Twilight's Reign

Twilight and Starlight gave their goodbyes to the innkeeper.

As Twilight trotted up to the innkeeper’s desk to hand back their keys to the shoebox room they had stayed in, he politely declined their offering, shaking his head.

“Keep the keys. That storage room isn’t available for just any pony. I gave it to you both because of that, well, you know.”

The innkeeper glanced around the small entryway nervously, as if another customer would catch them discussing such secretive business. Dawn had just barely broken, but the innkeeper had been cracking groan-inducing dad jokes like he had had seven cups of coffee already.

Twilight and Starlight just giggled at the kooky pony. He may have been a royal guard, but clearly his sense of humor had accompanied the severity of his job. He was professional and silly at the same time, a mix of charm and seriousness all at once.

They trotted to the entryway, where they could see faded posters of Trottingham’s history, and a basket of tourist pamphlets that looked to be several decades out of date. The carpet was itchy underneath their hooves, and the inn itself looked like it could do with a renovation that made it look less like a haunted house. But despite the unsightly looks, the innkeeper’s kindness and generosity, and the reveal of his secret identity,

Twilight and Starlight got an early start out of Trottingham the next morning. Both of their bodies ached after sleeping on boxes the whole night. The room was also not well-insulated, so the nighttime breeze was less gentle after a while and more just plain cold. But still they persisted on to the nearest train stop, which was only a short walk away from the city center and down the main road. Both of their bellies were grumbling for food, and they stopped at a small cart to buy a breakfast treat before they realized neither of them had any bits, all given to the struggling innkeeper the night before.

But the pony running the stand, having seen them exit the nearby inn, just happened to be a good friend of the owner and gave them their pastries for free. Although Twilight’s visit to Trottingham had been marred by a scary stalking pony and a creepy spiral staircase, she couldn’t deny just how lucky she had gotten, and how kind the residents had been to her. Well, most of them anyway, not counting that stalking pony.

The train station was now just a few blocks away, and with it not due for another half an hour, Twilight’s shoulders slumped from their normally rigid stance as she relaxed a bit. This allowed both her and her companion to enjoy the scenery.

Although it was still the early morning, many service ponies who worked at restaurants, shops, and outdoor venues were already setting up for the day ahead, putting up signs advertising a sale on hamburgers at a local fast-food joint and a concert by Sapphire Shores at the city’s large amphitheater just a few buildings away. Twilight took a mental note to remind Applejack, Rarity and Rainbow Dash of the tour, knowing that the Cutie Mark Crusaders were still massive fans of the pony popstar(although Sweetie Bell in particular was more of a theatre pony) and were keen on seeing a show when it arrived near them. Her heart grew fond as she realized how much the little fillies weren’t little fillies anymore. All three were in their late teens, with the mood swings and evolving personal styles to match. She remembered how hard it was to understand herself and her identity at that age, and was glad to see a greater diversity of identities and personalities in the young ponies of today. More teenagers were open about topics like mental health, gender, and other areas of discussion that were still considered shameful when Twilight was growing up. It was heartwarming to see how Equestria had changed, even if some of the new-fangled technology and fashion trends bothered her.

“Uh oh ... .you're in Twilight land, aren’t you?” Starlight was waving a hoof in front of her face, and in all of her reminiscing, Twilight hadn’t realized she was about to step into a construction zone full of ponies hard at work. Of course, that would be so typical of her. She didn’t want to step into wet concrete or fall down a sewer. Again.

Twilight blushed at being called out for staring into space. It seemed that most of every single day was filled to the brim with monologues that were as winding as the staircase they had crept down last night.

“It’s okay, Twilight. You’ve had a lot on your mind. We all have, I guess.” Starlight smiled sweetly and they continued to the train station, offering an apology to the construction workers they had almost run into.

“How long will it take to get back to Canterlot from here?” Twilight asked. “Obviously, we only took the train part of the way from Canterlot.”

Starlight glanced at the map, this time a faded paper pamphlet she had grabbed from the lobby of the inn. She didn’t want to draw attention to herself or Twilight by using a magic map. “Hmm…” she squinted, the tiny font not doing any favors for her reading comprehension. “It says ....about 900 kilometers, so probably around 12 hours. Makes sense, considering the train advertises its “overnight honeymoon” package.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “Honeymoon package? Seriously?”

Starlight laughed, a redness across her face. “Yeah, I checked out their website on the inn’s desktop computer and it said for 2,000 pounds you could get the special treatment cabin!”

Twilight raised her brows. “You must be joking about that….how bizarre!”

Starlight gave a small, silly bow. “I can assure you I have done no such thing. The website does offer it, I swear!” She said faux-dramatically.

Both ponies shared a laugh about the advertising antics of the train company. Union Ponycific, the company behind Equestria’s famed cross-country steam trains(and in some places, bullet trains) had been known for their nighttime and daytime trains since long before Twilight started riding them as a young filly. Train routes like the Ponyville Express and the Trottingham Underground(which wasn’t really underground!) carried millions of creatures across Equestria daily. Since places beyond Equestria such as the Changeling Hive and the Dragon Lands had been “reformed” by Equestrian principles, new train routes had sprung up between those locations as well, and now train cars were filled with many more creatures besides earth ponies, pegasi, and unicorns.

As they waited on the raised wooden platform for their train, Twilight and Starlight noticed the familiar multi-colored train appear in the distant flatlands just beyond the city’s official entrance. Pretty soon the steaming engine appeared before them, and Starlight gave her train pass to the conductor, who scanned Starlight’s card and let them through into one of the back cars. They had chosen one of the less popular cars because although both still had disguises on, paranoia was always lurking in their heads. Twilight was relieved that Starlight had brought her train card with her, something that she had forgotten to do in her haste to leave the castle a few weeks earlier. She was suddenly aware of just how grateful she was to have Starlight by her side on the trip. Although she valued her alone time, there was always room for a friend in her travels, however arduous and unexpected. Maybe they would be something more, or maybe they wouldn’t. Twilight enjoyed Starlight’s company greatly.

The two ponies settled onto one of the plush benches in the car, grateful to see that the car wasn’t too crowded. An older gentlecolt to their left was reading a newspaper, and an exhausted-looking mare was trying to wrangle in two young fillies. Another seat was occupied by a dragon couple, the wife with blue scales and the husband with red. Lastly, a teenage Yak was gazing out the window while wearing those strange cat-ear headphones that seemed to be all the rage for the young generation. She looked on, amused but endeared.

They both enjoyed the comfy feeling of the benches, a far cry from the boxes and creaky wooden floors of the previous night. Starlight could have sworn she saw a flash of red in the car in front of them, but it could have easily just been in her head. With the little sleep she had managed, every little thing was making her jump. But then again, that pony was clearly trying to follow them. Starlight just sighed, for what could she do about it? It seemed that, to both her and Twilight, war was inevitable, and Canterlot’s crown was just sitting around, waiting for a conflict that would cause such devastation. Was war really inevitable? Was conflict something inherent to the Equestrian spirit? Or could it be avoided? Starlight just put her head into her hooves and tried to get some sleep in the remaining time it took to get to Canterlot. Her sleep schedule would be completely out of whack, considering the time differences and all, but her head pounded too much for any protest from the logical part of her mind. She slumped down, put her head on the gently rumbling window, and fell into a deep sleep.

Unlike Starlight, who seemed to be able to sleep anywhere, Twilight’s eyes and ears were wide open. Even though they were in an enclosed space and moving at a rapid pace, she half-expected to be ambushed with the rogue group of ponies that had tried to kill her(or so it seemed). One of the ponies, the leader of which most likely, was on the train with them. He was in the car up ahead of them. She had seen a flash of red, and Starlight had seen it as well. Twilight supposed she could have looked further, perhaps even gone into the car ahead, but decided against it. She didn’t need to look. She already knew.

She glanced at Starlight, who was fast asleep. She didn’t know how that pony managed to sleep given the rambunctious young fillies up ahead of them or the loud rustling of the elder gentlecolt’s newspaper, but she was clearly getting some well-needed shut-eye. Perhaps her massively loud snoring drowned out any of the other sounds on the train.

For all the gentle swaying of the train and the soothing thoughts she tried to fill her mind with, Twilight could not get to sleep. Even though she was tired out of her mind, the fear and worry that was consuming her kept her awake. She settled on flipping through the unusual white book that the innkeeper-who-was-secretly-a-guard had given her. The pages were thick and smooth, clearly made from high-quality paper. But where she had expected to find either typed or hoof-written words, she found mostly blank pages, aside for some messages at the beginning.
The first one read: “Hello to the pony that is reading this. This book belongs to the two female ponies that stayed at my inn yesterday evening in Trottingham, Equestria. This is a correspondence book. Please immediately disregard if that description does not apply to you.”

Twilight gasped. It was a message book, the kind of which she had not seen since her correspondence with Sunset Shimmer, her friend that lived in an alternate world. She made a mental note to update Sunset on the recent happenings of her life. She didn’t necessarily want to air out her dirty laundry, but in the decade or longer since she had been reformed, she had learned a lot. Sunset had become very wise. Twilight would make an effort to visit her adopted home sometime soon, when all the mess in Equestria was settled.
` Unlike the large, leather bound volume that she had once held in her hooves, this was a thin white book that was about as small as Twilight’s front hooves. However, its smallness was actually an asset. It would fit well in her bag. Perhaps that is why it was designed in such a way. She took a pen out of her bag and began to write a brief message to the innkeeper, who she assumed must have been waiting around for a response since he gave her the book. Like the innkeeper’s vague language, she kept it as deliberately generic as possible to avoid the danger of spilling her secrets. Although it was clearly being shared between the three ponies who were meant to have the book in their possession, a pony could never be too careful, especially when traveling between two large, crowded cities. Also, a pony could never be too careful when there was a would-be assassin on the train.

“This book is safe, in the protection of the two ponies it was handed to.”

A few minutes later, the book gently vibrated with an incoming message. Twilight stifled a laugh. It was just like a cell phone!

“Thank you for your quick message. Let us be cognizant of the challenges you will face ahead. I am here to help. Stay well and inform me at the end of your travels back to your destination. I will keep track of those that wish differently.”

Twilight shivered, although the train was plenty warm. The guard’s message was brief, but vague and ominous. Just like the whole situation was. She was glad to have a guardian angel look out for her, but even then her trust was faltering. If those closest to her had been her betrayers, then who could she turn to? Who could she lean on during such times, if everypony could be out to get her and she wouldn’t know? It felt like the world’s walls were slowly closing in on her, crushing her skeleton, tearing through the soft flesh of her body. She would be chewed and spit out, a bloody heap of her former self. It was grisly and violent, but there was little other she could say to describe her torrent of emotions.

She glanced over at Starlight, who was fast asleep in the train seat facing her. The benches had these faded flower patterns that reminded her of the Canterlot gardens, where she would occasionally go to pick berries and flowers with her mom when she was a young filly. No pony but royalty was technically allowed to visit the grounds, but it was never really enforced. Twilight had come from a high-ranking family of professors and intellectuals, so she was often never given a second glance when coming through the gates. Even regular ponies with little societal clout could waltz through and have a picnic or walk around the buzzing bees and serene stream. Back then, Canterlot(and the world at large) was experiencing a golden age of peace. Before Nightmare moon, before Tirek, before the Crystal Empire and Chrysalis and Cozy Glow and whoever else had tried to destroy Equestria to take the power away. The garden gates were always open even when they weren’t supposed to. Times were different now. They had to be.

Twilight realized her gaze was still fixed on the flower patterned fabric, which always greeted her cheerfully when she stepped on a train. But this time she did not smile back at the familiar pattern. She glanced out the window, past the rushing fields and clouds that whirled by so fast they could have been nothing at all. She felt tears at the edges of her eyes. She couldn’t quite describe the feelings anymore.

………………………………………

Starlight awoke as the subtle shifts of the train turned into a sharper curve. She could see they were just past one off the minor mountain ranges of the greater Equestrian plains. It was really a set of large hills, but tourist ponies flocked to the range for the magnificent views of the sea. The way the sun sparkled off the water could blind a pony if they weren’t careful, something the entire country had realized with a screeching halt, hours too late. As the “mountains” passed by with a blur that resembled an impressionist painting, Starlight gradually grew more awake. Her eyes adjusted to the light, which had dimmed from a bright morning to a more subdued late afternoon. It would only be several hours until they were coming back to Canterlot, and even less until the evening would come back from its daytime slumber. It was ironic, Starlight thought, to imagine the moon sleeping during the day, snuggled in a blanket made from the stars. But Luna slept during the day, didn’t she? When she had resolved that conflict between the two sisters all those years ago, she vaguely remembered the younger sister being grumpy in the mornings, as she had come off a long night of work. She wondered what Luna dreamt about during the day, and if it was possible for her to dream at all.

But with the way the sisters had spoken with her several days ago, it would not be long until neither sister would dream of anything at all.

But maybe there was something beyond. Maybe some kind of heaven, or hell, although she didn’t really believe those things anymore. The few times she had visited Tartarus on royal duty with Twilight had convinced her that hell was an Equestrian thing. It was pony-made. No, the thing she was hoping for was something beyond anypony’s power, even Celestia or Luna, maybe even the aging Starswirl the Bearded and his group of Pony Pillars. Something more, something deeper. If she could reach down and pull the fabric of life itself and stitch it back together into something gorgeous, she would do it. If she could give Celestia and Luna a place for eternal rest, where their souls could seep into that stitched tapestry, she would. But such fantasies were just that. Fantasies.

Starlight sighed. Hope was the driving force for everything she did, and yet it a torture all it’s own.

Eventually, the sun began to dip below the hills, casting the train car in a warm orange glow. Twilight, still disguised, had excused herself to use the restroom, which also served the purpose of allowing her to lower the sun without anypony seeing it. She returned to her seat and huffed a soft sigh. There was often a period of weightlessness that accompanied the afterglow of a magical ritual such as the one she had just covertly performed.

An announcement beamed from the loudspeaker, which was crackly and startling and much too out of date. The conductor said that because of a storm brewing near Canterlot, the train would be lowering its speed, meaning that the train would likely not reach the city until after midnight. It was supposed to arrive in the mid-evening, but secretly both ponies were relieved at the extra time they were afforded. It gave Twilight time to worry and Starlight time to sleep. As the moon cast a long glow over the train car, Twilight was at once relieved that she had been able to perform her spell in peace, and that the train had been delayed. She was also worried too, because the more time she spent on the train the more her mind began to wander. Her “Twilighting” episodes often began out of the stress of being inside, and even the expansive windows and air conditioning were still not enough. The creeping dread she felt at returning to her real life could not be assuaged by any kind of wishful thinking or positivity. Instead, she flipped open the little white book and scribbled out a message. Her handwriting was messy and unguarded, her mind unbound by the social conventions of the daytime. That’s what the nighttime did to ponies. It made them more real.

As the darkened sky gave way to thunderous illuminations and cracks of sound, Twilight made herself as comfy as she could in the flower fabric that reminded her too much of a world that wasn’t real anymore. It was going to be a long, long journey back. She took a few minutes to greatly study the car in front of theirs, the small windows that bordered the connecting doors. It was nighttime and most ponies were asleep, and the clouded moonlight was little help in giving her details of what ponies were in the car ahead. But she was certain that a particular red coated and tan haired pony was sitting at the back right corner of the train up ahead. She couldn’t tell if the blur of red and tan was asleep like everypony else or awake like she was. It didn’t matter to her anxiety if he was or wasn’t. He was always watching them, it seemed, like those rushing pedestrians she always saw when she visited Manehattan or the flashing billboards of Manehatten’s
Mane Square. Those ponies never slept. Their lights were always on.

However afraid and anxious Twilight was, her eyelids were growing heavy and her limbs felt they were melting into the hauntingly patterned seat. After barely sleeping the night before(and little on the rest of her journey). Although her brain protested beyond all hope to keep herself awake and vigilant of the potential danger in the car ahead(not to mention the absolute shitshow that was waiting for her back in Canterlot), it was a losing battle. Her valiant effort to stay awake amidst everything proved to be fruitless as her world grew blurry and she fell into a deep sleep. The gentle comfort of the dream world pulled her into a tentative, or temporary, sense of peace. Although her dream self was certain that Luna would visit her that night(as the princess often did when she was stressed) the navy colored pony never did. In fact, she hadn’t done so for a while. Twilight wanted to wonder about what was going on with the decreased presence of both sisters at events and the lack of letters she was receiving from her mentor, but it wasn’t possible to do so when the answer was right in front of her. She didn’t need them to tell her what was already in her heart. The elements always knew before anything, and the heaviness in the air every time she put her crown on was because of more than her own political failures. But there wasn’t any more thinking to do, as she slipped further into dreamland and away from the anxieties of the waking world.

The train chugged to a stop, and both Twilight and Starlight groaned as they were forced awake, both by the sudden jerk of the train’s stop and Twilight’s need to raise the sun. She slipped into one of the bathrooms at the back of the train to covertly raise the sun. Hopefully no pony would sense the pattern that was emerging. Except for the red pony, he already knew and there was not a Celestia damn thing Starlight could do to fix that. Was a brain-erasable spell ethical? Definitely not. Starlight harrumphed in frustration. If she had her away, a lot more things would be legalized. Eventually, the crackly loudspeaker announced that ponies could begin exiting the train, and both ponies moved into the line to begin the frustratingly crowded process of deboarding. Twilight couldn’t see the red pony anymore. She couldn’t decide if that was a good thing or bad thing. But that red fellow was like a cockroach or some other horrid bug: it could disappear for all eternity and would still be back the next day.

The bright sunlight hit Twilight’s tired eyes like a truck as they exited the platform into the city, eyes bleary and manes fussed. Starlight used her magic to conjure up a hairbrush, and both ponies used the public bathroom next to the train station to freshen up a bit before heading into town. Twilight scribbled a quick message into the little white message book, and had gotten a quick reply. The guard was happy to see that they had arrived safe and sound to their home.

Canterlot had expanded immeasurably in the last few years. The drawbridge, a relic from ancient pony times, was nearly sinking under the weight of all the ponies and other creatures that crossed in everyday, each one with their smiles illuminated under the shining city gate, a structure designed in the same vein as the castle. The gates opened into the familiar town square, which housed the many farming stands that dotted throughout the neighboring countryside. Canterlot’s elevated status(literally, it was built on a cliff side) meant that the traditional conventions of a city were not available to it. The city was arranged like a giant circle, with the castle being at the very center. Like a nesting doll, businesses and homes on the outskirts were considered more affordable, while the closer a pony got the castle, the smaller and more expensive the properties got. Even the townhomes, once considered an affordable alternative to a detached house, were eye-wateringly priced. Numerous roads sprouted left and right from the main square, paths leading off the space like branches on the tree. On the left side road, closest to the castle, was Resteraunt Road, which housed the finest dining establishments in Equestria. Most of the cuisine was elite and expensive, but since the rousing success of the Tasty Treat all those years ago, more casual establishments had popped up, yet still with the same high-quality standards of food. It was a place where a street taco stand was respected as much as a five-star sit down restaurant.

Another one of the streets that came into existence down a left road was Canterlot’s shopping district, which housed designer boutiques, upscale chains, and small businesses selling and reselling the latest fashions and trends. To the right was the entertainment district, with enough high quality productions to rival Bridleway in Manehattan. Classic amphitheaters shared parking lots with large cinema chains. Canterlot was a place where the old guard of Equestria met modernity. It was like Trottingham in that way and many others; the two were considered sister cities.

On the mountainside just a very nerve-wracking train ride away was the agricultural and industrial district; although not technically a geographical part of Canterlot, the farms, factories and warehouses supplied all of the culinary, commercial, personal, and technological needs of the city.

In essence, Canterlot’s rounded shape was perfect for its contents. It was a world inside of a city, a microcosm of the numerous cities and towns outside. There was a reason it was right in the middle of the world. Canterlot was the beating heart of Equestria.

In the town square was where Twilight and Starlight were standing, deliberating on their next move. Should they take off their disguises? Should they go back to the castle right away or try and get some relaxation or conversation in before they walked up to the castle?

“I think we should just rip it off, you know? Like a band-aid.” Starlight’s voice was hushed, even though the city’s entrance was so crowded that no pony would even give them a second glance.

Twilight was less keen to go marching back into her old life. “I mean… I think we should mull it over. I don’t want to do anything too drastic. What if we scare everypony? What if they aren’t happy to have us back?” Her voice was much more shrill than Starlight’s calm one. It would make sense, considered she was the center of the storm.

“Twilight…” Starlight hesitated. It was tough to be in the position of delivering blunt words. “It’s not going to get any easier by waiting. It’s just going to fester. Like….like…” she searched for the right simile to finish her point. “Like an infection or something.”

Twilight hummed in thought as the crossed the square into the gardens that led up to the castle’s public walkway. Another fifteen minutes or so of walking through the castle’s public park and they would be approaching the front steps, which would likely be swarmed with tourists. They would have to try and find a more covert way in, to avoid drawing attention to themselves.

Twilight considered that thought and realized Starlight was completely right, even if she was more scared of coming home than she would ever admit out loud. “Yeah…” she sighed. “You’re right, Starlight.” A heaviness hung in the air, but Twilight punctured the tension with a a laugh. “You know, being a zombie would be pretty awful!” She giggled. “It was bad enough when I had to pretend to be one for that rainbow cookie prank over a decade ago!” The two mates shared a laugh, remembering the silly event. Starlight was just glad that Twilight was taking her advice to get back to castle sooner rather than later. That way, their impending doom by way of a red and tan pony could at least be dealt with in some way. It was good to be proactive, rather than hide behind the shame of one’s past. Sunburst had taught her that.

“We don’t want to be zombies, Starlight. Being a zombie is bad.” Twilight repeated, as if trying to sloth herself with a new self-made mantra.

“Right, Twilight. Exactly.” Starlight offered, herself a bit deflated as they came closer and closer to the castle’s entrance. With all her pep talk energy, she was getting a bit nervous, unsure of the reception they would receive once they got into the castle. They got to the completely thronged front courtyard leading to the endless front steps. Twilight remembered trudging up those front steps every time she came to the castle for lessons. As a filly, she wished to spend every waking moment in the property’s gorgeous rooms and halls. As a ruler, she lamented every second she had to stare at another golden wall or trot down a millionth crystal tiled floor.

Twilight craned her neck, trying to look through the massive crowds. Tourist ponies with cameras and guidebooks were taking pictures and listening to the several Canterlot Tourism Bureau that were stationed at the famed site. Being a weekend, it was an especially hectic time. It was so loud that both ponies practically had to yell to get each other’s attention as they waded further into the crowd, looking for the side entrance gate. That gate was a special entrance for staff and royals, as well as esteemed guests. It was enchanted by a protection spell to be invisible to those who did not already know the magic code to see it in the first place. It was something that Celestia and Luna had passed on to Twilight, and any guards stationed outside of the castle were kept under strict rules to keep such entrances out of public consciousness. As the underground tunnels beneath the castle had been sealed many years ago, the castle was as secure as it had ever been. Well, until about a week ago, that is. But Twilight did not want to think of such things. In the wise musings of Starlight, she didn’t want to be an infected zombie like in those scary movies that Spike always insisted on watching, when he had nights with Big Mac and Discord.

“So, it looks like the side entrance is our best bet!” Starlight yelled, dragging Twilight along to the semi-covert entrance. Many alternate routes inside and outside the castle serves as private places for royals and their guests to depart without being mobbed on the front steps. The steps themselves and the hall that welcomed tourist groups as they made their way up them were mostly for show anyway. The so-called private parts of the castle, including bedrooms, staff offices, and archival rooms were strictly off limits to the public. That meant, if Twilight and Starlight could manage to get to the gate, then they would be safe and sound, able to make their return known to their staff without fuss from outside.

As Twilight was poked in the eye more than a few times by a straw hoof or unicorn horn by hordes of ponies around her, she was endlessly grateful to see the gated entrance just beyond the small steps around the side. She motioned for Starlight, who was now taking her turn to be dragged out of the crowd. As soon as they rounded the corner, it was as if they were in another world entirely. The massive crowd was still loud, but the protection spell gave Twilight a bit less of a stress headache, and Starlight was immediately experiencing less sensory overload. There were two guards stationed at the gate, which was just beyond a short gravel path, also hidden from view. A normal pony would just see a blank royal garden wall, and would think nothing of it.

Both guards seemed surprised that two strange ponies were waking to the gate that was supposedly hidden. As neither Starlight nor Twilight had the courage to remove their disguises, they continued walking, ignoring the guards, until one was forced to hold up a hoof.

The left guard spoke, his voice soft yet authoritative and firm:

“Who goes there? This entrance is restricted to approved Canterlot Castle staff and their guests. You must leave at once!”

Twilight breathed in deeply, giving a look to Starlight. Without speaking at all, both ponies knew that the time of pretending was over. They had to come back home, to the real world. Starlight’s horned glowed as she cast the spell, a brief flash that startled the guards. She was just glad the burst of light wasn’t visible to anypony else. It was so bright that without the secret spell, it would be visible from the highest mountain in Yakyakistan!

“Princess Twilight?” The right guard said cautiously. Both ponies, who were dark gray, with stocky and muscular builds, were confused. “Is that you?”

“Yes, Gentlecolts. I permit you to use any spells you wish to believe me, but I am back.” Any hint of Twilight's nervousness has vanished. She spoke with a royal voice that had no hint of a quiver.

The left guard squinted. “Well, it does sound like Princess Twilight…” he said cautiously.

The right guard was more suspicious. “Well it would, wouldn’t it?” He said, his voice laced with frustration. “That’s how they get you.” He turned to the other guard, and they nodded at each other. “I’m afraid we will have to perform a detection spell on the both of you to make sure you are accurate in your identities. Please stand still for the scanning.”

Neither pony was worried. Royal detection spells were as old as time, and they were both painless and vital for the safety of the castle. Twilight was first, stone-faced as the bolt of magic coarser through her up and down. Starlight was second, equally unaffected by the powerful magic.

The guards still seemed perplexed that the Princess was standing right in front of them. Spike must have kept a tight lip about her real whereabouts.

“Pardon my intrusion, your highness. I was informed by the Honorable Spike the Brave and Glorious that you have been quite ill for the past few days. I must say, you look like you have recovered quite well! Please disregard our rudeness at your arrival. We were just not expecting you to be out and about.”

Twilight smiled warmly. “All is well, gentlecolts. I was simply going for a short walk around the castle with Starlight here. We wore disguises to avoid unwanted attention as I continue to recover from my short illness. Thank you.” She bowed gratefully to the guards who took off their helmets and bowed as well.

The guards parted away from the gate, and Twilight stepped in first. The entrance gave way to a short non-descript hallway leading to an official castle side entrance, which was again guarded. Security had been high since the attack last week. The guards parted, surprise again written on their faces. But all was silent as the two ponies made their way, bowes and all. Reaching the carpeted hallway that lead into the staff corridor, Twilight turned to Starlight, fear, hope, relief, and terror all pooled in her eyes.

“Are we ready?”

Starlight didn’t hesitate. “We’re ready.”