A Moon and World Apart

Chapters

Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter one
Chapter Nine
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Two

Chapter Two

Spike quickly departed from her side, the drake waddling off to their apartment to gather Lemon Heart's gift. Sunset was aware, albeit distantly, that the mare was actually trying to invite her to the party but she had more pressing matters to attend, namely seeing if she could get an answer from Cadance.

She did watch Spike walk ahead, keeping an eye on the guards before finally moving on to where she thought her old foalsitter would be. She moved through the hallways, keeping track of the turns she was making. There was some vases and a few paintings to mark the different rooms but she still got confused from time to time. She was aware she could use the forbidden hallway as a shortcut to Cadance's chambers but that would mean risk upsetting Celestia.

There were not many rules that Celestia held to or really enforced but entering that wing of the castle was one of the few that she absolutely took seriously and had an incredibly dim view on those breaking that unofficial rule. There were always guards that stood by those doors anyway, only permitting Princess Celestia to pass through. Not even the maids were allowed to enter, and the one time that a young Sunset had gone through it by accident, she had received a very stern lecture from the princess, though the actual scary part was how cold her teacher seemed to be.

Shaking her head of those memories, Sunset continued on her way, passing through the guards and the ponies working on maintaining the castle and doing her best to avoid the guided tour. Last time that happened, she actually got removed from the castle grounds due to the guide refusing to believe she actually lived there. Fortunately, Princess Celestia had eventually gotten wind of it and had words with the guide.

Still, she wasn't going to take the chance again and stuck to the private hallways where only a very select few ponies were allowed, including-

"Hello Shimmer," the drawl of his voice and the snide tone cut off her thoughts and made her grit her teeth, staring at the white coated unicorn who was glaring back at her. "Prince" Blueblood (so known because he was descended from the rulers of the former unicorn kingdom that had existed before Equestria's founding and Celestia's ascension to the throne) was easily one of the most obnoxious nobles she'd ever met, and if she never saw him again in her life, it would be too soon. Unfortunately, he was the current leader of the noble court in the senate and his blasted title allowed him far greater reach than she or Cadance were comfortable with.

"Blueblood," she returned, her coat bristling already. There was always something about him that annoyed her, and she was still surprised she hadn't set him on fire yet, accidentally or not. "What brings you here today?"

The stallion narrowed his eyes at her. "Just showing the Princess some of the proposals for Canterlot's own celebration of the Summer Sun Celebration," he said, bowing his head slightly. "While I do understand Princess Celestia's desire to visit a rural town to remind the commoners that we do care about them, we cannot ignore our very own ponies here in the capital."

Sunset did not believe that for a second, and was trying to figure out what his real plan was before shaking her head internally. "That's very altruistic of you, Blueblood," she said instead, seeing his own coat bristle but he was too clever for his own good to say anything.

"I simply do not know what you mean Shimmer," Blueblood lied to her, showing off his flawless teeth. "I care for all of our ponies, here and abroad." Sunset could not help but snort at that lie, knowing how much of an elitist he could be. "In any case, I wish you well with your own tasks in Ponyville, Shimmer."

"Thanks," she said, moving past the unicorn and continuing on her way towards Cadance's suite/workroom.

After a few more turns, Sunset saw she was approaching Cadance's part of the castle. She had more personal touches than Celestia did, going out to buy artwork from lesser-known artists as well as any that had had 'trouble' in the past.

Walking past Cadance's personally selected guards (she had had to dismiss several for disagreeing with her ideals and refused to bow to Celestia's requests to reinstate them), Sunset raised her hoof to knock on the door only for her former foalsitter to call her in by name.

Rolling her eyes, Sunset stepped into Cadance's suite and was instantly buffeted by the hum of multiple ponies talking to each other as they looked over tables and pinned charts. Then, she saw Cadance raising her head from a crowd of ponies going over a chart, giving her a smile and walking over to her.

"Is that an alicorn thing or were you really expecting me to come in?" she asked as Cadance passed by her ponies to greet her with a nuzzle.

"I was expecting you a bit earlier, honestly," Cadance said with a bit of giggle. "I knew that Auntie Celestia was going to send you off to Ponyville and I expected you to come over to ask for some advice on what to do there."

"Close, but I have a more personal question to ask, actually," Sunset said with Cadance's manner shifting instantly.

"Then let's go to my own chambers to talk about it," she said, walking past the ponies working to locate avengers' cells as well as keep abreast of any of their work or those who had their mentality, and into her personal chambers that held her bed, dresser and a few other odds and ends.

Sunset closed the door behind them, and then turned to Cadance. Once she'd made sure the room's built-in soundproofing spells were active, she spoke. "Princess Celestia claims that she didn't intend to send me a certain book," she said. "I'm not buying it. And really, I'm worried about her."

Cadance looked more serious now. "What book?"

"A history text, claiming she had a younger sister who got in a big disagreement with her and took a bunch of night-loving ponies to the moon a thousand years ago," Sunset said. "And... I can get that they have their differences; me and Spike don't always see eye to eye." She sighed. "I think Celestia still cares about her sister, and really doesn't want to have to hurt her if she comes back in a bad mood. And I'm worried about what'll happen to her if she doesn't at least try to defend herself when the time comes."

"That is if Luna does come back," Cadance said, shaking her head as she started to pace. "We have no idea how Princess Luna could be feeling but that is besides the point. That book you have is probably one of the few remaining references to her and that is no accident. The hallway that no one is allowed to be has one of the few remaining places that you can see pictures of her and that is by Celestia's own design. If Celestia wanted to have the best possible meeting with Princess Luna, she would have prepared for it a long time ago by introducing the notion of her and her ponies to us instead of saying nothing and doing nothing about the hate crimes against the nox ponies and those blasted avengers." She snorted angrily, shaking her head as she took a breath before continuing. "What I am more worried about is how their first meeting in a thousand years will go and pray that I can do my best to help mediate it."

Sunset looked taken aback for a moment; she'd seen Cadance angry and very emotional on some topics before, but never quite to this level. "I hope you can keep them from fighting then," she said, before blinking and looking up at her. "Princess Luna?"

Cadance nodded. "That's her real name," she said. "I'm... one of a very few who knows it, besides Celestia herself."

"She told you about her?" Sunset asked with Cadance suddenly looking awkward.

"Yes and no," she said deflectively. "I had figured out a few things, and asked her about it. She didn't intend to blurt her sister's name out then, but she was so startled..."

"And I take it you didn't press further?" Sunset asked.

"Oh no no no," Cadance shook her head. "I could tell she was feeling tremendous sorrow but at the same time, anger as well and I didn't want to make her even more upset."

"Right," Sunset said. "Look... I'm still worried about her."

"And justifiably so," Cadance said softly. She laid a hoof on Sunset's shoulder. "I promise you, if Luna returns, I will do my best to help keep the peace between she and Celestia. We've never met, and she probably doesn't even know I exist yet. But Luna is technically my aunt as much as Celestia is, and I've long hoped that when she comes back, we can reach a point where we can call each other family."

Sunset nodded slowly, and Cadance smiled at her. "And of course, you can always come to talk to me about anything," she said. "But I think you should probably go and pack now. Ponyville is waiting."

Sunset smiled. "Sure. And... thanks for listening to me, Cadance."

"It's no problem, Sunset."

Twilight knew that she wasn't needed at work until later that day, so she should have plenty of time to get to where she was going while she thought about what Luna asked her. Going to Equestria was... terrifying to say the least, but she knew that it couldn't be that dangerous if Luna had suggested that she be part of the teams heading down to Equuis.

Still, she had heard horror stories told by other foals to scare each other and while she didn't believe them, she had also heard some unnerving tales from the archives about the Night of Departure and a few stories from Luna's own lips about how bad things could be down there.

"Whoa, watch yerself there, Twily," a very familiar voice broke her out of her musing, making Twilight aware she had almost walked into her friend. "I guess somepony's deep in thought."

"Ah sorry Vinyl," Twilight said, blushing as she stared at the mare in front of her. Vinyl was a rather average-looking unicorn mare save for her eyes and the bit of metal that peeked out of her neck fur. "Yeah, I guess I was."

"Figured as much," Vinyl laughed, her voice echoing slightly. "Come, let's go grab a bite bite bite bite." Then she frowned and closed her mouth with Twilight already using her magic to inspect her friend's voice box.

"You know you should get this checked out on a regular basis," she chided Vinyl, who simply rolled her eyes and grimaced as Twilight fixed the small short.

"Yeah, I know," she said in a flat tone before grumbling. "Oh come on Twilight, did you have to reset it to basic?"

"Sorry," Twilight apologized, knowing that the mare had a preferred voice to use normally when she wasn't experimenting with different pitches for her music. "You do have it saved, right?"

"Yeah but it takes a while for this thing to accept inputs," Vinyl grumbled without any tone or affliction, which was odd to hear. "Come on, let's go grab some donuts, my treat."

Twilight nodded her head as the two headed into the shopping district section of the primus dome, this time standing on the walkway and taking in the sights of her home. There were not many towering buildings in this dome, and instead a lot of parks and statues of the founders, save for Luna as she felt it was too self-aggrandizing. That hadn't stopped a few families from including ornamental effigies of her on their private property, but that was their business and as they'd used their own funds for it rather than public ones, she couldn't really complain. And of course, the view of the stars was spectacular.

All in all, it was a magnificent sight to behold, and Twilight was glad to call it her home, though she still had love for the tertium dome where she was born and raised. She knew her parents enjoyed the residential dome too much to move over to the primus with her or Shining and that she should also go visit them soon.

Shaking her head, she followed her friend into the café. There were a number of ponies already sitting at tables, drinking and eating while Donut Joe perked his head up.

"The normal ladies?" he asked with both Twilight and Vinyl nodding their heads as they headed to a booth in the back. "Be there in a moment."

"Thanks Joe," Vinyl said with everyone turning to face her as her voice was still flat. Groaning again, she dropped her face onto the table. Twilight just snickered at her friend who lifted her head and began to type on her PCA's holographic pad to try and get her voice fixed.

"So busy day so far, Twi?" the other unicorn asked as her ears flicked in concentration.

"I suppose you can say that," Twilight answered, wondering how much she could tell her friend. "I spoke to Luna about a future project she is thinking of having me take on." She then turned her head to thank Donut Joe for the vanilla donut and cup of decaf he'd brought while Vinyl thanked him for her own heavily sprinkled chocolate donut and triple espresso.

"Ah, so you're one of the other possible candidates," Vinyl said in her normal voice, her smile widening now.

"You're one of them too?" Twilight asked in surprise.

"Well, I'm one of the more visually different ponies in the Republic and I do know how to handle myself," Vinyl said with a grin and a shrug. "I also know how to spot things others don't and I can relate to others with similar disabilities."

"That does make sense," Twilight said, nodding her head. "So who are the other teammates or are you not allowed to tell me until I accept?"

"Well one of them is your dork of a brother that plays with my dork of a brother with their music and board games," Vinyl snorted with Twilight giggling. "He's going to be my partner, though I am not sure who Luna is going to ask to accompany you, providing you decide to go."

Twilight bit into her donut, stalling for time before looking at Vinyl. "Why are you going?"

"Because I wanna see what it's like," Vinyl said with a shrug. "I'm curious to see how they've done things, how ponies like me are treated and maybe get some new musical inspiration."

"That makes sense," Twilight nodded in her head. "And I suppose it would be a great sociological experience to see how our pathways diverged from a necessity to reach our current level of development."

"There you go Twi," Vinyl said, holding out her cup to her. "To new experiences."

Twilight clinked the cup back and smiled. "To new experiences."

Chapter Three

Chapter Three

Celestia was busy working on her desk when she heard the approaching hoofsteps. She had gained a good ear for telling who was coming to see her over her long years which gave her ample time to adopt an air of being able to predict who was coming.

Right now, it seemed to be a stallion of an upper class bearing, walking stiffly and with purpose which meant her nephew.

"Hello Blueblood," she said even before he entered the room, with the unicorn blinking in confusion before he smothered it and plastered on a much more appealing smile that he thought she couldn't see through. "What brings you here so early?"

"Hello Auntie," he said, keeping up that annoying charade of being a loving family member. If she could actually prove his true nature, then undoubtedly a lot of her headaches would vanish. "And I simply finished the itinerary for Canterlot's Summer Sun Celebration. I thought you would like to have it now, so you can clear your agenda for future personal matters," he said, offering a bundle of papers while giving a wide smile that Celestia instantly distrusted.

"How very kind and altruistic of you, Blueblood," Celestia said, taking the papers and began to scan them. It seemed to be on the level which made Celestia frown internally, wondering what his actual plan was. Everything seemed to be taken care of, with a number of vendors and even a carnival set up for the citizens to enjoy though there also seemed to be an increase in guards being posted.

Ah.

"I see you have posted more than a few additional guards for the festival, Blueblood," Celestia said, raising an eyebrow at him. "Surely such security is a tad unnecessary."

"I have spoken with Captain Sentry as well as captain Meadow Wishes about it, and after we discussed it, we all thought it would be better to be safe than sorry," which was code that Blueblood had teamed up with Wishes to either bully or trick Sentry into agreeing with him. Sentry was a good soldier but he was not cut out for his position. Celestia flicked an ear of annoyance that Cadance had dismissed Lucky Wings without consulting her, though after his personal beliefs came up, the only grievance Celestia had was that she wasn't the one to personally dismiss the pony. Still, they needed a proper replacement for the captain of her guards.

"And how, pray tell, are you going to do it?" Celestia asked while knowing full well how it was going to unfold.

"By a case by case review, Auntie," Blueblood said as honestly as he dared, stopping short of outright stating he was planning to keep out any of the riff raff he did not care for; the pegasi, earth-ponies and those with more nocturnal features, which was in itself was a broad and opened term for ponies like Blueblood to discriminate against. "Unless you wish we go for something of a national registry so we could keep a track of our citizens and streamline the process."

"Perhaps on another day, Blueblood," Celestia, angry that he was denying her the ability to take steps to progress her nation but as good as a national registry would be for a wide range of her nation's different fields, she knew that ponies like Blueblood would take advantage of it and begin to discriminate against her ponies even more efficiently than he already was. And that was without any avengers getting their hooves on those lists. There would be countless murders before any of her agents could react if that were to pass, and that was something she would not tolerate.

The thought that Blueblood could belong to that group entered her mind once again, and it was uncomfortable that she could not place him in one camp. If he actually was part of that group, he would never risk letting her know it as Blueblood knew she would strip him of his rank and privileges and then sic Cadance on him. Her adoptive niece was the most outspoken in their nation when it came to protecting those targeted by bigots, and Celestia was very proud of Cadance's defense of the innocent. She wished she herself could be more publicly outspoken on the matter, but knew that if she was, it would only encourage the noble caste to push back. Besides, Cadance was doing a very good job at dealing with them and Celestia knew her ponies saw the fact she hadn't stopped her niece was a sign of her approval.

Not to mention that certain others might step in if they thought I was overstepping my bounds, she thought.

Aloud though, she said to Blueblood, "I will inform you of my final decisions on the matter when I am ready." It was a clear dismissal, and he took it as such, bowing and leaving.

Alone again, Celestia sighed. It was days like these that she really wished Luna had been able to see things her way, so they could have stayed together as co-rulers all these years and that Luna hadn't acted so rashly that night. She adored her niece, but Cadance was no replacement for Luna; her sister was special to her in a way that no civilian alive, nor many others, had ever realized. Perhaps in time she could explain it to Cadance but that would require leaving Equestria and her Duties in the hooves of another and she had no one she trusted that much.

Tilting her head, she felt for her sister's presence and could sense it still on her moon. It was the only way she could tell Luna was still there; her sister had either placed spells to hide her and her followers from view or they had advanced to the point where they didn't need magic to hide themselves anymore.

Either way, Celestia and Luna were going to run out of time shortly. She knew where five out of the six Elements were and she still had not discovered Magic or found Twilight yet. Their dimension was reaching a point where such magic would be needed and unless she found either quickly, she would be forced to go to Luna and make a deal with her for the overall safety of their world, which put her at her sister's mercy.

At least, she reflected. She is still herself and not one of those Nightmare Moon creatures.

Still, there was only a few days left before all signs pointed that Luna would make her presence known once more in Equestria and completely upend everything.

Luna walked towards her seat as the rest of the Republic's leaders took their own seats among the table, smiling at her trusted allies, and for some, her friends.

"Ladies and gentlecolts," she said as Honey Spice came in, taking her seat. The mare was getting up there in age but she still had a fire in her belly and was not ready to retire. "Let us start with a good note; Water Wheel?" she said, with eyes moving to Water Wheel, who cleared his throat and stood up, activating the holograph panel at his desk to have Oriondisplayed in the middle of the chamber.

"Thank you, ma'am," Water Wheel said, holding his head up with pride. "Along with Crystal Lace and her department, the time we have been waiting for is almost here."

"As it stands Orion is approximately eighty-seven percent finished with the rest of the structure due to be completed by the end of the month and the outer layers soon afterwards. After that, we should be ready for the next step, providing we have the means to do so still. Director Raven Inkwell?"

The mare in question stood up and gave the director of science and the sixth dome a respectful nod. "Thank you Crystal Lace," she said before turning to address the other eleven ponies in the room. "I would hate to say it is fortunate that Orion will take longer than expected but it will allow my department more time to produce the predicted amount needed."

That drew a murmur of conversations from the ponies in the room before Director Neighsay stood up. "Excuse me, but Director Inkwell, I thought you said last meeting you well on the way to meet the quota needed for Orion's success."

"We were but due to a weak harvest last term, we needed to divest assets to keep the Republic sustained and address the issues in fields thirteen, twenty and thirty," she said, looking towards Luna before back at the Director of Education. "This was in the packet that I had sent you all when such issues arose, Director Neighsay."

"Yes, I do recall reading it," Luna said, preventing any argument that could come from the mare calling out the unicorn. "Directors, I assume the teams you have selected for Orion are still prepared and ready for their part in our history?"

Crystal Lace began to nod her head before Steady Notes coughed and cleared her throat, standing upright. "If I may interject and change the topic, Director Luna?" she asked while staring Luna directly in the eyes.

"As long as it remains important to the current topic at hoof, Director Notes," Luna replied, staring at the mare.

"It is becoming incredibly close to the thousand year anniversary of the Night of Departure as you are undoubtedly aware," the mare began with a tone that implied she had rehearsed this many times. "Beyond the annual celebration of the Lunar Republic's birth and the founders, there is another matter that needs to be addressed, that of Equestria." That brought in sharp looks from most of the ponies in the room that were not able to hide it quickly. "We plan to take the next great step in our civilization but before we can go forwards, we need to address the past or at least, attempt to." Steady Notes looked around the room, no doubt trying to gauge reactions before she continued. "I am not going to advocate for anything drastic like reunification, but we should at least make the attempt to reach out to our cousins down in Equestria before we begin to leave them behind completely. We owe it to the founders to at least try and see if they have changed in a thousand years."

Luna sighed, shaking her head. She would have preferred to inform them of this her own way but Notes had deprived her of that possibility. "This has already crossed my mind, my dear directors," she admitted to them. "I have already reached out to several ponies to do a bit of reconnaissance as it were to get the opinion of the average Equestria pony. Once I had finalized my two teams of two, I would have brought this to you all."

"Then let us take a silent vote on if we should proceed or not in this," Twilight Velvet said with the other directors nodding their heads.

"And I will abstain from the vote as I raised the motion," Luna said as the screens rose to block off prying eyes as her directors began to vote. It did not take long for the votes to come in. Luna looked at them and let out a sigh of relief at the result, though she was unhappy at how close it was. "Four abstained, four in favour and three against," Luna read aloud. "The motion carries." she said with the directors staring at each other, no doubt curious to who voted in what way. "As soon as I find the fourth member, I will send down the teams to Equestria's capital and a rural town nearby as a healthy mixture of their population."

"Pardon me, Director," Onyx Plate said, causing eyes to dart to the normally quiet Director of Security. "But I have to ask. How sure of this plan are you? Can you be certain of the chosen ones' safety, and if not, are there steps that can be taken to ensure they will be protected from potential threats?"

"Team one will consist of Shining Armor and Vinyl Scratch. The former is your number two and his abilities are well known to us all," Luna said, stealing a look at Velvet whose eyes widened in surprise, fear and regret, telling Luna who one of the four in favour of this mission was now. "Vinyl Scratch is capable in her own right but her unique circumstances will provide us insight into how Equestria treats those disabled among other different viewpoints. Regardless, Shining Armor will be there to protect her if anything were to happen and she him."

"And the second team?" the dark coated stallion asked, narrowing his eyes.

"My own student Twilight Sparkle, providing she accepts," Luna said with Velvet gasping loudly at this and looking very cross, signaling a long, private lecture would be coming from the mare as soon as their meeting was over. And no doubt Shining and Twilight would be suffering the same fate later on. "Again, her own mindset will allow us variable insight in how Equestria treats their own. She is very methodical and is able to see things others cannot."

"In that case, I would like to nominate myself as the fourth member," the stallion said. "In addition to having my own manner of seeing things, I will be the best choice in protecting Twilight if something were to happen to her."

"Yes, as I recall only I and Red Rocket are capable of besting you," Luna said with the stallion and the rest of the directors snickering.

"Well, one is an alicorn and the other is my husband, both very important factors to consider," he said, rubbing the back of his head.

"Regardless, I will debrief you later on Director Plate on the specifics of the mission in private," Luna spoke with the unicorn nodding his head. "And with that said, I do believe that concludes this part of our meeting," she said with nods of agreement from all of the other directors. "Shall we move onto the next point of the agenda. Director Clear Flow?"

As the stallion in charge of the sanitation stood to give his own report, Luna thought once more about the state of affairs that she did not share with her directors. She was still upset with herself that she was unable to tell if her precious student was Magic or not; Celestia had been the previous Lady and thus would have been able to determine and differentiate which Power Twilight had started to become. She knew she housed at least two Powers in her Republic, with one potentially being incredibly crucial to holding back the return of Chaos's champion among other key and crucial threats. And while they were safe from nearly all the threats that would soon plague Equestria, Discord remained as the only one capable of doing the most damage to both nations.

Her ear flicked, as she felt her Opposite's near invisible touch reach out to her and flicked her eyes to Equuis, staring at the location where her sister was.

Soon, they would need to meet, lest all of their dimension fall prey to the unchecked monsters from their thousand-year falling-out preventing a united front. Luna just hoped that Celestia had taken the time to grow and would see reason to her requests or it would become a very difficult uphill fight to achieve peace and harmony for their dimension.

Chapter Four

Chapter Four

Sunset thought of what Cadance had told her as she started to pack for her trip to Ponyville. It seemed that Cadance was certain that Princess Luna would be making a return, and that Celestia was set on having both Sunset and herself in Ponyville. Did that mean Celestia knew her sister would appear in Ponyville and wanted Sunset there to help out?

In either case, she would have to trust Princess Celestia and do her best not to jump at shadows. Not again...

She shook her head at that ugly memory, the lowest point of her entire life. As long as she lived, she would do her best not to repeat those mistakes ever again. The fact that Celestia had forgiven her for what she had almost done just reminded her that she still had a long way to go before she could take a proper role by Princess Celestia's side like Cadance was already doing, let alone even thinking of becoming a princess again.

Though if she did take an official role by her teacher's side, hopefully it would not be in the morning as she hated waking up early. Ironic, given who her teacher was and how Celestia was quite literally responsible for starting everypony's day...

It didn't take her long to pack stuff for several days; mainly getting out a few books out to cross reference what the ponies in charge of the preparations should be doing as well as making sure that Cadance would take care of Ray for her. This wasn't the first time she'd had to watch over the little leopard gecko while Sunset was out on an overnight (or longer) trip, and she knew how much he meant to his owner.

Finally, she was all ready. Placing a hoof against her pet's terrarium, she whispered a quick "You be good now" to him before saying her goodbyes, then headed out towards the pegasi hanger for her ride into Ponyville.

She stared at the different guards moving to and fro, with a small cluster of Cadance's own 'guards' hanging out near their own corner. Like everything else, Cadance had taken strong measures to end the streak of taking on only day ponies, having personally hired several thestrals for the role. Though she hadn't done them for token representation; each one had been personally sponsored by Cadance through their guard training and any that had messed up were shown far less mercy than any other potential guard.

It had worked, to everyone who wasn't a bigot's pleasure. The higher standards that Cadance had enforced proved to most of the guards that they could trust the night ponies to do their duties, and trust other night ponies that they encountered in their job.

"Ready to depart, ma'am?" Zephyr asked as she climbed into his and Soft Breeze's carriage.

"Mhm," she replied as the two took to the air. It was a true show of their skills that they could fly in tandem despite their wings being completely different varieties, one set feathered and the other leathery flesh like a bat's. Not that they appreciated being compared to certain bats, most of the time at least - even if they did have some things in common with them. She'd seen thestrals who took considerable pride in the fact that they'd mastered the use of sonar to the extent that they could avoid any obstacle in their path without ever once opening their eyes in the process, though that mostly happened in parties where the drinks had been flowing for some time. She gave a mental snort at the memory of the one she'd gone to of that sort. As she recalled, the thestral making the demonstration had begun it with the phrase "Hold my beer and watch this" and ended with the desperate need to repair Celestia's study and bribe Philomena to not rat on any of them or explain why she needed to rejuvenate.

That was also the party where she'd vowed to make sure that alcohol would never be an issue for her. She'd already reached legal drinking age, but at Celestia and Cadance's separate urgings, she'd paced herself from that night onwards, only having a few glasses during a twenty-four hour period at most (and the stronger the variety, the less she'd had of it). And afterward, seeing how some of the attendees started acting as they got drunker and drunker, she'd put her natural talent with magic, fire-based magic in particular, to use in order to work up a spell that could boil the alcohol right out of the target's body and sober them up in an instant without hurting said target in the process, which endeared her to several of of the guards when they found out about the spell she created. She'd also privately vowed to never let herself get to the point where she needed to use it on herself.

Looking out the carriage's windows, she watched as they flew towards Ponyville, smiling at the scenery.

If things went as she thought they would, this Summer Sun Celebration was going to be an experience to remember for a long, long time.

Twilight had left the donut shop with Vinyl, both going their own ways. Her friend was off to meet with Shining to go over their plans in Equestria while Twilight headed off to the sixth dome for her own job.

Taking a hoverpad towards the tunnel to the science dome allowed her more time to reflect on what Luna had asked of her. By the time she reached the entrance of the tunnel to the dome, she still hadn't made up her mind.

She let her mind drift away from the topic for the next two hours as she concentrated on the work she'd been assigned to do for Orion's navigation drive, engine and other core machinery. It was like music for her soul; everything made sense and followed a logical point. Even if she couldn't really explain it to everypony initially, Director Crystal Lace had grown to trust her decision and actions. As much as she loved her research and lessons with Luna, she just loved getting lost into a good machine, figuring out how it worked and how to improve on it.

By the time she'd left for the day, she'd managed to reaffirm to herself what she had to do, and headed back to the other dome for the last piece of advice before she made her decision known.

Once she'd reached her intended destination, Twilight knocked on the door. A minute later, it opened, and Moondancer looked at her in surprise. "Twilight?"

Twilight looked a little sheepish. "Hey, Moondancer. Is this a good time, or am I..."

"Oh, come on in!" Moondancer moved out of the way. "I didn't expect to see you again today," she remarked as Twilight stepped into her friend's apartment, and then looked around.

"You're still getting ready for that party you invited me to, aren't you," she said.

Moondancer looked startled as she closed the door. "You remembered?"

"I'm a lot of things, but deaf isn't one of them," Twilight told her. "I just didn't say anything about whether I'd be there or not because..." she sighed. "Well, I wasn't exactly sure I was up for it. You know how I get around large groups."

"I know; not everypony is an extrovert and that's okay," Moondancer told her. "I had to ask though."

Then she smiled. "So what's up?"

"This morning, Director Luna asked me to take part in an important mission for her," Twilight told her. "And I don't know what to say. I was hoping... well, that you could help me decide."

Moondancer looked at her for a moment, then went to sit down on her couch, beckoning Twilight to come sit with her. "What is it?" she asked.

Twilight sighed. "She wants to send a couple of us to Equestria, to reach out to them and see what they're really like as people. And she wants me to be one of them."

Moondancer's eyes widened. "Really?" she asked.

Twilight nodded. "And I don't know if I should!" she admitted. "I mean, I know it's important, and the fact that she'd trust me to get involved... it's a big responsibility. But I have all my studies here, and... and ponies who care about me," she said. "I don't want to just run off and leave you, or my parents behind. This isn't just visiting another dome, it's going to a whole other world. And if something goes wrong, we might never be able to see one another again, and I don't think I could cope if that happened, not to mention how you would feel, and..."

Moondancer raised a hoof. "Twilight, calm. Down. Take a deep breath, and another, until you're feeling better. That's it," she said as Twilight did as she was told. "Keep it up."

Twilight breathed, and did some stretching motions with one hoof, until she was breathing evenly, then looked at Moondancer gratefully. "Thanks, Moondancer. I needed that."

Moondancer nodded and smiled. "Twilight, I know you. Sometimes I think I know you better than you know yourself. That's one of the reasons I've always been there for you, to try and help you better yourself and not just let you wear yourself out by concentrating on everything besides your well-being."

Twilight smiled back. "And your help has kept me out of more trouble than I can remember," she said. "But Moondancer... I'm still scared. What if I make the wrong choice and mess things up so badly that... that Director Luna blames me for ruining any chance of Equestria and the Lunar Republic reconciling and banishes me away forever?"

"Twilight, you aren't perfect, but even you couldn't mess things up that badly unless you were actively trying," Moondancer told her. "I have faith in you. If you think you can handle this without working yourself into a nervous breakdown in the process, then go for it."

Then she rose from her couch. "Now, come on. You don't have to be back at the Head Director's office right away, do you? Want to help me finish setting things up for this evening?"

Twilight nodded. "I have to be back later to tell her of my decision, but I can spare a few hours."

"Great." Moondancer's horn lit up as she began pulling a few things out. "Let's get to work."

Then she glanced at Twilight. "And Twilight? If Luna did, for whatever reason, decide to banish you to some backwater hole-in-the-wall... I'd be selfish and give up my life here so I could banish myself to wherever you were too, and spend the rest of my life there instead so you wouldn't be alone."

Twilight was too startled to reply before her friend turned around and walked away to get more supplies.

When she'd finally had a moment to calm herself, she followed after Moondancer, who turned back to see her. "Hey," she said softly. "Moondancer..."

"Yeah?"

"Thank you for being my friend."

Moondancer smiled. "You're welcome, Twilight."

Pinkie Pie smiled as she pronked along Ponyville's main street, so very eager for the upcoming Summer Sun Celebration. So far, everypony was doing a fantastic job in setting up for it, and she just knew this was going to be an extra super-special one.

In fact she had several unique twitches telling her that she would need to plan several parties very soon and that Ponyville was going to get some very interesting visitors.

"This is going to be the best Summer Sun Celebration ever," she giggled to herself as she started to think what they would like for cupcakes. Maybe vanilla, chocolate, tabasco... then she got combination of twitches and shakes, and shook her head. "Maaaybe be a little careful about who I offer that one to," she remarked to nopony in particular. "Don't want to gum up their works." Then she perked up. "But I bet I know one pony who'd love them!"

"Hey, Pinks!" a voice called from overhead, before Rainbow Dash came down to hover over her. "How's it going?"

"Just thinking aloud!" Pinkie chirped. "Gotta get ready for the big party this week!"

Rainbow Dash chuckled. "Yeah, know the one," she said. "I got cloud duty that morning, make sure the skies are clear."

"No worries about that," Applejack said as she walked past. "As much as Ah've seen ya sleeping in my trees, there ain't no pony better clearing them clouds than you."

"Tch." Rainbow Dash waved it off. "Yeah, I could clear the skies in ten seconds flat from a sleeping start."

The other girls laughed. Braggart she may be at times, but when it came to weather work, Dashie always backed her words up with actions.

Moving that out of her mind, Pinkie continued to think on what cupcakes she should make when she heard the flapping of wings and saw the outline of a carriage coming down from the sky.

Chapter Five

Chapter Five

Sunset paused as she stepped out of the carriage, taking a deep breath of the air down here. It was a cool, comfortable feeling, tinged with the scent of... sugar?

Then a pink pony was right in her face. "Hiiiiii!"

"Gah!" Sunset recoiled for a moment, stumbling and attempting to regain her balance, before she shook it off and saw the pink pony still there. "Good grief, you startled me," she muttered as she tried to calm her racing heart. "Where'd you even come from?"

The pink pony grinned. "Mom and Dad always said the stork brought me," she said in a giggling tone. "But Granny Pie set me straight on that."

"Right..." Sunset shook her head. "Give me a second, would you?"

Trotting over to Zephyr and Soft Breeze, she thanked them for the lift, then watched as they took off again. That done, she turned back to the pink pony. "I never got your name..."

"Oh, I'm Pinkie Pie!" the pink pony said cheerfully. "So I can ask you a question now?" Sunset nodded her head at the request and said to go ahead. "Chocolate, vanilla or tabasco?"

Sunset blinked. "What?"

"What cupcake flavors do you like?"

"Oh. Um..." Sunset blinked. "Most anything."

"Cool! Be right back!" With that, Pinkie dashed off, leaving Sunset blinking.

"Why do I suddenly feel like I just got hit with a whirlwind made of sugar?" she asked herself, taking a few steps before Pinkie reemerged from the opposite direction she had left.

"Here's your cupcake!" she said cheerfully, hoofing one with a bright red frosting over to Sunset, who accepted it and, after taking a careful sniff, brightened considerably. Happily gulping it down, she waited for a moment, and then released a burst of flame from her mouth.

"Mm, spicy!" she said gleefully with her tail shaking behind.

Pinkie beamed. "Tabasco cupcakes always hit the spot!"

Nearby, two other ponies shook their heads. "Never thought Ah'd see the day," one said.

The other was too busy snickering to make a comment, so Sunset decided to give her a minute and turned back to Pinkie. "I'm Sunset Shimmer," she said. "Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too," Pinkie giggled. "Here for the big Summer Sun Celebration?"

Sunset nodded. "I'm actually here to make sure everypony's got everything set up," she said.

"Then you came to the right place, partner," the other pony who was not still snickering said. She came over and extended a hoof. "Ah'm Applejack, and mah family's providing the food for this here shindig."

"Pleased to meet you," Sunset said, accepting the hoofshake. "You wouldn't happen to be one of the Apple family that first settled this area?"

"Sure am," Applejack said. "Mah granny's Pa was the one who first brought his family here all those years ago."

Sunset smiled. "I thought so," she said. "I've heard all the stories about how Princess Celestia personally gave Sherwood Apple the land grant."

Applejack smiled back, then gestured behind her. "An' that there's Rainbow Dash," she said.

Sunset checked her notes. "Ah yes, the one who's supposed to have the skies clear in time for the big event," she said.

"I'll get it done," Rainbow Dash said as she finally calmed down, flapped her wings a few times, and then came drifting over to hover in front of them. "Weather board says the skies still need 'em up for a few more hours today."

Sunset noted that on her list. "Right."

"Well, what say you come over to mah place and sample the food?" Applejack asked. "We've got everything ready, except for a few bits that need to be made fresh in the mornin'."

"Sure thing," Sunset said.

The pair started trotting along, with Pinkie and Rainbow Dash following after them.

"So," Applejack said as they walked. "They just sent one pony down to check up on things?"

"Well, actually my assistant's coming later," Sunset said. "He had a party to go to this afternoon, so I let him do that and came on ahead."

"A party‽" Pinkie suddenly looked excited. "What kind?"

"Just a few friends getting together," Sunset told her. "Nothing too wild. He's still only twelve, and his species ages slower than ours."

"What species is he?" Applejack asked a little cautiously.

"Oh." Sunset looked at her. "He's a dragon. I hatched him myself!"

"Say what?" Applejack looked startled.

"Yeah, the traditional final test of the entrance exam at Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns is to try and hatch a dragon's egg," Sunset said. "I was the first one in a few hundred years to pass that part by actually succeeding in hatching the egg; most other entrants just get in by impressing the judges with their innovation or by accepting when to give in. I was different." She looked at the other ponies. "Anyway, Spike's been... well, like a little brother to me ever since, and my trusted assistant too. He helps me with a lot of stuff."

Applejack smiled. "Ah can respect that," she said. "Family's always been important to us Apples."

They chatted more as they headed down the road, and Sunset smiled. If everypony here was as welcoming as these three, she knew she was going to have a good time.

"Okay that was some of the best food I have eaten in a long time," Sunset said, with a wide smile on her face. "Princess Celestia will be over the sun when she gets to try some of your family's cooking."

Applejack responded to that with a grin bigger than Pinkie's. "Ah, shucks," she said.

Sunset smiled, then brought her notes out. "So with you three, I have just two more ponies to meet, along with Mayor... Mare?" she asked in confusion as she read the list.

Applejack chuckled. "Mayor Ivory Scroll, actually," she said. "But everypony calls her Mayor Mare. Ah think somepony was tryin' to call her Madame Mayor one time an' got their words mixed up, then somepony else called her that to be funny an' the nickname stuck. She just ran with it after that."

"Right, right," Sunset said. "Well... next up is decorations, by a Rarity Belle?"

"Eeyup." Applejack nodded. "That'll be down at Town Hall, so if'n you don't mind, Ah'll lead the way."

"Sounds fine to me," Sunset said with Pinkie Pie perking up and beginning to twitch. "Are you okay?" she asked, concerned.

"Twitcha-twitch... twitcha-twitch..." Pinkie's body shook a bit more, then she looked at Sunset. "Somepony very important is going to meet us soon!" she said. "Pinkie sense is never wrong! I had it before you arrived, after all."

Sunset blinked, then nodded slowly. "I think I've heard of this phenomena before," she said, recalling some records of ancient Earth Pony magic allowing them to scan the earth to tell who was approaching. It was possible that Pinkie was a savant in that field and others. "I'll take your word for it, Pinkie. Do you know just who it is?"

Pinkie shook her head. "Just that it's gonna be big," she said. "I don't always get the specifics. Sometimes, but not always." She perked up. "Like, when my shoulder's achy, that means there's an alligator in the tub!"

Sunset blinked, then it hit her. "Your pet, right?"

Pinkie gasped. "How'd you know?"

"Wild guess," Sunset said. "And logical deduction. This isn't exactly alligator territory, so I'd assume one would only be around here if it was somepony's pet. Probably yours."

"You betcha!" Pinkie giggled, then reached into her mane and pulled out a tiny alligator, who stared at Sunset and then licked his eyeball.

Sunset smiled keenly at the alligator, reminding her of Ray. "Cute little fella."

"Yeppers!" Pinkie chirped. "This is Gummy! He isn't even a year old yet."

Sunset smiled again. "Nice to meet you, Gummy."

The little alligator blinked slowly, and Pinkie beamed. "He says it's nice to meet you too."

Then she tucked him back into her mane, and pronked ahead a few steps, Sunset hurrying to catch up with her.

The foursome chatted happily as they headed back into town, finally reaching the town hall.

And that was when Sunset laid her eyes on a certain lavender unicorn for the first time, and something told her life was about to take a turn for the interesting.

Twilight's ear flicked as she heard another message beep on her PCA, which was a sign that her mom wanted to talk to her before she made her decision known to Luna. And if she had to face either an angry Luna or angry mom... she would take her chances with Director Luna anytime.

Waiting for the guards to finish screening her so she could enter the Lux Aeternam, Twilight set another message off to her mom that she would talk to her as soon as she could. Hopefully, it would placate her mom long enough so she could talk to Luna and avoid that whole lecture.

"You're good to go," one of the guards finally reported.

Twilight nodded, thanked him and headed inside, making a beeline for Luna's office and doing her best not to get distracted like she did this morning. Trotting along the carpeted hallways, Twilight lifted her hoof towards the door only for her teacher to call out to her to step in. After opening the doors, she blinked at the sight of Onyx Plate standing beside Shining and Vinyl, who was wearing a scarf around her neck, no doubt to cover up her implant, with Luna behind her desk.

"Good evening, dear Twilight," Luna said with warmth while Shining smiled fondly at his L.S.B.F.F., and Vinyl grinned wider at her while Onyx simply nodded his head with a gentle look on his face. "I take it you have made your decision?"

Twilight nodded. "I'm doing this," she said. "What's the plan?"

"The plan is that while we could use some of the transport shuttles that Director Wheel is working on, they are quite noticeable to the naked eye and still in their experimental stages," Luna said. "Both are unnecessary risks to the mission. Instead I will personally teleport you down to the planet and to the cities. I have no doubts you all understand what your tasks are but I will repeat it once more. You are to observe and gain knowledge of Equestria's values but not at the risk of your lives or your partner's lives. The purpose of this mission is to see if we should open ties to them, if they have grown in the last thousand years or not. We are not to pass judgment until we have sizable data." Luna gave them all a hard look. "Even if you hear a dozen or so ponies speak nothing but bigotry and hatred for those who do not match them, that could only be a small ugly portion of themselves." Luna flicked an ear, pausing for effect. "Or it could be the standard."

She turned her head to Shining and Vinyl, addressing them. "I expect you two to see the most of this, being sent into their capital. Vipers and sycophants are always drawn to power and those tend to hold a dim view to others that stand in their way or whom they see as lesser. Be that as it may," Luna paused once more, looking at them intently. "I still want to know how their nobles are, if you can find out without revealing who you are or what you are attempting to do. Your cover story, all four of you," Lunar tilted her head to address Twilight and Onyx now. "Shall be a truth, from a certain point of view. You are travelers from a remote township for which its name does not translate well and you are simply trying to get a better understanding of what the wider world is like. Understood?"

All four nodded, serious expressions on their faces.

"Twilight, Onyx, yours is to get a clearer grasp of how the common folk are like. Ponies, by nature, are untrusting to new things and outsiders so this town should be a decent starting point for information gathering, a task I do believe you are most suited for Twilight," Luna said with a smile and laugh that was shared among the four of them before Luna turned dark coated stallion. "Onyx, while I expect you to learn as much as you can in your stay in Ponyville, I wish you to keep a closer eye on Twilight, in case something goes awry." She caught the indignant look Twilight had suddenly developed. "I have faith in you, Twilight. But I am still taking precautions considering how little training you have done." She looked down. "Besides, despite all the reassurances I have given her, my... housing director would have my hide if something happened to you, or to your brother."

Twilight and Shining groaned with Vinyl snickering before paling and gulping. "I guess she'd come after me too if something happened to Shiner here, right?"

"Nothing's going to happen," Shining Armor assured her. "And if it did... well, I'd make sure I had some way of telling her to back off, even if I had to come back from the other side to do it."

Vinyl cringed even worse at that, and Luna frowned. "The goal is to make sure such a thing is unnecessary, Assistant Director Armor," she said. "I cannot stress this enough: Be. Careful. All of you; retrieving you will not be easy or quick, especially not if it needs to be done quickly."

The four nodded, and Luna looked around. "Are there any more questions?"

"How long are we expected to be planetside, Director Luna?" Onyx asked, meeting her eyes.

"Three days at most," Luna replied before levitating four bags onto the table. "Equestria operates on a monetary system and if I am to guess correctly, the manner has not changed since our departure those long years ago. In addition, you will need to leave your PCA behind; I would rather not have any of our technology slip out of our hooves, however benign it may be."

She turned to look at Vinyl and added, "And if things should escalate to the point where they try to separate you from your implant then you have my permission to do whatever you deem necessary to safeguard yourself until either Shining or myself can retrieve you. Let me restate this; you are only permitted to react with force if the situation outright demands it and even then I would prefer you retreat instead of staying to try and fight. Am I clear in this?"

Vinyl saluted. "Absolutely," she said.

"This goes for all of you," Luna said sternly as she looked around. "I repeat: when dealing with your fellow ponies or other sapient beings, do not utilize force unless it is the absolute last resort. Retreat to safety." She tilted her head. "Now, should a non-sapient animal attack, using force to defend yourself from it would be acceptable. But again, given you are all being sent into settled and civilized areas, you should not find yourselves in such a situation."

She looked at them, more calmly this time. "If there are no more questions, I will allow you all time to make some last-minute calls before we go planetside."

Twilight nodded, and then stepped away, looking at her PCA and sighing.

"It'll be okay," her brother's voice said as Shining Armor looked at her. "You going to call Mom?"

"Might as well," Twilight said before looking at him. "Unless you want to?"

"Nope; not going to put my hoof into that trap," Shining Armor replied, shaking his head.

"Should I be concerned that my second is still scared of his mother?" Onyx teased with a grin.

"Well, to be fair Director Onyx, would you wish to face her?" Luna asked with Onyx blinking and stopping to consider the proposal.

"I do consider that she might be the third pony, in that case Director Luna," he said with Luna chuckling as Twilight began to call her mom.

"Mom? Hi, I-" She was cut off as Velvet began frantically asking where she was.

"I'm in Director Luna's office, Mom," Twilight said with a sigh. She glanced over at Luna, then mouthed a question. At Luna's nod, she turned back to her PCA. "Mom. Mom! It's going to be fine. I'm not going to be alone for this, and we'll be back in three days at the most."

She listened for a bit, and then sighed. "Mom, I've already made up my mind. I'm going. And I promise, I'll be back safely." There was another pause, and she sighed again. "I have to go now. Give Dad my love, okay? Bye." Hanging up, she groaned. "Urrgh..."

"Velvet is being rather overprotective again, isn't she," Luna said. It was not a question, and Twilight nodded.

"I wish she'd remember that I am a legal adult," she said. "I do know what I'm doing."

"Parents are always protective," Luna said with a small smile, turning sad. "My own mother was always like that for us, even at the end. She was right though, risking ourselves like that was the height of foolishness."

"Director Luna?" Twilight asked with Luna blinking in complete surprise.

"I'm sorry; the ancient past overtook me there for a moment," Luna said, dabbing away tears from her eyes. "My point is that no matter how old you get to be, you are still her child, and she will always wish to keep you safe."

Twilight nodded understandingly, then removed her PCA and set it down on Luna's desk. "I'm ready," she said.

Luna nodded. "Gather around then," she said to the four of them.

All four unicorns did so, and Luna's horn lit up, generating an energy field surrounding the five, herself in the center.

There was a flash.

And then all five were gone.

They rematerialized some distance outside a small, rural town, and all five immediately looked around themselves, rather wide-eyed.

"Twilight, Onyx," Luna said after she'd had a moment. "This is Ponyville. Remember your mission and take care of each other. I must take Shining and Vinyl to Canterlot and return to the moon before she realizes I am down here."

Twilight nodded as she and Onyx stepped back out of range, then watched as Luna's teleportation field formed again, transporting herself and her last two passengers away.

Then, turning back to the town, she looked at Onyx. "Let's go."

Onyx nodded his head, walking towards the settlement with Twilight following behind him. Thankfully, he was not going at a hard pace that she was forced to match, allowing her to examine what Equuis was actually like. Everything was so different and weird but in a good way. She had never seen a blue sky or felt actual wind along her coat or see the horizon go on without the glass walls breaking it up. It was breathtaking and she wished she had brought along a notepad to take down what she was witnessing.

And then the ponies they saw, they seemed so normal and friendly. Most of them offered greetings as Twilight and Onyx passed by, with the stallion asking how they were and how nice their town looked while they got some questions themselves.

"That's an odd accent," a filly with a large bow said next to two other fillies, tilting her head at Twilight.

"We're from a village very far away," Twilight said with Onyx nodding his head. "We haven't had much interaction with others from outside our village."

"Which is why we're here," Onyx said with a smile. "To learn about our distant neighbours. So I do believe that learning each other's names would be a good start. I am Onyx Plate and this is my friend Twilight Sparkle."

"It's nice to meet you," the filly with the big bow said, her two friends smiling as well. "Ah'm Apple Bloom, an' these here are Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo."

"And we're," the three paused to gather their breaths for a loud shout. "THE CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS!"

Twilight blanched at their loud voices while Onyx just smiled and chuckled. "Rocket would have loved to have seen that," he said.

Twilight nodded, though still cringing from the volume. "What exactly is a 'Cutie Mark Crusader'?" she asked.

The trio's eyes lit up. "Well, we're Crusadin' for our Cutie Marks!" Apple Bloom exclaimed.

"Tryin' out new stuff, figure out what we're good at," the unicorn who'd been introduced as Sweetie Belle said.

"'Cause we really don't want to be just known as 'Blank Flanks' forever," the pegasus, Scootaloo, said as she looked rather crestfallen.

"Most of our classmates got theirs already, an' we don't wanna be left behind," Apple Bloom concluded.

Scootaloo muttered something under her breath, and Twilight could guess what it was about. "One of the ones who got theirs is bullying you about it, isn't she," she said.

All three nodded sadly.

Twilight smiled. "Well, don't worry so hard about it," she said gently. "I had to deal with ponies like that when I was growing up too. Most of the time, they're just trying to make others feel bad so they can feel better about themselves. Try to ignore them, and focus on what really matters to you. If you don't let them see how badly it affects you, they should give up sooner or later."

The three little fillies looked up at her in surprise, and she blushed. "My friend Moondancer taught me that when we were little," she said.

The three of them frowned at that. The unicorn, Sweetie Belle, tilted her head and said, "That's an odd name. Most ponies don't name their foals on moon stuff."

"And why is that?" Onyx asked in such a tone that Twilight nearly believed it was genuine curiosity.

"Well from what I've heard is that that way they don't get bothered by those mean avengers ponies," Scootaloo said.

"And who are they?" Twilight asked, sharing a look with Onyx.

"A really mean bunch of bad ponies who dislike other ponies who don't match up with their way of thinkin'," Sweetie said. "I'm pretty sure they do other stuff that my sister won't tell me about."

"Ah know there's this one family on the edge of town that's had trouble with them," Apple Bloom said, sounding rather disgruntled. "Got their melon patch messed up real bad 'cause that family said melons grow better in the moonlight, and that 'avengers' group didn't like that." She blinked and looked around before leaning up to whisper. "Ah ain't suppose to say this but one of mah kin was thrown out of the clan for turning out to be one of them."

"Really?" Scootaloo asked in surprise. "Who was it?"

"Ah don't know and as far as Granny is concerned, they never existed ta begin with," Apple Bloom said. "Said any pony who acted like a bully towards other ponies for dumb reasons didn't deserve to be one of us." She then turned to face both of her friends. "Ah'm serious here; Ah ain't suppose ta mention this at all. Applejack, Granny and Big Mac will all give me the riot act if they hear about them."

Both fillies nodded, and made a series of strange gestures and a phrase Twilight had never heard before, each swearing not to repeat what they'd been told. Once they finished, they turned back to Twilight and Onyx. "So, want us to show you around?" Scootaloo asked.

Twilight nodded. "That'd be great," she said. "Thank you all."

"Come, let's go introduce you to my sister," Sweetie Belle said eagerly. "She's settin' up the decorations for the Summer Sun Celebration in Town Hall this afternoon."

"Summer... Sun Celebration?" Twilight repeated.

Apple Bloom nodded. "It's the longest day of the year," she said. "Princess Celestia chooses a different town each year for raisin' the sun, instead of doin' it from her castle lahk she does most days. An' there's always a big festival to celebrate."

"Well, we might be here to see it before we go home in a few days," Onyx said. "When is it?"

All three fillies looked at him oddly, but shook it off. "It's the morning after tomorrow," Scootaloo said. "Everypony gets up way early and comes down to watch the Princess raising the sun, and then we go and have fun all day long. There's food, there's games, and there's a lot of other great stuff."

"It sounds like fun," Onyx said, tipping his head. "So please, lead the way."

The trio grinned, then trotted off, Twilight and Onyx following after them.

"That was... interesting advice you gave them," Onyx said quietly to Twilight as they walked.

"Well, it was the truth," Twilight said. "I... I had a lot of issues when I was little, and some of the other foals... they were a big part of it."

"Really?" Onyx said. "Did you ever mention this to... no, if she knew, she would have had done something about it." He shook his head. "In any case, you have grown into a mostly well developed mare, though like every other pony, life has made its mark on you." He chuckled with Twilight smiling at the joke.

"Yes, it has," she said. "The truth is, I didn't want to tell an adult, because if I had, the bullies... they'd have been even uglier to me. They do that to any foal who tells on them."

"I get you; it was why I waited until I was out of school before I came out," Onyx said with a sigh. "My parents already knew; they were surprised that I thought it was still a secret. But in any case, I think we should come back to this later and meet with this Rarity Belle."

"Yeah," Twilight said before she looked at their guides, who were still looking cheerful as they trotted along, approaching a large tiered building.

"There it is," Sweetie Belle said. "Town Hall. Come on, let's go inside." She tilted her head and the five of them entered inside.

Chapter Six

Chapter Six

With a flash, Luna appeared in her office again, and had barely had a moment to catch her breath when she heard a knock. Inwardly groaning, she had a feeling she knew who it was, recalling how they'd reacted before...

"I do believe our meeting is done." Luna clapped her hooves. "Ladies, gentlecolts, I will see you all again."

With that, she left the room and headed into her office. She was not surprised to hear a set of hoofsteps following her, and when she finally reached her desk and turned around, she was even less surprised to find the door closed behind she and her guest, Twilight Velvet looking at her with a decidedly grim expression on her face.

"Is there any particular reason," she said quietly. "That you chose to send both of my children on such a risky mission?"

Luna nodded. "First of all, Shining Armor volunteered to take part in this," she said. "He is the Assistant Director of the Department of Security, and has long known that we would be making contact with Equestria someday. Last year, he approached me about the matter, and asked me if he could be one of those to go when the time came. I did not accept his offer right away until I was sure that he fit the requirements I felt such a first contactee would have to meet. Then and only then did I agree." She looked at Velvet, who was still looking at her rather expectantly. "When I spoke to him again earlier this year, I asked him then if he was sure that he still wished to volunteer, and he said yes."

Velvet nodded. "And Twilight?"

"I asked Twilight to be a part of this mission just earlier today," Luna said. "She asked for time to consider it. But Velvet... I do believe she is well-suited for this mission. She is intelligent, she is thorough, and quite frankly I have a great deal of faith in her." She looked at Velvet. "If she declines, I will simply have to find somepony else. But I doubt she will. And Velvet... I am taking the greatest precautions. I care for her a great deal, and if I felt there was any serious risk towards her, or your son, I would not have asked either of them to be involved."

Velvet frowned. "I still wish you'd consulted with me first," she said, before turning around and walking out.

Luna shook her head. No sense in putting it off, she thought, before saying "Come in" aloud.

Once more, Twilight Velvet walked into her office, still not looking amused. "I suppose my children are both in Equestria now," she said.

"They are," Luna acknowledged.

Velvet sighed before looking at her. "Will they be safe? Honestly, please."

Luna drooped at the simple request; it took her a moment to find her voice before she answered the mare. "I wish I could say with complete honesty that they will be but the fact of the matter is that I do not know."

"But you do know something," Velvet pushed, staring at her with strong eyes. "Otherwise, you wouldn't have sent your student, your director of security and his second to an unknown world just like that."

Luna flicked her wing before answering. "We are not tied to fate or destiny, Director Velvet but there are such things as patterns that I can see and recognize. Your children are where they need to be right now, trust me on that. If it were otherwise, I would not risk them in such a fashion."

Velvet stared at her, peering closely at her face before rubbing her eyes. "Is this one of those alicorn deals that most mortal ponies would not be suited to know?"

"If it were only that simple," Luna muttered. "Velvet, I know you're worried. I worry about them too. But I have faith that they are fully capable of handling whatever comes their way and you should as well."

"Is there anything I should expect to come out of this, anything you can tell me?" Velvet asked with Luna grinning to herself.

"Patterns exist and if this one does follow the normal sequence, then I do suspect your son might return with something." The mare looked confused and Luna simply shook her head. "Trust me, if I am correct about this, then it will mean a very happy surprise for you and your husband."

Velvet gave her a look, and sighed. "I'll let it go for now," she said. "But you had better be right about them being safe."

After she'd left, Luna shook her head. "I feel the same way, Velvet," she said to herself. "I feel the exact same way."

"So this is Canterlot?" Shining said towards Vinyl, who stared at the tall spiraled buildings and the crowd of ponies walking past them. It hadn't taken much to get inside the city; there was no national registry so when they had lied from coming from a far village, the city police had just waved them through without any background checking. "It seems nice so far."

"Watch where you are going, commoner," a rather rude and snobbish looking unicorn said as he shouldered his way past them.

"For the most part," Vinyl said, glaring at the blond stallion, huffing while fixing her scarf to keep her neck covered. "But yeah, this place seems to be pretty nice Shining." Vinyl blinked and turned her head to see her partner had disappeared. "Shining?" she called out, looking for where he had wandered off to before spotting the store off to the corner. "Of course," she rolled her eyes under her glasses and walked off to the hobby store with miniature figures lining the window. Stepping inside the store herself, she could spot Shining browsing the shelves with obvious glee, though Vinyl knew that Shining would soon remember that they didn't have an endless amount of bits on them and they would need to ration and not spend all their bits on a set.

"Though Long Play will be annoyed that I didn't snag him anythi..." she trailed off as she saw that Shining and a very pink pegasus had picked up the same package.

"Oh sorry," Shining said, blinking at the mare. "I didn't mean to take it from you."

"Oh no, it's okay," the mare giggled. "Please, take it, I was just getting it for my group." She shook her three toned mane, blinking at the obvious dork. "We had run out and I decided to head out and get some fresh air"

"I couldn't in good conscious; it's the last one," Shining said, flashing her a smile. "I think I will just look around and see if I can get another one to bring home later on."

"And where is that, if you don't mind me asking, mister...?" she trailed off, looking expectantly at him.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't introduce myself," he said, rubbing the back of his mane. "I'm Shining Armor and we're from a very distant village. We're here to see the Summer Sun Celebration, though it is a shame that we won't get to see the princess."

"We?" she asked confused and a tad disappointed.

Sighing at her friend's thickheadedness ruining his chances, Vinyl trotted over. "Yeah, he means me. My brother Long Play asked him if he could tag along to keep me safe. I'm Vinyl Scratch."

"Nice to meet you, Miss Scratch," the pegasus said, looking relieved now. "I'm Love Hearts."

"Same here, Lovey," Vinyl said, continuing to play wingmare. "Him and my bro love to play their little games, with Shining here being a fantastic painter."

"Really?" the pegasus with the crystal blue heart Cutie Mark asked with interest.

"Yeah, of my friends, I tend to have the best lines and colour blends," Shining said with a faint blush on his face.

"Hmm," she said, looking at Vinyl before back at Shining. "I would hate to interrupt your vacation but could I perhaps ask for your assistance in painting these?"

"I-" Shining back to open his mouth before Vinyl spoke for him.

"Nah, he wouldn't mind," Vinyl said to the mare, giving her a wink over her shades with the mare giving her a grateful smile. "Is there a place you'd recommend where we could meet up? We haven't got a hotel just yet."

"How about I bring him back here around sunset?" the mare offered, looking at Shining who gave a uncertain shrug.

"Sounds lovely to me, Hearts," Vinyl teased with the mare giggling and taking the pack to pay for it, strutting in front of Shining.

Shining stared as she left before turning on Vinyl. "Did you just set me up on a date?" he whispered.

"Maybe," Vinyl grinned. "But it will also give you a chance to get some in close and personal opinion of a citizen from the lower rungs and not some elitist unicorn."

Shining shook his head. "I can't tell if that was your plan from the beginning or not," he sighed before turning around as the pegasus returned, holding the package with surprising ease. "Let me get that for you." he offered, his magic reaching out to grab the bag with mare giggling and letting him carry it. With his magic, Shining opened the door and the two of them walked out in the street with Vinyl grinning wider and shaking her head.

"What a dork," she said to herself as she walked out the door.

Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven

Stepping inside the town hall, Twilight saw that a white-coated unicorn with a purple mane was busily hanging up ribbons and other decorations around the building with her telekinesis.

"Rarity!" Sweetie Belle called, causing the other unicorn to jerk to a halt.

"Sweetie Belle!" Rarity looked rather indignant at the interruption. "Just a moment, I am 'in the zone', as it were." One more ribbon tied up, and then, nodding at her work with a satisfied look, she trotted over.

"Now, what is it- oh my word," she suddenly said, seeing Twilight and Onyx, and eying the latter in particular before she began batting her eyelashes as she ran her eyes over him. "Who is this handsome fellow?"

"Happily married," Onyx replied dryly, causing Twilight to flatten her ears at his bluntness.

"I... oh. Oh, I'm terribly sorry then," Rarity replied, her posture changing to a more business-like one, before she looked at Twilight. "And to you as well, miss..."

"Twilight Sparkle," Twilight said with a smile, hoping she could salvage the situation.

"Twilight, then. I do sincerely apologize for my behaviour towards your husband there, and-" She cut herself off as Twilight began to snicker, before looking up at Rarity again.

"I'm afraid you've made another little error there," she said. "I'm single. We're just traveling together."

"Oh, I... I am sorry again then," Rarity said with a heavy blush. "Well. What brings you here?"

Twilight smiled. "Onyx and I are from a really, really long way off," she said. "But we wanted to come out and see what some of the rest of Equestria was like."

"And soon after we arrived, we met your sister and her friends," Onyx said, nodding at the trio. "She suggested we come and meet you."

Rarity nodded. "Then thank you for bringing them to me, Sweetie," she said. Turning her head back to Twilight and Onyx, she gave them both a friendly smile. "It is very nice to meet you. How do you find Ponyville so far?"

"It's a nice-looking town," Twilight said. "The ponies have been friendly. Especially your sister and her friends," she added, nodding in the direction of the three little fillies who'd by now gone off to look at the decorations with big smiles on their faces.

Rarity smiled. "Yes, we do try to be welcoming of others," she said. "Ponyville may have been founded by Earth ponies, but all kinds have settled here since then."

They chatted back and forth a bit as Rarity went back to adding more decorations to the interior of the building, until finally Onyx excused himself for a few minutes. Once he was gone, Rarity's demeanor changed again.

"Confidentially," she asked Twilight, leaning in and speaking quietly. "You must be quite close to your friend's wife, if she's all right with the two of you traveling together."

Twilight took a moment to compose herself, before answering. "Red Rocket and I do get along well," she said. "He's quite the nice pony."

Rarity did a double-take. "Did you say... oh. Oh, no wonder," she said. "Twilight, darling, I must apologize again. I must have offended your friend horribly."

"You didn't know and I know Onyx won't hold it against you for making a mistake about who his partner is," Twilight said, her expression softening.

Rarity nodded her head firmly. "I still must apologize to him directly," she said. "And... might I ask, are you..."

"Undecided," Twilight told her. "I'm close friends with a couple of ponies of both genders, but I've been too busy with a lot of other things to figure out if I want to develop those friendships into anything more. Besides that, none of them have asked me directly about going out on a date, and I don't want to accidentally make things awkward between us by asking first in case they aren't interested, or to just rush into a romance I'm not ready for and mess up what we already have." She blinked, then looked at Rarity and blushed. "Some ponies would say that I'm overthinking it, but when it comes to something like this, I'd rather be safe than sorry. And speaking of sorry, I think I'm babbling now, and I'm sorry about that too."

Rarity nodded. "Nothing to worry about, darling," she said. "Your thoughts on these matters are quite understandable. Would that I had put that kind of thought into some of my own past romantic endeavors."

She was about to say more, when Onyx returned, and she immediately turned and bowed to him. "My dear sir," she said. "I am frightfully sorry at the misunderstandings I made about you, and Twilight. I do hope you can forgive me."

"Nothing to worry about, miss Belle," Onyx said, looking a little taken aback. "You are not the first to make such assumptions, and I am sure you won't be the last."

Then he turned to Twilight. "If you don't mind, I think we should be moving on."

Twilight nodded. "You're right. Rarity, it was nice meeting you."

"Oh, it was nice meeting you too," Rarity said. "Stop by my boutique anytime you feel like, darling, if ever you're in the market for a custom outfit. I make the most charming designs for both stallions and mares, if I do say so myself."

"I'll try," Twilight said, before she and Onyx said their goodbyes to the Crusaders, and then left.

They'd only been outside for a moment before Twilight happened to glance in one direction and saw an amber unicorn, with a red and yellow mane, and three other ponies standing with her.

In an instant, she had the sudden feeling that things were about to get interesting.

"Hello there," Sunset said, walking towards the lavender unicorn before Pinkie dashed forwards and looked at the two, letting out a loud gasp.

"Ohmygosh, two more new ponies in town!" she said excitedly. "Who are you? Where are you from? What kind of cupcakes do you like? Huh? Huh? Huh?"

Both the newcomers looked taken aback by Pinkie's exuberance and barrage of questions, so Sunset stepped up. "Easy there Pinkie," she said. "One question at a time."

"Thank you," the mare said, flashing a look of gratitude at her. "I'm Twilight Sparkle, this is Onyx Plate, and we're from a really, really long way away."

"Oo, where?" Pinkie asked still bouncing up and down excitedly.

"Um." Twilight ducked her head. "Let's just say we took the scenic route."

Pinkie looked at her expectantly, but it was Onyx Plate who spoke. "It was an experience," he said. "And you are?"

"Oh! I'm Pinkie Pie! And what kind of cupcakes do you like?"

Onyx looked a bit startled, before she held up a hoof. "Wait, wait, don't tell me... Ooh! I got it! Be right back!" She dashed off, leaving both Twilight and Onyx blinking.

"No offense intended, but just how much sugar did that mare have before she met us?" Twilight asked, still looking startled.

"That's Pinkie for ya," Applejack said with a chuckle. "She just loves meetin' new ponies."

"So I gathered," Twilight said.

Applejack smiled. "Ah'm Applejack," she said, holding out a hoof.

"Apple... oh! You must be Apple Bloom's sister!" Twilight said, accepting it.

"Already met her, have ya?" Applejack asked, giving her a curious look.

"She and her friends saw us shortly after we arrived and were kind enough to show us the way to Town Hall," Onyx explained. "They're still inside, if you're looking for them."

Applejack nodded approvingly, then gestured. "These here are Rainbow Dash and Sunset Shimmer," she said. "Sunset's new in town too."

Sunset stepped up. "Nice to meet you," she said, extending her own hoof, which Twilight shook.

"Nice to meet you too," she said. "My friend Onyx and I are just traveling to learn more of Equestria and so far, it has been lovely."

"Happy to hear it," Sunset said. "Are you here on official business?"

Twilight shook her head. "Oh, no," she said. "Sweetie Belle just brought us here to introduce us to her sister."

"Ah." Sunset nodded. "I actually have to go in and meet her, see how she's doing with the decorations for the Summer Sun Celebration."

Twilight nodded back. "We'll let you go to that," she said. "But from what I could see, they looked just wonderful."

"Are you going to be staying here?" Pinkie asked, bouncing up to them again.

"I don't see why not," Twilight said. "For a few days, at least."

"Great! Here!" Pinkie whipped out a pair of cupcakes, with Twilight accepting one and Onyx the other. One bite, and her eyes lit up. "Mm!"

Sunset smiled, then excused herself to go inside and speak to Rarity.

Once she'd had a chance to meet the other unicorn, look over the decorations and give them all her approval, she returned outside, just in time to hear Twilight saying something to Applejack.

"-actually, I haven't had the chance to eat an apple product from an Apple family."

"What, really?" Applejack frowned for a moment, before her expression cleared. "You don't know what you're missin' out on then."

"No, but I'd be interested in finding out," Twilight said. "If that's okay with you, that is."

Applejack chuckled. "Never let it be said that an Apple let somepony go hungry," she said, before seeing Sunset. "Ah'm sorry, sugarcube, but Ah got to get back home an' show these two our cookin'."

"It's no problem," Sunset told her. "I need to get going too. I still have one thing to check on for the festivities before I can speak to the mayor."

Applejack nodded. "You take care of yerself now," she said.

Sunset nodded back. "I will. See you again soon, I hope."

"Sure thing," Applejack said with a smile.

Sunset watched as the three headed back towards Sweet Apple Acres, then glanced at the other ponies she had met today. "So..."

Rainbow Dash held up a hoof. "Fun as it's been, I oughta go check up on some stuff too. See you later!" She flew off.

Sunset smiled. Idly noting that Pinkie, whom she knew had still been there when she first exited the building, had disappeared without a word when Sunset wasn't looking (and how did that mare do that anyway? It was almost like she'd teleported), she trotted off in the direction that her notes indicated.

It took her a while, but she heard the sound of birdsong, and then a voice saying "Oh my. Um, stop please, everyone, umm. Excuse me, sir? I mean no offense, but your rhythm is just a teeny-tiny bit off. Now, follow me, please. A-one, a-two, a-one two three-"

The birdsong resumed, and Sunset smiled. She waited until it had stopped, then trotted in its direction and up to the pegasus mare who was evidently conducting the bird choir, and who looked a little surprised to see her.

"Um... hello," she said softly.

Sunset smiled again. "That was wonderful," she said. "You're Fluttershy, right? The one responsible for the music at the Summer Sun Celebration here?"

"I-yes, I am," Fluttershy replied just as quietly.

"Well, I can safely say that's taken care of." Sunset levitated her checklist and marked it off. "You're really good with them."

Fluttershy ducked her head shyly. "Animals are my specialty," she said from behind her mane.

"Good to know," Sunset told her. "You must help a lot of them around here. What kinds do you take care of, besides birds?"

"All kinds," Fluttershy replied, peering at her. "Do you like animals?"

Sunset chuckled. "Well... some of them. You should meet my little ray of sunshine some day."

Fluttershy perked up at that. "You have a pet?"

"Yeah," Sunset told her. "Ray's a leopard gecko, and he's... well, I wasn't planning on getting a pet back then, but I laid eyes on him one day by chance and just knew we were meant for one another. He's been with me ever since."

Fluttershy beamed happily. "Is he here with you?"

Sunset shook her head. "No... I didn't want to risk something happening to him while we were away from home. I got him a petsitter though, the same mare who used to foalsit for me when I was little. She takes good care of him for me whenever I have to be away from home for a day or so."

Fluttershy nodded approvingly. "That's really good of you," she said.

They chatted a bit more, and then Fluttershy went back to conducting her birds, while Sunset headed back into town.

When she returned to Town Hall, she headed into the building, hoping the mayor would be there this time.

Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight

Despite Love Hearts claiming she needed to get back to work, she had reassured him a number of times that she wouldn't get in trouble if she was a bit late and that she wanted to know more of him.

So Shining told her the truth, or as much as he could.

"Really, you're the second in command of your village's defences?" she asked, licking her ice cream with Shining nodding his head. They had stopped at an ice cream parlor before heading back to her workplace and Shining had insisted on paying for them, citing the fact that she had already spent a lot of bits on the models. "That's really impressive Shining."

"Yeah, but Onyx is really much better than me," Shining said with a blush. "I'm really just good at shields and protective bubbles." He took a moment to take a nibble of his ice cream before looking at the mare. "I'm honestly surprised you're believing all of this."

"I like to think of myself as a good judge of character; I have a knack for seeing what's in ponies' hearts," she said with a giggle. Shining was unable to help but chuckle back, smiling at her.

"I think Twilight would like you," he said.

"Another friend?" Love Hearts asked, arching an eyebrow.

"My little sister," Shining Armor replied. When Love Hearts gave an understanding smile, he continued. "She spends most of her time reading or working on her own projects, and she isn't perfect when it comes to relating to people outside our family, but she's got a good heart, and she does make the effort."

"What kind of books does she read?" Love Hearts asked, tilting her head at him.

"Mostly nonfiction," Shining told her. "She loves to research." He gave an amused smile. "And the whole reason she started really practicing her telekinesis was so she'd be able to read and walk at the same time."

Love Hearts giggled. "I'd like to have seen that," she said.

They chatted amicably as they continued along, until finally, Love Hearts slowed her pace. "Shining Armor, it's been wonderful getting to meet and know you," she said. Then she frowned as they turned the corner with a castle looming in front of them and she gave him a guilty look. "Though I have to admit, I wasn't exactly being honest with you."

That's when Shining noticed a pair of guards approaching, and tilted his head before Love Hearts shook her own head at them. "He is with me," she said with Shining about to ask her what was going before she began to glow, a horn revealing itself on her forehead as she disabled what must have been an invisibility spell on it.

"By the stars and moon," Shining breathed as he stared at her in awe. "You're an alicorn? I didn't know there was more than one here."

Love Hearts turned on him, glaring intently at him before her eyes widened. "You're not just a moon celebrating pony, are you?" she asked with Shining cursing his slip of his tongue.

"I suppose I wasn't exactly honest with you either," he said, preparing to teleport away and send a flare into the sky that Vinyl would hopefully see and recognize as a signal to retreat to the fallback point. "The truth is, I'm from the moon. Will it be a problem?"

"No, no," Love Hearts said, shaking her head as she continued into the castle, Shining following suit. "In fact, it might be good for us all."

Shining Armor looked at her questioningly, but decided it could wait. "So these miniatures," he asked instead, keeping in pace with her in the corridors. "What are they for?"

"My team uses them to keep track of the avengers," she said, looking at his confused face and sighed. "Right, you might not have heard of them, considering how distant and isolated your village is." She tilted her head at the guards around a door, who opened it to let them into what appeared to be a soldier's operation room with how the ponies seemed to be gathered around tables and non-holographic boards, with different maps and lists of information that he did his best to memorize for later. She continued past them, leading Shining to what appeared to be a bedroom of all things, shutting the door behind them. "The avengers call themselves this due to what happened after the Longest Night."

"Or the Night of Departure," Shining offered with the mare tilting her head before realization dawned on her.

"I see," she said before blinking and shaking her head. "As I was saying." Before she could continue though, Shining Armor raised a hoof.

"Wait, before we go on, what is your real name?" he asked her as he'd begun to doubt Love Hearts was her real name after she exposed her true status to him.

Love looked at him briefly, before closing her eyes and sighing. "Formally, it's Mi Amore Cadenza," she said. "But among friends, I go by Cadance. I take it your name isn't a lie?"

"No, I really am Shining Armor," he replied. "We didn't think we'd need aliases for this."

Cadance smiled briefly at that before going back to business.

"These 'avengers' claim they're out to 'right the wrongs done to Equestria by the night-lovers'," she said, looking rather disgruntled at that for a moment, and Shining Armor couldn't blame her.

"After our two nations split apart, Princess Celestia went ahead with the trials for the ponies who'd left with her sister," she said. "Due to the absence of your ancestors to defend themselves, the courts found the day-ponies innocent of the accusations that they'd started the conflict, meaning they weren't to be held responsible for all that occurred."

Shining Armor snorted in disgust, and Cadance gave him a look of agreement before she continued.

"This wasn't good enough for some of them, however. They wanted to achieve what they felt was proper 'justice' for those that died in the conflict, so they started a crusade, which is still ongoing, against any and all ponies who preferred the night, calling themselves the 'avengers of the bloody night'. Not only do they perpetuate all the negative myths about your nation and your people, these avengers also attack any ponies that they know to have moon or night based interests or any that they deemed to be a night or moon based pony."

Shining Armor grimaced, and Cadance continued. "Ever since I found out about them and what they do, I've been working to counter this as best as I could. I gathered a team of like-minded ponies, and I feel we've made incredible progress so far in curtailing their influences, powers and damage."

Shining took a moment to process all this before slowly tipping his head. "And these miniatures?" he asked, looking at her.

She blushed, looking off to the side. "Well, we do need representation of them and we kinda broke the last ones," she said with a giggle. "I wasn't lying about us needing new ones."

"Well," Shining said as he opened the door back into the conference room. "I guess I should start painting to help you guys out."

Cadance looked grateful. "You mean it?" she asked.

"I do," Shining nodded his head. "The main reason I'm here is to see what the ponies of Equestria are like as people; their attitudes and the like, seeing how they've changed in the past thousand years. Kind of a... hippologist from space."

"You and your friend?"

"As well as others," Shining Armor said. "I will not reveal exactly where they are; I do hope you understand why."

Cadance nodded. "For their own protection," she said. "I don't blame you."

Then she closed the door again for a moment. "One more question, while we're in here," she said quietly. "Is... is Aunt Luna all right?"

Shining Armor's eyes widened. "You're..."

"Celestia adopted me as her niece after I ascended," Cadance said. "And ever since I found out I had another aunt, I've been wanting to meet her, to let her know she has more family now." She looked at him more hopefully. "How is she doing?"

Shining Armor smiled. "I can't speak for her directly, but I think she'd be happy to know about you, and about your work," he said.

Cadance looked very happy at that. "I truly do wish I can meet with her, Shining," she said, walking up to him. "Preferably before she meets with her sister again, though I doubt it will happen that way." Shining gave a raised eyebrow before she shook her head. "You and your sister surely had your spats before you came to your senses, right?" Shining nodded his head with Cadance sighing as she walked over to a dresser with a mirror atop of it. "Well I have my worries that their first meeting will bring up those old grudges and grievances between them and I don't know if they will be able to let them go for the best of our nations. I hope that I could meet with Auntie Luna, Princess Luna, so I could try and make a connection with her and be an anchor of stability for her here."

"I hope so too," Shining told her. "We all know about our history in regards to Equestria and Luna does talk about it from time to time, especially when we're honouring the founders, but she very rarely mentions her sister and almost never by name."

"Aunt Celestia is the same," Cadance said with a sigh. "I only found out about my other aunt by accident. I don't know if she would have told me otherwise."

Just then, there was a knock on the door, and Cadance opened it slightly to reveal a concerned-looking face of a guard in the same simple looking armour, though Shining suspected it had its own protection spells built in. "Cadance? You okay in there?"

"Just fine," Cadance told the other pony. "I was explaining what we do here to my new friend."

"Gotcha." The other pony nodded. "Oh, and we're investigating something. Seems Prince Blueblood was spotted in the vicinity of a suspected avenger, and we're checking it out. Could be coincidence or it could be a connection."

"Be careful then," Cadance told him. "You know how Blueblood gets."

Then she saw Shining Armor's surprised look, and gestured for him to speak.

"Did they say, prince?" he asked. "As in, another alicorn?"

Cadance shook her head. "No, the only alicorns we know of are my aunts and I. The title's purely hereditary in Blueblood's case, he's descended from Princess Platinum of the old kingdom of Unicornia."

Shining Armor nodded. "Right."

"Trust me, Blueblood is the last pony we'd want to see ascending," Cadance told him. "I don't like to speak so harshly of somepony, but... he is a jerk, plain and simple, if not possibly worse."

Shining Armor nodded again. "I see. Somepony to avoid then."

"I only wish I could," Cadance said. "He leads the noble court in the senate for now. That gives him far more political power than I'm comfortable with him having, and Sunset feels the same way."

At Shining Armor's curious look, she elaborated. "Sunset Shimmer is Aunt Celestia's personal student. I used to foalsit her when she was little." She looked down for a moment, as if she were considering something, then continued. "She had... some issues for a while, but she got much better after a particularly rough patch, and now we're good friends."

"That's good to hear," Shining said, nodding his head. "Is there anypony else I should know about?"

"Probably," Cadance said. "I'll tell you more while we work."

Shining Armor nodded, and the two exited the room, heading to one of the tables where the new figurines lay waiting for them.

Once she'd seen Shining Armor was in good hooves, Vinyl had taken off to wander around the city herself, browsing a few places and generally doing her best to blend in while listening to the ponies around her.

While some of the ponies she encountered were jerks, and there did seem to be some prejudice against those deemed moon/night ponies - which in itself was a loose grab bag for intellectuals and social outcasts, the real mood she was getting is that most didn't actually care about the Lunar Republic. Or the possibility of what happened to the founders when they left Equestria, if she was being precise.

Which made sense, Vinyl thought to herself. For Equestrians, Director Luna had left with her ponies a thousand years ago and ponies nowadays had more important things to worry about. Sure, they had kept some history of the Night of Departure and they hadn't forgotten about them. But for most, it just wasn't worth thinking about.

Though some of the ones who were being jerks about it, she knew they'd have to keep an eye out for the worse examples.

Right now though, she was indulging in one of her own interests while still listening to the ponies around her: music. She'd found a store that sold musical supplies, including some interesting-looking records, and was browsing the shelves when she heard it.

She wasn't one for the normal, classical music in the Republic but this... this sounded good, and she couldn't help but bob her head to the beat, such as it were.

After a few minutes of the music, it stopped, and then she heard an elegant, refined-sounding voice saying, "Excellent work as always, sir. That was invigorating."

"No problem, miss Melody," a voice she recognized as one of the store's employees, whom she'd heard speaking around the time she came in. "Always glad to be of service."

The other pony must have smiled, because she sounded happy when she spoke again. "And a wonderful service it is, good sir," she said. "Your skills at instrument repair and tuning are invaluable to me." There was another sound, like somepony opening a case and putting an instrument into it, and then a clinking noise that must have been the instrument's owner hoofing over a bag of bits.

Another few moments of conversation, and then a gray Earth pony mare with a raven-black mane and wearing a pink bowtie came in Vinyl's direction, carrying a large cello case on her back. Vinyl hesitated for a moment, then stepped towards her. "Hey."

The mare gave her a look. "Er, hello."

"What I heard a bit ago," Vinyl started. "That was you trying out your instrument, seeing how it played after it got fixed, right?"

"Well, yes," the gray mare said.

Vinyl nodded. "That was fantastic playing," she said. "I don't think I've ever heard classical that sounded that good to me in my life."

The gray mare smiled. "Well, thank you, miss..."

"Vinyl Scratch," Vinyl said, sticking out a hoof, which the other mare accepted and shook.

"Octavia Melody," she replied. "Pleased to meet you."

"Pleased to meet you too," Vinyl said.

Octavia looked at her more closely. "I don't think I've seen you around before," she said.

"Just got into town today," Vinyl replied. "I'm normally a small-town girl, but I felt like checking out the big city for a while. See what the whole scene here was like." She waved a hoof. "And, of course, the music scene. I like the big beats."

Octavia nodded. "I am a classically-trained musician myself, but there is a certain elegance to some of the other genres," she said. "Especially the more rustic ones. I typically perform in Canterlot, but my true home has its own musical stylings, and they are quite good, if I do say so."

Vinyl nodded approvingly. "What kinds do you get out there, and around here?" she asked.

"Well..." Octavia blushed. "One of my extended kin specializes in a rhythmic country style that is quite popular in the area."

"Ah." Vinyl nodded again. "That must be neat. Most ponies tend to forget that those songs are usually where all of the original songs began from, with how they tie into the basic instructions for our ancestral parents telling their kids what to do and not to do in a way they can understand and remember."

Octavia looked at her in surprise, and was clearly pleased. "Will wonders never cease," she said. "Somepony who actually remembers and appreciates where country style comes from. Most up here would just dismiss it as old-fashioned, folksy stuff."

"Hey, a big part of learning music is all the possible styles and genres you can play in," Vinyl said. "Ponies who don't realize that are missing out on the whole point. Most dismiss me as a DJ because I just mix music but it's more a retelling of the stories in a unique, new and different way."

Octavia smiled. "Quite."

Then, with a gesture, she beckoned Vinyl onward. "Would you care to accompany me while I take my cello home, and then continue this discussion over dinner?"

Vinyl grinned, widening her eyes behind her shades. "I'd love to. Lead the way, Octavia."

Octavia nodded, and the two headed out, Vinyl with one thing on her mind.

I've a feeling this is the start of a beautiful new friendship, she thought gleefully.

Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten

The walk back to Octavia's Canterlot apartment wasn't that long, and the two chatted amicably along the way until they arrived. Once they'd gone in, Octavia disappeared into the other room to put her cello away, while Vinyl amused herself by looking at the pictures on the walls. One pony, she saw, was a kind of yellowish mare with a blue mane, wearing a green top, orange bandana and white hat, and playing a fiddle.

"This must be the one you were talking about earlier," she mused as Octavia came back into the room.

Octavia's eyes drifted to the picture, and she nodded. "My cousin, Fiddly Twang," she said. "Though she generally prefers to go by Fiddlesticks. Our mothers were sisters, but her father's cousins live in Ponyville, and that is where she spends most of her own time. I also have my own space in her home there, for such times when I feel the need to get away from the big city."

"Cool." Vinyl nodded. "Great sense in fashion." she teased with the other mare looking amused.

"Yes, she does have that," she said. "And it's quite comfortable, I must say."

Vinyl slowly turned to look at her, and Octavia gave her a sly look. "Fiddlesticks and I have actually dressed up as one another in the past," she said. "Her outfits look rather well on me, when I've also used the right dyes so that my coat and mane match her own."

Vinyl smiled. "Sounds like fun," she said. "Though I couldn't really pull it off. My coat and mane are really unique and any dyes tend not to stick too well. Plus, my eye colour is also pretty rare to boot."

"Oh?" Octavia tilted her head. "May I see them?"

Vinyl shrugged. "Why not." Lifting her shades, she revealed her face underneath, and Octavia nodded slowly.

"That is a lovely shade," she said. "A rather vivid reddish pink. Moderate cerise, is it not?"

"Yeah, that's the shade exactly," Vinyl said. "You've got a good eye - not many would get that."

Octavia smiled. "I am a mare of many talents," she said. "My family always encouraged me in the arts of all kinds from a young age. And while my Cutie Mark may have led me down a more musical path in life, I still have an appreciation for the visual arts as well."

"Makes sense to me," Vinyl said. "I kind of picture the music in my head when I'm performing, imagine what it'd look like on a canvas."

Octavia's eye lit up. "You do that too?" she asked. "Have you ever attempted to turn it into a physical example?"

"Nah, I'm nowhere near that good with paints and such," Vinyl said. "You?"

"Well, sometimes," Octavia said. "What other methods do you use?"

The two chatted more as Octavia directed Vinyl into the kitchen, where they continued their talk as Octavia prepared dinner. When she'd finished, they settled in the dining room to continue their chat as they ate.

Finally, it was late and Vinyl, much as she hated to say it, admitted it was time for her to leave for the night.

Octavia nodded understandingly. "I know just what you mean," she said.

The two headed for the door, and Vinyl smiled. "It's been great," she said. "But there's just one more thing I was wondering about."

"Oh?" Octavia regarded her.

"Yeah. Where'd you get that cute little bow tie of yours?" Vinyl asked.

Octavia chuckled. "I received it as a present from my aunt soon after I received my Cutie Mark," she said. "She said it would be just perfect for such performances as I tend to put on."

Vinyl smiled. "It suits you."

"Speaking of fashion," Octavia said. "I like your scarf."

Vinyl's hoof flew to it. "Er, yeah," she said. "Not just a fashion choice there."

Octavia frowned. "Is there something the matter?" she asked.

Vinyl hesitated, then figured she might as well tell the truth, or close to it. "Got some operation scars back there," she said. "From when I was real young. The scarf's so I can keep 'em covered up most of the time."

"Oh." Octavia deflated a bit, looking concerned. "Was it a painful one, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Painful?"

"The injury, or whatever it was, that necessitated an operation on a pony so young?"

Vinyl shook her head. "Birth defect," she said. "Not painful, just... obnoxious to have to deal with."

"What was it, if you don't mind me being incredibly personal, or is it a sensitive issue?" the earth pony asked with tremendous care and concern in her eyes.

"Eh..." Vinyl waved a hoof, hesitant to give the full story just yet, tied to her origins as it was. "Kind of hard to explain right now. I'll tell you when I've figured out how."

Octavia nodded. "All right. I can wait until later," she then blinked and looked at Vinyl. "There will be later; right?" Before Vinyl could even think to respond, the mare chuckled. "How silly, even if you do need to leave shortly, we can meet again either here, Ponyville or your home. I'd love to meet your family Vinyl."

Vinyl smiled. "I think LP and my folks would love to meet you too," she said. "Long Play's my big brother, by the way, and he does the same general style of music as I do." She glanced at the clock. "In fact, one of his friends is in town keeping an eye on me for him, and I need to go so we can meet back up."

Octavia nodded understandingly. "Vinyl, darling, it has been a wonderful experience getting to know you," she said. "See you again soon?"

"You know it, Octy," Vinyl said with a smile.

Octavia looked amused at the nickname. "Until then, Vinyl."

When Vinyl had made it a ways down the street, she looked back to see Octavia still waving and smiled, wishing she could go back and stay longer.

Vinyl swayed as she walked back to the game shop, replaying the music that Octavia had made in her head. She was annoyed that she didn't have her PCA with her so she could have stored the music within her voice box and replayed it later, but hopefully she could convince Director Luna to teleport her back down in the future so she could do so later on.

By the stars, she really wanted to tell Octavia the truth and get the go ahead to show the mare her place in the Republic, share everything with her and maybe move i-

"By the moon, I think I'm in love," Vinyl said to herself in surprise before she looked around her. Thankfully no one was really paying attention to her and heard what she said. Shaking her head with a blush on her face, she continued onto the shop where she saw Shining was talking to Love Hearts, with her friend having a big dopey grin on his face.

"Bye Hearts," Shining said, waving to the mare with the mare smiling and waving back, walking away with a skip in her step.

"Enjoy yourself?" Vinyl asked as she walked up to him.

"You could say that," Shining replied, still looking happy. Then his expression turned more serious. "You?"

"A mare never kisses and tells," she joked before she tilted her head down slightly. "How about we find a hotel so we can properly talk, Shiny?"

Shining Armor nodded, and the two set out.

"So a good date today?" Vinyl asked as Shining led them to a relatively cheap-looking hotel, with Shining doling out the bits to pay for their room. They had made small talk as they had walked, with Shining looking around that made Vinyl pretty sure he was sweeping the area for any possible threats.

"It wasn't just a date," Shining said a bit huffily as they walked into their room. "But yes, we did have a good time and her friends were able to tell me where I could get some good miniatures later on, among other stuff."

"Like what," Vinyl asked as she closed the door behind them, with Shining slapping down several barriers around them.

"Well, Love Hearts wasn't really who she said she was," Shining blushed, before he turned serious again. "It turns out Equestria's gotten another alicorn since Director Luna left for the moon."

Vinyl stared at him. "Are you bucking serious. A thousand years, and they just replaced her‽"

"No no, it's not like that," Shining shook his head. "Cady is, or was, a pegasus that achieved alicornhood on her own, with her own duties, and Princess Celestia adopted her into the royal family. And she's very eager to meet Luna and get to know her."

"Okay," Vinyl said, processing what her friend just said before her eyes lit up mischievous glee. "Cady? Are we being really familiar here or is somepony shooting for the brass ring?"

Shining groaned, which told Vinyl enough. "You're sweet on her!" she said gleefully.

"Yes, and not because she's an alicorn," Shining said with a sigh. "She's really kind, and friendly, and fun... she's a great person."

"Well that's great, if anypony could land a princess, it'd be you," Vinyl teased him with Shining giving her a snort.

"And how about you, did you meet anypony?" he asked.

"Met a fellow musician," Vinyl said quickly, though hopefully not too quickly. "She's awesome."

"Just awesome?" Shining asked, raising an eyebrow at her, telling her she had been too quick to answer.

"Let me put it this way," Vinyl said. "There's classical music, and then there's classical music, and Octy's got the second kind in her soul. Plus, she understands and appreciates my kind of stylings instead of just dismissing it like most of the snootier folks would."

Shining Armor chuckled. "Sounds like we both met somepony good today," he said. "And speaking of that, I was able to get a closer look at some of the operations of Equestria and some of their problematic groups."

Vinyl frowned. "Yeah, I heard some of that," she said. "Most of the ponies I heard talking about it just didn't care about us, but there were some who were being jerks about some of the other folks down here and just using the whole moon/night thing as an excuse."

"Well, I would put that under the fact it wouldn't be socially acceptable to act that way in the capital, but from some of the reports and information I was able to see, there is some elements of hostility like that from the Night of Departure," Shining said. "But Cady and her operatives are not only working to stop them but help ponies in more remote areas to change their mindsets so there won't be any more ponies that buy into these avengers' propaganda."

Vinyl's eyes widened. "Really? No wonder you liked her... and good on her, for doing all that," she said.

"Yeah," Shining said nodding his head.

"So... did you get to meet... the other princess?" Vinyl asked.

Shining Armor shook his head. "Cadance said she was going to be busy with a lot of stuff today, and besides, given how she'd found out where I was from, she didn't want her aunt to find out about me just yet," he said.

"She found out‽" Vinyl repeated. "How? Director Luna is going to kill you."

"No, I don't think so," Shining said. "Cadance is rather firmly on her side when it comes to protecting our people from the bigots." He ducked his head. "As for how... I may have let slip some phrasing that led her to figure it out."

Vinyl was still looking at him as he continued. "I like to think I'm a pretty good judge of character, and Cadance - she was too. She was surprised when she figured it out, and I could tell that if I'd tried to backtrack or lie to her, it would have just made her suspicious. But by being honest and showing what kind of pony I really was, she trusted me enough in return to show me what she and her group were up to. My honesty, being myself, has in all likelihood earned us a very powerful ally."

"And if she'd turned on you?" Vinyl asked.

"I can teleport, and we have emergency plans in case of something going wrong," Shining Armor said in a very stiff and formal tone that made Vinyl remember he was the Deputy Director of Security and not just some goofball. "Director Luna spoke to Onyx and I privately before, and we drafted our plans in case things did go wrong."

"That's good to know," Vinyl said, looking at her partner. "So, what do we do now?"

"We get some sleep, and go back to work in the morning," Shining said. "Cadance and I are meeting up again later, but I'll have a few hours to continue scoping things out beforehand. And you should probably do the same."

"Aye-aye, boss," Vinyl said with a salute.

Shining chuckled. "No need to be quite that formal, Vinyl. But seriously, rest up. We have another long day ahead."

Vinyl threw him one last grin, then climbed into one of the beds, setting her shades on the table next to it. Within minute, she was sound asleep.

Celestia was busy at her desk when she heard a pony knock on her door. Lifting her head up, she tried to anticipate who it was before she welcomed them in, and was surprised to see it was Blueblood actually trying to be subtle for once.

"Blueblood, to what do I owe this visit?" she asked as he closed the door behind him.

"Concern, Auntie" he said bluntly as he walked up to her desk. "While I was attending to matters here today, I saw Cadance with this stallion, and-"

"Blueblood, your cousin is a mare of incredible power, talent and resources," she cut him off, annoyed that he would waste her time with gossip. She had already went back to her paperwork, determined to finish them off so she could have an early night off. "If she wishes to spend her time with a pony, then I would not deny her that right."

"Please, if it were a normal pony, I would not have bothered you about this but something bothered me about him," Blueblood said. "His accent was something I never heard of before and how close he got to her was also somewhat alarming. I tried to have some ponies follow him and his companion to get some information, but this Shining Armor has managed to produce a very high level silencing spell. I implore you to allow me to investigate-"

Celestia's pen skidded across the paper, ruining it completely as she froze.

Shining Armor.

"Princess, is everything ok-"

"Leave now. Take no actions against him or his companion, Blueblood. Am I understood?" She narrowed her eyes at him, putting as much steel in her voice as she could without resorting to the Royal Canterlot voice.

Blueblood's eyes widened, and then he nodded, clearly taken aback by her sudden change of nature. Still, he kept quiet and backed out of the room without saying another word, leaving Celestia a moment to collect herself before she walked over to a special room, containing a magical mirror that had a matching mate on the moon.

She wasn't sure which Power had left it here or how they got past her guards and her personal protection spells but whatever the case was, it was a way for her and Luna to talk and see each other despite the distance.

Though Luna never actually used it properly.

"Luna," she said into the mirror, waiting for the signs for her sister to show she was there and she wasn't talking to a mirror. Her reflection soon vanished, with the blank, silver face of the mirror staring back at her. "We need to talk, face to face. Now."

Just like all the other times she tried to speak some sense into her sister, Luna had refused to activate the spells to show her face or even respond, showing how childish she was still being.

"You have her," Celestia said, pacing the room with her eyes narrowed and her coat ruffled, making Celestia glad she hadn't activated her side of the mirror either. Luna would undoubtedly enjoy seeing her a mess and she wouldn't give her sister that satisfaction. "You need to put your pride and ego aside, and bring her down to Equestria. We have only a year or so before Discord will escape and countless other possible dangers will emerge and we need the Elements of Harmony."

Still no reply, and Celestia wasn't surprised. Her sister was stubborn beyond belief and she wasn't sure what it would take to get Luna to see reason. Hopefully it would not be Discord attacking her followers; that would be countless lives in danger and for all Luna's faults, Celestia knew her sister wasn't that prideful and arrogant.

She sighed, shaking her head. "I suppose I will be seeing you tomorrow night," she said. "After all, it will have been a thousand years then. Just in time for the stars to aid in your return."

Suddenly, Celestia's ear flicked; she could have sworn she heard a snort of derision from the mirror. She gave it another hard look, wondering what game her sister was planning at before shaking her head.

"Until then, Luna."

With that, she deactivated the spell on the mirror, stalked out of the room and went to her own chambers, doing her best to prepare for what was coming tomorrow.

Luna stared at the mirror before shaking her head. She loved her sister, that went without saying but she had seen that her sister had not grown or changed at all, still expecting her to jump when Celestia called, ordering her around like she was still a lesser. That shot at the end, of comparing her to her other selves, had unfortunately managed to get to her. She had taken the steps to avoid becoming Nightmare Moon; talking to the Lord of Nightmares had headed off some issues as well as finding her ponies to center herself. She was not some lost mare without her facilities. She did not need the stars to aid her return; she was still herself.

Her ear flicked; she was unsure how Celestia had discovered who was on her moon but she had some ideas on how. Perhaps sending Shining was a mistake but she could not change the past.

"High Director?" a pony knocked at her door, making Luna lift her head from her musings. "Are you ready for your last review on your preparations for tomorrow night?"

Luna flashed a wicked grin at the mare. She had taken her into her confidence and explained what she wanted to do for her sister's precious ceremony, and the mare had leaped at it with gusto, though with some secrecy as she knew that several other Directors would have talked her out of it, or at least urged her not to do this for the reasons she'd presented to the unicorn.

"Yes I am, Sassy Saddles," she cackled with glee. "Tomorrow will be a night for all to remember."

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Eleven

Morning arose, and Twilight yawned as she climbed out of bed, ready to begin her day.

As she passed by Sunset's room, she heard a loud thud, and saw that the door was already open just a crack. Peering in, she saw the bedspread laying on the floor, a rather unamused Sunset still tangled up in it, and had to stifle a snort of laughter.

"I warned you," she heard Spike say. "If you didn't get up, I was going to get you up."

Sunset's response was low enough that Twilight couldn't quite hear it, and very likely unprintable, but whatever it was, Spike was evidently unimpressed.

"Breakfast is ready," he said. "Come on or you'll miss out."

Then he waddled over to the door to open it, and was clearly surprised to see Twilight. "Hey, Twi."

"Hey, Spike," she said. "I heard the sound and..."

"And thought you'd see if something was wrong?" Spike chuckled. "Nah, just me and Sunset going through her usual not-a-morning pony routine. Gotta drag her out of bed most days so she won't miss out."

Twilight nodded and moved back so he could come out of the room, following him downstairs. Onyx was already sitting at the table, and Sunset managed to stagger into the room, still yawning as she headed directly for the massive coffee pot in one corner, poured herself a cup and drained it in one swallow, then refilled it before she made her way to the table.

"Does she do this every morning?" Onyx asked, eyebrow raised as he was served.

"Yup," Spike replied.

Sunset growled as she sat down and started nursing her second cup. "My name is Sunset, not Sunrise, for a reason," she grumbled.

Twilight smiled, then dug into the plate of food she'd been served. "Mm!" she said happily.

Spike chuckled as he took some for himself. "You know, I've never had any complaints about my cooking," he said.

"And with good reason," Sunset said as she lifted her fork, finally looking properly awake. "You're one of the best. I think the only pony who ever would complain about your cooking is that one snooty critic back in Canterlot." She waved a hoof. "You know the one, that mare we heard Guston complaining about in the kitchens last week when he was reading the latest restaurant reviews in the newspaper? The one whose motto is basically 'the blander the better'?"

"Oh yeah, her," Spike recalled. "Eh, I don't pay any attention to that type. They just don't know what they're missing out on."

"No offense Sunset, but as fast as you drink your coffee, I can't help but wonder how you can taste anything yourself," Twilight noted.

"Eh. With my magic, and some of the spells I've worked into myself, I'm basically immune to heat," Sunset told her. "And I came up with a spell to regenerate my taste buds a long time ago, just in case."

"Really?" Onyx looked surprised. "That is impressive."

Sunset nodded. "I've always been good with magic related to fire and heat," she said. "The examiners at Celestia's school said I was the only unicorn they'd ever seen who could generate enough heat to hatch a dragon's egg all on my own - normally it takes a volcano's output worth of it, and nopony's ever been able to do that with just their own magic; the last time it happened, it took half a dozen of them working together to get the temperature up high enough."

"Quite a feat then," Onyx said. "So what are your plans for the rest of the day?"

"Well..." Sunset considered. "Preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration are pretty much all done except clearing the sky, and that's scheduled for later. I don't really have anything that needs doing today." She tilted her head and looked at them. "How about you two, what are your plans?"

Twilight blinked, and traded glances with Onyx. "Well..."

She knew what she was supposed to be doing, but at the same time she couldn't help wanting to stay indoors, going through all the books in the library with Sunset to see what they had. She could only hope that Onyx was able to read her expression, and the simple request it was trying to direct at him: Help!

Thankfully, he understood. "I don't suppose any of you would object to going out and doing some ponywatching, would you? Twilight and I are interested in seeing more of what the ponies outside our village are like, and while last night's celebration was certainly entertaining, I would like to see more of what the locals are like in their daily lives."

"Well, actually, I was wondering if you would like to do more research Twilight but if you made plans with Onyx there," Sunset began with the stallion shaking his head.

"Nonsense, if you two want to spend more time together in your books, then go ahead," Onyx said. "I can manage on my own for a while." He flashed Twilight a look. "Besides, Twilight's teacher is always encouraging her to make new friends, and far be it from me to discourage her when she's found one right here."

"Princess Celestia is the same way for Sunset," Spike offered with a chuckle.

Both Twilight and Onyx blinked. "Wait, Princess Celestia?" they asked simultaneously.

Sunset nodded, a rather resigned look on her face. "Yeah... I'm kind of her personal student," she said.

Twilight and Onyx again traded glances, then Twilight turned to Sunset. "What's she like?" she asked. "As a person, I mean."

Sunset looked surprised. "I don't think anypony's ever asked me that before," she said. "She's... well, sometimes she's the kindest, most understanding pony you could imagine. Other times, she's really... intense, I guess. And sometimes, she'll go to the wall for a pony if she feels they need it." She sighed. "Even if they were really rotten to her before."

Twilight had a feeling there was a story there, but decided not to push. Instead, she said, "I see."

There was silence for a while, as everyone present ate and thought, and then Onyx rose. "Twilight, Sunset, I will leave you to your studies," he said. "Spike? Would you care to come with me while I explore the town? That is, if Sunset doesn't mind."

Sunset shook her head. "Go ahead," she said. "Twilight and I can take care of cleanup, and I'll see you both later."

Spike thanked her, and then he and Onyx left.

While both Twilight and Sunset had wanted nothing more to start reading, they had also agreed it was far too nice of a day to stay inside. They had gathered several books they had started going over last night and headed towards one of the many parks available, and settled in for a lively discussion.

Sunset couldn't help but smile as she saw the look on her new companion's face as they reviewed things. It was so rare that she met anypony who enjoyed learning as much as she did, and Twilight... well, she'd seen it before, but the sheer joy on the other mare's face and knowing what brought it on still made her happy.

Sometimes, other ponies would pass by, some peering at them curiously, a few chuckling in amusement over their behavior. Sunset didn't mind, tuning those types out. She'd learned to ignore such ponies long ago.

At least one looked eager to stay and listen, though she also looked hesitant to interrupt them and ask for clarification on some point or another, and seemed rather disappointed when her friends finally urged her to move on with them right as Twilight seemed about to ask if she had a question.

"Hey, Twilight," Sunset said quietly when the three little fillies had left. "Do you teach, back home?"

Twilight shook her head. "It's something I wouldn't mind doing sometime," she said. "But I haven't had the opportunity yet."

"Too bad." Sunset looked at her. "I think you'd probably do a good job of it."

"Yeah..." Twilight gazed in the direction that their watchers had gone. "If I stay long enough, maybe I can talk to Sweetie Belle about what she wanted. She certainly seemed interested there for a while."

"Well, who is to say you can't move over here?" Sunset offered. "I mean, Equestria is a large country but you could always go back home to visit your friends and family, right?"

Twilight blushed. "Maybe... it's kind of a long commute," she said. "That was actually one of the things I was worrying about before I agreed to come out on this whole thing." She then blinked and giggled. "That and I kinda already do have a job back home that I couldn't in good conscience just leave behind."

"What kind?" Sunset asked, curious to learn more of this mare's life.

"Some... very specialized work, for one of our local government's big projects," Twilight said. "I'm sorry, but I'm not supposed to talk about it any more than that general description. Let's just say that I enjoy my work, and there really isn't anypony who can do it the way I do."

"Ah." Sunset nodded. "So, what about your family? What do they do?"

"Oh. Well, Shiny works in security, and Mom's in charge of housing for our village," Twilight said. "Dad's in the village's lighting department."

"So he is a candle maker or something?" Sunset asked.

"Or something," Twilight said. "We have a more... modern lighting system."

Sunset let it slide, but it made her wonder. "Must be some amazing village that you have a modern lighting system. The only place I could think that would be would be Manehatten or something along those lines; even Canterlot hasn't truly moved on from candles and more traditional lighting materials."

"It's wonderful back home," Twilight told her. "The view is spectacular, everypony works hard to make things better for us as a society..." She sighed. "It's not perfect, there've been a few hiccups over the years, but we've really done our best to move forward together."

"You have to tell me where your village is so I can visit one day," Sunset said. "It sounds like a great place."

"I'll... see what I can do," Twilight said. "I'm sure our Head Director wouldn't mind letting you visit, if I vouch for you."

"Head Director?" Sunset said with a head tilt. "I don't think I've heard that term before."

Twilight nodded. "Our governmental system is kind of different from-" she hesitated, and for a moment Sunset thought she was reconsidering what she was about to say, but then she continued. "The rest of Equestria. Instead of one mayor, we have a twelve-member Board of Directors, with each of them running their own department. The Head Director runs the Department of State, which is kind of like the mayor's office here in that they confirm and uphold the local laws, but all the Directors get their own say in decisions that affect us all."

"That's very unique," Sunset said with a frown. "I'm really surprised I haven't heard of it before."

"Yeah, we don't exactly have much contact with everywhere else," Twilight said. "That's one of the things we're hoping to change, and... well, it's part of why I'm here. We've been isolated for so long, and our Head Director wants to make stronger ties with the rest of Equestria-" and again Sunset caught that narrow slip. "She sent Onyx and I out to see what the ponies in the rest of the country were like."

Sunset blinked. Before she could even begin, she heard a cough. Turning around, she saw Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Rarity looking at her. It was Applejack who spoke first. "Well... Ah hope we've made a good impression."

Twilight nodded. "You have with me," she said. "Ponyville's been so welcoming so far." She looked down. "There are a few things I've heard about some ponies' attitudes that worried me, but they were all about ponies outside of Ponyville."

Applejack laid a hoof on her shoulder. "Well, Ah hope ya don't hold them ponies' actions against the rest of us," she said. "Ponyville tries to be welcomin' to others, unless'n they act hostile to us first."

"Like that one creepy mare who always paws at the ground whenever she comes into town," Rainbow Dash muttered.

"That kinda sounds like a zebra to me," Sunset said. "They don't leave their homeland too often, so most ponies aren't familiar with them." She looked at Rainbow Dash. "Her coat - was it all white and black stripes?"

"Yeah, that's it exactly," Rainbow Dash said.

Sunset nodded. "Then she must be a zebra," she said. "They live in Farasi - it's really far away from Equestria. And I can get why her pawing the ground would seem threatening, but it isn't, really - it's a zebra's way of looking for water."

All three mares stared at her. "Ya mean..." Applejack said slowly. "She wasn't tryin' to show she was angry? She was just sayin' she wanted a drink?"

"Exactly," Sunset said.

Applejack shook her head. "Now Ah feel sheepish," she muttered. Then she straightened. "But there's more to it than just that. She lives in the Everfree, an' that place scares the bejeebers out of all of us."

"Why?" Twilight asked.

"Well," Applejack said. "The Everfree Forest just ain't natural. The plants grow, the animals care for themselves, an' the clouds move all on their own. Out here, we gotta encourage the plants with our magic. The animals can't migrate without help. An' our weather's all done by hoof." She shook her head. "But the Everfree does all that by itself. Besides, it's got some pretty nasty beasts out there. Ah don't know how Zecora keeps 'em from goin' after her."

Sunset shrugged. "That sounds like how things happen in Farasi," she said. "Or pretty much anywhere else outside of Equestria. They don't move the seasons along or control the weather over there. They just let nature take its course."

All three mares blinked, and then Rarity shook her head. "You are surprisingly calm about such things, darling," she said.

Sunset sighed. "I spent some time living in a place like that myself, outside of Equestria," she said. "I had to get used to it in a real hurry."

"So where did ya go Sunny?" Pinkie asked, the mare suddenly appearing by their side. Sunset and Twilight both jumped back in shock at her unexpected appearance, and Sunset laid a hoof over her chest, trying to calm her racing heart.

"How did you do that?" she asked, still stunned.

"Do what?" Pinkie asked.

Sunset opened her mouth as if to say something, changed her mind, and sighed. "Right."

"So where was that place you stayed for a while?" Rarity asked.

Sunset shook her head. "I don't want to talk about it," she said. "I was in a really, really bad place mentally and emotionally when I went there, and... well, it's not something I like thinking about."

"Then you don't need to say anything," a soft voice said, and Sunset looked up to see Fluttershy standing over her, having joined the others when she wasn't looking.

"She's right," Twilight said, placing a hoof on her arm. "You don't have to talk about it if it upsets you."

Sunset smiled at both mares' kind words. "Thank you," she said. "Maybe someday... just not yet."

Then she looked around. "So, what's up?"

"Just gettin' the last stuff ready for the Summer Sun Celebration, thought we'd run it by ya," Applejack said.

"Like what?" Sunset asked.

"Last few dishes an' such," Applejack said. "Rarity's helpin' me set everything out, an' makin' sure they have everything set up for Fluttershy's birds."

"And I'm helping them reach the higher stuff," Rainbow Dash said.

"So if you want some samples, come on over," Applejack added.

Sunset smiled. "I'd love it," she said. "Twilight?"

Twilight nodded. "I could go for some," she said.

Applejack smiled back. "Then let's do this," she said.

It took the two unicorns only a short time to pack up their books and then follow the five locals over to where Applejack had been setting up for that night. A stallion, Applejack's big brother as she recalled, was unloading the food from the wagon with other ponies from the Apple clan helping him.

"Boy, your family are very good cooks," Sunset said, taking a few offered samples as she helped finished setting up the area.

Applejack beamed happily at the compliment. "Well thank you," she said. "Twilight, what'd you think?"

Twilight swallowed what she'd been eating before she answered. "I don't know how I've gone so long without being able to try anything like what you've got here," she said. "This is great!"

"Thank ye kindly, sugarcubes," Applejack said. "We do our best."

"This is beyond doing your best, I don't think we eat this good in Canterlot," Sunset said as she flashed them a smile.

"Awe, shucks," Applejack said. "You mean all them rumors about the fancy eats they got up there ain't true?"

Sunset chuckled. "Depends on what you've heard. In my opinion, a lot of it's an acquired taste that I don't know why you'd want to acquire. I'd take good home cooking over most of the fancy stuff they served at the last dozen 'galas' I had to go to." She made a face. "Thankfully, the pony hosting insisted on also including some dishes that were more to hers and my tastes then."

"You get invited to a lot of those, huh?" one of the Apples, whose name she hadn't caught yet, asked.

"The hostess was also my teacher," Sunset said. "It's... well, she liked having the company of somepony who wasn't trying to suck up to her or stand around talking about how much they care when it's clearly just an act. It is one of the reasons why she enjoys my former foalsitter's company so much; Cadance doesn't pretend to care, she genuinely does. And if she does have an issue with my teacher, she's not afraid to say it."

Applejack nodded. "Sounds lahk a mare Ah could get along with," she said.

"Yeah, most ponies would agree with you on that," Sunset said. "Except for certain snooty jerks of our unfortunate acquaintance."

Applejack chuckled. "Ah can guess the type," she said. "Though Ah'm a bit proud ta say that we don't have much of them in our clan. Ah do have an aunt and uncle in Manehatten who have deal with that sort as part of their business, but they don't act lahk that themselves."

They all went back to work then, and soon everything was all set up and ready for the next morning.

It had slowly become night, with the group of seven talking among each other and the other ponies arriving in the town hall, including a couple of new visitors.

"Shiny, what are youdoing here?" Twilight asked the stallion of the group of four ponies that walked into the town hall, moving in to hug him. Along with Shining and Vinyl, they seemed to be with a gray Earth pony mare and a pink pegasus.

"Well, Love here kinda asked me out, and one thing led to another," he chuckled, rubbing the back of his head. "And we know that Vinyl here is bad with directions, so I brought her along so she won't get lost."

Vinyl glared at him, with the mare by her side snickering. "Very funny, Shining," she said completely deadpan. "I'm not that bad."

"So who is this fine stallion, Twilight?" Rarity asked, tilting her head at him.

Twilight rolled her eyes. "Girls, Spike... meet my big brother, Shining Armor," she said. "And apparently, his date for the evening..."

"Love Hearts," the pegasus said, giving Twilight a studying look, before smiling at her. "It's nice to meet you, Twilight. Shiny's told me quite a bit about you."

Twilight smiled back. "Nice to meet you too," she said, before gesturing to Vinyl. "And this is our mutual friend Vinyl Scratch; her brother and Shiny hang out a lot."

"As I've heard; they are in a little band as well as gathering to play some tabletop game together," the mare next to Vinyl said. "Hello, my name is Octavia Melody."

After Twilight had greeted her, she saw Applejack grinning. "Good to see ya again, Octavia," she said. "How's it goin'? We haven't seen you down here in a while."

"Yes, one of the reasons I was looking forward to visiting today," Octavia said.

Vinyl cocked her head, and then Twilight could almost see her eyes lighting up. "This must be one of your cousin's cousins," she said.

Octavia nodded, and Vinyl stuck out a hoof. "Nice to meet you then," she said.

"Likewise," Applejack said, returning the hoofshake as Sunset smiled at Love Hearts.

"Good to see you taking a break, Love," she said in a teasing tone.

"You know one another?" Rarity asked, looking between the two.

"Love here and my old foalsitter Cadance are real close," Sunset said. "I've spent a lot of time with her too."

Applejack had a strange look on her face at Sunset's words, but shook it off. "Welcome to Ponyville then," she said. "Ah hope ya enjoy yer time here."

Love Hearts smiled. "I'm sure I will," she said, looking at the stage where Princess Celestia would soon emerge. "And I am certain it will be very memorable." She then nuzzled Shining, pointing his head towards a buffet table. "Come, let's go get a bite, Shiny."

"Sure thing," Shining Armor said. "Catch up with you in a bit, Twily."

"Wow," Sunset said to Twilight as the two walked away. "They're really into each other, aren't they?"

Twilight nodded. "I don't think I've ever seen him like this around anypony before," she said. "They must have only met yesterday too."

"Well, I guess that is how true love works, darlings," Rarity said as she passed them, giving the two a coy wink. "If you know, you know." She then giggled, trotting away.

Both Sunset and Twilight stared at each other before laughing. They then turned their heads to Shining and Love Hearts, smiling at the pair.

"You know," Twilight said to Sunset, who had got closer to her. "They seem so natural like that. Like they belong together."

"They really do," Sunset said with a happy sigh, leaning against the lavender unicorn before a hush began to run across the crowd.

All eyes went to the stage as the curtains began to pull back. And as they did, Twilight had a sudden feeling that something big was about to happen. Something much more than just Princess Celestia arriving...

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Thirteen

Trotting up to her student's side as they walked, Luna smiled at her. "I am pleased to see you've made some new friends here," she said.

Twilight blushed. "Yeah... it's been great," she said.

"I'm glad you've enjoyed yourself," Luna told her. "I had hoped you would gain from this experience, and you have certainly done so."

Twilight's ears flattened as she blushed again, and Luna smiled at the sight. Really, Twilight looked so adorable when she did that.

Finally, they arrived at the library and settled in, Luna finding a place to lay down and gaze out at the group. "So," she said. "What more would you care to ask about me, and our people?"

Sunset was the first to speak. "A... couple of things, first," she said, before turning to Twilight. "Princess - Head Director Luna's the teacher you two mentioned, the one who was always encouraging you to make friends, right? And the leader of your village?"

"Yes," Twilight said.

Sunset chuckled. "Ironic, I guess." She faced the others. "Twilight and Onyx know this already, but since we're getting the truth out." She took a deep breath. "I'm not just Princess Celestia's representative, helping make sure the Summer Sun Celebration was ready. I'm her personal student. Sunset Shimmer," she added almost as an aside to Luna.

Luna chuckled at that, shaking her head. "How fitting that the students of the Night and Day should find each other so quickly. One would attribute it to fate if they did not know better."

Applejack nodded. "Ah thought there was somethin' special about you two," she said. Then she looked at Cadance. "An' yer Sunset's old foalsitter she mentioned, aren't ya?" she asked.

Cadance nodded. "That's me," she said. "Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, formally. But I go by Cadance outside of official events."

The others nodded, then Rainbow Dash suddenly looked wide-eyed. "Heeeeey..." Turning to Shining Armor, she pointed a hoof at him. "What happened to that pegasus friend of yours, Love Hearts?"

Before he could answer, Cadance blushed. "I am Love Hearts," she said. "It's a name and disguise I use in public sometimes, hiding my horn so as not to draw attention. When Aunt Luna arrived, I dropped the illusion."

"Kinda surprised ya didn't hide yer wings instead, Yer Majesty," Applejack said.

"Please, none of that," Cadance said. "Just call me Cadance; royalty tends to create a gap between ponies that anything could slide into. And I actually feel more comfortable hiding my horn; I was born a pegasus and ascended later. I feel it keeps me true to my roots."

"You can do that?" Rarity asked, looking wide-eyed. "Be born one type of pony and become an alicorn later?"

Cadance nodded. "In special cases. Mine involved pushing my special talent far beyond its limits while in the presence of a special catalyst. I don't know if that same method would work for another pony or not though."

"Magic is a tricky subject and to try to peer into its depth without a guide can lead to madness if not worse," Luna cautioned. "Careful study is needed to truly understand and respect the field you wish to master and that is a lesson my ponies know well."

Rarity nodded. "It must have been rather... complicated, arranging everything up there," she said. "What was it even like, when you first arrived?"

"Complex," Luna said. "It took us quite a long time to make the moon livable without needing to rely heavily on my own magic prowess; for the first period, we did not have nearly as much as we do now. My abilities were required to protect our people from the vacuum of space until we were able to complete the first of our domes, wherein we did our best to reproduce the conditions of the planet below. In a thousand years, we have managed to expand on the original, and to construct five more, each with its own dedicated purpose."

She gazed at each of them in turn. "It was hard work, conquering that frontier, with many more complications than those who expanded Equestria's territory would have faced. It is true we did not have to deal with dangerous wildlife. But in an environment where one mistake could cost you your ability to breathe, and consequently your life..." She shook her head. "My ponies were willing to risk it though, for the freedom to believe as they wished without being violently targeted by those who disagreed."

"Violently?" Fluttershy asked.

"Yes, dear..." she trailed off, pretending she didn't know her name. The longer it went on, the greater the chance of her slipping and revealing she knew more than she was telling them.

"Um, I'm Fluttershy," Fluttershy said softly.

"Fluttershy," Luna repeated. "But yes, a thousand years ago to this night, I had organized a party for ponies that chose to follow myself instead of my sister. During the private occasion, there was an altercation outside the event between our two ponies with Celestia's side starting what quickly devolved into a rather unpleasant and brutal fight. It seemed that everything that been happening up to that point had merely been the prelude before that bloody night occurred. It was only when Celestia showed up that the attackers finally listened to the proper authority and stood down." Luna pawed the ground looking more angered than Twilight had ever seen her before. Looking at Onyx who was similarly looking concerned, she trotted over next to her mentor and laid down beside her. Feeling her student by her side, Luna looked down at her, and her expression eased.

"As I'm sure you can guess, this is an issue that has been weighing on me for a very long time," she said. "I have seen much, and done much, in a very long life. And there are some things that make me very angry. That these ponies were attacked simply for appreciating myself and my night over Celestia and her day is one of those things. That Celestia felt we were at fault and sought to punish them is another. And so, fed up with her attitude, I and my ponies departed Equestria for the moon, so we could live in peace."

"Excuse me Director Luna," Cadance said, her tone and body shifting to a more professional tone. "But I believe the records of that night showed that Princess Celestia wished to have proper trials for all those involved while you wished to have those who attacked you executed as traitors."

"As a fitting punishment for those who attacked their ruler," Luna said with steel in her voice. "But yes, that did occur. Celestia's selective bias rearing its unwanted head was too great for me to accept that time so we left to found a more fair and just nation than the one we were leaving behind."

"Thank you," Cadance said, bowing her head. "I am sorry if this subject is a sensitive topic but as it is, we only have one of the three sides of this story and having all the facts could allow us to move on."

"Three?" Luna asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yours, Celestia's and the third side," the mare replied, smiling politely at her. "There are some who would have seen the conflict from outside, and they have their own view of things too."

Luna took a moment to consider this. You really are different from so many of the Cadances I saw so long ago, she thought. Out loud, she said, "I see that you were raised properly, dear niece." She gave a laugh and shook her head. "I do look forwards to working with you in the future."

"As do I," Cadance said. "Aunt Celestia has her own way of doing things, and so does my semi-cousin. It will be an experience to compare your methods with both of theirs."

"Semi-cousin?" Luna asked, eyebrow raised once again.

"The youngest descendant of Princess Platinum is unofficially a member of the royal family as well, and insists on referring to us as such," Cadance said. "He is... not my favorite pony to deal with, to put it mildly."

"Quite. But I think we should table this talk to later, dearest niece," Luna said, looking at the other ponies here. "I apologize; I do believe we got off topic."

"It's okay," Sunset said. "I have to admit, Cadance and I have the same opinion on some of this. Especially him." She rolled her eyes, prompting a chuckle from both alicorns.

"Still," Luna said. "Was there anything else any of you wished to know about our Republic in particular?"

"There is... one thing," the gray pony by Vinyl's side said. She'd been so quiet, Luna had almost forgotten she was there.

"Yes, miss...?" she asked.

"Octavia Melody," the mare said, before she turned to Vinyl. "Your neck... it's related to where you come from, isn't it?"

Vinyl nodded. "Yeah," she said.

"Then... may I see it?"

Vinyl nodded, took a deep breath, and then removed her scarf, exposing what it had hidden.

"My goodness," Octavia exclaimed as she stared at the metal embedded in Vinyl's neck. "What is that?"

"Artificial voice box," Vinyl said with a sigh. "I was born without vocal cords, so they had it installed when I was young so I could learn to speak."

Octavia looked rather disturbed. "And they just-"

"No," Vinyl cut her off before she could finish speaking. "Nopony forced this on me." She looked rather huffy, and Octavia could only imagine that others had asked that same question of her before, probably with suspicion.

After a moment, Vinyl continued. "I wanted this. There was never anything wrong with my ears, or my brain, but as I got old enough, I got really frustrated over not being able to make any sounds and make myself understood. So as soon as I'd learned how to write properly, I asked if there was something that could be done to let me talk. My folks took me to the doctor, they told me everything I wanted and needed to know, and put in the implant not too long after that. And now here we are. It ain't perfect, but it does what I need it to."

"Does... does it hurt?" Fluttershy asked hesitantly.

"Not really," Vinyl looked at the shy mare and shrugged. "I mean, I do need to make sure I wash that part carefully and from time to time, I get a bit of a rash but it is nothing like having a fork stuck into your leg when you lose a dumb bet and why did I just say that out loud?" Vinyl blushed with both of her hooves in her face.

Octavia smiled. "That's quite all right," she said reassuringly. "At any rate, as long as it was your idea to have this done, and it was the result of a thought-out decision, it doesn't bother me." She leaned in. "Confidentially, among the ones you spoke of earlier, the ones who do rarely speak of the lunar ponies in a negative fashion... I have heard rumors from them of how ponies had to have been physically altered, possibly against their will, to survive on the moon's surface. And quite frankly, while I did not think them to be accurate, the thought of such disturbs me beyond belief."

"Any rumors like that are just malicious slander against us," Luna said disgustedly.

Vinyl blinked at Luna before she nodded her head. "It's true that some of us aren't a hundred percent organic anymore, but that's because they had physical defects that they wanted fixed. Like me. If any doctor was caught altering a patient against their will, no matter that patient's age, they'd have their medical license yanked so fast it'd make your head spin. And if they didn't want some problem fixed, they'd have to have a very good reason for it."

"Why would they... not?" Octavia asked carefully.

Vinyl shrugged, trying to come up with a proper answer to this question.

"There are some ponies that can't utilize prosthetics as well as they should be able to," Twilight said, speaking up for her friend. "Some are allergic to the anti-rejection drugs they'd need to use after a transplant to make sure it took. And then there are some who are flat-out scared of being put under for the surgery and never waking up."

"Oh..." Octavia blinked. "Those are understandable reasons, I suppose."

"Quite." Onyx nodded. "Back when the Lunar Republic was founded, some ponies had to learn the hard way that not working to be the best they could be was detrimental to themselves and to the whole Republic. We've eased up somewhat by now, but everypony still remembers that it took a lot of hard work to survive when resources were tight, and they understand that purposely leaving yourself unable to contribute as much in an environment like that is a recipe for disaster."

"So what's your purpose up there?" Rainbow Dash asked. "I mean, Twi here is Princess- I mean Director Luna's personal student and I think she'd want to somepony able to protect her."

Onyx nodded. "I am the Director of Security, in charge of law enforcement and defense from internal and external threats, should the latter happen," he said. "And Shining Armor happens to be my Deputy Director."

"Simply put, besides me or his husband, there is not a pony in the Republic that stands a match to his prowess, save possibly Twilight Velvet," Luna chirped. "Whom I expect will be quite interested in meeting her children's new friends."

Cadance nickered in amusement, most likely at the sight of the looks that most of the other Equestrians in the room developed at that, Luna thought. Meanwhile, Twilight groaned.

"I love my mother, but her overprotectiveness can be more than a little... much," she said.

"I get ya," Rainbow Dash said. "My mom- er sorry, I haven't introduced myself yet, Director. Rainbow Dash, employee for the Ponyville weather bureau."

"Pleased to meet you, Rainbow Dash," Luna said, extending a hoof to shake hers. Once they'd done so, Rainbow Dash continued.

"I love my folks," she said. "But they're so supportive, so proud of every little thing I do. I mean, I know I'm awesome, and it's nice to have fans. But the way they show it, making a spectacle of themselves when they're cheering me on, especially in public? It gets... embarrassing." She sighed. "I've tried asking them to tone it down in the past, but they just don't seem to get it."

"They might be embarrassing but you should treasure them while you still can," Luna sighed deeply. "Trust me, you do not want to have any bitterness should they leave you unexpectedly."

Applejack bowed her head. "Ah know the feelin', Director," she said. "Mah folks... Ah lost 'em when mah little sister Apple Bloom was just a tiny foal. Not that Ah had any negativity between me an' them, but... well, Ma never talked about her side of the family, an' Ah got the feelin' there was some bad blood between 'em."

Luna nodded. "I see," she said. "You have my sympathies, young one."

Applejack smiled. "Thanks, Director," she said. "Ah'm Applejack, by the way."

"And I am Rarity," Rarity added. "Rarity Belle, in full." She hesitated, then leaned in. "And by the by, I do believe I asked you a question before. Who did make that fantastic design for you?"

Luna smiled. "A miss Sassy Saddles," she said. "I can introduce you to her, when there is the opportunity."

"I would be delighted," Rarity said.

"And I'm Pinkie Pie!" Suddenly, a very pink face was in hers, and Luna blinked.

"Er, hello, miss Pie," she said.

Pinkie Pie grinned. "Nice to meet you, Director!" she chirped. "Cupcake?"

Luna smiled and accepted the treat. "Thank you," she said, before taking a bite and smiling at the flavor. "Mmm, lemony."

"I made it myself!" Pinkie said, beaming. Then, she leaned her head right up beside Luna's. "Confidentially," she said out of the side of her mouth, and in a much lower tone than before. "I wouldn't worry about those three and how they reacted when you arrived." She made a strange gesture that Luna wasn't quite sure how to interpret. "They panic over the silliest little things. They even freak out over a flower having a broken stem like it's the end of the world or something. So don't take it personally if they start acting afraid again later."

Luna nodded. "I will take that into account, miss Pie."

"Okay!" Pinkie chirped at a normal tone now, and grinned again. "And if you want more cupcakes, I'm always ready to bake them! Or any other kinds of treats."

Luna chuckled. "I'll keep that in mind."

"Excuse me, but are there any dragons up there?" Spike asked.

Luna shook her head. "For the most part, we are a nation of ponies," she said. "There were also some griffons with us at first, but there simply were not enough to sustain a population without serious inbreeding within a few generations. The last pureblood griffon of our nation died out around seven hundred years ago, though their hippogriff descendants are still with us. There is the rare griffon that is born from one, as there is a pegasus from an Earth pony family or unicorn to pegasi or so on. But there were no dragons who came with us." She considered her next words before speaking again. "At the time, dragons were exceptionally unfriendly to Equestria, so none of them would have allied with either my sister or myself. Our official policy was to defend ourselves in case of an incursion, but if they didn't attack us, we wouldn't attack them."

"Still is," Sunset said. "Celestia got Spike's egg under... special circumstances. That's all Spike and I know about it, she wasn't willing to give us any details the one time I asked," she added. "But she kept it at her School for Gifted Unicorns as a special entrance exam test until I was able to actually hatch it. As far as I know, they haven't tried to get a replacement since."

"And to be honest, I do have a bit of concern with you visiting," Luna said, looking over the dragon. "There is the dragon greed to think of, which could pose a danger to the safety of my citizens."

Sunset frowned. "I'm actually aware of that," she said. "And I keep a strict eye on how much he gets at a time, so it won't trigger the growth spurt."

"Dragon greed?" Fluttershy asked a little nervously.

"Dragons, if they acquire too many possessions at once, start to go through a growth spurt that makes them greedier and more than a little crazy if they start it when they're younger," Sunset said. "Greed-induced bigness, they call it. Or just 'Greed Growth', if they feel like being more formal. There's a natural growth spurt where they get their wings, but that's age-related, not hoarding-related."

"How did you find that out?" Shining Armor asked.

Sunset ducked her head. "Cadance and I, and Spike, went out on a special trip a few years ago," she said. "We ended up crossing paths with a dragon migration, and one of the bigger dragons there saw Spike with us and got suspicious. After we explained about how I came to hatch him, she was actually polite enough to explain about a few things when we asked." She frowned. "She also had some very negative things to say about Princess Celestia under her breath, but she was polite enough when talking directly to Cadance and I."

She looked at Luna. "The point is, Spike is my little brother in all but blood, and I'd stake my life on it that he won't cause any problems if he comes with us."

"I hope it will not come to that point, Sunset Shimmer," Luna said. "But I will trust you."

And, she silently added to herself, I will trust that this Spike is as kind and well-behaved as the majority of the versions of him I observed in the other dimensions with Celly when we made our last trip to the Valley of the Alicorns.

"Before we depart, I do believe it would be wise to inform your families of where you will be for the next few days," Luna said. "Currently, I am the only pony capable of traveling between the moon and Equuis under my own power and I fear my time will become quite tied up with the dry political matter of our two nations reconnecting."

"Perhaps in the future, you can teach me that spell, Aunt Luna," Cadance said. "Unfortunately, I think I will be staying planetside for the time being." She flashed an apologetic look at Shining Armor. "Somepony needs to keep Aunt Celestia from working herself into a frazzle over certain matters." With the unsaid part that Cadance was clearly working to prevent any new schism from erupting from the two of them.

Luna smiled. "I look forward to it, dear niece," she said. "Now let us get a move on; I doubt my sister will wish to wait for too much longer."

Cadance nodded in agreement, and then all rose, several heading for the door, while Sunset went upstairs to fetch her and Spike's belongings before joining them.

Celestia paced back and forth in the room she'd borrowed in Town Hall for her temporary use, not wanting to leave Ponyville while her sister was still down here. She only wished she had been able to come up with some plausible excuse that would let her deny her sister's request without making things worse.

"Ahem," a familiar and most undesired voice said from behind her, and she took a moment, counting to ten silently to try and calm herself, then turned slowly. "Blueblood."

"Aunt Celestia," Blueblood acknowledged. "If I may have a word."

"Be direct today, I am in no mood for subterfuge or misdirection," she cautioned him with the prince nodding his head as he walked towards her and held out a folder.

"Arrest warrants for Shining Armor and the rest of his group," he said, managing to keep eye contact with her. "They are foreign agents sent here to spy on us and report back to their leader, with one managing to infiltrate your castle and obtain classified information."

"Absolutely not," Celestia shook her head, refusing to take the folders from him. "The situation is far more complex than you currently understand but make no mistake, a conflict right now would only put everypony in danger of a threat we currently do not have the means to contain anymore. Do not issue those arrests, do not show those arrests to anypony. If they do come out in any fashion, I will hold you personally responsible for all the fallout that may, and will come from it. Am I understood?"

Blueblood looked as if he wanted to protest, but Celestia held up a hoof. "Besides, the main information they sought was the mood of the people, and learning that is hardly a crime, no matter where they are from. So unless you have other things to speak to me about, you are dismissed."

Blueblood actually looked concerned and nervous, before he coughed and finally spoke again, holding out another folder to her. "Upon learning about your sister, I began to do some research on several different topics in the possibility that you would reject having them arrested."

"And how did you do this so quickly, Blueblood?" Celestia glared hard at him, eyes narrowed in slow-building anger. "My sister only announced herself less than an hour ago, more time than it takes for one to travel here by the fastest means you have available."

Blueblood squirmed before he lowered his head towards her. "Forgive my intrusion, but I happened to see a book that your student had read. One that spoke of her."

"That book you speak of was of a limited print and I am aware of where all the copies are," Celestia said, stalking towards him with heat pulsing off of her. "The only one you could have found was in my student's private chambers."

"Yes, well-"

"Well nothing." Celestia glared. "You violated my student's privacy; explain why I shouldn't arrest you here and now."

"I was merely doing my duty to best help Equestria in any manner possible, which includes learning of any possible dangers, Princess Celestia," he said, bowing his head. "I will also accept the charge, though as a first offender, I will be issued only a fine. And perhaps I could explain that the door was open and the book was left on the table." He flashed her a confident smug look with Celestia still smouldering in anger.

"Do not play cute, Blueblood," she glared. "Do this again, attempt to do this again and I will bring the full wrath of the sun upon you. You will be without a bit or title to your name and unwelcomed in Equestria or any land that calls my nation a friend. Are we understood?"

Blueblood gulped. "Crystal, Aunt Celestia." He held up the folder. "But. The simple fact is, there are no records acknowledging your sister or the ponies she took with her as a separate nation. Legally, they are still citizens of Equestria, albeit ones who are, by all definition, in a state of rebellion, though I doubt you wish to go that route. At best, they can be viewed as a colony of this nation, administrated by your sister, who - according to the research I have done so far - never officially abdicated her authority as a Princess of Equestria."

"Is that true?" she asked

Blueblood nodded. "The laws are quite clear in this situation," he said. "I had it checked over several times before I brought the information to you."

Celestia stared at him, then shook her head and sighed. "I will read over it myself," she said. "But for now, you are to say nothing of this to anypony, do you understand?"

Blueblood nodded, hoofing the folder over to her. Tucking it away, Celestia turned. "Leave me and Ponyville," she said. "I expect to hear you have turned yourself in by the time I return to Canterlot or you will be punished severely."

"I hear and obey," Blueblood said in a low tone, before leaving the room.

When his hoofsteps had faded into the distance, Celestia sighed to herself yet again. I wish I could publicly admit to Cadance and Sunset that I agree with them about how much trouble he is, she thought. She was already signing several orders to guards she trusted to make sure Blueblood did as he was told; any deviations would give her room to finally remove him from the position he was in and cut that snake's head off. She was still annoyed at herself that she had allowed him to turn out this way, becoming an opponent instead of an ally. It made her wonder what other mistakes she might have made but her thoughts were interrupted when she heard hoofsteps again, ones she recognized and that made her happier at their sound. "Come in, Sunset," she called.

Sunset entered the room, immediately crossing over to her. "Hey," she said.

Celestia smiled at the sight of her student. "How are you doing?" she asked. "We haven't had time to catch up since I arrived."

"It's been an interesting experience," Sunset said. "I met some very friendly ponies, had a good time... met Twilight, which has been great." She had an expression on her face that made Celestia flick an ear. "It's so rare that I meet anypony who loves learning as much as I do."

Celestia felt a pang in her heart. "And?" she asked.

"Well, today, we... got to hear things from Luna's point of view, learned a little about what life is like on the moon," Sunset said.

Celestia nodded slowly. "I see."

Sunset gazed up at her. "Princess, I know you two have your differences. But she's your sister. She may not be expressing it out loud, but I can tell that inside, she still loves you. She's just... frustrated, over a lot of things."

Celestia nodded again. "And I care for her, deeply, more than you can possibly understand," she said, before looking at Sunset. "Are you still going to the moon with her?" she asked.

"Just for a few days," Sunset said. "All of us, except Cadance - she's staying down here. The girls are letting their families know they'll be away for a little while and making sure everything gets taken care of at their homes."

Celestia smiled. "That's understandable, I suppose," she said.

Then she felt Sunset wrap a leg around hers, and looked down into the younger mare's eyes.

"You will always be my teacher," Sunset said softly. "I'll come back to you - all of us will. Promise."

Celestia nodded and hugged her back.

It was a while longer before everypony arrived, and Celestia went outside to watch them depart. She wasn't certain if Luna would have to make multiple trips with as many ponies as she was transporting or not, but either way, she was going to be there when it happened.

As the group gathered around Luna, Cadance giving Shining Armor a final nuzzle before stepping away to stand beside Celestia, the alicorn of the Day traded looks with Luna, whose eyes softened briefly before her horn lit up, forming a field of energy around them.

She caught one last look from Sunset before the field vanished, and then they were gone.

Celestia sighed, and then she felt Cadance's presence against her own. Turning to look at her, she saw the clear concern in her niece's eyes.

"Come on," the pink mare said. "Let's go home."

"In a moment," Celestia cautioned, waiting for it. It was a while that nothing happened before her sister teleported back down onto the surface with a small group of ponies around her, Luna looking slightly winded from the effort. There were also a squad of guards around them, each in slim silver plating that Celestia instantly placed as being made of some strong alloy that would be strong enough to resist any piercing damage her ponies could possibly manage to bring to the forefront. They also had what seemed to be pistols on them, though what kind of ammunition they used she was uncertain of.

"My apologies in my tardiness," Luna said. "There were several ponies I had to bring with me this time around. May I introduce you to Honey Spice-" She gestured to one of the ponies, an Earth pony mare. "Our Director of Agriculture."

The mare nodded politely to Celestia, who returned the gesture.

"Raven Inkwell, our Director of Resources," Luna continued.

"Princess," the mare said, and Celestia greeted her. There was something familiar about her; she wasn't positive, but she was fairly certain she recalled seeing her in passing in more than a few dimensions, all those thousands of years ago.

"Quick Light, our Director of Energy," Luna said, presenting the thestral stallion. "And I believe you know Onyx Plate, our Director of Security."

The other stallion nodded, and Celestia regarded him; that Luna had entrusted him with Twilight's protection, knowing her importance, left her no doubt that he was very capable in his duties.

"They are here to continue the work we began earlier," Luna said. "We wish to reestablish ties with Equestria, so that both our nations may benefit."

"No other unicorns or pegasi among your Directors?" Celestia asked.

Luna clearly recognized her words for the bait they were, and responded calmly. "Director Neighsay is not the most... social of ponies," she said. "Director Steady Notes is working on one of her own special projects in regards to our nations, and Director Well Wishes had his duties to attend at one of the hospitals today. In addition, it was viewed unacceptable to have a majority of our Directors out of the Republic."

"Understandable." Celestia regarded her. "We will do our best to accommodate your followers and their needs," she said.

"And I will personally be overseeing this," Cadance added, giving her a sharp look. "Ladies, gentlecolts. It is good to be working with you. Please, if you will follow me, I will direct you to the train so we can travel to Canterlot, the new capital of Equestria. It might be slow but it will give us much needed time to get to know each other."

The four all smiled at that, and followed her, the guards trailing too. Once all had made their way out of sight, Celestia saw Luna looking after them.

"Our niece is wise beyond her years," the alicorn of the Night said.

"Yes," Celestia agreed. "Yes, she is."

Luna gave a faint smile before looking back to Celestia. "Sister, I know we have had our disputes. But I can promise you one thing."

"Oh?" Celestia asked.

Luna nodded. "Your student, and her new friends, will be safe. Sunset clearly means a great deal to you, and I am not so cruel to hurt you in that fashion. I am also aware that both our students have the potential to become Magic and that one of them will be needed to lead the effort when the time comes to face him. Harmony must be ready and holding them in either nation would diminish them." She sighed bitterly. "We must make peace, lest we risk a greater disaster in our dimension than the others."

Celestia flinched at her sister's choice of words, but nodded. "And for more reasons than one," she said. "None of us want to draw their attention. They and I may follow the same Creator, but the extremes they go to are not something I wish to see inflicted on our ponies."

"Then hopefully, we can come to some sort of accord," Luna said as she walked towards the train. "For the good of all."

Celestia watched her go, then sighed.

For all we observed once, in the hopes of being ready for the future, it seems that life has just taken us down an unexpected turn, she reflected. She then made her way to the train station, following after her sister and wondering what more would come in the days ahead. "For the good of all," she said softly to herself.

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fourteen

The large group of ponies and one dragon rematerialized in a large chamber, and Sunset quickly shook her head. When she had recovered from the disorientation of being instantly transported some million miles, she looked around and stared in awe, catching the sight of a tapestry orbiting the room in a lazy orbit.

"This is the central chamber of the Lux Aeternam," Luna said. "Our chief government building. It is where our Directors meet, and I expect most of them should be here any-"

The door opened, and a grayish-white mare with a mix of gray and purple stripes hurried in.

"Minute," Luna concluded in an almost resigned tone. "Hello, Director Velvet."

"Head Director," the unicorn returned. Then she hurried over to Twilight and Shining Armor. "Are you both all right?" she asked.

"Mom!" Twilight sounded embarrassed. "We're fine. All of us."

For a moment, the older mare seemed taken aback, then looked around as if she were noticing the other ponies in the room for the first time. "Oh." Straightening herself, she turned back to Twilight. "I didn't know you were bringing company home," she said.

Twilight nodded. "These are our new friends," she said, beckoning to Sunset and the others.

"Sunset Shimmer," Sunset said, and the others introduced themselves in turn.

"They are here to visit for a few days," Luna said. "And speaking of which, I believe a few of your fellows are supposed to be meeting us here, so they can accompany me back down to Equestria."

Director Velvet nodded. "Twilight, Vinyl, Shiny, why don't you bring your new friends and come with me?" she asked. "It is rare that my daughter brings home new friends but I am not going to complain."

"If only Shiner here could bring his fillyfriend in," Vinyl snarked with Velvet's ears perking up before she gave her son a very eager look with Shining shooting Vinyl a glare.

"Oh?" she said, peering at him. "You found somepony special?"

Shining Armor began to open his mouth before Vinyl chimed in. "And of course, your colt here shoots for the brass ring; netting himself a princess."

"Vinyl," Shining Armor hissed, before turning back to his mother. "To be fair, I didn't know she was a princess when we first met. Anyway, she had to stay back in Equestria for now, work related to our two nations reconnecting."

"Now I wish I did volunteer to go to the surface," Velvet pouted.

"Hey, don't worry," Sunset spoke up. "Cadance and I are good friends, I can tell you all about her."

"Oh, there is another princess?" Velvet sighed and moved to pat Shining on the shoulder before hesitating. "Thank the stars; for a moment, I thought you meant Princess Celestia. Not that there is anything wrong with being with her but I do think you would be better with someone near your own age." She gave Luna an apologetic look. "No offense."

"None taken," Luna said. "To be honest, I would find it a little odd myself. But my niece and your son are rather closer in age, and have clicked rather well."

"Anyway." Shining Armor gave them all firm looks. "I think Director Luna has some other duties to take care of, and we do have a scheduled medical check to do before we can go out. Not that any of us had anything happen to us, but it is standard procedure."

"Of course." Luna nodded. "Everypony, and Spike, I will meet with you all again later."

All present nodded, and then let Velvet and Shining Armor lead the way as they headed into what looked, to Sunset, like a well-established hospital wing, intended for quick use in case of any accidents or minor incidents on the premises.

One by one, each of them submitted to let a team of ponies pass strange devices over their bodies - medical scanners, Twilight explained - to check for any problems. The medical ponies present "Hmm"ed and "Ah"ed a few times, but in the end pronounced them all well and healthy, with no issues or extraneous lifeforms (Sunset recalled Pinkie wanting to bring her pet alligator along, but Luna had politely asked that she leave the reptile home this time), and permitting them to move along.

Once Twilight had run back and recovered a small device from Luna's office, tossing another to Vinyl, they set out and got their first look of the city outside.

"Wow," Sunset said in a hushed tone. "This is... amazing!" There were statues and gardens as far as she could see, with buildings off to the distance but they were not what she was looking at. It was the stars visible beyond the glass that offered a view of them that she had never experienced before. Turning her head, Sunset looked at Twilight to see she was haloed by a star constellation and found herself suddenly at a loss for words. "It's so..."

"Normal," Applejack offered, looking in awe. "'cept for them spiral buildings off to the distance, this looks like a slice from home."

"Excuse me," a mare, with a trio of ponies following behind her, said as she trotted up to them, her eyes bright with wonder. "You are the group from the surface, correct?"

"We are," Sunset said, looking at Twilight for reassurance. "Can we help you miss?"

"Steady Notes, Director of Recordkeeping, miss..."

"Sunset Shimmer," Sunset said. "And these are my friends."

One by one, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie, Fluttershy and Octavia all introduced themselves, before Applejack stepped forward.

"Ah'm Applejack, ma'am," she said with the mare blinking in surprise.

"Of the Apple Clan?" she asked cautiously.

"Sure am," Applejack said. "You know of us up here?" she asked curiously.

"Well in a manner of speaking, yes, but this is fantastic news," she said excitedly as a shining wall appeared from the same odd-looking device that every Lunar pony seemed to be wearing, and which Sunset realized must have been a computer of some kind, though more advanced than she'd have expected if it included a holographic projector. "Part of a project I am conducting now that we are in contact with Equestria is what my department is calling the great family reunion." She had been pushing different shapes on the floating wall before she paused and looked at Applejack. "As you are aware, during the Night of Departure, many ponies had decided to leave their homes and family behind. Along with keeping records of everything that has occurred in the Republic, we have kept meticulous family records so that, hopefully," she said as she finished typing out on the floating keyboard and had a new screen appear with a pony's face appearing in it. "We can reunite the broken families. Applejack, may I introduce you to Braeburn."

"Whoo." Applejack blinked in surprise. "Ah knew we had family all over Equestria," she said. "Ah didn't know we had any up here too!" She grinned. "Granny Smith'll be pleased as punch to hear about this."

"She won't be the only one, Applejack," the stallion said, tipping his hat towards her. "Mah folks will be thrilled to hear we've got family visitin' at long last."

Applejack just about jumped out of her fur. "Great hoppin' horny toads!" she exclaimed.

Director Notes was about to say something, when Twilight stepped up. "Sorry, I forgot to tell you," she said. "We have really advanced technology up here for communicating. With what we have, you could talk face to face with somepony on the other side of the dome with no lag time."

Applejack scratched her head, looking sheepish. "Well don't that beat all." She turned back to the screen, looking apologetic. "Sorry about that," she said. "Ah've never experienced this kind of thing before; really surprised me there. But it's still great to meet ya, cuz."

"Same here, Applejack!" Braeburn replied. "Ah still got a couple of hours left ta work, but once Ah'm done, Ah hope Ah can go get ya to meet the rest of our kin up here."

"Ah look forward to it," Applejack said with a grin.

Once they'd said their goodbyes and the communication link was shut off, Director Notes looked at the rest. "If I can find any family for the rest of you up here, I'll be sure to keep you informed," she said. "I would just need records of your family's past, or barring, records from Equestria so we can go off of them to bring more families together. Now if you will excuse me, I need to go see if I can get Braeburn off work earlier for you two to meet up."

"If'n he's got important stuff to take care of, Ah can wait a few more hours," Applejack said. "Ah know all about the importance of keepin' things up on the farm back home in a timely manner."

Director Notes nodded understandingly. "Very well," she said.

When she'd moved on, Sunset turned to Twilight. "When you talked about having a more modern system up here, you weren't kidding," she said.

"Yeah..." Twilight blushed. "To be honest, from what I could see, our tech level is way ahead of what you had in Ponyville. But your magic varieties and development are far more advanced than ours."

"Well, you girls can talk shop while we walk," Velvet said, flashing them a knowing smile for some reason. "There is more to the moon than just the Primusdome."

"The... Primus dome?" Rainbow Dash asked in confusion.

"This was the first dome built on the moon," Twilight said. "Each of the six has its own special purpose - this dome houses our center of government."

"Following that logic, there are the secondus, tertius, quārtus, quīntus and sextus, right?" Sunset asked.

Twilight nodded with a smile on her face as her mom led her onto a strange looking hexagonal platform. "The Secondus has the headquarters for our Energy department. Tertius is the residential dome - we have housing in all other domes too, but that's where the Department of Housing has its offices. Quartus is where our agricultural department is based, Quintus is where the Resources department has its offices, and Sextus is for the Science department - that's actually where I work. The other six departments have their own locales, but the Directors of those six are also the chief representatives of their Dome."

"I have a bit of a question about your Directors, if that is okay," Sunset asked before shifting to brace herself as the platform started to move, prompting surprised noises from some of the seven Equestrians, including a nervous squeak from Fluttershy and a delighted "Wheee!" from Pinkie. Rainbow Dash looked just as excited, though she didn't voice it, and Octavia merely raised her eyebrow.

Continuing her question, Sunset asked, "How do they get their positions?"

"It's an elected position," Velvet said. "Though only those who prove themselves qualified for the job first can run. We prioritize ability over politicking or popularity."

"Including Luna?" Sunset asked.

Velvet nodded. "Though technically she doesn't have to work too hard at that, since nopony's ever tried to run against her. Most of us couldn't imagine anypony other than an alicorn in the position." She chuckled. "Not to say Luna hasn't tried to leave her position in the past, but she has been unable to do so. Part of our founding laws required everypony to do their best due to the necessity of the situation requiring it, including having those most qualified lead us. As it was, every time Luna has tried to step down, no one stepped up to prove they were as qualified as her, so she got the position back by default."

"And as it would require an unanimous vote to change the law, barring the one who suggested it, Luna has remained in her position for all this time," Twilight added, though she seemed to be holding something back.

"Sounds like we could use some of that down in Canterlot," Sunset muttered. "There are way too many of the nobles who feel they can get what they want by just throwing money around at their supporters."

"Well, that is literally not possible up here," Velvet said as she stood at what had to be the controls for this hoverpad. "We don't have a currency system up here."

"Because of how your nation was founded, right ma'am?" Octavia asked.

"Exactly," Velvet said. "We didn't even think about having a treasury department when we first set things up; we were too focused on survival. By the time such a thing occurred to anypony, it was decided it wasn't necessary and it was found slightly insulting to suddenly bring a thing like money back into the equation of our everyday lives."

"Then how can you get stuff from other ponies if you don't have a way to pay for it?" Rarity asked. "I am willing to give to others when it is needed, but I do require some funding to be able to pay for upkeep of my home and business."

"We do work on a barter system, mostly," Velvet answered as she took them closer to one of the edges of the dome. "There is a way for citizens to build up personal credit via trading favors, and there are the equivalent of public funds - citizens can donate their time and skill to those in advance, to be called in when needed. But those still aren't actual currency, and it's only done in rare cases. Like those statues of Director Luna; they were privately funded by ponies who put the time and energy into it as she would never ask another to do that for her."

"She finds it kind of embarrassing to have them around, but since they are private property, there's nothing she can really do about it," Twilight said. "She has told me that she finds her having statues among the founders to be wrong, as it could lead to their work being overshadowed by her own."

"That makes sense from what I’ve seen so far," Sunset said. "This nation was founded on a sense of equality and unity and having one pony elevated above the others kinda goes against that whole notion." She blinked and tilted her head to the side. "Though you would need a leader, regardless of what government you have, so leader among equals would need to exist which is why Director Luna is Head Director, right Twilight?"

"That's the purpose of the State Department," Twilight said. "They're effectively our Executive Branch, but the Director of State still needs to be able to persuade the other Directors to vote with them to confirm certain things."

"That'd make sense," Sunset agreed.

"Getting back to Rarity's earlier question," Shining Armor said. "The mindset we are used to is that we all need to work together for everypony's wellbeing. Those of us who work in public services like the hospitals and police are simply not accustomed to asking for a payment for our services. If it were used more frequently and widespread throughout the Republic, then I'm sure it would be brought up again to decide if we officially want a currency system. I believe we have tried it five times, but the majority of the directors always voted against it."

Octavia shook her head. "In Canterlot, there are more than a few who would regard such an idea as blasphemy," she said. "It sounds rather effective to me; I wonder if we could find a way to implement it down there."

"Do even the foals have to work for what they need?" Fluttershy asked softly.

"Goodness no, dear," Velvet said in a motherly tone. "They receive what they need by their families' work until they're considered of age and can find work for themselves. As I said, we are taught from a young age that everypony must work together for everypony's benefit and survival, and we look forward to being able to contribute."

Rainbow Dash muttered something under her breath, and Fluttershy nodded to her.

"I know some ponies who would benefit from that mindset," she said. "But what about those apathetic and unwilling to work?"

Velvet shook her head as she landed the hoverpad near a tunnel. "It's rare but for those like that we don't have much of a choice to actually do anything with them beyond trying to convince them otherwise."

"Most of the time, all it takes is finding something interesting enough to catch their attention enough to overcome their lack of caring," Twilight added as they moved onto what seemed to be a moving track so they didn't need to walk the entire tunnel.

"And... if they can't, or aren't, willing to stick with it long enough?" Fluttershy asked.

"Then we usually find someplace where they can't do any harm and call it work," Shining Armor said. "Even if it's just standing around looking busy - there's plenty of call for that in the visual entertainment sector, when they need extras for some productions. Fortunately, it's rare enough that it doesn't come up very often to be a major issue."

"With the way everypony seems to be all 'work work work', I'm kind of surprised you have an entertainment sector," Rainbow Dash said.

"It's technically part of the Department of Health," Vinyl told her. "All work and no play isn't good for the mind; our mental health specialists all say relaxation and entertainment are beneficial, so ponies who specialize in helping others have a good time - like me, with my music - have guaranteed jobs there. That goes for artists and some of the writers too."

"What about the writers who don't work there?" Sunset asked curiously.

"The ones who specialize in nonfiction are considered employees for the Department of Education," Twilight said.

"That makes sense," Rarity said. "But... what department do you run?" she asked Velvet.

Velvet chuckled. "I'm the Director of Housing," she said. "I handle urban development and construction for public and private homes, be they apartment buildings or standard houses."

"That and help handle any disputes between neighbours," Shining added with a chuckle. "It used to be part of my department to try and settle those arguments when they get out of hoof, but with mom being mom, she is usually able to intervene before we can get there."

Velvet chuckled and rolled her eyes. "I suppose most still fear the dreaded mom voice," she said with Sunset, Spike and the rest of the girls snickering.

"I've got a question, ma'am," Spike said. "Why are you called a republic exactly? From what I read, it doesn't exactly fit into the descriptions given."

Velvet giggled at that, reaching over to pat Spike on the head. "An excellent question, young dragon," she said. "One that takes nearly every student by surprise when they reach it in their education." She gave Twilight and Shining a look, with both ponies groaning. "The Lunar Republic is a bit of a misnomer; it is true that it meets the technical definition, since our sovereignty rests with the people or their representatives, rather than with a monarchy - our Head Director was elected to the position not just because she was a Princess in Equestria, but because it was felt she was the best for the job."

"And while a proper republic would allow the masses to choose their leaders, we were never that big on popularity contests but instead putting the worth on the person's ability over almost everything else," Twilight picked up. "The real reason we call ourselves the Lunar Republic is because that's what Director Luna claimed our nation would be during the founding and we just never really wanted to change our name." Twilight blinked. "I am not even sure what the proper term would be for our nation."

"Maybe we can go over some books when we head back to Equestria, Twilight," Sunset asked with Twilight blushing for some reason.

"I'd like that a lot," she said which caused Sunset to blush as well.

Velvet's eyes drifted between the two of them, and she gave a mysterious smile. "I see," she said. "But before you two plan out your study session, I would like to show you more of the Lunar Republic after brunch at my home. Vinyl, you and your date are obviously invited, unless you want to take her to your parent's place for the celebrations later on?"

"Ummm," Vinyl seemingly paled, turning to Octavia who simply shook her head with a smile on her face. "Well, I did offer to show you to them but if you don't feel up for it..."

"I'd love to meet them, Vinyl," Octavia said as they finally exited the tunnel and into a wide sprawl of buildings. "Please, lead the way."

"Sure thing." Vinyl turned to Twilight and Shining Armor. "Catch up with you guys later?"

"See you then, Vinyl," Shining Armor said. "And remind LP that we're supposed to meet up this weekend, okay?"

"Will do!" Vinyl called before she and Octavia trotted off together, the two mares chattering together.

"Well!" Velvet clapped her hooves together. "We're almost there."

She trotted off, and Sunset and the others eagerly followed her, with Sunset feeling so happy to be here right now with all of these ponies around her. She just hoped Princess Celestia was doing as well as she was right now.

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Fifteen

Once they'd all reached the train station and gotten settled into a car of their own (the ponies running the station had practically been falling over themselves to give her what she wanted as soon as they saw her wings and horn, even before she could ask if they could have a car to themselves), Cadance looked over the four Directors, including Onyx, and smiled. "It's good to meet my aunt's friends," she said.

Director Inkwell, who'd sat fairly close to the window, adjusted her glasses. "And it is good to meet you as well, Princess Cadance," she said. "Director Luna and Director Onyx spoke rather well of you when they informed us of your existence before we came down."

"I must admit, many of us were surprised to learn of another alicorn in Equestria," Director Quick Light said, sitting next to Director Inkwell. "And briefly offended at the notion, before Director Luna told us you had achieved that status on your own rather than through any actions of her sister."

"It was a surprise to us all that such a possibility existed," Director Honey Spice said, shooting a look at Luna as she entered the train car. The Earth pony mare had sat directly across from her counterpart so she could get a good look at the scenery as they passed. Onyx sat next to her.

Luna shrugged. "It surprised me as well," she said, claiming one of the three seats that had been rearranged so as to face the windows that Directors Inkwell and Spice were next to.

"As it did me," Celestia added as she followed her sister in, and settling herself into the farther seat, letting Cadance take the one between them. "I was delighted, of course. After Luna's departure, I had not expected to see another alicorn in Equestria until she came back to us."

Cadance immediately recognized the fib for what it was, but kept silent. Instead, she said, "It surprised me too. One minute I was confronting a sorceress and trying to reverse the effects of the emotion-draining spell she had cast on the ponies of my home village, the next I was waking up with a horn."

No need to inform them of the stellar plane she had briefly appeared in, she thought. That had been a highly personal experience.

"Aunt Celestia found me soon afterward and adopted me into her family," she continued. "While it was a dream to become a princess when I was a filly, I soon came to understand the weight of my role and sought to properly use it. With my platform, I helped further the progress to depower several hate groups and started an outreach program to the more distant communities within Equestria so we can achieve a more harmonious state of coexistence."

"Neither Director Onyx or Director Luna mentioned any of these hate groups," Director Quick Light said, shooting them a look.

Cadance nodded while internally bracing herself. This wasn't a topic she was looking forward to broaching so soon but it was now out in the open. "They exist, but they are a comparative minority," she said. "They call themselves 'avengers', and claim to be 'righting the wrongs done to Equestria by the night-lovers'. I've been working to counteract their effects as best I can ever since I found out about them myself, and bring them to justice for the crimes they've committed against innocents." She turned to Onyx. "Your own Deputy Director learned of this soon after he and I met, and I shared as much information on it as I could; I expect he'll be turning in a comprehensive report on the subject as soon as he can."

"Knowing my Deputy Director, you're right," Onyx said. "Shining Armor is most capable and detailed when it comes to handling such things."

"What I would like to know is how come that this seems to be a relatively new venture," Director Honey Spice said, staring straight at Celestia. "I do not doubt Princess Cadance has made serious progress to her work, but it is surprising that a ruler who has reigned as long as yourself has not done more."

Celestia barely hid a flinch at the clear accusation. "Regrettably, I am but a single pony. While I can do much on my own, I cannot accomplish everything or be everywhere. Dealing with such a hate group as the avengers required both a strong and delicate touch, and while I could, and did, outlaw such organizations, it merely drove them underground. As I am unable to see the private thoughts of my ponies, any I appointed to deal with them carried the minute risk of them being sympathisers, so progress slowed. With Princess Cadance, I knew no such risk existed and I allowed her to take over the operations to put an end to them."

Luna finally spoke up. "And from all I have heard, her methods have proven most effective," she said, looking at Cadance with clear pride. "This fringe group has become less and less able to spread their hate to new generations, and Ponyville in particular has rejected it and its teachings as a whole."

"While we are talking about our works," Cadance said, giving her aunts a look. "I am greatly fascinated to hear about your own works, Directors. How does one feed a population where there is not a reliable source of soil, water or other natural resources; how does one manage to provide power and energy to sustain them, and how do you keep track of it all so efficiently?"

"A lot of hard work," Honey Spice said with a chuckle. "A good portion of my dome is dedicated to farms with a rotating crop cycle of assorted food products; with a portion of our trees being an orchard for a variety of fruits while the rest supplies any of our wood needs. The rest of the Quartus dome is split with the Department of Sanitation, monitoring our water supplies. While we do produce some with our technology, we do need to recycle used water to keep our levels up; Director Luna has been able to draw in extra supplies from passing comets, but that only happens every hundred years or so when they come into close enough range."

"We have begun to expand our capacity to harvest more asteroids in orbit around the planetary system," Director Inkwell said, drawing a look from Luna. "With help from the science and transportation departments, we have launched a few tentative mining operations but we are still in the infancy stages of such operations."

"I suspect that you use an automated system opposed to actual ponypower," Celestia said, eyes darting back to her. "As the risks to your workers would be too great to justify sending them out on a system you are still developing."

Raven nodded her head in agreement. "We have a great respect for doing our part to further our nation but that is married with caution and respect for each other. We wouldn't ask them to take such risks if we thought there was a better way."

Celestia gave a hmm to that, with her pink eyes dancing with thoughts. "As the mare responsible for your resources, what would you say to having access to a greater source of them? I think all of our ponies would benefit from a trade deal."

"It is an interesting prospect, though one that has many complications, your highness," the mare said. "The means to transport goods from one nation to another does not exist yet and it would be unfair to request Director Luna to dedicate her entire time to doing that. There is also the fact that working with Equestria solely could be seen as us favouring one nation among the others on Equuis and harm our potential future trade deals with them, thus leading to problems for the Republic later on. That is in addition to the fact that we don't exactly have the means to offer monetary compensation for any goods you may have to offer."

Celestia blinked, genuinely surprised, and Cadance looked just as surprised. "But Shiny was able to pay for us when we stopped for food," she said.

Luna nodded. "When we first left for the moon, some of us - myself included - had a supply of bits in their saddlebags at the time," she said. "Pocket change, really. But what with setting things up in order to ensure as many ponies as possible survived, the idea of paying one another for what we needed was not a concern, so I just set my own supply aside, untouched, for a very long time. By the time any of us thought about using money again, it seemed so unnecessary, since we were all cooperating for one purpose, and trading favors if one of us needed something that individual didn't have the skill to create by themselves. Eventually, when I began putting my plans to reconnect with Equestria together, I dug out my old funds and divided them up amongst the four ponies whom I would be sending down."

"And what happened to the rest of those old bits?" Celestia asked.

Luna waved a hoof. "I expect most of them got melted down and the metal repurposed into parts for our machinery," she said. "Electrical connectors and the like - gold is an excellent conductor and does not corrode, which is a valuable trait in such things. Or into decorations, for those who felt the need for such things. But until just a few days ago, when I donated my old supply to our mission, none of us had used them as physical currency since we left Equuis."

"Though I expect we will need to begin talks again about setting up a currency if we choose to permanently establish contact and trade relations with Equuis," Quick Light said with an annoyed tone.

"I am aware of your position on it," Luna said to the thestral. "But we knew that this would be a possibility already with our other project."

"Of course, but it will be hard to convince our people about it," he cautioned her.

Luna nodded. "As I well know," she said, before turning back to Celestia. "There have been a few times in the past millennium when returning to physical currency was discussed, but it was always voted down as unnecessary," she explained. "Our barter system worked quite sufficiently, with ponies trading skills and time to the community in general, or to individuals in some cases, in return for needed or desired supplies."

"You mean, they can't just bribe somepony to get what they want?" Celestia asked. "They have to work for it?"

At Luna's deadpan stare and nod, Celestia looked rather pleased. "Now that is an idea I wish I could implement down here," she said. "Too many have come to feel they are above the law simply because they're rich, especially if they were born into it and didn't have to work for what they have."

"Entitlement," Honey Spice snorted. "I am a mother of four myself and I have been the Director of my Department for a long time but none of my foals have got an inch of slack from me. If you want a position, you have to prove you're qualified to hold it, especially knowing that the lives of others depend on you - if you mess up, it could cost many, and nopony, outside of degenerates, wants to be responsible for having the blood of innocents on their hooves."

Cadance saw the pointed glare that Celestia had and saw the need to try and soothe the tempers. "And you, Director Quick Light? How about your department's work?"

"Power generation and utilization is a mixed bag," the thestral stallion replied with a smile on his face. "Much of our power comes straight from the sun, collected in special panels - it's much easier to gather sufficient amounts when there aren't any obstacles in the way, and there's enough space to set up a lot of them at once. We actually used to have special power plants where some ponies could generate electricity from their magic and funnel that into the energy collectors, but that wasn't nearly as efficient for the long-term, so it's been discontinued for several centuries. And of course there are other methods. We're also responsible for keeping up all the power lines for all six domes, and making and maintaining the glowpanels and such for lighting."

Celestia still seemed a bit irked, but was calmer now. "It sounds far more efficient than what we have down here," she said. "I don't mean to make us sound primitive, but so many of our citizens still rely on candle power - too attached to the old ways. Only some of the bigger cities, such as Manehatten, are wired for electricity."

"Now that is something I'd be willing to help remedy," Director Quick Light said. "Candle power alone isn't nearly as efficient when it comes to lighting. Not to mention rough on the eyes, as Director Well Wishes is so fond of reminding me." He made a face. "The stallion is good at his job, but his attitude towards certain aspects of the past leaves something to be desired. I prefer to learn from it, while he's always saying there has to be a better way and grumbling about how primitive we used to be."

Celestia blinked in surprise. "Oh?"

Quick Light nodded. "I admit that my own focus is on technology and how it can improve our lives, but there's something to be said for life down here," he said. "We relied on magic for so long, not to mention how it kept us alive until we could get our first dome all set up, it's hard to imagine turning completely away from it."

"Yes," Celestia said thoughtfully, before she looked at Onyx. "Speaking of, one of my citizens was being rather... nosy about your Deputy Director a few days ago, and had something to say about his use of magic." She made a face. "Blueblood has been pushing his limits, and I have to wonder, what do you do with those who break the laws?"

"Manual labor, usually," Onyx replied. "They get put to work in our sanitation department, collecting garbage and other refuse for recycling. It lets them be productive and useful, while still serving as punishment." He shrugged. "It's a dirty job, but somepony's got to do it."

Celestia nodded. "That sounds like a most suitable solution for him, once there is a legal way to implement it," she said. "Though it does sound like it can be abused to create a labour force."

"We take incredible strides to avoid such a potential situation, Princess," Onyx said through a clenched smile. "My department, along with the Department of Health, takes active steps to aid any troubled individuals with their problems in order to try and prevent such a situation from occurring in the first place. Submitting an individual to community service via manual labor is generally only used when all else fails, and it isn't a life sentence for most - once our psychiatrists confirm that they've genuinely learned from the experience and changed their ways, they are free to go and return to their chosen career. Only the most stubborn proved unable to learn."

"And if they didn't?" Celestia asked.

"Then they keep at it until they do," Onyx said. "But such a thing is incredibly rare."

"I noticed that you work a lot with each other, Director Onyx," Cadance leaned forwards, seeking to redirect things away from a topic that seemed to be getting rather heated - she wasn't sure why Celestia seemed so determined to make Luna and her Directors unhappy with her. "Is that typical for you?"

Onyx nodded. "Cooperation between departments has always been key to our society's function."

"How many Departments are there, if you do not mind me asking?" Cadance said. "I believe there are at least twelve, from what Director Luna said about not bringing the majority for this first meeting."

"You guess correctly," Luna said. "I lead our Department of State; as I explained earlier, our Directors of Agriculture, Energy, Resources and Security are right here, and our Directors of Education, Health, Housing, Recordkeeping, Sanitation, Science and Transportation are all still back home."

"There is one solely dedicated to transportation?" Celestia asked, raising a single eyebrow, latching onto this for some reason that Cadance did not completely understand.

Onyx shrugged. "Aside from vehicular transport, somepony needed to be in charge of the tunnels connecting the domes. They also handle construction and maintenance of the roads within the domes."

Cadance read truth in his words, but also that he was leaving something out. She did not call attention to it though.

"I suppose transportation would become important if you wish to establish links with Equuis, Luna," Celestia said, the lack of a title very noticeable. "I must commend you on such forward thinking for the benefits of all our ponies."

Luna nodded. "As Director Inkwell stated before, I am the only one of the Lunar Republic's citizens who is currently capable of teleporting between our two worlds, so alternatives would need to be worked out for transport of goods." She sighed. "Contrary to what some might assume, I did not want to cut off relations between our two nations forever, despite the hostility of so long ago. Plans to establish diplomatic ties and formal trade, if Equestria was amenable to such a thing, and the means to make doing so easier have been in the works for a very long time."

While Luna might have a very impressive poker face, the rest of her Directors didn't and it was clear that this wasn't the honest truth at all. Or at least, not all of it. And if Cadance could see it, then Celestia did as well.

However, before Celestia could pounce on it, Quick Light let out a sigh and looked at her. "I might as well address the cockatrice in the room and the other reason why I am here," he said, shaking his head, tufted ears flicking. "How are my kind treated? We are the most noticeably different compared to other pony tribes and while a large portion of thestrals did leave with Director Luna a thousand years ago, I know not all of them were able to reach Everfree in time for the Departure."

Cadance shook her head. "Regrettably, they are the most common targets of the so-called 'avengers' and their propaganda," she said. "I've worked hard to change that; many of them serve in my personal guard now, and they hold themselves to a higher standard so as to prove they are just as capable as any others, which has helped a lot. But the majority of my work is to counter the mentality the 'avengers' have tried to cultivate over the years. I feel if you take away the reason for them to hate and replace it with logic then they lose a lot of their power."

Luna nodded approvingly. "Sound reasoning," she said. "I am not pleased that such hate still exists, but it is good to see you are working against it in such a manner."

Cadance smiled. "Sunset has also formed friendly ties and respect with many of them," she said. "And they like her too."

"Especially after that little incident in my study," Celestia chuckled, leaning back in her seat and looking more relaxed again. "They tried in vain to bribe Philomena but she told me anyway. I let them get away with it because no real harm was done in the end, despite the mess they missed."

Luna raised an eyebrow.

"Let's just say that alcohol was involved, and everypony present was off-duty at the time," Celestia said. "And that it taught Sunset a valuable lesson in never letting herself overindulge after seeing what others did under the influence." She frowned at Luna who had an eyebrow raised. "And before you ask, no, I did not set that up to teach her a lesson," she said in a stern tone. "It happened all on its own."

"If you say so, Princess Celestia," Luna said, clearly not believing it.

Cadance sighed. "She's telling the truth about this, I can guarantee it," she said.

Luna looked at her and softened. "All right," she said. "It's a good thing to have learned, at any rate."

"Out of curiosity, did Twilight ever have any experiences like that?" Celestia asked.

Luna shook her head. "She's not one for large crowds, let alone anything like what you described," she said. "Her idea of a good time is a weekend in her room with the latest new technical journals. Maybe with a friend who understands such things and can have a good back-and-forth with her on the subject."

Celestia blinked. "I see."

Luna nodded. "Make no mistake, I have encouraged her to get out and socialize more," she said. "But she does have a small circle - a very small circle - of ponies whom she spends time with, besides her brother and myself." She looked at Celestia. "I was very pleased to see her connecting so readily with new ponies down here."

That was an attack, for some reason. Cadance actually saw Celestia's wing twitch as well as a slight twitch to her smile.

"You don't say," the eldest alicorn said cryptically. "So what, may I ask, prompted you to take her as your personal student?"

Luna shrugged. "A combination of factors," she said. "Since then though, I have seen her grow into a wise young mare, with a talent for taking some of what had been theoretical work and developing it in new and creative ways. Her contributions to our science department have been invaluable, and she has a very bright future ahead of her - if she were interested, she'd be more than qualified to run for its Director, though I feel her talents would be wasted there. She much prefers hooves-on work to the more bureaucratic side of things, which regrettably take up more time than the research and development." She leaned back. "Not that Director Crystal Lace spends all her time doing paperwork, but it's still enough time away from the technical aspects that I can tell Twilight would be unhappy with it."

Whatever hidden message Luna was sending to her sister was truly putting Celestia off balance. Celestia's eyes widened and she shifted in her spot, licking her lips before she spoke, "How very fortunate for her to have such opportunities."

Luna nodded. "Learning has always been one of her favorite things," she said with a smile. "She and Sunset apparently spent quite a bit of time reviewing some of the magical texts in the library where they were staying, and she found those very enjoyable too. Not to mention the company of somepony who loved learning as much as she did."

Cadance giggled. "Sunset is the same way," she said. "It is rare for her to click so easily with another pony and I am truly happy that she is able to start making connections with other ponies."

"I hope that they can continue their growing friendship, though I suppose it will depend if we can come to agreeable terms with each other, Princess Celestia," Director Luna said, suddenly sounding more stiff and formal. "We still have important matters to address before we can officially establish relations with each other."

"I look forward to seeing what you and your followers put forth, Luna," Celestia said, slipping back into her aura of control.

"And I look forward to receiving a reasonable response, Celestia," Luna replied as the train started to pull into Canterlot.

Celestia could only give her an unreadable look, and Cadance sighed mentally. She had a feeling that while physical hostilities were not on the table, the verbal back-and-forth these two were doing was just as bad in its own way.

And she suspected she was going to be very busy keeping their verbal sniping from breaking down into full-on arguments for the next few days or a lot could suffer from these two's inability to make peace between them.

Author's Note

Shout-out to Anon's friend Kenju, who suggested the "garbage duty for criminals" aspect.

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Sixteen

Twilight couldn't help but smile as she saw the expressions on her new companions' faces as they continued to take in the sights en route to her parents' home.

With the celebrations underway, a lot of ponies waved and greeted them in the multiple parks, offering them to join them with Velvet shaking her head each time.

Finally, after watching them pass a couple of families starting to set things up, Pinkie Pie pronked over to her mom to ask what was going on.

"This is our nation's birthday," Velvet said to the mare, Pinkie's eyes widening. "And with how much our ancestors had to struggle and work for all that we have today, we like to honour them as well. In the Primus dome, you can find statues dedicated to each single founder and parties to honour each of them."

Pinkie's eyes were even wider now. "That's a lot of parties..." she said. "Even for me!"

Velvet chuckled. "You like parties, I take it?"

"Yup!" Pinkie nodded her head vigorously. "That's how I got my Cutie Mark; I threw my first party ever to share my happiness with the rest of my family when I saw this big rainbow!"

"Huh, fancy that, Ah got mah Cutie Mark after Ah saw a rainbow that reminded me where Ah belong," Applejack remarked. "Led me back to Ponyville from Manehatten."

"Really?" Fluttershy asked. "I... I owe mine to Rainbow Dash."

The others looked at her in surprise, and then Rainbow Dash nodded. "Right, the day of the big race," she said. "Flutters and I were at Flight Camp together. These bullies challenged me to a race after I stopped them from picking on her. I found out later that she'd fallen off the cloud when we took off..." She looked at Fluttershy, an expression of worry on her face.

"It's okay," Fluttershy told her. "I didn't get hurt when I fell. In fact, a whole swarm of butterflies caught me and took me down to their meadow. They were so pretty..." She smiled at the memory. "Then, there was a loud bang in the sky, and a rainbow-colored ring. It scared all the animals down there, but when I did my best to calm them down, I found I could communicate with them so much better than I could with other ponies. And that's when I got my mark."

Rainbow Dash looked like she wanted to say something more, but then caught the looks on Rarity, Sunset and Twilight's faces. "What about you girls?" she asked.

"Well," Rarity said. "I had been put in charge of costumes during a school play. But no matter what I did, they just did not seem... complete. Then, my horn suddenly began dragging me out into the middle of nowhere, where I found this enormous boulder." She sighed dramatically. "I was not very happy, until suddenly there was an explosion and a spreading rainbow ring in the sky. Just like what you saw, darling," she added to Fluttershy, who looked startled. "The shock waves it made broke open that boulder, and I found it was full of all sorts of gems. So I took them home and added them to my costumes, and voila! One brand-new Cutie Mark."

Sunset blinked. "Wow... that's... a lot like mine, actually," she said. "I don't remember seeing a rainbow, but Princess Celestia said she had. I was taking the entrance exam for her School for Gifted Unicorns, trying to hatch a dragon's egg." She smiled at Spike, who grinned back. "There was an explosion outside, and it startled me so I lost control of the heat I was pushing into the egg - that's what they really need to hatch," she explained. "I put out more fire magic than any single pony in history, and Spike hatched then and there. And when Princess Celestia got me calmed down afterward, I found I'd gotten my Mark."

Twilight nodded. "I've told Sunset this already," she said. "But my parents and I were working on one of my magic lessons when I saw this massive rainbow ring shoot across the sky and suddenly everything fell into place and I got my Mark."

Rainbow Dash was now looking at all of them thoughtfully. "I think I know what happened, to make that rainbow," she said. "Was it kind of an expanding circle when you saw it?"

Five of them nodded, and then Sunset tilted her head. "Yeah, that's how Princess Celestia described it," she said.

Rainbow Dash nodded. "Then I definitely know what it was," she said. "I always knew how much I liked flying, and going fast. But during that race, I discovered just how much I liked winning too. The speed, the adrenaline, the wind in my mane... I went so fast, not only did I prove myself better than those bullies who'd been harassing Fluttershy? I went faster than the speed of sound. And when I did, it made this massive explosion and spreading rainbow, just like the ones in that old mare's tale. Only it was real." She looked at them all. "They call it... a sonic rainboom."

Sunset gasped. "That's incredible! I'd heard about them, from centuries ago, but I never realized that's what startled me!"

All seven looked among themselves, eyes wide with awe.

"I think... I think it might have been fate that brought us all together," Twilight said, still startled as she considered the ramifications. "Seven ponies, all getting their Cutie Marks on the same day, at the same time? That can't be a coincidence." Then she began giggling, staring at Sunset. "Oh, I am so glad I met all of you!"

"Me too Twilight," Sunset said, looking back at her.

"Me three," Pinkie said, pulling them all into a hug, pushing Twilight very close to Sunset's face. Both girls blushed at the closeness.

After a few minutes, all of them were able to separate again, when Twilight caught her mother and Shiny giving them knowing looks. Mentally, she rolled her eyes, before her mother smiled again. "Well! That was certainly informative," she said. "And I'm happy for you all too. But let's move on, shall we? There's lots more to see!"

All of them nodded, and began trotting after her.

But as they moved on, Twilight caught some motion out of the corner of her eye as another pony hurried away from them. Recognizing who it was, she knew that she'd have to speak to another friend about her experiences very soon.

Don't worry, Moondancer, she thought. I haven't forgotten about you.

While she had had her fair share of different dates, Octavia had to admit this one was the most unique so far and the first one to progress this fast. Only a hooffull had ever gotten to the point where she met her partner's family.

After a bit of walking, Vinyl led her to an apartment and knocked on the door. In a few seconds, a lanky stallion with a red mane opened the door, looking at them and grinning. "Heya squirt," he said, messing with Vinyl's mane with his hoof. "I didn't think we'd see ya today, especially not with a date."

Vinyl squawked and moved to escape his hoof but the stallion's magic pulled her close to him. "Quit it ya dork," she grumbled as the stallion, clearly her brother, began to noogie her.

"Long, leave your sister alone," a mare's voice came, and Octavia looked up to see a mare with the same off-white coat as Vinyl and the stallion approaching. "Vinyl, good to see you again, dear. And who's this?"

"Octavia Melody, ma'am," Octavia said with a slight bow. "And you must be Vinyl's mother."

The mare blinked before she nodded and smiled. "Arpeggio Chorus," she said. "A pleasure to meet you, Octs. Can I call you that?"

"Go right ahead," Octavia said with a smile on her face. "Your daughter prefers to call me Octy."

"Well, we wouldn't want to give you mixed messages by using our daughter's pet name for you," an older-looking stallion chuckled as he tilted his head for them to come in with Vinyl groaning and blushing.

Once Vinyl had managed to get loose of her brother's grip, she trotted in, Octavia following as they were led to the living room. It was clear that music was a strong part of their lives, with different instruments all around the room and, in some cases, their images worked into the walls and furniture in decorative ways.

"I'm Canter Rhythm," the older stallion introduced himself. "You know my wife, and our son Long Play."

"LP for short," the younger stallion added, flashing her a smile. "So where'd my baby sis find you, anyway? I don't recognize that accent," he asked.

"Um." Vinyl hesitated. "Remember how Director Luna asked me to come on a special assignment for her?"

"Yes," Canter replied. "I see you made it back safely, not that I had any doubts."

LP nodded. "Shiner knows what I'd do to him if he didn't make sure of it," he said.

Vinyl groaned again, muttering something about overprotective brothers under her breath. "Well, that assignment was to go down to Equestria," she said, resulting in all three sucking in sharp breaths of air. "Check the general mood of the people. We did, and it was pretty good, so we got back with no problems. Octy's from their capital city; Director Luna personally invited her up here to visit once she saw we were friends."

"Well, hopefully she'll be more than just friends," Arpeggio chuckled with the stallions snickering.

"Mom," Vinyl hissed, and Octavia couldn't help but be amused at the embarrassed look on her face.

"Well, can I help it if I want the best for my little girl?" Arpeggio asked as she flashed Octavia a smile. "And if Director Luna approves of her, that's certainly a big point in her favor."

"So what do you do down there?" Canter asked.

"I, sir, am primarily a classical cellist, though I dabble in other genres as well," Octavia replied. "I perform at concert halls and events around Equestria." She smiled. "Your daughter actually met me when I was picking up my cello from the shop where I had taken it for some repairs and tuning."

"Really now? That's so sweet; what a story to tell your kids," Arpeggio said with Octavia blushing now.

"Mom!" Vinyl looked aghast. "We literally met just two days ago! It's way too early to be talking about that kind of thing!"

"Tell that to your dad," Arpeggio said with a chuckle, nuzzling Canter. "Your dad met me and we had two dates before he said, This is the one, I tell you what."

"Why did I think this was a good idea? Why Vinyl why," Vinyl moaned.

Octavia reached over and laid a hoof on her arm. "It doesn't bother me," she said. "I promise." She smiled. "Actually, it is very encouraging, to know they feel so strongly about me already."

"Well, to be honest with you Octs, there is the music test," Canter said with Arpeggio swatting his side. "What? What's wrong with the music test?"

"Come now, behave, she's a guest in our house, we don't need to have her do that," Arpeggio said in a lecturing tone. "Come Long, help set the table with your old man. You two make yourself comfortable on the couch and I'd appreciate it if you didn't do anything we'd do Vinyl. Red really isn't your colour and it is a real pain to clean it up."

"Mom!" Vinyl squeaked, blushing beet red. "Octavia, I am so sorry. This is so embarrassing."

Octavia, however, just laughed. "Vinyl, if you think this is embarrassing, wait until you meet my parents. They are, in their own way, just as blunt."

"Ooo, you hear that Canter? Our daughter is going to meet her parents!" Arpeggio giggled and squeed. "I really hope that they can use what they're doing for the Orion so we can meet them too."

"The... Orion?" Octavia asked carefully. "Would that be something that would allow for easier transport between Equuis and the moon?"

"Short version, yes, it's a step in that direction," Vinyl said, suddenly stiff and looking uncomfortable. "I'm not sure how much I can say, considering you're not from here, Octavia."

Octavia nodded. "Completely understandable," she said. "If you do not think I am cleared for such information at this time, I can wait until I am."

Vinyl looked relieved. "Thanks, Octy."

"You're quite welcome, Vinyl," Octavia said, smiling at the mare. "So... what is the music test, if I am allowed to ask that?"

Octavia could have sworn she heard Canter give a little cheer before a smacking sound. Vinyl, on the other hoof, clearly heard it and responded by saying, "Can you two try to not listen in? And the same goes for you, big bro!"

"Nothing doing, squirt-ow," Long Play grumbled.

Vinyl rolled her eyes. "Octavia Melody, my family," she said, trying to frown but she had a wide smile on her face. "When somepony invented the phrase 'Normal is relative', we were the ones who invented the corollary - 'There's no such thing as a normal relative'."

Octavia let out a rather dignified snicker. "Quite, my dear," she said. "So this music test?"

"Oh, right," Vinyl said as she went to the wall of instruments. "As you've guessed, my family is big on music; all of our Cutie Marks do have it so my parents kinda created this dumb test for any of our potential dates. Here it is," she said, pulling a cello off the wall, and turning to face her. "You don't need to do it but the music test is to see how good a musician you are."

"Ah." Octavia smiled. "Any particular styles I should perform, or is it a general demonstration of my ability?"

Vinyl rolled her eyes as she lifted the cello towards her. "You've met my parents; you really need to ask?"

Octavia smiled, and accepted the cello and the bow that came with it. Examining both to make sure the strings were properly adjusted, she pulled a small container of rosin out of a pouch she'd had by her side, and ran the bow hair against it before putting it away again.

Then she placed the bow against the cello, and began to play.

What emerged was a basic warmup at first, but grew and transformed as she continued, shifting styles every few minutes, until she came to a conclusion.

When she opened her eyes, she saw all four unicorns staring at her, their mouths hanging open in pure awe.

Then Canter pointed his hoof at Vinyl, his wife and son in turn. "You, get the ring. You, get the caterer. And you, get the officiant. I don't see any reason why these two should wait any longer to make this official."

"Dad!" Vinyl groaned. "Shouldn't that be our choice?"

Then she turned to Octavia. "Octy, if I hadn't already fallen for you, that would have cemented it."

Octavia beamed. "Vinyl Scratch, if that was a proposal, I accept."

"You mean it?"

"We may have only known one another for two days, but in that short a time you have more than made me happier than all my past dates put together," Octavia said truthfully. "Whenever you're ready, so am I."

Vinyl grinned. "Well, if my family hasn't scared you off, and if we can get the commute figured out, then I'd think we can make this work." She smiled and nuzzled Octavia. "Come, I think lunch is ready."

"And you two have a lot to talk about," Arpeggio said softly. "The last thing you two want to do is rush things too quickly. Please take some time to get to know each other before you have the whole big show, okay?"

"We will," Vinyl said. "But she already knows about my voice box and isn't bothered by it, and that's the biggest thing."

"That's good and all, but listen to your mother, Vinyl," Canter said. "I might have jumped the plasma shot there and put that idea in your heads but seriously, take the time to get to know each other."

"Oh, we will," Octavia said. "She has to meet my parents first, I wasn't joking about that. Hopefully by that point we will have got to know each other better."

Vinyl smiled gratefully. "It's date then, Octs." She elbowed her. "Come, my mom makes the bestgrub you've ever had."

Octavia smiled back and followed her into the dining room.

"So what's your family like, anyway?" Long Play asked once they'd settled in.

Octavia considered. "Well, as I told Vinyl soon after we met, I come from a family with a great appreciation for the arts of all kinds," she said. "We have a number of musicians in our line, including my maternal cousin Fiddly Twang, or Fiddlesticks as she prefers; she specializes in a more country style. Others of our family are known for painting, sculpting or other visual arts of that type. Not all of us are so inclined to create, but even those who don't do so have been known to enjoy experiencing them."

"Oh?" Arpeggio leaned in. "Tell us more..."

Octavia smiled, and began to describe some of her cousins, and their works (or lack thereof).

A little while later, LP was chuckling. "When you said some of your family could be blunt, you weren't kidding there Octy," he said.

Octavia raised an eyebrow at him. "I thought you weren't going to use your sister's nickname for me as to keep certain matters separate."

"Oh please, that's my parents," he snickered with a grin on his face. "It's my duty as her brother to mess with her as much as possible."

Vinyl rolled her eyes. "I envy that Twilight Sparkle never has to put up with this from Shiner," she grumbled.

"You know you love me anyway," LP said teasingly. "How's he doing anyway?"

"Just fine; asked me to remind you that you two have a get-together this weekend," Vinyl told him.

"Right, right," LP said. "Big gaming sesh."

Vinyl rolled her eyes again. "They're role-playing geeks," she said to Octavia by way of explanation before turning back to her brother. "Though he might be able to bring a plus one if things go well."

"Oh?" LP's expression immediately changed.

"Yeah." Vinyl grinned. "Shiner snagged himself a marefriend in Canterlot, and she's into this stuff too."

"Nice!" LP grinned back. "She come back with him?"

"Not yet; had to deal with some royal duties back home," Vinyl said.

"That's nice that he could find himself a special somepony," Arpeggio said, turning her eyes towards her son. "Now if only a certain other pony could do the same."

"Hey, it's harder than you'd think to find a mare who's as big into this stuff as I am," LP said with a grumble and a blush. He stabbed his dish, and stuck some food into his mouth. "I'm keeping an eye out though."

Suddenly, he did a double-take. "Royal duties? One of the mares who works for the Princess?"

"More like the newest Princess," Vinyl said. "Turns out our Head Director got an adoptive niece in the years she was up here. Really nice type; she and Luna got on right away when they met."

"Now that's a real go getter," Canter said with a grin. "And one that likes your games too Long. It's a shame she's spoken for Long."

"Yeah, yeah, I get the hint," LP said with a sigh. "Be nice to meet her though." He turned back to Octavia. "So, you were saying about your cousin Sugarcoat?"

Octavia nodded. "Tact is most definitely a foreign concept with her. Fortunately, her superior officers seem to appreciate it. They expect she will make an excellent drill leader when she finishes her current tour of duty and can transfer to the Academy to serve as an instructor there."

"Oh yeah." LP nodded back. "Sounds like she'd have a blast doing it."

"Quite," Octavia said. "She's currently in the capital; I was going to go meet her today but I think she will understand other things came up. She will be snarky about it in her own way, but she will understand."

"Don't even say it, Long," Arpeggio warned with the stallion rolling his eyes in good nature. "She actually has somepony with her, unlike you. And now that Shining has a marefriend, that path is closed to you."

"Mom!" LP did not look happy. "He's my best friend, not like that!"

Octavia and Vinyl giggled loudly before Octavia leaned over and kissed Vinyl on the cheek.

"Thank you dear for the best second date ever," she said.

Vinyl grinned back. "Glad you've had such a good time, Octy," she said. "Now, before my brother spontaneously combusts from embarrassment, what say we change the subject away from his love life or lack thereof?"

"Of course," Octavia replied. "It would be a rather poor way to end and spoil what has been quite the exciting day. And I would hate to lose my future brother-in-law before he officially became one of my kin."

Vinyl smiled happily at that.

"Besides, perhaps when we return to Equestria, he could come with us," Octavia added before turning to LP. "Perhaps you will have just as much luck in Canterlot as your sister did. Maybe one of Princess Cadance's friends would be interested?"

LP nodded gratefully. "I think I'd like that."

With that settled, Octavia turned back to Arpeggio and Canter, prepared to answer another of their questions about her life, and found herself looking forward to doing this again in the future.

"And once we're done here, Octs," Arpeggio said, gathering the plates. "We've got foal pictures to show you."

"MOM!" Vinyl practically shrieked, her face reddening.

Octavia gave her a smile before turning back to Arpeggio. "Do you have any of her practicing on the turntables?" she asked.

"Oh, plenty," Arpeggio said as she walked back into the room with a big chocolate cake.

"Vinyl," Canter said, leaning over. "If you do something to lose this one, you're grounded for a year, you got me?"

"Dad, I don't even live here anymore," Vinyl grumbled.

"We can still ground you if we feel the need," Canter replied. "Like if you mess up with this gem of a mare."

Vinyl groaned again. "I get it, I get it."

"Vinyl, dear," Octavia said, patting her hoof. "I guarantee, it will be very hard for you to achieve such a thing."

"Thanks Octy," Vinyl said as her mom placed down a single plate of cake before them and winked at them.

With that, the two mares dug in, and Octavia mentally repeated herself from earlier, a thought that unbeknownst to her, Vinyl was sharing at the exact same moment.

Best. Second date. Ever!

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Seventeen

While Blueblood had been the first noble to return from Ponyville, who had turned himself in and then been promptly arrested for much more serious crimes than he had been expecting, the city was quickly abuzz about the news that had leaked out.

There was a delegation from a nation that none of them had heard of arriving in the capital, a nation of ponies that had apparently split from Equestria a thousand years ago who were led by Princess Celestia's own sister. Countless rumours were already racing through the city on who these ponies were and who was this unmentioned alicorn sister and what role would she take in the political structure in Canterlot and Equestria. Why had they not heard of this princess of theirs until now, what had happened that caused these ponies to be split from their nation, were the rumours of those avengers true that they were from the moon and were out to invade them?

No, that was a silly idea, many of Cadance's undercover agents said in conjunction with other Canterlotians arguing against such an idea.

There were countless ideas, possibilities brought forth and dismissed between many in private parties and gatherings, questions asked with no real answers brought forth. What was agreed on was that they, the nobles of Canterlot and Equestria, should do their best to welcome their lost brothers and sisters back into the fold and show them the best that they had to offer.

Soon, a welcoming party had been arranged, with the best music players in the city having been summoned either by favours, desire to show off or simple altruism. There was some complaint that one of the more renowned cellists was seemingly unavailable and there were a few lamenting on her missing such a chance to show off her skills to the delegation that was soon to arrive.

Members of the House of Nobles, or Senate, and the House of Commons from Equestria's parliament soon emerged onto the scene, the legislative members creating a small pecking order issue with the leader of the former absent as he was still under arrest. The leader of the Commons was arguing that they should lead over the deputy leader of the Nobles, while the latter was arguing that as they represented the Upper House, it was their right to run things. It was quickly agreed, though, that they would both greet the delegation party.

Finally, the train from Ponyville was spotted and the musicians started to play as they pulled into the station, with all eyes on who would emerge from the train first. They would have got closer if not for the guards creating a barrier between the public and their suddenly very important guests.

The first ponies to step out were not the actual delegates but seemingly security figures themselves by how they fanned out and walked. They were not in the familiar thick golden plate of the Canterlot Royal Guard, but a much slimmer looking metal with strange boxes in holsters on their sides.

Still, the guards of Canterlot were able to recognize their opposites and stared at each other before some invisible exchange occurred and the two leading soldiers tipped their heads at each other and shifted their perimeter around the door to the train to allow the other guards to hold one side.

After that occurred, the delegates started to emerge from the train car. The first to emerge was an Earth pony mare, a pale yellow in color. She was followed by a thestral stallion, a light gray Earth pony mare with a dark brownish mane, and an off-black unicorn stallion.

Princess Cadance was the next to emerge, to the surprise of everypony present as they were unaware she had even left the city. However, she quickly stepped aside, bowing respectfully as an unfamiliar alicorn mare with a dark blue coat and ethereal dark blue mane appeared, her eyes flicking across the crowds.

She was clearly Princess Celestia's sister, her height a near match for Celestia's own towering figure. Though everything of her was almost the opposite of Celestia herself physically, there was a strength that emanated from her every moment and action. There was a power in this alicorn that they only truly saw in their ruler; an ancient might that inspired an instant trust and faith towards her, unquestionably a born leader. This was Celestia's true equal and match, her opposite... and a potential rival. There was still a stiffness in her movements, a look evaluating everything in sight. This wasn't going to be as pleasant as they had all hoped.

Finally, Princess Celestia exited the train car, and only those familiar with her body language would have been able to recognize the signs of agitation in her and her unhappiness at being last out. None knew that Cadance had been the one to suggest the order, advising that it was only fair for the youngest - herself - to present her elders, and for Celestia to be last out, since any who came after her would likely receive the least attention of the group, Celestia being who she was. She had also convinced Celestia that it would also send a message of great disrespect towards the alicorn whom their ponies would come to know as Head Director Luna, leader of the Lunar Republic's delegation, if she had to come last.

With the two sisters standing side by side and creating a powerful image, the greeting community faltered in how they should approach the situation. Instead of addressing any of the alicorns, Fancy Pants and Claret Holder went up to the smaller party of ponies to introduce themselves.

"On behalf of everypony gathered here today, I would like to welcome you to Canterlot," Fancy Pants said, bowing in time with Claret Holder to the quartet before him, while his eyes flicked towards the new alicorn who seemed to be amused by the action.

"To whom do we have the pleasure of meeting?" Claret Holder asked, holding the hoof of the older mare to his lips, with her giving a snort and a roll of her eyes.

"I'm Director Honey Spice of the Lunar Republic," she said with an odd accent, taking her hoof back and turning to her colleagues. "These are some of my fellow Directors - Quick Light, the Director of Energy, Raven Inkwell, the Director of Resources and Onyx Plate, the Director of Security."

"It is a pleasure to meet you all," Director Raven Inkwell said, fixing her glasses as she took her turn to shake the hooves of the greeting community. "And I must admit, it is quite surprising how much was arranged in such short notice."

"It was only proper to welcome our distant cousins to the best of our abilities," Fancy Pants said, looking at the dark blue alicorn. "And I believe one more welcome is still in order."

"Agreed," Cadance said, her eyes flicking towards Celestia to introduce her sister to the crowd. Celestia, to those who knew her best, saw some reluctance as she stepped forwards.

"My dear ponies, I would like you all to give my sister a warm welcome home," Celestia said, with Cadance and the still unnamed alicorn frowning and giving a sharp narrow eye to her, respectively. Turning to face her sister, Celestia said with open arms and pulling her into a hug, "Welcome home, Luna."

"An interesting choice of words, Princess," Luna said, not returning the gesture. "As it implies I am not coming here to sojourn at all but dwell permanently in a foreign land and leave my citizens for new ones."

"You misunderstand me," Celestia said, giving her a weak look. "Equestria was once your followers' home and hopefully, we can mend enough fences that it can be so again."

"If any of my citizens choose to immigrate to Equestria once we settle matters, then it is their decision, Princess Celestia," Luna replied before turning to face the greeting community. "As Princess Celestia was inadequate to properly introduce me, I shall do it myself." Holding her hoof to Fancy and Claret Holder, she said, "I am Head Director Luna of the Lunar Republic. Whom do I have the pleasure of meeting today?"

"I am Fancy Pants, Speaker pro tempore and currently acting Speaker of the House of Nobles," Fancy replied. "This is Claret Holder, Speaker of the House of Commons. We represent the two legislative bodies of Equestria, Head Director, the lawmakers who represent the various regions of our country and the peers who review the bills they seek to pass before sending them on to Princess Celestia."

"Then you are well met, Speakers," Luna replied. She tilted her head, and looked as if she wished to ask something, but refrained, likely at the look Cadance was giving her. Instead, she looked over the crowd as a whole, and then spoke.

"As Head Director, I am the elected leader of our State Department, and Chairpony of our nation's Board of Directors," she said. "I and my fellows have come to Equestria to witness how it has developed in the thousand years since I and my ponies departed this land and settled our own, on the moon that lies above you. And we have also come in the hopes of forging a new alliance and a lasting peace between our nation and the nations of Equuis. Thus far, certain aspects have impressed me. Others, less so. But at the very least, I look forward to seeing how we can work together."

That earned more than a few surprised mutterings from the crowd. But Fancy Pants seemed quite calm as he nodded understandingly.

"Then we welcome you, Head Director," he said. "And we too hope that your desired alliance and peace comes to fruition."

"As do we all," Cadance said, looking at the two older alicorns, giving them a sharp look. "Though I suppose any future talks would be better suited to being held in the castle, opposed to out in public, right?"

"My niece speaks wisely," Luna said. "Come, let us take this to a more closed setting."

Fancy Pants nodded. "We have carriages ready to take you and your colleagues to the castle, Head Director," he said. "If you will follow us."

Luna graciously followed after him, her four fellow Directors following suit, and the guards from both sides coming after them. Cadance let herself fall back a bit until she was standing by Celestia's side, but when they reached the carriages, Luna gave a signal of invitation to her, and she went to join Luna in her carriage.

Once both had settled in, with Onyx and Fancy Pants joining them while his counterpart went with the other three Directors, and Celestia made her way into a carriage of her own, Luna's horn lit up, casting a number of security spells around the four of them. When she was certain all was ready, she looked at him and said, "A question, if I may."

"Yes, Head Director?" Fancy asked.

"I mean no offense," Luna said. "But if you are the currently acting Speaker of your House of Nobles, where is the regular Speaker?"

"Ah." Fancy Pants chuckled. "No offense taken at all, Head Director. The fact is, he has been arrested for a number of incidents, the most recent involving trespass into a certain room in the castle. It was but the last straw on a long list, and he was taken into custody shortly after his return to Canterlot from Ponyville earlier today."

"Really." Luna's expression was heavily guarded, but Cadance's was downright giddy, which prompted a look of questioning from Luna when she noticed it.

"The Speaker of the House of Nobles is none other than my semi-cousin Blueblood," Cadance explained. "I believe I have mentioned him to you before?"

"Ah. Platinum's descendant." Luna nodded. "Yes, I recall you mentioning him and your opinion thereof." She then turned to face Fancy Pants. "So how was he found out at last?"

"Years of careful investigation," Fancy said with a twinkle in his eye. "Though it did help that he came to turn himself in for the aforementioned trespassing. Apparently on your sister's insistance after she deduced that he had committed such an act." He leaned in. "He was under the impression that he would get a simple fine for it, and was quite surprised when the guards took him into custody."

"I'm curious to why she had done so now," Luna asked with Cadance leaning with concern.

"I'm more curious to which room he had trespassed in," she said.

"That of Princess Celestia's personal student, one Sunset Shimmer," Fancy replied. "Apparently she had left the door open while she was absent. Still, entering it without her permission was a crime, and so he was to be punished for it."

Luna gave a hmm at that, making Fancy raise an eyebrow. Cadance also looked confused at this, wondering what Luna made of that piece of information.

"Sunset is a wonderful young mare," Luna said at last. "I witnessed her interactions with others during my arrival in Ponyville and afterward, and I saw how much she meant to my sister. Blueblood is lucky that he only trespassed in her quarters and did not do any damage to them - he did not, did he?" she asked, which Fancy confirmed was not the case with a shake of his head. "Nor that he attempted any harm to Sunset herself. Otherwise, he would be facing the wrath of more than one angry alicorn."

"Angry?" Fancy asked with Luna chuckling and tutting.

"It may have been a thousand years since I have last seen my sister, but I know her moods well," she said, staring out the window. "She has her tells that I can see as well as one would my moon on a clear night as does my niece over here." Luna turned to face Cadance. "You wear your heart as clear as your Cutie Mark, so yours are more open. It is refreshing to see and not a criticism to you."

Cadance blushed. "Thank you, Aunt Luna," she said.

"But to continue, it is very clear how much Sunset means to both of you," Luna said. "And how much fury you both would bring down on any who harmed her. Rest assured, while my sister and I do not agree on everything, this is one case where she and I would stand united. And I trust that she would be the same should any harm befall my own student."

Fancy Pants looked intrigued. "You have a personal student of your own?"

"Oh yes," Luna said. "She is back home by now, with her brother and parents and new friends."

"From what Shining told me of her, I am a bit surprised that she managed to make so many friends so quickly, though that could also be said of Sunset," Cadance said.

"Twilight is more aware of emotions and friendship than her brother gives her credit for," Onyx said, speaking up for the first time. "Though I suspect much of it was their seeing how she bonded with Sunset over shared interests."

"You know her well?" Fancy Pants asked him.

"Twilight's brother, Shining Armor, is my department's Deputy Director," Onyx replied. "And their mother is one of our twelve Directors. My husband and I had the privilege of getting to know the family through small friendly gatherings, and from what I have observed of Twilight, she loves learning and applying her knowledge more than almost anything. Princess Cadance has made similar observations of Sunset in my presence, so it is only logical." He smiled. "There was also seeing how their faces lit up as they talked together where I could see it."

"Come now," Luna tutted with a grin on her face. "Surely it is too soon to suspect that kind of thing."

"Suspect what?" Onyx asked. "I know kindred spirits when I see them. With how much they both love learning new things, I'd be more surprised if they hadn't become friends."

Cadance nodded. "I quite agree," she said. "Sunset has always loved learning. She had a hard time relating to other ponies for the longest time though."

"If you say so," Luna said with the same mystic air of her sister, though none dared to bring up such a comparison.

Cadance nodded again. "It's not my place to talk about how it happened," she said. "But Sunset wasn't always like she is now. Let's just say that... she was in a dark place for a while, until something big happened between she and Aunt Celestia some years ago. After that she was a changed mare, more like the happy filly I used to foalsit for."

Luna blinked slowly and tipped her head. "I see," she said in a careful tone. "I will not pry. I am glad that she is better now. Change is not easy for most."

"No, it wasn't," Cadance said with a bit of an edge to her voice. "Having your eyes opened can be painful sometimes, but if you can learn from it, and change for the better... it's worth it." She softened. "And trust me, Sunset learned a lot from her experiences."

Luna nodded silently. "It sounds like she and Twilight will be good for one another."

Cadance smiled. "I think so too." Then she flicked one ear. "Speaking of, do you... have any pictures of her when she was little?"

"I might," Luna said. "Why?"

"Because Shiny told me about why she first began really practicing her telekinesis, and I was hoping you or her family had photos of her walking and reading at the same time," Cadance said.

Luna chuckled in delight. "Oh, yes," she said. "And I'd love to share them with you, as soon as I can get them out from where I keep them."

Cadance smiled at that. "I look forward to it, Director Luna."

"It is good that we can find such common ground," Fancy Pants said with a chuckle of his own, with Director Onyx nodding his head.

"Yes, it is," Luna said, giving him a cryptic smile. "So tell me more about yourself and your work, Fancy Pants. I wouldn't want to dominate the entire conversation."

"Ah." Fancy nodded. "Well, as said, our House of Commons is made up of delegates from each city or region of Equestria. They represent their locales, and propose bills to be made into law for our nation. Once a majority has passed a bill, it is sent to the House of Nobles, where we review it, debate it, and if it is warranted, amend or reject it, whereupon we must present our reasonings to the House of Commons so they may issue any amendments to it that they deem necessary before sending it back to us for another review. Though certain types of bills they propose, usually relating to taxation or public funds, can bypass us and be sent directly to Princess Celestia for her to sign or veto. If we pass a bill, it is sent to her, and she approves or vetoes it." He dipped his head. "The Speakers of both bodies act as their chambers' presiding officer, making rulings on procedure and determining if a member is out of line. It is a position with its ups and downs, but its overall purpose is to ensure that Princess Celestia's time is not taken up entirely by the day-to-day minutia; she has enough of her own work, handling matters at her School for Gifted Unicorns, accepting petitioners at Day Court and meeting with delegates from other nations, all while making sure she still has time to be with her student and niece."

"A very busy schedule," Luna said, keeping her green eyes focused on him. "And if I may ask, how often do these other delegates make themselves known in the new capital?"

"New capital?" Fancy asked with Luna chuckling a bit.

"My mistake, time is a bit different for alicorns," she said. "When my followers and I left Equestria, our capital was in the center of what is now the Everfree Forest. In fact, I should probably see about returning there some time; I suspect a lot of my personal belongings are still locked away under the security spells I had set on my old room there."

"How curious to know about the old capital," Fancy Pants said, polishing his monocle. "And to address your question, such visits occur from time to time, usually involving trade treaties and the like."

"Are there any in the capital today?" Luna asked.

"Not at the moment," Fancy Pants replied. "As I recall, all such matters were handled well in advance of this year's Summer Sun Celebration - the last departed a month ago, if I am not mistaken, and none are due to arrive again for some time."

"A shame then," Luna leaned back in her seat. "As it is, you are the first nation we have reached out to and I do intend to establish proper embassies with the other nations of Equuis, though it will take some time before we can offer the same in our home."

"And may I ask why that is so?" Fancy said with a raised eyebrow.

"Space, primarily," Luna said. "We are currently settled within six domes, and while we have been working towards acquiring sufficient materials to create more and expand outwards so as to allow more room for various developments, it takes time to obtain everything and carry out the construction."

"In addition, the only means to travel to and from relies currently on Director Luna's abilities," Director Onyx added. "I doubt any nation would be consigned to leaving their own diplomats' ability to leave and go on the hooves of another nation's ruler. We are working towards a better solution that will make transport between the surfaces easier, but again, it takes time."

"Completely understandable when the distance is the moon itself," Fancy Pants said with a tip of his head. "I cannot imagine any way of reaching beyond the planet's atmosphere without being able to teleport, let alone surviving in such an airless place without assistance."

"It wasn't easy," Luna said. "My powers played a large part in our ability to survive long enough to create the first sealed space, and expansion after that took quite some time. To this day we must still be careful when exiting and working outside the domes."

"We still do shelter drills from time to time, in case there is a crack or leak in one of the domes," Director Onyx said. "Thankfully, we had not needed to do a proper shelter run in a very long time but it is always good to make sure our ponies are capable of taking care of themselves should the worst happen."

"A wise precaution," Fancy Pants said, peering out the window as the carriage began to slow down. When it came to a complete stop and Luna disengaged the spells she'd established earlier, all four exited, with the other Directors, Claret Holder and Princess Celestia coming to join them and look up at the sight ahead.

"There it is," Fancy Pants announced. "Canterlot Castle, the Royal Family's personal residence and central gathering place for events. And your home for the duration of your stay, my good sir and madam Directors."

"A generous kindness," Director Onyx said before Director Luna could speak. "We thank you and Princess Celestia for arranging this on such short notice."

"It was our pleasure, Directors," Fancy Pants said. "The Lunar Republic are our cousins, and it is only proper we treat our family well."

"From what I have seen, all but the very head of this family has done their best to do that," Director Luna said, glancing at her sister out of the corner of her eye as Celestia headed towards the castle. "And before we can truly open our doors and hearts to Equestria and all the other nations of Equuis, this matter must be addressed first."

"Hopefully," Cadance waited until Luna was some distance ahead of herself before she spoke quietly. "It can be done; their pride is staggering."

"It is rather unlike Princess Celestia to be that... undiplomatic to a foreign leader," Fancy Pants said with a concerned face. "She usually has far more tact and decorum when meeting people."

"And for Director Luna to be this unbending and harsh," Director Onyx said with a worried look. "She is normally more open and willing to talk to others to make a good balance for everypony involved."

"I fear we have worse to see from our leaders, gentleponies," Cadance said with a frown. "I doubt there will be any true progress until they finally get over what they are feuding about and I doubt they will have a heart to heart moment without a hoof to hoof moment first."

"So I suppose it is our job to soothe their egos and prides, and prevent their pettiness from ruining the diplomatic future of our nations," Speaker pro tempore Fancy Pants said looking at Director Onyx.

"So long as we are not undermining either's authority," Director Onyx said in a serious voice with a narrowed glare. "I will not commit treason against her and I will not divulge my nation's secrets to either of you."

"I have no intention of asking you to do anything of the sort," Fancy Pants said. "I merely ask, when you are in their presence and see things are at a boiling point, for you do your best to speak up in a way that will ensure she does not lose her temper too badly, or provoke Princess Celestia into doing the same."

Onyx calmed at that. "And I can trust you will do the same with your Princess?"

"I will do my best," Fancy Pants said.

"As will I," Cadance said. "I've been waiting to meet Aunt Luna for years, ever since I found out about her, and I don't want to lose either she or Aunt Celestia because they cannot work past their differences."

"Not to mention those other reasons you want to be able to stay in touch with the Lunar Republic," Onyx said, giving her a light smirk.

"That too," Cadance said, her face reddening.

Fancy Pants chuckled. "I can guess what you mean," he said. "But regardless of what they are, we all have valid reasons to keep our leaders from going too far. We all want a peaceful resolution, and we will all do our best to keep things calm so we can achieve one."

"So gentlestallions, I believe we have serious work ahead of us," Cadance said, walking away from the carriage with the pair moving alongside her. "This isn't going to be easy. But if we can keep things calm enough and for long enough for my aunts to be able to settle their differences and work together harmoniously again, it will be worth it in the long run."

"That it will be," Fancy Pants said, and Director Onyx nodded in agreement.

"I just hope we can succeed," the latter said. "For the sake of us all."

"For the sake of us all," Fancy Pants echoed.

Then, united in purpose, they trotted onward, each hoping for the best. But if anypony present could read minds, they'd have heard Cadance's thoughts suddenly head in another direction.

At least Sunset's safely away from all this, she thought to herself. I just hope she's okay...

Out loud, she asked Onyx and Fancy Pants, "Do you two mind keeping an eye on things for a few minutes? I need to check on something in my quarters for a bit."

"Certainly, Princess," Fancy Pants said. "Does it relate to your work against the so-called 'avengers'?"

"No," Cadance replied. "But all our talk of Sunset earlier reminded me of one of my other responsibilities."

"Oh?" Onyx asked.

Cadance nodded. "I'm gecko-sitting for her, and I need to check on Ray," she said.

Both stallions smiled and nodded understandingly. "Then go do so, Princess," Fancy Pants said. "We'll keep things in order as best we can until you get back."

"Thank you," Cadance said before she trotted away, heading for the room where she would find her charge was calmly and patiently waiting for her.

When she had gone, Fancy Pants and Onyx traded looks, both smiling.

"She is a good pony to be working with," Onyx said. "And I'm not just saying that because my Deputy Director is head-over-hooves for her."

Fancy Pants chuckled. "Quite right, my friend," he said. "Quite right."

That settled, they resumed their trot to catch up with their fellows and leaders, both knowing that the next few days were going to be long, difficult and interesting.

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Eighteen

Celestia watched her sister enter the castle, trying to decipher her mind and what was going on in there. As much as she could reasonably predict what everypony was thinking around her due to her years of practice and expertise, Luna was forever an immeasurable wall to her. She was clearly up to something, with plans beyond Equuis as obvious as her sun but there had to be a reason for Luna to bring her and her followers onto the surface, especially if Twilight wasn'tMagic.

She both loved and cursed her sister; Luna was among the very few who would never succumb to the fear of disappointing her, one that could stand horn to horn with her. Cadance might be an incredible force on her own, but she was not yet established as an independent ruler and her power was considered to be lesser than the elder Princess's by everypony except for Celestia herself. If the Crystal Empire returned and she took her place as their leader, then she would be free of Celestia and finally a proper equal, but that was still some time away if the timing from the other versions she had once viewed held true here as well.

Luna, on the other hoof, never saw herself as the lesser of the two when they ruled; she would not accept it. She was power that could not be denied and if she wanted something, then to Tartarus with those who stood in her way. Her passion for everypony's hopes and dreams was admirable; she would spend as much time as she needed to help either one foal or a whole country without so much as a complaint or concern to herself. Celestia couldn't have formed Equestria without her; she didn't have the martial mindset as her sister did, she couldn't connect with ponies in such a personal way as Luna did as they always saw her as the Princess, a figure of supreme authority rather than somepony they could relate to. Luna was everything she was not and Celestia had tried to emulate her ways so she could be a better ruler and pony.

But at the same time, Luna was so infuriatingly stubborn and thick-headed at times. If she thought something was the proper course and truly worth it, then damn everypony else that tried to dissuade her and the risks that came from it. If she hadn't managed to keep her temper in check that night... Celestia shook her head, trying to clear it of that thought. Having her sister take her followers and effectively abandon Equestria was bad enough; she didn't want to imagine what might have happened if Luna had gone full-on Nightmare Moon instead. She had seen what some of the more vicious versions of that being had been capable of in the other dimensions they'd viewed, and it had taken her sister's help at the time to help her work past the nightmares she'd had as a result. Not to mention some of the other wicked beings she'd seen. Cosmos in particular... just the thought of the self-proclaimed Spirit of Malice gave her the shivers, and she wasn't the only fiend of body and/or personality whom Celestia had no desire to ever see inflicted on her ponies.

Still, even without such wickedness involved, Luna's refusal to let matters rest when they knew they had greater concerns to deal with was baffling and so childish to Celestia.

Trying to redirect her thoughts in happier directions, the eldest Princess thought of Sunset and Twilight. She'd only seen them together a short while, but the budding friendship between them was clear, and it made her smile to see such a thing. In her look into the greater multiverse so long ago, she had seen many positive permutations of their relationship, from friends to honorary sisters to full-on life partners, and even a few more... out there versions, some of which had made her blush and still did to this day. Regardless of the form it took, she greatly preferred her memories of the worlds where they were close in some way or another over the negative ones.

Especially the ones where Sunset or Twilight had Fallen. Those she could do without.

Perhaps that was why I took so much care when I realized my Sunset was heading the same direction, she reflected. She'd truly become attached to the young mare since the day they met, and so had entrusted Cadance with the care of the sun for those few days while she followed Sunset through the mirror and ultimately talked her down. Without the Element of Magic, Sunset may not have been as physically dangerous as some of her Others had become, but still... Celestia didn't want to lose her to the darkness she'd seen growing within her. And in the end, she'd succeeded, as Sunset finally understood what Celestia was trying to get through to her, before doing her best to make amends for all the harm she'd done in so short a period of time.

Then they'd returned home, and begun again together.

For a moment, Celestia thought of the directions that experience could have taken, and then gave a small nicker of amusement. She was happy for some of her Others who had handled matters quite differently, but she had too many responsibilities to take the option they did, be it staying on the other side with their local Other as a couple and raising Sunset together, or just hoping for the better and entrusting her to Twilight's eventual positive influence.

Maybe in another lifetime, she thought.

"Your highness?" a stallion's voice interrupted her musings. "Are you all right?"

Celestia shook herself out of her musings as she recognized one of her guards. "Just lost in thought," she said. "Old memories."

"Speaking of old memories," Luna said as she peered at the walls of the castle. "This bears a lot of influence from our old castle."

"I found it befitting," Celestiasaid, tipping her head. "The old one fell out of use with what occurred there, so when we moved the capital, I thought it right to honour some traces of our old home."

"Far be it for me to lecture you on being stuck in the past, Princess, though an unyielding attachment to bygone days can blind you to the future," Luna lectured, shooting her a critical eye. "Though I doubt you will listen to my advice, you might want to try and bring your home into the modern world."

"We've renovated the interior more than once," Celestia said defensively. "Besides, is it so wrong to want to remember the happier moments of the past?"

"Of course not," Luna snorted. "Though therein lies the prerequisite of them being happier times, Princess."

"Ahem," Fancy Pants said, stepping between them rather bravely. "Perhaps it would be best if we show the delegates of the Lunar Republic to their chambers, your highness."

Celestia took a moment to calm herself. "Yes, you're absolutely right, Speaker. If you would be so kind."

Luna was about to join him, when Celestia beckoned to her. "A moment, Luna."

Luna turned to her with her usual detached tone that was coloured with a hint of anger. "Yes?"

Celestia felt a pang at how frosty her sister sounded, but forced it down. If nothing else, her duty-bound sister would appreciate seeing what she had done in her absence. "Perhaps you would like to take a walk with me in the gardens. I do have some statues that I think you would like to see."

Everypony froze, staring at them, wondering what Celestia was doing and what Luna would do for such an odd request.

Luna, on the other hoof, knew what she was saying and nodded her head. "I would like that greatly," she said with her followers muttering in surprise to each other. "Director Onyx, please inform your officers they are not to follow me into the garden, no matter what they hear within."

Onyx nodded, clearly uncertain of her orders but he would follow them regardless. "Of course, Head Director," he said.

"Captain Sentry, please have your guards stationed outside the Garden of Tranquility, along with your counterparts," Celestia said to the pegasus.

"Yes, Princess," the stallion replied, before turning to his fellow Guards. "Form up!"

Onyx echoed his words, and both groups did as they were told, assuming formation outside the gates before their leaders entered, with Captain Sentry shutting the door behind them.

It was an awkward walk, the two sisters walking abreast of each other through the garden of statues and topiary, the silence being very uncomfortable for all those present besides the sisters, which amounted to a single soul.

Still, as they reached the centre of the garden which held a single statue, the two sisters came to a halt and stared at the mismatched statue which stared back at them with glee in its wicked face.

"So the prison still holds," Luna said, doing her best to keep up the impromptu staring contest with the creature in stone. In other times, she would have laughed but it could simply annoy her sister and that was too great a risk at this distance.

"Not for a lack of trying on our parts," Celestia muttered darkly with Luna turning her head in surprise at her sister admitting partial fault. Celestia saw her sister's smirk and scowled in return, shaking her head. "You are aware of how dangerous it is for us to fight this close to him, Luna. I am doing my best to control myself."

"I am fully aware myself, Celestia," Luna said, taking a breath to steady herself. "If not for the looming threat of letting Discord free, I feel things would be vastly differ-"

"Wait, Discord is real?" Cadance asked, stepping out of the bush she had been hiding in, looking very worried. "I thought it had been some sort of allegorical story about the benefits of harmony or something."

"Yes, he is quite real," Luna said, sharing a surprised look with Celestia that their niece had got this close without either realizing she had been there. "And a dangerous one as well; even after we uncovered the means to seal him, getting close enough to use it was not easy."

"He is empowered by fractious arguing and conflict, which is part of the reason why I strive for order and calm in Canterlot, and bar but a single gardener to this place," Celestia said. "If there was a fight before his statue, he could escape from his prison."

"If that's the case, then why haven't you smashed it already?" Cadance asked with her mane splitting about as the weight of the matter began to sink in. "In fact, if you will allow me, I will do it myself right now." she said, creating a massive hammer and holding it above Discord.

"As amusing as it would be," Luna said with a chuckle, sharing a smirk with Celestia as the older alicorn took the hammer away from the younger. "That would only serve him escaping sooner."

"The rock itself is a prison of Harmony," Celestia said, dismissing the hammer. "It is what binds him in place and what has contained his power for so long."

"In addition, Discord is akin to us, dear niece," Luna said with a click of her tongue. "Incredibly hard to truly kill, and part of a broken and near dead race. It would be an unforgivable sin to kill him, to shed more blood since those dark days of the war. It would also take more than the three of us put together to do so, and if it happened... there is a great chance that something even more dangerous would take his place, one without his known habits and traits acting against us. For all his unpredictableness, Discord still has patterns we know how to counter."

"And before you ask why I have not stuffed him in some remote place, there are two issues," Celestia said, with Cadance blinking owlishly at them. "One, it would be a great risk that those guarding him would not appreciate the danger properly and secondly, he tends to follow me when I did try it in the past despite being nothing more than an ugly lump of rock."

"Wait, wait wait," Cadance said, holding up a wing. "You mean to tell me you've had a potential dangerous enemy just lingering here that could break free if a couple of ponies couldn't agree on something and now is the first time I'm hearing of this?"

"A calculated risk," Luna said. "I would have done the same in her place; the more that know of Discord, the greater the chance that a potential enemy could seek him out to make a deal to overthrow my sister which would undoubtedly backfire for everyone on Equuis as we don't possess the means to stop him anymore."

"But we have already started the means to correct that," Celestia said. "We are not so blind in our personal quarrel that we are unable to deal with him."

"Hopefully, in due time, the means to defeat Discord again when he escapes will be ready," Luna said as she and Celestia placed a hoof on Cadance's shoulder to try and calm her.

"And from them, any other dangers will have a solution to them as well," Celestia said. "We might not have given you much reason to have faith in us, but rest assured, one thing we can agree on is the protection of our world."

"And these are plans that have survived our personal schism," Luna added. "So while he might be a threat, he will not be an insurmountable one."

Cadance shook her head, stepping back from them. "I do not know what's more unbelievable; that Discord exists or how in sync you two are now, after all the petty snipping and fighting you've been doing since you both met each other again." With a groan and a sigh, Cadance raised her wings in the air as she walked away, leaving the two sisters to stare at each other before they laughed and shook their heads.

"We have been foolish," Luna said with Celestia giving a tired sigh.

"We have," Celestia said. "And I doubt we will come to a peace just because of this."

"I suppose we will be even more foolish then," Luna said, narrowing her eyes. "We have yet to truly meet each other, and this is certainly not the place for such a reckoning."

Celestia nodded her head, and the two sisters walked away from the statue of their ancient foe, his mocking laughter clear in their heads. He had been close to escaping then; they were both aware of it and it left a sour taste in both of their mouths.

"We're going to have to tell her about everything, someday," Celestia said quietly into her sister's ear. "I still remember so much of what we saw together..."

"Quite," Luna replied just as quietly, whipping up a brief obfuscation field spell around them, similar to the ones she'd put around the carriage earlier, but with an added visual component to prevent anypony from reading their lips.

"I wonder what she would say about that world?" Celestia asked as she turned to her sister, now able to speak normally and silently thanking her for the spell she'd cast. "The one where two of me were together?"

Had Luna been drinking, she probably would have snorted it out through her nose. "I don't know, Celestia," she said. "But if I know our niece, at the very least she would be pleased to see Sunset with a happy life with two parents that cared for her."

"Very true," Celestia replied. "Plus a loving aunt." Then she sobered. "Luna..."

Luna raised a hoof. "Celestia, you and I both know the time is not right. There is too much bad blood to let out this close to him," she said. "We will settle this eventually. But for now, we have other tasks to worry about."

"Mm." Celestia nodded, then sighed. "But Luna, I wish you could see things how I do," she said. "Equestria needs us both."

For a moment, Luna froze. Then she looked at her sister. "Equestria needs its leaders, that is true. I will not deny that," she said. "But I have my own people, and they need me just as much. As you look to yours, I must look to mine." Her horn glowed and dispelled the field she had made, and she walked off, leaving Celestia to wonder just what her sister meant in her choice of words. "Thank you for showing me your garden and statues, Princess."

Celestia nodded, still troubled as her sister walked away.

Letting out a quiet sigh, she headed for her office, knowing Luna would likely be meeting with her Directors for a while. It would give her time to think and plan, and get rid of the folder that Bluebood gave her. While it might be the answer to dissuading Luna of her notion that she needed to protect those on the moon alone so they could start working together again, it would undoubtedly forever estrange her from her sister and might even push Luna to take drastic actions in her rage which would free Discord in seconds.

And even if it were not for that fact... Celestia shook her head.

No. I will not consider it. I can't.

But she would read it anyway. If only to see how badly our security might have been compromised, she told herself.

As she thought that, she couldn't help but feel a familiar chill go down her spine, one she hadn't felt in over a thousand years. Not since before that day, when they had left her. Had Luna been the one to feel it, she would have recognized what it meant immediately. But Celestia did not.

After all, Honesty had not been one of hers back then.

It was a good hour or so later when she emerged from her office, with lunch finally being prepared and everypony being called in.

Cadance and Luna were already waiting in the dining room, along with the four Directors Luna had brought with her. Fancy Pants and Claret Holder were also joining them, and the nine all settled in as their meal was served.

It was Director Honey Spice that seemed the most interested, asking about the different products and ingredients that went into the dishes, writing stuff down in a little notebook she had on her, while the Speakers and Cadance did their best to answer.

The old mare let out a sigh in the midst of an explanation, resting her head in her hooves. "My apologies," she said to the Speakers and Cadance before looking at Luna. "I know I was a holdout on the idea of creating an official currency, Director Luna, but now that we are preparing to obtain seeds for new crops, we need a means that will make sense to our new partners."

Luna nodded. "The question is, what should we use?" she asked. "As we all well know, the vast majority of our metals have always been tied up in the construction of the domes and related structures inside and out, and acquiring more is always a tricky proposition."

"Where do you get them from?" Claret Holder asked curiously.

"Passing asteroids, mostly," Luna said. "They tend to be rich in the metals we need for our construction, but they do not pass close enough or in sufficient quantities nearly as often as we'd like." She sighed. "And besides, for most unicorns, pulling them out of the sky without risking burning out their magic from overuse is not an easy task, and I cannot spend all day doing it either."

"Perhaps we could assist the Republic," Fancy Pants offered. "I am sure that living on the moon has taught you some impressive lessons that you could share. Quid pro quo."

"Maybe," Director Quick Light said. "But before we do anything of the sort that large, we would need to clear it with the rest of our fellow Directors."

"Of course," Fancy Pants said. "I would not suggest otherwise."

"How are your transportation methods progressing?" Claret asked with the Directors stiffening and looking at Luna, who snorted.

"It is hardly a secret that we have been hard at work on a more efficient means of transport between our moon and Equuis, one that will not rely on a single pony teleporting them back and forth," she said. "To answer your question, we have spent a number of years testing smaller prototype models, and our Directors of Science and Transportation have great faith in them. Development on the full-sized core machinery is progressing well, but again, acquiring sufficient materials to construct the outer portions is a work in progress. However, we are confident that when the full-sized versions are complete, they will work as we require."

"If that is the case, would it not help to transfer such projects on the surface so you can have greater access to the material?" Celestia asked with Cadance facehooving and Luna snorting in laughter.

"Oh that was a truly good one Celestia," Luna said with a smirk on her face. "I truly needed that. But honestly, such a thing would risk the Republic's secrets leaking out to people who are not equipped to handle it properly and could cause catastrophic damages if the equipment is misused or not correctly put together. Not to mention we would need a large amount of land to do our work, and I can't imagine that there is a lot of free real estate left on the planet."

"I was being genuine Luna," Celestia said hotly. "It was an honest offer."

"Really?" Luna clicked her tongue and shook her head. Her expression suddenly shifted. "But in all seriousness, construction of the larger outer structures is better handled in space, for a variety of reasons that I don't think I need to explain to you, Princess Celestia."

"That is true Luna," Celestia said. "But I thought I would make the offer regardless."

"Although, Director Luna," Director Raven said. "While moving the main project itself is out of the question, we could move some of the smaller parts projects to the surface without the same concerns that come with the larger one and it would allow proper testing as to their purpose that we can only simulate and guess in the Republic. Plus, if there is an accident, there is more that we can do here opposed to the moon."

Luna looked almost as if she was considering it. Finally, she said, "It is a... possibility, though again, one we will need to bring up to the rest of the Directors."

"I have been told of how your Board works, and I must say it is an interesting system for running things," Claret Holder remarked. "How did it come about?"

"A lot of discussion, taking place after several years of work," Luna said. "The Departments all developed out of a need for better regulation over certain aspects of our nation; more have been formed over the years since the initial group, some split off from other departments in a few cases. Education and Recordkeeping were once a single department, for instance. If events go well here, I expect we will probably establish a Department of Commerce or Trade."

"There are a number from within my department that could serve well as the new possible Director," Director Raven Inkwell said, fixing her glasses. "Though I suppose one from your own as for diplomatic measures would be necessary as well, Director Luna."

"True," Luna replied. "And while we are on the subject, a treasury department would probably also be required at some point, either as a sub-office of the Commerce Department or an independent department of its own."

"All things we will need to bring up once we have finalized the treaties here," Director Onyx said, which Luna nodded to.

"I expect some might be harder to convince than others," she muttered.

Cadance nodded sympathetically. "Some politicians are always more difficult when it comes to trying to get change through," she said. "Especially those opposed to what they politely call a 'reformist' agenda. Complaining about how the system wasn't broken and didn't need fixing." Cadence snorted and shook her head. "They think I haven't heard worse or I can't take worse. They forget I grew up in a farming community on the outskirts of Equestria before my ascension and was raised as a hearty Earth pony, as Mom and Dad didn’t really have any pegasus experience."

Fancy Pants chuckled. "Alas, I know the feeling well, dear Princess," he said. "I hate to speak ill of my colleagues, but more than a few of our body have been particularly stubborn in their opposition to some of the bills we have passed onwards."

"Perhaps it would be time to change how your structure is; instead of inheriting your place in the Noble Council, you should try and arrange appointments to it into a manner similar to your Common Council?" Luna said at Fancy, though she was looking at Celestia.

"Some of us have already done just that," Fancy Pants said. "Myself included. Our body does include a number of hereditary peers, our soon to be former Speaker among them, but I am one of the Life Peers, granted my title by the Crown." He gestured to his Cutie Mark. "Despite what some would claim, I worked my way to the top in my younger days, earning my position and respect through my actions rather than my blood, and I have done my best to encourage others to do the same."

Luna smiled at that. "A good thing to know then," she said. "Our own Directors all earned their spots through proving their skill at the job before they ran for office, and it was those skills that saw them each elected."

"Ah." Fancy Pants nodded in approval. "Always a wise method, choosing those best qualified for the position."

Luna nodded. "It has been our way since the beginning," she said.

Talk soon shifted to other things, but Celestia forced herself to keep quiet, focusing on her meal and the wine that Claret Holder proudly informed their guests came from his family's own vineyards, which they had operated for generations and where he himself had worked (his wine bottle Cutie Mark had actually come from his doing so) before turning to a career in the political sector.

She had to admit that some parts of what they were discussing sounded fascinating. The system Luna had set up was apparently very effective, and worked rather well for them by the sound of it. But still...

It wasn't Equestria.

When Sunset returns, I will have to make sure to sit down and have a long talk with her, to get her opinion on things, she thought to herself. And Twilight's parents as well. She'd been quite startled when she'd heard Director Inkwell's casual mentioning of Twilight Velvet as their Director of Housing - it had only made logical sense that she resided on the moon, since Twilight herself lived and worked there, but her rank had been unexpected on Celestia's part.

I will have to speak with each of her followers here, individually and privately, she decided. To ask them for their personal views on my sister, and on Twilight. Even if she isn't Magic, or my student, she is still important to Luna and to us all, if she holds a different Role as Luna seems to be hinting. She paused as she took another sip of her wine, staring at her sister. And I do want to know more about how close she and Luna are. Are they like Sunset and I? Or are they more distant, a mere teacher and student?

No, Celestia chided herself. Even if this Twilight is a normal pony, Luna wouldn't let a possible assistant like Twilight pass her by. Nearly all the Twilights she had seen before were towering figures of power and resources, capable of moving mountains with the simplest of actions and words. She had once seen a Twilight convince an untrusting world to band together and defeat the Storm King earlier than normal through genuine friendship made on a year-long journey as a newly minted princess. And as their Twilight had been groomed under her sister, she was undoubtedly more aware of the nature of things than most. No, their Twilight was no mere pony.

The question now was, she thought as she listened to the ongoing talks with one ear, which of her sister's followers would be most willing to speak to her alone first.

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Nineteen

As they were in the midst of finishing their dessert, there was a knock on their door.

Twilight looked at her mom, stopping midway through her latest conversation with Sunset, wondering who it could be. Velvet frowned herself, giving an apologetic look at Rarity as she halted their conversation and rose to answer the door.

Opening the door, there was a smiling earth pony stallion waiting outside, wearing a vest and holding a hat. "Howdy ma'am," he said, tipping his head at her. "Ah understand mah cousin Applejack's here?"

"Why, yes! Come on in!" Velvet said, moving out of his way as Applejack rose to greet him.

"Hey, cuz," she said. "Glad ta meet ya at long last."

Braeburn, as Twilight recognized him from before, grinned. "Glad ta meet ya too, Applejack," he said. "Mighty fine hat you've got there."

"Same type mah Dad used to wear," Applejack said, tipping it. "Yerself?"

"Ah, it was mah grandpappy's," he said. "Great ol' stallion. Loved him greatly. It was a shame when he passed on."

"Ah know how ya feel," Applejack said sadly. "Mah Ma and Pa passed away when Ah was a squirt; Granny practically raised Big Mac, Apple Bloom and mahself all on her own."

Braeburn bowed his head, holding his hat to his chest. "Ah'm sorry fer your loss," he said.

"Same here cuz for yer grandpappy," Applejack said. "Though, Ah'm mostly sad for my little sis. She didn't get to know Ma or Pa like me or Mac did."

Braeburn bowed his head again, then looked up. "What're they like?" he asked. "Yer brother and sister?"

"Well... when they named him Big McIntosh, they weren't kiddin'," Applejack said with a grin. "Ah think he's almost as tall as Princess Celestia, or just about."

"Who?" Braeburn asked with a frown on his face.

"Yer Head Director's big sister," Applejack said. "The one who's been rulin' Equestria since yer ancestors came up here. You didn't know about her?"

"Ah, that's her name," Braeburn said with a blush as he rubbed the back of his head. "Ah hope ya don't go tellin' mah old teachers but Ah never bothered ta do that much digging in my old school reports about Equestria. Ah knew they have one, just didn't know 'er name."

"Ah'd say it's surprisin' Princess Celestia isn't really known up here, but to be honest, we only just learned about Director Luna," Applejack said. "Ah mean, sure there's talk about the Longest Night, but most of the ones who make any big deal about it are jerks Ah try to ignore 'cause of what they say about it."

Braeburn looked confused. "Longest Night...?"

"What we call the Night of Departure," Shining Armor explained, catching their attention. "But go on, you two."

"Excuse me, I don't mean to interrupt but why is it called the Longest Night?" Twilight asked, looking at Sunset.

"Ah, that," Sunset blinked and bit her lip. "Well, during your founders leaving Equestria, the night lasted for three days before the whole sun and moon cycle started up again. It did disrupt many things on Equuis, with a lot of nations coming to Equestria and demanding answers from Princess Celestia, who was already busy with the trials concerning those involved in the Longest Night. From what the old history books I've read said, a lot of countries were close to invading Equestria over that."

"We had no idea of that," Velvet said, slowly and clearly horrified. "How..."

"Princess Celestia managed to talk them down," Sunset said. "But there were a lot of angry feelings for a while. It took some time, but eventually she was able to reopen diplomatic talks with some of them and get things straightened out and back to more peaceful relations. Mostly." She sighed. "The yaks closed their borders around then and haven't let anyone in, regardless of species, since. And then there's the whole Solar and Lunar Accord."

"What's that?" Velvet asked with a frown, and Sunset sighed heavier.

"It was the international agreement signed by the rest of the world that if something like the Long Night were to happen again, the world would force Princess Celestia to obey a strict schedule," she said with everypony in the room widening their eyes in horror. "Equestria isn't part of the agreement, of course, so we don't know the full scope of what their plans are but at the very least, an united alliance of everypony on the planet marching against Equestria if the moon or sun are out of their cycle for too long without proper notice, is a confirmed fact."

"Wait, the moon too?" Applejack asked, blinking. "But Princess Celestia doesn't move the moon, yer Director Luna does that. That ain't right."

"Applejack's right, they can't hold Princess Celestia responsible if Director Luna is late to lowering the moon," Twilight said. "But... the world doesn't know about the Republic, do they?"

"Not as far as I know," Sunset replied. "I mean, there are plenty of stories about what must have happened to all the ponies who disappeared that night, and some of them are about how they'd gone to set up a new society on the moon. But nopony's ever really envisioned all of what you've come up with up here, as far as I know."

"Well, I thank you for telling me of this, Sunset," Velvet said, looking nervously. "If everyone will excuse me, there are a number of calls I need to make now."

"It's okay Mom, we understand," Twilight said with the rest of her friends nodding as she left the room.

Braeburn let out a long, low whistle. "Woo-ee," he said. "Ah had no idea things were lahk that down below."

Twilight nodded in agreement. "But..."

"Now, hold on there a minute," Applejack said. "Ah get that there's some difficulties between Equestria an' the rest of the world. But there's still good stuff too." She bowed her head. "We still got our friends, our families, our traditions... folks who love the land and work it. That's a thing that'll never change." She sighed. "Even if some of 'em need ta get a good bit of sense knocked into 'em 'cause they fell in with a bad crowd an' the rest of their families ain't talkin' to 'em until they get that sense."

Twilight had a feeling she knew what Applejack was talking about, and was inwardly relieved at her new friend's comment. So they haven't all given up on that pony... She'd been worried when Apple Bloom mentioned it.

"Ah guess so," Braeburn said, scratching his head. "Look, Ah don't know much about nothin but Ah do know Ah can trust mah kin and yer kin, Applejack. Come, Ah told the rest of the fam about ya and Ah think they'd be mighty pleased ta meet ya and get ta know how the rest of the clan is down below."

"Ah'd like that," Applejack said. "And Ah hope we can get the whole clan for a proper reunion afterwards."

Braeburn smiled at that. "So, goin' back to happier talk," he said as he headed towards the door. "What's yer little sister lahk?"

"Er sorry, I don't mean to interrupt again," Sunset said as she stood up. "But is there a way we can reach you? I am responsible for her, and the rest of them, while we are here and it would be irresponsible for me to just let her go off on her own, even if you are family."

"Ah can give one of you mah number," Braeburn said, looking at the table with Twilight standing up.

"You can give me yours," she said, tapping on her PCA as Braeburn gave her his number, and Twilight said hers to him. She noticed Sunset looking at them with interest, flashing her a smile and tilting her arm to her. "I can explain this to you later while we walk," she said before turning to face the rest of their group. "If everypony is up to it, I can show you more of the domes, if you want to."

There was a chorus of nods, and a quick clattering of spoons as everypony finished what they had left of their last course before putting the dishes aside for later.

"Meet you later?" Twilight asked Applejack, who nodded.

"Catch ya back here, or wherever you feel's best," she said, tipping her hat at them before walking out with Braeburn.

"So," Twilight said, as the eight of them walked out of the house, Shining clearly attending as big brother... or as the deputy of security up here, keeping surveillance on them. "Where should we go..." she said to herself with Shining chuckling and shaking his head.

"I'm surprised you haven't already suggested one of the libraries," he said.

Twilight gave him a dirty look. "I try to be sensitive to everypony's interests," she said. "And no offense meant to the rest of you," she added, looking over the others. "But I have a feeling only Sunset and I would be really excited to go to one of those."

"Nah, you're pretty much spot-on," Rainbow Dash said. "I'd kinda like to see more of these ongoing parties; they sound like they'd be cool."

Pinkie nodded eagerly, while Fluttershy ducked her head nervously, and Twilight couldn't blame her. Rarity, meanwhile, tilted her head.

"What about your workplace?" she asked.

Twilight instantly shook her head. "Not possible. It's off-limits to anypony without the proper credentials; some of our work is very delicate, and in some cases experimental, which could result in injuries if you aren't trained to work with that sort of thing. We can't take the chance of anypony, especially visitors from another world, going in and getting hurt if they had an accident of some kind."

Not to mention highly classified, she silently added. She'd only known her new companions for a short time and could tell they were trustworthy, but she knew Luna would be very upset with her if she just showed them some of their nation's biggest and most advanced projects without official permission from the Board of Directors, Luna especially, first.

Sunset nodded. "That makes sense," she said. "We have a similar policy for the experimental wing at the School for Gifted Unicorns; some of the professors and students have their own areas where they do special projects, and they're sealed off so the experiments don't get interrupted and make things explode. Or worse."

"What's worse than explosions?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"You don't want to know," three voices chorused, and Twilight blinked as she realized Spike had chimed in with she and Sunset, looking at him in surprise.

"What?" the little dragon asked, looking back. "I'm Sunset's assistant, I help her with pretty much everything. Maybe I can't cast any spells, but I can understand the theories behind them, and what could happen if something goes really wrong. And again, you don'twant to know."

"If you say so," Rainbow Dash said, still not sounding entirely convinced.

Rolling his eyes, Spike waddled over and whispered something into her ear, prompting Rainbow Dash's eyes to widen.

"Okay, now I get it," she said. "And eeurgh."

Twilight hadn't heard what he said, but she could make some guesses. "Come on," she said, catching their attention. "Let's go wander a bit. See the sights."

The others nodded in approval, and they set off.

They had headed back to the Primus dome, where the majority of the other parties were being held, and Sunset had to admit that despite this being clearly one of the most advanced countries in Equuis, you wouldn't be able to tell if you didn't look upwards or at the glass walls of the dome. The whole area was full of picnics with multiple families talking and celebrating their nation's birth.

And they were so welcoming; Pinkie had pronked over and started chatting up the locals, who were surprised and delighted to be talking to someone from Equestria. They were so curious and eager to learn about what was going on on the surface. Rainbow Dash had got a few pegasi around her, asking about the Wonderbolts and the other flying teams and Rarity had managed to meet a few ponies that were tailors as well, including the one that had made Director Luna's dress. Even Fluttershy had attracted the attention of a pair of small fillies who were looking curiously at her Cutie Mark and asking about what the images were, prompting her to explain all about butterflies to them and then about all the animals she was responsible for.

"You know," Sunset said to Twilight as they watched the interactions. "I really think that this can work. I know that your nation was born because of how our ancestors treated yours but... I really think we can make peace with each other and work together again."

Twilight nodded her head. "And I know that Director Luna will do her best to establish a proper treaty with Equestria and I am certain that Princess Celestia would do the same," she said. "They're both wise rulers that care deeply about their people so they will be able to overcome their past falling out. And they're sisters; I am sure that they will be able to come together for the good of everypony."

"Me too," Sunset said with a happy sigh. "Princess Celestia is a renowned diplomat; she is always able to work out a proper deal with any of our neighbours eventually. Once we get over the hurdle of being able to travel to and from the Republic, I am positive we'll be able to work to a better harmony for everypony." She glanced over to Twilight and bit her lip. "That's what you are working on, right? Spaceships?" she asked sotto voce with Twilight widening her eyes.

"How did you know-" Twilight began before Sunset raised a hoof and continued to whisper to her.

"I guessed," she said, feeling guilty at the half truth before she pushed herself to answer properly. "Or... I used my experience to make a real guess."

"What experience?" Twilight asked as they walked over to a statue of a griffon, Sunset unable to read the plaque hovering in front of it.

"That rough time I mentioned before?" Sunset said, with a painful sigh. "I was a nasty pony before; all greedy and power focused, seeking to become an alicorn, and I felt that Princess Celestia was holding me back. I had found this magical mirror that led me to this strange place, completely unlike anything on Equuis. They had technology that was actually... kind of like here, but not as advanced. Like your..." She gestured to Twilight's wrist gadget. "Except they were carried around, not wrist-worn, and they didn't have holographic projection. But they served the same purposes - portable computer access and distance communication. Anyway, they actually landed on their moon a few times, years and years ago, but one of their biggest achievements was a 'space shuttle' that could make multiple trips into orbit and dock with a station up there after they built it - they actually used a mix of shuttles and rockets to carry at least some of the pieces into orbit and assemble it there, if I remember right." She looked at Twilight, who was clearly fascinated by the descriptions she was giving. "The technology wasn't anywhere near as advanced as what you're going to need for a full moon-to-Equuis trip, launching from one and landing on the other. A lot of their fiction described that kind of stuff though, and it was one of their long-term goals, along with colonizing their moon and some of the other planets."

Twilight nodded. "So what happened?"

Sunset sighed. "According to their history books, economics and resources took a downturn and slowed the progress of space development for a while, but they're getting better. Anyway, I was there for... a while. Until Princess Celestia crossed over, and a lot of stuff happened. In the end, she talked me down, and I did my best to undo all the damage I'd done to peoples' relationships before we went home." She looked over at Spike, who was clearly the subject of a great deal of fascination by the ponies around him. "And when I got back, one of the first things I did was apologize to Spike for pushing him away and running off on him." She turned back to Twilight. "The way I treated him before I left was one of the biggest mistakes I ever made, and I still don't know why he forgave me so easily."

Twilight laid a hoof on hers. "Because he understood that you made a mistake and were genuinely sorry," she said. "Sometimes, it's as simple as that."

"Maybe." Sunset looked down. "But there are times when I still feel guilty about it."

"That's only natural," Twilight assured her. "What's important is that you know you did wrong, and you felt sorry for it." She smiled. "So, what other kind of technology did they have for space?"

"Well, they started by launching satellites, mostly for communication," Sunset said. "And to make it easier to study what's out there." She waved a hoof as they sat next to the statue. "Other planets, distant stars and galaxies... one of the entertainment programs I saw described space as 'the final frontier', and was all about them seeking other civilizations on other worlds in distant star systems." She smiled. "Wonder what they'd say if they found one a whole lot closer to home, like we have."

Twilight giggled, shaking her head. "Hopefully that they could be friends," she said, leaning against Sunset. "Like we are."

"Yeah," Sunset agreed happily. She smiled. "Twilight?"

"Yes?"

"I'm really glad I met you," Sunset said. "I mean, I have a few ponies I consider friends, but... sometimes, back in Canterlot, it's been just hard for me to relate to others, outside of Cadance and Spike. But since I came to Ponyville, and met you and the other girls? It's been so much better. Rarity and Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, Pinkie... they've all got their good points. But you, especially... you're so easy to get along with, and you've never had any trouble understanding the things I like to talk about."

Twilight blushed. "Some would say I have the same problem," she said. "I mean, my closest friends for years have been my brother and my old classmate Moondancer; we went to the same school when we were growing up, and she's always been important to me. And I can get along with some of the ponies I've met through my work, and my parents' and brother's work. Like Director Onyx and his husband." She sighed. "But you and the others? I feel... more at ease around all of you than I have most ponies I work with."

"What's Moondancer like, anyway?" Sunset asked. "I mean, you've said she helps keep you from burning out, but what else?"

"Well..." Twilight looked thoughtful. "She's smart," she said. "One of the few ponies I know who can keep up with me when it comes to studying. She's always after me to take better care of myself - one of the ways I know she cares about my well-being, even if she can be more than a little blunt about it at times." She chuckled. "She can be more than a little cranky when she's irritated, especially if it's because somepony's interrupting her when she's trying to focus on her studies or her work, which I can understand - I get the same way. And she's great on the dance floor - her parents didn't name her Moondancer for nothing. She tried to teach me some of it a few times, but... well, it didn't go so well. Director Luna tried to teach me too, but she's even worse."

"Princess Celestia is a terrible dancer," Sunset said with a giggle. "Flailing all over the place with her tongue out as she triesto dance; none of the nobles ever try to brownnose her by complimenting her dance, not even Blueblood."

Twilight nickered softly. "That must have been a sight," she said. "I'd show you some videos of Director Luna dancing but she asked me to delete them."

"And you actually did?" Sunset asked, giving her a knowing look.

"It'd take a court order to make me prove otherwise," Twilight said, a twinkle in her eye.

Sunset chuckled, easily figuring out what she meant. "Fair enough."

"And if you want to see what Twilight's dancing looks like, not even a court order could stop me from showing one of those videos," Shining Armor added from where he was standing.

Twilight gave him a dirty look. "Do it, and I'll show Cadance some of your foalhood videos," she said.

Shining Armor winced. "I give, I give!" he said quickly. "And I'll leave you two alone. You girls have fun, okay?"

"I'm sure we will," Sunset said. She turned back to Twilight once Shining had gone far enough away. "So..."

"Wanna see them?" Twilight asked. She lowered her voice. "If we can sneak away for a bit... Shiny can watch over the others."

Sunset was hesitant for a moment, then made up her mind. "Maybe later," she said. "But I'll hold you to it."

"Okay." Twilight smiled. "It's a date."

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty

"So that is the situation," Twilight Velvet concluded as she looked around at the six remaining Directors that had come to meet her. Not all of them were pleased to be called away during their family celebrations but as Velvet had explained the matter, they all quickly understood the seriousness of it. "As such, it is even more vital that our Head Director and her sister make peace between them, so that Equestria never finds itself threatened as it has been. I realize that we had our reasons for leaving, but they are still our kin, and I do not wish to see them come under attack by outside forces simply because those other nations do not understand the situation."

Her eyes swept the room, trying to read the expressions on her fellows' faces. Steady Notes was clearly concerned, and in agreement with her. Crystal Lace also looked concerned. Well Wishes' face was unreadable, and she wasn't too sure about Clear Flow or Water Wheel either. Neighsay, on the other hoof, was just scowling like usual.

"And yet, there is nothing we can actually do about it," Crystal Lace said. "The power that Head Director Luna possesses, granting her control over the moon's orbit without burning herself out like the unicorns of old, is beyond any of our understandings."

"And I doubt that this Princess Celestia will mention this little accord to Director Luna," Clear Flow said. "She has no way of knowing about it; what if the past repeats and the two sisters hold up the the cycle of the moon and sun again? It would be a war not only against Equestria but us as well and we cannot begin to guess whether the Equestrians would side with us."

Velvet nodded. "I would like to think that their other Princess would fill our Head Director in," she said. "From what I have been told, she has been eager to meet Director Luna and get to know her."

Neighsay arched an eyebrow at that. "Another Princess?" he asked suspiciously.

Velvet nodded. "One whom Director Luna openly called her niece in my presence," she said. "And whom she seems to trust a great deal. I have faith that this Princess Cadance will do her part to prevent such a thing as a war from being created during this first meeting."

"Plus, we do have the Director of Security and our best soldiers on the surface in case the worst does arise," Neighsay said, his eyes darting towards a vial on Head Director Luna's desk. It was attached to a mate on Luna's person, one she would break in case the worst should happen and the Equestrians had turned on them and captured them. It was an unsavory solution but one that they were prepared for as best as they could, though Luna had only agreed to it from an unanimous vote forcing her to take it with her. She had said Equestria would never stoop to that level but none of them had wanted to take that chance.

Velvet had to agree with him, reluctantly. Still... "Director Onyx also spoke highly of Princess Cadance to me during the short time he was back here with us," she said. "And I trust his judgement."

Neighsay did not look convinced, but the others were nodding. "And these Equestrians, Deputy Director Shining Armor is watching them?"

"For the most part," Velvet said. "Vinyl Scratch took one of them, a fellow musician from what I've been told, to visit her family and take part in the founding day celebrations. In addition, another of the visitors, Applejack, has confirmed family up here and is likely to be spending time with him and the rest of their clan."

Velvet had expected Neighsay to object to this but instead, he was nodding his head. "That is good to hear," he said, looking towards Steady Notes. "Has your team managed to find more linking our guests to any of our populace?"

"Er, yes, actually," the mare said. "Along with Director Well Wishes' medical examination of the Equestrians, we were able to trace some familial ties for them. I was waiting for a proper time to bring it up, after the celebrations were done, but Director Velvet's information brought us together sooner, and justifiably so."

"Regardless, I think it would be suitable for all parties to meet," Neighsay said. "It would show great initiative on our part to bridge the gap between our nations if we could further your project, Director Notes. In fact, why not put it to a public vote, shall we? I shall abstain, of course."

Velvet frowned. It was so very odd for Neighsay to be so supportive and kind that she couldn't help but be suspicious, but Velvet also couldn't find any reason to vote against this idea.

One by one, her fellow Directors voted in favour of his proposal. Finally, Velvet put her own vote in, also in favor. But she had a feeling that something was up, and privately promised to keep an eye on things and to make sure her daughter's new friends knew to be careful.

Just in case.

"Whoo-ee," Applejack let out a whistle of appreciation as she observed the area where Braeburn worked. Her cousin had taken her to see the orchards that he tended in the Quartus dome, and they looked pretty spectacular to her. "Mighty fine trees ya got up here."

Braeburn beamed. "We Apples've been tendin' 'em since the beginning," he said. "Had some scares in the past, but they've pulled through."

Applejack nodded understandingly. "All orchards have their problems, no matter how hard ya try," she said. "We haven't been able to properly tend our west orchard in years; it's where a bunch of fruit bats have a colony, an' they get rowdy if ya disturb 'em - too rowdy for us to chase off." She shuddered. "'Least they aren't vampire fruit bats, them critters are even worse."

"What are them? We don't get much of any critters up here, Applejack," Braeburn said with a grin.

"Fruit bats are... well, bats that look lahk fruit," Applejack said. "An' they eat it too, so they're kind of protective of any orchard they roost in. We tolerate 'em because there aren't enough of us there year-round to keep 'em out; not happy about 'em, but not much we can do. But them Vampire Fruit Bats are a more vicious kind that suck the juice out of fruit an' leave it all rotten, so we do what we have to to keep that breed away."

"Now that sounds like a real pest of a critter," another voice with the accent of all the ponies had up here said as they walked past the tree line. She was an older looking mare, though she had a big smile on her face. "Howdy there. Ah'm Rose Splendour, this here colt's mom. Nice ta meet ya Applejack."

Applejack smiled. "Nice ta meet ya too, Rose," she said before sniffing the air. "Is that apple fritters Ah smell?"

"Yer darn tootin' it is," Rose said, pulling the stallion into a headlock. "We make the best up here; Braeburn here tries but he don't got the touch."

"Ah, ma..." Braeburn grumbled, but Applejack was chuckling.

"Some ponies are just lahk that," she said. "What's important is that you try. It took me some time, but Ah reckon Ah'm pretty decent now."

"Yah hear that?" another stallion laughed as he walked towards them. He looked like a much older version of Braeburn, with a beard and similar hat on his head. "Yah need ta keep at it, son."

"Pa," Braeburn groaned, pulling his hat downwards. "Do ya got ta do this?"

Applejack watched them interact with a smile. It was just like back home used to be.

"Ah'd be glad to show you how we do it back at the Acres," she said. "If'n yer interested."

"Ah know Ah would be," Rose said. "So come on, let's head back to the house."

Applejack let the other three lead her away from the trees and towards their home. She was pleasantly surprised, as they approached, to find that it more closely resembled her own.

"Ya surprised we don't have one of them metal homes, eh?" Braeburn's pa said with a chuckle. "We recalled how our home was back when we lived in Equestria, our ancestor. It took some time but we eventually got the go-ahead to convert our home into a proper Apple homestead." He gave a bit of a sigh, shaking his head. "Though not all of them wood is real; we've got ta be practical to safety measures and the like." He then blinked and slapped his forehead. "Where are mah manners, Ah didn't introduce mahself. Dougherty Apple, at your service." Extending a hoof, which Applejack happily accepted, he smiled at her. "And it's a pleasure to meet you, Applejack."

"Same here, Dougherty," Applejack said, shaking his hoof. "And Ah get what yeah mean; tradition is fine and all but Ah've got ta admit ya got ta use yer head."

"Exactly!" Dougherty beamed. "Ya got a good head on yer shoulders, Applejack."

"Ah try," Applejack said, ducking her head. "Don't get me wrong, Ah've made mistakes... but Ah try to learn from 'em."

"Best thing to do, 'sides admittin' when ya made one," Rose replied as they headed into the house.

Once they'd gotten settled into the kitchen and Rose had served everypony, Applejack took her first bite of fritter and grinned. "Tastes just lahk how Granny makes 'em," she said.

That got her a lot of pleased looks, and all three started asking questions about the rest of the Apple family down in Equestria. Applejack answered them as best as she could, and asked some of her own in return, which got her some interesting responses.

Still though, even knowing she was on the moon instead of back at Sweet Apple Acres, she felt right at home, and privately promised to make sure the rest of her family got to see this some day.

"I gotta say, the Wonderbolts sound really cool, Dasher," the pegasus across from her said, hovering in the air. "Though I kinda wish they were like the military army we're taught about in our ancient history lessons. Those guys sounded reallyneat."

"I guess?" Dash shrugged. "The Wonderbolts being the best athletes is how anypony knows them now Lightning. Way I hear it, they actually started off as a way of inspiring new recruits by showing off what their troops could do, but that became so much of their focus that most ponies just see them as performers now rather than soldiers. They do handle rescue work too though."

"Eh," the light green mare shrugged. "To each their own, Dasher. I just hope that one day we can do our own airteam after-"

"Our leaders make peace, right Dust?" the grayish indigo mare next to her said so quickly that Dash could tell it was an obvious coverup. She wasn't sure what it was, only that the moon ponies must have been planning something big.

"Yeah, that's the way, Thunder," Lightning Dust said with a nervous chuckle. "Be way cool if I was on it."

Rolling Thunder rolled her eyes. "Yeah, it would," she said.

Rainbow Dash watched the two carefully as they chatted. Lightning Dust had been one of the first few to approach her, and while she seemed okay, there was just something that bugged her about the other mare. She seemed a little too casual about certain topics, for one. She knew that if there weren't any other ponies around them, Dust would have blabbed about all the secrets she knew five minutes ago with only a little pushing.

She also seemed very certain of herself for another; Rainbow Dash knew she had a great deal of self-confidence in herself, but there was a difference between confidence and cockiness. She'd spent hours, day after day, training to achieve what she wanted in between her shifts on the weather team. Dust... well, maybe most of the moon ponies had a strong work ethic, but Dust reminded her disturbingly of him. Zephyr Breeze had the same attitude issue, so confident that he could do anything but not wanting to work at it, and it was one of the things about him that drove both Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy crazy.

Speaking of... She glanced around and saw Fluttershy still happily explaining things to a group of young foals, all of whom were listening to her with ears perked and awe on their faces, which brought a smile to Dash's own, before she turned back to an expectant-looking Lightning Dust.

"I think you'd have a shot at it," Dash said, shrugging her wings. "You look like you've got the wingpower and the endurance to really pull off some good moves out there."

"Really?" Dust asked, looking at her wings. "Man, it would be great to actually test them but there's not really enough open space for that."

"Yeah," Rainbow Dash agreed. "I can get why that'd be an issue up here." She looked up at the stars above. "Great view though."

"Yeah," Rolling Thunder agreed. "Me though? I can't wait to get down into some wide-open spaces, maybe fly through some lightning storms."

"They aren't as fun or safe as you might think," Dash cautioned.

"Eh." Rolling Thunder shrugged. "What's life without a little risk?"

"Risk is one thing, but what you're talking about is-" Rainbow Dash began before she heard something in the background. "What the hay?"

Then she saw the source of the noise and relaxed. "Never mind, it's just Pinkie."

Indeed, the noise she'd heard was her friend bouncing around at high speeds and angles, and the sight made her snicker a little before she raised her voice again, having figured out the cause. "Okay! Who gave Pinkie the chocolate-covered coffee beans?"

One mare raised a hoof timidly. "She said she liked chocolate," she said. "I didn't know it was going to do that to her."

Rainbow Dash went over and laid a hoof on her shoulder reassuringly. "Nah, it'll be fine," she said. "Pinkie can handle that kind of stuff no problem; it just makes her a little more hyper than usual for a while. She'll calm down in a few minutes."

The other mare looked relieved. "Okay," she said. "As long as she'll be fine."

Rainbow Dash nodded. "Even at her most hyper, Pinkie can keep herself from going too wild," she said. "Assuming it's one of her good days. And this is, I made sure before we came up here."

"Oh... okay." The mare smiled, then looked back at Pinkie. "She's really..."

"Exuberant?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Yeah. But she's a great friend."

"All of you Equestrians are," Dust said as she came over and lightly punched her in the arm. "I have to admit, I kinda thought you'd be stuffy plotheads, going on about the superiority of your princess and living on the surface but you're all pretty cool ponies."

Rainbow Dash wasn't quite sure what to think of that, though the facehoof that Rolling Thunder did kinda told her she wasn't the only one to think it was pretty blunt. She finally settled on something. "Hey, your Head Director's pretty cool too," she said. "She's the one who invited us up here after she saw we were friends with the ponies she'd asked to check out our home. Besides, we're civilians, from a small town. You want stuffy plotheads, go talk to some of the rich folks in Canterlot."

Lightning Dust made a face. "I'll pass, thanks."

"Same here," Rainbow Dash told her. "But really, not all of us are stuck-up and snooty. Maybe we've got some good points, but so do you guys. This place is amazing."

Then she looked thoughtful. "Wonder if Luna'd mind making an extra round-trip or two when she can," she said. "There's somepony back home I think it'd really help if she came up here, got some of your doctors to look at her wings."

"What's wrong with her?" Rolling Thunder asked, looking more interested than Lightning Dust did.

"Can't get off the ground," Rainbow Dash said. "She can buzz her wings real fast and propel herself real good, but she just can't generate any lift, and we don't know why." She shrugged. "And it's not just her wing size, 'cause there's this one huge full-grown pegasus in town whose wings are as small as hers, and he can fly just fine. Maybe not the fastest, but he can do it."

"Huh, that's really weird," Dust said. "You think the docs up here could figure it out?"

"Lightning Dust, if they could make it so a mare with no vocal cords can speak, then I'm pretty sure they can figure out why Scoots can't fly yet," Rainbow Dash said. "I've been watching out for her for a while, and she really wants to fly like me... so if your doctors can help, it'd mean the world to her."

"I don't know, it might be something we could do though as far as I understand, only Director Luna can actually teleport to and from the moon," Rolling Thunder said. "I think I heard a rumour or something she made it so that only those she allowed to come up here could."

Rainbow Dash nodded, filing that piece of information away for later. "Well, whenever she comes back, I'll have to ask," she said. "If she and Princess Celestia can get a treaty squared away, sharing medical skills would probably one of the things that'd be part of it anyway."

"Yeah, you're probably right about that," Dust said. "Though I doubt anypony up here would agree to sharing all of our stuff to you Equestrians. I mean, no offense but didn't you mention your guards still used swords and spears, right?"

"Eh, yeah?" Rainbow Dash said, confused but before she could din out, Thunder gave Dust a very pointed look that made the mare actually stop talking.

"You'll have to pardon her," she said. "She doesn't know the meaning of the words 'sensitive information'."

Rainbow Dash was really getting suspicious now, but she decided not to comment on it. "Look," she said. "I don't have any say in any treaties. But if I did, I'd be asking for stuff to help ponies who needed it. Medical stuff, like what I've seen so far, that'd be top of the list."

"Then you're even cooler than I thought, if saving lives is your priority," Lightning Dust said. "Not everypony would think that way."

"Really? I thought everypony here was really community driven," Rainbow Dash replied.

"We are," Lightning Dust said. "I'm talking more about our ancestors from the old lands, before Equestria was formed. And no offense meant, but I doubt that kind of attitude's gone away entirely down below."

Rainbow Dash gave her the best grin she could while she saw Rolling Thunder mouth an apology to her.

This is going to be a long talk, she thought to herself.

Luna was utterly bored and desperate for a way to escape this long monotonous talk she was enduring. Unfortunately, the rest of the nobles could not be kept away for too long and all of her fellow Directors were swamped by these egotistical elites seeking to gain some sort of political foothold on them. And unfortunately, Cadance was occupied by one of her own on the other side of the room. If her body language was anything to go by, she was as distressed by this as Luna herself.

The Alicorn of the Night had never had her sister's infinite patience or tolerance to deal with such tiresome pests. She was lucky that they'd set up their society specifically to avoid such things, and that she'd had help in dealing with the egos that had still developed over the years. But it wasn't helping her now, much to her frustration.

An unwelcome stab of envy came to her over her sister's ability to handle such matters with ease before she grimaced mentally. She forced herself to stop that train of thoughts; only darkness waited for her if she traveled too far along that path. Even if she and Trojan did have an understanding, she knew her faults and weaknesses and it would do no one any good if she were to seek them out recklessly.

Fortunately, help was about to appear, as she saw another pony approaching. This one was only vaguely familiar to her, as if she'd seen him before, long ago, but she couldn't remember quite where. Still, any interruption was welcome.

"Pardon me sir," the unicorn, an elderly mustachioed individual with a pale orange-yellow coat and graying mane, said. "But Head Director Luna's presence has been desired in another room, if she does not mind."

The noble looked disappointed, but Luna gave a put-upon sigh. "If I must, I must," she said, before directing a welcoming smile at the newcomer. "Please, lead the way," she said.

As the two walked off, Luna studied him carefully. "Might I know your name?" she finally asked.

The stallion bowed. "Kibitz, Head Director," he said. "I am your sister's royal scheduling advisor."

"Ah." Luna nodded. "Well, I appreciate your arrival," she said. "But tell me, whom is desiring my presence?"

"They are in the room ahead, Madame Director," he said, sounding a little stiff and formal. "I will leave you to your talk."

Luna nodded and entered the room he had pointed out, looking about. It appeared to be an office of some type, rather like the ones she'd seen in passing before. It was quaint; small but clearly designed to be efficient. It was also properly sized in her opinion; in her experience, few things seldom were. She had enough room to walk and move around, and the ceiling was high enough that her horn wasn't scraping against it.

"Hello?" she asked cautiously, wondering who had arranged this.

"Luna." A figure stepped out of the shadows. "I've been expecting you."

Seeing them, Luna sighed in relief. "Oh, it's you, Milky Way."

The older mare nodded. She was appearing as a unicorn, though she still had the touches of ages on her. Wise lines under her eyes with streaks of white in her dark purple coat but one would only have to look into her eyes to see she was far beyond a mere unicorn. "I just came to check on you," she said. "You've done a lot of impressive work. You and your Republic have made impressive strides in my domain."

Then she looked at Luna more seriously. "But are you sure I can't talk you out of this?"

Luna nodded. "I've held my Role for thousands of years, Milky. I'm ready to pass it on, once I can talk Celestia into understanding why I've made my choice. And it's not like I'm just abandoning all my Duties. When I can find a proper successor for my other Role... well, you know my and Trojan's plans for that. My ponies will still need somepony to watch after their dreams, no matter how far away from our home we go. I'm just... going a little lower in rank, when it's time."

"Of course." Milky smiled, but she still looked worried. "But what about your sister? Do you really want to go on, knowing you'll eventually lose her all over again if you keep on this path?"

"I'm hoping I can persuade her to share that Role," Luna admitted. "It wouldn't be the first time one of her has joined or substituted for one of me in those Duties." She blushed. "And... well, I've wanted to share its wonders with her for some time. Show her our ponies as I've seen them for so long. Show her that magical world that Chaos birthed for all; that so few truly understand or get to truly experience."

Milky smiled again. "Well... as long as you're sure." She then sighed. "You know, I'd hoped that you two would have started speaking much sooner when I gave you those mirrors."

Luna nodded, doing her best to cover her snort. It seemed the Lady of Self-Centeredness owed her an apology now. "I'd have liked to have spoken to her sooner too," she said. "But... I couldn't. I didn't want to risk making things worse if I said the wrong thing. And the mood I was in half the time she called..."

"I understand, dear Luna. You two are so very much alike; your mother even had her doubts that you two would not end up in the others' Role when you were but foals," Milky laid a hoof on her shoulder, reminding Luna of those ancient and innocent days. Luna could not help but shed tears as she felt the wave of ages recede and for a moment, she could even see herself forgiving Celestia for all she had done. But the tide came back in as Luna recalled all that she had experienced under her sister's rule and felt the walls rise once more, before Milky spoke again.

"I've been watching over you both for so long, you know," she said softly. "You've done so well, and yet... it breaks my heart to see you and your sister fighting like this."

Luna nodded again. "I don't want to be fighting with her," she said, speaking honestly. "I want us to be working together again. But she's so stubborn, so convinced that she's always right..." She looked up at the mare she considered her aunt. "I'm doing the best I can to stay patient with her," she said. "But this isn't going to be easy. It's not like getting hit with a Harmony blast so all can be returned to how it should be - we have to work at it together, to settle things. And by the Five Creators, we know that patience is not one of my strengths nor is it hers to admit she was ever wrong."

"Those Six certainly do," Milky replied, a twinkle in her eye, causing Luna to do a double-take at the mention of a Sixth Creator. She chuckled, the older mare clearly enjoying having another surprise to share with her. It was her way; she was one of the Originals so she would have access to greater secrets of existence. "But I have faith in you both. And when you're ready to take that big step together, further into my domain... I'll be watching. You're so close to that frontier. Orion is nearly complete and I could not be prouder of all the work you have done to guide your people. The Lady of Technology you have taught and raised will do great and amazing things, and I see many more wonders in all of your futures; you just need to make peace with Celestia."

Luna smiled. "Thank you, Milky," she said, bowing. "I just hope we can see it all done soon."

The older mare nodded, then stepped back, her physical body shifting forms into a swirling darkness in the vague shape of a pony, its form dancing with lights. Stars and planets, streaming comets, all mixed with the spirals of interstellar gasses that together gave galaxies their distinctive visual appearances.

And then the Lady of Space, the elder Power who'd been one of her mentors since before the great War, was gone once more, leaving Luna to herself.

Taking a moment to compose herself, she looked back to where Milky Way had been standing and smiled.

"I promise," she said quietly. "I will do my best so that one day, Celestia and I can make that journey together."

It was one of the things she'd dreamed of for so long, and now, they were so close. True, here were ponies she would miss here, her niece being among them. But the mirrors Milky Way had gifted she and Celestia would aid them in keeping in contact, not to mention her own Power.

Now she just had to hope they could work things out so she could keep her promise.

Then her ears twitched as she heard an unexpected sound.

"Where did those bells come from?" she wondered aloud, before shaking it off and heading back out to the main room, hoping now that somepony she would enjoy talking to was available again.

Her sister was already talking to Director Honey Spice with the earth pony grumbling loudly. She was great at leading the agriculture dome but she made for a poor statespony otherwise. If they had run their government based off of popularity instead of skills, there would never be a chance for her to be in her current position.

Luna caught her sister's eyes, pink meeting green. Perhaps this feud of theirs had gone on for long enough, perhaps it was time for her to be the bigger sister in this damn fight and bring this chapter of their life to a close.

As she walked towards her sister, who flashed her a hopeful look, a green flame danced through the open window. Celestia's golden aura reached into the air to grab it as Luna's PCA began to vibrate, along with all those of her fellow Directors. Director Onyx's eyes widened as he began to call his soldiers to him after reading the message with Luna's eyes narrowing as she read the alarm from her nation on her PCA.

With a hum of plasma rifles being raised towards Celestia, Luna stalked over to her, her anger beginning to rise as she saw her sister's guards dare to raise their primitive weapons against her.

Luna ignored the terrified squawking of the brainless nobles who were blocking Cadance's approach to them, her focus solely on her sister.

"That letter Celestia," she spat, knowing what her sister would do when somepony dared to order her, dared to defy her. "Give it to me now."

"No," Celestia said with the same fury in her voice. "I will not, Luna."

The two sisters stared at each other, a hair's breadth from a war erupting and all thoughts of a better future fleeting fast. The next few seconds would define the future of their world forever.

Sunset could not help herself from laughing.

"Oh my gosh," she said, barely able to get the words out through her mirth. "She's just as bad as Celestia."

Twilight giggled too, leaning in close to her and resting her head on her shoulder. "I know I shouldn't laugh; I'm no better but-" Both of them laughed as Director Luna managed to kick a hole into a wall with one of her attempts to dance. They had retreated to a private gazebo, with Twilight putting up the shades so they could watch without anypony peeking in on them.

"You're better in other ways, Twilight," Sunset said with a blush, kinda-by-accident-but-not-really nuzzling the mare with Twilight returning the nuzzle. "So many other ways."

Twilight blushed at the praise. "You too Sunset," she said with rosy red cheeks. "I am so happy to have met you."

"And I'm happy I met you too, Twilight," Sunset said, smiling at the mare she found herself so fascinated with, so entranced with, so deeply -. She froze as the thought spilled into her head.

"Is everything okay Sunset?" Twilight asked immediately with Sunset nodding her head.

"Y-yeah," she said, hopefully in a convincing manner. "I just need to do something quick, I will be back, I promise."

Twilight nodded and let her go past to the door, with Sunset stepping out. As she walked, she drew a quill and parchment out of her saddlebags and began hurriedly writing a message to Cadance.

Calling over Spike to send off the letter, she was about to walk back into the gazebo when the alarms began to ring out.

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-One

There was a lot of panic at the sound of the alarms, and Sunset looked around frantically. "What's going on?" she asked, her horn lighting up and pulling Spike close to her, which he barely had time to respond to, uttering only a startled "Hey!"

Then she saw a number of ponies in guard uniforms approaching, surrounding her.

"That's the source," one reported. "Take them."

"Wait, what?" Sunset was about to say more when Twilight suddenly appeared in front of her, so fast Sunset could have sworn she'd teleported, and she did not look happy. Fortunately, that scowl was directed at the guards rather than Sunset herself, which relieved her somewhat.

"Miss Sparkle, step out of the way," one of the guards said rather firmly. "We need to take this mare and her little companion into custody-"

Twilight's horn lit up. "I don't know what you think you're doing," she hissed. "But I am not going to just abandon my friends!"

Sunset's heart skipped a beat. "Twilight, you don't have to do this," she started. "I can explain myself, I really can!"

Twilight looked back at her. "Sunset, whatever magic you used, it was powerful enough to set off the alarms and draw the Security Department's attention," she said. "And they take those kinds of things very seriously. So I'm not leaving you, or Spike."

"But... Twilight, I can't let you get in trouble for this!" Sunset hissed. "You're their Head Director's student, you can't just put that at risk for me!"

"Sunset... you're worth it," Twilight replied.

She probably would have said more, but that's when somepony else decided to step up.

"What's going on here?" Shining Armor's voice boomed out, the Deputy Director of Security marching up to them in full dress, and with a very serious look on his face. Sunset wasn't quite sure when he'd had time to change into his uniform, but she could tell he meant business, and gulped nervously.

"Sir, he did something magical," one of the guards reported, pointing at Spike. "Whatever it was, it was big enough to set off every alarm from here to the Sextus dome."

Shining Armor regarded everypony there carefully, and then turned to his sister. "Twilight, step aside, so I can handle this," he said. "I promise, I will hear out all sides before I make a decision."

Flattening her ears, Twilight nodded, and stepped back until she was beside Sunset, her body still in a protective posture.

Shining Armor now looked at Sunset, and by the stern look he was giving her, she knew he was in his "stallion at work" mode and not speaking as a friend. "What. Did you do," he asked in a controlled tone directed at both she and Spike.

Sunset did her best to calm herself. "Spike has an enchantment on him," she said. "Unless he specifically concentrates on disabling it, if he burns something, it gets transported to a destination elsewhere. The default setting is to Princess Celestia, but he can send stuff to Cadance too. I just wanted to send her a quick letter, I didn't know it was going to cause this!"

Shining Armor nodded, then drew a piece of equipment out of his armor. "Spike, I need to scan you," he said. "This device is designed to read and analyze magic, and if Sunset is telling the truth, this should confirm it."

Twilight was clearly bristling at his remark, but Sunset nodded and gave Spike a little nudge. "It'll be okay," she promised.

Spike still looked nervous, but at Sunset's urging, he stepped forward. "Scan away, sir."

Shining Armor nodded and ran the scanner across him several times. Finally, he asked, "Can you generate a little of that sending flame, but not use it on anything?"

"Um... sure," Spike said. Taking a deep breath, he blew some of his flame, with Shining Armor running his scanner along it until it stopped. Studying the readouts, he nodded, and then turned to the other guards. "Scan complete," he said. "He did exactly what Sunset said he did."

Then he turned back to Sunset. "I wish you'd told us about this sooner," he said. "We could have prevented a lot of issues if we'd known about it."

Sunset ducked her head. "Sorry," she said. "I'm so used to having Spike send or receive letters for me, it never occurred to me that it might be a problem."

"Receive?" Shining Armor asked, his expression still serious but less stern.

"Yeah," Spike said. "Princess Celestia and Princess Cadance have this dragonfire spell they can use to send letters back to me for Sunset. Sometimes I'll just belch out a flame and it'll turn into a scroll they'd sent."

"I see." Shining Armor sighed. "Well, we'll see what we can do. In the meantime, don't send any more letters like that until we can fine-tune the sensors so they don't set off the panic alarms when you do use it."

Then he looked more serious. "I do need to talk to you in private though," he said. "So if you'll come with me. Spearhead!"

"Yes, sir!" the brown pegasus saluted.

"Watch over everypony else from Equestria for me, would you?"

"Sir, yes sir!" The pegasus saluted.

Shining Armor nodded, then led Sunset away. Before she got too far though, she turned and looked back at Twilight.

"I'll be okay," she said. "And... Spike? Stay with Twilight, and do what she tells you, all right?"

Spike nodded, and Sunset turned away and followed after Shining Armor, who was waiting patiently for her.

He led her out of the park and down the street, until they reached what was clearly a police station of some kind. A few words from him, and they were settled into a private conference room, the doors sealed behind them. For a moment, he sat in one of the chairs, studying her, then finally spoke.

"Sunset Shimmer. I know what you said before," he said. "But I have to ask, and I expect total honesty. Just what did you feel was so important that you needed to send a letter back home right then?"

Sunset lowered her head. "I... I needed to talk to Cadance," she said. "Ask her for some advice."

"What kind of advice?" Shining Armor asked.

Sunset buried her face in her hooves. "This is... kind of embarrassing to talk about, especially with you of all ponies," she muttered. Despite the muffling though, Shining Armor apparently had no trouble understanding her.

"Why with me in particular?" he asked calmly.

Sunset looked up, her face red. "Because I think I have a crush on your sister!" she half-said, half-shouted.

For a moment Shining Armor looked startled, probably from the volume, then smiled. "And you wanted to talk about it to somepony you knew was an expert in romance," he said. "I get it."

Sunset sniffed. "You aren't upset?"

Shining Armor shook his head. "Hardly," he said. "I could see you two were obviously close as soon as I saw you together, and so could Cadance. I'd be more surprised if you hadn't started falling for Twilight." He paused. "Though, as her big brother, I think it's only fair to warn you..."

"Yes?" Sunset asked.

Shining Armor leaned forward, giving her a look that made her very nervous. "I have a shovel," he said. "And if you break my baby sister's heart... I know how to use it."

Sunset gulped.

Then Shining Armor was smiling again. "But, I don't think I'll have to worry about that," he said. "It's obvious you're crazy about her."

Sunset looked relieved. "Believe me, if I somehow hurt her, you have my permission to give me whatever punishment you feel necessary," she said. "But... just me."

"Understood," Shining Armor told her. "So, let's get you back to my sister, okay?"

Sunset looked very relieved. "Yeah... I'd appreciate that," she said.

Shining Armor nodded, unsealed the door, and led her back out.

"You realize this is going to mean a lot of paperwork for me," he said as they walked together. "Try not to do anything that'll make even more of it."

Sunset nodded. "I'll do my best, sir," she said.

Shining Armor chuckled. "That's all I can ask for," he said as they left the station and headed back to the park.

And to Twilight.

Meanwhile, far below in Equestria, Celestia cursed herself for instinctively saying no. She had no idea what had possessed her to say no. For any other leader, she would have given over a letter that had caused such a stir from where they came from, but the way that Luna had said it set off some sort of reflex within her.

The damage was done though, and now she was the subject of more than one glare from a number of ponies in the room, many of whom possessed dangerous weapons. They were far enough away that this wouldn't set Discord free, thankfully, but the situation was poised to unleash him if it escalated much further.

"Princess Celestia, I need to see that letter," Luna barked at her, through clenched teeth. "All manner of security alarms were tripped when it passed through the Republic's sovereign boundaries. I need to know what those contents are; you and I know the full dangers that can come if you don't."

The whine of her followers' weapons grew louder and she could see her own guards preparing to leap to her defense. Those from the moon were fewer in number but they also had a significant advantage in weapons. If they did clash, it would be a tight, close and brutal fight and without a doubt unleash Discord while the Elements were still off planet.

"I am fullyaware of the dangers, Luna," she said to her sister, narrowing her eyes again in anger and she felt her own choler rising. She could not afford for their feud to spill out any further; it was too damn dangerous. Instead, she looked to those with the advanced weapons and said, "Stand down and we can handle this peace-"

"Do not dare to order my ponies as if they were yours," Luna snapped, flaring her wings and sending a crackle of magic into the air. She lowered her head, her horn pointing straight at Celestia's; a clear challenge for any unicorn which all their guards saw and responded by tightening their grips on their weapons. "We made that decision to separate years ago, Princess and I am beginning to recall exactly why."

Celestia was about to respond when she suddenly felt a ripple of magic in the air, and looked about in confusion, trying to figure out where it was coming from. A moment later, she had her answer.

"That. Is. Enough!" Cadance roared, her horn glowing as the letter was whipped out of Celestia's grasp, and Celestia started. She had never heard Cadance use the Royal Canterlot Voice for any reason, outside of the practice session they'd had together when she was first taught it.

Right now though, the youngest alicorn was looking furious. "You are being completely out of line, Princess Celestia." The frosty tone and formal address made it clear just how mad she was. "This letter was meant for me, and you had no right to try and take it. I will read it, and decide whom it is appropriate to share the contents with."

Luna was clearly looking startled too, but at Cadance's words, she bowed her head. "By your will then, Princess Cadance," she said in a polite yet formal tone.

Cadance nodded, then unfurled the scroll and ran her eyes over it, giggling in delight as she did so. Then she re-rolled it and looked at both older alicorns. "This letter," she said calmly. "Contained no secret code or hidden message. It was Sunset telling me, as her older sister figure, that she'd developed a crush on somepony and was asking advice about it."

Luna smiled in relief at the reveal. "Good for her then," she said. Then she sighed. "Cadance, I apologize for my harsh behavior. It is your letter... but I hope you can understand my reasonings for wanting to see it. I thought one of our guests might have been trying to send an emergency message back about something, either on their own behalf or Twilight's, and as Head Director of the Lunar Republic, any major emergencies there would require my attention; if the letter had information on such a case, it would help me to be better informed before I went into the situation." She bowed her head. "And I should have explained that sooner, before demanding it as I did." She then turned to her guards around her and waved a wing at them. They moved their guns back to their sides, the whine fading away but there was still a faint hum showing they hadn't fully depowered them.

"I understand Director Luna," Cadance said, levitating the letter over to her. "I do expect you still wish to see it, to satisfy any lingering doubt?" Luna nodded her head, taking the letter as she quickly scanned it.

"Guards, stand down," Celestia finally ordered, stalking up to her sister. "You still need to inform those on the moon of what happened, Luna."

Luna gave a snort at her, her face scrunching up. "If I could, I would teleport myself. But I have spent a sizable pool of my reserves so far. I cannot do so right now."

"If you would lower the spells that present me from going there, I can-"

"Do what?" Luna snapped, with Cadance sighing angrily. "You truly think your presence would cause anything but even more dangerous chaos and strife?"

"How about myself?" Cadance asked stiffly, stepping in between them. "I'm a neutral side in these matters and I am sure that I won't be seen as an invading force or chaotic influence."

"Sorry but once I lower those spells, it will take myself some time to raise them again and I would not risk my subjects's lives by leaving an opening to the heart of my nation," Luna replied. "Under normal circumstances, I would be glad to let you go up to handle things, but as it stands it is not safe. That and you are still a Princess of Equestria, and I do not know how well you will be received. I would blame myself if anything were to happen to you."

Celestia shook her head, not raising to the bait. "Perhaps a much more simpler solution is available. Send a letter through Spike to inform your followers of what is going on, Luna. With your seal, to prove it is you. If a letter could come from him down to Equestria, it should be able to go the other way as well."

"If such a thing were to occur, all four of us would be willing to sign as witnesses," Onyx added from where he was standing. "But I think there is yet another solution that our Head Director is forgetting." He held up his hoof. "The same means we had to receive the initial warning."

Luna looked a little abashed, then nodded. "You are right, Director Onyx," she said. "If you will give us a few minutes."

Her followers and Cadance all surrounded her as she stepped off to one side of the room, and Celestia watched, no small amount of surprise on her face as a shining wall appeared from the device she was wearing.

So they were that far ahead, she thought to herself.

Luna began tapping on the screen that had appeared, and Celestia watched as carefully as she could. Her civilians, or one of her Others without her experience, might have concluded that the device must have some of the same functions built into it as one of the typewriters she'd seen among her people but never used herself, only far more advanced than any model they had in Equestria. And that was an accurate description. But Celestia knew it must have been much, much more.

Impressive work, she had to admit to herself. It was years, if not decades, ahead of anything she and Sunset had encountered in the other world, outside of their fiction. If the Lunar ponies had developed it without any of Luna's own knowledge of other worlds, and she highly doubted her sister would act against the Rules in such a bold fashion, it spoke much about their scientific prowess.

Finally, Luna pressed her horn against one spot on the floating wall, and the other four ponies did the same with a horn, hoof or wing, before Cadance pressed her own horn to it at Luna's beckoning. Then there was a whooshing noise from the device, to Celestia's brief confusion, before she realized it must have been a programmed-in sound effect to signify that the message-sending feature had been used.

"And done," Luna said as she pressed another button and the floating wall vanished. "Hopefully this will settle things." She sighed. "I am hopeful that with Deputy Director Shining Armor having been in charge of things in his Director's absence, this issue will be dealt with before it causes too much of a panic. I doubt Sunset realized that a high-magic spell like this one would set off an alarm, and I didn't think to warn her about such things myself."

"That's good to hear," Cadance said. "Why don't we all take a recess and return in an hour?"

Luna nodded quickly, hoofing the scroll from Sunset back over to Cadance before heading off to the door, and her followers immediately trotted after her, her guards included, while Fancy Pants quietly went around and encouraged the other nobles present to go somewhere else, following after them when the last had left.

With a wave of her hoof, Celestia dismissed the remaining guards in the room, waiting until they were all gone and it was just she and Cadance in the room. Finally, once she was certain they were alone, she looked at Cadance expectantly, with the younger mare sighing before she turned to Celestia, not looking quite as angry as she'd been before, but close.

"What is wrong with you?" she snapped. "I've seen you handle raging dragons and yaks with ease, you've been a pillar of stability, calm and poise for centuries. But right now, Blueblood could have gotten drunk off his plot and still done a better job than you just were. So what were you even thinking?"

Celestia winced. "I don't know what's got into me," she said, slowly. "It's just that Luna... she knows exactly how to get under my skin. And as much as I love her, it seems anything she does just... uurgh."

Cadance sighed again. "Well, you're going to have to figure out some way to not let her get to you, and try not to give her all those little digs you've been doing," she said. "I'm trying my best, but even I have my limits, and you two are really pushing it."

She did a series of motions Celestia had seen before, taking several deep breaths and pushing her hoof away from herself, before looking at her again. "Sunset's doing fine, in case you were wondering," she said.

Celestia felt a wave of relief. "That's good," she said. "And... this pony you said she's got a crush on? Do I know them?"

"It's Twilight," Cadance told her, smiling now.

"Thank the Creators," she said, relieved that she had a tie to keep the possible Lady of Magic within Equestria now. "Sunset deserves to be happy, and hopefully if Luna and I can manage to reach an accord, the two can work to develop their relationship."

Cadance suddenly looked frosty again. "One would hope," she said. "That they would be able to have a relationship even if you two can't settle things. Sunset deserves happiness, you're right about that, and while I've only known Twilight a short time, those two feel so right for one another."

Celestia instantly realized what the error was here and created a sound barrier. "The matter is more complicated between the two than I have let on, Cadance," she began with Cadance snorting loudly.

"Of course it is; you keep so many state secrets from me I that I am not even surprised at this point," Cadance said with a groan. "What exactly is it now."

"You know the means that we spoke of containing Discord?" Cadance nodded her head. "The means to do so are metaphorical in nature; my sister and I had the means to do so previously but we lost our connection to them when we had our falling-out. These means, the Elements of Harmony, each represent a special virtue; we both have very good reason to believe that Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity Belle, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash are each one of these six Elements. And that Twilight or Sunset could be the last one. They both have the right character for that Element, all they need is the opportunity to awaken it."

Cadance's eyes blazed, and Celestia raised a hoof quickly. "Neither of us is going to force such an opportunity, or even set one up," she said. "It has to happen on its own; attempting to force a connection would only result in disaster. You know that a relationship built on falsehoods will only end terribly. Their bonds need to form naturally."

Cadance slowly calmed down. "So you aren't going to purposely endanger either of them all for the purpose of this..."

"If I tried, the consequences for all Equuis and beyond would be worse than you can imagine," Celestia said. "And if I knew of a safer way to keep Discord contained, a way that wouldn't involve either of them, or anypony else..." She sighed. "You have no idea how many nightmares I've had of what would happen if they failed and he got his claws on Sunset, or Twilight, or you. If they get hurt because I was unable to face him in their place, I'd never be able to forgive myself. If only his cage was stronger like the others..."

"Excuse me, others?" Cadance pounced. "There are others like him?"

Celestia winced at her slip of the tongue. "That is a lot more complicated and harder to explain on short notice; suffice to say, he is not the only one of his kind I have encountered, though the draconequui as a species are considerably fewer in number than alicorns, and..." She sighed at the old wounds opening again. "And you know how few we are."

Cadance nodded, and Celestia continued. "It is another reason why we keep him around; his presence keeps any and all others of his species from coming to Equuis. Unfortunately, it doesn't have the same effect on certain... other dangerous beings out there, who are of their own varying species and are all evil in their own way."

"There are more threats waiting to endanger Equuis?" Cadance asked suspiciously.

"Close to a dozen that I know of," Celestia confessed. "Some are locked in Tartarus, others have their own prisons elsewhere. I keep as best an eye on them as I can in the hopes of ensuring we won't be caught off guard, but if they do escape those prisons somehow, the Elements will be needed to deal with many of them as well."

She did her best to look as serious as she could. "What I know for certain is that none of them have any chance of escaping until after Discord escapes and is reimprisoned. And he will escape at some point. Which is why it is so important that the new Element-bearers be ready beforehoof. And why Luna needs to stop being so stubborn and quit fighting me over everything!"

"And yet it seems like you can't seem to stop sniping at her either," Cadance shot back, before the younger alicorn sighed. "I am trying to be reasonable, Aunt Celestia. But with all this... this constant back-and-forth between you, you are both driving me crazy!"

Celestia felt a distinct pang in her heart. "I am sorry, Cadance," she said softly. "I never meant to inflict all this pain on you, and I wish there was some way to make things better."

"Then stop. Fighting. With your sister." Cadance sighed. "The two of you need to just sit down, together, and talk. Get to the heart of all this... whatever it is that's making it so difficult for you to cooperate. And work things out. Please."

With that, she sighed again, then headed for the door, pausing there for a moment. "I have some things of my own to do for a bit. I'll see you again when it's time for us all to get back together," she said, and then left.

Celestia watched her go, and let out a sigh of her own. "Oh Cadance..." she said quietly. "If only it were that simple."

Cadance entered her room, closing the door behind her, and flopped down on her bed.

"Why can't they just get along, Ray?" she asked the leopard gecko, who was calmly perched on a rock in his tank. "What's it going to take?"

The little lizard shrugged, and Cadance smiled at him. "Thanks for being here for me," she said.

Then she unfurled the scroll Sunset had sent her before and read it over once more.

Dear Cadance, it began. It's been less than a day since we arrived, and I've had so much fun already. This place is spectacular, and I can't wait until Luna lets you come up to see it for yourself.

But there's more than just that. I think I'm falling for Twilight, I'm pretty sure she feels the same way, and I don't know how to react. Help?

Yours,

Sunset Shimmer

P.S.: Give Ray my love, 'kay?

Smiling, Cadance re-rolled the scroll. "I'm so happy for you, Sunset," she told the letter. "And I'll write back as soon as I can."

For the next while, after passing Sunset's message on to Ray (and once again being relieved that Luna knew who he was and wouldn't have been suspicious of the mention, having been present when Sunset asked Cadance to keep an eye on him for an extra few days while she was on the moon) and tucking the scroll away safely, she went back to her other self-chosen task of countering the avengers' propaganda.

News of the Lunar Republic was just trickling out now and she had all her agents on all known troublemakers as well as the city police to keep any of the worse ones out of the city for the duration. The last thing any of them needed was for one of that crowd to show up and attempt something. By the sun, if they tried that legal approach that more and more of them were starting to use, she wasn't sure how badly things would deteriorate, especially with how poorly Celestia was acting.

She let out a groan; in any other case, with any other leader, she wouldn't have to worry about her aunt messing up a simple diplomatic meeting or accidentally siding with racist bigots but as of late, she wasn't sure of that at all. She was of half a mind to go to Fancy Pants and Claret Holder to have them remove Celestia from the talks and install Cadance herself as the lead, but she knew it wouldn't work. For one, both Houses would likely see it as Equestria presenting a weaker front to the Lunar Republic and could have Fancy and Claret removed from their positions for trying to get the notion approved which would leave Equestria in a much weaker state. Secondly, as badly as Celestia was doing, she was also the only one with Director Luna's years of expertise on hoof. For all her own experience, Cadance was still not entirely certain of her own ability to single-hoofedly take charge of this event, and she felt that despite the family ties Director Luna claimed to have for her and the generally positive feelings she was detecting from the other mare whenever Luna looked at her, Cadance was under no illusion that her aunt wouldn't exploit all her weaknesses to push the Republic's agenda.

The question was, what was that agenda? Luna had said they wanted to reestablish ties with Equestria, but Cadance couldn't help but suspect there was more to it than just that. She could tell her long-lost aunt was holding something back (as was Celestia), but what?

She'd have to talk to Luna again, one-on-one this time, she decided. Maybe she could get some more answers then.

Finally, the time was ready, and she left her quarters, heading back to the room where they'd be meeting, and hoping that things would be calmer this time.

While all three alicorns had their own matters to handle, they were not the only ones in the palace who were taking the time to think on the recent event.

One pony in particular had his own concerns, and he was determined to speak to somepony else about it. But he had other issues to deal with before he could arrange such a meeting.

Finally, he'd taken care of everything, and firm in his resolve, marched to the suites where the visiting representatives were staying. Knocking on the door, he waited for an answer, and soon got one as one of the visiting guards looked out.

"Can I help you?" he asked.

The stallion nodded. "I need to speak to your boss," he said. "Guard leader to guard leader."

The other guard frowned. "Just a minute." He went back inside. Soon, Director Onyx Plate had emerged, and was looking cautious. He was still wearing that odd silver vest, which Flash expected to be an advanced form of armour. He wasn't sure what they had to protect the face or neck but he wouldn't surprised if they had some form of protection as well that he couldn't see.

"You wanted to see me, Captain Sentry?" he asked with the weight of authority that Flash still lacked. He still felt so unaccustomed to his new position; he knew he should apply for the officer's school so he could get more training but leaving his Princess's side now was out of the question.

Flash nodded in a hopefully confident manner. "My office, if you don't mind," he said. "I'd rather not discuss this in the open."

Director Onyx nodded, and followed after him. When they'd gone in, Flash winced. It was still in the midst of being redecorated and reorganized. With the unexpected death of Captain Hackpole and Flash being thrown into the captaincy by seniority and rank, he had been expected to take over for him. Captain Hackpole had been a shrewd and untrusting unicorn; all of the cabinet cases in the room had intricate unicorn locks on them with each drawer similarly locked to prevent anyone from reading highly sensitive paperwork. It had taken a lot of ponypower, including Princess Celestia, to unlock most of them, though his desk still had several locked drawers and undoubtedly hidden panels that he had no way of opening as he only had wings.

Gesturing for his opposite to sit down, Flash took his own seat and willed the chair not to spin for him. Like everything else in this office, it had been designed for a unicorn in mind; there was a locking mechanism to keep the chair steady but it was hidden away inside of the chair. Once they'd gotten sat down, Flash looked Director Onyx right in the eye.

"Tell me something," he said. "Is your Head Director usually as... short with her fellow Directors as my Princess was with her today?"

Director Onyx shook his head. "No, that's definitely not normal behavior for her," he said.

"Good." Flash sighed. "I hope you won't take our reactions back there personally, but when somepony, regardless of who they are, starts looking threatening towards our Princess, it's our duty to act to protect her. And I can understand that it's your guards' duty to protect your Head Director when the same thing happens. So, no hard feelings?"

Onyx chuckled, leaning back in his chair. "None indeed," he said. "You're taking this surprisingly better than I expected, given that we started making what could be construed as hostile movements first."

"Unlike some ponies, I can recognize ingrained reactions to basic training," Flash said. "Considering you had those alarms of yours going off, it's all understandable."

Then he looked curiously at the weapon Onyx was carrying. "So, does that have a knock-out spell built in, or what?"

"Something like that," Onyx replied, cautious now. "We don't like to use lethal force if we don't have to." His eyes wandered to the ceiling. "But it's a big universe out there, and the odds of there not being life in other star systems are much lower than the odds of there being other lifeforms in existence. Especially given the variety of life on this planet alone. So if something decides to come poking around with hostile intentions, we have to be ready for it. Rest assured, none of my guards here have authority to use lethal force right now."

"Good to know." Flash settled back. "To be honest, mine don't either most of the time, unless somepony actually tries to use it on them first."

"As it should be Captain," Onyx said. "We are guards foremost. We uphold the law and the peace."

"As it should be," Flash echoed him. "So, out of curiosity... how bad is the crime level up there? Nowhere near what I have to deal with down here, I expect."

Onyx snorted, shaking his head. "There are the occasional disputes between neighbors, though our Director of Housing usually takes care of those in a hurry," he said. "And don't get me wrong, we do have to deal with petty crime on occasion. No society is perfect, after all. But for the most part, the biggest issues are loitering and littering."

"Wish we only had to deal with that kind of stuff," Flash replied. "So, your Director of Housing... they train with you?"

"Even better." Onyx gave what almost looked like a smirk. "She's a mother of two, and that gave her all the experience she needed to deal with most of the problems that crop up."

Flash laughed, feeling at ease. "Sounds like a good strategy then," he said. "My mom can be terrifying when she wants to be."

"So can Director Velvet," Onyx replied. "And her son has more than earned his place among us; he's my Deputy Director."

Flash nodded. "Gotcha." He considered. "Wait - was he the white unicorn stallion my guards reported was with Princess Cadance yesterday? There's been some talk going on about how her new friend was supposedly one of your people, here to look us over before your Head Director showed herself."

"He was indeed," Onyx replied, though he was eying Flash carefully now.

Flash nodded. "Well, when it comes to being a good judge of character, Princess Cadance is one of the best in all Equestria," he said. "If she trusted your Deputy Director enough to bring him back here and then take him to the Summer Sun Celebration, I have no reason to doubt him. And between you and me, I think a lot of her agents would like to see him again. He painted a number of those miniature figures very well, apparently, and they are interested in seeing if he would be up for one of their games."

"I don't doubt that he would," Onyx replied. "He certainly does a lot of it back home when he's off-duty. Speaking of... you wouldn't happen to have one of their rule books, would you? I know he and his friends would greatly enjoy new material for their games."

"I'd be glad to share." Flash opened one of the drawers he'd had cleaned out for his own use and withdrew a book. "They're good strategizing tools, so I encourage my guards to practice with them. It's good preparation for learning how to expect the unexpected. Especially when Spike - you've met him, haven't you?" At Onyx's nod, he continued. "Spike's a really good Dungeon Master when he and Sunset drop by, and he's pretty creative with the stuff he makes up for us to face."

"He sounds like a very imaginative and creative young drake," Onyx said.

"Oh, he is," Flash said. "Much as he and Sunset read together, I'd be more surprised if he wasn't as good at coming up with stuff as he is." He smiled. "She takes really good care of him."

"So I have gathered, from the time I spent around them," Onyx said. "She spends time around the guards here?"

"Oh yeah," Flash said. "Princess Cadance encouraged it, so she'd get out and socialize more. It worked; she hangs out with some of us when we're off-duty and she isn't busy with her own stuff. And we may have inspired one of the spells she invented as a result after she saw some of them being... not so smart, shall we say."

"I see." Onyx looked at him, looking contemplative before he finally spoke again. "I have heard one version of events so far," he said. "I want to hear it from another point of view. How are the thestrals treated among your Guard?"

"About as well as any other of the tribes, really," Flash said. "Princess Cadance spearheaded the movement to encourage more of them to sign up some years before I became Captain, and by the time I was promoted to this rank and had any say in the recruiting, seeing them among the guard was considered normal. But even if I'd had a say earlier, I wouldn't have objected to it. I always felt that ability was what mattered most, and they've got that in spades."

"And the rest of Equestria?" Onyx asked.

"I haven't had any complaints from those of us who've seen what they're capable of," Flash said. "The civilian populace... is another story, and some of them are more outspoken than others. But those are typically the ones we're trying to arrest because they've committed crimes in the act of showing their bigotry."

He leaned forward. "I won't deny that there are some ponies out there who just don't like the thestrals because of old superstition. But my guards and I whole-heartedly support Princess Cadance in her mission to help them and all other ponies who are more associated with the night become more accepted around Equestria as a whole, just as much as we support anypony who's trying to counter ignorance and prejudice. That kind of thing nearly destroyed the Three Tribes long ago, and the last thing any of us want is a return to the tribalist and prejudiced thinking that predated the founding of Equestria." At Onyx's startled expression, he added, "In fact, comparing this behavior to that kind of thing is one of the tactics Princess Cadance has been using, and it's very effective on the majority of the ponies who hear it, except for the most stubborn."

"Hmm." Onyx nodded. "A smart lesson, I'd say."

Glancing at the device on his wrist as it made a sudden ping, he stood. "I am sorry, but we're being called back to the meeting now," he said. "Duty awaits."

Flash nodded, and stood too. "Those must be really convenient," he remarked as they headed for the door. "It would make getting calls for aid and coordinating things a lot easier. Think your people would be willing to share, at some point?"

"Always a possibility," Onyx replied as they stepped out into the hall. "Let me tell you something though. You might be impressed with our PCAs now, but the trouble with these things? They're great for communication, but lousy for privacy."

Flash nodded. "You and your spouse have had more than a few date nights interrupted, huh?" he asked, gesturing to the ring Onyx wore as the two started walking together.

"Far more than I'd care to remember," Onyx said dryly. "But then, Red Rocket knew what he was getting into when he married me."

Flash nodded. "I bet he still thinks it's worth it," he said.

Onyx nodded back. "Indeed."

Then he glanced at Flash. "You aren't bothered by me being married to another stallion, are you?"

Flash shook his head. "That's one prejudice that Equestria's pretty much long since gotten past," he said.

"Good to know," Onyx replied, before falling silent as they continued on.

Flash finally looked at him. "Besides, given my family, I'd be kind of a hypocrite if I didn't care for that sort of thing," he said. "After Dad died when I was still a kid, Mom started dating again, and... well, she's been happily remarried to a wonderful mare for many years now. It's their anniversary in a few days; I had originally asked to have that time off though I doubt I will be able to take it now."

"Ah," Onyx replied with a nod. "Hopefully we can manage to secure everything before then."

Just then, they reached the room where the next phase of the meeting was to take place, and with a promise to talk more later, went to rejoin their separate guard forces so the meeting of the two nations could start again.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Three

They had all gathered back in the main conference room with any levity muted as they took their seats at a large table, Celestia flanked by Fancy Pants and Claret Holder while a score of nobles and political officials joined them, facing opposite of Luna and her Directors. Cadance took the seat at the head, setting herself apart and neutral in the upcoming talks.

Both sisters were staring hard at each other, waiting for the other to blink or speak first. Finally, Fancy Pants coughed and looked at the Directors and asked them, "Not much has been said about the Lunar's Republic's actual intentions with Equestria. As you were once of us, please, can you tell us in simple terms what you and your people want from us? Reunification, trade partners, or..." He paused for a moment, then continued. "Well, whatever it is, please tell us."

"Do not insult us about talks about reunif-" Luna began, only for Director Honey Spice to cough loudly and Director Raven Inkwell to speak up.

"What we meanto say is that we have no desire to even discuss reunification," the mare said. "We have had our independence for a thousand years, and our two societies have each developed in such different ways that quite frankly, based on what we have observed here, any attempt at merging our two nations would result in utter chaos in all directions."

"Not to mention," Director Quick Light said. "There would be dissatisfaction from everypony involved with us living above you and massive distrust that we do not come down, the fact we currently lack the means to readily do so notwithstanding."

"To be completely honest with you Equestrians," Director Honey Spice said, looking more stern now than she had in most of their earlier talks. "Most of the Republic would like to see and experience Equestria as it was our ancestral home but none of us want to go through another experience like the Night of Departure again."

"And that is a matter we need to address," Cadance said, causing all to look at her. "I am aware that the Republic has been isolated for a thousand years and as such you have not learned of the Solar and Lunar Accord yet. It was put in place following your departure from Equestria by the rest of the world when Head Director Luna held the moon in the sky for three days straight."

Luna suddenly looked very serious. "And what, might I ask, is this Accord?" she asked.

"Essentially, the rest of the world has threatened a unified assault against us if the sun and moon do not stay on schedule without proper notice to any change to either's orbit," Claret said with Celestia looking away from her sister. "We do not have exact details to their plans for obvious reasons but sufficient to say, it has been an ugly roadblock to furthering peace on Equuis with this threat leveled against us."

Luna opened her mouth as if she was about to say something but instead closed her mouth, a blush appearing on her cheeks. After a moment of mulling it over, she finally said, "After we finish our business here and begin to introduce ourselves with the rest of Equuis, we will need to properly address this Accord. Equestria does not deserve to have such a thing hanging over its head for the actions I took those nights; I stilled our moon to act like a beacon for my followers of the past so they could join the rest of us while I focused almost all of my power to keep up a sustainable environment until we could create and seal our first shelter from the vacuum of space." She frowned. "Not to mention that while Celestia and I still have our differences, punishing her for my actions is not something I would accept."

"That will be appreciated," Claret Holder said, looking at Celestia who simply nodded her head. "The Accord has been an unfortunate thorn in making any proper progress on the world stage since its ratification, and it is just as unfortunate to have it placed upon you with your introductions to the wider world."

"It is a burden we will be willing to share; you are our cousins and you shouldn't be blamed for what was our doing," Director Onyx Plate said before Luna could speak up, eyeing her before he continued. "And that is something we will need to address right now. The Night of Departure or the Longest Night. What exactly happened during that time to give rise to these Avengers?"

Celestia let out a sigh, causing everypony to stare at her. "They were the participants of that night, Luna," she said with her sister narrowing her eyes and the room getting noticeably chillier.

"Of those you allowed to go unpunished, correct Princess?" Luna fired back with Cadance's eyes widening at the sudden downturn in the mood.

"I took care of it with the proper legal steps, and not hanging them like somepony wished for," Celestia said hotly before looking at Cadance's frown. Then she steeled herself and looked at Luna again. "I believe it is time we had our talk, Luna. Privately."

"Out of the question," Director Honey Spice said. "The matters of Equestria and the Republic involve every-"

"This will have very little to do with any lasting stances between the two," Luna said, cutting her off. "This is a long time coming; we have personal issues to discuss and matters to bring to rest. Please, leave us be."

Everypony turned to Cadance who was staring intently at the two sisters. "I am not certain if that would be a good idea-"

"As Luna said, we have personal issues to address that we are ready to deal with now," Celestia said stiffly.

"I do not know when we will be ready to do so again, so we should not waste this chance," Luna added with everypony reluctantly standing up and leaving the room. Cadance was the last to go, looking worried as she went, and Luna's heart went out to the younger mare. But she could not say anything just yet, no matter how much she wanted to.

The doors closed with a heavy thud, echoing in the near empty negotiation chamber with only the whispers of wind blowing through as Luna's eye bore into Celestia, who refused to blink. Despite her sister's dress of finery, she was under no illusion that it did not contain concealed weaponry and protection if the meetings between their two ponies were to deteriorate to the point of open conflict once more.

Luna might have gained some more magical might in the last thousand years but she knew her younger sister was no match to her own prowess and Luna was anything but a fool. She would see her own weakness and work to counter it.

"Let us get to the crux of the matter, Luna," Celestia said sternly, staring at her sister. "You have little hope or desire to bring our ponies under one umbrella of Harmony. You are only entertaining this notion for your own personal goals. That whole stunt at the Summer Sun Celebration was just your way of flaunting before a large crowd."

Luna glared at Celestia, her green eyes burning into the older mare before she gave a near imperceivable nod. "The odds were always against any form of reunification. Beyond the simply massive gap between our two nations in almost every aspect in culture and technology, the fact remains that we are on opposite ends of our species' growth. Your ponies are still just beginning to understand the power of electricity and basic machinery while mine are ready to leave the world behind and begin to colonize the stars. We worked hard to reach this point, with many sacrifices and harsh lessons to teach us how to respect and honour what we have. Would you give yours the means to produce plasma-based firearms and hope they understand the dangers that comes with them and trust that they do not let this newfound power go to their heads?"

It was Celestia's turn to wince, knowing Luna spoke the truth. The gaps were rather massive and there would be resentment from both sides if their ponies were to be brought together. But before she could speak, Luna continued on.

"Furthermore, I do not wish to put my citizens under your rule. Frankly dear sister, by your own words, you have proven you do not respect my Republic or my people's work. You have constantly referred to them as our ponies, already seeing them under Equestria's umbrella. You do not see the Lunar Republic as its own nation, not truly. Your own bias would see my people's identity submerged under Equestria's and all the prejudice that forced our departure a thousand years ago would return, only far worse this time. That has always been your deepest flaw; you take the longer view and you act like the matter is already resolved when it is still unfolding before you."

Celestia glared hard at her sister, snorting in anger. "You are avoiding the question, Luna," she stated, eyeing her carefully. "You are trying to guilt me into accepting whatever you wish to truly accomplish here. So speak plainly."

"Uncomfortable with your own medicine, I see," Luna shot back with a smirk on her face, no doubt enjoying seeing her mask slip. "Very well then." she said, sitting back in her chair. "As I said, my ponies are ready to leave the Equuis system and I do intend to join them, at least in part to oversee our first steps on new worlds. And," she said hotly, "I cannot do that while still being the Lady of Night."

Celestia's eyes widened as she began to understand the true depth of her sister's plans, while Luna continued speaking. "I have a few candidates for my replacement but the main issue comes down to you. Making one of my ponies the new Lady of Night would mean they would need me to teach them, which I am capable of doing. What I am not willing to do, however, is leave them with someone like you to be their Opposite. I will not leave some pony to be taken under your wing and place the Republic's homeworld under the influences of Equestria and have our way of life become corrupted by the people who forced our departure a thousand years ago. To be plain, as per your own request, I will not let the Night or the Lunar Republic become servants to the Day or Equestria."

"And what would you have me do, Luna," Celestia shot back, glaring at her sister with her coat bristling in anger.

"Same as me," Luna fired back. "Step down. You claim to be a teacher and a fair and just leader; surely you would have molded ponies suitable to taking your place and not just let matters stay as they were, never growing or changing. After all, if you are the great leader you claim you are, there must be countless ponies suitable to become the new Lady or Lord of Day and ruler of Equestria. I mean," Luna glared with a vicious grin on her face. "The notion that you would not have taken anything that has happened in the last thousand years as a means for personal growth and just hoped that I would come back and let things go back to as they once were would make you the greatest fool of the ages."

Celestia heard a sudden thunderclap and saw her sister jump backwards, with the doors to the chambers slamming open. Both her guards in their traditional armour and Luna's in their highly sophisticated plating fanned out to their princesses, weapons drawn as they glared at their opposites.

"I will take this as a recess to our discussion, Celestia," Luna said with an angry tone, though she had a hurt look briefly visible in her eyes. She was quickly ushered away by her personal guards, leaving through a side door. Celestia stared at her sister departing while ignoring her own ponies' questions before she looked down at her hooves and did a double take.

It was not thunder she had heard before but her hooves breaking the table in a flash of anger and rage. She had scared her sister once again and the notion rocked her to the core. She needed to rethink her approach and how to handle this properly.

It was time to stop thinking of Luna as her sister and treat her accordingly. This was somepony that she needed to properly evaluate and plan accordingly for.

Luna sighed heavily as the negotiation room doors closed behind her. This was not going to be easy to deal with.

Then she noticed she and her guards weren't alone in the hall. While most of their representatives had moved on, one pony had clearly been waiting for her. "Cadance?"

"Yes, Aunt Luna?" The younger alicorn's voice indicated she was clearly rather stressed at the moment, and Luna winced. This was not going to be easy.

"Are you all right?" she asked.

Cadance sighed. "I'm worried about the both of you," she said.

Luna nodded. "I can understand that," she said. "But you also have to understand that Celestia's and my differences go back a lot farther than just the events leading up to the night my ponies and I left Equestria." Then she tilted her head. "How much has your other Aunt taught you about our kind?" she asked, as delicately as she could. It would be a welcome distraction from that private discussion with her sister. She had not intended it to go so poorly, but Celestia had the tendency to bring out the worst in her... As she did to her sister. "Alicorns, that is. And our history."

Cadance frowned. "Not very much," she said. "All she ever said, the one time I asked, was that our tribe used to be as numerous as each of the Three Tribes, then... something ugly happened to most of us. She also said that I was the first new alicorn she knew of to come into existence since before Equestria's founding."

Luna nodded. "She's right about that," she said. "Come with me, if you don't mind. I don't think we should be talking about this out in the open."

Cadance nodded. "My rooms would be best," she said.

They walked in silence until Cadance had shown her in, and sealed the door behind her. While she did so, Luna looked around, noting her niece's choice in style, and also the guest she had. "This is Ray, I take it?" she asked, peering at the lizard in the terrarium, who calmly looked back out at her. "He's cute."

Cadance nodded, and smiled. "He stays in my rooms whenever I'm gecko-sitting for Sunset," she said.

Luna smiled back at her. "It must be nice, having a companion like him," she said.

Then she turned more serious. "But going back to what I was saying before," she said. "What my sister most likely didn't tell you was that long ago, when our world was young, there was a great and terrible war with the alicorns on one side and the draconequui on the other. Celestia and I both fought alongside our kin in it in the twilight of that horrid conflict, and it left terrible scars on both of us... and on the plane of that battlefield." She sighed. "That war changed the two of us and the world in ways you cannot begin to imagine, Cadance. We lost both our parents, and nearly every friend we'd ever known."

Cadance's ears flattened. "I'm sorry for your loss," she said quietly.

Luna nodded. "We know we will see them again someday," she said. "When the time is right. But it was during the leadup to that war that Celestia and I learned that there was a greater order to existence, and that she and I were a part of it. As is Discord, along with many, many others. Those who were a part of this order are... special. We each have our own Roles and Duties."

"And... how many of these 'Roles' are there?" Cadance asked.

"Over forty that I personally know of," Luna said. "But less than fifty. The majority come in pairs, save for one in particular who balances themself without requiring an Opposite. But of those Opposites, some can work well together, and some don't. I... currently hold two of those Roles, and have two Opposites, one for each."

Cadance nodded. "I see. I think."

Luna smiled. "One of my Opposites is a stallion with whom I have a neutral relationship. I met him a long time ago, and we were able to make an arrangement, which I still hold true to. But the other Role I hold... it is what allows me to guide the moon and bring on the night, while the pony whose Role is its Opposite has the Duty of guiding the sun and bringing forth the day."

Cadance started. "Aunt Celestia?"

"Exactly," Luna said. "Some of the other Roles are less... dramatic, shall we say. Those who hold them merely have to act as they normally would to fulfill their Duties, whether they know of them or not. I have met some of the others like us, both those who know their Roles and those who do not, and for the most part we have a positive relationship."

Cadance frowned for a moment, and then suddenly her eyes widened. "You think I'm one of these beings, don't you?" she said.

"I know you are one," Luna said. "I could tell from the moment I first laid eyes on you. And from all I have seen and heard, you carry out your Duties well. I am not trying to flatter you, dear niece, merely speaking the truth." She sighed. "Even though I no longer bear Honesty, a direct result of my falling-out with my sister, my years of holding it left their mark on me."

She gazed at Cadance. "I cannot tell you much more on the subject, and my sister is similarly limited; no doubt she would have told you when she felt you were ready, and when she wasn't so worried about my return. But given that the matter of Discord and his future escape has come up recently, I felt you should know at least some of this sooner rather than later."

Cadance nodded understandingly. "May I presume that telling somepony their exact Role before they have grown into it is against the rules?" she asked.

Luna nodded back. "Precisely," she said, pleased at Cadance's logic. "Doing so with a pony or other being too soon could compromise their growth into their Role, and that is something neither I or my sister will risk. But, I feel that if you continue acting as you have been, staying true to yourself, then eventually deeper truths related to your Role will be revealed to you. Once that happens, we can talk about it in more detail."

Cadance nodded and smiled at her. "I just have two more things to ask then," she said. "Aunt Celestia recently told me of the Elements of Harmony and their part in confining Discord, and the ponies whom she believes are the next to hold them. Are their bearers the holders of some of these special Roles too?"

"They are," Luna said. "I once held three, and my sister the other three, until they left us both a thousand years ago. Soon, they will reawaken in their new Bearers."

"And... does that mean that Sunset and Twilight are meant to one day have their own Roles too?" Cadance asked.

Luna smiled. "Yes," she said. "I can feel it in these old bones that both of them will be coming into their own soon, when the time is right. One will join her five friends, the other will have a different but no less important Role. And when it does... Celestia is going to be in for quite a happy surprise when she sees which of them is which."

Then she looked serious. "I am telling you now, Cadance, that for the most part, only those of us who are of this greater order are allowed to know of it. You are free to tell my sister all that I have shared, for instance. Trusted friends and family can be filled in later, if the need is great enough - Shining Armor will one day learn of yours, I have no doubt. But otherwise, we must keep the full truth hidden from the populace at large. There are undoubtedly those who would attempt to claim our powers for themselves by force if they knew of them, and there would be horrific consequences if they did so."

Cadance nodded. "I understand," she said.

"Good." Luna smiled. "Thank you for listening to me, Cadance."

Cadance smiled. "Thank you for telling me about this, Aunt Luna," she said. Then she sighed. "I've asked Aunt Celestia what I was meant to do, one day; I never had any intention of taking your place. Even without knowing what I do now, I don't think I could have taken your place in Equestria if I had wanted to. But she's always just said I'd find out when my time came."

Luna nodded. "My sister has that unfortunate habit," she said. "In my experience, she prefers to let others find their own path rather than just telling them... ironic, given she and I were each given the chance to see what could have been our futures, and have in part been letting what we saw influence us since then. It was that incident that inspired me to meet with Trojan and have a talk with him about what could have been, to avoid the fate I saw for myself." She shook her head. "Though it only helped to some extent; I still wound up spending a thousand years on the moon, albeit under very different circumstances from what I initially saw."

Cadance looked at her, her expression suddenly very serious. "And did you see... me?" she asked quietly.

Luna nodded. "I saw glimpses of you," she admitted. "Or at least of an alicorn matching your description. But those initial views were so far off that I could not be certain of when and how she would come to be."

And that was the truth; it had taken her several more looks at this new, younger alicorn before she was certain of what she was seeing.

"Based on what I saw, you have many potential paths ahead of you," she said. "Though I am certain of one thing."

"What's that?" Cadance asked.

"That you have a bright future," Luna said. "Some parts won't be easy, and you will face challenges, made to test you just as my sister and I were. But I have faith that you will make the right choices when the time comes." She smiled, and would have said more, except there was suddenly a knock on the door.

Sighing, Luna looked at her niece. "That will probably be a messenger from Celestia, saying she is ready to respond to my terms," she said. "We'll talk more later, I hope."

Cadance nodded, and together the two left the room.

A short while later, Luna entered the negotiation room alone again. Cadance had promised to wait for her outside, which Luna had appreciated.

As the doors sealed behind her though, Luna nearly froze as she saw the look on Celestia's face. It was not the same, uncertain look she'd seen beforehand. There was confidence once more and an air of shrewdness around her.

"I thank you for giving me the time to review your proposals, Director Luna," Celestia said in a perfectly neutral tone, using her title for the first time. "Though I do wish you had given me the actual ones as none of what you had previously said can be done."

Luna opened her mouth to snap back but Celestia simply continued on. "You are asking me to step down as a ruler and yet you remain in your position of leadership, leaving Equestria in the hands of ponies that unfortunately care more for themselves than others. That is already a nonnegotiable term in any future dealings between you and I. Secondly, Director, if you wish to integrate your followers with Equuis, you will need to first explain to me something as I will more than likely be your most receptive audience in the international stage."

"And what, pray tell, do I need to explain to you," Luna shot back, trying to keep control over her anger at being forced into a corner like this once again, with her sister bullying her into a place she did not like.

"Explain to me what does an isolated group of ponies need such powerful weaponry for?" Celestia's tone dug straight into Luna, with her wings twitching that her sister no doubt saw.

"We have the right to see to our own defenses, Princess," Luna said hotly, though she felt she was already losing control of the meeting. This was not how it was supposed to go.

"You are isolated from the rest of the world, Director. There are no enemies for you to fight, so explain to me, why do you need plasma-based weapons," Celestia shot at Luna, staring hard at her. "The only foes that could pose a risk to your followers would come from the Gateway on the moon and we sealed it a long time ago."

"I do not need to explain myself to you," Luna snorted in anger, too furious to voice her full suspicions at the moment.

"There are only two logical reasons that you would develop such an armament; either you are truly lawless up there," Luna could not help the crack of thunder that came from that accusation but it was all that Celestia needed for her next point to land even harder. "Or you were planning to use it against your foes."

"You dare claim that we would wage war against Equuis?" Luna slammed her hooves into the table, outraged at her sister's words.

"Not directly, but you were without a doubt preparing for the possible outcome, and undoubtedly taking no measures to downplay your prowess in front of my ponies who are already suspicious, scared and untrusting of new things, to say nothing of those who have been painted as monsters for years on end," Celestia fired back. "I know you would never fire the first shot as it would rob you of the high ground that you and your followers cherish so dearly; that of being the victims from a thousand years ago so you can claim you are nobler and greater than everypony else. But if you could provoke others, then you can claim your vindication through conquest and show of pure military force against your perceived ancient foes."

"Why would we want to conquer anything of your primitive nation," Luna growled, glaring daggers at her opponent. "There is nothing you have to offer to us we do not already have or that we do far better than your nation does."

"Ponies," Celestia said, cutting the air out of Luna's anger and addressing her greatest worry. "You are of a closed and diminishing genetic pool. You cannot have much more generations before all of your followers will be connected to one another and then genetic faults will begin to appear. You will need fresh blood to ensure that does not happen and you will need it far sooner than later. That and resources. You don't have the endless access we do here and your means to getting them is limited. You must have made massive progress with what you have done already, but like your genetic pool, it must be dwindling and you cannot afford to pass the chance to gather more to further your space program."

Luna glared hateful eyes at her, finding herself on the backend of a deal with Celestia once again. "What are your proposed terms, then."

"An end to your weapons production, opening your moon to the world and the sharing of information with the rest of us as starters," Celestia said. "I understand you cannot give us all your secrets; I am not that blind to the dangers of giving a pony like Blueblood the means of producing one of your rifles. But perhaps supervised demonstrations and management of your basic means of production, agriculture and energy as starters."

Luna's eyes blazed with outrage at these demands. "You mean to tie us to Equuis and Equestria, force my nation to become subservient to yours when we are already about to leave," she said, glaring at Celestia before shaking her head. "This proposal is as insulting as it is dangerous for my citizens. You would demand that we give up the means to defend ourselves, and do not dare deny that is not the end goal of your absurd request that we stop producing our weapons, and yet place my ponies among those whom you already claim to be untrusting and conniving and expect them not to be attacked one more? No I do not think that will work, and especially not as long as you refuse to accept my nation as a nation. Do not think I have not noticed you have avoided all attempts to address my ponies as my citizens, my nation by its name and our destiny as our own. You view the Lunar Republic as an offshoot of Equestria, a colony that you can order around, me as a sister you can simply tell what to do." Luna glared at her, shaking her head in anger and disgust. "I had hoped that a thousand years would be enough to change you but I was wrong."

"And I had hoped you would have changed as well; grow up and stop playing the martyr," Celestia fired back. "Even when you had your own followers, you still felt and acted as if you were unloved and unwanted, putting yourself on a damn high pedestal of being the helpless victim and yet at the same time being vicious enough to demand the heads of innocents-"

"Do NOTcall them innocent; they attacked my followers and me!" Luna shouted, ignoring the doors being slammed open and the ponies rushing in. "Your own sister and you took their side!"

"For the Creators' sake Luna," Celestia grumbled loudly in anger, her hoof to her face. "We have laws and duty to uphold the order. Do you think I could have honestly allowed you to kill them without due justice?"

"The fact you see that you had to allow me to do my job as co-ruler of this damnable nation meant I was never your equal," Luna growled. "That night was the final straw; you proved I had no true authority here. That Equestria was your nation, with you pretending I had any place in it. You never had faith in me then and I don't believe you have any now."

"So what was I supposed to let you do, let you kill all those who disagreed with you and become known as a bloodthirsty tyrant?" Celestia shouted, with the room a mixture of burning heat and freezing cold as the two sisters glared at each other before a beeping sound was heard in the room, with all of the Lunar ponies looking at their wrists.

In an instant, the mood changed and Celestia saw her sister pale as she read the message with her other leaders staring in shock and horror as they read their screens.

"Luna, what's wrong?" she asked softly, moving closer to her, with her outrage forgotten in a second.

"There was a terrorist attack; one of the domes is seriously damaged and I am stuck here-" her sister began to rant before Celestia dashed over, laying her horn over Luna's to transfer the magical energies she would need to teleport the long distance from the planet to the moon. Luna blinked up in surprise; clearly moved beyond words. "Sister..." she said in a hushed tone.

"Your people need you now, go to them," Celestia said with all the warmth in her heart for her. "If you need any help, it shall be given."

Luna smiled at her, truly smiled at her and pulled her into a hug she had not experienced in a very long time. "Thank you, sister dear," she whispered to her before pulling back and turning to her Directors. "Director Plate, please arrange for one of your officers to take charge of our guard representatives here for until we return. Director Spice, Director Inkwell and Director Light, we go back as soon as Director Plate is finished."

The stallion nodded his head and quickly spoke to a guard who gave a salute to her superior before the married unicorn walked to Luna's side. With a concentrated face, Luna flashed Celestia a smile before she teleported back to the moon, taking her four fellow Directors with her.

When the five Lunarians had vanished, there was an immediate flurry of noise as the ponies still present began to clamor with questions, until Celestia's nostrils flared and she bellowed, "Quiet!"

Her use of the Royal Canterlot Voice startled them into silence, and she immediately began looking around, choosing her next words carefully.

"I do not know who was responsible for the act that required my sister's sudden return," she said. "But whomever it was, her ponies' lives are in danger. And no matter the differences between Luna and I, I do not wish to see the Lunarians come to any harm." She sighed, suddenly feeling very tired.

"Is there anything else we can do to help?" Cadance asked, sounding worried.

"Not at the moment," Celestia said. "None of us can travel to the moon at this time. All we can do is wait, and pray that my sister and her ponies are successful in repairing the damage that these terrorists caused in time. But if Luna calls for our aid, we shall give it as best we can."

Turning to the pegasus mare whom Director Plate had left in charge, she asked, "Your name, officer?"

"Sergeant Nightingale, your highness," the mare replied, sounding a bit suspicious.

Celestia nodded, then turned to her own commander. "Captain Sentry, I trust you to liaise with the Sergeant and her troops," she said. "Give them whatever aid you feel necessary as they request it. And keep me informed if my sister or her people contact us again, for any reason. My niece and I are going to my office for now."

Captain Sentry saluted. "Yes, your highness!"

Leaving him to handle things, Celestia beckoned Cadance to follow her, and the two headed for Celestia's office. Once Celestia had sealed the door behind them, she sat down with a sigh.

"What do you think happened?" Cadance asked softly.

Celestia looked down. "I don't know for sure," she said. "Whomever was though, I can only hope they were a homegrown threat who can be dealt with quickly and easily, and not one of the worst-case scenarios I am currently imagining."

"Meaning?" Cadance asked a bit sharply now. She sounded annoyed, and Celestia couldn't blame her. "Is this related to the 'greater order to existence' Aunt Luna told me about, that you didn't?"

Celestia looked at her. "It is... possible," she admitted. "How much did she tell you?"

Cadance explained everything about the general situation Luna had told her of, and Celestia nodded when she was done. "Luna was right, for the most part," she said. "She also left a few things out, and justifiably so. But given the circumstances, there is one I should tell you now."

Cadance looked at her intently, and Celestia continued. "In the time before the War, there was a Gateway on Equuis's moon, similar to but different from the one you already know of - the one Sunset fled through, which could only be opened on a time cycle. The one on the moon, however, leads somewhere else, somewhere... very different. It was open full-time until Luna and I sealed it after the War, long before Equestria's founding." She sighed. "One of the scenarios I fear is that someone has managed to unlock it again. If that happened, both our worlds could be in grave danger, depending on who else has access to the world it leads to; this would essentially give them a back door into our world, and if they are hostile..." She trailed off, then sighed. "Mind, not all whom I know to have had access to it in the past were enemies, but the chances of that being the case are still too high for my comfort."

"And the other scenario?" Cadance asked.

Celestia bowed her head. "The other is that... one of our number is somehow responsible; we have been largely divided into two groups since the Creation, with others following a third path that is largely neutral, but can align with either of the first two groups if they so choose."

Cadance nodded again, so Celestia kept going. "The Laws governing us forbid those of one group from acting directly against those of the other, but using proxies is permitted," she said. And if that is what has happened, then the result could be just as catastrophic as a reopening of the Gateway. Which is why I am hoping neither of these is the case. A disgruntled mortal is the best-case scenario, one that can be dealt with quickly and easily without risking the type of damage that either of the other two would cause."

Cadance nodded, then looked worried again. "I hope Sunset's safe up there," she said. "And everypony else."

Celestia's heart tightened. "So do I, Cadance," she said quietly. "So do I."

Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Four

They had gotten everything settled and were relaxing, Twilight talking and enjoying the conversations with Sunset and the rest of the ponies in her redecorated apartment as each of them shared more about themselves in turn. She had been pleasantly surprised by how much she was liking Rarity's changes to the place and she could see herself keeping it up in the future, even with Shining's teasing her.

Of course, she'd gotten back at him by mentioning his flugelhorn recitals from before he and LP got together for their band, which had prompted no small amount of amusement from their guests asking for details, and a lot of embarrassed looks from her brother.

"Do any of you do music?" he asked, clearly trying to change the subject.

"Heh." Rainbow Dash grinned. "Pinkie can play at least ten instruments, sometimes all at once, and Applejack's good at a bunch too." She looked at Sunset. "You?"

"Well, I... did some practice when I was outside of Equestria," Sunset said. "The magic that took me there, it... it transformed me into something other than a pony." She looked nervous. "I had to get used to it in a hurry, so... one of the things I did, to get used to the new type of dexterity I had, was practice with a guitar. After Princess Celestia found me and brought me back, I kept it up, and I'd like to think I'm still pretty good at it."

"What'd you get turned into?" Shining Armor asked curiously.

"A species that doesn't exist on Equuis," Sunset said with a sigh. "But we walked on two legs and had hands shaped like a minotaur's, if that tells you anything." She studied her hooves. "It was not easy adapting to using fingers instead of magic. It took remembering how Spike did things with his hands before I really figured it out."

"I'd like to see how well you play, but as I know Twily doesn't have a guitar in her house, how about we hea..." Shining trailed off as he coughed and shook his head with a blush on his face. "Actually, I think Vinyl's family would have some that we could use instead."

"Your place is a mess too, eh Shining?" Rainbow Dash asked with a grin, with Shining grinning and rubbing the back of his head.

"Yeah," he said, leaning on the open windowsill. "I try to keep it up, but..." He blinked and frowned, leaning his head further out the window. "What the..."

Before he could finish, there was a massive shaking before an explosion rocked out and alarms began to sound.

"What just-" was what more than one pony present started to say, before Shining's PCA began to go off with him answering urgent calls.

Rainbow Dash's eyes narrowed. "I'm going out there," she said.

"Rainbow Dash, wait-" Twilight started to say, but before she could finish her sentence, Rainbow Dash had disappeared out the window. Groaning loudly, she shook her head as she began to call Vinyl and Braeburn to make sure Octavia and Applejack were okay.

A pair of holographic windows popped up, and both immediately looked out at her, their guests right behind them.

"What's going on?" Octavia asked, looking around nervously.

"I don't know," Twilight said. "But both of you, Stay. Put. It's too dangerous outside right now."

Octavia nodded, but Applejack looked distressed. "Shouldn't we be out there helpin'?" she asked.

"No offense intended, but you're both untrained civilians," Shining Armor said grimly as he marched over. "That blast was in one of the construction zones, where the Department of Transportation was working."

Twilight gasped, and her brother nodded. "It's bad," he said. "I have to go join the other officers now. Twilight, by the stars, stay here with the rest of Equestrians."

"No, I can't do that," Twilight said, shaking her head. "I know that area better than almost anypony else. They need me there and you know that."

"And I can help too," Sunset said, standing by her side. "My magic abilities are considered the best in Canterlot bar the princesses and if things are bad, then I couldn't live with myself if I let others suffer when I could have helped."

Twilight felt her heart skip a beat, before she shook her head. "Sunset, I can't let you go," she said. "It's too dangerous, and if you went out there and got hurt... I can't even begin to imagine what Princess Celestia's reaction would be, and I don't want to risk it. Bad enough that Rainbow Dash took off before I could stop her." She faced the mare she'd become so close to and her other new friends, seeing the looks on their faces, and sighed. "I'm sorry, but for your own protection, I'm going to have to ask you all to stay here. Moondancer, will you watch over them for me?"

Moondancer nodded. "I'll do what I have to, Twilight," she said.

Twilight nodded back, before looking at the projections from her PCA. "Braeburn, Vinyl, keep Applejack and Octavia safe," she said. "I have to go now." She disconnected, then looked at Shining Armor. "Let's go."

Shining Armor nodded, and then the two siblings crossed glowing horns, before disappearing.

Rainbow Dash could see the trail of explosions coming from where Twi said the sixth dome was, so she trimmed her altitude so she could fly through the tunnel over the surge of ponies coming and going.

She thought she could see a hint of a mach cone forming but she had to slow herself down as a sonic rainboom was the last thing anypony needed right now. As she entered the dome, she could see the entire place was even larger than the dome she had just been in, and there were a lot of ponies in need of help. Thankfully, there was a medical/triage place set up for all of the survivors with more pegasus and unicorn rescue teams bringing back others who still needed it.

She heard a few of the officials squawking at her but she ignored them and started to reach for ponies, picking them up as her training taught her and bringing them back as fast as she could. She was so thankful that the Weathertime management had forced her to go through so many rescue drills and she was able to help so many ponies.

As she was bringing the next ponies in, one of the security officers stopped her.

"Okay, okay we are grateful-wait, you're one of the Equestrians," the officer said, doing a double-take before shaking his head. "Look, take one of these; it will allow us to direct you to others and keep track of you if something goes wrong."

Rainbow Dash looked at the gizmo he was holding out and recognized it as the same thing Twilight had been wearing. "Thanks," she said, strapping it on before taking off again.

She knew what she was doing, and she wasn't going to stop until there was nopony else for her to help.

Twilight and Shining Armor rematerialized in the middle of a scene best be described as utter chaos, and instantly split up.

A moment later, there was a flash that drew Twilight's attention, and she turned back just in time to see Sunset rematerializing just inches away from where they'd been standing. She stared at her friend, aghast, and all she could say was "What-how-" before shaking her head to try and calm herself. Once she could speak rationally again, she asked, "Sunset, how did you get here?"

"I traced your teleport and followed it," Sunset said, already using her magic to douse several fires as well as help move ponies away from the dangerous looking areas. "I told you I could help."

If there'd been time, Twilight would have expressed her considerable surprise and how impressive it was that Sunset could pull off such a feat. Instead, she merely nodded. "All right... but be careful, Sunset." She looked around. "The others didn't come with you, did they?"

"Not unless one of them can do what I did to follow you," Sunset said, before she went back to work.

Twilight followed her example, though she couldn't help but wonder what had caused the blasts. For now, protecting the ponies here was more important.

"Come on, I think the explosions are near the Orion," she said, racing towards her workplace.

"The what?" Sunset asked as she followed after. "Is that one of those experimental projects you said they do here?"

"Not just one project, but the biggest," Twilight said as they continued moving, using her magic to put out as many fires as she could but Sunset was able to do far more. "It's going to revolutionize space travel when it's -"

She jumped as a large piece of a wall started to come down towards them. Twilight and Sunset both used their magic to try and hold back the wall, with more unicorns doing their best to help but they were struggling.

"Twilight, do you trust me?" Sunset asked, clearly struggling as much as she was. "I can perform a spell here but I need you to pour your magic into mine."

Twilight blinked and hesitated for a moment before she broke off her magic holding up the wall and began to pour it into Sunset's. Instantly, the mare's horn glowed brighter and she began to break the wall up into much smaller pieces that fell with very little impact onto the ground. Everypony let out sighs of relief and gave out thanks to her, which she accepted before looking at Twilight.

"Let's keep going," she said.

Twilight nodded, and led the way as they headed onward.

"I don't think I need," she said as they reached their destination, "To tell you that what you're about to see here is highly classified, and cannot be shared with anypony who isn't one of our citizens without permission, at least not yet."

Sunset nodded. "I figured," she said.

Then Twilight led her in and Sunset's jaw dropped.

What lay before them was a simply massive object. It was an engine bigger than any Sunset had ever seen in person, as she would tell Twilight later, and it was mounted on a frame designed to hold it for testing work until it was confirmed ready, at which point it would be installed on the superstructure of the Orion itself.

And this was just one of a dozen that would be required to move the biggest ship they'd ever built.

Twilight quickly hurried over, her horn lighting up as she did a quick scan, then sighed. "Nothing in the engine itself," she said, clearly relieved. "And believe me, I know every inch of each of these engines, I'd know if something had been added. Come on, we'd better go check the rest."

"Just what are these for, anyway?" Sunset asked, still awed.

Twilight looked at her, and saw genuine curiosity on her face. She felt the emotions rising from Sunset, and decided this was safe.

"They're the engines of the Orion," she said. "Our first colony ship. We're getting ready to leave the moon, a lot of us anyway, and set out for a new solar system."

Sunset looked at her in awe. "To explore strange new worlds," she whispered. "To seek out new life and new civilizations. To boldly go where no pony has gone before."

Twilight nodded. "That's pretty much it," she said. "Where'd you..."

"Opening narration from that entertainment program I mentioned before," Sunset said. "With one word changed to fit our species. But it fits."

"It certainly does," Twilight agreed. She sighed. "We're still several months away from finishing work on the engines, and there's a lot more to do before we're ready to launch. And that's even before this... whatever it was happened. But it's what we've been building towards for longer than I've been alive."

She led Sunset onward, towards the next building over where the second engine was waiting.

"And you... you helped build these?" Sunset asked.

Twilight nodded. "These, and more," she said. "I love working with machinery; it's one of the reasons I have my own workshop at home, so I can tinker and put things together in new and exciting ways whenever I'm in the mood." She looked at Sunset. "Don't get me wrong, I love magic too, but there's just something... special about creating and improving the tech I have access to."

Sunset chuckled. "As long as you don't overpower it until it breaks down or breaks something else," she said. "One of the guys in shop class had that problem when I was in that other world."

"A good engineer is always a little conservative in her estimates," Twilight said with a completely straight face. "I know how to keep it from going too far, so it'll always have a little extra room to keep going in case of emergencies."

Any chance for more levity was dashed when she saw the row of rescue workers working to control the raging inferno in the room where the Orionwas being stored during its construction, the room and the massive ship completely destroyed.

Falling to her rump, Twilight stared in horror at the dream of all her friends and people burning up before her, with tears running down her face.

Sunset was staring in equal horror. "Who would..." Then she wrapped her arms around Twilight, holding her closely.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, nuzzling her comfortingly. "I'm so sorry."

Twilight just buried her face in Sunset's shoulder, still crying, barely noticing the world around her anymore.

As Twilight wept, Sunset held the mare she'd come to care for so deeply, then looked at one of the ponies who'd approached. "Any casualties?" she asked quietly.

"Fortunately, no," the worker said. "Everypony was off duty today, so when the bombs went off there wasn't anypony inside the Orion to get caught in the blasts. Everypony who got hurt did so because they got hit by the building debris going outward." He sighed. "This is going to be such a mess..."

Sunset nodded. "Can... can you rebuild it?" she asked.

The worker sighed. "I don't know," he said. "We have backups of backups for the plans, but it's taken us a lot of resources just to get this far, and I don't know if we've got enough to make another one. Not without external help, at least."

Sunset nodded, still holding Twilight and looking down at her for a moment before she turned back to the worker. "I'll do what I can," she said. "I'm Princess Celestia's personal student, and I promise you now that as soon as I'm able to, I'll talk to her and ask her to send all the supplies you need to rebuild your ship."

The worker looked at her almost suspiciously now. "You'd do that?" he asked. "Why?"

"Because Twilight is my friend," Sunset said. "And this project means so much to her. I'll do everything I can to get it back on track, to help her dream come true."

Just then, there was an alert from Twilight's wrist, and Sunset looked at the worker, who came a little closer and hit the answer button on it. "Hello?"

"Twilight?" Shining Armor's voice asked.

"Twilight's not available right now," Sunset said. "This is Sunset Shimmer, what's happening?"

There was a moment of silence, and then Shining's voice returned. "You'd better get out here," he said. "It's Rainbow Dash, she's hurt bad."

"We'll be there as soon as we can," Sunset said. Looking to the worker, who ended the call for her, she then nuzzled Twilight. "We need to go," she said quietly.

Twilight lifted her head. "I heard," she said, still sniffling. "And... thank you, Sunset. For what you promised."

Sunset smiled. "I meant every word of it," she said.

Slowly, Twilight got to her hooves, and Sunset led her back outside and to the triage tent where their skimmers were taking ponies that were more injured away to be properly treated. She could see Shining pacing back and forth, barking into his communication device at other ponies before he spotted them and ran over to them, looking over Twilight before turning to face Sunset.

"She's in shock," she told him which seemed to satisfy him. "How is Rainbow Dash?"

"Not good," Shining said. "She took a bad hit, and..." He took a deep breath. "She'll live, but she might lose that wing."

Both mares gasped in horror, and Shining nodded. "She's on the list to go to the hospital, and they'll do everything they can to save her wing, but it doesn't look good. Beyond the blunt force trauma, there's burn damage and some concern about circulation issues when they get to her." He tilted his head to the side, before pushing them off to a direction. "She's about to go; you two will go with her. I can't work to my best here if I have to worry about either of your safety."

Sunset nodded. "I'll keep an eye on Twilight for you," she said. "She had a... nasty surprise back there."

Shining Armor nodded. "And I can guess why," he said, giving her a smile. "Thank you, for watching over her."

Then he sighed. "Stars, this is such a mess..."

Sunset nodded. "But we'll do everything we can to help fix it," she said.

For the next few minutes, there wasn't much else she could do, besides keep Twilight company, until finally they'd been evacuated to the hospital with Rainbow Dash. She really didn't look that good; she was clearly unconscious but she was squirming in pain with sweat on her face. She was covered with minor nicks and cuts, with some burn marks on her but the worst had to be her right wing. It had a strange device clamped over it, and there was a lot of blood around it with the medics hovering over her.

"How'd this happen to her?" she asked one of them once Rainbow Dash was settled into a waiting room in the trauma unit to wait until she could be taken into surgery.

"From what we were told, she threw herself between another pony and some flying debris from one of the last few explosions," the medic said. "Saved their life, but..." He shook his head. "It's going to be a rough recovery, whether we can save the wing or not."

"She saved a lot of lives," another one of the medics said, looking at her. "She brought a lot of ponies back to the triage area and she isn't even from here. She's a true hero and I hope we can save her wing for her."

Sunset didn't know what to say to that; instead she held Twilight tighter, doing her best to comfort her friend who was still clearly in shock.

When the medics noticed, one of them immediately asked, "What happened to her?" in a concerned tone.

"She..." Sunset sighed. "She saw what happened to the Orion, and she didn't take it well," she said. "It looks like it was the main target, and she was one of the ponies who'd been working on the engines and other parts."

The medic's eyes went wide, then immediately began calling for assistance.

Together, they ushered Twilight into another room and got her into a bed to rest and recover, and when one of the medics tried to encourage Sunset to do the same, she shook her head. "She needs me," she said. "As a source of stability or comfort."

The medic nodded reluctantly, but insisted on checking her out anyway, "Just in case," which Sunset agreed to. The medics finally declared her unharmed, and then urged her to at least take it easy until somepony came for them. Once she'd agreed, they left her and Twilight be, and went to tend other ponies who needed their help more.

Watching her friend lay in bed, Sunset's thoughts wandered, wondering who could have done this, why, and when she'd be allowed to contact their other friends to tell them about the situation.

And how everypony would take it when they found out about everything that had happened.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Chapter Twenty-Five

"Pardon the mess," Flash said embarrassedly as he opened the door to his office. "This was another pony's office until recently, and we're still renovating it to fit my needs better."

Sergeant Nightingale snorted. "I'm sure I've seen worse," she said. "What happened to the last occupant?"

"Killed in action," Flash said quietly.

The sergeant stopped. "Oh," she said just as quietly.

Flash nodded. "The building he was in burned down," he said as he let her in, then shut the door behind them. "One of the crooks we were chasing that night decided that he'd rather die and take as many of us as he could with him rather than go to jail. Captain Hackpole made sure the rest of us got out, but he and the crook were still inside when the roof fell in." He sighed. "Anyway, I got promoted to fill his spot."

The other pegasus nodded, and Flash watched as she settled into the same seat her Director had taken earlier. When Princess Celestia had given her orders not too long ago, he'd done as she'd asked, giving the Lunarian guards what they requested. And that included a private talk between he and their ranking officer. She had been very nice and understanding, and actually willing to work with him, which was a nice change of pace from some of the others he'd had to deal with. Police chief captain Meadow Wishes was very condescending to him, treating him if he was one of her subordinates when they were pretty much equal in rank, if he was not actually higher than her. It didn't help that she always had Blueblood around when they met and the other stallion managed to always browbeat him into agreeing with what they wanted.

"You seem to be doing a good job with it so far," Nightingale said with Flash snorting and shaking his head. She glared at him, though her eyes didn't have any true malice to them. "No, I mean it. You managed to keep the situation between our leaders stable without anypony getting hurt. Director Plate has been rather impressed with what he's seen of you so far and so am I." She flashed him a smile. "You just need more confidence in yourself; maybe you could take some of your more senior guards out with you on a patrol or mission to get to know them better and grow a better relationship."

"That does sound like a good idea," Flash said, rubbing his chin with his wing. "I really do want this office changed around; too much of the previous captain, right?"

"Yeah," she said with a giggle and a smile on her face. "It's going to look like you're sitting in his chair in hisoffice opposed to your own chair in your own office."

Flash nodded. "That's on my list of things that still need doing," he said. "Along with having somepony finish going over his desk before I get a replacement - need something better suited for a pegasus instead of a unicorn. The guy was justifiably paranoid, and I still haven't been able to find everything he hid in there." He rubbed the back of his head with one wing. "Princess Celestia and Sunset have both already done what they can, but they've got a lot of other stuff to do too."

"You know, one of my fellow sergeants loves unicorn puzzles; super good at them," she said, walking closer enough to Flash that he could smell her shampoo and he began to get an inkling that she had another reason to meet up with him. "I could ask him to check it out for you, if you'd like..."

"I think I'd like that, Nightingale," Flash, smiling back at her and doing his best not to freak out that there was a mare actually interested in him with such a hot accent. "Though perhaps I can show you mo-" He frowned as Zephyr ran into the office, the thestral panting a bit. "Zephyr, what's wrong?" he asked, feeling a stab of dread.

"It's Captain Meadow, she's approaching the castle with a large amount of ponies and..." the thestral gulped and stared pleading at him. "It looks reallybad sir."

The stab of dread grew but Flash did his best to force it down. "Bring a squad of unicorns to the front gate; I am going to see what is going on," he said, trying to speak with his best captain's voice but he could have sworn his voice quivered a bit. His eyes flicked towards the sergeant next to him, who was already speaking into her communication device. "Sergeant?" he asked, looking at her.

"With your permission, I would like to assist you with my squad," she said, speaking with more authority than he could have ever mustered. "We have our rifles on the minimum energy output; it will only sting really badly but cause no lasting injuries."

"Hopefully it will not come to that," Flash said, grabbing his helmet and spear as he walked out of his office towards the front gate, with Zephyr dashing off in the other direction to gather more guards. "But stand by just in case, I'd definitely appreciate the help."

"Understood Captain," she said in a proper officer's voice, though she did flash him a quick smile which did wonders to boost his confidence as they made their way to the front gate with more and more Royal Guards falling in line behind him and the Lunar ponies moving to the front of the group.

Bracing himself, Flash waved for the guards holding the door to part for him as he stepped outside and for a moment, he was at a loss for words.

Captain Meadow was in her full police uniform with a row of the most senior unicorn police officers flanking her but behind them was a massive mob of unruly looking ponies. They had a variety of weapons on them, some of them simple as poles but he could spot a few crossbows and halberds among them. But what really worried him was how angry they all looked and for whatever reason, seeing them hold the Equestrian flag made him feel uneasy.

Taking a moment to steady himself, he did his best to glare Captain Meadow down and present an aura of control. "Captain Meadow, what is the meaning of this?" he shouted at her, with her group stopping just a short distance away from him.

"Flash, step down and let us do what the Royal Guards are unable to do," she said in a stern voice with the mob behind her jeering and shouting at him. "On behalf of Equestria, we are here to rescue Princess Celestia from the corruptive magic of those accursed traitors from the moon. As my right as the only true figure of authority here, I am taking command of the Royal Guards and I am ordering you all to let us pass and save Equestria from them," she snarled, lowering her horn towards Sergeant Nightingale.

"Are you out of your mind Captain Meadow?" Flash snapped back, tightening his hold on his spear. "The Lunar Republic has done nothing to Princess Celestia; you will stand down and explain yourself before a judge. All of your... whatever they are will disperse now. This is private property and -"

"We are not here to play games, Flash," Meadow snapped, striding closer to him. "Royal Guards, as your acting captain, I order you to arrest Flash for insubordination and these criminals for actions against our beloved Princess or you will be tried for disobeying orders and possibly treason."

"You are out of line, Captain Meadow," Flash snapped back, walking towards her. "Stand down now before things get any further out of ho-" he didn't get a chance to finish that as a bottle smashed near his hooves. Flying backwards to his guards, he saw that Meadow was waving her mob closer to the front gate, with the citizens clearly about to charge.

Just before they could, there was a pop of teleportation magic and there was the Princess, standing before them and she looked angry.

"What is the meaning of this," Princess Celestia demanded, her horn glowing as a shield formed around the mob, preventing them from escaping. "Explain yourself, Captain Meadow."

"It is for your own good, your majesty," the mare said, walking closer to the Princess with Flash growling in anger and gripping his spear tighter. "We can help you overcome the vile magic those murderers in the moon have done to you. Just come with us. As acting captain of your guards, I canprotect you and see proper justice is done once and for all, starting with their blood crazy leader!"

"Captain Meadow, I am personally placing you under arrest," Celestia in a furious tone, her horn glowing as a pair of cuffs appeared before the unicorn. "And your mo-" before she could even finish, Meadow threw out a chain of iron around the Princess's horn and instantly, the golden shield and magic winked out. Princess Celestia gasped as Meadow tried to pull her towards her and that was when Flash suddenly found himself in front of the Princess with his spear lodged into Meadow's chest with Nightingale by his side, firing at the rushing mob of ponies that were trying to get to the Princess.

And the battle of Canterlot Castle began.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Chapter Twenty-Six

It had been a while since the five of them had last seen any of their friends, and Moondancer was worried.

Also impressed, when she'd realized what Sunset was doing, but by the time she had realized it, the other mare's teleport was already happening and it was too dangerous, for both of them, to interrupt it.

Once Sunset had vanished, she'd immediately turned to the others and talked them down from following in Sunset's hoofsteps. She'd meant it when she'd promised to watch over their new friends, and while they might have been able to help, sometimes it was best left to the professionals. Especially in the area of the Sextus dome where the explosions were happening.

Turning back to the others now, she saw Rarity and Fluttershy fretting, Spike at their side, and even the usually jovial Pinkie sitting in a corner, her mane having flattened more than a bit as evidence of her own worry after some of the strange motions she'd made earlier. Making up her mind, she trotted over.

"It'll be okay," she said softly. "I promise."

Pinkie turned and gave a strained smile. "I know," she said. "But my Pinkie Sense says that two of our friends are in a lot of pain... physically for one, emotionally for the other."

Moondancer felt her heart skip a beat. "Do you know which is which?" she asked.

Pinkie shook her head. "Not yet," she said, looking a little surprised. "You believe me?"

"I've seen stranger things than precognitive instincts," Moondancer said honestly. "If that's what you say is going on, then that's what's going on."

Pinkie smiled more happily at her, and Moondancer smiled back.

Really, she needed to introduce Pinkie to Minuette... those two would get along like a house afire.

Looking back at Rarity, Fluttershy and Spike, she saw Rarity and Spike doing their best to calm Fluttershy, and decided to let them be for now. The pair seemed to have things well in hoof, and Moondancer didn't want to interfere.

Rarity's good at what she does, she thought. Sunset's lucky to have her.

And Twilight's lucky to have Sunset.

For a moment, she felt a surge of jealousy towards the other mare. She accepted the emotions for what they were though and she countered it with how she knew Twilight felt about both of them. Twilight had made those feelings clear, and while it may not have been what she'd initially wanted to be for her friend, knowing Twilight felt that strongly about her still made her happy, and that was enough for the Lady of Self-Centeredness.

And no matter what Twilight wanted her to be, she'd long ago vowed that she'd always be there for her friend and now sworn sister, to help her when she needed it.

After all, that was what she did. For herself, and for others who needed her special kind of advice.

Her thoughts were interrupted when her PCA signaled, and she hit its answer button. "Hello?"

Shining Armor's face appeared on the screen, and Moondancer instantly waved Pinkie, Rarity and Fluttershy over. Seeing them, Shining Armor looked relieved. "Good, you're all there," he said in an annoyed tone. "Hang on, I'm setting up a conference call."

Very soon, Braeburn and Vinyl's faces were also on the screen, with Applejack and Octavia beside them, all looking very grim.

"What's happened?" Moondancer asked.

"You'd better brace yourselves," Shining Armor said. "We've lost the Orion."

There were several gasps at that from the Lunarians, and Shining Armor continued. "Somepony placed bombs inside the structure," he said. "It's so badly damaged that they'll probably have to start over; some parts might be salvageable, and thankfully the engines that were still in the testing phases are undamaged, but otherwise..." He sighed. "Twilight saw it and went into shock."

Moondancer's face went white. "Is she safe?" she asked.

"She's in the hospital, resting," Shining Armor said. "Sunset's with her - she's just fine - and Dad's on his way too." He looked grim. "But Rainbow Dash... she got hurt. Bad. Saved a lot of ponies in the process, but..." He shook his head. "They've got her in surgery now, and she's going to live, but she might not ever be the same."

Fluttershy squeaked nervously. "Can... can we go and see them?" she asked.

"I'll see what I can arrange," Shining Armor said. "But for now, it's safest if you all stay where you are. There are... some unpleasant," he clearly was censoring himself in front of the baby dragon and mares and Moondancer could only wonder what curses he wanted to say. "Rumours starting to fly and I want to make sure you are allprotected before we bring you there."

He looked at the other three Lunarians. "I'm giving you all permission to tell our guests whatever you feel appropriate," he said with a sigh. "Not like there's any hiding it now."

All three nodded, and after he'd promised to tell them what was going on as soon as they knew, Shining Armor hung up, leaving the other three still on the call.

"What is this... Orion?" Rarity asked hesitantly. "And why would seeing it destroyed affect Twilight so badly?"

Moondancer looked around at all of them. "The Orion is our first colony ship," she said. "The Lunar Republic has long dreamed of traveling to the stars, and we've been preparing to send a decent-sized population of ponies off on a long-term expedition to find new habitable worlds outside our solar system and create new settlements there. The Orion is our way of doing it."

That got a lot of wide-eyed looks, and Moondancer continued. "Twilight's been working on the Orion's more complicated systems for years. It's long been her dream to see it launch, so... it would have broken her heart to see it destroyed."

"My word," Rarity breathed. "I had no idea that your society's plans were so... grand."

Pinkie, for her part, looked very excited. "Okay. That... sounds... amazing!" she said cheerfully.

Fluttershy, however, looked a little nervous. "Does that mean... that you're all going away?" she asked. "Leaving Equestria behind?"

Moondancer shook her head. "Only some of us," she said. "I'm not on the list, and neither is Twilight, for... reasons. She's one of the team that's going to stay here, to help build more ships like the Orion." She sighed sadly. "At least, that was the plan. But now..."

On the screen, Applejack shook her head. "Can't believe somepony'd do that," she muttered. "Why in tarnation would they want to stop somethin' that's so important to y'all?"

"I don't know," Moondancer said. "Everypony's been so excited about it... going off and exploring new worlds, seeing what might be out there." She sighed. "We wanted to take our civilization and all its wonders to the stars, share it with other races we met if they were out there."

"Yeah," Vinyl agreed from her own screen. "It was going to be wonderful."

"It certainly sounds so," Octavia agreed from next to her, the two sitting side by side as if they belonged next to each other.

Moondancer nodded. "And that's one of the reasons Director Luna wanted to make peace with her sister," she said. "They've been apart for a thousand years, and if Luna was going to go out on that first trip, like she planned... she wanted to see Princess Celestia one more time, to at least say goodbye, before she went."

All five Equestrians looked startled at that.

"That's why she sent Twilight an' the others down?" Applejack asked.

Moondancer nodded. "She was hoping our two worlds could reconnect, become friends again, before she had to go," she said. "If Equestria wasn't willing to hear us out, then we might have all just left together. But if it went well, like it seems to be doing, then some of us will be staying behind to keep our ways and ideals alive here and help share them with Equestria, for the benefit of both sides."

Rarity nodded, then looked curiously at her. "You seem to be rather privy to her plans," she said.

Moondancer shrugged. "I work part-time in the State Department's offices," she said. "It's not a big deal. Plus, it's not like it's a large secret."

"Ah." Rarity nodded, though Moondancer was pretty sure she caught Applejack giving her a strange look, and hoped she wouldn't press.

When they've fully awakened and it's safe for them to know my Role, I'll tell them the full truth, she thought to herself.

Right now, she just hoped they could go see their friends soon.

"So what do you think these rumours are?" Octavia asked with Moondancer, Braeburn and Vinyl sharing worried looks.

"Ah hate to say it," Braeburn said. "But Ah'd be willin' to bet it's somepony tryin' to blame all of you for what happened." He shrugged. "Which'd be a load of roadapples, but it's all Ah can think might be the cause. Not everypony here was too thrilled about tryin' to talk to Equestria after everythin' that happened to make us leave for up here in the first place. Some ponies still hold a grudge over it and if they get it in their heads that yer responsible for what happened, it might get ugly."

Pinkie's mane instantly flattened, and Fluttershy began trembling. "Why would we do anything like that?" she asked. "None of us even knew about this ship until just a few minutes ago!"

"And none of us are capable of performing such a thing," Rarity said. "Besides, all of us have been within view of somepony from up here since we arrived. None of us has had the chance to sneak away, even if we wanted to - even Sunset was in full view that one time she stepped away from Twilight for a few minutes before the alarms went off the first time."

"Yeah," Spike agreed.

Moondancer nodded. "And I'd vouch for you all on that," she said. "Not just because I know it's true. But because Twilight likes you and trusts you, and I'd trust her and her judgement with my life any day." She blushed. "She's been my best friend since we were little, and I... well, I probably know her better than anypony outside her family and Director Luna."

"Do you think Director Luna will believe those rumours?" Octavia asked, causing Moondancer to pause.

"She shouldn't; not with my word to back you up," Shining said, his image reappearing as a third screen reopened, causing Moondancer to jump. "Sorry for listening in but I will personally vouch for all of your whereabouts if such questioning comes up."

Applejack nodded. "We appreciate that," she said.

Shining Armor nodded back. "At any rate, Luna got our messages about what was going on, and will be transporting back as soon as she has the energy," he said. "I'll explain everything to her personally once she arrives. Right now, there should be one of my officers ready to take you to the hospital to be with Rainbow Dash." A face flashed on the screen, with Moondancer peering out of Twilight's window to see the same officer waiting for them in the hall outside. Signalling the girls to follow her, Moondancer saw that Vinyl, Octavia, Applejack and Braeburn were also being shepherded away, no doubt to join them.

"Let's go," she said, and the others all nodded.

Flash was barely aware of the fact that he had killed Meadow before he pulled back his spear but he didn't have any time to dwell on it as another turncoat police officer tried to grab his weapon. Thankfully, Nightingale had covered him by using her rifle to blast out the attacker's leg, causing the traitor to fall to the ground, screaming in pain. They were quickly silenced as the mob trampled over them as they tried to reach his Guards and the Princess.

"Back," he bellowed as he and the other Guards and Lunar squad moved in front of Princess Celestia, with one of his own on her back trying to remove that chain around her horn. "Get her inside; we will fight to the throne if need be!"

"No," Princess Celestia shouted as somepony from the mob tried to use a rope to drag her forwards. She might not have access to her magic, but she was clearly no slouch in combat as she used her superior strength to pull the traitor in question forwards and into the air. With timing that seemed to be supernatural, she speared the traitor with her horn, then shook him off of her before spinning around to buck the corpse back into the mob, knocking several over of the rushing attackers. "All will be lost if they get into the castle; they cannot be allowed to enter."

He didn't understand why but he trusted the Princess and would follow her commands. "Then not one step backwards!" he shouted as he continued to fight back the unruly mob with his guards and Sergeant Nightingale's ponies at his side to protect the Princess and Equestria.

Rainbow Dash woke up groaning in pain. Whatever she had done, it must have been some massive wipeout she'd had if she'd landed herself in the hospital.

Shuffling a bit caused a lot of ponies to gasp and then a sudden wave of a pink slammed into her chest.

"Dashie, I was so worried about you," Fluttershy said, burying her face into her chest, her oldest friend's face wet with tears. "We all were."

Rainbow Dash gave her a strained smile. "Thanks, Flutters," she said, before wincing. "Ow..." she muttered, using her wings to rub her eyes before everything seemed to slow to a crawl. She could see her left wing's feathers in her face, feeling their soft, natural touch. It was a feeling she had grown up with; one she was well used to and knew as well as the back of her hoof.

She felt her left wing, each feather there but her right wing...

"What happened to my wing‽" she asked, her heart suddenly racing. "Why can't I feel my wing‽"

"Rainbow Dash-" Fluttershy began, but Rainbow Dash was in a total panic now.

"What happened to my wing‽" she demanded, struggling to move and see why she couldn't feel her wing.

"Young lady." An unfamiliar pony was suddenly there. "Please stop struggling-"

Rainbow Dash glared at him. "First of all, I ain't no lady," she spat. "Second, why can't I feel my wing?"

"It's gone."

Those two words from Fluttershy cut through her haze of anger, and she fell back, staring up at her friend. "W-what?"

"It's gone," Fluttershy repeated sadly. "You put yourself between an explosion and some other ponies. You saved their lives, but your wing... it was too badly hurt. They had to amputate it."

Rainbow Dash stared at her, disbelieving at first, as her friend's words echoed in her head.

It's gone.

"Wha..." Rainbow Dash shook her head. "You couldn't... fix it?" she asked nervously.

The doctor shook his head. "We had no choice," he said. "We tried, but the shrapnel damage it suffered... you would have bled out and died if we hadn't clamped off those veins. And by the time you got here, the internal damage to it was too severe. We saved what we could of that joint, but the wing itself was a loss."

Rainbow Dash stared at him, thoughts and memories flashing through her head. Memories of how she'd practically been able to fly before she could walk, all the races she'd entered and won. The Sonic Rainboom she'd performed that got her her Cutie Mark.

All gone now, no chance of ever doing anything like that.

Or maybe...

"Doc," she said. "Is there a way-"

That's when another pony walked into the room, and Rainbow Dash looked up in surprise. The pony was wearing a doctor's coat but they had an air of authority with them as Twilight walked beside him. "There is one," the doctor said, tilting his head at Twilight who was carrying something under a blanket. "Once she had heard of what had happened to you, she, and a number of others, sprang into action." Twilight gave her a smile as she pulled back the covers and relieved a sleek, metal looking wing. "We have created prosthetic limbs in the past for ponies who needed them, and with the help of your friend here, what we have now is the most advanced model yet."

Rainbow Dash's eyes widened as she looked over the wing, and as the doctor, himself a pegasus now that she noticed, continued. "It is fully functional, capable of interacting with your nervous and thaumatical system, and will be just as good as your old one, though there will be a period of therapy and general adjustment to it," he said. "We won't force it on you, but it is yours, if you wish."

Rainbow Dash looked at the wing one more time, then up at the doctor. "Tell me something," she said. "I've... I've always wanted to join the Wonderbolts, our number one flight exhibition and rescue team. Would this... would having something this advanced disqualify me from ever joining them?"

"I... it might," Sunset said, causing Dash to take in the room for the first time. Everypony she knew from Equestria - Flutters, Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie, Octavia, Sunset and Spike - were there, and so were Moondancer, Braeburn and Vinyl. Flicking her ears, she could hear the sounds of a few other familiar ponies just outside the door. "There hasn't ever been any cases like yours but I don't see it being allowed, they'd probably say it gives you an unfair advantage."

Rainbow Dash looked at the wing, then back at the doctor as she made up her mind. "All right then," she finally said. "I can deal with that." Looking up at the doctor, she smiled. "Maybe I can't join the Wonderbolts anymore. But if I lost my wing saving lives, it was worth it. So go ahead, doc. I'll take the new one."

The doctor smiled at her as the bed she was on began to move out of the room. "I will personally see to your surgery," he said.

Rainbow Dash smiled back. "Thanks, doc," she said. "Say, I never got your name..."

The doctor smiled again. "Well Wishes," he said. "Director Well Wishes of the Department of Health."

"He is the best doctor we have up here," Twilight said as they headed towards the door. "You are in the best hooves possible."

"And you're getting one of the finest prosthetics I have ever seen," Well Wishes said, causing Twilight to blush. "You might have made a breakthrough here tonight, Twilight. But please, stay in the room where it is safe."

Twilight made a face, causing Rainbow Dash to snicker, but nodded.

The two headed out the door, and in the hall outside, Rainbow Dash noted that she'd been right - there were a couple of ponies she recognized, though there were also a lot of stony-faced guards standing around.

"Hey, Shiny," she said.

Shining Armor nodded as they passed. "Good to see you're feeling better," he said.

Twilight Velvet, who was standing right beside her son, nodded as well, as did an unfamiliar blue unicorn stallion, whom Rainbow Dash figured was Twilight's dad. "Be even better in a little while," she said. "See you once it's done."

All three waved, and then Well Wishes took her the rest of the way down the hall towards the operating room.

"Director?" she asked as the door shut behind them. "Can I ask you something else?"

"What's that?" Well Wishes asked as he went to sanitize his hooves.

"Well, down in Ponyville," Rainbow Dash said. "There's this filly, Scootaloo. She idolizes me. But..." She sighed. "She just can't get off the ground. Hasn't been able to turn thrust into lift, no matter what she's tried, and it really bothers her. We're pretty sure it's a real medical problem, not just that she's a late bloomer. Think you could look into it for me, or at least send somepony to check it out?"

Well Wishes nodded as he came back over. "I'd be glad to help her," he said.

Rainbow Dash smiled. "Thanks, Director."

"You're very welcome, Rainbow Dash." Then he snapped a set of gloves on over his cleaned hooves. "Let's get to work."

Flash grimaced as the fight continued. It had been ugly fighting; more guards than he'd liked to have seen had been killed by those traitors using ropes to drag them forwards and then beat them to death with either their hooves or whatever they had on hoof. He was really hoping for a chance to take down the stallion that had already used the flagpole with the Equestrian flag to kill several guards. They deserved better than that.

"Where are they all coming from?" one of his guards asked, panting as they blocked a blow before returning a slash across the neck of the traitor. "It's like half of Canterlot is trying to invade!"

"I don't know," Flash huffed back, swinging his spear and knocking yet another attacker back head-over-tail, where they were quickly trampled by their own cohorts. "But we're not going to give up!"

"Never said we were, Captain!" the other guard replied. "I'm just sayin', there must be one Tartarus of a lot more of those 'avengers' out there than we thought, and now they're all right at our doorstep!"

"Doesn't matter, we will fight them to the end," Flash said with his guards giving a cheer as they forced back another wave of the mob with the Lunarians shooting over their shoulders. They had changed their charge from incapacitating to lethal; Flash had had no idea they had that kind of power on them but he was thankful they were on his side. He glanced to the side where Celestia was fighting; he knew subconsciously she had been involved in combat ages ago but it was another thing to actually see her help hold the line. "How goes the chain?" he shouted at the pony on Celestia's back. The first one to take that position had been killed earlier, as had the second, and the guard at work now was the latest one to throw themselves on the Princess to try and remove that damnable chain from her horn.

"Got another loo-" the guard said, cutting themselves off as they cast a quick shield to protect themselves when that Tartarus-damned shooter with the crossbow fired at them again. Flash also wanted to get that bastard; they were responsible for the deaths of the last two ponies who'd been at work on the chain, both of whom had served with honour and dignity for years and deserved much better deaths than what they got.

"Will somepony kill that thrice damnable demon spawn already‽" Celestia shouted as she slammed strong winds into the mob, striking down a few of the stragglers that managed to get close to her with her bloodied hooves. None of it was hers, as far as he knew, but even if it was, he had faith that her alicorn physique would be enough to protect her for the moment.

Before he could even process what happened next though, there was a pink blur and a thud in the ground, as blue waves of magic smashed into the mob. Large amounts of the ground rose up before the blue magic smashed it into the mob too, with strange silver weapons slashing at those who rushed at the newcomer, the alicorn standing untouched.

"Good one Luna," Celestia said to her niece before she blinked and shook her head, taking a step back behind a shield that Cadance had raised. "I... I'm sorry Cadance, for a moment there..." She blinked again. "Did you know you fight just like your other aunt?"

"I'll take that as a compliment," Cadance said. "By the way, I put you know what at the furthest point away from here; that is what took me so long to get here."

"Good thinking," Celestia said, even as she looked out at the mob that was still coming. "And it was a compliment; Luna was always the more creative of us when it came to open combat. I generally went for sheer, overwhelming brute force to win our fights of old."

"Remind me to invite you to one of our strategy gaming sessions then, to help you learn more about it," Cadance said before she narrowed her eyes at the pony with the crossbow. Forming a spell on her horn, she proceeded to fire it from the shield, blitzing as many of their attackers as she could. They promptly all fell to the ground, groaning as they were unable to move, and Flash saw Nightingale take the opportunity to fire a shot at the crossbow that had also fallen out of its owner's hoof, destroying it.

"What did you do, Princess?" he asked, amazed.

"Increased their personal gravity," Cadance told him. "They literally feel as if they're too heavy to move."

"Good job," he said as he stepped backwards to avoid another of the attempts of the mob to try and drag him down again, but to his horror, they instead managed to wrap the rope around Nightingale's throat and began to drag her into the mob. The mare gasped in surprise, her hooves grabbing the rope as she fought to keep herself from being dragged to her death.

Flash dived for her rifle and braced himself before copying what the Lunarians had been doing so far. With a silent prayer, he aimed at the pony trying to reel her in and fired.

The pony fell to the ground, screaming in agony as his face melted, with Nightingale springing to her hooves, grabbing a broken bottle on the ground and smashing it into the face of an avenger trying to grab her before more of her squad came to pull her back to the safety of their side in the fight. She flashed him a smile and tipped her head. "Good shooting there, Captain," she said as she took her weapon back. "You even managed to take account of the recoil; really impressive for somepony's first time using one of these."

Flash just smiled back as he was given another spear and used it to slash at a daring pony that tried to rush at him again.

Then he saw another rope heading their way, and was about to shout a warning when Nightingale's rifle roared, the shot vaporizing the rope in mid-air.

She flashed him a grin, and then took aim and fired again, her fellows following her example, as Flash's did the same for him. Spears, magic and plasma bolts alike roared out over and over, as Royal Guards, Lunarians and alicorns alike fought back against the attackers.

And the battle continued.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Chapter Twenty-Seven

The teleportation spell brought Luna back to the comforting and familiar walls of the Lux Aeternam but she couldn't afford herself the time to savour it. She saw the rest of her Directors rushing to deal with the crisis; Director Onyx was talking into his PCA to get in touch with Armor and the rest of their security forces. Luna, on the other hoof, had to see the scope of the disaster for herself. Informing her Directors of her plans before she teleported again, Luna opened her eyes to see the damaged SextusDome.

It was a horrific sight; nearly all of the buildings dedicated to the Orion were damaged in some fashion with smoke still billowing up to the top of the glass walls; they would need to vent it to remove the poisonous gasses building up as she didn't think they could cycle it out as they normally did. Shaking her head, she forced herself to focus on the situation as Director Water Wheel and Director Crystal Lace approached her.

"Director Luna," Director Wheel said respectfully, though the stallion looked tired, just as Director Lace did. "Thank goodness you're here."

Luna nodded. "How bad are things?" she asked, cutting through to the matter. She knew that tact would usually be more welcomed, but her Directors knew her better and they would expect this from her.

"It's bad," Director Wheel said. "About the only sections undamaged were the engines that were still in the testing phase and hadn't been mounted on the main structure yet."

"Thankfully, while there were multiple injuries, it was far less than it could have been any other day," Director Lace said, pulling out a list of names of the injured; each one a blow to her heart.

"How did this even happen," Luna asked as she read the names, taking the time to memorize each of them and making a vow to see each of her citizens.

"We are still determining that ourselves," Director Wheel said. "According to all witness statements so far, a series of explosions were set off inside the buildings somehow. We suspect they were detonated remotely or via timer, but we haven't been able to confirm this."

Director Lace bit her lip before she met Luna's eyes again. "There are rumours already starting to circulate that the Equestrians are to bl-"

"Wait, pause the list," Luna said, seeing two names that shouldn't be there. "What are the scope of the injuries to Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle?"

"Your student is being treated for shock and the Equestrian is being treated for the injuries she sustained when she threw herself between a group of ponies and a cloud of debris that was sent their way by a late explosion," Director Wheel said. "She saved many lives with what she did."

"Why were they even here?" Luna asked with a swirl of emotions in her; fear and concern for her student and her new friend, worry about how Celestia would react, and more.

"According to the early reports, they saw the explosions from where they were, all the way over in the Primus Dome, and Rainbow Dash immediately came to help," Director Lace said. "Twilight and Deputy Director Shining Armor teleported together just moments afterward, and Sunset Shimmer teleported after them. All three mares have since been evacuated to the hospital."

Luna's heart skipped a beat at the mention of Sunset, but she nodded, skimming the list. "I don't see Sunset's name on here," she said.

"Because she didn't actually get hurt," Director Lace explained. "She did help try to minimize the damage though, and she was the one to get Twilight to safety after... after Twilight saw what had happened to the Orion and went into shock from the sight." She shook her head sadly. "When Twilight and Rainbow Dash were evacuated to the hospital, Sunset went with them, on Deputy Armor's orders."

Luna shook her head at that; everything was spinning out of contr- then she remembered something. "Wait, what were these rumours you mentioned before?"

Director Lace sighed. "There have been rumours that the Equestrians were responsible," she said. "Pure bunk, as far as I'm concerned - as best as I can tell, none of them had even come into this dome since their arrival until Rainbow Dash showed up to help out with the rescue efforts. But not everypony is convinced that that's the case."

"That's..." Luna frowned as her PCA began to vibrate, along with both of her Director's PCAs. Opening up the call, Luna saw the face of Director Clear Flow looking at her. "Director Flow, what is going on?"

"It is Director Neighsay; he has called an emergency meeting of the Directors to deal with the Equestrian attack and he's leaning towards retribu-" Flow started to say before Neighsay's voice overtook him.

"This is a closed meeting, Director, please close your PCA so we can get on with the vote," Director Neighsay said with Director Flow giving Luna a guilty look before turning off the call.

"By the moon, what is going on?" Director Lace asked with Luna narrowing her eyes in anger.

"Both of you, get to the Lux Aeternamimmediately; I don't have the means to teleport all three of us there," Luna said as she teleported again, hoping she was in time to stop whatever path of madness Director Neighsay was putting them on.

Flash panted; this fight had been dragging on for far too long. Even with more and more guards joining in and Princess Cadance assisting, the enemy just kept coming. Fortunately, he'd seen that the iron chain was continuing to be worked off. Just a few more links...

They just needed more time and more soldiers-

"For the princess and country!" came a voice he knew and trusted, and then Fancy Pants and what appeared to be the entire Noble and Common Houses came rushing towards the mob, smashing them in half. In an instant, Flash and Nightingale waved their soldiers forwards, cutting down those that Fancy had separated from the main bulk and linking up their forces with the Houses. Fancy, using a trashcan lid as a bludgeoning tool to smash down an enemy pony as he approached, flashed him an apologetic look. "Sorry Captain Sentry for our delay but we were detained by Captain Meadow's officers; they had locked us in parliament for our safety but once we learned of what was going on, we made our way here to stand by Princess Celestia."

"You made it here, that is what counts," Flash said, the words spilling from his mouth and they sounded like actual Captain words to him. "Now let us put the rest of these traitors down."

"Verily," Fancy Pants said, looking out at the crowd of attackers. "They shall rue the day they betrayed our princesses!"

Then he pivoted as another attacker got close enough and lashed out with both rear hooves, smashing their jaw open with a well-aimed blow and knocking them backwards.

All around, the members of their parliament were fighting back, using hooves, magic or any improvised weapon they could in defense of their princess, some even snatching up fallen weapons from either side and lashing out with them. For all that some might dismiss them as little more than a lot of talkers, they were proving themselves very capable in physical and magical combat. And they weren't the only ones who had joined in; Flash caught a glimpse of a mare he knew wasn't a member of the parliament, but who'd often visited the castle with Fancy Pants as his plus-one, as was befitting - she was his wife, after all. And she was now spinning around and lashing out at any attackers who came in range, her long legs giving her quite the edge.

Finally, as Flash looked back towards the princesses, he saw the last link fall from Celestia's horn. Shaking her head as the guard leapt off her back, she glared at the still approaching attackers.

"My turn," she said.

Then, levitating herself into the air and glowing with power, she gazed down upon them, a burning fury in her eyes and her horn glowing pure gold.

"ENOUGH!" she said, using the Royal Canterlot Voice as a wave of gold collars slammed those closest to the front line into the ground, with jaws and teeth breaking at the force and a large wall of bright light surrounding the mob. "You will all stand down and allow yourself to be taken in; those who resist will not be spared." She glared at the mob, who finally seemed to have had enough and tried to flee through the wall she'd created. Those that ran into the wall first began to scream in agony as Flash realized that it must have been made of solar magic and they were running into the force of the sun itself. Those behind the runners either didn't notice or care that their fellow traitors were dying; they still pushed their way forwards over their comrades, trampling them in a mad dash to nowhere.

There was a brief moment of infighting as those closest to the wall fought back against those who were pushing them into it but it quickly came to a bloody end as one side defeated the other before Flash's guards began to put them down, taking those who were not resisting in chains with very little considering in how they were dragging them forwards.

Flash smiled at his guards' actions, a sense of pride in their duty to the Princess and country swelling his heart.

"Captain Flash," Princess Celestia said, landing next to him with Princess Cadance and Sergeant Nightingale smiling at him. By Celestia's horn, he really wanted to ask her out after this. "You did well today but this is not finished; we do not know how far these traitors are in the city and the police can no longer be trusted. I am putting the city under martial law, with you and your guards in charge of establishing pea-" she stopped as she looked at the chain on the ground, her eyes widening before a wave of pure rage and fury took over her face; Flash could have sworn the temperature actually rose with her anger. Before he could even ask what was the matter, she had teleported away.

Looking down, Flash saw the reason for her anger and hissed; as did Cadance who was shaking her head in disappointment and anger.

"What is the matter, Captain Flash?" Nightingale asked, looking at the two of them as Fancy Pants trotted towards them, with Claret Holder just behind him.

"That symbol on that cold iron chain," Flash said, pointing to the crown. "It's Princess Platinum's family crest and Prince Blueblood is her last living descendant."

All eyes went wide at the implication, and Flash swallowed nervously. He now knew where Princess Celestia had gone, and he had a feeling that Blueblood was about to be in a lot of pain if his Princess didn't restrain herself.

But he didn't have time to worry about that; he had a city to secure.

Luna rematerialized in the hall just outside their central meeting room. Slamming the door open, she strode in, and gazed around. "Well, well, well," she said. "Somepony call a meeting without inviting me?"

Neighsay frowned at her, while Director Flow, Director Notes and Director Spice looked relieved to see her. "I did call you, Head Director," Director Neighsay said tensely, staring at her. "Though, while I am sorry that you did not take the time to check your messages, we are in a vote currently."

"On matters to determine the sabotage of the Orion," Luna said, glaring at him. "I fail to see how anything can be brought to a vote. Please, enlighten me."

"We are voting to decide how we are to retaliate against Equestria's attack on us." Neighsay said. "I am not sure if you saw the attack on the Orion but we wereattacked."

"And you would have us believe it was by a farmer, a tailor, party planner, an animal warden, a weather captain, a musician and a student of magic," Luna said tensely, stalking towards him. "But none of them have the capability to create such explosions save possibly Sunset Shimmer, and she was more interested in my own student as evidenced by the letter she sent to Princess Cadance on that very topic. Nor did any of them have the ability to createsuch explosives as they were all given proper medical examinations during their arrival and there was no such material found on any of them." Her lip curled. "Or are you suggesting this was a coordinated and planned attack from within the Republic itself?"

Neighsay started to open his mouth but Luna did not let him speak. "Furthermore, the attack on the Orion was not as bad as it could have been. The engines were spared, deliberately so, because if they had been targeted, the entire dome could have been lost. That was the action of somepony who knew exactly what they were doing, a carefully planned act of sabotage, and again, none of our guests would have been capable of performing such an act. And in addition, each of the Equestrians' whereabouts were accounted for the entire time by well trusted officers and individuals of the Lunar Republic. Neighsay, where were you during this time?"

"Are you accusing me, one of your longest and most trusted Directors of sabotaging one of our nation's greatest projects, one we spent the entirelength of our nation to making a reality over a known group of individuals who would like nothing more than our complete destruction‽" Neighsay thundered as more of her Directors filed into the room, looking furious at Neighsay; no doubt being informed at his attempt to change the course of their nation by himself.

"Equestria is nothing like that of the past; those who attacked our nations' ancestors are dead," Luna snapped.

"Save for her," Neighsay spat with Luna letting out a small gasp before her anger began to boil.

"You overstep yourself dearly, Neighsay," she snorted, flares of her magic shooting into the air as she stalked closer to him, the unicorn beginning to pale as he started to grasp the severity of his words. "Celestia has done many things over her long years; some less savoury than others and so have I. I know the depths my sister can sink to, I know the atrocities she could commit without a loss of sleep or a twinge of guilt but I know my sister would neverseek to harm me or those I care about." She was towering above him, glaring down into his eyes. "Unlike you; she holds no ill will between our two nations. You have always been anti-Equestrian, always preening and boasting of our superiority over them. You were always going on about how we remember the Equestria we left behind, painting them as backward savages who cannot comprehend what two plus twois!" She growled at him, shaking her head. "You no doubt planted the bombs, or had somepony to do so for you, and then while nearly half of the Directors were gone, you would wipe up the nation into attacking Equestria." She let out a joyless laugh as she walked away from him, his stench fouling her nose.

When she had gotten far enough away, she continued. "Are you truly foolish to think we could actually win a battle, let alone a war against Equestria? We have no means of quick transportation save for myself and I can only teleport so many ponies at a time and only for a few quick trips. We might have superior weaponry but we lack the experience and knowledge to fight another nation who would have supplies and resources on hoof while we would only have what we could take with us and need I remind you, relying on my finite magical pool resources." Luna shook her head again, stalking the room as Director Onyx walked in, looking murderously angry at Neighsay. Her Director of Security was not alone; other officers were flanking him and they were walking straight to Neighsay. "Any attack on any nation of Equuis would end in our eventual defeat and forever strand us apart from the rest of the world. Not just by distance but by open conflict that would only encourage them to race forward in their development to strike us down and if they chose to do that, we would lose everything. That is in addition to asking me to wage war against my last living kin and I will not have her blood on my hooves."

"Director Neighsay," Director Onyx said through clenched teeth, the unicorn clearly struggling to keep professional and not punch the trembling unicorn the face. "My officers will be taking you in for questioning; Director Luna, if you will excuse me, Red Rocket is currently in the hospital and I wish to be by my husband's side," he said, tears running down his face.

"Permission granted," Luna said. "Go to him."

Director Onyx nodded, then walked back out stiffly, while his officers went to collect Neighsay. Luna watched both stallions leave the Director's room before allowing herself a moment to breathe before looking at her gathered Directors. Velvet, Wheel, Wishes and Lace were still not here; Velvet was likely with her daughter, Wheel and Lace must still be traveling here and Wishes was no doubt doing his part in treating the injured.

Luna let out a sigh as she began to go over all that had been said, the words cutting deep into her. She longed to see to her student and the Elements but she had a more pressing issue, one she knew that she would not come back to if she did not strike while the iron was still hot.

She had to call her sister.

Blueblood could hear the countrypony's shouting change and he knew it would only be a matter of time before she arrived and he still had a chance to make things work out in his favour.

With a loud teleportation pop, Celestia was before him, glaring pink daggers at him. The police officers tried to move up from their seats but his aunt slammed golden anchors around their necks and horns, locking them in place.

Stalking towards him with the ground melting under her hooves, Celestia's golden magic ripped off the cell door and tossed it with enough strength to embed it nearly completely into the wall. Her nostrils then flared as she roared at him. "You... dare... you DARE‽"

"Aunt Celestia, I have no idea what you are talking-" Blueblood began before she slammed her hoof into the ground hard enough to create an overpowering echo that drowned out what he was going to say.

"You are no nephew of mine!" Celestia thundered, her face right in his. "You have disgraced the line of Platinum for the last time, Blueblood."

"Please, enlighten me to how I did anything of the sort while I have been behind those bars you tossed aside, Celestia," Blueblood asked, doing his best to keep a calm demeanor. She had taught him herself that a raging pony would always lose to a calm pony in the matter of debate and if he could keep her off hoof long enough, he would see himself walking away without so much as a blemish.

"Your ancestor's nullifying chain was used on me today, Blueblood," Celestia spat, stalking back and forth while keeping her gaze directed on him. While others might have been intimidated by her, Blueblood was rejoicing as he knew she was struggling to decide what to do and thus not fully committed as he was. "It has your family emblem on it, the emblem of that thrice damnable tribalist brat Platinum."

"If that is the case, then I will need to file a burglary report with the police as I have said, I have not been out of this cell since my return to Canterlot, as per your instructions. You can ask the police for proof of my time here," Blueblood dared a smirk on his face, which only drove her further into anger.

"The police are being arrested; as their captain and your friend Meadow led the attack against me, they are all untrustworthy until we can sort out the traitors from those truly loyal to the crown," Celestia said, her voice starting to calm down which slightly worried Blueblood but he had to push on to make sure he was safe. "Such as you."

"Again, I was in here the entire time," he said in his best even voice, looking just as hard back at her as he could manage. "And it will be her word against mine in how she obtained that alleged weapon."

"She is dead," Celestia said bitterly as she cottoned onto the fact she had no hard evidence against him. "She was the first casualty in the attack today, thanks to Captain Sentry's actions."

"A tragedy then; she was a fine officer in my opinion," Blueblood lied through his teeth. In all honesty, it was a miracle that the mare had kept her views hidden as long as she had and he had disliked the fact he had to associate with her so much as it risked exposing himself but it was important to have an ally in his quest to keep Canterlot pure. Sentry had been too much like Hackpole and it was too soon to arrange for another replacement of the captain of the Royal Guards to ensure proper views were in as many seats of power as possible; otherwise ponies might begin to suspect something and poke around. He had been mulling over in seeing to her replacement as well and thankfully, the fool pegasus had done the job for him. Still, she had done what he expected of her; thin out the excitable, bold and loud members of the avengers while giving Equestria their wanted vengeance on his associates. Things were shifting and they would need to be much more subtle and careful to ensure the thousand year crusade would not be lost. "What are the casualties, if I may ask now. As the leader of the Noble House, it is my duty to see to such things, Cel-" she snorted in his face, shaking her head slowly.

"You truly think I am like one of the avenger fools that you can lie to and manipulate so easily, don't you," she said, giving him a wicked smile. "I might not have proof that you were behind this but I know you were and you will be brought to justice for everything that has occurred. And you can forget about your position as leader of the Noble House; I am stripping you of all rank and privileges until further notice and you will be brought to my dungeons to make sure you can't do any more damage to Equestria."

"If you really wanted to ensure that," Blueblood spat back at her. "Then bring those traitors to justice! They are a colony of criminals that ran from justice, hoarding power and knowledge from us to do what they wish without giving it to their proper masters. Each one of them deserves to face the proper justice their cowardly ancestors ran from that bloody night, including each of their accursed damn leaders!" He leaned into her face. "I will go forward with what I know; the Lunar Republic will be brought under the Noble House as all colonies are ours to see proper administration and justice will be done at long last."

"ENOUGH!" Celestia thundered in his face and Blueblood began to think he had overplayed his hoof. "Every second you speak, you seek to further hang yourself, tempting me to strike you down where you stand, Blueblood. The Republic is a sovereign nation and has been for a thousand years. The crimes of the past are the past and I will not give you or any of your avengers ilk more attention or leniency anymore! I already have Guards flying to arrest all known avengers to bring them in; they will be purged from my nation." She snorted angrily and slammed her hoof through a wall, breathing heavily. "You are such an idiot, Blueblood. You have no idea what you nearly unleashed today; of what chaos and destruction you almost set loose upon the world with your senseless bigotry and blind hatred."

She paused for a moment, her words seeming to have an effect upon her. Then, shaking her head, Celestia glared at Blueblood. A golden muzzle slapped around his mouth and a weighted collar slammed him into the ground, with a nullifying ring around his horn. "You will remain here until the Royal Guards arrive to collect you; attempt to flee and you will be hunted down like the vermin you are."

Then she turned around and stormed out, unable to stand the sight of him any longer.

Blueblood snorted into his muzzle; this was but a minor setback. The rest of his allies would see him free soon enough; the laws they'd set in place would make sure of that. If Celestia truly thought she would get her way, she was in for a rude awakening.

Far above Blueblood's cell, deep in his slumber, Discord suddenly felt the urge to laugh hysterically as he sensed somepony telling themselves one of the biggest lies to ever be told in Equestria.

If only he had had the chance to trick this fool into thinking he was the Lord of Lies; then it would have been even better.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Just moments after Director Well Wishes and Rainbow Dash had left the room, Sunset and Moondancer were both urging Twilight back into bed, and she groaned. "Really, you two, I'm fine," she said. "I'm..." She sighed. "Okay, I'm still upset, but I'm working on it."

"We know," both mares said, and then Sunset continued. "But the doctor said you needed to rest some more."

"She's right," a familiar voice said, as Twilight Velvet walked into the room, Shining Armor and Night Light right behind her. "So get back in that bed, young lady!"

"Mo-oom..." Twilight groaned. Still, she did as she was told.

At the same time, the rest of her family came over to sit by her.

"Don't scare us like that, Twilight," her father said as calmly as he could, though Twilight could tell he was still worried. "You nearly gave us both heart attacks when we found out what happened."

"Us too," Moondancer said quietly as she looked up at the unicorn couple. "Hi, Director Velvet. Mr. Night Light."

Velvet smiled. "Hello, Moondancer," she said. "Thank you for helping watch over Twilight, and her friends."

Moondancer smiled. "Thanks..." she said, before Twilight reached out and touched her hoof.

"I appreciate it too," she said, smiling gently at her friend, before looking around the room. "All of you, for everything you've done."

Applejack smiled back. "Ah, shucks," she said. "What are friends for, if not to be there for ya, Twilight?"

"Yeah," Sunset added with a smile of her own, the others all nodding.

"And speaking of friends..." Vinyl and Octavia traded looks, before Vinyl trotted over next to the bed. "LP says he hopes you're okay too, and asked me to make sure you apologize to your big bro for worrying him so much," she said.

Twilight blushed. "I will," she said, before looking over at the stallion in question. "Shiny..."

Shining Armor nodded. "I understand why you reacted like you did," he said quietly. "And I'm sorry you had to see what you did. I'm just glad you weren't actually hurt though."

Twilight nodded. "So am I," she said quietly. "But doing all I did to help Rainbow Dash, making that new wing for her... it helped me too, more than you could understand."

Moondancer's ear flicked. "Oh, believe me, we know," she said, smiling. "We know that losing yourself in a project is a good way for you to work through your troubles when you need it. But you still need to rest some more."

Twilight looked down at her hoof, still on Moondancer's, and squeezed it. "I will, sis," she promised.

Moondancer's smile widened at those words. "Good."

Looking up, Twilight caught Shining Armor smiling at the two of them, as well as her parents and Sunset. She knew Moondancer and Sunset had taken some time to talk in private while she was working on Rainbow Dash's new wing, after she'd woken up from her brief rest when her new friends arrived to see she and Rainbow Dash. And while she wasn't sure exactly what they had talked about while they were alone, they'd both come back smiling and, by her reckoning, with a clear understanding between the two well before she'd returned.

Though she wished she knew exactly what had happened.

Little did she realize that at that very moment, Sunset was running over that same event in her mind.

Earlier...

Sunset looked up as the door opened, then sighed in relief as she realized it was Shining Armor, and saw a small group of ponies behind him, still waiting in the hall. "Hey," she said.

"Hey yourself," Shining Armor said as he came in, then looked at Twilight, who appeared to be sleeping peacefully. "How's she doing?"

"Resting," Sunset said. "No physical injuries, they checked."

Shining Armor nodded. "And how are you doing?"

"A little tired, but that's it," Sunset said. "I've been more worried about Twilight, and... and Rainbow Dash too." She looked around. "Any word on Rainbow Dash? Last I heard she was still in the trauma unit, waiting her turn."

Shining Armor nodded again. "They'll be bringing her in here soon," he said. "She's mostly healed up, except for..." He sighed. "They had to amputate that wing."

Sunset cringed, and then noticed a stir of movement as Twilight sat up. "They had to what‽" she demanded.

"Twily!" Shining Armor hurried over. "Lay down, you're-"

"I'm fine," Twilight shot back, one of the few times she'd sounded angry in Sunset's hearing. "But did you just say that Rainbow Dash had to have a wing amputated?"

"Well, yes," Shining Armor said. "The internal damage on it was too severe, they couldn't save it."

For a moment, Twilight gazed steadily ahead, then she looked straight at Shining Armor and threw back her covers. "Take me to her," she said. "I need to get some measurements. Then I'm going back to my workshop."

"Twilight..." Shining Armor said, and another voice chimed in at the same time, Sunset looking over to see that Moondancer had entered the room, a look of obvious concern on her face.

Twilight shook her head. "I can do this," she said. "I can worry about the Orion later, but right now, my friend needs my help. Take me to her."

"No need," another voice said, and Sunset looked up to see another doctor, bringing a hovering bed into the room, a sleeping Rainbow Dash atop it. "She's right here," he said.

Twilight nodded, and climbed out of bed before anypony could stop her. Once Rainbow's own bed had been moved into place, Twilight lit up her horn and began scanning and studying Rainbow Dash's body, including both her healthy wing and the joint that was left. Bringing up her PCA's screen and entering notes onto it, she checked and double-checked everything, then nodded, closed the screen, looked at Shining Armor, and spoke. "Take me to my workshop, Shiny. Now."

Shining Armor looked rather dismayed, but finally nodded. "All right. But hold onto me." His own horn lit up, and the pair vanished.

"Shouldn't that have set off the alarms?" Spike asked worriedly as he peered in.

Moondancer shook her head. "As a high-ranking member of the Department of Security, his magical signature is recorded; they'll still register a teleport, but when the magical signature's for a pony on the authorized list like his or Twilight's is, it won't trigger an alarm," she said.

Spike sighed in relief, then looked up at what must have been one of the guards. "Can we go in now?" he asked.

"Sure thing, kiddo," the guard said. "Just keep your voices down."

Spike nodded, then came in and over to Sunset. "I was so worried about you," he said, and she smiled, placing an arm around him.

"I know," she said. "But I'm fine. No damage done to me, just a little tiredness, and I'm feeling better now."

Spike smiled back.

Idly, Sunset noticed the rest of their friends from Equestria entering, Fluttershy immediately taking a seat next to Rainbow Dash's bed, and Applejack looking over her too. Braeburn and Vinyl had also accompanied them, though they and Octavia were in the back corner.

"So what do we do now?" Rarity asked.

The doctor still watching over Rainbow Dash looked at her. "Just sit back, and let her rest," she said. "At this point all we can do is wait for her to wake up on her own."

Everypony nodded.

That was when Moondancer cleared her throat. "Actually..." She looked at Sunset. "You and I need to talk. In private."

Applejack frowned. "You sure that's such a good idea, sugarcube?" she asked.

Sunset looked between them, then back at Twilight's bed. "Twilight trusts her," she said. "I'll be fine."

Moondancer's face twisted into an expression Sunset couldn't quite read, but then she pulled an unfamiliar item out of her sweater's front pocket, almost the shape and size of a business card, and took it over to one of the guards, who scanned it and then Moondancer with his own PCA before nodding. "She's clear," he said, hoofing the card-like item back. "I'll escort the two of you to an office."

Applejack quirked her head.

"My credentials," Moondancer said. "Like I told you all earlier, I work part-time in the State Department, and that wouldn't be the case if I hadn't passed some very in-depth background checks first." She then beckoned to Sunset, who stood and followed after she and the guard.

As she headed down the hall, she heard one last snippet of talk from the room: Applejack sighing and saying, "Ah know Twilight trusts her... but Ah still think she's holdin' back a little."

Then they were out of range.

The pair were soon ensconced in a small, private office, where they sat down and the door was shut, leaving Sunset to look at Moondancer. The other mare hadn't said much to her in Twilight's apartment, though she'd talked to the others and seemed to be studying Sunset as she and Twilight were happily chatting back and forth. Sunset could admit to being a little disappointed at Moondancer's distance at the time, after all Twilight had said about her friend, but now that they were alone, it looked like she was finally about to get the conversation she wanted.

"So," she said. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

For a moment, Moondancer said nothing. Then, she looked straight at Sunset. "Twilight," she said. "It's clear how you both feel about one another."

Sunset blushed. "I... yeah," she said. "She's a great person. I like her, a lot."

"More than like," Moondancer said. "You're drawn to her, attracted to her."

Sunset blushed. "You saw that, huh?"

Moondancer nodded. "And I can tell that she likes you back," she said. "But Sunset, I like Twilight too. She's been my best friend for a long time, and I was trying to get up the courage to ask her out before you came along."

Sunset blinked. "I-"

"Twilight's made it clear that she doesn't see me like that though," Moondancer continued. "Like she told all of you, she sees me as a big sister. And in hindsight, it makes sense - I've always been there for her, to help her stay on track and take care of herself."

Sunset nodded. "Yeah... she talked to me about you, how wonderful you are and how you help her take care of herself," she said. "You mean a lot to her, just like Spike and Cadance do to me." She smiled. "And I think that's great, that she has a friend like you," she said. "I just hope... I hope I can get to know you better, that you and I can be friends too, since we both care about Twilight so much."

For a moment, Moondancer was silent. Then she smiled. "You really mean that," she said.

Sunset nodded. "I do. I wasn't always like this, but I learned better. I don't want to see the two of you grow apart just because I came into the picture and started falling for her. You will always have a special place in her heart... just like I'll have a different place." She smiled. "Like our new friends have been finding theirs, in both her heart and mine."

Moondancer smiled back. "I can see why she's falling for you then," she said. "You're a good pony. And Sunset, I admit that I can be a little selfish and self-centered. But I can share too. Twilight clearly means the world to both of us, and if you make her happy, that makes me happy. So..." She rose, walked over, and stuck a hoof out. "Friends?"

"Friends," Sunset said, rising and returning the hoofshake. "And one day maybe, family."

Moondancer chuckled at that, but then looked more serious again. "Just remember," she said. "You break her heart, I break you."

"Moondancer, if I break Twilight's heart, you'll have to get in line behind me, Director Luna and Shining Armor," Sunset said honestly. "And for the record, Shining's already warned me what he'll do if that happens."

Moondancer nodded. "Not surprised," she said. "He's always been just as protective of her as I am." Then she smiled. "So now that we've got that all settled, you want to go back to the others?"

"Sure thing," Sunset said. Then she tilted her head. "By the way, seeing as you're a big sister figure to Twilight, you should probably meet my big sister figure, if you can either go down to Equestria or she can come up here. I bet Princess Cadance would love to meet you, and the rest of Shining Armor's family."

"I look forward to it," Moondancer said with a smile.

The two kept chatting amicably as they went back to Twilight and Rainbow Dash's room, their guard following after them quietly, and when they got there, they found the others still sitting around. Rainbow Dash was still asleep, and Twilight hadn't returned yet.

"You two get things settled?" Shining Armor asked when they'd come in, having evidently returned in their absence.

Moondancer nodded, and so did Sunset, smiling. "We did," she said.

"Good," Shining Armor said. "I've called Mom and Dad; they'll be coming by soon."

Sunset suddenly looked at him. "Wait. If you're here, is Twilight..."

"One of my men is with her," Shining Armor said. "She's still in her workshop, and on a conference call with somepony else here, but she promised to give me a call as soon as she's ready with her project."

"What is it?" Applejack asked.

"A surprise," Shining Armor said. "Something that should make Rainbow Dash very happy."

He wouldn't say anything more than that before he ducked outside, leaving the group to themselves.

For a little while, all was quiet, and then Applejack cleared her throat and walked over to Moondancer. "Howdy," she said. "Ah don't think we've had the chance to properly introduce ourselves."

Moondancer nodded. "No, we haven't," she said. "But Twilight's told me about you."

Applejack nodded back. "Well, Ah'm Applejack," she said. "An' you're Moondancer. An'..." She sighed. "An' you're more than you seem, Ah can tell."

To Sunset's surprise, Moondancer nodded. "You're right, I am more than just a normal unicorn," she said. "But Director Luna herself knows what it is, and she trusts me. And you can trust her. I promise, I'll explain everything to all of you when the time is right."

Applejack nodded back. "All right then," she said. "Ah'll hold you to that."

Then she smiled. "So, how'd you and Twilight meet?"

Moondancer smiled back. "Well, we went to the same school together when we were little," she said. "Our teacher paired us up, we discovered our mutual love of learning, and things went from there. She's been my best friend and then some ever since."

"'And then some'?" Applejack asked, raising one eyebrow.

Moondancer blushed. "You weren't there when Twilight told the others, but she's basically adopted me as her slightly bigger sister," she said. "And I do mean 'slightly', I'm just a day older than her."

Applejack visibly relaxed at that. "All right then."

As they all settled back, waiting for Rainbow Dash to awaken and Twilight to return, Sunset couldn't help but notice Shining Armor peering in at them, and knew he'd heard every word that had passed.

She just hoped he wouldn't let his protective instincts get the better of him.

Now...

Unbeknownst to one another, Twilight and Sunset both mentally shook their heads, before Twilight looked back up at her family and friends. "How are things going?" she asked quietly.

"We're still clearing things up in the Sextus dome," Shining Armor said. "Everypony's been accounted for, and... and there were plenty of injuries that are still being treated." He sighed. "Thankfully, no casualties."

Twilight sighed in relief. "That's good," she said. Then she looked around. "Has anypony heard from Director Luna?"

"She's been back up here," Shining Armor said. "But she's also gone back down to Equestria already. She asked me to tell you that she'd be dropping in to see you as soon as she had the chance, once she's had some time to talk things over with her sister again."

Twilight nodded. "Of course," she said.

"And here's the kicker," Shining Armor said. "She figured out who was behind it, had him taken in for questioning... and they've confirmed it." He sighed. "Director Neighsay arranged for some other ponies to plant the bombs."

Velvet looked horrified and furious. "He what‽" she said as she stared at him, eyes searching for anything to make it not real or that this was some sort of horrible joke or lie but she found nothing. "How did she discover this?"

"She figured it out from his behavior," Shining Armor said. "He was a little too quick to accuse our visitors, when there was already evidence that none of them had been in that dome until after the explosions started. Plus, none of them could have done it; none of them had the materials or knowledge."

He sighed. "Apparently, he's always wanted revenge on Equestria for what the ponies of a thousand years ago did, even if most of the rest of us have long since gotten past all that, and he wanted to ruin any chance of our two nations reconnecting. So he set up the sabotage on the Orion and tried to make us believe our guests were the ones who did it so he could trigger a war. Of course, Director Luna wasn't having any of that."

"Good for her," Sunset said. "I realize Equestria isn't perfect, and there are some ponies who'd feel the same way about you guys as Neighsay did about us, but..."

Shining Armor nodded. "Anyway, he confessed, and he's proud of what he did." He sighed. "This is one case where I don't think our usual punishment methods are going to work on the guilty one. I'm sure we'll still put him to work, but we'll have to have guards on him at all times."

"There is also another matter," Director Well Wishes said as he suddenly entered the room. The pegasus looked furious as he stared Velvet in the eyes. "Check your messages, you got a call from that bastard right?" Velvet blinked before looking at her PCA, with Well Wishes pacing back and forth as he continued. "I got a call from him, asking me to meet him. I turned it down as I was more concerned with saving lives than dealing with whatever he wanted."

Velvet nodded in agreement. "I was so worried when I heard about Twilight, I didn't bother to answer the last call I got," she said as she deactivated her PCA's screen. "It was from him though."

"If you had, you'd have been at the meeting he called to try and have the rest of us agree to declare war on Equestria," Director Well Wishes snorted angrily. "Fortunately, Director Luna got wind of it and figured out what he was up to and stopped it in the nick of time."

Applejack looked disgusted. "An' this guy's one of your Directors?" she said. "How'd he get the job if he was that bad?"

"He was very good at what he did, despite his personality," Velvet said with a sigh. "It looks like we'll have to hold an election for a new Director of Education soon though. His Deputy Director will probably get it; Ms. Porcelain is very competent at her own job."

"I doubt it, Velvet," Well Wishes said. "She's tainted. She worked with Neighsay for so long; I doubt anypony would trust her. Idon't trust her."

Velvet nodded, clearly not happy. "Maybe. But we'll see how it goes. We should give her the benefit of the doubt, at the very least."

Well Wishes looked like he was going to say more, but Fluttershy raised a hoof. "Is... is Rainbow Dash all right?" she asked.

Well Wishes smiled gently at her. "She'll be just fine, miss," he said. "She's in recovery, and we'll have her here very soon. The attachment surgery itself went just fine, no complications that we can tell. Once she wakes up again though, we'll double-check with her to make sure she can feel and move everything, and then she'll have to go through therapy to get used to it, just like anypony who's had a prosthetic attached."

Fluttershy looked very relieved. "Thank you," she said. She then blinked and looked at him. "Will she need to stay here for her therapy?"

"Since she can move around on her own four hooves, most likely not," Well Wishes said. "We do have specialized centers for ponies who need that kind of help, but your friend will most likely be able to return to whichever residence she is spending her nights in for the duration of her visit to our moon, miss Sparkle's I would expect, within a few days and come back in for therapy every day afterward while she adjusts to her new wing." He then let out a small sigh and shook his head. "Though we will wish to keep her here for a few days at least so we can monitor her initial adjustments to it; we will also be able to introduce her to other ponies with prosthetics so she can discuss issues with others in a similar situation. She is not the first pony to have had a wing replaced out of necessity, after all."

"Like a support group?" Pinkie asked with Wishes nodding his head and giving her a smile.

"Exactly; your friend might have said she was fine with how she lost her wing but it is still a traumatic experience for any pegasus," he said before looking at Sunset who had a determined look on her face.

"If you don't mind me asking," she said. "I don't have any authority, but I know there are a number of ponies in Equestria who could greatly benefit from your work. Would you be willing to make your prosthetics for them, if we can arrange for it?"

Well Wishes smiled. "Your friend's already asked us to check out one little filly who's having trouble with flying," he said. "I've got no problem whatsoever with helping more ponies who need it, regardless of where they come from, provided that we can start moving patients up here or bring our equipment down to Equestria."

Sunset smiled gratefully.

"And I'd be glad to help with making those prosthetics," Twilight said. She sighed. "Until we can get things cleaned up over at the Orion's construction site, it looks like I won't have much I can do there." Then, gazing around, she looked firm. "But I am going to go back to working on it and rebuilding what I made before as soon as we can," she said. "I am not going to let one bigoted jerk ruin all the hard work we've done."

Both Moondancer and Sunset laid a hoof on her. "Once the doctor says it's okay," they said in unison, before trading looks, blinking and giggling.

Twilight smiled at the sight, and she could see she wasn't the only one with an amused look at their actions. She was glad they were getting along.

Now, she thought to herself. We just need Rainbow Dash and Director Luna in here for everything to be perfect.

In her office in Canterlot Castle, Princess Celestia sighed heavily. "This day is going to go down in history, and not in a good way," she muttered.

Cadance, standing close by, nodded. "We'll work through it," she said. "Flash-, I mean, Captain Sentry is doing a very good job in establishing order in the city so far."

Captain Sentry had surprised everypony, herself included. She had been wrong about him; he was clearly suited for his position and she was disappointed in herself for doubting him and not giving him a proper chance to prove himself. She had already drafted the proper papers to send him to the officer schools so he could further himself, though he had already surrounded himself with those that had more training to guide and instruct him.

Including that mare from the Lunar Republic. She didn't need to be the Lady of Love to see that those two were already on a path together.

"That he is," Celestia said, musing at the reports from the interrogations that had come in so far. There were a number of camps to put the insurrectionists in. First were the avengers, of course, though they were the smallest group collected so far. They were the true troublemakers and she had dispatched Cadance's agents to collect all known members of their terrorist organization with more agents interviewing their families and friends to learn more about their structure. She was sure that Meadow had been one of the more senior members of the group, and if she had been alive, Celestia was certain they could have gained more information. Though she was not sad that the mare was now dead; the traitor had tried to attack her and paid the price.

Then there were the general troublemakers; they had seen a chance for mischief and taken it gleefully. She wasn't planning to be as harsh with them as she was to the avengers, but they would still be severely punished for their crimes.

And lastly, the group that bothered her the most and was the largest of them. They had heard the call of the avengers and truly believed that she had been subverted by Luna. They had been the most zealous and determined fighters of the entire battle and even now, they still weren't convinced that she was acting under her own agency. She was honestly not sure just how to charge them when the time came to take them to trial; they had meant well but broken the laws in their actions. At the very least, she intended to include mandatory counseling sessions in their sentences.

By the Creators, how hard could it be for somepony to understand that for all their differences, she was willing to hear Luna out because she and Luna were still family?

Then there was that chain. Just thinking about it made her fur crawl. It was cold iron of the purest percentage she had seen in a very long time. It had proven effective enough that even the basic hoof telekinesis was disrupted by it. She had divided the pieces up among several containers; the chain's inherent anti-magic properties had initially prevented her from lifting the first several boxes until she'd split it up more to reduce its effect, which also allowed her to add an alarm ward around each of them (the initial attempts had also failed due to the magic-disruptive nature of the iron until it was divided up enough).

As much as she'd admitted to herself that she'd rather dispose of it entirely, there were two reasons she kept it around still. One was for the upcoming legal battle; it would be needed as evidence of Blueblood's wrongdoing. It was going to be a very tough legal battle; the evidence against him was incredibly circumstantial and he did have a great alibi that she herself had unintentionally provided for him by having him arrested before.

The other reason she kept the chain was in case of emergencies, a last-ditch failsafe for a few magical foes whom it would prove useful against (Tirek, for one, came to mind - if restrained with it, he would be unable to drain magic like he did in the past).

She was not looking forward to some of these instances.

Suddenly, there was a chiming from her closet room, and Celestia's eyes widened. Rushing to it, she threw open the door, whispered the spells, and for the first time since she'd received it, saw her sister's face in the glass.

Luna looked very tired and frustrated. "Hello, sister," she said, then peered past Celestia with surprise. "And Cadance." Her expression turned to a smile at the sight of the youngest alicorn.

"What's happened?" Celestia asked. "Do you need any help up there? Is it... something on our level?"

Luna shook her head. "No, thankfully," she said. "It would seem the opposition to our two nations reconnecting was stronger than I expected; one of our own performed an act of sabotage and tried to frame our guests from Equestria for it. Fortunately, we were able to confine the damage and confirm that neither your student nor any of her friends had even been in the dome where the event took place since they arrived. The bad news is that this is going to set us back several months, if not years." She sighed. "Also, it seems we're going to have to hold emergency elections for a new Director of Education, since the old one was behind all this." She then blinked and stared harder at her. "Celestia, what happened to you; you look like you were in a fight."

"I was," Celestia said rather bluntly. "The good news is, we now have a legal reason to round up every last one of those so-called 'avengers' and send them to jail for the rest of their lives... even if I have to build another jail to hold all of our new prisoners once they've been locked up so long that the first one rots on top of them."

"They used a cold iron chain on her," Cadance said, causing Luna and Celestia to jump at her sudden entrance to the conversation. "It took us some time to get it off her and to properly corral the traitors. Thankfully, they didn't manage to breach the castle and presumably set Discord free; I checked on him after everypony outside was actually rounded up and he's still secure."

Luna sighed in obvious relief. "That is good to hear, especially as we do not have the Elements activated yet," she said. Then she turned more serious. "Celestia, there is a problem up here that may not be so easily fixed, and I feel your ponies are going to react poorly to."

Celestia froze. "What is it?" she asked.

"When the attack happened," Luna began. "Rainbow Dash and Sunset Shimmer both joined the rescue efforts; Rainbow Dash took off to do so before anypony could stop her, and Sunset followed after Twilight and Shining Armor when they went to join in. Sunset is unharmed, but Rainbow Dash... she threw herself between some ponies and one of the explosions, and she was badly hurt."

"How badly?" Celestia asked, fear in the pit of her stomach.

Luna sighed. "She has lost one wing," she said. "We have offered her a fully functioning prosthetic in its place, which she has accepted, but it won't be the same as the original. It will require our medical professionals to help her acclimatize and adjust, both to the sudden shift in balance and the phantom limb pain that is sure to happen, along with maintaining it as well as any possible future tweaks she can think of."

Celestia went wide-eyed at that. "Your medical technology is that advanced?" she asked.

Cadance nodded, catching her attention. "I probably should have told you this before," she said. "But you've already seen an example of what they can do."

Celestia looked at her in surprise. "When?" she asked.

"Vinyl," Cadance said. "She has an artificial voice box to make up for being born without vocal cords."

Celestia's eyes widened even more, but before she could say anything, Luna was speaking again. "It is one of many things that I wish to bring to the table, but I would like to do this face to face, if that is okay with you, Celestia," she said.

Celestia nodded. "Of course."

"I will gather my ponies whom I need to bring with me, and be down in just a short while. Until then, sister," Luna said, before disappearing from the mirror.

Celestia deactivated her own end and then backed away from it, gesturing for Cadance to do the same. When they were both fully in her office, she closed the doors and sealed them.

That done, she turned to Cadance. "Ask," she said, reading the expression on her niece's face and guessing what was about to come.

Cadance nodded. "How long has that been in there?" she asked.

"Centuries, ever since one of our own somehow placed it here without my being aware of them," Celestia admitted. "I have used it to call Luna several times over the years, to try and get her to speak with me, but though I know she has answered every time, she has never once responded to me through it or even shown her face. I was also the same way when she called me; this is the first time we have properly used the mirrors." She sighed. "Cadance... I am going to my room for a while, I am very tired and I need some space. If you would greet Luna and our other guests when they arrive, and be so kind as to ask them to give me some time?"

Cadance nodded. "Of course," she said.

"Thank you." With that, Celestia trotted out and headed to her room.

It was a good hour later when there was a knock on her door and she rose, drowsily, to answer it.

When she saw Luna's face on the other side, she slowly backed away, opening the door to let her sister in, and then sat down on her bed. "Hello, Luna," she said.

"Hello, Celestia," Luna said, in a voice that suggested she was just as drained as Celestia herself, shutting the door behind herself. "We need to talk."

"We have both had bitter experiences in the last few hours, and I am exhausted, as Cadance was supposed to have told you," Celestia sighed, shaking her head. "There will be another time for us to talk when we are both well rested."

"She did tell me, and no, there won't be," Luna said as she climbed onto the bed. "Best we let out the rest of the poison now so we can heal and move on before we become too bitter again and need another disaster to clear our heads." She sighed. "I know my faults; I was harsh and cruel to you, I did not think properly that night and I let my emotions get the best of me."

"You were right Luna," Celestia said in the same drained tone. "For the sake of the Creators, you were among the attacked; of course I wanted vengeance against those who dared to hurt you and your followers, just as much as you did if not more, but I needed to do things legally. Otherwise, they would have used your well justified demands to hang those traitors to forever paint you as a bloody tyrant and monster and those you held dear just as bad. But I did not say that, and instead I fought with you and I am sorry for that Luna."

"We both acted poorly that night," Luna nodded her head in agreement before shaking her head. "And the many nights and days afterwards; both of us too slighted and angered at the other to try and make peace."

"All those years apart, wasted time for us to be together because of our infuriating, towering egos," Celestia spat before sighing again. It was painful to say this but it was helping.

"...I know that this might cause a new rift between us, Celestia," Luna said slowly and hesitantly, turning to face her. "I know why I did not reach out to you, but sister, I need to know why-"

Celestia flinched, biting her lip. "Please, can we try to move on," she begged her sister, knowing the question already with tears starting to flow from her eyes.

"Tia," Luna's personal nickname for her caused Celestia to jolt. It had been over a thousand years since she had heard that name used and it drove directly into her heart. "Please tell me so we can heal."

"Because you left me," Celestia said with tears running down her face. She nuzzled her sister, who did not pull away from her. "We promised we would be better than all of our other selves, that we wouldn't let each other fall and be corrupted and lose each other for a millennium. We promised each other on our friends' and families', our parents, graves that we dug ourselves and you still ended up leaving me all alone. I was so hurt and angry; I let that farce of a trial go ahead with only one side defending itself and you become forgotten because of my pettiness and desire to hurt you as badly as I was hurting."

Memories of that dark time, of that terrible war of alicorns and draconequui, of Order and Chaos, caused Luna to begin to shed tears of her own. They were young fillies that had learned of the truth of their place in Reality and the total scope of what was occurring and unlike the vast majority of their Others, they had gone to join in the fighting during the dying days of the war. They hadn't done much actual fighting; they were so young and the magic and technology being thrown around had been terrifying and almost beyond their comprehension, but they were there when Chaos and Order had personally put an end to Their war, and they had seen Chaos seal Their most powerful weapon away in Their vault before the Two had together stepped back from Their shared Creation, vowing never to let Themselves cause such destruction again and allowing the other Creators to take charge.

The sisters had grown so much in such a short, chaotic time but it seemed they still had growing to do.

Shaking her head, Luna did her best to clear her thoughts before answering. "It wasn't those that attacked me or my long dead followers that upset me so greatly; it was you taking their side over mine." She raised a hoof to halt her sister's words. "We promised each other that we would take care of each other, that we would look after each other so neither of us would fall and be left alone for a thousand years. Be supportive and kind, listen to each other and always be there to take each other's side." Luna paused, rocking her head softly. "Though we failed in that as time went on and Equestria grew larger. We saw less and less of each other, though I had thought you would always be there to defend me, no matter what. And then that night happened, and I realized what was really going on."

"And what do you think was going on?" Celestia asked, trying to remain calm.

"You were taking me for granted," Luna replied, not trying to hide how upset she was getting. "You'd grown complacent, thought everything would be fine until the Elements chose their replacements and there was nothing to worry about. You'd been delighted to know I had ponies by my side so I wouldn't be alone, so you stepped back from being there for me, the very thing you'd sworn you'd never do." She gazed at Celestia fiercely. "They may have been my friends, but you're my sister, and nopony, no matter how close we became, could ever take your place in my heart."

"Luna..." Celestia began, before she was cut off as Luna continued.

"And then you refused to see the rising issues between the day ponies and the night ponies as anything serious. Even when the fight broke out that night..." Luna shook her head. "Maybe I hurt you by leaving, but it was you hurting me just as badly before that led to it."

"We both hurt each other," Celestia said, shaking her head. "We both thought we were so smart by taking the precautions to prevent the worst from happening and yet we still failed each other," she said with sad realization. "By the Creators Luna, I have been the biggest fool of all time. I have let my bitterness blind me to my own failings and I allowed my damn hubris to deny me to see what was in front of me. I drove you away because of it, just like all of the other Celestias had done."

"You are not alone in your faults, dearest sister," Luna said, leaning over and nuzzling her face. "Pride is a family trait and I am guilty of it as well. I trusted those near me because they chose to follow me over you, so I didn't bother to look for fault. I know I didn't want to see anything to rob me of those ponies. I let my anger that night make my decisions for me instead of reason and logic. And I let those bitter feelings drive my actions here. You were right; I did just come to rub it in your face and try and force you to dance to someone else's tune for once, just to see your reactions."

Celestia nodded silently, then sighed. "And on that note... about what you said earlier. About stepping down. I can't."

"Explain," Luna said, her tone sharp and to the point, cutting through any flowery subtly. By the Creators, she had missed this direct honesty.

"As I said, I literally can't step down." Celestia looked most dismayed. "And neither can any other alicorn. After you left, the members of our Parliamentary Houses unanimously passed a bill, overriding my veto, that prevented me from ever abdicating. And they have always struck down any attempt I made to have it repealed, which I have done more times than I can bother to count. I am stuck with my throne, whether I want it or not. And so are you and Cadance, even though you have taken active leadership over another location and Cadance is one day meant to do the same." She sighed. "I was recently reminded of this and how you had never abdicated your throne when you moved to the moon, meaning you are still a Princess of Equestria whether you like it or not. Though it seems Blueblood either missed the law forbidding us from abdicating or simply chose not to mention it at the time, knowing my opinion thereof and not wishing to anger me further."

Luna scowled even more fiercely now, though this time it was not directed at Celestia. "They dare try to essentially hold you a captive to the throne?" she said angrily. "It's bad enough that I can't just step down from my position in the State Department, but they'd do the same to you as well?"

Celestia looked at her in surprise. "You've tried to quit before?" she asked.

Luna nodded. "Only those who are qualified are even permitted to run for a Director's seat," she said. "In all these centuries, when I felt we had made sufficient progress that it was time for me to step back from direct leadership and focus myself on other tasks, I've made many attempts to give up my job as Head Director, by putting in the minimal amount of work for a reelection campaign or even not running at all. But every single time, nopony would ever run against me and I always got a unanimous vote reelecting me to the job or was just told that since nopony had run in my place and it couldn't be left empty, I'd gotten it back by default." She sighed. "Thankfully, there are no such rules prohibiting me from passing on my other two Roles once I've found a suitable successor for each of them."

Celestia looked down. "So you meant it," she said. "You want to give up your Mantles. Give up your immortality."

Luna shook her head. "My Mantles, yes - or at least, most of them. Trojan and I have made a deal for when the time comes, when I give my Mantles over to a chosen successor who will continue bringing on and ending the Night as needed, and keep watch over our ponies in their slumber. But while I will be giving up the Night entirely, I will not be doing the same for my other Duties."

"Meaning...?" Celestia asked, genuinely unsure of what Luna was saying.

"Meaning that I will only be giving most of Dreams over to my successor," Luna said. "And once I have, Trojan will be giving me enough of his Mantle so that I will still have access to my full dream powers. I will be an Adjunct of Dreams and Nightmares, answering to both Trojan and my chosen successor, with a lower rank yet still enough power to retain my immortality. After all, my ponies will still need somepony with those Powers to watch over them when they have left our star system." She regarded her sister. "And... I was hoping that when that happened, you would accept the same position," she said with a vulnerability in her voice. "I want you to come with me and my ponies on our great journey, and join me in my Duties. To watch over them and the Dream Realm with me, together."

Celestia looked at her in stunned shock. "You would have me in that Role?" she asked. "After everything I did to you, all the pain I've caused?"

Luna nodded. "You're my sister, the only blood family I have left," she said. "Did you really think I'd just make you give up your immortality like that, doom you to a slow death by yourself? I've been planning on offering you this new path for centuries, Celestia. I just never knew how to get past my anger to tell you."

For a moment Celestia found it hard to breathe. Finally, she managed again, and then looked at her sister with new eyes. "I... I don't know what to say."

"Say that you'll at least consider it," Luna said. "There is so much out there that I have wanted to share with you for a very long time, sister. It is so wonderful, so freeing." She smirked. "And so creative."

Celestia nodded slowly, but still hesitantly. "I still have some reservations," she admitted. "I... I don't want to leave Cadance, or Sunset. But knowing what it means, if all I had to give up was my role as Equestria's ruler so I could come with you, I'd do it in a heartbeat," she said honestly. It had been so stifling to remain in Equestria for so long; she longed to roam the world as a citizen once more, and experience new things again.

Luna smiled. "I can understand that," she said. "I don't want to lose touch with Twilight either. But we have Milky Way's mirrors."

Celestia's eyes widened a little. "Milky Way?" she asked. "She's the one responsible for creating these mirrors, and giving them to us?"

Luna nodded. "And I believe she would be willing to give us more of them, if you agree to my request and come with me. We can use them to keep in touch with our loved ones here. Twilight, Sunset, Cadance... anypony else in Equestria or the Lunar Republic that you want."

Celestia took a moment to consider. It made sense now, that the Lady of Space - one of the oldest Powers in their universe - would be responsible for this, and it fit with her powers too. "I would... appreciate that," she said.

Then she tilted her head. "Speaking of the other Powers, does Trojan have any role in the society you run?"

Luna sighed, sounding a little exasperated. "You are not the first of our fellows to ask that," she said. "And I will tell you what I told them. The fact of the matter is that long ago, after we founded our Republic, I came to see Trojan a second time, and he and I made an agreement. In short, we don't bother him, and so far, he doesn't bother us, outside of his usual Duties of inflicting nightmares on any civilians whom he feels are in need of it. And he's promised me that once we've made the changeover, he and my successor will hold to the same agreement unless they specifically invite him to serve as an advisor."

Celestia smiled. "He truly is a horse of a different color, compared to all the other Lords and Ladies of Nightmares out there, isn't he?" she said.

Luna nodded. "As long as you give him his space when he wants it, which is most of the time, he is surprisingly peaceful," she said. "And practical. When we first talked and I told him about what all the other Nightmares we saw had tried, he said they must have all been out of their minds - patrolling the dream plane was enough for him, he wouldn't inflict any more work on himself unless there was no other choice." Then she scowled. "I'm surprised that he didn't notice that Neighsay needed a heavier hoof sooner though, and I do intend to go talk to him about it at some point."

"So you ended up getting him," Celestia said with a huff, rolling her eyes. "I thought I'd heard you mentioned him before. My deepest apologies; she warned me about him and I was worried about when he would appear."

"As was I," Luna said, remembering what the Celestia from the dimension attached to the Valley of the Alicorns had told them. She had truly been the wisest of all her sister's Others that they had met during their youth and she did, in a manner of speaking, still look up to her. "And regrettably, I was unable to give a proper reason to block his rise to directorship beyond saying that I had heard bad stories about himself in other dimensions from other versions of you and I." She snorted. "Which, as you well know, was not an option."

"Of course, beyond the Laws, it would just invite more questions that could only bring up disharmony and lack of faith from your directors, Luna," Celestia said.

Luna nodded. "I wish I'd done more about him sooner," she said. "I found out he was the one behind the attack today."

Celestia's eyes shot wide open. "He what‽" she hissed. "That... why?"

"Because he is a bigot of the worst kind who does not trust anypony outside his own nation, and thinks everypony else should feel the same way," Luna said. "He thought he could make everypony agree with him by framing our guests and triggering a war between our two nations." She looked disgusted. "He didn't realize that I would never allow such a thing to happen. Not even when you and I were most at odds."

Celestia nodded. "I know," she admitted. "Luna... despite what I said before, I never honestly thought that you would ever turn your weapons against Equestria. No matter how badly we quarreled and how angry I was with you, not once did I think you would try to seek to settle matters with violence." She let out a soft sigh. "It was wrong of me to even suggest for you to disarm yourselves."

Then she eyed Luna curiously. "But I have to know, why do you have them? Were you afraid of the Gateway being reopened?"

Luna shuddered. "Perish the thought," she said. "But... you do deserve an honest answer, and the truth is that even though the Gateway on the moon is sealed, I felt it best to be prepared. When we leave on our voyage, delayed as it will be now, we will be traveling into a great unknown. For all we know, there are other lifeforms out there, beings who may be more advanced and just as hostile as some of the ones we witnessed in the past. Beings like that Cosmos, for instance." Both mares shuddered at the name that being had tainted, before Luna continued. "Or even additional Gateways that we did not know about, which could be a source of dangers from other universes. From the start, our weapons program has always been intended for the sake of defending ourselves against such potential threats, should we encounter them."

Celestia nodded slowly. "That explains a lot," she said. "Thank you for telling me."

"It is my pleasure Tia," Luna said, shifting closer to her. "I have already talked to Director Well Wishes and he has agreed to send several of our best doctors to lend their assistance to your injured as well as provide some more of our medical knowledge." She looked at Celestia. "Also to examine one of your own civilians, at Rainbow Dash's specific request. Apparently there is a pegasus filly in Ponyville whom she is close to, and before she underwent the surgery to have her prosthetic wing attached, she asked if there was a way to help her."

"What's the problem?" Celestia asked.

"Apparently the filly in question is, for some unknown reason, unable to convert thrust into lift," Luna said. "Rainbow Dash is most concerned about her."

Celestia nodded understandingly. "I see," she said. "Well, as long as her parents or guardians are fine with it, I see no reason to object. Though I suppose it will be incredibly taxing for you to teleport everypony back and forth."

"The shield I have on the moon is down," Luna said, causing Celestia to blink owlishly. "You and Cadance are both able to help me transport them to Equuis and back now."

"That is one idea, though how about a team of unicorns to do so until you are able to craft a shuttle that can ferry Equestrians and Lunarians to and fro?" Celestia suggested.

"It could work and be far easier on us, though we will require aid in building those," Luna said. "A joint effort between our ponies could expedite the entire process Tia, and open up new venues and methods, and bring our ponies together in a better form of harmony. It would please most parties, including a certain niece who isn't as good at hiding as she thinks she is."

Blushing awkwardly, Cadance emerged from her hiding spot and sat near the sisters. "Sorry for spying on you two but I was worried," she said, giving them a light smile.

"A fair concern and it was a near passible attempt at hiding," Luna said with a sly smirk. "She has taught you well; going for sweets undetected I presume."

All three of them chuckled at that, including Celestia. "I see you haven't forgotten my passion for cake," she said.

"Oh, believe me," Luna said. "It is a very hard thing to forget. Especially as you were once seen diving into and devouring an entire Olympic-size swimming pool full."

Celestia couldn't see the expression that was appearing on her face at her sister's comment now, but somehow, she just knew that Luna was wishing she had a camera on hoof to immortalize it so she could share it with others, and that all of them would be laughing about it for ages to come.

And for the first time in a thousand years, the sister princesses were finally back together.

Chapter one

A Moon and World Apart

Chapter One

It was a bright day while the personal student of Princess Celestia laid out on the grass and looked at her collection of books. There was one book that was out of place among the magic tomes and theses. It was a history book, and while she personally didn't care much for the stories of the past, Princess Celestia had placed this book into her pile which meant a lesson involved whatever was inside these pages.

"More water?" Spike asked, causing the unicorn to blink and smile, nodding her head.

"Thanks, Spike," she said, taking the glass of water from her assistant and brother figure. "You always know what I need."

"You taught me well," Spike replied. "So what is it this time that Princess Celestia wants to teach you?"

"Not sure," she replied, opening the book and hesitated instantly. "Oh."

"Oh?" Spike echoed before he got a look at the front page himself and let out another, "Oh."

Clearing her throat, she began to read the book with a great sense of dread.

Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria, there were two regal sisters who ruled together and created harmony for all the land. To do this, the eldest used her powers to raise the sun at dawn; the younger brought out the moon to begin the night. Thus, the two sisters maintained balance for their kingdom and their subjects, all the different types of ponies. But as time went on, the younger sister began to demand more for those that worshiped her night, The elder pleaded with her sister to show compassion and reason but to no avail. Then came the Longest Night, where the ponies that worshiped the night and younger sister attacked those ponies of the day. The young sister refused to punish those guilty of their crimes and instead fled with them to the moon, where they remain to this day.

It is said, though, that in the thousandth year since the Longest Night, the stars shall aid in the younger sister's return from the moon, and unless they are able to reunite and heal the wounds that divide them, the sisters will meet in a clash that will shake the cosmos.

"You don't... think that is real," Spike asked her, looking concerned and worried.

"Well, if Princess Celestia did have a sister, I am sure she would have said something," she replied, knowing that another alicorn princess would make the stories of the moon ponies suddenly a lot more plausible, if not outright be the missing piece to make it real. "But," she pointed out, "She's never assigned us a book that was outright fiction without saying it was fiction. And of all the stories we have heard of the moon ponies, this is the first time I've ever heard any mention of Princess Celestia having a sister."

"So what are we going to do?" Spike asked as they got up and gathered their belongings.

"We're going to ask Celestia what exactly is going on," she replied with a determined look on her face.

"But isn't she really busy getting ready for the Summer Sun Celebration?" Spike asked.

"Even so Spike, I am sure that her sending this book to us means she is expecting us," she then chuckled. "And don't worry, I will make sure you will have enough time to get ready for your own party with Lemon Hearts, Spike."

"Thanks Sunset," Spike said as the two of them headed off to meet with the Princess of Equestria. "You know I've been looking forward to that."

Sunset Shimmer smiled and ruffled the rounded spikes on his head. "Hey, what are big sisters for?"

It didn't take too long for them to arrive in the palace, and to find their way to Princess Celestia's office. At Sunset's knock, a friendly "Come in!" was heard, and the two opened the door.

Celestia herself was sitting at her desk, looking at some papers, but as she saw just who had arrived, her face brightened. "Sunset, Spike, how good to see you."

"Likewise," Sunset replied, cutting to the matter directly. "We came to ask you about something."

"Oh?" Celestia asked. It wasn't well known but Princess Celestia actually preferred to be spoken to directly, rather than having to listen to a lot of roundabout talk before the being she was speaking to got to their point.

Sunset nodded. "It's about this book you assigned us, about the Longest Night and the ponies of the moon. How accurate is it?"

Celestia's entire demeanor changed in an instant, stiffening her spine. It told Sunset enough, though as normal for Princess Celestia, she did not give a proper answer. "It is true enough, Sunset," she said without the normal warmth in her voice. "However, the matters of what occurred a thousand years ago are not why I sent you that tome. To be honest, I had planned to send you a different message altogether, requesting you to help assist those in Ponyville for my arrival in a few days' time."

Sunset frowned at her, feeling she was being given the runaround but she was also aware of how out of character Celestia was right now and she wasn't about to poke that bugbear. "Okay." Then she walked around behind Celestia's desk, prompting the other mare to pull her chair back and turn it so she could look Sunset right in the face.

"Is there something else you wanted?" she asked quietly.

Sunset felt a moment's nervousness, but then looked her teacher directly in the eye. "Princess... if you ever feel like you want to talk to me about this, I'll be here for you," she said. "You were always there for me when I needed to vent, or when I had something I was worried about. I'll gladly do the same if you need it."

Celestia looked at her for a moment, then smiled. "I know you mean well, my faithful student. But there are some things I have a hard time opening up about, and this is one of them. Maybe... maybe one day. But not now."

"All right." Sunset smiled, and then again when Celestia reached down and hugged her.

"I appreciate the offer though," she whispered before letting go and looking at the two again. "I am sorry Spike, but I do believe that you will be missing Lemon Hearts' party, if you choose to help Sunset with her tasks."

"It's no problem, Princess. I can just tell her what's happening," Spike said, bowing and blushing as Celestia addressed him directly. "Besides... it's this afternoon, I can spare a few hours before meeting up with Sunset in Ponyville. It's not like she will burn anything down again."

Sunset groaned playfully, getting louder as Celestia chuckled. "It was one ti-... no wait, how many times was it again?" she asked, getting Celestia to laugh a bit louder which was what really mattered. "Don't worry Princess, I will see that the ponies in Ponyville are ready for you."

"Thank you, Sunset, Spike," Celestia said, dismissing the two from her office.

As the doors closed behind them, Spike gave her a look. "You are totally going to talk to Cadance about this, aren't you?"

Sunset didn't even pretend to be offended by Spike's accusation, and instead nodded her head. "She tells Cadance more than anyone else and if anyone can understand the Princess's true feelings, it's her."

Then she looked at him. "Though I can make a wild guess, and if it isn't accurate I'll be very surprised."

"What's that?" Spike asked.

"I'll tell you later, when we aren't out in the open," Sunset told him, seeing the guards approach them. "Come on, let's get back to the tower. You have a party to get ready for, and if I'm going to be out of town for a few days, I have to pack some things."

"Just make sure you don't forget to bring more than just books," Spike told her.

Sunset snorted indignantly. "I only did that once," she said. "Now come on Spike, we don't want to be late."

"Come on Twilight, you're going to be late," Moondancer said as she ran by her friend's side as the purple unicorn ran with the moving walkway, both of them doing their best to avoid the ponies who were just standing on the walkway as they got to where they needed to be.

"I know that," Twilight shot back, feeling the familiar pangs of panic and worry in her chest and tried to remember and follow her teacher's lessons to deal with her stress but they weren't helping. "My alarms didn't go off today for some reason!" Taking the time to change walkways to reach the hoverpads and using her momentum to slide into one of the further away hexagonal hoverpad as it would have taken more time to slow herself to go for the nearest one, Twilight held out her arm with her PCA to the monitor's screen so her codes would allow her further access over the transport's functions.

"Are you sure it's not because you were up all night reading?" Moondancer asked as the railings around the hoverpad emerged from their housing and gave a brief look at the protective shield. She then bit her lip as while Twilight was normally a passable driver, Moondancer knew that when the unicorn was in this mood, her skills dipped noticeably. Also to the fact, Twilight was using her clearance codes as the lead director's student to access the higher speed of this hoverpad that was normally blocked for normal citizens.

Twilight blushed as she drove them through the throng of other hoverpads, taking citizens to wherever they were needed in Illumination. "Maybe," she answered sheepishly, though she kept her hooves and eyes on the path ahead towards the capital, though the possibilities for an actual crash was incredibly low due to the software in the hoverpads would take precautions if two were ever to smash into each other. And even if there was an accident, the protective dome over the hoverpads were more than capable of taking care of anyone. "But I do have a lot of work ahead of me with Orion nearing completion."

"I know," Moondancer said with a bit of awe in her voice at that project that would be the crowning jewel of their nation and the ultimate justification and vindication for everything they had done for the last thousand years. "But you still need to take care of yourself first. You can't expect to be able to make history if you've worked yourself to death in the process." Her voice softened. "I worry about you doing that, you know. You're my best friend, and I don't want to lose you."

Twilight nodded her head as they pulled up to the Lux Aeternam, the chief government building where the lawmakers and directors met to decide the fate of their republic. It always made Twilight's spirit soar to see the towering slopes of the shining white marble walls and their nation's flag flying at the highest point with the stars and space as a backdrop. It was honestly an indulgence to have that effect but no one would ask Director Quick Light or any of those under the energy department to change it. And if it ever got to the point where such a luxury needed to be shut off, then they would have much more important issues to deal with.

Parking near the other hoverpads, she saw the parliament's guards already moving to intercept them. Not even being the head director's personal student excused Twilight from bending or breaking the rules, so she submitted to a facial scan as well as a quick biometric test to confirm her identity, as well as Moondancer's.

"You know you are cutting it very close, Twilight," the guard said even before they'd finished the scans. "She's been pacing for a while now; whatever she is about to say is going to be big."

Twilight felt another surge of panic and terror before she did her best to clamp onto it, with the guard looking sheepishly while his partner, a thestral mare named Midnight Blossom, rolled her eyes and elbowed him. "Hush, Bright Gem," she hissed, as she watched the other two mares saying their temporary goodbyes.

"Are you going to be okay Twilight?" Moondancer asked as Twilight began to walk into the parliament building, staying near the recessed hidden doors as she didn't have any business or clearance inside.

"Yes, I think so," Twilight answered, bobbing her head as the marble walls parted for her, flashing Moondancer a smile. "Thanks for checking up on me this morning. If there's anything I can do to make it up for your help, just name it, though afterwards."

Moondancer watched the doors close before letting out a sigh, with the two guards shaking their heads. "I guess it was a bit too much to expect her to remember my upcoming party," she said a bit sourly as she began to turn around and head towards the nearest walkway back to the main city.

It wasn't a long trip towards the personal offices of her teacher and while Twilight was in a bit of a rush, she couldn't help but stare at the various paintings and sculptures lining the hallways, each telling their own stories. Each one was a priceless masterpiece in its own way, though there was one that Twilight truly loved and as she would need to cut through the central chamber to reach her teacher's office, she could take a few seconds to savor the view.

Going through one of the side doors, she entered the central chamber where the directors would meet and looked upwards to see the tapestry that depicted the birth of their nation, with her teacher defending the would-be founders from the ignorant and fearful ponies of Equestria and their uncaring and thoughtless princess, before transitioning into the creation of the first dome and a gradual expansion to cover more territory over the moon.

"A beautiful sight, is it not?" her teacher asked, appearing by her side.

"Luna," Twilight said in awe of her teacher's presence. "I'm sorry I'm late, my alarm..."

Luna smiled, placing a dark blue wing on her shoulders. "It's all right, Twilight," she said, staring at the tapestry, floating in a lazy orbit around the ceiling of the room. Then her expression changed to a melancholy one though, and she shook her head. "Those were hard times; you cannot even begin to imagine what it was like," she said, walking towards the center of the room. "My ponies were singled out, even though they weren't hurting anypony, simply because they preferred the nighttime over the day. Treated as if they were in the wrong by those who couldn't see past the end of their own muzzles. We left because we wanted to be free to live life without being harassed." She looked back to Twilight. "And from what I understand, down below, they still see the night as a thing to fear because it's different, and they still refuse to try and see otherwise."

"But Luna, none of us have us gone to Equuis since the Night of Departure," Twilight said, moving in front of her teacher. "Scientifically, there is no way to prove that."

"Exactly, my dear student," Luna said with another sigh and she leaned down to nuzzle Twilight. "We do not truly know what goes on below us. And with our plans nearing completion, some do think we should at least try to reach out to our cousins and see what has occurred in the last thousand years. Some even think there is stuff they could teach us." Luna said with a snort, Twilight snickering slightly at that idea. "But with all due honesty, my precious student, we cannot proceed with our plans without reaching out to Equestria and their leader first."

Twilight knew she wasn't the most socially aware or adept pony in the Lunar Republic but even she could tell Luna had her own bitter feelings concerning Equestria's leader.

"As we cannot begin to trust anything she or her court of nobles say at face value, we will need some ponies to see the truth of the matter without them being aware of whom they are talking to." She looked at Twilight. "I want you to be one of that group, Twilight."

"Me?" Twilight looked stunned. "Why me?"

"Because you, my trusted student, are an incredibly bright and perceptive pony," Luna said with pride emanating from her voice. "You will know how to ask the proper questions of the common pony of Equestria and I feel you will be able to perceive the truth of the matter far better than anyone else, whose prejudice might come into effect."

"I... don't know what to say," Twilight said, shocked at what her teacher was asking of her.

"Then take the time that I will be spending with my fellow directors to reflect on your decision," Luna said, placing a hoof on her shoulder. "Know that I will not hold it against you if you decide to stay behind if you feel you cannot do this. Your wellbeing is what matters most to me."

"Thank you Luna," Twilight replied, nodding her head as she hugged her mentor, who returned the gesture with a deep smile on her face as the directors of the Lunar Republic began to enter the room, some of them giving Twilight a polite hello as they passed by. Twilight trotted out of the room, flashing a smile back at her teacher who returned the gesture before the doors sealed shut.

"Now what am I going to do?" Twilight asked herself as she headed back the way she'd originally come.

She wondered if Luna would mind if she asked somepony else for advice on this matter, decided it probably wouldn't hurt, and then trotted toward the exit, her destination clearly in mind.

She had a friend to visit, and she hoped Moondancer wouldn't mind being imposed on again today. The other mare had helped her often enough in the past, and Twilight knew full well how Moondancer felt about her (she was socially awkward, not deaf, after all), but Twilight didn't want to risk pushing her too far.

With that decided on, she left the building.

Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine

Walking back to Ponyville had been mostly quiet, which she hadn't minded, but as Sunset looked around Town Hall, both inside and out, she couldn't help but wonder where everypony was.

"Hello?" she called out, looking around for anypony.

"Oh, there is somepony," the oddly accented mare appeared with her friend, turning from a corner. "Have you seen anypony yet?"

"Um, no," Sunset said. "I'm supposed to be meeting with Mayor... Ivory Scroll?"

"It's odd," the stallion, an Onyx Plate if Sunset recalled correctly, said as he looked around the empty streets. "We were talking to Applejack and a few other ponies on our way back to her farm, and then suddenly everypony just... vanished. We came back here to try and see what was going on."

"I just got back myself," Sunset said, looking around. "It was like the place was deserted when I arrived."

"I think we should go to that tree; it looks like it's another one of the public buildings," Onyx said. "Also, I'm fairly certain I hear some voices inside, though I can't quite tell what they're saying."

Sunset tilted her head, then nodded. "Works for me," she said.

As the trio headed towards the tree, Twilight - that was her name, Sunset recalled - took a few steps head, peering at the sign next to the front step, and then her eyes lit up.

"What is it?" Sunset asked.

"It's a library!" Twilight practically squealed, and Sunset's own eyes lit up.

"Really? That's great!" She grinned. "I wonder what new books they have in it."

Twilight looked at her in interest. "You read a lot too?"

"Absolutely," Sunset told her. "I spend a lot of my time just studying, when I'm not spending time with my teacher or her niece."

Twilight smiled. "I. Love. Reading," she said. "I can't wait to see what they have in there."

Sunset grinned back as the two mares hurried ahead and opened the door simultaneously.

"SURPRISE!"

And then were promptly blown backward by the sheer force of the yells from inside, tumbling head-over-fetlock.

Getting back to her hooves, Twilight helped Sunset up. "What was-"

She was cut off when Pinkie was suddenly in her face. "Hiiiii!" she said excitedly. "Come on in, the party's waiting for all three of you!"

"Party?" Sunset shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. "What party?"

"Your Welcome-to-Ponyville party of course, silly filly," Pinkie said with a grin. "You gotta come in and meet aaall the townsponies!"

Then she grabbed all three unicorns and darted inside with them.

Inside, a number of familiar faces could be seen, including three of the four ponies Sunset had had to check with for the Summer Sun Celebration preparations. She couldn't see Fluttershy anywhere, but given the mare's shyness earlier, that didn't surprise Sunset.

As much as the crowd was friendly to her, and she was doing her best to interact with them on a proper level, she found herself staring at the two other visitors, who had gathered their own crowds.

Onyx had managed to gather a crowd of mares clearly interested into the happily married gay stallion, a fact she had gleaned from a few conversations she had before they had reached the tree library, and was also clearly less than thrilled about the situation. Twilight, meanwhile, was politely trying to escape from her own crowd of ponies interested in the newcomer and move closer to the bookshelves so she could see what they had available, a completely understandable desire in Sunset's opinion. She couldn't wait to get over there herself and have a look.

Then she heard something else that caught her attention, and quickly excused herself to go speak to the pony she was looking for.

As she trotted over to the mare with a tied-up scroll for a Cutie Mark, she cleared her throat. "Excuse me, are you Mayor Ivory Scroll?"

The other mare turned and smiled. "I am," she said. "And you must be Princess Celestia's representative, the one she said she was sending our way. How is everything?"

"If I had thumbs, I'd give you two of them up," Sunset said. "Everything's been great so far. All that needs to be done now is the weather, and that's just waiting for the scheduled time."

Mayor Scroll smiled again. "We're very glad to hear that," she said. "Oh - didn't Princess Celestia also say you'd have an assistant with you?"

"He should be here soon," Sunset said. "He had another thing to go to earlier, so I came ahead."

"Mm. Understandable."

The two exchanged a few more pleasantries, and then went their separate ways, Sunset heading towards a bookcase to browse.

She was reaching for one book when her hoof bumped into another's, and she looked up to see Twilight, who blushed. "Sorry, didn't realize you were there," she said.

"It's okay," Twilight told her. "We don't have these books back home and I was just curious to see what it was as it sounded fascinating."

Sunset nodded understandingly. "It is one of my favourites; though other ponies find it kinda dull."

"They don't know what they're missing," Twilight told her. "Learning is fun."

"You know that, and I know that," Sunset replied. "But some ponies just don't think that way." She sighed. "I remember this one pony from my old school who couldn't wait to get out of class everyday and try to forget everything they were trying to teach him."

"That's..." Twilight looked very disturbed. "What happened?"

"Somepony pointed out that he only hated learning because they were forcing him to do it," Sunset said. "If it was his idea to study something, he might enjoy it. In the end, he did."

Twilight smiled.

"So, how are you doing?" Sunset asked.

"It's okay," Twilight told her. "I'm... not really one for large groups like this, to be honest." She gestured. "I appreciate the effort Pinkie put into it, but crowds just aren't my thing."

"Yeah... yeah, I know what you mean," Sunset said. "I don't have as big a problem with them, but I can get why some ponies would." Twilight smiled gratefully with Sunset smiling back. "So how long are you and your friend here for?" she asked.

"A couple of days," Twilight replied, tilting her head at Onyx. "We didn't make much plans, to be honest, but we'll probably leave a day after the Summer Sun Celebration at the earliest."

Sunset nodded. "I see. So where are you going to be staying?"

"Um." Twilight blushed. "We... hadn't thought about that yet."

"Well, perhaps you three can stay here?" Hearing the voice of the mayor startled her, but Sunset quickly calmed herself and turned to see the older mare.

"Are you sure?" she asked.

Mayor Scroll nodded. "Our last librarian moved out after she retired a few weeks ago, so there are certainly enough vacant bedrooms upstairs," she said. "You're all more than welcome to use the space."

Both girls' eyes lit up.

"We'd love to," they said simultaneously.

"Love to what?" Applejack asked as she came over. "Howdy, madame Mayor."

"Hello, Applejack," Mayor Scroll replied. "I was just telling two of our three newcomers that they'd be more than welcome to stay here, in our library's living space, while they're in town."

Applejack smiled. "Sounds lahk a good deal to me," she said.

"And myself as well," Onyx said as he managed to slip away from the crowd and join them. "Thank you for the offer, madame Mayor."

"You're quite welcome, young man," Mayor Scroll replied. "And I do hope you all enjoy your time in our town."

"Oh, we will," Sunset promised her.

When she'd trotted off, Sunset turned to see Applejack speaking quietly to Twilight and Onyx.

"Ah'm really sorry about suddenly disappearin' on ya earlier," she said. "Pinkie moved a little too fast for me to react. One minute Ah was talkin' with ya, an' the next Ah'd been pulled in here."

Both ponies nodded understandingly, accepting her apology and thanking her for everything.

Twilight yawned a few hours later. It had taken a while for the party to wind down, but in the end, everypony had gradually said their welcomes and goodbyes before drifting out of the library and heading home. Some had stayed a little longer, helping clean up everything, but in the end the last of the stragglers had left just a little while ago.

With one exception, and that was because he was here to stay.

Sunset's assistant slash little brother had finally turned up, and both Twilight and Onyx had been most astonished to meet him when he came in. Twilight had read stories about his kind, of course. But she had never in her life imagined she'd be meeting a real, honest-to-goodness dragon. Let alone one who was smaller than she was. Spike was nice though, and he'd offered to fix them all a little something for dinner before they went to bed. They'd all accepted the offer, and he was working in the kitchen now while Twilight, Sunset and Onyx each found a room where they could settle in for the night.

Well, Onyx had decided to prepare for that; Twilight and Sunset had found several books and the two were in the midst of a study review while they waited for Spike to finish fixing dinner. Twilight found herself amazed and delighted to find a mare so much like her; Sunset's love for research and magic all but matched her own.

And the knowledge the Equestrians had was so fascinating. While they didn't have anywhere near the same level of technology as the Republic, they had made so many advances in magic that she hadn't seen before, and it really made her excited.

Thankfully, the white lie of being from a small village seemed to be enough to divert any question about her lack of knowledge, though she was unhappy she couldn't tell Sunset the truth.

What she could do was ask Sunset about the ponies she knew, in between questions about magic and related things.

"You're not asking the right pony for this," Sunset blushed, shaking her mane. "My former foalsitter is much more the social butterfly than me. It's still really only recently that I learned how to appreciate others and how everyone fits in together." Sunset chuckled painfully, looking away. "It wasn't a pleasant lesson for me to learn and I nearly lost everything from it."

Twilight could tell this was a sensitive subject for her, and so just nodded. "I see."

"Do you have any close friends back home?" Sunset asked.

"Well... probably my closest friends are my big brother, and my friend Moondancer," Twilight said. "She keeps me from burning out when I get hyper-focused on something and forget to do things like eat and sleep."

Sunset chuckled. "Sounds like Spike, since we started bonding," she said. "Really, I don't know where I'd be without him."

"Probably lost in a library," Spike commented as he came into the room. "Dinner's ready, you two." He looked around. "And Onyx too - is he still upstairs?"

"I guess so," Twilight said. "Give me a minute, I'll go get him."

The two were soon back down, joining Spike and Sunset at the dinner table, and Twilight took a few minutes to let Onyx lead the conversation.

Again Twilight was thankful for Luna in assigning him as her partner; he was able to flow into the conversation with ease and deflect any probing questions about their home much easier than she could have. It was also lucky that Spike had asked most of the questions and they were broad enough that any simple answer was enough.

"So," Sunset suddenly asked Onyx as she took another helping. "How long have you and your husband been together?"

Onyx's startled reaction was clear. "How- when-" He glanced over at Twilight, who shook her head before he could say anything.

"I told Rarity earlier, after her little misunderstanding," she said. "But I haven't said a word about it to Sunset."

Sunset nodded. "Neither of you said it outright, but I figured it out when we were on our way over here earlier," she said.

"Ah," Onyx said. "Well, to answer your question, we're going on ten years and by the stars, we hope to go for many more years."

Sunset frowned at that, pausing to finish what was on her fork. "That's a really odd phrase, Onyx," she said, looking at them. "Not many ponies in Canterlot actually want to acknowledge what happens after Princess Celestia sets the sun. Is it really that different in your village? And what is its name; I never caught it."

Both Twilight and Onyx suddenly looked nervous, but Onyx recovered quickly. "We didn't say," he said with a chuckle, undoubtedly trying to put her at ease. "And yes, it is rather different. While some are justifiably nervous about what might be out in the night, we have found that the night itself is nothing to fear."

"What are your thoughts on the night, if you don't mind me asking Sunset," Twilight said before she looked at Spike and amended with. "And you as well."

Sunset raised an eyebrow at that, but she replied, "Well, I've never had any particular problem with it. And if there is anything dangerous out there..." She lit a tiny spark on the end of her horn. "Spike and I are both pretty well equipped to handle it."

"If there was anything actuallydangerous in the night, I'm sure you would have read up about it by now," Spike said with a smile at the mare.

"I have," Sunset shot back good-naturedly. "Starbeasts, timber wolves, manticores..."

"Starbeasts?" Twilight asked with interest.

"Large, semi-translucent animals with fur that makes them look like the night sky," Sunset told her. "Like Ursa Majors and Ursa Minors, or Canis Majors and Canis Minors. Some of the more out-there, anti-night types say they are pieces of the night sky that somehow came to life as monsters. Others think they're just animals whose inherent magic helped them adapt to blend in at night." She shrugged. "I tend to go that way, personally. The actual magic required to do the former is astronomic, much more than any one pony could do and if they did work in teams, it would become very noticeable that they were doing it." Sunset paused to take a bite of her food before she continued. "Though the biggest point against the former idea is answering the question of why anypony would do it."

"Because they were jerks who wanted to cause trouble?" Spike suggested. "Besides, I thought the going theory those guys were putting out was that it was the night sky itself that was coming to life, not that it was being brought to life. Not that I believe it either way."

"That's disturbing," Onyx muttered.

"I agree," Sunset said. "But some ponies will go to any extent for an excuse to hate something and act like it's bad."

"Well it is good to see that it is only a small minority who think that way," Onyx said.

Sunset nodded. "My old foalsitter is part of a group who've been working to prove that kind of thinking, about the night being bad and all, is a load of roadapples," she said.

Both Twilight and Onyx were lucky they weren't eating or drinking anything at the time, or else they'd have snorted it out through their noses from laughing so hard at her remark. Still, they both had to cough and sputter a bit before they could calm down.

"You don't say," Onyx finally managed. "That... that is very good to know."

Talk turned to other things, and finally Onyx excused himself to go to bed once everything had been cleaned up, while Twilight and Sunset went into the main room to chat some more.

"Does this place even have anything on the stars?" Twilight asked, studying one shelf.

"I'm not sure," Sunset admitted. "Not that I can see..." She skimmed one shelf in the E section, noticing a book that looked of interest and pulling it out for later. "Does your village study them or something?"

"Or something," Twilight said. "Hey - when I was upstairs earlier, I saw there was a telescope in one of the closets. And there's a good balcony up there. Want to study the skies the way I see them?"

Sunset smiled. "I think I'd like that," she said.

"Then come on," Twilight told her.

It only took the two a short while to get things set up, and then Twilight peered through the telescope. "It's so beautiful up there," she whispered.

"Yeah," Sunset agreed. "All those balls of gas, burning billions and billions of miles away... kind of like our sun, but not needing any magic to keep them ignited and moving like ours." She looked at Twilight. "Incredible, isn't it?"

Twilight nodded. "It really is."

Then she glanced at Sunset. "You have kind of a thing for fire, don't you?"

Sunset shrugged. "Fire magic's a big part of my special talent, what can I say?"

Twilight smiled as she looked at her own cutie mark. "I understand completely." she said before looking at Sunset again. "How did you get yours?"

"Well, I'd applied to Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns," Sunset started. "One of the tests they do sometimes is to try to have the applicant hatch a dragon's egg. I was focusing my fire magic on it when all of a sudden there was this massive explosion outside. It startled me so I lost control, and I put so much fire into the egg that it hatched right away." She smiled. "And that's how I got Spike."

"Something similar happened to me too," Twilight said. "I was working with my parents on a magic lesson when I saw this massive rainbow shoot across the sky; it kinda clicked something inside of me."

"You think it was the same thing that startled me?" Sunset asked with Twilight shrugging her shoulders.

"It could be," she said. "That'd be neat, us getting our marks on the same day and at the same time."

Sunset nodded. "Wonder if anypony else was affected by it."

"Maybe." Twilight peered through the telescope. "Hey, there's something."

Sunset looked up at it, and saw a tiny speck in the distance. "What is that?" she asked.

"It's one of the comets," Twilight told her. "Every so often, they make long orbits and come into view. This one hasn't been seen for... close to seventy-five years, and it's still a few years from reaching its perihelion, but when the time comes, we'll be able to see it without mechanical assistance."

"Wow." Sunset looked at Twilight and smiled. "Thank you for showing me," she said.

Twilight smiled back. "It's good to share things like this with somepony who appreciates their wonder," she said.

"Yeah. Yeah, it is." Sunset smiled, then peered through the telescope again.

The two spent at least another hour up there, studying the skies. Twilight resisted the urge to look towards the moon while Sunset was there, despite wondering if she could see the domes from where she stood. But she made a mental note to try it at some point when she didn't have company.

Finally, both of them yawning, Twilight and Sunset headed inside and went to bed. Twilight could hear Sunset whispering "Good night" to Spike, who'd set up his own little basket nest by her bed earlier, as she closed her door, then headed to her own room.

Peering out the window and up at the night sky, she gave a fond look towards the moon, wishing it and all its occupants a good night before she pulled her covers up and fell asleep.

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Twelve

Celestia had rarely felt this uncertain and nervous before as she did on this stage. She knew that it wasn't fate or destiny for her sister to attack her like it had happened in so many other dimensions but she couldn't help but feel concerned and worried on what was to happen next.

There was no point in wondering anymore; whatever was going to happen was going to happen and she knew she couldn't appeal to Extra Seconds to extend this moment out or even to rewind time for her.

The curtains finally pulled back and nothing happened beyond her ponies cheering and clapping against the floor for her. What was she planning...

"Hello my dear little ponies," she said, pushing her concerns of what her sister would do out of her mind for the moment. "It is good to see you all-" Celestia froze as she saw her.

Twilight Sparkle.

At long last, she'd finally found her. She would need time with Twilight to try and see if she was Magic but now that she finally had her here, Celestia might be able to convince her to stay and make bonds with the other Elements. She could have Harmony here and avoid having to listen to her sister's whims.

Wait, were Twilight and Sunset really close to each other?

"Princess Celestia?" Mayor Scroll asked. "Is there a problem?"

Shaking her head, Celestia felt herself blush at her lapse of concentration.

"No no, everything is just fine-"

"Hey, there is something going on outside," a pony shouted with everyone sharing a concerned look before they started to head outside, Celestia following behind them and frowning at what she saw.

In the clear night sky, her sister's moon was shining brightly down on them with a beam of light creating a perfect circle before them with the wind dying down to an unnatural stillness.

Suddenly the beam of light became stronger and a strong wind blew down the street, with her ponies needing to shield their eyes, Celestia included.

When the dust finally cleared, she was there, standing in a breathtaking, beautiful white dress, aligned with diamonds and gems that accented her form perfectly. Her coat was a darker blue than it had been previously been, though her mane was the same awe-inspiring spiral of stars and her eyes were still the bright green that Celestia remembered from all those years ago and she missed them deeply.

The pony in the moonlight flashed everypony a deep smile, though it did seem a bit mocking to Celestia, and with her wings unfurling, she spoke in a commanding, yet caring voice, "Greetings, my dear friends. After one thousand years, I have decided to return once more." She then did a short bow to show respect to the crowd of ponies who were all still as statues. She stood back, and gave them a curious look, with a piercing glare directed straight at Celestia. "Do you not know who I am? Are there no stories of me? Was I put to the dustbin of history?"

"No," Sunset said, walking towards the pony. "I know who you are; you are Princess Luna of the Night and Moon, the younger sister of Princess Celestia."

"You mean she's an alien?" a mare from a trio gasped loudly, causing all eyes to dart to the light yellow-coated mare with a red mane.

"She's coming to attack us!" the mare with a pink coat screamed.

"The horror, the horror!" the last of the trio screamed and both Luna and Celestia tensed at the prospect of a sudden panic going through the crowd.

"Calm down ya galoots," Applejack said, swatting at them with her hat before spinning back to face Luna and holding her hat to her chest. "Ah believe what mah friend said there; if yer the sister of Princess Celestia, that means yer also the princess of Equestria. Ah'm mighty sorry for what those fools said, yer highness."

"But why haven't we heard anything of her?" the first mare asked, still looking frightened.

"Well, not everypony mentions their siblings," Pinkie said to her, pronking over. "I mean, I've got three sisters and I bet you didn't know that."

"Yeah, and if this Princess was really dangerous, I doubt that Princess Celestia would let her just show up," Rainbow Dash said, floating in the air.

"My goodness," Rarity said suddenly, drawing attention to her as she directed her words towards Luna. "That is a fantastic design; who is your tailor?"

Luna glanced towards her, a slight curl of amusement at the back of her mouth. "Why, thank you," she said before her eyes went to Fluttershy, who was kneeling forward.

"Is there something the matter, miss?" she asked.

Fluttershy shook her head. "I'm bowing, your highness. You're one of our princesses..."

At that, every pony in the crowd began to follow suit, bowing before her, with Luna positively beaming at the ponies prostrating themselves for her. Luna grinned at Celestia now, truly grinned now that none were around to see her face before she marshaled her face and said, "Dear friends, please rise. You humble me by such actions but they are unwarranted and needless."

The ponies, in awe of Luna, rose up and started to crowd her. Celestia was about to say something when she felt a pony walk past, with a wave of pink going in front of her.

Luna was about to address her sister, when she noticed a pink alicorn stepping in front of Celestia.

She recognized her, of course. The time she had spent observing other dimensions made sure of that. But she didn't know how much this Cadance knew of such things, and she didn't want to give away too much, lest she break thatcan of worms wide open. So she waited as the other alicorn approached her, then bowed.

"It's good to finally meet you, Aunt Luna," she said.

Luna relaxed a little, inwardly. Outwardly though, she remained calm and asked, "Aunt?"

Cadance nodded. "My name is Cadance," she said. "When I became an alicorn, your sister adopted me as her niece. And I've been wanting to meet and get to know you, ever since I found out you existed."

Luna could see the honest truth in Cadance's eyes, and smiled, then beckoned, and Cadance didn't hesitate to approach. When they were close enough, Luna raised her foreleg, and wrapped it around the younger alicorn, pulling her into an embrace with the ponies behind them clapping their hooves.

"It is good to know you, my niece," she whispered.

"Thank you, Aunt Luna," Cadance said with a smile, returning the hug. "Perhaps afterwards, we can start to catch up."

"Afterwards?" Luna asked, raising an eyebrow at this Cadance.

"Yes, I do suppose there will be talk between you and Aunt Celestia, though I would insist that I be part of it," the mare said with a confident grin that she didn't see on that many Cadances this young. "As a potential mediator; Princess Celestia can confirm that I rarely bend to any pony's whims, right?"

Celestia's wing twitched, if only for a brief second. For most, it would be completely unnoticeable but Luna was able to spot and tell it for what it was. This Cadance was no pawn of the Day but instead a force of her own right, which pleased her.

"I would love to spend time catching up with you," she said. "I have missed far too much of your life, and now that I know of you, I intend to remedy that as soon as possible. But first," she turned to her sister, giving her a firm look.

And there she was. Just as noble and pure as she was a thousand years ago, her mane still a swirl of those beautiful colours. She still radiated a sense of security and protection from her entire being, her body strong and tall. She looked untouched from all those years ago, and she undoubtedly looked at the same to her as well. Only time would tell how much she had changed internally, if at all.

"Princess Celestia," Luna said at last, staring at her sister.

"Princess Luna," her sister said back with Luna shaking her head.

"Head Director Luna," she corrected her. "I lead a republic, not a monarchy."

Celestia made no comment on that, simply looking over her instead. "You seem to be well and healthy, sister," she said.

"I do my best to take care of myself," Luna acknowledged. "Even with less gravity involved, the moon walks do me good. And I do believe I have a well balanced life and work schedule, with a team of ponies I can trust."

"That is good to hear, Luna," Celestia said, giving her one of those cryptic smiles. "Would that I have such time to indulge in such actions but running Equestria leaves me very little time for myself."

Luna did her best not to frown, not to show her sister was getting to her. "Such as stretching your hooves it seems, Celestia," she said with Cadance and ponies starting to look worried. "A proper ruler would know that they must be well themselves if they care to rule their nation as well. It is a reflection of themselves, wouldn't you say?"

Celestia's eye twitched, but before she could say anything, Cadance had stepped forward again once more. "Aunt Luna, Aunt Celestia," she said. "I understand it has been some time since you two have last met. Perhaps we could continue this conversation later on? I am sure there are more pleasant stories to share of your ponies with your ponies."

"Wise words, dear niece," Luna said, conceding the fight for the moment.

"Indeed," Celestia said, giving Luna a sharp look. "Such as why some of your followers are here tonight."

Luna did her best not to glare at her, and instead opted for a calm reply. "I had simply asked some of my ponies if they could see the nature of the current Equestria, considering how the previous one required my departure to safeguard their ancestors from an oppressive, narrow minded, superstitious and ignorant populace."

Luna could hear the uncomfortable muttering of the Ponyvilleans and see Cadance groan but her eyes were focused on the eyes of her sister who was doing her best not to grit her teeth.

"I see," she said. "Reading the mood, as it were. Though why you did not simply tell me so makes me curious, as well the fact you chose to hide the fact of their origins."

"Answers of how one acts often rings the truth when they are unaware they are being watched or when you bring their color to the surface," Luna replied hotly. "My dear ponies, if you would be so kind?"

There was a moment of silence, and then Twilight (and there was that twitch in Celestia's eye again), Shining Armor, Onyx and Vinyl all walked up to her.

Luna took a minute to study the reactions of the ponies in the crowd. She saw Sunset look a little surprised, but then relax, which relieved her. Cadance was perfectly calm, and the gray mare who'd been next to Vinyl looked a little surprised too, but not negatively. Then her eyes swept over the other five ponies whom she recognized as being Twilight's friends in most worlds. They seemed surprised but before anypony could speak, Twilight cleared her throat.

"Director Luna, in the time we had to spend with the locals here, what I saw was kind, honest and caring ponies, with no true maliciousness in any of them," Twilight said, looking at her and then at the crowd again. "There were some subjects that they weren't aware of but nothing anypony could fault them on; I didn't even know about it until my friend Sunset spoke of it."

"Agreed," Onyx said in a brisk tone. "There are some grumblings of an anti-moon/night group but that is an aggressive minority and not the majority. These are decent ponies, a far cry from the ancestors."

"And there are ponies in power currently working to not only put a permanent end to their work but also help change the mindset of distant villages to be more accepting of others," Shining said, looking straight at Cadance.

By the Creators, Luna thought to herself with amusement, only a day and they've already found each other.

Vinyl nodded in agreement. "Most of the populace where I was were pretty indifferent on the subject of us moonponies," she said. "It seemed to me like they didn't much think either way about us, and the few who did and were vocal about it were... well, just jerks looking for an excuse to bug individuals and labeling them under a rather broad definition that they may not have even fit. Haters gonna hate, you know?" She then gulped and looked at the crowd. "But if the ponies they'd been bugging had been born a thousand years ago, I doubt we would have needed to found the Lunar Republic."

Luna had not been expecting that, not completely. She had expected some positive changes but not to this extent.

"That is very good to hear, all of you," she said. "It touches my heart to hear such words and such growth from your people. Perhaps our two nations can begin to heal their old wounds." Luna said softly, watching Sunset and the other Elements approach Twilight.

"So... you're really from the moon?" Sunset asked with Twilight hesitantly nodding her head.

"I am," she said, blushing and looking away. "I'm sorry that I couldn't tell you the whole truth from the beginning but we simply didn't know how ponies felt about us and it was felt best that we didn't tell anypony."

"Well shucks, Ah can get that," Applejack said. "When Ah was a little filly, Ah went ta the big city and Ah pretended like Ah was from there because Ah didn't want no trouble."

"And it's not like you reallylied to us," Pinkie said. "You said you were from far away, and that it was really different from here, and that was the truth, right?" She gestured. "I mean, it's not like you can get much further away than the moon."

"The view must be simply exquisite up there," Rarity said, gazing up at the moon.

Twilight smiled. "It is," she said. "The stars... they're so bright, and wonderful to look at."

Sunset smiled deeply at Twilight. "It must have been different, looking at them from down here," she said. "I would have loved to see how they looked from your home."

"Perhaps that could be arranged," Luna offered, seizing the opportunity before her sister could step in. "As friends of my dear student, I would gladly offer you some time to visit the Lunar Republic, if you so wished and Princess Celestia does not mind." She gave her sister the nicest smile she could muster, enjoying the frustration that was building up under the surface of Celestia's calm face.

Fluttershy made a soft squeaking noise, and Luna looked down at her, her expression shifting to a softer one. She was not part of this feud, after all, and as Luna recalled, a more gentle touch was required with her in particular. "Yes?" she asked.

Fluttershy hesitated a bit, then looked at her and asked, "Are there any animals up there?"

"Sadly, no," Luna shook her head. "We have a few bees to help pollinate our crops and other beneficial insects, but during the Night of Departure, it was one of the few extraneous additions we could not afford to bring with us. Perhaps in time, that could change. I know that Director Honey Spice is eager to purchase more crop seeds, for one."

Applejack's ears perked up, and Luna, anticipating her question, answered. "Honey Spice is our Director of Agriculture," she said. "Her department manages all matters relating to farming, forestry, and overseeing the production and distribution of food and water to our ponies."

"Whoo-ee." Applejack sounded impressed. "Sounds lahk mah kind of pony then. Be interestin' to check out yer farmin' methods up there."

"And I'd guess you've got your own weather systems too, huh?" Rainbow Dash asked, speaking up for the first time since she'd approached Twilight.

"A necessary tool for survival," Luna said. "For the most part, everything we have, except certain metals and minerals we gained from the moon itself, has to be produced by hoof or magic or was brought with us from Equestria when we left a thousand years ago. Luckily, we have begun to have the means to acquire harder to obtain metals now from sources above and possibly down below now."

Rainbow Dash nodded. "Makes sense."

Luna smiled, then noted that Shining Armor had gone to stand by Cadance again, making her smile. Ah, young love.

Luna then turned to look at Celestia, though she addressed Twilight's group. "I would be delighted to host you all on the moon, though as Princess Celestia has noted honest actions ring true. So with her blessing, I would like to invite you to the Lunar Republic."

Celestia must have been cross at being forced into this corner, with her options being so few now. She could either consent to letting Luna take all of the Elements into the Republic or try and find a way to say no to the request that all the mares in question seemed so eager to accept without appearing as the villain.

"But of course sister," Celestia said, tipping her head. "Far be it for me to deny others the right to see what you and followers have done."

Luna frowned internally, wondering where the insult was buried but she had to put it out of her mind for now. "Then it is settled," Luna said, smiling to the ponies before her. "Though I suggest we go talk in private; this is supposed to be a celebration for my sister after all and I wouldn't dream of overshadowing her."

If she kept this up, Celestia wasn't going to be able to hide her eye-twitches for very much longer, but she managed. "Very well then," the older mare said. "Luna, I will see you later for I believe we have much to talk about. If you will excuse me for a moment," she said, walking back to the stage as she prepared to raise her sun.

After all the excitement, the sun rising must have been somewhat anticlimactic for the ponies present, Luna thought as she watched the sight she hadn't seen in a thousand years with a mixture of glee and awe. Then she looked at Twilight and all her companions.

"Is there someplace that we could all gather together?" she asked.

Twilight nodded. "Come on," she said. "I'll show you to the library."

Five unicorns, three Earth ponies, two pegasi, two alicorns and one little dragon followed after her as she led the way, the rest of the ponies giving them space with the other alicorn watching her leave once more.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Two

It didn't take long for them to reach the park, and after a bit, Shining Armor had finally gotten his fellows to step back a bit and give the group their space, while Sunset went back to Twilight. Spike was still by her side, and hurried up to give Sunset a hug, which she returned with a smile.

"You're okay, right?" Twilight asked her, very concerned judging by her expression, and Sunset nodded.

"We just needed to clarify a few things," she said. "I'm not in any trouble."

"Good." Twilight sighed in relief. "So what happened exactly?"

"Your brother asked me what I was writing to Cadance about, and I told him the truth, that I needed to ask her for a little advice," Sunset said. "That's about it."

"Good," Twilight said again.

Nearby, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Pinkie, the last having evidently burned through her caffeine and sugar buzz and being much calmer by now, were all looking relieved to hear it as well.

"So, what now?" Rainbow Dash asked. "That whole thing kinda killed the mood."

"Yeah," Twilight said, nodding her head. "I think it would be best if we headed back home, or my place as it is a bit closer." She blinked and then bit her lip. "And I do kinda need to see somepony before I forget again."

"Whatever you think is best, Twilight," Pinkie giggled.

Twilight smiled, then went to speak with Shining Armor. After a bit, she trotted back. "Okay, Shiny and I are going to show you to my place," she said. "Once you're settled, I need to go talk to somepony."

"Sure thing," Sunset said.

She and the others followed Twilight and Shining Armor as Twilight led them to the apartment building where she lived, a gleaming white high-rise structure.

"This was actually one of the first buildings to be completed back when the Primus dome was still developing," Twilight explained. "It was also where a lot of the Lunar Republic's initial planning and development was done, and where our leaders lived at the time. Head Director Luna personally donated it to the public for use as a living space after the official structures were ready, but she's always had a special place in her heart for it, which is why she made sure I was able to move into one of the apartments when I was old enough." She smiled proudly. "My space is on the top floor."

She led them through the building lobby, waiting patiently as they Ooo'd and Aah'd at the architecture and other sights, and then into one of the elevators. When they emerged on the top floor, Sunset looked around, seeing only two doors.

"Who's your neighbor?" she asked curiously.

"Nobody," Twilight replied. "Both suites are mine."

"You have that much space?" Rarity asked, looking rather surprised.

"Well... one's my personal suite," Twilight said. "The other's my private workshop. I do most of my work in the science dome, but I converted the other space over here into a place where I could tinker in the middle of the night, or whenever I was in the mood. I also made sure to add plenty of built-in soundproofing so I don't disturb the ponies on the floor below, or outside."

"Are you sure you'll have enough space for all of us?" Fluttershy asked a little nervously.

Twilight nodded. "These were five-bedroom suites when they started," she said. "They had to keep a lot of ponies in somewhat small spaces when it was first built. That's become less of an issue as we were able to build more domes and spread out, but the old style remains in this building."

She opened the first door and led them inside, where Sunset and the others looked around, clearly impressed at what they saw.

"Lot of books," Rainbow Dash commented as she idly browsed one shelf. "Why am I not surprised?"

Shining Armor chuckled. "Twilight's been a book lover since she was a foal, in case you hadn't already known," he said.

All of them nodded, and Twilight gave them a quick tour, showing them where the kitchen, bedrooms and other necessities are. Then she gave Sunset a friendly hug. "I need to run," she said. "Shiny can show you more if you need it. But please - don't go in my workshop, some of the equipment in there is sensitive, fragile or both. If you need me, Shiny can give me a call."

The group nodded again, and then Twilight left, leaving five mares, one dragon and one stallion to find something to keep themselves busy.

"So..." Rainbow Dash finally said. "What the hay is half this stuff even about?" She gestured to the shelves. "I've never even heard of most of the words in those titles."

Shining Armor chuckled. "That's my sister for you," he said. "Her idea of a good time, when she isn't working, is to curl up with a good technical manual."

"Other than her books, this place seems a little... spartan," Rarity remarked. "It could use a few more homey touches, I think."

"Mom and I would tend to agree," Shining Armor replied. "But that's Twilight. She prefers her space to have function over form. There's a few decorations in her room, but out here, she tends to leave it mostly clear. Besides, she says it makes it easier to clean that way."

"I see," Rarity said, obviously not convinced.

"And it's got a great view!" Pinkie remarked as she peered out a window. "This is way higher than my bedroom!"

"That's a rather unicorn thing, darling," Rarity told her. "Our tribe has always preferred heights. I am not entirely sure why though."

Sunset chuckled. "Way I heard it, it's because our ancestors liked their privacy. The higher up they were, the harder it was for members of the other tribes to sneak up on them and startle them by making sudden loud noises while they were studying the workings of the universe. It got to be kind of an ingrained habit over the years."

"You don't say," Rarity replied. "It would explain a lot... I do come up with a lot of my best designs in the upper level of my boutique."

Rainbow Dash nodded. "Feels good to me too," she said. "Not as high up as the clouds, but still good."

"So, what do we do while we wait?" Spike asked. "And do you think she'd mind if I took a closer look at her kitchen?"

"As long as you don't get into anything you shouldn't, it should be fine," Shining Armor told him. "But while we're here, is there anything else you were wondering about our home that I can tell you about?"

A few hooves popped up, and he smiled. "I guess so. Where do we start?"

Twilight's walk didn't take her long. Moondancer lived just a few floors down from her, and while her apartment wasn't anywhere near as big as Twilight's (those floors had been redone to allow for more residents centuries before either of them was ever born), it was still a decent size. Hesitating for a moment and taking a deep breath, she let it out slowly, then knocked on the door.

A minute later, Moondancer answered, raised an eyebrow, and then backed away. "Come on in, Twilight."

Twilight entered, took a seat at her friend's gesture, and then smiled at her. "Hey."

"Hey." Moondancer looked at her. "Been a busy couple of days, hasn't it."

"Yeah." Twilight let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding. "I mean, checking out Equestria, meeting new ponies, showing them around here..."

"Yeah, I noticed," Moondancer said. "Especially her."

"You mean Sunset?" Twilight asked. At Moondancer's nod, her eyes lit up. "She's been so great, and understanding, and... well, even if she did make that one mistake a little earlier because she didn't know about the magic-detection alarms, she's done her best to apologize for it and make sure it won't happen again."

"Yeah." Moondancer nodded again. "You two've gotten pretty close, haven't you."

"Well, yes," Twilight admitted. "She's... something else. Something special."

"She really means a lot to you, doesn't she," Moondancer said. It was not a question.

"Yeah," Twilight admitted. "Yeah, she does."

"And you really care about her, don't you? As more than just a friend." Moondancer looked at her, and Twilight found herself thinking back over the past few days, all the time she and Sunset had spent together. And she had her answer.

"I think... maybe, I do," she said. "I don't know if we're quite ready to take any serious steps for it, but I could see us going that direction."

Moondancer nodded. "I thought so. Twilight... I have to ask." She sighed. "I've been trying to get up the courage to ask you out for so long, but I never quite felt ready. But now, I need to know. Did I ever have a chance?"

Twilight's eyes widened as she realized what Moondancer meant. For a moment, she hesitated. And then, the truth that she'd been holding back for so long came.

"Not... not like that," she said.

Moondancer looked down. "Oh," she said.

She was about to stand up and walk away, when she felt a hoof on her chin, and looked back at Twilight. After a moment, she gestured for Twilight to speak, and the other mare did.

"Moondancer, you're special to me, and I do love you, but in a different way than you were hoping." Twilight looked at her friend. "I wish I'd gotten up the courage to admit it sooner, but the way I feel... you, and me, together like that? It would be like me and Shiny."

Moondancer's eyes widened. "That's how you feel about me?" she asked.

Twilight nodded. "Shiny's great in his own way, but you? I've known and been friends with you for so long, we practically grew up together. And you kept watch over me, helped me when I needed it." She blushed. "You're more than just my friend, Moondancer. You're like a big sister to me, in all but blood. A just slightly bigger sister, but still a big sister."

Moondancer looked away for a moment, as if to think about something, and then turned back. "That's okay then," she said softly. "I can see where you're coming from. And... and if that's how you feel about the two of us..." She chuckled. "I guess that with the way I've spent so much time helping you out when you needed it, and how well I always said I knew you, it should have been obvious how you saw me. Guess I misread things a bit there. But... I can accept that."

Twilight nodded. "Still friends?" she asked.

Moondancer nodded back. "Still friends," she said. Then she smiled. "Of course, you realize that since you've claimed me as your big sister, now it's my duty to be the overprotective one and make sure you don't do anything you shouldn't on all your dates."

Twilight nickered in amusement. "You might have to take turns with Shiny when it comes to that," she said. "But I appreciate the sentiment."

Moondancer smiled gratefully.

"So, where is she?" she asked. "Sunset, and the others you brought back with you."

"They're in my apartment, with Shiny," Twilight said. "Well, most of them. Applejack's got family up here that she's visiting, and Octavia went with Vinyl to visit her family." She tilted her head. "Want to come and meet them?"

Moondancer smiled. "I think I'd like that," she said. "If they're important to you."

She looked at Twilight. "But first though, what are their names, and what are they like?"

"Well..." Twilight considered. "Sunset's really, really smart," she said. "She loves learning just as much as you and I do. And she's a good big sister to Spike. He's a dragon, really young but nice. A great cook. And he takes care of her like... well, like you do me."

Moondancer nodded. "Go on," she said.

"The other unicorn is Rarity, she runs her own boutique," Twilight said. "A little... flirtatious around good-looking stallions. A good decorator, from what I've seen."

"Hmm." Moondancer looked at her. "You made sure she knows not to start tweaking your apartment while you're out, right?"

"I'm sure Shiny's told her how I like my space," Twilight said. "Anyway, the two Earth ponies you'd have seen with us are Applejack and Pinkie Pie. Applejack's a farmer, and a great baker. Pinkie's the town party specialist, and also a great baker, and kind of... surprising. Really hyper a lot of the time - even when she hasn't been eating chocolate-covered coffee beans."

Moondancer snickered at that. "You don't say."

Twilight chuckled too. "She was bouncing all over the place after just a few of them," she said. "And she loves meeting and greeting new ponies - a major extrovert."

"Sounds like Minuette," Moondancer told her, referencing one of their old classmates who now worked in the Department of Health. "Just without the horn."

"Yeah... yeah, that's a pretty accurate description," Twilight agreed. "Then there's the two pegasi, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. Rainbow works for the town weather bureau, and is super-loyal to her friends. And Fluttershy's just as shy as her name suggests, but she's also the town animal expert - she taught the choir of birds that were performing at their summer solstice ceremony."

"I see." Moondancer tilted her head. "What about the other one? That... Octavia mare you mentioned?"

"She's a classical musician, lives in Canterlot most of the time," Twilight said. "I didn't really spend much time with her myself outside of a group, but she's really hit it off with Vinyl, from what I saw."

Moondancer nodded. "Anypony else special you meet down there?" she asked.

"Well," Twilight started. "Applejack and Rarity each have a little sister, and they're friends with a filly who's like a little sister to Rainbow Dash. And they're apparently really into getting their Cutie Marks. Formed their own little club for trying new things to see if they'd get a mark in it."

"Hmm." Moondancer looked contemplative.

Twilight lowered her head. "They admitted that one of their classmates with a Mark was bullying them about not having Marks," she said. "So I gave them the same advice you gave me about it."

Moondancer's ears flicked, and she smiled at that. "I hope it helps them then," she said.

"So do I," Twilight said with a smile of her own. "They're good kids, helped show Onyx and I around town." She thought for a moment. "And the last other pony that I really spent any time, aside from brief conversations, with was Princess Cadance," she said. "She's..."

Moondancer suddenly stood up. "Princess who?" she asked.

"Princess Cadance," Twilight said. "Princess Celestia and Head Director Luna's adoptive niece."

Moondancer sat down again. "Oh," she said, clearly relieved. "For a moment, I thought..."

"That they'd replaced Luna?" Twilight asked. "Not hardly. Cadance went up and welcomed her when she arrived, told her she'd been wanting to meet her for a very long time. Luna was happy to meet her too."

Moondancer smiled. "That's good," she said. "What's she like?"

"Pink," Twilight said. "Very pink. Very friendly. And she and Shiny clearly have a thing for one another."

Moondancer giggled at that. "Finally got himself a marefriend, huh?" she said. "About time."

Twilight giggled too. "Yeah," she said. "Also, I'm pretty sure Sunset thinks of her as a big sister. Cadance used to foalsit for her, they said. Anyway, she stayed down below, helping mediate between Luna and her sister during their negotiations to try and establish diplomatic ties between us and Equestria."

Moondancer nodded. "Makes sense, I guess," she said. "I hope things work out."

"So do I," Twilight said. "I mean, they've been apart for a thousand years. I couldn't begin to imagine being away from my family for that long."

"Me either," Moondancer said.

Twilight stood up, and hugged Moondancer when the other mare rose too. "Come on," she said. "Let's go back to my place, and you can meet our new friends face to face."

Moondancer nodded. "I'm right there with you, Twilight."

With that, the two trotted out, sealing the door behind them before heading back upstairs.

When his sister's door opened to reveal she and Moondancer, Shining Armor looked up from the conversation he'd been engrossed in. "Hey," he greeted the pair. "How's it going?"

Twilight smiled happily. "We're good," she said. "I brought Moondancer up to meet everypony else. You?"

"Same here," Shining Armor said, before he looked back at the Equestrian group. "It's been fun, and I hate to leave, but I need to go take care of some stuff at my office for now. See you all later?"

Once they'd said their goodbyes, Shining Armor left, hurrying down the elevator and some blocks away to the Security Department's headquarters while mulling over what he had learned so far and how best to handle it beyond how he already was.

"Officer Stalwart!" he called as he walked in the sparsely maned office. Normally, all the stations would be occupied and the office would be full but due to the celebration, Director Onyx had allowed reduced staff. "Status reports?"

"All's calm," the other stallion replied. "Once we got the word out that it was a comparatively minor flare and not an attack, that pretty much smoothed everything over. You get Head Director Luna's response?"

"Read it on the way back here," Shining Armor replied. "On my way to send my own letter now. Keep me posted if there's any major updates."

"Will do, sir," the other officer said.

Nodding, Shining Armor headed into his office and immediately went to his desk and brought up its screen to compose his report.

A little while later, he read over it one more time.

To Director Plate and Head Director Luna,

Per the alerts you received, we had a magical flare in the Primus dome earlier today. As you are aware of by now, it was the result of a letter-sending spell on the dragon Spike, used by Sunset Shimmer for quick communications between herself and the Princesses. Neither Spike nor miss Shimmer were aware at the time that such a spell would trigger our alerts because of the amount and type of magic involved; they have been advised not to use it again for the time being. The residents have been calmed, and things are mostly settled again.

There was one incident, however. After Sunset and Spike were identified as the source of the magic that triggered the alerts, my officers went to take Sunset and Spike into custody for questioning on exactly what they had done. When they attempted to do so, Twilight stepped between them and Sunset in a decidedly defensive manner, though she did not attempt to actually attack them. She has grown very attached to Sunset in the short time they've known one another, and was willing to stand up for her regardless of any consequences she might have faced if these had been normal times.

Fortunately, I was able to defuse the situation quickly, and then performed the questioning myself, on the spot, confirming Sunset's claims as to what she had done to trigger the alerts; these claims match your own findings. Further questioning in private identified what she felt was important enough to write to Princess Cadance about at the time, a personal matter regarding the feelings she has developed for my sister (and if you'll pardon the informality, which I saw coming the minute I laid eyes on the two of them when they were together in Ponyville).

Under normal circumstances, I understand that Twilight's hostile actions towards my officers would be grounds for some degree of punishment. However, while our visitors and the public do not know this, and nor do the majority of my officers below a certain rank - which is in the process of being remedied - this action falls under the special rights she was granted by the both of you as a protective escort of visiting representatives of Equestria, which permit her to act as she feels necessary to defend our guests from potential hostilities. As such, I will be including my report on her actions in her file, but no disciplinary actions will be taken at this time. I will, however, be taking steps to prevent any similar incidents involving my officers in the future.

For the time being, Twilight and most of her group are at her apartment. Applejack is visiting a member of her family who resides in the Quartus dome, while Octavia Melody is with Vinyl Scratch, meeting her parents and family, and we have communication numbers for both of their escorts. Per regulations, my officers are watching over them both from a distance for their own safety, just like Twilight and I are for the rest of the group. We may have to inform them of our full status as their protective escorts soon though. I can understand your motives for essentially having our guests in protective custody while they travel around and see what we've accomplished up here, but I still feel that they should have been told it was happening from the beginning and why we were doing so. They're remarkably understanding when it comes to matters of safety for visitors in a foreign land, as was the case when Twilight and Director Onyx visited Ponyville.

Further reports will come as necessary, and I hope to hear positive news from the surface soon.

With regards,

Deputy Director of Security, Shining Armor

P.S.: I may be sending a less formal letter for Princess Cadance later, so if one of you would be so kind as to pass it on to her when it arrives, I'd appreciate it.

Shining Armor considered that last line, decided to leave it, and then hit "Send". The computer made a "whoosh"ing noise as the message went, and then he typed in his security code to put the system on sleep mode and closed the screen.

After checking with his officers one more time to see if there was anything else that required his attention, he headed back out towards Twilight's apartment.

Using his keys to open the door, he was greeted to the sight of nearly all of Twilight's furniture pushed to the side as Rarity began to lift fabric up to the walls and was talking to Twilight with the rest of his sister's friends smiling as they either helped out the duo or watched the whole scene unfold.

Walking up to Moondancer, who was sitting next to Fluttershy as she read one of Twilight's books, he slid in by her and asked. "So she finally managed to get Twilight to update her place, eh?"

"Well, I helped Rarity nudge her along but yes, she's finally at it," the mare said with a smile, watching as Sunset helped move some stuff for his little sister, with Twilight watching the unicorn a bit too much. Winking at him, Moondancer smirked. "In more ways than one," she whispered with Shining chuckling in agreement.

"I don't think either of us were expecting that when Twilight got chosen to go down below," he said sotto voce. "But they're good together. And I'm glad she's making more friends."

"So am I," Moondancer told him. "Especially since Twilight's decided I'm as much her sister as I am her friend."

Shining Armor looked at her in surprise for a moment, before he smiled. "I just hope that they can keep this up," he said. "Though I don't have much worry that Head Director Luna and Princess Celestia won't be able to make something happen."

Surprisingly, Moondancer looked nervous, biting her lip and looking away. "Ye-yeah, me too," she lied poorly but before he could ask further, there was a squawk of panic from where his sister was.

He reached out with his magic to grab the bookcase that was about to topple over, catching it and its contents just in time, with Moondancer adding her own magic to help.

Helping guide it into position, they settled it down, and then all of them sighed in relief.

"That was close," Sunset said as she wiped a hoof across her brow. "Thanks for the help, guys."

"No problem," Shining Armor told her before turning around to ask Moondancer what she meant only to find she had left the room already.

Mentally, he frowned. She's hiding something.

Whatever it was, he knew it would have to come out sooner or later. But for now, he decided not to pursue it and risk upsetting her or Twilight. Especially with what she'd said about how Twilight felt about her. Instead, he looked to Twilight and Rarity. "Need anything else for now?" he asked them.

"Oh, there are a few things I can use," Twilight said with a grin on her face as Shining realized he would be stuck here for a very long time.

But if it was to help his sister, he didn't mind.