Very formal affairs meant waiting to be announced in. That meant waiting in line. That also meant listening to gossip from the other people waiting in line.

"Announcing Jimsonweed, head of the Hallowed Shades Reclamation Expedition!"

A unicorn stallion hastily sniffed and whispered to the mare at his side. "She's probably here to try to beg for more funding. As if anyone would expend money on that hole in the ground. If it were worth anything, it wouldn't have been abandoned for a thousand years."

"Quite right," the mare agreed. "But you know, she's an Earthling."

"She is?" the stallion gasped. "You don't say. I had heard she grew up in the Crystal Empire. An Earthling, you say?"

"So I heard. Cumberbatch was saying so just the other day, over tea."

"That explains much. Earthlings have such preposterous ideas."

"Indeed."

Charlotte rolled her eyes. The two nobles were making a point of not looking at them. They might not know who Sunset was, but Andrea had to be someone they eagerly wanted to gossip about. They just weren't brave enough to do it within such close proximity. So they pretended she wasn't there instead.

"Announcing Sweetie Belle, Vice Headmare of the School of Friendship!"

"What became of that one stallion that held that position?" the noble mare asked her partner. "Sunspot or whatever his name was?"

"Sunburst," the stallion corrected. "He was simply getting on in years and retired, or so I was informed by a source in the know. He was magically weak, so not one of those that has an extended lifespan, unlike his wife."

"That must be dreadful, watching your spouse age at a far more rapid pace than yourself," the mare gasped. "This is why there shouldn't be unequal pairings. That stallion married far above his station. Starlight Glimmer was a fool to take such a common stock unicorn for her husband."

Charlotte could practically hear Sunset's teeth grinding. Starlight was a close friend of hers. She didn't make a scene. She was probably saving up for later.

"Starlight Glimmer is common stock herself, you know," the stallion said smartly.

The mare snorted. "No unicorn that powerful could have come from the peasantry. My theory is that one of her parents was a disgraced noble, or perhaps she is a bastard."

"Such scandal! Do you have any proof?"

"No, this is mere speculation, but it makes so much sense!" the mare insisted. "I am willing to stake my reputation that it is true. I wonder what house she could be secretly from."

"From Twilight Sparkle's house, perhaps?" the stallion suggested. "It would explain the princess's favoritism, and though it was a minor house for generations, it was known for producing powerful mages. There hasn't been a pony that didn't live past a hundred in that house in the past four generations."

"I think you are mistaken on that last fact. Sunset Shimmer came from that house, did she not? Could Starlight Glimmer be a secret love foal?"

"Oooohhh! That would be juicy! Starlight Glimmer assisting those barbarians in the murder of her own mother."

The line advanced, but as they were going forward, both the nobles suddenly tripped and fell flat on their muzzles.

"Oh dear, you should watch your step," Sunset said in mock concern.

The noble mare glared at Sunset as she got to her hooves. "Did you do this?"

"Me?" Sunset asked, laying a leg across herself defensively. "Somepony would have surely seen me light my horn if that were true. It was merely an accident. Perhaps you should lower your eyes as you walk."

The nobles looked around at others nearby to see if any would say that Sunset had been seen lighting her horn, but no one spoke up. Sunset's horn had remained without a corona the entire time— not that it meant anything. Charlotte knew that her other self knew a trick to conceal the use of her horn, at least with simple spells. She didn't doubt for a second who was responsible but managed to keep a smile off her face.

The noble mare looked no more convinced than Charlotte, as she gave Sunset a wrathful look. "Who are you? I don't recognize you."

"No one that the likes of you would concern yourselves with. Just a humble barbarian," Sunset answered. "Perhaps you should stop drawing attention to your misstep. Ponies will talk."

The stallion looked around at those nearby who were watching the exchange. "Come, dearest, let us go somewhere private to compose ourselves. Look at this creature; look at that garish scar! Just the thing you would expect out of an Earthling. It is clear she is too uncivilized to be spoken to. We shall rise above her."

"Ta-ta!" Sunset chirped as the two nobles exited the area to fix their faces and clothes after their fall.

With those two gone, the three of them were next to be announced. The guard, a lavender pegasus stallion in silver armor, grinned as they walked up. The two nobles had been annoying more than just the others in line. He then coughed into his hoof and led them forward.

"Announcing Sunset Blessing, personal student of Princess Luna! Along with her guests, Charlotte Portsmith and Andrea the Centaur!"

It was an interesting choice on how they labeled Sunset, although it was probably the title that made the most difference to these ponies. It was better than the announcement for Charlotte, which was basically, 'random pony not worth elaborating on'. Not that any possible title Charlotte could have been given at the moment was anything she wanted to be called.

It was all ponies present, not a human or other type of creature in sight. Most of them were obviously from out of town, since there was nothing crystally about them, but there were some crystal ponies present. Actually…no, there was someone who wasn't a pony present. At the far side of the room was a raised dais with five thrones. Two of the thrones were occupied by alicorns, while the other three sat empty. The center throne had a white alicorn with a purple and blue mane. That alicorn was considerably shorter than the one who sat to her right, who could be none other than Celestia herself. Standing to the left of the smaller alicorn was a bipedal figure who looked like a medieval plague doctor. They had the plague doctor mask, and they were completely covered in a black cloak. They even had black gloves on over what appeared to be human hands. There was a human here, and he or she was some sort of advisor. Why were they dressed like that? This was a formal party, not a costume party.

"Come, we need to show our respects," Sunset instructed as she started walking toward the thrones. Charlotte and Andrea followed in her wake. Ponies were all staring, primarily at Andrea, but some seemed just as curious about Sunset. Charlotte was an afterthought.

As they reached the thrones, Sunset did a bow, and Charlotte hurried to emulate her. Andrea made a valiant attempt with her legs, but it just wasn't working, and she instead did a bow with just her torso.

"Thank you for receiving us and for your hospitality, Princess Flurry Heart, Princess Celestia," Sunset said as she rose from her bow.

Flurry Heart inclined her head slightly in acknowledgement. "You're welcome in the Crystal Empire. I hope you will sit beside me for a bit to talk, your guests as well. I have not had the pleasure of meeting you before, but Luna speaks quite highly of you. I'm curious about the type of pony she chose as a student. I have heard stories about you." That last part had an edge to it that indicated that could be good or bad.

"This is our first meeting as well, and I am eager to converse with you too," Celestia added with a warm smile. "Please, join us beside our thrones. We can have the staff bring refreshments."

Sunset stepped up and took a place between the two princesses, Andrea stood off to Celestia's right, where she didn't seem as immense when compared to the tallest pony around, that left Charlotte to take the place to Flurry Heart's left alongside the plague doctor.

Flurry Heart glanced at him, then blinked. "I apologize; I didn't introduce my advisor, Order. I believe you and he are acquainted, Miss Blessing?"

"We know each other but never met face to face," Sunset answered. "Still just calling yourself Order?"

The plague doctor bowed his head. "You Americans butcher my Georgian name, you can only imagine what the Equestrians do to it. Order is easier."

Sunset raised an eyebrow at him. "You can speak to me? I thought you'd been banned."

The masked figure chuckled. "That ban is only for active wardens. We are on Equestria, we are not wardens here. The Marshmallow's ban has no impact on me."

Sunset pursed her lips. "But Phobia still hasn't spoken to me."

"Perhaps she is letting you stew," Order suggested.

So this was the mysterious Warden of Order, the human warden that retired a few years back. He was sometimes called the shadow warden because no one ever heard anything out of him. That wasn't surprising, he had in turn been the heir of the Warden of Silence, who had supposedly been legitimately mute. Both were said to have worked in secret, never causing a stir, but doing much behind the scenes. What they were doing was anyone's guess. The wardens never said.

And if he was now an advisor to Flurry Heart, that meant he wasn't done acting behind the scenes just because he was no longer a Dreamwarden.

"It's okay to stand next to Order, he doesn't bite," Flurry Heart assured Charlotte with a smile. "Just be careful not to touch him. He doesn't like to be touched. I know the mask is scary, but Order has an extreme fear of germs. I'm his ruler, and even I have never seen his face."

Charlotte cautiously stepped over beside the human, trying to keep as much distance between her and him as possible. As she sat down, he gazed down at her.

"The younger Sunset," he breathed. "You are strange."

Charlotte blinked and looked away. She had nothing to say to that.

Flurry Heart didn't look their way but spoke just loud enough for Order to hear. "Let's keep certain subjects unmentioned, shall we?"

He bowed his head. "Of course, my princess."

Celestia started the conversation. "You all have our deepest condolences for your recent losses. All of us are deeply saddened to hear what happened. We know nothing can banish the pain, but I recently saw one of your old Earth shows that had a quote I think expressed it perfectly. What is grief but love persevering? I hadn't heard it so eloquently expressed before. Earth has many thoughtful expressions."

"Thank you for your kindness," Sunset whispered, looking away.

Flurry Heart turned her attention to Andrea. "Most of the Empire's gossip reaches my ears fairly quickly. Your initial appearance caused a stir among my ponies. I hope everything has gone well since then."

Andrea smiled. "They have been very friendly. I don't think I have ever recalled a time I felt so free— although this dress is kind of constricting."

"You can go to a private room and take it off if you like," Flurry Heart said with a chuckle. "This might be a formal gathering, but I doubt most ponies are paying much attention to your dress when they look at you. If you enjoy your time here, I could help you find permanent employment. You would fit right in among my ponies."

"I thought Celestia was the ruler," Charlotte spoke up. "Why is she sitting second-stage to you?"

Celestia was the one to answer. "The Crystal Empire might be one of Equestria's protectorates, but it is a self-governing territory. My niece might be my vassal, but I am in her domain."

"And since the portal between Earth and our world is placed in the Crystal Empire, it is my call on who is allowed to cross into my realm," Flurry Heart said formally. "Luna and Auntie Twilight both lobbied me hard to allow you in. It was actually you, Sunset, that I was most concerned about. I have gotten disturbing reports of you committing gruesome acts of extreme violence."

"Only in defense of my household, and never any worse than what the attacker did to my household," Sunset said grimly.

"The term massacre was used for your most recent defense," Flurry Heart said dryly. "One so bad that the wardens censored themselves from speaking to you, a censor they have not yet lifted."

Charlotte looked at her older self. "Wait, the wardens truly aren't talking to you? I didn't think they really cut you off. That isn't fair! Those bears killed Kristin in cold blood! They were going to kill more! It was an invasion!"

Sunset sighed. "The wardens aren't talking to me due to something else, something that I haven't even done. They understand what I did at the manor. They aren't angry at me for that. Well…the Marshmallow might be angry, but not enough to cut me off."

Flurry Heart looked at Order, and the masked man nodded. "I know enough about how The Marshmallow thinks to say that is probably true. We all inherit things from others and combine them with our own experiences. The Marshmallow has few things that really get under her skin and make her get serious. She went to the Hallowed Shades before she was a warden. She saw the fallout of Luna's conflict a thousand years ago with its denizens. It impacted her, and later melded with Luna's own grief. I heard from Phobia that your guest here was considering killing every last one of those bears. That would enrage The Marshmallow."

"And do you intend to do this thing that she is mad about?" Celestia asked gravely. "Our invitation to you can still be revoked."

Sunset shook her head. "No, I'm not going to wipe out the bears. I want Phobia to speak to me. I want Arbiter and Yinyu to speak to me if I ever return to Earth."

"Those bears deserve to die," Charlotte muttered.

Her other self glared at her. "You try to make that call when you're cut off from speaking to three of the most important people in your life. I'm angry, and I want vengeance too, but not at that cost."

"But you still yearn for vengeance?" Flurry Heart asked, pressing the issue.

Sunset nodded. "I know you don't have any foals of your own, but imagine a newly discovered hostile species came in and murdered your parents. Imagine walking in and seeing those creatures standing over their lifeless corpses. Tell me, does your moral fiber survive that? I want those bears dead, I will not deny that, but I'm not willing to sacrifice my remaining loved ones' love for the sake of those who are no longer with me. All things have costs and benefits. The cost in this case is too high and the benefit practically non-existent. I have put terror into my enemies, and they shall have to weigh how much they are willing to lose coming after me or the elephant after they have already lost so much."

"It never stopped the radicals," Andrea pointed out.

Sunset snorted. "If these bears follow that same path then I cannot claim guilt for indulging their desire to die. Continuing this senseless campaign would be their folly, not mine."

Celestia looked troubled. "Perhaps there is an better solution. We received reports that there is a dark wizard at the root of this, a being so evil he is beyond redemption. Rather than slaughtering those who are as much victims as your family, wouldn't it be better to capture or cut the power of this No Heart? At the very least, he seems to be the one responsible for being able to replicate portal magic. If you eliminate their ability to make portals, you eliminate the threat without the loss of life."

The old pony shrugged. "These creatures have been under his sway for generations. They were born under his corrupting influence. While it is possible he used mind control to take initial control of their civilization, that has not been necessary to keep his grip on it in some time."

They all went silent as a pair of crystal pony nobles approached the thrones. The two ponies paid their respects, and Flurry Heart asked about their foals, which made the couple beam as they gushed about the antics of their kids. The couple didn't pay attention to Charlotte or the others, even Celestia only got a passing glance. These were crystal ponies, and their princess was Flurry Heart, and she was clearly much admired by her subjects.

Charlotte looked at the crystal princess. She supposed the mare was pretty. She had a larger than normal stature, what would be an impressive wingspan, a very long horn. She was thin, for the most part, but her flanks were solid and well proportioned. That two-toned mane was also gorgeous-

"She's out of your league, filly," Order whispered to her as the two crystal ponies were saying their goodbyes.

Charlotte was glad her fur was red. It hid the blush. "I wasn't- It wasn't what you think!"

Flurry Heart noticed the exchange and raised an eyebrow at them. "Do you have an interest in one of the guests? My mother might be the princess of love, but I do dabble in matchmaking. Who is it? I heard Order say it was a she, so a mare then."

Charlotte was sure her blush was going to turn visible despite her fur color. "It was no one! He got the wrong idea. Don't need to do any matchmaking for me."

Flurry Heart's ears sagged. "If you say so. I do enjoy seeing young love in bloom, but I won't push you into receiving assistance you don't want."

Relief swept over Charlotte as Flurry Heart turned her attention back to Sunset. Andrea could be seen smirking off to the side, and Charlotte could already imagine the taunts that were coming once they were alone. Why had she even been checking out the mare? Flurry Heart was like twice her age! Charlotte wasn't in as much denial as Sunset and Andrea believed when it came to that kind of thing. She wasn't Sunset, she grew up in a time when this kind of attraction was more accepted, so she didn't develop the deep-rooted shame her other self had growing up. She just didn't want her family getting involved; who she liked was her business, and she didn't want them yammering about it. Further, how could she ever pursue a relationship when constantly having to be around Sunset and the danger that brought everyone? On top of all that, she wouldn't normally find ponies attractive, it was the necklace acting on her thought process. Once she took it off, there'd be no attraction. There was no point in even thinking about relationships right now.

Now that ponies were out of earshot the conversation had picked up again. She wondered if the princesses or Sunset were using some sort of sound dampening spell as well. Andrea was rubbing her arms like she could feel magic.

"If Phobia or I were to travel to this other world, we could indeed set up a Dreamwarden among the intuits to break any mind control spell No Heart has in place on the population," Order was saying. "However, I must warn you, if the extent of the harm is as great as it has been made out to be, that new warden may be forced to go directly to the kill option with No Heart. Such an abuse would demand it. I know you ponies have little stomach for such things, but this would be the likely outcome if the elephant's story holds true."

"I could live with that," Sunset muttered. "It wouldn't fix their world immediately, but it would give them a chance at long-term recovery. If we could bolster the non-bear intuits to fight back against the bears afterwards, that could help the process along. The bears' numbers have been significantly reduced, and they will be unlikely to willingly engage in any conflict that might reduce those numbers further without the wizard urging them on. They might surrender under such circumstances rather than risk annihilation. The best war is a bloodless one."

"So you are both in agreement on this advice?" Celestia asked, sounding unhappy. Both Order and Sunset nodded, and the alicorn sighed. "I still want to establish a scout team to go into that world to determine if there is any other option first. Execution is not the first option I want us jumping to, but I understand it may be necessary. I won't allow it to take place until we have confirmed that and ruled out all other reasonable options."

"I can begin discussions with Phobia about what she and I should prepare for," Order said with a slight bow. "I know you want to avoid having to use us for this purpose, but we must be ready to act when called upon."

"You sound confident that we will need to turn to you," Flurry Heart observed.

Order nodded. "Everything I have learned of this No Heart paints him as an enemy that is too dangerous to be left alive. I don't think either Earth or Equestria has faced such a singularly dangerous foe. Containment does not seem like a viable option, and I fully anticipate the scout team will confirm this. His death needs to happen. I'm sorry to have to tell you that, my princess."

Flurry Heart hung her head. "Do not apologize for being honest, Order. I do not expect sugar-coated advice from you. We shall scout and confirm, and we shall consider your advice further when information comes back. Make what preparations you feel are needed until then, and we can hope they aren't needed."

"And can we count on you to aid us in delivering a scout team to this world, Sunset Blessing?" Celestia asked.

Sunset snorted. "Do you even need to ask? Of course I will. Also, since I now have readier access to better materials, I can easily replicate the bears' armlets for our own use, so the scout team can make a speedy exit if jeopardized. I'm not going to let anyone else die at those bears' furry little hands. I will assure the scout team will make it back alive."

"And can you promise you will not attempt some plot to eliminate all the bears?" Celestia asked.

"I promise that I won't actively try to kill them, but if they stage another invasion, I make no promise about how much they will regret it. If they attack my family, they won't live to kill another. If I am in charge of your school, the bears will not lay a finger on one of my students. My priorities are the defense of those under my care, and nothing is off the table if they are in mortal danger."

Celestia was silent for a moment before speaking again. "You are fortunate I have lived a long life, and empathize with your mindset. The world a thousand years ago was not so peaceful, and hard decisions sometimes had to be made. Do not indoctrinate my students with this harsh rhetoric, let them believe everything can be resolved peacefully. Teach them magic, friendship, and kindness, not the grim realities that I hope they never have to face."

"I'm not sure that is wise, but it's your school. I will do as instructed. Pray it never comes back to bite you," Sunset replied.

"I certainly shall," Celestia said tiredly. She then rose from her throne and stepped forward. "Ponies and other honored guests! I have an announcement!"

All conversations came to a hush as the guests all turned their attention to the princess of the sun.

"As you may be aware, I have been hesitant to change the curriculum at the School for Gifted Unicorns. I had believed us at a point of stability where further advancement could only bring increased problems," Celestia said in a loud, but no longer booming voice. "However, in the past few decades the situation has changed. We look at new threats on the horizon that we must be prepared to meet. We also face an influx of new technologies that I cannot hold back from changing the way we live. And to our embarrassment, but while still admiring their ingenuity, Earth has in a short period of time gone from having no magic to being at the forefront of new magical techniques. We must adapt to these changing times."

There were a few mummers, but they quieted quickly.

Celestia gestured for Sunset to step forward. "This is Sunset Blessing. She is one of the greatest mages from Earth, and one of the most outspoken critics of our education system. As long ago as nearly thirty years ago, she developed magical defensive techniques that thwarted even Princess Twilight Sparkle's ability to penetrate them. Sunset Blessing has not ceased in her advancement of magic since then. At the recommendation of Twilight and my sister, I am granting her full citizenship and appointing her to be the new headmare of the School of Gifted Unicorns, to bring about reform, and to help prepare our most intelligent and most gifted to make their own advancements in the field of magic. Please welcome her!"

There were hoofstomps, the equivalent of human clapping. However, these were not the only hoofstomps, as a small but noticeable number of unicorn nobles decided to take their leave rather than applaud. Charlotte followed them with her eyes as they left. At least it wasn't all of them, or even half, but it was enough to cause trouble. Some of those nobles who remained didn't seem to have much enthusiasm in their stomps. This was expected, but it was still disappointing. Wherever Sunset went, she made enemies. Where Sunset had enemies the impact carried over to messing with Charlotte's life. Hopefully, it wouldn't be so bad this time, not like the ones back home.

Charlotte stomped her hooves for her other self, just another mare, forgotten in Sunset's shadow.

Author's Note

Couple quick notes. You can see there has been a title change. The previous title felt like a place holder that should have been replaced before original publication. This will be the permanent new title.

Next, my editing software is on the fritz, so forgive this chapter if it has a higher number of errors than normal.

Third, the new cover art is not locked in stone, I have multiple commissions currently out, and am still deciding which shall be the one to go with. It may be this one, it may be another. It should be something similar to what I have now, no matter which I go with.