Lost Summer

Chapters

Go Bag
Rogue
Nature Versus Nurture
Making It
Bodyguard
The Call
Journey
Homecoming
One of Them
Ghost Tour
Outling
Kicking & Screaming
What Would Twilight Do?
Roots
The Old Guard
Building Roads
Epilogue

Go Bag

Rarity glanced suspiciously down the hall both ways before closing the cabin door and taking her seat. Sweetie Belle was already laying down on the opposing bench with her eyes closed, exhausted from everything in addition to her lack of sleep.

Rarity stowed her two trunks, having abandoned much of what she brought at the hotel, some of it because it was destroyed or lost. She sat down and opened a newspaper that she'd bought at the station.

“They put it in the entertainment section I guess,” she muttered, ruffling through the pages. “Oh, here I am, just like he said. I can't believe I'm in the biggest newspaper in Equestria. I wonder if I'm in any of the reviews.”

“Mom and Dad are in the hospital and you're still thinking about the show and looking for fashion reviews?” scoffed Sweetie, her eyes still shut.

“You cope with it your way and I'll cope with it mine but you might find that a nice distraction gives your nerves a much needed break.”

While that axiom was true for Rarity most of the time, right now she felt numb inside except for her anxiety.

The train whistle wailed.

“They're not even my real parents,” she murmured absently.

“Yes they are,” Sweetie shot back indignantly. “They're just as much your parents as they are mine. This doesn't change anything.”

Rarity flipped the paper down to look critically. “Maybe for you. You don't get it at all. This changes nothing for you except you're less pony than you thought. Everything I've known has been fake. I have a family out there that I've basically never met or even heard of before. There's an entire world that I was supposed to be part of.”

“Well, what are you going to do if you find your ‘real’ parents then, move in with them?”

Their car lurched from the initial stroke of the engine.

Rarity shook her head. “I don't know what's going to happen but this is all about me and I need to figure it out.”

After a thankfully uneventful journey, Rarity and Sweetie stepped off of the train in the late afternoon Ponyville Station.

Not wishing to be encumbered by a pair of trunks, Rarity abandoned her luggage near the office. Then the two of them left, trotting briskly toward the market.

“Don't go showing your friends your new transformation ability, at least not yet,” warned Rarity.

“Fine,” she groaned.

“And I think the less we speak of what happened, the safer everyone will be. Whoever asks, you say that mom and dad were attacked in a horrific mugging not witnessed by either of us. I'm returning to Manehattan to support them and we'll be back as soon as we can.”

“Okay.”

The two walked down a row of bustling stalls in the plaza all the way to the spot where the Apple Family parked their wagon nearly every day. Applejack was there alone at a folding table just giving a customer their change. She smiled when she looked over at them.

“Rarity, yer back. How was the thing?”

Rarity pulled up to the table looking haggard and gave a sigh. “Well the show was amazing but I’m afraid something awful has happened to my parents. A band of cutthroats attacked them in an alley.”

Applejack's mouth dropped open. “No,” she gasped.

Rarity continued before she could ask. “They fought back but took such a thrashing that they had to be admitted for a prolonged stay in the hospital back in Manehattan.”

Applejack's expression was horrified. “Are they gonna be alright?”

“I think so but my dad is in a medically induced coma right now because of head trauma.”

“That’s awful. Ah can't believe that. Some ponies, Ah tell ya.”

“Yes, anyway, I apologize for the brevity but I'm in a bit of a rush. I have an immense favor to ask of you. Would you be willing to take Sweetie Belle while I'm away looking after my parents in the city?”

“Of course,” agreed Applejack without hesitation.

“It may be a while,” she warned. “One to two weeks.”

“That's fine,” she shrugged. “It's a big house.”

“Thank you. You're a lifesaver, Applejack.” Rarity fished out her coin purse.

“You don't gotta pay me nothin’”

“Oh, don't be ridiculous. I know this is a huge ask and a not insignificant financial burden.”

“Ah can't accept money from a friend in a crisis. Sweetie can stay and pick apples with Apple Bloom like a migrant worker for however long ya need. It's fine.”

“Thank you,” sighed Rarity, putting her purse away. She turned to her sister with a grave shadow across her face.

“Don't worry Sweetie, We'll all come back eventually.”

Sweetie Belle hugged her voluntarily with worry.

“Thank you again, Applejack. And please let Twilight know I'm out of town at your earliest convenience.”

She felt bad about lying but she just couldn't explain the real story for a lot of reasons. Her parents were in the hospital from an attack and it was very much an emergency. That much was true. If her mother and or father came back while she was still gone, it would be their call to set everyone straight or not. - - -

The queen bed screeched as Rarity shoved it aside with her magic. She knocked her hoof on the floor here and there until she heard telltale rattling wood. She floated out the pair of loose floorboards and peered inside the gap. Down inside the floor there was a dark canvas texture. She fished out a satchel and plopped it on the floor.

Was this some kind of spy kit, she wondered. She undid the metal clasp and looked inside the flap. What must have been the aforementioned journal came out first. Resisting the urge to look inside it immediately, she checked to see what else was in the bag.

She pulled out a trio of throwing knives sheathed in a row on a strap. “I remember these,” she breathed. “This looks like a garter belt that holds knives.” There was a tarnished brass monocular that looked quite useful.

There was a spool of very fine, almost invisible, but quite strong wire, the purpose of which eluded her at the moment. She pulled out a thick cloth mask with a mesh filter over the mouth.

“What are these? Mothballs?” She sniffed one of the gray orbs curiously. It was too large. And if that was what it was, it had lost its aroma long ago. She set it on the floor and rolled it around beneath her hoof to see how it felt. It burst suddenly in a cloud of smoke.

Rarity recoiled, coughing and fanning her face as the room filled with haze. She backed into the doorway, eyes watering as she slid the windows open with her magic. She turned on the ceiling fan and waited for the air to clear before re-entering.

She put everything back in the bag except for the journal even though she was unsure about the smoke bombs.

“So this is her gear?” she muttered, leaving for the kitchen. “Some of it's a little more advanced than what she taught me.”

Rarity sat down at the kitchen table and unstrapped the journal. She began to flip quickly through the pages. There were basic maps of cities and buildings with rough pen sketches, scouting notation, Kirin government hierarchies and names, small dossiers and even diagrams of booby traps. She wasn't sure if they were standard or her mother had devised them herself. Cookie wrote incredibly small but exceedingly neat, allowing her to pack a lot of information into a small book that, as far as Rarity knew, spanned her entire career and beyond.

The journal seemed to be broken up into sections punctuated with buffers of blank pages to allow space for additional content to be added where needed. There were a few extraneous articles that had been affixed to pages. A formal invitation. A wanted poster with a likeness of a Kirin she may have been tasked with hunting down. The book was eye-opening to say the least. This was an entirely different life, like from a pony she didn't even know.

Rarity stopped on one of the more recently added sections where there were two maps on opposing pages. She recognized the town names, especially the first Pony one mentioned in the book, Canterlot. It sat high up on a mountain. There was a train line intersecting with another wiggly line that connected with Sky's Edge which sat below a cluster of shorter named mountains surrounded by an immense forest.

The first map looked like messy guesswork while the second looked like a refined version of the first with more detail, names and revised placement. It even had a distance scale. Perhaps her mother had referenced some pony maps and made a composite approximation.

Her eyes traced the hatched railroad to the station where another dotted path broke off going west. A path connecting Canterlot and Sky's Edge could only mean one thing: This was the route they'd taken when they left the Kirin.

“This is it,” she whispered, pointing at a dot labeled ‘Ponyville.’ If accurate, this map showed her where the Kirin lived relative to her current location. She hurried into the living room and snatched an atlas from the shelf. She opened it to the Northwest quadrant of Equestria and looked along the bottom of the page. She began to cross reference major landmarks in the region, the mountains, rivers and lakes. The prominent ones were all there and appeared to be to scale in not only size but relative distance from one another. The pony cities shown were all in their correct places. Assuming that Sky's Edge was a real place, her mother's map was legitimate. The next question was how close could she get there on wheels before she had to start hiking.

Rarity paid a quick reconnaissance visit to the Ponyville Train Station. She checked the route map posted on the exterior of the ticket office. It showed every passenger train route in all of Equestria. She quickly found the large dead spot on the network where the Kirin resided and no trains went. The closest station was of course the one to their east beyond the forest, the one depicted on her mother's map. It still wasn't very close at all, maybe eighty miles.

She frowned and followed the tracks around the big green blob. Although there was no closer station, the tracks did drift closer to her destination at one point. It was possible, she supposed, to just hop off between stations when she reached that spot in the trip.

She ripped a strip of paper from the back of the journal to help measure as a shoddy compass.

“Seventy to seventy-five miles approximately from the closest train track,” she muttered. “That is… still a ways by hoof through the forest.”

Why couldn't she be part of a race that transformed into pegasi instead? Mother made this trek with a newborn?

Rarity sighed and went to the office window. “Excuse me. When's the next train to Saddlevale?”

The old stationmaster glanced at his schedule and cleared his throat. “Leaves Ponyville at five eleven today.”

Rarity grimaced. That gave her only about forty-five minutes to pack for the most mysterious and maybe perilous trip she'd ever taken. She grinned weakly. “Um, is there a later train?”

The stallion shook his head. “Not today. Next one is tomorrow at seven PM.”

“Okay,” she groaned. “One for the five eleven, please.”

Rarity got the ticket and scampered back to her parent's house where she threw together a quick game plan for what to bring with her.

“Okay, camping, not glamping. Spying, not cavorting. Unassuming, not glamorous. Basic survival, not… hairdryers.”

It was a given that she'd take her mother's bag with the assumption that anything in it might be useful even if she didn't quite know how yet. If she could pack here using her parent's things and avoid going back to Carousel Boutique like her mother had warned, she could probably pack much lighter and be outfitted with pragmatic utility instead of excessive style or comfort which was what she usually did.

She grabbed a regional map and magnetic compass, a bedroll and an old pup tent that was her father's when he was a colt. Flint for starting fires. A watch. First aid kit, toothbrush and deodorant. She had no idea when her next bath would be.

She managed to gather all the basic tools for a saddlebag trip through the woods. Then it dawned on her: food and water. How could she forget? The situation called for things that don't spoil or take up much space like granola bars, she thought.

Rarity found a canteen in the cupboard and filled it up in the sink. She opened the pantry. Her parents had a lot of cans and jars which sounded too heavy and bulky to saddle herself with.

She looked down to see an open wooden crate of drab looking sealed food packets. “Oh, lovely, the MREs,” she droned. A dehydrated fixture of every camping trip they'd ever gone on as a family. Her mother was still buying them… or perhaps they were the same ones left over from years ago. So it was either that, the heavy cans or just a giant sack of oats that, while light and compact, would get boring quickly. She swore she'd never eat them again but at least the MREs provided some variety. She grabbed a dozen spanning across four different meals, a small sack of oats and a bag of raisins. A tin cup and a pot to cook or boil water in. She packed everything in, strapped or dangling from her mother's high end tactical saddlebag.

“That was actually kind of fun,” she told herself knowing full well it would be a lot less fun later when she was alone in the forest and all she had to live on was this scaled down assortment of basics she’d brought with her.

“Mother would be proud. I fit everything in, on or around a single bag and didn't pack so much as a-” Her eyes bulged. “My makeup! No,” she shook her head defiantly. “We're not going to think about it.” She looked at the clock. There wasn't enough time for a shower; she needed to just get back to the station.

Rogue

Moonless nights with a stiff breeze were the most natural environment to Diamond Dust. The darkness shrouded her body and the rustling leaves in the wind masked her sound. Tonight’s conditions were mission optimal.

The young Kirin stopped at the treeline of the forest. She crouched behind the bush closest to the castle’s southern rampart. Her black bodysuit covered every bit of her except for one slit for her tail and one for her horn.

Diamond watched a vigilant guard standing atop the parapet in the light of a large flaming brazier. She ducked as a patrol went by slowly on the ground along the castle perimeter, the light of her horn playing over the thick wall of foliage. Once she was out of range, the spy turned her attention back to the posted guard high above. Intel had said that this side was patrols with no sentinels. Whatever the reason, at this moment, that appeared to be inaccurate because this Kirin wasn't moving.

Her eyes scanned back and forth across the parapet looking for an alternative solution to dealing with the guard. This was still the best point of entry for her, she just needed a little distraction.

The helmed stallion turned briefly, not to leave but to move closer to the flickering brazier, seemingly to get warmer from the chill of the gusting wind. Her eyes flicked to the big metal cage and she was struck with inspiration. He was downwind of the flames. The wood inside was charred black and brittle. She didn't need to be up there more than a couple of seconds to get her bearings and move further into the stronghold.

Though it was just barely within her range of sight, she concentrated on one particular piece of emaciated wood at the bottom of the fire and waited for the right time. After a few moments, the guard decided that the fire needed more fuel. He floated a pair of logs into the air and turned toward the brazier.

Seeing her opening, Diamond stirred the dregs with her magic. A burst of sparks spiraled into the guard’s eyes and he recoiled, grunting in pain. Losing concentration he dropped the wood straight on the fire, causing even more sparks to fly into the wind. Diamond seized the moment, teleporting behind him at the far end of the parapet where it joined with a square tower. She quickly looked inward over the courtyard, scanning for another place that was high, dark and unoccupied. Before the guard could even see again, she blinked from the wall to a small, isolated turret where a flagpole towered, flying the Lightning Clan’s crest against the black sky. She peered cautiously out of cover at the complex of buildings that was the keep, deliberating on the best approach and the most likely location of her target.

There was a great covered balcony where one could stand and pontificate to a crowd below. Grandiose with the faint metal glint of two posted sentinels. High security for this hour. That was the princess’ chambers where she was sleeping. Her target would be close by but not within.

Her eyes traced the row of windows which delineated the unseen floor and rooms. The princess' balcony was flanked on both sides by two smaller balconies. One had a single guard posted upon it. The other had none. All at once she knew that the guarded smaller bedroom was her mark. The ungraded balcony would be her point of entry to the keep, if she could pull it off without alerting the guards on the neighboring balcony. Teleporting straight there was risky since the resulting magical flash would light her up right at the focal point of the castle.

Diamond did a quick survey of every guard she could see from her position, taking into account where they were looking at the moment. The upper tier of the keep consisted of two towers coming out of the roof of the lower tier where the bedrooms were. The gap between the towers provided the best cover from most angles and a viable path to her destination.

She licked her lips, unintentionally tasting the cloth of her mask. Then she crouched down, keeping the desired spot in view through the gap of the stone crenel. She aparated to the slanted roof of the keep where she immediately dropped to her barrel and began to slither down the tiles toward the left side. It was precarious and the thought of dislodging a cascade of roof tiles to plummet into the courtyard stayed at the forefront of her mind the whole while but she made it.

Diamond stuck her head down over the edge of the eve to get an upside down glance of the empty balcony. Seeing that the coast was clear, she shimmied over to the corner beam that supported the awning which she laid upon. Silently she spun around and wrapped her hind legs around the wood. Then she slid down and dismounted gracefully onto the floor of the balcony.

That concluded the easy part of the infiltration. She cast a glance at the guards in the neighboring balcony to make sure they were still unaware. Then she tried the right side lever on the double doors but it was stuck fast, locked from the inside. Staying low to the ground, Diamond focused her magic on the lock; it glowed faintly as it grew cold and a sheen of frost began to crystalize. She blasted it continuously for several moments more and then manipulated the lever with her magic. It snapped clean off, brittle from the incredible chill. She pushed her hoof into the remaining part of the lock and felt it crack and crumble away. She carefully cleared the debris from the hole in the door and pulled it open with almost no resistance.

The room on the other side appeared unoccupied just as she had hoped. She crept to the other door with a dimly lit horn. Well, now that she was here, why not just kill the Lightning Clan's princess? She knew why. It was even riskier of a move, it wasn't part of the mission and if she succeeded, her top general would wrest control of the clan and he was even worse than her.

Here was where things might get hairy. She cracked the door and peered out into the hall. Three posted guards, just like outside, two at the middle door and one at the other door at the opposite end. Unfortunately it looked like she'd have to find a way past all three of them.

She could do a takedown of two guards if she had the element of surprise but the inclusion of a third just down the hall made her doubtful about the outcome. She could temporarily occupy them with a soft assault and a dash through the door but then she'd have just seconds to complete her mission before the whole castle crashed down on her. That sounded good but there was always a chance she had the wrong room. Preferably she wanted a distraction without forfeiting stealth and taking an all or nothing gamble on the mission.

Diamond cracked the door a bit wider to help assess the environment. There was a huge floor to ceiling tapestry on the wall opposite the princess' chamber. It was flanked by a pair of iron floor candelabras holding ten candles a piece. They were decidedly at a safe distance from the very flammable tapestry but could be a fire hazard with a little assistance. Now that would make a nice distraction. Above the princess' door she could just barely make out the edge of a coat of arms, a shield and a pair of crossed swords. The perfect redirection. All the pieces fell together in her brain.

With no one looking up, Diamond was not afraid to wrench the shield from the wall with her magic. She let it plummet to the stone floor right on the princess’ threshold. The resounding crash made the guard on either side jump in surprise. The moment they looked away from the wall ahead she pushed both candelabras inward toward the great tapestry. They clanged on the floor, scattering lit candles across the carpet hallway runner and along the edge of the tapestry.

“What the- Did you just-”

“It's catching! Don't just stand there; put it out,” blurted the second guard, hurrying over to the spreading flames. He began trying to stamp out the largest ignition on the artwork with a forehoof. The other guard lurched into action, pouncing upon the little fires around the other candelabra.

Diamond kept her eyes on the third guard who'd become aware of the situation but hadn't moved yet. Beginning to worry, she looked back at the flailing guards under the tapestry. The tapestry… Her eyes shot to the top of the piece where she found that it was mounted by three cords hanging on bolts in the wall. If this didn't work, she was going to have to resort to combat.

She quickly slipped the tapestry off of all three hooks with her magic, making sure it arched over the guards before collapsing on top of them. They shouted in alarm, now trapped under a giant smoking, smoldering rug. If they kept this up the princess was going to pop her head out the door to berate them for the disturbance.

The third guard facehooved at their circus but quickly left his post to go assist them. This was the moment. Diamond teleported from her hiding spot to behind the guard, just in front of the door. She silently tried the latch with her hoof and was inwardly ecstatic as it opened without issue. She slipped inside the dark room and closed the door behind her.

There was the crib she sought, silhouetted in the faint orange glow of distant fires shining through the thin curtains of the balcony doors. The nanny was still asleep in her bed nearby. She was of no consequence.

Diamond strode silently to the edge of the crib. The little one snored soundly within, nestled in a blanket. There she was. The Princess of the Lightning Clan and next to the throne. Completely unaware. Completely defenseless. What a short life to have.

She magically drew a throwing knife from the belt on her foreleg and floated it into the air. Such an easy mark in concept for a Kirin without morals or honor. Honor was a concept stripped from the mind of every good assassin. Such notions were nothing but stumbling blocks. There was simply mission success or mission failure. Success and unquestioning loyalty to the throne was the closest thing that Diamond would feel to fulfillment. She'd spied, stolen, sabotaged, interrogated and even killed a few ‘enemies of the clan’ as they were called but how was this justifiable? Slitting the throat of a sleeping infant was a new low, in theory, if she was keeping track. It was something viewed as universally despicable, as indefensible an act as they came.

Today a foal, tomorrow a tyrant, she told herself. Spilling the blood of this innocent and planting the telltale ashes of fire magic would start a war between the Ice Clan’s two biggest opponents but for what? Her clan would be positioned to rule the debris pile. The same leadership who’d kill a baby to cause undue bloodshed amongst everyone else. Was that better?

The blue glow of the floating knife strobed softly over the pristine, angelic face of the sleeping foal.

Hesitation will get you killed.

Diamond's mind wandered, suddenly sandbagged with indecision over the games of the rich and the insidiousness of the machine they were trapped in. This child would be ruler someday but right now she was a pawn of the powerful just like her. Suddenly, for the first time, she resented being put in such a situation by a leader that didn't think twice about this beyond if it would be personally advantageous. If she followed orders as usual she'd be committing an atrocity to help a monster consolidate power over the Kirin. But it was her monster. If she went rogue and let the child live, they'd be groomed to become that very same monster. She'd be exiled from her home on top of that.

The foal jolted reflexively in her sleep as the nursery door swung open with a crash.

“Intruder,” bellowed a guard in the doorway.

Diamond whirled around and sent the knife flying straight as an arrow. She scored a glancing but deep blow on his neck. The guard cried out and dropped his blade to the rug as blood spurted from the slice just beneath the skirt of his helm.

It was her last moment to make a decision. She looked back into the crib where the princess was beginning to stir, then at the balcony doors. With a blast of magic she threw them open.

“Halt,” shouted the surprised guard on the balcony, brandishing his halberd in the doorway.

Diamond launched a barrage of little smoke bombs. They detonated at the guard's hooves, sending up a billowing cloud of gas that stung his eyes and sent him into a coughing fit. He dropped his weapon with a clang as he staggered out of the miasma. The nanny, now awake and aware, let out a shriek.

The spy floated the stirring foal into the air, tiny blanket and all. She dashed for the hazy balcony with held breath just as the alarm bell began to clang. There arose excited shouting from the courtyard as guards began to mobilize. Lit horns bobbed and traced to light torches and seal the exits.

From the railing Diamond zeroed in on the gatehouse roof at the far opposite end of the castle. She blinked there, leapfrogging the building to beyond the wall and into town. She flashed from roof to roof. Then to the ground where she vanished with her quarry into the forest. - - -

“Well, now what do we do?” she muttered under the foal’s wailing. She fussed on her blanket on the ground. Diamond emptied out her unused glass vial of ash and sulfur, washing it out in the nearby babbling brook.

She'd run as far as she could for as long as she could under cover of darkness and she was exhausted. By this point they must have been miles from anywhere occupied. She only had the vaguest idea where she was from following the stars through the treetops. There were no roads connecting Kirin territory with whatever was beyond it.

“You know, I'm beginning to think this might have been a rash decision. I don't even know what’s out here. If I get you or both of us killed I might seriously regret not just ending you as you slept.”

She corked the vial again and shook it until the powdered extract had dissolved in the water. She cradled the child in her magic and brought the open flask to her mouth. “It's not quite milk but it will at least keep you alive if you drink it.”

It was unclear what the direct result of this transgression would be in the Lightning Clan. Who would they blame for the loss of their princess? It was reasonable to believe it was the work of a highly skilled spy operating on behalf of a foreign adversary. She’d failed to plant the evidence to frame the Fire Clan but also she hadn’t been witnessed using any ice magic during the escape so it was anyone’s guess who she really was. Things might get hot back home but they wouldn’t look for an abducted princess all the way out here, at least not immediately. They'd made a clean escape and she’d put significant distance between them and any pursuers for now.

“I guess I made you my responsibility when I took you. Despite what the Kirin nobles say, you can’t be wishy washy about having a moral compass. If I’m going to grow one, it has to be now, otherwise what was the point?”

Unlike everything else in her life, she hadn't thought about the logistics of what would happen after liberating a child from their tyrannical family. Someone should raise her better than that was the prevailing axiom of the hour. Could that someone be her though? The last time any such idea passed through her brain she was playing pretend with dolls. They couldn’t go back to the Kirin. Could they build a life out here? How? There must be something beyond the wilderness.

Surprisingly the little one greedily drank all there was and appeared satiated. Diamond set her down again and stripped the black camo from her body, making sure to toss all her gear in a pile. She fluffed the short but sweat-dampened mane around her neck and exhaled. It felt great to finally get that off. She'd better save it though. Might need it for diapers. She turned back to the child who wriggled on the ground.

“Not the best idea to leave you looking like that I suppose.” She placed a hoof on the foal’s horn. “Summer Storm,” she uttered.

The foal’s body glowed with her own innate but unrefined magic. Her rounded, curved horn grew straight and pointed. Her coat turned from a pale tan to snow white. Her short but wolly mane turned silken and migrated to the back of her neck.

Diamond cocked her head to the side with intrigue. “Hmm… I'm jealous. Your animus form makes for a better disguise than mine.” She touched her own horn. “Diamond Dust.” She felt the change sweep over her body, her coat pinkening, her mane becoming loose and bouncy. She looked down at the child whose eyes were growing heavy again. “Well? Do I look like I could be your mother?”

Their appearances might have still looked suspicious as most Kirin didn't spend much time as animuses but at least Summer Storm wasn't a dead giveaway straight off of a missing poster.

Diamond sighed. Despite her desire to just collapse here, she knew better; water attracted too many wild animals. She slipped her gear back on, gathered up the child and pushed onward.

Nature Versus Nurture

Day Four

Diamond laid atop a rocky crest with a little monocular to her eye. Below them was a rural outpost with a train station where a hooful of unicorns were boarding the cars. She looked curiously from passenger to passenger and cutie mark to cutie mark. These were the first sentient beings they'd encountered since fleeing.

“These Kirins are all in their animus form and I can't see any clan identity anywhere. Could they all be Banished or deserters like us?”

With her eye she followed the iron road under the strange smoking conveyance. It stretched into the foothills and up the mountain side. She gasped as her lens landed on a great city with an enormous castle high on the mount.

“They've formed their own clan all the way out here and even appear to have a princess… or at least some sort of sophisticated ruling body. How could a group of castoffs create such an advanced society?”

The train wailed and she put the monocular away. Then she turned to Summer who was babbling under a tree and trying to stand up.

“We're going up there. This might be the answer we're looking for.”

Day Sixteen

Diamond pushed the shopping cart down the aisle, her new adopted daughter sitting in the seat flailing her limbs and watching the blur of colorful shelved foods speed by.

She'd just found a job but hadn't gotten paid yet. That fact did not stop their need for food and diapers, thus they were shopping and renting a hotel room with stolen bits.

Summer watched in awe as a burly white stallion pushed his cart past them. She turned her head to follow and pointed at him.

“Gaa!”

Diamond looked at the cereal, wondering if she should get the mildly satisfactory brand she bought last time or try something else. This commercialized and mass produced society was strange. Back home they bought oats out of barrels and rice cakes out of bins. Nothing came in a dozen different flavors in a dozen different cardboard boxes with a cartoon character on it. She turned to toss a box of the same stuff in the cart. Her heart stopped as she realized the seat was empty. Summer was gone.

Diamond glanced down at the floor in a panic. Then spun around, looking in every direction.

“Rarity?” she shouted in alarm.

She'd been taken. How? Right from under her muzzle. How could she have been so careless? Her vigilance was dull from lack of sleep. She slipped a throwing knife from her satchel and abandoned her cart to gallop down the aisle.

“Rarity?”

Diamond heard a sort of commotion coming from just behind the end cap of the aisle. She rounded the corner, knife semi concealed floating low at her side.

“Well where did you come from?”

She skidded to a stop. There, a big white unicorn stood at his cart, floating a giggling baby now covered in bleached flour.

Her nerves settled a bit in relief. She hadn't been abducted; she'd just spontaneously teleported into this stallion's cart. Cookie quickly stowed the blade in her hair bun. “Oh, thank goodness. I'm so sorry about that.”

She took the foal with her magic and began trying in vain to brush her off. She was going to need a bath.

“It's no problem,” guffawed the stallion goodnaturedly. “Grocery shopping is always so boring and predictable anyway.”

“She's never done that before. She's still so young. I'm new to this whole parenting thing.”

“Oh, she's your first?”

“Yes.”

“How exciting. Oh, uh, Name's Hondo.” He held out a hoof. “What’s yours?”

“Cookie,” she smiled confidently, reciprocating the shake.

“Nice ta meet ya. And who's this cutie?”

The dirty foal gurgled at him.

“This is Rarity.”

Year Three

“Hold still,” grumbled Cookie, trying to push a toothbrush into her squirming daughter’s mouth.

“Id tiggles,” giggled Rarity, backing away into the counter.

“I know. Just open up; we're almost done.”

She finished, or maybe gave up, on brushing. Then Rarity washed her mouth out and followed her mom to her bedroom.

Cookie tucked her in. Then she checked the window, then the closet, then got down low on the floor to peer under the bed.

“Why do you always do that, mommy?”

“To make sure you're safe.” She tousled Rarity’s mane and then laid down next to her.

“Where's daddy?”

“I'm here,” he huffed, popping into the room from his nightly checking of the house perimeter. He laid down on her other side with a creak, making for a rather tight fit on the bed, especially with his larger than average frame.

“Tell me the one about the Kirins,” demanded Rarity, grinning in anticipation over the top of her sheets.

“Which one about the Kirins?” asked Cookie. She'd told her dozens of stories about Kirins.

“The story about the thief who hid in the cart so she could steal the invention plans.”

Year Five

Cookie scooted into the diner booth next to Rarity. Hondo sat down across from them and immediately picked up the drink menu.

Rarity picked up a crayon with her magic. “Do they even have a movie theater in Ponyville?” she grumbled, scribbling on her disposable foals' menu.

“There are lots of things to do in Ponyville,” replied her mother. “It may be smaller than Canterlot but when you start school you're going to meet… lots of friends.” The words put a knot in her stomach. Going to school was a huge security risk. She hated thinking about it but Hondo had convinced her it was a good idea.

“But does it have a movie theater?” she reiterated without looking up.

“Yes, Rarity.”

Cookie looked around the room once again before nudging her oblivious daughter for attention. “Hey, I have a game for you, Rarity. Sand up on the seat so you can see and look around the diner. Who do you think is the most dangerous pony in this room?”

Rarity blinked in confusion but dropped her crayon and put her forehooves on the backrest to look around. There weren't that many ponies in the diner but she quickly decided that it probably didn't matter anyway.

“Um… You are?” she shrugged.

Cookie rolled her eyes. “Correct,” she admitted. “Excluding your parents, who you already know, who do you think? This is just supposed to be based on watching strangers.”

“Oh,”

Her eyes scanned around the room again, quickly fixating on the mare in the hairnet working in the big kitchen window.

“What about the cook in the kitchen? She probably has lots of knives like you.”

“That's a good guess,” nodded Cookie. “Who else do you see?”

Rarity paused on a unicorn mare sitting alone in the corner with an open book propped up in a little stand. She became momentarily distracted by the spiraling coils in her mane, imagining how they'd look on herself.

“The mare in the corner doesn't look very dangerous,” mumbled Rarity.

“Can you read the title of the book she's reading?”

Rarity's forehead wrinkled in concentration. “Um… Defen… Defensive Spells.”

“That’s right. It's a book that teaches you how to use magic to defend yourself. I don't think most ponies bring little book stands to restaurants like that. It's almost like she wants us to know what she's reading. Why do you think that is?”

“She wants us to know she knows defensive spells?” she guessed.

“Something like that.”

“So is she dangerous?”

Cookie shook her head. “Probably not. If she’s trying that hard to tell us about it it probably means she's unsure of herself and feels scared around other ponies. It's a bluff. Most of all what she's doing is trying to avoid a fight by making herself appear intimidating or knowledgeable about fighting.”

“I wouldn't have thought of that… Oh, what about the stallion sitting over there?” She pointed excitedly. “He's very big.”

“Shh, not so loud,” her mother cautioned. “Did you see his ears?”

“They have little… little-”

“Little nicks and funny bends like they've been hit. He's been in a few fights before. I'd try to avoid making him upset. There's a lot more you can discover about ponies when you look at the details. Just doing that can help you be safer. Scan the environment. Scan the ponies. Find potential danger and make a plan. Sit with your back to a wall. Don’t stay in places with only one exit. Every time you enter a room, every time you walk down the street, this is what your brain should be do-”

“Any drinks to start out with,” interrupted the waitress, appearing at the end of the table.

“Oh, the little one's gonna have a chocolate milk,” replied Cookie genially, patting her daughter on the head. “And, oh, gosh, there's so many choices,” she giggled, looking back at the menu. “How about an ice tea. Does it come with a little lemon wedge on the rim like in the picture?”

“It sure does,”

“Great! Honey?”

“Oh, uh, I'll just have a cider.”

“Alright. I'll be back with those in a minute.”

The waitress drifted away to the kitchen window to pass the order along.

“But chances are good that you're not in any real danger most of the time,” assured Hondo with a dismissive chuckle.

“But you'll never regret playing it safe,” added Cookie. “Plan from ahead, not from behind.”

Year Eight

“Float the knife into the air and point it at the target,” commanded Cookie, pointing at the training dummy. “Push it both forward and backward as hard as you can and then you let go of the tip end. It releases all that coiled energy at once making it shoot forward and stick in the target.”

Rarity bit her lip in heavy concentration, trying not to think about what kind of dress would best compliment the form of the pony-shaped dummy before her.

The glowing knife wobbled in the air and sprang forward with lackluster velocity. The blade bounced off of the flank of the dummy and fell in the grass.

“That’s good,” Cookie encouraged. “You have the right trajectory now. You just need to work on coordinating your release. Eventually you'll get to a point where you can just pick up and throw in quick succession without even thinking about it.”

Rarity dropped to her haunches. “Ugh. I don't want to learn how to throw knives or where to buck ponies, I just want to make pretty clothes.”

“This is important, Rarity,” she argued sternly. “If you're ever in trouble, you need to know what to do.”

“I don't even carry knives so how is this useful?”

“It's a life skill that has other applications and can be used without knives. Improvisation is another important skill we'll get to eventually.”

Year Ten

“I didn't have a party when I got my flourishment,” grunted Cookie. “I don't even know when I got it. I changed into unicorn form one day, looked back and there it was and I moved on. That's normal.”

“That's normal for Kirin,” corrected Hondo, scooting up against her beneath the sheets. “Cutie marks are a real big deal to ponies.”

“I know but the gathering she wants is larger than what I'm comfortable with.”

“It'll be fine,” he insisted. “They're mostly just kids.”

Cookie sighed. “She's far more gregarious and outgoing than I feared. I think that accent she does is just for attention.”

“It’s a persona. She picked it up watching you. She's social but she's still cautious. Ya know, someday she's gonna leave us and just go places and meet ponies and do things we don't even know about.”

She shivered with horror. “I don't want to think about that.”

Year Thirteen

Cookie laid on the bed clutching the brand new foal tightly to her barrel. She was a halfbreed, unlike anything they'd ever seen, but she looked more Kirin than unicorn. In any case, she didn't look like her sister and wouldn't pass as a pony naturally.

Hondo ran a hoof through the girl's curly mane. “She'll be just as beautiful as a pony,” he sighed. “But we'll never see what she really looks like again. We'll never use her true name.”

“We won't need to.”

“Doesn't this make you sad? How can we just never tell her?”

“When she's old enough to understand and be responsible.”

“You’re still saying that about Rarity. She's old enough to know who she really is, don't you think?”

She shook her head gravely. “No. I still think the less she knows, the safer she is. And it's not just about her knowing she's a Kirin, I'll have a lot of explaining to do for myself that day and I don't know how she's going to take it.”

She paused, gestating on the strangeness of their found family dynamic. “This must feel like a lot. I bet you didn't envision all this when we married. I didn't either.”

“Yeah, it does feel that way,” he breathed. “But I’d still do it again and I wouldn't think twice.”

Year Eighteen

Rarity stood alone at the podium, representing her graduating class as valedictorian, now just moments away from finally getting her high school diploma and punching her ticket to design school.

“If success is a soup, discipline is not an ingredient in that soup… Discipline is the pot you cook that soup in. It’s the hooves that prepare it. It’s the idea that stays in your brain that proclaims defiantly, No, I’m not just going to get fast food again tonight.”

The audience laughed.

“You can’t taste the discipline but without it you can’t taste much at all… We stand at the cusp of a new chapter in our lives, let us embrace the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. Let us be kind, compassionate, and happy to make a positive impact on the world. Let us strive for excellence in all that we do. And let us never forget the most important non ingredient for success… And now, in the immortal words of Mr. Cloud, It’s diploma time.”

The audience gave a resounding applause but none louder than her parents. The cords swung from Rarity’s neck as she returned to her seat.

Cookie put her head on Hondo’s shoulder, overwhelmed by the moment. “Must be all that princess blood in her,” she murmured.

“No,” he replied. “We did a good job.”

Making It

The sewing machine whirred as Rarity feverishly closed a seam on a fuschia colored accent sash. She floated the long ribbon into the air and pulled it right side out before tying it around the waist of the finished dress she had staged on her ponnequin.

“Oh, that’s too long for her,” she grunted, floating a pair of scissors to the scene.

Rarity made a couple of quick snips, reducing the sash to an adequate length. Then she paced to the side, admiring how it looked from afar. She pulled back the scissors and looked at the blades, unable to resist the urge to give them a loud snap. Her eyes flicked back to the dress making dummy, suddenly struck with the inspiration to launch the scissors straight into where its eye would be. She scoffed at her silly brain and set the pointy implement down on the table like a normal, well adjusted adult.

Rarity’s ears perked up when she heard the bell on the front door jingle but she paid it no mind, sitting back down at the sewing machine. She already knew who it was.

“I'm back,” announced Sweetie Belle, shrugging off her school saddle bag. She entered the room floating a collection of mail she'd scooped up from the floor under the Carousel Boutique mail slot and hovered it into her older sister's peripheral vision. She waited there several seconds for her to notice but she did not.

“You didn't even get the mail today,” she shouted over the hum of the machine.

Rarity stepped off of the button to speak. “Oh, I've been far too busy. Or rather I’ve been in a productive mood and I didn’t want to squander it.”

“What's the point of being closed on Mondays if you're just going to slave over a sewing machine the whole time you're off?” scoffed Sweetie.

Rarity received the stack of letters with her magic and began flipping through them. “I run the boutique the rest of the time. Now is when I can have uninterrupted time to create.”

“Yeah but what I'm saying is maybe do something that's not clothes for a while.”

Her older sister gasped as she picked a single letter out of the stack letting the rest fall to the floor in apathy.

“What is it?” shrugged Sweetie flatly, dubious that whatever it was warranted such a reaction.

Rarity flipped the envelope to face her beneath a deranged stare.

“It’s an official letter from Ocasional, the Manehattan based fashion showcase that I submitted something to a couple of months ago.” She began to take short panicky breaths. “Oh no. I don’t know if I have the constitution to open this. My heart can’t take rejection.”

“Oh, well I can get rid of that nasty letter for you,” declared Sweetie, snatching the envelope away.

“No,” cried Rarity, snatching it back. She picked up the scissors and ran them through the top to slice it open. Then she unfurled the letter and took a deep breath.

“Ms. Rarity,” she muttered aloud. “Congratulations…” Her eyes widened again as they scanned further into the body.

Sweetie recoiled as Rarity let out a blood freezing shriek.

“My bikini got into the Summer swimwear showcase!” She grabbed her little sister in delirium and screamed again.

“Ow, Rarity?” she cried, rubbing her ear.

“Sorry,” she laughed, letting her go. “But this is so exciting. It's my big chance to really make a name for myself. I’m going to get exposure with the cutting edge fashion contemporaries of our time.”

Sweetie didn’t understand a lot of what her sister did and got excited about but what she was saying sounded important so she put on a supportive smile.

“We should do something fun to celebrate,” suggested the filly.

“Yes! After I finish this dress!” She turned back to her machine.

Pinkie Pie wrote congratulations on a sheet cake and Rarity’s friends and family convened at Sugar Cube Corner to carve it up.

“Things didn't turn out at all like I thought they would,” said Cookie, still just staring into her slice.

Rarity scraped the last of the frosting from her own plate with a fork. “How did you expect things to turn out?”

She shook her head. “I don't know. I guess it's just weird to think about everything in retrospect. Your parents just aren’t very fashion oriented. Every mother always wishes them the best but no one looks at their infant daughter and thinks someday she's going to be a a famous designer.”

“I'm not famous yet,” laughed Rarity. “This is simply… recognition and an opportunity.”

“But if ya actually do make it big in Manehattan,” mused Applejack. “Won't ya wanna move there? Ponyville isn't a fashion hub like Manehattan.”

Rarity sighed in thought. “Well… I love Ponyville but I suppose I'll have to cross that bridge if I come to it.”

Cookie gritted her teeth.

“It's all theoretical at this point,” added Rarity. “Let's just enjoy this moment for what it is.”

“You can't leave anyway,” spat Rainbow from the next booth over. “Who's gonna couture~ my dresses?”

“You were never my best customer,” she quipped dryly. “I'm sure you could make do without me.”

The whole store laughed except for Cookie.

“Well, whatever comes of this opportunity, we wish you luck,” said Twilight.

After the impromptu gathering, Rarity and her family left for Carousel Boutique.

“So it's the Saturday after next,” reported Rarity, flipping the page up on her calendar. “I know that's short notice but can you make it?”

“Of course,” nodded Hondo. “We wouldn't miss it for anything.”

“Yeah,” agreed Cookie weakly. “What about Sweetie Belle though?”

Rarity sighed. “Unfortunately I only received three tickets to the event, counting my own.”

“Oh darn,” droned Sweetie facetiously from her chair.

“We’re not going to just leave you here,” grunted her mother. “You’re coming to the city even if you just have to stay in the hotel room with an activity book during the show. We’ll find other fun things we can all do together. You weren’t even old enough to remember your last trip to Manehatten.”

Rarity raised a hoof. “Yes, well, about that hotel. It looks like my accommodations are rather upscale: the Grand Palace.”

Hondo frowned. “Uh… Maybe the three of us’ll just get a lowtel somewhere in the area and meet up when we need ta.”

“Sounds good,” breathed Cookie, still wrestling internally with all of this. She was so happy for Rarity and wanted nothing but success for her in her passion but she was also anxious of the possibility of her daughter leaving Ponyville and the umbrella of her influence to go live in the big city.

“This is going to be so much fun,” squealed Rarity.

In the runup to the show date, Rarity made herself a new dress. She wanted to make another for her mother but ran out of time so she just pulled one out of the closet she was saving for a rainy day and had Cookie try it on.

Rarity flipped the Carousel Boutique window sign to say closed and then floated her key into the lock.

“I still can't believe you opened at all today,” groaned Sweetie. “For like one hour and fifteen minutes.”

“There were ponies who had alterations to pick up,” Rarity retorted, stuffing the keys in her saddlebag. “Some day when you’re singing in some sort of… speakeasy nightclub or burlesque house you'll understand.”

“Some sort of what?”

Rarity floated her trunks and bags into a big lump and walked with her sister to the Ponyville train station where her parents already sat on the platform.

“Oh good, yer hear,” laughed Hondo. “Yer mother was just about ta send out a search party.”

“I was not,” scoffed Cookie.

“I'm not even late,” argued Rarity, slipping on her starlet sunglasses. She bought a ticket for her and Sweetie at the window office.

Cookie eyed her mountain of things piled on the platform and sighed. Some taught habits had stuck with her daughter. The ones that Rarity never picked up she blamed on being in direct conflict with what she privately called her ‘princess traits.’ The most glaring of these examples was the way she packed for trips. Although they were going to what was essentially a celebration of extravagance where she needed to look perfect to impress so perhaps it could be overlooked this once… it still seemed like a lot.

“Alright,” said Hondo. Everyone's here. The train's here.”

The family found an empty cabin on the train and settled in.

“How long is this trip?” grumbled Sweetie, propping her chin up listlessly at the window.

“Five and a half hours,” answered Cookie before landing next to her on the bench seat. She looked back and forth between the window and sliding door while her youngest daughter muttered grievances under her breath.

It had been decades now since their flight from Kirin country. In that time Cookie had had countless fantasies, inklings, bad omens and nightmares about attackers coming for her or Rarity, none of them ever close to coming true. After so long in a peaceful life, she had no reason to believe that the Kirins still had a vested interest in them or that they even remembered that they existed at all. Despite her flawless track record of being wrong, she still could not shake the bad feeling she had about Manehattan. - - -

The train pulled into the city early in the evening. Sweetie was embarrassed to walk with her sister and a month’s worth of luggage as they barreled down the crowded boulevard to the Grand Palace.

“At least it's close to the station.” smiled the unflappable Rarity. “Oh, this is it, I'm certain.” She pointed down the sidewalk to a trio of red awnings.

“It's huge,” marveled Sweetie Belle, tilting her head back to look up the side of the grandiose hotel.

“We gotta at least see yer room,” said Hondo. “That is if they'll even let the rest of us walk into the lobby.”

“Your luggage, madam?” offered the slightly bemused bellhop, pulling a cart from the carral.

“Why yes, thank you,” sighed Rarity, setting her pile on the ground.

The doorpony opened a gold accented glass door for the travelers and soon they were in a spacious, three story high, marble tiled foyer. A brilliant crystal chandelier hovered above them.

“Look at the magnificent frescos on the vaulted ceiling,” gasped Rarity, overcome with opulent beauty.

“It sure looks like a palace,” agreed Cookie.”

“I can't believe you get to stay here because you made a bikini,” added Sweetie incredulously.

The only one who didn't look out of place, Rarity checked in as a VIP of the Occasional Summer Fashion Show and got her room key.

Still pointing and rubbernecking at everything, the family piled into the brass cage elevator with the bellhop and the luggage and went up to the fourth floor.

“Is this your first stay with us,” he asked, as the elevator dinged.

“It is.”

“Excellent.” He pushed the cart ahead, leading them down a hall of ornately patterned plush carpeting.

“Four eighteen,” chimed the stallion, floating her key into the lock. He pushed the door open for the group and watched as they all filed past him.

Their sense of wonder crested once more as they began to absorb the bounteous amenities of Rarity's room.

“Sweetie,” scolded Cookie as her youngest pounced on the thousand thread count king sized bed.

The bellhop began unloading the cart, placing the bags and boxes in the alcove near the closet. “We have a spa, a restaurant, a bar and a twenty-four hour gym all on the first floor. Your twenty-four hour room service menu is on the table. Just ring the bell and someone will be right up.”

“Ooo, complimentary face masks,” gushed Rarity, peeking into the immaculate bathroom.

“Sweetie, put those back,” admonished Cookie, spotting the filly stuffing wads of convenience candy bars in her saddlebags. “The things in the mini bar aren't free. Rarity has to pay for them.”

“My name is White,” concluded the stallion as he returned the key to her. “If you have any questions, please ask me or any other uniformed attendant. Enjoy your stay.”

Rarity passed him a hooful of bits. “Thank you very much, White.” Her eyes flicked to the golden name tag on his vest which read White Glove.

He tipped his cap with a grin and departed, shutting the door neatly.

The rest of them continued to explore. Cookie did her room check ritual under the thinly veiled guise of awestruck curiosity. She checked the closet and under the bed. She checked the locks on the windows and the balcony sliding door.

“It's real nice,” declared Hondo, admiring the plumbing fixtures in the bathroom.

Rarity flipped through the book of services from the little table. “I've always felt I belonged in places like this but now that I'm here I sort of feel like a charlatan. I love going to the spa in Ponyville, especially after a long train ride, but I think the one downstairs is a little out of my price range.”

“I wanna feel like a charlatan,” sulked Sweetie Belle.

“We're gonna go to our own hotel,” said Hondo, patting her on the head. “They got an ice machine and free bagels in the morning.”

“I'll come with you to check in,” offered Rarity, dropping the book. “It's a little late for much sightseeing today but we should at least all go to dinner somewhere.”

Bodyguard

“This museum is enormous,” marveled Cookie as the family entered yet another huge, unexplored art gallery.

“Yes, we definitely don't have enough time to see it all before the show this evening unfortunately,” agreed Rarity as she checked the floating fold up map.

“We could have come here for a week and spent all of our time here probably,” laughed Hondo, scratching his chin at a large cityscape painting.

“I wanted to go to the zoo,” moaned Sweetie. “Now we're stuck here forever and we won't have time to do anything I wanna do.”

“We still have tomorrow,” sighed Cookie. “Let’s just make the most of this. There's a lot of different things here. Find something in the museum guide that looks interesting to you and we'll go see it.”

Sweetie ended up taking solace in the exhibit of historical dioramas, not for the history but for appreciation of the meticulous miniaturization of the scenes. They stayed as long as they could, trying to milk the value out of their admission price but when everyone became hungry they knew they wouldn't be going to the exorbitant and fussy museum cafe. By the time they finished eating at a food cart in the park, it was time to get ready for the main event.

“Wow, mom, I barely recognize you,” gawked sweetie, scanning over her long black dress and coiled mane styled expertly by Rarity in the mediocre bathroom of their cheap hotel.

“Uh… thanks?”

“Dad looks the same though.”

“Can't improve on perfection,” shrugged Cookie.

“Oh, you,” he giggled, loading a fresh roll of film into his camera.

“Everyone ready,” panted Rarity, looking like she was clinging to a ship sinking in shark infested water.

“It's going to be great, Rarity,” droned her mother.

“Of course it is,” she blurted. “I'm not nervous! Who said I was nervous?”

Cookie turned to Sweetie who laid sprawled on the tacky orange bedspread with an open comic book. “Okay Sweetie, we'll be gone for two hours at the most but someone will probably come back before then. In that time, please behave. Keep the door locked. Don't open it or talk to anyone.”

“So just like when I'm at home with Rarity,” nodded Sweetie Belle.

“Yes.”

The sun had already set behind the unnatural canyon walls of skyscrapers as the three adults arrived at the glitzy venue.

“That's a real line,” whistled Hondo, scanning down the crowd of sharply dressed ponies gathered on the sidewalk at the door. “This whole fashion thing is pretty popular, huh?”

“Oh dad,” scoffed Rarity. “Put your badge on.”

“Right,” he grunted, pulling out his VIP pass. He slipped the lanyard over his neck as Rarity led them past a big skyward facing searchlight.

“I think this is our entrance,” declared Rarity as they came upon a smaller side entry without a wait.

“Designer?” inquired the pegasus mare at the door.

“Yes,” smiled Rarity, tingling all over.

“And you brought your plus twos.” She looked at the clipboard on her podium. “Excellent. Your name?”

“Rarity.”

She ticked the name and waved them through. “Enjoy the show.”

They went inside and down a short hallway to a security station where a couple of uniformed guards just waved them onward doing little more than acknowledging their existence.

“Well that was some lax security,” muttered Cookie.

“Must be a VIP perk,” quipped Rarity dismissively.

“They didn't even check the camera bag,” she continued.

They followed the hall which spat them out into the main showroom where dozens of fashionable ponies mingled with drinks around a vacant runway.

Rarity scanned the room dreamily, her eyes naturally bouncing between large congregations of gossiping ponies. “There's Prim Vest,” she gasped, pointing at a very flamboyant stallion in a gaggle of listeners. “And there's Aqua Rose and Cufflink. I can't believe it. The talent and prestige in this room right now. There's no structure here at all; I can just go right up and talk to them.”

“Isn't that what you’re supposed to be doing right now?” shrugged Hondo.

“I have to go talk to Aqua. She's mostly alone at the moment. I don't want to butt in on anything.”

“We'll stay here,” said Cookie. “We'd just get in the way.”

Hondo turned to his wife as their daughter frolicked away. “This kind of feels like some big award show.”

“In a way it is. There might not be any trophies or whatever but just being here in itself is a sort of award.”

Rarity cantered up behind the seasoned designer. “Excuse me. Aqua Rose?”

The mare turned. “Hmm?”

“Hello. I know you probably hear this a lot but I'm a big fan of your Mystique Collection.”

“Why thank you.” She held out her hoof to shake. “What's your name?”

“Rarity.”

“Do you have something in the show?”

“I do. A black and white bikini with-”

“Oh, the halter.”

“You've seen it?”

“I've seen the sketches. I'm interested to see how it plays on a body. My initial feeling is that it marries contemporary and classic beachwear like something from the Rock Salt era.”

“That's exactly what I was going for,” chimed Rarity with glee.

“Where are you based?” asked the stallion who was with her.

She chuckled. “Ponyville.”

He scratched his head in bewilderment. “Okay, you'll have to give me a clue.”

“The closest thing to it that anyone's ever heard of is Canterlot.”

Her parents got snacks and watched the conversation from a distance until she finally came back.

“That felt amazing,” gushed Rarity. “I really feel like I was meant for this.”

“Refreshments?” asked a unicorn server seemingly appearing from nowhere.

“Yes, please,” answered Rarity, taking a glass that looked like some kind of fruity daiquiri.

Cookie took one too.

“That's an enchanting necklace,” mused Rarity, looking at the mare's softly glowing accessory.

“Oh, thank you,” she said, looking down at the flickering gem dangling from her neck.

“What kind of gemstone is that?”

“I don't even know,” she laughed. “It's an heirloom. “I should really ask a jeweler what they think one of these days. Well, have a nice night,” her eyes flicked to her VIP badge. “Rarity.”

The server drifted away but cast a glance back at Rarity, not unnoticed by her mother.

She looked back. Why would she look back? There are non suspicious reasons to do that, thought Cookie. Admiring Rarity’s dress… admiring Rarity…

Cookie surreptitiously dumped her own drink into a nearby planter and then side-eyed her oblivious daughter. She looked back at the server who had emptied her tray and appeared to be making a beeline for the stairs before disappearing behind the crowd.

Cookie frowned but she wasn't sure if it was at the server or herself.

Rarity made the rounds like a hummingbird, introducing herself to as many partygoers as she could, trying to become a presence in their minds. She would intermittently check back in with her parents to find her dad talking to someone new each time but never about fashion. Usually about sports or mortgages.

“Maybe you don't need to give out information to everyone you meet,” suggested Cookie warily.

“I know but I'm trying to network here,” argued Rarity. “I have the eyes and ears of some of the most influential ponies in the industry right now.”

“Ms. Rarity?” called an underdressed stallion.

“Yes?”

“Name’s Pulp Kerning. I'm with the Manehattan Globe. I'm spotlighting new designers at the event. Do you have time for an interview?”

Her eyes bulged. “I’d love an interview.”

Cookie squinted dubiously at the press pass around his neck.

“Great. If we moved off to one of the side rooms it might be easier to hear.” He gestured broadly to the whole room where the sound system had just come alive with blaring music.

“Uh, the show starts in six minutes,” warned Cookie. “I don't think you have enough time.”

“You're right,” he laughed, checking his watch awkwardly. “Sorry, I'm new to this. If you're here afterwards I'll catch you then. Don't leave.”

“I won't. Sounds lovely.” - - -

A staccato of shutters and flashbulbs went off as Rarity's black and white criss-cross bikini hit the runway. The designer felt light headed as she watched the stone faced model strut to the end and strike a pose.

“This is unreal,” she shouted wide-eyed over the blasting music. “Can you believe this? I feel like I'm going to faint.”

Hondo practically shot a video as he snapped two dozen photos in forty seconds with his camera set on the drive function. The model turned and swaggered back to the gap in the black curtains and just like that it was over and the next piece was coming down the runway.

All these ponies came here. They saw it. They took pictures. Maybe they'd talk about it afterwards over drinks. Maybe it would be in articles or even on a cover. There was no telling how big or small of a splash her contribution to the fashion world would make until the reviews were in.

What if she was hired to do an entire line? Perhaps that was a premature fantasy but less than a month ago just being here was a wild dream.

Hondo left soon after her debut to check on Sweetie Belle. Cookie stayed while her daughter stood for an interview with the reporter they'd met previously. Then they left together despite Rarity wanting to live in the moment forever.

“We'll check out early tomorrow and try to meet up at nine,” proposed Rarity as they walked down the well lit prominaud. “We should have enough time to visit the zoo or whatever before the train.”

“That sounds like a good plan,” agreed Cookie, glancing behind them again.

They entered the glowing aura of the big awning of the Grand Palace. Rarity paused to say goodbye while her mother continued walking, the doorpony readying to open the door for her.

“Mother, you're not walking me all the way to my room are you?” laughed Rarity.

Cookie stopped, her mouth hanging open for a moment. “Uh… No… That would be silly.” She turned around slowly to hug her. “I'm so proud of you. Goodnight. See you tomorrow.”

She turned in the direction of her cheap hotel and departed from the light.

Rarity returned to her room alone and closed the door with a sigh. She chained it and locked the deadbolt. What a day. What an amazing day. Her brain was still buzzing with excitement but she was tired. She checked under the bed as she did every night. Then she checked behind the curtains. Then she examined the locks on the windows and the sliding door to make sure they could not open and drew the curtains closed. There was nopony in the bathroom or shower which was just a glass box with a frosted texture made to look like a mosaic of swirling water and waves.

Satisfied that she was safe and alone, she switched on the shower and yawned. There'd be no spa on this trip but hot showers were free and nearly as relaxing.

Rarity stayed under the water for an excessive amount of time even by her standards, enjoying just being in a nice bathroom and not paying the utility bill. When she finally stepped out she threw on a fluffy white robe and ripped open a face mask packet from the bathroom counter. She carefully unfurled the membranous face-shaped cloth and draped it over her muzzle. She lined up the eye holes and pressed it down until she could feel the coolness of the infused goop as it stuck in place.

“Nothing for the eyelids,” she muttered, turning her head this way and that in front of the mirror. “Might as well read a bit.”

She went to her bed and laid down on her back. Then she opened an in progress romance novel, levitating it over her face. She'd only flipped a couple of pages before she heard a quiet knock at the door.

Rarity turned to furrow her brow at the noise but got up, setting the book aside. It must have been her mother. That was her first thought. Checking up on her… Forgetting something…

Rarity put her eye to the spy hole to see a unicorn hotel attendant standing next to a large crate, as big as him, sitting on a luggage cart.

Hesitant to show her strange face at the moment, Rarity just raised her voice into the door.

“Yes?” she answered quizzically.

“Ms. Rarity? Sorry to disturb you. I have a gift here from an admirer at the Occasional show.”

“A gift?” she gasped, eying the huge box again. “Who sent it?”

He floated a sealed envelope into the air. “It doesn't say. Maybe it's in the letter.”

What an incredible gesture, she thought. She squinted at the stallion’s name tag, wishing to address the unknown attendant by name. The black text on gold read White Glove.

Rarity frowned anxiously. This stallion was not White Glove. He wasn't even the same color. The bellhop who had assisted her in settling in was light gray. This one was blue. Alarm bells went off in her brain. This wasn't right. What was happening here?

“Um, now is not a very good time,” she began, eye still glued to the spy hole. “Can you please take it to the front desk and I'll receive it tomorrow?”

The stallion scratched his neck. “But it's already up here. You want me to take it all the way back down?”

“You can just leave it in the hall if you wish and perhaps I'll get around to it eventually.”

“Uh, you have to sign for it though,” he countered.

Was that true? Did she need to sign for it? Wasn't it just the postal service that did that or did the hotel have some sort of bookkeeping policy?

“And what exactly is it that you want me to sign?”

“I'm sorry?” he blinked.

“You seem to have forgotten your clipboard and pen,” she put with dry condescension.

His eyes ping-ponged side to side in a panic and then he glared up close into the eye hole. “This would have been so much easier if you'd just opened the door,” he growled. His horn lit up and the door lock glowed as it began to heat up. He was trying to break open the door.

Rarity gasped and jumped away. She scampered to the bedside table and mashed the call button on the wall. Then she flew to the curtains looking to escape through the sliding door. Outside she could just teleport to a rooftop, a fire escape or the street below. But when she flung the curtains apart she found that her view of the city was blocked by a menacing figure in black waiting on the balcony. She skidded to a stop just as the pony teleported into the room.

Who were these ponies coming into her room? She was a virtual nopony small town designer, the poorest pony in the building, probably comparable to the janitor. What reason could they possibly have to conspire and target her like this?

Without waiting for introductions, Rarity floated the robust desk chair into the air and hurled it at the intruder like a bullet. The mare unicorn raised a foreleg to guard but the furniture still connected solidly, deflecting into a floor lamp with a crash. Her opponent cried out in pain and staggered to the side. Rarity lunged for the glass door trying to get a lock on anything outside but the glare made it difficult.

The intruder magically yanked her hind legs out from under her in mid leap. She sprawled out on the floor with a thud, losing her breath. The mare dragged her back and flung her roughly against the wall. The drywall cracked. Rarity winced as pain shot through her spine and she slumped behind the side of the bed. Before she could recover, the pony in black sent the upside down desk slamming down on top of her.

Rarity groaned as it continued to press down and squish her body. Only her head and one foreleg were free. She tried to teleport out but couldn't focus enough to make it happen so she squirmed and thrashed instead.

“I got her pinned,” yelled the mare standing above her. “Get in here! Where's the tranq?”

Unable to free herself, Rarity's eyes fell on the scattered contents of her overturned sewing kit and the shining edges of an open pair of sharp scissors.

Rarity strained. The implement flashed and flopped impotently in her fumbling power. Then the scissors stood at attention, point straight up. They shot upward, plunging deep into the chin of her attacker who rattled and gasped in surprise as she stumbled back. Her influence over the desk vanished in an instant.

Rarity drew a deep breath and wobbled back to her hooves, shaking off the furniture that had pinned her down.

Smoldering bits of the door lock fell to the carpet with a sizzle. The bellhop imposter pushed the door ajar. When it stopped short on the taut chain he swung a blade through the gap, snapping it in twain and he was inside followed by a third pony also dressed in black.

The skewered mare was in shock, trying to remove the scissors embedded in her jaw. Once again Rarity turned to the sliding door. She focused on the floor of the balcony, the only thing she could make out beyond her room and blinked outside. A chilling wind caressed her face for only a moment before she was teleported back into her room by someone else's magic.

Before she could even orientate herself she felt a blackjack meet with the side of her head sending stars through her eyes. She stumbled back into the wall and slumped to her haunches.

“You're much feistier than we were expecting,” growled the bellhop in annoyance as he floated a full syringe into the air. “Now hold still.”

Head still swimming, Rarity was unable to even focus her eyes on them, much less fight back. She could see who must have been the injured one with a hoof still clutching under her chin.

Out of options, Rarity screamed as loud as she could manage. Her last hope was that these thugs would be apprehend or chased away before they could complete their dirty plot against her, whatever it was. Such a disturbance wouldn't go long uninvestigated, especially in a nice hotel with particular patrons, but if they incapacitated her and removed her from the building before then, her chances of escaping or surviving plummeted.

As if summoned by her cries another silhouette with a glowing horn appeared in the doorway behind them. Once again the damaged chair went airborne and came down with a splintering crack over the stallion’s head.

The needle fell to the floor along with the stallion who landed on his chin with a grunt. Rarity looked past him to see her mother. The other two whirled around to face hur just as Cookie teleported into striking distance of the uninjured intruder. She whipped in a tight circle, sending her hind hooves into her face and driving her into the wall mirror with an explosion of glass. Despite her injury, the other mare jumped back and summoned an array of floating ice spears straight from the air which she began to lob at the off balance Cookie. A spear glanced off of her side with a stinging slice while two embedded in the wall as she evaded. The other two scrambled to pick themselves up to retaliate.

Running away at that moment never crossed her mind. Still stunned, Rarity struggled to her hooves and began to skulk unsteadily around the periphery of the wild brawl as she looked for a way to help her outnumbered mother. Unlike how the kidnappers had treated her, they were no longer using non lethal tactics with Cookie. Her head throbbed. That tranq needle. Where did it go? She looked around on the floor and was able to pick it out of the rug pattern just as an oblivious hoof came down and kicked it away.

The mare from the balcony collapsed on the floor with a gaping slice across her throat in addition to the scissor wound Rarity had given her. Now motionless she metamorphosed into a Kirin that was still mostly obscured by her black bodysuit.

Cookie wailed as an exploding fireball struck her broadside, singeing her coat and scorching her skin. She stumbled away from her attackers, releasing a blast of blinding ice crystals into their faces.

Rarity reacquired the syringe on the floor, still intact. She fumbled to secure it with her magic. Then she studied the fight, trying to pick out a foe to target in the violent scramble. Her mother was bloodied and struggling in a now one on two battle with adept opponents.

As the other pony in black hit the wall and came to an abrupt pause, Rarity saw her opening. She quickly stabbed the needle into her flank, jamming down the plunger in a single motion. The pony looked back at her, her horn crackling with electricity. It glowed and a bolt of lightning snapped through the room, striking her in the horn. Rarity crumpled to the floor expecting to get another volley or to be forcibly removed from the room but instead the mysterious pony fled, vanishing in a blink, no doubt seconds from collapsing herself.

Rarity's eyes fixed on her mother as her opponent cratered her in the wall. He yanked her out, threw her to the floor, coughing blood amidst a downpour of shattered plaster. The stallion stood above her, livid with a hoof to her throat, her own knife cocked in the air, poised for a killing blow.

Rarity's legs were rubber. She could only watch, unable to muster the necessary magic to intervene.

Just then, a great white blur came charging into the room. It was Hondo with his horn down. He blindsided the stallion, driving the point into his ribs. The train-like momentum of his enormous frame carried them across the room, straight through the sliding door with a tremendous crash and still onward through the balcony railing and over the edge into the air.

“Dad,” gasped Rarity in wide-eyed shock.

A rustling and a thud sounded through the jagged void.

“Hondo,” screamed Cookie, dragging herself to the hole. “No!”

The Call

There was little sleep to be had for anyone the night of the attack. It was two A.M. before Rarity and Sweetie Belle were able to go to bed for the night. They got a new room together in a completely different hotel at the behest of their mother before she departed into the emergency room. They went to the hospital first thing in the morning to check on their parents. They entered their mother’s room, groggy, Sweetie with tears already in her eyes.

Cookie laid elevated on her bed. She had a splint on her left foreleg, bandages around her head and a dressing on her burn. But she was awake and lucid at least. She hugged Sweetie Belle who began to sob and then she hugged Rarity.

“I’ve been worrying all night,” she whispered.

“Did anything else happen to you last night after I left,”

Rarity shook her head. “No.”

“Did you see your father?”

“Yes,” wept Sweetie. “He's covered with tubes and looks dead.”

“He’s not dead,” she assured her. “They're keeping him asleep in a coma to protect his brain. He's going to be okay.”

“How do you know?”

“Because he's very strong. The rest of him was in pretty good shape considering his fall.”

“I just don't understand any of this,” cried Rarity. “Why did they attack me like that? It seems so senseless.”

Cookie sighed. “Listen, girls… I have something huge I need to tell both of you. We've reached the point where keeping it a secret any longer is just reckless.” She closed the door quietly with her magic and pulled the curtain the rest of the way over the window leaving them alone in a dimly lit room.

Cookie stared at the ceiling, trying to gather her thoughts. “In a perfect world I wouldn’t have to tell you this ever. Well… in a perfect world… none of us would have ever met at all. I hardly know where to begin. Kirin are real. Those stories I used to tell you, most of them are true. A lot of them were about me and things I did a long time ago. I'm a retired spy from the Ice Clan.”

Rarity and Sweetie exchanged confused glances. Rarity shook her head. “What are you saying? You must have head trauma.”

Cookie looked directly into her with profound sincerity. “No. Everything I'm about to tell you is real. My true name is Diamond Dust. Twenty five… six years ago I was ordered to sneak into the Lightning Clan's castle and assassinate their infant princess asleep in her cradle. I couldn't do it so I left my clan and the Kirin, taking the princess with me. Rarity, you are that princess.”

Rarity’s mouth hung open. Her mother being a former spy actually didn't seem as far fetched as it should have when she thought about it. But the story was so earth-shattering in implication it was beyond belief. “But… That's impossible. We're not Kirin, we're ponies; you can see that plainly.”

“We are Kirin and I'll show you.” Cookie placed her hoof on her own horn. “Diamond Dust.”

She winced in pain as the transformation agitated her injuries.

Sweetie and Rarity gasped as their mother changed form right before their eyes, pony-shaped but so radically different in mane and coat. Even her colors had changed.

“I don't believe this.” whispered Rarity, fumbling for meaning in this revelation.

Cookie spoke to them again. “Now it's your turn. Let magic idle in your horn, touch it with your hoof and say your given Kirin name. Rarity, your birth name is Summer Storm. Sweetie Belle, yours is Frostbane.”

“Frostbane?” she blinked in dismay. “Do I look like a Frostbane?”

“You act like a Frostbane,” quipped Rarity.

“Frostbane is a beautiful and intimidating Ice Kirin name,” growled Cookie.

The sisters looked at each other warily and touched their own horns. They said their names in unison and just like that their pony bodies melted away, leaving them with lithe frames and bushy curls everywhere. They looked back at each other with mouths agape. Then at themselves.

“This is what I'm supposed to look like?” asked Rarity. “My cutie mark is gone but my mane is somehow even more luxurious. How does this work? Did you put a spell on us when we were foals?”

“No. This is a natural Kirin ability. You can do it to yourself and others. Kirin call it their ‘animus’ form but it looks just like a unicorn. Maybe we all have a common ancient unicorn ancestor, or maybe unicorns really come from Kirin, I don't know.”

“So we’re all Kirin?” asked Sweetie. “What about dad?”

“He's a pony. Sweetie, you're half pony and our biological child. Rarity… Uh… I never personally met your mother or father.”

Rarity lifted a foreleg to wistfully examine the unfamiliar shaggy fluff of her fetlock and sighed. “So I’ve been adopted this whole time… Or rather, stolen. I guess that makes sense when you think about it.”

It felt like the ground beneath her hooves had crumbled away. Everything, every basic thing she thought she knew was a lie. She wasn't a pony. She wasn't even related to her family. Her name was fake. She was the lost princess of some place she'd basically never even been to. She didn't know who she was at all.

“Why did you take me from my home? Couldn't you have just left me with my real family?”

Cookie's face fell. “I made a snap decision, Rarity. You would have been a princess which might sound nice to a pony but things are different with the Kirin. Their rulers are conniving and cruel. You would have been groomed to be a tyrant instead of the you you are today.”

“But it was still wrong, don't you think? It wasn't your place. How do I even know that explanation is true?”

“I’m sorry I kept this from you for so long but I was trying to give you the most normal life I could. I taught you how to protect yourself and I let you follow your own path and supported you even when it scared me. If you want me to apologize for kidnapping you and being your mother for two and a half decades I… I don't think I can do it. I understand if you resent me for depriving you of knowing your biological parents but if you're going to reject me as a parent, that really hurts. Hondo and I love you.”

“Does dad even know about any of this?”

“Yes. All of it since before you could even talk. Can you believe that? He was willing to marry me and be your father even knowing the kind of trouble we could be in.”

Rarity wasn't sure if that was reassuring or cause for a deepening sense of betrayal. She covered her face in dismay. “I… This is a lot. I need a moment.” She turned away to the door and paused. “Summer Storm.” Her body changed back to unicorn and she quickly stepped out of the room. She locked herself in the hallway bathroom and began to cry.

How could a single twenty four hour period go from cloud nine to absolute terror to complete identity crisis?

She looked at herself in the mirror over the sink, staring into her own eyes, wondering how she never saw that there was a Kirin in there.

This revelation reframed the whole attack. Those three Kirin put the only parents she'd ever known in the hospital but were they really bad guys? What if they were just trying to rescue a missing Kirin for a long grieving mother? But they seemed so angry and violent. Could they not have just approached her and explained? No. That wouldn't have worked. Hearing the words straight from Cookie was the only way she'd ever believe them.

It felt so isolating, like she was an interloper in someone else's family. No, that wasn't quite right. It wasn't as though she was here intruding by her own decision. She didn't choose her family but then again no one ever chooses their family. She'd never look at any of them the same again.

Sweetie hadn't known about any of this either but at least she was with her biological parents. Rarity was lost. She began cycling furiously through so many fond memories, looking through a new lens and questioning if they were all illegitimate now. Being a parent was difficult. Cookie didn't personally gain anything from kidnapping her. She hadn't been exploited. Maybe she really had just taken pity on her. The love she remembered was immutable and couldn't be fake.

Rarity wiped her face. When she returned to the room, Sweetie was laying next to their mother on the bed as if they were comforting each other. They had both returned to their animus forms.

“Rarity,” murmured Cookie. “Are you alright?”

She gave a wordless nod and came to her bedside. Cookie floated a necklace into the air, a simple strap with a rough cut glowing stone.

“Remember this? I found it on one of the intruders after the fight.”

Rarity squinted at the accessory. “That was on the server at the Occasions Fashion Showcase.”

Cookie floated it away from Rarity, toward the window and its light began to fade. “This thing right here is how they found you. The stone reacts to only your presence it seems.”

Rarity took it to look closer. “What is it?”

“I don't know. I couldn't ID those Kirin, figure out what their orders were or who they're getting them from.”

“How did they even know to look for me there at all?” wondered Rarity.

Cookie shook her head. “Can’t say for sure but it's possible they've been canvassing cities and specific events incognito like that for years. Even though you were only a baby when you disappeared, they've probably constructed a profile of you based on your family. They knew how old you'd be. They knew you'd be hiding as a unicorn. They might have known your animus coloration. They may have made an educated guess based on your pedigree that you'd be in or around the upper crust of society and attracted to fancy, posh things.”

“The next question is, why were they looking for me? They weren't assassins. If they wanted to kill me, I'd most certainly be dead.”

“Yes,” agreed Cookie. “If they tried to drug you, the plan was to abduct you. The crate on the luggage cart was probably for moving your unconscious body but for what purpose I'm not sure.”

“Could it be possible that my mother has been searching for me all this time and is just trying to get me back?” posed Rarity.

Cookie swallowed. “It's… a possibility,” she admitted. She didn't want to think about the ironic prospect because it would undermine her reasoning for taking Rarity. Surely by now the princess had handed down her tiara to a new heir. If she was still looking for her Summer Storm, it would be for no other reason than she was still grieving and unable to accept her loss.

“But,” Cookie continued, “there's no way of knowing. One thing that stood out to me about the attack was that there was one Kirin from each clan trying to capture you. Clans working in tandem like that would have never happened when I lived there. Kirin have been harshly divided on those lines for forever. That makes me think they might have been rogue operatives.”

“But it's been twenty-five years since you lived there,” argued Rarity. “Things could be very different than how you remember them.”

“They could but something like that would take some kind of seismic political shift, a revolution.”

Rarity shrugged. “Then perhaps there was and the three clans live in cooperative harmony now.”

Cookie frowned. “I'm not saying it's impossible. Maybe someone powerful is reaching out to you but we don't know their intent.”

“We don't know a lot of things,” sighed Rarity. “This is too big. It isn't something I can just pretend didn't happen and then move on. I need answers. You may not have them but someone out there does.”

“What are you suggesting?” asked Cookie fearfully.

“I'm saying that maybe I should acquiesce their invitation and… go find the Kirin… and myself.”

“What?” shrieked Sweetie Belle, barging back into the conversation. “You can't go to them. That's insane.”

“No. She is actually right, Sweetie… to a certain degree. I had always hoped that this collision between worlds would never happen. I had always hoped that we'd been forgotten and could just live in peace. Clearly that's not the case. If there really is a Kirin princess or someone who sent that team, word will get back to them and they will send more. They know who you are and what you look like. If they don't know where you live, they can figure it out.”

She stroked Sweetie's mane. “The game is up. We're a family who's put down roots. We can't just run forever. Your sister is an adult and while this plan terrifies me for many reasons, it may be the only real option we have.”

“I might be a designer by trade but I have the tools to get to the bottom of this,” declared Rarity.

“I have no doubt that you do. I hope that this is something that can be resolved diplomatically but don't assume that it is. Always err on the-”

“Side of caution,” finished Rarity. “I know and I'm sure that any or all of my friends would be willing to come with-”

“Don't bring your friends,” warned Cookie.

Rarity blinked. “I’m sorry, what?”

“Don’t bring anyone who's not a Kirin. The Kirin are an isolated society. When I left I'm not sure that anyone even knew there were civilizations beyond our territory. I certainly didn't. Obviously at least some Kirin have figured it out now but bringing ponies into their territory might be very agitating to them. Also, any non-Kirins will stick out and draw unwanted attention to you.”

Rarity frowned with concern, imagining herself hacking through the jungle completely alone on a self guided Daring Doo adventure. “Okay,” she groaned warily.

“Operate with the assumption that you're being tailed by dangerous characters until you have good reason to believe otherwise. Don't go anywhere or do anything without scouting it out first.”

Rarity twirled her hoof in the air. “Okay but how do I even get to the Kirin?”

Cookie grunted as she adjusted her hurt leg. “I kept a secret journal detailing everything I knew about the clans and the players in them and you and the situation. It used to be for work, then it was for living in hiding and then it was for documentation so I didn't forget things that might be important some day. It also includes maps, some of which I made from memory but it's better than me pointing out the window. Make sure to seek out the Lightning Clan first. Sky's Edge is your hometown; anywhere else may be extremely dangerous for you.”

“Sky’s Edge,” she murmured. ‘What's it like?”

“It lies in the shadow of a mountain. Many stone buildings. Their economy used to be focused on mining but the mines have been slowly running dry since I could remember. They've probably moved away from that by now.”

“Are you going to be safe recovering in a hospital room?”

“Safe from other Kirin? I think so,” she bluffed. “They want you, not me.” She omitted the fact that someone might be inclined to drop in wanting info on Rarity or her whereabouts.

“You need to go back to Ponyville as soon as possible. Take Sweetie Belle with you.”

“I wanna stay here with you,” protested the filly.

Cookie shook her head at the ceiling. “There's nowhere for you to stay and you need to go to school and you need to be safe.”

“It's almost Summer vacation anyway.”

“You have to go, Sweetie,” she replied sternly.

“I'm just going to live at home alone?” she shrugged.

“No. You’re going to go live with the Apples, maybe for a couple of weeks. Hopefully I'll be out of here before then.”

“What about dad?”

“I don't know yet. He might be here for a while; he did fall out a four story window.” She turned back to Rarity. “Watch your back on your way. Make sure you're not followed. Switch trains at least once. Go back to our house and find the journal; it's under a loose floorboard beneath my side of the bed. Take any of my gear. Then leave Ponyville again as soon as you can. Be very careful if you have to return to Carousel Boutique… Rarity…” She gave a poignant pause. “Everything I did was for you. Even before I knew you.”

“I know.”

“...Don't pack your hair dryer.”

“Ugh, mother,” she scoffed.

Journey

The Sadddlevale train thumped along as Rarity poured over her mother's journal for clues about who she was or what she was getting herself into.

There were no cabins on this train so she was forced to sit with the general passenger populace. Her bulging pack sat beside her, occupying the seat to its fullest. Occasionally her eyes would flick up to scan the scant number of ponies riding in the car to see if any of them were suspicious but she had yet to see anyone strange since the attack.

Rarity studied the name tree of significant government and military Kirin of the Lightning Clan. “Princess Summer Storm… Princess Gale Force… Royal Consort Cloustrike. Are those my parents?” she wondered aloud. They almost sound like pegasus names.”

Her heart fluttered in her chest as she tried to envision them in her mind's eye, some idealized visage based on the regal ponies she'd hobnobbed with at formal events. What were they like? Were they still ruling? How would they react to seeing her again? Maybe they'd have a celebration, a huge banquet.

She found a diagram of the Lightning Clan's castle with labels for patrols, garrison and the keep. This was where she would have lived in another life. She wouldn't know ponies or pony culture very well if at all. She probably wouldn't be a designer but at least she could afford the most tasteful and stylish things.

It was impossible for her to wish she had that life instead of the one that she knew but she still felt a profound longing for it that she couldn't quite explain. Like losing a memento she didn't know she had. Rarity stared blankly through the image as she suddenly remembered the sight of her father still and unconscious on his hospital bed. Surrounded by monitors, bandages on his head and an oxygen tube jammed down his throat. It was such a soul-rending nightmare.

She snapped out of it and checked her watch. By her estimation it was almost time. She closed the book and stowed it safely. Watching closely through the window she spotted what had to be Rain Bird Pond sliding past a backdrop of endless trees beneath the orange glow of a setting sun. That still body of water was the landmark she was waiting for, her best indicator that she was nearing the right spot to get off of the train.

Rarity got to her hooves in the aisle and stretched. She slipped on her pack snugly and then walked to the rear-most window of the car. She watched and waited a bit longer before deciding that this was the right spot. She tracked a lone shrub in the grassy field and teleported from the train.

She appeared outside, some distance from the track. The clickety-clack of the passenger train slowly tapered off behind her into nothing and suddenly she was completely alone in a strange place she'd never been to. Her sense of isolation was immediate and profound. Although there was a train track here, that was basically it as far as signs of civilization. She saw no buildings anywhere. No roads went through the forest, it was just wall to wall trees and wilderness untamed by ponies.

Rarity stared into the imposing wall-like treeline and exhaled. “Well it's big and primordial looking but at least it's not the Everfree.”

She dug inside the smaller satchel she'd packed for easy access and got out her compass and map, floating them into the air. The needle wavered on north and she oriented the map accordingly. Then she adjusted the dial, glancing at the sight. Theoretically if she followed this heading it was a straight shot to Sky's Edge but in the back of her mind she had doubts it would be that simple. The direction was an educated guess, not an established fact.

“Here we go,” she declared with put-on vigor, trying to talk herself up. She teleported straight to the edge of the forest and walked right in as if on a leisure hiking trip.

It wasn't long before all around was a steady, robust trill of crickets that nearly drowned out her own hoofsteps. With the sun setting and the forest canopy blocking out much of the light it wasn't long before Rarity found herself in a twilight environment quickly fading to black.

By the time she was using the light of her horn to check the compass, she decided it was time to set up camp before it got too much darker. An owl hooted high in the trees as she unfurled the tent on an open spot and spread it out. She'd done this part many times before but not with anything so modest in size and structure. Room for one, just barely even space to stand up.

Rarity pitched the tent and took a small sip from her cantine. “I suppose I just… go to bed now,” she muttered, realizing that her night routine had been paired down to brushing her teeth. She strung what she was now fairly certain was tripwire over a low branch of one of the tall trees. Then she hoisted her pack in the air like a piñata so that any creatures visiting in the night would be unable to access the food inside.

Rarity crawled into the pup tent and plopped on the ground with an uncouth grunt before closing up the flaps.

“Oh, well. Early to bed, early to rise.”

She shivered, not knowing if it was from cold or anxiety. What a day. She'd spent hours on trains crossing Equestria. It felt good to be walking around in nature even with a hefty load on her back.

Rarity closed her eyes and listened to the crickets and was once again reminded of how isolated and alone she was. There could be anything or anyone out there in the dark. She'd been on dozens of camping trips before but they were always either in large groups and or at an established campground.

She rolled over and bit her lip as her anxiety began to swell over every little sound she heard.

“I like camping,” she whispered. “But not completely alone in places where no one else ever camps. I just wanted to make dresses. Sweetie Belle was right, this is completely insane and all I'm doing so far is camping alone.”

Rarity tossed and turned for what seemed like hours as her imagination ran wild. She wondered if things would have worked out better if she'd brought her special pillow or if her brain would have kept her awake regardless. At least it was definitely dark enough. She rolled over again, all the while hearing every snapping twig, rustling leaf and chittering nocturnal creature encircling her tent. - - -

Morning came and birdsong replaced the crickets. It took Rarity several minutes of staring at the dappled sunlight on the roof before she could muster the energy to rise. With heavy eyelids she lowered her pack from the tree. She lethargically ate a bag of vegetable chili and a couple of crunchy cheese wafers, using them as a sort of spoon.

She looked into the bag with raised eyebrows. “This is… actually decent? They must have improved these since last I had them.”

She almost regretted not scraping together a small fire to warm it up but she was already going to lose significant progress from a late start and a lack of energy.

Rarity broke camp and rolled up her tent and bedroll. She rewound her tripwire, checked her compass and set out.

“Here we go. One entire day of just walking… alone. One entire day of at least a few.”

Her watch said ten forty-one as she started off at a brisk pace.

The forest wasn't spooky and threatening in the daylight the way that the Everfree was. The trees were large and far apart which made for easy walking but the canopy above was thick, often blocking out much of the sky and she certainly couldn't see anything ahead beyond a couple hundred feet in any direction. Everything looked basically the same including the terrain. She just had to trust in her guesswork combined with her mother's guesswork and follow the compass.

Rarity walked for two hours straight before taking a short break where she sat on a boulder and drank water. With no visible landmarks to gauge, she could only guess how far she'd gone and how far she had to go.

There were features and details on her mother's maps that weren't on Equestrian ones, a division between pony and Kirin cartographic knowledge, she was sure. The mountains had different names depending on who you asked. There were bodies of water, a stream and a lake that she hoped to use as signposts on her journey.

Rarity ate a cold late lunch and kept walking until the light began to dim. The place where she stopped for the night scarcely looked any different from the place she'd stopped the previous night except for the trees being older and thicker. Rarity made a fire and cooked a curry MRE in her pan. She kicked dirt over the flames before going to bed.

Night was equally as terrifying if not more so now that she was so deep in the woods. In the morning it felt as if she'd at least gotten more sleep this time likely because of how exhausted she was. She made hot oatmeal over her firepit and packed up again.

She carried onward, checking the sight on the compass to stay vigilantly on track with her heading. Today she felt better and more energized. Occasionally she'd see deer grazing on shrubs or squirrels scurrying up trees but other than that there wasn't a soul around. The nice part of that was that she didn't think she was going to run into any pursuers out here.

That evening Rarity came upon a small creek flowing slowly across her path. She checked the map in the journal to find that it was the first of two features she expected to encounter.

“Deserter’s Creek,” she gasped. “This has to be it. It seems right. This means I'm about a third of the way there.” Her smile faded. “This means I'm only a third of the way there…”

She stopped and boiled enough water to refill her cantine and then continued until it became too difficult to see.

On night three she fell asleep not worrying about things outside her tent but about her parents in the hospital and Sweetie Belle in the Cutie Mark Crusaders’ clubhouse going ‘Wanna see something cool?’” - - -

The next day the terrain finally began to change. It became hilly and seemed to rise gradually.

Rarity squinted at the contour lines and strange color gradations on the Equestrian map.

“Oh… is that what that means? Changes in elevation?”

Suddenly she realized she hadn't taken into account anything like that while plotting her route to the Kirin. She didn't even think about the weather. Things had all happened so fast. Luckily it had been mild in the shade and the path didn't look like it would get too arduous.

By lunchtime she had come to the small lake she'd been awaiting, a sight few had ever seen. “I'm most of the way there,” she rejoiced proudly at the edge of the water. She could see a cluster of ducks floating on the still surface some distance away.

Although she was no fan of bathing in lake water, Rarity took off her pack and walked in to her neck to cool off and wash the sweat that had been building up the last couple of days.

She got out refreshed and shook off. Then she checked the journal map again while she brushed her mane. By her estimation, if she kept up her current pace, she'd get to Sky's Edge in about two to two and a half more days of travel.

By twilight Rarity had long circumvented the lake and pitched her tent on the most level patch of earth she could find.

On the third full day of walking, the terrain became rockier with a few less trees in her path. Progress was mildly more difficult but Rarity kept pace. There were no real landmarks left to help validate or adjust her course.

At night she thought about how she was theoretically almost there and she could possibly be there tomorrow. Her water was running low and if she didn't find anyone out there she'd have to hope that there was at least another source nearby or she'd be backtracking to the lake with a dry throat.

The next morning she packed up and was nearly galloping toward the finish line. She ate and drank as she walked, forgoing her usual breaks even though her legs hurt.

By the end of the day she was quite exhausted and had seen no signs of civilization, Kirin or otherwise. Determined and becoming more desperate she kept going even after the sun had set and the frogs and crickets were singing their songs. She let her horn go dark and looked around, hardly able to see a thing now.

“Maybe this was a bad idea,” she breathed.

She lit her horn once again and shrugged off her pack. She needed a higher vantage point to see but there never were any. If her heading was off by a few degrees, she could just pass by her destination and not even know. She looked up into the nearest towering tree. That was as good an option as any. She focused on the lowest hefty branch, which was still quite high, and teleported on top of it. She wrapped her forelegs around the trunk as she wobbled precariously.

“Don't look down,” she gasped, trying to find her next branch.

By the light of her horn she teleported up again and again. The trunk got narrower and the branches got flimsier until she had to stop for fear of them snapping under her weight. She doused her light and took a deep breath.

By chance she had climbed one of the larger trees which offered a modest view over the tops of most others. There was a host of bright stars and a half moon in the sky and when she looked out ahead into the great valley of trees she could see what looked like lights in the distance.

Homecoming

Rarity woke up with intense anxiety mixed with giddiness. The Kirin were waiting just down in the valley. She'd be there in maybe a couple of hours. She ate breakfast despite her eagerness to just pack up and go.

Once her bag was reassembled Rarity changed into her Kirin form thinking that it would be most appropriate for the moment. She set off at a grueling pace, eager to finally see the end of her journey and meet her family.

One hour of heavy breathing passed, then another. She should have been there by now she thought… or maybe not. That was just a guess based on the constellation of lights she'd seen on the ground last night. Either way she was only growing more anxious with every step she took.

Just as she thought she was going to need to climb another tree to reassess her path, the forest began to open up. The trees were ending as a clearing began to materialize. Her eyes widened as she saw edifices, a plethora of buildings. This was it; she'd found it.

Rarity stopped near the edge of the forest, still some distance away from the edge of the obscured town. From cover she scouted out the situation, peering through the monocular and scanning cautiously across the town. It didn't take long for her to notice something very strange was afoot. There were rows of cottages built of stone and wood but their doors were left open or their roofs were sagging. There were tall weeds growing in the empty streets and rotting carts discarded by the wayside. There were no Kirin in sight. There was no anyone in sight. The entire city was deathly silent and looked as if it had been abandoned for some years.

She frowned in dismay as she put the monocular away. She stayed in place for several moments, waiting for something to move or someone to appear but the place was just as it looked, a ghost town.

Hearing nothing but the light breeze rustling through the trees, she finally decided to venture out of cover and look around.

She was certain she had seen the telltale lights of civilization last night in the dark but they weren't from this place. Was this really Sky's Edge? What happened here?

Rarity’s hoofsteps were muffled on the stone Street as she trod upon moss and grass clumps sprouting through the grout cracks. She came to a house with an overgrown garden and an ominously yawning front door.

Dirt and leaves from seasons past had blown into the entryway. Inside there was still a kitchen table and some furniture but much of everything else looked like it had been moved or looted. There were empty cupboards and drawers left hanging open.

“Well, this whole venture is looking a bit anticlimactic,” she sighed, turning back to the door.

She continued to wander outside where a faded wooden store sign creaked in the wind. There was a cobblestone well in the center of what probably used to be a bustling marketplace. Rarity stuck her head over the side to peek in. She could see a dark reflection below so she lowered the bucket inside by rope. What she pulled up looked surprisingly refreshing. One taste confirmed the water was good. She refilled her cantine, drank with wild abandon and then refilled it again and screwed the lid back on.

She stopped suddenly to listen as a new sound met her ears. It sounded almost mechanical, a faint rhythmic thumping like a metal blade hitting earth.

Rarity’s eyes boggled around, trying to hone in on the source of the sound. She noticed the looming but silent castle in the distance with gates open and no flags flying. She left the plaza for a residential area as the thumping became louder. Above the top of a little fence she could see a floating implement swinging up and down to break the soil. As she got closer, she saw someone there, a white Kirin with a chartreuse mane facing away and wielding a hoe to till a garden.

Her heart began to beat faster as she hurried toward the mysterious gardener. She came up to the fence and called out to her.

“Um, excuse me? Is this Sky's Edge?”

The hoe paused abruptly in the air. The mare turned around stiffly to face her. Rarity saw that she was elderly and her expression was one of shocked bewilderment. The old mare looked her up and down before finally answering.

“Yeah, this is Sky's Edge… Least it used to be. How do you not know that?”

Rarity mouthed silently as her train of thought faltered. Getting answers would be pretty difficult without ultimately divulging her identity. “Oh I'm, I'm from Equestria.”

“Equestria? You mean… from out there?” She gestured to the forest. “Are you one of the deserters come back?”

“Er, no.”

“You're too old to have been born out there. Who are you?”

“My name is Summer Storm.”

The old mare creased her brow and shook her head slowly in disbelief. “Summer Storm? No… The princess? The one who disappeared?”

“Yes… I suppose. I was coming back to see my family. Do you know where they are?”

She let the tool fall to the ground. “You really don't know anything. Yeah, I know where they are… They're dead… Sorry.”

Rarity's face fell. “They're dead?

“Been dead seventeen, eighteen years,” she sighed.

“How?”

“Executed after the coup.”

“Oh…” Rarity felt a sudden and profound emptiness. She'd come all this way and at the end there was nothing. No town. No Kirin. No family.

“What happened here?”

“You should just come in and sit. It's not really a conversation you can have over a garden fence.” She turned away, leaving her work half done.

Rarity cast a look over her withers at the vacant city before teleporting behind her. She followed her into the kitchen of her simple cottage and set her pack on the floor.

“Tea?”

“Oh, just water for me, thank you” replied Rarity, producing her cantine and shaking it in the air. She sat down at the table.

“If there was a coup then who's in charge here?” she began, still confused at the disrepair and desolation that surrounded them.

“Well I like to think I am,” answered the old mare, pouring herself a cup. “But really Queen Equinox is.”

“Queen Equinox…” Rarity murmured absently. She racked her brain but was unable to recall seeing the name in the journal. Then again, her mother probably didn't need a name tree for her own clan. “Is she an Ice Kirin?”

“Yep. Typical, I know.”

“How is it a coup if someone from another clan did it?”

“It's not. You asked me who's in charge. That's who's in charge. She took over and united the three clans years after the Lightning Clan’s military coup that killed the royals. That was staged by the head general of the Lightning Clan. He's dead too.”

“Oh… I see. This is rather complicated and sordid, isn't it?”

“Everything always is. When was the last time you were here?”

“My entire life ago.”

“Lot can happen in twenty-five whatever years.”

Rarity swallowed more water. “Where did all the Lightning Kirin go?”

“I think most of them relocated to the other two clans when they merged. That was what the queen ordered. Anyone who tried to stay in Sky's Edge risked being jailed or killed. The rest who refused to relocate and live amongst the other clans just packed up and fled into the woods and never returned as far as I know.”

“So you're the only one who lives out here?”

“Yep.”

Rarity shrugged. “How did that come about if they rounded up everyone?”

“I hid, stayed behind alone, ready to face the consequences but nothing ever happened. They know I'm here. Guess they figure one sad, old crone can't start any trouble anyway so why bother. I still see soldiers out here sometimes keeping tabs on me or checking the town to make sure it's still dead.”

“So I'm in danger just by staying here,” posed Rarity.

“Yep. But you're also probably in danger with the rest of the Kirin, especially if they figure out who you are. Best to go back to that Equestria you came from.”

“I was in danger there too. That's the only reason I know about this place at all and why I came out here. I thought I could resolve the issue somehow and find out who I am.”

“You must be crazy,” scoffed the old mare. “I don't know how you’re gonna do any of that but If you're decided on staying in Sky's Edge, it would be best if you holed up in some abandoned house across town. You don't know me and I don't even know you're here.”

“I understand… I'm sorry, what was your name?”

“Fizzle. If you wanna see their graves, I know where they are.”

Rarity blinked, still trying to track her peculiar way of conversing which sometimes sounded like a blunt flight of ideas. Maybe she'd always been like that or maybe it was just a symptom of the isolation. “Oh, okay,” she blurted.

Fizzle got up to leave, apparently deciding that they were going right then. Rarity put her pack back on and followed her to the door. She peeked into another room as she passed and saw an elaborate loom with a half finished blanket on it. On the floor were baskets of powdered dyes and pigments.

“Oh, you have a loom,” exclaimed Rarity. “I love textiles. You don't have sheep or… alpacas though do you?”

“Nope. I spin my own yarn from tree fibers.”

Rarity screwed up her face. “Is it soft?”

“Just as soft if you do it right.”

“That's very interesting; I'd like to see that.”

“Your parents,” she interrupted. “Typically they'd be in the royal family tomb but you don't make the rules anymore once you're kicked out of the castle so they're just in the regular graveyard which honestly they were lucky to get, all things considered.”

“If no one else is here, why don't you just live in the castle?” mused Rarity, pausing to look behind at the imposing fortress.

“‘Cuz that's not my home,” she grunted.

They walked in the opposite direction down the unkempt avenue, their hoof steps echoing.

“How did you disappear all those years ago?” asked Fizzle. “I remember seeing reward posters everywhere but you never turned up anywhere. It was a real mystery. No one ever figured out what happened or why.”

“Well I was kidnapped by an ice spy who defected and ended up raising me as a pony in Equestria. I didn't know we were even Kirin until last week. All of this Kirin business is completely new to me outside of bedtime stories.”

“An ice Kirin just decided to raise you? Never would have guessed that’s how things would end.”

“I’m still grappling with it myself.” Her eyes fixed on a young tree growing right up through a crack in the walk and displacing the stones. “Don't you get lonely living out here?”

“Yes,” grunted Fizzle.

“Do you not have any family?”

Her expression darkened. “I did… Maybe I still do somewhere.”

“They left then?”

“Yes.”

“Oh, not even knowing, that must be terrible. Could they all just be living in the forest somewhere? Or maybe they went to live in Equestria in hiding?”

“Could be. I just… hope they're safe.”

“This Queen Equinox must not have many fans if so many would rather flee their homeland than live under her.”

“Nothing really new about that. Terrible like all the rest of them. Having power over every clan doesn't change much except now we all get to hate one leader together instead of three different ones. Maybe that's what she means by unity… This is it.” She pointed ahead as they came upon a low fence which separated them from a yard of simple stone markers bobbing in a sea of wild, knee-high grass.

They teleported inside and Fizzle led her down an unremarkable row to an unremarkable spot.

“I think this is them. Yep,” she confirmed, teasing the weeds away to reveal one of a pair of shattered stone bases and toppled over markers showing the barely legible names she recognized from the journal.

“Been vandalized. If you go in the castle you'll see more of the same. There was a brief time of anarchy during the transition and a lot of Lightning Kirin had a lot to say about the previous generations of rulership.”

Rarity frowned as she gestated on the defaced names of her parents on the slabs. She never knew them, had little idea who they were but the sight was still tragically disappointing. She'd foolishly projected so much hope onto this moment only to have it be so disillusioning. Her mother was right and if she hadn't been kidnapped she might just have her own broken grave marker right next to theirs.

“I'll uh… leave you. You know where I am but the less time you spend wandering around in the open out here the better. You never know when soldiers will pop in.”

Rarity sat on her haunches and sighed as she watched Fizzle amble away slowly. She turned back to the graves once she was out of sight and ran a hoof over the coarse granite of her first mother's marker.

“I can't say for certain what your legacy was and maybe I'm happier never knowing but judging by your grave it doesn't look like it was a good one. I might not have much in common with you at all and I might even have been a disappointment to you. I don't really know what to say. It's not like I can change anything about the situation.”

She nodded at her own words. Even though this was deeply upsetting, it wasn't her fault and there was nothing that she could fix about it. It was already over, long over. She wanted to feel loved and accepted but she already had that from Cookie and Hondo and that would just have to be enough.

But with one affair settled, another arose: If her royal parents weren't looking for her and Sky's Edge was abandoned and the Lightning Clan's government had been razed to the ground then who had tried to kidnap her and why?

One of Them

Rarity walked through the mottled sunbeams cast by broken out stained glass windows in the keep’s entryway. Despite the pleas of her heart she'd ventured into the castle out of morbid curiosity. Gutted and defiled. What a shame. As she looked around, she couldn't tell if she was just imagining how it appeared in its heyday or if her designer brain was simply redecorating where it felt obliged. For a moment in time she used to live here.

The knob on the banister was missing where she started up the stairs. The blue carpet beneath her hooves was faded and full of holes. Chandeliers and candle stands were toppled across her path on the upper floor. She entered what she thought to be the royal bedchamber and drifted past splintered furniture and torn drapes to the open balcony doors. She stepped outside cautiously and looked over the railing into the courtyard below.

“The Castle of the Two Sisters,” she murmured, finally able to explain the strange feeling of deja vu she was experiencing. Though not nearly as grandiose and decayed as the abandoned castle in the Everfree, the ambiance was quite similar.

Rarity tapped her hoof on the rail and sighed. What happens next, she wondered. She couldn't just go home without figuring out who was behind the attack and the most obvious place to start was the queen. The outfit in Manehattan seemed sophisticated and could easily be operating professionally on behalf of a well established monarch. Assuming that line of reasoning held true, what did Rarity have that she wanted? It seemed she needed to go to where the Kirin were and do a little recon but she couldn't go as Summer Storm.

Having already left her bag at a suitable derelict house in town, Rarity went straight back to the old mare’s cottage. She knocked at the door and Fizzle called to her through the open window without showing her face.

Rarity allowed herself in. Hearing the soft clacking of wood on wood she returned to where she had seen the loom before. There Fizzle sat, weaving threads with her magic into a stretched canvas. The unfinished work looked to be a tapestry depicting Kirin in a town. It wasn't meant to be frivolous or flamboyant; it seemed to have intent like the chronicling of a historical event.

“That's so exquisite,” gasped Rarity. “I can't believe you got such small thread from trees. What is the picture of?”

“Queen Equinox feeding the masses and bringing economic prosperity to all Kirin.”

“Did that really happen?”

“I guess I can't say for sure because I’m not really a part of society but I kind of doubt it.”

“Why are you making it?”

“Not because I enjoy it if that's what you're thinking,” she grunted indignantly. “When I said they just let me live out here alone I didn't mention that I eventually had to make a sort of informal arrangement.”

“Oh, I see.” She eyed the larger than the rest, almost deified looking, pale purple figure in the center of the composition. Judging by the tapestry she was almost the same color as Twilight Sparkle.

“Have you made a decision about what you're gonna do?”

“Yes though I might need a little assistance from you if that's alright. But I need to ask you a question first. If I was to dye my coat in order to look like… let's say a fire Kirin, what color would you suggest I use?”

“Darker earth tones.” Her brow furrowed. “Why are you asking?”

“I wish to go see the other Kirin but it's possible that some of them are already looking for me and know what I look like.”

“That sounds like an awful idea.”

Rarity frowned. “The disguise?”

“No. Going there at all. But if you're really going to do it I have a dark red manganese powder that would make you a nice burnt sienna color.”

“Oh, that sounds nice… I'm afraid I don't really have anything to compensate you with aside from labor though.”

“Don't worry about it. It's not a big loss. You can get the stuff in pretty much any of the mines and it grinds up with little work. Just take a quarter bushel of it. That should be enough. The only thing I want in return is for you to not get me in any trouble.”

“I can do that. Don't worry. And thank you very much.”

Rarity spun in front of a broken mirror in her little commandeered house. Her muted yellow coat was now the color of a dark red wine. She'd held back her mane and tail fluff, meticulously applying the one to four mixture all the way up to the hairline. She winked one eye shut and smeared dye around it as she made sure to cover every last patch of visible coat.

“Well, who am I now?” she breathed. “Another new identity…”

She checked her profile and called it good. Then she put the leftover dye in a glass vessel she'd found in case she needed to do touch-up later. But at this moment the job looked natural and permanent. She had a feeling she'd be stuck with this color long after she needed it.

Rarity set the journal on the table and flipped it to the Kirin country map.

“White Glade,” she murmured, tapping the name.

Ash Forge was the name of the fire Kirin city. The three cities were arranged neatly in an equilateral triangle on the map. But now with all of Sky's Edge abandoned and its citizens relocated to join the others the configuration was different. Maybe they were all in a line. Or maybe they just made them one big city.

She looked up as a familiar sound met her ears, wooden wheels on stone. Curious, she left the table and cautiously approached the window facing the street.

“It's your turn to pull the cart.”

“Yeah, on the way back. You're complaining about pulling an empty cart. Lightning Kirin really are the weakest.”

“Shut up.”

“So which one of these dumps was your house?”

“I said shut up.”

Peeking from behind one of the closed shutters, Rarity watched as three uniformed Kirin traipsed by in a line, the one in the rear pulling a small, cart with nothing but a loose tarp and a rack with two partisans and a poleaxe. They all wore segmented helmets and moss green coats reinforced with exposed armored plates. These must have been the queen's soldiers. They seemed to be on their way toward Fizzle’s cottage.

The first Kirin she'd seen from the other cities. The reconnaissance mission had officially begun.

Rarity moved to the other window and watched the group ramble away down the road. She teleported outside behind the next house and continued to tail them, observing from hiding until they were pulling up in front of Fizzle's place. Rarity stayed just around the corner of the house next door.

“Ugh, c'mon. Hey, granny, where's the stuff?” one of them shouted from the porch.

It took a moment before an agitated Fizzle opened the front door. “What are you doing here with the wagon? You're days early.”

“Need more dye. New construction just started so hoof it over.”

“Just wait; it's all still inside.” She propped the door open and disappeared back in the house with a huff. She reappeared with a pair of floating baskets filled to the top with green and orange dye.

One of the soldiers let himself inside to snoop on the loom. “Are you finished with the new tapestry?”

The old mare grabbed more bushels of dye. “Can't be done for at least another three days.”

“Fine. The blankets are done though, right?”

“Yeah… mostly.”

“Hey, this one's not even full,” called one soldier as he received the basket of dye that Rarity had sampled.

“Yes. Because you're early,” spat Fizzle derisively. “Is this going to be the way it is now or can we get back on schedule? I need to know so that I can actually prepare next time.”

“Shouldn't be a problem next time but I don't make the rules.”

“Yeah well don't expect me to have a full stock when you come back for the tapestry.”

“Pleasure as always.”

Fizzle closed the door and the three soldiers secured the goods in the wagon, covering them up with the tarp.

Rarity pulled back behind the corner as they departed. She put a hoof to her chin in contemplation. Wherever they were going, that was where she wanted to go.

Lagging a bit behind them, she returned to her cottage and grabbed her spy gear and some food and water. Then she set off, trailing the soldiers as they left the stone streets and started down the rough wagon ruts that ran through the forest. She checked her compass and tentatively decided that they must be heading for White Glade, perhaps the seat of power.

She watched from behind, teleporting from tree to tree and never walking or making a sound. She drifted in and out of earshot of their conversation. Based on the banter and their colorations, they appeared to be two ice Kirin and one lightning. The lightning Kirin was the victim of constant haranguing by the other two.

“Did you hear that out that way there's ancient ruins supposedly.”

“Yeah that's a stupid story they just tell you to get you to never leave your city. There's monsters and an otherworld portal out in the woods.”

“Wait, there's ruins in the Buffer Zone? What are they of?”

“No there aren't.”

“Yeah, there are and I have no idea what they're from. I don't think anyone knows.”

“You haven't even seen them. Don't talk like you know.”

“Yeah, I've never been out there because everyone's told not to go in the Buffer Zone from foalhood. It's just something I overheard at the castle recently. Apparently they’ve been looking at it for years. They just don't tell us because it's not our assignment but I guess it’s a secret for civies.”

“We should go check it out then.”

“I just said it's none of our business and we don't have time to just go wandering around in the woods.”

“Then why bring it up?”

“Because I just remembered it and walking is boring without talking. Now what would you do with the living situation if you were the ruler?”

They carried on like that. The group made good time though and did not rest for the entirety of the journey which took a little over an hour. It was evening when the wagon ruts became streets again. They'd made it to White Glade, the ice Kirin city and her mother's hometown. Rarity lingered behind as the three soldiers got waved through a checkpoint guard station. A high wooden fence extended in both directions around the city on the other side.

Rarity spied through the monocular first just as she'd done at Sky's Edge. The first houses she saw past the checkpoint had living roofs topped with shaggy looking grass. She saw an influx of tired looking Kirin flooding by. They were drifting in from the outskirts. Fieldworkers probably. It must have been quitting time. Here there were Kirin of every clan mixing which told her that it was safe for her fire Kirin alias to be seen.

Rarity adjusted the strap on her bag. She waited for the guard to look away before teleporting inside. She exhaled and sauntered into town with a casual, confident gait. The faces she saw were weary and downcast but not too unsurprising considering the time of day. It wasn't necessarily an indictment of the regime in power.

She didn't have any money or social standing in this society. She didn't know anyone and no one knew her. She was nothing more than a strange transient.

Walking shoulder to shoulder with a pack of other Kirin, she singled out a straggler stallion in the back who wore a lanyard with an ID. She could spend more time creeping around first and risk becoming suspicious or she could just dive in. Her mother always said that ninety percent of being believable was projecting confidence.

“Oh, I've never seen you before,” she began, dropping her out of place accent. “What's your name?”

The Kirin looked up at her in surprise.

“You're from Ash Forge like me, right?” she added, noting his coloration.

“Uh, yeah. My name's Brimstone.”

“I'm Spitfire. How long have you been working out there?”

He shrugged. “Since we started construction a couple of weeks ago.

“How funny. I'm usually good with faces but they do have me doing a lot of supply runs so I'm not there a lot of the time. What do they have you working on?”

“Reflection pool. Honestly I'd rather be doing that than the temple or the statues. I'm not really a sculptor or a mason.”

So they weren't farming. It sounded more like they were building some kind of monument. Why?

“Well that's one blessing,” she agreed. “I'm actually better at cooking myself but you gotta do what you gotta do.” She moved in closer and whispered. “So, what do you think of the project?”

Brimstone swallowed and looked around nervously. “This is the biggest waste of resources I've ever seen. Crops are dying and we're building a giant shrine? Not only that, ice Kirin incompetence and lazy lightnings are gonna make this take a decade longer than it's supposed to. You watch.”

Rarity cringed. “Well, maybe it's not the best setup but I'm sure it has more to do with individual strengths and weaknesses leveraged in the wrong places.”

They came up behind a gathering of idle Kirin and stopped. Curious, she craned her neck, looking ahead to see what the hold up was. It was some sort of queue and at the head of it were soldiers checking IDs and doling out worker rations from a parked wagon. This wasn't something she could participate in; she needed to get out of this line before her cover story fell apart.

Rarity pretended to look in her bag. “Oh, my ID. I must have dropped it somewhere. I need to retrace my steps.” She turned away. “Nice meeting you. I'll see you later I'm sure.” She walked away and pretended to look on the ground for a while until she was out of sight. Then she went back to scouting the area.

Rarity easily identified the castle at the center of White Glade. She wandered the perimeter, passing guards and surreptitiously examining the exterior out of the corner of her eye. It was just as austere in appearance as the one in Sky's Edge. They just lacked the warm whimsy of Canterlot Castle.

Every wall along the street had a hooful of propaganda flyers promoting unity in support of the crown or vigilance against parasites and enemies of the state.

Rarity smiled as she passed a lone lightning Kirin. “Hello.”

The Kirin said nothing but returned a confused stare as she walked by.

Rarity ended up at a tavern, an excellent place for her to eavesdrop and learn. The only issue was that she had no legal currency and therefore no way to purchase anything that would give her reason to just loiter around and listen. She certainly wouldn't steal from someone to make it happen either.

There were lights and music coming from within, what sounded like an accordion. There were a couple of Kirin sitting on the side of the stoop with drinks which gave her an idea.

She wandered into the alley beside the tavern and rummaged around until she found an intact green glass bottle. She cleaned it up and filled it with water from her canteen. Then she emerged from the alley. She sat down at the free end of the stoop with her bottle and gazed out into the plaza as the sun set. Then she took a tiny swig for show, trying not to dwell on where the bottle had been. I should have been an actress, she thought. But what an uncouth spectacle. If anyone at home caught her slumming it like this she'd never live it down.

“If you don't stop playing right now I'm going to make you eat that accordion,” came an angry voice from inside.

The music abruptly ceased.

Most Kirin she saw walking by looked dour and on task even though they weren't on the clock. An older fire Kirin stallion lumbered out of the tavern with an open bottle and sat down near her.

“Well, haven't seen you here before,” he grunted before tilting his drink back.

“Spitfire. Just moved over from Ash Forge.”

“Oh, they stick you on the monument?”

Rarity blinked. “Stick me on the… Oh, I see what you mean. Yes they did.”

“Not me,” he laughed. “My background is in analytics and management and that's where they let me stay. Name's Smokey Meadows by the way.”

A pair of ice Kirin stepped onto the creaky porch and brushed past the old guy. One shot a contemptuous glare at him and then at Rarity.

“Ugh, this place was so much better before the fire rabble infested it.”

“Our money’s just as good as yours,” he shot back dismissively before the door closed behind them. Then he drank more. “You brought us here,” he muttered.

Rarity frowned. She'd never experienced anything quite like this. How could they all just live this way? They were forced to live amongst each other but there was still an inescapable air of malice everywhere.

She looked back over the plaza bathed in orange and sighed. “Why does everyone seem so angry all the time?”

“‘Cuz we all wanna just go back to living in our own cities without mixing like we did before unification. Those were better times.”

“But we were all still angry and hated each other then too. Why? We're all Kirin who live in the same valley, we should give real unity a chance. Think of all we could accomplish if we were real allies.”

“That’s just how it's always been,” he grumbled. “They don't give us a chance, why should we give them a chance?”

“Don't you at least wish that things weren't this way?”

He scratched his neck beneath a graying mane. “Yes.”

Ghost Tour

Rarity munched on dry oats as she watched little vignettes of city life through the monocular. She'd spent the night sleeping in the bushes just outside of town, a new low for accommodations and something her spine sorely lamented. She combed, or rather untangled, her mane using a forked branch and a tiny signal mirror from the gear bag. Then she smeared streaks of mud across her face and sprinkled leaves in her mane for camouflage.

She'd made a nest high up in a tree which offered both cover and an amazing view of White Glade including the east gate of the castle which was the focus of her stakeout.

She needed top tier intel for her mission but was at a loss for how to get it. She had no inside contacts and would have a very difficult time making any. She could sneak into the castle herself either in disguise or undetected and snoop around but chances were high she'd get spotted before ever gathering anything meaningful and then things would just be even more difficult. She could always go right up, knock on the door, tell them who she was and request an audience but based on her experiences in the city it really didn't seem like a good move. There was just a palpable ominousness to the situation. However, danger aside, that method would surely get her her answer.

“Oh, that's a school,” she gasped, zeroing in on a playground of Kirin foals at recess. “Perhaps the newly integrated next generation will be the ones to break the cycle of senseless prejudice.”

As she scanned across the yard however she quickly realized that the foals had more or less segregated themselves into their own designated areas with their own clans. The exception she found was a trio of three different Kirin frolicking together and playing tag in the grass.

Rarity smiled weakly. Her mother was really ahead of her time, adopting a lightning Kirin and marrying a pony, a real counterculture pioneer… if she had actually stayed in the culture. The more she though about it the more shocking that revelation seemed to her. She had come to realize that she was glad to have grown up with ponies and not in a regressive environment like this.

Though she had a gift for speech, it was still difficult to have a positive interaction with anyone outside of her apparent clan. It was difficult to have any interaction at all in fact. Different Kirin only seemed to speak and cooperate when obligated by circumstances or saddled with a specific task but they still weren't happy about it. She was rejected by her own clan because she looked like another clan and accepted by that clan because she dyed her coat. It only underscored for her how frivolous and backward it all was and she would like nothing more than to point this out to them after every disparaging remark.

Rarity watched life down below intently for a good couple of hours until what looked like a citywide midday break was taking place. Field worker were just sitting in the shade at the edge of the field. The foals in school were eating lunch outside and the monument builders had ceased their labor and had assembled in the town square. They seemed to be almost waiting for something.

She looked back to the castle and rolled her head to work the stiffness out of her neck. Curiously the castle appeared to have three banners above the gate, one representing each clan. There did seem to be at least a mealy mouthed plea for unity, one that wasn't being internalized or heeded by the citizens. Suddenly the great castle doors parted and a pair of guards emerged flanking both sides of the street. A robust royal carriage rumbled into view behind them. It was pulled by two Kirin and flanked in the rear by two more guards.

Rarity’s eyebrows went up as she floated the monocular back to her eye. This looked important. She followed the little caravan to the crowded town square where it stopped. A purple Kirin wearing a tricolored cape emerged from the carriage. She teleported to the roof of her vehicle and turned proudly to address the crowd. That had to be her, the figure from the tapestry and the one in charge, Queen Equinox.

Watching through the lens, Rarity could see the monarch pacing back and forth as she spoke. Although the outing was planned it looked more like an impromptu rallying of the troops than a formal address. Even from this distance, Rarity could hear the queen projecting her booming voice over the crowd though she was unable to make out anything she was saying.

Rarity hastily packed up her bag and scanned the rooftops of the city for a place close to the action where she could listen in unseen. A prominent three story building with a flat living roof near the square looked promising. She teleported from the safety of her nest to the top of the building. Then she crouched low in the wispy grass and crawled to the edge to listen but did not peek, afraid of being seen.

“I know things have been difficult but we have faced worse times. Wars, plagues and of course the continuous espionage and bad faith between our clans. We are Kirin. We will persevere as we always do but this time we will do it together. The days of meritless bloodletting and subversion are over and we are at the forefront of a new era. We are the pioneers, the foundation of an unrealized utopia. When you look back trying to find our best times, you won't find them because our best times still lay ahead of us.”

The audience clapped.

“I leave you now to visit our brothers and sisters in the east. Bring greatness to our city.”

Rarity hazarded a glance over the edge. The queen hopped off of the roof of her carriage, cape fluttering dramatically. A guard opened the door on the side facing away from the crowd and for a moment she saw what looked like the face of a gagged Kirin pop into the opening from within before being roughly shoved back inside by the guard. The queen quickly hopped inside and vanished behind the closed door. The carriage and entourage pulled away and continued down the street.

Rarity rolled onto her back with a frown. What was that, she wondered. Was whatever was going on in that carriage normal? It didn't look good. She scuttled to the opposite side of the roof and watched as the little caravan crawled up the street and left through the east side checkpoint.

Rarity sighed in contemplation. Answers or no, this looked like it was worth investigating. The queen was out in the open and she should take advantage of it. She could tail her to see what she was up to in ‘the east’ and just play it by ear. She needed to be wary though, not just of her security detail but also her own rations. With little means of providing for herself here and vehemently against stealing, she was going to need to go back to Sky's Edge within the next day to resupply.

She teleported back outside the city beyond the fence and began walking briskly in an easterly trajectory. Staying out of sight and circumventing the checkpoints, she eventually caught up to the other road which connected White Glade and Ash Forge. It was well worn, clearly seeing more use than the other road. There in the distance was the carriage and a trailing cloud of dust disappearing into the trees.

The camouflage continued to serve her but Rarity followed the queen at an even greater distance than she had followed the soldiers the day before. Employing the same technique, she teleported here and there. She kept pace for only ten, maybe fifteen minutes before something strange happened. As Rarity watched from behind a tree she saw the coach turn its broadside to her as it began a stark departure from the road.

Rarity cocked an eyebrow. “That's not the way to Ash Forge. That's not the way to anything… Unless she’s going to Sky's Edge but that's not what she said… and why would she go there?”

Having lost sight of the carriage she walked slowly up the wagon ruts until she came upon a simple A-frame wooden barrier standing parallel to the road and blocking a near imperceptible turn that diverged in a southern direction. A sign on the barrier read, Danger, Keep Out, Monsters.

“How very interesting,” muttered Rarity dryly, recalling the banter she'd overheard from the guards yesterday. Her eyes flicked up to see the entourage some distance down the practically unbeaten path and heading deeper still into the woods. “Why go this way?”

Rarity teleported beyond the barrier and continued following in the same time tested method she'd been using though it was both tedious and monotonous. As she traveled along, the flora around her began to change. The trees were different now, much thicker overhead with silvery white leaves. Veils of moss hung down from every branch giving the forest a sudden clandestine air. They continued on through this new region for some time before the trees abruptly thinned out into a huge clearing.

Rarity lingered behind, wide-eyed. There were dark, regimented squares ahead that were staring back at her, openings in a stone edifice, the telltale signs of something built with intelligence and purpose.

The carriage wheels rumbled louder as the terrain charged. They'd come to an enormous plaza. The stones under their hooves were recessed in a grid of moss. Tall grass and even full grown trees sprouted up from the cracks, their powerful roots dislodging the stonework in large swaths. There were some small stone structures around the peripheries that had crumbled, whatever wood elements mostly rotted away. Maybe it used to be some Kirin trading bazaar, mused Rarity.

At the center of the plaza was a wide, two story circular building that was worn and covered with creeping vines but built solid enough to be nearly fully intact. This place had been lost and unused for generations, perhaps hundreds of years.

Rarity looked at her watch. By her estimation of time and direction this structure, whatever it was, must have been at the center of the triangle. It was placed equally in between all three cities which could only mean that it carried some significance for all Kirin, at least it did a long time ago.

Rarity watched vigilantly as the carriage pulled up in front of the big building and stopped. A guard opened the door and Queen Equinox stepped out, the end of a long chain floating in her magic. She gave it a tug and the mysterious Kirin from before poked her head out of the opening and stepped somberly to the ground.

Rarity got out her monocular again for a closer look. It was a fire Kirin, she was fairly certain. She was tan with an orange mane. She had a metal collar locked around her neck and attached to the lead carried by the queen. There was a smaller metal clamp locked around the base of her horn. Some sort of magic suppressing device, by Rarity's guess. This Kirin was clearly being held captive and brought here against her will.

The queen motioned to a guard who then removed the mare's gag, revealing a weary and anxious frown. A third Kirin of pale indigo coat and light gray mane exited the carriage.

The two Kirin at the front unhitched themselves and sat idly in the shade against the wall of the big building. Three guards meandered about, patrolling the area with relaxed body language which told Rarity they were not expecting any company at the site at all, much less monsters.

The queen passed the chain to the fourth guard who accompanied them as they turned and walked into the open doorway of the ancient stone building. Rarity looked up from the eyepiece. Whatever was happening in there, she needed to see it.

The big circular building had six evenly spaced doorways along its circumference and a ring of twelve tiny windows above them. It would be easy to get inside unnoticed with that many entry points.

Rarity teleported behind another lone tree and then another as she skirted the edge of the plaza and around to the building's unguarded side. Once the carriage was totally out of her line of sight, she scanned the area again. She could only see one Kirin now, a guard far away who had their back turned to her.

She held her breath and teleported one last time to the vine covered wall. Then inched up close to the edge of the doorway. Inside she could hear the sound of echoing voices receding from her ears. Rarity cautiously stuck one eye around the corner, ready to flee into the woods at accidental eye contact with another Kirin but there was no one in sight. Softly she crept inside the spacious rotunda. The interior was decorated with colorful frescos from the floor to the ceiling which was an enormous dome. There was an oculus at the center where she could look up and see the sky. All around the glowing focal point were paintings of Kirin of every type singing and dancing. They seemed to be both gathering and gravitating around the light source.

Rarity was absolutely enthralled by the marriage of architecture and artistry but forced her eyes back to the tiled floor where an open recess revealed a spiral staircase going down. Her heart beat faster. Silently she slipped into the hole and slunk down the steps, slowing as she caught up to the conversation between the Kirin.

“Well we wouldn't have to do things like this if you were a team player, would we?” asked a haughty voice.

“Why would I want to be on a team with you?”

“This is why you're the one wearing the leash and I'm the one holding it. You're incapable of zooming out to see the big picture and you're choosing to be on the wrong side of history here. This isn't about you or me. This is about all Kirin.”

“This isn't about you?” scoffed the fire Kirin. Could have fooled me with that giant monument to yourself you're making everyone build.”

“Excuse me, the new temple is a beautiful gesture of peace between the clans and the incredible ruler who finally made it happen,” bristled the queen. “We are unified now.”

“It doesn't really feel that way.”

“Perhaps not yet but it will.”

“When you force everyone to?”

“I’m not forcing anyone; I'm showing them the light and our true path forward. Complete subservience to one power is unity and unity is what is best for the Kirin. Enough of this.”

The stairs became quite dim but Rarity did not light her horn. Finally a weak light spilled across the steps just ahead. She slowed to a creep and saw that the wall and stairway were parting, an ornate metal mesh lined the left side of the stairs all the way to the floor below but Rarity stopped at the top. She stretched out awkwardly on her barrel, trying not to slip and then put an eye to the mesh. The chamber within was round, adorned with more frescos that were too dim to see but most notable was the three pointed pony sized glowing crystal in the center, faceted in a metal base and placed upon a carved stone altar.

Rarity watched breathlessly as the enormous crystal fluctuated in brightness with their movements.

“Everyone back against the wall,” ordered the queen.

Her company lined up obediently at the edge of the chamber and the crystal dimmed until the room was almost black.

Queen Equinox produced an object and floated it toward the crystal. Whatever it was It was too dark and misshapen for Rarity to identify. She did however notice the meager increase in the crystal's glow.

“So it does work on the Unity Crystal too,” gasped the queen. She turned energetically to the group. “Autumn, Winter, get into position.”

The other Kirin approached the altar and the crystal began to glow bright enough to light up the whole room, jarring a memory loose in Rarity's brain. This crystal. It was reacting in the exact same fashion as the crystal necklace that the attackers had used to track her.

The queen and her two pawns stood upon three round nodes which surrounded the altar after a bit of yanking on Autumn's chain.

The one referred to as Winter meekly placed her hoof upon the pulsating crystal. Equinox placed what looked like a scrap of bloodstained cloth on the crystal. The two then looked to the reluctant fire Kirin.

“Touch the crystal,” commanded Equinox impatiently.

Autumn sighed and raised her hoof to the big rock. Moments of silence passed becoming moments of awkwardness. Autumn's eyes bounced between the disgruntled expressions of her companions.

“So are we united yet?”

“Winter?” prodded the queen.

The mare frowned in embarrassment. “Um… I'm pretty sure that if it was going to work it would have worked by now.”

“Ugh!” Equinox put the cloth away angrily. “I guess there is simply no substitute then; we need all three princesses at the altar.”

“It was worth a try. I’m sorry but well it- it's still amazing news that we know that Princess Summer Storm is really out there. We'll find her again. Don't worry.”

“You dragged me out here just for this?” grumbled Autumn.

“We will be back,” Sneered the queen. “Count on it.” She turned back toward the stairs.

Rarity winced and scrambled to her hooves. She did an about face and scurried quietly back up the steps as the group headed for the exit. She entered the, now bright by comparison, rotunda and disappeared out of the same door she'd come in through, pressing her side against the wall of vines.

Rarity exhaled. Her mind raced to put the pieces together. The queen was trying to collect the three Kirin princesses and force them to unlock the power of this old lost Unity Crystal in order to consolidate power over the Kirin somehow. That was the whole reason why she tried to kidnap her. The surviving attacker must have reported back to Equinox bringing her that reactive article that didn't pan out. They were still desperately looking for her but not in Kirin country. This was probably the last place they'd expect to find her.

Voices emanated from within the rotunda and she knew that they'd emerged. What was her next move? They weren't going to stop hunting her unless she intervened to stop it somehow. This moment was an opportunity and a crossroads. Rarity opened up her pack and looked through. She unsheathed a throwing knife with her magic and let the light play across the blade. She bit her lip as anxiety welled within her.

“We are redoubling our efforts to find Summer Storm,” declared Equinox as they marched to the carriage.

“Based on the report we should move more teams into central Equestria,” agreed Winter.

Autumn lagged behind. The chain links tightened.

“Come along now,” commanded the queen. “In you go.”

Autumn raised her head, looking like she was about to mouth off again when suddenly she vanished from sight in a magical blink. Before the group could even look about in dumb confusion, a cluster of pops sounded around them and they were enveloped in a billowing gas cloud. All visual was gone. Smoke surrounded them, agitating their lungs and searing their eyes as they bowed their heads, wheezing and hacking.

Appearing abruptly before a strange mare some distance away from the coach and the chaos, Autumn asked in bewilderment. “Who are you?”

“No time. Hold still,” ordered Rarity.

She quickly twirled the loose chain of the fire princess’ metal collar, wrapping it around her neck to make it less of an encumbrance. The other Kirin were still dazed and coughing.

“Stay with me. We're getting out of here.”

Outling

“Thanks for rescuing me,” gushed Autumn with a breathy pant, finally breaking the monotony of crunching leaves and snapping twigs. The chain rattled around her neck as they kept up a swift canter through the woods. They'd teleported some distance from the ruins before breaking into a long gallop. They slowed only after becoming winded, sure that they'd put enough distance between their would-be pursuers for the moment. They must have been nearing Sky's Edge by now, Rarity guessed.

“I’m Princess Autumn Blaze by the way,” she began with an almost carefree effervescence. “But I'm sure you already know that, I mean, you came to save me after all.”

Rarity nodded with flushed face. “It’s lovely to meet you. I'm Summer Storm. You may have heard some about me as well.”

Autumn’s grin faltered with sudden concern. “Summer Storm? The lightning princess? But you- you don't even look lightning.”

“That’s because I dyed my coat to hide my identity.”

The fire princess skidded to a halt in her tracks prompting Rarity to turn around and face her.

“You're seriously a lightning Kirin?”

Rarity betrayed an aggravated sigh. “Is that a problem?”

Autumn screwed up her face and looked away apprehensively. “I… just think it would be for the best if we parted here.”

“Why?” droned Rarity, certain that whatever words came out of her mouth next would be foolish and counterproductive. Her ears scanned for the sounds of other Kirin behind them.

“Because I've had more than enough of this crazy integration thing. It’s just more trouble than it's worth.”

Rarity rolled her eyes in disappointment. “I’m sorry, just forget I said all that about being a lightning Kirin and let me start over.” She cleared her throat and dropped her Canterlot accent. “Hello, my name is Spitfire. I'm a fire Kirin with a fire name from the fire city exactly like you so you can be certain that my life and opinions matter and that objective moral values such as helping someone in need have merit when I exhibit them. That put you at ease?” she asked flatly.

Autumn looked at the ground in embarrassment. “I wasn't meaning to say that you’re… not valid or whatever; I just need to be careful around other Kirin so-”

“You were completely fine with me a minute ago… when you thought we were from the same clan.”

“But I actually don't even know you,” she shrugged.

“Exactly. The only thing you know about me is that I'm a lightning Kirin who rescued you and you won't even give me a chance? The very least you can do to show your appreciation is to have an open mind. Not to mention that you're half metal right now and can't even use magic. Where are you going to go? Where do you think you're going to live now? We're in the same boat. They're going to be after the both of us for the same reason. It's only obvious that we should ally, don't you think?”

“I guess so,” she admitted.

Rarity turned back around. “Well, come on then. We shouldn't idle out in the open for long.”

“Okay but where are we going?”

“Sky's Edge.”

“Are you sure that's a good idea? That might be the first place they check.”

Rarity glanced back at her to make sure she was moving. “It's the best idea for right now.” - - -

Rarity squinted at the tarnished metal hole as she jiggled the bobby pin inside. There came a cathartic mechanical click and she pulled open the jaws of the collar, allowing it to fall to the floor of the old house with a thud.

Autumn groaned and rubbed her neck in relief. “Ugh, thanks. That feels so much better.”

“How long had you been wearing that ghastly thing?” asked Rarity, nudging the open restraint with one hoof.

“Since about noon. I don't usually wear it because I'm just locked in a room most of the time. She only puts it on me to take me out.”

“One more.” Rarity turned her attention to the much smaller clamp on her horn and began looking for the keyhole. “Uh…”

“It's on the back I think,” said Autumn, bowing her head again. “One of the reasons I never learned to pick it myself.

“I see it,” confirmed Rarity as she began to probe the lock. “You know, I have a set of lockpicks in my bag but I'm actually better with a bobby pin,” she chuckled.

“That one's been on ever since they caught me about two years ago.”

Rarity made quick work of the horn cuff, brushing it loose and letting it slide off. Autumn put a hoof on the base of her own horn just to feel the strangeness of it. She picked up a hazy glass bottle from the floor with her magic and set it on top of the table. Then she focused on a dried up leaf at her hooves and shot a spark from her horn, igniting it with a burst of flames. She stamped it out quickly.

“Still got it,” she smiled.

Autumn Blaze had fire magic. Rarity had a sudden recollection of the Kirin stories her mother used to tell her. Kirin always had elemental magic contingent upon their birth clan. She hadn't considered it yet but shouldn't she be able to use lightning magic? She didn't know how. No one taught her and apparently it wasn't some accidentally discoverable ability like crossing your eyes or whistling… at least not for her.

Rarity went to rummage around in her bag. “Well, now that that's taken care of, hungry?” She floated a pair of MREs into the air with a wry grin.

“Is that pack all the food you have?”

“Pretty much,” sighed Rarity. It's not going to last much longer.”

Autumn frowned. “I don't wanna take your food.”

“It's not my food, it's our food. We're a team. If you’re hungry, you should eat. You can help me scavenge for more later.”

Autumn jawed at her for a moment, left dumbstruck by the offer. “Uh… okay.”

Rarity ripped a bag open with her magic. “These taste much better heated up but chimney smoke would quickly give away our position if anyone comes looking I'm afraid.”

“I can heat it up without smoke,” said Autumn exuberantly. She floated a hanging heavy skillet to the table.

Rarity examined the cookware before sprinkling water on it and whiping it out with her fetlock. “Clean enough, I suppose. My standards have really gone down hill.”

“You and me both. Just a couple of princesses making instant food while squatting in a rundown house.”

Rarity spread two bags of stroganoff over the old skillet. Autumn picked it up with her magic and gave it a measured heat charge so as not to burn it, a skill she'd honed while in hiding.

“So… where have you actually been this entire time?” asked the fire princess.

“Would you believe that my adopted mother and sister are ice Kirin and I've lived my entire life as a pony in Equestria until about a week ago?”

Autumn scratched her head. “Kind of… yes actually that makes sense. You're a lot different than most Kirin I've ever met, especially for an outling.”

“A what?”

“Kirin from another clan.”

“Oh… Where I come from there are three different types of ponies that all live together in harmony and the differences between them are greater than that of the three Kirin clans. I might be speaking as a naive interloper but I don't believe for a second that Kirin can't also live the same way.”

Autumn stook the skillet. “It's a nice thought but it's just difficult to envision because I've never really seen it before. It's been like this everywhere for so long. It's what everyone is used to.”

“I think harmony starts with the leadership but it sort of sounds like the queen’s words don't quite match her heart and certainly not her methods behind the scenes. If we're going to find a way to sink this plot and be free of it I need you to tell me everything you know about the queen, the crystal and her plan to use it. Explain it to me like I'm a complete outsider from a foreign land because I am.”

Autumn sighed. “It's a very long story. Where do I begin? The queen has ruled the ice Kirin for decades since she was called Princess Windchill.

Rarity blinked with intrigue as she floated a disposable fork into the stroganoff to stir. “Wait, she used to be called Windchill?”

“Yeah, she changed it to Equinox as part of her rebrand after she annexed the other cities. She leans hard into all that unity and teamwork stuff. She flies all the clan flags at the castle. Equinox is supposed to be a neutral sounding Kirin name.”

A shiver went down Rarity's spine. Princess Windchill. That was the name she'd gleaned from her mother's journal. The ruler she'd disobeyed. The very same princess who had ordered her dead when she was only a foal. The irony. Now she desperately needed her alive.

Autumn absently took over the fork with her magic and began gesturing with it, her tail lashing animatedly behind her.

“So I'm minding my own business as a new princess, struggling with inherited crises from my mom when the ice princess gets it in her head that then would be a great time to take us down and it was. The fighting didn't last long. We surrendered. I ran. I spent a terrible two years basically hiding in a hole. Then I spent another two years incarcerated in White Glade where I became a test subject for ancient magical experimentation. I was told that Sky's Edge fell less than a month after us.

The food began to sizzle as its aroma went airborne.

“What were the conditions like in captivity?”

“Honestly it could have been worse. I had a simple but partially furnished room and they fed me regularly. Still a lot more humiliating than life in hiding though and everyone on the outside probably assumes I'm dead just like they do you.”

“Anyway, after she annexed the other two clans, Equinox pivoted her reign as a happy smiling occupation. She preaches unity between the clans but it's all really in servitude to her.”

“And what about this crystal business and the ruins?” pried Rarity, sniffing the skillet hungrily.

“Well, it's a moonshot. Part of her ultimate plan. The queen wants control over all Kirin. She says it's about unity and making a better civilization but whether she actually believes in that or is just placating us is anyone's guess. At best she's very confused. At worst, diabolical. I like to go with the latter.”

“Mmhmm,” mused Rarity skeptically. “Are you implying that you'd rule differently if you were in her position?”

“Me?” laughed Autumn nervously as she stirred the skillet. “Um… If I ruled all the clans from Ash Forge Castle… Well I wouldn't be doing this whole forced integration thing. I’d install loyalists in the other castles to help me govern all three cities. And I probably wouldn't even bother with the crystal, assuming I even knew about it at all.”

Rarity purses her lips. “Now that I think about it, How do ruins and a crystal like that, which are relatively close by, get forgotten about for so long?”

Autumn shrugged. “Kirin are stubborn and just not very adventurous. Everyone wants to stay in the city they were born in and is too scared or uninterested in exploring beyond its borders. In the past we had three roads connecting the cities like a triangle and that was the biggest adventure anyone went on. No one had any reason to walk through the middle of the triangle. When the queen ordered everyone out of Sky's Edge it forced them to make an unthinkable decision between living in a new place with new Kirin who they considered their enemies or taking their chances trying to live outside beyond the cities. If you ever see a Kirin off the beaten path, literally or metaphorically, it probably means they're desperate.”

“Would that same logic apply to what the queen is doing with the crystal?”

“I think so. I don't know much about what’s been happening outside the castle walls but I get a sense that things just aren't progressing the way she hoped they would. From what I've overheard, this Unity Crystal is supposed to be able to change Kirin hearts.

“Do you know any of the specifics of how you control it or how it works?”

“Not really. They keep me in the dark about most things. All I know is that you need all three clan princesses to start it up. The queen’s daughter, Princess Winter Wind is probably the most knowledgeable about the temple and the crystal. She's like the head researcher for the project.”

“Princess Winter Wind… That's interesting. The queen has made herself ruler over all Kirin but the crystal only seems to recognize the three clans’ princesses and not her.”

Autumn set the steaming skillet down on the table. “I think it's done. If things were going the way they were supposed to by this time Winter Wind as well as you and I would be the ruling princesses of our clans. Equinox had her time but she thinks she has the magic touch now and isn't interested in passing the torch to her daughter any time soon.”

Rarity began serving food onto a flattened bag as her plate. “If we could convince Winter to join us, could we then perhaps use the crystal to mold Kirin society into something better than what it is now and better than what Equinox wants it to be?”

Autumn began picking hot noodles straight out of the bowl with the other fork and continued talking with her mouth full. “Maybe but that's a big if. We don't even know if it actually works; all that stuff That Winter's into could be fairytales for all I know. Though they do seem pretty invested. The other problem is that Winter pretty much always does what her mother wants. However…”

She raised a hoof to punctuate. “We could make her cooperate in the exact same way they made me cooperate and what I assume they would have done to you.”

Rarity frowned. “You mean we'd need to kidnap her somehow.”

“Yeah,” she smirked devilishly with sauce encrusted teeth. Then she gestured to her metal bonds on the floor. “Got all the fixings,” she put in a singsong voice. “You know how to do stuff like that, right? You're like some kind of special ops ninja?”

Rarity laughed weakly. “I know how to do some things. The rest of it I'm just making up as I go along. I'm afraid abduction wasn't part of my formal training.”

Although avoiding and thwarting abduction was. Perhaps formulating an effective kidnapping plot was simply a matter of reverse engineering her defensive training… and her harrowing experience at the hotel in Manehattan. Wouldn't that be an interesting turn of events, the shoe on the other hoof.

“Before we do anything crazy, can you assure me that if given the opportunity, you'll strive to help make a peaceful and friendly society between the cities?”

Autumn wrinkled her brow. “But what about the queen?”

“Don't worry about her right now. I need to know that we're on the same page and fighting for the same thing or I'm just wasting my time. Do you want to live in a world where all Kirin are free and respect one another no matter their clan or origin?”

Autumn clenched her eyes shut. “In general… I guess so… but you have to tell me your story now.”

“Fair enough.” - - -

The shadow of the mountain stretched over the town. Autumn curiously swayed the crystal pendant in the air with her magic like a pendulum.

“I bet they chipped a bunch of little pieces off of the Unity Crystal to use as detectors,” she nodded to herself. “That's really clever… You know what the craziest thing here is though? It's that an ice assassin just threw away everything she ever knew because she couldn't follow an order. Not only that, she just decided you, some other clan leader's foal, would be her responsibility.”

“I guess everyone has a breaking point,” muttered Rarity, tracing a knot in the grain of the table. “As you said, if you see a Kirin off the beaten path it probably means they're desperate. Just days ago she told me she couldn't just leave me to grow up to be a princess because they were so awful.”

Autumn gave a knowing laugh. “It's like she did a little social experiment with you. I guess it worked because you're like no Kirin princess I ever met.”

Rarity rubbed her face wearily. It was hard to know if she felt incredibly grody from rough living or if it was just the texture of the dye in her coat. Either way, she desperately wanted a trip to the spa as a pony for her nerves and her muscles. She was tired of feeling uncomfortable and adrift in more ways than she could count. She just wished she could undo everything and go back to living as a busy, but blissfully unaware, up and coming fashion designer.

“I don't think I'm up to sneaking into a heavily guarded castle the way that my mother did.”

Autumn raised a hoof. “We don't have to. Winter regularly leaves the castle and has her favorite haunts. I assume she has guards like the queen though so that will make things difficult.”

“We must give you a dye job like me so they can't recognize you. We'll have to do your mane though. I think if you looked ice it would be most advantageous for us.”

Autumn nodded in agreement. “We should consider relocating. Maybe the mines. There's lots of mines here, right?”

“Yes but I don't know. If they find us in a mine then we're-” She stopped abruptly, ears standing at attention.

“What?”

Rarity shushed her and they both fell silent. They could hear what sounded like soft hoofsteps on the walk outside. Quickly and quietly Rarity whipped a throwing knife from her pack, muscles tensing as she focused on the front door.

“You home?” called a brittle voice from the other side.

Rarity sighed, almost laughing. “It's just Fizzle, the mare I told you about. She floated the knife behind her. “Come in.”

The door swung open and a floating casserole heralded Fizzle's arrival. “I made extra if you want. Oh…” She stopped to scrutinize Autumn up and down. “Didn't know you had company.”

Autumn raised a hoof with an awkward grin. “Uh, hi. I'm-”

Fizzle covered her ears in alarm. “La la la la! Don't wanna know why you're here or what you're doing! La la la la!” She floated the food to the table and set it down between them before quickly showing herself out.”

“Thank you,” called Rarity.

“That was weird.”

“She just doesn't want to be culpable for our suspicious activities if anything bad happens. It's obvious we're up to something.”

Kicking & Screaming

Sweetie Belle floated the shampoo bottle to her mouth and sang into it under a downpour of hot water.

“Secret Kirin~ Secret Kirin, I love you but I can't understand the things that you do~”

Her astringent sounding punk styled vocals devolved into unintelligible muttering as she tried to workshop lyrics in realtime to the tune in her mind.

“Something something, never gonna stop~”

Sweetie turned the knobs with a squeak, shutting off the shower. She shook herself off and hopped over the tub side, onto the fluffy rug and threw a towel over her back.

She reared up at the sink and smeared an opening in the fogged up mirror. Then she smiled at herself, admiring the damp, lion-like mane around her neck. One of her favorite distractions of late was transforming in private and exploring her new form. She didn't get much time to do it at the Apple's house except while bathing.

“Secret Kirin, gonna make you mine~” she continued. “Gonna hear your song all the time~”

“Ugh,” grunted Sweetie, noticing the soapy residue still clinging to her mane. Washing all the shampoo out was a little more challenging in this form. She climbed back into the shower and fiddled with the knobs. She yelped and jumped back, accidentally turning the heat up too high. After actually adjusting the water to a manageable temperature, she bowed her head unusually low beneath the spray to make sure her mane got completely rinsed this time. A bit of soap dropped into her eye before she could clench it shut safely and water began to pour down her muzzle.

There came a knock at the door followed by Apple Bloom yelling irreverently.

“Sweetie, hurry up. Breakfast.”

“Yeah, yeah, okay,” she sputtered back, quickly spinning the shower knobs the wrong way again before actually getting them to shut off. “I'm coming,” she added, hopping into the already wet rug and dripping everywhere. Her eye still stung a bit. She whipped Apple Bloom's dry towel from the rack and sloppily tousled herself with it before tossing it back and hurrying out the door. Sweetie bounded down the hall but was more cautious while descending the stairs. She pranced into the kitchen and took her usual spot at the table next to her friend Apple Bloom.

“Ooh, raisin oatmeal. Don't mind if I do.” She picked up her spoon with her magic and was about to dig into her steaming bowl when she noticed how quiet the table had become. She paused to look around and discovered that the whole Apple family appeared to have been replaced with ponnequins wearing horrified expressions.

Sweetie flipped her spoon over to check her own reflection, finding that she had unfortunately forgotten to change back to unicorn form before exiting the bathroom.

“Oops.”

“Sweetie Belle?” began Applejack hesitantly.

“Yes?”

“What in the hay is goin’ on here?”

“Um, you mean why do I look like this? Uh, I'm… half Kirin and I can change forms. It's nothing to worry about.” She grinned weakly.

Apple Jack scratched her head. “Yer half what now?”

“Kirin. They're like ponies but… not.”

“Yeah, Ah can see that,” she muttered, looking her over from bifurcated horn to wiggling bush tail.

“Can Ah touch yer tail?” asked Apple Bloom, eying Sweetie’s fluffy whip.

Granny Smith whispered suspiciously behind her hoof. “Aliens. Ah told ya they was real. And already among us too. Makin’ halfbreed experiments.”

“Granny, please,” grunted Applejack dismissively. before turning back to the strange filly. “Ah ain't never seen or heard a no Kirin before. Where they come from?”

Sweetie screwed up her face and shrugged. “Kirinland?”

Apple Jack frowned. “Ya don't know?”

“Uh, no, actually. I still have a lot of questions about it myself because I just learned about all this right before I got back to Ponyville from Manehattan.”

“Ya just learned that you're half Kirin and that you can change form?”

Sweetie shrank in her chair. “It's a long story but the short version is that apparently my mom ran away from… Kirinland a long time ago with baby Rarity who wasn't even hers and then they started a new life together hiding out in Equestria. She married my dad and that’s where I came from but Rarity doesn't even know her biological parents. She just learned about all this like me.”

The table was stunned back into silence.

“Why were ya keepin’ this a secret,” pried Applejack with a raised eyebrow.

Sweetie set her spoon down and sighed. “My mom and dad didn’t really get mugged but they did really get beaten up bad. They were trying to protect Rarity. Some bad Kirin came and tried to kidnap her.”

“More Kirin in Equestria? What did they want from her?”

“We don't know but it looked like they were sent by a Kirin princess. Oh, yeah, Rarity is a Kirin princess by blood so that might have something to do with why she was targeted.”

Applejack shook her head in dismay. “This just keeps soundin’ worse and worse.”

Sweetie tried another tentative smile. “Well it's possible that it was just her royal parents trying to contact her. That's why Rarity went to Kirinland.”

Applejack's eyes bulged. “She just went there by herself after gettin’ attacked? Is she nuts? She didn't even tell us.”

Sweetie gritted her teeth. “Uh, yeah, that was kind of on purpose. I wasn't really supposed to tell anyone about any of that stuff yet.”

Applejack froze with her mouth hanging open for quite a while. “Ah gotta tell Twilight about this.”

Sweetie raised a hoof. “Can we maybe not do that?”

“No. Yer sister is an Element of Harmony and a good friend. We can't just let her run off alone into somethin’ that's so potentially very dangerous. Twilight should at least know what's really goin’ on and yer gonna help me tell her.”

“But I have to go to the last day of school,” she groaned.

“It's only a half day; we'll go afterwards… Eat yer breakfast… and change back to a unicorn.” - - -

“Now we're not going to do anything beyond what's necessary for success and we're going to be on our best behavior,” said Rarity, hovering over Autumn's shoulder. The dethroned fire princess had a pale powdered coat and mane. It achieved the desired coloration of an ice Kirin but was much less permanent than Rarity's dye so she had to be careful with it.

Autumn sighed and led her around a corner off of White Glade’s main strip. “I know, you already said that,” she muttered.

“I just want to make that clear. Even if the proprietor is ice. These Kirin may be obnoxious obstacles today but in the future they may be neighbors and subjects.”

“You have a lot of faith in our ability to restore order, don't you?”

“I just believe that building bridges instead of burning them is usually the best policy. Also so is never using a cannon to swat a fly.”

“Hey, c'mon, I'm not a psycho. Oh this is it right here.” Autumn pointed to a storefront coming up on the sidewalk. The sign read Sweets & Treats.

“I'll go in first.”

Autumn went ahead and pushed open the door prompting a little bell to jingle overhead. She disappeared inside while Rarity hung back out of sight. She scanned up and down the streets, taking in the nearby Kirin and hoping to be able to execute their plan without drawing the attention of bystanders. Her heart began to race as she considered what they were about to do and how starkly it clashed with her personal value system.

She waited a few moments more and then entered the sweets shop. The bell rang.

“Welcome,” greeted the old mare behind the counter.

“Hello, chimed Rarity automatically, forgetting to scan for sincerity. The mare who ran the shop was indeed an ice Kirin. There were two other Kirin in the store, a mare coming to the counter to make her purchase and a stallion still milling about. Rarity occupied herself, humming as she looked at a rack of brightly colored lollipops. She waited and waited. The first customer left and the stallion went to the counter. Rarity drifted slowly along the wall keeping one eye on the transaction, the other searching for something to bring to the counter herself.

It wasn't long before the stallion exited the store with his bag of goodies and vanished from sight. Autumn's eyes flicked expectantly to Rarity who nodded back at her. She took her position near the front door, pretending to browse in the window display while Rarity approached the counter, floating a little bag of caramel corn. She set it daintily on the counter.

“I would like this, please. But also I’d like one of those boxes of ribbon candy. She pointed at the shelf directly behind the mare.

“Of course.” The shop owner turned her head and then spun around to face the wall. Rarity flipped open her satchel. Just as the mare snared the designated box with her magic, Rarity struck, yanking a big cloth sack over her head. The old mare yelped in surprise allowing rarity an easy followup with the makeshift gag which consisted of a rag tied in a knot around a length of rope. She slipped the midpoint into her open mouth and quickly tied it around the back of her head, both securing the bag on her head and handily muffling her cries for help.

Autumn flipped the window sign to ‘closed’ and locked the door. Rarity was over the counter and had the mare on the floor where she began to panic and struggled but Autumn was at her side in a flash with the rope. She held her limbs and soon they had her hogtied and limp on the floor.

Rarity bent down over the heaving mare. “Sorry, madam, can you hear me?” she asked. “Nod if you can hear me.”

The lumpy sack gave a lethargic waggle that she interrupted as a yes.

“We do apologize for the abrupt accommodations but unfortunately we do need to commandeer your store for a while. We are not robbing you. We will do our best not to damage anything and when we are done we hope to set you free unharmed… Understand?”

The sack wagged again.

“Fabulous. We're just going to move you to your supply closet and hopefully make you as comfortable as we can, situation permitting.”

Autumn opened the door behind the counter and walked into a smaller room, a semi industrial kitchen that housed ingredients, cooking supplies and more candy in barrels, bins and crates.

Rarity floated the bound mare into the room and laid her on the floor. “Here we are. Just lay there and try to relax. Hopefully this will all be over soon and you can go back to your regularly scheduled life.”

She looked over the room, running scenarios in her head of what she'd do in this situation and if there was a way out if left unsupervised. She couldn't move any limb independently or effectively use magic while blinded to her environment. She was weak. The knots would hold but there were too many tools and sharp surfaces to rub ligatures on. There was another door in the back which would make a handy escape for someone able to walk. They'd just have to keep an eye on her. At this phase of the plan staying in the building undetected was paramount.

“Counsel,” beckoned Rarity as she opened the door back into the shop.

Autumn joined her on the other side.

“We just tied up an old lady; I feel sick.”

Autumn shrugged. “You wanted bloodless, this is our best shot.”

“Yes, as long as she doesn't have a cardiac event.”

“I told you everything I knew about this place. You know how to zap a heart, right?”

“What?”

“It's a lightning thing. At least I've heard it is.”

“Uh, no. No lightning spells at all unfortunately.”

“Seriously? Whatever, she'll be fine. And if all goes to plan we can make it up to her later. Just don’t think about it right now; we need to focus.”

“I need to take up my position outside so we don't miss our opportunity,” declared Rarity.

“I think we have some time. She usually hits this place around noon or like after lunch.”

Rarity checked her watch. “That gives us in the neighborhood of an hour. Hopefully she shows because we've got only one pass at this.”

“She'll come,” nodded Autumn adamantly. “She needs her fix. We just need to be ready.”

“Why doesn't she just ship everything to the castle?”

Autumn shrugged. “Because she likes going to the candy store.”

“Okay, I'm going to set up. You watch the captive and keep the shop looking vacant and shuttered.”

“Will do.” She gave a mock solute before dipping back into the kitchen.

Rarity rearranged the store a bit to accommodate their plan before she left out the back and set up surveillance on the candy shop roof. The vantage point offered a modest view of the street but the important thing was that she had early warning for anything or anyone coming.

Rarity watched the mostly normal looking neighborhood below from amongst the wispy grass of the living roof. Potential customers would come by and leave disappointedly after seeing the store shuttered. She could hear them conversing but it was difficult to make out what they were saying.

The sun rose higher. Rarity checked her watch and sighed. When she looked back up the road she saw something big and white in the distance. She put the monocular to her eye and confirmed that it was the royal carriage rolling their way. This was it; it was happening. Rarity put her eyepiece away in a flash and scuttled to the roof's edge where she teleported to the ground. She slipped in the back door. Where Autumn sat bored against the wall.

“Showtime in two minutes,” alerted Rarity as she rushed by. She hurried to the windows, flipped the sign with her magic and then flicked the lock open. They were ready for their first and only customer.

Autumn took her place behind the counter and carefully stroked a wayward lock of mane behind her ear.

“Remember to disguise your voice.”

Autumn rolled her head with a smug crack. “Alright,” she growled boastfully. “I'm gonna be the most authentic looking candy store cashier you've ever seen.”

Rarity took her gear and hopped inside a large wooden crate shed moved into the store space. Then she set the lid loose on top. The box provided a hiding spot with a pair of knot holes to watch what was happening.

“Sounds like I'm about to pull off a caper with Rainbow Dash,” she muttered, squaring up to the hole facing the front door.

“What was that?”

“Shh. You're in character now and I'm not here.”

Much to her chagrin, Rarity was out of smoke bombs but had developed what was hopefully an adequate alternative making wadded up newspaper projectiles containing a mixture of sand, silt and spices such as chili powder to provide a little extra sting. They were sure to incapacitate any combatant but on the downside required a more accurate throw than the smoke bombs.

Rarity watched the front of the store as the carriage rolled to a stop. Her muscles tensed. The bell jingled as a pair of armed guards entered first to case the building. One held the door open for Princess Winter Wind to enter alone.

Autumn looked up from her fake project on the counter. “Hello,” she chimed. Then she blinked in faux surprise. “Oh, you're majesty, welcome.” She bowed. “So nice to see you.”

Winter stopped hesitantly just after crossing the threshold “Oh, where's Glacial?”

“She's at home sick today… Sorry, my name is Permafrost. I'm just a friend who got work permission to help her out for the duration since she needs the money.”

“Oh, that's nice. I mean it's too bad she's sick.”

“Yes…” Her thoughts returned to the old mare tied up on the floor of the next room. “Well, please let me know if I can assist you in any way.”

“Yes, of course,” smiled Winter. With introductions taken care of, the ice princess pranced around the store with a foal like gleam in her eye.

“What looks good today?” she asked herself.

Autumn and Rarity tried separately to size up the guards and princess. There appeared to be no one of concern monitoring the situation from outside and perhaps that wouldn't be a problem if they struck like lightning and vanished just as quickly.

Autumn had the responsibility of subduing the princess, Rarity had the guards but would only strike after Autumn's signal.

Autumn let her frolic through the store for a while. The two guards stood as watchful sentinels on either side of the front door. The situation was about as auspicious as they could reasonably expect.

“Oh, princess,” called Autumn abruptly. “I just remembered that Glacial told me to point out to everyone her brand new treat.” She tapped the glass counter with a smile. “They're marble chocolate almond clusters if you're interested. You can try a free sample.”

“Ooh, that sounds amazing,” sang Winter as she hurried over giddily.

Winter bowed her head to look into the case, naturally presenting her horn and distracting her eyes. In an instant Autumn had the little anti magic cuff she used to wear clamped securely around the base of Winter's horn. The abduction was officially on.

Winter gasped in surprise and straightened up.

“Now,” shouted Autumn, already following up with a burlap sack for Winter's head. Before she could back away she teleported her behind the counter to continue the assault from cover.

On cue, Rarity sprang from the box with two readied blind bombs. She hurled the first at the closet guard, scoring a devastating hit in the face before he could even draw his sword. He recoiled, turning away and grasping at his face in pain. The second guard managed a partial evasion, the bomb bursting on her neck, only getting a bit in one eye.

Rarity reloaded for another volley but the guard riposted quickly, slashing with her sword. Rarity raised the wooden lid of the crate to block the onslaught with a staccato of thwacks. This was already not going the way she'd planned. She didn't want a fight, especially not a prolonged one which would give time for backup to arrive.

The first guard groped around helplessly, bumping into displays. Autumn kept the ice princess pinned as she looped coils of rope over her, going for quantity over quality.

“Princess,” called the guard, teleporting behind the counter. She raised the sword over Autumn's head but Rarity teleported her back, up in the air to drop her. She landed off balance, tumbling over on her side.

Rarity picked up the unused bomb and hurled it at the downed mare but she was already rolling to the side and back on her hooves. The bomb exploded inertly on the floor.

The guard maneuvered to flank her and shot an ice beam from her horn, striking Rarity in the upper left foreleg. An intense chill gripped her flesh, numbing her leg and paralyzing her muscles. She stumbled forward. The guard recalled her sword which came whirling with a swish. Then she raised it for the coup de grâce.

Suddenly a blind bomb slammed into the assailant’s face. A horizontal plume of soil obscuring her head. She cried out, stumbling back. Her sword fell to the floor.

“C'mon,” called Autumn desperately from over the countertop. She turned and burst through the rear exit with a thoroughly bound Winter floating in tow. The princess gave a muffled protest. Rarity followed, limping with a curled foreleg. She shot a glance at the mare on the kitchen floor and quickly flicked a knife across her bonds before departing full throttle. The two kidnappers wove through a jagged back alley, Rarity trying to work the feeling back into her leg. Once they got a clear view of the edge of town they teleported beyond the fence with their wailing hostage. Then once more, deeper into the woods.

“We did it,” squealed Autumn in wild euphoria. “I can't believe it.”

“We haven't done it yet,” retorted Rarity breathily. “Don't stop running.”

What Would Twilight Do?

Spike wrapped his claws tightly around the top rung of the rolling ladder while Twilight floated a heap of books onto the top of the shelving unit, just above his head.

“I’m pretty sure all of these go up there,” yelled Twilight from the ground. “I'll just be over reorganizing theoretical physics.”

“Okay,” he grunted, extending a wobbly arm to grab a book from the pile.

Twilight floated two columns of books to the library table. She set them down just as Applejack, Applebloom, and Sweetie Belle entered the room.

“Twilight, we got somethin’ we gotta tell ya,” began Applejack. She turned to Sweetie Belle. “Do the thing, Sweetie.”

Without preamble, the filly touched her horn on command. “Frostbane.” a magical aura swept over her body, returning her features to her natural form.

Twilight gasped as the light faded. “Wait a minute, I've seen this before. You look like a Kirin now,” she marveled.

Sweetie was relieved when she didn't have to explain that part at least. “I'm half Kirin.”

“You've seen this before?” shrugged Applejack.

“Well, in books. I didn't think they actually existed. I have so many questions about this,” she murmured, walking around the filly to check her from all sides.

“Why don't we start with how Rarity done run off,” suggested Applejack urgently.

Her eyes shot back to the farmer. “What do you mean?”

“Rarity didn't go back to Manehattan,” began Sweetie, bluntly. “She went on a secret mission. The attack that put my mom and dad in the hospital was done by a group of Kirin who were trying to kidnap Rarity who’s actually a full Kirin princess… Which kind of explains a lot. My mom, who's also full Kirin, stole her and came to Equestria when she was just a baby. Now that she knows this she's on this journey trying to figure out who she is and who's trying to kidnap her and why.”

Twilight exhaled. “So she just went on this journey to find the Kirin by herself.”

“Yeah,” she nodded simply.

Suddenly there came a thud from somewhere amongst the stacks. The three of them looked over in confusion. Eventually Spike emerged, holding his shoulder and biting his lip as if holding in a swear. But he shuffled up to them calmly and raised a claw in measured thought.

“Um, Sweetie, it sounded like you just said that Rarity isn't actually safe in Manehattan with her parents but instead went to some mysterious place alone, looking for whoever tried to kidnap her which essentially makes her missing. Is that right?”

“Yeah, basically but also we're Kirin,” she added, waggling her tail.

That significant detail, though it was on full display right before him, had failed to penetrate Spike’s mind in the slightest. He nodded absently as if he were carefully gestating on this whole new development before abruptly grabbing his own face in terror and letting out a shriek that split the air.

“We gotta go now, Twilight,” he wailed, shaking her by the forelegs. “It might already be too late!”

“Go where? We don't know where we're going?”

“I'll pack the suitcases,” he raved, running for the door.

Twilight caught him in her magic and floated him back to them, his legs bicycling inertly in the air.

“I'm gonna need more explanation but I'm calling an emergency meeting to tell everyone,” she declared.

Sweetie groaned. “Ugh, does that mean I have to tell the same story again?” - - -

“And that is where Rarity actually went,” concluded Sweetie. “Any more questions?”

She looked desperately to Twilight, hoping she'd wrest control of the discourse but she was still thoroughly distracted, busily poring over a pile of tomes around her seat. Sweetie tapped her hoof on the podium, wondering how she’d become the keynote speaker of an emergency element meeting.

Spike raised his hand.

“Yes Spike,” she sighed.

“Why?” he sobbed melodramatically.

The company turned to glower in exhaustion at the corner of the map room where the dragon had sat weeping for the duration.

“Why would she do this? She didn't even say goodbye!”

Sweetie rolled her eyes. “Because she knew you would react this way. She knew all of you would react this way. She wanted to go and didn’t want anyone trying to stop her, including me.”

“Just seems completely irresponsible,” grunted Applejack.

“Fluttershy raised her hoof.”

“Uh, Fluttershy?”

“Where do the Kirin live?”

“We don't know,” Twilight finally interjected, slapping another book shut. “I've looked through virtually every book I have about it. There's no conclusive description of their exact location. It's all vague whimsical imagery, deep in the forest or under a mountain. One outlier even says they're a subterranean colony. This is the reason everypony always thought they were just legends.”

Pinkie screwed up her face and gave a big shrug. “Well, now what? We need to do something but it doesn't sound like we can do much about it if we don't even know where she went.”

Twilight stood up. “There’s one pony… creature who knows. I’m going to put the research on hold for now. Rainbow, you and I are flying to Manehattan. We're going to pay Cookie Crumbles a visit.” - - -

The journey to wherever they were going was fraught with disorienting blindness and sustained weightlessness punctuated with collisions with trees. It was almost a relief to Winter when her captors finally sat her in a chair. They cut her ligatures to free her limbs but tied her in place by the barrel. Suddenly the bag and gag whipped away, allowing her to see the interior of a ramshackle cottage and the smiling ice Kirin from the store who called herself Permafrost.

“Who are you and what do you want?” she whimpered.

“You don't recognize me?” asked Autumn, dipping back into character. She took a step back and began to shake like a dog. White powder puffed into the air as Autumn's true colors became more vivid. She stopped abruptly with a cough. “What about now?" she asked in her regular voice.

Winter's eye grew huge with terror. “Oh no.”

“Oh yes.”

Winter squirmed in her chair and shrieked at the top of her lungs prompting Autumn and Rarity to cover their ears.

Autumn grabbed the cast iron skillet and floated it to a cocked position above Winter's face which she only noticed after stopping to take a breath.

“Okay, that was really loud in my ears so let's not do it again. No one can hear you all the way out here anyway.”

The claim was mostly true. It would be nice to not have fizzle walking in on the interrogation, spinning around with saucer eyes and leaving.

It was then that Rarity drifted into view from behind.

“You. Are you the one who freed Autumn?”

“I am.”

“Who are you?”

Rarity sat in the chair beside Autumn who continued to stand. “I’m Summer Storm, the one you've been searching for. We're the princesses your mother pushed off of the throne.”

“And it's payback time,” added Autumn with a malicious guffaw.

“To a degree but really we just want to talk. I hope it won't require a frying pan.”

Winter furrowed her brow. “Pushed off the… You were never on the throne.”

“No but I would be.”

“But that’s not our fault. It's because your parents sent you into hiding for years.”

Rarity blinked. “Is that what your mother told you happened? I guess that's not surprising. I’ll just have to take this opportunity to educate you on what really happened. Once upon a time, about twenty five years ago, which I suspect is before you were even born, I was a little newborn lightning foal living in Sky's Edge Castle. It didn't last long though. One night an ice assassin by the name of Diamond Dust snuck into the castle. She was under orders from Princess Windchill to assassinate the new lightning princess asleep in her crib and frame the fire Kirin for it.”

“No,” Winter shook her head in denial.

“When she got there, she found that she couldn't bring herself to do it but neither could she ignore her orders and go home. So she took the baby and ran. I've been living my life thinking I was a pony for over two decades until a Kirin search party tried to abduct me and my mother had to finally tell me the truth. That's why I'm here. That attack put my parents in the hospital; it almost killed them.”

“You were raised by… an ice Kirin? My mom wouldn't have given an order like that.”

“She put a chain on my neck and kept me as a pet for two years,” blurted Autumn indignantly.

Winter's eyes landed on the floor. “Yeah but- but that wasn't… that bad.”

Autumn brought the skillet down on the table with a resounding crash, making Winter’s whole body flinch in fear.

“I mean compared to trying to kill a foal,” she amended. “Please, keeping you like that wasn't my idea.”

Autumn got up in her face. “But it's your project, isn't it? Isn't it?”

“We'll yes, kind of. It used to be.”

“What does that mean?” she snarled.

Rarity tapped Autumn on the flank when she saw Winter getting close to tears.

“I'm the one who rediscovered the temple after translating a lot of ancient ice clan books.”

“Then you're the perfect Kirin to tell us all about the temple and the crystal,” argued Rarity evenly. “I mean if we're going to be part of this ritual we should know the full story of why, don't you think?”

Winter sighed. “Ugh… Well, a long time ago the three Kirin clans were naturally friendly toward one another. In fact they were so close that they built a common area between the cities in the place we now call the Buffer Zone where no one goes. It was a big plaza where Kirin from every city would come to commune, trade and play games. Some time soon after its construction the lightning Kirin discovered a huge and unique tri-pointed crystal in their mines. Seeing it as a good omen, the lightning princess gifted it to the plaza and dubbed it the Unity Crystal. It was a stone described as having its own soul. The other cities sent artists, architects and laborers to construct a temple at the center of the plaza to house the crystal.”

“That sounds like such an unbelievably beautiful gesture,” gushed Rarity, imagining the vibrant scene of harmony and love.

“Yeah, I had a hard time believing it myself. Anyway, when the temple was finished, they commemorated it with, what translates literally as, a Unity Festival. The festival became an annual celebration. Kirin from all three cities would gather in the plaza and the princesses would touch the crystal to reaffirm their unity and kinship.”

Rarity put a hoof to her chin. “But wait, is it simply a symbolic gesture of good will or is there magic involved?”

“Of course there’s magic. The crystal has an enchanting aura. When you awaken it, it imposes a reflection of the princesses’ true nature and values on all Kirin. Whatever that ends up being is how their subjects will behave and what they will strive for.”

Autumn screwed up her face in thought. “So this is a festival where all the Kirin go to surrender their free will to whatever agenda their princesses dish out to them?”

Winter frowned at her phrasing. “It could be. It could be a lot of things but that's not how it was intended to work. The power activates when three princesses come together in implicit benevolence. The only way you can get the kind of results you're talking about is if they all three conspire to oppress or… another party hijacks it and imposes their own will.”

“And that's where your mother comes in.” mused Rarity.

Winter looked down at the floor. “Well, I guess. She does have a plan for the crystal as you know. She's going to give us true unity. Not like what we've been seeing.”

“Pfft,” scoffed Autumn dismissively. “She's going to get all Kirin to fall in line behind her as a centerpiece.”

“But having a powerful figure and central focus to rally around is an important part of unifying a body.”

“So are commonalities and shared goals,” countered Rarity. “The scene you described of the old Kirin society seems wonderful by any standard; why not just try for that? You know, it's just the three of us here. Conceivably we could go to the temple right now and complete the unity ritual the way we want.”

Winter shook her head with panic. “Mother would be so cross with me if I allowed her plan to be ruined.”

“But your mother shouldn't even be part of the equation,” posed Rarity. “Maybe she's in charge of everything and everyone through her own maneuvering but the crystal only recognizes your authority. Am I wrong? Doesn't that make it seem like this is something that should be left up to your discretion?”

“But she’s the queen and my mom.”

“We’re talking about the lives and wellbeing of all Kirin here. That's a big responsibility and arguably the most important thing there is. Are you saying that the past world you described is a worse vision for our future than what your mother has in store?”

Winter bit her lip and looked away. “Um, well… They’re different but she’s the queen so-”

“You’re missing the point. Which idea is better?”

“I… I like the old one better,” she admitted timidly. “But don’t tell her I said that. I knew that if we could somehow find all the princesses and activate the crystal, we could be heroes. We could fix everything. I was so excited when I told mother about the Unity Crystal. The world I read about seemed like such a fantastical dream, a mythical utopia with so much less fighting. She was skeptical of my research but when we went out there and saw the old temple and the crystal that glowed from my touch, she became just as obsessed as me and I was so happy until I realized she wasn't seeing the same potential in it that I did.”

“Sounds like your mother has blinders on when it comes to seeing new solutions.”

“We might disagree on solutions but no matter which way you believe or what you know about the Unity Festival, everyone agrees that the Kirin have been lost for a long time.”

“Yes but why? What happened?”

Winter shrugged. “I don't know. A regime change? New laws because something happened? I still haven’t found any answers. Whatever it was, Kirin stopped celebrating and then stopped coming to the plaza and eventually forgot about it entirely. And now things are like this.”

“Hold on,” interjected Autumn. “Kirin found harmony before the crystal was even around, shouldn't they be able to find a way back to those happy days without it?”

“Yes but look at how entrenched they are now in their isolation and prejudices,” argued Rarity. “Individually they yearn for something like that but it takes all of us making a commitment to move forward to change our society. We all have to open our hearts to the idea and to do that we all need a collective moment to stop and think. If that is what the crystal can give us, we should do it.”

Autumn nodded tentatively.

“Winter, the momentum of change moves swiftest from the top down. I know you’re not the top top but you have the influence to make real change right now.”

“You’re just going to force me to help you though, aren’t you?” she accused. “That’s the whole reason you kidnapped me.”

The question gave Rarity pause. She'd been thinking like her mother this whole journey, trying to adapt and problem solve as she would. It had served her well thus far, or so she thought. Cookie's wisdom had its strengths but was she still the right tool for this job. What would Twilight do in this situation? Rarity stared at winter who returned an expectant gaze.

“No,” she finally replied. “We’re not going to do that.” She stood up and maneuvered behind her. Then she began to pick at the restraint on Winter's horn. “If you don’t want to do it, you don’t have to do it and you are free to go back home right now if you wish.”

Simultaneously the jaws of both other princesses hit the floor.

“I- I can?” she blinked.

“Yes.” Rarity flicked the unlocked horn cuff to the floor.

“What?” blurted Autumn.

“This is where our visions for the Kirin diverge,” explained Rarity. She drew a floating knife up the back of the rope coils, splitting them all neatly before brushing the bonds away. “We are about creating a free coalition to lead us into the future, not a conscripted chain gang. I know it leaves us at a disadvantage but this basic fact is irreconcilable: You can force someone to do anything but grow.”

“But…”

Winter stood up bewildered and ambled dazedly toward the door.

“It was nice meeting you though. We wish you the best.”

“No we don’t,” muttered Autumn in abject shock.

“Just know that if you ever see us again we'll be in shackles.”

Winter opened the door with her magic and cast a confused glance at them before departing without another word. The door latched quietly behind her.

Rarity exhaled and took a seat once more, pulling up to the table.

Autumn stared in disbelief at the door. “Great… All that work. We actually managed to kidnap a princess and you just let her walk. She knows what we look like and where we’re hiding now too and she's gonna snitch to her mom like an obedient little daughter. What's our plan now? You said you wanted to avoid bloodshed. That was our best move. If we can't come up with something quick, I'm just gonna go back out there and destroy that crystal. We'll be wanted criminals but at least Equinox won't have a real use for us anymore and I can have the smug satisfaction of ruining her plans.”

“We're not doing that.”

“Then what are we doing?” She plopped down in the other chair across the table.

“Waiting.”

“For?”

Rarity's head tilted back as she looked into the rafters. “Remember when I convinced you to give me a chance despite being from the lightning clan?”

“Yeah.”

“How do you feel about me right now?”

“Frustrated,” she growled.

“Is it because I'm lighting?”

“No. It's because I question your decision making.”

“Then that's growth and we should celebrate it.” She looked back down and began to trace a knot in the wood of the table. “The thing is that we can spin our wheels threatening and forcing our way to the goal like every other leader has since the Unity Crystal was forgotten but in the end we’re just building on sand and our efforts and successes will be just as fleeting as your powdered disguise. That's why Kirin have been trapped in this cycle for so long. Real change can only happen if we give everyone a chance and expect the best from them.”

Autumn creased her forehead. “Okay great but what's the plan?”

Rarity opened her mouth but paused when she heard a sound. The two turned suddenly to look as the door cracked open, only enough to see an eye peering back at them from the outside.

“Yes?” inquired Rarity curiously. “Did you need something?”

For a few moments the eye said nothing, just scanned the floor, lashes batting with indecision. Eventually the gap creaked wide enough to see Winter Wind. She stood there trying to muster as much dignity as she could.

“Um… Are you… still wanting to do the crystal thing?”

Autumn scoffed at the absurdity of the moment.

“Yes,” answered Rarity. “Did you want to help us out with that?”

“Yes.” She stepped inside and closed the door.

Rarity smiled. “I knew you couldn’t just walk away from us. I could see in your eyes that you were truly passionate about this but you were also afraid. You wanted us to force you to do it, didn’t you? So you’d be absolved of doing anything rebellious.”

“Well... yes,” she admitted.

“That’s why I let you go. Now, instead of just doing what you’re told or being coerced into doing something, you made your own decision, found the courage you needed to come back and voluntarily be part of the change and that’s exactly what we need.”

Roots

“We should do this as soon as possible,” worried Winter. “I'm sure mother is already freaking out and may have already sent the army this way to turn over every single rock.”

“I know, I know,” agreed Rarity, pacing the room. “I'm just trying to wrap my head around the logistics here. We don't need to actually gather every single Kirin into the plaza to pull this off, right?”

Winter scratched her head. “I don't think so. The phrasing and artwork I've seen, if taken literally, seem to suggest that Kirin all share a connection with the crystal and it doesn't matter where you are, if something changes in the crystal, you'll feel it.”

“Okay, what about the queen afterwards?” raised Autumn, still sitting at the table. “Opening everyone's hearts won't necessarily mean she stops being a threat or that I’ll get my throne back or that you…” She turned to Rarity quizzically. “What exactly is your endgame here?”

“Me? I’ll be happy if I can just live in peace,” she answered dismissively.

Her answer was decidedly non-committal but the question forced her to confront the very obvious issue facing the Kirin, particularly the displaced lightning Kirin. They needed good leaders to rebuild their home and usher them into what was hopefully to be a new era of unity. The inescapable reality was that she was supposed to be one of those leaders. By birth and the powers that be, she had been tapped to be part of this princess triad. She was a Kirin that had almost no knowledge of Kirin culture but she was apparently just as legitimate as the other two leaders. Perhaps it was that outsider's insight that made her uniquely qualified for the position. The idea sounded more ludicrous the longer she thought about it. Would they accept her if she stayed?

“So how do we deal with her,” Autumn reiterated. “Especially if we're committing to a pacifist agenda?”

“We'll cross that bridge when we come to it,” sighed Rarity. It was always an eloquent way of saying she didn't know.

Autumn shrugged. “Here’s hoping we won't but I wouldn't count on it.”

“I'll try to talk to her,” said Winter, her forehead wrinkling anxiously at the thought. “But it's not going to be fun.”

“We can always help you too,” offered Rarity. “Assuming things aren't too volatile.”

“That’s a big if. Let's just go. We're losing time. We can talk through it on the way. All we need to do at this moment is get there, touch the stone and possibly use a little elemental magic if necessary.”

Rarity laughed nervously.“Elemental magic you say? I don't have any Kirin elemental powers.”

“Seriously?” scoffed Autumn. “None?”

“Yes, I already told you that, remember?”

“But you're a Kirin. You can do Kirin magic, you just need to learn like everyone else did. It should be easy since you're an adult.”

“Hold on, this is the first I've ever heard about that part of the process,” complained Autumn, rising from her chair. We need like fire, ice, lightning magic for this?”

“Maybe,” shrugged Winter. “It's hard to know because some of the materials I’m going off of blur the line between poetry and historical documentation. So whether something is literal or figurative is sometimes a guess. It- it's possible we don't even need that but it never occurred to me that one of us not knowing elemental magic could be a sticking point.”

Rarity sighed. “Okay but shouldn't we just come prepared. If I can learn, how am I going to learn? Can you just teach me?”

The other princesses exchanged skeptical glances.

“Uh… we don't know anything about summoning lightning because we're not lightning,” replied Autumn. If you can't figure it out yourself then it's just something that's supposed to be passed down from your parents or the elders in your clan.”

Rarity deflated. “Well that's just great. I don't know of any… wait, elders? Fizzle…” she murmured. “I wager she could teach me.”

Autumn shrugged. Rarity rushed to the door but paused to look back at them. I'll be back in a minute. Be ready to leave… and be nice.”

Rarity galloped through the dead town all the way to the old mare’s cottage. The way they put it, Kirin elemental magic was a basic skill spell like levitation or illumination. It should be easy, she reasoned, if someone just pointed her in the right direction.

She stepped up onto her porch and knocked politely. Fizzle appeared shortly with a quizzical expression.

“Excuse me, Fizzle. I have a rather odd request that I think only you can help me with. Can you teach me to use lightning magic… right now?”

Fizzle stared at her and then laughed. “You don't know how? No, I guess you wouldn't,” she muttered stepping out onto the porch. “C’mon. Practicing lightning's an outside thing.” She walked down the length of her garden fence and then some more before turning around expectantly.

Rarity joined her, trying to mask her unexpected excitement.

“Been a long time since I did this.”

At first Rarity thought the comment odd but the far off look in the old mare's eyes told her that she wasn't meaning the act of using lightning magic but rather the act of teaching it to someone… someone who was no longer here.

“First thing's first: you gotta have lighting blood in you to summon lightning.”

“I'm ninety-nine percent sure I do at this point.”

“There's lots of different things you can do with lightning and ways you can harness it but most spells build off of making a horn bolt or shooting a bolt of lightning from your horn. But before you do that, you have to build up a charge in your horn. Watch this.”

Fizzle concentrated effortlessly and her horn began to glow and crackle with white electricity before she allowed the power to dissipate innocuously.

“Okay, how do you do that,” asked Rarity, fully intrigued.

Same way you cast any spell: you gather magic there. That's the hard part and you already know how to do it. The difference with your natural elemental magic is that it's more like you're gathering magic from the air instead of from your own body. You're drawing down and in through the tip of the horn instead of up and in through the base. Try it.” Fizzle moved off to the side and out of the way.

Rarity concentrated. It took a moment but her efforts were soon rewarded with a tiny snap as electricity arched between the fork of her horn.

“Oh,” she exclaimed, trying to look up to witness the tiny, fleeting phenomenon. She tried again, emboldened now, and the power began to flicker frenetically for a while before stabilizing with the desired consistent crackle. It felt like a weak buzzing in her head.

“That's the way,” commended Fizzle. She floated a murky looking old bottle from the ground onto a fence post in front of them. “Now the easiest way to explain this is if you try to grab something like you would to levitate it while you have a lightning charge going in your horn, instead of grabbing it, you'll hit it with lightning. Easy. Try to hit that bottle.”

Rarity started up her charge again. She focused on the bottle and near instantaneously a pop sounded as a white bolt sprang from her horn and sent the vessel tumbling into the grass with a thunk.

“I did it,” she giggled. “I'm a real lightning Kirin!”

“How about that. With the same mental motions you use to float something through the air, you can make a solid lightning arc for as long as you can concentrate. Just don't get the spells mixed up.”

“Thank you. You know, you’re almost like the lightning mother I never had now.” - - -

Cookie sat propped up on her plain white bed. An open book stood on the table over her lap. She was half way through her third story from the hospital library. Another homicide detective thriller.

There came a knocking at her already opened door. “Knock knock,” announced Twilight, her smiling face poking inside.

Cookie looked up in surprise to see the Princess of Friendship floating a potted lily, Rainbow Dash in tow.

“Princess Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash? Nice to see you. What an odd surprise. Thank you.”

Twilight set the little flower on her table.“How are you feeling, Cookie?”

She cleared her throat. “Still hurts but I'll be fine. I can get around by myself with a splint. The graft is really the thing keeping me in a hospital room.”

Rainbow eyed the delicate dressing on her side where she'd been scorched. “What about Hondo?” she asked.

“They're supposed to wake him up tonight. I want to see him so badly but I don't know if I will before tomorrow morning.”

“That's great news though.” nodded Twilight excitedly.

Cookie stroked the red and pink speckled petals of the flower. “So… I get the sense you two didn't come just to check in on us.”

Twilight and Rainbow exchanged glances.

“We know what really happened to you,” began Twilight. “We know what you and your family really are and where Rarity went.”

“We're worried about her,” added Rainbow. “Everyone is.”

Cookie cocked an eyebrow. “Who's everyone?”

“The five of us… and Sweetie Belle… and Spike, she added flatly.”

“Was it Sweetie?”

“Huh?”

“Who told everyone.”

“Yeah. It was an accident. She showed her Kirin form to the Apples and then had to explain everything.”

Cookie laughed weakly. “Well she made it this long so that's something at least.

“Why keep this a secret from everyone,’ asked Twilight pointedly. “Especially from the ones who could support Rarity?”

Cookie sighed and settled into her pillows. “How much do you know about the Kirin, princess?”

Twilight shrugged. “Not much, I confess, even with a huge library. Until I saw one right in front of me, I thought they were mythical creatures, just stories.”

“There’s a good reason for that. The Kirin live in an isolated society. They only know Kirin and they only trust Kirin and only the Kirin in their own clan. In general they're stubborn, closed-minded and just not interested in things beyond their little word.”

“But you're not like that,” argued Twilight.

“I could have been. It's just because my only option was to run away and live with ponies who ended up being so very different.”

Twilight sat down in the chair beside her bed. “You all live in the same region I assume and your clans never found a way to just get along?”

“Not any time I or any elders I asked could remember. Power seemed to be always more important than unity between clans and having an enemy to unite against is a powerful tool for a leader to keep their subjects unquestioningly in line behind them. The leaders help perpetuate that sentiment... Did you know that I used to be a spy for the Ice Clan?”

“Sweetie did mention that but there were honestly a lot of jaw dropping details to absorb about your situation.”

“I was often taking direct orders from the ice princess herself, neck deep in vitriol and jingoism. Once I was sent on a mission to steal a certain document from the Fire Clan's archives. Unfortunately a lone elderly scholar was there when he shouldn't have been and saw me. I quickly subdued him and coerced him tell me where the document was. He didn't fear death or pain but said he'd cooperate if I simply told him what clan I belonged to since I hid behind a mask and bodysuit. In general it's best for a spy to leave no trace behind including appearance or affiliation. I lied to him and said I was of the Lightning Clan. He wisely assumed my answer was false and that meant that I was ice. I said ‘how do you know I didn't anticipate you thinking that and change my answer accordingly?’ He told me that I answered too quickly. He'd spent probably over half a century chronicling historical events and interviewing Kirin who were too embarrassed to admit their mistakes or wanted to exaggerate their achievements for the annals of the Fire Clan. He'd been lied to many many times and likely wrote down both fact and fiction regardless of if he believed or knew otherwise simply because he had to. I pointed this out and told him that he cataloged propaganda to prop up his corrupt government and vane princess. He told me ‘Perhaps but do you not also have scholars and a princess in White Glade? Everyone is the hero of their own story and the villain of someone else’s.’ And with that he showed me the document and I left.”

Cookie shifted to stretch her stiff neck. “As Kirin we say the same bad things about each other but we can't both be right. Of course I'm inclined to believe that we're the ones who are right and they are lying because I'd always been told we were right and they are liars but someone from another clan would believe the exact opposite about our clan versus theirs. If we're right, how can they be just as sure that they're right? If their leader is lying to them then couldn't our leader lie just as easily to us about the very same things? It seems silly looking back but it had never occurred to me that perspective wasn't the arbiter of righteousness. That was the first time I really began to question the system and it never stopped bothering me.”

Twilight rubbed her chin thoughtfully “I like that story. It really underscores the need to see through someone else's eyes.”

Rainbow shrugged. “We don't get many leaders like that in Equestria but when we do, we usually just kick their flanks.”

Cookie laughed weakly. “I know you do. But back to the matter at hoof, my fear is that if a team of weird aliens show up in the Kirin homeland it could cause total mayhem. Not to mention that Rarity is on a sensitive personal mission. I don't know exactly what the conditions are like over there but she might be hiding or operating under cover and you wouldn't want to jeopardize that.”

“But she could also be in serious trouble,” argued Rainbow emphatically.

Cookie nodded. “Yes she could be and no one understands that better than me but I have faith in her and I truly believe that interfering is actually more likely to be harmful than helpful.”

Twilight frowned with concern. “So you're not going to tell us where the Kirin live?”

“Sorry. I hope you understand. Rarity is not my real daughter but the feelings I developed for her over the years that I raised her are no less real. I spent her entire foalhood and beyond dreading this moment, when our past and present collide. I haven't stopped worrying about her since she left me here and I'll continue doing so every day until I see her or hear good news from her. It feels like a nightmare so believe me when I say that there's no way I'd be doing it if I didn't truly believe it was best for her.”

Twilight leaned back and sighed. “As difficult as this is for us to accept, you do make some good points and I respect your position.”

Rainbow looked like she wanted to keep arguing but said nothing.

“Thank you,” mumbled Cookie.

The three conversed until visiting hours were almost over.

“Can we get you anything?” asked Twilight, getting up from her chair.

Cookie shook her head. “The only thing I need right now is my husband by my side and my daughter to come home in one piece.”

“Well, I'm afraid. we can't help you with those but we wish you two a speedy recovery.”

The two visitors said their goodbyes and left the hospital intending to fly straight back to Ponyville.

“I can’t believe there's just nothing we can do here,” groaned Rainbow dejectedly as they stepped out onto the sidewalk.

“There's still something we can do,” replied Twilight. “It just won't be for Rarity.” - - -

Rarity slowed her companions as they came upon the overgrown plaza. They convened behind a crumbling wall of a long lost building on the outskirts of the site.

“The queen has likely deduced that all three of us are together and, one way or another, have the wherewithal to activate the crystal if we chose to. Guarding the crystal from us would be a smart move on her part. We need to exercise caution here.”

“It looks safe,” whispered Winter, peeking around the corner at the lonely temple. There were no signs of any sort of presence and the only sound was a soft breeze in the treetops.

“You thought that about the candy shop too,” quipped Autumn absently.

“I don't see anyone,” breathed Rarity. “But just in case, I'll go scout ahead first. If I think it's safe I'll call you over.”

“We'll stay here then,” agreed Autumn.

Rarity nodded as she cautiously made her way out into the open. Crossing the plaza, she looked around in all directions for anything out of the ordinary, any sign of danger but everything looked normal and peaceful. She slowed to a creep after entering the shadow of the temple, allowing her eyes to adjust before looking through a doorway to the inside. It was vacant just as they thought it was.

Rarity stepped in and gazed up at the Kirin frescos adorning the ceiling. The expressions of the figures depicted ranged from ecstatic to placid. The artwork seemed to be hyping the power contained within this place. Keeping vigilant, she made her the spiral stairs and descended. She silently slunk down the steps, feeling her way in the darkening passage. As the light died, she did not illuminate her horn but kept walking. The decorative metal mesh appeared along her left side, indicating that she was near the bottom where a faint glow manifested before her like the first light of dawn.

Her hooves set down on the cool stone floor and the light of the magnificent crystal grew from her presence. The room was cylindrical, mirroring the space of the rotunda above it but significantly smaller. The room was open and empty aside from the great crystal centerpiece and an artistic flourishment of tendrils radiating on the floor from the base of the crystal's metal altar. The pattern wasn't too dissimilar from veins or tree roots.

There was very clearly no one there. What luck. Rarity gazed into the inviting gleam of the Unity Crystal as she approached. She placed a hoof atop one of its three points as the light reached its zenith, at least for a single princess.

Though enchanted by it, Rarity turned away and hurried back up the steps to ground level. She went to an arched doorway and looked out far across the plaza, back to where the other two were waiting and motioned excitedly for them to join her.

Autumn and Winter exchanged glances before starting their way briskly to the temple.

“It's clear,” said Rarity as they reached the doorway. “This is it.”

She turned and led them quickly down the stairs to the chamber below. The crystal glowed brightly as the trio spilled onto the floor and surrounded it, naturally taking positions at the points. The room echoed with their voices as they marveled at the crystal's newfound luminosity. It was so brilliant but not harsh on the eyes. Not only did it glow but the energy within appeared to ebb and flow like iridescent fluid.

“I believe there really is a soul in there.” Rarity held up her hoof tentatively. “So we just all touch it at once.”

As soon as the words left her mouth they all became aware of the sound of clopping hooves on stone.

“Someone's here,” gasped Autumn, freezing in place.

They were cornered. A pair of fizzling, hoof sizes incendiaries flew down the stairs and boggled about on the floor before detonating with a blinding flash and a painful concussion.

“Get down on the ground,” ordered a booming voice.

With her ears ringing and her eyes scrunched shut, Rarity felt a pair of familiar icy impacts strike her broadside, sending her crumpled to the floor as a team of guards descended upon them.

It was a trap. They came from nowhere.

I suppose I was due for a loss, thought Rarity as she felt the cuff snap over her horn.

Author's Note

And with this chapter this story is now officially the longest fan fiction I've ever written.

The Old Guard

The sun hung low on the wilderness horizon. Autumn and Rarity laid out prostrate on the ground like a pair of slugs. After being brought topside with metal collars on, they were ushered into a partial building ruin on the edge of the plaza where four guards watched over them. They were part of the team that had stormed the temple smeared with camouflage paint and decorated with moss and leaves.

Winter remained free, standing in the rotunda with the rest of the team, her ears still ringing from the assault.

“Commander, release the princesses; they are not a threat.”

“Sorry princess,” replied the stallion. “We are under direct orders from the queen to capture and detain the insurgents for her arrival and ensure your safety. You'll have to ask her. She'll be here shortly.”

“Insurgents?” she sighed.

Winter looked out through the doorway across the plaza to where Rarity and Autumn were being held. She should at least try to reassure them. She started walking to the outskirts slowly, trying to formulate a plan to navigate this nightmare scenario. Ready or not, this was the last chance to stand up and advocate for their plan or just roll over for her mother again and forfeit everything.

Sensing movement out of the corner of her eye she turned to see her mother, already on the scene, flanked by another unit of guards as she tramped out of the woods. When they both recognized each other, the queen teleported straight to her in tizzy.

Equinox wrapped her forelegs around her daughter in a desperate, suffocating embrace. “Oh my precious baby! Did those horrible insurgents harm you?”

“No, mother they didn't,” she choked out. “I’m fine except for my ears. Can we maybe… unchain the captives now?”

The queen released her abruptly with an appalled expression. “What? Of course not. They kidnapped you. They're dangerous and they brought you here to force you into sabotaging our glorious plans for the crystal.”

Winter laughed nervously.

Equinox put a reassuring hoof under her daughter’s chin. “Don't you worry, because our vision is finally realized today. Come along,” she commanded, turning toward the two princesses with a flutter of her cape.

“How did you get here so fast?”

“I was waiting in the woods beside myself with worry. How could I just stay and stew in the castle, waiting for news of your recovery?”

The strike team saluted as they came upon the thoroughly subdued princesses.

The queen looked down at Autumn with sneering disdain. “So lovely to see you again, Autumn Blaze. Back for good I hope.”

Autumn only gave an angry grunt in response.

She turned to Rarity. “And you must be the little mastermind behind this annoying setback.” Equinox dangled a crystal necklace over Rarity's head, prompting it to glow in response.

“Princess Summer Storm,” she smiled. “I was all but certain it was you.”

“You knew we were coming,” charged Autumn.

“Of course. Your bold actions made your plan evident. I'm not stupid. I didn't get where I am today by complete accident. Why scour the countryside when I can just patiently wait for you to trap yourself in a bunker?”

Equinox turned to the old temple with a grin. “Well, the gang’s all here. We should see what this crystal can do.”

The princesses looked up at Winter expectantly. She swallowed. She needed to pick a side here and commit. Doing nothing was picking a side. Doing nothing was easy. Doing nothing was what she had always done but it didn't feel right.

“Bring them to the crystal,” ordered the queen, already walking back to the temple.

Winter ran urgently to catch up with her. “Um, uh, do we really need to do this right now? I mean it’s been a crazy day. Maybe we should just go back to the castle for now and… sleep on it.”

“But, Winter, everyone's already right here right now. This is the big moment we've been waiting for. Aren't you excited?” She looked to her daughter who forcefully returned a pained smile in feigned agreement even as she continued to flounder for something to say or do to stay on the fence and not offend her mother but still somehow get what she wanted but it was unavoidable. She was going to have to be… bold.

They entered the rotunda, Autumn and Rarity being marched in behind them.

Winter's voice echoed through the dome as she complained feebly. “Um, I- I don't feel well. Maybe I-”

“Oh it's all the excitement of the day,” began the queen as she started down the stairs. It’s probably just upset your stomach. Don’t you worry, we’ll get this out of the way quickly and then you can lay down in the carriage on the way home.”

Winter grimaced in frustrated embarrassment as she followed deeper into the chamber.

“Tell her,” growled a muted, guttural wheeze from behind that she assumed belonged to Autumn.

She was trying to tell her… or something. But her track record… Her best efforts always fizzled out against the ears that didn’t hear and the constant domineering riptide of her mother’s agenda always pulling on her. This was to say nothing of her legendary wrath when things didn't go her way.

The light of the queen's horn gave way to the welcoming glow of the crystal. She gasped in wonder as all three princesses assembled around it.

“Why it's utterly beautiful. I've never seen it like this before.”

The commander and a guard stood back against the wall. She motioned to the other two responsible for the captives.

“Hooves to the crystal if you please,” ordered the queen.

They pushed the princesses forward, drawing their sabers and placing the cold edges against their cheeks, prompting them to comply. Rarity and Autumn reluctantly placed their hooves upon the Unity Crystal.

When nothing happened, Equinox looked expectantly to her daughter and saw that she was frozen with hesitation.

“What’s the matter, dear? Just touch the crystal and I'll take it from there.”

Winter swallowed and looked around either side of the crystal to see Autumn and Rarity in chains and glaring back at her.

She raised her hoof slowly.

“You’ve betrayed all Kirin,” spat Autumn. The guard's blade pressed into her, threatening to draw blood.

“Hush now, impudent cur.” hissed the queen before turning back to her daughter. “Go on,” she encouraged.

Her breath was coming in short, panicked bursts. “I-”

Suddenly Winter felt her hoof magically compelled toward the crystal. Before she could protest, It pressed flat on its side.

Winter gasped. The moment the purple aura of her mother dissipated from her hoof she whipped it away but it was already too late. The crystal hummed to life, pulsing with energy.

The guards forced the other two princesses away from the crystal as white light snaked into the root pattern beneath their hooves.

The room rumbled. Everyone looked around in surprise but Winter didn't even notice. She stared, mouth agape at her own hoof. So many things were racing through her head. Shock, mortification and an unfamiliar tightening in her body that must have been rage. Her mother had treated her like a child in front of everyone, robbed her of her agency and never once asked how she felt about any of this.

Her teeth gritted as the room settled with a thud and the crystal dimmed, leaving them in the glow of the queen’s horn.

“Mother,” she cried, lighting her own horn. “I don't want this! I never wanted this!”

Equinox looked up at her in surprise, her hooves already groping greedily over the crystal, searching for whatever boon it would bestow. “What? What are you saying? You’ve been excited about this from the beginning.”

“Not like this. This isn't how you get unity. Swords and chains and…”

The queen rolled her eyes condescendingly. “Winter, of course this is how you get it. Someday when you’re mature enough to grasp-”

“This isn’t even about you,” roared Winter with deafening authority. “It’s about the three of us! You’re just butting in and taking over like you always do!”

The room fell into ominous silence, the last of her biting words reverberating into every crack and crevice as the dumbstruck onlookers cowered.

The queen's mouth hung open in abject shock, her ears stinging with the unprecedented diatribe levied against her by her own, always demure and obedient, daughter. The expression told her that she was finally, for once in her life, being taken seriously.

The corners of Autumn’s mouth struggled not to turn up in a spiteful smirk.

The queen’s eyes narrowed. “What… did you just say to me?”

Winter took a slow, shaky breath. “You… shouldn't… even… be here.”

Equinox shot forward to confront her. “You ungrateful little brat! I am your mother and Queen of the Kirin and you will show me due respect. I am building this empire with my own two hooves. You will inherit it some day and right here on the cusp of everything you’re-”

“I don’t want to inherit what you’re building,” she shot back. “It’s gross!”

“Ugh! Foolish child! No leader has accomplished what I have. I would like to see you do better!”

“So would the crystal, mom! So would the crystal!”

“I don't care what the crystal thinks, you're clearly not ready to govern.”

“How would you even know? You never let me do anything. I'm twenty-two years old and basically live in a fancy daycare center. I'm barely allowed to go buy candy by myself.”

“Yes and look how that turned out.”

“You know what?” sneered Winter, digging deep for a real crusher.

“Um, as entertaining as this is,” shouted Autumn. “It looks like we’re trapped in this room now and I don’t really know what’s going on anymore.”

The two stopped their fighting to look about the room.

“The stairs are gone,” Equinox pointed out, glancing at where the exit should have been. “What happened?”

The two free guards began scouring the peripheries, looking for a way out.

“I think the whole room went downward,” explained Rarity.

“I thought the crystal was supposed to become receptive to influence after we touched it,” began Winter. “But it doesn't even…” she waved her hoof over the dark and unresponsive crystal. “It doesn't even look like it works anymore.”

“Are we trapped here?” gasped Equinox.

“There was nothing like this in any of the material I covered. I don’t think anyone successfully influenced the crystal either. We’re in uncharted territory.”

“Could this be some sort of failsafe or defense system for the crystal,” questioned Rarity.

“A defense system against certain Kirin from using the crystal incorrectly?” asked Winter pointedly.

“Hmph.”

“These three panels along the wall glow,” reported one guard. “They have a gap in the middle like they're supposed to open but they won't budge.”

Winter moved in for a closer look. There were indeed three evenly spaced door-like shapes around the circumference of the room. Their rectangular outlines glowed, attached to the also glowing root pattern on the floor which seemed to have drained all the energy from the crystal.

“Maybe these open somehow using the power of the crystal,” she murmured inching closer. “The power's already in there; we just need to activate it somehow, I’m guessing.”

With the added light of her horn she began to feel around on the surface with one hoof, scanning over an array of carved symbols. As she caressed the stone, the white light energy came spilling down a crevasse to fill the symbol at the center of the door, an inverted spike in a circle that looked a little like an icicle.

Winter gasped and pulled away, the energy absorbing back into the reservoir of the doorframe. She looked at the other two prominent symbols on either side, flames and a jagged bolt of lightning. Predictably they did nothing when she touched them.

She turned back. “Summer, Autumn, I think this door requires all of us just like the crystal.”

The two princesses stepped forward but were stopped fast by their collars.

“Let them approach,” ordered the queen tersely.

Autumn and Rarity shambled over to either side of Winter and examined the symbols, immediately comprehending what to do. The three of them placed their hooves on the door, bringing them to life with light. There came a rumble as the two halves of stone parted, splitting the ice symbol down the middle.

The group watched in awestruck wonder as a passage materialized before their very eyes in the light of Winter’s horn. It was another chamber, much smaller and square. It was a short walk to a dead end where a matrix of familiar symbols lined the floor and every wall.

Unhindered by restraints, Winter was the first to enter.

“Winter,” be careful,” scolded the queen. “We have no idea what's in here.”

The ice princess looked down at the floor glyphs as she walked over them. They were the same as the ones on the doors. The one representative of ice lit up in just the same way as she placed a hoof on it. She looked at the wall to see more symbols. The space was cramped. In fact she could probably touch the floor, ceiling and both walls simultaneously if she really stretched. Another glyph illuminated as she rested her hoof on the wall.

Winter turned back to the group waiting in the doorway. “Take off their collars.”

“Why?” protested the queen.

“Because they're cruel and in the way. This looks like some kind of trial for the three princesses. We need their help to get out of here.”

“Ugh, fine. But the magicuffs stay on.” She turned to the guards. “Remove the collars.”

The captain produced a key and unlocked the metal collars around the captives’ necks, casting them back into the central chamber with a rattle and a clang. Rarity rubbed her neck as she followed autumn into the tight chamber.

“And don’t even think about trying anything funny,” added the queen darkly.

“Oof, not much space in here,” grunted Autumn bumping between Winter and the wall.

“Oh, I've played something like this before,” chimed Rarity, tapping different tiles.

“What are we supposed to do?” Autumn shrugged.

“Not sure,” mumbled Winter. “Just try lighting up as many tiles with your hooves as you can, I guess.”

The three of them began stretching and twisting as they found their corresponding tiles. Light from the guards helped. The symbols were large but few, only about one to three for each of them per surface making them need to plan which ones they would take.

Autumn giggled and squirmed as Winter wriggled under her barrel to reach for another two ice symbols.

“What is this, a game?” scoffed the queen looking on in annoyance. “Ridiculous.”

“Look, there's a little gauge on the back wall filling up the more tiles we hold down,” noticed Rarity. “You were right. That must be the objective.”

Winter stretched her forelegs to the max. “Almost… No, this isn't going to work,” she admitted, pulling back to abandon the position.

“There's two close together ice ones here,” reported Autumn, gesturing with a nod.

Rarity watched the power gauge go up and down out of the corner of her eye. “I guess there's no one right way to do this.”

“Almost got it.”

“Getting a cramp here.”

“I'm touching four spaces,” declared Rarity.

“Me too,” grunted Autumn who was balancing with only one hoof on the ground. “It's still not enough though.”

“Winter?”

“I have four too, I think.” She tried to check all of her hooves without slipping and falling on her back.

“Isn’t it supposed to do something?”

“The gauge is close to full but not quite there.”

“Hold on… Maybe…” Winter looked up at the ceiling and strained her neck, just barely able to poke the corner of a fifth tile with the tip of her horn. It worked. The symbol lit up and the gauge filled to the top, sending a sudden surge of power through a groove on the floor and back into the crystal chamber.

“Is that it?”

“I think we did it. Whatever it was.”

“Ahh!” Winter collapsed with a thud.

Rarity helped her up as the three princesses shared a laugh.

“That was good thinking.”

“Is the crystal ready now?” groaned Equinox impatiently. “Or is there some obligatory distraction waiting for us behind the other two doors?”

When the princesses returned to the central chamber, they were greeted by a pair of swinging metal collars floating in the air.

“Collars back on, ladies,” ordered the queen coldly.

Rarity and Autumn reflexively cowered behind Winter.

“No, we're done with the collars,” declared Winter firmly.

The queen's eyes narrowed. “Who do you think you are, making decrees for me? The collars are a reasonable precaution.”

“You have a team of special ops soldiers. The collars are an excessive hindrance and I refuse to continue the trials if you insist on using them.” Winter dropped to her haunches and crossed her forelegs defiantly. “We can just stay down here and starve.”

The other two princesses sat behind her.

The queen grinded her teeth. “I don't believe this. I am trying to protect us and you're here forming alliances with the enemy.”

“The enemy? The only reason they'd have to harm us is because of what you did to them. Mother, did you send an assassin to kill Princess Summer Storm when she was a foal?”

Equinox was aghast with indignation. “What? Where did you hear such a story?”

Winter only returned a tired stare as it was self-evident to all where the alternate account came from.

“Have you ever known me to do such a thing?” spat Equinox.

“She hasn't been in hiding like you said. She was kidnapped and raised by an ice assassin. She didn't even know how to use lightning magic until today because there was no one around who even knew how to teach her.”

The queen looked away. “Listen, we've all made decisions we're not entirely proud of. The important thing is that the mission failed and I've changed. Don't make me out to be the bad guy here.”

“I'm not; you are,” she quipped.

Equinox bit her lip as if she were trying to hold in a hurricane. She hurled the collars across the room with a crash. “Get going,” she growled, nearly frothing at the mouth.

The open doorway and a section of the root pattern on the floor had gone dark, likely indicating their completion of the trial.

Winter’s heart was nearly beating out of her chest from the taxing power struggle. She stood up followed by the other two and they all walked to the next sealed door. There were three elemental symbols upon it just like before but this time lightning was at the center. Rarity wondered if there was any significance to this or if it was just for the sake of symmetry.

The three of them placed their hooves on their respective symbols and the door came to life, sliding open with the sound of stone on stone.

“Oh,” exclaimed Rarity at the spacious chamber before them.

Made from the same grayish blue stone, the floorplan was square, at least twice the size of the crystal chamber. The ceiling was high, perhaps two stories up. It seemed like it was deliberately meant to feel the opposite of the previous room. Being able to stretch out a bit more was a relief to everyone.

The whole group walked in this time, including the queen and guards who looked around curiously. There was another empty groove carved into the floor. An energy sluice inlaid with crystalline and leading back to the Unity Crystal. At its other end it carved a maze-like pattern that went all over, up the walls and on the ceiling.

“We must need to send energy through this little path like before,” posed Rarity. “But where's the source? Where does it come from and how do we activate it?”

“We probably just need to step on all the little shapes again,” answered Autumn, eyeing an orange spot on the ground. The color was actually a separate inset stone piece, a disk placed neatly at a four way junction of the groove that meandered every surface of the room. The groove continuation on the disk was L-shaped connecting two directions together but leaving two unconnected ends also. She looked around and saw different colored disks with different shaped grooves in them. Some were straight lines and some were Ls.

“These spots on the floor look like they're supposed to spin,” she added, placing her hoof on the circle. “Don't know how though.” She tried twisting her hoof on it but it wouldn't budge.

“This looks… tedious,” muttered Rarity, her eyes bouncing between the colored spots overhead. “Hey, there's a touchpad in the very center of the ceiling where the groove ends,” she pointed excitedly. I bet that's the starting point. It looks like it's for me.”

The three of them squinted straight up at the lightning bolt tile that would probably require a six high Kirin tower to reach.

“Yep,” grunted Autumn. “So now what?”

“I'll just levitate you up there to touch it,” suggested Winter.

Rarity nodded. “That works.”

She flailed her limbs awkwardly as she suddenly became weightless and began to drift upward toward the ceiling like a loose balloon. She looked up as the touch pad became larger in her view. Reached a hoof out Rarity planted it on the tile as she made contact.

The tile illuminated even as she pulled off of it and energy began to flow from it into the groove. The light raced across the ceiling, tracing a shape, turning corners in a zigzag until it came to the first junction where it stopped short, colliding with a misaligned disk. The energy promptly reversed direction, seemingly retracting like a tape measure before finally disappearing back into the pad.

“Oh,” groaned Rarity, still floating. “We need to figure out how to turn the junctions to make a clear path for it first.”

Winter set her back down carefully on the floor where she began searching for some kind of central control unit. Autumn and Winter turned their attention directly to the colored disks themselves.

“You know this is almost like an escape room,” said Rarity, scratching her chin.

“A what?” asked Autumn.

“Uh, nevermind. I'll tell you later.”

“They look color coded to our clans,” mused Winter looking down at a white disk with a line junction carved in it. “Orange is fire. White is probably ice and yellow is lightning.”

Autumn found an orange one and began to get rough with it, stomping and sticking her hoof in the groove to hopefully turn it like a screw but it remained immutable to her efforts.

“What else can we do here?” mumbled Winter. “There are no other controls.” Out of ideas for how to interface with the puzzle she blasted the switch with an ice beam. Immediately it rotated clockwise ninety degrees. “It needs magic, she shouted to the room. “They only respond to elemental magic.”

“Oh… Well we can't really do that,” shrugged Autumn dryly.

Winter turned to her mother who stood by the wall looking bored. “We need to take the magicuffs off now.”

The queen's eyes bulged. “Absolutely not. That's complete reckless anarchy.”

“Mother, think about it, it's either that or we stay down here. These tests, or whatever they are, were designed to require the full participation of all three Kirin princesses. Those are the facts and we can't change them.”

Equinox muttered curses under her breath as she turned away. “Captain, remove the cuffs.”

“Understood, Your Highness.”

The captain fished another key out and soon all three princesses were completely free of restraints. This made the queen visibly nervous.

Autumn tested her powers by burning an orange switch on the ground to make it spin.

“Okay,” began Rarity. “Let's create a clear circuit that goes from the source all the way back to the crystal. I’ll navigate and we can just adjust the switches as we go. She looked up to the ceiling and began tracing the path with her eyes, pointing at it with one hoof to help keep her place in the tangled labyrinth.

“Turn this one… and turn that orange one twice. This one twice. That one three times.”

Beams of elemental magic crisscrossed through the room like fireworks following Rarity's prodigious pace.

She followed the path down the wall, across the floor and up the wall again, winding around the whole room as she quickly dictated which disks needed to be toggled, flipping the ones she could do herself along the way.

Despite three dozen switches and what felt like a mile of conduit, Rarity made it look as simple as eating popcorn and was at the end in just a few minutes.

“That should do the trick. Lift me up, please.”

“No way this is gonna work first try,” muttered Autumn, thinking about all the junctions that could be misaligned. It only took one.

Winter floated Rarity within range of the ceiling pad, allowing her to activate the energy flow.

They watched with wide eyes and open mouths as It surged through the groove like juice through a silly straw, picking up speed as it went. Eventually it became so fast that their eyes couldn't follow. About eighty percent of the maze was illuminated when it hit the final straightaway and zipped out the door and into the crystal room.

The princesses exchanged elated glances and rejoiced in amazement at both their success and the meticulous whimsy of the ancient puzzle. The groove faded as the switched spun automatically to scramble the puzzle.

“That was awesome!”

They highhoofed one another.

“Yes, very amusing,” grumbled the queen as she turned to leave. “One left I suppose but what is the point of all this?”

“I think it's to promote, or at least test, unity between the princesses,” answered Winter, following her into the central chamber. “I never thought about it before now but it feels like everyone being on level ground is critical to building a real unified society.”

Equinox winced in disgust at the notion. “You mean level beneath a leader,” she clarified.

The group assembled at the final door and the princesses unlocked it with their hooves.

“A leader yes but one that listens to the ideas of others,” continued Winter walking through the gap.

“A leader that does that is a weak leader. They're opening the door to indecision and manipulation by enemies,” argued her mother, hurrying in after her.

Her daughter frowned. “But when everyone feels empowered and listened to, you have a lot more allies than enemies.”

Her mother gave an exasperated sigh. “Let me share with you a little secret: Kirin are stupid; they hate having to think. They crave oppression and rigid order whether they understand that or not. When they don't get it, look what happens. They stray from the path and there's discord and turmoil for hundreds of years.”

“Your answer isn't the only answer there is,” Winter shot back angrily.

“It's the only answer you can count on,” she replied with a scowl.

“I want to have the world in the old books.”

Equinox pointed a hoof in her face and exploded. “I'm not going to allow you to squander this power for your childish fantasies of a time long gone!”

Winter clenched her teeth, quivering with livid fury. “I wish I'd been kidnapped as a foal and taken away just like Summer Storm.” She turned away abruptly to go join the other astounded princesses.

The queen’s face went slack as she stood there frozen with a lump in her throat and a terrible pain in her chest. She'd heard plenty of harsh words over the years and responded to them with callous indifference or anger and in the end she always brushed it off but Winter's rejection cut right through her. Her lis drew into a thin line and she hung her head as tears began to sting her eyes.

“You don't actually think that, do you?” asked Rarity softly. “I never knew my real mother even though I really wish I had. I know it's different but the mother I have is the one I have and I wouldn't trade her for anything.”

“Let's just solve the stupid puzzle and get out of here,” muttered Winter staring at the floor.

The room was lit by magical sconces along the walls. It was about the same width and depth as the previous trial chamber but with two tiers of ceiling height, the lower one going around the perimeter and the higher one towering in the center. There was a u-shaped pattern of large tiles on the floor following beneath the ledge of the lower tier and surrounding a circular plate with the three ubiquitous touch pads carved with elemental symbols. They gathered around what looked like the starting point and touched their symbols to see what would happen.

There came an electric buzz as a strange array of nodes along the u-shaped pattern sprang to life in tandem with a mirrored grid of nodes on the lower ceiling. An energy array of shimmering panels snapped together between them, creating a solid partition that looked like a glass barrier stretching from floor to ceiling.

“What the,” mumbled Autumn.

“Haven't seen anything like this yet,” marveled Rarity. “Looks rather grandiose.”

“Princess,” exclaimed the commander.

The three turned to see the guards gathered around the left flank of the u where the queen looked to be boxed inside of the partitions. Standing in a narrow space barely big enough to turn around in, Equinox pounded on the wall which sounded strangely muffled.

Walking curiously over to the forcefield, Winter placed a hoof on the surface which felt almost as solid as metal. “Just teleport out,” she shouted, testing it with a stiff push.

“She can't,” argued the commander. “These weird barriers seem to be anti magic.”

Winter tried to teleport her out herself but nothing happened.

“Uh… okay. Let's just try to deactivate it then.”

The princesses reconvened at the circular plate, which now glowed, and put their hooves to it. Holding there they looked around the room but nothing was happening. The forcefield panels all stood solid.

“This seems like a bad design flaw,” began Rarity.

“Us three are the only ones supposed to be down here,” replied Winter. “This wouldn't have happened otherwise.”

“Looks like we just need to solve the puzzle then,” shrugged Autumn. Though if she was being completely honest, she was in no rush to fix the issue.

The three began to wander around the strange virtual apparatus trying to assess what the goal of the challenge was. There were color coded spots on the ground that looked like elevator call buttons. Once again they mirrored the u-shape of the panels.

Inside the tank, Equinox heard a strange distant sound like a babbling brook that was beginning to grow. The acoustics of the space made it sound like it was originating from everywhere.

A trickle and then a smattering of water droplets splattered on the floor at the queen's hooves. She looked down at it with inauspicious dread. Looking up she saw holes in the ceiling, one directly above each floor tile which made up the big u. Then, to her dismay, a much more turbulent sound met her ears from down the corridor. She looked to see a deluge of water falling down each hole in sequence like tumbling dominoes coming straight at her. Her eyes widened in terror as each hole became a blasting faucet filling the inescapable tank. The one above her burst forth and pounded down upon her back.

“It's filling up with water,” gasped Rarity.

“What?” screeched Winter. “Why is there water? The other ones didn't have water!”

“How do we shut it off?” shouted The commander.

The guards, who had spread out over the room to look for a solution, redoubled their efforts under the newest and most pressing issue.

Equinox looked up through the torrent and, shielding her eyes, blasted the hole with an ice beam. The opening plugged instantly with a column of ice going from the ceiling to the floor. She boxed the obstruction with her hooves to shatter the lower half out of the way to move on to the next but she quickly realized that it was impossible for her to stop it this way. There were far too many holes to plug and she was moving sluggishly through barrel high water which only continued to climb. Soon she'd be swimming. The guards began to exercise brute force attacks on the tank with hooves, swords and magic, none of which appeared to affect it in any meaningful way.

Winter and Rarity were all but running in frantic circles at the controls. On the floor were little touchpads, two situated near every floor tile in the big u, one looked like an up arrow and the other a down. They were colored in the triad of elemental colors but every single one had a random color ascribed to it. No pair were the same.

Winter pressed a white up arrow pad. The corresponding tile rose from the floor as a square pillar stopping at only about a foot high. She looked over at rarity who had activated one that went up taller than her. It just looked like another hazard to her terrified and struggling mother.

“I don't get it,” shrieked Winter. “What do we do?”

“Hey look at this part,” shouted Autumn, pointing up into the high ceiling center over the u-shape.

Here at the bottom of the u, where its two flanks connected, the forcefield panels stretched further up in a tall but narrow shaft formation almost like a clock tower. The space had yet to fill up. Directly below it was another raised floor tile but this one was joined to a buoy and floating at water level. It was anchored to the spot by a chain that extended as the water rose. The floating slab appeared significant because it had a horizontal crystalline groove carved across its side.

Rarity looked up and down and up and down. A ways up the shaft were two contact points with a space in between that would snugly fit the floating piece should it climb that high. Theoretically if they were put together it would make a path from one already glowing groove into the empty one which led back into the main chamber.

Rarity pointed urgently up the shaft. “That spot where there's a break in the groove! We have to raise the water level to float that buoy up to that exact height to complete the circuit between those two points and solve the puzzle.”

“Raise the water?” cried Winter. She pointed to her mother who was treading water on the surface with only about a head's worth of room for air. “She's drowning!”

Autumn scratched her head. “How do we even raise the water?”

“The pads on the floor raise pillars which displace the water I guess,” suggested Rarity. “We just need to solve it as fast as possible. Activate all of the pillars that you can safely activate.”

The three scattered across the length of the u and began stomping on anything they had the authority to raise. Pillars of arbitrary heights sprouted here and there. Some were only a hoof high while others almost went to the ceiling.

Winter glanced back at her flailing mother as the last of the air disappeared from the lower tier of the chamber and she was left holding her breath and praying. If only they had known about the mechanics of the puzzle sooner they could have directed her on top of the buoy and she'd be out of the water and have plenty of air in the extra height of the shaft.

“Everyone stop, it's too far,” warned Autumn. “We have to bring it down.”

All three looked up the shaft to see the slab floating above the contact points. Winter eyeballed the amount of extra water in the shaft to a comparably sized pillar and tried not to think of her mother's imploding lungs.

“This one,” she pointed to a medium sized pillar. “It's for you, Summer.”

Rarity teleported over and pressed the yellow down arrow. The pillar retracted all the way to the floor and they checked the alignment again but it was still just a little too high. Desperate and on the verge of total panic, Winter pressed another button retracting another nearby knee high pillar.

They let out a collective gasp as the groove lit up for a moment only to go dark again as the buoy sank too low.

“You've gotta be kidding me!” screamed Winter.

There must have been around three dozen moveable columns in all, about two thirds of which were raised. Between the ones they could see and the ones they couldn't it was now a finicky guessing game that they didn't have any time left for.

“I have an idea,” blurted Autumn, appearing from nowhere. “We both try stepping on the buttons at the same time to keep the pillar only half way out.”

She tapped the button to raise the pillar again.

“What?” asked the bewildered ice princess.

“Just hold the button down.”

Winter did as she was told and stepped on the down arrow. Autumn waited until the pillar was half retracted and then stood on the orange up arrow pad again, holding it down. The pillar froze abruptly in the interstitial position.

“Oh, I get it.”

The group looked up at the shaft expectantly. There the buoy settled on an in-between height just level with the grooves on either side. The waiting energy shot through the conduit, racing to the door and into the crystal chamber. They held their breath. There was nothing to do but wait and see. The queen struggled listlessly at the top of the chamber, her vision fading, the water waiting to fill the whole of her desperate lungs.

The groove went dark and suddenly the buoy began to drop as a violent maelstrom of bubbles floated up underneath it. The water was draining precipitously through the opening in the floor where the chain was anchored. They'd solved it but were they quick enough? Autumn and Winter only stepped off of the controls when they saw all of the columns begin to retract automatically. Finally air reached the bottom tier. The queen's limp body gasped for air, practically kissing the ceiling for it. Winter ran up to the barrier. The water level continued to fall and soon her mother was slumped over and panting on the floor. At last the forcefield dissipated and the only sign that anything had happened was the row of slick floor tiles and the waterlogged queen atop them.

“Mom!”

“Your Highness, are you alright?”

Winter put a hoof on her back.

Equinox coughed as she tried to speak. “I've never been so terrified in all my life. You saved me.”

“We all saved you. Especially Autumn Blaze. Without her idea, you would have drowned for sure.”

The queen picked up her head to look wearily at them over her daughter's shoulder. She had stepped on each one of them in one way or another but they still worked together to save her.

“I… I don't understand. Why?”

Tears came to her eyes again and she hung her head in shame. “Winter,” she sobbed. “Everything I ever did was supposed to be for you. I'm sorry. The last thing I want to do is drive you away. I love you!” She wiped her eyes as her face tightened painfully. She felt her daughter's forelegs wrap around her.

“I didn't mean what I said,” quivered Winter. “I'm sorry. I was just angry that you refused to listen to me. Because I have thoughts and dreams too and sometimes I can be right about things.”

The queen closed her eyes and touched a hoof to her daughter’s foreleg. “I see that.”

“C'mon. We should be able to get out of here now.”

They stood up. Equinox walked slowly with a sag in her steps. Her mane and drenched cape left a trail of drips out of the room. The whole group gathered around the crystal once more. The light had drained from the shapes on the walls and floor back into the stone in the center which pulsed slowly as if it were breathing softly.

Winter pointed at the crystal. “This is it. It's waiting for a command.”

Equinox sighed. “I'm not going to fight you for it. I don't know what will happen but until today I never could have imagined seeing three princesses working together, not just out of necessity or selfish convenience but with joy and genuine concern for one another… even me. If you can make such a commitment to each other without swords and chains then maybe… maybe your vision is true.”

Winter drew her into a hug. “Thanks mom.”

The princesses assembled around the crystal once again and all looked at one another.

“On three,” said Winter. “One… two… three.”

They pressed their hooves to the crystal which illuminated brightly from their touch. The room rumbled. The doors slid closed in concert before the floor began to rise upward. They kept their hooves there as everyone looked around expectantly for the stairs to appear. It was a relief to all when the decorative metal grate descended slowly from the ceiling. The strange elevator halted after reaching its original spot.

Rarity dropped her hoof back to the floor. “We're back but did anything-”

Her words died as the rumbling began again. The whole group looked up and gasped as the ceiling parted. The rotunda ceiling and its whimsical frescos appeared above them, the oculus at its center held a swatch of night sky and a smattering of stars. The floor beneath them pushed upwards again, rising until it was above ground and flush with the temple floor. The crystal shimmered and whined with increasing intensity. At its zenith, it released a shockwave and a great iridescent beam of light shot straight up through the oculus into the sky above.

The speechless group visored their eyes as a burst of magic hit their bodies and they began to change. As the beam of light stabilized and everyone regained their vision, they began to look at one another in wonder. The whole company had conical horns and cutie marks. Every one of them had been forcibly changed to their animus forms. Their appearances had been scrambled, their colors arbitrary, some of them never even seen on Kirin.

The now medium gray Autumn Blaze squinted at Rarity. “Winter?”

“I'm Summer Storm,” she corrected, marveling at how her own porcelain coat had burned straight through the burgundy color of her disguise.

“I can't tell who anyone is anymore,” laughed Autumn.

“I can't switch back,” gasped the commander.

“Neither can I.”

Fizzle stood on her porch in the dim penumbra of lamp light, eyes cast skyward. Her coat was orange and her long mane was light blue. Her cutie mark was a textile swatch with frayed edges. She watched the column of light in the distance piercing the heavens. The whole night sky danced with a rainbow colored aurora.

Author's Note

I like point and click adventure games.

Building Roads

Cookie rested her head on her husband's chest after having crept into his bed before he woke up. The late morning sun had finally floated above the window so the curtains were open. They were roommates now at the hospital.

“At least while I was in a coma I didn't have to worry about Rarity,” breathed Hondo.

“Yes but you didn't get to do this either.”

“That's true.”

“And now I don't have to worry alone.” She ran a hoof up and down the rough plaster of the cast on her husband's hind leg. “We shouldn't be here much longer. At least we can go home and see Sweetie Belle soon. It might be a struggle to get to the train station though,” she thought aloud. “You should try to take advantage of the book cart before we go. I saw some titles you'd like.”

“Mom? came a voice from the door. “Dad!” Their eyes shot open to see none other than their daughter Sweetie bounding to the foot of their bed. She scrambled up onto the mattress, forgetting about the injuries in the excitement, and plopped down between them

“Sweetie!”

“Careful,” groaned Hondo, trying to hug her sideways.

“You're awake. How are you feeling?”

“Pretty good for falling out a window… which I don't even remember. I actually lost a lot of that day but at least I took lots of pictures… according to your mother.”

“Did you come all the way here by yourself?” asked her mother with a hint of worry.

“No.”

“Knock knock,” announced Twilight on cue, slipping cautiously into the room.

“We got you some balloons to go with the flowers,” said Rainbow Dash as she spat out a trio of weighted ribbons tied to bobbing mylar balloons.

The rest of Rarity's closest friends filed in and crowded around them with smiles and gifts.

“Hey, y'all.”

“This whole thing might be a little late,” began Twilight.

“But it's better late than never,” added Fluttershy, holding up a fruit basket.

“And you can't enjoy cake if you're unconscious,” scoffed Pinkie, presenting a vanilla sheet cake in a plastic container. She pointed to the sentiment written in blue frosting. “I couldn't decide between ‘Get well soon’ and ‘Welcome back’ so I wrote both.” She grinned widely.

Cookie ran a hoof through her daughter's mane and smiled. “Thank you, all.” - - -

The morning after the three princesses had successfully influenced the Unity Crystal and awakened its ultimate power all the Kirin still looked like unicorns and were unable to change back.

They had no clue of the crystal's range of abilities or that their wish would manifest in such a way. At first it was difficult to see how this strange turn of events would help facilitate their vision for the Kirin but amongst the chaos of everyone they knew suddenly looking like complete strangers, citizens found it difficult to observe their long held prejudices and easier to greet a new face who didn't seem to belong to anyone. No longer could they tell from looking where someone was from and slowly it started to not even matter.

Queen Equinox left on an emergency speaking tour of the cities to personally explain what had happened and to reassure the citizens though she wasn't even certain of the future herself.

Officially freed, Autumn Blaze returned to Ash Forge with her and tried to convince the citizens of her identity, connect with allies and reestablish herself as a ruler after a long absence and occupation by the Ice Clan.

In White Glade Rarity and Winter watched a school recess as complete nobodies and not a guard in sight. The school foals played free-for-all in the field without boundaries or reservations.

“I've made up my mind,” began Rarity. I'm going to stay and rebuild Sky's Edge and rule there if I can, If they'll accept a strange long lost princess dropping in from out of the blue, but I'm going to need a lot of help to do that.”

Winter looked at her skeptically. “You're not just wanting to stay because you feel obligated to by birth or some kind of prophecy-like recognition from the crystal, are you?”

Rarity shook her head. “No. Well that is part of it,” she admitted. “I get the feeling that I'm supposed to be here whether I like it or not and I don't know what happens to everyone if I reject my title. On the other hoof though, I can't explain it but I feel a profound calling to do this, like I'll never feel right if I just leave. I don't know how that crystal works or how it reacts to our touch but I want to believe its more than just the title we received by birth. It's what's inside us. I think the crystal even recognized that in me before I did.”

She leaned on a fence post as she reminisced with a sigh. “It's strange. It wasn't that long ago that I looked just like this all the time and I was living a successful life in a pony world. I knew exactly what I was doing and where I belonged. I had it all figured out and then I came here and I had to reevaluate everything.”

“You’d just leave everything you know behind?”

“Oh no. I could never do that, I mean, not completely. I'd have to at least go back and visit sometimes and maybe someday we'll have ponies or other creatures visiting here. There are some good things about being isolated but I think it would be good for everyone if you at least met your neighbors and became a community with the outside world as long as we maintain our culture and sovereignty.”

“What's it like in Equestria?” asked Winter absently as she watched the foals kick a ball across the lawn.

“It’s different all over and it's so big. Where I grew up it wasn't too different from here but there are places out there with buildings taller than five castles high and hundreds of ponies in them. There are radios and hot air balloons and boats and trains and deserts and the ocean.”

Winter considered all this fantastical imagery for a moment and smiled. “I want to see it someday.”

“That would be fabulous,” gasped Rarity. “All three of us could go and I could show you Manehattan. And if we go looking like this, no one will stare at us. We can talk about that later but right now there’s so much to do. Before I start on any of it though, I need to go back to Equestria and see my friends and family and it's a long trip. My mother has probably been on pins and needles every waking hour since I left. Ugh, and my refrigerator is probably a nightmare.” - - -

It was weeks before any Kirin found that they could return to their non animus form. Many had just assumed that the change was permanent and they would learn to live with it. Even after it became voluntary, Kirin in animus form remained a more common sight in the cities.

Rarity returned to Equestria and told everyone, including a very emotional Spike, the craziest story she'd ever told as she enlisted friends to come back with her and oversee reconstruction.

Lightning Kirin trickled back into Sky's Edge, some of them looking to pick up right where they left off in the very house they'd been forced to leave years ago. Rarity made it a priority to contact the Kirin who had left their homeland entirely to escape and sent word out over Equestria about the changes back home hoping it would somehow reach them and encourage them to come back.

After all the casts and bandages came off, Rarity's friends and family came and helped with the rebuilding of Sky's Edge. They acted as both laborers and ambassadors of Equestria and ponykind. It was a relationship Rarity was emphatic about fostering, wishing to live figuratively on the border of the two worlds. The new princess took pleasure in restoring and redecorating the castle. Her mother, though it wasn't her thing, hung around for the stay and helped there, still not wishing to visit her home city.

Applejack brought seeds and produce, introducing new agriculture and drawing attention to the best crop rotations that would give them more options for renewing their soil and reclaiming lost productivity. She returned home with a couple of new crops to try herself.

In White Glade, construction stalled on the unification monument as workers were diverted and a final decision was made by Winter and her mother on an appropriate alternate direction for its development. It didn't seem right to make it a shrine for any one Kirin and Winter wished that it had a greater functionality for all citizens. After brainstorming with Rarity she suggested making the structure into a public library inspired by how Winter had rediscovered the Unity Crystal by researching and translating ancient tomes. She had to explain how public libraries worked but once she did, Winter was immediately on board with the idea. When Rarity mentioned it to Twilight, the Princesses of Friendship offered to make a huge donation of either books or building materials, whichever they preferred.

Though they would miss her, Rarity's family was ambivalent about moving to be with her in the castle or Sky's Edge. Sweetie Belle didn't want to leave Equestria or her friends which made Hondo lukewarm on the idea. Her mother felt strange and inexplicably anxious the whole time she was there but for once not for her daughter. It seemed Cookie was finally ready to let go and sleep at night. Rarity had thoroughly proven herself capable and independent. Capable and independent enough to incite a revolution in service to creating a better world. She had no doubt she could tackle any problem without her continued hovering over her shoulder.

While the Lightning Clan rebuilt their homes the Fire and Ice Clans ventured into woods to begin restoring and beautifying the ancient plaza to make a meeting place where all Kirin could commune in kinship and trade. Next year they would hold the first Unity Festival that anyone could remember.

Author's Note

Hold on... We're not done yet.

Epilogue

“It's not weird that I'm here for the thing is it?” asked Twilight warily, checking her profile in the mirror.

Rarity carefully brushed mascara onto her own eyelashes. “No. Nonsense. They invited you. You're a foreign dignitary who played a significant role in reconstruction and reunification. We're building bridges or roads rather. It makes sense.”

“I know. It just feels weird being the only pony present.”

“My father's here somewhere,” replied Rarity, batting her eyelashes. “I'm sure there would be other VIPs if they knew any. It's like Kirin just got to a big party and you're the only one there they know.” She screwed her mascara shut. “Ready?”

“Ready.”

“To the carriage.” She turned to lead her out of the dressing room and down to their awaiting coach. “The roads are a great deal better now you'll notice. Much less bumpy. Each city is responsible for maintaining their halves of two city roads and the one in between that goes to the Unity Plaza.”

The two stepped outside and were greeted by the chauffeurs who showed them up the steps into Rarity's royal carriage. They promptly closed the door, hitched up and soon they were on their way, rolling down the Sky's Edge promenade.

“I’m sure you'll be doing this exact same thing again for the library ribbon cutting,” mused Rarity as she watched the bustling city go by the window.

“Now that will be an exciting day,” laughed Twilight.

"I do hope Spikey Wikey is available to come out then."

They came upon Fizzle’s house which had an uncharacteristic amount of activity in the front of it. A mare and stallion sat on chairs, apparently visiting. Fizzle sat on her porch swing with a foal on either side of her. They were too young to have ever lived in Sky's Edge. Fizzle smiled and waved to her as they rumbled by.

“They came back,” whispered Rarity in amazement. - - -

“And so it is with great pride that I pass the torch to my tenacious daughter, Princess Winter Wind. May she reign in peace and unity.”

Equinox set the silver tiara upon Winter's head and the crowd erupted with cheers. Autumn and Rarity and Twilight clopped their hooves from their seats behind the altar. Cookie, Hondo and Sweetie Belle watched from the crowd as Winter took the podium to make her first address as ruling princess of the Ice Clan.

At the after party festivities the unflappable Hondo was unexpectedly very popular being an easily approachable foreigner. Twilight mingled vicariously beside Rarity and the other princesses while servants prepared the feast in the banquet hall.

Cookie left the crowd and wandered alone through the sparsely populated gallery, looking at paintings both new and old. Some were landscapes or important historical scenes but most were formal portraits. She stopped in front of the only face she'd ever seen in real life, her former boss and now former queen. The portrait was done shortly after her coronation. It depicted a young Princess Windchill making intense eye contact with the viewer.

“Diamond Dust?” came a voice from behind.

Her insides tried to leap out of her skin. Cookie turned around to see former Queen Equinox still in her full royal regalia with drink floating in the air.

“It's been a long time since someone called me that.”

“I didn't even know you came. I hope you're not still standoffish after the whole… almost accidentally killing your family thing.”

“I know I was invited but I still wasn't sure if I was really supposed to come so I compromised and came as a ghost. I still feel funny about all this.”

Equinox sipped her drink as she eyed her own portrait. “You mean like I'm going to spring a trap on you for flouting my orders twenty-six years ago?” she laughed. “Honestly I was always more upset about losing one of my best than the principle of your insubordination. And the mission itself wasn't a complete loss; it still caused unrest which was what we wanted.”

Cookie shook her head absently. “No. It's not that. It's probably the fact that never in a million years could I have predicted a day like today… How it all fits together… How it all turned out. It all just seems like a fever dream.”

“Likewise… Forgive me if this sounds rude but how did you manage to raise such a Kirin with your… skill set and background.”

Cookie laughed weakly. “Well, I didn't do it alone. I do give her pony father a lot of credit for her… sensitivity. That and the environment in Equestria was… just so different from here. You wouldn't believe.”

“But I assume the confidence and smoke bombs she inherited from you.”

“Yeah, sounds about right.” She swept a hoof through the air, gesturing at the old portrait. “It's been such a long time but I never really saw you as motherly either.”

“You never really know what you're capable of until you're there,” she shrugged. “Having a foal forced me to see things differently and suddenly I was terrified of everything and the one thing that mattered most in the entire world was that she was safe and I was going to make everything safe by conquering it.”

“Sounds like a familiar parental journey.”

“Does it? You trained your daughter to combat adversity while I stood in front of mine to block the wind.”

Cookie knitted her brow. “But she's the reigning princess now. Are you saying she's not ready?”

“No. I just feel like her better qualities are in spite of me, not because. I wish I hadn't wasted so much time making a mess… I wish I could just get things right the first time.”

“I think we all do but getting it right eventually isn't bad and that's the way anyone learns.”

Just then a sharply dressed servant stallion appeared at their side. “Pardon my interruption, madame, the feast is ready.”

“Thank you, Zero. I'll be there shortly.”

The stallion nodded and turned to go inform other partygoers.

The two turned slowly toward the banquet hall.

“I hear you're not interested in relocating out this way.”

Cookie screwed up her face in thought. “No. I mean… at least not for a long time. You’ll have to tell me someday what retirement life is like here though.”

Author's Note

The end.

Woooooooo~ That was a LONG one. (At least for me.)

If you’d like to support my hard work or see what my stories look like without ponies, you can buy one of my novels.