The guards in front of the castle were perplexed and spent a few minutes staring between each other and the blue rabbit who was standing before them waiting impatiently for them to go through the motions. Since this was Canterlot, Sophia figured she was going to wait for a while so she rushed off for a moment to borrow a book from the Canterlot Library while she waited.

Seeing a blue rabbit reading a book confused the guards further but Sophia could wait them out. However, she really didn’t feel like it. In the end, she used the shadows to turn invisible and moved past the guards who decided that the rabbit was a figment of their imaginations and left it at that.

Nopony could say that Sophia didn’t try to use the legal channels to get into the castle.

Sophia’s destination was Luna’s bedchambers as the lunar princess had finally decided that she had enough of being silent and requested a meeting with her.

The hallway dedicated to Luna was decorated with dark colors with onyx chandeliers that gave a dim lighting that gave ponies just enough light to see where they were going. The walls had navy blue wallpaper and black marble. Some of Luna’s artwork from a thousand years ago was hung on the walls like a gallery.

Sophia stood before the indigo doors to the princess’s room where she removed her shadowy cloak. The guards at the door stared at the rabbit in shock but were warned to expect a small blue rabbit to visit her. Since Sophia fit the description one guard knocked on the door to announce the princess’s guest. “Enter,” Luna requested. The guards opened the doors and let her inside.

The theme of Luna’s bedroom matched the theme of the hallway except the floor was violet with a patterned blue rug in the center. A large queen-sized bed stood on one side of the room and more of Luna’s art decorated the walls.

Luna was at her desk, or workbench as it appeared to be since there were all sorts of tools on it. She appeared to be inspecting what appeared to be a flintlock pistol. The princess appeared to have a giddy look on her face.

As far as Luna’s appearance went, she did appear to be recovering from her ordeal months ago. She was slowly regaining her original stature and her azure mane appeared transparent at the tips.

Satisfied with her work, Luna got out of her chair and turned to face Sophia with a cheerful smile on her face. “We are grateful for your arrival, Sophia! It has been so long since we have had another to share our inventions with.”

“Sorry it took so long, the guards at the entrance couldn’t cope with seeing a talking blue rabbit so I had to sneak my way past them,” Sophia replied.

Luna’s smile faded as she let out an exasperated sigh, “Yes, the Royal Guards are worse than we remember. Back then the guards had the discipline to not stand around questioning strange appearances because they were trained by the very best that we scouted. We heard that our commanders went into exile after our banishment for fear that the conspirators would target them next.”

“Any idea where they went?”

Luna shook her head sadly, “It may be some time before we discover the whereabouts of their descendants. They fled with the entire Night Guard which was composed mainly of bat ponies, though there were other tribes within as well. We can only think of two places where they could have fled: the colonies of southeast Equestria or across the sea to Chiropterra. We will not be able to do anything if they have fled across the sea.”

“We can worry about that another time. What did you need?”

“Ah! I wanted to show you this.” Luna then showed the flintlock pistol that lacked a trigger guard to protect against accidental discharges. It made sense since ponies were lacking in thin appendages, though. It would be useless against the coming threat but it was a start. “What do you think?”

“You want my honest opinion?” Sophia asked. Luna nodded. “Very well, it’s nice that the firearm has finally been invented and with pony society as it is now it can be quite formidable. However, against Schezar and his pirates it would be the equivalent of a unicorn hurling stones at a fortified vault door with their hooves. Mind you, we need to train ponies to use firearms but they will also need to quickly learn how to wield more advanced firearms.”

To demonstrate her point, Sophia opened a rift into her personal pocket dimension and pulled out a large rectangular metal block that had a chain of small metal cylinders attached to it. The object was about the length of Celestia’s body. Sophia held the object in her telekinesis while pointing it upward to avoid having Luna or herself in the line of fire.

“This is one of the weapons that the enemy will bring against us. This weapon is standard issue to the most basic rank and file of their army. It’s called a Gauss Rifle and it fires thirty rounds a second though it has a capacitor that limits fire to short, controlled bursts. A few rounds of this is more than enough to turn a pony into pulp.”

Luna gulped, “Mayhap our shields may be able to block such a destructive force?” she offered weakly.

“You wouldn’t happen to have a private training area we could use, would you?”

Luna quietly nodded and teleported both of them and the rifle to a deserted training area for the Royal Guard. Since it was nighttime, there were no guards training at this time. “You wish to give a demonstration?” Luna asked.

Sophia nodded, “Let me show you just a taste of what you ponies will be up against.” She then pointed the business end at one of the training dummies and fired a burst of rounds at it. Only the base remained. “Now try to shield the next one.” Luna nodded and lit her horn. Not taking any chances she poured a significant amount of magic into her shield spell. Sophia took aim and fired another burst. To Luna’s dismay the bullets quickly destroyed the shield and turned the dummy into swiss cheese and the lunar monarch was now left with a small headache.

“These bullets can punch through two inches of steel plating and the heaviest armor your guards wear is barely an inch thick. While the bullets still use gunpowder, the metal casings are also propelled through magnetic induction. This means that these bullets can break the sound barrier. While this also causes the weapon to have a very high recoil, this recoil is suppressed by the enemy’s armored suits which utilize mechanical strength to keep the rifles from kicking and ensuring the bullets fly straight.”

Luna began showing signs of hyperventilating which prompted Sophia to send soothing psionic waves to the lunar monarch. “By the stars, this is what we’re up against? An army of armored soldiers who wield these terrifying weapons?”

“They have even deadlier weapons at their disposal. This is just the tip of the iceberg, so to speak.”

“This is dire news indeed. Tia must be informed of this. Do you know of a way we can defend against such an assault?”

“Thankfully, you ponies have the resources to improve your protection from these weapons. The starship metal that Rarity is producing can be used to make armor that will protect against a few bursts. The same metal can be used to produce similar weapons, but your ponies have to be on board for this war before we can work on increasing production.”

“I see. We thank you for this demonstration, Sophia, you have given us much to think about.”

“I am glad to open your eyes to the situation. By the way, how is Umbra doing as your advisor?”

“She has been most helpful in assisting us with becoming accustomed to modern times. Her magic is truly impressive as well. She may even surpass Tia and I.”

“Glad to hear it. Speaking of your sister, I heard that she was planning a visit to Ponyville.”

“She was, but decided to cut it short while making up an excuse such as an ‘infestation in Fillydelphia’ to spare Twilight the humiliation.”

“Yes, I heard that a fair portion of the town was eaten by a swarm of tiny ravenous pests and it was thanks to the quick thinking of Pinkie and Starlight that prevented the situation from becoming worse than it could have been.”

“Indeed. However, now it is time for us to perform our royal duties so we must bid each other farewell for now.”

“Alright, see you another time, Luna.”

“Pleasant dreams.”

Much to Twilight’s and Starlight’s surprise and delight, the mare in charge of teaching the foals in town, Miss Cheerilee, didn’t care much for some of the rules and guidelines set out by the E.E.A. Because of this, they were able to admit Spike into school. The teacher was happy to have a new student in class, despite his species.

Once the school year started, Spike was given all of the supplies he needed and led him to the schoolhouse. The dragon nervously entered the building where Cheerilee smiled when she saw him. “Ah, there you are. Class, please welcome our newest student. Would you please come up here to introduce yourself?”

Spike felt a little self conscious with so many eyes on him. His years of being homeschooled had not done wonders for his social skills and Canterlot was a hotbed of racism. Nothing he could have done would have prepared him for this day.

“Uh hi…M-my n-name is S-Spike. I’ve um…I’ve been homeschooled by Twilight and Starlight until now. Umm…”

“Ha! For a dragon you sure are timid,” mocked a certain filly from the back of the classroom.

“Shut it, Diamond Tiara!” Apple Bloom barked. “Nopony asked for yer opinion.”

“That’s enough Apple Bloom,” Cheerilee chided. “There’s an empty desk for you to use Spike.”

Spike nodded and proceeded to his seat.

The lesson that day was on the concept of cutie marks, a topic that held no relevance to Spike since dragons didn’t get cutie marks. However, he did notice that Apple Bloom seemed depressed for some reason though he guessed that it had to do with the fact that she hadn’t found her cutie mark yet. He also noticed Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were the same way.

During recess, Diamond Tiara showed off her tiara cutie mark and bragged about it, mostly to the three without cutie marks. However, her next words threatened to destroy her only friendship.

“I still can’t believe you blank flanks hadn’t gotten your cutie marks yet. You’re all eleven and you’re still blank. Talk about pathetic. Though I guess that will always be the case for Sweetie Belle. She will never get one since she threw her real body away.”

Upon hearing that, Sweetie looked down at the table looking like she was about to cry if she was capable of that.

“Hey! That’s low!” Spike snarled. “Where do you get off saying things like that?”

“Yeah, what did she ever do to you,” Apple Bloom shouted.

“Definitely a new low for you,” Scootaloo agreed.

“As much as I hate to say this DT, theyre right. That was just cruel,” Silver Spoon remarked, shocking the fillies.

“Whose side are you on?” Diamond barked in outrage.

“Yours, I was all for messing with them until they got their cutie marks but that one about Sweetie was taking things too far. You should apologize for that one.”

Feeling betrayed, Diamond’s tears flowed down her cheeks. Not caring who heard her anymore she screamed at those before her, “Fine! None of you are invited to my cutecenera!” She then ran back into the school just as Cheerilee came out to announce that recess was over.

Sophia was nearby to observe the conversation since she was originally there to see if Spike would be able to fit in with the class and it appeared that he was quickly becoming friends with Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. Even Silver Spoon appeared to be hanging out with them, even if she was only doing so until Diamond Tiara cooled off.

Speaking of the angry filly, Sophia was curious about the circumstances of her behavior. From what information she gathered, Diamond Tiara came from a wealthy family with a successful business entrepreneur for a father and a mother who was the head of the school board. However, wealthy families also came with their own set of troubles such as parents who were never home enough to spend time with their daughter. Chances were that Diamond’s condescending behavior came from how she was being raised. It was time for some investigating.

“Nova, what can you tell me about Diamond Tiara’s living environment?” Sophia asked telepathically.

“The Rich household is your typical wealthy family living in a small town. The father, Filthy Rich, likes to dote on his daughter but is away a lot to manage his franchises. This has left Diamond Tiara in the care of her mother and the servants. The mother, Spoiled Rich, never made a name for herself and chose to marry into money. She seeks for her daughter to become what she wants her to become and subjects Diamond Tiara to the manipulation tactics typical in an overbearing parent.”

“So if things continue like this, Diamond Tiara’s nasty disposition will only worsen in time,” Sophia concluded.

“It’s unfortunate, but there’s nothing we can really do. Matters of a family’s household aren’t something that can be meddled with.”

“Actually, I think I might know someone who can help in this matter. I can only hope that his schedule is open.”

A week later at the Rich estate, Diamond Tiara was quietly eating her breakfast at the table while Spoiled Rich was carefully observing her to make sure she was eating it like a proper lady.

Her cutecenera came and went and the four fillies she was upset with were barred from attending as she wanted.

Diamond was still upset with Silver Spoon for betraying her, though once she had calmed down she had realized that what she said to Sweetie Belle was out of line. But what could she do? When she told her mother about what happened she told her that Silver Spoon would either come back to her pleading for forgiveness or she wasn’t worth being friends with in the first place. Diamond was at a loss about what she wanted to do because if she went against her mother then she wouldn’t have any parents who wanted to spend time with her and she really would be alone. That thought frightened her more than she would have wanted.

To the surprise of the mother and daughter, the door to the dining room opened and Filthy Rich strode into the room with a blue rabbit on his back. However, this rabbit was male and had white tufts of fur on the tips of his ears which were a bit spikey and his eyes were green, unlike Sophia’s eyes. Strangely, he also wore a tiny white business shirt and blazer with a green tie.

As the head of the family was seated by the servants, Filthy had another bring a cushion for the chair to his left for his new partner to sit in.

“Filthy, I thought you would be gone for a few more days,” Spoiled questioned. “And why did you bring vermin into the house?”

Filthy gave his wife a stern glare that completely mollified her, “Honey, please refrain from speaking that way to my newest business partner. It’s thanks to him that I am here now and I’ll be here a lot more from now on thanks to his investments and advice.” His gaze softened as he turned his head to Diamond and gave her a gentle smile. “And it means that I now have a lot more time to spend with you, my little princess.” Diamond’s mood suddenly b
ecame much lighter as she heard that.

“Happy to be of assistance to your franchise, Rich. I simply saw potential in your chain but I also saw how inefficient it was to go around the country to manage each store. Thanks to my investments, your stores will be outfitted with magical messaging systems where the managers will send you their financial statements along with annual reports so that you can monitor the stores from your own home.” The rabbit then turned to the females in the room. “My apologies for the lack of introduction. My name is Sigmund, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintances.”

“Just how is it possible for you to invest in my husband’s businesses?” Spoiled asked, being careful not to irritate her husband further. “And could you be related to that other blue rabbit doing as she pleases in Ponyville?”

Sigmund chuckled, “Despite appearances, I am a financially powerful entrepreneur and I have my paws in countless businesses in Equestria and beyond. And yes, Sophia is my sister. She’s been performing small changes to Equestria as a whole. However, she has no idea how to handle the financial sector. That’s where I come in.”

Filthy nodded before he lowered his tone and darkened his expression, “Since I am going to be staying home a lot more now, there are going to be some changes around here, especially in how our daughter is raised.” The two females gulped before Filthy lightened up his expression, looking at Diamond. “Diamond, I expect you to offer a sincere apology for those you’ve offended. Not just because it’s the right thing to do but you never know if those around you might become one of the greatest minds or influential voices in Equestria. It’s best that you befriend them now rather than later if they actually do become great.”

Diamond nodded eagerly, “Yes, daddy!”

Filthy’s cheerful expression returned, “Good, now let’s enjoy our breakfast.”

Later at the school house, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo and Spike noticed a change in Diamond Tiara’s demeanor. She seemed nervous for some reason. However, they decided to leave her alone and focus on the lesson.

The three fillies and dragon had formed a close bond in the week they had been together. After Diamond had hurt Sweetie’s feelings with her harsh comment the other three comforted her and promised that they would work together to find their cutie marks, eventually calling themselves the Cutie Mark Crusaders. They allowed Spike into their group despite being unable to have a cutie mark.

During lunch, Silver Spoon decided to hang out with the Crusaders which wasn’t a surprise to them since she had sometimes hung out with them since the incident.

What was surprising was that they saw Diamond Tiara come to their table and prostrate herself before them. “I’m really sorry!” she cried. “I’m sorry about what I said to you, Sweetie Belle and I’m sorry for all those times I made fun of you for being blank flanks!”

The five were flabbergasted by their bully’s sudden change and wondered what happened to her. The strangest thing was that they could sense the sincerity in her tone. Before Apple Bloom could ask what happened, Sweetie Belle left the table and walked up to Diamond. The upset filly looked into the robotic filly’s eyes and saw a gentle smile on her metallic lips. “Why don’t you come sit with us? We can have a full table this way.”

Diamond returned the smile and accepted the invitation. The six spent some time trading their food while the items that Spike settled on ended up covered in the gem-based condiment that Rarity made for him.

However, Scootaloo wasn’t convinced of Diamond’s sincerity yet so she had to ask the question that’s been on their minds. “What brought this on, Diamond Tiara? Why are you suddenly being nice to us?”

“Well, to be honest, things at home have changed this morning, and it’s a big one,” Diamond replied.

“Changed? What’s your mother done this time?” Silver Spoon asked. She was aware of Diamond’s mother’s overbearing nature but chose to stay by her side because she really needed a friend. Silver still considered Diamond her friend despite what happened, but she also felt that her friend needed to understand that there were lines that shouldn’t be crossed.

“My father returned home early and announced that he was going to be playing a bigger role in our lives. He usually isn’t like that but whatever happened to him, I think I want it to stay that way since it means that mom has less say in how I live my life. And, I’m actually happy about that.”

Diamond Tiara suddenly found herself with a pair of gray hooves wrapped around her moments before more hooves wrapped around her, including metallic and draconic appendages. The group hug lasted several minutes until the hug started to become uncomfortable. They continued their lunch and spoke about various things until lunch period was over.

History books would show that this day was the day Equestria’s legendary unit came together.

Author's Note

I ended up with this one getting longer than usual because I kept adding more detail to some parts. I wanted to try to do more justice for this chapter so this was the result.