The Archmage’s Last Bow
Chapter 12 - Release

Luna eyed her bed, feeling the familiar dread and trepidation in her heart as she did so.

It was a feeling she had thought long gone ever since the Tantabus had been vanquished, but life, it seemed, had a cruel way of bringing her back to the point where even her own realm of dreams was not a safe sanctuary for her mind. Nevertheless, she had a duty to perform.

As she slipped out of her royal regalia, laying them off to the side and climbing onto her mattress and situating herself under her covers, she could feel her heart thundering a mile a minute as she once again knew she would come face-to-face with her true worst nightmare.

The Nightmare Within did cause her fear, in no small part due to what she was capable of inflicting upon her subjects, but she couldn’t hold a candle to the one she was about to see.

Her horn lit up as she prepared to cast herself off into what should have been blissful oblivion, but for her would be a night of more mental torment, she briefly eyed the ceiling she had enchanted to be a living diorama of the night sky. It was just so very much like the nights she and her favored apprentice would spend studying them…

“It’s your fault, Luna.”

Luna found herself looking upon her apprentice once again, his eyes blazing white, glowing cracks of light stretching across his skin, visible even under his coat and cloak. It was not the first time he spoke so harshly to her, not the first time he accused her, not the first time he struck in all the ways she knew were her weak points. Not the first, and certainly not the last.

No, this would be just one more early iteration of her having to live forever knowing that her decisions had led to his death.

“You did this to me.”

“I know,” she mumbled to herself, lowering her head in this empty place, hiding her tears behind her mane. “I… we thought we were buying more time to save you…”

The phantom Nova Shine only grew more furious. He snorted, pawing at the ground. The glow from the cracks of light intensified, and his eyes began to trail a blazing fire of blue-white energy.

Luna knew what came next. He would attack, he would lose control, the magic within the phantom would tear him apart, and she would yet again watch Nova Shine die in front of her.

“I told you this would happen, Luna.”

Luna jumped. No, this was new.

A black mist of energy, a pair of burning blue eyes, the pointed teeth…

“Nightmare,” Luna said, stepping back ever so slightly. “You were defeated. Twilight Sparkle and the Elements of Harmony rent you asunder. You hold no power over my mind!”

“Don’t I, Luna dear?” the Nightmare replied coldly, before cackling in a way that caused her to shiver. “I may no longer be in control, but you will never escape the shadow I’ve cast over you. After all, if it weren’t for me, your dear sweet Nova Shine would not be dying, would he? If it weren’t for your weakness, I would never have arisen, and he would never have taken up the Element of Magic in your stead.”

Luna grit her teeth, her horn already glowing. The Nightmare only cackled all the harder at this.

“You believe a few spells will ward me away?” it scoffed. “You think they will make what I say any less true!? You crafted the Tantabus from my influence! You know better than anyone that magic can’t save you.”

Luna knew. She didn’t care. She fired anyway.

Nightmare Moon’s cackling only grew more raucous as Luna’s spells flew harmlessly through her. Here in the recesses of her mind, Luna was free to do anything, and that included even something as simple and cathartic as dropping a meteor on all three of them.

But as the great rock hurtled toward them, the phantom Nova Shine grabbed hold of it and crushed it to powder through his raw magical strength alone. As the sandy rubble of the boulder rained down around them, the phantom Nova barely looked winded from the effort, even as Luna tried to call down another, only to find it impossible.

The phantom smirked.

“Even when you know I’m not the real one, you can’t bring yourself to hurt me,” he jeered, pacing around her. “You could have tossed it far harder than that. We both know it, Luna. Why hold back?”

“I…” Luna grit her teeth even harder, feeling the sting at the corners of her eyes as the tears began to form. “Because I…”

She couldn’t refuse him. Not here. Not now. Not ever, could she? Not since the day she had found him lying beside a pool under her starlit sky.

“You dare…?”

A third unwelcome phantom appeared, standing next to her fiancee. This Twilight Sparkle did not resemble her real-world counterpart. She had pale green energy framing her eyes like spectacles, her horn looked as though chunks had been scooped out like Queen Chrysalis' horn, her coat had several shades darker and her wings had changed to be a deep purple, her mane was moving as if it were made of fire, and her normally navy-blue shade of hair had gone a vibrant mix of violet and magenta, with streaks of black as well.

This Nightmare-Twilight glared at her with nothing short of hatred and disgust, which only took another sledge to her heart, in a way that felt far too similar to Nova. Why…?

“He’s mine,” she growled at her, her horn blazing with green energy. “You will never have him. And because of you, I won’t ever have him either! IT’S YOUR FAULT! I HATE YOU!”

Luna hastily conjured a shield, which blocked the blast of energy from Nightmare-Twilight, but the sheer venom in the attack shattered it, leaving Luna a cowering wreck on the ground.

“Pathetic,” Nightmare-Twilight spat. “After everything, you’ve got nothing to say? Nothing at all?”

“Why does she matter so much to you, Luna dearest?” came the dreaded whisper in her ear. “Why do you care so much about her opinion? Why not just take what should be yours?”

“She saved me from you,” Luna snapped, whirling around to ward off the Nightmare, who guffawed at her as it fluttered back.

“Truly? You care about your savior’s opinion so? A craving for her approval, perhaps? Or… something else?”

Ice stabbed into her heart. No, the nightmare was going to weaponize this too?

“Oooh,” the nightmare tittered, eyes widening with malicious glee. “Ohohoho, oh this is too good!”

The phantom Nova Shine and Nightmare-Twilight Sparkle continued to glare at her, seemingly unaffected by the taunts, or what they implied.

“Let us lay your fears to rest, hmm? Perhaps you will never have a better time to tell them, will you?”

Luna tried to blast her away again, but this time the nightmare didn’t even react, letting the spell phase right through her.

“Say it, Luna dear,” urged the Nightmare. “Say the words. Three little words, one great meaning, and all that delicious suffering!”

“I… I will not!” Luna replied, blasting the Nightmare yet again, and the Nightmare yet again mockingly laughed at her as her spell had no effect. “I will not hurt them like that, and I will be free of you!”

“You will never be free, Luna,” it taunted, resolving into the familiar black shape. Luna found herself staring face-to-face with herself. Black of coat, cruel of temperament. Nightmare Moon and Luna stared each other down once again. “You will never escape me. I am too much a part of you. And I will haunt you for the rest of time.”

“Not if I have anything to say about it.”

A great blue glow shone in Luna’s formless white dreamscape. At once, the Nightmare was dispelled with a screech, the Nightmare-Twilight didn’t even have a moment to react before blinking out of existence, and the Nova Shine that was on the verge of being torn apart disappeared in a flash of light. Luna found her heart hammering yet again as she allowed the blissful silence to wash over her, even if only for a moment, before she let out a great shuddering breath and collapsed in sheer relief.

“Hey now. Let’s take this someplace else.”

The blue glow returned, and when the light cleared, she was sitting on the balcony of a home built into a great tree overlooking Ponyville, a clear night sky overhead, Twilight Sparkle sleeping inside, and Nova Shine sitting next to her, looking up at the stars.

“N-Nova?” she asked. “Where… where are we?”

“I believe this is the night before I went back in time,” he replied, glancing inside at the sleeping Twilight. “She doesn’t have wings yet.”

“The night before you met me again,” she mumbled, going slightly pink as she remembered. “Before, from your perspective, I dunked you in the River Everfree.”

“That’s the one,” he said, his mouth twitching ever so slightly, before giving her a once-over. “You look like shit, Luna.”

Luna wrinkled her nose at his profanity but allowed herself a wry smile. “It has been… a trying few weeks. I’m sure you can sympathize.”

Nova Shine frowned at that, but while she knew he had some snide remark ready to fire off, he mercifully kept it to himself. Instead, he relaxed and let out a quiet snort.

“Yeah, it has, hasn’t it?”

Luna let out a tiny, shuddering chuckle, the first in such a long time. Nova Shine was an oddity. She was several times older than him, even accounting for her time as the Nightmare. She was at least a full head taller than him. The only ponies who could hope to match her in the realm of magic were Star Swirl, her sister (with her extra 1000 years of experience), Twilight Sparkle, and him, and the latter two were still a ways off from being near the former two.

Not far, but still a little distance.

For someone so much less than her, he occupied such a great place in her heart and mind, even compared to her other Night Apprentices.

“What was that, Luna?”

It wasn’t a demand, it was just curiosity, yet it still felt like she was being berated. Luna let out a long sigh.

“My punishment,” she admitted softly. “My weakness cost you your life, and now I will watch you die in my dreams for the rest of mine.”

Nova let out a quiet breath, giving her a sympathetic look. “You know, there is hope.”

“Is there?” Luna asked, letting her head sink, ever so slightly. “I am well aware of what it is Lord Star Swirl wants you to find. I know what it is capable of. But Nova Shine, do you truly believe it has the power to give you what you want?”

“Of course it does,” Nova replied instantly. “If an artifact like that can contain the power of the three Gems of Being all at once, then it can contain all of my power at once no problem.”

“That is not what I asked,” Luna shook her head. “I asked if you believed it could give you what you wanted. And you and I both know what it is you seek deep down, Nova. Does the crown truly offer you your heart’s desire?”

Nova opened his mouth to reply, but after a moment, he closed it. Thus, Luna continued.

“More than that, you and I both know what you hate. You would be bound to that crown for the rest of your life, if not for eternity. Yes, that would be an eternity that you were alive, but that crown would be your shackle. And to wear a crown of such power on your head would alienate you from everyone around you. Your friends, your family. Even Twilight. Even…”

Luna bit off the end of that sentence, but when Nova raised an eyebrow, she knew she had said too much.

“...even me.”

Nova frowned again, staring out into the night sky. Luna let those last two words hang over the air, even as she felt herself relax. Even if her reprieve was only temporary, she would savor this night, this break from her torment. If this were to be her last night of peaceful sleep, then so be it, she would enjoy every last second of it.

“‘Three little words,’” Nova said, turning to look at her again. “What did she mean by that?”

Luna winced internally. She truly had said too much. Or perhaps he had been there all along, watching to see what had happened. She had taught him well. Too well.

“I…” She bit her lip, before looking away. “I…”

“How long?”

This stallion was in a committed relationship with Twilight Sparkle, and yet here he was, with no judgment, gently asking her how long those three little words had been in her mind, as though they couldn’t tear that committed relationship apart just by being uttered aloud.

Luna let out a humorless laugh as she bared her soul, before shaking her head in disbelief.

“I don’t know. In days of old, it had to have been during your apprenticeship. I hurt so much after you were gone. But after my return…”

She shut her eyes, remembering the confusion she felt as feelings she believed long-buried rose up once again. It was strange, she had never felt them for him in the earlier days of his apprenticeship. Only after she learned he and the first Nova Shine were the same.

But those were not the only strange feelings she had begun to notice…

“...I truly do not know,” she shook her head again. “They were not there until I knew that the you of the past and the you of now were the same, but even then, I thought I kept myself above such feelings. You were my apprentice, after all. You treated me as if I were more your mother than Shimmer. You had a beloved mare of your own. It simply would not have been right. And yet…”

She trailed off, sitting sullenly under her moon’s light, letting the implications hang, feeling the shame well up inside of her once more. Yet Nova simply sided ever so slightly closer, as if he sensed her feelings.

They sat in silence for some time after that. There was no wind, there was no noise, it was like they were sitting in a still image, the town and the old library preserved in perfect detail, but with none of the ambiance that truly defined the night he had recreated.

“Why was Twilight there?”

Luna slumped at that.

“How much did you see?” she asked, fighting back a sob.

“Enough,” Nova replied with a small shrug. “I guess it’s just… unexpected. I knew about you after Celestia told me way back when, but I didn’t know it was her too. I mean, I get it, she is pretty amazing,” he added, with a little smirk, which got a tiny snort out of her. “Just kinda comes out of nowhere, though.”

“Doesn’t it?” Luna asked softly. “Do you not recall? The very first day we met, I placed a tiny fragment of my own Source within yours. It allowed you to act on my behalf on that fateful night. Our minds– our souls, even– have been joined, Nova. Is it truly so much of a stretch to think that you rubbed off on me?”

Nova looked over at her, surprise etched all over his muzzle. “You… you’ve developed feelings for Twilight because my feelings are just that strong?”

“Oh come now,” Luna let out a mirthless laugh. “You know better than anyone that love doesn’t just happen like that. No, it’s undeniable that there were feelings there already. Or perhaps the beginnings of feelings. She saved me, after all. She helped me connect with the citizens of Ponyville. I have watched her and her friends defend Equestria time and again with the same fervor that my sister does. At the very least, there was sincere admiration there well before you even met her. The seed was planted, but you did the watering, so to speak.”

“I’ll be honest, I’m not sure how to feel about this,” Nova admitted, a troubled look on his face now. “Especially considering our troubles–”

“Oh worry not that I will make any attempt to split the two of you apart,” Luna sighed. “No, it has always been my fate to be doomed to watch ponies I care deeply about wither and die. But consider, Nova, that despite the troubles the two of you have, you remain as devoted as ever, and that your feelings for her were so strong they affected my feelings for her. Perhaps that is the way you should look at it.”

“And now it’s about my feelings,” Nova snorted.

Luna couldn’t help a tiny smile, but let out another quiet sigh. Nova simply stared out over the landscape of his memories for a long moment.

“You know I will have to tell her, right?”

“Of course,” Luna nodded. “I would expect nothing less. But…” She bit her lip. “But… perhaps I could tell her myself? With you there, of course.”

“Luna,” Nova gave her a look. “I just said–”

“We know,” she cut him off, before letting out an annoyed huff. “I know. I wish to be fully transparent with you. I think… I think after everything, you two deserve that.”

“Then we’ll talk again tomorrow night,” Nova promised.

“So soon?” Luna asked, blinking dumbly.

“I’ve got a lot I’m preoccupied with, I’ll be honest,” he said, before patting her withers. “But I think we need a night where you are rested and in your right state of mind, and where we have all the time in the night to talk it out, and that won’t be tonight.”

“Okay.” She smiled despite herself. It wasn’t necessarily hope, but it was the opportunity to relieve herself of this burden with two of the three ponies she held most dear. “Very well. I shall be looking forward to it.”

“In the meantime…” Nova Shine’s horn glowed blue, and Luna felt the familiar cool sensation of a nightmare guard settling over her psyche. “Please rest, Luna. And stop beating yourself up like this. For me?”

Luna leaned down and nuzzled her favorite Night Apprentice in gratitude. He didn’t leave immediately, though.

They stayed there and simply enjoyed the passing night in this familiar setting.

The House of Nobles didn’t exactly have what one might think of as “decorum.”

It was a large open room with a sort of squared variation amphitheater-esque design, with rising rows of seats around a central space in the center, and a high stand at one end where the Speaker of the Lords sat, an elderly pony wearing a black gown and watching the opening down below as a pale pink earth pony named Earnest Heart or something-or-other like that, a member of the Royalists operating out of Las Pegasus, was giving some great speech about nothing in particular, just the usual platitudes of showing strong loyalty to the country and seeking the common good.

Nova hated taking part in sessions like these. The business of government was important work, to be sure, but it was all hidden meanings, veiled threats, and doublespeak in here. For once, he actually preferred being locked in a room with Envy. At least he knew she wanted him dead. Or not, lately. Now he wasn’t sure what she wanted.

Maybe he didn’t prefer being around her after all.

“...so once again I charge all of you to stand for common decency as we look to ensure Equestria’s future remains bright,” Heart concluded, giving a slightly haughty brush of his bright pink mane, before turning to the speaker. “With that, I yield my time, Lord Speaker.”

The Speaker gave him a polite nod before gesturing to the empty seat about seven sections over and four rows up from where Nova himself sat, which Lord Earnest had vacated. He was an earth pony, unusual but not unheard of, with a coat of rich caramel and wispy white hair on his head, wearing the robe but no wig today, and staring flatly out at the many representatives with a trained golden eye.

Nova watched Lord Earnest go, before flicking his eyes over to the large clock set above the Speaker’s Stand, which indicated that he had about four hours before the end of Day Court. Enough time for today’s session to wrap, for him to get a little lunch, and then head on up to the Castle to spring his latest surprise on everyone.

He couldn’t help but smile a grim, vindictive smile as he thought of how everyone would react. It wasn’t going to be done out of any kind of cruelty, not by any stretch. He genuinely believed in what he had planned. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t take a measure of satisfaction out of acting in a way that not even the Princesses could have predicted, with all their manipulations and schemes.

“...and with that, I would like to extend a warm welcome back to the Lord Night Master and Lord Archmage, Nova Shine,” the Speaker announced, which elicited no shortage of jeers from the rest of the room. Nova wanted to yawn, but he didn’t. It was important not to rile them up. “I trust you have learned your lesson after your censure? Such behavior is not becoming of one who holds the title of Lord, as I’m sure you must be well aware by now.”

The Speaker was a good pony. Nova didn’t take what he had to say personally. The rest of the ponies in this room? Debatable. His father sat well away, watching him nervously, having heard everything yesterday from him and his mother. Tantalus was even further away, among the Royalist section. Doctor Hoofman sat near the rear of the room, relegated to the corners despite being Headmaster of Celestia’s School, and he seemed curious about what Nova had to say.

Nova stood up.

“I thank you all for the well-wishes,” he said, keeping his voice non-committal, “and I truly am flattered to know that you believe my evening activities are enough of a matter of national importance to spend time sending along a ‘Get Well Card’ to me like that. I truly take all of your words to heart and I express nothing but sincere gratitude that you care so much about my mental well-being.”

There were some scattered snorts, but there was also quite a bit of annoyed muttering at how flippantly he was treating their censure. Down below, a different elderly unicorn pony was keeping a close watch on him, eyes narrowed, his frown deep.

This one had a coat that was sort of an extremely darkened brown-gold, not dissimilar from the picture he’d seen of Pinkie Pie’s father. His mane was thin and getting thinner every time Nova saw him, and he wore possibly the sharpest suit anyone could wear. Perfectly tailored and pressed, contrasting quite well against his coat, and drawing the eyes of nearly everyone in the room every time he moved.

Nova and Ignatius Bitsly had gotten into more than a few political scraps over the last few years, usually involving Nova stonewalling his more damaging bills and power grabs, which was quite the achievement. Nova remained independent of the three factions that made up the House, whereas Bitsly was the leader of the Optimates.

“However,” Nova continued, now starting to let a little bit of an edge creep into his voice, “I do apologize for having such a mental breakdown. I forget that all of you go through similar circumstances that I do, and have learned to control your reactions to such news as learning that I am dying. I affirm that I will show more discretion in the future when I learn such catastrophic news.”

You could hear a pin drop, which gave Nova another burst of satisfaction at seeing several of the ponies’ faces pale or look completely startled. Lord Bitsly’s eyes narrowed even further, and his frown deepened. His father clenched his eyes and jaw shut. Tantalus looked stunned. Doctor Hoofman’s jaw dropped. The Speaker’s eyes widened for a moment, and Nova was even more thrilled to see him take a slightly nervous gulp. Clearly, they had thought he’d had something as casual as a drunken romp in the middle of the night. For all her faults, Celestia knew how to handle a good coverup, even if it did throw him under the carriage.

Lord Bitsly stood up at that moment, his eyes never leaving Nova.

“I see,” he said, his voice a smooth and well-polished deep timbre. “I apologize for what must seem an insensitive action in light of the circumstances, Lord Archmage, yet I see no reason to retract your censure. Your actions resulted in quite a bit of danger for the city and a full search for your missing person.”

“I’ll do my best to plan my mental breakdowns and schedule the search parties two weeks in advance to not strain resources,” Nova replied airily.

“That is enough.” The Speaker banged his gavel. “Order! It is high time we move on to the business at hoof. A number of proposals have been submitted for our perusal and our vote. First item on the docket, we have a proposal from…”

And like that, they were off. Proposals, bills, budgetary adjustments, the whole shebang. Under normal circumstances, Nova hated this part of the meeting, but today was a special case, as he had his own bills to put forth.

When the speaker gave the room the floor, Nova was the first to raise a hoof and request it, at which time he launched into one of a hoofful of bills he had prepared for this day.

Nova’s original mission had been to stall parliament to keep them distracted so that Twilight could ascend without them attempting to dig the floor out from under her, something he had excelled at, if he did say so himself. However, this had hardly endeared him to the three major parties in the House of Lords, except maybe the Royalists.

As their name implied, the Royalists were a smaller faction who operated on the guiding principle of simply enshrining the power of the princesses. His father, Tantalus, and Doctor Hoofman were members, and they didn’t have an out-and-out party leader like the other two did, due to the princesses essentially being their party leaders, although the princesses kept their distance. Nova recognized them as a more centrist party that favored the status quo. Whatever the princesses’ attitudes were, so were theirs. In a sense, Nova could have been counted as a de facto Royalist, given his job, but he’d always stayed clear of them.

The Optimates were to their right, politically speaking. A party mostly comprised of ponies who didn’t want the Equestrian state meddling in what they felt were private affairs. These days, however, it mostly felt like it was full of aristocrats and rich ponies who just wanted less taxes so they could make more bits. Nova had never been terribly sympathetic toward them, even though he ostensibly was one of them: a rich pony born with a silver spoon in his mouth and opportunities only money could open up. They were the only party that had a leader right now, the aforementioned Lord Ignatius Bitsly. Severus Neighsay had also been a member of this party, one of their most prominent. It had caused quite a stir when he had defected.

Speaking of the head of the EEA, he sat among a group that, up until very recently, he had considered political adversaries. The Optimates’ counterparts were the Ponies Party, a group mostly comprised of a number of creatures, not just ponies, who stood for greater change and progressive tendencies. Nova was more sympathetic to their stated purpose, especially after spending years struggling to get by, but their complete and utter incompetence made him unable to take them seriously. They had just voted out their most recent party leader for corruption, a black eye on a party trying desperately to change things for the better, and Nova was sure other party members needed to go too. Whoever they elected their new leader had a difficult task ahead of them.

And here he sat, in the center of all of them, having pissed them all off at one time or another, and now he was having to try his luck convincing them to support what he had to say.

But one by one, as he introduced bills he had worked tirelessly on to trample as few hooves as possible, not a single one of them raised a voice in support.

He almost shouted at them about how absolutely goddamn selfish they were being. He didn’t, but ooooh did he want to.

They even voted down the most common-sense bill he had brought with him, just some additional funding for the new Equestrian Aerial Navy to fund a new airship Dreadnought design he had come up with that could serve as something of a mobile air base. A bit expensive, yes, and putting all of one’s eggs in a single basket wasn’t a good idea, but the idea of these Blackwing-class Airship Dreanoughts would be that there would be multiple of them to serve as redundancies.

Yes, the Equestrian military was in dire straits right now after the Terrible Trio’s attack, but they were getting their hooves back under them, and this would patch a hole in the airship fleet he had noticed: a proper capital ship.

He had even accepted input from Aegis, Shining Armor, and others to make sure it was a sound design. He knew the Optimates did tend to enjoy military spending, even if they objected to new taxes, but he didn’t expect only seven few half-hearted hoof raises from the entire chamber.

SEVEN! Out of THREE HUNDRED SIXTY-TWO! Three of them were his dad, Tantalus, and Doc Hoofman.

Needless to say, Nova was feeling more than a little frustrated as he stomped his way out of the House of Lords toward the exit. Still, those were far from the only ways he hoped to make a difference today.

“Excuse me, Lord Archmage?”

Nova turned to see an indigo young mare with a brown mane pulled into a tight bun wearing a tailored suit and glasses standing behind him.

“Can I help you?”

“Lord Bitsly invites you to join him for lunch at Maresca’s on Restaurant Row, if it pleases you,” she recited with a bow. “He understands that you have other engagements today and sends his promise that it will be brief.”

Nova blinked. Bitsly inviting him to lunch? In his three and a half years of working in the House of Nobles, Nova had never once had a private meeting with any of his colleagues in the House, but now probably his most ardent opponent was reaching out?

“And if I am too busy?” he asked the mare.

“He said you’d say that,” the mare promptly replied with a small frown. “Shall I tell him you are declining his invitation?”

Now Nova was really intrigued. Bitsly invited him to lunch, well aware of the possibility he would probably decline? What is he peddling? For a moment, he was tempted to decline anyway, since it was pretty clear Bitsly wanted him to play his little game, but… well, he just had to see why.

“That won’t be necessary,” he said, giving a small shake of the head. “Inform Lord Bitsly I will meet him there shortly.”

The mare gave him another bow, turned around, and promptly marched off into town, leaving Nova staring after her feeling perplexed. The day was just full of surprises, wasn’t it?

Another surprise was waiting for him not long after he stepped out of the House of Parliament, a large plain marble square structure with very little decor aside from a clocktower built atop it, as he found none other than Cadance there, trotting up High Street toward the current building that housed the temporary Palace of Justice.

“Cadenza!” he called once he noticed her, before cantering forward to catch up. Cadance looked over at the noise, and broke into a warm smile when she saw Nova trotting up to her.

“Nova! I didn’t expect to see you here. Though I should have guessed,” she glanced past him toward the austere structure he had just come out of. “Eventful session?”

“Yeah, I got censured and they shot down all of my bills,” he grumbled.

Cadance’s eyebrows rose. “You got censured? Was this about what happened a few weeks back?”

“When I went on a bender because I learned my hourglass had a whole lot of sand scooped out of it?”

“Uhh, yeah, that,” Cadance answered awkwardly, a sheepish wince on her face.

“That was it, yeah,” he shrugged. “Of course, then I had to tell them why I did it, and that made them very uncomfortable. I’d say it was worth it, but even I’m not that full of spite.”

“Changing the subject, you introduced bills?” Life was full of simple pleasures, like how uncomfortable it also made her for him to talk about it so lightly. “I thought your job was to stall things until Twilight was coronated.”

“It was, then I learned I don’t have much time left,” he said, rather enjoying her reactions to steering it right back. But that was enough trolling for now. “So I figured I’d try to do something positive with my influence, you know? And those vindictive sons of bitches in there shut them all down,” he added with a growl.

Cadance gave him an annoyed look. “You can say that without the profanity, you know?”

“You sound like Twilight,” he chuckled. “She hates it when I curse, though she hates it more when I do it around Spike.”

“I’d say it doesn’t become you,” she started, before letting out a sigh, “but I guess it’s part of what makes you you at this point. And for what it’s worth, at least you don’t insert one every other word. If you did, I’d never let you anywhere near Flurry again,” she added, a small twinkle in her eye.

“Oh gee willikers, sis, I never knew you could be so gosh-darn cruel!”

“I take it back,” Cadance groaned. “It sounds worse when you don’t.”

“So what brings you to town?” he asked, before glancing up at the temporary home of the Equestrian Royal Court. "Something at the castle? Day Court?”

“I actually felt a disturbance in the Love Force,” she answered. “So I’m here to help the unfortunate soul caught in the middle of it. It’s not you and Twilight again, is it?” she added, giving him a small glare.

“I hope it isn’t, we haven’t had any major incidents since…you know.”

“Good.”

“Also I didn’t know the ‘Love Force’ was an actual thing.”

“I call it that out of convenience,” she shrugged. “It’s easier to say than ‘aspect of harmony that reacts to ponies’ romantic feelings.’ I don’t suppose you know anyone having romantic tangles right now?” Her glare vanished, replaced by an inquisitive eyebrow.

“Would you believe me if I said I did and that she actually might be connected to me and Twilight?”

“It’s Luna, isn’t it.”

“It’s Luna.”

“I told her,” Cadance sighed, dragging a wing down her face. “I told her she needed to tell you before it became a problem. Even if it didn’t end well, there at least would have been closure.”

Nova blinked. “You knew?”

Cadance smiled humorlessly. “I knew. I love my auntie, but I could sense the sheer chaotic tangle of confusing feelings around her every time I was anywhere close to her. Even moreso when you were around.”

“It’s not just me,” Nova admitted. “It’s Twilight too.”

That actually caught Cadance by surprise. “Both of you? That’s…” She trailed off, staring ahead, eyes glazed over for a moment, mouthing something to herself, before a small smile split her muzzle, and she began to laugh giddily. “That’s… that might… wow, I never saw that coming.”

Nova stared at her, mouth parted. “I’m sorry, this is a good thing?”

“Maybe, maybe not,” she shrugged, still giggling to herself. “Love is complex, many-faceted, and difficult to predict, even for me. It could be a good thing, but it also might not be.”

“Okay, but why are you giggling?” he demanded, stepping in front of her and causing her to actually stop. She still had this stupidly giddy grin on her face, and her eyes were lit up with something Nova had only seen when he and Twilight were enjoying a particularly close moment. “I’m… I’m engaged for goodness sake! And I love Twilight to death. Why is Luna having feelings for both of us when we’re already engaged to each other something that makes you laugh like this?”

“Nova, you lunk,” she tapped him on the head. “Polyamory exists.”

Nova opened his mouth. Nothing came out. All he could do was stare at Cadance, who was still giggling like a little schoolfilly.

“Wait. Hang on. Are you suggesting… a-are you suggesting that…” he trailed off, his mind not fully comprehending what she was getting at. Only partially, which was still throwing him for a loop. ”The… the three of us?”

“I’m not suggesting anything.” She finally did stop giggling, giving him a serious, but empathetic look. “I just… Learning that Luna likes both of you opened up an entire world of possibility. It could work out, it could not. But I will say, whatever is to become of Luna’s relationship with the two of you, with your relationship the way it is now, Luna entering the mix would only further complicate things.”

“Yeah, as though it isn’t already extremely complicated right now,” Nova grumbled.

“Then untangle it,” Cadance replied firmly, tapping him on the head again. “Communicate with each other. If– if– the two of you decide to give Luna a chance, I can only recommend doing it once the two of you are rock-solid again.”

“Do you think we should?” Nova asked, looking at her in disbelief. “I don’t even know how Twilight will react when Luna tells her tonight.”

“I can’t tell you that,” she said again, giving him a sympathetic smile. “Polyamory works for some ponies, and it doesn’t for others. Buuuuut,” she gave him a sweet smile, “she does bring things to the table that the two of you don’t have.”

“I already bring the self-loathing and Twilight already brings the eccentricity.”

“She’s seen the worst of both of you in your dreams,” she continued unabated. “And yet, she still carries those feelings. She has seen you both for who you are and still wants to be with you. Plus I believe she also has a touch of gentleness that the two of you could use, and she has that immortal wealth of experience and wisdom that we young mortals don’t have. Again, I’m not saying you should or shouldn’t,” she warned, before booping him on the nose this time. “I’m just saying she’s there when the two of you figure things out.”

Nova sighed, turning to look in the general direction of the temporary Palace of Justice, where he knew Twilight was busy giving rulings on cases even now. It was any stallion’s wet dream to be caught between two princesses like this– much less to have them both want him and each other!– but all he was worried about was the potential trouble it would bring him and Twilight.

One thing was abundantly clear, he absolutely did not want to risk any attempt at polyamory if he knew it would fail and cause him and Twilight to fracture. She was too important to him. And that being said, did he even see Luna that way? Sure, she was beautiful and intelligent, and had a nurturing side to her that matched Fluttershy’s but with a mischief to her that would put Pinkie to shame. But knowing all of that didn’t mean Nova felt any of that.

Yet, anyway. “It could happen, it could not.”

“I’ve decided I hate love again.”

Cadance chuckled. “Of course you do. No one said it was an easy thing to think about,” she patted him on the shoulder, “but do think about it, won’t you?”

The clocktower let out a loud BWONG! which startled him, and he remembered he had somewhere to be.

“Oh dammit, I gotta run. Sorry Cadenza, we’ll have to catch up later. Oh, before I go!” he stopped himself from bolting. “I’ve, uhh… do you think you could be available tomorrow afternoon to help me with something important?”

“What are you planning?” she asked suspiciously, her eyes narrowing, though he caught a tiny little knowing glint in them.

“Something very important and not funny, actually,” he assured her, which did nothing to quell the suspicion, “but I can’t give away the specifics now. You’ll hear about it, it’ll be big news, I’m sure. Will you still be in town tomorrow?”

“Yes,” she replied hesitantly. “I don’t even know what I’m signing up for.”

“I will just need your shield spell. Anyway, sorry, we can talk more about it later. Gotta run, have an appointment. See ya around, Cadenza!”

“Love you, LBBFF!” she called after him as he dashed off.

He was very behind and it would not do to keep his gracious host waiting any longer. While Railside Inn was a bit out of the way, he did make a quick detour to drop off his bill proposals before returning to the city and making his way to Restaurant Row. Based on the clocktower just barely visible over the buildings, he had about an hour and a half before Day Court ended. He had more than enough time, especially since Maresca’s was known to serve food relatively quickly.

Maresca’s was somewhat surprising compared to the other places on Restaurant Row. While most of them were larger establishments that preferred to advertise with large signs, it was a bit of a hole in the wall, with only a small wooden swinging sign over the door, dwarfed by the other eateries. Nova had walked down these streets many times in the aftermath of Zesty Gourmand’s departure and had never noticed it, missing it among the big shops. The fact that it had survived this long no doubt meant that its food quality was enough to spark word-of-mouth fame.

The inside was dimly lit for atmosphere and ponies were chatting away in soft voices. A few of them glanced over when he entered, with even fewer of them recognizing the resident archmage and giving him polite bows. In truth it made Nova uncomfortable. The common ponies didn’t seem to know or care who he was, but the rich and famous did.

“Lord Archmage,” came Bitsly’s deep timbre. Nova turned to a corner in time to see Bitsly and the mare from before standing from a small table in a private booth. The Optimate leader held an easygoing smile and holding out a hoof. “Thank you for accepting my invitation.”

Nova glanced at it suspiciously, but bumped it all the same. He didn’t miss how Lord Bitsly had the tiniest twitch at the corner of his lips when Nova so hesitantly greeted him.

“Suspicious, aren’t you,” Bitsly observed.

“Yeah, well,” Nova slid into a seat, “In four years, this is the first time you deigned to have lunch with someone like me.”

“In four years, this is the first time you deigned to put forth bills instead of putting them down,” Bitsly countered, taking his own seat as his attendant trotted away to give them some space. Nova wanted to snap back, but there was something about how goddamn polite he was being…

“Alright, cut the crap, Bitsly,” Nova replied, crossing his arms. “What do you want?”

“Hmm,” Bitsly held up a menu and perused it. “A good question. I was thinking of some spaghetti today, but the bucatini with cauliflower and brussels sprouts sounds particularly appetizing.”

If Nova’s blood pressure rose any further, he’d start spurting blood through his skin all over Bitsly’s pressed suit.

“So what, you drag me out here after voting down all my bills just to exchange some wordplay? You here to rub it in, is that it?” he demanded, leaning forward so that his near-snarl was unmistakable.

“Temper temper, Lord Archmage,” Bitsly replied, putting the menu down and giving him a cool look back. “I did not drag you out here. I invited you. You accepted. You were free to turn down my invitation, but you didn’t. So clearly, you have some interest in knowing what it is I wanted to discuss with you.”

“Yeah, I figured I’d hear it and head out. I’ve got plans this afternoon.”

“Don’t we all,” Bitsly slid the menu to him. “I recommend the fettuccine alfredo. A simple classic, after all. And correct me if I’m wrong, but your fiancee is fond of the dish too, is she not?”

“Yeah, that and hayburgers,” Nova grumbled, not taking it. “Get to the point, Bitsly. You wouldn’t invite me out here for nothing.”

“My friends call me Ignatius, Lord Archmage.”

“I’m sure they do, Bitsly.”

That got a proper smirk. “There, you see? We’re getting along better already.”

A waiter came by and took their drink and food orders, giving Nova a brief reprieve from all of this verbal jousting. Why was Bitsly acting so familiar to him when only a half hour or so ago, he had been reprimanding Nova about his conduct? Why invite him out?

As the waiter trotted away, Bitsly nodded to himself. “This place has undergone quite the turnaround since Zesty Gourmand’s Reign of Terror ended. Almost everywhere has. I’m also partial to a place called the Tasty Treat not too far from here.”

“What. Do. You. Want?” Nova asked through gritted teeth.

“Fine,” Bitsly sighed, shaking his head. “Fine. If you insist.”

With that, his posture completely changed, and he looked the same as he always did during sessions of parliament. All business. Straight-backed, stern, no-nonsense.

“I invited you here to offer you advice, Nova Shine,” he said, no longer easygoing. That’s not to say that he was angry or otherwise on some sort of attack, but there was something lightly intimidating about the shift. “In four years, never once have I seen you put forth bill ideas of your own. In four years, I’ve never seen you lend support to any proposals or bills except the ones where we all knew they would pass with overwhelming support. The only times I have seen you put forth support have always been specifically with intent to make the supporters rethink their own support of the bill. You have been a magnificent sower of chaos within the House, leveraging your reputation and talents to bring everything to a standstill, but that is precisely the problem and that is exactly why no one was willing to offer you their support today.”

Nova simply listened, equal parts happy that Bitsly had cut the crap while also being annoyed that Bitsly seemed to be explaining this to him like he was a rookie. Nova knew his reputation. Like Bitsly said, he’d leveraged it.

“Now, it is quite apparent that with your imminent passing, you have decided to enact some positive change,” Bitsly inclined his head. “But the reason why no one raised their voice in assent to your proposals today is because for four years you have done everything in your power to stop and otherwise stall every bill put forth to maintain the status quo so that your dear fiancee could ascend without having to manage any great changes in the system right as she came into power. I understand– truly I do– that this was a mission given to you by Princess Celestia. I greatly respect your dedication to both her and to Princess Twilight Sparkle. But now, after spending years frustrating three factions in parliament, you expect them to raise their voices in assent of what you put forth as if nothing had happened? As if you had not stopped us all at every turn for four years?”

Bitsly didn’t seem angry or even disappointed. That was the worst part. He was simply explaining it to him in a simple, matter-of-fact tone. All Nova could do was sit there and listen, teeth grit behind his lips, but unable to deny that he had a point.

“But fortunately for you, you are in a unique position,” Bitsly continued, leaning back. “As the Lord Archmage, as Princess Luna’s Night Master, as Princess Twilight Sparkle’s fiancee, and as an independent member of the House of Nobles, should you choose to side with a particular party, you almost certainly would become one of their more influential members immediately. However, understand that by doing so, you wouldn’t be able to simply make them pass only what you wanted and then stop everything else.”

He glanced away, a small frown.

“Politics is transactional, Nova Shine. Deals must be made. Agreements must be honored. You cannot take without giving. In exchange for your fellow party members helping you advance your agenda, you would help advance theirs. If you declared for my party, I’m sure we would be able to pass some of your bills, but there are a few that several of my colleagues find objectionable, and thus we would require you to rework or drop them entirely. For instance, that last one you put forth. A magical research facility, open to the public and not restricted to unicorns?”

That one had been Nova’s baby. He had worked tirelessly on it, dotting every i, crossing every t. He had thought about the finances, he had thought about the location, the safety requirements, everything.

“Yeah,” he nodded. “You know my story, right?” Bitsly nodded. “There are other types of magic out there other than just unicorn magic. They all should be studied. We’re locking ourselves out of so many potential bright minds just because we’re stupid enough to think only unicorns get to use magic. And it can’t be only open to the rich, either. Think of how many minds among the less fortunate don’t even get that opportunity.”

“Like your apprentice, Lord Archmage?” Bitsly asked. “She’s from Lower Canterlot, is she not?”

“Exactly,” Nova nodded. “Imagine what would have happened if she hadn’t been given aid to attend Celestia’s School.”

“And yet she received that aid,” Bitsly countered, leaning back. “By your own admission, the systems in place gave her that opportunity, which she took. Your fiancee too, as I recall, came from Lower Canterlot, and she, too, was given an opportunity and succeeded. The system clearly works. I think you’re trying to solve a problem that has already been solved, Nova Shine.”

“She’s one example, and that’s survivorship bias at best,” Nova refuted, shaking his head. “How many don’t even get that opportunity? How many do, but are sent home because of an arbitrary number of ponies accepted, like me? I was unfairly rejected. How many others, whose families didn’t have the clout to raise awareness until it reached the public eye, were also rejected? How many others who would be accepted one year were turned away due to sheer bad luck?” he added, meeting Bitsly’s cold stare with a determined one of his own. “You can’t tell me the system works when it fails too many ponies, Ignatius.”

“These ponies are merely a hypothetical, Nova Shine,” Bitsly waved his hoof dismissively. “We cannot know how many this system has supposedly failed.”

“If even one pony is failed by the system, then the system has failed us all, and it just proves that it could fail each one of us too down the line,” Nova flatly retorted. “How much more would we know about magic if we had more ponies– more creatures, really– who wanted to study it and learn more about it?”

“You will never have a perfect system, Nova Shine,” Bitsly countered. “There will never be such a system that succeeds across the board and fails no one. Panaceas simply do not exist.”

“Yeah, I agree,” Nova nodded tersely, “but that’s no excuse not to try. We can’t let perfect be the enemy of good. If my plan can help a few more ponies than the system right now currently does, then I call that a success.”

Bitsly, for the first time since Nova had ever seen him, genuinely smiled.

“This right here,” he said, tapping the table, “is what you should have done. You tried to appeal to the House with cold reasoning. Logic. To ponies without an agenda, perhaps your reason would have moved them. But we are not ponies without an agenda, are we Nova Shine?”

Nova paused as he considered Bitsly’s words, but Bitsly continued, giving him little time to keep up.

“We ponies are emotional creatures, Nova Shine. Prone to outbursts, prone to errors in judgment, because of our feelings. We are empathetic to those around us. I don’t believe you would have gained the support you needed by leveraging sentiment alone, do not misunderstand,” he added with a small shake of the head, “I do still believe your best chance at passing your bills comes with you declaring for a party. But for four years, you never learned how to play the political game because you didn’t have to. Now you do.”

“And I suppose,” Nova said, choosing his words carefully, “that the whole purpose of this meeting is so that you can entice me to join the Optimates?”

The waiter returned with their food, giving Nova the opportunity to begin eating, which gave him an excuse to finally take his eyes off of Bitsly, while Bitsly took his sweet time magically manipulating his fork to turn his food over in its bowl.

“Ah, no,” Bitsly shook his head. “I am not here to entice you to do anything. I meant what I said. Advice. I would be pleased if you decided to join the Optimates, but I simply do not think most of your bills would go over well with us. I think you would be better off with the Royalists or, if you are feeling particularly daring, the Ponies Party. They are currently leaderless, after all. Perhaps you could step into that role yourself.”

“Pretty sure they’re already holding party elections,” Nova grunted. “Plus if they have misgivings about me like you say, then I’m probably not the right pony to take the reins.”

“Then reach out to their newly-elected leader when that all ends,” Bitsly pointed his fork at him for a moment. “As I said, you are too important to ignore or to place on the bottom rung of the ladder, but you will have to play ball with them if you would expect them to want to back you.”

Nova frowned.

“Why the Ponies Party?” he asked. “You, the leader of the Optimates, asking me to join your political opponents? If I’m as important as you say, then I figured you’d be doing everything to win me over. You trying to put me on them to cause even further problems?”

Bitsly smiled again, but this one was a lot colder than before. “If I were, do you think I’d really tell you? And consider this, Nova Shine,” he added, reaching up to dab at his mouth with a napkin. “You already have no support. The Ponies Party are already leaderless and in extremely bad shape. Why, if I were wanting to ensure my party got ahead, would I not just leave the two of you alone?”

Nova opened his mouth to respond, but closed it. It was honestly frustrating just how much Bitsly was running circles around him today. Nova decided he didn’t just hate politics. He loathed politics.

“You have a lot to learn, but just because we are political opponents does not mean we need be enemies, Nova Shine,” Bitsly gave him a brief once-over. “But if you really want to know the truth of why I would help you despite it clearly not being in my best interest to do so, then…” He paused, his eyes misting over ever so slightly, before clarity returned. “Consider this part of me trying to pay an unpayable debt I owe to your father.”

“What’s Dad got to do with this?”

“I believe I shall leave that for another time,” Bitsly replied quietly. “You may choose to receive my advice however you wish, Nova Shine. Perhaps in a thousand years, we’ll be remembered the same way Hocktavian and Ciceroan are: as close colleagues despite their radically different ideals. Or perhaps not. But I do want you to understand that despite our differences, I have no shortage of respect for you, and I do believe you could succeed in the world of politics, provided you set your mind to it.”

“You do know how Hocktavian and Ciceroan ended, right?” Nova asked, arching an eyebrow. “Hocktavian gave him up to be killed in the Proscriptions.”

Bitsly gave a soft chuckle. “Then I’ll fervently hope you never assemble your own Triumvirate.”

As he finished and returned to his own meal, Nova ate his pasta, paying no attention to the taste. Not once in this entire meeting had Bitsly’s energy ever flared. Either he was capable of masking it to hide his lies, which would have required his magic be constantly active and it most certainly wasn’t, or he really did mean everything he said.

On a normal day, he probably would have spent a lot of time thinking over it for hours on end, trying to sus out if Bitsly wasn’t just trying to play him like a pawn, but unfortunately, today was not a normal day.

Quite the contrary. Today, he still had one last big bomb to drop.

Twilight rubbed at her face tiredly the moment she was sure no one was watching. Everyone’s gaze was drawn toward the newest pony to walk up to the stand. This session had been going on for hours! She knew serving as an arbitrator like this was important, but did there really have to be so… so many petitioners? Why couldn’t there be a functioning court system to handle this?

Twilight blinked.

Why wasn’t there a functioning court system? There were plenty of examples to draw inspiration from!

Feeling giddy at the thought of restructuring the government, Twilight’s horn glittered and a small scroll appeared where she quickly jotted down that idea before stowing it away again in time for her to return her attention to the floor of the court audience chamber where–

Twilight blinked again.

“Nova?” she muttered to herself as Nova Shine himself strutted into the room, his head held haughtily high, his cape on display with collar popped, and he strode forward with purpose toward the stand, seemingly oblivious to the whispers and muttering from the observers and journalists around the room. One particularly sleazy journalist in the room, a yellow-coated pony wearing a tie with a somewhat unruly poofy manestyle that she couldn’t be sure if it was a toupee or natural, already seemed eager for whatever new mischief he could spin out of this. The nameplate said “Ferren Balanced”, but she couldn’t make out what outlet he worked for.

Celestia let out a tiny chuckle next to her. “Quite the peacock today, isn’t he?”

Twilight didn’t want to give her the satisfaction of agreeing, but… well, she was right. Nova wasn’t usually this showy, but that just made her all the more wary of what he wanted.

“What are you doing here…?” she whispered to herself, already conjuring another small scroll to jot down notes specific to the case, as Celestia had recommended.

Nova strutted up to the stand down below, flanked on either end by guards just in case someone tried something a bit nefarious, as had happened back when Celestia in Canterlot was still a new thing and all the rebellions were happening in the wake of Nightfall. Maybe it was for the best the guards were there. With how unpredictable Nova had been lately…

Twilight rose from her seat as Nova took his position and looked up at her expectantly.

“Welcome, petitioner. Please state your name and rank if applicable for Day Court’s records,” she recited, as she had at least a hundred times today.

“Nova Shine, Lord Archmage of Equestria,” Nova replied with a small bow.

Following procedure, Twilight dutifully wrote down his name and rank, before looking back up at her fiancee. He had… no prepared speech or documentation of any kind? Plus he hadn’t told her he was coming here today. She felt a slight sinking feeling in her gut. While she would never doubt his intentions, she couldn’t help but wonder if he was here to cause some mischief or pay Celestia back in some way after what happened a few weeks ago.

“You may begin. How can the Court help you today?” she asked, sitting back down, pressing her hooves together, and resting her chin on them.

If nothing else, it would liven up the day.

“Thank you, Princess Twilight,” he said, politely bowing his head again. “I am here to petition the court because I believe there has been a major injustice committed in Equestria.”

The journalists immediately began scribbling. “Oh dear,” she heard Celestia sigh next to her. Twilight ignored her.

“What sort of injustice?” she asked, leaning forward to pay closer attention. Was he about to make his rift with Celestia and Luna public?

“First, if I may ask, Princess Celestia?”

Twilight turned her attention back toward Celestia, who had, from the second case up until now, been content to hang back and observe and offer advice after demonstrating how Day Court worked in the first case. Celestia was staring quite intently at Nova, an eyebrow raised ever so slightly. Twilight felt a tiny bit of grim satisfaction at knowing that Nova had caught her off-guard too.

How does it feel?

“Yes, Lord Archmage?” asked Celestia in an even tone.

“Your sister, Princess Luna.”

Twilight felt the air chill around her, ever so slightly. Uh-oh.

“Is it true, for the court’s record, that she fell victim to her jealousy and attempted to seize control of Equestria for herself, and that she attempted to plunge the entire world into an eternal night?”

Twilight stared even more intently at him. Nova’s gaze remained cool, his bearing casual. Celestia met his unflappable gaze with a barely contained irritation of her own. She looked unaffected, but Twilight could see the hardness in her gaze.

If Nova was there to spite Celestia over her handling of his oversaturation, then it was clear Celestia considered invoking her sister like this to be a reach too far.

“It is well-known that my sister succumbed to her feelings of inadequacy and her jealousy, yes, Lord Archmage,” Celestia responded as quietly and evenly as ever, as though she were simply talking about the lovely day outside.

“And how was she handled when she was corrupted?” Nova asked, keeping his gaze on Celestia. “How was Nightmare Moon defeated?”

“I seem to recall that you were there, Lord Archmage,” Celestia answered, her eyes narrowing a fraction.

Twilight was now even more acutely aware of the furious scribbling of pencils and quills, and she let out a tiny sigh. The journalists were going to feast on this little public spat.

And Nova and I are right in the center of it, she thought, feeling that uneasy feeling intensify. Was this what his game was? To drive a wedge?

“I was,” Nova conceded with a dip of his head. “And as I recall, we banished your sister to a thousand years of exile on the moon. She was offered no chance to answer or atone for her actions, and was simply cast away.”

Oh, this wasn’t good. Twilight looked back to see that Celestia had grit her teeth.

“But a thousand years later, she returned,” Nova continued. “And with the Elements of Harmony and their rightful new bearers, she was purified. And now she has been atoning for her actions by helping you run Equestria and safeguarding the dreams of her subjects, is that correct?”

Celestia’s demeanor did not change, despite how Nova had seemingly resolved this barb about Luna.

“It is,” Celestia admitted.

“Another question, Princess,” Nova said, dipping his head. “The draconequus Discord. He, too, attempted to conquer Equestria, yes? Three times, as I recall. Once over a thousand years ago, once six years ago, and once in league with Tirek.”

“He did, and we turned him to stone to prevent him from doing so,” Celestia replied, relaxing ever so slightly now that he had moved on from Luna.

“But was he not freed and reformed by Fluttershy before he attempted to join forces with Tirek?” Nova pressed.

Celestia’s eyes narrowed yet again. So much for him defusing the situation, Twilight thought.

“He was, or so we had thought,” she replied, still keeping her voice as even and dispassionate as possible. “Even now he continues to slip up every now and again, but he remains a firm ally.”

“I see,” Nova nodded. But now his gaze turned to her instead. “Princess Twilight, a question for you.”

“M-me?” Twilight asked. Why is he dragging me into this!? “Uhh… sure. I mean, yes, petitioner,” she hastily corrected.

She saw a slight twinkle of amusement in his eye as she corrected himself, and that, more than anything set her nerves at ease. He wouldn’t make a fool of her, not like this. Not in the lion’s den, surrounded by predatory gossip mills and journalists, not with her own ascension to becoming the ruling monarch coming up. No, he actually was here for something important.

But what?

“Your apprentice, Starlight Glimmer. Is it true that she attempted to bring Equestria to ruin as revenge for your disruption of her operation at the settlement Our Town?”

“Yes, that is correct,” she nodded. No, he definitely wasn’t here to drag anyone through the mud. He and Starlight were too good of friends for that.

“And you were able to confront her, reason with her, show her the error of her ways, and help reform her?”

“Yes,” she nodded again. “She’s now the new Head Mare of my school down in Ponyville.”

“I see,” Nova nodded. “The injustice I wish to correct is that there are a number of creatures who similarly are guilty of great crimes against Equestria, but they were offered no chance to answer for their actions, nor were they offered any chance at reformation. Thus, I believe that they deserve this chance for themselves. That we owe it to ourselves and everything Equestria stands for to offer them to either reform or to answer for their crimes.”

That uneasy feeling was back. No, he couldn’t possibly mean…

“So what is it you are proposing, Lord Archmage?” Celestia asked behind her. Twilight dreaded the answer he was about to give.

Nova turned his cool gaze back up to her.

“I petition the court that we free Queen Chrysalis, Cozy Glow, and Tirek from their prisons of stone and that we attempt to reform them.”

BANG!

Twilight jumped as the echoing boom reverberated throughout the room. Even the guards located around the room winced at the sudden burst of noise. What was that? She looked around, and only now noticed Princess Celestia’s horn glowing gold, and after inspecting the room a second time, she noticed the doors to the lobby had slammed shut.

Celestia flapped her wings and glided down to the polished stone floor, her hooves touching the stone with soft clack!s that echoed through the silent room, and she stood in the open space, before addressing the entire assembly.

“I apologize for my outburst. But I would like to make one… thing… clear.”

Twilight shivered at just how much of an edge she put on that last word. Oh, she was angry. She’d gone right past mild disapproval and had landed firmly in that cold, enraged state where you really needed to watch your step.

“I will tolerate no unfair coverage of what has and will be discussed in this room,” she stated as sharply as a parent scolding their children. “You will document and report on the facts of this petition. I shall even tolerate warranted criticism. However, should you stray too far, you will suffer my… displeasure.”

Twilight didn’t miss how her icy glare turned to look directly at Ferren Balanced as she said that. Nor did she miss how Ferren’s mischievous sleazy little smile at the thought of what gossip he was going to spread vanished instantly and sweat beaded at the hairline of his mane.

“Now then,” Celestia continued, opening her wings once again and flying back to her previous place on the stand behind Twilight.

Through all of this, though he had jumped at the sound of the doors slamming shut, Nova looked as cool and confident as ever. She had to admit, she admired that about him sometimes. How he could keep up appearances despite all the inner turmoil was a trait she wished she had.

“You wish to free the Terrible Trio from their stone prison, and you wish to attempt to reform them, you said?” Celestia asked, staring down at him quite sternly. “After everything they did? After how much trouble it took to imprison them in the first place?”

Unlike before, when everyone gathered in the room had been idly whispering or writing down things that they were going to put in the news later, now everyone’s undivided attention was on the petitioner and the princesses.

“I do,” Nova nodded, his voice never faltering for a moment. “I am well aware that they have been given multiple chances already. Starlight Glimmer offered Chrysalis a chance to turn, but she was rejected. Cozy attended Twilight’s school and tried to use the lessons there to conquer Equestria. But Tirek? When was Tirek ever offered an opportunity to turn?”

“So why release all three of them?” Twilight asked. “Like you said, two of them had chances, but you want to release all three of them instead of just the one you think wasn’t given an opportunity?”

“Yes,” Nova dipped his head. “Simply, I think I might be able to get through to them in ways no one else was able to. And if I can’t? We can always imprison them again.”

Whispers broke out at that, and Twilight’s mouth parted. He thought he had a way to reach Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy Glow that no one else had? Nova, honey, you’re a smart stallion, but this is just arrogance.

“What makes you think that?” Celestia asked behind her. “What do you have that no one else does?”

“My father and I had a well-documented bad relationship,” Nova answered immediately, looking completely unmoved by the skepticism around the room. “Tirek, from what I understand, had a similar one with his father Vorak. I figured I could at least try to get through to him that way.

“Chrysalis is life-bonded to me after I rescued her from Silas Silverblood and returned her to her home. If I’m remembering what that entails correctly, she can’t hurt me knowingly, and yet she’s attacked ponies I care about three times, which means she doesn’t know I’m the same pony who rescued her. Or maybe she suspects it because I was left completely alone when she abducted all of you a few years ago. I intend to make it clear to her.

“Cozy Glow is a foal who has clearly gone a bad way. I will be honest, I don’t know how best to reach her,” he admitted with a wry shrug, “but I still think it’s important to try. And if I can’t get them to open up after a few weeks, if they plain refuse to cooperate, then we put them back in stone, except now they’ve actually earned it.”

“This is all well and good, and very noble of you,” Celestia said, with a small shake of her head, “but how would we hold them? How would they be contained?”

“I seem to recall, all of you were imprisoned in the high-security cells beneath Canterlot Castle that were laced with Queen Chrysalis’ inmanipulon throne to siphon off your magic,” Nova answered immediately again. Twilight felt that small spike of admiration come back. He is very well-prepared for this. “We house them in the maximum-security cells that are lined with inmanipulon to keep any of their magic from having an effect.”

“And you think the moment we set them free that they’ll just go along with it?” Twilight asked. No, of course Nova didn’t think that, but he had to prove it.

“Oh of course not,” Nova shook his head. “That’s why when we set them free, to keep them from escaping, we have every anti-mage we can spare at the ready to keep Tirek from taking our magic or Chrysalis from transforming. Plus we completely lock down the surroundings and have Peacekeepers ready to chase them down should they make a run for it. I had no intention of just cutting them loose and holding them to the honor system,” he added with another small, wry smile.

Silence filled the room after that. No one said anything, no one so much as moved, except for Celestia and Twilight, who both stared down at him. Celestia’s nostrils flared and Twilight was rather pleased to see that she looked displeased. She, meanwhile, felt nervousness, but also admiration.

He had walked right up to the Day Court stand, just dropped that he wanted to release the trio most responsible for Equestria’s current predicament and try to reform them, and seemingly had every angle covered.

Seemingly…

“Suppose for a moment that we allow this,” she said, frowning. “What’s stopping the three of them from just pretending? How will we know their reformation is genuine? For that matter, how will we know if they’re not manipulating you?” she added, as a thought occurred. “Chrysalis and Cozy know how to goad ponies, and even Tirek knows how to whisper his way into your ear, just ask Discord. What makes you think you won’t be played by them?”

“Oversight,” was his simple reply. His smile had vanished and now he was looking at her intently. She had stumbled on a good question, it seemed. “I can vouch for them all I want, but the final decision still lies with the two of you and Princess Luna. If you don’t think their reform is sincere, or if you think they’re getting into my head, then you have every right to condemn them to a petrified prison at your discretion. I only ask that you give me time to put my heart into it.”

Celestia’s nostrils flared again, but Twilight noticed that the moment he said he left the final decision with the three of them, the tension she had been carrying beneath the surface lessened significantly. As angry with them as Nova was, Celestia seemed relieved that he wasn’t locking her out of this process even when she was still the ruler. Or maybe she deemed it a sign that, despite everything, Nova did still trust her to make what she felt were the right decisions regarding the kingdom.

If she were honest with herself, Twilight never doubted that part of her for a second either. For all her faults, Celestia did always put Equestria’s well-being ahead of her own.

Celestia, however, turned her head toward her.

“Well, Princess Twilight? How do you rule?”

Twilight stared at her, suddenly feeling thrust into the spotlight. Most of the rulings so far had been minor, trivial things. Land disputes, civil forfeitures, double-parking, that sort of thing.

“M-me?”

“Yes,” Celestia nodded. “While I understand that I was originally only supposed to guide and teach you to preside over Day Court today, this is the first ruling that I believe will truly come to affect your Equestria, for good or for ill. So I leave this judgment to you.”

Twilight felt her mouth go dry. What? What did she do? She wasn’t supposed to be making any big, Equestria-changing decisions so soon! She was just here to learn how to handle the small things!

Even as she felt herself hyperventilate, all eyes of the press watching her every move, she forced herself to take a deep breath, steadying herself the way Cadance taught her. Then, she examined the situation.

This was a much bigger judgment than it seemed. The underlying question that Nova had put forth was simple. What kind of Equestria did she want to foster and rule?

While Celestia’s rule had been prosperous, it had been marked with major punishments doled out to its enemies. Discord petrified, Tirek locked away, Stygian sealed in an alternate dimension, the Sirens cast into Sunset’s world, the Changeling Wars, Sombra being thrown forward in time, and of course, Nightmare Moon. There had been a thousand years of peace, but it had been a thousand years of stagnation.

Only now, only once Twilight had become the bearer of Magic, had things started to change. Nightmare Moon had been purified and redeemed. Discord had been given a chance, and though he had slipped many times, he was a stalwart ally. Starlight, Tempest Shadow, Stygian, so many of her erstwhile enemies were now friends or closer.

Not just that. Where once, Equestria had been a land of ponies with the occasional griffon or zebra, it was now a proudly multicultural, multiethnic land. Everyone could call this place home, be they dragon, kirin, hippogrif, or even changeling.

Celestia would always be remembered as the Princess who stabilized Equestria and led them to prosperity, but Twilight could take this chance to expand it further.

Even the wayward could atone and find a place here.

And as she gave Nova one last look and saw him staring at her with a steely resolve, she realized that there was a second, unspoken question as well.

Did she trust her fiancee, the Archmage?

She raised her head.

“As ruling Princess in today’s court,” she began, her voice feeling as though it carried the weight of destiny itself and prepared her gavel, “your proposal… is accepted.”

The gavel pounded.

Nova smiled. The press immediately began to write, the scribbling pencils filling the room, along with their murmurs. Celestia’s horn glittered behind her and the door was allowed to open once more.

“Today’s session of Day Court is adjourned,” the elder princess announced. “You are all dismissed. Remember my promise,” she added in a severe undertone, and Twilight saw Ferren Balanced gulp nervously as he quickly made for the exit. “Princess Twilight, Archmage Nova Shine, would you accompany me?”

Twilight turned as Nova trotted up to their seats to see that Princess Celestia was making toward a back door in the room. As this was normally a public meeting hall, it led to some of the backrooms they had originally met in to talk over their plans today. Twilight rose, and she and Nova followed. The guard detail posted around the room all moved to follow, but Celestia motioned for them to stop with a hoof.

“We will convene in private, so please remain out here and take up your posts.”

The peacekeepers saluted and did just that. With that, Twilight and Nova followed her through the door, through a short hallway, and into another backroom that had several cushioned seats arranged around a central table. Twilight carried her notes and placed them on the table, organizing them with a quick shuffling, before leaving them be. Celestia trotted to a seat and took it, gesturing that they do the same.

As Twilight and Nova sat opposite her, she leaned forward with a grin on her face, letting her queenly mask vanish, and she began to clap her hooves together.

“Well played, Nova Shine. Well played.”

Nova allowed himself a modest smile but otherwise looked uncomfortable under the praise. “Yeah, well, I spent a lot of time preparing.”

“Oh yes, that was rather evident,” Celestia nodded. “But I think you underestimate just how well prepared you were, and correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t think you quite appreciate the position you’ve put Twilight in.”

“What position?” he asked, sounding cautious. “Did I do something wrong?”

“Oh, quite the contrary, I believe,” Celestia’s smile broadened. “Think about it. With your grand entrance, you put everyone’s eyes on you. You made an audacious proposal, you rebuffed every single challenge we put forth, and you put Twilight in a unique and very enviable position.”

“What position though?” he asked again, relaxing a little bit since Celestia assured him it was a good position.

“Hmm,” Celestia turned to her instead. “Do you know how he’s placed you in a good spot?”

“I… think so,” Twilight frowned, staring down at the edge of the table as she thought about it. It was the same idea as the hidden questions Nova had asked earlier, and she considered the situation. “By putting that proposal forward, he’s given me the chance to either stand by yours and Luna’s judgment, or to make my own decision, so either declaring that I intend to make my rule more of the same, versus trying something new.”

“Astute, but not quite,” Celestia shook her head. “However, yes, that is a signal that will be sent. By making the judgment to free and attempt to reform the Terrible Trio, you have sent a signal that you want your Equestria to be a more forgiving one. But that is not the position he has put you in.”

Her horn flashed and a tea set was conjured on the table, with a cup in front of Twilight, along with a small mug of very light beer in front of Nova. Celestia lifted her cup to her mouth and took a short sip.

“He has essentially put you in a place to give you a significant amount of the credit if he succeeds, yet taking the vast majority of the blame if he fails while you still are given praise for your oversight. Assuming, of course,” she added, placing her teacup back on the table, “that everything goes off without a hitch.”

“Uhh, yeah,” Nova replied, rubbing the back of his head. “That was exactly what I was thinking the whole time.”

“I think you were,” Celestia pressed, leaning forward ever so slightly. “You think you know little about politics because your only experience with politics has been the House, but you know more than you think.”

She leaned back, then took a deep breath.

“Now my question is, will you have enough time to work on this?”

“Of course I will,” he replied immediately. “I don’t have to be up here in Canterlot every day. And even if I do need to be up here, it’s a quick train ride and even quicker pegasus taxi. And between teaching Gleam and working on Star Swirl’s problem, I don’t have all that much else to work on.”

“If you say so,” Celestia replied airily. “Understand though, Nova Shine. All eyes are on you, now. You have insulated Twilight from any failures, but that just means it all comes back to you. Are you prepared to deal with that? What it would do to you?”

“What more can it do to me, Princess?” Nova asked, his voice taking a biting edge. “I’m already dying. Not like failing could do any worse.”

“You would think that,” Celestia replied softly, her gaze never wavering. Twilight appreciated that they were keeping their disagreement quiet this time. “I’ve lived long enough to know that there are things far worse than mere death, Nova Shine.”

“And unless me fucking up so greatly that even my contingency plans fail somehow results in me experiencing these fates worse than death, I frankly have little reason to care about them,” Nova retorted, never letting his own gaze falter. “If I’m going to live on borrowed time, then all I have to worry about is doing what I can now, and whoever’s left in the future can figure things out for themselves. I intend to make it easier for them, but I can only do so much, for good and bad.”

Celestia continued to stare at him for quite some time, nostrils flaring once more, before she gave a tiny shake of her head.

“Have I ever mentioned how much I hate it when you do something I wouldn’t, but your logic and reasoning behind it is too sound for me to question?”

“High praise from you,” Nova said, giving her a curt nod. “Are we done? I have a depetrification to prepare for, and I need to rally as many ponies as I can for that.”

“It would seem so,” Celestia gave a tiny flick of her head. “Do your due diligence, Nova.”

As he trotted out, with Twilight hurrying after him, she only just barely caught her final words.

“I do hope this all works out, Nova. For all our sakes.”

Twilight found herself standing in an empty void yet again. Why was this happening so often these days? Was her sleep really this restless with everything going on? Or…

“Luna, if you’re here, you can come on out now,” Twilight said aloud, wondering what she wanted to talk about this time.

However, when the starry blue rift opened to her side, Princess Luna did not step out, but rather, Nova did. The moment he did, the dreamscape around her changed immediately to a familiar room, with bookshelves full of reading material, a desk and chair for studying, a telescope, and a domed glass ceiling revealing the night sky above them.

“Where are we?” she asked, looking around. She knew she’d been here before, but it had been a long time ago. “And what time is it?”

“It’s only about 11:18 PM, and we’re at my old house’s study, back when I lived in Neighton,” he said, trotting over to give the telescope an affectionate tap on the eyepiece. “Not quite where we first met, but only a few meters away.”

“And hours, by the look of things,” Twilight glanced up at the full moon above. “So, any reason you’re reaching out in a dream and not in the waking world? I mean,” she grinned, “I think your hoof is curled around my belly out there right now. We could still wake up and do plenty of talking.”

“Yeah, but I kinda wanted to have a more private discussion,” he said, trotting over to an easy chair and jumping into it. “And…”

He bit his lip for a moment, which only further piqued her curiosity.

“Well… Luna’s coming.”

“Luna?” Twiligh’s eyebrows raised. “You two talked it out?”

“Something like that,” Nova replied evasively, leaning back into the chair. “Paid a visit to her dreams last night, yeah. Learned…”

He clenched his eyes shut for a moment and winced, but shook his head.

“Learned some things I’m pretty sure I probably wasn’t supposed to.”

“Is it… bad?” she asked, raising an eyebrow. “Our situation isn’t worse now, is it?”

“Depends on your point of view,” Nova shrugged, before gesturing at an opposite chair. A third, much larger one was there as well, leaving no doubt who it was for. “Have a seat. Soon as you’re ready, I can call her in.”

Twilight eyed the chair suspiciously, then looked back at Nova. Had they really buried the hatchet? He didn’t seem all that enthusiastic about Luna joining them in their dreamsharing tonight. Then again, dreamsharing was an intimate experience, but also then again, this wasn’t exactly dreamsharing, and Luna already had access to both of their minds as it was.

“Sure, why not,” she said flatly, hopping into her own seat. “Is she going to lecture us about what you proposed at Day Court this afternoon?”

“You’ll see,” he replied mysteriously. His horn glowed blue, and another starry rift appeared, right in the center of the vacant seat.

Twilight felt her blood pressure spike ever so slightly as the leggy blue form of Princess Luna stepped out, but she did a double take when she noticed, Luna wasn’t wearing any of her regalia. No, she had come to them tonight with none of her usual pomp and jewelry.

“Good evening, Nova, Twilight Sparkle,” Luna said, inclining her head to each of them, before examining her surroundings and plopping onto the seat. “A most familiar sight this eve. A memory of happier days?”

“I wouldn’t call them happier,” Nova replied. “They were before Twi and I got together, after all.”

“More nostalgic days, then?”

“That sounds better,” he dipped his head.

Twilight scrutinized the bare alicorn. Never before had the three of them shared one dream. Never before had Luna been invited to dreamshare, for that matter. No, she chose to invade for the most part. And up until recently, they were welcome visits, sure, but…

Luna noticed Twilight staring at her, gave a tiny smile, and puffed out her chest.

“See something you admire, Twilight Sparkle?”

Twilight made a strange sort of choked noise, feeling herself flush almost instantly. One moment, she had been relaxed and easy-going, the next Luna was eyeing her like she was starved and Twilight was a grand feast, and for some reason, that made all the hairs in Twilight's coat stand on end, and she shifted nervously as she tried to beat down her sudden embarrassment.

Seeing her reaction, Luna tittered to herself, while Nova, that damned stallion, was just sitting back and watching his teacher torment her for sport.

Wait. Wait a minute. Had Luna… had Luna actually flirted with her? Right in front of her fiancee?

“Wh-what’s going on?” she asked, still floundering under the mischievous gaze of Luna. “Is this a prank?”

“‘Tis no prank, Twilight Sparkle,” Luna perched herself on her seat looking quite satisfied with herself at managing to fluster her counterpart so easily. “Though I do see why Tia enjoys this so much, now.”

“Luna and I talked it out yesterday evening,” Nova said, a small grin on his face at the exchange.

“That’s one way to put it,” Luna commented with a grimace.

“Part of that was seeing some things that…” Nova glanced over at Luna, whose confidence had seeming vanished instantly, and now she looked just as nervous and embarrassed as Twilight had only seconds ago, curling inward on herself ever so slightly, and lowering her eyes so they couldn’t meet Twilight’s. “Well, we both agreed she needed to talk to both of us about it. I wanted to tell you myself, but she insisted.”

“What’s this about?” Twilight asked, her eyes narrowing ever so slightly. “Things haven’t been made worse have they?”

“That’s for you to decide,” Nova replied evasively. “Luna?”

Luna bit her lip nervously, but then took a deep breath and sat tall once again. Twilight felt her curiosity and nervousness begin to battle for which one would hold supremacy in her current mood.

“There’s no easy way for me to put this, Twilight Sparkle. And if I am being honest, I would much rather have kept it to myself, but alas…”

She looked over at Nova, with a sad, but still grateful smile.

“He saw what he was never meant to see.”

“And it’s a damn good thing I did, too,” Nova replied firmly. “You think I’m just going to let you torment yourself like that? After the Tantabus?”

“What’s wrong?” Twilight asked, inching herself forward in her chair. The fake fire seemed to glow brighter, casting the front of Luna in a brighter light, but lengthening and darkening the shadows behind her.

Luna took a deep breath, before meeting her gaze with a cool, determined, yet still slightly nervous expression of her own.

“Twilight Sparkle, I have fallen in love with you.”

…

…

What.

Twilight stared at her, blinking uncomprehendingly. The words replayed over and over again in her mind, not sinking in, as if her brain was trying its hardest to swat them back.

Despite Twilight staring at her, eyes glazing over, mouth drying, and jaw slowly falling open in disbelief, Luna let out a massive relieved sigh, as though she had climbed the highest peak in the world with the heaviest pack she could find, and could now finally let it slip free.

“I-I’m sorry,” Twilight shook her head, still feeling the words refuse to sink in and trying to fight through the sudden cottony dryness that was now all over the inside of her mouth. “Y-you… you just… you just show up in our dream, invited by my fiancee, and just drop that bomb on me that you’ve fallen in l-love with me?”

Twilight clutched at the sides of her head. A million different feelings were bubbling beneath the surface, and she had no idea which one was going to win out.

“Twilight, breathe,” Nova said, slipping out of his seat and coming over to hug her.

“I’m breathing!” she snapped, fixing him with an angry glare. “You invited her in here just so she could say that? What, did she think I’d leave you for her, or something? Did you?”

“It isn’t just you,” Luna added, her voice much softer.

“Oooooooh no,” Twilight felt no shortage of dread swell up. “Don’t tell me…”

“I have developed feelings for Nova Shine as well. I have fallen for both of you, Twilight Sparkle.”

Twilight stared at her in pure and total disbelief, feeling a billion different feelings now. How did that even work!? How could Luna just have the gall to show up in their dreams and just drop this on them both? How could she love both of them!? How did that even happen!?

Twilight let out a growl, which quickly escalated into a frustrated scream, tilting her head back and letting out everything she had at the room, with its glass ceiling displaying the night’s perfect moon and bright stars. and the cheerful firelight, and bookshelves and just everything came out in those seconds of raw-throated exasperation.

Finally, she fell back against the chair feeling exhausted. Nova let her down gently, and she gazed tirely at him, not sure how to feel about all of this. Luna, meanwhile, sat there patiently, though watching her with a little bit of concern.

“Why?” Twilight finally demanded, her voice hoarse. “How?”

“The how is actually rather simple, and all the more confounding because of it,” Luna answered, smiling sheepishly. “On the night I recruited Nova Shine, I placed a small portion of my Source within his. A mental link between us, as I had done for several of my pupils before, to allow me to better understand him.” Her countenance darkened. “Little did I realize that I was giving him what would be needed for him to act in my stead and take up the Elements of Loyalty and Magic on the night of my weakness. And it is that very act which, I believe, has led us to this little tangle.”

“‘Little?’” Twilight scoffed.

“For each of my previous students, the bond I created never grew,” she continued, unperturbed. “It remained as it was, simply tying me to them and allowing me to maintain a close bond. But I believe that it was the Element of Magic that caused such a bond between Nova and I to grow even deeper. Until proven otherwise, my operating hypothesis is that Harmonia’s Gift has deepened the connection, allowing me to feel more that he feels, particularly those things he feels strongly. The joy he feels when he is indulging in magic, the pride in his apprentice, the…” she bit her lip again, “the deep and endless feelings of love and affection for his beloved.”

Twilight stared at her, the gears in her head turning.

“Of course,” Luna continued, unaware of Twilight’s mental workings, “I did not simply fall for you after having no feelings at all. We… admired you from the moment you cleansed us of the Nightmare, even moreso after you aided us on Nightmare Night. You could say the seed was planted, but it was watered by Nova Shine’s own feelings.”

Twilight continued to stare and stare at her in disbelief. She had long since learned that in the Realm of Dreams, she couldn’t detect magic the way she could in the waking world. One’s body wasn’t there to sense, nor was the other’s there to give that energy off. And yet…

Why was she inconsolable only after Twilight had screamed at her on that horrible night? Why was she coming to her dreams to plead with her? Why did Twilight’s anger at her wound her so deeply? Wouldn’t Nova, the pony in the world she was closest to, have been the first she tried to reconnect with? Why come to her so vulnerably?

It makes sense, she realized, her mouth parting. It makes… it makes too much sense!

Despite everything finally, slowly, clicking into place, and despite how much she couldn't help but hate what had come about from all of this, there was one more emotion welling up inside of her.

“Umm, Princess Luna?” Twilight finally spoke up. Luna cocked her head, and gestured for her to go on. “Could you… could excuse me for a moment?”

Luna’s brows knit together for an instant. Excuse her to where? They were in a dream, there was nowhere else to go. Nevertheless, she shrugged and motioned for Twilight to do as she must.

With that, Twilight leaped off her chair and slammed right into Nova’s, tackling him and pinning him to the ground. Nova barely had a moment to react before she dipped down and kissed him as deeply as she could, putting every last bit of the affection and passion she was feeling at that very moment into it.

Luna fell for her because Nova loved her just that much!

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Luna shift awkwardly, though she couldn’t take her eyes off the spectacle. Nova, meanwhile, had reacted in shock, but did eventually let the kiss happen, before he pushed her off after a long moment.

“Okay,” he said, a goofy grin splitting his muzzle. “Not that I’m complaining, I don’t think you’ve ever done that before, but can we let Luna say her piece first?”

“I’m not apologizing,” Twilight declared, stepping off of Nova and returning to her seat as Nova got back to his hooves and righted his chair. Luna averted her gaze, her cheeks a bright pink. “I just… after everything, and you’re the reason she is here telling us she loves both of us. You’ll understand if I’m suddenly feeling a little amorous,” she added, lidding her gaze. Nova’s own cheeks were going bright red at this point, and Luna’s awkward shifting was becoming more obvious.

“Yes, well…” Luna interrupted, before clearing her throat. “Be that as it may, yes, We believe Our link to Nova Shine is responsible for any feelings We hold toward you. Do not misunderstand,” she added, with a slightly sheepish smile. “These feelings are Our own. Or, rooted in Our own, as it were. But they have certainly been affected by Nova’s.”

“Speaking of,” Twilight raised a hoof, “how did you develop feelings for Nova too? The bond?”

“That may be part of it, but…” Luna winced. “We had strong feelings for him from when We were his first teacher. When We learned it truly was him, those feelings, long thought buried, returned and were even more confusing due to the simple fact that We had turned into the mentor figure in his life.”

“You’ve, uhh,” Nova raised his own hoof. “You’ve slipped into Royal We again.”

“Apologies,” Luna smiled sheepishly. “That display might have, er… flustered us– We– I mean, me.”

“You are adorable when you get embarrassed,” Nova laughed. Twilight chuckled to herself too, despite it.

Yes, she had very conflicting feelings about all of this. But… she guessed she was glad Luna trusted them and told them about this. Well, ”glad” may be a bit much, but certainly grateful. Luna approached them and bared her soul to them. And despite how she felt about other mares Nova had feelings for, Luna… was a special case.

In no small part due to apparently having feelings for both of them. That made a world of difference. She didn’t want to split them up. Was it because she knew Luna, instead of not knowing Summer Blossom or Clover the Clever? Or maybe… were there tiny little embers of her own deep down that had been ignored because of Nova? An attraction, at best. A wayward gaze or stray thought, and nothing more, but…

It wasn’t nothing. No matter how much she wanted to assert that it was, and even if it was so miniscule, it wasn’t nothing.

Twilight frowned as that thought occurred to her.

“So… now what?” she asked softly.

“What do you mean?” Luna asked, tilting her head. “I have said my piece. That is all, as far as I am concerned.”

“That’s not going to be the end of it, though,” Nova cut in, also frowning. “You don’t just tell someone you love them, then try to back out of their lives, Luna.”

“What else can I do?” Luna smiled sadly at her former pupil. “The two of you clearly have chosen each other, and I am very happy for you. You clearly love each other and make each other better. ‘Twould be the most selfish thing I could do, to split the both of you apart just to have one.”

“What if we didn’t have to split?”

Twilight’s ears shot up and every muscle in her body tensed. At once, her eyes snapped over to Nova, who was staring at the ground and rubbing around his horn. It was as if her whole body had suddenly entered fight-or-flight mode, when it wasn’t even her body that was here in this dreamscape. Luna, too, stared at him, her expression unreadable, but her eyes sharp. It felt as though this whole situation had suddenly found itself balanced on a knife’s edge.

“I talked with Cadenza earlier,” he continued, seemingly oblivious to the two of them. “I think she was on her way to talk to you,” he said, glancing at Luna for a moment, before returning his gaze to the ground. “She... she reminded me that polyamory is a thing.”

Twilight’s and Luna’s mouths parted. They both looked at each other in disbelief, then back at Nova.

“She didn’t say if we should or shouldn’t,” Nova clarified, shaking his head. “I joked about it with Clover and Summer way back when, forming a herd with them and all that, but I never actually gave it much real thought. But now…”

Twilight’s breath was coming in deep gulps. Was he really going to say it?

Finally, he looked up at both of them.

“Should we?” he finally asked, his voice barely above a whisper. He waved his arms quickly almost as soon as the words left his mouth. “Not right now, obviously. It’s too sudden, we haven’t thought about it at all, and you and I,” he fixed Twilight with a meaningful gaze, “have a lot to work on with ourselves first. But… what about after? When we’ve repaired things and made ourselves stronger? I think Cadenza wants us to try and see for ourselves. So should we?”

The room fell silent for several seconds. Luna’s gaze flicked between both of them, waiting to see their answer. Nova seemed content to wait for her. Eventually Twilight let her gaze fall away from Nova, just for a moment, and began to think.

Before meeting Nova, she hadn’t really given much thought to love. Then the two of them had hit it off and, despite some early friction when he was still struggling with his lingering familial hatred, eventually fell desperately for each other. There were problems, but it always felt like they would eventually come out the other end, as though it were destined to happen.

Did she like mares? Well… yes. She was pretty certain she didn’t prefer one or the other (unless their name was Nova Shine). Nova’s briefly summoned opposite-sex clone Nova Gleam had flustered her and was proof enough of that. Not to mention, she’d had some thoughts about some of her friends too (it was impossible not to fantasize about Rarity sometimes, after all).

Did she like Luna? Yes. Maybe not that way, but before all of this, Twilight had enjoyed Luna whenever she was around, and she certainly appreciated the blithe, playful spirit that Luna brought. Luna was like a more gothic and macabre Pinkie Pie in some ways, but with a gentleness like Fluttershy and a resolute commitment to those she cared about like Rainbow Dash.

Could she and Nova open their arms to include her? If there had never been a Nova Shine, Twilight felt that maybe she could grow to love Luna. No doubt Luna would have fallen for her without Nova being there. Like master, like apprentice after all. But the three of them together…?

That she could not answer. But then again, Nova did say that it wouldn’t be now.

“I don’t know,” Twilight shook her head. “I think we both need to think about it more, and like you said, we need to solve us first.”

“Us us or just… us?” asked Nova, waving his hoof around vaguely.

Twilight smirked.

“Your eloquence astounds me, Nova,” she replied, before smiling self-satisfiedly, a cat that had finally caught its prey. “Been waiting for four years to get you back for that one.”

Luna and Nova both smiled, and suddenly, it felt as though all of the nervous tension in the room had been let out. Perhaps it was a serious moment, but that, more than anything, reassured all of them that this would not fracture things between them, which lifted three great burdens from their backs.

“Not right now,” Twilight nodded at Nova. “We both have work to do and things to think about. But…” she glanced at Luna and gave her a tiny, hopefully smile, “maybe we can eventually try?”

Luna broke into a hopeful smile of her own, her shoulders visibly relaxing. “In that case, I shall wait and hope for the best, Twilight Sparkle. Perhaps fate will be kind to us all.”

The greatest sigh of all came from the lone stallion in the room, which drew both of their attention just in time to see him fall back against the back of his chair, looking palpably relieved.

“Are you alright, Nova?” Twilight asked, sliding out of her chair and trotting over.

“I was afraid tonight would ruin everything between all of us,” he admitted, resting his head and closing his eyes. “I had no idea how you would react to this, after Clover and Summer. But… I figured if I knew, then it was only right that you knew too, and Luna deserved the chance to say her piece.”

Twilight hopped into his chair and hugged him, hoping to reassure him that he needn’t have worried.

Luna got up and trotted over too. “You... risked everything just to help me sleep?” she asked incredulously.

“That’s oversimplifying it, don’t you think?” Nova asked, opening an eye and staring at her as he slipped a hoof free and hugged Twilight back. “That nightmare was going to torment you for the rest of your life.”

“Yet you still wanted to dispel that nightmare from my mind, at what you felt was great risk to yours and Twilight’s own relationship, but as both a show of trust to her and a way to help me,” she restated, shaking her head and stepping back. “Twilight Sparkle, you are a lucky mare to have won the heart of one such as he. Never forget that.”

“Lunaaaa,” Twilight replied, turning to look at her. Luna paused, giving her a confused look. Twilight opened an arm. Nova glanced at the arm, eyebrows raising, before smiling a little himself and holding open his free arm as well.

Luna stared at them both as though she could not believe her eyes, before a disbelieving smile spread across her muzzle, and she hopped up into the chair (which had mysteriously grown to accommodate all of them) and let herself be welcomed into their embrace.

Even if it were just for this one night, three hearts found peace together for the first time in a very long time.

“YOU WANT TO SET TIREK, COZY GLOW, AND CHRYSALIS FREE!?”

As he sat quietly in the small office that Celestia had suggested he wait in, Nova sighed as Dragon Lord Ember stuck her face right into his, arms thrown back, eyes wide, and snarling at him.

“Yes, Dragon Lord Ember,” Nova replied quietly. “I do. And I am going to, and I am going to im–”

“AND YOU THINK THAT THIS IS JUST GOING TO GO OVER WELL WITH EVERY OTHER COUNTRY THAT WAS AFFECTED BY THEM LAST TIME!?”

Nova resisted the urge to sigh again.

“No, I never thought that for a moment,” he said, meeting her gaze calmly. “But if you will just let me explain, there is a plan to all of this.”

The door behind Dragon Lord Ember burst open and the changeling he was happiest to see trotted in. However, King Thorax looked none too pleased with the situation, trotting right up to the empty desk and also crowding Nova’s space.

“YOU WANT TO SET TIREK, COZY GLOW, AND CHRYSALIS FREE!?”

“Yes,” he replied tersely, leaning back. “Perfect timing, Thorax. I had some questions for you, actually.”

Thorax didn’t look moved and continued to glare at him.

“After all the trouble it took to capture and imprison them, and you want to just set them free?” he asked, shaking his head in disbelief. “Look, I get that you want to try and reform them, but I know the queen better than anyone else in this city and I can tell you, she’d rather die than let go of old grudges.”

“Then I guess it’s a good thing I’ve accounted for that,” Nova replied evenly. “I don’t suppose you know the story of what happened over a thousand–”

“YOU WANT TO SET TIREK, COZY GLOW, AND CHRYSALIS FREE!?”

An armored orchid-colored mare with a bright pink mane, a scar over one of her eyes, and a broken horn had now joined the crowd at his desk.

“Is there an echo in here?” Nova asked airily. “Anyone else want to ask the exact same question?”

Tempest Shadow simply stared at him with nothing short of absolute fury. The first thing Nova noticed about her was that her armor today looked quite a bit more ornate than last time, with a bit of golden filigree worked into the darkened steel plating. She also carried something that looked to be half-scepter, half-spear, and just outside, Nova could see an honor guard of four Storm Creatures wearing similar armor and carrying pikes mingling with the changelings and dragons out there as well.

“How do I address you today? You look like you’ve gotten a promotion since last time,” Nova replied, rising to give Tempest a quiet bow.

“If you’re asking whether or not I’ve been crowned Storm Queen, the answer is yes,” she replied icily. “Now answer the damn question, Lord Archmage.”

Nova returned to his seat and held up his hooves placatingly.

“Alright. Yes. I plan to release Tirek, Cozy Glow, and Chrysalis free. BUT!” he added, before they could all start shouting again. “I’m not doing this out of the kindness of my heart or without a plan.”

“So there is a plan?” Ember raised a scaly eyebrow, crossing her arms. “And here I thought you were just setting the three most dangerous creatures in Equestria free and gambling it on you being able to get through to them.”

“If I don’t, it’s back into stone with them,” Nova leaned back, putting his hooves behind his head. He was being quite blase about this, it was true, but he figured if he seemed worried about it, it would give them enough ammunition to second-guess him. “Like I said, I’m not doing this out of the goodness of my heart, your majesties.”

“So what is this plan of yours?” Thorax asked. “What’s stopping Tirek from just stealing your magic immediately? Or the Queen from transforming and sneaking away?”

“Simple,” Nova shrugged. “Inmanipulon, and a lot of it. We get them subdued with Anti-Mages, we get them to their anti-magic high-security cells, and we can breathe. And I may or may not have a secret weapon when it comes to subduing them that I actually need your input on, Thorax.”

“Secret weapon?” Thorax recoiled slightly. “That I can provide input on?”

“Yep,” Nova said, popping the P just a bit more than necessary. “Did they ever tell stories about the time a pony rescued Queen Chrysalis from the hooves of some greedy unicorns in some mines, or something like that?”

Thorax pursed his lips and tilted his head.

“How do you know about the Tale of the Savior?”

“The what?” Tempest glanced over. “I’ve traveled around the world and never heard of something like that.”

“It’s just a nymph’s bedtime story,” Thorax shrugged. “The story goes that when the queen was little, she was enslaved by some evil unicorns, but a good pony beat them all, set her free, took her back to her home, and freely gave of his own love for her to feed from. Supposedly it’s the last time there has ever been a Changeling Life Bond. How do you know about that?” he asked, looking back to Nova, who was still leaned back with his hooves behind his head.

“Hypothetically,” Nova said, not answering the question, “if a changeling were to ever learn that they violated their life bond and brought harm to the pony they are bonded to, what would they do?”

“Why are you asking about changeling bedtime stories?” Ember huffed. “Those won’t fix your plan, whatever it is.”

“Well,” Thorax looked away, screwing up his face as he tried to remember, “the old stories say that changelings who did that became, err… ‘banshees’. Not really sure what that means, but some of our older ones believe that it can cause them to let out a shriek that causes great distress to everyone around them. It’s their punishment for violating the bond. Or so the story goes, anyway.”

“Interesting, interesting,” Nova replied smiling to himself. Oh yes, this would do nicely. His original brute-force Anti-Mage solution would have worked too, but this could probably make it even easier. “Well, I’ve got a friend of mine who’s really good at shield magic handling shield duty to keep everyone in. I was going to have a whole bunch of Anti-Mages there to handle everyone, but if this is correct, then I think I can just leverage the broken Life Bond.”

“You don’t have a Life Bond with the queen,” Thorax shook his head. “Only the Savior does, assuming the story's even real. Not any pony can just invoke it willy-nilly, even if you try to bring up that she hurt the Savior by going after Equestria.”

“Funny story about that,” Nova replied rubbing his cheek and staving off a yawn. It was too early for this. “The mines she was kept in were the Crystal Caves beneath Canterlot. I found her down there when I had gone down below to rescue Princess Platinum with Clover the Clever.”

Thorax stared at him, as did the others, looking as though they could not believe their ears.

“A changeling named Scheherazade helped me out–”

“Scheherazade?” Thorax’s mouth fell open.

“–and he guided me and Chrysalis back to the Changeling Hives where I met the Grey Monarch and was named Friend to the Changelings and even was told his name as a sign of friendship.”

The others didn’t know how to react to that, but Thorax gaped at him.

“You… you can’t… this can’t be true,” he whispered, shaking his head in pure disbelief, before standing tall and staring straight at him with a fierce glare. “What was his name? What was the Grey Monarch’s name? Prove it to me, Lord Archmage.”

Nova leaned forward, meeting it.

“King Metamorphosis.”

Thorax fell on his butt, jaw having fallen completely open.

“No… this is impossible,” he continued to stare in utter shock at Nova. “You… you really are him, aren’t you?”

“Like I said,” Nova leaned back again. “I’ve got it covered. If you want to talk about it some time, I’m all ears. But we’ve got work to do today. Now that being said,” he added, struck by an idea, “I could actually use all of your help. There is no guarantee this works, and I’ll have to resort to my original plan, so having some extra muscle on hoof to help out would go a long way. How about it? Want to help me keep the Terrible Trio subdued later today?”

The three heads of state all looked at each other nervously, Thorax remaining on the floor, still coming to terms that one of the changelings’ mythological figures was just casually dropping existential bombs like that from his own seat.

“If they try to make a break for it,” Storm Queen Tempest said, in a low voice, “then we will put them down permanently. It’s too risky otherwise.”

“I wouldn’t stop you,” Nova conceded. “You’re right. If my plans fail, then at the very least, we deal with them in perpetuity.”

Tempest nodded. “Very well, I will aid you.”

“I can agree to that,” Ember nodded.

“Me too, I guess,” Thorax sighed.

“Great,” Nova beamed at them. “We’ll reconvene later. I have a few more things to sign to make my last preparations, if you don’t mind. But thank you for airing your concerns with me, it is genuinely appreciated.”

Ember harrumphed and stomped out, followed swiftly by Storm Queen Tempest Shadow. Thorax was the last to go, turning back to give Nova a nervous look, before he too walked out. No sooner had the door shut than just the draconequus Nova was hoping would show made his grand appearance.

“YOU WANT TO SET TIREK, COZY GLOW, AND CHRYSALIS FREE!?”

“Did you have to shout that in my ear?” Nova asked, giving Discord an irritated look as Discord innocently tossed the megaphone away.

“I heard it through the grapevine,” said Discord, as a literal grapevine flowered next to his own ear, “that you’re going to try and redeem them?”

“That’s the plan, yes,” Nova nodded. “Where have you been? We could have used your help on all sorts of things.”

“Eh, I’ve been here, I’ve been there, I’ve been everywhere,” Discord floated into the same relaxed, paw/talon-behind-head pose as he had been in earlier, although he was floating in circles around Nova’s head. “Truth be told, I was asked not to help you with anything you’ve been working on, but I don’t think Star Swirl knew you were going to try to destatuefy my statues.”

“Why would Star Swirl not want you to help me?” Nova asked, glaring at him.

Discord shrugged. “Something about you needing to figure it out, not me figure it out for you. But that’s a rabbit trail,” he added, pulling Angel Bunny out of Trixie’s hat that he just so happened to pull out from behind his back. “What I’d like to know is why I should let you go through with this,” he said, shifting to now stand up straight, arms crossed, and looking down very sternly at him.

“Because you were given a second chance,” Nova answered. “They weren’t.”

“They were. LOTS of them.”

“I’d still like to try. Worst case scenario, we put them right back.”

“Hmph,” Discord sniffed. “Fine, I can see I can't talk you out of this. Stubborn little Archmage, aren't you," he grumbled just loud enough for him to hear. "I’ll let you go through with it. But if you mess up, I won’t be the one to clean up after your mistake.”

“Like we had to clean up after yours, Grogar?” Nova asked, giving him a significant look.

“That was one time,” Discord fired back.

“One too many,” Nova sighed. “Still, least you could do is help out.”

“That’s actually why I’m here,” Discord slitered through the air to land right next to him. “If you’re doing this, I’m not missing out on the fun.”

“Excellent,” Nova said, getting to his hooves. “And here I was, thinking I’d have to ask Fluttershy to give you puppy-dog eyes.”

“So what exactly will you need me to do?” Discord asked.

“Oh, I think you’re going to love this…”

There had never been quite so many guards in one place in quite some time in Canterlot.

Sure, there had been major incidents that required the attention of the Peacekeepers, not to mention the Royal Wedding, but there hadn’t been quite a show of force like this crisp autumn morning as what felt like the entire Equestrian military was assembled not too far away from Celestia’s and Luna’s temporary home, with a statue between them all depicting a cowering centaur, a terrified filly, and a lunging changeling.

Four princesses, a Dragon Lord, a Storm Queen, a Changeling King, a chaos spirit, no shortage of spearponies, the Wonderbolts, the Knightmare Brigade, Anti-Mages galore, several military cordons at every location to keep the fugitives hemmed in, no shortage of inmanipulon equipment, including shields and shackles, and one highly optimistic archmage and his apprentice all stood in a massive arrangement of military might, all to prepare to subdue three beings of severe threat to Equestria so soon after they had been put there.

There were even showings from the racial brigades as well. A number of pegasi carrying diving lances and wearing deep blue armor inspired by Nimbusian hoplites circled even higher above the Wonderbolts, a number of earth ponies wearing bronze were stamping their way around the assembly, creating earthen blockages to prevent any would-be escapees, and several unicorns in shining white armor brandished swords glowing with magical energy at the statue, arranged around the assembly to guard any gaps. The Dragoons, Mageknights, and Groundshakers had been called into direct duty for the first time since the Storm King’s invasion.

“Think you have enough guards?” Discord asked Nova, arching a bushy eyebrow. “Perhaps you’d like to call upon the entire Equestrian Aerial Navy to keep watch over the skies?”

“Too big and bulky,” Nova shook his head. “We’d need speed to capture them, and with several of Equestria’s fastest fliers patrolling the skies,” he gestured up above where Rainbow Dash, Fleetfoot, Soarin’, and Spitfire took point over the clearing, “if they make a run for it, we should have plenty of speed to catch them.”

“I was being rhetorical,” Discord rolled his eyes. “And it’s not that I don’t think our four birdies up there can catch him, but do you really think they’d try to just run?”

A snap and flash of light later, a miniature Discord sat on his shoulder wearing a cheap angel uniform, complete with a halo held up by a coat hanger.

“Chrysalis is conniving and manipulative, and will whisper whatever she needs to into your ear.”

Another flash, a mini-Discord wearing a cheap devil costume now, with horns and plastic pitchfork.

“And Cozy Glow will try to goad everyone here into doing something stupid.”

“I’m aware and I’m prepared for the possibility,” Nova replied flatly. “King Thorax?”

The changeling snapped his head over. “Uhh, yeah?”

“You’re sure this is the best way to do it?”

“Absolutely,” he nodded. “Just, uhh…” He winced. “It’ll, uhh… it’ll be pretty loud.”

“How about you?” Nova asked Gleam, who was fidgeting awkwardly next to everyone. “You ready?”

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Gleam asked.

“A good idea? No, but I do believe it’s the right thing to do.”

Gleam opened her mouth, then closed it and pursed her lips. “She thinks so too,” she groused, tapping on her head. “Guess I can’t argue with that.”

It was actually quite gratifying to know that he had Harmonia’s backing, if he were honest. As much as he hated the spot she’d put him in, at least he could appreciate her use as a barometer of how right whatever he was up to was.

“Everyone?” he raised his voice to the assembled ponies. Knightmare Frigoris up above saluted, as did the four closest Wonderbolts. The military ponies all saluted in acknowledgement as well.

“You four?” Nova asked last, turning to the princesses. Twilight met his eyes, gave him a nervous smile, but prepared all the same, her horn lighting up. Celestia and Luna both nodded, their own horns sparkling dangerously. Cadance, however, gave him an encouraging smile and nod, firing a beam of blue energy into the air, which resolved into a massive, powerful shield, containing everyone within.

“Alright,” Nova let out a breath that was only slightly shaky. “Let’s begin. Discord?”

“Way ahead of you,” Discord said, the mini-Discords disappearing, and one mega-Discord reappearing behind the statue, dressed as a Prench sculptor, complete with beret and moustache, with a mallet in paw and a chisel in talon. He made a grand show of looking every which way around the statue for the perfect place to poke a hole in things, either enjoying being in the spotlight or just to delay proceedings a little bit longer, before finally tossing away the chisel, bringing back the mallet, and giving the base of the statue a big thwack.

At once, cracks of light began to spread across the three frozen beings. The sounds of cracking stone began to echo around them, and at once, the peacekeepers lifted shields and lowered spears. The Anti-Mages brandished their tools. The other esteemed guests all braced themselves. Up above, the four Wonderbolts stopped circling, the Knightmares took up positions, and the Dragoons aimed their lances.

The cracks spread, until they abruptly stopped. There was a single heartstopping moment where Nova wondered if Discord hadn’t freed them. Then the stone exploded outward, disintegrating into dust well before it reached any of them.

Then, there was a thud.

“Oof!”

Falling out of the dust was none other than the disgraced queen of the Changelings herself, landing right in front of Nova, having lunged at Celestia, Luna, and Discord some months ago. No sooner had she landed at his hooves than she scrambled to her feet, her horn blazing with green light, her eyes bulging, until she froze at the sight of the massive host of ponies all aiming their weapons at her.

“...what?” she asked, blinking dumbly. “What in…?”

The dust behind her began to clear, with Tirek waving his hands like fans and Cozy coughing up a storm.

“W-we’ve been set free?” Tirek asked, confusedly, rubbing away the dust that had coagulated in his eyes, before he too got a good look at the ponies assembled around him. “Oh,” he said, before grinning savagely. “A veritable buffet of delicious magical energy. How kind of you, Celestia.”

He opened his mouth and began to siphon.

“None of that now,” tutted Discord, having donned a baseball uniform as he pitched an Inmanipulon muzzle straight at Tirek’s face, which landed square in the strike zone. Tirek let out an angry muffled curse and immediately moved to pull it off.

“Aww, all these guards and ponies for lil’ ol’ me?” Cozy Glow asked mockingly. “Well golly, you all must be scared of the big bad widdle fiwwy.”

“Call it appropriately prepared,” Nova Shine replied, his horn glowing blue and physically yanking Cozy Glow down by the tail.

“Wha- hey!”

But while Tirek and Cozy had attempted to act immediately, Chrysalis remained stock still, frozen stiff, as she stared down at Nova Shine, her eyes bulging once again.

However, not with anger this time.

“You,” she hissed, snarling. “You again. Why is it always you!?”

“What’s so special about him?” Cozy asked, with a snicker. “The fact that he keeps getting his magic eaten by Tirek?”

Nova grit his teeth as the memories of that nightmare came back, but he stamped them down and kept his eyes firmly locked on Chrysalis’ own.

“I’m sorry, have we met before?” he asked, far too casually for the situation.

Chrysalis’ snarl deepened.

“Don’t play dump, pony,” she spat. “You were there that day. In the Chapel, you were dragged before me by my children. You were in the Castle that night, when we dragged away the Elements of Harmony. Time and again, you have been at the center of every single one of my plans! How!? WHO ARE YOU!? WHY IS IT ALWAYS YOU!?”

“It appears she has some history with this stallion,” Tirek observed, having finally ripped away the inmanipulon muzzle. “Step away, Chrysalis. His magic is mi–MMPH!”

Discord was a cricket batsdraconequus this time, and he hit a boundary six right where it needed to go. As it was medium-density inmanipulon, it wasn’t supposed to absorb all magic from everywhere, but it shouldn’t have let Discord do his magic so close by. Nova guessed chaos magic didn’t follow the normal rules. Perhaps he should have guessed as much.

“I’m no one important,” Nova shrugged modestly. “I was the Night Apprentice that first day and the Night Master the second and beyond. Why? What’s so interesting about me?”

“Just punch him or something already and let’s get out of here!” Cozy shouted, trying to pull herself free as Nova still hadn’t let go of her tail.

“You lie!” Chrysalis shouted, a mad glint in her eyes. “You lie! Why are you here!? This cannot be coincidence! You cannot be so lowly and yet be everywhere I go! You cannot look like he did and be no one of consequence! THIS IS NOT COINCIDENCE!”

She turned her furious gaze to the four princesses, but her fury settled on Celestia and Luna.

“Whatever trick you are trying to pull, I will not be fooled by such an obvious sham, Celestia!”

Celestia simply glared right back. “This is no sham, Chrysalis. I haven’t just plucked some random pony who happened to look like him and set him before you.”

“You lie! You lie as you always have!”

“I’m sorry, I’m lost,” Nova lied, screwing up his face in fake confusion. “Who is this he you’re talking about?”

Chrysalis scowled down at him, before turning her fury back to Celestia, her horn glowing green.

“I will not be fooled!”

“Are you trying to tell me that?” Celestia raised an eyebrow. “Or are you trying to tell yourself that?”

Nova stepped between them. “Why am I such a big deal?” he asked. “I mean, I get it, I’m the archmage, but I don’t see you freaking out after dealing with Twilight every time you two come to blows.”

Chrysalis’ furious gaze turned to Twilight and her fury lessened ever so slightly, but then intensified all the more, but then she turned her attention to Thorax, and her eyes narrowed.

“Traitor.”

“Mother,” Thorax replied, meeting her gaze. “It’s, uhh… well it’s not really good to see you again, I’ll admit.”

“You’re part of this too,” she scoffed. “What, you decided stone wasn’t good enough? Is this your idea of torment? Forcing me to face the constant thorn in my side? Is that it?”

“I thought Starlight was the thorn in your side,” Twilight observed with a smirk. “Because she keeps beating you.”

Chrysalis let out an irate hiss, but Nova stepped between them.

“Alright, I’ve had enough of the games,” Nova stared up at her. “Let’s get to it, shall we?”

“Get to what?” Chrysalis asked mockingly. “Is this some kind of public execution? Am I to recite my last words?”

“P-public execution?” Cozy asked, eyes shrinking. “Uhh, no thanks, I’d like to go back into stone now, if you don’t mind.”

“They wouldn’t need so many guards for a public execution,” Tirek got the second muzzle off. “They have some other design for us. Oh, for the love of–”

Discord was wearing Amareican football pads and helmet now, and had just thrown a touchdown pass. He was wearing number Q. Nova had made an excellent choice on his Tirek contingency, maybe he’d ask for an autographed jersey.

“Tirek’s right,” Nova said, his eyes never leaving her’s. “No executions today. No, I have something else in mind.”

Chrysalis scoffed, making a grand show of rolling her eyes with a sneer on her face.

“Oh, oh this is precious,” she cackled. “Surrounded by every soldier under the sun, and you get to act like a big, strong stallion because you bully three defenseless prisoners you have trapped?”

“Not exactly,” Nova shook his head. “I just need a way to incapacitate you so we can easily get you transported to your prison cells, and, well… I figured I’d leverage a little something you gave me a long time ago to make that happen.”

“We first met five years ago, pony,” Chrysalis scoffed. “You mortals may think it was a long time ago, but half a decade means nothing to those of us who can live forever.”

“I’m not talking about five years ago,” Nova rebutted, staring meaningfully at her. “I’m talking about much, much longer ago than that.”

The sneer slid off of her face, and Nova was pleased to see a brief glint of disbelief.

“No…” she muttered. “No, that’s impossible.”

“Is it?” Nova asked, lifting an eyebrow. “Do explain.”

“Heh, heheh, HAHAHAHAHAHA!” Chrysalis threw her head back and began to cackle in earnest, Not the self-satisfied cackle of someone who had their opponent right where they wanted them. No, this felt far more desperate. Nova wondered if this was how he sounded a few weeks ago.

Cozy and Tirek exchanged bewildered but nervous looks.

“Oh, you think you can invoke my memories? You think you can invoke my life bond, is that it?” she jeered. “You think I am still bonded to any pony who just happens to look like him? You’re delusional if you think it’s as simple as that. Didn’t you tell him, Traitor?” she fired at Thorax.

“Why is it so impossible?” Nova asked.

“You dolt,” Chrysalis sneered at him again. “He lived and died well over a thousand years ago, and he was ten times the stallion you are.”

“Going down into the Crystal Caves with only Clover the Clever to help him, right?” he asked. “Finding you and Princess Platinum held captive?”

Chrysalis’ sneer fell again, replaced by momentary shock, before she snarled.

“You dare not claim his story for your own! I will not allow it! I will not allow you to besmirch he who gave his love freely to a starving changeling! You will not blaspheme the Savior!”

Nova knew the Changeling Queen had a hair-trigger temper, but this may have been the first time he had actually seen her outright murderous before. Normally Chrysalis liked to play with her food before she ate it.

“It’s him, Chrysalis.”

Chrysalis’ eyes widened, and there was the tiniest prickle of fear that crossed them as she turned her eyes back to Celestia.

“No,” she growled. “No, it can’t be. He would have died hundreds of years ago. You lie! You lie!”

“I swear it upon the sun that I guide,” Celestia replied evenly. “The stallion standing in front of you is the same one who rescued you, who fed you, and who ferried you back to your father–”

“SHUT UP, MURDERER!” Chrysalis screeched. A blast of green energy erupted from her horn, but Celestia parried it with a flick before anyone could react, even her guards. “How dare you speak of my father after what you did to all of us? He was a better ruler than you could ever hope to be no matter how long you live!”

“Shouting and attacking me will not change the truth, Chrysalis,” Celestia continued quietly. “It is him. It is my sister’s first Night Apprentice, and her seventeenth. You can tell, can’t you? You can deny it all you want, but you can tell. It gnaws at you, doesn’t it? A part of you knows who it is, but you refuse to acknowledge it because you know what it would mean.”

Chrysalis recoiled. Her eyes had shrunk to pinpricks, and she began to scramble away at once.

Nova stepped in her path and blocked her, forcing them to meet eyes again.

“No,” she gasped. “No, I cannot… I will not believe…”

“Would you like me to prove it?” he asked quietly. “Because I know the one name only one other pony has ever called you, don’t I?”

“Don’t you… don’t you dare…” Chrysalis whimpered pathetically. Tirek and Cozy were watching what was happening with zero thought as to their own escape, or perhaps because they knew they weren’t going anywhere.

“Don’t I dare what?”

“No, please, you can’t…”

“I can’t what? Know that name?” he asked, before leaning into her ear and whispering his dagger.

“Chryssie.”

As Nova pulled back, no one else moved, save Chrysalis. Her eyes, already shrunken to pinpricks, had gone wide yet again. Her breaths were coming in short, ragged bursts. She was starting to sweat. Her face twisted into the various expressions of someone enduring torturous pain and horror.

“No... No, that cannot... that cannot be,” she whispered, staring into his eyes, with dawning horror and anguish. “If you… then I…”

She clutched her head in her hooves. Nova looked over to Thorax, who was bracing himself. No one else was sure what to expect.

Chrysalis screamed.

Glass shattered, ponies clapped their hooves over their ears in surprise, every pony in the sky dropped several meters before they regained control and floated to the ground, trying to stave off the sound. Gleam was clutching her head in her hooves, her eyes tearing up.

And yet Nova Shine felt nothing at all. He heard the scream, but it was as though whatever the scream was doing to everyone else couldn’t touch him at all. He looked around, beholding the effect of Chrysalis’ shriek, as Tirek, Cozy, Celestia, Luna, Cadance, even Twilight were all curled on the ground, trying desperately to mute the sound, and yet he alone was fine. Despite the faltering, however, Cadance was barely keeping her shield intact, and the ponies outside didn’t look slightly affected, though there was now a crowd peering in to see what was happening.

But no, he was not alone.

Discord was standing there wearing a pair of fluffy pink earmuffs and fastening inmanipulon manacles around Tirek and Cozy’s arms, legs, and muzzles, before gesturing with his head at Chrysalis.

Nova nodded, getting the message.

Chrysalis continued to shriek, wailing like a banshee. The ponies around them were starting to twitch and fidget painfully as the sound continued to strike at them. So Nova did the only thing he could do.

He walked up to Chrysalis and silenced her by stuffing a hoof into her mouth.

Her eyes burst open and she gazed at him in pure terror. Nova mouthed the words “I’m sorry,” to her, then picked up an inmanipulon muzzle from earlier and smashed it across her face.

She was down instantly.

Could he have handled it more delicately? Perhaps. But it was this or continue to torment everyone with her screech.

As everyone began to tentatively remove their hooves from their ears and start getting to their feet, Cozy Glow asked the question everyone else was thinking.

“Wh… what was that?”

“Queen Chrysalis is life-bonded to Nova Shine,” Thorax explained, getting to his hooves. “Because he once saved her life and gave freely of his own love to her, she cannot harm him in any way and must protect him with her life. When Princess Celestia and Archmage Nova Shine made it impossible to deny that it was anyone but him…”

He gestured at the unconscious changeling.

“She was forced to acknowledge that she had brought harm to the pony she was bonded to.”

“But how did she bring him any harm?” Ember asked, staggering to her feet. “The way I heard it was that Tirek was the one who came after him.”

“She kidnapped Twilight once,” Nova replied, looking back at his fiancee, who was clutching her head in her hooves. “She brought me emotional distress. To say nothing of what she did to Equestria, and the day of Cadenza’s wedding. I’m sorry, everyone,” he said, before clearing his throat, which had gone dry. “I didn’t know it would hurt everyone but me.”

“I didn’t either,” Thorax admitted. “I guess that’s on me too.”

“Is everyone alright?” Nova asked, trying to think of whatever spells would help. There were spells to help with banshee wails, but he had no idea what would handle broken changeling life bond screams.

“I have never heard such a sound in all my years,” Luna said, getting to her hooves. Nova felt a tiny lurch in his heart to see Twilight trotting over to help her up. Cadance let the shield drop with a relieved deep breath, before falling over and resting in the grass.

“I suggest you hurry and escort them to their cells,” Celestia said, and Nova was startled to see that she looked breathless, and that the tiniest vein was bulging in her temple. Celestia winced, clapping a hoof to her head, before shaking it. “Before she wakes again. And Discord, you may want to muzzle her too.”

“Welp, we got what we came here for,” Nova sighed as the guards on prisoner detail stumbled their way over to the duo of conscious prisoners and the one unconscious one and began to lead them toward their new accommodations. They fought, but not very hard, as emaciated and powerless as they were.

As Twilight and Luna staggered their way beside him, Nova fell back into a sitting position, wiping a tired hoof down his face. It had only been a few minutes, but it had taken so much out of him.

“Are you okay?” Luna asked, falling into a seat beside him.

“I will be,” he nodded, taking a few deep breaths to steady himself, feeling the familiar jitters once more as Twilight rested against him. “We did what I set out to do.”

“You did,” Luna said, giving him a warm smile. “I don’t think any of us could have prepared for that, but it worked.”

“It did,” Nova said, letting himself fall back against the grass and appreciating how cool it felt. Twilight went down with him. Gleam crawled over and curled up at his hooves, while Luna settled into a sitting position beside him.

“So now…” he sighed, running a hoof down his face. “Now... the hard part starts.”

Author's Note

I'll be honest, I thought about splitting this chapter in two, but there's no really good part to split it. So, here you go, a nearly-24k word chapter update with some big bombs to drop.

Hopefully it won't take me as long to release the next one.

Anyway, happy fifth anniversary, Last Bow! Start hinting at a ship I've been thinking about for years now.

Rytex out. Have a good day!