Elemental: Power is Magic

Chapters

Awakening
Meeting
Arrival
Settling In
Bigotry
Of Knives and Niceties I
Prologue

Awakening

Celestia stretched in her bed, groaning as she relieved her legs of their tightness. She did not, however, open her eyes; rather she lay still and took a few long, deep breaths, contemplating the nightmare she had just had.

It was peculiar, really. In all of her millenia, never had she once had a dream so vivid, not even before Luna's fall when the nighttime entity had sought to disturb her in any way possible. It had been horrible; terrifying, even, to the extent that she still trembled now. And yet, despite its graphicness and the questions it raised as to the sanity of the caster, Celestia couldn't help but be in awe at how much Luna's magic had increased.

It was with that realisation that she slowly began to rouse herself, needing to both congratulate and caution her sister. When she opened her eyes, however, she came to realise something shocking.

It was bright.

That, in itself, wasn't such an issue. But Celestia had not woken up to the chirping of morning birds nor the light of the sun in well over a millenia. Which begged the question: if Luna had given her such a vividly horrifying dream, which powerful being had done her duty?

She strained to think back to the night before, curious as to whether her actions would give any clues to the identity of her usurper. But no matter how hard she tried, she could picture nothing but screams and bright flashes of overwhelming light through the darkness.

And then it hit her.

She was in Twilight's old observatory bedroom. And, more specifically, she lay in the poor child's bed.

Celestia leapt from the bed, ensnared in the duvet, and hastened to snap her wings open to free herself. But, despite the simplicity of the action, she found herself incapable; pulling the covers off instead with her magic, she gave a gasp and a small yell as she splayed her legs and began to heave.

Her wings had completely gone.

She patted her sides down and her ears fell quickly when she found nothing there at all. It was at that moment that she realised, to her additional horror, that her mane and tail no longer flowed as they ought. And, when she flung herself at the bedside table in search of her jewels, she found them to be nonexistant.

"What the—" she began as she spun and shot down the stairs, skidding to a stop before she came to the realisation that, in truth, she had no idea who to call, nor how to attract their attention. She was completely alone and, for whatever unfathomable reason, no longer her true self.

But, despite her lack of regal wings and get-up, she was still the princess of Equestria. And so, with a confident grin on her face, Celestia started forwards—only to be stopped in her tracks by the door which slammed open to reveal a tiny, panting blue griffon. It looked almost uncannily like her dear sister, from the midnight-blue feathers around her head and chest and her equally bold tail, to the black fur around her flank which was nearly identical to the clouds around Luna's cutie mark. There was no moon shape to be found, though, a fact of which Celestia was pleased; she wasn't sure she could deal with much more strangeness.

Unfortunately for her, fate didn't seem so kind. The little griffon flew quickly up into the air and hovered just before Celestia's face before it chirped, "Hi Tia!" in a voice that was, without a doubt, the same as her sister's.

Celestia could only gawk for a moment. She then took a deep breath in and closed her eyes while she muttered, "L-Luna? Is that you, little sister?

The griffon paused in its fluttering and promptly fell to the ground with a yelp. She then sat there quietly as she stared up at her with beautiful, mysterious blue eyes and a gently cocked head. The tips of her feathers were no higher than Celestia's chest. "Well, sure," she said, scratching behind her ear with a claw, "but you've never called me sister before. I like it."

Celestia's mouth fell open and, for the shortest time, she looked most unbecomingly like a fish. Nevertheless, she fought to regain her composure—as any true, experienced royal should. "I... I do not understand, sister. What... What happened to you?"

The griffon looked itself over and gave a short shrug. "C'mon, it's not that bad. So I went a little faster than normal in my dive, but you always said you like my feathers a little ruffled!"

"I do?" She frowned before shaking her head quickly. "No, no, you're missing the point. What I'm saying is... How do I word this delicately?"

"I'm sure I won't be offended," the Luna-griffon offered up.

"Oh, I wouldn't be so certain of that, sister, though I am most perplexed as to how you did not realise it yourself. But the truth of the matter is... You're a griffon."

The Luna-griffon blinked thrice before she cocked her head and raised an eyebrow. "And that's bad because..?"

Celestia drew back and raised a hoof sharply; her ears had very nearly disappeared by now. She could barely manage to stutter, "B-but... But you're a princess! With a horn, and a crown, and... and you're a pony!"

The Luna-griffon took a slow step backwards and eyed the door quickly. "You know, Tia, I really want to laugh at that. But you... You're not joking, are you? You seriously think I'm a pony?" Luna stepped backwards a little more and spread her juvenile wings. "I... You need help, Celestia. All this stress from having to study on your own, what with Twilight preparing for the thousandth Autumnal Asteroid Display... It's gone to your head!"

Celestia raised a hoof and held it high. "Wait, wait. Go back there. Did you say Twilight is preparing for the... What was it? The Autumnal Asteroid Display, did you say? Twilight... As in Twilight Sparkle?"

"You seriously need to sleep more," Luna said as she zipped up into the air, flapping her dainty wings rather erratically. Before she could drift out of the door, however, she was gasped in Celestia's magical hold. Unable to escape, she was quick to explain herself. "You know, the princess of magic? The one who gives us day and night, the seasons, the very essence of our land? She's your teacher and mentor, for Sparkle's sake."

Celestia's magic fell away from her horn as her mouth parted slightly and she eyed the little fil—no, fledgeling—up. "I am completely out of my depth," she whispered as she hung her head slightly, her tail drooping. A second later, however, she stood taller and began to step towards the open door. She grasped Luna's tail in her mouth and then said, through her gritted teeth, "Take me to her. Now."

Meeting

She hadn't expected to find anything peculiar when she stepped hoof from the observatory. Surely, she figured, this was some bizarre reality where the nature of the influential beings had differed, and that alone. She had not expected such changes to have a noticeable impact on her beloved Canterlot, however.

There was one thing in particular that stood out to her. "Luna? Sister, please tell me... what has happened to the trees?"

Luna, wearing the same perplexed expression that she had utilised for the last five minutes, gave a little shrug. "I have no clue, Tia. As in, no clue, no clue. They're exactly the same as always."

"But... but look at their leaves! They just don't look healthy!"

"I dunno, Tia. Like I said, they're just as they usually are." Luna zipped in front of Celestia and peered into her eyes, then glancing up to her horn. She fluttered up quickly to land just between Celestia's ears and, as she lay on her neck, she tickled the base of the horn. "You sure you haven't overworked yourself? Magic backfire, maybe? You know that's common for magic students."

Celestia shook her head. "Not really, no. It's only prevalent when there is increased magic in the air, and..." She trailed off as she jerked her head up to the sky and let her ears fall. After a moment's consideration, she then shuddered and moaned. "Gosh. The magic here... It's so thick! I can feel it on the air!"

Luna rolled her little eyes from her point out of Celestia's view. "Well, duh. This is Equestria, Tia. Everything's run with magic, even the s—oh! Oh, look up!" The little griffon tugged gently on the multicoloured mane so that Celestia was forced to look up. And, to the Luna-griffon's credit, it surely was a sight for sore eyes.

In the sky above, the sun blazed bright. It was brighter than Celestia herself had ever seen it, in fact—and from it, offshoots of fire danced about in the sky. The fiery tendrils made up the form of a dragon quite grandly.

"Wow," Celestia breathed, her eyes widening at the display. Her mouth fell slightly open in awe at the sight of it; it really was something special. Luna, despite her previous enthusiasm, seemed to get bored quite quickly.

"Okay, you don't need to stare. I mean, they're pretty and all, but it's just the Daytime Drake. It's not that uncommon, you know."

Celestia's mouth closed and her eyes began to lose their sparkle as she turned to the little griffon. Unable to see her, naturally, she then pried the creature from her neck with the use of her magic and winced as the talons dug in slightly too deep. "Ow, Luna!" she hissed while she nursed the sore spot slightly with a hoof, her wings being out of action. She then held the struggling griffon in front of her and said, "What is this "Daytime Drake" you speak of?"

Luna's mouth was the one to fall open this time. With a short splutter, she then managed to form semi-coherent words. "Oh, c'mon, Tia! You were the one who taught me the story!"

"Well, I've forgotten it. It was a long time ago."

The Luna-griffon frowned and folded her talons, kicking her paws as they dangled in the air. "It was a month ago, Tia," she said with a roll of her eyes. "Once we've gone to see Princess Twilight you really need to rest. I mean, I knew that bubble bath was bad for you! I could smell the dark magic coming from it, but you didn't listen!"

"You can smell dark magic?" Celestia whispered while she levitated the griffon closer. "That's amazing!"

Luna hissed and refused to say a word as she zipped her mouth shut with a talon. She then pointed rather forcibly to the ground; after a moment's consideration, Celestia unenthusiastically lowered her down. The griffon gasped for air dramatically once she had done so before, upon seeing the unicorn's displeased scowl, she quietened and blushed through her feathers.

"Okay, I'll tell you what you want to know. But then you've got to go to bed, 'cos I'm sure you're not right!" Luna nodded to the flaming tendrils in the sky and took in a breath as she padded next to Celestia. "So that's the Daytime Drake, like I said. S'posedly he was once a prince, but he got angry and ended up banished to the sun to burn in his own fire. And the offshoots are his soul trying to escape and inevitably failing."

Celestia swallowed audibly. That tale was too close to the one she knew all too well—but a dragon version of Nightmare Moon? She shuddered at the thought, much to Luna's amusement.

"Seriously, Tia, it's a tale. No big ol' dragon's gonna come and eat you in the night!" Luna flew into the air a little and kicked her legs about as she squealed. "Anyway, you seem to have forgotten that I'm a griffon and that we griffons can smell magic. And that covers your second question."

"But... but griffons can't smell magic!" Celestia cried, looking quite discouraged. Her expression only served to heighten Luna's pleasure.

"I'm the griffon here, not you. It's an evolutionary tactic, remember? You taught me about that as well... You taught me everything, actually."

Celestia raised an eyebrow slowly as her ears and tail drooped. "Did I say of how you evolved that way?"

Luna shook her head. "No, annoyingly. But once you stop acting like you know nothing, you can tell me, 'K?"

Celestia was quiet for a moment before she nodded her head slowly; her ears pricked forwards ever so slightly. She couldn't be sure of what was going on or where she was, but if she was to be stuck here she may as well get accustomed to it. And the best way to find out about the present was, surely, to see where history had messed itself up.

With a sigh when she reached the bottom of the stairs, Celestia looked back to the Luna-Griffon and gestured to her rump. The little thing squawked happily and shot down, making her wince at the rough landing, before she settled herself down. Celestia smiled at the sight and said, "So, to the castle?"

The Luna-griffon nodded eagerly. "Yep. We'd better hurry before her meetings begin, though. You know how busy she gets after noon, and I'm sure she won't want to see you then."

Celestia nodded slowly and began to tread forwards, finding herself questioning even if the roads beneath her hooves felt the same. Before she had much chance to think on the matter, though, she was halted by Luna tugging on her mane with her beak.

"Tia... The castle's the other way."

Celestia froze and spun around whilst she looked about, ears falling back. It was a moment before she finally laid eyes upon it; when she did, she groaned. "Direct me there, Luna?"

The little blue griffon rolled her eyes and pointed a claw forwards. "That way, you derp," she said, then slumping a little more on Celestia's back. "And make it quick, 'k? There's supposed to be a big polo match going on later and I do not intend to miss them as usual!"

Maybe she should have expected things to be so different in this new reality. With Twilight in her place, it was natural that the butterfly effect would come into play; in fact, it was foalish to hope or think that Canterlot would be the same place.

The name was the same, at least. Hence, Celestia puzzled out, things must have been similar in this world as in her own at the time of the three tribes. The major turning point, presumably, must have been centered around the birth of Twilight in place of Celestia and Luna.

It was not so far-fetched a theory; her own parents had both been born with wings and a horn due to genetic mutation, but they were not quite the sole examples of an evolved species. Certainly, they ended up as the only survivors when the three tribes, under threat from the small alicorn herd, had hunted and killed each so-called abomination. Such was the case until Celestia's own parents learned how to harness their improved abilities to prevent themselves from and later attack the united tribes, going on to claim the throne of a newly-formed Equestria themselves. It was not the tale which the text books told little colts and fillies, but the truth was always twisted and warped throughout history—for better or for worse. And Celestia had never been keen on the grisly matter.

But, if things had been slightly different, everything could have begun to change. If Celestia's parents had died in the fighting and a different couple had attacked, for example, then their manner of ruling would have been different. Or even the simple matter that one of her parents could have coupled with a different mate, or even just at a different time, hence eliminating the possibility of the birth of herself and her sister.

There were so many factors to consider, it made Celestia's brain ache. The Luna-griffon's tugging at her hair to stop her before she trotted into a towering wall which surrounded the castle was, as such, something of a surprise.

"Watch out, Tia!" Luna whispered as she gave a little giggle. "Gosh, you are in a weird mood today. C'mon, we've gotta get inside quickly. You know how loiterers are dealt with 'round here."

Truth be told, she didn't have the slightest clue as to what Luna was implying. But while she was an amateur in this new world, the little griffon was incredibly experienced; it would be idiotic to not at least pay heed to her warnings. And so, before she could find out what exactly Luna had meant—for by her tone, it was something rather more grisly than Celestia wanted to imagine—she cantered to the castle door and shot inside once it opened for her automatically.

Where her old castle had been large and bright and welcoming, Celestia couldn't help but shiver as she stepped hoof inside slowly. The darkness was heavy and the candles at either side of the wall did little to help her see. The stone floor was freezing cold, as was the stale air in the hall; it was most unpleasant, and she wasted little time in speeding up into a trot simply to escape the bleakness.

The next room, a large circular space from which multiple doors led down different corridors, was slightly better lit, though a lot less depressing. The circular ceiling was alight with bright colours as they danced and weaved among eachother, showering anypony to walk through the hall in harmless magical droplets. They had no matter to them, though were slightly chilling—almost like the first snow fall of winter, she supposed. When she opened her mouth to taste one, she was pleasantly surprised to find that the red beam, at least, had a most pleasant strawberry flavour. Though far from being the best she had tasted, she would hardly turn down more of the taste—but not for now. She had more pressing matters at the moment.

Celestia trod towards the furthest door slowly, unwilling to see what awaited her. So much had changed—for ponies' sake, her sister was now a cheeky little griffon who soared through the air beside her—that she couldn't be quite sure what to expect. But she knew, as much as it pained her, that this Twilight would not be the filly she had helped to nurture and raise, the child she watched grown from a foal to an adult. No, this was a Twillight with millenia worth of experience.

Upon opening the door, Celestia yelped as her muzzle was squished when she tried to pass through. She backed up quickly and frowned before she raised a hoof and tentatively reached out; she took a breath in when she felt a soft yet impenetrable shield before her.

"Well, what are you waiting for?"

Celestia turned to Luna with a quizzical look, her forehoof raised. "You tell me," she said with a shrug. From the corner of her eye, she could see that some form of artificial pony had begun to materialise before her eyes. She hunched her back at the sight before turning back to the Luna-griffon. "I'm being serious, Luna! How do we get through?"

The ponies had finished materialising by now and were moving closer slowly. The accuracy of them was astonishing, both from their proportions to their features and the way they moved. But there was little time to contemplate the skillful creativity when large turrets grew from their heads.

"Celestia!" Luna's cry was loud as she shot to the floor to cower behind her back legs. When she did not move, though, the griffon whimpered and flew forwards, biting down on the turrets with her beak and bending the metal upwards. Luna gave a short squawk of triumph and beamed at Celestia before her victim clamped the hair of her tail in its mouth and dragged her down. She writhed and screamed as she clawed and pawed through the air; the pony didn't so much as flinch, but why would it?

"Luna!" Celestia cried, her eyes going wide. She leapt forwards quickly whilst she engulfed her horn in magic and bucked at the pony as she grabbed the griffon's paws with her telikenesis. She then walked backwards slowly, grunting and groaning as she strained to pull the little thing from the artificial pony's unbreakable grip on her tail. And then, with a yelp as she fell backwards, the hairs in the pony's mouth broke and Luna was freed, sent flying towards her first ever friend. She landed with a thud against Celestia's chest and giggled a little at first; a moment later, when the hoofsteps grew louder, she quietened and returned her gaze to the two mechanical creatures. They stalked forwards ever so slowly; when her attempt to teleport away failed, Celestia's heart sunk at the realisation that there was no escape.

"Enough!"

For a moment, the two attacking ponies glowed the brightest shade of red; a second later, they were reduced to a pile of smoldering metal. The substance then disappeared before Celestia's eyes, sinking into the floor as if it was being soaked up by a sponge. If her shock hadn't been great enough already, the door behind her then swung open at last to reveal a towering purple mare, whose purple and pink mane flowed just as hers had done before, the colours of the world at twilight. Her horn was long and spear like, chipped and scarred in places, and her large but sleek wings were just as marred. On her hooves she wore large and heavy golden shoes, much like the ones that Celestia's Twilight had worn—except for the fact that these were literally welded to her skin. Her crown was similar, connected to the skin of her horn and presumably her head at the base. It was an unnerving sight to see, though not such a bad idea for a ruler; she was quite literally the princess, and that her adornments were a very part of her just affirmed just point.

Her scowl was something Celestia had not expected, however. Far from the carefree young princess, this Twilight seemed a wizened and severe ruler. Her voice was no less powerful than she had expected, especially since Luna fell to her knees almost immediately in a bow. Celestia was still for a minute before she hurried to reciprocate her so-called sister's action. Twilight looked most put out at the fumbled response. "Celestia, my student. It was ever so foolish for you to dally so; you know of the password, as well as the dangers of not passing through here immediately. I am, in a single word, ashamed at your carelessness. You would have been obliterated had I not been watching and awaiting your arrival."

Celestia took a deep breath and glanced about, wincing at the sight of the guards. "I can explain, princess," she began, trying not to look as nervous as she felt. She paused, however, when she took note of Twilight's words. "How, exactly, did you know I would be coming to see you?"

Twilight's eyes flashed as she stared down at the mere unicorn below her. "You may be my student, Celestia, and a trusted one at that, but I shall never tell you the secrets of my rule. I have said so before, and wish to hear nought on the matter again." She took a deep breath and then let it out slowly, ruffling her heavy wings. "Now, what did you come here so recklessly to tell me?"

Celestia frowned a little. "I think this may be better said in private, princess," she said, sending a nod in the direction of the guards. Twilight scowled but bowed her head a little, pushing the stallions away with her wings and turning tail, starting in the direction of whatever lay through the corridor. Celestia followed dutifully and kept quiet as she trod carefully behind; when she entered into the next room, however, she was dragged from her hooves by a crushing magical aura. She winced at the pressure and flared up her own horn, straining to fight against the magic; when she felt the princess' aura begin to weaken, she then let out a breath.

"Please, princess! Let me explain!"

Twilight Sparkle's ears flicked about as she walked around her prey, staring deep through her. "You are not my student, else you would have said the password! An imposter, no doubt—and I do not tolerate imposters!" The alicorn's eyes flashed white and she reared up, her horn suddenly beginning to bubble and ripple with purple and green. Celestia's eyes widened at the sight and she opened her mouth to reply, but found her lungs without air as the beam began to form.

"Wait!"

Celestia turned her head slowly to watch as the Luna-griffon shot forwards, blocking Twilight Sparkle's path. She flapped her little wings rapidly and panted, her eyes shimmering with tears. "Please, Your Majesty! Please, just hear her out and kill her after! She's got Magic Backfire, I am most sure!"

Twilight faltered in her casting and took a step back, lowering Celestia down slowly. The second her hooves touched the ground, they were promptly bound by chains just as her horn was encased in a magical force field—to keep any magic in. Twilight then flared out her wings and looked down at the unicorn before her, snarling.

"Is this true?"

Though she opened her mouth to retort the fact, Celestia faltered in her reply just a fraction of a second before she spoke. After a moment's consideration, she then hung her head and whispered, "Yes, Your Highness." She slumped a little before she then looked up and asked, in a carefully slow voice, "Is there anything you can do to help my predicament?"

Twilight Sparkle did not appear pleased, but she lowered her wings slowly all the same. "And how can I know that you are not an imposter?" she hissed. For a moment, Celestia could not answer—and then in a wave of inspiration it hit her.

"If I were so foolish to plan to attack such an incredibly powerful mare as yourself," she began, "would I not have planned my attack better? Have found out the password, have attacked you immediately?"

Twilight frowned before she sighed quietly. "I suppose that may be the case. You are dismissed, Celestia." The alicorn turned away and began to walk towards a massive throne to accomodate the sheer size of the mare before she faltered. She then turned her head and said, "Canterlot is high in magic. You shall move to Ponyvale in the meantime."

"Ponyvale?"

"That is what I said, you foal," Twilight hissed before she teleported herself to her throne, sitting there with a scowl upon her muzzle. "Now go, for this time is wasted. I shall arrange for a pegasus to transport you there promptly."

Celestia was quiet for just a moment before she gave a very slow courtsey. She then tured slowly and began to walk out with her hooves dragging towards her new, confusing future.

Author's Note

If you like where this is going please consider becoming a patron! Patrons have the opportunity to commission new fics as well as the chance to choose which existing fic to update! If I can earn enough to justify quitting my job, I'll even be able to update every day.

Arrival

"Tia?"

"What now, Luna?" Celestia asked, her head resting on her hooves as she sat in the back of the black marble chariot. She had been most surprised to find that the pair of pegasi whom Princess Twilight had ordered to take her to this "Ponyvale" were not, in truth, the strong and powerful stallions that she had expected; rather they were weak and fairly thin, covered in scars and completely out of control of their own bodies. The magical rings which were wrapped dangerously tightly around their wings was confirmation of that. But easily the most horrific thing was the bloodied area around their groins, completely lacking in the masculine adornments which ought to have been there.

She tried not to think on it too much.

"I..." The Luna-griffon, who had once again been zipping around the unicorn's head, now came to sit down next to Celestia's haunches. "I just want to check you're alright? You seem really, really different."

Celestia was quiet for a moment before she turned her head and lowered it to look away. She sighed before she then whispered, "I'm worried, Luna."

"About the Magic Backfire?"

Celestia shook her head. "No, not that..." she replied before she lay down and folded her hooves so as to rest her head atop them. "To be truthful, I'm worried about... some ponies that I know." Celestia shook her head slowly and then closed her eyes, her ears drooped. "But I can't help them now. I... I wouldn't know how. I don't even understand what's going on myself."

Luna was quiet for a moment before she trod forwards slowly and climbed up onto Celestia's forehoof. "If this is about Flat Quill again, y'know that wasn't your fault, right? I mean, I know you liked him and all, but... Well, he did drop litter in the streets. No amount of lecturing him would stop that. And we all know the punishment for littering!" Luna ruffled her feathers slowly and shuddered. "I'll never forget the time the Royal Guard had me stripped for molting on the side path. Ouch! I can still feel the burn—and these feathers are still pretty pathetic! Tia, won't you use an age spell on me?"

Celestia didn't reply at first, too caught up in her own thoughts to consider what the little griffon had said. A moment later, however, she sat up and rose a hoof sharply, her eyes wide as she hissed, "They did what to you?"

The Luna-griffon grimaced and let her head fall slightly. "Well, if you don't remember yet, I don't really wanna talk about it. Besides, you'll remember soon enough."

"Oh." Celestia was still for a moment before she reached out a hoof and pulled Luna closer, letting the griffon's feathers entwine with her fur. "You know, I'm here if you do ever need to talk about it?"

Luna shook her head slowly and sniffled a little. "Nah. I've had worse; we all have." The griffon shrugged and flicked her little tail before she turned her head to slowly prune her wings, an act which made Celestia brindle just a little in jealousy. She quickly masked the expression, however, when the griffon's large eyes landed on hers inquisitively. After a few seconds of silently staring eachother down, Luna then bounded to the other side of the carriage and peered over the edge; she squealed as she did so and leapt up into the air, flitting about in sudden glee.

"Wow!" she gasped, her wings flapping so quickly that they were little more than a blur at this stage. "Tia, Tia! It's Ponyvale! Look at this, quick!"

Celestia frowned and scooted away from the young griffon slowly; at Luna's indignant squawk, however, she let out a breath and shuffled closer most unenthusiastically. She then let her head fall over the edge of the chariot's back and looked at the world below.

It was not what she had expected, to be sure.

Back in Equestria—her Equestria, not this increasingly disturbing replica which was under the rule of Twilight Sparkle—Ponyville had always been a quaint little place. A farming, country village which could not have been more different to the big cities which were littered about. It had been smaller than a single Manehattan or Las Pegasus road and yet it was so much more pleasant a place to live—beaten only by Canterlot, of course.

But such was not the case now, it would seem. A city where the simple act of molting got a pony punished so severely...

No. Celestia shook her head and focused her gaze down on the ground, instead scanning the little village which was to be her new home. It was nothing—or as close to nothing as was important—like the Ponyville that she had known in her kingdom; the colourful homes and bright and welcoming roads were duller. A few ponies walked throughout the streets, chatting in hushed voices among eacher, but for the most part there was nopony nearby; a hasty search later revealed them to be gathered at the local farm, surely this land's version of Sweet Apple Acres. From the distance it was hard to truly tell what they were doing; it wasn't hard to imagine that they were not quite contented, though.

And yet, despite this, Luna still looked ever so excited.

"It's awful," Celestia whispered, a few tears welling up in her eyes as the chariot drew closer to the ground. The poor stallions at the front were sweaty and exhausted, poor things, but there was nothing that she could do to save them.

"Awful?" Luna repeated, her face now a mask of horror. "Just feel the air... It's so sweet out here! So pure!"

Celestia was quiet before she then took a deep breath in, letting the smell of the morning air fill her nostrils. It was cool as it sunk down into her lungs, settling there and sending a shiver through her body; when she released it, however, she could once again feel the weight of the magic which lingered everywhere.

"The air's still thick with magic, Luna," she said as she brushed her mane with a hoof, feeling somewhat dirty when the air settled on her. "I thought Princess Twilight wanted me to come here to get away from all of the magic?"

The chariot touched down with a dull thud and skidded a few metres before the drivers regained control. Luna, however, was already rolling around in the dirt even before they had made the landing, giggling as she did so. "Well, there's magic everywhere. Equestria's run on magic, you know that! But there's less of it here, less to make my feathers heavy and my body gross, and that's awesome!"

Celestia shook her head slowly as she stepped down from the carriage. She began to walk slowly over to a slightly dull patch of grass to pluck a few strands for the drivers—the poor things were trembling now, their feeble wings draped on the floor—but did not have a chance when the two instead began to scream. The cries echoed loud around the village's streets; a moment later, in a flash of painfully-bold purple, they and the chariot had gone. All that was left was a slightly charred section of dirt. She winced at the sight but managed to keep back a yelp; Luna, on the other hoof, hardly looked fazed.

"Gee, Tia," she began as she stopped rolling and instead bounded up to her hoof, rubbing around them like a kitten, "I never realised the Magic Backfire would be so bad. You're really not well, are you?"

"Wh-what do you mean?"

Luna began to climb up Celestia's foreleg slowly, her eyes now thinned. "Well, you seem really... jumpy. And strange. I mean, it's not nice when Twilight does things like that but you always knew it goes on. Everypony does." The Luna-griffon dug her claws into Celestia's side a little deeper and purred quietly, ignoring the latter's yelp and hisses. She then sprawled herself out on the warm hair of Celestia's mane and sighed, purring a little more as she dug her claws in again. Even when the unicorn's magic wrapped around her to pull her off she refused to let go. When Celestia did release her, though, she did relent a little and loosened her grip.

"Why," Celestia began, cut off momentarily as she began to move at the slight pain which came when Luna's claws dug in, "is Princess Twilight like this? She seems so... barbaric."

"You really don't know? C'mon, please tell me you're just joking with me?" Celestia shook her head at the Luna-griffon's words. "Oh. Wow, you're not well. This is more than just Magic Backfire, isn't it?"

"Luna," Celestia hissed, her ears now pinned. She cracked her tail slightly above the little griffon's head in warning before she then continued with, "Just answer my question."

"But—"

"Look, I don't want to talk about it," Celestia snapped back in a whisper, her eyes now filled with flames. Luna winced at the sight and recoiled, sitting up straight and with her claws threatening to dig in once more. It was only the sight of the furious eyes which prevented her from doing so; it surely would not end well, or so she reasoned. Once she had done so, however, the flames died out slightly and Celestia merely sighed before finishing with, "I'll tell you later. Or... at some point. I promise that, and do I ever break my promises?"

"Yes."

"Oh." Celestia gave a feeble smile before she then pulled the baby griffon from her back with her magic and held her in front of her face. After a moment's hesitation she then leaned in to nuzzle her gently, drawing a giggle and a squeal. The sound somewhat filled her own heart with joy and she, too, let a larger smile grow on her muzzle as she retured Luna to her back. She gave her a few second to get comfortable again before she then said, in a gentler and genuinely happier tone, "Well, I won't break this promise. That which I need to tell you... It is not easy for me to do so. But I will, at some point. Hopefully soon, but maybe not; it all depends on when I feel safe."

"Safe? But Tia, you're Princess Twilight's pupil. Nopony would—"

"You don't understand, Luna. This secret of mine... I fear that, if she knew, Princess Twilight would not react too kindly to it. And that would endanger us both."

The Luna-griffon was quiet for a moment before she opened her beak a few times, unable to find the words. Eventually, though, she had to say something; reluctantly she said, in a slow and quiet voice, "Okay, Tia." She glanced about uncertainly for a few seconds before she then finished with, "Whatever it is, I'll be here. Yeah?"

Celestia grinned and went to open a wing to embrace the griffon, only to remember with a sinking heart that she didn't have them now. She then sighed and simply shot a grin backwards, her eyes now soft. "Thank you, Luna," she whispered, then stopping in her tracks and looking about slowly. “So, did Princess Twilight say where we were staying?”

The Luna-griffon shook her head slowly and fluttered up into the sky. After a few minutes of frantically zipping about, she then shot back down to the ground and stretched her claw in the direction of what Celestia could only presume was the Everfree Forest—or this land’s version of it.

“There’s an inn over there?” she said with a shrug. “I’ve got a couple of snaffle on me, and I expect there’ll be a bank nearby where you can take out some of yours?

“Sna—“ Celestia began, a frown on her muzzle until she cut herself off and shook her head. Before she could carry on, however, Luna sighed and fluttered forwards.

“You don’t have a clue what I’m talking about, do you?” she asked, her expression neither amused nor annoyed. With a blush on her cheeks Celestia shook her head and mumbled something inaudible; Luna’s eyes rolled almost immediately at the response. “Okay. It’s money. You get the snaffle, which is worth the least, and then there’s the curb, which is five snaffles. A pelham’s three curbs, then ten pelhams in a gag. I’ve only ever had snaffles and curbs, though, ‘cos you wouldn’t give me any more than that in my allowance.” Luna grinned and slowed in her flight so that she fell back to flutter near Celestia’s ears. “You know… if you’ve forgotten how to use money, you could always give me all yours and I’ll sort it all?”

Celestia was quiet for a moment before she laughed and raised a hoof to nudge Luna away as she said, “Cheeky thing!” The little griffon pouted but quickly landed anyway, not too upset as she shrugged.

“Worth a shot,” she said, still smiling before she then sighed loudly. Not long after she bounded forwards, running circles as she waited for Celestia to catch up and squealing all the while.

Luna didn’t notice the two small, silver coins which now rested in the unicorn’s hoof.

Settling In

The inn was a less than welcoming place, or so it seemed from the outside. The walls were dull and dismal, the windows cracked and dusty. The roof looked like some amateur patchwork job, and the clouds which had gathered overhead—the fact that they were still controlled by the pegasi, at least, was reassuring—appeared less than friendly; dark and convulsing. The sight made Celestia wince and the little Luna-griffon, too, could only whimper. It didn't take much more than the first few raindrops to the encourage them to scarper inside.

And, surprisingly, the unpleasantness was left behind at the front entrance. The bar which met Celestia's wary eyes was brightly lit with candles and glowing gemstones, covered with a warm orange sheet. The decor was cheap, certainly—some things looked as if they had been salvaged from a scrapyard, even—but right now, in a place as strange and unwelcoming as this, anything colourful was nice. Celestia was more than a little weary after her long and, to be frank, confusing day; she wasn't about to be picky, especially not if the bed on offer was affordable.

With the small silver coins in hoof—what had Luna called them, again?—she stepped forwards to the counter slowly. When nopony came to serve her, a most strange phenomenon after centuries of ponies fawning over her with every step that she took, she then lifted a hoof and began to lower it down to the countertop. She did not need to tap, however; the second that she began to try, a quiet and bored voice sounded from the shadows. Out of them, a scruffy griffon slunk out; her pale green feathers were dull and bone dry and her fur, perhaps snow-white once, was dusty and split at the ends. One of her eyes was permanently closed shut, sewn together with stitches. When she stood up at the counter, Celestia then noticed with horror that the middle talon on her right claw was merely a bloody mess.

"Hello," she murmured, her good eye thinned. Her voice was gritty and grating; it was then that a heavy metal collar was revealed to be slightly concealed under her fur when it flashed a bloody shade of red. She yelped and a wave of electricity seemed to pass through her body, making her wispy fur and feeble feathers stand on end and her beak open in pain. Once the red light then faded, she gasped and trembled where she stood before she whispered, her voice unsteady, "Good day!" It was a pathetic attempt at a chirpy voice, as if Celestia had not just watched what happened. "Anything you require, I would be more than willing to help out." The light flashed once, for only the briefest of moments, and the griffon ground her beak together before she added slowly, cautiously, "Ma'am."

Celestia could only gape for a few moments, her jaw opening and closing like a fish's. She raised her hoof a few times and brushed it through the air in complete and utter horror. It was then that the Luna-griffon, watching her in all her perplexed amusement, noticed the two silver coins in the frog of Celestia's hoof. She glowered and zipped down to clasp them in her claw, hissing "My snaffles!" with a pout plastered on her face. She then flew back and her tiny wings flapped frantically before she landed down on the worktop with a thud. She then trotted up to the larger griffon and shoved the first of the coins towards her, though did not let go when the griffon began to nip at the coin with her beak. She then jerked it back and snapped, "That's enough for, y'know, just a little room. Right?"

The griffon was quiet and glanced about quickly. She then stepped back and said slowly, as if unsure of her words, "That would depend on... That would depend on who is asking, Ma'am." She ruffled her feathers and looked Luna over with a frown. She was quiet for a moment before she then opened her mouth—but she promptly took a step back and shook her head, her beak clamped shut as she waited for a reply.

"We're students of Princess Twilight Sparkle," Luna said, chest puffed out in pride—or it was for a minute, at least. "I mean, she's Princess Twilight Sparkle's student. I... I'm just the lowly assistant, but ah well."

The griffon behind the counter frowned, but she reached underneath and pulled forth a small key all the same. She then placed it down on the worktop tenderly, her good eye focused on Celestia inquisitively. When the little Luna-griffon walked forwards to snatch it, however, she turned her head around sharply and ground her teeth together, her claws now positioned protectively over the copper. "If what your assistant says is true," she said, her gaze back to Celestia, "then one snaffle will certainly suffice. However, I... I will need some form of identification. Ma'am."

Celestia looked down at herself, from her less than-impressive pink mane to her no-longer-recognised cutie mark, and bit her bottom lip slightly. Why would Twilight think to move her away without giving her any means of getting shelter, or food? If only she had asked her before, Celestia chided herself; why had she not questioned where she would be staying? Had she gotten so foalish in her old age?

Or, maybe Twilight hadn't left them with nothing. Celestia watched in puzzlement as Luna winked at her quickly before she pounced closer to the larger griffon and extended her little wing; after a few moments, the former gasped and fell to her knees in a bow that was blocked by the counter, and Luna turned away smugly. As she folded her feathers back to her side, however, she felt herself be pulled from her paws by Celestia's magic. She, in turn, pulled it back open quickly and studied her companion for a moment before she gasped at that which she found there; a pale cream mark, not unlike Princess Twilight's cutie mark in design but outlined by the shape of a crown, was hidden at the muscular base of Luna's wing. A means of identification. A brand—a scar.

And it was then, when she brushed her head accidentally against the feathers of Luna's chest, that she realised something else. Though hard to see through the thick plumage—the complete opposite of the griffon who was still on her knees in a bow—a metal collar, painted black, could just about be seen hanging tightly around Luna's neck. She didn't have to think hard to imagine what it could do.

"L-Luna!" she gasped, her hoof resting on the collar. The little griffon merely looked down at it with a puzzled frown. "What is this thing?"

"What, my collar?" Luna asked, her head cocked. "Come on, how much've you forgotten? We're gonna need some more snaffle... We might be here for a while if your magic backfire's that bad!"

"Luna..."

"Okay, okay! Sheesh! It's just my collar; you know how Twilight doesn't trust griffons all that great. Hates that we can smell magic and all." Luna gave a short snort. "But I really don't see what good smelling magic is against an alicorn who could blast you to smithereens with it!"

Celestia was quiet for a moment before she nodded numbly, glancing between the two griffons with a rapidly-thumping heart. What had Twilight done?

"E-Excuse me, Ma'am," the large griffon said, still bent over. "May I stand yet?" When Celestia nodded and uttered a confirmation, the griffon leapt to her claws and stood up at the counter—only to recieve a quick jolt for moving so quickly. She yelped and fell back to the ground, wincing as she then said, "I've met ponies with magic backfire before, and... well, they don't smell pleasant. But you don't smell that way; I don't believe you do have the condition." She finished speaking with a slight smile upon her beak—but promptly lost it and said instead, "Ma'am!" before she pushed the key to the other side of the counter. She then mumbled, "Breakfast and dinner is complementary with all double suites; your orders shall be taken when you are ready, and delivered at eight sharp." She paused momentarily and took a cautious step backwards and finished with, "Room Twelve is free, Ma'am. Up the stairs, to the left." With that, she then bowed her head and scarpered backwards so as to hide in the shadows once again; after an uncertain glance to her companion, Celestia then gestured for her to hop onto her back before she made her way to the stairs.

The corridors were not particularly impressive, but given the state of the rest of the world Celestia had no expected them to be all that grand. The state of the bedroom, as such, was quite the surprise; it appeared to be a luxury suite, fully decorated with reasonably plush furniture and decent looking wallpaper. There was no carpet on the floor, unfortunately, and the wood was quite cold—but the wolf skin rug was more than soft and delightfully warm. Celestia did cringe slightly at the thought of it as she lay down, though—she hadn't decorated anything with such items for centuries, the hall of hooves maybe even being the last time she had done so. Her memory of the earliest few centuries was certainly dwindling by now.

As she lay there, her gaze trailed across to the only-slightly-dusty window. Through it, the farm could be seen quite clearly—and it was little like anything Celestia had ever seen in her life. More mechanical. To the little Luna-griffon, however, it was akin to travelling back in time to stone age Equestria. The way her little tail flicked and her wings buzzed as she stood up at the window certainly confirmed it, but Celestia was skeptical.

"Nice view there, Luna?" she asked, smiling all the same and trying not to appear too much like a fish-out-of-water. The little griffon only nodded eagerly and shot up into the air, zipping about as she seemed to do so often. Funny little thing. Despite her assistant's enthusiasm, though, Celestia couldn't help but yawn and lay her head down, the chaos and confusion of the last fifteen hours suddenly hitting her when she stopped. "We'll go there tomorrow morning," she then said, laughing tiredly at the griffon's squeal. She then grunted when Luna leapt on her, kneading her side until she was thrown off. "But for now, I'm tired, so quit bouncing on me and go lie on that bed. Go to sleep, have a nap."

Luna grumbled a little but stood up and hopped onto the bed all the same. Snuggling under the covers quickly, she purred at the warmth and closed an eye with the other kept focused on Celestia cheekily and her tongue poked out. She then giggled at the rolled eyes which met that and whispered, "You know I'm not gonna sleep, right?"

Celestia laughed as she let her eyes slip shut, using her magic to lock the door behind her—and the window. "Just stay there, Luna," she said after she found a comfortable spot. After so long of sleeping in a bed, being able to go back to basics as she had always wished was lovely. The feel of the fur against hers... It was like being a filly again.

A short moment elapsed, and a quiet shuffling made Celestia's ears flick about instinctively. Before she had time to even open her eyes, however, she felt something small and warm brush against her side; almost immediately after, Luna's legs buckled beneath her and she collapsed, sprawled out across her back. After a brief fidgeting, the little griffon then slumped and began to breathe more slowly, more deeply, and Celestia couldn't contain the sigh that passed her lips. But, nevertheless, a small tear ran down her cheek at the thought of her sister, her true sister, and the cruel fate that she had been dealt; the same mare who had once upon a time cuddled up with a younger her in the exact same way.

Bigotry

Even though her eyes were heavy, Celestia could tell that this farm was not going to be anything like the ones back in her Equestria. The rusted entrance arch, off of which hung a squeaking metal sign reading simply "Ponyvale Farm", seemed to whisper warnings to her as she approached—and screamed shrilly when she passed underneath. She shuddered and shivered and quickly ascended into a trot with her gaze over her shoulder more than it was forwards. Luna, who galloped along beside her and panted as she did so, yelled, "What's up with you, Tia?" She then leapt up into the air—quite literally—and shot onto her back, digging her talons in slightly (but not so much that it hurt) so as not to fall off. "I thought sleeping in would've helped you, but you're seriously jumpy still."

Celestia turned her head forwards and fought to keep it there, her unease growing with each second that she did not check behind herself. "I'm fine, Luna," she said, her fallen ears denying that claim. "I just... This place just feels... creepy. As if something's about to pounce on me." Celestia cringed and, for just a moment, she slowed in her walk; Luna didn't miss it at all. She could not quite catch what she breathed out next. "We've all seen too much these past years..."

"What was that?"

Celestia stiffened and walked even slower. "I'll tell you later on, Luna. Not now."

The Luna-griffon zipped up into the air and shot to Celestia's front, where she opened her beak quickly to talk—but promptly changed her mind and fluttered back to the ground. Instead she changed her attention to focus on the wonderous place around her, a village so bright and lacking in magical influence compared to anything that she had been used to.

It was all relative, of course. With the weight of the saturated air on her body, Celestia felt as if she was beginning to get more than a little nauseous. Nevertheless, though she gave a little groan, she continued to trudge her way forwards towards what appeared to be the main barn; it was the biggest, at least—and, it transpired when the pair arrived, it was also where the farm workers were lounging around. Though the world felt bleak, the sun was admittedly warm.

Celestia glanced up and sighed, her thoughts trailing back to the fate of her own subjects. Were they still alive? Did that land even exist still, or was this place some cruel replacement for the kingdom she had worked so hard to make tranquil?

But that had failed, of course. Queen Metamorphosis had been a master tactician; while her ambitious but impatient sister had attempted major takeover in a matter of days, hers had always been more of a subtle approach. It had been a gradual infiltration that no pony, least of all Celestia's devoted student, had expected; each of her drones had studied their target carefully from the sidelines and, when it came to take their place, the victim had been swiftly contained deep within her hive.

She, of course, had bragged about this feat more than once; she had whispered into ponies’ ears, sat on their shoulder and speaking directly to them. It was enough to drive anyone insane—but Twilight had never fallen for it. She didn’t let the taunting get to her and never faltered in her determination to rid the world of the evil which had, out of the blue, overwhelmed our land.

But her poor student had been so young, so naïve… Her best efforts alone could not have been enough. None of her prior adversaries had been so clever; Discord had been arrogant, Chrysalis had been greedy, and Sombra had not been strong enough when he returned to be a great threat. Tirek had easily been her biggest challenge—but he had needed only brute force to be defeated.

But Metamorphosis… Twilight never stood a chance. Not when faced with a foe such as her. Celestia sighed; she should have known her student was not all powerful yet, but with every battle won she became more and more comforted by the power that Twilight wielded.

But she had not been experienced. She had not seen the strength of an enemy who surrounded you on all sides, had not expected the attack that had led to her capture. It had been such a simple, cliché trick—but for a pony on alert for some major disaster, it was enough to throw her defences enough. Just enough. And then Metamorphosis’ changelings, who had replaced the most unimportant and unsuspicious of ponies, sprung and captured her. There had been no room for fault, and Metamorphosis had played her cards so that there was none. Not even a hair was out of place in her plot.

Celestia shook her head, forcing the unpleasantness from her mind before she could think on it too much. If she allowed herself to remember Twilight’s capture… it wouldn’t go well.

"C'mon, Luna," she said, trying so desperately to push thoughts of Twilight's fate from her mind. She instead plastered a grin upon her muzzle, a skill which she had developed, though not perfected, over the centuries. She then ascended into a gallop and trotted the last section towards the building. By the time she had skidded to a stop, however, the lounging farmhooves had all jumped into a defensive stance, shovels and pitchforks and shears held out before them.

And it was then that Celestia realised something strange. In this farm-based community—even if this particular farm was nothing like what she was used to—there was not a single earth pony.

"Who are you?" a grey unicorn hissed, her horn sparking light. The aura was weak and flickered frequently; many small offshoots of power burst from the edges like the solar flares from the sun, dancing in the air before they dissipated into nothingness.

Celestia opened her mouth quickly to answer, her head high and her back stretched out as she was so used to doing when she stretched out her wings. Of course, she couldn't do that now. Before she could answer the unicorn's question, however, Luna bounced over her neck and landed on her muzzle. As per usual she dug her claws into Celestia's skin; she, in turn, howled and recoiled momentarily, throwing her head about. When the little Luna-griffon was then dislodged and flung through the air, only to flap her tiny wings quickly to recover as her collar glowed red, Celestia glowered at them. The grey unicorn and her companions, in turn, gasped. One ageing pegasus then snapped her wings open and shot forwards, grabbing Luna's tail between her teeth and flinging her away. Her eyes flashed dangerously.

"How dare you hurt your mistress, griffon?" she snapped, eyes narrowed and wings opened threateningly. She then bared her teeth and began to stalk forwards, hooves stamping against the dusty dirt loudly. Luna yelped and scampered towards Celestia's rearlegs, hiding there and cowering. She, in turn, glared at the pegasus and turned around slowly—she kept her ears on alert all the while—and picked the little griffon up gently, tenderly by the scruff of her neck. She then turned back and transferred Luna to hold in her forehoof.

"What are you doing?" she hissed, ears now pinned as she glared down the ageing pegasus, who soon frowned and backed up a little. Simultaneously her farmhoof colleages leapt to her side, each pony watching Celestia suspiciously.

"That scum hurt you," the pegasus explained cautiously, her voice terse. "Allow slaves to walk all over you and we'll have a riot on our hooves."

"Slaves?" Celestia replied, backing up and looking down at the little Luna-griffon cautiously. It all made sense, of course; the collars, the submissive nature of the counter griffon, the brand underneath her wing. But still... "No, no. Luna... She is not my slave." A low murmur rang out through the farmhooves who looked to eachother in puzzlement. Celestia stood taller and squeezed the little griffon before she then said, "If anything, I would call her nothing short of a friend, if not my sister in all but blood."

Silence was all that met that further statement, the farmhooves obviously having never heard such a preposterous idea. After a few awkward moments of silence, the grey unicorn then stepped forwards and pushed the pegasus out of the way, a cautious scowl upon her muzzle. It was then that Celestia noted the distinctly lighter patches of fur around the mare's cheek and muzzle and ears. A scar; a wire bridle, perhaps.

"You did not answer my question, do gooder," she said, her ears pinned and her eyes narrowed. "Who are you? And I would like you to answer," she added, "not that griffon of yours. Friend or not, she is still... untrustworthy."

Celestia placed Luna down gently and then scrunched up her eyes and picked her back up in a gentle magical aura. She then pulled her wing open with her teeth to reveal, with much disgust, the little griffon's quite evident brand. That alone seemed to suffice for the farmhooves, who all immediately yelped and leapt backwards. Only a single copper pegasus remained, watching cautiously.

"You are an employee of Princess Twilight Sparkle?" she asked, her tone wary. Celestia shook her head slowly, quick to correct her.

"Her student, actually."

The copper pegasus was stunned for a moment before she regained her composure and held out a mostly-steady hoof, though that claim seemed to have shaken her slight confidence. "A pleasure," she whispered, waiting patiently. When Celestia held her hoof to shake it, she stiffened momentarily. "Celestia, is it not?"

"You know my name?"

"I have heard tales of your potential. Word has it you could one day have power enough to, ahem, overthrow the Princess." She was quiet for a moment before she added hastily, "Which would be awful, of course!"

"I would not do such a thing," Celestia replied, choosing her words slowly, carefully. "I've come here for a short while. A vacation, for my health." A few snorts sounded in the crowds. Celestia brushed this off and then said instead, "Might I ask if there are any jobs going? I feel some manual work will help loosen out these old bones."

"Old? You don't look a singly day over twenty."

Celestia froze and was quiet for a moment. She then replied carefully, "Very true," she said, trying to pass it off with a laugh.

The farmhooves didn't look particularly convinced, but were wise enough to not question it. Instead, the copper pegasus stood taller and said, "Well, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Ma'am. Coinworthy at your service." The mare bowed low and then returned to her hooves, turning around and beckoning slowly, stiffly. She then began to walk towards the large barn door, with the other farmhooves following closely. Each still kept hold of their tools, but at least kept them to themselves.

Celestia glanced down to Luna slowly, her ears slightly fallen before she pushed the little griffon onto her back and hastened to catch up with the group. Somewhere up above, a low rumble of thunder sounded.

Something was wrong here, that much she knew, and she would certainly not be letting it stay that way for long. But, for the moment, all she could do for now was accept these ponies' strange ways and study their lifestyles, their philosophies, their actions. She simply had to get to the bottom of things. But, by the sounds of it, this was more than just a single-town problem.

And one could not save the world in a day.

Author's Note

Well, I know this is quite a late chapter, but I had a small case of writer's block. Nevertheless, I hope the bit of lore building in this chapter was worth the wait. I'll try to get the next chapter out at some point—as soon as I think of what, exactly, our duo are gonna be doing.

Of Knives and Niceties I

Author's Note

So sorry for the unacceptable delay! I'm trying to get back into writing properly now for all of my stories. Hopefully we can get this going again.

Of Knives and Niceties I

Though the storm clouds had only just started being corralled above the farm by a team of pegasi, the rain fell almost as soon as the last farmhoof had entered the house. It was a very sudden and perfectly timed occurrence; Celestia had a hunch that this was how Princess Twilight Sparkle’s Equestria worked.

The team of workers talked quietly among themselves as they walked slowly down the main hall of the farmhouse. It was an old building, she presumed, for the heavy wooden beams were slowly beginning to crumble and rot and dust fell from above—the woodworms were at work. The walls, too, showed their age; though they had been given a generous coat of fresh paint, the damp still seeped in at certain points and a few patches of wood were a different shade of brown entirely, as if they had been recently replaced. Numerous paintings lined said walls, staring down at Celestia and her company as they walked by.

“Portraits of every farm manager since its beginning,” Coinworthy explained, waving a wing around the hall. Her copper feathers brushed against the artwork with utmost care. When they reached the end, a large and only half-finished painting of the ageing silver unicorn from earlier—the one who had confronted Luna, Celestia noted— could be seen. “And this, of course, is Lady Silverlight Velvet. That poor mare; she never wanted to be a farm manager. She’ll never say it, of course, but ever since she arrived here she’s been sad and quite snappish. But, I suppose, that could just be her normal attitude…” Coinworthy drew her feathers back to her side and let out a small breath. “Nopony gets to really do what they want nowadays though, am I right?”

Celestia tried not to let her confusion show as she mumbled, “Sure,” and carried on walking forwards. With her mind lost in thought, though, she didn't notice that Coinworthy had stopped to turn until it was too late; she collided with the slightly taller mare head first so as to knock her slightly. Celestia yelped and stood straighter, a blush growing on her cheeks. Her companion only appeared dazed, but quickly shook her head to clear it when her colleagues overtook. Nopony stopped to see if she was okay.

“Oh my stars!” Celestia cried and she reached out a hoof quickly, but drew it back at Coinworthy’s somewhat shocked frown. A smile quickly replaced it, and that was enough to ease Celestia’s suddenly frantic heart.

“You are a strange pony,” Coinworthy noted with a swish of her tail. She then opened her wing and draped it across Celestia’s back to pull her closer. “Most ponies can't function properly with all the gloom hanging in this house.”

Celestia nodded idly and bucked her back slightly to move the little Luna griffon into a more comfortable position. Before she could say anything in reply to Coinworthy, however, Luna squawked in indignation and ruffled her feathers. After a quick flick of her tail, she then rose a rear paw to scratch at her underbelly and said, “That’s not gloom.” At both Coinworthy and Celestia’s surprised faces, she then continued with, “It’s a… strange sort of magic. I’d guess it’s dark magic. Curses, hexes, that sorta thing.”

“Hexes?” Celestia asked. She rose a forehoof slowly and then touched it gently back to the ground. Luna stiffened and hopped down so as to land quietly on the floorboards. The action made a quiet, drawn out squeak sound in the corridors.

“Well, sure,” she said, opening her little beak and licking her tongue along the edges. She took a deep breath in through her nostrils then. “It’s got the normal… bitterness that dark magic comes with, I guess, but… it’s just strange. Like there are hints of other stuff too, but I dunno what. If it was light magic it would simply make it smell kinda sweeter. But this is like…” The little Luna-griffon paused and raised a talon to her chin. She scratched slowly before she said, “Like doughnuts! Some are chocolate ones, some are plain ones, and some have spices and stuff. But they all have other flavours too to make them taste nice, like those caramel ones with the salty kick! Same thing, really; there's loads of dark magic in the air, sure, but it's dulled by these weird spells that I can't figure out.” She let her tongue loll out and a goofy grin rose on her beak after that. “You feeling better yet, Tia? I need one of Joe’s doughnuts. Really need one.”

Celestia’s ears perked up. She knew that stallion; he’d always been a little rough around the edges, but Doughnut Joe was a kind soul. He was always there to lend a hoof. Naturally, he was one of the first ponies to have been taken and replaced.

“Oh, that stallion always did make the best cake!” Celestia said with a grin, suddenly taking note of how empty her stomach felt. “He always was so good at it, too. Loves his pastries, am I right?”

Luna’s face turned into a frown. “Uh, no, not really,” she said. She flicked her tail. “That guy hates his job. It's all done by magic machines. He told you himself.”

Coinworthy froze momentarily before her eyes darted behind her; Celestia gulped and forced a smile. She was good at it after so many years. “Oh, did he?” she asked, speeding up in her walk so that she could flash a grin and a small laugh at the pegasus beside her. “I was probably so caught up with cake that I didn't take much notice! As Luna said, I do have just a little bit of a problem.”

Luna snorted. “A little bit? Don't get on Tia’s bad side when cake’s involved,” she said, her feathers twitching as she held back a laugh. “She gets evil!”

Coinworthy was quiet before she grinned and nodded. A laugh—it was a very melodic sound—escaped her slightly chapped lips. Celestia didn't miss the fidgeting of her wings, though, or the way she had almost ascended into a trot down the corridor now.

“Eh, Coinie!” A voice rung out loud from the room which the trio now approached, and it took Celestia a moment to realise that this wasn't her Equestria; she wasn't about to be provoked by a changeling soldier. Such shocks made her jittery these days.

The stallion was quite a handsome piece of work, Celestia noted, if one was to overlook a few details. His green coat, partially hidden under the off-white apron he wore around his chest, was short and dull and looked somewhat lifeless, as if it had been shaved off only to now regrow. His perfectly proportioned face was marred with scars, and one eye seemed not to move quite in time with the other. It took a moment to realise that it was made of glass. Nevertheless, he seemed happy enough in himself; he wore a huge beam on his muzzle and opened his wings wide, ready to wrap them around the smaller mare approaching.

It was too bad, really, that he would never quite be able to hug her with only one working wing. The other was nothing more than a useless limb, almost completely bald except for a single feather which grew from the very tip.

“Well, hello there, beautiful,” the stallion said, nuzzling the smaller mare’s chest. A moment later, though, his glass eye latched onto Celestia and Luna and he folded away his wing, nudging Coin into the room. His interest was then fully directed to the newcomers, watching their every move with contempt, as if they were changelings. But then, did this world have evil changelings? Who knew.

“You must be new here.”

“You are not mistaken.”

There was a terse moment of silence as the pair stared each other down. The dull and unenthusiastic chatter in the dining room was also replaced with an expectant silence, every pony watching the showdown with their full attention. It was—as it so often seemed to be—Luna that finally resolved the issue. And to think, she was meant to be the so-called slave in this relationship.

“Hey, hey, mister!” she cried, jumping through Celestia’s ears so as to lounge on her horn. The fluffy, midnight blue tail flicked idly between her eyes. “No need to ge—”

The stallion’s composure went from defensive to downright aggressive in the blink of an eye. From under his near-featherless wing he pulled out a small dagger, the blade readily sharpened. It sliced its way through the stale, heavy air like an axe through bone. As it spun, it made an awful cry, wailing. It was but a metre away, spinning uncontrollably. A deadly dance.

Celestia shrieked and her horn, though muffled by the heaviness of the magic, fizzled into life and snagged Luna’s tail. With a cry she lobbed the tiny griffon across the room so that she landed in amidst a pile of dirty cutlery and plates; she then fell to her underbelly, gasping. The blade whistled across the tip of her horn, sanding off a good inch. The point shattered into dust against the cool stone floor.

“Tia!”

Luna’s cry was one of anguish as she shot out from the pile with a crash and a clatter. She zipped towards the mare and landed with a thud against her chest, then frantically trying to paw together the dust and mold it into shape, desperately murmuring “Come on, come on!” and “Hold that, please!”. And all the while, Celestia could only sit, stunned. And then the reality of what had just happened hit her and she reeled backwards, frantically touching the smooth and slightly bloodied tip of her horn whilst screams ripped from her lungs. She panted and snorted and tossed her head, her overly strong magic spurting in all directions as she did so. The wooden furniture and walls erupted in light where the sparks collided, roaring into life in tiny, fiery infernos.

And then her panic subsided, something warm and heavy and comforting and so, so soft numbing her mind. She let out a breath. Her light show ceased, and the expanding flames died with a pop to leave only slightly charred wood. But, when she slowly wobbled to her hooves and took a few deep breaths, she was met not with stares of horror but of complete and utter awe.

And then the group, with the exception of Lady Silverlight Velvet—who had since vanished—and the stallion, erupted into rounds cheering. Celestia did not know why, but they sure weren't attacking her anymore, so she couldn't complain.

Prologue

Everything had been fine before. She had been unbearably lonely without her sister, sure, but she had been safe. Her ponies had been safe. And why? Because she had been powerful.

But now...

For years she had not been connected to the elements. They had been under the influence of Twilight Sparkle and her friends, and that was fine. If anything, Equestria had been more secure under their protection, for she herself had always been too busy to take action for minor threats which would then grow great. But, alas, there was one key thing that she had overlooked when she had placed so much trust in her loyal student; experience. And it had been the downfall of the young princess and her friends when the changeling, Queen Metamorphosis, attacked the kingdom in a much more subtle way than her mother before her.

As the beam of bright yellow shot towards her, she knew there was nothing that she could do; her magic simply wasn't strong enough anymore to keep herself alive, let alone her ponies. And so she flared out her wings and, in full acceptance of her grim fate, shot towards the beam of acidic, caustic magic in the hopes to take the exposed changeling Queen down with her.

And then, in a momentary cascade of agony, she fell from the sky.