Dreams of Forever

I've missed you, Lulu.

I know I wasn't the greatest sister, but all you needed to do was speak to me.

We could have worked something out...

I can only hope that your return tonight will be one to celebrate, rather than regret.

"Sergeant Fleeting Dust, your highness." The guardsmare stood at attention, eyed over by the purple princess that circled her.

"What's your history with the royal guard?"

"Formerly a member of the Lunar Guard Night Operations Division, I've served in the guard for over a full term and am on my second."

"Other than what you have already been able to gather from public or castle sources, do you know who Somnia is?"

"No, I haven't had the pleasure of being let in on those conversations."

"Not many have." The captain spoke up from across the room. "It isn't exactly something they want ponies to know until its already too late."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Twilight turned to face him.

"She really hasn't told you, has she?" The captain put down his newspaper. "That filly's going to get more powerful than even Princess Celestia."

"I know that, but why don't they want ponies to know?"

"Simple." He picked back up the newspaper. "Strategic surprise. Can't kill her when she's too powerful, but kill her while she's getting there and you'll avoid losing in the future."

Twilight gritted her teeth. Everypony seems to think she's in mortal danger, but there hasn't been a single issue that hasn't been handled with ease by the Royal Guard. It can't be that bad if they are only assigning three ponies to her.

"Shield, a little help." Somnia grunted out as she pushed against Spike, wooden blade to her throat.

"You started it, you end it." He chuckled.

"Ready to say sorry?" The dragon taunted.

"In your dreams, scaly-face."

"Somnia! That's rude." Twilight chastised getting two confused glances from the mock combatants.

"It's an accur- WOAH!" Spike was flipped onto his back, sword knocked away as Somnia reversed their roles. "Hey! That's dirty!"

"No, this is dirty." She let go of her sword and kissed him on the lips, stunning him in place for a few seconds.

"Gah!" He pushed her off, picking up both of the wooden swords and shaking his head as he walked away. Twilight could tell he wasn't angry. From the smile he was failing to suppress, he actually liked it.

Turning back to the mare, she briefly caught her cringing before returning to a stoic expression. Sighing, Twilight dismissed her to go guard the door outside the library before walking over to Somnia learning how to bandage another pony.

"Somnia, I'm going to be away tonight and I'm also leaving tomorrow evening for Manehattan. Do you want me to get you anything while I'm there?"

"I dunno, a postcard?" She mumbled out with the gauze in her teeth, trying and failing to get the bandage on Shield's foreleg while he read with the other.

"Straighter." He passively said, not taking his gaze from the articles.

"Ya know, you can help us with the bat problem?" Twilight waited on the filly's response, receiving nothing. "Captain, can you tell her that if she wants to--"

"I heard you the first time." The filly spit out the gauze roll. "Can you show me again, Shield?"

Twilight walked towards the door, stopping when Somnia yelled out to her. "Wait, you're going to Manehattan?"

"Didn't you hear me the first time?" Twilight turned back at her, grin plastered onto her face.

"Well, yeah, but it just registered." She trotted over, putting on her sweetest and ultimately fake pleading smile. "Can I have a sleepover with the CMC while you're gone?"

"I don't know. Captain, do you think she deserves to see her friends?" She cheekily smiled to the stallion.

"Hmm... Sounds pretty dangerous." He leaned back, smiling to both of them. "I could probably get the team together to discuss security options, but no guarantees."

Leaning down to Somnia's ear, Twilight whispered her answer. "If they want to, it's okay with me. Just don't make a mess of the library."

"Thanks, mom!" She gave Twilight a hug before trotting out of the library.

"It's a sleepover. What could possibly--"

"Don't say it!" The captain threw down his newspaper and pointed at her.

"What do you think?"

"Sounds good to me!" Scootaloo looked to the other two crusaders.

"I'll have to ask Rarity, but she'll probably be okay with it." Sweetie tentatively agreed.

"Granny prob'ly will be okay with it. Question, where are we doin' this sleepover?" The final crusader turned to Somnia.

"Well, anywhere really. The library will be free for us to use since mom and Spike are away. The guards will make sure we aren't without some adult nearby, so I don't think that anypony would object to my choice."

"Then it's settled!" Apple Bloom and the other fillies put their hooves into the center of the table. "CRUSADER SLEEPOVER AT TWILIGHT'S LIBRARY! YAY!" Somnia winced at the volume they put off on their own.

"Oww..." She rubbed her ears, and from where she sat, she could see Dusty doing the same. "Maybe not so loud next time?"

"Eh, how else are we going to make it official?" Scootaloo responded with a smug smile.

"Yeah, I think I heard that." Somnia checked her hooves to make sure her ears weren't bleeding. "Meet you at Sugar Cube Corner after dinner?"

"Deal!" They yelled in unison, letting Somnia go on her way, but not before casting a glance towards Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon who were watching from the furthest part of the playground.

"Where to next, Somnia?" Dusty stood at attention for the approaching filly. Somnia hadn't actually thought this far ahead. She didn't need to go back to the library for anything, but there was something she wanted to do.

"To the Everfree Forest! But first, we need to grab something from the library." She commanded, trotting off down the path from the schoolhouse. They briefly stopped by the library to don some saddlebags on each them before heading off towards Fluttershy's cottage. As they got close to the forest's edge, she could already see some of the renovations done around the edges. She expected signs, not a full log wall covered in thorns. There were two gates into and out of the Everfree closest to town, but the one near Fluttershy's would suffice.

Quickly going underneath the magic crystal, she waited for Isirilas' approval. The crystal glowed green and she stepped forward to let Dusty get scanned. Upon the green signal, Somnia trotted off into the woods with her nervous guard following close behind.

In the brush to the side, Somnia caught a glimpse of a timber wolf trailing their path. Her destination was clearly marked by signs put up by the newly formed Ponyville Everfree Patrol. The paths were also much safer since Isirilas agreed to compromise on the measures. While they still had the ultimate authority on who to accept or deny, as long as the pony was going to either the old castle or Zecora's, and respected the forest, then they were okay with it.

"Are you sure it's safe to be traveling through here?" The sergeant behind her questioned, her eyes focused on the timber wolf trailing them.

Safer than traveling through that blister at the edge of my beautiful forest.

"Did- Did the forest just talk?!"

"Yup! That's Isirilas." Somnia kept happily trotting along. "They're an old friend."

"Right, talking forests and ghosts..." She muttered as they continued to walk towards their destination. After a couple more minutes they arrived at the Castle of the Two Sisters with its newly repaired rope bridge. Once they got across, she had to ask: "Why are we here?"

"The old lab in the basement still needs to be cleaned out." Somnia stated. "That's why we both got saddlebags. I wanted to grab any of the good equipment still left before Isirilas begins reclaiming the lower levels."

They entered into the castle, grabbing one of the spare torches the patrol team stockpiled at the site before descending deep into the castle's depths. The passive light ceased, leaving them only with torch light by the time they got to the second lowest level. Somnia got up on Dusty's back to hold the torch while she focused on trudging her way through the water that went past her barrel.

"How do you know where we're going? We could just be wandering aimlessly for all I know." The guardsmare questioned.

"Trust me, we're on the right path. Take a right." They continued through the hallways, marking the corners with mud to find their way back. They eventually came to a series of large double doors covered in vines.

"Isirilas, did you break the magical seal?"

Centuries ago.

"Can you open the door then?" Somnia giggled. The doors were pulled apart by the vines revealing the half-flooded chamber with all manner of alchemy and enchanting equipment. The bookshelves had their lower shelves ruined by the flooding, but the top halves were still good. "I'll need to tell mom about this."

Examining the equipment, she picked out a few of the relatively intact items. A few flasks, tubes, crystals, and a small machine or two. "Hmm... We'll need to come back again for the bigger stuff. Hopefully I can get Shield to help us with that."

"Why do you want this junk?" She readjusted her armored hoof, touching a piece of glass under the water.

"It's not junk! It's priceless!" She leaned close to Dusty's ear. "Knowledge is potential, supplies are limitations, preparation is everything."

"Did you come up with that?"

No, I did. Grar responded.

"Of course." She rolled her eyes, heading back through the hallways using her mud markings to find her way back. Once they had ascended the stairs she took a moment to clear out the water from her armor while Somnia emptied water from the saddlebags.

"What do you think can be made with this?" She asked, Dusty getting cut off as the ghost responded.

Minor potions mostly. The advanced equipment is needed for anything more complicated than a sneezing potion.

"You made me trudge through water, risking any number of infectious parasites, for a prank?!" Dusty yelled at the filly who looked back at her confused.

"What? No, I made you trudge through water, risking any number of infectious parasites, so that I can stay up longer."

"We have coffee!"

"Not good enough. I need something better than coffee." She started repacking the saddlebags with the equipment. "And they have other uses. If you have a headache, or stomach ache, or if you have allergies..."

"Fine, whatever. Are we done here?"

"Almost." The filly put the saddlebags back onto each of them. "I need to look for a book."

They quickly went over to the library where Somnia picked out four books to carry with her, balancing each of her saddlebags. Without delay, they began their trek through the forest. Partway through, Somnia took a rest from the added weight, but they made it back before Dusty shifted off for the day.

Unpacking at the library, Somnia spotted the table had been set up in the downstairs laboratory for her to work with. One of the books was put onto the table while the other three were brought upstairs and placed next to her bed.

"Thanks again for helping! This will be so cool!" She squealed, turning in circles excitedly.

"Thank me after I get checked for parasites." Dusty shook her head, leaving to stand watch at the door.

Somnia trotted over to her bed and grabbed one of the books. She went to the downstairs reading area to study it in depth, making sure not the miss any of the details.

'Queen Faustinia: Fact and Fiction'

"What are you reading?" Twilight peeked over her daughter's shoulder. "Looks old."

"Huh?" Somnia rubbed her eyes. "Oh, I went to the old castle like I said. There's a few books in the basement you might want to save. Enchanting and alchemy tomes, mostly."

"Isn't the basement--" She gasped. "How many were ruined?"

"A few shelves." Somnia shrugged. She didn't exactly know how many other shelves might have been underneath the water, but if she had to take a guess, probably at least twelve pony lengths. Not that she would tell her mother that, if only for her sake.

"Wait, why were you in the basement?" Twilight narrowed her eyes. "Not planning anything, are you?"

Somnia leaned back, taking a sip from her cup before hoofing it over to her mother. Taking a small sip, Twilight's eyes opened wide. "Woah, that's strong."

"Grar knows more than those books. He taught me how to make this, and he even told me about its limits and side-effects."

One cup every twenty-four hours, do not take in conjunction with fruit or it will counteract the effect, caffeine should be avoided for maximum impact. If you find your urine is brown, discontinue use.

"How did you even discover this?" Twilight examined the liquid within the cup. "It looks and tastes like juice."

Experimentation with fauna and flora during my early millennia on Equus. I kept up to date as plants and animals evolved, even cultivating my own specialized plants to fulfill functions I couldn't find elsewhere. When you have all the time in the world, you find ways to entertain yourself.

"Know anything to stop vampire fruit bats from eating apples?" Twilight grinned hopeful.

A laser to the chest or cutting off their head works. I could give you an appetite suppressant recipe if you don't have the nerve to kill them directly. Immediately getting a frown from the princess as her hopes were crushed.

Somnia went to grab the cup but Twilight pulled it out of her reach. "This is mine now. You can make more for tomorrow. Can it be frozen or left standing?"

Depends. Do you like having brown urine that slowly turns red until your kidney's fail? Or that, plus strokes?

"Point taken." Twilight gulped the last of the drink down, shaking her head at the sudden surge in energy. "Seriously though, here's your chore since you're going to be living here. Make three cups every morning. It will be a massive boost in productivity to get going right out of bed."

"No fruit for breakfast?" The filly frowned.

With a sigh: "Are you willing to put up with the sacrifice of fruit for breakfast?"

"No..."

"Then I guess we'll manage." Twilight tried thinking of something else she could do. "Grar, do you know any good recipes for magical potency?"

Got horn dysfunction, princess? He joked getting a giggle from his host.

Twilight rolled her eyes. "Do you or don't you?"

Several. To what degree and what risk?

"As high as possible without carrying serious risk?"

Sleeping is pretty good for that. Everything else carries risks, including horn dysfunction from overuse. Don't do drugs, Twilight.

"It's not a drug! It's a potion!"

"Same thing." Somnia pawed at her. "Come on. Do you really think that you can separate alchemy and chemistry by what's a 'drug' and what's a 'potion'?"

Alchemy is just magical chemistry.

"Alright, fine!" Twilight shook her head. "You win this time. I want to know what other recipes you have though."

"Oh!" Somnia grabbed a baggy from under the table filled with a white, chalky substance. "Try some of this!"

"What is it?" Twilight floated out a small lump, smelling it briefly before putting it into her mouth. It was... fruity? Not too dissimilar to a pear.

"It's artificial flavoring! Not very nutritious, but tasty to add an extra touch without actually using the fruit!" She squee'd.

"That's... kinda cool, actually." Twilight swirled the flavored rock on her tongue. "What's used in it?"

"A flower that matches the fruit and the blood of skunks to bind it together!"

Twilight never spat out something so quickly in her entire life.

"Blood of a skunk?" Fluttershy asked concerned.

"You've got to make me that pick-me-up, darling. It would help with those last minute arrangements." Rarity batted her eyes at the filly.

"Don't tempt her, don't know what she'll do." Dawn chuckled as he followed the group to Sweet Apple Acres.

"Hey! I'm not a floozy!" The filly fussed, getting confused looks from the elements, minus Twilight who narrowed her eyes at the guard.

"I'm only trusting you because she trusts you." Twilight poked his armor. "Any funny business and you're gone, understood?"

"Crystal." He smirked back at her, popping another pear-crystal into his mouth. "Want some?"

Nopony took him up on the offer except Rainbow Dash, much to the disapproval of Fluttershy. After getting Applejack, they spread out in the orchard, each taking a row except for Somnia and Dawn who walked together.

"Mom doesn't like you very much." Somnia spoke up after a minute or two. "I don't know if it's because of what we did or what you are."

"Does she even know?" He finished off the baggy, tucking the wrapper into one of the attached pockets on his armor.

"I doubt we can avoid tell- WHAA!" Somnia fell to the ground as something flew right over her, directly into Dawn. Looking up, she should have been terrified but couldn't help but smile at the sight.

"A- Eh, a little help?" Dawn struggled against the batty Fluttershy licking his face and neck, nibbling on occasion.

"Aww..." Somnia got up and went over to the stallion in distress. "You know, she looks pretty cute as a batpony."

"This is batty beyond batponies!" He managed to get to his hooves, although Flutterbat kept aggressively attempting to get him to return her affections. "Where's the flashlight?" He checked the spot on his armor where it was supposed to be, but it wasn't there.

Somnia took a quick look around before spotting it laying on the ground. "Found--" Flutterbat dove onto it, breaking it with her hoof. "It..."

She returned to assaulting the poor guard who kept her at bay. "Go get the others! I'll keep her busy!"

"No bucking!" Somnia ran off while he kept her at leg's length.

"Damn, you're a lot friskier than I expected." He whispered as she sniffed and licked at him, going after his legs to work her way up towards his head.

Another minute later, a flashlight illuminated the area above him as Rainbow Dash flew in followed by the other elements on hoof.

"Damn. She wants it bad!" Rainbow laughed. "Gotta get her outta the cottage sometime."

"I'm glad you- WOAH!" Dawn was pushed over by the mating-mode Flutterbat as she tried to excite his shaft from its sheath. "H-Help?"

"Alright, I think she's had her fun." Twilight grabbed Flutterbat in her magic to pull her away. "Rarity, do you think you can hold her in your magic while I reverse the spell?"

"She's a bit... rough." Rarity commented as Flutterbat attempted to break free of the magical hold, occasionally getting the princess to strain in order to keep her grip.

"Hmm..." Twilight put a hoof to her chin in thought.

"If only we had Fluttershy to do her Stare on the Flutterbat." Pinkie sulked, giving Twilight an idea.

"This will sound crazy, but it just might work..."

"Are you done?" Dawn asked while keeping Flutterbat from going the next step with his enlarged member.

"I think we are ready." Twilight held up a mirror next to him. "I just need you to get her to look into the mirror without looking into it yourself."

"Easier--" He went in for another kiss to placate the impatient tease. "Said--"

"I can do it. Just float it behind me." Somnia walked over to the impromptu lovers, hissing at Flutterbat as she tried kissing Dawn again. The two began aggressively hissing back and forth at each other until Somnia got close enough to kiss her. Floating the mirror behind Somnia, Rarity nodded to Somnia from the side. Dropping the kiss and ducking out of the way left Flutterbat staring completely dumbstruck into the mirror while Twilight performed her spell.

Wrapped up in a magical cocoon, the former bat-pony was turned back into a regular pony, Twilight gently putting down Fluttershy onto the ground.

"Oh... where am I?" She rubbed her head as the girls gathered around her cheering.

"Thank goodness you're okay!" Applejack exclaimed, helping her friend back up.

"But... what happened to me?"

"You turned into a vampire pony!" Pinkie happily stated.

Fluttershy gasped. "I tried to eat ponies?!"

"Kinda. You were a bit rough on Mr.Dawn over there." She pointed over to the stallion that got up to wipe himself off. A few bites managed to break skin, causing a few droplets of blood to run down his neck and armor.

"Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry!" Fluttershy trotted over to make sure he was alright.

"Next time, warn me when you are going apple crazy." He winced as he stretched a bit, pulling a particularly painful muscle back into something more normal. "You really need to get laid."

"Wha- What?" Fluttershy was completely taken aback, looking to her friends for clarification but they all kinda agreed in their own ways with nods or words of agreement. "I-I..."

"You kinda were goin' heat crazy." Applejack spoke up from the group.

"Fluttershy, we need to talk." Rainbow Dash put her leg around her friend's withers. "There's plenty of stallions out there, we just got a find one that will treat you right."

"What?"

"Or mares, if that's what you prefer."

"What are you talking about?! What did I do?!" She yelled out, completely terrified she tried to--

"You were grinding on me." Dawn finally said, stretching out his back leg. "Full, mare-in-heat grinding. Damn... That was something..."

"Steady colt." Somnia approached him, planting her lips on his. "You're mine."

"Somnia!" Twilight teleported over pushing her away from him. "What do you mean? Y-You... You didn't..." At the filly's suggestive smile, she turned around smacking Dawn in the face with as much strength as she could muster in her hoof, knocking him to the ground. "FOAL-FIDDLING BASTARD!"

Dawn spit out some blood onto the ground, turning Twilight's anger into concern. "You can be one mean mama bear..."

"Why am I not surprised?" Rarity deadpanned, narrowing her eyes at the scene unfolding.

"I'm so sorry, Mr.Dawn." Fluttershy rushed over. "Can- Can you forgive me?"

"Save my rump from your friend, and all's forgiven." He chuckled, readjusting his jaw with a click.

"Twilight?" She turned up to the alicorn staring at the two of them.

"Did... Please tell me you didn't..." Twilight pleaded.

Somnia saddled up to her mother, a massive shit-eating grin on her face. "I guess we'll find out in a week or two if I'm preg--"

"BUCKING--" The enraged mother was held back by Rainbow Dash and Applejack as she went in to literally kick him while he was down.

Dear Princess Twilight Sparkle,

I understand your concerns, however both Somnia and Broken Dawn have been very forward about what happened. His assignment will remain so long as Somnia wishes for him to remain. I have recommended a few gelding clinics below if you believe that this will be a consistent problem between them.

Let me know how the test goes. I pray it is negative, for both your sake.

Yours truly,
Princess Celestia of Equestria

Not even a minute later. Not a minute after the letter was sent that she replied. She knew about it and didn't tell her.

"That's crazy." Dusty shook her head, returning back to disinfecting the bite marks on Dawn, enjoying the story as Somnia recited it to her. "If only I had been there to see that."

"It's not funny!" Twilight turned back to the group. "She could be pr--" She stopped herself from repeating it, instead turning the thought into a growl.

"What's wrong with another royal family member?" Somnia sat back rubbing her belly.

"You're too young! That's what's wrong! And you!" She pointed at Broken Dawn. "I swear I'll--"

"Get in line." He quipped back, bumping hooves with Somnia. "I've already got two princesses gunning after me, three if you include in the sexua--"

"NO!" Twilight turned back. "I don't want to hear it!"

"Don't worry, princess." Dusty walked over to her. "She's probably not... that. Didn't you hear about when she talking about alicorn fertility?"

"It's the principle of it!" Twilight turned to the guardsmare. "Aren't you bothered by it?"

"Yeah, but throwing a fit won't solve anything. He's a pervert and she's a slut, but calling them what they are isn't going to change either of their minds."

"Then what will?" Twilight whimpered out. "I've tried, and tried, but nothing's worked..."

What I told you from the beginning. Let her be who she is. She will struggle, she may even be badly hurt, but that is the best way for her to learn. When you outlive everypony else, all mistakes are temporary. Grar spoke up.

"He's probably right." Shield glanced up from the book he was reading. "I hate to say it, but she's a complete disaster waiting to happen and all we can do is watch until it comes to a stop or we need to step in."

"Yeah, they're probably right." Somnia admitted. "I don't always think things through."

That's an understatement.

"Shut up, Grar. You aren't much help either!"

But you had fun that night!

"You could have told me it was alcohol!"

"Wait." Dawn shook his head. "He didn't tell you it was alcohol?!"

It was too much fun to see her drunk!

"I hate all of you." Dusty groaned, going back outside to stand guard.

"Somnia, how do you come across these ponies?" Twilight asked, looking for something, anything to give some rationale for the madness.

"I don't know. I get stuck with them or I like them." She shrugged, going back to to reading her book indifferent to the chaos she trails along with her. Choosing to get some fresh air, Twilight went outside where Dusty was standing guard idly.

"I can't do this." Twilight leaned against the sign to the library. "I just can't..."

"Permission to speak freely, princess?"

"Yeah, why not?" She dismissively waved to to the guardsmare, returning the hoof to rub her head.

"You're probably going about this the wrong way. I don't mean to sound harsh, but from my limited time with Princess Somnia, I've seen that she responds better when you work with her, rather than against her".

"I've tried that! It didn't work." Twilight turned to her. "She's still a little devil that spreads chaos wherever she goes!"

"That's kind-of the point." The guardsmare leaned her spear against the bushes. "If you can't work with her, and you can't work against her, you work around her. She's going to do more insane things and say things you don't agree with, but if you learn how to deal with the worst of it then you can temper her behavior to within tolerable limits. It's parenting 101 for teenage ponies."

"But its all so much! She goes about doing whatever she pleases, giving no thoughts to how other ponies feel about it!"

"Other ponies, or just you?" She raised a brow. "Does she see your perspective? Have you tried talking to her, one-on-one, alone? Do you know her perspective? Do you know why she does what she does?"

"Because she's a borderline suicidal filly that thinks she knows how to handle herself!" Twilight marched over to the guard. "And no, she doesn't care about what any other pony thinks about her behavior!"

Dusty bit her lip, mulling over what she had said. "Princess, has there been a time where she did listen to you? That you dissuaded her from behaving recklessly?"

Twilight thought back. Each time they had a quiet moment to chat, Somnia or Grar gave away some small hints about her motivations, and Twilight tried explaining to her why she shouldn't or making a compromise. "Yeah, she has listened to me before."

"What's different about now compared to then?"

It slowly dawned on her. "It's me. I didn't listen to her side. I didn't give her a chance to convince me. I was so caught up in my anger I didn't listen her."

Dusty grabbed Twilight's shoulders. "Look at me." The princess reluctantly turned to the mare. "She's a complete mess, yes, everypony was correct about that. You can't fix that. Only she can. The best you can do is soften the fall and dissuade what you can. Nopony expects you to be a perfect parent, because there's no such thing as a perfect parent."

"Princess Celestia wanted me to keep her on a tight schedule, make sure she--"

"Forget Celestia, forget all of it. This isn't an ordinary situation with some foal with barely any critical thinking. She's smarter than she makes herself out to be, even if she doesn't realize it. Keeping Broken Dawn around? A control tactic. Keeping those close who she feels comfortable with, even if you disagree with what they do in their time alone. She chose me out of the three candidates. Why? Because she believes she can control me, that I won't be a threat to her or you. And you know what? She's right."

"But... I don't understand. How can she control you?"

"You see a filly that puts somepony on her guard who has a dislike for the other two guards and herself, she resents being there every second that passes. Why would she choose them over two other ponies that did want to be a part of her personal guard?"

"That doesn't seem very--"

"Because she sees that I'm not a mindless drone. She can convince me, even if it takes a long time, she believes I can be convinced to her side. I'm a dissenting voice, compared to a captain that just wants to please his princess and her own rut buddy. I bet you, I can go in there and ask her to clean upstairs and she will do it with some convincing, but I'll never be able to break her up with either of the other two stooges. Why? Because she can trust me to be me and not to try to change her to be like me.

"I want you to think about this: What are the Elements of Harmony? Does she present each one?"

"Loyalty..." Definitely, she isn't willing to give up on a cause just because it is a hard fight. Even if that lost cause is a foal-fiddler or meat-eating pony. Or both.

"Kindness..." While she hasn't expressed it quite so delicately, she cares for the well-being of other ponies without beating around the bush. When somepony is hurting, she isn't one to sit by idly to watch, and she genuinely regrets hurting ponies.

"Generosity..." Not really much to go on, but she is willing to give her time to help others, even if she doesn't like it. Last night's event in the orchard was just the most recent example.

"Laughter..." Silly, obscene, playful. Absolutely.

"Honesty..." When push comes to shove, she always tells the truth, or finds a way to pass it off on somepony else to explain when its related to her past. She may not always say the truth right away, but her reasons come to light, for the better. Does Applejack lie? Hard to tell.

"Magic..." Are the guards her friends? Grar, Faustinia, and Isirilas certainly are, and she seems to treat the guards as friends. Sure, they were all horrible ponies except for maybe Shattershield, Fleeting Dust, and Faustinia, but they all seemed to genuinely care about each other for their own reasons.

"Do you see now? She's slowly demonstrating exactly what made you a princess. Give her time, I guarantee that you will see more of who she really is."

Twilight took a deep breath, calming her nerves. "How do you know all of this?"

"There's been no threats against her that I've seen, I've got a lot of time to stand around to think." She smiled back. "Now go in there and talk to that filly. She needs it, and you need it."

With renewed determination, Twilight gave the guardsmare a hug, whispering: "Thank you" To her before entering straight into the library, standing proud. Broken Dawn had changed out of their armor and had their saddlebags ready to return to the barracks, and the filly was pestering Shield about something, annoying him as he read a book.

"Lieutenant, I would like a word with you in private." Twilight motioned for him to follow her upstairs. Both Shield and Somnia watched them walk upstairs. Once the door had closed, Twilight faced down the guardstallion.

"More yelling?" He smirked.

"No." Twilight sighed. "I'm probably going to regret this... but I'll leave you be on three conditions."

"Protect her with my life, don't hurt her, don't get her pregnant. Yeah, that's pretty much what Princess Luna had told me."

Twilight blinked. "Y-You are already--"

"Yup." He walked over to her, getting close enough to whisper. "I wouldn't even dream of hurting her. I'm not a monster, I just made a huge mistake, and I'm suffering for it every day. I lost my rank, my command, my dignity, a sizable portion of ponies I considered friends, and the respect of every princess except for her. She's my only lifeline that doesn't involve returning back home to the jungles."

"That--"

"Doesn't sound healthy? No, it isn't. But we all have choices to make. I've made mine. You need to make yours." He walked past her, returning to downstairs leaving the princess behind to stew about what he had said.

A minute later, the door opened behind her before gently closing. "Mom? You wanted to talk?"

Did they plan this? She facehoofed. Of course...

"You saw this happen, didn't you?"

Somnia walked to in front of Twilight, offering a smile. "Yeah. I knew you were going to have a breakdown. I had Shield talk to Dusty about it while I was making more potion-base, and Dawny also needed to get on your good side."

Honesty... "So this was planned? Everything in the orchard...?"

"Nah, that just sorta happened." She giggled. "I admit, I did have fun. Thanks for inviting me to come along."

Laughter... "But you didn't need to come. You could have stayed here and played board games or..." She bit her tongue, not wanting to dwell on what Broken Dawn and she would have gotten up to.

"What's the point of doing that when I could be doing something helpful for my mom?"

Loyalty...? Wait. "Somnia!"

"Sorry. Force of habit." She saddled up next to her mother, nuzzling her neck. "Don't worry about me. Grar always gives me his input when he thinks its too much, and he's always watching over me."

"I know. But I still want to be involved in your life besides giving you things to eat and a place to live." She hugged the filly who wrapped her forelegs around her mother's body.

"And I don't want to push you away." Somnia admitted, looking up to her mother's eyes. "I'll always love you, even when I don't always show it or we argue."

"I love you too, Som. Don't ever think that I don't." The two sat embraced, simply taking in each other's presence.

The fillies waved off the train as it left for Manehattan, receiving waves in turn from the elements.

"So what are we gonna do first?" Apple Bloom asked, turning to the group. "I was thinkin' more crusadin' but..."

"I can watch. It's no problem for me." Somnia smiled to them.

"How did you get your cutie mark? Maybe we could try that." Scootaloo lowered her face to Somnia's flank, examining the cutie mark. "It looks complicated."

It was.

Sweetie squeaked before regaining her composure. "I completely forgot about Grar."

"So how'd it happen?" Apple Bloom went to Somnia's other flank.

"I, uh... It's too difficult to repeat." Somnia answered, hoping to change the topic. "And I don't think it can happen twice."

You would be correct. I'm still surprised it worked at all.

"Oh." Scootaloo backed away, getting a good look at Somnia. "Well, what about you, Grar? Did you have a cutie mark?"

No, nor could I receive one without serious modifications to my very essence. Only Children of Harmony may get cutie marks.

But I do have a recommendation: Forget about trying to get your cutie marks tonight. Have a good time at the sleepover without stressing out about it.

"I'm good with that." Sweetie agreed, receiving nods from the other crusaders. The group made their way back to the library where Lieutenant Dawn waited out front. Shield broke off from the fillies to have a word with his subordinate while they went inside the library.

"Dawn, you're here early."

"Couldn't sleep." He simply stated.

"Still on your mind?"

"Yeah. What do you think? Should I ask her out?"

The captain shook his head, chuckling. "Nah. She's an Element of Harmony, and if I'm right, probably not keen on relationships. I say rub one out then forget about her."

"Probably for the best." Dawn shrugged before winking to the captain. "Don't want any competition from the queen, now do I?"

"She'll kill you." The captain patted him on the shoulder, considering something bugging him. "Hey, did you get a badge recently with a note attached?"

"Yeah?" He rubbed the back of his head. "I mean, I get what they said. But it's really weird."

"Yeah." Shield looked around, only about two other ponies were in sight as well as a few birds. "Tell me if you learn anymore about who it could have been. I'm headed back to the barracks. Dusty and I will be back at sunrise." He walked away while Dawn returned to his guard stance. A minute later, Somnia opened the door and grabbed his hoof, leading him into the library. Up the stairs, he saw the fillies gathered in the center of the room around a lantern, all other lights having been extinguished. Luckily for him, he could see in the dark. Unluckily for him, it was four fillies, and he was completely alone with them.

"Dawny, we want you to tell us the story about how you got your cutie mark." Somnia nuzzled into him lovingly. "If you can spare a moment for the four of us..."

"Yeah. I can." He sat down next to Somnia, turning to the other curious fillies. "I was born and raised in Texcocoa, deep within the jungles of southern Equestria. We didn't have much money, or really anything, so I decided to join the local militia at a young age in order to patrol for threats."

"Wait, you were a guard when you were a colt?" Scootaloo leaned on her hooves, eyes shimmering. "That's so cool!"

"Not the guard. We had to form our militia because the guard didn't protect us." He clarified.

"But ain't the guard everywhere in Equestria?" Apple Bloom raised a curious brow.

He sighed. "Moving on, I was out on patrol with the other militia close to the edge of town, like any other patrol over the past couple of months, when we spotted chariots headed for the village. Returning to see what the fuss was about, we came face-to-face with the Solar Guard commanded by a Lieutenant Flare or something. We made our way over to the makeshift hut serving as the town hall, all the while hearing yelling coming from it.

"They dragged out our mayor in chains, surprising everypony who was around to watch. Our squad leader approached demanding to know why the mayor was being arrested." He scratched the back of his neck. "Something about 'conspiracy to commit treason', if I remember correctly. The mayor denied the allegation of course, demanding to the other members of the town to not stand for the act of tyranny."

"That sounds serious." Sweetie commented, her face etched with concern. "Were they guilty?"

Dawn shrugged. "Who knows? Never got to trial after what happened that day. The solar officer hit him in the face, knocking a few teeth loose onto the ground. 'Shut your mouth, you damn traitor!'" He mimicked the voice. "Our squad leader demanded to know precisely why they were arresting him, demanding some form of proof. The officer laughed in his face, ordering his guards to take the mayor to the waiting prison chariot. The mayor struggled free of their grip and made a run for it."

"Um, Dawny? Are you sure it's appropriate to tell them the rest?" Somnia snuggled into his side, pleading with her eyes. "It sounds like it doesn't end well."

"Aww, but it was just getting interesting!" Scootaloo exclaimed. "What happened next?"

The guard took a deep sigh. "They projected flames at him from their horns, burning him alive."

The crusaders froze. "Woah." Apple Bloom whispered. "That doesn't sound like the guard I know."

"You see the Royal Guard. All-purpose soldiers meant to serve as a defensive force in place of militias. The Solar Guard is closely linked with the E.U.P. military, focused on assault and warfare. Compared to the espionage and covert operations of the Lunar Guard, the Solar Guard is the opposite. Shock troops is the term used for them."

"D-Did the mayor survive?" Sweetie followed-up.

"What do you think?" He stared into her eyes, making sure the point got across before continuing. "Our militia leader didn't stand for it and attacked the officer, the rest of us following behind. I can still remember the smell when I woke up. It was a massacre. I was dragged to Canterlot and indicted as a traitor to Equestria. If it wasn't for the pardon Princess Celestia gave to the living militia members, I would still be in prison to this day."

"What happened to the lieutenant? Did they get punished for what they did?" Scootaloo asked hopeful, a hope that Dawn unfortunately crushed with a shake of his head.

"They falsified the reports. The only reason Celestia didn't sentence the militia was because of eye-witnesses. Twelve ponies were killed that day, the mayor, eight of the militia, two civilians that joined the fight, and a single bystander. The Solar Guard didn't even get a scratch on their armor, only the lieutenant got a bloody nose from the first punch."

"I can't believe they didn't punish that officer!" Apple Bloom huffed in aggravation. "They killed a pony in cold-blood!"

"That's solar justice for you." The guard shrugged. "Why I joined the Lunar Guard, so that I could prevent reckless guards from doing things like that. So that I could do it the right way."

"But how did you get your cutie mark?" Scootaloo asked confused about its lack of mention.

"Oh, right. I probably got it sometime after I was knocked unconscious." He admitted, lifting one of the plates on his armor to show the broken sun with sparks flying from it forming six stars. Somnia didn't really pay much attention to cutie marks normally, but that was something she couldn't ignore for whatever reason. Six stars... Shattershield's cutie mark had six stars embedded into a shield, Dusty had six stars trailed by dust clouds. Her own cutie mark...

I'll tell you its meaning another time. Do not worry, you will enjoy it when the time comes.

"Anyhow, that's how I got my cutie mark. Pointlessly charging trained soldiers and losing a few of my friends." He got back up. "Need anything else?"

"N-No, we're good." Somnia dismissed him. Once he had left, she let out a shaky sigh.

"That wasn't very good..." Sweetie winced. "I thought getting a cutie mark was supposed to be a happy thing."

"It did turn out well for him, didn't it?" Scootaloo countered. "He found his purpose. Joining the guard to make a difference, so that nopony was hurt by monsters like those other guards."

"You wanted to know how I got my cutie mark..." Somnia spoke up, looking away from them. "Do you really want to know?"

"Only if you're okay with it." Apple Bloom put a hoof on her shoulder. "If it's hard to talk about, we'll understand."

Closing her eyes, Somnia began. "I relived the entire experience through the eyes and feelings of Grar and the other creatures present, or maybe I somehow knew what was happening, I don't know. There's a lot I don't understand, but I saw enough to know what happened." She cleared her throat, opening her eyes and turning to the crusaders. "A couple of days after I was born, Grar took me down to his secret laboratory. It was a large chamber encircled by machines and thousands of chairs with all sorts of ponies and creatures locked into them. At the center were two platforms, one of which had a table.

"I was secured onto the table, metal being placed around my hooves so that I couldn't escape and a ring around my horn to prevent magical surges. Grar made one last check around the room, making sure the prisoners were secured and the machines working correctly."

"Wait, you used prisoners?! Like, ponies against their will?!" Sweetie stared in shock.

Better those who had their chance at a harmonious life than those who were innocent. They were meant to act as a buffer between myself and Somnia. Fodder for the magic I was about to use.

"What happened to them though?" Apple Bloom leaned forward along with the other two crusaders.

Somnia forced her eyes closed, tears forming at the edges. "Grar took his place on the other platform with the Councilor's Orb. It's in my nightstand upstairs. Then..." She choked back the tears, resulting a few droplets streaking down her cheeks. "T-Then..."

That's enough. You don't need to continue, I think they get the point.

"T-They deserve to know..." She sat up straighter, daring not to open her eyes. "It took less than a second. I don't actually know how long it lasted. The entire room was filled with a magical vortex, ripping apart the souls of every creature present. Me, Grar, the prisoners..." She shook her head as a few more tears dropped. "I can still feel the ache when I think about it. I shouldn't be able to, but I can. Grar had his skin and muscles melt down to the bone while the others were disintegrated in an instant."

"A-And you?" Sweetie asked, scooting over to put a leg around her shoulders to comfort her.

"I was crying and thrashing against the metal that melted against my legs." She held out a foreleg, pushing aside some of the fur near to the hoof. A weird wrinkled pattern on the skin revealed itself. "It felt... I-I don't know how it felt. It was so quick that I can't really understand what I experienced."

There is a word to describe it, however.

"Forever." Somnia stated simply. "Who I was before was erased from reality. My own mother didn't even know she had another daughter so recently. The only thing to tell them why I existed was a hoofful of unusual memories, the genetics test they performed, Grar lying half-dead next to me, the queen knowing there was an experiment being done, the missing pieces on certain records..."

The old Somnia, whoever they were, died that day. And I was the one to kill her.

The crusaders were in complete silence. Scootaloo was the first to ask the question: "What happened after?"

"The queen, my grandma, came looking for the Councilor's Orb. She struggled her way through the vortex and retrieved Grar, me, and the orb before activating the fail-safes in the upper laboratory to seal off that section to be forgotten. The only reason she lived was because of the Excalicorn Amulet, and Grar because his soul was so potent." She let out a shaky breath. "Both Grar and the queen were different when they recovered for the follow-up meeting of the royal family. They were both meaner, cruel even to friends and family."

The queen suffered lashings to her soul, and I had been quite literally split into two entities. One remained in my old body, the worst aspects of my former life, the other bonded directly to Somnia's soul. Princess Miracle Spark, who you know as Twilight Sparkle, was given Somnia when we discovered the genetics suggested she was the mother. After a few more days, Miracle Spark named her Somnia Temporus.

"O-Over twelve thousand creatures died that very second, a-and all f-for me." Somnia finished finally breaking down into sobs, hugging her face into Sweetie Belle's shoulder. While the unicorn filly patted her on the back, she looked to the other crusaders. Each one was in their own state of shock.

"I-I'm sorry..." Apple Bloom apologized, hanging her head. "I didn't realize it was so painful."

Somnia turned up, wiping away some of the remaining tears. "Nothing can be done about it now. What's done is done, and I have to live with it forever."

"Have you tried erasing your memories?" Scootaloo asked, getting curious looks from the other fillies. "I mean, I've heard some ponies having their memories erased of traumatic stuff."

You misunderstand, my little filly. She can't get them erased because she doesn't have them. Mentally, she is barely functional, a brain which sole duty is to act as a control panel for the body. I did the same thing with mine, albeit to a lesser degree. Her soul is what is keeping her alive and experiencing, and to remove something from a soul... that is far more painful than merely erasing a memory. Essentially impossible for somepony like Somnia as well.

"But that's enough of that." Somnia cleared her throat, looking into Sweetie's eyes with a half-smile. "I, um, kinda got a bit of snot on you."

"Huh?" Sweetie whispered, their mouths less than a hoof away from each other. "Oh, um, t-that's alright." She backed up a bit. "Where do you keep the tissue boxes?"

"There's one on my mom's desk." Somnia pointed over to the other side of the room. Sweetie took the lantern, leaving them in the dim darkness. "I'm sorry if you were expecting a happy ending, but not every story has one."

"That's alright, you got it out of your system." Scootaloo halfheartedly smiled. "Feeling better?"

"No, but I hope I never feel better about what happened." Somnia giggled. "I don't want to ever get used to the pain." She got up from the floor, stretching a bit as Sweetie came back over.

"Let's do something fun!"