Tales of Eden

Chapters

The Librarian and her Duties
Helping Hooves
A Lord of Distant Skies
Sound and Fury and Storm
Pariah
Arbitration By Force
Détente
A Difference of Opinion
Stiff Necks
Little Conspiracies
Fault Lines
Consequences
One Reason
One Last Shot
A Test of Wills
Coming To Terms
Epilogue: Our Own Decisions
Prologue: The Miracle

The Librarian and her Duties

Chapter One: The Librarian and her Duties
~BlackRoseRaven

Twilight Sparkle was a very smart, very loyal, very good unicorn. She was a student of Princess Celestia herself, and even though they were apart, she still felt the love and guidance of her Princess each and every day, helping her through the trials of tribulations that came with studying the Magic of Friendship and all the bizarre troubles that all too often came her way.

Princess Celestia was always there for her: she gave her the freedom to make mistakes, but picked her up when she failed or fell. Twilight appreciated that: it was like having a second mother, a best friend she could always turn to no matter what went wrong, who would always try and understand even her weirdest and most eccentric feelings and arguments,without judgment.

The purple unicorn smiled to herself as she looked out across Ponyville from atop the balcony of the library, a cup of tea floating beside her. Coming here at first had been so strange: living in a giant old twisted tree-house – that is to say, a house that was made from a tree, not a house on top of a tree – had been so very strange. Of course, it hadn't helped that she had been trying to find a way to stop the return of Nightmare Moon, either, but that was a story for another day.

In some ways, adjusting to the flow of life here in Ponyville had been harder than dealing with the adventures that had come her way. It was like learning an entirely new culture: she went from locked up in her room to study all the time, to always being out and about, spending time with her friends, helping them with their problems, being social. Or at least as social as she could be.

She'd read quite a few books on the subject, but she'd come to learn that it was something that only came in time and practice. She was just lucky she had five good friends to help her out.

Well, she thought, as her eyes shifted back over her shoulder with a smile. Six, really.

“Hey, uh, Twilight? I just got a letter from Princess Celestia for you.” came the voice of her Number One Assistant. He wandered out onto the balcony on two stubby legs, a rolled-up letter held in one foreclaw and his big green eyes looking up at her with a mix of curiosity and a touch of worry.

“Hope I'm not interrupting anything. You've sure been out here a lot lately, though, Twilight.” Spike said as he offered the letter to her, and Twilight took it from the small purple dragon with telekinesis, smiling at him as she ran a hoof almost maternally through his green headfins.

“Don't worry about it, Spike. I'm okay.” Twilight promised as she unrolled the letter. To this day she felt such pride and happiness whenever she received a letter from Princess Celestia herself: it was a sign of how close they were, of the fact that the Princess trusted her, had confidence in her...

She furrowed her brow slightly as her eyes scanned the contents, biting her lip. She forced herself to take a breath before anxiety could take over, and read it from the top:

Twilight Sparkle,

Please arrange a time within the next week to meet me in Canterlot. We have a pressing matter to discuss regarding your studies.

Princess Celestia

Short. Almost terse. That wasn't like her at all.

Did this have something to do when she had left in a hurry the other day? That had been so unlike her, just up and leaving all the foals in the middle of storytime. She had tried not to think too much about it or make a big deal of it – Princess Celestia was a, well, princess, after all, and she had plenty of royal duties – but it had gnawed at the back of her mind ever since...

“Twilight? Is everything alright?” Spike asked uncertainly, bringing her out of her thoughts, and the mare blinked before she looked down with an awkward smile at the dragon.

“I sure hope so.” she said. “But Princess Celestia wants me to meet her in Canterlot for something. It sounds really important, so maybe I should try and get the train today...”

“I dunno, Twilight. You've got a few things to do today.” Spike pointed out. “Did she say it had to be as soon as possible?”

“Well... no.” Twilight admitted, glancing down at the letter. “She said I should meet her by the end of the week. Still, if it's important-”

“You should make sure you're ready to meet with her, then.” Spike interrupted gently, looking up at her in that pointed way he sometimes did when she was getting carried away.

She hesitated, but then nodded and sighed a little: he was right. She had a bad habit of blowing things out of proportion: for all she knew, maybe Princess Celestia needed her to give a friendship report, so of course she'd want to sound and professional as possible.

She had learned many lessons, but she was still working on mastering many others, even some of the most important ones: not abandoning what was happening right now for some event that she always blew completely out of proportion was one of them. Any time something related to Princess Celestia came up, for example, she got so anxious to please that she almost forgot about her friends, and her many other responsibilities here in Ponyville.

But she wasn't going to let that happen! Why, this could even be a test of that lesson, couldn't it? No, no, Twilight shook her head and banished that thought quickly; that was overthinking things, and just leading back to the same old problem. She would drop everything and end up working so hard to prove to Princess Celestia that she didn't need to drop everything for Princess Celestia that all she would do is prove how obsessed she still was with proving herself to Princess Celestia!

Twilight blinked as Spike nudged her, looking down at the little dragon as he gave her an awkward smile. “Hey, uh. You were doing that thing again.”

“Sorry, Spike. I didn't mean to space out on you. You're right, you're right...” Twilight hesitated, then admitted: “It's just hard not to get carried away, that's all.”

“Well, don't worry, Twilight, that's why I'm here.” Spike replied with a broader grin. “That's what your Number One Assistant is for, after all!”

“Thanks, Spike.” Twilight couldn't help but laugh, shaking her head as she looked at him with affection. He always knew just what to say and how to distract her: she appreciated it more than he could know.

“Okay, enough dawdling.” Twilight announced after a moment, nodding firmly more to herself than Spike. “What's on the agenda for today?”

Spike immediately brought out a scroll and unrolled it, glancing down the length of the parchment before he listed off: “Well, first we have to head over to Sweet Apple Acres to help Applejack, and then we're supposed to meet Fluttershy at her cottage. Rarity wanted you to stop by, but we need to be back at the library this afternoon so we can finish putting together the book fair.”

“The book fair, I'd almost forgotten about that!” Twilight nearly slapped herself: how could she nearly abandon Ponyville when there was such an important event this week!

The library's book fair wasn't just about selling books, after all: it was a chance for Twilight to meet some of Ponyville's less privileged youth and share her knowledge with them. She gave away old schoolbooks and worked with Cheerilee to help teach foals to read: it was a precious few days that made a very real difference in the lives of many young ponies, and encouraged them to learn and develop the necessary skills to succeed in life.

“Okay.” Twilight said, gears spinning in her mind as she bit her lip, quickly settling on her schedule. “We'd better get started, then.”

Spike nodded in agreement, but as Twilight turned, he cleared his throat, and the purple unicorn glanced back to see the little dragon holding her previously-floating cup of tea, which she'd dropped in excitement. She blushed a bit as she took it, and Spike said with a smile: “First, though, you need to eat a bit of breakfast, Twilight, you have a long day ahead of you.”

“Oh, Spike.” Twilight smiled a little all the same, though, and she nodded, as reluctant as she was to agree. But he was right: it was going to be a busy day, and the last thing she needed was to spend it distracted by a rumbly tummy.

Spike already had her breakfast laid out: he was always one step ahead, she reflected, and he so rarely got the credit he deserved for that. She knew it wasn't easy looking after her: she was always fretting about this or that, organizing and taking care of everything else but her own life. So that was where Spike always had to come in: he was the one who made sure she ate, and slept, who kept her schedules and sorted out her messes.

They ate, and they left, and Spike followed along behind her, humming as he made notes, waddling and cute but always so professional for such a little dragon. Twilight was proud of him, and maybe a little sad, too: how much of his childhood had he missed out on, with all the time he spent being her Number One Assistant?

But she had to banish those thoughts as the approached the Apple Family's farm on the outskirts of town. They walked up that now-familiar, winding path from the road to the front of the house, and Twilight smiled at the old green horse who was rocking away on the porch, humming a happy tune to herself as she kept herself busy with her knitting.

“Why, hello there, Twilight!” crowed the old mare as the unicorn approached, the earth pony looking up with a crooked-tooth grin. “What brings you here today? Oh, wait, don't tell me, you're going to help Jackie with the trees, is that it?”

“Yep, that's right Granny Smith!” Twilight answered with a smile and a nod. “She asked me if I had any magic that would help protect the trees over the winter, and I was able to find some old weatherproofing spells.”

“Well, thank you very much, Twilight! Our earth pony artes are only so useful, you know.” Granny Smith answered with a chuckle. “We much appreciate you putting some of your magic to use for us.”

Twilight smiled at this, blushing a bit as she answered modestly: “I'm happy to help! This is a whole different field from what I'm used to working in, though, so I can't promise anything spectacular...”

“Ah shucks, Twi, I reckon you'll do just fine.” broke in another voice, and Twilight turned a warm gaze towards Applejack as the familiar mare came loitering towards her, smiling wide beneath the brim of her stetson.

The orange mare came trotting towards her, already dirty from her early morning work as she greeted: “Great to have you here, Twilight, and great timin', too! I just finished in the garden, we can head on out to the field and get 'er done right now if you're ready.”

“Sure, Applejack, that's fine with me.” Twilight agreed.

“Great! 'Scuse us, Granny Smith, but I'm sure Twi would love to stick around for some of your pie after we're done.” Applejack added with a smile.

Granny Smith chuckled as Twilight blushed, hurrying after Applejack: as good as that sounded... “Oh, I would, but I still have to go see Fluttershy, then I have to stop by Rarity's before I finish setting up the library for the book fair.”

“Oh shucks Twilight, you can stay long enough to have a bit of pie! We got everything set up for you just like you asked, don't worry.” Applejack replied with a smile. “And asides, once we get this done, that's all the hard work for the winter out of the way. I'd be more than happy to give you a hoof gettin' the library ready, can't be much different from when we set things up 'round here for the cousins to visit.”

Twilight smiled warmly at the mare, nodding her gratitude: part of her wanted to say that it was fine and she had it covered, but she had slowly been learning that it was okay to accept help from your friends, and that every time she denied help, she wasn't really the one who suffered: rather, Spike, who was already responsible for more chores around the library than she was, was the one who ended up saddled with more work.

“Thanks, Applejack.” Twilight said, as she glanced back at Spike, who was just following along complacently, likely adjusting her schedule for her again. “We're really appreciate that, right Spike?”

“You bet, Twilight! If we work together we can get it done in no time!” Spike agreed cheerfully, smiling at her: Twilight saw the gratitude in that smile, the thankfulness and recognition that she had just made his life a little easier. “I sure appreciate it, Applejack.”

“Ain't nothin'.” Applejack warded off with a smile, then she gestured with her head as they entered the field and approached one of the old, gnarled apple trees, saying briskly: “Now, I know you can't help us protect every single tree here, Twilight, but if we could even give a quarter of these trees some extra protection...”

“Actually, the magic I was researching was used to place wards across entire crops.” Twilight said, although she bit her lip and added quickly: “Although I've never done it before! So it might take me a few tries to figure out how much I can do at once. And I'd be happy to come back tomorrow and do more-”

“I don't think that'll be necessary, Twilight, although I appreciate it. If you can get a good amount of these trees done, my brother and I can use our artes to protect the rest.” responded Applejack with a brief smile.

Twilight sighed a little, giving Applejack an amused look: she was such a stubborn mare, always wanting to help other ponies but never accepting help herself. She knew by now there was no point in arguing: it was better just to start doing. “Well, either way, let's get started and see how much we can get done.”

Applejack nodded in agreement, and Twilight turned towards the tree, taking a breath as her horn glowed. She had practiced it on some potted plants she had in the library, but that was a far cry from trying to place a protective ward over an entire field...

Still, in practice it was the same, just on a larger scale, and Twilight bit her lip for a moment as she held her breath, then she forced herself to exhale as she closed her eyes and tilted her head forwards, letting the magic flow through her, visualizing the effect in her mind and concentrating on the spell.

A gentle, warm wind whispered through the trees, and Applejack's eyes widened as the entire field seemed to glow: a green, grassy, healthy shimmer that sizzled across trunk and bough and root, and the air itself seemed to dance with the vibrancy of Twilight's magic.

Twilight wheezed a bit, her eyes flickering open as she looked out over the field before she winced when Applejack slapped her on the back, the mare grinning as she said cheerfully: “Well now, I reckon you might have cast that spell over the whole field! Now, not that I don't trust you, Twilight, but lemme just see...”

Twilight shook her head quickly, then smiled awkwardly and nodded: that was the most she could do to acknowledge Applejack at the moment, lightheaded as she felt. She'd overdid it just a bit... but when Spike nervously came up to her side, she reassured him with a smile, and she was still coherent enough to look up with interest as Applejack approached the base of the tree before them with a hum.

The earth pony placed a hoof at the base of the tree and sketched a short rune, and Twilight watched with interest as the earth pony performed a different sort of magic than Twilight had: an earth arte, as it was known, a special branch of elemental magic that only earth ponies could perform. Likewise, pegasi had air artes, while unicorns used magic artes... although because of the nature of their horns and magic, they did not draw on the natural powers of the elements as earth ponies and pegasi both did.

A unicorn's magic was also different in the focus and training it required: for Applejack, calling on her earth arte was as natural and easy for her as breathing, the earth pony whistling a little before she grinned and announced: “You must have covered half the field, Twilight! Hey, that's more than enough for us to finish the rest!”

“Did I?” Twilight asked, surprised, before she blushed a bit and shook her head quickly, rambling: “I'm more than happy to finish-”

“No, Twilight, you've done more than enough! Don't you worry about a thing, hear?” Applejack answered with a smile as she walked over and patted Twilight firmly on the back, the unicorn wincing as she was nearly knocked over. Again. “Sounds like you got your hooves full today, after all, and y'already helped plenty.”

"Well, if you say so, AJ, but-”

“Besides! You gotta try that pie! Ain't just for Granny's sake, you know, Apple Bloom's been workin' real hard on her cooking. Bet she'll have all sorts of treats for you to try!”

“Oh. Good.” Twilight said with a marked lack of enthusiasm, as Spike awkwardly half-turned away, making a few adjustments on the scroll in his claws.

But Applejack didn't notice, only smiling warmly and patting Twilight again before she pushed her a little, encouraging: “Go on back now, I should be able to take it from here. And thanks again for comin' out to help out, Twi.”

“No problem at all, Applejack, you know I'm always happy to help.” Twilight answered, before adding quickly: “And you know that I'm more than happy to keep-”

“It's fine, Twilight, really. Go on, and don't worry, I'll come by the library later to return the favor.” Applejack answered, and Twilight smiled lamely as Applejack turned and walked away.

She sighed a little, then shook her head before she looked at Spike and gave him a brief smile. “Well, I guess we're done here, then. Let's head back-”

“And get some pie.” Spike finished, and Twilight winced, but the little dragon only smiled at her and pointed out: “You wouldn't want to disappoint the Apples, would you?”

“I guess not.” Twilight admitted grudgingly, and then she sighed and shook her head as she turned around, Spike following her back towards the ranch house as she said: “It's not that I don't appreciate it, but... apples, apples, apples. And Apple Bloom.”

“She's trying. Even you did silly things when you were younger, Twilight.” Spike smiled again and nudged the purple mare gently, adding: “Sometimes you still do kind of silly things.”

Twilight gave Spike an amused look, bumping against him lightly, and they shared a laugh as they walked back to the Apple family's home. They were greeted and welcomed warmly, and whether or not Twilight quickly got sick of all the apple cakes and apple pies and apple fritters, she was glad for the company and the distraction they provided.

They had to leave all too soon for the friendly family, but Twilight had other things to do, places to go, ponies to visit and help. Fluttershy was next on their agenda, and Twilight wondered – not for the first time – if Spike had purposefully arranged this schedule so that she would have a nice long walk and a quiet break with a slightly less boisterous pony before she lost likely an hour or two gossiping with Rarity.

As they walked towards Fluttershy's cottage at the edge of the Everfree Forest, Twilight remarked: “You know, Spike, sometimes I think you know me better than I know myself.”

Spike chuckled at this and shrugged, answering: “Well, I am your Number-”

“Number One Assistant, that's right. But you'd still be that whether or not you went to all this extra trouble for me. I just mean... thank you, Spike. For taking the extra time and effort you do.” Twilight responded with a small smile. “I know it's not always easy and sometimes I get carried away and forget to be grateful. But I really am.”

“Aww, Twilight, it's nothing, really.” Spike responded, blushing a bit and waving a claw modestly. “I just want to do the best I can for you, that's all.”

Twilight smiled wider at this, then turned her attention back ahead, and they continued on in a pleasant quiet together, enjoying the walk and each other's company. Sure, at times they needed a break from each other and wore on one another's nerves, but most days they were happy to be working together, to have each other to rely on.

Fluttershy's cottage was outside of town and at the edge of the Everfree Forest: to be entirely honest, Twilight still found her a little strange. Not in a bad way: it was just that she was very different from any other pegasus she'd ever met.

Twilight walked up the little winding path to the dutch door of the cottage, gently knocking so as not to startle Fluttershy or her myriad of pets. There was no answer, but that didn't entirely surprise Twilight, who only shrugged before she made her way back down the little path across the scenic landscaping of Fluttershy's yard.

She took a fork in the road that led around the house, and she was unsurprised to find Fluttershy around back, already in the middle of feeding animals: Twilight was never sure which were hers, which were quote-unquote 'wild,' and which were strays or other pets from Ponyville who just wandered down to Fluttershy's for a snack or extra meal.

The yellow pegasus glanced up as they approached, giving them a small but warm smile even as she shyly shifted a little, almost hiding behind her long pink bang. Twilight greeted her with a bright smile of her own and a friendly: “Hello, Fluttershy! I hope I'm not interrupting!”

“Oh no, not at all.” Fluttershy murmured, shaking her head before she glanced down as a small white bunny pointedly shoved a paw against her, glaring up at her with his beady little eyes. “Oh, yes, Angel, of course. I hope you don't mind if I finish here first, Twilight...”

“Not at all, take all the time you need.” Twilight answered, her eyes roving curiously over the cluster of animals: predator and prey, omnivore and scavenger all alike sat together, doing little more than jostling each other occasionally. Twilight had always wondered how Fluttershy managed to keep them all in line: was she really able to understand and communicate with them that clearly, or was it some unknown arte?

She couldn't sense any magic, and of course as a pegasus, Fluttershy would have access to air artes, not any kind of earth arte. That was how it worked, right? Unless one of Fluttershy's parents was an earth pony, but that seemed so rude to ask...

Spike cleared his throat and nudged Twilight, who blinked and looked at him dumbly before he said pointedly: “Wasn't there something else you wanted while you were here, Twilight?”

“Uh...” Twilight blanked for a moment, but then she blinked and nodded as she rose her head, blurting out: “Right, yes! Could you point me in the direction of your bird seed, Fluttershy? I'm just about out. I swear that Owlowiscious is sneaking seconds...”

“Oh, of course, Twilight. You can take one of the bags in the shed, I've got lots.” Fluttershy answered with a smile.

“Sure, I'll go do that while you finish up here. Then I can help you... out.” Twilight realized she didn't actually know what Fluttershy needed help with, but she disregarded it: how bad could it really be, after all?

The unicorn trotted away, and Spike followed her to the little storage shed at the other side of the backyard: as they moved out of earshot, Twilight muttered: “You didn't have to hit me that hard.”

“You were staring again. You should really just ask her if you're so curious, I'm sure she wouldn't mind explaining it for the dozenth time to you.” Spike responded with another nudge, and Twilight huffed and bodychecked him back.

“Well, that's exactly it! She's told me before all about it, that she just 'talks' to them, but I still don't get it.” Twilight complained, then she shook her head and added: “You're going to have to carry the seed back, by the way.”

“Great. Thanks, Twilight.” Spike grumbled, tucking his paperwork away into his little pack as they approached the little shed. They opened the door and peered inside, and Spike sighed as he walked in to slowly drag out a bag of seed almost as large as he was. He grimaced as he dragged it up over his shoulders, then he looked up at Twilight for a moment before saying finally: “You're the horse, you know. You should be doing this.”

“And you're my assistant, so I'm delegating it to you.” Twilight hesitated, then she sighed and reached up to pat his head gently. “Take it home, then take the rest of the day off, Spike. You've done a lot for me and I can handle things from here.”

Spike blinked in surprise at this, and then he gave a little smile before he said finally: “How about I meet you at Rarity's in an hour or so? I'm fine. Really, I am, see?”

Spike straightened, hefting the bag higher, and Twilight shook her head with a smile before she answered: “Just take care of yourself. But I won't say no. I know you just want to make googly-eyes at her, anyway.”

Spike blushed and laughed, then he shook his head before he turned and walked away: well, waddled, more like, his awkward gait accented all the more by that extra weight he was carrying. Twilight watched him go, her smile lingering for a few moments before she closed the shed door, then turned to head back over to Fluttershy, taking her time, since it looked like the pegasus was still carefully distributing food between her animal friends.

“So would you like me to set up anything at all? I don't want to rush you or anything, but I'm happy to help.” Twilight said, trying her best not to put any pressure on Fluttershy. She could be very sensitive, after all.

Fluttershy only gave her a small smile, shaking her head briefly as she stepped back from the bowls she had filled from the collection of bags beside her, and her animal companions immediately swarmed in. But they all skidded almost comically to a halt when Fluttershy simply looked at them, scolding in her quiet way: “Now wait just one moment, please. I didn't say you could go ahead yet, now did I?”

The pack of animals grudgingly backed off, and Fluttershy turned with a smile back towards Twilight, answering: “I'll be done here in just a moment. I'm sorry I kept you waiting. It's been a very hectic morning...”

“Oh, no rush at all, Fluttershy, it's totally fine.” Twilight replied quickly. “I don't want you to hurry on my account. All I have left today is to visit Rarity and then do some cleanup at the library.”

“Yes, the book fair is tomorrow, isn't it? I'm looking forwards to it.” Fluttershy smiled, raising her eyes a little bit. “You know, ever since you arrived, you've made all our lives a lot better, Twilight. You're so helpful and generous, and you really helped bring us all together.”

Twilight laughed a little at this, blushing and waving a hoof as she said modestly: “I was just in the right place at the right time. And you girls were the ones who really opened me up to friendship, and taught me there's more to life than books and studying. I'm just... trying to make up for lost time, really.”

Fluttershy gave a quiet giggle at this, and then she turned her eyes back to her animal friends, saying gently: “Okay. Now you can all go ahead and dig in.”

The animals wasted no time in charging to the bowls of food: at first they shoved and squabbled, but Fluttershy only had to give them a sharp look, and they immediately arranged themselves nicely, eating in quiet. She lingered for a moment, her gaze softening as her eyes drew across the birds and beasts and everything-else, and then she shook herself out a little before returning her attention to Twilight. “The animals I need your help with are just down this way.”

“Of course.” Twilight smiled and followed after Fluttershy, away from the animals: glancing back, she saw that even if the animals were jostling each other again, they seemed to be respecting Fluttershy's silent orders even with her walking away. Maybe that was just because they knew she was still in sight and earshot of them, but... “It's one thing to see how well you get along with animals, but something else entirely to see how much they respect you.”

“Oh, I'm not really worth that much respect...” Fluttershy murmured, blushing a bit as she lowered her head, but Twilight thought she saw maybe a teensy-tiny bit of pride there, too, and Twilight was glad they had kindled that spark.

“I think you are. Now, what did you need help with?” Twilight asked kindly, and Fluttershy hesitated, biting her lip.

“I think it's better if I show you.” she said, and Twilight frowned a little as they headed down a path along the edge of the Everfree: it twisted and wound away from the cottage, not any great distance, but rather, past a cleft of trees and slope of hill on a turn steep and sharp enough to put them out of sight of the cottage.

Back here, there were several sheltered pens, and Twilight's frown deepened as she saw there were several animals in each of these secured paddocks, and all of them were injured. Prey animals, she noted, and as they approached the closest pen, Fluttershy explained in a low voice: “Sometimes, I find animals who were hurt in the wild. But rarely like this, and never in these kinds of numbers. They all seem to be coming from the same place, in the direction of Canterlot.”

“Is there a savage animal on the loose? Should we ask for help?” Twilight asked worriedly as she studied one of the lethargic pheasants in the pen, which only quietly cooed as it huddled into a sleeping – but mangled, awfully injured – fellow.

“I don't know. I'm not sure, Twilight. The wounds all seem to be... they don't look natural to me.” Fluttershy said finally. “I've seen bites and scratches of all kinds, and these don't look like that. I hate to think that someone has been hunting them, but...”

“Why would ponies do that?” Twilight asked, but her mind informed her of the answer even as Fluttershy looked uncomfortably away. For materials... or for sport.

Twilight shivered a little at the thought, then put it out of mind as she said quickly: “No, nevermind. I have a meeting with the Princess soon, I'll make sure I mention it to her. For now, though, I know enough healing magic I should be able to help them, at least a little.”

“Thank you, Twilight. I really appreciate it.” Fluttershy said, and Twilight gave her as supportive a smile as she could before she took a breath, gathered her wits and strength, and turned her attention to the task at hoof.

She spent a little over an hour helping Fluttershy with her animals: while Fluttershy had no artes to speak of that could help with healing, her natural grace and skill with animals helped enormously in keeping them calm as Twilight did what little healing magic she could. It wasn't a field where she had learned much: most of what she could heal were scrapes and bruises. But she was able to stop bleeding, and numb some of the pain.

It was enough, she hoped, to help carry these poor injured things through, and Fluttershy was very grateful for her aid. But as Twilight left and made her way to Rarity's, she couldn't help but wonder uneasily just what had happened. It was so out of the ordinary!

She chewed on her lower lip as she walked into Ponyville, barely paying any attention to where she was going. The Princess had summoned her... was that maybe connected to what was going on with the animals?

Twilight mused: that thought wasn't so insane, was it? Well, either way, she also knew she had responsibilities she had to attend to, but at the very least, she could ask Fluttershy to keep her informed about any other animals that might show up injured.

Her hooves carried her to Rarity's boutique mostly by themselves, although there were a few close calls along the way where she nearly bumped into somepony. Thankfully, ponies were so used to her wandering around, lost in thought, that they were always sure to move out of her winding way.

A throat cleared, and Twilight blinked before looking up and smiling awkwardly at the sight of Spike, who was waiting for her at the door of the boutique. He waved, and she nodded to him as she apologized: “I'm sorry. I got caught up in... things. I'll have to tell you about it later, it's not good.”

“Okay Twilight. Try and relax though, huh? You did what you could. That's all you can do.” Spike encouraged, even though he looked a little worried as he met her eyes. “You do seem pretty tired, though...”

“Oh, I'll be fine. Just used up a lot of magic, that's all. I'll probably just have to be careful not to exert myself too much more.” Twilight answered as she reassured him with a smile, even if her lips wouldn't curl all the way up, and her eyes still felt heavy.

But she pressed on, heading to the door and opening it, and she was almost immediately pulled into a whirlwind of movement, yelping as she felt another unicorn's magic drag her and haul her across the room, a proud voice declaring: “I've been waiting forever, darling! Now, just look at what we have here for you, dear, it's going to be perfect!”

Twilight yelped, wincing as she felt her mane rapidly pulled and styled: she attempted to squirm away, but cloth was already seizing around her, constricting and crushing into her body like snakes as she gasped out: “Rarity!”

“Oh, just a moment more now, Twilight, I made this especially for you!” Rarity answered cheerfully, and Twilight grimaced and did her best to stay still, knowing that the more she struggled, the longer it would take, and the more pokes she'd receive from the needle that was zipping around in the grip of Rarity's magic.

The white unicorn herself was prancing quickly around her, studying her from every angle: beautiful and radiant, she was cultured and poised even in the throes of creative passion. She tossed her curly mane, eyes sparkling as they took in every detail of the dress and accouterments she was adorning Twilight in.

She hummed happily as she adjusted the dress across Twilight, who smiled awkwardly as she asked: “So uh... what's the occasion?”

“Well, dear, your library gala, of course!” Rarity replied with surprise.

“You mean the book fair?” Twilight blinked, looking dumbly at the mare.

“Oh, but it's much more than that!” Rarity said enthusiastically. “You deserve to look good, darling, why, last year there were quite a few handsome stallions who had their eyes on you...”

“Uh, I'm pretty sure most of the stallions there are married.” Twilight answered awkwardly, clearing her throat a little as Rarity flitted around her, making adjustments here and there.

“Oh, psh-tush, there are a few handsome single fathers too, you know. And you're so good with foals!” Rarity paused, drew back with a critical look, and then she clicked her tongue before she grabbed a mirror with magic and floated it over to Twilight. “Now, dear, what do you think?”

Twilight hesitantly took the mirror, but she was pleasantly surprised when she took a look at herself: the dress was modest and pretty... a little too fancy, she thought, for something like a book fair, but it wasn't nearly as flashy as her gala dress or many of the other clothes that Rarity had put together for her. “This is... actually, it's really nice. But Rarity, it's-”

“Shush, dear, it's fine. If it will help you feel less bad about taking it, however, Sweetie Belle needs a little bit of help with some of her schoolwork.” Rarity smiled. “You're a far better teacher than me,Twilight, so if you could afford a few minutes to tutor her...”

“Oh, sure.” Twilight smiled back, nodding and brightening a little.

“Well, go ahead! She's right in back in the kitchen. Make yourself at home, dear.” Rarity replied kindly, and Twilight nodded, giving her a grateful look before she headed on her way.

There was quiet for a moment, and then Rarity remarked in a low, gentle voice: “She looks very tired.”

“She's stressed.” Spike admitted, smiling a little at Rarity before he added: “Thanks, by the way.”

“Oh, no problem at all, dear, I couldn't ask her to do all this extra work for me when she's already got so much going on. It's no big rush, anyway... Sweetie and I can pick at it a little over the next few days.” Rarity shrugged, looking at the racks of disorganized fabric with a chuckle before she turned her kind eyes to the little dragon. “She's very lucky to have you, Spike.”

Spike only blushed a bit and shrugged a little, and then he added as he shyly scuffed a foot against the floor: “You know, while Twilight's busy, I can help you out.”

“I'd appreciate that very much, Spike.” Rarity smiled a little wider, and then she chuckled as the little dragon immediately turned and went to work.

Ponyville was lucky to have such good people here. And she didn't want to imagine what life would be like without either the eccentric purple unicorn or her young dragon assistant.

Helping Hooves

Chapter Two: Helping Hooves
~BlackRoseRaven

In spite of all the many lessons she had learned about the Magic of Friendship, Twilight Sparkle was still always amazed by the lengths to which her friends would go to for her. This couldn't be normal! she often thought, when her friends all showed up to help her clean and prepare and run the book fair, along with other volunteers from Ponyville. She had to be lucky; she had to be blessed.

Applejack and Fluttershy had helped set up all the tables, Rainbow Dash and Rarity had put up the decorations, and Pinkie had provided a sumptuous buffet of treats – confined, of course, to its own safe area away from where grubby hooves could cover the rest of the library and its paper treasures in crumbs and grease – and Twilight had been able to concentrate on managing the other tutors and working with the foals herself.

There was all kinds of work to do, and countless things to keep track of, but working together, they could do anything and everything. Without her friends to support her, Twilight never could have made the book fair such a success.

Sure, there were a few accidents, but as Twilight had learned, life was not about making things go according to plan, but rather adapting to troubles as they happened. It was very hard for her, one of the hardest lessons that she had ever had to learn – and one she was still learning, at that! – but with her friends to help her, she was starting to get the knack of fixing problems as she went.

Foals got fussy and started crying during storytime? There was a Pinkie Pie for that!

Older foals got bored and needed to work off some steam? That was Rainbow Dash's specialty!

The Cutie Mark Crusaders got up to some hijinks while her back was turned, and had accidentally summoned a monster from another dimension?

Well, okay, that one had Twilight worried a little at first, but Fluttershy gently ushered the Tentacular Eyebeast to another room and made it some tea, and once she helped it understand ponies were friends instead of food, she took a brief break to show him a nice little cave just on the edge of the Everfree Forest where he could make a decent little home for himself.

Twilight had Spike add informing Celestia of the Tentacular Eyebeast to her agenda with a question mark beside it, as she wasn't sure if interplanar immigration was something she should bring up directly to the Princess, or if she should instead ask the Department of Foreign Affairs about it and whether or not it counted as a sentient immigrant or a migrating animal.

But she supposed that would all also depend on just what Celestia wanted to talk to her about. If it was important, well, she definitely didn't want to waste her time with something so trivial...

It was admittedly hard for her to keep her focus on the book fair alone: worries kept nibbling at the back of her mind. Was this a test? Did she have a test? Should she be reviewing, preparing? Or did Celestia just want to talk to her?

She was lucky her friends were here to help keep her focused. Not just during, but after, which was almost as important: this book fair was supposed to go on for three days, and they needed to keep the place neat and tidy, make sure that all the learning materials for each day were set out in proper order, and that they weren't too low on supplies.

While Twilight coordinated with Cheerilee and other teachers to make notes on what certain foals needed and their progress, Rarity sorted their supplies and made a list of things they needed more of, and she and Applejack worked together to figure out their sales. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie got lists of supplies they would pick up tomorrow early in the day, and Fluttershy cleaned, making the library impeccable, so that they could get right back to work tomorrow without the troubles of any messes or accidents.

Spike looked after Twilight: he made sure she had a meal ready for her, not to mention her bed. He also made sure that her agenda was in view, but out of reach: he knew Twilight well enough that she wouldn't sleep if she didn't know precisely where that was, but she also wouldn't sleep if it was close enough for her to grab and page through.

But she was far too tired to use magic after the long, busy day, and she fell asleep quickly, giving Spike free roam of the library to do as he pleased. But all he wanted to do was finish the little cleanup the ponies hadn't been able to do, and make sure everything was ready for tomorrow.

He was a little worried about what Princess Celestia might have in store for Twilight, too: this sounded like it was going to be some kind of mission to him. He had heard some worrying rumors: not from the ponies of Ponyville, of course, but when Spike was out at the market, he often ran across ponies from out of town, who were less blasé about the relative peace and safety of Equestria.

And for all the 'peace' and 'safety' of Ponyville, well, it wasn't like Twilight and the girls weren't often called on to deal with all sorts of weird dangers, or didn't end up in the middle of this quarrel or that. It often worried him: he knew they were special, as the Elements of Harmony, but all the same...

He just hated seeing his friend in danger, and often a danger he was helpless to do anything to protect her against.

But all he could really do was make sure that Twilight didn't get lost in the big picture, and that she remembered to take care of all the little problems in life, too. There was so much to experience, and she had already missed out on so much from all the time she'd spent – not wasted, it hadn't been a waste, of course! – alone with nothing but her books and studies for company.

This book fair was a very small thing compared to the rest of Equestria, but it was a precious small thing, and it was important for Twilight to experience alongside her friends. It was a reminder of the good she could do, and that this microcosm of Ponyville needed her, Twilight Sparkle the pony, not Twilight Sparkle, the esteemed student of Princess Celestia.

He wanted Twilight to enjoy that for as long as she possibly could. He was just anxious that with everything that was being whispered of outside of Ponyville, and the power shortages they were experiencing, and the weakening of elemental artes.

Spike was more aware of all of that than Twilight was because Twilight was so buried in research, and preoccupied with her studies of the Magic of Friendship and whatever tasks Celestia gave to her. But Spike knew something was wrong: not just because of secondhoof rumors and stories he heard from out-of-towners, but because some of his own dragon artes were no longer functioning the way they should.

His were a little different and not so reliable to begin with, anyway, being such a young dragon as he was: he just didn't have the stamina, or mana, as many ponies called it, to channel his artes very capably yet. But he was able to channel enough, and understood enough about their form and function, to know that they didn't just draw on his energy: rather, he used his energy to call on natural elemental powers, powers that already existed, and just had to be focused in the right way.

It felt like it took more to call down the same amount of energy, though: more focus, and more strength. He knew that artes were different from unicorn magic, so Twilight probably didn't notice it as much, but he thought he'd also seen Applejack and Rainbow Dash both having a bit of trouble with their own artes from time-to-time, and it made him feel anxious.

If he had to guess, well, he'd guess that whatever Celestia wanted to talk about, it probably had something to do with that. It made him proud that Celestia trusted Twilight with these important tasks, even if it also worried him.

Twilight spent so much time working as it was. And saving the world was such a big task for a little pony, and that's what Twilight always treated every mission she was given like, whether it was something as simple as learning the theory behind a new spell, or something as important as going on a diplomatic meeting to another kingdom, to help protect Equestria from an unknown threat.

So it was good to see Twilight spending her time here, in Ponyville, doing things like this. Normal pony things, that in their own way, were no less important than the world-changing things Twilight did under Celestia's watch and tutelage.

He really hoped one day, Twilight could just be a normal pony. But he knew that probably wasn't in the cards; she had some sort of great destiny awaiting her, and for some reason, he found that a little sad.

Didn't everyone deserve to have a normal life, even if just for a little while?

Imagine, being so important, that you had to constantly shoulder the burden of the weight of the world, that you had to live with the fact that every decision you made could have far-reaching consequences, good and bad.

It was no wonder Princess Celestia always looked so sad when she thought no one was looking.

Spike didn't sleep much that night: he didn't sleep a lot most nights, though: he let Twilight tuck him in for a brief nap, but once she was asleep, he usually got up and spent a good part of the night cleaning and tidying up whatever the ponies missed during the day. Reorganization was always a priority, too: as good as Twilight was about initially getting things in order, after that, she tended to just leave things where they fell.

Absent-minded professor: that was the silly ponyism that always came to Spike whenever he thought about Twilight. Smart and sharp and capable, but just a little daft and eccentric. She always had a plan to take care of and help everyone else, and forgot about herself; or, she got lost in the details, and missed a chance to make everything good, in pursuit of making it perfect.

Thankfully, there wasn't a whole lot to do tonight: Twilight and her friends had done a good job of getting mostly-everything in order. He reshuffled a few things, dusted some places that they hadn't thought of, took care of the nooks and crannies where the adult ponies couldn't fit, but he was sure some foal or another would wiggle into.

Once that was all done, he went back to bed to sleep for another few hours: he was up before Twilight, but that was okay. He liked getting up a little before her, so he could have time to put together breakfast for her, and eat a little himself.

Toast for him. Something a little more complicated for Twilight: she needed her strength for today, after all, and he planned to just relax.

Twilight came downstairs to a hot bowl of oatmeal, snack cakes, and fresh coffee, and she smiled tiredly at Spike as she stretched and remarked: “Some days I wonder where I'd be without you, Spike.”

“I think you manage fine on your own, Twilight. It would just be a little... messier.” Spike answered with a wink. “Besides, I worry less about that now that you have all these friends to help you out. If you ever set anything on fire cooking again, Rainbow Dash can put it out, and then Applejack and Pinkie Pie can make something properly for you.”

“Thanks, Spike, really.” Twilight said ironically, and then she sighed and shook her head before asking, a bit anxiously: “Do you think everything's in order for today? Yesterday went really well, but-”

“There doesn't always have to be a but, Twilight.” Spike half-chastised, and Twilight huffed a bit, but nodded awkwardly as she sat down at the table, picking up her spoon and stirring her oatmeal with big, nervous swirls. “It's going to go just fine today, you'll see. Just do what you did yesterday. Which is relax and be yourself. Now stop stirring and eat up, Twilight, before you spill.”

“You know, you're the baby dragon here, not me.” Twilight said pointedly, but all the same she smiled a little as she looked down at her bowl of oatmeal, muttering: “Guess I'm not much of a parental figure some days though, huh?”

“Nah. But you're the boss, and I'm your assistant. That's the way it should be, right?” Spike smiled as he walked over and set a cup of coffee in front of her. “Besides, you'll always be family to me, Twilight.”

Twilight blushed a bit and smiled warmly at this, and then she took a breath and nodded firmly, saying: “Okay. Breakfast first, then we'll get ready for the day.”

Spike nodded and smiled in return, and then cleared his throat before he started with Twilight's schedule, which she liked to hear over breakfast. It always soothed her somehow, he thought: no matter how much there was to do, as long as they had some kind of order and plan to follow, she never backed down from the day ahead.

Twilight ate, drank a few cups of coffee, and started on the day: Spike mostly followed her around, assisting here and there with things until people started arriving for the book fair and learning classes. Then he slipped away from Twilight to float around the room, helping here and there where he could with their questions and concerns.

It was a busy day, but a good day: sure, there were a few little problems that cropped up, from overbearing parents to tantruming foals, but between Twilight and her friends, there was nothing insurmountable.

The Magic of Friendship: that was what Twilight always called it. But it wasn't something that really needed further romanticizing, Spike thought: their friendship was already magical enough without attributing some mystic power to it all. They had a unique connection: one that Spike envied sometimes, because he certainly hadn't made any friends in Ponyville like Twilight had.

But he never felt bad for long, because he had Twilight, at least, and really, she was the best friend anyone could ever ask for. Whenever he got a little frustrated or jealous, he just tried to remind himself of that, and that it was good other ponies were recognizing what a wonderful pony Twilight was.

Sure, with so many friends who were all so unique, they bumped heads from time to time. Rainbow Dash tried to calm some fussy foals down by showing off an air arte inside, which ended up creating a storm of loose paper, and Rarity and Applejack both snapped at her. But Twilight smoothly sorted things out; not that it was all Twilight's doing, either, though. Rainbow Dash mumbled an apology of her own will, Rarity admitted she overreacted, Applejack shrugged things off and offered to trade duties with Rainbow, since she was 'probably okay at readin' stuff.'

Not always perfect, no. But more than good enough to solve all their differences and remain close, even at the worst of times. He admired that, not because it was the pinnacle of what all ponies aspired to reach, but because they were all so unique and yet they all managed to always be there for each other. It was easy enough to get along with ponies who were just like you, after all: harder when you all came from different backgrounds, with different views of the world.

They made up for each other's weaknesses and helped one-another through difficult times, and busy times, and even good times, because it was very easy to forget that even the best of times could be lonely and easy to take for granted without a friend at your side.

When the day was done, her friends helped for a bit, then dragged Twilight off to have a big dinner with her. Sure, that left Spike with more work to do, but he was glad that they were there to remind her to take a break every now and then, and that those well-intentioned ponies were able to make even a fanatic like Twilight calm down and forget about things for a little bit.

Learning to slack off every now and then would be good for her, after all.

He didn't mind the extra work, anyway: it was nice to be able to help, and nice to have something to keep him occupied. And to be honest, it meant he would only have to organize everything once, since the ponies tended to shuffle things around a little too much.

There he was. Complaining again about them doing things right, but not right enough. He smiled despite himself, shaking his head: he knew he got that from Twilight, although she never phrased it that way. She always tried to be nice about even her peeves.

When Twilight came back that night, she found the whole library clean, and Spike napping quietly in a chair. She smiled a bit at him, softening and shaking her head: he always worked so hard for her, even when she tried to tell him to just relax or take a break. He always took too much on for a young dragon like he was, and yet he always managed to get everything done without complaint.

Okay, with just a little complaining. But what mattered to her was that he got it done all the same, and that he always carried more than his share. He was a good boy, a friend she couldn't live without.

And here she was, going out to have a night on the town with all her pony friends and leaving him behind. But it was hard for him to keep up to them, and it was hard for him to get comfortable in public places built for horse bodies, not tiny dragons, and of course he wasn't an adult, so he couldn't enjoy some of the things that Twilight and her other adult friends enjoyed.

Not that he was really a child, either: ponies treated him like he was – heck, even she did – but he was more mature and more adult than a lot of the stallions and mares she'd met. He just was small, and because they treated him like he was younger than he was, she guessed he'd never really grown up, either.

No, that was a bad way to put it. He was plenty grown-up. He just reflected the way they treated him: Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie treated him like a silly boy, so he was a silly boy; to her, he was her Number One Assistant, and as proud as he honestly seemed to be of that, at the same time, well... she did infantilize him a little.

Maybe instead of leaving him behind to tend to the library, she should bring him with her to Canterlot, include him in the discussions with Princess Celestia. After all, no matter what happened, it wasn't like she wasn't going to tell him everything anyway: he might as well be a part of the conversation in the first place. It would make him feel more important, and who knew? Maybe he'd catch something that Twilight might look past otherwise.

She liked that idea, the more she thought about it: and really, Spike deserved that chance. So that settled it, in her head: he would come with her to Canterlot, and he would attend the meeting with Princess Celestia with her, and they would figure things out together.

She smiled, then gently lifted Spike with telekinesis to carry him upstairs, to the comfort of his little basket bed. As she settled him down in it, she reflected that he probably deserved something better than this, too. She would have to look into getting him a proper bed while they were in Canterlot.

Spike woke up a few hours later, a little surprised to find himself tucked in safe and sound to the basket. He couldn't help but smile a little over at soundly-sleeping Twilight, shaking his head with a chuckle even as he silently chastised himself for falling asleep. There were still things to do, after all!

A little bit more work, and then a bit of prep for breakfast. A small nap, but he made sure to wake up early: the last day of the book fair had been the most hectic one last year, and he was somehow sure this wasn't going to be any different this year.

Spike was quickly proven right: before Twilight was even able to finish breakfast, worried parents showed up to ask if there was any way their foals could get into the program for... the usual slew of reasons. Not that Twilight cared, Spike knew: whether it was because they hadn't heard about the book fair, or they had been out of town, or the kids had skipped out or the parents couldn't afford to buy the recommended agendas and textbooks, Twilight would always try and welcome them with open embrace.

So even though she wasn't even done breakfast, she brought them inside and agreed to give them a 'quick' tutoring session. That session ended up lasting until the other tutors and Twilight's friends showed up, and then Twilight couldn't help but invite them to stay for the rest of the day with the other families, happy to share paper and pencil and books with them.

Of course, thanks to her surprise guest, she was a little behind with everything else and had to rush off to her room to clean up some while her friends handled getting the class started as students and families started filtering into the library.

They did a good job dealing with it, though, and Spike was able to stay in the background, quietly getting done anything and everything that needed to be done. He helped the tutors, he picked up lost test papers, he resorted and replaced books; all the little odd jobs that helped keep things running as smoothly as possible.

Once Twilight was back, she was able to quickly get everything into proper shape: she rearranged foals and classes, made sure there were no distractions, and started her own lessons, which sort of gradually overtook the other tutors'.

Everyone came to get a lesson from the Twilight Sparkle, after all: sure, Cheerilee and the other tutors were good and all, but they could get help from them anytime. Twilight Sparkle was the student of Princess Celestia, and knew or could find out the answers to anything and everything!

Spike wondered sometimes if Twilight realized she was the star attraction at the book fair; there wasn't really a nicer way to put it, for better or worse. They came to marvel over her, and became enraptured with how kind, how knowledgeable, how charming she was; she had really blossomed since she'd come to Ponyville, the little dragon thought. Sure, Twilight had always had a kind of charisma about her that made people want to meet her, to like her, but that was amplified a hundred times by her importance, and the fact she was somewhat... exotic to Ponyville still, after all these years.

That worried him a little. He didn't want to see her taken advantage of. But that was part of why he was so happy Twilight had such a strong network of friends. They could keep her safe and watch out for her, make sure that no one was trying to abuse her kindness, even when he wasn't there to run interference.

The last day of the book fair was hectic, but went surprisingly well, all-in-all: there were no more big accidents or incidents. They just struggled to cram a whole lot of everything into the relatively-few hours of the day they had, between moments of personal tutoring and individual assessments here and there.

Once they were done, Twilight's friends and associates ushered her out to a surprise dinner they had planned at Sugar Cube Corner: Spike stayed behind, even though Rarity gently urged him to come with them. He would like to, really like to, but he knew that Twilight wanted to leave as early as tomorrow for Canterlot, and that meant the library had to be cleaned up tonight.

And there was a lot to do: all the extra paperwork had to be sorted, all the unsold books had to be repackaged and boxed up, the tables and decorations had to be taken down, the library's own textbooks had to be sorted onto shelves...

Spike kind of liked working by himself, though: there was less of a sense of pressure, of judgment. He could do everything his own sometimes-weird way, and didn't have to worry about ponies trying to 'help;' as strong and useful as they could be, well, they weren't always great at listening, and often ended up putting the large heavy tables in the exact wrong area, meaning he'd have to go through the trouble of moving them around later by himself anyway.

That was one problem, he reflected: Twilight could be a little go-along, get-along, if the only pony being inconvenienced was her. She'd crawl over broken glass to help another pony, but that never applied to herself: or maybe it did, and maybe she thought she was 'helping' other ponies by just taking on the burden herself.

Twilight came home to find Spike had already cleaned up most of the library, and she sighed and smiled a little as she used her magic to gently take the boxes of repackaged books from the little dragon, saying softly: “You don't have to do all of this by yourself, you know.”

“Sorry, Twilight. I know you wanted to get the early train tomorrow, though...” Spike replied with a tired smile, and her eyes became a little more worried as she approached and studied him before she reached up and gently rested her hoof on his head.

He winced a bit, then smiled awkwardly again, a bit brighter this time. She smiled back at him, and then she said: “I want you to come with me.”

“I know. I mean, I come with you everywhere, and I wasn't planning on-”

“No, I mean... I want you to come with me to meet the Princess, too. I want you there, Spike. You're my Number One Assistant.” Twilight winked, then softened and said in a gentler, more serious voice: “And you... I could really use your help. I should really use your help more. You deserve to be part of the meeting, not just to hear it all secondhoof from me.”

Spike smiled warmly at this, and then he gave an awkward laugh and rubbed at his head before he blushed and said: “I trust you, Twilight. I don't want to, you know, interfere or anything-”

“You're not.” Twilight said firmly, before she rubbed his head, then straightened and said: “Think about it, Spike. I'd really like to have you there, but you know I won't force you, either. I just want you to know that I value your input. And I mean... we don't know how serious it is or anything. Maybe I'm even being premature, maybe it's just a surprise quiz or something, but...”

She chewed on her lip, and Spike frowned a bit as he asked: “Something wrong, Twilight?”

Twilight hesitated, and then she admitted: “It just seems like my pegasus and earth pony friends are having trouble with their artes lately. Artes are a combination of a pony's own skill and talent, and energy summoned from the world around them. I find it hard to believe something's wrong with so many different ponies who are otherwise in perfect health, so that means something must be wrong with the world's spirit energy, which we shape our artes from...”

Twilight looked away meditatively, muttering: “But the history of arte use is hard to follow... it seems almost like at some point, ponies just... started using artes without understanding where they came from. There's a big blank area, and even Princess Celestia says she doesn't know where this came from, any more than she knows precisely what the ether that we draw our artes from is, only that it is.”

Spike nodded slowly: it wasn't anything he didn't already know, but the fact that the ponies were actually noticing it now... “So you think maybe Princess Celestia wants you to investigate this?”

“It wouldn't be the first time she's had me research something for her. It wouldn't really be a lot different from some of the work I've done, either.” Twilight hesitated. “But the scope of it is much larger than I'm used to. Who knows, though? Maybe I'm wrong and Princess Celestia just wants me to help her sort the Royal Archives again.”

Spike smiled despite himself at this, and then he said finally: “I trust your feelings, Twilight. And I'll be happy to come with you, either way. I guess at worst, I'll just wait outside while you take your test.”

Twilight chuckled, and then she nudged him gently before she urged: “Go to bed, Spike. Get some good sleep tonight. I'll finish cleaning up here and pack a few things for our trip, but I don't think we'll be at Canterlot very long.”

“And even if we are, we can always just stop in at your parents' if we need anything.” Spike agreed, before he winked. “Although you've pretty much got a third home in Canterlot Castle by now, too.”

“Shush, you.” Twilight shooed the little dragon away, and smiled as he headed to the stairs. He paused long enough to wave at her, and she waved back before she sighed and shook her head with a quiet laugh.

What would she do without her Number One Assistant at her side?

A Lord of Distant Skies

Chapter Three: A Lord of Distant Skies
~BlackRoseRaven

Twilight Sparkle had an awful feeling in the pit of her stomach. Maybe she'd just eaten something that had disagreed with her, or maybe the rumbling train had stirred up her guts, but she knew it was something more than that as she and Spike approached the Castle's front gates.

She felt like something was terribly, awfully wrong; like something evil was coming, and there was nothing she could do to stop it. It was similar to the feeling she'd gotten when she'd sensed King Sombra approaching in the snowy cold outside of the Crystal Empire, and yet so much... worse, somehow.

She shook her head, then frowned uneasily as she paused in her approach to the castle as her eyes roved to a unicorn stallion who was walking past. He felt her gaze and looked back at her, and for a moment, time seemed to stop as they studied each other, the crowd of unaware ponies going about their business to and from the castle parting around them like they were beasts about to quarrel.

He was imposing and tall, his large frame hidden beneath a heavy cape that fell across the right side of his body, hiding it completely from view. His left eye was covered by an eyepatch with a symbol on it that Twilight didn't recognize, the same symbol on the stone clasp that held his cape around his neck.

He had sallow, grizzled features: a face that had seen a thousand campaigns. Was it the face of a worn and tired king, or a callous tyrant? She couldn't tell, but he scared her. There was nothing overly exotic about him: his white mane was short and rough, matching his coarse beard. His coat was a bruised blue, or at least what she could see of it. She couldn't see his cutie mark, thanks to his cape, and for some reason that further unsettled her.

He had a ring around his horn, with another symbol on it, one that made her blood feel like ice when she looked at it. But what could that stylized rune mean? And why did it upset her so much?

He looked at her, with an unreadable, dark eye: his lips curled slightly, and then he turned his eye ahead and strode on his way, and Twilight stared after him, watching him go, her mouth dry, a tremble running through her body.

“What's wrong?” Spike asked worriedly, tugging at her shoulder gently as he followed her gaze uneasily, but of course the stallion had already vanished into the crowd of ponies. “Did that guy try and do something to you?”

“No, no... just... he gave me an awful feeling.” Twilight murmured, biting her lip before she shook her head and took a breath, steadying herself as she said: “Let's just go inside and find Princess Celestia for now.”

“Okay.” Spike agreed, but he couldn't help look apprehensively over his shoulder in the direction the stallion had vanished, chewing on his lip before he shook his head and turned his eyes ahead, only half-aware he was almost clinging to Twilight as they headed towards the gates of the Castle.

They were immediately greeted by a guard who approached with a smile, the stallion saluting them before he said cheerfully: “Nice to see you made it, Twilight! Princess Celestia is already waiting for you in the throne room. Now, I know you don't need an escort, but...”

“Sure, Flash.” She smiled at the orange pegasus, happy for the company. Thanks to her brother's position in the Royal Guard, she was quite familiar with most of the soldiers stationed around the castle: some of them had been like family to her when she'd been growing up.

So she only hesitated a moment before she asked in a low voice, as they walked through the halls side-by-side: “Hey, so I saw a really strange unicorn on the way in... eyepatch, big cape, really scary.”

“Oh.” Flash's brow furrowed, and he said seriously: “You know I'm not supposed to talk about visiting diplomats.”

Twilight had to wait approximately two seconds before Flash leaned in conspiratorially, gossiping in a low, serious, extremely-excited voice: “But that guy is apparently from a distant country. He showed up one day and demanded an audience with the princess. And he's not the kind of guy you say no to, see. Princess Celestia has been meeting with him every day since, no one really knows about what, although odds are right now they're negotiating something to do with the power failures, from what some of the guys outside the throne room have overheard.”

“Power failures?” Twilight asked with a frown.

Flash nodded quickly, filling in: “Yeah, we've been having a lot of brownouts lately. As a matter of fact, a lot of larger cities have been having trouble with their power grid. Has something to do with the generators not being able to draw in enough mana anymore to supply the demand or something.”

Twilight frowned thoughtfully at this, as Flash went on: “But yeah. It can't all be coincidence that this guy shows up, and Princess Celestia announces the New Power Initiative. Lord Black's got to have something to do with it all.”

“New Power Initiative? Lord Black?” Twilight could barely keep up with Flash's rambling, but her sharp mind was putting all the pieces into place, picking out the important bits as he nodded violently and answered:

“Oh, right, guess you wouldn't have heard about it yet in Ponyville! We're going to start building new generators, super powerful ones that will generate enough mana that they can power the whole country! And Lord Black is that unicorn's name. Fitting name for a bad guy, huh?”

“You think he's a bad guy?” Twilight asked, frowning a little. Not that it certainly didn't fit the feeling she had...

Flash stopped for a moment in the hall, bit his lip as he looked at her, and then he answered quietly: “I think no matter what he is, he's not here to help, you know? Either he's here to profit or he's here to try and take that technology away. And I guess it makes me worried that Princess Celestia hasn't just sent him away.”

Twilight nodded slowly at this, and they were quiet for a moment before Flash suddenly smiled and asked: “So, well, how have you been?”

“Oh, uh, good. Busy with lots of things and all, but I always have my friends to help me through.” Twilight replied, half-evasive: not really on purpose, but more because her mind was still on what Flash had gossiped about to her.

He nodded awkwardly, and they walked along for a bit before Spike asked pointedly: “And what about you, Flash? How have you been doing?”

“Oh, uh, hey! Yes.” Flash cleared his throat before he answered: “Yeah, I'm doing good. In line for a promotion! Which is great. I might make a career out of this yet.”

Twilight nodded a little, coming out of her thoughts a bit as she asked: “Is that what you want to do with your life still? I thought before you were thinking of changing careers.”

“I dunno.” Flash shrugged with a chuckle. “That was during a pretty rough time, too, you know? I feel like I've grown into things a little more. Or maybe it's because, you know, I'm not a new young recruit anymore. Need to give the new blood someone to look up to and all.”

Twilight smiled a little at this, and Flash hesitated before he admitted: “Still, I'd like to have... some other skills, I suppose. Try something else out in life. It's not that I don't love the guard, I just got this yearning, I guess, for more.”

“I'm glad you do. I understand that completely. And you shouldn't feel like you have to do the same thing forever. As a matter of fact, I'm sure you won't be.” Twilight replied, and Flash gave her a wide smile at this.

They walked in quiet for a little while, neither able to think of anything to say until they reached the double doors leading into Celestia's audience chamber, and there Flash cleared his throat before he lamely gestured at the door, saying: “Well uh... guess we're here. Hey, Spike, you want to come with me, check out the new comics at the shop?”

Spike almost agreed, but then he felt Twilight nudge him, and he smiled despite himself before he answered: “Sorry, Flash. Maybe we can do that some other time. I'm going to join Twilight in talking to Princess Celestia.”

“Big boy, huh?” Flash looked a little envious, even as he smiled and shook his head. “But hey, guess I'm glad Twilight's got you looking out for her. Well, uh... good luck you two. Tell me all about what happens.”

“Thanks, Flash.” Twilight said honestly, turning away with a smile to head through the doors. Spike paused for a moment to wink and poke his own nose pointedly, and Flash huffed silently and flailed wildly at him before he turned it into a cheesy, awkward wave when Twilight glanced over her shoulder curiously.

But then Spike ran up to her side and drew her attention as they entered the throne room, saying in a more serious voice: “You think this is all connected?”

She knew what Spike was actually asking. And she took a breath before she nodded once and murmured: “I think I'm going to bring it up with Celestia, yeah. He bothered me. A lot.”

Spike nodded: he trusted Twilight's judgment. But there was no more time for talk or reassurances as they both stopped at the steps leading up to Celestia's dais, upon which the Princess of the Sun rested in her cushioned throne.

She stood and smiled, and Spike and Twilight both bowed. Princess Celestia gave a soft laugh at this, gesturing at them to rise as she said gently: “There's no need for such formality. Twilight Sparkle, I hope I didn't cause you any alarm summoning you on such short notice.”

Twilight shook her head, answering warmly: “No, Princess Celestia. I'm only sorry I couldn't come here sooner. I'm afraid I had some things to take care of in Ponyville-”

“And I'm happy that you did.” Celestia answered, and Twilight blushed at this as Spike gave a little smile, before they both looked up as the beautiful white alicorn came striding down the steps towards them, her ethereal mane flowing backwards as if pulled by an intangible wind. Her kind eyes surveyed them, but Twilight felt a strange nip of apprehension in her gut at the sadness she thought she saw in them. “I have a very big favor to ask, Twilight, and you might not have time for much else for a little while. Perhaps weeks. Perhaps longer.”

“Does this have to do with Lord Black?” Twilight asked anxiously: almost blurted out, really.

Princess Celestia frowned a little, and then she sighed after a moment before she turned away, looking up at the gorgeous, stained glass window above her throne for a few moments, studying the intricacies of it before she asked quietly: “What do you know about him?”

“Not much.” Twilight admitted. “I just heard that he showed up one day. He demanded an audience and you've been... negotiating with him?”

The monarch turned to her with a faint smile, muttering: “Something like that.” She shook her head, then cleared her throat and straightened a little, explaining: “Lord Black wants something that came into Equestria's possession many years ago now. He has even threatened to take it by force.”

“What?” Twilight blurted out, alarmed. “But that would mean... would he really risk a war? And why haven't you-”

“In time, Twilight.” Princess Celestia soothed, before she continued: “Lord Black has very powerful weapons at his disposal, but I think he's bluffing about his readiness to use force. He wants to continue negotiations for now. And that's where you come in, Twilight.”

Twilight frowned worriedly, biting her lip, but Celestia smiled at her and said: “I need you to put one of your greatest talents to use for me. I need you to research this power source I've uncovered. If we can discover how to harness it properly, then we can use it not only to give our nation an unlimited supply of energy, but protect ourselves against Lord Black's weapons and armies.”

“Really?” Twilight asked uneasily: she didn't sound convinced, and to be honest, Spike was having trouble understanding how they were just going to make Lord Black go away, no matter how powerful this 'power source' was.

“Yes.” Celestia answered: even in the face of their obvious doubt, she was confident. So confident that it made Spike and Twilight trade looks, almost in confusion.

But the Princess of the Sun only smiled before she said gently: “We can talk about this more in private, but I want to reassure you that I do have a plan, and we have been developing this technology for a long time. I don't need you to worry about that. What I need is for you to tap into this resource: I can't do the research myself and deal with Lord Black and the rest of Equestria's problems all at once. But you have both enough power, and my trust, Twilight Sparkle: I know you can find a way to communicate with the stone.”

“The stone? It's a stone? Like a magic gem?” Twilight asked, and then she blushed when Celestia gently patted her on the head.

“We're keeping it safe for now in one of the vaults in the magic studies wing. We have a lab set up there, with everything you'll need. I'll have one of my guard escort you down after we finish our talk.” Celestia promised, before her horn glowed with beautiful golden light, floating a small pack towards Twilight.

This opened in front of her, several scroll tubes and journals rising free as Celestia continued: “These are all our findings so far on this project. Anything else you need, all you have to do is ask, Twilight Sparkle. I've given you full clearance for anything and everything you could possibly need.”

Twilight blushed, straightening a bit and nodding as she looked up with a mix of excitement and anxiety at Celestia, saying: “I'll do my best!”

“And that's all I can ask, but I know it will be more than enough.” Celestia replied, before she went on: “It is very important that we keep all of this between ourselves, Twilight. Lord Black may have spies in our midst. He already knows too much about what we've been doing.”

“Like the New Power Initiative?” ventured Twilight, and Celestia nodded as she studied Twilight for a few moments.

“Do you know anything about that, Twilight?” Celestia asked, and Twilight felt the mare's eyes searching her, making her shift uncomfortably.

“Just that you announced it to Canterlot... only what I've heard here.” Twilight admitted after a moment, and Celestia smiled briefly.

“Still. You're very well-informed.” she remarked, and the smaller mare felt oddly like that wasn't entirely a compliment. “I don't want you to get too distracted, Twilight, and I hope you understand that because of the sensitivity of these matters, and what we're dealing with, it's better that you don't know some things for now. When all of this is over, I would be happy to tell you everything... but for now, it's important that we all work in secret.”

“Wait, does that mean I shouldn't talk about anything with anyone?” Twilight worried. “Aren't there other ponies on the project with me?”

“No, Twilight. This is your project now. If you need help, I will have to vet each and every single pony you want to include, and that includes your friends.” Celestia answered with a shake of her head. “We have to be very careful. The last thing we want to do is force Lord Black into a situation where he feels he will have to use force to get what he wants. I don't want to put the lives of any ponies in danger.”

Twilight understood that, blushing a bit and nodding, and Celestia smiled as she said gently: “Diplomacy is very difficult. It is not, as some ponies seem to think, all about fire and brimstone. Faced with someone like Lord Black – a very serious, and very ruthless pony – it's better to stall as long as possible and move for peace, rather than risk open war. Yes, Equestria would doubtlessly win against his company of mercenaries. But at what cost, Twilight? How many ponies will be hurt, or even killed? We do not use force until all other solutions are exhausted. And with your help, and just a bit more time, I believe we can find a peaceful solution.”

“Okay. Yes, I understand, Princess Celestia. I'll do everything I can to help!” Twilight said firmly.

Princess Celestia smiled, then frowned a little as Spike hesitantly held up a claw before he asked: “Does this mean we'll have guards assigned to us? And why hasn't Lord Black just tried to take it by force yet?”

“Because Lord Black knows he will lose, and he's already forced several concessions.” Celestia said, before she straightened a little, wings flexing at her sides, head high as she added in a firmer voice: “And whatever he thinks of us, he respects my power. I don't like to flaunt my strength, Spike, but I am an alicorn capable of moving the sun.”

Spike smiled lamely as Twilight bowed her head respectfully, and Princess Celestia settled before she said gently: “And yes. Flash Sentry and Ritz Blitz will be assigned to protect you. You'll be staying in the Magic Academy wing at all times: a secure room in the professor's dormitory has been assigned to you, Twilight.”

“The professor's dorm?” Twilight gasped, going starry-eyed for a moment, and Spike couldn't help but smile: even in the most serious situation... “That... that's such an honor! Do you really think I deserve that, though? I mean, I don't want to inconvenience anyone-”

“It's where I need you to be, Twilight, and you'll be doing very important work for me.” Celestia answered with a smile and a touch of briskness, probably sensing that Twilight would ramble her gratitude forever if she wasn't interrupted. “When do you think you'll be able to start?”

Twilight looked flustered for a moment, fidgeting awkwardly, but Spike answered for her: “As soon as you need us to.”

“Good.” Celestia said approvingly, before she smiled over at Twilight, continuing: “It was a good idea to include Spike in this. His dragon artes will be very useful in testing the integrity of the power source and whether or not you've been able to successfully draw power from it.”

“Oh, that was Spike's idea.” Twilight said quickly, but Celestia only smiled again, her eyes shifting to Spike with that look of 'of course it was' that he was so used to by now. Even if it did sting a bit, coming from Princess Celestia.

“Well, in any event, you need to head to the Magic Academy now. Tonight, Twilight Sparkle, I would like a word with you alone, in my chambers.” Princess Celestia said, and Twilight smiled and nodded, even if she felt a little uneasy at that wording.

“Yes, Princess Celestia. Of course.” she said, before she hesitated as Princess Celestia turned away, then asked anxiously: “But wait, how long can you hold off Lord Black?”

“For as long as you need, Twilight Sparkle. And oh, regarding him...” Princess Celestia stopped and frowned, looking back over her shoulder at the mare as she quailed automatically under that unusual hardness. “For your own safety, stay away from him. He is very dangerous, and he will stop at nothing to obtain the power source.”

The alicorn softened after a moment, and finished in a more maternal voice: “I couldn't stand it if anything happened to you, Twilight. Not after all we've been through together.”

Twilight gave a small smile, and then Princess Celestia strode up to her throne, seating herself again as she sighed and said: “Go, and good luck, Twilight Sparkle. But I know that you can find the solution to this problem.”

Twilight bowed and nodded. She said something in agreement, some garbled mix of affirmation and obedience, and then turned to hurry away. But Spike lingered for a moment, looking up uneasily at Princess Celestia before he cleared his throat and bowed quickly when her eyes shifted to him.

He hurried out after Twilight, but didn't dare voice his thoughts even as he caught up with her, a crawl running down his spine as he wondered what it was that Celestia seemed to be hiding, and what had drawn Lord Black here in the first place.

Celestia hadn't been kidding about the security or the secrecy: Flash Sentry and a larger unicorn stallion, Ritz Blitz, met them at the Magic Academy doors and accompanied them first to their room – not just in the professor's dorm, Spike noted, but a heavily, impeccably secured room without any windows or outside doors – and then to the vault they had set up deeper inside the Magic Academy wing of the castle, where the power source was kept under lock and key and constant watch.

Flash and Ritz weren't allowed to talk about the project, and they had to have some serious punishment hanging over their head, Twilight thought, because even the gossipy pegasus wasn't willing to so much as risk a peek into the secure vault, or whisper with Twilight about her new position. Ritz was stoic, but Twilight remembered him always being that way: he was a career soldier, an old friend of her brother's, if she pegged him right.

Two ponies she was familiar and comfortable with. Why didn't that reassure her, though?

The Vault wasn't just protected by a standard two-way armored door, it had a heavy, magically-insulated curtain to prevent so much as a glimpse of the room beyond, or a single sound or magic particle escaping in that short time the door was open. Twilight and Spike were the only ones allowed to go inside: once they were inside, the door was sealed behind them, and if they wanted to leave, they had to knock and wait for the soldiers to open it for them.

It was unnerving, to say the least.

But Twilight was fascinated from the moment she stepped into the room, and found the power source waiting for them, resting on a cushion on a metal table. It was much larger than she had thought it would be: it had to weigh at least a hundred pounds, and was a solid piece of some kind of unknown crystal, pulsing from within with its own magic energy. It looked almost like it had been cut somehow, or was meant to fit inside something: one side was rounded and smooth, but these gentle ends both turned sharply into straight lines that met at a ninety degree, pointed corner.

It was full of mana, that much was certain: enough mana to power all of Equestria for a century or more, Twilight thought with awe as she hovered over the glowing stone. And yet it was perfectly contained inside itself: somehow it was regulating itself, almost as if the stone was keeping all that massive power in check.

Once she was able to pull herself away, she started by pulling out the research that had already been done, reading through it quickly: from what she gleaned, all conventional methods of drawing energy from the stone had failed. So that meant they would have to try some more unusual methods... but first Twilight thought it was important to understand why the magic energy wasn't just dispersing, and how it was regulating itself.

She guessed it had to do with the material: while Celestia's research team had done a lot of work taking readings and trying out different methods of extracting energy, they hadn't done more than taken a few samples of the stone itself. The material was some kind of mineral compound, by no means natural: it was dense, extremely solid, and the few sample pieces that had already been removed and set aside on one of the worktables for her – as if Celestia had known she'd want to start with this – still maintained their own energy. Incredible amounts of energy, Twilight noted, as she floated one of the tiny cut-away pieces in front of her clinical eyes.

She had Spike help her take readings and do a thorough examination of the material: density, hardness, the geometry of the material and what happened when it was impacted by both kinetic and magical force. Twilight immediately noticed that all magic was either ignored or repelled, even by this tiny piece of material.

Once she put it under a microscope, she was able to observe all kinds of crystalline structures: they were very complex, and seemed to form channels that the magic energy flowed naturally through, reflecting and refracting into itself. She thought that had something to do with the longevity of this power source, and how it was able to hold a charge even when cut or broken. If they could replicate that, even with gemstones...

Well, their gemstone batteries weren't nearly as durable as this, of course. But she thought it could still vastly improve the quality and life of gemstone batteries, which only lasted a few years at the very best.

Still, as fascinating as it was, it didn't bring her any closer to figuring out how to draw the energy out of the material. But it also made her question uneasily what precisely this was: what had it originally been built for? There was still some kind of powerful residual magic around it, like maybe it was still doing whatever it had originally been designed to do...

But Princess Celestia wouldn't try and tamper with living magic, would she? And she definitely wouldn't have her student handle the risk of working with an unknown power source that was still possibly active and broadcasting an unknown signal...

Twilight was pulled out of her thoughts by Spike suddenly, abruptly saying: “Do you think it's like a focus stone?”

“Sorry?” Twilight asked blankly.

Spike gave an awkward smile, and then he walked over to the large crystal, putting his hands against one of the smooth sides as he explained: “For artes. I guess you might not be as familiar with them because they don't really work for your unicorn magic. But for artes like mine, see, sometimes when you need an extra boost of power, you hold a focus stone. I guess ponies don't use them much in general because of hooves and all, but all you have to do is sort of push your energy into the focus stone, make sort of a hook with it, and then you pull back what you-”

Spike flinched as energy raced along his arms before there was a tremendous bang as a shockwave erupted through the air, knocking both him and Twilight sprawling and making the tables and equipment around the edge of the room rattle and shake. They were both left, stunned, for a moment, before Spike held up a claw and wheezed: “Okay. I screwed that up.”

“What did you do?” blurted Twilight as she leapt to her hooves, before she blinked and leapt over to Spike, repeating in a less-shocked, more-excited voice: “What did you do?”

Spike blinked, and then he winced when Twilight hauled him up to a sitting position, grabbing him with a bright smile as she exclaimed: “You did it! You extracted energy from the stone! Spike, you figured out the answer!”

The little dragon gave a lame smile, before he gave an awkward laugh, shrugging a bit and rubbing slowly at his head before he said finally: “I told you. It's like a focus stone. But uh... it's a lot, lot more powerful than I thought.”

“So Princess Celestia wasn't exaggerating.” Twilight mused as she looked back at the power source, but then she shook her head and smiled at Spike, saying quickly: “We have to go tell Princess Celestia about this. Wait, no, first, can you show me what you did? If we can control the extraction this way, then I can take measurements, too, and figure out what's safe and what's not...”

Spike laughed awkwardly, shaking his tingling claws out before he nodded a little. But as he began to approach the stone, he felt Twilight catch him again, and ask in a quieter, almost embarrassed voice: “Are you okay?”

Spike hesitated, and then he gave a brief nod and a little smile, answering: “Yeah. I'm sorry about that. I hope it didn't startle you too much, I didn't expect such a surge.”

He bit his lip, then looked back at the core, hesitating for a moment before he turned back towards Twilight and said: “I have a bad feeling about this, Twilight. About all of this. Something just doesn't seem right.”

“Spike...” Twilight softened, then she gently stroked along his face, reassuring: “I know what you mean. I... I'm worried too. But I know Princess Celestia wouldn't put us in danger or do something like this unless she absolutely had to. And it sounds like if we can harness this, we can keep Equestria safe and powered for... who knows how long? But... you know I'm going to talk to her tonight. I'll bring up everything, I'll get answers, Spike.”

Spike hesitated, but he looked up at her with his trusting eyes, and Twilight smiled, reassuring him with her gaze, her maternal comforts, her honest soul.

So he turned back towards the power source, and Twilight's face fell, and she hugged herself as he put his little claws back against the core, leaving the unicorn to hope silently that she wasn't wrong about everything she had just told her companion, who deserved better than to be a pawn in a world ruled by ponies.

Sound and Fury and Storm

Chapter Four: Sound and Fury and Storm
~BlackRoseRaven

Twilight's conversation with Princess Celestia didn't really go anywhere: while Spike was left in his quarters – locked, really, in the beautiful room, with all the food and entertainment he could ask for – she was escorted up to Princess Celestia's quarters to give a quick report to the Princess of the Sun. But before she could voice too many of her concerns, she was shown out, and escorted back to her room.

Princess Celestia had been encouraging, excited, happy... and too busy for her, again explaining that the less Twilight knew right now, the less danger she would be in.

Twilight Sparkle loved her mentor like a mother, and believed in her with every fiber of her being.

But oh, how she hated to be kept in the dark.

The next day, Twilight decided to take the morning to do more research and calculations. She pored over every bit of information available to her, studying all the measurements and results of the multitude of tests they had run after Spike had accidentally figured out-

'Accidentally' figured out. That was some turn of phrase. It wasn't like you ever figured out much on purpose, after all.

Twilight shook her head with a sigh as she rubbed tiredly at her face. Flash had been nice enough to take Spike out for the morning, at least, to bring him down to the little shop on the other side of Canterlot Castle. It was a kitschy little gift shop, but it at least had some of those comic books he liked. Or that Flash liked and Spike went along with, she wasn't sure sometimes.

She hoped that he was enjoying the time out. She hoped that this would all be over soon, and that they would find the solution, and Lord Black would just... go away.

Hopes, fragile, and simple, and shattered by the terrible explosions that ripped through the castle, shaking the unicorn out of her chair and a scatter of dust from the ceiling, before she screamed and shoved herself away on reflex as something massive tore through the wall, hammering through the floor nearby with enough force to knock her rolling sideways.

The whole castle shook as Twilight gasped and stumbled, looking wildly back and forth before she felt strong hooves grab her and steady her, Ritz Blitz helping her up to her hooves as he shouted: “Come on, we gotta get you out of here!”

“What's happening? What's going on?” Twilight shouted in panic, but her mind was already going a thousand miles a minute, running through every possible probability as she stumbled after the Royal Guard, feeling him tethering their bodies together with magic: she locked the tether with her own, letting them steady each other with magic even at a distance, helping their stumbling canter down the shaking halls. “Black?”

“I don't know, ma'am, we just need to get you out of here!” Blitz replied sharply as they staggered around a corner, hooves crunching through the broken glass of the windows that littered the hallway. Ritz turned, looked back at her, opened his mouth-

His face dissolved in bright light.

Sound and fury, and weightlessness.

She was flying.

She was falling.

Twilight hit the ground, and the pain snapped her back to reality as she screamed and bucked helplessly on her back, kicking uselessly at the air before she rolled onto her side, gasping hard. The magic that had protected her sparked out of existence around her body as she panted on the ground for a moment before she shrieked as stone and brick crashed down in a hail around her head, scrambling backwards and shoving herself up to her hooves, then backing away as her eyes widened in horror, watching as part of the castle crumbled, dust and fire and shrapnel belching out of the castle-

“No! Blitz!” Twilight screamed, but it was useless, as embers and broken stone tumbled down in an avalanche, crashing to the ground only feet away from her.

She trembled, then looked sharply to the side as she heard something massive boom through the air. And her jaw dropped at the sight of the immense airship she saw, hovering over Canterlot like a great, impossible predator, a massive hoof of floating death.

She saw flashes, and heard shattering glass and stone as massive cannons strafed back and forth over the front of Canterlot Castle, tearing apart the ancient architecture like it was nothing but a paper mache model. Twilight cried out, stumbling around the side of the castle, staggering haphazardly to the front, where a gaping, gawking crowd had already gathered.

She heard shouting. Screaming. But no one was listening at this point, Twilight barely aware of the ponies shoving back and forth around her before her eyes widened ,and she spun around, staring sightlessly at the battered face of Canterlot Castle for a moment before she leapt into a charge, bolting straight for the main gates.

She darted and shoved past guards and fleeing ponies alike, leaping into the main hall of the castle, screaming a name: “Spike!”

He was at the gift shop. Far wing of the castle.

A soldier tried to approach her through the crowd surging around her, and she leapt away from him and bolted to the nearest staircase, leaping up the steps and taking a side passage, swearing as explosions rocked the structure. She stumbled and narrowly caught herself, then rushed down the hall before she flinched backwards in shock as something enormous slammed through the wall in front of her, blockading the entire corridor.

She had a moment to realize it was some kind of metal pod before a hidden door slid open with a gush of air, and something that had four hooves and a black coat and a white mane and a ragged, jagged horn leapt out. Something that was equine, but not at all pony, dressed in combat armor, immediately stepping towards her and raising some kind of weapon-

The stock of the rifle slammed into Twilight's neck, and she crumpled with a gasp before she tried to scream when a hoof stomped down on her, electricity surging violently through her body. She lost control of her muscles and her bladder, shuddering violently before she went limp, trembling helplessly in the rubble of the hallway as the soldier said coldly: “Ingress successful. Executing mission.”

“Good.” said a cold voice, speaking through the visor-thing the... the creature was wearing. Twilight couldn't move, and her whole body hurt, but she could hear perfectly well as a calm, crisp voice ordered: “You have your orders. Retrieve the artifact, then extract immediately.”

“Yes, sir. Move out!” barked the creature, and Twilight trembled as she fought to pick herself up, to say, to do something, anything...

But they were already gone: they were not ponies, no, Twilight was correct about that, but rather they were Kirin. They were all strikingly similar, with rubbery black coats and thick white manes, a genericness further exacerbated by the extremely similar armor they all wore, and the equipment they carried: heavy assault rifles that floated at their sides as they sprinted in single file down the hallway, following their commander, who in turn followed the readings on the visor that covered his eyes.

Several shocked Royal Guard stumbled into their path, but the Kirin plowed into them like a train: one soldier was knocked unconscious immediately as his head was almost put through the wall, and the remaining were both driven to the ground and electrified into submission.

The Kirin continued on, pushing through the rubble-strewn hallway and ignoring the civilians that fled and ducked away from them until they reached the vault where the core had been secured. Two stepped forwards as the remaining three stationed themselves in guard positions.

The two Kirin in front of the door produced chemicals and strange, hoof-held instruments from their equipment satchels, one applying what looked like some kind of chemical to the hinges, while the other activated a tiny but deadly blowtorch, the visor over his eyes tinting almost black as he leaned in and began to cut slowly through the locking mechanism. They worked fearlessly and efficiently, even when one of the Kirin shouted: “Detecting hostiles! Six!”

“Stay cold! Neutralize!” ordered the commander as he joined the other soldier: as Royal Guard rounded the corner ahead, both he and the other soldier opened fire with their assault rifles, and the Royal Guard howled in agony as charged metal bearings pummeled their bodies, sending up great flashes of electricity.

Several of the Royal Guard collapsed: two of them returned fire with magic, but the commander barely grimaced even as bolt of arcane energy bounced off his armor, which gleamed eerily for a moment.

“Boomer.” ordered the commander, and the other Kirin nodded curtly as he ducked back behind the cover of one of the supports that lined the wall, producing a cylinder from one of his equipment packs that he loaded into the launcher attached to the bottom of the rifle. Then he quickly swiveled out and fired straight down the middle of the hall.

The projectile exploded in a concussive bass-wave of sound: the one soldier that wasn't knocked in a stunned heap from the blast staggered backwards, then vomited helplessly before he fell sideways, gasping helplessly as he dragged himself away. The Kirin kept their guns up, waiting and watching, as behind them the two working at the door both slammed magnetic anchors against the armored door, then quickly drew back, the metal wire attached to the anchors gleaming brightly as they pulled taut.

“Clear!” shouted one of the Kirin, and then both doorbusters pulled hard on the wire, the heavy vault door screaming in protest as it was yanked forwards, grinding against its frame before it tottered out of its frame and crashed down with a tremendous bang.

The commander pointed, and the two armed and ready soldiers ran forwards as the doorbusters quickly rearmed themselves. By the time their rifles were reloaded, the two Kirin who had been deployed were already carrying the massive block of crystal out of the vault, suspended inside a floating energy field generated by hovering discs on either end of the core.

“We've retrieved the artifact. Sending confirmation scans now.” the commander said crisply, his visor flashing as he focused on the crystal.

There was a moment of silence before Lord Black's voice asked, with the faintest hint of irritation: “Was that all?”

The officer looked quickly at the other Kirin, and they both nodded. He grimaced, but before he could report, the voice over the comlink instructed briskly: “Very well. I've marked a safe extraction point for you ahead. A Nighthawk will be deployed to retrieve you. You have ten minutes.”

“Sir!” answered the commander, and then he gestured sharply at his squadron as he turned down the hallway, barking as new instructions pinged across his visor: “Move it!”

His soldiers fell in behind him, following quickly past the stunned, disoriented Royal Guard, the core eerily floating along near the center of the group. Canterlot shook as another volley of shots tore across the front of the castle, but the Kirin didn't so much as stumble as they navigated the complex, crumbled corridors from point-to-point thanks to the guidance of the visor.

A warning flashed on the commander's visor as they approached a broken set of double doors, and he growled: “Hostiles detected. Five. Engage.”

The moment he spoke the last word, he slammed his shoulder into the doors, hammering through them and immediately firing a burst at the nearest soldier. The Royal Guard went down with a shocked howl, hitting the ground hard on his side as the remaining soldiers leapt to either side of the hallway, one cursing and hiding behind a fallen pillar, the others knocking over tables and ducking behind whatever cover was available.

The Kirin commander laid down a sharp tattoo of suppressing fire against one of the knocked-over tables, making the Royal Guard behind it curse before one of them shouted as the other Kirin advanced with short, controlled bursts: “Fall back! Retreat!”

Rounds peppered the positions where the guards had hidden themselves, the commander leading the movement forward before he made an error, taking his eyes off the fallen pillar where the single rookie had hidden himself, the trembling unicorn raising his sword before he leapt suddenly out of cover with a scream, stabbing his weapon down into the commander's neck with a howl.

The Kirin commander gargled in shock as he was knocked in a sprawl, the soldier on top of him shouting furiously: “What do you think about this, asshole? Yeah, come on, we can-”

“Go hot.” ordered one of the Kirin as he deftly traded magazines on his rifle, and the Royal Guard didn't even have enough time to register what was happening before his entire head was blown away in a splatter of crimson gore.

The Kirin moved forwards, ignoring their own commander's body as they moved in a merciless wave, the click of magazines being ejected and new clips inserted in their place the loudest sound in the room for a moment, before it was replaced by the harsh roar of gunfire. Bullets tore apart wood and stone, and metal and flesh, the Kirin advancing quickly through the room and into the corridor beyond without looking back.

They pushed mercilessly forwards as the Kirin in the lead took over the role of acting commander soundlessly and without objection, his visor guiding the path as he moved forwards decisively. They blazed through both civilian and Royal Guard alike with their weapons, the Kirin neither questioning their new commander, nor showing mercy to any of the victims they gunned down.

The Kirin in front rammed through the last door into an open garden: only a moment later, a large, black vehicle winged down from the skies, its boosters revolving so it could hover a short distance above their heads.

A door opened in the side, a Kirin above flinging a rope down, and the Kirin below immediately secured this to one of the hoverdiscs carrying the drone. The Kirin above began to haul the core up, the carriers whirring as they floated steadily higher and higher until the heavy crystal vanished into the ship.

Voices shouted at them from the interior of the castle, and one of the Kirin dropped into position, retaliating with a quick burst of fire as his companions leapt upward, one after the other, into the transport ship. Once they had cleared, he turned and immediately followed them up, and the vehicle floated higher into the air, then turned and blasted away from the ruins of the castle, streaking through the sky and back towards the massive, floating fortress looming above Canterlot.

It docked in moments, and offloaded the Kirin and their precious cargo: without a word, the soldier who had taken command left the hangar, heading quickly through the complicated halls of the ship all the way to the bridge.

The head of this flying fortress was shaped like a wide, stretched amphitheater, with rounded wings circling to either side. Kirin and ponies with mechanical implants across their bodies sat at tables and holographic monitors, all of them focusing on their own tasks, constant chatter filling the air as they communicated with the countless workers who kept this great vessel mobile.

The Kirin approached the figure in the center of the room, the stallion who was coldly facing the snarling hologram of a mare projected from the crystalline dome at the heart of the bridge. He stopped to wait quietly, studying the windows in the distance that looked out over helpless Canterlot below, ignoring the conversation even as the mare growled: “-act of war! There will be consequences for this-”

“As there will be consequences for what you have done. This is your last chance to turn over the other pieces of the stone. Do not force my hoof or I will level all of Canterlot.” Lord Black replied coolly, not so much as blinking.

Princess Celestia grimaced, then gave a disgusted little smile as she answered: “You're too late. I already had the remaining pieces of the stone moved, right out from under you. By the time you figure out where they are, we'll have more than enough power to sink that battleship of yours, and you along with it!”

The stallion studied her, gauging the truth of her words, and then he snorted before he said shortly: “Then our negotiations have failed, Celestia. Remember that this was your choice.”

He cut the transmission, then turned briskly towards the Kirin, asking coldly: “What happened?”

“Commander 4-4-5 was terminated, sir, and I took command.” The Kirin saluted crisply. “Following protocol, I ordered-”

“This was not the procedure that was discussed. Report to the technical facility for an update to your programming. Dismissed.” The stallion waved the Kirin away, and the soldier bowed and left, the faintest flush of humiliation and anger flashing across his face.

Lord Black turned his eyes back forwards, glancing across readouts that spilled across his vision before he ordered: “Take readings from Canterlot. I want a damage assessment and effectiveness readings. Then ascend above cloud level, then divert power from our shields to cloaking and withdraw. I want penetrating scans prepared, and hunter teams ready for deployment in three hours' time.”

There were a few affirmations from around the room, but the stallion didn't pay any attention to them as he instead turned his eye ahead, looking callously out at the crumbled stone facade of Canterlot past the flashing readouts and numbers that scrawled constantly past in neon blue.

If Celestia wanted a fight, then fine.

He would be more than happy to show her just what the Clockwork Empire was capable of.

Twilight woke up with a gasp, looking fearfully back and forth before she blinked slowly. She was in a bedroom... just a plain empty bedroom, one of the guest rooms in the castle, she thought. Everything looked completely normal, like nothing had happened, and for a moment she wondered if it had all been some wild dream.

Then she rubbed at her head, and felt the scritch-scratch of bandages rubbing together, and she knew it hadn't all just been some terrible dream.

She trembled as she lowered her hooves in front of her face: her forelegs were bandaged. Why were her forelegs bandaged? When had she cut them open?

So was her head. But that made more sense. She'd had a terrible fall.

Spike. Where was Spike?

The mare shifted, then moaned in pain as she felt something inside her quake and tremble. She gave herself a moment, then more gingerly shifted out of bed, gasping quietly as she pushed herself to her hooves. She swayed a little, moaning quietly again as her head swam before she took a slow breath, and then she stumbled blearily towards the bedroom door.

She opened it, and winced in surprise at the painful assault of light before she heard murmurs and gasps, then felt a hoof gently catch her when she nearly toppled, a voice soothing: “Miss Twilight, please, you need to go back to bed.”

“Spike.” Twilight whispered.

She felt hesitation, and she trembled before she grabbed the stallion in front of her, the Royal Guard wincing in surprise at the strength of her hooves as she asked: “What happened?”

“I don't-”

“Where is Spike?” Twilight shouted.

“That's enough, Twilight.” soothed a familiar voice, and Twilight looked up with trembling, teary eyes to see Princess Celestia coming towards her, the ivory mare giving a faint smile before she reassured quietly: “He's alive. Now please. You need to rest. It's very important. Your injuries were very severe.”

Twilight allowed herself to be gently taken under the princess' wing and guided back into the bedroom. She groaned as she was pushed carefully back into bed: half out of pain, half out of frustration.

Princess Celestia sat on the floor beside her, and started: “You've been in and out of consciousness for twenty hours now, Twilight Sparkle. I don't know what they did to you, but I'm glad you're still alive. Many of the Royal Guard... they weren't so lucky.”

Twilight swallowed thickly at this. She wanted to feel sad. She knew she should feel... what, fortunate? Solemn? But no, all she could think about was... “Please... what happened to Spike? He was... I know he was...”

“Flash Sentry is recovering...” Princess Celestia started. But when Twilight looked at her with those wet, pleading eyes, tears spilling down her cheeks, the Princess of the Sun sighed quietly before she murmured: “Spike is... alive. We are doing everything we can for him. He was badly injured, and he hasn't woken up yet, however-”

“I want to see him.” Twilight muttered, trying to sit up, but Celestia gently pushed her back down with one hoof.

“Not yet. Let the doctors work. Your assistant-”

“My assistant?”Twilight blurted out, flabbergasted, and she trembled before she glared up with more defiance than she had ever imagined she could muster, shouting: “He is not just my 'assistant!' He's my... my...”

Her best friend. Her brother. Her son. He was all those things and more. And here Celestia was treating him like he was an assistant, like he was a... a pet being taken care of at the vet, and oh, he might live or he might die, but it wasn't like he was a real person-

Twilight wrenched herself away from Celestia when the Princess of the Sun tried to touch her, and Celestia leaned back slightly, biting her lip,surprised and strangely hurt. And for a moment, the mighty Princess of Equestria wavered, and then she cleared her throat and looked down, saying quietly: “I apologize. Your... your friend, Spike. We have the very best helping him, Twilight. But I need-”

“I need him.” Twilight murmured. Celestia wasn't even sure that the mare had realized she had spoken.

“Yes. But I need you, Twilight, here and now. You need to help me.” Celestia said, and when Twilight looked at her, glared at her through trembling tears, Celestia urged: “You want to stop Lord Black, don't you? He's the one who attacked Canterlot. And who will hurt more ponies, more people you care about, unless we figure out a way to stop him.”

This caught the purple unicorn's attention, and she bit her lip as her brow furrowed. She hesitated, and Celestia lowered her head, holding Twilight's gaze as she reached her hooves forwards to silently grasp the smaller mare's forelegs, her head almost touching the bed as the Princess looked up at her pupil to plead: “Please, Twilight. We have to stop this, while we still have a chance. Otherwise everyone and everything you love will be in danger. Equestria will lose its one, perhaps its only chance at resolving our growing power needs, and the country will be plunged into darkness.”

Twilight shivered, shaking her head as she whispered: “I just... I don't know. I just need-”

“This is bigger than you or me, Twilight Sparkle. You need to make this decision now. I need your help.” Celestia straightened, not just imploring, but almost ordering it, and Twilight flinched and laid her ears back, her eyes going wide, her teeth baring... but then the Princess embraced her, and Twilight trembled before she dropped her head against the mare's shoulder, and her whimpers broke into full-throated sobs.

Celestia just held her for a little while, giving her a chance to cry, until the mare slowly drew back, taking slow, shuddering breaths before she nodded a little, not looking up even as she murmured: “I... I want to stop him. I do. I just can't process...”

“I know, Twilight. I know how terribly hard it is, to keep going, when someone you care about is hurt.” Celestia silently stroked back Twilight's mane, keeping in contact, looking across her with maternal love and unhidden sorrow. “But we have to mourn for what we've lost later. Many ponies were hurt in this attack, and it is our duty to them to not only carry on, but to defend everything that Equestria stood for, to ensure this does not happen again.”

“But how do we stop him? Did you save the power source?” asked Twilight, and Celestia gave a brief smile.

“In a manner of speaking.” Celestia answered, and Twilight frowned uneasily. She felt a shiver roll down her spine, even as Celestia held her close, tight in her warmth, as if she never wanted to let go. “When we found the power source, it was a much larger slab. We were able to cut it into four pieces, each containing massive amounts of power.”

Twilight's eyes widened in surprise at this, the mare straightening before she blurted: “There's... there's three more?”

“Yes. And Lord Black will be searching for them, relentlessly, until he finds them.” Celestia said quietly. “Two of these pieces have already been sent to safe havens, outside of Equestria's borders. The final piece I need you to take and hide.”

“What?” Twilight asked, alarmed.

“Until the New Power Initiative is ready, we can't defend against Lord Black's attacks. His weaponry is too powerful, even more powerful than I thought.” Celestia shook her head slowly. “I don't know if even a team of unicorns all using your brother's barrier spell would be able to hold that machine back for long.”

“But you said he was already looking for them, and-”

“Yes.” Celestia interrupted gently, pressing a hoof to Twilight's lips. “Yes. The hardest part of being a leader, Twilight, is planning for the worst. Because inevitably, at some point in your career, the worst, the impossible, will happen, and you have to be ready for it.

“We created several false cores using small fragments from the larger stones. I just pray this is enough to keep Lord Black busy while you move the final piece, in secret, to where you think it will be safest.” Princess Celestia instructed. “Not even I should know where you take it, Twilight.”

“I... but what-”

Celestia squeezed the mare close in an embrace, silencing her as she whispered: “I'm sorry. If I could trust any other pony with this, I would. But I can only trust you, Twilight. You are the only pony I can trust to perform this task.”

Twilight trembled, before she whispered: “But if the pieces are scattered, then how...”

“It's better that you don't know, Twilight. Please. Lord Black will stop at nothing to achieve his goal and if he thought you were aware of something...” Celestia shuddered, closing her eyes for a moment before she took a slow breath and slowly slipped back.

Her hooves slid down Twilight's forelegs to gently take her own, the two looking at one-another before Celestia said quietly: “I will be publicly distancing myself from you. I am sorry, but I have to do everything I can from now on to ensure that Lord Black doesn't see you as a target. If you lash out in response, I'll understand, even if I pretend not to. And when all this is over, Twilight, I want to make everything up to you. I want to apologize. And I'll understand if you can't accept, at the end of all this.”

“What? But, Princess Celestia...” But Twilight's protests were cut short as the princess leaned in and silently kissed her forehead.

“I love you, Twilight Sparkle, like my daughter. From now on, we can only communicate through secure messages. I don't know if you know Eldraatic code, but I'm sure you'll learn it quickly. Expect your first message tonight. Keep your replies short, and terse.” Celestia gently stroked Twilight's mane back, looking into her eyes, and Twilight saw tears in the Princess' for a moment before Celestia blinked them away, her face becoming beautiful stone as she straightened and said calmly: “Goodbye, Twilight Sparkle.”

And then Princess Celestia left, leaving Twilight Sparkle trembling in bed, confused and alone and terribly afraid.

Pariah

Chapter Five: Pariah
~BlackRoseRaven

After a few days of recovery, Twilight was finally allowed to leave Canterlot, and even though it meant leaving Spike behind, she knew she had no choice. Not if she wanted to see her world go back to normal.

But it would never be normal again, she thought, looking back at the wrecked front of Canterlot, covered by nets and supported by hastily-put-together scaffolding. Wreaths and flowers decorated the rubble: last prayers for loved ones who had been killed in the collapse of the castle's exterior.

She had to help put a stop to this. If the only way she could help was by... by being publicly shamed and blamed by Celestia, by risking her life moving this core to a secret location, by helping ensure the New Power Initiative was successful, then so be it.

It hurt, yeah. It hurt every part of her to hear that Celestia had blamed the breach on her, telling the world she had 'forgotten to seal the vault door,' resulting in Lord Black discovering the existence of the core. Ponies were furious with her, ignored her or screamed at her, but she just bore it for now. She would bear all of it, she would gladly be a pariah if it helped her sneak this core in secret back to Ponyville, where she could then take it to a safer, hidden place.

Somewhere Lord Black would never know about. Somewhere she could just hide away, and wait until she was summoned by Celestia, so they could activate the New Power Initiative and put a stop to Lord Black's plans.

She still didn't know precisely how that was going to work, but she didn't care about that. All she cared was that it stopped Lord Black.

Twilight sighed a little as she approached the wagon that had been set out for her, and Flash Sentry gave her an awkward smile: he tried to help, but she almost shoved him away as she began hitching herself up to the carriage: it was simple, small, almost funerary.

It held the core, but if anyone looked inside, they would see Spike, wrapped in bandages, broken and bruised and beaten. Just the way he looked where he was actually hidden away, in the depths of Canterlot, where Celestia had promised to keep him safe.

“Can we talk for a minute?” Flash asked abruptly.

“No.” Twilight murmured, looking at the ground as she pawed slowly at the broken stone, even as she secured the carriage's straps around her bruised body with telekinesis. “There's no point, Flash. You should go back to the castle.”

Flash shook his head, the pegasus biting his lip before he reached up and brushed a hoof through his blue mane, and then he blurted out: “I know something's going on! Princess Celestia would never... you would never-”

“Flash, I screwed up!” Twilight shouted in his face, and the stallion reared back in shock before Twilight snarled, through teary eyes: “I screwed up, and ponies died, and Spike is badly hurt, and no, I don't want to talk about it. Okay?”

Silence.

Flash cleared his throat, then he nodded a little, casting his eyes away as he murmured: “Yeah. Okay. Uh...”

He broke off, then gave a forced, weak smile as he looked up at her, finally saying: “Take care of yourself, okay? And... yeah.”

No magic words. No proper goodbye. No nothing, really. But Twilight felt a little ashamed of herself all the same as she turned her eyes forwards and began pulling the cart.

There were catcalls as she dragged herself through Canterlot. A few thrown objects. She almost wished one of the rocks would hit her, but they were ponies, and they had terrible aim, and they never threw the rocks at her, anyway, but at the carriage. She ignored them, though. She did deserve this, for failing to protect Spike, for not finding the answer in time.

As if the book fair had been so important she could just ignore a call from Princess Celestia.

She deserved to be raked over the coals, like she had been, again and again. She deserved worse for her selfishness, for her childish stupidity.

She left Canterlot, and walked on her own, down an empty road, towards Ponyville. It would be a long walk for a pony who wasn't in the best shape, both because of a life of study and leisure, and because of the injuries she'd taken during the raid on Canterlot. Magic could knit flesh and bone back together, but nerves and muscles took a while to catch up.

But she spent a lot of that time in her head, not noticing the aches or the tediousness of the plodding journey. She went over and over what little she knew, and the few bits of information that 'Mare Imbrium' had shared with her through encrypted letters.

Eldraatic code was very simple, but elegant, Twilight thought: every paragraph started with a series of letters, followed by a string of numbers. The numbers were page, line, and word references, and the letters were references to certain stories in the Eldraatic universe; for example, T M O A 12.3.5 4.5.6 8.10.11 was 'The Myth Of Auralyon,' page twelve line three word five, page four, line five, word six, etcetera.

In short, T M O A 12.3.5 4.5.6 8.10.11 translated to 'Be safe, Twilight.'

The Eldraatic stories, old supernatural stories, were not really Twilight's forte, but once she understood the code it became extremely easy for her to cross-reference books and figure out what she was looking for. Part of the novelty of it was that even with precise numbers, she could never be sure if she was using the correct book: if a message appeared garbled, it was up to her to figure out if she was using the wrong story – many of the Eldraatic myths began with 'The Myth Of' or 'The Story Of' – or if she was a page or line off due to print changes.

But it took her mind off things. And Mare Imbrium was very clever, sometimes piling code into code for particularly important messages: she had once decoded a line to realize it was all numbers, only to realize those numbers were referencing a page and paragraph number of the book she was using to codebreak. Once she'd locked on to that, she'd tracked down the page and paragraph number, and found a riddle waiting for her, one she still hadn't entirely grasped the meaning of.

'For there is no cry like a child's to their mother.'

Was it supposed to mean that Celestia was going to look out for her somehow?

She found that hard to believe. She knew it was all necessary, but some bitter, angry part of her couldn't get over how Princess Celestia had completely distanced herself from her, and made her a pariah. Had it really been necessary to make all of Equestria hate her?

No. She understood. She didn't want to understand, but she understood it was more than a matter of politics. Lord Black couldn't suspect anything.

She shuddered as she shifted a little, feeling a faint pang where his Kirin had electrocuted her: every time she thought about it ,she could feel the shape of that Kirin's hoof as it had pressed into her, as he had channeled electricity through her. And bitterly, she wished that they had just killed her, like they had killed the rest of the ponies they'd come across.

Murderers. Animals, not ponies. But that was all she really knew about them, too: Mare Imbrium had only shared a little bit of information with her about what they had discovered, which wasn't anything any pony with half a brain couldn't figure out anyway. They were highly-trained, highly-dangerous, and extremely heavily-armed: they weren't like any enemy that Equestria had ever faced before.

It was all going to come down to whether the New Power Initiative worked the way it was supposed to or not. Twilight hated that she couldn't do more to help, that she didn't even know what that entailed, that her only job was keeping this hunk of rock safe...

She understood why there was so much secrecy, but part of her questioned why Celestia hadn't at least told her there were four pieces, and two of them had already been sent... outside of Equestria? What did that mean?

Had Celestia sent those other pieces to the Crystal Empire? Even through this haze of confusion, of sadness and anger, that was the only logical place her mind could lock on to. She doubted that Celestia would share a relic with such a magnitude of power with the griffin kingdom, after all...

But maybe she was wrong. Maybe their straits were so dire that Celestia would risk the greed of the griffins in order to build something powerful enough to stop Lord Black.

Twilight realized she was doing it again. Fluttering around and around in her head at the edge of the real question, the source of that sinking feeling worming around in her stomach.

She looked up, at the blameless blue sky, beautiful and untouched by the chaos below. She looked around, at green fields, at the distant homes of farmers and ponies who might not even be fully aware of the scope of what happened in Canterlot; who most certainly weren't aware of the real level of catastrophe looming over their heads.

She asked herself silently if the New Power Initiative wasn't just some kind of extractor, something that would be used to help the people of Equestria, but if it was a weapon.

The cold, logical part of her mind told her that yes. Yes, it had to be, because a shield generator wouldn't be enough to stop Lord Black. Because both Mare Imbrium and Celestia herself had already inferred as much, that they weren't going to just stop Lord Black.

They were going to make him go away.

A pleasant euphemism for murder.

But it wasn't really murder, was it? He had already attacked them first. He had taken dozens of lives, or at least he was the force behind that.

Who knew how many more mercenaries and soldiers were on that ship? How many more weapons of mass destruction, of bombs and guns and killing machines?

Every single one of them was guilty. They were all hardened soldiers, terrorists who had participated in the attack on Canterlot, who had hurt her friends and family, who had turned her whole world into an upside-down nightmare.

They had to be.

They just had to be.

Didn't they?

Even a few hours ago, Twilight would have said 'yes' without any hesitation. But now, given the time to think, to wonder, to question, she was starting to have her doubts. She believed that Lord Black was a Bad Guy and that Equestria had to do something to defend itself, to retaliate against his evil, but the narrative that Princess Celestia had created demanded that she believe Lord Black magically showed up the moment that Princess Celestia had discovered the stone.

A stone she had cut into four pieces, and hidden three parts of, as if she had known this would happen all along.

For the first time in her life, she felt a stirring of mistrust in her belly for her mentor, her heroine, her second mother. And she hated it, and feared it, and wanted to quash it, but her cold, rational mind demanded that she figure out the answer.

Something she had learned growing up was that no matter how people bent or distorted it or lied about it, a fact did not change. The truth, did not change, no matter how much you might want it to be different. You could try and reshape it, you could view it through a different lens in an academic paper, you could talk about how it really meant something else; but the truth itself was both intangible and immobile, and even if you tried to hide the reality of it, someone else would come along and unveil what it really was.

Sure, whether or not people wanted to believe in it or hide from it wasn't something you could control. But Twilight knew that when you tried to remain willfully ignorant of something, when you tried to hide from the truth, it was like a splinter in your mind. You got really sad, or really angry, while it burrowed deeper and deeper into your head, and it made all your claims sound hollow to yourself no matter how much you might strive to convince other people, and you knew you were doing something wrong, or at least you weren't doing anything right.

A large part of her didn't want to accept it, she wanted to justify or ignore it, but she couldn't pretend that something wasn't wrong here. She didn't know what it was, or why it was, she only knew that something was wrong here, and it was because of more than how unsettled it made her to be sworn to secrecy, and to only know bits and pieces of what was going on at any given time.

She thought about asking Mare Imbrium, but was worried that it would get back to Celestia, assuming that Mare Imbrium wasn't the Princess of the Sun. But Twilight was pretty sure she wasn't: her style was too different, her wordplay was much more imaginative. Princess Celestia was always very structured in her metaphors: it wasn't that she didn't have creativity, but rather that she was always predictable or, well, patronizing, for lack of a better word, like she didn't think Twilight could safely figure something out without the answer being right in her face.

Hadn't she proved that she was able to use her mind, though, from all the strange and wonderful adventures she'd been on?

Twilight shrugged off these thoughts: they were lurid and useless, and she needed to focus on... well, if not the here and now, then she needed to try and figure out what was wrong here, why something wasn't feeling right.

She needed an answer to that question; no, she needed more. She needed the truth.

But at the same time, it wasn't like she could just stop what she was doing, what she had already gotten herself into. She had to complete her mission, too: bring this core somewhere safe and keep it safe from Lord Black.

Just because she was worried about what Princess Celestia might not be telling her, she also knew that Lord Black was her enemy, and he couldn't be allowed to take these cores back.

But what did that mean? That just led to more questions, to a harder conundrum for her to grasp: if she had misgivings about Princess Celestia, but she knew Lord Black was her enemy, was she overreacting by wanting to know the truth? Or was it possible, that just maybe... everyone was doing something wrong here?

That was terrifying to consider.

Her structured mind, the way she had been brought up – like just about every other pony in Equestria – demanded that there had to be a good guy, and there had to be a bad guy. Sure, she had learned a lot about shades of gray, but that was different when it came to friends and family... wasn't it?

She lived in a good country of good ponies. That meant they had to be the good guys.

Right?

Twilight shook her head, then looked up in surprise as a voice shouted her name. She saw someone running towards her a moment before a pink blur smashed into her, making her wince before she found herself surrounded and buried by concerned ponies.

Her friends were on every side of her, and she trembled for a moment before she quickly pushed at them, managing to make herself a bit of space. They stopped talking over each other as they all looked at Twilight, watching the way she rubbed her face before she murmured: “Thank you, girls.”

“Are you okay?” Applejack finally asked.

They all looked at her with worry, and Twilight gave a faint smile before she nodded briefly, looking up at the sky. How had it gotten so late already? Oh, her whole body ached; how had she not been aware of that? And was that really Ponyville in the distance now?

She laughed a little, then closed her eyes and shook her head, admitting after a moment with a faint smile: “Not really, I guess. I'd... I'd really like to get home.”

“Let me pull that for you.” Applejack volunteered, and Twilight didn't really have a chance to resist as Rarity immediately started undoing the straps. She tried to protest, but Pinkie Pie smiled as she pulled her aside, and the powder-blue pegasus Rainbow Dash threw a foreleg around her companionably, flicking her rainbow mane out of her face with a smile and a somewhat-awkward, but well-intentioned reassurance.

Good intentions could mean a lot, even if they ended up causing more trouble. Or at least that was what Twilight had always believed. She still believed that, even though that made her wonder... when there was so much more at stake, was having good intentions enough?

Her head was heavy, her responses slow as they walked back to the library, but her friends didn't bother her about that, or hold it against her. They trailed around the carriage, escorting her and her precious cargo home, keeping her safe from both prying and concerned eyes.

Twilight wasn't really paying attention: she was lost in thought and misery again, and so it wasn't until she heard the click of the carriage door that she snapped to consciousness, blurting out something wordless. But the damage was done as Rarity and Pinkie Pie stared in confusion into what wasn't a medical cart, but instead at a large, sealed steel trunk.

The rest of the purple unicorn's friends – sans a confused, still unharnessing Applejack – all stared for a moment before Twilight grabbed the edge of the door and slammed it closed. She breathed hard for a moment, looking back and forth at her friends, glaring at them almost defensively as she desperately tried to think of a way to explain-

“Twilight, is that a coffin?” whispered a very flat, very afraid Pinkie Pie.

Twilight trembled for a moment, and then she slumped and closed her eyes, shaking hard for a moment before she shook her head and whispered: “It's a long story girls. Let's... let's go inside.”

Then and there, without even realizing it, she had made the decision to involve her friends. She went against Mare Imbrium and Princess Celestia's orders, guiding her friends into the library and leaving the carriage outside, the slumbering illusion of Spike still visible through the narrow, curtained windows of the transport.

Twilight's friends didn't have a chance to react: they barely had a chance to all enter the library before Twilight started. Sometimes she whispered, sometimes she shouted, but they heard every word she said, even if they didn't understand all of it, even when Twilight stumbled or her story circled into itself. Sometimes she sat, sometimes she stumbled around, sometimes she cried, but they all knew the best thing they could do for now was just listen. Twilight was wrestling with something none of them understood, not really; with issues larger than all of them. And right now she needed to express that.

They had all heard, of course, that there had been a tragedy at Canterlot. That a foreign power had started a war with Equestria, and Cloudsdale and every other cloud city in Equestria had been put on red alert, because the enemy had a floating fortress of their own and could be anywhere.

They'd heard other rumors too, of course, but they had all put their concern for Twilight first: after all, they all knew her well enough by now that while she wasn't always the neatest with her normal life, she was peerless when it came to her professionalism, and it was impossible to believe she had made such a massive, foolish mistake.

It sounded like she had been through hell, and her friends wanted to do all they could to help her. But as Twilight finally quieted, sitting and snuffling on a pillow as Pinkie Pie gently rubbed her back, they looked at each other and silently asked what they could possibly do.

Fluttershy was the first to speak, asking quietly: “But Spike is... he's alive, then?”

“Yes. As far as I know...” Twilight sounded unsure, and it was hard to blame her for that. Comatose and broken... how alive was that? “I'm sorry about-”

“Not your fault, dear. It's ours, really. We shouldn't have tried to open it without your permission anyway.” Rarity answered with a small smile, as she brushed back her coiffed purple mane in an anxious gesture. “But... do you think there's any way we could see him?”

Twilight was quiet, chewing at her lip nervously, and Rarity said quickly: “Of course, not right now, but... after all this is over. I know you probably weren't even supposed to talk about...”

She broke off, and Rainbow asked after a moment: “Why were you supposed to keep all this secret, though? Like, even from us. Doesn't Princess Celestia trust us?”

Twilight didn't have an answer to that question. Reasons and excuses bubbled up in her throat, but her mouth didn't want to speak them; for once, instead of defending her Princess, Twilight's mind instead paged through all the pressure Celestia had put on her to keep things quiet, and secret... and how little any of that had mattered, because Lord Black had clearly figured everything out anyway.

How many secrets had Celestia tried to keep? How many had she failed to? How many of those things she'd tried to suffocate in the darkness had ended up in the wrong ears and the wrong hooves?

How much of this was Princess Celestia's fault?

Twilight shook that last thought away. That was still too much for her to think. So instead, she shook her head and murmured: “All I know is that Lord Black is dangerous. Princess Celestia wasn't exaggerating about that. I'm... I'm scared of what I've gotten you all involved in now-”

“Well, don't be!” Pinkie Pie smiled brightly, nodding firmly as she hugged Twilight tightly, making the unicorn wince a bit. “Friends help out friends!”

“Yeah! I'm not scared of some coward in a flying machine!” added Rainbow Dash with a huff and a swing of her hoof.

“We all want to do what we can. You just name it, Twilight, we're here to help.” added Applejack, nodding firmly.

Twilight smiled faintly at this, and then she sighed a little as she chewed on her lip before blurting out: “I want to hide that crystal in the ruins of the Castle of the Pony Sisters. Can you help me?”

“Of course!” Pinkie Pie said brightly. “It'll be just like old times! Just like when we met,we'll go on a wild adventure through the Everfree Forest!”

“Fighting Nightmare Moon. Learning all about ourselves and each other along the way.” Rarity added with a small smile.

Fluttershy giggled a little, then she said softly: “But I hope it's not quite that exciting...”

“Hey, don't worry, Flutters. I'll protect you.” Rainbow Dash winked. “After all, we all remember how I saved the day, right?”

“I think Twilight was the one who saved the day, Rainbow.” Applejack said mildly, but she smiled all the same at Rainbow's infectious courage.

Twilight laughed a little herself, but then she quieted, looking down, chewing on her lip for a moment before she said quietly: “But this isn't going to be like that time.”

All eyes turned towards her, that brief warmth bleeding from the room as Twilight's face slowly became solemn, and she said quietly: “Back then... that first time we met, we were all tested. Nightmare Moon didn't fight us. Nightmare Moon... Princess Luna, she wasn't our enemy. She didn't want to hurt us. She was watching us, judging us, but never really tried to stop us. Looking back on things, it all seems so clear now...

“Lord Black isn't like that. Lord Black isn't like... Nightmare Moon, or Discord, or even King Sombra or Queen Chrysalis.” Twilight murmured. “What we've seen, what we've been though... jokes, compared to him.”

“Chrysalis nearly took over Equestria, though!” blurted Rainbow Dash. “I mean, she was sapping the life out of your brother, she even defeated Princess Celestia!”

Twilight remembered, remembered it all very well.

She remembered the horror at it all. She remembered Celestia's face.

She remembered discomfort and revulsion. And something else. Something sly, and watchful, as if Princess Celestia had been silently judging them the whole time. As if even as she was hung upside down in a cocoon, she was somehow still in control.

“And not a single life was taken by the Changelings. And in the end, Chrysalis was blasted to the other side of Equestria.” Twilight replied, before she touched the bandages still on her body, saying quietly: “Lord Black killed twenty-six ponies, and injured hundreds more. Anyone who got in their way, his soldiers just mowed down. And he'll kill us, too. He won't capture us, or stun us, or monologue and reveal his weakness like all the others did. He'll just tell his soldiers to kill us, while he watches from the safety of his floating fortress.”

There was silence for a few moments, and then Rainbow Dash said, very quietly: “I'm... I'm sorry, Twilight. I didn't mean-”

“It's okay. I still appreciate the thought. I just want you to know... what you're getting into if you help me.” Twilight answered, shaking her head briefly. “If he catches us or tracks us somehow, you'll be fighting for your lives. For all our lives.”

“We're stronger together than apart. And there's no way I'm going to just stand idly by and let anypony hurt you, Twilight.” Applejack answered, nodding firmly.

“I want to go with you. I want to help.” Fluttershy said softly, biting her lip. “I... I know it will be dangerous. But I'd feel terrible if anything happened to you. Even if I can't stop it... maybe I can at least be there. And what if I can?”

“Hey, the more hooves helping, the faster we can move that thing, right?” Rainbow added. “It's not like you could carry the thing alone into the ruins, either, after all. You're going to need our help.”

“And we're here to help!” Pinkie Pie added enthusiastically, smiling brightly as she popped up to her hooves beside Twilight. “Let's go!”

“Not yet, Pinkie. Tomorrow. We should leave early in the morning.” Rarity said, before she smiled over at Twilight. “And if you don't mind, I'd like to use a different wagon to move it. Something we can pull in pairs, perhaps. Applejack, do you remember that equipment you brought over for me once, when I had all those heavy pallets of new luxuries for my boutique?”

Applejack nodded thoughtfully. “Yeah, me and Big Mac use 'em to move crates of apples and some of the equipment around the farm. That thing in there wouldn't be hard to move at all. I assume you don't want to just leave the carriage sittin' there at the ruins, after all. Or wagon, or whatever we use.”

Twilight shook her head, answering: “I think I have some idea of where I want to hide the carriage. If... if no one minds, I'd like to move the wagon somewhere else. I'm hoping it will throw Lord Black off the trail if he figures out how we moved it.”

She fell quiet, then added in a murmur: “Morning should be okay, but we have to be careful. I didn't take Princess Celestia seriously when she said Lord Black had eyes and ears everywhere, but he really must have spies, or maybe some kind of powerful scrying magic. That means we have to be careful about who we talk to, or what we do. You all need to keep this secret, between us only. Otherwise, it might put more ponies in danger.”

The other five mares traded looks, then they nodded one-by-one. There was silence for a few moments, and then Twilight asked abruptly: “Do you want to stay here for tonight?”

It wasn't clear immediately who she was talking to, until Twilight smiled faintly and rubbed at her face, whispering: “I don't want to be alone tonight. You're all welcome to stay or go, and if everyone has to leave, I understand, I-”

“I'll go grab my stuff and come right back!” Rainbow said firmly, and then she dashed out before anyone could say anything.

Applejack sighed and shook her head, then said: “I'll come back in an hour or two. Gonna go get you a proper wagon.”

“I'll come with you, Applejack. I have a few things I want to pick up, anyway.” Rarity added, and then she said gently to Twilight: “You just worry about yourself, dear. We're all happy to be here.”

“You got that right! We'll have a party! A sleepover party!” Pinkie Pie said brightly, bouncing around Twilight before she blushed and dropped low, whispering: “But a nice quiet one, too, 'cause I know you probably want a quiet night tonight, huh?”

Twilight just gave a small, wan smile, and Pinkie nodded firmly before she said positively: “Don't you worry, though, Twilight! We can handle anything together, so long as we don't break apart!”

With that, the pink mare bounced out, ushering her other friends out in front of her, leaving Twilight to reflect silently on Pinkie's parting words, and the wisdom hidden in them.

Arbitration By Force

Chapter Six: Arbitration By Force
~BlackRoseRaven

The Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters.

This wasn't the first time that Twilight had stood in front of these ruins. They had come here, what seemed like a lifetime ago now, pursuing a myth about the Elements of Harmony, in order to stop Nightmare Moon and save Equestria.

In order to pass a test set for them by Princess Luna and Princess Celestia, Twilight Sparkle thought quietly, as she studied the crumbled stonework of the rotting hulk that had once been a castle, and which was now nothing but a shattered ruin on a decaying cliffside, which looked as if it could crumble at any moment into the depths of the craggy canyon it rested beside. If it could escape the grasping branches and spider's web of vines that clung to it, that was: if the Forest had any say, the Everfree would devour the castle long before time had a chance to turn rock to sand and gravel beneath the ailing fortress.

Twilight took a breath, and then she looked back at her friends: they were all here, all of them dressed in cloaks that Rarity had thoughtfully supplied. Rainbow Dash and Applejack were undoing themselves from the tarp-covered wagon. They had insisted on pulling it the entire way by themselves... but at least they had done the work together. Pinkie Pie was bouncing around, Rarity was looking back the way they had come, and Fluttershy was watching the trees.

The purple unicorn walked over to Fluttershy and gently touched her shoulder, and the pegasus gave a small smile before she said quietly: “Something doesn't seem right, Twilight. There's no birds in the trees... the forest is very quiet.”

Twilight hadn't really noticed that. She looked uncertainly through the gnarled, twisting forest as she licked her lips uncertainly: the journey here had been uneventful, and the skies were thick with low-hanging clouds... but the cover was good for them, wasn't it? It meant nothing could be watching them...

Or was she underestimating Lord Black, and his technology?

How could a floating fortress fly higher than the clouds, though? Wouldn't they hear it?

All she remembered was screaming and panic, and the crashing of stone, the boom of explosions. The only noise from the ship had been the guns.

Twilight shivered a bit, before she glanced to the side as Applejack approached and touched her foreleg gently, asking quietly: “Do you think we should unload this thing? Or you got a bad feeling, Twilight?”

But they all knew they were past the point of no return. It wasn't like they could just drag this back to Ponyville and hope that nothing happened if they had been followed, after all: at this point, all they could do was proceed with Twilight's plan. They would be less vulnerable inside the Castle Ruins, at least... or well, that was what Twilight tried to tell herself.

“Let's get it unloaded.” Twilight said finally, pulling the tarp off the wagon with telekinesis to reveal the core's metal casing, which had already been fitted into a simple set of carry bars. Applejack and Rainbow Dash started forwards, but Pinkie Pie smiled and bounced over, starting:

“Oh no, you two, you already-”

Pinkie's tail twitched violently, and then her ears shot up before she looked towards the sky: the other mares followed her gaze in time to watch as something massive dropped down out of the clouds, ponies gaping and staring before Twilight screamed: “Get down!”

But it was too late: the transport jet swept down, cutting low over their heads and battering them with sound and the momentum of its passage, knocking several of the mares flat before it simply stopped, hovering in the air past them: Kirin leapt out the moment it came to a halt, their weapons already trained on them as the transport rose higher into the air, hovering ominously above their heads.

There was no shouting or screaming: the six almost-identical Kirin simply stood with their guns on them, the mares trembling, staring in disbelief as Twilight gritted her teeth and stepped forwards, before she grimaced as the only Kirin with a red badge on his shoulder responded by shifting aggressively towards them, gesturing sharply at her with the gun as he ordered: “Hold your position.”

Twilight bit her lip, but she looked at her friends for a moment before she nodded and halted, letting a slow breath out. She trembled in anger and frustration: she had thought she would be terrified to be in this position, and sure, part of her wanted to be scared, but she just couldn't stop being angry. Angry at how impotent she felt, at how they'd been caught like foals out in the open, at the fact these plastic-looking not-horses were standing there, pointing guns at them and giving orders and taking control like they deserved it...

Twilight gritted her teeth as the Kirin officer took a step forwards, ordering: “Get down on the ground, and place your hooves on your head.”

Twilight hesitated, and her friends looked uncertainly at one another before the mares all flinched and screamed and nearly scattered when the Kirin officer aimed his rifle at the ground and fired a round into the earth next to Twilight, splattering her leg with mud. “This is your only warning. We will not hesitate to use necessary force. Get down on the ground.”

He was cold, ruthless, and serious, and Twilight shifted as her friends slowly lowered themselves one after the other, trembling and afraid. Twilight started to, and then she bit her lip before her eyes flicked up as her anger became something colder, something more focused.

Her sharp mind took the unstructured chaos and put it all into logical steps, and she licked her lips before her eyes flicked coolly to the side as she reasoned out how the moments that followed would unfold, assuming they followed the same order as they had before.

The Kirin officer narrowed his eyes at her, then he quickly approached as he gestured sharply with his head at one of his soldiers, who shifted his aim to her. She could feel the crackle of electricity in the air, the sense of violent magic, and Twilight focused on it: she wasn't as fast, or as strong, or as well trained as these Kirin were, but there was one thing she knew a lot better than they did.

Magic.

The Kirin brought his hoof up to grab her: it wasn't a swing or a strike, so she had to admire that candor, at least. She grimaced as it touched her, her own horn gleaming, and the Kirin officer's eyes narrowed for a moment before they bulged in shock as the voltage he had tried to focus into her rushed back up his own body instead, gritting his teeth and jittering violently on the spot before he fell backwards.

The other Kirin snarled, then stared at his rifle as it refused to fire, something freezing his telekinetic hold. And through teeth grit with concentration, Twilight leaned forwards and shouted as she struggled to keep the Kirin's magic jammed: “Now! Get them now!”

Her friends were up in an instant: Applejack lunged at the nearest Kirin and slung a hoof into his face, and he staggered backwards in shock as his rifle dropped from his telekinetic grip. Rainbow grappled with another as Pinkie Pie danced circles around a third, and Rarity blasted the rifle out of the psychic grip of the last soldier standing.

Fluttershy ran to Twilight as the last Kirin standing flung down his rifle and charged at her, and the normally-shy pegasus gave a little squeal of fury and fear before she flying tackled the Kirin to the ground.

It was chaos, and Twilight's eyes flicked back and forth before she gasped as she dropped her magic, instead clumsily sweeping up a rifle. Her psychic tendrils slid across it before she found the trigger, and she aimed at one of the Kirin as it flung Fluttershy backwards, snarling-

The gun barked, and the Kirin went down with a gasp, light sparking across his armor and blood splattering the ground as he fell backwards. The noise and light shocked the other mares, and the Kirin took the chance to fling their aggressors off or leap away from them, one of the Kirin seizing the wagon as another shouted: “Evac point B, regroup!”

Twilight began to turn, but then something hit the ground in front of her and there was a tremendous blast of light and sound. Everything was blurs and flashes before something hit her hard and knocked her sprawling.

It was almost a minute before she recovered enough to sit up, shaking herself out and looking blearily around for a moment before she gritted her teeth as she clambered to her hooves, rasping: “We have to go after them!”

“Now just hold on a minute, sugarcube, that flyin' machine of theirs is gone and they ran away into the Castle. Rainbow and Pinkie took off after 'em, they'll slow 'em down.” Applejack said worriedly, before she bit her lip, looking at the two Kirin Twilight had...

Had knocked out, Twilight realized: the officer was twitching and drooling, and the Kirin she had shot was breathing shallowly, his eyes mostly closed, the armor around his shoulder dented and damaged. Twilight could smell something burnt lingering in the air, and as she studied the Kirin, she didn't know if she was happy or not that she hadn't killed him.

That was a strange feeling for her.

She looked around, and saw the rifle laying nearby. Her eyes shifted from this, to the Kirin, bleeding on the ground, and her mind clenched as her hooves dug against the earth, and for a moment she considered-

“What were you thinking?” blurted Rarity, and Twilight looked over at her, uncomprehending for a moment. “You could have gotten yourself killed! Why didn't-”

“Because this is what has to be done!” Twilight snapped, and Rarity flinched back. “They can't be allowed to take that core from us! Princess Celestia gave me a job and I'm going to do it, and I'm not going to let Lord Black escape with a second piece of whatever this core is and put anyone else in danger!”

There was silence for a moment, punctuated only by Twilight's heavy, rough breaths, before Rarity said quietly: “Alright, dear. Okay. I'm just concerned for you, that's all. I don't want to see you trade your life away for some silly rock.”

“It's more than that.” Twilight retorted, even as her own misgivings wormed inside of her. But she threw those off and shrugged off the rest of the conversation, instead walking over to the bleeding Kirin.

She looked at him for a few moments, and hated him mindlessly, and questioned what the hell she had done, before she forced herself to check his equipment. His equipment packs were easy enough to remove: a lot of the gear inside she didn't recognize, but there was also a smooth line of rope: more than enough for Applejack to tie up the two stunned soldiers.

“We have to get moving. Fluttershy, I need you to watch these two. We'll be back soon, I promise.” Twilight instructed, and Fluttershy hesitated, but nodded.

Not that Twilight really noticed: she was already on her way towards the ruins. Applejack and Rarity both gave their friend supportive smiles, but then turned and hurried away as well, leaving Fluttershy alone with the unconscious Kirin, nervously hugging a rifle she didn't know how to use as she whispered to herself: “It'll be okay. It'll be okay.”

Twilight led the way into the ruins: it wasn't hard to follow the trail of destruction the Kirin and their pony pursuers had left behind. Applejack swore grouchily when they found a wheel of the wagon abandoned in a corridor, but only glowered as they passed the wreckage of the rest of the transport.

“Gonna have Rainbow's head for that. Bet she was the one who figured it would be a good idea to destroy my harvest wagon.” Applejack grumbled, but it was clear she was trying to keep up a strong face, trying to make this less than it really was, and hide the fear they were all feeling. “That silly-”

“Quiet.” Twilight ordered, and Applejack blinked and Rarity stared at the unicorn, before Twilight shook her head and gestured sharply ahead.

They all heard it, something in the distance, and the mares picked up their pace, hurrying towards the source of the sound. In a great, ruined dining hall, they found two of the Kirin were ineffectively dragging the metal casket that contained the core, as two others harried Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash with blasts of lightning from their jagged horns.

But Pinkie was popping up all around them, running circles around the confused Kirin as Rainbow Dash shot along the roof, occasionally sweeping down to pick up a piece of debris that she would fling at them. One of the Kirin took a rock to the face, stumbling backwards with a snarl before he picked up a rotting chair and flung it uselessly back at the pegasus, but she kicked it into a shower of splinters with a sharp 'ha!'

Twilight's eyes narrowed, but the moment she started to charge her magic, one of the Kirin looked sharply up before he abandoned his duties trying to drag the casket, leaping to the side and shoving one of the decaying tables over, shouting: “Blockade positions!”

Another Kirin grabbed a table, shoving it onto its side, then he was driven to the ground when Pinkie Pie shoved it hard back over on top of him, calling cheerfully: “Nuh uh! That's not how you set up for a party!”

“Go hot!” roared a Kirin, grabbing at his pouch.

“With what?” shouted another Kirin in frustration, for the first time showing more than mechanical obedience.

A third soldier swore, then snapped his horn out, sending a blast of lighting across the table that made Pinkie Pie dive for cover. It blew out a window, Rainbow wincing away from the explosion before she veered sharply back and forth as several more blasts followed her.

Twilight snapped her horn forwards, and the Kirin ducked as they were buffeted by magic: Rarity and Applejack both ran forwards, ducking between the rotting tables and chairs, Applejack hurrying towards the back of the room as Rarity skidded to a stop at the side, shouting: “You ruffians should just surrender now! There's no escape!”

“Status report.”

One of the Kirin flinched, then reached up and touched the communicator on his head, ducking down beside the coffin-like casing as he muttered: “Retrieval operation underway. Currently pinned down by-”

“You have wasted both time and resources. I hereby order a passive retreat. I have dispatched an Adjudicator to clean up your mess.” replied the cold voice, and the Kirin flinched.

“Full retreat!” he shouted, standing up: when the other Kirin didn't immediately react, he added sharply: “Recall to the Queen Mary!”

One of the Kirin cursed, then he reached into his bag and produced a round, marble-like object. He flung this out before he and his companions turned to retreat, and the resounding flash and bang it made distracted the ponies for long enough for the Kirin to reach the unguarded windows to one side of the hall and leap through.

“Hey!” Rainbow shouted, dashing down to the window to glare out after the Kirin, before she did a double-take as she watched the strange, plastic-like horses skating through the air, gliding effortlessly without wings towards the other side of the castle.

“Let them go.” Twilight said, more relieved than she wanted to admit as she hurriedly approached the metal case that contained the stone piece. She couldn't believe it: somehow they had gotten it back from the Kirin and chased them off. Lord Black would know it was here, and it would be incredibly difficult to move it now, thanks to not having a wagon and the support rods for the carrier it had been fitted into being broken, but-

The room rumbled.

Twilight and her friends shifted, naturally forming into a cordon around the metal case.

The room shook, and then the mares stumbled backwards, flinching and staring in shock as a great burst of dirt and tile and stone came blasting down from the ceiling on the other side of the room, concealing the thing that came crashing down for a moment. Dust filled the air, but Rainbow and Twilight both blasted it away with wings and magic before it could settle, the ponies coughing and struggling to clear their eyes so they could see what had happened.

What looked almost like an enormous metal acorn had crashed down through the ceiling: some kind of pod, Twilight thought, feeling her whole body tremble at the sight of it. Was this some kind of weapon? Was it a bomb, or-

There was a hiss of steam before a hidden door slid open on the front of the pod, and a figure slowly emerged. She was tall and long-limbed, her feminine, rosy-pink body beautiful and smooth. Her mane was long, white with the faintest hint of blue, straight and thin as spider's silk: divine, even with the small black horns that protruded from her head, forming a crown alongside her tall unicorn's spire.

A ferocious, draconic mask covered her face, as smooth as the rest of her body, and several crystalline orbs floated around her head, orbiting her silently and eerily. Twilight felt an immense pressure of magic as the pony turned her eyes towards them-

Not a pony. Something else. Something else.

Twilight gritted her teeth, stepping forwards in spite of the fact her breathing had already picked up and her legs were trembling, saying shakily: “I don't know who you are-”

“My name is Muse. I have been sent here to retrieve that anchor piece, Twilight Sparkle, and I would like to avoid any conflict with you.” the unicorn said, almost apologetically, from beneath her terrible steel mask. “It is very important-”

“It's important to you? It's important to us!” Twilight shouted. “Equestria will die without that... w-wait, how do you know-”

The unicorn seemed to smile beneath her mask. “You are not the first Twilight I have met. But you are as brave and as generous as any of the others. I see that. I see that you have suffered. I am sorry for it, Twilight Sparkle. Please let us help.”

“Help? Help!” Twilight barked harsh, angry laughter, even as her whole body shook and her eyes filled with tears of confusion and terror. “Like you helped at Canterlot? Like you helped my friend, my... my family, my Spike? I don't think Equestria needs that kind of help!”

“I am sorry for what has happened. But you don't understand what is at stake, Twilight Sparkle, or what that stone is.” Muse said, very quietly, very seriously, very honestly. “It is not a power source, but an anchor, and damaging it puts not just you and your world, but all of us in-”

“Save it!” Twilight snarled, stepping forwards even as her friends shifted fearfully behind her.

“Wait, Twilight, maybe...” Pinkie started to whisper, but Twilight shook her head, trembling.

“No. Don't you feel it?” Twilight retorted, glaring over her shoulder at Pinkie, even as tears flowed down her face. “That's psychic resonance. She's lying. She's trying to manipulate us with magic!”

“I promise you that I am not.” Muse replied with a shake of her head, bowing towards them politely. “I do not want to resolve this through force. We can talk-”

Twilight lashed her horn forwards, sending a blast of magic at Muse, but one of Muse's orbs shot into the path of the bolt and absorbed it, the ponies staring in shock as the Adjudicator simply smiled beneath her mask before she said quietly: “We can still resolve this peacefully.”

“Yes, well, we... we need time, dear.” Rarity ventured, stepping forwards and carefully grasping Twilight's shoulder. “And this isn't something that we can decide, really...”

“Why did you guys attack us, though? What about those storm troopers?” Rainbow Dash asked sharply. “Those guys were ready to blow our heads off!”

Muse shook her head, answering: “The Kirin are very efficient. There was a... mistake last time, but-”

“A mistake? Killing ponies is not a 'mistake!'” Twilight shouted, shrugging Rarity off before she suddenly ran forwards, glaring furiously at the mare as her horn glowed, as nothing but rage and hate clouded her mind-

Muse stopped her with the same ease that Twilight would stop a child, picking her gently up in a telekinetic grip so powerful it froze her body in place and suffocated the magic she had been charging. She gasped, but could barely breathe, air whistling in and out of her tight throat as Muse said softly: “I apologize. I need you to calm down, however, Twilight: there is no need for any of this.”

Twilight gritted her teeth, and then she focused her magic inward instead of through her horn, cursing in pain as she channeled that power through her body before she released it all at once, and Muse flinched in surprise as the unicorn burst free from her telekinetic grip with a shockwave, the unicorn hitting the ground and stumbling once before she yelled and leapt forwards-

Muse reacted on instinct, smashing her with a telekinetic hammer and sending her rocketing into a rotten table, which exploded into dust and wooden shrapnel. Pinkie Pie immediately dashed towards her, as Rainbow Dash snarled and shouted: “Hey, you can't do that!'

She shot down towards Muse, but the Adjudicator only had to look at the pegasus to gently tilt her to the side, and Rainbow veered wildly off course, flailing her limbs and flapping her wings to try and get back under control as the unicorn said quietly: “Please. We are running out of time. We are operating on a strict schedule and I have to return with this core piece, one way or the other.”

“You ain't leaving with that. Especially not right now.” Applejack said firmly, and then she sharply traced several runes across the floor before she stomped both forehooves down on it, and Muse flinched in surprise as the floor beneath her ripped upwards, soil and rock seizing into her legs and dragging her down into the earth.

She tilted her head back, grimacing beneath her mask, only head and shoulders visible above the ground now as her orbs spun violently around her head. “Yes. I had forgotten. I have never encountered 'artes' before.”

Muse lowered her head slightly, and then Applejack staggered backwards with a curse, her arte circle exploding beneath her hooves as Muse ripped out of the earth and floated into the air, a faint aura of power gleaming around her as she continued: “But they are useless. I am afraid that I will have to take the core now. I will inform-”

“No!” Twilight shouted, shoving Pinkie Pie aside before the unicorn leapt forwards, snapping her horn down, but the blast of magic was easily deflected by one of Muse's orbs, before the Adjudicator's eyes shifted towards her beneath the mask.

Twilight was knocked backwards, sent skidding on her back through the wreckage of the table and hammering into another, and Pinkie Pie shouted: “Hey! That's not very nice!”

Muse tilted her head slightly, realizing the earth pony was drawing her attention a moment too late to react to a blast of wind and lightning that smashed into her, as Rainbow Dash shouted: “Yeah, and now you've had a taste of air artes, too! What do you think about-”

Rainbow gasped as a massive weight pressed down on her, forcing her out of the air to crash to the ground. She stumbled for a moment, her legs shaking under her before she crashed to the ground, gasping in surprise as the weight vanished; but the moment she tried to raise herself up, the pressure on her body returned, forcing her to flop out on her belly as Muse said calmly: “Don't resist. The more you resist, the more pressure I will be forced to apply.”

She paused, then shifted slightly out of the way of a chair that was flung at her by Applejack, before one of her orbs caught a bolt of magic from Rarity. She sighed as the ponies posed as if ready to fight, and before they could shout or resist any further, she picked up the remaining ponies in telekinesis, giving them each a firm squeeze, Rarity gasping and Applejack gritting her teeth as Pinkie Pie squealed, then flailed uselessly.

“Enough.” Muse said, quietly but firmly, and the ponies writhed as they were crushed by psychic force, going limp one after the other as the fight was forced out of them. Then Muse gently set them down before she easily picked up the metal case, slowly drifting down to land on the floor as the heavy casket floated up beside her.

It cracked as Muse looked at it, before she ripped the top of the casing completely off without so much as a twitch, revealing the faintly-thrumming crystal inside. Twilight shuddered as she crawled to her hooves, lethargically stumbling towards the Adjudicator as she rasped: “I am... not going to let you...”

Muse turned towards Twilight, studying her with sad eyes through the tinted lenses of her mask before she sighed and said quietly: “I am ready for retrieval. Are you sure...”

Silence, and then she nodded, ignoring Twilight and her friends entirely as she stepped backwards. Twilight screamed at her, blasted her with magic, but the unicorn, the creature, didn't so much as look at her as her magic was deflected and refracted, instead continuing her conversation in a murmur: “Yes. Yes, I understand...”

Muse carelessly kicked off the ground, floating up towards the ceiling as her crystalline orbs revolved in wide circles around both her and the piece of core she was so easily carrying. As she drifted up towards the hole in the ceiling, Twilight's friends felt the pressure releasing from their bodies, the ponies shaking themselves out and looking up helplessly at the mare as she drifted upwards towards her escape in easy defiance of gravity.

“No!” Twilight shouted furiously, stepping forwards and snapping her horn out, and there was a tremendous rush of energy through the room, chunks of debris flung in all directions from the force of Twilight's blast.

The explosion of magic hammered into Muse, knocking her to the side with a gasp of surprise before she halted in midair. She floated silently, her mane writhing around her before there was a double-tink, one glassy and one metallic, as a cracked orb and a charred metal mask hit the ground.

Muse looked up; she was stunningly beautiful, but her ice-blue eyes had deep black rings around them. She looked both gorgeous and terribly tired, as if she had borne an immense burden for far too long.

And yet she smiled gently, even as she silently rubbed a hoof across a burn on her chest, watching as Twilight faltered and fell forwards. She steadied herself, her two remaining orbs orbiting slowly around her and the core as she firmed her psychic grip on it, and then she looked down at the other stunned ponies, saying almost tenderly: “Take care of your friend.”

With that, Muse flew upwards through the hole in the roof, and Rainbow Dash bit her lip before she traded looks with her friends, then nodded and flew up after the Adjudicator. Her eyes widened in shock as she found Muse sliding comfortably into a hovering transport: Rainbow's eyes could still barely process these small, winged ships, the mare shaking her head before she flinched as Muse said quietly: “Stand down.”

The Kirin that had been aiming at Rainbow grumbled as he lowered the barrel of some much-larger gun attached to the side of the ship, and Muse smiled as she sat on the edge of the jet, remaining calm and neutral, communicating to Rainbow that as long as she did the same, there wouldn't be any problems. So Rainbow swallowed her pride and her anger and her confusion, floating closer and taking a breath before she asked as calmly as she could: “What the hell is going on?”

“We don't have time to talk about everything, Rainbow Dash. But I am sure we will be sending someone to contact you.” Muse said gently, before she reached up and gently touched Dash's forehead, the pegasus wincing and shrinking awkwardly under that contact before Muse reassured: “You are not our enemy. I do not want to hurt you.”

“Okay.” Rainbow said lamely, and then she slipped backwards nervously before she said finally: “I... I don't understand a lot of what's going on. I don't understand why this rock is so important or why you guys attacked Canterlot. Aren't you... the bad guy?”

“There are precious few 'bad guys' in the world where I come from, Rainbow Dash.” Muse said kindly, and then she waved as the transport slowly drew away, then turned and shot up towards the clouds.

Rainbow watched uncertainly as the airborne vehicle flew towards the sky, before she gaped in disbelief as she saw something massive surface out of the clouds: it looked like an immense floating island, and it was only there for a moment, just long enough for the transport to fly into some hidden bay before it silently rose back to vanish behind the cover of the gray skies. The pegasus floated for a moment uncertainly, and then she shook her head before she zoomed back down into the ruins.

Twilight was laying on the floor, half-conscious, dazed: her friends were gathered around her, and all of them looked up as Rainbow Dash landed.

The pegasus hesitated for a moment, then blurted out: “I don't know.”

It wasn't much of an answer, but Applejack nodded grimly as Rarity looked up and gave a small laugh, whispering: “Well, it's clear she could have obliterated us had she truly wanted to. Even Twilight...”

“Fluttershy is probably still waiting for us. Gosh, I hope she's okay.” Pinkie Pie interrupted abruptly, and then the earth pony looked up with a small smile through her gray, strained features. “M-Maybe I should go check on her. You know she hates the rain. And it feels like it's gonna rain.”

“We'll all go, Pinkie. Help Twilight up onto my back Don't think she's hurt bad or nothin'. Just think she used up all her juice.” Applejack said softly, and Pinkie nodded emphatically, brightening a little as she and Rainbow gently lifted Twilight off the ground, Rarity helping steady the unicorn mare.

It was a long, uncomfortable walk back through the ruins, Twilight stirring fitfully every so often, but her discordant murmurs the only strings of conversation between the beaten and uneasy mares. Applejack sighed as they passed her broken wagon, but she supposed if that and a drained Twilight was the worst of what they'd lost, well...

Well, they'd lost the core, too. But everypony here was starting to have questions about that. About what it really was, about what was going on.

They found Fluttershy waiting quietly for them with the Kirin. They were awake, but seemed docile: Fluttershy had removed some of their gear, like their helmets and visors, and loosened their bonds to allow them to sit up, but neither of them had made any attempt to escape.

“They said something about... world-specific POW policy. I don't understand what any of that means, but they've been very quiet.” Fluttershy said with a small smile and a brief shrug. “They don't... they don't seem like bad people. They just seem...”

She gestured at the Kirin. Rainbow Dash was poking one slowly, glaring at him moodily, and the Kirin was only scowling a little, pointedly not looking at her. His body language betrayed a bit of shifting away, but that was it: they were otherwise stony, unemotional, mechanical.

They looked very similar, Applejack thought uneasily for the hundredth time. Too similar. Like they were just copies or something.

She walked over to one, still carrying Twilight on her back, and the Kirin looked up at the earth pony suspiciously until she asked: “Are you gonna cause us any trouble?”

“No. We either wait for rescue, or abandonment.” the Kirin replied with a brief shrug. “Golden rule applies.”

“Treat others as you want to be treated.” Applejack muttered. “So if we treat you nice-like, you'll treat us decent?”

“You literally shot at us.” Rainbow Dash interrupted, glowering at the Kirin.

The Kirin snorted, then pointedly patted his bloody shoulder, retorting: “And I was literally shot. Now let us out of these restraints. We won't cause any trouble.”

“N-No, no.” Twilight muttered, and Applejack winced as the unicorn slipped off her back, her friends all moving to help her, but the purple mare shoving and pushing at them before she stood on three wobbling legs, one hoof pressed to her face as she breathed slowly in and out.

She steadied herself, then looked up at the Kirin, glaring at him as she said in a trembling voice: “You knocked me out, and killed Royal Guard and innocent ponies in Canterlot. You're murderers. Why should we-”

“I am a soldier, miss. I do what I am ordered.” the Kirin interrupted, cold and unflinching as he met her eyes evenly.

The two glared furiously at each other, and then Twilight gritted her teeth before she snapped: “What if what you're ordered is wrong? What if you've been lied to? What if-”

“That's not my place to judge. We were trained to do what is necessary, no matter what the cost or outcome.” answered the Kirin coldly. “Faciam quodlibet quod necesse est. That is our code.”

“What the heck did he just say?” whispered Applejack.

“I'll do whatever it takes.” informed Pinkie Pie, and even Twilight couldn't help but look back at her with a bit of surprise. “What? It was on a neat mug that I gave to Maud one year!”

Twilight shook her head, and then she looked back at the Kirin and asked: “Why?”

“Because that is what I have been told. That is what I have been made to do.” answered the Kirin. “And you should be thankful for it, mare. If I had my way, we would have gone hot the moment we arrived and killed all of you.”

A chill went through the pony, and Twilight gritted her teeth before Fluttershy asked uncertainly: “Then why didn't you? You've been very cordial with me...”

The other Kirin shifted uncomfortably, and the one that had been doing all the talking looked away, as if he didn't want to answer. Twilight started to lean in, but Rarity gently caught her shoulder, whispering: “Allow me, dear. You catch more flies with honey, after all.”

Twilight glowered, but didn't have the strength to resist or argue with the other unicorn as she slipped in front of the Kirin, leaning down and smiling before she flicked her horn, and the Kirin blinked as his bonds came loose from around his limbs. Twilight bared her teeth, but Applejack and Pinkie Pie held her back and quieted her as Rarity asked: “Are you being honest about not hurting us?”

The Kirin grumbled, shifted, but then he slowly, carefully got to his hooves, slipping free of the rope. He stepped backwards, then nodded briefly once before he answered almost reluctantly: “We can't go against our protocols. But if any of you try anything, I'll defend myself and my comrade.”

“Alright. We're not going to hurt you.” Rarity reassured, before she smiled again and asked: “And someone told you not to hurt us, so you can't? That's why you didn't come in... hot, did you say?”

“Yes.” grumbled the Kirin sulkily: another hint of emotion, and the ponies couldn't help but note the way he walked over to his comrade, how he quickly undid his bonds as well. Then he turned towards his equipment, but stopped as he saw several of the mares stiffen, grimacing at them.

Rarity hesitated, then she asked: “Are you going to try and escape if we let you carry some of your things?”

“No.” said the Kirin.

Rarity narrowed her eyes. “Are you lying?”

The Kirin smiled thinly. “We're not allowed to lie on this mission. Our priority is to minimize casualties, so we have to play nice at all times. Units that underperform will be retrained or neutralized by command.”

That finally cut through Twilight's red vision, the unicorn blinking, and the Kirin turned his eyes towards her, saying coldly: “Commander 4-4-5 was terminated mid-mission, and his entire team was summarily wiped. I hope you're happy.”

Bitterness. Anger. A bit of sadness, and Twilight shifted and looked away, unable to come up with a witty rejoinder, or even a cold, hard response like the angry part of her still wanted to.

Instead, the Kirin walked over to his equipment to put his armor back on, saying shortly: “Let's move. I'm eager to get to prison and away from you ponies.”

Twilight didn't know what else to say. She shivered as Rarity picked up the rifles and offered her one, and she hesitantly took it in her psychic grip. But she let the barrel hang low, pointing the death-bringer away from her friends, and the Kirin.

She hated that she believed him.

She hated that everything was upside down, that they had failed, and that she didn't know what to feel.

“Lord Black...” she started.

But the Kirin ignored her, and Pinkie Pie gently slipped up beside her and smiled as she said very kindly, very carefully: “Not right now, Twilight. Let's just get home, okay? We'll have lots of time to talk then!”

“Yes.” Twilight murmured.

But she didn't believe her.

Time, it felt like, was running out.

Détente

Chapter Seven: Détente
~BlackRoseRaven

Twilight and her friends arrived back at Ponyville without incident. Twilight sort of wished there had been some kind of altercation, just to prove the Kirin were liars, that they were the bad guys. But they were quiet and obedient, even if the one who seemed to be in charge was the opposite of meek.

Still, even angry as she was, she could understand the Kirin being a little upset, and that was strangely playing hell on her feelings. She wasn't supposed to feel bad for the bad guys, right? Sure, she had felt pity and understanding for Nightmare Moon, and Chrysalis, and even Sombra, but... but that was different.

These weren't just generic goons, as much as she wanted to tell herself they were, as much as she wanted to really believe they were all just... evil copies of each other or something. As eerily similar as they were, they had different emotions, acted differently when pressured by one thing or another.

The officer wasn't acting like the one in charge, still: the one who had been shot was. Was that their training, so they got confused as to which Kirin was more important, or was that just natural personality filtering through thanks to the weirdness of the situation they were in?

Twilight wasn't sure. She wasn't really sure she wanted to know, either. This was all too much, too strange, too different from what she had been expecting. And the stress of failure hanging over her head wasn't helping matters, either.

She was only half-surprised when they arrived back at Ponyville and found Royal Guard already waiting for them in front of the library. They shackled the Kirin, who complied silently with the demands: was it because these were 'fellow soldiers?' Was this part of the protocols they kept bringing up?

The guards applied more than just physical restraints to the Kirin, using artes and rings to bind their magic as well. And Twilight couldn't help but flinch when one of the soldiers slammed his hoof down on the back of the officer's neck, knocking him to the ground as he leaned down and growled: “That was for my friends, you bastard.”

“That's enough.” said a dry voice, and even Twilight was surprised that she was the one who had spoken.

The guard looked up at her, then scowled, starting: “So you not only screwed us, you also-”

“Hey! That's enough!” snapped Applejack, as she and Dash both stepped forwards immediately. “She didn't-”

“It's fine.” Twilight said quietly, and then she shook her head before she stepped forwards past her friends, looking evenly up into the eyes of the guard as she said quietly: “I want the people responsible for this to suffer as much as anyone. Maybe even more than you. But these specific Kirin didn't have anything to do with the attack. They're just soldiers. Lord Black is the one who deserves to be raked over hot coals.”

The soldier looked at her evenly, and then he snorted before he grabbed the Kirin and hauled him roughly up. The chains connecting his manacles jangled, almost drowning out the sound of the guard's hoof hitting the soldier again as he growled: “Get moving. It's a long walk back to Canterlot, crowbait.”

The Kirin didn't respond. Neither of them did, as they were marched off by the Royal Guard, who cut a swathe through the confused crowd of ponies. Pinkie Pie blew a raspberry at their retreating backs, but Twilight only shook her head and sighed quietly as she turned to enter the library, pushing open the door and starting: “Spike-”

She caught herself, freezing in the doorway and grinding her teeth together slowly before she closed her eyes, took a slow breath, and then cleared her throat as she walked inside like nothing had happened, her friends following behind her silently as she started: “It's late. You should all-”

“We can stay here tonight, Twilight. I mean, if you don't mind and all. Was a pretty tiring day.” Applejack said with an awkward smile, before she cleared her throat and asked: “Pinkie, think you can rustle up some grub for us?”

“Oh, yeah, sure!” Pinkie said brightly, before she smiled and added: “I mean, as long as you'll have us, Twilight.”

“Yes. Yes, of course, I... that's fine.” Twilight answered with a brief smile, before her eyes roved silently away, and she felt herself drawn into the library, leaving her friends behind.

They gave her space for now, though, and that was what she needed as she vanished into the depths of the library, into one of the private rooms, where a letter was waiting for her on a table, neatly left on top of a book of Eldraatic Myth. She opened it and went to work translating it, and she smiled faintly at how natural it was: at how soothing it was.

She knew from the first line of the letter that Mare Imbrium was not Princess Celestia.

I do not blame you.

That was what she needed to hear right now. That was what she needed to know: not that it wasn't her fault, because she still felt, knew, that somehow it was. But to not have to carry the additional weight of some stranger's blame.

She continued, and took solace and direction from the letter.

What is done is done. Focus now on what will happen next. Lord Black may now have designated you as a target. Remain vigilant and safe. Inform us if Lord Black attempts to contact you by any means. We await your report. Do not lie. Do not embellish. And do not fear judgment.

The first life you must save is your own.

Mare Imbrium

Twilight put down the letter, studying it for a few moments before she murmured: “I should have done more. My life doesn't matter as much as Equestria.”

“But what if your life had the power to change Equestria's fate?” asked a quiet voice, and Twilight flinched before she looked over her shoulder in surprise to see Rarity standing there, smiling faintly at her. “I'm sorry, dear. I thought I would... slip away and see if you were alright.”

“Yes. Yes, I'm fine.” Twilight shifted to hide the translated letters, but Rarity only smiled again and turned pointedly around, looking away from her friend, and Twilight Sparkle blushed a bit before she turned back to her papers, tucking them away into the book before she slipped this into a drawer of her desk.

She took a breath and turned back around as Rarity said softly: “I just want you to remember, dear, that we're all here with you. I can't imagine what you're going through right now, and I don't really want to, either.

“We all care about you very much. We... we all care very much about Spike, too, even if we don't always show it. He's wonderfully good at his job... and that requires him to stay in the background, to be... flexible. I think at times we fail to recognize what a true talent it must be...” Rarity smiled a little again, small and sad, rubbing at her face slowly. “To be so smooth and quiet at what you do, that everypony around you takes you for granted. That you set the world in order so naturally, that it's like you aren't even there at all.

“You're like that too, in some ways, dear. We forget how neatly you put everything in order, how good you are at bringing the best out of all of us. And without you, well, we're still very capable ponies, but we bump heads, and we get in one another's way, and... we aren't 'efficient,' to use a term you've always been so fond of.”

Rarity quieted, and then she turned towards Twilight as her friend approached, smiling faintly at her. “None of us want to see anything happen to you, dear. But as much as it frightens me and saddens me that you had to suffer so much, go through such terror and pain in Canterlot, I... it hurts much more to see you not being... the Twilight Sparkle we know and love.”

“It's... been a difficult few days, Rarity.” Twilight said, but it sounded like an excuse.

An angry, halfhearted excuse.

Rarity nodded, then reached up to gently touch her shoulder, saying quietly: “I know, dear. But remember who you are. The Twilight who defended that Kirin. Not the Twilight who... almost did something I know she would have regretted for the rest of her life.”

Twilight bit her lip, and then she nodded once, closing her eyes as she lowered her head. Of course they had noticed that.

“I hate them.” Twilight whispered, before she gave a shaky laugh and shook her head, blurting out: “Except I don't! And that's the worst part, the hardest part. I... I'm questioning everything. But my mind, the way I grew up, everything about me doesn't like that. But all the same I, I just can't stop thinking, questioning, wondering what... god, what is so very wrong that...”

She broke off, but Rarity nodded and leaned in to hug Twilight tightly, and the purple mare returned the embrace fiercely, trembling for a moment before she whispered: “I'm so afraid. Of Lord Black, of what's happening to Spike, of... of me. And I just want to know what Princess Celestia is hiding but that's... that's what I'm afraid of most.”

“She would never hurt you, Twilight, dear. She wants what's best for all of Equestria. I... I don't understand some of the things that have happened either, dear, but I know that... she wouldn't have asked you to handle all this without a reason, or without the best interest of Equestria in her heart. Because I know no matter what, you'll do what's best for all of us.” Rarity answered, emphasizing this with a firm squeeze before she took a breath and stepped back, saying quietly: “Just... make sure you come down when you're ready, dear. I think we could all do with a little company tonight.”

“Yeah. I... I'll come with you.” Twilight answered with a small smile.

“First I have to powder my nose, dear. It was quite the busy day.” Rarity replied with a small smile. “But good. Go ahead, then, and I'll be down in a moment.”

Twilight nodded, and she slipped past Rarity, hesitating, then giving her a quick, awkward smile before she turned her eyes back ahead, hurrying onward.

Rarity was left standing alone for a moment, smiling faintly before she rubbed slowly at her eyes, then let them drew inward, studying the desk where Twilight had been sitting as she wished that everything was simpler.

But nothing, as she had learned, was truly black and white.

The night was quiet, but the ponies were awakened in the morning by a terrible commotion from outside. It sounded almost like a riot, and as Twilight sat up, she couldn't help but blurt out: “Are they coming for me?”

“Everyone's pointing at the sky!” Pinkie Pie declared from the window, before she tried to crane her head up, whining: “But I can't see anything! It's all dark, though-”

“Lord Black.” Twilight whispered, before she scrambled to her hooves, but Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash caught her before she could bolt to the door.

“Whoa, Twilight, wait a minute!” Applejack said urgently, and Twilight gritted her teeth before the earth pony implored: “Just slow down, will you? You don't want to go runnin' out there half-cocked.”

“Take a moment. Breathe.” added Rarity, and Twilight grimaced, but then she wheezed out her breath, steadied her hooves under her, and straightened.

“Everyone seems real scared, guys, but I don't think anything bad is happening. At least, not yet!” Pinkie said helpfully.

“Great, Pinkie, thanks.” Rainbow grumbled, before she carefully let go of Twilight and stepped back, holding up her hooves. “Look. I know this is weird coming from me, but like...go slow? Maybe take a minute? Like... maybe he's here to talk, and if he is then, like... talk?”

Twilight wanted to snap at them all, but she knew that was the adrenaline more than anything else. The better part of her knew she had to talk to Lord Black: especially here in Ponyville, she had to be diplomatic and tactful. If anything happened, it would be her fault, and she knew that Lord Black's weapons were far more powerful than anything she could conjure in defense.

Especially now, when she was tired and confused and still weak from their previous encounters.

Her friends all looked at her, until Twilight firmed herself, lowered her head, and took a breath. And then Fluttershy reached up and touched her shoulder, saying quietly: “We'll be right there with you, the whole time.”

“Thanks. Thanks, all of you.” Twilight said softly, and then she took a breath and gave a small, shaky smile, saying: “Just do me a favor, okay? Remind me to calm down if I get too... engaged.”

“Don't you worry, Twilight, we'll make sure you don't get engaged to anyone, ever!” Pinkie Pie said firmly, and Twilight couldn't help but laugh a little at this.

“Thanks, girls. I know I can always count on you.” Twilight said with another faint smile, and then she took a last, slow breath, focused ahead, and walked towards the door, letting herself out.

The floating fortress blotted out the sun, and cast them all in darkness as it hovered above the village, slowly rolling across the early morning skies. Ponies whimpered and shouted and pointed as Twilight strode out to the center of the square, biting her lip and wondering what was going to happen next. What was Lord Black going to do?

Her answer came all too soon: a smaller ship seemed to appear out of nowhere, silently flying down in front of the library, ponies scattering away as Twilight simply waited and watched, feeling herself instinctively stiffen as she sensed the cold presence of the occupant within.

The ship landed, but only for a moment: the doors slid open, and Lord Black emerged, along with two creatures in heavy cloaks, their faces concealed by large helms and eerie, draconic masks. They could be anything, Twilight thought uneasily: griffins, ponies, drakes, or some other horrible monster: they gave no clues as to the truth of their identity, as they simply stood, their heavy cloaks rustling around their bodies, their masks frozen in snarls, eyes invisible behind the tinted lenses that concealed the truth of their souls.

Lord Black drew his eyes across the group of ponies before them, not so much as twitching even as his transport lifted back into the air, and withdrew towards the skies: Twilight, and her friends. He absently adjusted his cloak, and Twilight thought she saw the gleam of metal for a moment before the stallion asked her curtly: “Do you know where the remaining core pieces are located?”

“I do not.” Twilight halted, then took a breath before she began: “My name is-”

“Twilight Sparkle. Daughter of Twilight Velvet and Night Light. Protege of Princess Celestia. Known as the Element of Magic and for her theory paper, On the Binding of Artes. Your dissertation earned you high praise: the highest of which is said to be the fact the Council of the Triad at first considered your research too advanced for a 'young mare' to have written without significant help.” Perhaps the slightest smile twitched at Lord Black's mouth, changing his grizzled features for a moment into something that had once been younger, handsomer, before the stoniness returned to his face, his single eye lingering on her. “You are... satisfactorily intelligent.”

“Satisfactorily?” Twilight blurted, glaring at the stallion even as she blushed a bit. “What-”

“I am extending you an open invitation to tour my facilities and join our Orphanage.” Lord Black interrupted, and as much as Twilight hated to be interrupted, at the same time she couldn't help but wonder-

“What the heck are you talking about?” Applejack blurted out, stepping forwards before she winced when Fluttershy and Rarity dragged her backwards. But even as they tried to get her to shut up, she shouted: “You attacked us! And now you're here with what, some kinda job offer for Twilight to watch kids?”

Lord Black gave a thin smile at this, but he shook his head, answering: “No. The Orphanage is not a place to abandon children. In simple terms it is a facility dedicated to training the best and brightest for field work.”

“Wait. As... work for you? I don't want to work with you! I... I hate you!” Twilight shouted, stamping a hoof, shock robbing her for a moment of diplomacy.

But the stallion only shrugged and answered, carelessly: “Liking me is not a requirement for our operatives. Familiarity is discouraged as a matter of course to prevent instances of nepotism or weaknesses in operational security.”

The stallion's eye shifted away, and Twilight trembled before she shouted angrily: “I am not taking a job with you!”

“The offer will remain open for consideration until my task here is complete. Your Princess Celestia spoke highly of you and said you would make an excellent candidate.” Lord Black answered, and Twilight's eyes went wide as her blood froze in her veins.

She trembled for a moment, then whispered: “You're lying.”

Lord Black met her eyes, and he didn't speak. And she saw in his unflinching gaze that he was not, and it filled her with confusion, and anger, and a thousand questions.

“Why do you want the core?” Rarity asked suddenly, and Twilight was surprised, but also glad: she had been about to shout something far less useful at the icy stallion.

“That 'core' is an anchor that was left here many years ago. It is an extremely valuable and vital piece of equipment that must not be tampered with.” Lord Black answered with a brief shake of his head. “It is not Celestia's to use as she sees fit. It must be repaired and replaced.”

“Do you know about the power crisis?” Twilight asked impulsively.

Lord Black looked at her measuringly, and then he gave a short nod.

“So you know that without those stones, Equestria may run out of power. Our larger cities are already experiencing brownouts.” Twilight said.

“And the instability in the global energy network has also caused your earth and air artes to become unstable. I am aware. But that is not my problem.” Lord Black answered evenly. “This world has already been altered in ways that require increased monitoring. I cannot-”

“What are you talking about?” Twilight exploded. “Your Kirin, Muse, they all talked like that too! What do you mean, 'our world?' Are you trying to say that you're not from this world?”

“We are not.” Lord Black answered bluntly, and Twilight stared in disbelief at the stallion. “I am from a world tasked with monitoring other worlds: we maintain and protect-”

“That's horsesh-”

Lord Black turned his eye on Rainbow Dash, who immediately quailed and cleared her throat before she supplied in a meeker voice: “Hard to believe?”

“Yes. I apologize, I forgot that guns, Kirin, and flying ships were commonplace on this world.” Lord Black replied acerbically, and then he returned his eyes to Twilight and said: “It doesn't matter what you believe. It does not change the point of the matter. Celestia has created a greater threat by tampering with this anchor. Her intentions may be pure, but the results will not be.”

“What about you?” Twilight asked quietly, meeting Lord Black's eye as she straightened a little, feeling some of her fear vanishing. He was cold, and callous, but he was also logical, in a way she could understand. “You said you wanted to protect us, but you bombed Canterlot.”

“It was an anti-materiel strafe. We used neither bombs nor artillery.” Lord Black corrected, before he leaned forwards and added in a lower voice: “I said that I am here to protect all worlds. Not just yours. And I will not hesitate to do whatever is necessary for the greater good.”

“Faciam quodlibet quod necesse est.” Twilight murmured.

Lord Black smiled at her; a cold, unhappy smile. “Precisely.”

“So you would destroy our world in order to 'protect' others.” Twilight stated more than asked, her voice betraying the faintest tremble.

“Yes.” Lord Black answered, unflinching and terrible.

There was silence for a few moments, and then Twilight Sparkle took a breath and said: “We're not going to just lay down and let you take away something that could save our world. Our world is all that we have.”

“I understand that. But sacrifices must be made, all the same.” Lord Black absently made a gesture with his left hoof, and Twilight got the sense that he had just signaled an end to the discussion. “If you will not make them willingly, then I will be forced to take any and all actions necessary to bring these problems to the correct conclusion.”

“Wait!” Rarity cried. “Can't you help us? You have all this technology, why-”

“These anchors cannot be replicated. We do not have the knowledge, or the technology to do so. They are invaluable.” Lord Black answered with a short shake of his head. “If it is destroyed, or drained of energy, it will mean catastrophe. For all of us.”

“So... so you're just going to take it away, and leave us to suffer?” Rainbow Dash asked incredulously.

“The worlds will balance themselves. We interfere as little as possible. Only when-”

“You can't be serious. You're here, tellin' us all this, and tellin' us that at the end of the day you're just gonna take what's ours and leave? And we should, what, thank you for it?” Applejack glared up at the stallion. “No way. That ain't how it works, buster!”

“Don't our lives matter?” whispered Fluttershy.

“That is irrelevant.” Lord Black answered.

The transport that had dropped him off earlier descended to land behind the stallion, the door sliding behind him as the ponies trembled and stared at him. And, as he began to turn to climb in after his bodyguards, Pinkie Pie shouted: “No!”

She leapt forwards, seizing him by the collar of his cape and shaking him roughly, glaring up at him as she shouted: “No! Our lives are the only thing that matters! Not how neat and tidy and fancy-schmancy everything is, but our lives! We are part of those worlds you keep saying you're supposed to protect, you... you stupidhead!”

Lord Black calmly looked down at Pinkie Pie, and then he gently reached up with both hooves: for a moment, Twilight saw that metallic gleam again from his right limb, before his wide cape fell back over his body, concealing it from view again even as he held Pinkie's hooves for a moment, squeezing them gently.

She trembled as she looked up at him, tears running down her cheeks as she whispered: “It's not fair.”

“You remind me of someone very dear to me.” Lord Black said, his voice almost gentle, before he carefully pushed her back. He turned and climbed into his transport, and then he hesitated before he turned around and leaned out of the transport, saying almost solemnly: “I will do whatever it takes to retrieve the anchor, in its entirety. And I will not hesitate to neutralize anyone that gets in my way.”

Twilight trembled, and then she stepped forwards and said roughly: “If you won't protect us, then we'll protect ourselves, Lord Black! I... I'm not afraid of you!”

Lord Black studied her for a moment, and then he said: “My name is Thorn Blackfeather. Princess Celestia referred to me as Lord Black out of security concerns, which are now irrelevant. And before you make me your enemy, Twilight Sparkle, consider this: would you protect one foal, at the cost of a hundred other lives?”

Twilight trembled and opened her mouth, but Lord Black – Thorn Blackfeather – cut her off, saying coldly: “No, it is not a fair question. But if you want to walk this path, then you must learn to do what is required of you. And you must live with the consequences.”

With that, Thorn withdrew into the transport, and it rumbled as it took off into the air, flying back towards the floating fortress.

Twilight trembled, staring helplessly up at the flying machine before she gritted her teeth, but she couldn't even summon up any anger. Tears of frustration and confusion made her eyes ache, and she helplessly tried to blink them away, swallowing her sobs: she felt powerless. Helpless. Like she was just a toy, a pawn in some cosmic game she didn't understand.

Pinkie Pie trembled, then leapt into Twilight, hugging her tightly and burying her face against the unicorn's neck. She was shaking like a leaf, and Twilight embraced her fiercely back, not knowing who was trying to comfort who as she whispered: “We'll... we'll get through this. Somehow, somehow, we... we can get through this.”

But did she really believe that? Could she really believe that?

The floating fortress above their heads blotted out the sky. Lord Black, or Thorn Blackfeather, or whatever his name was, was inside that fortress, commanding that silent titan as it slowly turned and simply floated away, like it was nothing more than a passing stormcloud.

But that storm was simply moving to some other part of the world, relentlessly searching for the remaining pieces of the anchor. Lord Blackfeather was going to find them, she knew: there was no way they could stop him, and no way any military of this planet could resist him. Not even if they combined all their powers, could they hope to take on a ship of that magnitude, or the incredibly dangerous personnel inside.

And that wasn't the worst of it.

The worst of it was that he had been cold, and relentless, and yet so honest. So convinced that what he was doing was, if not right, then the only thing he could do. No, there had been no sense of righteousness about him, not like some of the villains she had fought.

He had been remorseless. Dedicated. Determined. And, she thought, terribly aware of what he was doing, but he knew the consequences for what he had to do were greater than if he did not.

But what did that mean for her? For them?

They still had to protect their home, their nation, their people, from the consequences of Thorn's actions. They had to stop him.

But even as Twilight trembled and fought not to cry as she and Pinkie clutched each other, her mind moved a thousand miles a minute, forcing her to see and understand even the things she didn't want to.

They couldn't win through brute force.

Lord Thorn Blackfeather was made of stone. He wouldn't make concessions as to what he wanted.

But did that mean negotiating was completely out of the question? Or did that mean they had to go about this another way?

Would he accept a trade?

But first, she knew that she needed answers. If she was going to get anywhere with Thorn, she needed answers from someone who knew what was going on. From someone who had dealt with before, and who had some idea of what this all meant.

And the only mare who had those kind of answers, was Princess Celestia.

A Difference of Opinion

Chapter Eight: A Difference of Opinion
~BlackRoseRaven

Princess Celestia sat in a meeting room with her advisers and generals, calmly sipping tea as she read the report that had been placed in front of her. Her lips tightened slightly, and her eyes narrowed before they roved up, and she asked quietly: “Who authorized this?”

“I did, ma'am. I thought it was necessary for us to gain a better understanding of what we were up against.” answered an old unicorn calmly, even as he shivered a little under that hard gaze.

“These parameters are unacceptable. What separates us from Lord Black is not our lack of technology, but our inflexible morals.” Princess Celestia put down the report on the Kirin's biology before she ordered: “Have the prisoners moved to holding cells. Any further interrogation will go through proper channels. We will not lower ourselves to Lord Black's level.”

“Yes ma'am. Sorry ma'am.” answered the general humbly, before he climbed to his hooves and quickly left the room, chastened.

Princess Celestia's eyes swept through the room, and then returned to the reports in front of her, asking: “Have our 'packages' arrived yet?”

“Yes ma'am. Three were deployed, and all three have arrived at their locations. We have reports that Lord Black has already reached the griffin nation and begun negotiations.” answered one of her advisers.

“Excellent. That will hopefully delay him for several days. But we must be aware than once he realizes the package is a ruse, he will likely redouble his search efforts. We can't expect him to fall for the same trick twice. Send a message to Princess Cadence and tell her to begin quietly fortifying the Crystal Empire's defenses. We have to anticipate that Lord Black will shift his focus to the colony.” Princess Celestia gave a thin smile. “I'm sure he already knows about the core piece there, after all.”

“But if he doesn't, won't increasing our defenses there draw his attention?” asked one of her generals.

“No. He's aware that it is there. Our counterintelligence efforts have confirmed that.” Princess Celestia answered, giving her council both a reply and an unspoken reprimand.

Her servants all lowered their heads politely, and Princess Celestia drew her eyes across the table before she said firmly: “First and foremost, our priority must be protecting the ponies, and the core pieces. If we lose the piece held by Princess Cadence, we will only have one left. The New Power Initiative must be successful, or our entire nation could be in jeopardy, if not our entire world.”

Her advisers nodded solemnly, and Princess Celestia closed her eyes, willing down her frustration before one of her generals said apprehensively: “The New Power Initiative is progressing ahead of schedule, your majesty. The extractor has been modified as your plans defined, and soon it should be capable of drawing energy from the core.”

“Excellent.” Princess Celestia hesitated all the same. Her expression was pensive, almost nonchalant, but she was all too aware of the gravity of the choices before her, and the consequences that they would have.

But she didn't have a choice.

“I want three armored escorts prepared. These should head to Dragon's Keep to 'retrieve' the package there. That might attract Lord Black's attention, and it might buy us time.” Princess Celestia said slowly. “Five more transports should be dispatched in secret. I want each to be pulled by one pony, and protected by a single escort. No Royal markings, no uniforms, not even soldiers if you can avoid it. Each will be sent to a different location, where they will await further instruction.”

“Decoys. But one of them will be bringing the core home.” one of her generals said.

The others mused, before an adviser muttered: “I don't think this is a good idea. Lord Black-”

“Won't be able to stop all of them. Our only hope is that he doesn't figure out which transport is carrying the core.” Princess Celestia said grimly.

“Why don't we just recall the piece from the Crystal Empire?” asked one of her advisers. “If we act quickly and have them send it by train-”

“Then Lord Black's agents will sabotage the train and leave it as easy pickings. We can't take that risk.” Princess Celestia answered. “No, it's too dangerous.”

It was an incomplete answer, but since her councilors were in no position to question her, they uncomfortably let it sit. That was what she wanted, though: it was, for better or worse, what had to be done.

They finished the meeting almost abruptly after a few more minutes of chatter, and once they were all gone, Princess Celestia called one of her personal guard over and told him, quietly and gently: “Head to Vesper's Peak, and find the store called Radiant Jewel's. Ask if they have queen's diamonds in stock. When she says no, ask if there's anything she can recommend. When she asks what you're looking for in particular, tell her 'a gift fit for a princess.' Be discreet. Be careful. I trust your judgment.”

The soldier saluted and nodded, then he saluted before quickly turning and leaving. Princess Celestia settled back in her seat, closing her eyes and meditating for a moment. So far, everything was going according to plan.

Well, not everything. She had honestly thought Twilight Sparkle would be successful in hiding the core piece she had been given, at least for a little while. That meant he had two of the core pieces, and in all likelihood, soon he would have three.

There was no chance that the Crystal Empire would be able to hold off Lord Black's floating fortress for long, or that they would have their extractor ready in time to defend themselves. She had sent all the help she could afford, but if they wanted to protect Equestria, they had to concentrate on getting the New Power Initiative operational here. Then they would be able to defend themselves against Lord Black.

She hoped they could hold him off long enough for the project to be finished: as much as it pained her, she hoped that he took the bait and followed at least one of her decoys. She had also ordered Cloudsdale to move into a defensive position outside of Canterlot, along with several other cloud cities. If worst came to worst, she would have to order them to blockade Lord Black's floating fortress while they finished preparations.

She hoped it didn't have to come to that. But this was why she was Princess Celestia, leader of all of Equestria. She had to make hard choices for the sake of the greater good of all her people. Not just herself, and not just those close to her.

The orders she'd saved for Twilight were proof enough of that. If... when Twilight found out the truth behind all of this, she might never forgive her. But Twilight Sparkle was still young, and naive, and believed there were easy solutions: she had such faith in other ponies!

But your faith wasn't always rewarded, and some things were too important to leave to chance or blind trust. Some things you had to do yourself, to ensure that your friends, your family, your country were kept safe. Even at the cost of everything that mattered to you...

Princess Celestia took a breath, and then she looked up as a soldier entered the room and bowed to her politely before announcing: “Twilight Sparkle has arrived, your majesty, and wishes to speak with you.”

“Send her in.” Celestia set down the report she had pointlessly been trying to distract herself with, automatically shuffling the papers in front of her so that their contents were hidden from plain view. An old habit, she thought wryly, as the guard left: not that it mattered.

She knew why Twilight was here. She would want answers after her meeting with Lord Black. And Celestia would give her all the answers she could afford to share, but she knew this was also a test of her faith in herself, and her willingness to sacrifice even what was important to her for the betterment of the nation.

She hoped that one day Twilight would forgive her. And it hurt her heart to watch as Twilight Sparkle walked in through that door with a tremble and a distrustful glare, but all the same, Celestia smiled and remained neutral, greeting softly: “Twilight Sparkle.”

“Princess Celestia.” Twilight answered, and she stood for a moment, the two lingering, eyes studying each other until the alicorn finally gestured at her student to sit.

Twilight took a breath as she sat, biting her lip for a moment before she rose her head slightly and asked directly: “Did you have some kind of deal with Thorn Blackfeather?”

Princess Celestia smiled at her, calm and composed as she evaded: “You need to work on your diplomatic approach, Twilight. While I appreciate your candor, a little tact will take you much further in the world.”

“Princess Celestia, please, I need to know-”

“Ponies, after all, are stupid.” Princess Celestia continued, letting a bit of hardness creep into her voice, and Twilight was silenced by it. And it hurt to teach this lesson, and to teach it harshly, but it was something Twilight had to learn. “Some ponies will react to being ordered to do something, anything, even things in their best interest, with stubbornness and resistance. They will fight you, every step of the way, out of nothing but a bitter belief that 'I deserved better,' whether they really did or not. I have seen ponies, Twilight, put themselves in danger of death purely because someone was rude to them. I have seen ponies do great harm to other ponies, just because someone was short with them on a bad day.

“But some ponies will do anything for you, as long as you ask nicely. A smile, and a bit of flattery. That's all it takes to get some ponies to give you the keys to their home, their money, their love.” Princess Celestia continued calmly, meeting Twilight's eyes evenly. “Because they don't know better. Because we have become a nation of words, not actions. We judge everyone else by what they say, by what they like, by who they admire; not what they actually do.”

The two ponies studied each other for a few moments, and then Princess Celestia smiled even as her eyes remained neutral, asking quietly: “Now what did you want to ask me, Twilight Sparkle?”

Twilight bit her lip, and then she forced herself to steady and take a breath before she asked, keeping her voice as casual and pleasant as possible: “How long were you working with Lord Black?”

Princess Celestia considered the question. She considered lying, but it hurt her heart to see Twilight already so upset, struggling to keep herself together, to keep herself strong. But if she couldn't learn to rein in her emotions, Lord Black would make her into an unwitting pawn, and the things she might have to do, the evils she would have to face and swallow... they could destroy her.

“Lord Black, or Thorn Blackfeather, arrived several weeks ago. I do not remember the exact date.” A half-lie. Or half-truth, if you were an optimist, and rounded up from all the gray between fact and fiction. “He wanted to talk to me about what he called the 'anchor.' He knew we possessed it, and said that we were 'tampering' with it.

“We had a long, peaceful discussion at first, on property rights and other boring things.” Princess Celestia continued. “He was cold, but cordial. Intellectual. We had much in common and we had several interesting talks on philosophy, nature, and politics. I consider him my equal, and I respect him, even if he is also... ruthless.”

Twilight only listened, sitting silently, waiting. And the waiting ground at Celestia, pushed her to continue to fill the void even as her expression darkened slightly, at both Twilight's quiet insistence and the all-too-fresh memories. “Lord Black was the one who told me that the anchor could be cut without damaging its ability to retain and generate energy. I told him I wanted to better understand the scope of its power, that I wanted to run some tests before I turned it over to him. He was kind enough to supply some of the equipment we needed to do so.”

“Then why is he attacking us?” Twilight asked in confusion, shaking her head in disbelief. “If he was helping you at first, and... why would he-”

“Pursuit of knowledge.” Princess Celestia answered, before she smiled thinly. “And as I said, he was willing to negotiate at first. He said we could have a piece of the anchor. Enough to power Canterlot.”

“But you wanted more.” Twilight's eyes widened slightly, and Celestia sighed and shook her head slowly.

“Not more. Enough, for the entire nation.” Princess Celestia answered in a quieter voice. “Do you know what having a single crystal, with only enough energy to power Canterlot would do? It would inspire war. Other ponies would become jealous, and angry. Even other nations might want it: the 'magic crystal' that can power an entire city. People would want to steal it, politicians would petition for it, the ignorant masses would beg and plead and demand it.

“Our power situation is rapidly worsening, Twilight. Our current system draws on natural elemental energy from the world, using a combination of arte and magic.” Princess Celestia explained, becoming softer as she reached the crux of the matter. “But this spiritual energy isn't infinite. While it will regenerate over time, we are using more energy than can be generated naturally by the world.”

“That's why we're having brownouts. That's why some ponies' artes aren't functioning as reliably as they once did.” Twilight murmured, her eyes lighting up as she straightened slightly in surprise. “But if that's true, then why-”

“Why haven't we done anything about it?” Princess Celestia smiled faintly, shaking her head slowly. “These systems have been powering Equestria for years. I don't even know how long... some days, it... it feels like they were always here, like they themselves are a part of this world.”

Her voice lowered, her eyes shifted away, became almost hazy as she muttered: “Like a test. A forbidden fruit, given to us to see if we would abuse them or resist temptation...”

Twilight shifted uneasily, and then Celestia shook her head, took a steadying breath, and then returned her eyes to her protege, saying quietly: “It will take years to dismantle and replace our current system of elemental generators. And that's not even considering how long it will take to create an alternative system.”

“But what about the New Power Initiative?” blurted Twilight. “Or... or artes! Ponies used artes for years to-”

“There are more ponies in Equestria than there have ever been, and more and more of them are becoming arte-capable. It's no longer a secret skill, but something every pony grows up being taught to harness.” But Princess Celestia sounded bitter, and Twilight didn't realize why until the mare continued: “Casting artes consumes and redirects elemental energy. Let's assume that a pony casting an arte is the equivalent to a drop of water being removed from an ocean's worth of energy.

“But that pony isn't casting one arte. That pony is casting several artes a day. And nor is it only that pony: it's thousands upon thousands of ponies, all casting multiple artes a day.” Celestia shook her head slowly, continuing: “And none of that even begins to scratch the surface of our problems. What about the griffins? They have their own unique artes, as do dragons. Other nations use similar elemental generators as we do: do you really think they'll shut down their generators because we ask nicely?”

Twilight bit her lip, and helplessly, she returned to the same question, starting: “The New Power Initiative-”

“Is the only way to save Equestria.” finished Celestia. “The anchor will supply all the energy Equestria needs. Our nation will be able to save itself, to flourish again: the brownouts will stop, and artes will stabilize with all the extra energy being generated. Energy we will return to our earth, Twilight, that will create a surplus of power even beyond our borders.

“But I will protect Equestria first and foremost. I will save my little ponies, at any cost.” Princess Celestia continued, soft but determined: there was a passion, a fire in her that should have inspired Twilight, but here and now, with all her fears and questions, it instead frightened her. “There will be costs. Sacrifices will have to be made. But Equestria will survive, will thrive.”

Twilight trembled, and then she shook her head and asked: “But what about Lord Black? How are you going to deal with him? He's never going to stop and... what if we... we...”

Celestia's eyes shifted to Twilight, and Twilight trembled as she saw the answer to her question. She bit her lip, shaking her head meekly, and Celestia closed her eyes before she said with awful calm: “I will do whatever must be done. Whatever it takes, Twilight Sparkle.”

“We can't fight him. We... we don't even know what he's really capable of!” Twilight argued, almost desperately. “And wasting all that potential on a weapon-”

“Not a waste. A test, and a warning to our enemies.” Celestia countered with a brief shake of her head. “Lord Black wants to negotiate through force. If we demonstrate to him that we are capable of fighting back, he won't risk-”

“You said yourself that Lord Black was ruthless! I talked to him, and I saw the... the determination he has to get that anchor back!” Twilight almost shouted, before she took a breath as she saw Celestia hardening, preparing to scold her, and yet instead of backing down she uttered: “Faciam quodlibet quod necesse est. That's what he said. That's what he believes.”

There was silence for a few long moments, until Twilight finally lowered her head and whispered: “I don't get it. We all want the same thing. He doesn't want to fight, you don't want to fight, so why are we fighting? If we need power generators, he must have something we can use-”

“And it will take us years to replicate and understand. I already asked for help, Twilight. He refused to give it.” Celestia answered with a shake of her head. “He will blink, Twilight. Whether or not he's telling the truth about being from some other world, he is far from home, and-”

“And what if they send someone else? What if you do drive him off, but he returns with more?” Twilight asked sharply. “What then?”

Celestia was silent, but she didn't have to speak her answer. Her eyes did that for her, and Twilight reared back, trembling a little.

“I've told you everything you need to know, Twilight. More than that, even.” Princess Celestia said quietly. “You have a choice. You can help us, or you can leave. You're welcome to try and negotiate peace, but I think you're aware that neither myself nor Lord Black are going to budge from our stated positions.”

“What if we save Equestria, only to doom his world? To doom... whatever else is out there?” asked Twilight weakly.

Princess Celestia smiled faintly, answering: “Then I will bear the burden of those unknown sins. Ask yourself this, Twilight: by becoming my student, how many other unicorns did you rob of that opportunity?”

Twilight bit her lip, and Celestia continued: “The nature of living is such that no matter what you do, there are consequences, both foreseen and invisible. Just by existing, just by living through each and every day, you take from the world, even as you also do your best to give back to it. Your opportunities come from someone else's failures and disappointments. Your victories mean someone else's defeat. How many accolades have you earned that would have been better off going to someone else? Remember that full scholarship you won to the Magic Academy? You used it to pay for your classes. But some other unicorn, given that money, would have used it to pay for food, just to live. Should you mourn them? Are you responsible for them?”

Twilight spluttered, shaking her head, trying to come up with the answer, but the gears in her mind ground painfully as she wrestled with herself before Princess Celestia explained, patiently, as if to a child: “But we don't think about these things. We can't. We take what we earn, whatever we can claim, and damn the consequences. So what is your choice now, Twilight? Will you help me save this world, and the ponies who matter to you, or are you going to try and save some other world, and the ponies who don't?”

The purple mare trembled for a few moments, and then she dropped her head. Her mane fell over her eyes, hiding them from view, but they did little to cover up the tears that rolled down her cheeks as she took a shuddering breath.

Celestia waited for a moment, and then she instructed in a gentler voice: “Lord Black is going to turn his sights on the Crystal Empire once he realizes a piece of the core is there. Your brother and Princess Cadence are protecting it. If you really think you can somehow broker peace between us... then this is your last chance to do so.”

Twilight looked sharply up, and the two looked at one-another before Princess Celestia smiled faintly and said quietly, fighting back the tears that wanted to rise in her own eyes: “Either you'll succeed where I failed, or you'll learn for yourself that some things just can't be worked out, no matter how much you might want them to.”

The purple unicorn bit her lip, and then she took a slow, shuddering breath before she nodded once, saying finally: “I... I will. I'll talk to him. I need to be there for my brother, too, and... I appreciate you giving me this chance.”

“Tactful. Better.” Princess Celestia said softly, and then she sighed as she sat back in her chair, looking down at the scattered reports and papers across her desk as she murmured: “Once upon a time, I was an idealist too, Twilight. I wanted only the best, not just for my people, but the whole world and beyond. And then, out of nowhere... I lost everything that mattered to me in one fell swoop.”

Twilight frowned uneasily, shifting slowly: somehow, she didn't think Princess Celestia was talking about what had happened with her sister Luna, even though... “Then, out of nowhere, I woke up one day and it was all back to the way it had been. As if nothing had ever happened. No, no, that's not quite true, there were changes: ponies were different. I was different. And precious few people recognized the truth, that things had changed. Some days, it's blurry even to me, even now that...”

She broke off, then smiled faintly as she shook her head and looked up at Twilight Sparkle. “I may sound cruel. Remorseless, even. But even immortal as I am, seeing... countless ponies live, and die... I thought I had time. I didn't realize just how fragile and unfair life, and death, could be, until that moment. And now it's happening again, but this time maybe I can stop it. I will do anything to stop it.”

Celestia quieted, then closed her eyes and lowered her head, murmuring: “Just ignore me, Twilight. It's just the ramblings of an old mare. I've ruled Equestria for twelve hundred years and I think my age is finally beginning to wear on me. Please, go. A train should already be ready and waiting for you at the station, you and...whoever you want to bring with you on this journey. I wouldn't separate you from your friends at this juncture, after all. You deserve that much.”

Twilight shifted uneasily. Something didn't sit right with her, but she only nodded. She got up from the table, wiping at her own eyes before she said finally: “I'm... going to go see Spike. Then I'll take the train and... I'll stop this. I will.”

“For all our sakes, I hope you do.” Celestia said honestly, before she gave a solemn smile as she said, with unwavering, unnerving certainty. “But you won't.”

Twilight bit her lip, and then she turned and hurried out of the room, into the corridors of Canterlot. In spite of what she'd said she was going to do, she was aimless at first, wandering these halls, feeling the aura of dread that filled the building, hearing the mutters and the whispers: she felt glares like daggers and heard words like poison, but by now she was strangely used to being a pariah, and the fear that Celestia had laced her veins with fortified her against the harshness that some of these ponies treated her with.

She felt like she had missed something. Like something was wrong. Some part of the puzzle didn't fit, and it chewed at her brain and made it hard to focus until-

Equestria had only recently celebrated its thousandth summer sun celebration. That had been the night of Nightmare Moon's return.

So how could Celestia have ruled Equestria for twelve hundred years?

Maybe she had misspoken. Maybe the Princess of the Sun had admitted her age; no pony really knew for sure just how old she was, and she always laughed and made some joke when Twilight asked at her birthday parties.

But that didn't feel like it was it, as simple, as comforting as that rational explanation was.

Twilight forced herself to refocus: it didn't matter. No, she had a chance to fix things, to make up for losing the core piece, and maybe, just maybe, to end this conflict once and for all. Maybe it was because she was in the middle of it instead of at one extreme or the other, but she thought there was plenty of ground where Lord Black or Thorn Blackfeather or whatever his real name was, and Princess Celestia, could meet and work out a fair deal.

His flying fortress, after all, had to have an incredible power system. Enough to power even a city like Canterlot. They could replicate it! And they could return the anchor pieces to him after he helped them establish new power plants, or retrofit their current elemental generators...

There had to be a solution! Neither side wanted this war, and... well, maybe she could convince Thorn that he owed them something in return for the...

Twilight shivered as she passed through the main foyer of the castle, where several wreaths had been set up on a small shrine, with small offerings for the fallen resting all around the base of the statue. And it made her angry, but it also made her feel terribly sad: lives, wasted, for no reason at all. Because they had been in the wrong place, at the wrong time, when Lord Black had decided to demonstrate to Princess Celestia that he wasn't someone to be trifled with.

She still didn't entirely understand why he had resorted to force.

No. He had said something else. Something she had forgotten – or maybe just been too afraid – to ask about during her meeting with Princess Celestia. Not that Princess Celestia hadn't clearly controlled the entire conversation anyway, and avoided mentioning the fact that she had apparently offered her up like a bargaining chip...

Unless Lord Black had been lying. But why would he lie about something like that? It didn't make any sense, although it sure as hell didn't make any sense to her why Princess Celestia would want to send her off to the Orphanage, or whatever Lord Black had called it...

Celestia wasn't telling her everything.

It was something she knew from the start, and yet realizing it, and more, understanding it, hit her like a train. Princess Celestia wasn't actually telling her everything, and whatever the alicorn said, it wasn't just because she wanted to protect her. Was she a pawn in this game? Or was there something that Celestia desperately didn't want her to know, because...

Because why?

The look she'd had on her face when she'd talked about how fragile life was, and what she'd lost...

What terrible secret did she know?

Twilight wasn't sure she wanted to know. But at the same time she couldn't help but wonder if it was part of what was driving Celestia's desire to protect her country at any and all cost.

Twilight chewed on her lip, before she looked up in surprise as a voice said softly: “It seems you have some heavy thoughts, Twilight Sparkle. You should lay them down, before their weight crushes you.”

Twilight Sparkle blushed a bit as a sapphire alicorn approached her, her long, star-filled mane swirling out behind her, the symbol of the crescent moon gleaming on the peytral across her chest, a match for the cutie mark on her splotched flank.

They looked at each other for a moment, and then Twilight Sparkle bowed her head, murmuring: “Princess Luna. I uh, I was just on my way to see Spike, but...” She laughed, awkwardly looking back and forth. “I got lost.”

“In your own thoughts, I assume, not the castle. Besides, your friend has been moved to somewhere safer. But we should not speak of this, and it would be safer if you would instead accompany me.” Princess Luna said gently, and Twilight blinked, opening her mouth- “Yes, I have my suspicions that there are spies in our midst. My sister believes she knows who they all are, but I... I am better aware of what greed and shame can do to even a righteous pony.”

Twilight smiled faintly, and then she asked quietly: “My... my friend is okay, though? I haven't heard anything, even though I know, well...”

She broke off, and Princess Luna nodded, stepping forwards and reassuring gently: “He is in very deep sleep, in a very safe place. You do not have to fear for him. We are doing all we can to make him better. He is not awake yet, no, but I believe that is for the best. It is better that he comes back in his own time, rather than we force him to awaken with magic.”

“And I think I want to spare him all this, if we could.” Twilight murmured, before she sighed and nodded, then blinked in surprise when Luna gently touched her shoulder.

“Come. Let us walk, Twilight Sparkle. We must prepare you for the journey ahead.” Luna said gently.

“Are you going to tell me what Celestia wouldn't?” Twilight asked impulsively, but Princess Luna only smiled as she walked past, her eyes shifting knowingly back to Twilight as she continued down the corridor.

“I will not. But perhaps Mare Imbrium shall.” she answered, before she paused and became solemn for a moment as she said in a softer voice: “Only remember, Twilight... some truths cannot be unheard.”

Twilight blinked in surprise, but then hurried to catch up to the Princess of the Night as Luna turned the corner, both anxious and afraid to know the truth.

Stiff Necks

Chapter Nine: Stiff Necks
~BlackRoseRaven

Twilight Sparkle was quiet during the entire trip to the Crystal Empire, spending the whole time sitting by herself in the back of the armored troop car. She wasn't poring over books or papers, nor was she trying to sleep. She was just sitting with her head down, ignoring anypony who came close, not lost in her own little world, but rather locked away inside herself.

Her friends milled anxiously in the other half of the car, trying to reassure each other, talking a little amongst themselves: they were glad to be here with Twilight, but it was hard not to worry, especially with the fact that Twilight had shut herself down and wasn't telling them anything.

Princess Luna had met them here at the car: Twilight had already been on board the train when her friends had arrived. She told them they had already loaded the train with supplies, and that Princess Cadence was expecting them, and would send a retinue of guard to meet them at the station. She also cautioned them, gently, that Twilight Sparkle might need some time to herself, and they should give it to her.

So they were trying to give her that time and space.

Applejack shifted a bit in her seat, looking around apprehensively: it wasn't the fact they were in a military transport that bothered her. If anything, the fact they were in an armored train was reassuring, considering what they were going up against... but it did bother her that the train was fully stocked. Quivers of bolts were waiting to be grabbed from the wall, along with crossbows; lockers under their seats contained packs of military gear, each neatly labeled.

It felt like they weren't just riding on the first available train. It felt like this little three car train had been prepared especially for them, and they were given this equipment with the expectation they were going to end up using it.

She shook he head, then turned her eyes towards the other ponies in the train. Rainbow Dash was fiddling with an unloaded crossbow, and Fluttershy was talking quietly with Pinkie Pie as they picked uneasily at a military ration they'd found. Rarity was in the front corner of the train, absently redoing her makeup in her little mirror, mumbling a little to herself. Applejack couldn't hear her, but she could see her lips moving in the reflection of her hoof mirror.

The earth pony shifted out of her seat and walked down the aisle to Rarity, catching a mumbled: “-according to plan, yes. Everything is fine. It's been... I don't know.”

“It's been a few hours now.” Applejack said, and Rarity jumped, nearly dropping her hoof mirror and applicator before she glared at Applejack with a blush, a streak of mascara across one cheek. Applejack couldn't help but grin, saying awkwardly: “You uh... you got a little something-”

“Thank you.” Rarity said acerbically, grumbling as she swept up a cloth to dab the mascara away from her cheek without bothering to check her face in the mirror. Applejack didn't know how she could do that.

She lingered, and Rarity bit her lip before she asked almost hesitantly: “Has it really already been a few hours? It seems sometimes like it's only minutes, and other times I can't keep track of them. It's all just flowing through my hooves like sand.”

Applejack smiled briefly at this, nodding in agreement. “It ain't easy, no. Well, I mean, it's not that it's been a hard journey-”

“Speak for yourself.” Rarity huffed. “I haven't had a proper night's sleep or shower in days. And to be quite honest...” She hesitated, then looked over at Applejack and murmured: “I'm not sure we're ready for this. It's terrifying to think of what we're supposed to be going up against.”

“I ain't happy about it either, but... somepony's got to do it.” Applejack sighed, looking over her shoulder at Twilight Sparkle as she murmured: “Besides, you really want to let her face this all alone, after everything she's been through?”

“No. No, I don't.” Rarity sighed as well, shaking her head and smiling briefly. “And she does always find a way to lead us through, doesn't she?”

“Yeah.” Applejack agreed, before she squeezed Rarity's shoulder, then stepped away and looked down the aisle, saying finally: “I'm gonna go see if she wants anything. I ain't gonna press. But... somepony should let her know she's not alone.”

Rarity only smiled faintly, and Applejack hesitated for a moment before she asked: “You got something on your mind?”

“No. No, no... well, nothing more than... all this.” the unicorn answered, sighing a little before she asked in a quieter voice: “Don't you ever worry it's too much for one mare, even a mare like Twilight, to take?”

“Of course.” Applejack smiled, though, and when Rarity frowned, she gently punched her in the shoulder and said: “But that's why we're here with her, you idjit.”

“Save that for Rainbow Dash.” Rarity huffed, rubbing at her shoulder, but she smiled a little after a moment all the same, nodding a little as she murmured: “You're right though. You're absolutely right.”

Applejack nodded and turned down the aisle, walking down to Twilight with as much confidence as she could manage, in spite of her words. It was hard seeing Twilight like this, after all: not broken, not sad, but just completely focused inwards.

She stopped by the purple mare, who was staring at her lap, curled up in her seat in a little ball, and the earth pony hesitated before she cleared her throat and gently touched the unicorn, asking quietly: “Can I get you anything?”

Twilight blinked, then looked up at her before she shook her head. Applejack lingered, seeing a hesitation in Twilight, and after a moment the unicorn asked quietly: “What would you do if you saw everyone you loved, die?”

Applejack's eyes widened, and then she bit her lip before she sat down in the seat across from Twilight, asking: “Is this about-”

“Just answer the question. Please.” Twilight murmured, not looking at her, not getting up.

Applejack didn't have an answer. It was too big for her to consider: her eyes shifted away, her hooves played together, she fumbled for meaningless words. “I'd be devastated.”

That was all she could manage, but it was everything else that told Twilight what she wanted to know. “And what if then, out of nowhere, they all came back? What would you do to protect them?”

“Anything.” That was an easy enough question.

“Anything.” echoed Twilight, looking up at her, with those sad, beaten eyes. “Even terrible things?”

Applejack wanted to pretend she was noble. Wanted to say she could make a choice. But she thought of the ponies she'd lost, the ponies she wished, wished she could see again, one last time, that she'd do anything just to have one last conversation with...

“Yeah. Even terrible things.” Applejack murmured, her eyes shifting away. “I... I know that ain't right. And it's a real heck of a thing, because I'd be so ashamed of myself, and imagine if I did something awful just to bring 'em back and then... and then they couldn't even look at me. But at least they'd be okay. At least they'd be alive.”

Twilight nodded slowly, sitting up a bit and rubbing at her face. She thought about what Princess Luna had told her; about the letter she'd given her, from Mare Imbrium, that she'd read again and again and again while she'd been alone on the train.

She looked up at Applejack, then said quietly: “We need to stop Lord Black. But we also have to convince Princess Celestia that... that things are going to be okay, I guess. She's so afraid of what's going to happen that she's... I guess, in a way, she's trying to make it happen faster.”

“What are you talking about?” asked Applejack uneasily.

The other mares looked down the aisle at them, but Twilight only shifted her gaze to all of them, spoke so they could all hear: “It's... I don't even know how to explain it. But years ago... Princess Celestia saw us all die. Saw all of Ponyville destroyed. Then one day, we were just all... back. Alive. Like nothing had happened, except suddenly the world was full of artes, too, artes that we all just instinctively knew, like something else had been... added to this world.”

“That doesn't make any sense.” blurted Rainbow Dash. “Twilight, what are you talking about?”

“I don't know.” Twilight answered honestly. “Princess Luna didn't know. Celestia doesn't even know. And I think that's part of what drove her to this... this desperation. It was like after several hundred years, she was finally starting to accept that we were all gone, and then... poof. We were all back. Like time had been reversed. Like she woke up in a different world, a better, happier world, where... where monsters didn't kill us all.”

“That doesn't make any sense.” Rarity stuttered, but she looked frightened, and Twilight understood.

She sounded insane, but there was a note of truth in her words. Why, after all, did ponies just know 'artes?' Why had there been so many years of Equestrian civilization before artes were even mentioned in the history books, and they went from no artes whatsoever, to every pony, every creature, having its own unique artes and abilities one day, several hundred years ago?

“I have nightmares sometimes about it.” Pinkie said quietly, and all eyes turned to her in surprise as the earth pony gave a faint smile. “There are these three dragons. They're singing. Singing, as they kill us all. And it's not their claws or their teeth but their songs that kill us, that... that turn us inside-outside, that make us...”

She shivered a bit, and Rarity shook her head, whispering: “That's... that's a terrible nightmare but that's all it is, dear, a nightmare...”

“I don't know. I don't know what happened. Only Celestia and Luna seem to remember anything about it.” Twilight said after a moment. “But even if none of you believe it, that doesn't matter. Celestia believes it. And she believes these creatures and Lord Black are connected somehow, and that's why she absolutely will not trust him.

“But Lord Black won't give anything blindly to Celestia, either. She tried to make some kind of deal with him before, but he caught on to the fact she was trying to play him or trick him or... or something, I don't know the details. There are a lot of fuzzy details.” Twilight shook her head slowly.

“Wait...” Rainbow Dash furrowed her brow, then asked uneasily: “Wait, why is she sending you into danger, then? I mean, if she's so scared of losing you...”

“Because sometimes when you've already decided something bad is going to happen, you can't help but try and make it happen faster.” Fluttershy answered for Twilight, giving a faint smile. “The thought that you're going to lose something is awful. Not knowing when you're going to lose it is even worse. And maybe it's not just losing Twilight again that really scares her. It's the afterwards. It's...”

“The thought of living through all of it again.” Twilight muttered, and then she shook her head before she straightened and said: “I think... I think if we can convince Lord Black to try negotiating again, we can fix things.”

“I don't know, Twilight... it sounds like things are past fixing. And that you don't even know for sure if all of this is true, let alone...” Rarity chewed at her lip uneasily, and then she shook her head and asked worriedly: “Twilight, what if you're wrong about all of this? What if this is just... what if Lord Black is just evil, and Celestia is trying to protect you, and, and-”

But Twilight only shook her head, smiling faintly as she said quietly: “One of the few things that I'm sure about is that Lord Black isn't the bad guy. But somehow that makes it worse. And that doesn't mean that if it comes right down to it, we're going to have to find a way to stop him.”

Twilight looked down, shaking her head again as she murmured: “But maybe that's why I'm so hopeful there's a solution that doesn't involve us fighting him. Because I have no idea how we could stand up to him and that floating fortress of his.”

“You'll figure something out, Twilight! You always do!” encouraged Rainbow Dash, before she grinned and said: “He's just a talking head, right? I bet if we could get past that floating fortress of his and all his goons, he'd go down in ten seconds flat!”

“Great, Rainbow. How do you think we're gonna get to him, then, if it does come down to that?”Applejack asked dryly.

Rainbow huffed, but clearly didn't have an answer. To her surprise, however, Twilight rose her head a little and murmured: “Well, we will. Somehow. Some way. We're capable of incredible things together...”

Twilight smiled faintly, raising her head and saying a little more clearly: “Maybe that's why this all makes me so sad. Because if we could all just work together, we could achieve so much more than working apart. And I think Lord Black and Princess Celestia both know that. And instead, we're just... we're just fighting.”

Twilight Sparkle rubbed at her face slowly, and then she sighed before she said finally: “We should all try and get some rest. Things... I have a lot of hope, but I know that things... well...”

“A storm is coming.” Fluttershy murmured, and she hesitated before she added: “But we all want to do everything we can to help, Twilight. No matter how scary it is.”

Twilight smiled briefly again at this, and then she simply nodded before her eyes roved away. She only half-heard the rest of her friends all chipping in with their own promises and reassurances: all she could think about was how right Fluttershy was.

A storm was coming.

She hoped they were ready for it.

A group of Royal Guard met them at the train station in the hinterlands that sat outside the Crystal Empire: the station itself was abandoned, and Twilight couldn't help but notice that one of the soldiers stayed back for a moment to chain the doors shut once they stepped out into the wastes.

A road had been constructed from the train station to the Crystal Empire's true border; the edge of the immense magical shield that protected it from the biting cold. They didn't follow this path, however: instead, they trekked across cold, blowing tundra to a hidden entrance.

They descended into a dark, dank tunnel, the guards stone-faced even as Applejack muttered: “I feel the earth artes in the walls here... they're the only thing holdin' these tunnels together.”

“I guess they want to make sure there's no way for Lord Black's soldiers to get inside.” Twilight hesitated, then asked: “But I thought ponies could freely pass-”

“Please remain as quiet as possible, Miss Sparkle. We can't risk being tracked.” said one of the guards curtly, and Twilight gave an uneasy smile and nod.

They were silent as they made their way through the narrow, uncomfortable tunnels to a ladder. The guards went up first, then called the mares up: one after the other, they stepped into the basement of some house, which had been turned into a military checkpoint.

Twilight grimaced as the soldiers checked them over: one of the soldiers frowned as he perused her coded letters, but then a commander in purple armor leaned in and muttered something in his ear, and the soldier almost flung it away like it was hot, giving Twilight a nervous smile.

Sometimes she'd been treated with respect, or deference, because of her connections, sure. But she'd never seen fear in anypony's eyes, much less a soldier's.

Twilight smiled uncomfortably back, then frowned over her shoulder as Rarity huffed loudly, snatching her makeup bag back from a soldier as she snapped: “Well, some things are personal to a mare!”

“Miss, it's all-” But Rarity was already storming away, and the soldier sighed and rubbed at his face, clearly deciding it wasn't worth pursuing.

The others had what few things they'd brought with them searched, and then they were allowed to go to the next room and wait. Twilight hated it, and she knew it made her friends all feel incredibly uncomfortable, too. Sure, they were just doing their jobs, trying to keep the Crystal Empire safe, but she didn't understand the point of-

“Sorry for the wait, ma'ams. We had to finish your IDs.” a soldier apologized as he entered the waiting room, and the six mares looked up in surprise as the guard calmly passed out a piece of paper with a plastic card attached to it for each of them. “We're currently in a state of full military lockdown. Due to concerns about spies and changelings, any and all personnel who plan to enter the Crystal Castle have to be screened and verified.”

“What?” Rainbow Dash asked dumbly, staring blankly at her ID card.

The Royal Guard continued: “Currently, there is a curfew in effect for six o'clock, and no business is to take place before eight AM. Please do not be alarmed by the military patrols you may see in the city: they are here for your protection. Public access areas, such as the library and gardens, are all currently under military supervision. You may be asked to present your ID at any of these locations, at any time: please remember this is for your protection.”

Twilight shifted uneasily as the mares traded looks between themselves, and then she looked down at her ID card as the Guard finished: “Please direct any other questions you may have to your escort, who will be arriving momentarily. Keep your ID on you at all times, and remember that your continued cooperation ensures the safety of all ponies.”

The ponies gave various unenthusiastic replies, but the soldier was already leaving, his spiel done and his point made. Twilight grimaced a little as she looked down at her ID again before she sighed and tucked it back in her satchel, muttering: “Guess we better not lose these.”

“They must be really scared.” Fluttershy said as she looked at her ID card, before she bit her lip as she asked uneasily: “Does this mean we're going to have to go through this again at the castle?”

“I don't think so.” Twilight said, but she really wasn't sure: she hadn't expected to be put through something like this in the first place. She understood wanting to keep everypony safe, but...

She looked up as another guard entered, this one dressed in lighter armor and smiling at them, but he was visibly exhausted even as he greeted: “Hi there! I'm your guide, North Star. I'll answer any questions you have on the way to the Crystal Castle.”

Poor North Star was immediately flooded with questions from worried mares, and Twilight just watched, silently, how he handled it all. He had clearly done it several times now, since he knew to wait until the mares calmed a little before he reassured: “It's all for your safety. Just follow me, please, and let's try and keep the questions coming one at a time. Okay?”

A lot of his answers sounded very rehearsed, but their questions were probably ones he'd heard a lot of. And Twilight wasn't stupid: he and the rest of the military had a vested interest in keeping the panic as low as possible, and softening or sugarcoating every answer he gave.

But Twilight didn't like the lies he was telling here and there, when he said things like: 'there's no danger of breach,' or 'every soldier and civilian inside the Crystal Empire has been verified.' There was no way to guarantee these things: and, even if you could, there were other routes of attack.

As they walked through the streets, Twilight looked critically back and forth: they'd barely walked a few blocks and they had already passed at least two visible military checkpoints. Soldiers were on patrol, and civilians were moving in neat, orderly lines like they'd probably been advised to: the streets were plenty busy with organized patrols, after all, and what looked like civilian volunteers in vests and badges, very proud of their glorified positions as hall monitors.

That was uncharitable.

Twilight asked, before she could stop herself: “Why are you working as a guide?”

The soldier seemed surprised by the question, and then North Star cleared his throat before he answered: “Well, I have more experience in public relations than combat. Commander Hawk decided this was a better position for me, where I could do the most good.”

He smiled. A big fake smile. The question stressed him out, exacerbated by how long he'd probably gone without sleep.

Twilight felt a cruel urge to make the soldier snap, just to see what would happen. She understood immediately, after all: he was either a rookie, or had demonstrated some unwillingness to do what was necessary. Maybe he had spoken up about the occupation, because there was no point in pretending that wasn't what this was.

So they saved the most humbling task they could for him: tour guide for ponies who had already been verified, who were here to support or help the regime. Cleaning latrines would have been easy, after all, let him face away from what was going on: this way, he had to face, every single moment, what he'd either refused to be part of or screwed up his chance to take part in, all while wearing a smile and reciting every lie they told him to say.

It was unnecessarily cruel already. There was no point in hurting him any further. The fact she had even considered doing so... she wondered what that said about her.

Twilight looked up at the sky, noted the thrumming quality of the shield, the intensity of the magic, and she asked: “Have they fortified the dome protecting us?”

“Yes, they have.” North Star replied, looking relieved. “Our scientists were able to retrofit technology given to us by Princess Celestia to supplement the protective dome: the shield is completely impenetrable now, which is why you had to come in through one of several secure underground tunnels. That's why we can be so sure we're absolutely safe here, inside the shield.”

Twilight didn't bother to respond to that claim, asking instead: “Do you know anything about the technology powering the shield?”

“No ma'am. That's not something I'm permitted to talk about.” apologized the guide, before he pointed with a smile towards the great tower of the Crystal Castle, saying cheerfully: “I'm sure the Prince and Princess will be more than delighted to fill you in on all the details, but look, even from here you can see...”

He rambled about the 'safety measures' and 'protective magic;' fortifications and wards, by other names. Twilight couldn't help but notice that the closer they got to the center of the Crystal Empire, the more soldiers, the more militarization they saw, and the more volunteer ponies she could see in vests and badges. They passed through a checkpoint, where they all had to show their ID to the guard on duty: the guards looked tired, she thought, but that didn't make her feel a lot better.

Even if it was honestly to protect them, was this the right thing to do? Putting the Crystal Empire on lockdown, treating its citizens like they were servants or even prisoners?

She remembered when everypony had been gathered here, in the beautiful courtyard below the castle. Now, as they approached it, she saw only armored soldiers, standing guard around tents and fences, completely blocking the gemstone heart of this kingdom from view.

Once the Crystal Heart had been left in the open, for everypony to see, for everypony to give their love to. Now, it was hidden from sight, along with whatever technology – likely first provided by Lord Black himself – was empowering it.

They approached one of the castle entrances, and another military checkpoint. But here, their guide smiled and saluted them, saying cheerfully: “Well, good luck, and I hope you enjoy your stay! Remember the rules we discussed!”

“You're leaving? But we didn't even get a chance to thank you!” Pinkie Pie said, her childish surprise not entirely hiding her nervousness.

“I'm afraid I don't have clearance past this point. We all have to do our part to stay safe, after all!” answered North Star with a strained smile. “Now, uh, please excuse me. Duty calls, you know!”

He hurried away before they could ask any other questions, and Twilight Sparkle silently wondered if he was perhaps trying to avoid someone, or if maybe he had made some misstep they weren't aware of.

They showed their ID, and the soldiers asked to search them: it wasn't really a question, Twilight knew, but all the same she couldn't help but ask: “Why?”

“Safety, ma'am.” one of the guards answered.

Twilight narrowed her eyes. She saw Fluttershy shift uncomfortably, Rarity bite her lip, and even her more boisterous friends didn't look comfortable as one of the guards started forwards as he slipped plastic hoof-gloves on with telekinesis, beginning: “Please remove all your-”

“No.” Twilight said, before she was even aware of it.

The soldier stopped, staring at her blankly, as if he couldn't comprehend what she had just said.

“Uh... I'm afraid that to enter the castle-” he started.

“Get my brother.” Twilight ordered, glaring at the soldier. The Royal Guard looked confused for a moment, glancing dumbly back and forth, before he flinched as Twilight shouted: “Now!”

The Royal Guard scurried away with a wince, not even bothering to remove the one glove he'd managed to get on. All eyes stared at her, and Twilight scowled before she drew a curdling glare across the other soldiers, who winced and nervously looked the other way.

It wasn't their fault. It was wrong of her to take her mood out on them. But whether or not they were just following orders, she wasn't going to just stand back and let her friends be put through another unnecessary invasion of their privacy.

“Are you okay, Twilight?” asked Pinkie anxiously.

“I'm fine. But I'm done being pushed around by everyone, too. We're here for a reason. And unfortunately, none of this is helping the current situation.” Twilight muttered as she looked back and forth.

Her friends traded looks, but no one argued with her. And a few minutes later, a perplexed-looking Shining Armor – in his ceremonial armor, no less, polished and as perfect as his roguish blue mane – came towards them, asking: “Twilight, what's all this-”

Twilight glared at Shining Armor, and he quailed under that look, the white unicorn's eyes widening slightly as she snapped: “I could ask you the same thing! Military occupation? Checkpoints? Searching every pony that comes in?”

“We uh... we have to prevent...” Shining Armor cleared his throat before he straightened, saying firmly: “Twilight, I have to do everything in my power-”

“To protect these ponies. You're not.” Twilight said shortly, and it hurt her a little to see Shining's pride crumple. Even though she was the little sister, after all, he had always come to her for help with magic, with theory, with all the more difficult academic things that he had never had as much of a mind for, and now here she was, scolding him in public for... for being an idiot. “I could understand if there was a Changeling invasion or something, sure; it would be no less wrong, but at least I could understand.”

“Twilight, Lord Black is a murderer, and Celestia already told us he managed to get spies into Canterlot. We absolutely cannot afford to let him get inside here, not when we're so close, when we have one means of defense against him, but something that might actually work!” Shining shouted back.

“It won't work.” Twilight said, quiet and firm, and she saw Shining hesitate. His whole world likely wavered in front of his eyes, everything that he had hoped to do and achieve, before Twilight gave a trembling smile as she said quietly: “And you know what? Lord Black won't hesitate to kill. And what have you done? You've put civilians in military uniforms. Do you really think he's going to hesitate to kill them because they've got big volunteer badges on their chests?”

“They... they're just... they're just helping maintain order, that's all.” Shining answered, but he was clearly shaken by that thought, shaking his head before he gave an awkward laugh. “Come on, Twilight, we're getting off on the wrong hoof here. You're here to help, Celestia said-”

“I am here to help, Shining. But even though you're my BBBFF, I can't tell you what you want to hear. That you have a chance. That you've done everything right.” Twilight answered bluntly, rubbing silently at her face. She wanted to scream and cry and yell and piss Shining off and tell him it was all okay, really, but she couldn't afford to do any of those things. She had to do the one thing she didn't want to do.

“You don't know what you're up against. I do.” Twilight closed her eyes, took a breath, and then said quietly: “Dismantle all your defenses. Lay down all your arms. We have to prepare for a preemptive surrender to Lord Black.”

“What?” Shining Armor's eyes widened in shock, shaking his head and mouthing wordlessly before he shouted: “Twilight, what the hell are you talking about? Celestia said-”

“If we do not surrender, Lord Black won't kill you.” Twilight said quietly, and the hardness of her gaze silenced Shining more than her words. “Lord Black will kill everyone around you. He's here for the core piece. He knows it's here, so let's not pretend otherwise. He's not going to show you patience or mercy. Celestia used it all up and probably made him even less willing to deal with us after she sent him on that wild goose chase.

“We cannot fight Lord Black. We cannot win through force.” Twilight put plainly. “But we might be able to negotiate with him. But we have to surrender to him to show him we're willing to work with him.”

Shining Armor lowered his head silently. He shifted back and forth, did that thing where he twisted his hoof against the ground, and then he finally grimaced before he looked up and said quietly: “Come with me. Maybe you'll change your mind once you see the New Power Initiative.”

“You completed it?” Twilight asked, blinking in disbelief. “But Celestia said-”

“Well, it seems Celestia told us both things that weren't true.” Shining Armor retorted, and then he scowled a little before he shook his head and turned around.

Twilight followed after her brother, not looking back: her friends took that silent cue to linger behind. He led her upward into the castle, and they walked silently through heavily-patrolled, fortified corridors and halls, until they reached a massive, armored door.

Soldiers saluted on either side of this, then both turned and began to power the locks with magic. As the door slowly began to rumble open, Shining said abruptly: “I don't like what I had to do, Twilight, but you have to understand that in times of war, things have to happen. Things I don't like, and you don't have to like. But we have to maintain order. What if I just said, go on with your daily lives? If one bad guy slipped through, it would be my fault. And we'd lose everything. So everyone can be a little uncomfortable, a little mad at me. I'll live with it. They will too. And they won't die.”

“You were always good at telling yourself it wasn't your fault when I got caught sneaking cookies out of the cookie jar for us both.” Twilight replied bitterly, and Shining flushed before he huffed and shook his head.

“Yeah, well, I never saw you leap to my defense for all the times I got in trouble for your magic.” Shining shot back.

The siblings glared at each other, and then Shining grunted and led the way forwards as the armored door opened fully. They passed through a heavy curtain, much like the one that had veiled the vault in Canterlot: the one that hadn't apparently done nearly enough to hide the energy signature of the core piece as they had originally thought it would.

“Shining! Twilight!” Princess Cadance looked up with a smile that became a little uneasy as Shining Armor stormed in, Twilight stomping along behind him. They broke to either side of Cadance, who gently touched her husband's shoulder as she smiled awkwardly at Twilight, but the purple mare's attention had already been caught by the core piece in the center of the room, which was housed in some kind of machine casing.

Twilight Sparkle frowned uneasily: the core piece pulsed in rhythm, only half-visible with the heavy metal frame squeezing around it, leaving only the sides visible. Cords and cables fed from the sides of this shell, some attaching to nodes around the base of the machine, others sprawled across the floor to feed like naked veins into other strange mechanisms.

“So you figured out how to use the core piece as a battery...” muttered Twilight, frowning as she approached one of the smaller machines. It had some kind of readout on it, showing all kinds of information in a language she didn't entirely understand... “Is this coded?”

“We think so. We're not sure. We've been able to repurpose the machinery, but we've been having trouble getting the display to be more understandable. So far we've only figured out the basics.” Princess Cadance answered, walking over to give Twilight a firm hug, and the mare winced a bit. “But that's okay. We're safe, Twilight.”

“I don't think you are.” Twilight muttered, carefully pushing Cadance back before she sighed and turned her eyes towards the readout: this wasn't Equestrian technology. None of this was. “Lord Black will know better than any of us how all of this technology works. He'll know its vulnerabilities. We don't have a choice.”

“We have a choice!” Shining Armor snapped, and Cadance frowned at his forcefulness. “Twilight, you're the last pony I ever expected would want to... to just lie down and die! There's no way I'm going to just surrender to that murderer!”

“All of this is his. The core piece, the technology, all of this is Lord Black's. Do you not understand what that means?” Twilight asked, turning towards them. “That means his floating fortress likely has the means to counter anything, anything, that we do with it! And if we force him to fight us, he's going to rain down a fire like you've never imagined, Shining! You're going to get ponies killed!”

“And these ponies were already slaves once! I'm not going to-”

“Shining, he's not here to conquer!” Twilight snapped, exasperated. “He's here to take his technology back!”

“Yeah, and if he does, he'll leave the Crystal Kingdom in darkness!” Shining snapped. “Or did you think that the Crystal Empire was running on generosity, Twilight? Because we're running out of power for the kingdom, and-”

“Okay, okay. Enough.” Cadance suddenly cut in sharply, stepping between the two and glaring between them. “What is wrong with you both? We're supposed to be family! We're all on the same side here.”

She softened, then turned towards Twilight and said quietly: “Look, I know it's dangerous. But that's why we've been tightened security so much. To make sure none of Lord Black's agents could come in here. With the combined power of the Crystal Heart and this core, though, there's no way he has enough power to break that forcefield, Twilight. The entire Equestrian army couldn't break that shield.”

“And you.” Cadance rounded on Shining. “Twilight's been through hell. Princess Celestia blamed her for what happened in Canterlot and she's had to shoulder that burden alone. She lost her friend, Spike, and she's been trying to face Lord Black all alone. Maybe you could act like her big brother instead of yelling at her because she's scared, huh?”

Shining looked away, ashamed and embarrassed, and Twilight shook her head before she said quietly: “Cadance, we met a single pony under Lord Black's command who probably has the strength of the entire Equestrian army. You don't understand.”

But Cadance only turned to her with a gentle smile, saying softly: “Twilight, I understand you're concerned, but have faith. We can defend ourselves. What would surrendering do, anyway? What would just letting him come in here and take this from us accomplish?”

“I don't want that.” Twilight replied with a shake of her head. “But if we offer our surrender, Lord Black will consider negotiating with us. We can't win through force. We have to talk to him.”

Cadance lowered her head in thought, then glanced u p as Shining Armor sighed tiredly before he offered: “What if we invite him for negotiations? I'm sure there must be some way to get in contact with him.”

“Celestia was able to. I'm sure she can tell us how.” Cadance smiled, then gently took Twilight's hooves, squeezing them as she said softly: “Don't you worry, Twilight. I'm sure we can work this all out. If you really want to try talking to him, we'll give you that chance.”

Twilight Sparkle tried to smile at Cadance as her brother awkwardly patted her shoulder, but as the machine hummed away behind her, all she could think about was the fact that even if everyone wanted the same thing, no one could understand that their paths were taking them away from peace, and headlong towards conflict.

She only hoped they understood where they were heading before it was too late.

Little Conspiracies

Chapter Ten: Little Conspiracies
~BlackRoseRaven

Princess Celestia sat silently with the communicator Thorn Blackfeather had given her in one hoof. Princess Cadance had sent her a message, asking her to try and broker peace, one last time. Or rather, to tell Thorn that Twilight Sparkle wanted to negotiate with him.

She studied the device. It looked much like a watch, but the screen displayed whoever she was talking to, no matter how far away they were, as long as they had some corresponding device to speak through. It was a marvelous piece of technology, replicating the effects of ancient, extremely powerful communication orbs without the need for complicated magic.

Anyone could do it.

She flicked it on, and a profile of a dragon appeared for a moment. A strange icon, she thought.

Then the icon was gone, and instead she was looking at Thorn Blackfeather's face, the stallion asking politely: “I assume this has to do with my upcoming visit to the Crystal Empire?”

“Yes. Twilight Sparkle will be there.” Princess Celestia replied, just as cordial, as she sat back in her throne. Here she was, alone in the darkness in the dead of cold, lightless past-midnight, talking and scheming with a stallion everypony had warned her about. Scandalous.

Thorn nodded briefly, and then he asked bluntly: “Will I encounter resistance?”

“Yes. They have devised a shielding system using the core piece I gave them.” Princess Celestia answered, before she asked in a quieter voice: “But you already knew that, didn't you? You have a spy in their midst, I assume.”

Thorn gave a thin smile, and there was silence for a moment before Celestia asked, almost rudely: “How was your visit to the griffin kingdom?”

“We suffered several casualties. The griffins assumed the explosion from the device you rigged was due to our tampering. To avoid unnecessary war, I refrained from providing evidence of your interference. You're welcome.” Thorn answered.

Princess Celestia smiled wryly. “It's been a long time since a pony has dared to scold me, Thorn Blackfeather.”

“Perhaps you need it more often, then.” Thorn replied cordially, before he continued: “My terms are simple. Twilight Sparkle will be picked up at the train station outside of the Crystal Empire in twelve hours' time. She will be taken aboard the Queen Mary, where I will negotiate with her under the assumption she has the full endorsement of both yourself and Princess Cadance, and thus the full weight of your powers vested in her.”

“So you can manipulate a young, naive mare into giving you everything you want?” questioned Princess Celestia, almost idly, even as her eyes burned down into the screen.

Thorn smiled at her again, then continued as if he hadn't been interrupted: “Once negotiations are concluded, and a decision has been reached, I will return Twilight Sparkle to the Crystal Kingdom by Nighthawk. If negotiations were successful, we will continue as proposed. If they have failed, I will resort to force.”

“And if negotiations never occur?” asked Princess Celestia.

“My soldiers will wait at the station for one hour. After that, I will consider our negotiations as failed.” Thorn Blackfeather replied evenly.

The two studied each other silently for a few moments, and then Princess Celestia nodded before she said, low and deadly serious: “I will never turn over the core to you. Not while we need it.”

“Then perhaps my talk with Twilight Sparkle will only be an exercise in futility. But all the same, I am willing to attempt to negotiate. I hope that you are open to the same.” Thorn answered evenly.

Celestia grimaced, and then she sighed before nodding once, saying grudgingly: “Fine. Assuming conflict occurs-”

“While unusual to allow the enemy to dictate rules of engagement, I have no interest in prolonged warfare or causing more destruction or death than is necessary.” Thorn said tactfully. “But that is all I can promise. But please recognize that I will not hesitate to use lethal force if provoked.”

“Very well, Lord Black.” Princess Celestia smiled thinly, touching the side of the communicator. “Then all our hopes rest in Twilight Sparkle. Be good to her.”

With that, Celestia flicked off the communicator, and then she sighed and sat back for a moment in her throne. She closed her eyes, rubbing tiredly at her face for a moment before she looked down at the communicator again, and swiveled the little cog on the side to a different frequency before she hit the button to turn it on again.

Again, that same icon.

Drat, she'd forgotten to ask Thorn what it meant. Again.

The screen flickered to life, and Princess Cadance smiled from it as she asked: “Did you talk to Lord Black?”

“Yes. He's after Twilight Sparkle. He refuses to negotiate unless we surrender her to him.” Princess Celestia lied with perfect calm.

“What? But we can't do that!” blurted another voice, and Cadance winced as Shining Armor shoved his face against hers so he could stare down at the communicator on the other end, asking worriedly: “Did he say he was coming to get her?”

“Yes.” Celestia answered, omitting the where and when and why. “This isn't the first time he expressed interest in Twilight Sparkle. I believe he used his last encounter with her to assess her. I don't know what he intends to do with her, but...”

“But we can't let him take her!” Cadance blurted out, that old motherly instinct coming out: she had been Twilight's babysitter before being her friend, after all, and it showed in her, just as clearly as the big brother showed in Shining Armor at the way he gritted his teeth.

Their love made them blind.

“She was talking about surrendering to him. Is it possible he already did something to her?” he asked in a low voice, as his eyes shifted back and forth.

Nervous. Anxious. Of course they were.

Not afraid enough, though. Not yet.

“At this point, it's more than likely he's found some way to influence her. I expect coercion more than mind control, though. Twilight is very vulnerable right now, and she's under an intense amount of pressure.” Princess Celestia answered, before she suggested: “Keep a close eye on her and her friends.”

“We won't let her out of our sight.” Shining Armor agreed with a nod.

“Good. Lord Black is already on his way. He'll likely begin his attack within twelve hours. You need to be ready to hold him off for as long as possible.” Princess Celestia answered, and both ponies smiled and nodded firmly.

“We're ready for him.” Princess Cadance said, full of the confidence of ignorance. But Princess Celestia only smiled back as much as she could and nodded before she frowned as she heard a noise, shifting quickly upwards.

“I have to go. Be safe.” she said, before quickly turning the communicator off, and sliding a glare to the pony leaning on the side of her throne.

Princess Luna studied her silently for a few moments, and Princess Celestia glowered before she said shortly: “You should be in court.”

“You should be giving Lord Black a chance.” countered Princess Luna.

“And what? Risk losing them all over again? Or surrender our only hope of generating enough power to restore some sort of balance before we reach catastrophe?” Celestia snorted, almost leaping out of her throne to storm down the throne hall, before she spun around to glare at Luna. “What would you do, oh wise Mare Imbrium?”

Luna mused for a moment, unfettered, then she calmly sat down in Celestia's throne before she said bluntly: “Tell Lord Black that we will surrender the anchor to him, and he may select his candidates. I would hold my end of the deal we originally made with him.”

“That was before we knew the truth, Luna! Before we knew he was from the place that manufactured those monsters that slaughtered all of Ponyville, and before we saw what he was capable of!” Celestia retorted, before she grimaced. “And it was also before we understood the extent of the danger facing us, and how quickly we were losing spiritual energy.”

“Then alter the deal.” Luna shrugged. “Lord Black was clearly not blind to our plight.”

“And our plight ranked far below his concerns all the same. I do not need his 'best hopes,' Luna, we need action. And I am not going to trade him Equestria's last chance at survival for an impossible plan, and...”

Celestia shivered a little, looking silently away, and Luna softened before she said quietly: “He said it was the best way. I do not believe he was lying.”

“Every night, I dream of them, dead or dying. And sometimes I almost see the things that did it. I remember the Traveler, and the story she told us...” Princess Celestia smiled bitterly at Luna, who glanced away. “I remember how Ponyville became a haunted, evil place. I remember the ghosts, trapped there, and the shadows that never went away. Not until... it all just came back.”

Celestia fell silent, and then she shook her head and murmured: “The anchor must have had something to do with that. I wanted to find out what. I remember bringing it up from where we'd hidden it... where we promised to protect it. It was the only thing that hadn't changed.

“And now he wants to take it away.” Celestia trembled, before she looked at Luna with tears in her eyes and cried out the fear, the fear that had been consuming her since Thorn had first spoken of it: “And what if taking it away takes all of this away? What if taking it away ends this dream, Luna, and I have to go back to the hell, where I was forced, every day, to look down on the graveyard that Ponyville had become from Canterlot's lonely towers?”

“The Traveler destroyed the monsters, but they poisoned our land. I remember, I remember it very well. The creeping evil. The hollowness in reality. The dark... but also, I remember the light.” Princess Luna slipped out of the throne, smiling faintly as she walked towards Celestia, then embraced her trembling sister fiercely. “Nothing lasts forever.”

Celestia lowered her head, and then she closed her eyes and breathed out slowly, whispering: “Yes. But if he takes the core away, we lose everything. The artes that ponies depend on. The ability to power our homes. Twilight Sparkle. All of it, for nothing. To be given it all back, Luna, to have everything fixed, and then to have it all taken away again... it would be unbearable.”

“You were almost excited when he first suggested taking Twilight Sparkle with him. That she was unique.” Luna smiled faintly. “You were a proud mother in that moment, even though it meant-”

“That I would never see her again. But there are worlds out there that have never even been dreamt of by you or I, and if she can experience them... she deserves more. More than being the student of a Princess. And all the plans I had for her... nothing could compare to the opportunity of learning the truth of our universe.” Princess Celestia quieted, then she slowly shrugged Luna off before she turned away, striding into the darkness as she whispered: “And I only hope that once Thorn Blackfeather drags the anchor from the grip of my cold, dead corpse, he will still accept her as his student.”

Luna sighed quietly as Celestia walked away, shaking her head slowly as her sister vanished into the darkness, before she closed her eyes and murmured: “Ever the martyr, my sister. I hope this doesn't end the way you hope it will... but I fear that will only happen if you learn to allow Equestria to stand on its own hooves.”

Twilight Sparkle had a terrible feeling in her stomach. First, as happy as she was that Shining Armor wanted to patch things out with her, she was suspicious about the way he was trying to keep her busy. It didn't help he was a terrible liar, and she didn't believe for a second that Lord Black wasn't going to arrive until at least tomorrow.

She knew they'd been lucky to arrive at the Crystal Empire before Lord Black did. She was surprised it was taking this long, really.

It was after noon. She wasn't sure precisely when after noon, because Shining and Cadance were very purposefully drawing out this game of Conquestria in the Royal Library with her. Twilight moodily played with her princess, which sat on Canterlot: her victory was inevitable, but thanks to a treaty between Shining and Cadance, they were able to hold off her main force. That was really all they could do: they were losing troops and resources faster than they could gain them back, thanks to Twilight's stranglehold on the Horseshoe Mountains and Saddle Arabia, and with all her main force now in Equestria...

“Guess it was silly to start in the Crystal Empire, huh?” Princess Cadance mumbled as she pondered her next move very visibly.

“Limited resources and harsh terrain penalties for miles. A powerful defense bonus, but that only prevents siege. It doesn't prevent starvation.” Twilight said moodily.

“You always did get really mean about this game.” Shining baited. “Remember when we were kids, and Mom and Dad wanted to just play a friendly game and so we were all going to be allies, but you got real mad and said 'that wasn't the point of the game!'”

Twilight grunted.

That clearly wasn't the response Shining Armor wanted, grinning but... he kept looking towards the windows. Was something happening? “Yeah, and you... hey, wait, you can't get up, remember if you leave-”

“Forfeit.” Twilight said, flicking her princess over as she walked towards the windows, and Shining Armor grimaced as he and Cadance traded looks before they hurried after the mare. “We should be trying to contact Lord Black-”

“We can't spend all day just waiting around for him to attack, though. We have to keep calm and try and live... normally!” Cadance said, smiling at her. She was so positive, and it hurt Twilight to wonder for the first time how much of that optimism was fake.

“Come on, Twilight. We only have a few days together. Everything is pretty quiet right now, so we should enjoy it while we can, Little Sister Best Friend Forever.” Shining pleaded.

Twilight Sparkle grimaced, then looked out the window, over the beautiful Crystal Empire sprawled out before her. Up this high in the towering Crystal Castle, she could almost hear the thrum of the forcefield that protected them: a great shield of energy too thick for her to see through.

And yet she knew, somehow, that Lord Black was out there somewhere, lurking and waiting and watching. He was going to attack soon, and here they were, playing board games.

Why?

That was the real question. Cadance and Shining weren't stupid ponies. Cadance could be too bright and optimistic, Shining could be bullheaded and argumentative, but they were far from stupid.

They had separated her from her friends. They were responding every now and then in private to inquiries, but they took turns, always leaving with whoever came to talk to them, then coming back in like nothing had happened. They had kept her in the castle all day, gradually moving higher and higher up the towering structure. They had called for snack after snack instead of any meal, as if they could trick her into not realizing it was after lunch.

She was being detained. They either thought that she was the spy, or that she was in some kind of serious danger.

Or hell, maybe they thought she was a lunatic.

“Twilight, maybe you want to get away from the window?” Shining said awkwardly, and Twilight couldn't help but roll her eyes as she mentally corrected herself. They did think she was a lunatic, clearly.

She wanted to say something witty, but all she could manage was to sigh and turn around, and Shining Armor smiled at her awkwardly as Cadence asked: “So, up for another game?”

“I want to know what's going on here. Why are you two trying to keep me here? We have important things we should be doing.” Twilight responded, deciding it would be better to be blunt than tactful right now to try and prevent the two from dancing around the issue.

Shining laughed awkwardly, but Cadence sighed and shook her head before murmuring: “Guess there's just no pulling the wool over your eyes, is there?”

That was supposed to distract her, so Twilight kept quiet and kept her eyes on Cadance, who hesitated for a moment before she said carefully: “We think that... Lord Black might have made a threat against you. In fact, Princess Celestia seemed very sure he had.”

“Very sure?” Twilight asked skeptically.

“Okay, Twilight, you don't have to be rude.” Cadance replied with a scowl. “She said he did.”

But there was a hesitation there still that told Twilight that wasn't the entire truth. So she only narrowed her eyes at Cadance, who grimaced a bit before she sighed a little and asked: “Are you sure that... Lord Black didn't put any pressure on you?”

“It's okay, Twilight. You can tell us anything. We want to help you.” Shining Armor added, leaning in with a small smile. “I... I know we didn't start off on a very good note this time, but I really do want to keep you safe. To keep everypony safe. And I know we both want the same thing.”

Twilight knew that the expected response was probably for her to raise her eyebrows or get confused or upset that they thought she was compromised. But she just felt... tired, at this point. After becoming a pariah in Canterlot, after facing Lord Black in Ponyville and finding out not everything was as it seemed, after everything she'd been through, well...

“Okay.” Twilight said simply, and both ponies looked at her with surprise before the unicorn looked between them and said, as honestly as she could: “You're going to put all of the Crystal Empire and Equestria in danger by trying to protect me.”

“I don't-”

“Putting aside the fact that if Lord Black asked to negotiate, and you told him no because you were worried about me, you two have spent all day coddling me and trying to stop me from doing... anything!” snapped Twilight, shaking her head vehemently. “You're the Prince and Princess of the Crystal Empire, and there is an enemy literally hovering above our heads, about to attack us!”

“And you're still my sister!” Shining Armor said forcefully, before he softened and repeated: “You're still my little sister, before anything else, and Cadance and I were terrified something was going to happen if we took our eyes off you. Twilight, apart from giving orders, there's really nothing we can do right now anyway. It's all going to come down to the shield, whether or not that protects us.”

“And it will. You'll see, it will.” Cadance added, but Twilight could hear her conviction wavering in her voice. “All we have to do is survive his attack. If he can't break through the shield, then he can't do anything to us, because he's sure not going to be able to float around in his fortress in that winter storm until we run out of food.”

“That's right. And even if he does try and wait us out, it won't be long now before Princess Celestia completes the New Power Initiative.” Shining Armor added, and Twilight Sparkle looked at him sharply.

“Wait, do you know what she's trying to do?” she asked.

They both hesitated. Twilight wanted to shout at them, but she remembered her lessons; lessons, ironically, that Celestia had ground into her head. So instead of yelling at them, she took a breath and reasoned: “I've been with you both all day. Lord Black is almost here. There's nothing I can do to interfere with what's going to happen now. So at worst... all you can do is reassure me. It's a weapon, isn't it?”

Cadance looked at Shining, and Shining looked back at Cadance, the two having a silent conversation before the alicorn sighed and nodded, and her husband gave a faint smile as he turned his eyes back to his little sister. “We don't honestly know much about it, but there are two parts to the machine that Celestia was planning to build... was planning to have us build, too. The primary part extracts energy from the core...”

“The second part focuses magic. But we never got to the second part so we don't know the application.” Cadance confessed. “Princess Celestia was very careful about sending us the materials and the plans. She'd send us just a little bit at a time: we were honestly lucky we were able to modify our current stage into a shield generator.

“I don't think Princess Celestia wants to hurt anyone. I don't think it's meant to be a weapon.” But Cadance hesitated, her eyes drifting away. “But I know that it takes more than just words to solve things sometimes. She has to protect us, Twilight Sparkle. Do you understand that?”

“Faciam quodlibet quod necesse est.” Twilight murmured. “I will do what must be done.”

“Yes.” Shining Armor smiled at her, settling a foreleg around her shoulders gently. “That's right, Twilight. That's what we all have to do sometimes.”

“I know. I'm starting to learn that.” The purple mare looked up quietly, grimacing a bit before she closed her eyes in thought.

They gave her the moment to think, the gears spinning a thousand miles a minute in Twilight's head. She wished Spike was here: if he had been here, he would have caused a distraction by now, or at least been able to scout out a way for her to talk to Lord Black.

He would give her a friend that she could lean on, and trust, and talk to about anything and everything. And most important of all, he'd listen to her. To her hopes and fears, to her beliefs and questions.

She frowned a bit as she felt a tingling, and then her eyes flickered open in surprise as a letter burst into being in front of her. She caught it before it could fall, both Shining and Cadance staring in surprise at it before Twilight awkwardly stepped backwards and away from the two, pulling the letter out to read the naked warning inside:

The shield is going to fail. You have ten minutes.

Mare Imbrium

“We need to get as many ponies to safety as possible. Lord Black is going to attack in ten minutes.” Twilight said immediately, looking up sharply at the two.

“That coincides with Celestia's warning.” muttered Shining Armor, and Twilight wanted to ask him what he was talking about and what the hell he was doing hiding that from her, but she swallowed that urge.

“The shield-”

“The shield will-” Twilight bit her own tongue, forcing herself not to yell at Cadance. She could probably shout at them both until they did what she wanted, but if she started a big argument it might be ten minutes before they finished, and by then...

“Maybe you're right.” Twilight said, even though she knew Cadance was wrong. “But if you're wrong, a lot of ponies could be hurt. Shining, you said yourself they might be uncomfortable, but at least they'll live. So if I'm wrong, they'll be uncomfortable for maybe an hour or so. But if the shield does fall, ponies could die.”

“We... we should get everyone to safety just in case, you're right. And getting the civilians inside isn't a bad idea anyway, it'll help us be ready to mobilize our soldiers in case of emergency.” Shining Armor agreed after a moment, nodding quickly before he turned and ran towards the door.

Twilight smiled briefly, then glanced at Cadance as she touched her shoulder, the princess asking: “Will you help evacuate the castle?”

“I'll take the-”

“I need you to go down, and order every officer you see to sound the order to evacuate. I'm going to go to the top of the castle and activate the warning siren for the city.” Cadance said with a brief smile. “I'll fly down to the courtyard and we can meet there, and then we'll all head down to the bunker together.”

Twilight nodded in agreement: this was the most she could do for now. It wasn't much, but it was something, at least: hopefully she would find her friends on the way, and together they could figure out some way to get her out there and into Lord Black's view.

She had to talk to him, negotiate with him. There was no way the shield was going to hold under his attack, and now it sounded like Princess Celestia had known that from the start...

Ah, but that didn't really surprise her at all, did it?

What was she doing? What kind of game were they playing here?

No time. Twilight ran through the halls, shouting at guards to help evacuate as she hurried down the steps, warning every pony she passed to get to safety, to get out of the tower. She hesitated when she reached the vault, lingering in front of it for a moment before she bit her lip and cursed under her breath, tracing magic across the face of the armored door.

She was joined a moment later by Shining Armor, who started to weave his own spell quickly over hers, her brother grinning as he asked: “I thought you had given up!”

“Dammit, Shining, I haven't given up on anything! Lord Black's coming through that shield one way or the other!” Twilight grumbled as she finished tracing her barrier spell, waiting for Shining to finish his beside hers before she neatly bound their spells together. “But you're right about one thing. We might as well not make it easy for him.”

“That's impenetrable, isn't it?” Shining hesitated, before he started: “If the shield holds-”

“Well, you'll have to find another way into the vault. The shield isn't going to hold, now come on, we need to tell everyone to get out of here.” Twilight said firmly, before she looked up in surprise as a klaxon sounded.

“Everyone knows now.” Shining said, before he shook his head and gestured at Twilight to follow. “Your friends are waiting for you outside the castle. We're going to get you all in the bunker.”

“I'm not going into the bunker. I need to be somewhere visible. I might still be able to talk to Lord Black.” Twilight retorted.

Shining shook his head, grimacing as he said sharply: “That's way too dangerous! If the shield falls, you'll be directly in harm's way! And Princess Celestia said-”

“Celestia's been saying a lot of things lately, Shining, and not all of it is true.” Twilight replied sharply. “I need you to trust me, not what ponies, even important ponies, are saying about me.”

Shining bit his lip, and then he winced when Twilight suddenly bodychecked him, the two staggering to a halt before the stallion frowned when the purple mare grabbed his shoulders and forcefully turned him to face her, meeting his eyes as she said, just loud enough to be heard over the blaring klaxon: “When I first found out about Lord Black, and what he'd done, Shining, I... I wanted to kill him. I wanted him dead. I thought he was a monster.

“He still scares me. He still is... ruthless, but he's not the bad guy I thought he was, that I wish he was because that would make everything easier.” Twilight shook her head, before she locked her gaze with Shining Armor's, saying: “Give me a chance to try and get in contact with him. That's all I'm asking.”

Shining bit his lip, and then he shifted a little before he sighed and shrugged her off, looking down as he muttered: “Fine. I'll... I'll try. But if he tries to hurt you-”

“You'll flail ineffectively at him. Okay.” Twilight smiled despite herself, and Shining gave her a flat look even as a slight smile twitched at his own mouth.

But there was no more time for banter as they both turned and hurried to the exit of the castle, pushing through the crowd of soldiers and civilians that were flooding out into the courtyard and streets below. Shining immediately stepped to one side, shouting orders to his commanders to get everyone to safety and start organizing troops away from the castle, while Twilight hurried to her friends, who greeted her with exclamations and confusion.

Twilight only gestured for them to follow, hurrying to weave through the stampeding exodus heading into the city as she shouted over the alarms and chaos: “We need to get to a rooftop! Rainbow, go check ahead, find something close, accessible, and high up! We need to be as visible as possible!”

“Got it, Twi!” Rainbow shot off as Twilight scanned the rooftops, her sharp mind doing its damnedest to remember the view of the city from the towering castle and estimating where...

“Here!” Rainbow shouted over the chaos as she shot back down, gesturing sharply at Twilight, and the purple mare led her friends in the direction that Rainbow had indicated...

And then everything stopped.

The crowd slowed, all eyes turning to the sky as sparks of magic filled the air as the shield rapidly lost power, thinning and vanishing until nothing was left but a weak dome that could barely withstand the cold winds. It flickered in and out, letting in gasps of cold snow, letting them catch glimpses of the great, monstrous craft floating above.

And then shadows covered the world as the floating fortress descended through the dome, magic sparking uselessly against its sides as it lowered itself through the forcefield and Lord Black's forces descended into the Crystal Empire.

Fault Lines

Chapter Eleven: Fault Lines
~BlackRoseRaven

Thorn Blackfeather stood in the bridge, calmly surveying the magic barrier before them as soldiers worked away at their consoles, before a mare with half her face replaced by steel and synthetic looked up and said: “We've isolated the source. Clockwork technology, as you predicted. Modified, but software and protocols all seem intact.”

“They have few, if any, programmable machines here. They wouldn't understand how to rewrite Decretum hardcoding in any event. Shut it down remotely.” Thorn ordered.

“Yes, sir.” the mare turned back to the console as several other soldiers joined her in this task, while Thorn returned his eyes to the window.

“Assemble a strike unit and prepare an Adjudicator. I want-”

“Boring!” booed a voice, and Thorn rolled his eye before he grimaced as a hoof slapped down on his shoulder, a mare in barbaric, spiky armor grinning widely beneath her skull-like helm. The bells and ornaments that decorated her heavy wooden yoke jingled as she almost demanded: “Allow me to fetch your pretty stone. I did not come on this journey to sit on my ass and look pretty for you.”

“No killing.” Thorn ordered as he slowly rolled an eye towards her.

The mare groaned loudly, throwing out her forelegs in exasperation. “Fine! Childish. But fie, fine. You think they'd be honored to have a warrior's death at the blade of a Valkyrie!”

“Gildrynn.”

The mare grumbled as she walked a few feet away, and then she spun around, yanking off her heavy helmet and feigning a grouchy salute. She was beautiful beneath her mask: her coat a dark, gorgeous emerald, her eyes a sharp blue, her mane intricately braided, falling in several long knots behind her head. But at the base of her neck, just beneath her throat, nodes visibly protruded from beneath her skin like mechanical tumors, clinking every so often against the heavy yoke she wore. “Aye, sir. Valkyrie Gildrynn, at your service, good master Thorn.”

“Engineering Squad A-3 will assist you. An Adjudicator will remain on standby if you require additional reinforcements.” Thorn said calmly. “I want this to be clean, Gildrynn. In and out. Avoid unnecessary contacts. Special warning applies to this world's Twilight Sparkle. Do not engage the candidate.”

“Ah, so you like that one, do you?” Gildrynn gave a cocky grin, but when Thorn didn't take her bait, she asked more seriously: “Powerful, then?”

“Unknown.” Thorn lowered his head, musing for a moment before he looked up and added shortly: “You have your orders. Follow them to the letter.”

“Sir yes sir.” Gildrynn said acerbically, and then she shoved her helmet back on before she grinned and spun around, running out of the bridge even as she called: “Be back in a whip of a cat's tail with your pretty rock, Thorn!”

Thorn only shook his head, feeling strangely uneasy as he turned back around to look down upon the Crystal Empire below. His eye drew across the city and the great tower of their palace, the stallion meditating over the signals that were appearing across the screen.

They were already trying fruitlessly to resist: pegasi were flying up in squadrons towards the floating fortress, but any who got too close were frightened off by warning shots from the anti-personnel turrets along the hull. Artillery was targeting them, both magical and kinetic, but neither could penetrate the killshield the Queen Mary was protected by: anything that moved too quickly towards the floating fortress was automatically targeted and obliterated by a powerful surge of energy.

But Thorn wasn't happy. It wasn't at all in the character of any world's Twilight Sparkle to avoid a meeting. And their systems had already detected her on a rooftop not far from the castle: she was likely trying to signal for his attention.

This attack on the Crystal Empire wasn't simply about the anchor, however. This was about teaching consequences. He was sorry that helpless ponies were going to suffer for the lesson that Princess Celestia was going to have to learn, but there were bigger things at play than what a single world thought of him, whether or not there was an Orphanage candidate here.

“Portia, locate all structural weaknesses and abnormalities of the tower structure. Compile a digital map and forward all information to Gildrynn.” Thorn ordered, and several new readouts appeared over the screen as the ship's AI went to work. “Deployment in forty seconds.”

“Rush rush rush!” Gildrynn's voice grumbled, as icons of her and the Kirin of Squad A-3 all flashed into existence along the bottom of the screen, allowing Thorn to check their status at a glance.

“Monitoring now. Watchtower is online.” said the mare at the console nearby. “Append?”

“No. Mordin, take over Serenity's duties. Serenity, the operation will begin at your command.” Thorn said politely, nodding to the mare, and she gave a brief smile to him before she nodded and turned back to the console.

“Readings are green. Valkyrie Unit, deploy!”

The shield simply vanished: of all the things that Twilight had expected, that wasn't one of them. It was like Lord Black still had control of his own technology somehow...

Twilight's eyes widened as she stood on the rooftop: was that his trump card? Was he able to somehow control his own technology, even over great distances? If that was true, then Princess Celestia's New Power Initiative...

Another thought occurred, one that chilled her to the bone: what if Princess Celestia had suspected that Lord Black could do this all along? And what if she had purposefully set up the Crystal Empire just to test this theory for her?

“Thorn!” Twilight shouted: but her voice was drowned out by the klaxons, and she had the feeling he wasn't looking at her, anyway. The shadow of his floating fortress was passing over her, headed towards the Crystal Castle...

Something dropped out of the floating fortress above: Twilight saw it for a moment, shaped like a cylinder with a drill-like head, before her eyes widened as fire burst out of the back of it and it streaked like a missile through the air to slam with a resounding crash into the face of the castle.

They were going after the core.

Twilight couldn't sit back and not do anything. She had to do something!

“Twilight! They're-”

“I saw, I saw, I... I'm going ahead!” Twilight gritted her teeth: she had never tried such a long distance jump before, but she didn't have a choice if she wanted to get there before it was too late.

She popped out of existence in a flash of neon, then reappeared with a sizzling crackle in the middle of the hallway, gasping and stumbling before she forced herself to leap to the side and hide behind a chunk of rubble as a voice shouted: “Intruder!”

Twilight started to look up, then squeaked as a hoof seized her by the horn and yanked her into the air. She came face-to-face with a mare grinning through a metal skull-helm at her, this strange, armored pony chortling: “Well, what do we have here? Precisely the little pony I was told not to spank!”

Twilight gasped as she was flung backwards, the armored mare grinning down at her, not glancing back even as there was a tremendous explosion behind her. The walls and floor rumbled as Twilight flinched back, trembling, but the mare only winked at her as she said: “You're lucky, little miss. Stupid move, though, teleporting in like this. If I wasn't under orders I would have cut your head off and left you for the crows!”

“I... I can't let you leave with the core.” Twilight stammered out, forcing herself to sit up before she gasped when the mare stomped on her chest and pushed her back down like she was a toy.

“Oh, I'm leaving with it, little miss, and there's not a damn thing you can do about it.” This titan of mare stepped back with a huff. “Now stay out of the way or I'll have to put you down myself.”

With that, the mare turned and trotted through the rubble, and Twilight shivered before she forced herself to sit up. Her head swam, but strength was creeping back into her limbs and vertigo was fading. She gritted her teeth as she stood up, just in time to watch as the mare tromped out of the hole their vehicle had torn through the wall...

Of course. They'd aimed at the room beside the vault. Then they'd bypassed the vault door and barrier completely by blowing a hole through the wall.

Stupid, stupid, stupid.

She stumbled to her hooves, then shouted desperately, as the Kirin walked out with the crystal core between them suspended in a stasis field: “H-Hey! Stop!”

“Really, miss? Are you really going to force my hoof here?” asked the armored mare as she turned towards her, and then she gave a wide grin beneath the mask of her helm, a massive bearded axe gleaming into being across her shoulders, the dwarven weapon glimmering dangerously as the mare idly squeezed a hoof around the pole. “Oh, please do.”

Twilight trembled for a moment, and then she took a breath and started: “I want to speak to Thorn Blackfeather-”

“No you don't, he's boring. Terrible company! Do you even know who you're in the honored company of, miss? Gildrynn, of the Valkyries!” The mare posed, her bells jingling quietly around her neck as she looked proudly down upon the unicorn. “If you want to have a discussion, miss, you'll do so with me. And you had best do most of that discussin' with your hooves.”

Twilight gritted her teeth, trembling in fear, but her mind was already going a thousand miles an hour, working out what she was faced with, what was going on in front of her. Four Kirin: not a military team, she saw immediately. They weren't well armed, didn't have their weapons out. But this Valkyrie, on the other hoof...

Gildrynn was cocky and loud and dressed like a comic book supervillain, but the sense of magic she radiated was both ancient and intense. There was no way Twilight could hope to survive a direct confrontation with her.

Maybe she didn't have to.

“Okay. I'm... I'm going to fight you.” Twilight declared, straightening a bit as her eyes drifted around the hall. “How do we do this?”

“Oh, dear.” Gildrynn laughed, then grinned and gestured at herself, saying easily: “Why don't you just take the first shot? Go on. Show me what you can do!”

Gildrynn puffed out her chest with a mocking smile, and Twilight gritted her teeth, focusing her magic before she snapped her horn out.

Her shot went wide of Gildrynn, hammering a cracked pillar behind her, and the Valkyrie snorted laughter before she opened her mouth, but whatever she was about to say was drowned out by a terrible rumbling above, and the mare had just enough time to dumbly look up before the broken pillar and most of the ceiling came crashing down on her head, smashing her through the floor in a great haze of dust and debris.

Twilight leapt into the cloud, using her own magic to sense out the location of the confused Kirin and the crystal before she leapt into it, focusing magic through her hooves as she slammed it into the stasis field as she shielded herself at the same time. And a moment later, the field exploded in a tremendous blast of lightning that knocked Kirin sprawling with howls of pain as the crystal core fell to the ground.

Twilight grasped it with telekinesis as the shield vanished from around her, before she screamed in surprise when the floor beneath her shattered away: she instinctively leapt onto the core and hugged it as she wrapped herself in her own magic aura, catching herself in midair and levitating above the debris-littered hall below as Gildrynn shouted furiously at her: “If you make me come up there to get you, little miss, I'm going to spank you that much harder!”

The unicorn winced, looking down at the banged-up Valkyrie: her armor had been dented and scratched in places, and... was that blood? The sight of it made Twilight's stomach twist as she leaned back, uncomfortably floating in midair with the large core piece thrumming against her body, almost shielding herself with it as Gildrynn angrily swung her axe back and forth beneath her.

“Fine, I'll get you myself.” growled the Valkyrie, extending a hoof towards her, and Twilight squeaked as she felt a massive telekinetic vise seize around her: the magic she'd already wrapped herself in to levitate was the only thing that saved her from being crushed as she was yanked forcibly down to Gildrynn's level, the Valkyrie glaring into her eyes as she said icily: “Now. What should I cut off first?”

Twilight grimaced, before she realized what she was sitting on: a massive source of energy. She gritted her teeth, focusing her magic down into the core as she snapped: “Worry about your... face!”

Gildrynn cocked her head in confusion, and then she howled in shock as a massive thrum of energy erupted from the core, knocking Twilight into the air with a grunt of surprise, but hammering into the Valkyrie and turning her into a meteor that blasted through the wall and shot through the sky, sailing far into the distance. Twilight gaped as she landed beside the core as it hovered beside her for a moment before it clunked down, and she winced, sweeping it back up and absently rubbing her smoldering hooves against the floor, but barely feeling the tingling burns on them as she muttered: “Gotta get out of here, got to get... right, there's a bunker under the castle!”

She bit her lip, leaning out the hole she'd knocked in the wall and looking down at the ground below, crawling with confused soldiers. She took a breath, then flung the core out into the open air in front of herself before she jumped on it, gritting her teeth as her magic enveloped them both as she fell through open air, riding the magic core rapidly towards the earth.

Voices shouted, hooves pointed, and Twilight took a breath as she naturally tapped into the core's magic, calling on its natural power to help her slow her fall, until she gently touched the earth, still standing awkwardly on the core. She smiled lamely back and forth, then hopped off it, clearing her throat as she said started urgently: “We need to get underground and-”

A hoof slammed into her face, the immense pain of which was overridden by pure shock as Twilight's head snapped to the side before her body followed as she was knocked flying into the crowd. Voices yelled from all sides, before Twilight felt herself yanked into the air by telekinesis, and then she was slammed into the ground, knocking the wind out of her in a gasp but snapping her out of her shock.

She wheezed for breath as she crawled up to her hooves, shaking her head quickly before she flinched in shock as white flames erupted from the courtyard behind her, sending her stumbling forwards. She looked back and forth in disbelief, and realized she was snared inside a circle of white, dancing flames, along with the crystal core... and a glowering, furious Gildrynn.

“So you want to dance, miss?” Gildrynn's axe appeared above her head, floating ominously for a moment before it slammed down into the ground as the Valkyrie cracked her neck. “Why don't I-”

Her eyes flicked sharply up, showing off supernatural reflexes as she reached up and caught Rainbow Dash before the mare could smash a kick into her face, the Valkyrie spinning to the side and whip-slamming the mare into the ground with a tremendous bang.

Rainbow groaned in pain, blinking dumbly a few times before the Valkyrie laughed, then blinked in dumb surprise as a voice shouted: “Hey, that's not fair!”

She turned to the side, just in time for a pink blur to slam a kick into her face, the Valkyrie staggering backwards with a grunt of shock before she swore in frustration when the ground beneath her erupted into jagged daggers. She stomped angrily at the earth, more knocked off balance than injured by the brittle rock thanks to her armor, but it gave Twilight the moment she needed to do the only thing that came to mind: run for the core.

Gildrynn's eyes blazed as they turned towards Twilight, and her axe ripped itself out of the ground to launch itself in a deadly spin towards her. The unicorn snarled as she narrowly deflected the axe away, but the wide blade of the bearded axe still caught her flank, made her bleed-

Again, she was reminded of the seriousness of the situation. There would be blood. There would be pain. There would be violence.

She had to survive it all. She had to be ready to respond in kind.

Gildrynn launched herself at her, and then she swore in frustration when Rainbow Dash leapt onto her head, the Valkyrie grunting in surprise before the pegasus leapfrogged her as she shoved her face hard into the earth, shouting: “I've been hit harder by Scoot!”

“I'll scoot you into next week!” snarled the Valkyrie as she launched herself up into the air after Rainbow, the pegasus wincing over her shoulder in surprise at the sight of the Valkyrie lunging high enough to grab her, before the armored mare squawked as a bolt of magic hammered into her back.

She dropped to all fours with a scowl before she simply jerked her head, and Rarity squealed as she was yanked over the barrier of flames, Fluttershy yelping as she was dragged after the unicorn thanks to clinging to her back. Gildrynn began to turn towards them, but then she scowled and instead blocked another kick from Pinkie, before she narrowed her eyes as she all-but-ignored a series of quick, slapping punches that banged loudly and uselessly against her armor as Pinkie shouted: “I challenge you to... to international boxing!”

“No.” the Valkyrie grabbed Pinkie by the neck, the mare giving a surprised hurk before she squealed as she was flung hard into Rarity and Fluttershy, bowling them both over. And then she snarled and leapt into the air over a massive blast of magic that tore a trench through the earth and whiffed out the flames behind her.

All eyes turned in shock to Twilight, who had the core in her magic grip, one hoof pressed against it and her body gleaming with magic. Gildrynn charged at her, but as fast as she was, Twilight's mind worked faster, blasting the ground in front of the Valkyrie and forcing her to retreat with a curse before she shoved a hoof at Twilight.

A powerful pyrokinetic explosion ripped through the air around the unicorn, her friends crying out in denial as white flames threatened to consume the unicorn and the core for a moment before they were simply whiffed out by a shockwave in response, and Gildrynn stared in shock for a moment before a solid blast of magic smashed into her, knocking her sprawling with a cry. Her helmet and chunks of armor flew in all directions, crashing to the ground around her as the Valkyrie skidded backwards with a hiss, before she rolled sharply, one of her forelegs hanging burnt and limp and broken, but a grin on her face as she growled: “That's more like it!”

Twilight's eyes widened, and she hesitated, and Gildrynn roared as her eyes gleamed and her head tilted to the side.

Twilight braced herself, but she prepared for wrong attack: the Valkyrie didn't charge or send magic at her. She simply grinned, and Twilight didn't know why before she screamed as agony tore through her body, staggering forwards before she dropped to the earth with a shuddering gasp, the core rolling away from her as she twitched violently, the Valkyrie's axe buried in her back.

“Disappointing!” the Valkyrie pronounced, grinning as she took a step forwards, before she snorted as Twilight's friends leapt in front of her,forming a furious line. But Gildrynn only smiled thinly, cracking her neck as she growled: “Oh, think you've got what it takes to stop me, do you?”

“Twilight!” Shining Armor and Cadance both ran to the mare, dropping beside her, ignoring the core. Twilight twitched on the ground, breathing hard, trembling in agony as her brother gently took her hoof, staring down at her with tears in his eyes as he whispered: “T-Twilight... no...”

“Oh knock it off, you idiots! Little miss isn't dying!” scolded Gildrynn, before she grimaced and stepped back, her eyes flicking up as she muttered: “I didn't call for reinforcements. I don't need help, Thorn Blackfeather.”

A transport flew down, hovering above the crowd: Kirin emerged first, leaping down and forcing soldiers back with their rifles, clearing a space so that Lord Black himself, and his masked Muse, could leap down from the transport.

“Gildrynn, you are dismissed.” he said coldly, and the Valkyrie glared at him, but then quailed when he gave her an icy look in return. “You disobeyed a direct order.”

“Fie.” complained the Valkyrie, but she grunted and nodded, storming away towards the hovering transport. Without so much as a twitch, even dragging her foreleg, she leapt easily up and into the vehicle, vanishing inside the ship.

Lord Black approached the mares, who continued to glare defiantly before they were almost all knocked sprawling as Shining Armor slammed through them, snarling at the stallion. Royal Guard closed in, but with barely a glance at them, Shining Armor yanked the sword away from one of them before he sharply gestured for them to fall back, the Prince growling: “Give me one good reason I shouldn't cut your head off, here and now.”

“You are not a soldier. You are not a champion. You are a leader to these ponies, and the battlefield is no longer your place. I am not here to fight you. I am here to retrieve the core piece. In return for your cooperation, I will heal Twilight Sparkle.” Lord Black said, calm and collected as ever.

Shining's eyes widened before he looked back at his sister. He trembled a bit, staring at the long, ugly axe buried in her back, before he narrowed his eyes and slid his gaze forwards as Lord Black continued: “Her injuries are not life-threatening. But without treatment she may walk with a limp for the rest of her life.”

“And how do you plan to treat her?” Shining asked evenly, pointing the sword at the stallion.

Lord Black was clearly unperturbed, answering: “We will take her aboard the Queen Mary for surgery. She will be my guest. We will conduct negotiations once appropriate, and then she will be returned. I will anchor the Queen Mary here and allow whoever you choose limited access: that way you don't have to fear any plans of abduction.”

Shining Armor nodded slowly, before he looked back at Cadance. He listened, silently, as his little sister whimpered, as his wife reassured the mare he'd tried all his life to protect.

He closed his eyes, then looked away and murmured: “So. Twilight, and the core piece. And you want to remain inside the Crystal Empire.”

“Ease of access. If you prefer, I can land the Queen Mary outside.” Lord Black answered.

“How do you know she's not dying?” Shining Armor asked, even though when he glanced back again, he saw a little nod from Cadance. It looked terrible, but...

“Biometric readings. And you can see the lack of bleeding for yourself. Gildrynn cauterized the wound. But that's why she needs surgery. The muscle damage will be permanent if left untreated.”

“You have an answer for everything, huh?” Shining Armor trembled, and then he took a breath and rose his head, saying quietly: “Fine. I can't let my little sister be put in any further danger.”

Thorn nodded, and started forwards.

Shining Armor waited, his body trembling, his head low, as he was forced to do something that went against everything he was.

But Twilight couldn't be allowed to be put in any more danger.

The sword sang as it cut suddenly through the air, and Thorn dodged backwards with a grimace of surprise, the blade narrowly cutting across his face, slicing through his cheek and loosening his eyepatch. Then Shining Armor swept the sword around to try and knock his foreleg out from under him even as voices cried out-

The sword banged uselessly against something metallic beneath the cloak, and Shining blinked in surprise before he gasped as he was blasted backwards by a surge of telekinetic power from Muse. His sword clattered to the ground as the Adjudicator stepped forwards, but then she retreated with her head lowered when Thorn gestured at her, saying quietly: “I will handle this personally.”

Shining shook his head, trembling as he picked himself up, and Thorn said calmly as he reached up to pull his loose eyepatch away from a closed, scarred eye: “This is not an intelligent course of action. You are a Prince now. Your duty, however terrible, is to protect yourself, first and foremost.”

“My duty is to my family!” Shining Armor shouted as he picked himself up, glaring furiously at the stallion. “Besides, if I kill you, this invasion ends, doesn't it?”

“This is not an invasion. This is a recovery mission.” Lord Black calmly undid the brooches holding his cape on, absently shrugging it loose and aside, and all eyes stared, not just at a scarred body, but a gleaming, mechanical foreleg that flexed slowly, overlaid plates shifting like living muscle as some kind of motor whirred up with a rumble in his shoulder.

“Either way, it stops. Maybe you should leave while you still can.” Shining Armor spat, before he grinned as he picked his sword back up, striding quickly forwards, unable to hear the weak, whispering protests of his sister.

“I see no reason to withdraw. I am familiar with this method of negotiation.” Thorn Blackfeather said quietly, and he opened his scarred eye, revealing a brilliant, neon blue iris that made Shining Armor flinch as it locked on him.

But the stallion steadied himself, gritting his teeth as he sized up his grizzled, scarred opponent. The white unicorn steadied himself, while Thorn simply breathed and relaxed, as if he didn't care that he was surrounded by an entire army of ponies, with only his four Kirin and Muse to back him up.

But Twilight and her friends knew he didn't have to be afraid with that kind of power at his disposal.

“Please stop.” Twilight tried to croak, but her voice couldn't escape her lips, and all she could do was watch.

Shining Armor lunged in, and Thorn dodged the first few swipes of his sword before he slapped a thrust away, then carelessly rapped Shining's face with his hoof as if the prince was a child, the stallion stumbling back as his eyes bulged in shock as Thorn said coldly: “That was your final warning. Surrender or I will respond with sufficient force to neutralize you.”

Shining snarled, then lunged forwards, slashing his sword down, and Thorn swung his metal foreleg up to block the attack, the blade clanging uselessly off the metal limb before the stallion stepped forwards into a precise hammer of his steel hoof into Shining's face. The prince staggered back with a gasp as blood burst from his nose, but then he snarled and stepped forwards into a slash-

Thorn slapped the sword away with ease, then hammered a short, quick flurry of strikes into the stallion's chest and head, knocking the white unicorn backwards in a daze before he was knocked flat by a hard blow to the side of his neck. He gasped on the ground, his foreleg and side numb, his body trembling as Thorn measured him with his eyes for a few moments before he said in a low, unmoved voice: “Passion is not a substitute for skill, and your efforts are not heroic, but idiotic. This is not a task for a prince.”

Shining snarled, and then he snapped his horn up with a shout, but the blast of magic was deflected: Twilight was barely able to detect Thorn's counter, because it was so precise.

Shining helplessly tried to press the attack, but he was barely able to grab his sword with telekinesis before it bounced uselessly across the ground as he felt some other magic firmly remove his psychic grip. He swore in frustration as he tried to get up, but Thorn caught him by the head, then briskly slammed it down into the floor of the square.

Cadance gasped, and the crowd milled in fear as Thorn stepped over Shining Armor's unconscious body. He walked over to the core piece, touching it gently before his eyes shifted to Twilight Sparkle.

Cadance stepped protectively in front of her, spreading her wings, trembling violently before she whispered: “I... I won't let you take her.”

“Very well.” Thorn said, neutral as ever, as he turned and approached. The Princess of Love shook in fear and anger before him, but when he gently brushed her aside, she allowed herself to be moved, even as she chewed fearfully at her lip.

Thorn knelt beside Twilight: he reached up and touched the axe, then calmly yanked it loose, making her gasp in pain before she trembled as he ran his hoof sharply over the wound, and she felt his magic penetrating her nerves, numbing them. She settled, trembling, hating the feeling of being... of being ripped open: it was so much worse than the pain somehow, knowing that her flesh had been pried apart, leaving a gaping nakedness to the world...

She was delirious.

Thorn gently touched her face, and she looked up at him, and the grizzled stallion studied her for a moment before a slight smile twitched at his mouth. “I don't see that anger in your eyes anymore.”

“I want to stop you.” Twilight whispered, but tears came to her eyes as she trembled and confessed: “But I'm scared that... we're all wrong. All of us.”

“We are.” Thorn agreed, before he straightened and said calmly, without looking at Cadance: “If you don't allow me to take her, all negotiations end here. I will stage a full assault on Canterlot and I will take the last piece of the anchor by force. You will receive nothing.”

“If I let you take her, I betray her, and my husband, and Princess Celestia. I... I won't let you take her. We won't let you take Equestria's last hope!” Cadance shouted, trembling, even though she knew she was powerless to resist, if Thorn decided that was what he wanted.

Thorn mused for a moment, and then he simply nodded and turned. Muse picked up the core piece for him, and they headed back towards the hovering, waiting transport, as Cadance mouthed wordlessly before she asked in disbelief: “That's... that's it?”

“I didn't come here to fight. I did not come here to abduct Twilight Sparkle. I came here for one thing: the anchor.” Thorn answered, looking back over his shoulder at her, calm and composed and careless as ever even as the slightest hint of frustration was betrayed by his terseness. “I have a job to finish, that is all.”

“But... but we...” Cadance trembled, then she hurried after Thorn, before she nearly tripped over Shining. She looked down at the stallion she loved for a moment, staring at his unconscious body before she looked up as Thorn climbed into the transport, shouting: “Please! Please help us! You... you bastard, why won't you just help us?”

“I have gone out of my way to try and help you. But a negotiation does not involve one side getting what it wants and the other side getting nothing.” Thorn replied calmly as he turned around, leaning out of the door of the transport as it slowly began to rise into the air. “So all that is left now is force.”

“W-Wait! We were scared, we... please help us! Just let us borrow the anchor for a little while longer, or-”

“No.” Thorn said simply, and with that, he ducked out of sight, and the transport flew into the air, heading back to the floating fortress.

And, as the shadow of the floating fortress vanished, Twilight Sparkle trembled on the ground, knowing that now the time for negotiations was over, and the time to choose a side had come.

She only hoped she wasn't on the wrong one.

Consequences

Chapter Twelve: Consequences
~BlackRoseRaven

Princess Celestia sat in her throne room, her communicator floating in front of her in her psychic grip. She scowled at the image of Thorn on it, and he looked coldly back at her.

“Negotiations have failed, then.” Celestia said.

“Because of you.” Thorn replied, tactless. She had made him angry. She counted that as a personal victory, even if it was likely also a terrible mistake.

“Yes.” There was no point in lying. “But did you really think I was going to entrust Twilight to your care after everything you've done? Or the pieces of the anchor? You promised to help. You've only brought us pain, and suffering, and death.”

“I am not going to explain myself to you again. You are fully aware of what I am doing, and why I am doing it.” Thorn replied frostily. “I am giving you one last chance to surrender, but my patience and my time here are both running thin. I will be forced to launch an all-out assault on Canterlot if you refuse to comply within ten hours.”

Celestia scowled, but this time she forced herself not to snap at the stallion, instead taking a breath before she asked, as calmly as she could: “Will you give me sixteen hours? I would like to discuss terms of surrender with my sister and council. If we can come to an agreement-”

“Ten hours. No more, no less. I am aware of the weapon you are building, Princess Celestia.” Thorn Blackfeather answered calmly, and Celestia scowled before she grimaced and nodded shortly.

But they both lingered for a moment, looking at one-another, until the Princess of the Sun asked abruptly: “Was Twilight Sparkle's performance... satisfactory?”

“Exemplary.” Thorn answered, before he said in a quieter voice: “If you had allowed her to negotiate terms-”

“Yes. She may have found peace between us. She may have convinced you, and more importantly, convinced me, to meet somewhere in the middle of where we are now.” Princess Celestia closed her eyes, saying softly: “And that is why I had to send her away, and could not allow that to happen. I cannot do what is in the best interest of Twilight Sparkle, and friendship. I have to do what is in the best interests of all of Equestria. Because without the energy of the core, we are doomed.”

“Ponies live without artes, using simpler forms of energy generation-”

“I don't care how other ponies live, Lord Black. I care how my ponies live.” Celestia replied sharply. “The entire world is going to fall into chaos when artes disappear. People across the globe depend on artes for their livelihood and their lives, and first there will be panic, then anger. And then? Riots. Uprisings. War. And we could avoid all that if you would just let us use the cores for a little while longer!”

“Your experiments have already seriously damaged the integrity of the anchor. It won't last a century before decaying completely at this rate, and it was originally intended to last for thousands upon thousands of years.” replied Thorn evenly. “And I offered you a power source, which you rejected out of hoof.”

“You offered me an insult.” hissed Celestia.

“So you would have preferred a lie?” Thorn countered.

Celestia snorted at this, before she opened her mouth, but Thorn cut her off before she could say anything: “No. You know the answer is no. Your elemental generators are spirit generators. They consume spiritual energy. I could easily have converted them to run on the Clay of Prometheus, but to create it in such large amounts, I would-”

Princess Celestia snorted, saying contemptibly: “I can't help but note how your absolute refusal to aid us is at odds with your eagerness to bring one of your monsters into our world.”

“I want this resolved as quickly and peacefully as possible. Setting up a corruption facility would allow me to establish a base of operations here. In that case, it benefits both of us.” Thorn answered calmly. “And-”

“It would be like handing my whole country over to you. We'd be dependent on you for power.” Celestia snorted. “As if I could trust you.”

Thorn smiled thinly. “I think I've proven myself more trustworthy than you, Celestia.”

“You've also killed my ponies. Injured countless others. And now, you're going to destroy my country by taking away the one thing we need to survive.” Celestia retorted harshly.

“Yes. But I've been honest about it.” Thorn answered, and Celestia didn't have a reply to that.

They measured each other silently for a few moments, and then the stallion nodded and said: “Ten hours.”

“My reply is thus. We will not surrender and we will not hesitate to use deadly force if you come within a hundred miles of Canterlot.” Celestia said coldly.

“Ten hours.” Thorn repeated, unfettered, before his image vanished from the communicator.

Celestia put it gently aside, taking a slow breath before she closed her eyes. When she opened them, her little sister was standing in front of her, looking up at her silently.

“I cannot give in to his demands.” Celestia said simply.

“Very well. Then activate the Great Horn and channel an earth arte through it. It will revitalize the surrounding countryside. It will buy us time.” Luna replied evenly.

Celestia scowled, before she shook her head and replied shortly: “No. We have no idea how much magic energy we'll be drawing at once from the crystal. Our devices may not be able to handle the power output. If that is the case, then-”

“Ah, yes, then you would prefer to try to knock his floating fortress out of the sky. Very rational of you, sister.” Luna said drolly.

Celestia slammed her hooves down as she leapt of her throne, shouting: “Then what would you have me do? What does it matter if we revitalize only one small section of Equestria? At least this way, we have a chance of stopping Lord Black, and retrieving the rest of the anchor from the rubble!”

“I do not know if that is optimism or nihilism talking. As if there is no choice but destruction.” Luna scoffed. “I would have you do as I said. Even one part of Equestria is better than none. And perhaps it will encourage Lord Black to further negotiations with us.”

“I don't see how.” Celestia retorted.

“Because you do not want to see.” countered Luna. “But I know that I would be much more lenient with a pony who tried to impress me, rather than a pony who attempted to murder me.”

“I will do whatever has to be done, Luna. For Equestria's sake. Even if it means losing everything.” Celestia replied sharply, shaking her head vehemently. “Now, we have ten hours to prepare for the upcoming assault.”

Luna was silent, and then she rose her head and said after a moment: “The ponies who die in this strife will be upon your head, Celestia. And you will have to answer for them. I will not take any part in this. I will lead the civilians to safety and fortify the bunkers.”

“Fine.” The ivory alicorn spun away, but Luna could see the tremble of surprise and hurt that went through her, heard her breath catch before she steadied herself as she said roughly: “I will ask for volunteers, then. And do not worry. I know I am responsible for all of this. But what choice do we have?”

“A thousand choices, sister. But none that you will allow yourself to see.” Luna softened, walking up the steps to stand beside her sibling, looking at her even as Celestia tried to stare anywhere but at her little sister. “You told me once that if we ask for everything, then we end up with nothing. You are demanding everything at once, can't you understand that? Twilight Sparkle, Equestria, the anchor... you cannot have it all. You cannot save it all.”

“I have to try.” Celestia shook her head, before she shivered when her sister hugged her. She tried to throw her off, but Luna refused to let go, resting her head against Celestia's neck, and the alicorn trembled before she clenched her eyes shut and whispered: “I don't want to bear this weight anymore. Even if I could go back to our original deal... then I lose Twilight. Our timeline perhaps... vanishes, and I'll have to look back on that despoiled shadow beneath Canterlot again. Artes will die. Ponies... will die. And even if none of those things are true... I would be handing over Equestria to machines and monsters I don't understand, who would change our way of life forever. I can't. I can't be asked to do that, Luna. I just can't.”

“We survived it once, when we woke up one morning two hundred years ago, and discovered Ponyville hadn't even been built yet, and the world was a happier, better place than the one we had left behind.” Luna smiled faintly. “You were there, when Twilight Sparkle was born. The joy in your eyes, Celestia... and how you could barely contain yourself when we played pretend that 'Nightmare Moon' was coming back, so that Twilight could have all those same experiences, all over again...”

Celestia laughed weakly, rubbing at her face before she rested her eyes in her hoof, whispering: “I said it made all the pain worthwhile. But... I didn't know what would come after. To be given back so much hope, and wonder... only to end up back here, on the verge of it being snatched away...”

“But you don't know that.” Luna said gently. “You don't know for sure.”

Celestia looked away, before she closed her eyes and murmured: “I'm too afraid to find out. And I can't undo what I've already done, Luna. All I can do is move forward, and walk the path I've chosen, and deal with the consequences of it.”

Luna sighed quietly, stepping back and looking at her sister as Celestia turned away, and then she simply nodded before she turned to leave, the Princess of the Night shaking her head slowly as she wished Celestia would just realize that if she didn't want to go down the path she'd chosen, all she had to do was stop.

Nine hours had passed, and they were beginning their approach to Canterlot.

Thorn mulled over his options in the bridge, a new cape hiding his mechanical foreleg from view, but his synthetic eye left revealed. A holographic screen projected out to one side of him, responding to the movements and focus of the optic device.

His soldiers were ready: five Kirin platoons, three Adjudicator-led squadrons, and one special tactics team composed of one Valkyrie and several Dogmatists. Thorn had considered activating the Hexad units on board the ship, but had decided that while they would be effective, they would also be too cruel.

“Portia, run simulations again. I want sustained damage against Canterlot and other defensive structures with minimum collateral damage.” Thorn ordered, and the AI rapidly went to work, assembling and testing various strategies for their artillery, and the predicted likely outcomes of each. But they were only estimates, of course: even with the Queen Mary's ultra-advanced scan-analysis technology, there was no way to predict and detect every last living creature moving around a massive structure, and where all those living entities would be at any given time.

In other words, collateral damage was unavoidable. Even with his soldiers armed purely with less-than-lethal armament, he knew enemy personnel would die: all it took was one unlucky shot, one bad fall, one misjudged takedown.

Still, they were going to minimize casualties across the board. Thorn had also issued a stern warning to Gildrynn not to go overboard, like she had with Twilight Sparkle. He knew that her proclivity for violence had contributed greatly to the distrust Shining Armor and Princess Cadance had shown him. He would find it hard to trust someone who just has their soldier bury their weapon in his sibling's back, after all...

Thorn thought for a moment of his siblings, then decided moodily that maybe that argument didn't apply to him after all.

He shook his head, then returned his eyes to the bridge window, studying the results playing across it before a quiet voice said gently: “Thorn, you don't have to do this.”

“I know. But we're running out of time.” Thorn answered, turning a brief smile towards Muse. “I've been away from the Clockwork Empire for too long now, and the reports coming in from Travesty aren't good. Unless we get that anchor back up and running, Orex is going to succeed in exploiting the weakness in the shield around the core world and enter it. And I don't want to imagine what will happen then.”

Muse nodded, then asked: “Why don't you just ask for help?”

Thorn grimaced a bit, and Muse bowed her head but looked almost pleadingly at the stallion, who sighed after a moment before he said quietly: “I have to live up to my mother's expectations. Hecate chose me for this. I do not want to let her down.”

“You have never let her down, Thorn. Ever.” Muse smiled faintly, saying in a gentle voice: “But sometimes you can't handle everything on your own. You've led us right, time and time again, so I'll trust your judgment on this, but... we don't have to do this. You can still find more time. It's not a defeat to ask for help from your... powerful friends.”

Thorn grunted, looking meditatively at the bridge window before he sighed and said quietly: “Unfortunately, I think we're past the point of discussion with Princess Celestia. I was hoping that perhaps Twilight Sparkle could convince her otherwise, but... she is-”

“Stubborn. Like you.” Muse smiled a little. “Are you sure you're not butting heads because you're both so similar?”

“Possibly.” Thorn admitted. “Unfortunately I don't think the rest of Equestria would be willing to welcome us with open embrace, either. We did too much damage in our initial attack. I should have calculated it differently.”

“You did what had to be done.” Muse reassured, and Thorn smiled briefly.

“I do that too often.” he said, before he frowned slightly as a light blinked in the corner of the screen, the stallion ordering: “Bring up the transmission.”

Princess Luna appeared on screen, and Thorn rose his head, frowning slightly. The Princess of the Night looked at him evenly before she said calmly: “I have evacuated the citizenry from Castle Canterlot and only Celestia's hoof-picked soldiers remain on duty. I doubt you will have any trouble finding the last core piece.”

“I am curious. Did you find a way to safely move it, or just a way to hide it completely from my sensors? It was clever to keep the last piece in your possession the entire time.”

“Not my possession, Celestia's.” Luna replied mildly. “But you are correct. It has been hidden here in Canterlot this entire time.”

“So she knew the secure vault where the first piece was hidden wasn't really secure.” Thorn said quietly. “That means Celestia knew-”

“Celestia knows many things, Lord Black, and assumes many more answers. Sometimes, however, she is wrong.” Luna hesitated, and then she said in a humbler voice: “I desire to negotiate, as I believe she is wrong about you and yours.”

“Decretum policy forbids me from aiding and assisting any persons, group, or nation that has actively declared hostilities against us. Celestia has declared open hostility.” Thorn answered. “I do not have the luxury of time any longer, Princess Luna. That anchor must be restored and must be moved to a safer location immediately, or many more lives with be in jeopardy.”

“It is hard to care about lives that we cannot see.” Luna said bluntly, and Thorn appreciated that as he gave a wry smile.

“Your lives will be in jeopardy as well.” Thorn answered pointedly.

“We need the anchor.” Luna said simply, and Thorn frowned before the Princess of the Night explained in a low, serious voice: “Our power reserves are now critical. Within one year, we will no longer be able to draw on artes or use any arte-based technologies.”

“Then I don't see how the anchor would help, unless you plan to use it as a long-term power source, and-”

Luna shook her head, explaining: “We have constructed a device called the Great Horn. It acts like a magic staff, allowing us to cast immense artes. If we use the anchor to cast an earth arte tailored to restore energy to the earth, I believe it will give us... two, perhaps three more years' worth of power. Enough to learn about your technology and begin modifying our own across Equestria. Enough to... change our ways, so to speak.”

Thorn frowned for a moment before Muse gently touched his foreleg, and he glanced over at her before sighing and nodding, returning his eyes to Luna as he said quietly: “I will... consider it. I will be arriving at Canterlot within one hour. I assume that I do not have to warn you our relations are currently tenuous: if I detect any aggression-”

“I will see to it personally. I will make my sister see reason.” Luna promised with a short nod and a brief, relieved smile. “You have my thanks, Lord Black.”

Thorn only nodded in return, then dismissed the screen as Muse said gently: “See?”

But the stallion only shook his head, hesitating before he muttered: “No. I want everyone to remain on alert. You should get to your station too, Muse. Just in case something happens.”

Muse nodded, bowing her head politely before she stepped away from the stallion, and Thorn turned his eyes back to the bridge screen, hoping that Princess Luna would come through on her end of the bargain, but worried that the battle ahead was already set in stone.

“How dare you go over my head!” Princess Celestia shouted furiously, and Luna simply stood, expression neutral as she weathered the fury of her older sister.

Celestia paced back and forth angrily, her eyes blazing, glaring down at her as she continued to blast: “You gave away everything! You told him everything! Made a promise I absolutely will not keep! Now that he knows how vulnerable we are, he'll take full advantage of it, use it to press us into a corner! No, I am going to blast him out of the sky!”

Luna didn't speak.

“I... I should send you to the moon again! No, worse, I'll send you to a distant moon! I should send all your things to a distant moon and send you to an even more distant moon!” Celestia raged, her usual demeanor utterly lost, her elsewise-loyal Royal Guards nervously hiding behind the pillars of the throne room – or in the case of one, slipping carefully away through the door – as her mane all but burned like the sun, as her eyes glowed with her fury. “No, if you like Thorn so much, why don't you leave with him and go live on his moon!”

Luna remained silent.

“No, we are going to charge the Great Horn and blast him into oblivion. Then we're going to charge it again and blast you into space!” Celestia seethed. “I will not allow that... that... I cannot allow... won't not, can not, will absolutely not-”

“Look, sister. You have a choice. Start a war you will lose, or bend your prideful neck before it breaks and show grace.” Luna stated bluntly, and Celestia rounded on her, one of her eyes twitching before Luna said honestly: “I will not lose you. I love you too much to lose you.”

Celestia trembled, then slumped and sighed, all of the anger rushing out of her, her mane settling, her head lowering. She stared at the ground for a moment, and then she slowly reached up and rubbed her face before she muttered: “Fine.”

Luna smiled, and Celestia rose her head, looking up at the ceiling as if for strength, and she took a shuddering breath before she said almost despairingly: “We will... negotiate. I will-”

“I will.” Luna said firmly, and Celestia gave her a moody look. “Sister, I love you. You are fair, and just, and better to your people than they deserve. But you also are...”

“Yes. Yes, I know.” Celestia mumbled, dropping her head forwards again, almost childish. And Luna smiled again at it despite herself before she reached up and affectionately adjusted her sister's mane, Celestia sighing again before she said grumpily: “Fine. I will allow you to handle negotiations. I will-”

“Sulk. I shall enlist Twilight's aid as well. I am sure it will put her in good spirits.” Luna said kindly, and Celestia's face puckered, but then she nodded grouchily when her little sister pointedly leaned towards her.

Luna turned to walk away, and Celestia hesitated before she mumbled: “Thank you for... for doing what I couldn't, Luna.”

“I will handle your responsibilities any day, sister. I am far better at them.” Luna replied with a smile over her shoulder.

Celestia began to smile, before all of Canterlot rumbled, an alarm blaring through the halls. The Princesses looked at each other in confusion before Celestia's eyes widened and she leapt to her hooves, shouting as she galloped for the hall: “The Great Horn!”

Luna quickly caught up to her sister, asking sharply: “What is going on?”

“Thorn's ship must have come into view, they must be charging it! We have to hurry and shut it down!” Celestia replied, but part of her feared it was already too late.

“Power surge detected!”

Thorn looked grimly up, ordering: “Focus.”

The bridge's main screen flickered before an image of an observatory on the roof of Canterlot came into being. He narrowed his eyes, watching as the observatory peeled itself open, and something enormous and angular pushed upwards out of it. Warnings blazed across the screen: energy readings unlike anything they had seen so far in this world.

“Can we access their systems remotely?” he asked.

“Negative, sir. They don't appear to have any automation, or at least none based on Clockwork technology.” answered Serenity calmly.

“Divert power to shields and anti-shock subsystems. I want full analysis and target heading immediately.” Thorn ordered, leaning forwards over the central control console. “Maintain course! All teams, prepare for launch!”

Celestia and Luna slammed through the door leading up to the observatory tower, taking the steps up by two before they leapt out into the converted lab. The single anchor piece that remained gleamed brightly, shimmering as the magic was drawn out of it, focused through the bulky, square, cable-covered machinery above, and fed into the massive, conical Great Horn itself, as the runes carved along its metallic surface gleamed with supernatural power.

The soldiers on either side of the room saluted sharply as other ponies looked up, before Celestia shouted: “Power it down!”

“What?” A scientist in a balcony above that was laced with cables and machinery flinched, before he blurted out: “We... we can't! You gave us the order-”

“I gave no such order!” Celestia retorted, and Luna's eyes widened before she looked sharply around the room: she saw researchers, mages, soldiers in armor, a few officers in uniform...

There.

Luna seized one of the officers, and he flinched in surprise before he swore as she reeled him in with magic, the mare thundering: “What have you done?”

The officer leaned back, gritting his teeth, and Celestia frowned for a moment before her eyes narrowed as the stallion hissed: “What you... refused to!”

“You aren't one of my soldiers.” Celestia said quietly, noting the emblem on the shoulder of the dress uniform, the lack of fit, and the older quality of the fabric.

“My brother died for you! And you were going to repay him by giving up?” shouted the stallion, trying to shove himself free, but Luna held him fast in her telekinetic grip before the unicorn snarled: “No! They all have to die!”

“Princess Celestia!” called one of the mages anxiously, and the alicorn turned her eyes to him. “The Great Horn is almost charged! Once it charges, it's going to fire!”

Celestia's mind raced, but she couldn't see any solution. She looked back and forth, part of her horrified and part of her bitterly joyous: now she would see the fruits of her labor, one way or the other.

“Then aim it skyward!” Luna shouted, before she flung the officer aside and stormed towards the control console, before her eyes widened as she found herself unable to adjust the valves or levers that changed its position.

“We can't! The couplings are already locked to prevent it from shaking itself out of position!” one of the scientists replied, shaking his head.

“Then I will smash the damned thing!” Luna shouted, raising her head and opening her wings, before she gasped in surprise as the false officer tackled her.

“No! I... I won't let you!” he shouted even as Royal Guard immediately ran forwards to pry him off. Luna kicked him away with a curse before she stumbled up to her hooves, but before she could turn towards the Great Horn, there was a tremendous rumble of power, and then a terrible flash of bright light that blinded the shocked ponies not just inside the room, but who were watching from across Canterlot.

The massive laser of light collided with the Queen Mary, and on board, Thorn was barely able to catch himself as the whole ship rocked and jostled, Serenity hissing as the synthetic eye in the mechanical side of her face flickered violently, even as she shouted: “System failure!”

“Shield systems have been damaged! Hull integrity at eighty percent!” called another voice, as power flickered wildly across the bridge.

“EMP detected! Systems have been scrambled, we need to do a full reboot!” added another operator, and Thorn grimaced before giving a curt nod.

“Restore all essential systems and prepare all teams for launch. Switch all Nighthawks to manual mode and have them offer support from above. Our priority, first and foremost, is to disable that weapon and retrieve the remaining anchor piece.” Thorn ordered. “Launch immediately once ready. We will not allow them to fire that weapon a second time.”

“Sir!”

Princess Luna swore furiously as she picked up the stallion who had tackled her, slamming him back against a wall as she shouted: “Do you have any idea what you have done?”

He grinned at her, rasping: “The one thing you didn't want to do, you... you trai-”

The stallion was fortunately cut off by a scientist shouting: “The floating fortress is still there!”

“What?” Princess Celestia flapped her wings, launching herself up to the lip of the observatory and gritting her teeth as she saw the ship in the distance, slowly closing in towards them over the city sprawled below. It looked unsteady, and she could see debris falling from the side of it, crashing down...

Into the city below.

Celestia trembled, her eyes widening as she watched flaming meteors of metal crash down across her beautiful city, the crown jewel of Equestria.

And in her anger and her despair, she had almost brought that immense ship, that floating fortress, crashing down on top of her gorgeous, perfect home.

She wouldn't have just killed everyone on board, if it had been successful: it would have killed everyone below, too.

Celestia shook her head weakly, lowering her gaze, before a pony nearby cried: “Something's coming!”

Retaliation? Celestia looked sharply up, her eyes tracing over the things that had broken away from the ship: not debris, and moving too intelligently to be missiles... transports.

“Your majesty, you have to get to safety!” A soldier leapt up beside her, anxiously reaching for her, but not quite daring to touch her even as he hovered close by, ready to throw himself into danger for her.

Celestia smiled weakly, briefly at this loyalty she didn't deserve, and then she looked up at the approaching transports as Luna urged: “We must surrender peacefully!”

“No! We cannot lose you, princesses!” cried another soldier, who shook his head vehemently. “We'll hold them off, you need to get to safety!”

Princess Celestia gazed out at the approaching transports, and then she took a breath before she leapt out into the air. She flew upwards even as soldiers shouted at her to stop, as Luna leapt up after her sister, but the Princess of the Night was caught by several guard, even as she shouted: “Unhoof me! Stupid... Celestia! Celestia!”

But Celestia ignored them as she continued into the sky, as she rushed to meet her destiny. Her horn gleamed brightly with her magic as she flew towards one of the sleek black metal ships, full of fury and fear as she roared: “Leave them alone! This is my fault! Mine!”

She fired a blast of magic at the transport, and the fireball exploded against the transport, knocking it veering off course before it righted itself. The Nighthawk twisted around as the door on the side was flung open, and as it shot past Celestia, an armored mare leapt out and tackled the alicorn with a grin. “Then apologize with your hooves!”

Celestia snarled, seizing the mare as they wrestled in midair, feeling her wings creaking as she struggled to stay airborne before she cried out when a hoof slammed into her face and the armored mare twisted her roughly. Alicorn and Valkyrie fell together even as Celestia tried to channel her magic, creating a blaze of light that followed the two down into the city as a Nighthawk remained above, while the others continued towards Canterlot.

“No.” Luna whispered, as she watched her sister fall, before she gasped as she was yanked backwards, soldiers pushing and shoving her backwards, forcing her back into the observatory, then across the room.

“No!” she shouted. “You must-”

“Princess, we have to protect you!” replied one of the Royal Guard: terrified, Luna saw. Desperate. About to snap.

If she stayed, the soldiers would do anything to protect her. And it would incite a massacre.

If she left?

She didn't know. But it was the better option at this point, especially as the Royal Guard began moving into defensive positions, as the researchers either fled the room around them or rallied to the Great Horn.

“Retreat, then! We will lock down Canterlot and regroup below!” Luna cried as she shoved herself backwards.

She wasn't aware that while plenty of the soldiers followed her, others ran to the core, wanting to protect what Princess Celestia had told them was their only chance at survival, the one thing that Lord Black wanted, and thus, he could not be allowed to have.

A Nighthawk shot by above, circling the observatory before a door opened in the side, and Kirin leapt out to land in front of the opened shell of the dome. But they were quickly driven back by a barrage of magic and several crossbow bolts, and a scientist scrambled over to slam a button that began to close the shutter above.

Voices shouted at each other in panic as the heavy shutter descended on the Great Horn, but a voice shouted over the chaos: “It doesn't matter! We can't recharge it anyway! Get the core, the core is all that matters, we can build another Great Horn!”

Machinery sizzled and crackled, and metal screamed as the core was torn out of the framework meant to hold it. Bursts of gunfire hammered around them, but a unicorn mage managed to sustain a shield, and the Kirin didn't quite dare to duck under the half-closed shutter as the damaged Great Horn bent and groaned ominously, bending slowly forwards under the power of the closing armored door, making locked gears grind and support bars waver.

The soldier holding the core hesitated for only a moment before he turned and bolted for the door, followed by half the group, while the remaining soldiers and mages hurried to defensive positions a moment before several small canisters were flung down into the room through the narrowing shutter.

Smoke hissed into the room: heavy and dense, thick enough to mask the sound of Kirin leaping down through the gap above. A mage tried to dispel it, but the smoke sizzled and sparkled, the unicorn shouting: “It's resistant to magic!”

A pegasus opened his wings, then gasped when a Kirin seized him before he was roughly slammed to the ground. Voices shouted and panicked, before screams and bright flares of light lit up the smoke for a few moments.

And then, silence.

As the smoke began to clear from the room, the Kirin got into position on either side of the exit, the officer in charge saying calmly: “K-Alpha in position. Standing by to breach.”

“Hold position. Let K-Beta and K-Gamma get in position as well, K-Alpha.” ordered the calm voice of their operator. “K-Delta and K-Theta are holding position as well. K-Teams, your orders remain to suppress and neutralize all resistance to clear the way for the Adjudicator teams to retrieve the core.

“Adjudicator Teams.” Muse looked calmly up from where she was sitting patiently in one of the Nighthawks, as her transport and two others slowly circled around Canterlot, surveying the castle and its defenses. “Prepare for entry. Your priority is the anchor. Do not engage or target Princess Luna.”

“Acknowledged.” Muse said softly.

“Valkyrie Team is en route with Princess Celestia.” Gildrynn announced. “She has been subdued and... well, has demanded an interrogation.”

“Very well. Return to the Queen Mary. I will question her myself.” Thorn Blackfeather cut in.

The stallion leaned back from his control console, scowling slightly before he looked at the main screen of the bridge. Icons and colors flashed across it, telling him where and what each member of the assault force was doing.

He lingered for a moment before scowling as power flickered: they had taken more system damage than he would have preferred. Power would continue to fluctuate until they were able to land and perform repairs, which likely wouldn't be for a while yet. Not until after they secured, repaired, and re-hid the anchor.

He noted that Gildrynn's Nighthawk was returning, so he turned and headed quickly to the exit, ordering as he left: “Serenity, assume command.”

“Sir!” Serenity saluted his back as he left, but Thorn was still aware of it and he reminded himself to give her a day off once this was all over.

He strode through the ship, not heading to the hangar, but instead walking to the interrogation cells: he arrived in the plain metal room only a few minutes before Gildrynn dragged in Princess Celestia, but it was long enough for him to get settled in and to have the image screen on the wall already prepared, Thorn pointing at this as he said quietly: “Watch.”

Celestia grimaced, the shackles around her limbs jangling as she tried to turn away, but her eyes betrayed her, watching the silent, moving images as Nighthawks circled the castle like hungry predators, as magic and weapons fire peppered the walls, shattering ancient architecture and ornate windows. She watched as the feed changed to a Kirin's view, as her soldiers were knocked sprawling by electrified rounds and stun grenades, left in helpless dazes and beaten unconsciousness.

She trembled, then turned her eyes to Thorn as he said quietly: “Order a surrender.”

“I can't!” Celestia snarled. “They are... they are afraid!”

“Out of control?” Thorn asked.

“No. But terrified. Fighting for their lives and livelihoods! You know-”

“I know we had a deal. This is the second time your ponies have betrayed me, and I will not take it lightly.” Thorn replied icily.

Celestia shook her head vehemently, then shouted, as her wings struggled to open against the restraining harness around her body, as her horn gleamed helplessly under the suppression ring: “That was not me!”

“Then who was it?” Thorn asked.

“The brother of a soldier you killed.” snarled Celestia.

Thorn meditated for a moment, then he returned his eyes to the screen, and they watched as several Kirin soldiers crashed through a set of double doors. They were immediately met by defensive fire, but the Kirin ducked into covered positions as one of them threw a grenade, which exploded in a silent blast of blinding light.

The Royal Guard valiantly tried to hold. But before their eyes, they watched as the soldiers suddenly stopped fighting, their weapons torn from their hooves, their bodies quaking as if under immense pressure before they fell to the ground. The screen shifted, and they watched as Muse strolled calmly in, before she lifted a heavy trunk with telekinesis, then tore it in half like it was paper to reveal the prize inside.

“Retrieval successful.” Serenity said through the communicator built into Thorn's mechanical leg.

“Good. Subdue any remaining hostiles in the vicinity, then extract.” Thorn ordered.

“No!” Princess Celestia tried to lunge towards him, but Gildrynn caught her and pinned her to the ground, the alicorn struggling helplessly before she shouted: “You're going to kill us all!”

“I have no interest in killing-”

“Then you're leaving us to die!” Celestia shouted again, before her whole body shook as tears rose in her eyes, and she almost demanded: “Punish me! Kill me! I will trade my life for your damned anchor, but leave it and leave them alone!”

Thorn sighed tiredly, before he quietly knelt, and the mare trembled as the stallion said quietly: “I can't do that. I can't do either of those things. No, Celestia.”

He hesitated, and then he straightened and said after a moment: “I will release you from custody after we move to a safe distance to prevent any additional altercations. And then-”

“Take me with you.” Celestia interrupted, and Thorn frowned before he tilted his head as the mare almost pleaded: “Just take me with you. Show me why this anchor is so important, then. If you're going to take it away, I need to know why, and I'm tired of listening to your words. Show me why, Thorn Blackfeather. Stop explaining it to me and show me.”

Thorn hesitated for a moment, and then he sighed quietly and nodded, even as Gildrynn growled: “I don't trust this one. It's on you if she stabs you in the back again.”

“Considering the damage Equestria has impressively managed to do to the Queen Mary and our current standing, I can't give you full privilege to wander the ship as you might like, Celestia. I will have you remanded to the ambassador's quarters. You will be treated in accordance with...” Thorn paused, then smiled briefly. “Well, you'll be treated politely.”

Celestia snorted, and then she muttered: “I think sometimes you're nothing more than an insane stallion with too much money, Thorn Blackfeather. And all this is just some... sick game you've come up with. But I admit... you'd have to be violently creative to come up with all this nonsense that you do.”

“Understandable. I suppose it's more plausible than what I've told you in the past.” Thorn gestured at Gildrynn, who scowled, but grudgingly undid the shackles and restraints from Celestia, who blinked in surprise before the stallion swept past her and into the corridor, saying quietly: “Come with me. Before you get settled in, I want to show you something.”

“Another story?” Celestia asked, as she moodily rubbed at her fetlocks before striding out after Thorn, Gildrynn looming along behind her.

But Thorn only smiled over his shoulder at her, eerie knowing in his mismatched eyes as he answered: “No. A map.

“I want you to see what I am fighting to protect.”

Author's Note

Bonus chapter for today because tomorrow I'll be out of contact all day. Assuming a horse doesn't trample me tomorrow posting will resume as usual Saturday.

One Reason

Chapter Thirteen: One Reason
~BlackRoseRaven

He woke up to crashing, and banging, and confusion.

He groaned. How long had it been? A few hours? A day?

Longer?

He shook his head, then frowned as he slipped carefully out of bed. His whole body hurt and his legs wobbled under him, but he caught himself on a small chair nearby. He blinked lethargically, then looked back and forth.

What a nice little room he had: just about the perfect size for him, with the bed, and the medical equipment, and-

Canterlot had been under attack.

Spike's eyes widened, and he stumbled to the door before he yanked it open. He stared as several black, armored not-ponies ran by, and then he immediately slammed the door shut and wheezed loudly, trembling for a moment as he pressed his back against it, the adrenaline pounding through his veins making his head ache with each thud of his heart.

Maybe it had only been a few minutes since the attack. Maybe they had put him here to get him out of the way. Maybe... maybe maybe maybe!

Maybe wasn't changing anything!

Was Flash Sentry okay? Was Twilight?

Spike turned back to the door and trembled as he slipped to the crack that had been left between the door and frame, staring through it. But the creatures were gone, their hoofbeats fading into the distance, and Spike took a breath before he carefully opened the door and stepped out.

He rubbed at the bandages that covered his body, grimacing in pain as he dragged one leg a little, his tail flicking uncertainly. Or trying to: it sent a pang through his body, and when he looked back at it, he couldn't help but whimper a bit at the sight of the end of his tail. Or rather, where the end of his tail had once been.

That was a hell of a thing to wake up to.

He turned around, and stared at the wall, which looked like it had a smooth hole cut in it. There wasn't even really a visible handle, but when Spike pressed his hand against it, he felt the difference between the wood and the stone. Was this magic, or was this-

This was the wrong time to admire the architecture.

Spike turned, and paled as he found himself face-to-face with a terrible, metal mask. He stumbled backwards and fell on his rump, and the pony under the mask winced before she leaned forwards, asking gently: “Are you okay?”

The pony was carrying something. Spike's eyes widened as he recognized the crystal core. Had they already broken in? Had she stolen it?

“W-Who are you?” he asked, before he forced himself up to his feet, puffing out his chest and breathing hard as he warned shakily: “Look, y-you better put that back! That's... Equestria's property, and you can just tell Lord Black-”

“My name is Muse.” said the pony gently, before she smiled and added kindly: “You're very brave, Spike. I'm sorry you were hurt in the attack. Please let me help you.”

“Huh?” Spike looked up at her with confusion as she leaned down, and he felt her psychic intrusion too late before he went slack-jawed, his knees buckling under him and sending him toppling to the ground. But he was caught in her psychic grip before he could hit the floor, and she gently lowered him down: the last thing his dazed eyes registered was her smiling face before they closed, and he was left in darkness. Painless, almost welcome darkness.

The dragon came to with a gasp, sitting up and flailing in confusion before a hoof gently caught one of his forelimbs, and he turned in surprise to see Princess Luna seated beside him, the mare smiling faintly. He spluttered helplessly, but was cut off as she asked gently: “Are you alright, Spike?”

Spike hesitated, then poked at himself a few times before he nodded. He looked around the room he had been moved to: one of the sitting rooms of the castle. He was laying on the couch, wrapped in blankets, a sweet-smelling candle burning nearby and his old bandages thrown in the trash... had the Princess changed his bandages herself?

“What... happened?” he asked uncertainly, before he blurted out: “Wait, there was a mare in a mask-”

“Muse, yes.” Princess Luna nodded, grimacing briefly. “She has taken the final core piece. They have also taken my sister.”

“What?” blurted Spike. “What... what about Twilight? What-”

“In time. You have been unconscious for a long time, Spike. There is much to discuss. But first, I need to send a letter to Twilight Sparkle.”

“Where is she?” Spike asked worriedly. “Is she okay?”

“Yes, Spike. She is... okay.” Luna hesitated to say it, though: it wasn't like Twilight had gotten away from her last encounter with Lord Black without injuries.

And now? Now Luna was going to have to ask her to do something terrible. But with Celestia gone and the core gone, they were left with no other options. Equestria was in a panic: they didn't know what had been taken, but they knew it was important. They knew that their Princess had used a terribly-powerful arte against an unknown enemy who had already attacked their nation once... and who had not only survived that arte, but kidnapped their princess.

Their important princess.

They had to get back Celestia. They had to look like they were doing something to stop Lord Black. And they had to somehow salvage something from this mess... but at this point, Luna didn't even know what they could hope to achieve. There was no way they were getting the anchor back, no way that Lord Black was going to help them, and they would be lucky if Twilight came back alive, let alone Celestia.

The problem wasn't that she was afraid something bad was going to happen to Celestia. But the ponies were demanding action, over their damaged homes, their wounded, their dead. She had tried to reason with them, but that had almost caused a mutiny.

After all, the Princess of the Sun was gone, leaving the Princess of the Night to rule in her place.

Of all the things that had changed in this world, why couldn't that damned myth have changed as well?

“Princess Luna?” Spike asked uneasily.

“I apologize, Spike. I was just... thinking.” Luna hesitated, and then she asked after a moment: “How often, Spike, did you have to make choices for Twilight that you knew would be painful for her, but... you had to make them anyway?”

“Um. I'm Twilight's assistant, Princess Luna. I'm not her caretaker.” Spike said awkwardly.

Princess Luna only smiled.

Spike bit his lip, and then he glanced away and murmured: “I won't hurt Twilight. I don't want to see her in danger.”

“Sometimes we must face pain and danger. For the sake of others, and for the sake of ourselves. For if we never experience hardship, then after a lifetime of ease, we would break under the gentlest of pressures.” Luna answered.

Spike sighed, lowering his head before he asked finally: “So you want me to do more than send a letter to her, huh?”

“Eventually. But Spike... would you deny Twilight the chance to... to be more than she is, if denying her meant she would be safe, and secure, and forever beside you?”

Spike smiled faintly, and then he looked down at his bandaged forelimb, studying it for a moment before he murmured: “I guess that wouldn't be fair, would it? Especially not after Twilight probably had to see me all... beaten up. You know, from saving Flash Sentry and all.”

Princess Luna chuckled, and Spike smiled again before he sighed and said finally: “I understand. I really do. You know I'm not a kid, though... I mean... you know that I'm not a kid.”

He ended the sentence with gratitude, and Luna shrugged a bit before she answered: “I do. But even after more than a thousand years, Spike, my sister still speaks to me as if I am child.”

“Family, huh?” Spike asked with a small smile.

“Family.” agreed Luna, before she asked gently: “Will you take a letter for me, Spike?”

The dragon glanced around, before he laughed a little when the alicorn held up a piece of parchment and inkwell for him, the dragon taking both and weighing them in his claws before he admitted: “I'll do my best. I might be a little out of practice, though.”

“That is fine, Spike. I could ask for nothing greater than that.”

Twilight Sparkle had stopped caring about anything.

Everypony had lied to her. Everypony. And now here she was, laying in bed, and her leg hurt. It hurt a whole hell of a lot.

She had healed up well. She had some bumps and bruises still, sure, and her leg hurt, but she could get out of bed and walk around. She could trot and canter and gallop, she was sure: she'd just be lame for the rest of her long, miserable life.

Or short, miserable life, if everything she'd heard was true. But she doubted it was.

She sat in bed, staring at the video screen, watching it flicker weakly with the lights. They were having power issues and rolling brownouts and it was a lot colder here than it had been before. But at least that gave her another reason not to bother getting out of bed.

She was so mad. She was so angry that it had snapped her... anger nerve, or whatever it was, and now it was just this dull, uncompensated nothingness inside her. Now she just felt a hollow disgust for herself and everything around her.

It was like something had been knocked out of place inside of her, and here she was. Discordant and miserable.

She stared at the images that flickered across the screen. Some kid's cartoon, because learning was fun, boys and girls. And sure, it was fun, right up until you learned too much.

Then you realized it wasn't fun.

It wasn't fun at all.

She turned the dial with her magic, and saw a solemn pony standing in front of the ruins of Canterlot Castle. Thorn had sure done a number on it this time: it looked like almost every window across the structure had been blown out, most of the scaffolding and support lattices had been destroyed, and much of the building's outer perimeter had crumbled into ruin.

Her clinical mind, detached from even the emptiness threatening to swallow her up, was keeping a running tally of the damage she had seen, giving her a more accurate picture of what had happened than the vivid lies the reporters had been painting so far.

It helped that Shining Armor and Cadance had visited with news a few times now. They'd talked to a few of their contacts and learned that Princess Luna had locked herself away in solitude, Princess Celestia had been kidnapped, and the New Power Initiative had been destroyed.

And the core was gone, but of course, that was to be assumed from the fact that Thorn Blackfeather had withdrawn.

Well, he'd won, and he'd taken Celestia as a door prize. Good riddance.

Twilight grimaced ever-so-slightly, before she glanced moodily down as a letter silently appeared beside her in a bright flare of blue magic. She picked it up with telekinesis, studying it quietly, then shrugged and threw it away.

The letter fell to the ground, slipping beneath her bed to join the other two letters she hadn't bothered to open. They were from Princess Luna: either her apologies or her pleading for help. Right now, Twilight didn't care for either.

It was a little too late for heroics. The best she could hope for would be Princess Luna wanting to trade her for Princess Celestia, but she doubted Thorn would allow that. And anyway, she was no princess. She was damaged goods.

Twilight rubbed at her side as her hindleg gave a twinge, and she smiled bitterly. The worst part was that she didn't even blame that stupid Valkyrie. She blamed Shining Armor, and Cadance, for refusing to let Thorn Blackfeather treat her. She blamed them for dragging her back to the medical ward to be treated by overstressed doctors with too many victims already on hoof; she blamed them for the fact that artes were no longer functioning properly due to the lack of spiritual energy in the air, and thus she'd gone though the most exquisite agony, half-in and half-out of reality, as they'd uselessly tried to repair her damaged leg.

But it wasn't the pain that had broken her. It was how it had all been useless, because in the end, Canterlot had fired on Thorn's floating fortress, and whatever damage they'd done paled in comparison to the wreckage he'd left behind.

He'd left Canterlot Castle devastated. And yet there had been a minimum of reported casualties. And somehow, the ponies blamed everyone but themselves for that. How was he supposed to react when they attacked first, though? What was he supposed to do?

She couldn't believe she was laying here, bitterly defending Thorn Blackfeather, of all ponies. But in spite of how cold and ruthless he was, at least Thorn had always been honest with her, and honest about his intentions. And it wasn't Thorn who hadn't let her try.

Maybe that was what made her angriest of all.

The other ponies hadn't even let her try.

It wasn't fair and it wasn't smart of her and she knew better, but she couldn't get over the fact that she'd come all this way, trying to resolve things peacefully, and in the end, because of the whims of a few other ponies who had promised to let her at least make some kind of attempt at talking with Lord Black, she had ended up here, Canterlot had burned, and their only hope of maintaining power and artes had vanished.

She supposed she was lucky, really. Unicorns would still have magic, thanks to their horns. So lame or not, at least she wouldn't be helpless. At least she would be better off than most of her friends.

She snorted quietly, then frowned as she felt a tingling before her eyes widened as a letter appeared in her lap in a burst of green flame. She trembled for a moment, then snatched it up and held it for a moment, feeling the warmth clinging to the paper; feeling the familiarity of the magic that emanated from it.

Spike.

She ripped the letter open, and gave a trembling smile as she saw his cursive; neat and easy to read, even if it was a little stretched and smeared, like he'd been writing too long, or gotten tired.

She read:

Dear Twilight Sparkle,

As you are now no doubt aware, Spike has awoken from his long slumber and is doing well. Hi Twilight, I miss you! You better be taking care of yourself!

Oh, she could almost hear his voice!

She read on:

I fear that my further news is much more dire, however. No doubt by now you have heard that Princess Celestia has been kidnapped. As I am uniquely attuned to my sister's presence, I have been able to track her magic signature, and I feel it moving away from us at alarming speeds.

We have failed, Twilight Sparkle. Not you, but we the Princesses, we of Equestria, we lesser ponies. But I fear that you, too, are on the cusp of failure, and as much as it pains me, I must pull you back from that sweet abyss, not for moral or good reasons, but selfish ones. I must ask you to accept a terrible peril. I must ask you to do something I dare not, I can not.

You must retrieve my sister, Twilight Sparkle. You must convince Lord Black to leave, and you must somehow find a way to perform a great feat of magic through the anchor, to restore our world with its energies.

I ask all this of you, and more. And I know that it is terribly unfair.

I ask this of you, selfishly, because without my sister, Equestria will fail. Our artes weaken by the hour, and our power shortage grows ever more dire. I stand accused of conspiracy against my sister by a frightened populace, and struggle to rule in my sister's place.

So I beg of you, to help we who failed you. Who did not listen, because of fear, and pride. Only you, who tried to bring us together with your Magic of Friendship, can hope to reason with Lord Black now, and close the rift between us.

I will await you in Canterlot, Twilight Sparkle. Until your arrival, I shall care for Spike as if he were my own.

Yours in faith,

Princess Luna

Twilight looked away. She felt empty and angry and hateful still, but there was a stirring inside her now that was jostling with that void of frustration and regret. She bit her lip, then shook her head before squeezing the parchment, hugging it close to her chest.

She knew she had to go to Canterlot, either way. Spike was there, and she wasn't going to rest until she saw him.

Twilight huffed as she slid out of bed, and she grimaced and rubbed at her hind leg as it gave a twinge. That was just something she was going to have to learn to live with, though.

She couldn't help but glance at the other letters she'd discarded, and after a moment, she picked the envelopes up with telekinesis. It wouldn't hurt to... at least look at them, right?

She tore the envelopes open: one was actually from 'Mare Imbrium,' a coded message; one was a special badge and a letter from Princess Luna ordering a special train to be prepared for Twilight's journey to Canterlot; the last was a much-more curt version of the letter Spike had written to her, essentially instructing her to return to Canterlot as soon as possible.

In other words, the last letter wasn't really meant for her, but rather was a way for her to get out of the Crystal Empire without too much fuss.

Luna always thought ahead.

Twilight smiled faintly, gathering up her mess of papers before she looked down at herself: well, she was relatively clean, at least. Disheveled, and she clearly hadn't gotten out of bed all that frequently over the last day or so, but. Relatively clean.

She headed to the door and opened it, and the guard stationed outside flinched before he stumbled to a salute, blurting: “Hello ma'am!”

“Uh. At ease, soldier.” Twilight frowned a bit, and then she began to step away, but the soldier cleared his throat and slipped himself into her way. “Excuse me?”

“I'm sorry, ma'am, but the Prince and Princess ordered me to make sure that you... didn't overexert yourself.” he said awkwardly, clearly repeating the same lame excuse that he'd been told by Shining Armor and Cadance.

Twilight scowled a little: usually she could be patient and respectful with the most annoying of ponies. But today, even this respectable soldier who was just uncomfortably trying to do the job he clearly didn't entirely agree with was getting on her last nerve, and she didn't think she could show him the patience or respect he deserved.

She forced herself to take a breath and a moment, however, before she said as pleasantly as she could: “I know you're just doing your job. I know that my brother and sister-in-law are just worried about me. But I have a letter from Princess Luna here, asking me to return to Canterlot, and I don't have time to be diplomatic.”

The soldier hesitated, shifting anxiously as Twilight held up the orders from Princess Luna, before she lowered them and said pointedly: “But I think you would really be doing everypony a favor if you went and told Shining Armor that I was going to the train station.”

“Uh. Yeah, that's a good idea.” the soldier agreed after a moment, giving an awkward smile, and then he turned and hurried away, and Twilight gave a wry smile, turning the other way to head to the stairs.

On the way down, she ran into Pinkie Pie, who yelped in joy and flung the pile of baked goods that had been on her back in every direction before she dashed at her. But Twilight caught her with telekinesis and carefully pushed Pinkie back before instructing: “I'm going to the train station. Everypony should meet me there.”

“Okey-dokey-lokey!” Pinkie saluted sharply before she dashed off, and Twilight smiled a little: as difficult as she could be, Pinkie was also surprisingly dependable.

Applejack caught Twilight as she exited the castle, hurrying towards her injured side as she blurted out: “Twilight! What are you thinkin', goin' to Canterlot? You should get your flank back to bed before you hurt yourself!”

“I'm fine.” Twilight groused, avoiding an attempt from Applejack to grab her, continuing stubbornly in the direction of the train station. Her leg ached, but it was an ache she could live with: maybe that was why the pain was so frustrating, because it wasn't serious enough to hurt her, but just enough to distract her, to make her mind wander, to grind insistently at her mood.

Rainbow Dash shot over their heads, then twisted around and shot back, waving her forelegs as she hovered in front of Twilight and blurted: “Hey, where are you-”

Twilight calmly lifted Rainbow Dash out of her way with telekinesis, answering: “To the train station. I'm going back to Canterlot.”

“But why?” Applejack almost demanded. “Princess Celestia's gone, and Canterlot's locked down! All you're going to do is put yourself in danger!”

“Yeah, Twilight! Don't be reckless!” Rainbow blurted out, before she rubbed at her face and mumbled: “Wow, that's not something I ever thought I'd have to say to you.”

“Spike's awake. I have to go.” Twilight said simply.

Applejack and Rainbow Dash traded looks, and the earth pony gritted her teeth before she groaned and hurried to the unicorn's side, grumbling: “Well... you ain't goin' without us then. If Spike's woke up, well... I guess I can understand a bit more why you have to do this.”

Twilight smiled a little: sure, Applejack could be... stubborn, and difficult, just like Rainbow Dash could be arrogant and overbearing. But they were both loyal, and when they did finally listen, there was no one who she could trust more with helping her to get done whatever she needed to.

Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity were waiting at the edge of the town for her: Twilight had no idea how they had gotten there ahead of them, but she figured that Shining Armor and Princess Cadance – who were also present, along with a cadre of Royal Guard – probably had a shortcut they had shown them.

“Twilight! You have to get back to bed!” Shining Armor blurted out, stepping forwards, before he blinked in surprise as a piece of parchment thwapped into his face, and he peeled it free to stare, dumbfounded, at the orders written on it from Princess Luna.

Cadance joined him, looking quickly at the parchment before she turned her worried eyes to Twilight, saying anxiously: “No, there must be some mistake! Luna must not be aware of the extent of your injuries, or maybe she's just not thinking straight with Princess Celestia gone-”

“I trust Luna's judgment more than I trust most other ponies right now.” Twilight said, and Cadance flushed and looked away as Shining Armor glanced down, then shook his head before he looked up: angry, but also embarrassed and ashamed.

“Now look, Twilight, you might not be happy about any of this, but you can't talk to us like that. Look, let's just send a message to Princess Luna and-”

Twilight took a breath, and straightened. And in spite of how upset she'd been, and that void still hollowly beating inside her, and the pull she felt drawing her towards Canterlot, it was so terribly, painfully hard to look not up, but down at her brother, and say in the firmest voice she could summon: “Prince Shining Armor. I have been summoned by Princess Luna of the Night Throne of Equestria, and as a Servant of the Sun, it is my duty to answer. I am not your subject, and the will of the Princesses overrides the will of the Crystal Throne. Please do not make this harder than it has to be.”

Her voice shook a little, as she added, almost in a whisper: “Please.”

Shining Armor trembled for a moment, and then he rubbed convulsively at his face. Princess Cadance opened her mouth, but Shining Armor drew himself up, closing his eyes and bowing his head forwards as he murmured: “I understand. I bow to the will of the Princess of the Night. I... I'm sorry, Miss Sparkle.”

“As am I, Prince Armor.” Twilight said quietly, and then she drew her eyes away from her brother, striding past him and his retinue of Royal Guard to pass through the flickering shield at the edge of the Crystal Empire, and stride out onto the dimly-lit, winter-torn path that led to the train station.

She was barely aware of her friends following along behind her; she paid them little heed even as they murmured to her, and tried to speak for her, and as she showed the station managers her badge and the additional orders from Luna to prepare a train for her.

She sat in the chairs in the station, and waited, and was numb to everyone around her until the train came. And then she sat in the train, in the back, in the quiet alone, until she suddenly took a gasping breath, then repressed the sob that wanted to come out of her throat.

It took a few minutes for her to quell her pain. But she did, and once she did, she was able to... function again. She comprehended much more fully where she was, and what she had gotten herself into: a private train, rushing towards Canterlot, where she was going to take on a suicide mission.

Because she was going to accept.

There was no point in pretending otherwise. Even before she'd known the truth, she hadn't been able to summon up any real hate for Lord Black. Who was she kidding? She was naive. She was soft, and pliant.

The bastard had almost killed Spike, and she'd ended up doing everything in her power to help him. What kind of pony did that?

One who desperately wanted to be a good pony, she supposed.

“Hello Twilight.” a voice said very quietly.

Twilight looked up at Rarity. Her other friends lingered on the other end of the passenger car, and Twilight appreciated that, because Rarity had something to talk to her about, and she had something she had to ask her fellow unicorn.

They looked at each other, and Rarity smiled faintly before she gently put her hoof mirror on the table. It was a pretty, ornate little thing: crystalline glass, framed in gold, with small gemstone studs around the edge. A little gauche, a bit too flashy even for Rarity's taste.

Twilight picked it up, felt the magic that ran through it, and asked: “How long?”

“After Canterlot.” Rarity said quietly, smiling faintly. “The pretty mare, Muse... she came to me in a dream. She asked me to help, and told me that in return, they would ensure that Spike was healed, and you were treated well. That my friends would be spared, and... it would help minimize the bloodshed, on either side.”

Rarity lowered her eyes, murmuring: “I suppose I was never very good at any of it, though. I... I'm sorry, Twilight. I only made things worse.”

“I'm not mad at you.” Twilight studied the hoof mirror quietly, and then she channeled magic through it, and smiled when the reflective glass lit up before becoming a small screen of sorts, showing her an icon of a dragon for a moment before it was replaced by a static-riddled image of Thorn Blackfeather, who frowned up at her.

He didn't seem to be surprised or concerned, greeting cordially: “Twilight Sparkle. Did your friend open this line for you?”

“In a manner of speaking.” Twilight replied, glancing at Rarity before she returned her eyes to the mirror. “What have you done with Princess Celestia?”

“Princess Celestia is being held as a diplomatic prisoner. She will be kept secure and safe until such time that we decide to release her.” Thorn answered.

“I would like to hold a meeting to negotiate her release. I'm on my way to Canterlot as we speak.” Twilight said, even though part of her was afraid that-

“I am afraid that the time for negotiation has passed, Twilight Sparkle. The Queen Mary has suffered extensive damage and I must prioritize my mission and my crew.” Thorn Blackfeather replied evenly. “To negotiate effectively, you must have a position of strength and possess something that I wish to acquire. At this moment in time, you have nothing.”

Twilight Sparkle grimaced, but then took a breath before she asked: “And what about mercy? Maybe we have nothing we can offer you. But I thought your mission was to-”

“Ponies must protect themselves. The worlds must protect themselves.” Thorn interrupted, shaking his head briefly. “And I did not come here to make friends. I came here to resolve a larger issue than one Equestria.”

“I have something you might be interested in.” Twilight said after a moment.

Thorn smiled briefly at this, then answered bluntly: “I have determined that the candidate is not suitable at this juncture. Perhaps in the future.” He quieted, then said softly: “I appreciate your enthusiasm and dedication, Twilight Sparkle, but there will be no further negotiations. I will be terminating this line in thirty seconds. As a final gesture of goodwill, and a thank you to Miss Rarity for completing her assignment, I will leave a stash of medical supplies for your injured. I will transmit these coordinates to Princess Luna.”

“Thorn, wait!” Twilight blurted out, but then she bit her lip and took a breath, collecting herself: there was no point in begging or pleading with the stallion, after all. She knew that he had made up his mind.

But she had made up her mind, too.

“I understand. I'll inform Princess Luna of your decision and I accept your terms. Good luck, Thorn Blackfeather.” Twilight said tactfully, and then she set the hoof mirror down on its face before Thorn could sign off.

She felt the magic leave the mirror as she sat back and closed her eyes, calmly crossing her forelegs. Rarity shifted uneasily beside her as her friends crowded in, jostling each other uneasily until Rainbow blurted out: “What was that? What do you mean?”

“You can't just give up!” Pinkie added, almost fearfully.

“I... there must be some way to get through to him.” Fluttershy murmured, looking away. “He never seemed like...”

“Come on, Twi, you've been through worse than this, you can't-”

“I'm not giving up.” Twilight said quietly but firmly, and her friends all looked at her with a mix of surprise and confusion. Not just at her decision, but at her tone: she was a completely different Twilight than she had been only moments ago.

But she had a purpose again. That emptiness inside her had been filled in by a cause, a reason to exist: she had heard the unspoken test, the challenge between Thorn's words, and she was going to prove she was more than willing to rise to the occasion.

Because they had no choice. She would be fine no matter what happened to the world, but here, with her scared friends, she was forced to see how many ponies wouldn't be if they lost their artes. What would happen to Ponyville, let alone towns out on the frontier, like Appleoosa?

Even this train she could feel shuddering, struggling to keep itself powered as it shot towards Canterlot. If artes were already decaying so badly that basic transport was becoming unreliable, what did that mean for things that required more complex artes, such as the Magic Academy, or arte barriers that were supposed to keep their nation safe?

This was bigger than her. She was hurt and angry and afraid, but she had more than her own feelings to think about.

And, well, Equestria's dire need for healing gave her a noble excuse to cover up her real motivation: Twilight Sparkle rose to meet any challenge she was given, and she absolutely did not fail tests.

In a way, still-pulsing void in her chest was part of why she wanted to succeed. She wanted to prove everypony wrong, show them that there was much more to her than they thought, and that she had been right the entire time. That she was more than capable of getting the job she had been given done.

But she knew she couldn't do that alone, as she looked around at her friends. She was going to need help getting there. From everypony here, and from Princess Luna, and of course, from her Number One Assistant, whom she hadn't seen for far too long.

“Rarity, can you tell me how you got this device?” Twilight asked, picking up the hoof mirror.

“Yeah, Rarity, where'd you get that?” Rainbow asked neutrally as she floated judgmentally above, crossing her forelegs with a glower.

“Oh, knock it off, Dash. I think she did a dumb thing too...” Applejack gave Rarity a pointed look, but then she sighed when the unicorn looked away in embarrassment. “But at least you did it for the right reasons. And it ain't like you weren't right there with us through the whole thing.”

“I'm sorry, everyone, for what I did. I'd really hoped that... I would end up helping everyone. And Twilight was so honest about making peace with him...” Rarity smiled briefly, glancing over at the mare. “I was hoping, I suppose, that... it would help us avoid any conflict. But I think I only made things worse.

“But well, to answer your question, after the dream I had, I went downstairs and found it on the counter. It's a terribly gauche thing, isn't it?” Rarity smiled a little, silently taking the little mirror from Twilight and turning it back and forth in the light before she sighed and set it down. “But I suppose I was in no position to complain. Someone must have snuck in, although frankly I don't know how... all the doors were unlocked, after all. But I suppose we know that Lord Black was in the area, even if we never saw him...”

“I think Thorn was going to be aware of what we were doing no matter what... and if he hadn't known what was going on at any point and time, he might have sent far stronger things after us.” Twilight paused, before she continued slowly: “I know that awful things have happened. I don't want to excuse what he's done. But I think he's honest when he says he's been handling us with kit gloves.”

“The Kirin and their weapons are frightening... but they could have done so much worse to us.” Fluttershy agreed in a murmur, nodding and biting her lip. “I feel so bad for the Kirin... they were so sad, on the inside. It was like their whole lives were dedicated to being nothing more than soldiers, and when they failed...”

There was silence for a moment, and then Pinkie Pie added: “I think everyone's just forgotten we're all friends! But how are we going to make friends with Thorn if he won't tell us where he is?”

“I have an idea about how we can do that, but we're going to need Princess Luna's help, too.” Twilight hesitated, then looked around at her friends before she said, in a low, clear voice: “Thorn is not going to play pretend with us if we go up against him, though. You heard what he said: we need to negotiate with him from a position of strength.”

“So... what? We're gonna fight him?” Rainbow asked dubiously, before she stared in disbelief when Twilight smiled and nodded.

“But... how? There's no way!” Rarity blurted out. “He raided Canterlot with ease! He's always been three steps ahead!”

“Twilight, maybe we just have to accept that-”

“No.” Twilight said forcefully, cutting her friends off before she said with more confidence than she felt: “I have a plan. It's not a very smart plan, but I know how to locate his ship. As long as we can get on board, we can put a stop to this. We can have that position of power that we need to negotiate with him.”

There was an uncomfortable silence for a few moments, and then Applejack sighed and said finally: “You know I'm with you, Twilight. But this is crazy.”

“I guess crazy's all we've got left, though, so we might as well give it a try.” Rainbow shrugged, then grinned awkwardly when Applejack gave her a dry look. “Hey. Trying to be positive here.”

“Maybe it's not too late to learn how to love and forget how to hate.” Pinkie Pie said wisely, and all eyes turned to her before she pumped a foreleg with a: “Whoo-whoo! All aboard the crazy train!”

Rarity sighed, and Fluttershy smiled a little, but all eyes turned back to Twilight. Whatever they might think otherwise, her friends still believed in her, were ready to listen to her, and eager to do anything they could to help.

And Twilight Sparkle was not about to let them down.

One Last Shot

Chapter Fourteen: One Last Shot
~BlackRoseRaven

Princess Luna sipped slowly at her tea, studying Twilight Sparkle for a few moments before she said bluntly: “Your idea is terrible.”

“I can do this.” Twilight said quietly but firmly.

Princess Luna rubbed slowly at her forehead with one hoof, and then she sighed and put down the teacup, retorting: “That is not my point. It is too direct. Sloppy. And all of Lord Black-”

“Thorn.”

“All of Thorn's attention will immediately focus on you. I heard that he made fine sport of Shining Armor. Do you believe you are a stronger combatant than your brother?”

That hurt, but all the same, Twilight responded evenly: “You asked me here to do this, Princess Luna. And I might not be as good at fighting as my brother is, but I'm the stronger mage. Furthermore, I don't have to overwhelm Thorn himself.”

“Madness.” Luna muttered, and then she sighed before she slumped a little, shaking her head slowly. “But you are right, all the same. I did call you here, and for no other reason than this. If you are so convinced this is what you must do, then so be it. I will render all of the assistance unto you that I can.”

Twilight smiled a little at this, and the two looked at one-another for a few moments before Luna said, earnest and sober: “I am sorry it has all come to this, Twilight. And that I must continue to challenge you, and ask more of you, and push you in all the same ways I know my sister did. I would not blame you if you did not desire to save her.”

“I'm not thinking about that. I'm not even thinking about saving Equestria, at this point.” Twilight glanced away, but when Luna didn't so much as twitch at this confession, she murmured: “All I can think of, really, is making sure my friends are okay... but even more than that, proving that... that I can handle this. I know what I'm doing. I know what I'm capable of. I can stop Thorn. I can solve his puzzle and complete his test.”

“Ah, is that what this all is to you?” Luna couldn't help but give a curious grin, shaking her head before she murmured: “Perhaps you are more like me and less like my sister than I had thought.”

Twilight didn't know how to reply to that, so she simply shrugged.

Luna studied her for a few moments, and then she settled back into her own seat and closed her eyes. She floated her cup of tea up to grip between her forehooves, turning it slowly back and forth before she murmured: “Well. What a pair we are. Conspirators, they must already be calling us. The only question is what they shall say when you leave Canterlot tomorrow morning. Will they say I sent you away to exile, or to meet with the enemy?”

“It doesn't matter. I'll bring Celestia back before the end of the week.” Twilight promised.

“How do you know you will be able to catch up with Thorn Blackfeather? And what makes you so sure he won't just leave for whatever distant aerie he calls home?” questioned Luna, although she sounded honestly curious now, not dubious.

Twilight hesitated for a moment, and then she answered finally: “There are a few clues. One is the coordinates he gave you. That's not all that far from Canterlot: I doubt he'd come all the way across Equestria to drop supplies for us, especially since I'm sure he knows we don't need them as urgently anymore. Two, we know there was a lot of damage to his ship, and he doesn't have the materials or the time to repair it, not with every pony in Equestria looking for him. Three, he said he wanted to take the anchor away from us, but he never said he was taking it home. I think he's going to try and hide it somewhere else. Somewhere where we can't reach.”

“On that note, how is it possible that monstrous ship is still evading our countless eyes, both magic and airborne? It vexes me.” Luna admitted. “We should at least be able to detect it, to get... some sort of feedback from it from the signals we have sent out, but there has been nothing.”

“That's easy. We're looking for artes or magic. I don't think that ship is actually powered by either.” Twilight answered with a brief smile. “As to how he's moving around unseen... that floating fortress seems very fond of hiding above the clouds. But I don't remember storms being scheduled for the day when he came to talk to me in Ponyville. I think his ship is generating its own cloud cover, and that might even help with dampening any signals we might otherwise detect coming from it.”

Luna nodded slowly, and then she said solemnly: “Even assuming you are correct on all counts, Twilight Sparkle, I fail to see how you will successfully find Thorn's ship before it is too late.”

“We have the coordinates where he was. We just need to know where he went.” Twilight answered. “We should start by asking pegasus weather teams in and around that area to tell us if there was any unusual rolling cloud cover. We might be able to track where he's gone, but because of where he left the supplies, I think I know where he's going. Somewhere close, but where Equestria won't be able to bother him.”

Luna frowned and tilted her head, and Twilight Sparkle smiled briefly. “And as long as you give me access to a workshop, I can finish outfitting myself with everything I need.”

The Princess of the Night studied her for a moment, and then she finally sighed and nodded, saying quietly: “Very well. Then I will not keep you any longer, Twilight Sparkle. Go, and do what you must. Just ensure you get some rest, too. You will need it.”

“I will.” Twilight promised, and then she hesitated before asking: “How did you... how did you forgive Celestia for everything that happened?”

Luna smiled briefly at this, asking sardonically: “Oh, for all the things that were my fault?”

But Twilight only looked at her, and the alicorn sighed a little before she answered finally: “By not thinking about it too often. And by recognizing my sister's faults, my sister's desire to save the world, and excusing that, rather than what she did in pursuit of it. And it is better to be here and be able to balance her martyrdom than it is to be distant and unable to... but even here, well, I was not able to stop her from doing something incredibly stupid.”

The princess mused for a moment, and then she sighed again and shook her head, gesturing at the unicorn. “Go, Twilight Sparkle. Before we get caught up in another hour of conversation. It is too nice an escape.”

Twilight smiled a little, and then she nodded before excusing: “I'll see you in the morning, Princess Luna. Thank you, for everything.”

“No, Twilight. Thank you.” Luna replied as Twilight turned and slipped out, before she sipped slowly at her tea, watching the door to the sitting room close and thinking silently of how little they deserved such help.

Twilight couldn't help but smile as she stepped into the hallway and found Spike waiting for her, the little dragon absently jotting some notes on what looked like a journal. He looked up with a brief smile, and the two looked at each other, comparing bandages and scars: most of Twilight's were gone, except for the wrap around her belly that half-covered the enormous scar in her backside. Spike's own hung loose around his neck and face and body: they seemed less like they were covering up the bruises now, and more like an aesthetic choice.

“You look kind of silly.” Twilight commented, and Spike scowled before he softened as she added: “I hope you never change.”

“Hey, I could say the same about you.” Spike clambered up to his feet, before he smiled and asked: “So what do you need me to do?”

Twilight hesitated, and then she walked forwards and hugged Spike fiercely, and the little dragon started before he smiled a little and hugged her tightly back, doing his best to hide his trembles before he frowned when Twilight murmured: “This is the last time you're going to be my assistant, Spike.”

“What? But Twilight-”

“No. Enough. Listen.” Twilight gently slipped her hooves to his shoulders, leaning back and looking into his eyes as she smiled at him. “I'm not saying anything bad. But I want this to be the last time that you... that you're nothing but an assistant. No matter what happens, I don't ever want you to think of yourself or let yourself be thought of as less than a pony, as just someone who exists to help, and nothing more. I don't want you to be my Number One Assistant anymore, because you're better than that. You've been my brother, my best friend, and my partner in work for years now. And you deserve to be recognized as that. You've always been that.”

Spike blushed, trying to look away, but Twilight gently grasped his face and turned his head back, saying softly: “Don't you ever let anypony treat you as less than you are. From now on, you're Spike. You're your own dragon, and you be whatever you choose to be.”

“Okay Twilight. I'll... I'll try.” Spike answered, taking a breath before he looked up at her and asked awkwardly: “I... I don't have to move out or anything, right?”

Twilight laughed and smiled, then replied: “I don't think the library could run properly without you, Spike. No, I hope you'll be with me for a long time yet.” She softened. “But that choice is yours now. I want you to live your own life, as your own person. And I won't hold what you decide against you.”

“Okay Twilight. I... I appreciate that.” Spike said, and then he cleared his throat and wiped at his eyes as he awkwardly stepped back, shuffling his journal and pen before he looked up and said: “Well, uh. I guess we better get to work, huh, uh... partner?”

“Yeah, partner. That's right. Let's get to work.” Twilight agreed with a nod, and then she turned with a smile, feeling extraordinarily lighter as she turned to walk down the corridor, with her friend following quickly behind her.

At least one good thing would come out of this.

She just hoped Spike would forgive her for lying to him, one day, about the time they had left together.

Twilight Sparkle only slept a few hours, but she felt ready and alert when morning came, eager to be off. She met briefly with Luna, who confirmed some of her suspicions: notably large, unscheduled cloud masses had passed through several areas, and while the local weather teams had just attributed it to the chaos in the capital, Twilight was positive it was Thorn's ship by the straight path the clouds took, sometimes even in spite of the wind blowing against them!

But of course no pony had really noticed it had been brought up: everypony was too concerned about the flickering power, about fading artes, and of course, about where their Princess had gone. Equestria was in a panic, and Twilight was unsettled to see protesters had already started gathering around the castle, shouting at them to 'do something!,' as if they could just go pick Celestia up at any time.

There was no reason they wouldn't think that, though: Equestria was a peaceful place, and before the attack on Canterlot, well... Twilight would have been wondering herself why Celestia didn't just magic her way out of whatever situation she was in, or why Luna didn't just go and get her and bring her home. Or why she and her friends hadn't been called on to solve everything with the Magic of Friendship.

They were going to need a little more than that today, though.

Twilight smiled a bit, then looked mildly over at Rainbow Dash as she anxiously adjusted the amulet she was wearing. “Hey, stop fiddling with that.”

“The cord is itchy. Do we really need these?” complained Rainbow, as she nervously toyed with the amulet, and Twilight smiled a bit before she nodded.

“We do.” She looked around at her friends: all of them were dressed in lightweight vests that would provide minimum armor, but were lightly charged to help deflect magic, which Twilight was more concerned about Thorn and his soldiers using against them. There was no amount of armor that would stop any of those cannons on his ship, after all...

They all had amulets, made from leftover shards of the anchor they had previously used for small-scale testing. They all had small packs of additional gear, modeled in part off the equipment taken off the captured Kirin, although it was questionable how effective their mock-grenades would work compared to the explosives that the Kirin had used.

They were on a train again, one powered not just by artes, but gemstone batteries that would kick in whenever the artes lost power: they were racing across Equestria, past where Thorn had dropped the medical supplies, and heading to the last stop on this track.

“I should have brought my party supplies. This is like the fourth train party chance I've missed out on.” Pinkie exclaimed suddenly. “Wow, I'm really off my game lately!”

“We've all had things on our mind, I suppose.” Rarity said after a moment, before she gave a small smile to Twilight. “It makes me all the more glad you're here to help us... find the right path, dear. Without you, well...”

“I guess what Rarity's trying to say is... don't do anything stupid without us, huh?” Applejack said in a softer voice, and Twilight frowned a bit at the earth pony, but the orange mare only smiled. “Oh, don't give me that look, Twilight. We ain't stupid, you know.”

“We just want you to remember we're here with you, Twilight. That you don't have to handle this all alone. I think we've been worried that, well...” Fluttershy smiled a little, even as her eyes focused intently on Twilight.

The purple unicorn softened, looking around at her friends before she said softly: “I can't do this without all of you. So don't worry. I'm not going to do anything that puts any of us into unnecessary danger, and that includes myself. I can't help make sure all of you are okay too if something happens to me first.”

“Just make sure nothin' happens to you last, either.” Applejack said mildly.

“Hey, that makes it sound like something bad has to happen to one of us!” Pinkie Pie blurted out, and then she shoved her hoof into the air, declaring: “Well, nothin' bad is going to happen to anypony else before it happens to me!”

“Hey, Pinkie, don't think you can hog all the glory. If somepony's gonna get hurt, it's totally going to be me!” Rainbow interjected. “But hey, I can take it. I'll just hit that jerk Thorn back ten times harder!”

Twilight sighed and shook her head, but as she sat back, she couldn't help but smile at her friends. They were all so confident, or at least put up such a strong front. Even Fluttershy was smiling, and looked ready for what was ahead.

She knew none of them really were. She knew none of them had forgotten how easily Muse had defeated them. But she knew that if they were going to even stand a chance here, they had to go in swinging, and at least pretending they stood a chance.

So she let them talk, and laugh, instead of trying to stomp them out. She listened to them, and laughed with them, and celebrated, refusing to be dragged into her own evil thoughts, to fear what the next step was going to be.

It was twelve hours before the train slowed to a stop, and they got off not at a station, but at a dead end, just a little past a freight station. Twilight and her friends piled out, with all their equipment intact, and Twilight silently squeezed the hoof mirror she had done her best to suppress the enchantments on: she hadn't dispelled the magic, but rather repressed what she could. She wasn't sure if Thorn could hear or see anything through the mirror after cutting the connection, but there was no point in taking any chances with it.

They stood on a grassy ridge, gazing out at the cloudless sky, gazing out at the sea beyond a gorgeous beach that stretched for miles and miles. A boat had already been prepared for them, Twilight saw, and a soldier in uniform was waiting below, waving up at them.

Rainbow waved back, but Twilight only looked out over the ocean, and she could almost feel Thorn's presence in the distance: far enough away that no Equestrian would just stumble across him, but close enough that whenever he was done whatever it was he was doing with the anchor, he could simply return to Equestria and finish his work.

“Okay girls. This is the point of no return. After this, there's no turning back.” Twilight said in a low but firm voice, attracting the attention of her friends. “If you want to stay behind, no one will blame you. This is going to be dangerous.”

“We're with you, Twilight.” Applejack said firmly.

“Hey, I'm not turning back now. No way I'm spending another twelve hours in a stupid train!” Rainbow added.

Fluttershy and Rarity both smiled, and Pinkie Pie flung confetti into the air, declaring: “What kind of party pony would I be if I wasn't willing to help you throw the greatest friendship party ever!”

“That's not quite what we're doing, Pinkie, but I appreciate the enthusiasm.” Twilight said mildly, and then she took a breath, ignored the pang in her leg, and turned to walk down the hill, thanking: “Alright then, girls. Let's go. You and us, against the whole world. But with your help, I know we can do this, together.”

The mares followed bravely, and Twilight smiled a little before she steadied herself and made her expression more neutral as they approached the ship that had been requisitioned for them. A fishing vessel, not a military one: Twilight looked critically over it as the Royal Guard standing by the anchor rope saluted her: “Ma'am. Ready to cast off any time. Soldiers are as you requested, no armor, no uniform. We'll go in quiet.”

“Good. Thorn's attention should be focused on Princess Celestia and the anchor. If we're lucky, he won't notice the ship until we're passing beneath him. Unless we do something that tips him off, he'll keep his ship hidden in the clouds. That means we can't be doing any scanning for him.” Twilight explained. “I want your stallions to focus purely on keeping the ship moving.”

The soldier frowned, then asked: “Ma'am, if I may, then how do you expect to find him? We've been briefed on his floating fortress and its capabilities. We won't be able to locate it by sight.”

“No. But my friends here will be able to find it using air artes, even below deck.” Twilight replied. “His floating fortress has to interrupt natural air flows. We know that there were reports of cloud formations moving against the wind in areas.”

“Oh, I get it, yeah! We can use air artes to detect unusual changes in air pressure and stuff.” Rainbow perked up, nodding quickly before she frowned. “I mean, we'll have to be pretty close, though, and there's no way we'll be able to tell you exactly where he is...”

“That's fine. We know he'll be near the center of that cloud mass in the distance.” Twilight said, pointing at the faint mass of clouds on the horizon. “We move towards the center. All you have to do is tell me where he is. Once you tell me, I can triangulate his exact position with magic and get us on board.”

“Uh. How?” Applejack asked uneasily.

“With this...” Twilight held up the hoof mirror. “And because there is no cry like a child's to their mother.”

The ponies looked blank at this, but Twilight only smiled before she headed to the ship and climbed quickly up the ladder on the side to get on board, calling back to her friends: “Come on, we don't have a lot of time! Let's get moving, we don't want to take any chances!”

The ponies looked at each other, then shrugged before the mares hurried to follow their friend, and the Royal Guard sighed and came last to brief his troops before sending them off, only hoping that this Twilight Sparkle was really the miracle Princess Luna had claimed she was.

“We have detected Twilight Sparkle in the vicinity, sir.”

Thorn Blackfeather looked up from the central control console, asking a silent question with his eyes, and Serenity nodded as she returned her eyes to the console. “Residual damage to the Queen Mary's sensors makes it hard to pinpoint her location, but I would estimate she's moving along the coast. She may be aware of where we are.”

“I would be disappointed if she didn't figure it out.” Thorn answered, and he hesitated for a moment. Something gnawed at the back of his mind, but he dismissed it before saying quietly: “Tell our scanners to be aware of magical surges. She may be looking to negotiate again. She may send out signal flares to try and attract our attention. Keep an eye on her, but make no move to engage or communicate with her.”

“Sir.” Serenity returned to the console, then asked without looking up: “Should I have security prepared?”

“No. There's no way for her to penetrate the Queen Mary's defenses. Our limited power is better devoted to engineering at the moment.” Thorn answered, before he returned his eyes to the central control console, bringing up a holographic screen so he could check the status of the rest of the ship.

Several systems were still non-operational, and there wasn't much they could do at this point and time. Hull integrity had only improved slightly: they simply couldn't effectively repair the Queen Mary with their limited materials and while airborne at this point. The most they could do was patch the damage and hope that it would be enough to make the phase shift when they had to return to Decretum.

Thorn had meditated on abandoning the Queen Mary entirely, but so far these ponies had demonstrated they were greedy and destructive when it came to new technology. They were like undisciplined children, and if the Queen Mary's weapons were somehow dredged up from the bottom of the sea and replicated, it would mean the ponies might destroy themselves.

On the other hoof, they weren't warlike; they were just naive and emotional. They might also replicate the Queen Mary's power core... and, barring catastrophe due to negligence or idiocy, they could prosper even if their artes and much of the world's spiritual energy faded.

But whether he trusted them or not was irrelevant. He wasn't here to hold their hooves and help them out of the hole they had dug for themselves. He was here to fix the anchor they had broken and secure the shielding around the core world before it was too late.

He worked for a few minutes in silence, rerouting power throughout the ship to better supply their current needs, contacting work crews to give them new orders and check progress, and other tasks that at least gave him something to do. That was, until a transmission came up on the bridge screen, and Thorn looked up, barely suppressing a smile as a staticky image of a young stallion came through, greeting awkwardly: “Uh... Dad?”

“Yes, Prince Thesis?” Thorn asked pointedly, and his son blushed a little as he reached up and swept back his short white mane, then gave a cheesy grin.

Horses of Heaven, his son looked so much like his brother had. His coat was just a little bluer, his mane the wrong shade of white, his eyes more platinum than white...

But that grin. That freeness. He was just like the uncle he had never known.

“Sorry, I mean, uh. Sir, Orex has mounted an attack on Decretum. I thought you should know.” Thesis said lamely.

Thorn frowned slightly at this, and then he opened his mouth to give orders, before Serenity cleared her throat loudly.

“We have a problem that demands your attention, Lord Blackfeather.” she said.

Thorn scowled slightly, but then he bit his lip and nodded, returning his eyes to his son and saying calmly: “Prince Thesis, I have left Decretum in your care for a reason. I trust you to do the right thing. You are more than capable of handling a nuisance like Orex.”

“Yes, Dad.” Thesis mumbled, blushing and looking away.

Thorn paused for a moment, then asked slowly in spite of himself: “Why is Orex attacking Decretum directly?”

Thesis blushed.

Thorn narrowed his eyes.

Thesis cleared his throat and admitted after a moment: “I heard you needed time, so... I sent a message to him, telling him we had a new anchor here in Decretum we were preparing to deploy. And then I um.”

“Yes?” Thorn asked patiently.

“Then I showed him my butt.”

“You showed him your butt.” Thorn repeated.

“I showed him my butt. Like I sat on the communicator. Purposefully! Not like that time I did it to you by accident, Dad.”

“Thank you for clarifying.” Thorn said tiredly, and then he rubbed at his forehead before saying finally: “We will have a talk on diplomacy and tact when I return. For now, thank you for buying me some additional time, Thesis. Orex will-”

“Sir?”

Right. Thesis had to learn this on his own. Thorn couldn't be there to hold his hoof, every moment of every day. He turned a half-glare on Serenity, and then he took a breath before returning his eyes to the screen, saying quietly: “You will handle this incursion effectively and efficiently. If you have any problems or Orex's forces make it past our secondary defenses, then I want you to immediately call Rex Prox Danzsöngr.”

“Auntie Swan, got it.” Thesis said, nodding firmly.

Thorn sighed a little, but before he could let himself get drawn into scolding or giving any further orders to his son, he instead said calmly: “I am closing the uplink now. You can handle this, Thesis.”

“Okay. I got it, Dad. Uh, Emperor.” Thesis saluted awkwardly, and Thorn smiled before he nodded briefly, then closed the uplink, leaning on the control console for a moment before he turned his eyes towards Serenity.

Serenity gave him a brief smile, then became professional again as she informed: “We're detecting weak magic signals from what appears to be a fishing vessel approaching our position. We can't verify whether or not Twilight Sparkle is on board.”

“This world's artes are still very foreign to us. Adjust to read specifically for unicorn magic and let me know if you detect any spikes. We'll react appropriately then.” Thorn dismissed, glancing back at the bridge screen and absently rubbing at his face with one hoof.

No, allowing himself to get distracted was unprofessional and unacceptable. He had his mission, and compared to what Decretum had faced in the past, Orex was... subpar, to be charitable. The only reason he was a threat was because of his potential to worm his way into the core world, and his ability to phase-step between different worlds without leaving any trace behind. Thus, the entire reason he hadn't been caught and pummeled into submission by Danzsöngr yet.

There were, of course, other people they could ask to intervene and capture Orex for them, but Thorn wasn't that desperate yet. With Orex's attention now diverted to something other than drilling his way towards the core world, Thorn felt much more comfortable with the course of action he had chosen. Now they would easily be able to repair and replace the anchor in time, thus eliminating any possibility of Orex worming his way into the core world.

Yes, Thorn reassured himself. He was in control, at least for the moment, and even if he was worried that his somewhat-unpredictable teenage son would do something stupid, he was sure that Rex Prox Danzsöngr and her team would be more than capable of handling any trouble in Decretum.

“Lord Blackfeather!” Serenity shouted, snapping Thorn out of his distracted thoughts. “Massive magical reaction!”

Thorn looked sharply at Serenity as the operator hammered at her console, before she blurted out: “It's... it's coming from inside the ship!”

Thorn didn't have time to react, feeling every nerve lighting up across his body, his eyes going wide as impossible readings blared across his synthetic iris before he was barely able to cover his face in time as there was an explosion of light and sound.

Klaxons blared, and the entire ship quaked with the surge of magical energy that ripped across the bridge. Thorn stumbled and caught himself, his vision flickering as he snarled, his eyes locking with incredulity on Twilight Sparkle as she stomped down and anchored herself in front of his sizzling, crackling console, flinging a melted communicator to the ground as her friends stumbled to the ready around her. “Thorn Blackfeather!

“I'm here to show you just how strong we ponies are!”

A Test of Wills

Chapter Fifteen: A Test of Wills
~BlackRoseRaven

Twilight Sparkle felt Thorn's presence somewhere above as both Rainbow and Fluttershy confirmed that this felt like the center of the disturbance in the air flow through the clouds, like there was some massive... blockage in the air. That meant they had to be just below the ship, which was doubtlessly watching them by now.

Which meant they didn't have time to waste.

Twilight remembered the riddle she'd been given as she floated the hoof mirror in front of herself. She took a breath, then reached back into her satchel to pull out another stone that she clutched in one hoof.

She had worked a little with Spike on this last night. It had helped tire herself out, too, taking all her pent up emotions and energy, and storing them into the large gemstone Spike had shaped for her.

A magic battery. An amplifier, filled with her own power. With that, and the hoof mirror, she only needed one last thing.

“Princess Celestia.” Twilight murmured, and she focused not magic, but will, upwards, focusing on all her memories of the princess, calling out to her with something different from unicorn magic. Something that almost mimicked the magic Spike had.

She thought of Celestia's smile, and Celestia's tears. She thought of the maternal love and the stoic coldness that she had been treated with. She thought of how much she loved Celestia; she thought of all the questions she still had, that she demanded answers to.

She thought she felt a shifting above, like she had touched someone oh so far away, and they stirred in whatever darkness they were lost in.

She felt that presence.

Twilight trembled, and then cried out to that presence: those memories of Celestia, replaced by a rush of her thoughts, of hopes, of fears, of pain. She thought of everything she had suffered through: Canterlot burning, Spike, laying as if in death, her false exile, her failures.

Her fear of Thorn's callous side.

Her utter helplessness at Muse's power.

The singing axe of Gildrynn, as it had cut into her flesh.

Her emptiness, when she'd felt that everyone had betrayed her.

She was a child, crying out to her mother.

She felt Celestia's presence flare, snap awake, and cry back to her. She felt Celestia's magic rush down towards her, felt her love and her embrace, her sorrow at having done everything so wrong while only wanting to do what was right for her people!

Twilight clenched the mirror in her magic and surged her magic through it, and she felt a second link: a cold, logical link of machinery to machinery, magic device to magic device, amplified by her link with Celestia, with her knowledge of where Celestia was, above, and where she had been, above.

She felt the point where both of those presences had been, and she gritted her teeth as she looked up and drew all the energy she could from the stone, shouting: “Everypony! Hold on to each other!”

Her friends complied without question, grasping each other, grasping into her, and Twilight's horn sparked with power before she arched her back, and cried out as she pulled herself, and her friends, up those twin cords of both logic and passion calling to her, letting her triangulate exactly where she had to go without having ever seen the inside of Thorn's floating fortress.

It hurt: this wasn't like any teleport she had done before: this was like punching a hole in one section of reality, and ripping their way out of another in an explosion of magic power. Twilight flung herself forwards, catching herself with a snarl as she flung away the wreckage of the mirror: it hadn't held up through the transport, but that didn't matter now. It had served its purpose and brought them where they needed to go.

“Thorn Blackfeather!” she shouted. “I'm here to show you just how strong ponies are!”

Thorn stared at her, for the first time she had ever seen, unprepared, shocked. But she knew it wouldn't last long, so she immediately seized him with telekinesis and slammed him down into the ground, trying to pretend she wasn't already almost wholly drained of energy as she snapped: “Girls! You know what to do!”

Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie launched to either side of the room, shouting, yelling, and drawing attention as Applejack and Fluttershy ran to the only visible set of doors that led in and out of the bridge. Confused, half-mechanical ponies were already leaping away from their consoles as the room devolved into chaos, klaxons blaring and drowning out orders from the few officers that seemed to keep their heads.

Thorn cursed, his eyes flicking back over his shoulder in frustration as he realized that two of the ponies were using their artes to seal the metal door closed. He narrowed his eyes, then simply flicked his horn, Twilight staggering back in shock as he easily dispelled her magic grip and quickly stood, saying coldly: “I will not tolerate this intrusion. Serenity, order-”

Thorn grimaced as Twilight sent a blast of magic at him, quickly deflecting it with his mechanical foreleg before he retaliated with a powerful telekinetic hammer. But Twilight blocked this with her own, gasping as she staggered backwards under the assault, but then gamely set herself in front of the sparking, crackling central control console.

“Serenity!” Thorn shouted, before his expression tightened as he saw Serenity was laying on the ground, holding the side of her head with Rarity over her, holding some kind of makeshift stun rod. She yanked Serenity's sidearm loose before she turned to gallop away, and Thorn sent a blast of magic at her to bring down the mare-

Twilight intercepted his blast of magic with her own, and then she flung something at him. Thorn deflected it, then cursed as the bauble went off in a weak explosion that all the same shattered several console screens and overloaded the sensitive systems they were connected to.

His operators were in a panic. His security teams were nowhere to be seen, but he could sense other magical readings throughout the ship: somehow Twilight had alerted and coordinated this with Celestia.

“Portia! I want-” Thorn was cut off as Rainbow Dash divebombed him, forced to bring up his mechanical leg to deflect her attack before he sidestepped several wild swings and kicks from Pinkie Pie, then stared in disbelief when she pulled a cannon out of seemingly nowhere before he narrowly shielded himself from the explosion of confetti and concussive force that erupted from it.

“Found my party cannon!” Pinkie shouted brightly, before she squeaked when Thorn slammed the cannon back into her with telekinesis before he caught Rainbow Dash's next dive and flung the pegasus into a row of consoles, grimacing in distaste at the damage to his own property.

“Portia! I want full lockdown! Evacuate the bridge!” Thorn ordered.

Applejack and Fluttershy flinched back from the half-sealed door as a heavy shutter slammed down over it, and the operators Rarity had been fending off with the stun rod and gun she'd liberated from Serenity suddenly broke away, both running for the sides of the bridge as the walls slid smoothly down to reveal a series of escape hatches.

Twilight glared at Thorn, but the stallion didn't move as he locked gazes with Twilight Sparkle. Neither of them moved as Twilight's friends slowly moved down to form a loose cordon around the stallion, as his operators all hurried to eject themselves to safety.

The klaxon was replaced by an insistent beep as warnings flashed over the bridge window, and Thorn straightened slowly as he said in a low, icy voice: “You have interrupted my operations. You have caused substantial damage to my ship. This is your last chance to surrender.”

“We have you where we want you, Thorn. You should surrender to us, before we're forced to do something none of us want to.” Twilight replied evenly.

“Very well. Portia, remove the threat.” Thorn ordered coldly, and Twilight's eyes widened as panels slid open on either side of the ceiling, two massive turrets descending and opening fire immediately on the ponies.

They narrowly avoided the laser fire, scattering as Thorn calmly created a holographic screen, rapidly tapping in several more commands as the ponies were distracted by the lasers tracing after them. Rarity fired uselessly at one of the turrets with the gun she'd taken from Serenity, then screamed as the laser sliced upwards and tore the weapon in half, the mare flinging it away in shock as she dodged to the side before Twilight snarled and blasted the turret with a bolt of magic, making it spark before Rainbow Dash shot upwards into it and kicked it as hard as she could, knocking it loose from the ceiling and leaving it sparking uselessly.

The second turret traced its beam towards Fluttershy, who stumbled before Pinkie Pie flung herself in front of the mare, Twilight's eyes widening in horror as the laser ripped across Pinkie's body. The earth pony screamed, freezing in midair and flinching before, to the horror of the ponies, she arched her back as her body rapidly began to dissolve, shrieking and grabbing uselessly at herself before she cackled brokenly as she cried out: “I... was the first, Dashie!”

Pinkie Pie vanished, and Twilight trembled before she leapt forwards as the laser fired at Fluttershy, blocking it with a shield of magic before Fluttershy snarled as she straightened and traced a rapid series of runes, then blasted the turret with a massive charge of lightning, her amulet flashing as she drew the energy from it to power the arte. The turret erupted in an explosion of light and sound and shrapnel before she turned her furious eyes to Thorn Blackfeather, who only looked back at her, unimpressed.

His eyes shifted to Twilight as the unicorn trembled and stared at him, and he said, calm, callous, emotionless: “Your actions have consequences. I hope that you are as ready as I am to face them.”

Twilight snarled, leaping at him, but Thorn blasted her backwards before his eyes flicked to Applejack as she charged at him with a roar, and they all felt the undeniable authority as he ordered coldly: “Sit down.”

Applejack's eyes glazed over as her rump slammed down to the ground, skidding to a halt. Her face went slack, her head cocking stupidly to the side before Thorn carelessly deflected another kick from Rainbow Dash, then he caught her and slammed her with telekinesis ruthlessly into the stunned Applejack, sending them skidding into a bank of consoles.

Twilight charged her horn with magic, and Thorn's eyes turned to her, and she felt the insidious, immense mental pressure as he said calmly: “Discharge.”

Twilight wasn't even aware she was doing it before her horn all-but-exploded, magical recoil knocking her crashing and rolling backwards with a gasp as all the power left her body. She was left in a stupid, dazed sprawl, trembling on the floor as Thorn turned his eyes towards the next threat, creating a shield that absorbed another blast of electricity from Fluttershy before he seized her with telekinesis, then he flung her roughly backwards, sending the pegasus bouncing with a cry across the floor into one of the open escape hatches.

Thorn tapped an order on the holographic screen still floating at his side, and the pod that Fluttershy had been flung into sealed itself shut, the pegasus scrambling helplessly to the door, staring through the window uselessly, Rainbow Dash trembling as she saw her friend for a bare moment before the pod was launched free, plummeting into the ocean below.

“I jettisoned the pod without life support. She will sink to the bottom of the sea and be dead in two minutes.” Thorn explained with terrible calm to Rainbow Dash. “The pod will not open from the inside. It can only be opened from outside.”

Rainbow Dash snarled, trembled, and then yanked herself away from the still-stunned Applejack and flung herself towards the open hatch, vanishing through it before Twilight could cry out for her to stop. And a moment later, the walls descended again over the hatches, sealing Rainbow out, and the remaining ponies inside.

Twilight slowly picked herself up as Applejack shook herself out and slowly came to, and Rarity trembled, slowly approaching Thorn with the stun rod as she whispered: “You... you promised you would help! Why? Why are you doing this, why-”

Thorn yanked the stun rod away from Rarity, then shoved it into her chest, and Rarity screamed as electricity coursed through her body before she collapsed. The stallion carelessly through the smoking rod away, then looked down at Rarity, answering: “I do what has to be done. Do you understand that, Twilight Sparkle?”

Thorn turned towards Twilight, and he caught the grenade she flung at him before he sent it flying back at her. It exploded at her hooves, but Twilight blocked most of the blast with magic before she yanked her satchel off and flung it aside, snarling: “No, Thorn, you're the one who needs to understand what a mistake you just made!”

Applejack groaned as she began to force herself up to her hooves, and Thorn's eyes slid to her before he ordered carelessly: “Stop breathing.”

Applejack's eyes widened as she looked up at him, her breath hitching in her throat, and she grabbed at her neck as she gritted her teeth, struggling to wheeze, to breathe. Twilight's eyes widened, and then she snarled as she lashed out with her horn, but Thorn calmly deflected the blades of magic with a shield of his own, ignoring the mare as she shouted: “No! Stop it!”

The earth pony shuddering on the ground tried to begin tracing an arte, but Thorn flicked his horn, knocking her onto her back with a slice of magic. Twilight snarled, stepping forwards as she tried to focus magic, but she was distracted by Applejack's quaking body, her spasming limbs, her gurgling as her lips began to turn blue, as her eyes bulged, as she looked helplessly up at Thorn and he looked calmly down at her before his eyes narrowed ever-so-slightly...

Twilight opened her mouth, and then trembled as Applejack fell limp, her body clunking to the ground, her head rolling laxly to the side as she gave one last, weak exhale. She went still, oh so very still, her eyes half-closed and glazed, beautiful and lost.

Thorn drew his mismatched, damned eyes to Twilight Sparkle, and he said contemptibly: “You have failed me, you have failed Celestia, you have failed your friends, and you have failed yourself.”

Twilight trembled, and then she slowly grit her teeth.

“Lay down and surrender so I can have the Kirin remove you from my sight. Or I will open fire on Rainbow Dash and the fishing boat below, and we can ensure there are no survivors of your witless-”

Twilight unleashed a massive blast of magic at Thorn, and the stallion was knocked skidding backwards by the attack all the way to the stairs, snarling in surprise at the force of power as Twilight roared through furious tears: “No! I will not give up!”

She didn't know why. Hate or anger or pride. Because she wanted revenge, or she knew there was no stopping now. Because she couldn't let her friends die in vain, or because she just wanted to punish Thorn Blackfeather.

It didn't matter.

This was the end, and she was going to end it one way or the other.

Thorn gritted his teeth, and then he blinked out of reality and out of the way of the violent stream of magic, reappearing behind a row of consoles as he commanded: “Portia! Flood the room with DX-7 gas!”

Twilight looked sharply up as a rumbling filled the air, and a mechanical voice stated: “Warning. DX-7 contamination will approach lethal levels in less than one minute. Please proceed to the nearest-”

“Quarantine the room.” Thorn ordered coldly.

Twilight began to focus her magic, but Thorn lashed out with his horn, sending a blade of energy at her. She dodged backwards, snarling, then retaliated with a beam of magic that ripped across the consoles, but Thorn had already teleported to another location.

He sent another blast of magic at her, but Twilight dodged to the side before her eyes widened as Thorn instructed her calmly: “Breathe deep. Take a rest.”

She felt a heaviness fill her body, the mare staggering before she cried out as psychic chains seized around her limbs, forcing her down. She gritted her teeth as Thorn snorted, and anger flared through her, pushing back at that mental weight Thorn had inflicted on her.

She wasn't going to just lie down and die!

She forced a leg under her, and Thorn frowned before he staggered backwards in surprise as the floor beneath his hooves warped into metal blades, knocked off balance. He watched in shock as Twilight threw herself to her hooves, shoving off his psychic intrusion as she grabbed the amulet around her neck and rapidly traced a series of runes through the air in fury and desperation, because unicorn magic sure as hell wasn't working, but maybe artes would.

A blast of wind ripped through the bridge, and Thorn's eyes widened before he snarled, staggering and setting himself against the cyclone that filled the bridge, that pulled loose metal plating and broken glass into a whirling maelstrom. He protected himself with a shield of magic before he howled in shock and pain when Twilight appeared in front of him and slammed her hoof into his body as the wind roared around them, shouting: “I learned this from your-”

Thorn slammed his metal hoof into her, and Twilight screamed as a massive surge of lightning tore through her body, before she grinned even as sparking tears filled her eyes, and Thorn's eyes widened as he felt her channeling that electricity through her body and back into him.

He snarled, leaning into her, their bodies forming a circuit as electricity cycled through them both, before his eyes widened as he felt his mechanical forelimb overheating. It began to jitter as he smelled the stink of burning hair and flesh, Twilight snarling as his metal hoof dug slowly into her shoulder before she leaned into his face and snarled: “Whatever it god damn takes!”

Thorn felt her hoof trace back and forth across his body, felt her trace a searing rune into him before he howled as he was blasted backwards by a massive surge of wind and electricity. He crashed through a console, bouncing and rolling over it before he tumbled down to the bottom of the bridge, his mechanical leg sizzling and crackling as it fell limp and useless and he looked up with disbelief as Twilight turned towards him, surging with desperate magic as she snarled down at him, and he grabbed uselessly at himself as he realized too late that the rune-

The rune detonated in a tremendous blast of magic, paralleled by the shockwave of power that erupted from Twilight's overloaded body. The airship shook with the immense explosion of force as the front of the bridge was blown out in a blast of electricity and force, magic erupting through the air around the Queen Mary as the floating fortress shuddered.

Alarms blared through the ship as shrapnel fell in a broken hail around the ship, as wires crackled and the great airship listed slightly to one side. Power flickered as voices shouted in disbelief from both below and within, smoke pouring up from the ruined face of the ship as systems went haywire across the massive floating fortress.

Twilight trembled as she straightened slowly, her body shaking with pain as she blinked at the sunlight that filled the dim ruins of the bridge. Smoke rolled like fog across the floor, but oh, she could see blue sky, she could see-

Thorn Blackfeather.

The stallion was breathing hard, his synthetic eye dead and hollow, his mechanical leg gone. His body was smoldering, and a strange, dark essence was leaking from his wounds.

Twilight trembled as she straightened, looking down at the stallion at the broken front of the ship as dark veins pulsed through his body beneath his coat, his sharp teeth slowly grinding together before he slowly looked up with his one deep, dark eye at her, saying in a low, barely-controlled voice: “Congratulations, Twilight Sparkle. You have successfully used up the last of my patience.”

Thorn slowly straightened, and Twilight's eyes widened as a black, viscous liquid poured from the stump of his shoulder, bubbling and boiling before it tightened on itself and formed into a smooth black leg. The stallion flexed this idly, before the limb rippled and transformed again, becoming a draconic claw.

He flexed this slowly, and Twilight gritted her teeth before she steadied herself. Her body thrummed with magic and determination as they faced one-another, before the stallion suddenly flicked his limb upwards, sending blades of black crystal shooting out of the appendage towards her.

Twilight lashed her horn down, blasting the shards of crystal into dust as she leapt sideways, and her eyes widened as she realized too late Thorn was already moving, sharply flanking her before he slashed viciously at her side, but the mare barely deflected the attack with magic, before she began to trace an arte with her hoof-

He seized her forelimb, and his grip burned like fire, making her gasp before he yanked her off her hooves and flung her across the room. She gasped as she hit the opposite bank of consoles hard, falling with a tremble to the ground before Thorn began to advance on her again as he said coldly: “Slow and sloppy. Unacceptable.”

Twilight snarled, then gasped as she felt a searing agony burn through her forelimb, looking down to see moving, black blemishes twisting and snaking their way up her limb. She immediately concentrated her magic down her limb, and Thorn paused and watched closely as the corruption was charred out of her body through force of magic, the mare gritting her teeth before she looked up and snarled: “Don't underestimate me.”

“So what is at your core, then, Twilight Sparkle? Pride and ambition? Is this about your friends, or is this about you?” Thorn asked almost casually as he circled to the side, black veins pulsing through his body, strange shapes twisting like serpents beneath his coat as he walked naturally on his mutant claw.

Twilight glared back at him, trembling with anger. “What did you expect? Tears? For me to break down and surrender? I don't have time for that right now. I would expect you of all ponies to understand that, Thorn.”

Thorn smiled thinly. “Better than you know.”

He vanished from sight, but Twilight had seen that trick before, and she rapidly traced an earth arte with both hooves on the ground, only half aware that she was doing something she'd always been told was impossible. She felt the magic flow through her body as her as the floor around her warped, Thorn forced to dance backwards before he narrowly twisted out of the way of a hard kick from the mare.

His draconic limb became a chain of crystal that snapped forwards across Twilight's back, driving her to the ground with a gasp before it twisted around her throat, choking her as he yanked her backwards. Twilight gargled as she was torn through the air and slammed viciously into the floor behind Thorn, before he swung her forwards, but the mare managed to get her rear hooves under her and catch herself before she could hit the ground.

She snarled in pain at the agony her bad leg flared through her body, but the pain cut through her lightheadedness. She focused a burst of her magic through the chain, disintegrating it and making Thorn flinch before she spun around, unleashing a powerful blast of unicorn magic that knocked Thorn further back as she traced a rune at the same time over the ground.

The air arte surged through the metal plating of the floor, Thorn hissing in pain as his body was electrified before Twilight followed up with a beam of magic, driving him back into the wall. He rasped in pain, forcing his corrupt limb up into the concentrated beam and gritting his teeth as it began to petrify under her potent, pure magic, the stallion narrowing his eyes as the inexhaustible unicorn advanced on him, not even aware of the fact she had long shattered the crystal amulet around her neck as her body glowed with determination, that she wasn't drawing on the power of the stone, but the innate, secret power of magic inside herself.

She pressed forwards.

He resisted.

Twilight roared as she leaned into her beam, before her eyes widened as Thorn dodged to the side even as her pulse of magic blasted most of his corrupt limb from his body, and she failed to move enough in time to dodge the vicious punch from the stallion.

She skidded backwards before she was knocked into a daze as he slammed his head roughly into her face before an uppercut pounded into her with enough force to knock her rearing back, head snapping back and blood and spit flying from her gaping mouth before she was knocked sprawling onto her back a by a thunderous bang of magic.

She flopped more than rolled backwards, landing in a sprawl on her belly before she flinched in pain as dark goo splattered across her forelegs, rapidly hardening into crystal that bound her tightly to the ground. She started to raise her head, but before she could channel any magic, the same dark substance splattered across her horn, forming a sheath of waxy slime that hardened as it spilled down her spire and across her face.

She glared furiously up at Thorn, and he looked coldly back down at her as his black limb stretched back into being, absently flexing a thinner set of claws as he ordered: “Surrender.”

“No.” Twilight said quietly, before she gasped as she felt the corruption sizzle against her, felt it spreading over her limbs and down her face, eating into her skin, her bones, her very soul.

“Then I will force you to surrender.” Thorn said quietly, before he narrowed his eyes and said again, harder: “Surrender.”

She felt the pressure. Felt his authority bearing down on her, crushing her under its weight, and she gritted her teeth before she snarled as she forced herself to look up. Her horn seared uselessly against the sheath covering it as his corruption boiled over her body, before she growled: “Never.”

Thorn snorted, then he straightened and shook his head, turning around and taking a breath as he gathered his thoughts. And in that moment, Twilight seized her last desperate chance, sharply tracing a rune through the air with her corruption-covered horn before the stallion turned back around, starting: “You have been-”

The rune thrummed, and Thorn had a moment to stare before a blast of air-arte lightning hammered into his body and knocked him skidding backwards. Twilight focused as much magic as she could not through her horn, but through her body as Thorn began to straighten, before he shouted in frustration as she blasted herself backwards, rocketing off the ground and into the air, shedding the corruption he had tried to lock her down with in a black comet's tail behind her as she redirected what little energy she had left back up through her body and into her horn to sear through the last of the poison.

She snapped her horn down as Thorn focused his own magic towards her, and their energies met and crackled in the air, wills wrestling before Twilight yelled furiously, incoherently, as she traced an arte through the air in front of her with her hooves. And Thorn's eyes widened as a blast of magic arced downwards and towards him, unable to react in time, unable to split his concentration before that arc of lightning hammered into his body and knocked him skidding backwards with a gasp.

He fell to his belly, his corrupt limb spasming and melting, rasping for breath. Twilight hit the floor a moment later, and she trembled on the ground, face down, almost every last ounce of her spirit and will used up, her body smoldering as she rasped: “Won't... let you... win.”

Thorn breathed hard for a moment, and then he gritted his teeth and slowly forced his head up. His eye blazed with frustration as black poison leaked from every wound, pulsed beneath his skin.

Twilight forced her forelegs under her, and rose her head, glaring at him with eyes that glowed eerily with energy, as if her spirit was rising from her flesh, shaking off its earthly shackles and becoming something more. As if she was will, incarnate.

They glared at each other, before a cold wind blew through the room; a freezing, chilling wind that whipped blackness across the floor before those shadows rose up, and formed into phantasms that stood between them.

“That's enough.” chided the shadows in a single voice. These living shadows were shaped like a mare, ebbing and flowing, but always maintaining a shape like a unicorn; a shape that Twilight Sparkle almost recognized, saw a strange, alien familiarity in...

Thorn grumbled.

“Thorn.” reprimanded the shadow.

Thorn sighed, and then he slowly nodded as he forced himself up to his hooves. He swayed, then grimaced as his black, corrupt arm decayed away, dark ooze slathering to the ground and dissolving into thin air.

He grasped the stump of his shoulder for a moment as the darkness faded from his body and the veins retreated from his face, and he leaned slightly back as one of the shadows strode towards him before it gently touched his shoulder; a false limb of ice sprung into being, rapidly assembling itself into a temporary limb as the shadow seemed to smile at him.

The other shadow approached Twilight Sparkle and soothingly stroked her forehead. And in that single caress, Twilight felt her life and energy return, the mare blinking in confusion before she stumbled up to her hooves, shaking her head and nervously shifting away from the... the newcomer. She felt the same energy coming from both identical shadows, the same power... which meant... “Who are you? How can you puppet two projections at once?”

“Practice.” answered the newcomer, before she laughed.

Twilight shifted uneasily, and then both shadows smiled and slid to either side. Thorn approached her, limping only slightly on his icy limb, and Twilight glared at him before she frowned when he extended his flesh and blood hoof, saying calmly: “I can't risk any further conflict. You win.”

Twilight stared at him, and then she trembled as she looked at his hoof before she gritted her teeth and spat: “I win? Is that supposed to make me feel better? Thorn, you... you bastard, you killed all my friends, and now, what, I-”

“Twilight?” whispered a voice, and Twilight's eyes widened before she looked in shock at Applejack, staring at her with confusion as the earth pony she had been sure was dead, slowly pushed herself up.

“I did not kill your friends. I removed them from the battlefield.” Thorn answered moodily as he gestured backwards. “While I appreciate that you recognize I am more than capable of-”

“Thorn isn't as cruel as he might seem. Pinkie's okay, too, don't worry. She just got teleported to the prison block, the laser only damages non-organic matter.” The twin shadows smiled. “Thorn designed that system himself.”

“Thank you, Queen Morgan.” Thorn said dryly, and it was clear he wasn't at all thanking her. “Yes. I did not disengage life support from Fluttershy's pod. I knocked Applejack unconscious. May we speed through these proceedings? I still have work to do.”

Twilight mouthed wordlessly, then she scrambled over to Applejack, dropping down by her disbelievingly. Applejack blinked a bit, and then she smiled weakly up at Twilight, whispering: “You look like hell, Twilight.”

The purple unicorn laughed weakly, before she looked up in confusion as a frosty hoof gently touched her shoulder. She found Thorn looking down at her, studying her intently before he said calmly: “I would like you to join me, Twilight Sparkle. You would make a fine addition to the Orphanage.”

Twilight looked up at Thorn for a moment, and then she smiled briefly before she said quietly: “You have to negotiate from a position of strength, Thorn Blackfeather.”

Thorn finally cracked a smile at that, before he looked up as the shadow unicorn, Queen Morgan, said softly: “Strength comes in many different forms. That's something you still have to be reminded of now and then, Thorn.”

“Orex?” Thorn asked.

“No. I know Thesis can handle him. I was worried about you. I've been watching you for a while now.” Queen Morgan replied gently, and Thorn blushed a little as he looked away. “You're just like your mother, after all. Stubborn, difficult, adamant, and self-sacrificing to a fault.”

Twilight looked at Thorn, and then she hesitantly stood up before she asked quietly: “Where do you come from, Thorn? What are you, really?”

Thorn looked at her, and then he smiled briefly before he answered: “Agree to come with me, and you'll see for yourself.”

Twilight hesitated, and then she smiled back before she said finally: “I have a job to finish, first. Maybe you could help me finish it, though. As a... a gesture of goodwill.”

Thorn thought on this for a moment, before he grimaced when the shadowy specters slid towards him, merging into one mare that gently kissed his cheek before maternally stroking his mane back, saying softly: “Don't be difficult.”

“Alright.” Thorn said after a moment, and then he sighed when the shadowy mare simply vanished. He hesitated for a moment, then walked away from Twilight, heading over to where Serenity lay, still unconscious.

He silently pressed his hoof to her forehead, his horn thrumming once, and the mare blinked before she groaned and sat up, blinking up at him. She blushed, and Thorn smiled at her before he said: “We need to bring the ship out of lockdown and return to Canterlot. There is work to be done.”

“Did we win?” Serenity asked, almost nervously.

Thorn thought for a moment, before he glanced up as Twilight Sparkle approached, answering: “No one won. But no one lost, either. Not yet, anyway.”

She nudged Thorn firmly, and the stallion looked at her dryly, but Serenity laughed a little at this, picking herself up and looking relieved. She drew her eyes out over the wreckage, spotting Applejack helping Rarity to her hooves, seeing the destruction, but the lack of death.

“Good.” Serenity said after a moment, and then she saluted sharply. “Honored to serve, sir.”

Thorn only shrugged, and then he turned towards Twilight Sparkle, offering his hoof again. She looked at him for a moment, biting her lip before she reached up and took it, and they shook.

They looked at each other, eye-to-eye as equals, before the mare asked: “What about my friends? What about Princess Celestia?”

“Your friends will be brought back on board with the rest of the evacuated crew. And I'm sure Celestia is very eager to see you.” Thorn said, before he turned as the shutter creakily began to withdraw from protecting the broken doors, gesturing at her to follow. “Let's go.”

“Let's.” Twilight agreed after a moment, and she couldn't help but smile as she hurried up to the stallion's side, refusing to be anything less than his equal.

And Thorn smiled at this proud little unicorn who had inconvenienced him at every turn, destroyed his flagship, and in the end, proven that even a pawn could topple the mightiest of kings.

Coming To Terms

Chapter Sixteen: Coming To Terms
~BlackRoseRaven

Princess Celestia didn't want to believe it, but there was no denying that Twilight Sparkle had grown up, and had become a stronger, better mare than she had ever been. And now all she could do was watch as this strong, independent mare left on her own journey.

It would be a lie to say she understood. There was just too much to take in after only a few short days: she had seen a great map of worlds, hundreds, thousands of different worlds, that had all started as nothing more than ninety-nine copies, false lives to hide the true core world from sight, created by a god who had long turned to dust.

Nonsense.

They were real ponies, with real emotions, real lives, real souls. So what if they weren't in the 'core world?' Being some parallel versions or whatever they were didn't make them any less meaningful than those other 'real' ponies were.

But she knew that Thorn knew that. He wasn't from the original world, either. Only dedicated to protecting them, for his own insane reasons.

She was just having trouble accepting it, and more than that, accepting that even if she was the protector of this Equestria, ultimately she could only do so much to save her own world. And she would have to learn to accept that nothing was ever going to be perfect, no matter how hard she tried to make everything right.

And she knew that this for the best.

But still, it didn't make things any easier.

Princess Celesta sighed quietly as she stood in the ruins of the bridge of the Queen Mary. She stood out there in the wreckage, alone, watching as Canterlot drew closer in the distant. Nighthawks flanked Thorn's wounded giant on either side, flying flags of peace behind them, and Royal Guard were already escorting them eagerly back home, sent ahead by Princess Luna to meet them once Celestia had sent her a letter telling her she was coming home.

Because that was what this was. A coming home. Not a freedom from imprisonment, but a willing return to the place she had, in more than one way, tried to run away from.

She had never wanted to return here. Certainly not under these circumstances, either. And yet, in spite of all that, here she was.

And everything had worked out.

But none of that was because of her. If anything, she had delayed, and damaged, and nearly damned their chances, time and time again, even as she tried to convince herself and everyone around her that she was going to do her best to make sure everything was going to be okay.

“It's easy to be hard on yourself now.” said a quiet voice, and Celestia glanced to the side as Thorn joined her. He was a little bruised, a little battered, but was otherwise none the worse for wear: his prosthetic leg had been replaced, his synthetic eye gleamed, his cape hung comfortably around his shoulders as he looked out at Canterlot in the distance. “You had many reasons not to trust us.”

“How did you know I was thinking about that?” questioned Celestia, feeling... well, she didn't know what she felt. At this point, she didn't deserve the privacy of her own thoughts.

“Because I've been thinking a lot of the same things.” Thorn answered, surprising her. “I am an authority. Sometimes I forget where my authority ends, and that tact is for more than personal relations and diplomacy. I also became... entangled.”

Celestia frowned at him, and Thorn hesitated before he said quietly: “When I realized the potential of this world, I allowed it to affect my judgment. I also became more interested in drawing out Twilight Sparkle and putting her in a position of difficulty to test her. I put lives at risk. Equestria's, and my own soldier's. And worst of all, for all my testing, I ended up severely underestimating her ability.”

There was silence for a moment, and then Celestia said finally: “I don't think Twilight understands, even now, that those artes were cast by her, not her broken amulet. That not even I can cast artes in the way that she naturally did.”

“It is an incredible ability. It came from within. And thus, it can never be taken away from her.” Thorn looked at Canterlot in the distance, saying meditatively: “We will train her. She will be a great asset in protecting the worlds. But her raw talent will only take her so far.”

“You're not underestimating the work ethic of Twilight Sparkle, now are you?” Celestia couldn't help but smile at this. “You know, I had to pretend Nightmare Moon had returned just to get Twilight to take a day off. And even then, I suppose you could call coming to rescue me 'working.' But I am surprised you're not angrier about her destroying this ship of yours.”

“I've met a Twilight Sparkle before. I know their work ethic. And I recognize she did what she felt was necessary; besides, this ship is nothing but a prototype. It can be easily repaired, replaced, and the data from her attack will be used to make improvements. I should be thanking her.” Thorn paused, then he said in a softer voice: “My concern is for her mental state. The pressures will be great, and they will be many. She will be among hundreds of other exceptionally-talented ponies. Some will look almost exactly like her. Others will be things she has never imagined before.”

“She'll be fine.” Celestia said, and Thorn looked up curiously at how confident she sounded. “Twilight has always been able to adjust, no matter what the circumstances. That's what makes Twilight special. Her drive to better herself, but never at the cost of others.”

“She has a darkness, too.” Thorn pointed out. “Her anger is dangerous.”

“We all have a darkness. She thought her friends were dead. That wasn't her anger, Thorn, that was her dedication, her determination... and whatever the negative side of those traits are.” Celestia quieted, and then she looked out towards Canterlot as she said softly: “I believe Twilight Sparkle knows right from wrong, and she won't pursue evil means to power... but I won't pretend that when I taught her how to harness even a touch of dark magic, I wasn't afraid that same drive would push her to unlock every black secret she could...”

Thorn nodded, looking out into the distance before he said simply: “Then I will ensure that drive is redirected towards more positive things.”

Celestia couldn't help but smile, turning her eyes to Thorn as she asked wryly: “Just like that?”

“I don't like to complicate things.” Thorn answered.

“It would have simplified things if you'd given us the energy generators in the first place.” remarked Celestia.

Thorn gave her a mild look, and then he looked out at Canterlot, asking: “Why is the world beautiful?”

The Princess of the Sun cocked an eyebrow, and Thorn answered his own question: “Because ponies have freedom, and choice, and because they live their lives, unhindered and untampered with. No gods, no devils, no monsters... no interdimensional security force.

“Sometimes ugly things will happen to a beautiful world. But it how you deal with that ugliness that determines whether or not your world will be beautiful again. Will you heal those scars, or let them fester? Will you cover the blemishes, or make them part of the artwork? Will you fill in the gaps, or tear this world further apart?

“But if something from outside this world came and put the pieces back together, made this world perfect, then it would no longer be beautiful. I could make this world precise, and perfect. I could give you the machinery and the means to live in automated peace for the rest of your lives. And innovation would cease, and this world would turn, like the gears of a machine. Beautiful, in a different way, all without the emotion that gives these worlds meaning.”

“So you prefer the beauty of a roaring fire to the simplicity of a field?” Celestia asked ironically.

“I prefer ponies who know the meaning of joy because of the suffering they have survived.” answered Thorn, before he looked out at the damaged face of Canterlot and said: “Artes give ponies more powers over their lives than they ever had without them. So I know you understand, and I see now why you fought so hard for them.”

Celestia snorted, but then she gave a slight smile as she asked: “Is this your roundabout way of saying you're going to help us now?”

“It was one of the conditions of Twilight Sparkle's negotiations.” Thorn answered with a glance towards her. “I did not offer. She insisted and proved her value. That makes all the difference.”

Celestia quieted, and then she bit her lip before suddenly turning towards the stallion, asking: “Will I ever see her again?”

“The odds are in your favor.” answered Thorn with a brief shrug. “We'll be placing an outpost on this world to assist with your spiritual energy difficulties. It will require some monitoring and resupply in its initial stages. Twilight will need practice drops and this place will serve well enough as a training zone.

“In the past, we were much stricter about our Orphans. But due to a cataclysmic event many years ago now, we... reevaluated those rules.” Thorn smiled briefly. “Orphanage duties come first. But we do permit homeworld visits under special or extenuating circumstances.”

Celestia studied Thorn, and Thorn looked back at her before she shifted her gaze towards Canterlot. It was drawing close now. In minutes, perhaps, they would be landing.

So she took a breath, then turned back to Thorn and asked bluntly: “What are you, Thorn Blackfeather?”

After what Twilight had told her, her aversion to him made much more sense. His black blood, the corruption in his veins, the cold darkness he emanated in spite of his cordial tone. It wasn't his power or his alien machinery she feared: it was him, or rather, what was inside him.

But Thorn only smiled, answering: “A pony, just like you.”

Celestia snorted at this, asking: “Just like me?”

“If you want to get down to particulars, I am a stallion, not a mare, I do not possess wings, and-”

Celestia glared at him. “Is this your idea of a joke?”

“Yes.” Thorn answered matter-of-factly. “And it is is also a serious answer, Celestia. I am a pony. What, may I ask, are you?”

For a moment, the mare glared at him, and then a brief smile twitched at her mouth before she replied dryly: “Troubled.”

“We have many troubled people at the Orphanage, Princess Celestia. With a little time and patience, they often get better. I'm sure that if you give yourself the same, you will too.” Thorn said politely, before he bowed his head and excused himself with: “I have to prepare the ship for landing. Please join me in the hangar when you're ready. We'll avoid the crowds and land at the rear of the castle.”

“What, you want to avoid the crowds?” Celestia asked with a wider smile as Thorn walked away.

The stallion glanced back over his shoulder at her mildly before he answered, as he headed to the exit: “Yes.”

“I see I'm not the only troubled pony.” Celestia muttered as the stallion left, before she sighed and turned to gaze out over Canterlot and the milling, cheering crowd below, waving eagerly up at their princess, who they so wrongly thought had conquered Thorn Blackfeather; something she was sure she would never convince the mob below otherwise.

Yes. Avoiding the crowd would be nice.

Princess Celestia embraced Princess Luna fiercely in the throne room, and for a moment they were alone in spite of the cheering from the soldiers, the clicking from the cameras, the sound and fury. It was two siblings, grateful to see one-another, Celestia silently apologizing and Luna wordlessly telling her for the thousandth time, 'it's okay, it's okay.'

It had always been up to Luna to forgive, after all.

Maybe that was why it had been so hard for Celestia to deal with Luna's anger as Nightmare Moon, and why she had just made another mistake.

Oh, memories.

She stepped back, and she turned with a smile, offering her hoof to Thorn Blackfeather, who took it and bowed his head to her in submission. More cheers, more cameras clicking, more rejoicing from the ponies who didn't even know what had happened, who didn't grasp the gravity of what was going on.

But when you were a princess, even your personal moments became a photo op.

And you had to give the people what they wanted.

She was glad that Thorn seemed familiar with the protocols here: he never questioned or argued with them about anything as Luna produced a sham of a treaty: it was nothing but a piece of parchment with the royal scroll and a bunch of fancy words on it. She presented it to them – again, in the role of provider, and yet forced to act humble, like she was less than her sister, who would do the signing – and Celestia calmly glanced over it before she handed it to Thorn.

Thorn took it, very studiously looked over the parchment, and then he nodded very solemnly. Yes, Celestia reflected, he was certainly some kind of monarch. He knew all the steps to the dance, as he offered his hoof again, and they shook in front of the treaty this time, so the cameras could get more pictures.

And more pictures, of course, when Thorn signed the document, and more and more pictures, when Celestia signed it, before they shook again with Luna beside them, holding the treaty so their signatures were clearly displayed.

That would probably be on the front page tomorrow, Celestia thought.

She looked at Thorn as he turned towards her, and then she leaned down impulsively and kissed him chastely on the lips, and the stallion's eyes bulged before he stepped back and reared his head back with a horrible face, and Celestia burst into laughter.

That was a better front page for tomorrow!

When it was all over and they were able to retire to 'privately discuss the particulars of the treaty,' the first thing Luna asked was: “Is my sister not pretty enough for you, Thorn Blackfeather?”

Thorn scowled at her horribly, and both the sisters smiled widely at the sour expression before he said dryly: “I am in a committed relationship, thank you.” He hesitated, then added almost impulsively: “And my mother was... once known as Princess Celestia.”

Celestia straightened in surprise at this, and Luna cocked her head curiously as she leaned forwards, asking: “So you are Celestia's son? A Prince, then?”

“I was Regent of Decretum. She adopted me. My older brother was the Prince.” Thorn answered after a moment, before he smiled a little. “My mother suffered greatly over her lifetime. She was forced to change her identity, but... she never forgot her duty to protect her home, which became... all of these worlds. She was a hero.”

He was very proud, Celestia thought quietly, and she studied him with renewed interest. But Thorn only cleared his throat before saying calmly: “We should discuss the-”

“Where is Twilight?” interrupted Luna, and Thorn gave her a dry look, but then turned his eyes towards Celestia.

Celestia hesitated, and then she shook her head and looked back at Thorn. Luna frowned deeper at this, drawing her eyes to the stallion as he answered: “Preparing her goodbyes. She has more important things to deal with at the moment.”

“Twilight is... still a pariah, in the eyes of Canterlot. When I blamed her for the assault on Canterlot, I was only thinking of keeping her safe, of pushing her away. I never considered the consequences beyond the obvious.” Celestia said softly. “Not with the ponies, of course. If I told them she was a hero today, they'd forget everything they said and believed about her yesterday. But for Twilight, that wound... that wound is still very sore. And she no longer sees Canterlot, or its ponies, as the bastion of hope she once did.

“Twilight doesn't want redemption in the eyes of ponies. And she doesn't want to be their hero. What she wants is privacy, to say goodbye.”

Luna nodded slowly, and then she said quietly: “It all seems wrong to me.”

“Politics.” Thorn answered. “It's better for me to be a villain, vanquished and forced into submission by Princess Celestia, than it is for Twilight to have been a hero all along and for Princess Celestia to have made an... error of judgment. This will keep things running smooth.”

“That is a terrible way to think.” Luna said softly.

“Yes.” Thorn admitted without hesitation. “But it is necessary. Change must be introduced slowly, and most importantly, without ponies being aware that these changes are occurring. Or, they must occur in isolation, in 'safe' places, to give the ponies a false idea of control. Otherwise, chaos will ensue. You cannot introduce an unknown variable to an unrestricted situation without risking entropy.”

“Your big words and explanations make it no less terrible” Luna almost scolded.

Thorn smiled briefly at this, and Celestia chuckled before she said softly: “But he has a point, all the same. You unfortunately had to experience... the unpleasant side of ponies while I was gone. How many ponies do you think still believe that one day, we're going to collapse into civil war between day and night? Ponies are still herd animals, wary of outsiders, of change, of anything and everything that disturbs the norm. We need to respect that.”

Luna sighed a little, and then she shook her head before murmuring: “I still think it is wrong, and I pity Twilight Sparkle.”

“Don't. This won't be her world for much longer.” Celestia said, glancing away before she turned her eyes to Thorn, asking: “Was it all true? Everything you showed me?”

“Yes.” Thorn answered, nodding to her before he calmly created a holographic screen, and both Luna and Celestia leaned forwards, staring at the blue-tinted illusion as it displayed a floating orb, surrounded by runes neither of them recognized. “This is your world. We label it as a B-Class world, because it is not a perfect replica of the core world, but is not incredibly different. Or rather, it wasn't; its changes mean it may be up for reevaluation as a C-Class world, since we haven't taken your artes into account.

“This world is one of many.” Thorn flicked his metal hoof, and the image zoomed out, showing a spiral of... hundreds of worlds, all revolving slowly around a single world in the center. “They all protect the core world, the original world. All of our worlds are parallels, copies of this world: some incredibly distinct, like mine, and others with only very minor variations. Every world has a similar timeline, although the further world from the core, the more this timeline is skewed and distorted and abandoned.

“Endworld, my mother's homeworld, for example, was torn apart by a war with the griffins hundreds of years before Twilight Sparkle and her friends were born.” Thorn continued, and then he gestured, bringing up another world. “This world, unremarkable in every other respect, never had ponies present on it. As far as we were able to discover, the races simply never learned to coexist, and died out.”

“Fascinating.” Luna murmured. “And you were tasked with protecting all of this?”

“No. I chose to.” Thorn answered, and Celestia smiled briefly at the distinction.

“So you gather unique ponies from across these worlds to assist in their protection. But you were very clear that you dislike meddling in other world's affairs, even when that world is dying-”

“Of natural causes. We intervene when a world is threatened by external dangers, or the ponies are faced with a threat they could not deal with on their own. Destruction entities, Void monsters, interdimensional threats.” the stallion replied. “And in very rare cases, when the ponies themselves do something that has the potential to threaten other worlds.”

“Such as tampering with the anchor. Which is part of what protects the core world.” Celestia said softly.

“That is correct.” Thorn replied.

“This is all still very hard to believe.” Luna murmured, rubbing at her face slowly before she asked hesitantly: “Why didn't your... organization... step in when...”

“We had not been formed yet. Originally, the Clockwork Empire itself was a great threat to the universe.” Thorn said, and Celestia did admire the way he never shied away from telling any truths, no matter how unpleasant they might be. “But after the defeat of Valthrudnir, my mother, Hecate, took over his operations and we began the task of... accounting for our past mistakes.”

“So this isn't purely nobility, then. This is redemption, too, isn't it?”

Thorn only smiled before he glanced at the hologram as something flashed over it. With a gesture, he dismissed the map he had brought up, and instead the face of a mare appeared. “Serenity.”

“Sir.” Serenity's voice came through brisk, buzzing only slightly. “Repairs are well underway, and the anchor is currently undergoing the last stages of fusion. Will we be returning to drop point beta?”

“No.” Thorn glanced towards Luna and Celestia. “I believe I've impressed upon the princesses the importance of the artifact. They will secure it for us.”

Serenity saluted him, and the holographic screen blinked out as Celestia asked mildly: “Aren't you worried about what ponies might try and do with this artifact?”

“As I told Serenity, I think that I've impressed the importance of the anchor on you both. And as we talked about before, I believe I need to try and extend a little more trust, rather than making everything about conflict and authority.” Thorn paused, then smiled and added: “Besides. My systems will be able to monitor the status of the anchor from the outpost, and I'll have operatives in the area, in the event that anything happens.”

Celestia chuckled quietly, and Luna smiled a little before she said softly: “Very well. Then we will try and extend the same measure of trust to you.”

Thorn nodded, and there was silence for a few moments, until Luna asked: “So does this mean you will be leaving us soon?”

“Within a few days.” Thorn answered. “I have other pressing matters to attend to. If you are concerned about giving Twilight adequate time to-”

“No, not at all.” Luna looked at Thorn and said: “We will be holding a wake for the soldiers lost in the battle. We would appreciate your attendance.”

“Politics.” Thorn said.

“I think we would prefer that you find a better reason to attend than politics, Thorn Blackfeather.” Luna replied tersely.

Celestia glanced at her sister with surprise, but after a moment, Thorn smiled briefly and lowered his head to her, saying quietly: “I apologize.”

“Don't apologize. Just do better.” Luna almost ordered, and Thorn nodded before the mare sighed and said, sounding the faintest touch exasperated: “I can't help but think you've spent too long with all your machines, Thorn Blackfeather, from the way you act.”

“I've been told I have some difficulty relaxing. Or at least, not viewing everything through value optics.” Thorn answered, and he hesitated for a moment before asking: “Was the damage grave? Is there anything I can offer the families?”

“Your apologies. They may not take your presence or your words kindly at the moment, but... in the future, I am sure they will appreciate the fact you at least tried.” Luna replied as she studied the stallion. “The damage, of course, is not our main concern. And the medical supplies you've provided have greatly helped the wounded. Although we could do more with some idea of how your...”

She gestured at his mechanical leg, and Thorn flexed this, opened his mouth, then looked up at the princesses before he sighed and said neutrally: “I suppose... providing some basic prostheses isn't out of the question.”

“Good.” Luna smiled, then straightened and said: “Now, will you join us for dinner? Celestia, I am sure we can find a seat for Thorn and any of his friends at the table.”

“Of course. I would be honored to.” Thorn said, standing up as Luna did before he turned his eyes towards Celestia, adding: “As long as you will have me, of course.”

Celestia sighed, before she said finally: “Well, I can't exactly disinvite you now, can I? But... perhaps we should find Twilight Sparkle, too...”

Both Thorn and Luna looked at her, and Celestia sighed again after a moment before she nodded almost grudgingly, murmuring: “Yes. I know. I can't... force her to spend these last few precious days with me. But I can still ask, can't I?”

Luna approached her sister, then she gently hugged her, and Celestia sighed before she lowered her head as Luna answered gently: “You can still ask. But you can't force the answer you want.”

“Yes. I learned that the hard way.” Celestia looked moodily at Thorn, who only looked mildly back at her until the Princess of the Sun finally nodded and pushed Luna back, saying finally: “Come, then. For now... we'll entertain our guest. I'm sure I can find Twilight Sparkle later.”

Later, she thought, but she was afraid of how soon later was going to become never.

No matter how proud she was of Twilight Sparkle, and how determined she was to let her go... it didn't make it any easier.

Twilight Sparkle silently lingered in the back of the room, watching the proceedings: Thorn Blackfeather stood up at the front with Celestia and Luna, standing behind the coffins of both soldiers and civilians who had been lost in the attack on Canterlot. Celestia was speaking, of peace, of honor, of love and compassion.

Of lies.

Twilight carefully slipped backwards, and let herself out, careful not to attract the attention of anyone. Especially not her friends, who were in a row further up. But pariahs like she had become weren't really welcome in the seats... or at least, that was a good excuse as any to linger where she had.

Only one person noticed her leave, and followed out after her, and Twilight smiled briefly as Spike asked quietly: “Twilight?”

She gazed down the corridor, trying to think of what to say as Spike anxiously strode up behind her, asking: “Is something wrong?”

“No, Spike. Nothing's wrong.” Twilight hesitated, then decided to be honest. She hadn't been honest with any of her other friends, but Spike, most of all, deserved her honesty. And was probably the only one who could handle what she had to do, as painful as it would be.

She turned around, and knelt in front of him. Spike looked back up at her, and Twilight smiled before she opened her mouth, but Spike reached up and covered her lips before he bowed his head forwards, whispering: “Don't say it. I... I know. You packed up your things, you left us all a letter. I... I peeked.”

He laughed a little, blushing even as tears rose in his eyes, giving her a trembling smile before he flung himself forwards, embracing her fiercely around the neck. She hugged him tightly back, closing her eyes and shaking a little herself before the dragon murmured: “But I'm gonna be strong for you. I... I'll keep an eye on the library for you, and... and...”

“And don't you ever let anyone else push you around.” murmured Twilight, squeezing Spike firmly as slipped back, resting her hooves on his shoulders, smiling down at him and trying to ignore the tears in her own eyes. “You're your own dragon. You're no pony's assistant.”

Spike nodded, and then he took a shuddering breath as he stepped back, wiping at his eyes. Their gazes locked, and Twilight knew there was nothing else to say, nothing else to do. She wasn't going to lie to him, make him promises she didn't know if she could keep, ask him to do anything... except...

“Take care of everyone. They'll need you. From Celestia to Pinkie Pie, they're all going to need your help.” Twilight said, reaching up to touch his cheek gently. “I love you, Spike.”

“I love you too, Twilight. I'll...” Spike trembled, and then he gave a big grin, looking up at her. “You take care of yourself. I'll... I'll see you soon!”

Twilight smiled warmly back, and then she nodded before pulling herself away, saying quietly: “I'll be looking forwards to it, Spike. Be strong for me. I'll see you around.”

She didn't know what else to say. There was nothing else she could say. All she could do was take a breath and turn around, forcing herself to walk, not to run or stumble or gallop as Spike watched her leave, the mare never once allowing herself to look back for fear that she wouldn't be able to leave.

She ended up in her room in the floating fortress, sitting silently by herself, stroking quietly over the picture of Spike. She was barely aware of Thorn, leaning in the open doorway, until he said quietly: “You don't have to go. Or, we could ask him if-”

“No. Spike will do great things in this world. I won't put him in danger. I won't drag him away from his life.” Twilight looked up at Thorn, and she smiled after a moment, wiping at her teary cheeks. “This is my choice. This is what I want.”

Thorn nodded, and then he said finally: “We'll be phasing shortly. You'll want to be sitting or laying down. The first phase is always...unpleasant.”

“Okay.” Twilight hesitated, and then she asked: “Thorn?”

The stallion tilted his head towards her questioningly.

“Have you ever lost someone you loved?” she asked.

“Yes.”Thorn answered. “I have.”

Twilight looked down, and murmured: “I don't want to be dramatic. I don't want to compare that to this. But... I feel like... I'm scared, and I'm excited, and all part of me can think of is what I'm leaving behind, even though part of me... doesn't care. Is that normal?”

Thorn nodded, turning towards Twilight before he sighed and said quietly: “When my biological parents had to leave me in the care of my mother in Clockwork World, I felt many of the same things you do now. Part of me was terrified of the new world I was in, part of me wanted to prove to this enormous, terrifying mare that I was a good boy, that I was worthy of her time, and part of me was... sad, and angry, that my parents had abandoned me.

“I can't tell you how to work through your pain. You have to find that your own way. But I can tell you that as deep and frightening as it feels now, it can be conquered. As you will conquer your guilt, and your anger.” Thorn straightened, saying calmly: “I expect the best from my Orphans, Twilight Sparkle. You will either meet my expectations, or you will be sent home.”

“Home?” Twilight frowned, starting: “But-”

“That world is still your home, until you decide the Clockwork Empire is your home. No amount of distance or time will change where you've come from. And only you can decide where you belong.” Thorn continued, before he turned away. “Now excuse me. I have other tasks to attend to.”

He walked away, but Twilight Sparkle mused on his words for a few moments before she looked up, murmuring: “Home.”

Somehow, the thought that even if she was leaving her home behind, it was still her home, was comforting to her. Her home, until she decided otherwise. Home, always there for her to return to, if she needed it, if she ever failed.

But she wasn't going to fail, not ever again.

Epilogue: Our Own Decisions

Epilogue: Our Own Decisions
~BlackRoseRaven

“You're just a pathetic little runt!” hissed the monster as it charged at him, the centaur's legs pounding the pavement, his head lowered and massive arms flexed as he prepared another devastating spell. “How can a tiny little newt hope to fight me?”

Spike smiled slightly, flexing his claws as he stood in front of the burning library, tilting his head back almost mockingly as he answered in spite of the bruises over his body: “Yeah, being a big boy like you sure makes a huge difference...”

Spike sharply traced a series of runes through the air in front of himself, claws moving in a blur before he leaned forwards and breathed a wave of green flame through the amplifying ring he had traced, and a tornado of green fire erupted out of the ring, hammering across the centaur and knocking him staggering with a gasp of surprise.

“Except with magic, that just makes you a bigger target!” Spike stomped on the circle he'd prepared beforehand for this exact moment, and the centaur howled as the earth beneath him exploded upwards, jaws of rock nearly swallowing him whole. The centaur clawed furiously at the jagged rocks on either side of him as he struggled to resist being pulled into the pit, before he snarled in fury when Spike leapt onto his face with a grin, before screaming in pain when the little dragon gritted his teeth as he pumped a blast of magical essence through the centaur, isolating the different magical essences he'd stolen-

The beast suddenly lurched backwards, seizing Spike as he fell backwards into the pit, and the two vanished into the earth, swallowed up by darkness and crumbling earth. For a few moments, there was silence, a few fearful ponies anxiously sticking their heads out of hiding before there was a tremendous boom, and the earth quaked...

And a moment later, Spike reappeared with a wheeze in a burst of green fire, shaking himself briskly out he muttered: “Well. That could have gone better.”

He looked down at the orb of multicolored light in his hand, and then he smiled as he straightened and shook it firmly, the spiritual essence unraveling and spiraling into the air to return to its owners. He sighed as he rubbed his claws together, then turned towards the burning library, studying it mildly for a few moments before he shouted: “Hey, can I get a weather team over here to take care of this? Kind of exhausted.”

“Spike defeated Tirek!” shouted a voice, and the dragon winced as ponies surrounded him on all sides, cheering, shouting, yelling-

“Guys! Fire!” Spike shouted, pointing at the library, and several pegasi hurriedly took to the skies, blurting apologies as the dragon sighed and rubbed at his face, adding dryly: “That's like the third time I've beaten Tirek, too.”

He sat back on his rump, letting out another wheeze. At least he'd dropped the centaur somewhere... well, somewhere far below. He'd probably show up again in a few months, but...

Well, it had gotten busy all of a sudden. Chrysalis and Sombra were both back, and as energy returned to the world, it seemed like the bad was coming back along with the good. But Spike was ready for it. Or at least more ready than these ponies, who were now all sitting around him, staring at him for orders or something.

He sighed, but smiled in spite of himself. Well, they were good ponies. He just had a new appreciation for what Twilight must have gone through...

He looked up towards the sky, wondering how she was doing.

But no matter where she was, well. He knew she was okay.

Twilight Sparkle was not okay.

She cursed under her breath as she hurried around her room, Gildrynn watching her with amusement before she remarked: “Little Star, settle down.”

“Settle down?” Twilight glared at Gildrynn. “My exam is today! Rex Prox Danzsöngr will be the one overseeing us! I absolutely have to do my very best or-”

“Or what? It's not like you're going to fail, Little Star, you're not an idiot.” Gildrynn huffed and waved a hoof before she suddenly picked up a stress ball from Twilight's desk and flung it at her, and Twilight caught it without a flinch, glowering as the Valkyrie said cheerfully: “See! You were trained by me! You will be fine. Except perhaps for the punching part. You are still not good at the punching part.”

Twilight grumbled, then she stormed across her little bedroom to her closet, yanking it open and tearing out the lightweight armor that had been assigned to her. She clumsily began to put it on, and Gildrynn smiled in amusement before she chided: “Take your time. Take a breath. And put it on right, girl. They'll be checking your equipment. No use for children who can't dress themselves in war.”

Twilight mumbled a little, but slowed down, and Gildrynn looked around the mare's messy bedroom before she walked over and gently plucked a journal out of the organized chaos, idly pulling a piece of paper out of it and thrusting this at Twilight. The unicorn stopped and stared at her notes, and then she snatched them away with a look of embarrassment as the Valkyrie soothed: “Now calm. This is a field test. There are greater consequences than not getting a fair mark on this. You will do fine, but remember what we value most: getting the job done.”

“Faciam quodlibet quod necesse est.” grumbled Twilight, and Gildrynn nodded firmly in agreement before she quickly flitted around Twilight, making the unicorn wheeze as the Valkyrie rapidly adjusted her equipment, quickly and easily stringing the rest of her gear on.

“There.” she said proudly, stepping back as Twilight shifted awkwardly under the simple armor. “You look almost as fine as Lord Moonflower.”

Twilight mumbled something, and then she winced when the Valkyrie slapped her on the shoulder. “You'll be fine, Little Star! Now take your silly notes and go. The Swan will take good care of you, just make sure you listen to her.”

Twilight hesitated, and then she smiled awkwardly as she folded her note up and put it in her satchel, saying finally: “Thank you, for... everything. I'm... I'm looking forwards to uh... working with you. Professionally. As your equal.”

“Oh, you'll never be my equal.” Gildrynn said comfortably, before she rapped on Twilight's helmet, making her wince and glare. “But you'll be a fine Orphan! Now get, go!”

Twilight blushed, then with barely a thought, turned and teleported through reality with ease, reappearing on a massive concrete pad beneath a swirling sky of red and black that whirled eternally above a city of neon lights and steel. She hurried across the pad to join the line of other trainees waiting to file into the Nighthawk, as an ivory mare in white armor prowled along their ranks, studying them intently.

She stopped in front of Twilight, who smiled awkwardly up at the Rex Prox, but Danzsöngr only looked at her for a moment before she grunted and nodded, turning to head back towards the Nighthawk as she shouted: “Alright, everyone's here! Let's get in and get started! This is your first mission, trainees, and I expect this batch to at least survive the superjump!”

Twilight followed the others onboard, quickly taking her place beside a nervous-looking alicorn; not that alicorns were all that unusual in this world, compared to many of the things she had seen, many of the Orphans she had already worked beside.

Danzsöngr leapt in last, slamming the door behind her, and she didn't so much as flinch when the Nighthawk lifted off the helipad to fly into the air, the Rex Prox explaining calmly: “The operation is simple. We will be dropping into a Class B world to deal with a demonic infestation. They appear to be attempting to construct a portal. We will exterminate the demons and destroy the portal. How you perform here determines what assignments you're going to get in the future, so don't let your trainers down, got it?”

The trainees, including Twilight, all saluted, before Danzsöngr ordered: “Get your packs on. We're approaching jump height.”

The trainees bumped into each other awkwardly as they grabbed their flightpacks off the rack above, before they strapped these on. Twilight breathed quickly in and out through her mouth, trying to calm herself down: she knew they were already being judged. Was bumping into Alcatraz going to lose her points? What if there was an equipment malfunction, was she going to lose points if she used magic to save herself, or should she-

“Assemble!” Danzsöngr ordered, and the trainees fell all over themselves to quickly line up at the door in front of the Rex Prox, who muttered: “Horses of Heaven, Thorn. One of these days...”

A beeping filled the air, and Danzsöngr stepped back and yanked the door open, shouting: “Okay, time to jump! Go go go!”

The trainees jumped, one after the other: Twilight gritted her teeth as she leapt into the open air, shooting downwards with eyes wide and terrified. Not of hitting the ground, not of the bright tunnel that ripped open in reality beneath them, but of screwing up, of something going wrong, of-

She hit the portal, felt a shock run through her system, and then shattered out the other side with a gasp of pain before her eyes widened as she saw one of the trainees below was struggling to activate his flight pack. And he was falling fast towards quickly-approaching, unforgiving earth-

Twilight streamlined her body as she sharply traced an arte in front of her, and she made the air shake as she shot like a cannonball at the trainee, slamming into him and spinning rapidly before she focused her magic: first she stopped their spin, and then she slowed their descent, gritting her teeth as she fought both momentum and gravity.

But only seconds later, she touched down with only the slightest impact to the grasses below with a gasp, stallion in her forelegs clinging to her before he gave a shaky smile and blurted: “T-Thank-”

“You didn't use your flight pack.” Danzsöngr said mildly, and Twilight flinched and dropped the trainee, who hit the ground with a grunt of surprise as Twilight fell back on her rump.

She stared at the Rex Prox, who looked mildly back down at her before she reached out and grabbed Twilight. And the unicorn was shocked as, a moment later, she and Danzsöngr were simply back in the Nighthawk circling above Decretum before the Rex Prox ordered: “Do it again.”

Twilight looked at the mare for a moment, trembling, but then she took a breath and nodded before leaping out of the ship, falling towards the still-open portal below.

She hit the rift in reality, shattered through a second time, and this time, she flipped herself quickly around in midair and hit the button to activate the thrusters of her pack; cold air, not hot, ripped across her back as small, stubby wings shot out of the sides of the pack, but she didn't need to steer: she was able to gently hover her way quickly back down to the ground.

And again, she found Danzsöngr waiting for her, the Rex Prox smiling slightly as she nodded once and said: “Good. Do what you have to, and then do it again right. Now let's get moving. I want this to be fast.”

Twilight smiled, blushing a bit as several of the other trainees patted her on the shoulder and smiled at her as they walked by, and then she hurried to catch up to them, notes forgotten in her sidepack.

She didn't have to learn how to do what she had been born to be, after all.

To live without regret,
You must first live without hate in your heart.

Prologue: The Miracle

Prologue: The Miracle
~BlackRoseRaven

“Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria,” began a melodic voice, as beautiful as the radiant alicorn who spoke. “There was a small, happy village in the heart of our country, that sat beneath the loving eyes of Canterlot.”

“Ponyville!” blurted one of the foals, and the others laughed as the mare before them smiled, her flowing mane gleaming with reflected joy.

“Yes, Ponyville.” she admitted, before she continued: “Ponyville was full of dear friends and happy families, good little ponies who lived good, happy lives. But one day, Ponyville was attacked by terrible monsters, who stole away every last pony in the village.”

The foals filling the library gasped, and the mare smiled again, her amethyst eyes drawing across the children as she continued softly: “The Princesses, for all their might, were helpless to do anything, anything at all. They could only mourn, and pray for a miracle. But, my little ponies, a miracle came: Ponyville was restored, and every pony, from the littlest to the largest, came back. It was truly a wonder. And life went on, as if nothing had ever happened, and no one, save the princesses, knew that anything had changed.”

The eyes of the mare roved up to a purple unicorn, who blushed and smiled brightly at her, listening to her as enthusiastically as any of the children here. The alicorn smiled with soft affection at this mare, before her eyes drifted to the side as an aide approached and whispered: “Princess Celestia, Lord Black has arrived and is waiting for you in Canterlot.”

“I'm afraid that's all I have time for today, my little ponies.” Princess Celestia said, much to the loud disappointment of the children. But she smiled at them and promised: “I'll be back another day to finish the story, I promise. For now, I'm very happy to see that Twilight Sparkle is taking such good care of you all.”

Twilight blushed and smiled radiantly, and Princess Celestia gave her a small nod that made the young mare light up, before the alicorn turned to leave with her retinue. As she stepped out the door into the sunlight, she looked up with a sigh, her expression hardening, her eyes drifting across the careless sky towards the darkening clouds beginning to obscure her warming sun.

Ah, if only miracles were real.

If only happiness didn't have such a terrible cost.