One Last Mission

Underside, San Palomino Desert

Day 17

“His employer is Amaryllis? How?”

The question my inner selves asked was one mimicked by myself. I stared silently into the changeling’s eyes, heterochromia meeting sparkling blue. It was hard to figure out if them not recognizing me was a good thing or not. They were still looking me over, a hint of annoyance visible as they tried to unravel the mystery of who I was.

“It’s so odd. You share so many traits with her, including her irresistible looks,” Amaryllis whispered sensually into my ear. Their voice still had that same affect on me as it did when they met Rhapsody one week prior. “Then there’s this smell of… is that disgust?”

They pulled away, a look of confusion shining through that earlier confident. It was only for a second before the regal mask they wore came back up, as practiced as Rhapsody’s own. The pegasus side of me huffed at having called her out, but she did not say anything further. The changeling before us was more important than her hidden immaturity. It was time to pull the wool off their eyes.

“Of course you taste disgust. The last interaction we had included you threatening my friend for being in love with an alicorn,” I said. There was a shot of pain through me, talking about Rhapsody as if she was myself. I bore through it, for the purpose of seeing the shock on the face of the piece of shit before me. “How does it feel, knowing you got caught by the young mare who was shitfaced next to us?”

I knew that was going to get a reaction, but I had hoped it would be one of shock and anger. Instead, Amaryllis’ smile somehow managed to grow ever worse, the sensual nature they had spoken with to me taking it over. They tilted their head, eyes briefly looking towards Falke and giving him a nod. Whatever it meant remained a mystery, but the griffon made his way over to the table the changeling had been seated at previously.

“The Messenger, blessed she is, told me of my eventual capture,” they lied. “For it to be by one so unassuming was not expected, but my arrival in this temporary cage was necessary for the betterment of all her followers.”

The way they spoke reminded me of Harbinger in all the worst possible ways. Confident, charismatic, vile, all were apt descriptions for the Enclave councilor and the Equalist before me. The biggest difference was in the hidden, sexual undertone in the way the changeling talked. Where Harbinger was unable to turn off that military side of his brain, making him Tartarus to talk to informally, Amaryllis was a charm. Each syllable they spoke with felt tailored not just to lure unfortunate ponies into the embrace of their cult, but her bedchamber.

“However, the fortunes of one unicorn mare are nowhere near as interesting as the sight before me now,” Amaryllis said, lowering their neck slightly so that their muzzle was just about touching my own. It did take much, we were about even with each other in terms of height now. “I’m not sure how you obtained your new look, sugar, but I approve. You look delicious.”

“Can it Amaryllis,” I spat back, pushing into them. Despite the anger the changeling’s words sparked in me, being so close to them left my heart beating fast from their attractive form. “I’m not here to swoon. I’m here because I need Falke.”

“You would deny your heart’s desire? What an admirable, and may I say sexy, quality,” the changeling replied. They licked my lips, something I definitely did not let out a squeak at, and then backed away. “I will respect your choice. Please, have a seat and enjoy a drink. They’re not close to the quality of home, but for heretics the Shattered Moon’s options are… enjoyable.”

Amaryllis joined Falke at the table, looking out of the corner of their eyes at me expectantly. I didn’t really have much of a choice, not with the griffon working for the changeling. Leaving meant I was back to traveling alone, and the risks of traveling alone still didn’t feel worth passing up what was in front of me. It was hard to tell if it was logic or… something else speaking.

“We’re really going to take a chance on him… her… them?” my inner selves asked. Their confusion at how to refer to the changeling was shared, though not a primary concern of mine at the moment. “They’re dangerous, not in the same way we are though but more like–”

“You don’t have to tell me,” I muttered back. “I won’t let her do what the Enclave did to us.”

I walked over to the table and took the final open seat, something Amaryllis was more than happy about. They levitated over a cup of tea, the same exact kind that Vigil had given Rhapsody days prior if the smell was any indication. All it took was a sip to confirm that, yes, it was indeed the same. I blinked several times, unable to tell if it was a simple coincidence or something a bit more. Either way, it still tasted good.

“Intriguing.”

I looked up. Amaryllis’s attention was on the cup I was holding with my magic, idly swaying in the air without any illusion of being supported. It took me far too long to figure out what the problem was, and by that point the changeling’s look had grown judging. I instantly brought my hooves under the cup and let the magic sizzle out, as if it was somehow enough to hide what they had already seen.

The creature before me didn’t approve of alicorns, she had made that abundantly clear to Sharpshot during their one and only interaction with each other. That wasn’t good; as much as I didn’t like Amaryllis, her approval was necessary for my deal with Falke to go through. Showing I was an alicorn was a misstep, but it might at least stop her more sensual side.

“Last I heard, pegasi aren’t able to hold cups like unicorns and my kind,” they said. “So why can you?”

“I think you already know why,” I said. Despite knowing that hostility would do me no favors, something in me wanted nothing more than to snap at the changeling every chance I had. “I’m not one of the Unity’s alicorns. I’m the result of a strange mixture of a cannibalistic spirit, the spirit of a unicorn infected by one, and the pegasus you met one week ago. All of it was completely against my will, and it’s why I look as I now do.”

My words led to a pause. I fully expected Amaryllis to spout words of hate in my direction, but once again they defied expectations. Instead of similarly pointed anger to that which I held, that crooked smile of theirs returned anew. They lined back against their chair, mandibles twitching for some bug-like reason I didn’t know. The changeling’s eyes turned from me to Falke.

“You are bringing an interesting pony into our mix, Mister Rotfeather,” Amaryllis said, words laced with intrigue and curiosity rather than disapproval. “I hope you understand that my views, as well as that of my followers, is not that high when it comes to her kind.”

“They are not one of the goddess’ own, as they pointed out,” Falke replied. Whereas his employer kept their words filled with the intention to charm, he was far more deadpan, straightforward, and business-like in his delivery. “Danse Macabre is her own mare. Besides, you already had plans to recruit her for this, correct?”

My eyes went wide, and immediately my attention went from Falke to Amaryllis. The changeling giggled, took a sip of their tea, and then turned to me.

“You don’t mean… I was told somepony wanted to meet me here a few days ago,” I said. My shock was able to get itself under control halfway through the sentence, allowing me to follow the griffon’s example in approach. “That was you, then? Didn’t think Shattered Moon would allow you visitors considering your allegiances.”

“Quite a shock to you, I’m sure,” Amaryllis answered. I glared at them, not appreciating the snark being thrown my way, but they didn’t even seem to recognize it. “Your Shattered Moon was indeed quite uncertain of me at first, but that was before they understood. My appearance had them awe-struck, perhaps understanding the divine nature of my ascension to some minimal extent, and with it they were all too willing to listen to me.”

Amaryllis, seemingly enthralled by her own charisma, stood up before Falke and I. A hoof to her chest, head held as high as could be to maintain her high-and-mighty persona. Her wings fluttered in an uncanny, bug-like manner, same as her tail. Her mandibles clicked together.

“Though heretics you are, I understand that which my siblings in the hive do not,” they said, their voice exuding power and attention similar to that of a member of the high council. “Two hundred years standing tall, any harm to your existence squashed under the fetlocks of your seemingly immortal Lady Hash. None other save for the Grand Pegasus Enclave and my Messenger’s faithful can boast such a claim. While my siblings and her brilliance’s followers would see you squashed like the uncountable amount of failures to the east, I see a better, brighter, and less wasteful option.”

I stared at her, doing everything in my power to hide my own intrigue at their words. It was better if I remained looking unimpressed, for my belief’s sake alone. It did not stop Amaryllis from continuing their speech, and despite all better judgment, a piece of myself had been captivated by their words.

“When long lived civilizations meet each other, destruction of one another should not be their goal. Once already the foolish, old Equestria made that mistake, and we see fit to carry that on like uncultured, mindless husks,” they waxed. “We must stop it, for that is the only way our two civilizations live on. To do that, I shall see past everything, even your status as an alicorn, to pave a path of peace between our kinds.”

The hoof they had brought to their chest stomped the floor, their smile taking on a satisfied twist to it.

“Congratulations, Danse Macabre, former soldier of the Grand Pegasus Enclave and newborn alicorn, you are hired.” They allowed that to hang in the air, eyeing me in hope of seeing some manner of reaction. When they didn’t get it, they merely waved a hoof and sat back down. “It shall stay that way, it seems. Unlike the guards posted outside my cage, your brain is not as influenced by my ramblings. That is good, for if you were easily swayed, you would find your employment ended as quickly as it began.”

I felt my body release a load of tension as Amaryllis finally ended her speech. Doing my best to hide my exasperation at everything I had just heard, I turned my attention to Falke. “They passed your test?”

“Trust me, I was quite surprised myself,” the griffon said, letting out a heavy sigh. “They downed it with even more ease than you did. Asked for another cup as well.”

“What can I say? My palette and that of the Vhoski seem to be one,” Amaryllis said. She let out a happily little chirp, mandibles twitching in joy. “It’s a shame they are no longer with us. I would have loved to introduce them to the Messenger, though no doubt it would take some convincing for them to join her followers, if they would at all.”

“So you needed us to not be easily swayed, and there was mention of peace in your speech,” I chimed in. The changeling nodded at me. I took a sip of the tea they had given me, forcing down a smile at the familiar flavor. “I think it is time you explained why I'm being hired. I get that you need a bodyguard, but I’m not entirely sure what your plan is.”

“Of course you don’t; no doubt Falke has already made you aware of how sensitive this information is,” they responded. Receiving a nod from the griffon in question, she relaxed against the back of her seat, forelegs crossed. “Through the divine awe granted to me by the Messenger, I was able to sway enough of the Shattered Moon here to let me talk with Lady Hash. It is most necessary that I convince her to ally with the Messenger, no matter the cost.”

I lowered my head, looking for any sign of obvious deceit in Amaryllis’ posture. None showed, the changeling having emotionally secured herself better than anypony I knew could. It only made sense that a creature that fed off of emotion knew how to use and control them. No doubt whatever form of teacher she had drilled those into her brain like a drill sergeant did respect and promptness. All the better to conceal themselves from public view.

No wonder the old world never learned about them. Sharpshot and I had gotten lucky when we caught Amaryllis, the changeling’s only hate of the Unity overriding her common sense. Her hive must have been pretty peeved about it…

Actually…

“I have a question, Amaryllis,” I told her.

She leaned her head in my direction, her mane almost completely covering both of her eyes from my sight. “Oh? But I haven't finished talking yet.”

“I know, but given what I know about changelings it must be asked,” I replied. Her eyes briefly glanced elsewhere, mandibles twitching as she thought. When she looked back to me, she motioned with her hoof for me to go ahead. “Doesn’t your hive already know everything you are going to do? You all share a connection much like the Unity, if I’ve heard correctly.”

With that, just as I was becoming inwardly impressed at Amaryllis’ ability to control herself, the aura of superiority they were was shredded. It started with a full body flinch as my words opened a wound I didn’t know existed. Their focus turned away from Falke and myself, eyes staring at the table, lost in some horrible memory I couldn’t imagine. It was all a feeling I knew far too well, both sides of myself having felt it at one point or another in their lives.

Hurt. My words, a question I had assumed was innocent if a bit probing, had led Amaryllis into a realm of emotion pain. I didn’t care that much, however. I needed to know the answer to this question.

“There’s… more than a few things wrong with that comparison,” they stated. The confidence in their voice vanished, replaced with uncertainty and shame. “Our hivemind still holds individuality. The queen can not control us, only nudge us one way or another with her words. We also are more than able to keep secrets, have private moments, and all without worrying of something prying into our mind. However, none of what I say matters, because my queen, fearful of my ascension, cut me from my siblings.”

Seeing as she showed a little bit of emotional insecurity, I felt it was okay to do the same. Even if it only formed in wide eyes and my mouth hanging dumbly open, it was more than enough. While the idea of being part of a hivemind felt terrifying to myself, having seen the Unity’s own through Willow’s experiences, but to a creature that had lived its entire existence with it? Being cut out of it, something I didn’t even know was possible, must have been no different from getting ostracized.

I did wonder for a moment if the same could happen to Willow, since it had happened to Amaryllis. The idea immediately met a dead end for multiple reasons, the most chief among them being that, until recently, she had been cut off as well. Now that she was connected, there was no chance of the Goddess even considering removing her. She didn’t care, because as far as the majority of the Unity was concerned, someday everypony would be one of them.

Any attempt at convincing the Goddess to cut a single mind from the hivemind would be like talking to a brick wall.

“Queen or no, the act of removing anyling from the hivemind is a very controversial topic,” Amaryllis explained. Slowly their voice regained its confidence, though this time there was a hateful edge to each word she spoke. “In my hive, the action was considered a cruel and unusual punishment, and therefore forbidden. I am the first in possibly over a millennia to ever be removed from my sisters, brothers, lovers, and everyone else I know. Those are not the actions of a benevolent queen,” she leered at me, the gaze nearly as cold as her tone, “they are the actions of a tyrant, a false Voice that must be crushed for the sake of both heretics and believers.”

“If I am remembering correctly,” Falke chimed in, raising a talon into the air. As attention focused on him, Amaryllis’ anger faded into their mind. There were signs it was still there, but it had been internalized so well none would be able to find it if they didn’t know it existed in the first place, “the current Voice of the Messenger, Embraxia, has been the queen of your hive since before the Last Day.”

“That is true, and I do still hold some respect for her carrying us through the end of the world despite everything she did to me,” Amaryllis said. “It does not change the fact that she is a nonbeliever acting as the Messenger’s Voice. Two centuries under the rule of the wrong ‘ling, and you wonder why relations between us and you, our southern neighbors, are so frayed.”

She lifted her cup to her lips… only to find that she had already finished her tea. Getting up from her chair, she made her way behind us to a kitchenette. This must have been a break room back when this building had been a Police Station.

“The queen is our final target. My plan, and my reason for hiring you two, is to make sure that I don’t die before I’m able to put my little coup into action.” As Amaryllis finished talking, she came back to us with a back of tea floating at the top of a lukewarm cup of war. “I know it sounds dangerous. I assure you that not only have I planned this out, and know that you two would be set for life within Northern San Palomino for whatever you would wish to do after.”

Had to admit, if the changeling was telling the truth, that was certainly a good deal. Falke’s claims made more sense now, as did the reason why my help would count as part of the payment. He needed somepony else there to make sure this went off without a hitch, because the big reward at the end of it all wasn’t coming easy. Amaryllis didn’t need to say anything concerning the risks, because they were clear as crystal.

“You’re asking a lot of just two creatures, Amaryllis,” I stated before finishing up my own cup of tea.

“Afraid you can’t live up to expectations?” they replied smugly, eyeing me with an expression practically daring me to spat back.

With a snort, I decided to give her what she wanted. “I think myself a very capable mare. One side of me lived their life as a soldier of the Enclave, the other a unicorn who, despite her handicaps, survived through capable allies and a mastery of mind magic.”

“Mind magic?!” Both of Falke and Amaryllis shouted, one leaning back while the other leaned forward. Similarly, the griffon looked terrified while the changeling seemed ecstatic.

“What are you doing? We could have used that to–”

“I’m letting you know this because I have no plan to use it on either of you,” I explained, the words meant just as much for my inner selves as they were for the two in front of me. “It might be useful though, if the situation calls for it.”

“That’s… pretty dangerous,” Falke said, swallowing a lump in his throat. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath in, and then opened them again. “Though, I guess you would have already used it on me already at this point. Considering you haven’t I–”

“Hold that thought,” Amaryllis said, one of their forelegs reaching across the table to close the griffon’s beak. Their horn lit up, eyes flicking between Falke and myself for a moment before finally landing on me. “Huh, strange.”

“Did she use it on me?” Falke asked.

“No. Actually, I’m feeling a portion of magic on herself,” the changeling explained. Her mandibles clicked each other as she tapped the underside of her muzzle. “It does seem to be centered around her brain, though that’s about as much as I can tell. It was hard to see under the hostile magic covering her entire form.”

“Hostile magic?” I asked, tilting my head. “Wait, you mean there is more than one spell on me?”

The changeling shook their head. “No, not a spell. Something else.”

“That must be the Mlafi,” Falke said. Amaryllis looked at him, tilting their head just like I had. “The cannibal spirit she mentioned.”

“Ah, of course,” they said as they cut their magic. “Intrigue aside, I don’t see any sign of magic on you, Mister Rotfeather. We are both safe, and as long as sugar doesn’t try to do anything to you then she will be safe as well.”

“I’m surprised,” I said mockingly. “You checked him and not yourself. Wouldn’t it have been a good idea to make sure I haven’t used anything on you.”

“While it would be exciting finding out what it is like to be under somepony’s whim, I’m afraid you won’t have any luck with me,” Amaryllis said. She removed the teabag from her cup, taking a sip of it before continuing. “We have an inherent resistance to that form of magic, you see. It would take a particularly gifted mage to bind us for more than a couple seconds.”

“I’d be more than willing to test her on that.”

“Don’t,” I whispered. For the first time since I had arrived, I decided to give Amaryllis a smile. “Is that all?”

The changeling made an overexaggerated show of thinking about it, each of their limbs finding the most dramatic way of getting themselves into a thinking possession. Even afterwards, as they sat there pretending to think, they seemed determined to be as much of a character as possible. Exaggerated motions and facial expressions, taking their sweet time despite clearly already knowing the answer. If they were anyone else, the neutral expression on their face would have slowly begun to crack into a smile, but Amaryllis kept up the act like some old world movie star.

“Yes, I do believe that will be all for now,” they said. “We leave for Shorelock in two days, be prepared to meet me at Underside’s gate western gate. Oh, and if you have anypony else you’d like to bring along,” their eyes landing on me specifically, allowing one corner of their mouth to turn upwards, “make sure they talk to me first.”

One blind-folded walk back outside later, as well as the blinding flash of the midday, and Falke and I were out. Amaryllis stayed in the base in order to play up the role of the ‘captured Equalist spy’ to the public. All the red tape that applied to the griffon was now my baggage as well. All I was able to say was I had gotten a job doing mercenary work and that the reward was really good (the changelings words, not mine). Might as well have been covered in black ink and stored in some government facility to be eternally forgotten.

I felt a little bit of pain from it all, however. Not from having to keep secrets, I was use to that, but from having to leave some ponies I had gotten to know pretty well in the past two weeks. Couldn’t help but just at the thought. When Rhapsody had first met Sharpshot and Willow Wisp, she had not cared about them at all, even hating the ghoul with a passion.

Things had changed since then, at least in some aspects. Sharpshot was still somewhat of an ass, but in the past few days – both before I had become Danse Macabre and after – he had been… different. He was nowhere near as physically aggressive as before, and our jabs at each other felt more like jokes now. Willow, well, she was the first pony down here to get through that barrier of racial superiority. Nothing more really needs to be said about how much I appreciate her.

“Imagine you’ll be spending the next few days saying your goodbyes,” Falke said. There was a small amount of tension in his voice, no doubt born from learning where my magical talents lie.

“Yeah, most likely,” I replied. “Oh, and, I was being serious about–”

“Words don’t matter, actions do,” he interrupted, holding one of his talons up and shaking his head. “I appreciate you telling us, but no amount of promises are going to make me relax.”

While getting interrupted definitely didn’t sit well with me, I nodded at his words. “Fair enough. Anything else you want to say, since I’m now a part of this?”

“Yes, actually, but it doesn’t have to do with…,” he didn’t finish, merely motioning with his eyes back towards the Shattered Moon base next to us. “The pegasus you are looking for, you are probably not going to find her in Our Haven proper.”

“I won’t?” I asked, one side of my brow raised high.

After one more glance back towards the base, he started walking. He tilted his head towards one street, and I joined his side. Whatever he was about to tell me, he wanted to be away from them to say it.

“No. Equalists don’t let anyone but the devoted into the main city under normal circumstances,” he whispered. The further we got away from the base, the louder things got. Everycreature was out and about for one reason or another, creating an effective sound barrier for him to talk to me. “Those considered outsiders, as well as traders not authorized within city limits, can be found in what is called Lesser Haven. Equalists themselves call it the Blood District.”

“To keep their faithful from getting any bright ideas from us outsiders,” I said quietly. The griffon nodded. “Quite the nickname. Most creatures wouldn’t be comfortable stepping even within eyesight of a place with such a name.”

“That is the point of it. Lesser Haven is actually rather nice, but if the Messenger’s Voice admitted that, then they’d lose some control over their populace,” Falke said. “You lived in the Enclave, I’m sure you can guess how.”

“Spinning stories to make it look worse than it actually is, making those in it look more like animals than sapient beings, and plenty of brainwashing.”

“Exactly. Lesser Haven isn’t terrible, all things considered, though they do have their ways of pushing you towards Equalism. Make somecreature feel welcomed enough, give messages both direct and indirect concerning the Messenger, Our Haven, and their beliefs, and in time you’ll be able to reel them in.”

“Which is why they wanted their bodyguard to not be easily influenced,” I said, more to myself than to the griffon next to me. He nodded his head anyways. “I won’t ask further. I don’t trust Amaryllis, but if helping them gets me to Angel Hair, I’ll do it.”

“Good,” he replied. “For now, the less we know, the safer we are.”

“So, did it go well?”

Gemmy, Sharpshot, and Willow Wisp had all been waiting at the Lucky Clover, waiting for me to return from my meeting with Amaryllis. Obviously none of them knew who it was Falke had taken me to, and that had to stay a secret, but that didn’t mean they didn’t deserve to know the good news. Taking a seat next to Gemmy in the booth they had taken, I let out a content sigh and looked between all of them.

“I would say so,” I replied, “considering I got the job.”

Every single one of them beamed at the news, save for Sharpshot of course. He crossed his forelegs and smirked as if he was saying ‘called it’. Gemmy slowly brought herself into a hug, her hooves slowly claiming more and more of me before finally wrapping around my whole frame. Willow just stomped happily like a foal unable to control themself. Something about it all just made me feel warm.

“Oh, yes yes yes yes yes!” Willow repeated happily, wrapping Sharpshot up in her own hug. His eyes looked ready to pop out of their sockets from the strength of the hug. “I knew she’d get it, hun. Nopony can say no to Danse Macabre.”

“I know, now please… need… breath,” Sharpshot said, trying to wiggle free from his wife’s grasp. She did as he asked, the unicorn ghoul collapsing onto the booth's seat back first, his hindlegs the only thing visible from my side of the table. “Thanks… Willow.”

“You’ll be okay then, right?” Gemmy asked, pulling just enough out of the hug so she could look me in the eyes. That desperation from days earlier had returned, and this time I was more than willing to nod. “Oh thank goodness.”

“Hold your horses, Miss Triggerhappy,” Sharpshot replied, pulling himself back up into a sitting position. He stretched his backs, the pops and cracks of muscles muffled under the noise of the pub. “Just ‘cause she has a guard doesn’t mean she’ll be completely fine. It’s still merc work, and take it from somepony who has done it most of their lives: it’s dangerous work.”

Gemmy’s hooves held me a bit tighter, muzzle trembling as if stuck trying to stay something. With a sigh and shake of my head, I leaned my head in Sharpshot’s direction and gave him a disappointed frown.

“You couldn’t have just left that part out?” I asked.

He shrugged. “I think we had this conversation about ‘ignorance is bliss’ before, soldier mare. It’s better she knows these things, just in case the worst happens.”

“And I would have preferred you kept that part a secret.” With another sigh, I turned my attention back to Gemmy and used a wing to stroke her mane. “I promise I’ll be coming back, this time without being a somewhat different pony.”

“Y-you promise?” Gemmy repeated. I nodded, and she briefly looked at our seat before looking me in the eyes again. “Say the words.”

My eyes went wide. “H-huh?”

“That ‘Pinkie promise thing’ you did in Trotson. The one where you hit yourself in the eye,” she said, her face going pale before looking away. There were snickers from the other side, my eyelid twitching at what I knew was the cause of them. “S-s-sorry. There were better ways to–”

“No, it’s fine. That… did indeed happen,” I replied, doing my best to hide my discontent at the reminder. I shot a warning glare Sharpshot and Willow’s way, the former paying it far less attention than the latter, and then returned my attention to Gemmy. “Listen, Gemmy, I’m not sure if I’ll be capable of keeping it. For as much as I can say that I’ll return alive, the chances of it breaking against my will is too high.”

Her ears drooped, pulling away from me and pulling her lips into her mouth. When she let go of them, I was more than certain she had chewed them up a small bit. The idea of losing me, the pony she likely cared about the most in the world besides her birth mother, did not sit well with the filly. My eyes went to my forelegs, and despite everything I genuinely considered her request.

“You said it yourself. It’s a promise that is entirely outside your own control.”

Yet what was the harm in seeing this young mare, barely an adult, given a little hope to cling to? We were both mediums, both broken beyond words, even if the reasons were entirely different. She had so little to cling to for happiness, and she was asking me to ensure her a piece of that would forever stay. Even if keeping it wasn’t completely in my control, did Gemini not deserve some hope.

“Are you certain Danse?” My inner selves asked.

“She no doubt has enough nightmares. I don’t want my mission to create more,” I whispered, raising a hoof up to my chest. Gemmy didn’t hear what I was saying, but she noticed my foreleg’s movement immediately. “Shining Gemini, I promise that I’ll come back, alive and unchanged. Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.”

I ended the necessary series of motions with a small blep in an attempt to lighten the mood. It worked, if the smile and laugh from Gemmy was anything to go by. Closing the distance between herself and me, the young unicorn rested her head on me. I wrapped my wings around her protectively and returned to stroking her mane. A hum came from my throat, slowly turning into a familiar lullaby. Ones that I sang to Rainy and Clear, and I had faint memories of being sung back to me.

Hush now little one, there’s no need to fear

For in all your dreams, I will be there

To break down all the bad, and hold you so close

To guard you from nightmares, and take them as my own.

I meant to stop there, with one verse, but I couldn’t. I continued on, hearing both Rhapsody and Dead Hooves continuing along with me.

Let me hold your tears, I promise it’s fine

Lean on me all you need, I’ll bring you the light

From dreams to waking world, I’ll be by your side

Your mother is with you, don’t fear the urge to cry.

I never thought those words would leave my lips again, not after leaving the clouds. I’m not sure where I first heard them, or who sang them to me, but through all the pain of foalhood, it never left. The effect it had on Rainy, Clear, and myself now applied to Gemmy, what hidden stress and anxiety she had about me leaving without her faded into nothingness. She was no different from Rhapsody: a tortured filly in a grown mare’s body.

Just like Rhapsody before her, that filly was now strong enough to stand on her own hooves. With assistance from a certain abyssian, alicorn, and ghoul of course.

“Thank you,” she whispered from her cocoon of feathers.

“Of course, my….”

I stopped myself, momentarily considering the words I was about to say. It had been easy in the lullaby, its lyrics unaltered. Was it truly a good idea to tell Gemmy how I saw her now? Would it make her worry even more than she had before? The words were on the tip of my tongue and yet… and yet…

“Didn’t you say we would tell her? Are we really going to turn back on that now, after promising her we would come back?”

…

“My… daughter.”

She removed her head from her chest and looked up. “D-daughter?”

Near instantaneously, I became very embarrassed at how out of nowhere that had been. Briefly, I opened my eyes to what little of the pub I could see from my current position, and then forced myself to smile at the young mare before me. It felt very awkward.

“I-I-If you don’t like it, I understand,” I said, voice quieter and more shy than I originally wanted to be. “It’s just, I see so much of myself in you. All the hurt, the struggle, but at the same time the love and will to keep moving. We’ve known each other for not even three weeks, and yet, I can’t help but look at your eyes and see a kindred spirit; a daughter, one that I feel so happy to see grow in such a short time.”

Her eyes were starting to water up, but she did not frown. When I finished telling her how I felt, I was treated to a small yet beautiful smile. For the third time in less than half an hour, Gemmy wrapped her forelegs around me and cried happily into my fur. All I did was return the feeling, holding her in my wings happily. My heart had been going faster than Rainbow Dash before that, but now it was slowing back down to its natural pace.

“Please don’t break your promise,” Gemmy said, her voice soft and quiet. “If anything happens to you… if anything happens–”

I patted her back with one of my wings. “I’ll come back. Don’t worry.”

“Thanks… mommy.”

“Anytime, Gemmy.”

It took some time for my daughter to pull away from me, the both of us never wanting the moment to end. The world stops for nopony though, and there was in fact a point where we did finally end our hug. Gemmy smiled happily in my direction, her initially small smile twice as big. She wiped the tears that had fallen away herself, her eyes watching them for a few seconds as if unable to put together the fact that they were from joy. It was a small sign that she wasn’t fully recovered yet, and made me wince a little at the thought I’d be away from her for a decently long time.

“Even more reason to come back alive.”

I mentally agreed with Rhapsody and Dead Hooves. This was about more than just Pride and my family in the clouds now. I had family here too.

“Well, I don’t think anypony is going to top that when it comes to goodbye gifts,” Sharpshot remarked, both Gemmy and myself turning our attention back across the table for the first time in quite a while. The ghoul himself was leaning against the booth, a smirk I might have once seen as condescending now carrying a hint of happiness underneath it. “Guess I’ll just not go through with my own plans then.”

“Oh come on hun,” Willow said, rolling her eyes and playfully shoving him at the same time. “Don’t lead them on like that. Just show it already.”

Sharpshot let out an exaggerated sigh at his wife’s words, eyes looking off towards the rest of the pub.

“Goodbye gifts?” Gemmy asked, tilting her head.

“Yeah, uh… okay,” Sharpshot said. They were clearly for himself, closing his eyes as he spoke to them. They only opened back up when he addressed the rest of us. “I figured, some of us don’t know when we will next see each other again, so I bit the bullet and did something I haven’t done since I was in my twenties. I… have something to give you all.”

Lighting his horn, three photos came out from a pounch on his rags. He floated one to me, one to my daughter, and one to Willow. My eyes landed on a photo of several ponies, all familiar to me. I knew what this was, I had been there for it.

Dead Hooves had, to be precise.

We had taken that picture in Arbu.

I’m certain the name rings a few bells, given the infamy it gained from your Lightbringer’s time in it. I can’t say anything for what it was like then, but I can say what it had been. Even back then it had been filled with cannibals, but they didn’t fake what they were. All who came to Arbu had come for one purpose, and one purpose alone.

To live out their final few months before the Mlafi fully took hold of them.

I was not at that point yet. Her fur coat was thinning, but she was still very much the same pony Willow, Sharpshot, Stitches, and everyone else had met. What few times I had given in at that point had done very little to affect me, outside of making that hunger the Mlafi gave me worse. It was something I was able to deal with, and something mom had been very happy to see when we reunited.

The ponies I met in my time there, saying what I knew might be my final goodbyes to one of my moms, they weren’t like the ones Littlepip saw. Not every pony is possessed by a Mlafi when they eat the corpse of another. The conditions have to be more harrowing, your life on the line, for the possession to take hold. The ponies who were there in recent years ate their fellow ponies because they wanted to, nothing more. On that much, your Lightbringer is justified.

When all of us were on our way out, one of the other inflicted ponies brought out an old world camera that had survived the years. It was a small tradition, for those few who made the trip to Arbu with their family, to take a picture with the one they would be leaving here. A small memory to hold onto, so that you’d have some physical piece of them for the rest of your life. I hadn’t brought mom here – she came to them herself – but as I was family, they said it applied.

So, with me and mom in the middle, everyone else funneled in around us. Zoey was to mom’s right, Starry on my left, Willow and Sharpshot behind us. I kept my smile up, doing everything I can to not think about what this photo meant in the long term. This was a good moment, ruining it was wrong.

“Has, uh, anypony here taken a picture before?” Zoey asked. She seemed more nervous than usual. “I don’t think I remember seeing any cameras back in Stalliongrad.”

“You got that weird explosive licorice shit, yet you don’t have cameras?” Sharpshot replied. The young zebra shot him a glare, earning a roll of the eyes from the ghoul. “Yes, I’ve taken one before. Happened when I started my apprenticeship back home.”

“The Enclave also has cameras, though they aren’t for commercial use,” Star Chart said. “Military only.”

“Everything in your Enclave is military only,” Sharpshot said.

“And everything down here gets set on fire on a weekly basis,” Starry shot back, a sly smirk on her face. “Tell me which you would prefer.”

He leered at her. “Touché.”

“Come on everypony, is this really the time?” I asked, looking specifically to the two ponies behind me.

“Apologies if I have problems with those above the clouds,” Sharpshot said. Another roll of the eyes, his gaze landing back on Star Chart at the end of it. “Present company notwithstanding.”

“Well I’m happy to know the stable pony approves of me,” she responded, ending her sentence with sticking her tongue out at him.

He did the same back to her. My mother chuckled at the sight and shook her head at their actions. It wasn’t the first time the two of them had bickered like this in front of her, and it wasn’t the first time she had laughed at it. She understood as well as I did that it was just the way their relationship had formed.

“Now now, that’s enough of that,” my mom said. “Save it for after the picture you two.”

They both immediately stopped bickering, at least verbally. Both of them threw a glare at each other, only smiling once they weren’t looking at each other. Focus went back to the camera, the inflicted pony having finished setting things up.

My mom’s left hoof wrapped around my own, her foreleg holding firm. A look into her glossy eyes revealed fear, something she did her best to keep down for the sake of the moment. As best as I could, I squeezed her foreleg with my own in a sign of solidarity. She looked at me, and that smile on her face became a little bit bigger, and far more real. I returned it, quietly telling her not to worry, because she wasn’t the only pony scared.

“Alright, everypony face forward,” the camerapony said. All eyes turned to the camera, our heads high to further hide any discomfort that we were dealing with. “Big smiles, move in a little Joy. Now say cheese!”

The photo itself revealed everything that happened right as he said that. Willow had plopped her head on Dead Hooves, sticking her tongue out and closing her eyes. Joy’s smile was far more uncomfortable than the rest of us, looking as if she wanted to be literally anywhere but right there. Star Chart looked professional, as if this photo was meant for something far more serious than the rest of us. Sharpshot didn’t even try to smile.

Between each of these ponies was Dead Hooves and her– one of my moms. I felt a tear fall down my face at the sight of us together. It had been so, so long since I’d seen her face in more than just my mind's eye. To know that Sharpshot had kept this after all these years, it was a testament to how much he really did care, even if he refused to admit it.

“You kept it in good condition,” I told Sharpshot, somehow managing to peel my eyes off the photograph.

“Well, I’m sure more than just Dead Hooves would be upset with me if I didn’t,” Sharpshot replied. “Through every battle, every near death experience, the one thing I always made sure didn’t get was this.”

“I don’t recognize all of these ponies,” Gemmy said. She tapped Star Chart with her hoof and looked at me. “Da– Mom, do you know who these are.”

“Oh, oh, can I tell her?” Willow asked, raising a foreleg into the air excitedly. I gave her a nod, and the foreleg went from on the air to the table. She spun her copy around and…

I felt my body freeze. Why did Willow get one?

“This is Star Chart. She’s your new mom’s ancestor.”

“Ancestor?”

“Somepony who is related to you, but isn’t around anymore.”

I tried my best to make my mouth move, but it stayed glued shut.

“Ah. I recognize, Dead Hooves and Sharpshot. That mare next to him is new.”

“Actually, she isn’t. That’s me!”

“That’s… h-h-huh?”

“I know. I looked really different as a pegasus don’t I.”

Why did it refuse to work? Why was I so afraid of asking a question I already knew the answer to? There was no way I was that scared of the confirmation.

“The really creepy zebra next to Dead Hooves?”

“Her mom. She had this really bad disease that disfigured her body over time.”

“Disfigured?”

“Messed up.”

“So she isn’t actually that scary?”

“Nope, absolute sweetheart. In fact, I decided to go to her concerning how I felt about Sharp–”

“Hearty?” I finally managed to say. It wasn’t that loud, but the name managed to draw everypony’s attention my way. Sharpshot themself seemed nervous, likely due to the fact I had said his actual birth name. “Is there something you and Willow aren’t telling us?”

There was a brief sign of confusion, but it quickly evaporated into fear. He turned his head away from me, shame mixing into his expression as he eyed the booth seat. Willow, the wonderful wife that she was, turned her attention from the photo to her husband. With a hoof placed on his shoulder, she leaned forward to whisper into his ear. Despite how scratchy her voice was from her long battle against killing joke, and how low she tried to make it, it was more than possible to make out what she said.

“Sharpy?” She asked. “Did you… did you not tell her?”

“No. I didn’t have the time,” he replied. He rubbed the back of his head, and turned his head back towards the table. His eyes were still down. “Yes, Danse. I have something I need to tell you. Willow said it was best that you know as well.”

My gaze went from the downtrodden ghoul to his wife. She had him wrapped around her wing, wearing a smile that did not reach her eyes. That hadn’t told me a thing yet, but I could still feel a dagger sinking into my heart. There was no way the two of them had… but when? Why? Surely Willow still had more than enough time left, so there was no reason for them to–

“Sharpy and I are going our separate ways.”

They had, and all I was able to do was hang my jaw like an idiot and ask. “What?”

“We, uh, talked about it yesterday, when you weren’t around,” Sharpshot said. He still couldn’t look at me, but the monotone nature of his voice told me everything I needed to know about how he viewed this. “They know her trigger word. She barely managed to keep herself together long enough to get away from us in Nowhere. We… we don’t have a choice.”

That feeling, that expression, it was all far too familiar to me. While I did everything I could to stay positive on my final day with Anchor, Rainy, and Clear, that is exactly how I felt. The difference was, I had been given the illusion of choice when I left the Enclave. Sharpshot and Willow were having a wedge driven between them from outside, by a Goddess who claimed superiority while seemingly not understanding a thing about love.

If Willow’s words two days ago were to be believed, even her own alicorns understood it better than she did.

So, with me knowing all of that, what response could I give? Just when my jaw had unthawed, it had frozen right up again. Tears began to cloud my vision, but I held back the urge to cry. What was happening to them wasn’t fair!

“I’m leaving tonight and heading to Maripony,” Willow said. Her voice had a much more clearly somber feel to it, and yet still she smiled to the rest of us. “Far away, where I can’t be made to hurt the stallion I love. Far away, where the only ponies who can possibly hurt me are the Goddess and myself.”

“What do you mean?” Gemmy asked. “I thought this Goddess pony couldn’t talk to you?”

“I… lied about it,” the alicorn admitted, shying away herself as she did it. “I thought I had done a good job hiding it too, but Sharpy? Sharpy knew. He had for some time now.”

“Because we told him. We possibly save his life doing it, and yet this hurts somehow far worse than I ever thought it would.”

Once again, my jaw finally managed to find itself capable of moving. Instead of using that opportunity to talk, however, I instead immediately closed my mouth and swallowed. They were right, Rhapsody was the one that told him about it. Back then it had just been a possibility, now it was fact. It had saved two lives, but caused them far more pain in the process.

“Sharpshot, Willow,” I finally managed to say. “I’m sorry.”

Sharpshot briefly brought his head up to look at me, only for it to fall after a few seconds. It was like somepony had tied a cement brick around his neck.

“I should be the one apologizing, for not immediately listening to y- Rhapsody,” he replied. “I knew what the card meant, of course I did, but the idea of losing her was… I didn’t want to think about it. Then you nearly died, and I realized how stupid that was.”

“It’s okay. I understand,” I told him. “Still, does it have to be right now? Surely you two still have a little bit more time together than you’re stating.”

“Remember how I rushed off down the mine for seemingly no reason?” Willow asked. I hesitantly nodded in reply. “She tried to make me kill most of you then, in hopes that Sharpy would be one of the ones that died. From there, it would be all too easy for her to dump all those events and the emotions tied to them on Lacunae. Poor mare is used as a trash can for all the bad emotions in the Unity.”

“This isn’t just about me, Danse,” Sharpshot said. “It’s about keeping others safe, and a mare none of us know from dealing with more pain than she already does. The best course of action is for us to leave on good terms, and leave the Goddess unable to take any of it.”

Whatever was holding down his head, it fell away after those words. He smiled and looked to Willow, and the alicorn did the same back to him. Despite openly showing their sadness, they managed to put it to the side and keep their moods up. It was admirable, even if some aspects were a little bit forced.

I didn’t understand all too well what Willow meant at the time when she was talking about Lacunae, but I didn’t need to. Within all the hopelessness that came with the two’s forced separation, she wished to celebrate. It was important to her, and seemed to be just as important to Sharpshot. Neither wanted their relationship to end on a down note. For that reason, I pulled the knife out of my heart and wiped the tears from my eyes.

“If all of this is to avoid giving that disgusting excuse of a Goddess what she wants,” I replied, conjuring the cockiest smirk I possibly could onto my face, “then let's do exactly that.”

“Fuck yeah!” Rhapsody and DH shouted. Their approval only fueled my confidence in this being the right course of action.

“Thanks Danse. You have no idea what that means to me,” Willow replied. Her eyes lit up, and her horn followed right after as she looked left on her seat. “Oh, that reminds me, I have something for you.”

“Me?” I asked, pointing to myself. “Wouldn’t it make more sense for Sharpshot to get a gift from you?”

“Oh, she already did that,” Sharpshot said. With his magic, he brought up a tiny little orb, which I immediately recognized for what it was.

“What’s that?” Gemmy asked, leaning forward and squinting at the orb. “It doesn’t look like much of a gift.”

“It’s a memory orb,” I explained. My daughter looked at me, no words needed to know the question that was about to leave her mouth. “It’s a device unicorns use to store memories for one reason or another.”

Sharpshot nodded to confirm that I had gotten things right. “Willow gave me a small collection of them earlier today. It’s her way of making sure that, no matter what, I’m there with her.”

“It was only something I thought up in the last year or two, so the memories are all incredibly recent,” Willow said. Her horn was still aglow, but whatever she was holding was currently out of view from us all. The exception for Sharpshot, who chuckled sarcastically at he saw what she was hiding under the table. “Speaking of incredibly recent, you still have that Twilight statuette on you, right?”

I blinked a few times, then nodded. “Um, yeah, wh–”

“Surprise!”

Up from under the table rose a similar statuette to the one I had in my saddlebags. It wasn’t another copy of Minister Twilight, instead belonging to a yellow pegasus with a pink mane. If her look wasn’t enough to tip me off on who it was, the ‘be kind’ etched into the pedestal was a dead giveaway. I held my hooves out, she dropped it in my hooves, and I gave it a closer look. While I certainly couldn’t be familiar enough with them to tell if it was a fake, it seemed as real as the one I had obtained in the Project Nebula labs… and shot back in the Trotson Grand Hotel.

My ears fell slightly from shame and embarrassment. While Rainbow Dash still didn’t paint me as a symbol of loyalty for her actions, trashing her likeness may have been a step too far.

“Where did you find this?” I asked Willow, stuffing the statuette into my saddlebag right next to the one of Twilight Sparkle.

“Back at the doomtown, believe it or not,” she said. “Honestly I’m surprised nopony else has taken it in all these years.”

“I’m not,” Sharpshot said, with a hint of venom in it. “The average wastelander sees anything dealing with that mare, and they keep their distance. Only exception is first-aid kits and shit, but some people are idiotic enough they won’t even take that if her cutie mark is on it.”

“But all first-aid kits have Fluttershy’s cutie mark on it,” Gemini replied.

Sharpshot pointed at her enthusiastically. “Exactly. Those idiots don’t survive for very long.”

“Well, whether she destroy the world or not, I like it,” I said, looking back at the alicorn. “Thanks, Willow. Wish I had something I could give you as a goodbye gift, but I wasn’t exactly prepared to say goodbye.”

“What are you talking about, Danse? You do have a gift you can gift me,” Willow replied, giggling into her hoof. I tilted my head, curious as to what she meant. “I want to hear you play music one more time. It was awesome getting to hear you on stage, and it would be even better to hear it without some dumb changeling joining you.”

Slowly, my eyes went from her to the far corner of the pub where the stage sat. Just like last time, a splattering of different instruments were visible from where I stood, my eyes instantly locking on the bass. In an instant, I felt it suddenly call out to me like a friend I hadn’t seen in years. It wanted me to play it again just as much as Willow wanted to hear it. Thankfully for both of them, I was more than willing to play again.

With a wink towards Willow, I got up from the booth and casually made my way over to the stage. The sound of chatter died down more and more the closer I got, everycreature noticing me. No doubt word had gotten out about Amaryllis and I’s performance when I first arrived in Underside, and given how quickly I was identified as their ‘Cloudborne Anomaly’, the attention made sense. I ignored all of them, my attention on the stage and nothing else.

As soon as I reached it, my hooves swiped the bass and brought it to the stage’s center. My hooves plucked each note; the tuning remained off, just like the last time I played it, but it was okay. After testing a few series of notes, I looked out in front of me. All eyes, from the front most seats of the pub to the bar at the back, were all on me. Willow had peaked over the booth to watch me, using her hooves as a cushion for her head. Sharpshot feigned disinterest while Gemmy beamed in excitement.

“You think we still got it?” my inner selves asked.

I snorted as I mumbled back to them. “What, are you two nervous?”

“Hah! As if. It’s just, this is the first time we’ve played since merging. I’m worried it’s not going to sound as good as last time.”

“Don’t worry.” Satisfied with my small warm up, I settled my hooves on the first notes for the song I had chosen. “It’ll sound even better.”

Without a second thought or a word to my audience, I started playing. Within seconds I was lost within the song, and all my worries and fears melted away.

“Come on, Rha– mom! They’re this way!”

I followed my daughter through the streets, not sure exactly where she was currently taking me. The sun was starting to set, Willow’s time with us was winding to an end, but Gemmy insisted on showing me something before final goodbyes were said. It felt a little wrong, not giving all my time to my first friend on the surface, but one look at Gemmy told me this was important to her. She wouldn’t be bringing me through random streets for no reason, something proved by her choice of words.

They. Who was ‘they’ in this instance?

I didn’t pay too much attention to exactly where we were heading until we ducked into an alleyway between two shops. Gemmy slowed her hooves, her ears flicking for a moment before a joyful gasp left her mouth. She directed me forward to the other side of a really old dumpster, a hop in her step that nopony would have expected from her even a week ago. While still confused, I did as my daughter asked and looked where she was.

Once more that day, my jaw dropped at the sight of an older unicorn mare curled around a very familiar unicorn filly. Stardust looked completely solid compared to the last time I saw her, with no visible sign that she was really a ghost. The same went for the older mare she was curled up against. Given the fact that they were covering the filly with their tail and had their full attention on them, it was easy to figure out they were also a ghost, despite the lack of opaqueness on their figure.

“Miss Shine,” Gemmy said, drawing the older mare’s attention.

“Oh, Gemini. How wonderful of you to visit us,” they said, smiling at my daughter. Their attention turned next to me, and that smile faded a bit. “And who is this with you today?”

“Oh, that’s my new… mom,” Gemini said. Despite the hesitation in her voice as she looked at me, the joy plastered on her muzzle was genuine. It was just something that was going to take her quite some time to get used to, I understood that, “and the mare responsible for finding Stardust and bringing her here.”

Miss Shine’s eyes went wide. “Wait, you’re Singing Rhapsody?”

Just as each time before, Rhapsody’s name sent a thousand tiny needles probing both out and under my skin. It still hurt like Tartarus, but the more it happened the more I found myself getting use to the pain. No longer was I crying out or collapsing every time I heard someone refer to me by her name, even if sometimes I really wanted to.

“You look… odd,” Miss Shine said, only for her to cover her muzzle with one of her hooves and shake her head. “Sorry, that was rude. I’m Night Shine, Stardust’s mom.”

“Stardust’s…,” I trailed off, looking at Gemini proudly. “You managed to find her?”

“I-i-its a bit more accurate to say that she, uh, found me,” Gemmy replied, rubbing her withers with one of her forelegs. “I didn’t know Stardust had snuck off with the rest of you, a-a-and it got me nervous. Started asking ponies to Underside about it – completely forgetting that Stardust is dead – and eventually found Miss Shine.”

“When she told me that she had met my little star, I joined in with the search,” Night Shine explained. She nuzzled into the filly happily, her voice soft, happy, and yet mournful. “It had been so long, I had lost hope of ever finding her.”

“She was in your old home,” I told her, stepping forward and laying down on the sand. It had gotten late enough in the day where it no longer felt capable of burning me. “Mistook me for you. She’s been crying for you since the day the bombs fell.”

The look of horror on Night Shine’s face as she heard that, it hurt so fucking much to see. She clutched her own daughter closer, muzzle vanishing into their mane, sniffling quietly. It wasn’t a long cry, but I could tell she felt a little better when she removed her nose from said mane that it had been a good one.

“I’m sure it doesn’t reflect well on me. She was supposed to have a foalsitter there, but either their ghost unraveled long ago, left, or they never arrived at my house in the first place,” she said, a deep frown on her face. “Pinkie’s agents must have caught them, thinking they were up to something. Knowing that, I don’t think any amount of thanks would be enough.”

“From one mom to another, just knowing your kid is safe and where she belongs is enough,” I said, looking at the filly in question. That got a smile back on Night Shine’s face, the ghostly mother looking about ready to cry again at hearing my words. “If you don’t mind me asking, what were you doing here in Underside instead of back in Trotson on the Last Day.”

“Oh, I wasn’t even here in Underside. I was in Shorelock, with other ponies,” she explained. She looked to her right, out of the alley and towards a Shattered Moon guard not too far away. “I’m sure you’ve gathered from Stardust who my employer was, even if she didn’t know exactly who they were.”

Both Gemmy and I nodded our heads. My daughter decided to lay down next to me, leaning into my body in a similar fashion to Stardust. The warmth of such a simple action sent through my body, it was beyond anything I can explain.

“My husband died fighting, and Stardust and I were denied entry to a stable,” she said. Her words confirmed the things I had heard the day I met her filly. “The Shattered Moon contacted me, explaining in broad strokes what they were and that they wanted me. At the time, it seemed like the best course of action.”

“And now?” I asked.

Night Shine shook her head. “I’m sure you’ve heard about the conflict with the Equalists. I don’t like them, but I signed up to stop a war. It feels like they’ve lost their way.”

“That’s understandable, especially with what ponies went through in your time,” I responded. “War isn’t completely unavoidable though. When we find things we can’t agree on, we fight. Simple as that.”

“I know. I know,” she replied, her voice so quiet I’m certain she didn’t want me to hear her response. She rested her muzzle back on her daughter. “Either way, thank you. Thank you for bringing my little Star back to me.”

I looked at my daughter, and she looked at me. I mouthed my own thanks to her, the young mare’s smile growing larger. To see her be proud of something after how timid and shy she was back when we first met, it was incredible. If time permitted, the two of us would have likely stayed there for hours, but we had a deadline. Willow would be devastated if we weren’t there when she left, and that was the last thing I wanted her to feel.

So, after some quick goodbyes, Gemmy and I got up and headed back into town. The entire time, I couldn’t get my mind off how proud I was to now call the unicorn next to me ‘daughter.’