane to flutter in its wash. “WHAT?!”

Her glare seemed to freeze Flash Sentry into place, his wings half spread and his left front leg lifted and held across his chest as if to protect himself from her wrath. The yellow pegasus met her gaze, and Starlight could see the beads of sweat that decorated his brow beneath his golden helm.

“Ah... i-it is..?” he stammered, his posture still as tense as a bowstring. Starlight's frown deepened, her lips pressed together so hard that they became a single thin line across her face. Inside, she felt a pang of sympathy for Flash and shame at herself for how angry she had been, but the flames of her anger still licked the bottom of her patience, and that kettle had long ago come to a boil.

“What is it, Sentry?” she asked, her voice deadpan. “I'm trying to sleep off some late night research here.” The guardspony blinked at her for a moment, as if he couldn't decide whether he was going to actually deliver the message or make an escape, but after a heartbeat or two he finally sighed and lowered his left leg, turning to face Starlight squarely.

“I'm sorry to hear that you had a late night, Starlight,” he said, “but Princess Cadence has sent me to get you.”

Starlight blinked. “The Princess...?” She gave her head a slow shake. “Why... why right now? I mean, I know Princess Cadence gets up early, but this is ridiculous – if this is when royalty gets up in the morning, let them know that other ponies don't.” She held his gaze in her own as she took a tentative step backwards, testing to see if he'd let her just slip back into her room and catch what little sleep may still be lingering around her bed; as soon as she moved, however, Flash lifted a hoof and gave it a shake.

“N-no, this isn't when the Princess or Shining Armor usually get up.” His wings fidgeted against his armor, and Starlight felt her brain click into gear as Flash dropped his hoof back to the floor and pointedly glanced away from her.

“...it's Skyla, isn't it.” It wasn't a question.

Flash's eyes returned to Starlight, and the silence that fell between the two ponies told Starlight everything that she needed to know.

All of the anger that had been burning inside of Starlight snuffed out as quickly as it had started, and it left in its place a cold, sinking pit in the bottom of her stomach. She stepped out of her room, grabbing her door in her magic and pulling it closed behind her as she gave Flash a nod.

“Let's go,” she said briskly. “You can explain on the way.”

“Gotcha.” He looked at her askance as he turned to walk next to her, his brow furrowed beneath his helm. “Shining Armor did say that you didn't have to come if you didn't want to, but the Princess seemed pretty adamant that you-,”

Flash's words slowly faded in Starlight's mind as she stared ahead of her, her blue eyes locked onto the floor in front of her as the pair moved. She couldn't explain how she knew that this had to do with Skyla, but she did: everything inside of her was screaming that something didn't feel right, and that she needed to see Skyla as soon as possible. As she passed into one of the outer halls with Flash, she glanced out the window and saw that the eastern sky was beginning to brighten, but the sun had yet to make its morning debut. The sight of the predawn sky made her resolve falter just slightly, the memory of her warm and comfortable bed beckoning her to return to its soft and loving folds, but with a sigh she turned her eyes back to the hallway before her, her ears up and alert as her tail lashed her flanks, willing her to go faster.

If Skyla needed me, I'd stop sleeping altogether, she thought firmly. I... I can't let her down. I won't. I have to do everything I can, and if she needs me right now, then sleep can burn in Tartarus. She inhaled deeply, taking in the crisp early morning air as Flash turned them towards Princess Cadence's personal study.

Everything can burn in Tartarus, as long as she's okay.

The rest of Flash and Starlight's journey to the study was filled with silence as Starlight's mind churned with what-ifs and worries, and Flash seemed eager to let her have the space that she so clearly needed. Thankfully, their walk was not a long one, and Starlight found herself standing before the door to Cadence's study before she knew it. She blinked slowly as she came back to the present, her gaze focusing once more on Flash, who stood with one hoof on the door and his eyes on her.

“You back with us, brains?” he asked softly, and Starlight felt her mind slam into gear with a frown.

“Don't call me 'brains',” she said, but the words didn't come out as forcefully as she would have hoped; instead of exploding against him and making him regret the nickname, they floated from her lips and seemed to fizzle out halfway to the stallion, leaving her glaring at him as he nodded.

“Apologies,” he said, his tone suddenly all business. “I only meant to see if you were prepared to go in...” his gaze found hers again, and Starlight leaned back on her hooves at the seriousness in his blue eyes, “...because you can go back to bed if you're not.”

A burst of anger filled Starlight's stomach, and she made herself settle back squarely onto her hooves before giving him a roll of her eyes. “Don't be stupid – of course I'm ready to go in.” She gestured towards the door and gave the guardspony a withering glare. “Open the door, dimwit, and let me see what's going on.”

She felt the mocking name leave her tongue, and internally she winced. Starlight... this is not productive when it's directed at ponies you have to work with! she reminded herself, a knot in her stomach snuffing out the angry fire she'd felt earlier. As she watched Flash, however, she didn't see even a hint of anger or pain cross his face; instead, a steely smile slid onto his lips, and he gave her a firm nod.

“Good.” He pushed the door open and used his right wing to gesture for her to enter. “Best of luck, Starlight.”

The unicorn arched an eyebrow at the pegasus as she moved past him, her gaze lingering on him as she did so. ...what was up with that? she wondered. Flash is always so good-natured... why did he have to go and get all confrontational on me? Flash caught her gaze once more as he shifted to close the door behind her, and the look in his eyes made the hair at the base of Starlight's mane stand on end.

Because there was no mistaking the fear in the stallion's gaze.

The door clicked shut, drawing Starlight back into the real world once more, and with a shake of her head she turned to face the study again. Princess Cadence, Shining Armor and Princess Luna all stood together around Cadence's desk where two books were propped open to show Princess Celestia and Princess Twilight's faces upon the pages, clearly looking through them in real time.

“Ah, Starlight, I am glad that you decided to join us,” said Luna and there was no hint of reprimand in her voice – instead, Starlight could hear relief painting her words just as surely as the early morning sun was painting its colors over the city outside. Starlight swallowed audibly and moved to the desk, her heart suddenly hammering in her ears.

“Sure, no problem... so, what's going on?” She glanced around the room once more before turning her gaze to Shining Armor and Princess Cadence, her somber expression deepening into a frown. “Is Sunburst going to be needed for this meeting, or..?”

“I sent someone to get Sunburst, but he went back to his house in the city. Considering how late he was here last night and the distance to his house, I'd say we can expect him in twenty minutes or so. We planned to start when you got here,” Shining said, and his tone set the hair at the base of Starlight's mane on edge. I've dealt with Shining Armor in some pretty dire circumstances, and it's pretty rare of him not to wear a smile. The white stallion met her gaze with a soldier's poise and composure, and the lack of any kind of emotion on the face of the normally boisterous Prince made the uneasy feelings in Starlight's stomach ice over.

“Okaaay...” Starlight's jaw clenched as she turned to face Princess Luna, who met her gaze squarely and with no hesitation. “I take it this is going to be something pretty important if we're dragging everypony out of bed at the crack of dawn?”

Luna straightened and nodded. “Oh, I assure you that it is of the utmost importance. Dire importance, in fact.” She took a few steps away from the desk so that everypony, including Celestia and Twilight as they looked on through their books, could see her. “As most of you already know, Skyla has been having nightmares for several days that have been causing her no small amount of distress. She wrote to me and asked for help on the matter, and – after discussing the matter with Cadence and Shining Armor – I set out last night to enter Skyla's dreams and assist her in solving the problem.” Her expression darkened, and Starlight felt the prickle of bile at the back of her throat. “What I discovered was, unfortunately, a greater problem than I had expected...”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

This can't be real. It was the only cohesive thought that Cadence could grasp onto as Luna recounted her experience in the dreamscape, and the more information Luna gave, the more that thought grew louder and louder in Cadence's mind. Everything Twilight had said, everything that Sunburst and Starlight had said, all of it had pointed to this not being possible; every ounce of their research had indicated that most they had to fear was Skyla simply not being happy in this new world, and that all Cadence and Shining Armor needed to do was be a family to her to make everything better. This can't be real... it just can't be...

“...and that where we find ourselves,” concluded Luna finally, her wings shifting against her sides as she turned to face everypony in the room squarely once more. “Queen Cadence has declared in no uncertain terms that she will come to claim Skyla in less than one week's time.” She turned to take in the images of Aunt Celestia and Twilight, who both wore expressions as grave as Luna's. “I'm certain that I do not have to tell you how dire this threat is,” she said, and both holographic ponies shook their heads.

“No, I think her intentions were loud and clear,” muttered Twilight, her ears flattening against her mane. “What I don't understand is exactly what she thinks this will accomplish. I mean, Skyla clearly doesn't want to go back with her, right?” Luna nodded, her mane bouncing confidently.

“The first thing that Skyla said to me after the dream ended was 'I don't want to go back',” she confirmed, “so I believe that it is safe to say that she would rather do anything but.” She turned to Celestia's image. “Sister, I know that this is something that we discussed in private... yet I find myself hesitant to ask for your assistance in this.” Her wings rustled against her back and her tail gave an uncharacteristic lash, the stars suspended in it twinkling merrily in spite of her mood. “I know you have much to attend to in Canterlot, but-,”

“I will be there tomorrow morning.” Celestia's words cut off Luna's, and a wave of relief washed over Luna's features as she sighed.

“...thank you, Celestia.”

“Oh please, Luna – do you believe that I would leave my sister, my niece, and everypony in the Crystal Kingdom to try and fend off this menace without me?” Her wings flashed through the bottom of the image, and Cadence was surprised by the fierce look in her aunt's eyes. “I would never abandon my family or my allies like that, so you rest assured that I will be there to help.” Luna nodded once more before turning her eyes back to Twilight, her lips pressed into a thin line.

“Twilight Sparkle, the next question is for you. We do not know what kind of force the Crystal Empire will try to bring through a portal into our world, so it is difficult to make a decision on the kinds of force we should meet them with.” She gestured to Shining Armor. “Your brother will undoubtedly have his guards prepared to defend his kingdom at a moment's notice, and with myself, Celestia, and Cadence here, there will be three alicorns to defend the Kingdom as well.” A throat cleared itself on the other side of the room and all eyes turned towards Starlight Glimmer, who shrugged and sighed.

“It's fine, don't even worry about counting me in,” she said, sarcasm dripping from her words. “I've just been spending every waking moment thinking about what we could do in this situation, so I'm probably not even worth talking to...”

Cadence winced as Luna's wings bristled, her normally serene teal eyes suddenly burning. Oh, that is a bad tone to take with Aunt Luna...

“Starlight Glimmer,” Luna began, her words seeming to sear the air around her as she spoke, “I would be delighted to hear your opinions on the defense of the Crystal Kingdom, but it will be when I choose to hear it, and not a moment before.” Her eyes narrowed. “Do you understand me?” The pink unicorn's eyes widened as her mouth flashed open, and Cadence was sure she could see the fire that Starlight was ready to spit back at Luna, but Shining Armor stepped into the fray before she could speak.

“Unfortunately, Starlight, I have to agree with Princess Luna,” he said calmly. “She's clearly driving at a point here, and I'd hate to derail her and have her forget something.” He offered Starlight a half-smile. “We're all stressed out here, and we're all going to have to take a little extra time to make sure that we're not making enemies of our friends.” He threw a glance at Luna that wasn't much different than his normal glances, but Cadence had to stifle a smile as she watched his blame spread between both of the other mares. Starlight's mouth slowly shut, her eyes still glaring daggers at the blue alicorn, but after a moment she nodded.

“Fine,” she grumbled, and Shining gave her a grateful nod.

“Thanks, Starlight.” He gestured to Luna and took a step back to stand next to Cadence once more. “Continue please, Luna.”

The blue alicorn gave him a cool, appraising stare for a brace of heartbeats, and for a brief moment Cadence thought that Luna was going to ignore his request and give the stallion an earful in the same way she'd just done with Starlight. Cadence tensed, her already aching neck muscles twinging like steel cables in a stiff wind as a silent battle waged behind Luna's eyes; finally, an eternity later, Luna gave her head a shake and turned back to Twilight.

“As I was saying: Twilight Sparkle, do you believe that the Elements of Harmony should be called into service? Should you bring yourself and your friends here along with the Elements?” Twilight frowned, and her right hoof rose into view as she tapped it against her chin.

“The Elements,” she mused. “Hmmm... I honestly don't think so.” She dropped her hoof back to the floor and turned her attention back to Luna. “I'd much rather have the Elements be a backup plan, something that can be used if the Crystal Empire decides that they're going to try and stay here, or worse.” Twilight nodded, almost to herself. “In fact, as long as we have the forces in the Crystal Kingdom that we do, I think that amassing any other power there is superfluous, be it troops or other powerful beings with whom we have a... passing peace.” Cadence watched the image of her aunt chuckle.

“You mean Discord,” said Celestia, and Twilight winced.

“YES, I mean Discord,” agreed Twilight. “He may be one of the most powerful beings outside of the alicorns that we have on our side, and he MAY have come through for us in the past, but I'll be cursed to the gates of Tartarus if I ask for his help before we really, really need it.” She tossed her mane, her frown seeming to touch all of her face at once. “No Discord. He can help out if the Elements are pulled into the situation, and not a second earlier.”

“I have to agree,” sighed Shining Armor. “It's going to be hard to warn the crystal ponies about this without creating a panic as it is, and having the incarnation of pure chaos show up probably wouldn't help the situation.” He gave his sister a nod and, not for the first time, Cadence was relieved to have him in her life. Twilight has become very reliable in her alicornhood, but Shining truly has grown into quite the Prince, she thought, a smile tugging at her lips. And he's become just the stallion I need. Cadence let out a small sigh and turned back to the books, her gaze finding Twilight's own.

“Will you be returning to the Crystal Kingdom as well?” she asked. “I know that I'd feel much better if you were here, Twilight.” The purple alicorn nodded, her mane bobbing confidently.

“You bet. I can't stay indefinitely, but if there's a time limit of a week on this backwards invitation that Queen Cadence has given us then I'm sure I can clear my schedule for that long.” She turned away from the group and shouted, “SPIKE! Bring me a new quill – we've got a list to make!” In the background, Cadence heard the small purple dragon groan in existential agony, and Twilight scoffed. “Don't listen to him, he loves it,” she murmured into the book. “I'll also try to be there tomorrow,” she said in a normal tone as she moved back away from the image. “Can't waste time when there's a possible invasion imminent.” Her eyes found Cadence, and the smaller alicorn gave Cadence a reassuring smile. “Don't worry, Cadence; we'll figure this out, and we'll make sure that the Kingdom is safe. I'm sure that Starlight Glimmer and Sunburst already have a plan to deal with this, so we'll discuss it once I'm there and make any minor changes that might need to be made.” Cadence nodded, and the muscles in her neck felt like they loosened up just by speaking with the other alicorn.

“I'm sure you're right, Twilight. Thank you... for being you,” she said, and she hoped that Twilight couldn't see the tears of relief that were threatening to escape from the corners of her eyes. Thankfully, if Twilight saw them she gave no indication, and with one final nod she closed the book on her end, causing the book on Cadence's desk to close, as well.

“Twilight's right,” said Aunt Celestia from her own book. “We'll figure out a solution once we're all together, and then everything will be just fine, you'll see.” She offered Cadence a reassuring smile before reaching out with her hoof and closing her book just as Twilight had. The pink alicorn let out a sigh of relief before turning her purple eyes back to the group in her office, and for the first time that morning she felt her head clear. It's fine, she told herself. Aunt Celestia, Aunt Luna, Twilight, Shining, Sunburst, and Starlight will be there with me, and I'm sure that there's nothing in this world that can stand up to all of us. She took a deep breath and held it for a pair of heartbeats before exhaling, letting her worries go with the exhales and drawing in fresh strength with the inhales as she repeated the process several times. Just focus on defense, and you'll get through this. After several long sets of her breathing exercise, Cadence turned back to Starlight Glimmer, who looked like she could have bitten a hole through the desk next to which she sat. The unicorn had perched herself upon a chair and sat with her elbow on the desktop, staring adamantly at the wall near the door and, for all intents and purposes, ignoring everypony else in the room, her lips pursed in the most impatient look that Cadence had ever seen. And that's saying something – I have a young daughter, thought Cadence wryly.

“Starlight, you had something to add?” prompted Cadence. “If you'd like to speak about it now, I would love to hear it.” Starlight's ear twitched, but she remained adamantly disengaged from the group. Cadence let the silence stand for several long seconds before clearing her throat. “Ah, Starlight..?” she said gently, and this time Starlight turned to face her, the unicorn's bright blue eyes ablaze with anger.

“Oh, do I finally have permission to speak?” she snapped. “I was under the impression that Princess Luna had put me into a time-out, and that I had to wait for her to-,” A loud slam echoed from the other side of the room, and Cadence's head snapped around to see Aunt Luna, her hoof still atop the book that she'd pounded to the floor.

“Get out,” she growled at Starlight, and for the first time in her life Cadence saw true anger in the eyes of the normally placid Princess of the Night. Luna's teal eyes boiled as she stared at Starlight Glimmer, and the pink unicorn let out a sigh before turning to the blue alicorn.

“All right, hold your horses – I'm not trying to start a problem, I just really need to talk about the project that Sunburst and I have been working on. It's really-,”

“Did I STUTTER, Starlight Glimmer?!” Now Luna's words rose to fill the entire room, and Cadence felt the light from the morning sun seem to dim as Luna spread her wings. “You have disrespected me with your asinine displays of childish petulance, and now you would seek to use the same tactics to insert your opinions into our plans?!” The blue alicorn took a step forward, and Cadence flinched as her hoof pounded upon the smooth stone, its sound echoing unnaturally. “GET OUT,” she commanded again, “and do not return to our meetings unless you are invited once more.”

Starlight's mouth dropped open in absolute shock, but if she had planned to make an argument in her favor, it never materialized; instead, after staring at Luna for several heartbeats, the unicorn rose and hopped down from her chair, her curled mane and tail twitching with anger as she hurried to the door and exited the study, slamming the heavy wooden door hard enough as she went that objects on Cadence's walls shook and shivered as she did so. Silence fell in the study, and it was several long seconds before Luna lowered her wings and the light returned to normal.

“I... apologize,” she whispered, “but I cannot abide such self-centered nonsense... not at a time like this.”

“Starlight Glimmer is self-centered,” agreed Cadence as she turned to face Luna directly, “but she is also brilliant.” An ember of anger flared to life in Cadence's belly, but she took yet another deep breath before speaking again. “I understand that you are upset, Aunt Luna, but please understand that I am also very, very upset.” Her throat squeezed as the tears that had threatened her before returned, and she had to clear her throat before she continued. “I am upset,” she repeated, a little more forcefully than before, “but I also understand that we are going to have to stay calm, and rational, and united to defeat this threat.” She lifted her hoof and pressed it against her chest. “I have to, Shining has to...” she moved her hoof until it was pointed at her Aunt, “and you are going to have to, as well.”

The blue alicorn's chest puffed up indignantly, but Cadence's gaze did not waver and, after only a matter of seconds, her aunt slowly deflated.

“...I apologize,” Luna repeated, and Cadence dropped her hoof back to the floor.

“I'm not the one you should be apologizing to.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The door slammed behind Starlight Glimmer, her magic flashing in the hallway as she turned back towards her room. “I'm disrespecting HER?! I don't have to sit around there and be disrespected myself!” she snarled, her hoofsteps as sharp as breaking glass in the silent morning castle. “I don't have to take that! SHE,” the unicorn pointed back towards the study, “SHE is the one who asked for MY help, not the other way around! SHE asked ME!” She slammed her hoof back to the stone beneath her, a frown twisting her features so mightily that she thought they might stay that way. “Stupid alicorn, stupid plans!! The only pony who knows what she's doing in there is TWILIGHT, and she wasn't even really HERE today so NOPONY knew what they were doing in there today!! UGH!!!” She threw her head back and actually growled, a sound that she never thought she would make. I feel like I could bash my way through a wall of this castle, she thought as she rounded a corner, her anger making her physically hot as she stalked. I hope that I never have to lay eyes on that snooty blue alicorn ever again! She didn't even take the time to listen to what I had to say!

“I mean, I didn't exactly wait to listen to what she had to say,” she muttered hotly, “but that doesn't mean she couldn't have listened to me! I mean...” Her hoofsteps slowed, and her features softened. “...I didn't wait and listen to her... so why should she listen to me..?” Starlight Glimmer winced and she cursed under her breath, her anger rushing back to fill her mind yet again. Great job, Starlight... really killing it with the teamwork today. I'm sure Twilight will be SUPER thrilled to hear about it...

“I can't believe you would use that kind of language in the castle, Starlight,” said a stallion's voice, and Starlight was yanked from her inner thoughts so forcefully that she let out a small scream as her hooves scrambled against the stone. She threw herself against the nearest wall as she spun to face the source of the words and, as her gaze fell upon a familiar white and orange stallion, she felt her heart start beating once again as air rushed to fill her terror-paralyzed lungs.

“Discord's teeth, Sunburst!” she wheezed. “Did... didn't your mother ever teach you not to sneak up on ponies?!” Sunburst frowned at her, his glasses glinting in the morning sunlight.

“I think she taught us both that lesson, actually,” he said with a tilt of his head. “But I'm not sure what bearing that has on the language you were just using... and why aren't you at the meeting? I was just on my way there. Apparently there's some pretty dire stuff going on, and-,”

Starlight stepped away from the wall and sighed. “I was just leaving the meeting,” she said, and Sunburst let out a sigh of his own.

“What did you do?” he asked.

“ME?!” Starlight spun to face him, the curl of her mane bobbing angrily. “Why does everypony assume that I'm the one who starts these fights?!”

“So there was a fight, huh?” Sunburst sighed and pressed his right hoof to his glasses before shaking his head. “Look, it really doesn't matter – all that matters is that we have to tell them all about our plan so that they can take it into consideration as they plot the defense of the Crystal Kingdom.” He took a step down the hall towards Cadence's study. “Come on back, Starlight, I'm sure that they'll let you-,”

Sunburst's tail snapped straight out behind him, its length enveloped in a sheet of bright blue magic as Starlight's horn illuminated the hallway.

“I don't think so, smarty-hooves,” she grumbled. “Those ponies have their own plans to make, and as long as ours is ready, they'll be able to use it if they need it.” She started back towards her room, Sunburst's hooves scraping discordantly along the smooth stone as she dragged him along.

“But Starliiiiight, I wanted to go to the super-secret meeting...” he grumbled, and the mare rolled her eyes.

“I'll fill you in on the details,” she sighed. “The important thing right now is to have our plan ready... in case the worst should happen.” She heard Sunburst sigh, but he didn't struggle against her magical pull.

“Before we start testing, I have to fiddle with the magic detector we built. It was giving me funny readings last night before we stopped testing.” Starlight frowned.

“Funny how?”

“Just some highs and lows that were outside the norm. Probably just echoes of our tests.”

“Did you take into account the Faraneigh effect?”

“Of course I did, Starlight – I'm a royal scholar, I don't forget things like that.” Sunburst adjusted his glasses as Starlight dragged him along. “I'll re-calibrate the detector and we'll be up and running in no time.”

One Week Later

The sky over the Crystal Kingdom was absolutely, perfectly clear, with nary a cloud aloft to mar the twinkling tapestry of the night as the full moon rose higher and higher over the Crystal Castle. It was the kind of night that Skyla had only ever read about in books, and, as she stared out of the window of her room high up in one of the castle towers, she had to admit that she’d never really believed any of them when they’d described nights like the one that she was seeing spread out before her.

Even though the city surrounding the castle had gone dark a long time ago, the full moon’s gentle light danced along the rooftops and streets of the fair kingdom until it seemed to Skyla that the whole city was glowing of its own accord, a beautiful beacon in the dark landscape that shone like a perfect pearl nestled amid pitch black fabric. It was a truly breathtaking sight, and as an early summer breeze teased her subtly curled mane she allowed herself a soft sigh, her hooves scraping against the crystal of her window sill.

I never thought that our kingdom could look so beautiful, she reflected silently, her lips drawn into a small frown as her brilliant blue gaze moved idly across the land below her. Her wings rustled against her sides as the long sheer curtains that hung to either side of her window shifted in the breeze, their translucent folds flowing like captured moonbeams that had taken it upon themselves to frame her view of the kingdom. I mean, I can’t even remember a sky this clear, let alone a single day when the crystals of the Castle and the city looked so perfect. In spite of the view below her, the young mare winced as memories rose unbidden to the forefront of her mind: memories of dull, rock-like crystals, of heavily laden clouds, and of a wind so cold that she shivered in spite of the warm air around her. Skyla gave her head a sharp shake, her dual tone gold and purple mane bouncing fiercely around her face as she did her best to chase those vile thoughts away.

That was a different place, Skyla, she told herself as she turned her gaze back to the city. This isn’t the Crystal Empire that you grew up in…

She sighed loudly, her ears slanting back towards her mane as her wings rustled against her sides. The idea that she had slipped from her own world into a different one was strange even to a pony like Skyla, who had been working tirelessly for seven years to do just that; actually accomplishing her goal, however, was something that she hadn’t truly believed that she could do. I worked and worked on my mirror, believing with all my heart that I could push through everything and make a better life for myself once I was on the other side, she thought, her lips curving into a subtle frown once again, but now that I’m here… She dropped her hooves back to the floor and settled her chin onto the window sill, her head flopping lazily to the side so that her right cheek squished beneath the weight of her face as her gaze returned to the stars above her. Now that I’m here… what in the name of Equestria am I supposed to do?

Ever since she’d started the mirror project in her own world, the Princess had always had a goal: finish the mirror. Whether it was researching the next level of spells that she needed, smuggling more parts into the basement to assemble the mirror itself, or actually imbuing the physical mirror with the magic that would be required for her plan to work, Skyla had always had something to occupy her time and energy… but now she’d accomplished her goal and actually reached her new home, she felt a strange emptiness inside of her. A… well, the best way to describe it would be an itch – an uncomfortable, hollow feeling that seemed to agitate her very soul.

So much so that I can’t sleep, even when I know that I’m finally safe from Mother and her plans. Skyla snorted softly and sat her rump down onto the floor, her wings drooping down her sides as she shifted the weight of her head from her right cheek to her left. It’s only been a week since I got here… maybe it’ll take me more time to stop looking over my shoulder…

She sighed again, louder this time. Although not being able to sleep is really going to make my interview tomorrow a lot more interesting than it should be, and not in any way that I’d like.

The very thought of what she was going to have to do in the morning filled the filly with butterflies, and in spite of her melancholy mood she lifted her head from the window sill and gave her mane a brisk shake, her wings rising up into the air as she did her best to force those thoughts away. Don’t you even think about it, Skyla – if you start thinking about what you’re going to say tomorrow you’re going to start worrying, and if you start worrying then you’re never going to get to sleep!

Her eyes darted to the bed that sat along the wall to her far right, her gaze caressing the rumpled folds of the soft blankets with a mixture of longing and trepidation. Sleep really would be the best thing I could do. Maybe… maybe I should go back to bed.

Even as she thought it, however, she knew that it was easier said than done. She’d laid awake for longer than she’d imagined that she could have, the darkness behind her eyelids providing a perfect backdrop for the moving pictures of her thoughts, all displayed in vivid detail for her mind to see. The more she’d tried to turn off her brain and sleep, the more her mind had insisted that there was too much to think about and that she desperately NEEDED to continue thinking about things because if she stopped thinking then she’d be unprepared for the day ahead, and if she was unprepared for the day ahead then she would make a fool of herself, and if she did that…

The Princess let out a sharp sigh and shifted her weight back onto her haunches so that she could lift her front hooves to her head, the tips of her hooves pressing firmly against her temples as she squeezed her eyes shut. That’s enough… please… just stop…

“Pssssssst!”

The sound, faint yet insistent upon her ears, flitted through her open window and drew her attention away from her internal struggles, its tones so gentle and light that Skyla wasn’t sure that she hadn’t imagined it at first. She slowly opened her eyes and turned back towards the window, her ears perking up out of her mane as curiosity sparked to life inside of her, casting a flickering light into the darkness that had her very heart surrounded. That wasn’t the wind, she thought as she leaned towards the opening once again. The wind might sigh, but it doesn’t ‘pssst’. Who would be trying to get my attention at this time of… the thought slowly tapered off as the sound once again rose outside the Princess’s window, and as it washed over Skyla she couldn’t help but roll her eyes.

“Psssssssssssssssst!” the voice repeated, and with a sigh Skyla rose up onto her rear hooves and placed her front ones onto the window sill yet again, her wings extending away from her back for balance.

“Pssssst yourself, Flurry Heart,” she whispered loudly, the words leaving a small smile behind on her lips as she spoke them. “Why are you still up?”

The pink alicorn leaned a little farther out her window and craned her neck upward, her eyes sweeping across the vast empty sky above her until they returned to the tower, where a smaller alicorn was staring down at her, her blue eyes bright despite the late hour. Princess Flurry Heart stared down at her, upside down from Skyla’s perspective, her sizeable wings extended enough that Skyla could see her pinion feathers poking around the crystal window frame.

“How could I sleep at a time like this?” the younger Princess whispered in return. “I was kind of hoping that you’d be asleep, since you have to do all that stuff with Aunt Twilight tomorrow.”

Skyla winced at the name Twilight, but her lips pressed into a tight line as she stared up at the other filly. “And what would you have done if I’d actually been asleep and you woke me up?” she whispered back, the curled bangs of her mane slowly falling backwards away from her face as she maintained her unusual posture. Flurry Heart’s brow furrowed at that question, and after a moment of silence she poked her muzzle out from behind the sill, a sheepish smile on her face.

“Um… tell you good night..?” she answered softly before smiling in the most charming and disarming way that she could.

“Ugh… you’re hopeless, you know that?” Skyla closed her eyes and gave her head a shake before opening them and smiling up at the other alicorn. “You wanna come down?”

Flurry Heart nodded her head so vigorously that her curly mane bounced all over her face, and, before Skyla could so much as look away, the younger filly leaped out of her window without hesitation, her broad wings extending wide as she hit the open air.

Skyla’s eyes widened in shock, and without thinking she jerked back away from the window, her hooves clacking sharply against the stone beneath her. “Flurry Heart what are you doing?!” she blurted hoarsely as absolute and ineffable panic surged into her throat, choking off her air and causing her head to feel like it was placed in a vice. That filly can barely fly at all – what’s she doing leaping out a window like that?!

A moment passed, and to Skyla’s shock she didn’t see Flurry Heart’s body plummet past the window on a collision course with the ground; instead, the form of the other Princess dropped into place outside the open portal, her muzzle scrunched in determination as she flapped her massive wings as fast as she could.

“Pull… me… in!” she muttered around clenched teeth, her eyes staring pointedly at the edge of the window as she held her front hooves out towards it.

Skyla’s magic ignited around her horn, filling the dim room with a brilliant aqua light that wrapped itself around Flurry and yanked her into the room so quickly that the smaller filly barely had time to pull her wings in against her body, eliciting a strangled squeak from the magically-encased Flurry Heart. Skyla rose to her hooves and took a few steps backwards as she pulled the other alicorn farther away from the window, and once she felt she was a comfortable distance away she dipped her horn and set Flurry down gently onto the crystal floor, her magic going dark once the filly’s rump was firmly place onto something solid.

“What in the name of Saint Celestia were you thinking?!” whispered Skyla, her voice breathless and scratchy. “Y-you told me yourself you can’t fly well yet – why didn’t you just sneak down to my room like you did the last time?!”

To her chagrin, the younger filly just gave her mane a shake and winked at Skyla, her tiny pink tongue poking out of her mouth as she cocked her head playfully to one side. “And I was telling you the truth: it’s true that I can’t fly well, but I’m up to a 6-second hover – one second better than last week’s time!” She stretched her wings and gave them a sharp shake before laying them against her sides, her pinions brushing against the floor even with her wings fully retracted. “Besides,” she continued as she righted her head, “I knew that you’d be there to catch me and pull me in! That’s why I didn’t try to jump down there until I knew that you were awake!”

Skyla’s eyes widened, and in spite of herself she brought her right hoof up and pressed it firmly against her forehead just below her horn, her eyes never leaving Flurry Heart’s own. “…and Mother still has hair after dealing with your reckless behavior?” she muttered softly.

“It wasn’t reckless,” reiterated Flurry, her muzzle scrunching indignantly. “I knew you’d be there to grab me.”

The two fillies watched each other for several long seconds of silence, blue eyes to blue eyes, and as the seconds became moments Skyla felt her shoulders relax, a smile sliding onto her lips almost against her will.

“Flurry Heart… I swear, you’re going to get yourself into trouble if you don’t curb that trusting streak of yours,” she murmured, but as the words left her mouth she knew that they didn’t carry the chastising edge that she’d hoped they would.

Flurry’s own mouth curved into a much broader smile, and with a soft giggle she rose to her hooves. “That’s a funny thing to say,” she said, her voice matching Skyla’s more subdued tone. “You can never get into trouble by trusting another pony.” She hurried forward and slid her neck across the right side of Skyla’s own, her right wing rising to wrap around the larger filly’s chest.

Skyla hesitated, but after a moment she leaned into the hug that Flurry had offered, the warmth of the smaller alicorn seeping into Skyla’s very soul as the pair stood together. “Well… maybe you can’t here,” she conceded, “but back home, trusting another pony was the last thing you wanted to do… so it’s a little hard for me to believe that you do it so easily and so freely.” She sighed and flopped her muzzle gently against Flurry’s curled mane, the whorls of her pink, purple, and teal hair flipping up and around Skyla’s nose as she stared off at the wall over Flurry’s head. “Everything’s so different here,” she whispered. “Different, but just the same…”

Flurry shifted against her coat, and Skyla could feel the warmth of the other filly’s breath on her neck. “Is that what’s keeping you up so late?” she asked, her voice soft and unassuming. Before she could stop herself, Skyla’s shoulders stiffened and she stood up a little straighter in Flurry’s embrace.

“No,” she said, the word tumbling from her lips before she could second-guess herself. “Like I said, I… was just sitting at the window and… and thinking about all of the stuff I have to do tomorrow.” She bit her lip. Well, it’s not technically lying, she thought. I really was thinking about my meeting with the Princess tomorrow just before Flurry talked to me… so… that counts. The wing across her chest slid away from her coat and Flurry Heart took a step back, the smaller filly tossing her mane carefully as her wings shuffled against her sides.

“I guess that’d be enough to keep anypony awake,” Flurry muttered, her blue eyes gazing up at Skyla in the full moon’s light. In spite of herself, Skyla had to suppress a wince at the innocent clarity of Flurry’s gaze; she’d never in her life met a pony who could make her feel worse about lying than the young alicorn who stood before her. “But if that’s what you’re worried about, maybe I can help!” the smaller pony chirped, her bright smile returning to wash away her solemn expression.

“I really don’t see how you could help,” Skyla sighed, her ears drooping towards her mane. “It’s not something that’s going to go away until I do it, and that can’t happen until morning.” She took a step back from Flurry and turned towards her bed, her purple-tipped pinions rustling against her sides as a surge of irritation flared in her throat. “So it’d probably be good if I just, y’know, went to bed…”

She took several steps towards her empty bed, leaving Flurry behind her as she started for the rumpled sheets. I know it’s kind of rude, but she really should just go, she thought as her hoofsteps echoed in the silent room. I don’t have the time to waste on… things that might help… I have to go to sleep… Her eyes darted to her left as silence stretched on in the room, and as she drew closer to her destination she felt her wingtips flutter yet again, faster and lighter than before. Her steps faltered and lost their rhythm as she stopped next to her bed, and it was all she could do to stop herself from turning around to see if Flurry Heart was still there or not. I mean, she has to still be there, she thought with a frown, her curiosity almost forcing her to turn her head around to see what had stopped her chatty counterpart’s tongue.

Before she could do so, however, her questions were all answered as she heard shuffling, then insistent hoofsteps that made the hair on the back of her neck stand on end; she whirled around, her ears pinning themselves to her mane as she braced herself… but what she saw was a streak of white, pink, purple, and teal as Flurry Heart rocketed past her and launched herself forcefully into Skyla’s bed, her mane, tail, and wings flipping and flopping around her body as she did so.

Skyla’s ears rose from their haven in her curls as she stared at the other alicorn, her right eyebrow rising almost to her hairline as Flurry flipped her mane, tucked her wings in against her body, and began to roll herself up into Skyla’s pristine white sheets, humming as she did so.

“F-Flurry Heart? W-what in the name of the sun are you doing?” she whispered, her lips curving upwards in a smile that she couldn’t stop even if she tried. The smaller alicorn rolled herself across Skyla’s bed several times before coming to a stop at the far left side of the mattress; her mane was a mess, her wings and tail couldn’t even be seen thanks to the mass of rolled blanket that wrapped tightly around her like a cocoon, and she had a huge smile on her lips.

“I’m joining you!” she said simply. “This blanket burrito is my claim to space in your bed, Skyla – and there’s nothing you can do to make me leave!” She stuck her tongue playfully out at Skyla. Skyla’s mouth opened in an incredulous smile, and she shook her head slowly as she stared at Flurry.

“I’m pretty sure I could make you leave if I used my magic, Flurry,” she said, but even as the words left her mouth she knew she didn’t mean them. She let out a sigh that didn’t match the smile on her face and shrugged, her shoulders slumping in defeat. “I swear, you can be such a pain in the rump sometimes…” she muttered as she lifted her front legs onto the soft mattress beneath her.

“That’s what Starlight tells me,” replied Flurry, who rolled over onto her right side so that she could flop her head onto the mattress and still see Skyla. “It’s usually when I try something differently than what Sunburst tells me to, but he never gets mad at me for it.”

“Starlight?” Skyla hopped up onto the bed and turned around before settling herself down onto the soft sheets facing away from the wall, the same direction that Flurry was facing. “I don’t think I’ve met a pony named Starlight yet.”

“Her full name is Starlight Glimmer, and she’s a good friend of Sunburst.” Flurry shifted in her blanket burrito, and after a moment of wriggling her front hooves poked out and curled down around the edge of the sheet, giving her a very gopher-like appearance. “She’s also a friend of Aunt Twilight, and has been her student for a long time.”

The very mention of Twilight again made a shard of ice blossom in Skyla’s stomach, but she did her best not to show it on her face. “Oh, okay – so will I meet her tomorrow, too?” she asked.

Flurry frowned at her and, before Skyla could say another word, she threw her body to the left and rolled completely over once before coming to rest right up against Skyla’s side, the sheets cushioning the impact into a soft whump.

“Hey, what’s the big idea?” muttered Skyla with a good-natured scrunch of her muzzle. “I should be able to get some personal space on my own bed, shouldn’t I?” She fidgeted against Flurry, fully intending to roll onto her left side and push the silly filly away from her with her hooves, but before she could do so Flurry spoke, her tones hushed and gentle.

“You always look kind of sick when I talk about Aunt Twilight,” she said softly. “Why?”

Skyla tensed next to her, her plans to push the offending burrito away forgotten as every muscle in her body froze. “I… I don’t know what you mean,” she started, but Flurry shook her head from inside her blanket tube.

“Yes you do know what I mean,” chided Flurry, and Skyla felt her irritation return, though she couldn’t really place why the other filly’s tone rubbed her coat the wrong way. “Every single time I talk about her, you get this look on your face… this…” the filly scrunched her muzzle up tightly, furrowed her brow, and did a remarkable job of looking like she was about to vomit all over Skyla’s bed, “…this really gross face that says that you really don’t want to think or talk about her.” Flurry relaxed and turned her face towards Skyla once again, her blue eyes wide and open. “That’s not very nice, since you’ve never met her before,” she finished softly.

The implication that she didn’t know what she was talking about prodded Skyla in the ribs and brought a tongue of fire to her lips, ready to sear the ears off the young, pampered Princess lying next to her. “It’s not like I don’t have a reason to feel this way,” she spat, but that was as far as she got before Flurry’s eyes brightened considerably, their sapphire depths shimmering in the muted light of the moon.

“And what reasons do you have to not like Aunt Twilight?” pressed Flurry.

“Because I have met her before,” hissed Skyla, her ears flattening against her mane as she lowered her head towards the bed. Her own blue eyes unfocused as memories she tried so hard to forget came surging back into the forefront of her mind, and with them came the horrible feelings that had defined Skyla’s childhood: the pressing weight against her back, the tightness of her chest, and the sick, sour taste in the back of her throat that all combined to form the single sensory overload that had haunted Skyla for years. “I met her back in my home country… back in the Crystal Empire.”

She felt herself starting to shake as the images exploded in her mind: images of a purple unicorn full of an incredible, unearthly power that radiated off of her like cold off of a wendigo, and of her mother, whom she’d always considered to be great and powerful, all but cowering before the smaller figure that somehow managed to stand tall over her.

“And… what was she like?” Flurry’s voice slid through the frames of her memories like the gentlest flakes of drifting snow, and the cool touch of her words brought clarity to Skyla’s thoughts. She cleared her throat and tried to relax, though she couldn’t quite force her ears up out of her mane.

“She was… powerful,” she said quietly as she straightened her neck, raising her head back to where it had been before. “That was really the only word that describes what I thought about her… but I can remember that she was shorter than I thought she’d be. For a pony with a title as long as hers, she certainly didn’t look it from a distance…” Skyla swallowed audibly as a pair of violet eyes throbbed in her memories, “…but close up, there was no mistaking the magical power that she had. It was like she was wearing magic itself around her shoulders… and her eyes…” she shuddered. “It was terrifying to meet her – even my mother and father bowed their overly prideful heads in her presence.”

“Wow…” Flurry blinked slowly. “That… doesn’t sound anything like Aunt Twilight,” she muttered, her lips curving into an impish smile. “Aunt Twilight’s super smart, but for as smart as she is she’s a little goofy sometimes. She panics about stuff if she doesn’t know the answer right away, and she can get really distracted when she’s trying to teach me things if I can get her talking about organizational techniques.”

Skyla’s eyes grew wide, and, in spite of the terrifying presence the Twilight Sparkle of her world had, she couldn’t stop a snort of laughter from escaping her lips. Her right hoof darted to her muzzle to stem the flow of mirth, but several more snorts followed before she could speak again. “Sh-she panics?” she managed to squeak, her voice quavering on the edge of laughter. “T-Twilight Sparkle panics?”

“Oh boy does she ever,” confirmed Flurry with a mischievous smirk, “especially when I learned the teleportation spell without her knowing it and threw myself out the window of the Library Tower.”

Another snort, louder and more insistent than the first ones, exploded from Skyla’s lips, and within moments it transformed into an uncontrollable fit of giggling that Skyla couldn’t seem to stop. She laughed until her sides started to ache and tears rolled down her cheeks, and as she did so she felt the tension in her body ease. Finally Skyla managed to gasp her laughter to a halt, her chest heaving as she wiped a shaking hoof across her eyes.

“B-but I thought… I thought you needed me to pull you into the window when you jumped tonight,” she wheezed.

“Nah, I could have popped into the castle like I did the last time,” said Flurry proudly, her ears twitching as she squeezed the blanket in her hooves. “I teleported into one of the rooms a few floors below, but the look on her face as I went out the window was priceless – and more than worth the hard work of learning the spell!” She grinned mischievously. “Just like yours was earlier,” she noted smugly.

Skyla laughed again, her throat scratchy from her previous bout of uncontrolled mirth. “You… are a crazy little filly, you know that?” she muttered after a moment. “But that… really doesn’t sound like the Twilight Sparkle that I remember…”

“That’s because she isn’t the Twilight Sparkle that you remember,” pointed out Flurry Heart, her smile fading into a slight frown as she met Skyla’s gaze. “Nopony here is the pony you knew there, and there’s a good chance that there are ponies here who were never there at all.” The younger alicorn released the blanket with her left hoof, and used it to grasp Skyla’s right hoof tightly. “Aunt Twilight isn’t intimidating, or scary, or threatening – she’s a really nice pony who just wants to get to know you a little better, that’s all.” She gave Skyla’s hoof a squeeze, and her warm smile returned. “So don’t you worry about it – things will be just fine.” Skyla met her gaze for several long seconds in silence, Flurry’s words washing over her like a warm summer breeze.

She’s right, she thought. I have to stop thinking about the ponies I knew back there, and meet all the new ponies who are waiting for me here… A sad smile curved her lips. …though I think that’s going to be harder than Flurry thinks it’s going to be.

“…all right, all right,” she conceded, her smile curving into a comfortable one as she extended her right wing and used her pinions to stroke Flurry’s mane once. “You’re right. I need to stop thinking about the way I remember these ponies, and act like I’m meeting them for the first time – because I am.”

Flurry nodded, her curls bouncing merrily around her smiling face. “That’s right,” she confirmed. “Besides, there’s no reason to think about ponies from that other world anymore. You’re here now, and you’ll never have to worry about them again.” Skyla folded her wing and returned it to her side as Flurry’s eyes lit up with curiosity. “But I do have a question about your world that I hope you’ll answer…”

Skyla rolled her eyes. “All right… what is it?”

“…what was Twilight’s really long title?”

“That’s what you want to know?!” Skyla barked a sharp laugh and dropped her head down onto the sheet beneath her, the silken sheen of the fabric rubbing pleasantly against her coat as she nestled against it. “Ten thousand questions that you could ask about an alternate universe and you ask about the titles that your aunt has?”

Flurry settled her head down against the sheet, her bottom lip protruding in a pout. “Are there guidelines on what kinds of questions I get to ask now?” she muttered sulkily, and Skyla sighed loudly.

“All right, all right… I’ll tell you.” She took a deep breath and allowed her eyes to close. They’re so heavy, she thought blearily. “Her full official title… was Twilight Sparkle, First of Her Name, Grand Sorceress of the Tower of Starswirl, Queen of all Equestria.” Skyla stifled a yawn with her left hoof and shifted slightly onto her left side so that her head could recline more naturally against the bed. “It’s a mouthful, that’s for sure…”

She heard Flurry laugh lightly. “Oh wow… just wait ‘til I tell her…” she giggled. “She’ll flip her lid..!”

Skyla chuckled half-heartedly in return, but sleep was coming on rapidly and she knew that she didn’t have very long until she passed out entirely. “B-be nice, Flurry…” she managed to slur, but that was all she could force her mouth to form. The warm, comforting darkness of sleep rose up around her, and the very last thing she felt was Flurry Heart squeezing her hoof once more.

“Good night, big sister,” the other filly whispered, and it was that phrase that sent Skyla off into her dreams.

The History of the World: Revised Edition

The place that Twilight Sparkle had selected for the interview was a study on the floor above the throne room, a space that had no official designation beyond being an area where visiting dignitaries could find a little bit of privacy to collect themselves or to work on pressing matters. This made it a perfect place for Twilight to conduct her interview because not only did it have a decent sized desk already supplied for her, but it was also furnished with around a dozen wooden chairs that were clearly meant to be used by the dignitary’s attendants. The crystal walls were dotted liberally with bookshelves and, with the wall across from the desk lined with the aforementioned chairs, it really did give them everything they needed for a private, thorough interview; Twilight smiled happily to herself as she swept her gaze across the ponies seated along the wall before focusing on the singular pony sitting before the desk, her chair slid as close to the wooden surface as she could get it so that she could access the paper and quill that Twilight had laid out for her. After all, who knows – she might need to draw something to explain it properly, or she might have a symbol that needs to be put down on paper to be understood!

“I know that we already introduced ourselves, but if I could please have you state your name again, for the record.” Twilight shifted a small stack of papers to her left before sliding the top one down onto the table before her, an ink quill hovering steadily in her magic in spite of the excitement coursing through her. “It probably seems silly,” she admitted with a lopsided smile, “but I’m sure you can see the benefits of having an official record of you and your story, and official records require official procedures!”

The alicorn filly across from her sighed and hesitated for a moment before answering. “My name is Skyla,” she said, her lips forming a thin line.

Twilight’s quill hovered just above the paper, its tip not quite touching. “Is that your full name?” she asked. “Remember, this is for the official record.” Skyla stared at her for several heartbeats, as if trying to figure out whether or not Twilight was being serious; Twilight took a deep breath and let it out before offering the smaller pony a gentle smile. “I’m sorry, Skyla, but I am going to have to ask you to answer my questions as thoroughly as you can.” Her eyes rose to the ponies sitting behind Skyla. “I’m sure you can understand why we might want as much information from you as possible, right?”

“There’s no pressure, Skyla,” said Celestia, who sat at Twilight’s far left. “We do need information, but please know that whatever you have to say will not be held against you. You won’t be punished for anything, even if you decide to lie,” she smiled at Twilight, “though I think our interviewer might be disappointed if you did.”

The other ponies in the room laughed lightly and, to Twilight’s relief, the sound seemed to relax Skyla. She reached a hoof up and played with one of the large curls at the front of her mane for a moment, but after another quick sigh she dropped her hoof back to her chair.

“My full name and title is Princess Mia Amata Skylark, by the Grace of Celestia, High Princess of the Crystal Empire.”

Twilight’s quill dropped to the page and began to scribble furiously, the magenta of her magic shimmering along her horn as she offered the filly a sympathetic smile. “Wow, that’s a mouthful,” she muttered. “So Skyla would be…?”

“Something I like better than the whole thing,” answered Skyla with a shrug. “It’s kind of a pain to have to say all that stuff every single time you want to introduce yourself.” Twilight nodded as her quill stopped, her eyes darting over Skyla’s head to the ponies who sat against the wall. Everypony save Celestia had been mostly silent since they’d entered the room, but Luna, Cadence, Shining Armor, Starlight, and Sunburst all sat with their ears perked and their eyes riveted to Skyla. Of them, only Celestia and Luna looked completely relaxed, and as Twilight’s gaze flitted over them they each gave her a confident nod, a vote of confidence that she would be able to do just fine. Twilight smiled slightly and refocused her attention onto Skyla.

“Nicknames are good for making introductions quicker,” she agreed. “Now, could you tell me the names of your parents?” In Twilight’s peripheral vision she saw Cadence and Shining Armor shift in their chairs, but she kept her gaze settled firmly on Skyla as the younger alicorn nodded.

“My mother is Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, Songstress of the North and Queen of the Wendigos, and my father is Prince Consort Shining Armor of the House of Twilight, High General of the Armies of the North.”

Twilight’s eyes widened and her quill scrawled with lightning speed as she wrote down Skyla’s words in sharp, precise script. “D-did I hear you right when you said ‘Queen of the Wendigos’?” she asked softly, her stomach clenching. Skyla simply nodded, her curls bouncing gently as she did.

“Yes, Princess – you heard correctly.”

Now Twilight’s gaze jumped back to her sister-in-law, and the look of horror on Cadence’s face mirrored the disgust that she felt inside. That sounds pretty terrible, thought Twilight. Songstress of the North, Queen of the Wendigos… I really can’t imagine Cadence becoming evil…

Her eyes darted to her left, where Luna and Celestia glanced meaningfully at one another. Of course, an alicorn princess becoming evil isn't unheard of, I suppose…

“All right then, um…” Twilight cleared her throat and glanced down at her paper, her mind working furiously as she tried to decide where her interview should go from here. This is important, Twilight – everypony’s counting on you to ask the right questions here, and if you don’t then things are just going to get more complicated later. “Let’s jump back a little to what you said in the throne room about Celestia and Luna being… dead.” It feels so wrong to say that, she reflected as she scratched a header onto the page she’d been writing on: Names and Titles of Ponies from Skyla’s World. “I assume that’s ancient history where you’re from?”

Skyla nodded. “It is, Princess – though everypony knows the story of the Saint of the Sun and her fight against the Nightmare.”

“Well, why don’t you tell me what you know about that event?” said Twilight, her heart leaping into her throat. “And please, you can just call me Twilight.” This is it: a real, first-hoof account of another world’s history! thought Twilight as she quickly scribbled down a note about Celestia and Luna’s names on the Titles page. I don’t care how dark or scary her world might be – figuring out how worlds like hers differ from our own is something that not everypony gets to do! She shuffled the first page off to her right and removed fresh page from the stack, at the top of which she wrote World History, According to Skyla as she turned her gaze back to the filly. “Whenever you’re ready,” she said as she slowly lost the battle against the smile that was determined to find its way onto her face.

“Okay…” Skyla arched an eyebrow up at Twilight’s grinning face, but after a moment’s pause she took a deep breath. “It was written in my history books that Celestia and Luna, the two alicorn sisters, brought order to chaos and ushered Equestria into a time of unprecedented prosperity and happiness. This lasted for a long time…” she frowned and blushed, “…but I honestly can’t tell you exact dates. I… was never very good at my history classes, Twilight…”

“Well, don’t you worry too much about those pesky ol’ dates,” said Twilight dismissively, her ears perked straight up as her quill scratched frantically in a jerky, frenetic dance across the paper before her. “You just tell me what you do remember, and maybe we can piece things together later, hmm?” Skyla cocked her head to one side and gave Twilight her strangest look yet, but it only lasted a moment before she shook her head and continued.

“This lasted for a long time, but it ended with Luna falling to her own selfish desires and becoming the Nightmare.”

Twilight frowned and her quill paused. “You mean Nightmare Moon,” she said, but Skyla just frowned at her again.

“She was called the Nightmare in my world, or the Great Calamity.” Skyla shrugged. “Whether she called herself Nightmare Moon or not I have no idea, since few if any official records survived from that time.” She shifted in her chair and leaned forward, propping her elbows up onto the smooth top of the desk as Twilight’s quill darted to the Titles page for a heartbeat before shooting back to her current one. “We were always told that Luna became the Nightmare because she was unfulfilled, and lacked the spirit of good will, charity, love, and compassion that Celestia embodied.” Skyla winced and her head twitched to her right, as if she longed to look behind her and see what the reactions of the ponies in question were going to be, but as Twilight’s quill moved against the page she glanced up to see that both Luna and Celestia were simply listening, with no strong outward emotions on their faces. Although it must be strange, listening to an account of you killing a pony you love, she thought.

“And what happened after she transformed into Night-… into the Nightmare?”

“The legend says that she brought up the moon to eclipse the sun, refusing to give way to the daylight. Celestia rose to meet her in battle, and their fight was so incredible and so magically immense that it rendered parts of the Everfree forest completely uninhabitable due to the residual magic, even after one thousand years.” Skyla sat up straight again, her hooves scraping across the edge of the desk as she did. “In the end, both Celestia and Luna were found dead in a crater…” her ears drooped, “…’slain not by magic, but each by the hooves of her sister’, I think the verse went.”

A frown blossomed on Twilight’s face. Wait a second… “So, she didn’t use the Elements of Harmony?”

Skyla frowned as well. “The… what?”

Twilight’s frown deepened, and behind Skyla she could see all six observers to her interview shift in their chairs. “The Elements of Harmony,” she repeated, ensuring that her words were clear. “She didn’t use them to defeat Luna?”

“I’m sorry, Princess,” said Skyla with a small shake of her head, “but I’ve never heard of those before.”

If the silence in the room was deep before, it became absolutely unfathomable at Skyla’s words. Twilight couldn’t stop her mouth from dropping open in shock as she stared at the smaller alicorn, her mind trying its best to grasp the information she’d just been given. Celestia didn’t use the Elements of Harmony to defeat Nightmare Moon, she thought, repeating the words to herself over and over as she tried in vain to consider the ramifications of such an event. That’s… that’s absolutely crazy. Why wouldn’t she use them? Unless…

Twilight inhaled deeply and let it out in a loud, quick rush, and the sound quickly filled the room, breaking the spell that had held everypony in the room transfixed. “So you don’t know what the Elements of Harmony are,” repeated Twilight, her mind churning as her quill continued its quiet scritch-scritch across the parchment. “Maybe you could tell me everything you know about Discord.”

“Discord…” Skyla’s brow furrowed in concentration, “…I remember hearing that name, but it wasn’t brought up much. There was… something in one of my books about Luna and Celestia defeating him, though most of the historians didn’t talk about him by name.”

“So there was never any mention of how the Princesses defeated him?” Twilight’s quill finished the line it was on and darted down below it, poised to write Skyla’s answer. The younger pony’s eyes darted to the quill for a brief moment before coming back to Twilight’s own, her bright blue gaze distant as she concentrated.

“I… can’t really remember,” she said after a moment, her ears drooping. “The only thing I can remember is that they couldn’t do it by force. The one book that talked about it said that the Princesses had to use some other kind of magic to beat him, a magic that was stronger than any known at that time.” She shrugged slowly and she lowered her head in shame. “I’m sorry, Twilight, but that’s all I can remember.”

“Uh-huh…” The quill began its frantic journey once more, Twilight’s script quickly filling the page. That sounds vaguely like it could have been the Elements, she thought, her gaze rising over Skyla’s head to look at her friends and family. But if they were there when Discord was defeated, why didn’t Celestia use them against Luna? Why did she choose to-, Twilight winced and dropped her gaze back to the desk. All right, enough of that, Twilight – there’ll be plenty of time to speculate once this is done. Back on task!

“You did fine, Skyla,” she reassured the filly, her smile returning. “Maybe we should move on from that point.” She shifted another piece of paper into position in front of her as she pushed the now-full page off to her right, the quill leaping to the new page and scribbling World History, According to Skyla Pg. 2. “So without Luna or Celestia there to guide them, what happened to Equestria?” A chair creaked, and Twilight’s eyes rose to find Celestia sitting forward, her eyes intent on Skyla’s back. Her large wings rustled against her, and Twilight was surprised to see a look of deep concern slide across her former mentor’s face.

“History says that the sun and moon stayed in the sky for almost a week while ponies mourned and struggled to figure out what to do next. By the end of that week, however, the world had started to grow colder and the ponies of Equestria did the only thing they knew how to do: work together.” Skyla offered Twilight a rare smile. “The Princesses had instilled in their ponies a sense of community strong enough that all three races banded together and began to make their world work again.”

“Well, that’s certainly good to hear,” said Twilight with a smile, and she was surprised at how good it felt; the curve of her lips felt like the first rays of the sun melting away tendrils of frost on a window pane, and a quick glance over Skyla’s head showed the same kind of relieved smile on Celestia’s muzzle. “Perhaps you can tell me how they organized things,” she said as Celestia sat back in her seat, her eyes closed as Luna patted her hoof. “I know that it must have taken more than one pony to move the sun and moon again.”

Skyla nodded and sat forward in her chair, clearly eager to talk about different subject. “It did – twelve, in fact. It took twelve of the most powerful unicorns that could be found to move the sun and moon back into their proper places in the sky, and to ensure that the cycle would never again be broken, those ponies founded the Monastery of the Celestial Cycle and went off to live in seclusion. There, they can focus on their magic and their eternal task.” Skyla sat back, her wings shuffling against her sides. “It is considered a great honor to be granted a place at the Monastery, especially for second or third children of nobility.”

“That sounds very noble,” said Twilight as she wrote. “So what happened to the pegasi and earth ponies? And you said that everypony in Equestria still chose to work together – does that mean that they ran the country together?”

“The pegasi formed a group they call the Sky Weavers, and they make sure the weather in all of Equestria is taken care of.” Skyla shook her head slowly. “There’s not much communication between the pegasi and the rest of Equestria from what I hear: just a few cities where their merchants buy and sell goods. The rest of them are entirely devoted to keeping their end of the world spinning – something that is mirrored by the earth ponies.” A smile touched the filly’s lips once again. “The earth ponies of Equestria dug in hard and worked themselves to the bone to provide enough food for everypony, and working together all three races saved everything.”

Twilight’s smile returned as well, and she shifted another empty page to the space in front of her. “I’ve never been happier to hear that everypony was working together,” she admitted, “especially knowing what we all do about Hearth’s Warming and the story behind it. So that answers my question about the pegasi and earth ponies – what about ruling the country? How did they go about it?”

“They decided that the only fair thing to do was to have a ruling council made up of two ponies from each race, a mare and a stallion. It was the only thing that they thought would give them a fair government.”

“And did it work?”

“Oh yes, it worked perfectly – that is, until…” Skyla’s words trailed off into silence, and Twilight felt her eyes narrow at the filly.

“Until what?” she asked, her quill pausing in its journey across the parchment.

Skyla squirmed in her chair, looking even more uncomfortable than she had when they’d talked about Luna and Celestia killing one another in battle. “Well…” She bit her lip and closed her eyes, her whole body tensing up as if she were going to spring out of her chair and make a run for the door. Twilight’s frown deepened and she felt a wave of irritation spread through her like a hot cup of tea spilling across a pristine white tablecloth.

“Skyla, please remember that this is for our official records of your home world. We need to know what happened as best as you can tell us so that we’re not writing down misinformation.” The very idea that she might be scrawling lies across her paper made Twilight feel anxious, and she couldn’t stop her pinion feathers from shifting across her flanks as Skyla winced.

“I… I know. I’m sorry, Twilight… I’ll keep going.” She took a deep breath and let it out slowly before she managed to open her eyes and meet Twilight’s gaze once again. “The Equestrian parliament was extremely successful in running the country, and for almost a thousand years they did so in peace and prosperity… and then the Crystal Empire returned.”

Behind Skyla, Celestia and Luna turned to look at Cadence, who sat up a bit straighter at the mention of her country. “Which must have been a pretty big surprise to the ponies of Equestria, right?” mused Twilight as she wrote. “Since Celestia and Luna were the only ones who would have remembered it in the first place.”

“Exactly as you say,” agreed Skyla with a nod. “Everypony was shocked, especially when it was discovered that an alicorn – that is, my mother, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza – had taken back her throne there.” Skyla shifted in her seat, and again Twilight saw the urge to turn around and look at the ponies behind her course through the younger filly, but again she resisted. “According to my mother, she, my father, and my aunt Twilight-,”

Twilight’s quill scribbled even faster and she couldn’t stop an excited squeak from escaping her lips at the mention of her name. Now I’ll get to find out what kind of pony I am in this world, she thought eagerly. I mean, I’ve seen other worlds before and seen what other ponies are like in other worlds, but this is going to be the first time that I’m going to hear about another pony version of myself from another pony first-hoof! She giggled softly and turned her gaze back to Skyla, who had paused mid-sentence and was staring open mouthed at Twilight.

“Ahahah… P-please, continue,” managed Twilight, her voice still quavering with anticipation. “I’m very sorry, Skyla – I’ll do my best not to interrupt you again.”

The smaller alicorn closed her mouth and swallowed audibly, but she nodded and continued despite the trepidation in her eyes. “According to my mother, the three of them fought against King Sombra, the evil unicorn who had taken over the Crystal Empire before it had vanished, and defeated him.”

“So you found the Crystal Heart?”

Along the wall Cadence tensed visibly, and to everypony’s shock Skyla shook her head sadly. “No. The artifact that my mother called the Crystal Heart was never recovered. According to her, Sombra claimed that he had hidden it away and would not reveal the location of it.”

For the second time that day, Twilight felt her mouth drop open in surprise. “B-but… if they didn’t find the Crystal Heart, how did they defeat King Sombra?” she asked, her voice quiet.

“With brute force,” replied Skyla, her eyes never leaving Twilight’s. “My mother, father, and Aunt Twilight all combined their considerable magical power and killed Sombra in the square in front of the Castle.”

“B-but how?!” said Cadence, her voice filling the room though it was little more than a hoarse whisper. “How did they do it without the Heart? And if they didn’t find the Heart, isn’t the kingdom filled with snow and ice?!”

Skyla’s whole body seemed to sag as she turned in her chair to look back at Cadence, her right hoof grasping the left armrest so that she could keep her body at the appropriate angle. “My father added his shielding spell to the one my mother had used to hold off King Sombra, and together their magic was enough to hold back the northern weather.” She shook her head, her curls bouncing around her shoulders. “And as for how they defeated him… each of them bears a different scar on their bodies that they all claim came from the Unicorn King. I… have never asked for the full story… I’m sorry.” She held Cadence’s gaze for a moment before turning back around in her chair, her eyes full of sorrow. “All I know is that they did it, and that they’ve had to use immense magical power to keep the city safe since then.”

Twilight’s quill scribbled like mad as she watched the smaller alicorn closely. “I only found the Heart because Celestia told me how to look for it – it’s honestly no wonder that you didn’t find it.” Her smile returned. “Now, how did this affect the Equestrian parliament?”

Now Skyla sighed and placed her hooves onto the desk in front of her. “My aunt went to the parliament after the Crystal Empire was free,” she said, her words coming slowly and carefully. “She had spent much time roaming the world, gathering magical knowledge and artifacts. When she arrived back in Equestria, she arranged a meeting with the entire governing body to discuss something that she felt was vital to the continued success and safety of the nation.”

Twilight sat forward eagerly. “And what issue was it that she wanted to discuss?” she asked.

Skyla’s hooves shifted the papers around, her eyes avoiding Twilight’s gaze. “She wanted Equestria to select a Princess again. She claimed that it was what Celestia would have wanted, and also said that a single ruler would allow them to be ruled more efficiently and effectively.”

“And how did the parliament take such a suggestion?”

“They were very interested,” admitted Skyla as she stacked all of her papers together, the pads of her hooves tapping their sides gently. “At least, they were very interested until Aunt Twilight suggested that she be allowed to be the sole ruler of the country.” Twilight’s smile died on her lips, and she felt her heart drop into her stomach as Skyla sighed. “She told them that she was the only pony fit to rule, with her vast knowledge of magic, science, and history to draw upon, and she also said that it would give them an ironclad ally in the Crystal Empire, since she and Cadence were like sisters. Naturally, the members of parliament told her to get out… and my Aunt Twilight decided that she would not.”

A chorus of murmurs rose from the observers, and Twilight swallowed audibly before she was able to speak again. “A-and then?” she croaked.

“Two weeks later, Equestria crowned its first single leader in a thousand years: Twilight Sparkle, First of her Name, Grand Sorceress of the Tower of Starswirl and Queen of all Equestria.”

Twilight’s magic flickered and almost dropped her quill as she stared in abject horror at Skyla, who lifted her right hoof and coughed gently against it before sitting up straight in her chair once more, her hooves returning to the seat in front of her. Twilight tried to speak, but even though her mouth opened and closed several times she couldn’t make a single sound for the better part of a minute. Finally, after clearing her throat as Skyla had done, she managed to find her voice.

“She… just walked into the ruling body of Equestria and… said that she could do a better job?” squeaked Twilight, her lips quivering on the edge of a half-smile. “That sounds… um…”

“Crazy?” Skyla shook her head sadly. “Unfortunately, it was not. My Aunt Twilight is still just a unicorn, not an alicorn like you, but there wasn’t a pony in Equestria or beyond that dared to try to stop her.” She managed to give Twilight a smile, even if it was a small one. “If it makes you feel any better, she was right – Equestria was doing well as it was but it began to do even better during her reign, with its economy growing stronger and the ponies of the land having an easier time making deals and accords with one another beneath her banner.”

“Oh… well, that’s a good thing…” Twilight’s quill slowly continued its journey across the paper, its movements much more reserved and hesitant than before. “At least she proved to be an effective ruler…” She let out a sigh and swiped a hoof across her forehead, the sweat that had beaded there leaving dampness on her foreleg. That was… unexpected, she thought with another, smaller sigh, but at the very least it sounds like alternate-world me is holding up her kingdom. There’s some comfort in that, I suppose. Twilight glanced down at her notes, her eyes scanning them for any issues with her writing before her gaze returned to Skyla. “So now we have Cadence in the Crystal Empire along with Shining Armor, and Queen-,” she coughed lightly, “Queen Twilight ruling in Equestria. Everypony seems to be in place, though I would assume that’s not the end of your story since you haven’t shown up in it yet.” Just keep writing your notes, Twilight, she reminded herself. This is just an alternate world’s history, not your world’s history… you haven’t done anything to anypony.

“That’s correct,” replied Skyla, and Twilight watched as her ears drooped back towards her mane. “Unfortunately, my birth is the very thing that throws the whole world out of balance.” Twilight’s brow furrowed as Skyla’s eyes flickered to her left, where Cadence was sitting behind her. “It wasn’t long before my parents welcomed me into the world, and as luck or fate or whatever would have it, I was born an alicorn.” Her right hoof rose to her forehead where she touched the horn that sat there, her eyes slowly losing focus as she stared into her past. “This normally would have been cause for great celebration because the only other alicorn in the entire world was my mother, and by her own admission she was not born one. My birth marked the first alicorn birth in history, as far as anypony else knew… and to my mother, that meant only one thing.”

Twilight smiled half-heartedly. “That… she had a really wonderful daughter?” she offered softly.

“No… unfortunately not,” said Skyla, her muzzle dipping towards the desk along with her eyes. “She saw it as an opportunity to…” she swallowed, “…to lay claim to Equestria.”

Twilight’s eyes flicked to Cadence, who looked as if she were going to throw up everything she’d ever eaten. “But Queen Twilight is ruling there – what claim could she possibly have to the throne?” she asked, but as Skyla took a breath to respond Twilight felt a knot form in her stomach.

“Simple: I’m an alicorn. Princess Celestia, the Saint of the Sun, was an alicorn, and her blood and the blood of the Sparkles runs through my veins.” Skyla winced. “My mother always said that my bloodline meant that I was destined to rule over both kingdoms, that it was my divine right to lay claim to all of the lands that my great aunt once controlled…” Her ears nestled down into her broad curls, her mouth pressing into a thin, unhappy line as she spoke. “My mother had been launching small attacks on Equestria for years before my birth. Nothing major, just small skirmishes against villages that were made to look like bandit raids… but even though nopony ever found out that my mother was commanding those raids, Queen Twilight began to suspect.” She raised her eyes back to Twilight, memories flashing in their blue depths. “I’ll never forget the day that my aunt found out about mother’s plan to put me on the throne. Thunder exploded in the sky above the Empire, and a huge illusion of Queen Twilight appeared outside the Castle. She stood almost as tall as the central spire, and she looked real enough that ponies scrambled to get out of the way of her hooves.” Skyla shrank in her seat slightly. “She demanded to know what my mother was thinking, and my mother, who had always showed the utmost respect to Queen Twilight, said that I was the only one who could truly claim either throne. My aunt got very cold, and leaned her face down until it was even with the balcony on which we stood… and then she said that if mother was going to put me on her throne, then she was going to have to storm Canterlot with an army.” A single tear ran down Skyla’s cheek, and when she spoke again her voice quavered slightly. “Mother said that she intended to do just that… as soon as I was able to lead them myself.” The filly sniffled, but after a moment she shook her head and swiped a hoof angrily at her eyes, the bangs of her mane bouncing gently with the motion. “She made me the figurehead of an army when I was still just a foal, to fight in a war that I didn’t care about… but what could I do? I was stuck, and there was nowhere in the world that I could go.”

Twilight shook her head and her quill began to write again, its movements even faster as she struggled to catch up with the story from where she’d trailed off. “Wow, Skyla… it sounds like you went through a lot,” she said softly, and the filly nodded.

“Yeah… and that was before the wendigos came.” She sighed. “Once the Crystal Empire was gearing up for war, the aura of hate became so powerful that even my mother and father’s strongest magic couldn’t keep the winter away any more… and with the winter wind came the wendigos.” She shivered as she spoke and hugged herself with her hooves, as if doing her best to ward off a cold that nopony else could feel. “Mom became Queen of the Wendigos and the Songstress of the North… but by that time I was almost done with my mirror, so I didn’t really care anymore.”

“Oh yes, yes! Your mirror!” Twilight shuffled another piece of paper into place, the quill jotting down the heading Skyla’s Mirror. “I wanted to ask you about your mirror before we finish. I don’t mean to brag, but I’ve had a little bit of experience with mirrors that let you travel between worlds, so I’m very interested in how you managed to make yours, Skyla.”

The filly nodded and managed a smile, clearly glad to be moving away from the subject of her family, even if it was just a little bit. “Sure… I used an existing mirror, but I had to use every bit of Starswirl’s texts on the subject to get me here.”

Twilight’s quill scratched eagerly along the paper once again, its previous hesitance forgotten. “And what books did you use to find your spells, exactly?”

Skyla held up her right wing and began to tick off spells, her muzzle scrunched in concentration. “The Theory of Temporal Dissonance, the Principals of Space-Time Equilibrium, Alternate Worlds and You: A Reference Guide, Gravitational Waves and Temporal Anomalies, How to Punch a Hole in Space, and Connecting Everywhere: Mirrors as Travel.” She sighed and dropped her hooves and wing back to their places. “It was hard to connect all the dots that Starswirl left laying around, but I managed to do it… even though it took me a long time.”

The quill finished its side list of all the books that she’d mentioned, and Twilight returned her attention to the filly. “I’m going to guess it was more than just hard, Skyla,” she said. “Starswirl himself took forever to manage that, and you did it at…” She frowned. “How old are you?”

“I’m fifteen,” said Skyla, and Twilight’s smile returned in full force.

“At fifteen you built a portal mirror and connected it to another world, from scratch?!” Twilight pressed a hoof to her head and just barely managed to curtail the burst of praise that was trying desperately to free itself from her lips. “O-okay, so… whew… um…” her eyes darted back to her page of notes, her mind trying its best to stay on task instead of leaping onto the tangent of Skyla’s work on the mirror. There’ll be plenty of time to talk to her about the mirror – and if there’s not, I’m gonna MAKE some, she thought fervently. “There was something else that I needed to ask you… Oh yes.” Her quill jumped down a little on the page to an open spot. “The mirror on this side shattered upon your arrival. Do you know why it did that?”

Skyla nodded. “Yes – because my portal was unstable. I built it in such a way that it manifested an identical mirror here in this world, so it was more like forcing our two worlds to touch in that one exact spot rather than building a tunnel through our universes, like Starswirl suggested.” She shrugged. “I really didn’t want anypony following me, so I had to make the gate as fragile as I could while making sure that it wouldn’t collapse on me when I went through.”

Twilight couldn’t keep herself from smiling broadly as her quill recorded everything in detail. “Fascinating, absolutely brilliant,” she muttered under her breath. “And after you built the mirror..?”

“I had to contact Flurry Heart. I…” Skyla blushed slightly. “I knew that she was here, in this world, so I used the mirror and a modified amplification spell to try to speak directly to her, but I ended up speaking to her mentally instead. I needed her as an opposing force on the other side of the mirror… like a key to open the door.” She shrugged. “When I finally got her attention she came down to the basement, and the rest I’m sure you know.”

Twilight smiled and nodded as her quill made a few final scratches at the parchment. “I do, thank you, Skyla.” She glanced at her papers and nodded. “That was everything that I wanted to know from you – at least for now.” The quill lifted off of the papers and dropped down onto the desk, its task complete. “You’re free to go now, Skyla,” said Twilight happily. “May I find you and ask more questions if necessary?”

The smaller alicorn nodded and hopped down from her chair. “Of course, Princess.” She offered a smile to Twilight and to the other ponies in the room before hurrying to the door, her magic lighting up and glowing around the doorknob as she approached it. She gave a deft flick of her horn and opened the door just enough so that she could slip through, her tail swishing against the doorframe as she did so. Twilight’s smile remained on her face until the door closed behind the small alicorn, but once Skyla was gone her smile slowly evaporated as she brought her gaze back to the papers on her desk. She let out a long, loud sigh and, after taking a moment to check her notes, brought her eyes back up to the other ponies who shared the room with her, her wings and shoulders sagging.

“Well… I think we have a few things to discuss,” she said softly.