The Frozen North.

To some, it is a hellish landscape of darkness and death, where at any moment one could find themselves frozen solid or fall into a crevice and starve at the icy depths. To others, the cold air and the snowy landscape was the definition of peace and beauty, to enjoy the eternal winter's fresh air and not be bothered by allergies or insects while observing the snow covered mountains while travelling through the ice covered wonderland of pure white.

The beauty of winter is in the eye of the beholder... if one can see at all beyond the tip of their nose, which sadly Princess Luna could not without her magic.

"How much farther, sister? You said we should have arrived by now, yet all we see is these Tartarus damned magical clouds" Princess Luna complained as her horn glowed, shielding her eyes from the snowstorm around them as she fly across the dark snowy landscape with her sister, while the rest of the pegasi squadrons and their carriages followed behind.

For the last bit of their journey, the two sisters decided to take the front, shielding their subjects from wild magical winds of the frozen north, while at the same time also intending to portray an image of benevolent leadership to both the pegasi guards and the citizens of the Crystal Empire. After all, the moral of the crystal ponies was probably at it's lowest, so showing princesses leading the relieve efforts would affect moral differently, rather than stepping from a warm and rather cozy carriage upon their arrival.

Too bad such a gesture would soon be useless.

"We are almost there, sister.... look, we can see the dome" Princess Celestia said, pointing her hoof at the distant speck of blue light, barely visible through the darkness created by the snow clouds above them "We're almost -" Celestia's sentence was cut off as a bright multi-colored beam of light emerged from the distant dome, reaching into the sky before exploding with a fierce force that scattered the dark clouds above them.

Celestia cried out a warning as the winds blew clouds and snow past them with force, throwing the two sisters and their escorts around for a while before they steadied their flight once more. A soft sensation of the now transparent barrier passing through them went unnoticed by the Equestrians as they looked around in shock and awe.

As far as their eyes could see, the entire valley in which the Crystal Empire stood was transformed; no longer covered in the ice and snow beneath dark clouds, instead it was now filled with green fields and some trees here and there, with warm sunlight beaming from the clear skies above as a multi-colored aurora spread above the Crystal Empire, reaching far into the horizon.

Of course, it wouldn't be until they returned home that the two sisters received reports of said auroras having been visible across all of Equestria. For now however, they basked under the gentle feeling of happiness and love they felt while mesmerized by the the sight before them.

Princess Celestia and Princess Luna idly flapped their wings as they gazed at the beauty around them, before Celestia turned around to look at the disheveled troops behind them.

"Is everypony alright?" Celestia called out, watching as the guards corrected themselves, checking each other and the carriages before confirming that despite the turbulence, nothing was lost and none were injured.

"Then let us go, sister. It is time we learn what just happened" Princess Luna said to Celestia, who nodded in agreement as they flapped their wings once more to move forward, leading their troops towards the distant crystal palace.

One of the first signs Airy got that her future plans were about to get far more complicated was the sound of gasps and whispers from the ponies around her, before she followed their gaze and pointed hooves to the skies. In the distance, a long group of something where flying towards the Crystal Empire, before landing down on the edge of the city. They were too far for her sight to see properly, but the way ponies around her started whispering and staring towards their unexpected visitors while the castle staff and few nobles started organizing was a hint of what was to come.

"Trouble?" Airy asked obviously nervous Princess Amore, faking a voice of concern while the princess corrected her relaxed pose while putting on a nervous smile. It was already clear to Airy that this wasn't a hostile action, as the guards weren't readying their weapons, merely taking positions on on both sides of the Princess and standing in attention.

Princess Amore shook her head, before answering "It would appear that Princess Celestia and Princess Luna of Equestria have arrived. Remember a proper etiquette, Airy, a royal visit is one of the most important events in national diplomacy" Princess Amore said as Radiant Hope and Sombra took places on left side of her, while Thunder Shield and Swift Clean took their places on the right side, standing slightly behind their princess.

After a moment of consideration, Airy flew to hover next to Sombra, who nodded to her and quickly whispered a reply to her question of which of the Equestrian princesses were which, before straightening her pose as the royals in question came to view.

Slowly, the crowds parted as the pegasi in golden armor and thestrals in lavender armor led the way, escorting a white and dark blue pair of Alicorns, who by height alone stood above others. Of course, by quick comparison Airy estimated Princess Celestia to be same height as Princess Amore, while Princess Luna one was more... between normal ponies and whatever Princess Celestia and Princess Amore were classified as.

Finally, the guards stopped and saluted as they stepped aside, allowing the princesses to pass them as they too stopped in front of Princess Amore. Together, the royal sisters bowed their heads in greeting, which was copied by Princess Amore, before they all straightened back up.

Princess Amore gave a genuine smile as she spoke "Greetings and welcome to the Crystal Empire, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. Your arrival is most fortuitous, as we are celebrating the restoration of the Crystal Heart and the birth of a new national holiday" Princess Amore spoke, her voice sounding cheerful and calm, with none of the nervous energy she had displayed mere moments ago.

Princess Celestia smiled as she spoke "Greetings, Princess Amore. It is a great pleasure to visit the Crystal Empire once more, though I am surprised; we left for our journey with intention of providing supplies and help to the Crystal Empire, yet upon our arrival we witnessed the miraculous restoration of the barrier that sustains the empire. So, how did you find the solution to the problem?" Princess Celestia asked curiously, while Princess Amore's smile spread even more as she replied.

"That is a long tale, one I intend to tell both of you but first, let me introduce you to the newest citizen of the Crystal Empire who provided us with the answer on our darkest hour" Princess Amore spoke before turning her head, looking at Airy who took the hint and flew forward, stopping next to the princess as both Princess Celestia's and Princess Luna's eyes widened in surprise.

Bowing her head, Airy curtsied mid-air as she introduced herself "Greetings, your highness's Princess Celestia and Princess Luna of Equestria. I am Airy, the Cryst-Fairy and newly appointed Royal Researcher of the Crystal Empire" she spoke as softly and and kindly as she could fake sincerity, yet loud enough to be heard.

Lifting her head, Airy observed the reactions of the two royal sisters.

Princess Celestia's reaction was roughly what Airy expected to be: a slightly surprised expression with curious eyes that observed her appearance, with a polite and relaxed smile on her face... Princess Luna's reaction however was not what she expected at all. The look of total shock on her face, the eyes staring into her as she stood stiff as a board, with eyes hinting slight fear and recognition upon the sight of Airy.

Airy kept her fake smile as she straightened herself, though in her mind she was already analyzing Luna's reaction. Did she know who and what she was? No, that couldn't be it; she had never left the Crystal Empire nor had they met before. Had Princess Luna encountered another fairy or fairy-like being like herself or perhaps even a human? As far as she knew, there shouldn't be any in this world; neither Grogar nor Princess Amore had shown any sign of even recognizing her as miniature human, her form only half-familiar as bipedal creature, with minotaurs being the closest at most.

Airy decided that she'd carefully ask Princess Luna about it later, if given a change for a private talk.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, miss Airy. On behalf of myself and all of Equestria, I thank you for providing aid to the Crystal Empire while I and Princess Luna were still dealing with the consequences of Tirek's attack on Equestria. I am glad to hear that the problems plaguing the Crystal Heart were solved during our delayed trip to the Crystal Empire, so that the Crystal ponies would not have to suffer even more than they already have. You have mine and Princess Luna's gratitude" Princess Celestia spoke before bowing her slightly as a sign of respect, before straightening herself as she turned her head slightly to look at Princess Luna before her appearance shifted to passive frown.

It didn't escape anyone's attention that Princess Luna was still stiffly staring straight at Airy, with Princess Amore raising a curious and amused eyebrow at the smaller lunar princess.

Princess Luna was snapped out of her thoughts when Princess Celestia cleared her throat, blushing slightly as she realized she had been staring at Airy the whole time "Y-yes, we are happy to meet you, m-miss Airy and grateful f-for the assistance you provided to Princess Amore" Princess Luna spoke quickly, stuttering slightly out of embarrassment while she quickly bowed her head, before raising it far faster than Princess Celestia had.

Princess Celestia resumed her polite smile as she turned her attention back to Princess Amore "Now then, how about we let the guards organize the store and distribution of the relieve aid we arrived with while we talk about the recent events of the Crystal Empire?" she suggested, with Princess Amore nodding her head in agreement "I agree. In the meanwhile, my staff can arrange the usual diplomatic rooms for you and make preparations for a feast; today is shaping to be the happiest day of the Crystal Empire since it's founding" Princess Amore spoke as she nodded towards Thunder Shield and Swift Clean.

The two ponies took the hint, approaching the Equestrian escorts while Princess Amore turned around, leading the way back to the castle doors while Princess Celestia and Luna followed, with Airy softly landing on Sombra's mane while when he and Radiant took their place behind the three royals.

The rest of the day was... eventful, to say the least. Princess Amore led the six of them (Airy, Amore, Radiant, Sombra and the two Alicorn royal sisters) to a meeting room while Thunder Shield organized the unloading of the supplies equestrians had brought while Swift Clean started making hasty preparations for the rooms the two Alicorn sisters and their troops would spend their admittedly unannounced and shorter-than-planned visit.

As the six of them took their seats (well, five of them while Airy stood on the table next to Princess Amore), the servants were quick to deliver refreshments before leaving them alone for a private meeting. It was then that Airy once again spun her web of lies, starting to repeat her false story once more, only to be interrupted almost immediately by Princess Luna when she was starting to describe the Wind Crystal.

"You speak of the giant levitating crystal in a temple made of stone, do you not?" Princess Luna asked, startling Airy has others turned their curious attention to the younger royal sister "H-how could you possibly k-know that?" Airy asking, stuttering from shock as she felt a cold dread sneak up her spine, looking at Princess Luna with slight fear; no-one should know about her false origins unless she told them, not yet at least.

However, she didn't have to panic for long as Princess Luna blushed, before bowing her head in embarrassment as she answered in soft tone "We... may have witnessed a glimpse of your dreams over a month ago, when we had planned to visit Princess Amore's dreams to inform of our delayed arrival... which we forgot to inform Princess Amore about due to being distracted by what we witnessed in your dreams" Princess Luna spoke, nervously fiddling with her hooves.

Airy nervously bit her lower lip, wondering the implications before asking "What... what did you see in my dreams, your highness?" She asked, as Princess Luna raised her head to look at the tiny fairy "While it has been a month since we saw it, we still remember the details. A great shadow darkening a giant green floating crystal, a village destroyed as a pillar of light emerged from the ground and... a red void, where a monster taunted me before we fled the dream, as it was resisting my presence there" Princess Luna explained, pursing her lips as she looked down at her hooves.

Airy relaxed, as it didn't seem that Luna saw anything important; merely a few moments from the VR recreation of the games... or maybe the movie? she wasn't sure and truthfully, it didn't matter to her in the end "I see... so you saw the wind crystal, the destruction of Norende and Ouroboros" Airy spoke, before flying across the table and landing in front of clearly nervous Princess Luna.

Airy put on her usual fake smile as she once again faked a cheerful tone "Not to worry, your highness; the things that frightened you in my dreams are long gone, so there is nothing to fear about few dreams" Airy spoke, pausing as Princess Luna seemed to relax "Thank you, miss Airy. We did not truly intent to intrude upon your dreams, we were merely curious as we had not encountered the dreams of your kind before" Luna spoke, putting a small smile (which to Airy was clearly a fake) and straightening her pose.

"I'm glad that I could help, your Highness. However, if I may be so bold, I would like to request that for the foreseeable future that... you don't visit my dreams. Not yet at least" Airy added, as Princess Luna's eyes widened at the request "It has nothing to do with you, your Highness; for all I know of you and from what I have seen in your reactions, you are genuinely caring pony, helping your citizens chase away what many would consider petty things as few nightmares. However, I feel... uncomfortable at the idea that someone could just walk into my head and change it as they saw fit" Airy faked concern as Princess Luna's eyes widened at the implication.

"We would never inflict such harm. To chase away the nightmares is one thing but to twist the very thoughts of ponies... even with good intentions, such a thing is... it could inflict great harm to ponies in question. We would never commit such atrocities, not even to our worst enemies" Princess Luna spoke hastily, horrified at even a mere suggestion.

Airy smiled as she looked at vulnerable Princess Luna; Where Princess Celestia was looking at them with confidence and passive face (clearly analyzing the situation calmly), it was Princess Luna who reacted with raw emotion. Airy wasn't an expert in psychology, yet she could see the signs of someone who was lonely and very conscious about what others thought of her.

So vulnerable... so easy to manipulate if given a change.

"Of course not, your highness. From what I have heard, the land of Equestria and the ponykind itself is far more peaceful than others I have witnessed in my life. Maybe the knowledge that you protect your subjects from nightmares has eased their minds to be more gentle and honest, rather than focus on their inner darkness. Such kindness is a rare thing where I come from, especially among the rulers of nations" Airy spoke in soft and 'caring' tone, watching as Princess Luna visibly relaxed.

"However, such a foreign thought still makes me feel a little uncomfortable. However, maybe someday I could show you the beauty of my homeland in my dreams; after all, it's entirely different if a stranger you've never met intrudes into your dreams... than a dear friend who comes for a warm visit" Airy spoke, letting the implication unspoken as she merely smiles warmly as Princess Luna's eyes widened after a moment of thinking, before giving her a real smile.

"Yes, it is quite different. We think this is an excellent opportunity to learn from each other... If you are open to idea of exchanging letters, that is" Princess Luna spoke nervously, before smiling as Airy spun in the air, letting an 'excited' squeal before facing Princess Luna once more "What a great Idea. I've never been pen pals with a royalty before... or anyone for that matter" Airy spoke 'excitedly', before Princess Celestia cleared her throat to get their attention.

"I am glad to hear that the two of you have come to an agreement. However, I believe there was a story you were telling us?" Princess Celestia reminded them kindly, with Airy deciding it was best to act embarrassed "Oh, my apologies your highness. Princess Luna and I can talk more about this later" Airy spoke, before returning to her 'seat' as she turned to face the others once more, before resuming her story.

Airy felt giddy inside as she resumed her lies and answered their questions with even more lies, using her memory to make sure she wasn't contradicting herself. Over the course of her false background, the Princesses reacted pretty much the same as others who had heard it; Amazement, fear, existential confusion (because the very thought of 'parallel worlds' was so foreign to them) and relieve to hear that Ouroboros was gone (Which made Airy giddy inside, since he wasn't even real).

At the end of her tale, it was her time to ask them questions; it was fascinating to learn of Starswirl, the early years of princesses as they grew and became proper monarchs and their struggle against Discord and Tirek, who were petrified and imprisoned respectively. Sadly, the Princesses were evasive when it came to these... Elements of Harmony, keeping their full abilities and even origins a secret.

Oh well, she was sure she'd find an opportunity to find more about them in years to come; slow and steady wins the race.

Airy smiled as she sat on the balcony railing, watching as the sun sank beneath the horizon while the moon rose to replace it. A month and it was still weird to see them rise and fall from same direction, yet she wasn't going to voice her concerns about potential implications; if the other side of the world was a dead wasteland because ponies couldn't raise the sun and the moon right, it wasn't her concern.

Then again, would it even matter? she knew that they were what she'd call "giant illusions" but still... no matter, it wasn't her problem to worry about ...not yet at least. She might need to study and make a replacement at some point; Something mechanical that could (with little maintenance) run forever. If the ponies did it with their magic, she was sure she could replicate it with runes and machinery.

but such dreams were decades, maybe centuries away at least. Oh well, it was always smart to start small and build from there; a castle can't stand on foundations made of sand after all.

Airy spun around where she sat, lifting her legs over the railing as she turned herself to face the three princesses just as Princess Luna finished raising the moon upon the night sky, a trace of blue magic fading from her horn as she turned Princess Celestia just as the latter started speaking "Now that the night has arrived, I believe it's time for us to retire for the night" she spoke, turning towards Princess Amore "With unexpected yet pleasant arrival of miss Airy, I can honestly say that I find it a relieve that instead of dreaded night long research and experimentation, it will be nice to finally sleep a decent night's rest in a proper bed" Celestia finished as Princess Amore smiled at her.

"Oh, I remember the time when I myself was young, spending days and nights reading dusty old books hidden away in some old noble's private library, desperate to research what I needed for finding the remains of the ancient Crystal Empire so I wouldn't have to hear those old mares and stallions complain" Princess Amore replied, her tone carrying a sense of fondness and sadness at the memories of ponies long dead "But enough of old memories; Tomorrow, we can celebrate some more for our newfound free time as the Crystal Ponies begin to return to their former lives, working the fields and resuming the iron mines, among other things" she finished as Princess Celestia nodded in agreement.

"I agree; maybe we could start discussing the plans you had for your students. Come along, Luna, it's time for us to retire for the night" Princess Celestia spoke, not even glancing at her own sister as she and Princess Amore started walking towards the balcony doors.

Airy saw how Princess Luna's ears twitched towards her head, like listening to a mother who had just scolded her. Airy took but a mere moment of thinking before deciding that now was perfect opportunity to do some... probing and subtle manipulation.

"Princess Celestia, If I may have a moment" Airy spoke, watching as Princess Celestia stopped and turned towards her with a curious look "I would like to request a brief, private moment of Princess Luna's time; I'm aware that now that the two of you have no need to spend day and night working on a solution to Crystal Empire's problems, it's more likely that Princess Luna would like to resume her regular duties of governing the dream realm. As such, i'd like to take this opportunity to discuss with her the intricate magical theories and spells that no doubt go into her duties as she arranges the night sky each night and travels the dream realm, helping poor ponies who suffer from nightmares... Of course, since you no doubt know of these already, my request would not hinder your desires to sleep in any way" Airy spoke in soft and 'caring'' tone, watching as Princess Luna pondered her request a moment before answering.

"Of course, tonight is an excellent opportunity for it and we believe our sister would be glad to encourage cooperation between kingdoms; It is not every day that somepony from a different world arrives. The exchange of otherworldly cultural and historical knowledge alone would -" Princess Luna stopped speaking as Princess Celestia cleared her throat "Very well, miss Airy; my sister rarely get's so excited about anything other than stars and dreams of others" She spoke, turning her attention to Princess Luna "Have a good night, sister. I hope you won't stay awake all night; we wouldn't want you to sleep through tomorrow's plans" she spoke, before turning around and walking towards the doors.

"Pleasant dreams, sister" "Have a good night, Your Highnesses" Princess Luna and Airy spoke as they watched Princess Celestia and Princess Amore walk away, balcony doors closing behind them. That left Airy alone with Princess Luna on the balcony railing, while the two guards (one for Princess Luna, the other a night replacement for Glint who had chosen to return to his normal day duties) stood at attention at balcony doors, straightening their pose as Princess Luna idly stared at the doors, her thoughts wandering to other things.

"I see how she treats you, your highness" Airy spoke, snapping Princess Luna out of her thoughts as she turned towards the small fairy sitting on the balcony railing, her legs swinging freely over the edge as she leaned back on her hands while gazing at the dark horizon "What?" Princess Luna asked, confused as Airy turned her head and upper torso to look at princess Luna.

"I've seen it before; the overprotective elder sisters, treating their siblings like they're mere children... foals... even when they're fully grown adults" Airy spoke, giving Princess Luna a 'sad' smile "It is especially worse among rulers and soldiers, where the elder one makes all the decisions while bearing all the responsibility. Yes, the younger ones have 'some' power, yet it is the elder one everyone listens to and praise, no matter how much the younger ones try to show their worth"

Airy turned her gaze towards the horizon, pondering how to phrase her words carefully "I'm guessing it is the same with you, your highness; As Princess Celestia rules the day, the ponies work and toil under the light of 'her' sun, coming to her for advice in all things, from peasants to soldiers to even nobles and royalty of other nations. Meanwhile, you're left with nothing but idle work and act of kindness that you call 'governing the dream realm', an effort most ponies will no doubt merely contribute as a task assigned to you by your sister's orders" Airy spoke, listening the sounds of the night as her gaze turned downwards towards the city, where the ponies were closing shops and returning to their homes for the night.

In truth, Airy had no idea what Princess Luna felt; she was merely making educated guesses based upon behavior of characters in books, shows and games she had seen and enjoyed. In quite many of them, it was always the younger sibling who was cast into the shadow of their better loved elder sibling. Sometimes the younger child was a child of pure heart who would right the wrongs of wicked elder sibling, yet most of the time it was the younger one who schemed to overthrow their elders for power and glory.

Airy hoped she could start setting Princess Luna on the latter path... it would make her future plans so much easier if Equestria was split into a civil war between two royals whom the locals considered equal to divines, which Airy was pretty certain they were nowhere near; they couldn't even face against a god of chaos without a literal artifacts of order.

Princess Luna finally broke her silence as she walked to stand next to Airy "And what do you prefer, miss Airy?" she asked gently, her tone carrying a sense of hesitation as she turned her gaze to the last of the citizens and castle servants returning home for the night while the night guards patrolled the streets in considerably lighter equipment than months before.

"I prefer the night; it's such a beautiful thing, to see the stars and the moon while enjoying the blissful silence of it all... however, sadly no one can appreciate it's beauty; they sleep through it, fearful of the dark because of their ignorance" Airy said as she sat on the balcony railing and gazed upon the stars, before she turned to Luna "You should tell Celestia how you feel; that you're just as capable as she is" Airy said, as she looked Luna with pity.

Princess Luna turned her head away, just as Airy expected her to react; if she had any self--respect or courage, she would have faced Princess Celestia already "We... no, we cannot do that. It would only put more pressure upon our sister if we spoke of it publicly, while privately it would merely make her look at us like we're a foal having a tantrum" Princess Luna spoke, her mind speculating and coming to wrong conclusions as she felt a lump in her throat at the very though of confronting her elder sister.

Airy smiled as she watched Princess Luna's reaction to her simple suggestion. It seemed like the younger princess lacked the sweet taste for power and bitterness at being powerless that she could use to push her over the edge... no matter, she could easily start building that 'tastes' with simple yet effective suggestions.

"Oh, I apologize. I presumed you were comfortable at asking your sister for more responsibility; I'm sure the duties you already share, such as leading the ponies or performing solar eclipses, are more than enough to show your sister that you are just as capable to she is. That way, she could reliably share more responsibility together" Airy spoke in soft tone, watching as Princess Luna turned her confused expression towards her "And what exactly is this... solar eclipse you speak of, miss Airy?" Princess Luna asked, her tone full of curiosity while her mind seemingly focused on something new rather than her own problems.

And with that, Airy sensed another perfect opportunity to sow antagonism between two sisters, like a shark smelling fresh blood in the water.

"Oh, you don't know what an eclipse is?" Airy asked, before pausing for a moment to think before starting her explanation "Eclipse is when the moon rises between the sun and the world, blocking the light of the sun. It's such a beautiful event, though it last only a little while... and since the two of you control the movements of the sun and the moon, it will never happen here... at least naturally" Airy explained, as she turned back to gazing the night sky.

"How fascinating... We had never thought to overlap the sun and the moon before. It would indeed work as a new sign of shared responsibility, symbolizing our equal rule while leaving the gates open for future shared events" Princess Luna spoke, her tone carrying her obvious excitement "Thank you, miss Airy, we shall ponder this lovely idea before we bring it up with our sister."

Airy felt almost giddy inside as Princess Luna turned her gaze to the moon, humming slightly as she considered the idea. To Airy, it was obvious that Princess Celestia would not want her sun hidden beneath the moon, where land would be cast to darkness while ponies would be forced to watch the moon during the day.

No doubt one of many future seeds to drive antagonism between sisters.

"No problem, your highness" Airy spoke, fluttering her wings as she flew up from where she sat to face Princess Luna at eye level "I'm always willing to listen and offer advice should you ever need it... and please, there's no need for calling me miss; all my friends call me Airy... and if it's okay with you, I'd like to consider you a friend too, Princess Luna" Airy spoke in 'sweet' and 'caring' tone, watching as Princess Luna turned her gaze towards her.

And just as Princess Luna smiled at her, Airy knew that she succeeded at her gambit "Yes, we would like it very much... Airy" Princess Luna spoke in soft and lonely tone, not even noticing it herself as she gazed at her new 'friend' with smile on her face and glitter in her eyes.

Like hook, line and sinker.

The following few days went past quite pleasantly in Airy's opinion; During the day, she got to perceive a silent wedge grow between Princess Celestia and Princess Luna as the former spend more and more time in company of Princess Amore, negotiating new trade agreements while Princess Luna was given more and more time to wander the castle and the city as the days went by.

Just because the Crystal Heart was restored did not mean the Crystal Empire had not suffered months of inability to mine or harvest food on large scale. With summer starting to come to an end, even if it was summer year round within the dome that didn't mean they would be able to buy that much excess food that wouldn't be needed for the coming winter.

To Airy, it was clear that Princess Luna's suggestion had not been well received, just as she had planned. Airy capitalized on her chance by spending more time with Princess Luna, speaking idle things and comparing the land of Equestria to 'Luxendarc' as Airy painted a fictional image within Princess Luna's mind with false wonders of the world. In truth, Equestria sounded pretty similar to actual earth, so it was easy for Airy to create fictional wonders that would dazzle the inexperienced night princess with.

By the last days of Princess Celestia's and Princess Luna's visit, the talks between the small Cryst-fairy and the lonely lunar Alicorn lasted from breakfast to long evening hours, with Princess Luna's nightly duties becoming less important than her new best friend.

Sadly, all things have to come to an end.

As Princess Celestia and Luna stood before their royal carriage, Princess Amore exchanged idle farewells with the two Alicorn Princesses "While the original reason for your arrival was rendered pointless, It has been a pleasure to host your visit this last week. Even if this ended up being a far pleasant experience than expected, I hope that the next time we meet is under far less stressful reasons" Princess Amore spoke, with Princess Celestia nodding in agreement.

"Yes, hopefully the next time we see each other is a matter of joy, rather than presumed kingdom ending threat. We get those at least twice a year back in Equestria" Princess Celestia joked a little, sharing a laugh with amused Princess Amore.

Princess Luna on other hand merely held a polite smile, before turning her attention to where Princess Amore's closest were standing "Airy, a moment before we leave" Princess Luna spoke, receiving a curious look from amused Celestia as the tiny fairy flew forth, stopping next to Princess Amore "Yes, your highness?" Airy asked, watching as Princess Luna levitated a small lantern with green flame inside from the royal carriage.

"We have enchanted this lantern with magical flame. The flame does not harm living beings, it merely transfers the objects it burns to linked magical source, which would be our own horn" Princess Luna explained, levitating the small lantern forward till it hovered next to Airy "The objects it receives are materialized on nearby solid surface when the lid is opened, while temporarily holding them within itself for a day before returning it to sender should the lid remain closed. With this, we can keep in touch despite the vast distance between Equestria and Crystal Empire" Princess Luna finished just as Airy completed her own observations.

"Thank you, your highness. I'll make sure that the lid is always open, so that we may talk whenever you desire" Airy said as she curtsied mid-air, before gesturing to Shard Tackle. She quickly understood the message, walking over and taking the offered lantern, bowing to the Princesses before backing away to where she had originally been standing.

"However, I have a question of my own; If such a thing is possible, why is it not more widespread? It would certainly change the communication between kingdoms" Airy inquired, only to receive a shake of the head as Princess Luna replied "It is a spell that requires quite a lot of magical power to send messages, one which our nature as Alicorn negates due to our great magical nature. As for the lantern, it feeds upon the passive magic of the Crystal Empire, which is more than enough to sustain it. As long as the flame stays lit, the link between is always open; the moment it's extinguished means it would need to be reestablished by the caster, which is why they are not in wide use... There simply are not enough powerful beings nor magical places to justify more than a hoof full at most in the entire world" she answered, causing Airy's eyes to widen as she bowed in 'respect'.

"I shall make sure to always treasure it and keep it safe, your highness" Airy spoke, using a tone of 'caring' and 'respect', at which Princess Celestia smiled at "Yes, a truly kind gesture of respect and trust. Hopefully one day, your future research might reveal a better way to keep in touch. Now, it is time for us to leave, we shall be in touch later for any future plans" she said, before turning to Princess Amore as she bowed her head, with Princess Luna repeating the gesture as Princess Amore bowed her head in return.

And thus, the royal visit came to an end as Princess Celestia and Princess Luna turned and walked away, entering their royal carriage and closing the door as the Equestrian Envoy began to move, pulling the royal carriage and the empty supply carriages with them as they took flight to the skies while the crystal ponies cheered and waved their goodbyes.

Meanwhile, Airy smiled as she waved her hand at the faraway carriage in the sky, her mind racing with fresh opportunities she'd have in the future and wicked plans to further her goals. It appeared that even those compared to 'divines' by the common ponies were not above being fooled by pretty words and kind manners... She'd certainly have fun figuring out how to replicate the lantern's magic to transport entire armies around the world; it sounded like a mere long distance teleportation though matter-to-energy and energy-to-matter conversions.

Airy loved this naive, stupid world...

Author's Note

I make no excuses nor give any apologies for taking so long with this chapter, for procrastination is the greatest curse. Besides minor changes, most of this chapter was written before the last chapter was released. So, don't expect regular updates.

Now, to explain one thing; I said in chapter 4 that it took Scorpan nine years to travel home and back to Equestria. However, what I did not mention (or rather, what Scorpan forgot to mention to princesses) is that his trip by foot to other side of the planet merely took two and a half years one way, with total of five years back and forth and that he spend better part of four years trying to convince his brother to not invade Equestria.

Obviously, this didn't work. However, since Scorpan and Tirek traveled blindly by foot instead of boats and maps, their sense of direction and other distractions caused them to take 2 and half years to cross the world (their homeland is roughly opposite of Equestria in my story)

Anyway, none of this is relevant to this or future sequels, merely something I wanted to mention. I hope you had fun reading and hey, apparently "Skeletor, Master of the Empire" also recently updated so... have fun reading that.

Oh... and next chapter, we adding sex tag because Airy's gonna get lewd.