The orange maned unicorn paced, agitated. He had reams of progress to report, and nopony to report it to.

The libraries of the Crystal Empire were not as broad in the scope of topics they covered as the national repository in Canterlot, but for certain specialized knowledge, no other collection ran as deep. And he had delved deep, indeed, searching for any lore that might tell of magic leaks during sex, bulk fertility spells, or mass orgasm events powering a time crossing causality excursion which might lead to themselves. The M.O.E. hypothesis was his own original work; he didn’t find it particularly promising but it was sounder than some of the more flighty theories that had been bantered around among the princesses.

The notion of one pony using, not only another pony’s power (the well known phenomena of mana leaching) but also their specific abilities, fell outside the Crystal library. Certain volumes in his own accumulation of tomes did have the range to shed some light. They didn’t, however, because the topic was completely unknown. During the formal debunking of the so-called Maethrill’s Stave of Sameitude he had acquired many of the texts most likely to answer this question, had an answer existed.

If not for the classified nature of the investigation, he would have liked the excuse to request Starlight Glimmer’s expertise. Even if Starlight could no longer use time magic (there were several D.A. degrees worth of research right there and she had a small herd of graduate students regularly pestering her to endure this or that new test) she was the expert on that particular branch of thaumaturgy. If the Princess would only listen to him, he’d try again to get Starlight added to his team.

But her Highness, the Princess of Sex, (Love, he corrected himself, lest he accidentally say it out loud) had returned from Canterlot no longer interested in his findings.

“I’m telling you that the spell affected events occurring before it was even cast,” he said.

“Twilight can cast a number of mid class time spells. If an untrained earth-pony wielded her power during a moment of orgasmic telepathy, who’s to say what random mess climax, and lust, and unfamiliar sensations, and time effects, might concoct together? I wish he had just turned himself into a squid.”

“Not friendly, Princess. And that whole magic leak theory is insane.” Long association had taught Sunburst to speak frankly to Princess Cadance. “An earthpony does not just ‘accidentally’ wield his lover’s power during physical congress. There would be rumors of such things. There would be records. I would have read about it. It has never happened. Ever. I have to meet him.”

“That is the official theory and nopony from the Crystal Empire will be challenging it. And nopony will be meeting him, either. Celestia has banished him to his home world.”

“Banished‽How can you let that happen? Foal boom and chaos aside, they’re in love!”

Cadance tossed her head and didn’t answer.

“Love, Princess!”

“Firstly,” she snorted angrily, “I know nothingcontrary to the prophesy Celestia cites, and secondly, she is my Aunt, she ismy liege, and she is far more powerful than I am. How would you propose I stop her?”

“Perhaps raising an objection on the logical merits of the case. What about Twilight?”

“Feh. She brought it upon herself, whatever shenanigans are ahoof. Hopefully her future bedmates will not cause so much trouble if they can be properly vetted before she falls in love.”

“That’s not what I meant, and you shouldn’t try to control who she’s with.” He had been forced to escape more than one of her arranged relationships and was very familiar with the Princess of Sex’s antics.“Your Highness, this is important. We have to tell Princess Celestia, and I need to debrief this lover of Princess Twilight’s.”

And we ought to try to get them back together, somehow, he didn’t say. Cadance was clearly too angry to care.

“And I say that we do not. Any anecdote based theory that may have developed after Celestia kicked me off the investigation is strictly off the record.”

‘Top mages’ – what kind of foal did Auntie take her for? Cadance was the top mage for a project like this.

“You’re what?”

“Off the investigation. While I was still meeting with her, Auntie’s spooks ejected my entire team out of our office space in Canterlot and carried away every single file. As far as the Crystal Empire is concerned, the research is over. No more theories out of you, your research assistants can go back to their regular duties.”

Pox on Celestia, Cadance thought angrily, and pox on Twilight too for triggering the whole mess! After Celestia’s slight, Cadance could care less what had driven the younger princess to taking up with a human after rejecting so many suitable pairings. The Princess of Love would wait until Twilight was begging for a replacement for the missing human and she’d send the young princess a pack of the worst rejects from her own bed.

“Yes, your Highness.” If she would not accept his findings, all he had left to offer her was obedience. “What do we do with the information I’ve gathered?”

“Burn it. Burn it all.”

“As you command. Nopony will ever know.”

—

Sunburst was still seething when he reached his home. Instead of turning down the path towards his front door, he launched a Silent Flame spell at the small structure. There was no light produced, no heat, but within the hour the dwelling would be consumed with all its contents. Already ash was drifting silently in the night, mixing with the falling snow, as he walked down the street.

The guards at the city gate let him pass unquestioned, simply noting the hour in their log. They were used to his comings and goings on royal errands.

Having obeyed the Princess’s last command, there was nothing more for him in the Crystal Empire.

Without looking behind him, the ronin sorcerer headed out into the cold wasteland.

Author's Note

This marks the end of the

02023 Summer Sun Celebration Surge

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