Errant Finale

Chapters

2 Destined to Crumble
3 Rain of Chaos
4 The Iron Bard
5 Abandoned Wealth
6 Coveted Possession
7 Loyalty
9 The Forsaken
10 Monochrome
11 Rats!
12 Hunter's Resolve
13 Hunter's Reward
14 The Seeker
15 The Thaumaturgist
16 The Incantation
17 The Puzzle
18 Blind Venture
19 The Cataclysm
20 The Catalyst
21 The Void
22 The Web
24 The Sephirot
25 The Fox
26 The Trial
27 The Scavenger
28 The Deceiver
29 The Feast
30 The Doppleganger
31 Shard of Fate
32 The Road to Power
33 Cartographer's Delight
34 Time-Lost Relic
35 Her Mask
36 Dark Temptation
37 Scholar of the Seas
39 Dark Dreams
40 The Tower
41 The Fiend
42 Beauty Through Death
43 The Sigil
44 The Insatiable
45 The Spoiled Prince
46 The Saint's Treasure
47 Immortal Resolve
48 Birth of the Three
49 Imperial Legacy
50 The Queen
51 Pride Before the Fall
52 Echoes of Love
54 Vanity
55 Hubris
56 Lucky Connections
57 Mawr Blaidd
58 Prosperity
59 The Fool
60 Jack in the Box
61 Forbidden Power
63 The Life Thief
64 The Warden
65 The Survivalist
66 The Traitor
67 The Sacrifice
68 Hope
70 Death
71 Assassin's Favor
72 The Army of Blood
73 Last Hope
74 Thunderous Skies
75 The Warlord
76 Epilogue: Lord of Celebration
1 The Encroaching Darkness
8 Bowyer's Dream
23 The Landing
38 The Dark Mage
53 Emperor's Luck
62 The Lord in Black
69 Gift of the Gemling Queen

2 Destined to Crumble

“I’m back~!!”

The deep, luxurious voice echoes among the many statues of the Canterlot gardens as the gray dust begins to clear. Except that it isn’t settling to the ground, instead coalescing into a gray ice cream cone, complete with two scoops of marbled rock and a stone cherry on top. Suddenly, a bright flash blinds everypony, hooves and arms raised with brief cries of pain.

Reappearing in a flash barely a foot away from Doug is the horrible amalgamation of creatures. If he was barely tolerable in the mottled, stained gray, he looks even more chaotic and wretched in Full Technicolor - as evidenced by the sign stating as much. His gray, horselike head has two bushy white eyebrows over two large yellow eyes, and that’s where the symmetry ends. Even one of his red pupils is larger than the other, to say nothing of his arms, legs, wings, and horns, each of which comes from a different creature.

His leonine paw strokes the half beard sprouting from his chin while the other holds the rock cream cone. A low rumble emanates from the draconequus’ chest as he considers the human that barely comes to two thirds his full height. Well, if you actually stretched him out, more like half of his height, but who has time for silly things like standing up straight?

A single filly, the smallest of the group, examines him back without fear, her cream colored mane laying flat against her yellow coat. Her eyes burn with guarded desire. The other yellow filly, larger than the first, seems almost… happy? Giddy? that he is there. He knows which one he wants to play with. Oh, who is he kidding; he wants to play with all the ponies! Especially the ones that don't know it yet!

Doug looks up, blinking away the bright spots in his eyes, trying to focus. One hand slaps at his side, but his armaments are locked away in their guest room at Canterlot Castle. The other hand is held up, as if he stood any chance of warding away the creature in front of him. Around him the remainder of Doug’s foals slowly recover, slinking behind him and Trixie as the unicorn huddles against the ground, trying to stay unnoticed.

A harsh glare from the draconequus isn’t enough to send Doug to his knees, but the imperious voice nearly does the trick. “Thou art notified that your kind has infiltrated the galaxy too far already. Thou art directed to return to thine own solar system immediately.” He holds up his fingers, as if to snap them.

“No!” shouts Doug, his conviction wavering. His eyes flick to the ponies clustering behind him, fear plainly written on each of their faces. “Wait! Please!” At the draconequus’ momentary respite he lets out a sigh of relief, barely able to keep himself upright. His eyes trace over the draconequus, getting a far-away look, like he is trying to remember something from long ago.

“Oh, you’re so lucky that my good fortune is your good fortune. After all, if those three balls of chaos hadn’t brought me my balls of chaos? I, Discord, would still be trapped in that statue the Elements of Harmony stuck me in, weakened prison or not. And they were so conveniently packaged too! Like a little Chaos Meal - Burger, fries, and drink.” Three balls of chaos magic blink next to the draconequus. They each keep shifting form, one through various creatures, one of plants, and one of bodies of water.

“The only thing missing is the toy.” His eyes narrow, the grin on his mouth growing large and showing off his single wicked fang. His fingers snap, turning Doug into a six foot tall nutcracker soldier with two cymbals for hands. The cymbals bang into each other, three sharp clashes followed by three delayed clashes, while the draconequus muses over the ponies. “Oh? Something you wish to say?” Three more sharp crashes are followed by Doug toppling over, landing face first in the dirt, barely twitching.

“Oh, how the mighty have fallen.” The draconequus, now laying on the grass, ribs Trixie in the side. “He’s such a dullard, isn’t he?”

Trixie shudders at the contact, barely able to lift her eyes, desperately wishing she had her hat to hide beneath instead of the more elegant blue and white dress Rarity made. She nods along, despite every instinct in her body telling her to run. Lemon, giddy with excitement, uses Trixie as a springboard to leap forwards, jumping right on top of Discord’s head.

“She hit me!” Discord yells in mock injury as he rears back, rising to his mismatched feet and plucking the squirming yellow pony off his head. “You all saw it!” Discord looks around, waiting for somepony to back him up, but only a single pony meets his gaze. Her unblinking eyes bore into him. He mutters to himself, “Picard never hit me.”

Lemon wriggles in Discord’s grasp, high pitched voice not quite annoying yet persistent. “Who’s Picard? Is he like Daddy?” She glances down. “Is Daddy okay? He’s not moving. He can’t play like that!” She looks back at Discord. "Can he play with us?"

“Oh, fine,” Discord lets go of Lemon, about to snap his claws, the filly falling halfway to the ground before levitating in midair, upside down. “I suppose it was his deeds that allowed me to break free. I resent owing him anything, so perhaps I can repay him in kind.”

“I don’t think it counts if you did it to him in the first place,” Lemon comments.

“Ugh. You’re probably right.” Discord snaps his fingers, Doug transforming back, collapsed on his hands and knees against the ground. “You seem tense.” A pair of winged hands appear, gently massaging Doug’s bare arms. They bodily lift him up, setting him back on his feet before disappearing.

“I’ve heard that voice before,” Doug grunts out as he shudders from the contact. He glances up, his wide eyes filled with dread.

“Oh, mon Capitaine?” the draconequus says in a heavy Prench accent, materializing a red and black uniform around himself, complete with a gold insignia of a tiny draconequus pinned to the lapel. He raises one ear to his hand, grinning as he eagerly awaits Doug’s answer.

It comes as a hoarse whisper. “Alarak. The Tal’darim Highlord.”

Discord stops, frozen in shock. Literally, with lightning coursing through his icy paws. Suddenly he breaks free, shaking droplets of static that jolt anypony they come into contact with. The ponies shriek as they backpedal away, trying to escape the glittering pools that promise a brief zap to anypony that gets close. Doug merely weathers the storm, shielding his face with an arm; the droplets that hit his armor sizzle, muscles convulsing from the electric shocks.

The draconequus roughly passes the stone cone to Doug; the human staggers, barely able to lift the weight with one arm. Discord pulls out a dozen cue cards from nowhere, one of which is twice as large as the others; each has stamped on the back a circle broken at a single point by a thick line. He flips through them, chucking the discarded cards every which way, heedless of who or what they collide with. They dissipate into dust when they hit the ground, leaving a brown stain on Doug’s armor that the human tries and fails to flick away.

Claws snap and a large, metal bound book appears in the leonine paw. A crescent shaped blade adorns the cover, gold with two lines of blue. On the other side is a stylized eight in blood red. Discord flips through the book, clearly disappointed with what he is reading. He twirls a claw around in a circle as he mutters to himself, “Let’s see, let’s see… you seem to find this very amusing? Pah, no. Ooh, games? Perchance a deadly game? A battle of wits… to the death?” He glances at Doug, enjoying his unamused look.

Doug folds his arms across his chest. His eyes harden, staring up at Discord, firmly stating, “You’re not tricking me, or anypony else, into Rak’Shir.”

Discord snorts. “Pity. I do like a sure thing. Besides; a true manipulator tricks no one. We simply lead them to the truth they have yet to accept.”

“Then show me a true manipulator and let’s be done with it.” Doug meets Discord’s raised eye.

“Was that an attempt at wit?” Discord lifts a giant magnifying glass, inspecting Doug’s head. He sighs mightily. “Oh. It’s so difficult to parse the thoughts of lesser beings.” Discord sneers at Doug before his eyes turn to Trixie and the eight young ponies. One eye squints, his head cocking to the side as his mouth curls in disgust. “Terran and Equine? In one twisted little package? How repulsive.”

Doug steps in between Discord and the fillies, fuming. Doug shouts, “Leave them out of this, Alarak!” his hands balling into fists.

“Be careful how you address your Highlord,” Discord states, merely rising taller and looking over Doug. A deliciously evil smirk curls across Discord’s face as he regards Pinkie Pie’s two fillies.

Doug intercedes again, putting himself between Lemon and Discord. “You’re no highlord, here or elsewhere.”

"You're no good at this, are you?" Discord rolls his eyes; they keep spinning in their sockets as he speaks, “‘Tis a pity you’re so single minded. Perhaps a bargain is in order.”

“I’m not accepting anything you have to say, traitor,” Doug growls back through clenched teeth.

“Oh, but you haven’t even heard the terms!” Discord curls around Doug, a scroll appearing in his claws. “I’ll leave you and each of your fillies alone. All eight of them.” He gags at the number. “Well, except for any of them who want to be involved. And, as a bonus, I’ll even throw in that mare over there.” He vaguely motions towards Trixie, who seems to be about one good scare away from bolting.

“And?” Doug asks sternly, though his eyes betray far more interest than he would like.

“And? That’s it! All you have to do is nothing!” Discord thrusts a paw forward, grinning mischievously.

Doug stares at the paw for several long seconds. He glances back at his fillies, shuddering. “No deal.” Doug shakes his head. “The only reason you’d offer a deal like that is if you were somehow worried about me helping somepony else.”

Discord smirks. “And you have ensured your own demise. You will not get a better bargain.” He grandly motions to the statues around him, each of which comes to life and bows before him. “Submit to my authority and you may join me. Those who oppose me will fail.” Discord slides next to Doug, tapping him on the chest and taking the rock cream cone back from the surprised human. “I care so little for your desires.”

“What do you want, Alarak?” Doug demands.

“You keep using that word!” Discord huffs. “How about this for a hasty bargain. I’ll only betray you the once, and you’ll cease referring to me as that honorless traitor.” Discord holds out his clawed hand, grinning.

Doug stares at the hand. “I really don’t want to accept any bargains from you, Alarak.”

“Would you prefer if I betrayed you more than once?” Discord shrugs. “I’m sure that will be easy to arrange.”

Doug sighs. “I’d prefer it if you didn’t betray us at all, but I know you’ll twist that to never join our side.”

“You waste both my time and your breath. And the former has value.” Discord raises his claws again as Doug starts to object. "Save your words, primate. Spare me from hearing your orifice flap."

“...”

Doug reluctantly shakes Discord’s claw. “I feel like I’m getting the raw end of this deal.”

“Oh, you have no idea.” Discord grins malevolently. His seething gaze turns to the fillies. “Any of you want to join me?” He pulls out several boxes of Filly Guide cookies, waving them back and forth. “I have candy!”

"Umm..." Lemon looks up, one of the two fillies meeting Discord’s eyes. “You are… kind of scary looking!”

“An unwittingly astute observation.” Discord shakes the box, something metallic rattling around inside. He smiles pleasantly at Lemon and Meringue.

Meringue hops onto his outstretched paw, taking one of the boxes. “Organism Meringue will not fail! Victory assured.”

"Oh! I believe I like you. How surprising." Discord looks to Lemon as she hops onto his clawed arm, taking the other two boxes. "Glorious. I'm in need of a servant.” Discord ponders for a few seconds. “How shall you serve me?”

"This could be fun!" shouts Lemon, ripping the box open to find the prize inside.

"Oh, no." Discord smirks. "It shall be."

“No!” Doug rushes forwards, stopped by a wave of Discord’s claw.

“I’m afraid they’ve made their choice! Consider this the first disappointment of many.” Discord grips Meringue and Lemon against his body like a two year old with a treasured toy.

Doug gulps, his eyes meeting Meringue’s. “Then, as payment in full for your debt to me, you’ll guarantee their safety.”

“Done.” Discord sighs. “We could have had such fun together.” Discord snaps his fingers, disappearing with the two fillies.

3 Rain of Chaos

Standing on the steps, idly greeting yet another noblepony - and bored out of her mind - stands Princess Celestia. Only her simple scrying spell leading back to her office, along with a steady breeze that slowly pushes one page of her reports off her desk at a time, gives her something to do. If you can call it that. A part of her, growing larger with every second, wants to break away from these insipid conversations and talk shop with Twilight Sparkle. Sadly, her student is stiffly standing next to her and has made no indication that is what she wants to do. Twilight is far too tense; perhaps she isn’t the only one who needs to spend some time with Doug later that night.

Celestia sighs in disappointment, though you would never be able to tell by looking at her. This year’s Grand Galloping Gala is already off to a plodding start. She was so hoping it would be different, especially with inviting Herd Apple. Alas, even with the gaff of Spike and Twilight’s tickets, things had settled down far too quickly. Maybe she shouldn’t have stepped in so quickly, and let her student stew in her embarrassment. More likely, though, Twilight would have disappeared and only been coaxed out of hiding with promises of big, thick, and weighty books.

Perhaps it has been too long since she has taken a consort; ten generations of ponies does tend to warp commonly held beliefs about what kind of pony she should be, or is. Or perhaps it is who her chosen consort is. Well, what’s done is done. It’s not like she can just go back in time and-

Wait. A slight movement in the corner of her eye draws Celestia’s attention upwards. She halts her breeze spell in her office, and the scrying spell, freeing up more of her concentration. She carefully monitors the tiny bits and pieces of what could have passed for, and probably actually is, cotton candy. The cloud forming above slowly grows larger, grain by grain. Something seems to be growing inside the cloud, filling it like a pregnant mare’s belly.

A prank? One of Luna’s? No, she would never work with something so bright and garish; her Sister could be so concerned about her image! Maybe Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash? Well, it is pink, and weather related. So it could be a teamup of the two Pranksters of Ponyville. A sly grin spreads across Celestia’s muzzle as she licks her lips in giddy anticipation; this is exactly what she was hoping for when she invited the Element Bearers to the Grand Galloping Gala!

Well, that and she wanted to give them something nice to thank them for freeing her Sister from Nightmare Moon’s dark influence. She had hoped that by giving them almost a year’s notice they would be able to possess a modicum of tact, but based on Rainbow Dash’s performance - and, sadly, Twilight Sparkle’s - it appears that it is less the case. Though if this is the result instead? She certainly won’t complain. Everypony else? Well, they'll have to learn to love a little bit of excitement.

Hmm; would it be considered nepotism if she has her quartermasters order a large amount of apples and other products from the herd of the stallion she is seeing? Ugh, so many rules she has to consider. And with the Council of Creatures riding her about Equestria’s recent diplomatic snafus nearly as hard as she wants Doug to ride herself, perhaps she shouldn’t toe the line of acceptable Princess behavior. Pity.

Princess Celestia’s suspicion that something might be wrong is not triggered when the first chocolate raindrop hits her square between her magenta eyes. She merely nods at the noble fancifully dressed in front of her; the mare taking the hint to continue on her way and only sparing an amused glance. Celestia’s eyes cross, inspecting the offending drop slowly seeping into her coat. It looks delicious, but slightly out of range of her tongue. Perhaps if she stretches just a little further...

Rain begins pouring down everywhere as the clouds above multiply like Doug and a herd of ponies. Especially as Twilight glances up at her, though neither are terribly put out by the rain. It's nice, a pleasant distraction, something new and interesting that she certainly wasn't expecting. She'll save that for a year from now. Ugh, she really needs to stop with these comparisons!

Her sense that something is amiss is triggered, however, by Pinkie Pie pronking into the open courtyard, sticking her tongue out, and getting giddier than a yearling opening their first Hearth’s Warming present. Her sense of dread only increases as Pinkie Pie rushes to the wall, finding one of the carefully inset gutters, and proceeds to imbibe the chocolate milk like a sow at a trough.

Celestia knows that Pinkie Pie loves her pranks, nearly as much as Rainbow Dash, but she never knew the partymare to take this much pleasure in her own designs. Especially when the rest of the ponies in attendance are having nowhere near as much fun; they all scamper to and fro, hiding under awnings and throwing up quickly browning shields as they get covered in the sludge. Normally Pinkie Pie takes a bit more care to ensure everypony is enjoying the pranks. Unlike a certain other mare...

When Celestia spots Rainbow Dash struggling with one of the pink clouds along with a few uniformed Wonderbolts she knows something truly is wrong. Chaotically wrong. More and more of the pink cotton candy clouds spontaneously generate in the sky and, worse, inside the castle, loosing torrents of chocolatey goodness. It flows down the steps, rivulets becoming streams, sloshing at her hooves.

A name she never wanted to have to utter again, despite having the fiend’s statue prominently displayed in her gardens, escapes her lips.

“Discord.”

Next to her, Twilight gasps. The unicorn had been stoically bearing the rain beating against them, because that’s the example she set. “That’s an old foe of yours!”

Celestia nods, her mane and tail growing damp and plump, filling with chocolate rain. They limply lay on her back and flanks, no longer flowing freely. “And if that is the case, it will be up to you and your Friends to defeat him.” Celestia draws in a quick breath. “You will need to gather them, and quickly. Return to me when you have them.”

“I understand.” Twilight’s horn flares, though she does not teleport, instead collapsing with a cry of pain.

“Twilight!” Celestia drops down, nuzzling her student’s smoking horn. “Are you all right?”

“Oww,” Twilight moans, rubbing her horn. “The chocolate does not want to be displaced.” She takes a few breaths in and out, shakily getting to her hooves. “I’ll be okay, I think. Just no major magic from me for a little bit.”

“Of course. Go with haste, and be safe.” Celestia turns to her guards, the closest finally responding to the panicking ponies around them and ushering them indoors, or to covered areas.

“Princess!” Flash Sentry yells, wings flaring and coming to a stop next to her. “Shining Armor and Princess Cadance are on their way. Reports from all over Canterlot indicate chocolate rain pouring everywhere, inside and out. Worse, buildings are levitating into the air, and animals are going haywire!”

Celestia nods. “Understood. Flash, organize a team of guards to evacuate the lower castle. Many of the rooms were not designed for internal flooding, and we need to avoid a disaster of titanic proportions!”

Flash Sentry snaps a salute, zipping into the main castle entrance and shouting at a few of the guards along the way. He narrowly avoids a collision with Princess Luna as she barrels down the hallway.

“Sister!” Princess Luna looks to the sky, just for a particularly well aimed drop to smack her right in the eye. She doesn’t even flinch, staring up at the pink blobs congregating above the two Royal Sisters. The rain around them doubles, the fun decidedly less so. “Is this?”

“I believe so.” Celestia stares up at the rain, then at the pink mare still guzzling chocolate milk. Her stomach is inflating like a balloon, now firmly resting on the ground. And still she drinks; one hoof, then all four, no longer touch the ground, instead uselessly poking out and squirming around, trying desperately to keep her at the chocolate channel.

Celestia meekly pulls her tongue further back into her mouth; would she be reduced to a quivering mess, intent only on imbibing more, had she partaken?

A disgruntled Applejack storms into the entryway from outside, heedless of the rain soaking her sides through the dress. Fluttershy slinks behind her, trying to stay as close to the walls and dry spots as she can, her green dress now stained with mud and chocolate. Twilight and Rarity return from the castle, the lower guard sections if she has to guess; neither are wearing their Gala dresses. Rainbow Dash swoops down from above while trying to remove the pink cotton candy from her hooves and sides, even a little gumming up her wings. She strips out of her Gala dress, unceremoniously dumping it onto the ground.

Applejack spots her white herdmate across the entry hall. “Rarity!” Applejack howls, holding up one of her fancy boots, soaked in chocolate milk. “Ah told you Ah should have worn galoshes!”

“I’m sorry,” comes the indignant reply, “but somehow I didn’t manage to forecast chocolate rain on what was supposed to be a perfect night!” Rarity turns to Rainbow Dash, horror instantly replacing her aggravation. “WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!?”

“I didn’t do anything!” Rainbow Dash retorts, inches away from eating the cotton candy stuck to her foreleg. “It’s the Canterlot weather team, if anypony!” She pauses as Rarity races forward and gathers the ruined dress in her hooves, clear tears washed away by chocolate. “Oh. That.”

Princess Cadance and Shining Armor rush into the entry hall from outside as Rarity wails about the dress. “We came as soon as we could!” shouts Princess Cadance, briefly nodding to Celestia and Luna. “What is happening?”

Celestia regally holds herself up, though it is difficult to maintain the image with raindrops constantly splashing against her head. “It appears an old foe of mine, someone I thought defeated long ago, has returned. His name… is Discord.”

Fluttershy cowers down while Twilight nods resolutely. Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity mostly look between each in confusion. Princess Cadance and Shining Armor gasp, the latter stomping a hoof.

“Then we’ll put an end to this!” Shining Armor gazes into Celestia’s eyes. “Just let me know what frequency to tune my shield, and we’ll force all of his chaos out!”

“I’m afraid it won’t be that easy,” Cadance says, stroking Shining Armor’s back with a hoof. His hurt look is only somewhat quelled by her explanation. “As a creature of chaos, you won’t be able to force him out. Even your shield against the rain failed to stop half of them!”

“Indeed.” Princess Luna gravely intones. “Discord is a spirit of disharmony. Before our Sister and I stood up to him, he ruled Equestria in an eternal state of unrest, and unhappiness. We saw how miserable he made life for Earth ponies, Pegasi, and Unicorns alike. Upon discovering the Elements of Harmony we combined their power to turn him to stone.”

Celestia nods. “And, despite our connection to the Elements being broken a thousand years ago, we thought it would last forever.”

“No longer connected?” Twilight gasps, looking to Luna. “You mean…”

Celestia slowly nods. “Yes. When I used the Elements against my Sister, banishing Nightmare Moon, I lost my connection to them, perhaps permanently.” Celestia regards Twilight and the other Element Bearers. “Now, it will be up to you six to wield the Elements against him once again, and stop him before he thrusts all of Equestria into eternal chaos!”

“You got it!” exclaims Rainbow Dash excitedly, even though she can’t raise to the air and pose due to the gunk in her wings.

“But you guys!” Pinkie Pie cries out, now having difficulty getting her head low enough to guzzle more chocolate milk, her belly grossly stretched and limbs waggling around, unable to reach anything. “Eternal chaos comes with chocolate rain! Chocolate! Rain!”

Twilight shakes her head. “Don’t listen to her. We’d be honored to use the Elements of Harmony again.” She motions to Applejack.

The earth pony walks up to Pinkie Pie, inspecting the roughly spherical mare twice as tall as she is. “Just like a blue ribbon Apple apple,” Applejack says with a smirk, standing on her hind legs and rolling Pinkie Pie away from the wall. Pinkie’s pink tongue keeps stretching out and lapping at the milk falling around them, her protests muffled by the occasional dip into a chocolate puddle, her grunt of 'more!' followed by Applejack rolling her eyes.

Twilight looks up at the main castle. “I assume the Elements are locked up in the highest room of the tallest tower.”

“Perhaps not the most original of places.” Celestia turns to Cadance and Shining Armor. “Shining Armor, gather the guards and focus on relief efforts. Military force will be useless. Cadance, likewise, focus on keeping everypony calm. If Discord is up to his old tricks, then overreacting is more dangerous to us than any frivolous game he plays.”

“Frivolous?!”

An aggrieved Discord appears in between Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, hugging their rain soaked faces next to his. On his shoulders, barely clutching onto his twin horns, hang Lemon and Meringue; one of them looks ecstatic to be there, while Lemon merely grins wildly. “Does this look like the face of a creature whose efforts focus on the frivolous?”

4 The Iron Bard

“On first thought,” Discord says abruptly, holding up his leonine paw against the six mares each with a snide remark on the tips of their tongues, “you mortals are entirely too predictable.”

“Discord,” Celestia deadpans, “what a surprise.”

“Oh, please,” Discord says; his eyes plop out of his skull, sprout wings and proceed to do cartwheels in the air. “Drop the false incredulity. I know you’re not that naive. Plus, I could hear you; perhaps you can talk our foes to death.”

“Our foes?” Princess Luna retorts angrily. “Perhaps thou need’st a reminder of how our last encounter went!”

“I’m sure you remember it well, since your Sister did the same to you that she did to me. Pity it didn’t work out either time.” Discord sneers as he turns gray, still as a statue except that his mouth continues to move. “But I don’t cast ponies into lonely dimensions, either stone or cheese.”

Luna turns to Celestia, her wrath briefly redirected to her Sister, only for Lemon’s high pitched voice to interrupt from Discord’s antler. “Didn’t you turn Doug into stone?”

“What?!” exclaims Rainbow Dash, many of the ponies worriedly looking outside at the gardens. Tears come to her eyes. “How could you…”

“Pffa! Hah!” Discord points at Rainbow Dash, giggling uproariously. “You should see the look on your faces!” He holds up a mirror, grinning even larger as Rainbow’s expression turns murderous. “Your loyalty is admirable, Rainbow Dash, just like the Element you represent. Pity you are so misguided.”

“No need to be so mean about it,” Fluttershy sniffles, timorously wiping a tear from her eye. “What did Doug ever do to you?”

“Why, he rescued me, of course!” Discord’s paw and claw shoot off into the air, exploding into fireworks. “I would say it was quite the fine act of kindness; wouldn’t you agree?” He sighs at everypony’s continued harsh glares. “After he got better, he graciously allowed me to take these two with me.” Discord’s appendages reappear as the sparks of the fireworks transform into pieces of candy, the fillies eagerly reaching hoof and tongue out to snag them from midair. “Normally I would say that the hybrid leave nothing worth saving, but they’re so much fun! Wouldn’t you agree?”

“Pinkie Pie!” Applejack angrily shouts, turning to find the balloon of a mare edging her way towards Celestia’s plump tail. “Why is it both of your fillies switched sides?”

“He probably promised them candy,” Pinkie Pie admits, hooves finally in reach of the delicious repository of chocolate milk that is Celestia’s tail. She takes a long, noisy slurp, prompting an annoyed glance from the white alicorn. “Plus, I’m sure we’ll all end up on the winning side!” Pinkie Pie grows even larger as she buries her rotund body into Celestia’s tail, her already massive girth steadily increasing.

“Optimistic as always from the Element of Laughter!” Discord smiles before he sneers at Applejack. “Though I can’t say I’m surprised from the Element of Honesty. Do you have to be so rigid about things?” He snaps his claws, Applejack toppling over as her knees lock. Her mouth ends up in the torrent still flowing down the stairs, unable to gag as milk seeps down her throat.

A blue aura surrounds Applejack, Rarity dashing forwards to lift her herdmate and allow the milk to drain from her mouth. “I can’t believe we’re wasting our time talking to this ruffian! We should just go and get the Elements again!”

“Ah, I expected nothing less from the Element of Generosity! So willing to share her view of how everypony around her should act.” Discord disappears, wearing a copy of Rarity’s dress but to his own proportions. “There. Is this more to your liking?”

Rarity scoffs as Twilight steps forward. “Ignore him, everypony. All he wants is to draw a reaction from each of us. Celestia, would you do the honors of leading us to the Elements?”

“And we finally get to hear from Magic, the most powerful and elusive of the Elements. Or is that Friendship? I have such a difficult time telling them apart.” Discord knocks a piece of stone out of his ear. “Since it’s so hard making friends while you’re, you know…” Discord rises up, mimicking the position he held while he was a statue.

Twilight Sparkle’s horn lights, trying to drag Pinkie Pie out of Celestia’s rump. Several hard tugs, and one undislodged mare later, leaves Twilight huffing in frustration. “Come on, Pinkie Pie! Let go!”

“Nooo!” comes the muffled reply, Pinkie Pie’s hind legs desperately wriggling as she holds fast. “I’m almost finished!”

“It’s okay, Twilight,” Celestia reassures her student. One hoof gently strokes Twilight’s mane, then delicately pulls her head up to gaze into her eyes. One magenta eye winks, Twilight returning a half-smile that fails utterly to disguise her lack of confidence. “I know how to deal with this.”

Celestia’s horn lights, the already tall mare slowly levitating upwards. Pinkie Pie slowly rotates, ending up with Celestia’s bulk sinking into the bulbous mare. Celestia’s horn winks out, her hind legs splayed out for balance while her forelegs grip tightly onto whatever appendage or tuft of fur they can. She slowly presses herself further down, barely able to keep her balance, and then rises.

“We must go quickly!” Celestia raises a hoof as she bounces up and down. She gets about four bounces down the hallway before four sets of laughter break her focus. Her horn lights, steadying herself as she slowly hops around.

Discord, Luna, Rainbow Dash, and Shining Armor are beside themselves and laughing uproariously, each holding onto a clone of themselves for support. Hooves and claws point as little bits of chocolate milk squirt out of Pinkie Pie’s mouth with every bounce of the white alicorn.

Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Princess Cadance are not nearly as amused. Twilight looks cross at Celestia, then Rainbow Dash. “It’s not that funny!”

“Oh, but it is! Perhaps you just need to try it for yourselves!” Discord snaps his claws, transforming Rainbow Dash, Shining Armor, Rarity, and Applejack into roughly pony sized spheres while the remaining neighsayers bounce on top.

“I’m sorry… I’m sorry… I’m sorry…” Fluttershy pleads as she bounces around on Rainbow Dash. Yellow wings flap, but that only serves to lift her even higher every time she bounces down on her cerulean herdmate.

“Nuh-uh!” shouts Applejack as she squirms underneath Discord, doing her level best as a bucking bronco ball to dislodge the draconequus. “The only stallion that gets to ride me is Doug!”

“I don’t know,” Princess Cadance says with a grin as she bounces on Shining Armor. “This is a fun change of pace!”

“Cady!” Shining Armor groans, though not from the alicorn bouncing on him. “Don’t tell Twily that!”

Twilight, meanwhile, is too busy bouncing on Rarity to notice, squealing like a filly. The bad, terrorized kind, though, as her horn sputters, her attempt to teleport through the chaotic rain sending her reeling.

“Not the hair! Anything but the hair!” Rarity moans, even though no piece of hair can come loose from her spherical form. It does get muddy as Twilight bounces her in the chocolate milk, leaving her aghast. Her eyes keep trying to find the brown spots she knows are there, but the curvature of her body leaves her merely demanding status reports from Twilight.

Luna finds herself sharing Pinkie Pie with Celestia, their twin “Weee!”’s echoing around the castle. She and her Sister vie for control of the pink ball, engaging each other in the traditional pony style of combat. Celestia’s light flailing manages to push her Sister back, but Luna’s superior log rolling skills lets her convert the push into a full gallop. Pinkie Pie ricochets back and forth, knocking into the other bouncers, eliciting squeals and shouts from everypony.

“Oh, I knew you two had it in you!” Discord exclaims after several minutes of glorious bouncing, Applejack only managing to buck him off twice. His fingers snap again, a bright flash of light leaving the ten ponies groaning amidst the chocolate rain, all of them back to their normal shapes and sizes. Including, to her monumental disappointment, Pinkie Pie.

“Aww,” Pinkie Pie moans, swirling a hoof in the closest puddle.

“Just think of it this way, Pinkie,” Rainbow Dash says, hovering next to her and glad Fluttershy is no longer bouncing on her. Not that she didn’t enjoy it or anything, she just would have been mortified had anypony outside their tight circle of friends seen them. Including, just for the moment, Discord. “You got all the benefits of eating way, way more of your fill in chocolate milk, and none of the downsides!”

“You’re right!” Pinkie Pie leaps up, about to dunk her head into the nearest puddle before she is stopped by Princess Celestia’s harsh voice.

“Enough of this, Discord!” Celestia stamps a hoof, splashing chocolate milk everywhere. “You have had your fun! What game are you playing at?”

“Game?” Discord chuckles to himself. He snaps his fingers as he lists out the various things. “Games require rules, and rewards, and dangers, and familiar settings. If it’s a game that you want, then a game I shall be happy to provide!”

“We don’t want a game!” shouts Twilight, turning to her Friends. “Girls, with me! We’re getting the Elements, and putting a stop to this chaos!”

“Are you sure?” Discord asks mournfully, flicking a tear from his eye. It turns into a crocodile and scampers away, slipping into one of the puddles and disappearing. “You so enjoyed the last one, I was thinking of giving you a bit of a bonus on the next.”

“What kind of a bonus?” Applejack asks guardedly, warily watching for flanking crocodiles.

“Of course, I only council wisdom. If you do not wish to hear it, I will say no more.” Discord shrugs. “But, I thought I would save you all a trip upstairs, then back down here.” He snaps his claws, an ornate blue box edged in gold and decorated with the six colors of the Elements appearing in front of them. He motions forwards, bowing his head contritely.

Celestia gasps. “That chamber is protected by a spell only I can break! This doesn’t-”

Celestia swallows her words as she opens the empty chest, her eyes narrowing. “What have you done with the Elements?”

“What have I done with the Elements?” Discord asks, aggrieved and holding his chest. “Why, nothing! I merely brought them to this room! I think the better question is, what have you done with the Elements? Hmm?”

“Stop stalling, Discord!” Celestia shouts; her mane and tail ignite in a brilliant yellow and white, tongues of flame that match her cutie mark licking the stone around her. Chocolate milk begins boiling, the ponies closest to her quickly backpedaling away. “What have you done with the Elements?”

Discord ceases playing with Meringue, his leonine paw no longer scratching her tummy. “Ugh, so boring, Celestia. Really, after all the fun we had together?” He grins as Celestia stamps a flaming hoof. “I’ll tell you, but you’ll have to play a little game.” He snaps his fingers, a torrent of icy water dousing Celestia’s fire and leaving her sopping wet.

“What kind of a game?” demands Applejack. “Didn’t you say somethin’ about rules’n such?”

“Oh, I’m so glad you asked!” exclaims Discord, the rest of the ponies shooting Applejack a dirty look. “The rules are simple. All you have to do is make it through the night!”

The ten ponies exchange hesitant looks. Princess Luna cautiously asks, “And what sort of monsters will thou unleash on us?”

“Nothing more than you’d get on a normal, boring day in Canterlot, I assure you.” Discord yawns, Lemon offering him a white hoofkerchief to cover his mouth. He gladly accepts, passing the young yellow mare a piece of candy she greedily gobbles.

“And the reward if we win?” says Rainbow Dash, almost hopeful they stand a chance.

“Win or lose; at the stroke of midnight, I will stand right here,” Discord motions to the spot directly underneath him, “and allow you to blast me back to stone!”

“And… if we fail?” Fluttershy peeks out from behind Twilight, barely able to look at Discord.

“Nothing!” Discord looks up at the two fillies still perched on his horns. “I think these two are a bad influence on me. Or a good one? No, no, no, more like a lawful influence. Or a harmonic one. Yes, that’s right.” He waves his claw, dismissing his own argument. “In this game, there will be no penalty for failure! How’s that for a once in a lifetime bargain?”

“And the familiar setting?” Rarity asks, looking at the pink clouds still spewing chocolate rain everywhere. She daintily lifts a hoof, but there is nowhere dry to place it.

“Oh, I think right here will do perfectly. But, before we get to that.” Discord pulls each of the six Element wielders in, whispering without a hint of nonsense in his voice, “Don’t bother searching for your precious Elements; they are hidden where you’ll never think to look. But don’t worry; by the end of the night, you’ll have found them again.”

Discord stands, grandly stating, “Then the game is set.” Discord looks Celestia and Luna in the eyes. “Oh, and I wouldn’t worry about helping them.” One paw motions to the moon in the sky, the other directly opposite and pointing at the ground where the sun lays hidden. “If you need something else to focus on, then I’m sure I can come up with something.”

Celestia and Luna scowl at Discord, but say nothing.

“I bid each of you, Good Luck!” Discord snaps his fingers. He, Lemon, and Meringue disappear without a trace, as does every vestige of pink cloud, chocolate rain, and damage caused by the same. Each of the mares is clad in their Gala dresses, not a seam out of place.

Pinkie Pie breaks into despondent wailing at the loss of the chocolate milk while Rarity cries tears of joy that her dress, and those of all the others, are not ruined. Applejack, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash merely watch as ponies slowly come out of the woodwork, happy smiles on their faces. Twilight looks up at Princess Celestia, worried; she silently asks with her eyes, 'is this some trick of Discord’s?'

“You did it!” calls Fancy Pants giddily. He stomps his hoof on the clean, dry stone, many of the other ponies joining in.

“You defeated Discord?” stammers Captain Spitfire, incredulous. “Color me impressed.”

“It would appear so,” Princess Celestia regally states, her voice barely concealing her concern. She whispers, only for the Element Bearers, “For now.”

5 Abandoned Wealth

Silence reigns over the crowded entry hall for several long seconds. The Elements of Harmony, wary of any form of attack, have created a defensive perimeter around Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. Shining Armor is in the middle with Princess Cadance at his side. Six sets of eyes glow white as they scan for every possible form of magic imaginable. Four other sets scan the physical world, looking for any movement out of place, flicking to the ponies awkwardly milling about before returning to every possible angle of attack.

The silence is broken from inside by the sounds of a cello, perfectly tuned, then a grand piano playing a few scales. A few coughs come from the ponies who seconds before had been congratulating the Elements of Harmony on their apparent defeat of Discord.

They are soon joined by Applejack. “You know…” she says, looking at her Friends, “Ah’m startin’ to feel a mite ridiculous.”

“Worry not, Honesty,” Princess Luna calmly states. “It could be a trick of Discord, or-”

Six sets of white eyes, followed quickly by four sets that aren’t glowing, turn to the main gates and the gradually increasing jingle of armor and odd cadence of two boots running alongside a single pony.

Trixie and Doug, winded but alert, arrive. Doug is clad in his Nightmare Night outfit, sweaty and disheveled. Trixie, however, has an addition to her dress - an amulet of a gray alicorn, ruby red eyes and accents on the wings, with a large ruby inset in the center. The golden clad guard briefly steps in before Celestia’s throat clearing gets him to step aside.

Doug strides forward and speaks, quickly but precisely, only loud enough for them to hear. “We met up with Spike, just as everything seemed like it went back to normal. Lemon and Meringue weren’t with him; are they?” His face goes ashen at the slow shake of Celestia’s head. “Then we have to find them! We-”

“Where he has taken them, I do not know. But he seemed fairly charmed with them.” Celestia takes a deep breath. “He claims he will return at midnight. I hope they will be with him.”

Doug glances up at the moon. “That’s three hours from now. What will we do until then?”

Celestia looks around, smiling pleasantly at the anxious ponies around them. “Well, I’ve heard there is a Gala going on. Perhaps we can pass the time there. Just stay near, in case he - or something else - returns early.”

Applejack steps away from the dispersing ponies, hesitantly glancing over her shoulder. Her herdmates are all walking away, each to their own destination. She grimaces to herself as she plods back to her cart. Truth be told, she was almost thankful when Twilight rushed over to her and said that something truly wrong was going on. She had only made one lousy sale the whole time she was standing there!

Granted, it had only been about fifteen minutes, but more’n double that number had walked past her cart, every one of’m turning up their noses. What, is something wrong with her family’s apples? Or is Canterlot just full of rich snobs who would never taste something as delicious, and twice as filling, as those fancy plates of garnish topped parsley? It can’t be her prices; sure, they might be a mite higher than what she charges in Ponyville, but she has to factor in the cost of transportation!

Applejack idly kicks at a rock, sending it clattering into a wall. At least in Ponyville the other townsfolk would come up to her cart, just to chat even if they weren’t buying. But this is worse than that time she and Rarity saw Hayseed Turnip Truck washing windows at some store or other; at least they said hello to each other!

“Excuse me,” elegantly states a pony from behind her. Applejack turns; unicorn, half a hoof shorter than Big Mac - reminds her of Shining Armor, actually. Wearing a black full suit, well tailored, gold buttons. Purple bowtie and monocle, cutie mark of three gold crowns. “I don’t suppose I can trouble you for a moment of your time, Lady Applejack?”

“Ah don’t suppose Ah’d mind,” Applejack replies. She peers at the white unicorn, trying to rein in a bit of her drawl. “And it’s just Applejack, no Lady about it. You’re, um, Fancy Pants, right?”

“Very astute, just Applejack!” Applejack’s muzzle curls to a smile. “I do believe we met at Prince Blueblood’s New Year’s soiree, correct? I recall your friend Rarity; now, there is a pony who can make quite the impression! I’m only sorry I wasn’t able to make your acquaintance the same way!”

“Heh, that’s Rares for ya.” Applejack looks around, apologetically saying, “Well, Ah gotta get back to my cart. Celestia knows what kinda damage Discord did to it.”

“I don’t suppose you would mind if I walked with you?” Fancy Pants matches Applejack’s stride as if there is no way she would ever consider saying no. “Perhaps you could tell me about this, err, ‘cart’ of yours.”

“What’s there to know?” Applejack shrugs as they get close. Her intricately detailed cart, covered with red swirls amidst a green and gold background, stands out among the garden. “Ah’m here showcasing many of the delicacies we make back at Sweet Apple Acres!”

“Ah, how charmingly rustic!” Fancy Pants says cheerfully as they draw close. His nose sniffs, a smile on his mouth. “It smells like… well, chocolate milk.” A delightfully embarrassed look comes over Fancy Pants’ face, scouring the surrounding area for a glass of water or something to clear his nostrils. “I’m sorry, that just came out. I’ve always spoken my mind, heedless of the consequences.”

Applejack merely chuckles. “Oh, no offense taken. Ah just hope the flavor’s intact.” Applejack pops open her cart, taking a long whiff of the apples resting inside. “Mm, much better. Here.” She tosses Fancy Pants an apple, the unicorn catching it in a golden aura and taking a bite.

“Delicious! I dare say, every pony in Canterlot will be wanting one of these!” Fancy Pants takes another bite, glancing at the prices listed on Applejack’s cart. His face slowly falls. “I’m afraid I left my petty cash in my other pants, as it were. Otherwise, I might buy out your entire cart right now!”

“Don’t worry about it!” Applejack smiles as she hoofs over another apple. “Have another, on the house!”

“Why, my dear mare, are you sure you aren’t the Element of Generosity?” Fancy Pants takes the apple, then taps a hoof against his chin as he considers. “You have an existing contract with Canterlot Castle, yes? I must admit, I do believe I have eaten these apples before. Never a disappointment!”

“Yup! Bushel a month each of Red and Gold Delicious, and half a bushel of Granny Smith. The apple, of course, not my Granny!” That draws a wry smile from the unicorn. “Shipped to the castle by train. Ah’d have to double check on the rest of our Canterlot shipments.”

“Yes, of course.” Fancy Pants eyes the apple in his hoof, the other one already gone. “I might be interested in a similar arrangement.” A gold tipped pen levitates out of one of the inside pockets of his suit, along with an elegant notepad. “How much would you say that is?”

“Oh, ‘bout a fifth ‘fer apple. Less’n if we can fill up a crate for ya.” Applejack shrugs outwardly, but inside her gears are turning. If she can get more contract sales like this, especially without Filthy Rich taking his cut as middlemare, then they would be set! In fact, she could give away her goods and they’d be rolling in bits!

“Hmm, seems a bit pricey; but then again, you could demand practically any price and ponies would flock to pay it!” Fancy Pants scribbles his signature on his notepad, writing an I.O.U. “Would you say it’s about a hundred apples a bushel?”

Applejack nearly scowls at his insinuation that her apples are ‘pricey’. She manages to keep her forced smile, a brief shake of the head. “Closer to eighty.” She gives him a sultry wink. “Like most of the things around the farm, you’ll find they’re a bit bigger’n most.”

“Even so.” Fancy Pants neatly writes an address. “Two hundred bits is a price I am more than willing to pay.” He holds the paper out in his hoof, smiling at Applejack. “Consider this a down payment for the first shipment; I’ll have a contract written up post-haste!”

Applejack’s voice catches in her throat. Two hundred bits… for a bushel?! That’s… that’s overpaying her by more’n twelve times as much! He could buy just about every item she brought, and still have enough left over for a crate! She raises a hoof to her chest, bumping into something metallic. She glances down, spotting the Element of Honesty around her neck.

Those extra bits would go a very long way to helping out around the farm, though…

Applejack’s hoof tightens around the Element of Honesty, looking Fancy Pants in the eyes.

Pinkie Pie heads into the main castle, following the sounds of the grand piano, harp, and other instruments. Except that the spring is gone from her step, instead relying on her hooves and walking like everypony else. Every once in a while she feels a little tingle, like she wants to begin pronking, but there might as well have been a sign up with a big red ‘x’ over a picture of her doing anything different or out of the ordinary.

Her eyes trace along the walls, trying to find something out of place. Some design that stands out, that’s different from everything else. But it’s all gold and cobalt swirls, perfect circles and geometric designs that hardly vary from one section to another. It’s all so… so…

BORING!!

No wonder her foals teamed up with Discord! In fact, she has half a mind to utter the dreaded name three times, in the vain hope that he would show up and inject a little life into this party! That’s how it works, right? Or does she just need to snap her fingers… claws… hooves together? Pinkie Pie stops walking through the hallway, a pair of ponies passing her. She inspects her hoof, pinching the ends together.

She sighs, dejected.

But, no; her Friends wouldn’t like that. They would want her to put on a good face, right? No, no; if something’s bothering her, then she should be honest with her Friends! They would be able to cheer her up, right? And tell her that she is wonderful and unique, and they love having her around! She can even hear their voices, almost, telling her as much! Besides, if she can giggle at the ghosties, then surely she can guffaw at the Grand Galloping Gala and snicker with the stuffed suits!

Pinkie Pie pronks into the main dance hall. Gorgeous stained glass windows serve as a backdrop for the four piece band currently playing soft music, more of a background piece than anything to dance to. A golden chandelier lights the hall, a few dozen ponies paired off and chatting along the walls.

Hurried whispers travel through the hall, all of the conversations stopping as everypony turns to watch Pinkie Pie enter. She grins joyously, raising a hoof to wave as everypony politely stomps their hooves. Wow! Word sure does travel fast about what they did!

The dance floor sparkles, practically begging her to put it to use! And Pinkie Pie is more than happy to oblige, busting out moves that take her from one end of the ballroom to the other. Halfway through her next move on top of a golden statue of Celestia later, though, and Pinkie Pie realizes - Nopony else is dancing with her!

Hmm, maybe they just can’t hear the music like she can! Hmm, what to play, what to play… she needs the perfect song to get everypony in the mood. A happy birthday song? No, that was two weeks ago. The Hokey Pokey? No, this isn’t that kind of party.

Suddenly, Pinkie Pie realizes exactly what song she should do! So what if it's a little rousing - it'll inject some life into this party! She rushes up to the four ponies performing, whispering suggestions to each of them. The tan earth pony at the piano gapes at her but goes along; saving everypony from Discord must have really helped! The tuba makes a decent deep bass, the cello and harp plucking a slow beat. Not quite a drum kit, but it works!

Pinkie Pie walks up to the microphone, giggling to herself. It comes out as a low “Ahahahahaha!” as she begins strutting along the stage.

“It’s close to miiidnight,” Pinkie Pie begins, clapping her hooves together ominously.

“Young Lady!” one of the ponies shouts, the music cutting off. “This isn’t that kind of party!”

“Aww,” Pinkie Pie moans as the rest of the ponies in the ballroom, some of them more blatant than the others, nod along. She hops off the stage while the music resumes its previous calming tones, the musicians giving her apologetic glances. Pinkie Pie mutters to herself, “Well, that’s no fun. What kind of party is this without dancing?”

She answers her own question as she walks up to the punch bowl. “Not a fun party, that’s for sure.” She pours herself a glass, sighing heavily. She drinks the whole glass in one go, barely noticing the nasty looks a few of the ponies shoot her for her uncouth behavior. “What kind of party is it without Laughter?”

“Well,” Pinkie Pie says to herself, walking to one of the tables as a waiter takes her empty glass, “I suppose not every party needs Laughter.” Her hoof comes up to rub her chest, getting a metallic clink instead. Her hoof grabs hold of the Element of Laughter around her neck. Parties, or Laughter? It’s a shame she can’t have both.

She gives the Element a light tug, the clasp easily coming undone, letting her stare at the blue balloon.

6 Coveted Possession

Rarity steps away from her herd, eyes scanning the nobleponies who are, if she dares say, watching her enviously. She can’t help but bob her mane just a little, a knowing smile, a slight shake of her flanks purely to show off the dress. Their appreciative glances and tittering is music to her ears, competing with the cello and tuba. What’s even more delightful is when she spots Prince Blueblood.

The tall white unicorn cautiously looks up at the sky as he exits the castle. Then, his eyes meet hers. She nearly swoons as he tosses those golden locks, his soft smile inviting her over. His quarter suit, black, with a blue bow tie and gold buttons, looks to be missing something.

Her.

Rarity strides forward, as quickly as she can properly walk at such a function - though she desperately wants to break into a gallop. She greets Lunaris with a chaste kiss on each side of his face. Her nose inhales the scent of… chocolate milk. Oh, wait, that is her; he smells of cologne and… some sort of mixture to reduce sweating? What sort of night is he expecting? Doesn’t he know he’s just here to help parade her around?

Lunaris returns the same before pulling back to a respectful distance. “Evening, Lady Rarity. A pleasure meeting you again; I’m sorry I had to run off after…” he twirls a hoof around, again looking up at the sky. “...Well, you know.”

“Yes, well, we shouldn’t need to worry about that happening again. I hope.” Rarity presses herself against Lunaris, bodily leading him out towards the gardens where many other pairs of ponies are congregating. She eyes his suit, and then the red roses blooming around them. They would go perfectly with her dress! “I can’t help but think something is missing, though.”

“Hmm,” Lunaris playfully replies, following Rarity’s eyes to her own dress. “May I hope it’s something under that dress? I don’t believe I took a good enough look the last time you stripped out of it.” He smirks at Rarity’s mock indignation, then follows the brief flick of her eyes towards the roses. His gaze continues past them, back at the castle, specifically one of the guard entrances. His expression brightens, a cheery smile. “Oh! I thought you’d never ask!”

“Wait!” Rarity calls as Lunaris nearly struts off, the Prince stopping to regard her. She smiles, though inwardly is cursing his obliviousness, “I was hoping you might accent our outfits with one of these.” She flicks her mane at the roses.

“Ah. Well, I do believe they go with my eyes.” Lunaris winks at Rarity as a golden aura surrounds two of the roses, neatly clipping the stems and stripping them of thorns. He tucks his into his suit, admiring how well it goes with his coloration. “And yours, of course.” Rarity’s he slips into one of the folds of her dress, managing to secure both of them. He looks again to the guard entrance. “I don’t suppose you had any plans?”

“Nothing in particular.” Rarity gazes to the other guests, adoring their covert stares. “Why, what would you like to do?” She raises an eyebrow as he takes off.

Rarity follows Lunaris to the guard entrance, a hint of confusion as they quickly make their way to the lower levels. Hardly the spot for a romantic tryst. Not that that’s what she’s looking for; in fact, she's surprised he doesn't even make the advance. When Lunaris slips into the armory, returns with a long, thin bag and heads towards the training grounds, she has to open her mouth. “So, what are we doing here?”

“Why, a game!” Lunaris pauses as Rarity’s eyes narrow, anger flashing across her face. “Um, sorry if I struck a nerve?”

“Oh, no, just… nevermind.” Rarity stops outside the dirt floored arena. “Do you take all of your dates here?”

“Only the ones I enjoy spending time with.” Lunaris’ cheerful smile fades for a second. “Which means, you are the first.” He perks right back up. “Have you fenced before?”

“Hoofball isn’t the only sport my sire taught me. I know the basics, at least; enough to not make a foal of myself. Though, I must admit, it has been a while.” Rarity cranes her neck back and forth before stretching her legs. “You’re sure this will be safe?”

“Of course; yours is blunted, though I doubt I need to worry about bruising.” Lunaris winks as Rarity’s eyebrows narrow. “And, I assure you, your coat will be safe from any nicks or scratches. Your rose, perhaps less so.”

Rarity’s eyes go wide as a cobalt rapier levitates from the bag towards her, grabbing it with her blue aura. “Oh, my, it’s so big…” Rarity coyly suggests, running her hoof along the dulled edge. Enchanted with Despair, to break through and dispel magical barriers; the bag has Ward Pierce fittingly engraved.

“Don’t worry, Madame.” Lunaris lasciviously winks at Rarity. “I have a lot of experience with it. I’ll make sure neither of us are injured.”

“Do you often practice alone?” Rarity asks, levitating the cobalt rapier in her lighter blue aura. The blade swishes back and forth, Rarity enjoying the sound and feel.

Lunaris sighs at the admission. “Whenever I get the chance. Which, regretfully, is more frequent than I care to admit.” He grins, a golden rapier, Gilded Graze, now hovering at his own side. “Do you get the chance to practice often?”

“With my horn? Almost never. It tends to mess with my more intricate applications.” Rarity lifts a hoof, grabbing hold of the rapier while her horn winks out. “For something this big, I tend to use my hoof.”

“Mm. I’m not nearly as proficient there, but I can still get the job done. Can’t let those skills get rusty, you know.” Lunaris mimics Rarity, holding the golden rapier in his left hoof. “We will try to cut the rose the other party is wearing.” Rarity nods at that, calculatingly eyeing his rose. “Are you ready to begin?”

“Whether I am or not, you’ve been more than fair.” Rarity dashes forwards, trying to catch Lunaris by surprise. Her horizontal swing is barely blocked, her momentum and awkward three legged gait carrying her out of range of his retaliatory strike. She circles back around, Lunaris holding position and slowly turning to face her.

“You’re using a hooved defense against me,” Rarity quips, dancing forwards and backwards and trying to provoke Lunaris into showing how he will block.

“I find it fitting, considering the objective of the game.” Lunaris steps to the side, favoring moving to the right. “Besides, mouth might give better mobility, but is countered by better range. Don’t you agree?”

“Hah!” exclaims Rarity, going on the offensive again and swinging madly. Lunaris parries every blow, though the effort of dancing backwards on three hooves seems to be getting to him. “Why are you smiling?” she demands, infuriated at his continued smirk. How much she wants to wipe that smug look right off his face, just like she’ll cut that rose…

“Because, there is something you don’t know,” Lunaris calmly states, until Rarity dips down, feinting a stumble. His eyes go wide, almost dropping his rapier as he tries to catch her with a hoof. Her smirk gives away the game, though, and he reels back, barely able to get his rapier underneath and save his rose from being cut.

Rarity whips Ward Pierce up, sending Gilded Graze flying into the air. It twirls, end over end. She laughs as she points her rapier at Lunaris, aiming her next slice at his lapel.

Lunaris does a backflip. A flipping backflip. Well, the first half, and then his front hooves hit the sand and keep his head from smashing into the ground. Smugly smirking, staring right at Rarity, he raises his right hoof and yells, “Because I am not left-”

Gilded Graze drops, hilt first, right onto Blueblood’s head, sending him reeling to the ground. He moans, one hoof rubbing at the lump forming while Rarity calmly walks over and picks his rapier up, a careful swish cleaving the barest margin of rose, slivers of petals falling to the arena. She then offers a hoof, Lunaris gladly accepting as he staggers up.

He idly strokes the rose, ignoring the dirt stains on his suit. “You barely cut it.”

“I would as soon destroy a stained glass window as a blossom like that.” Rarity’s eyes go upwards. “Though I have heard that there is a certain window by the royal throne room that could use a bit of defacing.”

“The one commemorating Discord’s defeat? I’m afraid you’ll have to wait in line.” Lunaris accepts his golden rapier, again with his left hoof. “Ready to go again?”

Rarity stops, looking at the cobalt rapier in her hoof, then at Lunaris. “I-is this all you wished to do? Stay in the training ground and swing pieces of metal at each other?”

“Well, I was enjoying our banter quite a bit.” Lunaris’ expression grows concerned. “Why? Is there something wrong?”

“Not wrong, per se…” Rarity glances longingly towards the exit, then to her dress. It is only slightly out of place, and while she has been running hard she can’t detect any sweat or stains. “It’s just, I was hoping to be upstairs. At the party.”

“If I didn’t know any better, I would say that you just want to be seen with me!” Lunaris chuckles at his own joke, though an edge develops to his voice. “But, if you insist, we can return to those nobles and… mingle.” The last word barely conceals the venom saturated underneath.

Rarity nervously grins as she lifts a hoof to her chest, hearing an odd metallic clink. She glances down, spotting the Element of Generosity around her neck. She considers. Why is she at this Gala, except to be seen and desired, to better advertise her name? Should they do what she wants, even if it makes him a little uncomfortable? Or should she again play the gracious, generous mare, willing to do whatever somepony else wants? He did let her make the choice…

Her hoof presses against the Element of Generosity, her mouth opening to reply to Prince Blueblood.

Fluttershy slinks away from the group, shaking her tail and mane. Her body tells her that the long pink strands of hair are moving freely, yet her mind insists that she is still soaked to the bone. Even glancing at a reflection of herself in one of the gilded vases fails to dispel the illusion, even if it does make her styled mane even poofier.

The first gardens she comes to are far too crowded, and she can see that Rarity and Prince Blueblood must have had the same idea. Even the second area she tries is… occupied, or about to be, if the dress hitched halfway up the mare is any indication. Even if it wasn’t, she doesn’t see any of the rare and wondrous flora she knows is hidden further in. Fluttershy quietly makes her way along one of the dirt paths that winds its way around the castle seemingly at random.

Finally, as she rounds the Canterhorn side of the Canterlot Castle, she comes across an ornate gate. Stepping through into the private, gated garden is as if she walked through a portal to another realm. Verdant hedges full of blooming roses ring the entrance, almost a maze - well, if one was a foal, and also not a pegasus. The barrel high walls offer a multitude of pathways, each promising a spectacle of delight in every color of Harmony!

Fluttershy picks one at random; okay, not random, she really likes how the rare foal blue orchids look! She even debates picking one of the many blossoms and replacing the imitation earrings Rarity made. But, no, that wouldn’t be nice; what right does she have to monopolize the flowers like that, even if they are beautiful?

Still, as she scampers from one section to the next, something begins to nag Fluttershy in the back of her mind. The flora is absolutely delightful, of course. But, it’s too quiet. Where are the other ponies who might visit the Princess’s private garden, especially on a night like this when every flower is in bloom? No offense, Applejack, but her apple blooms - and Apple Bloom’s apple blooms - have nothing on this!

She likes the silence, too. It’s so calming, allowing her to lose herself in the complex designs and intricate displays. The way that some of the flowers have fractal patterns based on five, or eight, or thirteen! She even sees a twenty one petaled sunflower, and giddily pads over. Her hoof comes up to make sure, counting each and every one. Yup!

A faint skittering above her gets her ears to prick. It stands out against the silence, but doesn’t come back. Of course! That’s what was missing, the fauna! She slowly raises her eyes to scan the dense foliage of the trees.

But she can’t spot anything! Her focus drifts to the next tree, and the next. Nothing! It isn’t until she sighs in disappointment and looks down at one of the rose hedges that she spots a brief flicker of green wing against the leaves.

She cautiously steps forwards; it might have been a green jay! Compared to blue and red jays, only the pink ones are rarer! And she would so love to find a pink jay! Especially if she could get her to ride along in her mane. Oh, they would look so lovely together!

But she has to find one first.

“Hello, there,” Fluttershy calls, as non-threatening and pleasantly as she can.

Her voice is met with a sudden burst of flapping wings, the green jay exploding out of the tree like Pinkie Pie after a piece of cake about to hit the ground. He flies up, disappearing behind a tree before the barest hint of his head peeks out and watches her like a griffon. She thinks she can spot a few other beady eyes staring out at her from the tree, but she’s too busy castigating herself.

“Oh, Fluttershy, you’re such a loudmouth.”

Even Fluttershy’s quiet self-deprecating remark is met by a flurry of motion from the trees, the birds flitting out and away from her like ponies before Discord.

Actually.

Fluttershy takes a long whiff of herself, sighing immediately. Of course. She reeks of chocolate milk, and her nose must be inured to it. After what Discord probably put these animals through, of course they wouldn’t trust her! Well, except that the entire place still smells of milk. They’re probably scared of anything that comes through. No wonder nopony else wants to be here.

At least the plants aren’t afraid of her! Fluttershy giggles to herself as she wanders through another few sections, admiring the vibrant life around her. Except that her eyes keep flicking back, noticing the brief bursts of movement of birds skipping from one tree to the next. But never closer to her.

It’s almost… almost…

Almost enough for her to be mildly miffed!

No, it’s worse than that! She might even be…

Peeved!

Fluttershy drops to the ground at the admission, even just to herself. What kind of monster is she, getting peeved at these poor, innocent animals? They have every right to be wary of a pony like her, even one whose only interest is in being their friend!

Her tear filled eyes briefly look up at one of the hedges nearby. A perfect blue flower sits just out of reach, nearly an exact match for her butterfly shaped cutie mark. Nopony would notice, right? If just one flower went missing? Actually, more ponies would be able to see it if she is wearing it, right? She’d be doing them a favor, in fact!

She reaches out, carefully snapping the flower’s stem. She frowns as she brings it to her ear; she doesn’t have a good way of sticking it there. But the flower that makes up the front part of her dress, though; it could use a friend!

Her hoof clinks against something metallic as she presses the flower against her barrel. She looks down, confused, until she recognizes the Element of Kindness around her neck. “Huh,” she says to herself. “When did that get there?” She looks around, seeing nothing. Except for another flower that would make a perfect complement to the two butterflies on her chest!

Her hoof gently tugs the Element of Kindness. And if it isn’t that unkind depriving somepony of the sight of this one flower, is it really that much worse showing these skittish animals exactly how kind she can be?

7 Loyalty

“Hey, Rainbow Dash! You coming?”

The fact that Spitfire is smiling at Rainbow Dash, and in such a way that Rainbow thinks that the orange maned pegasus is actually happy to see her, does more to buoy her spirits than any scrawled signature. Rainbow cheerfully waves at her dispersing herd, Doug leaving with Princess Luna, as she calmly makes her way to join the blue and yellow suited mare.

Okay, it isn’t so much a ‘walk’ as it is a brief burst of speed that instantly zips her next to her idol and Captain of the Wonderbolts, sending whooshes of air that flattens manes and blows one pony’s dress halfway up her barrel.

Spitfire’s sedate walk, along with the steady clop of her hooves against the red carpeted floor, might have infuriated Rainbow Dash at any other time. She’s going almost as slow as Fluttershy, for Celestia’s sake! And they aren’t flying! But this just means that the cerulean pegasus gets to spend even more time just chillaxing with quite possibly the awesomest Wonderbolt of the awesome Wonderbolts! She can’t even bring herself to ruin the moment with words as they come to the Wonderbolts VIP section!

The area is ringed by red ropes, two well dressed unicorns making sure the crowd of ponies outside each gets their turn and doesn’t mob the Wonderbolts sitting at magenta tables. There are various nobleponies Rainbow doesn’t recognize already in the area, engaging in one on one conversations with the performers, but they barely even parse as blips on her attention. She’s too focused on spotting every Wonderbolt at the event!

There’s Soarin, of course, bits of pie stuck to his muzzle that it looks like he forgot to clean off in the chaos beforehoof. The other Wonderbolts she had raced back at the Best Young Flyer competition: Silver Zoom, Fire Streak, Misty Fly, and Blaze. High Winds is there, and Surprise, and Lightning Streak. And then her eyes go wide as she spots the one pony she really wants to test herself against. Fleetfoot!

Much to Rainbow’s immense disappointment, Spitfire doesn’t lead her in a circuit around the hall to introduce what will certainly be the next Wonderbolt with everybolt at the event. Or even announce that she’s there! Instead, she just leads her to an empty table, off to the side. One of the well-dressed waiters comes by, removing the small Spitfire card, a slight tilt of his head inquiring to their desired beverage, if any.

Two hard ciders later and Spitfire is, well, reclining as much as one can recline while standing at a prestigious event. Way more relaxed than Rainbow, the cerulean pegasus barely keeping herself from pinging around each of the Wonderbolts in attendance. Maybe she could challenge Fleetfoot to a race! Not that she stands a chance against the best sprinter in the ‘Bolts, but just to see exactly what it’s like racing against the best of the best!

Spitfire clears her throat from outside of Rainbow’s field of vision, drawing the scattered pegasus’ gaze back to their table. Her raspy voice quietly praises, “So, Dash, that was pretty impressive of you, standing up to that Discord character. Must have taken a lot of nerve.”

“Oh, that?” Rainbow Dash nervously chuckles before she realizes exactly who she is talking to. She straightens up, sticking her chest and confidently smirking. “That was nothing! Barely even broke a sweat!”

“Really?” Spitfire nods once, impressed. “Most ponies would have crumpled in that kind of situation, or panicked. But you held your ground. Not many ponies have that kind of fortitude.”

Rainbow grins in return. “It was as intense as any Wonderbolts performance, and we came through with flying colors!” Rainbow stares off into the sky, already imagining herself in a Wonderbolts uniform and streaking through the sky, leaving a rainbow contrail behind her.

“Got that right.” Spitfire takes a sip of her cider. “That the second or third time you’ve saved all of Equestria?”

“Who, me?” Rainbow looks around confused. What’s Spitfire talking about? Oh, yeah! “Well, I don’t know about it just being me. After all, it took all of the Elements of Harmony to stop Nightmare Moon. And, I guess, the threat of them to stop Discord.” Rainbow takes a sip of her cider, swishing it around. She swallows, shrugging. “And I guess Princess Celestia sent the six of us to stop a dragon who she claimed was threatening all of Equestria.”

Spitfire opens her mouth, about to say something.

Rainbow cuts her off. “I helped stop Spike, sort of, though that was really more of a ‘Ponyville’s about to be destroyed’ thing. And then with the Ursa Minor. And the chaos creatures that attacked Ponyville, though that was really a group effort and Princess Celestia did the heavy lifting.” Rainbow shrugs again. “So, two and a half?”

“Wow, Dash, giving credit where credit’s due? I’m impressed.” Spitfire smirks at Rainbow’s cool indifference.

“Well, when you’re in a herd, you have to learn to work together. I wouldn’t be as far as I am without their help and support.” Rainbow perks up a little more. She solemnly states, even going so far to put a hoof to her chest, her eyes closing and muzzle curling to a confident smile, “I'm not looking for any special consideration for, you know, being the Element of Loyalty and all. But I think the teamwork I’ve learned working as a part of a herd and working as part of the Elements of Harmony makes me a perfect candidate for the Wonderbolts.”

“Oh, pony,” Spitfire swears, barely loud enough for Rainbow Dash to hear. She tries to cover by taking another drink, nearly emptying her glass. “Dash, that’s…” she trails off, looking around at the other Wonderbolts. “Don’t you want to meet some of the other Wonderbolts?”

Rainbow Dash’s grin fades. “Um, yeah.” She cocks her head to the side, trying to read the inscrutable expression on the yellow mare. She tries a smile again. “I was even hoping to perform for you guys! You know, get an early start on my application and acceptance. That way I can train with you even sooner!”

“That’s… good to hear,” Spitfire says guardedly, aware of how many of the other conversations in the room have quieted down. A good number of the other Wonderbolts are on ‘break’, standing with another ‘Bolt and covertly listening in on her and Rainbow. “You have a whole routine ready and everything, huh?”

“I sure do! You want to see it now?” Rainbow’s wings excitedly flutter, warming themselves up. She glances around at the other Wonderbolts, many of whom quickly glance away.

“Maybe it can wait until after our performance,” Spitfire says, though she inwardly curses her cowardice. Why is it so hard for her to just say? Is it because Rainbow is one of the most promising candidates they’ve ever had, and it feels unfair? Well, no feels about it. Entirely unfair to such a dedicated mare!

“Aww, that’s hours from now. At midnight. And I’ve, kinda, got a thing at midnight that I have to get back for.” Rainbow Dash sheepishly looks back at the main entrance area. “I don’t suppose we can shift things up? Do it before or after that?”

“Look, Dash,” Spitfire says, her voice getting quiet. “Maybe this is something we can talk about another time. I don’t want to ruin your night.”

Rainbow Dash scoffs. “Ruin my night? What could possibly ruin my night? I mean, even if Discord came back - and that’s totally not going to happen, not on my watch! - I’m hanging out with the Wonderbolts. It’s like a dream come true!”

Spitfire growls to herself. “That’s just it, Dash. Sometimes, we have to recognize that some of our dreams, well, they aren’t meant to be.”

Rainbow Dash blinks a few times in confusion. “W-what do you mean?”

Spitfire sighs heavily, dreading the coming conversation. “Rainbow Dash, you’re one of the best fliers we’ve ever had apply. It pained me to have to let you go the first time, even if it was the best decision for everypony. It hurt the second time, when you weren’t able to make it due to… well, let’s say circumstances outside of your control.”

Rainbow Dash hunches down, tears beginning to well in her eyes.

“And now, if you were to apply again and make it…” Spitfire trails off, matching Rainbow’s look towards the main entrance area. “I…” Spitfire takes a few breaths, trying again. “I…” She gulps, steeling herself for the inevitable maelstrom. “I don’t know if I could, in good conscience, allow you to join the Wonderbolts.”

“What are you saying?” whispers Rainbow Dash. Her chest heaves, trying to contain her sobbing. She won’t make a foal of herself, not here, not with all of the Wonderbolts watching. “Why?”

Spitfire takes a single deep breath. “Being a Wonderbolt requires dedication. Commitment. And, oftentimes, putting the team ahead of the individual. We practice just about every day, rain or shine. We push ourselves to our limits, and then past them.”

“I can do that…” Rainbow Dash says pitifully, trying to find her courage.

“I know, Dash.” Spitfire shudders as she recalls falling through the sky, diving after Rarity. “I’ve seen you break your limits, do things that I thought nopony was able to do. Nopony is doubting that. Nopony is questioning your Loyalty. Even discounting what happened at the Best Young Flyer competition as a fluke, and I’m not saying it was, you recovered further and faster than I thought any pony could. You nearly beat out some of our best sprinters, and you barely even exercise!” Spitfire waves a hoof at Rainbow’s imminent objection, “I mean, specifically training purely for sprinting, not the all-around exercises you do. Or the flying exercises that comes with being a top-tier weathermare.”

“I can do that!” Rainbow Dash exclaims, almost but not quite stamping a hoof onto the table.

“And nopony is saying that you can’t!” Spitfire growls again, mostly at herself, shaking her mane. “The problem isn’t that you can’t do it! The problem is that you have too many other things you need to do!”

“W-what?” Rainbow Dash says, taken aback. “Like what?”

“Let me put it like this.” Spitfire takes a deep breath, waving towards some of the younger fans outside. “How much time do you spend with Scootaloo? A hour a day? Two?”

“Two to three,” Rainbow Dash says quietly, a hint of anger on her face. “But that isn’t enough to interfere with me being a Wonderbolt! I can do both!”

“And it’s about an hour flight from the Academy to Ponyville. Would you do that flight every day? Every other day?” Spitfire makes tally lines in the table with her hoof, though she doesn’t leave a mark. “There’s a reason we discourage Wonderbolts from joining herds while they are members, much less starting out in one. Because this way, we know that our members are dedicated. You’re a dedicated mare, Rainbow Dash.” Spitfire’s breath comes out as a long sigh, almost disappointed. “Almost too dedicated.”

“What do you want from me?!” Rainbow Dash throws her hooves into the air as she hovers, practically shouting at the Wonderbolt’s Captain. “You want me to give up on my filly? Because that isn’t happening!”

“Rainbow Dash!” Spitfire barks out commandingly, forcefully pointing her hoof at the table. “Down! Now!” Her eyes narrow, unfazed by Rainbow’s outburst. “You're going to behave, or you’re going to do laps around the castle until your wings fall off! Do I make myself clear?!”

“Yes, ma’am,” Rainbow Dash spits out, hovering back down.

Spitfire nods at Rainbow’s compliance. “And we were willing to look past that; a test case, probationary, that kind of thing. Make sure that it works out, and everypony is happy, and getting the attention they need. It’d be the first, but when isn’t that the case with you?”

Rainbow smirks.

“But, like I said before, being a Wonderbolt requires dedication. Loyalty. And so, I have to ask you this, Rainbow Dash.” Spitfire leans forward, staring Rainbow in the eyes. “Are you committed to the Wonderbolts one hundred percent? And, if something comes where the Element of Loyalty is needed, would you drop whatever you are doing to deal with it?"

Rainbow Dash briefly looks away, a hoof coming to her chest and trying to contain her choked breath. Her hoof hits something metallic. Glancing down, she sees a red lightning bolt. The Element of Loyalty. Rainbow Dash stares at the ground, a mass of conflicting emotions coursing through her. She wants to snap out at the first question, that of course she would give one hundred percent, every day! But could she? Could she give the Wonderbolts everything she has? Well, when she is available, of course. But she has more responsibilities now than the filly that dreamed of soaring in the skies. Could she leave Doug for that long? Scootaloo? Her fellow Elements of Harmony and the rest of the herd? Her position as lead weathermare?

“I think we both know the answer to that question, Dash,” Spitfire says, laying a comforting hoof around the cerulean pegasus.

Rainbow Dash looks up, Element of Loyalty in hoof, opening her mouth to reply.

9 The Forsaken

Doug’s hand slips behind Luna’s head, burying itself in her flowing mane. The hair resists - as any physical object would - but only just so, allowing him easy access to gently stroke the back of her neck while not allowing her to retreat. He presses forwards, enjoying the velvety caress of her muzzle, though his mouth remains closed when her tongue flicks out against his lips.

“Adaptable as always,” Luna smirks, though she finds she can’t quite pull away without forcing Doug’s arm. Instead, his hand tightens around her neck - though not painfully, not that he stood a chance of physically injuring her - instead maneuvering her head to rest on his shoulder. She stays there obediently; after several seconds and a short pat later his hand leaves her neck, finding her horn and carefully massaging the tender base while his other hand finds its way under her wing. She raises it just a fraction, allowing him access to the powerful muscles.

But instead of starting the massage that would quickly get his pegasi in the mood, his hand rests along her side. His thumb continues tracing the base of her horn while the rest of his hand cups her head, flicking her ear back and playing with the expressive extension. She giggles, pulling her head back the barest amount to meet his eyes.

“You make it incredibly difficult to resist,” Doug says alluringly, though his voice betrays resignation and regret. “A mare as luminescent as the moon, eager and willing? She’s rich, smart, powerful. Bit of a playful streak.” He sighs, mournfully. “It’s almost too good to be true. Pity I’d have to give it up.”

His arms go to push her away, though this time it is her that resists. Her head remains against his, her neck pushing into his shoulder. “Thou would? Merely because we wished it so?”

“Well, what are you looking for?” Doug’s hand reaches as far as he can, barely able to slap her flank in a manner most unbecoming of royalty. “A quick romp in the hay? A foal? If that’s what you want, and all you wanted, then fine. I'll see you at the start of March. You could even wait; I’m sure Celestia will have the spell down that if you found the perfect stallion, then he should be able to become your Consort.”

“That is… not our desire,” Luna unsteadily replies. Her muscles go limp, more weight resting on Doug, nearly enough to send them both to the floor. And yet he braces, holding them both up.

“If it’s companionship, intimacy? I can see you having trouble making that sort of connection with others. Like you said, how do you know they are interested in you, and not just your station? It’d be nearly impossible.” Doug huffs as he corrects himself, “Okay, you could spy on their dreams, but that seems like such a breach of trust that it would ruin the whole point.”

“We always thought we worked best alone,” Luna confesses, glancing at the balcony doors. “But when we drove our Sister away, we could not cope with the loss.” She turns, pulling her head back as her strength returns. “And now, we find ourselves losing our Sister again, but for the opposite reason.”

Doug looks at her, confused.

Luna sighs as she explains. “In a thousand years she has barely wavered; she has kept the traditions she can, and discarded the ones she can’t. Ponies have changed around her, yet she tries to remain steadfast. She did it for us, for me, so that when I returned I would not be so out of touch as to never recover. But now that I have returned, and perhaps in preparation for my return? She is moving forward. Taking chances, risks. Ones that will further separate us if we, if I do not likewise pursue.” She smiles at the floor. "And we do believe we wish to pursue along with her."

“Luna, I…” Doug takes a deep breath. He gently pushes the alicorn away from him.

Luna turns, expecting a tender smile and instead seeing a cold, calculating gaze in his eyes. Her mouth opens a fraction, her voice catching in her throat.

“You asked me to say no to you.” Doug shakes his head as he stands. “I told you that I might. A maybe.” He walks to the door, turning to regard her one last time. “I’ll think about it.”

Doug shuts the door behind him, leaving Luna alone with her thoughts.

Applejack gulps, slowly tugging the Element of Honesty from around her neck. Her smile, crooked, meets Fancy Pants as she drops the necklace inside the bucket for bits, joining the two already inside. She casually pushes the bucket underneath her cart, grinning up at the unicorn.

“Ah don’t suppose you have any, ahem, friends who might be interested in something similar?” Applejack grins as Fancy Pants considers, his eyes turning towards many of the other nobles. Neither notices the orange of Applejack’s coat fading, turning gray, as they head towards a few that might be interested.

Pinkie Pie’s grin grows, and grows. “These ponies don’t need a party,” she maniacally intones, dropping the Element of Laughter under the table. “They want a calm, orderly get together where they can see their business associates and partners in the guise of a party, but instead of partying they use the setting to close deals under the table and thus tighten the hold they have around the necks of the common pony!”

A single hoof smacking against the floor draws a few pony’s attention, but not for very long. Pinkie Pie mutters to herself, “So, in order to become the hero these ponies need, I need to give up my Laughter. I need to become that which I fear most, in order to strike understanding into the hearts of those who belittle the common dances as trite fodder for the masses! I must become…”

Pinkie Pie twirls, a cloud of confetti covering her transformation. No longer clad in her bright pink and white dress, the dull pink mare is now in stark black and white. One hoof pretentiously holds an empty cup, limiting her gait to three steps at a time. She dances towards the band, her face set in a tight smile.

“The Waltz!”

Rarity shakes her head. “I didn’t come all this way, and spend so much time on all these dresses, just to hide away!” She drops the Element of Generosity onto the arena, shaking her dress free of any of the dirt that might have accumulated. She needs to be perfect! And this is hardly the place to do that!

She flips her rapier into the dirt, perfectly inside the necklace. She turns her nose up as she struts away, pausing only to make sure that the Prince is following her. His horn is lit, cleaning and sheathing his two rapiers. She turns away, not noticing as Lunaris slips the Element of Generosity inside his bag, strapping it to his side as he hurries after her.

Rarity smiles as the sound of music gets closer, a pleasant waltz lilting through the air. “I think the main ballroom would be the perfect place to show off these dresses, don’t you agree?”

Fluttershy pulls off the Element of Kindness, stashing it underneath a tree. Her smile grows dark, rubbing her hooves together, not noticing as the brightness fades from her coat.

“Gotcha!” Fluttershy menacingly scowls at the green jay cowering in one of the nearest shrubs, her dull yellow wings fluttering behind her. Her voice comes out nasty and mean. “It’s okay. I promise not to hurt you.” Her teeth filled grin belies her words as she readies herself, about to pounce. “I just want to be your friend…”

Fluttershy charges forwards, only for the green jay to take flight, a warbling cry of terror and alarm. Fluttershy huffs in annoyance before she notices a group of bunnies hiding behind a wallaroo. “I’ll catch you yet, my pretties...”

“I’ll do it.”

Spitfire raises an eyebrow as she looks at Rainbow Dash. “Excuse me?”

Rainbow Dash stares at the Element of Loyalty in her hoof. She closes her eyes, her hoof shaking as she drops the necklace on the table. It makes a loud clank as it settles down, drawing more than a few confused whispers.

“Being a Wonderbolt has been my dream since, well, since I can remember my dreams.” Rainbow Dash puffs her chest up, confidently staring Spitfire in the eye. “I’ll make the Wonderbolts my highest priority. If there’s a practice, or a show, or a poster signing event, and you need me there? I’ll be there.”

Spitfire gapes, many of the other Wonderbolts joining in. “Dash, there’s no way we’d make you put a poster signing event over saving Equestria. That’s-”

“That’s exactly what I’m willing to do. You all aren’t requiring it, I’m offering. Big difference.” Rainbow resolutely nods even as the blue fades from her coat. “Chocolate rain or shine, I’ll be there.”

“Gee, Dash, I don’t know what to say.” Spitfire gulps to herself; can she really turn down Rainbow Dash now? More importantly, would Celestia roast her like her namesake knowing what’s happening to one of the Elements?

Twilight Sparkle is no stranger to long days of taking notes, copying formulas, and then later that night summarizing her findings into long essays that don’t fit on one scroll of parchment. And when her horn got tired, and it almost never got tired, she would swap to her hoof. And when that got tired, it was generally the next day and hopefully she didn’t have as rigorous a day and could let horn and hoof rest.

But today, after far too little time, her hoof is getting tired. And yet the line of ponies waiting to shake her aching hoof stretches down the stairs, out the main entrance, and probably halfway to Ponyville! Okay, maybe not that far, but at least as far as she can see!

And every effort to converse with Celestia has been interrupted before she can get three words out! This isn’t at all what she was hoping for; not even close! She has to find some way to get away from this, if only to preserve her sanity! How does Celestia possibly keep up with it all?

The next stallion is dressed particularly chaotically, with no two pieces of his suit matching color, fabric, or cut. Even the closest thing he has to a twin set - two yellow bells hanging from his ears, one bright, the other dull - merely hurt the eyes with their discordance. And yet, he seems so excited to meet Princess Celestia that he can hardly keep still, twitching madly. He bows, Princess Celestia returning a brief nod and greeting. Twilight respectfully offers her hoof, only for him to shake her so violently that it leaves her head spinning.

“I have brought you glory!” the stallion shouts, raising his hooves to the ceiling in victory. “Revel in it!” A flash of light later and Discord is standing there, complete in jagged red and black armor that threatens to impale anypony who gets close. The two yellow bells transform into Lemon and Meringue, strapped to his horns. He dances in place, throwing his arms to the left and right as he glances down at Twilight, smirking as her fright turns to anger.

“Hmm,” Discord says slowly as he stops dancing, as if he noticed just now how serious everypony around him is. The ones not fleeing in terror, that is, so it's really just the two mares in front of him. A claw flicks away the burst of purple forming on Twilight's horn. “It seems there is much to teach you.”

“The only teaching here is going to be learning what it feels like when my hoof hits your face!” Twilight shouts, rearing back to buck at one of the few unarmored spots on Discord's body.

He takes the hit, square on the jaw, laughing uproariously as he catapults backwards. He flips through the air, ponies scattering every which way as their cover is now decidedly less concealing. “Is this all you can do?” He conjures up little bits of color into swords and arrows, mock battles with everypony taking place all around him. “Imagine how much better you could do if you put your efforts into actually fighting!”

Twilight’s horn flares, a beam of magic lancing towards Discord. He merely splits his head in two, half a grin from each side of his face. “He-h-you’re not good at this, are you?”

“Rrraaghh!” Twilight shouts as she pours more magic into a wide burst, only for Discord to swap places with Celestia. Her burst smashes into a golden shield, Celestia’s horn flaring.

“Stop!” shouts Celestia as Twilight, focused only on attacking the creature in front of her, ramps up her power. Another powerful blow slams into the shield, Celestia skidding several paces backwards. “STOP!!”

Twilight’s beam ceases, her mouth gaping as she realizes that she was attacking her mentor. “Celestia! I’m so sorry! I didn’t-”

Discord idly kicks Twilight in the flank sending her sprawling to the floor. “Oh, please, spare me your concern.”

“Hey, um,” Lemon says from her spot clinging to Discord’s horn. “I don’t suppose you can be nice to her?”

Discord’s eyes roll. “Fine.” He gazes condescendingly at Twilight and Celestia, the white alicorn helping Twilight to her hooves. “Perhaps you need a rest?”

Twilight grits her teeth, saying nothing as she steadies herself, wobbling a bit even with Celestia for support.

Discord regards everypony as he motions with an arm, the battles around them ceasing. “Go! And tell the others of the victory I have won here.” He plops down on a lawn chair, flipping on a pair of shades and opening up a tanning mirror as he basks in Celestia’s smoldering gaze.

10 Monochrome

“It is okay, Twilight,” Celestia says reassuringly, nuzzling her student as Twilight slowly recovers. “I will stall him while you gather your friends.”

“Are you sure?” Twilight shudders as she watches Discord; the draconequus now has an old-fashioned horn sticking in one ear, a claw plugging up the other as Lemon rambles about how cool Discord’s house is. Meringue is flipping through sheets of paper, equations written upon them that she is sure would drive anypony to madness. “I think he’s just toying with us!” She motions to the hoof marks carved into the floor where Celestia skidded back.

Celestia nods, though she can’t hide her lack of confidence. “Back when Luna and I challenged Discord, we had the Elements of Harmony. He underestimated their power then; I fear he will not do so this time.”

“Yes, that’s true, very true,” Discord says from between Celestia and Twilight, an arm wrapping around each of them. They glare up at him, though he ignores their displeasure at him touching them so casually. “But a game would not be fun without an element of risk, hmm? After all, what is the point of gambling on a sure thing?”

“And what are you risking, Discord?” Twilight grits her teeth, pulling her head out from under his arm.

“I already told you, of course! I’m betting my freedom from being Celestia’s lawn ornament again.” Discord rubs his paw against Celestia’s head, the alicorn trying to stay non-plussed. “But since I’m up against your ability to stay true to yourselves and your Element, I’d say there was never any doubt.”

Twilight confidently states, “Well, my Element is Magic, and while Magic might not be enough to defeat you, Magic is Friendship! And with my friends by my side, I know we’ll be able to defeat you!”

“Yes, yes, run along, go gather your ‘friends’. I’ll be surprised if you still have any left by tonight.” Discord sneers as Twilight glares, a wave of his paw as she leaves. He turns to Celestia, a lascivious grin on his face that looks completely out of place. “So, tell me more about this ‘Doug’ character. A little birdie told me that you want him to put a bun in that furnace of yours. That just seems so… vile. Even more little half Terrans infesting the place?”

Celestia’s smoldering gaze merely prompts the draconequus to pop his sunglasses back on.

Twilight races towards the main party area, nearly bowling into Applejack and Fancy Pants. She skids to a stop, looking her herdmate over as Applejack and Fancy Pants regard her just as concerned. Twilight gasps at Applejack’s dull pallor, though the expression on the earth pony doesn’t seem to indicate anything is wrong.

“Applejack? I need your help!” Twilight looks over Applejack’s dress, though she can’t seem to find the object she is looking for. “Were you able to find your Element?”

“Um, Ah can’t say that Ah did,” Applejack returns, slightly nervous. “We were just going outside.”

“Outside?” Twilight returns a raised eyebrow. They were just walking inside, towards the main ballroom. She shakes her head, growling to herself. “It doesn’t matter. Discord’s back.”

“Discord?!” Applejack and Fancy Pants exclaim, exchanging terrified looks. Fancy Pants bolts away while Applejack turns to Twilight.

She motions to her dull orange coat. “Discord must’a did this to me! How’r we gonna stop him?”

“Together.” Twilight grimaces at Applejack’s bare neck. “Hopefully, we can find the Elements of Harmony before he does too much damage. Do you know where the others ran off to?”

“Ah’m sure we’ll find the Elements lickety-split! And, yeah, Ah’ve seen the others.” Applejack forces a smile at Twilight, the two of them standing in the hallway.

“I… don’t suppose you want to lead us to them?” an exasperated Twilight nearly yells.

“Oh! Right. Um, this way!” Applejack calls, heading towards the main ballroom.

The two race in, finding Pinkie Pie in the middle of the ballroom. Around her dozens of ponies are paired up and waltzing. It would be perfect, except that the dull pink mare has a look of utter disdain on her face, like she is dancing through garbage instead of at the highest class event in Equestria. Nopony else seems to notice, and Twilight and Applejack roughly push their way through.

“Pinkie Pie!” Twilight shouts, her tone nearly bringing a stop to the music. Except that Pinkie Pie glares at the band so venomously they start the waltz back up, everypony nervously dancing along. Twilight’s eyes trace along, sighing at the dull pink. “We need you! Did you find your Element?”

Pinkie Pie responds in time to the cadence of the waltz, her voice only going up and down with the beat. “Found and lost. All for naught. Why you ask?”

“Because Discord is back!” Twilight’s reveal draws a few gasps from the dancers, but nopony dares leave. “We need to use the Elements to defeat him!”

“Busy here. Good luck, though.” Pinkie Pie twirls in place, dancing without a partner, unconcerned.

“Unacceptable!” Twilight grits her teeth, haphazardly following the pirouetting mare. “We need everypony, or it won’t work.”

Pinkie Pie huffs, her motions taking her towards the main entry hall. “If you say. Must be quick!” She turns, pointing a hoof at the band and the ponies on the dance floor; her voice carries even without being raised. “Best not stop!”

The three spot Rarity and Prince Blueblood entering the ballroom. “Rarity!” Twilight shouts. “We need your help!”

“Hmm, yes, that dress could use a little sprucing up. While the white stars complement the blue, I could have done so much more, don’t you think?” Rarity taps her hoof against her chin, mulling over the possibilities. “It really would have made me stand out as a designer.” She glances up at Lunaris. “Don’t you agree?”

His blithe shrug is met by Twilight fuming. “No, not about my dress! Discord returned, and we need to stop him! Did you find your Element?”

“That old thing?” Rarity snorts in derision. “It clashed horribly with my ensemble.”

“So would anything,” Applejack derisively adds.

“You what?” Twilight slams her hoof into her head. Lunaris raises a hoof and opens his mouth, but Twilight cuts him off. “Anyway. It doesn’t matter. I need you to come with me.”

“Are you sure? I would much rather be seen out here by all those wonderful ponies.” Rarity poses for a few of the dancers, though none react.

“You can do that later!” Twilight roughly grabs Rarity, the white unicorn gasping at the near despoiling of her dress.

Rarity bats her away. “Please, darling! Hooves off! If it means that much to you, fine, we can take care of a little chaos. Plus, it will make us - well, me especially - look absolutely fabulous, yes?”

The four race off, leaving Lunaris standing around and confused. He pulls the Element out of his bag, cocking his head to inspect it, as Fancy Pants and one of the servers walk up to him.

Twilight and company spot Rainbow Dash, Spitfire, and Soarin leaving the Wonderbolts VIP section. “I knew I’d find you here!” Twilight happily exclaims, sidling up to her herdmate. “Rainbow Dash, we need your help!”

“Sorry, Twilight, but I’m kind of busy right now.” Rainbow puffs her chest out, grinning. “I’m about to show off my moves to the Wonderbolts! Can you believe it!”

“Yes, it’s very exciting.” Twilight sighs at Rainbow Dash’s dull cerulean, the same as the others. She remarks to Applejack, “Does Rainbow Dash look different to you?”

Applejack shrugs. “Looks the same as always to me.”

“Right.” Twilight sighs, turning to Rainbow Dash as she preens. “Did you find your Element, too?”

Rainbow Dash nods, guarded. “Sorry, Twilight. But the Wonderbolts are a bigger priority than official Element business. They require dedication, and I’m nothing if not loyal!”

“What?” Twilight shouts exasperatedly.

“Sounds like she's a bunch of nothing to me,” Applejack snorts.

Rainbow Dash glares, gritting her teeth. “Say that again.”

Twilight steps in between them. “Look, we can’t be fighting each other! We need to work together to stop Discord!”

“Sorry, Twi.” Rainbow Dash shakes her head, backing up. “She isn’t worth it, anyway. Besides, I’ve got a performance to get to!”

Spitfire turns to Rainbow Dash, “Well, this isn’t really an official Wonderbolts performance, so it’s okay if you go take care of that first.”

“Ugh, fine.” Rainbow Dash follows Twilight. “How long is this gonna take, anyway? I’m missing out on precious Wonderbolts time!”

Spitfire flies back to the table Rainbow was sitting at before as the five Element bearers race off. Only for Fluttershy to charge through an open door, chasing a green jay.

“Get… Over here!” Fluttershy yells, frustrating at the bird’s non-compliance. “I just want to be friends!”

“Fluttershy!” Twilight says happily, the yellow pegasus swerving to a stop in front of them. “We found you!”

“Was that hard for you, Twilight?” Fluttershy nastily replies, smirking. Her eyes trace over the rest of the Elements. “And what’s wrong with them?”

“Nothing!” Applejack shouts back with a glare.

“Rrrgh!” Twilight growls, eyes flicking between the two. “Fluttershy, you’re coming with us!”

“No, I’m not.” Fluttershy sticks her tongue out. “You can’t make me!”

Twilight grins. “Rainbow Dash, the sooner we stop Discord, the sooner you can go fly with the ‘Bolts.”

“Well, why didn’t you say so?!” Rainbow Dash soars behind Fluttershy, pushing the startled mare towards the entry hall. “Let’s go!” The green jay wings out the way it came, a determined call as he gets outside.

The six burst into the entry hall, Discord and Celestia still at the center. The occasional glimpse of another pony can be spotted, but none dare advance at the two. Twilight races forwards, the other Elements right behind her. “Discord! I’ve come to…” Discord is pantomiming… drinking out of a straw while thrusting his hips. Celestia has a hoof over her eyes, sighing loudly. “...What are you doing?”

“Oh, just chatting with ‘Tia here about ancient pony traditions.” Discord winks at Celestia before lazily covering his mouth with a paw, yawning loudly. “Please, carry on with whatever it is you are doing.”

“Um,” Twilight says awkwardly, glancing at Celestia. “Do I want to know?”

“Sadly, yes, but now is not the time.” Celestia removes her hoof from her eyes, frowning at the lack of Elements on everypony.

Twilight shakes her mane, clearing her head. “Okay, Discord! We’ve come to put an end to your reign of chaos! And fix whatever you did to my Friends?”

“What I did?” Discord laughs in Twilight’s face, a claw depressing her nose. “That’s the best part! I haven’t done anything to your ‘friends’!” Discord’s mocking air quotes only serve to further infuriate Twilight. “They did it all to themselves! I just found the color to be an excellent indicator of how ‘in tune’ they are with their Element.” He flicks a claw at them. “You ponies are so dull, and now you have the coat to match!”

“But Applejack said that you did this to her!” Twilight turns, pointing to the dull orange mare.

“Yeah! Discord made me give up my Element!” Applejack’s eyes flick from side to side.

Discord sneers. “And poor Applejack hasn’t spoken a word of truth since you’ve been with her, has she?”

Twilight turns to Applejack. She hesitantly asks, “Applejack? Is that true?” She says, slowly, “I thought you told me you didn’t find your Element.”

“It, um,” Applejack stammers, eyes darting every which way. “Discord’s a filthy liar!”

“Well, if the Element of Honesty says so.” Discord bows mockingly.

Twilight resolutely stands regardless, her five fellow Element bearers standing with her. “Well, the important thing is, that we don’t need a physical representation of the Elements of Harmony to stop you! Because the Elements of Harmony are right here!” Her hoof touches her chest, smirking confidently.

Discord coughs, motioning to his chest. “Your Element crown… tiara… thing… isn’t there.” His claw motions to his head where the two fillies rest, each watching with wide, happy eyes. “It’s up here.”

Twilight ignores him, and the crown of Magic on her head, calling to her fellow Elements. “Ready girls?”

“No!”

“Yes, I am!”

“Fine, darling.”

“Let’s get this over with!”

“Alright, meanie! You’re going down!”

Discord whistles nonchalantly as the six Elements raise their hooves into the air.

11 Rats!

Wind howls around the six Elements of Harmony, whipping their manes and tails in a manner eerily reminiscent of Celestia. Twilight’s eyes shine a bright white as she concentrates, boring into Discord exactly like she wants the Elements of Harmony to. In fact, if they turned him into stone and then kept on boring, that would be just fine, too. This fiend has gone far enough, and whatever he did, or is going to do, needs to be stopped!

Lemon and Meringue exchange awkward glances, glancing down and briefly considering whether or not they would escape if they jumped like rats fleeing a sinking ship. Shrugging nonchalantly, they brace themselves, holding tight so as to not be blown away. He did give them candy, after all.

Celestia smiles proudly, standing regally, gleefully watching as her protege and her Friends slowly rise into the air. Dull light flashes around them, beams in every direction that illuminate the courtyard as broad daylight.

Discord scratches his head as he frowns. He counts, slowly and obviously, “One, two, three, four, five… nothing happened to number six? No matter. Your demise is at hand.” He pops back down to a more reclined position, bored. He materializes a bag of popcorn, tossing the fully popped kernels up to the two fillies while he chops down on the unpopped ones.

“Let’s get this over with!” Twilight shouts. She concentrates hard, her Element of Magic glowing brightly. All six close their eyes, waiting for the rainbow light to shine forth from each of them.

They wait, the only sounds of popcorn being idly munched. Discord scratches the back of his neck, yawning.

And then the light peters out, all six mares roughly dropping to the ground.

“W-what?” they exclaim shakily, Applejack and Rainbow Dash pushing to their hooves while the others struggle to find their balance. A bit more color drains out of each of them, leaving them a pale imitation of the vibrant mares they were before tonight.

“We… we lost,” utters Twilight Sparkle bleakly, collapsing to the ground. She pulls the crown off her head, despondently staring at the Element of Magic. Her eyes well with tears as her head drops, crying into her foreleg. The crown clatters to the stone as Twilight’s lavender coat dulls, now gray like her Friends.

“Oh, dear. I expected so much more. At least your failure was spectacular.” Discord’s disdain is plain as he looks pitifully down at the six mares, sighing unhappily. Discord stands, raising one arm in the air as if some sort of gauntlet is in his paw, and he just got to place the sixth gem inside. His fingers close. “Very well. Oblivion awaits.”

A ball of black, blue, and purple chaos magic forms between Discord’s paw and claws. It quickly expands, going from the size of a hoof to the size of one of the mare’s heads. Discord ignores Lemon’s hoof pressing into his head as he cackles madly, about to chuck the ball at Twilight Sparkle before a blast of gold energy knocks it clear.

“You shall not harm her!” thunders Celestia, her horn flaring gold. Her eyes burn with righteous anger, the stomp of her hoof echoing amongst the entry hall. She snorts, clouds of black smoke escaping and wreathing around her.

Discord merely laughs. “Is this a challenge? Hah! Of course not.” He sneers at Celestia’s wrath. “Your kind lacks the fortitude for such a thing.” He casually motions to the six mares, ignoring another poke from Lemon. “Why honor those who fall in battle? When the glory goes to those who win.”

“They will prevail!” Celestia turns to Twilight, roughly pulling the mare to her. “Quickly. You must find a way to reatt-”

Discord snaps his claws, several things happening at once. The golden light of Celestia’s horn winks out as she screams in anguish, her high pitched cry brief but piercing. The moon disappears off the far horizon, the stars along with it. The light in the entry hall instantly turns to day as the sun rises, zipping across the sky far more swiftly than it has any right to.

In Luna’s tower, the Princess of the Night briefly cries out, collapsing back to the floor, as her moon is wrenched from the sky. Footsteps thunder back up the steps as Doug returns, though there is little he can do except cradle Luna’s staggered head.

“None shall stand before me,” Discord deeply intones, striding over to the downed alicorn. A wave of his claw sweeps Twilight away from Celestia, knocking her into her five Friends. He picks up her head, a claw caressing her chin as her eyes try to focus on the sun.

“What… have you done…” Celestia barely manages to eke out. Her horn dimly lights, her eyes tracking the sun’s position even through the ceiling. “You have… doomed…”

“You have brought this upon yourself, your Highness.” Discord practically spits the last word out. “Soon, you will be but smoldering ash, if you cannot contain your sun.” He lightly prods her horn. “I might work on that, instead of trying to interfere.”

Celestia slumps in his claw, focusing the entirety of her efforts on slowing the sun as it spins through the heavens.

Discord laughs, scornfully. He stands, addressing the mares helping each other up, sneering. “Run. That’s what you’re good at, anyway!” He cackles as the six mares hobble away, each in a different direction.

“Ahhh,” Discord says to himself, finally relaxing. A lawn chair materializes out of nothing, the draconequus taking the opportunity to settle down. The chair levitates into the air, zooming circles around the room. Everywhere he looks he snaps his claws, chaos unfolding - random limbs of the animals grow to triple their normal length, the lampposts come alive and chase after anypony that comes near, and the roads turn to ice, making escape even more difficult.

Discord laughs uproariously at the flailing, panicking ponies, though he frowns as Lemon pokes him in the head again. He glares upwards, an eye poking out of his skull to stare directly at the filly. “I’d be more careful when poking me if I was you. A little prick can be quite the annoyance.”

Lemon nods, motioning towards Celestia.

The white alicorn is struggling to get to her hooves, her horn glowing a soft gold. Every breath leaves her shuddering and wracked with pain, eyes clenched shut, though the faintest of smiles can be seen on her muzzle.

Discord frowns. He looks outside; the sun has come to a near stop. The moon is slowly rising again, a third of the sky turning to night. More and more darkness fills the sky, the sun slowly creaking down to its appropriate location out of the sky.

“It appears I underestimated you,” Discord concedes. “But, I’m afraid, your efforts are all for naught.”

Celestia merely smiles, her breath slowly becoming easier. Her eyes open, locating Discord after far too long a search. “It doesn’t… have to be... this way,” she forces out.

Discord nods. “The difference between us, Celestia, is that you use long-winded speeches to reach the hearts of your warriors.” He pulls off his blue goat horn, the one Lemon is clinging to. He fingers the tip like it is a blade, slightly wincing at the sharpness. “We use… well, it doesn’t seem to matter what we use, now does it?”

Discord glares as Celestia continues resisting. “Ah, yes, I see that you need an opponent to rival you for control of your sun. Ipso! Fatso!”

“Those aren’t our names,” Lemon remarks dryly.

“The time has come for you to serve your Highlord. Need I remind you, that traitors receive no welcome here. Prove your worth to me!” Discord flings his arms forward, one pointing at Celestia while the other points directly to a wall. His horns shoot off like rockets, complete with trailing fire. Meringue rides the deer antler, disappearing into a blue portal, while Lemon blasts at Celestia.

Celestia’s horn flares, but no shield forms between herself and the incoming rocket. In fact, nothing at all seems to happen. Except that the blast from the rocket slamming into her knocks her down, sending her and Lemon skidding across the floor. Both groan painfully, collapsing, barely moving except for brief breaths.

In Luna’s tower, a blue portal opens. Meringue bursts through, knocking into the cobalt alicorn’s head and disrupting her own casting.

“Meringue!” Doug shouts, though neither her nor Luna respond any more. “Come on…”

Celestia slowly comes to, looking around a bright, white, featureless room. Definitely not anywhere she recognizes. She tries her horn, nothing coming out. She can feel her Sun, rapidly rotating around Equus. But her control is gone!

“Hi!” comes a high pitched voice from in front and under her. She looks down, spotting Lemon sitting across a nineteen by nineteen board, checkered in black and white, though every single space looks like it can be flipped over. Seven pieces, all a different shape, sit on each side of the board. Her own a stark ivory, Lemon’s a bright yellow.

Celestia looks to the left, unsure what she is supposed to do. She blinks once in surprise. “Luna?”

Her Sister turns her head, blinking likewise. “‘Tia? What is going on?” Across from Luna sits Meringue, at a similar board. Meringue’s pieces are a dull yellow, Luna’s cobalt.

“We’re supposed to play a game!” Lemon motions towards the board. “White goes first!”

Meringue moves a piece forwards, a yellow piece to a white square, then stares up at Luna.

Celestia frowns at her side of the board. As does Luna.

“Discord didn’t specifically tell me I’m not supposed to tell you this, but if you don’t play, the sun and moon will just go faster and faster.” Lemon’s voice drops to a near whisper. “I think that’s bad.”

“And if we do play?” Celestia asks as she duplicates Meringue’s move. A crude strategy, but hopefully it will work at least until she gets a feel for how the pieces move. And with the move, she can feel the tug on her Sun decrease. Still spinning so fast to make a three minute day, but better.

“It’ll be… manageable? Not world ending.” Lemon shrugs. “You know, it's to give you some incentive to play. Oh! And if you win, then you’re free! But if you don’t win after five games, then Discord wins.” Her face falls, distraught, a look very out of place on the normally boundlessly optimistic filly.

“I don’t suppose you can let me win?” Celestia asks with a small hint of a grin.

“Unacceptable.”

Lemon mimics Meringue’s head shake. “Discord said we have to play our best. Sorry." She whispers as an aside, "And I'd lose my streak."

Celestia sighs, “Rats. I thought that might be too easy.”

A disembodied voice chuckles from nowhere in particular. Then it is joined by Discord's disembodied head. “Ah, I see you have already attempted to tempt the loyal away. But they shall not succumb to your temptations.”

Celestia looks down at Lemon, feeling the sun speed up again. She makes another move, almost at random, as Luna and Meringue’s play has progressed far quicker than her own board. She raises an eyebrow; several of their tiles have been flipped. She sighs in relief as the sun slows again. “I don’t suppose you can tell us the rules of the game?”

"On one condition," Discord's voice says. "What spell did you cast before you were sent here?"

"I merely gave Twilight a message," Celestia coolly replies.

"Ugh, fine." Discord's disembodied head disappears.

Lemon explains, "It's pretty easy. You move as many spaces forward or to the side as you want, as long as it's a straight line and your own color, and then one more if you take a piece. Or, you can move one space onto your opponent's color, and flip the tile to your side. If you take a piece, that piece can't be taken next turn. You can only move backwards if you flip the opponent's color. And the goal is to take all their pieces or get one of your pieces to the other side of the board."

12 Hunter's Resolve

Outside Canterlot Castle, Twilight Sparkle glumly kicks one of the rocks in her path. Abandoned by her friends, all alone, and nothing to look forward to except a thousand years of Discord’s reign. If they even know how to keep track of time, given how the sun and moon are flipping through the sky like Rainbow Dash trying to break her cloudbusting record. Well, if there’s one thing to be thankful for, it’s that she isn’t currently getting-

Twilight Sparkle sighs heavily as a pink blob forms above her.

Rained on.

Her and her big mouth. Figures. Her mane is instantly drenched by chocolate milk, her bangs flopping in front of her eyes. A hard blow from her mouth isn’t quite enough to push it away, a sopping wet hoof doing the trick as puddles forming around her hooves. At least she can still-

Twilight’s eyes go wide as the liquid turns to ice. Each leg tries to go a different direction, her barrel painfully complaining as she lands hard.

Walk.

Twilight sighs, not even feeling up to messing with her horn. At least nopony is laughing at her, though in the back of her mind she can hear Fluttershy cackling. Not the quiet chuckle of the mare, tittering when she sees something humorous but doesn’t want to make that pony feel back. But a mean, snarling-

“Ha. Ha. Ha.”

Yeah. Just like that.

Twilight turns, but it isn’t her yellow pegasus Friend laughing at her. Or even her former Friend, since Twilight doesn’t really know what’s going to happen to their herd after this. Maybe Doug would be able to hold them all together. Or they would each see him individually, since she doubts they can stand to see each other again. Except to point and laugh, that is.

Would Doug even want to be with them? Applejack seems totally changed - she had never known the earth pony to lie before; Rainbow would be off doing Wonderbolts stuff; Rarity would be off in Canterlot with Blueblood and those high society snobs; or maybe that would be the new Pinkie Pie, going to various parties that aren’t really parties; or Fluttershy being all mean and nasty. Or herself for not being a good friend, and failing everypony because of it.

“You know,” a droll voice darkly intones from above her, “it’s not as fun when you ponies get all dull about things.” A hornless Discord drops down, elbowing Twilight’s dull purple coat. “Get it? Dull?” He pokes her in the head. “It even works on multiple levels, because you’d have to be particularly dull to try to go up against me.”

Twilight merely sighs, her head hanging low, the chocolate rain that follows her around washing away her tears.

“Oh, come now. You can’t be sad about this! How does the phrase go?” Discord snaps his claws a few times. “I’m going to give it my all?”

“I thought we did. We gave it our best.” Twilight glumly looks down at the ground.

Discord’s head rocks back and forth slowly as he dryly sings, “And I guess your best wasn’t good enough!”

Twilight shrugs, uncaring. “Why don’t you go to Fluttershy if you just want to share a laugh? It seems like that’s her thing now.”

“I tried. Where do you think I got the laugh from?” Discord snaps his claws, multiples of himself appear around and saying together, “I admit, I originally thought it would have sounded better in stereo-” all but one pop away “-but she thought I was laughing at her instead of with her! Can you believe that?”

Twilight nods, her eyes not leaving the puddle.

Discord sighs, rolling his eyes at Twilight’s lack of appreciation for his theatrics. “Fine. I did have a reason to see you besides trying to cheer you up, after all. What message did Celestia send you?”

Twilight barely looks up to meet Discord’s eyes with the briefest flicker of wrath. “You were there, remember? When you banished her?”

“Oh, right, that.” Discord pauses, holding a paw up to his ear. “Wait just a second.” He rips open a hole in space, sticking his head through and shouting, “You only asked what the rules are! You didn’t ask what the rules will be! It’s not cheating, or my fault, just because you didn’t know!”

Discord’s head, now with both horns attached, returns with either a frustrated growl or a string of profanities following behind him. “Sorry about that, Celestia was calling me a cheater. And a whole bunch of other names she really shouldn’t be using around foals.” He drops down, staring Twilight in the eyes. “But I digress. You really didn’t get a message from Celestia?”

“Just the one you know about.” Twilight blankly looks back at Discord. Then she shrugs.

“Hmm. I didn’t foresee Celestia lying to me. To me! Can you believe that! In all my dealings with her, I’ve been nothing but honest! And this is how she repays me?” Discord scoffs.

“Celestia wouldn’t lie to you,” Twilight says, a little bit of confidence breaking through. “Even to you.”

“You still believe in her?” Discord massages his chin, twisting a claw around his beard. “Fascinating.”

“She didn’t let Equestria down.” Twilight rests a hoof on her coat, adding a little color to the gray. “I did.”

“Yes, yes, you’re such a disappointment.” Discord sighs. “I was going to come in here and help cheer you up. You know, get you into the spirit of things? But I suppose I’m a better Lord of Chaos than I am an entertainer.”

“And here I’d say you are neither.” Twilight and Discord both turn to see an azure unicorn flipping her mane, an ebullient grin smirking at the draconequus. “The Great and Powerful Trixie! knows a pretender when she sees one.” She slyly winks at Twilight before turning to Discord. “You may be the bored of Chaos, but I’d say you’re nothing more than a klutz!”

Discord’s voice echoes darkly. “Irritating your Highlord is bold, but unwise.” Discord frowns at Trixie’s arrogant laugh. “Surely you do not consider yourself my equal!”

Trixie scoffs, saying as darkly as she can, “You cannot hide weakness behind strong words.”

“Hey!” Discord shouts, offended. “That’s my line! You scene stealing hack!”

“Oh yeah? Well, you’re a klutzy draconequus!” Trixie sticks her tongue out at Discord, turning around and swishing her tail and shaking her bare flank. A green and red smoke cloud explodes around her, leaving Discord gawking at nothing.

A furious snort escapes Discord’s nostrils as he bellows, “You have ensured your demise!” He snaps his claws, rocketing into the air and after Trixie.

Twilight watches Discord sail away, torn between being happy that Discord got put in his place, if just for a moment, and the horrible things Discord will do to Trixie in return. She leans more towards the latter, the chocolate mane putting a real damper on things as it dampens her even more thoroughly, until a gurgling burp from behind startles her.

“Twilight!” comes the high pitched voice of her longest friend. Spike groans pitifully as he wrenches himself around a corner, looking every bit as worn out and exhausted as she feels. He drops the dozen scrolls he is carrying in his tiny arms, spilling out onto the ice. “Can’t… move…”

“Spike?” Twilight asks worriedly as Spike belches, a gout of green flame coalescing into a scroll in front of her. “What is going on?”

“It’s… these letters!” Spike winces, holding onto his belly as his entire body shudders. “Ever since Discord came back I’ve been-”

Another letter bursts from his mouth with a jet of flame and smoke. Twilight grabs one with her hoof, barely able to read the first line before the chocolate rain smears the ink to nothing. “Friendship is a great and powerful thing.” She doesn’t need the words in front of her to recall the rest of the letter she wrote to Celestia after Trixie joined the herd. “You should be proud of your talents, even when putting them to use against a Friend in a competition. Because a true Friend always gives their all, no matter what!”

Twilight Sparkle’s horn lights, sizzling against the rain. She merely grits her teeth. The magenta star on her flank glows brightly as power courses through her. She snatches another letter, grinning as her eyes trace over the fading words, eagerly grabbing another, and another.

Lavender surges across Twilight’s coat as she stamps her hoof in victory. The ice shatters under the blow as she exclaims, “I know what I have to do! Come on, Spike!”

Spike groans, belching out another letter as Twilight levitates him to a safe spot inside, not even caring that he is now being subject to the rain. “Any chance you can do… number twenty five again?”

Twilight’s horn flares as she gallops inside the castle, her Best Assistant now encased in a solid barrier of black mustaches.

“Thanks, Twi,” Spike says, angling himself so the incoming scrolls are coughed out to the side. “You always were the best.”

“Thanks, Spike, but I need to focus!” Twilight grins as they enter the main ballroom, the band playing another waltz, and spots Applejack. The mare looks decidedly out of place next to Fancy Pants, Jet Stream and Upper Crust.

“And then,” comes Upper Crust’s arrogant tone, “she said she had to leave for her job! Oh, I can’t imagine what it must be like to be beholden to somepony else’s timetable, can you?”

Applejack’s stuttered laugh is cut short by Twilight roughly yanking her away. "This isn't you, Applejack!"

“No, don’t ya see, Twilight?" Applejack shakes her head. "Ah belong here, not working on some silly farm! Who needs apples, anyway?”

“The Applejack that I know would never put down her family like that! Or her farm, or hard work! This isn’t you!”

With the final word the first white star of Twilight’s cutie mark glows. All the Honesty that Applejack has ever shown Twilight comes forth, zipping across the earth pony’s eyes in a wild blur.

Applejack’s orange hue returns as she cries out, “Twilight! Ah’m so sorry! Ah don’t know what came over me! Ah thought Ah was helping out the family by overcharging these gentlecolts, but Ah was wrong!” She turns to Fancy Pants, “Please-”

“There’s no time!” Twilight interrupts, dragging Applejack away. “We can apologize later! Let’s go!”

The two mares don’t have to gallop far as they almost immediately run into Rarity. She is waiting impatiently, tapping her hoof against the marble floor. “Oh, you two! You wouldn’t believe how frustrating it is to wait for somepony to get you your drinks!”

“Rarity, snap out of it!” Rarity is taken aback by Twilight’s loud yell, almost taking a full step backwards. “The Rarity I know is generous, and kind, and always willing to help, even if it means sacrificing her own comfort!”

The second white star on Twilight’s flank glows.

“Well, not that much comfort, I really do like-”

All the Generosity that Rarity has ever shown Twilight hits her, stunning her into actually taking that step backwards. The white of her coat loses the gray tint, shining brightly.

Rarity cries out, grief stricken, “Oh, dear! I’ve just been using-”

“No time! Go!” Twilight interrupts. She, Applejack, and Rarity race to the other side of the ballroom; behind them, Prince Blueblood returns with two glasses, a confused expression as he looks around.

Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie are having a heated argument.

“No I’m not!”

“Yes, you are!”

“No! I’m not!”

“Yes! You are! Ha. Ha! HA!”

“Hey, Twilight!” Pinkie Pie yells, spinning around as the three skid to a stop. “Make her stop!”

“No! Ha, ha, ha!” Fluttershy turns to Twilight, grinning as Pinkie Pie fumes. “See? She can’t keep playing waltzes! She doesn’t actually like them!”

“Don’t you see? It’s my new, identity!” Pinkie Pie says to the music, each syllable on a different beat.

“Enough!” Twilight shouts, loud enough for the music to come to a stop. The third and fourth stars on her cutie mark gleam. “Fluttershy! You are a kind, loving mare who would never want to see her friend hurt!” She turns to Pinkie Pie as Fluttershy reels in the Kindness. “And Pinkie Pie! There isn’t a method of enjoying oneself that you don’t enjoy! And you love spreading that laughter, no matter the medium, even if it isn’t your favorite!”

“That’s right!” both mares exclaim, Fluttershy turning yellow as Pinkie Pie turns pink.

As the five mares swiftly exit the ballroom the band breaks out into the Hokey Pokey; Pinkie Pie returns, just to glare at them, then zips back to join her Friends. They find Rainbow Dash outside, soaring with Soarin in the sky while Spitfire looks on from below, her permanently bored expression etched on her face.

“Rainbow!” Twilight calls loudly. “Rainbow Dash!”

“Ugh!” comes the groan, audible even from so far away. Yet, the rainbow maned pegasus flies down anyway, more than a little annoyed. “What?!”

Twilight pleads, “We need you to help stop Discord! We can’t do it without you!”

“Sorry, can’t. Wonderbolts stuff. You know how it is.” Rainbow turns, about to take off, as Spitfire walks up.

“Rainbow Dash, I should have done this long ago.” Spitfire takes a deep breath, steeling herself. “I should have realized how far you were willing to go to achieve your dreams. And we need ponies like that, both in our everyday lives, and in the Wonderbolts. So, as Captain of the Wonderbolts, I order you to put being an Element of Harmony first, a member of your herd second, and a Wonderbolt third.”

“Does this mean…” Rainbow Dash excitedly exclaims, eyes brimming with tears, almost refusing to acknowledge the reality. “Does this mean that I’m a Wonderbolt?”

“Well, we’ll still make you apply, and go through being a recruit and all, but I’d say you’re already wearing the colors.” Spitfire grins, even if the hoof she taps Rainbow with is a darker shade of blue than the cerulean of the mare.

Rainbow Dash looks at the hoof, then up at Spitfire, still refusing to acknowledge it. “So, if I happen to get pregnant, then…”

Spitfire shrugs. “Temporarily medically disqualified. Happens to anypony.”

A grin crosses Rainbow’s face. “And when I’m recovering? And training back up?”

Spitfire matches it with a slight smirk. “We’ll make you be a reservist.”

“This is so awesome!” Rainbow’s voice raises to unheard heights as she pushes the sides of her cheeks together, her mouth opening in an adorable smile.

"That's right, Rainbow Dash!" Twilight grins. "Your loyalty is admirable, especially when it's directed at the right things!" The six embrace, cheering loudly.

“Yeah, well, it’s only good if you actually stop Discord! So hop to it, cadet!” Spitfire’s tail snaps like a whip, the six mares charging away. As they disappear around a corner Spitfire’s smile fades. She mutters to herself, “Celestia help me, I hope they win.”

The six mares return to the entry hallway at just around the same time Discord does. Celestia is still laying on her side with Lemon, and Lunaris peeks in from around the corner. Nopony else is visible, except for an azure unicorn trapped in a dull brown bubble.

“So much for Great and Powerful! I’ve-” Discord stops as he spots the six. “Oh. It’s you. Still, failing, I see?” He shakes the bubble Trixie is in, leaving her sputtering.

“Trixie… stalled him as long as she could,” Trixie coughs out before slumping over.

Twilight shouts, “Discord, we’re here to stop you!”

Discord conjures up a pair of sunglasses, putting them on only to pull them down and stare at Twilight. “For reals this time?”

“For reals!” Twilight Sparkle glances at her Friends. “Are you ready?”

“Ready!” they call in unison. Each takes up their battle position, even Fluttershy.

“But you’re missing your Elements!” Discord sneers, readying his claws to snap. “Surely you need to go lose them again?”

“Here!” shouts Lunaris as he chucks his long bag. It sails through the air, then disappears in a golden blink, leaving five necklaces and a crown soaring towards each of the mares. The amulets clasp around their necks, Twilight donning her crown, as they each stand resolute.

“Huh.” Discord casts aside the glasses. “You know, they’d probably want to see this.” He snaps his claws; Celestia, Luna, Lemon, and Meringue all appear at his side. They look up from their board game as the six mares rise into the air.

“There we go.” Discord motions to himself. “Fire when ready!”

Flashes of light stream in every direction as each of the Elements of Harmony gather their power. “Alright, ladies!” Twilight calls confidently. “Let’s show him what Friendship can do!”

Discord yawns.

Beams of power radiate from each of the six and their amulets, spiraling together into a rainbow of color. It arcs into the air, like a rainbow, slamming down on the draconequus. His cry of anguish is cut short as stone covers his body, leaving a solid statue.

13 Hunter's Reward

“...Did it work?”

Rainbow’s question pierces the silent atmosphere. Eyes peel away from the gray stone statue, cautiously but optimistically looking at the clear skies. Nopony dares cheer, and only Pinkie Pie gives a soft sob of regret at the missing pink and brown littering the ground with chocolate rain. Trixie picks herself up, brushing off the dirt, sighing in relief. The rest bear hopeful smiles, joining Trixie in wishing that hopefully - and more permanently this time - Discord has finally been dealt with.

Celestia peers up to the heavens, her horn flaring a bright gold. Luna copies the motion, a cobalt aura shimmering in the air. The sun and moon slowly, but surely, calm their speedy progress through the sky. Pleased grins cross both of their muzzles, the two sisters exchanging almost unprincess-like smug smirks of satisfaction. The sun then speeds again and fades from the sky - with any luck, for the final time that night - as Luna repositions the moon to precisely where it should be.

“It would appear so,” Celestia’s regal voice rings out, examining the statue. Discord is standing, an arrogant smirk on his face with both arms crossed across his chest. “Though we should still be on our guard.” She turns, a light gasp at Luna’s pained expression. “Sister, are you all right?”

“Ugh, yes, we just know that Doug is rifling through our things.” Luna sighs. “Probably looking for something that will help us. Though now that our Moon again rests in the sky, perhaps he will cease his efforts.” Her attention turns back towards the board and the filly opposite her.

“One can hope.” Celestia turns to Lemon and Meringue and sternly addresses them. “I believe the two of you owe us an explanation for your actions.”

“Y-you wouldn’t throw a filly in Tartarus, would you?” stammers Fluttershy while Pinkie Pie looks oddly unconcerned.

“I suppose that depends on their answers,” Celestia coldly responds. She pointedly stares at the two yellow fillies.

Lemon sighs, though not terribly unhappily. More like she has to explain why she didn’t get her homework done on time. “I saw somepony - well, not really somepony, more like somecreature.” She glances at the amalgamation of parts that constitutes Discord. “Somecreatures? Anyway. I saw Discord, and he looked like he was really unhappy with being all alone. You know, like all he wanted was attention? I know I can sometimes get like that. Ponies have told me that I’m just like my dam-”

“It’s true!” Pinkie Pie pipes up.

“-but I don’t really see the resemblance.” Lemon shrugs. “I’m trying to help ponies feel better about themselves, and Pinkie Pie is trying to cheer them up. Big difference!”

She says the last part without an ounce of sarcasm, nodding at everypony as if she is expecting nods in return.

Getting none, and not caring, Lemon continues. “So, I guess what I’m getting at is that while Discord might have looked like he needed an audience, what he really needed was more than just an audience. He needed somepony who was there for him, and not just for his jokes. I mean, some of them were really funny, but a lot of them were dark.” She shudders, closing her eyes against imagined eldritch horrors far too old for anypony. “He didn’t seem to like that part. Even if he thought that it was expected of him.”

“I think nopony hopes for a dark lord of chaos,” Celestia readily agrees. “A being with his power intent on actually causing harm would be unstoppable. Yet, his great power is also his undoing. After all, any plan of his by definition would impose order on himself. And as a being of pure chaos, he cannot abide by such a contradiction, even if such a thought might suit him.”

“Yeah, exactly.” Lemon nods along. “So, I was really trying to be his friend! And, um, try to help all of you at the same time. Make him no so mean. I mean, some of his ideas were really dark. Like, he wanted this rack shear thing? I thought it was a clothing thing-”

Rarity shakes her head at that.

“-but then it turns out that he wanted Celestia and Luna to engage in single combat to the death. And, by single combat, I mean that everypony who likes Celestia would fight everypony who likes Luna while the two of them duel.”

“That seems pointless and destructive,” Celestia says, “especially with such a forgone conclusion.”

“Yes,” Luna agrees confidently, swishing her mane. “Everypony knows who is best Princess.”

“You think you stand a chance?” Celestia snorts in naked disbelief. “I have led Equestria for a thousand years!”

“And your younger, better looking Sister has returned to claim her rightful place!” Luna leaps to her hooves, eyes twinkling mirthfully. “As I have bested you in Pie rolling, I shall best you as best Princess!”

“Lies and deceit!” Celestia rises to the challenge as a soft voice pierces through.

“Please stop fighting,” Fluttershy implores, cowering down and peeking through her hooves at the two alicorns.

Celestia looks around warily, then sighs in relief. “And that is how I know Discord is truly defeated. Because he could not have passed up that opportunity to prove me wrong, or gloat at myself and my Sister fighting. That he has some grand master plan that will end with all of ponykind bowing on their knees to a dark and terrible overlord.”

Celestia winces as Luna nods, also calming down. “Unless he was planning on me saying that, and then decided to interrupt when I let my guard down.” She pauses another moment. “Or then.”

Another pause, everypony tensing up.

“Or then.”

“Come on,” Lemon impatiently cries out. “That could go on forever. You’ll deal with him when he comes back. If he comes back.” She motions to the board in front of her. “I convinced Discord to give up some of his more heinous ideas, and rein it in on a couple of his other means ones. Now sit down! We have a game to finish!”

Celestia sighs, one final glance at the Discord statue before she turns to Meringue. “And you, my little pony? What do you have to say for yourself?”

Meringue's voice is impassive, every syllable carefully chosen and enunciated.

“Chaos magic unique; similar to Dream magic. Intriguing concept. Opportunity for study, too great.”

Meringue pauses, bowing her head slightly, almost contritely.

“Cannot deny purpose. Would defect again, given equivalent chance. Must improve.”

“You remind me of a student I once had,” Celestia says neutrally. “She too was willing to go to any length, cut through any lock, and open any portal, should she think the reward outweighed the risk.” She peers down at Meringue. “And, what are we improving ourselves for? Or against?”

“Unknown. The unknown. Entities undiscovered.”

Meringue huffs at the lack of change in Celestia’s demeanor.

“Potential awaiting. Must pursue. Must.”

Celestia stares at Meringue for a long moment. Long enough for nervous glances to be traded among the others. Meringue merely meets her gaze, unflinching. Not quite daring Celestia to send her away, but challenging her to dispute her reasoning.

Celestia eventually turns to Pinkie Pie, the bored and disappointed mare halfheartedly pronking in place. “Why did you stay with us?”

Pinkie Pie considers for a split second before a smile crosses her face. “Oh? You think if I had swapped sides too, we might still have all sorts of wonderfully fun and delicious chaos going on?”

Pinkie Pie considers this as everypony turns and glares at her.

“Wha-a-t?” Pinkie Pie exclaims, trying to stay cheerful but forlornly staring at what used to be a puddle of chocolate milk and is now just a slight depression in the ground. “It’s not like it would have been that bad. Not, like, the end of the world bad.” She shrugs blithely. “Or even the end of all equine life bad. Or the end of magic in Equestria bad.”

Pinkie Pie smiles again, as if nothing had ever happened. “I’m sure we could have adapted!”

“Adapted to eternal chaos?” Celestia smirks, sparing a glance at Discord. “You are optimistic. As always.”

“Yupperoonies!” Pinkie Pie giggles as she inspects the board game between the two diarchs and her two foals. “So, who’s winning?”

“I… don’t rightly know,” Celestia says, her cool and confident mask slipping and showing the unsure mare underneath. “The rules are constantly changing. I’m just waiting for a ‘gimme’ card where I get all of the pieces.”

“That… doesn’t sound very fair,” Pinkie Pie says, her voice verging on unhappiness. Her face quickly brightens, “Actually, it sounds like what happened when we defeated Nightmare Moon! We turned an enemy into a friend!”

Celestia’s eyes flick to Luna, though neither say anything.

Celestia eventually breaks the silence. “I don’t suppose-”

“Sister,” Luna rebukes, though only half as harsh as she can make it, “tonight is not the night to attempt Discord’s rehabilitation. Please, I beg of you, as does the rest of Equestria and the lands beyond, please, wait at least one day? Preferably, a week?” She considers what will be happening in a week. “Or two?” Then the likely outcome of that. “Or three? At least three weeks?”

“Well,” Celestia says, looking over at Discord’s statue. “I suppose he has waited a thousand years. What’s another few weeks?”

“Precisely.” Luna’s attention turns back to their game. “Now, I just need to beat this fiend and we shall finally be free!”

“Um, Luna,” Celestia says, though she stops herself with a small titter. “Actually, nevermind.” She turns back to her own game, a slight smirk on her muzzle. “Now, where were we?”

Applejack watches the four, plus Pinkie Pie, return to their board game. She remarks to Twilight and the others, “Well, Ah don’t know about you, but Ah need to go apologize to Fancy Pants about ripping him off. Ah don’t know what came over me, putting making a few bits, even if it was for family, over honesty and integrity!”

“Oh, Applejack!” Fancy Pants says as he comes out from hiding. “Think nothing of it! Just a, how shall I say, well deserved bonus! A bit of grease to help get everything started! I’m sure we can come up with an equitable price for the rest!”

“Well, Ah ain’t taking it!” Applejack stamps a hoof. “There’s no way Ah’m delivering a crate of apples at that price! It’d have to be at least half that!”

“Applejack, you’re being unreasonable!”

“Ah can go lower! You want me to go lower?” Applejack paws at the ground. “Ah’ll do it!”

“I think I figured out why we’re so poor,” Rainbow Dash quietly remarks to Twilight, drawing a smirk from the unicorn. “We need to get, like, Gilda to negotiate all her trade agreements.”

“Maybe I can take a look at them as well,” Twilight returns with a wry smile, waving at Spitfire and Prince Blueblood as they peek around the corner.

“Well, I got a lot of Wonderbolts to get through.” Rainbow Dash stretches her wings, flying out of the entry hall with Spitfire. “See ya later!”

“And I’m sorry we got off on the wrong hoof,” Rarity says charmingly to Lunaris, making sure her dress is free of any imperfections. “What would you like to do?”

“I’ll humor you,” Lunaris replies, dipping his head slightly. He pulls the rose from his suit. “Ma’am.”

Rarity takes the rose in her magic, giddily strutting away, Lunaris in tow.

Trixie takes the opportunity to collapse to the ground and take a nap. Fluttershy leaves for the gardens, Pinkie Pie to the party, and Applejack with Fancy Pants. Spike, no longer coughing up scrolls and feeling a lot better, quickly grows bored and leaves to make sure the fillies, specifically the Crusaders, haven't gotten into too much trouble. That or see Sweetie Belle and get a hot chocolate at Donut Joe's. It'd be the perfect place to lay low if they did get in trouble, actually. Joe's cool like that.

Twilight sighs, happy everything ended well. In fact, there doesn’t seem to be an endless procession of ponies waiting to shake Celestia’s hoof, so once they finish that seemingly neverending game of theirs she’ll be able to chat with her mentor about all kinds of things!

Twilight sits down, watching the game. Except she quickly grows bored of watching the ponies in front of her think. And every three moves, when they add in a new rule, they have to think even more. And she doesn’t really get what they are trying to do, either.

It’s quite a relief when Doug arrives, though his shudder at seeing the Discord statue is a little disconcerting. Still wearing his armor, but holding something.

“What do you have there?” Twilight asks, motioning at the brown, twine bound book in his hand.

“It’s a spellbook, I think; I was going through Luna’s stuff, trying to find something that might help, and this Star Swirl thing caught my eye." Doug turns, shouting, “Luna, I took a book from your office!” Doug plops down next to Twilight. “It’s a present for Twilight!”

“Knave!” Luna shouts, though it appears to be directed at Meringue. She glances up at Doug. “Thou filly cheats!”

“You can’t prove it!” Doug returns, the book on the opposite side of his body from Twilight. Luna’s frustrated groan is nearly music to his ears as he looks at Twilight. “So, what’s gotten you so interested all of a sudden?”

“Did you say… Star Swirl?” Twilight demands, trying to get a peek at the book. “Star Swirl the Bearded?”

“Maybe,” Doug says evasively, hiding the book behind him. “Why? What’s it to you? I thought you wanted to hang out with Celestia and talk magic and how your studies are coming along.”

“Yes, well,” Twilight says, peeking her head left and right to try to catch a glimpse of the book. “She’s busy.” Trying to distract Doug by pointing a hoof at the game doesn’t work either. “So, just…”

“On one condition,” Doug says, doing his best not to smirk mischievously.

“Done,” Twilight immediately agrees, practically pouncing on Doug and forcing him to the ground, the book still behind his back. “I don’t think they’ll mind, since we’ll be doing it again in ten days.”

“You… seriously? Really?” Doug beams, pulling the book out from behind him. A few loose pages stick out, the whole thing looking as haphazard as the stallion that made it was rumored to be. “I’m glad, and really happy and overjoyed and all that you’ve made that decision. I really am.” He kisses Twilight on the nose, the mare grinning back. “But that wasn’t the condition.”

Twilight grasps the book with both hooves, her weight resting entirely on Doug, made a little uncomfortable by his breastplate. “Oh?”

Doug taps the book. “I have no idea what’s in here. I was just hoping it contained a spell or two that might affect Discord. So, no casting the spells unless you know what they do. Okay?”

Twilight rolls her eyes, scoffing. “Duh. Oh, and deal, and you get to talk with me about them.” Twilight lets go of the book, shifting so she and Doug are laying next to each other. “And you have to hold the book.”

Doug rolls his eyes, flipping open Star Swirl the Bearded’s spell book to the first page.

Twilight sighs happily, snuggling next to Doug. The Gala might not have gone exactly how she wanted it to go. Maybe not the best night ever, but how much more could you really ask for?

14 The Seeker

February 23rd, 1001 Domina Solaria

The two days after the Grand Galloping Gala passed quickly. Far too quickly, in Twilight Sparkle’s opinion. But, it’s like that every time she gets a new book, and wishes that she could just disappear under her covers and throw her cares and responsibilities out the window. More so when it’s a textbook, and she needs to make sure that she has a token understanding of everything inside the book, cover to cover. But it’s even worse when it’s a spell book. Especially one quilled by the illustrious Star Swirl the Bearded!

Except there was work to do around the library. Of course. Turnout more than tripled, though one day can hardly be used to make a good baseline. Even if the trend is continuing as the second day comes to a close. And that is only counting the ponies who actually checked out a book, and a good number of those ponies picked up a book almost as an afterthought.

But, even if it is just a mere excuse to get to chat with the mare who had defeated the chaos lord Discord - if only for a minute or so - she doesn’t mind, and enjoys the talks. Even though it cuts into her spell reading time. A lot of them boil down to reassuring everypony that things are under control and they don’t need to worry. The fact that Discord’s chaos had spread to Ponyville, and many other cities in Equestria, made her more than a little nervous. But with everything under control, and nopony else in the library, she can finally get back to what she wanted to do since she got back from Canterlot.

On the bottom floor of the Golden Oak Library, Twilight props Star Swirl’s spell book on her desk. It is fascinating comparing the spells that Star Swirl created over a thousand years ago to the ones in use today. She recognizes nearly every one, though a couple she needed to double check that the spells actually are identical instead of just a derivation.

She reverently opens it to the last page, smoothing out the parchment. There at the top, Star Swirl’s secret unfinished masterpiece. She snorts. Secret? Just because she has never come across this particular spell before doesn’t make it secret. And masterpiece? It’s not even finished! It says so right in the title! How could that be a masterpiece?!

Twilight’s hoof traces along as she reads through the words again.

From one to another, another to one. A mark of one’s destiny singled out, fulfilled.

She frowns. It doesn’t make any sense! Every other spell in here makes sense to her, conceptually at the bare minimum. She has cast more than half of them in the past! And the rest are either too esoteric (she doesn’t have a beard that needs to curl perfectly, sadly enough, though other spells exist that could fix that) or have been improved upon by unicorns in the thousand years these spells have been in use.

This one, though? It doesn’t even rhyme!

Twilight grits her teeth as she reads through the spell again. It feels like a puzzle, wrapped in an enigma, and shrouded in mystery. She can’t go to Celestia, Luna, or even Cadance for help. Well, she could, but that would ruin the challenge, the whole point of it! She knows they would want her to figure it out herself, even if they never gave her those instructions specifically.

Doug hasn’t been much help either, and his restriction to not just cast the spell and figure it out chafes at her. Maybe she'll just ignore it; it's not like he holds supreme power over her, anyway, and it was really just a request. But, back to the spell, and what she can figure out just from the reading. On the surface, it has to do with cutie marks. Aside from half the name being referenced in the spell, the destiny part made the connection fairly obvious. But the last part? Singled out, fulfilled? Who fulfills their cutie mark?

Or the first part? From one to another, another to one. Cutie marks couldn’t be transferred from one pony to another, could they? She taps her hoof to her chin a few times. Well, wait. Could they? Isn't that something that she saw happen months ago, with the Crusaders? She thought Starlight's spell was revolutionary. Genius, in that it sprung from nothing previously conceived.

She sighs in frustration. “Remember, Twilight,” she says to herself, “this was written over a thousand years ago. You can’t use modern knowledge of cutie marks to solve it. What would Star Swirl have been thinking about when he quilled this?”

A shuffling from upstairs is enough to distract her, especially as Spike sticks his head out the bedroom door. “You need anything, Twilight?” he asks, Sweetie Belle joining him in looking down.

“No, just talking to myself,” Twilight replies. She glances around herself. “You got the box Celestia sent upstairs?”

Spike rolls his eyes. “I did that hours ago, Twilight! You were just too engrossed in that book! It’s like it cast a spell on you!”

“It did not!” Twilight exclaims. Although, if any book had some sort of enchantment to prevent the wrong pony from opening it, it would be this one. She frowns, though not at the spell book this time. “And keep that door open!”

“It was!” Spike shouts back, huffing angrily. “Jeez, when are you going to stop treating me like I just hatched?”

Twilight sighs to herself, shaking her head. Just as the library door opening distracts her yet again. “What is it this time?” she mutters to herself. Then frowns, shaking her head. “Come on, Twilight. It’s a public library. Just because you’re used to never having anypony come in here, they can still just waltz right in whenever they feel like it.” She turns a cheery smile to the door as a pink unicorn with a purple mane and aquamarine highlight practically waltzes in like she owns the place.

“Hi, Starlight!” Twilight calls, noting the blue and purple swirl on Starlight’s flank. “Welcome! I didn’t know you’d be here so early!”

“Thanks; it’s so nice to be here!” Starlight dumps her plain saddlebags onto the floor by the entrance, glancing around at all the books. “I like what you’ve done with the place. Very… it’s very similar to where I grew up.”

“It’s been my foalhood dream to live in a library, too. I was always being reminded by my dam to not stay out too late, even though the Archives wasn’t that far a walk.” Twilight sighs happily as she recalls the fond memories. Even the ones waking up with her head in a book and realizing she was late.

Starlight quickly locates the spell book in front of Twilight. “Ooh, that looks fun! What’cha working on? Is it difficult?”

A turquoise aura surrounds the spell book, nearly lifting it up before Twilight pushes it back down with a hoof. “It’s just an old spell book. Lots of stuff you’ve probably seen before.”

Starlight rolls her eyes, lifting Twilight’s hoof with her magic while sliding the book out. She glances through the first few spells as Twilight grumbles, pausing on a few to mouth the incantations.

Sweetie Belle nearly tumbles down the stairs as she races to get to Starlight, Spike following not far behind. “Hi, Starlight Glimmer!” She, too, notices that Starlight has her real cutie mark displayed, not the bold equals sign.

“Hello. Sweetie Belle, right?” Sweetie Belle nods. “You’re not going to try to talk me out of this again, are you?”

“No, I mean, I will if you let me, but I actually was thinking of something else.” Sweetie Belle turns to Twilight. “Is it okay if I go and get Apple Bloom and Scootaloo?”

Twilight looks outside. It’s nearly dark, but they’re young mares now. They should know how to cross the street by themselves. “Okay, but be quick. I guess I can pull out the spare bedding if they want to stay here, too.”

“Okay! I’ll be quick!” Sweetie Belle turns, smiling at Spike, then rushes out the door, nearly running into Starlight’s saddlebags.

“Spike, be a dear and get Starlight’s bags.” Twilight considers for a few seconds as Spike complies. “I’m assuming you are staying here for a while?”

“Sure. I mean, I don’t really care where I bed down. I’d prefer staying here, but if there isn’t room then I suppose I can do with staying in a barn or something.” Starlight sighs, looking around at the various books, intrigued by their contents.

Twilight nods, “Yeah, I’d much rather be in a library, too. Um, so, I’ve got a spare bed, but Spike and Sweetie Belle normally sleep in it, since they wouldn’t really fit in Spike’s bed. With Apple Bloom and Scootaloo coming - that is, if they’re sleeping over, and I’m guessing they will - they’ll all fit, barely. Or I can find cots for everypony, if you want the bed.”

“I don’t mind a cot, or a couch,” Starlight says agreeably, “though I wouldn’t mind sharing your bed, either.” She winks at Twilight, suggestively licking her lips.

“I’m right here, you know,” Spike says as he hoists the saddlebags, though they aren’t very heavy.

“Exactly. Not in front of the young, very impressionable, very that’s definitely not the kind of role model he should be following dragon.” Twilight focuses on Spike, the dragon grunting.

“You’ve reminded me enough, you know. Plus, Doug’s way worse when it comes to what he thinks I don’t see.” Spike starts up the stairs, yawning. “I’ll just put these next to the chest and let you sort it out. I’ll be in my room.”

“Okay, Spike, thanks,” Twilight says absentmindedly as she turns back to Starlight, who is casually flipping through the pages like they are a pulp novel. “Careful with that!”

“Who would even use half these spells, anyway?” Starlight says haughtily, shaking her head. “There are so many more useful ones that do twice as much with half the cost.”

“Yes, but these spells are the foundation upon which those spells were built. Without these, we’d never be able to even conceive of half of the amazing things we do every day!”

“Yeah, sure,” Starlight says distractedly, flipping to the last page. “From one to another, another to one. A mark of one’s destiny singled out, fulfilled.” She turns to Twilight. “What’s that one do?”

“I don’t know, and until I know, it’s going to stay right there.” Twilight snatches the book back, replacing it on the table. She levitates a quill and parchment. “Now, how did you want this to go?”

“Well, I’ve got a crystal bottle upstairs; it’ll hold my mark after you rip it off and replace it with the mark of equality. I wanted to get it done before I went into estrus. Otherwise, it might ruin the entire experiment, and I’d hate for that to mess with anything. Then, I figured I’d hang out with you all for a week until it happens, and you’d be able to monitor me and try to figure out some way of fixing this.” Starlight motions to the various books around them. “Hooves crossed, we figure out something that I, or really anypony, can do to get our bodies working right. I go back to Our Town, pregnant as proof of concept, hopefully in time to help anypony there who is likewise interested.”

Twilight’s quill rests as she looks over the list. “Simple enough, I guess, at least in concept.” She grins. “I’m pretty sure I remember the spell. Are you ready?”

Starlight takes a deep breath, then nods. “As I’ll ever be.” She follows Twilight upstairs, but can’t help herself from taking Star Swirl’s spell book with her.

15 The Thaumaturgist

Starlight Glimmer barely gets two steps up the stairs before the front door to the library bursts open, three young mares barreling inside.

“Stop!” shouts Sweetie Belle, instantly getting the two unicorn’s attention.

“This is not the answer!” the three chorus as they bound up to the stairs.

“Wait!” yells Apple Bloom, even though the two mares aren’t moving.

“‘Cause it’s-”

A turquoise bubble surrounds the three, courtesy of Starlight’s horn, cutting off all sound. The three Crusaders silently pound on the translucent walls, probably shouting furiously.

Starlight Glimmer glances down at the spell book, then another flash of magic leaves her stroking a thick gray beard. “Wow, for being really old, these spells are actually pretty good!”

“Of course they are; it’s a Star Swirl original, after all.” Twilight Sparkle snickers for a moment. “That one is one of Celestia’s favorites, actually; she has it honed to where, if she wants, the bubble is completely transparent. Actually, that’s not quite right. Only the golden glow of her horn doesn’t get through.” After a wry smile she points a hoof at the Crusaders, her expression turning serious. “Now let them out.”

“Ugh, fine.” Starlight’s horn winks out, her beard disappearing along with the bubble and sending the Crusaders sprawling. “What’s the point of having magic if you can’t abuse it to get everything you want?”

Twilight shakes her head as the three young mares pick themselves off the ground. “That is not why we have magic. It’s a complex tool that we use to solve problems. Now, let’s go magically brute force our way through your problem. I mean, use magic to solve your problem in a way that I’m sure will have no externalities or unintended side effects.”

“Listen!” implores Scootaloo, though she shies back slightly at Starlight’s annoyed glare. “Your plan isn’t going to work!”

Sweetie Belle nods, “It’s just a bandaid, a stopgap, a distraction!”

“Yeah!” continues Apple Bloom. “It doesn’t deal with the root of the issue!”

Together, the three shout, “You aren’t working with your cutie marks!”

“Not this again,” Starlight groans, her head meeting her hoof. “Look. If it’ll make you happy, and get you off my back, there’s nothing saying that we can’t do both. So, when it’s time for me to return to Our Town, you can come with me.”

“Okay!” pipes up Apple Bloom.

“Sounds good to me!” Sweetie Belle readily agrees.

“Wait, that was way too easy.” Scootaloo frowns. “What’s the catch?”

Starlight Glimmer grins. “Oh, nothing much; I bet you’ll barely even notice! You’ll just have to give up your cutie marks!”

“Wait, why would we need to give up our cutie marks?” Sweetie Belle glances to her sisters, confused.

Apple Bloom returns a look just as quizzical. “Don’t we kind of need those to help everypony?”

“It's so you’ll fit in!” Starlight's voice is soft and understanding. “You wouldn’t want to be the only ponies there with your cutie marks, would you?”

“No, Ah guess not.” Apple Bloom scuffs at the wooden floor.

“What if we stay really close to the village, but not actually in the village.” Scootaloo smirks confidently. “Then can we keep our cutie marks?”

“You’ll still be working with everypony.” Starlight’s arguing starts to strain her voice, making keeping it calm and level difficult. “We wouldn’t want any misunderstandings. Besides, your cutie mark doesn’t define you, right? So, you shouldn’t need your cutie mark to help them with their cutie marks, either. And, it's not like ponies need their cutie marks, anyway.”

“Hold up.” Sweetie Belle ponders for a moment. “You’re saying that if we don’t need our cutie marks to help ponies discover the benefits of their cutie marks, then that’s proof that you don’t need a cutie mark to find your place in the world. And, thus, ponies should be fine living without a cutie mark.”

Starlight nods.

“But if we aren’t able to help them, even with our cutie marks, then that means that either our cutie marks aren’t about helping ponies-”

“Even though they are,” Apple Bloom adds confidently, Scootaloo nodding along.

“-or that these ponies need to have their cutie marks taken away, because there isn’t really any help for them.”

Starlight nods again.

“Well, that doesn’t seem fair,” Sweetie Belle continues. “It’s like some sort of… um…”

“Catch twenty-two,” Twilight supplies.

“That.”

Starlight shrugs. “And maybe you’ll succeed, and be able to help everypony there. That would certainly be for the best! I'm sure everypony will love for you to work with them to solve their cutie mark problems. Like Double Diamond.”

“Who’s Double Diamond?” asks Scootaloo, the three perking up.

Starlight Glimmer sighs, stepping down and looking the three young mares in the eyes. “Pony who had a cutie mark for skiing. It was his life, his passion, and he was amazing at it. But, there aren’t a lot of ponies who ski. Or who will pay him for being a great skier, one of the best. So, he found himself working a dead end job. Every paycheck he’d blow it all on supplies so he could spend another week on the slopes, or to travel up north. His employer understood what it was like for him, even though it hurt her business, but what could she do?” Starlight shrugs, the Crusaders almost in tears. “Never herded up, either; no mare wants to shackle themselves to a deadbeat like that, and if it wasn’t for me he’d probably still be whorsing himself to pay rent.”

“That’s so sad…” Sweetie Belle says, sniffling.

“Ah know…” adds Apple Bloom.

Scootaloo nods. “So, how would we help a pony like that?”

“Maybe he could give skiing lessons?” Sweetie Belle offers.

“But Ah thought not many ponies wanted to ski,” Apple Bloom counters.

Scootaloo taps her hoof against her chin. “Hmm. Park ranger?”

“I think we need more information.” Sweetie Belle looks up at Starlight. “We’ll have to wait until we meet this Double Diamond at your village.”

“But how do we know that’s what we’re supposed to do?” asks Apple Bloom.

Scootaloo nods, “Yeah, you’d think our cutie marks would be glowing like that.” She points a hoof at Twilight’s cutie mark, the six glowing stars still faintly twinkling. “Does that ever stop?”

“No, and it gets annoying when I’m trying to sleep.” Twilight shrugs. “Anyway, it’s getting late. Did you three need Starlight for anything else?”

The Crusaders shake their heads. “We’ll just stay down here and plan some more.”

“You do that,” Twilight mutters to herself. “Come on, Starlight. Let’s get this over with.” She sighs, looking at the magic swirl on Starlight’s flank as the unicorn joins her. “I’m impressed, actually, that you were able to pick up those spells from Star Swirl’s spell book so easily. I can’t believe you want to give all that up.” She lays a hoof on Starlight as she catches up to her. “I know you think it’s for friendship, but there are so many better ways.”

“I’m not doing it just for me.” Starlight pokes Twilight in the belly. “Now, I believe you were going to ravage me, right?”

“That’s… not at all what I’d call it,” Twilight replies with a roll of her eyes.

The two enter her bedroom. It’s fairly bare, just a few bookshelves filled with books, a lamp, and a writing desk filled with parchment. The only thing out of place is the ornate chest sitting at the base of the bed next to Starlight’s saddlebags.

A chest that immediately draws Starlight’s attention. She practically throws Star Swirl’s spell book, Twilight catching it in midair and scowling, in order to rush forwards.

“These are the Elements of Harmony!” Starlight exclaims, pulling out the Element of Magic. “Huh. Funny. I’d expect there to be, like, power coursing through it or something.”

“...Weird.” Twilight pulls the Element out of Starlight’s grasp, replacing it in the chest. "It must be because they aren't yours."

“Why do you even have those?” Starlight goes to her saddlebags, pulling out a crystal bottle. “It seems… I don’t know, risky having such a valuable item laying out and about.”

“Celestia entrusted them to me in case Discord manages to get free again. She placed what she hopes is a spell that won’t let him mess with them like he did before. Even if it was just turning them invisible until we reached for them. I don’t think he’ll try a similar trick, so we want them to be close at hoof.”

“I guess. But, couldn’t anypony just walk in here and take them?” Starlight looks at her own hoof, quickly hiding it behind her. “Not that I’d think of taking something that wasn’t mine.”

“Yeah, that’s just going to be me.” Twilight hops on her bed, looking between the crystal bottle and the pink unicorn’s swirling cutie mark. “Let me know if this hurts or something. I’ve never done it before.”

“Yeah, sure.” Starlight looks over at Star Swirl’s spell book, her horn glowing turquoise as she levitates the book over. “So, what do you think that last spell did? From one to another, another to one. A mark of one’s destiny singled out, fulfilled. It seems… I don’t know, a little ambiguous. Not very direct. Not at all what the rest of the spells are like.”

“You’re making it awfully hard to concentrate,” Twilight says through gritted teeth. Her horn begins glowing raspberry, focusing on the spell to rip a pony’s cutie mark.

“Hey,” Starlight says quickly, interrupting Twilight’s spell. The purple unicorn audibly grinds her teeth while Starlight explains, “You look like you’re only charging the first half. Remember to add the mark of equality as well.”

“Oh, right.” Twilight pauses for a few seconds before her eyes fling open. “Oh! I almost forgot! I wanted to get a few baseline readings from you!” She rushes to her desk, sifting through the parchment on top. “I know I made a list around here somewhere… Oh, it’s so hard when you don’t have your assistant writing everything down for you!”

“Must be nice,” remarks Starlight dryly as she drops the spell book. “From one to another, another to one. A mark of one’s destiny singled out alone, fulfilled.”

“Will you cut that out?” Twilight demands, though her stern expression doesn’t last long. She levitates a piece of parchment and quill while examining Starlight through glowing white eyes. Quill scratches echo around as she records every magical quality and quantity she can think of. “Ugh, it would be nice to have Rarity here. Her specialty lets her perform these scanning spells so much easier. Well, more like it lets me focus on the results and not have to cast the spell at the same time.”

“Yeah, that would be nice,” Starlight agrees. “You about done?”

Twilight checks her checklist, checking the check mare at the bottom with a black check. “Check!”

“Okay, let’s do this.” Starlight readies herself, quickly growing bored as Twilight charges the two spells. “From one to another, another to one. A mark of one’s destiny singled out alone, fulfilled.”

“Stop saying that!” Twilight nearly shouts as her horn shines, twisting the whole room a deep red. “I do not think it means, what you think it means!”

Starlight merely rolls her eyes.

Twilight blasts Starlight with a burst of raspberry magic. Starlight merely watches in greedy anticipation as her turquoise and purple cutie mark slips off her flank like a piece of paper, wafting over to the bottle. The cork drops after the cutie mark, sealing it in with a quiet burp. Two thick gray lines cover both of Starlight’s flanks. Starlight inspects the bottle as Twilight wipes the sweat off her brow.

“See? Everything turned out just fine!”

16 The Incantation

Twilight Sparkle peers into the bottle, attempting to clinically study Starlight’s severed cutie mark. She can see through the flawless crystal perfectly. It gives her thaumic senses no resistance, allowing her to inspect every aspect of the way the mark dances in midair, how it shifts and spins but at the same time appears to remain motionless.

“Fascinating…” Twilight moans lucidly. It’s… daunting, in a way, trying to describe. How a two dimensional image can somehow be stretched and made almost three dimensional, and yet not. It doesn’t matter which way she turns her head, she can still see the mark clearly. As if the mark knows it is being watched, and turns to meet its viewer. But that’s impossible, right? And yet she is seeing it firsthoof! She could write pages describing this. Papers! Books!

When Starlight had done this to the Crusaders, she didn’t feel this… this rush. It’s more like when Rarity had so graciously allowed her to partake of her Loyalty. No, that's not right. Her Generosity. And yet she had observed it all the same, but without noticing or placing it as out of the ordinary. All she needs is a way to break her mind of its rigorous preconceptions, those barriers to free thought, to allow her to comprehend this phenomenon. Maybe Pinkie Pie knows a way...

“Yeah,” Starlight drawls, a mix of sarcasm and understanding that breaks Twilight away from her path towards transcending to a higher plane. “My first time was like that too. Madness?”

“Um…” Twilight hesitantly admits, a bit of clarity returning to her mind as she tears her attention away from the bottle. “...Probably.” She takes a deep breath, steeling herself against her compulsion, that lust for power, that desire to find more ponies to subject to this. She is not going down that road! No matter how badly she wants to!

“How do you do it?” Twilight plaintively begs. Her whole body shudders. “How do you keep from doing this to everypony you see?”

Starlight shrugs, not quite uncaring but not really sympathetic. “The first time was the worst. It got… easier from there. To distance myself from it. Especially as I realized that I don’t actually gain any power from the marks I remove. It’s just the pony in front of me getting weaker. The mind plays funny tricks like that.” Starlight looks to the northeast, towards Our Town. “It’s not like I’m consuming the marks like some sort of Tirek.” She spits the name. “They’re all there, nice and safe, locked in a vault.”

“Oh.” Now that Starlight mentions it, Twilight doesn’t feel any more powerful. She looks over at the unicorn next to her. Starlight looks exhausted, like she just finished Running the Leaves at Applejack’s pace. The unicorn’s pink is now muted, the aquamarine highlight in her purple mane now a dull sky blue amidst a sea of lavender. Wait, lavender? Starlight’s mane matches her coat!?

Twilight grumbles to herself, yet manages to keep a slightly chipper if clinical tone as she asks, “So, how are you feeling? Any nausea, headache, weakness?” Her eyes shine white as she scans Starlight, a second column on her parchment describing the differences she finds. So far, her thaumic levels have taken a nosedive, no longer at a power level she would grudgingly admit is close to her own and now one barely above Sweetie Belle.

One of Starlight’s eyes twitch, a hoof coming up to rub her horn. “My head doesn’t hurt. It’s more… sluggish. Like, I’m thinking of something, but I can’t find the…” The other hoof twirls around in a circle, muzzle curling to a frown.

“...Word?” Twilight offers, a touch of confusion. So far, she hasn’t found anything else too significantly different.

“Yes! W-or-d.” Starlight mouths the word like it is something foreign. “W-eir-d.”

Twilight completes her scan; now, she’ll just need to get a baseline from somepony else, to get a better idea of what sort of changes their body makes when they go into estrus. Preferably a unicorn, so Rarity would be the optimal choice. And after she scans Rarity, have Rarity perform a scan on herself. Then track the changes to see where they diverge from Starlight.

She goes back to the chest containing the Elements, about to close the lid. She smiles down at the purple apple, the pink lightning bolt, the blue butterfly, the orange balloon, and the black diamond.

Wait, that’s not right. Twilight’s eyes grow wide as she gasps in horror - right in front of her, as she watches, the black diamond shifts to pink, and the pink lightning bolt shifts to black.

Twilight’s concentration is broken by the faint sound of somepony screaming. Except, it’s a bit deeper than nearly every pony she knows, and growing quieter with every passing second. The intensity is the same, just getting farther away. Not Big Mac. It’s more like…

“Doug?” Twilight remarks to herself, walking up to her bedroom window and peering outside. Not the best view of the Carousel Boutique, where Doug, Rarity, and Rainbow are staying tonight, but that is the direction the sound came from. Something is rising from the town, leaving a rainbow contrail, but it’s hard to make out in the dark. And somepony else is making their way towards the library, even though it’s after hours.

“Huh.” Twilight turns towards Starlight; the dull unicorn is glumly staring at her bottled mark, eyes watering. “You hear that?”

“Huh?” Starlight responds slowly. “No, not really.” She goes back to staring at her cutie mark, absentmindedly rubbing her horn.

Twilight’s stomach grumbles, reminding her that she has been far too engrossed in Star Swirl’s spell book this entire time. The last two days, more like.

“I heard that,” Starlight remarks blithely.

The two glance downstairs as a knock comes at the library door. “I wonder who that could be?” Twilight asks nopony in particular.

Starlight shrugs, her horn glowing a dull turquoise, tugging the door open and walking through. Except that she didn’t actually open the door, so she rams her muzzle right into the solid oak.

“Ow!” Starlight exclaims as she falls back on her rump, a hoof coming up to rub the sore spot.

Half a second later the door swings open and smacks her in the face.

“You okay?” Twilight asks, cautiously inspecting the door. Everything seems normal.

“I’m fine,” Starlight spits out, nostrils scrunching up. She pulls her hoof back - no blood. Just dull pink. “You have any ice?”

The knock comes again, a loud banging that sounds a lot more desperate.

Twilight looks down at Starlight. She’s in the way and making no effort to move. Well, easily dealt with. Her horn flares raspberry, and a split second later Twilight appears next to her front door, the Crusaders warily watching from the kitchen. She opens the door, nearly gasping at the sight.

Rainbow Dash is standing in the doorway, if her slumped posture and lethargic reaction to the door opening could be called standing. The warm half of her mane, never the most well-kept, has tufts pulled in every which direction. Her eyes would be hiding under the cooler colors if her mane reached that far, but instead she is staring at the ground like she’s afraid something will jump out at her. One hoof awkwardly strokes her foreleg, and her blank flanked body shudders with every breath.

Starlight moans from upstairs. “Twilight? You getting me some ice?” A pause. “I don’t hear you getting me ice.”

“Rainbow Dash?” Twilight hesitantly says, ignoring Starlight and processing what happened to her Friend. “Are you okay?”

“I-I didn’t w-want to just... barge in here,” Rainbow meekly states, eyes unable to meet Twilight’s. “I d-didn’t mean to d-disturb you.”

“Rainbow Dash, you are never a disturbance.” Twilight grins to herself as Starlight bumbles down the stairs and goes into the kitchen. “I mean, sometimes when your tricks get a little out of hoof, I’m minorly perturbed, but that’s not the same thing.”

“Sure,” Rainbow says in a whisper. Her knees bend, body turning as if to walk away, but she stops. “R-Rarity left me all alone. Something about animals.” Rainbow Dash shivers pitifully, even in the warm spring night. “C-can I come in? Please?”

“Of course!” Twilight exclaims, moving out of the doorway. It isn’t until Rainbow Dash walks past her that she notices the missing cutie mark. Just a blank patch of cerulean fur, and her wings aren’t nearly long enough to cover where the mark should be.

“Rainbow Dash!” Twilight nearly shouts, her tone stopping Rainbow in place. Demands, potential explanations, requests for more information flit through her head. “What happened to your cutie mark?”

“What are you talking about?” Rainbow Dash asks, just the tiniest bit of bite drowning in a sea of self-consciousness. “I don’t have a cutie mark.” She flinches as she glances back, a frightened look in her eyes as if something might be on her flank instead of mere cerulean fur.

Twilight’s eyes narrow. “Is this a prank?” Twilight demands, glaring at Rainbow. She turns to Starlight, eyeing the ice pack she holds against her muzzle. The pink unicorn seems to be having trouble controlling the pack with her magic; it keeps slipping, then raising too high, then dropping back on her head with a light crack.

“W-why would you think t-this is a prank?” Rainbow Dash whispers, meekly dropping her barrel to the floor and trying to make herself as small as possible. She grimaces, eyes watering.

“Is. This. A. Prank.” Twilight’s icy expression is colder than Starlight’s pack. Her hoof grinds into the library floor as her eyes bore into the timid pegasus, shining white as they flick to Rainbow’s flanks. No magical aura, no traces of paint or dye. Remarkably well concealed; kudos to them on the effort so far.

“N-no,” Rainbow Dash stutters. She sniffs again, a few tears falling to the floor. “I-I’m sorry, Twi.” She turns to leave, head hanging low, clenching her eyes shut.

“Wait,” Twilight says, her mind whirring. Rainbow Dash is a decent actress, but no way could she pull that off. Not for a prank. She takes another look at Rainbow’s flank as the pegasus stops. Still blank. And a quick overall magical scan shows drastically less energy than she expects.

The black lightning bolt. The Elements!

“Wait right here!” Twilight commands. She teleports again, leaving two confused mares behind. She pulls out the Elements of Harmony, staring at the colors. What should have been an orange apple is purple! It's supposed to be blue balloon, purple diamond, pink butterfly, orange apple, red lightning bolt! Everything is wrong! Now, all the colors are jumbled up, with no red at all!

“Oh, no,” Twilight mumbles to herself. Had she… did she miscast Starlight’s cutie mark removal spell, thus messing up the Elements of Harmony? No, that doesn’t make any sense. That spell had very clearly defined limits of what it could do. Sure, you can boost it to grab three cutie marks at once. Maybe even five if she was really trying, but she would have had to intentionally do that. You don’t just get wild results like that with completed spells! You would need…

Twilight gulps as she looks over at Star Swirl’s spell book. The one that contains a decidedly incomplete spell. A spell that Starlight couldn’t help but remind her of the wording. A spell that she might have accidentally cast just before removing Starlight’s cutie mark.

No.

No might about it.

She had definitely cast that spell just before removing the cutie mark. And now, downstairs, is Rainbow Dash! Markless!

17 The Puzzle

“This is bad,” Twilight says to herself, alone and pacing back and forth in her bedroom. Her eyes keep flicking to the Elements of Harmony. She can’t get over just how wrong they are. Especially the black lightning bolt! What should have been Rainbow’s vibrant red is as dark as the bands they wore for Doug’s Nightmare Night costume!

A quiet knock comes at the door. Low, and it doesn’t sound like a hoof.

Instead of answering, she runs over the Elements again. Black lightning bolt. Pink diamond. Orange balloon. Blue butterfly. Purple apple. Are the colors some sort of clue? What pattern is there?

The knock comes again. Louder this time.

Twilight sighs. She can’t keep putting this off. No matter how badly she wants to.

“Come in, Spike,” Twilight says, though it comes out barely louder than a whisper. She can’t bring herself to look at the door as it swings open, the soft pad of her assistant as he walks inside.

“They’re pretty worried down there,” Spike says quietly, yet insistent. Oddly forceful for her normally passively sarcastic assistant. “Scootaloo especially. You’d think Rainbow would be the one who needs reassurance, but she’s the one keeping calm. Like she’s resigned to it.”

He leaves unstated that she should be the one down there, but she can hear it in his voice. Could she? Could she go downstairs, and make things better?

Well, she’s never let uncertainty stop her before. But where to begin?

“You’re right, Spike.” Twilight nods to herself as Spike draws close to her. “I won’t be able to figure out what’s wrong by staying here.” She taps a hoof against her chin, staring out the window. “Rainbow said something about Rarity going to see the animals. I suppose that’s as good a place to start as any.”

“Sure,” Spike says with a yawn. “Why can’t these sort of things happen in the morning when everypony is rested?”

“Oh, don’t be silly, Spike,” Twilight says with a grin. “You wouldn’t be awake in the morning either.”

Twilight frowns at the lack of retort. He really must be tired if that’s the case. But she needs her assistant to help her figure out what’s wrong with Rainbow! She levitates the sleepy dragon to her back before she walks downstairs.

Rainbow Dash is in the middle of a pile of ponies, looking both unhappy that she needs the comfort from everypony and yet glad that she is getting it. Scootaloo especially can’t seem to stop staring at her dam’s blank flank and comparing it to her own marked flank. Starlight looks bored and tired, but not objecting to laying barrel to barrel next to Rainbow.

“Twilight?” Scootaloo tentatively asks. “Is everything going to be just fine?”

Twilight softly smiles. “Yes, Scootaloo. Everything is going to be just fine. I’m going to make sure of it.” She moves over to Rainbow Dash, nuzzling her herdmate. “I will need to borrow your dam, though.”

“Oh.” Scootaloo takes her time stepping off Rainbow’s back, trading a nuzzle with her dam. Her sisters yawn while Scootaloo looks resolute. “How do you want us to help?”

Twilight slowly shakes her head, straining to keep her smile as she drops Spike off. “Until I know what we need help with, I’m afraid I don’t know. I know you three want to help, and I appreciate that.” She looks to Starlight Glimmer. “Since this is a magical problem, I want you to come along.”

“Me?” Starlight asks, frowning. “Why do you need me?”

“Because you got us into this mess.” Twilight flicks her head to the door. “Now come on, we’re going to Fluttershy’s.” Starlight and Rainbow get up, if lethargically, and walk with Twilight as she makes her way through the darkened town. The silence drags on uncomfortably, Twilight mulling over what could be happening.

“Hey,” Rainbow says quietly as they pass Sugarcube Corner, stopping in the middle of the street. “I thought we were going to Fluttershy’s.”

The insistent tone in Rainbow’s voice is just another hint that something is wrong, and that she shouldn’t challenge her Friend's misconceptions. Twilight gulps, looking over at the bakery. She can barely see through the windows to tell that the lights in the kitchen are on. “We, um, we are. We’re just taking a short detour first.”

“Oh, okay,” Rainbow Dash says without question, following Twilight again. They move on, more swiftly this time, clouds forming above them in the otherwise clear sky.

The lights are on in Fluttershy’s cottage, and the noise grows steadily louder as the three draw closer. They trade wary glances at the cacophony of animals howling, birds screeching, the occasional roar of a bear, and the shouts of a very frustrated pony.

“No! Get over! Stop! That doesn’t-”

Twilight cautiously opens the door to the cottage, gulping. Bedlam is the word she wants to use to describe the chaos in front of her, but since there are neither beds nor lambs it seems a misnomer. Rarity, with three pink and blue butterflies on her flank, is chasing around several squirrels with squirrel sized sweaters. A few birds are similarly entrapped, warbling their displeasure at the restrictive garments as they hop from one foot to another, unable to fly around. Harry sits in the corner, growling at anycreature that comes close. Pandemonium would be perfect if there were any pandas, so she’ll have to go with hullabaloo. Or uproar.

“Rarity?” Twilight asks, far too quietly to be heard over the din of scampering claws. “Rarity!” she tries again, shouting. “What in Equestria is going on here!?”

“Oh? Hello, Twilight,” Rarity says quietly. “These animals are being far worse than Opal! They just won’t listen!”

“I got this,” Starlight says, her horn lighting. She aims at the squirrels, but her beam fires off a fraction of a second late, impacting Rarity square in the chest. A dull turquoise bubble surrounds the mare, though a brief pounding against the wall breaks her out almost instantly.

“Don’t hurt them!” Rarity calls loudly, almost but not quite turning to anger.

Twilight’s horn lights, movement in the cottage slowly coming to a pause as every creature lifts into the air. The squirrels’ tiny eyes quiver as they hold their arms up in surrender. Rarity stuffs them inside their sweaters, her frantic eyes turning to the next animal on her list.

“Show off,” Starlight mutters, rubbing her horn. “Stupid lag. I would have had those squirrels!”

“I do appreciate the help,” Rarity says, shooting a glare at Starlight, “but, please, oh, do be careful,” Rarity begs, dashing from one animal to another. She tries reassuring them, but they seem to ignore her, or turn away, her despair growing with every rejection. “It’s my job, after all, to take care of these cute little critters.”

“Perhaps they would be happier if you weren’t chasing them around?” Twilight suggests, a bit of frustration seeping into her voice as she channels. “And maybe we can talk about this outside.”

“I suppose, if just for a moment,” Rarity says as the four step outside the cottage. The uproar inside resumes as Twilight lets her horn rest. “Oh, but they looked like they needed just a little more, um, je ne sais quoi, to help get them to sleep. And their nests were so… plain! I just had to do something.” She motions to her flank, as if her reasoning is as plain as the mark located there. She explains anyway, “It’s what my cutie mark is telling me.”

Rarity pauses as she looks at Starlight and Rainbow Dash, both mares looking quite out of it. “Is something the matter? Oh, dear!” Rarity rushes over, worriedly inspecting her herdmate. Rainbow Dash opens her mouth as Rarity presses a hoof to her muzzle. The unicorn inspects every corner of her, though the lack of cutie mark seems to give her no pause. “Have you been getting enough rest, Rainbow?” Rarity asks neutrally, as if she had training taking care of animals, much less ponies.

“Haven’t really done much, since, you know,” Rainbow says as she flicks her head to her flank. “Not a lot of use for me. Maybe I’ll go help Pinkie Pie with the farm.”

“The… rock farm?” Twilight asks, shaking her head. “But, who works the weather?”

“Doug,” Rainbow states, matter-of-fact. She raises an eye quizzically.

“I…” Twilight grits out, rubbing her head. “Nevermind. Rarity, can you come with me?”

“Oh, dear, I’d love to, but the animals need me. I’m dreadfully sorry.” She hugs Rainbow, then Twilight, a shy smile to Starlight before she heads back inside the cottage.

“It’s okay.” Twilight sighs as the sounds from inside just get worse. She talks to herself as they walk back into town, Rainbow trailing behind. “Okay, so, Rarity has Fluttershy’s cutie mark. And Rainbow Dash seems to think that Fluttershy is at Sugarcube Corner. And Pinkie Pie is at... Applejack's?” Mm, she would have liked Spike being here to help record all this.

The bakery is open, oddly enough, and the three make their way into the kitchen. Ingredients are strewn everywhere, mixing bowls and baking pans waiting to be filled. Sitting at one of the ovens, a cookbook propped open, is Fluttershy. With three balloons on her flank.

“Hi! Welcome!” Fluttershy cheerfully greets them, waving excitedly, practically hopping up on the table as if they had difficulty picking her out. “I don’t have anything finished just yet, but, um, if you don’t mind waiting I’ll surely have scads of scrumptious samples to share!”

“While this all looks delicious,” Twilight tepidly starts before a perky pegasus plows into her purple posterior. “Pinkie- I mean, Fluttershy!”

“Oh! I’m sorry, I just thought you needed a hug! Do you want a muffin instead?” Fluttershy whips a muffin out of her mane. “Or I can bake a cake! Or a cookie? What will it take to put a smile on that face?”

“No, I was more… curious.” Twilight takes the offered muffin, if just to stop Fluttershy from pouting at her. “Why are you baking cake?”

“Oh, silly,” Fluttershy says with a limp wave of her hoof. “Everypony loves cake! I mean, take-”

Her eyes go wide as she focuses on Rainbow Dash, her hooves clenching against the sides of her face as she takes to the air. Except, with wings, she doesn’t need to wait to touch the ground (not that Pinkie Pie ever did) to shout, “Rainbow! I’m so sorry I didn’t notice that you weren’t happy! Let’s turn that frown upside down!” as she flies over and embraces Rainbow Dash in a tight hug, giggling happily.

Twilight can’t help but gasp, her view of her herdmate’s flanks completely unobstructed. Fluttershy’s three balloon cutie mark fades into her fur, disappearing completely and leaving plain yellow in its place. On Rainbow’s cerulean flank three balloons spontaneously appear, though the darker blue balloons are nearly as hard to make out as the single yellow one was on Fluttershy.

“Bwuh…” Twilight stammers. The… the cutie marks swapped?

Fluttershy’s happy chortling turns to soft sobbing, now holding onto her herdmate for support instead of the other way around. Rainbow Dash seems to gain a certain mad vitality, soothingly stroking ‘Shy’s silky strands.

“I know what’ll make this better!” Rainbow Dash exclaims out of the blue. “Cupcakes!” She doesn’t quite toss Fluttershy to the side, but she far too easily extricates herself from her clutches, appearing in a flash next to one of the mixing bowls and baking pans. “Everypony loves cupcakes! And they’re going to love my cupcakes even more!”

“Huh,” Starlight says, nearly as puzzled as Twilight. Her eyes shine white, looking between the two mares. “I never thought about swapping cutie marks like that…”

“Rainbow Dash!” Twilight points at Fluttershy, barely getting the cerulean mare’s attention. “What did you do?”

“What do you mean?” Rainbow Dash asks innocently. “I’m just trying to bake some cupcakes to help out my friend! It’s what my cutie mark is telling me!” She raises an eyebrow. And then her head cocks slightly to the side, her eyes twisting and looking in different directions as her pupils shrink to pinpricks. She picks up a knife that has no business being that large and sharp, twirling it with a wing. A… murderously insane, if Twilight had to choose, expression. “Are you saying I shouldn’t try to put a smile upon her face? Or that I can’t?”

“No! No, no, um,” Twilight stammers as she backs up, trying to appease whatever is possessing Rainbow. “I’m sure cupcakes will be fine!" Her eyes dart around the room, focusing on the first thing she sees. "Plain, old, apple cupcakes! Made from the fruit! We just don’t want to ruin the surprise! Right, girls?”

“Uh, sure,” Starlight says, lost in thought. Fluttershy nods meekly, halfway to the door already.

“I’m so happy to hear that!” Rainbow Dash cheerfully responds, grinning widely. She pulls out a dozen apples from one of the SAA sacks, mincing them core and all. “I hope you feel better, Fluttershy!” She leaves the knife lodged in the cutboard as she darts over, embracing first Fluttershy and then Twilight. She then returns to her baking just as quickly, dumping ingredients together and making several trays of apple cupcakes.

Twilight backs out of the kitchen, leaving Rainbow Dash to her baking. She wants to go back to the library, to see how the Elements changed, if at all, but she needs to check the rest of her Friends and make sure they are doing… well, fine sounds too optimistic. Maybe she’ll settle for not killing themselves.

18 Blind Venture

Well, Pinkie Pie is trying to kill herself.

Fortunately, it’s no more than Applejack does every day.

The pink mare - no Stetson covering her straight pink mane, three red apples next to her curl-less tail - strains against the heavy iron plow. Her eyes nearly bug out, howling in frustration that builds to rage. She spins around, beating her hooves and then her head against the metal, neither of which yields.

Pinkie Pie stops trying to force her way through the rock-strewn field as a light rain begins to fall from the white clouds in the sky, despite no precipitation having been scheduled. Or clouds having been present at the start of the night. Pinkie Pie rips off the plow’s straps as she glares up at the sky, angrily shaking a hoof at the rainbow contrail making wide loops above them.

Twilight, Starlight, and Fluttershy follow as Pinkie Pie storms back to the nearest barn. The unicorn’s shouts are ignored, or it could be the rain drowning her out, the three getting drenched along with the ground.

Inside the barn, Pinkie Pie hastily piles empty baskets into the closest cart. She then drags that cart outside, huffing in frustration as she spots yet another thing that needs to be done. She pulls the baskets out of the cart, pushing it against the barn to try to reach one of the loose gutters. Water gushes out as the rain steadily increases, growing in intensity as the clouds above spread out and thicken.

Pinkie Pie gives up on the busted water chute nearly as quickly as she started - getting blasted in the face by an unexpected downpour did not help her foul mood. She loads the baskets back up, dragging the cart towards a grove of fruit laden apple trees. She hops up, tossing the baskets into the mud.

While she might not know everything there is to know about applebuckin’, Twilight does know that Applejack almost never bucks apples in the rain, and for good reason. And gets on Rainbow’s case hard whenever the weather team mixes up where the clouds should be. Or to get some special consideration for reworking what clouds are where, to keep some dry spots where she’ll be working. And it’s because-

Pinkie Pie rears back to buck the tree, only for her front hooves to lose their purchase in the slippery mud. She flails with her hind legs, only to collapse on herself, grunting in pain at the contortion and subsequent collision with the ground. She slips as she gets up, snorting in frustration, this time slamming her head against the trunk.

Not as effective as a buck, as only a few apples come down, one landing on Pinkie Pie’s head and adding insult to the concussion she looks to have suffered.

“Pinkie Pie!” Twilight shouts again, this time getting a reaction from the dazed mare. “What are you doing?

“Ain’t it obvious?” Pinkie Pie scowls, wobbling as she picks herself up. “There’s so many chores to do on this here farm, Ah couldn’t sleep! All these apples waiting to be bucked, and fields to be plowed, and pipe that needs laying!” Pinkie Pie snorts, flinging droplets of water away from her.

“And it couldn’t wait?” Twilight asks, looking around at the fully laden orchards around them. During the year, all the stages of growing are represented, with some trees recently harvested, others blossoming, and some a few days away from ripening. The Apples generally keep a pretty good rotation going, so they don’t have to work too hard at any one time. At the start of the year, though, everything gets growing all at once, and there is a lot to do.

“Of course it can’t!” Pinkie Pie growls out, resetting her bucking stance. Except she puts so much effort into maintaining her balance she doesn’t buck the tree hard at all. A few apples tumble down, most landing in the baskets but a few in the mud. “Ah wish this job were more fun, but somepony’s gotta do it! And mah cutie mark is telling me that that pony is me!”

“Well, maybe you just need to make a fun game of it!” Fluttershy drops down, grabbing one of the apples that missed their mark and tossing it into the basket. She giggles. “There’s one!” She goes for another apple, only for Pinkie Pie to lunge as well. The scowl on Pinkie’s face drops as her hoof rams into Fluttershy’s, both of their expressions going blank.

Twilight, ready this time, watches with shining white eyes as the three red apples fade from Pinkie Pie’s flank, reappearing in the same instant on Fluttershy’s. Pinkie Pie’s energy seems to drain into Fluttershy, leaving Pinkie Pie lethargic while Fluttershy perks up.

“It’s just like Ah tell Apple Bloom,” Fluttershy says happily as the two finish gathering the fallen apples. “Sometimes a chore ain’t a chore when you’re having fun!” She giggles again, the rain falling square on her face not dousing her chipper attitude. “Aww, too bad the rain makes it hard to buck. We’ll just have to try something new!”

Fluttershy flies into the tree, hunting for apples like she hunts for birds nests before Winter Wrap Up. Apples rain down like water as she flits around, easily maneuvering inside the branches. Perhaps not as quickly as Applejack, but certainly faster than Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy loads the full baskets onto the cart.

“Thanks for the help, Pinkie Pie! I can always count on you; you’re such a dependable friend!” Fluttershy embraces Pinkie Pie, smiling broadly, before she straps herself into the cart. She takes to the air, though the cart dragging through the mud makes it difficult. Pinkie Pie mostly sits there, out of it, blankly staring at her hooves before she follows Twilight.

Twilight’s horn lights, helping the cart along as her eyes narrow. That’s twice now that she’s seen a cutie mark get stolen by somepony without a mark by touching them. And then the mark not transfer back when they touch again.

Fluttershy breaks her concentration by resting a hoof on her, the cart dropping back into the mud. “I appreciate the help, Twilight, but my mark is telling me that I have to do this. If I need help, I’ll be sure to come right to you.” She nuzzles her herdmate, her smile creepily twitching.

“...You got it,” Twilight says, warily pulling away.

Fluttershy beams at Twilight, dragging the cart the rest of the way into the barn. Twilight, Starlight, and Pinkie Pie follow, eager to get out of the steady rain. Fluttershy returns outside, a few nails in her mouth and hammer in hoof, flying to the water chute and nailing it back in place.

Twilight grimaces as the rain pounds against the barn. She chances a glance outside, asking nopony in particular, “Who brought this storm?”

“Doug, Ah reckon,” Fluttershy drawls, shrugging as Pinkie Pie glumly follows Twilight in staring at the solid white clouds above. “Suppose it’s gonna thunder soon.”

“Wait.” Twilight spins, staring Fluttershy in the eyes and trying to spot any trace of deceit. “What do you mean, Doug brought the storm?”

“Uhh,” Fluttershy cocks her head slightly, meeting Twilight’s stare. Her expression the same as when she explains to Apple Bloom why tree sap does not make good wagon grease. “Because that’s his job? He’s been doing it since he got his cutie mark.”

Twilight grits her teeth. “I know it’s his job, I just-”

“Wait.” Twilight stops, trying to find one of the rainbow contrails in the sky. It’s hard to make anything out in the night sky, now that a lot of thick, fluffy white clouds have appeared. “Doug is making those clouds?”

High up in the sky, Doug moans in pain, his legs cramping from being held in the same position for what feels like hours. He knows it’s less than that, since he has a clear view of the moon, but ever since he was rudely awakened this morning by spontaneously flying through one of the Boutique’s windows he can’t seem to… stop.

He’s narrowed it down, somewhat. The constant force pushing his body is channeled from his white cloud and multicolored lightning bolt marked hips to his knees. About twice as strong as gravity, he estimates. But it’s constant, a dynamo he can’t throttle back, that he can steer only by rotating his hips and keeping his body locked in place. He can’t really relax, or his torso will flop over and point him directly at the ground, and recovering once from far too literal of a nosedive is enough for him, thank you very much.

The holding pattern he’s established above Ponyville is working pretty well for him, though. As long as he keeps circling his speed remains fairly constant, his altitude is holding as best he can tell, and the minor turns he constantly makes are enough to keep the cramps from getting too bad. But he’s going to need to try something soon, as the clouds that form behind him - another addition he can’t control - have finished lumping together and are starting to build. And, if his instincts are correct, about to unleash the second part of his cutie mark.

He tilts himself up slightly, climbing above the turbulent air of the storm clouds. Maybe next go around. If only it was easier to see, but the dark and the odd angle he has to keep his body makes it quite difficult.

“What’cha thinkin’ about?” Pinkie Pie asks, bouncing slightly on her hooves.

“It’s like a puzzle,” Twilight says, wishing she brought quill and parchment with her. She needs to go back to the library, if only to confirm her suspicions about how the Elements have changed!

Twilight explains as they trudge through the rain at a quick pace, both Starlight and Pinkie Pie struggling to keep up. “Each of you, the other five Elements of Harmony, have swapped cutie marks. And I have to get each mark back in the proper place.”

“Really?” Pinkie Pie says incredulously. “That doesn’t sound like it’ll work.”

Twilight ignores her doubt. “If Doug does indeed have Rainbow Dash’s cutie mark, then that means that Applejack has Rarity’s mark. We just need to figure out a plan.”

While Scootaloo is most prominent in the windows of the Golden Oak Library, all three Crusaders and Spike anxiously await her return. Twilight looks the Crusaders in the eyes. “Alright, you three, listen up. I need you to go to your dams, and convince them to come here.” She shushes their quizzical replies by raising a hoof. “However, they aren’t… where you would expect them to be. Sweetie Belle, Rarity is at Fluttershy’s cottage.”

“What’s she doing there?” Sweetie Belle asks, trembling.

“There’s no time to explain!” Twilight stops, rubbing her chin with a hoof. “Actually, I can explain, I just don’t want to have to explain multiple times. Just, say whatever you have to to get them here. It’s of utmost importance that you do so.”

“Oh, okay,” Sweetie Belle replies, not satisfied in the least.

“Scootaloo, Rainbow Dash is at Sugarcube corner.”

“Right.” Scootaloo nods, puffing her chest in determination.

“Apple Bloom, I think Applejack is at the Carousel Boutique.”

Apple Bloom shudders.

“Spike, if you can go to Sweet Apple Acres and get Fluttershy."

Spike yawns. "You sure? It's storming pretty bad out there."

"I know." Twilight grimaces. "But the longer we wait, I'm afraid the worse it will get. They... they weren't themselves. And I'm afraid it's only going to get worse." Twilight glances over at Pinkie Pie, the normally ebullient mare quietly sitting on the floor and eating an apple she picked up somewhere. Just sitting, staring at nothing in particular.

The four youngsters run out of the library, shivering against the chill wind. Twilight leaves Pinkie Pie and Starlight with barely an explanation, just a command to “Wait here,” while she teleports to her room.

Inside the chest, just like she suspected, are the Elements. Blue lightning bolt. Pink diamond. Black balloon. Orange butterfly. Purple apple.

The colors flash in her eyes. Maybe a swap here… then here… and afterwards, they'll be set up for when Doug returns! This could work!

19 The Cataclysm

Her Friends regrouped far faster than Twilight Sparkle thought possible, and made it through the storm before the lightning started in earnest. Now, everypony is gathering on the ground floor of the library, dried off and waiting. Some, which is to say one, of her friends is waiting more patiently than the others, though they are all grumbling considerably less than she expected.

Starlight Glimmer has explicit instructions to keep Pinkie Pie still, the pink mare complying without question; the sad way she just sits there, though, just gets depressing. At least, initially; as soon as Rainbow Dash walked through the door, she perked up, eyes honing in on the balloon like they are calling to her. The Crusaders are each with their dam, nuzzling or cajoling them into staying put, and having a hard time of it.

“I brought cupcakes~!” Rainbow Dash exclaims giddily, the only pony of the group who seems happy to be there. Two cupcakes of every color of her mane are quickly distributed to everypony, though she pauses in her pronking when she gets to Starlight and Spike. She finally decides on giving Spike the purple cupcake, Starlight a red, though she keeps lingering on the blue. “You’ll never guess the secret ingredient!”

“Ah know you said it was an emergency, but Ah’m real busy at the farm!” Fluttershy exclaims, angrily glaring all around, her anger not at all mollified by the yellow cupcake roughly shoved towards her. “I need to get back to farming!” She, like the other mares in the room, keeps motioning towards her cutie mark like it explains everything.

“And Ah was just gettin’ the hang of sewing some fabric together and makin’ a dress!” Applejack eyes Twilight’s lack of clothing disapprovingly, her own Stetson fancily embroidered with small red apples. A different Stetson than the one she wore to the Gala, based on the wear and tear. "You sure you don't need nothing?"

“The animals were just about to go to bed! I just know it! I mean, I can understand not wanting to go to bed because of how awesome I am.” Rarity looks over at Rainbow Dash, sighing. “You know what I mean, don’t you, darling?”

“Alright, everypony, that’s enough,” commands Twilight.

“Aren’t you going to tell us what’s going on?” asks Scootaloo plaintively, munching on an orange cupcake.

“Yes,” Twilight says. She looks each of her herdmates in the eye. “Earlier today, I inadvertently miscast a spell that affected the Elements of Harmony. The spell, I believe through your connection to the Elements, swapped your cutie marks as well. And with your cutie marks, according to the spell, it also swapped your destinies; I believe because the two are quite intertwined.”

“Swapped our cutie marks?” Fluttershy scoffs, looking at the apples on her flank. “That sounds like a joke! But, Ah’m sorry, not a great one.” She shies down a little bit. “A rotten one.”

“Darling, Ah’m sure we’d have noticed if’n our cutie marks got swapped.” Applejack snorts, shaking her head. “Couldn’t this have waited until morning? Ah’ve got customers countin’ on me!”

“I’m afraid not, for two reasons.” Twilight sternly stares down each of the other ponies; if they had any objections, they don’t any more. “First off, I have… reason to believe that the swap is slowly degrading the mental barriers that make you, well, you. And every second that you spend with the other’s cutie mark just makes it worse!”

Rainbow Dash giggles. “Oh, silly! That’s the most ridiculous claim I’ve ever heard, and that’s coming from me!” She pats a hoof against her chest. “I mean, it’s not like you can improve on this kind of awesomeness!” She holds up one of the few remaining cupcakes. “Just like you can’t improve on these cupcakes!”

“I think you’re proving my point,” Twilight states.

“I am?” Rainbow Dash raises an eyebrow. She gets up, about to leave. “I’m sorry, but this has gone from weird straight on down to crazy town. I'm out.”

“Dam, I’m scared,” Scootaloo says, trembling as she reaches a hoof out. Rainbow stops in place. “I don’t know why this is happening, or exactly what is going on, but please, listen to Twilight.” Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle nod along, each looking to their own dams and practically pleading with them to stay.

“Alright, but, this better be good,” Rainbow Dash says, sitting back down, though she keeps pronking in place.

“Second, have any of you seen Doug?” Twilight asks, looking at each of them.

“I thought he was staying at Applejack’s,” Rarity quietly states, eyes shifting around. “Is that not the case?”

“Okay,” Twilight says with a brief nod, “then who was staying with Applejack?”

Everypony stammers, glancing among themselves. Silence lingers for several long seconds, Twilight smirking to herself.

“That’s what I thought. And you know that Doug spends every night with two of us.” Twilight takes a deep breath. “So, in order to fix this, we just need to-”

“I can’t take it any more!” Pinkie Pie yells, bursting forth from her seat.

Starlight Glimmer’s horn flares, but the aura of turquoise magic comes too late to stop the pink pony from hurtling herself towards Rainbow Dash. The pegasus screams in fright as Pinkie Pie tackles her. Everypony watches, aghast, as Pinkie Pie’s balloons reform on her flank just as they dissolve off of Rainbow Dash’s.

“Oh, that feels so much better! Ah’m back to being mahself again!” Pinkie Pie does a quick square dance, a loud ‘Yeehaw!’ escaping. She pronks over to the leftover cupcakes, scarfing them down and licking her lips.

“Not this again,” Rainbow Dash moans out, dejected. “I’m so much less… um…” She twirls a hoof around, searching for the right word. “Super fantabulous? No, that’s not quite right.”

“It’s okay,” Twilight says to herself, pulling out the notes she had written down. She scribbles a bit, nodding to herself as she writes a second chain of ponies stealing cutie marks.

None of the other three mares react, just bored expressions as if nothing had happened. Applejack idly twists her hoof, inspecting the rough edge. She shows it to Fluttershy. “So, do ya think Ah should get a hooficure tomorrow, or save it for our weekly visit?”

“I thought you went with Rarity to the spa,” Fluttershy replies, a slightly confused expression on her face.

“Oh, yeah,” Applejack says with a nod. “Ah guess Ah do.” She turns to Rarity, showing the hoof. “Do be a dear and let me know if you’d like to bump up our weekly spa visit. Ah never realized my hooves were this bad!”

“Darling, those are dreadful!” Rarity exclaims, holding a hoof to her mouth to cover her shocked expression. “We should go right now!”

“We can still do this. Yes! We can still do this!” Twilight grins, her outburst enough to stop Rarity and Applejack from leaving. Twilight spins, pointing to Applejack. “Okay, Here’s the plan. I need you to go over there, and give Rainbow Dash a hug.”

“Right now?” Applejack asks, slightly dismayed. At Twilight’s commanding nod she shrugs. Her eyes focus on Rainbow Dash, a bit of sympathy coming over her and softening her hard expression. “Ah mean, she does look a little out of it, Ah suppose.”

Applejack gets up, walking over to Rainbow Dash and hugging her. Just like every other time, the diamonds fade from Applejack’s flanks, reappearing on Rainbow Dash’s. Rainbow perks up, sitting up straight with perfect posture, for once. Applejack sags, more reminiscent of Granny Smith than the strapping mare who had been sitting there seconds before.

“Wua… what just happened?” Applejack says with a long yawn. “Ah could go for a nap right about now.”

“Yes, darling, you look positively dreadful,” Rainbow remarks with a frown. “You have been getting your beauty sleep, yes?”

“Ah sure thought Ah was, but this late night must be dragging on something fierce.” Applejack glances outside with a sigh. “Ah sure hope this storm clears up, too. Must be Tartarus for them pegasi to clean up.” Applejack turns to the other pegasus in the room, her eyes locking on Fluttershy’s cutie mark.

“Yes, yes, it’s terrible, we’ll get right on it.” Twilight motions towards Fluttershy while her hoof checks off a box. “‘Shy, can you please give Applejack a hug?”

“You don’t have to ask me twice,” Fluttershy says, happily spreading her forelegs. “Ah love to put smiles on everypony’s face, and here’s a pony who especially needs one!” She grins. “Ah’d offer you a cupcake, but…”

“Mistakes were made,” Pinkie Pie says with a small belch. “Ah’ll be sure to bake more next time.”

Applejack wastes no time in striding over, her eyes hungry with desire. She and Fluttershy embrace, the apples reappearing on the orange flank where they belong.

“Yee-haw!” exclaims Applejack, hips swaying back and forth. “This is wonderful! That could have been the. Worst. Possible. Thing. But it wasn’t!” She and Apple Bloom trade gleeful nuzzles, the young mare overjoyed at seeing her dam with the correct cutie mark.

“Oh, not this again,” whispers Fluttershy mournfully. Her teary eyes meet Twilight’s. “Why, Twilight? Why are you doing this to us?” She drops down, sniffling, hoof and mane covering her eyes.

“It’s okay,” Twilight says reassuringly, her hoof stroking Fluttershy’s mane, another box getting checked. “Just go and give Rarity a hug. She’ll make it all better.”

Rarity offers Fluttershy a soft smile. “I don’t really know how, but, um, if you insist.” She flicks her mane back, her curls bouncing. “Come here, darling.”

Fluttershy slowly, reluctantly gets up, cautiously approaching Rarity. The butterflies fade off the white flank, reappearing on Fluttershy’s just as quickly.

“Oh, that’s much better,” Fluttershy grins. “Rarity, Ah don’t suppose you remembered to feed everycreature before you left? They tend to get awful hungry at night, if’n you don’t feed em proper-like.”

“I… must have forgotten,” Rarity confesses softly, with a limp shake of her head. “I really am the worst, aren’t I?” She sniffles, pulling her purple mane out in front of her to hide behind.

“It’s okay, Rarity,” Twilight says, two boxes remaining unchecked. Her quill hovers over the last one, waiting with bated breath. “Just go up to Rainbow. She’ll give you a hug, and make everything better.”

“I am a pretty loyal friend like that,” Rainbow Dash agrees, smiling broadly.

“And once Doug gets back, Rainbow, you’ll be able to swap with him.” Twilight sighs, finally relaxing. “And we can put this whole nonsense behind us.”

“Why’d you even do this is the first place?” Rarity asks, walking over to Rainbow Dash and embracing her.

“Well, I needed to remove Starlight’s cutie mark.” Twilight can’t help but glare at the unicorn in question. She adds, almost as an afterthought as Rainbow Dash and Rarity break apart, “Oh, and Rarity, if you can stick around, I wanted to take a couple readings from you, and you from me. To try to help Starlight with the other, ahem, side of her problem.”

“Uh, I guess,” Rarity says, massaging her head. “I’m still feeling a little under the weather, though.” As if to help prove her point, thunder booms from outside. “I don’t suppose it can wait until morning?”

“That’ll be fine,” Twilight says, smiling at Rarity’s blank flank.

Wait.

Blank flank!?

“Rarity!” Twilight bellows, the mares in the room covering their ears. “What happened!? Why didn’t your cutie marks swap?”

“Huh?” Rarity says, looking at her blank flank. “Why would they swap?”

“That’s what we’ve been doing this whole time! Swapping cutie marks to get them back to who they belong to!” Twilight grits her teeth. Where did she go wrong? What happened?!

Twilight gasps as she realizes.

At the start, Doug hadn’t taken Rainbow Dash’s cutie mark from Rainbow.

He had taken it from Rarity.

And then Rarity took Fluttershy’s cutie mark from Rainbow. She had even seen the cutie marks swap, though it was with the Elements.

And without being able to swap with a pony they swapped from before…

“Oh, no…” Twilight blankly states, ashen faced. “What have I done?”

20 The Catalyst

High above Ponyville, atop the roiling white storm clouds, bounces along a lonely, wearied human. The cold, wet air soaks his bare skin, leaving him shivering and miserable. At least he still feels pinpricks of pain from his exposed fingers and toes. But the threat of their numbness leaves him fretfully flexing them every time a bolt of lightning streaks among the clouds underneath. Far worse than working Winter Wrap Up, especially given his lack of gloves, or boots, or anything at all, really.

The turbulent air keeps rocking him back and forth, making it especially difficult to keep his legs pointing the correct direction. No wonder planes don’t want to fly anywhere close to these monstrosities, and he’s going nowhere near as fast as they do. Now, if his body starts icing over, that might be a whole ‘nother issue, but so far it just seems to be a dampness soaking into every crevice and flattening his hair against his head, running into his eyes whenever too much accumulates.

He needs to end this, before he drops from exhaustion. He wasn’t having an easy time turning at the start, and if anything it’s only gotten more difficult as his muscles tire. If he relaxes, his upper half tips over, leaving him pointed at the ground. But that’s going to happen sooner or later, and he hasn’t seen wing or feather of a pegasus since this fiasco started.

At least his cutie mark is satisfied, and Ponyville has gotten the storm it needed. Needed? Deserved. Now, he can finally rest. Next time he does this, he’s definitely dressing for the occasion. He doesn’t recall having difficulty wearing pants with the clouds spewing from behind (metaphorically, he hopes; he hasn’t quite had the nerve to check) but at the very least he can wear a jacket.

Doug groans as he tilts his body towards the one remaining recognizable landmark in Ponyville: Sweet Apple Acres. The rest of the town is completely covered in white, at least from above. He could also orient himself based on the Canterhorn, and Canterlot gleaming at the top, but it looks like the farm could use a little extra love.

He lets his body tilt down just slightly, enough to begin a shallow descent. He avoids the existing clouds whenever possible; not only because he has no instruments and thus absolutely no way of determining how fast he is descending through the opaque clouds, but also because it would be a far less comfortable ride, and getting disoriented and zooming straight into the ground would leave a bloody red mark on what is otherwise a clean flying record.

His abs and back protest as he swings a wide arc over the apple orchards, finally dipping low enough to get underneath the storm clouds. Rain blankets Ponyville, covering everything in a dark, dull haze. The streetlights are barely visible as he accelerates towards the Boutique, his mind running through just exactly how he’ll be able to stop himself in place. He’ll need to do a wide, looping arc that leaves him facing away from the Boutique, able to slow himself down and at the same time not climb into the solid clouds or dive into the ground. He starts his turn, and-

Wait, why are so many lights on in the library? A frown replaces his look of grim determination. Is Twilight okay? He could understand one light, if she was just having trouble sleeping with the storm, or wanted to do some late night studying with Owlowiscious. But that looks like she’s having a party, and why would Pinkie Pie be throwing a party?

He adjusts his course, as best he can, aiming himself towards the front door. Or one of the upper story windows. Well, vaguely towards the Golden Oaks Library. Sort of.

Inside the library, Twilight numbly stares at the swept-clean floor. Her eyes keep picking out the minute pieces of mud her Friends had tracked in, even though they had cleaned themselves off. Little pieces of gunk that cling to them, even now. Just like the fragments of her Friend’s personalities cling to the ponies they used to be a part of. Like a stain that refuses to wash out, no matter how many tears she cries.

It should have been obvious, right? Rarity was rarely inclined to get that dirty. Or that defensive about what she is doing. Sure; she, like the rest of her Friends, could be a little combative from time to time or if goaded. Especially when relating to her Boutique or clothing in general. At least they are all still with her. They haven’t abandoned her completely, and she won’t abandon them. Sitting in a rough circle, though Starlight is off on her own doodling or something.

She knows the Destiny of her Friends is intertwined. Especially with how Rainbow Dash’s Sonic Rainboom had served as the inspiration for when all of her Friends, including herself, got their cutie marks. But this spell that she cast, that turned her friends into twisted mockeries of themselves and each other? Especially Rarity and Rainbow Dash, but it’s true of all of them! Would they keep warping, ending up hideous amalgamations of each other like Discord is a horrific mashup of creatures?

“Hey, Twilight, don’t worry. We can still fix this, right?”

The worried voice of her Best Assistant Ever breaks Twilight from her despondency. She barely lifts her frazzled head to look at him, her eyes resting more on his feet than his face.

“You’ll just cast the counter-spell to turn them back, right?”

She hates herself for crushing the hopeful tone in Spike’s voice. “There is no counter-spell.”

“Oh.” Spike considers for another few seconds, yet he remains surprisingly optimistic. “Why don’t you just remind them of who they are, like when Discord attacked a few days ago?”

“Because who they are has changed, Spike. Their true selves have been altered!” Twilight looks at her flank. The six stars continue shining brightly, almost mockingly so.

“Letter to the Princesses?”

Twilight shakes her head. “Maybe if I’m well and truly stuck. But until then?”

“Seven hour bubble bath?” Spike offers hopefully.

“I don’t think a cure for poison joke is called for,” Twilight says, agonizing.

“It wasn’t for them,” Spike dryly says, rolling his eyes.

“I’ve got it!” Starlight exclaims loudly, pulling away from her parchment as everypony flinches. She turns to Twilight. “I’ve been watching the swap, and I think I’ve come up with a way to swap a pony’s cutie mark with another!”

“Really?” Twilight shouts excitedly. She grabs at the parchment, Starlight’s feeble grasp unable to keep it from her. As she reads it through, her face falls. “But, this is only temporary. It’ll last for-”

Twilight’s eyes go wide as Starlight’s horn lights. “No!”

A turquoise beam blasts both Rarity and Rainbow Dash. Everypony watches, mouths agape, as Rainbow Dash’s three teal diamonds peel off her flank, waft through the air like a stray piece of paper, and land on Rarity’s flank, adhering like they belong there.

“Now, Ah saw that, and that ain’t natural.” Applejack shakes her head. “Darling, please tell me you don’t plan on doing that again.”

“Maybe it’ll work out,” Twilight says, glaring at Starlight though she can’t help but nod grudgingly. “After all, Rarity wouldn’t have been able to swap with Doug when he returns. Hopefully, Rainbow will be able to.”

“Hah!” Starlight says, sticking her tongue out at Twilight. “Maybe sometimes a quick magical solution is the best!”

Twilight ignores her, dropping down to study the spell. “This is fascinating… and, if I’m not mistaken, scalable. But the power requirement is incredible! Exponential, for every additional pony! I don’t know if I could even cast it! Maybe Celestia could, but…” Twilight trails off, deep in thought. She finally sighs. “But it’s temporary. I’d have to recast it on them… every day?”

Spike says a little louder, “Maybe it won’t be so bad! You know, they’ll learn to live with the changes?”

Twilight sighs, dejected. “Maybe. But, they aren’t who they are meant to be anymore. Their Destinies have been altered, and there’s no telling what will happen if I don’t put this back the way it should be! It’s all my fault!” She buries her head in her hooves, sobbing.

“Well, if’n there ain’t anything left, Ah got a whole heap o’ apples Ah need to dress up.” Applejack shakes her head, then enunciates her words far clearer than normal, limply shaking a hoof. “I can’t believe I’ve been selling plain old apples this whole time. I could have been doing so much more with them!”

“And Ah think there are a whole bunch of frowns Ah need to go turn upside down back at the cottage.” Fluttershy grins at her Friends. “Y’all need anything before Ah go?”

“It’ll be okay, darling,” Rainbow Dash says reassuringly, a hoof coming up to stroke Twilight’s back. “We just have to think this through. What can we use besides what we have here?”

Twilight glumly shakes her head, her outlook bleak, yet there is a glimmer of hope. “I have to find a way, to make this all okay.” She looks around to each of her Friends, meeting their steady gaze.

“Maybe we just need to go back to the beginning,” suggests Rarity, clumsily sitting down next to Twilight and leaning on her for support. She yawns. “That always helps me when I’m struggling with a problem.”

Twilight focuses, and moments later Star Swirl’s spell book levitates from her room. She reads aloud, though her horn remains unlit. “A mark of one’s destiny, singled out alone, fulfilled.” She grumbles, shaking her head. “But, these marks aren’t alone. They aren’t singled out. They're intermingling!” She grits her teeth, hooves pulling at her mane.

Applejack and Fluttershy, though they originally started to get up to leave, settle back down. Applejack says, “That don’t make a lick of sense. You sure that’s how it’s supposed to go?”

Twilight nods, then shakes her head. “It’s the spell I cast, so it did something. But it’s definitely not how it’s supposed to go.”

“Well, Twilight,” Fluttershy says quietly, “we’ll be here to help you in any way we can. Because that’s what Friends do!” She glances back towards her cottage, muttering to herself, “Even if those friends have other things they need to be doing.”

Twilight smiles softly. “Thank you, all. You are all certainly true friends.” Her eye twitches, frowning as her brow furrows. “True friends…”

Twilight stares up to the ceiling. “We need to get Doug, and his cutie mark, back here.” She turns to Rainbow Dash. “How does the best flier in Equestria feel about going out there and getting him?”

“I’m flattered you think that,” Rainbow Dash says modestly, “but I’m just a small town seamstress and dressmaker.” Rainbow Dash chances a glance out the window. “With your brains, and my whining, and Pinkie Pie’s crazy ability to do anything? Impossible. I mean, if we only had a hot air balloon, that would be something!”

Twilight groans to herself. Obviously, Starlight’s spell did not completely change her Friend’s personalities. Merely their cutie marks.

“Where does Cherry Berry put that hot air balloon of hers?” Rarity demands from Spike.

“Over at Cherry Berry’s, I think,” Spike replies.

“Then why didn’t you list that among our assets in the first place,” Rainbow Dash growls out. She raps a hoof against her head a few times. “If only we had a-”

The front door blasts open, Doug howling as he tumbles through the room. A white cloud billows out from behind him, rapidly obscuring everything in a thick white fog. A second crash echoes through the room as Doug hits the far wall, his moans competing with the hysterical shouts of everypony.

“Rainbow Dash!” Twilight yells above the din, “Go to Doug! Now!!”

She feels her herdmate leave her side. Twilight’s horn glows, trying to sweep away the wet, thick clouds that continuously pour into the room, flooding her sight with diffused light.

After a few frantic seconds a loud *thud* comes from one corner of the room, the sound of a human falling to the ground and groaning. A maelstrom of light blue radiates through the room, every window slamming open. A strong wind blows through the library, ripping books from the shelves. The thick clouds quickly disperse, leaving Rarity, white cloud and teal lightning bolt on her flank, standing next to Rainbow Dash, who has three diamonds colored red, blue, and yellow.

“Huh,” Rarity and Rainbow Dash say in unison, looking at each other’s cutie mark. “Is that supposed to happen?”

“Starlight!” Twilight bellows, turning on the unrepentant unicorn. “Your spell messed up!”

Starlight rolls her eyes. “No, I think your spell had a poor interaction with mine.”

Twilight growls low, eye squinting as her mind flips through all the things she wants to do to the recalcitrant mare. Only for Rarity and Rainbow Dash to both bolt outside; she quickly follows.

Rarity’s horn flares, a wide beam directed upwards. She grins, happily nodding at the result, one hoof sweeping up as if to display the night sky to her herdmate. “There, Twilight! Isn’t that wonderful? A true testament to my talent? An awesome arrangement of my abilities?”

“Please,” Rainbow says with a roll of her eyes. “That’s hardly what I would call tasteful.”

Twilight gapes as she gazes at the checkered black and white storm clouds. That had taken a truly terrifying amount of thaums to transform. She can’t help herself. “Black and white? It doesn’t seem like your normal… tableau.”

“Hmm, I suppose you are right,” admits Rarity as she gathers a bit more power into her horn. She zaps the sky again. “There!”

Twilight thought her gape couldn’t get any larger, but it could. Intermixed among the black and white boxes are horizontal and vertical lines of gray. “You’ve gone to plaid?”

Rarity smirks. “That isn’t too ludicrous for you, is it?”

“No,” Twilight says reluctantly, gulping as she looks inside at Applejack. The only pony she knows to wear plaid. A design that has all different colors woven together, almost as if their destinies are intertwined. Perhaps…

Twilight dives back inside the library, quill in aura as she pulls Star Swirl’s spell book to herself. She scribbles a few lines, grinning madly. “YES!!” she shouts, horn aglow, charging the most powerful spell she has ever cast.

“From all of us together, together we’re Friends. With the marks of our Destinies made one, there is magic without end!!”

Twilight Sparkle disappears with a shower of white, yellow, orange, red, blue, and purple sparks, leaving no trace of the lavender unicorn.

21 The Void

At first, Twilight feels like the spell she cast backfired, causing her to go blind and deaf. Mostly because she can’t make out anything besides blindingly bright lights, or hear the excited shouts of her Friends any more. Or anything else, for that matter. She might as well throw mute into that category, too, if only because she is too stunned to speak.

Ugh, she shouldn’t have copied Starlight Glimmer’s methodology of doing absolutely no double checking and just going with her gut instinct! Unless she’s now like the Mare of Dares from Spike’s comics, and by losing her other senses her magic increases that much more to compensate! Then she really would have magic without end! That would be, to borrow a phrase from Rainbow Dash, so awesome!!

Then she opens her mouth to breathe - and definitely not shriek in excitement like a little filly - and the odd reverberation around her lets her scratch the last two items off that list. Boo. Well, maybe she’s still blind? The constant colorful pinpricks of light constantly dancing all around are starting to get annoying. Even so, it’s downright creepy listening to herself breathe as if through somepony else’s ears.

She tentatively opens her mouth, a hesitant, “Hello?” echoing for far longer than it should. It gradually gets quieter until she can’t tell if it’s the blood rushing through her ears or if she can still hear the sound.

It takes a few minutes before Twilight realizes that her vision is recovering, because when she closes her eyes there is a tiny amount of black to compete with the sparks still obscuring her vision. That and she can see her hoof, if barely, when she holds it up to her face. Or at least the outline as it blocks out the lights, finally letting her eyes relax and stop straining.

“Where am I?” she calls again, that unnerving echo playing in the back of her mind far longer than it has any right to.

She looks down, and her mind briefly seizes at seeing absolutely nothing underneath her. Her wings flare out, but it proves unnecessary, as she doesn’t actually feel like she’s falling. Or has anywhere to fall to. Just thousands upon thousands of individually discernible, regularly distributed lights in every direction. She holds her hooves up, making a rough box, and counting the number of dots within. Then, with a bit of geometry, she compares the area of the box to the area of the sphere around her.

That weird place in the back of her mind that dredges up minor facts and trivial details recalls that the number she got is approximately the same as the number of ponies who have lived, including those alive now, under Princess Celestia’s rule.

“What is this place?” she asks the lights, at this point not really expecting an answer. Besides her own voice, that is, but she’s mostly able to tune that out by now. She takes a hesitant step forward. It’s far harder than it should be, like when she’s walking down the steps of the library at night and she can’t remember if she’s taken twenty five or twenty six steps, so her whole body is tensed and ready to catch herself if it’s only twenty five but part of her is still expecting it to be twenty six.

Her fear of toppling off whatever invisible pedestal she is standing on turns out to be unnecessary as her hoof comes down on something solid. Still just as transparent. She takes another step, this one slightly bolder than before, with exactly the same result.

Just as her voice finishes echoing she feels a presence join her. How she knows, she can’t exactly pinpoint. Maybe it’s the lights slightly dimming, or the faint twinge of air running across her wings, or the harp in the background that plays a quick scale. She turns, the blurring of a small section of stars the only indication that something is approaching.

The light slowly washes out, as if individual lights change color to green, and blue, and pink, and purple. The aurora coalesces into a rough blob that is then split in two by a sea of white. Twilight’s eyes try to focus as she takes a step backward. It isn’t until she spots a brief glimpse of gold against two black dots that she realizes what is approaching.

“Twilight Sparkle?” Celestia asks, her voice hesitant and unsure. It echoes only once.

“Princess Celestia!” Twilight happily exclaims at nearly the same time, almost dropping to a bow before she notes the tone in her mentor’s voice. Her voice continues echoing long after she stops speaking.

“What are you doing here?” they demand from each other in unison.

The two stare in relative silence for several long seconds.

“I suppose I shall answer first, my most faithful student,” Celestia says, breaking the uncomfortable pause with a soft smile. She raises a hoof as Twilight rushes forward, embracing her student in a warm hug. “I use this place to meditate.”

“Meditate?” Twilight looks around the lights, their brightness fading to a dull background light that no longer makes her squint.

Celestia nods, her horn lights gold, the echoes ceasing. “It is, I suppose, a demi-plane. I found it a long, long time ago. I find it helps me… collect my thoughts.”

As Celestia speaks, the lights in the background shift, forming images that flash across the sky. Ephemeral and fleeting, the brief scenes depict hundreds of ponies Twilight has never seen, though the occasional cutie mark or face ignites a spark of recognition.

Twilight blinks rapidly, trying to sort through all the images she saw. “I don’t understand. What happened? Why am I here?”

“I was hoping you could explain that to me, Twilight.” The images blank out, lights spreading away, again forming an incoherent pattern. “I did not expect to see you here so soon, though your appearance is not unwelcome, only unanticipated.”

A thin smile crosses her muzzle as Celestia strides to the side, the lights again forming an image, this time of Twilight Sparkle’s arrival in Ponyville in a pegasus chariot. “I was going to have a whole song prepared, maybe a slideshow of my fondest memories, but I fear my time has been taken up by the refugee situation in Abyssinia.” She coughs into her hoof. “I don’t suppose I could just read you the letter I sent you back when you joined Herd Apple?”

“Oh, um, you don’t have to go through that much trouble for me,” Twilight says, though her eager smile belies that she really really does want it. Images of a young Twilight form, of her getting her cutie mark, Princess Celestia raising the sun, and sitting with Spike in front of Celestia.

“Mm, perhaps another time then.” Celestia waves a hoof, the images again dissipating. “How did you come to this place?”

“Um, I don’t really know,” Twilight says, looking around. “I was working on a spell, and-” Twilight gasps, spinning around to look at where she came from, though the formless ocean of lights provides no clue to her return path. “My Friends!" Images pop up from the void of each of the Element Bearers, each engaging with Twilight in various activities. "I need to get back to my Friends, and-”

“Calm down, Twilight,” Celestia patiently commands, a thin smirk at her student’s antics. “There will be plenty of time for you and your Friends to adjust.” A single image of the six Elements form, sitting together and laughing.

“No!” Twilight shouts, Celestia briefly taken aback at the rebuff, the single image shattering. “No! I need to put things back the way they were!” She frantically searches for an exit again, though her galloping brings her no closer to the lights than when she started.

Twilight’s eyes briefly meet Celestia’s. “Or, maybe you could help? I could use the extra power.” Twilight scoffs, scuffing a hoof on the non-existent floor. “Argh! That won’t work! It has to be me, to be the one who puts things back the way they were!”

“Are… are you saying you don’t want this to happen?” Celestia asks, trying to calm her own breathing. Her eyes flit back and forth; she had certainly not prepared herself for this eventuality. In her mind’s eye, she imagined Twilight being overwhelmed, or giddy, or accepting the change with a grace befitting of her new position. But to turn it down entirely?

Celestia continues after a brief pause, somewhat miffed at Twilight’s disregard, “Perhaps you merely need more time to consider.”

“No!” Twilight bellows again, spinning around to glare so venomously Celestia briefly fears for her own safety. “How could you even think that? These are my Friends we are talking about!”

Celestia softly smiles, though inwardly she is debating whether blocking or dodging would be a better counter should Twilight go on the offensive. Images of shields of every kind surround her, though it appears Twilight is not paying attention to them. “Are you afraid your Friends will have trouble accepting the new you, and your new position?”

“My new position?!” Twilight spits out, stamping a hoof and sending shockwaves through the area, disrupting the images. “As, what, leader of my warped Friends?”

“Well, yes,” Celestia states, though Twilight’s fuming stare makes her consider her next words carefully. “Though I might not have used the word, I suppose it does describe Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash quite well. Especially from Doug’s influence. They do tend to play off each other, and the others, though sometimes reluctantly, find themselves enjoying themselves when they join in.”

Celestia cocks an eye as Twilight’s horn begins charging. Perhaps now is a good time to decide between shield and teleport. Twilight’s eyes are tracking her particularly well despite her fury, so perhaps a shield will work best.

“AARGHH!!” Twilight bellows as she releases a torrent of energy towards Celestia, a hastily summoned bulwark of steel barely intercepting it in time. “WHY?! Why would you do this to me? To my Friends?!”

“I am sorry, Twilight!” Celestia calls from behind her shield of rapidly melting steel. Tears come to her eyes, and not from the exertion of maintaining the barrier, though that strain is quickly getting to her. “I did not think that you becoming an alicorn would change things so! I am truly sorry!”

All of a sudden, the assault on Celestia’s shield stops. She chances a peek above the molten slag, spotting a purple alicorn who seems torn between shock and rage. Her hard breaths shake her body. And then her wings extend, head turning to the side to look at them.

“Huh.”

Twilight Sparkle stares at the wings for several long seconds, nopony daring to move a muscle.

Finally, the purple alicorn turns to the white one. “Celestia? Is… are these real?”

“Yes,” Celestia says, dismissing the dripping defense. “You are a Princess, Twilight Sparkle.”

“...Neat.”

Twilight stares at her wings for a few more seconds before her eyes burst open. “I attacked you!” She lunges towards Celestia, tears streaming down her face as they embrace again. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to! I was just so angry at what you had done to my Friends, that I didn’t think! Even though it’s not your fault, it’s all my fault for casting that spell!”

“Slow down, Twilight,” Celestia says calmly, stroking her student’s head. “What spell?”

“Star Swirl’s unfinished masterpiece,” Twilight says matter-of-factly. Celestia’s eyes go wide, her voice catching in her throat. “It swapped the cutie marks of my Friends. And Doug. And I created - well, Starlight helped as well, that’s Starlight Glimmer - a new spell in order to finish Star Swirl’s spell, correctly this time, I think, but I still need to go put everything back in order!”

Celestia stares blankly. “You… created new magic in order to help your Friends? And, simultaneously, proved yourself as great, if not greater, a unicorn than Star Swirl the Bearded?” Celestia takes another look at Twilight’s wings. “I would certainly say you’ve earned those wings, Twilight Sparkle. Or, should I say, Princess Twilight Sparkle.”

“Yes.” Twilight grins as she looks up at Celestia. “But I still need to finish helping my Friends. So, if you don’t mind, I would like to return to them now, and finish this.”

Celestia nods. “Very well, Twilight. I shall see you very soon.” She fades away, leaving Twilight all alone in the void.

Twilight takes a deep breath, then dissipates into nothing.

22 The Web

Twilight reforms in the middle of her library to considerably less fanfare than she expected. In fact, her Friends are nowhere to be seen. The place is deserted, the books are all out of place, the floor is somehow both swamped and scorched, and when she puts those two together she has waterlogged books getting ruined!

“Aah!” Twilight screams, quickly levitating every book out of the quarter inch of standing water. The action is far easier than she remembers, though a lot of the books end up flying up too high, smacking into the ceiling. They leave wet stains, some flecks of paper or binding or cover end up sticking, but she can deal with that once she has saved her library!

Judging by the shouts coming from outside, apparently a lot of ponies share her completely understandable and reasonable dread of anything bad happening to the written word. Twilight quickly makes stacks of undamaged books wherever she can, sorting through the worst off books and hanging them to dry. At least it’s not like the entire library is destroyed or anything, just a few books and-

What is either a large sapling or a small tree impales the Golden Oaks Library, nearly spearing the alicorn through one of the windows. She shrieks in fright, dancing backwards as green leaves join the leaves of parchment already in the air. Rain pours in through the opening, and now that she stops and thinks about it, the sounds coming from upstairs means this isn’t the first window that has been destroyed.

“No!” comes a shout from outside the ruined window, Applejack’s harsh rebuke met by a loud growl. Three loud growls, actually. “Bad Dog!”

Twilight sticks her head out past the limbs of what she is deciding to call a tree. The plaid storm above stolidly thunders on; hopefully Rainbow Dash (or Rarity, or some combination of them) can bring it to a stop. Except that Applejack and Rainbow Dash are busy ripping apart one of the nearby trees, tearing it literal limb from limb. Numerous Ponyvillians are shouting angry things at each other, or running around wildly, or just cowering behind shuttered windows. But from what?

Twilight spots the giant pawprints moments later, then finds the creature whose paws made the marks in the soft ground. A giant, black, three headed dog with massive jaws capable of swallowing a pony whole. And who looks to be trying to do just that as he lunges at Pinkie Pie, fangs snapping as the giggling mare tumbles away. Above, Fluttershy tries to shout something at the dog, but her voice is drowned out by the rain and thunder.

Cerberus snarls, dropping low to charge the cartwheeling pink pony. Only for his traitorous head to spot the branch Rainbow Dash is barely able to lift and wave about. Rainbow Dash flies up thirty feet, chucking the branch as far away as she can, before zipping back to Applejack and grabbing yet another distraction.

The three headed dog returns far quicker than they would like, one mouth holding the branch it snagged from midair, again intent on making a meal of whatever he can get his jaws on. He growls at Pinkie Pie again as Rarity returns, a ponnequin dressed in a bright red makeshift cape levitating behind her.

Cerberus instantly changes course, charging at the fluttering fabric. Rarity barely pulls it out of the way in time, her own body diving the opposite way. One head watches her as she tries to lay still, but the blue aura around her horn keeps the beast interested. The other two heads chase the ponnequin down, but it evades with a few loops and speedy turns Twilight recognizes from Rainbow’s Wonderbolt practices.

She needs to be out there helping them!

Twilight teleports outside, her aura picking up one of the heftier limbs lying around. “Not so fast, Cerberus!” she says, her voice a low growl. She swings the limb around a few times; it’s sturdy, but unlikely to last long in a prolonged tussle. "There's something you should know!"

“NO!!” Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy shout simultaneously, each waving their forelegs back and forth. They each draw closer to Twilight, trying to ward her away. “Don’t-”

Cerberus leaps up, one of his heads inches away from closing his jaws around Fluttershy as she drops low.

Twilight gasps, her horn flaring brighter than ever before.

“-Hurt him!” shouts Rainbow Dash and Rarity - and, from next to her, a thankfully uninjured Fluttershy.

Twilight pants from the exertion as Cerberus grinds up the large branch in his mouth. His six eyes narrow as he paws at the ground, identifying the new purple alicorn as the source of his lost meal.

“Please don’t hurt him!” Twilight’s three Friends plead, their faces already stricken with the grief they would feel if she actually did. Their voices mirror each other, like listening to Our Harmony, though not as bad as Celestia’s demi-plane. Fluttershy actually clutches at her with weak hooves. “He’s just lost, and confused, and hungry! But we can’t get him to listen!”

“Okay!” Twilight agrees with a shout, eyes watching as Cerberus stalks closer. “I won’t! I just… I need to figure this out!” She beams a smile at each of her Friends, each of them returning a grin befitting of Pinkie Pie. Rarity resumes her game of chase, and Rainbow Dash and Applejack gather fallen branches to keep playing fetch.

Twilight grimaces as Cerberus nearly catches the ponnequin again, it barely staying aloft and out of reach. Each of her Friends is doing their best, especially with combining their instincts, but they lack the practice and familiarity of their own bodies. Rainbow Dash must have gotten some animal tips from Fluttershy, and Rarity some evasion from Rainbow Dash. But the rest? At least Fluttershy found the courage to try to talk the beast down. But Applejack is missing her strength, and Rarity her fine control, and Pinkie Pie seems a bit more sluggish than usual.

If she could only swap their marks, and restore them to the way they were before!

“That’s it!” Twilight exclaims, teleporting to her room. The Elements of Harmony are there, still in their chest. And it’s worse than she feared; while they are primarily the correct color, except for the lightning bolt and diamond, there are dots of every other color spreading among the gems.

She begins channeling Starlight’s spell to swap two pony’s cutie marks. But she holds it, expanding it, modifying it to work on all five of her Friends. A quick infusion builds in a better interface than the barebones text format. Her tongue sticks out of her mouth as she focuses. Almost ready.

A triumphant howl outside nearly breaks her concentration. But, as only Applejack and Rarity cry out about their lost ponnequin, and how much Cerberus is going to pay, Twilight quickly goes back to her spell. She needs to hurry!

She levels her horn at the Elements of Harmony, blasting them with yet another untested spell. Pony, she needs to get Starlight out of her mind. But this is an emergency!

As the lights from her eyes clear, Twilight finds herself in a small room. Five beams of multicolored light, each about as tall as a pony and as wide as her horn, stand before her. Well, three stand, and the other two are coiled around each other. Underneath each beam is an Element of Harmony, which roughly corresponds to the primary color of the beam above. Well, most common color, as they all seem to be seeping into each other. Visibly so, as she watches, little dots of color just swapping places.

It’s fascinating, getting such a tangible interpretation of a pony’s magic. Hopefully this is the first time, and the last time, that she needs to meet her Friends like this. She can feel a sixth beam, radiating inside herself. Solid purple, compared to the mix of white, yellow, orange, pink, and blue in front of her. And, if she’s being conservative, at least eight times as large, and getting larger.

She smirks. “Well, Rainbow,” she says, inspecting the longest of the beams. “It seems your magic used to be as big as mine.” She waggles her hips a little as she walks up to them, her wings flaring out just slightly, though her muzzle curls to a slight frown. Twilight focuses first on Rarity’s and Rainbow’s beam. “Ugh,” she remarks to herself as she inspects them closer, “I’d hate it for my magic to get twisted! Remind me to blast Starlight or something after I get you better.” She ponders for a few seconds, though a tiny voice in her mind keeps chanting, ‘Clock is ticking!’

She says aloud, “Maybe if I just…”

Twilight places one hoof on Rainbow’s beam, grabbing the other one with her aura. She pulls as hard as she can, grunting as she strains against herself, then finally rips the two beams away from each other.

“Whew!” Twilight exclaims, wiping her brow with a hoof and watching the two beams unkink themselves as they hover over their respective cutie marks. “Hope that did something!”

Outside, Rainbow Dash rubs her white cloud and red, yellow, and blue lightning bolt flank while Rarity rubs her three teal diamonds. “Oww…” they both moan, though fortunately Cerberus is focusing on chasing Pinkie Pie.

“Let’s see,” Twilight says to herself, tapping a hoof against her chin. “Fluttershy looks the easiest to repair, since she swapped the fewest times. And she probably isn’t doing much. Now, how am I going to do this...”

Twilight’s horn flares, concentrating on herself. All the pieces of yellow that have dispersed into the other four beams gets sucked into Twilight, an unhealthy black void replacing them. It’s an admittedly paltry amount compared to the alicorn’s pool. But each of the beams is like that, in comparison to the reserves of even a neophyte alicorn. She’d hate to see how she compares to Luna, much less Celestia!

Twilight breathes out as she replaces the stolen magic back into Fluttershy’s pool, grinning as the beam tops out again. The other colors of magic, forced out of Fluttershy, come out as a small ball, absorbed into Twilight’s pool. “One down, four to go!”

Outside, Fluttershy’s eyes whirl through hundreds of different scenes, the mare barely able to keep herself aloft as her wings automatically flap. Around the corner, Doug, Trixie, and Starlight gather, each dragging a wagon full of whatever food they could gather fastest. They exchange nervous glances, then gasp as Fluttershy dashes down to the rampaging dog.

“Who’s the cute widdle three headed dog?” Fluttershy playfully says as she zips underneath, rubbing Cerberus’ tummy. One head growls, the other grins, while the third flops over, tongue lolling out. The rest of the body follows the third head, letting Fluttershy stroke Cerberus with one hoof while the other motions to Doug and the two mares. “Yes, you! You’re just a big furry guy who got out of his yard and got hungry. Isn’t that right?” Doug reluctantly starts tossing food towards the three heads, the other two unicorns doing the same with their magic.

Twilight repeats her spell four more times, getting easier with repetition. Finally, she is left with five solid, full beams of light, each above the correct Element. Satisfied the colors are staying put, she cancels her spell, finding herself back in the library. She teleports outside, grinning madly at her empowered alicorn reserves. She could do this for hours!

“Applejack!” Twilight calls, zooming over to her Friends as they help feed the starving Cerberus. “Is everything okay?”

“Eeyup!” Applejack calls, tossing another dozen apples into the waiting maw. “Whatever you did worked out better’n an Apple at the county fair!” She pauses to nuzzle Twilight, then looks up at the plaid storm above. She glances to Rainbow Dash and Rarity. “Ah don’t suppose y’all can do somethin’ about that?”

Rainbow Dash shakes her head. “Magical storm like that? No way. You don’t want to touch something like that. Gotta let it slow down first, wear itself out a little. Then maybe you can do something.”

“I’ll have to bow to Rainbow’s expertise here,” Rarity says, slightly apologetic at her role in the storm. “Perhaps infusing it wasn’t the, ahem, plaidest of plans.”

“We’ll just see about that,” Twilight says with a brash smirk. Her wings spread out, posing for a brief second, and then the alicorn takes to the air.

Rainbow Dash just gapes, pointing a hoof, speechless. The rest of the herd fares no better.

Twilight’s horn charges, a bright raspberry against the rain surrounding her that practically spits sparks. She takes long, measured breaths, focusing on the entirety of the storm around her. She grins as she finds the common thread, a way to ball up every last vestige of white cloud and lightning. Then, she hits the button. Metaphorically, of course, because an actual giant red button that says Do Not Push. Ever. would be pushing things a little too far. Levers work so much better.

“You’re about to get jammed,” Twilight quips, sticking her tongue out at the storm. And in a blink, the white clouds disappear. The night sky returns, the moon high above, stars twinkling merrily. Twilight lets out her breath, happily sighing. There! That wasn’t so bad!

Then Twilight starts accelerating down. Her wings flap, barely able to keep herself aloft. She zooms to the ground, the force quickly overtaking her feeble wing beats. She briefly, out of the corner of her eye, notices a white and blue alicorn standing next to her Friends, but her mind is much more focused on not coming to an abrupt halt. Or rather, coming to an abrupt halt, but not because of the ground.

Twilight teleports, as high as she can, but that just means she has even more height to uncontrollably accelerate through. You know, it would be really nice to have some sort of helmet to crash with.

A purple helmet encases the majority of Twilight’s head and body as she plummets into the ground, the reverberation echoing among the town.

Celestia and Luna trade awkward glances as the rest of the herd winces. “Do you think she needs any help?”

24 The Sephirot

Several long seconds pass. Doug sits there glowering as Celestia approaches, Luna following close behind. The alicorns tower above the pathetically small human who seems to almost disappear in a ball of bent limbs.

Luna ventures again, “What dost thou wish to talk about?”

Doug motions with an arm towards the party, nearly doubling his effective size. “This.” His gaze turns to Luna, then Celestia. “Us.” His breath spurts out in a poorly concealed huff, his eyes narrowing. “How we got here.”

“So we have narrowed it down to everything under the stars: past, present, and future.” Luna nods sagely. The tiniest corner of her mouth curls to a smirk, the rest of her visage carefully controlled and impenetrable.

Off to the side, only barely noticed by Celestia, Jay Squeak and Carrot Top laugh as they stumble to the outskirts of the party. They lay on the ground, Jay’s ears flicking towards the two alicorns but otherwise pretending not to be listening in on their conversation. Her eyes flash green as she deeply inhales of the slightly inebriated mare next to her, the orange maned earth pony’s movements gradually becoming slower until she rests on the ground, softly snoring.

“I never wanted this,” Doug says as he grits his teeth, careful not to look directly at the alicorns. A part of him wants to grin at Luna’s jest, or smack that smirk off her mouth, or smack himself for not being specific. Or, putting those together, put her mouth to a much better use, and give her a few smacks at the same time. “Well, that’s not entirely true. Parts of me have wanted parts of this. But I was perfectly happy in my own little paradise. A nice niche carved out, where I didn’t have to worry about what I said or did or was.”

“And you are afraid this will ruin that,” Celestia says as she drops to her barrel next to the sitting human. When neither has legs on the ground, their heads still come to about the same spot, allowing her to nuzzle him just behind the ear.

“Of course it will!” Doug cries out, ignoring the nuzzle. He flings an arm towards the horizon, as if to scatter the stars arranged above the trees. “Whether we’re talking about Twilight becoming an alicorn and Princess, or whatever ends up happening between us? Becoming the Elements of Harmony was bad enough. Okay, fine, that hasn’t turned out nearly as bad as I thought it would. Mostly since their main achievement has been defeating Nightmare Moon and helping with the aftereffects of that.” His eyes turn to Luna. “No offense.”

“Think nothing of it,” Luna states, her eyes never leaving Doug’s face as she joins on his other side. “We are glad to be reunited with our Sister again.” She nuzzles his other ear, then her Sister.

Doug folds his arms across his chest, resigning himself to being the alicorns’ cuddle buddy. “In fact, it almost makes it worse, that they haven’t received any reward or recognition for that. I mean, sure, there was a party, but it seemed geared more towards celebrating Luna’s return as opposed to the defeat of Nightmare Moon.”

“Thou does not consider the two of us sufficient reward?” Luna says, her mock offense spoiled by her tongue flicking out to lick her lips.

Doug smirks, though unhappily. “Maybe if I thought that I was the one who did something worthy of a reward.”

Celestia nuzzles him again, this time drawing out a slightly contented sigh and small smile. Though perhaps he is just ticklish, and she should file the spot away for later. “You see your contributions as nothing? The act of being a solid rock to return to, or a comforter when things go wrong? I have seen many ponies struggle through and fare far worse on the other side of demanding problems because they lacked a sufficient support structure, of ponies willing to merely be there for them as a confidant and counselor.” She can’t help but flick her eyes at Luna, tears forming in the corners.

Doug’s hands ball into fists as he glances towards Twilight. “Or I’m just angry at this whole situation and I don’t know who or what to blame. But things are changing, and I don’t like it. Maybe that’s it. But, I look at Twilight and I ask, ‘why did she ascend?’ What did she do that was so above and beyond the call of duty that merited such a reward?”

“Perhaps that is my fault,” Celestia admits quietly. “I had thought she would have proven herself more before this had occurred.” Her eyes briefly flick again to Luna, then return to the stars.

The glances do not go unnoticed. “Do not blame me, dear Sister.” Luna nudges Doug with the side of her head.

“Oh, so now it’s my fault.” Doug laughs once, derisively. “I wasn’t the one who left a book containing, apparently, the spell to alicornhood laying around.”

Luna snorts. “T’was not laying around, it was secured in my chambers!”

“Then we are agreed,” Celestia wryly suggests, nodding resolutely. “All blame can be laid at Doug’s feet should anything happen.” She reaches a wing forward, testing to see if he is as ticklish there as the neck.

“As long as I get the credit,” Doug remarks with a half smile, his feet - calloused from years of walking barefoot among the apple groves - impervious to Celestia’s torments.

“Oh, no.” Luna shakes her head. “That will be entirely reserved for Magic and her fellow Elements.” She sighs as Doug rolls his eyes. “But on a more serious note, we admit it is early for her. Yet, we remain confident that she and her Friends will meet any challenge that she faces.”

“I guess we can’t expect any more from her than I’m willing to give myself.” Doug sighs, yet another unhappy glance back at the party. “And if that means that I have to put on a brave face and smile at all the little ponies, and deal with their questions and comments." Doug returns to staring at the stars. He grins a little. “Forget about me. With Twilight being a princess? Ponies are going to be mobbing her in the streets, assuming you even let her go outside.” He huffs once, shaking his head.

“Would you prefer if she was unable to catch a cab in Manehatten?” Celestia asks with a wry smile.

“I didn’t think anypony could catch a cab there,” Doug quips back, though he can’t help but smile at the thought of a cabbie ignoring a Princess in favor of anypony else. Maybe Manehattenites really are that selfish, thinking only of themselves, may he never need to find out. Although, if they ignored him being a human? Nah, they’d probably be even more likely to call him out on it.

“Actually,” Doug continues, his hand stroking his chin. “I know you said you were going to have Twilight come to Canterlot for this coronation ceremony or whatever. I assume you’ll want me there.”

Celestia nods.

Doug glances to the side, able to see Celestia’s wide eye despite the fact that she is looking nearly as straight forwards as he is. “Will you expect her to stay in Canterlot with you? I have the feeling you’re grooming her to be the next ruler of Equestria or something. And what better place to have her than at your side?”

“I suppose that is a conundrum,” Celestia admits. “Much like the one we face should Luna and myself join your herd.”

“Would thou wish to make the commute?” Luna asks, gazing now to the west and Sweet Apple Acres. “Or would thou wish Magic to travel? Or ourselves?”

“Hey, give me an amulet that lets me teleport around, and I’ll consider it.” Doug smiles at first, though he can’t keep it for long. “I feel like I’m being stretched far too thin. Nine mares?”

“Ten, if thou counts… um…” Luna stalls, searching for the name.

“Starlight Glimmer,” Celestia supplies.

"Starlight Glimmer,” Luna prods.

“You know, back when I got here, I thought three was too many.” Doug shakes his head. “I like my job too much to want to give that up, and that doesn’t leave me much time to spend with each of you.” He smirks. “I guess it would be scandalous if word leaked out that I, Prince Consort of the Princesses, didn’t care about the daily goings-on of those very important mares.”

Celestia gasps, a hoof coming up to cover her mouth as she stares at Doug with wide eyes. “No! You mean, you did not hear of the time last week when a piece of cake happened to fall from its tray, and I caught it just before it hit the ground, but everypony claimed that it had rested on the floor greater than the five seconds legally authorized?”

Doug can’t help but chuckle, shaking his head. “You know, I don’t know how you can keep such a chipper attitude about these things. Aren’t you worried about them, I don’t know, thinking less of you?”

“It has become easier with every passing scandal. Yet, that does not keep the papers from running stories of my cake addictions or human obsessions or trolling ways. They cherish those little games when they can. But, from a larger perspective? My little ponies fear me too much to attempt to replace me, or they fear what would come after me should I be replaced. Nonetheless, they find their little games a mere pastime that does little to spoil my image.” Celestia shrugs.

“Well, maybe once I get enough scandals under my belt I’ll be as blasé about it as you.” Doug leans back against the wood of the library, stretching his legs out. He finally relaxes, arms reaching to the sides.

Celestia and Luna rotate; instead of laying in a pony loaf, they now rest on their sides with their hind hooves next to Doug’s feet. Their heads settle against his chest, manes and tails still flowing but against the ground.

“So, thou has finished considering it?” Luna asks, that mischievous smirk appearing on her muzzle again. “Thou no longer objects to us joining?” Her head dips a little lower, now on his stomach, breath tickling. “Thou thinks thou art enough for us?”

“I don’t know,” Doug says with a twinkle in his eye and flexing his biceps, “I can only do about four reps with Applejack.”

“How many reps do you think you can do with me?” Celestia asks, her voice purring.

“Mm… two?” Doug offers, smirking. “You’re about twice her size, right?”

“You flatter me,” Celestia agrees, cuddling against him. “That should be sufficient.”

Oh, it’s tempting for Doug to just push Luna’s head further down, and he can feel himself getting excited. “If that’s what the mares decide.”

Luna’s head turns to look up at Doug, enjoying his disappointed groan. “But we are asking what you would like, Doug. Not to qualify your answer, or hedge on your herdmates’ decisions.”

Doug smiles, almost glad and relieved that an answer is being demanded of him. Maybe he really does need to be more assertive, like Starlight said. “I would like it if you joined. Very much so.” His hand leaves Luna’s mane to caress, then firmly hold her head. They gaze into each other’s eyes for a long second. “Plus, I could put that mouth of yours to better use.”

Luna’s eyes widen, and Celestia gives a light gasp.

“Thou… We did not know you thought of us that strongly,” Luna says. She tries to lower her eyes, but Doug holds her in place.

“Okay, what am I missing now?” Doug demands, looking between an oddly passive Luna and her quickly recovering Sister.

“It is a… rarity, forgive the expression, for a mare to service a stallion so.” Luna’s eyes look to the ground and the mud that remains. “It is a subservient position, that denies a mare’s worth, given how much more pleasurable the other act is. But, in context with your previous statement, about doing two ‘reps’ with us? It is a strong declaration of commitment; more so than herding, but perhaps less so than a formal marriage.”

At Doug’s blank look Celestia explains, “You would be, by filling our wombs and our bellies with your seed, promising commitment.”

“You ponies have the craziest sayings,” Doug says with a shake of his head.

“It is an olden practice, one that has not kept up with the times.” Celestia leans down to nuzzle Luna. “That, and most stallions care not to perform twice in quick succession. But it is a promise, from a stallion to a mare - and not the other way around - that they will be looked after and cared for in every possible way. It is not a light decision to make.”

“Huh,” Doug says, relaxing yet again. The two mares next to him relax, gazing up at the stars.

25 The Fox

February 24th, 1001 Domina Solaria

“Looks like All Aboard is earning his paycheck tonight,” remarks Applejack as she loads yet another one of Rarity’s suitcases onto the red-eye train to Canterlot. Even all the way back at the caboose they can hear him running through the connections of all the passenger cars the two conductors hooked up. She slides the suitcase next to the crates of supplies traveling from Vanhoover. “Too bad there ain’t gonna be much room in here.”

“Yeah,” Steamer says, the conductor lightly ashen faced and out of breath as he steals a glance at Princess Twilight Sparkle getting into the second to last car. “Sorry we don’t have any larger private cars, especially ones suited for a Princess, this late.” He motions with his head towards the long lines of ponies boarding the first four cars. “And with half the town trying to get to Canterlot and watch the coronation?”

Applejack smirks at the lack of exaggeration. The other half of Ponyville was conked out, her family’s cider only partly to blame. Well, maybe they’d all get to read about it in the morning. Who knew the Ponyvillians would be so quick to accept Twilight as one of their own? Well, if it gives them cause to celebrate - especially with one of Pinkie Pie’s parties on the line - so much the better. She’d be quick to call the unicorn - erm, alicorn, that’ll take some gettin’ used to - a Ponyvillian, too.

“No, thank ya kindly for making an exception for us,” Applejack says, hoisting another bag of Rarity’s supplies on top of the crates. She looks inside, the seven foals already asleep on their cots, Spike cuddling with Sweetie Belle. “In fact, Ah don’t think we could have asked for more. Two cars’ll work out great, even if we need to share ‘em with the cargo.” She leaves unspoken, ‘and not packed like apples after the Crusaders get ahold of ‘em.’

Steamer grins as he checks the last connection. “Glad to hear it. Just so ya know, there won’t be any room service on those cars, or facilities. So make sure you take care of any, ahem, business beforehoof.” He tips his hat to Applejack, then to Doug as he follows Twilight into the fifth of six cargo cars, all of which are loaded with logs and wooden boards of various cuts. “Have a good ride.”

Applejack waves before she grabs the last of Rarity’s fabrics, tossing them onboard. She peeks into the car now containing Doug, Starlight Glimmer, and Princess Twilight Sparkle. “You three going to be good in here?”

Doug looks up from the third of three sleeping mats he has spread out on the floor. With the long wooden beams strapped to the walls, there is barely enough space in the cargo car for one pony to turn around, or for two to stand side by side. “Should be fine, it’s just a couple hours.” He glances outside as the rest of the herd piles into the last car. “Sure you don’t want us there?”

“Space is tight enough as it is,” Applejack replies. She glances to Twilight, pursing her lips. The alicorn looks back at her from her cot. “And, we’ll be having a discussion. As a herd.” Applejack scratches the back of her neck awkwardly. “And we’ll be discussing, um, you. And what’s going to happen to the herd. And since Ah want everypony to be free to speak their mind, at least when we’re talking about you, Ah hope you understand staying out here. If just for the first part of the discussion.”

“I’ll be fine,” replies Twilight, far less sleepily than she feels like she should be at this late of an hour. Since becoming an alicorn, she feels filled with energy, like an earth pony that could work all day.

Rainbow Dash peeks her head out of the door. “And I’ll just fly over once we’re ready for you to join us.” She squees in glee. “I can’t believe I got a new flying buddy!” She glances around, the yellow pegasus nowhere in sight. Probably still saying goodbye to the animals, and making sure they behave when she isn’t there in the morning. She whispers, just loud enough for Twilight to hear, “Just between the two of us, Fluttershy isn’t the most…”

“I get it, Rainbow,” Twilight says quietly, spreading her wings and admiring them. Half the time - which is to say when she’s on the ground and able to concentrate on them - she can get her wings to behave. In the air? Well, that would be awesome. She glances to the cargo cars; there isn’t an easy walkway to get between them, but she might be able to fly the short distance. Or just teleport. But Rainbow Dash would be disappointed if she did that. “You know where to find me.”

Rainbow Dash waves as she disappears back into the caboose. Rarity walks up levitating her sewing machine, quite a number of last minute alterations needing to be done to their outfits. Soon enough and the train whistles, the high pitched warble somehow managing to sound impatient. Must have been the way Steamer toggled a few extra blasts. And they would be behind, having to hook up the extra cars Ponyville happened to have on hoof and clear out whatever cargo that wasn’t too cumbersome to move or had a hard deadline. Fluttershy zips in as the train starts moving, wiping a bead of sweat off her brow.

Doug and Starlight, both exhausted from staying up late and joining the rest of the ponies for the tail end of the party, rest on their mats. Doug stares at the ceiling, hands behind his head, lost in thought. Starlight shifts a bit, grumbling to herself. Her breathing gets heavier, tail swishing back and forth.

Twilight Sparkle, meanwhile, can’t seem to sit still. She keeps unfurling her wings, running a hoof through the feathers. ‘Preening’, Rainbow Dash said as she took another long drag from her cider, ‘is pretty simple. Important, but simple. You just take your hoof like so,’ at which point she ran a hoof along Twilight’s wing, which felt amazing, ‘and you make sure all the feathers feel good.’ She had snuggled up real close to Twilight at that point.

‘Does that feel good to you?’ Rainbow Dash had asked, purring in Twilight’s ear.

Then she fell asleep.

It had been a long day.

“So,” Doug says, almost to himself. “Two foals, huh? Shouldn’t be too bad.”

“Two?” Twilight says, glad for a little conversation.

“Applejack and Rarity.” Doug turns his head slightly to regard Starlight, the mare uncomfortably shifting a bit more. He reaches a hand out, rubbing along her neck. “I guess I don’t really count you, since you’ll be going back to Our Town.”

Starlight shifts her mat so she is spooning with Doug, reaching her head back for a kiss. She smacks her lips as she pulls away, her tail flicking wildly. “Who knows; if your fillies succeed, I might be out of a home. And if they do it fast enough, she’ll be born here.”

“Okay, so three, maybe.” Doug raises an eyebrow as Twilight snuggles next to him as well. “Don’t tell me. Four?”

“Mm,” Twilight says, joining Starlight in nuzzling Doug. “Definitely four. I've wanted one for quite a while now. Plus, Cadance keeps pushing me, and she gets Shiny to help. Anything to get my brother off my back.”

Starlight snorts, and Doug can’t help but smirk.

“Not like that!” Twilight swats at both of them with her wings. “Eww!”

“Speaking of Princesses, if Celestia and Luna join?” Doug shudders. “Hopefully they can find some nannies in Canterlot.”

“Actually, it’s traditional for the sire to take the foal,” Twilight says. “Since the dam is assumed to be busy with, you know, her job.”

“And I’m not busy with my job?” Doug retorts, his hands kneading into Starlight as she presses her body against him, her breaths hot and heavy.

Twilight stares at him for a few seconds. “You realize you’re comparing crafting weather schedules, an admittedly difficult job not many ponies want, with running the entire country?”

Doug rolls his eyes. “Fine. Five and six. They’ll probably want to visit all the time. I hope.”

“I should hope so, too. Plus, you’ll have all of us around to help. I just hope they don’t get super hungry or something when their dam isn’t there.” Twilight watches Starlight, the pink mare squirming. “Your heat start already?”

“Oh, yeah,” Starlight says, enjoying the massage and yet looking decidedly uncomfortable.

“Hmm,” Twilight says, pulling out a few pieces of paper from her luggage. “I recorded Rarity’s various hormone levels. And Rainbow’s, too.” She glances at Doug. “She’s gone into heat already, so be careful if you don’t want to make it seven.”

“They outnumber me already, what’s one more,” Doug says blithely.

“So, let’s just compare this.” Twilight’s horn shines, bright enough to make the other two wince. “Okay. Okay. Okay. Hmm. Okay.”

“That supposed to mean anything?” Starlight says, huffing in frustration at not having her heat quenched yet.

Twilight taps a hoof against her chin. “So, you are definitely in estrus.”

Starlight groans. “Tell me about it.”

“But, from what I can tell, you haven’t released any eggs. And none seem to be mature.” Twilight frowns. “Now, when Doug went away back in December, I spent a couple days in the Royal Archives researching some fertility spells. I think this one should do the trick!”

Twilight reaches forward, laying her horn on Starlight’s exposed belly, just above her teats. The air around them seems to still, despite the poorly insulated train rolling along at full speed. Twilight’s horn glows softly, and for long seconds she does nothing but sit there, concentrating. After nearly a minute a ball of light pulls away, absorbing into the left side of Starlight’s belly.

Starlight taps the spot with a hoof. “Did it work?”

“Let’s see.” Twilight’s eyes shine white, returning to staring at Starlight’s belly. “Yep! Wait. Huh.”

“Huh?” Starlight mimics. “I don’t like the sound of ‘huh’.”

“It’s… probably nothing.” Twilight meekly smiles. “Just, um, I may have put a little too much into the spell. Don’t know my own strength and all.”

“Twilight…” Starlight growls out.

“It’s fine! Probably!” Twilight backs up slightly, though there is not a lot of room to maneuver in the train car. “The egg is just maturing a little faster than normal. It should wear off as soon as it’s released, and then be just like a normal egg!”

“This better work,” Starlight says, laying back down. “How long is it supposed to take?”

“Normally? About two days. Your egg, though… let me just say, it’s already on its way.” Twilight pulls out a sheet of paper. “You can cast it on a mare before she’s in heat, and as long as she goes into heat by then it’ll be fine. Otherwise, the egg will be released, and without estrus preparing a mare’s body for implantation it’ll get, well, lost.”

“And if they’re already in heat?” Starlight asks, taking the sheet of paper by hoof and reading through the spell.

“You’ll need to wait at least two days. It’s not an exact thaumic, since every mare is different and all. So multiple attempts with a stallion, spread out over a few days, is highly recommended. Unless you've got a way to detect it, and I do, but let's assume you're not there. Or only there for the start."

Twilight coughs nervously. "Also, you’re not supposed to cast the spell on a mare who will ovulate normally. Nothing bad will happen, but it's kind of like giving hormone treatments to a mare who will conceive normally.” Twilight pulls out another page. “I’m assuming that the stallions will need a similar spell cast on them, but I’m not sure. After all, if half the equation doesn’t work, there’s not a lot of indication about the other side.” Yet another page comes out, longer and filled with writing. “This is the scanning spell I used-” she circles a few sections “-and these are the spots you should focus on when using it on a stallion.”

“None of this looks too bad,” Starlight says, a hint of a smile despite her discomfort. “Mind if I test it on you?”

“Well, you probably shouldn’t, but my cycles are generally pretty regular.” Twilight rolls over, laying on her back and splaying her legs. “I’ve got another four days, at least, so you should be safe.”

Starlight double checks the spell, then gets up to rest her horn on Twilight’s belly. Her tail flicks to the side, as does her head, winking at Doug.

The action is too much, especially with Twilight basically telling him Starlight is ready. He gets up, hand gripping the pink unicorn's flank, squeezing the two gray bars.

26 The Trial

Applejack settles down as the train gets rolling. Despite the late hour her mind races, dredging up fears from years and years ago. Specifically, when Princess Cadance applied, and was denied, for a spot in the herd. Her herdmates seem to be taking a cue from her, and none are yet willing to lay down and sleep. The mood in the car isn’t quite dark or gloomy, more pensive.

“Soo,” Rainbow Dash drawls out sleepily, “you look like something’s on your mind.” She makes no attempt to cover her long yawn, then smacks her lips a few times.

“Obviously she wants to talk about Twilight,” Rarity says distractedly as she sets up her sewing machine, then unzips one of the long bags containing their work-in-progress dresses. Soon the sound of sewing fills the air, competing with the click and clack of the train.

“About… how she’s a princess?” Fluttershy quietly says, her voice barely audible. It’s hard to tell if she’s still in awe, or if it’s more that she’s terrified. Or possibly both. She buries her attention in helping Rarity, holding Trixie’s dress up against the mare.

“That, of course,” Rarity concedes dreamily. She pauses her motions with Trixie, gazing fondly at a wall. “Can you imagine? Having a princess in the herd will be fantastic! It’ll be everything I ever dreamed!”

“And with such close connection to a Princess, Trixie is sure to find all manners of red tape removed before her!” Trixie grinds her hooves against each other, grinning madly.

“That ain’t the whole of it, though.” Applejack sighs heavily. She pulls her hat off her head, inspecting the three expertly embroidered apples. The ones she had put there. She steals a glance at Rarity, who probably has another hat for her to wear to the coronation. Maybe she could convince the seamstress to let her wear this one instead. “Sure, it was pleasant meeting all them Canterlot nobles. Ah couldn’t believe how many of ‘em wanted to make nice with me! But how many were just trying to use me to get something else?”

“Wait.” Rainbow Dash growls, hooves folding across her chest as she briefly takes to the air. “You don’t think that I got into the Wonderbolts because of Princess Celestia’s favor, did you?”

“You know Spitfire better’n me,” Applejack retorts. “She seem like the kinda pony who’d do something like that?”

Rainbow Dash shakes her head, still clearly unhappy at the notion. She plops back down, grumbling to herself.

“But that ain’t my point.” Applejack huffs, nearly spitting on the floor. “Ah want each of you to be completely honest with me.”

Applejack turns to each in turn, gauging their reactions. Rarity is focusing on her sewing, but spares her a glance and light smile; Rainbow Dash still looks angry, snorting her mane out of her eyes; Fluttershy, while helping Trixie, cowers a little; Pinkie Pie beams broadly; Trixie has a bemused but not entirely unapologetic smirk.

“As lead mare of Herd Apple, have you been happy with how Ah’ve been running things?”

Only Pinkie Pie manages to hold Applejack’s gaze, the rest of the mares exchanging awkward glances.

Several long seconds pass before Fluttershy questions, “Why would you think we are disappointed?”

“It ain’t that Ah think y’all are unhappy with how things have been going.” Applejack mulls over her next words, her stoic demeanor fading as her shoulders slump. “Much as Ah’d hate to admit, most ponies’ll expect a Princess to be running things.” She kicks at the floor. “Ah want to know what y’all want.”

“Seems fine to me,” Rainbow Dash says, about as coolly as possible. “Since when have you cared about what other ponies think?”

“Ah ain’t concerned about other ponies, Ah’m concerned about one pony in particular.” Applejack flicks her head towards the adjacent car. “Well, maybe two ponies. Ah’m not quite sure what Celestia would say about me denying her protege leadership.”

“Could have fooled me,” Rainbow Dash says, snorting. “Why do you care?”

“‘Cause it’s important to me!” Applejack stomps a hoof on the floor.

“Does Twilight even want the position?” Fluttershy asks as Rarity finishes Trixie’s dress. “What if she’s fine with being, um,” her eyes flick to Trixie, “junior mare?”

“Ever since her dam came over she’s been asking more’n more about how things get done. At first, Ah just chalked it up to that same curiosity she shows everywhere else.” Applejack turns to stare out the window, watching the dark plains roll by. “Up until now, Ah never really considered her taking over. Ah just assumed Herd Apple was gonna stay, you know, Apple.”

“I know we had a similar discussion when Cadance applied all those years ago.” Rarity packs up Trixie’s dress, pulling out Pinkie Pie’s. “I think you’ve done a, hmm, fine job.”

“Just fine?” Applejack says, turning to look the unicorn up and down. Her eye twitches a little, mouth slightly curling to a frown. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I really meant nothing by it, darling,” Rarity says, though the slight puckering of Applejack’s nostrils lets her know that her lead isn’t buying it. Rarity purses her lips, gears almost audibly grinding in her head.

“Ah know you ain’t thinkin’ of lying to me,” Applejack says coldly. “Ah’m a grown mare. Just spit it out. Ah can take it.”

“I would never have lied to you,” Rarity retorts. “I was just thinking about what I wanted to say.” Rarity demurely pins a pink bowtie to Pinkie Pie’s blue sleeve, then one on the opposite side. Her eyes flick to the sleeping fillies, then to Applejack.

“It ain’t my fault you didn’t get with Doug more often.” Applejack smirks at the sound of Doug and Starlight emanate from the other car. “Besides, sounds like he’s working on fixin’ that imbalance right now.”

“It isn’t just about how many foals are earth ponies.” Rarity stabs another pin into Pinkie Pie’s dress, stamping over to the other side. “It’s about what sort of vision we have for the herd. I’ve always dreamed of expanding my store to Canterlot, or Manehatten. And with the number of foals we’ve had, it’s been very difficult to scrounge the funds for any such expansion.” She continues as Applejack opens her mouth to object, “And that would have happened regardless of how many are earth ponies.”

“Well,” Applejack says, chewing over her words, “let it never be said that Ah don’t consider everypony’s opinion. Or position.” She can’t help but continue to stare at Rarity who, along with Doug and herself, run the herd’s finances. “Maybe we can find some way to accommodate that.” Her eyes narrow. “You don’t think it’d be different under Twilight, do ya?”

“I do believe you are the one who started this discussion,” Rarity says, moving on to Pinkie Pie’s hat, holding up several different floral patterns. When Pinkie Pie holds up a couple of sweets and an ice cream cone she merely rolls her eyes. “I can’t put an actual cone on your head, Pinkie Pie.”

“Aww,” Pinkie Pie moans, huffing in disappointment. “But where else am I going to keep it?”

“I’ll make you one out of fabric, and you’ll have to resign yourself to eating at the buffet.” Rarity levitates over a bit of pink fabric, then deciding on a hoofful of sweets to pin in place.

Applejack glances to Pinkie Pie; though her smile remains, it seems to have lost a little bit of its natural cheer. “What do you think, Pinkie?”

“Weeell,” Pinkie Pie says, awkwardly shifting back and forth as much as her constrained position allows.

“Come on, Pinkie Pie,” Applejack groans out, pulling her hat to cover her head. “Not you, too.”

“It’s just that, I think Twilight’s going to have a lot of pressure on her from ponies outside the herd, and while she may not consciously consider their opinions very important she’s going to have a lot of ponies watching her and talking about her and it’s not really something that she’s used to; in fact, I’d probably say it’s something she avoids - mostly because of how much she likes to lock herself in the library and really only interacts with us - I mean, whenever something happens, it always seems like it’s the six of us - including Trixie, sometimes - that she gets stuff done with - - I mean, not really consciously avoids, but she definitely has a preference, and so she might ask you for the title of lead mare but she won’t really be desiring it herself, but because she thinks that other ponies expect her to desire it.”

Everypony mostly stares at Pinkie Pie.

Rainbow Dash waves a hoof up and down for a few seconds before saying, “I think what Pinkie Pie is trying to say, is that we don’t really care who runs this herd. We’re all here for each other, through thick and thin, and who runs these meetings really doesn’t matter.”

“That’s… not really my point, but I guess it’s still true.” Pinkie Pie turns to Applejack. “I think what we need, is a change in perspective.”

“A what now?” Applejack says, confused.

Pinkie Pie smiles, and that smile brightens up the entire room. Like Celestia herself raised a sun, just for them, in the compartment of the train car.

“There,” Pinkie Pie says, in such a calm and matter-of-fact manner that nopony else could say anything. As if that simple act proved everything.

And, maybe, it did.

Everypony smiles; not forced, like someunicorn cast a mix of spells that made them her slaves. But optimistic about the future, no matter what it holds. Like somepony said, ‘Everything is going to be just fine’ and meant it.

“Alright then,” Applejack concedes, taking a moment to steel herself. “Ah know being lead mare means a lot to me. It ain’t something that Ah want to give up; hay, ‘fore Twilight came along Ah didn’t think Ah’d ever give it up. But it don’t mean more to me than my Friends. If Twilight thinks it’s that important that she be lead mare, on account of bein’ an alicorn and a Princess and because that’s what those ‘other’ ponies want? Ah’ll go tell her to shove that horn of hers so far up her plot it’ll pierce her wings.”

Rainbow Dash cringes; Trixie looks mildly turned on.

“But Ah’ve seen her planning, and how me-tic-u-lous she is about everythin’. If’n she wants it because she can run a meeting better’n me?” Applejack chuckles. “She’s probably got a checklist for how the changing of the crown goes.”

“Thank you for your honesty,” Rarity says with a smile. “And speaking of crowns changing, what about the other two Princesses, should they ask to join?”

Applejack shrugs. “We already got one Princess in the herd. Other’n makin’ Twilight nervous whenever her night with Doug lines up with Celestia? Ah don’t see a problem. ‘Sides, they’ll probably be too busy running the country to do much of anything.” She glances around. “Anypony else have an objection to the Princesses joining?”

The thought of denying the Princesses anything, much less something as important to them as this, is more than anypony can bear. Leave it to Doug to do that.

“Yeah, Ah assumed it’s pretty much a done deal.” Applejack glances to Rainbow Dash.

“Ugh, that means I’ll be spending even fewer nights with Doug.” Rainbow pouts, scratching a hoof along the floor.

“Don’t be silly, Rainbow.” Pinkie Pie grins as Rarity finishes her hat, the blue and white chapeau looking almost as delicious as the melting ice cream cone in her hoof. “You see Doug in the middle of the day more than any of us.”

“Hey! That’s not…” Rainbow Dash frowns. “Okay, fine.” She glances over to the other car. “I think they’re done now. I’m going to just go over there and… check.” She looks back at Applejack. “Did we want her to come back here?”

“Nah, Ah think we’re good.” A round of sleepy nods finishes with most of the ponies, outside of Rarity, laying down.

“Okay. Um, don’t expect me to come back. Tonight.” Rainbow Dash winks as she quickly opens the door, zipping to the other car.

27 The Scavenger

February 24th, 1001 Domina Solaria

“Ah can’t believe you’re having a colt!” Applejack happily exclaims to Rainbow Dash as the herd disembarks at the Lower Canterlot station at the base of the Canterhorn. Each of the other members also offer Rainbow Dash their congratulations, exchanging a nuzzle or hug as they unload their gear. “Somehow, Ah just knew something like that’d happen if’n you spent the night with Doug.” She shakes her head, though the broad smile on her muzzle doesn’t fade.

“Heh,” Rainbow Dash admits, a bit of a glow to her grin as she rubs her belly. “Yeah. Me too. Don’t regret a thing, though.” She smirks to herself, “Part of me is just glad I won’t have to suffer through my heat at the coronation. I mean, all eyes are going to be on Twilight and all, but still.” She flutters her wings, placing a hoof on her chest as she proudly states, “I want ponies to watch me for my awesomeness!”

The area is lit well enough by both torch and moon, though it doesn’t compare to the bright glow of the capital city above. Many of the other passengers are likewise unloading their belongings, the cargo train engine unable to make the exhausting climb to Canterlot proper. Rarity’s sewing tools find their way into some of the secured storage built into the warehouses made up of the old crystal caves. The rest of their belongings - primarily dresses - are taken to the pegasi chariots Celestia sent down.

Twilight gazes up at the lights above. Still too early for the Princesses to be up and about; they had teleported back to Canterlot after talking with Doug and congratulating her again. Celestia is likely asleep, or at the very least resting? There’s no way Twilight could see herself sleeping at a time like this, of course; maybe Celestia is the same. Another part of her wants to test her limits, to see if she could pinpoint teleport not only herself the entire way up (which she might have been able to do as a unicorn, with only somewhat spectacular scenarios if she failed) but how many of her Friends she could bring along for the ride.

Lavender wings stretch out, almost as a reminder that she has them. She half-grins to herself. Maybe she should follow a bit of Rainbow Dash’s advice and put her wings to use whenever she can. Otherwise, how is she going to get better at using them? Maybe she won’t get to the point of her cerulean friend, flying everywhere instead of walking, but for a long haul like this? Twilight’s lucky Rainbow Dash didn’t insist she fly the hours from Ponyville to Canterlot instead of taking the train.

Twilight takes to the air, giving her wings a bit of a warmup as the herd gets ready. She frowns, but not at the ponies orderly lining up and waiting for one of the climbers to bring them to the capital. Starlight and the foals are joining them, as they wouldn’t be on stage for the coronation ceremony itself, instead given VIP seating up front in the audience. Only Scootaloo seems eager to repeat getting on stage at Tarrapalooza, though Sweetie Belle likely wouldn’t protest too much.

No; what caught her eye is the dozens of cats milling around. They’re a motley collection of browns, black and white fur, splayed out with their meager belongings. Which mostly seems to consist of pieces of paper they are waving at each other and anypony who chances a glance towards them. Two massive creatures - bulky gray bodies with beady teal eyes and white manes - also sit nearby. None of the three groups are interacting with each other, instead keeping a wary distance. Also, neither of the latter groups are lining up to go to Canterlot, instead waiting for a train to come from the south.

Twilight flies down to the closer pair of pegasus guards assigned to take their chariots directly to the coronation platform. The closer guard’s eyes snap to Twilight’s, but her hooves rest on the ground. Twilight inwardly groans; she doesn’t know the right protocol for saluting a uniformed guard! She knew she missed something! But she only had a couple hours to study, and didn’t think this would be coming up so quickly! Maybe she should just teleport to the top, but then she’ll meet even more guards up there! And it’ll be even more public, and-”

“Princess?” the guard hesitantly offers, motioning to the seat behind her. “If you’d like, you can board now. We’ll be taking off shortly.”

“Oh, it’s not that,” Twilight says, inwardly relieved that she can actually talk to these guards, and they aren’t ordered to just stand like statues and pretend not to notice Rainbow Dash’s antics. “I was planning on flying up.” She stretches her wings, cringing a little at their soreness. Already?

The guard shrugs, but Twilight can spot that relieved sigh. She wouldn’t want to carry an extra couple hundred pounds either. It hasn’t been that long, but Twilight knows she’s not only taller but bulkier, the earth pony magic coursing through her already strengthening her muscles and solidifying her build.

“I guess, what I wanted to ask you, is: who are they?” Twilight points a hoof at the cat people.

“Them?” the guard all but scoffs, and if it was Applejack she would have been spitting at the ground in disgust. “They’re refugees.” At Twilight’s continued gaze she explains, “From Abyssinia.”

“I heard something about that,” Twilight says, hoof scraping her chin as she tries to dredge up recent events. “Didn’t the Storm King invade or something?”

The guard smirks in a most un-guardlike fashion, though it doesn’t last long. “That he did. Abyssinia had a bit of a slavery problem. They contravened the Council of Creature’s commands to cease. These are the dregs that would have been executed had they remained; in her wisdom, Celestia offered them asylum.”

“That’s… that’s horrible,” Twilight says, gawking at the guards.

“Yup,” nods the guard. “Lucky for them, Celestia found them a place to resettle. Halfway between Dodge City and the Badlands.”

Twilight’s mind whirs. She frowns. “But... that’s Diamond Dog territory.”

The second guard finally speaks, elbowing the first in the ribs playfully. “Oh? What a terrible oversight. Someone should warn the Princess.” He then goes back to relaxing in his harness, doing nothing.

Twilight huffs. “This is serious! Diamond Dogs and Cats do not get along! At best, if Celestia herself petitioned the Diamond Dog bosses, they might be allowed to toil in the mines, a fate only slightly worse than death!”

The guard stares at Twilight impassively, unmoved by her plea. “You do realize that these are the former slavers and-” he and his partner spit on the ground simultaneously “-lawyers, right?”

“Oh.” Twilight’s eyes narrow. “I see.” She brushes a bit of dust off a hoof. “When do the chariots leave?”

“Whenever you are ready, ma’am,” the female guard stretches her wings, the rest of the herd waiting patiently to take off.

“Good. I’ll try to keep pace, but don’t worry about leaving me behind.” Twilight takes to the air, not sparing a second glance at the ground.

The flight is considerably more exciting than she anticipated. It turns out to be a great thing that both Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy are flying close to her. And there isn’t anything to crash into except a great big mountain. Which, she is proud to say, she only failed to miss twice! Even though Rainbow Dash is too busy laughing her flanks off the first time, Fluttershy is there to help. The second time Rainbow Dash is a little more prepared, which means she only falls about a third of the distance before her herdmate catches up to her. Who knew flapping these wings could be so difficult?

About halfway up Twilight considers that maybe she should have warned the Crusaders not to sign a single piece of paper anycreature, including anypony, puts in front of them. But by the time she realizes this, and looks back down, the crowds of ponies have already disappeared.

While she isn’t quite able to keep pace with the guards, Twilight (actually Rainbow Dash, who Twilight is now following) is able to keep them in sight. By the time she catches up they are done unloading and changing into their dresses for the special occasion. Guards line the halls of the landing zone, readying everything for the ceremony about to take place directly after the dawn. Twilight teleports into her dress, saving Rarity the trouble of putting it on her.

Except she teleports it a little too hard, bits and pieces now scorched from the excess magic. Rarity, hearing the sizzling, comes running. The unicorn’s eyes go wide, nearly collapsing into a sobbing heap. “No!” Rarity shouts, hooves holding onto a burnt section. “Where is Luna when you need to wake from a Nightmare?” She slaps herself with a hoof. “Think! All we need to do is hide it. Color spells!”

“Allow me!” Twilight says, charging her horn again.

“No!” Rarity says, reaching up and smacking Twilight in the barrel. Twilight rubs at the spot while Rarity glares. “That horn of yours got us into this mess, and I won’t have it making things worse.” She concentrates, attempting to change the color of each of the blackened sections and making it match, if not the texture, at least the color of the surrounding dress.

“Well,” the unicorn retorts as she makes sure it fits and matches perfectly. Disaster averted. At least this one. Unfortunately, it’s a little tight; did she seriously grow a dress size during the night? “If I knew you were going to do that, I would have saved the trouble of installing these zippers.” Rarity smirks at Twilight’s apologetic gaze. “Oh, think nothing of it, darling. I’m sure it will be fine.” She pulls at the dress, frowning at the seams. “And maybe I’ll need to build in a little extra give, hmm? At least until you stop growing.” She shakes her head, “It’s like I’m fitting Sweetie Belle after she got her cutie mark.”

“Yeah,” Twilight says, glad to get away from the mare who practically brainwashed herself into not getting too upset at her near snafu. She glances at one of the nearby stained windows. It depicts a lavender alicorn, Element of Magic crown on her head, striking a gallant pose against a horizon as seen from Canterlot. When in the hay did the Princesses have time to set this up? She just got her wings this night!

“Do you like it?” Celestia asks from Twilight’s side. The white alicorn smiles softly at her former student, though she can’t quite bring herself to think of Twilight as her mentor. Even if that will be her new role. “I wasn’t sure what to do in the background, and I thought it a little poor in taste to depict Nightmare Moon.” She motions to the bottom, where the other five Element Bearers are there in all their glory.

“I do like it, it just seems a little…” Twilight searches for a nicer word, drawing a blank. “Bland.”

Celestia’s smile purses, nodding slightly. “I never know whether I should hope for exciting times. I’m afraid by my age, I’ve seen and done so many things that I start to live vicariously through my little ponies.” Celestia offers a warm smile, and a comforting hoof through Twilight’s mane. “I’m sure you’ll have many other fantastic adventures.” She pokes a hoof at Twilight’s belly. “Perhaps some we can even share.”

“Celestia!” Twilight exclaims, caught off guard by the Princess’ forwardness. She glances around, but the guards are pointedly staring at anything besides them. “That’s… this hardly seems like the place to discuss that!”

“Mm,” Celestia says, though Twilight notices as Celestia’s eyes shine white. She gasps as her eyes trace over the Element Bearers. “You didn’t warn me about Rainbow Dash!?”

“Um… should I?” asks Twilight quizzically staring up at the white alicorn who looks ready to burst with rage. “Sorry?”

“It is not me who you should be apologizing to,” Celestia says with a grimace. She points a hoof at Shining Armor and Princess Cadance, both at the far end of the hall and making small talk with the Bearers. She opens her mouth to say something, then immediately clamps it shut.

Raven Inkwell walks down the hall, her brown bun done in a tight knot, checklists levitating in the air. “Done… done… done…” she mutters to herself, nearly walking past the two alicorns standing in the doorway. She glances up at them, then back at her checklists. “Princess… Princess… Now we just need Luna, and in-” she checks a watch “-two minutes we’ll be ready to go.”

“No dress rehearsal?” Twilight asks, fearfully looking out the window.

“I’ve never needed one in the past, I’m afraid.” Celestia frowns. But her smile immediately returns, gently tapping Twilight on the back. “I’m sure everything will be just fine.”

“That’s where I learned it from!” Twilight exclaims. Or did Celestia learn it from her? Regardless, Celestia takes her leave, the sun and moon soon swapping places. Everypony lines up, the coronation ceremony of the Princess of Friendship going off. Hopefully, without a hitch.

28 The Deceiver

In front of Canterlot Castle gathers hundreds, if not thousands, of ponies. Drawn from every city and town in half a night’s distance, and several others from further away who had the bits to spare on a relay of pegasi chariots, the motley crowd eagerly anticipates the dawn. Ponyvillians are especially prevalent, as well as Manehattenites and Baltimares. Newscolts hawk their papers - some still dripping they are so hot off the presses - telling of the surprise announcement of the coronation of a new Princess of Equestria: The Princess of Friendship, Twilight Sparkle.

The excited chatter grows, soon becoming a dull roar as more and more arrivals fill the square, spilling out into the adjoining streets. A dull pink mare leads a pack of seven fillies and one colt, the foals of Herd Apple winding through the packed ponies to a marked off spot up front. The closest ponies press them for information; the tale of how Twilight Sparkle became an alicorn soon spreads like wildfire.

Through the crowd of ponies strides a pale white unicorn, jostling and bumping her way to the front. Her just-off white color coat isn’t stark enough to make one instantly connect the pony with Princess Celestia - or anypony at all, really - and the ponies who find themselves pushed out of her way barely even spare her a second glance. Even if they did, the pony, with a cutie mark of a butterfly cautiously emerging from a cocoon, looks just like every other wellwisher and tourist come to witness the very first reveal of the supposed Princess of Friendship.

She pauses for a few long seconds at the edge of the crowd, basking in the love radiating from each and every pony. Juicy, and the delectable taste sends tingles down her flanks. It would be even better if she was the object of their foalish infatuations and aspirations, but all good things come to those who plan for the opportune moment.

Chrysalis, Queen of the Changelings, has waited many years for just such an occasion. Her network of infiltrators and integrators has steadily expanded as more and more of her brood whittle their claws inside the great doddering beast that is Equestria. Soon, very soon, her plans will come to fruition, and split open the carcass so that her brood may feast!

She had a hard time believing, at first, that a pony had ascended. It seemed like a trick, or an infiltrator who mistakenly identified a hat as a horn. But when emergency reports began coming in from every major city in Equestria, she had to see for herself. And now, with the celebration going on around her and filling her with more power than she ever dared absorb at once, she knows the time is right.

That it is one close to the Princess of the Sun comes as no surprise. In fact, she is worried that the magical prodigy will serve as part of Equestria’s rapid response team when the threat is levied against Canterlot. But other reports - granted, without a lot of evidence - suggest that the newly minted alicorn has trouble controlling her power. Perhaps not the wisest to go up against in a head-to-head match, but if all she has to worry about is poorly managed brute force? Well, she is prepared to match up against Luna, should the need arise. What’s another?

The murmurs from the crowd cease as Princess Celestia and Princess Luna stand radiant at their customary spots. Gold and cobalt mix as the ponies reverently bow their heads, witnessing yet another lowering of the moon and raising of the sun. Colors shift in the cloudless sky, heralding yet beautiful, perfect day.

Queen Chrysalis isn’t the only pony who continues to stare at the two Princesses, though she is the only one not in awe. Impersonating the newly returned Luna would place her in the perfect position to strike, even as Celestia plays along for the sake of her precious little ponies. But it would be an arduous position to fill; she perhaps could drain enough power to raise the moon, or lower the sun. But the Sun Tyrant only agreed to not impede her. She suspects the Dawn Blazer would not lift a hoof to help her raise the moon, should she struggle. Her disguise would be outed before the ‘night’ is out.

Plus, why expend the effort when a patsy is already in place? Her eyes shift to Solaris Invictus herself. An even more daunting pony to capture and contain, but the idea of wiping that smug smirk off the tyrant’s face, the supposed invincible one unable to lift a hoof to save her ponies? It brings a tear to Chrysalis’ eye, no pony the wiser that it is not Celestia’s raising of the sun that is evoking such a strong reaction.

And it will happen, but not by impersonating her. Not worth the effort when the great foal is all too willing to play along with Chrysalis’ contest, so long as none of her precious ponies are injured too grievously. Not that she wants to injure such an appetizing source, but if examples must be made, then she will show no mercy. The power she could gain from usurping Celestia - even for a single day - would feed her hive for weeks, if not months. Even in spite of their steadily increasing numbers.

With the two heaviest contenders out of contention, Chrysalis’ mind wanders among the other ponies she could impersonate, rehashing the arguments she already made before her hive. It would need to be somepony in the public eye, in order for her to get enough of a power boost for the coming invasion to deal with the various eventualities and contingencies. She spots Prince Lunaris Blueblood, standing high from his perch on his namesake airship. Okay, somepony loved, though she might have to settle for liked should her initial plan not work out.

Twilight Sparkle would be tantalizing, to say the least. But even with her meteoric rise to fame, she doubts she can pull a full about face from the alicorn’s natural reclusiveness. Her herd might immediately suspect, and her knowledge of the internal dynamics of the Apple herd is frustratingly thin. The rest of the Element Bearers are out for the same reason, as is their stallion. He’s sworn neutral in this game of hers, and the chosen arbiter should a dispute come between her and Celestia. She steals a glance at the eight foals of their herd, mouth curling to a wicked smirk. So many contingencies, in case he doesn’t… cooperate.

With all the talk of love in the air, though? The other reason the timing for Twilight’s ascension is so fortuitous. Rumor even has it that both Diarchs are considering joining Doug’s herd, though the ‘Ravens’ have gathered an uncharacteristically low amount of intel in that area. The pony Princesses keeping their desires this close to their chest merely highlights how afraid they are of her taking advantage of their distraction. Well, it’ll merely be their untimely demise. Though, if it works, then there will be even more of the beings for her to subjugate and slake her lust for power.

Speaking of Love in the air… Chrysalis’ mind turns to the Princess of Love, Mi Amore Cadenza, and her supposed Consort-to-be, Shining Armor. She nods to herself, soaking up more and more of the love directed at the two alicorns above. She has only gotten a single hint of the dark experiment the alicorns are planning, but it fit perfectly into their sudden and brash change of stance. After all, even she thought Celestia celibate, having abandoned her attempts many years ago, given the time since her last consort.

The pink alicorn is practically perfect as a choice. While she interacts and is acquainted with almost all of the royalty and even commoners of Canterlot, there are few that would qualify as ‘close’ friends. The other Princesses, of course, and Shining Armor. But outside of his immediate family, both of whom are busy with their own jobs? She’d be able to skate by, only going to a few functions to be showered with love, while working on Shining Armor by night. Bending him to her will.

The hive had agreed, as they always did with her plans, back when she was discussing this with them. Having run through her options again, and seeing no reason to deviate? Chrysalis smiles, readying herself.

Then, with a simple smile and wave of a hoof, the two Princesses high above disappear yet again.

With a shake of her bluegreen tail she breaks away from the crowd, walking purposefully towards a concealed entrance. Nopony challenges her, as all eyes are on the balcony and waiting for the coming reveal.

She shuts the door behind her with a harsh green glow, then looks around. Two pegasus guards are apprehensively staring at her and watching the proceedings through the one-way transparent door. The unicorn twists her hoof as it raises to her chin, pausing as if in thought.

“Charily!” one of the guards quietly says, hesitantly stepping forward. “You’re here!”

The other guard briefly twists her head, a sideways glance at her partner. Sensing nothing amiss, she turns back to watching the crowd. Whatever reason one of the civilian consultants is needed, she only hopes it doesn’t come back to her.

“Simple Eye,” ‘Charily’ returns, smiling. “Watch duty again?” She glances upstairs. “I thought you’d be… higher.”

“Captain Armor, um, rearranged the shifts. Do you need to meet him?” Simple Eye limply motions forward, her eyes flicking to the other guard.

“I think that would be best,” ‘Charily’ says as she accepts the escort, the two walking towards one of the many staircases.

From outside comes thunderous applause. Chrysalis morphs as she enters the staircase, now two nearly identical guardsmares patrolling the corridor. The cheering and hoof stomps quiet down as the high, loud voice of an alicorn booms out. Not Celestia or Luna’s Royal Canterlot, so it must be the new Princess of Friendship.

“Wow,” Simple Eye breathes out, poking her armored head out the window and staring, transfixed, at the Princess of Friendship. “That’s incredible, don’t you think?”

“What?” snaps Chrysalis, annoyed at her changeling’s delay.

“That somepony, just a common unicorn, could ascend and become a Princess.” Simple Eye shyly shakes her head, returning to the long route to take them to the top of the castle. “I don’t know if I could perform like that.”

“We all do as we are called.” Chrysalis states it like an axiom. “And, my little Eye, I hope you have made good use of yours.”

“Of course, your ma-”

Simple Eye chokes herself off as Chrysalis whirls, the glare silencing her.

“Sorry, um…” she fishes around, pulling out a few long lists. “I made as many notes as I could. Sorry there aren’t more.”

Chrysalis holds the papers with a wing, skimming through the habits and phrases Queen Cadance used. No, Princess Cadance. She’ll need to get used to being called that. Should insist on everypony calling her that, just to be sure she doesn’t slip up. Not that many ponies know of Queen Chrysalis, or her failed invasion of the pony lands to the south. But the less chances they have of messing up, the better. The papers get eaten as soon as she finishes, one less piece of evidence to leave around.

They come to the cantina, the closest room that the Princesses generally dine in. The two guards outside, tired from the long night, salute before making their way out, glad to get their relief a few minutes early. Queen Chrysalis steels herself, forcing herself to stand upright and not glare too harshly.

She doesn’t have to wait long. The six mares of the herd and Doug boisterously make their way inside. Then comes Twilight Sparkle, Celestia, Luna, Cadance, Shining Armor, and two others she places as Night Light and Twilight Velvet. None of whom she would want to slip up around, and they would easily overpower her if they noticed. Not that she couldn’t escape in time, but she would have a harder time infiltrating later.

Two guards follow behind at a respectful distance; when they get close, they look Chrysalis and Simple Eye in the eyes. The two changelings salute, though only Simple Eye returns the way she came. Chrysalis instead heads to the kitchen, and as soon as she is out of sight she morphs back into her unicorn form, now clad in the formal garb of a server. She grabs the plates upon plates of pancakes in her green aura, the overworked chefs barely noticing except to give her an appreciative nod.

29 The Feast

“No, Twilight,” Rainbow Dash says exasperatedly, holding a fork in one wing and butter knife in the other. “You have to keep your focus on where you’re cutting, not on your wings. ‘Eye on the prize’!” She demonstrates on her third helping of pancakes, the blueberry and whipped cream smiles disappearing into her ravenous maw.

“It’s hard!” Twilight Sparkle shouts, fumbling with her own knife. Her horn lights, only for Rainbow Dash to clobber it with a hoof. Twilight Sparkle winces, the dull knife clattering to the floor as hooves hastily slide away. “Ow!”

“No magic!” Rainbow Dash bends down and picks up the knife with a hoof. She flicks a napkin across the dull blade, then offers it back. “If Scootaloo can get the hang of this, then you can put those oversized monsters to work! You got this!”

“Okay, okay! Just let me go at my own pace!” Twilight Sparkle carefully takes the knife from Rainbow and delicately places the edge on her half-eaten stack of pancakes. By the time she is done with her cut Rainbow Dash is already finished with her plate and waving at their server. The white unicorn - who seems like the only member of the kitchen staff not flustered with the dozen or so extra ponies having a rollicking good time - replaces Rainbow’s empty plate with a bowl of apples, oranges, and pears before returning to the kitchen. Must be their infectious good attitude or something.

Well, except for Cadance.

“Twilight!” the pink alicorn exclaims for perhaps the third time in as many minutes.

Cadance takes the cake, if Celestia hadn’t called dibs already.

Twilight Sparkle grins, her utensils forgotten as she spins around to face her old foalsitter. They both chant, louder than the previous two times and their hoof movements exaggerated to the point of silliness, “Sunshine, Sunshine, Ladybugs Awake! Clap your Hooves and Do a little Shake!”

They end up with their rumps firmly pressed against each other, rubbing with salacious grins on their muzzles. “You know,” Twilight Sparkle says with a twinkle in her eye, “you don’t have to do that every time we go without seeing each other for thirty seconds.”

“You’re right.” Cadance sighs, so dejectedly that Twilight Sparkle almost recants her remarks. Then she smirks. “We don’t have to. We getto.”

Rainbow Dash gags, bringing her hoof to her mouth for emphasis.

“I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of it,” Twilight Sparkle admits, nuzzling the Princess of Love and pointedly ignoring Rainbow.

“Me, neither,” Cadance agrees. She rubs shoulders with the lavender alicorn as Twilight Sparkle returns to her seat, twisting her head and practically shoving herself in between Twilight Sparkle and the table. Light purple eyes stare up into Twilight Sparkle’s, a disappointed frown on her muzzle.

“I can’t believe you didn’t wait for me!” A pink hoof pokes Twilight Sparkle in the barrel, Cadance sniffling pitifully. “Or Celestia! That’s twice we didn’t get to watch!”

“I told you I’d show you what I learned,” Twilight Sparkle replies for perhaps the third time, “but it’s going to have to wait until after we’re done eating.” She growls at her fork as it slips, picking it back up with a wing. “And it’s not like I can tell them when or where they’re going to, you know. Get busy.”

“And we had no idea you were learning so much!” exclaims Twilight Velvet, grinning happily as she starts on her second plate. “Our precious little filly, all grown up! I can’t believe you’re planning on starting a family so quickly!”

“Well, from what Celestia tells me,” Twilight Sparkle says, nodding towards the white alicorn who returns a pleasant smile from her conversation with Doug and Luna, “my growth as an alicorn shouldn't be inhibited by getting pregnant. And, if I go into heat first and it takes, it’ll be a huge relief for Celestia and Luna. There’s still a bit of a question as to whether or not it will work with them. And, along with that, whether they should join the herd before or after they make the attempt.”

The pink alicorn whines from underneath Twilight Sparkle, desperately nuzzling into the side of her neck.

“Yes, Cadance, I can tell your heat started,” Twilight Sparkle growls through clenched teeth. “You don’t need to keep reminding me! Or Shining Armor! Or, worse, Doug! You don’t know that he won’t take you up on one of your countless offers!”

“Please, Sparkle, give us stallions a little credit.” Night Light smirks as he loads his pancakes up with extra butter. Twilight Sparkle’s sire glances to her dam, exchanging knowing looks.

“Puh-lease, Doug’s just lucky we’re not all pouncing on him the same night. Not that he’d say ‘no’, but he might have trouble walking afterwards.” Twilight Sparkle sighs, poking at her food with a fork while trying not to stare at her mentor making goo-goo eyes at her stallion. “I still can’t believe that Princess Celestia, the Princess herself, is going to try to have a foal. With my stallion! And she wants me to watch!”

“It’s okay,” Cadance replies reassuringly, “the reality of it all will hit you soon enough, and you’ll freak out or something like you’re about to fail a test or something.”

“Hey!” Twilight Sparkle exclaims, glaring at Cadance. “Tests are serious business!”

“And then,” Cadance continues, ignoring Twilight Sparkle’s glare, “once you realize that everything is fine, things will go back to normal.” She raises a hoof, gently stroking Twilight Sparkle’s barrel. “She wants you to watch so you can have the timing down if you need to perform the spell.” Cadance twists the rest of her body, back now fully against the floor, her legs kicking at the air. “You never know when me and Shiny’ll want to have a second one!” Her eyes light up. “Ooh! Or, if it turns out you're better at the spell than Celestia? You could be the one to help us!”

“Okay, I’ve officially replaced my ‘worst nightmare fantasy’ with having to watch your belly after my brother has done… what stallions do to their mares.” Twilight Sparkle sticks her tongue out at her old foalsitter before filling her mouth with another too-large bite of pancake. She really needs to focus on her wings more when she does this. Except her mouth manages the heavy load with aplomb, her increased size surprising her yet again. She can’t wait until she isn’t stumbling over her own hooves any more. Maybe she can just teleport everywhere until that happens?

“Well, it’ll need to wait until we know the spell works, and after we’re married.” Cadance’s eyes light up. “We need to plan a wedding!” She rolls over, turning to Velvet and Night Light, her smile a cross between ecstatic and apologetic. “Now, I know this is a little sudden, and unexpected.”

Night Light rolls his eyes as Velvet fondly smile. “Please. You two are about as subtle as Twilight practicing her sonic spells.”

“Hey! Just because I wasn’t able to replicate multiple instruments playing simultaneously doesn’t mean that it’s impossible! Getting the harmonics right is really hard!” Twilight Sparkle crossly folds a foreleg in front of her barrel. “And, I was five!”

“And that you wanted to experiment with them at five in the morning didn’t make that cacophony any more palatable!” Night Light groans, rubbing his ear.

Twilight Sparkle gasps, looking offended. “You said you loved how I sounded!”

“Of course I did!” Night Light scoffs, “What, did you want me to tell my filly, my very impressionable little filly, that she was wasting her time on a path that others had trod for years to no avail? Of course not! You learned that lesson all on your own, especially after I got that book on coherent frequencies and their relationship to spellcrafting.”

“That’s why you got me that book? You said it was way above my level!”

“Well, that’s before I realized what levels you were capable of performing at!” Night Light shakes his head, then sighs as he realizes the rest of the table has gone quiet and is mostly just watching him. “Well, you’ll get to learn all about that soon enough, I guess. And, with any luck, you’ll be just as afraid of disappointing them as I was afraid of disappointing you.” He smiles fondly at his little filly, all grown up.

“I was never disappointed,” Twilight Sparkle says softly. “I mean, maybe you could have let up every now and then, but…”

“Oh, no, I don’t think I could have done that." Night Light shakes his head, Velvet joining him. "If we hadn’t helped push you to your full potential? Who knows! I might not be celebrating my little princess actually becoming a Princess!”

“And speaking of little Princesses,” Cadance says with a big smile, eagerly awaiting Velvet’s response.

“Of course you can marry our Shiny,” Velvet says with an equally broad smile, nuzzling Cadance. Off to the side, Night Light wipes a tear from his eye.

“Oh, thank you so much!” Cadance exclaims, prancing back to Twilight Sparkle.

She pulls out a bright pink book from somewhere - maybe hidden under her wing the entire time? - and plops it down on the table with a loud *boom*. Glassware, plates and silverware clatter as they bounce into the air. Cadance opens the book, pointing to the first image: a haphazard crayon drawing of a pink alicorn - horn added almost as an afterthought - and a faceless white unicorn with a flowing blue mane and tail. “Now, this may come as no surprise, but I’ve been preparing for this eventuality.”

Twilight Sparkle stares at the adorable drawing, unable to suppress her smirk. “I didn’t realize you met Shining Armor when you were a filly!”

“I, um,” Cadance mumbles, hastily turning to the next page. “I didn’t. I’ve spent years on this book, ever since I met Shiny, detailing exactly how I wanted my wedding to go. And,” she flips through one, two, then twenty pages, barely making a dent in the massive tome, “I even have a spot for how I want your herd to help out!”

“You should add in there that I can perform a Sonic Rainboom!” Rainbow Dash says, polishing off her sixth plate and looking around for their server, growing a little impatient before she grabs at an unattended pineapple.

“Already done!” Cadance flourishes the book in Rainbow’s direction, a beautiful rainbow trailing a cerulean pegasus atop a rough Canterlot Castle garden. She places the book back on the table, tracing a hoof along the edge. “I’ve made so many revisions to this. Some choices I’ve gone back and forth on over and over, and I still don’t know if it’s the right call!”

“Can I see that?” Rarity says as she swaps sides on the table, joining Twilight Sparkle in paging through all the aspects of the wedding. She smiles knowingly, pointing at a section with at least a dozen instructions for how the petals are to be thrown from the baskets by the flowerfillies. “You really went into detail here, didn’t you?”

“You can never be too sure!” Cadance smiles, glancing towards the bathroom door. “Please excuse me, I’ll let you two flip through that. I’ll be right back.”

“I’ll be waiting!” Twilight Sparkle grins, then returns to the book.

A few minutes later and the pink alicorn returns, strutting back to the table. She scans around the room, a questioning look at Twilight Sparkle as the lavender alicorn practically leaps away from the table.

“Sunshine, Sunshine-” Twilight starts, though she stops at Cadance’s perplexed gaze. “Cadance? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” the pink alicorn hotly says, though her mouth briefly forms a smile. Her voice shakes with worry as she finds Shining Armor. “Shiny?”

“Yeah, Cady?” Shining Armor says, pulling himself away from the three way applesauce eating match going on between himself, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack. He frowns at her pained expression. “Something wrong?”

Cadance pulls out a sealed letter, a brief glance at Doug. “It’s-”

The doors to the cantina burst open, a blue maned pegasus guard flying like death itself is chasing him. “Celestia!” He spots the rest of the ponies eating, though his orange face can hardly get any more ashen. “Princesses! I come bearing terrible news!”

“What is it, Flash Sentry?” Celestia demands, standing up. Her body ripples with power as she casts a long glance at Cadance. Everypony else focuses on Flash Sentry as he tries to catch his breath.

“A threat has been made against Equestria!” Flash Sentry says, then pauses to catch his breath.

“A threat?” nearly everypony in the room says, either to themselves or the ponies closest to them. Celestia stands tall, Luna joining her.

“It’s,” Flash stammers, as if having difficulty believing the truth himself. “The Crystal Empire! It’s returned!”

30 The Doppleganger

Moments before

Princess Cadance hums a little lullaby to herself as she enters the cantina’s bathroom. Designed for visiting dignitaries who might sup with the Princesses, it has facilities for nearly any creature, along with multiple sinks and mirrors. She quickly checks her image in one of the silvered surfaces, smiling at the engraved lunar images around the edges. It looks like rolling around on the floor, and bumping rumps with Twilight Sparkle, has taken its toll. Just a few quick passes with her magic restores her mane to perfection, her coat no longer mussed in places.

The door opens, their white unicorn server swiftly entering. Cadance offers her a warm smile as she flips a wayward strand back into her tail. It is a rare occurrence for her to not immediately recognize somepony, especially somepony who works in the castle.

“Good morning,” Cadance says merrily. “I don’t know if we’ve met before. My official-” she says the word with quite a bit of self-deprecation ”-title is Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, but you can call me Cadance! What’s your name?”

“Oh?” the unicorn replies saucily, Cadance raising an eyebrow. “I think Princess will have to do. For now.”

Cadance had been in the middle of a turn towards one of the stalls, but stops herself abruptly as the unicorn’s horn flares a bright green. A dull translucent bubble surrounds the two of them, and the way her horn continues surging suggests a power she has only seen before in Twilight Sparkle (though outclassed by Celestia and possibly Luna). A hasty scan shows a block against vibration and possibly more, but she doesn’t have the time for a detailed analysis. Not when her life is at stake!

Why the Council of Creatures thought sending an assassin was the correct course of action is beyond her. Of course they hadn’t been happy when the second alicorn, herself, appeared in Equestria. Luna’s return, because they didn’t realize she would return, had sent ripples like earthquakes through Equestria’s already tenuous alliances with the surrounding countries. Some countries, their closest allies, could overlook the fact that a single being controlled so much power. But with four of them? And the possibility- no, their declared intention that they would breed more?

Any country that hoped to keep their tenuous-at-best grasp on being an international contender would have to take immediate action or risk being, not destroyed, but outgrown. After all, a tree does not need to poison its competitors to steal all the sunlight, merely grow taller. Or faster, should some disaster befall everypony.

And considering the effects Nightmare Moon had, even briefly, on the day-night cycle? That alone was enough of a reminder that perhaps the alicorns, while immensely powerful, are not as infallible as Celestia might occasionally appear. Granted, she had the power to fly higher than just about any other creature, and focus the Might of the Sun. A day would be all it took before an entire city would become a desiccated husk. Not that she would ever, in a thousand years, do such a thing. But, as her ‘rivals’ are quick to point out, thousand-year storms do occur. And with a being as old as Celestia? They certainly imply she’s well overdue for one.

Other countries, which is to say the majority of the rest, blame Celestia and by extension Equestria for every natural disaster and crop shortage that they can, no matter how insubstantial the connection. Equestria’s coffers found themselves lighter. But not as much as her opponents might have liked, as the concessions demanded for Equestria's ‘aid packages’ often include trade agreements beneficial to her little ponies.

But that is all irrelevant to the immediate situation of a pony who just cut off Cadance’s easiest method of summoning reinforcements. Did the unicorn not think she could have finished Cadance off in a single blow? Perhaps she isn’t giving herself enough credit.

“Silence?” Cadance asks guardedly after the long pause. It’s possible the unicorn is bluffing, but she doesn’t want to take that chance. Not when their ultimate intentions are still unknown, and if she gets away she would like more to go on than a random unicorn hired to make an attempt on a Royal.

And then the unicorn in front of her transforms, and any worries Cadance has of being made an example of disappear, relief washing over her like a cleansing flood. A black, chitinous creature taller than herself, strands of medium blue hair around a long, jagged horn. Wings, the same blue as her hair, cover a bright green plate on her back. And her eyes, a green darker than the harsh green of her aura, bore menacingly into her.

“Yes,” comes Queen Chrysalis’ neutral reply. “Also, a teleportation inhibitor, if you couldn’t tell.”

Cadance ignores the barb, nodding slowly. “I suppose you have decided to start, then.”

"Ah, I suspected somepony was scrying on us, when Celestia came.” Queen Chrysalis purrs as she stalks around Cadance, the alicorn turning to follow her every move. “I'm glad to see you and Celestia kept your word. And it would behoove you to go willingly, Cadance. Maybe if you do I'll leave your precious Shiny's love for you alone; well, after I'm done with him, of course. I would hate for you to call off the wedding and break up with him in some sort of overly dramatic fashion."

Cadance can’t help but glare at the parasite. The changeling queen has absorbed a copious amount of love, and she puts her odds of winning a confrontation at about twenty percent. Well, winning defined as breaking free of the cage Chrysalis has trapped her in and getting word to the others. No, that isn't how she should think about it; Chrysalis hasn’t trapped Cadance in a cage with her. She’s trapped herself in a cage with Cadance!

Cadance thunders, "You know, if I stopped you now, your whole plan would be ruined! And you would lose everything you tried to gain!"

"I am aware." Queen Chrysalis idly inspects one of her hooves, disdain plain on her face. Her horn flares again,her power doubling in strength. “Would you like to try?”

Cadance gulps, her chances of winning plummeting to the low single digits. With Chrysalis allowed to use whatever means necessary to subdue the being she decides to impersonate? And she has no doubt the changeling would revel in prolonging her suffering. As much as putting herself at Chrysalis’ yet-to-be-seen mercy galls her, she sees no other possibility. She submissively lays down, bowing her head. All she needs to do is wait out the week, and she will be united with her Shiny once again! Hopefully not as the Queen's subjects.

“Mm,” Queen Chrysalis moans euphorically as she absorbs that love, leaving Cadance shuddering. “Delicious.” A hoof comes up, lightly tugging on Cadance’s head and getting the alicorn to peer up into those green orbs. “Maybe I should sample a little of ‘Shiny’ now.”

The changeling transforms again, now two alicorns gazing into each other’s eyes. The one standing wriggles her hips seductively. “Do you think he prefers the standard position?”

Cadance can’t help but snort her nostrils in rage at the thought of this herdwrecker coming between herself and Shining Armor! She almost pushes herself up, just to be roughly shoved back into the floor. She sobs, unable to best the hoof holding her down.

“Oh?” Queen Chrysalis demands, watching the alicorn under her hoof quiver. Then the voice changes, something akin to softness, a gentleness she has shown many an injured youngling. “Is something wrong?” The pressure lets up, but only to let the changeling drop her head low enough to stare into Cadance’s tear-filled eyes. “Something I should know?” She slides closer, opening her mouth just enough to reveal long white fangs, and basking in the resulting look of horror. Her eyes bore into Cadance’s, sharper than her fangs. "Maybe if you cooperate I might allow him to mount you first on our wedding night. And if you don't, he might never mount a mare at all."

Cadance hangs her head at the thought of her Shiny maimed so, the two of them never able to fulfill that deep desire of theirs. Even the thought of Chrysalis stealing that most precious of moments is nearly too much; Shining Armor might be vigilant in his duties, but even he could get blinded by his hormones. She can’t feel the heat radiating off of the imposter like she can feel her own, but doubts that the changeling isn’t able to duplicate the effect. After all, changelings are fully capable of carrying foals, should they stay transformed long enough and absorb a sufficient amount of love.

“Just know,” she says meekly, no trick in her voice. Perhaps her fiance would have caught on had Chrysalis tried something, but he might be all too willing to go along with her ‘change of heart’. “I have promised Shining Armor to wait until our wedding night. He will immediately suspect if you attempt anything."

Queen Chrysalis nods thoughtfully, stroking her chin with a pink hoof. "Mm, that will make it a little harder, but there are less carnal ways to control a stallion.” She smiles, looking extraordinarily creepy on her own visage. “I will be back to talk later, but I must do this first."

A green bubble surrounds Cadance, the alicorn shuddering at the proximity. It only gets worse as she begins descending through the rock. Most pegasi are at least a little claustrophobic, and she can feel her insides roiling.

“Wait!” she calls, Chrysalis barely turning her head to regard the alicorn. “Can I go to the bathroom first?”

“Mm,” the imposter says, considering. Then her muzzle curls to a wicked smirk. “No.”

And with that and a burst of green light, Cadance finds herself falling. Her wings flap despite her blindness, keeping herself from dropping any further. Eventually her eyes adjust to the dull gleam of a few blue crystals inset into the walls. She had come dangerously close to smashing into the floor of the crystal cavern. Or, perhaps, her crystal prison.

Her horn flares, but weakly, barely able to coax a light out. Chrysalis draining her love has sapped her reserves, but hopefully only temporarily. She should, with any luck, be able to get enough of a charge back for more than simple light spells, but there is no telling how long she has. She immediately sets out to explore the cavern, if only to locate a suitable place to do her business.

Queen Chrysalis grins to herself as she withdraws a letter. Marked with the guard insignia, it contains the second step in her plan. After she notifies the ponies of an ‘impending threat’ to Canterlot, she’ll merely have to spend a week lounging in luxury. It will be so much fun, watching as those silly ponies scurry about at her beck and call. Meanwhile, she’ll be able to get her army into position, and figure out the best way to incapacitate Luna and Sparkle.

The pink alicorn considers her image in the mirror, mussing her hair just the slightest amount. Have to appear a little disheveled about receiving this message, after all. She returns to the cantina, looking for the sap, only for Sparkle to engage her in some ridiculous song and dance. What is she, a foal?

Fortunately, the pathetic ponies’ suspicions are diverted by her worried tone. Shining Armor comes up to her, every bit the knight she was hoping he would be. She can feel the love radiating off of him, and best of all? It’s all directed right at her, which just makes it even more potent and easy to absorb. She voraciously laps it up, feeling herself grow even more powerful! Not enough to go head to head with Celestia, not yet, but if she continues this?

Well, perhaps she can’t go too hard on the stallion, not yet. He winces slightly, a hoof coming up to his head. But he still has that distraught look on his face, not quite demanding but anxious as to what could have caused his precious fiance to worry so.

Everything is going perfectly to plan, nopony the wiser.

Until a pegasus bursts through the door, ruining everything.

What is the ‘Crystal Empire’, anyway? And why is Celestia looking at her like that?

31 Shard of Fate

Celestia and Luna traded worried looks before Celestia flies over, conversing in low tones with Flash Sentry; Shining Armor quickly joins them. Cadance seems confused, limply holding the letter in her wing, trying to follow Celestia’s coded conversation. Twilight Sparkle gulps, scrambling around as if to find some sort of reference book that lets her know what to do in this situation.

“Ah guess Ah have a couple questions,” Applejack says dubiously, reflecting the general mood of all the non-alicorns in the room. “Ah’ve never heard of this here ‘Crystal Empire’. Who, or, er, what exactly, or, where are they? And how in the hay did they make a threat against Equestria?”

Twilight Sparkle steps forward, donning her favorite lecturing hat. “The Crystal Empire is commonly believed to be located almost due north of Canterlot inside the mountains of the Frozen North. Not much is known about the reclusive Crystal Ponies, except that their ruler, King Sombra, was driven insane. In his lust for power he enslaved his own people, forcing them to mine a special black crystal that corrupted his mind. He believed it was the key to, um, something.”

Twilight Sparkle looks around the room, as the answer might be standing there staring at her. It takes a few seconds, but she eventually realizes that there are, in fact, not one but two such repositories of knowledge, beings that have firsthoof experience with the subject. Then she coughs awkwardly, motioning towards Luna. “But you know more about that than me.”

“Indeed,” Luna states, darkly motioning towards a stained glass window that just happens to have the exact situation in question. A charcoal gray unicorn, black mane and wicked red horn, stands chuckling over a horde of crystal slaves. In the next scene he lays defeated, but his horn is shining with a pure black aura, purple and green rippling around the edges. “It may be premature to consider the return of the Empire a ‘threat’. But even our knowledge of the empire is limited, and it may be wisest to consider it as such until we know of King Sombra’s fate.”

Luna’s horn flares cobalt; a purple crystal shard, about the size of her foreleg, teleports next to her. It levitates through the air before Luna’s horn flares again. Light spreads from the shard upwards and outwards, a hexagonally symmetrical and circular city shown in dull greens and grays with little houses of every color studded around. In the center stands a massive blue crystal castle, a large open area directly underneath.

Luna motions towards the castle. “The Crystal Empire contains a powerful magic.”

At that, Cadance snaps her head to the side, staring at the image. Her tongue wets her lips as she desperately tries to keep her smile from turning too maniacal. “Powerful magic, you say?”

“Indeed.” Luna points to a tiny depiction of a blue crystal heart levitating in the center. “However, one thousand years ago, a unicorn whose heart was as black as the void named King Sombra took over.” The image turns brown, with black crystals consuming everything. Even the castle turns black, and a larger than life image of King Sombra appears above the castle.

“He enslaved the population, and was ultimately overthrown.” Luna gives a telling glance to her Sister, Celestia offering a grim nod back. “However; before he was stripped of his power and banished to the icy arctic north, he placed a powerful curse upon the Empire. It vanished into thin air.”

With that, the purple shard draws all the light back inside, regaining its purple hue. “If the Empire is filled with hope and love, those things are reflected all over Equestria.” Luna’s eyes shine as a rainbow shines forth from the shard, though the colors are muted as if mixed with black.

“Love spreading through Equestria sounds delicious,” Cadance says greedily, transfixed by the image. She barely notes the other ponies giving her slightly odd looks. She exclaims, far too cheerily, “I mean, I would love love love that to happen!”

“Indeed,” Luna states dryly, her eyes narrowing slightly. “However, if hatred and fear take hold…”

Luna closes her eyes, concentrating for a few seconds, then shakes her head dejectedly. “I dare not.”

Celestia walks over, gently lifting her Sister’s head and staring into her eyes. “Fear not the darkness, Sister. It has only the hold you give it.” She beams, her smile filled with hope and light.

“Thank you,” Luna whispers, her eyes closing again. She takes a deep breath. Her whole body shudders as her wings raise from her sides, clenched in barely suppressed anger.

“Study this,” Celestia says to Twilight Sparkle, “for you will not get many chances to observe Dark Magic.” Twilight Sparkle nods, along with every unicorn in the room, their eyes shining white.

Luna’s eyes spring open, bright cyan rimmed with dark purple, her aura no longer cobalt but the light violet of Nightmare Moon. She bellows in rage as she jabs her head forward, a beam of darkened light shooting forth towards the purple shard. It turns a deep black, sending a pitched shadow rolling across the floor towards Twilight Sparkle. Dark gray crystals sprout from the ground, nearly startling the lavender alicorn as they surround her.

“We… I cannot!” shouts a terrified Luna, her horn continuing to pour dark magic into the levitating shard. Twilight Sparkle’s cage grows dangerously close to spearing her flesh and encasing her in a crystalline tomb as sharp spikes sprout forth seemingly without end.

“You can!” shouts Celestia encouragingly, her own horn remaining unlit. “You must believe in yourself, Luna! You are stronger than this!”

Luna’s face contorts in agony, head twisting to the side. Her eyes, once clenched in terror, open with a new resolve as she snorts out an enraged breath. She rises up, her horn no longer bathing the room in purple but back to a familiar cobalt. A beam blasts forth, shattering the crystals into dust and turning the shard purple once again.

“Wow,” breaths out Twilight Sparkle and Cadance simultaneously. Luna staggers, though she smiles, as Celestia steps forward to support her Sister.

“There is a lot of power there,” Twilight Sparkle observes, her excitement barely restrained as a quill and parchment teleporting next to her. She almost starts writing before a shake of Celestia’s head stills her movement.

“It is a dangerous power, Twilight Sparkle.” Celestia grimly frowns as she returns to comforting Luna. “One I would strongly caution against using, even for testing purposes.”

“Hey, it can’t be that bad,” Twilight says defensively, glancing to her Friends. “I’m sure everything would have been just fine!”

Applejack whistles to herself, Fluttershy hides behind her mane, while Rarity finds the shard oddly fascinating. Only Rainbow Dash meets her eye.

“Yeah,” Rainbow Dash says dryly, “I’m getting this vibe that pretty soon you’d be chanting-” her voice draws out, as low and braindead as she can go, her forelegs mindlessly reaching forward as she shambles “-cryyyssstaaaalsss.”

“You been practicing that?” Applejack remarks, elbowing Rainbow in the side, “Or it just come natural?”

She gets a quick glare from Rainbow and a loud snort from Pinkie Pie.

“It is important to know what you are going up against, and how to defeat it.” Celestia, barely able to keep her smirk hidden, motions to Luna. “As you can see, hope and light are your most powerful defenses. Though I wouldn’t say no to a strong shield as well.” She winks at Shining Armor, hesitates, then smiles at Cadance.

“About that,” Shining Armor says, dismissing Flash Sentry, the pegasus saluting before leaving. “Logistically, this is a nightmare.” He glances towards Luna. “No offense.”

“Continue,” the cobalt alicorn states neutrally.

Shining Armor looks each alicorn in the eye, then glances over the other ten creatures in the room. “While there are the remnants of train tracks leading to the Crystal Empire, they have not been maintained. This means that any sort of large scale defense force is going to run into support issues almost immediately. It’s manageable, if barely, assuming we don’t need to keep anything in reserve. I’m talking using portals purely to ship enough food and water.”

“What of the crystal ponies?” asks Luna. “Can we count on their assistance? They should have broken free of Sombra’s rule before he cast the city away.”

“We don’t know anything as of yet. We’re waiting on advance reports, but with Sombra’s dark magic we have to be extra cautious we aren’t dealing with any sort of mind control situations, or even unwanted influence.” Shining Armor sighs, shaking his head. “We aren’t set up to deal with this sort of thing, and getting the cart rolling will take time. And I don’t want to send our heaviest hitters there until we’re sure it’s safe.”

“I don’t think it will ever be safe,” Celestia says. “After all, this is King Sombra we are talking about. His methods are insidious and corrupting; none should be considered immune to his efforts.”

“Which is why it is all the more important that we move there as swiftly as possible and restore the protection of the city.” Shining Armor glances to Cadance, offering a half-hearted smile. “I hope you’re ready for this, Love.”

“I have the feeling I’m missing something,” Cadance states. She looks around the room, all the ponies staring at her. “Why are you all looking at me like that?”

“Thou hast not realized your connection?” Luna asks, bewildered.

Cadance fumes. “We don’t have all day, right!? Just spill it out!”

“It is there, written plainly on your flank.” Luna points to Cadance’s cutie mark.

“My?” Cadance turns, staring at her flank as if she is looking at her cutie mark for the first time. “A crystal heart?”

“No. Not a crystal heart. The Crystal Heart.” Luna motions towards the purple shard. “With it, and through it, shines the light of the Crystal Empire.”

“Oh.” Cadance grimaces. “Really.”

“You seem unhappy with this,” Rarity says, confused. “Is everything alright?”

“No! I’d just love to have the chance to help out the crystal ponies!” Cadance searches for a second, then finds the thick book of wedding plans. “I was just thinking about my wedding! I mean, our wedding and how this will ruin everything!”

“I’m sure everything will be just fine,” Twilight Sparkle says, trying to be as reassuring as possible.

“Has thinking like that ever worked out for you?” spits out Cadance.

“More often than not,” Twilight Sparkle says with a smile. “It hasn’t been easy, but staying optimistic hasn’t failed me yet!” She motions with her hooves, quickly gathering her five Friends. “And together, there’s nothing we can’t do!”

All six of them beam proudly, rays of light shining on Cadance.

Cadance sighs, rolling her eyes. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything important, but we have to get ready for-” her voice briefly stops as she sees her letter on the table. She quickly motions to the purple shard, trying to cover her tracks. “This.” She returns her gaze to Shining Armor, smiling broadly.

Rainbow Dash follows Cadance’s eyes to the letter, dashing forward to snatch it up. “Hey, what’s this?”

“Give that back!” Cadance shouts, swiping at the cerulean pegasus. “That’s mine!”

Rainbow Dash rips open the letter with a smirk on her face, reading aloud with a sing-song voice. “I regret to inform you-” her voice drops, losing the silliness and becoming serious. “That a threat has been made against Canterlot.” She waves the letter at Cadance. “Canterlot. Not Equestria.” Her eyes narrow. “And you had this before Flash Sentry came in here.”

“It’s… I was…” Cadance sniffs back a tear, gulping as Rainbow Dash advances. “A guard gave it to me! I was going to tell all of you, but then Flash Sentry came in and I forgot about it! Why are you doing this to me?!”

“It’s okay, Rainbow. She ain’t lying or nothing. It’d be a trying time for anypony.” Applejack nuzzles Cadance, drawing a startled reaction from the alicorn and a disgruntled glare from Rainbow Dash.

“But with a threat made against Canterlot?” Luna glances to Celestia, a worried look on her face. “If it is as we feared?”

“The Council will not move against us. No matter their fevered ramblings.” Celestia levitates the letter, quickly reading through the blocky script. A frown quickly crosses her muzzle. “But who else would levy a threat against us? For what purpose?”

Luna shakes her head, then focuses on Twilight Sparkle and her Friends. “Should it be one of them working alone? We fear we must heed this warning, regardless of its likelihood.”

Celestia turns to Twilight Sparkle. “Then it will come down to you, Twilight Sparkle. We will need your help, in a test unlike any other you have ever taken.”

Twilight Sparkle stands, though reluctantly. “You want me to protect Equestria?”

Celestia nods forebodingly. “I’m afraid Equestria will be relying on you and your Friends, in addition to Shining Armor and Cadance. I have every confidence that you will succeed.”

Twilight and her Friends nod, though only Pinkie Pie smiles optimistically. The rest have looks of grim determination.

32 The Road to Power

Queen Chrysalis grimaces internally, the hopeful smile she has plastered on her face never fading. She obviously has the ponies fooled, but the alicorns are proving to be more of a challenge than she thought. Celestia will not be an issue - after all, she’s promised to not give away Chrysalis’ position, and she is sure that she can blame any slip up on one of Celestia's remarks. Still, she hates that the tyrant realized her deception so quickly. She was hoping to have a bit of fun at Cadance’s expense. But no matter; there will be plenty of opportunities, and other ponies, in the near future.

She’ll need to learn more of this supposed connection between herself (well, Cadance) and the Crystal Empire, and it galls her to have been caught unaware. Nopony could have predicted an entire Empire appearing out of thin air! Though the promise of love spreading through her Equestria certainly has her intrigued. What a boon it would be!

“We should prepare for an immediate departure, yes?” demands Celestia; possibly fearfully, though Chrysalis cannot quite read the alicorn’s emotions.

The unicorn considers, his face impassive. His horn shines, a moderately detailed map of Equestria shining on one of the walls. He motions towards the train tracks that head towards Vanhoover. It is obvious, from the way the forests are cut, that there used to be another set of tracks that leads to the northeast and the purported location of the Crystal Empire.

“We’ll need a few hours to prepare. If we leave on the train as soon as possible, we'll travel for about three hours before we can’t get any closer. With the unnatural snowstorms reported, we can chariot-” he grimaces as he says the word “-about half the remaining distance before we’ll have to land. It’ll be a long slog through the snow, but we’ll make it to the Crystal Empire before moonrise. We’ll be able to setup a base, and-”

“No guards,” Celestia commands, Shining Armor raising an eyebrow in naked disbelief. “We do not wish to appear as an invasion force.” She smirks slightly. “I would not be surprised were the eight of you capable of defeating an entire army by yourselves.” She pointedly looks at Shining Armor and the Elements of Harmony, then at Spike, while avoiding Cadance.

“Well, I guess that will simplify things,” Shining Armor states, quite unhappily. “You think the threat to Canterlot is that great?”

“It is, as you said, a matter of logistics. As well, the sooner we move out, the better. I am sure we can commandeer one of the trains heading in that direction, or at least a few cars. Go, gather what supplies you need and prepare for departure.” Celestia turns to Luna. “We need some message to tell everypony. I think the truth is best, as the appearance of an entire city will be difficult to contain. Stay optimistic, and do not yet mention King Sombra.” She glances to the Elements. “Until we are ready, stay close.”

Shining Armor gallops out of the room while Princess Luna teleports away.

“Well,” Cadance says, “I guess I’ll go get ready, as well.” She smiles and waves before she slinks away.

“Cadance!” Rarity calls, though the pink alicorn does not turn. “You forgot your wedding book!” She sighs, looking down at the designs within. “Well, I don’t know about you all, but I am not going to let these precious hours go to waste.” She opens the book to the bride’s and bridesmare’s dresses, a calculating gaze over each. “Yes, yes, yes, that looks doable; no, that’ll never work.”

“Hours before we might be going to war, and all you can think about are dresses?” Rainbow Dash shakes her head in disbelief. “At least try to keep your mind focused.”

“I am focused, just perhaps not where you think I should be,” Rarity replies, not taking her eyes off the book. “Maybe you should, I don’t know, fly laps around the castle until your wings fall off.”

Rainbow Dash fumes, eyes narrowing at Rarity. She drags one shoe against the floor, a painful scraping sound assaulting everypony's ears.

Rarity merely flicks her nose into the air. “I’m sorry if my method of dealing with the stress is different from yours."

Rainbow Dash sighs, ceasing her threatening movements. “Yeah. I guess I’m on edge about this, too.” She glances towards the doorway Cadance took. “There’s something about her I don’t trust.”

“She’s never been so close to getting a foal. It’s probably just those heat hormones,” Applejack quips, nudging Rainbow Dash in the side.

Rainbow Dash rolls her eyes. “Please. It’s day one. And I’m not some schoolfilly, controlled by her emotions.”

"Regardless, we will need to wrap this whole Crystal Empire business up quickly if we want Cadance to be married on time." Rarity sighs, flipping through the book at all the various sections that will need to be completed. "It is a good thing we can get so much of this done in house, or at the Royal command. Otherwise, she might have to wait an entire year before she makes the attempt with Shining Armor! I don’t know about you, but I would not wish that on anypony!”

“Well, let’s find something productive to do, then.” Applejack moves over to Rarity, peering suspiciously at the book. “What kinda fancy schmancy delicacies they planning on serving?”

Rarity doesn’t need to flip back to the relevant section to quote, “Apple fritters, tarts, maybe even a pie or three. Heavens, it's like she cribbed your menu from your cart.”

“Really,” Applejack says, grinning as she rubs her hooves together. “Well, Ah’ll just need to make the best darn apple fritters these Canterlot snobs have ever tasted! Especially after they snubbed ‘em back at the Gala!”

“So,” Doug says to Celestia, drawing away from everypony else. “Did you want me to go as well?”

Celestia looks Doug up and down, her gaze questioning. “Are you uncertain of your resolve or your potential contribution?”

“It’s not that,” Doug says, motioning with a hand to his body. “I feel like I would stick out like a sore thumb.” He looks at Celestia’s hooves. “Or whatever saying you have. A bent primary?”

“An apt comparison, I suppose, and an understandable worry.” Celestia beams a reassuring smile to Doug, and he feels his spirits lift. "I believe you will be of more value to your companions, especially should things take a turn for the worse and they need reassurance."

Doug smirks a bit as what form his 'reassurance' often takes.

Celestia, however, sighs at the thought. "While this may be uncomfortable, I am worried about King Sombra’s magic. With your nonmagical nature, spells often fail to affect you, or you are able to break free of them quicker than expected. I hope it is not needed, but an ability like that may prove invaluable against an unsuspecting opponent.”

Doug keeps his voice low, barely audible to himself. “Yeah, or he’ll just murder me when he can’t control me.” Doug sighs heavily, looking at the other ponies in the room. Part of him wishes he had a spear, and could put that smug gray head on it. But the ponies play by different rules, often ones enshrined by Celestia, that make combat decidedly less deadly for all combatants. And that's probably a good thing, given what magic could easily do. “But he could do the same to them.”

“While King Sombra did banish the Empire, he rarely took his vengeance out on his prisoners or his people. If he still exists, there may be good in him yet.” Celestia half-smiles as Doug’s hands ball into fists before he crosses his arms across his chest. She concedes, “Though it is unlikely.”

“Yeah,” Doug says as neutrally as he can. He glances towards Ponyville. “Wish I had my armor. And a winter coat.”

“Perhaps we can send a message ahead, and they will meet the train on its way to the north.” Celestia grins as Doug nods, briefly nuzzling him before walking to Twilight Sparkle.

Celestia whispers ethereally, her voice echoing in her mind, such that Twilight Sparkle thinks that only she can hear. “In the end, Twilight Sparkle, it must be you, and you alone, who ultimately assists Princess Cadance and Shining Armor.”

“But, my Friends,” Twilight Sparkle whispers back, again feeling like it is for only Celestia’s ears. “They wouldn’t abandon me, and I won’t leave them behind!”

“They will be with you. But I fear King Sombra’s magic, and I wish to spare you the pain of battling your Friends, should they lose control of their minds and bodies. Be very cautious, and extremely vigilant against mental manipulation. As well, I believe only you possess enough strength to go hoof to hoof with Sombra, should it come to that.”

“I understand.” Twilight sighs to herself as Celestia leaves. She really needs to make a list of everything they need to do there! Well, no time like the present, right?

“Anything you need help with?” Spike asks Twilight, grabbing a quill and parchment. He smiles as she beams down at him. “Just like old times, right?”

Twilight rolls her eyes. “It hasn’t been that long. Alright, let’s see. First off, we’re going to need to find some way of staying warm.”

Spike scribbles down everything as Twilight lists everything she can think of, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie joining in.

In a dark hallway, Queen Chrysalis checks to make sure she is alone. Spotting nothing, her horn flares a bright green, no longer needing to conceal her natural color. She concentrates on Cadance’s prison before a voice echoes around her.

“Leaving so soon?” Celestia asks, her pleasant smile almost mocking.

Queen Chrysalis glares, though it turns to a chuckle. “I didn’t know you to be an oathbreaker, Celestia.”

“I am not aware that I am.” Celestia takes two paces forwards, then stops, only a few body lengths away. “I merely came to offer you another chance. A mulligan, if you will. Release Cadance. She will say nothing, if she knows of the arrangement.”

Queen Chrysalis sneers. “You are worried, Invictus. It is written, plain on your face. You don’t think your precious ponies are up to the task, and this distraction plays perfectly into my hooves!”

“It is not my ponies I am worried about this time,” Celestia hotly replies. “It is for the ponies of the Crystal Empire, and beyond. You threaten all of Equus should King Sombra obtain a hoofhold! Luna was not lying when she said that hatred and fear would take hold throughout Equestria. Should you fail-”

“Hah!” interrupts Queen Chrysalis, beating a hoof against the floor. “You don’t think I can do it! You're afraid that I, Queen Chrysalis of the Changelings, am not up to the task!" She grins salaciously. "Well, when I prove you wrong, I will feast on your love, Celestia. And you will not dare to stop me."

Celestia stares at Queen Chrysalis, still wearing the face of Cadance. Twin trails of steam escape her nostrils, her breathing carefully controlled.

“I gave you the chance,” Celestia eventually says. “Do not waste it.”

She disappears with a flare of golden magic, leaving spots in the changeling’s eyes. Queen Chrysalis merely smirks. "Soon, it shall be you grovelling before me!" her own horn flaring and taking her to Cadance’s cell.

“Alright, Princess,” she says as she comes up to the real Cadance. The alicorn is huddling by a trickle of water that drips from the stalactite above, trying to slake her thirst; she turns, a fearful look in her eye as her horn fails to charge. Cadance meekly backs up until her rump hits the wall. Queen Chrysalis merely broadens her smile, licking her lips before baring her teeth. “You’re going to tell me everything I need to know.”

33 Cartographer's Delight

In less than an hour everything is packed and ready to go. All they could reasonably carry without encumbering themselves too much: supplies for three days, trinkets, and minor magical baubles they could barter (or, far more likely, give away). Nothing overtly offensive; Celestia maintained that they are going there to get the Empire back on its hooves, not to turn them into some sort of protectorate (though that might still happen. But it would be the Crystal Ponies’ choice, not Equestria's diktat).

The train ride passes quickly. Cadance and Shining Armor sit together, exchanging soft nuzzles. Shining tries not to get too distracted as he goes over reconnaissance planning with Rainbow Dash, though it consists mostly of speculation. Pinkie Pie finds herself forlornly watching the green hills roll by, the somber mood getting to her. Not enough to get her mane to deflate, but the fact that she isn’t pronking around and chatting everypony’s ear off is a little off-putting.

It is Rarity’s last chance to feign a bit of normality, especially as she and Fluttershy compare their scarves and winter gear to the bridesmare dresses. Initially, everypony gives her a lot of flak for bringing so many garments, though when a pegasus courier intercepts them and drops off not only Doug’s armor but also all of his heaviest winter gear, their tune starts to change. Mostly to include him in the teasing too.

It isn’t until their pegasus chariots drop them off on the edge of a snowy plain that they reconsider. Shining Armor keeps a quick pace, almost as a way to shrug off his airsickness quicker. Doug and Applejack alternate between carrying Spike while Rainbow Dash keeps a lookout from high above.

“Oh, dear,” Rarity says as she wraps another scarf around her already scarved head, “I know I said before that one cannot have too many scarfs.” She gives a worried glance at her compatriots, similarly clad in heavy barding. “But I’m beginning to think that, somehow, I failed to bring enough!”

“Can we please not use the ‘F’ word?” Spike says in hushed tones, furtively glancing around. Fortunately, at the moment Twilight Sparkle is joining Rainbow Dash in the air, and isn’t around to somehow connect the use of the word with Celestia sending her on this mission as some sort of test of her ability as an alicorn.

That she only freaked out about it twice on the train ride and once on the chariots is probably a good thing.

“How come we can’t see it yet?” Doug asks, squinting as he tries to make out anything on the horizon. However, the snow covered ground just seems to continue on for miles in every direction until it fades into the blue mountains capped by white snow. At least they have found the pass that leads through the Crystal Mountains. The tracks have long since disappeared, buried under feet of hard packed snow and permafrost. “You’d think that a giant crystal castle would be visible from here.”

“Still too many mountains in the way, I think,” Rainbow Dash says. She shakes bit of the ever-accumulating snow off as she drops down to give them another progress report. Their journey continues to the northeast. “However, I’ve got a pretty good feeling about this next one.”

“This next one being the next mountain, or that freakish snowstorm heading directly towards us?” Fluttershy asks, pointing to the north. There is, indeed, a large snowstorm, though it is difficult to make out if it is actually heading towards them or randomly moving about, currently parallel with them and heading east.

“Is it just me, or does that snowstorm look particularly menacing?” asks Rarity, wrapping her scarf around her a little tighter. Bits of black occasionally mar the otherwise pristine white. “Oh, dear, I do hope we don’t have to travel through it.”

“Nah, it’s nothing,” Rainbow Dash says confidently. Perhaps too confidently. She motions to many of the other storms dumping snow on the surrounding land. “Whatever ‘curse’ that King Sombra used is just sending the local weather into mayhem. It’ll take a few days for the storms to burn themselves out, but it’s not like they’re intelligent. Or malevolent.”

“I do hope we get there soon,” moans Cadance, easily the most worn out of the group. She keeps throwing glances at Shining Armor, then sighing to herself, then continuing her plodding pace.

“Rainbow Dash!” Twilight Sparkle calls from above, the cerulean pegasus immediately looking up. “Come look!”

A rainbow blur later and Rainbow Dash joins her. Her eyes widen with joy as she points excitedly, a large blue structure visible between two different storms. “Hey! There it is! Nice eyes, Twilight!”

“It is?” Cadance says to herself. Her eyes get a wicked gleam as she stops in order to rub her hooves together. “Soon, everypony will know the might of Chrysa, ahem, the cha-, no, the Crystal Empire!”

“You okay?” asks Shining Armor, worriedly looking back at his fiance.

“Just the cold,” Cadance lightly replies, offering a wink. “The sooner we get there, the more love we can…” Cadance struggles briefly, biting her tongue while taking a few deep breaths. “...Give. Share. With everypony!”

“That’s the spirit!” Shining Armor exclaims, nuzzling Cadance. She immediately perks up, a new spring to her step as she starts outstripping everypony else. He massages his head briefly before he commands, “Alright, everypony! Let’s pick up the pace! The sooner we get to the Crystal Empire, the sooner we can get out of this cold!”

Excited cheers ripple through the group, though their enthusiasm quickly wanes as they realize they are still over an hour away from cresting the next large hill in their way. Pinkie Pie manages to keep everypony’s spirits up as Fluttershy begins to lag behind. Rarity would as well except her bags are much lighter, given that she’s distributed almost all of the winter gear that she brought to everypony else.

When they crest the hill they are treated to a nearly indescribably beautiful scene. In the center of the roughly circular city sprouts a massive blue crystal castle. Six wide streets, quickly getting covered with snow, stretch out from the castle. Tiny dots can be seen moving this way and that, though with no immediately observable purpose or rationale to their movements.

The edge of the city is immediately apparent, with a drop off nearly as tall as a pony. However, snow is quickly drifting into the edges, as well as blowing from the rest of the frozen north into the once fair city. It barely even slows the ten down as they enter the Crystal Empire for the first and almost certainly not the last time.

“Crystal ponies!” shouts Rarity, motioning towards the dull green and blue and purple forms shambling around. Rarity’s eyes sparkle like the crystal buildings, tiny pinpricks of light reflecting the sun’s rays from every angle. “They’re gorgeous!”

“Excuse me!” shouts Shining Armor at the closest one.

The light blue crystal mare shivers as she slowly turns, regarding the unicorn with flat, emotionless eyes. Her face briefly contorts with confusion. She glances back towards the Crystal Castle, then takes a hesitant step backwards. “Please, don’t hurt us,” she says, cowering as she drops to the ground. “Whatever you want, just take it. Please.”

“We’re not here to take your stuff!” Rainbow Dash exclaims from above, frowning and crossing her forelegs across her chest. “We come in peace and all that!”

“Y-you’re not?” she says as a brief flicker of hope spreads across her face. It is then dashed by a violent shuddering of her body. “Then, why are you here?”

“We’re looking for whoever is in charge,” Shining Armor says gently, smiling as nicely as he can.

“Um. Nopony is. Not since King Sombra left.” The crystal mare points towards the giant castle. “He used to rule from there.”

“I guess that’s as good a place to start as any.” Shining Armor turns to leave, but reconsiders. “Oh, and if you can tell everypony that we aren’t here as invaders, that would be great.”

“Sure,” the crystal mare says cautiously. “But, pretty soon there won’t be many others to tell. King Sombra may have been a wicked unicorn, but at least he kept the cold out.”

“We’ll do a lot better than keeping the cold out,” Cadance says, smiling. “We’re here to bring hope and love to everypony! What do you love?”

“Me?” the crystal mare replies, confused. She glances to her flank, two berries joined by a stem. “I… I don’t remember what I loved.” She sighs in disappointment. “I don’t know what I liked before King Sombra took over. And I don’t want to remember what it was like once he was here.”

“We’re very sorry to hear that,” reassures Twilight Sparkle. “But we will do everything in our power to set things right.”

She nods, perhaps a hint of a smile nearly breaking the stony expression.

The ten wave goodbye to the mare as they continue towards the castle. Rows of buildings line the street, many shops offering various items for sale or the remains of street vendors. Twilight looks up at the sky. Storm clouds continue to dump snow on the surrounding land, while a harsh wind picks up and blows the snow throughout the city, slowly covering everything in white.

“Maybe this is what Celestia meant by protect the empire?” Twilight Sparkle ventures, motioning to the outskirts they recently passed. “They need a way to weather the storm and cold. And I don’t know about you all,” Twilight Sparkle says, looking at everypony but mostly focusing on Rarity, “but I haven’t seen a lick of magic since we got here. And I don’t see a way without using magic to stop this weather, or to even partially alleviate the effects of the storm.”

“I haven’t either,” Rarity admits, “but, to be honest, I haven’t been looking all that intently at their magic. Instead, their beautiful fashions!”

Twilight Sparkle sighs, then turns to Shining Armor. “Do you think you could do something like that? A way to help keep this storm off them?”

“A city wide shield made to keep out the snow and keep in the heat?” Shining Armor grimaces. “Well, it’s possible. Barely. I have no idea how long I can keep it up, though.”

“Maybe they use a different kind of magic!” suggests Pinkie Pie as she sifts through one of the destroyed stalls along the road. She pulls out a twisted blue instrument that looks like a horn up and decided to have twins. Pinkie Pie gives it an experimental blow, the surrounding ponies grimacing from the horrendous screeching.

“You know, that could be,” Twilight says as she looks around at the houses surrounding them, then up at the castle. “I don’t know about you, but I feel like our answer is going to be found inside there.” She turns to Shining Armor. “Plus, a sphere is going to be the easiest and strongest form for your shield. We’ll need to find you a spot that’s centrally located, and hope this works.”

“So, what’s the plan?” asks Rainbow Dash as crystal ponies begin accumulating around them. Many exchange worried glances, but more and more point at the heart on Cadance’s flanks.

“We still need more information.” Twilight Sparkle’s gaze goes to the crystal castle.

Cadance demands, “Who put you in charge?”

Twilight Sparkle’s brow furrows. “Princess Celestia did. If you think of a better plan, or any suggestions, I’m all ears.”

Cadance grumbles to herself, but mostly stays quiet.

“Right. Sorry I was a little harsh there.” Twilight smiles at Cadance. “You’ll be with Shining Armor. See if you can combine your ability to spread love and light with his shields.”

“My what now?” Cadance asks dumbly, which she immediately covers with a cheerful smile. “Of course! We’ll get right on that!” Cadance mutters to herself, “I don’t need you telling me what to do! Soon the only thing I will be spreading is word of your defeat!”

Twilight either doesn’t hear Cadance or her poker face got as large a boost as her magic. “Rainbow Dash, you and me will start at the top of that castle and work our way down. Doug and Spike, start at the bottom. Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie, search through the city. We’re looking for anything or anypony who knows how the Crystal Empire was protected in the past.”

“The… past?” one of the crystal ponies ventures.

“Oh. Right.” Twilight Sparkle sighs as she puts a hoof to her forehead. “King Sombra cursed the Crystal Empire, banishing it for a thousand years. And now it’s, or, you all are back.” Murmurs spread through the crowd like wildfire as the ten ponies continue towards the castle.

Shining Armor - levitating himself on a pink shield - and Cadance fly up to the main balcony of the Crystal Castle. After a brief consultation with each other Shining Armor’s horn flares, brighter and brighter as a pink shield rapidly expands away from him. While it can do little to restore heat, the shield keeps any warmth from leaving the city, and the chill winds no longer blow.

Everypony sighs in relief as they begin their search, hoping to find some clue as to what to do.

Out in the frozen wastes, a lost snowstorm notices a giant pink bubble appear. It grins an icicle filled grin, hail and snow swarming to create what might have passed for an ebullient whisper.

“Cryssstaaaalssss…”

34 Time-Lost Relic

“I’m sorry,” the crystal mare apologizes in that half-unsure, half uncaring tone all the crystal ponies seem to share. She continues rummaging through her house, gathering ingredients for a stew. “I don’t remember anything except that there used to be a Crystal Heart, but King Sombra wouldn’t let us see it. I’m sorry I can’t help more.”

“It’s okay,” Applejack replies for the umpteenth time, her weary body slumping even more. “Ah’m sure we’ll figure something out.” She sighs, nearly back to the castle. Hopefully somepony else had a little more luck than she did. At least that shield Shining Armor made is working, and she can lose at least one of her scarves.

Doug opens up yet another room in the Crystal Castle. Empty except for boxes containing… teaching supplies. And, from his quick estimate, about half a foot of crystal between this room and the last, so not exactly a lot of space for a secret passage. Not that magic couldn’t hide pretty much anything anywhere, but he’ll have to leave those scans to the unicorns. Oh, and Twilight; still weird thinking of her as an alicorn.

Doug walks out of the room, Spike completing his own half of the circuit. “Nothing?”

“Nah,” Spike says with a bored yawn. He groans at the staircase leading up. “Next one?”

Twilight Sparkle frowns as yet another magical inspection yields nothing. Aside from the throne room there’s been practically nothing! And even that was more of a latent magic than anything else. She couldn’t find it to pinpoint the exact effect, and maybe that’s a lead she’ll follow up later. At least the castle isn’t completely black like it must have been in Sombra’s time; the pleasant blues and purples of the crystal let in a lot of light. If only they could find a way to get that same light to everypony else!

A crash from the adjoining room startles Twilight, but only briefly. “Rainbow Dash!” she exclaims, poking her head in to see a sheepish Rainbow standing by a broken crystal vase. “What did you do?”

Rainbow Dash points to the stand the vase was on. “So, uh, I thought there might be a secret switch or something. You know, like the Daring Do books? And, turns out, those vases are a bit heavier than I thought.”

“It’s amazing they were able to craft something like that so long ago.” Twilight sighs at the fragments scattered about, but she can’t let herself get too worked up. If this was the first thing Rainbow Dash had broken this floor, Twilight would probably be more upset. As it is, she really just wants to finish their search as fast as possible. After their cursory scan everywhere they can go back over everything in more detail, as needed.

“Besides, once we find that crystal heart thingy, they can just make a bunch more, right?” Rainbow Dash sweeps the broken shards into a corner, then spots Doug and Spike coming up the stairs.

Twilight Sparkle stares at the fragments for a few long seconds. “Rainbow Dash, you’re brilliant!”

“I am?” Rainbow Dash says, looking more confused than ever.

“Yes! If we can’t find the Crystal Heart, we can just make a new one!” Twilight Sparkle looks around wildly, as if she is measuring the crystal walls and deciding if anypony will notice if she just carves one one out.

“Will that work?” Rainbow Dash says, raising an eyebrow.

“Do I want to know?” Doug asks, holding a hand against his head as Twilight measures a section of wall with her hooves.

“Probably not,” Rainbow Dash replies, snuggling up next to Doug. She could probably lose her outermost layer, but it’s so much more fun to get Doug to undress her. His hand finds its way underneath her scarf, winding further inside while trapping her against his side.

“Okay,” Twilight says after her horn blasts a section of wall into a rough heart shape about the size of her head, “now we just need to figure out how many layers I need to enchant this with. Anypony know any spells to manipulate love and light energy?”

Twilight beams a smile at Rainbow Dash, Spike, and Doug, then realizes who she is talking to. “Oh. Right. Hmm.” She pauses, holding a hoof to her chin.

“Didn’t you say something about Cadance doing something like that?” Doug nods once. “I think it was around the time you joined the herd.”

“You’re right! I mean, Cadance’s Love magic is really more about reigniting and reminding ponies of the love they have for each other. But it could work!” Twilight grins, racing down the stairs, the others barely able to keep up. “And then it would need to distribute that love and light to everypony. So we’d have to deal with collecting, containing, and transmitting. Hmm, this might be getting out of the magical item category and into the artifact stage.”

“The what now?” Rainbow Dash asks, but it really could have been any of them.

“Oh, just a classification system, detailing the types of spells needed to contain and maintain an enchantment.” Twilight Sparkle explains the rest, going completely over their head, but at least it lets her work out a little bit of what kind of spells she would need, or need to find, in order to complete their Crystal Heart Replacement System.

The four arrive at Cadance and Shining Armor’s balcony at the same time as Applejack and the other three. Up in the sky, the clouds that were pushed out seem to be collecting on the shield, but none yet pierce through. Cadance is next to Shining Armor, their eyes locked, smiles on both of their muzzles. Shining Armor’s horn is lit, but it occasionally seems to waver.

“No, I love you more,” Shining Armor states, sounding a little off.

“No, I love you more,” replies Cadance, practically inhaling his words.

“No, I love you more,” Shining Armor slurs his words a little.

“No, I love you more,” Cadance sweetly drolls. Then she notices the eight approaching her. She stammers a little, “This, um...”

Twilight winks, both at Cadance and her brother. “Oh, I think I know exactly what you’re up to.”

Cadance blinks. “You do?”

Twilight nods. “How much do you know about absorbing love?”

Cadance eyes go so wide Twilight is surprised they didn’t pop out of her skull. “Um, noth-” She cuts herself off as she glances at Applejack, then clears her throat. “Not enough? I’m always looking to learn more.”

Twilight Sparkle smiles brightly. “That’s great! Because I think this will be a great chance to do just that.” She turns to look at the other four mares. “Were you all able to find out anything?”

“Not really,” each of them replies, looking a little put out and dejected.

“Well, one of them mentioned something about a library?” Applejack pauses, shaking her head. “But she didn’t seem to know where it was or nothing.”

“Of course!” Twilight exclaims, startling Cadance. “Ask a librarian! That should have been my first instinct.” Twilight pulls out a piece of parchment, scribbling and saying to herself, “Note to self. Ask. A. Librarian. First.”

“I think I know where the library is,” Fluttershy says, motioning with a hoof. Above the building drifts a large white cloud, gradually getting closer.

“Excellent!” Twilight Sparkle beams as she locates the building in question, a modest repository by the looks of it. “Alright, everypony. We’ve got a research paper to research!” She claps her hooves against the floor, squealing in delight. “Oh, this is so much fun!”

“E-everypony?” Cadance says, a worried look at Shining Armor.

Twilight turns, her face puckering up. Shining Armor looks exhausted, struggling to keep his horn lit. “Eww, yeah. Okay, Cadance. You and Shiny stay here. Assuming we can’t find the real one, my plan is to create a duplicate Crystal Heart, and then enchant it so that it can take the place of the real thing.” She pauses, a hoof on her chin. “Unless that makes it the real thing?” She shakes her head. “Anyway. So, I’ll need your expertise on absorbing love. If I find any books that detail how that process goes or ways to streamline it, I’ll be sure to bring them to you.”

“S-sure,” Cadance says, a very worried look on her face.

“Then, we’ll need to find a way to project that light and love, duplicating the shield spell that Shining Armor is currently channeling.” Twilight looks between the two. “That something you think you can hoof, BBBFF?”

“What?” Cadance asks as Shining Armor nods.

“Big brother best friend forever,” Twilight replies offhoof, rolling her eyes. “You’d think you’d remember, for how much you saw the two of us.” Her eyes narrow suspiciously. “Actually-”

“LOOK OUT!!” bellows Rainbow Dash, zipping forward. She body checks Cadance, snatching Shining Armor and dragging the barely responsive unicorn several feet away.

“What? You little foal!” Cadance shouts in a most un-Cadance manner, baring her teeth at Rainbow Dash. The rainbow maned pegasus, though, isn’t looking at her at all, but instead tracking a large chunk of black sailing through the sky, a dark cloud following shortly behind.

“Crrryssssssstalllsssss!!” bellows the cloud of billowing black smoke, formed in an eerie likeness of King Sombra, complete with vicious green eyes spewing purple out the sides. Everypony braces; the black crystal shatters as it impacts right where Shining Armor was sitting, scattering dozens of shards in every direction. Dark smoke pours out from each, seeking wisps that draw towards whatever pony is closest.

“Aahhh!” scream half a dozen ponies as they break away, the balcony not offering a lot of space to maneuver. Only Pinkie Pie is brave (or foalhardy) enough to experimentally stick a hoof towards the smoke, yelping as she draws back a blackened foreleg. She tries to shake it off, but the acrid taste of singed hair soon fills the air.

Shining Armor’s horn flickers as Doug drags him further away, though his shield remains intact. Next to them Rainbow Dash takes off, zipping around the cloud. Her wings beat faster and faster, and soon she has a vortex swirling in front of her. Fluttershy grabs Spike as dark crystals start to surround him, lifting off and rescuing the cowering dragon. Twilight awkwardly follows shortly after, her horn blasting a bolt of magic towards the cloud.

The nebulous black merely splits in twain, the bolt continuing until it impacts Shining Armor’s shield. The unicorn winces in pain, gritting his teeth as he maintains his shield, focusing on the crystals and for an opportunity to go on the offensive as the cloud turns towards Twilight.

“You were trying to hit me!” shouts Cadance, a bolt of green coursing through the air. It passes right through, the cloud bellowing in pain, Shining Armor echoing the cry shortly afterwards. The green eyes sink into the cloud, only to reappear facing Cadance as he charges forwards.

“Oh no you don’t!” shouts Rainbow Dash. “Hiyah!” She spins around, bucking her miniature tornado right at the cloud. The green eyes shift, widening in surprise as the whole cloud dodges to the side.

“More slaaaves!” grins Sombra, only for the strong winds to whip him around anyway. “Nooo!” he yells as he slams into the wall of the crystal castle. The cloud spreads out, Sombra momentarily stunned, as Twilight swoops closer.

“Shiny!” she yells, gaping at the inky tendrils creeping closer. “Can you find a way to calibrate your shield to keep Sombra out? We’re hurting him, but who knows for how long?” She blasts another beam of white at the cloud, drawing a rage-filled scream and a scorch mark on the castle wall.

“What do you think I’ve been doing?” Shining Armor grunts out as he turns to the black cloud next to him. His shield around the city winks out as he charges his horn for a new version.

King Sombra doesn’t give him the chance, lunging forwards and enveloping Shining Armor. A wicked laugh echoes against the castle walls, competing with Shining Armor’s tortured cry.

“Noo!” shouts everypony until a pink light emanates from within the cloud.

“Rraaagh!” bellows Shining Armor as a pink shield forces King Sombra away. The crystal shards are also expelled, the shield expanding larger and larger until it fills nearly half the city.

Twilight Sparkle gasps as she sees the black crystals on the end of Shining Armor’s horn, sapping his strength away.

She teleports next to Cadance, roughly shaking the alicorn. “Cadance!” she shouts in her face. “How good are you at copying?”

“W-whua?” blankly replies Cadance, watching the shield carry King Sombra away.

Until the shield flickers, stopping its outward momentum.

“Copying spells!” Twilight points to Shining Armor as the unicorns puts every last inch of strength he has into his shield. “Can you copy his shield?”

“I, um,” Cadance says as her eyes shift from side to side.

Then Shining Armor’s horn winks out, and doesn’t come back, the shield disappearing. The black cloud grins ominously before King Sombra charges forwards, a second black crystal forming in midair.

35 Her Mask

“I need an answer, NOW!!”

Twilight Sparkle grimaces as the black crystal in the sky forms not another round rock but an aerodynamic spear, a wicked barbed point on one end and curved fins on the other. It crackles with a dark energy, sending bolts of green and purple in every direction. King Sombra launches the spear, though this time it is not aimed at Shining Armor. It isn’t even aimed at her.

No, he’s aiming at the one other pony who stands a chance of repelling him. Not just in the immediate, which she might be able to do. But with how her power has been fluctuating? She doesn’t think she can hold him off for any real length of time. Twilight always had a knack for spells, but her skill with shields is nowhere near as good as her brother's. And she has to be the one to find or make The Crystal Heart!

And yet the spear gets closer and closer, hurtling through the air, gaining more and more speed as it plummets.

Queen Chrysalis’ eyes widen as the pinprick of black gets larger and larger. Her muscles refuse her commands to move, locked in place by fear. Any thought she had of forming an alliance, however temporary, with King Sombra are dashed, stabbed through the heart like the incoming spear is about to do to her.

“If you can’t do it-” shouts Twilight Sparkle from close by. Her horn flares a brilliant raspberry, no more time to waste.

What?! Queen Chrysalis nearly lashes out at the infuriating alicorn. How dare that impudent brat even think there is anything she can do that the Queen of the Changelings can’t!

NO! she bellows internally, her horn flaring a bright green.

“Yyeeeesssss!!” cackles King Sombra madly, his deafening voice booming off the crystalline walls. He barrels forward, following his electrifying spear in a glorious charge directly at the pink alicorn.

A bright green wall of energy shoots from Cadance’s horn straight at the spear. The two collide, shearing off the wicked barbs but sharpening the tip as it pierces through, still pointing directly at her heart.

Shining Armor lunges between Cadance and Sombra, putting the large bulk of his barrel directly in the spear’s way.

Twilight Sparkle’s horn shoots off a wall of her own, knocking the spear slightly off course and blasting the smaller fragments clear of the balcony.

King Sombra’s mad cackle is interrupted as the remnants of Cadance’s shield smash into him. He roars, about to regain his momentum, only for a second tornado - courtesy of Rainbow Dash, the winded mare looking like she only has one more in her before she collapses - to wildly buffet him and throw him off course yet again.

Queen Chrysalis barely raises a foreleg to try to intercept the crackling black spear. Her head snaps back as Shining Armor leaps in front of her, the spear piercing through his upper foreleg. Yet it continues through, a bemused part of her mind grinning at how the spear passes directly through one of the holes in her dark gray foreleg.

The spear embeds itself into the balcony, pinning Shining Armor against Queen Chrysalis’ leg. The unicorn howls in abject agony, the crackling dark magic sending his body convulsing.

“Shiny!” Twilight bellows from above.

Queen Chrysalis gapes, but not at her own leg. Instead, at the unicorn who put himself into harm’s way for her, who nearly took a spear through the heart for her. Hope and love radiates from his inner core, all directed into her own.

Except it is tainted. Anger, Hatred, Rage, all seethe through his wracked and tortured body.

The Queen’s fury bubbles over at the foreign emotions invading her lover. Her horn shines, brighter than before, pouring every last ounce she can into her own shield!

She is Chrysalis, Queen of the Changelings! She will not bow to this mockery of a tyrant! She roars in impassioned fury, only for a new sensation to touch her lips.

Fear.

She drinks in King Sombra’s Fear, his Dread, his abject Horror at her not just copying but perfecting Shining Armor’s shield. It radiates off of her like Shining Armor’s love for her, blasting not only the mad King but every last remnant of dark magic he conjured out of the castle, out of the Crystal Empire, and if she had the strength, out of the Frozen North.

Queen Chrysalis, no longer pinned, stands in exultant victory. Green eyes watch as the speck of black becomes so small she can’t make it out from the translucent green shield. Her green wings buzz against her dark gray chitin, strength surging through her pocked limbs. Until a desolate voice from behind breaks her from her jubilation.

“Stay with me!” cries the yellow pegasus, her pink mane swept back and out of Shining Armor’s eyes. She slaps the dazed unicorn across the muzzle, shouting again in his face, “You hear me?! Stay awake!!”

The cerulean pegasus swoops down, lifting Shining Armor’s arm with no regard for the blood pouring out and coating her forelegs. “We’re looking at a bisected radius, the spear completely disintegrated it. One artery is severed, at least.” She points a hoof at Doug, the human instantly crouching by her side. “Hold down here as hard as you can. Applejack, I need you to get a tourniquet. Or,” she turns, looking up at Twilight, “can you cauterize this? Safely?”

“Um,” Twilight barely forces out, a shade of green on her face not unlike Chrysalis’ wings. Her eyes remain locked on Chrysalis’ new form, her body shaking so badly she’s quite close to stabbing somepony with her horn. “N-n-n-”

Applejack whips her rope out from under her hat, glad to finally have something she can help with. She stuffs one end in Shining Armor’s mouth before she snakes other around his nearly destroyed foreleg. She wraps as tight as she can, ignoring the muffled, agonized screams of the unicorn. Blood stops spurting out of the wound, but Shining Armor is still fading quickly, his breathing growing ragged and hoarse.

Queen Chrysalis grimaces; they may have stopped the bleeding, but they have done nothing to the dark magic coursing through him. She smirks to herself, having purged the same emotions out of her own core many years ago.

“Back aside,” she commands harshly, pushing Fluttershy out of her way. The yellow pegasus shrieks in fear at the dark gray chitin, though her fright is short lived as she immediately returns to Shining Armor’s opposite side.

Queen Chrysalis touches her shining green horn to Shining Armor’s skull, drawing anxious and bewildered gasps from everypony. But not Doug, she notes, the human sparing her a grim glance from his spot on Shining Armor’s foreleg. She grins as she tastes the emotions coursing through the unicorn. It wouldn’t be as filling as devouring his love for her - well, nothing is that empowering - but it will still do nicely.

Shining Armor’s seizured jerks slow as she absorbs all of the foreign anger inside of him; she makes sure to leave his own - directed at King Sombra, of course. The hatred and the rage, though; she has rarely seen those in a pony. Even when Sombra was threatening her, Armor didn’t feel hatred for him, not this strong. What had twisted the King to make him so?

Shining Armor collapses as the last of the destructive emotions drain from his body. Rainbow Dash never stopped, the hole in his foreleg now bandaged to the best of her field training. She grimaces at the ugly wound; now that the action is over, she turns almost the same shade as her lock of green.

Still, Rainbow manages to speak. “T-Twilight, how good is your healing magic?”

“N-not enough to patch up a wound like this,” she hesitantly replies, though the purple alicorn can’t tear her eyes away from the creature possessively standing over her brother. “C-C-Cadance? A-are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Queen Chrysalis practically spits out, cradling her lover.

“Are you sure?” asks the meek yellow pegasus, her hoof coming up to touch the hole on Chrysalis’ foreleg where the spear passed through. “This doesn’t hurt?”

“No, it-” Queen Chrysalis cuts herself off, staring at her dark gray foreleg. The very not pink, not whole (though the holes are smaller than normal), not alicorn foreleg. Instead, the hard chitin of her natural form. She stumbles over her words like a newly molted pupa, “It, it…”

“Was it King Sombra’s dark magic?” Applejack asks, voice quivering. “Ah heard he twisted ponies, but this?”

“It,” Queen Chrysalis stutters, her mind drawing a blank. Pretending to draw a blank, because that’s how the real Cadance would react in this situation. Yes, she’s merely bluffing that she’s in shock! “I…”

“Do you all have any other ideas?” Twilight Sparkle demands, her eyes narrowing as Doug averts his own. “I’ve never heard of dark magic transforming like this, but if King Sombra can maintain a dark cloud like that, then there’s obviously a lot I don’t know about it.”

“Cady?” Shining Armor moans from underneath her, twisting his head to gaze up at her. He groans in pain from the motion, but his eyes are filled with love. Tinged with worry, and a hint of revulsion, but even that is quickly clamped down on. His eyes then lift to her horn, still shining a bright green. He struggles with every word, pauses filled with a wracking cough. “You did it… you stopped King Sombra. You saved us.”

“Yes,” Queen Chrysalis smoothly replies, her fang filled maw grinning wide. “Yes, I did.” And I totally didn’t do it just because you saved me, or because I was saving myself.

“I knew you had it in you,” Shining Armor says before he limply sinks back down, resting his head against the crystal floor.

“I’m glad I was proven wrong, too,” Twilight Sparkle says, drawing an irritated glare from the changeling. Twilight looks at the rest of her herd, “But that just means it’s even more important that we find the Crystal Heart as soon as possible.” She turns to Chrysalis, “Without Shining Armor to help power the shield, it’ll be even harder on you. I hope his horn recovers soon.”

“What about you?” Queen Chrysalis demands from Twilight. “You expect me to power this shield the whole time by myself?”

Twilight Sparkle looks at her hooves, glumly shaking her head. “I don’t trust my magic; I’ve barely had a day to get used to the power! I’m just lucky I kept that beam straight, and didn’t turn it into a cone.” Everypony grimaces at the thought. “Besides. If you thought you were faster at me at researching and finding things out, I would gladly try. But I think you know me a little better than that.”

Queen Chrysalis scowls, already feeling the drain. It isn’t much, but if they expect her to maintain this for hours? At least she’s in her natural form, more easily able to channel her magic. And she doesn’t have to worry about changing the color on an already taxing spell. Well, she’ll just need to keep her Shiny close at hoof.

Twilight Sparkle kneels down next to Shining Armor. “Are you doing okay? Do you want us to send for one of the Princesses to take you home?”

“I don’t think that will be necessary,” Queen Chrysalis objects before Shining Armor gets a chance to say anything.

Shining Armor smiles anyway. “I’ll be fine, Twilight. Just a flesh wound.”

Rainbow Dash rolls her eyes. “It took out a bone, dummy. You’ll have trouble standing on it, much less walking, until we get you back to Canterlot.”

“Good thing I’m needed right here,” Shining Armor says, patting the ground next to Chrysalis. “Don’t you all have a heart to find?”

“You heard him,” Twilight says. She flicks her head at Doug and Spike. “Well, if there aren’t any objections, then we should head to the library. I’ll get a letter to send the Princess, informing her of our arrival and progress.” She focuses on Shining Armor. “Stay safe.”

The eight leave Shining Armor and Chrysalis behind, trading worried and frightened glances as they make their way to the library. Much to everypony’s consternation, Twilight shushes any conversation or questions until they are alone inside the walls. Finally, when they are standing together at a large table, she lets them speak.

“That was not Princess Cadance,” Applejack states first, slamming an irate hoof down on the table. “Ah don’t know what kind of dark magic he used, but-”

“You’re right and wrong,” Twilight interrupts. Everypony stands up a little straighter. “It isn’t Cadance, and it isn’t dark magic.” She draws in a large, deep breath. “She’s a changeling.”

“A what?!”

“A changeling.” Twilight sighs; she doesn’t remember nearly enough of the Queen’s previous invasions to be useful, but she does recognize her. No wonder Celestia assigned her that history book a couple years ago! “Unless I’m gravely mistaken, she hasn’t been Cadance this whole time. Queen Chrysalis has taken Cadance’s place, and is feeding off Shining Armor’s love for her."

“So,” Fluttershy says quietly, “who wants to tell Shining Armor about this?”

“Not it!” Pinkie Pie exclaims, everypony snickering.

“I can’t believe I saved her sorry flank!” Rainbow Dash says, shadow boxing a few punches. “I say we go out there and give her what for!”

“That’s just it,” Twilight Sparkle says coldly. “We don’t know where the real Cadance is. And, we need Queen Chrysalis to think that she still has us fooled. We need her to keep powering the shield keeping King Sombra out, at least until we have the Crystal Heart up and running.”

“What do we do now?” Rarity asks.

“Fortunately, I have a plan,” Twilight Sparkle says with a smirk. “Everything is going to be just fine.”

Everypony groans.

“Spike, take a letter.” Twilight steels herself as Spike pulls out quill and parchment.

36 Dark Temptation

Queen Chrysalis grimaces; she’s drained as much of Shining Armor’s love as she feels is safe. At least, without the other ponies getting too suspicious of his weakened state. At least she has Sombra to thank for that, though she would have preferred if the unicorn was the one to have to keep up a shield all the time. Hopefully, with the crystals blasted off his horn, he will be able to help again. And soon; she can already feel her power waning.

Good thing those fools are so trusting. Dark magic turning her like this? What a preposterous notion! Though if Sombra goes on the offense again, but without the goal of weakening and subjugating them? First off, that’s her job! And she’s not going to give up her prize so easily. But if the mad king does go all out, he could really do some damage. She’ll need to make sure his spirit stays on the outside. Wouldn’t want herself to get hit by one of those attacks.

Still, while she has the chance, might as well see what this ‘Empire’ has to offer. She cuddles next to a somewhat comatose Shining Armor as her gaze travels from one spot, around in a circle, and then back to where she started.

Lush green fields stretch from the end of the circular city up to the edge of her shield, dotted with the occasional tree or spire of garnet crystal. Most are divided into fields, with faint roads between the plots. A river flows from the mountains to the north, though the banks do not appear to line up with where they were a thousand years ago.

An impressive bit of engineering and terraforming, to turn the barren wasteland of the Frozen North into a self-sustaining paradise. With any luck that Twilight Sparkle will succeed in her ‘quest’ to make a new Crystal Heart. Not so she is spared the duty of keeping this shield up, though that would be welcomed, but as a proof that her queendom will know no bounds!

Imagine! Cities carved into the rocks of the inhospitable mountains by her changelings, a crystal heart powering the terraces along the slopes where the ponies could farm their food. Their homes, secure inside the mountain, the perfect breeding ground for ponies and changelings both. Truly, a virtuous cycle, and all would be in awe at their might! Move over, yaks, for the true masters of the north!

Perhaps she could even construct her capital at the peak of Mount Everhoof! Just as Canterlot shines as a beacon in Equestria! Queen Chrysalis can practically taste the ponies' love and admiration at the thought of such an accomplishment, and she has to actively stop herself from draining the nearest source. She grimaces as she finds herself wishing that Twilight Sparkle speed on her mission.

Her ears perk at the echoing sounds from down the corridor. They are distorted, barely able to be made out, but getting louder and louder.

“Okay, I get why you’re here, but why does it have to be me?”

“Let’s say it’s Applejack instead. What happens?”

“...Okay, fine. She probably couldn’t say a word.”

“And you know how much Rarity wanted to try her hoof at those crafts.”

“Hey, there were some things that I wanted to try, too! I don’t see why she gets to call dibs.”

“Maybe you could pass out flugelhorns and listen to Pinkie Pie practice."

“Touché.”

“How about Fluttershy?”

Oh, that’s her name!

“You foaling me? The only reason she stayed in the Empire was because she found out they had those tiny lamb foals.”

“Ewes.”

“Yeah, disgusting, I know.”

Queen Chrysalis can practically hear the eye rolling.

“You think Pinkie Pie would do better?”

“Okay, you have a point. She sees one balloon at the Faire and she’s gone.”

Fair?

“Spike?”

“Eww, gross, dude. I don’t even want to think about that.”

“It doesn’t have to be eros.”

“What?”

Queen Chrysalis raises an eyebrow as Doug and Rainbow Dash walk out onto the balcony. Rainbow Dash stops in place, the briefest twitch of disgust on her muzzle, though she quickly regains her composure. Doug merely continues up to her and Shining Armor, folding his legs under him to sit down in a weird, upright position.

“Hey, Shining Armor, Cadance,” Doug says as Rainbow Dash settles down next to him. The pegasus’ wary eye doesn’t leave her face. “You two doing okay?”

“Better than I thought,” Queen Chrysalis says, tasting a bit of their emotions. Doug is calm with only a hint of panic. Much like when she met up with him a few months ago. She can’t tell, but he isn’t nearly as worried as she thinks he would be if he had told them. Or, perhaps, he got better at hiding his emotions. She’ll need to test him later.

She turns to Rainbow Dash. Barely holding back contempt - ooh, there’s a new one, don’t see that on many ponies. Likely at the reminder of ‘Sombra’s magic’, but that inkling of whether or not she’s been figured out niggles the back of her mind. “What do you want?”

Wait, that’s not what Cadance would have said. Queen Chrysalis clears her throat as Rainbow Dash grits her teeth. “I’m sorry. Is there anything I can help you with?”

That seems to loosen up the mare. “Um, not really. We found some ancient book about this festival called the Crystal Faire. So unless you want to be out on the streets horrifying- I mean, helping with the festivities, then it’s probably best you stay here."

Doug adds, “Twilight got a reply from Celestia; it included a healing spell she’s practicing right now.” Shining Armor’s ears perk at the mention, the unicorn wincing as he tries to maneuver his body to a sitting position.

Queen Chrysalis rubs his ear, coaxing him to stay in his previous position. “It’s okay, love.” She drops down to nuzzle him, drawing an appreciative coo. “It’ll all be better, soon.” She nearly misses the angry glance from Rainbow Dash to Doug, and the brief shake of his head. She turns towards the pegasus. “Something wrong?”

“Nothing,” she practically spits out, her throat rumbling as she scans the skies. “With me, that is.” She points up at not one but four dark clouds forming on the upper edge of the shield. They slowly, almost imperceptibly begin to spread out and cover the sun’s dying rays. “I think we’re all worried about that.”

“Yes,” Cadance replies, her suspicions of the pegasus going up. She could just be worried, or she might have a bit more than an inkling that something isn’t right. She’ll need to be extra careful not to break character. After all, if she can make it through the week without any of them figuring out that her true form isn’t a result of Sombra’s magic, then she’ll at the very least have another shot at winning a contest against the ponies. And when she wins that, of fusing her changelings with the pony race.

It’s not like the ponies stand a chance at defending Canterlot when her army invades. Some of the guards might be grizzled veterans of the skirmishes between the Griffons or the Dragons, but none are as hardened as her changelings. They grow up in the Badlands, for Faust’s sake! Much as she admires this crystal city, she would fear assaulting it if the ponies lived like Yaks. Instead, their pony hides, soft from years of easy living, will serve her changelings as dynamos of love energy.

Should she somehow lose both? Faust forbid, but there are other countries. None as tantalizing as this fecund land, but such is the risk she takes. And the delay of any integrator who is with foal doesn’t trouble her, and none would take Celestia up on her offer to let them stay. She is the rightful queen, and they follow her orders and hers alone!

With a loud pop Twilight Sparkle teleports next to them, flashing Doug and Rainbow Dash a grin. “Hey, everypony.” She settles down on the balcony, a worried look at her brother. “Doing okay, Shiny?”

“Yeah,” he groans out. “Head hurts something fierce, same with the leg.”

“I was afraid of that.” Twilight scowls as she looks at Rainbow Dash’s slapdash work. “I wanted to bring you inside the library and try this spell. I don’t think it’ll mend the bone, so we’ll need to splint it, but it should prevent infection and allow you to at least walk around.”

“You want to take my Shiny from me?” Queen Chrysalis says, her voice wavering. Her magic feels light as it is; with her source of love gone, what will happen?

“Just temporarily,” Twilight replies, her voice oddly even and controlled. “I’ll bring him back after I’m sure he’s ready, but I wanted to monitor him for a little while I continue doing research on the heart.” Twilight sighs. “I found some more mentions of it, but I don’t think I’ll be able to craft a new one that can absorb the same amount of love, and power the shield like you are. Not on such short notice.”

“Oh,” Queen Chrysalis says, a little taken aback by the compliment. And the phrasing; does Twilight suspect that she is absorbing love? “I don’t-”

“It’s okay,” Shining Armor says, wincing again as he twists to place a hoof on Chrysalis’ barrel. “I’ll be back before you know it.”

“We thought we’d… keep you company,” Rainbow Dash says, snuggling next to Doug.

“If you must,” Queen Chrysalis hesitantly says, withdrawing her hoof from Shining Armor’s back.

Twilight levitates Shining Armor, then flies away to the library. They watch as Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie disperse themselves amongst the gathering crystal ponies. Each sets up a different stand or game, all of them marveling as a few of the crystal ponies spontaneously start glowing. Soon, dozens of sparkling mares and stallions are walking about, and more and more keep coming from every radian of the circular city.

“So,” Doug says to Chrysalis, “liking the Crystal Empire so far?”

Queen Chrysalis can feel Rainbow Dash’s shudder, as if she wants as little conversation as possible. Well, it makes sense; she’s the most physical of Doug’s mares, and probably can’t wait to get to something more physical with him. She’s also the most suspicious, besides Twilight Sparkle and her inquisitive nature.

“It is certainly unique. Though a part of me wonders at the moniker. After all, how can one city be considered an Empire?” Queen Chrysalis taps a hoof against her chin.

“Maybe they thought Crystal City wasn't pretentious enough.” Rainbow Dash snorts. “But yeah, it’s kinda like calling yourself an ‘Empress’ when you don’t really have an Empire.”

Was that a jab at her? “Well, then maybe that needs to change. Especially if I have some sort of connection to this land.” Queen Chrysalis spreads a hoof, motioning to the mountains to the north. “Perhaps some expansion is needed.” She turns to look Rainbow Dash in the eye. “Could you see yourself pioneering out here? Expanding the borders of conquered land, subduing the Frozen North?”

“It’s… an impressive idea, I guess, but not my cup of cider.” Rainbow Dash snuggles into Doug. Queen Chrysalis can feel their love more strongly. It would do, but she would prefer it be directed at her. Not only is it stronger, but easier to absorb, especially as she must continuously channel the shield.

“I suppose not everypony is cut out for it,” Queen Chrysalis smirks. Stew on that. “But we all must find someplace to live.”

Instead, the pegasus looks pensive. Like she completely missed the barb. “Is that what you want?” she asks, looking down at the crystal ponies. More and more are turning crystalline, sparkling brightly.

“Of course,” Queen Chrysalis smoothly replies. “What do you want out of life, Rainbow Dash? Merely the record of fastest pegasus alive? Or did you ever want more?”

Rainbow Dash tentatively pushes a hoof against her belly, the life growing inside there. What did she want?

37 Scholar of the Seas

Twilight Sparkle sets her elbows against one of the few bare spots on the book covered library desk, groaning. She rubs her eyes, the effects of not sleeping at all last night just starting to catch up to her. Too bad alicorn endurance isn’t as impervious as Celestia sometimes makes it seem. Though she’s seen the trash cans with the remains of her mentor’s foibles. Coffee cake, Celestia? Seriously? Though she wishes she had thought to bring coffee grounds with her. She should have known that the Crystal Empire wouldn’t have their own stores!

Maybe she could ask Celestia to send her some through Spike. After all, she could send tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala through dragonfire. Why not a few ounces of coffee?

“Hey, Spike?” Twilight Sparkle calls, her words only slurring the tiniest amount. Totally not indicative of her laconic static normally induced by lack of coffee.

Her about-to-lose-his-title-as-Best-Assistant-Ever-to-an-owl merely rolls his eyes as if he could read her mind. Or she made the request a minute ago. “It doesn’t work like that, Twilight. Remember the incident in July?”

“Oh, right. That. I forgot.” is what Twilight meant to say, but it comes out as a jumbled, “Orgleflarg.” Then she shakes what she thinks is a coffee mug but is actually a textbook on magical artifact enchanting. “Coffee!”

“They don’t have coffee, which is a shame because I know how much you really really like coffee and I probably should have packed more but I really needed a pick me up after that whole Sombra incident,” Pinkie Pie giddily states as she zips next to Twilight faster than the eye can blink. She can’t really stand still, bouncing up and down as her eyes simultaneously focus and unfocus. Plus her words come out far faster than normal, but still understandable despite Twilight’s state.

“Wait, did you have coffee and not tell me?” Twilight demands, perhaps stronger than she meant. But it isn’t enough to phase the pink mare.

“But they’ve got this tea they make that’s really strong.” Pinkie Pie whips a thermos out of her mane, offering it to Twilight with a wide smile. Her eye twitches, then her mane poofs out to twice its normal size, frazzled worse than Twilight’s worst mane day.

“How much have you had?” asks Spike suspiciously, taking the thermos from Pinkie Pie and wafting the fumes towards his nose. He gags at the acrid smell, though that doesn’t stop Twilight from waving her hooves at the container. She pushes against the table, straining to stretch herself as far forwards as possible. Her tongue sticks out of her mouth as she focuses so intently on the tea Spike almost thinks it’s going to pop out of his claws despite her horn remaining unlit.

“Six?” Pinkie Pie replies as a high pitched whine emanates from Twilight, practically laying her barrel against the table to continue her hoof waving. “Teen?” She waggles her hoof around. “Ish?” She giggles, jolting back and forth, unable to keep still any longer. “I don’t feel any different!”

“Maybe we should stick to one,” Spike says, reluctantly passing the thermos over.

Twilight whips the top off, relishing the steam that pours out. Her eyes widen at the initial burst of heat but she keeps guzzling until half of the container is gone. She lets out a most un-princesslike burp that morphs into a contented sigh, slumping against the table. Then she shudders violently, books toppling off the table, and stands up ramrod straight.

“What the hay is in that thing?!” Twilight exclaims, peering into the thermos. Rather than burn her, it now feels like the hot liquid is an icy river flowing directly into her soul, energy spreading to each of her limbs.

“Crystal. Berries. Apparently they have to be freshly squeezed to get that effect.” Pinkie Pie pulls out another bottle, offering it to Shining Armor. “Want some?”

“Huh?” Shining Armor says, rubbing his horn. His eyes stretch open, then clench shut, a hoof raising to ward away the dim lights. Pinkie Pie shrugs, putting away the bottle. “What happened?”

“Quite a bit, actually.” Twilight Sparkle grimaces at having drawn the short straw. “Do you remember King Sombra attacking?”

“Yeah.” Shining Armor sits up, his eyes narrowing as he looks outside. “He still out there?”

“Outside the city limits. We have a shield going, but we don’t know for how long.”

“Huh.” Shining Armor rubs his horn, a half smile at the lack of crystals impeding his magic. “Well, I’m feeling a lot better than before. How’s Cady holding up?” Shining Armor looks around, his smile disappearing. “Why isn’t she with us?”

“Well, about Cadance…” Twilight Sparkle lays a hoof on Shining Armor’s withers. “I know this is going to be hard to accept, but you have to trust me.”

Shining Armor frowns at his sister’s serious expression. “Of course, Twilight. I’ll always trust you. BBBFF’s forever, right?”

“You said forever twice there,” Twilight points out with a grin.

“Heh, that I did.” Shining Armor pokes Twilight with a hoof. “You always loved pointing that out.”

“And you always loved saying it, just to annoy me.” Twilight’s smile fades as she takes a deep breath. “Princess Cadance, who you thought was Princess Cadance, is actually a changeling named Queen Chrysalis.”

Shining Armor’s breath catches in his throat. A panicked look comes over him, spinning to try to peer through the window up to the balcony. A raspberry aura surrounds him, which only serves to infuriate him as he whirls on Twilight. “Her!? Here?!” He gasps, his horn flaring but failing to push away Twilight’s hold on him.

Rage fills his eyes as he strains, boring into Twilight. A pink shield forms inside her aura, expanding from his skin to form a sphere originating from his horn and encompassing his entire body. She winces but holds him in place, his power weakening as it gets further away from his body.

“Let me go!!”

“Brother!” Twilight shouts as her horn winks out, taking a step backwards. “Please! You have to trust me!”

“How do I know you aren’t one of her changelings, then?! If she could overpower one alicorn, she can do it again!”

“Ask me anything!” Twilight steps forward, motioning to her unprotected neck with a hoof. “Blast me if you have to. Or just ask yourself, why would she have let you go and recover, just to let me tell you and raise your suspicions if she already controls me?”

After a long pause and tense silence Shining Armor sighs, hanging his head. “I should have known. I saw things, tiny things, that bothered me. But I just chalked it up to worries about the wedding, or about this mission, or about-” his voice catches in his throat as he wipes away a tear. “About our future together.”

Twilight stands, that awkward two legged stand she learned by mimicking Doug, and embraces her brother around the neck. It worked better before she was nearly his size. “I promise you,” she says softly, “I will do everything in my power to make sure that Cadance is safe and you get that future.” She pulls back, nuzzling Shining Armor’s ears. “But in order to do that, we need to pretend that we don’t know it’s her.”

“You mean…” Shining Armor trails off, gulping. “You mean we need to, I need to go up there, and let her drain my love of Cadance, to feed her lust? To let her influence me again?”

Twilight Sparkle nods, but with determination. “Yes. However, now that we know what she’ll attempt, we can work around it. I got a scan of you while her influence was still embedded in you. A pony will naturally break free of any enchantment, given enough time, but there’s a way to expedite it.”

Twilight pulls out a piece of parchment, illustrating and writing the spell instructions as she talks. “Think of your psyche, your ‘you’, like a person inside a room. Now, a mental influence, like a geas, will try to cover you like a coat of paint. Now, if you protect your entire person, your whole mind, she’ll know something is wrong. So, you need to compartmentalize a little.”

Twilight draws a box inside of a room. “Put your deepest self inside that box. And then, when her influence coats the rest of you, you’ll have a place to dig out from. It might take a while, but you’ll be able to break free a lot quicker than anypony expects.”

“I didn’t know you to have such a mastery of Kindness and Malevolence,” Shining Armor says, shaking his head. “It isn’t my specialty, but I guess we both have to try, right?”

Twilight nods, glancing at Pinkie Pie and Spike. Both look worried. “I’m sorry, you two. I guess we’ll have to hope she doesn’t try to influence you, or the rest of our Friends. She didn’t before, but that doesn’t mean she won’t start now. Or once we return to Canterlot.”

“Hey,” Spike says with a smile, “I’m small, insignificant, and easily forgettable. It’s like my superpower!”

“And I already have, like, forty different voices telling me what to do. What’s one- ooh! A balloon!” Pinkie Pie pronks out of the library, chasing a red balloon.

“Don’t sell yourself too short, Spike. I never forget about you.” Twilight reaches down to nuzzle her Definitely-Best-Assistant-Ever, drawing an embarrassed giggle.

“Which just leaves finding the real Crystal Heart, right?” Shining Armor says, looking over the history books Twilight has pulled out. He points to one of the many pictures of the Crystal Castle, the Crystal Heart levitating at the base. “Or do you still think you can fabricate another?”

Twilight Sparkle shakes her head. “It’ll take too long to infuse the new one, and more power than the ponies here are able to give on such short notice. But that’s all estimates and guesswork, when we need something concrete to go with. If I can’t find the real one, that’s the backup plan. Hopefully we’ll be able to find a crystal librarian or something soon, and-”

“Somepony ask for a crystal librarian?” a sparkling crystal pony with a cutie mark of a scroll says as she walks up. "I remembered when I was at that Crystal Faire you all are putting on! Splendid work, indeed!"

“Perfect!” Twilight exclaims, rounding on the smiling mare. “I need every reference or book on crafting a crystal heart, and the process to empower one.”

“Oooh,” the librarian (the crystal one) says with a frown. “I’m afraid King Sombra took those away and locked them up.”

“Do you happen to know where?” Twilight asks, hopeful.

The crystal pony shrugs. “Where else? His throne room. All the way up at the highest room of the tallest tower.”

“Of course he did,” Twilight says with a sigh. She unfurls her wings, giving them a stretch. “Alright, Spike. If I’m not back in-”

“Whoa whoa whoa,” Spike interrupts with a shake of his head, resolutely crossing his arms as he stands in front of Twilight. “No way. I’m coming with you.”

“But Spike,” Twilight says worriedly, “what if something happens to you?” She dances on her hooves a little, remembering Celestia’s warning about her Friends.

“Hey, I’m small and insignificant, remember?” Spike grins as he digs a claw into his chest. “Besides, what if something happens to you? This way, somepony will be able to sound the alarm.”

A long whine rumbles from the back of Twilight Sparkle’s throat. She finally acquiesces with a brief, “Fine. Just, you have to be very careful. At the first sign of trouble, I want you out of there, or hiding. Got it?”

“It’ll be just like Winter Wrap Up.” Spike grins as Twilight lifts him up and drops her on her back.

“Need a lift, BBBFF?”

“Nah, I got myself covered.” Shining Armor forms a shield, delicately resting his injured but healing foreleg, then laying down on it entirely. The whole apparatus levitates up and follows Twilight outside. The Crystal Faire is in full swing, with many of the crystal ponies starting up booths of their own, though the jousting arena looks in dire need of some knights.

They barely spare any attention to the Faire, though, quickly making their way up to the balcony. Doug and Rainbow Dash are still there; the pegasus looks livid, but not at anything in particular, while Doug’s head limply lays to the side, barely putting any effort into his strokes along Rainbow’s side.

“Well, I’m glad to hear your headache is doing better,” Twilight says as Shining Armor disembarks, Chrysalis looking up at her wearily.

“Yeah, let’s hope it stays that way.” Shining Armor turns to Chrysalis, putting his best smile forward. “You doing okay, love?”

Queen Chrysalis gladly meets his nuzzle, but refrains from anything too overt. “Much better now that you’re back with me.”

“I thought I’d give you a bit of a break.” Shining Armor’s horn lights, charging his own shield.

“You don’t have to ask me twice,” Queen Chrysalis says, her jagged horn winking out, the bright green shield along with it.

Far off in the distance, a black cloud experimentally places two shadowy hooves where the shield used to be, grinning madly.

Shining Armor’s shield instantly fills the spot where Chrysalis’ shield used to be, lopping the hooves off. Twin black armored shoes drop to the ground, sinking into the lush green ground. King Sombra stares at his two smoky stumps, then at the pink shield in between him and his shoes. His smile widens as his hooves reform, small crystals sprouting inside the shield and slowly doubling in size.

Twilight, Spike still on her back, smiles at Shining Armor’s success. “Just make sure you stay safe. L-love you.”

“Love you too,” Shining Armor says with a smile. He closes his eyes, meditating.

Twilight launches off, her unsteady wings slowly taking her higher and higher. She chances a troubled glance backwards, only to see Chrysalis staring right at her. She turns back, hoping to conceal her grimace, and heads towards the throne room. Odd, though, that it isn’t as high as the castle goes.

Queen Chrysalis fumes. Did that know-it-all Twilight Sparkle somehow figure it out? She was far too suspicious back there, and her little mistakes have finally added up. She’ll need to corner the alicorn and find out. Good thing she is mostly bluffing to the ponies on how much power this is draining.

“I think I’ll go stretch my wings, too,” Queen Chrysalis says with a nuzzle to Shining Armor. Her own wings spread out, carrying her up faster than Twilight.

39 Dark Dreams

Twilight Sparkle seethes as she hovers above the seemingly endless pit. Frustration builds with every flap of her wings, the very thought that a being capable of wrenching around the forces of magic like a flipping foal’s toy would use such a blindingly obvious password? There’s no cleverness there! No duel of minds between rivals, two geniuses (granting that Sombra was, at some point, a genius) feeling each other out and testing the other’s deductive capabilities.

No!

Instead, the literal first combination of numbers that you could try! It is infuriating!

Twilight’s limbs shake; she can barely contain her anger. Considering she isn’t blasting chunks out of the wall, or deafening everypony with her screams in the Royal Canterlot, it’s actually going pretty well. Now, the headache that’s building, that’s another story. Actually, forget building; it’s pretty much made her head its new summer home.

Is Queen Chrysalis that brilliant? That she deduced the mad King’s genius: how his corrupted mind had peered into her own soul and plucked out the combination that would have frustrated her the most? The solution that she would have tried only as a last ditch effort, after giving up on figuring out what the real one was and accepting defeat? And even then she still might not have tried the brute force method, and not just because every failed answer hurt. She wouldn’t have accepted that as a valid path to victory.

And Chrysalis figured that out almost instantly, as soon as she heard the problem. That she knows the mind of a malevolent force like King Sombra is scary enough, but for her to have such a good read on herself as well?

Twilight shudders, her limbs no longer shaking, her rage subsided. Her gaze travels around the room, looking for a book or something to toss down this endless pit. Maybe that would somehow bring her some catharsis. Unfortunately for her, but fortunate for whatever she might have found, nothing jumps out. Maybe she could break off a fragment from the throne, or rip up the carpets, or tear a piece of cloth from the curtains. Ugh, normally it’s Spike that keeps these things on his person.

Wait, where is Spike? Twilight manages to keep her expression from showing the terror she feels at her Best Assistant going missing. Or is he hiding?

Queen Chrysalis, bemused expression on her face, smirks at Twilight. “Looking for something?”

Have to find a practical excuse. Can’t just, go around tossing books down holes because you’re mad. “I want to find out how deep that staircase is.”

Queen Chrysalis nods, glancing around the room as well. Seeing nothing, her eyes bug out slightly as she makes a coughing noise. Twilight watches, a little confused, and definitely not turned on, as Chrysalis retches up a paste of green goop.

“There you go,” the changeling says. The goop quivers back and forth like pudding. The kind that a foal would toss onto the ceiling where it would then stick, only to fall down when it is least convenient.

“There’s no way I’m touching that,” Twilight Sparkle says, feeling a bit queasy herself.

“It’s perfectly harmless,” Chrysalis says smoothly. “Go on, try it.”

“Oh.” Twilight lands, prodding the sticky pile with a hoof. As expected, it sticks to her hoof, stretching a bit when she tugs away. Then it snaps, and she stumbles back a little, careful not to set that hoof on the ground. She stares at the clingy substance. “How do you get it off?”

Queen Chrysalis’ horn lights, and the goop slips off her hoof like oil. She should probably remember that spell, but can’t seem to get her mind to focus. Her horn lights, the blob now shining a bright raspberry red and levitating over the pit.

The two walk up to the edge, watching it drop. And drop. And drop. The light gets smaller and smaller as it falls, and marginally less bright. Until it spreads out at what she can only presume is the bottom hundreds of feet below.

Okay, so this isn’t a feature cut into the throne room, but instead a portal leading to some other location. There definitely isn’t space in the Crystal Castle for this monstrosity. Good thing she didn’t try blasting out the sides of the pit in order to bypass the puzzle. Still, she knows there exist artifacts that can create a similar effect. Could Sombra have made this himself, or did he twist existing magic to his own nefarious ends?

Getting out could be a problem, though, depending on how long the effect lasts. She has done precious little waypoint teleporting in her time as a unicorn, preferring the more reliable line of sight version. Still, she can set up a marker here, just in case the portal closes. Her dark magic spell on the crystal won’t last forever, and who knows what will happen to the portal, or anypony trapped inside, when that does happen.

“After you,” motions Queen Chrysalis to the spiral stairs cut into the circular wall of the pit.

Twilight considers briefly, then takes to the air. It’s wide enough that her wings shouldn’t clip into the sides, and hovering while descending really isn’t that much different than hovering while remaining stationary. It’s all about countering the force of gravity, and keeping your velocity mostly constant.

“How did you know Sombra’s password?” Twilight asks as she descends, about the same rate as if she was galloping down the stairs. After about fifty feet down the light from the throne room is no longer visible, instead only the lights of their horns guiding the way.

“What do you mean?” Queen Chrysalis retorts. “He’s an idiot.”

Twilight rolls her eyes, quicker than normal so she can keep a steady bead on her destination, the glowing goop on the floor. “Oh, come on. It can’t have been that easy.”

Queen Chrysalis doesn’t reply, which Twilight takes to mean she just shrugged or something. There’s no way he chose that because he couldn’t retain a seven digit password, and had to go with the simplest option! Not when everything about King Sombra seems purposefully designed to be as maddening as possible!

Whatever. Twilight feels her anger slip out of her again, replaced by a dull apathy. Maybe if she gets a chance to interrogate the unicorn, she’ll ask.

Twilight feels her mind perk up again. There are so many different things she could learn from him, too! Not just dark magic and how to subjugate his people, but forms of magic. How many ponies could just turn into a cloud, for Celestia’s sake!? Luna? And perhaps Celestia, though it isn’t quite her motif.

The two finally come to the bottom, an odd scraping sound echoing from above. She really hopes it isn’t the portal at the top closing, but it’s pitch black up there. They’d have to cancel all three light spells in order to have a chance of seeing the faint reflected light, and she really doesn’t want that to happen. Instead, she looks around. Just the stairs, spiraling up and up. And a door. A heavy wooden one, banded by straps of metal. Huh.

Twilight walks up to the door, but it slides away from her. Strange, but not unexpected. If Sombra can warp space to get them into this place, no reason he can’t move around the exit like it’s a magnet on the other side of a table. Ooh, that’s a trick she can one-up Trixie with!

Yet the satisfaction of coming up with a way to finally trick her herdmate is short lived, especially as the door keeps shifting around. Even a dimensional anchor, the kind that keeps ponies from teleporting, fails to hinder its movement. She tries corralling it with Chrysalis’ help, but it just disappears into the wall, reappearing on the other side. Grasping the knocker with her magic serves no better, and galloping after it only serves to tire herself out.

“Well, that’s just annoying,” Chrysalis says, huffing.

“You’re telling me,” Twilight replies, gritting her teeth. She feels overcome by a wave of anger - at Sombra, at Chrysalis, at everything! Her horn flares, turning the entire area into shadows as a bolt of dark magic blasts forth and strikes the door!

It stops moving after that, and Twilight has a harder time shaking the effects of using dark magic. It takes evoking a memory of meeting her Friends in Ponyville, but even the euphoric feelings there are short lived. Twilight steps away from Chrysalis to approach the door, both of them inspecting it.

And then the door opens, revealing everything she ever wanted.

“Mine!” Queen Chrysalis shouts, knocking Twilight out of the way in her haste.

Twilight rubs her rump, wincing at the pain, but what’s confusing is that Chrysalis didn’t actually go through the door. Instead, she’s standing there, her bright green eyes completely filled by a garish neon green. They remain transfixed on the door while she mumbles something to herself. The door shines white, no longer showing Twilight anything in particular. She inches closer, barely able to hear Chrysalis’ narration.

“No! That is impossible! Traitors!” Chrysalis pauses, her ears twitching as her eyes narrow. “No! You cannot abandon me! I am the one who brought you this far!” She stamps a hoof, fuming. “You follow my commands! Not hers!”

Then Chrysalis gapes, her eyes focusing on nothing. “No! Stop! I command you to stop!” Then she holds up a hoof, as if to block something from her eyes, chancing a peek above. “Noo!” Then she pulls her hoof away, inspecting the same dark gray chitin she’s always had. “Aagh! Get it off!” She scraps at her foreleg with the other, recoiling at some unseen sight taking place on both her legs. She screams as if her carapace was on fire, “No! NO! NOOOOO!!”

Chrysalis breaks down, sobbing into her hooves, the open door still in front of her and shining the same white it was before.

Twilight creeps forward, hooves grasping the despondent changeling queen. With the help of her horn she drags the writhing creature away from the door, breathing heavily. What had she seen to reduce her to a quivering, mewling foal? She slowly, tentatively, wraps her forelegs around the changeling. What starts as a light hold gets stronger as Chrysalis moans, ending up gripping her in a tight hug, rocking her back and forth.

That scratching sound from above becomes audible as Chrysalis’ cries gradually lessen. She calms down, finally opening her bright green eyes to stare into the lavender chest. A grunt of surprise mixed with a dash of annoyance escapes her throat, pulling her head back slightly to gaze into Twilight’s eyes. They remain there for several long seconds, Chrysalis no longer disguising that she is drinking in every one of Twilight’s emotions.

“Better?” Twilight whispers.

“Much,” returns the changeling. Her eyes flick to the open door. “Go through there, and tell me what you see.”

“Okay,” says Twilight without a moment's hesitation, getting up and walking to the door.

On the other side, she finds herself in a hospital room, laying on a normal hospital bed. Ponyville General, if she has any guess, but there aren’t any windows. One door. Doug is by her side, holding onto her hoof, a worried expression on his face.

“Hey,” Twilight says with a reassuring smile, “it’ll be okay.”

Doug grimaces, saying nothing.

Twilight frowns, then glances up as the door opens. Nurse Redheart steps in: slowly, reluctantly, a certain look of disguised dread on her face. Doctor Horse follows behind, and even the normally unflappable snark has a somber expression.

“What is it, Doc?” she asks, her voice catching in her throat.

“It’s your foal,” Nurse Redheart replies, the clipboard shaking in her hoof. “It, um, she…”

“She didn’t make it,” Doctor Horse says in that damnably neutral voice of his. “We don’t know why.”

Twilight’s world shatters. Her hoof goes to her belly, rubbing at the spot she should be growing. The feelings come flooding back, the ones she got when it happened the hour before. She had known she was dead, but came to the doctors anyway, in the vain hope that there might have been a chance…

“Oh,” is all Doug says, giving a disgruntled snort. He pulls his hand away from her hoof, standing up and leaving her side. He walks to the door, turning to barely regard her out of the corner of his eye. “So you failed. Again.”

Tears well in Twilight’s eyes as she crumples to the bed. She hears her mentor tut-tutting from somewhere in the room. She glances around, just to see the long, slow shakes of the white alicorn’s head as she looks upon her student with less than pity. More like disgust.

“Please don’t send me back to Canterlot,” Twilight begs, the rest of her Friends appearing around Celestia and looking at her with just as much disdain.

“Well, if you can’t even be a broodmare, then what use are you?” Doug flicks his head, the rest of her herd walking out the door, not even sparing her a second glance. Celestia gets up, her pregnant belly swaying mockingly.

“I don’t know what you think is waiting for you in Canterlot, and there is certainly nothing waiting for you in Ponyville.” Celestia’s scornful gaze bores into Twilight, the lavender alicorn barely able to meet her. “I would say I was disappointed, but that would mean I ever expected anything from you.” Then she turns, silently walking out the door, it closing behind and leaving Twilight alone.

Very, very alone.

Twilight mourns for long seconds, her weeping staining her forelegs. Until a comforting hoof sliding along her back briefly breaks the alicorn from her despondency, her tear filled eyes opening just a sliver.

“Shh,” whispers Chrysalis, stroking Twilight’s mane out of her eyes as she shuts the door. The alicorn can’t help but peer into the swirling depths of bright green, promising compassion and relief. “I can make the pain go away, if you let me.”

Twilight believes, baring her soul.

40 The Tower

Rainbow Dash snuggles next to Doug as the sun dips below the white capped mountains of the Frozen North. Her breath relaxes, finally feeling like the cloud of depression surrounding her has lifted. That mud blasted changeling, draining her love of Doug!? She'd probably hate it more, but she still feels kind of apathetic about the whole thing. It was kind of the point, letting Twilight inform Shining Armor without Chrysalis catching on, but still sucked.

Speaking of which. “Shouldn’t they be done by now?” Rainbow Dash asks, looking up the sheer crystal walls at the spot the alicorn had entered. They had seen some flashes of color from the windows, and then it seemed like all the light left the room. But nothing has happened in a while, and she's starting to get worried. “There wasn’t that much to search for in the throne room.”

“Maybe they found something.” Doug’s smile pulls against his face. "But I don't know if that's good or bad." He shudders a bit, gripping Rainbow Dash tighter, before he turns to Shining Armor. “How are you feeling?”

Shining Armor closes his eyes, taking a long, deep breath. “I didn’t want to believe Twilight at first. That somehow Cadance was an imposter. But after keeping this shield going now, and how much I struggled with it before?” He sighs, shaking his head. “I can't deny it anymore. I just hope that Cady is okay.”

“I believe she is,” Doug says reassuringly.

“How do you know that?” Rainbow Dash asks, rubbing her head against Doug.

Doug’s smile nearly fades as he purses his lips. “I don’t know for sure. But I can hope.” He ruffles her mane, glancing up as the rest of the herd makes their way onto the balcony. “Sup?”

“The Crystal Faire was a smashing success, if I do say so myself,” Rarity says, wearing one of her crafted hats. “I don’t think there was a pony there who didn’t turn crystal!” She glances to her own plain white coat, sighing a little. “Besides ourselves, I suppose. Don’t you think I’d look just fabulous with my coat shining?”

“I’m sure it’d look very nice,” Fluttershy says as she snuggles next to Doug, the human nodding noncommittally.

“More to the point, though. Um, we might have mentioned the Crystal Heart and how we were searchin’ for it.” Applejack lays down, stifling a grimace. “Ah don’t suppose we’ve made any progress on that front?”

“I don’t think so,” Rainbow Dash says, again tearing her eyes away from Doug to look up.

“Oh. Well, there may or may not be a horde of disappointed ponies waiting at the bottom of the castle. So Ah really hope that we can find it.” Applejack glances over the balcony; many of the crystal ponies have pulled out folding chairs and mats to lay on. “Ah don’t suppose we have a way of keepin’ em entertained?”

“You don’t need to ask me twice!” exclaims Pinkie Pie, pulling out a flugelhorn. She hops onto the balcony, serenading the audience with a somber horn solo. Many of the audience waves their heads back and forth, not quite lulled to sleep.

Rainbow Dash gives Doug a quick kiss before she stretches her wings, Applejack taking her place at Doug’s side. “I’m going to fly up there and check, see how they’re doing.” She takes to the air, flying the hundred feet or so upwards. Nothing really stands out to her on the way, other than the shield is casting the whole city in a weird pink glow that is messing with her sight.

“Huh,” Rainbow Dash says to herself as she gets up to the throne room. She pokes her head through the open window. Nothing inside. No weird lights or anything. The throne, basically the only thing in the room, looks the same as when she blitzed through the room earlier. The doors leading out of the throne room are closed.

She exits the throne room the way she came in, eyes automatically scanning around her. Wait a second. She turns to the west, focusing on the edge of the wall. There’s a blackness up against the wall that she thought was just a lump of crystal or ground or something. But now it’s bigger. And, as she continues watching, growing.

Rainbow Dash dives down, opening her mouth only to see Shining Armor wincing in pain. “You okay?”

“Ugh,” is his reply, shaking his head. “Head hurts. Like something’s trying to break through, and in addition to wearing on my shield it’s wearing on me.”

“I think I saw it,” Rainbow Dash says, motioning to the west. “There was something along the wall, and-”

Shining Armor screeches in pain as his horn crackles with a bit of dark magic. The light disappears from all around them as his horn winks out. The lamps of the city still provide some illumination, and Rarity automatically sets her own horn alight. From beneath, worried whispers are exchanged, and it isn’t long before a chill wind sets everypony on edge.

The streetlights from the west blink out, one after another. The sounds of cracking stone comes from all over as giant shards of dark crystal burst forth from the ground, toppling buildings and destroying the streets. Above, a large shadowy cloud quickly makes its way to the center of the city. Deep, guttural laughs echo among the few standing buildings. Maddening words, too quiet to make out but barely identifiable, linger in the back of everypony’s mind like a bump in the night.

“What do we do?” Rainbow Dash asks, terror in her eyes. Shining Armor groans next to her, his horn occasionally sparking but not obeying his commands. “There’s no way I can hold him off alone; and with Shining Armor hurt, we’re basically sitting ducks.”

“Good thing you aren’t alone,” Rarity says, though she can’t help but take a fearful step backwards. “Although, I would like to reiterate that fighting still isn’t really my thing, and if we can come to some sort of amenable solution then I would be, well, amenable to that.”

High above - actually, well below ground - Twilight Sparkle forces herself to keep her wings flapping. How high can this tower next to her be? She knows she’s easily gone several hundred, if not a thousand, feet up by this point. But without any thermals to ride, and possible dark magic at play? It could be her eyes playing tricks on her. But still her horn shines, illuminating the spiral staircase on the outside of the tower they left however many minutes ago.

“Maybe I should have studied more gravity spells,” Twilight remarks to Chrysalis, the changeling walking up the stairs next to her. Pony, she could take a break. She chances a look down, but the light of her horn doesn’t illuminate all the far. Though there is a slight blur of motion, like something small and dark is following them, blending into the red her horn colors everything in.

“Explain,” Queen Chrysalis remarks, ponderously putting one hoof ahead of the other. She would have sworn they aren’t actually making any progress, like they are just turning on a screw. Except they keep moving on, so either it’s an infinite staircase (could Sombra do that?) or they would eventually reach the top.

“You know, kind of like how levitation is just exerting a force on an object? It’s similar to creating a field anchored on a pony or object that exerts a force twice as strong as gravity but in the opposite direction. A well crafted one will diffuse the force through the object, like gravity does, instead of focusing it all at one point.”

“So,” Queen Chrysalis says through clenched teeth, “we could have been spared the arduous climb by you remembering all of your abilities?”

“Hey!” Twilight exclaims with a pout. “I said I should have studied them more. Meaning I don’t feel comfortable casting it.”

“Was that before or after you became an alicorn?” Queen Chrysalis asks, “Because I’m perfectly happy with you testing that spell. On yourself, of course.”

“Well, in that case,” Twilight says, her horn flaring. She yelps in surprise as she shoots upwards, wings flapping uselessly as she tries to right herself.

“Hey! Get back here!” Queen Chrysalis shouts. Several seconds pass as she waits impatiently for Twilight to return. The alicorn eventually makes it back, panting heavily. “Cast the spell on me, too.”

Twilight obliges immediately. Chrysalis’ eyes go wide as she raises into the air, less than a quarter second later bashing her head against the ceiling. She tumbles up, rolling end over end until she spills off the edge of the tower. Her wings buzz, righting herself and bringing her upwards falling to a stop.

“Weee!” Twilight shouts as she zooms past the changeling, shoes scraping against the stone. How she manages to stay inside the spiral tower and not get ejected like Chrysalis is anypony’s guess, but she’s making it work somehow. Queen Chrysalis groans but follows after.

After far too little time enjoying her new gravity spell Twilight yelps, her wings flaring and catching her from smashing into the roof. Well, one of the roofs; there is a portal in the middle of this roof that leads into a second room that also has a roof. It’s pretty dark in there, though, like it’s night outside.

“Well?” Queen Chrysalis demands, standing on the ceiling. Or would that be the floor? She motions to the portal. “What’s next?”

“Make sure it isn’t dangerous.” Twilight focuses for a second; nope, no traps. At least, no magical ones. On this side of the portal. “I think it’s safe.”

“Then, after you.” Queen Chrysalis motions forward.

“Okay,” Twilight replies, stepping forward. She falls up the portal, landing on the ceiling.

It’s a spacious room, made of crystal. No furnishings of any kind. The walls have weird indents in them, like the entire place is made to camouflage into the rest of the castle. In other words, you’re not supposed to be able to see this room from outside. She can barely see outside, at least what she thinks is outside. Starry skies, but no pink shield. Whether that's good or bad? She's leaning towards bad.

Floating in the center of the room is a medium blue heart. It doesn’t look like it is carved from a single block of crystal, like Twilight would have done. Instead, it’s crafted from hundreds of shards of crystals, fused together. After a brief scan to make sure it isn't fake - it seems real enough, and practically shines with energy, and not the dark kind - Twilight turns her attention back to the outside and where they are. It seems like the Crystal Empire, but it's hard to tell from the angle. And the dark. And the fields of black crystals littering the ground.

“Go on.” Queen Chrysalis motions towards the heart. “Take it.”

Twilight nods, pulling herself away from her scans and flying down.

Far below, at the bottom of the castle, a dark cloud draws ever closer. Ponies warily glance one way or another, and several of the ponies who are shining brightly find their coat abruptly dimming as their hope goes out.

“My Crystal Slaves…” King Sombra purrs out as his shadow form envelops the base of the castle. “How fitting for you to gather before me.” He rears up slightly. "Bow."

Rainbow Dash chances a peek over the balcony, seeing only the back of King Sombra’s shadow head. None of the crystal ponies are standing against the unicorn, instead cowering or fearfully holding a hoof against their head as a pitiful shield. Many of them have followed his command, laying on the ground.

Then his ears flick, and his eyes sink into the cloud, only to reappear on the other side. They stare right at Rainbow Dash, the pegasus’ limbs locking in terror. His wispy eyebrows narrow as his fang filled maw (what kind of pony has fangs!?) grins maniacally. He launches himself upwards, straight at the balcony.

Rainbow Dash can’t even lift a hoof to brace for impact.

Except he doesn’t slam into her, instead blasting further up. Higher and higher he climbs, leaving everypony gaping. He goes past the throne room, all the way to the very top of the crystal castle.

41 The Fiend

Twilight Sparkle, as just near everypony can tell you, likes being in control.

Everypony agrees that Friendship is Magic. In fact, some would argue that Control = Magic = Friendship. Some, though certainly not most, might make the audacious claim that Magic ≡ (is defined as) Friendship, or at the very least Magic ≣ (is equivalent to) Friendship. It is the sort of argument that might be argued in the annals of Annual Anal Analysis. (The analretentive kind, not the gastrointestinal kind. That’s a whole different subscription, which Twilight claims she gets for the articles. That that is her standard claim for many such publications leaves one wondering how she retains that innocent aura about her.)

But regardless of how many lines are between Friendship and Magic (except one, because that would equal zero) it’s easy to see why ponies might claim that Magic is just another way for ponies to control the world around them. And, as other creatures occasionally inhabit that world, sometimes a little… mental conditioning is called for. Hence the (perhaps not as spurious as it sounds) claim that Friendship is (Mind) Control.

Given Twilight Sparkle’s propensity and prodigiousness with certain mind-affecting spells, this may not be too far off the mark. And she would certainly not give up control of her own faculties, not without a long and prolonged fight that, especially with her new power as an alicorn, would leave her and likely her opponent as a burned out husk, depending of course on any number of factors, including your ability to factor factors.

Queen Chrysalis is not a master of control, as defined above.

Queen Chrysalis is a master of manipulation.

It would have been neigh impossible for her to override Twilight Sparkle’s mental barriers that control her actions and thoughts. It would take a particular set of spells that Twilight has collected and, perhaps more conveniently than advisable, spread through a few different books. Spells that Queen Chrysalis, while she might know of them, hasn’t quite put together the effects should they be cast together. Instead, she merely changed a different variable.

So when she tells Twilight Sparkle, “Go on. Take it,” it isn’t as a command, though it might seem like it. Instead, it is the gentle request of a close friend and herdmate with both of their best interests at heart (she couldn’t quite get herself up to Lover; Twilight isn’t that open (yet)) who has already figured out all the relevant factors and done the complex analysis. And all that remains to be done is Twilight doing, well, whatever it is that Chrysalis is requesting her to do.

Twilight Sparkle hears this request, and complies, because why wouldn’t she comply? There’s no obvious danger or anything, despite King Sombra’s propensity for traps, of which she has run into between four (4) and nine (9), depending on how you count each stage of the bookshelf, book, door, and tower(s). She merely flies down, and grabs the Crystal Heart with her hooves.

King Sombra is a master at magic, though perhaps his definition of ‘Friendship’ is a little warped compared to Twilight Sparkle’s. His adeptness at crafting spells that read a pony’s intent and modify themselves accordingly is certainly unsurpassed. And so, when a pony touches the Crystal Heart, the first thing his trap does is read their intent, in order to better contain them. If they were to fly away, or teleport, or try to escape on hoof? Well, he would need to anticipate how and where they are going, and spring the trap on them there. Or, using the connection made to them when they grabbed the heart, balefully teleport them into his dark cage.

And if a pony is falling, relying on gravity? Well, it’s an easy matter to reinforce a cage on the floor, especially when they are just above the center of the room.

It’s hardly King Sombra’s fault that gravity isn’t working quite right for Twilight Sparkle.

The lavender alicorn is struggling, as anypony who has played with a large ball in a swimming pool can attest, to not drop the Crystal Heart that weighs probably half as much as she does. It’s not the weight that bothers her, so much as the fact that, from her perspective, it keeps trying to fall up, and she has to hold it down.

Lacking any further instructions from her close Friend and BBBB (big bug best buddy, or B-four, also spelled B4, or Q-B (short for quad-B, not queen bee)), Twilight does what comes naturally: completely ignore her surroundings in order to study the fascinating phenomenon in front of her.

It really is a work of art, the way each individual shard molds itself to be a part of the whole. Wrapped around each other like strands of hair, individually weak and easily broken. But together, not even the concussive force of a thousand shouting stallions could break it! Unless they are Our Harmony and hit just the right note, but what are the odds of that happening?

She barely even notices the black crystals that close around thin air like a manticore’s maw, exactly where she would have been standing if she was in fact a normal crystal pony and not currently standing on the ceiling. Her mastery of magic can feel the dimensional anchor that attaches itself to her when she grabs the Heart, though, and knows that if she flies too quickly, or teleports, or really does anything faster than a moderate canter then the magic of the room will teleport her directly into that waiting maw.

But why would she need to do that? She has a cool new toy* to play with!

* - not a toy. Twilight is* cognizant of this.

Okay, King Sombra’s gaseous form bursting through the seams of the walls in order to find out who sprung his trap, that does get her attention. Most of it. Okay, some of it. And then when he transforms into his pony form in order to gloat over whatever unfortunate soul is trapped in his crystal cage? The look on his face when he realizes nopony is there is priceless. At least, she assumes it is, based on Chrysalis’ snickering laughter. She’s too busy scanning the Crystal Heart for clues to its construction and how it serves as a magical conduit, powering a supercharged shield that keeps not only the cold and snow out of the Empire but also the predators, while simultaneously letting in things like trains and random ponies instead of stranding them outside to the mercy of said predators and snowstorms.

Priorities. You know how it is.

Well, one might guess, Chrysalis’ laughter gives away their clever hiding spot on the middle of the ceiling. Now they’re shouting stuff back and forth. Conspiring against her. Plotting their sudden, yet inevitable betrayals. Debating finer points on world domination. Arguing whose name comes first on the wedding invitations? She can’t really be bothered to listen in. After all-

Wait, have ponies really had trains for over a thousand years? That seems like an unreasonable stretch, given how frequent advancements in train technology are happening. She heard of a new engine obsoleting ponies pulling trains, for Celestia’s sake, and that happened in the last decade! Surely ponies weren’t pulling trains into the Frozen North for years!

Twilight frowns. Did Celestia have something to do with that? Suppressing advancements in technology for her Sister’s sake?

Well, at least Queen Chrysalis and King Sombra have returned to glaring at each other. Those two would never work out, much less work together! She shakes her head, going back to her scans.

And, just like every single Mission-Neighpossible flick, they just have to interrupt her when she’s seconds* away from unlocking everything.

* - Time estimates may not be accurate but they are precise.

It starts with that feeling deep in her gut that some seriously powerful magics are powering up, and not just from Sombra. Her B4 is probably using some of that borrowed* power to enact a bright green shield around herself, leaving Twilight to fend for herself.

* - She was gonna give it back, honest!

A set of three crystals sprout from the points of an equilateral triangle around her, simultaneously as a second set appears around Chrysalis. Hmm, remembering what happened to Shining Armor, it’s probably best not to use a shield against these. Getting trapped inside a cage of crystal is right out, as is teleporting or flying away with such a large burden. A loud hum, but not from Twilight, fills the air as she deliberates; maybe she could-

The crystals explode outwards, Twilight Sparkle only barely able to get her hooves up to defend her head by dropping the Crystal Heart. Jagged shards lacerate her forelegs, her short scream of pain drawing a bemused smirk from the unicorn. Queen Chrysalis fares better, though the dark crystals embed themselves into her shield, bright sparks flying as they try to bore in. The shield fades, the crystal shards dropping to the floor.

A loud clang echoes through the room as the Crystal Heart slams into the floor, bouncing about like a die before it comes to rest, teetering on the edge of the portal.

King Sombra grins, his horn charging a crystal blockade around himself as Queen Chrysalis releases a blast of her own. It shatters straight through his barrier, King Sombra roaring in pain as the beam slams him backwards.

“Hah!” Queen Chrysalis shouts, smirking as she advances. “Not so tough now, are you?”

Twilight itches at the shards stuck into her coat, gasping as she realizes. “Quad B! Watch out!” She furiously scratches, trying to remove the shards continuing to grow, noticing that same hum in the air. “They’re going to explode again!”

“What?” bellows Chrysalis as she looks to her hooves, dozens of the small shards continuing to grow as they leech off the power of the Crystal Heart. “You fiend!”

King Sombra, his plan to lull Chrysalis foiled, rages as his horn glows a sinister black. Two more crystal formations form a bubble around himself, which he then fades into. All around the castle walls and throughout the Crystal Empire outcroppings of black crystal are popping up, heedless of existing structures and sending many toppling to the ground.

Twilight grimaces; no wonder King Sombra used this spell as his opening salvo - it will trap them inside after just a few more chains, assuming they aren’t crushed first! Her furious scratching fails to remove every shard, finally deciding to risk a teleport. Her horn flares; every shard that was on her falls down. She makes it next to the Crystal Heart, but her hooves swipe at nothing as the power of the cage immediately teleports her inside. Queen Chrysalis throws up a second shield, already looking drained.

Her only solace is the solid crystal walls of the cage provide an adequate barrier as the crystal bombs explode again, showering the entire room with flecks of razor sharp crystal. The Crystal Heart, blown by a nearby blast, skids into one of the walls, but otherwise looks undamaged. Crystals form on each of the exits, jagged spikes promising to skewer anypony unfortunate to wander near.

King Sombra fades out of the nearest crystal wall, laughing as he goes to pick the Crystal Heart up.

“Oh, no you don’t!” shouts Twilight Sparkle, going on the offensive. She attempts to fling King Sombra away, only to lock the unicorn in a battle of magical might. The two charge their horns, stronger and stronger as they both glow with power. Twilight concentrates as hard as she can, grinning as she feels his hold slip.

Queen Chrysalis flies down, snagging the Crystal Heart from next to King Sombra. “Yes!” she calls, bathing in the stored love of the crystal ponies, any exhaustion she was showing earlier disappearing. “It is mine! All mine!!”

Only for King Sombra to smirk, fading into mist.

All the power of Twilight’s telekinesis slams through his incorporeal form, straight into the changeling queen. She hits the wall with a sickening crack, lines of hemolymph oozing from her carapace. Only the recent infusion of love keeps her going, her focus locked on stabilizing herself.

“I’m so sorry!” Twilight shouts as a loud hum fills the air again, competing with King Sombra’s mad cackling echoing about the room. Twilight throws a shield up around the defenseless changeling, cowering down as the spikes of her crystal cage grow even larger, barely giving her any room to maneuver.

Her shield works, if barely, leaving Twilight feeling far more drained than she ever has before. Dust fills the air from the shards exploding, seeing their surroundings made even more difficult by King Sombra’s smoke form. A skittering comes, the scrabbling sound of claws scraping against crystal, that disappears just as quickly as it appeared.

“Save yourself!” yells Twilight Sparkle, coughing out flecks of dust. No wonder Princess Celestia told her that she and she alone needed to be the one to find the heart and confront Sombra! She couldn’t bear the thought of one of her Friends being injured in a battle like this! “Find the Heart and get out!”

“That is mine!” bellows King Sombra as he coalesces back into his pony form. He callously pushes Queen Chrysalis’ limp body out of the way, his eyes narrowing as he searches her yielding form. Nothing. “What?!” King Sombra roars, spinning about to try to find the Crystal Heart. “Where did it go!?”

42 Beauty Through Death

Spike has never thought of himself as a particularly brave dragon.

That isn’t to say that he sees himself as a particularly cowardly dragon, either; though, if pressed, he might admit to a certain tendency to view discretion as the better part of valor. Being raised by a pony, especially one in a flammable environment where any outburst was liable to be dealt with a disproportionate response (parchment did not like flame, after all), meant that his temper has been, well, tempered into a sarcastic streak instead of a pyroclastic one.

A part of Spike desperately wishes he had tried that instead of facing his current predicament.

Suspended over a hundred feet in the air on the top of the Crystal Castle, like an earth pony on top of a rickety diving platform, stands Spike. He clutches the Crystal Heart to his chest, hearing as well as feeling the power thrumming inside. His muscles ache from the arduous climb up the tower, enough to make him never want to take the stairs ever again. And then the brief sprint through the dust to grab the crystal that practically calls his name, and then squeezing through the dark crystals barely large enough to admit him and the heart.

Sooner or later, he knows, they’ll realize what he did. And one or two or all three of them will come looking for him. He gulps, trying to figure out a way down. He slowly, carefully, peeks his head out past the edge. The sheer drop on every side threatens to send him over just from losing his balance, vertigo leaving him reeling. He slams himself back against the wall, breath coming out in fits and spurts.

Just don’t look down.

Spike groans at the less than useless advice. He can see the tiny dots of ponies congregating below. And, at various points along the wall, dark crystals have pierced through the blue. Almost like little stepping stones that he can leap from one to the other. Like one of those arcade games he’s seen in town.

“Yeah, Spike!” he says to himself, trying to bolster his confidence and failing. “Just think of it like a game! All you have to do, is get a perfect score. On your first play through.” He looks at his stubby arms and legs. “Without any powerups.” He looks at the Crystal Heart. “And a handicap.”

He takes a deep breath. “You can do this.”

Somehow, he does not feel better about this at all.

The enraged roars from inside the room, however, spur him to extend one scaled leg to the first outcropping. Surprisingly, it holds his weight without budging. If he can somehow make it down to the throne room, he’ll be free! It isn’t that far beneath him, and then he can take the stairs.

If he makes it, he will never complain about having to take a staircase ever again.

All he has to do is jump from one outcropping of solid black crystal to the next. It has to be secure, right? They look secure. His limbs shake from the adrenaline coursing through him. That or the entire castle is shaking from the blasts coming from the room above.

Spike teeters, the gap ahead appearing nearly insurmountable. He chances another glance down, getting dizzy again. He can barely lean with both claws gripping the crystal without threatening to topple over, but there’s no way he can bridge the gap without going all in. He steels himself, taking a deep breath in, and steps off.

Spike clears the six inch gap without any issue.

“Whew!” Spike says, wiping the sweat off of his brow with a shoulder. He scrambles across the outcropping, the several feet wide crystals offering plenty of claw holds. Fortunately, their jagged edges don’t cut his scales, and he quickly comes to the other side.

The next gap looks twice as large, and he takes it at a run, starting to enjoy himself.

Things between Twilight, Chrysalis, and Sombra are not going nearly as well.

Without the power of the Crystal Heart to leech off of the smaller crystals have stopped growing, and Twilight can no longer feel the magic of the cage trapping her inside. That doesn’t change that there are still spiky growths littering the floor, ceiling and walls, caltrops threatening anypony who tries to move around. Both Sombra and Chrysalis are frantically searching for the heart. There’s no way it could have gotten that far, unless…

Spike! Twilight bites her tongue to keep from shouting for her Best Assistant. He must have climbed up the tower after her, and taken the Crystal Heart… outside? Back through the portal? But, regardless, she is supposed to be the one to help Princess Cadance and Shining Armor defend the Crystal Empire, right? She isn’t supposed to have her Friends help, or they might get hurt or worse! She might fail!

She realizes: no, they wouldn’t fail. Celestia’s instructions - no, more like advice - was that she should be the only one to fight Sombra. She wouldn’t have sent all of them if she was supposed to save the Crystal Empire singlehoofedly! And if she is the one to take down the mad king, or at the very least delay him? Well, she better get started on that!

Twilight slams a hoof into the cage, a shockwave of power radiating away from her. The smaller crystals are ground into dust as she floats back to the ceiling, enjoying her new vantage point with which to smirk at her opponent.

Except he isn’t there, apparently having come to the conclusion that the Crystal Heart isn’t in the room and might have fallen to the ground outside. Twilight grits her teeth, blasting through one of the crystal walls and zooming outside. Oh, and she cancels her levitation spell on herself (and, inadvertently, Chrysalis) in order to fly like a normal pony.

Spike is no longer enjoying himself.

He thinks he is onto something when he comes down hard from one of his jumps. Rather than break off the crystal like he fears, it instead molds itself into a nice, sloping ramp leading to the next outcropping, which will be a long but doable jump. What follows should be a nice, easy course of running along a ramp at breakneck speeds, Crystal Heart held high like a carrot he’s trying to keep from Angel Bunny, and then leaping into the next crystal to activate the next ramp.

But no, Spike can’t have nice things. First, it’s the shockwave from the room above that nearly blasts him off the crystal. Fortunately he snags one of the protrusions, his tail plus one claw enough to keep his hold on the Crystal Heart. Then it’s the cloud of black smoke that turns into yet another crystal platform for King Sombra to ride. The unicorn shouts something about crystals, and slaves, and mine, but Spike doesn’t really pay too close attention.

Seriously, what is with that guy and his crystals?

Spike is more focused on making the last jump he needs to make. The window is so close, and he leaps out, grinning as he remembers every action movie he’s ever watched. He’ll enter the throne room with a smash and-

Only to bounce off the glass, sending himself and the Heart tumbling the long, long way to the ground.

He has a surprising long time to think, given that he’s got a maniacal unicorn cackling as he rides a pillar of black crystal straight at him. And the ground coming just as fast from the other direction. He isn’t sure which is more likely to kill him. Or, rather, which one would hurt more, since they'd both probably kill him. He'll go with the first, actually; somehow, it takes King Sombra to make falling to one’s death seem not so bad.

His life flashes before his eyes. First, a view of Twilight from below. Then a view of Twilight from above. Then another view of Twilight from below. Ah, the first day they met, and he was hatched. Classic. Then a few scenes of his foalhood (babyhood?) like learning his first words, and name, and helping Twilight in the library.

Then he’s a large dragon, able to peek over a house. Then a big dragon, as big as a house. Then he’s a huge dragon, towering over all of Ponyville. All because he got greedy. Good times.

Wait.

Spike looks at the Crystal Heart in his claws. He can practically feel Sombra breathing down his neck, charging his horn for some sort of decapitating crystal attack.

This thing is really, really valuable. And it’s his. In his claws.

Far below, many pony’s eyes lock onto the scene above. While they might have been distracted by the many crystals destroying their homes, the explosions from the castle have drawn everypony back together. Huddling in fear under the Crystal Castle, few chance glances up at the small purple form blending into the blue walls and black crystal. Until somepony spots a different blue item.

“Is that the Crystal Heart?” somepony asks. Others quickly join her, heads craning from every angle to try to spot it.

“It is!” three more ponies exclaims, hooves pointing nearly straight up. Coats turn crystal as more and more ponies watch Spike run around the top of the castle, leaping from one dark crystal to another.

“Oh, no!” somepony narrates completely unnecessarily. “King Sombra is going to catch him! We’re doomed!”

“No we’re not!” shouts Pinkie Pie as she leaps from the balcony. She tucks and rolls, grabbing onto the neighsayer. “We just need to believe! Believe!” BELIEVE!”

“BELIEVE!! BELIEVE!! BELIEVE!!”

The chant comes to a pause as Spike slams into the window, then starts falling.

“Oh, no!” calls out one pony.

Pinkie Pie shushes her with a glare. “Believe! Come on, everypony! Believe!!”

Rainbow Dash has a markedly different reaction. She blasts off from the ground in a wide, looping arc that ends up with her staring down Sombra’s rear. Grinning, she flashes the unicorn as she zooms past, dodging the crystals in front of her, and stretches out her hooves to snag Spike and the Crystal Heart from midair.

Spike strokes the Crystal Heart. His Crystal Heart. His Own. His pr-

He feels the Greed circuits in his brain activate, empowered by the power of the Crystal Ponies.

Far above, Twilight Sparkle would get the answer to whether velocity or momentum or kinetic energy is conserved in a moving transformation.

Spike’s body explodes outwards; in the blink of an eye he goes from barely able to wrap his arms around the Crystal Heart to comfortably holding it in a single claw. Rainbow Dash barely pulls back as Spike’s tail whips around, smashing into King Sombra’s crystal and hurtling the unicorn into and through the Crystal Castle.

A split second later his colossal bulk slams into the ground, the answer to Twilight’s question being velocity. The pavement underneath is pulverized, and fractures spread through his scales. He whimpers, barely able to pick himself up; his buckled scales have pierced into him, leaving just as deep an impression internally as they did to the road.

“Okay, sooo,” Pinkie Pie says sternly, “Which one of y'all didn’t believe hard enough!?”

Spike groans, looking to the Crystal Heart in his blood drenched claws. Still intact. Unbelievable. Oh, and there’s a changeling trying to wrest it from his grasp.

“There, there,” Queen Chrysalis crows, stroking Spike’s badly injured arm. “You know I deserve this, right? Be a good little dragon and give it here.”

Spike gapes at her audacity, only for his ears to perk as a deep, rumbling laugh echoes from inside the castle. King Sombra, in all his dark glory, blasts a second hole next to the one he entered, showering everypony with shards of crystal and rock.

“No!” shouts Twilight from above, a shield forming between Sombra and the crowd. “Spike! You need to return the Crystal Heart!” She points a hoof at the center of the bottom of the castle, a bright circle glowing.

“No!” shouts Chrysalis from next to him, grabbing onto the Crystal Heart for all she’s worth. “It’s mine!”

“No, it’s Mine!!” bellows King Sombra, though his eyes show far too much worry. His horn charges another blast of some sort, aimed at Spike.

Spike flexes his powerful arm, his fleeting magic giving him one last burst of energy. With a lazy flick he sends the Crystal Heart, and Queen Chrysalis, soaring to the bottom of the Crystal Castle. And, as his coveted possession leaves his grasp, he transforms back into a small, not-quite-mortally wounded dragon.

43 The Sigil

The zagged arc of black lightning coursing at Spike’s head misses purely to the dragon suddenly dropping six size categories. Instead it dissipates into the cracked ground, leaving scorch marks and the strong scent of ozone. Spike groans, rolling into one of the many depressions he made, trying to find a tiny bit of cover. King Sombra bares his fangs, his horn glowing until he is pelted by every rock and shard of crystal caught in Twilight’s shield.

“Back away from my Friends!” Twilight bellows as her hooves slam into the ground, sending up a cloud of obscuring dust. Except when Spike starts coughing, and Twilight’s enraged expression drops to one of worry as she glances back at her Best Assistant. “Spike? Are you okay?”

“Ugh,” Spike says, claw gripping his side and trying to get the pain to go away. “I could go for a nap right about now.”

“You’ll be able to take all the naps you want after this,” Twilight says with a smile. Hopefully he is okay, but as long as he’s conscious that’s a good thing. Then her ear twitches, her focus returning to the unicorn who has certainly not spent the last few seconds being sentimental.

Underneath the Crystal Castle, everypony gasps as dozens of crystal spears lance from King Sombra. Twilight merely narrows her eyebrows; a raspberry glow surrounds the road, ripping the pavement up and forming a solid wall. Up on the balcony, a very distraught Fluttershy finds a purple dragon suddenly appearing in her hooves. Instincts take over as she hides out of Sombra’s sight, able to assess his injuries in relative peace.

King Sombra bellows in rage as every one of his spears impacts into the wall. His horn glows, a shockwave rippling along the ground that blasts the wall in half. A second explosion kicks up a massive cloud of dust right where Twilight and Spike were hiding. Fragments of rock blow in the chill wind, and King Sombra grins as he takes a few triumphant steps forward. He chuckles as he waits for the dust to clear, the battlefield silent but for the muffled cries of a few ponies.

If those ponies weren’t watching so closely, Twilight might have kept the element of surprise. As it turns out, a few ponies looking up and pointing behind Sombra gets the unicorn to glance backwards. His eyes go wide, his horn immediately lighting and turning himself to smoke.

Twilight roars as she slams down her hollow crystal, completely encapsulating Sombra’s cloud.

“Hah!” Twilight yells with a smirk. Then her makeshift prison bucks, the bottom lifting off the ground an inch. Twilight scowls, her aura forcing the crystal back down to the ground. They go back and forth, the crystal sliding along the uneven ground, every now and then slipping out a inky tendril that gets forced back underneath by a raspberry glow.

Meanwhile, the Crystal Heart that Spike threw zips past the center of the Crystal Castle. Queen Chrysalis holds on for dear life (or at least a strongly developed sense of vengeance), But, like a comet stuck in a doomed spiral, it decelerates, a wide arc that takes it right back towards the glowing circle underneath the castle. All her efforts to manipulate the crystal fail, up to and including trying to teleport herself and the Crystal Heart away.

After a few more revolutions that leave the queen of the changelings reeling the Crystal Heart settles into place. Two blue cones spring, one from the ceiling and one from the floor - conduits to channel the energy of the crystal ponies to the entire Empire.

But then nothing happens. Queen Chrysalis pauses in her struggles, inspecting the Crystal Heart. It certainly isn’t empty, she can feel it pulsing with power. Maybe it needs some sort of trigger to start going? And, if she is there and happens to absorb a bit of that power? She won’t complain.

“TO ME!!” shouts Queen Chrysalis, her buzzing wings and flailing limbs drawing everypony’s attention from the duel. “Send your love to me!”

“Cadance is right!” Rarity demonstrates by kneeling towards the Heart, focusing her deep love of her fellow ponies and the knowledge and hope that things will all work out. Applejack joins her, and Pinkie Pie; even Rainbow Dash lands to concentrate solely on sending all of her love right at the Crystal Heart.

At first nopony moves, many too busy watching Twilight struggle to contain the dark spirit of their former King. Then one, then three, then a dozen; soon, every crystal pony has turned to the Crystal Heart. They bow, their eyes closed, solemn expressions on each face. The ground underneath them lights, turning the bright blue of a clear sky.

Energy arcs in every direction, all twelve roadways gleaming with power. A massive sigil appears: a six pointed star radiating away from the Crystal Castle, as if the entirety of the Crystal Empire was built purely to serve as a conduit for channeling this power.

Twilight ceases her struggling with Sombra to gaze at the glory of the Crystal Heart; Sombra takes the opportunity to peek out from his crystal cage. His eyes shine with fear as hers shine with hope.

Queen Chrysalis basks in the reflected love of everypony as it pours into the artifact next to her. Even trying to take a sip is like drinking out of a fire hose, and she is content to imbibe just the mere droplets that are flung off. She feels more full than she ever has before! Like that hunger: that ever present, insatiable, unyielding thirst for power could somehow be quenched!

She gasps, as if the ability to do so is right there, right on the tips of her hooves. And it is! All she needs to do is join her subjects… her underlings… her… Friends?... in giving, in sharing that love! But, she needs that love! If she gives it away, she won’t have it any more! It will be somepony else’s!

Queen Chrysalis nearly gives in as the Crystal Heart wrenches - no, it doesn’t try to force her love from her. It’s far more insidious than that, appearing as a gentle request, a simple solicitation. It would be so easy to give in, like she has seen so many ponies give in to her illusions and trickery. Promising exactly what she wants to hear?

Hah! She is better than that! There’s no way that she would even think of-

Chrysalis breaks her gaze away from the Crystal Heart, now rapidly spinning, to stare at her hooves. They’ve turned… translucent. And sparkly. She can sort of see through them.

It’s exactly the Nightmare that King Sombra forced on her!

Queen Chrysalis sits for a moment longer, entranced, until a bubble starts to push away from the Crystal Heart. She knows what that bubble will do. It will consume her like she would consume Equestria, chewing her up and spitting out something that, while it might look and sound like her, have lost everything of what it means to be a changeling.

And that is something that she cannot let happen!

Queen Chrysalis bursts away from the Crystal Heart as the bubble expands. Flying faster than she ever has before, burning away every ounce of love she consumed, and it still isn’t enough! The bubble continues growing, inching closer and closer, threatening to eviscerate her soul!

King Sombra seems to have the same idea of what the expanding bubble of pure love will do to himself. He turns, trying to run away, but the crystal cage is in his way. Consumed by fear, he can’t even think to back away several feet in order to retreat correctly - the terror of the love is too powerful, and the most he can do is push against the crystal cage and Twilight Sparkle’s magic in a vain bid to flee.

Twilight Sparkle seems to catch on, holding the cage like a cup and letting the pure love wash over herself and King Sombra’s form. He doesn’t even get a proper death scream, just the clatter of his horn falling to the ground.

The light and love of the Crystal Heart rapidly spreads throughout the Crystal Empire. Any remnants of King Sombra’s corrupting dark crystals disappear without a trace, even the dust scattering and blowing into the no longer chill winds. The cracks and gouges in the roads fill in, and even the buildings rebuild themselves in pristine condition.

Not only pristine, but scintillating: every inch of the Crystal Empire sparkles, and not just the terrain. Everypony, and everydragon, inside has transformed, crystalline versions of themselves that shine like the radiant dawn. They all look at themselves and each other in awe, amazement at the beauty shining from each of them.

Rarity seems to put it best. “There are… no words!”

The bright blue bubble that surrounds the Crystal Empire shines like day, releasing blue and pink and yellow torrents of light into the night sky. They spread, higher and higher, soon visible throughout all of Equestria.

In Canterlot, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna look up from their planning. They trade ebullient grins, leaping up to wrap each other in a tight hug.

“She did it,” Luna says quietly, sorry she ever had any doubt.

Celestia merely smiles, nodding into her Sister’s mane.

“Twilight!” a fully healed Spike calls as he leaps from Fluttershy’s forelegs, wrapping his arms around her neck. “You did it!”

“No, Spike,” Twilight replies, nuzzling Spike happily. “We did it. All of us.”

“Regardless, it was very impressive,” Doug says as he walks up to Twilight, lifting her into a firm embrace. The human doesn’t seem to be that put out that he is the only creature in the entire Empire not sparkling and transparent. “Well done.” And, as he buries his face in her neck and mane, he whispers, “I’m so glad you’re safe.”

“Me, too,” Twilight whispers back, inhaling the sweat of her stallion. She chances a glance at Pinkie Pie, the mare bouncing up and down. Somehow, she seems to have taken a page from Sombra’s book, her party hats periodically exploding into more party hats that find themselves landing on everypony’s head.

The party rages for only a little while before the light shining off the Crystal Empire’s shield starts to fade. The ponies reluctantly say good night to each other, returning to their homes and leaving the Element Bearers standing at the base of the Crystal Castle.

Twilight Sparkle stands among them, smiling at all her Friends. But her tone is grave as she clears her throat. “As much as I know we want to go home and rest, unfortunately, Chrysalis is still out there.” The mood instantly goes from jovial to somber, Rarity and Applejack nuzzling a now downcast Shining Armor. “And, since we need to find out what happened to Cadance, we’re going to have to keep the deception going a little longer.”

And yet, Twilight’s encouraging smile is enough to lift everypony’s spirits; Pinkie Pie would be, and is, quite happy with the result. “I know we can do it. And together, we will!”

Smiles fades as hidden yawns become more and more visible. The ponies gather their things, finding one of the open rooms on the ground floor to spend the night.

Only Twilight Sparkle remains, sitting on the balcony and staring into the heavens. She did it. The faith that Celestia and Luna placed on her was well founded. She can do it! Anything she can set her mind to! She is prepared to pass any test! She smiles, giggling softly to herself, until she hears the faint flutter of wings next to her.

“You best not even think of laughing, Sparkle.”

Twilight Sparkle turns, unable to keep the smile from her face, but it isn’t mean or malicious. Instead, the happy smile just from seeing a friend return. Well, not a friend; the Crystal Heart removed any trace of Chrysalis' manipulation, but she's not about to let her see that. She slowly takes in the sight in front of her, her smile perhaps growing a little wider.

The sparkling of the lower half of Queen Chrysalis’ forelegs, the entirety of her back legs and tail, and a small amount of the chitin on her back is certainly a strong juxtaposition against the rest of her matte black, green, and blue.

“I don’t know.” Twilight Sparkle takes a step forwards, frowning as Queen Chrysalis tenses up. She advances anyway, surprising the tall changeling with a nuzzle into the crock of her long neck. She tucks her legs under her in a pony loaf, bumping the sparkling legs next to her with her own shiny side. “I kind of like it.”

“You… do?” asks Chrysalis, her voice confused and hesitant. She lays down next to Twilight, trying to find what is so fascinating in the sky above.

“Sure.” Twilight sighs as she inspects her own leg. “I think it’s only temporary, though. Otherwise, the crystal ponies would look like that all the time.”

“I suppose that is some solace,” Chrysalis replies, inhaling deeply of Twilight’s love and sense of accomplishment. Odd. She senses none of the barriers she felt when she was draining earlier, as if the alicorn has intentionally let down her guard, and is keeping it down. Unlike when she tricks a pony, and must keep the connection forced open. She greedily accepts, replacing what she burned off trying to escape the Crystal Heart's fury.

“I had a few questions, if you don’t mind answering,” Twilight says after a brief pause.

“Mm,” Chrysalis says, pausing in her snacking. She’ll need her wits about her, not stuck in the euphoric haze that a full meal (not that she’s ever been full) gives her. Plus, it seems like a fair trade.

Wait, fair trade? What is she, a pony? And yet she can’t help but say, “Ask away.”

“What do you want from life?” Twilight sighs, resting her head against her folded legs. "Help me understand. Why do you do what you do?"

44 The Insatiable

“What do I want from life?” muses Queen Chrysalis, a smirk slowly crossing her face as she strokes a sparkling hoof across her chin. She puffs up her chest, though flexing her chitinous plates doesn’t give quite the effect that one might get from Bulk Biceps. “To devour my enemies, see their driving force added to my own, and to hear the contented cries of my brood.”

Twilight Sparkle gapes, her wings pulling an inch away from her sides as her body unconsciously readies itself to run away. She gulps, taking a deep breath as she forces her wings back to her sides, trying to relax.

“Do… do you really mean that?” Twilight asks, her voice wavering. “That’s so…”

“Despicable? Evil? Completely antithetical to everything you believe?” Queen Chrysalis nods, the smirk never leaving her face. She leans in close, head above Twilight’s neck, fangs bared. She delicately strokes one along Twilight’s neck, delighting in eliciting a shudder from the alicorn. “This may come as a surprise to you, but I’m hardly what one would call a model pony.”

“No, I know. At least about your past.”

Twilight winces in pain as a flinch from Queen Chrysalis rakes a fang against her skin. “You know nothing about me,” Queen Chrysalis spits out, pulling away.

Twilight frowns, a hoof hovering above the ground. She wants to check herself to see if she is bleeding. So close after the fight with Sombra, the lingering remnants of the adrenaline coursing through her veins, she can’t help but want to repay her in kind. Then, she recalls Celestia’s words from last winter.

‘But, perhaps hardest of all, is to extend that protection - that love and forgiveness, and desire to learn and to grow - to those who do not wish us well. Who actively work to do us harm. Who would strike our cheek and spit in our faces purely for the sadistic pleasure of doing so.’

What would it be like to live up to that ideal?

“Then help me to learn,” Twilight implores. “I was hoping there was some common ground I could find.” Queen Chrysalis raises an eye. “You know, like how we both care about each other and our fellow creatures.”

Queen Chrysalis snorts. “I highly doubt that. While you might compare my brood to your precious ponies, we are nothing alike. They give me their power, their loyalty, and their unquestioning obedience. You ponies are like leaves on the wind, each liable to fling away to their own task at the barest provocation.”

“That isn’t-” Twilight starts, though she reconsiders. Many of the Canterlot ponies she grew up around act selfishly. Same with Manehattenites. Even the Ponyvillians she has grown to know and love could occasionally be like that, especially without an overpowering influence like Pinkie Pie to get them to work together.

“See?” comes the contemptuous response.

Twilight taps a hoof against her chin. “Okay, an example. I’ll set up a scenario, and you tell me what you’d do.” Chrysalis shrugs. “Pinkie Pie asks both of us to help her set up a party. If we both volunteer, then we get the job done quickly and we’re done in one hour. If one of us helps but the other one doesn’t, then it takes ten hours of work to set the party up.”

“I’m sure I work much quicker than you,” Chrysalis snarks.

“Shush. It’s an example.” Twilight rolls her eyes. “Pretend we’re both, I don’t know, earth ponies or something and we can’t reach very high.”

“I don’t have to pretend that if I don’t want to.”

Twilight tries to rub away that headache she knows is coming. “But, if neither of us chooses to help, Pinkie Pie ropes us both in. And because it’s super awkward that neither of us volunteered, we can’t work together and it takes us each five hours.”

Chrysalis thinks for a few seconds before asking, “So, the choice is whether or not you volunteer. And you’re trying to figure out what the other person is going to choose, if they will betray you?”

Twilight sighs. “Not betray, volunteer or not.”

“Same difference.”

“No, it-” Twilight huffs. “Fine. which one do you choose?”

“Well, that’s easy. Betray.”

Twilight gapes at Chrysalis. “...What? No! You cooperate! You volunteer!”

“Really?” Chrysalis looks at her hooves as if they were measuring scales, tilting them up and down. “The part about the other pony choosing is rendered moot by the outcome always being better if you betray.”

“No! That’s not how-”

“But it is!” Chrysalis brushes aside Twilight’s objection. “If they volunteer, you go from spending one hour working to zero. Improvement. If they don’t volunteer, you go from spending ten hours working to five. Also improvement.” She looks around exaggeratedly, holding up her empty, yet still sparkly, hooves. “There are no other options.”

“But what about the other pony? They go from working ten hours to one if you both cooperate. Or, if they for some reason chose not to volunteer, five hours to zero. A total of ten hours worked versus two! Surely that counts for something!”

Chrysalis merely shakes her head. “Why should it?”

Twilight sputters for a few seconds. “Because we should care about our fellow ponies and the problems that they face! And making things better for everypony is a good thing!”

“Why?”

Twilight grits her teeth in frustration; it’s a good thing becoming an alicorn gave her better resilience in addition to extra strength. “Okay, maybe this was a bad example.”

“Oh, no. I think it’s a perfect example. You ponies care so deeply about each other that you value their suffering as your own. It may seem to give you strength, but it makes you weak to the inevitable betrayals and power plays that others will make. After all, life is a competition, whether you like it or not.” Queen Chrysalis scoffs, shaking her head. “I don’t even know why I’m telling you all this. I should just lie, and pretend to be your Friend, so to better betray you later.”

“But you wouldn’t.” Twilight looks up, teary eyes meeting Chrysalis’ stony gaze. “You wouldn’t lie to me, would you?”

Queen Chrysalis opens her mouth, about to reassure the alicorn that ‘of course she wouldn’t, you can trust her’. It would be so easy, that foal willing to believe anything she says, as long as it’s what she wants to hear. But then she looks past that innocent facade, to the cold and calculating mare underneath. Hmm, she didn’t expect that.

Attempting to play a dangerous game, Sparkle? To pretend to be a friend, to act so open and willing, while plotting her downfall? She can actually respect that. But what is this novice hiding?

Chrysalis solemnly states, “I will answer that truthfully if you answer me a question of my own.” Twilight nods in reply. “What did you tell your herdmates and Celestia about me, and how did they reply?”

Twilight closes her eyes, taking a deep breath. “I wrote a letter detailing what happened when you transformed from Cadance’s form. Celestia neither confirmed nor denied my suspicions, instead sending me the information I read before, available in Remote Records.”

“And what information is that?” Chrysalis asks, curious. Her infiltrators had never come across these accounts, though they rarely spent their time reading foreign history books. And, from the sound of it, neither did most ponies.

“It talked about how you impersonated an emperor’s fiance, and used the position to place your changelings for an invasion. I can’t help but draw parallels to what you are doing with Shining Armor.”

Chrysalis reels; are her plans foiled? Even with a surprise attack, could she subdue not only Twilight but the rest of the Element Bearers? She would need to trap Rainbow Dash first, and the others could be particularly troublesome were she not able to get them all at once. “And what did he, and your fellow ponies say?”

Twilight shrugs helplessly, a blithe half-smile on face. “What do you think they said? It’s a pretty unbelievable tale, that somehow a changeling - whatever that is - was able to impersonate Cady, I mean, Princess Cadance well enough to fool everypony.”

Queen Chrysalis smirks to herself; she really is that good, isn’t she?

“And Shining Armor nearly attacked me when I tried to tell him.”

“Did he.” Chrysalis can’t help but laugh a little at the idea. If only she had been there to witness the event! Friends fighting each other is always so amusing!

Twilight sighs heavily, shaking her head. “You don’t have to answer my question,” Twilight says, looking away. Chrysalis cocks her head, her eyes glaring. Twilight glumly continues, “I already know the answer.”

“You dare impugn my honor!” shouts Chrysalis, stamping a hoof.

“Oh, so there is something you value,” Twilight returns, a tiny smirk of her own.

Chrysalis snorts. That insufferable wretch! “It is no great feat to merely utter a falsehood, especially to one who wants to believe it. No, what matters is the deception, the concealment, and the inevitable betrayal. The grander and more audacious the better! That is what shows true power to a changeling!”

Twilight nods along. “Then your plan was to show off your power in the grandest, most spectacular way you know. To outwit even Celestia, and then gorge yourself on the love of everypony around you.” Her eye squints a little. “And then ruin it all with… an invasion?”

Chrysalis glowers at the lack of being able to dupe Celestia, but keeps up her steely gaze. “My changelings need love, of course; how better to get it?”

“Somehow, I would think there are a lot of better ways.”

“If only everycreature was as loving and generous as you, Twilight Sparkle. Then the world would be filled with rainbows and bright sparkly lights.” The fact that Chrysalis is, almost, surrounded by a colorful aurora spewing shield and her hooves are bright sparkly lights fails to impress itself on her. “But I have more important things to consider. Shining Armor, the Captain of the Guard. Does he believe you?”

Twilight shrugs. “He calls you Cadance, doesn’t he? But I still don’t get it. Why ruin this?”

“Why?” Chrysalis fumes at the admission. Then an idea crosses her mind, a smile slowly spreading across her face. “I will tell you, but you must promise not to interfere with my plans or tell anypony about what you’ve learned here.”

Twilight gulps. “But, I’ve already told my Friends and Celestia. They might come to me later. I’m sorry, but I won’t lie to them.”

“Then deflect. Put it off. So long as you do not work against the plans I have in motion.” Chrysalis spits a bit of green goop on her hoof, offering it to Twilight.

Twilight considers. Could she count on her Friends to foil Chrysalis’ plans, dastardly should they be? Would she be able to get to Cadance and help her, should Chrysalis know that she knows? Or would the changeling queen attempt to mind control her (or worse, succeed?)

Perhaps she should instead consider: what would a true friend do? If she knows nothing of the changeling’s plans, how will she convince her to give up on them, or turn them to a better purpose? What would place her in the best position to help everypony involved?

Better yet, how would a changeling react? Chrysalis has been unmoved by displays of Friendship and love, except for what she can drain. What would it take to earn her respect and, possibly, grudging acceptance of their ways? She knows Chrysalis values power. And deceit, the ability to fool another. Could she pull something like that off?

Queen Chrysalis seems to interpret her delay for a different reason. “A changeling is nothing without their honor. And I promise you, Twilight Sparkle, that I will never be nothing!”

Twilight nods, then motions from one side of her barrel to the other, then sticks her hoof in her eye, wincing. “I promise not to work against you for however long you are able to successfully impersonate Princess Cadance.” Then she sticks her hoof forward, the goop binding them together.

And so Chrysalis reveals her deal with Celestia: the impersonation followed by the invasion. The stakes, of either being forced to leave or becoming a leader from the shadows. All the while gloating about how she was able to play on the alicorn’s sensibilities, her sense of pride, and the faith she has in her precious little ponies. Twilight takes it in, a smirk quickly suppressed as she comes up with a plan of her own. Hopefully Shining Armor is okay with it.

45 The Spoiled Prince

February 25th, 1001 Domina Solaria

A sharp pain to Twilight’s muzzle gets the alicorn to sleepily smack her lips. She tries to raise a hoof to scratch the spot, frowning at the resistance. She yawns as she opens her eyes, slowly taking in that she fell asleep on the balcony and there’s this big blue cloud awfully close to the Crystal Castle, then abruptly stops at the pink hoof attached to her own.

Oh. Right. That.

She quickly runs through the mental checklist she made for this eventuality, only for what is probably a small rock to smack into her side. She absentmindedly rubs at the spot with her free hoof while she completes her checklist, thankfully finding no influences or anything out of the ordinary. Well, a bit drained, and a low level lingering headache. But that seems like par for the course when you fall asleep next to a changeling. Or interact with them at all. At least she slept soundly, knowing that the real Cadance is, well, not exactly safe, but not in any imminent danger.

A third object hits her, this time in the flank. Okay, who is throwing things at her?! Rainbow? Twilight zaps the goo holding her to Cadance’s still sleeping form, it dissipating into nothing. Wow, she has really good recall as an alicorn. She looks up at the cloud, eyes searching for that tell-tale rainbow mane. But instead of Rainbow’s normal MO, the cloud is cobalt on top, white on sky blue on the bottom, with a giant cobalt and gold compass rose insignia. Oh, it’s not a cloud, it’s an airship.

A white hoof waves at her from behind the railing, an amber maned unicorn peeking up. His horn lights gold, sending a fourth rock spinning through the air directly at her. Twilight’s horn glows a soft raspberry, plucking the pebble from the air and sending it back at Prince Blueblood. She gets to her hooves, noting the dozens of rocks littering the balcony (how long had he been throwing things at her?) and flying to the Lunaris Priestess.

“Ow!” yells Lunaris as her rock hits him right on the horn, a hoof rubbing the spot. He clears his throat as Twilight silently alights on the gondola, a nonchalant, “Morning, Princess.”

“Morning, Prince.” Twilight looks around the ship at the dozens of crates that cover every available inch of the gondola. “What is all this?”

“Relief effort, wouldn’t you know. Princesses thought that you might need some assistance feeding the locals. And I was happy to lend a generous hoof.” He holds his foreleg out, motioning to the city below. “Especially after I saw the shield around the city. And the Crystal Heart once we got in here. I take it you were able to fulfill your mission?”

“That’s great!” Twilight looks around as Lunaris scans the crystal buildings. “And thank you, but it wasn’t just me that defeated King Sombra. We all helped.” She can almost see him charting a map of the city in his mind. Her enthusiasm begins to wane as he just continues looking. “So, um, why did you wake me?”

“Two reasons,” Lunaris draws out, his smile pulling at his cheeks. “I don’t suppose you, well…”

Twilight deadpans, “Wanted me to carry all of these crates off the ship for you?”

Lunaris smirks, rolling eyes a little. “Please. I have ponies for that.” He clears his throat loudly, stamping his hoof against the floor twice. “You have ponies for that sort of thing, right?” He frowns at Twilight’s shake of the head. “You should really get ponies for that. Although I suppose that stallion of yours might count. He always seems agreeable enough, doesn’t mind putting in a little, what would he call it, elbow grease?”

“That’s not why I herded with him.”

Lunaris nods along, “Yes, yes, of course. And you have your assistant, Spike.” He pauses, lost in thought. “Perhaps I should get an assistant like that. It would be quite useful, I imagine. You don’t happen to know if he has any kin, perhaps from the same clutch?”

Twilight shakes her head, suppressing her glare, as three earth pony stallions come up from belowdecks, each scruffier and tougher than the last. Brown, dark gray, and light gray, each regards her like they are assessing a threat. “Pity. Princess Twilight Sparkle, meet Biff, Rogue, and Withers.”

“Charmed,” Twilight says, not very enthusiastically. The names ring a bell, and out goes any notion of this being merely a ‘charity run’. They each nod curtly back.

“To answer your previous question, I need to know where to set down.” Lunaris motions again to the city. “All of the buildings, well, they look alike, and I didn’t want to have to get her moving again." He caresses the wheel of the Priestess. "Not before I have to.” He glances to Withers. “I think we’re ready to start unloading.” The three earth ponies get moving, unpacking a heavy duty pulley system.

“And you didn’t think to, I don’t know, ask one of the locals?” Twilight points at several of the crystal ponies milling about, almost all of them gawking at the sight. Lunaris merely shrugs. Twilight sighs, pointing towards an open area on the south part of the castle, around the spot where the ponies are starting construction on a massive statue of Spike the Dragon in his Greed form.

“Thank you.” Lunaris turns the wheel, pulling levers with his magic. Loud clanks echo from about the ship as the zeppelin smoothly accelerates towards the indicated area, gradually losing altitude until they come to a rest barely ten feet above the ground.

A second brown stallion comes up, looking a little bedraggled. He adjusts the red hoofkerchief around his neck, then musses with his slicked black mane. He grins disarmingly. “Princesa,” his charming voice purrs, “many thanks for defeating the vicious tyrant oppressing these lands.” He bows slightly, though his eyes never leave her. “You have done a great service for all of ponykind.”

Twilight can’t help but stare at the character standing before her, looking every bit the dastardly villain she imagined him to be, if he just got out of bed and didn’t have time to make himself fully presentable. She finds herself falling for his charm, giggling a little.

“Oh, well, um, I’d say you’re welcome but I really did it for them.” Twilight’s hoof indicates the crystal ponies below. “But I guess stopping King Sombra from eventually invading us kind of counts, too.”

“Indeed,” he says with a chuckle. “The legends are full of tales of his cruelty and lust for power. Oh, but I get ahead of myself. My name is Dr. Caballeron, and it is a pleasure to meet you.” He sounds far more genuine than Twilight could ever make it. He takes two steps forward, kneeling down. Twilight can’t help but offer her hoof, and he lightly kisses it before getting back up.

“Knock it off, you. She’s already in a herd.” A light gold pegasus mare comes up from below decks, a wing dropping a pith helmet on her multihued gray mane. Twilight gasps as nopony other than Daring Do calmly walks up and elbows her in the barrel. “Incorrigible, am I right? But I bet you have lots of experience with that.”

Twilight gapes at the hoof that just touched her. “Y-you’re Daring Do! The explorer!”

Daring Do rolls her eyes, this time ending up on Dr. Cabelleron. “Nothing gets past her, huh? Anyway, I gotta jet. Can’t be seen getting too friendly with the competition.” She tightens the straps of her saddlebags as she flies off, zipping among the buildings towards the library.

“Adiós, mi amor,” Dr. Cabelleron says quietly, Twilight’s ears barely able to pick up the goodbye. He sighs, turning to help Withers move crates from below as Biff and Rogue operate the pulley.

“Quite the personality, isn’t she?” Lunaris says with a wistful sigh, watching the pegasus disappear. He glances over at Twilight, noticing she has a piece of paper stuck to her barrel. A gold aura surrounds it, lifting it to Twilight’s still outstretched hoof.

She glances down, reading aloud the short lines. ‘Twilight Sparkle; Another day, another adventure. Keep exploring! Daring Do’

“Oh, an autograph? How delightful.” Lunaris smiles as he adjusts the balance on the airship, keeping it from rising as more and more cargo is unloaded. “I’ve had many a mare ask for my hoofprint as well, you know.”

“Please, like you can compare to Daring Do.” Twilight smirks as Lunaris merely smiles. “So, what was the second reason?”

“Oh, for waking you? I am to offer you a ride back to Canterlot, should you require it. Much faster than traipsing through the snow, yes? Though there is a certain charm in moving under your own power.” He glances at a nearby timepiece. “The earlier we leave the better, unless you wish to fly during the night.”

“It’s such a beautiful place, I would hate to leave it.” Twilight sighs, glancing back at Chrysalis. The changeling, wearing Cadance’s form, has gotten up and is sitting near the Crystal Heart, staring at it. And… crying? “I’ll be right back.”

Lunaris nods as Twilight teleports down, the alicorn now a pace away from Chrysalis. Tears roll down the pink cheeks, her mournful eyes occasionally flickering with rage.

“Are, um, are you doing okay?”

“How does it look like I‘m doing?” spits out Chrysalis, no longer hiding her venomous glare. “It’s there, taunting me! All the power, all the love I could ever dream of taking, locked away!" She turns her head, closing her eyes and sobbing. “It is a cruel and merciless joke I would not play on my most hated of enemies. I want to leave. Now.”

“Oh. Well, I was going to say maybe you could return during a Crystalling. But you’re in luck!” Twilight motions to the airship as Chrysalis turns to her. “Our chariot awaits, once we’re all gathered.”

“Oh.” Chrysalis wipes a tear from her pink cheek, eyes narrowing at Twilight’s compassionate gaze. “It must be this form. Leaks all over the place. Go and tell the others that, um, we need all the time we can to prepare for the wedding.”

“Of course. I’ll go get them.” Twilight starts to leave, then turns back. “Oh, um, just fyi. Cadance is supposed to be going through heat. Might want to fix that.” Twilight flies off in the direction she last saw them, and it isn’t difficult to find them. It is a bit harder convincing them to leave, Rarity especially, but Twilight eventually succeeds by promising to return here once the railroad is repaired. They gather their things, boarding the airship as the last of the cargo is dropped off and the four earth ponies go on their way.

The view leaving the Crystal Empire is even more beautiful from up in the air, everypony watching until they break through the translucent bubble. The Priestess rises higher and higher, gradually getting closer to the valley between two peaks and able to make a straight shot towards Canterlot.

Twilight manages to get Doug alone in one of the two lightly furnished bedrooms, if one could call it that; space is certainly a premium with this configuration. “Doug,” she says, the human listening warily. “I know about Chrysalis’ plans for Canterlot. And your position as ‘arbiter’ between her and Celestia.” She explains the conversation she had with Chrysalis, and her promise not to hinder the changeling’s plans. “I want to bounce some ideas off you, since there aren’t any other ponies that I can talk about this with. And ask about what you think of her.”

Doug’s eyes shift, nodding slowly. “I have some information about changelings, but you can’t ask about how I learned it.”

“You didn’t sleep with her, did you?” asks Twilight, aghast.

“What? No!” Doug shakes his head, his eyes widening as he pulls back a little. “And what did I say about not asking?”

“I’m not asking, I’m guessing.” Twilight inspects Doug suspiciously, a hoof slowly rubbing her chin as her eyes narrow. “Are you planning on sleeping with her?”

Doug's reply consists of him covering his face with a hand.

“You’ll have to forgive me, it’s not like you’ve exactly held back on who you will-”

“Twilight,” Doug interrupts, to his credit only slightly exasperatedly, “do you want the information or not?”

“Yes,” Twilight says with a roll of her eyes.

“While Chrysalis may seem a monster, she’s working for her brood as best she can. Any ‘solution’ you come up with will have to account for that. She desires power, but is potentially willing to work with others as long as she sees a disproportionate share of that power going to her. For example, she’d be interested in rapidly expanding our borders and how many ponies there are if she gets to expand how many changelings are under her dominion.”

Twilight nods. “Yep, I’d gotten a lot of that from before. Um, how much do you know about changelings?”

Doug pauses for a few seconds. “So, they use the energy they absorb through love and other emotions to change their form, gaining some of their abilities. Oh, they’re all biologically female; I think, but I’m not sure, they can’t get each other pregnant, and can’t get a mare pregnant. They lay eggs if they swap back to a changeling form, but if they stay transformed for long enough they can have a foal.”

“Right,” Twilight says, nodding along. “I think if I can get Chrysalis to acknowledge the ponies as, at the very least, part of her dominion, one of her subjects, she’ll treat them as much more than cows to be milked. If she sees us as equals? I can’t imagine a better solution.”

Doug nods, a knock at the door surprising them. It opens swiftly afterwards, a grinning Applejack and Rarity poking their heads through. They glance at Doug, smiles widening.

“Oh, good; we were worried for a second there.” Rarity saunters over to Doug, followed shortly by Applejack. “Soo,” Rarity says seductively, wrapping her tail around Doug’s leg around the knee, “have you considered joining the mile high club?”

“Pretty sure in Cloudsdale that-”

Rarity rolls her eyes, “Please, cloud cities don’t count.”

Doug sighs as he turns to Applejack. “So, both of your heats, huh?”

Applejack chuckles as she nods. “Ah told Rarity that Ah wanted to wait until we were back at Sweet Apple Acres. ‘Cause, you know, that’s where it happened for me, and each of the little ones. But then she said we wouldn’t be going back to Ponyville for at least a week, and we’d be real busy with getting the wedding going.” She winks at him, drawing close for a kiss. “So, here we are.”

Doug smiles, hands rubbing along both mare’s backs as they snuggle close. “Seems like the perfect place to me. Quite the story to tell them when they grow up, right?”

Applejack smiles back. “Heh, Ah bet they’ll have more’n a little trouble believing it. Oh, and Twilight, we weren’t sure if’n Celestia would want to observe, too.”

“I’ll send her a letter,” Twilight says with a wink at the two.

46 The Saint's Treasure

After Doug helped Applejack and Rarity with their heats (both fillies) and promising Pinkie Pie to postpone the party until they arrived in Canterlot, Twilight spends the majority of the time staring off into the distance. Purportedly watching the hills roll by and the majestic Canterhorn slowly getting closer and closer.

In fact, her brain is complaining about how many complications she has piled up on herself. She maneuvered herself, just like Celestia did, into a position where she knows the enemy’s (okay, future friend’s) plans, but promised not to do anything herself to stop them. Perhaps the decision made sense at the time, but knowing the scope of what they’ll have to go up against is straining her sense of honor. But, if she can’t live up to the aspects of the Elements of Harmony, what kind of pony would she be? What kind of leader would she be?

She’s heard arguments that the ends justify the means. Or, to put it a different way more relevant to their current situation, that lying to Queen Chrysalis in order to gain the upper hoof is justified because it will avert this coming disaster. But, isn’t that the entire problem? That by somehow becoming just like Queen Chrysalis, they will somehow save themselves from a tyrant like Queen Chrysalis?

A bargain forged in Tartarus, more like it. Either her ideals are worth living for - and, more importantly, dying for - or they aren’t. Princess Celestia believes in those ideals: Honesty, Generosity, Loyalty, Kindness, Laughter, and Friendship (depending on your interpretation; it could also be Magic).

Does she believe in those ideals? Enough to believe that losing them is worse than losing her power, her freedom, even her life?

Twilight nods resolutely. She does. She would, as Doug might say, stake her life on it. Perhaps she can show Chrysalis, through the power of her conviction, the true power of Friendship.

A thought in the back of her mind niggles at her; but, what if, by showing her enemies the power of Friendship, they are able to use that Friendship against her? What would have happened if, unlikely as it sounds, King Sombra and Queen Chrysalis set aside their differences and worked together to defeat them? Could she be content that Friendship triumphed instead of her?

Twilight hangs her head at the thought of becoming a broodmare for the mad king. Or a cow for Chrysalis. At least she doesn’t have to worry about those things happening, at least not imminently. Chrysalis already failed one of her two objectives (remaining undiscovered). She didn’t take over the Crystal Empire, so she doesn’t have a bargaining chip there. Shining Armor doesn’t know about the upcoming invasion of Canterlot, but the Royal Guards can’t be that useless, can they?

For some unknown reason, Twilight can hear Cadance cackling madly. Probably just a coincidence. They are going over the upcoming wedding plans, after all, and all the various things that will need to take place.

Well, she’s promised not to hinder Chrysalis. What can she do, under the guise of helping Chrysalis, that would prevent a tragedy?

No, ‘guise’ is the wrong concept. She genuinely wants to help the changelings, and she’ll repeat that mantra to herself as often as it takes for it to sink in.

What does Chrysalis want? Power? A source of love, but purely for sustenance? Twilight can’t help but smile; she saw what the power of the Crystal Heart did to Chrysalis. But what had it done to King Sombra?

It left the unicorn, the power mad king who enslaved his people, turned to dust and blown to the wind, his horn buried into the concrete of the road to forever be trod upon by his former subjects. A fitting end, at least according to the magical artifact powering the city’s protective shield, to an irredeemably evil creature. (How do you know he was irredeemable? Because the Crystal Heart (apparently) said so. And if you can’t trust the judgement of powerful magical artifacts, who can you trust?)

And like that dust go any thoughts of Twilight studying the dark King’s power. Maybe if she was more like Sunset Shimmer, inclined to investigate the dark arts and try to turn their power to beneficial uses. But even she, the former student of Celestia, failed in that regard.

No, that wouldn’t be her. She has seen how power tempts her, even the acquisition of knowledge potentially too much for her to resist. Her hoof goes to her belly, not yet feeling the effects of her upcoming heat. Perhaps, she knows who will be able to handle the temptation. But that remains to be seen.

Her mind drifts to the upcoming invasion. Specifically, the end, as Queen Chrysalis is found out and driven away. Watching the changeling break her word, instead vowing to return and promising retribution and fire to all the ponies who defeated her. And there she is, standing with Celestia, ready to leap forward and bring the changeling to justice. Only to be stopped by the white alicorn’s hoof.

What would the conversation go like?

“If you chase after her, and imprison her, she will become bitter and resentful to you, perhaps never to atone. She remains powerless only as long as you can force her to remain, and as soon as she is released will devote her entire being to working against you.”

“But if we let her go?” Twilight responds, all the terrible things Chrysalis could do coming to her unbidden. She shudders; all the ponies potentially injured. Those drained of their love, or used for her purposes, or… worse.

“If you let her go, she may very well become bitter and resentful regardless, and in a better position to work against you. If you truly believe that to be the only outcome, that she is an irredeemable monster like King Sombra, then by all means, save us the trouble of a second invasion and execute her now.”

Twilight flinches, even her mental version of Celestia using the dreaded word getting to her.

“But if there is to be any hope for her, then it is by her coming to the realization that her course of action is wrong. That there is a better way. And the only way for us to come to this, this reconciliation, is to offer complete and total forgiveness. The slate wiped clean, all sins forgotten.”

“But,” she can hear her own objection, “What if they use that forgiveness against us? They could take advantage of our Kindness, turn our Generosity against us!”

Celestia merely nods, the same conclusion Twilight came to earlier coming out. “We cannot regain our ideals so easily, once lost. And we are nothing without Harmony.” Her voice, more optimistic than even Pinkie Pie at her greatest, “And, if you believe in the power of Friendship, then there is always hope.”

Twilight smirks a little. “Maybe we can use the Elements of Harmony on her. They’ll redeem her, like they did Luna!”

A wry smile graces Celestia’s muzzle as well. “Perhaps. But for that to happen there needs to be a spark already present, a piece that desires that redemption. Otherwise? They merely turn to stone, or are banished, or something similar, should they be capable of that choice but not yet come to the conclusion that they should.”

Wait a second. Twilight pulls herself out of her internal debate. Is that true? Is that how the Elements of Harmony work? Or is this conjecture she ought to verify with Celestia?

If it is… it explains why Discord is trapped in stone instead of dusted. Or why Nightmare Moon was banished to said moon, rather than trapped in a statue a vengeful pony might have destroyed. But if Celestia could protect Discord’s statue like that, then why the difference? It also explains Tartarus, and the unnaturally long life spans of those imprisoned inside.

But, wait, what was that whole spiel about not imprisoning one’s enemies when they very clearly did imprison their enemies?

Maybe she needs to debate real Celestia and not daydream Celestia.

At the very least, though, she can’t rely on blasting the changeling with the Elements. After all, if the Crystal Heart tried to turn Chrysalis’ into the sparkly version of her self, can she use that to mean there is a hope for Chrysalis after all? It might be a good backup plan, at the very least. Unfortunately, they’re in Ponyville right now, so she’ll need to travel back there if she does want them. That’ll mean missing quite a bit of the wedding preparation.

Although, even if she teleports to get them without anypony realizing she is gone, that still leaves the conundrum of whether or not preparing for Chrysalis’ betrayal counts as working against her. Even if she believes the action to be justified in ‘helping’ Chrysalis, the terms she agreed are more geared towards not hindering the changeling’s actions. And turning her to stone would certainly qualify as hindering.

Okay, so, no Elements of Harmony. Yet.

Maybe she should join her Friends and see how that is going.

Twilight gets up, one more look at the wide open plains dotted with the occasional lush forest. So much potential for ponies to eventually expand to. And, should Queen Chrysalis get her way, that might become a reality sooner rather than later. She steels herself, walking over to Rarity and Chrysalis.

The two are sitting around Cadance’s wedding book (of course Rarity brought that along on their arduous hike instead of potentially useful, or at least not dead weight) and arguing over minutiae. Actually, to Twilight’s surprise, it seems that Chrysalis gives the appearance of arguing from a position of authority, when in fact she uses Rarity’s occasional tendency to go overboard with designing new things to figure out exactly what Cadance should have already known about the wedding. And, when she can, subtly change things to make things more difficult for them should they intervene. Such as a more restrictive dress for Rainbow Dash.

Okay, she’ll probably have a hard time keeping a straight face while that’s going on. She continues on, finding Shining Armor sitting by himself, forlornly looking over the opposite side of the airship.

“Hey, BBBFF,” Twilight says with a friendly smile. “How are you holding up?”

Shining Armor glumly smiles back. “Decently, all things considered.” He pauses at her pensive expression. “What’s on your mind?”

“Thinking.”

“That’s dangerous.”

Twilight rolls her eyes. Her voice drops to a whisper. “Queen Chrysalis. What do you think of her?”

Shining Armor’s look turns hard. “It takes a lot of nerve to foalnap somepony. I know she helped out in the Crystal Empire, which is why I’m not writing her off completely. But she has to know that what she did was wrong.”

“I hope she can, too. But we need to convince her differently than we would convince a pony.”

Shining Armor raises an eyebrow. “And you know how to do that?”

Twilight shrugs. “I hope I can. I want to give it a shot. It involves something that might make you uncomfortable, but I really do think we can get to her this way.”

“I guess I should hear it then,” Shining Armor says, listening intently to Twilight’s plan. By the end, he’s more than a little stunned. “And you really think this will work?” Twilight nods. Shining Armor breathes deeply, puffing his chest up. “Then I guess I have no choice, little sister.” He rubs her mane as only an older brother can, mussing it up completely. “Let’s do this.”

Twilight smiles back as she pulls away, hooves trying to smooth out the tangled mess of a mane. “Perfect. Now, I just need to talk to Pinkie Pie about baking enough cake for the largest party ever.”

47 Immortal Resolve

February 29th, 1001 Domina Solaria

Doug rubs his full belly as he walks out of the Canterlot Castle’s kitchens; it doesn’t matter where they are, Pinkie Pie and Applejack could cook up a storm. Both have been hard at work the last three days, since they got back to Canterlot, preparing the wedding feast to Chrysalis’ exacting specifications.

It is funny, in a way, how changelings imbibe ‘pony’ food. They can, of course, at least the long term integrators. Doug hasn’t spent enough time around the ‘guard’ variety - bred for speed, power, and aggression, not social skills - to really spot the difference, but apparently they have a harder time extracting the ‘nutrients’ inside.

Three days ago

Applejack whistles a few short, dull notes as she yanks the steaming fritters out of the oven. Perfectly browned and smelling delicious, as they better well should. A hoof kicks the oven door shut, perhaps a bit harder than she needed to, and she roughly dumps the fritters onto a serving tray. Just a few minutes to let them cool, and she’ll ensure at least one of them goes to good use.

The heavy clop of hooves behind her signals two approaching alicorns, but it ain’t heavy enough to be Celestia. Applejack takes a deep breath, closing her eyes and steeling herself. She forces a smile to her muzzle, turning around to regard that impostor wearing Cadance’s smiling face, Twilight carrying a checklist wielding Spike right behind.

“Mornin’,” Applejack greets her as happily as she can, which means it’s barely cordial. “Lookin’ to sample some of my family’s finest fritters?”

‘Cadance’ takes a long look at Applejack, then at the plate of still too hot to eat fritters. “I’d love to,” she says, far too close to the actual Cadance for Applejack’s comfort. A hoof reaches up, grabbing the steaming fritter and taking a big bite. “Mmm,” she says, the broad smile on her muzzle never fading. She swallows, and Applejack is almost impressed she can stand the heat. “I just love love love them!”

Applejack growls as the pink alicorn takes another bite, though this one isn’t as big. “Ah can tell you’re just sayin’ that,” she says, her voice low and mean. “Go on, tell me how much you don’t like them. Ah can take it.”

Pinkie Pie and Twilight Sparkle, the only other ponies in the kitchen at the time, stop their activities to gape at her. Cadance chews one more time before her mouth stops moving. Her horn lights, the pink of Cadance’s aura levitating over a trashcan. She spits out the piece in her mouth, the uneaten remains following after.

“I wouldn’t say I ‘dislike’ them, but they are a tad bland and unappetizing.” Applejack’s eyes widen in surprise, then narrow in anger. Nopony has ever called her food ‘bland’ before! Chrysalis continues, her focus shifting to each pony in the room, “At least try to put some effort into making the rest.”

Applejack’s gaze bores into Chrysalis, until the imposter turns and makes eye contact with her. She stares into the pink eyes, barely registering the flash of green. Her anger fades, uncertainty filling the void left behind. Did she bake those with effort, or was she merely going through the motions?

“Uh, okay, um.” Applejack pauses, looking at the five remaining fritters on the tray. “Ah’ll be sure to put a bit of love into the next ones.”

Cadance’s overly cheerful smile returns to Chrysalis’ face, and she even mimics perfectly that tittering happy dance she does. “Oh, that will be perfect! I look forward to tasting it!” She saunters away, checking with the exuberant party mare who never puts anything less than one hundred percent into what she does.

Applejack catches Twilight’s stern look as she turns back to prepare the next item on the list. She gulps; it’s gonna be way harder than she thought, keeping from spoiling everything by letting on that she knows. Okay, how would she feel if she was baking this apple pie for Cadance instead of Chrysalis?

Present

Doug sighs; apparently that’s how most of the conversations between Chrysalis and everypony involved in the wedding were. She wouldn’t let anything slide, making sure that everything is perfect. He didn’t have a lot of cause to interact with her, busying himself with his weather work and listening to the mares complain about the hoops Chrysalis is making them jump through. Though, to be fair, it’s a lot of the same things that Cadance would have wanted for her wedding. Maybe it’s partly Twilight’s influence, the alicorn wanting a perfect wedding if and when the real Cadance is released.

Meanwhile, Shining Armor stepped up security, using the wedding as a pretext to host one mock training session after another. He pits the newly arriving guards against everypony already inside Canterlot. The goal of the newcomers is to get to their bunks. If they are captured, they have to sleep outside the castle until the next battalion arrived. The ‘battles’ are certainly entertaining to watch, especially when a pegasus blows by the windows fast enough to get the panes to rattle.

But right now, with eighty of the eighty eight newly arrived Manehatten guards preparing to sleep outside, Doug has a different destination in mind. He walks out of the main castle, making a beeline to Luna’s tower. The tall gold and white spire has multiple balconies sprouting off the sides, though why Luna would need guardrails is a bit of an unknown. Maybe she just hasn’t bothered to repaint everything in a cobalt and black theme, but that would sort of ruin the rest of the aesthetic Canterlot has going on.

Doug nods to the two guards on duty at the base of the tower. While most of the guards look nearly identical, the one on the right has a small red and purple gem at the center of his armor instead of the normal cyan star. The left guard's star is more of a turquoise, not far removed from the norm but different enough if you know to look for it.

“Hey, Phalanx, Cuirass,” Doug says as he gets closer, finally getting an acknowledgement.

“Hey,” Cuirass says as Phalanx opens the door. “Looking forward to the wedding?”

Doug shrugs, Phalanx shooting Cuirass a nasty look. “Sure, I guess. I think I’ll be happy once all the preparations are complete, and it’s finally over.”

“Oh, yeah, me too.” Cuirass looks over at Phalanx, puzzled at the glare. “What?”

“We aren’t supposed to talk,” he whispers harshly, motioning with a hoof to the open door.

“But it’s-” Cuirass starts, then his shoulders slump a little. “Oh. Right.” He straightens up, again becoming the epitome of a perfect guard. The guise lasts for about three seconds, dropping as soon as he makes it inside the tower. Phalanx waits for Doug to walk through before he closes the door with a loud boom.

“Watch your head,” Cuirass says, motioning to the fairly low ceiling as they start to climb. “I wouldn’t want you to get hurt.”

“Used to it,” Doug replies, having to stoop through a majority of the buildings in Equestria. He still bends over a little more than he needs - it’d look pretty dumb to hit his head right after saying that. For a time, the only sounds are hooves and boots echoing against the cold stone walls.

The lengthy silence is broken by Cuirass. “Word in the barracks is that you and Princess Luna are going to plight each other’s troths pretty soon. Think it’ll be tonight?”

“I… guess that depends on her,” Doug replies after a short delay. “I think they are waiting on Twilight.”

“I wish I could be there.” Cuirass sighs, continuing after a pregnant pause. “I’ve always wanted to learn about Friendship.”

“That seems… like you’re trying to learn to swim by diving into the deep end.”

“Oh.” Cuirass sighs. “I’ve never been much for swimming. Maybe if I could find someli- somepony to teach me. But I’ve always had a hard time coming out of my shell.”

“Hey, maybe that’d be a great start.” Cuirass cocks his head a little as they near the top. “You know, just walk up to somepony at a pool and ask if they’ll help you get started.” He elbows Cuirass in the side, winking. “Probably wouldn’t hurt if they’re a cute stallion, either.”

Cuirass’ eyes go wide. “Oh, um, m-me? I-I don’t know, that seems like a lot! W-what if-”

“Shh,” Doug says, shaking his head with a smile. “Just think of it like a learning opportunity. Just like your name!”

Cuirass stands, puzzling it out as Doug walks up to Luna’s door. Then he grins excitedly, “Oh, I get it! Curious, like Cuirass!” He chuckles to himself, a short, “Hey,” getting Doug to pause with his hand on the door. “I don’t suppose you like swimming?”

“Sorry, you’ll need to find somestallion else. I’m spoken for.” Doug smiles, a short wave. “Have a good night.”

“Oh. Um, you too,” Cuirass says with a hopeful smile, returning back down the way he came.

Doug raises his hand to knock, but a cobalt aura surrounds the door and swings it open. He enters the sparsely decorated bedroom, much the same as the last time he was here. There is a spartan bed, replete of cushions, and a telescope near the door to the balcony. The cobalt alicorn is standing by her desk, looking up from a mess of scattered papers.

“Evening,” she says casually, her focus returning to long lists of pony’s names, twirling a quill in her magic.

“Evening,” Doug replies, walking over and resting a hand on her bare withers, rubbing into her silky coat. “Hard at work already?”

Luna glances outside, the sun not yet set. “It seemed appropriate. And we are grateful to finally have something that does not consist of public appearances and ribbon cutting ceremonies.” She sighs, turning back to the papers. “Though, eager as we are to help, we find Celestia’s machine too well oiled. We are having difficulty culling enough ponies from other walks to rebuild the necessary railway infrastructure. Too many have jobs or prior commitments.”

“You don’t see yourself out there, swinging railroad ties into the ground?”

“As a last resort, perhaps.” Luna turns her head to Doug. “Maybe you could help.”

“Nah; like you said, I’m too busy doing other things.” Doug waggles his eyebrows, Luna giving him a look of longsuffering. “Plight each other’s troths?”

Luna frowns. “Is it not an appropriate expression for our coming act of congress?”

“Well, sure, but… I don’t know. I just thought you’d be happier about it.” Doug sighs, rubbing the fabric of his light jacket as he sits, then lays down on Luna’s bed. His hands rest behind his head in lieu of a pillow as he stares at the ceiling.

“Are we not? Our dear Sister has expressed a strong desire to do more things together.” Luna narrows her eyes as Doug smirks. “Thou art incorrigible. None of our previous amours would have ever carried themselves so brazenly.”

Doug sinks into the hard bed, a long sigh. “Different masks,” he mutters to himself. Then he nods, in a louder voice saying, “Alright. If that’s what you want, then as you wish.”

Luna steps away from her desk, dropping her quill. “Thou would’st change thy behavior, to make us happy?” Her expression hardens slightly. “We thought thou stronger than that.”

“It’s not a matter of strength of character, it’s more like doing things that the other person appreciates. With Rainbow Dash or Pinkie Pie? Fluttershy if we're alone, she's getting better at it, and maybe even Applejack - they love that flirtatious side, and the banter back and forth. Applejack might not look like it, but I can see the smile behind her disapproval.” Doug shrugs, glancing over at Luna. “If you don’t like it? Then I can cut back on it, when I’m around you.”

“Hmm,” Luna replies, considering. “Would thou prefer us to display our affections more overtly?”

“I’m not going to tell you what to do, but I do like physical touch,” Doug says with a broad smile.

“How fitting. We like ear scratches.” Luna grins as she settles down next to her bed, resting her head on Doug’s stomach.

“Hey, I thought I was the one getting pampered tonight,” Doug says with a smile. And yet, despite Luna twisting her head slightly to stick her tongue out at him, his hands move to her ears. Each lightly presses as they circle around, bending the pliable appendages back and forth.

“The night is young,” Luna says sultrily, though the sun shining outside belies her assertion.

48 Birth of the Three

Twilight grins as she sets down her quill on a thick stack of parchment. Spike nods off to sleep next to her, despite evening’s rays streaming through the window. It has been a long day, starting before the sun came up (Spike was not a happy dragon), and for her there is still more to be done. She has to make sure tomorrow’s lists are ready! She can’t believe Chrysalis shares her love for triple checking checklists!

She’ll have to get up before dawn - again, much to Spike’s complaints - and make sure that every preparation is perfect for the wedding on the first of March. Just two days away! And with Chrysalis playing the nervous bride to a ‘T’, constantly changing her mind about every little thing? She doesn’t know how the changeling knows whenever they attempt to slack off, but she does, and makes Twilight not only double check everything but then go over it again at the end of the day. She’s been so busy, keeping up to date with all of Chrysalis’ changes, she’s barely been able to make her own plans to deal with the changeling!

Wait a second.

The hints of tears well in Twilight’s eyes. Chrysalis is using her love of checklists against her! The monster! Oh, and she’s wasting a bunch of their time, too. But at least she isn’t planning anything too nefarious. That Twilight has noted. Hmm.

Twilight gazes back over her lists, and all that she has to do for tomorrow, and her face falls. Ugh, this must be what Celestia feels like, reams of paperwork that multiplies like Sombra’s crystals. Or Doug. Mm, she’d like to do a bit of multiplying with Doug right now. Too bad he’s probably with Luna again, that tramp, getting to know the mare better and helping with some of the tasks she had been assigned.

Twilight moans as that Tartarus forsaken burning deep inside her flares up. Not now, body, there’s work to be done! She grits her teeth as she levitates her quill back up, trying to concentrate. She just wants her heat to go away, so she can-

Wait.

Her heat.

Twilight hasn’t been this happy to get her heat since before she actually knew what it was like. Back then, it was the thing the ‘cool young mares got’. It wasn’t until after she got it that she, like just about every other mare, dreaded the orneriness and ‘mixed’ feelings.

But tonight? Twilight barely has the presence of mind to unlatch the window, not bothering to shut it behind her as she blasts into the cool evening air. One powerful thrust after another, propelling her higher and higher! Oh, and her wings are beating, too; she should probably stop with the daydreams and focus on not flying into a wall. Good thing Luna’s tower isn’t that far a flight, and she makes short work of the distance.

The prospect of not only quenching her heat and fulfilling that desire nearly every mare shared, but of paving the way for Celestia and Luna to do the same? It’s overwhelming, especially at the thought of the two alicorns sharing her stallion.

Wait.

Celestia would be there watching her mate!

The thought seizes Twilight’s mind, sending her reeling. Rather than a graceful, silent landing she tumbles against the ground, rolling across the balcony and smashing through the window like Rainbow Dash after a long day of cloud pushing.

Well, she would have, except the tower is enchanted to be sturdier than the flimsy boards she’s taken to replacing the library windows with, and she bounces off with a loud thump. Twilight rubs her flank, moaning and wishing it was Doug who spanked her that hard. It really wouldn't be that bad, right? Just like when the other members of the herd are there.

A cobalt aura opens the door. “Hey,” comes Doug’s voice from inside. “What did I say about no magic?”

Twilight walks in the doorway, and immediately freezes. Her eyes grow wide at seeing her stallion laying on the bed, Luna’s horn sticking up from between his thighs, the front half of her shapely body on the bed and the other half sticking off. She barely registers the door shutting behind her, too busy fuming.

Emotions course through her, roiling together like the components of a hurricane. Lust for her stallion, anticipation of the coming release, and envy at the mare who stole it from her. Anger and rage threaten to boil over, the stamp of her hoof and snort of her nostrils barely enough to delay an outburst.

Luna pulls her head back, swallowing once, and then again, licking her lips with a sly grin. “Thou said we couldn’t use our magic during, and thou was finished. Regardless, Magic needed to enter, and we wouldn’t keep her waiting.” She turns, barely registering Twilight’s furious expression as she greets her with a pleasant, “Evening.”

“Step away from the stallion!” Twilight shouts in the Royal Canterlot, her horn flaring. A raspberry aura surrounds Doug and Luna, attempting to yank them apart, only to be swiftly met by a cobalt glow.

“What is the meaning of this?!” bellows Luna, slowly pushing Twilight’s aura back. “A changeling ploy?”

“What? No!” Twilight pants as she concentrates, her horn sending showers of sparks. “You whorse! How dare you try to steal Doug away from me!”

“Thou dare use that word to describe us, when we are pledging ourselves to him!?” Luna’s eyes glint teal, purple tidbits mixing with her cobalt aura. “We ought to rend thee limb from limb!”

“Bring it, you-” Twilight stops as Doug intervenes between herself and Luna, arms outstretched to each of them. His mouth is moving like he is shouting, and as her and Luna’s echoes die down she can finally make out what he is saying.

“-ough, both of you! Stop!” Doug fearfully glances between Twilight and Luna, his body hunching and almost ready to recoil. She would too, she thinks as she slowly calms down, if she were placing herself between the second and third most powerful mares in Equestria.

Doug raises a hand at Twilight, motioning with one finger to a spot next to the bed. His authoritative voice rings out, standing a little taller now that he has her attention. “Twilight, I don’t know what is going on, but that display was completely uncalled for. Now get over here, and sit down.”

Twilight’s eyes narrow, but she complies, her ears still on end. To her chagrin, Luna also backs away from Doug, but just a step, now completely off the bed.

Doug turns to Luna. “Now, what do you have to say?”

It’s Luna’s turn to appear put out. “We are not a foal, to require such instruction.”

Doug merely folds his arms against his chest, letting out a long breath as he stares down Luna.

She huffs before turning her gaze to Twilight. “We art sorry for usurping thy position tonight. We merely wished to, hmm, help speed along your stallion’s performance with you tonight. We confess to taking it too far, in order to get a hoof forward with our own circumstance.”

“Wait, you knew I was coming?” Twilight raises an eyebrow as a knock comes from the balcony. A cobalt aura opens the door, Celestia walking through. Much like Luna, she is wearing none of her finery, mane and tail tied back in a ponytail that only waves back and forth a little bit.

“Evening Sister, Twilight Sparkle,” Celestia greets pleasantly, taking a sniff of the air. She frowns slightly, glancing to Twilight’s flanks, then Luna’s. “Did I miss something?”

Luna rolls her eyes. “Thy student is apparently unaware she was exhibiting the classic signs of estrus all day.”

“Hey!” Twilight says, nearly scrambling to her hooves, though she stops at Doug’s glare. “No I wasn’t!”

Celestia raises an eyebrow. “Really? Then how do you explain the outburst at breakfast?”

“They ran out of apples!”

Luna adds, “The yelling at the guard?”

“He was deliberately standing two inches farther forward than he should, and I kept bumping into him!”

“Nearly yelling at Fluttershy?”

“Chrysalis wasn’t wrong, the bird really was singing off key!” Twilight huffs, then gives a sheepish smile. “Okay, maybe in hindsight, it was a little obvious.”

Celestia offers a soft smile. “Perhaps it is not so easy to see these things for ourselves, and we must listen to those around us.” She turns to Luna, walking up and nuzzling her Sister. “You are ready?”

Luna licks her lips and swallows. “We art a step ahead of thou, Sister.”

Celestia smirks, turning back to Doug. She licks her own lips, crouching down as if to pounce. She practically purrs out, “Easily rectifiable.”

“Hey,” Doug says as Twilight’s temper flares again. A hand comes over to scratch her head as he sits down on the bed. “First off, I’m not going five times, even in as many hours. You get two, and Luna’s already taken one.”

“Besides,” Twilight says, “I wanted my time to be, well, timed perfectly.” She smiles broadly, glancing between Celestia and Luna. “You know, at twilight?”

Doug groans as he lays down; Luna laughs exactly once; Celestia smiles fondly. “Then you will have to hurry,” the Princess of the Sun says, glancing outside.

“I’m on it,” Twilight says with a grin, proceeding to do exactly that to Doug’s supine form.

“Can you believe it, Sister?” Celestia says as four eyes shine white. “After all these years, it may finally happen.”

“If it is, truly, something never before seen in Equestria.” Luna says, nuzzling her Sister in return. The two watch, the moans of a mare being bred the only sounds in the room.

After a time, Luna ventures, “We know we have not observed this as frequently as thou, but dost something seem off?”

“Hmm?” Celestia replies, though her gaze almost jerks to the ceiling. “It is time.” Simultaneously, gold and cobalt flares brighten the entire room, then fade almost as quickly. The sun and moon speed their journeys, the dull haze of twilight filling the room.

Their focus returns to Twilight’s belly, the mare having rolled over to observe herself. Celestia frowns, her eyes narrowing, as she scans, a single word leaving her mouth.

“Twins?”

“Twins?” Twilight echoes, puzzled. “But, that’s…”

“Did thou try some ill-conceived magics?” Luna states, something between a sigh and a wish that she had done the same coming out.

“No, I just had-” Twilight grits her teeth. “Starlight Glimmer.”

“What?” Doug says, eyebrow raising. “But that was days ago, and you scanned yourself to see what had happened, and it didn’t affect you.”

“Well, obviously it did, just… on a longer time scale than it should. Maybe because of her weaker magic.” Twilight grits her teeth, fuming. “Oh, she’ll pay for this. Mark my words, Starlight Glimmer, you will rue the day you ever met Twilight Sparkle!”

“Well, I’m going to be happy no matter how many there are,” Doug says, stroking Twilight’s back and ending with a pad on her barrel. “You thought of a name yet?”

“Well,” Twilight says with a half grin, “I was having a lot of trouble deciding.” She looks up at Celestia, “All my life, I thought that when I had a foal, I really wanted to name her after you.” She turns to Luna. “But then, when you came back, even though I didn’t know you would be such a big influence in my life, you were. Without you, I wouldn’t have met my Friends, my stallion, anything.”

Twilight nuzzles each of them as they smile, her gaze turning back to her belly. “So, I thought I would name them after each of you. In a way.”

Celestia holds a hoof up, tears streaming down her eyes. “Shh,” she says, planting a kiss on Twilight’s belly. “She survived. They both did.”

“Alicorns?” Doug asks, hands rubbing into Twilight’s shoulders harder than ever.

Luna nods, sticking her head between Twilight’s legs to nuzzle her belly next to her Sister. “Yes. Fraternal sisters.” She stretches, kissing Twilight’s belly on the other side.

“Wow,” Doug says, planting a kiss on the top of Twilight’s head as she leans back.

Twilight grins, her hoof stroking next to the wet spots on her tummy. “My little Dawn, and my little Dusk.”

Luna grins. “Then I will need to name mine Midnight.” She licks her lips, eyeing Doug hungrily.

Celestia backs away just enough for Luna to carefully step around Twilight. “I always liked Noon; how appropriate.” She grins, settling down, content to watch Doug resist her Sister’s efforts. She’ll get her chance in the morning.

49 Imperial Legacy

February 30th, 1001 Domina Solaria

Doug’s boots pound against the cobblestones of one of Canterlot’s side streets. Houses, storefronts, the ponies starting their days - all pass as a blur. He automatically dodges street vendors hawking their donuts and random ponies who stop to gawk at him, his mind lost in thought.

Most of the time he’s just randomly exploring on his daily run. Or going through the events of the last day, a form of meditation to work through whatever issues happened. Perhaps planning out some tricky problem Trixie or Rarity had, or a flashy move Rainbow Dash wanted feedback on (besides that she’s awesome, of course). Last night certainly gave him a lot to think about.

Today, though, he has to spend quite a bit more of his divided attention dodging ponies. Far more than usual, especially since he’s been doing these runs each day, and the city normally plays host to a good number of other species. It’s as if they somehow know what happened between him and Celestia, Luna, and Twilight. It’s not like it’s a secret, gossip started well before Celestia’s confirmation at the Grand Galloping Gala, but even so.

It isn’t until he dodges yet another mare standing in his way, her tail swishing as she stares lustily at his covered crotch, that he sees something odd out of the corner of his eye. Slowing down, and ignoring the mare, he walks up to the newspaper stand and the picture splashed across the entirety of the front page, an equally bold headline:

Three Princesses Conceive

The picture shows him sitting on Luna’s bed, cuddling with the three Princesses. Naked, he wryly notices, his leg conveniently blocking the view. Each Princess is equally unadorned, and has a small zoomed in section showing the magical core (in Twilight’s case, cores) developing in each of their wombs. It’s the same type of display Twilight projected so that he could see the ‘magic’ happen, and the colors of the cores are even exactly correct, but he can’t remember them being in this position. Or how they possibly got a picture of this when it happened before (or at) dawn.

He self-consciously rubs the light jacket and shorts he is wearing against the chill air, unfolding to the tiny blurb at the bottom of the picture. He shakes his head at the ‘artistic depiction’ label at the bottom instead of a photographer, the credit unattributed. The opening line even begins with a quote from Princess Luna, ‘Truly, something never before seen in Equestria’.

“Hey, bud, this ain’t a library, s’either-”

The stallion running the stand locks in place as Doug lowers the paper, surprise equally plastered on both their faces.

“Y-you’re Doug. The Doug!” The stallion stands up, practically shouting, drawing the attention of everypony who wasn’t already gawking at the human. “Ah can’t believe it! You’s the one in the papers! And you’s buying a newspaper at my stand! Hey, Everypony!” The stallion points a muscular foreleg at Doug, smiling broadly. “Look who’s buying a newspaper at Hot Press’ stand!”

Doug grimaces as a veritable horde of ponies surrounds him; even above, as pegasi take to the air, and foals hop on top of mares to get a better look. They shout questions at him, barely intelligible over the din of everypony else, pressing in from every side. Innocuous things, like congratulations or compliments, some slightly more inappropriate questions (especially considering the nearby foals) about what it was like, and then the mares throwing themselves at him like he is some sort of rock star.

Doug’s hands, held in front of him to try to ward away the more eager mares, instead get turned into nuzzling stations for what is a remarkably orderly line of ponies. They each get a nuzzle, or a sniff, or if they are particularly lucky an ear scratch by a wayward finger. Until a few decide they aren’t content with just his hands, and start rubbing barrels against his hips, a few tails snaking against his knees.

Jostled to and fro by overeager mares (and occasional stallion), he tries to keep a cheery facade as he pulls a bit out of a pocket. He flips it to the newsie as he backs off, the spin making it hit the table and stay put. Hot Press just looks at it, then at the ponies mobbing the human. “Hey!” he calls, waving from above the crowd. “Don’t ya want your change?”

“Keep it,” Doug yells as he backpedals, the crowd somehow parting behind him. He pauses at their, to a mare, disappointed face, taking a deep breath and steeling himself.

“Yes,” he announces loudly, “last night Princesses Twilight Sparkle, Luna, and Celestia all, um, got pregnant. I am the sire.” He shakes his head as a few more eager mares step forward. “No, I’m not taking requests, or applications to the herd. Sorry. You’ll have to make a formal request to Applejack.” He quickly appends as a few of those mares look like they are about to dash off, “In writing. Don’t bother her in person, at least for another two days.”

“Aww,” come the disappointed sighs, Doug unable to keep from smiling.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me,” Doug holds up the newspaper, “my head is still a little fuzzy about the details, so I’m going to go read all about what happened. Um, have a good morning.” He waves, then takes off. He tries to read as he jogs, but quickly gives up after he nearly runs down a few ponies, quickly getting to Luna’s tower.

He doesn’t even need to knock on the door for it to open, entering to find the cobalt alicorn already in bed. She turns her head to smile fondly at him. “Come to tuck me into bed?” she asks, wriggling her rump just a little as she settles down.

“Whatever my Princess requires,” Doug says, setting the newspaper down next to the bed. One hand rubs against her back, the other meeting her chin as they share a quick kiss. “You look positively glowing.” And she does, more so than her normal aura about her tail and mane. “How was the night?”

“Busy, after you went to sleep.” Luna motions to the newspaper, “Did you like it? We are glad we got the colors correct, after extrapolating from how Twilight’s and our own auras compared to the foals. We thought it a fitting announcement, and Celestia will surely be saying something at the Day Court today.”

“Haven’t read it, but I certainly wasn’t expecting word to get out that fast.” His hand makes its way around to her belly and pushing just in front of her flank. “How is she?”

“Healthy.” Luna smiles, though it quickly turns to a long yawn. “Excuse us, carrying your foal is exhausting work.”

“Well, don’t let me keep you from your beauty sleep. Good night, Luna.”

Luna offers a mournful sigh and quiver of her muzzle, but it quickly turns into a chuckle as she can’t keep a straight face. “Good night, Doug. We shall see thee before dusk.”

Doug scratches Luna’s ears, then tussles her mane as he gets up, grabbing the paper and waving as he leaves. He walks to Celestia’s room a little slower, reading through the article. Much of what he expected, explaining how the two alicorns have been hoping for an occasion like this for years, and how happy they are that it has finally arrived. It even included how they joined Herd Apple, though in such a way that it discouraged other ponies from doing the same just because the Princesses did it.

Fat load of good that did him. Doug shakes his head; the ponies certainly latch onto anything related to a Princess and put a high premium on it. Including, apparently, him. Could he see himself as a whorse, or a stud? Not really. Regardless, so much for his nice, quiet life. Though if that’s the kind of problems he has to complain about, he really can’t. Well, until a year from now, and he gets somewhere between five and seven foals to watch after, the mares helping when they can. Maybe they could hire somepony. Or six.

Doug finds Celestia in her office, hard at work at her desk and surrounded by stacks of paper. He notes that she not only has a copy of the Canterlot Chronicle, but also the Manehatten Morning, Baltimare Sun, and a myriad of others, each with the same cover story. Luna really was busy.

“Morning,” Doug says. “You look particularly radiant.”

Celestia beams at him, her body glowing very similarly to Luna. Celestia teleports out of her paper cage; it still startles Doug, but less than the first time. She bends down slightly to kiss him before casting a weary eye to her paperwork.

“Long day ahead?” Doug asks, finding a spot, similar but slightly different from Luna’s, between her ears. Celestia seems to melt into his arms, though he’s sure she’s exaggerating for effect.

“Perhaps I should come on more runs with you.” Celestia swipes with her tail, sending the nearest pile of papers scattering to the floor.

A knock comes at the door, Celestia opening it and a pink alicorn walking in.

Celestia continues, paying little attention to Chrysalis, “Or, I may need to find qualified ponies to delegate to. I don’t suppose you have any in mind?”

Doug’s hand reaches, patting Celestia’s belly. “And here I thought you were working on that.” His other hand scratches his chin, Celestia pouting as it leaves her head. “Or you were grooming Twilight for that.”

Celestia smiles, offering a slight shrug. Then she frowns as she turns her head, acknowledging Chrysalis. Her voice neutral, her gaze steady, she asks, “Can I help you?”

“I have come to discuss terms,” Chrysalis says, pulling out a few sheets of paper from under her wing, “for when I win this little wager of ours.”

“When?” Celestia asks, raising an eyebrow.

Chrysalis rolls a pink eye. “As if there is any doubt.” Her gaze turns to Doug. “Or have you decided the outcome already?”

Doug shakes his head, “No, it’s a possibility.” An extremely remote possibility, as it would require Chrysalis singlehoofedly (or at least without her invasion force assisting) detaining the rest of the Elements of Harmony, Princess Luna, Shining Armor, and choice members of the royal guard. Though it would make the subsequent capture of Canterlot considerably easier if she could. But what are the odds of that happening?

Chrysalis smiles, it looking particularly sinister on Cadance’s face. “Then.” She turns back to Celestia. “My terms. When I win, you will all bow to me as your Queen, though I will allow you your current positions.”

The only outward hint of Celestia’s anger is the slight huff of breath. “If you win, you will have an equal say, as any other Princess, in areas of your domain. Which would be?”

Chrysalis glares, but says nothing for a few seconds. “We shall come back to that one. My domain shall be domestic, and overseeing the largest expansion of Equestrian infrastructure the kingdom has ever seen.” She continues as Celestia considers. “Along with it, the addition of one changeling for every three ponies in a herd.”

“We will not be enforcing expansion, should ponies not wish to.” Chrysalis’ eyes narrow. “Until we know the effects of long term love… extraction, one changeling for every seven ponies.”

“Five.”

“Six. And only those with a cutie mark shall be counted.”

Chrysalis turns to consider Doug for a few long seconds. “Unherded mares and stallions will need some system, perhaps as ancillary members of a herd, as they must be counted as well.”

“Certainly.” Chrysalis stands up a little straight at Celestia’s concession. “But perhaps we should focus on what will happen should you lose on both counts of our little wager.”

Chrysalis snorts, rolling her eyes. “Fine. As you said before, we leave. Peacefully, of course, though you will not warn which land we choose. Any mares with foal will bear a foal, then leave.”

“And any who wish to stay, may.” Celestia’s harsh gaze softens, smiling at Chrysalis. “I have heard that some of your brood wish to learn more of Friendship.”

“Preposterous. Or a ploy.” Chrysalis derisively shakes her head. “They would never consider it. Now, back to my demands.”

Celestia sighs, leaning back. “Perhaps. I have an announcement coming up, so better make it quick.”

50 The Queen

March 1st, 1001 Domina Solaria

Queen Chrysalis, High Ruler of the Changelings and Conqueror of Equestria, rises from bed on the morning of her wedding to (soon to be) Prince Shining Armor feeling particularly elated. The Princess of Love’s monstrous four poster bed, bedecked in some pink, fluffy material that feels wonderful against her stolen form and even better against her chitin. She writhes in pleasure against the fluffy pillows, the silk sheets, opening her eyes to the radiant dawn streaming through her curtained window.

This day is going to be perfect!

She’s still a little woozy from the love pouring freely from everypony yesterday, the celebration in the streets lasting well into the night. Queen Chrysalis staggers to her hooves to gaze out over her subjects. Her muzzle twists to a wide grin at this fulfillment of a dream she’s had ever since she was small. It has been honed over the years, especially due to that meddling tyrant interfering with her plans, but no more!

Far below, the guards - decked in their finest ceremonial armor - usher more and more ponies past giant displays of cake and assorted party games into the waiting jaws of the castle. The only pony she expected to see but is unable to make the wedding is Prince Blueblood. All of the other movers and shakers of Canterlot, the elite guards, even the Wonderbolts - all would be gathering around, stuck admiring her (she hates to admit) beautiful wedding gown, completely unable to resist the invasion until it is too late.

Princess Luna is the only wild card, but her guards have assured her that, with the advent of her growing foal, she slept soundly through yesterday’s festivities. How very… fortuitous. Twilight and Celestia have pledged not to interfere, and it’s almost worrying how smoothly her plan has gone off. Or, she’s just that good.

With a wide smirk on her face she strides to her closet, throwing open the ornate doors. There, displayed in all its glory, is her wedding dress. Three lines of swirling gold ring around her body and along the train, matching her gilded shoes. Her purple peytral matches her bobbing curls, a miniature crystal heart inset at the center. It slips on easily enough, quickly followed by a band of flowers atop her head. It’s no golden crown, but that will come in due time.

She can’t help but dance with the bare ponnequin, the dull, featureless face a perfect replica of Shining Armor’s. Soon enough and she’ll have the real one to consume - or at least his love of ‘her’. She’s looking forward to the consummation as well, but not for her own pleasure. No, the thought of seeing the real Cadance’s face as she takes everything the alicorn ever wanted!

Her horn flares, checking the integrity of the wards around Cadance. Still no breaks, and the alicorn is glumly staring at the wedding invitation she gave her. It was the least she could do, given how cooperative the Princess has been. Her stoic aura of grudging compliance always disappeared whenever she mentioned the possibilities with her beloved Shiny. Seeing anger and resentment guised under hope and optimism really is the best, isn’t it?

But she can’t stay here luxuriating with those thoughts forever; not when there’s a wedding to get to! She flips herself an ebullient smile in the mirror, though she can’t keep it from becoming a wicked cackle. No matter, nopony will suspect anything; or if they do, it will be too late.

She prances down the decorated hallways, Pinkie Pie’s hoofwork practically leaping from every wall and sconce to assault her senses. She delicately steps over a few tripwires the mare installed, shaking her head at the thought of messing up her grand entrance with balloons and confetti.

The huge double doors to the ballroom close as she gets close, the tail of some noblepony or another disappearing inside. The five bridesmares and best mare are standing in their elegant dresses, politely greeting another approaching guest, and it looks to be one of the last. Rarity and Twilight note Chrysalis’ entrance, briefly giving soft smiles. Three flowerfillies leap and tumble around Doug on the opposite side; he opens the door to let the mare in, and Chrysalis catches a glimpse of the inside.

Bedecked in fine, flowing cloth from every wall and ceiling, the room positively glows. Flowers hang from every column, candles from the golden chandelier and candelabras, and the wide open windows offer a spectacular view of the city. A view, she slyly notes to herself, that might not be as good as they hoped.

Crammed inside are nearly four hundred ponies, including the band and, at the raised area on the other end, Princess Celestia. The alicorn officiating stands next to an arch of green and pink, projecting an aura of joy. Chrysalis can’t help but lick her lips at the thought of devouring that joy, and standing next to the alicorn might even offer her the opportunity.

Only for a white unicorn to squeal something as Shining Armor and a pack of stallions comes around the opposite corner. Her compatriot, the chromatic maned pegasus, rudely gets in Chrysalis’ face, babbling something about how the bride isn’t supposed to see the groom before the wedding. Chrysalis rolls her eyes but complies, turning around and taking a few steps.

“Hey, Doug!” Shining Armor says in that naive optimism he always has as his groomstallions make their way inside. “I was thinking, with the whole security concerns, I could protect Canterlot like we did the Crystal Empire! It took a little bit, but I think I got it working!” His horn flares, starting to build an absurd amount of power.

Chrysalis freezes, Rainbow Dash pushing uselessly at her back. What? There’s no way! That could singlehoofedly stop the invasion, if he makes the shield that stopped King Sombra! Or at the very least delay her attack long enough for him to sound the alarm!

Shining Armor releases his shield, a pink bubble expanding outwards from him. It passes through everypony and everything, stretching further and further away, all the way to the bottom of the Canterhorn. At first, Chrysalis stares at her hooves, fearing a return of the sparkling nonsense, only to gasp as the shield sets off every alarm she has. The feedback sends her reeling, her vision hazy and world spinning, the rainbow pegasus next to her asking her something.

At the same time, Twilight Sparkle’s horn lights, passing a glowing piece of paper to Spike. The dragon ignites it, and not a second later Twilight disappears in the blink of an eye. A split second later and she reappears, whistling nonchalantly as Rarity and Fluttershy burst into motion. This doesn’t go unnoticed by Chrysalis as she recovers, pushing away the pegasus, but she’s more focused on Shining Armor.

“Pretty cool, huh? I can even change it so that it’s permeable to basically everything, or stops everything larger than a bit, or even completely impenetrable!” With the last one the entire city goes black, light itself stopped from piercing through. Just as quickly the light comes back, Shining Armor giving a sheepish grin. “Oops. Guess I might need to think about that one a little, huh?”

“I’d say,” Doug says with a smirk, opening the doors to let Shining Armor, Spike, and seven mares inside. “Now hurry up, let’s get this started!”

Heads turn to watch as Fluttershy peels off to her bird choir, an oddly familiar pink unicorn to the front row, and the five bridesmares line up on the left side. Spike takes his place next to Celestia, holding onto a pillow with three rings, a smile plastered on his face.

“Great,” Chrysalis remarks to Doug as they wait for the slow procession to finish. “I never took Shiny to be such a showoff.”

“Well,” Doug says, fumbling a bit for the words, “he can be a little in love with himself.”

Chrysalis smirks, nodding along, waiting impatiently for everypony to take their places.

The hall goes quiet as they watch the pink alicorn walk up to Doug. Playing the part of her sire giving away the bride, he offers an elbow. She rolls her eyes; they went over this! She doesn’t need somepony to give her away! But it was expected of her, ugh. Instead, she follows the frolicking flower fillies, Doug walking alongside her, as the band plays their welcoming march.

All eyes on her, and Chrysalis’ horn briefly flares. On the outside of every window rolls down a beautifully rendered portrait of Canterlot, as seen from inside. The thick canvas blocks a good portion of the light, the room dimming slightly, but the many candles she insisted upon having are a fine substitute.

The human walks to the side, out of the way, giving her an acknowledging nod. Phase one, complete. Now, for the invasion. She grimly forces a smile to her face at seeing Shining Armor’s beaming face, his horn lit a steady pink. She’ll need to find some way to convince him to bring it down! Or weaken him, but with so many witnesses…

Nevertheless, Queen Chrysalis strides forward to the cheer and adoration of everypony in the room, even Celestia and Twilight smiling fondly, though their eyes aren’t quite on her. It takes some time for the crowd to quiet down, but eventually they do. Princess Celestia clears her throat, eyes travelling over everypony in the room. She starts in a practiced, flowing speech, her voice stately yet full of passion, able to be clearly heard in every corner of the room.

“Fillies and Gentlecolts; Dearest Friends and Family; we are gathered here to witness and celebrate the union of Princess Mi Amore Cadenza-” her tone loses the stateliness, becoming almost conversational “- or, as you probably know her, Princess Cadance. Or, to many of you, just Cadance.” She smiles, though again Chrysalis has the suspicion she is smiling past her. She adds, almost as an afterthought, “And Prince Consort Shining Armor.”

Celestia pauses, allowing the crowd to briefly cheer, hooves stomping against the ground. Her head turns slightly, and this time Chrysalis is sure the alicorn is looking her in the eyes. “Today, when you join each other in marriage, you will find a vast array of futures ahead of you. The possibilities - not just before you but inside of you - are endless. It will fall upon your withers to choose your values, to make real your dreams.”

Her gaze shifts to the crowd, then back to Shining Armor. “Through your commitment to each other, may you grow and nurture a love that makes each of you better ponies. A love that continues, that gives you great joy, and a passion for living that provides you not just with energy-” her eyes flick to Chrysalis “-but with patience and hope to face the responsibilities ahead.”

Chrysalis perks up at a familiar section. She turns to face Shining Armor, the stallion doing the same.

“Do you, Shining Armor, take Princess Cadance to be your lawfully wedded mare, for better or for worse, promising to love and cherish, through joy and sorrow, sickness and health, until death do you part?”

Shining Armor, beaming with pride, stands straighter than he ever did as a guard, though his eyes flick to the left. He practically belts out, “I do.”

Princess Celestia smiles, turning to face Chrysalis, though she can only see out of the corner of her eye. “And do you, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza; Cadance; take Shining Armor to be your lawfully wedded stallion, for better or for worse, promising to love and cherish, through joy and sorrow, sickness and health, until death do you part?”

All eyes are on Queen Chrysalis as she pauses, taking in a deep breath, ready to answer as a tone buzzes in her ear. Moonbutt is out, repeat, Moonbutt is out.

What? Chrysalis exclaims to herself, trying and failing to see anything out the windows.

“I do!” helpfully belts out a mare in the front row, the entire crowd laughing at the thought that the Princess of Love would be so tongue tied as to forget her response.

Queen Chrysalis scowls, glaring at the pink unicorn in the front row. She’s wearing an awfully concealing dress, smiling broadly, likely completely unaware of the consequences of such an act.

Princess Celestia clears her throat, the crowd quieting down. “Let’s try that again, shall we?” She turns again to Shining Armor. “Do you, Prince Consort Shining Armor, take this mare-” she indicates Chrysalis with a hoof “-to be your lawfully wedded mare, for better or for worse, promising to love and cherish, through joy and sorrow, sickness and health, until death do you part?”

Prince Shining Armor takes a deep breath, looking Chrysalis directly in the eyes. “I do,” he states, his voice full of steel.

Princess Celestia nods gravely. “And do you, Queen Chrysalis, take Prince Consort Shining Armor to be your lawfully wedded stallion, for better or for worse, promising to love and cherish, through joy and sorrow, sickness and health, until death do you part?”

Queen Chrysalis, determined not to flub her line this time, nods. She levitates Shining Armor's thick band, slipping it around his horn as he does the same to her. “I do,” she says, tasting victory as they seal their vows with a kiss.

51 Pride Before the Fall

Queen Chrysalis pulls away from her probably-way-too-much-tongue kiss with Shining Armor to the raucous cheers of every single pony in the ballroom. Even Princess Celestia is stomping one hoof at a measured pace, her eyes beaming, her smile wide enough to invade her ears. His love is delicious, if a little guarded, and she was only able to get a small sip. Chrysalis licks her lips, hungrily eyeing Shining Armor and debating if it would be too forward to go for a second taste.

Who is she foaling, she’s Queen Chrysalis and she takes what she wants!

If Shining Armor is surprised by her aggressive second kiss he hides it well, meeting her like an adversary on the field of battle. At first Chrysalis gets the upper hoof, head swimming in the crowd’s adulation. Until Shining Armor sweeps her leg out from under her with a practiced motion. Her eyes go wide as he catches her, twisting her around, lips never leaving hers. She grunts in surprise, only to grit her teeth as she redoubles her efforts to gain the upper hoof in their embrace.

They hold the position for several long seconds until Shining Armor pulls away, grinning feverishly. Hanging upside down, Chrysalis let’s her neck relax to look over the crowd, most notably the four bridesmares standing in a line. Applejack stands stoically, and appears to have procured a hat that was not part of the original dress. Rarity open weeps, Chrysalis able to taste the joy. Rainbow Dash’s whistle pierces through the cheers, competing only with Pinkie Pie’s noisemakers for loudest pony. Twilight Sparkle wipes a tear from her eye, grinning next to her crying parents, Chrysalis momentarily surprised at the alicorn’s acting ability.

Her head comes back up, eyes meeting Shining Armor’s, and she grins. “You’re pretty good at that,” she says lasciviously, winking. She spins from his embrace, landing on her hooves, the weight of the unaccustomed ring heavy on her horn.

“Well,” he replies with a smile, his words deafened by the cheers from everypony else, “when you can’t go all the way you get a lot of time to practice everything else.”

“Oh?” Chrysalis says coyly, surprised. They hadn’t? She knows her form is going through heat, but suppressed whatever influence it might have had on her. She still needs to find some way to get Shining Armor to lower his shield. “Well, it would seem today is your lucky day.”

“Mm,” he says, nuzzling her before they begin to walk down the aisle. They make it to the end of the ballroom before they are each mobbed by scores of wellwishers. Chrysalis finds herself surrounded, separated from her stallion, far too many ponies vigorously shaking her hoof for her liking. She pushes above the crowd, her eyes narrowing as she sees that pink unicorn trade a long kiss with her Shiny, only for a few pegasi to block her view as they fly over and congratulate her.

Chrysalis’ rage nearly boils over as her garland of flowers drops across her eyes. Then, a strong white hoof grabs her own, dragging her through the crowd. She barely resists until they break free, then yanks her hoof away so she can fix her flowery crown. Smiling back at her is her stallion, flipping his blue toned mane back in such a way that a less tenacious mare might swoon at the sight. And, much to her disappointment, his horn is still glowing.

“I hope this doesn’t become a habit of yours, needing to be rescued like that,” Shining Armor says with a grin.

Chrysalis bites back her first cutting remark, and the second, settling on a neutral, “Indeed.” She grimaces internally; witty banter! Have to throw him off his game. “But I’ll take any excuse to get held in those strong hooves of yours.”

That certainly does the trick, Shining Armor standing up straighter, the toned muscles along his legs flexing. His nostrils twitch, and he eagerly follows behind her as she leads the way to her room. Her tail coyly covers his view, swishing it just enough to not let him see anything. She revels in his exasperated groan, swaying her hips back and forth opposite her tail. Stallions. So very easy. She tries to drink in his lust, but frowns. How is he resisting her allure?

She throws open the door to her suite, glancing at the covered window. Barely visible is the pink of his shield, and she can almost hear the questioning buzz of her hive in the back of her head. They didn’t plan for this contingency, because what could they do? Give up? Certainly not! She just needs to find a way inside that thick skull of his!

A gentle nuzzle pushes her towards the bed, and she finds herself complying without question. She rolls onto the silk sheets, not needing to fake her excited moans as his hooves travel over every inch of her barrel. He wasn’t foaling about practicing this part! She easily slips into the part of the besotted mare, grinding her body against the bed, writhing in pleasure. Yet he remains completely in control of himself, her every effort to influence him rebuffed. Her composure nearly drops as she looks past his lips to his still-lit horn. Is he going to keep that up the entire time?!

This isn’t working! Any barrier she puts up might be broken by him, and she would lose the element of surprise. Especially with him continually on guard; he’s one of the best soldiers, likely able to keep his cool and his shield up despite getting knocked around. No, she’ll need to pull out her trump card, and catch him by surprise.

Chrysalis stops her sensuous motions as Shining Armor briefly lets up. She rolls to her hooves, then faces away from him. She hesitantly glances backwards, Shining Armor staring directly at her. She flicks her head forwards, then bends her legs slightly, bouncing up and down as her tail flicks to the side.

Two strong hooves find her back, Chrysalis nearly buckling from his weight, but then he goes no further. Instead, she finds those hooves massaging her withers as best they can from the position, his mouth nuzzling her ear.

“Are you, um,” he starts, the first time she’s heard uncertainty in his voice. “R-ready?”

She stops herself from rolling her eyes; how could he not tell? She tilts her head back, only to see his horn still lit. She wriggles just the slightest amount under him, frustration building, but manages to nod. For all the grace and poise he had earlier, Shining Armor sure fumbles around at this point, and it’s all she can do wait. No, she has a much better plan!

Chrysalis’ horn flashes a bright green, and all of a sudden Shining Armor finds himself resting on top of a gray unicorn mare with a plain purple and white mane.

Chrysalis grins, twisting her head to catch Shining Armor off guard, only to find him chuckling, horn still light. His eyes, full of mirth?, focus on her own. “Okay, I admit, that’s pretty good.”

W-what? Chrysalis morphs again, this time a lavender coated unicorn with a purple mane. When he merely nuzzles her, resuming his sensuous searching for her, she can’t help but ask in a shaking voice, “W-what? I-I thought that-”

“It’s impressive, I’ll admit,” Shining Armor says, that Tartarus forsaken horn still lit. “Taking the form of those I love? I mean, not in this way,” he says as he finally enters her, Chrysalis gasping, “but as far as those I have a deep and personal relationship with? You’re two for two. Plus, I know you’re not them.”

Chrysalis moans as she lays her head against the bed, only for Doug’s words to come back to her. She eyes Shining Armor, his muscular bulk, his facial structure, his mane and every highlight. She isn’t used to doing this, preferring to copy ponies outright, but she’s nothing if not adaptable.

With a final burst of green Chrysalis transforms again.

Shining Armor stops immediately, gaping at her with wide eyes, a hoof coming up to cover his mouth. There, between his hooves, is a powerfully built unicorn mare. White coat, three toned blue mane that waves down her back, cutie mark of a gleaming green shield. Rounded muzzle and feminine features, but otherwise a dead ringer for himself. “What do you call this one?”

“Mmm… I was thinking… Crystalline Shield.” To Chrysalis’ chagrin his horn goes out. She doesn’t even mind as he resumes his thrusts, his horn remaining unlit. She can almost hear her invading army charging into the city, and soon they will be ravaging it as he is ravaging her! And what a glorious victory it will be!

After what she’ll generously call an average time later, Shining Armor flops off of her, their marriage fully consummated. They snuggle together for quite a bit longer than she meant to allow, but no matter! She is immune to the effects of pony cuddles! She finally gets up, leaving him laying on the bed and pining for more, though he still watches her warily, as she walks up to the window. She throws open the shutters, raising her hooves and reveling in the wanton destruction and mayhem outside.

Except, wanton destruction is awfully quieter than she imagined. She opens one eye, then the other, frowning as she looks around the city. Well, there are ponies roaming around, and undisguised changelings, but they aren’t battling it out to capture each other. Well, actually, one group is, but it’s a one on one fight ringed by ponies and changelings cheering them on and… placing bets? Many are wearing party hats, and eating slices of cake! Heresy!

She shudders as she feels Shining Armor’s seed combine with her egg, the new foal traveling towards her womb. She has half a mind to transform now, force it to a changeling, except it would leave her drained. That, and there is a suspiciously timed knock on the door.

Shining Armor’s pink aura opens it, and Chrysalis takes an involuntary step backwards as not only Princess Celestia but Princess Luna, a crowned Princess Twilight and the rest of the necklaced Elements of Harmony, Spike, Doug, and the pink unicorn file inside the room, it becoming very cramped very quickly.

“W-what is the meaning of this?” Chrysalis stammers out, eyes flitting from one pony to another. Each is focused on her, almost daring her to jump out the window or try something. Perhaps she could, with a preemptive strike, slip away in the confusion? Or harness their reluctance to injure each other by weaving among them?

Doug steps forward slightly, indicating himself. “I’m here to deliver the results of your contest with Princess Celestia.” He points to the pink mare, then Shining Armor. “She’s here for him.” He points to Twilight and Celestia, “They’re there to help.” Then at the rest of the Element Bearers. “And they say it’s only fair they get to watch.”

“I’d like to specify that I won’t be watching,” Twilight Sparkle appends.

“I didn’t think I included you in that group,” Doug counters.

“Yes, well,” Twilight huffs, “it’s still gross.”

Chrysalis’ eyes narrow, but the stern shake of Celestia’s head is enough to dissuade her from attempting anything. Yet. “Well?” she demands, stamping a hoof.

Doug sighs, bracing himself. “You lost, on both counts.”

Chrysalis’ eyes nearly bug out. “What?! Impossible!” She glares at Doug, then Celestia and Twilight. “You cheated! Or told, breaking your promises!”

“Wrong on both counts,” Applejack says, shaking her head.

Rainbow Dash points a hoof at Chrysalis as she hovers. “Yeah! I knew it was you ten seconds after you showed up!” At Applejack’s cough she adds, “Okay, I knew something was up right when you first replaced Cadance. And it wasn’t until Twilight shared her suspicions that we knew for sure.”

“You expect me to believe this!?” shouts Chrysalis, pointing a hoof at Shining Armor. “Then why did you allow me to marry him instead of Cadance? I refuse to believe that you would do this to one of your own!”

“Actually,” Shining Armor says, getting off the bed, “Twilight got my permission to go through with this.”

Chrysalis loses a bit of her confidence, though her muscles remain tensed, as if ready to pounce.

Shining Armor continues, “Originally, she was all for casting you out, along with the rest of your hive. But after you helped defend the Crystal Empire, well, she thought you deserved a chance. And now, here we are.”

Chrysalis takes a deep breath, every instinct telling her to blast every one of these nefarious schemers. But the only way she will be able to return for her revenge is to consolidate her forces, build up in another land, and return more powerful than ever before. “Fine. Then, I expect all of my changelings to be released, and we shall be on our way. And I expect no interference, or warning to any others about what was attempted here.”

“Except,” Celestia gently reminds, “that any changeling with foal is to remain in Equestria, until the foal is born.” Her eyes turn a harsh, dark red, her voice promising hellfire and brimstone, “And that means no transformation, or I’m throwing you in Tartarus for first degree infanticide.” Just as quickly as it appears Celestia returns to normal, cheerfully saying, “And any of your hive are welcome to stay, as I’m sure you remember. But we will leave it up to them to make that choice.”

Chrysalis fumes, this close to transforming just to spite the alicorn. “But Cadance is still trapped! And unless you concede to my demands, then-”

“I’m right here, actually,” the pink unicorn says, pulling off her dress to reveal a pair of wings. “Spike sent me a tracked letter that Twilight followed, then teleported both of us out.”

Chrysalis stares at Cadance in disbelief. “But I still married Shining Armor! And as lead mare, I forbid you from joining the herd!”

“Actually,” Cadance says with a smile, “I’m lead mare, since I joined first.”

“But…” Chrysalis forces out with a whimper.

“Yeah, I was the one who shouted ‘I do’.” Cadance walks over to Shining Armor, exchanging a kiss. “And, since I’m lead mare, that means that I get to go first.”

Shining Armor pulls back, Cadance frowning at the coldness. “I’m sorry, Cady, but today is Chrysalis’ day. I know it’s not standard, but I wouldn’t want to split myself between you two, not on her day.”

“You…” Chrysalis says through narrowed eyes, confusion showing as Cadance backs up and glares at Shining Armor. “You would stand up for me? Against even your lead?”

“Of course I would,” Shining Armor says with a resolute nod, Cadance angrily snorting. “I would stand up for any of my mares, should they be in the right.”

Chrysalis stares at Shining Armor with naked disbelief.

“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry,” Twilight says, offering Chrysalis a contrite smile. “I’m sorry that you’re trapped in this form for the next eleven months. I didn’t know if it would work with you in your changeling form, and since you specified ‘foal’ in your agreement with Celestia, I had to go with what I knew worked.”

Chrysalis stares at her white limbs, then hangs her head. With a burst of green magic she transforms, now into her changeling form. “It’s more draining,” she explains, sighing heavily, hating the wasted expenditure, “but she will be born a foal.” Her eyes raise to Celestia, still full of fury. “But in eleven months, I shall have my revenge.”

“I look forward to it,” Celestia returns a pleasant smile. “But until then, perhaps we can share friendship with each other?”

Chrysalis grits her teeth, but nods, only to be bowled over by a pink earth pony gripping her in a death hug.

Princess Luna smiles, spreading her wings and unlocking the window. “Then we shall inform your changelings of the new agreement!” She flies outside, bellowing in the Royal Canterlot, “Attention, Everypony and Everyling! Joyous news!”

52 Echoes of Love

Princess Luna’s booming Royal Canterlot, even flying high in the air, sends balloons and lighter changelings tumbling through the air. Many of the others cower behind tables, walls, or the nearest available pony. With hundreds of changelings and a good deal fewer hiding spots this results in more than a few instances where a guard finds himself the ‘leader’ of a chain of changelings, peeking out from behind at the Princess of the Night.

Many civilians are also present, mingling primarily among each other, though a few more adventurous ponies stray from the pony dominated games to venture to a single changeling. They find themselves staring up at their Princess, many taking a knee and bowing their heads.

“Joyous news!” Princess Luna shouts again. “Your Queen has conceded defeat, and you are all to be banished!” She motions with her hoof behind her; high above, staring through the window, stands Queen Chrysalis. Far from the imperious glare she normally spots, the changeling Queen looks quite dour, even with her new husband standing next to her.

Murmurs ripple through the changeling army, many wings buzzing angrily. Some form impromptu shock teams, ready to lead a charge to rescue their imprisoned Queen. Others wail at the thought of banishment; they know the stakes, and mournful cries soon echo throughout the city. But the majority merely hang their heads in defeat, kicking at the ground and wondering what could have gone wrong, that their Supreme Leader’s plan fell through so terribly.

“Hmm, that may have come out wrong,” Princess Luna mumbles to herself. Her deafening, “But!” gets the changelings to pause, chitinous heads and teal, pupilless eyes staring up at her. “As she is with foal, she is staying in this fecund land as our Friend!”

The crowd ripples as heads turn, low and fast conversations springing up like wildfire in a parched field. While many worriedly glance up at Queen Chrysalis the others are sizing up the guards, though they seem to be less focused on their combat capabilities.

Princess Luna nods at the change in demeanor, smiling broadly. “And the same offer is available to each of you!”

Nearly every guardstallion, and a good number of guardsmares, find themselves suddenly under the amorous assault of the nearest changeling. Or, in the case of a few unattached and strapping examples, several changelings simultaneously.

“But that is not the only way!” Luna shouts, to no avail. Too many of the changelings are succeeding in their efforts, very few of the guards resisting, and their passionate sounds drown out even the alicorn’s Royal Canterlot. “Wait! Stop!” she calls, her voice losing its harsh boom. She can barely hear her own voice call out, “You may also renounce the leadership of your Queen, and join us in Friendship!”

“Sister,” Celestia asks Luna as she flies next to the alarmed alicorn with a smirk halfway between condemnation and exhilaration. The corners of her mouth keep pulling her smile wider as she tries to keep her voice even. “What have you done?”

“But, I,” Luna stammers, pointing her hoof vaguely downwards. Her eyes widen as she spots some of the commencing activities. “Foals!” she booms out, “Avert your eyes!”

High up in their tower, Chrysalis watches the events unfold with a stony expression. She should be enjoying this, the love flowing freely from everypony and into her changeling’s awaiting jaws and gullets, but the sight of her entire army reduced to all-too-willing broodmares is enough to make her stomach turn.

Even if that was her plan all along.

Silence! Chrysalis commands that voice in the back of her head, fuming. She turns to glare at her captors, only to see neither Shining Armor nor Twilight Sparkle gleefully watching her and her suffering. Instead, Twilight is rubbing her brother’s foreleg, tears in her eyes.

“Isn’t it beautiful?” the lavender alicorn asks nopony in particular, a few of her herdmates lining up at adjacent windows to witness the unfolding festivities. She continues, her voice emotional and wavering, “I never thought that I would find myself fulfilling my duties as Princess of Friendship so quickly.”

“Yeah!” Rainbow Dash exclaims, unable to tear her eyes away from the scene below. “Even I have to admit, that’s pretty awesome! How often do you get to meet a whole new people, and make friends with them?” She makes a lewd gesture with her forelegs, winking at Twilight.

“Ah can barely believe it, and Ah’m watchin’ it with mah own eyes.”

“You’d think they would have chosen a place with a little more, hmm, privacy.” Rarity tut-tuts disapprovingly. “Not that I mind the outcome, but this seems a little excessive.”

“Yes, and-” Fluttershy looks around, momentarily confused. “Hey, where’s Pinkie Pie?”

Everypony looks around until they spot her outside, pronking from one hiding changeling to another and dragging them from their reclusive spots. Soon she has a conga line of changelings following her, gathering more and more every second. Then she turns up at the castle window, waving at the ponies staring at her.

“Celestia’s perky posterior,” Rainbow says, rubbing her forehead with a hoof.

“That better not be for me,” Doug says through gritted teeth.

“Doug, there’s no way that-” Applejack cuts herself off, her own hoof now massaging her head. “Okay, we best be putting a stop to that right now. Come on, y’all.” Applejack flicks her mane, getting Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Doug to follow her.

Meanwhile, Chrysalis watches as Cadance pulls Shining Armor off to the side, dragging him by his ear. She stops, barely in earshot; Chrysalis can’t help but think that is intentional.

“Excuse me,” she says in a harsh whisper, Shining Armor’s ears folding against his head, “I don’t suppose you want to explain to me why you are ruining my wedding night!? Not that I’m unhappy with you soiling our bed with an abomination like that!”

“Cady,” Shining Armor starts, almost immediately cut off by his lead mare.

“Don’t you Cady me! She eats love! As in, she literally devours the very emotion that I’m supposed to represent! Do you see this?” Cadance points at her flank, indicating the crystal heart.

Shining Armor’s gaze turns to Cadance’s flank, only for her hoof to slap him in the face. “No, you don’t get to look there! That’s for ponies who don’t turn their kingdom over to their mortal enemies!”

“Yes, dear,” Shining Armor says, cowed.

“How could you even think I would be okay with this? If you don’t remember, because it happened more than five seconds ago, let me remind you! She imprisoned me for a week! Did you even think to come and rescue me? No! You were happy to be off gallivanting with your buddies!”

“That’s not true at all! I-”

“I bet you couldn’t wait for Chrysalis to raise her tail for you! I’m sorry that I wanted our first time to be special, but no! You just had to go and ruin it!”

“Look, I know your heat must be bothering you, and it’s getting near the end, but-”

“Oh, no no no!” Cadance gets right in Shining Armor’s face, nearly shouting. “You do not get to pin your bad actions on what I’m going through! You-”

Any further shouting is soundly and thoroughly quashed by Shining Armor meeting her lips with his own. Chrysalis wryly notes the same technique he used on her to twist Cadance around, the pink alicorn’s wings poofing out as he dips her low. Anger radiates from her, eyes narrowing, but she meets Shining Armor’s gaze as she pulls away.

“Celestia’s room, five minutes. At least try to be ready.” She looks at Twilight, the lavender alicorn pointedly looking out the window and trying to appear as if she didn’t hear anything. Next to her, Chrysalis is making absolutely no attempt to hide her being privy to their not-so-private conversation. “Twilight?”

“Y-yes?” Twilight hesitantly says, glancing at her old foalsitter.

“Twenty minutes, Celestia’s room. Don’t be late.”

“O-of course,” Twilight replies, turning back to look out the window as Princess Cadance leaves the room, followed shortly by Shining Armor, leaving her alone with Chrysalis. So many new foals for next year. Do we even have the facilities for it? The hospitals are going to be overwhelmed. Then the schools, in a few years. I suppose we have some time to get ready, but a few dozen schoolteacher cutie marks per city wouldn’t be a bad thing.

“Hey, Twilight?” a sleepy sounding mare calls from the doorway, quickly followed by three exuberant young mares bounding into the room. She bites into an apple, chewing for a few seconds before asking, “Got a minute?”

“Sure,” Twilight says, smiling at Starlight Glimmer. Her eyes scan the mare almost automatically, to see how her pregnancy is progressing. “Wait wait wait.” Her eyes narrow. “Quadruplets?! That’s unheard of!”

Starlight Glimmer gravely nods, taking another bite from the apple in her hoof. “Y-yep.”

Twilight nervously looks around. “I, um, I guess I should apologize for that.”

“Meh. Doctor says they’re identical, too. Not supposed to happen, but, well?” She blithely shrugs. “Little girls are eating for two appiece. What it feels like, anyway. I don’t suppose you want to cast the spell on these three? Trying to conserve whatever energy I can.” She pulls out three glass containers from her saddlebags, setting them on the bed.

“Sure,” Twilight says, the three Crusaders lining up. “How’d you get in here?”

“There’s, like, no guards, anywhere. Plus, somepony had to watch these three after the wedding.” Starlight shrugs. “I’d like to catch the earliest train out of here, then it’s a bit of a hike. Rather not get caught up in that.” She motions outside.

“Mm,” Twilight says, focusing her mind. It feels like such an atrocity, doing this, but none of the young mares even flinch as she rips their cutie mark off of them, safely storing each inside the bottles.

“Huh,” Scootaloo says, examining her equality cutie mark. “I thought I’d feel different after that.”

“Me too,” says Sweetie Belle, frowning. She inspects their coats. “We did lose a bit of our luster, though.”

“But none of what makes us us!” Apple Bloom grins, raising her hoof in the air. “Time to go help someponies with their cutie mark problems!”

“Cutie Mark Crusaders Forever!”

“Don’t forget to say goodbye to your dams,” Twilight says, rubbing her ears. She gets a nuzzle from each, Starlight loading the bottles into her saddlebags, and waves as they depart. Her attention turns back to outside, watching as her herdmates surround Pinkie Pie and the giant pack of changelings following her. Doug folds his arms, staring down the pink mare. Twenty changelings peel off, Doug shaking his head. The remaining ten then step forward, Doug saying something that gets Pinkie Pie’s mane to deflate. Finally a single changeling steps forward. Doug glances to Applejack; she nods, then he nods. Pinkie Pie pronks off, leaving the single changeling with Doug while she goes and finds other unattached stallions to foist changelings on.

“I suppose you think you are clever,” remarks Chrysalis to Twilight Sparkle.

“Well, I don’t like to brag,” Twilight Sparkle says with perhaps a bit too much cheer, though she quails under Chrysalis’ imperial gaze.

“Using the guise of helping me to subvert our bargain.” She slowly stomps against the floor, her face an impassive sneer. “Well played.”

“Hey!” Twilight objects strenuously. “That wasn’t some sort of play, or ruse! I really do want you to become our friend! Won’t you at least consider it?”

“Well, much as I am loathe to admit, you did best me. I did not expect such a ploy from you.” Chrysalis rubs her stomach. “Once she is born, will you expel me and my kind if we do not bow our heads to you?”

Twilight gapes, staring first at the foal growing in Chrysalis’ womb and then at the changeling’s face. “How can you care so little for your young, that you would abandon her so easily?” She rubs at her own belly and the growing twins. “I would never do such a thing! I would accept any burden for their sake!”

Chrysalis motions a black hoof towards the changelings outside. “How many larva do you think I’ve spawned?” Chrysalis demands, unflinching.

Twilight tries to count every changeling outside. She hesitantly answers, “Um… hundreds? Maybe a thousand?”

“Ten times that number. Those that you see outside, perhaps a quarter again remain alive, spread throughout Equestria.” Chrysalis sighs heavily. “And it seems your plan is working there, to spread my number throughout your land, to diffuse and assimilate them into your own. Do not think we did not see how your guard, culled from every city and town, has been gathered here to take a drone for themselves.”

“That-” wasn’t my intention at all, Twilight wants to say, but stops. Doug had told her of how Chrysalis’ invasion could have turned out, and this was one of the changeling’s demands. To deny it would show weakness, and she barely has her respect as it is. “That certainly worked well, didn’t it?”

"Indeed." Chrysalis stares out across the city, sighing to herself. She glances at Twilight. "Don't you have a new sister to run after?"

"Oh! Right!" Twilight exclaims, bounding out of the room. She pauses at the doorway, turning to Chrysalis. "Oh, and, um, thanks."

Chrysalis merely flicks her head up as the alicorn disappears.

54 Vanity

“You know,” Scootaloo remarks to her two sisters, standing atop a dusty hill. Plain rock cliffs and stony gulches spread out in every direction. They even hide the view of Canterlot, unless you stand on top of one. In front and below them, at the end of a long and lonely dirt road, are two rows of six plain brown houses, with one extra on the end that ruins the symmetry and symbolism. “I never thought I’d get to the end of a journey and wish there was another step.”

“Don’t say that,” Sweetie Belle counters as they watch Starlight Glimmer approach the center of town. Several dozen ponies come out of the twelve houses and gather around her in perfectly spaced concentric circles. Each pony is duller than they would expect, and not just from the dust. As well, every cutie mark - except for a few unmarked fillies - is of a thick gray equals sign. “These ponies need our help, and we should be happy to help them!”

“Ah’m with Scootaloo,” Apple Bloom says, self-consciously rubbing her red mane tie and glancing back at her saddlebags, adorned with a red apple. They are packed full, mostly supplies for the town Starlight purchased in Canterlot. “Ah never thought Ah’d be the best dressed pony in town.”

“Well, maybe it won’t be so bad,” Sweetie Belle says, smiling as she notices Starlight Glimmer motion towards them. “Hey, we should go meet them!”

“Yeah,” Scootaloo agrees reluctantly, “we don’t want to look like we’ll hate it here.” She looks around the barren land around them. “Even if it looks like they haven’t done much with the place.”

“Ah don’t know about you, but Ah haven’t seen one pegasi working the clouds, or any earth ponies in the fields.” Apple Bloom looks around as the trio heads down. “Or any fields, for that matter. What the hay do they eat around here, shrub grass?”

Starlight’s cheery voice rings out in greeting as more and more ponies join in. Each seems to know exactly where to go, or they make it up on the fly perfectly. The circles gradually get bigger and bigger until nearly a hundred ponies, looking to be the entirety of the town, are spread around the pink unicorn.

“I’m so glad to be home, everypony, and again surrounded by all of my Friends!” Starlight Glimmer announces in a loud voice, not needing any magical amplification over the hushed crowd. “I come, not only with tidings of great joy for all of us, but also with three new Friends!”

Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo stop dead in their tracks as, to a pony, every single head turns to regard them. Plastered on every identically styled face is a huge grin that tries to stretch past their ears, exposing shiny white teeth. Their eyes bore into them, but not maliciously, and if possible the smiles grow even wider.

“Welcome our three newest members: Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo!”

“Welcome!” rings out the entire town in unison, and then they quiet back down. Starlight Glimmer motions towards herself with a hoof, and despite not looking at her the nearest ponies slide closer to each other, a tunnel appearing through the crowd.

The trio glance nervously around. Though the cheer of the ponies of Our Town was originally creepy past belief, it’s starting to get a little infectious, like Pinkie Pie trying to make somepony smile. Three small, forced smiles of their own grace their muzzles as they hesitantly walk through the parted crowd, ending up in the middle with Starlight Glimmer.

She prompts, “Would you like to introduce yourselves?”

“Um,” Apple Bloom starts, spinning around and trying to pick a pony to focus on, but they quickly blend together with how uniform their appearance is. Her confidence slowly builds as she speaks, “Ah’m Apple Bloom, and Ah work with mah dam at Sweet Apple Acres. Harvestin’ apples, helpin’ with repairs, sellin’ at the market. You name it, and Ah can do it!”

Murmurs spread through the crowd, Apple Bloom tracing their eyes lingering on her mane and saddlebags. Then Starlight Glimmer dispels any tension by saying, “Welcome, Apple Bloom! I know you’ll enjoy yourself here in Our Town!”

“Welcome!” echoes the crowd, their focus turning to the other two young mares.

“I’m Sweetie Belle. I work with my dam in her shop. She makes dresses for everypony in town, as well as a lot of clients in Canterlot and Manehatten!” Sweetie Belle pauses for effect, but frowns at the complete silence. “Um, and we’re here because our cutie marks are about helping ponies find out about their special talents.” She self-consciously glances backwards at her flank, sighing at the two thick gray bars partially covered by her star-adorned saddlebags. “But I guess we’re not supposed to talk about that.”

“It’s okay,” reassures Starlight Glimmer. “While we don’t normally talk about our cutie marks and the… impact they had on us, we know you’re here to help.” She stands up straight and turns all the way around to see everypony. “We’re going to welcome our new Friends!”

“Welcome!” choruses everypony in unison.

“I’m Scootaloo!” She struts around, looking at the fillies filling in the front row. “I, um, also help out around the house and farm.”

“Farm?” whisper a few ponies as they glance to her wings, though they quickly quiet down at Starlight’s glare.

Scootaloo pulls her scooter out of her bag, offering it to the nearest filly like it’s show and tell. “I run errands, that sort of thing. Oh, and I go to school.” She indicates her sisters, “We all do. Even though we have… err, had our cutie marks.”

“Welcome!”

Starlight Glimmer smiles down at the three. “We’ll find a spot for you somewhere in town, but until we do you can stay with me.” She motions towards the house at the end of the street. She turns, a bit of pride in her voice. “Now, I know all of you are eagerly awaiting this joyous news. I…” she flourishes a little, “am pregnant!”

Hushed gasps quickly turn to smiles, though they hold their cheers.

“Yes, yes, you can be happy about this,” Starlight Glimmer grins as cheers and stomps echo through the town. “Thanks to one of the mares in these fillies’ herd, I know a spell that will do the same for us!”

The cheers redouble, several ponies breaking ranks to embrace each other.

“Now,” Starlight says forcefully, the exuberant atmosphere dying down to a low rumble, “our normal method of, how shall I say, distribution,” she winks at a couple of the fillies; they smile back innocently, “won’t exactly work for this, and I don’t want our quaint little town to be overrun by a glut of little ones. Don’t you agree?”

The townsponies nod along; disappointed huffs can be heard, but they are quickly covered up.

“So, as a town, we’ll need to come to an agreement on how many foals we will have per year.”

Apple Bloom’s face scrunches up. “How in the hay would you do that? And what’s your ‘normal’ method?”

Starlight Glimmer’s smile doesn’t break, but she does stare at Apple Bloom for a few seconds.

“Ah’m sorry, Ah didn’t mean to interrupt,” Apple Bloom apologizes, hanging her head.

“It’s quite okay,” Starlight Glimmer says, her cheer sounding a little forced. “Normally we would have a whole song and dance routine for any newcomers, but I knew everypony would want to get to… this matter as soon as possible.” A few mares grumble, nodding along as if to hurry them up. “But you’ll pick it up quickly, and anypony will be happy to explain how things go in Our Town!” She motions to each building, and the ponies surrounding her. “Equality is the most important thing in Our Town, which is why we don’t differentiate from each other except by name!”

“Oh, okay,” Apple Bloom says, though she still looks at Starlight Glimmer expectantly.

“Because of that,” the unicorn continues, “we wait until everypony has either equal access to something, or that thing for themselves!” She motions towards a stall with a lot of cloaks. “For instance, Burlap won’t distribute cloaks until he has one made for everypony!”

“That’s right!” a burly brown earth pony says from somewhere in the crowd.

“But for other things: well water and, you know,” Starlight whispers, “getting pregnant,” she stands back up, “those things by their nature can’t be given to everypony individually. So, any suggestions for what that number should be?”

Silence comes over the crowd until a pony hesitantly offers, “One quarter of the mares?”

“Mmm,” Starlight hums, a low rumble.

“One sixth of the mares?” another pony says, slightly more confidently.

“Hmm,” Starlight hums, considerably higher pitched.

“One… fifth of the mares?” a third pony suggests.

Starlight’s smile, which never actually faded, stretches wider.

“Twenty percent!” another pony shouts, and soon the entire crowd is either nodding along or saying the number themselves.

“Then it’s agreed!” Starlight says. She looks down at the trio. “As a way to get to know each and every one of you, these three can be in charge of collecting every mare and stallion’s names!”

All eyes turn to the three young mares, each shying down a little and forcing grins.

“So, if there is no further business?” Starlight grins at the resulting silence. “Have a wonderful day, everypony!”

With that, the crowd disperses, leaving one yellow earth pony filly watching the trio. She looks to be a little younger than they are, with no cutie mark.

“Hi, there!” Apple Bloom says with a smile. “What’s your name?”

“Mayflower,” she says, staring at Apple Bloom’s bow tie. She points at it. “What’s that?”

“It’s a bow,” Apple Bloom says, undoing the ribbon and letting her mane fall loose. “Ah wear it to keep my mane up. And I like how it looks.” She offers it to the filly, though she just stares at it.

“Oh.” The filly motions to her mane, one of the perhaps three different variations among everypony. “Sorry, I don’t want to look like I’m vain.”

“Vain?” Apple Bloom says, taken aback.

Sweetie Belle tries to stifle her snort, mostly failing. “I’m sorry, I’ve seen vain, and this is nothing like that.”

“Come along, dear,” a green earth pony mare calls, walking up to Mayflower. Her eyes narrow at the trio. “Is that a mane tie?”

“Um,” Apple Bloom says, turning to stare at the ribbon in her hoof.

“Luxury!” The mare’s gaze turns to the back half of Apple Bloom. “Is that a saddlebag? Sloth! And is that your cutie mark? Vanity!”

“Hey!” exclaims Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, but the mare merely shakes her head.

“Come, Mayflower.” The mare walks away, shaking her head. Her filly gives an apologetic smile, whispering 'sorry', but follows after her dam, disappearing into one of the houses.

“What was that?” asks Apple Bloom, dumbfounded, her sisters merely shrugging and shaking their heads.

A white earth pony stallion with a white mane walks up to the trio. “Don’t mind April Showers. She’s always been a bit more… intense about the whole ‘fitting in’ thing.” He offers a hoof, the young mares shaking it. “Name’s Double Diamond. I guess I get to be first on your list?”

“Sure!” the three chorus, Sweetie Belle pulling out paper and a pencil. “Hey, Double D, mind telling us about your cutie mark?”

The cheerful expression on Double Diamond’s face disappears, worry flashing before his smile reasserts itself. “Oh, um, what is there to tell? I liked, uh, skiing. But, no! I don’t want my cutie mark back or anything! And I definitely don’t want to go look at it!” He nervously glances around, a good number of the townsponies watching them. “I have to, err, get back to work! Sorry, I’ll see you later!”

“Huh,” Scootaloo says, scratching her head. “Wonder what that was about?”

The next few ponies they meet give them similar looks at their accessories, and while their reactions to the question about cutie marks isn't as strong as Double Diamond's they are no more productive. The trio quickly grows tired of the looks, heading to Starlight Glimmer’s mostly empty house to deposit their bags.

“Well, everypony,” Sweetie Belle says, the other two looking a little discouraged, “I think we need to take a page out of Diamond Tiara’s book.”

Apple Bloom looks backwards at her saddlebags, now resting next to the door. “Ah don’t think we have enough money to bribe everypony.”

Scootaloo adds as Sweetie Belle thunks a hoof against her head, “Or servants to go and do all this for us.”

“Not that! Her personality!”

“Oh, ya mean like being an insufferable know-it-all?”

“Or a bully?”

“No!” Sweetie Belle gets up, glaring at her sisters. “I’m talking about perseverance! Determination!”

“Speaking of insufferable know-it-alls,” mutters Scootaloo, earning a glare from the unicorn.

“Ah don’t suppose you can use smaller words?” asks Apple Bloom, trying to be polite.

Sweetie Belle closes her eyes briefly as she sighs. “Never giving up. Grit. Even though those ponies don’t want to talk to us about their cutie marks, we will find a way!”

55 Hubris

“Now how are we gonna do that?” Apple Bloom asks, her voice straining. She glances around Starlight Glimmer’s house, as if there might be a clue hidden somewhere among the bare walls.

“Maybe if we knew what their cutie marks were, that might give us somewhere to start.” Scootaloo taps her hoof against her muzzle, humming to herself. “Didn’t Double Diamond say something about wanting to see his cutie mark?”

“I thought he said something that was the exact opposite of that,” Sweetie Belle says, slightly confused.

Scootaloo rolls her eyes. “Yeah, but did you hear how he said it? He’s obviously having second thoughts about the whole ‘giving up my cutie mark’ thing. Who knows how deep the rabbit hole goes?”

“Ah don’t think Fluttershy digs them that deep,” Apple Bloom remarks as Starlight Glimmer’s voice rings out among the town.

“In Sameness, there is Peace. Exceptionalism is a lie.”

The three fillies stare upwards in shock, the recording broadcasting from Starlight’s house.

“Uh,” Sweetie Belle says, each sharing her confused expression.

“Be your best, by never being your best.”

Muffled cursing comes from upstairs, the three young mares glancing at each other. Several bumps are followed by a loud ‘click’, and the voice cuts off. A few seconds later the pink unicorn walks down the stairs, her plastic smile twitching.

“What was that?” Scootaloo asks impertinently.

Starlight Glimmer chuckles, cocking her head slightly. “Oh, that? It was, um, nothing important. I just thought I heard some… subversive talk about cutie marks.”

“Sub-ver-sive?” Apple Bloom frowns.

Starlight Glimmer nods. “You know, ponies who are unhappy? Who might… diverge from the utopia that I’m- we’re establishing here?”

“But…” Sweetie Belle says, stepping up, “isn’t that the entire reason we’re here? To help ponies figure out the best way to work with their cutie mark?”

“Oh, you’re still on that?” Starlight Glimmer sighs, then perks right back up. “I’m glad to see you three are so optimistic! But we need to be prepared for every eventuality, including the one where you, sadly, aren’t able to help.”

“We’ll see about that!” Scootaloo says, yanking open the door. “Come on!”

The trio steps outside, leaving their bags and, to her sorrow, Apple Bloom’s ribbon. She keeps rubbing the spot, her loose mane spilling down her neck more so than normal.

“Come on, give it a rest,” Scootaloo says, shaking her head at Apple Bloom’s scratching.

“Hey, you go without something you’ve had your whole life and let me know how it feels,” Apple Bloom grunts out. “Ah just need something to get my mind off it.”

Scootaloo’s stomach grumbles. “Hey, maybe we can get something to eat?” The pegasus points towards a pink unicorn with a curly purple mane standing in front of a somewhat drab store with a sign of a loaf of bread. “Maybe we can get something from her!” The three walk up to the plain wood stall, looking over the meager selection of lumpy brown bricks with more than a little trepidation.

The mare’s cheery voice, just like everypony else in the town, rings out. “Welcome! My name is Sugar Belle! And you three are Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo, right?” The unicorn steps out from behind her cart to better see the young mares, smiling like everypony else.

“That’s right!” Apple Bloom says, smiling back and recording the mare’s name on their list. “Are you a baker?”

“Well, um,” Sugar Belle replies, looking away and scratching her foreleg with a hoof. Her smile disappears as she sighs. “I am the town’s baker, yes. Can I get you anything?”

“Sure!” Sweetie Belle says eagerly. “What do you have?”

“We have… bagels.” Sugar Belle offers a hopeful smile, motioning to the lumps of what might be bread.

Silence stretches for several uncomfortable seconds before Scootaloo says, “Then we’ll take three bagels!”

“Okay!” Sugar Belle hoofs over three bagels, eagerly anticipating their response.

The three young mares bite into their bagels, chewing precisely twice before Apple Bloom and Scootaloo gag. They choke them down, then stare at Sweetie Belle as she goes for a second bite.

“What?” Sweetie Belle asks, chewing her piece methodically. “It’s only the second worst thing I’ve eaten, and it’s got nothing on that.”

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo shudder, tentatively taking a second bite each as Sweetie Belle polishes off her bagel.

Sugar Belle sighs, her frown returning. “I know I’m not a very good baker. Or, at least, I’m not any better than any pony else in the village.”

“Well, that’s obvious,” Scootaloo says, grimacing.

“Hey!” Sweetie Belle nearly yells, spinning around to glare at Scootaloo. “That’s no way to speak to anypony!”

“Whatever,” Scootaloo says, rolling her eyes. “Your cooking always been this bad?”

“No, it hasn’t,” Sugar Belle says, shaking her head. She stammers a little, her flank shaking a little. “I mean, ever since I joined our little village, it has been. It has to do with-” her voice cuts off, glancing nervously at the other ponies. Far too many of them seem to be paying a lot of attention to them, especially that April Showers. “But that’s all speculation, anyway.” Her voice drops low, whispering, “Meet me inside,” and walks into the bakery.

“Okay!” Apple Bloom says, following immediately after her and leaving her half eaten bagel on the stall.

“Uggh,” Scootaloo moans, especially as Sweetie Belle snags the lump of bread. She mutters, “At least try to be sneaky,” as they follow Apple Bloom inside the darkened building. The earth pony’s red tail disappears into the cellar, and the two trade nervous glances as they walk down the rickety steps.

“H-hello?” Sweetie Belle asks the darkened room. She startles as the door behind her slams shut, leaving only a thin line of light underneath and the rest of the room pitch black.

She is greeted by a soft click, and the shadowy faces of two ponies slowly emerge from the darkness. Then the light turns on, revealing the white face of Double Diamond and the blue face of Night Glider.

“Welcome!” they exclaim exuberantly.

Sweetie Belle lets out a loud sigh of relief as Scootaloo exclaims, “Hey, you’re members of Our Harmony!”

“Smart, kid,” Night Glider says, the pegasus sizing them up. “We heard you’re here to help with-” she glances back and forth, then upstairs “-cutie mark problems.”

“Yup!” says Apple Bloom. “What’s with all the secrecy?”

Sugar Belle narrows her eyes as she looks back the way they came. “It all has to do… with this.” She motions backwards, indicating her equality cutie mark. The thick gray bars seem to pulse, almost like they are sapping the vitality out of everypony, turning each of them a bit duller than normal. “And the spell that Starlight uses to remove everypony’s cutie mark.”

Scootaloo frowns. “Okay, so, let’s say that’s true. We’re trying to get rid of that mark, make it so you don’t have to have it any more.”

Each of the three ponies gasp, but Sugar Belle recovers quickly. “Starlight said you might be trying something like this. However, there are those in this town who have taken her message to heart. So, there’s something that we want you to do for us if we’re going to take this chance.”

“Hold up,” Apple Bloom says. “You want us to do something for you in order for us to do something for you?” She scratches a hoof against her head. “That don’t seem fair at all to me.”

“But think of the risk we’re taking,” Double Diamond says. “If this doesn’t work out, we could suffer some serious repercussions.”

“Like making you eat the bagels?” Scootaloo says, sticking her tongue out.

Night Glider points at the list Sweetie Belle is carrying around. “What we want, is for you to-”

The door to the basement opens, a green mare sticking her head in. April Showers narrows her eyes, demanding, “What’s going on in here?”

Scootaloo pokes Apple Bloom in the side, “I knew we should have been stealthier!”

“Hey, it’s not my fault!” Apple Bloom says loudly.

April Showers points a hoof at Sugar Belle. “You’re not trying to get special consideration, are you?!”

“N-no, of course not!” Sugar Belle exclaims defensively. “We’re just… talking… about our cutie marks! Yes!” She motions towards the three young mares. “And how these three will help us if, or when, we get them back!”

“Hmm,” April Showers says coldly, staring at each of the six ponies below her. Then her smile returns, just as chipper as everypony else in the town. “Well, if that’s the case, then I wish you the best of luck!”

“What?” Sweetie Belle says as April Showers turns to leave. “Wait!” The green mare looks back. “What about you?”

“What about me?” April Showers asks, glancing back as Sweetie Belle points at her flank. “Oh, my cutie mark?” She snorts. “I should have been born a pegasus. And even my cutie mark said that! Or it did, before I met Starlight Glimmer.”

“Huh?” Scootaloo asks, her head turning to the side to stare at the earth pony. "How does that work?"

April Showers nods. “Well, I made the unfortunate mistake of being born to two pegasi. Neither would admit to having any earth pony ancestors, but of course you know how pegasi can be.” Night Glider’s eyes narrow. “It drove my parents apart. And I don’t know what it’s like where you came from, but in Cloudsdale? An earth pony, especially one with only her dam looking after her, tends to fall through the cracks. And then when I got my cutie mark in weather crafting?” The green earth pony shakes her head, turning and shutting the door behind her as she leaves.

“Huh,” the trio says softly, sniffling back tears.

Night Glider sighs as he points towards the closed door. “April never really belonged anywhere. Her dam did the best she could, of course, but couldn’t or wouldn’t leave the life she had in Cloudsdale. So April grew up isolated, rarely able to leave the house if she wasn’t on somepony’s back. She had friends, of course, but so much of a Dale’s social life revolves around races and flying. So, while some foals go through a rebellious phase when they no longer have their dams telling them what to do, she went the other direction. Because she, deep inside her, wants you to belong.”

“So what can we do to help her?” asks Apple Bloom to nopony in particular, silence reigning for several seconds.

“For what it’s worth, I am sorry about the bagels I gave you,” Sugar Belle says contritely, breaking the silence. “It’s even worse because I used to be able to make all kinds of delicious sweets. But, then, ponies started complaining that I would use too much sugar.” Her eyes grow wider, her expression slightly maniacal. “And I said, ‘how can there be too much sugar?!’”

“Shh,” Night Glider says soothingly, stroking Sugar Belle’s back. “It’s okay. That isn’t now. Those times aren’t here any more.”

“Isn’t pure sugar just, like, candy?” asks Sweetie Belle, her eyes furrowing.

Sugar Belle’s eye twitches. “Yes. But when I’m baking cakes? I’d tell you how it ruins it, but then I would show that I know more than somepony else. But the more I tried to stop myself using sugar, the more I wanted to, and it just got worse and worse. Until I met Starlight Glimmer.” Her smile returns. “Even if I can only bake as well as the worst pony with this cutie mark can.”

“And you?” Scootaloo asks Double Diamond. “Let me guess. Something about skiing?”

The white pony nods. “Yup. Not many ponies need a daredevil skier. Or any kind of skier, for that matter. Vanhoover’s about the only place with actual snow, but cross country skiing ain’t my thing.” A faint twinkly shows up in his eye as he looks far, far away. “Going downhill, breaking left and right to dodge trees and boulders? Now that’s living. But, you can only do so much of that before you have to eat, you know?” He glances at Night Glider; she returns a half-smile. “Or start a family.”

“Well,” Apple Bloom says to her sisters, “this may be a bit harder than Ah thought.”

56 Lucky Connections

“Okay, well, we just have to think this through,” Sweetie Belle says, pulling out the paper they are using to record everypony’s names and flipping the sheet over. She draws little pictographs as they discuss the items, almost like they are going to pin the paper up on the wall and cross them out as they complete them.

Apple Bloom focuses on Sugar Belle first. “Ah remember dam talking about cooking, and all the different things that we would make. Like… um…” A few moments pass as Apple Bloom concentrates, her frown gradually getting larger and larger.

“...Pies?” Scootaloo suggests, though she sounds unsure of herself.

Apple Bloom chews over the words for several seconds, trying them out like a hard tack bagel. “Pies. Apple… pies? Apple pies. Huh. Um, maybe?” Her frown deepens; she eventually turns, staring at her cutie mark with a venomous glare. “Ah can’t remember! It’s like, Ah’m only as good a cook as Ah was when Ah just started out, knowing nothing!”

Sugar Belle nods. “I think it’s part of the spell that replaces your cutie mark. It isn’t absolute or anything, and you can vaguely remember what it was like before you got the mark of equality, but it does tend to limit you pretty severely.” She sighs, pulling out a bagel. “I can remember making delicious treats and baked goods, but none of the how.”

Scootaloo stares, slack jawed. “So, as a town, you’re only as good as the worst pony? That’s…”

“...Pretty horrible,” Sweetie Belle agrees.

“But it removes the desires of your cutie mark,” Sugar Belle counters.

Scootaloo smirks. “Could you imagine if Starlight could reverse the spell? Like, it gives everypony the cutie marks of everypony else?”

“That’d be sweet!” Apple Bloom says, grinning wildly. “You could do so many cool things!”

Sweetie Belle nods along. “Like make dresses, or grow apples, and fly really fast!”

“Or,” Sugar Belle says with a frown, “You have to make dresses while you fly really fast among the apple trees. You’d have to fulfill each of your cutie marks.”

“Oh,” Apple Bloom says, her enthusiasm waning. “It sounds like you’ve tried that.”

Sugar Belle shakes her head. “Well, I don’t know if it’s even possible, you’d have to ask Starlight, but we’ve done a bit of speculating in the years that we’ve been here. Not a whole lot else to do, you know?”

“Do you tell each other stories about what it was like before?” asks Sweetie Belle.

Sugar Belle nods. “We would, but it often didn’t get very far. The spell doesn’t mask remembering what it was like, having that overpowering need to do something, and striving as hard as you can to keep from doing it! Only to give up, because it’s always there and you can’t always be strong, so you give in. Just a little, or that’s what you tell yourself, and then you find you’re buried in cakes up to your ears because you can’t stop!”

Sugar Belle is in tears by this point, sitting back on her haunches and bawling into her hooves. Her body quakes, rocking back and forth, the bagel in her hoof doing an admirable job soaking up the salty liquid. Double Diamond and Night Glider embrace the pink unicorn, the three Crusaders following shortly after.

“I-I’m okay,” Sugar Belle says timidly, wiping her face off. “It’s just, how good you feel when you do what your cutie mark wants you to do, but then having to face the disappointed looks of those around you, who know that you gave in again, that you weren’t able to hold strong? It almost, almost, was enough. But it never was. Until I met Starlight.”

She embraces the trio, sighing heavily. “I hope, I really do, that you are able to find some solution. I…” Sugar Belle glances to Double Diamond and Night Glider. “I miss that feeling. I know I’m not supposed to miss it, I’m supposed to be glad that it’s gone, but I do.”

“And we’ll do everything we can to get you there.” Sweetie Belle smiles up, her sisters joining her.

“We just need to find a way for you to work with your cutie mark. And you said the problem you had was too much sugar?” Apple Bloom frowns slightly. “Did you ever try, Ah guess, selling whatever you were making as something unique and different?”

Sugar Belle nods. “Problem was, ponies didn’t want to eat that much sugar, not how I was making stuff. I bet your dams used to tell you to eat your veggies, right?”

“Used to?” Scootaloo says, smirking at Apple Bloom, who sticks her tongue out.

“Plus, there wasn’t that much pure sugar to go around, so I ended up with some pastries with way too much, and others with none at all.” Sugar Belle sighs. “I tried swearing off sugar entirely, but that probably just made it worse.”

“Yeah, Applebaum said the same thing too with her cutie mark.” At the three pony’s stares Apple Bloom explains, “My younger sister, cutie mark of blowing stuff up.” Their eyes go wide. “Yup, it was exactly as bad as it sounds. So she kept it at bay making little things explode, so it didn’t get too out of hoof.”

“What kind of stuff?” Night Glider asks.

“Oh, you know, starting small, controlled fires. Fireworks. Strapping toy ponies to rockets.” Scootaloo shrugs.

“Getting back on track,” Sweetie Belle says, “it sounds like you need things to bake, and ingredients to bake with, that fulfill your cutie mark but are still edible and healthy for everypony.”

Sugar Belle nods, but her smile doesn’t last long. “I wish it was that easy.”

The trio turns their attention to Double Diamond. “And for you, we need something outdoors, preferably in the mountains. Or snow.”

He nods. “Not a lot of ponies in those places, though. Great for going down slopes, terrible for making a living doing that. I tried going into search and rescue, or sports, but unless I’m pushing the boundaries on my skis it doesn’t work. And I just get super bummed about whatever job I’m supposed to be doing, and then that falls through... and you can probably get the idea from there.” Double Diamond offers a forced smile, shrugging and raising a hoof as if to say, ‘well, what can you do?’

Sweetie Belle’s lips purse. “And you, Night Glider?”

“Well, I was a great flier, but I preferred flying at night. Well, I say preferred, but it got to the point where I could barely keep my eyes open during the day. I tried being a night sentry, but even patrolling around Canterlot wasn’t exciting enough, didn’t put my elite skills into use.” The pegasus shakes her head, flipping back to look at her cutie mark, or at least where it used to be. “Got reprimanded too many times for ‘dereliction of duty’ because I wouldn’t stay in my assigned sector, or was too busy practicing a routine to catch ponies doing what they shouldn’t be doing.”

“Ouch,” Scootaloo says. She glances at her sisters, “Well, it’s been great talking to you, but we need to get with the rest of the town. Um, we’ll do our best to figure something out!”

The three wave before they leave the bakery, Sweetie swiping another bagel. She pauses as she chews, starting to gag at the blandness. “Ugh, this would be so much better with… something on top.”

“At least some sugar would be better than none,” Scootaloo agrees as they move from one pony to the next, putting names to paper and trying to connect those names to coat colors or some other distinction.

“Ah never realized how much Ah use mane style and cutie mark to tell ponies apart,” Apple Bloom remarks as their list of names grows long, scratching at her mane. “It’s way harder to do this without any reminders.”

“Yeah, just think about trying to figure out who each cutie mark belongs to,” Scootaloo says with a shake of her head. “Think Starlight has a list or something?”

“I doubt it,” Sweetie Belle says as ponies start to line up around them to introduce themselves. “If I was the one taking cutie marks from ponies? I’d sure remember whose is whose.”

“It doesn’t seem like something you’d easily forget,” Apple Bloom says. Things seem to go much more smoothly, especially when Mayflower offers to do their manes. Sweetie Belle’s curls are swiftly subdued, the pink and purple strands intertwined into twin tails. Scootaloo’s short manecut doesn’t leave much to work with, but the filly manages to get it under control with a bit of spit and coaxing. Apple Bloom opts for one of the longer styles, letting her back fall down while the top gets the same treatment everypony else has.

“Thanks!” Apple Bloom says as the lines around them begin to thin. Pretty soon and they have everypony in town, nearly seventy five names on their list. The three gather up, looking at the papers. Fifty mares, twenty stallions, and five fillies. “Okay, now we need to find a way to randomly pick, um, ten mares. And, uh, do we get ten stallions or do four of them get really lucky?”

“For the mares we can pull names out of our saddlebags,” Scootaloo suggests. “I guess we should go see Starlight about the other part?”

Sweetie Belle carefully shreds the paper, keeping the stallions, mares, and fillies in separate piles. They get to Starlight Glimmer’s house, dumping the contents of their saddlebags out. It’s mostly fabric and food, but three glass containers also come out.

“Done already?” the pink unicorn asks as she comes down the stairs. She stops when she sees their cutie marks. “We should put those into the vault. Wouldn’t want them to break free!”

“Ah guess not,” Apple Bloom says, looking forlornly at her cutie mark. “It’s a shame, too. We’re having a bit of difficulty figuring out what to do.”

Starlight nods as Apple Bloom puts the three glass jars into one saddlebag, Scootaloo filling the other with names. “Well, I can’t say that I’m surprised, unfortunately. Now, come along!”

The four head outside, following a faint dirt path to one of the rocky outcroppings. Somewhat hidden against one of the smaller hills is a cave entrance, several times taller than they are. Starlight and Sweetie Belle’s horns light the way, though both are fairly dim. However, once they get into the second room, their horns prove unnecessary.

In the center of the room rests a pedestal with a two pronged staff levitating on top. Buried into the far wall of the cave is a massive crystalline structure, easily as tall as six ponies. Dazzling light shines from the crystal and the dozens of cutie marks contained within. The eight by twelve lattice is about three quarters full, with the open holes distributed almost randomly, except for a box of six right in the center.

The four ponies file inside, the three young mares staring in awe. “Ah don’t know if Ah should cry or not,” Apple Bloom says, wiping a tear away regardless. "It's beautiful..."

“So much potential,” whispers Scootaloo, her eyes drawn to a few of the cutie marks that look like wings.

Sweetie Belle finds her eyes drawn to a few of the musical notes, and then to a trio of snowflakes. “Do you know whose cutie mark is whose? Or how will you get these back to the right pony?”

Starlight Glimmer takes a deep breath, then nods. “I know. I know each and every one of them. But if this-” she motions to the massive crystal “-was broken, the cutie marks would find their way home. Fortunately, the power contained inside lets it house them without too much worry.” She levitates over the three jars, her horn charging and unscrewing the lids.

“You got that?” asks Sweetie Belle, watching almost in awe.

Starlight Glimmer nods, shaking her flank. “It’s harder, with my magic talent sealed away. I don’t know if I could rip one off, since that was kind of my thing before, but moving them shouldn’t be any trouble at all.”

“Ah’m still stuck thinking what to do for Sugar Belle,” Apple Bloom says, frowning. “Ah feel like Ah know, deep down inside of me, something she could use.”

Starlight Glimmer spins the lids off the jars. Her horn fills the room with light as she pulls the cutie marks out; the pink, red, and purple crests lazily float through the air. Starlight grunts, straining to push the cutie marks towards the crystal, digging her hooves into the dirt floor. She gets them about halfway to three openings in the lattice before her horn abruptly winks out.

The three cutie marks immediately reverse course, slamming into the flanks of the three young mares. They stagger, dropping to the ground, but recover far quicker than the first time this happened.

“Ah know what to do!” Apple Bloom exclaims loudly. “Apples! Sugar Belle can cook with apples!”

“And with the Crystal Empire in the middle of the Frozen North?” Scootaloo grins widely. “Double Diamond could find work exploring up there!”

“And Night Glider might be able to find work with Luna! I bet there’s lots more positions for night ponies now that she’s back!” Sweetie Belle reaches forwards, her two sisters meeting her raised hoof.

“CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS FOREVER!!”

Before they get a chance to scamper back to town, Starlight groans, massaging her horn. “Wait! Your cutie marks helped you solve a problem?!”

“Yeah! And now we’re going to go help everypony!” Apple Bloom pauses as she looks at the long rows of cutie marks. “But, um, Ah guess that might take a while, too.”

“No worries,” Scootaloo says. “We’re the best at helping everypony with their cutie mark problems!”

“Ugh,” Starlight says, flopping back to the ground. How? How did this happen?!

57 Mawr Blaidd

March 16th, 1001 Domina Solaria

‘To me!’ comes the distorted shout of Queen Chrysalis, far too many echoes to understand without already knowing what was said. ‘Send your love to me!’

The grin on Twilight’s muzzle grows wider. And malevolent, her smirk twisting like the black being before her. She watches as the Crystal Heart spins faster and faster, then the changeling queen takes flight as a bubble expands outwards. It turns everything it touches to a sparkling crystal: ponies, buildings, even the very sky. She looks down at her crystal cage, and the terrified pony trapped inside.

All of a sudden Twilight finds herself the one trapped in the cage, a growing wave of disintegrating light rushing towards her. She screams in terror, scrambling backwards only to find herself trapped against a wall of pure void. She desperately paws with her blackened hooves, her horn useless, as the enveloping light devours her, scattering her ashes to the wind.

“GAAHH!” Twilight screams aloud, recoiling from her reading desk in the upper library. She backpedals, staring at her hooves.

Still lavender.

Twilight sinks to the silent library’s floor, her body trembling, uncontrollably sobbing. She had done that. She had killed a pony, with utterly no remorse or thought to the pain she was causing. And now he is gone, forever lost to Friendship, never again to grasp a Friend’s hoof.

It isn’t the knowledge that the mad king possessed and is now lost that grabs at her, though reading tends to trigger these flashbacks. Or that Chrysalis, the other being dreadfully afraid of the cleansing power of love, has taken up residence in Ponyville. Something about the Everfree Forest feeling ‘more like home’. But thinking about the darkness located so close also brings back the memories.

Maybe there was something else she could have done. Maybe if she let him go, he could have escaped, and realized the error of his ways. Maybe they would have needed to fight again, or use the Elements of Harmony to turn him to stone. But they would have done whatever it took to get him to see the light and power of Friendship.

A knock at the door surprises her, and not just because it is during normal business hours. For the last two weeks, ponies have been avoiding her. They know what kind of monster she is, and she doesn’t blame them. She deserves exactly the same fate as the one she condemned Sombra to.

The door cracks open, a bright yellow mane attached to a bright and cheerful young mare poking through. “Hi, Twilight!” Lemon says, her voice an odd combination of subdued and exuberant. “How you feeling?”

“Fine,” comes the immediate reply, Twilight picking herself up and walking back to her desk. “Just, um, doing a bit of reading.”

“Mmhmm,” Lemon says, her disbelief plain. “You’ve been fine for, like, two weeks now.” She walks up, dragging the nearest chair to the desk. It scrapes loudly against the floor, Twilight almost glad for the reprieve if the noise wasn’t so grating. Lemon asks, her voice chipper, “You want to talk about it?”

“Not really,” Twilight says, turning her head to the side and looking away from Lemon.

“Oh, okay. We can talk about something else, then.” Lemon ponders for a second. “Were you able to see your brother when he came in yesterday? He was, like, asking about you and stuff.”

Twilight shakes her head. “No, I was… busy.”

“Oh. He should be back next week, with the tracks finished. Can you believe that?! It only took, like, two weeks for them to rebuild all the way to the Crystal Empire! You have to change over at Lower Canterlot, but still.” Lemon whistles appreciably.

“Pony ingenuity and resources combined with changeling work ethic,” Twilight says, a hint of a smile on her muzzle. “Can you believe they nearly rioted when Princess Luna tried to enforce the laws on how much they could work in a day?”

Lemon nods, “Well, I’d be in a pretty big hurry too if I had loved ones to get back to. Or, um, however changelings view the ponies in their herd.” She frowns, cocking her head as she considers. “I don’t want to, like, call us ‘food’ or ‘batteries’ or something, even if they talk about getting a ‘charge’ from us. Hey, have any of them gotten a charge from you?”

Twilight shakes her head. “No, and Ocellus has been understanding about it. Actually, she all but requested that I not, at least while I’m feeling down.”

“It’s… weird, I guess.” Lemon shrugs. “I feel down for about an hour, and I’m a bit mopey and my mane does the same thing that dam’s does when we’re sad. But then it gets better! And it’s really only like that after Daddy puts a new egg in her, most of the time it’s not bad and I barely even notice.” Lemon grins. “I think I recover faster than most. Meringue tried once, even though she’s under age, and I don’t think she got better all day. She had to get some chocolate, and even that only sorta helped.”

Twilight’s eyes narrow. “She should be very careful about that, we don’t fully know the effects of living with the changelings yet.”

“Well, they lived with us for, like, a decade without anypony really noticing, so it can’t be that bad, right?” Lemon hops down from the chair, pacing around the room. “I guess their numbers are going up like one of Applebaum’s rockets. Hey, it’s going to be so cool having a bunch of younger sisters!” Lemon walks up, poking Twilight’s tummy with her nose. “Are you excited? I’m so excited!”

“It’ll certainly be an exciting time,” Twilight agrees with a grin. “Do you want to see them?”

“Yeah! Duh!” Lemon squeals with a roll of her eyes. She backs up slightly as Twilight rolls to her side, quickly finding a pair of yellow hooves on her belly.

“Careful,” Twilight cautions as her horn lights. Lemon’s eyes go wide as Twilight’s body seems to melt away, revealing two tiny lumps of bright light.

“Wooow,” Lemon says breathlessly, carefully pushing her hooves against Twilight. She frowns as the mare’s body depresses, still in the way despite the spell merely showing the magical auras. “Which one is Dawn? Can you tell them apart?”

“I can,” answers Twilight mysteriously, “but I’m not telling just yet. Gotta leave a little mystique!”

“Aww,” Lemon moans, rolling onto her back and inspecting her own belly. “I don’t know if I could do that.”

“Well, you’re still a little young,” Twilight says reassuringly. “And you should wait until you meet the right stallion, or the right herd. No need to rush anything.”

“Yeah, I guess.” Lemon turns back to looking at Twilight. “You feel better?”

“I do,” Twilight says with a smile. “Thanks for talking with me.”

“Sure,” Lemon replies, “I’m available any time. I’ll even skip school if you want.” She winks at Twilight, who returns a disapproving glare. “But if you ever want to talk about what’s really bothering you...”

Twilight sighs. “I… you shouldn’t have to deal with this, Lemon. It’s not for the faint of heart.”

Lemon frowns. “You realize I hung out with Discord for a while, right? I don’t know what kind of horrors you saw out in the Crystal Empire, but Discord showed Meringue and me his fanfiction collection, the stuff he wrote while he was imprisoned.” She shudders, then keeps on shuddering.

“Well,” Twilight starts; she rolls to her hooves, but then sinks down against the hard floor. “We got to the Crystal Empire, and met the crystal ponies. Things were going well, and then King Sombra just attacked us, out of the blue.”

“That’s not very nice,” Lemon says, settling down next to Twilight. A pencil and paper appear from her mane.

“No, and we were able to drive him away, but not without Shining Armor being injured. Then later, when he returned, things weren’t going so well. Chrysalis and I, we were trying to find the Crystal Heart, when he attacked again. We managed to find it, but Spike was hurt getting it out of the tower and away from King Sombra. Then Spike gets the Crystal Heart into position, and the ponies release their love into it.”

Lemon nods, having heard this part of the story. “Shining Armor was saying they have that statue of Spike built. And it’s huge! Like, one to one scale, almost as big as the bottom of the Crystal Castle. Apparently his tail is a popular slide for fillies, but it’s tough riding all the way to the bottom.”

“I think he got a picture of it, and he posted it in his room at Rarity’s.” Twilight nods, then her expression darkens. “But what happened after… I don’t know if I can forgive myself.”

“I thought King Sombra was defeated then,” Lemon asks. “Did something else happen?”

“He was. It’s just… he wasn’t just defeated. He was destroyed. No chance for redemption, no last words. Just a panicked look at the incoming wave of light and he was gone. And I smiled at that!” Twilight’s last words come out as a sob. “What kind of pony does that?”

“I bet you were happy you were safe,” Lemon suggests, Twilight reluctantly nodding. “And the crystal ponies were safe.” Twilight nods again. Lemon points a hoof at Twilight’s belly. “And your foals are safe.”

“Huh?” Twilight says, glancing at herself.

“We learned about it in school, um, a couple months ago. Miss Cheerilee was talking about…” Lemon takes a deep breath, steeling herself, “predators.” She breathes in and out a few times. “And how they are really territorial, and that’s why you shouldn’t wander around without knowing your surroundings, because you might accidentally wander into a manticore’s hunting grounds.”

Twilight nods, thinking back to her encounter with a territorial cockatrice.

“But, and she didn’t really want to elaborate on this but she did because I asked- what?” Lemon looks at Twilight’s piercing gaze. “I wanted to know!”

“I guess I’m surprised you wanted to know more about a subject that’s so… depressing.” Twilight sighs. “We lose so many ponies to those accidents, when they are so easily prevented.”

“Well, sure, but that’s not where I’m going.” Lemon points a hoof at Twilight’s belly. “Miss Cheerilee said that, with some predators that live in, um, harems? If a new sire takes over, then he kills all the foals of the old sire.”

Twilight grimly nods, no stranger to that fact but uncomfortable with where Lemon is taking this.

“And so, maybe if I was a power mad pony bent on conquest, then maybe I wouldn’t be content with just taking over. But that’s neither here nor there, right? Because you beat him, and your foals get to live because you get to live.”

“That’s…” Twilight says, drawing in a deep breath. “We shouldn’t need to eliminate our enemies like… like I did! Without giving them a second chance, and a third! Until they recognize the power of Friendship, and join us!”

“Oh.” Lemon shrugs. “Well, for what it’s worth, this Sombra guy sounds like bad news. Not the kind of pony I would want to be, or be around. So if I had to choose between living with you, and living with Sombra, I’d pick you every day of the week.” Lemon nuzzles Twilight, “And I’m glad you made that choice too.”

“But it’s not a choice a pony should have to make,” Twilight says, exasperated but reluctant.

Lemon shrugs. “But you made it anyway. Because you had to, because he made you make that choice. It wasn’t your fault, Twilight. Okay, maybe it was your fault that he is gone. But, if you ask me? I’m happy you made the choice you did.”

Twilight sighs again. “Thanks, Lemon. I needed that.”

Lemon’s smile perks up. “Now, come on! ‘Cely’s going to spawn another egg in that old barn, and she’s letting any of us watch!”

Twilight rolls her eyes as she follows the excitable young mare downstairs.

58 Prosperity

March 22nd, 1001 Domina Solaria

The steady *thud, thud, thud* of boots striking the ground lines up perfectly with the heavy clop of a single set of hooves, the rest of the forest around them eerily quiet in the pre-dawn hours. It is joined by a new sound: the human’s steady breathing slowly getting more ragged and labored.

“You are sure you do not require assistance?” Celestia asks, her own breathing as steady as a metronome.

Doug nods, then forces replies between breaths, “It’s not that much further. We should be getting to the rock any minute now.” He grunts as he shifts the large packs strapped to his back, his armor underneath cumbersome and heavy. “But it’s that last mile, pushing yourself past your limits. It’s key to improve.”

Celestia glances up at the pure white moon. “Indeed. Though I have found it easier to push my limits thaumically instead of physically.” Her muzzle curls to a smirk. “Would you still find me attractive if I had the physique of, say, Bulk Biceps?”

Doug snorts, but his laughter is short lived as he has to focus on breathing to keep up their quick pace. “I…” his head turns, his eyes tracing over Celestia’s long, toned flanks and legs. He has to admit, she’s incredibly attractive, and she’s only going to get more beautiful as she starts showing. He should probably say something to that effect. But to cram muscles upon layers of bulky brawn? That would ruin the sleek lines, the slender curves, the whole image!

Celestia seems to catch his thoughts, winking and managing to sultrily shake her flanks as they run. She effortlessly stretches her long neck, bridging the gap between them to share a quick kiss. Any further mischief is curtailed as they come across a clearing, a single stocky Diamond Dog sitting on top of a rock. His ears perk up as the two approach, hopping down and looking around as if searching for something else.

“Hey, Brutus,” Doug calls as he comes to a stop in front of the dog. He unbuckles the straps tying the packs to him, allowing Celestia to levitate them onto the ground.

“Doug!” Brutus greets with a smile, but quickly returns to his search. “Where cart?” Brutus asks brusquely.

“No cart today,” Doug answers as he opens a pack, showing the apples and other supplies inside. “We went over this, remember? I’ll be coming along each morning instead of a weekly trip with Trixie. She’ll still come around to pick up the ores.”

Brutus merely grunts as he looks back at the rock, as if remembering why he was sitting outside before dawn in the first place. He turns to Celestia, cocking his head slightly, then grabs two packs and digs down.

“See ya later,” Doug says to the hole in the ground. He stretches out his arms and back, glad to be free of his heavy burden. “Oh,” he remarks to Celestia, “I was talking to Chrysalis.”

“About Discord?” Celestia asks, her glance upwards letting Doug know there isn’t much time left.

Doug nods. “How difficult is it to move his statue? Say, to the Badlands.”

“By flight? Tiring, certainly, but doable with a few teams of pegasi. It would be easier to ship him by train, then by wagon, depending how far into the Badlands. Why?”

“Well, like I said, I was talking to Chrysalis, and the question came up of how she contained unicorns.” He glances at Celestia, worriedly. “Did you know she has an artifact that, she claims, stops all non-changeling magic?”

Celestia nods pensively. She gains a far-off look, almost like she is looking at the item in question. “If it is the same one I am thinking of, then yes; though I did not know changeling magic worked. Technically, artifacts and some magical items still work inside the sphere it generates as long as they do not require magical activation. Pegasi flight isn’t restricted, though the overt uses of their magic are.”

“You’ve studied it?” Doug asks, incredulous.

“It was originally,” Celestia taps her hoof against her chin, “an ill-conceived attempt by the dragons to overthrow me and enslave or devour everypony else. They crafted an item they thought would negate my magic, and all pony magic, leveling the playing field and leaving them the stronger competitor. An ingenious thought, perhaps, should they have made it all the way from the Dragon Lands.”

“I guess you stopped them?” Doug’s mind strains at the possibilities. “Somehow?”

Celestia nods gravely. “The artifact does not stop the laws of thermodynamics.”

Doug stares at the being next to him, his mind reeling from the realization. “A-and the Badlands?” he asks, his voice shaking.

“The result of my efforts.” Celestia sighs heavily. “Acceptable collateral damage, though we were able to evacuate any ponies in the area.”

“And our foals… might have this same kind of power?” Doug asks, clasping his hands together to try to keep the tremors from being too noticeable.

“Perhaps,” Celestia replies, rubbing her hoof against her stomach and smiling. “Though it has taken me centuries, neigh, more than a millennium of training to reach this point.”

“Really? You don’t look a day over nine hundred.” Doug smirks as Celestia’s smile is turned on him. “Even so, it seems… like the kind of thing you wouldn’t want to have in, well, anypony’s hands. Or hooves. If they could move it…”

“It is massive, taking three adult dragons to carry, and currently encased in a solid pillar of stone.” Celestia stops, tapping her hoof again. “Though I haven’t looked to see what they’ve done with the place.”

“...And they can turn into dragons,” Doug adds, getting Celestia to nod after a short delay. “And you never… worried about her having this?” Doug asks as Brutus surfaces, grabbing another two packs and disappearing again.

“I knew she had taken residence in the vicinity.” Celestia turns to look at Doug. “Are you proposing we move Discord’s statue to the Badlands, and use the artifact’s magic negation field to keep him compliant?”

“Yes?” Doug says hesitantly, sighing as Celestia doesn’t immediately agree. “Something wrong with that?”

“Two potentially fatal problems, though let me ask you a question first. If you, freed from prison, found yourself utterly unable to do anything, how would you feel?”

Doug thinks for a moment before answering, “Well, I wouldn’t be happy, that’s for sure. It sounds like I’m still trapped.”

“Indeed. And if the creatures trapping you claimed to want to be ‘friends’?”

“I’d have a hard time believing them; I’d think that they don’t trust me.” Doug pauses for a moment. “And I might say or do anything to get out of that situation.”

“I fear Discord would react the same way, and we must show him that we believe him to be capable of that trust by showing him that trust.”

“And the fatal flaws?”

“The first is that Discord is a being of magic, much more so than you or I.” Celestia titters as she inspects Doug. “Well, more so than me. If the field negates his magic, it could very well negate him entirely. A risk I am sure he would not appreciate us taking.”

“Oh.” Doug stares at nothing in particular for a few seconds. “Yeah, um, scratch that idea then. Probably wouldn’t even want to mention it as a possible punishment.”

“The second is that he might be freed immediately upon entering the field. Or, we might be unable to break him from his stony prison, if the Elements of Harmony do not work inside.” Celestia shrugs. “Or it could work normally, and serve as the perfect prison for magical beings outside of Tartarus.”

“And we aren’t imprisoning him, we’re trying to reform him.”

“Correct. I was thinking of assigning him to Fluttershy.”

“Fluttershy?” Doug asks, incredulous. “Well, um, I guess of the six Elements of Harmony she makes the most sense. He did seem to have a bit of a rapport with Pinkie Pie’s fillies.”

“It must be the color yellow. Perhaps if we had a gray or brown pony he might enjoy their company more.” Celestia turns to look at the sky again. “I hate to cut our conversation short, but I must. I shall take your suggestions into account.” She leans over, sharing a long kiss. “Good morning.”

“Good morning,” Doug says, squeezing Celestia with one arm while reaching to scratch her belly with the other. Celestia plants a second kiss to the top of his head before she teleports away, and a minute later the moon sets. The sky lights in a brilliant display of reds, yellows, and blues as the sun rises.

Doug looks around, the clearing empty. He stretches his legs again, hopping up and down and trying to clear the fatigue from his body. A moment later and a blue alicorn teleports into the clearing, quickly trotting up to him. “Morning, Doug.”

“Morning, Luna,” Doug says as they share a quick kiss, his hand drawing a coo as he scratches her ears. He notes the bags under her eyes, frowning. “How was the Night Court?”

“Bedlam,” Luna responds, exhausted. “Everycreature is still in uproar about the changelings ‘joining our cause’, as they say. And while we appreciate our Sister delegating the foreign affairs to us, we wish we had more time to become acquainted with the situation before being thrust into it. If we thought it trying to manage everypony’s dreams, it is made far worse by having to soothe the Nightmares they conjure during the waking hours.”

“Let me guess,” Doug says as he starts jogging, Luna easily keeping pace. “The griffons?”

“They are no different than normal, which is to say they are petty, suspicious, and impossible to please. They heard a changeling may copy a griffon, and immediately accused us of every single accident and mishap that has occurred in the last twenty years.” Luna motions with a hoof as they run, miming, “They had a list, and read it to me. Every line.”

“Ugh,” Doug commiserates, now at a run. His armor clanks with every step, finding that he has to shout over it. “I hope you had something else to do at the same time!”

“Celestia has tasked me with overseeing the integration of the changelings into our people. Cataloging which herds have accepted new members, and attempting to estimate the number of foals. Nymphs.” Luna sighs, shaking her head. “It is long and tedious work, but until I locate suitable ponies I shall ensure it is done.”

Doug slows, already winded. “Maybe pulling a changeling or two to help would work. I heard they did well on the train.” His lips purse. “Also, you keep saying ‘Celestia tasked me’ or that she delegated things to you. How, um.” Doug pauses, slowing even more as he collects his thoughts. “Are you okay with that?”

“We can deal with our Sister ourselves,” Luna retorts coldly. “We do not need thee to play intermediator between us, even if thou art both our stallion.”

“Sure,” Doug replies slowly. “I won’t bring this up to her unless you want me to. But, how are you dealing with it? Are you happy, or do you wish it was different?”

Luna sighs, watching the trees of the Everfree Forest zip by. “We acknowledge that our Sister has a greater grasp on the goings-on in Equestria. We find it… difficult to devote the time she does to keeping up to date on the minutiae.”

“...Well, as long as you’re okay with it,” Doug says neutrally.

“Some days, we just wish to relax. But until this crisis is dealt with, we shall endure.” Luna finds herself smiling. “And soon enough we will have another crisis on our hooves, one which will not disappear so quietly, or quickly.”

Doug reaches over, tussling Luna’s ear and mane, drawing a smile for himself. He finds his hand resting there, around her neck, even as their pace picks back up and the rest of the trip proceeds in silence.

59 The Fool

March 26th, 1001 Domina Solaria

The day would have liked to begin as many others do out in the rural town of Ponyville: a beautiful sunrise, early morning cloudbusting by the junior members of the weather team, and the early birds chirping and warbling to each other as they hunt for the morning worms.

Today, none of those things seem to be happening, as the fields and trees are mostly silent. High above, a rainbow maned pegasus darts from cloud to cloud, but rather than cloudbusting she is assembling a solid layer only a few hundred feet above the ground.

“Come, dearies,” Fluttershy coaxes by her open front door. Someponies say that animals have a sixth sense about these kind of things, like they can detect an incoming storm. They don’t know why; some speculate it is by changes in air pressure, or tremors in the ground, and the animals themselves can’t exactly articulate it, even to Fluttershy. But, despite not knowing exactly why they don’t want to, all of Fluttershy’s animals are refusing that simple request.

Fluttershy, on the other hoof, knows exactly why they don’t want to leave, and her efforts to distract herself from said reason have so far ended in failure. “There’s lots of delicious food outside, just waiting for you to find it!”

Angel Bunny points to the pantry with one paw, his open maw with a second, stomps on the floor with another, and makes a preemptive rude gesture at the approaching azure mare with the last.

“That is because you pamper the lazy feed bags, and it wouldn’t hurt them to miss a meal or two if they don’t put the effort in.” Trixie’s unapologetic gaze falls over the white rabbit, who mock gasps and angrily stomps the floor some more. Her magenta aura pokes his pudgy stomach, and her attention turns to Fluttershy as he squeals some more of what can only be profanity. “Trixie is here for whomever you care to entrust to her.”

“Oh! Um, thank you.” Fluttershy looks over her house and the dozens of animals of every shape and size cowering inside. “I don’t suppose you can take… all of them?”

Trixie shrugs, her magenta aura surrounding one bird after another, levitating them outside. Trixie smiles at a job well done as the birds chitter like mad, then gawks as they fly through the back window like a twisted version of a magician’s trick, leaving Trixie more and more exasperated as she keeps pulling the same birds.

“That does it!” the azure unicorn shouts, horn flaring brightly as she pulls Angel Bunny and the rest of the critters outside. “Nocreature can go in or out!” The next bird that tries to fly inside impacts a magenta barrier, squawking in alarm.

“Oh, please don’t hurt them,” Fluttershy pleads, none of the other birds attempting to get inside. Trixie walks off as the pegasus reaches a hoof forwards, pressing against the magenta barrier. “Um, Trixie?”

“Yes?” Trixie replies, glancing back at her herdmate as her horn goes out.

“Um, nevermind,” Fluttershy says with a shy smile, disappearing inside her ‘barricaded’ house.

Some time later, as the sun disappears above the clouds, and Twilight Sparkle flaps on somewhat steady wings, focusing on keeping the tea in her hooves from spilling. Spike rides her back, clutching her mane, carrying his own collection of gemstone laced baked goods. An ornate chest trails behind her, strapped to her body by a set of ropes. Zipping circles around her - having already deposited her own contribution to the picnic - is Rainbow Dash, her trained eye analyzing the alicorn’s interminably slow flight.

“Well, you haven’t spilled any yet,” Rainbow Dash comments in a bored tone.

Twilight Sparkle frowns as she begins her descent, the hardest part of flight for her. “I’d appreciate it if you didn’t, you know, try to distract me.”

“Pssh,” Rainbow Dash says. “Anypony can fly under ideal conditions.” She buzzes past Twilight Sparkle, her wake sending the alicorn bouncing up and down.

“R-Rainbow Dash!” Twilight exclaims, a few drops of tea spilling into Pinkie Pie’s waiting mouth.

“But you aren’t just anypony, are you?” Rainbow Dash smirks as Twilight manages to land without spilling any more, much to Pinkie Pie’s disappointment. She claps the alicorn as she lands next to her, smiling broadly. “I knew you could do it!”

“Not everything has to be a competition,” Twilight says as she sets the tea down, looking around. Almost the entirety of the herd is there under the thick cloud cover in a wide open field. Trixie and Doug are entertaining the pets and fillies while the other mares are congregating around the picnic.

“Nope,” Rainbow Dash agrees, her smirk not fading. “It gets to be.”

Twilight rolls her eyes, pouring a cup of tea for Applejack and Rarity as Rainbow Dash pops open a cider. Spike pulls out a thermos of chocolate milk and places a tray of sweets for Pinkie Pie. The five enjoy the brief respite before Celestia shows up, mostly commiserating about the progress of their growing foals and speculating to the outcome of Twilight’s.

It isn’t until Spike points a wavering claw at something breaking through the clouds that the conversations die down, everypony lining up to watch. Even the animals pause their play as Trixie, Doug, and the fillies form a second line behind the five Elements of Harmony.

A pair of royal guards drag a gray statue of a certain draconequus through the air. Behind him trails Princess Celestia and two uniformed Wonderbolts: one fiery orange and yellow, the other white with a hint of blue. The four pegasi land with their cargo, quickly moving Discord with hoof and wing onto the ground. The cart is deposited off to the side before the four pegasi patrol just below the overcast layer.

Celestia lands next to Twilight Sparkle, sharing a nuzzle and questioning look. “You are ready?” she asks, a touch of hesitation in her voice as she moves to Applejack. Spike follows behind her, carrying the ornate chest.

“We are, your Highness,” Twilight says with a formal bow, though the muffled snickers behind her get her to look up. She glares at her herdmates and the casual greeting they are sharing with the Princess of Equestria. “You guys!” Twilight exclaims in a strained whisper as she puts on her Magic crown. “Show some decorum!”

“Please, Twilight, she’s a member of the herd,” Rarity says as Celestia nuzzles her, Applejack adjusting the Element of Honesty around her neck.

“Yeah!” Pinkie Pie exclaims, bouncing up and down as she waits for her turn. “Besides, we’ve all watched her get stuffed with...” Her eyes narrow at the coughs of the ponies around her. “What? Cake! Stuffed with cake! What did you think I was going to say?”

Anything else from Pinkie Pie is silenced as Celestia moves from Rainbow Dash, three ponies now wearing their Elements. The alicorn stops as she comes to the end of the line, looking around as if surprised. Then she looks to the chest in Spike’s claws, and the butterfly adorned Element remaining. “I thought you said you were ready.”

“We are, it’s just-” Twilight says, looking around and astonished at Fluttershy’s absence. “Where did she go?”

“Uh, she was never here,” Rainbow Dash says bluntly. “We thought that you gave her some super special preparation for being Discord’s new cuddle buddy or something.”

“No, I…” Twilight trails off, looking towards Fluttershy’s cottage. She sighs heavily. “Rainbow Dash, can you go retrieve our sixth member?”

“With pleasure!” exclaims Rainbow Dash as she zips off. A loud squeal comes from Fluttershy’s cottage. Moments later and the front door opens. Fluttershy’s rear is high in the air, Rainbow Dash’s head pushing her along the ground and scraping a long line in the grass.

“Do we have to?” asks Fluttershy quietly, though the strain in her voice suggests this isn’t the first or even the fifth time she’s proposed this question.

“Apparently!” Rainbow Dash pulls her head out, the yellow pegasus flopping to the ground in front of the others. “As requested, one Fluttershy!”

“Now that we are all here and ready,” Celestia starts with a nuzzle to the cowering pegasus, Spike attaching her necklace. She looks around, taking a deep breath. “It is asking a lot, dearest Fluttershy. But I believe you to be best suited for the task ahead of us.”

“Really?” Fluttershy asks, her eyes wide as she turns to look at Celestia. The white alicorn nods before stepping back, joining the second row of ponies. Fluttershy steels herself before standing up and joining her herdmates, posing dramatically with her head held high, staring right at Discord’s statue.

“Alright, everypony,” Twilight says, focusing on her Element. Each of them does the same, a six-colored rainbow of light spearing from the six directly into Discord.

The stone cracks, spiderwebs along the entirety of the amalgamation’s narrow body. Light escapes, becoming brighter and brighter, soon almost intolerable. But the ponies continue to watch carefully as the flecks shatter, revealing a mottled collection of brown and gray.

“Teeen thouuusand yeeears!” Discord exclaims as he stretches his long body out, then twisting every limb more than twice around, “gives you quite the cric in the… well, everywhere!”

“It’s been six weeks since your imprisonment,” Twilight Sparkle states as she steps forward, “And we’ve come to make you an offer.”

“Well, you’ll have to forgive me,” Discord says as his body unravels, bits and sparks of magic shooting off in every direction. Wherever they hit - clouds, trees, rocks - random parts elongate and stretch. Clocks that tick and then move back to their original spot appear along with hourglasses filled with sand flowing upwards and timepieces that spin around instead of the hands inside. “When you’re trapped in stone, time doesn’t really appear to flow… naturally. Well, nothing flows naturally, since, you know, you’re trapped in stone.”

“The offer,” Twilight Sparkle says, ignoring Discord’s tangent and the tangent lines sprouting among the clouds, “Is for you to reform, using your power for the betterment of ponykind.”

Discord snorts, his claws snapping. The ponies’ pets, who were sitting quietly nearby and watching, start behaving oddly: Opalescence digs a hole in the ground, Gummy licks his scales, Angel Bunny stares blankly at nothing in particular, Winona starts barking her head off, and Owlowiscious scolds Winona and tries to berate her into submission.

“I think I’ll pass,” Discord says tritely.

“If you don’t,” Twilight threatens, her wings poofing out, “We will turn you back into stone using the Elements of Harmony.”

“What Elements of Harmony?” Discord asks, snapping his claws. He frowns when nothing happens, snapping his claws again, then tries with his paws.

“Give it up, Discord,” Celestia says. “The Elements of Harmony are attuned to them, and cannot be removed so easily.”

“Ugh, fine,” Discord says, pouting as he sits back. His eyes narrow as he looks at Twilight Sparkle. “Hmm,” he says, thinking visually, a white cloud filled with words appearing above his head. “Something’s different than the last time I saw you.”

Twilight opens her mouth to speak but Discord silences her by pressing a claw to her muzzle. Her eyes gape open at how he stretches so far so easily.

“No, let me guess. Hmm…” Discord pulls his body to his claw, circling around the lavender alicorn. “Is it… a new… mane… cut?” His voice drips with confusion, even as he lifts her wings to peer underneath them.

Twilight waggles her wings back and forth, rolling her eyes.

“Well, I give up, I’ll never get it.” Discord sighs, forlornly flopping against the ground. His voice stretches, long and pathetic. “I suppose I shall give up here as well. You defeated me the one time with your Elements of Harmony, and I suppose you can do it again.”

“Twice, in fact,” Applejack retorts from the side.

“Yes, I suppose.” Discord gets up, looking at the six Element Bearers. “And, how exactly are you to do this, ‘reforming’?” His claws make air quotes. “Send Fluttershy to smother me with Kindness?”

“Yes, actually,” Twilight says, though Fluttershy doesn’t exactly look like she agrees.

“Oh, that will never work,” Discord says with a shake of his head. He peers down as two yellow fillies, one with her cutie mark, walk up to him. “Oh, I remember you! It was such a delight having you work for me.”

“We don’t want to be minions,” Lemon says, Meringue resolutely nodding exactly once. “We want to be apprentices.”

“Apprentices?” Discord replies, astonished. “From me? But... but I was defeated. Nocreature would want lessons from someone who was defeated.”

“Defeated or not, you’re still a Lord of Chaos.” Lemon motions to the other ponies around them. “And there’s nopony as great and powerful as you at pure, unbridled Chaos!”

“I don’t know if I should be flattered or worried at the comparison,” Trixie says blithely.

“I’d be flarried,” Pinkie Pie retorts. “You know, like flattered and worried at the same time?”

“It’s certainly an intriguing offer,” Discord says, though his eyes keep flickering to the Elements of Harmony. “But I have a few… conditions. Provisions. A couple of squid probe quotas.”

“We reject them all,” Celestia states bluntly, dodging the squid flying at her, its tentacles wriggling menacingly.

“But…” Discord says, taken aback, if just for a moment. Then he puffs himself up like a paper bag, a multicolored sphere with paws, feet, and head barely poking out. He jabs himself with a claw, a deafening explosion of mismatched body parts of every creature under the sun and a few who most assuredly aren’t. They all dissipate into nothing as they hit the ground, leaving an angry deity standing amidst a cloud of dust.

“Then it seems you leave me no choice,” Discord states loudly, his hands moving along his body as if rolling up imaginary sleeves, leaving his paw and claw levitating with no arms.

He bows contritely. “I accept your offer.”

“I don’t know if I should be insulted or relieved,” Fluttershy says.

Pinkie Pie pronks up and down. “Sounds like you’d be resulted! Actually, that sounds wrong. Inslieved? Or does that sounds too close to enslaved?” The pink mare squats down, hoof on her chin in a thinking pose.

“I’m sure everything is going to be just fine,” Twilight Sparkle says completely sincerely as she walks up to Fluttershy.

“Is she ever going to stop saying that?” mutters Rainbow Dash to Applejack.

“Not until it kills her,” Applejack says with a snort, Celestia’s eyes twinkling in mirth.

60 Jack in the Box

“Are we sure we can trust him?” Applejack asks plainly, her voice low. She motions towards Discord, who has contorted his body into the shape of a lotus blossom as he levitates three inches off the ground. Dozens of claws and paws and hands stick up like petals, an odd humming coming from the center where his head is. “That seemed awful easy.”

Twilight Sparkle purses her lips as Discord takes a deep breath, the humming ceasing. “The original plan holds. Fluttershy, you’ll still be in charge of making sure Discord doesn’t do anything too… egregious.” Fluttershy grimly nods, reluctantly watching Pinkie Pie’s fillies sit down in that awkward upright position Doug uses. “Keep your Elements on you at all times, just in case something happens. Oh, and today’s code is... cream and sugar.” The mares nod, settling back and watching.

Discord speaks in a low, mystical voice. “For our first lesson, we are going to focus on… nothing.”

“Nothing?” Lemon asks, frowning. “How do you focus on nothing?”

“Simple!” Discord states as the ‘petals’ of his lotus slowly close to the center, disappearing one after the other into his maw. “Turn your attention to your ‘center’. Then, as distractions pop up, like little petals, merely cut them off and return your focus to your center. I like to think of myself as ‘eating’ my thoughts-”

One of Discord’s paws opens up and tosses three tiny figures of Lemon, Meringue, and Pinkie Pie into the air. They shout in shrill voices and wriggle as they fly through the air, only to be devoured by Discord. A quick check confirms that the three ponies are, in fact, still standing there, leaving everypony somewhat horrified at the notion.

“-but that might be a little, hmm, unsettling.” Discord shrugs unapologetically as the two young ponies close their eyes. “Really, you’re just returning your thoughts to where they belong. Perhaps-” his gaze turns to Celestia “-you might just imprison them in stone and keep them in your garden.”

A grim Celestia takes the opportunity to stand, clearing her throat and saying in a loud voice, “Twilight Sparkle, do you believe you have everything in hoof?” The four pegasi circle down, wary glances at Discord.

“I do, P- Celestia,” Twilight Sparkle says, cutting her bow short as well.

Celestia nods. “You know how to contact me if needed. Stay safe.” She turns to Captain Spitfire. “You wish to fly?” At the pegasus’ nod she teleports away, taking the cart with her.

“So, we’re done here, right?” Rainbow Dash asks, grinning at Twilight’s nod. She takes off, quickly catching up to Spitfire and Fleetfoot as they separate from the guards. “Hey, so, you’re off duty now, right?”

“Technically I’m getting paid for my travel,” Spitfire returns, flying towards the Wonderbolt Academy and eyeing the two ciders clutched by Rainbow Dash’s hooves. She smirks, a wicked gleam flashing across her eyes. “Why? Looking for a rematch?”

“Last one gets to watch the others drink,” Rainbow Dash says, taking off like a bullet, only for Spitfire and Fleetfoot to zip along with her.

“Well,” Applejack says as more and more petals appear under the lotus eater that is Discord, “fascinating as it is watching Discord do, well, whatever it is he is doing, Ah got work to do back at the farm.” She whistles, “Come on, Winona!” only for the dog to shake her head no, then stare off into space, one paw tapping against the ground. “Move along, little doggie!”

“Yes, I should go as well,” Rarity says, walking over to Opalescence only for the cat to dash out of her cover towards her, leaping up to perch on her neck. Opal stands as straight as she can, her head swiveling back and forth, her eyes wide.

“Discord!” the two mares shout simultaneously, rounding on the draconequus. Applejack yells, “What did you do?!” while Rarity yells, “Turn them back!”

“Oh, dear,” Discord drawls, his melodramatic tone not hiding his lack of caring. He mutters to himself, though not very quietly, “You noticed.” The last of the petals disappear as his normal body reappears. He sighs loudly, forlornly, resting the backside of one paw against his head as he stares into the cloudy sky, flopping onto a red fainting couch. “How could this have happened? Whatever shall we do?”

His mocking stance dissipates just as quickly, the two angry glares not abating in the slightest. “I’m sure it was a mistake, and if it wasn’t then I planned to use this as their-” he points at the two meditating ponies “-first lesson. And besides, I like them better this way. So even if they fail, win win.”

“You changed Winona into Angel Bunny!” Applejack spits out, glaring at the recalcitrant dog. “Ah outta tan your hide for that!”

“Applejack!” Fluttershy coaxes, a bit of anger seeping through, “it’s not that bad. You just need to talk to him, err, her right. You have to be patient, firm, and perhaps give just the tiniest bribes from time to time.”

“Or,” Applejack says, still glaring at Winona, “Ah can deal with this varmint.” The gasp of the nearby animals is enough for Applejack to point a hoof at Discord, along with a long, hard stare. “Ah mean that varmint!”

“Gee, Applejack, tell us how you really feel,” Discord says, his voice oddly soothing. “Perhaps if you just wait until after our first lesson, you will see that I am, honestly and sincerely, trying to turn over a new leaf.”

“Ah’ll believe that when Ah see it,” Applejack says, though her voice has lost a bit of its edge.

“Perhaps, a friendly wager?” Discord grins, the tips of his paws clicking together. “If I, or my new apprentices, fail to return your pets to you in the same condition they were when I got here, then you will have my full cooperation in turning me to stone. But, if I do, then you agree to not use the Elements of Harmony against me.”

Applejack snorts. “Sorry, no deal.” Her eyes flick to Twilight, then back to Discord.

“Oh?” Discord asks, peering at Twilight through a huge magnifying glass. “Is this not your first experience dealing with magical modification of moods? Fascinating.”

“Well, it is how I got my wings,” Twilight says, giving them a little shake.

“Oh, that’s what was different! I don’t know how I could have missed it.” A lightbulb goes off over Discord’s head. “Oh, of course! You wanted ponies to not see you any differently because of your ‘new wings’, but I’m the only one who actually got the message!”

“Ouch,” whispers Pinkie Pie,

“That’s…” Twilight says, looking back at her wings, slightly ashamed. “That’s…”

Discord shakes his head. “How silly of me. No, don’t mention it. I won’t either. Oh, and I suppose I can congratulate you on the twins. Filthy half-breeds, but I suppose you don’t exactly have a choice in that regard.”

Everypony grits their teeth as they glare at Discord.

“What?” he asks, shrugging nonchalantly. “If you have to trick Harmony into going along, it de facto makes it an abomination.” He points a claw at Doug. “And she doesn’t even think he exists.”

“Twilight,” Rarity says with some difficulty, her teeth loudly grinding against each other, “how quickly can you get Rainbow Dash back here?”

“I would teleport her this instant,” Twilight says, though her shoulders slump back as she sighs. “Except that he’s right. That’s the price we paid for immortality, isn’t it?”

“Very good!” Discord exclaims, clapping loudly and abrasively. “I imagine you can get, hmm, probably one more out of each of you alicorns before she catches on and clamps down. You know what they say.” He stands up, as tall as he can, regally saying, “Fool me once, shame on... you.” He stretches forward, paws on a podium that just sprung up from the ground. “Fool me twice… you can’t get fooled again.” He whispers to Twilight, though Applejack and Rarity can hear, “I do hope fooling her twice is worth it. And you better do it soon, before she… rectifies her mistake.”

Twilight dumbly nods, shuddering. Applejack and Rarity gulp, though stay silent. After a moment the two take their leave, glancing back with trepidation.

“Now,” Discord says, spinning around and turning to his two apprentices. “On to the next lesson! Your dam,” Discord motions to Pinkie Pie, who returns a pleasant wave, “is one of the few natural chaos masters I have seen. She does not see things as ‘possible’ or ‘impossible’. Instead, she asks ‘would this make somepony laugh?’ And, if the answer is yes, then it is done. Without thought to the ‘hows’ or the ‘whys’, it merely… happens.”

His attention turns back to the two yellow ponies. “For you, first you must empty your mind of what you know to be.” He focuses on Lemon. “You must not focus on what ‘should’ be.” He turns on Meringue. “And you need to lose your notion of what ‘could’ be.”

Meringue struggles with the concept for a few seconds, finally saying, “Acknowledged.”

“But-” Lemon says, only for Discord to cut her off.

“There is no need for ‘buts’ here,” Discord says. He motions towards his tail. “As you can clearly see, I have none at all! It makes for very awkward conversation sometimes, like when ponies ask to use my restroom and I have to explain that I don’t have one.”

“Who-” Lemon asks before remembering that it was her that had asked that question.

“Oh, you know: mailmares, random strangers, the odd interdimensional traveler or two.” Discord yawns. “Boring multiverse stuff. You don’t want to know.”

“I-” Twilight says before Discord cuts her off.

“Yes, yes, you and your insatiable thirst for knowledge. Just be glad you’ll have all of eternity to try to slake it.” Discord holds up a claw, the two apprentices peering at it. “What do I have in my pocket?”

“Nothing.”

“Incorrect,” Discord says, shaking his head at Meringue. “At the very least there is air, but that is so pedantic a response as to be discarded.”

“A… hoof?” Lemon says, uncertain.

“Technically no, but only because there is more than just ‘a’ hoof.” Discord grins. “One more guess!”

“String!” “Bits!”

“Both wrong!” Discord exclaims, snapping his claws. He frowns as bits, string, a hoof, and a black void all coalesce above his paw and hover there. “The truth is, I can have anything in my pocket.”

“Oh, just like dam and her mane!” Lemon motions to Pinkie Pie, who is still beaming.

Discord nods. “To a lesser extent, yes, and she mostly keeps stuff that she put there in order to… let’s say, not upset the ‘balance’.” Pinkie Pie demonstrates by pulling out a cupcake and eating it, then shoving the wrapper back in her mane. “Using a specific location, like your mane, or some sort of ‘activation’, like snapping my claws, is a crutch. It makes it easier, but is ultimately unnecessary.”

Discord demonstrates by not moving a muscle, and yet five portals appear under, above, and to the sides of each of the affected pets. They get sucked through the portals as a sixth portal appears in between the three, dumping the pets out. The five critters line up, warily looking around, except for Angel Bunny who flops on his side and just lays there.

“Now, if you can fix this, maybe you too will get a pair of wings!” Discord grins, but almost immediately covers his mouth with a paw, glancing at Twilight. “Oops!”

“Pretty sure that was a one time thing,” Twilight says, unamused.

“Regardless.” Discord turns his attention back to the critters. “Now, what would you do to get these cute little guys back to normal?” He sighs. “Or at least what you would consider ‘normal’.” He spits the last word out this time. “I don’t know what’s wrong with a cat that thinks it’s an owl, or a dog who thinks she’s a spoiled rotten bunny.”

Twilight sighs. It’s going to be a long reformation.

61 Forbidden Power

March 30th, 1001 Domina Solaria

“Urgh,” Celestia moans as she staggers out of bed, the unignorable alarm bells of one of her many detection spells ringing in her head. Chaos magic. Again. She stumbles to the window of her room in Canterlot Castle. Still hours until midnight. Blergh. Her horn glows, a pale golden light streaming outside. The alarm silences, leaving a peaceful serenity that will last for an unknown - and far too few - number of hours before it rings again. She turns, slumping back into bed and closing her eyes.

While Discord’s two… apprentices… rapidly progress through the ‘theory’ component of chaos magic - at least according to Discord himself, the few times she teleported to the scene on instinct - their ability to use said magic has not. And she isn’t quite sure if this is a good thing or not; after all, how many Pinkie Pies does one actually want ~~rampaging~~ frolicking through a town?

So the draconequus imbues items with a small portion of his magic, generally allowing a single ‘perturbation’ of reality, such as changing mane color. And the resulting scavenger hunts or ‘games’ could be quite challenging, like the one where you had to find mares with two tone manes that share one color, change the shared color of the first to the non-shared color of the second, and then repeat the process with the second mare and a third mare until any of them notice.

The fact that they started this game at night, and with the fillies having a near perfect recall of every single pony in Ponyville thanks to a present Doug gave Pinkie Pie years earlier, meant that they had a very long chain of mane shifted mares in the morning to sift through.

This invariably trips up Celestia’s alarms. And since there is no way she is whitelisting the draconequus himself, at least not until she is absolutely sure of his reformation, she shall deal with the loss of sleep and adding one item after another to a temporary ‘safe’ list.

A knock comes, the balcony door to her room opening soon after. A cobalt alicorn sticks her head through, frowning as she gazes upon her Sister’s partially hidden form. “Again? How many times is it now, and thou still have yet to figure it out?”

Celestia shakes her head glumly. “Every time I modify my detection spell, he teaches them some trick that trips it up again.” She sighs, exhausted. “I hope I have the rest of the night until they learn the next one.”

Luna nods, offering a sympathetic smile, though it quickly turns to worry as Celestia moans, holding her head in her hooves as her eyes unfocus.

In an unremarkable alleyway, barely lit in the late night, Rare Find slips through the shortcut between two buildings. He pauses at the fog rolling around his hooves, a nervous glance at the trash surrounding him as his basket of oranges levitates next to him. A lone can clatters as it rolls in the wind, the brown unicorn breathing a sigh of relief.

Until a hooded figure steps out of the shadows.

His lean body is covered in a soot gray cloak, and while his backside is equinish his front lifts higher than a normal pony. A mass of vapor escapes into the chill air as a raspy voice intones, "Is he friend or is he foe? the pony wonders. I can assure you, I am no friend. I am Lord Tirek. And I will take what should have been mine long ago!"

A blue beam comes from the haggard creature's mouth, encircling the unicorn's horn. Tirek cackles as he stands straighter, a bit of color returning to his pallid skin as the light fades from the unicorn's eyes, his cutie mark disappearing.

The blankets fall to the bed in the rough shape of a pony as Celestia blinks to her desk, pulling out maps of Equestria. Her spell merely gave her a rough distance and direction, a necessity to cover such a wide area. She double checks the location even though she knows it to be true. Manehattan.

Luna thunders next to her, perhaps not for the first time, "Tia, my Sister, art thou all right?"

"I am afraid not, Sister," Princess Celestia says, her voice full of steel. She glances over at her still blinking alarm. Her muzzle tightens as she realizes just who could have tripped her alarm. “I fear the terrible creature known as Tirek is on the loose, and somepony must stop him!”

Luna gasps, staring at the map as Celestia indicates the farthest city on the northeast seaboard. “We shall go immediately! And put an end to this menace!”

“No, Sister, we-” Celestia moans, clutching her head again, though she recovers quicker this time. “We do not know where in Manehattan he is. And we cannot allow the possibility of an ambush, and him gaining Alicorn powers.”

“We could-” Luna starts, her wings flaring as her eyes shine with power.

“No.” Celestia sighs. As she speaks, a quill levitates, scrawling out a message. “If I thought lethal force was the solution, I would have executed him in Tartarus myself. Go first to the Crystal Empire; gather Cadance and-” Celestia’s hoof returns to her head, her eyes closing as she draws in a quick breath. “Shining Armor. Have our Captain of the Guard begin evacuating the city. Tirek is not to be engaged.”

Princess Luna stands a bit higher, her words laced with urgency. “Every second we delay he grows more powerful!”

“I understand you have your objections,” Celestia says evenly, her horn lighting and the parchment disappearing in a burst of green flame. “But this is not a decision to be made lightly. Go.” Princess Luna takes a deep breath, then her horn flares and she disappears.

Celestia steps to her balcony, her horn crafting a ring of gold outside. She closes her eyes in concentration, and moments later an alert Twilight Sparkle, five sleepy mares, and Doug appear inside. “Come,” she ushers them, her hoof again going to her horn.

“Celestia!” Twilight exclaims worriedly, her eyes widening. “Are you-”

“I am fine,” Celestia says as Luna and Cadance appear inside the ring. “Inside.”

“What,” Applejack says with a yawn, pawing at her hat and scratching her mane as she disentangles herself from Doug. “What’s going on?”

Celestia moves to her desk, withdrawing a heavy tome. She flips through the pages, showing a picture of a stylized demon with red wings and a heavy brown torso. Then, a slate gray centaur with beady yellow eyes and a metal nose ring. “This, is Lord Tirek.”

“Ooh, scary!” says Pinkie Pie, grinning.

“He is no laughing matter,” Celestia says gravely. Pinkie Pie makes an ‘oh’ sound, body slumping slightly. “He and his brother Scorpan arrived in Equestria over a thousand years ago, intent on stealing Equestrian magic, using our power to bolster his own. However, his brother befriended a young unicorn wizard, and came to appreciate our ways.” Her gaze turns to Cadance, then Twilight Sparkle. “Much, to my great delight, as Queen Chrysalis.”

Cadance grumbles, but accedes with a heavy nod.

Twilight cocks her head slightly. “So, you believe this Lord Tirek can be persuaded as well?”

“His brother Scorpan tried and failed to do so, but I hope that you will have more luck with him.” Celestia’s gaze travels over each of the six Elements of Harmony, all wearing their necklaces. She glances tellingly at Luna. “Tirek was stopped, and imprisoned for his crimes. But he has since escaped, and is again stealing Equestrian magic.”

“Wait, how old is this guy?” Doug asks nopony in particular.

“How did this happen?” Twilight asks over Doug.

“It is possible he escaped when Discord returned,” Luna states, glancing towards Ponyville.

“Like, days ago?” Rainbow Dash exclaims loudly, taking to the air. “Why that two faced-”

“No, earlier; when Cerberus left his post.” Celestia sighs. “I thought nothing of it at the time, as the seal of the prison was intact when our magic returned. Perhaps he managed to escape at that time?”

“A security flaw we will be sure to look in to. Perhaps by making the doors seal shut instead of open when their power is lost.” Luna turns as a letter appears in a puff of smoke next to Celestia.

“Preliminary report from Manehattan,” Celestia reads, skimming through quickly and reading sections. “Half a dozen ponies initially found missing their cutie marks and ninety five percent of their magic, barely clinging to life, subsequently referred to as ‘drained’. Others in active zone unable to be assessed, appear alive and stable, if barely. Attempt was made to-” Celestia’s eyes narrow “-capture Tirek. By this point he was able to create shields against physical projectiles. Magic within an initial three yard range, including ponies themselves, was absorbed, though directed attacks had to be consciously blocked and absorbed. The range expands with every pony's magic he steals, at the time of this writing approaching approximately seven yards. If he drains a portion of a pony’s magic, from an assault or otherwise, he can drain the rest by focusing on that pony. Otherwise, he merely needs to close within range, and automatically drains them.”

Everypony’s eyes are wide, nervously glancing at each other.

Celestia takes a deep breath before she continues. “Cover, magical or physical, proves useless against the drain. After a sustained physical assault, Tirek retreated to the sewers. Casualties approaching fifty, no deaths as of yet. Shining Armor then appeared on the scene, and wide scale retreat and evacuation has been ordered. Tirek’s location is currently unknown. No magical items were reported affected.”

Celestia sets the letter down, grimly looking at the others.

Twilight Sparkle steps forward, resolutely proclaiming, “Time is of the essence. As the Princess of Friendship, and leader of the Elements of Harmony, it is my duty to stop threats like this. I will find him, and-”

“No, Twilight,” Celestia states, her voice hard enough to subdue the lavender alicorn. “We must call on another.”

“Who, Discord?” Twilight asks, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Discord pops in behind Celestia accompanied by a loud gong ringing. The draconequus is sporting a dirty blond haircut, spilling over his face. He intones in a deep voice as he shambles forward, "You rang?"

Celestia considers for a moment before shaking her head, "I was thinking about you, Discord, but for the same reason that I am not stepping in, we must reconsider. Tirek has the power to steal magic. We cannot take the chance of him absorbing your or our magic; therefore, we will need to send in a creature that does not rely on magic.”

All eyes in the room turn on Doug.

“Really?” Doug says, pointing a finger at himself. “Me?!”

“Yes,” Celestia says with a nod of her head. Discord looks appalled at the suggestion, his mouth gaping open and hitting the floor. “I am hoping you will be able to persuade him to stop his aggression.”

“Seriously?” Doug says incredulously. “With what? Kind words and hugs?”

“I like hugs!” Pinkie Pie pronks around. “You can persuade me to do just about anything with hugs!”

Doug sighs loudly as Celestia nods again. “Could I at least get, like, a crash course in hostage negotiating or something?”

“In what now?” Applejack asks, glancing around. “What’s a ‘hostage’?”

“Oh, jeez,” Doug mutters to himself. “I probably am the best suited for this.”

Celestia nods grimly. “You must find his demands, as best you can. Listen. Stall him, keep him talking, but do not make him angry. He has not yet killed anypony, and if you do not obstruct him I hope he will not see you as a threat. Do not insult him, show him the respect he thinks he deserves.”

“Okay, so,” Doug pauses, shaking his head. “We’re doing this. We’re really doing this.” He looks up at Celestia. “How am I going to find him? You have some way of detecting him?”

“Not from this distance, and not in the time frame we are talking.”

Doug sighs. “Wandering through the sewers it is.”

63 The Life Thief

“Yes,” Celestia reads aloud, “I am completely serious. You should be getting a confirmation letter from your guard any minute now. I’m currently carrying Lord Tirek who, as far as I can tell, is both powerless and unconscious. No change there. Still awaiting orders.”

Celestia sets the letter down next to another piece of parchment, staring blankly. “It cannot be. There must be some deception.”

Another letter coalesces from a cloud of smoke. A golden aura snatches it from midair, rapidly unfurling it. Celestia scans it in a blink of an eye, her eyebrows furrowing.

“Discord?” Celestia demands, her orange tinted eyes finding the draconequus. He returns a cheeky grin. “What did you do?”

“Me?” Discord says, incredulous and pointing a claw at himself. “I did nothing to help, just like you asked.” He yawns, covering his mouth with a paw. “Now, since this ‘crisis’ is all well in ‘hand’ I don’t suppose I can get some sleep?” He morphs into a set of garish neon pink and yellow pajamas, clutching a one and a half dozen pony plushies.

“And you will continue to do nothing?” Celestia emphasizes each word harshly as she spots her own doll among the plushies. “Nothing at all?”

“You’re such a worrier, you know that? They should call you the Road Worrier.” Discord rolls his eyes at Celestia’s unchanged glare. “Fine, fine, I’ll play along. Aside from traveling around. You wouldn’t make me walk everywhere, would you?”

Celestia takes in a deep breath, never blinking. Discord lifts a single paw, waves, then disappears, taking the plushies with him. Celestia’s hoof goes to her horn, wincing, then lets out a long sigh. “I need theories, explanations, anything. What could have caused this?”

Twilight Sparkle offers, “Some interaction between Tirek’s magic draining and Doug’s, um, human characteristics?”

Celestia conjures a large chalkboard, writing it down.

“Discord?” Cadance offers. “He snapped his claws. According to Doug, it was around the same time.”

“...It is a possibility,” Celestia concedes as a second line joins the first. “Others?”

Twilight says in rapid succession, “A third, unknown party? Changeling magic? Some piece of Chrysalis’ antimagic throne? Tirek hit his limit and ‘shattered’ his own core? He attempted to drain Poison Joke, and this is the result? Doug used Poison Joke, but didn’t mention it?”

“Why wouldn’t he mention it?” Rainbow Dash asks, more curious than venomous.

“He has had memory loss from magical interactions before,” Celestia confirms as she writes everything down, “So it is not outside the realm of possibilities.”

A full minute passes in silence as the ponies attempt to brainstorm any other reasons. Celestia finally shakes her head, pointing at the first item on the list. “I have cast Tirek’s spell on Doug before, with no ill effects. Aside from what the spell itself inflicts on the user.”

“And I noticed the same when I used it on Cadance. The ill effects, that is.” Twilight shudders.

Celestia glances to Luna for confirmation, “When Discord snapped his claws, I noticed a small twinge, no more than the jolt when he imbues an item with magic.” Luna nods, her muzzle a tight frown.

Celestia moves to the next item. “If another party, perhaps working with antimagic, was there, we have no word of it. The report from the investigators will be here shortly, but perhaps one of us should go to inspect the site as well. A single changeling was reported drained, still comatose, and I must send a letter to Chrysalis regarding treatment. Poison Joke is a possibility, and… could be tested once Tirek is… confined.” She looks over the possibilities, frowning.

“In Manehatten?” Luna asks, a touch of hesitation. “They do not have the facilities for it.”

“I was thinking here, in the Crystal Mines at the base of the Canterhorn.” Celestia glances around at the worried looks. “We can rig them to collapse, trapping him if needed. They are out of the way, and located close to the train station.”

“Ah know Ah’d feel better if he were back in Tartarus,” Applejack says, her body shuddering at the mention of the name. “But if’n you need to do some renovations…”

The other ponies nod their concurrence, and with no further objections Celestia sends a letter to Doug.

Celestia softly looks her Sister in the eye, her own full of grief. “Lune… my Sister… should the worst happen, would you be capable of raising the Sun and the Moon by yourself?”

“Thou found the strength for a thousand years.” Luna raises herself up, closing her eyes as she tests her power. “We will do the same, if we must.”

Celestia turns to Twilight Sparkle. Love and pride fills her eyes as she lowers her body, head bowing slightly. “Twilight Sparkle, dearest Twilight, my most faithful student. This is more than I would ever wish to burden you with, but you have risen to the occasion and exceeded even my greatest expectations.” Celestia takes a deep breath, steeling herself as Twilight raises a hoof, as if to object. “Should… should the worst happen to Luna and myself, could you resume our duties? Move the Sun and the Moon?”

Twilight’s voice catches in her throat as Celestia remains in her subservient position. “I…” she ekes out, gaze darting from one Friend to another. She gulps, resolutely nodding, even though she has no idea how she would do that. “I won’t fail you.”

In Manehatten, Tirek lays next to Doug bound, gagged, and with a hood secured over his head. Doug stands from his seated position as a letter appears in front of him. He grabs it, grimly pursing his lips as he looks at the fallen centaur. “Well, looks like we’re going for a ride.” He looks up at the circling guards, then the others streaming inside and outside the sewers. “I’m supposed to head to the train station. No magic, or ponies, within ten yards.”

“Follow me,” one of the guards says, by this point knowing better than to question the letters that keep appearing in bursts of green smoke. She leads the way from a healthy distance as Doug drops Tirek into a cart. She keeps glancing back, straying close to one piece of cover after another as she flies ahead of him.

The train station is crammed full of ponies awaiting the next train evacuating the city. Doug waits outside; a cadre of guards forms a rough circle ten yards around the human as they spread the news of the cancelled evacuation. Many grumble about the late night and constantly changing orders, watching as Doug makes his way to a short three train car. The special metal caboose at the end looks nothing like the colorful car, all metal with bars over the small windows. He goes through the heavy door as a pegasus engineer apprehensively takes the helm.

After chaining Tirek to the floor Doug gets a heavy crossbow and other supplies from the ponies outside. An understandably skittish doctor is on the scene, passing Doug instruments and quick explanations on how to use them.

She frowns at the results, explaining as she writes down, “He’s alive, I suppose I should be happy to report, if barely. His condition doesn’t seem to be deteriorating, but you should take this-” she taps one instrument “-and do checks about every hour. If he was a pony, he should be slowly regaining his strength. I doubt he’ll be in any condition to try anything by the time you get to Canterlot, or wherever you are going, but that’s your call, not mine.”

Doug nods, and they leave with little fanfare, initially at a slow pace as guards clear the way ahead. Their escort falls back as they exit Manehatten, except for the four pegasi trailing behind, two almost directly above and two far behind and low to the ground. Wonderbolts all, Doug notes wryly.

Tirek doesn’t stir, even as Doug asks him questions and runs the scanner over him. He notes the slowly declining number, and how Tirek’s already haggard breath grows shallower and shallower. He relays the numbers to the pegasi, one of them speeding ahead. The ride passes tediously, Doug running over everything that happened and recording every detail he can think of.

The Lower Canterlot station is nearly deserted except for a white coated unicorn Doug recognizes as Doctor Horse, two guards, and Celestia herself. Doug stops as he spots the alicorn, then resumes carrying Tirek outside as one guard approaches. “I thought you wanted nopony anywhere near us.”

“I’m here to test that,” one of the guards says. She slowly walks forward, everypony holding their breath as she closes within ten yards. Each step reverberates around the cavernous chamber until she is within a leg’s reach of the still comatose centaur. She lifts a shaking foreleg, gritting her teeth and tapping the loose bag around Tirek’s head.

Tirek wobbles like a corpse, or perhaps a pony in a deep sleep.

The guard taps again, then kicks him hard enough to roll him onto his back, the hood falling off and vacant eyes staring upwards. “Wake up, you whorse!” she shouts, raising her hoof to strike him again.

“That’s enough,” Celestia bellows.

The guard pauses mid swing. “But my comrades-”

Celestia shakes her head, “-Will be in the same condition regardless of how blue and black…er you beat him.”

The guard glares, but swallows her next statement. Her neutral voice rings out, “Seems safe enough to me, but who knows what will happen when he wakes.”

“If he wakes,” Doctor Horse spits out, brushing past the guard with more than a little roughness. He levitates the list of notes Doug had taken as well as his own instruments, his frown deepening at the results. “Still low, at least compared to a baseline pony of his size. Would have been nice to know what he was like beforehoof. His condition is certainly worsening.” His eyes flick to Celestia. “Just like the others. And he didn’t start in a good spot, from the looks of it.”

“Others?” Doug asks as Celestia approaches him, her eyes glowing bright white and inspecting him.

“The ponies Tirek drained are not recovering. In fact, their conditions are deteriorating, though it comes in fits and spurts. Twilight and Luna have gone to Manehatten to assist. Cadance awaits at Tirek’s cell.” Celestia’s eyes return to normal, sighing.

“You think he’s still affecting them?” Doug says as Doctor Horse strides towards them.

“I have detected no trace of the stolen magic, though there is a faint echo of something else I cannot put my hoof on. I would have expected it to start returning to them almost immediately.” Celestia’s golden glow surrounds Doug, frowning again.

“Speaking of no magic, I recommend an immediate magic booster for our newfound ‘friend’,” Doctor Horse says as he returns to Celestia, pointing a hoof at Tirek.

“You cannot be serious,” the same guard interrupts. “So, what, he can start his rampage all over again?”

“Enough, Haw Berk.” Celestia turns to Doctor Horse. “You are sure of this?”

Doctor Horse shrugs, having ignored the guard. “Well, you could do nothing, and he may never wake up. I wish I could say it makes no difference to me, but I have sworn to do no harm. And we have the ability to save him.” He pulls a canister out of the bags on his sides. “I would start on a quarter dose, and increase as needed.”

“Do it. Once he is secured.” Celestia turns to Doug as the two guards retrieve the cart from the train and load Tirek inside. “How are you feeling?”

Doug almost frowns as he assesses himself. “Pretty good, actually. Not as tired as I might have expected from staying up just about all night. The adrenaline’s gonna run out any minute now, and I’ll crash as soon as my head hits a pillow. But, I expect you want me to debrief somewhere.”

Celestia nods, debating with herself for a few moments before leaning over and nuzzling Doug. “I am glad you are safe,” she whispers as she kisses him. “I hate putting you, or any of my subjects, in danger. Even if I know it is for the best, both theirs and ours.”

“Exciting times, right?” Doug says, shaking his head with a relieved smile. He waves as Celestia follows the cart, one guard, and Doctor Horse to Tirek’s prison cell. The other guard leads him to a small office, going over Doug’s notes from the train and any ideas he has.

64 The Warden

Darkness, all around. Pain, the pangs of a hunger that could never be satisfied, a yearning for that which he had tasted but was now lost. A dull ache in his muscles that weighs him down even without moving, like someone had strapped heavy weights to every arm and leg and left them there.

There is the briefest moment of relief, a respite that doesn’t last. Then the pain returns, the balm leaking away like a sieve, but droplets remain. He clings to them, desperately, the only solace against his agony.

A soft covering is yanked off his head. The sense of magic is close, deliciously close, but at the same time impossibly far away. If only he could reach it, but it disappears almost as quickly as it came.

“Ugh,” Tirek moans as he slowly comes to, blinking against the harsh lights directed straight into his bleary eyes. His head throbs, but only slightly from the glare. It’s more that his body feels… empty, and the only thing filling it is pain. A thin red hand raises with the clink of chains, slits of light piercing through his fingers. He feels so weak, it’s nearly impossible to keep the arm raised. Where…

Tirek looks around; just rough hewn stone for the walls, ceiling, and floor. A heavy wooden table sits in front of him with a pitcher of clear liquid, an empty disc of a thin white material, and a plain manila folder. From underneath the bright lights steps a clearly equine figure, unicorn, short mane tied up tight. He can’t make out anything but a silhouette, her mouth opening and chewing over her words.

“Finally.” Her harsh voice carries easily. “We were afraid you were never going to wake up.”

“You dare address me, you impudent whelp!” is what he wants to say, but after the first syllable he collapses into a hacking fit, his dry mouth cracking. It’s as if he hasn’t taken a drink in days, and he finds himself staring at the pitcher of water, craving it as a centaur dying of thirst, clumsily reaching his thin arms towards it. The chains attached to his wrist bindings yank him back, his screech of rage little more than a rasping cough.

“You’re thirsty?” the mare spits out, her horn lighting again. The yearning returns, worse than ever before, and his mouth opens wide to drink her in.

Except all she does is snicker, her harsh demeanor breaking for the first time. “You remind me of my little one. She makes the same face when she’s hungry.” The indigo glow around a glass pushes it towards him, the barest film of water along the bottom.

“I am no ‘little one’, cur!” Tirek grits out, every syllable coming only with great difficulty. He swings his arm to smash the cup to the side, barely managing to topple it over in his feeble state. He can’t help but gaze longingly as the water dribbles out, almost enough to get him to reach his mouth forward and drink directly from the table.

“Aww, is widdle Tiwek sowwy?” Her sing-song voice grates on his ears far worse than her coldness.

“Raagh!” Tirek roars as he raises his arms, slamming fists onto the table. His metal shackles leave divots in the wood and send shoots of pain coursing through his body.

The unicorn merely smiles at his impotent rage, as if she is watching a foal have a tantrum over an upset tummy. “I can’t wait until my sisters get to go through this same phase.” Then her head twists to the side, horn briefly flaring. Her attention turns, guard dropping as she looks to one of the walls.

Tirek takes the opportunity to drain her again, his mouth opening wide to imbibe every ounce of magic in her. But it fails again, and by the time she turns back he has closed his mouth, merely staring daggers at her. Of course, he realizes, you have to spend magic to take magic. And as drained as I am, I can’t even break through her feeble defenses.

A section of stone grates against the ground as it slides away, a pink alicorn stepping inside. She exchanges a nod with the unicorn, taking her place. The stone doorway slips back into place, grinding filling his ears.

Cadance places a tall, thin bag - the kind one might use to disguise a bottle of wine - on the table. She turns to one of the two lights, holding up a thin film with her pink aura. “It’s not too bright in here, is it?” she asks guilelessly as she moves one, then two, translucent covers across the light. She repeats this with the other light, the room darkening to a much more comfortable setting.

Tirek pays no attention to her, his mind focused entirely on the bag and what lies inside. It calls to him, singing in a melodious alto, the same pitch as the unicorn it likely came from. They couldn’t possibly…

“Oh, noticed that?” Cadance moves over to the table, pulling a bottle out with a hoof. She folds the empty bag, neatly placing it perfectly square to the table. Inside the bottle is an iridescent swirl that won’t stay still, dancing even as the tiniest portions disappear into the void. “We thought you might be… how would you call it?”

Pure, concentrated magic. He would do, or say, anything to get his mouth on that bottle. “Thirsty.”

Tirek cannot take his eyes away as Cadance uncorks the top. Wisps of magic float out, tiny bubbles that rise into the air and burst, scattering into nothing. He shudders at the loss, even if it is unpreventable. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it? Not terribly hard to make, if you have the inclination. Few uses for it, though, and a short shelf life. We had to pull this one from a hospital. Fitting.”

“How so?” he asks, opening his mouth as discreetly as a salted pony stumbling out of a bar. Still too far away, just like when I escaped that prison.

“Well, it saved your life earlier. At least, as far as we can tell.” Cadance goes so far as to right the glass Tirek knocked earlier, pouring a tongue’s worth of the scintillating solution. “We aren’t sure what exactly what would have happened to you, but if you’re like everypony else, it wouldn’t have been good.”

“I am nothing like you ponies,” Tirek spits out, wasting a precious bit of moisture.

Cadance lifts the glass, swirling the liquid magic inside. She peers into the dazzling depths. “If you say so.”

Silence lasts for several long seconds before Tirek asks, still unable to take his eyes away from the precious contents inside, “What do you want from me?” He lifts his arms, the chains clinking, quickly dropping them back down. “Since it seems friendship clearly isn’t on the table.”

“It is, actually, and this-” Cadance shakes the glass for effect “-and many other things are open for you.”

“And what,” Tirek says in a silky tone, bowing and spreading one arm to the side, “do you require that I do in order to get them?”

Cadance gains a hardness to her muzzle. “Give them their magic back.” Cadance’s uncharacteristically harsh tone joins her narrowing eyes, boring into the centaur.

“Give?” Tirek says with a hint of mirth.

“The ponies whose magic you stole. I’m sure you remember that much.”

“They were delicious,” Tirek purrs, his dry tongue licking his even drier lips, savoring the screams of terror from before.

Cadance continues without flinching, “They are not recovering. Every minute they grow worse, and not a single one has shown even a hint of getting better, only a slower decline.” She sighs at Tirek’s smirk and silence. “The ponies you drained first, they were doing… acceptably. Slowly recovering, as we might have expected from your magic.”

Tirek shrugs, saying nothing.

“Then, some time after midnight, that changed. What happened between you and Doug? Did you try to drain him?”

Tirek’s smug sneer stays right on his face, unmoving.

“We know you did, and it backfired somehow. After that, every one of them, to a pony, started declining. Some, the ones that you got to first, the fastest. Over time the rate slowed, matching up with each other.” Cadance studies Tirek’s face, watching for any hint of recognition or even just a tic.

That same condescending, self-righteous smirk. She wishes she could do anything to me.

“Then, unexpectedly, twenty minutes ago the pace slowed dramatically. Just as you were taken out of the train car, before you woke up.” Cadance peers closer. “Are you able to control it? To slow or stop the flow of magic? That while you were unconscious their magic drains, but waking you can change it?”

“Perhaps,” Tirek says evenly, eyeing the glass, “I could tell you. I’m sure we can come to an equitable compromise.”

“Tell us how to reverse it.” Cadance frowns as Tirek hesitates. The way his eyes shift to the ceiling, his mouth pulling back, his breath quickening tells her everything. “Really? You know nothing?” A pink hoof slams into the desk, punching a hole clean through the hard wood, the chunks clattering to the floor. “Foals are dying out there!” A hoof points to the wall she came in. “Her sisters, guards you stole the magic from, may never see their young! It’s only through these boosters-” she shakes the bottle so violently a little sloshes outside, staining the table “-that we’re even able to keep them and their unborn foals alive!”

“And the same thing is happening to me?” Tirek asks, trepidation in his voice, staring at the wooden table. That could have been my skull.

“We believe so,” Cadance says with a grim nod as she slowly gets herself under control. “They, and you, will continue to waste away until we are able to solve this.”

“Maybe it is the changelings.” Tirek smirks, a hand circling through the air. “They eat magic just like me, and they have found a convenient scapegoat to pin the blame for their insatiable hunger.”

Cadance huffs, a disbelieving shake of the head. “Next you’ll say it's Discord behind everything.”

“Discord?” Tirek’s eyes widen. “The Lord of Chaos? He escaped?”

“No, not as such.” Cadance peers at Tirek, studying him. “He claims to be on our side. Do you know something about him?”

“I should have known he would want all of Equestria for himself,” Tirek mutters, not looking at Cadance any more. “That lying, backstabbing fool!”

“What are you saying?” Cadance says, more than a little curious.

“Oh, wouldn’t you like to know?” Tirek replies, smirking. “It’s only a matter of time before the mad king betrays you, if he hasn’t already. He would never abandon his true nature to make friends with ponies.” He motions to the bottle expectantly.

Cadance glances at the bottle, then at Tirek. “You have given us only accusations and speculation, nothing we can use or did not already know. Perhaps when you have something useful, we can find a compromise.” She stands a little straighter, pity in her eyes.

“But, as you can clearly see,” Tirek says, worry staining his words as he motions to his emaciated body, “I do not have their magic.”

“Mm.” Cadance rises from the table. “That is too bad.” The glass of magic pours back into the bottle. Even the fragments in the table find themselves ripped out, bits of dust falling away as the colorful remains disappear inside. The cork comes back on with a pop of finality, levitating to Cadance's side. Tirek can only stare as the stone door grinds open, the pink alicorn taking two steps through.

“You cannot leave me here with nothing!” bellows Tirek, immediately erupting into a hacking cough.

Cadance turns from the stone doorway, indicating the pitcher with a point of her hoof. “You have water.” Then the door closes, the room silent but for his rage.

65 The Survivalist

The hairs on Twilight’s coat stand a little straighter with every flap of her wings as she circles high above the city of Manehatten. It rankles, that this is her ‘duty’, but Celestia had proposed and everypony agreed and here she is. Her heavy duty scanning spells, which have only gotten stronger since she became an alicorn, are nearly useless at this altitude. Leaving her little more than a glorified advertisement that the Princesses are doing ‘something’.

Worse, she isn't just the backup. That would be Luna. She's the backup to the backup. A contingency in case something is wrong with the area where Doug confronted Tirek. It’s not that she’s ungrateful, but there’s so much more she can be doing besides playing eye in the sky and coordinating between everypony.

It isn’t like the four of them, being the most powerful magic users in Equestria with literal millennia of experience, aren’t going to involve themselves in the nitty-gritty of solving this conundrum. Worse, Celestia’s earlier argument made sense. She found herself hard pressed to say why exposing only two of them to Tirek and two of them to Doug was a bad idea. She thought she’d be able to investigate one of them or the other. But, instead, the high and mighty and oh-so-powerful Princess Celestia got to expose herself to both of them while she got neither!

Hence the rankling, and definitely un-Princessly thoughts running through her mind. Though that could also be the fact that she’s been airborne and gliding around since Doug left Manehatten and she teleported here with Luna to start their investigation. It was worse when they watched bodies being carried out of buildings, and knowing there was nothing they could do. At least Luna could start scanning anything and everything. You know, actually help. While Twilight had to leave, take to the air, and avoid contact while everypony else solved everything.

She has a lot of time to think, and while a good portion of those thoughts have been… unproductive, some had not. Celestia released her notes on Tirek’s spell as well as the research Sunset Shimmer did years ago, even going so far as to provide a copy of Sunset’s journal. While most of it wasn’t pertinent to their situation, the last line stuck with her.

The one that talked about draining a pony past the point where magic could sustain life.

It is, perhaps, the only reason she isn’t down there right now. Because if whatever is keeping everypony from recovering, that steadily worsens their condition, isn’t fixed? Then everypony who exposes themselves to the unknown cause is condemned to a slow, tortured existence before unconsciousness provides a brief respite, swiftly leading to death from a cascade of organ failure.

At least, that’s the projected prognosis, with a bevy of lesser symptoms to look out for, with such tripe like ‘tiredness’ or ‘difficulty concentrating’ or ‘weakness with magic or otherwise’ that might as well be applied to every single pony who stays up past their normal bedtime. The string of resulting hypochondriacs just makes it even harder to tell if any ponies actually are new patients. Still, there has got to be something she can do.

It's a little unnerving watching Luna lower the moon without Celestia next to her, but the great ball of fire rises nonetheless. It's probably the earliest she's ever seen the sunrise, given how little time she's spent on the east coast. She'd like to describe it as beautiful, but her mind is otherwise occupied.

She’s too busy listening to two doctors discuss why, for no apparent reason, every single patient under their care stabilized. It might have been a cause for celebration, if things were getting better, but a lot of them will settle for ‘not getting any worse’. What would cause that sort of thing? It’s too bad nopony else has any records of this happening, they would likely have been thrown out for being a thousand years old.

Wait.

The Crystal Empire came back after a thousand year hiatus.

The Castle of the Two Sisters has been locked up for a thousand years.

Both castles, or at least the surrounding city, have rather extensive libraries that it seems almost criminal for her to not have read through. Or at least skimmed the titles and taken all the interesting books. Taken copies of, not taken the actual books. And they might have books talking about what it was like when Tirek stole pony magic, and documented what happened to any such ponies. Even if Celestia’s recollection was along the lines of ‘they just kind of got better’, there might be something else.

A hastily written missive to Luna later and Twilight teleports herself straight to the Crystal Empire archives.

The librarian on duty (up even before dawn? What dedication!) stops sifting through the books they had left unorganized the last time they were there (wait, it’s been a month, maybe that’s less dedicated than she thought) and asks Twilight what she is doing there with a silent gaze. Twilight’s reply of, “I need books on Tirek,” prompts a “Who?” (okay, seriously? Was this guy, like, not a big deal or something?)

One hurried explanation later and Twilight leaves with a faded newspaper and a long face, her patience growing thin. Her teleport to Ponyville leaves her a little winded, but no less agitated as she takes to the air. Now she just needs to avoid the dangers of the Everfree as she flies to the giant castle inside. Or she can just teleport again.

It’s too bad the abandoned castle doesn’t have helpful librarians. Or a clearly marked floor plan. Or half a dozen friends to find all the secret passages so she can get to the library quicker. It only takes two laps around the place until she goes through a green tinted skylight into an ominously booby trapped room with a single book in the center of a scene ripped straight from Marabian Nights!

The gray stone book itself is a bust, clearly dark magic that is unfortunately not associated with Tirek, despite the angsty cover with ten spikes and gold bands for binding. Seriously, this is not how you bind stone tablets. That everything collapses around her would be a problem except that she has wings, and she’s been practicing. “Thank you, Fluttershy,” Twilight says to the metal grate she lands next to, picking the lock with her telekinesis and revealing an unopened secret door.

“Let’s see…” Twilight’s horn flares a bright raspberry, analyzing the seemingly solid wall. “A hidden switch on the other side of a book? Oh, this must be the library!” She squeals in delight as a latch clicks, the wall sliding to the side. It reveals dozens of shelves, books stacked to the ceiling in every one.

“Yes!” Twilight pronks around like an excited filly who got not one but all of her Foal’s Week gifts on one day. She exuberantly bounces from section to section, using the up and down motion to scan every row. “Yes! Yes! Yes!”

Books tumble off shelves, whisked away to form a stack, then two stacks, then a veritable fort of books. “Hmm,” Twilight considers as she inspects the pile. “Maybe I need to cut this down from books I want to read to books I have to read. To solve this puzzle. Because I have to read all of these. At some point tonight. I mean, once this crisis is over.”

Her selection painfully pruned, the for-later books carefully organized under a blackboard with a tiny circled note in the bottom corner that says ‘do not reshelve’, and Twilight teleports back to Ponyville.

Spike was either forewarned about her intentions or he is psychic. Because he has not only prepared a piping hot breakfast, complete with coffee, but closed the library except for book related emergencies and set up her study area just the way she likes it. Twilight brings all the books there, before going to her room and pulling out one.

For some reason, she feels like reading through Starswirl’s greatest works.

Several hours of reading later and Spike helpfully informs her that things are still going, well, not exactly smoothly, but aren’t getting worse. Also, that Doug has still shown no signs of anything abnormal (more abnormal that is, magic still treats him like a zero) and is returning to Ponyville with the rest of the herd. Apparently Applejack thinks work on her farm is more important than whatever is going on and Fluttershy wants to make sure her animals are all okay (Hedge had it covered, Spike checked). At least they understand they might be needed as Elements of Harmony, and will remain easily located.

More hours pass, with less news and even less to do than read through accounts of Tirek’s impact on Equestria in general, but little specifics on how he affected individual ponies.

Part of her wants to pick a pony off the street and conduct some ‘testing’ of her own, but that wouldn’t be right.

“Urgh,” Twilight complains, flopping onto her bed in Ponyville. “This sucks.”

“Still bummed they aren’t letting you do anything?” Spike asks, munching on a bowl of popcorn.

“Duh!” Twilight snags a piece for herself. “Playing backup sucks. Being held in reserve. A contingency, a fallback plan!”

“I don’t know, Rainbow Dash seems pretty excited at being a member of the Wonderbolts, even if she knows she’s just going to be a reservist for a couple years.” Spike tries to hide the popcorn behind himself, glaring at Twilight.

Twilight doesn’t notice, she’s too busy ranting at her books, specifically Starswirl’s. “But she at least has the expectation that she’s eventually going to make the team! I should be on the team right now! There’s so much more that I could be doing to help!”

“Like what?” Spike asks, munching away.

“Like… spell research! Finding something that might fix this!” Twilight points a hoof at the swirls on the cover.

“Spell research?” Spike says, raising an eyebrow. “Doesn’t that require, like, lots of trials and studies that take forever to get approved?”

“You’re right, Spike,” Twilight says with a nod. “And when you’re right, you’re right.” A mischievous grin crosses her face. “And I know just the pony we need.”

“I don’t like that look,” Spike says warily, “And as your number one assistant-”

Owlowiscious hoots, it being late evening and just around the time for him to wake up.

“... Me! Spike!” The dragon glares at Owlowiscious. “Anyway. I know what you’re going to say, and it’s not worth it, getting her involved.”

“But, Spike,” Twilight whines in an awfully close resemblance to Rarity, “Starlight Glimmer could be the only pony who can save us?”

“Oh, come on!” Spike exclaims, throwing his claws in the air. “It isn’t even that bad! I mean, okay, sure, about fifty some odd ponies aren’t recovering. And it would be tragic if they didn’t. Except for Tirek, he can shrivel into dust for all I care. But these things happen, Twilight. And we’ll move on.”

Twilight draws in a deep breath, then slowly lets it out, mouth moving as she visibly counts. “I can’t accept that, Spike. Not when there’s something that I can do to make it better.” Her eye glances outside as the sun sets, though her eyes narrow after a few seconds. “That’s odd.”

“What?” Spike asks, joining her in looking out the window.

“The moon.” Twilight points a hoof as the light of the moon barely peeks over the horizon. The white orb slowly rises, wobbling, then slips backwards a few degrees. Suddenly it resumes its normal course, the stars in the sky only appearing after a few minutes.

“Spike?” Twilight says as the dragon hacks up a letter. She grabs it, quickly unfurling it. “Oh, no.”

“...Is it bad?” Spike asks, wringing his claws.

“Worse.” Twilight gulps, her magic going out and the letter falling to the floor. “It’s spreading. Nearly every guard in Manehatten. Every doctor who was seeing the drained ponies.” She glances down at the letter; she wouldn’t have believed it if she hadn’t just witnessed it with her own eyes. “And Princess Luna.”

Spike gulps as well, staring outside.

“Their magic is being drained, too.”

66 The Traitor

“How did this happen?” Spike exclaims loudly, waving his claws about in a probably-too-on-the-muzzle interpretation of Twilight, if he was doing it consciously. “How did…” he looks over the numbers of ponies, trying to read Celestia's shaky hoofwriting, “five dozen guards, all those on duty, simultaneously show symptoms? And the doctors?”

“Knowing Shining Armor, I bet none of them wanted to look weak in front of their comrades, and the doctors didn't want to abandon their patients until it was too late. But, their pride and devotion aside, there has to be some common thread,” Twilight says as she quills a letter to Luna, demanding every scrap of information the doctors have gathered, not only on the ponies who were drained initially by Tirek but also those who weren’t. “I want…”

She pauses, Spike waiting with a quill ready to write. “I want Celestia to be tested, too. And Cadance.” She gulps. “And myself. We need a baseline, and it should have been done yesterday.”

Spike snorts, motioning to Starswirl’s spellbook even while he composes and sends off a few letters. “Well, if you play your cards right, maybe that’s an option.”

Twilight rolls her eyes. “Please, Spike, I hardly think time travel is the right choice. Besides, if it didn’t happen already, then it won’t; I’d be sending myself to another universe instead.”

“But that’s all theoretical.” Spike lifts up Starswirl’s book, “Just because Starswirl wrote it, doesn’t mean it’s true, or the last word.” He flips to the last page, pointing decisively, a smirk on his face.

Twilight sighs, a raspberry aura gently tugging the book from Spike’s claws and putting it back on the table. “That’s right. But now isn’t the time-” Spike rolls his eyes “-to take a sledgehammer to the problem when a scalpel will suffice.”

“Hmm,” Twilight says as Spike begins belching letter after letter, growing a little worried, “maybe I should get one of those telepresence crystals Chrysalis had. Not that you aren’t my Best Assistant, but because I worry about you.”

“Urgh,” Spike says, staggering towards the kitchen and pulling out his stash of gems. He comes back as Twilight reads through the reports. “Hey, I’m playing my part, just like you.”

“That you are.” Twilight’s horn lights, soon surrounded by chalkboards and stacks of blank paper. “Oh, good, they gave me the histories of everypony as well.” Her eyes, well, sparkle with anticipation of the mathematical abstractions and analyses ahead. It takes some time, and soon the library is chock full of graphs waiting to be filled.

“Are you going to be okay staying up two nights in a row?” Spike says, concerned. “I’m just saying, I took a nap, so I’ll be good for now, but Owlowiscious can’t deliver letters.” The owl hoots, annoyed. “Okay, he can, but not as good as me!”

“I’ll be fine, Spike,” Twilight says as she gets the second round of updates, especially those of the alicorns. “I appreciate your concern.” Her eyes go wide as she reads. “Oh, no. I know who does need your concern.”

“Who?” Spike asks at the same time as Owlowiscious.

“The Princesses. Specifically, Celestia and Luna.” Twilight sets down the letter, staring blankly.

“It’s bad?” Spike asks.

Twilight grimly nods as she goes up to one of the chalkboards, writes the alicorn’s names on the bottom, and makes two marks above Celestia and Luna’s names.

“Wait,” Spike says, “I thought their powers were too high to be quantifiable with normal methods.”

“Normally, yes,” Twilight confirms. “It would be like trying to figure out the weight of a house, but you don't know how deep the foundation is. But the Sun and Moon used to be raised by five unicorns, though the strain wore on them considerably. Luna is at that level now, where she can barely accomplish that feat unaided. And she steadily gets worse. Celestia will reach that level soon, and I doubt she will make it to morning with the strength to raise the Sun.”

Spike’s eyes grow wide. “That’s… that’s bad.”

Twilight nods, no longer sorry about her role as backup to the backup. “My own power, and Cadance’s, are holding steady. Together, we might be able to raise the Sun and lower the Moon, especially with Celestia and Luna coaching us. But if we interact with them too closely, or in the wrong way, we might be affected by whatever is draining them, too.”

“Okay, so, something is draining the Princesses.” Spike gains a pensive look.

“Hmm,” Twilight says, studying the data.

“Hmm?” Spike says, his questioning response almost demanding an explanation.

“Hey, mysteries like this are often explained by a ‘hmm’ of something that doesn’t fit. In this case… why are the ponies who are close to running out, who have little left to give, not being drained more? It’s like…” Twilight starts drawing, a dozen cylinders full of liquid, all draining into a lake. “It’s like the spell is pulling their magic based on how much they are able to give up. It won’t take more from them, unless there is nopony else to draw from. And if a new tank is added…”

Twilight adds a large tank, a quick sketch of Luna’s cutie mark at the bottom. “Then it could cover for many ponies. Until it too runs out.” She adds another, truly gigantic, this time with Celestia’s mark. “But then when we run out of tanks…”

“We’ll just have to solve this before that happens, right?” Spike asks with a hopeful smile. But when Twilight says nothing he continues, “But where is all that magic going?”

“It…” Twilight stares at her graphs showing dozens of ponies and their gradual deteriorations in how much magic was in their bodies. Her eyes suddenly light up. “Of course! With everypony else, we caught that they were being drained too late, and there wasn’t enough magic to follow properly. But with the Princesses, we can get a heading!”

“A heading? Like a direction?” Spike frowns. “What will that tell us?”

“It will tell us where the magic is going! Assuming their magic is going to the same spot.” Twilight writes out another quick pair of letters, Spike sending them away.

Spike coughs up two letters almost instantly. “Wow, that’s a lot of numbers after the decimal place.”

“They’re just being exact.” Twilight pulls out a map, marking their locations. “Now I just need to go to where my reciprocal matches up with theirs.” Spike finds himself on Twilight’s back as she takes off, heading west at first, then correcting her route. Color drains from her face as she realizes exactly where she is going: straight for Sweet Apple Acres.

Twilight opens the door to the Carrot House, revealing Doug laying on the couch with Rainbow Dash at his feet and Applejack at his side. The other four mares are with the four little ones and playing games. All eyes turn to her.

“Twilight?” Doug asks hesitantly. “What’s up?”

“It’s you,” Twilight says, her voice shaking. “All the magic is going to you.”

“It is?” Doug says, immediately fearful. “How?”

“Everypony that Tirek drained, they…” Twilight gasps as she realizes. “It’s everypony they touched. Or everypony that you touched. You must have touched Celestia.” Her horn flares at Doug's delayed nod, involuntarily taking a step backwards at the revelation. She points a hoof at every pony in the room. “All of you are being drained, right now!”

“We are?” Rainbow Dash demands, though her angry expression quickly fades. “Now that you mention it, I am a little tired, and having some trouble flying. Only a little, you know.” The other ponies nod; Twilight notices a light tint of gray on each of them, barely noticeable. It's more visible on the fillies, and Lemon's cutie mark is slowly fading.

“I’m not saying you’re behind this, Doug,” Twilight says reassuringly, the human starting to panic. “But I think I know who is.”

“Who?” asks the ten ponies in the room.

“Discord.”

The ominous sound of claw clapping paw reverberates through the house, Discord appearing in all of his terrible glory, though the manifestations of chaos seem to be on hold for now. “Bravo! Bravo! Well done, Twilight! I thought you’d never get it.” Discord bows slightly, tipping a non-existent hat to her.

“Isn’t there supposed to be a ‘but’?” Twilight asks, unamused.

“Is there? I thought you were going to have to resort to cold blooded murder before you got it. Color me pleasantly surprised.” Discord smiles as he grabs one of the filly’s markers, drawing all over himself.

Twilight stamps a hoof, shaking the timbers of the house. “That’s enough, Discord! How can we fix this?”

“Don't you want to know how I did it?" Discord says, though none of them say anything. “It…” Discord tries to start talking but can’t, doubling over in laughter. “It was so easy!”

“What was easy?” Applejack asks with a glare in her eyes, though her breathing is more labored than normal.

“What I had to do!” Discord disappears briefly, reappearing next to Doug wearing a blue shirt with a red, yellow, and blue band that stretches from shoulder to shoulder. He explains in the obnoxiously conceited voice of a teenage boy, “All I had to do was reverse the polarity!”

“The what-now?” Twilight Sparkle says, everypony just as confused. Doug looks unimpressed.

“The… the polarity of his spell? I reversed it? So Tirek, instead of draining magic from Doug, made it drain to him instead?” Discord makes little motions with his claws that don’t really mean anything. “Get it?”

“Perhaps we tire of your petty games,” Doug says flatly.

Discord shakes of his head disapprovingly. “You remember our little deal, don’t you?”

“Deal?” demands Rainbow Dash, taking flight but only barely able to keep herself aloft. She spins to lock eyes with Doug, the human glancing away. “What deal?”

“You…” Doug starts, suddenly finding it awfully difficult to breath, his heart hammering in his chest. “I would stop calling you Alarak.”

“Yes,” Discord confirms with a stretched out word, his smirk growing just as wide, a building anticipation as if he has a thousand party cannons ready to go off the moment Doug reveals the truth.

“And in return, you would only betray me the once.” Doug barely turns his face to the side as explosions fill the room with confetti, weathering the storm of paper with a look of despondency. “This is you betraying us.”

“Ding Ding Ding!!” Discord shouts, waving his arms in the air like he just doesn’t care. “Remember me saying that?” Discord pulls down a section of reality, revealing Doug talking to Discord in the statue garden. Then Discord thrusts his claws to Doug, the human reluctantly shaking them. “See?!” Discord exclaims, “I did say that!” He grins, though no pony reacts. “We have a winner! And what have you won?”

“The slow, agonizing death of an entire race,” Doug says to nopony in particular, his low voice carrying across the otherwise silent room.

“Oh, please, don’t be so melodramatic about it.” Discord huffs, shaking his head and pulling out a human skull. He pantomimes it talking, then tosses it behind him.

“But you said you didn’t do anything!” Applejack says accusingly, snorting as she gears up to fight, a hoof going to her necklace.

“OBJECTION!!” Discord shouts as he slams his leonine paw on a nearby table. He waits about half a second before raising his arm to point accusingly back at Applejack, his mouth opening but not moving as words come out. “I never said I would do nothing until this had already happened. And, from my promise before, I highly doubt any of you would call what I did here ‘helping’. And after that I kept my word and did nothing at all.”

“OBJECTION!!” shouts Twilight Sparkle, mimicking Discord’s motion as she slams a hoof onto a table, pointing at Discord a moment later. “You’re helping us learn a lesson.”

“Overruled.” Discord wears a judge’s wig and robes, wielding a gavel more properly termed a giant two-hooved hammer. “Anything could be construed as anything else when you twist the terms like that. Besides, you don’t think I actually want all of you to die, do you? The world would be so boring then!”

“After this, I don’t know what to expect from you.” Twilight sighs heavily, moping. “I never thought it would be nothing, and it turned out to be even less than that.”

“Oh, come now, why the long face?” Discord, back to normal, pouts as he inspects Twilight’s mournful face. “Is it because you’re a little horse?”

“Petty insults?” Twilight says, slowly shaking her head from side to side. “I thought better of you, Discord. But I guess I was wrong.”

“You are wrong on a great many things, Twilight Sparkle,” Discord says sternly, “including my apparent vengeful streak against you ponies. If I truly wanted your destruction, then why would I have installed this?”

Discord vigorously motions to Doug. The human merely glances down at his bare chest, nothing out of the ordinary.

“What are we supposed to be looking at?” Rainbow Dash asks, everypony sharing her confusion.

“This!” Discord says, twisting a claw through the air. A very confused Doug spins around to reveal a giant light switch sticking out of his back, easily as large as a foreleg. The top and bottom are labeled with blurred out four letter words.

“How in the hay did you miss that?” Twilight Sparkle demands, looking at her six herdmates. They don’t do much besides exchange sheepish looks, none meeting Twilight’s eyes.

“Well, we were kind of focused on a different rod sticking out of him along the train ride,” Rarity admits when nopony else says anything.

“I’m getting pregnant for sure,” Fluttershy confides with a cocky grin and rub of her tummy, despite her heat having ended a month ago.

"Trixie... may feel the same way."

“That’s…” Twilight says, letting out a loud sigh as her hoof meets her head, though she doesn’t actually confirm or deny Fluttershy’s suspicion. “I don’t even.”

“Putting aside peculiarities of pony procreation,” Discord says, motioning towards the light switch like he is playing a game show, “all we need to do is change Micro Man here from ‘Suck’ to ‘Blow’!”

With a flick of his claw Discord flips the light switch from up to down. Everypony takes a deep breath, glancing down as if expecting their power to return immediately.

Nothing happens.

“Maybe he needs time to boot up?” Twilight Sparkle suggests, smirking.

“Never a problem when I was with him,” Rainbow Dash proclaims, every mare nodding along.

Discord inspects Doug with a frown. A long, “Hmm,” is accompanied by him flicking the switch up and down a few times.

Then Discord’s eyes go wide, his attempt to snap his claws resulting in not even a burst of sound.

An inhuman - and inequine - scream of agony fills the room as Discord’s mouth is wrenched open. Torrents of dark blue, purple, and black energy visibly course through the air like a river, the draconequus powerless to stop as every last ounce of chaos magic is drained into Doug, leaving a dull gray and brown body writhing on the floor.

67 The Sacrifice

“Discord!” Fluttershy screams, rushing over to the downed draconequus. She wraps her hooves around his tubular body, unbidden tears welling in her eyes. “Are you okay? Talk to me! Say something!”

“F-Fluttershy?” Discord barely manages to eke out, his voice fading. He limply raises a claw, delicately stroking her sobbing face. “You… you’re w-worried about… me?”

“Of course I am!” Fluttershy wails, Discord’s head flopping back and forth as Fluttershy shakes him. “We’re friends, and-”

Anything else she says is lost as she buries her head against him.

“I… I’m sorry,” Discord quietly says, his head lolling back. “I-I didn’t mean for this to happen.”

“Oh, you’re just sorry you got sucked into your own trap,” Applejack practically spits out. “Not for any of the pain and suffering you caused.”

“Applejack!” Rarity exclaims. Fluttershy backs away from Discords, looking confused. “I know your thing is honesty, but come on! You shouldn’t say things like that!”

“Yeah, well, we were all thinking it,” Rainbow Dash says dourly. “A taste of his own medicine is perfect, if you ask me.”

“Rainbow!” Pinkie Pie says, in tears. “Can’t you see how much he is hurting?”

“No, she’s right,” Discord says weakly, barely able to raise his head to look at everypony. “I was only thinking about myself. I realize now that a true friend takes into account their friend’s feelings, and how their actions impact others.”

“Not just their friend’s feelings, but everypony’s feelings.” Trixie motions to herself. “Trixie admits that she may not have always done the same in the past, but these six have helped her learn about the magic of Friendship in ways she never thought possible.”

“Really?” Applejack says, raising an eyebrow.

“Well, Trixie may not have learned all the lessons, but she got the general point of them.”

“And,” Discord continues, seeming to gain the tiniest hint of strength. “I’m sorry that I put you all through this. I truly am. And not just because I find myself unable to conjure even the barest shred of chaos. But after this betrayal, I can understand you all shattering my statue. Assuming you all get through this, somehow.” Then he flops over, spent.

“No.”

Discord looks at Twilight, very surprised. “What?”

“Not a betrayal. A sacrifice.”

Applejack sputters for a moment before saying, “‘Scuse me, but what did Ah just say? Because Discord was being the most dishonest-”

“-Ungenerous-”

“-Disloyal-”

“-Unkind-”

Pinkie Pie hesitates for a moment before saying, “Making ponies feel really really bad and not laughing-”

“-and unfriendly thing possible.” Trixie returns the glances the others are giving her. “What? I’m just finishing the set, since Twilight wouldn’t.”

“That’s true,” Twilight concedes with a nod of her head. “You are all correct. Discord’s actions were about as unharmonious as you can get. But the important part is that he’s realized the error of his ways.”

Discord looks as contrite as draconequusly possible, which is to say that he looks like one of the Crusaders trying to pull a fast one. “I have, I truly have. You all gave me the opportunity to be your friends, and to teach my magic. If I had something to give you that would prove my gratitude and loyalty I would. I wish my word meant something. But since I have nothing, not even friendship, or magic, I have no way to prove to you that I am telling the truth.”

Discord slumps over, his eyes closing, and breathes his last.

“NO!!” Twilight exclaims as her horn lights. A raspberry glow fills the room, slowly shrinking down and down until it is a bottle sized glob of energy floating in midair. Twilight’s magic ceases, the glob falling to the floor and bouncing with a rubbery thump. Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Trixie all pile onto Discord, tears in their eyes.

Fluttershy looks around nervously. She says, “Oh, are we done being angry at Discord?” as she moves over, grabbing the lump of pure magic and sliding it into Discord’s mouth. It makes a visible protrusion in his throat, accompanied by a dim glow that slowly gets brighter and brighter.

Discord hacks as he comes to, his eyes bursting open. His pupils, Instead of his normal red, are raspberry, and they quickly find Twilight. “You… you saved me?”

“Twilight Sparkle does not fail. Not here, not ever.” Twilight offers a small smile, then turns to Doug.

The entire time Doug has been sitting in a stupor, staring at his hands.

“Elements, are you ready?” Twilight asks. She glances to the four young ponies. “You all may want to stand back.”

“Are we sure this is going to work?” Applejack says, though she lines up next to Twilight just like everypony else.

Twilight opens her mouth, then closes it. After a moment she says, “Spike, take a letter.”

“Ready,” Spike says, the four youngsters and Trixie joining him in crouching in the kitchen, all careful not to touch him.

“From Princess Twilight Sparkle and the Elements of Harmony. The drain affecting Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and the brave ponies in Manehatten was the result of a magical misfire. Doug Apple was attempting to stop Lord Tirek from his rampage when the mishap occurred. It is ongoing, and spreads through physical contact with affected ponies, though that may not be the only way. The drain affects those most able to give their magic, and will eventually kill everypony affected if it is not stopped. Myself and the Bearers of Harmony are going to use our powers to attempt to stop it. If we fail, may Celestia… may Faust have mercy on our souls.”

“And who do you want me to send this to?” Spike asks as he finishes writing.

“Princess Cadance. Instruct her to make some sort of release to the general public if she doesn’t hear back from us. She can… she can assume that it didn’t work if that happens.”

Spike nods, the letter disappearing in a burst of green fire. He then hunkers down, watching with wide eyes.

Twilight Sparkle and the other five Elements of Harmony levitate into the air, their necklaces glowing pure white. “Doug… I’m sorry,” she says quietly.

Doug glances up, staring Twilight in the eyes. He gives the briefest nod, as if he himself is pressing the button to fire.

Six arcs of color - purple, blue, white, yellow, orange, and pink - ripple outwards from each mare. They coalesce in the limited space of the room, forming a rainbow that plunges directly into Doug’s chest.

Doug barely reacts, his mouth opening but not in pain, merely curiosity.

A blindingly bright light fills the room, the sound of five bodies hitting the floor following shortly after.

A bipedal figure stands, black against the white background. He walks forward to the first fallen equine, checking her pulse. It is impossible to tell if he smiles or not, but he moves to the next pony, and the next.

“Di… did it work?” a southern accent ekes out as the figure steps next to a hat wearing pony.

“I… I don’t think so,” Twilight says from the doorway. Her voice is filled with sorrow. Suddenly a raspberry glow pierces through the white, color slowly returning to everything and everypony. It almost looks like her illumination spell isn’t working, because the five cutie-markless mares on the ground are almost completely gray, a tinge of color indicating their original hue. "Spike?"

"On it," the dragon replies, hastily scribbling out a letter.

“Well…” Fluttershy says as she limply gets to her hooves, “we tried our best.”

“Pony I feel awful,” Rainbow Dash says, trying to take to the air. Her wings beat uselessly. “Hey! My wings don’t work!” She turns to the human crouching above Pinkie Pie, her normally poofy mane laying flat against the ground. “Give it back!”

Rainbow Dash’s wings flap, but again they fail to propel her. She gallops instead, first one hoof and then another beating against the human. He doesn’t even flinch, weathering the blows as if they came from the wind.

“My magic,” Rainbow Dash sobs, crumpling to the floor. “Not again…”

“Y-you can fix this, right? Twilight?” Rarity asks, her voice shaking. “Twilight?”

The lavender alicorn doesn’t respond.

“I can feel it,” Doug says, his voice carefully controlled. “The magic. Whatever Discord did to me, when I got his magic, locked me up. Like dividing by zero.” He glances down at the draconequus laying on the floor, who meekly smiles back at him. “Then, the Elements cancelled it. Like they multiplied it by zero.”

“So… you’re undefined?” Twilight says, cocking her head. “But…”

“More like I can see the rest of the equation. I know how many ponies are affected. I know… I know how long they will last. It… it isn’t long.” Doug sighs, sinking to the floor. “You won’t last the night. And I can’t do anything!”

Doug slams his hand into the floor, driving his fist through the solid wood.

“That’s unacceptable,” Twilight says resolutely. “We can’t give up! We will find a way!”

Doug, mostly ignoring Twilight, frowns. He looks at the kitchen and the six creatures huddling there. “Odd.”

“Odd?” Twilight asks as Lemon, Hedge, Pomarbo, and Meringue step out. Lemon is missing her cutie mark, but they are each their original color. Twilight’s horn flares; she gasps as she studies their magic. “You’ve completely drained them! They should be dead!”

“I’m not dead!” Lemon says, smiling.

“I’m not dead!” Hedge echoes.

“They said they’re not dead!” Pinkie Pie exclaims.

“Well, they will be soon!” Twilight stamps a hoof. “They should be deathly ill!”

“I’m getting better,” Hedge says with a nervous smile. Her wings buzz, barely lifting her.

“No, you’ll be stone dead in a moment!” Twilight grits her teeth when they don’t.

“Inadvisable.”

“Way to ruin it,” Pinkie Pie whispers to Meringue. The yellow filly sticks her tongue out at her dam.

Twilight stares at them for a moment longer. Then she scans herself, sighing in relief. “Well, I’m still not affected. Or at least not showing the symptoms.”

“That’s good,” Doug says, staring at his fingers. He intones in a deep voice, “What’s Mine Is Mine.”

Suddenly, a great rumble appears outside. The six mares each wince in pain while Twilight quickly counts the five hundred rocks that appeared as if from nothing.

“Please don’t do that again,” whispers Fluttershy, holding her side. “It really hurt.”

“I can control it.” Doug looks at Discord. “This is overwhelming.”

“Then can you give it back?” Rainbow Dash asks, trying her wings again. “Please?”

“I… I don’t know.” Doug concentrates for a moment, then shakes his head. He looks at the rocks outside. “Well, it’s a good thing I didn’t say Show Me…”

“The money?” Pinkie Pie suggests. Then her eyes go wide, violently shaking her head. “Please please please don’t say that!”

“I doubt I will,” Doug says, ignoring Pinkie Pie as she makes the motions of a Pinkie Promise. “You’ll have to trust me.”

Her pout is approximately three times more effective than Discord’s at eliciting sympathy, but it isn’t enough.

Suddenly, every affected mare breathes a sigh of relief. A letter soon erupts from Spike’s mouth.

“From Cadance,” reads the dragon, “I am sorry to hear the plan failed. I sent out your letter to every guard unit in Equestria. What resulted, I cannot have predicted. Many ponies had fled Manehatten. They quarantined themselves, as if they were afraid of catching it. Many of them fell ill, just like the Manehatten guards. But that’s not the important part. Ponies, upon hearing your predicament, have flocked not away from those drained but towards. They are, to a mare, throwing themselves into the line of fire to buy you time. I can only hope their sacrifice buys you enough.”

“I can feel them,” confirms Doug, again staring at his hands. He slowly, calmly breathes out, settling into a meditative stance. “I can slow it down.” He frowns. “But I cannot stop it.”

“Then it’s up to me.” Twilight scans Spike, grinning that he is still unaffected. They disappear in a flash, teleporting back to the library.

68 Hope

Twilight Sparkle reappears in her library with a loud crack, depositing Spike next to the pile of books. “Oh, Spike!” she lets out in a loud wail, a pillow flying through the air for her to bury her face in. She screams through the pillow; it barely deadens the sound. “What am I going to do?”

“Well, Rarity likes eating ice cream,” Spike offers, getting up to make his way to the kitchen. He yawns. “Probably could do with some coffee, too.”

“I don’t need succulents or stimulants!” Twilight slaps a hoof against the table, barely avoiding the nearest book and lightly enough to not leave a mark. “The Elements of Harmony didn’t work! Why didn’t they work?”

“Well, maybe because they aren’t supposed to be a catch-all solution to every one of our problems?” Spike shrugs as Twilight huffs. “I mean, don’t you have a fail-safe spell that will fix everything?” Twilight nods, though not very enthusiastically. “Have you ever cast it?”

“Well, no,” Twilight admits, scratching at the floor glumly.

“And why not?” Spike folds his claws across his chest.

“Because I’m afraid it will fail,” Twilight admits in a quiet voice.

“Exactly. Tough problems like this aren’t going to be solved by just waving a horn around.” Spike taps a claw against his chin. “Remember what it was like with the Cutie Mark Crusaders?”

Twilight stares at Spike for a few seconds, as if she is thinking through all the times with the Crusaders. “The time with the tree sap?”

“They all had tree sap,” Spike drolly replies.

“The time when Diamond Tiara got her cutie mark and they were all bummed for a week?”

Spike shakes his head. “Closer.”

“When I pulled all the chaos magic inside of them together, and they got their cutie marks?”

Spike raises an eyebrow. “Just you?”

Twilight’s eyes brighten. “Of course! It wasn’t just me, I had Friends there to help me!”

“Exactly!” Spike smiles as Twilight stands up. “Wait, what are you doing?”

“Getting Starlight! I’ll be right back!” Twilight disappears in a crack of magic, leaving Spike sighing to himself.

Twilight appears high above Canterlot, studying the train tracks leaving the capital city. She reorients herself to the northeast, another flash of magic taking her to a station in the seeming middle of nowhere. Her wings carry her along until she spots a thin row of houses, following the path Starlight told Doug of how to get to Our Town.

There is a surprising amount of activity in the small village, a gloomy procession of ponies proceeding into one of the houses. A quick scan reveals the ponies exiting the house are actively being drained, their coats slightly duller than their counterparts. She frowns at the lack of a certain pink unicorn, landing next to one of the undrained ponies. “Hello, my name is Twilight Sparkle.”

“Welcome!” the stallion says with a cheery smile, though it immediately fades to the pursed look everypony else shares. He looks her up and down. “If you don’t mind me asking, what brings a Princess to our little corner of Equestria?”

“I’m looking for Starlight Glimmer. Is she around somewhere?”

The stallion motions with a hoof to some of the hoofhills. “She’s at the cave, monitoring the crystal. There was… an accident. Why?”

“I need to talk to her. Thank you for the help,” Twilight says, perhaps more curtly than she could have, as she teleports in the indicated direction. She follows the rough trail leading to one of the caves, following the constant surge of magic inside.

The glow inside grabs her attention, her eye instantly drawn to the single blown out section. Dozens of cutie marks remain, encased in the crystal; several are shaking, and one begins vibrating violently. Starlight Glimmer, cutie mark of an equals sign, is standing next to the Cutie Mark Crusaders, each markless. Her horn flares as she consults a list, a section of crystal sliding open. The vibrating cutie mark slips out, but rather than return to its owner it dissipates into nothing.

“Hello, Starlight Glimmer,” Twilight says as she steps forward into the room. “Can you talk?”

Starlight Glimmer shrugs. “Just watching the future of Equestria slip away, one cutie mark at a time. What are you doing here?”

Twilight frowns at the implication. “I came to ask for your help.”

“Me.” Starlight turns as another cutie mark disappears into the aether. “Why?”

“Because your brilliant insight helped these three,” Twilight motions to the Crusaders, “and I’m hoping you can pull it off again.”

“The great Twilight Sparkle admitting she isn’t big enough for the job? Wow, it must really be important.” Starlight horn flares again as she turns back to the crystal.

“You read the letter,” Twilight says, growing impatient. “Are you in?”

Starlight bows her head, choking back a sob, her sarcastic exterior crumbling. “We’re not making it out. I can’t help. You’re out of ideas, if you’re coming to me. And with Celestia and Luna gone…”

“They’re not gone. We can still do this.” Twilight finds Starlight’s cutie mark, sliding open the panel.

“What are you doing?” Starlight demands, watching Twilight warily.

“You’ll definitely want your cutie mark for this.” Twilight’s horn glows, sending Starlight’s cutie mark careening towards the startled unicorn. The teal and purple wisp of magic slams into her, knocking the unicorn down. She slowly gets to her hooves as Twilight opens a different cage, that cutie mark dissipating.

“I see. It really does make a difference.” Starlight pauses for a moment before her contemplative expression fades to a scowl. “I hate it.” Starlight Glimmer huffs. “Not you, or my cutie mark, but this.” She motions to the area around her. “That I was wrong, that these cutie marks really do give us purpose.”

The Cutie Mark Crusaders wisely stay silent, merely scratching another name off the list.

“You’re still welcome,” Twilight says with a smile, the first she’s had in what feels like a long time. “To stay with us. To be Friends. Once this is all over and taken care of.”

“Yup.” Starlight takes a deep breath, closing her eyes. “Okay, back to the problem at hoof. What have you done?”

“Um, we tried the Elements of Harmony. They didn’t work, and nearly fully drained the other Element Bearers.”

Starlight opens an eye to regard Twilight. “Have you tried hitting him with a hoof?”

Twilight rolls her eyes, “No, and we haven’t tried turning him off and then back on again. Why? What are you thinking?”

“Well, maybe we should start with that.” Starlight’s horn glows, the last door opening, leaving a marred giant crystal and a much dimmer glow than before. She sighs, a last look at her life’s work as she takes two steps towards Twilight. “Where is he?”

“Ponyville.” Twilight steps next to Starlight. “Ready?”

Starlight shrugs, the two disappearing with a very loud crack.

“So,” Twilight says as they appear in the center of the Golden Oaks Library, “how do we turn him off? Get him to go to sleep?”

“Has he?” Starlight asks, inspecting Twilight. She frowns at the alicorn’s tired sigh. “Have you?”

“I don’t think so. I’m too wired to sleep, and I bet he’s the same way.”

“Well, it’s a start. But there’s another way to put somepony to sleep.” Starlight mimes hitting herself in the head with a hoof.

“Okay, well, Rainbow Dash tried something like that, but he didn’t even flinch. Granted, she didn’t hit him very hard.” Twilight pauses. “With all that magic… how hard do I need to hit him?”

“I would liken it to a gemstone.” Starlight draws a hoof over a wooden desk, leaving a long groove. She picks up Star Swirl’s spellbook, leafing through it. “You just have to be harder than he is.”

Twilight stares at her own hoof, twisting it this way and that and imagining it striking Doug. “I’m going to need more power.”

Almost on cue, not one but three alicorns land outside the Golden Oaks Library. Cadance enters first, staying well away as Celestia and Luna.

“You... “ Twilight says, confused at their approach. “What are you doing here?”

“The drain underestimates the power needed to raise the moon.” Celestia steps forward, bowing down. “I suspect it will be the same with the sun.”

“We propose giving you our remaining magic,” Luna says, motioning to Celestia, then joining her Sister. “We hope that you will be able to carry on in our stead. With the ponies of Equestria bravely giving of themselves, we should be able to weather the loss.”

“That… that could work.” Twilight nods, turning to Starlight. “With the remaining Alicorn magic, I might be able to dislodge the spell from Doug. Without a lid on his bottomless well it should all escape, hopefully returning to everypony.”

“And if that fails?” Celestia asks, glancing at Starlight as she holds up Star Swirl’s spellbook.

“Time travel.” Starlight flips to a page almost to the end.

“And you are?” Cadance asks, readying herself as if for battle.

“Starlight Glimmer. I helped Twilight with a magical problem before, and she requested my help.” She turns to Twilight. “All you have to do is go back in time with this spell, to a week ago, and tell yourself what’s going to happen. Then we find Tirek before any of this can happen, and stop Doug from meeting up with him.”

Twilight considers for a second before she sighs. “It won’t work.”

“Why not?” Starlight demands, glaring at Twilight.

“Because it didn’t happen.” Twilight motions towards the book. “That spell requires a closed loop. If I never met myself from the future, then I can’t go to the past and tell myself something.”

Starlight lets out a long sigh, looking back at the book. Gears turn in her mind as she starts muttering to herself.

“But time travel is extremely finicky,” Twilight Sparkle says, glancing to Celestia for confirmation. She studied with Star Swirl, after all. “And a lot of it is linked to dimensional travel. After all, according to the infinite universe theory: every decision everypony makes, and maybe even more than that, results in two or more universes splitting off. Time travel is very frequently misconstrued as going back in time when instead you’re traveling to another one of those universes.”

“And you need an extraordinarily large amount of power to do so,” Celestia adds. “Not the kind we could provide on a moment’s notice, even if each of us was at full strength. You would need a…” Celestia trails off for a moment before continuing, “You would need to find a ‘when’ when that already happened, where the fabric of space and time was already weakened.”

“You know of one,” Twilight says, turning to regard the white alicorn.

“Yes,” Celestia admits, glancing towards Sweet Apple Acres. “It was the moment Doug arrived in Equestria. It was masked by a disturbance at another location, a temple that housed the capacitor that provided the energy.”

“Starlight, can you work that out?” Twilight asks, the pink unicorn somewhere between a scowl and a look of euphoria brought on by reckless abandon.

“In what time frame? Maybe if I had exact coordinates, both spatially and temporally. We’d need to account for the rotation of the planet, which means you leaving at exactly the same time you want to arrive.” Starlight frowns at the difficulty. “You have all that information?”

“We do,” Celestia confirms, writing it down.

“If I only had some confirmation this would work,” Twilight says, still unsure.

All of a sudden a raspberry glow appears in the middle of the library. It slowly expands, growing brighter and brighter, pressing everypony to the walls as it soon envelopes half the library.

“What’s going on?!” shouts Twilight Sparkle, her own horn flaring and ready to shield herself.

Everypony takes a step back, gasping as a second Twilight Sparkle appears out of the light, collapsed against the floor of the library.

“You’re me!” Twilight exclaims, bounding up and down in her best Pinkie Pie impersonation. “Do you have some super important message from the future? Oh, I can’t wait to hear it! What-”

“Celestia, please silence her,” the second Twilight asks as she gets up, reading off a note card. “I have important news, and she’ll interrupt it.”

“How do you know this?” Celestia asks, though she complies, a golden glow surrounding Twilight number one. She looks quite cross, and probably able to overpower Celestia in her weakened state, but sits down and crosses her forelegs across her chest.

“Because I know me. Now, I know what you’re thinking sounds risky, but it all works out in the end. You see, all you have to do is-” Twilight cuts off as she disappears into nothing.

“Oh, come on!” Twilight shouts, the golden glow around her fading. “Seriously? I couldn’t prepare anything better than that?”

70 Death

Celestia returns to Sweet Apple Acres to find Starlight Glimmer, Luna, and Cadance sitting in a circle and playing Old Mare. At least, they play until a pair of Princesses are pulled. Then they tally which alicorn is stuck being the titular solitary Princess, condemned to a lifetime of public service while the other two get to go on and do whatever happily married mares do. Like have adventures. Celestia wryly notes that her namesake card has been pulled out of the deck, hopefully because she already spent many a lifetime as said ruler and not because her rule didn’t go over very well.

It is with some mirth that she notes that Twilight Sparkle is far ahead on the score, though due to luck, fate, or collaboration between the players she cannot tell. Still, her questioning gaze as she approaches gets her fellow Princesses to turn and nod their heads in greeting.

“Thou succeeded in thy plan?” Luna asks, smiling at Celestia’s nod.

“And bought us a little more time. I take it things are progressing slower than we hoped?” Celestia asks as she settles down as Starlight grabs the Lunar Princess from Cadance and pairs it with her own Princess of Love. Another tally into the Twilight column and a light turquoise encases the cards, shuffling rapidly.

“Well, I finished my part,” Starlight Glimmer says glumly, motioning to the scroll beside her. Alongside it rests an ax, a bucket of water, and a feather duster, among other items. “Twilight, however… hasn’t.”

Heads turn to watch as an infuriated Twilight breaks a tree - not an apple, one of the oaks - across Doug’s chest. She hurls down the remainder of the trunk in frustration, pulling out a list and scratching another item off. Not many lines remain, and Spike frantically searches through an encyclopedia.

“Come on, Twilight!” Doug yells, long past exasperation and actively provoking the mare. “You’re going to have to hit harder than that!”

“What do you think I’ve been trying to do!?” shouts the alicorn, her eyes ablaze. She kicks up a stream of dirt as she spins to Spike, bellowing, “What’s next?”

“Well, he hasn’t been eaten by a hydra yet,” Spike says meekly, frowning as he takes a long drag of his coffee. His head disappears into the book. “Apparently they live in the Froggy Bottom Bog?”

“We don’t have time for that!” Twilight holds a hoof to her head. “Plus, a hydra’s teeth are so massive they aren’t any sharper that the ax. I highly doubt they can crush harder than me. Acid didn’t work, and neither did asphyxiation!”

“They really have been trying everything,” Celestia remarks. She gazes up at the moon. “Have they much time? I cannot tell if the moon has moved.”

“Neigh, she hasn’t,” Luna replies saltily. “Magic!” she bellows, though without the amplification of her Royal Canterlot it doesn’t have quite the same effect. She raises a hoof to the moon as Twilight looks over. “Mind our moon!”

“Urgh,” Twilight grunts as she concentrates, the moon jumping forward and then coming to a rest. “When does the spell need to be cast?”

“Soon,” Starlight replies. “And I’ve got it done when you’re ready.” She levitates the scroll, the other mares gazing wistfully at her aura.

“Excellent.” Twilight reads through it. “Hmm. It looks like the return voyage takes me right back here?”

“Yup. Basically, you’ll leave a Twilight sized hole in the fabric of reality when you leave. You should be able to return to that hole with a minimum expenditure of power. Well, compared to traveling to any other point in time and space. To us, it’ll appear as if you never left.”

“Or I’ll wipe this reality from existence.” Twilight sighs. “We’ll never have existed, not in this configuration.”

“More likely you’ll just never return, from our perspective.” Starlight glances as Doug walks up to Celestia, sitting down next to her. “If that’s the case, then things… don’t look good.”

“Without alicorn magic, or chaos? Perhaps there is an artifact that enables one of the other races to move the sun and moon.” Celestia looks over at Doug, offering a faint smile, her eyes filled with grief. “There will be naught left in Equestria but you and your eight foals.”

“That’s…” Doug says, grimacing at the thought, “not exactly a breeding population.”

“Harmony would provide,” Celestia states, almost religiously, though any can hear the doubt in her voice.

“Harmony doesn’t think I exist,” Doug retorts. “And they might spread this drain to anypony they meet, or their foals, and so on. Not exactly the recipe for friendly neighbors.”

“Indeed.” Celestia looks back at Twilight. “We shall continue to hope she perseveres, and triumphs against all adversity.”

“Yeah,” Doug replies icily. He stands, clearing his throat, loudly stating, “Twilight, I think we’ve been going about this the wrong way.”

“Really?” Twilight asks, perking up.

Doug stretches one arm, then the other. He takes a boxing stance, holding his fists up and standing several paces from Twilight. “All this time, I’ve just been a sandbag. I think you’ll do better with a real opponent.”

“What does that-”

A loud *crack* echoes among the trees. Doug steps back from Twilight’s raspberry shield, shaking the pain from his fist, the alicorn barely conjuring it in time.

“You nearly hit me!” shouts Twilight, aghast. “If you touch me, then-”

“Well, I guess I have my objective. Tag, I’m it.” Doug smirks, circling around Twilight before he lunges forward again. She blocks his combination of punches, then slips inside as he spins for a roundhouse kick at her head. Her blast of magic propels him upwards, only for him to keep his rotation going and slam his heel down on her rapidly adjusted shield. It buckles under the force, Twilight skidding away as Doug kicks back, hitting the ground and rolling to his feet.

“Better?” Twilight asks, a hint of a grin on her face.

“Better,” Doug concedes, cocky attitude on display, “but I’m just getting warmed up.”

He swings his arms in a wide, two handed swing, much too far away to actually hit Twilight. She readies herself nonetheless, her wariness paying off as a black and purple spear manifests in his hands. The tip shatters against her shield with a burst of sparks, launching into the air. Twilight rushes forwards, only for Doug to disappear with the barest flicker of magic. Time seems to slow for Twilight as she spins around, searching every direction.

The swish of air above her gives it away; Doug’s newly reformed spear leaves a black contrail as he thrusts downwards, Twilight only dodging with a teleport of her own. She pants as he lands on two feet and a hand, slowly drawing himself up and readying another charge.

Off to the side, a slightly duller but still sparkly Chrysalis pulls out a bottle of I Can’t Believe It’s Not Blubber, dribbling the blue oil-like substance over a tub of popcorn. She passes it to an adorable light blue changeling with pink wings.

“More tears and sadness?” Ocellus asks, a quiet sigh. “It’s not making me any happier about this.”

“You’ll eat your emotions and be content,” Chrysalis says, the harshness of her tone undercut by her sparkly form. “It’s what was on hoof, and we’ll break out the love when things get dire.”

“It’s not dire already?” Chrysalis shrugs as Ocellus continues, “Well, at least it’s fun to watch.”

With every passing minute Doug gets faster and faster, intertwining lightning fast jabs with bone crunching kicks. Twilight weathers each in turn, cracks appearing in her defenses that Doug takes every opportunity to exploit.

“One minute!” calls out Starlight Glimmer, staring at an hourglass.

“You’re weak and unfocused!” Doug yells as Twilight barely manages to maneuver her shield in time.

She takes to the air, scowling. “I just got this power, I’m not used to it!”

“Excuses!” Doug bellows, taking a deep breath. “Apparently saving your fellow ponies wasn’t motivation enough.” His hands raise, one finger swiping to the side. Then he slams his hands together, the loud clap drowned out by an explosion from the north end of Ponyville.

Twilight barely comprehends the scene in front of her. More like, she doesn’t want to comprehend. The Golden Oaks Library is in flames, an inferno rapidly consuming the place she calls home. Called home. All her books, her checklists, her memories; all turning to ash in front of her eyes.

Owlowiscious!

“You monster!” Twilight screams, wrath filling her very core. “You killed Owlowiscious!”

“Hoo!” Owlowiscious calls from behind her.

“MY ASSISTANT!! RAAGGH!” Twilight roars, eyes boiling over with rage as she charges Doug. Her telegraphed strikes surge with unbridled power, and each heavy hit finally gets a reaction out of Doug.

“Harder!” He yells, but despite his blocks he nevertheless staggers backwards, gasping for breath. “You know,” he smirks as he recovers, the alicorns and changelings weakening further, “I think I like this sensation of power! I just might keep it for myself! If you want it back, you’re going to have to kill me!”

The beating continues until Twilight rears upwards, leaving a gaping hole in her defense as she readies yet another brutal blow.

Doug rushes forwards, inches away from slamming into Twilight before she teleports away. She reappears just as Starlight Glimmer shouts, “Now!”

Twilight registers the voice, her mind instantly calculating the spell components, the precise position of the moon, and the amount of power it will take. Barely manageable. She casts, and while the spell leaves her winded it saps none of her rage.

The scene is eerily similar to the one she just left. If she paid attention, she might have noted how the trees are shorter, the orchards don’t stretch as far, and there is an odd sensation of the laws of space and time being violated more than normal. The moon in the sky has a rocky depiction of a mare, and she is all alone.

Except for her target.

Were she not maddened with rage, she might have realized that her mere presence would be enough to change the course of history. His thin, gangly form looks up at her with terror stricken eyes, desperately trying to scoot away, his hands coming up in vain. Defenseless, and her body reacts before her mind.

A thin ray of magic shoots out at the prone creature. It drills a hole straight through his head, vacant eyes staring at her as he slumps to the ground.

Twilight readies another blast, waiting for him to stand and laugh it off. Nothing greets her but eerie silence, and the realization of what she has done.

“DOUG!!” she bellows, racing down. Is this what I am? A cold blooded murderer, even if it will save our race? Even if we both knew it would happen? She cradles his limp form, tears streaming down her eyes. Loud sobs echo among the silent trees, the tall observers ignorant of her plight. A hoof goes to her belly; what would happen to Dawn and Dusk, with causality wrangled so?

Worst, she can feel the window to her present growing fainter and fainter, and she barely musters the strength to return to her own time, bearing the terrible news.

She misses the golden glow appearing above her, descending to wrap Doug in a golden aura.

Twilight appears on the outskirts of Ponyville, tears already beginning to dry. She chokes back another sob, trying to at least give the appearance that she has control of herself.

But there is nopony there.

Until a young alicorn appears in front of her. She has a coat the color of the empty moon, mane the oranges and reds of a billowing torch, cutie mark of a crescent moon, but oriented as a ‘U’. She hides her scowl well, and the charging of her horn.

“Hello,” Twilight greets the alicorn, trying to appear jovial. Her legs nearly buckle underneath her, not able to spare the magic to scan the unexpected arrival. “My name is Tw-”

Blinding light fills her eyes, and her other senses are assaulted just as quickly. Blind, deaf, and mute, a defenseless Twilight crumples to the ground. Even the searing pain of the connection to her horn being shorn off is nothing compared to the agony she feels inside.

71 Assassin's Favor

Twilight Sparkle mourns in silence, waiting for shackles to clamp onto her hooves, or a collar around her neck, or even an executioner’s blade. Anything would be preferable to being left with just her thoughts. They speak only of condemnation. And they are right, I am a murderer, I should be locked in Tartarus for this. I only wish I could have spoken to him one last time.

But it was necessary! A part of her mind argues. He knew it, and accepted it. What choice did we have?

I refuse to believe that! There must have been another way! I should have been more in control, I should have realized that he was trying to provoke me, to goad me into trying harder!

It worked, didn’t it? He was willing to go that far. How can you be so soft as to not?

The sound of wind rustling through the trees arouses Twilight from the depths of her self-recrimination. Then comes a young mare’s voice: barely out of her fillyhood, yet with a harshness far beyond her years. It brooks no hesitation or falsehood as it rings out from next to her.

“Phoebe predicted there would be three arriving. Where are the other two?!”

The shout startles Twilight, her mouth answering even though no sound comes out. “I came alone, unless you speak of my foals.” A hoof goes to her belly - or tries to, her limbs unresponsive. Despite the connection to her horn being blocked she can still feel their presence, and she breathes a heavy sigh of relief. They live; did that mean I failed? Or that I have another chance?

The sounds of the alicorn pacing around her reach Twilight’s ears, but little else. Her tones seems to have mellowed slightly, which means she’s slightly better than the worst Dash put out when training her. “Well, that wasn’t the activation to a stored spell. And attempting anything like that would be unwise.” The last word is spoken directly into Twilight’s ear, hot breath tingling the hair.

Twilight attempts to nod, mouthing the words I understand. She feels the bindings against her limbs fade, her throat loosens, yet her horn and eyes remain unresponsive.

“I will ask again,” the mare says. “Where are the other two?”

“I came alone,” Twilight repeats, “unless you speak of my foals.” Her hoof slowly moves down her side, trying not to provoke a response, rubbing the slight bulge.

“Twins?” comes the surprised response. Her voice no longer seems directed at Twilight, and there is a long pause. “Yes, that would satisfy. Who is the sire?”

“Doug,” Twilight replies. She frowns at the sharp intake of breath. “My name is Twilight Sparkle,” Twilight says meekly in the absence of anything else. “What can I call you?”

The mare is silent for several long seconds. Her voice wavers, “My name is Selene.”

Twilight’s eyes go wide as she gasps. “That is what Celestia would have named her foal, until Luna returned!”

“Doug was amenable to it,” Selene says guardedly.

“Doug lives?” Twilight nearly shouts, blindly jumping up. “How? He died! After I...” Twilight drops back down, sobbing again, covering her head with her hooves.

A hoof gently strokes her mane. “Celestia traced your spell, arriving just in time to save him.” Scales fall from Twilight’s eyes, her sight returning. The white alicorn stands almost muzzle to muzzle, inspecting her closely. “You speak of Luna returning. How?”

Twilight gazes back through teary eyes, unabashedly searching the young mare in front of her. If she had to guess, the same age as Scootaloo and the other Crusaders, but larger. Long, regal lines of her head and muzzle. The way she holds herself, commanding awe and respect just by existing. How her mane billows, though she likens it more to a torch than an aurora. Selene is the spitting image of Celestia, exactly what she thinks a foal of Doug’s would look like, full of youthful vigor and, Twilight notes wryly, pregnant.

“We were in Ponyville,” Twilight says, now more curious than afraid. “Myself and my new Friends. Nightmare Moon returned, as foretold, so we journeyed to the Castle of the Two Sisters, recovered the Elements of Harmony, and they cleansed Luna of the Nightmare.”

“We only ever found the five, and even then...” Selene whispers, staring off into the Everfree as if lost in a dream. Or a Nightmare.

“We?” Twilight ventures, now nearly consumed by her thirst for knowledge. How else did this world differ from my own?

Selene looks around, scanning their surroundings, then glances up. Princess Celestia hovers high above them, stony expression unreadable. “I wish to free her.”

“I trust your judgement, as always,” comes the instant reply, directly into Twilight’s head.

Selene’s horn glows white, and Twilight feels the connection to her horn return. It starts as pinpricks of pain, like she had fallen asleep on her foreleg, but soon becomes the warm embrace of a long-lost herdmate, returning to her place. She still feels exhausted from the ordeal, both mentally and physically, but whole. She breathes a long sigh of relief, offering the Princess a low bow.

“Stand,” commands the Sun Princess as she lands. “Are you fit to travel?”

“Yes,” replies Twilight, and the three disappear in a golden burst of magic.

They arrive in the Celestial throne room, though there is no second seat on the raised dais for Princess Luna. Instead six seats form a half circle in front, and Twilight recognizes Selene’s cutie mark on the inner left. The rest draw no recognition. The young alicorn automatically walks towards it before turning to face Twilight. Princess Celestia seems to fade into the background, though if Twilight concentrates she can locate her sitting on her throne.

“Why did you come here?” Selene demands, harsher than before, though Twilight senses a touch of bombast, as if she is putting on an act. “What calamity would require his death?”

“Are you familiar with Tirek and Discord?” Twilight asks; no longer cowed, but as a teacher to a inquisitive student.

“Tartarus holds the renegade centaur, and Discord stands petrified in the gardens.” Selene’s posture relaxes, though her eyes narrow, almost automatically accepting the change in roles. “They escaped, and worked together?”

“Sort of. Chaos magic freed the draconequus, and he in turn freed the centaur. Then, through an… unforeseen combination of their magic, Doug was imbued with Tirek’s power and unable to shut it off. It spread through physical contact, and threatened to kill all of ponykind.” Twilight looks away shyly. “Actually, it still does.”

“And you thought that by coming back in time and killing Doug, it would prevent this?” Selene shakes her head, “But wouldn’t you merely change the future you were returning to, and not actually solve the problem?”

“Um,” Twilight says, glancing to the six thrones surrounding her, “Sort of?”

Selene closes her eyes as she sighs heavily. “Well, I suppose if it wasn’t for your… ill-fated attempt on Doug’s life, he would never have met my dam. And sired myself and my sisters.”

“You don’t know how happy it makes me, for that to have turned out well.” Twilight smiles, her body shaking as she takes a few haggard breaths.

“Indeed,” Selene replies, drawing herself upright and assuming the role of lecturer. “Neither Discord nor Tirek has escaped, though perhaps we should take steps to ensure neither does so. How did Discord escape in your time?”

“Chaos magic. From the monster that attacked Ponyville.”

“Ponyville?” Selene says, her eyes flicking back as if used to looking to Celestia for confirmation, though her head doesn’t turn from Twilight. “It was lost to the Everfree about three and a half years ago. Evacuated after a multipronged attack of chaos magic infected the surrounding area.”

“That was the attack. But what happened to Applejack? Rarity and Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy?”

“Of those, Rainbow Dash is the only name I recognize, as the fastest sprinter among the Wonderbolts. She moonlights as our flight instructor on occasion, when Instructor Fire Streak gets injured.” Selene turns a bit to the side, letting Celestia continue.

“The Apples of Ponyville continue to brave the nearby Everfree at Sweet Apple Acres, or what is left of it. I believe Fluttershy remains as well. Rarity moved to Manehatten, where she works tirelessly to make ends meet in her own boutique. Pinkie Pie was last spotted in Las Pegasus, though legend says she appears by offering a cupcake and uttering the word… well, you can probably guess.”

Twilight grins, nodding. “That does sound like her.”

Celestia folds her hooves under her muzzle, watching Twilight closely. “Those five… are they the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony?”

“In my time, yes.” Twilight nods, and Celestia fades into the background again.

“And what saboteur brought the chaos magic here?” Selene asks.

“Um,” Twilight says, averting her eyes, though she has no thought to lie. “Doug’s three eldest fillies. Though they didn’t know it would happen.”

Selene’s eyes widen. She spins to stare at the Solar throne. “We have all been to Ponyville! Should we be the cause of his return, then-”

“I will send a message to the others.” Celestia looks to Twilight. “Did you use the Elements to contain him?”

“Yes,” Twilight says with a bit of hesitation. “I take it that isn’t an option for you?”

“We were never able to locate Magic, despite the six of us there.” Selene sits down in a more comfortable spot, ushering Twilight closer. “Perhaps it will be easiest if I start from the beginning.”

Twilight moves closer, laying down and making herself comfortable on the marble floor.

Selene begins, “A little more than eight years ago, Celestia noted a burst of dimensional magic. She located the source, east of here in the Hayseed Swamp, a temple. However, when a second burst appeared, she traveled there, finding Doug. Grievously injured, his life fading fast, she used her healing magic to seal the wound. He lived, though he suffered memory loss and partial paralysis. Celestia kept him healthy, along with Cadance. And, as she is fond of saying, one thing led to another.”

“I had never found quite the same draw to him as I felt with any other pony,” Celestia adds, “though that might have been the lack of Harmony telling me that it was yet another pony that I would not be able to conceive with.”

Selene continues, “At the site of his injury, Celestia detected traces of not only her own magic, but that of Twilight Sparkle, Cadance, and Princess Luna, though mixed together. She theorized only an alicorn, bent on consuming power throughout the multiverses would be capable of such an atrocity.”

“They volunteered me their power, to better fight that which was afflicting Doug,” Twilight hastens to add. “I did not steal it, and I have no intention of stealing yours.”

“Yes, but it plagued me from that day, the possibility.” Celestia nods to Selene, motioning to continue.

“And so, believing a rogue alicorn might strike again, Celestia took every measure she could to ensure our safety.” Selene smirks, pointedly not looking backwards as if they have had this conversation many a time, “Though she hates to admit it, Equestria has suffered under the regents and viceroys she appointed in order to spend more time training herself and us.”

“Who is us?” Twilight asks, smiling like she did every time Celestia read her a story, bedtime or not.

“Myself and Cadance’s first, Hedone. At one year younger, my sister Phoebe, Cadance’s second Hymenaeus, Sunset Shimmer’s Aurora, and…” Selene gulps, nervously looking at Twilight, “Twilight Sparkle’s, Hecate.”

“Loyalty, Generosity, Honesty, Kindness, Laughter, and Magic?” Twilight ventures.

“That was the hope,” Selene confirms, “though our attempts proved futile at accessing the magic of Harmony. It could be because of our heritage; as you might have found, Harmony does not recognize Doug, and we have struggled in our training because of it. But we have persevered, and were able to overcome the Nightmare when she arose without their assistance.”

“But she was incredibly powerful, and not inclined to hold back,” Twilight says cautiously, staring at Selene with a new appreciation.

“And we had trained on taking on an alicorn, even one at full strength, all our lives.” Selene’s lips purse, “It made little difference fighting at Ponyville. As Doug might say, ‘you use different moves when you’re fighting half a dozen chaos spawn, than when you only have to be worried about one alicorn.’ But we kept the damage to a minimum, our casualties only injuries.”

“How likely would you be able to take on me?” Twilight asks, a bit of a confident swagger to her speech.

Selene regards her appraisingly. “I would give you three to one odds.”

Twilight’s face falls. “Really? But I have all this power…”

“Well, you were exhausted from your travel. Any of us can take Celestia if we get the drop on her, though Aurora and Hecate might struggle. And don’t mind taking over her royal duties for the next day or two.” Selene offers a half-smile backwards. “But, from what you said, you haven’t had this power all that long. And we’ve been training for this eventuality our whole lives, and have a considerable number of tricks and counter tricks at our disposal.”

Twilight nods along, her muzzle curling to a hopeful grin. “Do you think you could teach me?”

Selene’s muzzle curls just as wide.

72 The Army of Blood

Dawn’s light breaks over the Canterlot Castle, illuminating two alicorns sparring in the larger of the guard’s training arenas. A good number of guards, all garbed in Solar regalia, watch intently. Whispers trade back and forth, with some pouches covertly swapping hooves. Even Princess Celestia, after accomplishing her morning duty, comes to observe.

Selene stands in an odd two-legged stance, holding her forelegs in front of her. Her gait, while unseemly, turns off her balance kilter into stumbling kicks and strikes. Often surprising, it allows her to dodge and weave Twilight’s counters while returning her own.

Twilight skids backwards from Selene’s heavy kick with a loud grunt, weathering the barrage of infused ‘punches’ with a rapidly maneuvered shield. Despite the alicorn mixing fast jabs with deviously angled hooks she quickly gets a feel for her pace, a piercing punch of her own shattering Selene’s hasty shield. It connects straight with the white alicorn’s jaw, dropping her to the ground in an instant.

Just as quickly Twilight rushes over, kneeling next to her stunned opponent. “I’m sorry! Are you okay?”

“Ugh,” Selene says groggily, wiping her muzzle with a hoof and checking for blood. “How many times do I have to tell you to stop apologizing?” She accepts Twilight’s hoof, pulling her up, the two walking out of the arena.

“I’m s-” Twilight offers a half smile to Selene’s disapproving glare, the spectators dispersing and leaving the two of them alone. “So, would you put my odds at slightly better than three to one now?”

“It’s difficult simulating a fighting style nopony uses, and we’re both holding back,” Selene replies, glancing between their pregnant bellies. She pauses for a moment, biting her tongue as she looks away. “But, yes, I would put us about even. Only if you can rid yourself of…” She trails off, chewing on her lip.

“Of what?” Twilight says, frustrated and curious. “This isn’t going to be one of those times when you tell me I need something, and only the one thing, only for you to never let me know? And then I realize that I just need to trust myself and my instincts?”

“No,” Selene says, turning back to stare at Twilight. “Your instincts are terrible.”

“T-they are?” Twilight says, her ears flicking down. “But-”

Selene motions back to their training arena. “Every time you gain an advantage, you pause, allowing me the chance to recover.”

Twilight slowly nods, “But, we’re just training, and-”

“You fail, time and again, to strike a decisive blow.”

“I knocked you down!” Twilight exclaims.

Selene continues as if she isn’t listening, “You are weak; not in mind or body, but in the willingness to do what is necessary.”

“Oh?” Twilight demands harshly, “And what do you know of necessity?”

Selene’s eyes bore into Twilight’s, neither mare giving an inch. “When Nightmare Moon returned, and the Elements of Harmony failed to appear, what do you think happened?” She motions upwards, to the morning sky. “I will give you a hint: there is no eternal night.”

“So you beat her, somehow,” Twilight says acidically.

Selene glances around to make sure they are alone. “It was no trivial matter, corralling and detaining the Nightmare, but we had trained for such an eventuality and she was caught unprepared. But then, when Nightmare Moon refused to repent? Proclaiming eternal night, and retribution on every one of us? She would banish Celestia to the Sun, and the rest of us with her!”

“That sounds like Nightmare Moon,” Twilight concedes. “Then what?”

“The ‘then what’ is the crux of the issue! I kept Equestria safe!!” Selene takes in a deep breath, steeling herself. “It was only Princess Celestia herself begging me to stay my hoof that kept the Nightmare - the one she claimed was still her Sister - alive. But even she could not stop me from taking the Nightmare’s horn, so that she would never be capable of rising against us, nor from imprisoning her deep under the castle.”

Selene whispers under her breath, raising a hoof. She slowly pulls back, and from nothing appears an ornate black scabbard spiraled with purple. Nightmare's horn. She withdraws an obsidian dagger, a cobalt aura shining forth. The blade murmurs to Twilight, as if a thousand years of epithets and bile were recorded and played back.

“That’s,” Twilight barely ekes out, her ears laying flat. A fate worse than death, Twilight thinks to herself, that I would not wish upon my worst enemies. To be powerless, friendless, and with no hope of recovery? “What is being done for her?”

“For her?” Selene nearly spits out, burning a hole in the dirt with her glare. “‘Naeus spends every hour she can with her, for nothing!” She waves her hoof again, the dagger and scabbard disappearing.

“I wish to meet her,” Twilight states, her voice carefully controlled. She is loyal, but only to her own. Where is the willingness to share that Loyalty with those who have not yet pledged themselves?

“Very well,” Selene says after a short delay. She turns imperiously, striding off to the lower levels. Twilight follows after, having difficulty keeping up with the smaller alicorn’s fast pace.

After several minutes, as the well lit corridors of the castle transition to rough stone and exposed rivets, the two run across a second white alicorn. She is similar to Selene but smaller, and immediately turns hostile upon seeing Twilight.

“You shouldn’t be here,” callously accuses the alicorn, eyes narrowing as she comes to a halt.

“Hello, Phoebe,” Selene returns, motioning to Twilight. “This is Twilight Sparkle, from the past.”

“I know who she is,” Phoebe spits out, “and she should leave before she kills half of us.”

“Half?” Twilight says, confused. “I would never-”

“You would,” Phoebe claims, resolute. “You would set us against each other’s throats, until you died trying to prove your version of Harmony is stronger.”

She thinks she is honesty. Twilight grimaces, standing a bit straighter. But with none of the hope of seeing improvement from your words.

“I came to see Luna,” Twilight states, “and to see if there was any hope for her.” If there is any hope for you.

“You should lock her up with her,” Phoebe says to Selene. “We would all be safer.”

“You have been wrong before,” Selene says, expression hard.

“Am I now?” Phoebe walks away before Selene can reply, never looking back.

The rest of the time passes in silence until Nightmare Moon’s harsh voice can be heard echoing down the halls. Obscenities, threats, and curses ring out, each more varied than the last, as if she had spent her entire time on the moon working on them.

A young pink alicorn races towards them, tears streaming down. She slows as she approaches Selene, offering a short bow that the white alicorn returns.

“Hello, ‘Naeus,” Selene says gently. “Rough night?”

“I’m sorry,” Hymenaeus replies quietly, choking back sobs. Luna’s harsh language continues to echo, though it dies down some. “I couldn’t take it anymore. I’ll be better tomorrow, and I asked for Doug to come.”

“Celestia won’t like that,” Selene says, though she clearly isn’t happy either. And with that ‘Naeus leaves, the two alicorns again alone in the hall.

“Doug helps her?” Twilight asks, curious at this development. “How can he be better than Kindness? What happened with the Elements?”

“She is not Kindness,” Selene admits after a moment. “None of us attuned that night. We only found lumps of rock.”

“That’s because the Elements aren’t just magical artifacts to be swung like a dagger.” Twilight takes a deep breath, Selene’s eyes boring into her. “I didn’t become the Element of Magic, of Friendship, because I was the most powerful unicorn, though that might have been true. Or because I had the most Friends, which was certainly not the case. It was because I trusted in my Friends, and they in me. It was in that way that each of us embodied our Elements. Not because we had trained our whole lives in being honest, or loyal, or kind.”

Selene takes several long breaths, and Twilight can see the anger boiling inside of her. “You should leave,” the white alicorn says, detached, as if restraining herself from attacking right now. “You are no longer welcome in the castle. Or in Equestria, for that matter.” Selene turns, walking down the path they came.

I just became her enemy, Twilight realizes, frowning. And I had only to spread the true meaning of Friendship to become so.

After a few moments of staring in shock Twilight hears a particular set of hoofsteps coming down the hall. Footsteps, she corrects. She smiles at seeing Doug approach, especially his grin at seeing her. He looks similar to her own, but with a less muscular build and a circular scar on his forehead that his hair barely covers.

“Hey, Twily!” he greets, his head cocking to the side. His voice is off, taking longer to form his words. “New wings?”

“Not quite,” Twilight replies, frowning a little at the intimate pet of her head and ears.

“Oh. I’m sorry. I tend to forget things,” Doug explains, though his hand keeps moving along her mane. “You’ll have to tell me about it!”

“I’m not your Twilight. I’m the one who did that to you.” Twilight motions to Doug’s forehead.

“Did that…” Doug says, confused, as a hand moves to his head. “Oh. You’re that Twilight.”

“I’m sorry!” Twilight calls as Doug turns, walking down towards Luna. It takes her a few long seconds to catch up.

“Hey, Twily!” Doug greets her as she comes up to his side. His hand comes up, the same intimate rubbing of her ears and mane. “New wings?”

“No, it’s-” Twilight cuts herself off. “I’ll have to tell you about them later.”

Doug chuckles self-deprecatingly. “Yeah, that's okay. Sometimes, I forget things, and I’ll probably just have forgotten by then.”

“I wanted to apologize,” Twilight says as they come to Luna’s cell. “About what I did to you.”

“For what, giving me two wonderful foals?” Doug glances over, inspecting her belly. “Three? Oh, I’m sorry I forgot. Selene will be so happy to have a sister for hers!”

“It’s…” Twilight says, trailing off. Her voice comes out harsh. “I’m not your Twilight.”

“Oh.” Doug looks even more confused. “Well, good for you. I'm glad you found love somewhere else. But we all knew the alicorns wouldn’t have that option.”

“They wouldn’t…” Sweet Celestia, that’s what happened here?

Doug shakes his head at her obvious disgust, leaving Twilight behind as he enters Nightmare Moon’s cell. “Hey, Woona! How are you today? Did you have a good night?”

“I have told you three thousand times to stop calling me that, human. How many more times must I demand your obedience?”

“At least once more, I’m afraid. I have a hard time remembering things. Was the food good?”

“The cooks seem to think I have a fondness for cake, despite more going on the walls than in my stomach.”

Twilight walks up to the cell wall, gazing in. Nightmare Moon rests on a simple bed, devoid of her two foot long horn and all her finery. Her cobalt and purple mane and tail hang limp against her body, cyan crescent moon on her flank. Doug is next to her tall form, petting Nightmare just like he was petting Twilight. She tolerates it, and begrudgingly lets her pleasure be known when he hits a particularly sensitive spot.

“Hey, Twily!” Doug calls, motioning her inside. Twilight hesitates; the cell is heavily warded to prevent nearly all magic. “New wings?”

“Doug,” Twilight says as she steps inside, “I wanted to apologize.”

“I know,” Doug says in a rare moment of lucidity, Twilight glancing over curiously. “I understand what you did, and why. You’re going to want to help everypony. When you return.” He turns to look Twilight in the eyes, demanding her full attention. “I watched you, while you were sparring. You cannot help them here. No matter how much you want, they will make their own decisions. Whether you like it or not, or agree with it or not.”

“But-”

“The only thing that you can do is change yourself, and make your own decisions. Guide others when you can, but you’ll need their tacit approval and willingness. You’re going to have to return, and soon. Very soon.” If possible, his gaze bores deeper into her. The tiniest smirk crosses his face. “Now, when you return, there’s something you’re going to have to say.”

Twilight nods as Doug explains, stepping outside and gathering power. It would be more difficult, not being perfectly lined up, but the hole in her reality shines like a beacon. Why she couldn’t see it this clearly before, she doesn’t know, and perhaps will never find out. Perhaps time travel to solve problems isn’t such a good idea, after all.

She casts, disappearing with a loud, echoing crack.

Twilight reappears outside Sweet Apple Acres, the scene exactly as she remembers. Three alicorns, two changelings, a unicorn, and an owl are scattered around, laying on the ground and barely moving. Doug is just recovering from where he nearly hit her, and begins to charge.

Twilight stands on two hooves, one foreleg sweeping backwards while the other points directly at Doug’s chest. She twists her elbow, the motion feeling weird, and bends her hoof towards herself twice.

She states, in as robotic and flat voice as she can manage, “I know Kung Fu.”

Doug stares at her for a few seconds, in shock, as the other ponies trade nervous glances. Then Doug charges towards her, bellowing incoherently, raising one fist behind his head as the other one leads in front of him.

Twilight casually parries the first blow, and the second. Her training with Selene transfers easily; the human uses different combinations, but she quickly adapts. Soon she is effortlessly diverting each attack, a bored expression on her face as Doug gets more and more enraged. His jabs speed up, but his power diminishes, and she can feel the drain on her fellow ponies.

With a surge of power Twilight knocks his limbs to the side, leaving Doug completely exposed. With one decisive strike Twilight ends the fight, her hoof slamming into his chest, blasting him back several feet. He tumbles to the ground, laying still.

Twilight strides forward, her training with Selene again coming to her mind, and she's not about to let this opportunity go to waste. Her horn charges, readying a beam to pierce through the last of his defenses and end this once and for all. She hesitates - he looks exactly like Doug did when she went back in time, and she skewered a defenseless being. Then he coughs, and weakly raises a battered hand, pointing towards the ponies.

Twilight turns, gazing upon her fellow Princesses. Each lie unresponsive as Starlight looks on worriedly, nearly completely drained of magic. They barely hold on, clinging by a thread, one that she would cut by ending the fight with Doug.

If she chooses to do this, she would kill everypony by saving them.

Twilight’s hooves are heavy against the churned ground, barely managing the strength to lift them. No tears come as she returns to Doug’s side. “I should have realized this a long time ago,” she says as she lays down next to him. “We could never force this out of you. It was always up to you to make the decision. It was in your hands the entire time.”

His head flops to the side, unresponsive.

She drops down, pressing her hooves against his chest, feeling the magic leave her body.

73 Last Hope

Doug convulses briefly as magic courses through him, his battered chest knitting itself back together. The splotchy bruise fades, and he lets out a loud groan as he pushes himself to a seated position. He looks around, taking in the scene, especially the mare next to him.

Twilight feels the magic within her slipping away, like a cold rain whisking away heat. She watches it with detached bemusement, like a clinical observer. It feels good at first, like she was burning up and relief has finally arrived. But it doesn’t stop there, stripping away first Celestia’s magic, then Luna’s. After they are gone the Sun and the Moon feel the same as they would to anypony: sources of light and heat, and little else.

The pain starts as Cadance’s magic begins to fade away, though even the sharp throb of a migraine induced from too many late nights fueled only by coffee and willpower fades to a dull void. Love’s magic takes longer to fade from her mind, and much like a dip in a cold lake it leaves her shivering long after Cadance's magic has left her body.

Her own magic goes last, her body fighting every step of the way. But it is like trying to stopper not a dam but an entire river with only your hooves, and Twilight finds her strength sapped by the inexorable flow. Even so she never gives up hope, confident her choice is the right one.

Twilight finds herself staring at Doug’s feet, giggling as the last of her own magic siphons away. “I can’t feel my toes,” she says, her words slurring. Now left clinging to survival just like her herdmates, and every other creature in Equestria, she slumps over, leaving Doug holding her life - quite literally - in his hands.

Long seconds pass.

“What am I going to do,” Doug asks of nopony in particular, his voice raw. The cool night wind is his only reply, and it somehow seems even more ephemeral than normal.

Left with nothing but his thoughts, Doug first turns to the past. How good his life has been the last eight years. The trials and tribulations, certainly, of being seen as an outsider, the stresses of the farm, the rigors of his job. Watching the mares become the ‘Elements of Harmony, Defenders of Equestria!’, and knowing they might face something that ultimately defeats them.

But also the joys! Meeting each of the mares. Falling, if not in love, then to a mutually satisfactory arrangement that could then blossom into something more. Raising eight foals, a wonderful challenge all its own. But best of all: seeing the foals succeed despite the hardships they were born with, and going off to live on their own. No grandfoals yet, but that could wait.

His thoughts gloss over the present, skipping to the future. Or what it would have been. Of doing it again with the next crop! Three this year, maybe three more the year after that. Depending on what happens with Starlight Glimmer, there could be ten little ones in two years! And that’s not even counting the four alicorn foals! His mind can barely process what it would be like with potentially having six unicorns and two pegasi, though Apple Bloom and Applebaum certainly got into their share of trouble.

With alicorns? They’ll probably need to move into a big open field, since Applejack won’t appreciate having her home destroyed by lasers or earthquakes or hurricanes, or especially all of the above. Even living in a cave in a mountain sounds like a bad idea!

A faint scraping sound that slowly gets closer rouses Doug from his ruminations. He turns, watching Discord pull his long body closer with just his stubby forelegs. Either his back legs aren’t working or he’s playing the sympathy card pretty hard. Doug turns his attention back upwards, staring at the sky, starting to count the stars despite instantly knowing their number and name.

“You wouldn’t believe how tedious it was to crawl here, much less walk,” Discord says in a weak, raspy voice as he approaches Doug. “All the other ponies were just, laying down on the job.”

“Hello, Discord,” Doug says, feeling his anger rise. If Discord hadn’t betrayed them, they wouldn’t be in this mess. Well, Tirek might still be out there, but still. “What do you want?”

“You know what one divided by zero is?” Discord asks, flopping down next to Doug.

“Undefined?” Doug replies, a brief rise in his voice conveying his complete lack of interest in the conversation, his eyes never leaving the stars. They stare back, unblinking.

“Infinite,” Discord returns smartly. “Just like what you could be.”

“Impossible.” Doug shakes his head, one hand coming up to push the hair on the side of his head up. It flops right back into place. He frowns as he glances at Discord and his smirk. “What makes you so certain?”

“See for yourself.” Discord spreads an arm to the motionless land around them. “All you have to is wind it up-” he roughly pokes Doug in the side “-and let it go.”

Let it go

Doug takes a deep breath, a large part of him that grows bigger with every moment wanting to punch the draconequus right in his wise-ass mouth. In fact, if Discord has his power, he’s sure he would be looking at a donkey’s head instead of a horse’s.

As he counts to ten, he feels his consciousness, for lack of a better word, expand. It’s like he’s sensing each thread of magic being drawn to him, from the far corners of Equestria and everywhere in between. Soon it’s like he’s looking down from the stars, bright concentrations of light coming from several spots. But there are still tiny pinpricks, scattered everywhere, that make the entire landscape glow. And the light continues to grow, spreading farther and farther away.

When he traces them back, the individual threads, he can feel them swirling deep inside of him. Just like Discord said: infinite possibilities, or near enough, with more lifetimes than even Celestia has gone through. And all he has to do is pluck one out to assume its power, like he did with Discord’s and making minerals appear.

But he can’t do that! He can’t let even one out, he can’t use this power! It will just hurt them even more! He has to keep them in, can’t let them go-o-o!

But with all this woe?

Wait. Doug looks around, his face scrunching up in confusion. Discord is laying on the ground, eyes closed and mouth opened comically wide. That last part didn’t sound quite right.

But he’s tried that, right? He’s tried not using this power, of not exploring what it would be like to become everything he could be. He could pick one, or two, or two hundred!

Perhaps he should start small. He pictures a trio of red apples, and a small black seed appears in his hand. He focuses intently on it, as if he is an apple farmer doing her duty, fulfilling her destiny.

Let it grow!

Before his eyes the seed sprouts, a green shoot coming out. Branches and leaves form into a miniature tree that fits in his palm before morphing into a normal sized apple blossom. A fist sized red apple consumes the blossom from the inside, looking every bit the picturesque Sweet Apple Acre apple. He inhales the captivating scent, evoking an image of him lying in the orchard with Applejack, just inspecting each other’s toes and hooves. He bites into it, and the delicious snack disappears quicker than he might have liked. Leaving him with five black seeds in his palm.

Maybe I can try for something bigger. Doug concentrates first on the Moon, then the Sun. He frowns as the celestial dynamics come directly to his mind, the power required to move them. It’s like they slog through a vast morass, slowing down without a constant force applied to them. Equus itself is positioned directly between them, such that the planet barely moves towards one or the other. And while he can move them such that both Sun and Moon are in the sky, things just seem harmonious when they are on opposite sides and spinning around. As to the how or why?

Chaos magic makes it all guano!

Calling upon Celestia and Luna’s cutie marks is as simple as calling their names. But actually using their abilities? By no stretch would he call it trivial or easy, but the power required comes to him without resistance. He worriedly looks over at the diarchs, expecting to see them withering to nothing.

Instead, as the moon dips below the horizon and dawn approaches on the other side (he has to compensate for Twilight’s earlier attempt, apparently she only moved the Moon and didn’t counterbalance the Sun). Actually, it’s way too early for that, but they’ll just have to deal with it. Maybe Celestia and Luna can fix it in the future.

What more could he do with this power?

Doug stands up, then starts walking. But his steps don’t take him along the ground, instead climbing a staircase of dew and wind higher and higher until he stands directly above Ponyville. Suspended hundreds of feet in the air, supported by nothing more than a light breeze, he scans the town, stopping on Twilight’s destroyed library. He looks at one hand, then the other.

Let it flow!

Magic pours out of Doug like a waterfall. He loses himself in the building: not focusing on any one thing, or even anything at all, just a frenzy of construction. In one spot just outside town crystals coalesce, rapidly gathering together. There is no sense of style or floor plan, just room after room lumping together like a foal’s idea of a house built with blocks. It spirals higher and higher, pieces adding just as quickly as Doug can imagine; with seemingly no thought given to physical restraints or logistical ramifications.

The lower walls take on a crystal tree motif, four separate towers spring up from the middle, complete with landing areas for a pegasus or alicorn to land. To top it off is a truly gigantic, overly sparkly eleven pointed star. And then he stops, gazing over his work.

It is, without a doubt, truly hideous.

Garish beyond belief, ostentatious past what even a griffon might consider acceptable, and incredibly unwieldy even for a being capable of teleporting. He probably didn’t even include doors for every room. Oh, and it sparkles something fierce in the dawn's light.

So Doug, as casually as if he was tossing a wadded up piece of paper in the trash, lifts the entire monstrosity, flips it upside down, and rams it into the ground.

While he might have intended to shatter it to pieces and start anew, his construction is apparently sturdier than he thought. Sparkle Castle, for lack of a better name, sinks down into the earth until only the flat base is visible. Or would that be the top? A massive hole, like an empty moat, rings the entirety, at least where the towers pushed aside the ground. Whichever it is, top or bottom, he fills the hole in with dirt, then compacts it. Again and again until his anger at himself for building such a terrible castle is gone. Oh, and so sinkholes won’t randomly spawn around it. Yes, that’s why.

He looks down at the ‘roof’ of what is now the entrance to Sparkle Castle. He adds a door, and it swings open to reveal a thirty foot drop. With a thought he adds transparent crystal stairs spiraling down the side, and a guardrail. That’s enough for now.

Doug looks again at his hands, and the ‘wonder’ that he made. Was it worth it?

He walks down the staircase, coming to rest at the bottom of the massive room. He molds a flat, circular disk, crafting a picture of Equestria, an exact likeness of the map in his mind. He even puts every pony on it, smaller than the smallest speck of dust. He can feel their connections, every one. He could do great things with their power. He could be anything.

But he wouldn’t, not knowing the cost to them. He would let it go.

All the power the ponies had given him, all the power he had stolen, he gathers every last iota up, and forces it into the map. It drains out of him, eager to escape the void, and he slumps over in exhaustion.

Some time later, the door above opens with a loud scrape. A single square of sunshine shines down, directly onto Doug’s still body. He briefly stirs as a poofy maned silhouette appears.

“You know what this calls for?!” Pinkie Pie shouts with overzealous eyes.

Doug groans, a hand coming up to block the sun.

“A PARTY!!!”

74 Thunderous Skies

April 5th, 1001 Domina Solaria

“Pinkie Pie, I can’t believe you got an Equestria wide party going this quickly,” Doug says from his seated position inside a small booth. It’s open to the front with bright and happy colors, and contains not much else.

“I can’t believe you want us to stay here the entire time,” Discord whines from next to Doug, in his own booth. Above them reads a giant banner, ‘We’re Sorry We Nearly Destroyed All Of Equestria! Please, Pretty Please, Give Us A Hug To Show You Forgive Us!’ Long rows of amusement park barriers cordon off the area, and ponies are already starting to line up.

“Do I have to?” continues Discord, pointing at the bright pink chains chaining him to an even brighter pink ball. He rattles them for effect, but it somehow comes out sounding jolly.

Pinkie Pie pronks closer, her grin only getting cheerier and cheerier as she gets closer. A worried look crosses Discord’s long face as he backs up to the very edge of his restraints.

“You don’t have to,” Pinkie Pie beams, Discord’s pupils turning to pinpricks. “You get to.”

“Do I have to?” asks Doug with a bit of an upswing in his voice. He motions to the rest of Canterlot Square, the party just getting started. Pinkie Pie turns to Doug, none of her smile fading. “The rest looks really fun, too.”

Pinkie Pie pensively strokes her chin with a hoof, peering at Doug. “Yes,” she slowly replies. Doug’s face falls. “It does look really fun.” A spark of hope flickers. “Will you have fun at the party?”

“Yes?” Doug says, the question mark so obvious Discord puts it there in a white cloud.

Pinkie Pie nods. “You can leave after everypony who wants a hug gets one.” Pinkie Pie turns from Doug to Discord. “You have to stay in case more ponies decide they want one.”

“But what if Canterlot is invaded and you need my help in order to defend it?” Discord asks plaintively.

Pinkie Pie rears up, thrusting her head into Discord’s and staring into his eyes. “Then I expect you to sit there and think about what happened the last time you tried to ‘help’.”

“Yes’m,” Discord ekes out, shrinking down. “I’ll just be right here.”

“Good.” Pinkie Pie slowly backs up, unblinking eyes never leaving Discord. Then she whirls around, pronking off to make sure the rest of the party is progressing smoothly. “Have a nice day!”

Doug’s first ‘customer’ is Princess Twilight Sparkle, and many of the ponies in line seem to be there purely because she is doing it. After she gets a hug from a reluctant Discord, peeling the ‘kick me’ sign off her dock, she settles next to Doug, checking off yet another item from her checklist.

“Things going well?” Doug says, cheerfully hugging the next pony in line.

“Here? Yes, couldn’t be better,” Twilight says absentmindedly, scanning over her checklist and isolating the boxes yet to be marked. “We still couldn’t figure that map out, though. What our cutie marks were doing so far to the south.”

“I’m sure you’ll find out,” Doug says between hugs. “I really have no idea what I was doing at the time.”

“And there was nothing there!” Twilight throws her hooves in the air, pacing back and forth while her lists levitate next to her. “It was frustrating enough traveling south of Dodge City, and between Pinkie Pie explaining exactly what she would have been decorating if we weren’t wasting our time there, and Rarity whining about her coat getting all dirty-”

“I wasn’t whining, I was complaining,” Rarity says as she walks by, both of them sharing a smile. She cuts the line to hug Doug, then Discord, coming back from the draconequus with hair straighter than a depressed Pinkie Pie. “At least we made it back in time before that nasty storm hit.”

“Badlands weather,” Twilight commiserates, shaking her head. She levitates her checklist. “Decorations on the stage complete?”

“Minus one or two gems that may or may not be unaccounted for, yes,” Rarity says, glancing off to the side, flipping her mane and restoring her curls.

“I’ll put that down as a tentative yes, just let me know if you run into trouble finding replacements.” Twilight sighs, knowing exactly where the ‘unaccounted for’ gems probably disappeared to. She rolls her checklist up, going to find Applejack. The line of ponies peters out quickly, as many of the horde follows Twilight in some massive song and dance routine as they get the last of the preparations ready.

“Have fun,” Doug says to Discord as he hugs the last of the ponies, his tone conveying exactly how much ‘fun’ he expects the draconequus to have.

“If only,” Discord says, bored already, resting his head on his claws and glaring at everypony walking by who so much as glances his way. A few daring ponies head over, and Doug hastily exits before they have a chance to demand a hug from him, too.

Doug slows down only as he passes by a truly massive cake, so large that even if everypony in Canterlot got a slice Princess Celestia would still have trouble finishing it. And there are thousands of extra ponies in Canterlot, all there for the ‘We’re Very Sorry That Everypony Nearly Got Their Magic Sucked Into A Bottomless Pit, So Here’s A Slice Of Cake To Make Up For It’.

Doug stands underneath one of the signs proclaiming exactly such, admiring the hoofwork and how the scroll kind of spills down the pole it’s attached to. Twilight comes up behind him, and he can hear her long, exasperated sigh. “I thought you said, after the first banner, to never let Trixie help.”

“Well, we were short of ponies to complete everything in time after we lost a day yesterday,” Twilight explains, “and somehow ‘Festival of Friendship’ wasn’t enough of a mouthful for her.”

“Yup,” Doug says as Pinkie Pie buzzes past with a pink blur, ending up with a plate of cake, a fork, and a party hat on his head. He takes a bite, Twilight doing the same to her own cake. “So, what’s going to go horribly wrong here?”

“Well, seeing how the preparations all got completed on time, Discord has agreed to his ‘time out spot’, and Tirek is back in Tartarus? It’s going to have to be something worse than the death of everypony in Equestria.”

“Sooo,” Doug draws out, “the enslavement and subjugation of everypony in Equestria?”

The two watch as a sparkly Chrysalis walks by, party hat perched precariously on her crownless black head, scowling at the cake that has appeared in her hooves. She takes a bite, chewing slowly, her scowl deepening. Then she takes another bite, and another, crumpling up the empty paper plate and igniting it.

“Please don’t give her any ideas,” Twilight whispers. “She’s still a little sore.”

“Hi, Scinty!” Cadance greets Chrysalis, an overexuberant grin on the pink alicorn. “It’s positively scintillating to see you! Love what you’ve done with your look!”

“Are you going to follow me around the entire time?” Chrysalis demands with a glare that just ignited a paper plate. “It’s bad enough you wanted me here for the festivities, just to parade around your ‘conquest’.”

“I don’t know,” Doug says, coming to Chrysalis’ rescue. He runs a hand through her thick, braided mane, playfully whacking a few against her chitin. She contorts her head around to find his hand, then directs a questioning look to his eyes. “I’d say she looks even better than you.”

Cadance exaggerates a pout at Doug, tears threatening to break the surface. Then she breaks into a smile as Chrysalis snuggles next to Doug, his arm wrapping definitely-not-protectively around her. “I’m okay if it’s him,” she whispers to Chrysalis, winking to the two of them, and cantering off.

“For the record, I seduced you,” Chrysalis states, glaring at Twilight, daring the alicorn to correct her.

“Yes, yes, you’re enticing, entrancing, exotic,” Doug says with a smirk and flick of her ear.

“You don’t have time before the opening song,” Twilight says neutrally, glancing towards Songbird Serenade’s entourage as the pop star approaches the giant stage, newly constructed in the middle of one of the pavilions.

“Would you prefer during?” Chrysalis asks with a gleam in her eye as dozens, then hundreds, then thousands of ponies stream into the area from every angle.

Twilight sighs, resignedly closing her eyes. “You foals do what you want. Chrysalis, I expect to see you ready to go on stage immediately after her song ends. Doug, backstage in case we need you, but nothing is planned with you as of yet.” A massive cannon goes off, a pink monstrosity flying into the air. Twilight glances up at it, gritting her teeth. “Sorry, I’m late to be covered in cake. You know, to break the tension.”

She disappears in a flash, reappearing underneath the cake just in time for it to smash into the ground around her.

“So?” Chrysalis asks, glancing at Doug, admiring his lean form.

“So,” Doug replies, his hand moving from her neck along her back, rubbing the base of her wings.

They never get the chance as massive black storm clouds billow up from the south, what had previously been a thousand feet below their elevation rising up.

“No, no, no!” Twilight's exasperated shout can be heard clear across the pavilion. “I ordered clear skies! Rainbow Dash!”

Any further exchange is lost as a massive black airship pierces through the roiling storm.

Pinkie Pie raises a hoof, “Okay, who saw this coming?”

Somewhere in Canterlot a yellow leonine paw raises.

Doug and Chrysalis hustle towards Twilight Sparkle as Celestia, Luna, and Cadance land next to the lavender alicorn. Her eyes shine white, mumbling to herself.

“Analysis?” demands Celestia, her own eyes joining Twilight's in scanning the cloud behind the airship as its belly opens up.

“Ninety five percent chance it’s the Storm King’s armada. With no advance notice or warning-”

“-We watched them sail northwards for two days,” Luna interrupts.

“-no communication from them, we can only insinuate that their intentions are hostile. They have taken the Lightning Storm package and modified it to be deployable from an airship.”

“Equestria is an arms dealer?” Chrysalis whispers to Doug, getting a nod in response. “That would have… I mean, what sort of madcreature would attack Equestria?”

“I am sorry our ventures so frequently get twisted in that direction,” Celestia says sorrowfully, glancing backwards at Chrysalis.

Twilight continues, “Anti-magic is also present, in large scale along the airship itself - I’m having some difficulty piercing through some areas - and infantry level armaments and munitions. Do not count on a shield stopping their shots, and somepony should warn Armor about this.”

“Options?” Celestia asks, standing straighter.

Twilight frowns as a walkway extends from the airship to the pavilion. “Their airships are built for war, and have conquered nations. Physical attacks are a necessity; pegasi should stay clear of any clouds and the airships themselves or risk losing their flight magic long enough to become a crater. That goes for alicorns, too.”

“I suppose Heaven’s Light is out as well,” Celestia says dryly.

“Not unless you wish Canterlot to be ‘acceptable collateral damage’.” Twilight glances at Celestia, seeing the smirk. “Oh, you were joking.”

A squat gray creature with a long white mane walks down, carrying a crate with the Storm King’s dual teal lightning bolt insignia. Grubber gives the crate a kick; it unpacks with a myriad of loud cranks and grinding, expanding out to form a giant megaphone.

“I guess we’ll hear what they have to say,” Twilight says, relieved it isn’t some bomb they kindly gave them the opportunity to deploy. She and the other three Princesses walk forward, ponies parting ways to allow them to get to the front.

“Ponies of Equestria!” the gray creature bellows, megaphone amplifying his raspy words. He pulls out a piece of paper, clearing his throat. “We come on behalf of the fearsome, the powerful, the almighty, Storm King!”

A huge banner unfurls off the deck of the closest airship, a depiction of the Storm King in all his terrible glory. The gray, bipedal creature bears a bit of a resemblance to Doug, if not for the white, bushy beard, maniacal grin, and Storm King branding, and more than a few ponies turn to compare him to the banner.

“Now, to deliver the...” Grubber stops as he squints at the page, his mumbling picked up by the microphone, “Council-ordered summons? Bureaucratic… subpoenas?” He begins to trail off even more, ponies just glancing at each other as even his enhanced mumblings become unrecognizable. He finally stands up, sweeping an arm backwards to the walkway. “Now, to deliver the evil, evil message, Commander Tempest!”

With a switch that would probably get a sound minion fired, and if he’s lucky only out of a cannon, a microphone turns on.

A male voice argues, “But, you don’t send the Shock and Awe armada as a glorified... taxi service! You send it to obliterate whatever pathetic defenses are there, and install a temporary regime until the Council can figure out what to do with the rubble!”

“And that’s why we’re here, to form a provisional government while the Princesses are… indisposed.” The female voice sighs heavily. “Look, I’m up now. We can continue this later.”

“All I’m saying is, you don’t get Awe without the Sh-”

A deep red unicorn with a broken horn, mane a fiery rose, imperiously strides out from the airship. She focuses on the four Princesses as she walks down, muttering to herself as she gets to the bottom.

“Tempest, is it?” Celestia asks, her voice hard. “How may we help you?”

“I’m so glad you asked,” Commander Tempest says, savoring every word. Her eyes sweep between the four alicorns before glancing at the paper Grubber is holding. “I’ll make this simple for you. We’ll start with your complete and total surrender.”

“Hi, there,” Twilight Sparkle says, swooping forwards. “Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship here. I’m sure we can talk this out!”

“Here’s the deal, ladies,” Commander Tempest says, ignoring Twilight, “I need your magic. Give it up nicely, or we make things… difficult.”

“And why should you expect us to comply?” Luna demands.

“I was hoping you’d choose… difficult,” Commander Tempest says with an evil grin, her broken horn sparking. She takes a deep breath as dozens of beady blue eyes peek out from every airship.

“You see,” Commander Tempest says, pulling out a scroll of her own, “The Council of Creatures has decreed during the emergency session brought on by the events of four days ago, hereby dubbed the ‘Tirek Incident’, that the Diarchs of Equestria are no longer fit to serve as the sole caretakers of the Sun and the Moon. The Tirek Incident was not an isolated one, and the repeated offenses indicate a dereliction of duty that is unacceptable in the Council’s eyes, especially with objects as vital to everycreature's survival as the Sun and Moon. In addition to the aforementioned offenses, reports of Unlicensed Regicide have been received. Without proper authorization - which we, the Storm King’s Armada, have obtained - this also constitutes a serious offense. In addition to Regicide is the unauthorized annexation of a signatory to the original accords, in this case the Crystal Empire, by itself an offense worthy of losing your throne and any positions of delegated power. Fourthly is the harboring of known fugitive, and herself an unlawful Deposer of Nations, the being known as Queen Chrysalis. You have knowingly provided her with safe refuge and failed to extradite her to the Council of Creatures for proper punishment, as you have promised to do by previous accords to which you are signatory. Dozens of other minor infractions remain, but each of the aforementioned offenses by themselves would be sufficient to require your presence in front of the Council to answer for your misdeeds and accept the proper punishment.”

Commander Tempest rolls up her scroll, looking over the ponies in front of her. Only the four alicorns seem to be paying attention. She demands harshly, “Your response?”

“Yes,” answers Princess Celestia.

“...Yes?” asks Commander Tempest.

“Yes,” replies Princess Celestia. “You may inform the Council of Creatures that I, and my fellow rulers of Equestria,” she indicates the other three alicorns, “will appear in front of said Council of Creatures to determine the proper procedure and penalties for our actions during these trying circumstances. However, I regret to inform you that your airships are, sadly, unsuitable for our transportation.” She reaches back to pat her belly. “We will follow you in our own, remaining within eyesight at all times, clouds permitting. If that is acceptable to you.” Celestia motions towards a cobalt airship docked nearby.

“Oh.” Commander Tempest looks down at her paper, then back up at Celestia. “You sure you don’t want to refuse?” She chuckles. “I’d look kind of silly bringing all this,” she motions towards the dozen airships and all the giant yeti creatures lurking inside, “just for you to drive yourself.”

“Again,” Celestia says, rubbing her belly, “while I’m sure that would be exciting and a great learning experience, I must decline.”

“...Right.” Commander Tempest coughs. “You ready to depart now?”

“Within the hour,” Celestia says, “But I will need to confirm with my pilot.”

“I guess we pack this all up, then.” Commander Tempest sighs, disappointed, as she walks back up the ramp to the airship. She glances back. “Are you sure? Absolutely?”

Princess Celestia smiles noncommittally. “Perhaps another time.”

75 The Warlord

“Oh, COME ON!!

Everypony’s head turns to see the tall draconequus appear in the middle of the ‘negotiations’, towering above them and waving his arms around wildly as he paces back and forth. He has a weird hat on that looks suspiciously like a hugging booth.

“Nopony wants to hear about how Celestia goes to the negotiating table and uses her ‘incredible power’ to stronghoof the nearby nations, or uses her centuries of experience making backroom deals!”

“I do!” Doug yells from the back.

“Or how she’ll use technicalities like being ‘pregnant’-” Discord makes giant air quotes behind him “-and thus unable to safely give up her magic to stall any actual punishment into a provisional censure with points for good behavior!”

“...That does sound like me,” Celestia concedes.

Commander Tempest turns back around, gaping at the draconequus. She slinks to Grubber, whispering, “He wasn’t in the briefing.”

Grubber points to the pink chain that disappears into his hat. “Maybe they assumed he’d be locked up, um, more thoroughly? Since he kind of caused the whole Tirek Incident?”

“Hey!” Pinkie Pie shouts, “Didn’t you agree to stay out of this?”

Discord shakes her head, “Only if there was an invasion actually taking place, but since you’re taking the boring way out I figured I’d spice things up in the most exciting way possible!”

“A giant fight scene like the end of Breaking Dawn?” Doug says, suddenly appearing next to the alicorns.

“Leave Twilight out of this,” Discord says, Twilight Sparkle looking confused. “Besides, we don’t have nearly the budget for that. Instead we have…”

Discord waves his arms, a giant table appearing in front of everypony. Commander Tempest and Grubber find themselves seated on one side of the table while Twilight Sparkle, Celestia, and Luna stand on the other. They each have a ‘character sheet’ in front of them, as well as a small stack of ‘accessories’ and ‘allies’.

“Roleplaying Games!”

The ally stack is further separated, with small tokens and figurines representing large groups like the royal guard, airships, and defensive emplacements of Canterlot (notably empty). It also has notable characters, such as the Elements of Harmony, a few named Storm Minions, and Princess Cadance.

“I’m relegated to an ally?” Princess Cadance says, pouting. Shining Armor comes up behind her, looking more interested in the game and put out that he isn’t playing than that his wife is disappointed. She huffs, turning back to read through her character card, flipping through the five cards that show her ‘abilities’.

Around the players a giant stadium pushes out of the ground, tiered seating for everypony. Soon a veritable smorgasbord of colors rings around them, including roped off seating for ‘mystery guests’. The table rises up as well, the five players now on a stage while the ‘notable characters’ get their own section on the first row.

“And to stimulate our minds for this simulation,” Discord puts his paw behind his back, “we have rulebooks!”

“Mine!” shouts Twilight as Discord fans out dozens of thick tomes, yanking the closest out of his paw. Spike hustles out of his ‘notable characters’ seat to jump onto her back, pulling out quill and parchment and taking notes. Twilight flips through, devouring the contents like Pinkie Pie devours pastries.

“Can I get the short version?” Grubber asks, trying to find a lever or something on his chair that will let him see the tabletop.

Discord spins a claw in the air, and Grubber spins around as his seat corkscrews higher. “Any other requests before we get started?”

“How come thou has so many more accessories than us?” Luna demands, pointing towards the dozen or so accessory cards Celestia has. Other than Tempest, it’s easily more than everypony else combined.

“Um, those aren’t my accessories,” Celestia admits, covering her mouth with a hoof as she coughs self-consciously. “That’s the index of my available items. Though it may take some effort to access them.”

“Oh.” Luna goes back to staring at her own card. “How come you got custody on all the vaults?”

“You have access to them, too,” Celestia says, motioning to Luna’s card. “I hope you remember what they all do. Oh, and the new ones I’ve obtained in the last millennium.”

“Remember,” Discord says, pulling out an hourglass with five smaller hourglasses inside, each a different color and able to be individually rotated. “Table talk is limited. Any in-character chatter will be counted against you. You only have so long for your turn, and then whatever actions you’ve decided to take will happen.”

“In game,” Tempest clarifies.

Discord rolls his eyes. They come up snake eyes. “Yes.”

Tempest raises an eyebrow. “What happens if you roll boxcars?”

Discord rolls his eyes again, this time getting five dots in an ‘x’ and the ying-yang symbol. “No.”

“Right.” Tempest looks back at her cards, then Grubber’s. “Okay, so, we just say what we would have done? Or do you want to-”

“Set the stage? Don’t mind if I do.” Discord pushes his arms into his body, leaving his claw and paw free to do their work. He picks up the Commander Tempest figurine, dancing it along the walkway towards the four alicorns. “Fipbet here has just given her evil, evil speech about you ponies giving up. Everypony is completely surprised by this sharp turn of events! Who would have thought that mysterious creatures appearing in such a baffling manner would lead to such a dire situation? Anyway, Luna demands that you prove your mettle by claiming there are four of them and only one of you.”

"That doesn't sound like me," Luna retorts, Discord mouthing along with her words.

Discord claps his paws together, and all the Storm Minions file into the stadium. The creatures are massive, easily twice as tall as a pony with bulky arms and white, flowing manes. Armored in black and bearing the Storm King’s crest on their shoulders, they take their seats in the ‘mystery guest’ section.

“Tempest, your move.” Discord flips the red hourglass.

Tempest looks at her character card. She flips over one of her cards, revealing a picture of a small obsidian ball. “I kick this at Celestia.”

“Celestia, your response?” White hourglass flips.

“Can I teleport?” asks Celestia, looking at her character card. “For some reason that isn’t listed here.”

“Teleportation is overpowered and unfun,” Discord says, his voice flat. “It’s been excluded. For the duration of this encounter it can’t be used.”

“What?” Celestia exclaims, “That’s not fair!”

“I need your response,” Discord says, the sand in the white hourglass starting to run out.

“I… use Cadance to block with her shield and body!”

“What?!” exclaims Princess Cadance, pouting. “Two seconds in and I’m knocked out of the fight!?”

“We don’t know that!” Celestia replies, her voice getting louder. “It-”

“Hold up!” Twilight exclaims, holding up a page in the rulebook. “These are the rules for magical transformations interacting with an antimagic field?! How did you figure this out?”

“Experimentation, and yes,” Discord says, discreetly rolling dice behind a paper screen covered with doodles of Fluttershy and Princess Celestia making out.

“Rainbow Dash, please throw this at the airships, as fast as you can,” Twilight says, holding up a small pebble.

“You got it!” Rainbow Dash shouts, bored out of her mind and glad for something that gives her an excuse to leave.

“Hey, what happened to my cake?” Pinkie Pie asks, looking around for the cake that was supposed to feed at least five thousand ponies.

Rainbow Dash flies into the air, zooming at the parked airships high above. She chucks the pebble as hard as she can before banking hard to the side, avoiding the antimagic field. The pebble sails through the air before transforming back into Pinkie Pie’s colossal cake, retaining its earlier velocity. The cake smashes into the metal hull, completely covering the once black and fearsome airship with a bright and cheery pink.

“Fascinating,” says Twilight Sparkle, her eyes aglow with wonder, before she drops her head back into the rulebook.

“Um, can I change who I kick my sphere at?” Tempest asks, eyes wide.

“No, and unicorn transformation magic is excluded,” Discord quickly says. “Your obsidian ball crackles with energy as it pierces through Cadance’s shield. It slams into her body, turning her into an obsidian statue.” Discord points a claw at Cadance, the pink alicorn transforming into an obsidian statue.

“Celestia and Luna, you’ve just seen your close friend and ally get turned into a statue. Roll for horror.” Discord rolls the dice again.

“I’ve seen much worse than that,” Celestia says with a frown.

“We’ve caused far worse than that,” Luna retorts.

“Regardless, you’re both stunned into inaction by this drastic turn of events. You may take one free action to speak to any nearby pony.”

“I yell Luna quest instructions for an ally hundreds of miles away, deep in the Storm King’s territory,” Celestia says with a roll of her eyes.

Discord takes the time to write this down, framing it and putting it on a wall. “Luna?”

Luna stares at Celestia, dumbfounded.

“Okay, and Twilight, your response.”

“How many Storm Minions are there?” Twilight asks, counting the ones in the seats above.

“Roughly two dozen per airship, and there are six airships.”

“So… we have twice as many changelings available?” Twilight glances to Chrysalis for confirmation, getting a nod. “Okay, I politely ask Chrysalis to order her changelings to copy the invaders, grab a bowl of popcorn, and watch the ensuing brawl.”

“I’m enjoying this more and more,” Chrysalis says, voice purring.

“Doesn’t that take additional love energy?” Discord asks. “Also, excluded.”

“Saw that coming,” Twilight says with a roll of her eyes. “Are we just going to be railroaded into losing this or something?”

Chrysalis seductively walks up to the nearest Storm Minion, her eyes brimming with lust. “Oh, we can always use a little bit more love energy. And you seem like just the sort of hunk that can give a girl a good time, right?”

The Storm Minion, despite only his tiny beady eyes visible behind his mask, looks incredibly uncomfortable. Chrysalis merely interprets his arms trying to fend her off as a massage, moaning in pleasure as he slaps at her.

“I’m liking this less and less,” Tempest says, looking askance as Chrysalis rubs her bulk on the Storm Minion.

“Regardless, you get to go again,” Discord says to Tempest.

“I kick two balls, one at Celestia and one at Twilight,” Commander Tempest says, leaving a decent number of cards left in her stack.

“I strike a fearful pose, rearing backwards and not moving my center of mass.” Celestia does exactly that, Discord freezing her that way.

“I… dodge?” Twilight says, frowning.

Discord rolls some dice. “You fail to dodge.”

Twilight pulls out an ally card. “I use my Rainbow Dash triggered ability to save me from certain doom and replace me with a pony of my choice. I choose Derpy Hooves.”

“I’m a part of the game!” Derpy yells as Discord turns her into an obsidian statue.

“Luna?” Discord says, smirking.

Luna holds up a card. “I summon my obsidian dagger. It’s +12, has armor piercing, returning, and I can summon it back at will. It moves in a straight line at, with perfect aim, one hundred meters per second. Which means I can pierce approximately thirty throats in five seconds.” Luna points a hoof at Commander Tempest. “Starting with her.”

Commander Tempest shrinks into her seat. “I don’t want to play any more,” she says in a quiet voice.

“Aww,” Discord says, putting down his obsidian dagger. He snaps his claws and each of the statues turns back to normal. “So close. Anyway, I guess the fun is over.”

“Sure,” Twilight says, gathering up the rulebooks. “It’s been a blast. Lots of fun, we should do it again sometime.”

“I’ll hold you to that,” Discord says, waving at the audience with a paw. “So long, and thanks for all the fish!”

76 Epilogue: Lord of Celebration

July 1st, 1021 Domina Solaria

Twenty Years Later

Near the top of Mount Change Tse - the closest of the towering mountains to Yakyakistan while still being located in the Crystal Empire - lies a modest apple orchard, terraced against the steep slopes. In the center of that, built mostly into the mountain, protrudes an even more modest villa. But the view couldn’t be better: on a clear day, one can see most of the way down the mountain, and all the way across Equestria.

The railroad leading to the city Change Tse, primarily built and operated by Hive Industries, stops at the Lower Tse changeoff. It’s always fun to watch the song and dance as cargo and cheapskates go to the utilitarian lift, while passengers who splurge on a ticket ride a circuitous route around the mountain’s exterior. Faint bubbles can be seen on many of the nearby peaks, though none are quite as majestic as the Hive’s main base of operations.

Doug watches the blinking lights of the train pierce into Change Tse’s bubble from his customary spot on the roof of the villa. His auburn hair has darkened to a salt and pepper that gets saltier with every passing year. His lean and muscular build has been weathered over the years from the high altitude, and he finds he can’t go nearly as many days without wearing a light jacket purely for warmth. One hand, calloused from years of farm work and hewing stone, swirls a glass of sweet apple cider. The other rests comfortably in the sunburnt mane of the Apple matron Applejack. Her blond shows more hints of gray than she’d like to admit, yet would never hide. She tilts up her battered Stetson, favorite despite rows of newer ones that everypony, for some reason, insists on getting her. She beams a quick smile at her stallion, cooing at the affirming squeeze to the back of her neck in response, and raises her head to Castle Change.

Princess Celestia and Princess Luna stand on the southern facing balcony of the squat beacon, grinning broadly. Around the city heads turn up as not Princess Celestia but Princess Dawn strides forward. The reddish orange alicorn, cutie mark of a sun and moon cresting the horizon, closes her eyes as she concentrates, her tongue sticking out just the barest amount. Her sister, Princess Dusk, matches her steps. The pale blue alicorn has a nearly identical cutie mark, the differing background of their coats the only difference. The alicorns bask in dawn’s glow as the sun rises above the mountains far to the east, and the moon sets below the mountains far to the west, their duties complete.

Celestia leaves first, Luna following, gliding down to the villa’s landing zone built specially for their heavier weight. The white alicorn joins Doug and Applejack, greeting with a pleasant, “Morning,” and nuzzling her stallion warmly.

“Morning,” Doug returns, nuzzling Luna next. “Enjoying being just a figurehead?”

“I dare say retirement suits me,” Celestia says, though her eyes flick to one of the neighboring bubbles, the furthest to the east.

“Thou has not quite earned the title of ‘retiree’, given how frequently you are ‘requested’ to ‘assist’ in the formulation of a new city’s charter and governance.” Luna sticks her tongue out at her Sister, Celestia returning a quick flick of her own. “Or the reams of papers you sift through every day.”

“I’m just trying to stay on top of the daily news, and it’s all freelance work anyway. With so many frontier towns and cities sprouting up, and new ponies?” Celestia snorts as Cadance flies up from the train as it passes under the villa. “Besides, you’re one to talk. You haven’t taken a night off in, how long has it been?”

“That is only because Midnight is more suited to running the Night Court, just as your Noon runs the Day. Perhaps we must convince Magic to conceive again, were our desire to abandon our duties as strong as yours.”

“I heard somepony needs my help!” Cadance calls as she lands next to Doug, a single suitcase carried in her pink aura. “Morning, everypony.”

“Morning, Cadance. You can ignore them, they just want to get another set of four in,” Doug says with a grin, greeting Cadance with a nuzzle. A crack appears in his chipper expression, a slight hesitation in his voice. “Is Shining Armor coming?”

Cadance sighs heavily, her cheerful expression fading. “He still hasn’t forgiven you, Doug, even after all this time. He knows it was Harmony’s doing, not yours, and we all agreed. But every time he sees Rage? I can see her namesake in his eyes, even if he says and does nothing.”

“It’s been eighteen years,” Doug says, matching Cadance’s heavy sigh. He continues after a short delay, shaking his head. “Well, tell him I hope he’s doing well.”

“I will,” Cadance says, her smile returning. She glances towards Applejack’s pregnant belly, showing after four months. What was a quick glance turns to a longing gaze. “Didn’t you say something about stopping after a dozen?”

“Well, Ah figured Ah’d make it an even baker’s dozen,” Applejack says with a chuckle. “Ah’m still hoping one of ‘em will go into farming, but ever since Big Mac took over at Sweet Apple Acres with his herd’n Pomarbo it’s been looking less and less likely.” She glances around at the apple trees surrounding them. “Maybe one o’ the littlest will take over for me here, but they keep goin’ into the business side of things instead of the harvestin’. How’re yours doing?”

“Flurry Heart still governs the Crystal Capital, and always looks for ways to assist with my Princess duties. Now that it encompasses all these new cities popping up in the Frozen North? I’m quite thankful for the help. Rage continues to live up to her name, and thankfully her smiting is focused on taming the land. If you didn’t hear, they’re breaking ground northeast of Manehatten, the largest peak that’s close to the Griffon Lands. Of course, they’re getting their primaries ruffled, claiming all sorts of nonsense about us spying on them, but there’s nothing they can do about it.”

“They sent me a postcard, and I think I’ve gotten two death threats from the Griffons, but it's the same vague nonsense they always pull. I might need to check for more.” Doug turns to Celestia and Luna, “How are the rest of the Mortals doing?”

“Grief is doing well, as is Ignorance,” Celestia says, Luna confirming with a nod. “You’ll have to ask Twilight the specifics of Hope, but they were recovering from fabricating the latest Crystal Heart last I heard. I don’t get to see them nearly as frequently as Dawn; since I have promised to be with her every dawn until the Council is satisfied? There isn’t much chance of that changing, not that I would want it to.”

“Hopefully they’ll be able to make it,” Doug says brightly, glancing towards the hallway leading inside the mountain and the majority of the villa. Dozens of ponies stream into the outside area from both above and below. They run the gamut of unicorns, pegasi, and earth ponies. Every age is represented; from herds just starting out with young foals, young mares who recently earned a cutie mark, and singles figuring out their careers. Applejack leaves with Celestia and Luna, going to greet many of the newcomers. “Ah, and here’s the other half of Equestria’s expansion into the north!”

“You see me every week,” Chief Architect Chrysalis greets icily. She glances over at Applejack, seeing the earth pony frown. “Well, most weeks.” She hides her sly wink at Doug, “We still on for tonight?”

“Sure,” Doug confirms as Applejack shakes her head and looks away, any animosity about Chrysalis monopolizing her stallion long past. “This make a thousand?” Doug asks, though no other changelings are visible among the ponies, and not because they are transformed. “Can’t believe you haven’t found another stallion that suits your needs better, after all this time.”

“Thereabouts, and the others are far too bright and colorful.” Chrysalis shakes her head; her nymphs with Doug almost always come out in a very similar color scheme to her, rather than the garish pinks and bright blues of, say, Shining Armor. She plops down next to Doug and stares out over the expansive view. “I keep telling you, the view from the castle itself is better.”

“Yes, well, I enjoy being a bit more off the beaten path,” Doug says as two earth pony foals, one a burnt orange and the other a dull red, force their way forwards and leap into his lap. He hugs the two foals close, exclaiming, “Oh, look how big you’ve gotten!” Following close behind is a brown earth pony mare, Applebaum all grown up. His attention turns to her, saying, “I still say I’m too old to be a grandpa.”

“Great grandpa,” Applebaum corrects, smiling broadly. “Gray Shoal should be right up, him and Trap made sure to bring extra diapers this time.”

“Wouldn’t want a repeat of their last visit,” Doug says, shaking his head. His hands scrunch up the two foal’s manes, gently pulling their heads back to look them in the eyes. “How are Seismic and Spire?”

“Other than getting into everything they could on the ride over, couldn’t be better.” Applebaum leans over, whispering, “The best part is, I get to give them back.”

“I believe I told you the same thing with Trap and Mine,” Doug says with a grin, “though I seem to have misplaced my candy.”

At the mention of the word the two foals bounce excitedly, spinning every which direction to try to find the promised sweets. When it doesn’t immediately make itself apparent they employ their best hurt and betrayed looks at Doug, the human’s hard exterior quickly crumbling.

“Auntie Twilight made a map,” Doug says, motioning towards the towns far below. He pulls a thin slab of stone upwards, the map mirroring the panoramic view. Each little cluster of buildings, roads, and railroad tracks is labeled in a tiny, flowing script. “You wouldn’t know what it was like before, but many of them didn’t even exist twenty years ago. Do you know where you live?”

The two foals study the landscape, then the view, then back to the map. Spire yelps, pointing a red hoof at a small chocolate placed over one of the small mining towns to the west. She gobbles it up, her sister’s orange hoof finding the other piece next to it.

“Very good!” Doug says, smirking at Applebaum’s roll of the eyes. “You get to see where everypony has gone.” His voice fades as he looks around at the twelve mares, forty foals, and nearly one hundred grandfoals crowding themselves around the villa. Each of them has a location marked on the map, nearly the entirety glowing. “So many ponies.”

“And here’s your favorite one!” Rainbow Dash exclaims as she lands, neatly pulling to a stop just above Doug. The two foals screech in delight, scampering out of Doug’s lap and forcing Applebaum to chase them down. She takes several deep breaths. “You doing all right, you big lug?”

“Better, now that you’re here,” Doug says with a smile and a hug for the chromatic pegasus. “You know, if you lived here, the high altitude wouldn’t bother you so much.”

“Yeah, well, the Crystal Heart does too good a job keeping the weather nice. If I ever look to retire, I’ll become head weathermare here.” Rainbow Dash smirks, then pulls out two Wonderbolt themed balls as a pair of white pegasus fillies charge forward. Both eschew the balls as they fly into Doug’s lap, getting a tight hug, a cyan pegasus stallion following behind.

“Sorry, dam, they’re more into strategy board games now,” Divine Wind says, offering a conciliatory smile, though he keeps the balls just in case.

“You mean, like, Storm Hunters?” Rainbow Dash asks hopefully, looking down at the fillies with a broad smile. They both stick their tongues out in disgust, Rainbow Dash pouting.

“Maybe something slightly more challenging,” Divine Wind says apologetically.

“Yeah, whatever,” Rainbow Dash says, rolling her eyes. “Hey, Grandmare Dash wants to see how your flying skills are coming along! Up and at ‘em!”

The two fillies moan but dutifully take to the air, flying off, Rainbow Dash giving chase.

Now that there is an opening Fluttershy cautiously approaches, furtively looking left and right. She warily watches Chrysalis, the large changeling licking her lips forebodingly. “Um,” Fluttershy says as she gets close, sticking to the opposite side of Chrysalis, “Have you ever thought of, um, inviting less ponies to these reunions?”

“Well, it’s just every five years, and it lets Pinkie Pie show off those party planning skills of hers,” Doug says, motioning backwards to where the pink mare is hard at work feeding the multitude. “Besides, you’re always free to bring the herd up here at other times.”

“I suppose,” Fluttershy says meekly, “but I don’t like leaving the animals in Ponyville alone for so long.”

“Even with Hedge and the others running that sanctuary thing?” Doug shrugs. “Yeah, I guess if you all are making the trip up here, and you had a lot of animals that need help.”

“Pretty much; it’s a lot like Rarity, and how she can’t make it because of some Manehatten business thing or another.”

“That’s a shame,” Doug says, sighing disappointingly. “I was hoping everypony would be able to make it.”

“Well, there are a lot of us.” Fluttershy glances around the party, looking for her little ones, none of whom are so ‘little’ any more. “I was glad I was able to make the trip. We had a beaver and a manticore get into a nasty argument, and it ended with the beaver dropping a tree onto the manticore’s tail.”

“That sounds incredibly painful,” Doug says, wincing. “I guess you were able to help her?”

“Yep! She’s got a cast, and is healing, so doesn’t need a lot of looking after,” Fluttershy says chipperly. She looks over as Applejack starts directing everypony with a large bullhorn. “Oh, I think we’re about to take a group picture!”

“Right,” Doug says, disappointed. He looks to the horizon as everypony lines up several rows deep for the picture. The littlest foals litter the front, then fillies and young mares, and their dams. Doug sits in the middle, alicorns laying down in front of him and leaving a noticeable spot for Twilight. The mares line up behind: Applejack closest while Trixie and Starlight take the edges.

“Wait for us!” calls Twilight Sparkle from far away. Rarity clings to her back while Spike and six alicorn mares fly behind. In unison they teleport closer, and each gets a nuzzle from Doug before taking their place by his side.

“Say Cheese!” shouts Pinkie Pie. Everypony smiles together as the flash goes off.

Author's Note

Blog post!

1 The Encroaching Darkness

February 21st, 1001 Domina Solaria

A solitary hoofstep breaks the excited chatter as Rarity paces down the neat line of her herdmates. Keen blue eyes inspect their Grand Galloping Gala dresses like a commander before a parade. She idly flicks off a speck of dirt off Fluttershy’s gown; satisfied, she moves to Pinkie Pie.

“Come on, Rarity!” shouts Rainbow Dash from her spot second in line, accenting her words with a brief flutter of cerulean wings. “We’re going to be stuck outside with the statues all night if you don’t hurry up!”

“You can’t rush perfection,” Rarity retorts as Pinkie Pie brandishes her golden ticket. Only a hard stare keeps the pink pony from pronking past, her presence practically pushing her back into position.

“Some of us wouldn’t mind being stuck outside,” Fluttershy quietly says, looking at the beautiful gardens around them. Not as fascinating as the gardens inside the castle, of course. Especially because these gardens don’t have any of the rare and exotic critters! She waves at Trixie, the azure unicorn none too happy at playing chaperone for the eight fillies of the herd on such a big night. Even though five of them have their cutie marks the vote was nearly unanimous against them, especially the Cutie Mark Crusaders, being left without any supervision.

“Yeah, well, we best be going, y’all. If’n you want to keep your place in line, you’d better hurry up!” Applejack sticks her tongue out as Rarity turns and glares. Careful not to get her fancy boots dirty, Applejack begins their procession. The other ponies waiting to enter Canterlot Castle stop, allowing the eight Element wielders a clear path to the drawbridge and main gates.

“I can’t wait to get in!” Pinkie Pie licks her lips in anticipation of the glorious treats inside. “Do you think they’ll have cake? I hope they have cake!”

“Who knows,” Fluttershy remarks, glancing up at the alicorn at the top of the red carpeted steps. Her Highness, Princess Celestia, is meeting each pony after they have been introduced, oftentimes with a short nod and brief greeting. “If Princess Celestia is stuck here, we might have a chance!”

Rarity’s quick inspection clears Twilight, Spike, and Doug. The white unicorn quickly struts to her place second in line, only a tiny huff showing her displeasure with her lead mare. “Princess Celestia knows to share with her little ponies. She’s not going to eat all the cake.”

“You never know,” Pinkie Pie says as they approach the ceremonial guard standing by the gates. “Rumor has it she eats anypony who gets too close to her cakes!”

“That only happened with you, Pinkie Pie,” Applejack says with a snort, though her eyes squint as she rapidly looks from side to side. “...Twice.”

The line of ponies moves swiftly, the announcer regally projecting their names and occasional noteworthy bit. Applejack hoofs her ticket over; the announcer reads the ticket before clearing his throat and grandly stating,

“The Element of Honesty, Applejack!”

The crowd of ponies politely stomp their hooves as Applejack moseys through, her elegant Stetson exaggerating the slight bows of her head. Her braided tail peeks out from underneath her brown saddle, the green dress draping down her sides. Two green hoofkerchiefs, cinched with a red apple, wrap across her chest. She briefly nods to Princess Celestia, getting a twinkling smile in return. She walks off to the side, noting a couple of Canterlot’s finest chefs and restaurateurs, but really looking for a place to set up her wagon filled with Sweet Apple Acres delicacies.

“The Element of Generosity, stylist and dressmaker at the Carousel Boutique in Ponyville, Rarity!”

Rarity coyly flicks her purple mane as she struts through the gates, a few catcalls mixing with the cheers echoing around. Her pink dress, accented in magenta and gold, nearly covers her in ruffles. The flash of lights glitter off her gems and golden crown, teal glass slippers covering her hooves. She bows to Princess Celestia, the Princess inclining her head. Several of the nobleponies watch her through the corner of their eyes, trading slight smirks as she joins Applejack.

Twilight leans over to Doug, whispering, “Wait, you can change what’s written on your ticket?”

Rainbow Dash steps up, hoofing over her golden ticket, then stepping back smugly. The announcer clears his throat as he peers down, then does a double take, his eyes focusing on the tiny script. He announces,

“The Element of Loyalty, defeater of Nightmare Moon and liberator of Princess Luna-”

Rainbow grins, basking in the praise, lights glinting off her gold strapped shoes as she waves.

Doug nods. He folds his gloved hands, knuckles adorned with the seven cutie marks of the mares in the herd, over the metal cuirass of his spruced up Nightmare Night costume. “Yup; Rarity showed Rainbow how to change it.”

“-Only known performer of the incredible Sonic Rainboom, savior of the Wonderbolts-”

“She couldn’t figure it out on her own?” Twilight smirks.

“Obviously not,” Rainbow retorts, bowing as she takes to the air. The clouds along the train of her dress float up and down, a rolling rainbow down her flanks. “I’m not an egghead.”

“-Winner of the Best Young Flyers competition, and one of the fastest pegasi alive-”

Twilight groans. “How long is this?”

Doug rolls his eyes, clicking his polished boots against each other. “This is the half she didn’t cut.”

“-The Element of Loyalty, Rainbow Dash!”

Rainbow Dash blasts forward, striking a few poses to the cheer of the crowd and flashing lights. She skids to a stop in front of Princess Celestia, the alicorn bumping her raised hoof.

Fluttershy walks up almost as an afterthought, though the attention being off her is not unwelcome in the slightest.

“The Element of Kindness, Fluttershy!”

Fluttershy slinks forwards in her lovely green dress, barely able to lift a hoof to wave. A few flowers break free of her mane as she scurries off to hide behind Applejack and Rarity, the two staring daggers at the still showboating Rainbow Dash.

“The Element of Laughter, Pinkie Pie!”

“Woohoo!” shouts Pinkie Pie, two previously unnoticed party cannons going off and showering the area with confetti. She pronks through the gates, grinning uproariously, her blue and white striped dress mesmerizing as she twirls around.

Twilight coughs out a few pieces of confetti, waving Spike forward as she recovers.

The announcer takes Spike’s ticket, barely sparing a glance to the dragon. He stands a little straighter upon reading the script, his imperial voice ringing out,

“It is my great pleasure today to introduce her Highness Princess Celestia’s personal student-”

Spike stands tall, puffing his white ruffled chest out and beaming. He lifts his arms, flexing, though the black sleeves of the suit cover his muscles. He waves as he walks forward, grinning at the ponies smiling all around him.

“-and the Element of Magic and Friendship, Twilight Sparkle!”

The stomp of the hooves is nearly deafening as Spike freezes like a statue, frozen by the flashing lights and cheers.

Twilight Sparkle, nearly as stunned, starts walking forward, only to be stopped by the guard. “Sorry, ma’am, you’ll need to wait your turn.”

“But-” Twilight pleads, watching as a magical nudge gets Spike to start walking forward. Rainbow Dash can barely contain her laughter, and even Princess Celestia seems to have trouble holding her motherly smile together.

The guard cuts her off. “There, now you can go.” He slips backwards, a gracious smile as he motions forward.

Twilight Sparkle, with great reluctance, hoofs her ticket to the announcer. He takes the ticket, his eyebrows briefly narrowing. His eyes flick up to Twilight, then to Spike, then to the ticket again. In his most majestic voice, the kind he reserves for Princess Celestia and visiting heads of state, he announces,

“Guest.”

The crowd mostly goes silent, a few scattered hoof stomps that quickly stop. Twilight Sparkle hangs her head, looking ready to die of embarrassment, until Rainbow Dash points a hoof.

“Bwa-ha-ha-ha!” she rings out, somersaulting in the air. “Priceless!”

The announcer can’t hide his smirk any longer, covering it by bowing deeply and motioning forwards. He stands as Twilight tepidly walks through, taking Doug’s ticket.

“Come, Twilight,” Princess Celestia gently intones from the top of the stairs, though it feels like she is right next to Twilight, words for nopony else. She lifts a hoof, inviting Twilight in for a hug. “I suspect you have learned a valuable lesson this day.”

“Yes.” Twilight Sparkle bounds forward and gratefully accepts the hug, wishing she could disappear into that rainbow tail and never come out. “I’m never going outside again.”

“Doug Apple, Stallion of the Elements of Harmony.”

Polite hoofstomps quickly die as the lone human walks through the gates. “And Trixie!” comes a shout from outside, drawing scattered laughter from the guests. Doug turns, waving at the azure unicorn, before continuing up the red carpet to greet Celestia. Twilight briefly quails as the white alicorn lifts up, bemoaning even the temporary loss of contact with her beloved mentor. He reaches a hand forward, sparing a soft smile for Twilight before he locks eyes with Celestia.

Standing on her hind legs doesn’t buy Celestia a lot of extra height, but it does free up her forelegs. Her barrel slides along the armor on his chest, one hoof wrapping around his neck while the other tugs at his waist. Her long neck dips down as she draws a surprised but not objecting Doug in for a long, passionate kiss.

The crowd goes silent.

“There,” Celestia says in a quiet voice as she briefly pulls away. She rests her hoof on his shoulder, smiling fondly. “Now you don’t have to worry about anypony finding out about us.”

Doug, stunned, barely holds onto Celestia with one hand while the other delicately touches two fingers to his lips. “I…” he stammers, taking in a deep breath. “I guess that’s one way to do it.”

“Now one for the cameras.” Celestia grins as her mane briefly ties back into a ponytail. She pulls herself close, Doug gladly meeting her, fully exposed to the multitude of flashing lights around them. She whispers, a twinkle in her eye, “Perhaps we should meet again at a less… conspicuous location.”

“As you wish,” Doug formally states as Celestia, with great reluctance, lets go. She gracefully turns her descent into a low bow, Doug returning the same. Doug turns, briskly walking without a backwards glance towards the rest of the herd.

“W-what?” Twilight barely manages to eke out. “What just...?” She glances up at the alicorn regally standing next to her as if nothing out of the ordinary happened, merely waiting to receive the next guest.

“He is nothing if not adaptable,” Celestia returns, smiling as the next few ponies are announced. “Besides, I think this way nopony will remember anything that happened before it.” She briefly winks at Twilight before turning to the next pony.

“Good evening, Auntie,” formally addresses the large white stallion. His teal eyes, swimming in mirth, flick down to Twilight Sparkle. “And Guest.”

“Except for this gentlestallion,” Princess Celestia returns harshly, her voice capable of chilling ice. “Nephew.”

“Sorry, I couldn’t resist.” Prince Blueblood, dark blue bowtie nearly as large as his grin, nods to both of them. “You are both looking particularly radiant.”

“Thank you, Lunaris.” Princess Celestia nods in return, Twilight Sparkle following after a moment’s hesitation.

“In fact, I’d say you were almost as radiant as me.” Lunaris Blueblood winks at Twilight before his head turns, ignoring the two mare’s glares. “Ah, I see my rendezvous, as it were, is waiting patiently at our rendezvous for our… rendezvous.” He turns back to Twilight and Celestia, bowing again. “It is with great regret that I must bid you adieu.” He flicks them another smile as he practically parades himself towards Rarity.

“Is he always that…” Twilight twirls a hoof around, searching for a word that she could utter while the pony in question is still in earshot.

“Believe it or not, he toned it down,” Princess Celestia replies as the line of guests proceed along the red carpet.

“Doug!” Lunaris calls as he approaches the human mingling with five mares. Each has a look of bemused mirth or a slight smirk, as if the events seconds before came to them as far less of a surprise than to him. His eyes briefly meet each of theirs. “I should have met each of you last month, aboard the Priestess, but a certain pink pony had other ideas. Please allow me to introduce myself; I…” he stoops for a slight bow, “...am Prince Lunaris Blueblood. A pleasure to meet all of you for the first time.” A mischievous smile crosses his muzzle as he looks to Spike. “Except for you. How could I forget my best friend’s sister, Twilight Sparkle?”

“Hey!” cries Rarity as Spike folds his claws across his suit. “Don’t you pick on him! Can’t you see he feels awful about that!”

“I…” Prince Blueblood says, momentarily taken aback. “...I just thought that I-”

Rarity snorts, interrupting him. “You thought an uncouth remark like that would be taken kindly? Perhaps if you were the Prince of Filth!” She rears up, ready to continue unleashing insults upon the hapless unicorn, though stays her vengeance upon seeing his contrite look.

“...You’re right.” Lunaris stands up straight, taking a deep breath. “I am sorry, Spike the Dragon. I should have realized how you felt about the ticket.” He turns to Rarity, offering a penitent bow. “It shall not happen again.” He sighs, but to himself, regretful and disappointed.

“Well, perhaps if you are a gentlestallion the remainder of the night you can be forgiven. One slip up should not a character define.” Rarity nuzzles Doug, waving to her herdmates, then looks around for a few of the nobleponies whose eyes she caught.

“How is he the third pony to call me that already?” demands Spike, growling as he scratches at the carpet.

“Pretty sure Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie don’t count,” returns Doug, watching Rarity practically prance away with Lunaris in tow. He turns to each of the mares. “I think I’m going to go lay low,” Doug says, a smirk growing. “You know, get the rumor mill started nice and early. I’ll try to catch up with each of you later.”

Applejack pulls Doug down, whispering in his ear, barely loud enough for the rest of the herd to listen in as they gather close. “Look. Ah know Celestia’s been interested in you for, well, probably since she met you. But don’t go doing nothing rash, ya hear? Especially inviting her to the herd; it ain’t something we’ve considered and all. And Ah don’t know how comfortable Ah am with the notion.”

Doug nods, though he has a difficult time ruffling Applejack’s mane with the heavy braid. He trades nuzzles with each pony as they leave. Applejack goes to the kitchens to retrieve her cart she had sent earlier. Rainbow Dash spots Spitfire and a cadre of Wonderbolts, zipping to join them. Fluttershy, already anxious to get away from the main entrance, heads towards the secluded gardens. Pinkie Pie heads inside to the main party, hoping to get her groove on.

Doug stays squatting, watching the other ponies mostly avoid them. “Want to walk back with me, Spike?”

Spike shrugs. “Eh, sure. Not like there’s a lot here that I wanted to do. I was hoping to get some food, but I guess I can always come back.” He glances around. “So, you and Celestia, huh?”

Doug sighs as he stands. “I’m not sure what exactly to think about it, Spike. It’s not like I don’t want it. I just haven’t thought it all the way through.” He looks outside. “Maybe walking through the gardens will help with that. Keep Trixie company for a little bit, see the foals.”

“Yeah, I guess I wouldn’t mind that.” Spike shrugs. “Gives us something to do, at least.”

The two quickly catch up, Trixie marginally better than a cardboard cutout at keeping the fillies from scampering all over the statues that ring the gardens along the outer walls. Trixie plods along, barely sparing a glance to the statue of a pony posing with two hooves raised in triumph, or the weird statue that looks like a horrible amalgamation of creatures mashed together, or the statue of three fillies playing on top of each other with bright and cheery smiles.

“What do you think that one is?” Scootaloo shouts, scampering up to the statue of three fillies. “Do you think it could be us?”

“Nuh-uh,” replies Apple Bloom with a callous shake of her head. “It’s three earth ponies! See?” She motions up, the lack of wings or horn immediately apparent.

“Oh.” Sweetie Belle sighs, clearly disappointed. “At least it’s better than that victorious statue.”

“Yeah, who wants to be victoryful anyway?” Scootaloo shakes her head, peering up at the weird mixup of creatures. “And what’s a…” she squints, trying to read the well-worn label as a small blob of purple and black magic escapes her chest. It floats up unnoticed, disappearing into the statue without a trace. “...Draco in leather pants?”

“Ah don’t think we’re supposed to talk about leather.” Apple Bloom trots over, mouth contorting to a puzzled grimace. A second ball of purple and black rises from her as she looks over at Scootaloo. “Ah don’t think we’re supposed to talk about this, either.”

Sweetie Belle joins her sisters in staring up at the weird creature. “Yeah. Hey, let’s go see what’s up ahead! I think there’s this big garden maze we can get lost in!” She scampers off to catch up with Doug, Trixie, and the other five fillies. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo quickly outpace her, none noticing the third ball of purple and black magic that pulls away from Sweetie Belle and quickly absorbed by the statue. “Hey, wait for me!”

An unearthly cracking rends the quiet air, fissures splitting the stone of the draconequus statue. Everypony turns, gasping as sharp shards explode outwards. A solitary figure strides out of the giant cloud of dust, a ominous yet cheery voice shouting.

“I’m immortal again!! Omnipotent again!!”

8 Bowyer's Dream

Soft chords fill the entry hall as the musicians in the ballroom begin playing again. Slowly, cautiously, everything begins to go back to normal. Princess Cadance and Guard Captain Shining Armor politely bow to Princess Celestia and Twilight Sparkle as they take their leave. They walk past the new arrivals to the Gala, who in turn come up to meet the Princess, though warily. The Elements of Harmony each go their separate ways, leaving Doug, Trixie, and Princess Luna.

Trixie glances up at Princess Luna, whose eyes focus on the amulet around her neck. “Um, let me get that,” Trixie says, almost apologetically, her hoof unclasping the amulet and tucking it into her dress. “Just thought we might need, you know, a little more Great and Powerfulness. Yes?”

Princess Luna’s eyes narrow.

Trixie coughs nervously. “Well, um, I think I might need to go check up on Spike and the foals. See ya!”

A smoke bomb goes off, startling everypony in the room. An azure unicorn races out of the entry hall, barreling past the guard and guests before tripping on her dress and smacking her head into the ground. Trixie picks herself up without a backwards glance, disappearing into the night.

Doug looks up at Luna. She returns a look mixing pensiveness and curiosity. “...So,” he eventually says, “you have any plans?”

Luna snorts, walking off to her tower, a brief flick of her mane enough for Doug to pad along after her. As soon as they turn the first corner, the grand announcing of various ponies fading away, she curtly states, “We watch over the kingdom as our Sister parades herself in front of those nobles, playing the regal Princess.”

“...I take it that’s a no?” Doug cheekily replies, his jovial tone betraying an undercurrent of hostility.

Luna stops in her tracks, cold eyes boring into Doug. “Dost thou think’st to mock us? Insinuate, as everypony else, that we are not as capable as our Sister, or that our responsibilities are for naught?”

Doug pinches a thumb and a finger a fraction of an inch apart. “Barely? A little?” He sighs as Luna’s brow furrows, the two continuing on their journey through the castle. “Not like you are saying, though. I don’t mean to be insulting or anything, just trying to inject a little humor into things.” He sighs, kicking at the marble as the floor turns to stone steps, his hands at his side and wishing he had pockets in which to hide them. The two head into Luna’s tower, beginning a long climb.

Luna turns again to regard Doug, but without the hostility. “Thou admits to it? Thou art braver than we thought, or a foal.”

“Well, honesty is the best policy and all that.” Doug’s fingers trace over the red apples on his gloves; he glances down at the seven cutie marks embroidered on the fabric. “I don’t think hiding who you are is a good policy. If they like the facade you put up, then that just means you have to keep up the charade. Better to make Friends with those who can accept the real you.”

The stone steps climb higher and higher, eventually reaching an ornate door that Luna opens with a flare of blue. The room is cluttered, yet organized. Multiple tables are filled to the brim with books, some open but nearly every one dog-eared or bookmarked. Others contain trinkets, minor magical artifacts, or polished gems. The only open space is threatened by stacks of papers, some blank, and a few bottled inkwells. The Princess-sized bed looks to be carved from rock, and is nearly as hard, with only two cobalt pillows. Opening to the outside are two modest doors that lead to a balcony.

Doug walks to the doors, looking outside. A nearly perfect view of the surrounding countryside, spoiled only by the remainder of Canterlot Castle and the spot where Celestia and Luna raise and lower the sun and moon. He pushes, but it is locked; a brief burst of blue opens the door, allowing the cool night air to waft inside.

“But what if they don’t like the real you?” Luna asks, her voice almost pleading. “What if… what if you are afraid of what they will think of you, of what they might do if they found out?”

Doug blithely shrugs. “I’d say find some new friends.”

Luna is taken aback.

“Obviously, they aren’t particularly loyal if they’re willing to abandon you over nothing. Well, I guess that depends on how bad it is a thing you are admitting to.” Doug looks over at Luna. “We aren’t talking about, say, actual skeletons in the closet, right?”

“No, Celestia has as complete an accounting of our… misdeeds… as is possible.” Luna sighs. “And it was so long ago, any wronged parties have long been put to rest. Other than certain dragons. No, we are talking the more mundane aspects of what one wishes to do, or certain… desires that one might have.”

“Well, okay, that’s if your friends actually didn’t like what you told them. But that would require actually telling them, which gets back to your question of if you are afraid, how do you get the courage to tell them. To which I would say, be optimistic about it; hope for the best and all that.” He fingers the blue balloon. “Although, at the same time, how do you know what you know?” Doug walks back from the balcony, motioning towards the arcane texts on one of the tables. “It’s not like you can read somepony’s mind and know what they think.”

His face briefly falls as Luna looks away, unable to meet his eyes. He deadpans, “You can read pony’s minds.”

“Well, their dreams,” Luna admits, peeking back as Doug sits on the bed. “And one can infer much from somepony’s dreams. Their desires, their fears, their deepest loves. And more.”

“You know, this is easier to argue without magic gumming things up.” Doug sighs as he gets up, pacing to the tables. One of the papers catches his eye. “Hold up,” he says, scanning through the intelligence report. “Who is the Storm King, and where is Panthera? I’ve never heard of that.”

“The Council of Creature’s enforcer. Abyssinia - whose capital is Panthera, far to the south - defied our demands one time too many.” Luna motions to several of the other articles. “Mostly slavery, if that can be believed. We tried to stamp out the abominable practice back in our day, but the allure proves too great time and time again. After he subdues their leadership, we may bring peaceful coexistence again to their land.”

“Huh.” Doug looks around a few of the other items, noticing a brown, twine bound book sitting next to a pair of alicorn statues. He drops the papers back down, then walks to the bed, splaying his arms to the side as he lays down. The mattress - if it could be called that - rocks up and down exactly zero times. “So, have you put the knowledge you gained of a pony to the test, and seen if you can predict their reactions based on that?”

Luna nibbles on her lip for a few seconds. “Hmm, how about this.” Luna scribbles something on a piece of paper, her blue aura folding it in half. She looks over at Doug; he is back to laying on the bed, hands locked behind his head and propping him up.

“Art thou not interested in our Sister? Or has She not made her intentions for thou clear enough?” Luna pauses at Doug’s long sigh, head laying back. His hands shift to cover his face, closing his eyes. She continues, “Many ponies would consider it a great honor to be chosen as Consort. Such a great honor, in fact, that She fears inevitable in-fighting regardless of whom She chooses.”

“Maybe that’s the problem,” Doug replies, hands coming away so he can stare at the ceiling. His eyes trace over the intricate mosaic above, thousands of tiny flecks of gold in the deep blue sky. “I don’t think that I put as high an honor on it that I should. Every time I meet with Celestia it’s as an old friend, and not the respect and adoration she deserves. I’m afraid I’m going to ruin her image or something, that ponies will think less of her because they see me as different, or us bantering back and forth, or any of a hundred other things they expect from me. That I have no hope of doing, or coming close to achieving.”

Luna snorts. “Thou realizes that is precisely why she is intrigued and infatuated by you, yes? Because, while the Yaks and Dragons may not treat her with the utmost respect and the Griffons actively challenge her, you treat her as you would anypony else. Based on the pony who lays beneath, heedless of her station!”

“I guess it all started our first meeting, when I spoke my mind to her. She seemed taken aback that I, a lowly subject, would do such a thing.” Doug shrugs as he sits up from the bed. “And she has been welcomed back just about every year since, to observe. Sometimes, more than others, she wants to join in. It’s just…” Doug raises his hands, palms up, unsure of how to continue.

“Her most common dream, when she dares sleep during the night, is of spending time with your herd. And not of a time where you are rutting her instead of Applejack, though that occurs, but of the intimacy and bonding between you. Pressing cake against Pinkie Pie's flank is a particularly poignant memory. And yet, she seeks more than physical intimacy, or the fulfillment that comes with a foal. Dost thou know, thou art one of a precious few willing to confront and disagree with her?”

“I guess.” Doug meets Luna’s eyes. “Do you find yourself in that last category?”

Luna considers for a few long seconds. “We… we used to. We were close, as close as any two ponies could be. Lovers in all but deed, we held no secrets from another. The Breaker of Day had an outlet, a release valve, with ourselves as confidante. But with every passing day, ponies began to adore her more and more. We... I began holding back, afraid. My Nightmare was only cast into deeper shadows the brighter she stood.”

Doug slowly nods. “And when you fought her…”

“Sol Invictus stood triumphant, again. The name is no misnomer. But she was broken inside, her heart wounded. Never before, and to my knowledge never since, has she been hurt so.” Luna’s eyes, cold and piercing, turn to Doug. “We would do everything in our power to make sure it never happens again.”

“Well, that puts me in quite the pickle, yes?” Doug gets up, pacing back and forth. “What am I supposed to do? Just, give her what she wants, heedless of the costs and problems it makes for me and my herd? She kissed me, in front of everypony, to try to get me to finally capitulate!”

“We heard thou did not resist,” Luna says with a sly smirk. “Art thou telling us this isn’t your desire?”

“No, it’s just... complicated.” Doug sits down on the floor, since there are no chairs at any of the tables.

Luna opens the paper she had written in, passing it to Doug.

He reads aloud, “Overanalyze and try to make everypony happy.” He sighs, looking up at Luna. “I guess I do that, huh.”

“Sometimes, all we can do is ask what will make ourselves happy. And the others will have to deal with the consequences.” Luna coolly regards Doug. “Do you think you could tell me ‘no’, just like you tell Celestia?”

“Perhaps.” Doug pauses as Luna strides forward, radiating confidence, a mare in her prime. Her mane billows behind her, her horn lighting only long enough to shut the balcony door. “Maybe.”

Luna bends down slightly, just enough to match his eyes with hers, stopping inches from him. Then her muzzle pushes forward, meeting his in a kiss.

23 The Landing

“Huh,” Rainbow Dash says as Twilight Sparkle struggles to her hooves, only being helped a little (picked up and held entirely) by Doug. “Not even a broken wing? Color me impressed. Where do I get one of those fancy helmets?”

“Bwuh?” responds Twilight, peeling the dented (completely collapsed) helmet from her head. She groans, slowly coming to.

Behind her, Cerberus quiets down, sated. His heads loll over, collapsing to the ground and snoring softly. In Ponyville, panicking ponies peek past protective palisades, peering at the Princesses. Pinkie Pie pronks positively, passively pacifying perturbed ponies.

“I think what Rainbow Dash is trying to say, darling,” Rarity says, a beaming smile on her face as she stares in awe at Twilight’s wings, restraining herself from running her hooves through the thick feathers, “is that you are an alicorn? A… if I am not mistaken, a Princess?”

The herd holds their collective breaths as Twilight wobbles a little. Her head sways back and forth as her eyes focus on Celestia and Luna. Or, rather, at their hooves, then their manes, then back to their hooves.

“Thou art correct, Generosity,” Luna states royally, offering a low bow.

“Well,” Rarity says, her voice catching as she coyly strokes one hoof against her foreleg, stealing a glance at Applejack and the remains of what used to be a fancy hat. “While this started out as a terrible dream, now I’m afraid to wake up, and learn that it was, in fact, a dream.”

“We can assure thou, that this is no dream.” Luna smiles broadly at Rarity, then at Twilight. The purple alicorn has recovered just enough to stand by herself, swaying a little.

“That’s… that’s exactly what dream Luna would say!” shouts Rarity, nearly hysterical. “No! Don’t let me wake up! That would be the true Nightmare!”

“No!” Rarity swings her head back and forth. “No, Rarity, you are better than that! More than just a small town seamstress and dressmaker!” She slaps herself across the face, hard. It snaps her head to the side, leaving her gaping at the ground, feeling like Twilight looks.

“Better?” Doug asks dryly.

Rarity sits there, stunned, before her smile beams larger than Pinkie Pie’s. “It’s not a dream!” She spins, embracing Twilight, finding it slightly awkward with the alicorn who went from the same height to a few inches taller. “You really are a Princess!”

“That she is,” Celestia warmly smiles as the rest of the herd joins Rarity. “For she has learned well the lessons of Friendship from every one of you. And proven that she is ready.” Except her eyes cannot help but betray an unsure, almost accusatory flick to Luna.

Luna merely returns a neutral gaze, unreadable as the white moon above.

“Weddy?” Twilight says, mashed up against all the ponies.

“A splendid idea, if I may say so myself,” Celestia whispers with a wink, barely loud enough for the mares to hear, “but perhaps I will save the formal request until you have had time to adjust.”

Applejack gasps, stepping away from Twilight. Her green eyes trace over every inch of the white alicorn, then notes a similar pleasant smile on Luna. She gulps as the other mares of the herd also step away, trading worried and excited looks.

“But now is not the time for such weighty matters.” Celestia’s gaze strays to the Ponyvillians who have started coming out of the town, lining up and bowing. Her voices raises, addressing everypony. “Twilight Sparkle has proven that she is ready to fulfill her destiny.” Celestia grandly motions at the mares beside her.

“For she has displayed the Altruism-”

Rarity regally steps forward, bowing low.

“-Benevolence-”

Fluttershy timidly joins Rarity, smiling broadly.

“-Command-”

Twilight steps forward this time, slightly hesitantly, then standing proud.

“-Dedication-”

Rainbow Dash leaps forward, standing tall with her chest puffed out.

“-Enthusiasm-”

Pinkie Pie pronks up, landing next in line.

“-and Forthrightness-”

Applejack grins, tipping her hat as she steps up.

“-of a true Princess.” Celestia smiles down, eyes sparkling with pride.

“Does… does this mean that I won’t be your student any more?” asks Twilight, her voice a painfully scared whisper. Yet, judging by the reactions of everypony, she was loud enough for all to hear.

A solemn look crosses Celestia’s face as she nods. “You will not be my student, not the way you were before, but I will always be there to help and guide you.” She nuzzles Twilight, hiding her smirk at her former student’s nervousness. “You are an inspiration to us all, Twilight Sparkle; I think you will find that we are all your students, now.”

“...Why?” Twilight says cautiously, her voice squeaking. “What do I do now?” She glances back to the library, then towards Canterlot. “Is there a book I can read on this?”

“You are welcome to my journals,” Celestia says, “but I’m afraid that will have to wait until later. After all, we will need to hurry to Canterlot if we wish to make the dawn celebration!”

“Dawn celebration?” Rarity asks, a quizzical cock to her head. “Whatever for?”

“Why, to celebrate Twilight’s coronation as Princess, of course,” Celestia replies with a wink at the seamstress. “I trust you have dresses for everypony already made for the occasion, yes?”

Rarity faints, Applejack and Fluttershy barely catching her.

Pinkie Pie cheers, shouting, “Alicorn Party!!” as she rides through the air, somehow having made a makeshift swing out of discarded branches and Applejack’s rope. The Elements of Harmony gather around Rarity’s fallen body, cheering and shouting; they are quickly joined by the ebullient crowd. Damage from the storm and Cerberus are forgotten, especially as they partake in Pinkie Pie’s procured party products.

Trixie looks somewhat awkward, even as Pinkie Pie slaps a party hat onto her horn and slips the loop under her muzzle. Starlight gets one as well, looking positively neutral about the entire ordeal. Trixie quickly recovers, though, her own brand of fireworks and explosions joining Pinkie Pie’s.

Doug seems to be the only creature not enjoying himself, managing to slink away before a slightly confused Pinkie Pie can stick a hat on him. He sits on the north side of the library, opposite the party and as far away from the noise as he can get without going into the woods. Starlight follows him, her glum look of boredom matching his melancholy.

Rarity recovers, eventually, and press-gangs Fluttershy into helping her finalize the dresses for the upcoming celebration. Twilight is an especially high priority, getting her larger wings fitted and comfortable. The party roars in full swing, and looks to be staying that way until morning. And with Applejack returning with a wagonload of refreshments? The hard cider disappears particularly quickly, even a cask of their Reserve divvied up among the herd.

“So,” Starlight says to Doug as the festivities rage on, “I don’t, um, suppose you mind laying low with me?”

Doug shrugs, his mind elsewhere. Starlight lays down, about an arms reach away.

A few long seconds pass, Starlight furtively glancing back at her cutie mark every few seconds. “Didn’t know it was like this,” she says, peeking back at the outskirts of the party. The Crusaders, having gotten their hooves on some of the cider, are being chased by an irate Applejack. “So… exuberant.”

“It’s not,” Doug spits out, clenching his teeth against saying more. He takes a few long breaths. “Pinkie Pie generally keeps her parties more… contained. Sometimes it’ll involve the whole town, sure. But not normally.” He sighs, resting his elbows on his knees as he stares at nothing in particular.

“I suppose you’ll have to get used to a new normal,” Starlight smirks, though her joviality runs out almost instantly. She scooches forwards, her side now resting against Doug’s leg.

Doug nods, slowly. “I guess you might have to do the same, huh?”

“What?” Starlight says, her mouth hanging open slightly. “You mean with my cutie mark?”

“Sure, that. And having to watch those three.” Doug points at Applejack, who has somehow tied herself to a tree, slurring her shouts and vague threats at the Crusaders. “Much as they want to think of themselves as adults, they are a handful. Hooffull. You thought about what it’s going to be like?”

Starlight shrugs. “Eh. I’ll have others who can share in the responsibilities. That’s what we’re all about in Our Town! Sharing!” She giggles, then sighs, unable to keep up her cheery mood. “Plus, they’ll be in school a lot. Maybe I’ll even put them to work as teachers.”

“You have a school?” Doug asks, glancing towards the schoolhouse. If Ponyville had one school, with one teacher for dozens of foals, what would theirs be like?

“EEA accredited and everything.” Starlight shrugs, then motions to her belly. "Missing a lot of younger foals, but hopefully this works and all."

“Yeah, I guess. Still, it sounds like inmates and asylums to me.” Doug smirks as he takes another long breath. “I guess, I was talking more about if they’re successful. You started Our Town as a place for lost souls, or to give those who were struggling with their cutie marks a place to be. Do you still feel like you belong?”

“That’s all I’ve ever wanted, was a place to belong.” Starlight shrugs, before abjectly hanging her head. “I don’t know if it was the cutie mark, or that they always looked up to me. I mean, I was good at running things. Better than they were, at least. Especially after, you know.” Starlight mimes ripping something away with her head. “But I was never able to open up to them, and tell them about my fears and problems. I always felt like I had to be perfect in their eyes. Because if I wasn’t, if I wasn’t any better than they were, then why would they follow me?”

“So much for being equals,” Doug says with a contrite, forced smile.

Starlight merely nods. “I wanted to be. Sometimes. If it wasn’t necessary, and ponies are able to return to their homes? I’ll probably come back here. As good a place as any, especially if I’m dragging a foal with me. You want a unicorn to brood for you?”

Doug looks away, wishing he had something to drink. He lets out a heavy sigh at Starlight’s continued stare. “If that’s what you want.”

“You’re too passive,” Starlight says, lightly thwacking Doug’s leg with a hoof. “Sometimes, when you see something you want, you just need to take it.” She playfully growls, and the mock baring of her teeth makes her look adorable.

“Oh, yeah?” Doug says with a lascivious grin, hand reaching across to grip Starlight’s flank opposite him, pulling the bemused mare tightly against him.

“Hey, save the frisky stuff for when I’m in heat,” Starlight says, sticking her tongue out slightly.

“Speaking of heat,” Doug says jovially as Celestia and Luna approach. “What can I do for you?”

Starlight blanches as the two Princesses approach, desperately trying to appear as if she wasn’t just about to have a roll in the hay with the Princesses’ supposed Consort. At least, that’s what the gossip at the train station was; the events of the Grand Galloping Gala hadn’t reached Our Town, but they were still ablaze everywhere else ponies mingled.

Celestia stares at Starlight for a few seconds, yet her eyes appear to be focused elsewhere. She finally says, “Starlight Glimmer. A pleasure to meet you.”

“...Princess Celestia.” Starlight bows her head slightly. “Perhaps I’ll just leave the three of you alone?”

“If that is what you wish. We merely wanted to see how our favorite human was holding up.” Celestia softly smiles at Doug. “We are glad to see you doing better.”

“Yes,” Luna agrees as Starlight gets up and canters back to the party. “Does thou wish to talk?”

Doug grits his teeth, finding himself looking away from the Princesses and trying to control his anger. "I guess I probably should."

38 The Dark Mage

The first thing that strikes Twilight Sparkle as she teleports into the Crystal Castle throne room is a strong sense of déjà vu, and not just because she searched through the throne room before. Maybe it’s the large windows lining each side of the carpeted path leading to the crystal studded throne. Or the carpeted path itself. Or the fact that, aside from the throne, there is very little decoration.

The similarity finally hits her: it’s nearly a perfect copy of Celestia’s throne room in Canterlot. Did they have the same builder or designer, or is it the alicorn’s hoof that is clearly at play here? The expansive windows, their royal blue curtains that give the lofty perch a grand view of the entire kingdom, or empire. The only differences are that the crystal throne is much larger, and blue dominates throughout the room instead of gold. Which, given the whole ‘crystal’ theme, makes sense.

It’s nothing like the ostentatious display of wealth and power she would have expected from the mad king, even as his people starved. Or an overstated and gratuitous reminder of the crystal ponies’ place under the hoof of the tyrant. Or even a dark crystal motif, or a dark motif at all, given how crystal-mad the unicorn was.

Hmm, maybe she should lay off the crystal berry tea, if that's what it turns her into. Or maybe it’s the dark magic that makes one’s head turn inwards, and focus only on the acquisition of power above all else. Either way, she should tread carefully here. Very carefully.

Twilight Sparkle inspects the solid glass window she teleported through as Spike hops off her back. He runs forward, checking a ruffle in the carpeted path. “Careful, Spike,” she admonishes, the dragon rolling his eyes in return.

Only for Twilight to scream out loud and jump backwards as a tap at the window surprises her. Her breath slowly returns, hard and fast, as she stares at the black changeling outside, her wings buzzing. She smiles, wickedly and seductively, a little half-wave that gets Twilight’s blood boiling. The kind of wave that says ‘If you don’t let me in, I’ll know you know. And if you let me in, you invite doom and it’s all your fault.’

Her hoof wavers, but she eventually finds the latch, opening the window to let Queen Chrysalis inside. She counts it fortunate the changeling doesn’t immediately attack her, instead making a beeline for the throne. She lounges on top, clearly enjoying her position, however temporary, on top of the world.

Of course she would, Twilight accompanying the thought with a roll of her eyes. Although, to be fair, it’s not much different from Celestia in Canterlot. Twilight looks down the dozen stories to the crystal buildings far below. The Crystal Faire is winding down, ponies packing up their games as the sun fades behind the mountains to the west. Lights spring up all across the city, tiny pinpricks that individually stand no chance. But together they stand strong, beating away the darkness, the main thoroughfares shining brightly.

It only makes Twilight’s stomach churn at the thought of making those ponies climb the dozens of flights of stairs in order to seek an audience with their ruler. She resolves, should she ever get a castle of her own, to conduct any such common courts at a much more accessible location near the ground floor. It makes sense for why King Sombra did it, though. And Queen Chrysalis. She can totally see the changeling in a spot like this.

Jabs aside, she needs to find the Crystal Heart. Or at the very least the pages ripped out of the history books, or the tomes missing entirely that detail exactly how to fabricate a new one. She starts patrolling around, searching every nook and cranny for any evidence of a hidden safe or repository.

“What are you doing?” demands the changeling Queen from her spot on the throne. Twilight spares a glance at the lounging bug, her hooves hanging off the side. It would be the perfect image if she had a servant feeding her grapes. Or crystal berries.

“What does it look like?” responds Twilight, trying to not let her frustration with the whole situation seep into her voice. She doesn’t wait for a response, not that she expects a productive one. “I’m trying to find where King Sombra hid his most important artifacts and archives.”

“Oh.” Queen Chrysalis returns to her lounging, trying to scratch some itch on her back. “Doesn’t look like you’re doing much.”

Twilight Sparkle grits her teeth. “Of course it doesn’t look like much, there isn’t-”

She gasps, spinning to inspect the throne again. It’s made of crystal, just like everything else in the room, but one part at the top of the chair (what pony would sit in a chair like that? It looks incredibly uncomfortable) reminds her an awful lot like the crystal shard that Luna used to demonstrate the light and love spreading among the image of the Crystal Empire.

And the one she used to show what happens when darkness fills the land.

“That’s it!” exclaims Twilight Sparkle, drawing a surprised reaction from the changeling.

“It is?” Queen Chrysalis’ eyes go wide as Twilight calmly walks up to the throne. The alicorn’s eyes turn black with purple wisps of magic oozing out of the sides. Her horn belches green sparks, a cruel and merciless purple replacing her cheery raspberry aura.

“Aah!” the changeling screams as she dives to the side. A ray of black, twisted magic strikes the shard at the top of the crystal throne. “You nearly hit me!” Any further exclamation from Queen Chrysalis is stifled as the throne transforms. Dark crystals reflect a black shadow into the center of the room, containing…

“A bookcase?” Twilight pauses as she shakes the last bits of dark magic from her horn. We’re here to find the Crystal Heart and restore light and love and hope to everypony. It gets easier, after her reminder, to distance herself from the darkness. Far easier than what Luna went through. Maybe it’s best she doesn’t dwell on why, at least not now.

“A bookcase!” Twilight bounds forwards, eagerly scanning the titles. “It’s here! Everything we want is here! There’s My Manifesto, and All the Horrible Things I Ever Did by King Sombra! And How to Fabricate a Crystal Heart and Spread Love to All the Land, For Dummies!” Twilight squeals in joy, about to grab the closest book before a black hoof slaps her in the face.

“How stupid are you?” Queen Chrysalis shouts as Twilight winces in pain, her head twisted to the side by the force of the blow. “Think! This is such an incredibly obvious trap! A bookcase, containing exactly the things you are looking for, just happens to appear when you use dark magic?” She points to the first book, My Manifesto. “Who even names a book like that?”

“You’re right,” Twilight says, thoroughly cowed and rubbing her muzzle. Her head swims from the shouting. Was she really about to fall for such an obvious ploy? Her eyes shine white as she scans the entirety of the bookcase, sensing loads of nasty dark magic traps but unable to pinpoint the exact locations. “What do we do?”

Queen Chrysalis motions forward. “How would you create and bait a trap like this? We just have to find the least interesting book and try it.”

“Hmm.” Twilight scans the titles this time. A Treatise on the Effects of Assigning Sanitation Engineer and Other Unsavory Jobs as Punishment. No, that actually sounds interesting. Dark Magic and Me. Again, same issue. Frivolous Facts and Punctilious Points to Prove Yourself Smarter than your Friends. Hey! That’s totally not what she uses them for!

Twilight grits her teeth in frustration as she reads through the rest. None of the other books jump out at her, as everything else seems at least marginally interesting (who doesn’t like tables of statistics?). She finally reaches out, hoof grabbing the fact book when her magic fails to affect it.

Queen Chrysalis raises an eyebrow. “I didn’t know you thought like that. I’m actually impressed.”

“Your approval fills me with shame.” Twilight opens the book. Blank. She idly flips through a few pages. Nothing. Nothing. No-

Twilight’s shocked hooves clasp to her barrel as she writhes, unable to scream as bolts of electricity course through her. Agony wracks her body and her mind, the only thing she can focus on. And yet she fights; what would have killed another pony sends her reeling but undefeated, battered but not broken. She summons every ounce of effort from her overtaxed muscles, barely able to toss the book away from her.

The book topples to the floor, pages fluttering in the air. It slowly settles down, blackness expanding outwards in every direction. The floor melts like acid, leaving a gaping, bottomless hole with a spiral set of stairs on the edges. The book rests on top of a translucent shield blocking access to the pit.

“Ugghh,” Twilight moans as she gets to her hooves, her head throbbing with pain. At least she’s still alive. The bookcase has disappeared. Her face falls, but the other books were probably all blank anyway. Too bad. At least they have another puzzle to focus on. One step closer.

“Hmm,” Twilight says as she deliberates. She cautiously stretches a hoof forwards, not yet touching the shield. She can feel the crackle of dark magic emanating forth, and with it go any thoughts of teleporting through. She flies up, hovering in the air. It’s awkward, but the tips from Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy are proving their worth.

The book has changed. There are now forty spots, each with a single character on them. Some sort of code? No, it’s all Equish letters and numbers. “It looks like it’s asking for a password?” Twilight frowns as she considers. How in the hay are they supposed to figure this out?

“A what?” Off to the side, Queen Chrysalis is watching her, bemused but not really doing anything to help. Or hurt, for that matter. Small blessings. She takes a few cautious steps forward, stopping on the edge of the hole.

“A word or phrase you use to let a spell know that it’s you and not somepony else trying to break in.” Twilight rubs her hoof against her chin. If she was the embodiment of hatred and fear, a shadowy spectre of her former self, what would she use?

She reaches down, wincing at the slight shock as her hoof presses against the ‘C’. Of course Sombra wouldn’t care about a little pain, he probably gets off at the thought of her hurting herself. The letter blacks out once she presses it, so apparently she can’t duplicate letters. Next up is the R, Y, S, T, A, L, and she runs out of space. She pauses, checking her spelling, then hits the execute button. Oh, I really hope that doesn’t do what I think it might do.

Twilight Sparkle yelps as lightning courses through her hoof, a mocking sound reverberating through the room. Well, there goes her best guess.

“What was that?” Queen Chrysalis asks, taking a step away from the puzzle.

“The wrong answer. Apparently it isn’t ‘crystal’.”

“That’s your best guess? Please.”

“I’d like to see you do any better,” Twilight huffs. What else could she try? Slaves, but an extra S at the start or the end? No, can’t duplicate letters. Sombrero doesn’t fit, either. Darkness, without one S? KSombra?

Twilight screeches in pain as the last one fails, the shock twice as powerful as before. Her wings spasm, barely able to keep her aloft, and she tumbles to the floor. Tears well in the corners of her eyes.

No! She isn’t going to fail here! She struggles to her hooves, allowing her wings a moment of respite.

Queen Chrysalis cranes her head up to stare at the book. “So, it can be any combination of letters and numbers?”

“Yes. But they can’t repeat.”

“Oh. That's only..."

"Ninety four billion combinations."

"Oh." Queen Chrysalis smirks. "Well, that’s easy.”

Twilight closes her eyes, drawing in a deep breath and counting to ten. “And what, might I ask, would your brilliant mind come up with?”

“Thank you. And one, two, three, four, five.”

Twilight blinks. “There’s no way that’s it. Only a complete-” Twilight Sparkle stops herself, her hoof rubbing the headache she knows is coming. She pushes in the numbers, then hits execute. Nothing happens. “Nope, not it. I think it needs seven characters.”

“Six seven.”

Twilight pushes twice more, then hits execute, bracing herself.

The expected shock doesn’t come. Instead, the book and the shield fade away into nothing, the musky air of a long-unused tunnel seeping up.

“Okay, that is the stupidest-”

53 Emperor's Luck

March 3rd, 1001 Domina Solaria

“Twilight, you’re thinking too much! You have to go with your instincts!”

Celestia, horn ablaze, gazes up into the dawning sky. Dark cobalts fade into lighter teals, then yellows, a hint of orange, and a band of red along the horizon. A perfect backdrop for watching the chromatically maned pegasus continue to teach her former student. Even as Twilight tends to get a little testy at her lack of progress.

“I’m trying! Does it look like I want to keep plummeting to my near death?”

“Well, since you keep doing it, I’m going to go with yes! Now move those wings!”

Luna, standing next to Celestia, rests her horn as her moon fades under the horizon, now only a small quarter of the sky anywhere close to her coat. She yawns, glad that her night and the second twenty four hour period of festivities is coming to a close.

“I’m tired! How would you feel if somepony was yelling at you all the time, not giving you a chance to rest, and berating your every mistake?!”

“What do you think being a Wonderbolt is like? Sunshine and roses? No! Now, if I really wanted to tire you out, I’d make you do hairpin turns! But, fortunate for you, you’ve managed to last a whole minute without tumbling out of the sky.”

“Really? Oh thank Celestia,” Twilight grunts out as she turns, focusing perhaps a little too much on the alicorn in question. She tucks her wings too early, flopping horn over hooves onto the royal balcony. Celestia merely raises her forelegs, allowing Twilight to tumble underneath her and into a set of cushions set against the wall seemingly for this exact occurrence. Celestia can’t help but smile, even seeing the tiniest hint of Luna’s muzzle curling upwards, as Twilight moans from her upside down position.

“Well, you’re definitely improving,” Rainbow Dash says as she lands next to the three alicorns, preening a wing to hide her disdain. “It’d be nice if I didn’t have to keep berating you to take your mind off of flying, but if that’s what I have to do?” Rainbow Dash sighs as she shakes her head, glancing towards Cadance’s tower. “You always fly a lot better when you’re climbing back up. You know, when you have some sort of objective in mind. We just need to work on the whole ‘hovering with nothing going on’ thing. We’ve got to find something that works for you.”

“Thanks for that, Rainbow,” Twilight says as she staggers to her hooves, stretching her wings. “You’re a true Friend. But you do tend to hit a little close to home.”

Rainbow Dash shrugs. “What can I say, I’m awesome at everything I do.” She walks over to Luna and Celestia, following their eyes far below. “What’cha looking at?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Luna replies harshly, casting a hoof towards the hundred or so undisguised changelings marshaling outside the train station. The railway supplies are already at the bottom of the mountain, and many are trading nuzzles with guardstallions also getting ready to leave.

“Don’t mind her,” Celestia says, nuzzling her Sister. “She’s just mad the problem she was working on got solved without her genius. But that’s what happens when several hundred unemployed workers show up on your doorstep, hat in hoof and looking for anything to do.”

“Her blasé command of ‘do whatever they want’ doesn’t exactly inspire confidence in us,” Luna retorts. “And you were sour too, given that none of them renounced Chrysalis’ leadership, or took banishment as an option.”

Celestia gravely nods. “Too true. Yet I hope in the coming year we will be able to come to a better understanding of each other, and convince more than a few that the Equestrian way of life is better than the life they had before.”

“Speaking of the impossible,” Cadance says as she walks onto the balcony. Twilight Sparkle leaps up, but her initial greeting is stifled by a harsh glare from the pink alicorn. “You may need to find a more permanent spot for our resident Queen. She’s turning my room into a new hive, complete with spawning chambers.” Cadance makes a face, sticking her tongue out. “And eggs. Far too many eggs.”

“Eggs?” Celestia asks, eyes narrowing. “And the foal?”

Cadance rolls her eyes, “Mine’s fine, thanks for asking. Hers is also doing well, and still a foal. Something about ‘changeling biology’ that I didn’t care to listen to.”

Rainbow Dash chuckles. “Hey, Twilight, maybe you should listen to Chrysalis talk about changeling biology while you practice. That’ll keep your mind off flying!”

Twilight considers for a few seconds, her face lighting up. “Hey, that’s a really great idea!” She starts hovering in the air, though she doesn’t seem to be doing it consciously. “It’s really important to get to know each other, and better understanding will lead to better friendship!” She looks ready to fly straight to the changeling’s window, despite it being covered by some sort of green material. “I could even ask Simple Eye once we get back to Ponyville.”

“I think she prefers Ocellus,” Rainbow Dash adds, “and I heard there are a couple others that revealed themselves. You could ask them, too.”

“A marvelous idea, Twilight, but perhaps we can wait a moment before preliminary testing.” Celestia winks as Twilight drops back down, a sheepish grin on the lavender alicorn. She turns to Cadance, her tone soft and reconciliatory. “Are you feeling better?”

Cadance sighs, letting out a deep breath. “Better, yes. Still not great.” She shakes her head, glancing towards her old room. “Being imprisoned in a dark cave for a week was not fun, and when I got out I was informed of a plan that, while I could have refused, would have thrown everything into jeopardy. I felt like I was forced into it, and even now I’m suffering the consequences.”

“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry,” Twilight apologizes, offering Cadance a nuzzle the pink alicorn accepts. “If I thought I could get you a message and your input without Chrysalis noticing, I would have.”

Cadance nods. “I know. I guess I’m just frustrated with this whole thing.” She glares again at her old room. “And I didn’t even get to have a proper night with Shiny! Chrysalis just said, after my first and only time with Shiny, ‘You’re already pregnant, not like you can get more pregnant.’ And then proceeded to demonstrate that she can, apparently, get more pregnant. So now, on her command, Shiny’s pounding out a new changeling every chance he gets.” Cadance grits her teeth, a furious snort escaping. “About the only good thing I can say is that she's agreed to not stray outside the herd, despite wanting to ‘ramp up production’ - her Tartarus forsaken words, I can’t believe she cares so little for her young - though she did at least make the request for ‘variety’.” Cadance spits out the word, scowling.

Twilight seems none too pleased with the turn in the conversation, but that doesn’t stop Rainbow Dash from commenting. “Hey, if you’re worried about not getting some, then just have Shiny start with you.” Cadance raises an eyebrow, so Rainbow Dash motions back and forth with her left hoof, then swaps to her right. “You know.”

“Mating practices aside,” Celestia says, her tone indicating this particular conversation thread is over, “With regards to Chrysalis, perhaps you and Shining Armor will be able to make the move to the Crystal Empire earlier than originally hoped. I too am not enthusiastic with the idea of turning the upper levels of the castle into a spawning ground.”

“You’ll have to be the one to move her, because I’m not stepping one hoof in there.” Cadance drops her head low, her voice losing a bit of its edge. “I don’t know how Shiny does it, letting his love get drained like that over and over.”

“It’s a good thing he has such strong support backing him up, even if you don’t see eye to eye on this.” Twilight nuzzles Cadance, then raises her hooves. Cadance sighs, then grins, joining Twilight in their foalhood greeting.

“On a different note, I wanted to get each of your input.” Celestia strides to the edge of the balcony. “We have made some spectacular victories for Friendship in this last year, many of which I would never have thought possible. From rescuing my Sister, Luna, from the darkness of her own mind-” she smiles softly at her cobalt counterpart, Luna returning a faint smile of her own “-reacquiring the Element of Harmony; Twilight Sparkle ascending to the Princess of Friendship; using her newly found abilities, and those of her friends, to defeat King Sombra and save the Crystal Empire; and finally, convincing Queen Chrysalis and her changelings - an irredeemable creature if I ever thought there was one - to at the very least give Friendship a chance.”

“Are you suggesting…” starts Luna, fearful at finishing her thought. The others exchange nervous glances, more than a few gulps taken.

Celestia nods grimly, locating the sculpture gardens. “I’m afraid so. I speak of an opponent I thought equally as irreformable, whose very nature goes against all we ponies hold dear.” She takes a deep breath as everypony stands up a little straighter, mentally preparing themselves.

“I speak, of course, about Discord.”

Celestia winces, half expecting the draconequus to show up at the mere mention of his name. After a few strained seconds she lets her breath out in relief, the others doing the same.

“At least give us a few weeks of enjoying ourselves,” Cadance says bitterly, then muttering under her breath, “even if some of us get to enjoy that time more than others.”

“Of course,” Celestia says, ignoring the second remark. “I would not want us to go into this unprepared. Any suggestions at all as to what precautions we should take are welcomed, and you can be sure that I will be digging through the archives.”

“Can’t we make it, like, a year or something?” Rainbow Dash pats her belly. “Or two? Or, how about, like, ten years. I’d be good waiting ten years.”

“A lot can happen in ten years,” Twilight counters, shaking her head. “And I’m not talking about our Friendships breaking up, even if life does take us in different directions. Accidents are always possible, and there’s honestly no telling how this ‘alliance’ with Chrysalis will work out.”

Luna nods. “We could jeopardize this ‘alliance’ just as easily by allowing Chrysalis a potential enemy of her enemy. Even with her supposed change of heart, and declaring no information is classified and any questions answered to the best of their ability.”

“I haven’t even scratched the surface there!” Twilight exclaims, wings flapping again. “There’s so much we don’t know about them! And, maybe they have something that could help us!”

“Optimistic as ever,” Celestia says with a measured smile at Twilight, then a nod to her Sister. “And while our new friend might choose to betray us, she is currently still feeling the sting of defeat, and she will not wish to suffer that again. I do not wish to lose this momentum we have going, and I fear further delays will sap our resolve more rapidly than Discord himself.”

“You’ll still let us know well in advance, right?” Rainbow Dash asks, her voice resigned. “Because it sounds like this is happening whether we want it or not.” She glances tellingly at Cadance.

Celestia shakes her head with a slight frown. “I do not presume to command you in this matter. After all, the Elements of Harmony obey you, Rainbow Dash, not me. I trust your decision, though I might not agree with it. Ultimately, it will require each of your consents to unlock Discord from his stone prison. And, might I add, to return him to his prison should he break free.”

“All the more reason to make sure we do it right,” Twilight Sparkle says, nodding. Her stomach rumbles. "And with that, can we get some breakfast? I'm sure we're all a bit famished."

62 The Lord in Black

April 1st, 1001 Domina Solaria

The loud clomp of a boot hitting the ground accompanies the soft crack of a teleport as Doug finds himself in the center of Manehatten Square. It isn’t quite as… chaotic as he imagined, as the only ponies moving about just after midnight are pegasi guards in blue or gold hovering at least two stories in the air. They patrol around, two immediately spotting him and flying closer, though they dip no lower.

He chose not to wear his armor, opting instead for light boots, pants, jacket, and gloves that would give him better mobility and speed. His hand goes to the bandoleer across his chest, fingering the two vials inside he got from Zecora. One, thin glass surrounding a blue powder, he did not know what would happen if used. The other, an ugly green liquid inside, he at least knows what to expect, and hopes Tirek doesn’t. Hopefully he doesn’t look too intimidating, with no other visible weapons, just a concealed ordinary dagger and coil of rope.

“Halt!” one yells, both mares identical looking in their golden armor. They have abandoned their common spears for heavy crossbows that look to be drawn on the fly, though neither is pointed at him at the time. Though he imagines that could very easily be rectified.

“Princess Celestia sent me,” Doug yells back, more guards watching them but not abandoning their patrol routes yet. “She wants me to go after Tirek, and try to talk him down.” How, exactly, I have no idea.

“You’re Doug?” one of them asks, glancing to the other and noticeably relaxing. “Go, report to Captain Armor. At least we have one item of good news to report.”

“It’s bad?” Doug says, nervously looking around.

One guard flies off while the other nods, though comes no lower. “Tirek continues to go after our evacuation groups, those who gathered at ground level. Pegasi are safe, until he shows his face above ground and anyone caught in the open…” the guard looks away, holding a hoof to her muzzle. “...suffer just like the others. And if it’s a pegasi in the air…”

“Got it,” Doug says, and he can’t help but wince as well. Twenty feet probably isn’t enough to kill them, depending, but without their innate magic helping them it could easily go very badly. “Where was he last?”

“That way,” she points vaguely. “We’ve set up barricades wherever we could. Whenever it was reported elsewhere, and it was… safe. They don’t slow him down, but he is pretty noisy breaking through them.”

“Well, I guess I better get started, then,” Doug says, taking a deep breath and shuddering.

“Celestia protect you,” the pegasus whispers, her voice carrying against the unnerving quiet of the city.

Meanwhile, in Canterlot Castle, Celestia maintains a tenuous hold over the ponies in the room as the debate turns to how best to stop Tirek without causing too much collateral damage, either to the city itself or the ponies trapped inside. Rainbow Dash is the only non alicorn paying much attention, the rest a tad sickened at Tirek's actions.

“I can’t believe you are sending some ape on this mission instead of me!” exclaims Discord, paws crossing across his chest and pouting. “I could bring Tirek here with a snap of my claws!”

Everypony gasps and dives for cover as Discord raises a clawed arm to the air; Celestia even teleports outside the room, her horn lit as she flies outside.

He doesn’t actually snap them. “But no! I thought we were friends!”

“We are friends,” Fluttershy coos, flying up to stroke Discord on the back. The rest of the ponies slowly come out from behind the various objects in the room.

“Well, apparently ‘friends’ ignore each other’s useful talents!” Discord flicks his head to the side, away from Fluttershy. “It’s like you don’t trust me to do anything!”

“Well,” Fluttershy says gently, “we just haven’t been friends for very long, and it takes time to build up that trust. I’m sure you understand.”

Discord sighs, lowering his arm and looking dejectedly at the floor. “I just wish there was something that I could do that would get you to trust me. It's as if you just want me to sit here on my hoof and do absolutely nothing to help."

"Actually, Discord, that would be right nice of you," Applejack says, her smile somewhere between a smirk and sincere.

Back in Manehattan, it doesn’t take long before terrified shouts and screams echo off in the distance. I can’t believe I’m running towards this. And yet, Doug’s pace increases from a jog to a sprint. He passes storefronts and carts, none with any lights on, just the dim illumination from the streetlights. It’s easy to find which way to follow, given the ponies galloping the other direction, and none pay him any notice as he slips closer to his quarry.

In seconds the ground is deserted but for the moans of a half dozen or so ponies on the ground. Pegasi hover above, waiting for somepony brave or foolhardy to be the first to check. Or for screams to come from somewhere else.

“Hey!” Doug yells to one of the hovering guards, the pegasus raising an eyebrow but coming no closer. “Where’s the nearest sewer entrance?”

“Sewer?” the guard says, her startled expression quickly turning to one of horror. “You can’t be thinking of going after him!”

“Yeah, well,” Doug says with a look of grim determination, “I’m going to try to reason with him.”

“You can’t reason with a monster,” the pegasus states matter-of-factly. “Even Tartarus is too good for him.”

“Even so, I’m going to try.” Doug’s hands go to his hips. “Which way?”

“Your funeral,” the pegasus replies curtly, pointing.

Doug looks to the sky as he heads to the indicated door. “Fifteen minutes after midnight.” The pegasus cocks an eyebrow. “In case they need to come looking for me.” She merely shakes her head, but makes a note of it.

The entrance to Manehattan’s sewers is much cleaner than Doug would have expected. And easier to get inside, since ponies don’t care for manholes (ponyholes?). The sewers themselves are spacious enough, a single-pony wide walkway next to a several foot deep channel of water, through he has to duck to avoid hitting his head on the ceiling. It looks like they didn’t build to accommodate Princess Celestia (or a minotaur), unlike in Canterlot, merely a short unicorn or large earth pony. Likely the latter.

The worrisome thing is the lack of sound. Except for the splashing of his own boots in the cramped but surprisingly well lit corridors, he would have expected at least the scurrying of rats away from the enchanted torch in his hand. One of the few items that responds to voice commands instead of unicorn magic, being made for earth ponies. Even if the maximum brightness setting isn’t much more than a large bonfire, it might be unexpected enough to buy a split second or a missed spell.

Then, Doug realizes why, as a lifeless rat floats down the channel. The shadows along the walkway, that he thought were rocks, are the bodies of animals that Tirek must have passed close enough to drain. Then, he gets to a section where the roof seems to have been partially destroyed, and twin lines gouged into the ceiling suggest Tirek no longer fit as easily. He takes a deep breath, the air starting to get quite pungent, as he follows the trail.

Discord, meanwhile, has moved over to the planning section, much to Celestia’s dismay. “What’s this one do?” he asks, pointing at a figurine. The tiny pony stands, prancing around on the map.”

“It is supposed to be Baltimare’s guard contingent,” Luna snaps, a cobalt aura failing to suppress the dancing. “And we do not appreciate your efforts. Perhaps there is something useful you could do?”

“Like what? Teleport him here?” A miniature Tirek appears next to Discord, disappearing just as quickly. “No, you already nixed that brilliant idea. Maybe I could just strap him to a piece of wood like the Romares?” A piece of wood in the shape of a ‘T’ appears, hovering in the air, before it too goes away. “Nooo, you want him captured and contained, not crucified like a commoner.”

“Cru-ci-what-now?” Applejack says, though Twilight’s gasp of horror tells her all she needs to know.

“Or maybe I could just detect his magic and tell you exactly where he is? Ugh, there is simply no pleasing you!” Discord huffs, crossing his arms across his chest and pouting, staring into the northeast corner towards Manehattan.

“Wait, you can do that?” Rainbow Dash says, only half-paying attention as she does laps around the room. “The detect magic thing?”

“Can I detect his magic?” Discord holds a paw to his chest, offended. “Of course I can! I was busy tying everypony’s shoes together in Ponyville when I heard you were talking about me! Such a massive outpouring of energy is so easy to detect even a foal could do it, as long as you know the right frequency!”

“And you can do that now?” Applejack says, eager despite her attempt to contain herself. “You could help Doug right now?”

“I could do it as easily as-” Discord says, readying his fingers.

“Hello?” Doug calls as he hears the sounds of a barricade being destroyed. The deep, triumphant howl of what can only be Lord Tirek echoes just around another bend. “Lord Tirek?”

The muffled screams from above cease as Doug comes around the corner, able to behold Lord Tirek in all of his terrible glory. The centaur’s dark gray body and black torso stands at least a head above Doug’s already tall frame. His dark horns, if he wasn’t hunched over, would add another two feet on top of that as they twist to the ceiling. Each of his massive red arms is at least as thick as a pony’s barrel, with steel bindings on his wrists.

The blood red face turns, black eyes regarding Doug first with apprehension and then amusement. “I am,” he booms, flashing his sharp teeth in a wicked smile. “Come to try and stop me?” His hands curl into fists, pounding them against each other.

“I doubt I could,” Doug admits, managing to not sprint away as fast as he can, “and yet here I am. Would you like to talk?”

“Hoping to stall me? Get me to spill all my secrets, and find a way for those pathetic ponies to defeat me? HAH!” Lord Tirek scoffs, his deafening laugh echoing and sending Doug reeling.

It takes several seconds for Doug’s blurry vision to clear, only for Lord Tirek to have taken a couple steps closer.

“I am curious,” Lord Tirek says casually, shattering the walls and ceiling with his might as he stretches to his full height.

“Oh?” Doug asks, eyes widening and hand going to the blue vial.

“I cannot detect your magic. But that means nothing, because it is MINE!!”

Lord Tirek opens his mouth, a blue beam shooting out directly at Doug’s chest.

Discord snaps his claws.

Doug pulls his arm back, the beam doing nothing to him, only to stop as Lord Tirek begins choking. He still keeps his arm raised, ready to throw, but can’t tear his eyes away from the sight in front of him.

Lord Tirek’s massive hands go to his throat, then his mouth, sputtering as he tries to block the blue beam. Yet it goes right through them, his eyes full of the same terror he inflicted on the ponies he was draining. His bulk shrinks, his skin losing the blood red and turning darker, ending up a mottled brown. His horns recede, no longer twisting spires but thick cones, then no larger than a finger.

Powerless, Tirek’s eyes roll into the back of his head, limply flopping off the walkway and into the water.

“If this is a trick,” Doug says as his arm stays readied, waiting several long seconds. Then a mass of bubbles breaks the surface, the listless body drifting on the bottom. “Celestia damn it.”

Doug replaces the vial, quickly dropping down into the sewer. His feet easily reach the floor, Tirek still not moving. He crouches down, staring through the murky depths, seeing Tirek’s mouth hanging open, his eyes unfocused. He maneuvers himself underneath the centaur’s frame, now about his own size, and releases a primal roar. Water explodes outwards as Doug lifts Tirek out of the water, sputtering and shaking his head.

“You…” Tirek weakly ekes out, the centaur’s voice barely a whisper, his head sagging.

“You can shut the fuck up. You’re lucky Celestia wants you alive.” Doug turns, glaring at Tirek, though he doesn’t seem conscious any more. “Well,” Doug says to himself as he turns, dropping the dead weight onto the walkway. He pulls the rope out, debating how best to hogtie the centaur, especially if he’s going to have to carry him out of here by himself. “That was easy.”

69 Gift of the Gemling Queen

“It’s almost as if she knew who she was dealing with,” Luna remarks with a grin. “And I believe the spell can be quite… finicky in its duration.” She pauses. “Is that the word foals use these days? We always preferred ‘persnickety’.”

“No, that would be this spell,” Starlight Glimmer says, motioning to the spellbook. “You’re going to have to be exact. Like, down to the second. If not better. The more accurate, the less flying you’ll have to do.” She looks at the landscape around them. “Or you’ll end up in a house.” She looks a little further. “Or a hill.” She glances upwards. “I may do the calculations with you in midair.”

“Good thing I have practice with precise timing,” Twilight says, glancing to Cadance’s full belly. “And can fly.”

“That’ll make it better, I guess.” Starlight focuses on the journal, stepping away.

Twilight looks at Cadance as they head outside. “Now, normally I would never ask this of anypony, but-”

“It’s okay,” Cadance replies, standing next to Celestia but not touching her. “I understand. The more power you have, the better.” She takes a deep breath, her horn lighting. “We all must play our part.”

“Taking on this task will be one of the most difficult things I will ever do,” Twilight says solemnly, bowing to each in turn. “But I will not let you down!”

With heavy steps three alicorns surround Twilight Sparkle, their eyes glowing a bright white. Light blue surrounds Cadance’s horn, cobalt for Luna, and gold for Celestia. Three beams erupt, congregating above Twilight, mixing and congealing into a globe of pure magic. It shines, brilliant as the sun, growing larger and larger until it is wider than the library.

Twilight opens her mouth, gazing in awe at the power. Is she supposed to eat it, or-

All of a sudden a lightning bolt of magic zaps from the sphere to Twilight’s horn, but it doesn’t disappear in an instant. Instead a tether of crackling energy connects the two, the sphere rapidly shrinking as it pours the collected power of the alicorns into Twilight.

Within seconds the transfer is over, leaving three cutie mark-less alicorns laying on the ground, dazed and listless. Their manes no longer flow, instead limply resting. They glance up with tired eyes, watching an electrified Twilight levitate in the air. Her eyes shine white, power radiating from every pore.

Twilight Sparkle closes her eyes, gently coming to the ground. The aura of pure power dissipates, the alicorn taking a deep breath. She races forwards, stopping scant inches away from embracing Celestia while tears stream from her eyes.

“I’m so sorry,” she says, kneeling down. “I’ll finish this as fast as I can.”

“I know you will,” Celestia says, smiling despite her weakened state.

Twilight flies off, quickly adjusting to her newfound power, the other alicorns following on hoof. Doug is waiting for her on the edge of Sweet Apple Acres, his eyes closed, meditating.

“Twilight Sparkle,” Doug says as she approaches, drawing himself up. He stares Twilight dead in the eyes, never flinching. She cowers a little from the intensity. “I don’t care what happens to me. If you leave me a cripple, a vegetable, dead. I don’t care. Whatever it takes to stop this.”

Twilight nods solemnly. Her horn glows, a huge two-hooved hammer slowly materializing next to her. She grunts as she hefts the weight, heavy even for her enhanced muscles. She gives it a few test swings, the momentum difficult to control.

“Okay,” Twilight says, flying up a few body lengths. “This should pass straight through your physical body, and only knock loose the spell. I… I’m sorry if it hurts.”

Doug nods, standing straight and still, watching with steady eyes.

Twilight carefully aims before dropping down, a raspberry trail left behind the hammer’s arc, perfectly square with impacting Doug’s chest.

It bounces off, a loud ‘clang’ reverberating through the orchard.

Twilight nearly drops the massive maul. “Ow!” she exclaims, sucking on a hoof.

“Twilight!” Doug shouts, rushing towards her. He skids to a stop just before he reaches her, frustrated he cannot hug her. “Are you okay?”

“I am, I just wasn’t ready for that result.” Twilight readies herself. “Can you lower your defenses?”

“I have no idea how,” Doug returns. “I’ve been trying to clamp it all down, so I don’t steal as much, but even that doesn’t seem like it’s working.”

Twilight merely nods, readying herself for another swing.

“How long will they keep this up?” Luna asks, watching Doug absorb blow after blow from Twilight.

“She will not tire,” Celestia replies grimly, flinching with every strike. “He will, but I can feel as he drains each of us to allay every attack. Though, even if they were not engaged so, we might not make it to the appointed time. Without our magic, or Cadance in reserve. We need…”

Luna looks over as Celestia trails off, the white alicorn rising. “Sister?”

“Stay,” Celestia commands, offering a faint smile. “Twilight was not speaking solely to herself when she arrived. There is something I must do.”

Luna nods after a second. She keeps one eye on her Sister even as she returns to watch Twilight. The lavender alicorn tries blasting Doug with beam after beam, those having even less of an effect.

Celestia places one hoof in front of the other, forcing herself forwards. The Everfree Forest looms, heavy shadows lurking around every tree and branch despite Luna’s moon in the clear sky. Celestia doesn’t even spare the power to light her horn, though it is a paltry amount compared to the chunks Twilight takes with every swing of her hammer or lance of her magic. She picks her way through the thick undergrowth, almost immediately arriving in a clear-cut glade.

The trees surrounding the mostly open area are covered with a green slime, leaving approximately pony sized holes in several locations. The leafy canopy stretches to cover the top, a carefully constructed illusion with limbs spliced together and somehow held aloft. Burrows lead into the ground, the occasional mound of dirt that has not been made into a crude hovel.

“I wondered how long it would take for you to arrive,” an echoing voice purrs from the shadows.

Celestia merely nods, stepping closer despite the growing sense of doom. As if we are not already.

Queen Chrysalis appears, but not from behind Celestia as her voice might have indicated. She rises from one of the openings in the ground, hooves and the holes of her legs ringed with dirt. The matte black changeling grins, tongue licking her wicked fangs. Her gravid belly looks quite out of place on her thin body, especially as she lowers to a bow. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“I have come to request assistance,” Celestia says as she returns the bow, though she hides how much it pains her to ask. “From you and your people.”

“You wish us to join in your fate,” Queen Chrysalis states, enjoying Celestia’s grim nod. “Our stores of love, everything that might give us the chance to escape. You wish us to sacrifice ourselves on the slight chance that Twilight Sparkle succeeds.”

“She will, yet we all must play our part,” Celestia starts.

“Spare me your pathetic platitudes,” Queen Chrysalis spits out, interrupting anything else Celestia might have said. “We are not Friends. You see us as parasprites at best, barely tolerable as you try to ‘rescue’ us with your version of Harmony.”

“You are wrong,” Celestia counters. “I would not cede my kingdom to one who would merely devour it. But instead, to a symbiote; to one who might enhance and improve both our lives. And I would do anything, give anything for them.”

“You would…” Queen Chrysalis says with a touch of hesitation as she circles around the white alicorn. Her hooves crunch against the bare dirt. “You would cede your kingdom to me, should our ‘assistance’ be sufficient?”

“I would grant you my stake in it.” Celestia confirms with a nod. “The rest would accept.”

“And yourself,” Queen Chrysalis inspects Celestia’s cutie mark-less side, the lack of a sun against the dull white unnerving. “Would you permit the despoiling of yourself? Allow me and my brood to drain your love of the little ponies you wish us to save?”

Celestia’s voice catches in her throat, leaving her only able to nod at first. Her body lowers to the ground, legs tucking under herself. “I would,” she eventually replies, her voice a whisper, lowering her head.

“And would you,” Queen Chrysalis draws inches away from Celestia’s belly, almost smiling at the precious foal growing inside. “Would you grant the same of your foals, to serve as broodmares and batteries for my kind?”

Celestia grieves; her tears need not fall to touch the bare ground. “If that is the price you demand; I, and they, will pay it.”

Queen Chrysalis steps back, a hoof to her chin as if she is considering.

Celestia holds the position for several long, silent seconds. When no indication comes from the changeling queen she sighs, a quick huff of breath as she slowly picks herself up. Her face goes from grief at what she might have given up, to rage at Queen Chrysalis’ seeming decline of her offer, to a stony visage of grim acceptance.

The white alicorn stands, careful not to touch the black changeling. She looks down on Queen Chrysalis’ still pensive form, keeping the scowl from her face. Celestia turns, taking a step away as Queen Chrysalis stands.

“You dare insult me?” the changeling demands.

“No.” Celestia meets Queen Chrysalis’ harsh glare with one sorrowful eye. “I only mourn that I was insufficient to slake your thirst for conquest.”

Celestia turns back, then flinches as a black hoof pushes against her back. She gasps, spinning to stare at the pocked leg holding her in place.

Magenta raises to meet emerald green. “What is your price?”

“I name none,” Chrysalis replies, fangs bared in her smile.

The revelation stuns Celestia. “You… you would help them? You would save my little ponies?”

Chrysalis smirks. “I do not do it for your sake. You have offered me the very heavens; yet I prove myself the bigger mare by turning down everything you offer. I best you in your domain: Friendship. And I do it for my kind, that they may continue to feast in this fertile land. They join us in this reckless venture; as your vows say, for better or for worse.” Her smirk becomes wistful. “I only wish I could have defeated you in combat as well.”

Celestia can’t help but smile, despite the ‘loss’. “Well, if there was a day-”

In one smooth motion Chrysalis steps in front of Celestia, her hoof traveling along the alicorn’s side. When she reaches foreleg she hooks inwards, sweeping Celestia off her hooves to her back. Her mouth opens around Celestia’s neck, fangs tickling the thin hair, as Celestia feebly tries to push her away. Celestia’s eyes open wide in fear, no match for the changeling, but Chrysalis merely holds the position, grinning.

A faint tinkling sound comes from beneath Chrysalis. She roughly separates herself from Celestia, the changeling speechless as she looks down.

What was once the dull, sullied black of her chitin ripples, a glow from within growing brighter and leaving her like polished onyx. The chitin itself shifts and bubbles; dirt and impurities fleck away as the holes in her forelegs seal themselves, then become sleek and smooth. Her once gravid belly, unseemly against her thin frame with bulges of egg and foal, flattens as her form fills out. No longer corpulent but heavy-set, ridges of powerful muscles evident under the chitin. Her thin and wispy mane thickens, weaving into broad cobalt braids. They drape over her emerald carapace, wings the same color as her mane, no longer tattered but whole.

“What is this?!” Chrysalis shrieks, unable to peel her eyes away.

“It is love,” Celestia replies absentmindedly, fascinated by the transformation. “When you chose to give love, rather than hoard it for yourself.”

“It…” Chrysalis dumbly says, staring at her unblemished hooves, then her taut belly. She looks good. “I… I no longer feel it. That unending, insatiable hunger.” She glances up at Celestia. “Love did this to me?” Her eyes unfocus, as if she is concentrating on something far away. “To us?”

“I believe so,” Celestia says, smiling the broadest smile she can manage.

Chrysalis grimaces, then lets out a long, disappointed sigh. “Cadance will never let me hear the end of it.”

“We shall hope she has that opportunity,” Celestia replies, winking at the transformed changeling.