Princess Cadance was hoping that a new, secret, never-before-seen power of the alicorns would manifest.

She really wanted these reports to burst into flames from the power of her glare and never be mentioned again.

To her consternation, the 'withheld' Intelligence Service reports continued to taunt her on the desk.

Cadance could have gone the rest of her eternal life without finding out about half of the current events of the Pantheran War, events that General Lightning Thrust had so helpfully decided to obscure or downplay in his own reports. He probably thought she would never find out - and to his credit, she almost hadn't. Possession, failed campaigns, casualty counts, strange mercenaries, infiltrators, and local atrocities. More than even the coup, this felt like her greatest failure, distilled down to simple lines on a stack of parchment.

She let out a breath, and set the papers aside. Celestia had promised to explain what, exactly, a 'Nightwatcher' was, and what it had to do with Shining Armor being apparently possessed by Luna herself. The thought of Luna, and by potential extension the Nightmare, being able to possess ponies from the Moon - no matter how willing - was deeply unsettling. It did give her some slight relief, though - and go a long way to explaining why Shining hadn't replied to her letters yet. Despite her promise, Celestia seemed unusually slow in her follow-through.

Until today.

Cadance levitated another paper, but hardly needed the reminder of her schedule - she actually should have left five minutes ago, but she was feeling mildly petulant.

On paper, this paper specifically, it was stated to be an Arcane Conclave to discuss the advancement of the general field of magic going forward into the next millenium.

Cadance knew it was a load of bull, no matter how fancy the script was - she had actually begun to correlate the fanciness of script and the amount of deceit the paper contained. As much as she appreciated the many fine ponies with masterful calligraphy marks, or the fine magical printers available to many, including several in this castle - no one put that much effort into making such a face without something hiding behind it.

Then there was the guest list.

Cadance let out a breath, and grabbed up her new crown from the nearby shelf, letting it fall easily upon her brow as she rose and began making for the door of her office. The crown, and other new additions to her wardrobe, felt off. The heavy peytral was largely made of light, blue-tinted silver, gleaming in the daylight streaming through her office balcony. Her new hoofshoes were just as fanciful and made of the same silver, stained to match her cutie mark. Her crown was new, and fit the set. It was as intricate as Celestia's, even if it was about half a mile shorter. Thank Harmony for small mercies.

She strode out of her office, the metal-clad hoofsteps of Sergeant Valve and Corporal Grinder falling in behind her. Their presence was welcoming after the coup, a familiar force of normalcy in her days that reminded her that the Royal Guard weren't all disloyal traitors or murderous infiltrators. She put an extra effort into her steps for Corporal Grinder's benefit, and set off through the castle for the 'Arcane Conclave.'

The journey to the meeting hall took her to the other side of the castle, to the edge that came closest to overhanging the cliffside that the Castle perched upon, the Solar tower just above it. The passageways here were the same as most, but Cadance passed an area with a raised bit of scaffolding on wheels. Celestia's carving platform, where she had been repairing the damage done to the ceiling carvings in the battle - by hoof. Cadance had inquired as to why she didn't have some craftsponies work on it, or just sleek it over with magic. Celestia had smiled her genuine, half-quirked, lopsided grin, and had the audacity to say, 'Well, I found this pretty pink secretary to handle some of my work for me, so I have the time to do it myself.'

Cadance had not blushed. Really, she hadn't. She also hadn't smacked Celestia on the side of the head for her cheek. She was Regent now and could do things like that to mouthy geriatrics. But she hadn't. Princess Cadance, Alicorn of Harmony, was the epitome of self-control.

The guards at the door didn't hesitate to open them for her, the large doors parting without a sound. She heard Valve and Grinder part from their paths and move to either side of the door, as they had been instructed.

It was a wide, tall hall that took up the half-circled end of the castle. The entire exterior side of the room was taken up by tall, wide windows that ended in points, only thin pillars of stone between them to distribute the weight of a fourth of the castle that rested above it. Unlike many others in the castle, these windows were not stained glass or particularly decorated. Instead, they were clear and without any panes or dividers, a feat of magical and technical engineering considering they were load-bearing. The floor was glassy, smoothed marble.

In addition, the normally bare room had been altered. A long table had been brought in and arrayed length-wise. It was made of dark wood and clashed with the rest of the room's style, perhaps purposefully. At the end of the room, sticking out in an almost comedic way was a large blackboard, positioned so that the windows were just behind it.

At the table were gathered the greatest magical minds of Equestria - and more.

She recognized Magister Ley Line, an ancient pure-black stallion with a beard that nearly dragged on the floor, glimmering silver in his age. She could see where it was tucked into a small belt at the front of his robes, the gleaming purple layers of his clothing practically alive from the number of enchantments woven into them. There was enough magic patched into those robes that if something had been drawn on them, it might have been dancing. His mane was as silver as his beard, and his face was wrinkled but set hard against the weight of years that pressed on his shoulders. She couldn't see his cutie mark under his robes, but didn't have to - she knew it was an odd trident turned upside down, one line split into three to represent grounding out energies. He was almost half as old as she was, and even for an exceptionally magical unicorn, that was unique - one-in-a-million. Even practitioners of the ancient and suicidally delicate art of channeling earth magic to enhance their lifespans would blush when compared to this modern Magister of the Unicorn Hierarchy who had achieved the venerable age of 283. His stone-gray eyes turned to regard her, each chiseled from granite. He didn't look pleased to have been dragged from his research.

Another Magister sat across from him, much younger - but that wasn't saying much. He was old, but only normally old for a Magister, perhaps midway through his second century of life. She could vaguely recall his name, Verdant Sphere, and while he did not match the age of his colleague, he seemed no less mystical by comparison. He had a pointed hat, gray robes, gray fur, and his beard was a mix of deep black and several silver hairs beginning to manifest, outlining his wizened face, which was highlighted by deep-set smile lines and soft blue eyes that made him look kindly, like a grandfather.

Verdant was speaking amiably with a young orange unicorn next to him, in his mid-twenties, who looked to be his apprentice. He didn't wear the all-encompassing robes of his older colleagues, so his cutie mark was on full display; a brand of flame and lave interlinking to create three links of chain. He wore a heavy red-steel chain around his neck, and had a hat similar to his mentor's atop his head to hide his horn - it would have the usual protective enchantments of such gear, to help shield his horn from direct attacks.

The Arch-Vinculum was present, and his presence sent a tingle of ice down her spine. He was dressed in a dark red robe, almost black, with jewels glittering across the hems, each glowing with built-up energy ready for his use. His mask of office was affixed to his face, steel and gold blazing with enchantments that were mysteries to her. Even now, without his own effort, the air around him shifted and waved, like he was the source of great heat. His deep hood hid all of his mane and fur, only allowing his long horn to pierce through the hood, unimpeded. His icy, steel-gray eyes briefly flicked over to her - the effect of his natural mesmerizing gaze sleuthing off her mind with no effort of her own. She did not much like Arch-Vinculum Silent Change, and she never would - but her aunt kept him and the other Vinculums in her service, their dark cutie marks of unending use. The presence of the greatest master of mental magic in a thousand years had always put her on edge.

There were three other Vinculums near their leader, and she recognized none of them - but their robes were each slightly different. One was set with deep, ocean-black blue that shifted and changed even as she looked upon it. Hers had no gems, and instead, she could make out small pouches about her person - her own magical senses recoiled slightly from the mare, judging by the shape under the robe, sensing decay about her, like a walking corpse with no scent. The second had a blood-red robe, and it did not take much imagination to ascertain his specialty. The very tip of his horn was chipped in a v-shape that would make focused casting very difficult while it healed. The final was clad in a matte blue robe that her eyes slipped from far too easily, requiring an effort of will to focus upon his - no, her form. Each wore identical steel masks that hid their faces behind implacable runes.

Toward the other side of the table, she recognized - to her surprise - a noblemare. Duchess Searing Heart was a notorious flirt, gossip-trading, scandal-mongering, tabloid-filling, responsibility-avoiding trickster. She was certainly beautiful, more than beautiful - her slender, mature form on full display in her tight dress that split about her heart-stoppingly red flank to accentuate her curves. Even her cutie mark was a flaming heart, almost an amusing mimicry of Cadance's own mark. Her smoldering green eyes certainly added to the image, and her lustrous mane never had a single hair out of place. Cadance certainly didn't mind the firebrand of a mare being present, she had a tongue like a razor blade, but she couldn't figure out why she would be invited to this meeting of arcane minds. The mare was an earth pony after all, and one without a lick of talent in her tribe's own mystical arts as far as Cadance knew.

Twilight Velvet was near the Duchess, sitting quietly, intently observing the others at the table. Steel-grey fur, purple-white mane. She had made an effort to tame her normally wild appearance into sensibility, and it added to her natural beauty - although it might have made her resemblance to Celestia and Cadance a tad too obvious, with her slender jaw, aristocratic cheekbones, and bright golden eyes. Cadance never had much of a reason to interact with Twilight Velvet in an official capacity, so it was easy to let her position slip from recollection, but she doubted that Twilight Velvet became the Head Artificer of the Royal Armories by enchanting bottlecaps. Cadance knew that half of the artifacts wielded by the Vinculums just down the table had probably crossed that mare's work station, their complex designs requiring her approval and testing.

Near the end of the table was Knight-Commander Mere Shadow of the Night Guard, the thestral not wearing his armor, his dark, dark brown coat seeming to eat the light around it, leathery bat wings held close to his sides, dark green eyes seeming more focused on the Vinculums than anything else. Cadance felt her left wing twitch at the sight of the head of the Night Guard, some hostility creeping into her at the reminder of his rebellious underlings shredding that same wing off during the coup. The Knight-Commander of Equestria's monster hunters was deadly, the sleek muscles of his body confirmed that he was in peak condition, but certainly did not fit in for any sort of Arcane Conclave.

Lieutenant Dark Wing of the Royal Guard sat in gleaming golden palace armor next to the Knight-Commander, his large, muscled body practically rippling with repressed impatience. She couldn't much hold it against him, Dark Wing was a pegasus known for his unending energy and diligence. He was not one to sit still for any length of time, his reports indicated he finished paperwork as quickly as possible and moved on. His nerves hadn't been quite right since the coup either if she was a judge - he had led the defense at the gatehouse. Cadance made a mental note to send down a recommendation for a brief vacation for the stallion.

Finally, Celestia herself stood near the blackboard, towering over everyone else in the room. She looked troubled, Cadance thought, a heavy weght resting on her shoulders - but she seemed so vibrant, full of energy and life, compared to her previous state. The improvement in her mentor's mood, vibrancy, energy, and well-being was so startling that it felt almost like interacting with a new mare - or like seeing a painting left in the dust for a century restored to its full, incredible glory. Celestia tore her eyes from the sun, which she had been staring directly into, and met Cadance's - inclining her head slightly in welcome.

Cadance returned it and made for her own seat at the very end of the table, Celestia remaining standing. As eyes around the room focused on her for brief moments, Cadance regretted letting her annoyance drive her to be a few minutes late, but forced the flush of embarrassment down and out of her mind. Now was certainly not the time.

Celestia did not need to call for attention. She turned from the windows, and all eyes moved to her. Her gaze swept over the room, and Cadance could see the intensity burning in those eyes as they peered past enchantment and illusion. Then, seeming satisfied with what she saw, Celestia lit her horn, the golden glow matching the sun behind her.

The room got darker, the windows suddenly tinting themselves and blocking out much light from the sun - and preventing any would-be observers from seeing inside. A low hiss came from the door as the room sealed, which vanished after only a moment. Cadance felt a hum of energy grow around her as privacy wards flicked into place, activated with little more than thought from Celestia. A slight, almost unnoticeable, wave of light swept over the floor and vanished into the walls.

Celestia's eyes flicked from Silent Change to Searing Heart, and she spoke, "Vinculums, Searing Heart. If you would - everyone in this room has agreed to be entrusted."

Cadance hadn't agreed to anything, but she was Acting-Regent, so she supposed she had the authority to know.

The Vinculums removing their masks was not an auspicious affair, simply grasping them in their own levitation and lowering them to the table. Most of them were plain, normal-looking ponies - although the one who smelled of rot had eyes that looked to be overtaken by cataracts, despite the mare's relative youth. Judging by the way her eyes moved purposefully around the room, she could see as well.

Duchess Searing Heart, however, was very startling. She was suddenly engulfed in bright, eerily green flames that swept across her entire body with vicious speed. It happened quickly, almost instantly the mare was entirely consumed. Then, in her place, sat a... new pony. Not truly a pony. She was insect-like, gleaming black chitin replacing fur, plates of it fitting across her body as a suit of almost seamless, perfectly fitted armor. Nowhere Cadance could see lacked it, and the small movements of the mare's body were effortless, plates folding and slipping under each other with no flaw. Her muzzle was long, much longer than before, and set with rows of sharp teeth as she let out a hollow, echoing breath of satisfaction - a second note of voice seeming to underlay her speech. She had a horn as well, tall and jagged, and insectoid wings upon her back that did not look up to the task of lifting all of those extra pounds of chitin. Her body was still slender, perhaps even more so, but her curves were even more prominent - if Searing Heart had been beautiful, then this other form was sculpted for the sole purpose of its shape and luster entrancing stallions and mares. It almost made up for the chitin. She was larger, too - much larger, of a size with Cadance, perhaps a little taller. Finally, as if to complete the picture of the odd reflection of an alicorn, a crown made of her own chitin seemed to grow out of her forehead. Her eyes blazed orange-red, matching small highlights about her body and chitin.

Cadance had never seen a changeling in person - even if she was vaguely aware of the hive that served the Equestrian Crown, lived among its people, and accepted its laws and protection in exchange for service. Their leaders were insular and had barely even acknowledged Cadance's regency while Celestia had been unconscious. She had never even heard of a changeling like the one that sat before her, however - was she like some sort of giant queen bee equivalent?

Celestia spoke, cutting through the stares being directed at the changeling, "Allow me to introduce Queen Myrantia, Duchess of Drakenfell. The Arch-Vinculum is Silent Change, and his companions are Black Weave," She inclines her head to the sickly gray mare with cataract-white eyes, "Red Vein," then to the red-furred stallion in the blood-red robe, "and Soft Veil," finally to the mare whose features were so indistinct as to be impossible to make out, other than her bright blue eyes. "Forgive Soft Veil for her appearance," Celestia continued, "It is a result of her cutie mark, which affects how her magic bleeds into the world."

The room continued to be silent, although Veridian Sphere smiled at the indistinct blue mare, his eyes seeming to twinkle with curiosity.

Celestia went around the rest of the room, announcing everyone's name and titles. It did not take long.

Cadance's mind began working over the presence of the ponies around the room. Their purpose began to click into place - no pony present was lacking in magical power or combat prowess, except maybe Cadance herself. She was certain by the time Celestia finished speaking. They were here about the Nightmare - but why the duplicity?

Her mentor's voice continued, "I have called this meeting to address a coming threat to Equestria." Celestia's tone grew harder, less pleasant, and her eyes became flint-like as she regarded the attentive crowd, only Ley Line seemed dismissive, a contemptuous frown growing across his face as Celestia pressed on. "I trust each of you have already puzzled out that among us are the most premier fighters and most knowledgable unicorns in our nation." Pink eyes once more swept across the room, measuring each in turn. Only then does she finish speaking, the sentence weighted with its own purpose, "We must plan to subdue an alicorn."

Even Ley Line froze at her words - and Cadance took in a breath. Subdue.

Queen Myrantia's chitinous face twisted in an unfamiliar expression, her wings flicking warily - a tension entering her spine. Her lava-like eyes flicked from Celestia to Cadance before finally resting on the Princess of the Sun. She spoke, her voice two-toned, the familiar velvety voice of Duchess Searing Heart, but atop it was a fluctuating, chittering deeper note. "Do you believe yourself compromised in some fashion, Celestia?" She spoke with some familiarity, and seemed wise enough to fear if Celestia went wild, "Or your student?"

Celestia shook her head, solemn as she spoke, her voice quieting slightly, very intent, "No. The target of our plans is to be my sister." Forestalling any further questions, she pushed on, "The typical story of my sister's demise is a fabrication. She fell to the possession of an entity known only as The Nightmare, and I engaged in battle with her in Everfree Castle - which eventually spilled into the city itself, leading to its destruction. I used a set of artifacts to banish her to the Moon, but this outcome is not acceptable a second time. Her capture is necessary."

To his credit, the aged Ley Line was very swift to adapt, his face going from contempt to a mix of anticipation and fear, mirrored in much of the room. The Arch-Vinculum, of all of them, seemed the least surprised, but he looked deeply troubled as he asked, "What is the nature of this entity? Is she of similar power to Your Radiance?"

"My sister was a greater warrior than I, but less powerful - and while she held great fine control and proclivity to enchantment and wards, it was I who peered more deeply into magical theory. I would reckon that she and I were on an even field in battle, with my ability to draw upon the Sun leading to my favor in any battle. However, the Nightmare itself is distinct. It is my belief that it has perused many of my sister's memories, and gained her skills over these years - in addition to its own, which were significant." Celestia closed her eyes, and Cadance could recognize an effort at exact recall, "To summarise, the Battle of the Everfree was one-sided. The Nightmare lacked my own raw power, and in such a populated area I could not take full advantage of my connection with the Sun. However, the Nightmare was far more skilled than either my sister or I. The gap of experience and talent nearly led to my defeat, and forced me to resort to the artifacts that I mentioned previously."

That made Cadance frown, ice running down her spine. Celestia had never gone into details of her battle against the Nightmare with her before. The idea of any pony outclassing Celestia was difficult to manage - even if her mentor had spoken of Luna being the better warrior. Her Aunt made magic look easy, the most complex workings were simple tasks, and she had more than enough power to back her skills. She found it difficult to comprehend, and it was clear the others did as well.

While they each were forced to confront the terrifying idea, Celestia finished, "In addition, it is my belief that the Nightmare has fought alicorns before I."

Cadance felt her heartbeat in her chest. Other alicorns? She was quick to speak up, breaking the sudden silence that had fallen, "Explain, Auntie. Had Luna encountered it before?"

"No." Celestia's horn lit, taking chalk and beginning to draw on the blackboard behind her, not even glancing back as she spoke, continuing to gaze at all of them. "During our exploration of Equestria, my sister and I encountered many ancient ruins and remnants of the world before Discord. We had suspicions, but eventually, they were confirmed when we discovered Cloudsdale." The click-clack of the chalk behind Celestia seemed to punctuate her words, each line and curve exact, beginning to depict some sort of throne, and eventually the pony atop it. "It was almost entirely intact, even if its interior had been ravaged by both battle and time, and many of its buildings were beginning to fade in detail. Inside, we found a multitude of carvings and engravings, but the most relevant of which was this."

Celestia stepped out of the way of the blackboard, and upon it in chalk-white was a detailed scene of a raised throne of cloud upon a dais. Pegasi prostrated themselves at its base, and soaring figures filled the background. Upon the throne itself sat the rough but unmistakable outline of an alicorn. Massive wings spread, horn spear-like from the top of its head, a strong jaw and barrel suggesting a male form.

"My sister and I dubbed it the Alicorn of the Sky from our other findings, and eventually the discovery and translation of broken writings in the ruins of a mountain fort would refer to 'Borealis of Cloudsdale' as its ruler, who was titled the city's creator and God-King. Other writings would speak of his war and eternal rivalry with 'the Rumbling Earth' - which we thought indicated the existence of a second Alicorn. Finally, it is my own belief after discoveries that may not be stated here, that there was once an Alicorn whose sphere lay in nature, whose cutie mark was a crystalline tree with many roots - the same evidence suggests to me, however, that this Alicorn came from a time long before the creation of Cloudsdale."

Celestia's eyes swept over a stunned room, Cadance herself too shocked to muster a swift response - her own mind captured with the thoughts of a previous age, the titanic figures of power and glory that must have been those ancient alicorns. She felt something deep in her heart, an aching pain. The fabric of the room suddenly seemed off to her heart, a pain wrenching at her being. A hole she hadn't known existed. She wanted to blurt out something, but what? A correction? Her eyes went from Celestia to the carving once more, gazing at that rough, undetailed depiction. Her mind supplied the correction to her, and Cadance was utterly certain of it - even if she did not know why; Storms, she told herself. Not Sky.

She could imagine his face, seared into her memory as if it had always been there, simply forgotten. Burning gray-blue eyes bright enough to illuminate rooms, his wings spread and crackling. His speed. The booming, echoing sound of his voice. His wrathful descent from the heavens, heralded by hurricanes and the shine of silvery wings.

Celestia continued speaking, but Cadance suddenly found it difficult to focus, her mind forced to gaze into the eyes of the living Storm.

"- evidence as to what was their eventual end, but they were clearly felled in some fashion. My sister and I encountered what may have been an ancient battlefield, its shape different in ages past. It is called the Ghastly Gorge in these days, and lacks the same signs as when we first encountered it - the faint remnants of incredible magic being performed. In addition, the formations and type of rock present suggested that large quantities of magma were drawn from below the surface. It has become my belief that the Nightmare hunted at least one of these alicorns due to its own statement in our battle." Celestia's eyes closed once more, and she spoke, her voice even and flat in her quotation, "'Alicorns are so delicious in their despair.'." Pink eyes re-opened, "Of course, it is likely that Discord was responsible for the fall of the others, but the danger of the Nightmare cannot be understated."

More silence as each of them absorbing the history - and Cadance forced her mind to rip its attention from the Storm.

It was Lieutenant Dark Wing who spoke next, "So, to summarise, Princess..." The stallion looked thinner, somehow, over the course of this single conversation. "We need to prepare for the arrival of a figure who is capable of fighting yourself? Not only that, but we must fight to subdue, rather than put down. Is there a reason we cannot use the artifacts that were used to defeat it before?"

"They will not function in their current state, and should not be relied upon to be operational," Was Celestia's simple, blunt reply.

Yet... Celestia could not fool Cadance, not now. She knew her mentor was hiding something back amidst that sea of revelation, keeping cards close to her chest. Not speaking of the Elements, not mentioning Twilight. Cadance felt a sudden twinge of paranoia as she began to understand Celestia's worries. Her eyes flicked to the rest of the room, wondering if any of them had been visited in dreams by the Nightmare.

Ley Line spoke next, "Then we must prepare the grounds of the battle," he said, his voice aged and reedy - his reluctance to be here having entirely vanished. "Especially if we are to subdue, as you say - but if the Nightmare has even half the experience you suspect, we will not be able to hold her for any length of time."

Celestia nodded in agreement, "If we constructed a circle to hold her, yes - no prison of wards would hold her for more than a few hours. Instead, I have made the outlines of a plan." She moved closer to the table, continuing, "On the eve of the Nightmare's return, I will go to the Moon and confront her. Upon its surface, I will be able to unleash my full power while she cannot escape. In addition, she will be entirely unable to draw on its energies until her hooves touch Equestria's surface once more. In this battle, I will make it my goal to injure and weaken her as much as is possible. Then, upon her return, we will attack her weakened form united and imprison her. From then, it will be a matter of continued subdual on my part while the Nightmare is removed from my sister."

Cadance forced down a twitch. She knew that would not be possible if what Celestia had told her about the Nightmare was true.

Celestia pressed on, "I have roles I believe suitable for each of you in the coming conflict, and ways we will prepare the battlefield to suit each of you." She glanced to Queen Myrantia, the pair sharing a significant, long look before Celestia wiped the blackboard clean and began to sketch out a pentacle.

It was Verdant Sphere who spoke up, cutting in, "Princess, this plan seems well thought out - but is there not a hole? How can we be certain of the Nightmare's arrival into our trap? I do not know the mechanics of this banishment spell, but would it not be tailored to the original location?"

Celestia smiled then, a touch of slyness in it, "Of course, Verdant. The banishment enchantment will return the Nightmare to the flagstones of the castle courtyard at Everfree Castle."

"Would she not simply flee, then?" Twilight Velvet finally spoke, her hoof lightly tapping at the edge of the table in a nervous tic, her eyes distant and thoughtful, but there was an edge of fear to them. "It would be incredibly difficult to build up any sort of permanent enchantment within the Everfree's borders, with the levels of chaos magic within. They would wear away in a few months."

"Justly deduced," Celestia nods, her smile widening ever-so slightly. "Of course, we would be hard-pressed to make the battle happen as we wished in the Everfree. That is why I have called you, Verdant. Tell me, how fare your experiments into portals? 3,983, wasn't it?"

The Magister seems to grow mildly confused at her words, but not displeased, "The most recent test saw us reach 4,006 meters, Radiance - but I fail to see the relevancy."

"I believe you once complained to me that such methods of transportation were incredible aggravating, were they not? Prone to mistaking your intended destination."

Verdant nodded again, his confusion shared with those present - except Ley Line, who suddenly let out a small snort, shaking his head, a light of approval entering his eyes. Verdant responds, "Yes, Princess - portals are incredibly volatile means of transportation. More so than teleporting, but each share it..." He trails off, his eyes narrowing.

Celestia smiled wider, but Cadance was left confused - and cut in, "Why is that relevant, Magister?"

"Well," He said, "Magical transportation in general is tied up in the meaning and material of places. So... If you were, to say, try to teleport to a cavern that you are familiar with, then you could use your personal connection to the stone there to tether your intent. If you were to try and teleport to, say, a cavern you had only seen in a picture - then you might inadvertently end up at the one you were familiar with, or a different one entirely. The same is true of portals, but my experiments are in limitless-mass wormholes powered through magical energies. The issue we run into is the same, where we have to carefully prepare each end of a ritual circle." He barely seems to breathe as he launched into a near-lecture, "For example, if you wanted to create a portal across a field - limitless mass or limited - you would find the task far easier to do if you took large portions of dirt from both sides, and put them on either end of the portal. Giving each end a tether to the other, in terms of the magical imprint of that piece of ground."

Cadance did her best to follow, wondering at Celestia's large smile as Verdant continued to speak; "The same can be said of any magical transport, too much of it is tied up in the local magical imprint of locations becoming confused in the caster's mind - if you aren't familiar with the signature of a place, then you can end up at any place that 'feels' like your intended destination. It's why, for example, most could not just teleport to Panthera. To disregard the power requirements alone, you would have to be intimately familiar with the destination - and hope something about it hasn't changed, or instead of teleporting into the dining room of, say, a barracks, you'd teleport to the dump where they threw out the table you ate on while there. All transportation functions in a... similar..." Verdant trails off, his eyes growing a bit distant as he seems to consider something, then he looks to Celestia.

Aunty inclines her head slightly, "I will allow you the honor, Magister... But what if, perhaps, the courtyard of Canterlot Castle was far more like the courtyard of Everfree Castle than the original location? If, say... All of the flagstones, dirt, and foundation of the location of her banishment, and return, were moved here? Where there just so happens to be the most powerful siege wards on the planet, more than capable of keeping even the most powerful alicorn from escaping for hours?"

Veridian grinned.

Rarity was exhausted.

The march after the ambush was supposed to be easier than the battle itself; It wasn't. She had helped load up the corpses, the wounded, the dying. She didn't know which of them was worse, but all of them were heavy. Her horn ached, her body trembled slightly against her will. Her muscles felt strained and brittle to the bone. Mud leaked into her greaves caked her barrel, and sweat had almost become part of her.

The worst part of the march was the time to think, but even her head felt numb. The seconds and minutes blurred together, like her head was making up for all the rapid thought during the fighting. She was sure that if it hadn't been for Sergeant Basalt's gruff, gravel-like voice directing her into action that she would still be sitting on the hot, muddy path hours back. Easy pickings if the tiger survivors had come back.

If there were survivors.

Rarity gave a slight shiver at the memory of what Shining had done. What he had become. She gave a glance back, to the center of the column of wagons - most of which were burdened with the wounded or dead. Shining was in one of the Royal Guard wagons, several extras of his comrades positioned around it. Apparently, he hadn't woken up since... the 'Nightwatcher' happened.

She was startled slightly by a lithe, adamantine-clad form practically appearing next to her. Somehow, Shroud looked even more exhausted than Rarity felt - most of the thestrals did, with the sun blazing above them. Even with her helmet fully secured, Rarity could see the redness of her eyes, the slump of her shoulders, the normally enthusiastic mare's tail was even low, weighed down by mud and blood.

"I glanced in on him," The thestral spoke, her normally subdued hissing tone more prominent. "The Nightwatcher's blessing took a toll, but did not slay him."

That title again, Rarity's sluggish mind fought, managing to bring some of her attention to speaking, "You thestrals keep saying that... I've never heard of the Nightwatcher."

Shroud seemed only a little surprised, looking away, briefly glancing toward the ground intently. Rarity followed her gaze, but only saw more mud. When the thestral spoke, her voice was a little lower, "The Nightwatcher is the Moon's Spirit. The remnants of Princess Luna's heroic soul, drifting in the Dream Realm and granting aid where it can."

It took Rarity a few seconds to work through that in her head. The jolt of surprise did wake her up a little, though. "Princess Luna? But she's..."

"Slain in heroic battle," Shroud finished, solemn, "But as Goddess of the Moon, her being is eternal, and wanders the Dream Realm, guarding and watching over her subjects to this day. This is not the first time the Nightwatcher has appeared in battle in our records, but it has been many, many years. Centuries. To see the Princess, still working to defend us..." The normally playful, almost licentious, thestral now, she'd think she was a new mare - her eyes wet, filled with worship.

Rarity knew that look. It was the same her uncle got when he spoke of Princess Celestia's divine radiance, as he was an avid devotee of the Solar Cult. It made her a little uncomfortable, she was as thankful and loyal to the Princesses as any other mare, but this? They did not even have state endorsement, and schools taught reverence, but not worship, of Celestia. Rarity had never even seen her monarch, except in pictures. It had been Princess Cadance, beautiful and solemn, who had overseen her Solarian Academy's graduating oath.

But... It was hard to think of an alicorn as being less than divine if they could perform such great feats, even a thousand years buried and mourned.

"I... Princess Luna..." Rarity, like every other Equestrian, had heard of the heroic sacrifice of the noble Princess Luna in the battle against Nightmare Moon. Sacrificing her own eternal life to bring an end to the evil alicorn who had destroyed Everfree City. Is it really so unbelievable that her spirit would live on, rather than moving on in the Cycle of Harmony to a new life? It sounded like a difficult existence to Rarity, to eternally struggle and watch over living ponies.

She swallowed, her exhaustion hitting her again. Shroud seemed to take notice, "A bit longer, we should be an hour or so away from Hill 861. You and the other War Unicorns will be sticking with us as well, at least for a bit. Shining is still your mentor according to the Captain."

Rarity managed a nod, and Shroud slowed down to fall further back in the column.

She let her mind blank and kept putting one hoof in front of the other.

Hill 861, Forward Headquarters of the 10th Legion in Panthera, was not what Rarity had expected to see.

When she pictured a forward fortification, her mind conjured sights of great earthworks, stone walls, a castle-like structure atop a near-mountain that could turn away entire armies. It would have a real barracks, of course, with warm beds. Rarity would murder for her accommodations in Basic right now, at least basic had showers. What she saw, however, was far different.

Hill 861 was stout and evenly rose on two of its sides, peaking at a few hundred yards in height over the course of a mile or two. The entire section of jungle had been cleared by spellfire, making way for the... 'fortification.' Lines of trenches and palisades had been erected in layers going up the hill, spaced to break up sections of the camp. Behind the first wall was a large section of cleared field, empty of pony habitation. Past that, Rarity could only make out the vaguest of the tops of semi-permanent structures, except for a large, rectangular square building at the very center, from the top of which jutted a metal and crystal tower maybe twenty yards tall on its own. Their communications array. The banner of Equestria and the 10th Legion were displayed proudly on the interior walls, along with a standard for the 88th and the Engineers Legion.

Rarity thought, quite bitterly, that even if she had been a construction unicorn she'd have ended up at this pit.

Their convoy approached one of the camp's three gates, a drawbridge lowering over the first trench - which was much wider than Rarity first thought, almost ten or fifteen yards across, filled with sharpened logs of wood and bamboo. The stench as they crossed over the drawbridge was intense, and Rarity risked a glance over the side. Corpses had been policed... Mostly. There were some meaty bits, scraps of fur, and other remains in that pit of death, but the blood had been let to fester and rot where it had pooled, the rudimentary drainage that let rainwater flood away not enough to dislodge the pools of stagnant death.

There must have been an assault recently. Rarity felt the urge to gag a little, but fought it down, forcing her gaze forward.

As one of the ponies closes to the front, Rarity saw Captain Steel peel away from the Royal Guard and meet a Senior Centurion just within the gates, the pair exchanging words. She strained to listen, curious.

"- supplies six hours ahead of you. Did you see any sign of them, sir?"

The Captain shook his head, "No, not a sign of their wagons. We were ambushed by a significant force on the way here, but it was dealt with. What's the situation?"

The Senior Centurion grows grimmer, "The story has been the same for the last month, sir. Our extra building materials never arrived, and we're getting half -"

Rarity moved too far beyond the pair, their words becoming inaudible over the movement of the wagons and soldiers just behind her.

It took barely any time to reach the second wall, passing over another drawbridge and into the camp proper, the Captain catching up with them shortly.

The inner camp did not live up to Rarity's expectations. There were hundreds of tents arrayed in rows and streets. Intermixing with them were stout half-wood and half-brick buildings, public showers and mess halls. Legionnaires were everywhere, from every tribe, of every color and shape and size. Some in full armor making rounds or moving to duty stations, others completely bare and moving around, joking, heading to shower. The smell was maybe the most unpleasant thing; Thousands of sweaty bodies packed together like apples in a barrel had a unique odor all its own.

An entire cadre of medical ponies greeted them, hopping into wagons, one of the leaders starting to shout directions to the ones pulling their injured.

Here was where the majority of her cohort split off from the Royal Guard, but she and the other War Unicorns kept on to their own clear patch of ground, gravel lain out to help deal with the wet, packed dirt.

When Rarity got her tent set up, her little bed mat and blanket felt like the best thing she had ever rested her head-on.

Cadance watched the various attendees of the meeting shuffle out, the Sun having begun to set, out of direct view of the window that dominated the meeting room. She felt tired, and out of her depth, and still internally shivering at both the idea of facing down the Nightmare in any capacity, and the eyes of the Storm that still haunted her memory - although at least those were fading.

She waited for the others to leave, already knowing Celestia would wish to speak with her. She took her time in watching her Aunt, who seemed strained after the conversation, silent weight on those alabaster shoulders that had nothing to do with the golden peytral.

They both met at the doors in silent agreement, leaving the meeting room and moving deeper into the castle at a slow pace, the hooves of their guards behind them.

The silence between them remained as they walked, Cadance shooting looks at her quiet aunt, watching her expression move in internal debate. First a very slight frown, her eyes downward, then her jaw set, and her eyes flicked toward the ceiling, and finally her face became strained, sad, as they passed near the library, where Twilight likely was at this time.

It wasn't long before they were inside Celestia's office, but no tea was lain out by Auntie, she just moved to the balcony and sat down.

Cadance took her place next to Celestia.

Auntie spoke first, "I'm sure you have questions."

Cadance nodded, and let out a breath, "Your plans with the others are extensive. Remodeling, rituals... The business with the courtyard. But you aren't giving them all the information," She looked to Celestia, watching dim sunlight play across her features, almost making the lines of her frown vanish. Almost. "Why didn't you tell them about the Elements? Or about the Nightmare's shadow? You distracted them well enough with your lesson about ancient alicorns, and gave them enough to begin preparing... But you know as well as I do that no normal spells would purify the Nightmare. I'm not sure I could, either - although you know I'd try."

Celestia was not silent for long, and inclined her head, "You wished to know about the Nightwatcher and the method that Luna uses to possess ponies."

Cadance twitched at the change in subject and resisted the urge to sigh. "Yes, I assume it leads into my current question?"

Her Aunt nodded very slightly, "As you might recall from your lessons, the Moon is a focus - wildly impractical for use in the material world given its distance, but Luna has the capability to partially draw its essence into the dream world to both anchor herself and receive greater powers therein. Such as; Channeling a portion of her spirit into a mortal pony."

Cadance took a moment to mull that over, "I assume it is a matter tied up in her mark and abilities?"

Celestia nodded, "Only Luna is capable of such fine control, which we are fortunate for - if the Nightmare had such powers over the Moon, I would never have escaped its prison when Twilight summoned me."

Cadance looked back out of the balcony, watching the stretches of grassy fields and hills leading to the Everfree forest, a tiny speck of a village barely visible alongside a stream.

After a brief time, Celestia continued, "The Elements are connected to the Sun and Moon in ways significant to their function. They, in part, hold essences of both. They draw upon limited energy from the Sun, using the Moon to safely manipulate and control them into their purifying efforts."

"You never mentioned this before."

"Twilight found Luna's journals, and I have dedicated time to their study. My sister spent centuries researching their mechanics and testing them as she may. She also discovered that the energies produced by the Elements would have significant difficulty affecting alicorns in any meaningful way, they do not draw upon enough of the Sun's energies to change beings rooted in harmony, and are more efficient in changing and acting against beings of chaotic magic - such as Discord."

Cadance let out a breath, "That's why Luna was banished, and not purified."

"My sister did write of... A plan. One she had intended to go to me with," Cadance glanced over to see her Aunt's face grew regretful, the dying light of day casting her in shadow. Her voice lowers. "Before I speak of it, Cadance, I must request something of you. I require your permission for something."

Cadance focused on Celestia, meeting her gaze, "What is it?"

Celestia told her.

She agreed.

Twilight rushed up the stairs to Celestia's office, taking some joy in making patterns on the floor with her hooves - the subtle glow if its honeycomb latticework of enchantments glowing at each hoofstep. It helped distract her from the fact that she was two minutes behind schedule.

Her legs handled the stairs better than they used to, just a bit, and it helped her make up a bit of time. She hadn't meant to spend so much time in the library, but she didn't want to leave Blueblood there alone. He still wouldn't speak after what happened to his father, and she was worried for him - but didn't know how to put it to words to help her friend. She wished Shining were here, he would know what to say. He always did.

At least Blueblood had been given a suite in the castle, Celestia had taken him under her care.

Twilight forced her mind to focus on her current predicament, trying to let the images of the thinning, exhausted looking Blueblood from her mind - he had watched his father die. He found him when he went to hide, with Raven Inkwell.

No, she told herself. Not now. Focus on meeting Celestia.

She arrived at the door to Celestia's office, and entered without knocking, barely taking time to nod to the guards.

"C-celestia!" She called, trying to keep the edge from her voice, "S-sorry I'm l-late!"

A glance at the clock on the wall confirmed her worst fears; 2 minutes, 32 seconds.

Celestia chuckled lightly, bringing Twilight's gaze to the balcony, where her mentor sat. She looked worse than she had since she woke up, shoulders slightly hunched, wings held tightly. Despite her brief mirth, Celestia's face was set with... dread. Her jaw lightly clenched, her eyes worried.

Her mentor managed a small smile, "Come over here, Twilight. We need to discuss something important."

Twilight trotted over, sitting on Celestia's cushion, leaning against her. "W-whats wrong?"

"Twilight," Celestia let out a breath, "Today I set into motion efforts to prepare for my sister's return. To confront, and contain, her."

Twilight felt a shiver run over her, "C-contain her? I-isn't she as s-strong as y-you?"

"Certainly, little Twilight... But with preparation, and planning..." Celestia grew silent and then set her jaw, a hard light entering her eyes.

When she spoke again, the tone of her voice gave Twilight pause - it wasn't one she had ever used with Twilight. It was flat, sharp. Edged with finality. "Twilight... I would not force you into anything. I have a part for you to play in these preparations, but I need your permission for something."

Celestia turned her head, looking down and meeting Twilight's eyes. She felt those pink orbs almost burn into her soul, seeming to shine with an inner light.

"Twilight, I need you to trust me. Can you do that?"

She shivered lightly, and nodded.

Twilight left Celestia's office, smiling broadly, humming a little to herself, mind intent and focused on the books waiting for her in her room.

Her head felt warm and happy.

Tea-time with Celestia was always so nice.

Author's Note

This chapter kicked my ass lads. I apologize that it took so long. I was unhappy with draft 1, rewrote that, then ended up rewriting it again and again until I stopped trying altogether for a while. I did this version up in the last week, and I hope y'all like it.

Things are finally beginning to come together for Act 1, and there will be alot of POV switch now, and more timeskips.

Hope you guys enjoyed! Thanks for reading.